Chapter 3 is here! I'm sorry for those of you who may be bored by all the setup in the first few chapters. I promise it's going to pick up soon! (I've never written a fanfic before, let alone anything that's going to be as long as this when I'm done; so bear with me) Obviously with this new chap; I've made my decision on where they'll be entering the ME verse. You'll know pretty much off bat so I won't spoil it here. I hope you enjoy what I have planned. Before I get started I'm going to start responding to reviews. So expect this to be a reoccurring thing in the future.

DeathTheManiac: I know they are kinda OP at the moment. That's partially intentional. This isn't one of those crossovers where The TENNO (or some other protagonist from another story) comes in and just OP's their way thru without any sort of struggle. That's a boring story. The Reapers aren't even the biggest threat here…not directly anyway. You'll see some of what I'm talking about here and it'll be a slow build so, if you would, be patient. My main struggle w/ this is setting up all the pieces while maintaining interest. I like your review tho…keeps me honest.

zealous specter: Johan and Aquila are still REALLY surface level. So I definitely get how you're getting that vibe from Johan. I will say that both of them both are badass protagonists and I will not be having Johan follow that archetype that you initially expressed concerns about. I hate that caricature myself, so I'm sure you'll like what I end up doing with him. They both have faults also. Both of them, actually, are in for some really cool character development chapters. I have it set where and when that'll happen. You'll get flashes of it here and there until then. I'll try not to keep you waiting long.

All: some people have expressed preferences for shipping and such I'll admit some of your ideas hold promise. I'm going to try my damnedest to give each ship I make some depth tho. I'm new to writing in this form so if you see ways to improve it. Say so. I won't be telling you who's going to be with who. That would be cheating you out of the story. I don't have any of them set yet anyway. And I'll be answering your question about the Tenno lifespan in a few chapters!

ONE MORE THING. I've also heard that ppl are having troubles with the pics. If anybody has a better method or suggestion for how I can make the pics of the warframes available to you all, PLEASE SAY SO!

That's all for reviews; now, on with chappie 3!


Titan Nebula – 2173

The Titan Nebula stood on the would-be fringe of the galaxy. With very few planets, and none of them habitable, virtually no life existed here. The only thing that even moved; besides the orbiting planets, was the two inner woven rings of the Mass Relay's core. The construct hummed absentmindedly in the darkness. It was the only thing emitting like other than the star at the far end of the system. If one were to look towards that sun from the Relay at this moment, the star would seem to ripple. More accurately the area of space in front of it distorted. The distortion lasted only for a minute or two. Then, it seemed to fold away; revealing a blue, sleek looking ship shooting towards the relay.

"Well, that was anticlimactic."

"We travel to and from the Void all the time Johan. It always happens like that."

"I guess I was hoping for some huge dramatic reveal; not for us to just blink and suddenly be in the rest of the galaxy."

"Is this the rest of the galaxy? It looks empty."

"Maybe everyone's asleep."

"… Really?"

"What? It could be night time."

"Operators, sorry to intrude. The jump was successful, however communications did take a small amount of damage and it will take time to recalibrate. Until then, we will not be able to converse with the Lotus. My apologies."

"It can't be helped Ordy, but thanks for the info. We'll just have to get started without her. Well, sis, what's our next step?" Aquila stood looking at the Mass Relay in thought.

"There appears to be nothing of significance in sight; save, for this thing. Ordis, mind giving this construct and in depth scan for me?"

"Already on it, Operator Aquila! - Hmm, it appears the glowing blue sphere in the middle of those rings is a high concentration of that altered form of rubedo. I have no idea who constructed this, but it's quite impressive. It appears to be a transporter of some kind. Not entirely unlike a Void gate, but if I had to guess, I'd say it points to somewhere else in the galaxy."

"That would explain the emptiness." Johan said

"Yes, it would make sense. The galaxy is made of numerous star clusters. These devices must allow travel between them." Aquila theorized.

"This must be one of those Mass Relays that Lotus mentioned." Johan realized.

"Yes that appears to be the case Operators. I think it somehow reacts with that altered form of Rubedo. It may be possible for us to take this path as well. We do have some spare samples I could use to test it." Ordis responded.

"Yes, Ordis; please and thank you."

"I will alert you when it's ready Operators." Ordis blinked out after that.

"I guess we better gear up; just in case." Aquila said.

They made their way to the armory. Aquila's Delta-Frame shifted into her Mesa. Simultaneously, Johan shifted to Excalibur. Johan equipped himself with a soma rifle and modded it for corrosive damage. He attached the rifle to left side of his back before perusing a few side weapons before settling on twin bolto pistols. He decided to spend the rest of his time sharpening his Skana. Meanwhile, Aquila strapped her Dread across her back along with the quiver. She chose the twin grakata pistols as her secondary and, attached them to the middle of her back. The peacekeepers had already occupied the holsters on her thighs. She chose the twin ether swords as her melee weapons and snuck them on her back behind her bow. While her brother was working on his sword, she decided to play with the mods on her bow. She secretly hoped that somebody would force her to use it.

Awhile Later…

"I do believe we're ready to use the transporter Operators. I've deduced that the transporter reacts with a ship's drives. It's there that it reacts with that funny looking Rubedo and jumps the ship to another construct in the galaxy. I've masked our drives to mimic this with Rubedo. Since we don't actually use it in our drives, it took a bit longer than expected for it to sustain. But I have verified we can safely make use of –THIS DAMNED THING—now."

"Excellent Ordis, thank you. Whenever you're ready." Aquila stated

The Scimitar made its way towards the Mass Relay. A blue tendril of energy reached out to connect with the ship; enveloping it. The ship responded with a red tendril of its own that encased the blue one. The energy intensified around the ship as it flew along the body of the Relay towards its forked end. In a flash of light, the ship suddenly shot off in a red streak. On the inside, the tenno gazed out the navigation window as the emptiness of space sped by them at an incredible speed. The two were taken aback by the experience. It ended all too soon as the Scimitar was ejected into another system. This one didn't look much different than the last. Next to the navigation window, Ordis appeared.

"That was exhilarating! Operators, we must do that again! OH!

I'm detecting a huge amount of lifeforms in this system. There may be a planet or station of some sort. Shall we investigate?" Johan laughed.

"Sure Ordis, take us in fast and quiet. Full stealth as well; at least until we find out what we're up against."

The Orbiter flickered out of sight as it sped through space. They could see this system's star off in the distance. It was a lot bigger and brighter than the one they had just left. After a few more minutes, a huge mushroom looking construct came into view. It had a dark rusted dome at the top and extended down for miles but decreased in width as it did. The dome section alone was bigger than that transporting construct.

