I'm sorry Commander Tsoni, but humanity lost its homeworld a long, long time ago, in a galaxy long forgotten. So we can't really tell you much about it. The conservative estimate is that the human home world was destroyed 40,000 years ago, countless millenia after we achieved space flight, while the wilder theories say that it was destroyed a million years ago after eons of war and strife. No one really knows at this point... except perhaps the Bene Gesserit, but I would advice not asking them your questions. The witches usually give answers that cause more harm than good.
As for humanity's age, we are also not sure. Even genetic analysis fails to give us a clear answer as to how old our species – if you can still call it that - actually is. After the Scattering, we can't even remember which galaxy or universe we came from. So we cannot tell you much about what we were, for they are but faint memories to us now.
We can only tell you what we have become... We are like the Great Void... Every Good, Every Evil, Any God, Any Devil.
- High Bashar Javid Anderson to Commander Liara Tsoni
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of humanity is there evolution. From what little we know about them, we can safely assume that they are an ancient race, much older than the Protheans themselves(1).
However, it's not their age that originally concerned the Citadel diplomatic corps, but their evolutionary diversity. Various human sources have confirmed that as the species spread beyond the confines of their home galaxy, the event known as The Scattering, it triggered rapid evolutionary changes and mutations among the exiles, causing multiple human factions to diverge from the original human genepool.
The full extent of these changes are unknown to us, at present, but when I asked one of the "Be-ne Gess'rith" about this issue, she merely laughed, then told me, "Imagine, Doctor Tsoni, an Infinite Universe – An Infinite Universe with all its wonders and horrors... Now, imagine your species adapting to it over several generations, in suffering and in triumph; changing to thrive in a Universe where only the Strongest Survive, and where even Gods fear to tread."
"Remember, Doctor, that the Machines that you name the Reapers dwell beyond the limits of your galaxy. Imagine what else dwells in that pitiless darkness. Now, imagine your species changing, transforming to thrive there. That is what we have become."
The "Reverend Mother" then laughed, made some comment about flatulence, and left. If I were a superstitious person, I would almost think that she had put a hex on me, for her words disturbed me and my Salarian colleagues for many nights.
Liara Tsoni, Notes and Commentaries on Humanity's Golden Path
The tiny human fleet that entered this galaxy consists of three ships, the No-Ship, Brazil, commanded by the Mentat Lord Stravan Hackett; the Star Folder, Normandy, commanded by Lord Burseg Faradan Shepard; and the Bioship of the Cerberii. Of all the three ships, it was the Bioship that would later earn the greatest awe among the Out-Freyn Xeno inhabitants of the Citadel, for it was a ship made out of synthetic flesh and steel.
Its name was "Bioship." It had no other name. There are others like it, of course, among the Scattering, but here, in this galaxy, it was the only one of its kind. Though smaller than the two other ships in the human exploration fleet, it was still quite massive by this galaxy's standards. The vessel was around 10 km long, and unlike most human ships which were either shaped like cylinders, cubes, diamonds or sphere, its shape was that of an exotic looking fish, covered with glowing spires of energy.
Most of the ship's hull consists of Ridulian Crystal based alloys, but fused with an unknown techno-organic substance of vaguely Tielaxu origin. Like the No Ship and the Star Folder, The Bioship also had its own Ixian No Globe, a stealth device designed to synthesize a mechanical mimesis field that renders the vessel invisible to both conventional detection devices as well as the powers of prescience.
The secrets of the Bioship, its offensive and defensive capabilities, its engines, life support systems and production capabilities, are all carefully guarded secrets by the Cerberii who control it. Even the number of crew members and assault troops inside the vessel are unknown to their allies in the Brazil and the Normandy (which goes to show how much they trust each other). Even most of the Cerberii crew know all of the strange secrets of their enigmatic vessel. Only their leader, The Illusive One, along with a few trusted lieutenants, know the full secrets of the ship.
The dark haired, elegant woman entered the inner sanctum of the Illusive One with all of the grace and elegance of a woman in her position. She was, after all, the captain of the Bioship, and she was fully aware of all the power and dangers which went along with her position. Her name was Marandi Lawson, and she attained her rank among the Cerberii through intelligence, espionage and ruthlessness.
