A/N: Real sorry for how long it took to update, but I've been speaking with a few of you readers to discuss about possible events later in the story. That and I have three other stories to write(one that hasn't been posted).

The Furry-class transport traveled a bit faster than the Hawk, arriving within the Parnitha system within an hour. News about the Sith on Palaven seemed to have spread quickly however as asari fighters were waiting for them.

"Unidentified craft, you have entered asari space. Specify your reason for coming."

Benezia and Revan were in the cockpit when they received the transmission. To the Sith crew, it was all alien gibberish, though at Revan's suggestion, they allowed Benezia to respond. "This is Matriarch Benezia requesting clearance to land. I need to reach the Temple of Athame as soon as possible. Priority Red."

The fighters quickly cleared a path. "Lady Benezia, this is Asari High Command. You have been granted clearance to dock. We will have escorts take you to a designated landing zone."

Three of the fighters flew alongside them guiding them through the traffic coming from the Citadel. Instead of continuing to the landing pad, the pilots landed the ship right at the entrance to the temple. The ramp lowered as two of the troopers came out of the ship first.

There were very few asari around though one of them was in very elaborate and highly decorative garb and several disciples moved to greet them. Benezia, having fitted herself in the slender black dress she once wore on Noveria, walked out of the ship. "Matriarch Benezia. Welcome back to the Temple of Athame."

"Please leave us to our business within the temple. We will be quick about it."

The asari moved aside, allowing Benezia access to a nearby console. Revan looked upon the stone statue in the far back of the temple, as he reached out with the Force to see what purpose Benezia had for bringing them here. He could feel a very familiar presence within the temple, though it wasn't from a living being.

Esura though wasn't as fascinated by the sight of the giant asari statue. She picked up the stone sword and shield, "I don't see anything worth our time here." She swung the sword against the pedestal it was on, shattering the ancient artifact to pieces.

The troopers started to fan out into the temple as the squad leader examine one of the codex pages behind the glass. "I agree with the alien. There's nothing here. This is a waste of time!"

Revan noticed Benezia concern, though it wasn't centered on the sword being destroyed. "That is because it involves thing we cannot see, even with the Force." Revan could feel a presence similar to what was imprinted onto Shepard. Revan took the shield from Esura's arm as he manipulated his own presence to share a similar feel to the Commander's.

From the stone shield a beam of light was being emitted to the statue as cracks started to appear all over it with green light forcing its way through the stone. "What Jedi trick is this?"

The trooper aimed their weapons on Trossk, Esura, Revan and Benezia before Scourge lowered the commander's weapon. "This is not Jedi, and it's definitely not the Force…"

"There. The activation has begun." Benezia took the shield and placed it back onto its pedestal as the energy continued to flow. "Now you see why I needed your help Revan? We've only been able to syphon small samples from it. We needed someone who could manipulate their presence to be similar to the Protheans. When Shepard received the Cipher, I knew you could fake it enough for it to view you as a Prothean."

Revan rushed off to his right, first to a bust of Janiri and the ancient wall painting of Athame. The two artifacts also emitted the strange energy to the statue as more crakes started to spread across the goddess' figure. Revan traveled pasted the statue to an ancient page from the Athame Codex. With his hand over the glass, the same strange energy as before shot out and hit the statue. Only now the statue fractured and fell to pieces. Scourge and Trossk used the Force to deflect the falling stone fragments from crushing themselves and the Sith troopers. What was reveal was a Prothean beacon that the ancient asari had hidden for eons.

Revan was now in front of the towering monument as he tried to activate the beacon as he saw Shepard once do on Virmire. As he did, the energy from the beacon released a sphere similar to a combat drone or VI assistant but much large. "Obtaining chronological marker. Hold… Timescale established. Post-Prothean cycle confirmed." The VI was speaking in an older asari dialect and to the Sith they could not understand a word of it. The green ball flew up as it viewed the city behind them, picking up on the news chatter freely flowing. "Reaper presence detected. This galactic cycle has already reached its extinction terminus. Systems shutting down."