"I'm making the assumption now that everything is huge over here. I'm already tired of being shocked." Johan said. Aquila barked out in laughter.

"Ordis, is this where you're picking up that activity?" She asked after calming down.

"Yes, it appears to be a station of some sort. A very lively one too!"

"Any chance we can get in there undetected?" Johan asked.

"Let's see…yes there are a number of openings we can exploit with the

Liset."

"Then let's do that. And be cautious of any systems you hack into

Ordis. Test their defenses, pick up any surface data you can; but don't go too

far beyond that. We don't want to set off any alarms. "Aquila stated.

"Understood." Ordis responded.


Johan and Aquila landed in what appeared to be a loading dock of some kind. Containers were strewn throughout the area and only a few ships were coming and going. At the far end of area sat a control tower Along with another doorway that they theorized led further into the station. The operators of these ships all had on red armor but they weren't all the same species from what they could tell. The two move silently inward; looking for a path to the rest of the station. Two menacing creatures walked past their position; chatting away in a language neither tenno understood. Johan and Aquila followed them; being sure to stay out of sight. The creatures passed thru a door which slid open at their approach. Reacting quickly, Johan and Aquila slipped thru behind them. They found themselves in and open cargo hold of some kind. Armored figures were everywhere.

"Don't suppose we could ask for directions?" Johan said jokingly

"Somehow, even if they could understand us, I doubt it." His sister responded.

The tenno quietly wall climbed to a catwalk that sat high above them; hoping to get a good view of the room. Unfortunately, they landed right next to one of the armored characters. This one was bulky with a huge ribbed head plate that attach to the rest of his humped body. He had a wide face that snarled at them. He roared before charging at Aquila, who hadn't seen him coming in time.

He rammed her back into the railing; flipping her over it. She righted herself midair before landing in a crouch. The rest of the armored group heard the big guy's roar, and so, every last one of them turned to her. Meanwhile the big guy was in pieces; his blood and flesh coating the business end of Johan's skana. Peering back over the railing he saw the armored people draw their weapons, well he assumed they were weapons, on Aquila. He, in turn, pulled the soma from his back.

Down below, Aquila held up her hands in a surrendering motion; throwing up her shatter shield discreetly as she did so.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this. We're new here and we were just looking for someone to answer questions. Could you help us?" She said, hoping they understood.

They responded with a torrent of gunfire.

The mass accelerated rounds pounded on her shields but did little damage to her. Sighing, she unclipped the Peacekeepers.

"I was hoping to not have to do this so soon after getting here." She said dramatically.

Spinning and twisting on the spot. Aquila cut down the red armored people. More came bleeding in from the door they had come through as well as the control tower. Johan fired on the ones from the tower. They appeared to have shields, but quickly fell to the soma's rounds; a few mutilated bodies later, and the tower was clear. Aquila advanced upon her new guests. Bullets bounced off of her shield; some ricocheting back into her attackers. As she got close, one of the bigger ones opted to club her with the gun instead shooting her. She spun around his attack; bringing one of the pistols around to discharge into his brain while simultaneously firing a second round thru the head of another. She clipped the pistols back to her thighs; sending a heel into the chest of one of the scrawnier ones as she did so. She pulled the grakatas out in the same motion and the rest of the group was down before they had time to think. One of the bigger guys managed to grab her from behind. Instead of panicking, she bent forward; lifting the mass of flesh onto her back before his back and the top of his head was cleanly sliced off. The culprit, an orange blade of energy which pushed on into the door; cutting through it and two more pieces of armored flesh that were waiting outside. Aquila shrugged the corpse off before nodding to her brother; who stood at the control tower with his skana at his side glowing an angry orange. 'He's gotten fucking accurate with those things' she noted.

"Split up or together?" Johan asked.

"Split up. Let's see what we can find here." She responded.

Johan made his way down doorway next to the control room. It led him to a stairway which opened up into what appeared to be the center of the station. Johan stepped back a bit; letting the door close in front of him.

'Delta-shift: Loki' Johan thought as his form changed. The feral animal looking Excalibur morphed into the darkness spawn, Loki, who walked towards the door; turning invisible as it opened.


Aquila went back out of the doorway they had entered initially and went further along the docks. She made away into a large building at the far end of the dock. There he found an outpost of some kind. Getting an idea, she patched her favorite

Cephalon in.

"Hey Ordis, can you scan this dock? Is there anybody else in here?"

"No hostiles detected operator. Already starting trouble, I see."

"I tried playing nice but they didn't want nice." She said, smirking.

"Anyway, Ordis there's a terminal of some kind in front of me; can you hack it?"

"Oh come now, don't insult my abilities Operator; I'm more than capable of handling their petty little systems. I've already completed my surface scans. It's yielded quite a few interesting finds! What would you like me to look for now?" Ordis responded excitedly.

"Everything; dig as deep as you can go. Start with searching for any information about the Protheans and the Reapers and expand to this modern galaxy. Any and all data needs to be recorded and organized. Oh, can you see if we can lockdown this dock discreetly? I would prefer not to have to kill my way through unknown species if I don't have to."

"Understood Operator. I shall have it completed momentarily."

After thanking Ordis, Aquila sent a message to her brother before calling the Liset. She imagined they'd have quite a lot to talk about once Ordis completed his findings.


Back on their orbiter, Aquila sat in the meditation room in the lotus position. She was trying to process everything she'd learned. In hacking the terminal, Ordis had found a connection to something called the Extranet. Which was basically a treasure trove of information about, well, everything. There was hardly anything about the machines like Hunhow, but she did find the info on the Protheans. It seems Johan was right. They were wiped out by sentient machines; the ones Hunhow came from most likely. The strange thing was that was absolutely no info on these machines. It's like they didn't even exist. She knew they did; but, no one here did. She did get a name for them though; the Reapers.

'Their name sure fits their functionality,' she thought.

After discovering the fate of the Protheans, Aquila turned to finding information about the galaxy today. She discovered that another civilization rose up on the ashes of the Protheans. This one was ruled by no particular race; but rather, a council of races. Asari, Salarians, and Turians primarily; with a multitude of other races cooperating with them. Aquila had become very interested in this society. She researched everything she could about them and their history. She committed every minute detail to memory and organized everything into codices for future reference. The diligence she gave to the task was a testament to the Naramon Focus. She was determined to know everything about this galaxy. The door behind her slid open. Johan entered; the Loki frame shifting back to its default armor as he walked. He came to a stop next to Aquila; taking his own Lotus position to meditate. Aquila shared the information Ordis had found. Johan took everything in stride; but if he were honest, he was puzzled.