Marandi was accompanied by a small cloaked figure, its entire face and body concealed by its apparel. Both the woman and her small companion walked through dark hallways, guarded not by frail guards of flesh and bone, but by secret cameras and traps filled with poisons and all manner of weaponry to eliminate the uninvited. This passageway was forbidden to all but the most senior members of the Cerberii, for it is well known that the Mentats and the Sardaukar, their "allies," are eager to know their secrets, and have posted numerous spies in the Bioship, just as the Cerberii posted spies on theirs.
After what seemed like hours of walking, the pair finally reached their destination, a nondescript passageway which led to other passageways, one of which led to the inner chambers of the Illusive One.
"Stay here until I summon you. Be patient. I know this is all very disconcerting, but you will do fine," Marandi said to her companion, who nodded quietly and took up a spot right next to the passageway. "Stay here until I call for you. Be sure not reveal your face. There may be spies even here."
Marandi smiled warmly again, a smile that almost concealed her true nature: Killer.
Marandi then walked alone through the passageway and prepared herself for her inevitable meeting with the Illusive One. Her thoughts pondered the plans and strategems of the Sardaukar, the Mentats and, most important of all, the Witches. Their alliance with the other human factions was done out of expediency and was ordered by the Illusive One as part of his own plans. What those plans are, he did not care to share with her at the moment, but Marandi knew better than to ask.
For now, she was content to know that the Cerberii were one step ahead of their so-called allies. A good example of this is how neither the Witches nor the Mentats can figure out the true origins of the Cerberii; where they came from or which Old Imperium faction they were originally branched off of. Her presence and position as The Bioship's Captain, for example, had always troubled her Sardaukar and Mentat allies on the other ships, for they had always assumed that the Cerberii were a Tielaxu offshoot, and the Tielaxu are notorious for turning their women into Axolotl Tanks, basically incubation chambers for their twisted experiments. The fact that Lawson was obviously not an Axolotl Tank disrupted their theory about the actual origins of the Cerberii. Lawson, however, cared little about such rumors, especially now that they were one step closer in achieving their plans here in this Galaxy.
Marandi put away such thoughts once she reached the inner doors to the Illusive One's sanctum. She knocked in a secret pattern and immediately the doors opened. She pondered how she would greet her superior, but she was spared from having to worry about such niceties.
"I take it you have news, Captain," the Illusive One said almost impatiently, immediately signalling to Marandi that he was not in the mood for idle chatter.
"Yes, I just received a message from the Normandy. The Brazil has found the relic, and the Mentats are on their way back," Marandi Lawson said. She stood in front of the Illusive Man, in one of the Bioship's inner chambers, sealed off from the rest of the ship by intricate passageways and hidden doors. The entire area was concealed by shadows; vague smells that could be poisons permeated the area, while the dry hum of heretical ancient machinery could be heard in the dark background.
The creature which dwelt in this elusive place was called The Illusive One, a once nameless human who through Ixian technology or Tielaxu biology, or perhaps even both, had renounced his human form to become one with his Bioship, a process that involved grafting his flesh into the very same biomechanical circuitry which made up most of his ship's hull. His state was not unlike that of the Guild Navigators of old, a creature of prescience, trapped in eternal symbiosis with his ship.
Most of The Illusive One's body was concealed by the room's gloomy darkness, his full features made vague and difficult to discern. However, should light be unleashed in this dark place, it will reveal to human eyes the grotesque image of a spider like creature, with mucus like membranes charged with dull looking balls of light that seemed to crawl like slugs upon the Illusive One's tendrils and dessicated limbs, climbing away into other fleshy areas of its domicile.
There many other Illusive Ones, hidden away among the Scattering, each with their own plans and secrets, serving the greater goals of the Cerberii in an infinity of worlds, galaxies and universes. But here in this Galaxy, this particular Illusive One is, for all intents and purposes, The Illusive One, the only one of its kind, just like its ship.
When the Illusive One, still hidden in the shadows, did not respond, Marandi coughed a bit to demand his acknowledgement. Within the shadows, the Illusive One simply smiled. She always was impatient, he thought.
"Thank You for taking the time to bring me the news personally, Lady Lawson," he said. He already heard about the news, of course, but having Marandi give him the news personally was always a good thing. It meant that she was still loyal. "Tell me, did they encounter any problems in retrieving the Leviathan artefact?"
