Hello, everyone. This marks my second story on this site, and my first foray into Halo or Mass Effect, which is weird because I'm one of those Halo fans that has taken it upon himself to know as much as he possibly can about the series, which I've been with some time before the release of Halo 3. And if you've never seen my other work to this point, let me save you the trouble because it's very different than this and focuses on a somewhat obscure Nintendo fantasy rpg game, so don't go there expecting anything like this.
I like to think I am a…passable writer. I am aware my work is by no means perfect, or even all that good. All I ask is, if you didn't enjoy this story and decide to comment (I welcome the input), please do so in a way more similar to constructive criticism than it is incoherent screaming. Thank you. And if you did enjoy the story, also let me know. Basically, leave a review. I'd like to hear from you. There will also be author's notes to be found on my author bio, if you're interested in the thought process behind this story.
Beware Spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda, as well as Halo: Fractures (if you haven't heard of it, it's a short story anthology, and don't worry if you haven't because this story is fairly self-explanatory)
Halo and Mass Effect belong to Microsoft/343 and Bioware/EA respectively. I claim no ownership and derive no profit from this work, which is not representative of canon for either series. I sincerely hope I'm doing this whole disclaimer thing right.
"Ah, climate control. Thank you, Tempest." Ryder groaned to himself.
"I don't think I'll ever feel warm again." Vetra agreed. Voeld had been brutal for the Pathfinder team. It hadn't been Kett, or Remnant, or even the many large creatures that wanted Ryder for a snack. It had been the cold. The brutal, bone-chilling cold. On Eos and Havarl, activating the Remnant Vaults had made the planets livable, sometimes even pleasant. While Voeld had technically been made habitable, it was still unpleasant.
"The chill has not stopped you from establishing a colony, I have noticed." Jaal, like most of his people, had been apparently quite comfortable in Voeld's frozen climate. The Angara had colonized the world long ago; they were used to the world's bitter storms and frigid temperatures.
"At this point, we'll take any place we can get, so long as it means fewer people still asleep on the Nexus and arks." Ryder explained.
"Yes, I've noticed." Jaal replied. "And what you have done for the Angara has gone a long way towards convincing Efvra to aid you and your Initiative."
"Just so long as we don't have to make too many more return trips here." Vetra chimed in, stowing away her Cyclone rifle in the arms locker. "Any colder and my mandibles would be chattering." Ryder smiled at the mental image.
"Pathfinder." A voice in Ryder's head chimed in. Pathfinder. A title Scott Ryder was still getting used to. From what everyone said, he was doing a fine job. Admittedly, there were times when he felt desperately in over his head, times that he wished his father, distant as he had been, was still here to handle the job. But he was managing. He'd assembled a great crew, dysfunctional as they sometimes were.
SAM., as unusual as it was to say about an AI, was a part of that crew.
"What is it, SAM?" Ryder asked, opening up their private channel. The AI, interfacing directly with his nervous system, spoke within his mind.
"The Kett communications facility you encountered was receiving particularly concerning transmissions from an unknown facility. I have been attempting to decipher them. All that I have been able to discern currently are references to Prodromos."
"The colony on Eos?" Ryder replied. That wasn't good. Prodromos had been the Andromeda Initiative's first real foothold in the Heleus Cluster. He knew the Kett weren't pleased with its existence, but he'd thought his efforts to make the planet more viable, not to mention Kett-free, had negated some of the risks. "Is it in danger?"
"I am uncertain." SAM. replied. "At first glance, the transmission appears to be an advisory or even warning. About what, I do not know."
"Well, that's just great." Ryder mumbled. "At least we know where we're going next. I'll set a course for Eos."
"I would not recommend that course of action, Pathfinder."
"But you just said Prodromos is at risk."
"The possibility exists. The source of the transmission, however, is not on Eos or any neighboring system. It was a general broadcast directed towards all Kett facilities originating from a currently unexplored system. I would suggest searching there. There is a chance that this site is being used as a mustering point or staging ground for an attack force. The early detection of such a force would no doubt prove invaluable to Prodromos' survival."
"That's…strange." Ryder mused. "You'd think if the Kett were going to invade they'd at least try looking nearby for a place to park."
"Perhaps growing Initiative and Resistance presence is preventing this. I have input the coordinates into the navigation systems and a course can be plotted at your discretion."
"Thanks, SAM." Ryder nodded to himself, heading towards the cockpit. "I'll let Kallo know where we're headed."
The Pathfinder awoke some hours later, the gentle chiming of his omni-tool rousing him from sleep. As Ryder got up, he took a few moments to glance out the windows of his cabin. Of the many perks that came with the Tempest technically being a civilian ship, his quarters were the one he most enjoyed.
The strange, pulsating blues and whites of FTL travel had already faded away, the Tempest now travelling solely at sublight speeds. Ryder could now see their destination, but it took a few moments to take everything in. A truly enormous gas giant loomed outside his window, stormy atmosphere roiling darkly. That couldn't be the location of the Kett facility that had transmitted the signal, at least not if it was ground-based. Thankfully, the bridge and an explanation was never far away.
"Kallo, Suvi, what am I looking at?" Ryder asked as he walked towards his console. The gas giant filled the forward viewscreen.
"That, Pathfinder, is H-341." Kallo barely looked up as Ryder approached, busy tapping away at the console in front of him. "Where SAM's coordinates pointed us."
"The Initiative was interested in this system when it was first discovered, thanks to its binary stars." Suvi explained. "We didn't think anything here could support life, though."
"Well, I wouldn't expect a gas giant to be a suitable candidate for colonization, either." Ryder replied. "For us, or the Kett. Are we sure this is the right place?"
"Pathfinder, the transmission did not come from the planet itself, but rather one of its moons." SAM explained. "Of H-341's two major moons, the one we are now approaching appears to be able to support life."
Ryder examined the planet before him. Sure enough, he could just make out the outline of a smaller, much more solid planetoid as it crept from the shadow of the gas giant and into the light of its stars.
"Kallo, take us in." Ryder confirmed. "I'll prep the ground team."
The airlock and arms lockers were found directly off the bridge, so it wasn't long before Ryder was suiting himself up. Once that was done, he made his way towards the lower decks at the rear of the ship, where the deployment ramp was located.
"Jaal." Ryder called the Angara as he walked. "Are you up to deal with some Kett?"
"After seeing what they have done to my people, I am always ready." The reply came a few moments later.
"Peebee, report to the Nomad. That's an order." Ryder cut the channel to the free-wheeling Asari before she could complain. Normally, a team of three was standard for ground operations. Up to this point, though, he'd often been working with at least some support, whether it was from the Nexus, Prodromos, or the Angara. In this system, he'd get no support from anyone other than his team, and if SAM's speculation about a Kett attack force were true, the Pathfinder would want at least one extra pair of hands.
"Vetra." He opened the comm channel for the Tempest's resident Turian smuggler.
"Let me guess, you want me on the mission." She stated dryly before he could say anything. "I'm already at the Nomad." Apparently Ryder was getting predictable. Then again, Vetra lived next to the Nomad's deployment bay. She would have been there anyway.
By the time everyone had gotten their equipment and arrived in the deployment bay, the Tempest had started to enter the moon's atmosphere. The ship began to lurch and shake as it cut through the air. The mass effect fields inside kept the crew from feeling most of this, fortunately, but the occasional tremor still rattled the deck. Things eventually quieted down as the Tempest entered the lower atmosphere. Then, with a final jolt, the scout ship touched down and the bay ramp unfolded.
