And so this chapter is Beta'd, Everyone please thanks Rosamanelle for his hard-working.
Chapter 4: Prothean is love, Prothean is life
John Shepard grinned inwardly as he finished turning in his weapons and armored suit to the Normandy's armory for field maintenance. The rescue of Matriarch Benezia's daughter went without any major hitches, mostly thanks to his team who, while still a ragtag bunch of misfits, were experts in their given field. [1]
Tali'Zorah was especially helpful, easily identifying the Geth units, their weak spots, and quickly attacking them with anti-synthetic weapons [2] or hacking some platforms to have them turn on one another – although the success rate of the hacking was low, and Shepard had to bail her out several times when her hacking attempts failed. Despite that, she was invaluable when dealing with the synthetic minions of Saren.
The Krogan mercenaries hired by Saren were another story. It made Shepard wonder just how much Saren had to pay them for the mercenaries to fight alongside the Geth – the enemy of every living being – like they had. For that matter, he wondered how Saren had convinced the Geth to fight alongside the Krogan in the first place. Maybe the position of the Prophet who would bring back the Reapers carried much more weight with the synthetics than originally thought.
Shepard could never have been more glad to have Wrex on their side; he easily outmatched the Krogan mercenaries and offered his own wisdom to the team. That surprised Ashley to no end, or, in her words, 'A friggin Krogan can think?' At least Shepard knew that Wrex was one of the more reasonable members of his species. Hopefully he'd be a good friend to chat with.
For Garrus, he was every bit of a professional – as expected from a former C-Sec officer – and was quite proficient with his guns. Kaidan and Ashely both handled themselves surprisingly well, despite the need for an attitude adjustment for different reasons. Shepard was still glad to have both of them on the team. Although the friction with some of the xenophobic crew members needed to be fixed, he was certain that with more mingling and fighting for the same cause, they would break out of those bad habits and become friends in the end.
Although he wanted a more peaceful environment to develop the relationship between species and stop the prejudice against humans, with Saren on the loose it wasn't possible.
As Shepard walked towards the mess hall, his thoughts turned to a 'pseudo member' of the ground team who contributed greatly to their success.
The white drone, Remy, was as every bit as advanced as Tali and other tech-savvy crew members had made it to be, despite the fact that it was scan-shielded. In fact, it was more advanced than thought – some even thought that it was another working Prothean technology! Shepard couldn't even rebuke the claim, considering what it did on the field.
After all, detecting a cloaked Geth – which Tali had later announced to be a Geth Hopper unlike ever seen before – when every other state-of-the-art sensor on the Normandy or personal sensor failed to do so was no ordinary feat. It even raised a few eyebrows from the tech experts.
Not to mention that with its help, they easily located Liara, the sole survivor in that forsaken ruin. Its scanner certainly came in handy when working through hundreds of meters of deep rock, and who could forget how it warned them of a Prothean trap before they got sucked up into it like the young archaeologist?
Granted, Remy wasn't omniscient, as it couldn't identify what kind of device Liara was trapped in, nor could it hack open locked doors, shut down barriers or automated defenses, or turn Geth platforms against one another. Even accessing or interfacing with an Omni-Tool was out of its grasp. It could only communicate with them through text or a very robotic voice. But, as Tali had explained, you can't expect Ancient Technology – which they were presuming Remy was – to run on the same code and wavelengths as present technology. As it stood, it was a miracle that Remy could understand modern language at all.
But that opened more unanswered questions. Why did the owner leave it on board the Normandy? This kind of technology should be priceless in both utilitarian value and informative value. What did this 'Eve' have to gain by leaving it to them, except for perhaps framing humanity for hiding Ancient Technology from other galactic civilization despite signing the Citadel treaty?
Shepard mentally slapped himself. That plan was stupid and relied solely on luck to succeed. If the culprit was intelligent and advanced enough to plant Remy on board the most secure Frigate in the galaxy, they should've just planted the damn thing in the human embassy and time it so Udina couldn't refute any accusations that would come his way when the C-Sec found it.
Speaking of Ancient technology…
Shepard finds himself passing through the medical bay, so he decides to pay a visit to Dr. Chakwas and the Asari archeologist they rescued.
The elderly human woman, who still looked quite young despite her age, turned from her diagnosis table with a pleased smile. "Ah, Commander Shepard, it's good to see you in good health after the mess that happened down there." She glanced at the bed where a certain Asari was fast asleep.
Noticing Shepard staring at the Asari woman, Dr. Chakwas shook her head pre-emptively, her voice coming out stern. "She needs to rest, Shepard. No questioning until I say it's okay for her to be discharged."
Shepard didn't want to try his luck with a doctor who was notoriously protective of her patients. Instead, he put his most polite smile on his face. "Can you tell me when she comes to, then?"
The elder woman shrugged, glancing at the holo-screen showing Liara T'soni's life signals. "She has a mild case of starvation and dehydration. Nothing unexpected from someone who was cut off from food and water sources for several days. To be frank, if our ship's inspection and repair had taken as long as they said it would I doubt she'd have held out." [3]
The grim tone in her voice made Shepard sigh in relief at his unbelievable luck, although the brief conversation he had had with the Asari archaeologist made him wonder what the hell she was thinking, flying solo on an excavation with less than a dozen workers. But, that would have to take the backseat for now, and, if he really considered it, less workers meant less dead innocents, so it wasn't all that bad. Foolish, yes, but not all bad.
Even so, the problems that stemmed from Liara being stranded for days won't go away instantly because she was aboard. The interrogation and questioning would have to wait until later.
Dr. Chakwas continued, her tone lightening significantly. "I'd suggest letting her sleep and have a meal when she wakes up. After I check her and find nothing wrong, you and your team can question her."
Shepard thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "That sounds reasonable. Thank you for your hard work, doc."
Chakwas waved her data pad around, smiling. "I'm just doing my job, Commander. Now leave, and don't disturb my patient!"
Not needing to be told twice, Shepard did as he was told and went to the mess hall to grab a meal for himself. His ground team was already there, arriving before him because he had to go report the success of the mission to the Council and his impromptu medical bay visit.
