Alright, he guys. This is part 2 of A Good Reaper. This is where we fiish it. Where I answer your question to see if there really can be... a Good Reaper...
"A buried god?" Shepard asked seargent Annie alarmed.
"It meets all the desscriptions of a reaper but this ones... strange. From what we could gather, it was attacked by some primordial civilization 3 billion years ago...
We think... I don't know as much as I'd like. Just ask Dr. Malani any questions you'd like to know. She's the closest thing we have to an expert here." Annie finished.
The Salarian looked up from her holo-clipboard and approached shepard.
"Hello Commander Shepard. Its a pleasure to meet you." She put the clipboard to her side and extended her right hand, expecting a hand shake. Shepard prompty shook it.
"Hello Doctor. What is all this about?" Shepard asked.
"Ahhh, Let me explain. Please follow me." She began to walk away. Shepard turned back to Tali and Garrus.
"You two can go fan out. I'll go with Malani." Garrus and Tali nodded and went their separate ways. Shepard caught up with Malani by race-walking.
"So wats going on? Why is there a reaper?"
"Well commander, you know a listenning base was established on Felthan several months ago on Counselor Andersons hunch that you were right about the reapers and we needed eyes and ears in this sector."
"Yes. Go on." Shepard said.
"The few first weeks were quiet. Just finishing the installation process. Then a massive sandstorm seemigly appeared out of nowhere. We even saw red lightning. A quarian girl who surprisingly has lived here all her life because her mother was exiled. She said that we woke the old gods. That these beings destroyed her peoples reach here centuries before and we made them angry by coming here. She was their lone diciple. Our phychologist thinks she's reached insanity by being alone most of her life.
But when the sand cleared..." They'd reached the reaper. Her hand reached out and touched the metal shell of it. "This was revealed. We thought it was some kind of ancient building. The girl was terrified. She shouted at us to leave it be and "Let the sands blanket the grandfather once more". We didn't know it was a reaper until they invaded a month ago."
"Where is the girl now? What is her name?" Shepard asked curiously.
"Sleeping. In a cell. A mech approached a scar on the things hull one night last week to scan for chemical signatures and she pounced on it and tore its head off. Her name is Mali. She doesn't remember her last name and we're fairly sure she gave herself that name... But we need her... She somehow... Communes with it at night. All of our actual information on it comes from her. From her connection we've learned that the thing was shot down by some ancient, unknown civilization 3.5 billion years ago.
Yes, I said billion."
"Thats incredible!"
"You're telling us. But I bet you're wondering why we called you out here. Its... asked for you. or atleast someone like you. Its still functioning. It wakes up every 50,000 years like every other reaper but it does nothing. It relives memories. Let me correct myself. Its been awake for the entire time its been stranded. It only speaks when the invasion commences. There's a missing part of its brain but we don't have the skill or firepower to go in ourselves..."
"Thats why you called me..."
"Correct. Would you like to go meet Mali?"
"Yes. Take me to her please." Shepard turned on his omni-tool and entered the comms application. "Tali?"
"Yes Shepard?"
"Theres a quarian here. She's imprisoned and she knows about the reaper. Meet up with me over here please."
"A quarian? Right away."
Tali was there in about a minute and Malani explained in a shortened version the happenings and the walked over to a building with a force field set up halfway through it.
Its obvious it was never meant to be a prison cell. Behind it a quarian girl with a patch-work exo-suit lay huddled up against the wall on the opposite side.
"Are you Mali?" Shepard asked the girl.
She looked up at shepard revealing many cracks and chips in her green visor. "Yes. Mali is my name. Are you the Shepard he calls for?"
"Shepard? How do you know my name?" Shepard was puzzled.
"He tells me any things. It is you. It must be you." She stood up and walked over to the forcefield. Now Malini butted in.
"She's been talking about this "Shepard" character since last week. I think it's purely coincidental."
"No Doctor Malani. This is him." Mali said. Malani looked shocked at her words.
Malani whispered quietly; "I never told her my name..."
"How do you know me? You've been isolated on this planet for your entire life."
She rubbed her hands up her sides. "Maybe here..." She then pointed to her head. "But not in here... He talks to me. He's been my only father and my only friend...
the only doctrine I believe in. His brothers that still remain believe him long dead but he still hears their voices..." Her eyes widened and she clutched her head.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" She screamed. Shepard backed up when he thought he eard blood splatter in her helmet. After 7 long seconds it seemed to subside and she closed her eyes and lowered her hands.
"I'm sorry my shepard. They come and go. I am fine." Mali said looking up at shepard.
"What was that? Are you alright?" Shepard asked alarmed.
"Yes... The voices shout sometimes. It bursts my eardrums. But they heal. Part of how the grandfather fixed me."
"Just how did he "fix" you?" Sheard asked.
"He injected me with the blue goo of life. It repairs me when i'm hurt."
Tali leaned over and whispered in Shepards ear. "That sounds like reaper tech. Remember that the husks glow blue and they take a few more shots thn they should?"
