Mass Effect Ghost

The victorious fighters in the galaxy still carry the memory of the Reaper war, haunted by the ghosts of the fallen soldiers who fought hard to secure a future that they will never see. Even years after the war's end, its impact lingers on. On the outskirts of the North American States' capital, Washington DC, a human woman Admiral Jane Shepard, also known as Commander Shepard to the galaxy, sits on a lounge chair on the front lawn of her newly acquired estate. Her home was a reward for her military service to her race and the galaxy. However, for Jane, it is harder to move on from the war than for others. She continues to struggle with forgiving herself for what happened during the conflict. As she sits lost in thought, a Turian calls out to her, searching for his wife. "Jane, where are you?" he calls.

Shepard responds to Garrus' call and informs him that she is on the porch. Concerned by her distant stare, Garrus asks her what is wrong. Shepard reassures him that she is fine, but Garrus remains unconvinced. He knows that Shepard struggles during this time of year, haunted by the memories of the past. Shepard admits that she cannot shake off the ghosts of that day, and Garrus takes a seat beside her. Curious about what had occurred, Garrus asks Shepard to share her story. Shepard gazes off into the distance, lost in thought, as she begins to recall the events of that day, which had taken place ten years ago.

Six months have past since the Reaper forces overwhelmed Earth. Despite the challenges, Commander Jane Shepard managed to unite the Krogan and Turian forces to fight alongside each other, and their alliance shone even brighter after helping the Quarians with the Geth. However, this success came at a cost. Mordin died on Tuchanka, Thane on the Citadel, and Legion on Rannoch, leaving Shepard haunted by their ghosts.

Currently, Shepard is in the war room of the Normandy, strategizing her next move. She is considering whether to visit the Asari ambassador on the Citadel or the Asari monastery. While pondering her options, Joker interrupts her thoughts by contacting her through the intercom. He informs Shepard that Admiral Hackett is pinging them and wants to speak to her on the QEC. Shepard acknowledges the message and walks up the short steps to the QEC room. Standing in front of the terminal, she enters a passcode and begins to punch some buttons.

Shortly thereafter, an aged warrior with a scar running across his face from a battle long past emerges. Despite his failure to retain control of Earth, many still follow this warrior, but in truth, who could have prepared for the Reapers?

"Admiral, how may I be of assistance?" Shepard inquires, offering him a brief salute.

"Shepard, intelligence has been obtained regarding what may be a Cerberus stronghold in the Armstrong Cluster. I need the Normandy to investigate, and if this information is accurate, eliminate it and gather whatever data you can," Hackett commands.

"Certainly, sir. Please send us the coordinates," Shepard replies. Hackett nods in agreement, and the QEC connection is severed.

"Joker, plot a course and call the Bird and Tali to the war room. I need to brief them on the mission," Shepard directs.

After a few moments, Shepard begins reviewing the information Hackett had transmitted to her. A cursory glance is enough for her to understand why there is suspicion of a Cerberus base in the area. Garrus is the first to arrive and begins studying a map, followed closely by Tali.

"Okay, as you can see, this is a map of a supposed Cerberus base in the Armstrong cluster, located in an 'unexplored' star system. Our orders are to gather any available data, assess their activities, and then eliminate the base," Shepard declares. She can sense her team's unease.

"Unexplored? And there just happens to be an Alliance and a Cerberus base on the surface? Something doesn't add up, Shepard. This could be a trap, and we're dealing with Cerberus here. They're always three steps ahead of us," Garrus remarks, attempting to remain calm.

"I understand. Hackett was only recently made aware of this, and he wants answers," Shepard replies.

Shepard recollects a letter from the data given to her. Apparently, Hackett didn't want to discuss it via QEC. "We still need to prepare; we'll be there shortly," she informs Garrus, who accompanies her to the hangar bay.

"Garrus, what's up?" Shepard inquires.

"Bird, Shepard?" Garrus asks, puzzled by the unusual nickname.

"You resemble a bird from Earth; it reminds me of home, that's all," Shepard explains, and Garrus smiles in comprehension. "Now, let's ready ourselves for the operation."

