MASS EFFECT: SCENES FROM A MEMORY
"What the hell are you doing, Williams?!"
"Making sure this bomb goes off, Commander. It's done, now go get Kaidan and get the hell out of here!"
"No! We can handle this! Go back and get Ash!"
"Alenko... Radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the AA Tower."
"But... Yes, Commander, but-"
"You know it's the right choice, LT! Go with the Commander!"
"Ash... I'm so sorry. I had to make a choice."
"I know, Commander, and I don't regret a thing. Now go get LT before we all get blown to Hell!"
The sounds of the electronic stuttering of the Geth forces that were overwhelming her. The bursts of fire coming out of her rifle. The high-pitched sound of the Normandy's engines as the ship sped away, carrying her friends to safety. The deafening roar and flash of white light as the bomb detonated, all sound and vision being abruptly cut off...
0
Ashley's eyes flew open as the last sounds she remembered hearing faded away. She gasped for breath, feeling sweat pour down her forehead. Her vision was blurred, doubtless a result of her having her eyes closed for a while, but new sounds were reaching her ears; the sounds of waves breaking against a solid surface and the cries of seagulls in the air. She felt feelings of confusion beginning to wash over her; there was no way she could possibly still be standing, and things could not possibly be this peaceful, not after everything she had just seen and heard. Nonetheless, she blinked a few times, trying to correct her vision.
As her eyes became used to functioning again, she found herself standing on a long footpath, facing the sea that stretched all the way to the horizon, a white railing being the only thing separating her from the deep water. The sky above was a reddish-purple as the sun was in the process of sinking below the horizon, the silhouettes of seabirds visible against the sky. The path she was standing on stretched along the coast for several miles, and to her right she could make out the distant lights of a city, flickering on to signal the beginning of the nightlife. Behind her rose a small grassy embankment, the grass broken up every so often by a tree. Baffled by the hauntingly familiar sights, Ashley looked down at herself, seeing that she was wearing her familiar white combat armour with its red trim. She reached up to touch the tanned skin on her face, feeling around until her fingers found her black hair tied in its familiar bun. Once she was sure that every piece of her was present, she paced back and forth, rubbing the back of her head and looking around her with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Okay, Ash..." she said, thinking aloud. "Keep calm, think this through logically." She shook her head, hardly daring to believe what she was about to say. "I'm dead. There's no other explanation for this. There isn't a race alive that can survive getting hit in the face by a nuke, and I'm pretty damn sure I wasn't teleported here. So now my body's been reduced to cinders and my spirit somehow ended up here." She stopped for a moment to look around her, taking in the peaceful surroundings. "Gotta say that this doesn't look like any idea of Heaven I've heard of."
"It's not supposed to be," said a soft, kind, feminine voice from behind her. Ashley heard the sound of shuffling feet upon the boardwalk and she turned, her dark eyes wide. She dug her feet in, preparing to defend herself against whatever called out to her. She reached back to her belt to feel for her weapons, but they were not there. Ashley lowered her arms when she saw a strange creature walking towards her.
The creature was about two feet taller than her with a lupine-like head, webbed frills lining its jawline and long branched horns made of obsidian growing out from the back of its head. If Ash didn't know any better, she could have sworn the creature looked like an Eastern Dragon with the long barbules dangling down from its upper lip. A pair of bat-like wings rested upon her back under a long white cloak. She could see the webbed membranes underneath the cloak as it began to flap behind her in the soft wind. The eyes glowed bright blue. A set of five black, triangular stripes were on her cheeks while a glowing bundle of cyan cords dangled from beneath her lengthy tresses of silvery, straight hair. Ashley knew these were the symbols of a Technomancer, but she had never seen a Technomancer having five stripes on each cheek. She had seen 'Mancers with one stripe, or two, Kiryuu Knight and Malcho had three, but never five. The "dragon" was covered in pearly white scales and dressed in a long kimono of various pastel hues, lavender, baby blue, soft green, and pink, all surrounded by a white over-robe with light gray trimming. Green pointed leaves decorated the robe. The creature looked to be surrounded by a halo of pale blue. The way it moved and spoke, Ashley figured it was female. The creature motioned for her to follow, leading her over to a bench. As it sat down, it patted a space for Ashley to join.
"Come here," the voice was obviously female, melodic, but not too deep. Ashley heard her accent, slightly Midwestern American with a flavour of New England. "I want to talk to you, Ashley."
"How do you know my name?" she asked.
"I've known you since you were born."