"Pathfinder, the Kett base is nearby, as close as the Tempest could safely land without being detected. Rough terrain would make traveling by Nomad inadvisable." SAM spoke through the comms in Ryder's helmet.
"Roger that." Ryder confirmed. "I was in the mood for a nice stroll, anyways."
As they exited the Tempest, the team blinked in the sunlight of the binary stars overhead, which cast uneven dual shadows on the terrain. They'd timed this visit fairly well: it was still early in this moon's day/night cycle. They'd have plenty of time to explore. Clouds rolled across the sky lazily, but the dark gray horizon suggested rain was imminent. The valley the Tempest had landed in was surrounded by steep, rocky hills. In the far distance, snow-capped mountain peaks were visible. Other than this landing site, much of the rest of the valley and the lowlands that connected to it were heavily forested. Unlike the jungles of Havarl, however, the plant life here had leaves that shone a familiar green in the sun. Sounds that reminded Ryder of birdsong penetrated the canopy as the pathfinder team entered the forest. For once, things seemed peaceful.
"What can you tell me about this place, SAM?" Ryder asked. "It seems like this moon could make a good location for an outpost. Has the Nexus considered it?"
"The location of this system on the far edge of the Heleus cluster made long-range detection of this moon difficult, Pathfinder." SAM explained. "Though the binary star initially caught the attention of researchers, not much else was known. When the Nexus arrived in Andromeda, more pressing concerns and difficulty navigating the Scourge meant that this system was not considered for more advanced scouting."
"We might want to tell Addison about this place, then. Did the ship's sensors find anything else on the way in other than the Kett base? Are there any Remnant?" Every habitable world the Initiative had encountered, even those settled by the Angara, had shown evidence of Rem-tech. it was why Ryder had brought Peebee along.
"Negative. There were no signs of Remnant activity in this system. Though the Scourge is present, it is not particularly concentrated or dangerous within the system's borders. These findings would support the hypothesis that the Scourge is drawn to Remnant relics."
"No Rem-tech?" Peebee asked. "Then why am I even here?" Ryder let the comment go unanswered.
"Not an Eiroch or Fiend in sight." Vetra observed as they proceeded towards the waypoint provided by SAM. "Normally we'd have found at least one thing that wanted us dead. Definitely a welcome change."
"And you've just jinxed us." Peebee mumbled. "Now we're definitely going to find some."
"No Fiends yet, just…birds." Ryder commented, admiring a flock of flying creatures as they passed far overhead. He had no idea what they actually were. They even could have been a related species to Fiends, for all he knew of Andromeda wildlife. But from this distance, they seemed more reminiscent of seagulls or some other sort of earth shorebird. "SAM, are we near water?"
"Affirmative. A number of inland seas are found on this part of the moon. The Kett base is located along the shore."
Eventually, the trees began to thin and the forest gave way to sandy open plains. These stretched for some distance to either side, bordering the forest. Beyond them to Ryder's left was the sea SAM had mentioned, the sound of waves hitting the shoreline just barely audible. The Kett base was not yet visible, as it was hidden beyond a low ridgeline directly ahead.
"That's…strange" Peebee stated, gaze fixed on the seashore. "The water's red."
"Should we be concerned, SAM?" Ryder inquired.
"No, Pathfinder. The red coloration is a result of a naturally occurring coral that densely populates the sea."
"Does anyone smell that?" Vetra asked, head titled into the breeze. "It's sort of nice, actually."
"Too strong for my tastes." Peebee replied, catching the scent. "Ugh."
"Is that... lavender?" Ryder recognized the scent from tackily-labeled soaps and at least one smuggled scented candle he'd seen on Prodromos. It was a good deal more pungent than what he was used to, though.
"Also due to the coral." SAM answered. "Pathfinder, you are nearing the Kett facility. The signal is being broadcast from this site on a repeating loop."
"Let's take a look, shall we?" Ryder asked. He pulled out his sniper rifle, a Widow he'd obtained on the Nexus, and crested the hill.
The facility was typical of Kett bases, a moderately-sized mess of organic architecture, open buildings, and inscrutable technology. A handful of low buildings formed an outer circle, one edge of which was suspended over the water on a cliff. In the center was a slightly larger structure, possibly two stories high, housing communications equipment. It all seemed fairly standard.
Looking at it through the sniper scope told another story. The base had seen better days. The central building had suffered heavy damage, with whatever was broadcasting the signal likely the only thing still functional. The other structures had also suffered damage, with visible scoring damage and small fires smoldering everywhere. If there were Kett on sight, Ryder couldn't see them.
"This doesn't look like a mustering point to me." Ryder commented.
"More like a warzone." Vetra added.
"Or a tomb." Jaal stated grimly.
"SAM?" Ryder asked. "What happened here?"
"I am unsure." SAM replied. "A scan would help."
Slowly, the pathfinder team approached the base. It seemed even worse up close. In truth, the damage to the facility itself was relatively minor. Small pockmarks and the occasional electrical fire were the worst of the damage to the buildings. Anything softer, though, had been thoroughly destroyed. Consoles, equipment, and even storage containers had been demolished or raided. Eventually, they found their first Kett.
"Cause of death?" The pathfinder asked.
"Burn marks are consistent with Kett weaponry."
"So the Kett were shooting at each other." Vetra guessed. "Or someone else stole their weapons."
"But who?" Peebee let the question hang in the air.
As they made their way around the outer perimeter of the base, they eventually found a door. As Ryder reached for it, SAM spoke up.
"Pathfinder, I detect movement in the next room." The AI cautioned. Ryder looked to his team, silently motioning for them to get into position while he readied his assault rifle. They took their places and nodded towards him. On the count of three, he activated his omni-tool and opened the door.
The Anointed watching over the door didn't know what hit it, the combined power of a shot from Jaal's rifle, Peebee's biotics, and Vetra's concussive shot blowing through its shields and taking it down in an instant. Ryder stormed into the room, throwing up a biotic ward to counter the fire from the other Kett before diving into cover and killing a Chosen with a burst of rifle fire. The rest of the team followed his lead, taking up covered positions and clearing out the small room in only a few moments.
"Pathfinder, I do not believe any more Kett are present at this location." SAM explained. "These were the last of them."
"Good." Ryder responded. "Maybe we can figure out what happened here. Why were the Kett guarding this room?"
"They may not have had a choice. It seems more likely that they took position here as a last line of defense against whatever assaulted the base, rather than due to any significance of the area itself."
"It reminds me of the research facility on Voeld." Vetra commented, examining the various tables and consoles in the room. Some seemed to be designed to hold living beings, like the many they had seen in most other Kett facilities. "Some sort of lab?"
"What would they have been examining here?" Jaal asked. "The Kett seem far more interested in sentient species than they are coral and birds."
"SAM, see what you can draw from these terminals." Ryder ordered. "I'll keep looking around. Peebee, watch the outside. Let us know if something happens."
Vetra was right, this place did seem like the research facility on Voeld. There were even blood samples on some of the tables, which his scanner identified as Kett. Judging by the dried bloodstains and smashed glass, however, they hadn't been the only ones. His scanner couldn't identify these, though Ryder was unsure if that was due to their decomposition or foreign genetics.
"Pathfinder, it appears I was mistaken." SAM chimed in after a few moments.
"How so?"
"My translation was incorrect. This is indeed a warning of some sort, but it is not about the colony on Eos. What I had believed to be referring to Prodromos is instead something else entirely, though it translates into the same Kett word."
