Hello guys I am back with the newest installment of Divergent Paths! I am so glad for all of the reviews that I have received and I am so sorry that it took this long to complete this chapter but I hope you find this chapter worth it in the end. Message me if y'all see any changes that need to be fixed.
Reviews:
Natzi Sumbitch: Let me say that first off I am thankful for your feedback. I will not get angry with you and create an argument but I will point some things out to you. Second off, your question of does the Locust Horde pity the Quarians? They sympathize with them and will do everything in their power to help them.
Third, in the timeline it says official history. That is what was put on record. If you have looked up the Hordes' past you will find that the main reason that they wanted the surface of Sera was because of their war with the Lambent, some would call it the Blood of Sera-or maybe just I do? Queen Myrrah also sets a deadline for Adam Fenix to create a weapon that will destroy the Lambent without the Locust Horde being destroyed in the process as well.
If you have played Mass Effect then you should know that the Geth do not want war, but peace. Their Creators are very important to the Geth Collective and would do anything to work alongside them. Also, the Quarians are as much to blame as the Council. You see, if the Council had not outlawed the creation of AIs then the Quarians would not have needed to fear a war. As it stands, since the Council outlawed the creation of AIs, the Quarians feared that either they would go to war with the Council or they would lose their membership.
When the Quarians started to destroy the Geth, the Geth defended themselves. Unfortunately, the end result was that the Geth had to drive off the Quarians from their own worlds to ensure their survival. Some Quarians though were actually killed by other Quarians because they sided with the Geth.
Queen Myrrah was the one that ordered the Locust around and she did nothing to stop them from becoming ruthless and genocidal. The New King reformed them and any that opposed him got put down. Again I appreciate you speaking your mind. But there is something you must know: Not everything is black and white. Only varying shades of grey. Would you have wanted your race to just die off if there was something that you could do to stop it? Even if it meant genocide on another species?
With that out of the way, onto the story!
Hades Gamma
Antaeus System
Pride of the Horde
"I don't believe that that course of action would be very wise, King Valrok." A Quarian by the name of Han'Gerrel vas Neema stated over the communications that had been set up that included all of the Admiralty Board. "We are not welcome there and it would in all likelihood be seen as an act of war."
The King of the Locust Horde just smiled and replied "they wouldn't want to do that since they have no knowledge of our capabilities nor our strength. Add to the fact that, to them, we are a relatively new species and I am almost certain that they won't attack us. Even if they do I already have a contingency plan in place."
Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh asked "and that contingency will be?"
"We disable their ships and make them talk to us. We may not want war, and they most likely don't either, but it all depends on how they react to our presence. I will take a third of a fleet with me and have the rest on standby awaiting orders. If we have need of them I need you all to make your way out of the system and to ours. That way you will be out of harm's way."
"You do know that we are perfectly capable of protecting ourselves correct?" Admiral Zaal'Kooris vas Qwib Qwib asked.
"While I do know this," King Valrok started, "I would prefer you not have to fight against the might of the Council races with the limited amount of resources that you possess at your current point in time. You either need to reclaim Rannoch, or find a new homeworld." He knew that what he said would have a bad reaction to the Quarians in front of him, but they needed to hear it for their own benefit.
Admiral Han'Gerrel narrowed his eyes and stated icily, "if you could spare one of your fleets to help us take out the Geth over Rannoch then we might be a slight bit better off."
"Maybe so. But then again you also might be worse off as well." The King stated.
"Ha! I highly doubt you even know what you're tal-"
Admiral Han'Gerrel was suddenly cut off as the Leader of the Horde replied harshly, "and why wouldn't you be? You've been stuck on starships that are falling apart for three hundred years and your immune systems have depreciated so much in that time that I highly doubt that you would be able to breathe in much of anything on Rannoch without catching something detrimental to your health. If you reclaim Rannoch, then there will be a lot of work ahead of you. You probably don't know how to build structures anymore and a lot of you will probably not know where to start. But enough of that. I would like for you all to head to the Citadel where we will discuss things with you and the Councillors. If they tell you to leave or they will do so with force, tell them that I asked for you to be there. I would prefer not to repeat myself more than once."
