"All said and done, its gonna come down to a handful of decisions we make out here..." "Well, who we are has always been defined by what we do." "How is this different from any other time?" "Out here, our choices affect not only our lives, but the lives of all the people weve sworn to protect." "We can only hope we make the right ones." "Breaking into "Mission A," altitude, 8,000." "Atmospheric pressure, zero-point-eight." "Thats our cue, Marines." "Gear up." "Prep for drop." "Ah-oh, yeah!" "Lookin good in that armor, Kamille!" "You know nothin gets me hot like seein you go commando." "Seriously...?" "Careful, Essex-youre gonna make your hand jealous." "Heh." "No worries, babe." "Shes your second biggest fan." "And she knows how to party." "Heh..." "And-strike fifty." "Well, whatever else happens today, at least we cant get shot down any worse than that, am I right?" "Yo, Nicky." "You okay, kid?" "Yeah, hes fine." "Hess just ready for some action." "Arenttt ya?" "You seen any sign of that tactical package yet?" "Still waiting on it." "Our omnis are synched and linked but theres nothing in the way of mission specs so far." "Makes me uneasy." "Does Command usually wait for the last possible minute to tell us who the enemy is, sir?" "Seems weird." "Ya gotta be ready for anything." "Like Commander Shephard always said, nothing is ever simple." "Damn, vega, sucks for you that Shepards dead..." "You two would have made a really cute couple." "You think I'm ashamed to show respect for someone who saved billions of lives?" "I'm proud to follow that example." "Laugh it up all you want, pretty boy." "I know who my heroes are." "Okay, someones a little defensive..." "Whatever, man." "You want a hero to worship, Im right here, baby." "That so?" "Attention!" "Lets get this straight." "What I see here is a squad..." "of highly trained special forces." "But youre not warriors, not yet." "Today we find out what youre made of, Marines." "Its time to earn that uniform." "Our final Mission specs are in from Command." "Im syncing to your omnis now." "Take a good look." "Let that sink in..." "This is what youre up against..." "Think tough." "Think built like a brick shithouse." "Thats right, virgins." "Your first dance goes to the Krogan Blood Pack, the meanest bunch of reptilian uglies in the Terminus." "Krogan are like walking tanks: theyve got thick, armored skin, two sets of vital organs" "Relax, Nicky: just aim for the head." "The bastards are currently laying siege to our colony on Fehl Prime..." "It so happens to be one of our top pharma processing facilities..." "Meds we pull outta this rock cure our sick kiddies across the galaxy." "Lot of civilians down there..." "Sitrep shows the Blood Pack just outside the perimeter, hammering the colony K-barriers." "They get in, well be scraping up colonists for a week..." "So-we hit em fast, we hit eem hard:" "shuttles strafe their lines." "Then we insert ourselves between the enemy and their objective, and vigorously negotiate their defeat." "It wont be easy: things are getting messy down there." "But thatss why they called us..." "Were Alliance Marines, people!" "This is what we do!" "Any questions?" "Then whos ready to go kick some krogan ass?" "!" "Sir!" "Alliance Marines are, sir!" "Hoo-rah!" "Christine, what should we do?" "The Alliance Marines are coming!" "Just hold on!" "The Barriers down!" "Christine!" "Im okay." " Dammit!" " Youre not a soldier: stop taking chances." "No, weve got to hold them off..." "Just a little longer!" "Brood!" "Well done: you have earned your place as my second." " Sir." " Now... unleash the vorcha." "Theyre animals..." " Shit!" "An... air strike...?" "No!" "Alliance drop ships!" "Were saved!" "They made it." "And not a moment too soon." "Get off our lawn, ya dirty space turtles!" "Put us down, Mason." "Roger that, Cap." "Now prepping for quick dump." "Fifteen seconds." "On your feet, Marines!" ""A" Squad, aft hatch!" ""B" squad, fore hatch!" "Dust off in 5... 4..." "Shit!" "Abort!" "Abort!" "Alpha and Beta are down!" "Repeat:" "Alpha and Beta are down!" "Roger, Gamma-abort confirmed." "Evasive maneuvers!" "Dammit." "Breaking off to re-engage!" "Goin down...!" "Brace for impact!" "Now!" "Send the humans to their gods!" "Whats happening out there?" "Our pilot is so fired..." "Yeah?" "Well, I got one better for ya..." "I quit." "Move Marines!" "Evac this bucket!" "Whoa, Captain, that looks bad..." "I said move!" "Thats an order!" "You heard him!" "On me!" "You too, vega!" "Better bite down, sir." "On three..." "Go!" "Search for survivors!" "Move!" "Come on, vega!" "You can make it!" "Sir!" "Incoming!" "Can anyone see them?" "!" " We are so screwed!" " How many are there?" "!" " We cant hold them off for long!" " What do we do?" "Sir!" "What do we do?" "!" "Hold your fire!" "Cease fire!" "Essex!" "Kamille!" "What the hell, vega?" "!" "You guys are just burnin Thermal Clips at this range." "Save it for when it counts." "You gonna live there, flyboy?" "I told you..." "I quit that job..." "Thats a "yes. " On your feet." "Hold your fire!" "Alliance!" "Show yourselves and be granted an honorable execution!" "Wow..." "Some negotiator." "Milque, I need you to give Nicky your power cells." "See what you can do about upgrading my K-barriers." "Okay..." "Thats great for you, but now what am I supposed to use for shields?" "Shields?" "You still got a big rock to hide behind, dontcha?" "Flyboy, look after the captain." "Right." "Already on it, boss." "Listen..." "Youve got to get up top and keep their snipers off me." "Nicky, youll radio me tactical?" "Thats a big affirmative, sir." "And what the hell are you gonna do?" "A krogan never turns down a chance for glory on the battlefield." "So Im gonna go out there and give them what they want, which should buy the two of you enough time to move around and flank them." "Hold on..." "Im not running into that firing squad!" "No... we circle all the way around their line and come in behind them..." "Its crazy, but it could work." "Were gonna have to make it work, or we all die..." "That is, unless you got a better plan, Essex?" "Hey, whyre you askin me?" "Yourrre squad leader, at least for another two minutes, anyway..." "Here they come." "Nicky!" "Wheres my tactical?" "Its coming in now, sir." "Theyre clustered at your 12, forty meters and holding position." "I show one