AUTHOR'S NOTES

I had an old Mass Effect story on here. That's dead.

This is it's new form.

I wrote this because I personally believe the Mass Effect Verse is an amazing well written one with unique races and settings. I would love for it to have tons more novels, comics and anime to explore more of the verse and tell stories not linked to Shepherd or any of the main crew. But sadly that isn't the case lol.

Some characters will be shown, some only referenced.

I'm trying to keep this as lore friendly as possible.

I'm working on this while i try to figure out what to do with my writing, to get my own voice and to practice till I'm better. '

I hope to be updating at least once a month.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, if you do or don't leave a comment. I want to hear on how I can improve.


Val'Tasi vas Rayya tried to remain inconspicuous but being a Quarian already made that difficult and his pacing only caused him to stand out more.

The river of flowing bipedal species passing him by with stares, most with two eyes but some with four, caused more of his nerves to fry. Bring up his omni-tool he checked the time, galactic standard. 19:00. One more hour before the next day. Two hours later than planned radio contact.

Technically it was night time, but night was never here for the citadel. It was constantly abuzz with the hum of electronics and the murmurs of individuals that blended into a roaring mess of thousands upon thousands of conversations. The footsteps of millions of people all different heights, weight, walking patterns, but all not in suits.

He wasn't entirely use to all the openness of the citadel or anything that wasn't the fleet either, though if he wasn't now he doubted he'd ever adjust to it. He could never wave off the uneasiness it caused to crawl through him like a virus.

His three digits instinctively went to his right hip, hoping to find comfort in one of the few things worth trusting in this galaxy, but only touched air. Standard procedure for fire arms to be turned in or left on ships.

He felt more eyes take curious glances at him from those rushing by, Quarians were a rare sight ever since they were kicked off the council. The store owners though bore in at him, he could see the suspicion and disgust in their eyes. Wondering if the suited being would try to make a pass at one of their stores.

A Turian store keep seemed to be more than just cautious of him, openly cursing at him earlier, telling him to fuck off from his stand and to think twice before trying to steal anything. That was two hours ago. He had been standing near his shop for five minutes, looking up at all the hologram ads that played. Genuinely interested in all the new clothes and foods shown, though he'd never be able to enjoy any displayed.

Even after he went to the other side of podium he still stared daggers. The Quarian let out a sigh of frustration and once more tried to make contact.

"Julipius. Come in, Julipius. It's been two hours. Are you alright? Trying not to bring attention to myself like you said, but that's not working so well. And you are nedas. I'm surprised C-sec hasn't been called yet…" He trailed off as human and salarian in blue and black armor strolled up to him.

The human carrying an Elanus Striker pistol while the Salarian held an STG manufactured assault riffle.

The human was brown in skin tone while his partner was a dull orange, he much more lanky and taller than the human with only one horn. The Quarian found how they walked around without helmets on a tad odd, even if he knew their immune system wasn't as fragile as his own.

"Uh. Hello there."

"We've got complaints of a Quarian trying to steal some loose credits and harassing stores for scrap." The human spoke as he got within arm's reach. "Name, Quarian."

Of course. He thought to himself, passing a glance at the Turian who seemed to be enjoying the show.

"Val'Tasi Vas Rayya. I'm just waiting for my friend to arrive."

"We don't care about you or your friend." The salarian spoke this time. As the human typed the name into his omni-tool.

"Yeah he checked in earlier at docking, so he didn't get smuggled on." The human said.

"Get going before we take you to lock up." The salarian's voice was a higher pitch than the human's but still just as stern.

Before Val could speak he felt a hand on his shoulder, three talon like appendages. "You guys already gave him the run around as soon as we came in, he was just waiting for me." A familiar voice said.

"Yeah and who the hell are you?" The human asked, his hand grabbing his pistol. The Salarian on the other hands eyes seemed to widen a bit. Recognizing the Turian before them.

With a wave of a hand his omni-tool appeared, show casing his ID and status at the Citadel.

"Spectre. Julipius Papgatus."