Esura hissed at the orb before it retreated back to the beacon. "Hold it, machine! We need answers!"

The sphere shrunk in size as it floated directly to Esura's skull mask. "To what questions?

Revan gave Scourge a datapad with a translation program before he spoke out to the green orb, "Is there a means of stopping the Reapers simultaneously? Not just ship to ship."

The orb moved back from Esura as it centered itself between everyone. The orb grew brighter for a moment before taking a true form, a humanoid form. The image was severally degraded but the basic form could still be distinguished as being very similar to the stone busts and ancient cave drawings of Athame and her guides. "Just like Vigil, but not as badly damaged…"

"I am called Vendetta, an advanced virtual construct of Pashek Vran, overseer of a project with that very purpose. He died fighting the Reapers in the battle of Tranbir Nine. Your remaining time is also at an end."

Revan was rather disturbed they this news, "What exactly happened 50,000 years ago? Why were your people not able to use the project against the Reapers?"

"We we're sabotaged from within. A splinter group argued we should dominate the Reapers rather than destroy them. It fractured our order of battle. Latter we discovered the separatists were indoctrinated."

Benezia looked down as she remembered a recent message from her daughter, "Sounds like it's happening again, with Cerberus."

Vedetta's avatar blew out into a large orb again as it reconstituted itself into a map of the galaxy, "Our studies of past ages led us to believe that time is cyclical. Many patterns repeat."

Trossk scoffed, "Like the Reaper invasion?"

"And beyond." Red hexagons started displaying across the entire map before restarting again in a different pattern, "The same peaks of evolution, the same valleys of dissolution…The same conflicts are expressed in every cycle, but in a different manner. The repetition is too prevalent to be merely chance."

Revan watched the pattern flow across the galaxy, "So that's why the echoes were so strong. Not just because of the number of lives lost, but because of their continued repetition. Because of that, the Force here doesn't have time to properly heal all of its wounds. Are the Reapers the reason for these patterns?"

Vendetta returned to his Prothean form, "Perhaps. Though I believe the Reapers are only servants of the pattern. They are not its master."

"So who is the master?" Scourge demanded from the construct.

Vendetta turned to the Sith, "Unknown. Its presence is inferred rather than observed. The only certainty is its intention…Galactic annihilation. You now stand at that precipice."

Revan however was rather optimistic, "There is always hope, no matter how vain it may seem. Work with us, and we can put an end to the Reapers once and for all."

Vendetta paused for a moment as it looked to the group as a whole, "If you wish to continue fighting, I will not hinder you, though I deem your odds of success remote."

"Thank you." Revan pulled out a datapad, "Download yourself into this device. We will transport you to those who may be able to find use of you."

"Processing. Confirmed. Your storage device has adequate space for my data and all relevant data on the project. Download commencing." Vendetta turned into the green orb as it transferred into the datapad.

With Vendetta now portable, their mission here was complete. Revan handed the datapad to Trossk, "Take Vendetta, go to the Citadel and find Shepard. If anyone could find the device Vendetta spoke of, it will be him."

"But Master, I can't just leave you in the hands of the Sith."

Revan started to laugh, "Fear not my friend, I know my way around the dark side. Though, I would also ask you to take Esura and Benezia with you as well."

"Hold on there, Revan…"

"What the matter, Scourge? I am still within the confines of my pact with Dyonix. I have yet to leave Sith custody. All I'm doing is sending these three to the one person I believe will find use for what we have found here. Or do you want to see your fleet, and eventually your Empire, decimated?"

Scourge could feel the various disturbances these Reapers create echoing across the galaxy already, far faster than the Sith could ever mobilize themselves. "You understand though, once they leave, they won't be given the same welcome as before."

