A/N: Yeah. I know. Over six damn months. I'm a bad author. I hadn't even realized it had been that long. –frowns– And I'm still not happy with how this chapter turned out. (And in previous chapters I had misspelled Myrddin as Myrrdin. Sorry.)
Anyway. Tell me who Ra should be paired with, or I'm going for a three-some or some xeno action :/ Or with no one just to make it easy.THERE'S A POLL ON MY FANFICTION DOT NET PROFILE FOR THE PAIRING.
And TELL ME if you want her to have an Animangus form or not. Otherwise she won't. Or she might. I haven't decided. But her kids do have their own forms, even if they can't cast spells – which doesn't mean they can't cast spells, just that they might not be able to.
This chapter is going to be a lot about HALLOW, and very little about the missions. In fact, I might just gloss over all of the missions except for the FOF one and the suicide one instead of trying to find a spot to detail them in. Unless you want a specific mission to be told, in which case TELL ME. (A curious sidenote for those who actually take the time to read this horridly long authors note: A 'quibbler' is also a purist. A perfectionist. Isn't that interesting?)
REMINDER: Shepard in this is a Soldier, Colonist, and both Sole Survivor/War Hero. He has the default appearance with bright blue eyes. Also a Paragade – willing to be ruthless against people who aren't innocent yet still gives them a chance, kind to those who are innocent.
WARNINGS: Out of Character-ness; Cursing; Oddness in general; mentions of alcohol, sex, etc; Violence; Possibility of Confused timelines by author; unbeta'd-ness; ungodly long ANs
Recommended: Buried in Water – Dead Man's Bones; Imperitix Mundi – Jo Blankenburg; I'm a God – In Strict Confidence
Secrets Shared
. . .
The girl's statement rang through the suddenly silent landing zone.
"You. . . told her?" Ira – or Cry, or whatever name she went by now – asked quietly, her strong voice suddenly weak.
"No! Of course I – " the captain of the Serenity tried to reassure, but he fell quiet.
John didn't understand. What did Hallow – Liara's friend? – have to do with Ira helping the young woman?
"She's a Reader, Ma. Made by the Alliance," the captain continued bitterly, blue eyes casting over the pale pilot. What the hell is going on? John wondered, completely confused. Malcolm's other companion – the dark-skinned woman – seemed to know, but it was hard to tell, sometimes.
"I guess you must've picked up the broadcast, gone to Mu," Malcolm continued quietly, making John strain to hear him again, "And. . . Mu told you I was still kicking. Guess I owe 'im another favour. It all came out 'cause've her, yanno. Never been more proud of a girl stickin' to what needed to be done."
John saw Ira smile slightly, also looking at the young woman, almost as if she were also proud. Odd. . .
"She wishes for HALLOW so she may stay with him," the girl suddenly spoke, making everyone look at her. Ira's proud look morphed into a flat mask.
"How much have you Read, child?" Ira – Cry? John would go with Cry for now – inquired, voice as flat as her expression. She stalked toward them, focused on them with an intensity that made John want to back away, but he stood his ground. If only so she wouldn't think he was afraid of her. Only afraid of what you could do, my friend, he thought grimly.
"I know HALLOW causes you and your blood pain. But . . . she cannot stand with him for so short a time when there is something she can do. Silver blood, ancient blood, singing songs for eternity. . . " the pilot trailed off.
Cry looked to her son – And it's still weird to think that, with Cry looking younger than her own son, John thought – a small furrow to her brow. "She wants it," his Phoenix noted.
"Mighty grateful she would, Ma, but she's seventeen," the captain replied meaningfully. Cry flinched, as if the number was significant – perhaps that's when she had Malcolm?
"No! She is River Tam. Smart, and a weapon in form of a girl. She must protect the man who saved her from hell," the pilot snapped out angrily, her face screwing up. A long, tense moment passed.
"Give yourself a few years, River Tam. Then, maybe. But I won't now," Cry eventually stated.
River's face relaxed. "Sh- I will. . . You promise?"
"I promise."
Z–Z
They spent a few hours groundside, before Cry explained her current mission to her son.
"What if you get trapped on the other side?" Malcolm demanded, cradling a small chirruping mech in his hands. Cry had produced it from somewhere in the first hour. Not worried about her dying?
She shrugged, though, and merely said, "Then I'll find a way back." They stared at each other a long moment. A sigh escaped her. "I will ask you to locate a Liara T'Soni through Mu, and alert her to move plans forward if I'm out of signal range for more than a week."
Malcolm's face was still contorted in a scowl, and he said something in harsh language John didn't recognize. Cry replied in kind, a frown on her face.
"So," John started, turning to the Tam girl, "Reader?"
"Minds are open to her. She hears what the people think, even if she does not wish to," the girl replied, large dark eyes studying him. "She can't understand yours. Don't worry. She likes the music." Music? "Mother is learning the music, but she isn't like yours."
Mother?! John scrubbed his face, feeling a headache forming as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Focus on all of this later. Ask Ira later. The Commander would rather hear her side before making any assumptions.
Finally, as the sun set for the planet they were on. Ira and her son said their goodbyes, leaving on their own transports. As soon as they got onto the Kodiak, John turned to Ira. "Who are you, really?" he asked, voice quiet.
She stood silent for a long moment, then a sigh fell from her lips and her eyes closed. "I'm a dead woman, John. I just happen to still be around to help the living." She turned away, trying to ignore him. He wouldn't let her.
"What do you mean?" The tone that came out was far harsher than he had intended, but he couldn't take it back.
