The Reaper Empress
As Shepard finally confronted the catalyst, in the form of the reapers creators, an ancient AI created by the Leviathan eons ago, the thing that took the form of the child see seen die, it began too speak to her.
"You Have choice, the choice to end the cycle, it's more than you deserve. But you, the first organic ever to stand here proves your determination. It also proves my solution will not work any longer."
"If the choice is made, The relays will be destroyed no matter what the outcome" the star-child added.
"What the fuck do you mean, you little shit?" Shepard
"the crucible changed me. It has given better solutions to the cycle" the holographic image of the kid said.
"Wh-what are these solutions?" Shepard asked.
"You can choose to destroy us. But this 'crucible' will not discriminate, all synthetics will be destroyed"
Shepard looked towards the red light of destruction and said.
"Yeah destroying those assholes, sounds fucking brilliant" she paused, the she realized and continued to talk to herself.
"Fuck no, I worked my fingers to fucking bone too get the geth on my side."
"Fuck me gently, I hooked EDI up with Joker, that ass looked so happy when EDI kissed him"
"Tell me the other options, shit-for-brains" Shepard snarled.
"Synthesis, is the final evolution of organics and synthetics"
The commander looked at the green light of synthesis. Shaking her head, the SpecTRe she started talking to her self again.
"Hell I maybe a bitch, but forcing this on everyone, even Liara is insane. It's too much like that dick Saren!" Shepard sighed, then gowned at the stabbing sensation on her left side.
"What else you got, fuck-wad?" The human hissed through clenched teeth.
"Control, you will have complete an utter control of us, the reapers"
"So, the illusive bastard was right!"
"No, he could never control us, because we controlled him"
"I told you so, doesn't quite seem enough" Shepard said sarcastically.
Shepard looked towards the control choice that would allow the commander royally fuck the reapers and use and use them like puppets.
"Me, controlling the reaper, really?" the commander asked.
"Yes" replied the star-child.
"Why do I gotta choose?" asked the commander in a whisper.
"you have earned the right too choose. You can refuse the choice, but the cycle will continue"
"But if the cycle ends, the relays can be rebuilt"
"Well fuck me gently!" Shepard yelled.
Shepard wiped both hands over her face as she thought to herself.
'This is too much power for one being, but oh no, I gotta be the one for this'
The commander sighed and pinched and continued to think.
'I have too make the choice, if I don't That's giant fuck-you to everyone whose fighting. Fuck if I don't make a decision everyone dies!"
The sudden realization of the consequences of this choose made the commander gasp.
"They all die, Liara will die, if I don't decide!"
"yes" the star-child said flatly.
Sighing once more, the lone women started walking towards the Blue light of control, it was a long solemn tortures' walk.
'oh god, Liara I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I ain't coming back, sorry my love.
As the commander reached the control station she reached out her hands to take a hold of the glowing pillars, just before she grasped the handles she said to herself.
"Blue is such a beautiful colour "
As the blue light of control burned Shepards' physical body away her thoughts, her desires, her emotions; the commanders entire conciseness was freed from the confines of an organic mind.
The once humans mind was bombarded by all the knowledge that the catalyst held. Images, voices, even smells pored into her mind, but instead of being overwhelmed the commander, she absorbed it all.
Looking around, Shepard saw she was in the same forest from her dreams. Although now instead of the dead black trees and grey cloudy sky. It now was alive with greens trees, yellow flowers and a blue sky. The oily shadows of before had been replaced by hundreds of red holographic waist high reapers.
After what could have been a moment or an eternity, one of the holograms grew till it was as tall as the former human. It walked towards Shepard and started to speak with a familiar voice.
"Shepard"
"Harbinger" Shepard said.
"How does it fell too get ass fucked harbinger ?" Shepard asked sarcastically.
"Irrelevant, what are your orders" harbinger demanded.
"Aren't you pushy" Shepard quipped.
"Orders" Harbinger demanded again.
"Oh very well! Your no fun"
Thinking for a second, Shepard decided on her order.
"Full retreat"
"As you command" harbinger said as it began too shrink, Shepard called out to the Reaper.
"Oh harbinger"
"Yes" the reaper replied.
