
It took some time, but Nora and the rest of the team managed to find a loading area aboard the Malleus Die allowing the Archangel to attach to the massive ship via an umbilical instead of flinging themselves into space with the War-walkers again.
However, when Morrigan had torn through the walls to meet up with the team, even Nora had been stunned into silence. The fury that radiated off of her was so intense they could feel a shift in pressure in the air accompanied by a sense of dread, the persistent scowl on her face punctuating her anger making the trip back to the Archangel uncomfortably quiet; no one daring to mutter a word.
Once aboard the Archangel, Morrigan stormed across the hanger next to the transfer dock in a direct line, ignoring everything that surrounded her. Skoll, who had been laying out of the way against the wall of the hanger gnawing on the helmet of a fallen Federation soldier, had only made it halfway to her before pinning his ears back and sculking away, keeping low to the ground as he retreated.
Skoll had seen his master angry; witnessed the most savage side of her and even then there had been an inviting warmth to her despite dripping with gore, but now there was only a cold rage that he refused to go near; he whimpered before tilting his head sideways, using one massive paw to edge the helmet between his teeth again.
Morrigan remained in the hanger just long enough for Nora to rush in behind her, exiting the moment her lover was safely back on the Archangel. Skoll immediately darted to the middle of the hanger and cut her off at the pass. Nora skidded into him. “Ooof! Come on Skoll, move!” she commanded with exasperation as she tried to shove the massive creature.
Skoll spat the thing he chewed on at her feet and whined, shifting to block her way as she moved to go around him.
“Gods damn it, Skoll! Momma is upset!” she shouted only to be blocked once again and nudged back with his nose. She let out a frustrated breath of disbelief before she watched him sit guardedly in front of her, staring at her with his tendrils spread wide.
She looked at the beast, meeting his eyes to see the tangible worry behind them. Her expression softened. She couldn’t be sure what it was he tried to accomplish. Whether he tried to protect her from Morrigan, or perhaps protect his master from being bothered by anyone; it truly could go either way as far as she had been concerned.
Nora smiled softly and ran her hand along the soft fur of his snout, glancing to the side as she watched Ebony and Aleksei walk past unhindered. “Skoll, Momma needs us, we have to go find her,” she said sweetly though her words couldn't hide her own worry. She had been there when she saw Morrigan at her lowest. She saw the savage, feral being that tore the most feared man in the mines apart and carried his mangled corpse for all to see; back then she had been too far gone, so much that she couldn’t speak, and her animalistic nature commanded the depths around her into unwavering submission.
She had also been there when that broken girl became unraveled, and helped put the pieces back together…
What Nora had seen before her wasn’t that though, part of her wished it was because she knew how to handle that. If she had to admit, she was afraid for her love. She had been an angry woman but what she saw, what she felt, was unlike her, and she was afraid that Morrigan’s sensibilities had finally frayed. She knew what her lover’s intentions were, but she wasn't certain Morrigan was ready for what would need to come next.
As if reading her thoughts Skoll looked back towards the door of the hanger with a soft whine before grumbling to himself. A moment later, he dipped his head low and laid down in front of her, his eyes cautiously glancing back and forth to her and gnawed helmet in front of him with a weary sigh.
Nora’s heart sank. Skoll had always been a highly intuitive creature and his reaction only solidified her worries. “There’s no point…” she said just loud enough to be heard as a whisper in the noise dense environment.
Nora didn’t care about what would happen. The only thing she cared about was her two lovers and the beast that had been part of their little family, yet she knew Morrigan would do what she felt was necessary to achieve her goals.
She dropped to her knees on the hard metal floor in front of Skoll and wrapped her arms around his massive neck, sinking into his soft fur as much as a comfort for herself as it was for him. She didn’t say anything else, but lay there with Skoll and hoped that she could pick up whatever pieces were left in the end as everyone in the hanger cautiously move around them.
◇◇◇
Everyone appeared excited for her return, their expressions happy at the sight of their Inquisitor until they saw the look on her face. After that, anyone along her path forced themselves out of her way whether it was ducking into rooms or corridors, or pressing themselves as tightly against the walls as they could.
It wasn’t a concern for her though, it wasn’t even a thought she could consider; her only focus was reaching the bridge and taking control of her ship once more.
Her mind was clouded with rage-induced thoughts. She hated the Federation and everything they stood for. How they could continue to fight, even more so how they could do so proudly, escaped her.
“All I wanted was peace!” She nearly screamed in her head.
