Well ladies and gents, after six months we finally have chapter 11! I know it's been ages and, to be honest, even for me it's been way to long since the last. Regardless, I'm still here and still working on this, one chapter at a time. Hope you all enjoy the confrontation!

Redcollector: I guess you'll be finding out by the end of this chapter, eh?

BrotherCaptainShepard: Gotcha.

Wars apprentice: Hope you love this one too

Cj1of4: I suppose you'll be finding out a bit of that here.

Jack100: Me too and I do believe shitstorm won't even begin to describe this situation by the time I'm done with it. In my opinion, I'd say the Vanguard 'tentacle' cannons are more of an artistic flare on Bioware's part for pretty much the same reasons you describe, but I suppose source material is source material.

Ase of Spadez: Hope I continue to live up to your expectations.

Gearblade: Hope you continue to

And finally, on with the chapter!

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Shepard never really liked space, not to say the he didn't appreciate the things that came with it…like his ship…crew…job… but space itself grated on his nerves. It was empty. It was extremely dangerous to the unprepared. It was completely unforgiving to the unprotected. Mostly, though, he hated the feeling of being a bystander to whatever fight had followed him around at the time, waiting for the order to move or for him to get sucked into the cold blackness of space. Tense boredom was his enemy on the ship, where his job wasn't to fight or fly or shoot but just to observe and give orders…

…that all changed once he got out. Outside the ship, he became a new man. Outside the ship, he could actually physically do something other than watch some battle through a viewscreen. So, even as beams of light and flashes of torpedo fire arched through the periphery of his vision, he wore a comfortable, slight smirk while his body flew towards Hierarchy Outpost N-614 at high speed. His team of Alliance and Cerberus commandos followed right alongside him, their forms motionless as they stared at their desired landing site. The station's form was growing fast but Shepard spared one last glance behind him, searching for the two ships that he knew to be engaging each other close by. He spotted the Normandy almost instantly, white paint and flashes of blue Javelin torpedo fire marking her out easily to his advanced optics. The opposing ship, however, was much harder to see. He only managed to notice it due to its movement blocking the light of the stars behind it, which allowed the visual aids in his helmet to track it by its movement. Regardless, from his visual, there was little to see from it. The ship was near black, obvious enough considering the trouble of identification, and other than the red exhaust of the ship's two engines there was little distinctly observable even with his optical aids.

Curiosity satisfied, if a little disappointed, by his observations, Shepard turned his attention back to the matter at hand, namely the approaching figure of Outpost N-614 Docking Port No. 2. A quick assessment told Shepard to begin preparing for landing. Near instantaneously, the miniature mass effect core decreased his mass in order to prevent him from simply splattering himself on, or through, the docking port upon landing. Next, Shepard quickly rotated himself around, hands and feet first, and increased the armor power running to his outstretched limbs, stiffening and strengthening them in preparation to hold on upon impact.

The collision with the station's outstretched docking tube, however, was rather underwhelming with the lack of sound found in space, the strength of spaceborne materials, and the skill of the operators leading to an upright team and an undamaged landing site. They didn't waste time. Near instantaneously after landing, the team's resident Demolisher found himself at the door controls, integrated hacking suites quickly reaching through his Omni-Tool for the airlock door controls. The operation didn't take long, with Shepard simply spending the time watching his ship evade yet another red stream of light from the enemy vessel, before the outer door silently darted open, inviting them inside. Another few heartbeats found the full team inside, environment hissing as the outer door fell closed and the airlock began to cycle…

"EDI, can you get a copy of the station's schematics?", Shepard asked as he readjusted his armor's settings to compensate for the new air and gravity.

"Of course, Commander…done. Outpost November Six One Four follows standard Hierarchy construction schematics for a station of its type. The construct consists of four main rectangular levels topped by a control center within the top spire and a sensor station based out of the bottom. The first level contains the armory and living quarters, second holds the inspection level and docking tubes, while the third and fourth comprise of the holding areas, storage bays, and shuttle hanger. Station records indicate that the Alliance Intel team and their Hierarchy counterparts had based themselves on the fourth level. Note, I am encountering unusual levels of resistance from the station's servers."

