Prelude

First Contact goes unwell...


Space was a veritably unknown quality of life. Thousands upon thousands of stars, each with its own story, and perhaps its own retinue. Yet, despite the thousands of years that the asari peoples had spent traveling, charting and knowing the astral void, there was still so much to be learned, so much to be uncovered, and so much that was not yet known.

It was humbling, to be quite honest, and Arysa T'Remi, captain of the Talessia, took full flight to her species' maxim – embrace the unknown.

Embrace eternity.

The Talessia itself was a small vessel, fit for research and exploration. Such a small vessel, of only a mere hundred meters in length, begat a similarly small crew. Two, four, six lives on her ship, ready to jump the void, and chart unseen worlds. Two asari, two salarians, and two turians. The Attican Traverse, a section of the galaxy long-held to be unknown, wild, was waiting for them.

A few months before, a volus survey team was scouting out systems at the edge of known space, looking for rich worlds to mine and healthy planets to colonize. A simple, modest scouting mission that had taken a rather strange turn when the volus happened upon an untouched Mass Relay. Finding relays was one thing, but ones that had never been activated? Exciting, to be sure, but dangerous, as well.

Typical Council procedure dictated that newly discovered relays were to be left alone, until a research team could trace the vector of the relay, and find where exactly it led. After all, no one wanted another Rachni War, and with the vast expanse of space, there was absolutely no telling what lay in wait out there.

Fortunately enough, the Council research team had found nothing wrong with the relay – no flesh-hungry race of abhorrent creatures waiting for them. Scans and probes had showed them that the relay simply led to a rather boring system, with no more than four planets – none of them garden worlds, either. Yet, the relay itself piqued interest from all over the galaxy.

The Attican Traverse was a section of space untouched by any civilized species. Certainly not for a lack of trying, as the Council had sent many a probe through. It had simply been a matter that no relay had been discovered as of yet, that led into the Traverse.

Until now, of course, Arysa reminded herself. The Council had recently greenlit an effort to scout and survey the systems beyond the Traverse.

And Arysa T'Remi was at the helm.

She paced back and forth on the bridge, trying her best not to let sheer excitement show through her movements. Back and forth, side to side – her shoes clicked upon the sterile floor. One of her crew, a salarian, gazed at her, concern and confusion held within his eyes.

"Arysa?" he asked, tilting his head. The salarian's bulbous eyes shone black, yet emanated worry for her. "Are you alright?"

Arysa T'Remi let loose a small chuckle, shaking her head. She looked at the salarian, smiling. "I'm fine, Taelon. You worry too much."

Taelon, frowned – he clearly didn't buy it. "Are you sure? Maybe I should ask Caelia if she put too much in your tava – or worse," he looked away, grimacing. "She put dextro ingredients in it by mistake."

This time, Arysa laughed out loud, wringing her hands. "Don't worry, Taelon. She isn't that forgetful. I'm just… excited." She gazed to the side, her eyes landing upon the ship's pilot. "Pontius, tell me you're not excited? A new relay, a whole new part of the galaxy, to explore."

Pontius was a turian of few words. "I'm just as excited, Arysa. Just got word from Paell in engineering. Our drive core's clean, the Talessia's good to go." He looked up at Arysa, his mandibles wavering. "Just say the word."

Arysa nodded, taking a deep breath. She should be calm, she knew. The Council was depending on her, and damned if she wouldn't do a good job.

"So, team," Arysa began, gazing forwards. A green light flicked on in the corner of the viewport, signaling that she was transmitting through the ship. "Hundreds of stars lay in wait beyond that relay – thousands of worlds. Maybe some of them are even fit for colonization." She took a second to let it all set in. "And, maybe a whole 'nother species out there, fit to join us in the stars. And we'll be the first to meet them. Is everyone ready?"

A radio clicked on, a voice crackling through. "Caelia in medical here, I'm good to go."

"Paell, engineering. We're green."

"Niana Shyria – I'll let you know if Paell makes any mistakes."

