A/N: Well, I'm back. I had lots of different ideas for this fic and honestly thought I'd go mad if I didn't pick one and start writing. As I said at the end of False Masks, my update rate is not going to be a chapter every few days going forwards. As much as I would like to be as quick as I was with that story, sadly I don't have the time currently.

Please let me know what you think of this first chapter since this is a new story, and so I can incorporate any recommended changes going forward more readily than if I were half way through, for example. Also, if anyone has a preference regarding Shepard's love interest (I still haven't decided on who to pick) or anything else then please feel free to let me know!

Reviews (since I uploaded the last chapter of False Masks,as I sadly couldn't respond in that story since that was my last update aside from any spelling/grammar checks and minor tweaks I may make in the future):

deathcornfive: Thank you once again for all of your support. Grey Jedi? Not sure about that, but we'll see!

Bob: And I loved writing it! I'm glad you found the first instalment engaging on its own merits as well as because it was Mass Effect and SWTOR themed. I'm currently unsure whether to go with either Kasumi or Tali, but you make some good points about both. As for EA and Bioware… I think I have one more chance left for them somewhere deep inside… but even so, what I've seen so far (Anthem) doesn't inspire the greatest confidence.

Larry/Fernando: Thank you for your reviews regarding the first two chapters of False Masks. I would be seriously confused by the comments you put at the end of each one if I didn't know you were the same person in real life and also didn't know what you're like. I have the worst friends.

Chapter 1: The Key

Rassen pressed his back firmly to the side of the crate he was concealed behind as the armoured figure strolled past his hiding place. Breathing quietly so not to alert the man, the Jedi slowly peered around the large metal box. It had been two long and torturous years since he had found himself back in his galaxy, alone and with only a slight hope of returning to where he had spent what surprisingly had turned out be the best weeks of his life.

The weeks he had spent with her.

Rassen shook away any thought of silver eyes behind a mostly polarised light-blue visor. Any distraction now could prove disastrous, especially since he was so close. Two years of looking for something, anything, had made him far more cautious than he had once been. As much as he wanted to see a certain quarian again, rushing into a confrontation and losing this first real opportunity was the last thing he desired. Hence why he was hiding from the armoured soldier who had wandered past where he was crouched, metal container of what he assumed were blaster parts shielding him from sight.

The man was likely a formidable warrior, but Rassen had little doubt that he could have fought him and emerged victorious. No, what worried him was that men and women like the one who had just passed him normally went around either individually or in small groups… aside from the rare locations they didn't. One he could certainly take. More than that… well that depended entirely on how many there were on the ship on which he had found himself.

The man he had hidden from, whose mostly blue armour reminded him of… her, continued past his position and joined several others of his kin about twenty metres away from his hiding place. All ten (including the newcomer) wore the same kind of armour; mainly painted blue but with some sections in white. Their protection was heavier and sturdier than his own, which was designed to avoid restricting movement as much as possible. These men and women preferred to weather attacks much more than he did.

One of the figures turned to greet the new arrival and Rassen remained deathly still. He was a distance away from the group and fortunately almost completely concealed by shadows. Nonetheless, any sudden movement would reveal his presence. His eyes focused on the second armoured figure as they began talking to the man he had hidden from, not that he could hear them. Still, the black T-shaped visor which dominated the centre of the speaker's helmet nearly caused him to search for the reassuring weight of the lightsaber still on his belt.

It had been surprising for him to learn that of all the people it could have been, it had been a group of Mandalorians who had discovered another route between galaxies. While they had an alliance of sorts with the Sith Empire, they were not known for being Force sensitive. Nonetheless, Zaressh had made it clear that he had devised his own method for crossing between one galaxy and another. Whatever the Mandalorians had discovered, presumably it could access the rift in the Force without the user being a Force sensitive.

He still didn't know how exactly they had discovered it or even what it was, but he had learned from a Republic Strategic Information Service report that he had… acquired, that one of the organisation's agents had been tailing a Mandalorian squad which had attempted to make a secret foray into Republic territory. If the agent's report was to be believed, then at some point the squad had one by one simply disappeared as though they had each activated a stealth field generator. The report had stood out though because the men and women in question had been on a small moon at the time, which held nothing of interest aside from a copious amount of snow. There had been no reason for them to have concealed themselves; hence the agent had suspected something else was going on.