Shepard sighed on the subject of the Council. It was going to be another painful trip to the Citadel if Liara turned out to be in league with her mother. But he was getting ahead of himself. Either that Prothean Beacon was really messing with his head, or he needed sleep.
He jinxed himself. That Prothean Beacon was totally messing with him. His theory was more or less confirmed when he found himself wandering around in his strange dream-world once more.
Shepard blinked twice as he slowly picked himself up from the ground. His thoughts were in chaos, trying to figure out where the hell he was, how he got there, and why the Prothean Beacon was so set on showing him this place.
Looking around, he spotted writing on a wall that read, 'Chronos Library Entrance 13'. It was exactly the same since his last visit. Blue lines glowed on the pillars, ceiling, and floor to provide light, the circular hallways leading down to a central chamber. He remembered every detail vividly from his last dream – how could he forget? – and just like last time, he had arrived in casual clothing. No armor, no weapons, no nothing. Not even the personal sidearm he went to sleep with.
Shepard, deciding to not wait around, began to walk towards the edge to start climbing down, hopefully without any complications this time.
That was the plan, until a black drone that was nearly identical to Remy came out of nowhere are flew straight through him!
Surprised, Shepard jumped back and whirled around, attempting to catch the drone. But even when it wasn't moving, Shepard couldn't touch it as his hand passed straight through the drone's metal body.
'So I'm really dreaming, huh?' Shepard thought ruefully before looking down at the main hall a few stories below him. Another reckless idea flew into his mind, urging him to put his theory to the test with the rationale that he was in a dream and not reality…
But before he can climb down, another person made its – no, her – presence known, her voice echoing in the mostly empty hallway. "It is rude to not gain permission from the owners before entering a property, Mister Shepard. Even if you are law enforcer, you should at least get a search warrant first, no?"
Turning around, Shepard found that the empty hallway – save the black drone – had gained a new resident in the form of the synthetic he knew as Eve from his previous dream. She stood a few feet away, still dressed in that regal white and gold garb, her hands behind her back and an emotionless smile on her lips.
Even if it was the second time he saw her, he still couldn't figure out how or why he kept dreaming about this specific, truly sentient synthetic.
It seems that he was too lost in his musings, as Eve had edged closer without him realizing, her gold eyes filling his vision momentarily before she continued to scrutinize him curiously. "Well, considering the fact that you currently have no physical body, I will ignore your lack of manners this time around." She chuckled lightheartedly, tilting her head. "I am quite curious; how did you achieve this feat? Given your lack of knowledge of such arts in your realm, I doubt that it is a product of your science."
As Shepard stood in a daze, Eve, without warning, punched straight through his torso. Instead of being thrown back from the impact, however, her fist passed straight through his transparent body.
Looking at the petite synthetic as she withdrew her hand, he spoke slowly. "So… Am I dead?"
Eve shook her head, smiling wryly. "The more correct term would be astral projection. Your soul has been separated from your physical body when you fell unconscious. Speaking of which, were you sleeping before you woke up here?"
Gathering his thoughts, Shepard nodded curtly, causing the white-haired synthetic's smile to soften. "That is the case, then. Perhaps we should take our conversation to somewhere… brighter…"
As she spoke, Eve began to float above the ground, beckoning for him to follow her example with some cryptic instructions – cryptic, that is, when compared to the instructions of the VI units in his galaxy. "Imagine yourself to be weightless, to be floating above the ground. At the moment, you are no longer bound by the laws of the physical realm."
Shepard stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend what was said before deciding to sate his own curiosity. Closing his eyes, he imagined himself floating. Lo and behold, once he opened his eyes, his feet were no longer touching the ground!
Turning to Eve, he saw her smile and wave for him to follow. The duo floated down to the chamber below silently.
When their feet touched the ground, Eve began to explain his situation more thoroughly. "In simple terms, a sentient mind may detach from a physical body to wander on some occasions. We call this astral projection where I come from. I am not sure what the term would be in your galaxy… Anyway, unless one knows of a way to deliberately perform this technique, this phenomenon rarely happens to individuals, and when it does occur there is no way to predict where they will end up. Most hypothesize that one's spirit ends up in the place they were thinking about before the separation. Any questions?"
How could Shepard refute such an outrageous explanation? After all, this conversation was heading into superstitious nonsense, the last thing he expected to hear from a synthetic, a creature of logic. But he couldn't deny that he currently didn't physically exist. He himself was the proof. Or maybe it was proof that he was going insane?
He broke out of his thoughts to the sound of porcelain clinking together. Turning back to face Eve, he saw another impossibility. There was Eve, sipping what appeared to be tea whilst the robot maid stood off to the side, holding a silver tray laden with a teapot, sugar, and a small jug of milk.
"My apologies, Mister Shepard. I am unable to extend such hospitality to you…" Eve spoke softly, although her soft smile looked mocking to his eyes. "…After all, you would only make a mess of my floor." Here she giggled, something that he had never heard her do before. It made her seem almost like an ordinary human girl. But that she was not.
Shepard sighed, getting the feeling that he wouldn't get answers if he wasn't more specific. Crossing his arms, he looked at Eve sternly. "So then can you explain to me why you've summoned me here, assuming that I'm not in a physical body at the moment?"
Eve tilted her head, replying in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Quite the contrary, Mister Shepard. I did nothing, with the exception of send Remy to aid you in your quest. That is all – send a single drone for aid – which has nothing to do with your appearance here whilst sleeping."
As he contemplated what to ask next, Eve set her teacup down on the waiting tray. Ophelia took the tea set, slowly backing away from the scene before disappearing into the shadows. He wondered what made her so confident that her master, who was more of a diplomatic robot, could handle him if he decided to attack. Then again, what could he do without a physical body?
"However, was it necessary to send my precious Remy to that woman, Tali'Zorah?"
Shepard's eyes widened. "So it was you who placed that drone on my ship!"
Eve nodded. "Yes. Did you not read my letter?"
Deciding to ignore her slightly snide comment, Shepard pressed on with his interrogation. "Why did you do that?"