Arysa giggled as Paell, the other salarian onboard, made a noise of general indignation. Beside her, Taelon and Pontius smiled at Arysa, nodding their heads.

"We're good to go," Taelon said. "On your word, Arysa."

Arysa T'Remi looked forwards, steeling herself. After a moment of silence, she crossed her arms, nodding. "Good. Pontius, take us in."

The turian pilot nodded, his talons flying across the displays in front of him. "Roger. Prepping the engines, I'm taking her in."

Arysa felt the research vessel rock smoothly, a slight bump as they began to move towards the relay. She smiled, her heart bursting with excitement. As a maiden, she may have been jumping in anticipation, but she did have to keep up her reputation as a matron.

"Relay's responding. Destination is clear – calculating transmit mass and destination."

Taelon fidgeted in his seat, yet Pontius was as stoic as a rock – they were her team, and they were among the best. Arysa was sure they'd do their job well.

"Relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector."

This was it – Arysa steeled herself, placing her hands upon a railing in front of her. Outside the viewport, the relay increased in size. Its blue core glowed with a warm sheen, the rings spinning faster and faster as the Talessia approached. Then, as the ship neared, an electric tendril of energy grasped the research vessel.

With a sudden jolt, the Talessia burst forwards in a jet of blue light and a loud crack. Arysa's eyes widened, and she felt her nerves flowing with warm excitement. Then, just as soon as it had begun, the ship slowed down.

They had arrived. With a gasp, Arysa took in the sight of the new system before her.

She could see four planets in total, orbiting a white dwarf star. The first was a small rock, red and glowing. Possibly a molten world – she wouldn't be surprised, considering its close proximity to the star. Another planet was much farther away, and a clean white – it looked to be an arctic world. Interesting!

The remaining two planets were gas giants, one very close to the Talessia as it drifted through space. Nearby, a few asteroids floated through the void, cracked and ragged.

"Arysa," a voice called from before her, and the asari matron turned to Taelon. "Orders?" The salarian gave a small, confident smile.

Arysa nodded, reminding herself that she had a job to do. "Right. Pontius, keep us drifting, and keep those engines hot. We need to be ready for anything." The matron gave Taelon a quick wink. "Taelon, love, I'm going to need you to send out some probes, get a detailed scan of the system. Prioritize the planets and their satellites."

Her respective crewmembers nodded, carrying out their orders. Arysa smiled, her heart just beginning to slow down in her chest. She queued up her comms, connecting to the engineering bay.

"Paella! Niana! Is the reactor okay? How're we doing in engineering?"

"We're good, skip," Niana's melodic voice came through the line. "Very good, in fact, considering this is the first time that relay's been used."

Arysa nodded, closing her eyes in relief. Things seemed to be going well, and she couldn't wait to have the entire system surveyed.

"Probes have been launched," Taelon mentioned, his hands dancing across his board. "Scans are in place – not finding anything yet."

"Thank you, Taelon," Arysa commended the salarian. "Let me know if anything comes up."

He gave a nod. "Will do, Arysa – wait a second?"

Taelon's startled gasp caught her attention, and Arysa turned to him. "Taelon? What's wrong?"

The salarian didn't answer for a few seconds, and even Pontius had taken to staring at him. "I – I don't know. This… this doesn't seem right."

"What is it?" Arysa asked, apprehension beginning to clutch at her chest. "Talk to us here. What's wrong?"

"I don't know! Scans are coming back – gravity levels don't seem right. Radiation is spiking – two thousand meters from our starboard!"

Arysa felt shock ripple through her body, and she looked out the viewport. There was the hint of an odd sheen, a disturbance in space – much like the waves one might see in the air, on a hot summer day. Her eyes widened, her nerves screaming out 'danger! Danger!'

"Pontius!" Arysa cried out, grasping a tight hold on the railing in front of her. "Prep FTL, just in case! Taelon, keep an eye on that anomaly, don't –"

She couldn't finish her sentence, before a sharp crack rippled through space. The Talessia was hit by a shockwave, its structure groaning in protest as its occupants were thrown from their places. Lights aboard the research vessel flickered, various loose objects flying through the air.