The human seemed to go white at the title of Spector being used, immediately taking his hand off the butt of his gun.

A moment later and the C-sec officers mumbled an apology and walked away, not trying to commit career suicide and start a dispute with a Spectre.

The shopkeeper yelled at them to do their job and get the beggar off the street, but he mostly was ignored and told to keep the shouting down.

As the two C-sec members disappeared in the crowd, Julipius nodded for Val to follow him.

Pushing past the sea of people and going around the store fronts. The Turian lead Val through some alleyways, making turns left and right, heading down slowly through back exits and forgotten paths, taking the slow path instead of taking the travel shuttles or elevators to the lower wards, they shuffled along like this for about an hour, mostly in silence.

This section was rarely used by residents, filled with red ambient light and boxes of all shapes and sizes thrown about. It looked like a Wearhouse.

The Turian took a seat on a create, his black armor creaking a bit. Although rarely walked through, the area they were in was hardly abandoned.

Keepers shuffled back and forth, green insect like beings with a hard exoskeleton and four legs sticking out in each direction, cold black eyes, with boney arms and some type of backpack on. A mute species that constantly worked on the citadel, killing itself if captured or probed, roughly at half Val's own height.

Val was fascinated by the silent workers, ever since he first set foot on the citadel, even now his eyes followed them as they scuttled about while Julipius started to speak.

"Sorry about the wait, but you were right." He tossed a Val a small burlap sack. Fishing out the item inside, he pulled out a rectangular metal object, smooth, reflective and curved at the bottom. Just about palm size, Val scrutinized the featureless object, turning it this way and that, as Julipius went on.

"It was in the shop like you said it would be, the old Asari was straight forward, just wanted her credits. She didn't know what it was. Thought it was some puzzle."

He paused. "In a way, guess she wasn't wrong."

"It's more like a piece of a puzzle than one itself, but still." Val explain still shifting the object between hands. Before starting a scan with his Omni-Tool.

Julipius continued his story.

"I was about to leave when her store gets torn to shreds, a hail of bullets destroying everything, I hop over the counter as my shield takes a few. Same as the Asari. The onslaught of bullets stops and next thing I know a Korgan kicks what's rest of the door down, bout four gunmen right behind him. All in mixed match gear, same tattoo on their faces. Mercenaries. The Korgan, the boss, orders them to make sure everyone's dead. "

Val nods, not looking up, having expected something like this to occur.

"This why I warned you. I told you, someone was monitoring our coms, bring back up." Val trialed off and his Omni-Tool shook over a specific spot on the device.

Julipius shrugged.

"I didn't need it." He said as a wave of dark matter shifted around him, a faint gassy blue glow swirling around him. his hands where it was almost like a blue flame flowing freely, it's ambers skyward before dying shortly after. "Sloppy armatures, really."

"Two were torn down just as they entered." He continued, no longer creating the tiny mass effect fields.

"The old Asari popped back up with a shotgun as one of the mercs moved towards our location, used my biotics to pull him towards her. His shield couldn't take that much power up close. Bits of Salarian brain went everywhere, green paint all over the walls."

The Turian's spoke in his flagging voice. "I got off three shots at another, all square in the chest. She crumpled to the floor like a bag of rocks. Before we could get cut down other ones, they actually realized what was happening and dove for whatever cover they could get." Julipius finished taking out his pistol and flexing another wave of dark energy, fondly remembering the fight.

Having dropped the Asari merc, Julipius ducked back down behind the counter as the Korgan and the rest of his squad, released another wave of automatic fire. Objects shattered, as some projectiles ricocheted of the metal walls destroying them.

Glass crunched underfoot as the enemies took the opportunity to take cover of their own. The Korgan, was furthest back, still outside using the doorway to shield himself, constantly letting off burst of gunfire, letting one of his men edge towards them. As the other, a human, was hiding behind a turned over table taking pot shots at them.

The Asari shop owner, was a few meters to his right, a Thessia manufactured shotgun on her lap, back against the counter. She looked at the Spector, making eye contact. He saw her eyes were calm and steady, but in them he saw an eagerness like a child at a playground.