sniper already zeroed in on you." "Roger that." "I got em." "Not yet." "Hold your fire till Essex and Kamille engage." "Wait." "It seems this one has accepted my offer." "Okay..." "Lets dance." "Come on..." "Flanking team, where the hell are you?" "Talk to me!" "Almost there." "One hundred meters." "Here..." "Catch." "I wont be needing it." "Heh, well, so much for lookin cool before I die..." "There!" "On the ridge!" "Idiot." "You know you love me!" "Hey!" "Thats no way to treat a lady!" "Last grenade..." "Gotta make it count!" "Dammit!" "You are brave, human." "Die with honor." "Brood!" "Find the one controlling the drone and kill them!" "There." "I have you now..." "Now you die." "You first." "I like you..." "A fighter to the bitter end!" "You alright, vega?" "Yeah." "Think so." "Good... cause once we get outta this the next drinks on you." "Ha!" "Its almost too easy!" "And that, ladies and gentlemen..." "is free drinks for life." "I think I pretty much drained my power cell..." "Yeah, maybe one more good shot if Im lucky..." "Shit!" "Kamille!" "Milque!" "I dont have a shot!" "Shit!" "Now... say goodbye." "Whoa..." "See?" "We make a pretty good team!" "Look, the dog thing was an accident, okay?" "Yeah, and so was this!" "Asshole..." "Sorry!" "Hot damn..." "Hello..." "Get on with it!" "Gladly." "Essex!" "Stand down, Marine!" "We are not murderers!" "This is war, man!" " Yes!" "Youre right!" "This is war!" "And now, this krogan is a prisoner of war." "You two gonna kiss or what?" "Nicely done, squad leader." "Thats the last of eem: we did it, sir." "That was insane, goin out there as bait, ykknow..." "I thought for sure you were gonna get us all killed..." "But hey..." "I guess I gotta be wrong sometime, right?" "I think what he means is..." "We owe you one..." "Big time." "Its "vega," yeah?" "Tell you what..." "vega here deserves a goddamn medal." "Not to brag, but technically, I took out more of em than he did." ""Technically," you almost took me out, too!" "Youre still in the dog house." "It was a team effort, guys." "Look, will you drop it already?" "I said I was sorry." "Vega..." "Hell of a battle there, son: thats the kind of leadership Idd expect from a veteran." "It was the training, sir." "Dont sell us that crap!" "I never taught you that kind of soldiering and you know it." "Quit playin coy and accept the compliment: you earned it." "Your courage under fire saved a lot of good people, vega." "And its for their continued safety wedd like you and your squad to stick around..." "Hold down the fort." "Admiral, the Blood Pack is finished here..." "All due respect, but were a special forces unit." "Cant you just assign a standard security detail?" "Im giving you an order, soldier." "The Fehl Prime facility and all of its inhabitants are a very valuable resource for the Alliance." "It is far too important for us to leave undefended." "Are we clear?" "Yes, sir, were clear." "I see from your badge you remember the Normandy." "I try to, sir:" "I think everyone should." "Its good to have heroes, vega, but dontt be too eager to follow in Shepardsss footsteps." "That kind of greatness only comes at a great cost..." "Remember that." "Hackett out." "Well, Lieutenant..." "Welcome to the Terminus Systems..." "All right, its all yours..." "Letss get this baby unloaded!" "Were clear!" "Three meters..." "Two..." "One..." "And were docked..." "Hold it there, vega." "Copy that, Kamille." "Standing by." "Explain something to me." "First the cannon, now full-on military-grade barriers?" "Seem like overkill to anybody else?" "I mean... we havent seen a hostile in, what, two years?" "And they got us tricked out to take on a whole fleet." "Youre clear to retract the cables, sir." "Nicky." "Weve been over this." "You dontt have to keep calling me sir." "Heh." "Kiss ass." "Would you just do your job?" "Callin eem like I see eeem." "Dontttt hate the messenger." "Just wasting their time..." "My gun already packs all the firepower this place needs." "Oh, please, Ive seen your "gun," Essex..." "Hate to be the one to break it to you, but... not that big." "Im guessin weve all heard the rumors at this point." "Ah-!" "What?" "!" "He means the ones about entire colony populations disappearing without a trace." "Yeah, Ive tried asking around division about that, but no one wants to talk." "Official word from Command is "no comment. "" "Duh, whatd you expect...?" "Command doesnt talk to grunts like us- you gotta read between the lines." ""Here, have a big gun and shut up. " Thats their comment..." "Probably all some Cerberus conspiracy theyre trying to keep under wraps." "I dunno-this one doesnt smell like Cerberus to me." "Its not their style." "Yo, vega!" "Last of the Agri-Domes Special Brew..." "On the house, buddy!" "Well, I can never say no to a free drink!" "Then I recommend you plan on staying drunk, cause we still owe you plenty." "Nice work on the new defenses, by the way." "Ah..." "Its what we do." "Hola, James!" "Hey, April!" "Hola, chispita." " Whatcha doin?" " Waiting for you!" "You ready for duty?" "Attention!" "Yes, sir, Lieutenant!" "Okay, then youll need this..." "Welcome to Delta Squadron, Private." "April, vegas working." "Sorry." "Nah, its no problem, Christine." "Hey, Treeya." "Uh, I mean..." "Hi." "Lieutenant." "Why you always gotta stare at her like that?" "Im not staring-and soldiers dontt pout." "Come here." "I need a new lookout." "Whaddaya say, huh?" "Only if you teach me how to shoot that." "Well..." "I dont think your mom would like that too much..." "No, Mommy says its a good thing!" "She says youre gonna use it to protect us if the bad guys come back!" "Is that true?" "Are you gonna?" "Shes right: thatss exactly what Ill do." "And you can help me by stayin on the lookout, Private." "Yes, sir, Lieutenant James!" "Hoo-rah!" "You sure have a way with that one, vega." "Id swear she was your little sister." "Ew, gross!" "Were married." "Okay, "Marine," I think youve pestered vega enough for one day." "Okay, off you go." "There..." "Thanks, vega." "Kay!" "Over and out, sir." "You be good." " Later days." " See you, vega." "Surely this cant be right..." "Youre killing us, chief." "Better make a move while the gettinss good." "Unless youre cool with me cutting in on your action." "Look, Ive already tried talking to her..." "She just doesnt seem all that interested, you