Ashley walked over and stood in front of her, refusing to sit down. She looked upon the luminescent being with slight hesitant suspicion.
"Who are you?" Ashley asked, her dark eyes narrowed even more.
"Who do you think I am?"
"I don't know!" she replied. "I know I'm dead. But this isn't Heaven or Hell, and you can't be Saint Peter. So, who are you?"
"My name–if you would like to call me one–is Takhisis," replied the strange, glowing being.
"Takhisis?" Ashley asked.
The dragon nodded.
"Okay," Ashley said, taking a deep breath again.
"Sit."
"I'd rather stand, thanks."
"Suit yourself, but the offer still stands if you want it."
Ashley rolled her eyes at the rather passive statement this creature called Takhisis made. Sighing, she plopped herself upon the bench. Takhisis smiled, folding her taloned fingers together, shrugging with excitement. They sat together, looking out over the beach as it turned pink and purple with the setting sun. Ashley could see in the inky blackness held back by the fading light, tiny, sparkling dots, the first stars coming into view. Above the band was a swath of milky swirls, like a belt splitting the sky in two–the glistening road of the Milky Way. Stars twinkled in pale blue and orange within the swath and clouds of black, orange and gray cut the light from the centre-most stars.
"No matter how many times I look at it–" Takhisis began, "it is still quite a sight to see. They all are, seeing this galaxy and others from a different position. Gives one a sense of the scope of how big this universe is." She turned back at the bewildered human still dressed in the armour she died in. "You are one of the rare ones I've encountered who has accepted death. You know you're dead."
"You're crazy to think I could ever survive a nuclear blast like that!" said Ashley. "Of course I'm dead! But–is this the afterlife?"
"This is Brazil, actually," said Takhisis. "Macapá. A very pretty place. I always loved tropical landscapes and oceans crashing upon the sand. Palm trees swaying in the salty breeze."
Ashley pulled upon her bun and let her black hair fall upon her shoulders. She leaned over, placing her hands upon her face and wagged it in dismay.
"Great, I've turned into a ghost and now I'm haunting my old training grounds," she said. Ashley looked back up, pulling a lock away from her face. "Or am I just in Purgatory and it looks like Macapá?"
"Neither," said Takhisis. "There is no Purgatory. Neither is there a Heaven or Hell–at least not what you think of it as. Nor will you go to such places. This place is really a pocket reality created for you and I to sit and talk. And we can take as long as you want."
"What are you?" Ashley asked, wagging her head as she leaned back against the bench. She looked into the dragon's glowing eyes.
"What do you think I am?"
"Fuck, I don't know!" replied Ashley. "You make it sound like you're God or something, but you don't look like the old man with a beard sitting on a cloud that I pictured."
"I can look like that if you want me to," said Takhisis, shrugging.
At this, Ashley slammed her hands on the bench and jerked to her feet. She glared at Takhisis and pointed her finger at her, her eyes narrowed.
"Is this your sick idea of a joke?!" she spat. "Are you trying to tell me that you're actually God? The God?!"
"I am the creator of every material that makes up the Multiverse," said Takhisis. "From the hydrogen and helium that fuels the stars in the sky to the calcium in your bones and the iron in your blood. But to say that I am a god is rather incorrect. Gods require worship to give them power and absolute devotion–they hinder the free mind of the individual. I am not a god. Just the creator of all you see. I require no worship; I just want you to experience life, to come up with your own conclusions, to believe in anything you want..."
Ashley paced back and forth, her expression looking furious.
"This must be fucking hilarious for you," she ranted. "I believed in God, the Bible, all of it. How could I look up there and not believe it?!" She waved her arm towards the stars that were beginning to reveal themselves in the darkening sky before continuing. "That belief kept me going through some really bad times in my life. When I was out there fighting the Geth and Saren that faith kept me strong. Now I get myself vaporised to make sure my friends survive, only for you to come along and basically tell me that everything I believed in was bullshit!" She back down on the bench and covered her face in her hands. "It was all bullshit..."
"Religion, Ashley, was–as you may put it–a man-made creation," said Takhisis. "I never designed any religion. You desire answers to how it all came to be because only sentient creatures could ever think the way you do. But even then, you came up with your own answers. Those answers were your many gods. You created God, Ashley, not the other way around. If I so wanted a religion, all my creations to worship me here and now, there would not be many religions, but one. I would make sure everyone knew me and I would make sure no one would ever write my word incorrectly. I would control everything you do and say, you could not even comb your hair without me there making sure you did it according to scripture. And if you so dared speak a word against me, you would have been destroyed–atom by atom, to where even your soul would not exist. There would be no final judgement either." She took in a deep breath. "But then life wouldn't grow. Life can't change. Life stagnates with beings like me controlling it. And it weakens and then withers."
