A/N: Hey guys! So if anyone reading this is has read me before, you know I tend to write epics rather than short stories or anything of the like. This here is something completely different then I'm used to; basically it's my own head-cannon, one that's consistently been floating around in my brain for the past five years or so, ever since I first played the games. It's not something I generally obsess about but recently (while trolling around the ME fandom looking for some inspiration for the reboot of my stargate story,) I've come across a few good reads that made me decide to pull this out of storage, tweak it a bit, and then post it up for everyone to see.

Yay me!

So anyways, unlike anything else I've ever written, this is going to be more or less a whole bunch of little drabbles and such strung together in chronological order to make a much bigger story. The chapters will be short and numerous, or long depending upon how I feel when writing them. Something they won't be, however, is anywhere near my normal length. No 20,000 something words here – maybe five or six if I feel like it but probably nothing longer than that. And, moving on, I believe I mentioned there where some fics out there that sorta inspired this one. They are as follows:

"Raised Turian" by Deadelfsgirl, "Foreign Relations" by ghanimajade and, my personal favorite, "Between Breaths" by Plantress. If any of you have time and haven't done so already, I highly recommend you go check those out.

Anyway, that's it for me – I realize I've written you a novel and my A/N's almost as long as this first chapter by I had to say it and I had to give credit where credit's due. If you enjoy this then please leave a review as reviews are the only way fanfiction authors get paid. Put a penny in my cup and make my day!

UPDATE! As of 11/10/15 this chapter has been revised. I know I said I wasn't gonna but my muse just wouldn't let me. She bounced around in my head, giving me ideas and things until I finally broke down and added stuff. Please don't be mad, anyone who's read me before knows I've got a problem with writing short stories – at least this one didn't spiral completely out of control. Much love and please review (again) Bye.

Chapter 1: Ari

There's an old turian saying about the best weapon being the blade of the enemy turned on its master. Your average turian will tell you the term's old, outdated, and useless because why would you need the enemy's sword when you could just shoot them. Most generals on the other hand, most anyone past captain, if asked, would tell you a different story. Overwhelming force is all well and good by why waste resources when you can get the job done just as well without them. Turning an opponent's own blade around on them is much more effective especially if that blade happens to be able to walk, talk and think on its own. The part of the old saying that everyone always misconstrues is that the sword isn't always an actual sword. It can be anything: a rock, a grenade, someone's pride or even a little human girl.

When Tactus found her she was scarred, wet and all alone; the only living thing in the underground lab the general and his team had been sent to neutralize. According to their Intel the facility was being used to create a bio-weapon to be deployed against anyone a specific group of humans didn't like. This interest group, Cerberus, was still a bit sore about how the recent relay 314 incident had ended. The battle was over but they were still trying to win. Human stupidity at its finest: unable to recognize they'd been beaten.

Palaven Command had sent General Tactus not only because he was a man who got results but because a bioweapon could be any number of things – the right call sometimes came down to nothing more than a morality call made by whoever was in charge. Darren Tactus was a honorable man so when his team breached the lab, found all the technicians dead, the facility abandoned and a small, terrified human child left behind in the rubble, he didn't so much as think twice. A child was a child, no more no less. He scooped her up, held her close and brought her back to his ship where he had his medic examine her. It was something of a surprise to learn, a day later, the girl wasn't just a survivor.

She was the weapon.

"Explain," he demanded, looking over the small, frightened child huddled up on the infirmary bed trying to make herself as small as possible and looking anywhere but at the two turians. "How could she -"

"Shin weave, bone weave, genetic modification and tampering," his medic began to list the things he'd found. It was a long list. "She's a biotic too, stronger than most cabals. Her cells indicate she was exposed to eezo while still in utero and again, several times, shortly after her birth. If not for the cerebral implant, her brain would've exploded years ago and speaking of explosions – I think I know what happened to those lab techs."

The implication was clear, Tactus' eyes narrowed. "You think she killed them."

"I do," the second turian nodded. "But I don't think she meant to. I think, based off the physical evidence, she was systematically tortured in order to manifest some type of instinctual response. Like training a varren for the fighting cage, they wanted her to -"

"How old is she?" A click told Tactus the medic wasn't sure. He sighed, "Guess."