know?" "If blushing and sighings your idea of talk, man, then we really need to work on your delivery." "Aprils badge!" "Seriously." "I dont get it." "Whatss he see in her, anyway?" "You kidding me?" "You got eyes, dontcha?" "Everybodyss crazy for some blue." "Hm?" "Whoa..." "Just in the nick of time, right?" "Hey, youre vega, arentt ya?" "Saw ya on the vids..." "Hope you dont mind me saying it, but you really gave those Blood Pack sons of bitches what-for a couple of years back..." "Made me proud to be a human." "And you are...?" "Right, wheres my manners?" "Namess Messner, private importer." "I run goods all over the Terminus-vehicles, consumables, the usual boring stuff..." "It pays the bills." "Ah, a hero and a gentleman!" "Must be nice havin him around." "Some would say." "Hey, wait a second..." "Whats that supposed to mean?" "So, uh... this is new..." "You mind ringing up the powers that be and gettin this bad boy open?" "Hey, Whitman..." "You gonna make me say "pretty please" or what?" "Cmon, man, let us in." "Afraid I cant, vega." "Imm sorry." "Weve upped security for classified ops and yourre not cleared for entry." "You either, Doc." "There are materials in the research department that belong to me!" "You cannot just lock me out!" "I know, but its not my call." "You can lodge a complaint with Command if you want, but its not gonna get you in here any quicker." "Imm sorry." "Typical..." "Hey!" "Ill get your stuff back!" "Let go of my arm..." "Sad to say, this is the sort of idiocy Ive had to deal with since you Alliance grunts took over our research post." "Like you even care." "Cut em some slack, huh?" "Im sure the Alliance has a good reason for locking down your lab." "That they declined to share with their own security detail?" "Spare me." "Roger that..." "Its Captain Toni." "He wants to see us ASAP." "I can help you with your work, Treeya, just" "Really?" "So suddenly youre an archaeologist?" "You dontt know anything about it." "Why, cause Imm a grunt?" "Try me." "vega!" "The boys in Control are picking up some kind of anomalous signal out of Sector Nine, near the old ruins." "I knew that something seemed off..." "Whatever it is out there, Doctor, its playing hell with our long-range communications." "Might be one of your relics." "Might not be." "Either way, I need it gone." "Understood, Captain." "Well take care of it." "I want you all combat-ready, in case there are any hostiles who wanna get cute..." "And last bit of bad news, our APC is down for a suspension overhaul, so it looks like youll have to double-time it out there on foot." "Had a volus pay me in trade a while back with a used Mako." "What say we give it a test-drive?" "Treeya, you and Messner are with Milque back there." "Mason, you be ready to back us up with the Mako." "Roger that." "Lets go, Delta Squad!" "Cut south and flank the signal point." "Nicky, find a good spot for Milque to set up his sniper rifle." "Scanning the area." " Hill looks good." " Hill looks good..." " Smart-ass." " I just said that." " Hill it is!" " Hill it is!" "Nicky... youre with me..." "Werre going up the middle for a closer look." "Yes, sir!" "Whatve you got for me?" "I dont know what it is, but Captain Toni wasnt kidding about the interference!" "Bounce your scan over to the doctors omni-tool." "On it." "Is this one of your relics, Treeya?" "I cant make it out very clearly in the image but the object is not native to this system, Im sure of that much." "Never seen anything like it before." "Didnt fall out of the sky, either." "That craterss too small for a re-entry impact." "But hey, look on the bright side- at least its not taking potshots at us." "Wherever it came from, its emitting a powerful wide-frequency burst:" "no question its whatss jamming our communications." "I think its done enough jamming for one day." "Boom time?" "No!" "You cant just destroy an artifact because you dontt understand it!" "Stop!" " Whoa, hold it there, Doc." "That last steps a doozy." "Graceful." "Sorry, Treeya, but this isnt an archaeology expedition." "Command sent us here with orders to take out a potential threat, not study history." "One more step and she wouldve been history." "What was that, Milque?" "Nothing!" "Its nothing..." "The Makos the other way." "Where are you going?" "I can still figure out where it came from." "Ive never seen anyplace like this." "Brutes like you could never hope to appreciate it." "Just dont touch anything." "Wow..." "Still running after, what..." "five thousand years or something?" "Five?" "Thats nothing." "More like seventy thousand, at the very least." "Seventy thousand?" "!" " That shouldnt surprise you." "After all, the Protheans are long gone, but the mass relays they built are still the cornerstone of intergalactic travel." "True enough, but flying into a relay is a pretty simple task..." "What youre doing... is actively interacting with this device!" "Just think of it..." "Civilization as we know it depends entirely on the mass effect fields created by the exposure of Element zero to electrical current." "Transportation..." "Communication..." "Even those weapons of which youre so fond." "It is handy, Ill give ya that..." "So what went wrong?" "If these Protheans were so powerful, what happened to them?" "Fifty thousand years ago, they simply vanished..." "For better or worse, Lieutenant..." "that questions become my lifess work..." "My mentor Liara TSoniss made great strides towards solving it-maybe she can help." "Dr. Nuwani." "Its good to see you." "You as well, Dr. TSoni." "I found an unknown object in the ruins on Fehl Prime and wanted to get your input." "Is it my imagination, or do they all look alike?" "Hmm..." "Well, its not Prothean, I can tell you that..." "In fact, it doesnt match anything Ivve ever seen." "Based on the cursory inspection Ive given it so far, these are some very advanced bio-mechanics." "This could be Reaper tech." "Theyre an ancient race of sentient starships whove marked all other intelligent life for destruction..." "Hence their attack on the Citadel." "Uh, hold up-that ship went for the Alliances jugular because it wanted to?" "Dont tell me you believe that!" "With all due respect, Dr. TSoni, that ship was nothing more than a dreadnaught piloted by a rogue Spectre agent." "I saw it, Treeya." "I heard it speak." "Whats more, I am sure that the Reapers