Chapter 26: The Infiltrator

People are Trapped in History,

And History is Trapped in Them

-James Baldwin

The first few shots were wild, probably more to dissuade him from following than anything because he started running soon after. Bursting through the sheet metal wall of his shack with his shoulder, Caleb made a mad dash to escape Shepard. He almost tripped onto his side, but he managed to maintain his balance enough to keep running. Shepard followed him by running out the front door, using biotic charge to make up the lost time.

"Caleb! Stop!"

The old man responded with more stray fire as he kept running. Shepard couldn't understand why though. Not that he expected him to stop on command, but because it was pointless. Where did he even have to go? The jungle? The other Village Elders? The senior computer whiz wasn't trying that hard to kill him either, his shot placement was consistently off the mark after all. Not that killing him would cover up what he had just found out. Shepard had told people where he was going and even if he hadn't, people would question where he was if he was dead. Not that Caleb could hide the crime now if he tried.

What was his plan? Fake a story? Tell the elders that Shepard had attacked him? Start a war between the UNSC and the Colony? What would he have to gain there? What would Cerberus have to gain? He'd be no closer to the relic, assuming that was his ultimate goal. And would anyone really buy such a sudden turn of events without a proper motive? Then again, Shepard hardly understood what was happening himself.

He just thought Caleb had stolen a mass effect gun, or Zek or Retz had given him one. The idea that he was Cerberus never even remotely crossed his mind until things started to build up during their conversation. Now Shepard couldn't help but think, was Caleb what Zek from the future had warned him about? Was he one of the Cerberus agents sent through the Wormhole who originally stole the Forerunner Crystal? He thought back to the files the Miranda from the future had given him before they sent him back. He had been going over them daily just in case they ran into their unit during their relic hunt. He couldn't recall anyone in the dossiers that looked like Caleb though. He couldn't remember anyone on the Cerberus team being that old. They had all been in their early twenties to mid thirties. Caleb was about fifty, at least. Stranger still, he had been with these people since before Apekis V fell. How he could be Cerberus? Were there other agents that they didn't know about?

There were so many questions running around in Shepard's head, that it was almost impossible to keep his concentration centered on his target. Caleb kept running through the raised makeshift pathways of the Colony's upper streets. He knocked over crates and cans, any assorted junk really, in an attempt to slow the Commander down. Shepard pushed forward, using his biotics to knock the junk out of the way. Some citizens were out and about as well, and they dodged out of the way of Caleb and Shepard's pursuit.

They seemed more perplexed than anything. Shepard briefly considered that everyone in this Colony was a Cerberus agent, that this was all a lie, but that made no sense either. There were children here, why would Cerberus send families over to this universe? What settled it in his mind though was that Caleb wasn't raising an alarm, he wasn't rallying the citizens to attack him or anything. In fact, he stopped at one point to force a curious man back inside his home before shutting the door himself and continuing to run.

Not the behavior of a Cerberus Agent, that was for sure. He could've taken a hostage or ran into the home, but he didn't. That suggested he didn't want anyone to get hurt, or at least none of his fellow colonists. The longer this chase went on, the more confusing this was becoming.

Thankfully, Shepard had a way to end it. He just hoped she was lying in wait, watching for their moment.

As Caleb turned back for a moment to see how far Shepard was behind him, that moment came. A burst of blue energy struck Caleb in his side, throwing him into a shack's wall. As he stumbled to get his bearings, he ended up running into Samara who clotheslined him while he was still dazed from the previous blow. The old techie fell to floor, clutching his face, his pistol rattling to the floor. Samara quickly kicked it over to Shepard who carefully grabbed it by the barrel. He needed to preserve the finger prints on the trigger to prove Caleb had been firing it. That was the only way to really prove things beyond a shadow of a doubt, although Shepard suspected a few dozen witnesses would confirm Caleb was using the weapon.

Samara was currently resting her foot on Caleb's chest, as he finally lowered his hands and looked up at her.

"I suspect this is worse than a stolen pistol," she said, looking to Shepard as he approached.

"It is," Shepard said, showing the asari the weapon's marked insignia on its side.

The Justicar's eyes narrowed.

"Cerberus," she surmised. "They're here then."

"One of them is," Shepard said looking down at Caleb.

The man said nothing, closing his mouth shut and looking away. Fine, Shepard didn't need him to talk just yet.

"We will need to explain this to the Village Elders," Samara cautioned. "They will likely not believe us."

"Not at first, no," Shepard agreed. "I hardly believe it. I'm thinking there's more in his shack that will corroborate this though. Isn't there?"

Caleb turned back to glower at him.

"Get him up," Shepard told Samara. "We need to talk to Maisey and the others before rumors spread and this gets out of hand."

"Agreed," Samara confirmed.

Shepard was glad he decided to bring Samara in on this one. She was good at taking down fugitives for one. He suspected Caleb would run or maybe do something stupid. He wasn't prepared to go into an unknown situation without backup. He knew he could count on Samara to hang back and assist when needed. The way she put an end to the whole chase more or less validated his choice. You just couldn't outrun two biotics.

As Samara stood Caleb up, she attempted to get him to speak.

"Are there others?" She asked.

Caleb didn't answer at first, but the asari pressed.

"Are there more Cerberus soldiers here?" She demanded to know.

"You're gonna have to define here," was all he said.

Samara glared at him and then pushed him forward. The statement was clear to both her and Shepard though. It wasn't just the implication there were more infiltrators in the colony, he was confirming to Shepard that he wasn't the only agent of the Illusive Man in this universe. In fact, the way he said it was more all-encompassing, as if the "here" could mean everywhere.

Which brought Shepard back to his original question; Where were the other Cerberus operatives? And why did Caleb look so old? He imagined no one would like those answers, Maisey least of all.

To say the Elder Council was livid and greatly confused by the reports of a chase in the upper district of the colony was an understatement. When the shots had rung out, they sent security forces to converge on the area, finding Samara and Shepard carting Caleb towards them on their way to the command bunker. It was not a pleasant meeting. Less so when the guards escorted all three to Brant who was waiting for them all on the ground level, looking even surlier and gruffer than usual. Not a good sign at all.

"What is the meaning of this, Shepard?" Brant demanded. "You can't just go on a rampage through the colony, let alone assaulting council members! Give me one good reason I shouldn't throw-"

"Caleb is not who he says he is," Shepard stated bluntly. "He hasn't been for a long time."

Shepard showed him the gun.

"He shot at me with that," the Commander inform Brant. "It's a gun from my universe and it belongs to him."

"That ridiculous," Brant said. "You're accusing Caleb of stealing?"

"I didn't say he stole it," Shepard corrected him. "I said it's his, which means Caleb has been lying to you. He's not from your universe, he's from mine."

Brant, of course did not believe the Commander, rolling his eyes at it all.

"You must think I'm real gullible, Shepard," he said. "You expect me to believe Caleb is from another universe? Really? That's the best you got now? Did Haverson put you up to this?"

"Caleb was one of the earliest supporters of us coming here and working on getting the relic," Shepard reminded him. "Why would I jeopardize that objective by accusing him of something?"

Brant didn't have an answer for that, but he looked to Caleb.

"What happened Caleb?" He asked. "What is he trying to pin on you?"

Caleb didn't answer, in fact, he looked away.

"Come on, did he jump you? Try to steal your notes on something?" Brant insisted. "Say the word and my boys can cart his ass off or-"

"Nothing I say is going to work," Caleb sighed.

Brant looked at his fellow council member confused.

"Search his home," Shepard insisted. "Talk to witnesses who saw us running. They'll tell you he was holding the gun and you will likely find more evidence there."

Brant could only look between Shepard and Caleb, his confusion growing starker by the second.

"This is insane," he declared. "Caleb, this is crazy right? Just say the gun isn't yours! That you didn't shoot at him! Defend yourself already! Come on, man!"

But Caleb only hung his head.

"No... no," he said, slowly shaking it. "I'm sorry, Brant. I'm... too old to be making up more lies now."

"What?" Brant asked, trying to process everything. "You can't be seriously telling me..."

The security chief could no longer speak. Samara pushed Caleb on, the other guards nearby suddenly letting her pass as shock overtook them.

"I shall leave him in a holding cell for you," she said. "I suggest you break the news to Maisey."

"We still need to check his home," Shepard insisted once more. "There's going to be more stuff inside, I'm sure of it. I'll join you when I've explained this to the other council members."

Shepard moved to follow Samara, but Brant reached out to him.

"Commander, this is nuts," he insisted. "I know Caleb! I've known him for years. He's not... he's not from some other universe."

"Check his home," Shepard repeated. "You'll see for yourself."

Shepard left Brant there and he seemed to comply to the Commander's request. Whether or not it was because he believed him or because he wanted to prove Shepard wrong was uncertain. All that was certain in Shepard's mind was that he needed to speak to Maisey. She needed understand what they were dealing with and what it meant for her colony.

Dragging everyone away from what clean up certainly did not make explanation any easier. Maisey and the rest of the elders were already sick and tired enough of the events of the evening. Shepard adding on another wrinkle wasn't helping. Especially when said wrinkle was, "Hey your friend and colleague for several years now has been a spy for a terrorist organization from another dimension. By way, in case it wasn't clear, I forgot to mention I'm from another dimension too and that's a thing that exists." Shepard was not really looking forward to that part of the conversation, but that was the rub.

It took a while to properly relay the whole story. What Cerberus was, who the Illusive Man was, why they were interested in this dimension, among other questions kept getting asked. What was worse was when Shepard had no answers. Why was Caleb so old if the wormhole had only been discovered recently? How had they been with him for longer than Shepard had even been in this dimension? Why would he even be here, at this Colony, to begin with? How had he stayed hidden this long? Why had he stayed hidden this long? All Shepard could answer was he didn't know. That was simply not good enough for Maisey and her friends.

"You're telling me our chief computer technician, one of our best engineering minds, has been a terrorist from another dimension living among my people for years!" Maisey shouted. "Do you honestly expect me to believe any of this nonsense?"

"I told you, I don't know how or why, but he's from my universe," Shepard insisted. "I can only speculate he's been after the relic. That's why he was so keen on getting our help. He knew from my reputation that I'd probably be able to help."

"How would he even know about this relic? He was tech support for the colony back on Apekis V! He's not some human supremacist!" Maisey claimed. "Hell, I never even heard him once mention anything about aliens in his life outside of when we talk about the Covenant. And we avoid talking about the Covenant when we can!"

"Obviously he didn't want his true colors seeping through," Shepard suggested. "Going undercover requires adopting a whole other personality."

"Shepard is right," Haverson agreed. "ONI trains our people to do just that."

"Oh sure, the actual spy buys this," Asha interjected. "But that still doesn't explain how he's way over the age of any of these Cerberus people that you suspect are running around in this universe."

"Again, I wish I did have an answer to that, I don't," Shepard repeated once more. "The wormhole has a time displacing effect, months here are little more than a few days back home. It was never this drastic though."

Rowan suddenly stood up from her chair, which she had been rocking in rather anxiously.

"Well... well then you're wrong," she insisted in disbelief. "Caleb would never lie to us about anything. You have to be mistaken."

"He knew about my service back home," Shepard stated. "He shouldn't have known what the Skyllian Blitz was. And no one mentioned it to him."

"Look, Rowan, relax," Asha said comforting to younger engineer. "Brant will be back, there will be a logical explanation and we can just rule out this whole crazy story."

"You might not believe me when I speak, but Shepard has been nothing but a solid advocate for you all," Haverson spoke up. "Are you mistrusting his word now just because you don't like what you hear?"

"I don't trust any of you as far as I can throw you," Maisey spoke up. "Until Brant comes back and confirms any of this with some kind of evidence, I'm not trusting anything at face value."

As if on cue, Brant came into the command bunker. He was with two of his men and he did not look happy. Maisey was about to ask what he found, but when she looked at his expression... it was as if she knew what was coming. Brant waved his people towards the table and they dropped bags of stuff onto it. Inside were spare thermal clips, omni-tool chips, OSD drives and one old tattered uniform with Cerberus' insignia on its shoulder. There was also another weapon, Mass Effect-based like the pistol. This one was submachine gun from the looks of it.

"There was a computer set up behind a false wall," Brant said solemnly. "We found this stuff and more behind it. Detailed notes about his mission parameters, years of it, all relating to us. All about the Forerunner Relic he knew was here... before Shepard arrived."

The Council looked dumbstruck by the news. Rowan went pale. Maisey stood there, mouth agape, alongside her daughter.

"What?" Was all the village leader could say.

"I checked the date on the entries, he knew," Brant said, frantically trying to explain. "He wanted inside the Forerunner structure because he knew what was in there and he had to recover it. I... I don't know what else to say. Shepard... Shepard is right. We didn't know him. We... we didn't know who he was at all."