Ever since reading the report, Rassen had spent his time attempting to locate the nearest group of Mandalorians to the one which had vanished. His efforts had borne fruit, and he had managed to board their small cruiser which lay just inside Sith space only a few hours ago. Despite his excitement at the knowledge that perhaps he was close to finding a way back to Shaela, Rassen had taken his time making his way through the ship in order to avoid being noticed. With there possibly being as many as hundreds of Mandalorians on board, he was massively outnumbered. Being caught at any point would result in a fight and he knew he didn't stand a chance against so many trained opponents. Anyway, he needed to discover if there were any clues relating to how the first group of Mandalorians had vanished.

The second Mandalorian finished speaking and stepped to one side, revealing an object that had been concealed behind them. Rassen leaned forward slightly at seeing a small artefact of some kind sitting on a podium. The device was shaped like a cube in the middle, but two handles shaped like spikes jutted out from it, one each from the left and right sides. As he watched, the second Mandalorian turned away from the first and moved to the podium before gently gripping the two handles of the strange object. The figure vanished almost instantly; no light, no sound, and no fanfare. As much as Rassen had been transported from one galaxy to another but never seen it happen to another person, what had just occurred fit with what little he knew.

Just a bit longer now, Shaela. I just need to wait for the last of this group to go and then I'll have my chance.

Rassen felt a familiar pang of worry. He had experienced it many times before, but it had only grown more frequent as the days had stretched into weeks, months, and now finally years. Was Shaela all right? He somehow knew the quarian would have found a way off of Querra, but had she completed her Pilgrimage successfully? He had wanted to help her with that, despite the difficulties that would have appeared once she had returned to her people's Migrant Fleet.

You failed her by not being there for her when she was for you. We both know it, Rassen.

The Jedi's features contorted into a snarl beneath his hood. Whenever he had a depressing thought now, it always seemed like Zaressh was there, taunting him. A side-effect of the Force bond it seemed; a part of the Sith would always be with him as a result of the forced joining. Rassen ignored the voice so he could concentrate, and slowly adjusted his position; eyes fixed on the object as the last Mandalorian touched it and vanished. For the first time, the device emitted a low whine and shuddered slightly before stilling. Rassen frowned at that. He hoped it wasn't a bad sign.

Glancing around himself carefully, the Jedi slowly extended a hand and the device rose gracefully from its pedestal to drift over towards him. Rassen gently caught it in his gloved palms but avoided touching the handles, slowly turning it over as he did so. The object seemed to be made of metal, but it was unlike any metal he had ever seen. The craftsmanship was too perfect for it to have been handmade, but somehow he knew that it wasn't from a factory either. It just seemed… otherworldly, for lack of a better term.

The Jedi continued to slowly rotate the device in his hands, marvelling at its smooth grey texture. It was beautiful in an eerie way, but a part of him couldn't wait to be rid of it. Wherever it was from, it made him feel… uneasy. Rassen glanced at the chronometer on his wrist and felt his heart stop as he realised he had been crouching while holding the device for more than ten minutes. The object suddenly let out the same whine as before and shuddered before stilling in his palms. He almost dropped it in surprise before managing to catch the device by its strange handles.

"Recharge complete, do you require transportation?"

Rassen jumped at the voice that cut through the silence which had followed the object's strange behaviour. The Jedi reached out with his senses as he looked hurriedly around him, frowning upon noticing that no one was nearby. After a few moments, the same voice spoke again and this time he realised in surprise that it was coming from the device he still cradled in his hands.

"Recharge complete, do you require transportation?"

There was a strange accent to the voice, one he hadn't heard in either this galaxy or… or Shaela's. Rassen swallowed as thoughts of the quarian sprang unbidden to his mind once more. Was she well? Did she still believe he was out there somewhere trying to find his way back to her?

The sudden noise of heavy footsteps caused him to freeze as a Mandalorian marched past his hiding place, several others right behind. Rassen counted them as they passed. Ten in total… just like the first group. He quickly glanced down at the object in his hands. Whatever it was, it seemed like it could only transport a set number of people before it needed a cooldown period. This second group of Mandalorians was of equal number to the last and was headed in the same direction. They were transporting themselves one group at a time, presumably to Shaela's galaxy. The group the SIS agent had observed must have been from the cruiser and served as a test group, after which the Mandalorians had moved the device to their ship for easier access. He now knew how they were transporting themselves. So many questions remained though; why were they doing it and how had they discovered it in the first place?