"Any idea why?", Shepard asked, happy that his resident idea was at least useful for something.

"Unknown.", and wasn't that disconcerting?...

The red light above the door taunted Shepard as he waited for the operation to finish and the inner door to finally get out of his way…

"Rules of engagement, sir?", Shepard's reply came in a fraction of a second…

"Weapons tight on any Turian forces we encounter, see anything else, shoot it first ask about it later.", the audible clicking of four microphones sounded out as the only acknowledgement to his order as his team drew their weapons, Shepard's N7 Typhoon joining them at the ready…the door light turned green as it opened with a hiss, displaying a dark hallway only lit by a sparse accompaniment of red emergency lighting…the team moved forward into the gloom…

"Radio silence until told otherwise. We don't know what we're dealing with." Another four clicks gave an answer as the group continued to advance into the unknown…

It didn't take long to find evidence of something very wrong going on. At the end of the hallway, buried behind a hasty barricade of crates and a burnt out barrier generator, three Turian corpses lay at the middle of the T intersection leading deeper into the station, blood streaming into pools below them from half a dozen wounds on each. The kills were fresh, Shepard noted. The blood had yet to appreciably congeal and the blood flow hadn't yet stopped. Bullet holes and the smell of explosives evidenced a short but intense battle…at least the Turians hadn't gone quietly. The real item of interest for Shepard and his team, however, was the duo of Geth Troopers that lied only a few meters away with their bodies marked by dozens of holes and pockmarks on their armor, their Pulse Rifles laying only a few inches away from their dead hands. The navy blue plating stood out instantly on their frames, instantly bringing Shepard back to the report on the Cyrene Incursion he had read before shipping out. The light grey or white flying creature painted on them only confirmed his suspicions on their identity. A quick glance over his shoulder saw his team's shoulders tense and heads glance to him in the only expression of surprise they could accomplish under their current situation. A quick hand wave got the team moving again, following the map on their HUDs to the nearest stairway.

It didn't take long to find, the signs and mapping software making the trip incredibly easy and fast. The only surprise during the whole trip seemed to be the lack of any real heavy combat in the corridors leading to the lift section on the floor. The only items of interest remained a small cluster of bullet holes accompanied by another slightly older Turian corpse. The scenery all changed, however, the second that Shepard poked his head through a destroyed door that had clearly been physically sealed shut somehow before being blasted open with explosives. The sight that met his eyes morphed to one of a brutal close quarters fight. Corpses, both Turian and Geth, littered the floor, with white ichor and blue blood spilled in pools all over the room. A quick glance over the room told everything Shepard needed to know, his years of combat experience serving him well in his assessment.

A full Turian Lancer squad had clearly set up an improvised defense here with whatever crates and debris that they could get their hands on. The blasted open door on the other end had clearly been the Geth's means of entry, with the still cooling, deformed, edges of the entryway indicating a highly energetic charge of some kind. The blast also did more than just remove the door. It appeared to have sent the metal pieces flying in towards the Turian positions in a cloud of shrapnel, which looked to have done an excellent job in disrupting the Turian defensive line for a moment…and speared one poor soldier through the chest. Another two small blast marks indicated the use of flashbang and EM grenades, useful in disrupting the combat systems of most hardsuits while also neutralizing the organics behind those systems for a few precious seconds. The Geth had pushed in next. The first couple had evidently got in but it appeared that the famous Turian discipline had won out for the next four, whose quartet of corpses littered the floor in literal pieces from the weight of fire that had hit them upon entry. A stalemate had happened next…

…No…

…not a stalemate…it was a distraction.

The Geth hadn't approached from one direction but two. Another team had come up from the stairwell and hit the Turian's open left flank hard and fast. Three of the Lancers had gone down to an Omni-Blade before they could even react…another two had been killed before the squad had realized what happened and shifted their fire…

It had been too late. The damage had been done. The squad's support gunner had been the next target, taken out by a single headshot but not before cutting down another Trooper with his Revenant. After that, the remaining combat had merely been a mop up fight, with only two Geth Troopers dead for the price of the rest of the Turian squad. In short, the engagement had been a disaster for the Turians…but it also emphasized the point that the Cyrene report had made…the Geth were changing.