The elders were in shock, all looking to each other in fear and confusion. Rowan was worse off than them. Her pale expression turned to panic as she tried to deny the evidence before her.

"No, no, this is a mistake," she insisted. "It's... it's all one big horrible mistake. This isn't... none of this can be real. He's one of us! We knew him since before the Covenant even showed up on Apekis! This isn't possible!"

"Well I don't know how else to explain it, Rowan!" Brant shouted back in frustration. "He's got all this stuff and more that looks nothing like UNSC tech, a secret goddamn computer, hell it looks like he had some sort of transceiver too."

"A transceiver?" Tiegan questioned, her tone that of exhaustion at this point.

"It looks like a radio he made out of spare computer parts or something," Brant said in anxious, jumbled words. "It doesn't look finished, I don't know. He was probably trying to... to contact someone with it!"

"He was building a radio?" Asha asked, her voice enraged. "Who was he trying to contact? How long was he making it for?"

"I don't know, it's a jumbled mess of tech from the freighter, some of his own stuff and I think Forerunner junk," Brant tried to discern. "I'm not even sure if its finished or operational or busted-"

Maisey pounded her fist on the table to silence them all.

"We are not getting answers like this," she informed them. "I get it, we're all confused, shocked, but right asking these questions among ourselves isn't helping."

"And the only one with answers is Caleb," said Shepard insistently. "We need to talk to him. Where is he?"

"Your blue friend took him to our brig down at central security," Brant answered. "He's there waiting."

"Not for long," Shepard declared. "I'm going there now."

"What makes you think he'll talk to you?" Maisey asked.

"Because something tells me he's been dying to talk for years now," Shepard replied. "I'm just going to give him what he wants."

Caleb was sitting in the back of the cell, behind a large repurposed bulkhead door. Shepard looked at him through the glass slit. He was just sitting there, at the back of the cell, staring down at his feet. Was he contemplating matters? Maybe how to get out of this. Going over an escape plan in his head just to be sure he had all the details right? Shepard wasn't sure, but he could tell he was in deep thought.

As he looked in on the man, Tiegan approached with pad in hand.

"We don't exactly have the best equipment for it," she confessed. "But I used the information from those files you shared with us and compared it to Caleb's blood that we have in medical storage. The biometric data matches one of the people detailed in the Cerberus dossiers."

She showed him her findings. Indeed, there was a match to one of Cerberus' operatives in the files that Future Miranda had given him. Caleb's real name was Calvin Lebensworth. A clever alias to be frank, Shepard could at least give him that. Not that it made anything better.

"So that confirms it," Tiegan said. "He is from your universe. But the picture..."

The dossier showed Caleb was much younger when he took up the mission for Cerberus. Twenty Years younger in fact, he was supposed to be around Shepard's age, he looked nothing like that now. The mission documents Miranda had given him in the future suggested the mission had only just been launched in present time, like a day or so prior. There was no way to account, even with the time discrepancy of the wormhole itself, how this had happened. Obviously, somehow, he had exited the wormhole in the past and integrated himself into the inhabitants of this colony. That was easy enough to deduce, but it still left more questions than answers.

"I'm going to get answers for us," he assured her. "Open the door."

Brant, who was standing by, did so. Maisey was outside as well, along with Asha. Rowan had opted not to come, saying she wasn't able to see Caleb right now. They'd be monitoring the interrogation session. A close circuit microphone was set up inside the cell so they could hear everything that was discussed in the other room.

Shepard entered, holding a folding chair which he promptly set up in front of Caleb. The cell shut behind him as he did. Shepard stared at the man, waiting for him to engage, say something, anything. For a full minute, nothing happened. Reasoning that Caleb wasn't interested in sparking up a conversation, Shepard opted to break the ice first.

"I think it's time to come clean, Calvin," he began.

Caleb raised his head at that.

"Huh, I haven't heard that name in a long time," he said. "That's not who I am though."

"It is your real name though," Shepard corrected him.

"Once," Caleb replied bluntly. "But it's been so long since I was him, he might as well be dead. I can barely even separate who I was from who I am now really. Just... completely adopted the role."

"Guess you got rusty with hiding what you knew, huh?" Shepard presumed.

Caleb just shrugged, accepting his failure most readily

"Sloppy mistake, never would've made it in my youth," he admitted. "Plus I know your reputation, I was unnerved. Can you blame me? Commander Shepard, Hero of the Skyllian Blitz, starring me down and everything. Grilling me like I haven't been in over twenty years. How am I supposed to react?"

"If you want me to cut you a little slack over your slip up, that's not happening," Shepard informed him bluntly. "I need to know how the hell a Cerberus Spy got on Apekis V several years in the past from when and where he was supposed to emerge. You practically only left yesterday back home."

"Have I? I lost count of the sliding scale of time really," Caleb said, sounding rather casual about it all. "I mean, it's hard to keep up with the years when you're on a jungle planet and cut off from the outside world."

Shepard crossed his arms in abject frustration.

"That's not an answer," he informed him.

"Well I don't really have one honestly," Caleb gruffly replied. "We were all as confused as anyone when we showed up here, years before what we determined was your arrival date. The IFF Signal we were supposed to track? It didn't exist, it made no sense... until we found out it wasn't 2552 as we expected from everything our intelligence figured out about what happened to you. It was 2529, we were twenty-three years early."

Shepard looked astonished.

"You've been here for twenty-three years?" He asked. "How? The Wormhole's timescale discrepancy isn't that huge."

"I'm not a theoretical physichist, I'm a tech geek," Caleb shot back. "How am I supposed to know what happened? We entered the wormhole using stealth shuttles, slipped by the Covenant guarding it. Partway in, things go haywire."

"Haywire how?" Shepard pressed.

Caleb looked away, huffing. Shepard did not let up.

"Haywire how, Calvin?" He insisted.

"That's not my name anymore, I told you," Caleb glowered back through his teeth.

"At the moment, I don't care what you call yourself," Shepard shouted at him. "You've already dropped your cover, there's no point in keeping secrets anymore. Do you honestly think it matters anymore if you tell me everything? Especially about how you got here?"

Caleb raised in his hands, disgruntled and infuriated.

"I don't know what happened," he declared. "The wormhole went funny or something. Everything spun out weird, we lost our heading, surge protectors blew out. It was nuts... and then... and then it kept happening over and over and over."

Shepard's ears pricked up at that.

"What do you mean, over and over?"

"I mean we started to realize everything from the past three minutes kept repeating," Caleb continued, his voice raised to bitter tone. "We didn't realize at first but we soon figured out we were all in some sort of loop. Everything just skipped back to the start and we barely realised it. It was like... like being caught in purgatory."

Caleb rested for a moment, but Shepard's mind was working overtime. He soon realized what had happened. Why Caleb had shown up twenty-three years into the past.

"The experiment," he reasoned aloud. "You got caught in the experiment."

"What?" Caleb asked.

"We ran an experiment on a Forerunner relic," Shepard informed him. "It altered time in ways we couldn't fathom. Somehow, its effects extended beyond our location. It must've interacted with the wormhole. Given that it's unstable and has been there for who knows how long..."

Caleb laughed aloud.

"So, this is your fault then," he chuckled. "Well, ain't that something."

"I hardly think you're in a place to judge," Shepard stated. "I know what your original plan was and what would've happened."

"Our plan was really no different from yours," Caleb argued. "We were just trying to use the Covenant incursion to our advantage, find weapons and tech we could repurpose to take back home, fight humanity's enemies. Fight the Reapers when they show up. Something you chickened out on when you didn't leave that Collector Base intact."

Shepard rolled his eyes, like he needed to defend his actions to the spy for a terrorist organization. He wasn't about to let him keep his delusions either though.

"The last time the Illusive Man decided to play around with Reaper tech a whole Cell of his ended up as indoctrinated husks," Shepard informed him. "That was on a dead Reaper, you think it would've been any less terrible, any more different than if I gave him a place that made them by melting people?"

"Excuses, excuses, whatever," Caleb waved off in annoyance. "Unlike you, we were picked because we could make the hard choices. Because we were willing to risk it all. We knew that wormhole was unstable, that it was probably a one-way trip. More so after we figured out what the date was. But we adapted, because that's what humans do, what we're best at."

"Can the manifesto," Shepard grunted. "I need to know what you did after you wound up here, I don't need a sermon, I need details."

Once more, Caleb closed himself off a bit.

"Why? What's it matter now?" He asked. "If you must know, I haven't been in contact with any other Cerberus operatives, I don't even know if they're still here."

"What about the radio in your house?" Shepard asked. "The long range transceiver you have set up."

"Haven't managed to get it working," Caleb claimed. "All I get is static. For all I know everyone else is dead."

"Why should I believe that Calvin?" Shepard asked proddingly. "Just because you're tired of this lie of a life doesn't mean you don't have a few more left in you."

Calvin grew angry once more.

"My name is Caleb," he said once again, his rage boiling in his throat. "And it was not a lie! This, this all here, this wasn't a lie!"

He waved at the cell surrounding him, but was clearly indicating he meant the colony itself.

"You were here for the relic," Shepard informed him, refusing to buy his words a face value. "That's why you were so helpful. It's why you argued on behalf of my team getting inside the Forerunner Complex. All of this has just been one elaborate long con to get into the facility and nab yourself a weapon to use back home!"

"No!" Caleb denied insistently. "No! No! No! This was not a lie! It wasn't! Not... not all of it. Not all of it."

"Convince me then," Shepard demanded. "How'd you end up on Apekis V? Where's the rest of your team? How'd you even find out a relic was on this planet?"

"You wanna know?" Caleb asked, almost laughing. "Alright, you wanna know the real awful truth then. Fine. I knew there was a relic here because I discovered this planet's location in the ruins on Apekis V."

Shepard remained skeptical.

"Why would you be skulking around those ruins? You wouldn't have had access," Shepard stated. "It would've been under ONI jurisdiction. What did you do? Did you hack into their files? Steal the information?"

Caleb said nothing, but he kept a smug look on his face. Shepard tried to discern what that meant, but he soon realized the truth. Caleb hadn't hacked anything.

"You're with ONI," he grimly realized. "You were an agent assigned to investigate the ruins."

"It's more accurate to say ONI is with us," Caleb claimed. "When we realized what had happened, the whole time travel thing, our original plan of action went out the window. We couldn't go back, the instability prevented that and we didn't know for sure what time we'd end up in as a result. We couldn't just sit around waiting for you to pop out of the wormhole, that would be potentially damaging. We agreed, in the end, we had to limit what actions we took. To make sure we didn't mess with the timeline of events. We couldn't be certain what effect they would have on both universes. What alterations here could do to our home. Because we didn't know what had happened to us or how, we needed to play it safe. So, we started in earnest, trying to find people who could offer us support, who could help us in figuring out our next move. Likeminded individuals who would have humanity's best interests in mind, on both sides of the wormhole."

"So the UNSC then?" Shepard asked.

"Originally that was the plan, but they appeared to be too rigid," Caleb explained. "They were more military minded, not as open to alternative methods. They were just too different from us to really integrate with. ONI though, they were more like us than we could've hoped for. They knew and respected the value of subtrefuge. We came clean to specific members of their high command, embedded ourselves into the background of the organization."

"You infiltrated ONI?" Shepard questioned, his disbelief apparent.

"It was the perfect environment for Cerberus," Caleb claimed. "Better than any Alliance Black Ops group in fact. Their culture was near perfectly identical to ours, the lengths they were willing to go to, the methods they adopted, the strategy, the structure. True, not everyone seemed prepared to join with us, that's why we decided to make the selection process for who to let in very strict. But a war was going on, one humanity was losing and we were offering our experience, our technology, our weapons to the service of saving Earth. In the end, for most people, that was all that mattered. Or at least that's how it was when I last left them."

Haverson was going to hate hearing about this. If Caleb was telling the truth, ONI had been compromised by a terrorist organization for over twenty years. Shepard wasn't sure if he trusted him of course. He could be lying in an attempt to make them mistrust ONI. Then again, Shepard already distrusted ONI so it wasn't that shocking to imagine a few of their number would be seduced by Cerberus. Especially if they had offered weapons tech in return.

"If you're telling the truth, how come ONI didn't turn me over to Cerberus the second I showed up?" He asked. "Or try to interfere with my team, steal my ship back."

"I can't speak for them, I told you I have no contact with them," Caleb claimed. "I haven't since Apekis V fell. I've been on my own here, just trying to make the best of a bad situation."

"By lying to these people? Using this colony as an archeological dig site for over a decade?" Shepard questioned.

"No, this colony means everything to me," Caleb said vehemently. "Maybe even more than that relic. That may have been my goal at first, but I kept putting it off, trying to find a way to turn the defenses on first. I wanted them to be safe."

"You expect me to believe that," Shepard scoffed.