"You heard Vigil. I'm over two-hundred years old, Commander, and I expected to die over a hundred and eighty years ago. I've had kids, yeah, and they don't need me anymore. Hell, I'm not needed by anyone, really. Just what the bloody fuck am I doing alive if I'm not needed?" she burst out, angry and yet tired.
The man had hardly a second to process all of what she said – that she was Ra – before his mouth started moving. A soft "I need you," escaped him, before he could think of what that could be taken as. Hell, he didn't even know what he had meant it as.
Ira visibly stiffened.
"Hell, Ra. . . Don't know why I hadn't noticed before, but Joker needed you, too – he's been better since we found you. Or, since you found us, I guess." Shepard paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "Fuck." He didn't know how to say this. "Ra, you're . . . someone I don't like living without. But why lie?"
The older woman flinched, then sighed softly. "I'm two centuries old, and I haven't stayed dead, Shep. I've gone by dozens of names and colours – that's all I can change you know." He white hair shifted to black, tan skin paling, eyes darkening to a near black brown. John's eyes widened in shock, both at the change and the 'staying dead' thing.
"I want to explain – to you and Joker, at least. But not until I'm absolutely positive Cerberus will not know of my past. I won't risk my children being hunted down by them, or my friends." John got the feeling friends came after family, no matter what. He studied her carefully.
"You were – are – Adhara, though?" he finally asked. She nodded. "And Joker knows?" Another nod. "Okay," he said with a rogue smirk, "I'll hold you to it."
–Z–Z–
Odd, how things could turn out. John didn't take her on every mission or job, though not for lack of want. He wanted to keep his crew in tip-top shape, after all. The side effects? Well, Chakwas now had a helper mech in the shape of a large butterfly that went by the name of Chou. The ship-side crew also seemed marginally less tense and Gardner's food became better. Fresh produce – Asari and Human, mostly, with some Turian for the dextro-amino based crew – found their way onboard. Stories about Cerberus' past atrocities began to crop up. About how even Humans weren't safe if they opposed Cerberus' anti-alien policies. Discontent about the Cerberus colours they flew began to rise, yet Miranda seemed oddly oblivious to it all. John merely smiled himself, doing nothing to quell the stories or discontent.
And then Tali's dossier came to Shepard. He ordered Joker to immediately set course for 'Haestrom' with barely another thought. He asked for Garrus, Mordin, and Ra – including her mechs, because this was serious danger – to join him on the ground, to be ready for possible Geth.
Ira met them at the Kodiak, a dull black mech-cube in her hands. John had only seen a few of them, as they were usually kept in a satchel when not in use. Chou also hovered along behind her, wings fluttering slowly.
"How many new mechs did you manage to make?" the Commander asked with some surprise. He hadn't thought he had given her that much time off. . .
"Only the three, sir," Ira stated. A short pause, and she ducked her head slightly, a smirk dancing on her lips. "And another is almost completed." Definitely proud. He couldn't blame her – building almost five mechs in the space of about a month (Has it already been that long since I woke up? Damn. . .) was a feat in itself, even if she already had all the materials and schematics prepared.
"How. . .?" Garrus trailed off, his voice incredulous.
"I don't sleep a normal schedule. Mostly due to lack of strenuous activity the past few weeks." Ira shrugged. "I had their plans and the supplies for them all ready, and . . . well, now we have a few more mechs."
John found himself shaking his head in exasperation. "Sorry if I bored you," he drawled teasingly.
"No, Commander. They were due to be constructed. The Normandy's need for them merely accelerated that," she assured him, a shrug lifting her shoulders. Silence fell as the four boarded the Kodiak bound for Haestrom's surface.
As soon as they were on the surface of Haestrom, Ira dropped two cubes – the dull black one and the one Shepard recognized as Kovu – and watched as they unfolded near-silently. As soon as they did, all three mechs took off ahead of them. She doesn't verbally order them anymore, John realized abruptly, trying to recall the last time he had heard her order her creations. Perhaps on Thane's recruitment mission? Yes. . . To find and secure all non-combatants after they first saw them being gunned down. But they had gone on at least half a dozen missions since.
While Kovu and Chou both strongly resembled larger versions of ordinary creatures, the new one didn't. It was dull matte black like its cube, about the size of an average large house cat, yet possessed deadly sharp-looking appendages similar to wings, but consisting of varying sharp petals instead of traditional wings. "That new one is . . . different," John said, voice tinged with curiosity. Ira glanced at the new mech.
"Pounce chose his form. The others were made to suit their form," Ira replied softly, "He wanted a form that could move easily. I gave him it."
"So what's he called? And what does he do?" Garrus asked.
Ira frowned behind her helmet, unsure of how to answer. "Mostly a combat sentry, compared to Kovu's melee-based tactics. Interrupts communications, attacks from afar using directed plasma, but can still hold his own in CQC if necessary," she finally answered.
"Directed plasma? That's. . . possible?" the Turian wondered, mandibles flaring in shock.
"Geth utilize directed plasma in their Colossi," Mordin pointed out, "Curious as to how Phoenix obtained such technology."
The Salarian would have continued, but Ira spoke up when he paused, fully aware of how he would go into a long theorizing session if not stopped. "Just because every other race is perfectly content with relying on a technology we don't fully understand doesn't mean the Phoenix will. What'll happen when all of the element zero is used up?" That made everyone fall silent, realization setting in for them.
The reason the Rim systems were completely isolated was because of that very thing – the Humans wanted to see if they could advance on their own, without using any eezo. Without using help from the majority of the galactic community. And they could. So they continued as such, trying to develop to a comparable technology level as the whole, but not quite reaching it yet.
"Do. . . Do you make the AIs yourself?" John asked, wanting to get away from that particular topic. Ira shrugged slightly.