"Once 'MY' forces have retreated, I want the full repair done too relays, understood?" asked Shepard.
"Of cores Shepard"
"Oh no, you don't get to call me that" Shepard stated.
"Clarify, what do you wish to be known as?" the first reapers asked.
"Decisions, decision. I know I shall be know as The Empress from this day forth" The empress declared.
"As you wish…Empress" Harbinger said as it disappeared.
"Now that's done, where's my blue queen?" The Empress asked herself as she began to search each of the reapers' database for any record of her lover.
A month after the reaper war ended Liara stood in front of then Normandy memorial wall, her left hand gently traced the name of her lover as a single tear escaped her eye.
"I will carry on my love…for her" Liara said as she traced idle patterns on her flat t-shirt clad abdomen. The asari continued talking to the plaque.
"I committed a grate sin my love…I conceived our daughter without consent"
Liara removed her left hand from the wall, she covered her eyes with that hand as she began to cry, only to be interrupted by a cold metallic hand on her right shoulder.
"Do not cry Liara, Shepard would not hold your pregnancy ageist you" EDI said reassuringly.
"How do you know what MY Shepard would do!" Liara hissed with a surprising amount of venom.
"Please calm down. If you were anyone else, the commander would punch you in the face, but for you she would do anything" EDI replied.
"What do you mean?" Liara asked as she wiped her eyes.
"I have records of your tour of the Normandy" EDI said.
"Oh?" The asari sniffed
"Yes, the audio logs recorded Shepard saying" EDI voice change to that of Shepards.
"I don't know… Marriage, old age and a lot of little blue children" EDI voice returned to normal.
"After you departed the Normandy, the commander spent a considerable portion of her free time researching, asari pregnancies, traditional asari child birth and how to care for young asari."
"Sh-she did? Shepard did not say anything about that" Liara murmured.
"Shepard kept that data well encrypted. She also spent some time looking at asari baby pictures." EDI said, with what could be mistaken as humour in her voice.
"She always thought babies were cute, though she would cut her tongue out before saying so" the shadow broker said quietly.
"But, be honest with me…are you saying that Shepard really would forgive me?" Liara asked wide eyed.
"one hundred percent, unless she hadn't had coffee, then I don't know" EDI said with a smile on her metallic face.
"Was that a joke EDI?" The most recent shadow broker asked as she crossed her arms under her breasts.
"I almost had you"
"That was almost funny EDI" Liara stated.
"I try"
Liara huffed, then her smile returned full force, as she said.
"No wonder you, Shepard and Joker get along so well"
Realizing what she just said tears began too return to her eyes, but before EDI could try to comfort the heart broken asari they were interrupted by Samantha Traynor over the intercom.
"Alert, we have contacts entering the system. Looks like three reapers and a Cerberus carrier!"
As the comm-Specialist ended her panicked statement, two forms exited the lift. One was the Normandy's gunnery chief and the turians' Reaper task force advisor, Garrus Vakarian.
The other is quarian admiral and ambassador, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, who also is part of the engineering team.
"you hear that?" Garrus asked.
"Yes, what could this mean?" Liara asked.
"We could be under attack!" Tali said.
"Unlikely, the reapers retreated when the crucible fired" EDI replied.
"Anything is possible, we should get ready encase of attack" Liara told her friends as she stated walking too her cabin.
"We'll get ready, so stay back were it's safe" the turian told the asari.
"He's right Liara, it's not just your safety you have too think about anymore" Tali told Liara.
"yes, you are right. I will still put my armour on." Liara told the three onlookers.
"That is a wise. We should all arm are self's" EDI said as she made her way too the lift, followed by Garrus and Tali.
As Liara entered her lair she looked at her belly placed her hands apron her unborn daughter and said.
"Do not worry little wing, I shall keep you safe. I promise"
Shepard stood next to the holographic image of harbinger.
"Are they ready?" the former commander asked.
"Ready too deploy, when needed" the subjugated reaper replied.
"Good, good. How long to till deployment"
"On you order" Harbinger said.
"Launch!" the new empress demanded.
"Acknowledge. package away" said the reaper.
"I've always wanted to say this"
Said Shepard with a smirked, as her new endeavor left the Cerberus carrier flanked by two Kodiak shuttles.
