It was just another burning homeworld. Shepard made herself think of it as just another burning world. She didn't miss the change in wording with the second iteration. She narrowed her focus to immediately important items: her allies, the Reapers, the next twenty meters.

It was difficult, but not as difficult as it might have been had she not seen Earth and Menae. They were 'Reapers for a reason,' just like Garrus said.

Meanwhile, she had other secondary concerns: damn Irissa! If this turned out to be what Shepard feared…she glanced sidelong at Javik. It was why she brought him, more than to have one more biotic powerhouse. He might have a better chance of interfacing with whatever they found.

If things weren't as Shepard suspected, if this wasn't a Prothean cache being hoarded in secret, then she owed Irissa an apology and a free swing. Somehow, though…

Shepard shook herself, picking her way through chunks of fallen duracrete, trying to ignore curious stains here and there that suggested people had been in the wrong place at the wrong time when the architecture fell. She could hear Garrus ages ago: is it a bad thing that I've got used to the smell of burning flesh? Well, she seemed to be getting used to unpleasant smells, herself.

She couldn't turn around to check on Liara, lest she miss her footing or give the impression of worrying overmuch. Liara was tough…but seeing one's homeworld like this? It was never easy.

She didn't waste the energy wishing Liara could have been spared. If she did, it would mean Irissa would never have come out and admitted there might be something useful here. And if there was…

She shook herself again, the gabble of Reaper ground troops catching her attention. Here was hoping they didn't run into any of those Banshees. Somehow, she doubted they wouldn't: those things' very existence would dig deep into the asari psyche and squeeze.

-J-

Alenko watched Liara, following close at Shepard's shoulder. Was it just him, or were Liara's biotics even stronger than usual? Then again, looking around, he'd be surprised if she wasn't hitting harder than ever. He'd never been to Thessia, but he remembered Earth.

He hoped his mom was still okay, still with Anderson.

At the very least, the asari seemed to be scrambling resistance with as much speed as anyone else. He suspected they'd have more success than most, being natural biotics, until the Reapers began dumping more and more ground troops until there were enough to soak up the damage so the rest could swarm the defenders.

It was sickening how the Reapers never ran out of troops, how they could repurpose everything they ran over. He'd known they could, known it for years, but it was times like this that it really hit home. He could see why many races in the past would just give up. Fortunately, this Cycle had several races who either liked or were good at picking fights.

And this Cycle also had Shepard…though he put this thought aside. It added more pressure to a woman already beginning to fray at the edges.

"Look out!" He threw up his hands, wincing as he diverted (seconded by Liara when she saw the problem) a massive chunk of duracrete knocked from some tower overhead. He assumed something had slammed into it, rather than it being knocked into by a Reaper, since none of the big ships was close. They'd have heard it if it was, felt the ground shake.

Shepard looked skyward, shaking her head to whatever mental remark she made. "Everyone okay?"

"Fine," Alenko nodded.

"…I'm not hurt," Liara answered carefully.

Javik merely grunted.

Shepard pushed on again, following EDI's series of NavPoints. Not for the first time, Alenko was glad for her eye in the sky. It made navigating this sort of ever-changing terrain easier to manage.

-J-

Javik might as well have saved his breath when encouraging Liara to strengthen her mind against the sort of things Reapers could do. Of all those who served with Shepard, Liara was the only one who had failed to do so.

Correction: the only one who went into the field who had failed to do so.

It was annoying to watch her act horrified and shocked. Had she not paid attention? Had she not realized that Thessia was spared this long only because it benefitted the Reapers to leave it be?

He was not ignorant that part of him did feel a certain sympathy for the girl. In his time, there had been no worlds that weren't burning, so there were no young people to be shocked and shaken when their world's turn came up. In some ways, being surrounded by the destruction was comforting; it was familiar.

But it wasn't comforting enough for him to want to stick around longer than he had to.

Fool of an asari, and this time he meant the one who tasked Shepard to come here. He knew Shepard suspected an artifact of his people. He suspected it himself. If the Councilor had withheld vital information she was a fool and a traitor. Shepard might not approve of some of the creative ways his Cycle dealt with traitors, but he was certain she would at least entertain the idea of putting the woman against a wall and shooting her.

Thessia might have been a beautiful world, once. Not for the first time, part of him wished he'd woken up before the Reapers arrived, been able to see glimpses of this new galaxy. If he couldn't lead the second empire, he at least could have appreciated the sights the current Cycle offered.

Javik locked this thought away, shoving it down as he always did. It was distracting, and this was not a place that was kind to distracted sapients. Such things would always exist on the Extranet. He could look at them any time he wanted.

Still, it troubled him sometimes, seeing these primitives react to losses.

-J-

Author's Note: if you're a fan of Star Wars: The Old Republic, you might enjoy the first installment of my newest project of the same name. It's presented in the same 1000-word format I use here. ^_^