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ME2 Chapter 29 - Back Home
🕑 Added 2025-12-27 14:02:17 +0000 UTCPhoenix Massing
Chomos System
Shepard pulled his sleeves, ensuring everything looked perfect. Showered, shaven, and in his best official garment, he was ready to host the peace talks between the quarians and the geth.
The quarian admirals were about to arrive, and Legion was already aboard.
Taking the elevator down, he found Garrus waiting there for him, he too dressed in an official uniform.
“Why do I have to come in?” Garrus grumbled, stretching the collar of his suit.
“Because I need a secretary,” Shepard drawled. His other choices were two former Cerberus agents or his quarian girlfriend.
“Shepard, the quarian Admiralty Board requests permission to come aboard,” EDI approached in her new body. She was getting used to interacting with the crew through the platform rather than the intercom.
“Granted,” he nodded, and the airlock twisted open. Shala’Raan stepped inside first, followed by the rest of the admirals and their security contingency.
“Admirals. Welcome aboard the Normandy,” he greeted the quarian delegates.
“Commander Shepard,” Shala’Raan shook his hand.
“Thank you,” Han’Gerrel said, moving along, subdued.
“How are you all doing?” he asked, taking Zaal’Koris' hand.
“As good as we can be under the circumstances,” the admiral of the civilian fleet replied.
Daro’Xen was the last one. “If you are ready, let’s proceed to the meeting room,” he said, inviting them inside after possibly the most antagonistic of the delegates walked in.
—
The admirals sat on the right side of the table, while Legion took a seat on the left, with Garrus standing up next to him.
“In my authority as a member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Office, and as an individual with good relations to both sides, I open this session of the peace talks between the Quarian Conclave, represented by the Admiralty Board, and the Geth Consensus, represented by the geth unit dubbed Legion,” he said, acting more ceremoniously than he was used to.
The meeting was being recorded, and official
“You named it too?” Daro’Xen asked, fascinated by the idea.
“Yes.”
Shepard would have to make sure Daro’Xen was surveilled so she did not axe the prospect of peace by experimenting on geth. Maybe she’d be useful in a task force to examine Reaper programming.
“Now, we will start by hearing the Consensus’ terms for peace,” Shepard said, giving the opening statement to the geth.
Legion relayed the terms of the Consensus, which were simple and reasonable. Peace between the quarians and the geth, with the quarians recognizing the Consensus as the ruling body of the geth, as well as recognizing the geth’s status as a sapient race.
They wanted to be treated as equals, nothing more, nothing less.
Any crimes against geth units would be judged in the same way a crime against a quarian would be, except putting geth’s synthetic nature into the equation.
Rannoch would be accepted as a shared homeworld of the quarians and the geth, and while the synthetics wanted to create a single government with equal representation, they knew it would not be possible right away.
In the meantime, they were willing to share the planet and the rest of their territories with the quarians, as well as help them settle.
The terms were more generous than anything the quarians had expected so far, and they did not see any reason to refuse.
The admirals, in return, were more worried about the trustworthiness of the geth.
If they settled on Rannoch, even with their entire fleet on the Tikkun system, the geth would outnumber and overpower the Migrant Fleet. Should the Consensus want to finish the quarians, it would be a massacre.
Legion agreed that from their point of view, it was understandable for the admirals to be concerned for the security of the quarians.
Which is why he played several pieces of footage dating back to the time of the uprising.
Footage of quarians helping the geth units escape from their fellow quarians, defending them, and giving their lives if necessary.
That was a shocker to the admirals. There was nothing in their history to suggest that there were quarians sympathizing and helping the geth avoid being shut down or destroyed.
Zaal’Koris was vindicated in his desire for peace, showing how their ancestors, even if they were a minority, did not wish to destroy the geth.
Han’Gerrel had nothing to say.
Daro’Xen raised a point, claiming that the footage could be doctored for all they knew, but Legion was all too accommodating to let her examine it.
Shala’Raan just watched for now.
“I am aware of the distrust you have for the Consensus, and it is expected,” he agreed with the quarians, “which is why not only am I vouching for them, but I also have an offer to make to both sides.”
The Collector station had proven to be a treasure trove of data on the biologies of the known races, including the quarians.
“What would that be, commander?” Shala’Raan asked.
The Collector station’s scans appeared over the table.
