A Prothean Theatre? Excavations of ruins on Therum suggest Protheans constructed large auditoria.

Liara T'Soni, Nazia Jiftar & Fevris R'mta.

Abstract

Much has been written on the cultural pastimes of the Protheans, although such speculations have lacked scientific rigour (Nilotis, G. & Gekasiae, S., 2065). In this study, Prothean artefacts uncovered on Therum are described and analysed. Hypotheses are advanced as to the purpose of such structures and the role they played in Prothean society. One architectural relic was found to consist of a flat floor composed of a material similar to Tankerlite. It was hypothesised that this sector was a fragment of a circular area bounded by raised platforms, used to showcase Prothean culture, functioning much like modern theatrical auditoria. Other relics included idols of Mass Relays and pictorial representations of local star systems. Insufficient data were recovered to hypothesise on the functions of these objects, which may have served artistic, historical, scientific or religious purposes.

- Extract from an article in Those Who Came Before (the galaxy's premiere scientific journal on the Prothean civilisation), pp. 140-156, Volume 3045.


Liara T'Soni leaned back in her chair and took a sip from a mug of hot coffee. The human beverage contained an alkaloid stimulant called caffeine that, she was finding, had similar effects on both asari and human nervous systems. It had kept her going through many long and sleepless nights. The drink was bitter – apparently it tasted better when combined with the lactic secretions of a herbivorous quadruped – but her wartime rations permitted her only hot water, and besides, drinking the secretions of a Terran animal did not sound very appealing to her, no matter how thoroughly the product was sterilised.

She set the mug down and ran a hand across her forehead, sighing. Her job was over now. She should rest, get some sleep. But as the humans said, there was no rest for the wicked. Or was it no rest for the weary? She would have to ask Shep – no, Kaidan about that, the next time she saw him.

A soft knock sounded at the door of her office and she started, almost knocking the mug over. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and Midshipman Duignan appeared, head lowered meekly. "Uh, Dr T'Soni? Councillor Hackett says he'd like to speak with ye. He's on a secure channel. I can patch him through to yer com terminal."

"Thank you, Midshipman. Surely you didn't have to come all the way to my office for that."

Midshipman Duignan's face turned an interesting pinkish-red colour. "Um, I brought ye some milk, ma'am. I know how much ye're likin' the coffee, and I thought, well, it's a shame for ye to only have it with water, so… "

Liara chuckled. "Thank you." She took the proffered packet and tucked it away on her desk. "That's very kind of you. I hope you didn't have to go to too much trouble to get it."

"Not at all, not at all." Midshipman Duignan held his arms awkwardly behind his back. "Ye'd best drink it in a day or two or else it'll spoil."

"Right. I'll do that." She smiled kindly at him. "Thanks again. I should probably speak to the Councillor now. I believe he needs to discuss something very urgent with me."

Midshipman Duignan nodded, saluted and practically ran out the door. He had feelings for her, the poor boy. Liara wondered what humans on Earth thought about the asari. Perhaps Duignan had been watching those strange extranet exploitation vids with nasty titles like Matriarch 2: Revenge of the Biotic Dominatrix from Thessia. It was fortunate humans had not learnt about the Ardat-Yakshi – by the Goddess, the kinds of vids that would spawn! Midshipman Duignan was a sweet boy, but he was barely two decades old, and Liara was over five times his age. In her eyes, the human was hardly more than an infant.

Her com terminal lit up and she composed herself before activating it. Councillor Hackett's image appeared before her. The com hologram didn't show fine detail, but she thought he looked much older and wearier that he had a few months ago.

"Good morning, Dr T'Soni," Hackett said.

"Good morning, Councillor Hackett."

"I was pleasantly surprised to receive your message. I take it you've reconsidered your decision."

"Yes. That's correct."

"If you don't mind my asking, what brought about this change of heart?"

Liara lowered her head, organising her thoughts. It was several moments before she replied. "It has been over five months, Councillor. I've picked over the rubble the search-and-rescue parties left behind, going over the same areas again and again. It's time for me to accept the truth, the truth that everyone else has already faced. Shepard is gone and he's not coming back."

Hackett nodded. "A hard truth," he said. "Yet I'm glad to hear you've begun the mourning process. We need your expertise. We can't afford to have you wasting your talents on searching for things that are already lost."