"You believe whatever you want, but it's the truth," Caleb insisted. "And as for my colleagues, again I can only presume the reason they didn't go after you was because of the decision we all made to preserve the timeline as is. Whatever changes we made could not potentially endanger your arrival here or anything else leading up to our intended entry into this dimension. If we acted too soon, we could jeopardize our own existence."

"But you didn't stay put either," Shepard recognized. "You came to Apekis V. There had to be others who went into the field."

Shepard presumed as much given what had happened to Zek in the alternate future. Although, he suspected that things weren't a one to one comparisson to what the Cerberus from that timeline did to Zek and what the Cerberus from this timeline was doing now. Future Zek had been scant on the precise details of his encounter with the terrorists, but it sounded like they had been quick to find him following his departure from the Flotilla in that timeline. Perhaps there was more to what exactly occurred to the Cerberus Expedition than either he or Caleb knew.

The point was, there had to be Cerberus Operatives running about around this part of the galaxy by now. Just waiting, planning, observing, until they were activated. Perhaps the thought sounded a bit paranoid, but Caleb was proof it wasn't an unfounded assumption.

"I can only speak for my operation," Caleb claimed. "We learned how valuable Forerunner technology could be in our fight against the Reapers and the Covenant early on. ONI proper didn't place a significant enough priority on it in our minds. It's more like a sideshow, keep it away from the Covenant, but never go out of our way to utilize it to its full extent. So our group decided we'd take it upon ourselves to retrieve it. I was sent by ONI to discreetly transcribe data concerning the Forerunner ruins on Apekis V. They needed someone on site who wouldn't be bogged down by protocol and the like, who could delve deep into the ancient archive stores."

"But your real mission was to make sure Cerberus got the intel first before ONI did," Shepard presumed. "So you could act on it before they did and shuttered or sealed it up before you could properly examine it."

Caleb nodded in compliance, confirming Shepard's theory.

"I was on Apekis V for years before I discovered something of true value," he continued. "Coordinates to a planet that held a treasure trove of possible ancient knowledge and a relic of incredible power. Assuming the data could be trusted of course. Just my luck though, I didn't have a chance to report my findings in. The Covenant showed up, Winter Contingency hit and we were in lockdown."

"So they probably think you're dead," Shepard presumed.

"Most likely," Caleb concurred. "At the time though, all I could think about was pursuing this lead I'd found. That meant getting off the planet, but of course the UNSC had decided we weren't valuable enough to protect. They were going to leave us to die. That was intolerable to me."

"Because Cerberus was about to lose out on getting their hands on an ancient weapon?" Shepard asked.

Caleb glared at him defensively.

"My chief concern was survival, for myself and everyone else on Apekis," he declared unwaveringly. "My discovery was secondary. I briefly even considered blowing my cover, telling them about what I had found... but after seeing how the Captain reacted to the colonists, how he refused to even save a child, I feared he would just kill me and take the information for himself for a fancy promotion. And by then... well, Mattias had already made his own decision."

Shepard glowered at Caleb, sensing there was more. He remembered something Tali told him about the navigation logs they uncovered.

"But you did make a decision of your own that day," Shepard surmised. "There's a reason this colony is even on this planet, isn't there? It's not a coincidence that we just happened to find a colony waiting for us when we got here searching for the Relic ourselves. We've been dancing around the obvious but it's plain as day. You wanted them to come here. You pre-programed the slipspace jump, didn't you?"

Caleb said nothing, but his eyes darted about.

"You can admit it," Shepard told him. "Tali and Asha found evidence of your meddling in the computer. You hid it well, but you're the only one who could've input the coordinates. You were the only one who even knew this planet was here. And chose to bring everyone aboard into your mission without their consent. Didn't you?"

"We needed a new planet to settle on, I had the location of one," Caleb stated frantically. "I did what I felt was the best for everyone. The colony, my mission, we all got something out of it! Look around, look at what we've accomplished, Commander! This is a colony built by self-reliant human hands! We've done something incredible! The relic was just a bonus on top of-"

The bulkhead to the cell burst open suddenly. Maisey rushed in, enraged and furious, her eyes looking dead straight at Caleb.

"Liar! You son of a bitch! All this time! All this time you lied to us! You sent us here! You knew what you were you doing! You knew exactly what you were doing! You bastard!"

"Maisey, please," Caleb tried to plead. "You have to understand, I had the best intentions. I only wanted what was best for the colony. For everyone. I had a planet-"

"You used us! You used all of us!" Maisey accused him. "We could've picked any old world to land on, but you chose this one to serve your own selfish bullshit!"

"But look at what we've accomplished together!" Caleb reiterated. "Would you honestly trade this world for some other random planet where our luck wouldn't have been nearly as good? We were blessed with a second chance because of that data I found. Maybe my motivations were rooted somewhat in my mission, but I was trying to help."

"You were trying to help yourself and your little terrorist friends, trying to help ONI even before us!" Maisey corrected with a snarl. "You lied to us for years, about everything Caleb! If you honestly believed anything you were doing was the right thing, why lie?"

Caleb looked away, unable to join Maisey's line of sight.

"I... I was ashamed of lying to begin with," he confessed. "About who I really was. About how we found this place. About why I was on Apekis V. About everything I knew about this facility we were camped under. And, after a while, once I couldn't get the radio to work and I was making too little to no progress... well I decided who I was didn't matter anymore. I was resigned to this... all of this. And... I was okay with that."

"And that makes it all better? You grew fond of us so you decided to keep lying so no one thought less of you?" Maisey asked incredulously. "So you could retain your position? So we'd keep trusting you? If any of that is true, if you honestly expect me to believe that this became about the colony and not your mission, then why did go all in on using Shepard's people to get what you always wanted?"

Caleb had no answer, he continued to look away in shame.

"This was always about you, Caleb," Maisey growled. "You and your dumb relic. You gave us a planet, I'll grant you that, but don't pretend it was a favor to us. Don't pretend we weren't just a sideshow all this time. If we weren't that to you, you would've told us the truth long ago, damn the consequences. And because of your bullshit, we're now targets for a band of ruthless pirates and the Covenant and who knows what else!"

"But if we can get the defenses back up-"

"No! Not we! Not you!" Maisey informed him. "We'll fix the defense grid without you! You've done enough!"

"Maisey, please!"

The Village Elder didn't want to hear it, she barged out the door, refusing to say another word. Caleb fell back down into his seat, his hands holding his head in shame.

"Well, that went as bad as I always expected it would," he said.

"You have no one to blame but yourself for that," Shepard informed him.

"Rub it in why don't you, it doesn't matter, nothing matters," Caleb growled, furious indignation sticking in his craw. "I'm an old man now who had nothing left but this colony and finding that damn relic. Now I have none of that. I'm the least of your concerns in any case."

Shepard perched a brow at the statement.

"You mean your friends inside ONI?" He asked.

"Inside ONI and wherever else they've infiltrated by now," Caleb laughed with a brief snort. "If they are still active, they're out there and they know you're here in this universe by now. They've probably been tracking you since you showed up. And now, well, by now we're long past the danger zone of altering history."

Shepard could see what Caleb was getting at. Cerberus had the resources of ONI at their disposal, agents in waiting in who knows how many places. They had turned people from this universe to their side and likely had kept up their recruitment quotas over the years. Now that they didn't have to worry about damaging the timestream, risking the history of both their dimensions, they could resume their original mission.

They'd be after him, his crew and his ship. Worse yet, whatever other schemes and objectives they had held off for fear of the adverse effects to history in the process, those were no longer off limits. Any mission they wanted to pursue, any plan they wanted to enact, it was all on the table. The kid gloves were off.

"And you're warning me about this why?" Shepard asked. "Won't that make your friends angry at you?"

"Like it matters anymore," Caleb said, despondent and pitiful in his speech. "I've already lost this life. It was the only one that mattered anymore. Not that you believe me."

"It's hard to believe someone in your position, Calvin," Shepard chided. "Oh, right, sorry, Caleb. I suppose you have to keep one lie still going. They're all you have left."

Caleb looked incensed.

"You enjoy kicking a man while he's down, Commander?" He asked indignantly.

"I don't enjoy any of this," Shepard stated. "You came to this universe to try and kill me and steal my ship, along with whatever other missions you had planned. Still have planned in fact. And in the process, apparently, you've created a whole other problem I'm stuck solving! Not to mention you've put these people into the crosshairs of an insane pirate lord who wants that relic more than anything! And he's got an army on their way as we speak, no doubt to collect it for him. Whatever your intentions were, good or bad, this is where they've led, Caleb. Everything we do has consequences, the ones you created are out in the open now. Best learn to live with them."

Shepard left the room, shutting the door behind him as a dejected Caleb continued to sulk in the corner of his cell. Brant and Tiegan were the only ones there, Maisey had stormed out apparently, Asha following soon after.

"We need to talk to Maisey, call a meeting," Tiegan insisted. "We need to figure out what we're supposed to do now."

"With Snarlbeak no doubt on his way, quite a bit," Shepard concurred. "I need to find Haverson as well, he needs to know about this. Would it be alright if we all got together in a bit to discuss this in the bunker?"

"I'll have to ask Maisey herself, but she probably won't have an objection to that," Brant said.

"I'll find Rowan, we're gonna need her too," Tiegan said. "With Caleb no longer trustworthy, we need her skills more than ever now."

Hopefully she'd be up to it, but Shepard didn't exactly blame her or anyone for feeling fairly low at the moment. One of their friends, a trusted and valued member of the community, was a fraud. That wasn't something you just recovered from. This was going to be a blow to morale no doubt, not good when they were staring at a pirate assault in who knew how few hours.

This night was likely going to stretch into the next day no doubt, that was almost a certainty now. These new revelations had more than assured the coming storm had just gotten ten times worse in scope. If they didn't get all their bases covered soon, they were going to get washed away in its wake. And Snarlbeak would walk away from the destruction with a powerful ancient artifact at his disposal.

That would not happen, not if Shepard could help it at least.

Nothing had changed by the time everyone reconvened at the bunker. If anything, they were worse because of what Caleb had claimed. About how Cerberus was operating within this universe. Haverson was horrorified at the prospect, which manifested in a livid tirade that wasn't really directed at anyone. To Maisey's credit, she allowed him to go off and let it all out, lest she catch his attention. That was the position everyone in attendance took. From the members of the Forerunner Complex Research Team, to the Master Chief, they all decided to just let Haverson get it all out. However, it meant waiting for him to be done, which was a while.

"Years of my life, dedicated to an organization meant to safeguard humanity," he shouted as he kept pacing around. "Repeatedly reconciling our actions with the greater good, doing my best to climb a ladder with more potential backstabbers than should be reasonable for ANY intelligence agency and apparently, it has been harboring a damn terrorist organization from another dimension for decades now! A cancer, breeding within our own halls, sucking agents into its orbit with radical xenophobia as a recruitment tool! The ramifications are not only insidious, they are a dangerous disruption of all established protocols! How the hell did this happen? How could it happen? And how the hell did I not figure this out?"

Shepard probably could've answered, but Haverson didn't give him the chance. He did so first on his own behalf.

"It happened because you have elements in charge, too high up, who have advanced through various power play politics within the culture," Haverson listed off frantically. "Elements, leaders specifically, who think playing goddamn loose with the rules for their own benefit couldn't possibly hurt anyone. Imbeciles! All of them! They probably justified it by the usual line of discourse. We're at war, they're human, we believe the same things, what's the harm? Slippery slope be damned! Christ!"

"Forgive me for interrupting," Brant spoke suddenly. "But... you're taking a lot of this at face value. I'd thought you'd try to argue that Caleb has to be lying or something."

"I wish that it was a lie, but it's hard given the evidence," Haverson claimed. "He had access to Forerunner Datastreams that were strictly under the jurisdiction of ONI itself. Every Forerunner ruin we happen upon is instantly locked down by Naval Intelligence specifically to prevent any critical findings from falling into the wrong hands. All Forerunner tech is considered top priority within ONI. There is a strong belief within the Office that feels researching their technology will help us gain an edge over the Covenant. We try to limit who has access as best we can to lower the risk of leaks. The only way Caleb could've found this planet and programmed the freighter to come here is if he had access to the ruins on Apekis V. The only way he'd have that level of access is if he was working for ONI. So it follows that he's telling the truth and Cerberus has infiltrated the Office! The worst thing that could've possibly happened outside of the Covenant somehow doing it!"

Haverson finally slammed his hands down on the table in anger, his ranting at an end for the most part. Shepard, seeing his moment, finally spoke up.

"At least we know about the threat now," he offered. "It's better than this taking us by surprise later."

"ONI has been compromised, sir," Haverson reiterated. "Forgive me if I do not see the much of a bright side in this. We don't even know how bad it is, because Caleb's information is so out of date. He's been out of the loop for years, assuming his transceiver isn't working as he claims."

Brant could only shrug.