This was what he would do, if he could, in this kind of situation. Close range knife fights were the bread and butter of spaceborne infantry warfare…and it was always a bloodbath for the parties involved. Equipment only mattered so much in this kind of fight. What mattered was speed, brutality, and precision. You had to move fast through doors and down corridors before an enemy recovered and showered you with bullets. You had to be brutal because no one fights fair in a hand-to-hand fight like these. You had to be precise because a single misplaced round could hit a fuel line or electric wire or even ricochet back at you. The different militaries of the galaxy adapted differently to such environment. The Asari Huntress had her biotics to block and blast a path through her opposition, while her charge made her fast and hard to counter. The Turian Lancer had heavy armor and fast firing armament, allowing him to survive the initial onslaught before hitting back with overwhelming firepower. The Salarian Operative…well, he wouldn't be in the situation to begin with. He would've vented your atmosphere or cut your power or any number of such things before making the attempt. His attack would be made with an abundance of tech abilities supplemented by whatever assistance he can gain from his environment, overheating weapons, hacking turrets, shutting off ship gravity…whatever he can get his hands on. The Alliance, however, responded to the problem differently. Their arrival onto the galactic stage and their brief war with the Turians had clearly demonstrated that meeting strength with strength simply lead to heavy losses for little gain.

The standard Alliance Marine was not as mobile and powerful as a Huntress. He was not a hard hitting wall of armor and weaponry like a Lancer. And he was not as well equipped and trained as an Operative. So, the question became, what can be done again forces with such powerful advantages? The answer came in the same form as it did for the rest of the Alliance military. Versatility. The Alliance Marine couldn't outrun a Huntress, but he could outlast her. A Marine couldn't outshoot a Lancer, but he could move around him. He couldn't outthink an Operative, but he could drown him in much more firepower than an Operative had the capability of matching. Alliance ships and stations were littered with redundant corridors and maintenance access ways which allowed forces to engage and fade away at a time of their choosing. They could hit flanks, front, and rear all simultaneously. Simply, give them time and they'll bleed you dry.

The reality in front of him made Shepard's grip tighten on his weapon. The Geth assault was a textbook Alliance maneuver. He'd done it dozens of times during his stint as an Alliance N7 and it disturbed him greatly to see the Geth acting in this way. His experience with the Geth showed that they clearly preferred attrition tactics. They threw Trooper after Trooper at you till your weapon overheated and left you mostly defenseless. After all, what did losses matter if you could simply replace them in a matter of hours versus weeks, months, or years like an organic soldier?

Shepard shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for reminiscing. He had a job to do. A quick upraised fist brought his team to a halt before he gestured one of the Phoenix Commandoes closer. A few hand gestures and a couple whispered words gave him an objective, the station's control center. The idea was simple. Shepard could not allow the Geth to hold such an important point without a fight. The advantages of access to the station's monitoring systems and environmental controls could not be understated.

The Commando understood instantly, quickly tapping his companion on the shoulder before they moved towards the stairwell leading to the first level and, ultimately, to their objective. The Shepard and the N7's, however, moved in the opposite direction, heading downward towards the fourth floor and the Alliance team that hopefully waited there. The walk down to the third level remained silent, even as the N7 team suspiciously checked every corner and straightaway long before they approached it. Finally, the end of the last step met them with a locked door. A simple glance and pointed finger moved the team's Demolisher forward while the Shadow covered the rear and Shepard watched the door. The hacking took some time…too much time for Shepard's comfort, but the door hissed open not a minute later. Shepard instantly pressed himself to the side of doorframe before darting out, sweeping his left side while the Demolisher, who quickly followed, cleared his right. They were met with two Lancer corpses bleeding by the door and silence…strange, tranquil silence…

The room, cargo bay more like, encompassed the entire floor in stacks of crates and boxes the only breaks being found in the stacks laying around the administration station in the center, the stairwell to the next level on the opposite side, and the small shuttle hanger door that lied shut on the outer right wall. A quick glance in that direction saw a duo of UT-47 Kodiaks, decked out in a navy blue and grey that almost made Shepard believe them to be friendly until he noticed the lack of Alliance insignia on their hulls.