"We are not yours to command, Valrok. Why would we want to take orders from a race that is so primitive anyway?" Han'Gerrel spat out.
He frowned. "You think that we are primitives for the fact that we don't utilize Element Zero for everything? I'm sorry, but incorporating the technology of a dead race into your society is like saying "oh look at us! We have shields that deflect kinetic weapons while energy weapons have an easier time of passing through them!" Not very intelligent if you ask me. Speak of us like that again and I may just find your life to not be needed anymore. Now," he directed his attention to the other two Admirals before speaking again. "If you want to stay alive for very long then you may want to work with me since I am the only one that is willing to extensively help you at all. I will gather up some of my forces and meet you at the Citadel. You know what to do should we not arrive in time to support you." He saluted to them before terminating the transmission.
Bringing up a list of fleets, he pressed on one of them before an image of a one of his generals appeared. He was seven feet tall, with heavy armor covering every part of his body except his eyes and mouth. His pale yellow eyes stared at the King and he asked "what is it you need me to do?"
"Gather your fleet. We are heading to the Citadel."
The Locust General smiled. "Is it time yet?" He asked.
"Not quite yet," the King said. "It all depends on if they are present at the meeting. For now, bring a third of your fleet and have the rest on standby in preparation for battle. I don't know if it will come to that, but it is better-"
"To be prepared than caught unawares." He said.
"Yes. You know me too well." The King said. "We will be moving out a little before the Quarians arrive at the Citadel."
The Locust saluted deeply before saying "we will be there shortly."
King Valrok nodded before he typed something into his Omni-tool and said "I have ordered the fleets here to head back to their tasks and to not open anymore Relays until further notice. For now, we deal with one set of occurrences at a time. If more arise, then we will deal with them accordingly. Safe travels."
"To you as well." The Kantus said before the communication was ended.
Rise to Become Anew
Three weeks later
Serpent Nebula
Widow System
Matriarch Lidanya, commander of the Destiny Ascension of the Citadel Fleet, was currently watching the arrival of what seemed like the whole of the Quarian Migrant Fleet. Ship after ship kept appearing from the Relay with no sign of stopping. Her officers reported that over forty-five thousand ships had appeared already and more were still pouring through. It had been said that, if the whole of the Migrant Fleet was to move through a Relay, it would take at least days to get every ship through. It had already been three days. Finally, after a few more hours, the flow of ships coming through the Relay ended.
This isn't good. We're outnumbered over a thousand to one. If they attacked us, even though I highly doubt that they would considering that that is practically the whole of the Quarian people, they still could. I just hope that I don't have to commit genocide on them. Matriarch Lidanya thought.
Calmly, she looked at the Asari communications officer and was about to order them to bring up a line to one of the Quarians' ships, but before she could the communications officer said "we're being hailed by one of the Quarian ships, Matriarch."
"Answer it," she responded plainly.
A screen appeared in front of the main view screen before a Quarian, obviously female, with a purple visor appeared. Matriarch Lidanya opened her mouth to speak before the Quarian stated "I am Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh and we are here on official business with the Council and the new species called the Locust Horde. Obviously they aren't here yet but I do believe that they will appear soon."
"What is your business with the Council?" Even though on the outside she seemed calm, on the inside the Matriarch was confused. The Council hadn't informed anyone in the fleet that the Quarians would be arriving as well. Maybe they just didn't remember that they were coming. Either that or the new species didn't inform the Council.
The Quarian Admiral replied "it is easier to speak of something once than to repeat it, so that is what the Leader of the Horde is doing. We were sent ahead of them so they didn't have to wait for us for weeks on end. Now, will some of the Admirals and I be able to send down some shuttles so we can speak with the Councillors?"
"Yes, but the rest of your people must stay outside of weapons range as a precaution."
The Admiral nodded her head in acknowledgement. "We will do that. Me and two of my fellow Admirals along with a few guards each will be heading down there in a short while."
Just before the communication was ended, the Matriarch heard one of her officers yell out, "massive energy readings off of the starboard side! They're off the charts!" She typed at her console furiously before she stopped and said "how can these ships be that large and not have an ounce of Eezo on them? That shouldn't be possible." The Asari paled before she stuttered out, "G-Goddess. How can they c-c-create ships t-that are five kilometers?"