Eve's golden eyes gleamed in a reminiscently whimsical way. "I am quite curious about your realm. However, due to laws that make it so I cannot go there without complications –" That was the biggest understatement of the century "– I have sent someone in my stead. Besides, I wished to thank you for lending me your Omni-Tool. Remy will be happy to assist you until your mission is complete as my thanks."
If she was so casual about it, perhaps he could humor her.
Shepard raised an eyebrow, his tone light. "So, you're not letting me keep the white drone?"
Eve puffed out her cheeks slightly – Shepard marvelled at how human she could be. "Her name is Remy. And of course not, it is only a temporary agreement. Seeing that you are quite… upset with the arrangement, I might consider pulling Remy out."
Shepard blinked, remarking dryly. "So you're just going to barge into my ship and get her."
He didn't expect for the synthetic to giggle in the most human way. "I could send her to you without anyone being the wiser. Is it so impossible to do the same to take her back? Trust me when I say that your methods of detecting the invisible are still lacking. Your so-called 'Stealth Frigate' is not so stealth if you know which visual cues to look for, either."
Indeed, at this point no one on the Normandy was able to figure out how Eve brought Remy to them in the first place. Although this time around there was more hope, as the recently rescued Asari archeologist might be able to identify the type of Prothean technology Eve was. And she might be able to shed light on how to find Eve's mysterious hideout as well, without having to depend on his dreams.
But if he could get some answers from the synthetic directly – well, as directly as possible in a dream world – the entire process would be sped up massively. Then again, he didn't expect her to speak in such a nonsensical and directionless manner. Even the rogue A.I. Kaidan found on the Citdel spoke only the truth despite the fact it was designed to be a thief!
However, the tension that was slowly building between the two of them shattered when something red that was about the size of a small child ran into the white-haired synthetic. If she was made of flesh and bone, the force of the impact would've been enough to send Eve sprawling backwards, however Eve only swayed slightly instead.
Shepard blinked in surprise, registering a small, black-haired child in an ornate red-and-white dress – a new face, perhaps? He had never seen her before – who began eagerly chattering to Eve. Eve smiled in return, almost as if she had completely forgotten about him. "Mother, Anchor has finally constructed a functional Omni-Tool with the Crafter!"
Shepard's jaw threatened to hit the floor, even if he hadn't been a spirit or whatever he was in this dream. That child had just called a synthetic her mother! It was as he thought this that he noticed that a lot of the child's body parts were blatantly synthetic, including her ears and arm. Even her red eyes seemed to be off, too red to be organic despite the lively twinkle in their depths. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was just a happy child wanting nothing more than to tell her mother of her success.
And, if he had any doubts left, Eve crushed them by patting the child's head. "It seems that you have adjusted enough to finally synchronize with the device." Eve's eyes turned serious, her voice soft. "Just as I told you, with your design you should be able to connect to this galaxy's technology despite your hybrid-Nasod status. All you need is more confidence in your abilities and creativity." She chuckled. "All devices we Nasod used were and still are just crutches to learn the basics. Every Nasod needs knowledge, experience, creativity, and confidence to reach full potential, just like every organic."
The tiny robot girl nodded excitedly. "Anchor will remember…" Then her expression turned dark and slightly fearful, registering a second presence – Shepard, to be exact – taking a step away from him quickly. "Mother, who… who is he?"
Eve let out a dull exclamation. "Ah, my apologies Mr. Shepard. I nearly forgot about you."
Shepard wasn't sure how to respond to her lame joke, because in the first place he wasn't sure if Eve was joking or not. With that kind of face – however expressive it may be – it was hard to tell if she was serious. So he opted to remain silent as Eve introduced him to her child companion. "This human is called John Shepard, someone who always accidentally falls through the so-called 'rabbit hole' and ends up in this place whenever he falls asleep.
Shepard nearly face-palmed at the description, but couldn't refute it in a better manner. Instead, he tried his best to make a serious face and retort back. "It's not like I want to be here."
The little girl in red scurried behind Eve and shot him a glance. That was all it took for him to realize that he may have looked a little too serious, guilt welling up in him despite knowing that she was a synthetic. His face softened slightly, holding his empty hands up in a placating manner to show that he meant no harm, not that he could do much with his incorporeal body anyway.
Eve nudged the girl slightly, prompting her to walk out of her shadow and step towards him. The child curtsied nervously, her anxiety bleeding into her tone. "Anchor… is pleased to meet you, Mr. Shepard."
Now Shepard felt like he had kicked a puppy when he had exchanged words earlier with Eve and this 'Anchor.' No matter how much he told himself that this was just a synthetic with personality of a child – no, that was probably the reason why he felt so guilty.
There was no downside to trying to be nice, though. If he couldn't touch them, they couldn't touch him either. There really was no point to being so hostile with each other. Shepard smiled, offering her his hand, which the robot girl in red reluctantly took to shake. "Nice to meet you, too."
After the handshake – or the pretended handshake, as both parties couldn't touch each other – Eve spoke up and clapped to get their attention. "Anchor, Shepard is currently experiencing what I was teaching you yesterday – the phenomena that occurs when the spirit leaves the body without being dead."
Anchor looked at Shepard closely like he were some specimen in a zoo, but he couldn't really blame her. After all, this strange dream was weird for him, even by the standards of the modern age of spaceships. He wasn't really sure what to think anymore.
After a brief but close inspection, Anchor turned to Eve and chirped happily. "This is amazing! Anchor never thought that everything you taught Anchor was true!"
Chuckling, Eve spoke soothingly. "Sometimes it is necessary to see things with your own eyes to believe that it is real." She paused before continuing. "I am only saying this to remind you that you must keep an open mind about everything. Who knows, one day you may discover or create something so incredible that even the Prothean artifacts will pale in comparison."
Although Shepard seriously doubted anything could top the Mass Relay and Beacons of knowledge left behind by those long gone civilizations, Anchor seemed too innocent and optimistic to share the same thoughts as him. "Anchor understands, Mother. But…" Now she looked hesitant. "Was it necessary to learn how to fight too?"
Shepard raised an eyebrow in surprise. When he thought back, without counting the robotic maid Ophelia, Eve seemed to be a synthetic specifically designed for diplomacy and diplomacy only. He couldn't imagine her fighting in the white ball gown she always wore. How could she teach – or program – another synthetic how to fight? Maybe she copied a program from her robot maid or from an alternate database?