are responsible for the Prothean disappearance fifty thousand years ago." "And now after the information" "Dr. TSoni?" "Nicky." "Find that signal." "So talking starships ate your space mechanics..." "You buy any of that?" "I wouldnt wait on that signal..." "Itss long gone." "I respect Dr. TSoni and her contributions to the field, but the fact remains that none of the major civilizations have any record of the Reapers existence." "The truth is, shes become obsessed with them- to the detriment of her career and her professional reputation." "She has been regarded as little more than a... conspiracy theorist ever since she ran off with your Commander Shepard." "Hold on!" "You mean she actually knew Shepard personally?" "!" "Hey!" "Careful!" "Finally, they got something to talk about..." "Way to go." "Delta Squadron!" "Come in, over!" "Say again?" "Its no good." "Werre getting that interference again." "Except..." "Except what?" "Back to the colony!" "Now!" "Move it, people!" "Go!" "Everyone, get to the vault!" "Im sorry, I have my orders!" "I cant let you in without proper authorization!" "So youre just gonna let us die out here?" "Well, I say... screw that!" "There..." "I got multiple targets." "Whoa-what the heck are those things?" "Looks like theyre all carrying weapons..." "Great, so I guess we can rule out a social visit..." "I dont see any of the colonists..." "Oh, shit..." "Get down!" "You ever seen these things before?" "No, never..." "Though that ship appears to be based on the same technology as the object we found." "Alright-then until we know whats going on here, we assume theyre hostile." "We go in stealth for recon, through the sinkhole, below their sight lines." "Clear?" "vega, maybe someone should stay back on lookout?" "Someones gotta watch the Mako." "Right-more like someones gotta grow a pair." "Just sayin." "Come on." "Watch your step." "Wheres vega and Treeya?" "Still over there." "Great, so they can fly..." "Suddenly, Im missin the Blood Pack..." "Come on." "Man, theres swarms of eem up there..." "So where do you think all the colonists went?" "Stay here!" "Hey..." "Can you hear me?" "Hes got a pulse..." "Itss like hesss been paralyzed..." "What the hell...?" "Theres no visible signs of battle..." "Lets go!" "Hold up." "Okay, were close, but werre about to lose our overhead cover." "Well be easy to spot if we move as a group." "All of you stay here while I check it out." "Im coming with you!" "Wait!" "Treeya!" "vega..." "Cállate." "I told you to stay." "Fine." "Mommy!" "Help!" "April!" "Weve gotta keep running, baby!" "Mommy!" "No..." "Christine...?" "Damn it!" "April?" "No..." "No, no, no, no, no, no!" "You gotta hang on for me there, soldier..." "Ill find a way to save you..." "Yo prometo..." "Are they...?" "No..." "Just paralyzed, like the others." "Theyre coming..." "This way!" "What are they doing?" "We go out there now, we just get ourselves killed." "Therell be a chance to help them..." "But we have got to be smart." "Lets get back to the squad..." "We saw em carrying people off in those pod things." "Question is, what for?" "Gotta be for some kinda experiments or somethin, ya think?" "Yeah, or maybe for food." "Or maybe not." "I dont give a damn what their reasons are." "AII I care about now is getting everyone back safely." "Lets save the "whyss" for later and start coming up with a plan of attack." "For starters, how bout we get ahold of some bigger guns?" "Yo, Nicky." "Yes, sir." "Check our stores: see what weve got that can take on that ship." "Well, not to interrupt, but..." "is that big cannon just for show?" "Right." "Heres the plan." "We make our way to the top of the security tower to activate the turret." "But well need a diversion while itss powering up." "Flyboy, you light up the fuel stores to draw em away from us, then you run like hell." "Got it?" "Shit, Im gonna quit for real this time." "The rest of us will move up along the maintenance scaffolds." "Milque, Im counting on you to watch our backs." "Mm-hmm..." "Just once, I wish someone would watch my back for a change..." "I cant even count all these damn things!" "Essex, Kamille-you two stand here and stay guard." "Alright, lets move!" "Lead the way, chief." "Hey." "What do ya know?" "Were finally alone." "Dont you ever quit?" "Now, we can get this thing online, right?" "Absolutely." "Thats the easy part." "Problems gonna be waiting for the cannon to fully charge." "Its probably a good idea to stay away from the windows right now." "Whats happening to our people, Lieutenant?" "Hold on..." "We can track their omnis to see where theyve been taken." "Okay, here it is." "Looks likes the hostiles have em split into two groups..." "So theyre being stowed for transport?" "But why?" "Cannon fifty percent charged." "Ahh...!" "This is taking way too long." "Any way to speed things up?" "Im doing what I can, sir." "Yeah, well, its not enough." "The bugs are gonna start heading back this way any second." "Can we activate the turret with the charge weve got?" "Well, theoretically, but theres no way of knowing whether or not itlll do any damage." "Wouldnt decreased destructive power be ideal in this situation?" "We want to minimize the risk to the colonists on board, yes?" "Good point." "Well fire with whatss built up." "Looks like theyve got it ready." "Sure took em long enough." "Alright." "The turrets in position." "Awaiting your order." "Fire!" "Our shots been deflected!" "Son of a...!" "Damn it!" "Enemy drones en route, sir!" "Go!" "All of you!" "Nicky, stay with Messner!" "Yes, sir!" "Treeya..." "Hey, snap out of it!" "Lets go!" "Treeya!" "Dios mio..." "Shit, thats not good..." "Aah!" " Mason!" " Yeah, you can thank me later." "Now how bout we get the hell outta here?" "Hang on to me!" "We made it..." "Not yet." "Come on..." "Jump!" "vega!" "vega!" "Treeya!" "Over here!" "Almost there!" "You got it!" "You better get her inside." "Im out!" "Guns are no good against these swarms anyway!" "Get below with the others!" "Gah!" "Kamille!" "Whats the hold-up, Nicky?" "!" "Get the door closed!" "Almost there!" "Hurry!" "Son of a bitch-they just keep coming!" "Comin through!" "Ill be damned..." "I think that oughta buy us some time..." "How we doin on the door, Nicky?" "All over it, sir..." "Im sealing it up now." "Everybody, inside!" "Where the hells Kammy?" "Im sorry, man." "They got