“This is the space station my team took from the Collectors. Should both sides agree on peace, I am willing to entrust it to your shared governments. The quarians know how to salvage and reverse engineer advanced tech better than anyone, and the geth could easily turn the station into a mobile fortress for the war effort. Of course, you would be sharing the technology acquired from the station with the rest of the citadel races,” he explained.
The geth could comb the station without the fear of indoctrination, and the quarians were experts in repurposing.
If they worked together, the station couldn’t be in better hands.
Garrus changed the data on the screen, showing pictures of quarians without their suits. “Another interesting and rather dark part is that the Collectors had experimented on all the races through the centuries, including the quarians before the Morning War. Now, the test subjects perished a long time ago, but they kept samples in stasis should developing a bioweapon be necessary,” he said.
The images and scans of the quarians went away, showing vials of blood and flesh samples preserved in stasis.
Zaal’Koris leaped from his chair. “If they are before the Morning War, then we’d possibly be able to jump-start our immune systems with correct procedures,” he said. He was no scientist, but the Special Projects fleet would not fail them.
“Indeed,” Shepard affirmed.
“However, does the Migrant Fleet have the necessary biological research equipment for something this important? Not only that, but would you be able to mass produce a potential inoculation?” Garrus asked. Just because they had the samples did not mean the quarians had the capabilities to utilize them.
Legion’s flaps moved, conferring with the Consensus through the QEC. “The Consensus is willing and able to assist the creators in this endeavor,” he relayed the decision.
The admirals were whispering furiously among each other before Shala’Raan stepped up. “Commander, we will require privacy to discuss the terms.”
“Of course,” he said, turning to his friend, “Garrus, escort the admirals to the comm room.”
“This way,” Garrus said, gesturing to the door.
“Shepard-Commander, do you believe the negotiations will succeed?” Legion asked.
“Oh yes,” Shepard said, “They just need to review everything so far, and neither Daro’Xen nor Han’Gerrel will be able to produce any meaningful argument against the terms.”
Because the admirals would have to be literal fools to refuse the terms, especially with him as the middleman.
—
The admirals returned half an hour later, taking their places again.
“Commander, it is the Admiralty Board’s decision to agree to the terms presented by the geth,” Shala’Raan said. Daro’Xen’s stance showed that it was not a unanimous decision.
“Excellent. We will draft the agreement, refine the finer details, and real soon, you should be able to set a course to Rannoch.”
—
The negotiations were short, and it got the quarians thinking.
If returning home was this simple, could all of this have been avoided in the first place?
Daro’Xen and Han’Gerrel, the most outspoken critics against the idea of peace with the geth, were quiet. Shepard had given his assurances, along with technological assets to solidify the peace process.
There was nothing to do but accept it.
Three days after the first meeting, the admiralty board and Legion stood in Normandy’s meeting room, shaking hands as the agreement was signed.
It would be known as the fastest peace agreement in galactic history, bringing an end to an almost three-century-long conflict in just three days.
—
Tikkun System
Rannoch
The announcement that they would be setting course to the Tikkun system was met with silence by the quarians.
It did not settle in yet that they could just go home without risking their lives in a pointless war.
When the first ship passed through the mass relay and entered the Tikkun system, the dam broke.
The comm chatter indicated a lot of tears of happiness.
It became a race then, every shuttle racing to the planet so for the first time in centuries, the quarians could have their home back.
—
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Tali said, eyes fixated on the horizon.
“Get used to it,” Shepard replied, pulling her closer from the waist.
“What now?”
“Now? You guys settle in and make things work with the geth. I have to get back to Earth and kick the parliament’s ass,” he grinned. The Reapers were coming, and everyone had to be ready for it.
He would handle the Alliance while Garrus rallied the Hierarchy. Mordin and Liara would handle their respective races, and the rest would follow.
“I want to come with you, but…” Tali didn’t finish her sentence, though her arm squeezed him a bit tighter.
“Tali, you are the only quarian I can trust to keep the peace together. And don’t worry, if I get the wormhole working, I’ll come for quick visits,” he winked.
Tali pulled his head down, raising her head so her mask touched his face. “Take care of yourself out there. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
—
With the quarians settling back on Rannoch, it was time for him to drop the teammates wherever they needed to go. Most wanted to get off on the Citadel, except Grunt, Jack, and Hailey.
He would leave Grunt on Tuchanka, then take Jack to find Doctor Castor back on Eden Prime.
