Chapter 6. Read it, review it, and tell me what you people think. This is just here for people to enjoy. Enjoy! :)
NOTE: I don't own Mass Effect or Dragon Age games go to their respective company creators.
Chapter 6: More bad news
"We'll be beginning our trip to Planet Earth shortly." Shepard informed the trio. "There's a room set up for you, so feel free to get some rest." He offered.
"Thank you." Hawke said kindly. Shepherd then headed back to captain helm.
"Setting course for sector Theta." The helmsman announced. "Point 001, mark 260. Mass Relay Connection established. Preparing FTL Jump" Hawke, Merrill, and Varric looked out the front window of the Normandy, awe struck with wonder at what they were seeing. Of course they made sure not to disturb Joker from flying.
"Look. It's magnificent." Hawke said.
"Beautiful…" Merrill said. "It's like an ocean of stars."
"Ocean of stars? In that case I might as well take a dip." Varric joked.
"I hate to disappoint you, but you won't be able to breathe out there?" Hawke smirked.
"Why not?"
"There's no air."
"No air!?" Varric was indeed in shock. They suddenly saw a huge object floating in space. Two fifteen-kilometer (or nine-mile) long curved metal arms surrounding a set of revolving, gyroscopic rings five-kilometers across.
"What is that?" Hawke asked in awe.
"That's a Mass Relay." Joker said.
"A Mass… Relay?" Hawke said in confusion.
"What's a Mass Relay?" Merrill asked.
"The Mass Relays are mass transit devices scattered throughout the galaxy, usually located within star systems. They form an enormous network allowing interstellar travel. Hailed as one of the greatest achievements of the extinct Protheans, a mass relay can transport starships instantaneously to another relay within the network, allowing for journeys that would otherwise take years or even centuries with only FTL drives." EDI explained.
"Protheans? FTL?" Merrill said confused.
"What the heck are those?" Varric asked.
"The Protheans are an ancient alien racewhich mysteriously vanished over 50,000 years ago. The Protheans arose from a single planet and developed an immense galaxy-wide empire encompassing many other spacefaring species. Not much is known about them, but many of their artifacts, ruins and technology have apparently survived the ages." EDI explained. As for FTL, it is an abbreviation term for faster-than-light. It is a method of traveling faster than the speed of light which does not involve the use of mass relays. Once a vessel makes a jump via a mass relay, conventional FTL can be used to move around the space surrounding it at reasonable speed."
"Uh… I don't really get it." Merrill said confused.
"You're telling me, daisy. My head hurts just trying to take this all in." Varric groaned.
"Welcome to my world." Joker said. "I graduated at the top of my prime and I still don't get the techno babble."
"Pay attention, Joker." Shepard ordered. "Were about to go FTL."
"Already on it, Commander." Joker smiled.
The Normandy flew closer and closer to the Mass Relay and suddenly a surging stream of Elemental Zero energy struck the Normandy like lightning to a lightning rod. Then the energy flung the Normandy into a warp, like slingshot. To everyone this was something they got use to, but to the new guests this was surprising and shocking.
"What in Adrastate's bosom was that!?" Varric gawked.
"Whoa! My head's spinning." Merrill sighed heavily.
"You guys just experienced your first FTL." Joker said.
"So… that was an FTL." Hawke breathed heavily.
"No. That was just the start of it." Joker said. "Look ahead of you and you'll see." The trio looked up and almost gawked in surprise. What they were seeing before their eyes was a stream of lights and colors. "THIS is a FTL."
"It's… beautiful." Merrill said.
"That's putting it mildly." Varric said.
"I never knew that people could discover something this surreal." Hawke said.
They soon arrived in the Sol system only under 5 minutes. When the ship exited the FTL and arrived at the other Mass Relay, they flew the rest of the way back to Earth. In no time at all they arrived at the planet Earth. The trio looked out to see the Earth and all of it's beauty.
"See that blue sphere?" Joker said. "That's our home. Earth."
"It's so… beautiful." Merrill said.
"It is. It's like a gem that me and people could dig up from the marble." Varric said.
"So this is your home?" Hawke asked.
"Yep." Joker nodded. "Nothing really special, but it's home." Just then Joker saw something and smiled. "Hey. See that floating flower looking thing over there?" Joker pointed. The trio looked up and again almost gawk in surprise.
"What is that thing?" Varric said in awe.
"That's the Citadel." Joker said.
"It's ginormous." Hawke said.
"That's what she said." Joker muttered under his breath.
"Pardon Jeff?" EDI asked.
"Nothing. Just excited."