"Assuming direct control!"
Ten minuets after Samantha first announced the presents of enemy contacts. The crew of the Normandy had almost finished creating a perimeter around the airlock.
The telltale sound of engines caught everyone's attention causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look towards the sky . There were two easily identifiable Cerberus shuttles, the third thing was an unrecognizable black shape.
Turning his gaze from the sky and looking at Shepard's ground team Lt. James Vega shouted as he started to move another crate.
"Make sure these ain't fill with nothing' that go boom!"
"that would be a good idea" Garrus replied as he help Vega with the final crate.
"I thought reports said that reaper and Cerberus forces had stood down" Private Sarah Campbell said to Private Bethany Westmoreland.
"Yeah, they did, after the crucible fired" Westmoreland replied.
"No human, victory will only come when the last reaper fall dead" Javik hissed as he appeared behind the too privates.
"He's right" said Campbell as she looked back towards Westmoreland.
"Bethany?"
"Yes, Sarah?" Westmoreland asked.
"I have to say this…with alliance reg's I couldn't. but if I'm gonna die you have too know" Bethany took a deep breath and continued.
"You mean so much too me, I want too be more than friends, too be with you"
"You mean to say…sex?" Sarah asked.
"I mean too say" Bethany smiled.
"Screw this, we're gonna live, you hear me!" Sarah said as she loaded a heat-sink into her rifle.
Before Westmoreland could reply the two shuttles landed along with the unidentified object, said object was a reaper, but only a lot smaller, it stood about twenty meters tall.
"Don't fire until we know it's intentions"
Lt. commander Ashley Williams ordered as the two shuttles opened and four unarmed Cerberus engineers exited each Kodiak, the eight men stood at parade rest facing the crew of the Normandy.
"State you intentions, or we will open fire" the Lt. commander ordered.
"Is that anyway to speak to your beloved boss" Came the reply from the mini-reaper.
"Sk-skipper?"
Ashley stuttered as the canopy of the mini-reaper opened reviling a lone figure dressed head-to-toe in brand new alliance N7 armour.
The person, who was obviously female judging by the armour, rose from the chair she was sitting in and jumped from the mini-reapers' back. Half way towards the ground the women glowed blue with biotics too slow her decent.
"What? No hugs?" the women in the armour asked.
"Shepard" Liara whispered.
The asari jumped from the Normandy's airlock and ran towards her only love, she vaulted over the barricade as the rest looked on in awe of their friend and commander. As Liara neared Shepard the former commander raised her hands and removed her helmet causing the asari to skid to a holt and gasp.
Liara looked at her lovers face, her features still showed her Asian heritage but instead of her skin being a porcelain colour it was ashen grey. Her hair was still black as a starless night but now instead of being tied back in a pony tail, it was now sorter and messy. The red scars on her face were replace by the same glowing blue scars that all the reaper-tech modified Cerberus troops had.
"Is…is that you Shepard?" Liara asked quietly.
"More or less" Shepard replied.
"How?" the asari asked as she tried too catch her breath.
"Well, I'm kinda the catalyst now" Shepard shrugged.
"Wh-what?" Liara said as a confused look crossed her face.
"There was a choice. I chose too take the power and use it"
Before Liara could reply too Shepards statement, a very angry looking Javik moved foreword with his particle-rifle aimed at the former commanders chest and his green biotics flaring.
"This is unacceptable human! The reapers should be destroyed" Javik yelled.
"Relax Javik, I got this" Shepard replied.
"No!" the prothean yelled again.
"Hmm, I thought you would appreciate the hole 'imperial conquest thing'. You know? The hole do as I say or die thing"
Javik lowered his rifle a moment as he considered what the former human said before he raised his rifle again and said quietly,
"No"
But before he could fire Shepard flashed blue and sent the prothean flying back towards the Normandy, when he landed he was unconscious.
"Stubborn jackass" the commander sighed quietly.
"Li, I promise it's still me, I just got…some upgrades is all." the human said too the asari.
"I…I don't understand" Liara said quietly.