Arysa groaned and pushed herself up from the floor. She staggered for an instant, before regaining her composure. "S-status! Is everyone okay?"

It took a few moments, but the matron felt relief when her crewmember's voices reached her ears, complaining of minor injuries, but nothing more. Arysa stood up, grasping at her hips, but fear and shock rushed through her when she took a glance out the Talessia's viewport.

Several large objects were drifting through the space naught but a couple of kilometers from the Talessia's position. No, not objects – ships. Strange ships, kinds that she had never seen before.

Alien ships.

They were grey, utilitarian, with shades of orange haphazardly painted on sections of the hull – definitely not kind to the eye. A couple of them were quite large, relative to the Talessia – comparable to the size of a cruiser, if not a small one. Three others were smaller, ranging from the size of a civilian corvette, to a frigate. Five ships in total – five ships that shot fear through Arysa's heart.

The barrels and turrets of weapons could be seen all over their hulls – military ships, ready for battle and, possibly, war. Arysa caught herself not breathing, and she gasped, surprise still tangible within her voice.

"What… what is that?" Taelon asked. Beside him, Pontius was leaning back in his chair, his avian eyes wide with apprehension. "I've never seen ships like those before."

"Pontius," Arysa began, breathing deep. "How… how's our FTL drive doing?"

The turian jolted into action, his talons quickly getting to work on his display. He was silent for a few moments, before his shoulders slacked, his mandibles spreading in anxiety.

"It doesn't look good, Arysa," Pontius sighed, his flanged voice wavering. "They – they must have taken a hit. Same with the engines. They'll need some repairs."

Arysa didn't take her eyes off of the grey ships before them, taking Pontius' words into account. "How… how long?"

"… Maybe a few hours. I don't know."

Arysa closed her eyes, frowning. "Those are hours we don't have. We're stranded."

It was the unfortunate truth. She took a few moments to take in the situation, and breathe in reality. This was first contact, and Arysa was afraid she was woefully unprepared. Coming to a decision, she opened her eyes again. She knew she needed to steel herself, if she was to get her crew out of this situation.

"Taelon," Arysa began, determination setting within her. "Prepare a message for those vessels. Wire a transmission – we're here in peace, and we don't mean any harm."

The bridge was silent for a few moments as Taelon prepared the message. "Transmission sent. Hopefully… hopefully they don't just blast us out of space."

Arysa frowned – it was awfully uncharacteristic of Taelon. He was usually the optimist among them all – him and Caelia, their medical officer. Which reminded her – she needed to bring the others to the bridge. Tapping into their comms, Arysa connected to the crew quarters and the engineering bay.

"Caelia, Niana, Paell – do you read?"

"I'm here, Arysa," Caelia's smooth flanged voice came through the line. "What do you need?"

"All three of you, come to the bridge," Arysa responded. "Just get here as quick as you can."

Arysa didn't bother to wait for an answer, instead turning back to the grey giants in front of the Talessia. They were still drifting through space, stoic as they were. Arysa had no idea what would happen – and she feared the worst.

Moments later, the door to the bridge slid open, and a slim, tall turian walked through. She was soon followed by two others – an asari, her blue face marked by sweat, and another salarian.

"Arysa, what happened?" Caelia asked, coming to a stop beside her captain. Arysa didn't bother to respond, instead pointing out the viewport. "Are… are those ships?"

Arysa nodded, herself coming to terms with their situation. Nearby, a blip appeared on Taelon's display.

"Arysa!" he called out, looking back. "I've got a response from one of the ships."

"Play it," she responded simply.

Taelon did so, his hands flying across the holographic display. A green light appeared, indicating that a transmission was about to play.

"Unknown vessel, this is the CLF Opportunity. Stand down, and prepare to be boarded."