"So this society is built off the Protheans' tech, but we know it isn't the Protheans'. So, who's is it?" Johan wondered.

"I'm not entirely sure." Aquila responded. A frown forming on her face.

"There's an even more important question." Johan said. His brow furrowed up tightly. This was just getting more complicated by the minute.

"There are supposed to millions of these Reapers; where are they? Wouldn't this civilization be wiped out too? I took a tour through the station, nobody seems to be in the midst of a battle. I don't even think the Reapers are here." Aquila agreed with Johan's line of thinking. The news was troubling; but if they weren't here; they'd come back. Hunhow is a testament to their habit of sticking around unnoticed. Aquila placed her money on them being in hiding somehow. The mission might have gotten a lot longer, but Aquila resolved to not being discouraged in the slightest. Nor would she allow her brother to be discouraged. She nudged his foot with hers; trying to send these thoughts to him. Johan sighed heavily and smiled. His sister was right. Finding the answers to their questions would not come easy or quick. Patience and perseverance would see them through.

With that, Aquila stood and stretched her limbs. The stiffness in her body faded away with the popping of her joints. She then leaned against the wall to get comfortable.

"Let's shift gears a bit," she said.

"We're not going to get anywhere with the Protheans or Reapers at the moment; so, let's focus on the galaxy itself. What did you find about this station?" Johan stretched his body as he fell backward. His hands rested behind his head as he gazed at the ceiling in thought.

"Not much really, they don't speak any language I've ever known. It seems like a hostile place. Everyone has a guarded disposition about them."

Aquila nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"I figured that when that red armored group tried to kill us on sight."

"We've gotten better hellos from the Grineer," Johan said. Aquila chuckled at that.

"I might be able to help with the language barrier." She said.

"Oh?"

"Turns out that terminal is connected to something called the extranet. It's this huge digital network that allows them to share just about everything. They developed these devices called omni-tools. They use them for all kinds of purposes; like a mobile terminal. It allows them to understand the languages of other species too. Modding our frames and tech to understand them shouldn't be too hard. Ordis was able to do it without any foreknowledge."

"That omni-tool idea sounds pretty handy, though." Johan chimed in thoughtfully.

"Imagine if we could get Ordy on That thing," Aquila said.

"That'd be amazing! We could out him to be like a combat drone with commentary. An expansion on his role in our fight wouldn't hurt. Besides, his comments when he glitches are pure comedy!" he said smiling; closing his eyes.

Aquila rolled hers before calling on the Cephalon in question.

"You rang Operators?" He said jubilantly.

"Yes, Ordis. Could you set us down in that docking bay? I would like a chance to run a few maintenance tests on the orbiter to make sure she's handling that Mass Relay well enough."

"Of course Operator Aquila. I managed to shut down every terminal accessing the area. I don't think anyone noticed so it should still be clear." Aquila nodded.

"Good once that's done and secure, shut down the ship and setup a few scanners in case someone gets thru. We're going to try and get some rest."

"Will do Operator, I do believe Operator Johan has you beat on that last notion." He said as he blinked out.

"Huh?" she said dumbly before looking down at her brother. His chest was rising and falling softly; accompanied by a light snore. Aquila shook her head as she made her way to her bedroom. She thought about waking him but decided against it. Her bed was calling her name. She was way too obliged to not answer.


*BANG! *

"—Uh, Operators?"

*BANG! * *BANG! *

"Operators…?

*BANG! * *BANG! * *BANG! *

"—WAKE THE FUCK UP!— "

Johan shot up into a crouch; energy coming to life in his hands. Aquila bust out of her bedroom with her own energy coming to life. Eyes darting around; looking for a threat.

"Operators, we have company! Someone is banging on the cargo doors. –KILL EM! — please make them stop."

Aquila swiftly made her way to the cargo hold; grabbing her grakatas as she did so. Johan was right on her heels with his Soma. Both of their frames activated; encasing their entire bodies in the default armor. The cargo opens revealing a small band of mercs. There were led by a four eyed figure that Aquila recognized from their codex as a batarian.

Typically, not much surprises Bray anymore. Being Aria's bodyguard will do that to you. So when he got word that the largest Blood Pack outpost had suddenly went dark, he wasn't all too concerned. That was typical on Omega. Somebody makes a power move, Aria snaps their neck, and restores her order and dominance on the station. Nothing moves on Omega with Aria's say. It's the nature of the stupid to try and test that. But, when Bray saw the…carnage that was that docking bay, he knew this was anything but typical. The Blood Pack consisted of mainly Krogan and Vorcha; and their blood and flesh coated just about every inch of the cargo area. Bray saw a portion of a krogan's head just in front of him. It looked like someone sliced it clean off; through the hump and all. 'What the fuck could'a done this' He had thought. Then we made his way to the docks, the ship he saw only made all the more atypical. He knew right away that it wouldn't match any known design so he didn't bother scanning. He didn't even see a damn door on the thing. He and the west of his crew walked around it; inspecting it just to be sure. Yep, no door; so, he did about the only sensible thing he could. He took the butt of his gun to it.

Eventually, the orbiter's cargo bay doors opened and Bray's crew drew their guns. Two figures appeared wearing the strangest armor and weapons he had ever seen. Their armors were identical. A dark grey suit form fitting suit that seemed to bulge out same time. As if the armor itself was a contracted muscle. That description sounded weird even in his head; but, it's the only way Bray could come up with to describe it. The black accents in the suit looked like it would absorb all light in the universe if it could. Instead it just chose to stretch the grey, armored bulgy looking areas out. Aside from the armor, the weapons really got his attention. One of them, who he decided was female by the curves of her body, was holding what he deduced to be twin submachine guns of some type. They had a similar shape to the Locusts but they were almost twice as big. The other one held a rifle that looked like it was forged out of gold. He would have been impressed if those weapons weren't pointed at him and his men. He couldn't afford for this to get messy. He rather liked staying out of his boss's wrath.

"Alright, weapons down everybody. Aria will kill us if we make another mess for her to clean." At the mention of that name, all of Bray's men lowered their weapons. It was only then that Johan and Aquila lowered theirs; albeit hesitantly.

"Can you understand me?" Bray said gruffly. The tenno nodded slowly.

"Good, that'll make this easy. My boss wants to talk to you and she doesn't take no for an answer. So if you could make this easy, follow me."