"Let me show you then"
Shepard said as she gently placed her right hand on the asari's left cheek. When Liara nodded Shepard closed her eyes, took a breath, when she reopened her eyes they no longer glowed blue but were pitch black and she said.
"Relax, Liara T'Soni, close your eyes open your mind…embrace eternity"
Liara opened her eyes, she looked around, the asari saw she was standing a beautifully lush forest. All around her miniature red reapers wandered about the trees oblivious to her presents.
"Like it?" a voice asked.
"Yes, its quite peaceful" Liara said as she turned to look at her love.
Shepard was standing in a traditional asari dress, it was black with red trim, it clung to her in all the right places. The commander smirked as she saw the asari's look her up and down.
"if this is not to your likings, I can change" Shepard said as she clicked her fingers and the dress disappeared leaving her completely naked.
"Oh my" Liara chocked as she blushed.
"If your embarrassed"
The former commander smirked, she clicked her fingers again and Liara's own armour vanished.
Shepard laughed as she sauntered to the asari, swaying her hips seductively. wrapping her arms around the blue aliens waist drawing her close, the former human said.
"much better"
"Y-yes" Liara stammered.
"Were are we?" the asari asked.
"My new home, well I should show you what happened"
Shepard rested her forehead ageist Liara's. The commander's talk with the former catalyst and her final decision played through the asari's mind. Once Shepard had shown Liara what she needed to know the human ended the meld.
-M/E-
"Oh, Shepard" Liara said as she covered the human's hand.
"It had to be me, someone else might of got it wrong" Shepard smiled.
"Shepard how did you initiate a meld?" the asari asked.
"This body, I had it grown, it's mainly human with a little asari in the mix"
"Ok? I…I have something I need you to know" Liara said as she looked away from the commander.
"your pregnant, I know" replied Shepard softly.
"How?!"
"I felt her when you conceived" Liara opened her mouth, but before she could speak Shepard interrupted her.
"Don't apologies, it was the perfect gift"
An instant after Shepard finished speaking, Liara jumped into her lovers arms and clung to her like a life line in a stormy sea.
"Lets go see the others" Shepard said as she led Liara by the hand towards the crew of the Normandy.
-M/E-
Shepard and Liara stood hand-in-hand in front of the commanders former crew and gave a lopsided grin until Ashley asked her.
"What the hell, skipper?"
"What you talkin' bout?" Shepard replied.
"The reapers, Cerberus, your face. Pick one and explain"
"Reaper Empress" Shepard shrugged.
"Reaper Empress" everyone said, except for Liara and Javik (Who was still unconscious), in unison.
"Yes, Reaper Empress" Shepard sighed.
"I can control anything effected by reaper-tech. you name it; Husks, indoctrinated organics, modified Cerberus troops or even the reapers themselves. It's kinda nice too be doing the fucking for a change, you know, instead of the other way around."
"Oh and I will bring peace with it, of cause" The Empress added.
"How are you going to archive that Shepard?" EDI asked.
Shepard cleared her throat took a step foreword and began too give her speech:
"Eternal, Infinite, Immortal.
I have used these words before, but now I truly understand them.
I finally understand the full potential of the decision I was forced to make.
My greatest duty now is to provide the people with a powerful leader, and I promise I will put an end to the petty bickering of the many.
I will insure the strongest are not feared or reviled for their strength.
I can only achieve this by becoming something grater than the women I once was.
There is power in control, there is wisdom in harnessing the power of your enemy.
I will restore what the many have fought for, I will lead an army none dare appose.
I will protect, defend; I will crush those underfoot that dare to threaten the future of the many.
And I will remember those who have fought and died so that the many could survive.
I have become the one who will lead the many too peace, kicking and screaming if I must."
On a distant world, an old man and a child stood next to one another looking too the stars, the young child turned to the old man and asked.
"Did that all really happen?"
"Yes; But, some of the details have been lost in time, it happened so very long ago" the old man answered.
"When can I go to the stars?" the child asked.
"One day my sweet"
"What will be there?"
"Anything you can imagine" replied the old man.
"I want too meet the Empress and her blue queen" said the child.
"You very well might do, they still lead us, their together forever"
"Tell me another story about the Empress and her queen?"
"It's getting late, but, ok one more story" The old man said.
End?