Shepard whispered back. "I remember. But theres soething more to this girl than reaper tech. I can feel it."
"I'm pretty sure she's just indoctrinated." Tali finally whispred back and resumed her position behind shepard.
"You may not know me Tali'Zorah but I know you. Your father was on the court of admirals that exiled my mother here." Tali flinched at her words. "I don't remember my name before but I remember yours."
"Lets cut to the chase." Shepard said after a silence lasting a few minutes. "What does "The Grandfather"want?"
"He wants understanding. He sees an error in what the reapers have done and he wishes to personally correct it. He wishes to preserve civilization. He has seen civilisation after civilization rise and fall over and over again. He has seen a beauty in life. And this beauty must be defended from its own follies when it may stumble and fall...
but he needs help. He cannot comprehend kindness and passiveness. That is why he called you." She laughed. "He foretold you. He is as old as life on your earth. He's waited so long."
"W-what do I need to do?" Shepard asked uneasily.
"You must go inside him and touch his mind. This will show him all you know and thus your kindness. Your love. Your loss." Mali stated gravely.
"When do I do this?" Shepard asked.
Mali looked at the cieling and wiped the dust off her visor. "Now. He is ready."
Then the ground shook knocking doctor Malani to the ground and almost tali but shepard caught her. Shepared heard the deep vibrating noise that signified a reaper.
Shepard rushed outside with Tali in his arms and viewed the tower raise out of the soil and farther up into the sky. The legs cae up last and revealed a full size reaper, 3 kilometers tall. All of the lab techs were running for cover and all of the soldiers were taking cover and training sights on the skyscraper sized mmonster, as if that would damage it. Shepard knew all too well.
Its large red laser came to life and the vibrating grew louder as it trained itself on shepard. Shepards reflexes awakened and he threw tali as far as he caould to the right and raised his arms as if to shield himself. But the death beam never came. He heard a powering down behind him and mali came up tossing the fried forcefield generator to the side.
"He is awake. And he is ready. Go under his watchful eye and you may touch his mind with your guidence. I will follow you but I cannot do your duty for you." A red translucent beam came down from the eye and onto the ground stirring up a dust devil. "Your companions may enter but only you may do what must be done. Go."
Shepard slowly walked toward it as dust swirled around him. Tali and garrus shortly joined him shielding themselves the same. Just before the entered the beam, Tali slipped her hand into shepards and he gripped it. Mali pressed ahead. The dust devils parted around her as if the dust was being pushed away from her. She looked back at the trio of Shepard, Tali, and Garrus with her shining eyes and all of them heard her voice in their minds.
"Follow... Me..." the echo said. and she stepped through the dust devil and dissappeared up into the reaper. Shepard turned to bth his companions and they nodded in their silent way of saying they'll follow him wherever. It meant so much more than a simple nod appears. They stepped inside and it felt as though there was a huge weight lifted off him, like being warm and naked in space but being able to breath. But as this went on, every cell in his body tingled and itched at contact with this foreign energy.
Shepard closed his eyes and relaxed in a come what may state of mind.
He opened his eyes and he was surrouned by floating lights and red bolts quickly being passed from one to another as if some strange game of hot potato back on earth.
There was a large sphere in the middle that looked like a huge tesla coil with red lightning orbiting it unimaginably fast. Mali stood in front of it, surrounded by the floating glowing orbs. She held it in her hand and looked at it. She looked up and saw shepard and she slowly tossed the thing into the air to which it promptly floated away.
"Welcome to the Cavisse of memory. Humans might call it a brain case. Shepard. Come. Touch his mind and spread your knowledge of life. Give him your kindness so he may understand." Shepard was copelled to touch the object in the center. He slowly eteched his way toward the red spinning orb and stopped a few inches before it when Mali grabbed grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Ultimate power. A terrible price." she said as she pushed him with herculean strength into the spinning orb. He gasped and the last thing he heard and saw was Tali and Garrus shouting his name and running toward him and then he was completely enveloped. It was very dark and he saw nothing. He floated as if in space.
Then the entire void vibrated and then there was a world. Far below him and he started falling. Shepard didn't scream, but he was terrified and he flailed as the wind pushed hard against him. He saw buildings, a city. He became closer to the ground and he closed his eyes, waiting for impact. But it never came. He opened his eyes and saw he was standing on the ground. He saw many humans walking around on the sandy streets through the buildings made of chiseled sandstone. But in this image of primitive building materials he saw these humans had advanced technology like omni-tools and skin-tight nano-suits. But thhese humans were different. Their eyes glowed and strange biouminescent markings covered their body. They just cairied out their bussiess normally until there was a loud whistling and shepard looked above to see the reapers decending from the clouds above.