The lead Mandalorian stopped in surprise midway between Rassen and the empty pedestal upon noticing the device was missing, and quickly gestured for the troops behind him to spread out. Mandalorians were renowned as warriors and bounty hunters for a reason. They would find him in moments thanks to their organisation, and somehow Rassen doubted that he could use the Force to trick all of them at once. Fighting was also out of the question as even assuming he defeated all ten of them, he doubted he could do so quietly. The leader was likely already reporting to his superior anyway, meaning everyone on board the vessel knew they had a stowaway.

"Recharge complete, do you require transportation?"

Rassen winced, but the nearest Mandalorian, perhaps five metres away and barely concealed from his sight by another large crate took no notice of it. His eyes widened in surprise. The voice was inside his head. The thing, whatever it was could communicate with him, was communicating with him. Could it be doing so through the Force? That would make sense as the announcement had easily been loud enough for the Mandalorians around him to hear. It could transport non-Force users, so was it the device itself which provided the link to the rift within the Force which made travel between two galaxies possible?

The nearest Mandalorian was only two metres away now, and would walk around the crate shielding Rassen from his vision in a matter of seconds. The Jedi closed his eyes slowly as the device repeated its announcement for a fourth time. He couldn't fight his way off the ship. He also couldn't sneak off it now they had noticed him. They would have sealed all bulkheads leading to the escape pods and the hangers. The device in his hands would transport him, but where to? For all he knew it might take him to a different galaxy to Shaela's. Rassen opened his eyes. He only had one option he realised, the Mandalorian's shadow appearing in front of him. The ten Mandalorians who had transported themselves mere minutes ago hadn't said anything to activate the device, meaning it presumably responded to thought orders rather than spoken words.

Yes. I need you to transport me.

The Jedi's vision blurred at the edges and then seemed to focus on an infinitesimally small point somewhere in the distance before everything went black.


"Fantastic work today, Shaela. You should be ready to take your next exam on salarian biology within a couple of weeks at most."

Shaela nodded politely to her teacher. "Thank you, Matriarch Wessa." The asari was old even by the standards of her species; praise from her was something you only received when you deserved it.

So why don't I feel happy?

The purple skinned asari smiled sadly at her with wisdom only attained through centuries of life. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you child?"

She couldn't help feeling guilty as she shook herself out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Matriarch, I just…"

"There is no need to apologise." The sometimes stern but always kind woman leaned forward from where she sat opposite Shaela to pat the quarian's hand gently. "Losing someone you care for is always hard… no matter how old you get."

Shaela shook her head again. "I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing though. Rassen wanted to help me complete my Pilgrimage; he knew I wanted to become a doctor. I know he would have wanted me to do what I'm doing now; helping people. Knowing that he could still be out there somewhere though, looking for a way back to me…"

"You can't help but feel you should be doing the same."

The quarian slammed a fist against her thigh in frustration. "Yes. I tried, keelah I tried to find him. I had no idea where to start though, and nothing I could think of got me any closer. When the credits ran out I tried to find a job so I could save up more before continuing. Back then nobody trusted quarians though. There is still a degree of that of course, but it was worse then. By the time I even managed to get a job, the order went out for all quarians to return to the Flotilla."

The asari withdrew her hand and laced her fingers together in her lap. "Then," she murmured softly, "there were the Reapers."

Shaela shuddered at the memories that word conjured up. She had seen plenty of news reports about the horrors that had terrorised the galaxy. Their weapons had cut though anything in their path like it was made of paper, that terrible droning bugle signalling the loss of hundreds or even thousands of lives as each shot meant the destruction of another ship. They had won in the end, a red light seeming to cover everything as the Reapers suddenly… stopped. Shaela hadn't fought during the war, having instead spent its duration initially with the Fleet and once it had been reclaimed, Rannoch. She had volunteered to help care for those wounded during the fighting against the geth and then of course the Reapers. With quarian immune systems being what they were then and still were to a large extent, there had been so many injured. Once her people had joined the fight against the Reapers it had only gotten worse, with wounded from every race being transported to Rannoch and other worlds that weren't under the control of the monstrosities that had taken so many lives. No matter how hard she and so many others had tried, they hadn't been able to save everyone.

After the war there had been so much that needed to be done and they still weren't finished now even months later. Whole systems had been devastated. The batarians would likely never recover. So many had been outright killed or indoctrinated that they were finished as a serious power. Despite her personal experience with the species, Shaela had never wanted anything like that to happen to them. Quarians knew full well what it was like to be on the brink of extinction.