Upon entering the hangar bay, Shepard observes Cortez preparing the shuttle for the mission. Garrus moves away from Shepard's side and begins to prepare himself at the lockers. Shepard retrieves her armor from her locker, which is a refurbished Cerberus armor utilized by the new N7 demolishers. She was able to obtain one, and she knows that Hackett had a hand in assisting her in obtaining it.

Shepard dons her armor and heads to the weapons locker, where she selects her Valkyrie rifle and Phalanx pistol. Garrus retrieves his Valente sniper rifle, while Tali brings along her shotgun. They board the shuttle and await Joker's signal to proceed.

"Joker here. We have entered the system and are currently in orbit around the planet. You are authorized to commence the mission," Joker communicates as Cortez opens the hangar bay doors.

Garrus sits on the porch of his Earth home, reliving that day, while Shepard briefly pauses, attempting to gather her thoughts. She is struggling to articulate what is causing her unease. These recollections are just the beginning, leading her to the ghosts that refuse to leave her.

As the shuttle approaches its position, Garrus senses that something is amiss. He suspects that Shepard is withholding something from him. Jane appears pale, or so the humans would say.

Shepard has been feeling uneasy lately, as if there's something bothering her that she can't quite put her finger on. Cortez informs her that they are only two minutes away from Cerberus sensors, but they have yet to detect them. He warns her of the snow and advises her to be careful. Upon arriving at the base, Shepard is surprised to find no guards, sentries, or personnel present. Despite the familiar Cerberus color scheme and logo, she can't shake off the feeling of dread that's been growing inside her. As they approach a door that appears to be welded shut, Shepard raises her gun and moves in. Garrus and Tali don't seem disturbed by the place, but Shepard remains on edge, determined to uncover what's wrong with the situation.

Shepard asks EDI if there is a way to access the base without blowing the door down, but EDI informs her that all the doors have been welded shut and the only option is to use a charge to break through the door in front of them. Once Garrus places the charge and the door is blown open, they enter the dark corridors with only their flashlights to guide them. As they move forward, Shepard can't shake off the feeling that something is not right about the place. The thick doors being welded shut suggest that this base was never meant to be reopened. Suddenly, Shepard senses something in the corner of her eye and swiftly turns her rifle towards it, ready for whatever may come their way.

Tali and Garrus become concerned when Shepard suddenly turns her rifle towards something she thought she saw, but she assures them that it was nothing. As they continue down the hall, Shepard becomes increasingly uneasy and asks if they heard a noise. Garrus and Tali don't hear anything and ask if she's okay, but Shepard remains silent. Despite the lack of any other events, Shepard is still troubled by the feeling in the back of her mind, which she can't identify. Garrus notices that she is on edge and not herself. After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrive at the main control room. Tali heads straight to the computer, while Shepard and Garrus search the room for any clues. One thing that stands out to them is the absence of any bodies, whether Cerberus or otherwise.

Shepard's feeling of dread intensifies as she sees Legion, a Geth, in the control room. She freezes in shock as she looks back and forth between Garrus and where Legion was standing, but now there is nothing there. Garrus becomes concerned and asks Shepard if she is okay. Shepard brings up her trembling hand to her head before asking Tali what she found. Tali tells her that the data is corrupted, but it seems that something went wrong with one of Cerberus' experiments, possibly related to the human mind. Shepard decides to abort the mission and calls for a shuttle, instructing Joker to have Javik or Liara pilot it back. She knows that something isn't right and is determined to get to the bottom of it.

As Shepard and her team exit the main control room, Shepard turns to Garrus and says, "Garrus, I need you to get in touch with the Primarch. They need to seal this place up." Garrus understands why Shepard is acting anxious. As they proceed down the hallway, everyone hears a cracking sound and immediately starts to run. Dust falls from the ceiling, and Garrus acts quickly, pushing Shepard into a separate hallway. Tali joins him, and they both roll onto the floor of a second hallway just as the ceiling collapses where they were previously standing. Garrus rushes to the rubble and yells, "Shepard, can you hear me? Shepard?" He is terrified.

