Mass Effect Betrayal Act 1- Shepards Revenge

Chapter 34

"Stop the Republic shuttle now!" Shepard commands. As she strides into the courtyard, she spots Sara going up the shuttle ramp. Shepard draws her pistol, aims at Sara, fires, and misses. Sara turns, her gaze meeting Shepards. Simultaneously, the base erupts into a state of high alert. Sara merely stares at the famed Commander Shepard, taken aback by her presence. The base's personnel, primarily Shepard loyalists rather than to Republic or Coalition, scramble to intercept the Republic shuttle and the Shadow.

"And where might you be going with the data?" Shepard interrogates. Sara returns Shepard's challenging stare.

"I'm simply doing my job, commander," Sara retorts. Three N7 shadows and four soldiers loyal to the Chairman emerge, rifles at the ready.

"Did you really think I came here for you? I warned you, Shepard. I will bring you down. I won't fight your battles. I'm not coming for you just yet!" In the midst of her statement, Sara lifts her hand to her earpiece and begins to speak.

"Did she ever tell you how this war started, Valkarian? How she staged a operation on that Quaran station? How she let Phoenix to shoot her just to toss blame on the Alliance? She is willing to set the galaxy aflame merely to watch the Alliance crumble," Sara reveals. Her words echo through the ears of Shepard's soldiers, planting the seeds of suspicion for the first time about their commander. Shepard is then confronted with a question from her closest friend, a question she never  thought she would hear from him.

"Is it true...?" Garrus inquires, his voice laden with tension. Shepard takes a moment to digest his words. She reholsters her pistol and studies her troops. Like Garrus, they are waiting for her to answer.

"Yes... it's true..." Shepard admits, causing a ripple of shock to pass through the group.

"I served based on what I thought was right. I was clueless about the orbital station's attack until much later. But yes... I let Phoenix shoot me. I was fully aware that the Alliance would assume the blame, and they did... I do wish for the galaxy to be consumed in flame... But I also hope to rebuild it into something truly great... The galaxy needs to become a phoenix and be reborn from the ashes... What does the Republic want  with the reaper data, Shadow?" Shepard divulges to both Garrus and the base. She is uncertain of how her troops will react, but she knows she must answer them. Sara merely stares at Shepard, taken aback by the commander's willingness to confess to her own war crimes.

"Classified, Shepard. But somehow, I can tell that you already know, Commander..." Sara responds, hinting at Shepard's understanding of the situation. Suddenly, one of the Chairman's soldiers opens fire at Shepard, narrowly missing their target. Chaos erupts on the landing pad as it becomes a battlefield. Garrus swiftly retaliates, firing his Widow sniper rifle at the Republic soldiers and the remaining N7 operatives who are fighting against Shepard's loyal soldiers.

Shepard instinctively moves back as the shuttle begins to lift off. The Chairman's forces retreat, allowing Shepard to enter the building. Inside, the soldiers who were not engaged in the fight look at her in disbelief. Then, Shepard feels a reassuring hand on her shoulder and turns to find Garrus standing beside her. The fighting has come to an end. They both make their way back to the Command Information Center (CIC), where Shepard contacts Director Harper to relay the events that transpired.
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After a short wait, Shepard finally connected with Director Harper of Phoenix. The holographic image of the Quarian leader appeared, and Shepard proceeded to share the details of what had just unfolded. If Director Harper showed any emotion, she hid it well. Then she dropped a bombshell.

"We finally know what the Republic stole. It was the location of Harbinger, but Chairman Vakarian just needed it to find out where a third Reaper is hiding. Most Reapers were wiped out or left in ruins after the war. Only three intact Reapers are left: Harbinger, the one you found on Faros, and this mysterious third one. It disappeared under unknown circumstances, or maybe it somehow managed to survive and slip away..." Director Harper disclosed to Shepard, with Garrus standing behind her alongside their most loyal personnel in the CIC.