While Shepard was musing, he barely noticed Eve move to pat the small girl on the head once more. "I have said it before, have I not? Your quest will be a difficult one. Galactic civilizations do not accept our existence. Sometimes, when negotiations are not possible…" here her smile turned grim "…you will have no choice but to pick up arms and fight – sometimes not just to survive, but to protect others that you care for as well."
Somehow, Eve's words made Shepard wonder if there were really some synthetics that didn't want to kill organics and get terminated regardless because no one bothered to ask them – or there was no way for them to speak. But that was a story for another time, he guessed.
Anchor's gaze, cast to the ground, made Shepard feel like he had to go comfort her, but Eve beat him to the punch. "I have said that people are not simply black and white, that many are gray." Seeing Anchor nod, Eve continued. "That also means that some people prefer to follow the 'might makes right' path when attempting to solve conflicts and problems. It is inevitable, and therefore you must prepare for it."
Shepard wanted to hear more, but he suddenly felt dizzy. The images in front of him became a blur, no matter how much he shook his head or blinked. Soon it became clear that he was losing consciousness, staggering to the side as his words came out in broken sentences. "What's… happening…?"
Gaining the attention of the synthetics, Shepard could barely make out the looks on their faces – worry on Anchor's and eternal calm on Eve's. Eve clasped her hands. "It seems that Shepard's period of dream sleep is ending. Either he is entering a dreamless state, or he is waking up. Which one, I am not certain."
It was hard for Shepard to make out any more of the conversation, struggling to register Eve's final words. "Until we meet again, John Shepard."
And then everything went dark.
"– up! Commander, wake up!"
Blinking to let his eyes adjust to the light above, Shepard found himself in his personal quarters, everything around him seeming to be normal. So he sat up and called back to the one waiting outside. "All right, all right. I'm coming out. What happened, Alenko?"
The voice from outside the room replied immediately. "Dr. Chakwas sent me to tell you that Dr. T'soni has passed her checkup and is ready for questioning."
Checking his Omni-Tool for the time, Shepard realized he hadn't even gotten six hours of sleep before Kaidan woke him up. Well, that was the military life – SPECTRE or not – even the recommended sleeping habits for a healthy body were impossible to fulfill. A little bit of sleep was better than no sleep, though.
With a resigned sigh, Shepard stood up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I'll be in the debriefing room in five minutes. Gather the team, Alenko."
"Yes sir."
Shepard calmly listened to the Asari archaeologist's story, starting from how she ended up on Therum before the Geth and Krogan under Saren showed up to the many minor details of her work. To anyone else, this would have been incredibly boring, but to Shepard it could possibly hold a clue to stop his stupid dream. It was that fact that helped him pay that much more attention to the matter.
Unfortunately, while he came to the right person for the job, the conversation didn't help him get any closer to solving his dream puzzle. It wasn't because she wasn't knowledgeable, but because he kept derailing and postponing any questions in favor of getting to know about her relationship with her mother – who was now a wanted criminal and a literal Evil Matriarch – better to determine if she was trustworthy first. If she wasn't, she would immediately be thrown into the brig before being handed to the C-Sec for further interrogation.
After half an hour of questioning, searching for signs of lying, and grueling questions from the ground team (with the notable exception of Remy, who simply floated silently next to him), Shepard and his team could only draw one conclusion: She has nothing to do with her mother and her actions in recent years. Her being in league with her mother was short of impossible.
Once all suspicion was cleared, Liara suddenly asked to tag along with them, as she wanted to know why her mother aided a criminal like that. Shepard glanced at Gunnery Chief William, knowing that she would probably be uncomfortable with the arrangement, but he knew that he would need Liara's help – especially if he wanted to know what Saren was up to at the moment. Every man on the lookout meant higher chances of finding out his grand plans.
So he made his final decision, but not before speaking what was reasoning to his crew and a warning to Liara. "We are currently in need of people with an expertise in Prothean technology, provided that they don't mind a bit of adventure and all risks involved. This will be dangerous. Are you sure you want to help out?"
He heard Wrex chuckle from a corner of the room, while Alenko, who was seated next to him, shook his head. Shepard paid them no heed, now waiting for the silent Dr. T'soni's final answer. The rest of the team looked on in silence, awaiting an answer.
Once Liara opened her eyes, her voice and expression were free from hesitation. "Please, Mr. Shepard, this line of work required me to be able to fend off slavers and pirates. I can take care of myself."
Shepard nodded in approval. "Welcome aboard then, Dr. T'soni." He shook her hand, before quickly manipulating his Omni-Tool to contact officers and make the necessary arrangements for her.
Once her living accommodations were out of the way, Shepard decided to put her expertise to use immediately. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to explain how to extract information from a Prothean Beacon, especially a damaged one that self-destructed after it was used."
Liara took a breath, rapidly firing questions about the Prothean artifact in question that Shepard could barely answer, let alone keep up with. Once finished, she looked at him curiously. "Whatever this 'Conduit' that Saren is looking for, it is something that is connected to the extinction of the Prothean and civilizations and other that came before it."
Somehow, Shepard felt everyone in the room raise an eyebrow at the claim, including his own. "You're implying that the Protheans weren't the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish?"
Liara nodded, excited to share her theory with others who were willing to listen. Considering the fact that she often was dismissed by others because of her age, her excitement wasn't much of a surprise. "Indeed, I've studied this theory for fifty years. Although there are barely any scraps of evidence to shed light on this theory, I have noticed a few patterns. Based on these patterns, I came to that conclusion." She paused, looking at Shepard with curiosity. "From what you've learned from this Beacon and the evidence gathered from the Geth" here she looked at Tali "it seems that this 'Reapers' theory has some merit."
Seeing that the conversation was getting sidetracked, Shepard coughed and turned the attention back to the problem lingering in his head. "If I can make sense of this vision in my head, we may be able to learn what Saren is after – what's needed for the return of these 'Reapers'."
