Aftermath

Chapter 21

Samantha Traynor felt a sudden pang of fear jolt her as she watched the Normandy disappear after the cruiser from the window of the shuttle. As if sensing her discomfort, Shepard let her hand rest firmly on Traylor's shoulder. It had the effect the Captain intended, focusing her attention back on the alien ship eclipsing their shuttle.

Cortez was in the pilot seat with Traynor seated next to him. Shepard and Liara stood behind them. All eyes were on the area of the Prothean ship where they had seen the cruiser enter and exit.

"I'm going to try sending back the open command we recorded," Traynor explained. After a moment, the static noise filled the cabin. It had no affect. "Modulating frequency," Traynor stated. The static again. Liara watched as Shepard tilted her head, knowing she heard something different than the rest of them. The ship remained unchanged. Traynor frowned.

"Cortez, take us right up to the door," Shepard instructed. He followed her orders and once they were drifting mere meters from the hulking ship she signaled Traynor to try again. The burst of static followed. Nothing. Then after a moments pause the red-stained metal plating of the door in front of them began to move, sliding open. It revealed a cavernous interior, void of any other equipment or movement. "Take us in Cortez."

Shepard had Traynor close the door once the shuttle was maneuvered and settled inside. They all stared, waiting.

"Sensors report sustainable life support. No life signs. No movement. There seems to be a power signature forward of our position," Cortez reported.

"Ok," Shepard began, "Traylor make sure Cortez has the door commands in case we need a speedy exit. Then gather EDI and suit up. We're going to see if we can find out who's running this thing."

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They made their way up a series of catwalks, following Traynor's directions as she traced the power signature via her omni-tool. The entire interior of the ship appeared to be not much more than a shell. The walls and floors showed evidence of being stripped of materials and equipment it had once held. The other detail of note was age. Though the overall structure was in tact, the material looked brittle in places and the air, though circulating through some kind of ventilation system, was stale and smelled of metallic dust. The red staining evident on the exterior was also present in the interior covering almost every surface.

Liara scanned an area of the staining with her omni-tool. "It's volcanic," she commented.

"Volcanic?" Shepard repeated.

"Yes, I've seen this type of staining before at dig sites. It's from prolonged exposure to volcanic activity. The extensive coverage indicates exposure over thousands of years, ultimately weakening of the structure."

Traynor led them out of the cavernous catwalks and into a dark corridor as they traveled further forward. "Not much further," she whispered. There was no one around to hear them, but the ghostly empty echo of the ship and the general unknown had them all on edge. An entryway became visible and Shepard took point, assault rifle at the ready just in case. As they moved closer a red, pulsing glow could be seen coming from the room ahead.

The room was a control center, what appeared to be the cockpit for the vessel. It was small and triangular, situated at the tip of the arrowhead shape of the ship. Control panels lining the front were rectangular surfaces with what looked like thick black liquid shimmered on the surface. The red glow pulsed in the room.

Traynor studied the reflective surface of the control panels thoughtfully. "These appear very similar to the interfaces Javik used on the Normandy." She scanned with her omni-tool. "This liquid is a biometric conductive gel with a continuous current."

"So you know how to use it?" Shepard asked.

Traynor frowned, "No. All it ever did for me was tickle." At their puzzled look she elaborated. "The current in the gel provides a little tingle when you touch it but to humans that seems to be all."

"The Protheans use biometric current as a key component of communication, given what we've seen of the beacons, memory shards and even Javik's initial communications with you Shepard," Liara said. "It would then make sense that their ship controls are a similar mix of technology and biology."

Shepard glance around, brow furrowed, rubbing her scar absently. "Is it just me or are these flashes getting faster."

Liara and Traynor stopped to take notice. Traynor brought up her omni-tool and began typing. "There's a low pulse signal in here. Let me see if I can..."

The sound of static filled the small space loudly, bursting with the pulse of the red light. Liara cringed as the sound filled the small space and looked to Shepard for some explanation. The look she found on Shepard's face made her stomach drop.

"It's a count down," Shepard said.

"Count down to what?" Traynor asked.

"Self destruct," Shepard said.

"We have to move! Back to the shuttle," Liara shouted over the static bursts.

"No time," Shepard said grimly, moving suddenly to the black liquid panels. "Cortez," she said into her com, "get the shuttle a safe distance from the ship. Now."

"Roger that Captain," she heard Cortez's voice come back. But her focus was on the panels.

"Shepard, what..." Liara began but she stopped as Shepard plunged her hands into the black liquid. Her body went rigid. When Liara rushed to her she saw that Shepard's eyes were glowing an electric green, exactly as they had on Eden Prime when interfacing with the Prothean controls when they recovered Javik.

The red pulse and static bursts were becoming frenetically close together now.

"Shepard?" Liara called but she got no verbal response.

Instead Shepard's hands began to move through the liquid panels. The pulses were increasing in frequency exponentially. Liara and Traynor traded concerned looks. Then suddenly, the pulses stopped and the red glow receded.

Traynor exhaled a sigh of relief.

Liara went back to Shepard, touching her arm and calling her name quietly.

After a moment, Shepard withdrew her hands from the liquid panels and blinked, her eyes returning to their normal blue color and focusing on Liara. Her lips spread into a lopsided grin. "I think I can fly this thing."