"Overall, nothing, Lord... The Face Dancer, Kasumi, managed to locate it easily enough. I heard she was even impressed by the intelligence that we gave her" Marandi paused for her superior to comment, but the silence only lengthened. So she was forced to continue.
"However," Marandi hesitated, and picked her next words with care. "The Brazil's Artificial Gravity Well caused... a problem." Again, she paused.
"Get to the point woman! I am not one to punish people for saying the truth." The Illusive One said in rebukingly.
Marandi tried to organize her thoughts carefully and sought the most expedient words for her Lord. "The Machines... They detected the Brazil's Gravity Well, and they sent a strike force to investigate the Brazil's presence in the Star System. The goods news though is that the Machines did not find the Brazil, nor did they impede the mission."
"However, they did find the underground Xeno refugee colony in Aras..." The swirling energies that circled the Illusive One became darker for a brief moment as she said her words. "... and the Brazil intervened to save some of the Xenos."
Contrary to what Marandi had expected, the Illusive One did not fly into a terrible rage. Instead, he became silent and ponderous. Even Marandi who had been breed and born to serve the Cerberii know very little about the true nature of Illusive Ones. These creatures were a mystery even to their own people, and she was correct to be concerned about her skin.
"That's... interesting..." The Illusive One said, and then went back to ponderous silence.
Marandi looked at her Lord for a few more minutes, wondering if she should say something or if there's something that she is expected to say. She was fairly sure that he would fly into a rage, which she had seen often enough before, but the Illusive One didn't move an inch. He only remained in quiet repose. "What could this mean?" She asked at last.
The Illusive One closed his eyes, mainly to calm his thoughts. "It's a faint. The witches are planning to use the Xenos to cause chaos amongst their own people and to compromise our plans, or at least what they believe to be our plans."
"Lord?"
"Oh, Lady Captain. I'm disappointed in you. Don't you see? The Witches have been planning this for a long time. The Aras incident simply gave them the perfect opportunity to put their plan into action. We know for a fact that our beloved allies do not trust us, and the Witches wish to exacerbate this situation to their own advantage." The Illusive One saw that Lawson did not understand, so he took a different tactic.
"The Xenos that they have rescued offers several interesting opportunities for them. On the surface, it allows the Witches to finally interact with the indigenous inhabitants of this galaxy... under their own terms. However, this change of events also offers them the chance to confirm some of their own suspicions about our agenda... and also about this galaxy. The Xenos will inevitably provide them with clues that will lead them to dangerous secrets... knowledge that we have purposely concealed from them since we invited them to this galaxy.
"The Machines..." Marandi said, following the path of his thoughts.
"Yes, the Reapers, and the Leviathans, and once the witches know the full story behind these ancient beings, they will inevitably learn our own secrets. They already know that we are hiding a lot of information about the Reapers, and now they have the opportunity to expand their knowledge base. It's only a matter of time before the Witches piece together the missing pieces and uncover why we are here, and what we came to do."
"And should the Xenos prove uncooperative?"
The Illusive One chuckled in response. "You and I both know how ruthless the Bene Gesserit actually are, but do not concern yourself. I am sure the Witches... and maybe the Mentats too... will be more than capable of manipulating their new guests. Aside from the Reapers, I'm sure that our stalwart allies are eagerly seeking other trails of information."
"Information about the Citadel?"
"Yes, also about the Asari, the Salarians, the Turians and all of the other primitives in this galaxy."
Marandi narrowed her eyes and pondered the importance of his words. She could not understand why the Illusive One was treating this whole matter like a joke. "If what you say is true then we must eliminate the Xenos before the Witches learn more. The information can be quite dangerous."
"No!" The Illusive One said forcefully. "No, Marandi. Let the Witches toy with the Xenos. It will keep them occupied, and we need to keep them occupied, and their new guests will do just that."
Marandi shook her head, unconvinced. "And what if they contact the remnants of the Citadel."
"The Citadel Races are irrelevant at this point. There's very little that they can do to help the Witches, the Mentats or the Sardaukar."
"But they can still help the Xenos," Marandi retorted.
Her response gave him pause. "Yes. Yes, they can, but that will not change anything."
