Mass Effect: Another Time, Another Place

Chapter 38: Citadel Showdown: One Last Fight

It didn't like that... It then growled and pounced at me. I ducked, but grabbed it's exposed metallic ribcage as it passed and threw it over me as hard as I could, slamming it into the wall hard enough to leave a sizable dent. It recovered quickly but was clearly damaged. It managed to swipe my feet out from under me and pinned me to the ground, using some kind of EMP ability to lock my armour. Tali then blasted it with her shotgun, taking a chunk of it's ribcage off. It howled and was about to go for her, but Liara Lifted it and then Threw it at the wall, making another dent. As it was down, Shepard stood on it's arms and opened fire. It took some bullets before raising it's legs wrapping them around Shepard in a... Weird display of dexterity, and threw him off...

I looked up as I began to get up, seeing the fleet struggling with Sovereign... "Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!" exclaimed one Admiral.

Luckily Hackett countered that. "Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter the cost!" he ordered the fleet...

Spider-Saren had recovered and regenerated it's shields... Tali quickly overrode and took them back down. Liara used Stasis and he froze in place temporarily. "Hurry!" she exclaimed struggling to hold him. Shepard used the distraction and leapt on it's back and shoved his pistol into the back of it's head, firing into it. Liara couldn't hold it any longer. Saren flipped backwards, and Shepard fell to the ground hard. It landed next to Tali and backhanded her hard, sending her a few feet away. It turned and rushed Liara, pushing her into the wall as she managed to get another Biotic kick in, dazing it when I finally was able to get back up.

Uh oh. It sprinted and lunged for me, this time going low. Before I could move, it managed to pin me and roared at my face as I held its arms at bay with my own... I gave it the Liverpool kiss, a headbutt, and it shook it's head... I then grabbed it's upper arm and yanked, dislocating it. Thinking quickly, I grabbed my knife from its holster and shoved it through the things' upper jaw. It did a backflip, attempting a retreat, but Tali hit it with her shotgun, taking its arm off. Shepard then sprayed it's other arm with his rifle, shredding it. Liara yelled out, picking it up and smashing it onto the rock in the middle of the garden, harder than I'd ever seen.

We must have severed something important as it then turned bright red and disintegrated into nothing... Just ashes... I took a heavy breath. "I think... This time... It's dead." I nodded surely as I picked up my knife from the black dust that was left... I felt my nose trickling blood and I think I had a mild concussion... I leapt up onto the podium walkway that acted as a ramp back up to the Council Chambers. I helped the others and we stood there, turning to the window... Sovereign had fallen from the Tower. It was vulnerable.

Joker and Hackett realised this instantly. "It's shields are down! Now's our chance!" Joker exclaimed on the comm.

Hackett then confirmed the order. "Hit it with everything we've got." he stated.

Joker and the other fighter pilots moved above Sovereign to drop their ordinance on them... "Hard on my flank! We're going in!" Joker exclaimed and took a dive, firing at Sovereign and punching through it's middle with his attack as the others did the same...

I cheered at that. "Whoo! It's a goner!" I exclaimed happily... Then realised where the debris was headed...

We all froze for a second as one of Sovereign's tentacle things came flying toward us... "Go!" Exclaimed Shepard as we bolted, the debris crashing into the tower...

...

:Third person POV:

As Anderson and Corporal Jackson, a medic, trawled through Sovereign's wreckage in the Tower to find the Commanders and their squad, they were beginning to lose hope... Suddenly: "Captain Anderson! We've found them! They're over here!" he exclaimed, moving a pieces of debris aside.

The Captain quickly made his way over and crouched into the wreckage, finding Tali and Liara, safe and sound. He smiled at that. "Take it easy, girls... It's over. You're safe now." he nodded to them. "Where are the Commanders? Where are Wyatt and John?" he asked...

Both girls looked at each other, then to Anderson, shook their heads and then turned to the massive wreckage behind them... He cast his gaze up, seeing what they saw... He blinked, not quite believing it... Jackson picked Liara up and Anderson helped Tali to her feet.

Tali gazed back, tears stinging her eyes as she forced herself to turn away, beginning to limp out of the Tower... They heard clattering then, and all eyes turned back to the wreckage... Anderson saw something move and they all turned back as they noticed where he was looking. Liara and Tali turned to each other again, wide-eyed... John and Wyatt then suddenly appeared, standing atop a piece of Sovereign triumphantly.

Wyatt grabbed John's hand and raised it in the air, blood trickling from the side of his mouth with a few gashes on his face as he grinned. "The Courage!" He exclaimed, a kind of otherwordly echo to his voice. "FOXHOUND! AWOOOOOO!!!!!" he cheered and raised his head, howling into the air as loud as he could. Tali shook her head at him, tears of happiness pouring down her face as he and John helped each other down, limping over to them, smiles on their faces despite their painful looking wounds. She put her arm around him so they could support each other, with Liara and John doing the same. Wyatt turned his head then. "Tali... I love you. Will you... be my girlfriend?" he asked her suddenly, although he grimaced at the phrasing. Girlfriend sounded so... immature.

She smirked at that. "No." She stated and everyone was shocked... "I'm not looking for a 'boyfriend'... But a bondmate." she stated, no longer shy to ask him.

He turned to her, a smile on his face. "Me too." he admitted, leaning his head on hers as they all went to get medical attention...