Shepard responds, "I'm fine, a little shaky is all. EDI, can you find me a way out of here?" She hears a sound behind her, but the darkness and dust make it impossible to see. EDI replies, "Yes, Shepard. If you continue straight down the hall, it looks like it will lead you out in a day."

EDI responds, "Yes, Shepard. It looks like if you continue straight down the hall, it will lead you out in a day. This is a very large building, and most of the hallways are blocked by rubble." Shepard, coughing from the dust in the air, asks EDI, "EDI, what the hell happened?" EDI replies, "I'm not sure, Shepard. But what I think happened is that the building has been unused for some time, and it has become unstable. The charge you set may have triggered a fault in the building." Shepard moves to examine the rubble in front of her but can't find a way around it. Garrus yells, "Just wait there. I will get help to get you out. Just stay there," as he and Tali begin to make their way out of the building. But Shepard decides to go on alone, saying, "No, I'm going to find my way out of here. EDI, just stay on the line, please, as long as possible." She continues down the hall and after a few moments of walking, she reaches what she thinks is the mess hall.

As Shepard enters the mess hall, she notices that the tables and chairs are overturned and scattered across the room. She walks over to one of the tables, turns it over, and grabs a chair to sit on. She takes off her helmet, removes the communications equipment from it, and puts it back on her ear. She lets her ponytail loose, and her hair falls down her shoulders.

EDI asks, "Shepard, you have stopped. What is the matter?" Shepard places her head in her hands and replies, "Nothing, I'm just taking a break." She hears a sound coming from the kitchen but decides to ignore it. Suddenly, the sound of cans dropping startles her, and she jumps up from her chair. She draws her pistol and moves into the kitchen to investigate. As she searches the cabinets, she cannot find any cans. She then enters the pantry and finds stacks of cans and some water bottles.

"I must be losing my mind," Shepard mutters to herself as she brings up her omni-tool and scans the water bottles. After a few seconds, she confirms that the water is safe to drink and grabs one, holstering her pistol. As she turns around, she sees Thane and drops the water bottle. Startled, she un-holsters her pistol and raises it at the image. "You...have...failed," the image states as it steps forward. Shepard backs up into the wall of the pantry, and the image repeats, "You have failed." Shepard closes her eyes and pulls the trigger, firing three shots. When she opens her eyes, she sees nothing but air and three holes in the wall a few meters away from her. She is breathing heavily and shaking, still pointing her pistol at the imaginary image. After what seems like hours, Shepard slowly lowers her pistol.

"Shepard! Answer me!" Garrus screams. Shepard quickly gathers as many water bottles as she can and prepares to move on.

While Shepard was gathering water bottles, she stumbled upon a duffle bag with the Cerberus logo on it. She quickly grabbed the bag and Garrus, who was still shouting for her to respond, asked EDI if her com was working. Shepard, with a shaky voice, assured Garrus that she was fine and would be back on track shortly. However, the crew on the bridge could sense that something was bothering their commander. Shepard hung the duffle bag on her back and dashed out the door and down the hallway. After running for thirty minutes, Shepard stopped to catch her breath and searched through her belt for a light stick. She realized that she had lost her rifle with the attached light during the rubble incident when Garrus pushed her out of the way. All of a sudden, Shepard heard a sound and pleaded, "No, not again. Please, just stop." She entered an office and moved a desk to clear her path. Shepard walked over to another desk and dropped the bag of bottles on it.

Shepard activated the light stick and placed it on the desk before quenching her thirst with a water bottle from the duffle bag. She then removed her armor and tossed it into the bag as well. After sliding back, the chair and propping her feet up on the desk, Shepard began to doze off, but was abruptly awoken by a voice she hadn't heard in a long time - Kadian's voice. "You have failed," Kadian stated, followed by the voice of Mordan repeating the same phrase. As more voices joined in, all recognizable voices from her past, the accusations grew louder and more incessant, screaming "You have failed, you have failed. YOU HAVE FAILED!" Shepard woke up drenched in sweat, breathing heavily and her heart racing. EDI noticed and asked if she was alright, given her elevated heart rate. Shepard tried to calm down and regulate her breathing and heart rate before responding, "Just a bad dream, EDI. But thanks for asking."