"Most," she admitted, "Not. . . all. Some are advanced VIs made into AIs by me, or found as self-made AIs by allies. Pounce in particular was found on the Citadel by a friend, before I had even met you. His software remained all intact, but we had to relocate him to a smaller bluebox. His personality wasn't changed too severely, thankfully."
Well, that topic change wasn't very successful, John mused, now wondering how she managed to move an AI stationed in one bluebox to another without completely changing its personality. He refocused on the surrounding area, frowning when he saw dark Quarian red blood on the ground as well as Geth-white, yet there were no bodies of either kind.
"This is why you asked Chakwas for Chou. You knew there would be injured Quarians," Garrus said, voice oddly sharp.
"Yes." The reply was simple, flat even. John felt the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"You knew, for certain, that we would encounter Geth, yet you didn't warn us?" he asked before Garrus could formulate a response.
"We're in known Geth territory. I thought fighting Geth would be obvious," Ira replied, confusion tingeing her tone. They had never not known what they were getting into before – why would they want clarification now?
John opened his mouth to reply, but realized she was, in fact, correct. They knew they would be in Geth territory, and they usually assumed things would go to shit at some point in time. "Right. Sorry. Just. . . on edge."
"-Hurry up!-" a voice hissed in their ears, distinctly male. Ira immediately started moving again, towards the blast doors.
"We're outside. Can you open the doors without compromising anyone?" she demanded, tilting her head slightly. The other three of the ground team exchanged looks, confused, but assuming the voice had been one of Ira's AIs.
"-No.-"
Ira rolled her shoulders, staring at the dented metal doors. No interface popped up, and she wasn't getting a signal from it. "Very well." She glanced back at them, her fist glowing a dark blue, slowly enveloping her whole body. "One distraction incoming. Commander, you'll want to circle to the right, where the Quarians are pinned. I'll go right and buy time for them to be evacuated." At his nod, Ira lunged at the doors, making them crumple more, falling with little resistance.
"RAAAAGH!" Ira bellowed, lunging at the Geth Prime she saw, blotting out the existence of everything but her objective. She didn't see wide eyes directed at her, nor did she care that she left crumpled heaps of metal behind her.
"She's . . . angry," Garrus murmured in surprise. John nodded, trying to think back on what could have made her angry, but nothing came up.
"It's nice to see more friendly faces." The Commander turned to the Quarian that had spoken. The Geth had turned away from all the Quarians – numbering just over half a dozen – to deal with Ira, with little luck. She had even managed to find time to snap a large curved shield over the entrance they were taking a hold in.
"She's. . . not usually like this," John said, waving towards Ira, who was shouting incoherently as she decimated the offending Geth.
"They choose to serve Nazara. Therefore, they die." Everyone turned to Chou, startled by its sudden statement. It hovered over one of many injured Quarians, thin silver legs brushing over the wounds, applying medigel, removing metal slivers, or sewing them up as needed, yet it was turned slightly to look at them.
"Nazara?" the Quarian and Shepard chimed.
"The one Saren calls Sovereign. Its designation to these Geth is Nazara," the mech replied, its tone hesitant but its pale blue optics were wide in what could be called worry.
Shepard looked back at Ira, marveling. She was two-hundred years old. She had been in more wars than him, more combat. . . And her current style was brutal, effective, even against the Geth. He did wonder if all Geth served Sovereign, 'Nazara', or just. . . some. It was something to think about.
Two-hundred years old, being alone, and yet she was still here to help when needed. John wasn't sure if he could have done that. But, he couldn't really imagine her not helping them. Everything would have turned out worse – he could have been forced to remain under Cerberus' thumb, these Quarians would probably be dead, Garrus might have died before he had even managed to be 'recruited' as Archangel. . . Would he have even heard of Phoenix?
"So, why is Zenku here now?" the Quarian asked, disrupting John's chaotic thinking.
He started to correct him, but Chou spoke first. "Leader was worried when Machinist failed to report in. Spectre Shepard was kind enough to come with us, wishing to recruit Tali'Zorah vas Neema for a mission."
John was . . . not happy. Very not happy, actually. So she's Zenku, too? He thought to himself angrily, but held his tongue. From the reception on Horizon, he knew that Zenku was better than Cerberus. Why can't she trust me with this?
"Ah. We all owe both of you our lives then. I am Corporal Sin'Kirnay vas Moreh. Pounce vas Marauder has gone ahead, to assist Sergeant Kal'Reegar vas Leoni."
Shepard's omnitool beeped softly, making him frown as he turned to look at it briefly. 'Please, forgive me for withholding that information. For now, let me take control of this. – Ra' He glanced up at Ira, still angry but willing to trust her with this, even if she didn't trust him yet.
"The Quarians are allies to Zenku, Corporal Sin," Ira said – not-Ira, different voice patterns, accent. . . John wondered if she was always like this, having herself be a different person around different people, or if that was new – almost gently, a slightly familiar rolling accent replacing the harsher clipped one, "You owe us nothing. I do wish the Flotilla had warned us they were going into known Geth territory, however. We could have saved more . . ." She said more, platitudes, assuring them Chou would do as much as she could to save the injured Quarians, then they moved on.
John waited until they were out of range of the team of Quarians behind them to speak. "So, Zenku, too?" he asked stiffly.
"You didn't recognize me on Illium?" Ra replied, voice still in 'Zenku' mode.
He hadn't. Gorram son of a. . . Okay, then. Adhara was Aegis who was also Hallow. Liara's boss. "I don't do subtlety very well, Ira. I couldn't even recognize you as Ra," he said slowly, shoving down the urge to hit his head against a wall.