"What's the situation like up there?"

Hackett shook his head. "I won't lie to you. It's pretty grim. Things have calmed down a little since the formation of the Emergency Council, but the tension is mounting. The turians have pledged their loyalty to the Council, but their ships are still guarding the Charon Relay. They let human, salarian and asari research parties visit the relay, but they haven't permitted any non-turian military vessel to approach, and we haven't broached the subject. This is not the time to be testing their boundaries."

"What of the asari and salarians?"

"The asari are co-operating with us fully. Their lifespans are long enough that most of them will be alive to use the Mass Relays even if they take decades or centuries to rebuild. The hope of returning to a Reaper-free Thessia is spurring them on to study the Charon Relay with all their resources. The salarians are more difficult. They're smart enough to know that, statistically, all of them will die before the Mass Relay is rebuilt. The prospect of being trapped on Earth, cut off from their Family Houses and their females is not a cheerful one. Councillor Uxula is keeping them in check for now. She was the only Dalatrass – indeed, the only salarian female – to survive the Battle for Earth. As well as her political clout due to being a Dalatrass, she is now the most valuable salarian in the Sol system, as any male salarian who mates with her will pass on his genes to another generation. She reports that there is great discontent within the salarian fleet, and she can't promise to hold it together forever."

"What about Tali's people?"

"The quarians have been on a pretty cool basis with the Council. Their application for readmittance to Council space was approved, but they were denied a place on the Emergency Council itself, thanks to the negative votes of the salarian and asari Councillors. They can't afford to be too distant with us, though, because they need our help. The entire Migrant Fleet is here, which is a mixed blessing. They don't have to worry about being cut off from their people and culture – but they have a massive civilian force to feed and not enough supplies or power to keep their ships running for the decades they may be stuck in Sol. We're settling quarians on Earth, mainly in Alaska and New Mexico, which is causing its own headaches, as you're well aware. Tali'Zorah is overseeing that. You could talk to her about it."

"The situation sounds extremely volatile."

"You haven't heard the worst of it. The Rebels are becoming a major thorn in our side."

"I thought the Rebels were just a few krogan malcontents?"

"No. As well as several krogan companies from Tuchanka, they now include bands of Terminus Systems mercenaries – krogan, vorcha, asari and batarian – and a batarian fleet from Khar'san. I believe they were even joined by some salarian deserters."

Liara shook her head. "We're all stuck in Sol. We need to work together to have even a remote chance of leaving. What could they hope to gain from rebelling?"

"Bringing all these people together was an incredible feat. It took the combination of Shepard's charisma and the threat of the Reapers. Once those two factors were removed, it was inevitable our fragile alliance would splinter. Like the quarians, the krogan and vorcha – vorcha, dammit! – demanded a place on the Council. I voted for the krogan, but I could not sanction the vorcha. In any case, when those two species were denied, they took their ships and left, taking advantage of the confusion to destroy some of our fighters on the way. Our forces are severely weakened and our priorities now are stabilising Earth, keeping the Council races together and repairing the Mass Relay. We're stretched thin. The Rebels know we can't pursue them in force. They're lurking out there, ready to harass vulnerable targets. The mercenary companies are using the hit-and-run tactics they perfected in the Terminus Systems. That's another reason Tali'Zorah wanted to relocate the most vulnerable quarian citizens to Earth ASAP. The quarian civilian fleet is armed but not prepared to withstand bloodthirsty mercs."

"Terrible. We came together in a show of unity, the likes of which the galaxy had never seen before. There was so much potential, so much hope. And now the Reapers are gone, we turn on each other. By the Goddess, could anything be sadder?"

"I doubt it. The lead up to the Battle for Earth was the finest thing I'd ever seen in my life. They didn't even have the decency to let Shepard's body get cold before pissing all over his legacy."

"Well, Councillor, I'm ready to do anything I can to help."

"Dr T'Soni, our top scientists have been studying the Mass Relay for months and they still haven't made any progress. We don't even understand what material the relay is constructed from."

"How can I help you with that, Councillor? You know I'm an archaeologist, not a Mass Effect physicist."