Liara contemplated this in silence. "Perhaps… If you allow me to 'Mind Meld' and look at the vision in your mind, I may be able to help you interpret the meaning." Then she added on hesitantly, "I can't guarantee success, though. The Prothean's Beacons were made to interact with their own species. Thus, if you do not think like a Prothean, there is no way we can make sense of the information. Even the best scientists among the Asari take years to interpret scraps of data they see."
Ashley narrowed her eyes at the blue-skinned alien, but refrained from commenting when Shepard sent her a warning look. Turning back to Liara, he nodded. "It's better than waiting for information to drop into our laps as we do nothing. Go ahead."
Shepard stepped to the center of the room as Liara did the same. Placing her hands on his shoulders, the Asari touched their foreheads before whispering. "Clear your mind… and embrace the eternity…"
For a brief moment there was an abrupt silence, Shepard's vision dark. Then visions assaulted him, brief glimpses of the flashing images showing their contents before flickering away. When he returned to his senses, the young Asari stepped back immediately, a look of mixed sorrow and awe on her face.
The room was silent until the archaeologist chattered excitedly. "Shepard, that vision was… intense. Any lesser mind would've been destroyed by exposure alone, yet you remained sane. That's amazing!"
Shepard blinked, unsure if it was compliment or an insult, but considering past interactions, she was probably just a bit too excited to have a chance to look at another piece of Prothean knowledge.
Her next words and the embarrassment that painted her face was enough to confirm his suspicions. "Sorry, Commander Shepard… I'm getting carried away with the prospect of being able to study a real Prothean vision. It isn't common to find a working Beacon, after all…"
Shepard couldn't help but smile at her. "It's all right; no harm's done. But I'd appreciate it if you could enlighten us to what the Protheans were trying to say to me? Even if it's a little, it might count."
Liara now looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I warned you before; deciphering the messages in the Beacons usually take years according to the past experiences of many archaeologists and scientists. Because it was meant for Prothean minds – a form of encryption, so to speak – it can only be deciphered little by little, unless we can find a method to let us think like a Prothean all in one go."
Shepard nodded, but then Liara perked up with interest once more. "Still, from what I saw in your mind and your instinctive resisting to our melding, it seems that you've had some success in comprehending the information in your own way."
He raised his eyebrows, confused until she elaborated. "I saw a conversation between you and a strange, white-haired woman in white and a black-haired girl in red in some sort of chamber. The architecture looked ancient, but not of the Prothean's. I think it's a sign that your mind is trying to comprehend what it saw without changing how your mind thinks."
Shepard realized that she was referring to his weird dreams about the white-haired synthetic, but upon glancing around he knew he would have to explain to the rest of his crew.
Deciding to be frank, he walked back to his seat. "This is going to take a while. Have a seat, Liara." Once the newest addition to the team was seated, Shepard began. "What I am going to say is something so absurd that you may not believe me. But, since the Prothean expert deems it worth investigating, I'll start." Then he muttered – rather loudly, so everyone could hear. "Hopefully this'll get rid of those damn dreams and headache once and for all."
The room, with the exception of Liara, chuckled at the remark, but even then Kaidan sent him a worried glance. Actually, most of them did the same thing, so Shepard changed the topic immediately. "You all know about the 'Prothean vision' imprinted in my brain since the attack on Eden Prime. However, recently I've been having these… dreams, dreams that I can interact with during my sleep."
He then relayed everything he could remember, from the woman with the white hair that claimed to be a synthetic, the technical jargon she spewed every time they met, and his latest trip to the dream world and his introduction to the synthetic's red-clad 'daughter.'
Once he finished, he half expected the room to laugh at his nonsense, but he only received worried looks.
Unsurprisingly, Ashley kept shooting glares at the white drone floating innocently by Shepard. He thought Tali did the same, but it was difficult to tell with her mask and all.
Finally, the Quarian broke the silence. "I'm not sure if you should take the information from your dream seriously, Shepard. I'm no expert, but I'm sure that this 'Remy' is something that no one in the known galaxy could create with our known technology. Not to mention that a recent scan placed its age to be over fifty thousand years old. That's before the Prothean civilization even existed."
The news made people tense. Liara straightened, eyes glued to Remy. Remy twitched and hid behind Shepard, as if noticing possible ill-intent. "Really? That drone is a working artifact of an ancient, lost civilization?"
"Positive," Tali replied. "Which begs the question of how it ended up on our ship and how its mysterious owner appeared in Shepard's dream. Is there a connection?"
Wrex shook his head, snorting. "Perhaps Shepard's overthinking things to the point it's affecting his sleeps. It's a more likely explanation."
Garrus nodded in support of the Krogan's comment. "I agree with Wrex. There's a saying about this. If you overthink things, you'll take it to your dreams at night."
Liara seemed disappointed, but agreed with their reasoning nonetheless. "So, now you have one Prothean vision that can't be interpreted in a meaningful way, a strange dream revolving around a humanoid synthetic, and this drone. Fascinating…"
Realizing that they wouldn't get closer to solving the mystery of the 'Remy' drone anytime soon, Shepard shifted the conversation once more. "Putting aside the drone and my dreams, we have more pressing matters. I'm more interested in what this Prothean vision means, because from recent events we can also assume that Saren is trying to decipher the same information to further his plan. If we know what we're looking for before Saren we can stop him."
At that Liara shook her head. "Sorry Commander, but I doubt I'll be useful right now."
Shepard groaned inwardly. It seemed that they couldn't do anything until another lead on Saren came up. Speak of the devil, Joker suddenly called out from the intercom. "Commander, there's an urgent message from the System Alliance Command requesting your aid. Data is being sent as we speak."
Tapping his Omni-Tool, Shepard looked at the message from Alliance HQ to figure out what all the fuss was about. Then he turned to his crew. "It seems some matters have come up in Alliance territory that needs our help. Considering that we haven't gotten another lead on Saren yet, we should go. Joker, once the checkup is complete, set course to Sol System, destination Earth's Luna. We've got some house-cleaning to do."
"Aye aye, Commander."
As Joker cut communication, Shepard turned back to the group while smiling grimly as he thought about the dirty business Admiral Hackett had asked them to do.
