Mass Effect: The Tale of a Million Ends.
Summary: "The Reapers are gone. Cerberus is gone. It's been a quiet five years since the Reaper's defeat and Cerberus' attempted takeover, but that doesn't mean that the Galaxy is going back to normal- or back to whatever "normal" was supposed to be- anytime soon. Now, nothing is what it seems as old foes, and even older wounds, suddenly start to resurface, threatening the balance of the entire Galaxy on a whole new, terrifying level. So, once again, follow the Promise-Keeper, as he navigates through a cruel, "old-new" world, uncovering secret after secret, clinging desperately to a special promise he'll do anything to keep along the way. Then, follow the Missing as she heads back to where it all started for one last fight that will decide everything- and force her to choose between her past and future once and for all. And follow the Wanderer, as he discovers a grim, devastating reality of his own, and, as he comes to terms with it (with a little help), watch him follow a new, lonely path that just might make all the difference in the end to the people who never even knew it existed in the first place. Then, finally, follow the Old Soldier as he contemplates his life, his mysterious past, and the end he can feel is coming, all as he is suddenly thrust into the middle of one more battle- one that he knows can only be his last." (The Promise-Keeper: Garrus Vakarian. The Missing: Joleen Shepard. The Wanderer: Kolyat Krios. The Old Soldier: Adelais Vakarian)
Warning: This story is a sequel to the story, "Every Story Has A Million Tales," for all those out there who don't know that already. I highly suggest going back and reading that before continuing with this one, because it really will make a difference. In all seriousness, this story will be heavier and darker than the previous story, because of themes including: vulgar language, blood/gore, violence, a character death, references to child abuse/neglect, and other mature ideas. You have hereby been warned, so I don't want to see any more complaints in my email.
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect. Do not make me say it again.
Author's Note: Just so we're clear, the name "Adelais" is still Latin for "noble" and the name "Carissa" still means "the most beloved one." The name "Caecilius" means "blind one." Please be on the lookout for more of these Latin names, because they all mean something and might have an impact on the story.
N._.s._.S
Chapter One: The Promise-Keeper I.
If someone had told Garrus Vakarian ten years ago that he'd help stop a Spectre who wanted to unleash an ancient race of sentient, organic-destroying machines to destroy the Galaxy, that he'd help destroy the Collectors and the Omega 4 Relay with an elite, hand-picked team (that included assassins, Justicars, Krogan clones, biotic criminals, and Geth, mind you), destroy Cerberus, watch as the greatest threat to the galaxy that ever existed is destroyed right before his very eyes…
And, to top it off, that he'd fall in love with the (Human) woman that made it all possible…
He probably would have walked off laughing.
But now of course, he knew better.
N._.s._.S
The all-too familiar, musky scent of coffee had already enveloped the whole apartment by the time he got downstairs.
Even in the middle of stopping Saren, during the Suicide Mission, and the Reaper War, Shepard had always insisted on having no less than two pots of coffee, hot and waiting for her, at all times-
And Spirits help anyone the Mess Sergeant who didn't make sure they were there.
As he entered the kitchen, Shepard turned and smiled at him, honey-colored eyes lighting up a bit before she turned back to the coffee-maker, pressing something and watching the steaming, dark brown liquid poor gently into the metal mug she had waiting underneath it.
"Adelais called while you were asleep," Shepard informed him, cheerfully, as she picked up the mug and screwed on the lid with a sharp, metallic snap, "He wanted me to tell you to get back to him when you could."
"Is everything all right?" Garrus answered in instant concern as he sat down at the table, opening up his bright-orange Omni- tool, "I thought he retired last year."
Shepard chuckled at him in amusement as she continued moving about the kitchen, making her breakfast, "So just because he's retired now means he can't check up on you every once in a while?"
"My dad doesn't do the whole 'I'm checking to make sure you're still alive' thing," Garrus pointed out as Shepard took two pieces of lightly-browned toast out of the toaster, "What makes now so different?"
"Oh, come on," Shepard replied, gently swatting his shoulder as she sat next to him, "He'll be sixty-seven this year. He's got to be worried now that he's got nothing to do but think all day."
"I offered to get him back into C-SEC," Garrus reminded her, "But he said-"
"-that he wanted to stay in Palaven," Shepard ended for him, gently, "I know. I think he just wants some peace and quiet- but God knows Victus and Sparatus are still bugging him, even if he is retired," she added with another smile at the two irritable, but well-meaning Turians, "He's been through enough to last lifetimes."
At that moment, Shepard's Comm blinked and she answered it, standing up. From how her eyes brightened up again, Garrus knew it had to be one of their old friends.