Ashley leaned back on the bench, now showing her face again. There were faint streaks where tears had run down her face. She hadn't wanted to cry, as it made her feel like some silly little girl who broke down at the slightest little thing. This was too much for her to take in, though, to finally know this unshakeable truth, this blatant contradiction of everything she had believed in. It took a few moments for her to calm down, let her mind accept what she was now seeing and hearing. Eventually she let out a deep sigh as she turned back to face Takhisis, who was continuing to regard her with a look of deepest concern.
"Okay..." she said. "So if you're not God, and this isn't Heaven or Purgatory or anything like that, then what exactly are we doing here?"
"I may not be the God you think I am, but I do have laws," said Takhisis, rising up from the bench. "More like laws on how the way things work in the Multiverse rather than rules for you to follow. Every being that ever was, life itself, has a spiritual connection to me. And when that life dies, the energy–the knowledge–that what makes it up returns to me. You teach me something when you live and when it is time for you to die, you tell me your story. I am not here to give you the answers to the greatest questions your scholars ponder; I am here to learn from you. Tell me about your life, Ashley, what made you so unique?"
"And then what happens?" Ashley asked. "Do I go to Heaven?"
"There is no Heaven."
"Well, what happens to me?" she asked as she got up.
"You become one with me again," said Takhisis as she held out her claw to Ashley. "The soul you believe you have is a tiny piece of myself that collects your life experiences, all the good you have done, and the bad. There is no judgement, just transference of knowledge. Everything caries a small piece of me and when it dies, it returns it. I am the battery of the Multiverse as well as its creator. And the energy has to be recycled so that it can renew again and then learn new things to return to me once more and give me more knowledge."
"Why?" Ashley asked.
"This Multiverse has a purpose," she replied with a heavy sigh. "It is the first of its kind. All other universes that came before it were created just in the method of control over that life; religion and gods. But this Multiverse was not created in that way. It was created to evolve and learn. And the main reason for that is to figure out a way to make life hardy against that which threatens it. It is the thing that destroyed the last universe; it will be the thing that destroys this one if it continues on. You are a component in a vast computer-like entity; through your experiences, you tell me what I need to do to protect my Multiverse from that which threatens it. With your knowledge I can continue protecting those who you care about by keeping that monster at bay."
"What monster?" asked Ashley.
Takhisis motioned for her to follow. She led her out to the very edge of the ocean. Waves continued to crash upon the sand, hues of turquoise mixing in with tan. The water rushed out to touch Takhisis' bare toes as she stepped out onto the wet sand right at the edge. She reached up to the sky itself and Ashley gasped as she touched it. A talon grazed upon the sky, sending tiny ripples through it as if this godlike being was merely touching a liquid surface.
"I do not normally give people the answers," Takhisis began as the sky itself seemed to peel away, layers of stars opening up to a vast darkness. "But considering you are one of very few who have faced him–I suppose you would need one. Your death was more than just a sacrifice to save your friends; your death means that one voice can be spoken to those who do not believe. Your Kaelyn Shepard has discovered a terrible truth upon Virmire. One I hoped your kind would discover before it was too late."
In the sky, there appeared a vast space-faring vessel, one that Ashley knew all too well. The soldier's fingers curled into fists as she looked upon the black, metallic cuttlefish-looking ship with strips of blue light lining its dark surface. Red lights dotted the top of the ship, almost looking like multiple eyes.
"Saren!" she called. "And his ship!"
"It is not a ship," said Takhisis.
"No," said Ashley. She relaxed, looking away from the image. She sighed heavily. "It isn't. It's a Reaper. A real Reaper. And Saren is its pawn."
Takhisis waved her pale claw again and the Reaper began to transform in the sky. The plating brightened, becoming golden. The form melted and reshaped, sprouting three huge dragon heads, while the body became almost feline-like with two great webbed wings and twin tails. The metallic plating was now bumpy like scales. And then the creature roared, calling a horribly distorted, bell-like song from each of its mouths. Ashley looked to the sky again, her eyes wide when she saw the monster. She knew what that was; everyone in the UNSC knew what that was. She recalled seeing old video from the early 21st Century of that monster appearing in Memphis and making its way east across the state of Tennessee, leaving a horrible path of destruction in its wake. Before that, the monster had attacked Britain. It was only recently, however, when the UNSC began to fight the Covenant did humanity discover its next form, that of the parasitic Flood.