Standing firm, Shepard crossed his arms. "I'll be honest with you, this is the first time I've heard about this as well. A few days ago, a military training base on Earth's Luna went haywire before the first scheduled training drill of the month could be enacted. At first the VI overseeing the base said it was because of air purification malfunctions, but after a while it stopped responding to questioning. When Alliance sent ships to investigate, the automated defense towers fired on the ships and forced them to back off. Luckily no one died."
"Sounds like a VI gone haywire," Tali remarked.
Shepard nodded. "But that's not the end of it. A few hours later – the day before we flew to Therum, to be specific – the entire facility went dark. There is still a fear that the automated defenses are still working, and there are no available personnel to deal with it around the Sol System at the moment. This our mission: get in and investigate what happened. Any questions?"
The first one to speak, as expected, was Ashley, her face set in a scowl. "Are you sure this is wise, Skipper?"
Shepard motioned towards Liara. "Considering that we're going into combat, I'd like to see how she stacks up in a real situation. And it's better to do that in a place where we have some measure of control than in unknown territory." Here he flashed a strained smile. "Besides, we're still in the dark about Saren at the moment. It's better to solidify our teamwork and cooperation now instead of waiting in a Citadel spaceport for information from STG to show up."
Wrex nodded in agreement, pitching in his own two cents sagely. "Indeed, if we waste away on this spaceship and do nothing our sense will dull. We have to keep in practice if we want to be in top shape should the need arise in the near future."
Who would have the audacity to refute his logic? Definitely not Shepard, and apparently, no one else in his crew. "If there's nothing else to add, this meeting is adjourned."
As everyone went back to their posts, no one noticed the white drone that was trying to make itself as small and undetectable as possible throughout the entire briefing.
A week later, after Shepard had completed his assignment on Earth's Luna and begun an investigation on the Cerberus secret bases (by request of Admiral Kohoku. Otherwise there was nothing to do but wait for information about Saren and the Evil Matriarch to turn up [4]), a small Garden World that sat on the border between System Alliance territory and the Terminus System was still reeling from a recent attack lead by a rogue agent of the Citadel.
Despite the brutal nature of the attack, the colonists began to rebuild. The scars from the battles around the settlement were mostly gone, but the same couldn't be said for the outskirts of the farmlands and orchards. Those were still littered with vehicle wreckage and destroyed Geth platforms due to a lack of equipment to move the heavy pieces with. At least the bodies – civilian and guard alike – had all been collected and paid respects to.
It is not so surprising; after all, these people still have a lot on their plates already.
This is what Eve thought as she and Oberon, who carried a large, metal box on his back, surveyed the former battlefield, taking in the dozens of disabled Geth platforms piled at her feet. According to the information Remy had sent over, these were called 'Geth Troopers', strange white fluid leaked from their damaged frames like blood - which seems to be some kind of hydraulic fluid if she's not mistaken.
"I'm sorry that you came during such turbulent times, Miss, but at least all the corpses have been laid to rest. It doesn't nearly look as bad as it did before."
The voice of a human male made Eve and Oberon turn and look at the middle-aged man in the typical formal attire of the people in this era. A sad expression marred what should've been a jolly face, his eyes flickering to the patches of blood that stained the ground of the grassless clearing around them.
If Eve didn't know better, she would've assumed that he was just another family man trying to support his children. However, thanks to medical advancements, he looked that age despite being a grandfather with three granddaughters and the main authority in charge of the small settlement – a Village Chief, so to speak, if said village consisted of thousands of people. While this area was far from the main attack that centered around the Prothean ruin's dig site, it still wasn't left unscathed. [5]
"It is unwise for someone of your status to wander without guard, sir." Oberon was the first to speak, his opaque helmet concealing his face and his voice robotic enough to alarm many people despite the excuses Eve made in regards to her group's nature.
Yet the old man wasn't put off by such a blatantly synthetic voice, regardless of his status as a survivor of a synthetic attack. Instead, he sent the white-clad servant a genuine smile. "Thanks for your concern, Oberon. But after the military sweep and the starships overhead," he looked up at the clear blue sky, at which if one squinted they might see the white-and-blue ships of the System Alliance "there's not much to worry about. Besides, you can't just confine an old man to a room of dull metal and concrete without fresh air, can you?"
Oberon struggled for a reply, continuously glancing at Eve for help. Then again, she wasn't much better, ditching her duties to pursue a personal quest regardless of the kingdom she had re-forged from practically nothing.
Eve nodded towards the elderly man, a hint of affection seeping into her otherwise blank voice. "Indeed, sometimes it is necessary to wind down, else stress will develop and affect ones performance."
The man laughed heartily while Oberon shook his head at Eve, silently whining at her siding with the elder instead of him. Eve knew that he agreed with the old man deep down, though. After all, he had accompanied her, Anchor, and Ophelia to this planet instead of staying behind in the library. Even if he claimed it was his duty, his actions were suspiciously similar to those of the elder man.
Speaking of Ophelia, she shouldn't linger too long least her maid become worried. Kneeling down, she waved to Oberon, signalling for him to remove a boxy, 20th century-esque vacuum cleaner from the boxy bag on his back. Placing it next to the pile of broken Geth, he watched as Eve pressed some buttons on the Omni-Tool around her wrist.
The hum of machinery started up, a ray of light shining from the vacuum to the Geth corpses and causing them to glow. Slowly, the metallic corpses began to 'decompose' under the light and before their eyes.
Eve glanced at the elderly man, his face showing no emotion at the sight of the Geth corpses disintegrating into a brown dust. "That thing is quite handy, being able to convert metal into Omni-Gel and store it in a tank. Even if it looks so… rugged." He sighed. "If only we had enough real tools for the job…"
Eve chuckled inwardly as she proceeded to 'reclaim' the metal mass. In reality, it was her abilities that did all the work; the flashy Omni-Tool and vacuum were simply to disguise her ability. It worked, as everyone thought it was simply a contraption that someone had created by clobbering together some discarded junk or something along those lines.
The sight of Geth corpses turning into brown dust didn't faze the elder 'Village Chief' in any way – fitting, considering that he was in his eighties. With age comes experience, and with experience, not many things surprise.