her." "What?" "!" "How?" "!" "I thought you were supposed to have her back!" "Oh, shit!" "Whats going on?" "Little ones, crawling through the gaps!" "Theyre inside!" "Just go, Mason!" "Move it!" "Guns dont work on these little bastards!" "Ill have to use my biotics to hold eem back!" "Doors closing, people!" "Stand clear of the hatch!" "Come on, you two, stop screwing around!" "Essex, you dumbass!" "Get in here!" "Youre stepping all over my big moment!" "Cmon, man..." "Just trying to look cool before I die..." "Alliance Command, this is FehI Prime..." "The colony is under attack..." "Repeat, the colony is under attack..." "Alliance Command, do you co" "Hows Essex?" "He got stung, but, hes alive..." "Its only a matter of time before they figure out where we are." "Im with the doc." "Werre sittin ducks in this place." "Here..." "I say we get to the shuttle and break for orbit." "Now youre talking." "We can send out a distress call to Alliance once were clear of the jamming signal." "Uh, sir." "Are you seeing what Im seeing?" "Son of a bitch..." "Youre kidding me, right?" "You should have waited, Lieutenant." ""Should have waited"?" "For what?" "The cannon was only at half power when he fired on their ship." "That true?" "Our only shot, and you blew it?" "It was my fault." "I made the call..." "I was just trying to minimize any collateral damage." ""collateral damage"?" "!" "What the hell you call all this, man?" "!" "We lost Kamille out there!" "I know!" "But I havent given up on Kamille yet-or any of our people!" "We fight smart, we fight together, and we will get them back!" "Whos with me?" "!" "I am, sir..." "Were Marines, itss what we do." "Now, if Essex is still alive out there, then Im goin out to get him." "Ill help." "Hows he holding up, Nicky?" "Theres been no trauma to his circulatory or respiratory systems..." "And no sign of neurological impairment." "He just cant move." "Well get you back on your feet, Essex." "You just hang in there." "Not like hes got a choice..." "Entire colonies vanishing overnight..." "I thought it was just a silly rumor... but now..." "The Alliance must not have known what sort of foe they were up against..." "I mean, they certainly didnt prepare any of us for this contingency." "They lacked the proper intel..." "It looks as though they did know about the bugs and their paralytic sting, but Im not seeing anything on file about those humanoid raiders or their ship." "Wait..." "Theres a note at the bottom of this report..." "Something about work having been done on a potential antidote...?" "Good catch..." "Keep poking around..." "If they perfected a cure, I want to track it down and stick Essex with it ASAP." " vega!" " Whatd you find?" "A file on our new friend." "Hes one of the reasons securityss been beefed up around here." "According to the Alliance, Messners been spying on us and reporting back to his employer..." "AKA Cerberus." " What?" "!" " Well, this is awkward." "Wait, what is Cerberus?" "A bunch of damn human supremacists!" "Says you..." "Pendejo!" "Temper, temper...!" "They think humans should be top dog in the galaxy, and do whatever it takes to make that happen, no matter who gets caught in the crossfire!" "You get that from a leaflet, vega...?" "Hey, I know our bosses dont see eye-to-eye, but werre on the same team for a change." "Cerberus was trying to cook up an antidote, too..." "They wanted me to figure out the abductions..." "Think of all the people we can save with this info!" "We still dont know who these bastards are." "Cerberus knows..." "Knowing stuff is kind of our thing." "Weve taken to calling eem..." "Collectors." "Bullshit." "Hey, were a group with a profound distrust of alien species." "We keep tabs on all of em, even the mythical ones..." "In stories, they show up, "collect" some unwitting species, and take it back home, beyond some distant mass relay." "Yeah?" "What for?" "Your guess is as good as mine..." "They dont leave a forwarding address, and its a one-way trip for whatever they grab..." "Thats everything Cerberus knows about eem, honest." "I very much doubt that." "Hey... come on..." "I cant help but wonder if these "Collectors" had anything to do with the mass disappearance of the Protheans." "What was that?" "!" "I didnt do it." "Its coming from downstairs!" "I remember you..." "The Alliance marines who bested the Blood Pack, and their battlemaster, vega." "Thought they shipped you off to the citadel months ago to stand trial." "They didnt have the quad." "So they kept me here as a test subject." "Figured it was safer than transporting me." "I know the score, human." "Youre outnumbered and outgunned, but I can get you off this rock." "All you have to do is open the cage." "Keep on dreaming, ugly." "Youre still a Blood Pack mercenary." "I think welll take our chances with the bugs." "Mmm... vega?" "Are you alright?" "Christine and April..." "They counted on me to protect them." "Do you think I made the wrong decision back there, Treeya?" "I think you did what any good leader would do..." "There was no "right" choice, so you made what you thought was the "best" choice." "If I were Commander Shepard, I would have found a way to save all those people." "Well, youre not Shepard: yourre James vega." "You know, its funny-AdmiraI Hackett gave me some similar advice once..." "I know how hard you try to protect everyone..." "Sometimes, circumstances make that impossible..." "You cant blame yourself, James." "vega!" "Doc!" "I think I found something youre gonna want to see...!" "Ive been looking through these science files like you told me to, and I tracked down the latest version of the antidote." "It tested at a success rate of 69%.." "How many humans have they tried this stuff out on, Nicky?" "Essex would be the first." "Guess we dont have much of a choice..." "This is the one, vega." "How do we know it wont kill him?" "We dont..." "But Essex is a stubborn bastard." "Do it, Treeya." "Administering antidote." "Metabolic-stasis..." "English, Nicky." "Its not working." "That krogan doesnt know when to give up." "vega..." "We got company..." "Its for you." "So what is it?" "Nothing friendly, thats for sure." "Here they come." "Kamille...?" "That you?" "Kammy?" "!" "Wait!" "Mason!" "Mason!" "Shit!" "What the hell is that thing?" "!" "Fall back!" "Nicky, find us a way outta here!" "That armors too