"What did Bradley say Prodromos meant again?" Ryder asked himself. "Forerunner?"
"Yes." SAM answered. "The records in this lab, in addition to the signal emanating from this location, refer to a forerunner, or forerunners. If I am understanding this correctly, the Kett ran tests on a sentient species found on this planet at this facility, a species that either were or at least referred to themselves as such."
"Arrogant, huh?" Peebee stated over the comms. "Calling themselves forerunners."
"Of what, though?" Vetra replied. "Usually forerunner means something comes next."
"I cannot recall ever learning anything about these beings." Jaal commented. "Perhaps they are simply haughty exiles, or Roekaar."
"Let me see." Ryder made his way to the console SAM highlighted. He opened a file on his Omni-tool, watching as the foreign language was automatically translated into his native English. It was a species profile, like the ones he'd seen regarding Nexus colonists captured by the Kett on Voeld.
Initial Observations:
-High genetic and physical variability between individuals. Many beneficial traits among this variability. Induced?
-Genetic variability may provide many useful traits for our troops, but could also make large-scale Exaltation difficult.
-Little in terms of natural defenses.
-Technologically primitive.
"Primitives that can take down a Kett base." Vetra observed, viewing the file on her own Omni-tool.
"I don't suppose anyone here has seen Star Wars?" Ryder asked. "Maybe these guys are like Ewoks." Vetra looked at him with confusion, Jaal with concern. "Come on. Sure, it's a really old film, but it's a classic. Maybe for Liam's movie night we can-"
"Guys?" Peebee called from outside. "We have a problem!"
Ryder turned from the console and ran outside, directly into the barrel of a Kett rifle pointed at his face. Its wielder, definitely not a Kett, was nevertheless inscrutable behind a helmet. Peebee had already been detained, another of the beings aiming yet another stolen weapon at her from behind. Vetra and Jaal were threatened by the third member of the group, who quickly switched its aim from one to the other.
"Pathfinder." SAM spoke inside his helmet. "The team's barriers would be of sufficient strength to neutralize any retaliatory fire if you were to attempt to escape or fight."
"They aren't Kett." Ryder answered. "This might be a first contact scenario. Let's see how this goes before we start shooting. Everyone, lower your weapons." He himself slowly raised his hands up, trying to convey that he meant no harm. After a tense moment, the barrel of the rifle he was staring at lowered. Though it was still aimed at him, it was no longer the only thing in his field of view.
The guns' wielder moved their head slightly, something that looked to the Pathfinder almost like a nod. Slowly and without removing one hand from their rifle, they pointed at him, then pointed towards the treeline in the distance.
"I…I think they want us to follow them." Ryder guessed.
"Bad idea." Peebee remarked. "Definitely a bad idea."
"And if these become the next Angara?" Jaal asked. "They seem to be no allies of the Kett. The Resistance, at least, could use any aid we can get."
"C'mon, Peebee." Vetra chuckled nervously. "Where's your sense of scientific curiosity? But…be ready for a fight. Just in case."
Rain drummed on Ryder's faceplate as he marched down a path that had been cut into the forest. The drizzle had kicked up some time ago. It was the sort of slow, steady rainfall that was almost pleasant to be in, expect for the ever-increasing feeling of dampness. The three beings that were leading them around didn't seem to mind much. Two of them marched at the head of the group, with the third following behind the Pathfinder team. They carried their weapons openly, clearly still uneasy despite Ryder's attempts to show he meant no harm. The Pathfinder had his weapons holstered, though he still had his biotics to rely on if he needed to retaliate quickly.
Now that he didn't have a gun to his face, Ryder was able to examine their escorts a bit more closely. They were tall, that was certain. All three were at least the same size as Vetra, no mean feat considering that the average Turian stood about six feet tall. Two of them were also fairly broadly built, though more like a physically fit human than, say, a Krogan. The third seemed no less athletic, but was taller and had slimmer features which Ryder couldn't help but think of as feminine. He knew it was a bad idea to think like that about a potentially new species that they knew nothing about yet. The males, if there indeed were even males and females, could have been the slim ones, or perhaps this particular individual just happened to be thinner. Even so, the resemblance to humans was undeniable.
All three bore the Kett firearms with a practiced ease. Either they'd had a lot more practice than the recently-attacked base would suggest, or they weren't nearly as primitive as the Kett seemed to think. Their clothing suggested the first option, consisting of a few odd pieces of metal armor that had been strapped to what appeared to be leather or hide clothing. Maybe they were scavengers of some sort, leveraging any advanced technology they found, like the Kett weapons. That still didn't explain how they had managed to destroy a Kett garrison, or where they'd found any of the non-Kett equipment they carried.
"Ryder." Vetra looked at him, trying to draw his attention to something. She tilted her head to the side, indicating something in the woods, off the trail. He scanned the brush as he walked, eventually catching sight of…something. It was large, and blue, whatever it was. His first thought was that it was an Eiroch, at last, but then he noticed the shaggy fur and spiraling horns. The creature passively munched on nearby plantlife as they passed, taking a moment to snort at them before wandering off. The aliens had noticed the beast too, and seemed unconcerned by its presence. One muttered something unintelligible to the other, slimmer being, who replied with a short, jovial answer and a nod.
"Sure wish I knew what they were saying." Peebee lamented. One of the lead aliens looked back at the Asari, clearly able to hear her but likely just as confused by her language.
"Pathfinder, I am working on the issue." SAM spoke up. "As with other prisoners, the Kett developed a basic understanding of their language for interrogation purposes. I am attempting to sort through the recovered data and develop a translation lexicon, as I did with the Remnant language on Habitat 7. This may take some time."
"That'd be nice." Ryder replied. "About how long are we talking here?"
"It is done." SAM answered.
"I…thanks, I guess." Ryder stammered. He occasionally forgot just how much quicker an AI was than a human. "So how do I do this?"
"Simply speak what you wish to convey." SAM answered. "Your helmet's speakers will automatically translate for you."
"Here goes nothing…" Ryder took a deep breath. "Uh…Hello! I, er, well…can you understand me?" He groaned internally. Even without something translating what he said into fragments of a different language, he probably hadn't just made the best first impression. The aliens stopped, slowly turning around to face him. The slimmer one cocked its head quizzically at him.
"Your digon needs work." It told him. Then, after a pause, it added, "But I suppose this is better than wild gesturing and threatening for communication. So, yes, I can understand you."
"Great. Then Maybe you can tell me who you are, where we're going, or why you held us at gunpoint."
"Would you have preferred the alternative?" One of the other aliens asked. "We could have simply shot on sight. For all we know, you're in league with those monsters."
"Without a doubt, Dawn." The third approached from the rear, shaking its head at its colleague. "Such brilliant strategic thinking on their part, to enlist a bunch of entirely new aliens to come and kill them all before we could."
"Are you two simply blind to the danger here?" The second one, Dawn, asked. "Tides, whether they're with those creatures or not, bringing them to our home is a mistake."
"Or an opportunity." The first replied. "These-"
"If I may interject," Ryder spoke up, "I can speak for myself, language issues aside. We're not with the Kett. If you haven't noticed, I have a distinct lack of bony plates."
"And that one?" the third alien pointed at Vetra.
"I'm not crazy enough." Vetra replied dryly. "Besides, they want to kill us, probably even more so than they want you dead."
"So you aren't part of these…Kett." The first said, though the second did not seemed convinced. "The obvious question, then, is who you are." Vetra looked to Ryder.