"So what would you have me do?"
"At the moment, nothing. We will go on with business as usual. However, Lady Lawson you take every action necessary to accelerate our time table. It is clear to me now that the Witches suspect that we are after something, and they know that we are running out of time."
"Do you think they suspect our true motives?"
"Oh, I'm sure the Reverend Mothers suspect a lot of things, but we are still several steps ahead of them. The Xenos," The Illusive One spoke that word in an almost snarl-like way, "are ultimately an attempt to slow us down, to make us panic and perhaps even to distract us, as they undertake their other plots. Plots within plots, my dear."
"Will it work?" Marandi asked. This time it was a challenge, and she regretted immediately that the words came from her mouth.
"It doesn't matter. The Witches don't even understand why we want the Leviathan artifact... or why we invited them, along with their Mentat toys and Sardaukar dogs, here."
Marandi considered this thoughtfully. She was not convinced and decided to change the topic immediately. "What about the Catalyst? Will they learn about the Catalyst through this relic?"
"It's possible," The Illusive One answered, "though it will take time before they will fully understand what the Catalyst actually is, and its connection to the Reapers. In the meantime, we must hurry our plans. Are the Rachni ready?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Good. They will prove quite useful later on. Be sure to double security on the Queen and the latest batch. Same with the Krogan Axolotl Tanks."
"I have already done so, Lord. Gene-mod progression is already 52% complete. We will soon be able to field our new arsenal."
"Good. We will need as many weapons as we can get when we return to the Scattering."
"Now, let us discuss the other pressing issue. Bring him in."
"Yes, Lord," Marandi turned and summoned her cloaked companion into the room.
The cloaked figure removed his hood to reveal a young looking Turian boy of indeterminate young age. He was a very short for his age, and his limbs and hump more delicate than most young Turian boys.
He looked around at his surroundings, and at the grotesque monstrosity that now loomed over him. He was scared, not only of his surroundings, but also of the ominous memories which seemed to be buried deep within him. The fact that he was obviously not of the same species as the crew of this gargantuan ship did not bother him at all.
Marandi had assured him that he was very important to the Cerberii... and this knowledge helped to calm his fears.
Nevertheless, the Turian's clawed hands shook involuntarily and it filled him with shame. Marandi had trained him to be strong, to be calm in the face of danger, and here he was being nervous in front of his mistress.
"Do not be afraid Ghola," Marandi said to him, smiling. "You are in the presence of the Illusive One. He is as much your friend as I am. Come closer."
The Young Turian bristled at being called "Ghola." He did not know what the word meant, only that it was a term of some kind, and that it was also his name.
Ghola looked around nervously at his surroundings. The techno-organic nature of the gigantic Bioship had always intimidated him, but it seems that most of his fears were encapsulated in this very room, and in front of the very creature that he now faced.
Without warning, the Illusive One spoke, "How goes his training?"
"Very well, milord," Marandi said, "Little Ghola is quite smart... despite his species."
Marandi had personally trained Ghola as her own student, starting from the time when he first emerged from the Axolotl Tank, about two to three cycles ago. She taught him all about Turian history, about the war with the Reapers and of the Citadel Civilizations. Ghola was a good student, and he grew attached to Marandi, just as a young creature attaches itself to a parental figure, but no matter how much he grew close to his mentor, Ghola could not forget the horrors of the Axolotl Tank which gave him life, nor could he blot out the nightmarish vessel where he now dwelt.
The Axolotl Tank... That thing was like a nightmare. I hope I never see that thing ever again, Young Ghola thought as he waited patiently.
"Good. Very good. Let him come closer."
Marandi nudged Gholar closer to the Illusive One's shadowy silhouette, and he awkwardly complied.
"Greetings, Little Ghola. We have not yet restored your memories, and some of my Gene masters still have doubts it will work on one who is not human, but I am confident that you will live through the process." The Illusive One said, not wasting time on pleasantries.
"Hush now. We have ample time for words later," he said as Ghola was about to say his well-rehearsed greeting. "For now, you must take the first step to restoring your memories." The Illusive One looked at Marandi who stood patiently behind Ghola, before turning his eyes back to the young Turian boy.