"Monster Zero," she said. "Shepard was right."
"And because of your death, she can now deliver that message to your Citadel Council," said Takhisis.
"Why would a being like you care about those jerks?" asked Ashley.
"When that monster first broke through the bubble that protected my Multiverse from creatures like him," Takhisis began, "I was already too weak to face him. A war broke out between the lesser powerful 'gods' who served me as they fought for control of what I created. They wanted things to go back to the way they were, Ashley, when they told you what to do. They wanted to be gods again rather than just guardians and watchers of life. The war devastated the Multiverse to where only a very small number with about 300 zeroes and a 1 beyond the decimal point was left. And that war brought him here. I expended much of my power to save what was left, so I could not face him. The only thing I could do was trap him in the universe you exist in and even within the local group of galaxies that your Milky Way calls a neighbourhood. King Ghidorah cannot go anywhere but your galaxy. Now that you have died, you can impart your knowledge to me to help me help people like Shepard fight him."
"How?" Ashley asked.
Takhisis reached behind her back to pull upon the cyan glowing cords flowing out from the back of her head and disappearing into nothing right at the tips.
"Those cords," said Ashley. "I did notice they looked like the cords Technomancers have. Kaidan told me they connect to something called the Array and are able to download knowledge from it."
"I am that Array, Ashley," said Takhisis. "Some know it, some do not. But it doesn't matter; it is what they do with that knowledge is what is important, not they knowing where it comes from. The Array exists, built upon 15 billion years of collecting that knowledge from beings like yourself upon your death. From the stars that explode right down to the microbes that make up the lining in your stomach. However, King Ghidorah has found a way to block that knowledge. When he absorbs a soul through his indoctrination–he prevents that soul from coming back to me. Instead he takes the knowledge for himself, and as he does so, he absorbs a piece of me with it. He weakens me and thereby weakens the Multiverse. Existence will cease if he is successful. My purpose is to keep it alive with my energy; without me, there is no you."
Then, with a wave of her claw, the image of King Ghidorah vanished. The sky returned to normal and the stars blanketed it, twinkling happily within the midnight blue field. Takhisis turned back to Ashley.
"I know you just told me there is no Hell," said Ashley, clenching her fist, "but wherever King Ghidorah came from sounds pretty damn close. I just hope Shepard can kick that bastard's sorry ass back to whatever it crawled out of."
"You don't wish you were still there with her?" asked Takhisis.
"Oh, I do," said Ashley, sighing. "Not a thing I can do about it now, though. I knew what was going to happen when I told Shepard to take Kaidan and go. I made that choice, I knew what would happen; no sense trying to tell myself otherwise." She looked back upwards towards the night sky. "All I hope now is that my death can mean something."
"It means a lot to Shepard," said Takhisis. "And to many who knew you."
She waved her claw and Ashley took in a deep breath just as the wind picked up around her, blowing her dark locks around her face. She heard something in the wind, being carried by it, a familiar voice.
"I blame Saren. I just left a friend to die and I didn't do it lightly. Damn him for forcing me into that position!"
"Shepard!" Ashely said, recognizing the voice who spoke. She started reaching out for the voice, hoping to touch it, to tell it that she was alright. But just as soon as the voice had come, went, nothing more than a shadowy echo of someone she was leaving behind.
"Knowing what kind of person Shepard is, she is not likely to forget someone like you," said Takhisis, turning back to Ashely. "And for your sacrifice, those who have a bit more power will make sure you are truly remembered."
"I bet President Knight is behind that," said Ashley, with a small smile. "No detail ever escapes him.
Takhisis sat down on the sands and motioned for Ashley to do the same. The human did so, peering back up at the stars with a thoughtful expression.
"Well," Takhisis then said, clasping her hands together, "I've told you more than I tell most. I think it's only fair that I learn something about you, don't you?"
"What?" said Ashley, arching an eyebrow. "You don't already know? You were serious before when you said you wanted me to tell you my life story?"
"The same story is always told a bit differently when spoken through another voice," said Takhisis. "I may know about you life, Ashley, but I do not know it through your eyes." She leaned a little closer to the human and nudged her gently with an elbow. "So, tell me a story."
Ashley could not help but to laugh at that statement. She leaned back upon her hands and relaxed her legs as she looked out over the horizon.
"Do you ask this of everyone who dies?" she asked.
"Every single one. It is the one of the few times I ever get to interact with mortal spirits like yourself. No interference–no contamination of life."