"It looks like its not finished, I can't say if it is," he confessed. "We're so far out in the middle of nowhere anyway, maybe the reason he hasn't heard from them is they can't reach him to begin with."

"Be that as it may the point still stands," Haverson continued briskly. "We can't trust anyone at ONI, I can't trust anyone at ONI. Which is saying something since it's not exactly a place that was known for breeding trust."

"How far do you think it goes?" The Master Chief asked curiously.

"Hard to say," Haverson admitted. "I can't be certain of who made initial contact, if they're still with us, or how high up they were. Anyone smart enough to go along with this would want to cover their tracks and keep their identity hidden for fear of those not in the loop finding out about it. I shudder to think if the Director is part of this, if they could turn her... well we're basically screwed."

"I doubt a bunch of terrorists would be able to convince the Head of the Office of anything," Halsey offered. "But we shouldn't be too shocked about all this. ONI has never played by conventional rules and its internal culture always bred a degree of xenophobic radicalism ever since the war with the Covenant began. Considering Cerberus popped up at their doorstep during the early years if Caleb's timeline is correct, then it's even less surprising. We were facing so many unknowns, any offer of help would've been more likely accepted."

"And given that they've all aged considerably, we can't be certain of who we're even looking for anymore," Haverson added. "For all we know, some have even reconstructed their faces."

"They wouldn't know that I have their dossiers," Shepard said hopefully. "We could do some aging software on them regardless, get an idea of what they look like."

"That science is rather sketchy, Commander," Halsey informed him. "We can't be certain of an exact match."

At this point, Maisey stood up.

"Look, I appreciate your concerns over ONI being compromised, but at the moment we face a more immediate threat," she informed them all. "Caleb has been lying to us for years and working a secret agenda behind our backs. You think you can't trust anyone? What about us?"

A silence fell over the room for a moment, the elders all looking at one another with a level of concern. Maisey was suggesting something terrible, but they all knew it was with good reason.

"I didn't want to bring it up," Haverson confessed. "I'd hate to be the guy who levels suspicions..."

"Ha!" Teigan laughed.

Haverson ignored the doctor's response and continued.

"But even I can't prove I'm not some Cerberus lackey," he said with a glare towards no one in particular. "Anything I have or say could be just a lie. I don't expect any of you to trust me at this point and that's understandable."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Lieutenant," Shepard spoke up cordially. "But... I don't think you'd have what Cerberus wants in an agent. You have too many... morals."

"Regardless I'll work to restore whatever trust has been lost, even if only incidental," Haverson assured. "However, that leaves the elephant in the room. Has Caleb turned anyone else in this colony into a Cerberus agent?"

"I'm not ruling it out, but I'm skeptical," Maisey astutely claimed. "If Caleb turned anyone, wouldn't they be working on his mission exclusively? We have other engineers and computer specialists that he was in charge of, but they got shunted off to other jobs."

"Well, save for me."

Everyone turned to Rowan, who had been sitting quietly with a dejected look on her face. She had looked like a deer in the headlights ever since she sat down. Shepard had wondered if she was even listening or still too much in shock. Apparently, she had been tuned in the whole time.

"You're all thinking it, I know it," she said rather bluntly. "I'd be the prime suspect, right? I'm practically his protege, I've been in his loop forever. Who else would it be but me, right?"

Maisey sighed and walked over to place her arm around the young woman.

"Rowan, we know all of this is a shock but-"

"What can I say? I didn't know? Would you believe me?" Rowan asked frantically. "What could I say to prove it? Search my shack? My tools? My personal computer? Check Caleb's datalogs in reference to me? I mean, what proof is there? What can clear my name?"

"No one was going to suggest-"

"But you were thinking it!" Rowan shouted back before Maisey finished. "You were thinking it because he's my friend! He's my friend and I should've known! But I didn't, okay? I didn't! He never once mentioned anything about this ever! I'm so far out of whatever loop he created about this that even I'm not sure what I know or don't know! Because none of this makes sense to me and I feel like my stomach wants to explode!"

Asha quickly rushed in to hold Rowan's shoulders, turn her chair towards her and look at her.

"Rowan, breathe, just breathe okay," she asked the now hyperventilating engineer. "It's gonna be alright."

Rowan tried to breathe, but it was no use.

"My best friend is a liar who betrayed us! This whole colony was just a part of his dumb mission! Nothing is ever going to be alright!"

Asha hugged the engineer, Maisey joined in, trying to calm her down.

"He was friends with all of us," Maisey reminded her. "You have nothing to feel ashamed over, we're all in this together."

Rowan's breathing finally eased up. Asha and Maisey let her go and she returned to the discussion, still looking terrible, but at least calmer.

"I don't know who Caleb could've involved in this," she said. "And I know it's not enough to exonerate me, but again, I didn't know either. All of this is... it's disturbing. I don't understand any of this. I don't understand how my friend and lab partner lied to me for this long."

"For what it is worth, I do think he cares about this colony," Shepard stated. "He seemed... honest about that."

"That makes this okay?" Asha asked incredulously.

"No, it doesn't," Shepard stated plainly. "He still made the choices he made and I'm the last person who's going to defend him. I'm mad at him and myself. I had my own part to play in this mess. It was our experiment with the Forerunner crystal that enabled this somehow. I know I didn't mean it, but there's nothing I can do to take it back either."

"Well without your experiment we'd be who knows where now, maybe even dead altogether," Tiegan noted. "I know Caleb played no role in what Mattias decided to do, but he did pick the the planet. Who knows if another one would've been better. I don't approve of what he did, but your actions in sending him to us may have saved our lives in a way."

Shepard understood the reasoning, but he wasn't sure he should take credit for this. Not that given al the other problems he created for these peoplein the process. However,they weren'tmleft to stewin the issue for long.

"It doesn't matter, sir," Chief cut in. "We're stuck dealing with the situation as it is now. That being that Cerberus has compromised ONI, we have a dangerous space pirate on the way to this colony as we speak and we still need to get that relic and get out of here. Caleb being revealed as Cerberus poses a potential threat we need to close up, but we might not have time to settle it. Snarlbeak will be here before long, we need to be ready for him."

"Agreed," Maisey confirmed. "We'll see about figuring out what sort of damage Caleb has done, but the threat from without is our more immediate concern for now. We have little time to prepare for it. I think we need to discuss options for a defense plan."

"Here's the most obvious one, getting the relic out of here and our defenses back online," Brant stated. "What's our timeline on that?"

Tali brought up a chart on her omni-tool screen and expanded the holoscreen to show everyone. It was a rough estimate of their progress on the final doors so far. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what anyone really wanted either.

"Based on our projections we can get through the final doors before the day is out," she explained. "But given the ferocity of the attack we just suffered, I doubt we have that much time. If we keep working throughout the day, from now, past dawn and into the afternoon, minimal breaks... we might be able to cut down the amount of time."

"Why minimal breaks?" Haverson asked.

"The plasma torch is effective, but there's a risk of overheating we haven't solved yet," Tali explained. "We keep it on too long we risk damaging it and then it will take us even longer to get back to operational status and continue."

"Not to mention we still need to disable security protocols so we don't activate something we don't want to," Taq added. "On that front, it's a bit worse for us because Caleb is now no longer a part of the team."

The kig-yar spoke the truth, without Caleb's expertise concerning computer systems, cracking what was left of the security codes in their way just doubled. However, they would have to deal with the fact they were now a man down. They just couldn't afford to take the risk, knowing what Caleb was after.

"We let him in there we risk him finding a way to run off with the Relic," Haverson reasoned aloud.

"Exactly," Taq agreed. "Your robot and the AI you have on hand can be of added assistance, as well as Ms. Goto, but even then, it will take time to circumvent all the risks. More importantly though, we need Rowan to help us."

Everyone turned to the young engineer again, who looked like she just wanted to hide behind her welding mask at this point.

"But how am I any more trustworthy than Caleb at this point?" She asked nervously. "And I'm not a computer whiz like him. I don't work in software as much as hardware."

"That might be the case but you're still a brilliant engineer," Tali insisted. "More importantly, Rowan, we trust you. I can tell you're not in the best place right now, but we do trust you and we need you on this."

Rowan looked down at her feet, which she was kicking about anxiously. At last she sighed and relented to the pleading quarian.

"Ok, I'll do what I can," she said.

"You'll do splendid, Rowan, I know that," Maisey assured her. "Right now, we need to worry about buying you the time you need. What can we get in way of defenses ready?"

That was Haverson's department, who quickly inserted his own information packet into the holotable they were sitting around. A hazy image of the fleet's inventory manifesto appeared before them.

"We have a good deal of Warthogs, but it's mostly Covenant weaponry," he explained. "There was quite a bit of ordinance in the Gettysburg that's not attached to the Justice. However, getting it all down and mobilized is a bit tricky. Personally, I think the fleet is better suited staving off whatever landing parties Snarlbeak tries to send down. Meanwhile, we can move all of our forces currently planetside into positions around the colony itself."

"Are they enough?" Maisey asked.

"Hard to say, I don't know what kind of force Snarlbeak is sending. I'm presuming it's fairly large," Haverson postulated. "I'd rather overestimate than underestimate an enemy in a situation like this."

"From what I hear about Snarlbeak, we have to presume he's sending everything he can spare," Shepard warned. "He's been after these relics for decades now. He's not going to half-ass this. Which means... we need every advantage we have on hand."

Haverson suspected what Shepard was referring to. There was a flicker of resistance in his face, but it lasted only a second. Haverson turned to the Colony elders again, Maisey in particular.

"I will have to... talk to Holland and Whitcomb about the matter," he explained. "I can't just make sweeping strategic decisions like this without approval. But, if the colonists are willing, I can see about deputizing them in a way. Allowing them to use UNSC property to secure a UNSC asset that is in jeopardy."

"Just so we're clear," Tiegan cut in. "You mean the exoskeletons, right?"

"And the tanks," Haverson added. "Lord knows we're probably going to need them."

Maisey looked to the others who offered no objection, nodding in unison.

"Well, if that's how you're resolving this for the time being, fine," she agreed. "We'll accept deputization if that's what it takes to defend our home."

It wasn't a gesture of trust, not really. It was more pragmatic and calculating. However, it was better than it had been a few hours before with both of them screaming at one another. So it was at least a sort of improvement.

"We need to finalize am overall strategy," the Master Chief insisted. "Shepard, I'd like to talk with Varvok if possible. As well as bring my Spartans in to formulate a plan with your team."

"Of course, Chief," Shepard concurred. "I was going to talk to Varvok myself, he had a plan of sorts I think might be useful in tying up Snarlbeak's forces if he can pull it off."

"We'll head back to the Forerunner Facility," Halsey stated. "We need to restart work immediately."

Rowan still looked a bit anxious, her mind not entirely in the right place.

"Don't worry, Rowan," Tali added. "Take your time getting back. When you do, I'll be there to assist you."

Rowan just nodded. At that point the larger group dispersed, Shepard, Haverson and Chief heading off in one direction, Halsey, Tali and Taq heading back to the Forerunner facility. The village elders remained, however. They still had something to discuss.

"I hate to bring this up again, but we need to still figure out how compromised we are," Maisey said once the others were gone. "We still aren't sure how much influence Caleb exerted onto our citizens. We know very little about this Cerberus and how they operate, but we have to presume that they'd have no problem with radicalizing some of us."

Maisey quickly turned to Rowan.

"We don't believe you are one of those," she insisted once more. "So please, don't start again. I don't need our chief engineering officer doubting herself now that you're taking on Caleb's role for the foreseeable future."

Rowan just nodded in response rather meekly.

"I'll do my best," she said.

"All we can ask," Maisey said. "Meanwhile, we need to clear our flank. Root out anyone Caleb has turned, if at all. The sooner we can be sure he's alone, the sooner we can turn to more important matters."

"How are we going to figure that out?" Brant asked. "I suppose we could hook him up to a lie detector or something..."

"Those are hardly foolproof," Tiegan reminded him. "We'd be better off trying to cook up something that would remove his ability to tell falsehoods or something."

"A... truth serum?" Asha asked tepidly.

"Please don't call it that," Tiegan groaned. "In fact, forget I even mentioned it, I'm not sure I'd be able to make one. Maybe we could ask Haverson for a recipe though. He's ONI, they probably have something like that from their R&D."

"We need to handle this in house," Maisey insisted. "Prove to the UNSC we can manage this crisis on our own. Otherwise, Haverson might try and use this as an excuse to investigate the whole colony and round up suspects for trial."

"But again, how?" Brant demanded to know. "How do we get Caleb to tell us the truth and how can we be even certain he's not lying? We can check his logs, we can go over the stuff we found in his shack with a fine comb, but how can we be sure any of it is true?"

At that moment, Rowan stood up, her meek expression turning to one of resolve. There was sill anxiousness in her voice, but there was a certainty about what she knew had to be done.

