ME: Lost

Friendly Fire

"The quarians are a formidable ally, we can't afford to have them wasting effort on a foolish crusade against the geth." Hackett's face crackled with static, distorting his expression, "we'll only win this war by showing a united front. Do what it takes to make them see reason."

"Understood, sir."

The transmission blinked out, and Shepard exited the communications room.

Kaidan leaned against the outer railing of the war room, focused intently on the report in his hand. He glanced up when she settled beside him.

"What's our next move?"

Shepard shook her head in annoyance, "we have to convince the quarians that fighting the reapers is more important than fighting geth."

"What I don't understand is the timing of it all. Why decide to take Rannoch back now?"

She shrugged, "I grew up on a ship - we never stayed in the same place. You always feel like you're sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next change. I can understand wanting a piece of solid ground to call home."

"But can we justify wiping out a race just so the quarians can have that planet back?"

Shepard groaned in disgust, "I don't know. It's amazing the lengths people will go out of fear. The genophage, turning on the geth, even the First Contact War, they all occurred because someone thought the unknown was worse than making a terrible decision."

"Makes you think a bit, doesn't it..."

"All I know is that the reapers continue to destroy our home while we sit out here babying a bunch of foolish admirals." She shoved away from the rail and turned, striding towards the door, "we need to talk to Tali."

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"Shepard to quarian fleet, hold fire, hold fire!" The geth dreadnought shuddered as a barrage of missiles slammed against the hull.

"They're not responding!" Distortion crackled around the voice that echoed in Shepard's headset.

"Damn it! They're ignoring us!" She sprinted down the platform, "Legion, get us out of here!"

"Affirmative, Shepard-Commander, please continue to the docking bay."

The circular chamber they'd stumbled into continued up and down as far as she see, several hundred stories tall. Level after level of platforms ran around the outer edge, creating a spiraled maze. In the center of the chamber rose a tall column, seemingly spanning the entire height of the dreadnought; and the middle, between platform and column, simply dropped into nothingness.

Another attack shook the air and the floor rocked beneath them. A high pitched cry rang out behind her. Shepard turned just in time to see Kaidan grasp the quarian's wrist as she pitched wildly to the side.

"I can't believe they're firing on us," Tali squeaked, her voice shaking, "they know we're still in here, right?"

"Don't think about it right now, we've got to get to Legion before this whole ship is shot to hell."

A high pitched whine rang out, sharp feedback garbling their communication.

"Shep...mander...commandeered a...fighter...only launch from...upper level..."

"Legion, repeat. Legion?"

The earsplitting screech continued to reverberate around them and Shepard motioned her team to pick up the pace. "We're almost there, that door should lead to the next-"

A deep explosion rippled in the air, shattering the platform beneath their feet and catapulting them in different directions. Suddenly airborne, she thrashed as she spun, desperately searching for her team. Smoke and debris swirled around her, but she couldn't see the other two anywhere. The column rose up behind her, vibrating her body with the force of the impact as her shoulder slammed into it. With a grunt of pain, she groped clumsily for a handhold on the slick surface.

"Kaidan! Tali! Can you hear me?"

Silence answered her. An unnatural emptiness in her helmet sparked the realization that her audio input had blown. Shepard paused, breathing raggedly as she studied her surroundings. Remnants of the destroyed platform jutted out from the wall two levels below and she twisted awkwardly, searching for a door.

There, if she was on the docking bay level now, that door should take her to safety.

"You won't make it, Shepard," the tiny whisper in her head echoed with a thousand deep voices, "there is no hope."

"I don't believe that," she muttered under her breath, "I won't."

"Your team is dead, we killed them. You will die as well."

Her eyes slid unwillingly down and her stomach lurched, empty space lurked beneath her as far as the eye could see. Images filled her mind - fingers scrabbling on the glossy surface, knees gripping desperately for a hold against the column, three bodies resting at the bottom of the deep well - arms twisted clumsily, eyes open and empty as blood soaks the floor.

"No! That isn't going to happen!" The guttural cry tore from her throat as she launched herself off the column with as much force as she could muster.