Julipius wondered if she had military experience and his answer came when one merc's rifle popped over the counter directly over her head, Julipius was trying to align a shot when she used her shot gun to push upwards, causing the assailant's gunfire to run along the floor and up the wall. Before the soldier-for-hire could react she, let off two consecutive shots into him, kicking him into the air and crashing to the floor.

All that in one calm second, a movement so fluid it looked instinctive to her.

"Fucking hell!" The young Korgan growled, angered at the slaughter of his men, he let out emptied his clip blindly.

Julipius used the pause of gunfire to act, popping around the counter corner, he let off a biotic push, throwing the last armored member into the wall and the table he used for cover crashed into him almost right after, leaving his upper body exposed and his gun thrown across the room. The Turian emptied his pistol into him and in a flash had a new thermal clip in.

"Just the Korgan left." The Asari finally spoke, "I'm going to cut his testicles off for ruining my shop."

"No way. I want to be the one to drop him. Besides- ".

Julipius was cut off as the Korgan let out a deep roar, cursing the Turian. "I'm gonna rip those spikes off your damn head!" The raging Korgan tossed his gun aside and started charging straight ahead.

The Asari fired her shotgun, but that did little to stop blood lusted beast, Julipius couldn't get a shot before it smashed through the counter, lowering his plated head as he burst through, chunks of wood splintered into the air.

The Korgan didn't slow and ran full force into Julipius, casting him off his feet and on to the Korgan's shoulder and a couple of steps more he slammed Julipius into the wall, causing him losing the grip on his pistol and it fell to the floor with a clank.

The Korgan wrapped one of his giant hands around the Turian's throat squeezing, effortlessly picking him off the ground. Although young he was massive even for his own species.

Julipius could feel his hard-warm breath against his face.

The Korgan merc snarled, his thin lips revealing teeth like that of humans. The Korgan's thick brown plates were covered in yellow and green marks, his scaly face was dressed in scars, solid red wide-set eyes filled with rage. Even though they were prey like in nature, they showed their desire to kill like any predator species.

Filling his hand with dark energy, Julipius slammed it down on the Korgan's arm, it felt like hitting a wet bag of cement, but did nothing to lessen the grip on his wind pipe.

The blow was powerful, but the reptilian alien's blood rage made him ignore all pain and damage.

Clawing at the hand chocking him, Julipius vision started to blur as another shotgun blast from the Asari rang out, this time close enough to go through his shields, before she ejected the thermal clip.

Yellow fluid sprayed Julipius as it gushed out of the Korgan. It screamed a curse at the Asari as it's head cocked to the side from the blow. His steel grip on Julipius' throat loosen, and it's focus no longer on him.

Seeing the limited time frame of the opportunity, seconds at most, Julipius immediately went to the combat blade on his hip, bringing it up and down to the hilt on the Korgan's arm.

More of the Korgan's blood pooled out as they blade went clean through, with a grunt Julipius brought the knife towards him, bisecting the merc's forearm to wrist, slicing through his dense muscle. It's arm gave out and the Korgan dropped Julipius who fell to the floor and reached for his pistole while the Asari finished loading in a thermal clip.

The Korgan, in a last ditched effort to kill the Turian, used his Omni-tool to form a blade on it's good arm, the orange holograph turning harder than diamond, and swung at Julipius.

As Korgan's blade came at him, Julipius aimed upwards at the Korgan, who was letting off a battle cry, the tip off his blade centimeters from piercing the Turian's throat.

The Turian and the Asari simultaneously begun firing, emptying their clips into the blood raged being, causing his body to jerk as each round of ammunition tore through him like paper, turning him into bloody lump of mass filled with holes.

With the last threat dead, The Turian relaxed a bit as rough bunch of coughs escaped him, rubbing his bruised throat, he let shoulders slump a bit. "That's the last time I walk into a trap." He said a bit tired, from his adrenaline shutting down and the use of biotics in combat.