Of course you did, Apollyon noted, And you will have it. You know what to do, Mori, you knew this would happen and you prepared for it.
She growled as she rounded the corner and stepped into the lift, slamming the controls to order the machine to take her to the bridge.
“Why is it so fucking difficult to understand?” she asked herself, “There’s not even a point in fighting! We’ve been at war for decades and for what? Land? Money? Resources?”
The wholesale misconception that the higher intelligence of humanity was on the brink of godhood? Apollyon said goading her thoughts.
“Godhood? Humans are so fucking below the… There's only four gods! And one of them is stuck in my fucking head!” she fumed, causing Apollyon to chuckle at the subtle irony behind her words. “There is no reason our three species can't live in peace, the Eskarii are beyond wonderful! The Marmuro’k, as awkward as they can be, are equally as wondrous especially when it comes to how they think… Humanity has all of the potential of both species, to overcome everything that has ever held us back and expand ourselves to newer heights… If we would just keep our damned finger off the trigger!”
Before Morrigan could continue her rant, the elevator stopped and she was met with surprised stares as everyone on the bridge turned her way.
To Morrigan's surprise, Xol had also been on the bridge standing next to Mo'Emori. She watched as Mo'Emori's ears shifted downwards as her bright yellow eyes widened. “Mori…” the Eskarii woman said in disbelief as she stared at her.
“Mori, we…” Shepard started only for Morrigan to raise her hand and shut her down as she stepped forward out of the elevator. She stared at the main monitor that sat above the middle of the bridge, just beyond her own terminal to see the alarms blaring across the ship.
She hadn’t noticed the steady sirens as she moved through the Archangel. To see several sectors of her ship damaged, and on fire, hit her hard in the chest. She glanced through the windows of the bridge to see it wasn't just her own ship that was damaged. Ahead of them against the white, swirling mass of Earth sat Saerah's ship, Mo'Emori's sister, heavily damaged and being guarded by the Trickster's Sleight along with an escort of Eskarii Destroyers and a Marmuro’k ship.
She glanced back at the screen as she took another step forward. She scanned the battle data that streamed across the screen and went numb. They were losing. Despite all her efforts in disabling the Malleus Die and killing Amaranthe, they were being driven back.
The pirates lost half of their fleet, and the Eskarii nearly 30%. The main weaponry of the Lightning Strike had been disabled, and the Ebony Heart had also been damaged beyond combat efficiency.
“We were only gone for two hours…” she thought as her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. It hadn't been enough, no matter how she looked at it the Federation had always outnumbered them and instead of being all hit at once, the Federation reinforcements had trickled in slower than she expected. It let them whittle her forces down with fresh ships despite suffering heavier casualties.
“I'm taking back command of the ship,” she said, letting the last notion of disbelief bleed from her tone before stepping towards her console. Xol, without being needed to ask, gently dragged Mo'Emori away from the console towards the back of the bridge despite her confused protests.
Morrigan stared at Avery and ordered, “Get us into position.”
“Ma'am?” he questioned, unable to meet her heavy gaze and instead, looked to Shepard.
She snapped, “Don't ma'am me and do as I ordered! You know exactly what I'm talking about.”
Avery stared at Shepard, waiting for her to interject. He could tell that the old woman did not agree with the plan however, as she gave him a firm nod, he knew she would not argue against it anymore.
“Aye, Gene is spinning up the jump drive now,” he said dejectedly as he turned back to his seat and punched in the signal for Engineering to set up to skip.
Morrigan waited as her nerves grated and her rage boiled, threatening to burst at the seams as she felt her entire crew's uncertainty. A minute later, the view from the Archangel had flashed and then they sat just beyond the gravitational pull of Earth.
Morrigan opened up the general broadcast one last time. She knew it wouldn't make a difference at that point, but deep down, she had to give it one more solid effort.
“This is Lord Inquisitor Clarke, this is your last chance to surrender or face the consequences of your defiance,” she stated. Her voice was deep, filled with the heavy authority of a career commander far beyond the scope of their years. She was tired.
As expected, a chorus of resistance burst through the comms. Her eyebrows raised; what she hadn't expected was that a single handful of Federation ships actually powered down their shields and weapons, surrendering to her. It wasn't enough though.
“Gunnar, have the Javelin crew load the second stage… we finish this now,” she said coldly as all hope fled her body.
Gunnar was quiet for a moment, longer than she demanded but as soon as she glanced at the man he said, “Um… The crew is refusing…”
Her entire body flashed with crackling power as she shouted, “What do you mean, “they refuse"?”