"What – what did they say?" Niana asked, though she full well knew that no one had any idea. Arysa shook her head, her eyes glued to the ships before them. Their voices were so strange, yet so familiar – so akin to the asari language, yet incredibly exotic.

Several bursts of light caught her attention, and Arysa watched as four pod-like objects were jettisoned from the largest of the five vessels – headed straight for the Talessia. With sullen resignation, Arysa had an idea what the alien message meant.

"They're going to board us," she explained. "Taelon, prepare an emergency message back to the Council. Potentially hostile aliens past Relay 314. Unable to escape."

Taelon's fingers dashed across his board for a few seconds, before he spoke again. "Message sent. Any other orders, Arysa?" His voice was similarly resigned, sullen.

"No," she responded simply. There was nothing to it. "Now, we wait."


Some minutes later, they began to hear clanking sounds upon the hull of the Talessia. Its crew had gathered together, sitting silently upon the floor and the few chairs on the bridge. Arysa could hear shouts, yells – again, in that strange, foreign language. What sounded like armored boots clattered towards them, metal clapping and clacking. Then, the door to the bridge slid open, and Arysa looked up – looked at their potential captors.

They were armored, obvious firearms in their hands. Yet, Arysa noted with a surge of shock and surprise, that their figures, their bodies – they looked so much like asari! Of course, the plates and pieces that covered their figures, the closed-faced helmets that concealed their features, blocked any sight of what they looked like underneath, but there was little left to the imagination.

And the plates, the armor – Arysa gazed at them with confusion. They were rusted, some pieces jagged and broken. It was atypical of regular militaries, and Arysa could only wonder if they had been happened upon, not by the navy of a sovereign state, but perhaps pirates or raiders instead.

She wasn't sure which option appealed to her more. Neither did, really.

Lost in her thoughts, Arysa hadn't noticed that one of the aliens had approached her, shoving the muzzle of a firearm in her face as it shouted, yelled.

"On the ground, hands where I can see them!" it shouted at her, shoving Arysa from her chair. On her knees, the matron raised her hands in the galactic symbol of surrender, watching as her friends, her crew, were treated similarly. The alien pointed at her, and then at the floor. "Don't you dare move! Stay right there."

Arysa could only wonder what they wanted, but she figured that moving was probably undesired. The alien kept her at gunpoint for a few moments, and she watched as one of the aliens went around her crew, slapping what looked to be holographic cuffs around their wrists.

This was it, she surmised. They were being taken prisoner, shipped off to some unknown place. She could only pray they'd be alive by the end of it.


Arysa felt a kick upon her back, and fell to her knees. She and her crew had been brought, by some manner of dropship, to one of the alien ships. Their insides were as utilitarian as their external features – gunmetal grey walls, and aggressively sharp white lights. Scores of the aliens, dressed in slim orange and green uniforms, had watched as Arysa's crew were escorted through the halls of the vessel.

By the goddess, they were so similar to asari! Hands with five digits, the facial structure, the legs – it boggled Arysa's mind, how akin they were to her own species. Yet, she hadn't much time to ponder the fact. They had stopped in what she assumed was the ship's bridge, blue displays and holograms neatly laid out across the room.

An alien, presumably male, stood before her, two guards at his sides. His hair was short and cropped, his clothing a mixture of strange, smooth materials. Whoever he was, he certainly didn't look military – though, who knew what the aesthetics of these aliens could be?

Arysa's crew were with her, also on their knees as they were presented before the alien. She surmised that he was their leader, or something of the sort. The alien gazed curiously at them, a hard stare in his eyes.

"These are the aliens?" it spoke, glancing back up at their captors. Behind Arysa, one of them nodded.

"Yeah. Didnae find any others," it replied, tapping the back of Arysa's head. "They dinnae look like much. Probably just civilians, or something."

The leader shook its head. "No. Scientists. Signis II's moon is gone – one of those tuning gates is in its place." Crouching, the alien smiled at Arysa – a strange grin that sent shivers up her back. "Asari. Turian. Salarian. Never actually seen any of them before – just word from command," he said, pointing at each captive.