"Three, maybe four years old." Given her size, weight and his limited understanding of human biology it was his best estimate. "Why do you ask?"

"She's a child," Tactus replied, body stiff, mandibles held tight against his face in barely concealed rage. "She's a child and she's been tortured."

"Extensively," the doctor agreed. "It'd probably be best if we euthanized her now -"

"No."

"What do you mean no!?"

Tactus turned to him. "There's no honor in killing a child, not before it's been given a chance to live."

The medic sputtered. "If you turn her over to the humans there's a very good chance they'll kill her anyway and they won't be nice about it. It'd be better -"

"Easier maybe, but not better. Not for her anyway." The general sighed, "And I'm not suggesting we turn her over to the Alliance. Child or no, she was created to be a weapon and one does not give idiots weaponry," he sighed again, "We're taking her back to Palaven."

"To do what with?" the medic demanded, "Study her, lock her up and throw away the key? How's that any better then -"

"I'm not going to lock her away and I'm most certainly not going to let our scientists study her," Tactus countered. "I'm going to raise her."

The medic was astounded. "You're going to…are you insane!? Why would -"

"She's a weapon, Chavik," Tactus explained, "And the humans, especially this group, Cerberus, is the enemy. I'm going to turn her into a sword."

Chavik, the medic, gave a groan and shook his head. "You high-castes and that damned saying. When has it ever worked out the way it was intended?"

"Several times actually," replied the general. "The history books are peppered with very notable successes. Take the unification wars for example. When we conquered Invictus -"

"Yes, yes, I know the story," Chavik exclaimed, "I don't need a history lesson."

Tactus clicked. "Apparently you do."

The medic glared at him. "Well it'll have to wait," he said, "If we're taking her back to Palaven you're going to have to come up with some argument to give the hierarchy but before that, might I suggest you try and bond with her? It might help your cause if when you take her to see the Primarch she's already attached to you."

It was fair advice so, after sending a message to the bridge telling them to plot a course, the general approached the bed with the child in it and sat down in front of her.

"Do you remember me?" he asked.

The little girl nodded proving that her translator had started working. He tried to smile, hoping not to scare her. "Don't be frightened, I won't hurt you. My name is Darren Tactus. What's yours?"

"Ari."

"Just Ari?"

A nod. "Arianna but the lady that brings me food always called me Ari."

"That's a pretty name."

Blue eyes, suddenly more visible beneath strange, light yellow fringe, studied him intently. "You look weird. Why do you look weird?"

He chuckled. "Because I'm turian."

"What's a tur…tur-an?"

"Turian," he corrected, drawing out the syllables for her benefit. "And it's what I am."

"Well then what am I?" she asked.

"You're a human," he replied.

She made a face. "I don't wanna be human, humans are mean. They locked me up and turned out all the lights. It was always dark and my tummy was empty and I was cold."

She crawled to the edge of the bed and then, after only a moment of hesitation, straight into his lap. Surprised, Tactus barely had time to catch her before she tumbled to the floor. Ari didn't seem to notice or maybe she just didn't care. Sitting in his lap looking up at him, her little eyes were all but imploring.

"Can I be a turian too?"

Hugging her tightly, he gave a sharp nod. "I'll teach you to be turian in every way that matters."

"You promise?" she asked, tiny arms wrapping around as much of him as they could, burrowing further into his armored chest. The cold metal didn't seem to bother her.

Darren Tactus looked down, surprised by her willingness to seek comfort from him but secretly glad of it. If it was bonding they were supposed to be doing then he was already half there. "I promise, Ari," he whispered, lowering his head to nuzzle at the top of hers with his right cheek and mandible. "You have my word."

Minutes later, still in his lap, the little girl was sound asleep.

~xXx~

Convincing the Primarch of Palaven along with Hierarchy command to let him keep her proved relatively easy, much easier then Tactus thought it'd be. They, like him, saw the potential in sharpening an enemy's blade and then waiting for the right opportunity to hold it against their throats. The only concern they had was in how best to ensure her loyalty. It was decided that simply raising her within the culture wouldn't be enough, her fidelity had to be complete and to this end, Senate Advisor Fedorian had a solution.