He saw a gloved hand reach out to him and he took it, appreciating the help up.

"This is the last time you step foot into my store."

The Asari spoke surveying her property, bodies were slumped on counters and overturn desks, their blood pooling across the floor. Broken glass, shards of wood, thermal clips, torn pages on the ground and still slowly falling while numerous other pieces of the oddities she sold littered the ground.

"Mostly because I don't have one left." She grumbled, resting her shotgun over her shoulder.

Julipius watched as she kicked a corpse, letting out a frustrated sigh. She looked like a typical Asari, beautiful and wise, she dressed in standard civi clothes of her people. The only noticeable thing about her was she was the rare teal shade instead of the standard purple or blue.

"Thanks for your help. Julipius Papgatus." He said extending a hand, she looked at him, but waved him off.

"Asishin T'doria. Formerly of Asishin's emporium." She said in dry humor. "And don't mention it. It's not like I had much choice. They just started shooting. Guessing it had to do with you." She stated, pushing a merc's corpse off a desk and setting it up right, using it as a seat, facing him.

"You wanted?" Asishin asked, raising her shotgun at Julipius.

"No more than any other Spector." He replied unfazed by the weapon pointed at him.

She let a swear and put the shotgun down next to her, spitting on the corpse she moved.

"You were calm out there. Good in combat. No panic."

"When you live to be 844, you experience a few things, learn how to deal with idiots and guns."

"You're that old huh. A matriarch. Wouldn't have guessed."

She gave shrug.

"But handling an ambush like that isn't just from being alive long. Training in combat but no biotics used, so you can't be Asari Ex-military."

Asishin looked unamused with Julipius' deductions. "Yeah. Ex-Mercenary. Might not have ever been enlisted, but I've killed more huntresses than you'd ever seen, Spectre."

"Doubtful." Julipius paused, choosing his next words. "Why come to the citadel?"

Annoyed Asishin didn't answer his question, instead chastised him and sked one of her own,

"Cut to your point already, you called this an ambush. Meaning you knew they were going to be here. Could have done this somewhere else were all my mementos wouldn't have been shot to hell." She dropped her teal face into her gloved hands, letting out a muffled scream. Once she got her composure, she turned her attention to the Turian, still standing there.

"This had to do with the little metal puzzle I sold you?"

The Turian nodded.

"Fun. Got my store ruined for 10,000 credits. Can't even fix the windows for that much. Had it for 200 years, thinking it was some dumb game. Apparently, it's worth a gun fight in the Citadel. "

The Turian fished it out of his pocket and turned it over in his hand. "You know what's in this?"

"No and I don't care. Couldn't open it up 600 years ago, sold it and somehow in the vast galaxy it comes back to me. I think it's the most amazing thing and buy it back. But even with more wisdom and experience still couldn't open it so I let it rust. Then someone tracks it down and I lose my store."

"That would be my Quarian friend."

"Just go okay." Asishin said as C-sec patrols finally arrived. Their flashing lights filled the ruined room.

"Wait here." Julipius said, stepping out to talk to the Turian's officers.

A moment later the flashing lights went off and C-sec stood idly by.

Perks of being a Spectre. Asishin figured.

She was upset over losing her store, she didn't have insurance and not nearly enough credits to repair the store. The objects that were destroyed is what pissed her off the most, although not worth much in value the items were priceless to her though, majority of them were things she gathered and collected during her long-life span. Mostly from her younger days adventuring through the galaxy.

She wondered if all this meant having to go back to Thessia, no longer having an income and being a matriarch on the citadel held no weight like it did on her home planet.

But it's been over 100 years since she was even in Asari space, she couldn't help but think her status would hold no weight over there either. Another frustrated sigh escaped her.

She wondered if she could go back to being a gun for hire.

Although now past that age for it to be considered normal in her species, those were her happiest moments in life. Traveling around the galaxy, fending off raiders, capturing criminals. The adventure of it all and the blood pumping action made her feel so alive.