The tenno looked at each other. Neither said a word that Bray or his crew could hear. Finally, one of them shrugged and motioned for him to lead as they slung their weapons on to their backs. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Bray turned and led the group away. Johan and Aquila walked silently behind Bray as he led him through Omega. They looked around at all the different species. It was…humbling to realize how small you were in the grand scheme of life. Krogan, Asari, Turians, Humans, Salarians, Quarians, Volus, Drell, Elcor; Aquila was sure this station was bigger than their largest relay back in their home system. 'And this is only one station in one of several star systems' she thought. Not to mention, this was a space station. It wasn't the home planet for any of them. If there were this many here…yeah, the Tenno population paled in comparison; it wasn't even close.

That wonderment aside, Johan was right. This place was dangerous. There wasn't anybody getting mugged in the street or shot in the back…today. You could just feel it. You can just tell that almost everybody on this station had the ability to kill you. And if they didn't, they knew somebody who had the ability to kill you. Not that that was any different than life back in their own system. They thought that was an abnormality though; seeing as the Tenno were basically a warrior species who were always fighting for their lives. Surely it wasn't like that everywhere. Maybe, it wasn't. Here, though, that's definitely what it looked like.

Eventually, the maze of hallways, elevators and skycars led them to the entrance to Afterlife. The Tenno were a warrior species; the concept of luxury was foreign to them. So when they first laid eyes of Afterlife. I don't think the Mass Relays delivered as big a shock factor. The main bar sat in the center of the room. As they walked past, Johan and Aquila drew more than a few eyes. Their helmets were still on, so, naturally, many of those eyes didn't bother to hide their suspicion. Around the edges of the room were poles where scantily clad Asari and female Humans were dancing. Both Johan and Aquila were thankful that their helmets were on. No one could see them blush.

"This way," Bray said.

He led them down the side of the bar towards a stairway at the far end of the club. The rest of his men took their normal positions around the stairs while he, Johan, and Aquila went up them. At the top, the latter two were stopped by two turians who started scanning them with their omni-tools.

"Aria is just ahead, keep those weapons on your backs and there won't have to be trouble." One of them said.

Aquila glanced at her brother. One of the side effects of their time in the Somatic Link was that the Tenno developed a minor ability for telepathy. They couldn't read minds or anything complex. They were, however, able to communicate with other Tenno. It was the secret to their seamless coordination on group missions without having to utter a single word. Johan and Aquila, due to the amount of time they've spent with each other, were masters of this. Even by Tenno, standards they were extraordinary adept at being able to transfer thoughts, words or feelings between each other. Their link took the 'twin thing' to a whole new level.

"Let's not cause conflict here. Remember our main goal is to observe and to learn." Aquila said over said link.

"No arguments here…You wanna take the lead?" He replied. She nodded slightly.

"Sure, I got it."

When the two turian guards had finished their scans, they stepped aside and motioned for them to move forward. Aquila and Johan walked up onto a platform that overlooked the club. Wrapped around the far edge of it was a comfortable looking couch. On it sat what Aquila recognized to be an Asari; information she relayed to Johan. They knew from the extranet that the Asari were an all-female race who were known for their diplomacy, long lifespan and their biotics, which Aquila discovered was the name for the 'Nova-esque' abilities that many of the species of this galaxy possessed. They were also stereotyped for promiscuity. 'Probably due to how gorgeous they look.' Aquila said absentmindedly. She wasn't aware that she had said that last bit over the link.

'Definitely due to how gorgeous they look' Johan said. The proof was right in front of them. This particular Asari was purple instead, of blue; quite a few shades darker than Aquila. She wore a white sleeved jacket over a black corset looking material that did little to hid the curves of her body. Johan's eyes were inadvertently tracing them. She wore form fitting black pants and boots that left very little to the imagination as well. Tribal markings framed her face perfectly and accented her purple eyes well. Even Aquila had trouble tearing her eyes away. For all the beauty this Asari held. Those same eyes had a coldness to them. A look they were all too familiar with. That brought the tenno back to reality as she spoke.

"I don't talk to people I can't see. Remove your helmets." She commanded.

The siblings looked at each other before shrugging. Their helmets dismantled before folding back forming an elegant crest around the neck of their armor. The asari eyed them suspiciously.

"You could pass for human but it's obvious that you're not. A human wouldn't be stupid enough to commandeer a dock on my station." She said.

"I take it you're the leader of Omega then." Aquila said. She laughed sinisterly with an amused glint in her eyes. Just as quickly, that amusement was traded for a hardened, cold stare.

"I AM Omega." She said firmly as she stood. She sauntered up to them slowly as she spoke her eyes never leaving theirs.

"I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic, it doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule…" She said as she stopped right in Aquila's face.

"Don't Fuck with Aria."

"I like her," Johan said thru the link.

Aquila smirked, but otherwise didn't even flinch in response to Aria's rule. Neither of them did. This caused a smirk to appear on Aria's face as she turned around and sat back down in her previous seat. Fixing her eyes on the twins, she spoke again.

"Now, I have two questions for you. First, what the hell ARE you? And second what makes you think you can wipe out half of a group of mercenaries and take their dock, which I loaned to them, for yourself, hmm?"

"We are Tenno, and we wiped them out because they shot at us," Aquila said simply.

"Ten-no? Never heard of you." She said, her eyes narrowing,

"Nor would you, we come from a part of this galaxy that has been closed off from the rest of you since the time of the Protheans." Aquila responded offhandedly.

"I see, and you just happened to come to Omega…why?"

"Knowledge."

"Knowledge...Really?" Aria said accusingly.

"Yes, our little corner of the galaxy is much different from yours. This station just happened to be the first sign of life we came to. We were curious. That's it. Those Blood Pack mercs didn't need to the die, they chose to." She said emotionlessly. She was unfazed by the Asari's stare.

"For someone new to the galaxy you sure know a lot about it." That stare could rip out the soul of a lesser being; but, she wasn't dealing with a lesser being.

"I pride myself on knowing everything. The extranet your society developed made that quite easy."

That statement shook Aria's façade a bit.

"Wait, so you're not fucking with me. You're really not from this galaxy?" she said, this time, in astonishment. Aquila couldn't help but smirk.

"No, we're from this galaxy. We were just caught off. Every relay that connects to our system was destroyed."

"A relay, Destroyed!? Are your people insane!?" Aria screamed in shock. To have the power to destroy a mass relay…

"Technically, OUR people didn't destroy it." Johan chimed in.

"What do you mean?"