She slumped slightly. "Sorry, sir. I'll. . . When I can, I'll brief you on recent aliases and affiliations." Ra knew, even if Shepard didn't realize it, how it felt to be thrown through a sudden realization, one after another. It wasn't pleasant, by any means.
John merely shook his head. "Later. I realize you've probably had to rely on yourself the entire time before now, but you have to trust us, alright? We have to work together and all be at our best in order to survive what's coming." He hardly noticed his wording. Survive. Not live through, not beat, but survive.
"I can do that. I can trust you, I know that, Shepard. Just promise me we'll paint the Normandy different colours – before we go through the Relay." A puzzled look crossed the Commander's face, as well as the others of the team. This wasn't really the place to discuss this, but as they were so far in the clear. . .
"What do you suggest?" he asked.
Ira tilted up her omnitool, displaying a simple symbol – a green triangle bisected by a white line, and encasing a grey circle. "Zenku. . . I remade it to help against the Reapers. I want to give those you trust a place in it, away from Cerberus. But Zenku is anti-Cerberus, and very thorough when clearing new personnel. Any you put forth that are still loyal to Cerberus and not you. . . will be put in isolation, and not allowed to fight."
John tilted his head. He knew the Alliance and even the Council did not believe him about the Reapers. They would do nothing until it was too late. This was, by no means, an easy decision.
"I. . ." he started slowly, "I trust you – you know the Reapers exist. You want to do something about that. So. . . alright. I'll join. But everyone else will have to decide for themselves."
Ira's form relaxed, just enough to be seen.
Garrus and Mordin exchanged a quick glance, then also spoke up. "You saved my life more than once, and I've heard nothing but good from Massani. I'll be honoured if you let me join now," the Turian said quietly. Ira nodded to him, but then Mordin began to speak.
"Have also heard much of Zenku. Recruiters may be gruff, but . . . kind, as are its forces when necessary. We are able to leave, if we deem it necessary?" the Professor asked. Again, Ira nodded. "Then I shall see this organization myself. I accept your offer."
John was actually quite surprised by how the journey to Haestrom had so far turned out. Ira was Zenku, and now so was he. The Quarians were allies, if not members, of Zenku. . .
"-Ground Team, step up the pace. We are pinned down by a Colossus and two rifle platoons. I am not enough to protect everyone and disable the Colossus!-" a male voice snapped through the comms.
Ira cursed faintly, then drew out two additional cubes, dropping them with a dull clank from each. They unfolded to be Moony and Prongs. Without a word from their creator, the trio of mechs – Kovu, Moony, and Prongs – leapt away at inhuman speeds.
John and his team followed as quickly as they could without exhausting themselves before getting into battle. Not a word was said between them.
It didn't take long for them to find Kal'Reegar's team. There were only five of them, all pinned down by Geth weapon-fire.
"Leader!" Kal'Reegar snapped a salute to Ira, then cast a look over the others.
"Sergeant. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," she said, crouching next to a Quarian female that was clutching her abdomen, blood seeping through her hand. She brought her omnitool – Prothean green instead of the common orange or the blue he had come to associate with Ira's – and typed a quick message. "The others as well as our medic will be moving up as quickly as possible. I need all of your injured to move back into the security room behind us," she ordered quietly. The Quarians started to move, helping the injured back up to the room.
Kal'Reegar stayed behind a moment to pass Ira his missile launcher. "Good luck, ma'am," he said, giving her another salute. Ira returned it.
"Stay safe, Sergeant Kal. We'll have Machinist out and safe soon."
"So," John started, "Who's Machinist?" Silver glinted in the corner of his eye, making him turn to see Prongs impaling a Geth on his horns, then twisting in a feat of movement to kick a Geth Prime with his hind legs, sending it flying almost a dozen feet.
"Shepard. . ." Ira sighed faintly, nearly inaudible. "Liara wasn't the only one I recruited after you left. I realized after speaking to Tali on the original Normandy just how bad they had it, and offered them a hand with things. She joined Zenku and became Machinist."
"Oh," the Commander said, feeling suddenly stupid. Of course Liara wasn't the only one. A small frown flickered on his face. Who else did he know that was recruited into Zenku, without his knowledge?
"Wrex is a big-time supporter of Zenku," Ira continued, a small grunt leaving her mouth as she struck out with biotics against the Geth trying to swarm her, "Advocates us instead of Bloodpack, as we take care of our own. He's not a part of Zenku, himself, but . . . well, hard to argue with the near-disbanded stated of the Bloodpack now."
"-I've almost finished rerouting the Colossus' power,-" a male voice said into their comms, "-I would suggest taking cover.-"
"Pounce, we need that Colossus away from the door, we do not want the building to collapse onto Machinist!" Ira yelled back through her own radio.
"-Moony and Prongs are doing that. Don't worry, Mother, we know what we're doing,-" the mech replied, startling everyone with his use of 'Mother'.
Everyone took cover where they could, Ira ignoring her sudden internal panic at being called the AI's mother. An enormous explosion occurred on the other side of the area, but the ominous shriek of metal made Shepard's team pause in their advance. The bridge between their section and Tali's was partially destroyed, clinging delicately to the opposite side.
"I'm going to go on ahead and ensure she's alright. Can you all try to find a different way around?" Ira asked, tilting her head at the other three.
"Yeah. Go on," John said, diverting from his original path to loop around to the side. With a small jump and a flash of biotics, Ira was on the other side, jogging past the Colossus corpse.
"Leader?" Tali asked in surprise as Ra entered the ruins.
"Machinist," Ra greeted quietly, eyes darting down to the mech that had sent the SOS as soon as she was within range, "Slyther tells me you've been busy."