"My name is Ryder. I am the Human Pathfinder, responsible for the safety of my people and my crew." Slowly, he took his helmet off. His visor was mostly transparent anyways, but eye contact never hurt.
"Human?" The first asked.
"We're a species from another galaxy, sent here as part of the Andromeda Initiative to try and establish a home for our people. We respect the rights of other intelligent species, such as yourselves, and everyone would honestly prefer to avoid a fight if possible. The Kett didn't give us much choice. My crewmembers, a Turian and an Asari, represent two of the other species involved with the Initiative, and are from the same galaxy."
"I'm Vetra."
"Peebee."
"Don't look at me." Jaal added when one of the aliens turned their attention to him. "My people are native to this cluster. For what it is worth, though, Ryder has proven quite trustworthy. I am Jaal."
"Do you hear that, Dawn?" the third alien spoke up. "Humans from another galaxy. I would say this warrants the attention of the council."
"You've been kind enough to introduce yourselves, it would only be fair to return the favor." The first told Ryder, taking off their helmet. "My name is Tides." The face underneath the helmet was equal parts strange and familiar, stirring the same sort of reaction that Ryder had when he'd first seen an Asari. They weren't human, that much was certain. But there was an undeniable similarity. The aliens had two eyes, two nostrils, and a single mouth, like most species humanity had ever encountered. Like the Angara, they also lacked any sort of distinct nose, though instead of the conspicuously Angaran folds of skin on the sides of their heads, these creatures had slight bulges along their temples and where a human's ears would be. Tides also had what appeared to be bluish-white hair, stretching from a severe widow's peak above the forehead down to the alien's shoulders.
"I'm Stars." The third alien nodded to the second. "And since my brother won't share, he's Dawn." He, too, removed his helmet. He was quite like Tides, though with a much broader head and neck. His hair had been cropped close to his head, forming a sort of Mohawk. Dawn did not remove his own helmet.
"Interesting names." Peebee commented, unimpressed. Ryder shot her a glare. He did not want to offend the aliens.
"They're shortened." Tides answered. Either she hadn't noticed Peebee's tone or she didn't care. "It's much easier than having to say an entire sentence anytime you want someone's attention."
"Really, Change-from-Constant-Tides? What would possibly make you say that?" Stars turned to Ryder. "She makes a fuss, but I'm fairly certain she likes the sound of her own name."
"Unless you two have more to say about our traditions, we have guests." Dawn interjected, practically spitting the last word. "Stars is correct, the council needs to be notified. As quickly as possible. Bring the aliens along"
"As you have so graciously pointed out, they are our guests." Tides clarified, turning to look at Ryder. "Pathfinder, you are free to go. If you would like to speak on your own behalf to the council, however, I would recommend following us."
"Considering your friend's reaction, I think I'll tag along." Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Assure that my cause is fairly represented." Dawn huffed and marched off, unable to complain. He had been the one who wanted to bring them along in the first place, after all.
"So…" Vetra approached Stars cautiously. "What should we expect from this…council? I'm not exactly dressed for a banquet."
"Great, politics." Peebee groaned. "I could've stayed on the ship, but no, you had to drag me out to this Remnant-devoid moon full of…council-people."
"Councilors." Jaal corrected. "And I find it highly unlikely that there would be enough to fill a moon of any size."
"I wouldn't fear." Stars replied. "We call it a council, but it's nothing more than seven of our people who can't usually even be bothered to be in the same room at the same time."
"And yet we chose them to represent us, did we not?" Tides added.
"You would be wise to show them respect." Dawn growled. Stars simply shrugged, a surprisingly universal sign of indifference. For a few minutes, a rough patch of terrain occupied their attention, effectively ending the conversation. Once they had cleared the obstruction, Ryder approached Tides.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask, if you don't mind." The pathfinder began. "Your kind. What do you call yourselves? Because all we've heard so far is the term-"
"Forerunner." Tides replied. "Those who came before." Her expression saddened, almost imperceptibly so, before she continued. "As for why, I am afraid it is a long tale, one which I barely know myself."
"And you don't trust me." Ryder inferred.
"Perhaps." The Forerunner answered. "Despite what Dawn may believe, you have done nothing so far to inspire distrust. But any attempt I could make to explain the history of my people would be fruitless. It would be better to ask one of the elders."
"And these elders…are they an official role?" Ryder asked.
"No, just those of us who remember the most." Tides explained. "You'll see once we reach the village. It won't be long now."
Eventually, the forest once again faded into open ground, though these were noticeably different than where the Kett base had been. Wooden fences marked agricultural fields, well maintained and orderly, on either side of the path. Some sort of grain-like plant was grown here. As they continued, they crossed the path of a farmer leading another of the blue creatures they'd seen in the forests. The farmer tipped his hat to the three Forerunners, before noticing and staring warily at the Pathfinder team. His animal was indifferent, more concerned with the feed in its mouth and the cart it carried behind it.
"Their beasts of burden, apparently." Jaal noted.
"And probably where they get their leather." Ryder assumed.
"Your friend, the… Asari." Tides spoke up. "She reminded us of them." Peebee snarled at the Forerunner when her back was turned.
The farmlands were bordered by the forest on two sides, on the third by the sea, and on the forth by a line of rocky hills that they were now approaching. From this distance, Ryder could make out the silhouette of structures that had been built into and around the near slope of the lowest hill in the chain. That must have been the village Tides had referred to.
As they drew closer, more details became apparent. The village was fairly sizable, a few dozen buildings surrounded by a wooden fence. The path they walked upon turned into the main road through the village's center, and branched off into smaller pathways through the settlement as it went. The buildings themselves were mostly wood and stone, precisely cut and well-crafted so that the construction still seemed fairly new, though the Pathfinder had no way of knowing just how old anything in the village actually was. Every now and then, a piece of metal, akin to the plates the Forerunners wore, had been incorporated into the design of the structures, though Ryder wasn't sure if it had been for aesthetic or structural purposes.
By now, this moon's version of midday was beginning, and the village was active. A handful of Forerunners mulled about the main road, occupied by their duties. Many were probably already out farming or plying whatever other trades they possessed. The Kett had been right, the Forerunners tended to be a very diverse bunch, with height, bulk, and a variety of other features varying significantly between any two Forerunners. When they noticed the Pathfinder and his team, though, their reactions were always of shock, disbelief, or just plain confusion. The presence of Tides and the others was likely all that kept a panic from spreading.
The group made their way down the main road, eventually coming to a stop in front of the center of town. A structure had been erected there, a sort town square shaded by multiple levels of tarps and cloths that had been stretched overhead. Below these, a ring of benches loosely surrounded an inner collection of seven seats, all facing towards the table in the center.
Only one of those seats, which had been carved so as to be taller than the others, was occupied. Its occupant was clad in a suit entirely of the same strange metal Tides wore, though elegantly and artfully composed into a coherent set of armor rather than the scraps the others wore. His stern countenance was partially shrouded by the hands clasped in front of his face, but his gaze was currently locked on the one other Forerunner at the table.
The second Forerunner paced around the table's circumference, rather than taking a seat. He stood out in significant contrast to the first Forerunner, wearing only simple clothing that did little to hide the scars and callouses on his face and hands. He nevertheless carried himself with a certain grace and nobility that did not seem to quite match his simple appearance.