At least we know how the flanking group got inside. Shepard thought with a frown. In reality, such entry created more questions than answers, such as how the Geth were even able to get the shuttles inside to begin with, which…opened the possibilities to moles, indoctrinated agents…the entire ensemble of possible explanations quickly got kicked from Shepard's mind as he focused on the present. He could ask, and answer, those questions once he was out of a combat zone. Another hand wave moved the team forward, weapons tight and ready as the entered the maze of crates. The triangle moved as fast as they dared, Demolisher and Shadow quickly training weapons from pathway to pathway in alert suspicion while Shepard covered their backs. The sense of foreboding hit Shepard nigh instantly upon entry as the towers of containers seemed to close in on himself and his team. The path ahead was too tight…there were too many places to hide…and he only had a team of three…

A barely audible whir was the only warning he received before a Geth Trooper burst out from a container directly to his right, a glistening orange omni-blade aimed straight for his head…

…Shepard had only a split second to react…

His first thought brought his Typhoon to bear in an upwards block against the oncoming threat. The weapon wouldn't provide any protection at such short range on such short notice, the weapon itself, however, provided enough bulk and metallic resistance to redirect the strike off target…

The move worked. The outstretched blade arched over Shepard's right shoulder after shearing the Typhoon in two, the missed strike leaving the Trooper off balance just for a moment…

Shepard could hear other Geth now, just as he could hear his two team members fight off their own attackers. The telltale crackle of an overload met with the metallic rip of sliced armor, undoubtedly coming from the Shadow's handy arc-blade…Hunter decloaking behind…

His movement began the second he heard the shimmer of a cloaking field dropping, ingrained training working to save his life in the split-second it took to wrest the overextended Trooper around to intercept the Pulse shotgun rounds meant for Shepard's torso. The two shots easily cored the Trooper's chest, although Shepard did notice the Geth's barriers take far more of the first hit than he expected…

A quick jerk of his arm brought his sidearm to bear, the M-11 Suppressor spitting out a trio of rounds at the Hunter's head…only for his barriers to drop to half nearly instantly from a stream of Pulse rifle fire. The response came instantly as the destroyed Geth Trooper in Shepard's hands found itself launched at its Hunter friend before another three Suppressor rounds founds themselves buried in the offending Trooper's head, which exploded in a shower of white fluid and metal scrap. The diversion, however, lost him precious time as the Hunter shoved aside its former fellow before taking aim again…

A quick calculation ran through Shepard's head instantly as he dashed forward, left arm starting to glow with orange light…

It wasn't fast enough, however, as another shotgun round impacted his barriers, swiftly knocking them down to zero before the remains splashed harmlessly into his armor. The Hunter, however, seemed to realize the trouble it was quickly going to be in, backpedaling before Shepard's charge…

The attempt remained futile, however, as the enclosed space of their surroundings rendered its efforts moot…while a quick swipe removed the issue altogether. A quick clip change later found Shepard's Suppressor back in action, with a quick double tap dropping another Trooper attempting to flank the group's Infiltrator while said operative was entertained with another adversary. That second Trooper lasted barely a second longer as an arc-blade buried itself in its chest, blue eye quickly dying in response before the blade's owner wrenched it free. The Demolisher, however, appeared to have finished the job on his own, with a quartet of shattered and sizzling Geth lying broken at his feet…

Shepard cautiously waited one second…then the next…

"Report.", came his order as the adrenaline of combat began to die down.

"Green.", the Shadow answered first, sword returning to its sheath on her back. The Demolisher remained silent for another second, however, before returning with the same update. Shepard finally allowed himself a split second to wind down from the adrenaline high that close quarters combat always gave him, while also absentmindedly refreshing his pistol with a fresh clip. His eyes quickly darted around the battle site as he took stock of what had occurred. Over a dozen Geth corpses littered the floor, all in varying states of integrity, which was an excellent result compared to how it could've gone. His team hadn't completely escaped unscathed, however, as the Demolisher's hardsuit clearly displayed remains of a quartet of reflected pulse rounds on his chestplate and the Shadow's shoulder pauldron had a clean gash cut through the surface of its plate, probably caused by an Omni-Blade or other such weapon. A small sigh escaped him as he eyed the pieces of his Typhoon on the ground…he really liked that gun.