"But of course. Sith don't take kindly to potential threats." Revan put his hands on Trossk and Benezia's shoulders as he pulled them over and gathered away from the Sith while including Esura, "Listen to me, this war won't be won over night. Help Shepard however you can. Don't think or worry about myself or Cina. I promise we'll be fine. Just do everything you can to end this as soon as possible. I'll keep the Sith in line and ensure their weapons are only aimed at the Reapers."

"Now I'm starting to get why you asked us to take everything with us. May the Force, and the Scorekeeper, be with you, Master."

Benezia looked down to the datapad in Trossk's claws, "Thank you, for everything you and Cina have done for me. I will repay this debt somehow."

Esura turned back to the view of the setting sun outside of the temple, "Just don't die because of the damn Sith! Do you hear me?"

"Go now. You may be able to catch up with the Commander on the Citadel before he leaves for another mission."

As the three of them left the temple, Scourge couldn't help but question his motives, "Why? Why do this, Revan?"

"Because they are my friends. And I don't believe I'll be leaving Dromund Kass any time after I return. This war will push us to our limits. I hope Dyonix is as tactful as he seems."

"He is one of the Empire's best tacticians. That is partly why he was given this task of hunting for you. Along with the fact that he has never failed a task given to him by the Emperor before."

Revan was smiling behind his mask, "Very well. Then this will truly test his merit." As Revan and the Sith finally left the Temple of Athame, Revan watched as the few disciples that were still tending to the religious site started to rebuild the statue that once covered the Prothean beacon. Returned to a state as though nothing had transpired within the temple's walls.

Back on Menae, Sith forces continued to drive the Reaper troops back. Their ground forces have been avoiding frontal confrontations with the Reapers themselves, unlike the turians. A flight of Sith bombers or orbital bombardment districts the Reaper long enough for their troops to continue to the next sector. Dyonix has noticed a shift in the Reaper's attack pattern. The Reapers seemed completely intent on harvesting as many of the turians as they can, but thanks to the Sith, they have started to divert forces to exterminate them.

"I'm almost thankful Revan asked me to fight against them. They are truly worth adversaries." As he directed his forces to their attack formations, he could sense the other Jedi on the bridge now. "What is it you want, Jedi?"

"I've sensed a disturbance…"

"Yes, there's plenty of that going around the galaxy. What so special about this one?"

Cina inserted a chip into the holodisplay as an insectoid appeared. "This is called a rachni. A hive mind species that were once tools to the Reapers a few centuries back. We encountered a queen, the last of her kind. I can hear her cries now. I want to make sure she's alright."

"Jedi compassion, how futile." Dyonix was more interested in their combat capabilities. "It would be a shame to let such a marvelously deadly creature to be their tools once more." Dyonix's fingers were traveled through the hologram of the rachni. "Very well. I will send a team of eight to accompany you. I want them all back alive."

"Thank you for your understanding, Dyonix. I promise to try and protect them."

With Cina off the bridge, Dyonix walked over to his apprentice, "Kron, you will lead this strike force. You are to terminate this rachni queen the first chance you get. Try to make it seem like an accident."

"As you wish, my master."

The traffic around the Citadel was as bad as Benezia was expecting, especially with all of the civilian and military craft going to and from Thessia. "I've never seen the Citadel so busy. So many ships coming and going."

"War has gotten everyone scared. Half are here to hide, the others are refugees. They believe the Citadel or Thessia will shelter them. But they won't. Everyone and everything will be affected soon enough."

Esura scoffed at all of the ships that were running around the Citadel, "Then they should have prepared for war three years ago, after the defeat of the Sovereign."

"They aren't like us. You know it's not in their nature to prepare for combat. Look at the Republic after the Exar Kun War."

"And they nearly lost that war and the two wars that followed without Jedi interference. The latter two of which they required Revan's aid to finish."

Trossk walked away from the window, "Well whatever happens let's hope we don't get into any trouble with C-Sec, again."

Returning from Eden Prime and a raid on a Cerberus facility, Shepard was going through a shop on the Presidium when a turian C-Sec officer walked up to him. "Commander Shepard."

"Yes?"