"Hey, what's up...? Really? Oh, that's great," Shepard said, looking over at him and winking (her way of telling him something good had just happened, "Yeah, here." She handed her Comm over to him, which he took, giving her the old, 'what are you planning this time' look before she turned around again.
"How's that stick of yours, Garrus?"
The voice was unmistakable.
"Joker?"
"Hey!" the pilot crowed, so loudly and obnoxiously that Garrus had to hold the small speaker a few inches away so he wouldn't be deafened, "You'll never believe where the Normandy's docking this week!"
"I think I might have an idea…"
N._.s._.S
Before heading down to the Docks to meet the Normandy- and the "surprise" that Joker refused to tell either of them- Garrus had to go check in at C-SEC.
"But it's Sunday," Shepard had protested, though jokingly, "And they'll be here in fifteen minutes."
"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Garrus answered, "But I have to check in. Those guys go absolutely crazy without me there giving orders half the time. They'd probably end up blowing something-"
"Hey," Shepard interrupted, putting a hand on Garrus' shoulder to stop them, "Look."
Garrus looked over to where she was pointing to find a Drell and a group of Hanar standing outside the Salarian Councilor's office. The Drell (who, of course, stood out from the bright-pink, floating "jellies"), wore an old, brown leather jacket and formal-looking clothes underneath. He had one arm folded behind his back, while the other stayed unnaturally motionless at his side.
"Isn't that Kolyat?" Garrus asked as the Hanar floated away and Kolyat entered the Councilor's office, looking stern- and noticeably worried about something, "I thought he was on Kahje?"
Five years ago, Kolyat Krios had been asked to become an Ambassador between the Citadel and the Illuminated Prophecy, thanks to his "courageous actions" during the attempted Cerberus invasion six months after the Reaper War. He'd accepted, but rarely came to the Citadel for unknown reasons, probably preferring the quiet of Kahje over the bustling Citadel.
Garrus and Shepard had only seen him a few times, and even most of those were through Holo-Comms.
Kolyat focused primarily on working with the Salarians and the STG, working together for a cure for Kepral's Syndrome, which had affected his late father, Thane Krios (who was one of Garrus' and Shepard's best friends and a member of their team during the Suicide Mission).
Garrus could tell she wanted to figure out what the Drell was up to, but thankfully, she followed suit when as he opened up his office and went inside.
His office was, funnily enough, right across from the Councilor's office.
N._.S._.S
"Lola!"
Shepard waved furiously as Vega, as dark-skinned as ever (if not darker from his time back on Earth), emerged from the crowd, and followed by Joker, who was hobbling carefully along with EDI in tow.
"Surprise!" Joker said, "I found him while fueling up on Earth."
"More like I found you!" Vega answered.
"Agreed," EDI answered, "You were stuck with a sprained ankle and he helped you get back to the ship."
"EDI! Don't tell them that!" Joker cried while Garrus, Shepard, and Vega all laughed.
"Hey, Lola, seen the others around?" Vega asked seriously as they headed back off the Docks, getting wide-eyed and excited looks from starry-eyed sailors around them, "Like from Liara or Tali?"
"Of course," Shepard answered, "They come around every few months or so."
"What are they up to?"
Shepard quickly brought him back up to speed.
Liara was on Thessia, using her contacts as Shadow Broker to help repair the heavily-damaged planet.
Tali had been appointed Admiral and was working on building Rannoch.
Kaidan had returned to Earth, retired and happy helping with repairs in his hometown.
Grunt and Wrex were on Tuchanka, keeping things under control (and having babies).
Miranda was with Oriana and her family.
Jacob was with his new family.
Jack was back teaching at Grissom Academy.
Samara was with her daughter, in the repaired Ardat-Yakshi monastery.
"So they all went back to their lives, huh? What about your dad?" he added, looking over at Garrus, "He's not here on the Citadel, is he?"
"No," Garrus said, "He's on Palaven. He retired last year."
"Retired? Man," Vega said, "He didn't look that old."
"Not really… He only just turned sixty-seven."
"Sixty-seven?" Vega demanded, "That's old, Scars!"
"Maybe to you," Garrus countered, shrugging, as Vega gaped, "Most Turians serve until they either die or turn seventy."
Shepard swatted his shoulder and gave him her old, "you've made your point," look.
"And what about Loco?"
"He's around here on the Citadel," Shepard reported with a smile at the old nickname for Kolyat (earned five years ago when Vega first found out that Kolyat first jumped the Vassla Cliffs on Kahje to escape Cerberus and warn the Citadel of their impending invasion), "We just saw him."