"I'll talk to him," she said, swallowing a little as she did. "If anyone can force him to tell the truth it's me."

"Are you sure?" Asha asked. "No one would blame you if-"

"I have to," she insisted. "I need to face him. Maybe... maybe that's enough. If he's really as ashamed as it looked like when Maisey confronted him, then he'll tell me the truth. If not, well, at least I'll know how much our friendship actually meant."

The Elders looked to each other, but the were already in agreement. It was their best shot it seemed. Rowan was the one person that could conceivably get Caleb to spill the truth. The whole truth about what their Colony really was to him.

Varvok was more than happy to come in on a strategy meeting with the rest of Shepard's people and the Spartans. Of course, there were still more than a few questions about Caleb and the fact Cerberus was deeper entrenched in this world than they had thought. It was more than a little disconcerting.

"Are we so certain that they haven't altered history significantly?" The batarian asked. "I mean, some of this doesn't line up with what you saw when you went to the future."

"It was a possible future we've now avoided," Shepard explained. "From what I understood, the time paradox only ended when we came back from that future. That could've drastically altered the outcome in some fashion."

"It's possible," Cortana interjected, popping up from Chief's omni-tool. "I'm not versed in temporal physics, but there is a little thing called the Butterfly Effect I'm aware of. Something that crystal seems highly attuned to. Your absence from the timeline that led to that future probably enabled the Cerberus mission to proceed as originally planned. Perhaps our return and subsequent resolution to the paradox created a ripple effect. Not only did we get sent back in time, but so did the Cerberus expedition that had been trapped in the Wormhole."

"A lot of speculation at this point though, isn't it?" Garrus asked. "I mean, they're here now. What does it matter the specifics? We're just going to have to deal with this sooner or later."

"More than likely," Linda agreed. "But perhaps we should worry about the space pirates first. What's our defense plan shaping up to be?"

Shepard returned to the board they set up, a mock representation of the Colony with a few makeshift markers to stand in as units. Like one of the old war boards from those old vids Shepard had watched as a kid. Varvok had his forces represented by thermal clips he had placed on the board.

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking, we can't face these Space Pirates all at once," Varvok insisted. "They're going to come at us at full strength. They see this as a tiny little colony, easily crushed. If they have heavy artillery, we're in trouble for sure. Bombardment is not going to go well for the people inside those walls. However, if we can get behind their lines before they even make landfall, my men can split into smaller teams and break up their advance towards us."

He started placing the thermal clips around the forested area of the map to better illustrate his plan.

"Hit and run harassment," Kat quickly understood.

"Exactly," Varvok confirmed. "Snipers in the trees, traps on the ground, ambush points along the paths, there's only so many ways that they can travel towards the colony on foot. I've already gone over possible landing sites they'll use for quick deployment using drop pods."

"Makes sense. If they're worried about the Colony's spire shooting them down, they'll obviously send their main bulk further back out of its range," Fred presumed. "But drop pods have a better shot at reaching the surface.

"My thoughts exactly, but if my people can get in among their landing zones, we can hug their flanks and decrease their mobility," Varvok insisted. "It wouldn't stop them all, but it would break up a lot of their units. Make it harder for them to get everyone they need into position."

"It's a sound strategy," Kelly confirmed. "But they are going to get to the Colony one way or another. Holland might be signing his approval for the Colonists to use those weapons they have, but even they might not be enough on their own."

"That's why we need to rely on several layers of defense," Shepard insisted, using his finger to point to specific parts of the map. "Spire can still blast ground forces, but it needs time to recharge. If we dig defensive positions in the valley around us, we can halt their advance in increments until they reach the gates."

"We'll be getting drops from the air concerning ammunition supplies," Master Chief also added, representing said pelican drops with a toy bird they had found. "We don't know what kind of air support they're bringing with them though, so if things get too hot for the Pelicans we'll have to pull them back. Our ground vehicles need to be used sparingly, until we know what kind of armor they're bringing to the fight, its best we try not to reveal all our cards. For all they know, that Cyclops suit that wrecked their probing attack was the only one. We need to give them reason to pause."

"So question," Anton spoke up. "Are we driving them back or holding out here? What's the end goal for all of this?"

"Simple," Shepard informed him. "Keep Snarlbeak's forces at bay long enough for the Brain Trust Team in the facility to bust open the final doors, grab the relic and switch on the defense grid. That kills any chance Snarlbeak has at taking the colony."

"It won't be easy," Chief reminded them. "We have no idea what he's coming at us with. All we can do is expect the worst. Covenant weaponry with none of the usual doctrine. He won't play by the same rules they do, he's a Jackal, he thinks different."

"Which brings to mind another question," Jun interjected. "Where is Zek in all this? Shouldn't he be here?"

Shepard glowered a bit at the board.

"I think Zek has his own... opinions about how best to defend the colony," he said.

Everyone knew what he meant, the weapons he had covertly given the Colonists. No one knew why or what his end goal was, but it was likely some scheme of his that had nothing to do with the overall plan. Not that it wasn't beneficial, those Beam Rifles could be useful in fighting off the attack. It was just the way he went about it that unnerved everyone.

"We could ask the colonists what Zek wanted from them," Garrus offered.

"I don't want to shake Maisey down over this," Shepard sighed. "She has enough issues as is. We need Zek in any case, he knows Snarlbeak and his people are going to be invaluable to this defense strategy. We need to be sure he's committed to this."

"I can ask him to offer some of his men to supplement my forces in harassing forces behind enemy lines," Varvok suggested. "I'm sure he'll be fine with that. And as for commitment, he does want the relic. Keeping the colony safe is part of that and he knows it."

"I doesn't change he's being sneaky and underhanded about it all," Linda informed him. "Shepard's right, Zek might not be against us, but he's always been something of a wild card in this alliance. And with what we just learned about Caleb, we don't need someone else going behind our backs. We need a firm, clear cut position on what role he's prepared to take in the upcoming fight. We can't have him stepping on our toes with whatever stupid scheme he's conducting on the sly."

Which meant only one thing in Shepard's mind. If they wanted to figure out where Zek stood, he was going to have to confront him directly about the Beam Rifles.

"He's staying in the barn near the fields last I heard," Shepard recalled. "I'll go talk to him. See about learning what forces he intends to commit for the defense."

"While you're at it, see if you can figure what exactly that commitment entails," Kelly stated. "Is he here for the Colony, the Relic or just himself as usual?"

"Knowing Zek like I do," Varvok spoke up warmly. "Don't be too surprised if it's a combination of all three."

Rowan took her time outside the cell door. She was going to head in eventually, but part of her wanted to hold it off. The longer she did, the longer she could hold the image of who Caleb was before all this in her mind. Once she opened this door, saw him as he was now, that was over. She'd have to accept that he wasn't who she thought he was. He wasn't even Caleb, that wasn't his name apparently. Everything had been a lie and once this cell door was opened that would become an unshakable fact.

But it was the only thing she could now. This was the only way to get him to talk. Maybe he'd lie to her again, who could say for certain? But if he did, at least she'd know how much she actually mattered. That's what this was really all about in the end, how much she mattered.

Finally, she opened the door, dragging a chair behind her as she entered. Caleb was sitting where he had been before when Shepard came in. He took a brief look up, saw her coming and quickly looked down.

"I should've expected this," he confessed. "I'm guessing you're angry with me too, huh?"

Rowan said nothing as she sat down in the chair and stared back at him for a bit. The silence eventually broke through to him. He couldn't take it for as long when it came to her at least.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone here," he said. "I didn't think it mattered anymore who I was before. How could it hurt anyone to keep it secret?"

"I think you know the answer now," Rowan replied.

Caleb relented to that, finally looking at her properly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't come clean with anyone. But, if I had, it would've put pressure on them, split loyalties, I couldn't do that people, least of all you. I couldn't force you to choose between me or the others because you didn't deserve to be in that position."

"What did I deserve then? What did any of us deserve?" Rowan asked incredulously. "Being lied to? Being told we jumped to this planet at random when it was all a part of your plan to get some weird relic for your friends on the other side of a wormhole? You living here, take me under your wing, mentoring me, sharing the workload together as partners, all the while you kept lying to me? Is that what I deserved? You could've told us, you could've just told us from the start, all of us who you were."

"I didn't want to involve you," Caleb insisted. "At least not anymore than I already had. This... this was my mission, telling you the truth would've forced you into a position that would've made you potentially complicit if something went wrong."

"Like Shepard showing up here?" Rowan pressed. "That's why you lied to us? To me? To protect us from becoming accessories? You already made us that by bringing us here without us knowing the why!"

"I know!" Caleb confessed. "I know. It was... it was a dirty move. I knew even as I was doing it, but once it was done it was done. And when everything turned out for the best, a garden world, good soil for planting, a means of protecting ourselves with the Spire, ample material to rebuild everything lost, why ruin all that by admitting to what happened?"

"That doesn't make it better, Caleb," Rowan informed him. "You know it doesn't. You still took a gamble with all our lives for your mission. And now, years later, we're stuck in the crossfire as a result."

Caleb nodded in admission. He had done that. Everything that was about to happen was a result of his actions. He put them here, he placed them in this danger. This was his fault. And it seemed he wasn't going to ignore that fact anymore.

"You're right," he said with a defeated shrug. "You're right. I knew there was a chance someone else would come looking for this relic. I knew and I brought us here anyway. There's no way around that."

"How were you even going to get it off planet anyway?" Rowan asked curiously. "We didn't have a ship or anything you could use."

"That's what the transceiver in my shack was for," he explained. "I was trying to contact my fellow Cerberus operators so they could come pick it up when I finally got a hold of it. And... well, I was hoping to use it as a bargaining chip."

"Bargaining chip?" Rowan asked a bit confused.

"To insure they'd leave me alone, leave the colony alone," Caleb tried to explain. "They're a part of ONI, I knew if they discovered this place somehow, they'd want to dig deeper into the ruin. At first I wanted the relic just to give Cerberus a weapon, yes, but that changed. It changed the more I fell in love with what we accomplished here, with this colony, with all of you. I wanted to preserve this community. I thought the relic could do that if it came down to it."

Rowan could see that Caleb was honest about his hopes at least, although it was hard to tell if he even believed such a plan was viable. Even now, it sounded like it he was trying to convince himself Cerberus would leave them alone.

"If you thought Cerberus would convince ONI to leave you alone, why didn't you finish your transceiver?" Rowan asked skeptically.

"Maybe because I didn't want to risk it," he explained. "I... I wasn't sure about how my colleagues would react to everything. I've been away for so long, I don't know how much they've changed. I just... stopped working on the Transceiver one day. Never went back to it. Figured if ONI found us one day I'd deal with that when it cropped up and try to do my whole plan then. I wanted to put it off as long as possible I guess."

"And then Shepard showed up with the UNSC," Rowan concluded for him.

"Yeah," Caleb said, meekly rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, he did. And I just saw a chance to finish what I started I guess. I just... you spend so many years getting nowhere, trying to crack something open that you've been so laser focused on, getting nowhere. Then, suddenly, in rides Commander Shepard, the man who can bulldoze through the worst problems, the most insurmountable odds, with a team of specialists who are all outstanding in their fields, how could I pass that up? I could finally finish what I started, Rowan! I could make this all mean something! All the lies and cover ups, it could be worth something if I could just get to that relic at long last!"

"And then what?" Rowan pressed, her voice on the verge of sounding more accusatory.

She didn't voice the options, Caleb knew what they were, he already mentioned them. Was he going to try and find a way to deliver the Relic to Cerberus? Maybe alert his friends somehow? That was his mission after all. Caleb settled as he understood what Rowan had implied.

"All I wanted at that point was to get the Relic out of here," he insisted. "To remove us from the crosshairs entirely. With it gone and the defense grid up, we'd have nothing to fear from anyone ever again."

You have to understand I can't believe you at face value anymore," Rowan said bluntly.

"I know," Caleb confessed. "I know and I'm sorry. But you have to believe that I didn't want to hurt you, Rowan, any of you. You're... like the family I never really had."

Rowan sat up straight, urging him to continue with her curious expression.

"Back where I'm actually from, I didn't really have much," he explained. "A father who left at an early age for me, a mother who stopped caring soon after. A myriad of foster homes, they all tried to be better but, looking back I wasn't the easiest person to handle. Alliance Academy was my way out, studying computer sciences, but I didn't pass the mustard for the real heavy lifting. So I got shunted off. I was bitter, angry, looked to... other sources to find some direction for once."

"Cerberus," Rowan presumed.

Caleb just nodded meekly.

"They looked like they give me purpose, some real drive, motivation," he continued. "Protect humanity's interests at any cost. It sounded up my alley, something worthwhile for once and I actually excelled there where I didn't in the Alliance. They pushed me to be more active and I thought I belonged there, but I think deep down I wasn't as fulfilled as I thought I was. And then, I wind up on Apekis V through a quirk of fate and a stupid time distortion anomaly. I find all of you and... something clicked."