Arysa's eyes widened, and she glanced to the side to see that Taelon and the others were similarly surprised. Had the alien just spoken their species' names? How did it know what they were?

The one behind Arysa's crew spoke again, his voice even more aggressive. "Gerard, we need to decide what we're gonna do with the wee bastards. We can't afford to keep them fed and held prisoner. Our men are going hungry enough as it is."

"I brought us to the Signis system for a reason, MacGregor. The CLF has a safehouse on Signis IV – food, weapons. We can make repairs here."

"MacGregor" groaned, presumably in frustration and anger. "Damnit, Gerard, the Republic is chasing us, and knowing those fascist cunts, they won't be letting up anytime soon. We dinnae have the time!"

Arysa watched, silently, as the two aliens argued back and forth. She had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever it was, they grew more and more incensed.

"MacGregor, we're still hundreds of light years from CLF space. We need to resupply, or we'll surely die out here anyways." Gerard said – his voice was strangely even, while his compatriot shouted in anger.

"We already had to jettison the goods we stole, and we executed those damn traders." MacGregor stepped around Arysa and her crew, pointing a finger at the other alien. "And now you're saying we need to keep these fucking aliens with us? Have you gone mad, Gerard?"

"No. I'm saying that we'll resupply, and bring those aliens down to the surface with us," the alien leader spoke, shaking its head. "And when the time comes, we'll decide whether we leave them for dead, or we kill them ourselves. A few scientists isn't worth the effort."

"Gerard" stared down at Arysa, his grey eyes fixated upon her own. His gaze was cold, icy, and Arysa couldn't help but shiver with fear.

Whatever the aliens were planning, it couldn't have been good.


Arysa shivered, clasping her arms around herself. She and her team had been brought down to the surface of the planet, stuffed in a cell deep within an alien base. She hadn't seen much of the world itself – not that she would have liked to – but, from what she could tell, it was a cold planet. Arctic, icy – frigid winds blew in from the halls. The cold, utilitarian nature of the cells themselves didn't help matters.

Outside the rusting bars of the cell, a few alien guards patrolled the halls. Arysa could only wonder about their technology – it seemed ancient, obsolete. Yet, she had a niggling feeling that their equipment, as primeval as it seemed, was hiding something.

Unfortunately enough, the aliens had taken their omni-tools. Arysa didn't know how they knew how to find the omni-tools, or what they were, but that was in the past. Now, without their personal wrist-bound computers, Arysa felt strangely naked. Incapable.

The cells weren't large – barely more than a few paces wide and long. The walls were an offensive grey, the bricks cracked and muddy. Arysa's team had been separated into two cells, thrown into them like varren in a kennel. The aliens seemed not to have any respect for her or her friends – neither did she know what they had in store for her, but it was not as if Arysa could do anything about it.

She was never trained in combat, or combat biotics – by the Goddess, she was an explorer! Perhaps Pontius or Caelia had some military training, from their days in the turian military, but in the end, none of them were armed anyways. So, it was a simple matter of waiting – perhaps the Council would respond quickly to the emergency message they had sent.

Or, perhaps, they would rather avoid another Rachni War and forget about them entirely. Close the relay, shutter passage to and from.

Arysa shook her head, not wanting to think of the worst. To her side, Taelon shivered, and Arysa wrapped an arm around the salarian.

"You alright, Taelon?" she asked, her own voice chattering. Arysa worked hard to keep the fear out of her voice, but she couldn't tell how well it was working. "We're here for you."

He nodded in thanks, while Caelia gazed at the two of them from the opposite side of the cell. "I – I'm fine," Taelon tried to reassure her, raising a hand to clutch Arysa's own. "Well, actually, I'd be lying if I said that. No, I'm not really fine. But, hey, we'll be alright. Right?"

Arysa hummed her affirmation, though she wasn't sure she believed it herself. "Yep. We sure will."

Taelon didn't respond, simply electing to hold Arysa's hand. She figured he was even colder than she or Caelia was – salarians were cold-blooded, after all. Goddess, he must be freezing.

