the next chapter is slowly in the making. im trying do at least a part of a paragraph per day. In order to keep you all updated ill be changing the top of this chapter.
Now for the story...
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The night was cold, Rael had been camping between settlements for nearly a week now. He was tired from the work he had done the previous day. It had been exactly eight days since his father allowed him to leave and see the rest of the world. Hard work and survival classes had been paying off, he finally accepted his father wasn't just being a hard-ass. He pulled out a photo of his parents as he sat under a tree on his makeshift bedding.
He had remembered the old stories his father used to tell him about things called Reapers, it was far fetched but it fealt true. He pulled up his omnitool and started watching some old home videos. Rannoch was mearly one planet but he had never fealt so far away from home in his life. His eighteenth birthday was in 3 days, he had hoped to catch a shuttle back home.
Rael fell asleep as his omnitool started playing back an old Quarian hymn his mother would sing quietly. She would sit in the living room and think or she would be re-repairing things over and over, no matter what she would be singing quietly to herself. Even his father from time to time could be heard singing in Kellish. He could never understand how his father was human, but he never found a reason to question race when he knew he was lucky to even be conceived.
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He woke up and cleared his visor, even though he had a stronger immune system then other Quarians due to the trace amounts of human genes, he still had to wear an envirosuit. He got up and immediately went to the farm where he was working for food.
"Good morning, Shaal," He said still waking up.
Shaal was the owner of the farm, a kind man but stern and he never put up with slacking.
"Good morning, Rael. Ready to pull in the crops?"
"Yessir, grab the first one and show me where you want the rest."
"Sounds good, tell you what. Since you've been doing good work I'll throw some credits your way this time plus dinner."
"Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me."
"Don't thank me Rael, you've earned it. Plus I figure your father and mother miss you."
"I miss them myself," Rael said somewhat quietly, Shaal heard sadness in his voice and immediately reacted.
"Come on Rael, let's get these crops pulled in, Quarians don't eat if there's no food in the kitchen."
Rael went out with Shaal and started helping with the cutting and harvesting of crops. His father told him that many of the crops on Rannoch were similar to the ones on Earth. The crops he was pulling in were similar to wheat. As such it was made into breads the Quarians made over 300 years ago.
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After he loaded the last bale, Shaal transfered some credits to Rael.
"Come on, my wife's got some dinner cooking now."
"Thank you, I'm starving."
He had nutripaste in his belt but he was tired of it. They say it has no taste but to him it did, he always thought it tasted of rotten vegitables. He walked down the dirt path to a small house bordering the field.
"We're done in the fields!" Shaal yelled.
"Good to hear, dinner is almost ready. Find a chair!" she yelled back.
She brought out a meal of bread, fish and water out to each of them.
"This smells amazing as always."
"Thank you Rael, you're always so well mannered."
They all removed their visors and payed respects to the ancestors before eating.
"So, I hear your birthday is coming up," Shaal's wife began.
"Yes it is, I was hoping to catch a shuttle back home to spend it with my parents."
"Ah, well just be careful. As tradition goes, after a childs eighteenth birthday they are givin a choice. Stay and help the people or leave for a pilgramige," Shaal said.
"Pilgramige? Why would we send anyone out anymore we have our homeworld."
"Because we do not wish to be confined, we can stay and rebuild but if we do not explore we do not learn."
"I think I understand," Rael said as he finished his meal and replaced his visor.
"You're off to bed I take it?" Shaal's wife asked.
"Yes, I'm exhausted."
"I still don't understand why you would rather sleep outside than in the guest room."
"I prefer to be under the stars."
"I see, well, you're welcome to come inside if you're ever too cold."
Rael walked outside and headed to his usual spot, under a 'maple tree' (as his father called them) on top of a hill overlooking the vast farmlands. A river cut through the landscape meeting the small irrigation networks dotting the countryside. He could make out Geth workers tirelessly maintaining the crops when the Quarians were asleep. He pulled out a device his mother had made for him.
It was a sterile field generator, strange enough it attached to where his helmet would be. He desided he would finally test it out to see if it worked. He took his helmet off and began attaching the device to his suit. After a few minutes he switched it on, a bubble of light flickered and rings of light appeared to move around the bubble. The bubble then faded away, he touched his hand to where the bubble was and a ring of light engulfed his finger, sterilizing anything on the suit that was organic.
"Amazing," he reattached his helmet and switched the sterile unit off.
He slumped down to the tree where his bedding was, he layed down and watched as the stars moved ever so slowely. A ship came from the distance and landed on the docking pad in town. He heard something that ounded odd, he got up and zoomed his visor in. The crew of the ship caught his attention first, Vorcha and Batarians. They came in under the cover of night, but why?
He started moving in slowely to get a better view, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. It was Shaal and his wife, why were they out here?
"Don't go any farther, if they see you you're as good as dead."
"Who are they?"