"What?" Rowan asked, pressing him for more.

"Honest work, decent people, just trying to live out their lives best they could," he explained earnestly. "I kept looking for a place to belong, but it wasn't until I found you all that I realized I didn't need some grand cause to make me happy. I just needed people like you, people who just accepted me without me needing to really prove myself in some grand fashion. Just repair some electronics, keep things running, help out now and then."

Rowan wanted to believe that, but it was hard now. Something Caleb picked up on in fact.

"You are like a daughter to me, Rowan," he told her. "You're smart, you're energetic, a joy to be around. I got too attached to everyone, but you were my partner in a lot of the day to day stuff in this colony. You looked up to me, no one has ever saw me as a mentor before. I'm wasn't even that high on the rung in the Cerberus mission, I was just another of the hand picked tech geeks. To you though, to everyone else, I was something more. I guess the reason I ultimately didn't tell you is because, well... I didn't want to lose that. Because once you learned the truth, I knew you'd never be able to trust me again. I'd lose every bit of respect I ever had, that I ever truly gained."

Again, Rowan wanted to believe that. She really wanted to believe that all of this had been an effort to keep her and the others from turning on him. That all he wanted was to be a part of this community. To maintain this little surrogate family he had formed with them. She couldn't though, he had hurt them too much with his lies. Family shouldn't lie to you, not about stuff like this.

"If you care as much about this community as you claim, you'll tell the truth then," Rowan told him. "Are there anymore Cerberus agents here?"

Caleb looked around, shifting in his seat.

"Caleb," Rowan pressed again. "Did you turn anyone? Is anyone else here from Cerberus?"

"No," he finally relented. "I didn't turn anyone. I wasn't sure how they'd react and again I didn't want to bring more people in. So I just... I said nothing. I kept it myself and kept the mission to myself. The problem is how do I convince you that I'm telling the truth? Like we've established, you can't trust me anymore and I don't blame you."

"How would I know for sure?" Rowan asked. "Is there a way to find out?"

Caleb thought for a moment before finally settling on something.

"My omni-tool, my personal omni-tool you found in my shack, I have it attuned to a Cerberus frequency," he said. "You can confirm for yourself. If it connects to something, it will lead you to another spy. If nothing, then there are no more. We'd have to stay connected in order to share notes privately after all, right?"

"I guess," Rowan said shakily. "But how can I be sure it isn't a trick?"

"Because you're smart enough to figure out how that omni-tool works and if I did anything to hide it's functionality from anyone," Caleb insisted. "You crack it open, you'll see whether I'm telling the truth or not about being the only spy here."

Rowan stood up, she had what she needed. At least she thought she did.

"Alright, I'll get one of the others to crack it," she said grimly. "Thanks to you, I'm just as suspicious as the next person in this colony of working for Cerberus. So someone else is going to have to clear my name for me."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Rowan," Caleb said regretfully. "I'm sorry you got hurt in more ways than one over this."

"I keep wanting to believe you, Caleb," Rowan said sadly. "I really do. I don't have that luxury anymore."

Caleb said nothing, looking down sorrowfully at the floor once again. Rowan left the cell at this point, not even saying goodbye to him. Even now, after everything he said, he was just a stranger to her now. How could you say goodbye to someone you didn't even know?

The barn was ground central for most of the Jackals, along with the Grunts that were milling about outside. They were all in deep preparations for the coming fight. Checking weapons, organizing squads, equipment checks, more than a few people getting drunk off ichor, the typical kig-yar things that Shepard had come to expect. He passed by them all and headed for the loft where Zek was. He was getting ready himself, toying with his rifles and recharging his sidearms. When he spotted Shepard, he stopped his work to greet him.

"Commander, here to talk plans?" He asked. "I can call Retz up here, see if we can offer some sort of idea on what to expect from Zhoc when his people get here in force. Well, assuming they aren't already."

"That's part of why I'm here, but not entirely," Shepard informed him.

Zek sighed, seemingly knowing what was coming.

"Alright, go ahead, chew me out over apparently saving the day by giving some defenseless human colonists a means to better defend themselves," he groaned. "Apparently that's the WRONG thing to do now. We're supposed to be taking their guns away after all, that's the plan right?"

"Not exactly and that is still being negotiated," Shepard informed him. "Let's try and start off on something we can agree about. Snarlbeak, we need to be ready for him. Varvok is planning some ambush squads in the jungle and McKay has gone out on a scouting party to see if they can confirm if he's right about the possible landing sites."

Zek grinned at that.

"Good, then at the very least he's lost the element of surprise," Zek claimed. "He probably suspects that, but that just means he'll got for the kill on this and that takes a lot of guns and bombs to pull off right. Chances are he comes in from every angle at our front, but that's going to just be to focus us there. He'll likely try to sneak around someway like last night. So, yeah, best to keep some people guarding the entrance to the Forerunner Facility."

A good idea, best not to leave themselves open again like last time.

"I think we can manage that," Shepard assured. "A few people keeping the entrance safe as a last line of defense might be required."

"Okay, so, let's just pull off the medical strip here," Zek stated. "Do you have a problem with the fact I helped your fellow humans for once or what?"

Shepard shook his head, he supposed dragging this out wasn't going to help anyone.

"Zek, you went behind everyone's back, that's the problem we have with it," Shepard informed him. "More importantly, we know you didn't do it out of the goodness of your heart. We've known each other long enough for me to figure this out, Haverson already has suspicions on how you convinced the Colonists that you were worth trusting, we're all just trying to figure out the why now. Your motive for any of this."

"I'm only doing what you wanted at the beginning," Zek claimed. "I'm saving human lives by sharing the spoils of my plundering."

"That wasn't exactly what I wanted," Shepard reminded him. "I wanted a commitment to fighting the Covenant. This isn't that, no matter how much you try to spin it. Now, I'll grant you that I'm not exactly against giving the Maisey's people beam rifles. Again, the suspicion is your motives."

"Whatever they are they don't conflict with yours, I assure you," Zek promised. "All I want is to get back on the pirate ladder and carve out my piece of the action. What is so wrong about that, Shepard? So I make a deal on the side with the colonists, it helped them. And frankly, I find this whole business of pointing fingers right now rather hypocritical. For once, I'm actually doing humans a favor and the UNSC is trying to fuck it up more. Motives aside, I'm currently doing more for the human civilians Haverson and Holland always go on about saving than any of the Marines or Soldiers serving under them."

"I'm not here to argue semantics, which is what this is right now," Shepard informed him. "You'll help these colonists to fight off a pirate rival, you'll attack Covenant infrastructure like that weapons plant, you'll even begrudgingly assist the ODSTs, but every time it feels like we either have to twist your arm to get you to do something or you have your own agenda planned. It's a bit problematic, Zek."

The kig-yar looked bemused by the statement, almost bored even. He started checking his needler rifle again.

"Your point being... what, exactly?"

"That you keep finding an excuse to help when it benefits yourself but this level of wishy-washy support is getting tenuous," Shepard clarified. "You can't keep trying to game the system on this. People's lives are on the line, human lives and you're treating them like pieces on a board."

"Well, generals treat their soldiers in a similar manner don't they?" Zek asked rather slyly.

"It's not the same, Zek," Shepard informed him. "They at least are fighting for something. You're playing with lives caught in the crossfire of this war for your own profit margin. I don't know what your scheme is or how you justify it to yourself, but these colonists are real people, Zek. They're in trouble and I'm here to help them. I'm trying to figure out if you're just here to exploit the situation at hand."

Zek looked up from his gun and then tossed it to the side. He had a steely look in his eyes that was, for once, not scheming or sly or even duplicitous. No this was something different, something close to indignation.

"Okay, you wanna know the real truth, Shep?" He asked, knowing the answer to begin with. "Fine, here it is. I'm here for the relic, if I help the colonists along the way, good for me. Sorry if that's not noble enough, but I at least know what I'm after. I might be playing with the colonists a little, gaming the system as it were and exploiting the situation, but you know what? At least I don't pretend I'm some great hero or anything."

"You think I'm pretending?" Shepard asked incredulously.

"No, I think the UNSC is," Zek said, correcting himself. "I think they like to tell themselves they're out here to save humanity, but they aren't. I think they're about their own hustle, keeping these colonists and those like them dependent on them, subservient to them."

Shepard looked unconvinced, Zek was just trying to cast himself as the honest businessman again. To make himself look like he was more moral simply because he was honest about his lying and scheming. The Commander had heard this line time and again from the Jackal enough already. But Zek wasn't backing down from his soap box. In fact, he kept going. He activated his omni-tool and revealed the poster of an old vid, a spaceship of sorts, with insect legs scrambling out from behind a title that read "Starship Troopers" in bold metallic lettering.

"This vid is 'Starship Troopers', about a bunch of space marines who defeat evil alien bugs who want to conquer Earth," Zek explained in detail. "Given how it plays, I thought it was going to be top on the UNSC's most watched list. I thought it was anti-alien propaganda or whatever. Then I found out... this vid? It's blacklisted on Earth."

Shepard raised his brow in uncertainty and agitation.

"I fail to see where you're going with this," he told Zek.

"You might think I don't understand your vids the same way you do, Shep, but I know how to look up shit on your little super detailed Codex whatever thing," the Jackal sneered. "This vid is a satire of the kind of authoritarian militaristic dictatorships that plagued your world for centuries. Specifically, mocking their propaganda. The black and white conflict, the call to serve, how soldiers should be in charge of everything, the obsession with the heroic sacrifice. It's all there."

"And you think the UNSC is like them?" Shepard asked.

"They are exactly like them," Zek insisted. "That why 'Starship Troopers' was blacklisted, because they didn't want people to see the UNSC in the military dictatorship that occupies the central role of the film. They don't want their people thinking, 'You know, a lot of these thinly veiled fascist stand-ins in this movie, they sound a lot like our own leaders.' Because if they start thinking about that, well, then start they questioning and that leads to... well, stuff like this Colony."

Shepard hadn't expected such political analysis from Zek, certainly not as the result of watching an old vid. He couldn't deny that there wasn't an air of truth though. Some of it actually kind of made sense. The UNSC was the governing emergency body of humanity as a whole. Lord Hood, as he understood it, was in charge of every element and level of government on Earth and its colonies. He had not been elected, he had been placed in charged and there had been no elections since the war with the Covenant started. There was a difference from the Federation of "Starship Troopers" though.

"The UNSC didn't come to power through a coup or by force, Zek," Shepard informed the Jackal. "They were installed once the scope of the war with the Covenant became clear. They were facing genocide, mass extinction. They had to respond to that threat somehow."

"And do you agree with basically creating a military-controlled Earth to save your people?" Zek asked.

"I'm not entirely sure it's what the Alliance would do, but in times of war certain rights are inevitably suspended," Shepard informed him. "Perhaps the UNSC is more military minded than my people are. I can't really deny that, but I understand why they've reacted the way they have."

"And that reaction is leaving colonies to die if they're deemed expendable?" Zek questioned.

Shepard had no answer for that, Zek did.

"I'm not saying there isn't a practical reason for them," the pirate admitted. "Or even that there isn't a good reason. The UNSC doing what it feels it has to in order for humanity survive? I get it. I really do. But, I can see the obvious here. They're not the pure good hearted heroes. They got their enemy they need to kill, for now. Assuming they even win, then what? They just... step back from all of this?"

"That's the idea," Shepard said.

"And do you really believe they will?" Zek laughed. "You know, we believed the Covenant would use a deft hand with us. That everything would largely be the same, we'd be okay. Not so. Once people get power, they never let it go."

"Maybe not the Covenant," Shepard argued in kind. "But I think the UNSC have more scruples than that."

"I think everything we've seen about this colony suggests otherwise," Zek countered. "They let a colony die, one of their officers was willing to let civilians die and now that same government is trying to punish them for surviving. Hardly what I call the defenders of humanity they claim to be."

Zek walked right up to Shepard and stared him directly in the face.

"You wanna know why I'm still refusing to commit to jumping back into this war?" He questioned the Commander. "It's simple, because I don't think the human side is any more just than the one I left. I think what humanity needs is a little less structure, actually. Maybe its better if the Covies and UNSC murder each other to death and leave the rest of us to build something better on their ashes."

"I don't think that's much of a future for anyone," Shepard countered.

"I won't judge your differing opinion," Zek shrugged. "But ask yourself honestly, do you really think the UNSC are as heroic as you believe? Or are you just trying to make excuses for them so you don't feel too bad about helping them?"

"I'm not making excuses for anyone," Shepard insisted. "I think that's more your department."

Zek rolled his eyes and walked back.