N._.s._.S
The group had lunch together before Garrus was forced to excuse himself so he could check back in with C-SEC for a few hours and make sure "no one's accidentally blown something up," which (after getting a good laugh, of course) really disappointed them all when they realized he was serious.
Especially Shepard.
"See you soon," He promised her with a one-armed embrace (despite the snickers he received from their friends), "I'll be back when I can."
She smiled and waved to him as he left.
"See you soon!" She called as he turned the corner.
As he got out of the elevator to the Embassies with three or four other people about ten minutes later, the first thing he noticed was Kolyat, leaning on the railing before the gargantuan window, staring out at the Citadel before him.
Even as Garrus approached, the kid didn't even seem to realize he was even there until he spoke.
"Kolyat?"
The Drell jumped and turned his head, and when he saw Garrus, gave a polite nod as he stood up.
"Scared the hell out of me... Executor, isn't it?" He asked in greeting as they shook hands.
"Yes," Garrus answered, coolly, "For about two years now."
"Two years? Really?" the kid asked in clear astonishment, "I'm sorry for not congratulating you sooner."
"Don't worry about it," Garrus said, brushing it kindly aside as the two made their way upstairs toward the offices. "What've you been up to?"
"I just had a meeting with Valern about the cure for Kepral's Syndrome," Kolyat answered, seriously, confirming Garrus' thoughts about the kid working on something, "But apart from getting all of my people off Kahje permanently- which we know won't work no matter what we do- we've turned up nothing new that can help us."
"I'm sure you'll find the cure soon," Garrus told him, as he opened the door to his office.
"I hope so," Kolyat said as they entered the office, "Valern said that even if we did find it though, it'll still be years before Kepral's is gone completely."
"True, but at least you won't have to worry about any more people getting it, right?"
The kid nodded silently back in response.
After a long moment of silence and checking his emails (and finding nothing new or requiring his immediate attention), Garrus looked up at the kid again.
"How did that heal up?" he asked, gesturing at the missing limb, "Better?"
"Considering how it was in the beginning?" Kolyat answered, "Much. Though the Physicians all tell me from time to time that I'd make my life infinitely easier by getting a prosthetic of some sort."
"Why don't you?"
"They itch," Kolyat said, simply, "And besides, it's not like I'll be using Biotics like that again anytime soon."
During his time down on the Vassla Islands, Kolyat's (somehow) still-dormant Biotic powers had emerged; later explained by Chakwas as being because of the stress he'd been under- enabling him to escape and ultimately reach the Citadel to warn them about Cerberus before it was too late.
But at a heavy price.
It turned out that using his Biotics at the strength he did destroyed several of the nerves in his arms and could eventually kill him, and was one of the two reasons (the other big one being Hades, an assassin who'd come after him for the Control Chip) he'd lost his arm in the first place.
"That's fair," Garrus nodded, understandingly "But what do your superiors say? And what happens if you're attacked?"
"The Hanar are accommodating. They won't try to force me to get the prosthetic unless it's a life or death situation," Kolyat said, "And I never said I can't use my Biotics. I can still tear an Atlas' arms off."
"So you've been practicing?"
"Just enough to make sure I don't accidentally kill myself or the guy next to me."
"Are there are any side-effects?"
"What are you, Vakarian, my Physician?" Kolyat snorted, irritably, and all of a sudden, he looked like the kid he was again, instead of the person he put on for the sake of his pride and position, "I've got too many of those following me twenty-four seven already."
But he didn't say it unkindly.
Just exasperatedly.
"I didn't mean to ask too many questions," Garrus immediately told him, but Kolyat just waved it off.
"Don't apologize to me," he said, darkly, "It's just annoying to hear the same questions every few hours."
"What are they so worried about?"
"I don't know, really," Kolyat replied, unconcernedly, "They've probably got nothing better to do."
Garrus chuckled from his terminal, "Come on, there's got to be a better reason."
"Maybe," Kolyat answered, with an unconcerned shrug, "Anyway, I've got to head out before the Hanar diplomats start wondering where I am and send another SEC after me. I told them I'd report after I got done with Valern, but..." He shrugged again.
He turned and started toward the door, but as it slid open, he looked back, "Tell Shepard I said hello," He said, "I saw the two of you here earlier, but I didn't get the chance."
"Sure, Kolyat. Good luck out there."
Kolyat gave him the smallest of smiles before leaving, closing the door behind him with a soft snap.
N._.S._.S
Yeah, yeah, another rewrite.
Just bear with it, pweease? XD
Hope you liked.
And please tell me if you did or not.