"The Protheans built the Conduit. That means they were capable of manipulating the Mass Relay network and building new Relays. You are the galaxy's foremost expert on the Protheans. Perhaps if you were to join our research team…"

"The Prothean ruins I've studied were incredibly difficult to decipher. It took me years just to work out what sort of buildings the Protheans lived in, and those were educated guesses at best! Now you're asking me to reconstruct Prothean Mass Effect physics? That's orders of magnitude beyond anything I've ever done! It's not possible, Councillor. It can't be done."

"If I recall correctly, you and the rest of Shepard's team have done the impossible before."

"Yes, but… Shepard was with us then. Now he's gone…"

"But you're still here, Doctor. All the good men and women Shepard gathered around him are still here. You can still do great things. I believe that."

"Have you tried speaking to Javik?"

"The whereabouts of the Prothean are unknown. There's been no reported sighting of him since the war ended. If he survived, he's keeping a low profile."

"I think… I think I might be able to find him. If he's alive. I don't know how much help he'd be – he's a warrior with no scientific training, he said so himself – but his understanding of Prothean language and culture would help me interpret the data I have. It's a long shot, but we haven't much choice at the moment. I can't promise he'll assist, though. He's not the most… co-operative individual."

Councillor Hackett nodded. "Yes, having a real live Prothean on our side could make things a lot easier."

"I'll need a few days. To – to prepare, sort out my things, organise my data. And perhaps find Javik."

"Very well, Doctor. Hopefully we'll see you and the Prothean on our research team in a few days. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Hackett out."


I have seen Rannoch with my naked eyes

Glowing in the light of the ancestral sun

I have breathed the air that Wur'Kazat breathed

And walked the earth that Iftiba walked

The sweet winds that caressed Jaheena's locks

Have wiped the tears from my bare face

Who can describe that memory, O Quarian?

Who can capture the beauty of Rannoch, that Walled Garden,

That jewel of Arzur, which calamity stole from Quar's children?

- The Journal of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya

(Editor's Note: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy translated many of her writings into Geth. Her Geth rendition of the above poem is included below for the sake of completeness, although something is inevitably lost in translation):

0100010101111111101001

010100010100000010101000

0011111010001001110101100

10101000101111101010001010


When Tali entered the room, the receptionist, a young human girl, looked up and wrinkled her face in distaste. How strange it would be to have your facial expressions just hanging out there, broadcasting your feelings, your age, your history for everyone to see. It had taken Tali a long time to get used to that. Quarians never saw each other's faces unless they were in an intimate relationship. On the Migrant Fleet walking around with your face showing would be like publicly exposing a breast or some other deeply personal part of your body.

She walked up to the counter and nodded at the girl. "Good morning. I am here to meet with the Minister for Immigration."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Of course. I am Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the Quarian ambassador to Earth."

The receptionist typed furiously. "I need to see your ID."

Tali activated her omni-tool. "Here are the documents proving my identity."

"You need to submit to a facial scan."

"Very well."

"Take off your mask."

"What?"

"It's standard procedure."

"I cannot remove my mask!"

"Look, I don't know how you do things on Quaria, but on Earth we ID people by looking at their faces. If you want to live here you'll have to learn to do things our way."

Tali kept her anger in check with difficulty. "It is not a question of culture. If I take off my mask my immune system will be compromised and I will die. Have you never met a quarian or volus before?"

The girl shook her head. "If you can't submit to a facial scan for medical reasons, you'll have to apply for a special exemption. I'll upload the form to your omni-tool."

Tali retreated to a corner of the lobby, found a seat on a soft couch and watched the city through the window. She had never been to Canberra before. It was in Earth's southern hemisphere, part of the Oceanian Republic. Its small population had spared it from heavy Reaper assault, but even here she could see the scars and gaping holes in the cityscape left by the war. Painful reminders of things she had lost. She looked away. Time to fill in this damn form.

Once the form was complete, she sent it to the receptionist, who rolled her eyes as if to say, these aliens, right? Tali went back to staring out the window until someone coughed politely behind her.

She turned, saw who it was and leapt to her feet. "Kaidan!" she cried, rushing to embrace him.

"Good to see you, Tali," he said, returning the hug. "Whoa, easy there!"

"They told me they would be sending an Alliance officer to support me, but they did not say who it was! Why did you not tell me?"

"I wanted to see the look of surprise on your face. Uh, mask."

"Please. Don't go there."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend."

"You didn't offend me. Just… that girl over there was giving me a hard time. Humans aren't exactly going out of their way to make my people feel welcome on Earth, you know?"