The Admiral stated "and yet here they are. Also, for future reference, do not insult their intelligence or state that they are primitives since they don't use Element Zero. We are lucky that their Leader is lenient, otherwise he may have very well ordered the destruction of the ship that the culprit was on." She then ended the communication.
Turning to look at the Locust Fleet that had arrived, they were all surprised to see a sizeable fleet of seventy-seven ships appearing through what looked like white clockwise swirling circles of energy.
A few moments after both of the five kilometer warships came through, one of them hailed. Answering it, the Asari on the bridge saw a Locust that had hazel eyes like a Human with gold sclera and pale leathery skin. "We are here to exchange information with your Councillors. A few bodyguards and I will take a shuttle down shortly. If you will allow us, that is."
The Matriarch, along with all of the Asari on the Destiny Ascension, was stunned that he seemed like a decent person. After a few moments of silence he asked "you are not broken are you?"
Matriarch Lidanya's eyes widened before she shook her head and stuttered out, "n-no I am just surprised is all. I thought you would be-"
"Indecent, brutish, repulsive, vile creatures?" He chuckled. "No. I, or rather we, have lived far too long to be a species that is so tasteless. Do not worry, Matriarch I am not offended at all. Although I suppose that would be hard to process if the one that spoke with you told of what almost happened. But in any event, may we send a shuttle to dock with the Citadel?"
The Asari in question nodded. "Yes. You may land at docking bay D372 next to docking bay D371 where your allies will disembark. There will be some C-Sec officers there waiting for your arrival."
"Thank you, Matriarch." The Locust said before he bowed to her and ended the transmission.
Rise to Become Anew
Citadel
Docking Bay 372
Executor Pallin had gathered his best men with him to meet the new species. What they had been told-which wasn't exactly much-was that this species was new but seemed to be very knowledgeable. That wasn't what had the Executor of C-Sec worried about. Yes, every being with the right knowledge could be dangerous but what was on the First Contact Package from the Quarians was basic knowledge. No. What he was worried about was how the Council had described their leader. Or rather, how Councillor Sparatus had described the primitives leader. He had called them "good-for-nothing upstarts that need to be put in their rightful place."
Not that he disagreed with him, but Executor Pallin felt that something was going to happen. Even though he trusted the Council to do what was right for the most part, sometimes they didn't make the right decisions for everyone and seemed to be extremely paranoid about everything.
He was cut from his thoughts when he heard a noise that seemed low toned and also sounded like it was pulsating; not unlike a heart, just faster. Looking up, he and his fellow Security Officers saw a slightly oval-shaped black ship descending from the sky. The front showed something like black tinted transparent glass that couldn't be seen through. Before the bottom of the small craft touched the landing pad, six black, thick legs opened up from the bottom before they connected with the landing pad with a metal clang.
The craft looked to be eighteen meters tall from the widest part of the ship, being almost thirty meters long, and stood about four meters from the ground on the legs. A hissing sound came from the bottom of the craft before the bottom dropped down to the floor with seven beings on it. Six of them were covered from head to toe in heavy black armor, five of them stood six feet tall, and…was that leather armor?! Spirits they really were primitives if they still used something as ancient as that!
The sixth one stood as tall as the seventh at seven feet tall and wielded a staff with…what in the Spirits' name were guns with chainsaws doing on them?! To wield such a weapon would be extremely difficult for anyone! Just what kind of savage beings was this species?
The other seven foot tall figure though had an air of confidence and authority about him. While the five bodyguards - or that was what he pegged them as - stared at them with completely black eyes that unnerved him and his fellow officers, the leader had hazel eyes with gold sclera. Black armor like that of his guards covered everything except his head and a gold cape with a brown inside rested across his shoulders.
In his guards' hands rested some type of flat weapon, almost identical to the weapons on the ends of the staff except they had spiked bayonets on them instead of chainsaws. On each of their hips rested a silver pistol but as to what type it was no one knew. After they stepped off of the craft's landing pad it lifted back up into the ship while the lead Locust with his guard walked up to Executor Pallin and his guards.