"Captain Garen of Tayseri Ward. There's a disturbance going on near one of the docks."

"And you want me to help you put an end to that disturbance for you?"

Garen motioned the Commander to walk and talk, "Because it'll be mutually beneficial. I understand the war needs to be won, and you need people to fight the war. You'll be helping me by ending this little…dispute that's going on, and you get new soldiers that'll fight."

Esura moved into a combat stance with her spear before she started to roar at the C-Sec agents surrounding her. "We already told you miss, you aren't allowed to bring weapons onto the Citadel."

"And I told you, you can pry them from my cold dead hands!" Esura's left arm grabbed one of her lig swords, swirling it before flinging her arm back to a turian that tried to surprise her from behind. "I won't hesitate to separate that head from your body if you try that again."

Trossk moved into the center of the mass with Esura while drawing out his clan sword. "Unfortunately for all of you, I have to agree with her on this matter. We aren't parting with our weapons. That is unless you want to try. I'm sure you'd only lose about a third of your total forces before we're subdued." Esura jabbed Trossk in his ribs. "Or killed."

Benezia however tried to settle everything peacefully. "Please, would letting C-Sec hold onto your weapons be that much of a deal? I'm certain they will return your possessions when we leave."

"The Matriarch is correct. We just can't allow you to these weapons past the docks."

Trossk had moved back to back with Esura as he glared at the C-Sec officers. "Sorry, but it's not that simple. We are warriors by bloods. To relinquish our arms would be the same thing as asking us to drop dead. And I don't intend to die while the war of all wars is going on around us."

"That's enough! Officers, stand down!" A turian C-Sec officer with dark blue facial tattoos walked up as the other C-Sec agents lowered their weapons. "I was really hoping not to see you guys after the incident with Saren but I should have known better."

"Well Garen, are you going to clear us and our weapons, or do we have to cut a swath into C-Sec here on the docks?"

Garen looked to the irritated Kaleesh before he responded, "I have no power over that. However, I did bring someone who does." He stepped aside as a human in Alliance uniform walked in. "Commander Shepard, I'm sure you're acquainted with our, 'guests'."

"I am. And I'm using my Spectre authority to permit these two to carry their weapons on the Citadel, so long as they avoid the bars."

Esura sheathed her sword and slammed her spear's tip into the ground. "No alcohol will be necessary. I'll get drunk from my enemies' blood as they beg me to end their suffering."

Trossk now sheathing his blade assuring them, "Against normal enemies we would. Plus I doubt there's anything left in those husk creatures except for hydraulic fluid or something."

With C-Sec gone, Trossk and Shepard spoke in private in one of the rooms on the Presidium while Esura and Benezia went shopping for supplies. "So what is it you want to talk about, and where exactly is Revan? I wouldn't expect you guys to leave him."

"We didn't. He ordered us to leave, after our trip to Thessia."

"Thessia? The Reapers hasn't reached Thessia yet. Why go there?"

Trossk walked over to the window overlooking the plaza Esura and Benezia were at as he grabbed for the datapad he hid in his armor. "Benezia had access to some Prothean artifacts the asari had hidden on their homeworld. There we found plans for a superweapon."

"Our engineers dubbed it Project Crucible."

Trossk quickly turned his head to Shepard, "You found another data archive?"

"Yeah. Actually we've know about it for some time. We just didn't know how to access it all."

Trossk returned the datapad back within his armor. "I see. Well since you have that…" Trossk turned his whole body around, "Revan also wanted us to aid you however we can. That includes our services as fighters. It will be my honor to fight alongside you once again, Commander. Esura's another story. But if you can get her into some good fights, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Shepard extended his hand out, "Well than I'm happy to have all three of you aboard. I'm sure Liara will be happy to see her mother as well."

Trossk accepted Shepard's gesture, "I just hope Revan and Cina aren't in over their heads, dealing with the Sith."

A/N: Lot of stuff and the trio haven't seen Shepard's surprise. Wonder how Javik will react to them.