"Before you were simply a Ghola, the first Turian Ghola to be sure, but still a Ghola. Today, I return to you the name that you have lost after your noble sacrifice for the survival of your people." The Illusive One peered closer at the Ghola.
"Welcome back Garrus Vakarian, Archangel, Hero of the Citadel, Bane of the Reapers..."
"Jim!"
"What?"
"Jim"
"What?"
"Jiiiim"
"Dammit Al, What? What do you want?"
"You hear that?"
"Yes, I can hear that. It's coming from that damn Machine you shoved in our cargo bay. What about it?"
"I think... I think it's trying to control our minds?"
"Now, whatever gave you that idea?"
"You feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"That! Every time it makes that loud noise. It emits that electromagnetic burst."
"I don't feel anyth... Huh... Well, that's... interesting. That almost reminds of T-Probes."
"I know, right? These Machines seem to have the ability to remotely manipulate brain waves. Cool, huh?"
"Cool isn't the term, I would use, Al, but yes, that is interesting."
"What do you think created these Machines, Jim?"
"How should I know? All I know is, that these things can lead us to Lucy"
"Will you stop you using that stupid nickname?"
"No, because naming our creations The Illusive One is fucking retarded."
"Hey, it was a good idea at that time."
"It was a Dildo idea."
"You're Dildos. I wish I was back with Marty and Daniel. You're a dick... Dildos. You're a dick dildo."
"Charming. Can we please get back to the issue at hand here?"
"Yeah, sure. Dildos."
"How many of them did we get?"
"You mean the Machines?"
"No, the magical fluffy bears. Of course, I'm talking about the Machines, Al."
"Well! I never! I'm going to tell Marty and Daniel about your behavior when we get back."
"You know what? I don't even care. Just tell me how we did with the machines."
"If you must know we got three of them, including the one in the cargo bay. The rest escaped, probably back to their home galaxy."
"Please tell me you remembered to put trackers on them."
"Yes, Jim. I remembered to put trackers on them. So I would appreciate it if you'd stop talking down to me."
"I'm not talking down to you, Al. It's just that we spent so much time and effort tracking down our rogue Cerberii that I'm really really frustrated right now."
"Oh, Jim. I'm sorry. I guess I really do get carried away when I goof around."
"I'm sorry too. I guess I was being a bit of Dildo myself. It's just that I'm really frustrated with that renegade Bioship. We've been pursuing them from one galaxy to another for Tyrant knows how long. This is beginning to piss me off."
"Don't worry, Jim. If what we've learned from these machines are correct then our prodigal Cerberii have taken shelter in the Machine's home galaxy... and once we've arrived, we'll drag his sorry ass back to Daniel and Marty, and then you can take all your frustrations out on that little shit."
"I hope you're right, Al, because I'm getting really tired pursuing them... What do you think their home galaxy is like? There aren't a lot of humans around here. Really off the beaten golden path."
"Probably primitive if you ask me... Dammit! Why won't that thing won't stop making that annoying sound? Hey shut up already!"
"Awww. Come on. It's actually kinda cute. It really thinks it can mind control us."
"Cute? I just find it annoying."
"What do you suppose we'll find in that galaxy?"
"Who cares. I just want to get the damn Cerberii and go home."
"Likewise."
1. According to the Dune Encyclopedia, Human Spacefaring Civilization is between 30,000 to 50,000 years old. However, in the actual Dune books, Humanity is implied to be much, much older than that, so old in fact, the most humans can't even remember the name of their own homeworld.
Although I will use some information from the Dune Encyclopedia, I will not be using the timeline. Instead, I will go with the implicit assumption on Dune that Humanity is very ancient.
Author's Note: Al and Jim belong to the same enigmatic faction that "Marty" and "Daniel" belonged to, at the end of Chapterhouse Dune. Since I'm not using the Brian Herbert and K.J. Anderson novels, they will not be revealed to be top kek ancient machines.
Also, Al and Jim's names are based on two video game characters, which are surprisingly similar to facedancers. I'll give you a few clues. They absorb personas. They were originally designed as biological weapons. They are "post-humans." They are extremely dangerous and "amoral." Remind you of anyone?
Winner gets an imaginary Nazi unicorn.
I know that most of the POV has been on the humies, but the next chapter will feature the Xenos.
We'll Bang Ok?