Chapter 7: During the Tragedy part 6: Quests, qualms and quarians.

"Hope…" Snow said, stunned.

"You didn't tell them, I see," Miranda spoke. "That's right, this child's name just so happens to be Hope Shepard, son of Alistair and Andraste Shepard, grandson to Captain Hannah Shepard, and nephew to Leliana Shepard, the heroine of both the Battle of Elysium and the Battle of the Citadel!"

"Wow Hope, it sounds like you were descended from a whole line of heroes!"

"Does it really matter Snow?" Hope shouted. "Anyway, how exactly is that relevant to what is happening now? There is a Cerberus Agent right in front of us!"

"You make a good point Hope," Lightning began. "Weren't we fighting these Cerberus people just now?"

"You people just won't listen to reason will you?" Miranda sighed. "Fine then, This information is normally top secret, but know this: we have Leliana's body. We are bringing her back from the dead, and she will know when she wakes up that her late nephew has betrayed all she stood for!"

With that, Miranda got on the shuttle and the Heavy Mechs opened fire. "You won't escape!" Lightning shouted as her chest lit up. "O-"

"No Light! We don't want to draw attention to our kind!" Hope shouted, trying to stop her from doing what he thought she was doing

"I thought nobody outside of Cocoon and Pulse knew l'Cie existed?"

"Yes, and especially when it comes to groups like Cerberus, we don't want to put the idea in their heads!"

"Why, what will they do?"

"Let's just say that death by Sanctum firing squads is preferable!"

As the party attacked the Heavy Mechs and the Cerberus Shuttle left the Virmire skyline, there was more conversation. Sazh, amidst shooting at the Mechs with active Disruptor Ammo, pounding away with Ravager spells and casting Synergist buffs, asked how the Sanctum could possibly be preferable to Cerberus, mentioning how he, his son and Vanille were manipulated by the Sanctum employee Jihl Nabaat, also giving a short description of her. Hope, while overloading the Heavy Mechs' shields, said that it sounded like this Jihl would fit in well with Cerberus, as they sounded like her, just sicker with their methodology, especially when it came to experiments.

After a while, Hope told everyone that the Mech's shields were down, which meant it was time to switch to Incendiary Ammo. Upon hearing this, Fang took out a little present from Legion: a Geth Plasma Shotgun, and activated its Incendiary Ammo. Lightning did the same with her Blazefire Saber after which both opened fire, while Hope and Sazh started unleashing Incineration blasts and more Ravager spells, mainly focusing on Fira. Snow continued to use Overload and electrical spells, while Vanille tried further weakening it with Saboteur debuffs, as the only biotic ability she knew was useless to her.

Eventually, the Armor for the mechs was destroyed, and Hope told everyone that they could unload on all of the Mechs. Amid the use of Overload, there was also many a Thunder spell and Sparkstrike. The first Heavy Mech started to fall over, and as its knees hit the ground it exploded. Lightning shot off the head of the second Heavy Mech, but as it fell down, a light was coming from its neck area and Hope immediately yelled at everyone to take cover. The resulting explosion left behind a smallish mushroom cloud.

"Hope?" Vanille started.

"What is it Vanille?" Hope asked, weary after the battle.

"I'm sorry, but the enhancements don't seem to have given me much."

"Ah, you refer to the L5x implants?"

"Yes. I was only given knowledge of how to use one ability. I wasn't able to help much in battle because of it."

"I agree," Fang cut in. "Yes, I've got a few decent new weapons, the shotgun's especially a nice touch, but I can only use that one ability. I know I can do more, but why don't I have knowledge of that part?"

"I see, you refer to your biotic abilities," Hope responded. "I guess it is just due to your implants giving you an inherent knowledge of one unique ability, but for you to truly master them, you will need to learn how to properly tap into your biotic potential. Legion?"

"Yes?" the geth wondered.

"What say we take everyone to Feros?"

"Explain your choice of planet Hope."

"I'm thinking of enlisting Shiala's aid. What with every other possible avenue either closed to us due to… you know, or the fact that they will take too long, she's the only way that Snow, Fang and Vanille will learn to master their biotic powers!"

"A crash course in biotics? Wait, new data incoming!"

"What is it, Legion?"

"Research results of Brand Skin sample analysis recommend that a substance from a fal'Cie-type creature should comprise countermeasure. Scans from memory indicate Thorian genetic structure is identical to fal'Cie genetic structure."

"So now we have two reasons to go to Feros. Wonderful."

"Leaving so soon? I was starting to like it here!" Snow exclaimed.