As Shepard attempted to clear the bad dream from her head, she asked EDI how much further she needed to travel and why Cerberus needed such a large facility. EDI replied that she did not have any specific answers but it seemed that Shepard was encountering Cerberus' secret experiments aimed at finding an immunization. She also informed Shepard that she should be out of the facility by noon the following day due to her running. Disappointed, Shepard replied that she should start walking again and grabbed the bag and light stick before heading out the door. As she walked down the hallway, Shepard held up the light stick high and occasionally heard noises or voices of those she once knew exclaiming the same phrase, "You have failed." Eventually, she arrived at an experimental lab and noticed that the tank containing whatever was held in it had a large hole in it. Shepard then spotted a computer terminal and walked over to it.

Shepard brought up her omni-tool and began to crack the terminal, providing it with enough power to operate for a short time. Once the terminal powered up, she set her omni-tool to bypass the terminal's firewalls. After a few moments, Shepard was able to access the terminal and found that most of the data was corrupt due to power loss and other factors. However, after some digging, she stumbled upon a file that made her gasp. The file contained information on "Specimen 1-211," an unknown alien life form that feeds on the despair of victims without killing them. The life form can make victims see, hear, and relive anything that they find troubling, but only on the same brain wave pattern as humans. The objective of the experiment was to create an immunity to this life form. Shepard was stunned by what she had discovered and copied all the files to her omni-tool, even if they were corrupt, as they could be recreated to some degree.

After copying the files, Shepard continued on her journey. For what seemed like an hour, she didn't hear anything as she checked her surroundings cautiously.

As Shepard checks her omni-tool to see how much further she needs to go, she suddenly hears a loud metallic bang behind her. She turns to look in the direction of the sound, her newly creaking light stick illuminating the area, but she finds nothing. As she turns back to continue walking, she sees an image of Legion. Shepard freezes in place despite all that she has learned, her mind racing as she tries to regain her composure. She quickly raises her pistol and aims it at the image, but the gun shakes violently in her hand. The image just stands there, looking at her. After a moment, it simply says, "YOU...HAVE...FAILED." Upon hearing those words, Shepard loses whatever sanity she had left and sprints down the hallway.

As Shepard ran, all she could hear was that phrase echoing in her head, in every voice she had ever known. Every sound was like a knife, cutting away at her sanity. After a few moments of sprinting, she stumbled and fell down a hole, losing her duffle bag and pistol in the process. She tumbled down a ramp and landed on a sharp piece of bone, piercing her right side near one of her kidneys. As Shepard got on her knees, she pulled the bone out in one swift tug, causing excruciating pain to shoot through her body. The physical agony was further compounded by the emotional pain of losing friends and loved ones, many of whom she had sent to their deaths. Overwhelmed, Shepard simply started to cry, feeling as though she cannot win. The Reapers have already won, she thought, as the pain continued to ravage her body.

Garrus spoke through the com-link headset, hoping Shepard could hear him. He urged her not to believe what was being said to her, and reminded her of all the battles they had fought together. "Shepard, I am here for you. You have to fight it. I did not follow you through hell and back multiple times just for you to give up now. Please, Shepard, you have to fight it... for us. I cannot lose you now, after I just got you back. Shepard, please fight it," pleaded Garrus, his words filled with emotion. He heard the sound of Shepard's armor rustling and her footsteps stumbling, but then more rustling followed. "That's my girl," whispered Garrus as he took a seat on the bridge of the Normandy.

As Garrus sat there, listening to his mate's struggle, he couldn't help but reflect on how every word he spoke had simply rolled off his tongue. However, he was puzzled as to how he knew something was talking to her, even though she never told him about it or her inner struggle.

Shepard sat with her knees pressed against her chest, taking a break to allow her mind and emotions to catch up with her. When she heard Garrus's words, she gained the strength to get up, despite the pain in her side. As she walked towards her belongings, she stumbled from the agony, waiting for the pain to subside before she continued. When Garrus whispered "that's my girl," Shepard smiled for the first time since the ordeal began.