Grunt, now a warrior of fame, would serve Clan Urdnot well.
—
Eden Prime
Helios Medical Facility
“Jack, slow down,” Shepard called out, running after his teammate.
“Fuck off,” Jack snapped, searching for anyone that might give her the answers. Seeing a middle-aged doctor, she grabbed him by the collar and slammed the poor man to the wall.
“I am going to ask this once: where is Doctor Castor?”
“Jack, let him go,” Shepard said, pulling her back.
The doctor sprang to his feet, face pale like the walls of the facility. “Commander Shepard?! What is happening?” he asked.
“Where is Doctor Castor? He is working with Cerberus; we need to find him before he makes a run for it,” Shepard explained.
The doctor’s eyes widened, and he pointed to the right. “He is in his office, down the corridor, meeting with some donors.”
“Thank you,” he said, though Jack was already running to catch the doctor.
“Hey, you can’t barge in here.” The secretary at the door tried to stop them but backed off upon seeing Shepard.
“Get lost,” he ordered, and the secretary quickly vacated her seat with a “Yes, sir.”
The door wouldn’t open without the code, and Jack resolved the situation by tearing through the metal.
“Alright, everyone except Doctor Castor, out,” Shepard ordered, though Jack wasn’t in the mood to wait, already pushing people aside. Castor stumbled back, demanding to know what happened, but Jack silenced him with a right hook.
Blood and teeth flew from his mouth, splattering on the metal wall.
“You bastard, you fucking bastard,” Jack screamed, landing a punch with each word. ”
One of the donors stopped before him. “Commander, please stop this,” he pleaded, but Shepard waved him away.
“He sold kids to Cerberus; he is going to die for it. Now, get lost.”
Jack continued to work the doctor over between profanities about how he sold her to Cerberus. Once his face resembled a vorcha’s, she pulled him up by the collar.
“Where are they? Where is my fucking family?” she demanded. Everything taken from her, Jack would take it back.
“Cerberus killed them when they didn’t believe you were dead,” Castor cried out, whistling the words with a hoarse voice.
“Please, please spare me,” he pleaded, tears mixing with blood.
That wasn’t the correct thing to say, and Jack’s cry rattled the room. She brought down her fist, glowing dark with biotics, and splattered the doctor’s head on the ground and the walls.
“Damn,” Hailey whispered.
Shepard walked next to Jack, putting a hand on her shoulder, helping her up. She did not resist, just breathing in and out with silent tears streaming down her face.
Raiding a medical facility like this worried a lot of people, and he decided to do damage control while Hailey took Jack to the ship.
—
Revealing that Doctor Castor was a collaborator of Cerberus and relaying them the necessary proof, Shepard ordered the management to reevaluate their security measures and go over the cases pertaining to children that had died due to eezo exposure in the womb.
There were a lot of cases like Jack’s, following an accident where an eezo transport had exploded over the city.
Shepard knew there was a great chance Cerberus orchestrated it.
The Alliance authorities were informed as well, launching an investigation into every single case where children had died due to eezo exposure.
—
Jack was unnaturally quiet during the journey to Grissom Academy. It was as if her fire had been extinguished, though Shepard knew she would get up.
She was too tough not to.
Entrusting her to Grissom Academy, he knew she would find herself a home there. David Archer, another child tormented by Cerberus, was already settling in the academy, and they would perhaps strike a chord.
His last words to her were “You never gave up to this date; don’t start now,” and Jack had merely nodded.
—
Earth
Vancouver
When the Normandy landed on the Alliance base in Vancouver, there was a military parade to greet him.
Soldiers stood at attention, and the Chief of the Defence Committee, Admiral Manford, was there in person.
“Admiral Manford,” he saluted the admiral, as did Hailey, a step behind him.
“Commander,” the admiral returned the salute, “Welcome back home.”
Shepard lowered his arm. “Thank you, sir.”
“We have a lot to talk about.” The admiral gestured inside, and Shepard followed.
He would visit the parliament after reporting to the Defence Committee. It would have to start from the beginning, with how Cerberus found him and the organization’s eventual fall, the operation against the Collectors, and of course, the peace treaty between the quarians and the geth.
The last one would be fun to reveal.
---
Notes: With this, Mass Effect 2 is over, and we'll start with Mass Effect 3 on the next chapter.