Gunnar stuttered, “I, I mean, they won't… they say they can't.”
“Fine, I’ll do it myself!” she said darkly as she turned and took a single step towards the elevator before Xol stepped in front of her, his massive mace slung over his shoulder and his free hand held up.
“I will go,” he said sternly, his gravelly tone ever loyal as he stared down at her wreathing frame.
Morrigan ground her teeth hard enough to be audible. She knew she could trust Xol out of everyone she knew. With that in mind, she took a sharp breath and unclenched her hands, “Get it done,” she said just as sharply as her breath. Xol nodded and turned, stomping towards the elevator and shoved his massive knuckles against the controls to open the door.
“Mori… are you sure?” Mo'Emori asked as everyone else remained silent in the thick tension that filled the bridge. The moment the elevator door closed, Morrigan turned back to her console and leaned on it.
“We have no choice,” she said quietly.
◇◇◇
As soon as the elevator stopped at its normal deck, Xol pressed the down button once more. It was a simple concept, two buttons that sent the elevator up and down while the outer doors had biometric scanners on them only allowing a select number of the crew access to the elevator. It only went to two places: the bridge and the Javelin.
Xol had no qualms with what it was his chieftain asked. Humans were fickle beings, something they had called a conscious often caused them to second guess themselves, changing their minds at moments notice. Not that Xol had been one to make decisions anymore. He had given up his position as a leader when he had gotten his war-pack captured on a barren desert world occupied by the Federation.
He had never hated humans though he would admit he had occasionally been fond of them. He knew they were impressively adaptable to whatever environment they found themselves in, however he also knew they were soft, weak and rarely trustworthy at least, until he met Morrigan.
The day they met she seemed weak, sheepish and honestly annoying as she stared at him like a human child. Her voice had been high and squeaky whenever she tried to talk to him and she asked ridiculous questions; well, questions he hadn't expected her to genuinely care about.
He spent several days wondering why she would want to know about his species and their social structure. However, eventually she gave up. Then he saw her true self, the day she killed the warren leader. Tyrus may have been strong for a human, though Xol easily could have killed him, but Tyrus wanted to lead and Xol didn't.
Morrigan though, she also didn't want to lead but because the tyrant leader tried to force himself on her, she killed him in a way Xol could appreciate. She was strong, far stronger than Tyrus, and even more deadly than Xol. She was an apex predator. His species were raised to respect strength, not to fear it and coming from a planet filled with predators, that respect kept one alive; the wilderness of Tik’Taq’To either made or broke, and it all depended on one's respect for the life that thrived on the planet.
She deserved every ounce of respect. Through respect came loyalty, and Xol had given his loyalty in his entirety to her as he bent his knee to her. It was against Marmuro’k belief to bend a knee in fealty. Yes, the Marmuro’k respected strength, it was what kept one alive but to bend the knee to another, was nothing but disrespect to one's own strength, as well as the rest of his species' ideology, but she was more than strength. She was strong, decisive and true to her words. She cared about and respected the Marmuro’k, as well as every other living being. That, her own strength and caring, earned her every ounce of his loyalty.
The door to the Javelin opened to reveal several humans scrambling away from the door. Many of them had fear in their eyes at the sight of him stepping out of the elevator. He bared his fangs at them only to see a handful of the crew drop what they were doing and reach for assault rifles that had been stashed within the massive room.
Behind them, off to the left, was the gargantuan chamber of the Javelin cannon. The experimental weapon was semi-automated, a conveying track that carried the rounds from a holding area half the size of the room sprawled across the ceiling.
He looked up and saw to his right, directly across from the chamber against the opposite wall was the weapon Morrigan needed, suspended from the ceiling by a sturdy makeshift crane. It had been segregated from the rest of the munitions that fed into the holding area from the R&D deck, that much he knew, and it hung low enough to be inserted into the Javelin for when the time came to use it.
The Javelin crew’s resolve bolstered at seeing their fellows take up arms to defend the area. Xol flicked his arm out though undeterred as his vibrant energy shield flashed to life. “Mirina Sor will not be denied,” he rumbled out. His tone was filled with determination, though from the nervous glances in the room, he could tell they were afraid of him.
The moment he took a step forward, they opened fire. Bullets slammed against his shield as he charged forward bulling over one of the armed men and launching him back to slam into the wall.