Caelia had her knees raised and pressed against her stomach. "Spirits, how long has it been? I feel like I've been counting for hours."

Arysa shook her head. "No idea. No way to tell, either." She looked down, her eyes gazing at the cracked surface of the cement floor. "Well, here's to not getting hypothermia. Hopefully?"

They were silent at that – Arysa couldn't blame them. They were all dealing with their own nerves, she supposed, and not everyone could be as upbeat as Taelon. Not even Taelon himself, she surmised. Arysa took a quick glance at her close friend – he looked miserable, a grim frown stretched across his features as he moped and slumped.

Outside the cell, a couple of guards passed by, clutching their strange-looking firearms. They were speaking, and though Arysa couldn't understand them, she leaned towards them anyways – if only to hear more of their strange, asari-like language.

"What do you think Gerard's gonna do with the aliens?"

"No idea. Not like we have the supplies to hold 'em. Colonel MacGregor didn't seem too happy, though."

"Course not. Don't think he likes Grayson. No one does. Motherfucker's as slippery as a snake."

"… think the Republic's gonna find us here?"

"Hope not. We'll be fucked if they do get us down here. Tellin' you, some Echo Base shit around here. Gives me the willies."

"Damn. I knew you were into ancient shit, Ming, but Space Wars? Shit's as ancient as Old Man Reina."

"Star Wars, dumbass, and come on. The Admiral's not that old –"

Arysa jumped in shock, a loud metal crash sounding from somewhere out in the hall. Another voice shouted, and though she couldn't understand what it was saying, she could practically feel the sense of urgency in it.

"Ming! Adams! Get your pieces ready, and follow me! The Republic's arrived!"

The guards looked at each other, though their expressions were hidden by their masks, before turning back down the hall. "The Republic's here? What about Grayson? The Opportunity?"

"Graysons' gone – asshole ran away, left us to die. The rest of our ships got their asses kicked. Come on, we don't have a lot of time!"

The two aliens made to move, but one looked to the side, its eyes landing upon Arysa's cell. It looked back, between Arysa and the hall, until shaking its head.

"Leave the aliens. We'll get to them later. Or the Republic will. Let's move!"

With clattering of boots, the guards left the confinement hall. Arysa watched them leave, curious as to what was happening. Whatever it was, they seemed urgent, and Arysa couldn't help but let a tinge of fear shoot through her.

"Wonder what that was about," Caelia said, glancing at Arysa.

Arysa shook her head. "No idea. Whatever it was, it's got them worried. And we've lost our guards."

"You think we can try and escape?" Caelia stood up, grunting as she stretched her legs. She walked to the metal doors, grasping ahold of a bar, but her mandibles flared. "No, what am I saying. Rusted as they are, these doors are pretty strong. No getting through them."

They lapsed back into silence, quiet murmurs audible from the other cell. Arysa wondered how Niana, Paell, and Pontius were doing. Perhaps, had they still had their omni-tools, the engineers could have done something to escape, but that was out of reach now.

Arysa's thoughts were interrupted, when a low rumble shook the walls. Startled, Arysa, looked up, before another rumble rolled through the cells. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the dim lights in the hall swayed from side to side. She stood up, Taelon rising with her, before joining Caelia at the cell door.

"Something's happening," Arysa mumbled, watching the lights in the hall flicker. She could hear several more rumbles, the ground beneath them shaking. "Earthquake?"

Beside her, Caelia hummed in disagreement. "No. Not an earthquake. This is familiar." Her mandibles stretched out, showing her perturbation. "Impacts. Something like… artillery, maybe."

As she spoke, several cracks echoed from the halls, sounding far off. They accompanied the rumbles, which had also grown in frequency, and Arysa could faintly recognize the sounds – the macabre drum of firearms, ringing in the distance. Yet, they were steadily growing closer and closer, louder and louder, and the back of Arysa's head became cold with anxiety.