Ashley folded her lips together, making them nice and moist with her tongue as she began to think about what she was going to say next. She gave a flip to her hair and looked back at the strange, wolf-dragon who sat beside her, awaiting her story. Takhisis allowed her bat-like wings to spread around her body as she sat, and she draped the white cloak over them.
"I have to ask you of something first, Takhisis," Ashley began. "Before I even start."
"Ask me anything."
"If things get bad," began Ashley. "I mean really bad–for Shepard–for everyone. The Reapers, King Ghidorah–can you help them? What if Shepard can't help the galaxy defeat them? Can you do something? Physically go down there and do something?"
Takhisis drew in a deep sigh and leaned back against her own hands. She looked up at the sky as the wind softly blew around her silvery locks. The cyan cords whipped behind her, snaking around as the small, strange, alien code race down their fibrous, ghostly filaments. It seemed someone was currently accessing her knowledge even as she and Ashley were together. However, she did not even seem strained by it, keeping her focus upon the question the human presented her.
"I can go down there and fight him," she replied.
"Will you?"
"Ashley, the last time I faced King Ghidorah, I failed," Takhisis began. "Mostly because I didn't have enough power to fight him."
"Do you now?" Ashley asked.
"It's only been 250 million years," she replied.
"Only 250 million?"
"It may seem like a long time to you, but it's more like an hour for me," said Takhisis. "If your star had begun its light at the start of a calendar month, then the time between the moment King Ghidorah breaking through and your death in Virmire would total out to 60 minutes and 38 seconds."
"So, you've only rested an hour," said Ashley. "Even then, we still need a lot of help. People are dying because of him. I've seen what one of those Reapers can do and I've heard what the Flood does. If you say that each time he Indoctrinates people–that is slowly killing you–then shouldn't you do something to stop it? If Shepard and President Knight–and the Council–everyone in the galaxy, the universe relies upon you to exist, then they are already dying each time you do. You have to do something. If it really is each time he takes a life, he really is taking yours, then you need to defend yourself."
"I was asked this by my ex-husband once," Takhisis began, bowing her head sadly. "And I told him that if I interfere in one reality, I must do it for all. That interference hurts life more." Her face drew stern, her brow furrowing as she began to grip the sand tightly in her claws. "But I did promise I would interfere twice where King Ghidorah's influence was the strongest. I have already done so in one reality–nearly 500 years ago. The second time has yet to happen. It will be of my choosing." She looked back at Ashley. "If the battle goes ill, if all efforts the mortals use cannot push him back, I will come. That monster has done enough damage and I've left him to his devices for far too long. It was my mistake, Ashley, to leave him to plague your galaxy and your planet so much. For that, I am sorry."
"That is the first time I've ever heard God apologize," said Ashley, blinking with startled shock at what she had heard. "And admit a mistake."
"I'm not infallible," said Takhisis. "Never claimed to be. I just have to be careful when I do correct some mistakes because life is so fragile. Sometimes the correction makes the matter worse than better. But you are right, I cannot let him continue. This you must know, Ashley, even if I get rid of King Ghidorah, there will be others to take his place. There are always others."
"Why?" Ashley asked.
"It is what I get for making an imperfect Multiverse," Takhisis replied. "Imperfection is a good thing. It makes creatures like you, creatures who can grow and learn."
"But you will help Shepard?" Ashley asked. "If it does come to that? If the Reapers can't be stopped?"
"When all efforts are exhausted, I will," said Takhisis. "But I am known as the last line of defence for the Multiverse. Others must come before me. Including Shepard."
Ashley sighed. She wagged her head in dismay.
"Then, Shepard will die," she said. "You can't just say when everything is destroyed, that's when you'll do something. It would be a meaningless fight when there is nothing left."
"Ashley," Takhisis began, her voice rising to a slight commanding tone. She raised a claw up. "I can't make a decision right now. The battle is just beginning for Shepard and those around her. I have to see how they will handle things first before I decide to interfere. I want to make sure they don't need me before I jump in. Consider me a part of a tag team with Shepard. I will make a promise to you, when Shepard is just about to throw in the towel, I will make sure she tags me in."
Ashley took in a deep breath again, digesting that promise. Takhisis scooted a little closer to her, folding her claws into her lap.
"Now will you tell me your story?" she asked.