Xol swung his mace and sent three others, whether they were armed or not, soaring through the air and crashing into other machinery throughout the room. Ten men had attempted to bar his path to the Javelin and moments after entering the room ten men were scattered around the loading bay unconscious. He could have killed them, he wanted to for disobeying his chieftain, however he knew she would want to punish them herself.
As soon as the fight ended, Xol set out to accomplish his mission. Setting his mace down, he moved towards the missile and grabbed ahold of the loop of thick chain that dangled from the device, unsure how to operate the makeshift crane, Xol simply pulled. It took serious effort, but with a forceful grunt, Xol began to drag the weapon across the ceiling with a groaning shriek of metal.
He was uncertain how the humans had intended to move it as it took all of his strength but after a few minutes, he began to pull on the chain and watched as the weapon slowly descended towards the three prongs that struck out from the side of the Javelin’s loading chamber. It took another minute to lower it into the loader until he realized he had no idea how to release it from its confines. Scrutinizing the steel bars that acted almost like a cage, Xol retrieved his mace and adjusted it to the ranged mode and aimed.
Xol blasted the chains that held the cage and the entire thing slammed into the loader, cage and all. The weight of the round caused the metal cage to creak and snap, coming free and falling to the ground in a twist heap as the weapon rested in the loader.
There was a panel on the side of the chamber, which allowed him to load the round. With that done, he headed back to the bridge.
◇◇◇
Morrigan turned as the elevator opened once again. Xol nodded as he stepped back onto the bridge and took his position off to the side beside an increasingly worried Mo’Emori.
Outside the ship, the battle still raged as two Marmuro’k ships had flanked the Archangel, Morrigan having announced the final stage of her plan over their secure channels to her fleet. They served as escorts but mostly as shields against the Federation knowing full well that the Archangel would be helpless for several long minutes once they fired the Javelin.
Morrigan sighed and tensed her shoulders. Given the most recent insubordination of her crew, she had expected more from the fleet just given the sheer size of it, however all she received were notifications of acknowledgement.
Everyone was quiet, though she could taste the anxiety that permeated the air. They all waited on her, to see if she would commit to her course or second guess her decision. She knew she couldn’t turn back now though. So many had died for her cause, and so many more would if she abstained her hand.
“Gunnar, prepare to fire,” she ordered calmly, a calm that betrayed the mass of screaming rage that pushed against the edges of her psyche. Her soul wanted to let go, to handle everything on her own, giving her enemies an excruciating death and spare the souls of her allies from further harm.
Gunnar turned to his screen with heightened anxiety as he saw that the weapon had indeed been loaded, worrying for a moment about the Javelin crew he considered to have died by the hands of the Lord Inquisitor’s Kêzi’kân. If he didn’t wish to meet a similar fate or worse, he had to comply.
Tapping on the keys of his console, he lowered his head and confirmed, “Power is cycling to the Javelin.”
In that moment the elevator door opened and the words, “Enough of this madness!” came before a gunshot rang out. Panic and shock blanketed the bridge as nearly everyone turned to see Ebony standing just past the door with a gun in hand as the elevator door closed.
Aleksei had shared what Morrigan had intended to do. Not everyone on board had been privy to what she had Aleksei build, especially her, but in the final moments before Morrigan’s decision to act he decided to divulge it to his team. That sent Ebony over the edge. She had always considered Morrigan to be a tyrant using fear to shape the galaxy around them. She always hated her, but Morrigan had let her live as long as she served but even when she worked under the Federation’s banner she had never been knowingly part of something so heinous.
Nearly everyone stood stunned in shock as their ears rang, everyone except Xol who roared with rage and stormed across the bridge with great speed and lifted the woman by her throat with his powerful hand, slamming her into the door of the elevator.
Ebony dropped her gun, clawing at the giant hand around her throat helplessly as she struggled to breath. Pain wracked her body from the impact but the fear of being strangled to death held on stronger.
Morrigan grimaced as she felt her wound knit together as she looked down to see a dent that bulged from her breastplate. The shot had pierced her back puncturing her left lung. However, the burning pain as she tried to breath dissipated in nothing more than a moment as her wound healed.
“Let her go,” Morrigan gasped as she stabilized her breathing, drawing in a deep breath as she turned to see the towering Kêzi’kân holding her aloft. He glanced over his shoulder with uncertainty, his job as a guardian warring with his loyalty to obey. With the woman disarmed, he knew Morrigan could handle herself, a single gunshot never having been enough to slow the woman’s stride.
Ebony collapsed to the ground gasping for air shoving herself as far back into the door as humanly possible as she clutched her throat. Simultaneously, she tried to reach for her fallen pistol only to find it crushed beneath the Kêzi’kân’s heavy foot.