Shepard sat next to her duffle bag, and the pain became too much for her to handle. She attempted to dispense some medi-gel from her omni-tool, but it was damaged from the fall. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. She then took out a bottle of water from her bag and removed her shirt, laying it on top of the bag.

Shepard proceeded to open the bottle and poured some water onto the wound. As the water flowed, a sharp stinging pain shot through her body. After the pain gradually subsided, Shepard ripped off at least two inches from the bottom of her shirt and fashioned a bandage, wrapping it tightly around her torso. The pain resurged as she tightened the bandage, but eventually began to diminish. When the pain had lessened enough, she put on what remained of her shirt, taking a swig of water before stowing away the bottle.

"EDI, where am I?" Shepard inquired as she rested against a nearby wall.

"You are approximately one kilometer away from the exit of the building," EDI replied, and Garrus overheard their conversation.

"Damn, that's going to be a long kilometer," Shepard muttered before dozing off. To her surprise, she was able to sleep without any nightmares, voices, or images. Then she remembered what she had read: the disease did not kill its victims. After eight hours of sleep and a sharp pain in her side, Shepard rose from the wall and gathered her belongings with a few grunts of discomfort. She reached for her pouch on her belt and retrieved a light stick, noting that she had only two left, including the one she had just grabbed. She cracked the stick, lighting up the area around her, and noticed that the ground was covered in shale-like material with a bloodied shale stick lying nearby.

As Shepard made her way down the hallway, the sound of the shale crackling under her boots helped to drown out the voices that had started up again. The voices were repeating the same phrase over and over again, which was starting to grate on Shepard's nerves. The pain on her side had gone completely numb, and she could feel blood running down her armor and leg. Her cybernetics were working overtime, trying to keep the blood in her system and heal the wound on her side. Shepard checked her omi-tool and saw that she had only walked half a kilometer so far. Her strength was waning, and the voices were still ringing in her head. Sometimes she even saw images of her friends standing to the side, saying the dreaded phrase. But she kept walking, knowing that it would soon be over and she would never have to look at this place again. She focused on the thought of being reunited with the Turian she loved, which gave her the strength to keep moving forward.

As Shepard continued walking, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was leaving one hell only to enter another, this one filled with Reapers. She didn't know which was worse, but she knew that Garrus was waiting for her. The voice of the "Ghost" was getting more desperate with each step she took, telling her that she had failed and that she couldn't defeat the Reapers. The images she saw were also taunting her with the same message. Despite the pain on her side causing her to stumble occasionally, Shepard kept moving forward. Hours later, she finally arrived at the bay door that EDI had guided her to. She moved to the console and raised her omi-tool to restore power to the necessary systems to open the bay doors. As her omi-tool did its job, Shepard noticed that the bay doors were not welded shut. For the first time in a while, she felt a glimmer of luck on her side.

An image of the Illusive Man spoke to Shepard in a voice she despised. "Shepard, of all the miracles you have done, you have failed," it stated. She turned to face the image and listened as it continued to taunt her. "Of all your might and loyal crew, you cannot win. You can't even protect those you care about." Shepard's body began to tremble as she struggled to hold herself up. "No, I can win, I can," she said weakly as she backed up against the wall. The Illusive Man challenged her, "How can you, Shepard? The Reapers are infinite. How can you beat them?" Shepard mustered the strength to respond, "The Crucible..." but the image cut her off. "The Crucible...you don't even know what it will do. Are you that desperate that you would do the Reapers' work for them?" The image circled around as Shepard slid down the wall. "The Reapers have won, Shepard. You can't beat gods." Shepard repeated to herself, "No...no...I can win," as she mumbled in despair.