Ashley could not help but to laugh again. This supreme being–creator of everything she knew, almost acted child-like, wanting to hear a story right before bedtime. As if Ashley's story was the most important thing she ever wanted to hear, Takhisis just could not wait. Ashley began to wonder if other people who died and came to this creator would plague her with unending questions before finally telling her about their lives. She could bet on a few of them just immediately asking her the Ultimate Question: 'What is the meaning of life and the universe?'
Takhisis twitched a furry, pointed ear, quietly waiting for Ashley to say something. She shuffled her shoulders and curled her toes as the tide brought the water a little closer. However, Ashley noticed that as the water touched the supreme being's feet, they appeared not to even get wet.
"I don't know where to begin," said Ashley.
"Each story has a beginning," said Takhisis. "Just start by stating where you were born."
"The beginning," said Ashley. "Alright."
"Remember, you have all the time in the Multiverse to tell it," she said. "I will be right here, waiting for you to finish."
Ashley laid back upon the sand, staring up at the glistening, starry sky above. A bright streak flashed across in an arc, a shooting star. She folded her arms behind her head.
"It is a pretty place," she said. "All that up there–those stars. I always wanted to visit them, like my grandfather did."
Ashley smiled and she began to recount her life to Takhisis, recalling every detail she could remember. She told about how her family looked up to her when her father was away during assignment, how close she was with her sisters, and about the first time she came into the military–following her family's rich tradition. However, her voice turned slightly sour when she told Takhisis about the blacklist upon her family. Due to her grandfather's actions, being the only human who ever surrendered to the Covenant, the Williams family had then been treated rather harshly within the UNSC. Being here, in Macapá, she remembered how many of the other recruits would call her a coward, which only drove Ashley to prove that she was not. At times she became a little reckless in her decisions, trying to prove that she was not going to fail like her grandfather. She recalled the actual story of her grandfather, that he only wanted to save the lives of his men, even if that meant surrender, but that only made it worse. It seemed many times the UNSC wanted martyrs more than survivors, and that thought brought a bitter taste to Ashley's mouth.
Now, as she began to recall her death, she felt she had become the martyr the UNSC wanted her to become. However, she did not see it that way. She wanted to save Shepard, to allow Shepard to escape and warn everyone of what Saren was doing. That was important, not martyrdom.
Takhisis just sat and listened, not even saying a word as Ashley recounted her story. Her expression changed slightly each time Ashley hinted upon an important part of her life, something that brought her joy or sorrow. Ashley had to admit to herself, being under Shepard's command was one of the greatest things she had been. Shepard gave her a chance to prove what she was made of. Shepard did not judge her for her family's history, or for her beliefs, but for her own merits. Ashley was not going to let her down, and she did not let her down. In the end, what she accomplished may have been the very thing that could save the UNSC and the Council from a horrible menace.
She spoke particularly warmly of the rest of the Normandy crew, including the pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau and the Technomancer Kaidan Alenko. She said that she had seen the way Shepard and Kaidan looked at each other whenever there was downtime on the Normandy; part of the reason that she had been willing to sacrifice herself was that she didn't want to deprive them of a possible future together. When it came to the alien crew members she was hesitant to talk, as if worried about what Takhisis might think of what she was going to say. She admitted that she didn't trust aliens, but not out of simple xenophobia; even after the Covenant War, the fact that she was only ever given ground-side garrison duties meant that she had no experience working with them. She had once likened the Council to the owner of a dog that they would sic on a bear to save their own neck, regardless of how much they loved that dog. She was worried about whether that would turn out to be true when it came to the crunch, though she did not doubt that humanity would do the same if the roles had been reversed. Shepard had listened to her as she had outlined her concerns. She had not judged her for them; she had seen where Ashley was coming from, but encouraged her to keep an open mind. She had tried to do so, and found herself losing most of her prejudices through working with Liara T'Soni, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya – who she came to regard as a little sister – and even Urdnot Wrex. By the time she had decided to stay to make sure the bomb had gone off, she had known that she would do anything for them; she would fight for them, and she would die for them.
Ashley finally came to the end of the story, just as the bomb took her life. There was no regret in her decision. Though she wanted to continue to fight with Shepard, she made the call herself. It was her choice. In the end, Ashley finally realized what Takhisis meant by no interference. The absence of the powerful god meant that Ashley could make such choices like this, the important ones that would then shape others who came in contact with her. Ashley was in control of her life, not a religion, not a doctrine. Takhisis was just there to see to it that she was able to make such choices, and then to hear about it when it was time for her to tell her story.
As she finished her story, Ashley let loose a tear. She smiled softly. She looked back at Takhisis one more time.
"Will that do?" she asked.