Kaidan put his hands on Tali's shoulders, his hazel eyes soft with concern. "Tali. I want to do everything I can to make your people feel safe here. You helped us out when we needed it. We couldn't have won the Reaper War without you. I'm sorry. Sometimes we humans have short memories. I'm ashamed of us, sometimes."

"Don't be sorry, Kaidan. Come, let us sit down. We have much to talk about."

They settled on the couch by the window, but it was different now, with Kaidan to distract her. She couldn't lose herself in her own thoughts, dwell on old regrets. The two of them talked, laughed and remembered, and it was good to feel this again, to feel free and happy with someone she trusted. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed it until just now.

"Is it my imagination, or are you wearing a new uniform?"

Kaidan looked sheepish. "It's not your imagination. They've made me a Captain now."

"Congratulations! I can think of no one who deserves it more."

"To be honest, I don't really feel I've earned it. We lost a lot of good men and women, people who should have been above me. That's why they promoted me so quickly, to fill the gaps."

"Nonsense. If they promoted you for anything other than your dedication, talent and sheer hard work, they are fools."

"Gee, Tali, you're going to make me blush."

"How are you finding your new position?"

"Honestly? I love it. Hackett put me in charge of half the Biotic Units in the North American Division. I'm overseeing their training, even the young kids. And it's so good to know that on my watch things are going to be done right, that no one is going to put those guys through what I went through."

Tali could tell by the animation in his face and the passion in his voice that he truly enjoyed what he was doing. "They are lucky to be in your care."

Kaidan smiled. "But I'm not the only one who's moved up in the world. Ambassador to Earth, huh? Pretty big deal."

Tali looked away. "In truth, this isn't a very prestigious job. My people are on Earth because they have to be, not because they want to be. I wish we could be here under less… strained circumstances. My people are angry. They feel that humans are not repaying us for the assistance we provided in the war."

"Because we're not."

"Hopefully that will change today. But I do not feel optimistic."

Kaidan took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Hey, we did the impossible. We stopped the Reapers. Anything else should be child's play, right?"

Tali looked down. "Shepard was with us then." She looked out the window again, at the blasted landscape. "Over five months. I really can't believe it."

"I wish he was here with us now. To see this. Earth going on. Surviving. To know that his sacrifice wasn't for nothing."

"Given the situation, maybe it's better he didn't see this. Organic life is so messed up. We fought so hard to stop the Reapers from destroying us, but no sooner are they gone than we begin to fight each other. Maybe the Protheans were wrong. Maybe it's not the Reapers who bring about the end of the cycle. Maybe we'll do it to ourselves."

"There's a cheerful thought."

"Sorry. Sorry. So, what are your plans after the meeting?"

"Well, the Alliance wants me to go to London and take part in some kind of parade. March around, show off my medals. They gave everyone who took part in the battle a new one, you know, the Silver Crucible. Did you get one? Oh. Give me your address and I'll see you get one. Anyway, you probably don't want it. It's just a piece of metal. You know what my most precious memento of that battle is?" Kaidan's face clouded. He lowered his gaze, reached inside his shirt and drew something out in his clenched fist. He opened his fingers, and there on his palm was a small badge emblazoned with the N7 logo. "I took this from one of Shepard's old uniforms. I carry it everywhere, like a good luck charm. He took us through hell and somehow kept us safe. I kind of feel like part of him is still with me, you know? I know it's stupid."

"No." Tali shook her head. "On the Migrant Fleet we have no space for useless things. Objects without function are sold or given away. But I… I would make room for that."

"I'm glad you understand." Kaidan squeezed the badge again and tucked it inside his shirt. "He was like the brother I never had."

"We all cared for him. Very much." She heaved a deep sigh. "Any word on Liara?"

"Last I heard, she's still digging."

"She is a better friend than we are."

"I don't know. I don't think Shepard would want us to spend too much time hoping for the impossible. It's been months with no sign of him. Even if he somehow survived the explosion, the most we can hope for now is finding his remains and laying them to rest."

"Keelah se'lai."

The receptionist interrupted their conversation. "Captain Alenko? Ambassador Vas Normandy? The Minister will see you in her office now."

Kaidan and Tali rose to their feet.

"Showtime," Kaidan said.

