Matt looked up at Neri and asked her to make a jump to a quiet system, then looked back at Ked. " OK, Get talking."
Ked sighed, placed both hands over his face, elbows resting on his knees. "Where to start.."
"How about telling us why you were in the cryo chamber?" Matt asked.
"Oh, that's simple." Ked responded wryly. "I was a captured fugitive. ". Dahlie raised her rifle at that, but Ked waved his hands in reassurance. "No, no, nothing I deserved, at least not really. "
He looked about the room and asked "What do you know about Commander Shepard, the saviour of the Galaxy, Giver of the greatest gift life has ever received, Goddess and spiritual leader of the Cult of Shepard? Not much I'd wager. Neither does anyone in this galaxy, and we are discouraged from asking questions."
Matt Shepard shifted uncomfortably, the Jack and Dahlie glancing in his direction. "You're right, we no little about her. This cult of Shepard doesn't exist in Andromeda. Shepard was a well known historical figure to us, nothing more."
Ked nodded. "Yes, and that's likely all she should have been here too. But something happened that day during the final battles during the reapers. There are reports of a glowing green ball of energy flashing out of the Citadel, and spreading via the Relay network across the galaxy. No system was untouched, so they say. They call it 'The Gift of the Shepard'".
"No-one knows what it was or how it happened, but soon afterwards, people of all species found they shared a common bond with those around them. Many felt blessed, others were driven mad. A few felt nothing. They remained unchanged, and were soon set upon by the 'gifted' and those that were driven mad. Some of the unchanged, the 'giftless', escaped, and the raiders you may run into are their descendants. "
He took a deep breath and continued. "I was part of a team of researchers, scientists, who wanted to study and understand this event. We came across hints of some sort of artefact that might provide answers. Simply put, my team and I were rounded up and put in cryo suspension because we got too close. That's the problem with Organics, you see, we are too damn curious."
"And this 'Cult of Shepard'?" Matt asked.
"Ah yes, the Cult of Shepard. It sprang up over night and almost instantly gained trillions of adherents. Any system with a reaper in it got converted instantly, and other systems converted once a reaper arrived in the system. This little detail is not widely known, and the Cult of Shepard would prefer to keep it that way. " he added bitterly.
"Another detail they don't want known is that some babies are being born giftless, even from gifted parents. These children are usually quickly rounded up and sent off to re-conditioning centers."
"I don't like the sound of that" Thraak added, eyes narrowing.
"So you were captured and put into suspension. What were they going to do with you? Send you for reconditioning?"
"Yes, exactly. The process restores the 'Gift' but erases any memories you had at that point. You become a different person. As you guessed, that was to be my fate as well. Trouble makers are often reconditioned as well, and added back into the populace as productive citizens. It seems you've saved me from that fate, at least for now, and I thank you."
"Hold on" Jack interrupted, "this still doesn't add up. You don't seem to be part of this collective or 'cult', yet you claim to have lived among them. What changed?"
"I don't know. Maybe the Cryo destroyed my link to the others. Maybe they did something to me, thinking I'd be reconditioned soon. All I know is I awoke from cryo on your ship and discovered I lost 'the gift'. The feeling of aloneness. I felt I was going mad. At least until your Krogan knocked some sense into me."
Thraak laughed at that.
"Point is, that's why I panicked on Khar'shan. I was afraid someone might recognise me, or identify me as a fugitive. I activated my cloak and slipped away after tripping that Yagh" he chuckled. "I felt my best bet was to team up with you, for protection. If you'll have me." His gaze levelled on Matt.
"You want to join us? Why? How could you help us?"
"A guide, someone who can tell you how to deal with these 'gifted'"
"And in return?" Matt asked.
"Not getting re-gifted." Jack chimed in. Dahlie shot him a look and shook her head, hiding a smirk.
"Quite." Ked replied, looking a bit more positive. "That and if you like, we can unravel the biggest mystery in the galaxy together. I know where to get that artefact."
Matt nodded. "You're on. Exploring is kind of our thing. Where do we start?"
"Well, first I need my notes. They are in our old research station on Noveria. "