In a way, the old man reminded her of the Ruben Village Chief – lively, wise, and calm no matter the situation.
However, Eve suspected that the old man already knew that there was more to Oberon, Ophelia, and perhaps her than met the eye, but he didn't raise any alarm, nor complain or question their little group when they first appeared.
As she inspected the ground that was previously piled with metal husks, the Nasod Empress wondered what made the old man decide to let their little group join the colony – the small part of the colony under his jurisdiction, to be specific – despite the fact that they literally showed up out of nowhere in the wake of Saren's attack.
Actually, it was Oberon's suggestion to come here. After a training session with Anchor, he said that they should visit this place so Anchor could put Ophelia's healing lessons into actual practice. True, there was a chance that the colony would be on high alert and they would get caught, but sometimes the most dangerous places are the safest, because no one expects you to be there.
True to Oberon's predictions, the System Alliance fleet monitored all spaceships going in and out of Eden Prime, but thanks to their level of technology, they didn't expect someone to show up on the planet and bypass all of their security measures.
But that didn't explain the old man's action on that day…
Eve still recalled that afternoon. She, Oberon, Ophelia, and Anchor had appeared on Eden Prime in the middle of an apple orchard. It was vacant due to the fact that many people were still busy cleaning up after the attack on their home only a few days prior. The small group appeared under a massive tree with branches that blocked out the sky, about a half-hour walk away from the very outskirts of the colony. Part way through their walk to the colony, they came across an old man standing alone in the greenery.
Noticing the group heading towards him, the mad didn't show any signs of alarm despite the fact that they weren't disguised to look more human – in fact, they hadn't even bothered to change their attire; Eve still wore her Empress dress, Oberon and Ophelia still wore their butler and maid outfits respectively, and Anchor was still in her red dress. His gentle smile didn't fade, even when he was just a few steps away from the admittedly intimidating form of Oberon.
"I've never seen you around before," the old man began. He studied them carefully, but visibly softened when he saw Anchor clinging to Eve's hand like a child would a mother. Seeing Anchor avert her gaze, he spoke softly. "No need to fear, child. I'm just wondering what your family is doing out here."
Despite the fact that most of Anchor's mechanical nature was obvious to see, the old man didn't seem to care. Eve was confident in her ability to read others, human or not, so she decided to reply with a half-truth. "We are not from the main settlement, good sir. Our family lived deep in the wild for a very long time, cut off from the settlement until recently."
The old man lifted an eyebrow. "Ah, descendants of the first generation colonists, hmm?"
Eve didn't answer, letting the man draw his own conclusions. It seemed to be effective, as he dropped the issue almost immediately. Then he glanced over the mechanical parts on the members of the group before continuing. "The attack on the colony the other day forced you from your home, I'm presuming?"
Actually, it was Shepard who stirred Eve's interest in this realm, but considering that Shepard had visited this colony before showing up at her Library the old man's statement was somewhat true. So she nodded in response, prompting a sympathetic look from the man. "I'm sorry for your loss, young miss. I guess you're seeking shelter in the main settlement, then?"
Eve nodded again and the old man beckoned for them to follow him to the settlement. That was when she learned that he was in charge of that particular section of the settlement.
He was quite kind, vouching for them when she made up a story about their mechanical components that passed them off as prosthetics due to past incidents and that Oberon refused to take off his mask due to a severe allergy to a pollen in the air. Combined with her quick wit, the local garrison and guards let them pass without much fuss.
The man even arranged for Anchor and Ophelia to work as volunteer medical assistants when he learned they studied the healing arts, although it may have been because there wasn't anyone else to do that particular job. She and Oberon worked as salvagers and mechanics – after all, they had to work to earn their food (However unnecessary, Eve still wished to taste this dimension's food) and shelter.
Eve's musings were cut short when her group was approached by a pair of guards at the entrance to the colony, their faces hidden by the visors of their helmets and their bodies encased in white armor. Yet the protection did little to hide their anxiety as they halted the three of them, quickly beginning the inspection.
One guard spoke up, exasperation lacing his tone. "Sir, I know I've had to say this again, but you shouldn't keep wandering off like that. We're still in a state of emergency, and you're g–"
The man put up his hand to halt the guard – similar to how he had done so the first day they came there – and thoroughly rebutted the arguments of his subordinate. The guard sighed, shifting his attention to Eve and Oberon.
"I take it you two salvaged some raw material from those piles of Geth already?"
Eve nodded, gesturing to the pack on Oberon's back. The guard's eyes followed her hand, lingering on the bag for a moment. "I see… Thank you for your help. Don't forget to put it in the warehouse before you turn in for the day…" He sighed "…though it'd be better if we had more salvaging tools to spare instead of relying on this vacuum thing." He nodded once more at Oberon.
"It'll still be a while before things settle down, Gerald." The man chimed in, his face marred with more wrinkles from his frown. "With a shortage of tools and personnel like this, I'd say we're lucky that these children decided to return from their home in the wild to help us out… You haven't forgotten that they've healed your wife's broken leg, now have you?"
The guard shook his head, leading the group into the settlement. Oberon and Eve exchanged looks, each letting out a sigh for different reasons.
Once they turned in the box containing Omni-Gel into the warehouse, Gerald returned to his post while Eve, Oberon, and the elder walked down the street towards one of the temporary shelters that were set up against the concrete wall of a skyscraper. It was here that the old man said his farewell, turning to return to his office within the looming walls next to their temporary home.
As she watched his retreating form, Eve decided to act on impulse for once in her life. "Mister Hagus, a moment if you please. I must ask you something."
Heck, even his name was the same as the elder of Ruben Village. Normally she tried to avoid calling his name whenever possible, as it reminded her too much of a better time that would never return, especially considering that her Hagus was already buried six feet under the earth…
'Hagus' turned on his heel, smiling gentle. "What do you wish to ask, young lady?"
Eve glanced around briefly to ensure they were alone – old habits die hard – before speaking. "Although I am grateful for your generosity, I cannot help but wonder why you have taken us, wanderers who are not in possession of an identity card, in without a second thought. Especially since there was just an attack on your home."