"Slavers, you see, Quarians are known for their proficiency with mechanics and engineering. We're worth good money to the right people."
"Lemmi at least get an ID on that ship, we can report it then."
"Just don't get caught."
Rael snuck up behind a building about a hundred metres from the landed ship. He needed to move in closer, he opened the window of the house and quietly snuck through it. He checked his omnitool, eighty-two metres. He was just close enough to pull an ID on the ship, he began running the hack.
Shaal watched as Vorcha carried people into the ship, he couldn't do anything about it. He was a farmer, he didn't fire weapons he grw and harvested crops. He hoped that Rael would be able to pull the ID and get out of there alive.
"Come on," Rael said quietly as his omnitool was at the final percentage for the hack.
As it finally hit a hundred percent a crash came from behind him, a Vorcha a had broken through the window he snuck through and was going for the bedroom. He saw his chance to save someone. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, he snuck into the bedroom and snuck up behind the Vorcha. Pulling up the blade he reached over to the arms and locked them in place as he quietly slit its throat.
The couple in the bed woke up to the sound of the Vorcha choking on its own blood.
"What's going on here?"
Rael put a finger to his visor and shushed them. "Slavers, you nearly got carried away."
"You're that Rael boy aren't you?"
"Yes, but now is not the time. We need to get out of here, I'll go and see if anyone else is left."
The couple nodded and jumped out the window running for the hill where Shaal was. Rael wen't to the next house next door, there were three Vorcha inside and a single Batarian with an Avenger. As they cleared the house the Batarian walked around checking for valuables. Rael snuck up behind him and planted the knife in his neck severing his brain stem from the spine. The Batarian immediately dropped to the ground.
Rael picked up the rifle and the pistol and scavanged whatever thermal clips were on the body. He booby trapped the body with a tech mine and crawled out the window to a short alley. He followed it untill he found the back entrence to the food storage warehouse. He took the pistol out and shot the lock on the door. He entered to find several Quarians hiding inside, he quickly turned to the door and welded it shut and contnued along the outside of the building.
He slowely realised that the house he had first gotten into was the last on the street, he ran back to the hill. As he reached the tree an explosion rang out from his tech mine, he heard several Vorcha and Batarians screem. He ran behind the hill and felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Thought you could slip away from us didn't you?" A Batarian voice came from behind him.
He turned around knife in hand and brought it up into the Batarians jaw. He pulled the pistol out and shot multiple times. Batarian blood was all over him as he froze in place. He was mortified by what he saw, four Vorcha stood with a single Quarian to it's knees and a gun to its head.
"You drop weapon now!" One of the Vorch screamed in its raspy voice.
He dropped the pistol and unlatched the rifle.
"Come over here and turn around!"
He walked over and got to his knees after turning around so his back faced them. A shot rang out and four bodys dropped to the ground. 'I'm going to die, mother, father...' his thought was cut short as familiar three fingered hands picked him up.
"The didn't shoot you? What was that shot?"
"Whoever it was, there coming over here now."
A figure walked towards them with a Widow slung around his shoulder. His armor was Quarian but he had, five fingers.
"Dad?.. Dad!" Rael started running towards the figure.
"Rael, you ok? I picked up slavers on the radar and came as fast as I could."
"How did you take those Vorcha out?"
"Vorcha have a knack for staying in one spot too long, between that and they formed a pretty straight line," Shepard laughed.
"Anyway, we need to get out of here, are there anymore survivors?"
Yes there were some people in the food storage warehouse. I welded the door closed to keep any intruders out or at least buy them some time."
"Good work, you all stay here, I'll go get them."
Shepard ran down the hill and took cover behind a building. He looked over to the ship counting it's crew, he might be able to save them all but hed need help. He thought hard about it and desided his son was the only one capable of helping save these people. "Rael, get over here." He said through a secure channel.
Rael ran to where his father was and took cover next to him. Shepard motioned for him to sneak into the building through the same window he had broken into earlier. Rael nodded as he began his move into the window, knife in hand. Voices came from inside as Rael got behind a wall inside the house. A couple Vorcha walked toward him not knowing he was there, he crouched down.
As the Vorcha passed by him he came up thrusting the knife into one Vorcha's chest and gradually pulling it out and slicing the other's throat. Shepard crawled through the window and noticed the Vorcha. He smiled at the fact his boy could handle himself in close quarters. He motioned for Rael to follow him to the windows facingthe ship, they looked outside.
The cew was frantic in collecting it's dead to avoid being found out about.
"Nows our chance, Rael I'm going to move to the control tower entrence. As soon as I'm in position you open fire on them with that rifle," he checked the thermal clips on his pistol and proceeded to the window on the side.
"Be careful father."
Shepard carefully opened the window and climbed out quietly. He began quickly making his way across the street hoping not to be seen. A couple Vorcha came out of the door in front of him as he jumped to the corner by the door. They walked by not noticing him, he walked up and grabbed them both shoving his omnitool blade into both of them quietly. He caried them to where he had hidden and proceeded to the command tower by the shuttle dock.