"…And they will return as soon as the task is completed." The standing Forerunner seemed to be arguing with the other. "Leaving those creatures to their own devices after the initial assault would be unwise. Those three are our most competent fighters, they will be able neutralize what remains of the enemy forces quickly enough. They volunteered, I was not going to refuse them. You can discuss your objections with them when they return."
"With how many dead?" The sitting Forerunner asked. "I can understand the one, but why the other two? You have allowed Builders to take on a task more fitting for a Warrior-Servant."
"First Councilor, you know as well as I that the rates you hold dear are no longer adequate for our society." The standing Forerunner countered. "If you were to assign Tides a rate, what would it be? Would she take after me, a Warrior-Servant who spent his life tending the fields? Or would she follow in the footsteps of her mother, an Engineer who raised animals? A-"
"Your daughter is not with whom my concern lies." The First Councilor answered.
"The brothers represented themselves well, they fight as well as any Warrior-Servant."
"The circumstances of Dawn's birth marks him as an exception, and Stars is-"
"Right here, thank you." Stars cut off the speaker, earning him an angry glare from the First Councilor and his brother both. "If you'll pardon the intrusion, I think you should meet our new friends."
"First Councilor, I-" Dawn began.
"Who…what...have you brought before us?" the First Councilor cut Stars off, gaze sweeping across the Pathfinder team. Tides looked at Ryder, nodding her head towards the table. Apparently it was his turn to speak.
"First Councilor," The human addressed the Forerunner, hoping that SAM had been tweaking the translation systems on the way here, "My name is Scott Ryder. I am the human Pathfinder, an explorer and representative of the Andromeda Initiative."
"And your exploration has brought you to our doorstep, it seems." The First Councilor scowled at Ryder. "Why have you come here, human?"
"In general, the members of the Initiative came to this galaxy looking for a new home, a new beginning." The Pathfinder explained. "Our welcome wasn't exactly a warm one, and now we're trying to build what we can with what resources we have. As for why I'm here on this moon specifically, you can thank the Kett, those creatures who built the base you destroyed. They don't like us any more than they like you or anyone that isn't them. We came here because we thought the base was a threat."
"Now that you have seen what has become of the invaders," The First Councilor didn't seem to just mean the Kett, "I assume you will be leaving us alone. There is nothing for you here, human."
"And when these Kett return?" To Ryder's surprise, it was the other councilor that voiced what he had been thinking. "You know they will. You heard what the captives we liberated told us. More will replace the ones we killed. We have caught their attention already, just as we have the attention of the human's Initiative."
"When the Kett return, if they return at all, we will deal with them ourselves. They are hardly the gravest threat our kind has ever faced."
"How do you propose we face them?" The standing councilor replied, incensed. "We have no spacecraft, no defenses save what the militia has gathered. And what good would a few stolen rifles be against warships in orbit?"
"The Initiative has experience dealing with the Kett. We've seen what they can do, and it's not good." Ryder added. "They've got a bad habit of kidnapping other species, stealing their genetic traits, and turning any of the "worthy" ones into more Kett through a process called Exaltation. The rest, they kill. We could help you avoid that."
"And what would you want in return?' The First councilor asked disdainfully.
"The places we sought to settle originally were rendered uninhabitable by a strange extrasolar…thing, a cloud of dark energy, that materialized sometime after we started our journey. We call it the Scourge. As a result, we have thousands of people in cryosleep and nowhere to put them. As Pathfinder, my job is to find places we could live, so we can wake them up."
"You would settle here." The other councilor guessed, expression unreadable.
"Not without permission." Ryder clarified. "Even if we never got that, then we at least could use your help with the Kett. I've seen what happens when your soldiers fight. Frankly, we need every gun we can get right now, and your people have certainly proven themselves already."
"And we should risk our lives for you?" The First Councilor asked.
"Our lives were at risk the moment the Kett landed here and attempted to kidnap our people." The other councilor rebuked. "We should consider the human's offer very carefully."
"Even if I were to agree, that is not my decision alone to make." The sitting Forerunner stated. "Assemble the other councilors. We must all discuss this before an agreement is reached."
"Very well. And the human?"
"If this…Pathfinder so wishes, he and his crew may stay here until a decision is reached." The First Councilor conceded. "Under guard. If you will excuse me, I wish to speak to the brothers." Stars and Dawn nodded, approaching the table. The other councilor took his leave, guiding Stars and the Pathfinder team away.
"The mission was successful?" He asked Tides as they walked.
"Yes. The base is unoccupied, though the credit belongs to the aliens." Tides answered.
"And so you brought them here."
"Father, it was my fault. I-"
"You did exactly as I would have." The councilor told his daughter. "No matter what the First Councilor may think, we need things to change. This Initiative might be just that." He came to a halt, turning to address the human. "As for you…Ryder, was it? You may not yet realize it, but you have stepped into a turbulent time among my people. In truth, we are in grave danger, though the Kett are only the latest foe to besiege this village. There are a great many things you must understand about my people."
"Tides told me to talk to an elder." Ryder mentioned.
"The First Councilor is the eldest of us you would find in this galaxy." The councilor remarked. "I doubt seeking him out would do much good at this stage, not with his current distrust of you. No, it would be better to show you. I must gather the other councilors, however. Tides, I entrust this matter to you."
"Yes, father." The younger Forerunner nodded, before addressing the pathfinder team. "If you would follow me…" She strode off in the direction of the rocky slope at the far edge of the village. Ryder looked to his teammates. Peebee seemed disoriented, Jaal could only offer him a shrug, and Vetra was already following Tides. With a sigh, Ryder went after them.
"This is it." Tides came to a halt, allowing Ryder and the others to take in the sight. At the base of the slope, surrounded by lose boulders and stones, a tunnel had been dug into the hill.
"It's a… cave." Vetra sounded disappointed. Ryder himself wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Some hole in the ground wasn't it. Tides proceeded inside, motioning for them to follow.
It was dark inside, not to mention cramped. The cave was little more than a small tunnel, excavated by hand and a few simple tools. There was room to stand, at least, but they were forced to proceed in single file. Then, suddenly, the tunnel widened. Their Forerunner guide stepped aside, allowing the others to enter the chamber. The walls were wide enough that all of them could comfortably fit. The far side of the chamber was obscured, however, blocked by a door.
"Is that...Remnant?" Peebee asked, eyes locked onto the door as soon as she saw it. For the first time on this trip, she seemed excited. Ryder activated his scanner. The structure certainly seemed Remnant, the trapezoidal opening and metallic surface being almost identical to the doors he'd seen in Remnant vaults on three planets, though larger. It was subtly different, though. Glowing symbols complimented geometric designs on the door's surface, which seemed to have a much brighter metallic sheen under the light attached to his suit. The scanner couldn't identify the material, something Ryder had grown used to while scanning the vaults. Unusually, however, this door's composition was entirely different. Those materials that were identifiable existed in strange proportions, and most notable was the complete lack of Element Zero.
"It's a vault…" Vetra marveled. "Or…something."
"To us, it is many things." Tides explained. "But it was once a ship." She reached out and touched a panel on the doorframe, and the door opened, splitting into multiple pieces and sliding slowly into the wall. She proceeded through, Ryder close behind.
"You said this was a ship?" Ryder clarified as he observed his surroundings. The interior was more of the strange metal, more of the ornate carvings and glowing designs. Though the geometric structures were very reminiscent of the vaults, the Pathfinder was starting to wonder if they were really related.