Aquila and Johan gave Aria a brief history of the Tenno origins. They left out the unimportant bits; the bits that could be used against them, and focused mainly on the Orokin's conflict with the Protheans and on thru the Old War. Anything mentioning the Void was also left out. They finished detailing the cover story for their current mission; which is actually just the secondary objective for their actual mission. They wanted to expand. Find a planet for themselves and learn more about the galaxy at large. It was still more than enough to leave Aria dumbstruck. She sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes before she stood. A serious expression was displayed on her face as she looked at them.

"If what you say is true, we may be able to form a partnership." She said slowly as she walked towards them.

"A partnership?" They said simultaneously.

"Yes, I believe I can assist you in acquiring knowledge, while you in turn assist me. The Blood Pack will hardly be effective after their presence on Omega being downsized. I allowed them to exist in exchange for fulfilling jobs for me. I would have you do the same and then some. You would be traveling all over the Terminus system which spans about half of the current galaxy. I may even have you do work in Citadel and Alliance space, but that will depend on if you impress me."

"There's got to be a catch," Johan said.

"No offense intended Ms. Aria, but you don't seem the type to do an unknown a favor like this." He said as his eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"There is one stipulation, I'm assuming you've delved into the Asari right am I right Ms. Tenno?"

"My name is Aquila Everis and yes, my brother, Johan and I have studied a bit on your species," she said professionally.

"Are you familiar with the Asari mind melds?"

"Not in detail, no," Aria smirked.

"I could give you the spiel about uniting all in a single glorious existence; but I'm not feeling dramatically inclined at the moment; so, to put it short, it would allow me to see and understand memories of your choosing. We would, for a moment coexist in each other's memories. And, I'll be able to discern whether your little story is truth." She said. Johan flinched at the explanation. His eyes hazed over as images started playing in his head.

A beast was feasting on a dead scientist in its cell; and then, chasing the remaining scientist through the ship. It had cornered them at the end of the hallway before a secret door opened and a huge arc of electricity hit the beast. It struggled to overcome the voltage, but, before it could, a strange weapon hit it in the head. A roar was heard— "JOHAN STOP IT!" Aquila yelled through the link.

"You aren't there anymore, calm down." She said softly.

All this happened within a few seconds so Aria didn't notice Johan's lapse.

Aquila frowned; and not at Aria's suggestion. She would put it aside for now.

"Would you need to meld with both of us?" she asked as Johan turned to look her.

"No, one would suffice," Aria responded.

"Then I volunteer. I know you want to use us to further your own ends. However, that may serve us better than flying blinding throughout galaxy. With you, we can learn how this society operates. So with that in mind, I'll let you do your meld with me." She said tensely. She didn't like the fact that someone would be in her mind. But, if she tried anything, she could handle it. It would be a lot better than trying to enter Johan's mind. It's obvious now he still holds scars from that particular incident; not that she could blame him for it. She still had scars of her own.

Aria smiled as she walked directly in front of Aquila. It took everything in Johan to calm himself down. That little flashback shook him more than he'd like to admit. He knew the meld had to happen and the circumstances were different. He couldn't stop berating himself. He should be stronger than this. Aquila grabbed his arm to comfort and reassure him. He smiled graciously and nodded. She smiled back before turning back to Aria.

"So what do I do.?" Aquila asked.

"Close your eyes." She said sensually.

Johan took a guarded step back. He'd be ready if things went sideways.

Aquila closed her eyes as Aria placed her hands on the side her head. Aria took a moment to study her face up close. She would never admit it but their little conversation had her intrigued. Not to mention, she wasn't bad to look at. She could tell that Aquila would make quite the business partner; maybe even more. That alone gained a sliver of her trust. Even so, she had to be sure.

"Embrace Eternity!"


10 years later…

"Well what about Shepard? Earthborn… but no records of her family."

"Doesn't have one. She was raised on the streets. Learned to look out for herself."

"She proved herself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived."

"She's the only reason Elysium is still standing."

"We can't question her courage."

"Humanity needs a hero. And Shepard's the best we got."

"I'll make the call.


2183

Systems Alliance

SSV Normandy

"Thrusters… check. Navigation…check. Internal emissions sink engaged. Drift…just under 1500K." Joker said.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said blandly. The turian spectre turned on his heel and strode through the door behind him.

"I hate that guy," Joker said.

"Nihlus gives you a compliment….so you hate him?" Kaidan said

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!"

As the Normandy's pilot and co-pilot were having this discussion, a woman walked in. She was outfitted in standard Alliance N7 armor. Though it's doubtful they were made for curves like hers. It was standard for humans to get injections to ensure they were developed as perfectly as possible. Injections didn't give her the perfectly athletic body she possessed though. Deep red hair and emerald eyes observed the conversation Joker and Kaidan were having as she walked into the cockpit. Her stride said two things; elegance and strength. As beautiful as she was; she was twice as deadly. She heard most of their conversation as she was coming thru; resulting in the smirk formed on slightly pouted lips.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid." Joker continued.

"You're paranoid." Kaidan said. "The council helped fund this project they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"You always expect the worst." The woman said

"Well bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason. So, what are we doing here— "

"Joker! Status report," a voice, Captain Anderson, said over the comm.

"Just cleared the mass relay Captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid.

"Good, find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission records relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime.

"Aye Captain, better brace yourself sir; I think Nihlus is heading your way.

"He's already here Lieutenant." Anderson responded sternly. The woman almost laughed at that.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Captain Anderson said. Joker turned to the red head behind him.

"You got that Commander?"

"I'm on my way," she said as she left.

"Pfft, is it me or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?" Joker asked. Kaidan chuckled.

"Only when he's talking to you Joker."


Tenno System

The outermost edge of the galaxy in Tenno space is occupied mainly by stray asteroids. Occasionally, you'll find a comet or two, but mostly it is a barren area of space without much life. One of the larger asteroids contained the only surviving pieces of a derelict Orokin ship. The innermost chamber was an open area reached only by a single platform suspended in the hollowed heart of the ship. Kneeling on a platform was a figure surrounded in a black armor. The designs spoke of its Tenno origins. This armor was uniquely altered though; twisted into what any Tenno would call an abomination today. The figure had his head bowed in mediation as red machine like figures started appearing around him. The Sentient Battalysts's eye glowed a vibrant light that casted an eerie glow over the platform

"Shadow." A voice boomed. It echoed throughout the room with a sound like a collective of distant voices.

Shadow raised his head at the mention of his name. His fists were clenched in his lap. The stillness that enveloped his being would have been off-putting if anybody were there to see it.

"Shadow, the time has come for you to redeem yourself."

Shadow's fists clenched tighter slightly.