A quick mental command saw a yellow light flash on Shepard's HUD as his team began to move out again 'Status update.'

A green light promptly flashed in response to the burst transmission 'Negative contact, proceeding'.

'At least something was going well', Shepard thought as the trio found their way down the stairwell to the fourth level, passing another trio of Turian corpses and also appropriating a fallen Phaeston along the way.

"Commander?", Joker's voice coming over the radio almost made him flinch at the sharp focus biting behind the words, which contrasted with the tense silence in his surroundings.

"Joker, what's your status?", Shepard could hear light gunfire now, small bursts of various rifles echoing down the station's hallways as his team poked their way out of the stairwell.

"The other ship is turning back towards the station, Commander! They'll be there in a few minutes! Looks like you'll have some company soon!", he cursed under his breath at the revelation. The last thing he needed was more Geth dropping in behind him. A sharp, barking order sent his team running towards the holding area in response.

"Roger that! Do the best you can! Shepard out!", a sharp turn found a quartet of Geth waiting for them, Pulse rifles blistering with fire that slammed again the humans' barriers. Normal instinct would tell a soldier to stop and take cover, increasing survivability and chance of hitting his target with his weapon. N7's, however, knew better. The best way to get through a roadblock in this kind of engagement was often to just run right through it.

That's exactly what they did.

The Shadow, the lighest and fastest of the three, got there first, bisecting half the Geth into pieces without even breaking stride before darting past the rest. The Demolisher was next who shoved through his opponent with a quick Overload/Incinerate combo, which fried and melted the Geth's components into slag. Shepard's heavy armor made him the last to reach the synthetic line, but certainly not the least. A mental command found his fist cloaked in an orange glow as he approached the final Geth survivor, who actually seemed to hesitate as the man charged it at full speed.

The Trooper quickly found itself backhanded into the wall, with enhancement from his Omni-Tool and his armor ensuring the blow reduced his enemy's head to a crush mess of metal.

Time of engagement…three seconds.

'Not fast enough', Shepard griped as he heard the gunfire ahead of him stop with an easily identifiable Pulse rifle burst.

One second…Two…Three…Four…

The hallway opened up into a massive square room which clearly must take up at least half of the station's fourth level. Stacks of crates, parts, and even ship scrap cluttered a space which appeared to nearly be able to fit the entire Normandy inside. Remains of battle littered the floor, with nearly a dozen Geth laying in pools of white fluid where they fell. Those weren't alone, however, Shepard could count one…two…three…

'four…five…six…seven…eight…Fuck!...' Shepard's teeth gritted in anger at the body count, which numerically encompassed the entirely of both an Alliance and Hierarchy intel team. That isn't what kept his attention, however, no…what kept his attention was a large square metal box, blue lights running in lines across its surface with numerous terminals hardwired into its frame…the blue box.

The next thing that caught his attention were six Geth Hunters that stood near the blue box, which quickly whirled around as they sensed his team's entry. The first thing that struck Shepard was the leader, which although the heavy armor and shotgun made it dangerous what really caught his attention was the red stripes on its shoulders…and the N7 on its chest…

Even with being prepared for the sight by the Cyrene reports, Shepard's mind baulked at the scene. To see such a thing…such a symbol…that for him was bought dearly with the blood, sweat, and tears of himself and those around him…that was tantamount to…to…desecration.

The anger that bubbled furiously beneath Shepard's armor found itself an outlet as the Phaeston in his hands snapped up and targeted the lead Hunter, reticule growing as red as the edges of his vision…

"Commander…", the whispered hiss came through his helmet speakers with a jolt of awareness as the tense warning contained within the tone made itself known.