The people looked above and just looked down. People called to their families and just hugged and just cried. Shepard saw a little girl who was alone. She helld an object that looked like a doll made of cloth sewn together. She just looked up at the bringers of the apocalypse in amazement and wonder. Then dust swirled around shepard as he tried to run towards her as a reaper decended right ontop of them. Shepard fell to his knees and just looked at his hands. He saw a bright blue flash and heard a terrible crunching of metal and he heard a pained screeching vibraion that sounded like a reaper. Shepard looked over to his right and the beast landed next to him parting the dust revealing a huge blue bleeding gaping hole in the side of the reapers carapace. The parted dust revealed a destroyed city void of people. But then the same little girl covered by dust and in a tattered dress still holding her doll. She walked toward the dieing god without fear and touched its side.
Shepard got up and approached the girl. "Its ok. Calm down Mr. Calex. You can always change. I don't hate you. Just please understand." She rested her forehead on the being and a blue lightning bolt passed through the thing and it stopped struggling. "One day a shepard will come and show you the way. It may take a long long time...
But he'll come. I promise.' Tears streaked down her cheeks and fell onto the god. They seemed to be absorbed.
A deep rumbling voice came from the reaper. "Yes... I... Shall... Wait..."
"Thank you..." The little girl wept and did her best to wrap her arms around the being. Its eye turned off and the being appeared dead. Then the dust swirled around shepard and he was in the dark again. Then a red light bathed over him and the same rumbling voice echoed.
"You are my shepard. I have waited. I have kept my promise. Now let me see."
"Will this change you?" Shepard asked.
"That depends on you." It replied.
"Then lets get started." Shepard said to it. His body surged with energy and he convulsed. Then it stopped. He saw memories on the darkness. He saw the buildings of the megalopolises in his youth. He saw the trees and life of the colony world.
"I see... beauty... harmony... Life..." It said in its deep vibrating voice. It sounded on the verge of tears.
Then he saw the atrocities committed by the pirates. Anger surged through him like a hot flame.
"But there is pain! Suffering! Created by this life! Torture! This suffering must be anniahlated!" There was a deep rumbling outside and shepard shouted at the thing.
"What are you doing?"
"I am bringing order to the chaos!" was its response. Shepard grew afraid and shouted again.
"NO! Look at this!" It paused and the rumbling stopped. He saw the citidel and statues and the beautiful flora and fauna of every world he's fought on.
Then he saw saren, and sovereign. And eden prime. Then he saw harbinger and the collecters. All the terrible things from before. Then he saw the reapers invading earth.
The husks and cannabals overwhelming marines. Killing them. He saw every reaper he'd encountered in the last month. The destoyer on Tuchunka. The monster on Rannoch.
"I see... I see your hate... Your Hate for the reapers!"
"No! Look at something else!" Shepard screamed at it but it was no use. He couldn't think of something else.
"The reapers... They are the bringers of chaos! Destroyers of order! Killers of trillions! They must be destroyed! They must be exterminated! They must be... ANIAHLATED! Goodbye my Shepard. Your guidance is appreciated."
Before shepard could say anything he was ejected and found himself witha mouthful of sand laying on the round below the reaper. His ears were ringing. He took in a huge gulp of air. Tali and garrus rushed towards him and pulled him back. Shepard had sand in his lungs. He couldn't breath right. Tali was scared and garrus had no idea what to do. Tali frantically ripped shepard N7 armor and started performing cpr. She took off her face mask and layed her lips to his pushing oxygen into is lungs.
"Come on shepard!" Tali screamed as she pushed on his diaphram. Shepard jerked awake and coughed up sand. So much sand. Tali breathed a sigh of relief and put er facemask back on. Shepard hugged and thanked her. He looked up and saw te reaper standing before him. Mali stood under it.
"He has learned. Not of beauty, but of the creators of destruction."
Then there was a whistling and annie shouted at all of them. "Reapers incoming!"
There was a deep vibrating and the reaper kicked off the ground and flew into the air. Three reapers came out of the clouds. A great red laser shot out of the reaper from the ground and blasted the first apart. Then it cut the second in half and the reaper itself latched onto the third. It screeched as if shocked and was promptly crushed by the arms of the reaper from the ground. They all gaped in awe of the awesome display of power from 'Their' Reaper. After the crushed reaper exploded it seemed satisfied and flew back to the ground.
Shepard stood up and faced the beast. Now the reaper spoke.
"My name is Eski Aydinlamis Yarali. You have won."
"We didn't win. This is no victory."
"How so?" It asked puzzled.
"A victory would have been a good Reaper." Shepard boldly told it.
"No commander..." It rumbled. "You... Are a good Reaper." The red beam decended and Mali stepped into it and dissappeared. Then it kicked off and flew into the sky.
Annie came up to Shepard and saluted him. "Holy shit commander... Thank you..."
Shepard nodded and picked up his chest piece and climbed into the mako. They rode back in total silence. Tali and Garrus knew that shepard wasn't ready to talk about what he saw in the brain of the reaper. And he might never be. So they would wait until he wanted to tell them. They got out of the Mako and the arm pulled it aboard into the cargo hold.
Shepard gave Felthan one long last look and clambored aboard the normandy to rest and get ready for the next mission whenever it came."
And thats it. Took me a while but its finally done. and i'm proud of myself. Merry christamas everyone and a happy new-year.