"Once." Tides confirmed. "One of many. This one brought the First Councilor here, before we knew him as such, along with others. Three families, representing Builders, Engineers, and the Lifeworkers that controlled it." Ryder didn't understand the terms, though the conversation he'd overheard between the councilors suggested they were "rates", castes of some sort. "Once the fuel had been expended, it was reconfigured into a permanent structure. It became the basis for the village you saw, until it was buried in a rock slide long ago. Now it sits, almost lifeless."
"So you aren't native to this moon, then." Ryder realized. "When did this happen?"
"By our reckoning, almost 100,000 years ago." Tides answered. Ryder exhaled in shock. There had to be a glitch in the translator. It had altered the units of time she used into human years automatically, maybe it hadn't done the conversions correctly.
"I'm sorry, I don't think that translated properly." Ryder said. "How many years?"
"There was no error." Tides shook her head sadly.
"But you said this ship brought the First Councilor here."
"And the grandparents of Dawn, Stars, and myself." Tides added.
"But…how?" Vetra asked. They were all thinking the same thing.
"Let me show you." The Forerunner answered, pausing to let another massive door slide open. The room beyond was…immense. A cavernous chamber, ceiling stretching high above. In the center of the ceiling was a ragged hole, letting in natural light which filtered down into the half-lit gloom.
What caught Ryder's attention, though, were the pods. Strange, cylindrical structures twice the length of himself. Roughly a hundred of them filled the room. He looked at one as he and Tides passed. It had transparent panels on the top, just like…
"Cryopods." Ryder guessed.
"They serve a similar purpose, yes." Tides replied, though she continued on to the far side of the room. Eventually, she came to a halt before a raised console. At her presence, a holographic sphere adorned with symbols Ryder didn't recognize flickered into being. The Pathfinder watched as her six-fingered hand hovered over it, twisting and manipulating the symbols until she pressed her hand onto it. A holographic projection materialized in the air over her head, an image composed of billions of tiny pinpricks of light forming a spiral.
"That…is not Andromeda." Peebee realized.
"Your kind are not the first to make the journey here from the Milky Way." Tides turned to face him. "100,000 years ago, we did the same. We were exiles, the last of a powerful race that thought we ruled over the galaxy. We were wrong." As she spoke, holographic lines traced pathways from a dozen holographic stars into deep space, continuing on into the darkness. "Our flight brought us far from familiar stars, through deep space, until we reached Andromeda." The Milky Way faded away, replaced by the spiral arms of Andromeda. Even then, they scattered, only one arriving near what Ryder believed to be the Heleus cluster. "Those who remained of the old Ecumene believed that our time as a species was at an end. We were to scatter, spreading ourselves thin and allowing our species to fade away, living out our last days in noble simplicity. The vessels that brought us here, the technology that sustained us, the armor we wore; all was abandoned so that the last of us might embrace our roots rather than what had destroyed us."
Ryder was reeling. Everything she said came as a shock. Just who were these people who had crossed galaxies to find a quiet place to die? Why had they done it? Judging by the sorrow that was etched on Tides' face, perhaps it wasn't the best time to ask.
"Despite all of this, all of their planning for the end, life has a strange and incredible tenacity to it." Tides continued. "Among alien stars, new lives were delivered into the universe. The first of our kind born outside the Milky Way lived on this moon, in fact. Many of the next generation decided to follow a different path. They thought that fading away as the elders had wanted was akin to surrender." The holographic lines, fewer in number, reappeared, tracing new paths towards Heleus and this moon in particular. Once they converged, the hologram faded away. "And so, on a dozen worlds, our vessels were reactivated, bringing those who refused to die… here. Under the leadership of the council and the newly appointed First Councilor, my people tried to establish a new life for themselves. It was in vain. The technology we kept or recovered broke down, our ships ran out of fuel. Despite our efforts, so few remained of our kind that we knew time would win this war." Tides strode towards Ryder, gazing at the pods as she went.
"So you put yourselves to sleep." The Pathfinder stated.
"Yes. This vessel was a transport for the Lifeworkers, meant to preserve life forms of all varieties in stasis. They put themselves to sleep for many reasons: some so that they might awaken to a friendlier universe, others so that their lessons, their warnings, might reach the ears of a younger species. All realized that they might never awaken: they would sleep until others found them or the pods themselves failed and they died. The universe was not so kind as to allow them to go undisturbed. The construction of this facility destabilized the slopes above, and over time the ship was buried by a hundred thousand years of rock slides. The sleepers might never have awoken, if not for chance."
"Ryder, you should see this." Vetra called him over to one of the pods, shining her light onto it. It had been cracked open, the culprit readily noticeable. Tendrils of darkness, seemingly frozen in space, curled off of the pod's surface.
"The Scourge." Jaal stated, realization dawning.
"This…corruption reached out through space, just barely brushing the orbit of our moon." Tides confirmed. "It wore away at the rocks above, and then the ship itself, every time our orbit took us near, for centuries. The ship's systems eventually failed under the assault, and the sleepers awoke."
"To find that millennia had gone by." Ryder stated grimly.
"That was 70 years ago." Tides finally exclaimed. "I, like many of the younger Forerunners here, was born after this. What I have told you was what I was told by my father, when I reached maturity. It was my…mutation, a tradition amongst our species, though it once meant something else. It is just one of the aspects of our society that were lost or altered by the ages. Those that did not sleep achieved their goals and faded away; this village is all that remains of my people. Much of the technology we did not discard has since been lost, and we now lack the resources to rebuild much more than we were able to in these 70 years. More than that, we lack the time to rebuild."
"And that's where we come in." Ryder surmised. "Your father wants the Initiative's assistance so your people don't go extinct."
"At the very least not before we ensure that someone remembers the Forerunners." Tides smiled slightly. "I am glad to have met you, Ryder. Whatever becomes of us now, I have at least been able to share our story with others. I find hope in the thought."
"I figure we all came to Andromeda to give ourselves a second chance at life. What's one more species thrown in the mix?" Ryder joked. "One strange, ancient, incredibly mystifying species…
"You must have questions." The Forerunner realized. "I don't know everything, but I can try to answer them."
"That's putting it lightly." The Pathfinder acknowledged. "But… frankly, I don't even know where to begin. If I could have a moment…to collect my thoughts?"
"I'll be here if you need my assistance." Tides walked over to the console, examining it. Ryder walked back towards the chamber's entrance, where the others had gathered.
"So…" Ryder shook his head as he approached. "Thoughts?"
"Her story seems insane, if you ask me." Vetra replied. "If someone told me there was still a living Prothean somewhere, I'd believe them about as much as I believe her. I mean, really, a hundred thousand years old, and from the Milky Way?"
"If someone had told me when I joined the Initiative that I'd be activating crazy world-shaping alien machines and fighting crazier, gene-obsessed boneheads, I wouldn't have believed it." Ryder observed
"But with all my contacts, all my experience, I've never once heard of anything like these Forerunners." Vetra countered. "Surely there'd be at least some sign of them, right? Some evidence in the Milky Way that we would have found. The Protheans disappeared ages ago, and we see their ruins all the time. The Citadel, the Mass Relays…if these Forerunners were really advanced enough to rule the Milky Way, to make it to Andromeda, then where are their ruins?"
"She says that her people were exiles." Ryder noted. "Perhaps their ruins were destroyed, or built over. Maybe even by the Protheans. Maybe they weren't the first to build a mass relay."
"Look, some of my more…eccentric contacts insist that the Protheans didn't build the relays, but they always say it was Reapers, those deep space legends. Not one has ever mentioned a "Forerunner", ever. Where's the proof?"
