Chapter 1

         Another explosion rocked the base as I ran for the Normandy. Rounds flying past my head. Tali ran up the platforms to the open door of the Normandy as Joker shot at the Collectors. A piece of the base fell and knocked the platforms down. Without missing a beat, I took a running jump. Time slowed for a second as I realized, I wasn’t going to make it. My torso slammed onto the floor of the airlock. Tali and Miranda both reached down and pulled me up. I turned around and gave one last look at the Collectors as the airlock doors closed. Joker hobbled back to the pilot’s seat as EDI said.

         “Detonation in 10, 9, 8” She was cut off by Joker.

         “Yeah I get the gist of it EDI! Hold on!” Joker flew out of the base. I stood behind him.

         “Get to the relay!” I yelled. Joker punched it as the base exploded behind us. The fireball getting ever closer.

         “Come on baby.” Joker mumbled as his fingers flowed over the controls, trying calculate the jump. Just as we were about the jump, the ship violently shook. We jumped, for all of three seconds. Then the Normandy came to a sudden stop.

         “What’s going on Joker?” I asked impatiently.

         “Don’t know, but if I had to guess the fireball must’ve hit us. Most of my controls are offline. EDI, any idea where we are or how we can get moving again?” I looked over to where EDI’s hologram appears, but this time it did not appear. There was silence.

         “EDI?” I said. “EDI, are you there?” No response. “I’m going to go to EDI’s core. See if I can figure out what's wrong. Keep trying to get the ship moving, and see if you can figure out where we are.”

         “No promises.” Joker said. I turned around and headed towards the elevator in the back of the CIC. The eerie feeling still hung over the CIC as most of the chairs were, and would forever be, empty. I was too slow. The elevator doors opened and I hit the button for the third deck. The doors closed and the elevator started to descend.

         A mix of feelings filled my body. Joy and relief that Collectors, and by extension the Reapers, had been stopped or slowed. Worry that EDI suddenly wasn’t responding and that we had no idea where we were. Anger at myself for losing so many. I felt a single tear fall from my eye.

         The elevator doors suddenly opened. Surprised by the doors opening, I straighten up and wiped the tear away. I had work to do.

         I walked over to the medical bay and through the door in the back that lead to EDI’s AI core. Once I was inside the problem was obvious. A giant piece of the Collector base was jammed into once of EDI’s processors. I grabbed ahold of it and gave it a yank. Suddenly it hummed to life. I let go of it and scanned it with my omni-tool. Before I got too far I was thrown back. I slammed into one of EDI’s undamaged processors and was knocked unconscious.