The Spartan Effect

Legends Never Die

Amada system, omega nebula. May 23rd 2183. 09:33

     Sweat poured down Shepard's forehead as he hurried to reconnect the wires of the display. He needed to get the console operational to send a distress beacon to the alliance and see which Normandy systems were repairable. It had all happened too fast, one second they were floating in the terminus looking for geth remnants, and the next they were under attack. The ship lurched and he heard pounding footsteps behind him, and Liara called out to him.

     "Shepard!"

     He turned around to see her moving over to his side. They had connected during the hunt for Saren and had stayed close in the weeks after, and he could tell just by her voice how scared she was, but she was holding it together well. Which made what he was going to do even worse. He needed her to get the rest of the crew off the Normandy. She was lost, and even though it pained him to abandon her, he wouldn't throw everyone's life away for the ship. He Moved quickly to a fire extinguisher and used it to put out a fire nearing an oxygen tank before he tossed it over to Liara and addressed her, with a pain in his chest.

     "Both distress beacons are launched"

     Liara caught the extinguisher and seeing the panel on the wall flicker and die, moved to put the fires out on a power cable, causing it to come back while Shepard fiddled with another set. 

     "Will they make it in time?" 

     Shepard was scared and angry, he knew the council and the alliance would cover up the reapers, and it was why they were out here in the first place.

     "I'm not doing this so they can find a bunch of frozen corpses, they'll be here. Get everyone to the escape shuttles-"

     Liara interrupted him then, with a determined look on her face.

     "Joker's still in the cockpit, he won't abandon the ship. I'm not leaving you either."

     Shepard looked over his shoulder as he finished the connection and the screen turned on again. he turned and moved over to Liara who was distracted putting out a fire and spoke to her again. 

     "I need you to get everyone onto the evac shuttles, I'll take the last shuttle with Joker."

     Liara looked almost panicked as she watched a tank explode when Shepard turned to put out a fire between him and the console. He stumbled before reconnecting the exposed power cables again. She started begging him.

     "John please I -"

     Shepard cut her off. 

     "Liara go. I'll see you again. I love you"

     Liara couldn't help but feel like she'd been lied to, and it felt like a krogan had punched her in the gut. She only said three words before she turned and ran to evacuate the rest of the crew, with tears streaming down her face.

     "I love you."

     Shepard's hand slammed down on the shipwide evacuation routine on the computer, Before he turned and began sprinting around the crew deck to the stairs in the rear. As he reached the top he saw they were red, and refused to open, so he grabbed the manual release lever and began cranking it downward. Just before the lever reached the bottom he activated his magnetic boots and the second they engaged the door cracked open and all the air that had been in the deck before rushed out and threatened to take his legs with him. luckily it wasn't much air, and he had been holding onto the frame, but as he looked into the combat deck he felt his heart sink. He saw the Normandy's upper hull had been completely torn away, and he saw the silhouette of the ship that had done it in the distance. It looked like a massive rock with a tunnel in the center, an angry orange glow from within it. Shepard moved as quickly as he could to cross the deck, and as he passed the galaxy map it seemed like it recognized him, blinked twice, and died.