The image of the Illusive Man repeated its taunt one last time before the bay doors opened and it disappeared. "My time is done with you, Shepard. Remember, you have failed. You can't beat gods," it said. As the light from the system's star entered the building, a squad of Turian Higharchy Soldiers entered the hanger bay, with Garrus among them. He searched frantically for Shepard and found her curled up on the ground, mumbling to herself and bleeding. Her appearance shocked Garrus, as this was not the Shepard he knew. She repeated her desperate mantra, "No...no...I can win," over and over again as Garrus tried to comfort her. The Higharchy soldiers created a perimeter around them as Garrus struggled to process how this creature had managed to break Shepard in a matter of hours, something that even the Reapers and other enemies they had faced in the past could not do.

Garrus called out to Shepard, hoping to get a response, but she remained in the same position, mumbling her mantra. Occasionally, she added, "I have not failed." Garrus tried to reassure her, telling her that she had not failed and never would. "That's right, Jane. You have not failed, and you won't. You can't fail. Shepard, please hear me out," he pleaded. Shepard stopped her mumbling momentarily, and Garrus continued, "I don't care what this thing did to you. You have not failed. Those you lost...they died not by your hand. They knew there was no other way. They volunteered for this. We all did, knowing the next mission could be our last. It's not your fault. You have not steered us astray. You have done right by us. There is no reason for you to act like this. No reason, Shepard. We will win." Garrus poured his heart out in that statement, and slowly but surely, Shepard's breathing and heart rate returned to normal.

Before Garrus arrived, Shepard's eyes were fixated on the void, but now they were starting to wander aimlessly. After a few minutes, Shepard finally acknowledged Garrus, saying only his name as she held her knees closer to her chest. "Shepard, I am here for you. Let's go home," stated Garrus, to which Shepard simply nodded. Garrus looked at his mate, realizing what had caused her distress even sixteen years later. The ghosts still haunted her, despite being light years away. Shepard remained curled up in a ball, as Garrus recalled what had happened next. As he carried Shepard back to the shuttle, Javik stepped out to help, and the squad of Turians remained in the hangar bay. Shepard buried her head in the Turian's chest and spoke the words that made Garrus's mandibles flicker: "Even gods fall." As they left the planet's atmosphere and entered the Normandy's hangar, the ship's doctor and aides were waiting for them.

After Shepard was taken to the med bay, Garrus walked to the war room to speak with the Primarch and Admiral Hackett. As he entered the room, he overheard the two leaders discussing the mission. Hackett couldn't bring himself to look at Garrus, as he was the one who had ordered the mission, thinking it would be a simple one. The Primarch, on the other hand, simply stared at the Turian. "Garrus, we searched that building from top to bottom. We found nothing. I don't know what could have affected Shepard in this way, but we managed to reconstruct some of the data she found. And to say that it worries me, even though I'm not human, says a lot. Whatever they found or captured... the Hierarchy will send a small detachment to ensure that tomb remains sealed," stated the Primarch.

"I have ordered the Alliance base on the other side of the planet to shut down. I cannot risk their lives like I did Shepard's. I had no idea this would happen. But now I understand why the Illusive Man wanted to find an immunity. Still, we will cede this planet to the Hierarchy, and they will watch over it, as we cannot," stated Hackett before his connection was abruptly cut off. Garrus turned to the Primarch and asked, "Do we know what that thing is, Victis?" The Primarch shook his head. "No, we don't. But based on what it does, we are simply calling it the 'Ghost'," answered Victis.

Garrus sat still in his spot as Shepard remained curled up on the long chair. She needed time to let her mind catch up and try to forget the traumatic event that had occurred sixteen years ago. Although it was summertime on Earth when it happened, the fact that it was snowing during that planet's winter brought back vivid memories for her. Shepard's breathing had returned to normal, and her heart rate had somewhat stabilized. "That was all in the past. We are here now, Jane. You did not fail," Garrus said as he walked over to her and gently touched her cheek, causing her to grab onto his hand. Knowing she needed him, he sat down beside her as she held onto his hand. "Maybe you should take tomorrow off, Jane?" suggested Garrus. Shepard sat up straight and replied, "I wish I could, but I'm fine now." This time, Garrus believed her.

"Who are you meeting tomorrow?" asked Garrus.

"I'm meeting with Tali and a Robyn Harper," answered Shepard.

"Sometimes some questions are best left unanswered."