"Alright, believe what you want, I can't really say you're wrong," he confessed. "But I'm still not the one who caused these people all this trouble. The UNSC was making their life shit long before I ever showed up. And, just so you know, I intend to save their asses, even if it is only about getting my relic in the end. And I don't care if they keep all the cool toys in their possession when we leave. Can you say the same about Haverson and Holland?"

Unfortunately, Shepard realized he couldn't. The words stuck in his craw a bit. Zek, for all his conniving and scheming, was still out to save these people. Was he getting something out of it? Of course. That would change eventually, but for now the survival of this Colony was paramount for him. And for whatever reason, Maisey clearly trusted these Jackals more than they did the UNSC. And that gave Zek's argument just a bit of truth amongst all the bluster.

Shepard had what he wanted at least, clear evidence that Zek was committed to the coming fight. He still left the loft feeling unsure of things though. Just not for the group he originally held them for.

Rowan had returned to the others inside the Forerunner Facility. She was greeted by Tali, who was happy to see the young engineer was looking a lot better than before. Not back to old self entirely, but at least better than she was last they saw each other. She soon asked the quarian for assistance with the plan absolve the rest of the colony of any potential Cerberus' influence. Tali jumped at the chance to help.

She cracked Caleb's omni-tool and began to search the colony for the matching Cerberus frequency. Before long, Rowan reported her findings to Maisey and Haverson directly. It was good news, well, seemingly anyway.

"We found nothing," she reported. "No other Cerberus agents are in New Teteocan as far as we can tell. We're clean."

"I suppose that's going to have to do for now," Haverson confessed. "Unless you want to authorize more invasive searches."

"No, we don't have time for that in any case," Maisey insisted. "Wolves at our doorstep, I'm not wasting more time on a manhunt like this. We got our clean bill of health, tenuous as it might be."

"Then I hope it checks out in the end," Haverson informed her. "I don't want this to come back and bite you."

"It won't," Maisey stated. "By the time this is over, you'll either be gone or we'll all be dead, so it will sort itself out in both cases."

A morbid way of looking at it, but no less true. Haverson seemed to agree anyway.

"Fine, fine, we focus on the threats we are aware of," he relented. "How are preparations on the vehicles going?"

"It had been a while since anyone has found a reason to take the Grizzly out, but we got your people assisting on that front," Maisey explained. "Most everyone is more comfortable with the Cyclops suits."

"The big tank is probably our best bet at actually keeping the pirates at bay," Haverson told her. "That and your spire."

"What if we get the relic though?" Maisey asked. "Could we use it to scare them off?"

"Well, we don't even know what it is," Rowan warned. "The best Taq can figure it has something to do with knowledge, the mind, we've been more focused on getting to it than figuring out what it does."

"I feel safer working with elements we can actually manage and control in a predictable fashion," Haverson insisted. "In my experience these damn relics only cause trouble for us. It's better if we don't tamper with it. In fact, part of me is hoping they're locked in some vault somewhere on Earth once we return with them."

That gave Maisey pause as she looked at the Lieutenant.

"You don't want to use them against the Covenant?" She asked. "They could probably win you the war for all you know."

"All I know is that I don't want the Covenant using them and I sure as hell don't want some crazy pirate warlord grabbing them either," Haverson stated. "If I can, I'd like to convince high command to seal them away like I said. I'm hoping Holland and Whitcomb will back me up on that. We've seen first hand how dangerous these things are. So, I don't feel comfortable using them to stop the Covies and I don't feel anymore comfortable using something we barely know anything about to defend us here either."

That was a fairly final statement. No use of the weird relic they were all hunting at all. Luckily, they had other defenses that were far less unconventional.

"Then we'll focus on the trench lines we've dug and the traps we've activated within the valley," Maisey stated. "Of course, as they advance, we'll have to fall back to the battlements. From that point on it's going to be a siege. It's why I've had Zara start moving all our supplies inside."

"We won't be stuck like that for nearly that long," Rowan assured. "We can make it through the doors before the end of the afternoon today if we keep up the pace we're going."

"I don't think we'd be in for a long wait in any case," Haverson warned. "Snarlbeak is not a patient sort from what I've gathered. He will not wait forever."

It was then Haverson received a call on his communicator and he activated it.

"Lieutenant, this is Captain McKay, are you receiving?"

McKay had elected to head out on a scouting mission with her Drop Troopers to check out the surrounding jungle and get a feel for where Snarlbeak's forces would be coming in from. She was centering her search around the proposed landing sites that Varvok had laid out. Given the tone of her voice, things sounded urgent.

"I read you, ma'am," he replied.

"I need you to relay a message to Admiral Whitcomb and Colonel Holland, Varvok was right," McKay warned. "Worse though, he was more right than he could've known. There are already a lot of Jackals planetside. I think they snuck in under the radar like we did initially. They already have a firm foothold and are mustering. They'll be on the move before long. We're headed back now, but our batarian friends need to get a move on if they're going to get into position. Holland and Whitcomb need to know that its possible an enemy ship or ships are either just outside the system or already lying in wait. I doubt all these pirates showed up out of thin air."

"Damn, alright, I'll send your report their way," Haverson assured her. "You stay safe and get back here, ma'am. Sounds like we'll need you."

"Copy that," McKay confirmed.

Haverson turned to Maisey and Rowan with a grave look.

"It seems we're already out of prep time," he informed them.

"Rowan, suggest to Taq she double whatever she's doing to get through those doors," Maisey told the young engineer.

"Already on it," Rowan said running off.

Maisey turned again to Haverson.

"Do you think your Carrier can bombard the ground forces?" She asked.

"Yeah, but if there are other ships in the area, it can't bombard and defend itself at the same time," Haverson warned. "The other smaller ships with us could help a bit, but they might be intercepted before they can do any real damage. Snarlbeak probably is suspecting to try that so he can get a shot at our little Flotilla."

"And if they go, there's no way to get the Relic offworld," Maisey groaned. "We really need that defense grid up, it's the only thing that's going to deter them in the end."

"Then we have to hope we can hold them off long enough to get the relic out and the defenses for this place online," Haverson declared. "You get your people ready, I'll contact mine."

They headed off in their respective directions, although Haverson stopped for a moment to call out.

"Maisey," he said suddenly. "For whatever it is worth, I do hope we pull this off. I don't want to watch this colony burn, please believe that."

"I believe that you'd like for that to be how this ends," Maisey relented. "For whatever it is worth on my end, I'm hoping you prove us wrong this time."

It was clear there was still animosity, both had been forced into this working relationship. They weren't prideful enough to remain vindictive, but the anger at the other lay beneath the surface. For now though, they did have common cause. With that in mind, they both nodded and went back to their respective duties.

Shepard had returned to the Marines' encampment, where he found Haverson finishing up a call to Holland and Whitcomb.

"We'll send additional forces down to you," Holland insisted. "They'll be there within the hour."

"I advise watching for any sign of the Pirate fleet," Haverson warned. "They could be lying in wait for all we know."

"We'll use the Corvette we have to provide some escort," Holland said. "Seems like our best option."

"You mean the... Crusty Chorka, right?" Haverson asked.

"We are never using that name in any official capacity," Holland said flatly. "Holland and Whitcomb out."

Haverson turned from the holographic table and spotted Shepard approaching.

"Sir, are you here about the update I sent you?" He asked.

"Partly, McKay's report is unsettling to be sure," the Commander stated. "The Normandy will try to provide close range support, but if there is an enemy fleet up there, Joker might have his hands full."

"So this battle is gonna have to be won the old fashioned way then," Haverson sighed. "Boots on the ground and blood in the dirt, wonderful."

"We can win this," Shepard assured him. "All we have to do is hold out long enough for the defense grid to get online. Once that hits, Snarlbeak will be forced to pull back."

"I have faith we can pull this off, sir," Haverson clarified. "My concern is how costly it's going to be for everyone involved. I'm thinking a lot of this relies on how well Varvok and the other ambush teams can delay these pirates from coming at us all at once."

"We'll be ready for them when they do," Shepard confirmed.

He looked into the valley between New Teteocan and the Jungle treeline. Already there were scores of Marines, Troopers and Colonists digging trenches and setting up defenses. They had pulled out some turrets to use as machine gun nests and planted improvised explosive devices in the ground that could be triggered remotely. It was a crude defense, but it was at least something.

"We got this together fast at least," Haverson said anxiously. "I'm hoping its enough. By the way, have you talked with Zek, sir? Did he offer any insight into Snarlbeak's moves?"

"Same as before," Shepard confirmed. "He'll come at us hard, dirty and relentlessly. It won't be like how the Covenant fight. If it's any comfort, he says he's committed as long as getting the Relic first is the prime objective."

"Always can count on a pirate to be faithful to any cause that pays," Haverson joked. "Hardly that much of a comfort though, sir."

Shepard had to agree, but the talk of Zek had also returned another thought to his mind.

"Lieutenant, do you know about the UNSC blacklist?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Haverson replied, no doubt confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.

"Zek brought it up, a bunch of vids you've outlawed since the war started and the UNSC became the leading governing body of Earth," Shepard explained.

Haverson nodded, not looking all that enthused.

"That was... not a fun thing to hear about," he admitted. "A bit before my time joining the Office, but expected. The Civilian government was a bit lax on that front, but the UNSC felt morale in the face of annihilation was more important than free expression. Honestly though, it just made a black market for films and music and other stuff. Probably more trouble than its worth."

"Ever hear of 'Starship Troopers' specifically?" Shepard asked.

Haverson turned to the Commander, looking rather uncomfortable.

"I am... aware of its themes," he confessed. "I cannot admit to ever having watched it at this time of course.n I don't think I've even read the original book. Although I understand it's not on the black list like the film is."

That made sense, given the book and the vid it spawned were miles apart from each other didn't press it, but he sensed Haverson knew where this was going.

"I keep noting the difference between the Alliance and the UNSC," the Commander continued. "It has been inevitable since I arrived here. I looked more towards doctrine, not as much culture though. And I can see why that vid would be on the blacklist. It's just... a bit disturbing to think about the why."

Haverson didn't say anything, but the look on his face said he agreed in some way.

"Governments have suspended civil liberties in wartime before," he said, trying to fish for a justification. "Lincoln did that with Habeas Corpus, for example."

"There was also the internment of Japanese-Americans in World War Two," Shepard reminded him. "Far less justifiable, even without hindsight."

"Yes, yes," Haverson quickly confirmed. "Not every decision in war is made with the... best judgment. We haven't done anything... that bad. At least, I'm not aware of it. Like I said, I'm not entirely sure the blacklist is an effective measure. Morale is unlikely to be all that high following Reach."

Shepard decided he needed to get to the point. He couldn't torture Haverson like this, that was not his intention.

"Lieutenant, you ever wonder what happens after the war ends?" He asked. "With the UNSC winning of course."

"Well, the Civilian government would be reinstated, the UNSC would go back to managing military affairs primarily, not running the whole show," Haverson reiterated. "The crisis will be over, we'll get back to how it's supposed to be."

"So you're not worried about turning into the Federation from 'Starship Troopers' then? Or even concerned that you're already there?" Shepard asked tepidly.

"No," Haverson declared, at first it was a resolute and adamant stance. He wavered a little though. "Well, I have to believe we haven't been forced into that position. We're not here to conquer anyone or rule the galaxy. We're here to defend humanity, not take the Covenant's place when they're gone. We haven't become what we're fighting... not yet."

Shepard said nothing, looking towards the colony. He contemplated how best to bring up the subject of what had led to New Teteocan being here. Both as a result of Caleb's meddling and the actions of a UNSC officer. Haverson spoke again before he could though.

"It's imperfect," he confessed. "It has been since the start. I don't deny that problems exist. I know they do. I think this place is evidence enough of that. I can't afford to dwell on those issues though because there are matters of survival at stake. So the fear is always present, but I can't let it control me."

"That whole 'matters of survival' stuff though is how Cerberus got into ONI though," Shepard reminded him. "Allegedly of course."

"I did say mistakes have been made, huge ones," Haverson admitted. "I won't pretend fear of what the Covenant intend to do doesn't play a part in driving those mistakes. We had it before the Covenant showed up, Master Chief and his Spartans are evidence enough of that. At the end of the day though, I have to believe we're still the good guys, not just scratching and clawing for the right to live alone. That what we're doing, what we're trying to do, is a road to something better."

Shepard could agree with that. You had to believe that you weren't just doing this to stay alive. There had to be something more to this struggle, this war, than survival. He had to believe that about the Reapers, about what their coming meant for his galaxy. It had to be a chance to create something greater from the ashes once the dust settled and the enemy was defeated. A purpose beyond the bloodshed, the death and the sacrifices he knew were to come.

"So what does this road lead to?" He asked Haverson.