Takhisis simply nodded, a kind smile on her snout. Both figures rose from the sand and turned to face each other. As Ashley stood, brushing the sand from her armour, she quoted something that felt relevant to her now, from one of her favourite poems;
"Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred."
"Tennyson," said Takhisis with a smile. "'The Charge of the Light Brigade'."
"Yeah," said Ashley, wiping away the tears that were forming with a brave smile. "It sounded appropriate, especially for Shepard."
Takhisis closed her eyes, the glowing cyan cords reaching out to attach themselves to Ashley, caressing each part of her body. The human made no attempt to resist; she understood now what needed to be done. She closed her eyes and let herself go. Her body seemed to shine with a cyan light, as the very essence that made her what she was was broken down, her body seeming to break apart in a beautiful display of sunbursts. Within mere seconds she was gone, and Takhisis retracted the cords, Ashley's essence once again rejoined to her. Ashley gave her the knowledge and experiences that she had been through, and in return she gave Ashley immortality and continued learning as part of the Array.
Ashley's personality imprints were certainly powerful, as was her will to fight and protect. Her worry for Shepard was great, and this imprinted itself in Takhisis herself, and for a moment the supreme being even felt herself being consumed by that willpower. There was a brief moment where she felt like descending upon the Milky Way, grabbing a gun and shooting at the synthetic beings known as the Geth. It was an impulse that she had to fight to resist. Even in death, Ashley's determination to protect all that she cared about lived on. That time would have to wait, though. She knew that she had to place her trust in those that were fighting that monster. To descend and take up the fight herself would be interfering with the affairs of others, something she had sworn never to do, and even so the price of her intervention was too high for any to consider. It was as she had told Ashley; she would not intervene, unless there was absolutely no other option.
Nonetheless, even as this pocket dimension resembling a time and place familiar to Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams faded around her, Takhisis' will to see an end to the horrors of the Hydra was hardened. As the last light of the stars faded to darkness, the roar of the ocean slapping against the sand finally gave into silence and the swelling darkness of the Void itself closed in upon her. However, she heard a rumbling, sinister chuckle call out from the Void itself. If she had a heart, it would be quickening. Her chest heaved in and out just as the last bit of sandy beach began to tear away, not by her command, but by something else.
Takhisis began to pull out away as the last bit of the scene broke off and fell into the Void. She floated up into the darkness of the Void itself, her shimmering body the only light in the darkness.
"I see you!"
She gasped, swinging around at the sound of the voice. She looked through the darkness, trying to find where that voice was calling from. She raised her arms, closing her eyes. Bright, blinding, blue white light surrounded her as nine different orbs of deep indigo radiant stars ignited. Prominence exploded forth from their hot surfaces, looping around magnetically charged sunspots as flares belched out from fissures. As their light ignited the darkness, filaments of green starlight stretched out from the Void, taking shape of the last afterglow of Big Bang. This is how she saw the Multiverse, webs of radio light still just jutting forth from a singular point in Space-Time, and the ancient static was the only sound she heard.
She pulled out even further and the filaments coalesced upon each other into a singular point surrounded by a bubble of blackness. Eight other bubbles of blackness with similar radio filaments below the visible spectrum also came into view, surrounded by a swath of murky colours, shimmering curtains of light, and webbing of purple-black intersecting through the murk and connecting each sphere to each other. Circling these spheres were sixteen other spheres, each one containing its own separate universe, each one containing one of her subordinates–those she called her children, even if many of them were not directly related to her. They turned upon a fulcrum, a torus that hovered above, holding it all together. Though, she remembered a time when they were all spaced out even further, surrounded by infinite number of realties, each one in their finite bubbles, connected by the roads of the Shadow Plane.
"You cannot escape me, little girl!"
Takhisis opened her pearly paw as a cyan orb of energy gathered in its centre. She squeezed upon the orb and it exploded forth from her fist, forming into a long cyan blade and hilt.
"I have your pawns! Takhisis! I have them! And now I have you in check!"
"No you don't," she said.
The ancient being called out with a shocked roar as a golden claw began to reach out from the star-filled sphere she rose herself from. Takhisis swung the sword upon the long claw reaching for her and dove down. She sliced through, splitting the claw in twain. She heard a bellow of agony as she drove the sword forward, carrying her back into the universe that she had trapped the Hydra in. Takhisis speared through the bubble diving into the filaments of radio light. They spread out around her, becoming galaxies, irregular shapes and swaths of stars. She dove down into one galaxy, one spiral galaxy, milky arms of stars, and flashes of explosions coming from one small point, the source of the claw. The golden claw broke apart, golden lightning sparked about her. The long golden arm slowly dispersed into golden flecks. Her claw relaxed as the sword disappeared from her palm.