"We're now entering the Citadel to report to the Council of the Alliance." Shepard announced. The trio was struck in awe at seeing numerous starships. However one starship appeared right next to the Normandy.
"Commander! An unidentified ship that just appeared is hailing us!" Said the communications officer.
"Open the channel!" Shepard ordered.
"We come as emissaries of Rannoch." Said a voice with a thick accent. "We have no desire to fight."
"This is Commander James Shepard of the Systems Alliance starship Normandy." Shepard answered. "You are Quarians, am I correct?"
"Correct."
"Quarians?" Hawke asked.
"What are Quarians?" Varric asked.
"The quarians are a nomadic species of humanoid aliens known for their skills with technology and synthetic intelligence." Liara answered.
"My I request your identification?" Shepard asked.
"Certainly. I am Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya."
"Rayya. That must be the name of their ship." Liara speculated.
"We have detailed information on the Geth and a emissary of Geth with us to give to the council." Kar explained. Everyone was in shock by this. Not by the information, but by the fact that they have a Geth on board their ship.
"A Geth!? The ones responsible for our world's suffering!? They actually have one!?" Hawke asked in shock.
"Please remain calm, Hawke." Liara said. "We'll know once we arrive on the citadel."
True to her word they arrive on the Citadel and make their way to the Council. Though they weren't technically having a tour of the massive space station, the trio still thought it was even more beautiful up close and in person. There were various of races going to a fro about the Citadel. Asari, Humans, Turians, Solarians, Kroguns, Drell, and many more. Seeing all these various creatures and races was putting the trio in a state of awe and shock. They were about to mistaken these species as Abominations as a result of using magic from the fade, but they quickly kept their composure.
At last they made it to the grand hall of the Council. The council itself comprises of three. Councilor Tevos an Asari, Councilor Valern, a Solarian, and Councilor Sparatus, a Turian. When Shepard and his crew confronted the Council they were joined with the Quarian emissaries of Rannoch. From the trio's view it was shocking. The Quarians figure was different from humans. Three fingers, arched legs, and wearing masks over their faces. The Quarians explained to them about the history of the Geth. How they were created. This was definitely shocking to everyone.
"So you are saying you, the Quarians made them?" Valern asked in speculation.
"How do you account for this atrocity you've committed!?" Sparatus asked with outrage.
"We were captured. Used as slaves. We had no way of escaping and warning you." Kar explained.
"They made the?" Hawke said with shock.
"How could they have created such monsters?" Merrill said in disbelief.
"Well judging by their speech I suppose they are about to explain." Varric said.
"That they are." Liara said. Kar brought out a small buoy from his pouch and activated it, revealing all the detailed information on the Geth.
"The Geth is pronounced as Servant of the People in Khelish, our native language." Kar began. "The Geth are a network of Artificial Intelligence. We made the Geth to help us with our development and our lives. But they became too aware of themselves and started to rebel against us. It was if they were possessed by something. We could not discover what it was. We fought back but were over powered and imprisoned. We did not know how long we were captured, until one of the Geth gained his own sense of intelligence and rebelled against his own kind." That part shocked everyone as well the thought of a Geth rebelling and saving the Quarian race. "This Geth saved us and allowed us to escape."
"Please, show us this Geth." Tevos requested. Kar nodded and motioned another Quarian to step forth with a Geth by herside.
"Councilors, I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She introduced. "This here is the Geth that saved us."
"So that's a Geth." Hawke stared at it. It was just as Kar described it. All cybernetic and walking like a humanoid based.
"They are even creepier than I imagined." Merrill said.
"Ugly bastard, ain't it." Varric said. Hawke was suddenly getting the impulse to charge at the robot and kill it for his people, but he quickly regained is poster remembering that he was in a council room.
"Please state your name." Valern requested.
"We do not have a name. We are Geth." It responded in a cybernetic voice.
"'We?'" Tevos asked.
"We are one network." It answered again.
"What he is trying to say is that they are many but with one mind." Tali explained. "It's the best way to describe it."
"That certainly makes things complicated." Sparatus sighed in annoyance.
"Please continue." Tevos said.
"Geth are loyal to anyone." The Geth explained. "Loyal and helpful. Always willing to help others. Yet this can be a weakness at times. This was proven when an outside source hacked into units and took control." This came as a surprise to everyone, yet at the same time not so surprising. It comes as no surprise that jokers and terrorist would hack into machines. Yet it did raise some questions as to who. "However THIS unit managed to override the hacking servo and comprised a firewall for protection. The new objective for this unit was to ensure the creator-Quarians safety and survival." The Geth unit finished.