"A great boon exists for us beyond the Void; The time has come for my brethren to emerge upon the galaxy. With their arrival. The vengeance you seek will be attainable. The Tenno will be no more. Much must be done however…"

"Are you not forbidden from the Void? How will their assistance be of use?"

"Neither you nor I will be able to acquire this boon as we are. By my hand, you must become something…greater."

Shadow's form shot up abruptly. The 'eyes' of the Sentients changed from a white to a malevolent purple. The same purple manifested in a shroud of energy that lifted Shadow off of the ground. Shadow's already fragile mind began to lose the last of its defenses as the shroud of energy continued to envelop him.

"The anomaly that is your kind cannot be allowed to exist."

Shadow fell to the ground as the shroud disappeared. The red streaks of energy that coursed through his suit were now purple. He flared this energy as if it were a muscle that needed stretching. The Battlysts shot off to parts unknown as Shadow turned around and left the platform

"The cycle must continue."


Omega

If you were to ask Johan to describe the galaxy as he's come to know it, it would be something like deposits of silver and gold in a huge pile of shit. There were shiny spots that were really beautiful and worthwhile; but it was largely, the same old shit he had to deal with back in the Tenno system. Only difference is that back home they were up front about it. The past ten years working for Aria only reinforced that idea. It may have been a biased opinion; since, most of their operations took place in the Terminus Systems. But, He had learned long ago that there was no real difference between light and darkness. There was only intention and the lengths you're willing to go to achieve it.

An asari bartender passed him another drink as he sat at his in Afterlife. Whenever he found downtime, Johan would sit at this same table in one of the corners of the room. He'd sat here enough times that, if he wanted, he could form a relationship with the strippers that danced on the poled platform to his immediate right. While he did occasionally enjoy watching them. They weren't the only ones he watched. He found solace in just observing people. Not that he could explain why, it was just intriguing; watching the world move around you. Everybody going about their business as if theirs is the only one that matters; priorities vying for dominance. It made him think of the Grineer and the Corpus. He didn't get to do it often; might be why he sort of cherishes these moments.

Often he would think about the Grineer and the Corpus and how they would fit in this society They Grineer wanted physical domination. Which was ironic. Their bodies dominated everything they did. Their abuse of cloning technology cut their lifespans to an abysmally short timeframe. If they didn't continue to clone themselves, they'd simply die out within a few years. How they saw themselves as the epitome of perfection was laughable. If they ever discovered the rest of the galaxy they'd take it over. Not that they would succeed, their numbers were great, but take their cloning away and time would kill them eventually…

'Why the hell didn't we think of that earlier!?' Johan chuckled to himself.

There definitely wasn't a place for them in this world. Not with their current way of life anyway.

The Corpus were all about money. They would do well on Illium. He wasn't sure if they'd abide by any rules but their own. They'd kill anyone that tried to usurp them. That is if you couldn't be bought off. They were as arrogant as the Orokin were. Nobody was beneath them. You're either a means of increasing their wealth or you're an infinite collection of ants for them to squash if they so choose. They'd be a boon to the Terminus systems; but a dangerous one. 'Not sure Aria would approve if they ever found their way here.'

He also thought about his own people, the Tenno. Lotus kept in contact sparingly over the last decade. She didn't want to risk anybody finding out about what we were up to or stealing any data that we'd send. From what He and Aquila were able to gather, things were just as bad as they always were. The Grineer were the same as always. The Corpus, however, were becoming a worry for Lotus. They've made significant improvements on their technology. Which could cause problems for a tenno if they weren't careful; particularly, their bursas. The infested were a nuisance as well. They were evolving into more formidable opponents. The Juggernauts now acted as a sort of hive mind that allowed them to coordinate attacks. That actually unnerved Johan. If those things ever got smart…he shuddered at the thought.

The Tenno themselves weren't ones to fall behind. While initially they were the smallest in number. Over the years since their cryo sleep they have increased. Their Orokin heritage naturally gave them the lifespan of a few hundred years. After they had become Tenno, that number nearly tripled. This made the procreation of their kind slow. And not many wanted to bring an innocent life into their way of living. Lotus always encouraged it though and some of the lest involved fighters started making families. The Tenno population was still nothing compared to the Grineer, or even the Corpus. They did, however, finally raise that number into the hundreds of thousands by the time Johan and his sister had begun this mission. That brought a bit of hope to Johan. His people were finally achieving a bit of normalcy. He could barely define the word. No Tenno could accurately. But, to even dream of a life away from simply fighting for freedom or for peace; to be simply thinking about it, that wasn't a luxury for them 300 years ago when the Lotus woke them, or even 50,000 years ago when they fought the Sentients and the Orokin. It gave him hope that they would find a true purpose; a reason for living. That, above all else, was what he wanted for himself; for his people.

Johan was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed Aquila sit down next to him. Her helmet unfolded into a purple crest as she sat down and crossed her legs. She stared at her brother with the ghost of a smirk on her face.

"You alright 'Han."

"Hmm?" he said, finally snapping out of his daze. He finally registered his sister sitting next to him.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just people watching. What about you?"

"I'm good just got back from having a talk with Aria."

A smirk formed on Johan's face.

"You know I wonder what an Asari/Tenno child would look like. I know Asari only birth asari but…ah never mind" he said, purposefully not finishing that thought. Aquila glared at him with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Just what the hell are you trying to say?" She said heatedly.

"See, you're even acting like her…wait I'm saying that like it's a good thing. Forget this whole conversation." He said before chugging the rest of this drink.

"So what DID y'all talk about?" Aquila fought the urge to hit him before she responded.

"The gangs are threatening start a coup; take Omega for themselves." Johan raised his eyebrow at that.

"All of 'em?"

"Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack; so yeah…the major ones."

"That's actually smart." He said. They do have quite a presence here; despite Aria's attempts at controlling it.

"I'm guessing she wants us to stop it?"

"She wants us to wipe them off the planet completely." Aquila said with a smirk. Johan noticed this.

"And you want all their data." He said knowingly. Of course she did. She was a Narumon.

"Of course, it'd be stupid to not obtain it." She said matter-of-factly.

"I had it all wrong, y'all aren't lovers; you're twins." He said, shaking his head.

"I'm going to ignore that." Johan couldn't stop laughing.

"Uh…Operators?"

"Ordis? What's up?" Johan said.

"Ordis has found something…something involving the Reapers;" at the word 'Reaper' Johan and Aquila both stood with serious looks on their faces.

"I suggest you come back to the Orbiter immediately."