damn thick!" "All clear...!" "This way!" "Treeya...!" "What about him...?" "No time!" "Im locking down the security doors behind us." "It should buy us a minute!" "Nice work, Nicky!" "Hey, hold up!" "Whats wrong, sir...?" "The exit is this way!" "Were taking a quick detour..." "Follow me!" "You said you can get us off this planet." "You ready to make good?" "I had a ship hidden nearby:" "as far as I know, its still there." "Hes lying!" "We cantt trust him..." "We have to trust him, Treeya..." "Weve got nothing to lose: if he cantt help us, everyone dies, him too." "Heh." "You spared my life two years ago, vega." "I repay my debts." "Now..." "lets hurry." "All clear!" "This way!" "Get in." "Now... where to?" "Anywhere..." "Just get us outta here!" "Whats going on?" "Hard to say..." "Friends of yours?" "Keep it off us!" "Hit it with everything youve got!" "Ahh!" "Any better ideas, chief?" "!" "Dont stop!" "Keep firing!" "How many arms does this thing got?" "!" "vega!" "Augh!" "Nicky!" "Ha, ha, ha!" "What the hell...?" "Hey, its Essex!" "Outta the way!" "Chew on this!" "Heads up, vega...!" "Im comin!" "Gotcha!" "Nicky!" "How bad is it?" "That depends, sir..." "Does... anyone else see Essex?" "Its really me, kid..." "Still in the flesh, thanks to you..." "Your antidote worked." "We did it, Doc." "You did real good, Nicky..." "Now, you hold on, Marine." "Im... with you, sir..." "Wevve still gotta... save our people..." "No..." "Thats a damn shame..." "So... what do we do now?" "Well be lucky to get off the ground in this bucket..." "Oh, shell get off the ground-I guarantee that!" "I just wontt promise how far shell go..." "Then how bout the old ruins:" "can we make it at least that far?" "Its gotta be better than here." "Whats the difference?" "Theylll shoot us down the second werrre airborne." "Any way you slice it, our odds are long." "Collectors dont make a habit of leaving witnesses." "Do you have any weapons?" "Hmph!" "What kind of a question is that?" "Youre speaking to a krogan." "We live for weapons." "Our only real option now is to complete our initial objective..." "We have to disable the Collector ships engines..." "But well have to do it from the inside." "What?" "Thats suicide!" "The creepy eye thingll open up before we get close!" "Wed be... well... evaporated." "Thats just about the gist of it." "Hell, even factoring out the eye, wed never break through their shields." "Why not fly directly into the eye?" "Take the fight to them and punch through where they least expect it." "What...?" "Its an idea." "As crazy as that sounds..." "I think you might actually be on to something there." "Way I see it, we can take a chance..." "or we can choke to death in this pit..." "Good marines laid down their lives for the people trapped up there, and Ill be damned if Imm gonna let their sacrifice be for nothing!" "If I go out, Im going out fighting for their memory..." "Anybody here feels the same way, youre welcome to join me." "Essex, you in?" "Hm." "Well, I suppose the fumes these tanks are spewing out would give us some cover..." "This swill tastes of varren dung!" "My ships cannon is still operational..." "If we get close enough, we can blast our way inside." "Then its just a matter of reaching the others..." "And once we administer the antidote, maybe then they can join the fight." "Give me that damn thing..." "But Im still calling this a suicide mission." "Ill need more than a drink to change my mind." "Look, Milque..." "Youve been right about everything so far..." "But you gotta be wrong sometime, and Id say yourre about due." "Whoa, man..." "Thats harsh driving!" "Were in, arentt we?" "You say that like its a good thing." "Look at all of em..." "I guess were the only ones who made it outta the colony..." "Lucky, huh?" "Yeah, tell that to Kamille and Nicky." "What do they want with all these humans, anyway?" "Ah, I hate bugs on my windshield." "We gotta stop this ship:" "head for the drive core!" "Lets try a short cut." "Wait-do you even know where youre going?" "!" "No, I just want to smash a few more walls!" "Hang on!" "Here!" "This is it!" "Essex, Milque-port side!" "Lets go!" "Yeah...!" "Come on!" "Who wants some?" "!" "Here...!" "You like that?" "!" "Paybacks a bitch, huh?" "!" "Behind us!" "vega!" "Thanks..." "Watch it!" "Nice shooting..." "I think youre a natural." "Thanks." "Brood!" "Take out that drive core!" " On it." " Sorry, I cant let you do that." "Buh-bye..." "Dammit...!" "Woo!" "Rise and shine, Doc!" "This is the moment you dont want to miss!" "From the sound of things, your colonys just been reduced to a pile of ashes." "You made quite a mess down there, and Collectors arent too big on evidence." "But hey, you fought the good fight-right, Doc?" "These guys usually dont face much resistance." "Dontt beat yourself up." "Youve been working for them..." "How could you do this?" "Ive saved more than Ivve sacrificed, Doctor." "If you werent so hung up on petty details, youdd realize that." "How dare you...?" "!" "Those are innocent lives you destroyed, Messner!" "They were your own people!" "Look, everything Ive done has been in pursuit of Cerberus goals..." "After we figured out the Collectors were the ones making off with the colonists," "I got in touch, I lured them out with a colony that would be easy pickings, and voila." "That artifact among the ruins..." "The one that jammed our long-range communications..." "You put that there!" "You were summoning them!" "But to what end?" "What was Cerberus thinking?" "!" "Frankly, that we might learn something-and we have." "Guilt-trip me all you want, Ive gathered data on their ships and weapons, ascertained their strengths and weaknesses- hell, I even know about their home base, out beyond Omega Four relay..." "Just think of all the knowledge!" "Dont tell me that doesntt excite you!" "All it does is sicken me!" "None of that is worth the cost!" "Gotta wonder, though..." "Why are they juicing us...?" "Theyre not using that DNA slurry for food, I can tell you that much." "Tell you what..." "Im gonna let you put that brain of yours to use, Doc." "Ive got a puzzle that needs solving, and yourre just the asari for the job..." "Figure it out fast enough, and you might be able to save some colonists, hm?" "And after I do..." "What then?" "You paralyze me and pack me away?" "Hey, Im just giving you a chance to do