Eve knew she was being ironic; after all, she had helped Anchor without thinking of possible gain. It was possible that the old man had similar thoughts as her.
'Hagus' stroked his chin in thought. "Why shouldn't I?"
Eve blinked. Although she had sort of expected it, she hadn't thought his reasoning would be so simple.
The 'Village Chief' seemed to notice her confusion. "I'm already eighty, young lady. Before I settled down here on Eden Prime, I was a space traveler, going from colony to colony in the days before the First Contact War… good times, those were…"
His eyes turned to the sky, as if remembering the glory of days past. "I met all sorts of people you know, from beggars to millionaires. With that experience, I'm quite a good judge of character."
Eve nodded slightly, urging the elder to continue. "I know that your little group hasn't told me everything, whether then or now… but I saw it in your eyes, young lady. You're no stranger to violence, yet you'd rather avoid it if given a chance. You're also quite a bit smarter than you let on, no?"
At this, Eve couldn't help but be impressed. Eve with her near-expressionless mask, this man was still able to piece together all this… Still, she was quite certain that because of this, 'Hagus' was a bit paranoid about her. "Your assumptions are quite accurate, Mister Hagus… however I am not sure that is your only reason for trusting us." Her eyes narrowed as she said this, her stance shifting subtly.
'Hagus' nodded, his smile fading as he looked away from Eve's piercing gaze with a tired sigh. "I'd rather have everyone who means no harm group together instead of live spread out, facing danger alone without anyone to help or remember them."
Feeling the sorrow in his voice, Eve hastily apologized. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to…"
The elder's face softened, but was cut off when the sound of tapping, metallic footsteps sounded around the corner. Turning to face the sound, Anchor – still in her red dress – leaped out, arms outstretched like the wings of a bird and a happy smile on her face. Behind her was Eve's handmaiden, Ophelia, her stern gave disapproving as she walked rapidly to catch up with the little synthetic.
"Mother!" Anchor cheered happily, jumping into Eve's waiting arms.
Eve smiled at the 'child', ruffling her hair affectionately before turning to Ophelia. "Is everything alright, Ophelia?"
The stern expression on the maid's face softened slightly – the key word here being 'slightly' – as she proceeded to both give her report and scold the little girl. "Anchor is a fast learner, Milady. However, quite a bit of convincing was required before relatives allowed her to treat the children. To be frank, Anchor's enthusiasm most likely put them off even more."
"They see her as an excitable child, then?" Eve asked, setting Anchor down.
Ophelia nodded while replied "Yes, I think we need to teach her to curb that behavior a bit if she's to be taken seriously."
"I will keep that in mind," Eve concurred, her retainer glancing at a sulking Anchor – no doubt she was listening in to their conversation.
It was then that Ophelia registered Hagus's presence, sweeping him a half-bow. "Ah, Mister Hagus. I am truly sorry for interrupting your conversation with Milady."
Hagus laughed before moving towards Anchor, who bowed politely to him as well. "Not a problem, my dear," he then ruffled Anchor's hair just like Eve did prior. "Actually, this is the answer to your question, young lady."
Both Anchor and Ophelia blinked in confusion, matching puzzled looks on their faces. Hagus, removing his hands from Anchor's hair, turned to walk away. "I'd hate for a young girl like her to have to live without a friend her age. How could you let a gentle soul like her live like that, anyway?"
Eve's golden eyes widened slightly, before she chuckled. "Indeed, how could I?"
The elder man laughed, waving and resuming to the group, calling out one last time. "Don't forget to check on the children in block C-18; their fevers won't go away in a couple of days to my knowledge. And to think, those doctors deem Prothean archaeologist and guards to be more important than our future!"
Anchor waved back, despite the fact that the old man's back was turned to her. "Anchor won't let you down, Mister Hagus!"
Eve smiled, thinking back to Glave's words. Perhaps forging new bonds and interacting with others won't be so bad after all…
Author's Note:
[1] I see no reason why they should hold out some members on the ship and use 3 men squad for the mission, since Normandy is in orbit; excuse of having to guard the ship is moot, until we get to certain missions that is.
[2] In the Codex it's stated that 'Tech' ability is actually a specialized grenades fired from micro launcher, but in-game it behave like instant magic somehow, don't ask me why.
[3] Just try to be a little realistic here, trapped without food and water for days have to have effects, and even if you do this mission first, it still has to be a few days before Shepard show up when you factored in the Prototype status of his Frigate on first shakedown run; it need inspection no matter if you're in space age or not.
[4] The timeframe may looks long compared to when you play the game, heck, there're a lot of Mass Effect 1 speedrun video on Youtube that ended in a couple of hour! And even you're not speedrunning you can complete the whole game in a week worth of playtime on average. But this's a fiction, not a game where you can complete the whole thing without your character ever goes to sleep, eat, chat, take care of his/her personal need, etc. So bear with me when I make even a single assignment (side quest) take days to complete on minimum during the course of story okay?
[5] Look at the Codex; it stated that Eden Prime has like 3.8 million population at the beginning of Mass Effect 1, but in-game the whole level is unrealistically small for place that supposed to have 3.8 Million people in, so I took the liberty to make the colony a multiple sectors and the place where the whole level in-game is in is one separate sector from where Eve's group are in. Hope I'm not breaking any suspension of disbelief here.
As the second reviewer has guessed correctly; yes, Anchor is actually Prototype of EDI - specifically 'Hannibal', but don't expect her to have the same personality as EDI though, as Chapter 3 and this one could attest.
And EDI may still show up, as from what we learned from the canon so far; Cerberus use Lunar VI's 'Blueprint' as basis to build EDI. They did not stealing the Blue Box on Lunar and rebuild it as EDI.
Those who purchased certain DLC of Mass Effect 3 will know there's something else on this colony apart from the Beacon that gets wrecked. But whether Eve team will find that 'something else' or not remain to be seen.
Rate and Reviews are welcome, like I said that I never use OC with such major role in fan fiction before, so this experience is new to me. Not mention that this story start out as crazy idea as stated in beginning chapter. So any comments and reviews that's reasonable enough will be useful.