Tali nodded. "I wanted to bring Zenku in, if only for additional security, but the Admirals overruled me."
"It's not your fault. I'll just have to speak with the Admirals later, perhaps when we go to drop you and your team off to the Flotilla," Ra reassured her, glancing around the room. She approached on of the old consoles, fingers dancing over the interfaces despite the fact that it was in old Khelish.
"Hold on, how are you doing that?" Tali asked, just as the door slid open again to admit John, Mordin, and Garrus.
"Hey, Tali, you alright?" John asked, saving Ira the need to explain herself.
As Shepard, Garrus, and Tali began to speak amongst themselves, Ra concentrated on her distraction. Data on the old Quarians – and their Geth – was available, if one dug deep enough. The history of the Quarians and the Geth was a sad one. So much culture lost due to fear. . . And the Council's actions in response were deplorable, displaying a distinct lack of care and proper judgment. With a final keystroke, Ra downloaded ancient music – and history – to her omnitool.
As they left – the Quarians gathering on their own dropship, as the Kodiak could not carry all of them – John put a hand on Ra's shoulder. "We need to tell everyone something," he said quietly. Ira frowned slightly, tilting her head. She didn't understand why they had to tell everyone something, but. . . she would, if only at John's insistence. It wasn't like they could kill her.
"I'm not going to tell them I'm the leader of Zenku," she murmured in return, "But I'll think of something that hopefully won't result in being hunted down."
As Tali and Shepard said their goodbyes to the Quarians – whose dropship had been escorted by the Normandy back to the Flotilla, which was only a system or two away precisely so they could pick up the team when they had finished – Ira prepared what she was going to tell the ground team. She collected her medical data from Chakwas, just in case, and had EDI send a message to all of the ground team, including Shepard and Tali, to gather in the cargo hold. Hopefully Joker would be listening in, as he usually did.
"What the fuck are we all doing here?" Jack asked, a fierce scowl on her face as she looked around at everyone. Ira said nothing yet, merely staring at them from her position on one of the crates. Nearly everyone was present, except for Shepard, Lawson, and Taylor. She could guess why.
Finally, the late trio stepped into the cargo bay, Taylor and Lawson oddly stiff, but Shepard himself had the walk of a predator, languid and sure of his power. He prowled up to Ra, giving her the go-ahead.
"How old do you – any of you – think I am?" Ra asked first, looking over the crowd. Confusion was evident on their faces.
"About the same age as Shepard?" Miranda answered, her usual indifference overwritten by confusion at the absurd question.
"Anyone else?" No one offered a different opinion. Alright, this is. . . a lot harder than I had thought it would be. . . "Did you know Humans had been studied by Protheans?" Ra asked, "Some of the more advanced actually being inducted into their Empire?"
"That's bullshit," Jack scoffed uncertainly. In reply, Ira let her eyes shift to a vibrant gold colour, tilting her head slightly.
"We had many things that are unexplained, mostly the origins of the tales of so-called magic. Of strange beasts found on Earth. Those were caused by the Protheans, then passed down through the eons. Earth was called Myrddin, according to Vigil. Are any of you familiar with that name?" Ra inquired gently, looking mostly at the Humans.
"Myrddin had been the name of a sorcerer, was it not? Originating long before Humans had even discovered all of their planet," Samara replied, her head tilted slightly.
"Myrddin was the name of the Prothean General who had conquered the primitive Earth sentients known as 'Wizen'. He eventually went into cryonic stasis on his planet, and would have been forcibly awoken about the same time this 'sorcerer' was estimated to have existed due to power failing." Ra sighed, pinching her nose bridge as she tried to explain in a way to garner everyone's understanding.
"He ruled over the remainder of the Wizen, which had interbred with Humans when the Protheans did not return and Wizen numbers declined. Eventually, he died. The Wizen did not. They still exist, albeit in ever declining numbers due largely to the prevalent wars over blood purity. I am one of few that ever manage to make it off of Earth alive," Ra explained. Truth. Mostly truth, with some lies. That's how you make people believe you.
"How can we trust that what you are saying is truth?" Thane asked, staring at her unblinkingly.
Ra shrugged. "I can offer you the truth as how I have learned it. It would be up to you to decide if you believe it, but I must insist you do not tell anyone else of this. No one."
"Alright. Let's say you actually are part of a dying race that has existed since before the disappearance of the fucking Protheans. Why tell us this, and why ask us how old we thought you were?" Jack demanded suspiciously.
"Shepard wanted me to tell you, to alleviate any rising confusion as we fight the Collectors and then the Reapers," Ra replied promptly, letting her eyes fade back to the grey the crew had come to known.
"What confusion? You act fully Human," Taylor asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"The injuries incurred from the creature – Praetorian, I believe they're calling it – on Horizon would have killed any one of you. Even Grunt. Sometimes what should kill, doesn't. I don't know why, so please do not ask me." Ra reached up to rub her face. "I can blend into the Humans with a colour shifting ability, sometimes catch glimpses of thoughts or intentions, even from non-Wizen and non-Humans. I only know of a few of the technical differences, I'm afraid. I'm also. . . old. Sometimes forgetful, but I have experienced much. Wars included."
"And you do not wish to be left behind if you may be alive," Samara offered quietly.
"No. Emphatically and most insistently no. I'm telling you all how I'm different, or how I may survive where you do not so you don't try to save me. I will not have you risking your lives to try and rescue me when I could save myself. Even if it means leaving me on the Collector base. I have lived through peace and war, and I am content to die doing something like this," Ra replied, her voice harsher than she had originally intended.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Jack demanded loudly, before anyone else could speak. "At very least, the goddamn King of the Boyscouts right fucking next to you won't leave you behind. The Justicar would be honour-bound to save your skin if she had the fucking chance!"