Caelia glanced at Arysa, seemingly reading her mind. "Guns, too. Whatever's happening out there… it's not good."

As if on cue, the lights in the hall flickered, and one sparked, before exploding in a brilliant hail of electricity. In rapid succession, the dim lights shut off, before the prison cell was left completely in the dark.

Arysa could hear screams nearby, echoing through the hallway, as well as the continuous cracking of gunshots. They were growing incredibly close – as if they were just outside the containment hall.

Without warning, a loud buzz rang from above them, and the cell door in front of them slid open with a crash. Arysa jumped, fear pulsing through her veins, before she realized what had happened.

"Doors are open," she gasped, taking a step back. "Do you… do you guys think we should run?"

Taelon's eyes were wide in terror. Arysa felt pity for the young salarian – she didn't think he had ever expected this much out of an exploration mission.

"But – but where would we go?" Taelon stuttered out, shaking profusely. "We're stuck here, where would we run?"

Arysa realized she hadn't an answer to that, but before she could think of a response three figures appeared in their cell doorway. Arysa yelped in fear, taking a few steps back, but the face of a turian poked through.

"Come on," Pontius said, holding out a hand. "Let's go, we need to move!" There was an explicit sense of urgency in the turian's flanged voice, and Arysa couldn't help but follow him.

"Wait!" Caelia warned, shaking her head. "Taelon's right – where would we go?"

Pontius continued to beckon them forwards, Niana and Paell at his side. "Our ship's down here with us – the aliens must have brought it down." He looked down the hall, watching for any movement. "We've got to try and get to it – maybe we can escape!"

There were doors at either end of the hall, but the sounds of gunshots and screams were echoing from the right. Turning left, Pontius began to run down the hall, Arysa and her crew hot on his heels. They hadn't run far when a loud crash smashed the door behind them, followed by several gunshots. Arysa didn't look back, for fear of what would happen, but she could hear alien voices, shouting down the hall. They were almost robotic, in nature, metallic voices that sounded so unlike those she had heard earlier.

"There, more of them! Down the hall! Rook, Black, after them!"

Fear shot through Arysa's heart, and she could hear the sounds of steel boots banging against the floor. The aliens were chasing her!

Arysa pumped her legs harder and harder, desperate and terrified. She could hear the aliens getting closer, yet the door was so far! The matron could not help but feel tears streaking down her cheeks.

Suddenly, a jet of pain rippled through Arysa's foot, and she fell with a frightened yelp. The others stopped, looking back with horror etched across their features, but before Arysa could wave them off, she felt a hard weight fall upon her. Arysa screamed, pain shooting through her body, and she scrunched her eyes closed.

When she opened them a moment later, Arysa found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. A black visor stared back at her silently. Above them, two other aliens figures were holding her friends at gunpoint, wearing armor and helmets akin to that of the alien upon her.

"… The hell?" the alien upon her mumbled, tilting its head. Arysa didn't think – panic rushed through her body, and instinct took over as she slammed her hands upon the side of the alien's head. Her vision went black, until she couldn't see anything but the visor before her, and though she could not hear anything, Arysa felt her mouths mumble a low phrase.

"Embrace Eternity."


A/N: Hey, all. Welcome back to The Inheritance of Man. Well, the rebooted version of it.

I began the original more than a year and a half ago, but had left it dry some chapters in - at the time, I had simply become busy with school, and had planned to come back to it, but as I began college, my mind began to wander towards other ventures. I became bored with the original story, and thought it too low for my own high standards.

Now, more than a year and a half later, I've come back to The Inheritance of Man. It's a lot different, however - I've changed many things, and the overall themes, direction, and characters of the story are different - in my own opinion, they are better this way.

I want to give my good friend Archangel1207 my thanks - he's stuck with me all this time, and we've exchanged many notes, and given each other our thoughts on our respective stories.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I won't give any details on when the next will be published, but it won't be too long. I've already begun work on it.

As always, feel free to leave a review, let me know what you think. I cherish your thoughts.

DanishCookie, signing off.