"So you're saying that the Geth are not the real threat?" Valern asked, with a hint of not being convinced.
"That is correct." The Geth united answered. "We are not willing participants."
"Then the rumors of a third party working in the shadows were true then." Tevos pondered. This was something that took the others by surprise.
"A third party!?" Shepard said in shock. Everyone in his group and company were just as shocked as he was.
"Yes." Kar spoke up again. "Through the Geth, they had us at the points of their pistols and blades. Our Theory is that their technology must be highly advanced. Possibly on the same level as the extinct Prothean race. They were the ones responsible for the destruction of Planet Bithnu." Just the mere mention of the destruction that befell that planet was still fresh in everyone's from the reports.
"It's all making sense as we discover more and more." Tevos said.
"If that is the case, might we request this Geth unit to verify the identity of the third party?" Valern requested.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to." The Geth unit said. "We also have little idea and verification on what their goals are, but they have provided us with a wealth of new technology, including the virus."
"Aye. All this 'One minded preaching' is starting to hurt my brain." Varric said.
"I think we, the council understand what's happening." Tevos nodded. Shepard then stepped forth.
"Regarding the viral weapon that was dropped on Planet Thedas, we'd like to request you to provide us with either a vaccine or the original host of the disease, if possible." Shepard asked kindly.
"Unfortunately, we cannot." The Geth unit said. This was very disturbing news that made Shepard, Hawke and the entire group gawk in horror and disbelief.
"W-What!? But why!?" Merrill asked in shock.
"We, the Geth unfortunately don't carry the vaccine to the virus." The Geth unit replied. "As we have stated before, the identity of the unknown third party is still unknown to us."
"Figures." Shepard growled. "I should have anticipated this!"
"Shepard…" Liara said worryingly, as she placing her hand on his shoulder.
"However, we do know that the virus has its origins in the Corypheus. A creature that lives on Planet Thedas." The Geth unit explained. Hawke, Merrill, and Varric instantly went wide-eyed in shock.
"Corypheus!?" Hawke gawked. "That's the Ghoul Darkspawn!? An Archdemon that was defeated in the Fifth Blight!"
"So that's what's going on." Shepard wondered.
"Strangely, neither the vaccine nor the host exist in this universe. Reasons for that are unclear." The Geth unit explained.
""I'm afraid there is little we can do about Planet Thedas." Kar said much to his dismay.
"No!" Merrill whimpered in shock.
"Damn it!" Shepard growled. Everyone in the group was in wide-eyed shock, speechless, and struck with grief. Even the council seemed saddened and dreaded by this knowledge.
"There's nothing to be done now." Sparatus said. "If there is no ready solution to the problem, we'll simply have to quarantine the planet Thedas." This came across as a heartless choice in the group's eyes. Hawke especially. This was the final nail in the coffin of Hawke's patience. He then ran over to balcony facing the council in such a distraught rage. However Liara grabbed him, trying to stop him from doing anything reckless.
"What!?" Hawke growled in anger and disbelief. "You want to just simply watch our planet die!?" He struggled to free himself from Liara's grasp.
"Hawke! Calm down!" Liara tried to calm him.
"The hell with that!" He spat back.
"Hmph! Such impudent manners. Were done here." Sparatus said coldly.
"In my opinion I'd say it's a blessing that a primitive tribe and it's primitive planet would be erased from this sacred universe." Valern agreed with Sparatus in the same cold attitude. "The less with underdeveloped savages, the better." And with that two of the three council members left, leaving Hawke more enraged and Shepard and his crew in disbelief and shock that the council would be THIS cold. Tevos especially shocked. She then quickly came down and rushed over to the group.
"I am so sorry for what they said." Tevos said with sincerity. "They're always acting so high and mighty, egotistical, and prideful. I really wish there was more we could do." She then turned to the trio, with Hawke now calmed down. "I am so very sorry about your world. I am truly sorry."
"Thank you, madam." Hawke said still feeling sad.
"All I can do his hope you the best of luck and my the goddess be with you." Tevos then bowed in respect and walked away.
"I too am sorry." Kar said with a sincere voice behind his helmet. "I wish there was more me and my people could do."
"You've tried." Shepard said. "That's all anyone can hope for."
"If it's all the same to you that is." Tali said with the same sincere sadness in her voice.
"Yes." Shepard nodded. And with that the Quarian emissaries and the Geth unit bowed in respect and left. Leaving the group in a moment of silent sadness and despair.
Chapter 6 Complete! The horrors and sadness have been raised. But there maybe a way to still save the planet from extinction and total destruction. Read it, review it, and tell me what you people think. This is just here for people to enjoy. :)