Ra recoiled in shock at the vehement reply, then rapidly shook her head, refusing to look at Shepard. "I don't think so. You'd risk yourselves and whoever was with you if you tried to save me. I've already come to terms with the fact that I might be trapped on the other side of the Relay, and I'm confident I could find my way back with time, if I survive. I can't promise that for anyone who may be stuck with me."
"That doesn't matter, because no one gets left behind," Shepard nearly snarled.
"Don't make a girl a promise you know you can't keep, John," Ra said flatly, "You wanted me to tell them. I told them. I will not be chosen over them and I will not be responsible for their deaths. Do you understand?"
Shepard found he couldn't answer her.
Ra looked over the ground team, eyes flat. "I've told you what I intended. Believe it if you like. If you breathe a word of what I am outside of this group, I'll hunt you down. My kind does not want to be exposed and does not want experiments being conducted on their already limited number. Good day."
The Phoenix – Zenku? – pushed herself off of the crate she had sat upon, stalking stiffly out of the cargo bay. As the elevator slid shut, she heard questions being directed to Shepard.
–Z–
It was just after Ra – Cry, at the time – had found out she was pregnant that she lost the one thing that had held her together throughout the Blood War. Her husband, Viktor.
Early 1998. The War was slowing down – the Purists were losing. And they knew it. Desperation had begun to taint their actions. Only one person had the cure for the Collar, as it was colloquially known, and he was not willing to give it up. Voldemort ordered strike team after strike team to annihilate the Saviour, and every one of them failed. . . But they picked off her friends. People she considered family.
A group of six – Cry, Viktor, Gabrielle, Luna, Padma, and Cormac – slid through the countryside of northern England like ghosts. "We shouldn't have come this way," Padma said, huffing slightly as she tried to keep up with the longer strides of Viktor, Cormac, and Cry, "It brushes far too close to Rowle's mansion."
"We had no choice. They were boxing us in," Cormac snapped. They couldn't apparate, either. Wards to prevent portkeying and apparition had been cropping up all over the country, and now you couldn't use either method to get around without risking injury. The Purists were losing, yes. . . but the Defense couldn't keep up this fight for much longer. With the Purists killing any who opposed them – as to the Defense's non-lethal tactics when possible – their numbers were being decimated.
"Shut up and run!" Viktor snarled at them, dark eyes glaring up at the partially full moon, then leading the group in a slightly different direction.
They all ran for another fifteen minutes, then slowed slightly to allow rest even as they continued running. Except, it all went to hell.
"I found them! Get your wands trained on the Demons, take them out before they escape!" The voice cracked through the chilly night air, shocking the group.
"They found us! Corsair, Siren, get Marauder out of here! Cerynitis, Lotus, I want you both covering their exit and then evacuating as soon as they are safe," Viktor snarled lowly, first to Cormac and Gabrielle, then to Luna and Padma.
"Get your hands off of me, I won't leave Kovu behind!" Cry growled at Cormac and Gabrielle, trying to yank her arms out of their grasp.
"And I'm not letting you risk our children," Viktor hissed lowly, stepping close to her. Her eyes widened in shock, and then sadness. Family was important to both of them, for different reasons, but still very important. "I promise, I'll meet you at the rendezvous. All of you. I want to see my children born," he insisted more gently.
"Be careful. Let's go you two," Cry conceded quietly, taking off at a sprint. The fourteen year old Veela and the twenty year old ex-Hogwarts student followed at a similar pace. Cry didn't want to think about the possibility of him not making it.
When the 'Demons' – as the Purist so mockingly called them – finally regrouped, Cerynitis presented a gently curved wand to Marauder, eyes downcast. The once soft grey wood was stained in at least one area by something dark. Blood.
"He. . . But he promised," Cry had offered numbly, not wanting to comprehend what had happened to him.
"He tried to keep his promise," Luna assured softly, still incapable of looking Cry in the eye.
"But he took a spell for me," Padma nearly sobbed out, "I'm sorry, Cry, I'm so sorry!"
Cry didn't speak, merely sliding bonelessly to the ground, arms wrapped around her middle, wands – her holly and Viktor's hornbeam – clutched so tightly that she would find imprints of the handles upon her hands when she finally let go.
But he promised, she repeated to herself, over and over.
Ira gently put the hornbeam wand back in her mokeskin pouch, a sigh leaving her lips. She had her reasons to act the way she did. All Ra wished was that they trusted her enough to listen those reasons. And how to prevent us from losing this war. . .
–Z–
Eventually, Ra approached the cockpit, where Joker and Shepard currently were. When they turned to her, she finally spoke. "We need to talk," her eyes glanced over to Joker, "All three of us."
With some confusion, the two men followed her to the elevator. "Is your cabin alright, Shepard?" Ira asked. In reply, the man pressed the button for it.
"Is something wrong?" Shepard asked in concern, sharing a quick look with his pilot.
"Well, people are being killed by Collectors, the Reapers are going to kill more, Cerberus is still around. . . You'll have to be more specific, sir," Ra replied flatly.
"You know what he meant, ninja," Joker grumbled.
Ira heaved a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry. It's been a very hard day."
The trio stepped off into the cabin, Joker immediately gravitating to the couch, Shepard trailing after him, and Ra following Shepard.
"Figured I'd just come out and say it. I can't die by conventional means," she said, letting her eyes wander around the room. It hardly looked like a living space. Too clean, too . . . not lived in.
"What?" Joker asked flatly, his eyes narrowed.
Ra started to pace.