She had continued to help out as best she could with the wounded as the galaxy slowly pulled itself back together. Even though she had been here for months though, it still hadn't sunk in fully that she was on Rannoch. Just thinking that she was on the world where her species had begun still felt strange. After everything they had endured, her people were home. Incredibly, her family had all survived the war; her mother, father, and Rissel. She had met Matriarch Wessa a few days after the fighting had ended when the latter had come to Rannoch. The asari had once been bonded to a quarian and had come to their home world as soon as she could, in order to revisit the home of her now deceased lover and offer her help as a healer. Once the two of them had met, the asari had begun tutoring her on various medical matters relating to the different races, currently they were on salarians. Before that, Shaela's experience had been limited to applying medi-gel and comforting patients… and of course the hours she and Rassen had spent researching the different races of the Milky Way. She still did both of course, but with someone as experienced as Wessa teaching her it really looked like she could become a doctor someday. Yet despite everything, something was still missing.

Naturally that something was the topic of their conversation.

"The Reapers and then the rebuilding," she answered. "I wanted to go back to searching for him, but like before the war I had no idea where to start, I still haven't. I feel like I'm helping people here and I'm doing what I think he would have wanted, but I just wish I could also keep looking for him."

The asari smiled again, though this time she looked markedly happier. "From what you've told me about him, he isn't the kind to give up."

The quarian smiled in return, mind flashing back to those precious weeks they had spent together. The two of them had always had something to worry about, but they had also had each other. Not knowing if she would ever see Rassen again hurt, but the old asari always seemed to give her hope that she would eventually.

"He's not," she replied, "but then neither am I."

Wessa's smile widened. "How true." Her demeanour then turned serious. "I know your family, well parents at least, think you need to let go. The way you talk about him and your time together though, I know you'll see each other again. A thousand years of experience tells me it's possible. Goddess knows how, but it is. Keep that hope alive, Shaela, and you'll see each other again."

The quarian nodded determinedly. "I will," she whispered, "I know I haven't told you much about him and everything that happened to us in the time we've known each other, but I promise I will once he's back."

The Matriarch was grinning now. "You once said that I wouldn't believe it unless I saw proof. What little you've told me seems like it would make for one amazing story. I can't wait to hear it while the two of you complete each other's sentences." Shaela nodded slowly, barely listening and feeling a pang of sadness. As she had begun making her way out of the boulder field on the day everything had changed, she had tried to reach out to the Force, hoping she could maybe find some trace of Rassen. She hadn't been able to feel the familiar warmth of the Force despite her previous ease at doing so; it was like the power was lost to her. She still didn't know why she couldn't feel it, but hoped that if, no when Rassen returned, she would be able to access it once more. Shaking off that line of thought upon noticing the asari had continued to grin at her, Shaela scowled, but there was a hint of playfulness present.

"I told you that only happened once!"


Rassen groaned quietly as he slowly opened his eyes and then climbed painfully to his feet. He looked around himself, head turning left and then right as he searched for anything familiar. The unpainted metal interior of the Mandalorians' ship was gone, replaced by short green grass which waved gently in a slight breeze. He currently stood on top of a small hill in what appeared to be a field of some kind. The Jedi closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the feeling of the breeze after his time on board the cruiser. The air there had been stagnant, a common trait as far as star ships were concerned. As much as he enjoyed the sensation of cool air against his face, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. Not everyone was able to feel something as simple-

Rassen's eyes snapped open and he glanced around to his left and right again, this time with a hint of panic. Was he back? Had the device worked as he had hoped? Or was he in a different galaxy entirely? He took a deep breath and tried to organise his thoughts. He had no reason to assume anything had gone wrong. Waking up in a new location was certainly familiar. He needed to figure out where he was. Was the world on which he found himself inhabited?

A moan, so quiet that he almost missed it, suddenly cut through his thoughts, and Rassen's hand dropped to his lightsaber. The sound had come from behind him somewhere. The Jedi turned around and tried to make his way down the hill, only to freeze in surprise at the sight below him.

A Mandalorian was attempting to climb to her feet, a blaster pistol held loosely in one hand as she did so. The woman groaned again as she raised her head to glance at him from where he stood above and in front of her. She froze, and Rassen could practically see her eyes dart from one part of his body to the next. The armour he wore, white but faded, built to allow for some protection without sacrificing mobility. The brown cloak he wore over it, hood causing most of his facial features to be in shadow. Her eyes finally came to rest on the lightsaber, which his hand still rested next to.