Stopping a few feet from the line of Turians, the Locust Horde Leader placed his fist on his chest before bowing. "You must be my escort to see the Council. I am King Valrok."
The Turians hesitantly returned the gesture and Executor Pallin nodded and said "yes. I am Executor Pallin of C-Sec. You must be the newest species on the galactic level." It wasn't said in contempt but rather as a friendly welcoming.
"It is good to see more people instead of us being alone. Please escort us to your Council." He replied while gesturing for him to lead the way.
Executor Pallin nodded before he had his guards surround the Locust entourage and they started moving. As they walked, they got many looks from the multitude of species that were on the station. Most were curious and wary. Some of the Krogan that were on the station gave the newcomers grins that spoke of a coming fight.
When they reached the elevator, it had to be taken multiple times to get everyone up to the meeting place. Once they were all at the meeting place, the King ordered his guard, minus the only other Kantus there, to stay back with the rest of their escort and the Quarian guards. No other commands were given. The Kantus handed his weapon to one of the Locust guards before following his King up to the three Quarian Admirals and saluting to them. "It is swell to see that you are all well." He turned to the Council and continued. "This must be the Council that I have read about. A pleasure. My name is King Valrok of New Sera." He saluted to them as well.
The blue woman with white face paint that resembled a Human but with blue skin and tentacles instead of hair and wore a dark red dress, an Asari, said with a small smile on her face, "welcome to the Citadel, King Valrok. I am Councillor Tevos of the Asari Republics. Next to me is Councillor Jobol of the Salarian Union, and next to him is Councillor Sparatus of the Turian Hierarchy." The Salarian had large black eyes, resembled an amphibian, had a dark brown pigmentation, and wore dark ornamental robes. The Turian resembled an avian and had silver skin with hard frills in place of hair and wore some blue formal clothing.
"The Salarian Union you say? Interesting. I do believe that I talked to one of your people. Although, you probably were informed of what was said, am I correct? But I am getting off track as to why we are here." Turning to the three Quarian Admirals in the room, he asked "is there anything with which you would-"
He was interrupted by a rather loud scoff coming from one of the three Councillors. Turning his attention to the one that interrupted him, King Valrok looked at the Turian Councillor and asked "is there something you wish to say, Councillor?"
"You talk to us and then you dismiss us in favor to these," he gestured to the Quarians, "vagrants?"
He frowned. "If you are not careful, then your Turian Hierarchy could find itself in need of a new Councillor. As it stands I will let that one slide. But say something like that again and you will find yourself in dire straits." Turning back to the Quarians and ignoring the sputtering of an angry Councillor he said "continue."
They hesitated before Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh said "in the codex that you sent us on your people, we noticed that in it you mentioned Humanity. Are you saying that your species fought against Humanity? The same one that we have encountered?"
"That's absurd. How could there be two Humanities? It is simply impossible." Councillor Jobol objected.
King Valrok shook his head and stated "we have fought Humanity, yes. But even if they are the same as the Humans from Sera, we have no qualms with them. They are free to carry out their lives without fear of being attacked unprovoked by us. And to answer your question Councillor Jobol, nothing is impossible given enough time."
"Why did you attack the Humans inhabiting Sera with you? Couldn't you have allowed them to live in peace with you?" Tevos asked. "Even if they were aliens to you-"
"I'm going to stop you there, Councillor." King Valrok hissed out. "They may have been the aliens, but so were we. They are the ones that were in all likelihood forced onto that godforsaken planet."
Councillor Jobol narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? You act as if that planet was-however unlikely-cursed and that you were not there before the Humans."
"Very astute of you Councillor. We weren't there before the Humans. But they did help our arise. You see, in each Locust there is something we call Imulsion. It is this that gives us our longevity but it also has a drawback if one is overexposed to it." Without looking at the other Kantus, King Valrok ordered "bring up file 0713 through 0723 if you would General Skorge."
The only reply that was given was General Skorge activating his Omni-Tool and bringing up a list of files. Opening up the designated files, pictures of mutated creatures appeared with yellow glowing patches all over the bodies as well as yellow eyes and insides. "This is what happens when one is overexposed to Imulsion. They get turned into abominations of their former selves that only know how to kill."