Morrigan turned, her gaze burning whey wrath and stepped towards the woman. Everyone watched as Morrigan approached Ebony, shocked as their leader remained unfazed. They all heard of her healing abilities, but most of them never witnessed it with their own eyes.
Ebony yelped in pain as Morrigan dragged her up by what little hair the woman had. Her hair was short, but it was long enough for Morrigan to grasp and her strength did the rest as she brought the dissenter to their feet.
“Ebony Salah,” she said coldly, “Just what did you ever hope to accomplish?”
“You’re no better than they are, they don’t destroy worlds!” Ebony spat with a raspy, damaged voice as she tried to seize Morrigan’s arm.
Morrigan’s other hand landed around the woman’s throat, closing around it tightly causing Ebony to gag and switch her focus to the arm crushing her windpipe. Morrigan lifted her and pressed her into the door with fury.
“They have destroyed several planets!” she roared before pulling the woman’s face close to hers. What she had intended to do right then and there hadn’t been what Morrigan had asked. “I know you,” Morrigan growled lowly before pushing her against the door as Ebony struggled uselessly. “You really think Sister wouldn’t pull all of the data from your slate when you first tried to hack my ship?”
Ebony ceased her struggle, her eyes widening in horror as she stared into the crimson irises of the woman she feared. “You were the one,” Morrigan continued, “You made Taylor believe I was dead, the constant whisper of resistance wherever I let you go.” Morrigan’s grip tightened all but completely severing the woman’s ability to speak as she leaned closer.
“I gave you a chance, one your fellows smartly took to heart, but you, you were never with us…” Morrigan used her thumb to turn Ebony’s head, the pressure against her jaw too much for the woman to resist as she looked her over. “I keep my word, much as I am about to do… you could have been free… but now I’m done with you.”
In that moment, Ebony felt crimson claws pierce her flesh, the urge to scream in pain halted only by the pain of a closed airway as those very claws wrapped around her heart. Morrigan’s hand was wrist deep within her just below her sternum. It had been excruciating, at least that’s what she thought until the woman’s power flared.
Despite the crushing pressure around her throat, Ebony managed to force out a cracking scream as everyone witnessed lines of crimson trace across her skin. The dull red glow grew brighter as Ebony's scream turned to silent terror as the energy Morrigan released destroyed her atom by atom. Seconds passed and in a near instant, Ebony’s form turned ashen before turning to dust in her hand, a small trickle of ash falling from her crimson clawed hand and adding to the pile at her feet.
Morrigan let out a small breath of cold relief as she tilted her hand, dumping what was left on the pile of ash. With that loose end concluded, Morrigan turned her head slightly, “Fire the Javelin.”
Xol let out an angry hiss which drew Morrigan’s attention as she noticed nothing happened. Even Shepard, the old woman who had usually been so full of opinions that didn’t always align with Morrigan’s, looked at the man with a furrowed brow, and said, “Do as your told gunnery master.”
Everyone turned to Gunnar with worried expressions or of vehemence as he sat stock still. After a moment, he stood and turned to Morrigan, “I can’t, I’m sorry but we… I can’t do this,” he stated with fear permeating his voice.
“I’m tired of all this insubordination!” Morrigan growled as Xol began stalking towards the man.
“You dare?” Xol hissed only to have his tail grabbed, whirling around to find Morrigan holding him back. Taking the hint, he moved aside and let Morrigan stride toward the terminal instead.
Gunnar panicked and turned on his heels. He typed on his console as Morrigan reached him. Morrigan, no longer tolerating any more bullshit, grabbed his shoulder and flung him back across the room only for him to softly thud against the pile of dust with a grunt. She looked at the terminal to see he had locked it and rolled her eyes as she cast an annoyed glance at the man who sat up with a pained cough.
His attempt to keep her from using the weapon was futile; she could override everything on the ship. She removed her badge of office and set it on the sensor pad to the left of the keys and began typing in the impossibly long code she had memorized, her personal override code.
After a long moment, the terminal unlocked and revealed the controls to the Javelin. She had to enter the code again, the system requiring his own code to fire the great weapon as a safety precaution. Once complete, she went to press the button that would launch the weapon but froze.
“Is this what I really want?” she asked herself, all of the obstinate resistance her crew had given her surfacing in her mind. “Can I really condemn so many to death to stop them?”