"Unfortunately yes, Snow. Let's get on board."

As soon as everybody was on the ship, it took off from Virmire. They went through another Mass Relay, and when the ship's airlocks were next opened, they were staring into a seemingly abandoned building. Hope, Legion and the others disembarked from there, after which the ship submerged into what were now clouds. From there, they walked to the Zhu's Hope colony.

When they arrived, they were met with a hostile reception. The guards opened fire as soon as they spotted Legion, but was soon told by an asari to hold fire. Hope's companions had mixed feelings towards the asari, but she approached and greeted Hope, with her introducing herself as Shiala and him introducing Lightning, Snow, Vanille, Sazh, Fang and Bartholomew. Hope immediately asked her, since she used to be a follower of a powerful Matriarch, if she could give Fang, Vanille and Snow the crash course in biotics, also asking for entry into the Thorian's resting place.

Snow was a little uneasy about interacting with Shiala, but Fang and Vanille seemed to have been taking it better though. Before the training, however, the latter woman insisted that they visit Hope's home world of Eden Prime if she took the course, to which Hope responded that it would not happen at all.

"Come on Hope, don't make my newfound dreams die like this!" she pouted.

"Vanille…" Hope stated in a broken voice, a tear rolling down his cheek, "… that was low. Fine, we will go there."

"You okay Hope? You sound hurt," Lightning asked.

"Let us just get to the Thorian corpse Light."

Legion had brought a Geth Recon Drone with, and as soon as it, Hope, Lightning and Sazh reached the Thorian pit, it activated the drone, sending it down the shaft.

"Thorian corpse located: three kilometers below our position," the geth spoke after a while.

"How are we going to get down there?" Lightning asked. "My Eidolon cannot fly or stay out for such a long period of time."

"Oh, I think there's a way," Hope began. "Legion, shall we…"

"Yes, a hovercraft will be needed. Problem detected: Omni-tool lacks transmitter range to summon ship hovercraft."

"Can't I just plug in my omni-tool to the colony's communications and use that to boost the signal strength?"

"Consensus achieved: plan of Hope will work."

Hope left the pit, followed by Lightning, while Sazh stayed with the geth. On his way to the communications array, the young boy saw the training of Snow, Fang and Vanille with Shiala, and from the looks of it, Vanille was grasping the training better than the other two. Hope hacked into the array and opened the doors of the geth ship to summon the hovercraft. It arrived after a few minutes, whereupon the user history with his little plan was wiped, and the connection terminated.

Legion alone descended through the bowels of the pit, and after four hours, returned with severed Thorian tissue. Hope's next move was strange: he went to the local merchant and bought three bouquets of flowers. When Lightning asked who they were for, he just said "three people close to my heart." Legion used the hovercraft to return to the ship, while the rest stayed inside the colony and conversed. Lightning, Sazh and Bartholomew heard quite a few interesting things that were unheard of, yet strangely familiar. They heard, for example, how the Thorian released spores to be ingested by colonists and make them its thralls, a process that sounded similar to branding of l'Cie. What surprised the l'Cie there, however, was how this Thorian handled its thralls: unlike fal'Cie, it took an interest in what they thought, and rebellious thoughts were punished, but at the same time, also unlike fal'Cie, it actually seemed to care for them, not punishing the aforementioned rebellious thoughts with death, and also making an effort to keep the thralls out of harm's way.

By the day's end, Shiala told Hope that Snow, Fang and Vanille had learned enough to be able to use their biotic powers, yet insisted that in exchange for her training services, they stay the night. Legion had returned to the ship to analyze data and create the solution to their Brand problem, while the remaining seven people stayed at the Zhu's Hope colony. During their time there, Vanille and Fang also questioned Hope about the flowers, but he remained tight-lipped about them. Vanille also questioned Hope about why he acted how he acted back at the Hanging Edge, after all, if he himself was from another world, how could he be so quick to label an unknown world as 'hell'? Hope answered the only way he knew how: would she really have continued to help him if he revealed who he was? "Besides, as a general rule of thumb, any Terminus Systems world is hell until it can prove itself otherwise," he added.

It was at around that point that Vanille saw something that diverted her attention: what appeared to be a feminine figure in purple and black clothing with a transparent face-mask that featured a bluish light at the mouth area. The figure looked in their direction and gave a small sigh. "You have to be joking," she stated to herself, the light on her mask flickering as she spoke, after which an omni-tool appeared on her left hand and started displaying a picture after a few taps.

"About what?" Vanille wondered aloud.