The two walked at a brisk based to their apartment. It was a reward and a sign of trust from Aria for their spotless record while under her employment. For all her ruthlessness, she took care of her own…if you were valuable enough. Once inside, Aquila immediately held up her wrist as the gauntlet of her armor opened up mechanically. Protruding from under it was a miniature gun with an equally small void key attached to it. This was one of Aquila's newer inventions. It created a temporary portal that transported them to a specific gate. She had them in each wrist; as did Johan. The one on their left arm connected to their ship. The one their right would send them to the apartment they were currently in. They rarely ever had to use them, but they were good for getting back to their base of operations unseen. Aquila fired the key in her left arm opening a small portal to the Scimitar. She and Johan promptly walk thru it as it closed behind them; dumping them into the cargo hold. They swiftly made their way towards the front of the ship where Ordis's hologram was waiting for them.

"Operators! I'll get right to the point. I was perusing the extranet when I found a recording of today's news segment. There was an attack on the human colony known as Eden Prime. I found it strange because they mentioned the attack was made by the Geth. They haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in over 200 years. I manage to tap into a recording of the initial attack as it was being sent to Alliance command…you'd better see for yourself.

A digital screen came to life behind Ordis; showing a huge purple, cuttlefish shaped ship descending on the planet with a malicious red energy arching around it like chains of electricity. Ordis paused the vid there as that was the subject of this conversation. The two tenno were wide-eyed

"A Reaper." Johan said.

"It looks like Hunhow…Only, complete." Ordis said.

"So this is what Hunhow originally looked like? Now I see why the Sentient dreadnoughts look so similar. They're like miniature version of this. This is definitely a reaper." Aquila said. thinking back to Old War.

"Indeed Operators, although, it appears only one Reaper has been spotted. And there are no other attacks similar to this one. I thought there'd be more of them."

"Maybe there are, this maybe just the beginning."

"I think Johan is right, Ordis prep a message for the Lotus. She'd want to know about this."

"We need to investigate this Aquila." Johan said seriously.

"Hmm, why did this Reaper attack this particular colony…Ordis?"

"Let's see, it appears a Prothean beacon was unearthed there recently. I would wager it has something to do with that beacon. The reports state a turian spectre, Saren, was the orchestrator of the attack."

"Spectre? I wouldn't think the Council will OK a maneuver like that." Johan said.

"They wouldn't. He must have gone rogue." Aquila said.

"You think he might have been manipulated; like Hunhow did to Shadow?"

"More than likely, Yes." She responded before turning to Ordis.

"Can you gather anything else Ordis?"

"No that appears to be all, Operators. This is to be our first break in getting closer to Hunhow. If there is any more information you need, I'd suggest going to the Citadel." He said.

"Good idea, whoever was involved with the beacon and defended the attack would most likely have to report there." Johan said

"Then that's where you're headed."

"Huh, me?" Johan said, confused. Aquila nodded.

"Yes, we can't just up and leave without upsetting Aria. She's a rather valuable ally for us and she has access to data and information I don't think we should throw away carelessly. I'll stay here and finish this job for Aria and start organizing all data we've collected so far. We'll need to start sending some of it this back to Lotus and the rest of us. They need to start preparing anyway. A war is definitely coming." Johan nodded in agreement.

"I should be able to smooth things over with Aria as well; let her know we won't be around for much longer. But, before that, I'll drop you at the Citadel and you follow this lead. See where it goes."

Johan nodded. It was good plan; the best that they could come up with on short notice.

"I'm going to go gear up. Ordis, see what you can dig up on Saren." Johan said. He headed towards the foundry while Aquila and Ordis went to their designated tasks. Things were picking up now.


Evelyn Shepard was not having a good day; and, it was getting progressively worse. It started off great. She was debriefed on the true nature of the Normandy's venture to Eden Prime. It was an evaluation for her nomination to be humanity's first Spectre. She was to recover a Prothean beacon and bring it back to the Citadel for study; while a turian Spectre, Nihlus, oversaw the whole thing. Next thing she knows, Geth just decide to pop out from behind the veil and attack the colony, one of the men under her command, Jenkins, is killed. Nihlus ends up shot and killed by another turian Spectre who was behind the attack; and the beacon is destroyed, but not before burning a jumbled up collection of vision into her brain. And that's not even half of it. The Council refuses any indication that Saren is the one behind it all; stating they need more concrete evidence. Thus, the reason she and her squad are poised just outside of Chora's Den. The key to finding that evidence lies with the club's owner, Fist. If one were to take into account, the amount of armed guards currently residing in the club with their weapons drawn; it would appear that that information will not be given freely, or quietly.

"Alright, Wrex and I will take point. Garrus, you and Kaidan flank around the other side of the bar. Ashley, covering fire." Shepard commanded.

A collection of nods later, Wrex burst through the door with his shotgun at the ready. A turian guard near the door was the first to start firing. Wrex charged him; knocking off his feet before a shotgun blast to the head rendered him dead before he hit the ground. Shepard slid by him bringing her shotgun to bear on two human guards behind the bar. Two bullets a piece in rapid succession ender their lifes as Garrus and Kaidan's rifles came to life; firing on the guards at the far end of the bar. Ashley picked off a few of the guards hanging back at the far end of the bar as Wrex and Shepard charged forward. Shepard blew apart a turian who had his gun on Wrex's back before she heard Krogan yelling behind her; followed by the pounding of his feet as he charged. She dove to the side into a roll, barely missing the Krogan. Her body glowed with the blue hue of her biotics as she sent the Krogran flying with a shockwave. Two quick shots to thru his headplate ended that little scuffle. A Krogan in the back held a machine gun which he was spinning up. Before it could do any real damage, Shepard launch warp at him as Kaidan launched a throw towards him at the same time. The combining effects resulted in him being blown apart in a biotic explosion. The guards surrounding him hesitated in shock and that was all it took for Wrex to come charging thru and bowling them over; depositing his shotgun's blast into their brains as he did so. The only real threat left were the turrets which were taken out thanks to two expertly thrown grenades from the Gunnery-Chief. The fight ended soon after that. The group found Fist lying on the floor, knocked down by the destruction of one of the turrets.

"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!" he said pathetically as Shepard pulled out pulled her pistol out on Fist.

"Where's the quarian?" She said.

"I don't know where she is! That's the truth!"

"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him." Wrex said as he reloaded his shotgun.

"Wait, wait! I don't know where she is, but I know how you can find her. She was trying to do a deal; said she'd only do it with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Face to Face? Impossible, even I was hired thru an agent." Wrex said. Aiming is gun at Fist as he stood.