something important with your life!" "And as youre about to find out..." "Imm not asking." "No!" "Let go of me!" "You wont get away with this!" "vega!" "vega!" "Oye!" "Feo!" "Sweet dreams, asshole." "Brood...?" "Brood!" "vega...?" "Im here." "Here..." "Take my power cell." "Youll need it..." "And what about you, big man?" "Im finished." "But maybe you can still use it to fight your way out." "You freed me from that cage, vega, and gave me the chance to die with honor in battle, the way a krogan should..." "For that..." "I owe you a debt I can never repay... vaya con Dios, hermano." "So-no biotics... no guns..." "AII Ive got is my knife and a couple of grenades." "Same here." "Were pretty much dead in the water, huh?" "Not quite." "Brood gave me a power cell for you, Essex..." "Better yet..." "Weve still got the antidote, too." "Wait-but we never took it." "So why didnt we stay paralyzed like the others?" "Cmon, man..." "Why you think our last drink tasted like shit?" "You mean you just spiked it without telling us?" "!" "Seemed like a pretty smart move at the time." "Great..." "So whats our move now?" "Free the colonists... and get the hell out." "Hm." "You, uh... really think its going to be that easy?" "No, no, but I think we can get the Collectors processing system to do most of the work." "And how we gonna do that?" "!" "They run the pods through here on this conveyor line, right?" "So what do you wanna bets on the other end?" "The holding area we saw when we flew in...!" "Right." "So Ill rig the antidote to disperse and send the pod back down the line." "You guys get started on the people in here." "Smells even worse than it tastes!" "Here we go..." "Pods away." "Cross your fingers." "Hey, vega..." "So once we wake everyone up..." "Were already off planet..." "How do we get off this ship?" "April..." "Earth to vega-you listening, man?" "!" "I hear you, Milque." "Give me a sec..." "I just found April." "Tch..." "Hey, soldier, youre gonna be alright." "Just one more thing I need to do and then Ill be back." "Alright!" "Milque!" "Essex!" "Time to move-lets go!" "We need to get our hands on Messner." "This is Prothean technology, right?" "Some kind of telepathic data repository?" "I dont know what itss doing on a Collector ship, but I want to find out." "I wouldnt have dragged you down here except that, well, you see, it doesnt seem to interact with human minds all that well..." "I threw some "volunteers" at it, just to be safe, and it fried their cerebral cortices." "But Doc, youre a whole different breed of guinea pig..." "Yeah..." "Youll do it willingly." "Cause maybe itlll tell you what happened to your Protheans, and maybe that information helps you save some lives." "Cmon." "You know you wanna." "You will submit." "You will ascend." "And you will serve." "Whatd you see?" "!" "Liara TSoni..." "She was right all along about the fate of the Protheans." "Fifty thousand years ago, the Reapers wiped them out." "Why do the Collectors have this thing?" "They are the Protheans..." "remade by the Reapers to serve them." "I need to know why Collectors are taking human colonies!" "Ask it yourself!" "Once I get this last piece of the puzzle, Ill know all their secrets!" "I will own them!" " Do it again!" "And this time, tell me everything!" " No!" "Theyre building Reapers... out of our DNA." "Let me get this straight." "We swoop in, kick Messners ass, grab Treeya, and bolt-thats the plan?" "And one more thing: the intel Messner has on the Collectors will help Alliance Command protect hundreds of colonies- thousands, maybe millions of lives." "We bring it back, whatever it takes." "Takin a page from Shepardss book, huh?" "Save the girl, save the galaxy, go home heroes." "That about right?" "Maybe..." "But right now, Ill settle for just getting us all home." "Ive done what you asked, now let me go, this instant" "Ah, shut up." "Hah!" "It recorded!" "Yes!" "Now I have everything I need!" "Take your hands off me!" "Im on your side!" "Why arent they attacking?" "Itss like theyrrre not even looking for us." "Far as they know, were already juiced." "Probably never had anyone escape before." "Thatll change in a hurry once the all colonists start waking up." "We need to get em outta here." "Yeah, and I think we might just be in luck." "Say, Milque." "Youre up." "I am?" "!" "For what?" "!" "Remind me..." "You started in the pilots program, right?" "Think I remember hearing that once." "Yeahhh...?" "And I got kicked out, cause I couldntt fly for shit." "Whatre y-oh, fuck that!" "Guess youre just gonna have to learn in a hurry, arentt ya?" "Hop on." "Weve still got a fix on Treeyass omni-tooI." "Thats where me and Essex are headed." "You get this bucket in the air and come pick us up." "Got it?" "Okay, but dont complain if Imm late!" "Just be there." "Sure, guys... but if I actually pull this off, this time, free drinks for life are not even gonna cover it..." "Your usefulness has decreased to zero, human." "You have allowed Alliance soldiers to threaten our mandate." "Hey, without me, those soldiers wouldve taken out your drive core." "How bout a little appreciation?" "Negative." "It is time for your ascension." "What...?" "No way!" "Dont even try it!" "Anything happens to me, this data goes to the Alliance!" "I mean it!" "Ill give eem all your secrets!" "Your threats are meaningless, human." "You really want to take that chance, do you?" "You think you had trouble with a few Marines?" "Whatre you gonna do when you find the entire fleet parked outside the Omega 4 relay?" "Huh?" "!" "Would that "threaten your mandate"?" "!" "Now, now, what you say we just be reasonable here..." "Incompetence cannot be tolerated." "In addition to soldiers, you have allowed this asari aboard our ship." "She will taint our human material." "Dont like the blue chick?" "Fine!" "llll throw eeer out for ya!" "Dont touch me, Messner..." "No!" "Let me out!" "You bitch!" "Give me that!" "Treeya!" "Eject the asari!" "Treeya!" "No!" "Go on, man: never keep a lady waiting." "Ill take care of these bugs." "Thanks, Essex." "You watch yourself, Marine." "Hoo-rah!" "Hngaah!" "See ya!" "Youre next, ugly!" "vega!" "Hang on!" "Nooo!" "So you took the antidote when I wasnt lookin... eh?" "I guess you think youre pretty clever, donttcha... you stupid grunt?" "!" "Hows that workin out for ya...?" "!" "Adios..." "Were