The Oceanian Minister for Immigration was a human female about Tali's height with tanned skin, long, straight black hair and a good-looking, arrogant face. She greeted her visitors courteously enough, but she had a no-nonsense air about her that told Tali this visit would be a difficult one. They exchanged pleasantries, and then they got to the crux of the matter.

"Minister Faumuina," Tali said, "Australia is the least populated of the occupied continents on Earth. The central region has an extremely low population density. The Alliance agreed to relocate my people -"

"An agreement that was made without consulting the Oceanian government," Minister Faumuina interrupted. "We can hardly be expected to uphold a contract we had no part in making."

"Surely, Minister," Kaidan said, "your government will be happy to provide every available assistance to the Alliance and the quarian fleet, given that we defended this planet from complete annihilation by the Reapers."

"We have not forgotten the war and your role in it. You might have saved us from complete annihilation, but it was a near thing. Our national infrastructure is completely destroyed. We have millions of citizens who are homeless, starving, dying from outbreaks of disease. We've lost eighty percent of our population and we're looking at losing at least another half over the next few years. We're not in a position to support extra people."

"Every other nation is in the same situation," Kaidan said. "But they still allowed us to settle aliens in North America."

"Not without problems. I heard some of the residents of New Mexico and Alaska aren't very happy with their new neighbours. The reports I've had suggest that they could be looking at a civil war. That's not the kind of problem Oceania needs right now. We need peace. We need to rebuild. We don't need aliens destabilising our society."

Tali leaned forward. "Your society, your peace, was bought and paid for with the lives of my people! How can you now turn around and deny us a bit of land to live on? We came all the way across the galaxy for you, because Shepard asked us."

"Commander Shepard is dead."

"And so, it seems, is the honour of the human species."

"Amusing. A quarian questions my honour. I don't think we need lessons on hospitality from the race that unleashed the Geth on the entire galaxy." Minister Faumuina turned to Kaidan. "We might be persuaded to take a few asari and salarians, Captain. No krogan. No turians. And no quarians."

Kaidan said, "Look, the quarians won't be a drain on your resources. Quite the opposite. They're sourcing their food from the turians. And they are fantastic engineers – they can help with repairs and construction, and mineral extraction. Oceania still has mineral and fuel deposits that were abandoned because the yields were too depleted. The quarians can mine those for you. They're extremely efficient. They'll pay resource taxes, of course, which will go to your treasury. And the extracted minerals can either help in your own rebuilding efforts, or be exported at a premium. Plus, if you have technology that was damaged by the Crucible pulse, the quarians can repair it. You see, Minister? You get all these benefits and the quarians get a place to stay. Everyone wins."

Minister Faumuina considered this for a few moments. "You make an interesting case. I will have to take this issue to my cabinet and discuss it with them. Aliens are not very popular on Earth right now, and quarians least of all. Their association with synthetic life is too strong. But I will see what can be done."

After the meeting concluded, they went for a stroll in a park not far from the office building.

"Do you want to get a drink?" Tali asked. "For old times' sake?"

"Sorry, Tali. I'd love to, but I've got a shuttle to London to catch."

Tali sighed glumly. "Yes. I should return to Alaska too. My people are having trouble settling in. Did you know there have been murders of quarians and turians? Some humans really don't want us here."

"I'm really sorry. Is there anything the Alliance can do? More resources?"

"I don't think this can be handled through… official channels."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind. We'll be fine, Kaidan. Go and enjoy your parade. You've earned it."

She hugged him tightly before they parted ways. "I hope to see you again. But if I don't, I want you to know that I was glad to know you. The days on the Normandy – well, I was in mortal danger all the time, but in some ways those were the happiest days of my life."

"Tali, why are you talking like this? The war is over."

"The Reaper war is over. But other conflicts are just beginning. Shepard destroyed the Reapers, but he couldn't change our nature. The Reapers were right about one thing: organic life is chaotic. Maybe war will never end."

"Tali…"

"Goodbye, Kaidan. Take care of yourself."

She left him there, standing in the shadow of gum trees, while she crossed the ruined city and returned to her transport.


A/N:

Rating will rise to M.

This is an AU. Updates will be slow.

Warning: main characters may die. Maybe even all of them.

EDI and the Geth are not dead (not yet!). Just the Reapers. Because I said so.