"The hair looks almost exactly the same, and except for that tattoo on his left arm his features are all identical."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Damn it! The picture is starting to fade!"

"Would you tell me what is going on already!"

It was at this point that the figure took notice of Vanille. "Sorry little one, it is just that your companion looks exactly like – stay in focus!" Vanille noticed that the picture on her omni-tool was breaking up heavily and refusing to re-form.

"Any idea why that picture is breaking up like that?"

"It cannot be poor quality or a bad extranet connection because I dealt with those two problems already. The only possible explanation is that somebody's hacking into my omni-tool!"

"Hope, what do you think?" Vanille shouted to her young partner, but he was also tapping on his omni-tool. The picture on the other one soon vanished completely.

"It cannot be. You're Shepard's nephew?" the woman shouted to him.

"So what if I am?" Hope asked. "Why does it matter?"

"Damn, the picture has been deleted. Eden Prime has been worrying about you!"

"Pull the other one. Since when would anyone be looking for me?"

"Oh keelah. Look child, the people of your home planet are worried about you! Can't you at least visit them?"

"Just who are you anyway?"

"Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Hope, and who is your friend there?"

"My name is Oerba Dia Vanille," the girl in question answered. "I'm a l-"

"No Vanille!" Hope shouted.

"What is wrong Hope? Can't I tell this woman what we are?"

"Rather not please. If you do, we will never hear the end of a questioning session."

"Why, is this… lady with that Cerberus-?"

"How dare you, you little bosh'tet!" Tali shouted at Vanille, who backed away in fright. At that point, they were joined by the other l'Cie. "Something wrong? I thought I heard a shout." Lightning asked.

"Calm down Tali," Hope pleaded. "Vanille has only very recently entered galactic society."

"Exactly how can that be the case? Just because she wears different clothing – which on a side note I like – doesn't mean that she's new among the stars!" Tali continued.

"Well, let us try something. What do you think of when I say 'Cocoon'?"

"I think of an insect larva, but why is that important-."

"Gran Pulse?"

"How is all this relevant?"

"What I have mentioned are two Terminus Systems worlds that are completely cut off from galactic society, from which Vanille and my other companions originated. There are humans dwelling on at least one of those two worlds, and they have no knowledge whatsoever of galactic society, much less how much quarians like yourself view Cerberus."

"Interesting. I would like to visit these worlds. Give me the coordinates."

"It could possibly be an idea... what do you think Lightning? Is Cocoon ready to see another Pulse invasion?"

"What do you mean 'invasion'? I just want to see these worlds for myself."

"Doing so is strongly ill-advised Tali. The people on Cocoon are extremely xenophobic."

"Never mind then, but why won't you go home?"

"Tell me, what is there to go home to? I've lost my family, I've lost my dreams and I've lost any hope of actually aiding my own species! What possible reason would there be to return to that rock?"

"You haven't lost your friends, you silly child."

"Who exactly do you mean?"

"Let us see if the following name rings a bell: Connor Guerrin."

With that, memories of a slightly skinny brunet boy came streaming into Hope's mind. Connor was one of the only friends he had when he was younger. Also somewhat of a prodigy child, he had taken an interest in medicine and hoped to be a doctor in later years.

"Hope." The sound of the silver-haired boy's name on Connor's lips always brought him a smile, as it felt good to know that he wasn't alone. Connor also had some strange beliefs, which didn't quite make sense to Hope: he thought, contrary to what science had proven, that magic actually existed. In fact, were Hope to look back on it now, he thought that this child would probably have been the only person in the galaxy to willingly become a l'Cie if given the chance.

"Hope," he would always greet. The three of them, Hope, Connor and… there was one other person, they would always meet every chance they got and discuss many things. Hope always looked forward to those meetings, it was actually very emotionally satisfying to be around people who could relate to him.

"Hope!" Vanille's voice suddenly burst in. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied. How could he have forgotten Connor? The two of them were best friends! Connor helped him to stay sane after Sovereign's attack on Eden Prime, he was the only one to still visit him when he began distancing himself from the colony, and as a result, the only person he kept in contact with. Connor knew of Hope's departure, and the promise made that they would stay in touch which was always kept until… Cocoon.

"This l'Cie business must be affecting me worse than I thought," he spoke with a sigh.

"La what?" Tali asked.

Now Hope knew he had done it, he had let slip his condition, and now he would be forced to explain to the quarian what exactly they were, which he was not looking forward to.


End note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially the appearance by Tali. A bit of bad news, I am not sure when the next update is going to be, but I will try and do it as soon as possible.