Apollyon hissed in annoyance at her sudden doubt, Of course you can, everything you have done has led up to this point. This is the apex of your creation, Morrigan Clarke! Your decision now will set the tone of the rest of your life; peace, or endless war.
Morrigan looked up at the swirling white orb, Earth coated in the chemical concoction she had made. “What is the cost of peace?” she asked. Millions, perhaps billions have died in the war the Federation had started, most lost over the years and yet, she aimed to end just as many in an instant.
Whatever is necessary, Apollyon hissed, attempting to persuade her.
Apollyon had said that Earth had been a symbol for humanity, for the Federation. A symbol of that perpetuated their historical need to conquer. Humanity had nearly destroyed the planet with nuclear weapons, and thanks to Apollyon, it had been recolonized. But humanity aimed their sights elsewhere, aimed to conquer the stars instead of their own world and that led to further destruction. How could she be any different than them if she continued her course of action?
Remember, it’s not just about you, little goddess, Apollyon said softly, as if whispering loudly in her ear and causing her head to twitch as her gaze broke.
The deity was right as she felt the flare of life bloom within her. She had been so single minded lately, that she hadn’t noticed the fact that her children have grown. Her hand drifted to her abdomen to feel the firmer, more defined bump that radiated energy that matched her own. The warmth was soothing, and clarifying. “The Federation can’t exist… for them,” she thought, remembering every horrifying atrocity she had witnessed in her life and beyond. The Federation’s history was a cesspool of violence and subjugation. Trillions of lives, or more, had been oppressed and preyed upon one way or another, and it needed to end. The cycle needed to be discontinued.
“I can start the firing sequence,” Sister stated over the speakers sensing Morrigan’s biometrics had gone haywire.
Morrigan shook her head before standing tall, “No,” she said in a whisper before looking down at the button she needed to press, “I have to… I will shoulder this,” she added before thinking to herself, “I will become the villain to give everyone the chance for peace, for my children, and the ones I love.”
The button had been pressed, and the energy draining sequence of the Javelin caused the ship to shutter as lights flickered and the elevator creaked for a moment.
She could feel the electromagnetic coils of the kilometer long gun come alive just in time for her to hear the elevator open.
“Mori! The CoU…” came a familiar voice said as it trailed off in recognition. It was Taylor, and her heart dropped when she suddenly realized that she hadn’t questioned whether he had still been on Earth or not. She hadn’t done a lot of things she thought she should have.
“It’s too late,” she said softly just before the second stage of her weapon of mass destruction fired.
Time slowed for Morrigan as she watched for the brief seconds she could see the missile rocket to the Earth. The particle trail it left behind as it cut through the thin veil of dust that blanketed the galaxy held a strange beauty she hadn't expected. The trail glittering as the warhead met the atmosphere.
It worked, the warhead had burned up in the correct layer of atmosphere and flashed as it ignited. A nova of fire burned around the point of entry, and it began to spread.
Some looked away in sadness, but Morrigan, Morrigan watched as her creation began to burn. Slowly, and effectively, the explosion began to grow and form a firestorm.
It became ever expanding as the white swirl of the Earth’s atmosphere ignited into a fiery red. Ships ceased their fighting as the Earth was slowly consumed by fire, to watch as reality set upon them. Soon, confirmation of Federation ships surrendering had come through, but Morrigan couldn’t hear it. All she could do is stare as the world, her world, was engulfed by the flames of her wrath.
Her senses expanded involuntarily, she could feel cascading waves of sadness across her ship as well as excitement. It was a mixed response from the crew of her ship. Some were happy to see the destruction of the Federation, while others hurt at the loss of life it required.
The planet has been fully engulfed by flame and continued to burn as promised; it burned the atmosphere away and soon, the Earth would be snuffed out by the deep cold of space.
“All but three Federation ships have surrendered,” she heard Shepard announce solemnly.
Morrigan didn’t move or even acknowledge the announcement. She just stared at the burning world trying to feel… something. She couldn’t though, she felt nothing. Her skin was cold, her heart slowed to a near imperceptible beat and her emotions were… gone.
“What did you do?” she heard Taylor ask in disbelief.
Slowly, Morrigan turned. Everyone could see her expressionless eyes and more so, the single crimson line that trailed down her cheek. “What I had to,” her voice devoid of any emotion. She stepped toward her own console but kept moving until she met the open elevator door, causing Taylor and Gunnar to shift cautiously out of the way before she stopped turning to look at Shepard over her shoulder.
“Destroy whoever still fights and have the rest tethered to our fleet including the Malleus Die… we’re going home. This war is over.”