not done." "Youvve still got something I need." "Try not to die before I get back." "Come in!" "Treeya!" "Treeya, do you copy?" "!" "Yes, vega." "I can hear you." "Any idea where you are?" "!" "Ive started to descend..." "into the atmosphere..." "But so has the ship- you dont have much time!" "Im coming, Treeya!" "Heads up, asshole!" "Still with me, Essex?" "!" "Aw, hell yeah!" "As long as they keep on comin, I'll just keep knockin eeeem down!" "Essex!" "Collect this... you bitch!" "Essex!" "Dammit..." "Cmere!" "Wheres the data?" "!" "Its about damn time, Milque!" "Hey!" "Better late than never!" "Mommy!" "We can move again!" "Thats right, honey." "Now, I need you to be a brave girl for me." "Werre gonna be okay." "Yeah!" "Lieutenant James is gonna save us." "He promised..." "But where is he?" "Hes here... right?" "Dont worry, he hasntt forgotten." "vegallll be back soon, I guarantee it." "Yeah, I know that!" "But he needs me, Im spposed to be his lookout!" "April!" "Brave kid you got there." "Come on!" "The data!" "Where the hell is it?" "!" "Listen..." "I can pay you as much as you want: just name your price..." "Please, vega..." "Help me." "You just cant leave me here like th" "You made your choice." "vega!" "We got more drones inbound!" "Time to go!" "Now!" "Not yet!" "I havent found Messnerss data cuff!" "He doesnt have it!" "What?" "Treeya-you have it?" "Yes." "Shes lying!" "Just... take me with you!" "Its yours!" "Anything!" "I dontt wanna die!" "Not like this!" "No!" "Nooo-!" "Were coming, Treeya!" "The Reapers were responsible for the Prothean disappearance." "You have to warn the council." "We will: that intels going straight to the Alliance!" "Well pick up the colonists first, then werre coming after you!" "Milque!" "Track her position- dont lose her!" "And punch it!" "Roger that." "Theres no time, vega." "Youlll have to make a choice..." "And the loss of one is better than the alternative..." "One life... in exchange for the lives of so many others..." "I know youd try to save everyone if you could." "But circumstances have made that impossible, Im afraid." "Itss not your fault." "I know you well enough to know youll make the best choice... and I understand." "No!" "vega!" "Come in vega!" "Do you read?" "Were taking fire here, vega!" "We need to evacuate, now!" "Captain." "Lieutenant vega here." "I copy." "Im gonna try to reach you, sir, but..." " April!" " Hey, is that James?" "!" "Lieutenant James, can you hear me?" "Its Private April!" "Were still here!" "Mommy and me are waiting for you!" "vega, what do we do, man?" "!" "Its okay, vega..." "You can do what needs to be done." "I know you can." "Weve analyzed your report, vega." "Now, is there anything else you wish to add to the official record before we make our final determinations?" "No, sir." "Its all there." "We understand that you found yourself facing a very difficult decision, Lieutenant... and you chose to rescue a single civilian carrying intel on these "Collectors,"" "at the cost of hundreds of colonist lives." "We dont envy you that position, son." "This intel will not only help us stop the Collectors in the short term... but in the long term... it will aid humanity with ship and weapons technology." "You also proved the effectiveness of an antidote that will protect our people against the Collector swarms." "In short, youre a hero." "And for exemplary service to the Alliance, youre being commended." "Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander vega." "Congrats!" "Your new orders, son." "Perhaps youll follow in Shepardss footsteps after all." "You might even work together." "Sir...?" "Turns out the reports of Shepards death were... well, letss just say "premature. "" "So, whatd they give you?" "Thank you!" "Letss see it." "Oh, hot damn!" "They want you to put in for the N7 program!" "Youll be with the best of the best!" "Right up there with Commander Shepard... just sayin... yknow..." "Uh..." "Look, I dont know if this means anything to you..." "But I think youre a hell of a leader, and Id still follow you into battle anytime, anywhere, sir." "Thanks, but I dont deserve that." "Its a chance to start over, isntt it?" "To move forward..." "To live the heros life youvve always wanted..." "I dont know what I want anymore, Treeya... but I know Imm no hero." "Whoa, this looks even worse than I imagined it would..." "Thats Aprilss..." "Youre gonna protect us if the bad guys come back!" "Is it true?" "Are you gonna?" "How could we let this...?" "Hey!" "Watch it!" "Whats wrong with you?" "!" "Im sorry..." "Imm sorry...!" "For exemplary service to the Alliance, youre being commended..." "Yourre a hero..." " In the long term... it will aid humanity with ship and weapons technology proved the effectiveness of an antidote youre a hell of a leader... the best of the best!" "I know youd try to save everyone if you could..." "He promised!" "Close your eyes, baby!" " Mommy!" " I know youll make the best choice." "Theyre not comin!" "Were still here!" "We need to evacuate, now!" "vega, what do we do, man?" "!" "Whats happening?" "Wheress James?" "Theyre not comin for us... are they?" "vega, its now or never, son." "Look out!" "Mommy?" "Hush..." "Its okay, baby..." "Itss okay..." "Just close your eyes, honey..." "were going home..." "James said hed come back..." "He said hedd save us, Mommy." "He promised!" "God have mercy..." "What did you do, man?" "!" "Nooo!" "I did this!" "I made the choice!" "I abandoned them to die!" "I didnt know how to save you!" "I'm sorry!" "I would've given my life if I could!" "There just wasnt enough time..." "This is Alliance Marine..." "Private April!" "Reporting for duty, sir!" "Hoo-rah!" "Its too big for me!" "Here." "vega..." "Why..." "Why did you... choose me...?" "Because... at the time, I thought I was making the best decision..." "Now..." "I just dont know." "But Im glad yourre here." "Maybe its too late to change things." "Maybe I cantt bring eeem back." "But what I can do is spend the rest of my life trying to make it count." "For their sake." "Goodbye, Private April..." "Well never forget you." "Well never forget any of you." "Coming in hot." "Prep for drop." "For Kamille..." "Mason..." "For Nicky..." "Essex..." "Captain Toni..." "And for April..." "Today..." "Im gonna make all of you proud." "Go!" "This is what we do, Marines!" "Go, go, go, go, go!"