Her weapon was suddenly pointed between his eyes, and the familiar scream made by a blaster bolt cut through the air. He drew his lightsaber and raised it into the path of the scarlet projectile, sending the bolt crashing into the woman's stomach. The Mandalorian slammed to the ground as her chest plate absorbed the impact, blackening where the red energy had seared it.

Rassen sprinted forward and swept his lightsaber diagonally at the downed figure, cutting through her weapon effortlessly. The Mandalorian stared in shock as the end of her blaster sparked uselessly and she began crawling backwards away from him, trying to put distance between them. Rassen began to follow, before then noticing something that caused him to pause.

The Mandalorian was radiating fear.

Mandalorians made for some of the best soldiers in his galaxy but even so, fear was never something that could entirely be eradicated from one's mind. Everyone could feel fear under the right circumstances. Even a trained warrior could show it. A slight shaking to a hand as it went for a weapon, a note of hesitation in a battle cry, or even a miss while aiming at a motionless target. That was fear which was mostly controlled; the fear of a person who was experienced and had accepted that someday they would die, even if they wanted to avoid death at all costs.

That wasn't the kind of fear he sensed from the woman who had just tried to kill him.

The Mandalorian attempted to rise, only to fall back down as one foot slipped on the grass, causing her to land heavily on her back. Rassen watched her cautiously as the woman raised one hand as though it could keep him away while she tried to stammer out an apology.

"I-I didn't, I-I had orders and I… please." The Mandalorian stared up at him desperately as he stood unmoving only a few steps away, staring back at her unflinchingly.

The woman slowly backed away from him, hands raised in a non-threatening manner, pleading softly in her unfamiliar language. There was a musical lilt present to her words, along with a slight distortion from speaking through a helmet.

She had tried to kill him. He had spent two years trying to find a way back to Shaela and she had tried to stop him when as far as he knew, he was very close. She had attacked first, would have killed him if not for the speed of his reaction. Zaressh's voice returned, the Sith's sneer seeming to fill his mind.

Kill her, Rassen. She tried to kill you first and nearly stopped you from seeing your precious little alien again.

The mention of Shaela seemed to trigger something right at the edge of his senses, and Rassen quickly shook his head in an attempt to avoid sinking into another memory.

Zaressh was beaten. Agony seemed to course through every muscle of his body as a result of the Force lightning, but he was alive. More importantly, so was she. He held the quarian tightly and Shaela held onto him desperately in return. Her words caused relief to flood through him as she rejected the darkness that could have consumed her.

"I need… I need you to stay with me, Rassen. I don't… I don't want to become like him."

He shook his head even harder at the next memory, but it was to no avail.

Invisible hands wrenched him away from his master and rolled him onto his back to see the Sith standing over him, a dark spectre occasionally illuminated by the lightning above.

The Mandalorian attempt to rise to her feet again, only to collapse back down once more in her panic to get away from him. Staring at her visor for any sign of betrayal, Rassen deactivated his lightsaber and slowly returned to his belt. He then crouched where he was, keeping a few metres away from the woman, who had now begun sobbing. The Jedi calmly lowered his hood, but kept his expression neutral as he did so. Zaressh's voice raged at his actions.

Kill her! She deserves it, doesn't she? She is weak and such people should perish once they challenge the might of those who are greater-

Rassen ignored the voice and instead focused on the woman across from him, nodding slowly as she attempted to sit up. Once she had done so, he spoke, ensuring his voice was calm, but carried a hint of steel.

"I do not want to kill you. Answer my questions truthfully and I will not have to."

The woman nodded fearfully, keeping her eyes on his face for any sign of deceit as she did so. Rassen examined her more closely. The bulky armour she wore gave little away, but her behaviour indicated she was very inexperienced. If that were the case though then why had she been one of the ones transported? More to the point, what was this group of Mandalorians planning that had motivated them to find a way to wherever they were and also required dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them? Rassen had no idea, but he fully intended to find out.

He stared straight into the woman's visor, imagining he could see her eyes despite the one-way material which prevented him from doing so. There could be any number of other Mandalorians nearby, but before he started moving he needed to know one thing in particular. In a tone of voice that brokered no argument, he asked his first but most important question.

"Where are we?"