She didn't get to think about it more about it before her Omni-tool went off, vibrating. Opening it Asishin saw a transaction of 3 million credits to her account. She stared at the screen stunned. Footsteps approach she looked and up she saw the Turian Spectre standing over her.

"500,000 for the damages." He said calmly.

"The rest?" Asishin asked.

"That Quarian friend of mine, he has a real knack of finding trouble on his pilgrimage."

Asishin. Nodded, understanding. "You want to hire me? It's been Centuries since I've been a mercenary."

"You didn't seem rusty to me, that's all that matters. I need someone who can hold their own in a fight, someone who also couldn't be working with the people out to get us."

She mused over the options, she had enough to fix her store, but she couldn't deny that despite being a matriarch she felt like a maiden, still wanting to see so much of the galaxy. Something other Asaris never understood, wanting her to be a community sage. To stick to their home planet.

She took long enough to think about that the Turian asked again.

Standing up, slinging her shot gun over her shoulder, she smoothed out her shirt. She stuck out her hand. "I'm going to need some time to get my gear"

The Turian. "We need to be gone by 3:00."

"I can manage, you have a ship?"

"Yes. Nothing fancy or big. But meet me here." He typed something into his omni-tool and sent her the location.

She looked at it and nodded. "Yeah. Okay. I'll be there."

With that she turned around and took a step before stopping.

Lowering her voice, she asked the question Julipius was expecting.

"What's in the box?"

"The Quarian think's it holds a map of a lost promethean world."

He saw her ace morph into one of awe. The same reaction he original had when the young Quarian told him his theory.

"And he has a way of opening it."

Val looked up from the rectangular object. "You told her that? Thought we weren't supposed to tell people that?" His eyes came off as glowing orbs through his helmet's orange visor. The light around the mouth piece glowed white when ever he spoke.

"You don't tell people that ever. I can."

"Oh, whatever. So we're waiting for the Asari? IS that wise, shouldn't we leave as fast as possible if that's what they were willing to do in the middle of the Citadel." Although he was talking about leaving now, his eyes were back down to the object, standing still.

"We are. This is where I told the Asari to meet us. Once she's here, we go to docking and leave."

"Right. Right."

"How long do you think it will take to unlock."

"Not sure. If I'm correct it shouldn't be too long. The Salrian researcher who hired me was working on translating the VI's system before he was…" The Quarian trailed off…wounds still fresh from the ill memories.

"But the VI was basically destroyed after the human spoke to it on Ilos. "The Turian finished.

"Yeah…That dead human." Val said softly, questioning if he could do what his former mentor couldn't do. But he had to or his death and work would have been meaningless.

He stopped speaking as he heard footsteps, though Julipius didn't bother getting up.

A second later Asishin popped from around a corner, donned in Asari combat armor, design for the guerilla and sabotage actions the council race was known excelling at. Though her's seemed to be customized, solid deep crimson with accents a pastel yellow. Val thought it was rather pleasing to look at.

She carried a duffle bag with her, when Julipius looked at it she stated it was filled with stuff she'd need to survive on ship for so long.

"So we headed out?"

With another hour they were on Julipius' personal ship. No bigger than a common smuggler's vessel, it had ample room for the three and the few staff needed to run it smoothly. Short corridors separated the majority of the rooms. The captain's, Julipius', were on the only upper floor, the only thing making up the second level.

That's where the three we're at now.

Asishin too notice of how simple and straight forward the décor of his room was. A small bed just big enough for him to sleep in, tucked and neat just like everything else in there. He had Quantum Entanglement Communication or QEC, an almost instantaneous communication devices that projects the individuals as holograms. It was in the corner next to his extranet device.

A place for his armor and weapons were about the only decorative and personal things she could see.

She figured it was beaten into him from his time in the military service. All Turian's worked for the state at some point in their life, their species as a whole lives to do public services. A cultural thing based on putting society as whole over the needs of an individual. She didn't see him as the office type.

He had given her the only chair in the room, she knew this was because Asari's looked feminine to the other species as whole, despite them having only one gender. The young Quarian he let sit on the foot of the bed while he stood.