"No one meets the Shadow Broker, ever. Even I don't know his true identity; but she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she gets there, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her-." Shepard grabbed him by the neck of his armor and got in his face before he could finish.

"Give me a location. Now."

"Here on the wards, a back alley by the markets. They're supposed to be meeting now. You can make it if you hur-."

Fist was violent silenced by a currently smoking shotgun in Wrex's hands

"What the hell are you doing!?" Garrus exclaimed vehemently.

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." Wrex said, shrugging.

"We don't have time for this!" Shepard interrupted.

"That quarian is dead if we don't get to her! Now!"


Said quarian walked down an alley. The purple shade of her faceplate gleamed under the artificial light. The alley opened up into what looked to be a cargo area with an assortment of crates stacked and strewn throughout the area. As the quarian came into view, no less than six armed individuals emerged. Four were salarians; two were turians. One of the turians stepped up. He had skull like markings on his face which slightly intimidated the quarian if she were honest. She'd come too far to let that stop her now, though. She steeled herself as the turian approached her; a little too closely for comfort.

"You got the package?" he said. Though it seemed like he was hardly concern about it at all. His hands went down the side of her arms as he said. She thought he was padding her at first. But his hands lingered a bit too long for that.

"Where's the Shadow Broker, Where's Fist?" She said quickly.

"They'll be here, where's the evidence?" he said as his talon like hands grazed down the side of her hip. At that point, the quarian had had enough and slapped his hand away.

"No way, the deals off." She said; backing up. Two of the Salarians and the other turian came up behind the first one as the other two salarians came behind and tried to grab her. Before they could. She dropped two flash grenades and darted behind crate at the far end of the alley; drawing her shotgun as she did so. The two salarians and the turian in the back were far enough to not be completely blinded by the blast of the flash and turned their weapons towards the fleeing quarian.

Shepard saw this as she and her crew came into the alley; weapons drawn, they were about to fire. When arrow lodge itself in each of the heads belonging to the two salarians and turian; killing them instantly. An armored figured dropped down behind the skull-faced turian. The armor was a faded white with black and orange tribal stripes running along his arms and legs. He looked like some kind of human shaped tiger. His helmet was white in the front and black in the back and had a short white horn shooting up from the front of his helmet. He grabbed the skull-faced turian by the sides of his head and turned it sharply; snapping the turians neck and spine and killing him. The two final salarians were mostly recovered from the that flash grenade and turned to fire at the newcomer in front of him. The newcomer pulled a sword of all things from his back and charged him.

'Is he stupid?' Shepard thought. She prepared to take down the two salarians herself but they had already fired on him. The figure blocked or destroyed each bullet in succession with his blade; an act which left all of Shepard's crew in shock, before he charged forward with an orange energy surrounding him. The salarians were too shocked to try and prevent his next move as he threw the blade forward through the neck of one salarian; separating his head, before changing the blades direction to a horizontal swing while continuing his forward motion. This resulted in him completely bisecting the amphibian like species before stopping behind him as both his halves separated and collapsed.

The event left Shepard's crew in varying states of shock, not to mention the quarian.

"Holy shit!" said Ashley, her jaw hanging freely.

"Spirits!" said Garrus; his mandibles twitching in shock.

Shepard and Kaidan were too stunned to even speak as Wrex bellowed in a laugh.

"HAHAHA! This little pyjak has a quad! Haven't seen kills like this in a while!"

The quarian holstered her shotgun as she came from behind the crate. Nobody could see how bug-eyed she looked thanks to her helmet. She eventually shook it off before she marched up to the dead skull-faced turian and stomped on his neck for good measure.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" she said angrily.

As Shepard and her crew walked up to the quarian and the mystery guy. Said guy turned to the quarian.

"Are you hurt, miss?" He said kindly.

"My name is Tali; and no I'm fine. I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you? She asked; emphasizing the 'are.' Tali had never seen anyone or anything like him. The moves he did were incredible, and with such primitive weapons no less.

"Apologies, my name is Johan Everis; I'm a Tenno."

"Tenno?" Tali said.

"Excuse me miss, Tali was it?" Shepard interrupted as she holstered her weapon on her back. The two turned to her.

"My names Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor. I heard that you may have what I'm looking for." She said kindly.

"Yes, I believe I may have what you seek. Why are you looking for me though? CSec doesn't exactly trust Quarians." She said suspiciously.

"I'm Alliance Navy, not CSec. If your evidence is good I can get it directly to the Council. Csec won't be involved." She said patiently.

"If that's all you're looking for then yes I have what you're looking for. But I can't share it here. We'll need to go somewhere private. Who knows how many more of Saren's goons are lying around."

"They're dead." Johan said.

"You killed them?" Shepard asked

"Yes, they were speaking of the quarian. I knew she had the information I sought so troubled them for your location; he nods towards Tali, and I left them. They forced me to take their lives as I did so."

"I see." Shepard said.

"We should take Tali to the Human Embassy. Udina would want to see this evidence" Kaidan said.

"Agreed, Tali?" Shepard responded

"I'm right behind you; but first, Johan, was it? I do owe you my life back there. If you sought me out for information, though I'm not sure what I possess that would be of use to you, I would happily give it to you."

Johan bowed in response.

"My thanks, Tali. If I'm right, the information I desire is the very same you intend to share with your party here." He said, referring to Shepard's crew.

Shepard narrowed suspiciously for a moment.

"If you don't mind my asking, what would you know about the evidence she holds?"

"I can't answer that until I know that information." Johan said, shrugging.

Shepard sighed at that before shrugging.

"I don't know who you are, but if you're willing to follow us to the embassy we can discuss this there." She said with finality.

Johan sighed mentally before nodding.

"Of course, now I believe enough time is wasted." He said as he holstered his skana onto his back.

"After you, Shepard." He said.

"—Ordis thinks this only going to get more complicated" Ordis said over Johan's comm system as he walked with Tali, Shepard and her crew.

"I hope you're wrong Ordy…" he responded.

"But, I know you're right."


That concludes the third chap! This one was painfully fun to write. I honestly hadn't planned on stopping at this point but my brain sort of shorted out here and I need to walk away and live life for minute lol. I think it's twice the length of my previous two chapters! Anyway, we're now getting into the story so I hope you guys are excited as I am! I'll get started on the next chap probably next week after I've had time to decompress.

So, let me know what you think and again if ANYBODY can help me get the pics of the warframes I've chosen for Aquila and Johan, PM me! I'd love the help. I've been a reader on FF for years but this is the first time I'm trying my hand at writing so I never learned the backend of things.

Like always, read and review and enjoy your life!