Adoption.

Since Tactus had already volunteered to raise her it was unanimously voted he would be the one to take it a step further. The Tactus name was among the most well respected in Hierarchy space producing more primarchs and senators than any other. Their entire clan was born to serve and inducting Ari into it meant that when the time came she'd act with all the dignity, determination and loyalty of her ancestors. When the verdict came and Tactus was presented with his new charge he accepted gracefully, standing straight and proud through the adoption proceedings that officially made the little girl he'd found and rescued his daughter: Arianna Tactus.

Fedorian was at his side minutes after the ceremony ended asking him what in Spirit's name he was thinking.

"What was I thinking?" Tactus growled, "You're the one convinced the Primarch and his entire command that I needed to adopt -"

"I made the suggestion because it was the only surefire way to ensure she grows up loyal to the hierarchy," Fedorian countered, waving his hands in order to silence his friend, "I made the best call based on the situation I was given. What I want to know is why I was given the situation in the first place."

Darren sighed. "They tortured her Jorell. A child, my medic thinks she's probably about four – that's only three years younger than Tysus. They starved her and they hurt her because they were trying to condition her like you would a fighting varren. You didn't see how scared she looked when I found her…"

"Damn." Fedorian's heart wrenched at the mention of his son and the small gap in age between him and the human girl his oldest friend was now in charge of. When thought of like that, he knew he would've made the same call had their positions been reversed. Children were meant to be treasured and loved unconditionally. He wondered how long it would take for Tactus to develop more than a sense of duty towards his young charge.

It took exactly a month, one month of her living with him before Darren took Fedorian aside one day and told him he felt he was beginning to love her. Jorell had smiled at him, patted him on the back and told him it was about time before casually mentioning that maybe their children could get together and play sometime. The introduction went surprisingly well: Ari walked up to Tysus and said hi, Tysus snarled at her and called her a stupid pyjak, Ari's face turned red, she stomped her foot and then the next thing Tysus knew she'd punched him in the face. Both Jorell and Darren had found this to be ridiculously funny.

"She's got spunk, I'll give her that," Fedorian commented, watching as his older son got chased around by a human girl three years younger and about a foot shorter. "Knows how to stand up for herself."

"She's a Tactus," Darren replied, watching his daughter proudly, "She's not allowed to surrender."

Fedorian snorted and then the two of them went back inside. From that day forwards the two children were nearly inseparable so much so that to save on time, Fedorian offered to let Ari join Tysus during his lessons with his tutors rather than make Tactus hire her her own. Whenever Darren had to travel off planet for a mission or whenever he was deployed, Ari came and stayed with them. She even had her own room. When it came time for Tysus to join basic, both Darren and Jorell had to comfort her for days after he'd gone away promising her that it'd be her turn soon enough.

And when it was, Fedorian had to comfort Darren because nine years hadn't been enough and he wasn't ready yet to let his daughter go.

"She's a Tactus," Jorell reminded him, clapping him on the shoulder as the shuttle carrying his baby girl got farther and farther away. "She'll be fine. You've taught her well."

Tactus was reassured but only just. He'd always told her that she was turian in every way that mattered and in her childhood, closed off and separated from the majority of turian society, surrounded by only an elite few, it was all true. Out there though, in the real world, Darren wasn't sure it would be. For spirit's sake he hoped she'd be alright because if something happened to her, if anything happened to her, there'd be hell to pay.

"Come on," Fedorian was saying, taking her friend by the shoulders in order to steer him back towards their transport. He needed to get him mind of Ari's leaving and get it focused on something else. He knew just the thing, "Guess who just got promoted to general?"

"Who?" asked Tactus dejectedly.

"Adrien Victus."

Darren froze then growled. "For spirit's sake why?" he demanded, "Victus can barely follow orders why makes Command think he's capable of giving them?"

"He's not as bad as you think he is. He's just -"

With a loud growl Tactus spun on his heel and stomped away muttering under his breath something about how stupid Palaven Command was being. Shaking his head, Fedorian let out a sigh and followed.