"You cannot escape me, Takhisis. Your predecessors failed, and you will fail. Just give in, Dark Queen. Give in and let me take back what you so-called "gods" stole."
"We stole nothing from you," she said. "You are stealing what is mine."
"Oh, I keep forgetting how young you are, how naïve. Barely even 16 billion years old, and you are nothing more than a stooge for the High Gods that came before. Just as many who come to you find out their belief is nothing more than lies, so will you soon realize what you believe in–what you've been duped into protecting was also a lie. You are only keeping alive something that had died long ago. Besides, you are the ultimate failure, dear Queen of Darkness. Still being laughed at by those you once called your equals. Give in and release the pain. I will not judge you. You are welcomed in my eternity. Join with me at last. Don't fight me, Takhisis. Don't fight what was supposed to be."
"That's enough out of you, Hydra," said Takhisis. "Begone from the Connection."
Her glowing cyan blue cords whipped out from behind her and a thunder clap sparked at their tips, racing down through the long silica as the flow of information raced out from her mind. She felt her view zooming in even further as she completely descended down, following the burst of energy she directed down through the Array Connection.
There she found herself in the middle of a battle, the five arms of the Citadel opening up slowly to reveal the dark, metallic shape of a gigantic Reaper. Already, many ships fired upon it, but its shielding was holding on strong. She turned to see the long, bulbous, hooked bow of a dark purple ship race towards the Citadel, firing its torpedoes upon the Reaper, followed by blocky gray ships behind it, joining in trying to weakening the Reaper's shield. Each ship just flew by her, not even taking notice.
The Connection Cords pulled back, yanking away from the one who was the source of King Ghidorah's invasion upon the Array itself. She knew who was compromised and she wagged her head with dismay. As King Ghidorah's consciousness finally left the one who had access to the Array, seeking out another to take control, Takhisis watched on. At the end, the battle was successful, the Reaper was destroyed, its shell broken apart by oncoming torpedoes and crashing upon the Citadel.
"This is not over, you only delay the inevitable."
"Perhaps," said Takhisis as she felt King Ghidorah pull back into the Void itself, leaving the husk of the burning Reaper behind. "Perhaps I am only denying a truth I never knew when I took the powers from the previous High God. Perhaps I should just let you win, Ghidorah. But then, what satisfaction would you gain if I just handed the Multiverse to you without a struggle? Don't you know me yet? I never hand anything to anyone. Nothing ever comes easy, not even your victory." She focused upon one final explosion as the pieces of the Vanguard Reaper slammed against the arms. "Besides, the easy way is so boring. You can take it easy when you're finally dead and your sub-particles scattered into the oblivion."
"And then what? A party? You won't be celebrating long. I am one of many."
Finally his consciousness severed their connection and she felt her mind freed from his presence. Takhisis breathed. Sadly, she knew he was right. She always knew it was ongoing. The portal had been opened, and not even she had the power to close it, her power expended only to keep what was left after the War that caused such devastation going. The wars were slowly, slowly killing her. His presence only festered in her, agonizingly tearing her apart bit by bit. And even if she could destroy him and rid the Multiverse of his presence, there were always more to take his place. There will always be more until she finally succumbs like all those that came before.
This position she had came with a terrible price. Though hearing the cheers of the mortals as they stopped a terrible foe from calling forth more of his kind–it gave her some hope. But this was one victory; one victory did not mean the end of the war. It was going to be a very long war. Like it was 250 million years ago, she could never hope to save them all, but she had some hope to save a few, and that was the hope that kept her strong.
Takhisis finally backed away, leaving the mortals to their victory. Though, inside, she could still feel the presence of Ashley Williams speaking to her, urging her on, urging her to fight something, anything, save anything. Takhisis exhaled and closed her eyes as her brilliant silvery colour faded to black, the brilliant blue glow dimming. The black scales of her cheeks concealed the five pairs of triangular black stripes upon her cheeks. The cords withdrew.
"Alright, one fight, Ashley," said Takhisis, finally giving in to the spirit that now resided inside of her. She opened her icy blue glowing eyes. "I suppose one fight–one small fight–will do. Something insignificant, something small, something my pieces on the chess board won't notice."
With that, she faded, finding a target to vent her frustration upon. After all, it had been 250 million years since she had a decent fight. Takhisis was a little out of practice.
THE END