He had stripped his Spectre armor once they docked, now in Turian style short sleeve and pants, she saw his angular frame, and enjoyed the view. His metallic carapace was lighter than most, his colonial face tattoos were a deep red, a strict contrast with the green pupils visible from the dark hollows of their eyes. She had always enjoyed the unique characteristic of their voice, this time was no different as Julipius addressed them.

Arms crossed , Julipius was running them through the details, he was meticulous man. Its what allowed him to be the top of his squad, what made him eligible to be a Spectre but most importantly, it was what kept him alive throughout his years and what would keep them from getting a bullet through their heads.

"Someone's been tracking us for a while, specifically you though Val. The Salarian died on Illos and someone sent mercs to kill you. You're hunch was right about them tracking us through our comms, our ploy of you going alone seemed to have worked. But I don't think they want you dead."

"Them showing up to gun down my store is strong counter-argument." Asishin interrupted, but before she could argue some more Val blurted out an apology to the Asari who gave off a chuckle.

"It's fine kid, it's not the end of the galaxy and this seems more interesting than watching them repair it anyway."

"I'm on my pilgrimage. I'm not a kid." Val said annoyed.

Julipius snapped his talons. "She's a matriarch, everyone is a kid to her. Now back on topic."

Val straighten up and turned his focus back on the Turian. "Yes, Captain." Asishin heard the admiration in the Quarrian's voice.

She just crossed her legs and signaled for him to continue.

"The key word there was seemed to have worked. But compared to the Blue Sun members on you when we first met up, these guys were jokes. Sloppy, no real training. The tattoo makers on them weren't even in any council databanks. Newbies."

He paused and eyes flicked between the two in front of him. The Asari only seemed mildly interested in the details while Val seemed to be lost in thought, he could see gears turning in the Quarrian's mind.

"I left you out in the open on the Citadel for hours. Nobody showed to grab you or kill you."

"Oh guess we both were bait." Asishin spoke again.

Julipius knew what all this meant and considering he was great friends with the Salarian that took the Quarian as an apprentice, he knew more than he had shared with Val.

From the Asari's eyes studying Val, Julipius understood she got it as well and knew he was testing the Quarian. Seeing if he could fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"They want me to open the box and find out where the map leads to. But why didn't they just try to grab me when I was out in the open make me do it for them?"

Julipius knew the answer to that question.

As Spectre he knew all kinds of torture techniques, he could make Vocha beg for death and had before. He knew which way to stick a knife in to rip off a Korgan's head-plate, what bones to break in a human to deliver the most pain without them passing out. How to tear off a Turian's face carapace and have them live through it. Interrogating Quarian was much more difficult, a lot more time consuming, a lot more risk of losing a the target before you get what you needed.

He learned all that from a trial an error experience.

He knew they couldn't torture Val for the information because he didn't have it yet. They couldn't torture him to make him figure it out more quickly or risk him dying and losing it all if something went wrong.

With a Spectre watching over the Quarian, they wouldn't have the time allotted before he'd track them down, either kill them all or kill Val if that's what would keep the galaxy safe.

Julipius' eyes rested on the Quarian. Naïve, hopeful, eager to help and incredibly bright, Val despite all that he had seen and went through was still ignorant to how twisted and veil the Galaxy was outside the flotilla. He had taken a liking to the Quarian. But it was his duty to keep the galaxy safe and as the human expression goes, if push comes to shove, he would do what was necessary.

"Because you'd die during the torture."

He said stoic. Val's expression behind the helmet didn't change. He let out a quiet acknowledgement, but that was all.

A moment of silence fell between them.

"I had the ship swept for bugs and our communication scanned. We should be clean for now. But keep your mouths shut." Julipius finished.

"Now get out and sleep. We will be arriving at 09:00 galactic time." He barked, opening his door and waving them out.

With the two now on the other side of the door, the Asishin turned to ask one final question of the day.

"Where are we headed anyway."

It was the Quarian who answered, rather somberly. "Ilos."