Councillor Tevos' eyes widened in horror and she said "by the Goddess."
Councillor Jobol narrowed his eyes at a particular one and asked "what are the ones with the four tentacle-like appendages coming out of their back?"
"They are our Berserkers that were overexposed. They are very deadly and it takes a substantial amount of firepower to bring them down. We were assaulting a Seran settlement when a few of those showed up and started wreaking havoc on both of our forces. I will never forget what happened and I will honor those who sacrificed their lives for their cause to stop those abominations. It was one of the very few times that the COG and us actually worked together. After the Lambent were defeated, we left the Seran settlement alone and returned to our home."
Councillor Tevos stated "I thought that your Queen didn't accept failure?"
"I received my punishment."
An awkward silence fell afterwards and after a few moments Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema asked "is there anything that this Imulsion would be able to be used for that wouldn't be detrimental to those using or being used on?"
King Valrok said in a low tone, "if you want to bring the wrath of everyone in the galaxy down upon your head, then you will follow through with that thought. But just to let you know, you will not even be able to reach the Seran System. If you try then we will not hesitate to destroy you." Taking a deep breath, he then asked "are there any more inquiries?"
"What about the Serans? What reason did you have to eradicate them?" Councillor Tevos asked.
"With Queen Myrrah being the Leader of the Locust Horde at the time, she went to a Seran named Adam Fenix with a proposition. Build a device that would destroy the Lambent without killing off the Locust Horde, or invade the surface of Sera to ensure our survival. With the Pendulum Wars still going on at the time, Adam was tasked with also building a weapon that would end the Pendulum Wars once and for all. That weapon was called the Hammer of Dawn. This weapon, when used, scorched the surface of Sera and made the land uninhabitable. Back then it was a wide satellite array that covered all of space above Sera. A target designator was used as the focus for the weapon. A downside of it was that you couldn't use it if the satellite was out of range. When the countdown ended and Queen Myrrah decided that Adam's time to build the weapon was up, we invaded the surface in an event that the Serans, and us, named E-Day-short for Emergence Day. After cutting off the head of the snake, we burned the body to ashes. No Serans-or their settlements-survived. You can thank the Old Queen for that."
Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib inquired, "what are the uses of these satellites as of this moment?"
"If it is alright with you my King," General Skorge said, "I would prefer to keep that information abstruse."
"Why? Once you join us you will be giving your technology over t-" Councillor Jobol was cut off by King Valrok.
"I agree. We will not disclose it until further notice. On the subject of us joining your Citadel Council, we respectfully decline."
"Why not?" Councillor Tevos asked. "We are the center of all trade and-"
"You also condone slavery when your laws state otherwise. You genetically neutered an entire species which without their aid your Citadel Council in all likelihood wouldn't exist as of this moment, you are doing nothing to aid the Drell in their plea for help on their dying planet, the Quarians were driven off of their homeworld and you did nothing to aid them in their plight and they now sit stranded in ships that are deteriorating at an alarming rate, and you also limit everyone's naval size according to the Turians. Should I go on?"
No one talked for the longest time and a tense silence hung over the room. Finally, King Valrok continued. "We will not be joining your Citadel Council most likely no matter what you say. If the Batarian Hegemony raid our worlds, we will respond at the very least tenfold. We will aid the Krogan, Drell, and Quarians, and anyone else that wants to come to our space we will welcome them with open arms. No matter the species." Turning to the Quarians he told them, "any worlds that support dextro-amino life, we will terraform if need be for you. For the Krogan, we will cure the genophage and provide planets for them as well. For the Drell, planets will also be provided for them and all sicknesses will be cured. Their homeworld will be vacated and they will receive a new one of their choosing. Now, with that out of the way, I believe that our meeting has come to a close. Good day, Councillors." With that, the Locust and Quarian entourage exited the Meeting Hall and went back to their ships before making their way back to Locust Space.
Alright so that ends Chapter 4 of Divergent Paths! Leave a review for anything that has caught your mind or for a question that I didn't answer.
This has been Madrac. Signing off.