"Have you taken a look around recently?" Jaal, amused, asked. "All of this seems like proof to me."
"I won't deny that something is going on here." Vetra told the Angara. "But I don't think she's telling the truth. Or at least not all of it. A few cryo pods and a hologram don't necessarily validate anything she's said so far."
"No, not cryo pods…" Peebee, engrossed with one of the machines, chimed in. "Something else entirely. I can't tell what it does, actually, but it's high tech."
"Preliminary scans are inconclusive, but indicate that, when active, these devices alter localized spacetime." SAM announced. Peebee's eyes lit up.
"Ryder, I take back everything I said." She said in the singular moment she was able to tear herself away from the device. "Thank you for bringing me along!"
"As usual." Jaal chuckled. "Immediately fixated on whatever shiny piece of technology she can find."
"At least one of us is having fun with this whole experience." Ryder glanced pointedly at Vetra.
"Don't give me that look, Ryder." The Turian groaned. "We can't all be brash and impulsive. Someone has to watch our backs. I'm just trying to warn you that everything might not be what it seems."
"Hey, I can be plenty rational when I need to be." The pathfinder protested. "But thanks…for watching my back."
"Well, I suppose it's not the worst job in the world." Vetra replied, flashing him the Turian equivalent of a grin. What was that supposed to mean?
"Human!" The doorway into the chamber slid open as the councilor who'd sent them here ran in, cutting the pathfinder off. "Ryder!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Ryder held out his hands in front of him, trying to get the harried councilor to calm down. "I'm right here. What do you need?" The Forerunner was distressed, clearly, though not frantic. There was a grim determination in his eyes as he approached.
"Where is my daughter?" He asked angrily. For a moment, Ryder wondered if something he'd done had offended the councilor, but the anger didn't seem to be directed at him.
"Father?" Tides approached, having heard the commotion. "What is wrong?"
"Those monsters, the Kett, have returned." The councilor growled. "They're attacking the village. We need everyone who can hold a weapon in the fight, as soon as possible! I'll be coordinating the others, having them take refuge here."
"Then I have a fight to join." Tides drew her rifle, but her father stopped her.
"Take this. One of the few weapons that remains from what we brought with us…be careful with it, conserve ammo." He handed her a long, thick cylinder of silver and orange metal. As Ryder watched, it split into fragments, reconfiguring itself into the shape of a more conventional rifle in Tides' hand. The weapon's tapered stock broadened past the handle, eventually forming a broad, multi-barreled front end. Orange marking streaked along the side of the gun from the barrel to just above the handle. The weapon's sights, strangely enough, seemed to be floating just above the casing itself. Ryder heard Vetra let out a low whistle. He didn't even know Turians could do that.
"I know you may have misgivings about my people." Tides had apparently heard what they were discussing. "But we can't fight the Kett alone. Will you help us?"
"We'll take any chance we can get to thwart whatever the Kett are planning." Ryder affirmed. The others nodded in agreement.
The village burned as the Pathfinder team cleared the cave. Kett dropships buzzed overhead, disgorging troops throughout the settlement. The farmers in their fields were too spread out for the Kett to worry about, and the ones still in the settlement had already begun flooding into the cave structure. But with the narrow confines of the cave, it would be slow going. The militia was there to keep the Kett away from the civilians and stop any further harm to the village. The handful of Forerunners, supplemented by Ryder's team, had set up defensive lines along the roads leading to the caves.
The first wave charged, Chosen supplemented by shielded Anointed. Plasma from stolen rifles arced out to meet them from Jaal and the Forerunner militia both, interspersed with the chatter of mass effect-based weaponry. Ryder's Widow barked intermittently, the weapon's devastating power offset by its single shot capacity. Vetra's Cyclone peppered the oncoming enemy while Peebee forwent the use of her pistol for her potent biotics. The Kett were nothing if not persistent, however, and Ryder soon found himself switching over to his Avenger.
An Anointed charged the barriers that had been erected, the milita's fire unable to break its shields before it closed the distance. Tides readied the weapon she'd been given, aimed, and fired. Multiple bolts of orange energy sprang from the gun, all impacting the Anointed. The Kett heavy's shield collapsed and it was sent, body disintegrating from the energy of the shot. Still, they kept coming.
Ryder left his position on the defense line, aiming to flank around the building and catch the Kett on the main road by surprise. The Kett, however, had the same idea. The Pathfinder found himself alone in a narrow alley facing a Destined and three Chosen. He closed the distance with a biotic blink, a skill he was very quickly growing to appreciate. A burst of rifle fire neutralized one of the Kett, an omni-blade strike finished off the second. Ryder was forced away by the Destined's shotgun, but a quick activation of his flamethrower took care of the third Chosen and forced the Destined into cover. Before Ryder could deal with it, a burst of plasma took it down. One of the Forerunner militia stood at the other end of the alley.
"Good work, human." They didn't remove their helmet, but Ryder recognized the gruff tone. "They got past me when I wasn't looking. Damned smoke clouds."
"Happy to help, Stars." The pathfinder replied. "What's the situation?"
"We're holding." Stars replied. "I don't think they're looking to kill us all just yet, probably so they can keep experimenting. It makes it easier to deal with them, and means their warships haven't just destroyed the village."
"Ryder!" His comms burst to life. Jaal was calling. "They're pushing down the central road! They have Fiends!"
"Oh, that's not good."
"The others can hold my flank." Stars was already headed towards the main road. "I'll come with you!"
Ryder took a moment to get a better position, using his jump jet to boost him to the upper floors of a nearby structure. It overlooked the center of town, a good place to shoot from. Jaal apparently had the same idea, taking position on another rooftop across the way. Below, Stars had joined Tides and the others
From here, the source of Jaal's concern was obvious. A pair of Fiends, enormous living tanks covered in thick bony plates, were marching up the road, supported by Chosen infantry. Even further behind them, Ryder could see the flickering of a large spherical energy barrier. An Ascendant, like the Cardinal on Voeld.
"I don't suppose anyone has an RPG handy?" Ryder asked. No one answered. "Alright, then. Give them everything you've got! Don't let them get any closer!" Half a dozen weapons opened fire on the Fiends at once. The creatures flinched under the assault, but did not buckle. Ryder's Widow cut through their armor, but it was going to take more to bring them down.
"Vetra, get ready!" He called out, reconfiguring his flamethrower. He launched a long-range ball of heated plasma at the creatures, managing to set one alight. Vetra reacted quickly, launching off a concussive shot at the creature. The resulting fiery explosion killed one of the creatures and most of the escorting Kett, leaving the other still alive. Enraged and in pain, it charged. Tides stepped up, firing her Forerunner shotgun at the creature once, twice, three times. It continued forward. Tides kept firing. By her fifth shot, the creature was on top of her. The sixth shot emptied her weapon. The creature stumbled, falling directly in front of her as the life in it faded.
"Second big ugly down!" Peebee confirmed. "Now for the Ascendant!"
That was easier said than done. Kett Ascendants were dangerous enough with their weaponized electromagnetic barriers, and this one in particular didn't seem particularly willing to charge into the Forerunner's line of fire. Instead, it let its underlings charge in forward while lobbing balls of lighting at their position. Ryder readied his rifle, taking aim at the small, moving orb that allowed the Ascendant to manipulate the outside world. A good hit could temporarily overload it, shorting out the shield. The Pathfinder held his breath, lining up the scope with the target's path. With a single shot in the chamber at any one time, a miss with the Widow was costly.