"Hopefully, a world where humanity isn't fearful of looking up at the sky every morning and wondering if this is the day alien ships appear and blast everything out of existence," Haverson claimed. "Where we can explore the stars without fear and go further than we have already. And maybe, somewhere out there, we can become what we were supposed to be before all this started."

Haverson and Shepard looked up to the sky, searching the clouds above.

"The UNSC is not going to replace the Covenant," Haverson insisted. "We're going to beat it and earn the right to be better than them."

"Does that include better for everyone?" Shepard asked. "Even if they aren't humans, for example?"

Haverson tried to respond, but something broke the cloud cover. It crashed down from the heavens above and slammed into the valley below. A huge plume of dirt kicked up just outside the trench lines. Several Marines and Colonists working near there ran for cover, thinking it was a bombardment. It wasn't, for when the dust cleared it was revealed that cylinder of some kind had landed in the grassy plain.

"Well that can't be anything good," Shepard recognized. "Best get Maisey and the others. We need to check this out personally."

Haverson nodded in agreement. Shepard had a gut feeling this was the start of what they had been preparing for and he believed Haverson suspected it too. They'd head down to the cylinder itself to confirm of course, but this was likely not a weapon they were dealing with.

Not one of plasma or fire or anything like that at least. This was message, a weapon of words, one they'd have to answer.

Shepard was tempted to relate how this felt like a really old sci-fi movie, going up to a crashed metallic cylinder that had fallen from space gave you that sort of feeling. He decided against it because he imagined no one in attendance was interested in hearing an attempt to cut at the tension right now. Maisey, Haverson, Master Chief and Zek all approached cautiously, Shepard taking up the center of their converging advance.

As they approached, the Marines and Colonists in the trenches were already pointing their weapons towards the metallic object. Some of them probably thought someone was inside, but Shepard doubted it. No one would send a single drop pod this close to an enemy encampment. It would be a waste of whoever was inside. It couldn't be a bomb either, although he didn't rule it out completely. It just made no sense that it was taking so long to explode.

As they all gathered around the object, they examined it more closely. It did resemble a drop pod, but it lacked the necessary components to maintain sufficient life support. It was long, silver and very compact. It was hard to believe anyone could've fit inside it without squashing themselves. Zek was glaring at it most intently.

"Get ready," he warned. "He's trying to parlay."

"Who?" Maisey asked.

The cylinder opened up one of its panels, dropping it down to their feet. They could now see inside the object, as well as what looked to be a holographic projector. It started to spark and fizzle before a green light shot out. In moments, the light formed a silhouette and then a more concrete face. The wizened, gnarled and scarred image of Snarlbeak now stared back at them. He didn't seem mad though, he was trying to put on a smile for them all.

"Well, isn't this darling," he mused. "You made some more human friends, Zek. And they have such a quaint little town don't they? Adorable! Almost a shame I have to go through them to get my relic."

"It's mine, Zhoc," Zek spat back, before quickly noting Shepard and Haverson and clearing his throat. "I mean, ours. We got here first, you're claim jumping now. Very unbecoming for a space pirate."

"You jumped on this first by stealing my map, don't act like you have the high ground on this," Zhoc reminded him. "Besides, no one really gives a shit about the code's guidelines, remember? In the end, it's always who has the spoils."

"Excuse me," Maisey said, interrupting both as she stepped up. "The relic is currently in our possession, in our colony. I'd appreciate you not talking about us like we're just a barrier to your little treasure hunt."

Snarlbeak appeared to bow at Maisey, but his show of respect was undermined by his smug grin.

"Apologies ma'am," he said. "Am I addressing the leader of these human farmers then?"

"Maisey," she replied. "Your crew tried to kill my people last night."

"Oh that wasn't personal, Madam," Zhoc insisted. "I have no real quarrel with you. It's Zek and his human compatriots that are the problem really. They keep stealing what I worked so hard for. And they just don't know when to quit getting in my way. When you think about it logically, I'm the victim here."

"That is very debatable," Maisey countered. "In any case, you have a quarrel now. Your little raider band shot at us, attacked our fields, injured our residents, damaged property and produce..."

Zhoc waved off the list.

"Yes, yes, unfortunate misunderstandings indeed," he claimed dismissively. "I'll write you a check to compensate you for the damages. That is, assuming you all take my offer now."

"What do you want, Zhoc?" Shepard demanded to know. "Get to your point. We already know your people are here. This is just a formality."

"Ah, Commander Shepard, how good to see you again," Zhoc smiled broadly. "You know, I warned you that Zek would only get you into trouble by barging into my business. Now you see where it's landed you, your back against the wall with my people ready to gut you. Very tragic."

"Your deal?" Shepard demanded again. "Can we get this over with?"

Zhoc sighed greatly.

"Fine, here's my ultimatum," he said, his smile dropping into a glower. "As I speak, Fleetmaster Zom is waiting just outside the system with five of my best battlecruisers, all loaded up with my top birds ready to rain fire down on you all. Their pods are loaded, dropships are ready and, as you've pointed out, they will be met by a substantial force already on the ground with you. I have enough kig-yar ready to roll over that little colony of yours, burn everything inside to ash and then walk back out again over your charred remains with MY relic."

As vivid a picture as that was, Shepard didn't flinch, neither did Maisey or Haverson. Zhoc didn't seem to care, he just switched his glower to a calming expression of practicality and continued.

"This can be avoided though," he told them. "Give me the relic inside the facility now and I leave. We can deal with a proper fight against one another some other day, when there are no civilians involved. You can probably try to grab it back from me then, but this one time is when I win."

"You want us to let you just walk off with a potential weapon in your arsenal?" Haverson asked. "What makes you think we'll let you?"

"Because if you don't, I'll have my men kill every male, female and fledgling inside those walls behind you," Zhoc threatened gravely. "I don't like spilling blood, I don't like the prospect of feeling queasy today to begin with. But it is a small price to pay to have what's mine. It's not like I'm the one who's killing them in the end. Now, you can either have blood on your hands... or you can save every life here."

Shepard looked to Zek and then Maisey. The kig-yar pirate, however, had his own two-bits though.

"He's fucking lying!" He claimed. "The second the relic is clear, he uses every ship in that fleet of his to blow the colony to shit!"

"This is hardly your decision to make, Zek," Zhoc claimed, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you let the grown ups talk for now? Kay?"

"Fucking-"

Zek would've gone for his plasma pistol had Shepard not stopped him by holding his arm in place.

"Zek knows liars better than most," the Commander stated. "And you haven't exactly been very forthcoming yourself. Why should we believe you?"

"You do believe I'll kill you all at the very least, correct?" Zhoc asked.

"How long would you even give us to deliver the relic?" Haverson asked curiously.

"An hour," Zhoc claimed.

Zek spat on the ground.

"That means thirty minutes," he claimed. "Everyone knows that you have to divide all time restraints by half because that's when the knife in the back goes in."

Zhoc looked infuriated.

"Zek, if you don't close your beak... it will be ripped off at some point," he assured the pirate captain. "Lurz is very eager for a rematch."

"Tell him to bring it!" Zek boasted. "I'll shove a needler up his ass and keep pulling until the trigger goes click! It'll be very satisfying."

"We can't get you the relic in an hour anyway," Haverson claimed. "There are complications."

Zhoc huffed at the response.

"You think you can fool me with that?" He laughed, rage building up as he spoke. "Give you even more time to prepare for my assault? This is not negotiable. My men are loyal employees who all signed a waiver when they joined up. They accept their lives are expendable in favor of a decent insurance package for whatever family they have. I hold all the leverage here, army ape. I'm the most accomplished business bird in this fucking sector of the galaxy! You really think you can push me to move when I'm pointing the fucking gun down your throat? Do you have any idea who you're fucking with here? DO YOU!?"

Zhoc started hyperventilating through his gritted beak, before finally settling down. He smoothed his blackened quills back a little and pulled to correct his armor's collar. The smile then returned.

"I apologize for that outburst," he said jovially. "It's just... you've been stealing what is mine for a good while now. I'd just really like to get just one of my relics today and you're being rather confrontational when I am being more than accommodating."

"Be that as it may, we can't get you the relic in your timeframe," Maisey informed him bluntly. "And I barely trust Zek here or Haverson in general. I do not trust a space pirate bird who has already sicced his goons on us once. So even if I could get you the relic fast enough, I'm not handing it over to you."

Zhoc took a breath, trying to maintain his calm composure that was clearly wearing thin.

"You really all need to reconsider this course of action," he insisted. "All I'm doing is trying to make the galaxy a better place for the kig-yar. Once I have a place at the Covenant's table with a powerful weapon at my side, I can look into maybe sparing humanity overall. You know, keep you as sort of a profitable resource mining partner or the like."

"Slavery?" Haverson said, assuming his was clarifying the offer.

Zhoc shook his head.

"No, no, no, it wouldn't be slavery," he insisted. "You'd just be giving us all your resources and surrender any form of autonomy while you work under our watchful and careful eye. That sounds like a good deal to me."

"That's literally slavery," Shepard informed him.

"Well it's better than being made extinct," Zhoc shot back before settling back into his business demeanor. "Look I am being more than generous here. You just give me one relic today, just one, within the hour, and I'll let you all live!"

Shepard imagined what would happen if they gave Zhoc any of the relics they had already obtained or were about to. Besides not knowing what the one inside the facility they were currently at did, the Amplifier and Crystal were highly volatile. Either one could be used by Zhoc against them and Shepard doubted he had lanyess scruples. And besides, he doubted Zhoc would be sated with one relic today, no matter where it came from.

As much as he hated to say it, Zek was right. This was just a ploy, a cheat. The second he got what he wanted, Zhoc would react quickly. He'd double-cross them, it was in his nature. They couldn't trust that he wouldn't just steamroll into the colony and then the facility itself once their guard was down. He would've argued this to Maisey, but she already had her answer.

"Get off my planet," she ordered the pirate's hologram, stepping up right into his face. "Now."

Shepard grinned a bit before turning back to Zhoc.

"I think you just got your final answer," Shepard said with firm indignation.

Zhoc looked enraged, but it passed just as quickly as it came.

"Oh, that was an answer indeed, the wrong one," he relented. "It pains me to do what comes next. I didn't want to incinerate that quaint little colony. You've forced my hand, I'm... so sorry."

"You're not fucking sorry about shit," Zek growled back.

Zhoc looked at Zek, his hurt expression turning back to a smug one, a sinister grin on the pirate lord's beak.

"You know Zek... you're right," he confessed. "I'm not."

The hologram suddenly shut down and in seconds they heard something in the distance. Chief recognized it instantly.

"Plasma Mortars! Run!"

Everyone ran for the trenches in an instant, as plumes of blue fire erupted over the treeline. They all dove into the nearest ditch, as fired rained down from the sky everywhere. The valley was torn up with craters, as every soldier and colonist in the trenches searched for cover. The blasts eventually subsided, leaving a mass of destruction around the area.

"I guess that proves he was lying," Haverson grunted. "He was just lining up shots for his artillery."

"He wasn't lying about everything," Shepard warned, looking up to the sky.

Above them, they could see a number of battlecruisers jumping into view. It wasn't long after they started arriving that a number of orange streaks in the atmosphere appeared. Drop pods no doubt, carrying contingents of kig-yar pirates. Maisey was already on her walkie talkie.

"Brant! Fire the spire! Shoot them down!"

The spire at the back of the colony lit up brilliant with an orange yellow hue. It then erupted in a flash of light that travelled into the sky above them. The yellow beam of energy cracked the air like thunder as it lanced over their heads into the heavens. Within seconds, one of the Battlecruisers had taken a direct hit to their side and they began to pull out of formation. The other ships followed.

"They're going to pull back," Shepard warned. "That was just to get some advanced troops on the ground in the brief time window they had."

"A calculated risk, but Zhoc clearly considers life fairly cheap, even his own people," Haverson observed.

"It doesn't matter, I will not be intimidated by a band of thugs, no matter how many fancy toys they have," Maisey declared. "They want a fight? They want their stupid relic? They're gonna have to earn it!"

"Right with you, ma'am," Chief concurred. "Commander, we should get ready for the assault. They'll likely be here within the hour, maybe less."

"Agreed," Shepard concurred. "Everyone to their stations. This is gonna be one hell of a day."

Already they could hear the rumbling within the treeline as well as the drop pods crashed onto the surface. Snarlbeak's people were here, they were armed to the teeth and determined to break through to the Forerunner facility. The assault on New Teteocan had begun.

AN: I apologize for how long this took. It's been a crazy couple of months since the last update I guess. It has not been the easiest honestly, emotionally not physically. I know I need to get something out though in order to prove to people I haven't abandoned this, that I haven't quit and I hope you're all still with me. And I just want to give a message to folks out there, stay strong, stay safe, we'll get through all of what's happening together. One way or another. Please check out my writer's notes on my blog for more elaboration on this and further notes on this chapter. Thank you for your time.