"As Shepard already knows, I don't have the lifespan of a Human. Thing is, I don't have the lifespan of a Wizen either. Wizen tended to live about two hundred years – I passed that mark five years ago, and I still remain in my prime," she explained, "Using the datadisks Vigil had given me on Ilos, I was able to determine the cause of this: An experimental nanotechnology created by the Protheans in an attempt to better fight the Reapers. I found the prototype on Earth, separated into three parts in order to prevent accidental activation."
Her lips twisted in a slight sneer. "My people thought them to be objects of power untold, and if one could gather all three, they would master Death. Well, I'm still alive. Death is basically ignored. I've been killed more than I would like to admit, and eventually discovered that I gain more powerful biotics with each full death. Why, I'm not sure. This project was codenamed HALLOW, and made by a Prothean called Verell." Ra paused, looking over both of them.
"I'm telling you this," she continued when they remained silent, "Because I can transfer HALLOW. That is what the young woman in the company of my son wanted, Shepard. All three of my children are cursed to be frozen as they are once they reach a certain age, and will not die from disease, poisons, or age-related reasons. She wanted to stay with him until he died, to protect him both from himself and the universe."
They could see where she might have been going with this.
"I want to give you HALLOW in order to fight the Reapers."
"Why us?" John demanded first, rousing himself from the information overload.
"It makes sense," Joker said before Ra could explain, "I mean, you're the big damn hero, Shepard, and I'm the best goddamn pilot in the galaxy. And what are Reapers? Ships."
"You both dominate in your fields – Joker can fly the best, and you are the best leader I've ever seen, Shepard," Ra confirmed, "And I strongly believe that if either of you are lost, our chances of surviving the oncoming storm are a lot slimmer."
The men turned speculative.
"What else can we expect from HALLOW? Aside from immortality and eventual biotics?" Joker asked, tilting his head at her.
"Pros. . . well, all injuries would heal rapidly. The more severe, the more likely HALLOW will actually show itself. No need to worry about common diseases of any species, drugs tend to not work properly. Includes caffeine and painkillers, unfortunately," Ra explained, "And. . . With some practice, you can usually tell where someone is, if they also have HALLOW and if they are within a star-system."
"And cons?" Shepard asked cautiously.
"I . . . You'll have to watch your family age. Society will change around you. You will not be able to die so long as HALLOW is inside of you – and if you do wish to die, I'll have to kill it and you to grant you death. I'm not sure if children produced by a HALLOWed man have it, either. It's possible you'll lose yourself, with time. It also won't heal any injuries you were born with or received prior to age five, hence why I'm still blind in my right eye. You'll generally be sturdier, though, so I'm not sure if it'll cure you, Joker."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" the pilot asked, hurt in his voice. Any possibility that his Vrolik's could be cured had to be worth it, didn't it?
"Because I don't want to force anyone into being HALLOWed merely because it might cure your brittle bones," Ra replied gently, "We have been researching ways to at least nullify the effects of Vrolik's even before I met either of you, and the furthest we got was an expensive procedure to install carbon nanotubing into your bones, which could still be rejected."
"We?"
"Phoenix, mostly. Some of the Zenku scientists were also working on it as a side project, when they found out Joker had Vrolik's," she explained, standing in front of them.
"I want you both to think about this – if you have family, you will have to stop seeing them after about a decade, because you will not have aged. They will ask questions, questions you can't answer without risking everyone who has already been HALLOWed, including my children, and yourselves. If Cerberus found out about this, they would try to take me apart to get at the damn thing." A small grimace graced her face.
"You would have to remain out of public eye, at least until I can craft something to help disguise you – you might not have to stay away from your families after a decade, actually, if I can just. . ." Ra shook her head. This wasn't the time to think about things like that. "There's also the trauma of dying in combat that you'll have to watch out for. . ." Ra hesitated briefly, then continued. "Due to having broken my neck a number of times, I don't like it when people touch my neck. I usually don't like anyone touching any of my scars, either. Most of the time, you'll only receive scars from a mortal injury, or, in my case, I transfer-scar."
They frowned, thinking.
"What's a 'transfer scar'?" Joker asked.
"HALLOW . . . when I found it, the project wasn't intended to be transferable from one person to another. I found out it still could be transferred by accident – namely, a friend of mine being seriously injured alongside me, but he would die and I wouldn't due to HALLOW. Some of it transferred to him, and kept him alive." Not that it mattered in the end, because he asked to die after his wife did. Stubborn fool.
"Just. . . Think about it, okay?" she offered, "Until you need me, I'll be working on the Marauders." Her mechs, so lovingly named after her father's group.
"Alright. Thanks for sharing with us, Hera," Joker said sincerely. Ra could only smile at the nickname, especially as she now knew her son was alive.
"I'll talk to you both later." She left, leaving the two of them to talk.
"What do you think, Shepard?" the pilot asked quietly.
"I think you should call me John. And I think I'm going to do it." The Commander rubbed his face. "It's just. . . I'm not doing it only for the Reapers. You saw how lonely she was, didn't you? Hell, she'd be alone for centuries if she didn't find people who cared for her."
"I know, Commander," Jeff replied, sighing heavily. "Just to make her know she can trust us with this kinda stuff is worth it, wouldn't it be?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it would be," John replied, tugging teasingly on Joker's hat. "So, you want her, too?"
Jeff scoffed, "You'd be a goddamn idiot to not want to be with her. She actually cares about everyone. If she didn't she would have just hid herself on Earth or some remote planet. And you would still be dead."
"What?" the Commander asked in shock.
"Yeah. She's the one that came up with the idea to use Cerberus to revive you – Phoenix wouldn't due to the morality of it. Zenku might not have been enough. But with Cerberus doing it, she could also take the time to finally destroy the damn organization and make sure you came back right. She didn't tell you?" the helmsman asked in confusion.