Rael watched as his father got into position, Shepard gave him the open fire signal and Rael began firing onto the ship. The crew scrambled to cover as they looked for the attacker. As soon as they pinpointed his position they opened fire on him. Shepard snuck u and found the hydrolics on the rear legs of the ship. He opened the maintanence hatch and cut the hydrolic tubes and the ship dropped causing the crew to tumble.
Shepard ran inside shooting each of the crew in the head, only one Batarian out of eight crewmembers. He moved up into the main holding bay and went directly for the captain in the cockpit. As he entered the cockpit he shot the pilot in the head but fealt a gun to his helmet. A shot rang out as he froze, he felt the side of his helmet realizing he was still alive. Rael had shot the captain in the hand causing him to drop his weapon.
Shepard drew back and laid the captain out with a single punch to the side of the head.
"Take that you bosh'tet, you'll rot in prison for this."
"You ok," Rael asked as he walked up behind his father and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine, how are you doing? After all I'd imagine this is the first time you've had to kill," he turned to Rael.
"I'm a little shakey but I feel like everytrhing I did was based on what the adrenaline told me to do."
"So you ot some of my warrior spirit did you?" Shepard laughed.
"I guess I did," Rael ran back into the holding area and began releasing the Quarians.
They all thanked him graciously for saving them, one of them was the law-keeper of the settlement. He walked back and grabbed the Batarian captain and drug him back to the jailhouse. He nodded to Rael as he passed by him showing his gratitude.
Shepard followed Rael outside the ship and turned around, he put a hand on the exterior.
"You know I had a ship like this once, it was Geth and Turian design."
"Really?"
"Yes, this is the same general shape but the ship was Geth which meant no windows."
Shepard turned to Rael and lead him back to his shuttle behind the hills overlooking the settlement.
"So what's the name of this settlement? It's not on the maps so it must be relatively recent."
"Shur'Anise, they only just finished their first harvest of wheat."
"Shur'Anise," Shepard thought.
"That was the first Quarian to lead a prosperous farming community before the Geth uprising," he finished.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Rael asked puzzled.
"Your great aunt, Shala'Raan tought me the same things you've been learning."
"Why is she my aunt if she isn't related?"
"She supported your mother since she was very young, then she supported your mother and I when we moved to the homeworld."
"I, think I understand."
As they climbed up the second hill they saw the shuttle. Rael looked suprised at it and ran up to it examining it closely.
"Where did you get this? I've never seen it before."
"This is the shuttle we had on the Normandy. It's been through hell and back and still runs perfectly."
He opened the hatch and they both climbed in, Rael looked around notcing the memorabilia laying about. An old picture of two human males hung on the wall by the hatch.
"Who are these Human males?"
"'sigh' Two very brave men, this shuttle was recovered from where it crashed back on Earth during the battle for the conduit."
"But wht were their names?"
Shepard got up and removed the photograph from the wall.
"This man on the right is Steve Cortez, the other whome he has his arm around is his husband Robert Cortez." He replaced the photo and sat back down.
Rael looked puzzled for a moment, "husband? I wasn't aware same sex marriage was real."
"It is still highly contraversial among Humans, though it is allowed throughout most of humanities civilization, there are those who believe it is wrong."
"Father, you speak as if you aren't human, yet you are."
"Keelah Rael, you sound like my mother."
The shuttle slowely came to a stop as it came close to the pad.
"I think it may be a good idea to cut this short, you know how your mother gets when I start talking about the past."
"Yeah, I hate seeing her like that. Why does she freeze up like that?"
Shepard got up and went to the shuttle door.
"You'll know why soon enough, come on, let's go to the house. I'm sure she's worried about you seeing as how you've been gone a long as you have. OH, and don't tell her about the slavers, I'll talk to her after she sees the news feed tomorrow."
Rael nodded and followed as his father began moving towards the house. He looked around as he enjoyed familiar surroundings, a lush garden of flowers under the front windows to the right of the door. He removed his visor to go smell the flowers, it was amazing how such small things can bring about such calm. Tali walked outside as Rael was replacing his visor, she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.
"Am I in trouble?" Rael asked as he approached her.
"No, but your father probably forgot that I'm aware of when something is up. I've known him long enough to know when something serious has his attention."
"He came for me, thats a plus isn't it?"
"Of course but I do plan on questioning you both on the specifics tomorrow, anyway, it is late and I'm sure we all need to get some sleep."
Rael nodded and followed her inside. He hugged her and nodded to Shepard as he went to his room. He sighed while he removed his suit and crawled into bed. The soft sheets were amazing since he had been sleeping under a tree for the past week. He turned over to see a familiar picture on the wall of his Advanced school sweetheart Aleah'Nara. He had thought of her a lot since he had been gone. Soon he drifted to sleep to dream of the previous day and the events passed.