//------------------------------// // The Plan // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Chapter 175 The Plan Fluttershy sat outside of the shuttle among the guards as they went about clearing out the mess she had made in repelling the final attack. C-Sec was slowly getting control back from Cerberus who'd never had a massive force on the Citadel, their success mainly stemming from their initial seizing of major infrastructure. Fluttershy was checking out her internal wounds with her scanners, being slightly concerned at the damage. All the drugs in her system had gotten her back into fighting shape but she'd never thought heavy use of the stare could have such devastating consequences. I need to figure out why I got this reaction... Next time I might not be so lucky... Fluttershy then noticed two familiar faces enter the large hangar with a third less familiar one. "Shepard! Liara!" she called out. The commander and asari turned to her, smiled, and came over. "You look fantastic," Shepard smirked as he looked the pegasus' bloodied form over. "I'll survive," Fluttershy chuckled back, turning to Liara. "Didn't exactly expect you out here, don't you have more important things to do?" "The Normandy has great facilities to run my operations," Liara smiled. "You look like you went through hell, feathers," the buff human male that made up the third member of Shepard's team commented. "Fluttershy, James. James, Fluttershy," Shepard quickly introduced them. "No need to flirt, James, I'm already taken," Fluttershy smirked, getting a bark of laughter from James. "Don't worry, just innocent nicknames." "So Shepard, you're here to show the Council what you found on Mars?" Fluttershy changed the subject, the atmosphere becoming much more serious again. "Yes, we may actually need you for that but let's brief you with the Council present as I don't want to repeat myself." "Sounds good to me." Fluttershy got back up, putting a little extra focus on staying up straight. A few minutes later they arrived at the temporary control centre that was set up for the council. "Commander, what is the word from earth?" Udina immediately asked as he noticed the arrival of his fellow human. "Bad. The reapers hit us extremely hard," Shepard stated grimly. "Second fleet's destroyed, and we lost Arcturus station in the first few hours." "That's concerning... Hacket managed to contact me in a short message where he stated you had found critical information in the Mars archives?" Udina continued, Liara stepping forward and presenting a hologram. "Yes we did. I have been trying to find a way to battle the reapers for months and managed to hit upon something on Mars," Liara expanded the hologram to show individual parts of what looked like a massive device. "I believe that this machine is the key to what the protheans hoped to be their way to victory..." "There's a but," the asari councillor observed. "They never finished it and the designs are not complete," Liara said with a sigh. "Part of the machine was being worked on not by the protheans but by another." "Ours," Fluttershy quickly guessed. "Indeed, but that leaves us with another problem. We never found any ruins of your kind." "We can go look around Equis for more information?” Fluttershy offered but Liara shook her head. “According to the data your kind worked on it at your capital world." The asari brought up a hologram of the milky way galaxy. "For a reason not detailed in the data the protheans were not exactly sure of that planet's location but they made an educated guess." A location was marked on the galaxy map fairly close to the edge of Citadel space. "That brings us to the second problem, there is no relay that would bring any of our ships into a range where we can travel to it with regular FTL tech." "Then why are we discussing it?” the turian Councillor asked curtly. "The Vindica can make a jump like that," Fluttershy proposed, knowing about the Titan's jump drive. “Out of the question. Your princess has attached her vessel to our navy and its actions have proven it to be an invaluable asset to Palaven's defence,” the turian Councillor snapped. "I will not sacrifice Palaven for something we can't even confirm to work." "Then can you at least spare resources to admiral Hackett for the sections of the device we do have the plans of?" Shepard pleaded. The turian frowned. "Even if I knew what kind of resources I had available, I wouldn't know what I could spare. We might need a lot of it ourselves soon." "This project might be the only thing that can gives us a tool that can defeat the reapers!" Liara exclaimed exasperated. “We are all in this together but with the reapers pressing on our borders too anything we might spare now may mean the fall of world's of our own later.” the asari councillor sighed. “The cruel but unfortunate truth is that while earth is taking a beating we can prepare our own." Shepard made a sound that seemed like a grumble and a sigh, shook his head, turned, and walked off. The council once again started arguing amongst themselves as Liara and Fluttershy both concluded nothing more was to be gained and followed him. James hooked up with them too as he'd stood back while Shepard talked to the Council. “We need another solution," Liara stated grimly. "Luna does not answer to the turians, we may be able to convince her to help us," Fluttershy provided. "That would mean Palaven loses a vessel they deem 'invaluable' to their defence. That would leave his world less defended," Liara stated in response. "I know, I know..." Fluttershy groaned. "But if it's a choice between a slow but inevitable grind to extinction or taking the Vidica to hunt for a device that can save us..." "We're not going to figure out how to get things done from here anyhow," Shepard cut in. "I'm going to take the Normandy to Palaven, there's a spot open for you any time you want to join but you'll have to report to Bay 24 of the Alliance docks by the end of the day cycle." Fluttershy smirked. "I'll be there, but I have to go check up on the Embassy first. I kind of left Twilight there without telling where I ran off to when going here... plus I think the ambassador would like to know about my new status." "New status?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow. The smirk on Fluttershy's face grew as she opened her wings to fly off. "Spectre."