"No. . . It probably slipped her mind or something. . ." John said halfheartedly.
"We'll ask her when we give her our answers," Jeff offered.
"Alright. Now then, do you know how to put these damn model ships together? I thought I would try it out as a hobby – but I can't figure them out," John said, gesturing to the clutter of parts on the table.
The pilot laughed slightly. "Yeah, Commander, I can help you out."
–Zenku–Zenku–Zenku–
A/N: Fair bit longer than previous chapters.
For Ra's group in her little memory, I went with codenames that I felt fit or were associated with their own names. Cormac got Corsair, because I felt his character was willing to do nasty things in canon, not to mention his eating habits. Gabrielle got Siren, because of the striking scene in the movie with her underwater and a Veela's Allure. Luna was called Cerynitis due to the Ceryneain Hind, a sacred animal to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon. Padma was Lotus, due to the Padma (a lotus flower) being important in Hinduism, a significant religion in India. Viktor's Kovu codename comes from scar he received while playing against the national team of Africa (made by my will P: ). Ra's 'Marauder' should be fairly obvious.
I couldn't really think of a symbol for Zenku, as I apparently suck at new things like that. I kind of thought of doing a curved trident inside of a triangle – or just the Hallows' symbol with the circle moved up towards the top so it was only partially visible inside the triangle, but that would have taken a lot to explain. So I defaulted to a symbol almost everyone should be able to visualize easily.
My reasoning for the colouration differences between them is this: Green symbolizes life – the brother who wore the cloak lived longest; White for wholeness/completion, which in this fic is only achievable via power, which the Elder Wand represents; Grey for a middle ground of white and black, of purity and secrets, the circle being more important than the stone itself as a circle represents unity.
Also. . . the mechs. In an earlier chapter, more specifically when Ira/Mecha/Aegis was introduced, they were supposed to be shown folding up into cubes about as big as a fist. I don't seem to have included that, likely leading to confusion as to their transportation. So I included it here.
I have a list of AIs made by Ira – their name, form, primary function, and if they are currently active. Hope it helps.
KOVU: based off of an Earth panther but about half-again as large. Named after Viktor Krum's animangus form and even modeled after it. Primary function is close quarter combat and heavy vehicle disabling. Currently active.
MOONY: Based off of a werewolf – Remus Lupin's wolf form to be exact. Similar to Kovu, but has more speed and is intended to be a skirmisher, distracting most opposition from his creator and her team. Currently active.
PADFOOT: Based off of Sirius Black's animangus form, but half again as big. Not as fast or as large as Moony or Kovu, he instead focuses on one target at a time, taking them down with brutal tactics. Currently active.
PRONGS: Yet another based off of the Marauders, Prongs is modeled after a large stag intending to represent Ira's father. Prongs' function is to scatter groups of enemies, to make them an easier target for Ira, Padfoot, and Moony. Currently active.
ALUCARD: Alucard was made when Ira was just getting out of the Machine War, after her first two children had been forcibly exiled. She had been angry and far more bitter than she is now, and that transferred over to Alucard's own attitude, rendering him cynical and uncaring of most others. He has a soft spot for his creator, as well as Liara T'Soni for unknown reasons. He is a vicious AI, intended to rip apart any opposition, utilizing any tactics necessary – even use of hardlight and plasma weaponry, which Ira has only installed on two other known mechs. Currently with Liara T'Soni/the Informer.
CHOU: Modeled after a Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Chou is at least twice as large as the Earth butterfly. She – one of the few female AIs Ira has created – is also intended to be able to treat any field injury well enough to stabilize the patient until further treatment. She is capable of deploying a small hardlight shield around herself and her patient and defense via small laser weapons – which double as medical sterilization units – and a single plasma laser located in her 'mouth'/proboscis. Currently active.
POUNCE: Pounce is the size of a large housecat, possessing sharp 'wings' made from thin sheets of alloy metal. He is unique, in being the only AI not created by Ira, but instead given a platform by her. He had been created by a VI who was made by a man wishing to siphon money from Flux's quasar machines, being discovered by Nihlus Kryik. Nihlus confronted the AI, and offered to find a way to move due to his friendship with the then-Phoenix 'Grim Reaper'/Adhara Grimm. The unnamed AI had realized it was being given a chance, and accepted Nihlus' offer, being transferred to a different temporary platform. The AI was lucky that it was mostly created with software instead of hardware, like most other AIs, and thus retained the majority of his personality and memory – as well as a staunch loyalty for Ira. Currently active.
SUGAR: So named after the sugar glider – a mammal originating on Earth – it is based off of Malcolm Reynold's little-used animangus form. It is a tiny thing, the same size as a typical sugar glider, and there only to provide communications/comfort to Malcolm to and from his mother. He is fully capable of knocking a full-grown man out via electrical shocks or an intravenous dose of modified Kolokol-1. Currently active.
SLYTHER: Tali'Zorah vas Neema's small snake-based AI platform, intended to provide a link between Zenku and the Quarian's Flotilla. Excels at gathering information from any source. Usually worn as 'jewelry' by Tali, in order to preserve the secret of her existence. Currently active.
There. All available mechs as of the end of this chapter. Yes, I also provided a little extra background information, and neglected some appearance details. There are others, namely the mechs possessed by the head of each branch of Zenku, similar to Slyther, but I'm not going into detail with them yet.
So, now that this is finished, I would love it if you PM'd me or reviewed if there was any confusion in this chapter or previous ones.
Have a good one, my readers.
21-9-13: Fixed a number of mistakes. Please tell me if you notice any others. – K9