Shepard cursed under his breath…

He could see what garnered that particular reaction from his colleagues now. What he hadn't noticed upon entering the room was the semicircle of eight more Geth Troopers all standing still and aiming their weapons at his team. It was all Shepard could do to not kick himself. He should know better than this! Only green rookies make the mistake of tunnel vision in combat…and they only make it once.

His team couldn't engage the Geth like this, even with the cover all strewn about the room. The Geth's inhuman reaction time ensured that. The Demolisher and himself would make it to cover, Shepard was sure, as their heavier armor would be able to take enough rounds in the split second it took between their first attempt at movement to when they dropped down behind something solid enough to protect them. The Shadow on the team had no such luxury. Her barriers would take a decent amount of fire before they fell, and they would definitely fail before she reached safety, but once they did she would either be dead or combat ineffective before having accomplished anything. At that point, best case, Shepard and the Demolisher would find themselves overwhelmed by superior numbers and flanking fire after having taken down most of the Geth force. Worst case…well…they all die before they even fire a single round.

It was then that Shepard finally noticed the last oddity going on in the room…the Geth weren't firing…

Even with all their superior position, even with their heavier firepower and collective survivability, the Geth surrounding him and his team hadn't moved a muscle since they entered the room. It only underscored the point…something was very wrong here…

The tension in the room remained palpable…until the self-stylized N7 finally turned its gaze between the dead Intel teams on the floor and the N7 team in front of it.

"Unfortunate.", came the near monotone voice as its flashlight head looked towards Shepard, "Identify?"

Unfortunate…unfortunate?!...Shepard gritted his teeth in response. The death of the entire station crew was merely unfortunate?! And since when in hell have Geth ever been able to talk?!

Shepard always hated this level of a bullshit explanation for anything that ever happened in his career. If it had been any other situation…that Geth would already be dead on the floor…still…it couldn't hurt to tell them…go out with a bang…

"Commander Shepard. Alliance Navy.", came defiant retort.

The response, however, was not what Shepard expected. The talking Geth almost seemed to…recoil…with surprise…anger…confusion…to be honest, Shepard had no clue. He wasn't a Geth mind reader…but he was pretty sure Geth headplates weren't normally meant to do that.

The plates finally settled on folding inward, emphasizing a headlight that had changed from a calm blue to an angry red… "Remove. Your. Helmet." Shepard's thoughts raced in confusion at the request…

"Why would…"

"DO IT!", the synthetic voice boomed as its comrades and itself took an extra step closer and tightened the grip on their weapons in silent warning. The Demolisher and Shadow spared Shepard a wary glance, for the first time uncertain as to how to play this out. Shepard had already made his choice though. Why the hell would he care if he died with his helmet off or on?...well…his mom might at the funeral…

His hand quickly unsealed his helmet regardless and dropped it to his side.

If Shepard thought the reaction from the Geth before was unusual, now it turned into outright insanity as every Geth Trooper in the room began to twitch and glance between each other as if they were…nervous… The only ones similarly affected appeared to be the Hunters, but even they seemed to relax slightly…and only for a split second before their weapons twitched back into readiness…almost as if…as if to them…he wasn't a target…

Shepard could feel the unreal silence that settled over the room. He knew he had questions. He took the chance.

"Who are you?", he asked, clear fascination at the ensemble before him underlining his tone. The talking Geth's head shook from side to side, as if in denial…negative…regaining composure perhaps?...

"No.", it finally said, voice much quieter now. "Better question.", came what sounded like a statement…' a statement of what' Shepard thought.

"What do you mean?", Shepard replied, voice clinging with a subtle doubt that not even he could explain. The talking Geth dropped his weapon before taking a single step backward, towards the glowing computer core.

"Who are we not?", it asked.

Shepard's thoughts whirled in confusion. 'What is that supposed to mean?'

"We are sorry."…

'What?...'

Shepard's world exploded…

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"Lancer, all aboard?"

"Roger that Menace Command, all troops accounted for."

"Mission status?"

"Completed. The charges worked as advertised. Tell Command that I need to meet with all group heads as soon as we arrive back at base."

"Roger that, Lancer, I'll let them know. Good job out there. Control out."

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Hope you all enjoyed!

R&R!