//------------------------------// // Saren // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Chapter 38 Saren Encourage Shepard to go to Kaidan 58% “Joker, can you pick up Ashley?!” Shepard shouted into the comm at the pilot. “Negative Commander, there are more geth ships inbound. I can only make one pickup before they reach us and even that is going to be close!” Joker replied, and Shepard cursed again as that option was also taken off the table. “Commander, we need to make a decision, now!” Garrus urged as they were still standing in the same location. Fluttershy stepped forward, already feeling vile about what she was about to say. “Shepard, if we go back to Ashley we condemn the STG unit to death as well,” the pegasus said, not outright stating but heavily implying that they should go get Kaidan. Shepard spoke into his mic again as he made his decision. “Lieutenant, radio Joker to come pick you up at the AA tower. We’ll be there soon,” he ordered, definitely not happy with the decision. “Commander, I...” Kaidan started his rebuke but didn’t finish what he wanted to say, instead acknowledging the order. “Understood, Kaidan out.” “I’m sorry, Ashley. I had to make a choice,” Shepard said sadly as he was already moving further away from the bomb site in the direction of the AA tower where Kaidan was held up. “I understand, Commander. I don’t regret a thing. It was an honor serving with you,” Ashley replied in a final transmission to Shepard. A tear rolled down Fluttershy's cheek as she followed the group to Kaidan’s location, not daring to look back in guilt for her suggestion. They didn’t encounter any more resistance, only destroyed geth platforms, on the way to the elevator that led up to the AA tower, something that the assault team was most likely responsible for. The sound of gunfire immediately echoed within the elevator as the doors opened to its destination, but luckily for its passengers no geth were waiting for them at the top. Quickly getting out of the confined space, the group took cover behind the geth platforms and sandwiched them between themselves and the assault team. Taking away the ability to take cover proved to be devastating to the geth as they were ripped apart from two sides, but just as they took out the last geth a new enemy showed up. Fluttershy felt his arrival, the feathers on her wings standing up as they felt a biotic attack coming from somewhere. She tried flapping them to get out of its way but was hit regardless as the biotic blob of energy simply changed directions and flung her into a crate. The pegasus let out a scream as she felt her right wing dislocating from its socket, though that didn’t stop her from dragging herself into cover to avoid getting hit again. “I applaud you, Shepard. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. An impressive diversion,” the turian who had appeared said, his shield taking various hits from the soldiers that surrounded him. “Of course, it was all for nothing. I can’t let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can’t possibly understand what’s really at stake.” Fluttershy saw Garrus looking over at her as he was one cover over, she shot him a pained look while pointing at her right wing. It looked as if Garrus wanted to jump cover but Fluttershy held out a hoof motioning for him to stay put, though this sent another wave of pain through her body. I need to fix that wing, otherwise I’m just dead weight. “Then make me understand! Why the hell would you do something like this?!” Shepard shouted back at the turian. Fluttershy picked up on this and suddenly understood who had just attacked her. It’s him, Saren! He’s the one who started this! He started all these terrible experiments! Fluttershy took hold of her dislocated wing and yanked on it hard, the bone slipping back into its socket at the cost of another spike of intense pain. “You’ve seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Is submission not preferable to extinction?” “NO!” Fluttershy shouted at the turian who looked surprised to see the pegasus already back on her hooves. “The beauty of life is that we’re all able to make our own decisions. If you take away that choice then we’d just be mindless drones performing atrocities for our masters. Dying is much more preferable than that! We will stop the reapers, starting with YOU!” she shouted in rage. Saren had destroyed too many lives already and would destroy many more if he were allowed to roam free. Her wings lit up and within a split second a blue blob of biotic energy hurtled at Saren. The attack hit the turian’s shield and dissipated but not without severely weakening it. Saren didn’t take to kindly to this and immediately opened fire on the pegasus, forcing her to duck back behind cover. This didn’t matter as the damage had been done, all hell broke loose as everyone started firing at the turian who gladly returned the favour. Saren flew around on his hovering platform while firing down at the remaining members of the STG unit and Shepard’s crew but eventually his shields flickered and went out. Seeing that the odds were now seriously against him, Saren released a form of biotic wave that knocked everyone of their feet and dazed them. In this moment he jumped off his platform, ran over to the Commander, picked him up by the throat, and held him over the edge of the tower. The long fall would certainly be lethal to Shepard if he were to be dropped. Fluttershy felt her muscles burn and her body scream from exhaustion as she got back on her hooves. Her weapons were flung away from her by the biotic explosion, and she was way too tired to use her own biotics on the turian. No! I’m not letting him hurt anyone else! 1. Distract Saren 2. Attack using omni blades 3. Use the Stare on Saren [Vote link]