The recoil rocked the rifle backwards, internal dampeners and Ryder's own armor not doing quite enough to prevent it from slamming into his arm. After prolonged use, he'd often woken up with bruises, and tomorrow was likely to be no different. Such was the price paid for the weapon's incredible stopping power, which easily tore into the Ascendant's orb, shorting it out in one hit.
"Take it out!" He called to his squadmates. The Ascendant reacted unusually quickly, teleporting itself to a different position before the others could train their weapons on it. It roared at them, already attempting to bring its shields back up. A shot from Jaal's rifle ricocheted off the barrier a moment later.
Now thoroughly involved in the fight, the Ascendant seemed much more willing to engage the Pathfinder team directly. It teleported from cover to cover, making sure that it didn't stay still for long. They couldn't let it get too close: Ryder knew an Ascendant in melee range was a death sentence.
The militia, seeing the obvious threat, tried their best to concentrate fire on it. Plasma rounds impacted the shield to no avail, but a few of the more accurate shooters soon began aiming for the orb. Ryder prepped his Widow, now reloaded. Finally, the shield gave way. Stars must have seen what happened when the shield had broken before, as he had a Kett grenade already in the air. It detonated just as the Ascendant's shield went down, knocking the creature back. Ryder's shot went wide by an inch, but Jaal's didn't. Vetra didn't worry much about aiming, mass effect rounds spraying out of her rifle in the general direction it was aimed. If not for its advanced armor, it would have been dead. As it was, the creature regained its footing with a howl, regenerated its shield, and began throwing electromagnetic energy in a frenzy.
"You will serve us! It is inevitable!" Ryder heard it threaten, but it didn't seem too eager to follow up. In fact, it looked like it was pulling back, along with the rest of its forces.
"They're retreating!" Peebee called out.
"So it would seem." An unfamiliar voice declared over his comm. Ryder recognized the First Councilor, though had no idea how he'd gotten into Ryder's comms. "They will return, however. We must prepare for it. There is much to discuss."
The seven members of the Forerunner council gathered in the village center, quickly rebuilt after the fighting had ended. In the darkened sky above, a large, blue-tinted moon was the main source of light. Most of the village's inhabitants stood at the edge of the light cast by the council's lanterns, watching the proceedings. The absence of a few who weren't there was keenly felt.
As focused as the Kett were on capturing the Forerunners, casualties had been few. But the firefight had claimed the lives of a handful of the militia, while at least one other Forerunner had died in the initial attack by Kett dropships. Dawn was absent as well, one of many recovering in a makeshift hospital inside the cavern from wounds sustained in the fighting. His brother stood with the Pathfinder team and watched the councilors, wanting to make sure he could relay the proceedings to his brother when he awoke. Tides was among them as well, still cradling her weapon.
The First Councilor still wore his armor, fresh from battle. Tide's father sat adjacent to him. The other five positions were occupied by Forerunners Ryder didn't recognize.
"My fellow councilors." The armored councilor addressed his peers. "A choice lies before us. We are no strangers to such decisions. We are Forerunners, perhaps the last of our kind. The legacy of our people, the Mantle of Responsibility, remains with us still. Our duty in sealing ourselves away was to preserve the Mantle, and perhaps one day to pass it on. But we made many choices to reach that point. We broke from our brethren to ensure that they would be remembered, and slumbered as they faded from this world, repentant. We broke away from tradition, becoming so much like those species we once stewarded. It was not easy. But we must once again make that choice. We must ask ourselves if we should once again break from tradition in order to preserve it, to preserve our people."
A low murmur could be heard not just from the other six councilors, but the assembled crowd. They did not speak, clearly anticipating that the First Councilor had yet more to say. Ryder, as confused as he was by the unfamiliar terminology used, was just as interested in what would come next.
"You are all aware of the recent attacks by these creatures, these Kett, that sought to steal away our people and destroy what we had constructed for ourselves. This very day, they had the audacity to attack us." The councilor directed his gaze towards Ryder. "And they were not alone. A human has found its way to our doorstep, representing a multi-species colonization effort from the Milky Way. They, too, are at war with the Kett, and there is no doubt in my mind that their arrival brought the Kett upon us."
"Ridiculous!" Tides' father interjected. "The Kett would have attacked us regardless of any action taken by the Pathfinder. The human and his crew are the reason we were able to push them back."
"Indeed." The First Councilor replied. "And their action is to be commended. But the unavoidable truth is that the human's arrival instigated the Kett further, and that our victory today has marked us as their foes. Should they decide to turn their wrath upon us, we cannot hope to stand against them. We can no longer afford to hide ourselves away."
"Whether or not we brought the Kett here, we can help deal with them!" Ryder spoke up finally. "The Initiative has been fighting the Kett, and we might even win. But that'll only happen if we can work together. We need all the help we can get, and frankly so do you."
"And so we come to the heart of the decision to be made. Our kind once stood alone, believing ourselves superior, the appointed custodians of all life. We were mistaken, and we suffered for our arrogance. As we reenter the universe, we must decide whether we repeat the mistakes of the past and isolate ourselves from what we must protect, or if we will once again break tradition. I beseech you to learn from our collective past, and to embrace a new way forward. My vote lies with the human, and with his Initiative. If we are to ever become more than what we currently are, we must join the community that has found its way to us, as allies rather than caretakers." Finished, the First Councilor bowed his head and sat. The murmur became a dull roar.
"Did he just say he wanted to join the Initiative?" Vetra asked.
"I think he did." Ryder realized, stunned. The First Councilor had been aloof, even hostile towards him. But now…had he misjudged the Forerunner?
The debate raged well into the night. Ryder was brought into the conversation multiple times as a representative of the Initiative. When asked if the Initiative would even allow such an action, he could provide no true answer. It wasn't like allying with the Angara, who had been an established spacefaring species with a defined, if fragmented, civilization. It would involve essentially rescuing and integrating the Forerunners. Though they clearly had something to offer the Initiative, resources and space were spread thin enough already. A hundred more mouths to feed would not be looked on kindly. But even when Ryder made this clear, the Forerunners seemed determined to at least try. In the end, the vote was unanimous. The seven councilors, representing all that remained of the Forerunner Ecumene, would attempt to make contact and ally themselves with the Initiative. In the face of the threat posed by the Kett and their own lack of resources, it seemed much more preferable to continued isolation. For better or for worse, the Forerunners were determined to begin again.
And there you have it. I originally thought this story would just be a single chapter, a "What if" idea. I feel like there is plenty more to tell, though, plenty of plot threads to go off of and ideas to pursue. I figure I might be able to get another two or three chapters. I don't just want to repeat the plot of the game, since it is so personalized and if you're reading this then you already know what it is. Rather, any future chapters would focus on new or heavily altered events…think of them as loyalty missions or something like that. So, yeah. Unless absolutely no one is interested, expect more from this. However, I will be splitting my time between two stories and I'm not a particularly fast writer, so it may take a bit.
If you have questions about this story and how it fits into the overall canon of the games, especially Halo (because OMG Forerunners), feel free to shoot me a message and I'll explain the background info I'm working off of (though not the stuff that happened in the background of THIS story as opposed to canon, as that will be revealed)
I ask you all to review, if you feel so inclined. Let me know if you like it, or think it needs work, etc etc etc. I would appreciate it. It's later than I expected and I still don't know quite what I want to say yet, so author's notes won't be up the night this goes up. Expect them the day after, though, at some point.