Don't get mad. I warned you all going into this project that this story might slip-up on its update schedule every so often. I'm still gonna make the Lemon Side Story, it's just gonna come out a little later so I can try and build up a buffer in the main story again. Also, just a quick heads-up, this chapter is gonna be a little different from the ones we've had so far. Wanna know why? You'll have to read to find out!
Mass Effect 10 Part 1
Chapter 10
Learning & Growing
Normandy
Dr. Chakwas was minding her own business at her desk, humming an old Turian marching tune that went out of style about three hundred years ago to herself as she cataloged the results of a few protein samples she'd been studying into her computer. She was so engrossed in her work that she barely noticed Liara stepping out of her own makeshift work space, her face flush, her breathing haggard, and her clothes wrinkled.
"By the Goddess..." Liara panted happily as she walked out, a slightly limp in her right leg. "Goddess...that was just...Goddess..."
"Ben showed you a good time, I take it?" Karin smiled knowingly at the Asari as she braced herself against the wall.
"...More than you can possibly imagine." Liara sighed as she slid down the wall contentedly.
"Oh, I can imagine quite a bit." Karin chuckled teasingly. "Especially after what I saw Ben and Shepard do in that very bed about a week ago...As well as off it...and immediately afterwards with Tali." She pointed to the medical bed in question.
"Oh my..." Liara's blush grew as she looked from the human doctor to the bed and back again. "I had no idea Ben was so...daring."
"I'm not." Ben grunted as he entered the med bay from Liara's office, his clothes more tidy than his new lover's were. "Shepard and Tali are the ones who went to town on me while Chakwas was here, encouraging them both the whole way."
"I didn't see you trying to stop her." Karin continued her teasing, greatly enjoying the embarrassment of her coworkers. "And I assure you, my interest is strictly medical and biological in nature. Speaking of which, did you save the samples I asked for?"
"...Yes." Ben grunted as he shuffled over to Dr. Chakwas and placed a tray of plastic containers with...various fluids contained within. "Remind me again why you're making me do this?"
"I've been running some tests on your semen." Dr. Chakwas answered bluntly, her experience as a medical professional making her utterly tactless when it came to bodily functions and their byproducts. "Mainly the proteins and genetic material they contain to be specific." She elaborated as she placed one of the samples under an electronic microscope. "At first it was purely for scientific curiosity and to see if you were genetically compatible with humans, but my observations thus far have left me with more questions than I expected."
"I'm not gonna give anyone space AIDS, am I?!" Ben panicked, the possibility admittedly unlikely in his mind, but then again he wasn't exactly an expert on his own body.
"Doubtful." Dr. Chakwas chuckled as she began examining the readout displayed on her monitor. "If anything, I suspect it may be quite the opposite. I'll need more time to examine the data to be certain though. Perhaps after you come back from your next mission I'll be able to give a more detailed explanation."
"Alright then?" Ben replied uncertainly, his mind now distracted by the possibilities of what the opposite of space AIDS could be. "Anything else I should know?"
"Just one thing, though it's not exactly what I'd call priority information." Karin chuckled mischievously. "Joker called while you and Liara were - how did you describe it again? - Conducting research?" She chuckled again as Ben and Liara groaned, mostly in embarrassment. 'These children make it all too easy.' She thought to herself, despite Liara technically being much older than her. "I told him you two were otherwise occupied, so he left a message for Ben. I believe it went something like: 'I hate you so much. Never talk to me again.' and while I doubt he was being entirely serious, it might be best for you to keep your distance from Mr. Moreau for the time being."
The good doctor's word confused Ben for a moment, until he realized that Moreau was most likely Joker's real last name.
"Thanks for the tip." Ben responded, cringing the moment he realized the innuendo he had just made. "I should go now. Oh, and be sure to let me know if you manage to find anything interesting on those Prothean Data Disks, okay Liara?" He added as an afterthought.
"You'll be the first to know. Visit me anytime, Ben." Liara wistfully waved him goodbye, her eyes watching his exiting form hungrily. "I am so thankful I was born an Asari."
...
Eletania
"Remind me again, when exactly were we going to get back to our search for Saren?" Wrex tapped his knee impatiently as Ben drove the Mako across the green fields of alien algae. "Because I seem to recall someone saying it would be our next stop a few stops ago."
"It can't be helped." Shepard sighed as she mentally counted to ten, secretly just as annoyed as Wrex. "We were passing through the Attican Beta Cluster when the Geth shot down a probe tracking their movements. We need to get that data back before the Geth get their hands on it, or else they can use that information to know where they can switch up their travel routes to throw us off."
"Plus, there's also the matter of the intel being of use to all of us as well." Tali reminded the Krogan, taking advantage of the soft spot the old man had for Quarians. "Setting aside the flight patterns of their ships, there's also data about their designs to be gleamed from just a passing glance by one of these probes. Insight into their propulsion systems, shields, weapon designs-"
"Here's the signal." Ben cut Tali off before she could get too into her lecture. "And the probe is ripe for the plucking." He grinned underneath his helmet as the crew exited the Mako to gather and examine the wreckage. "How's it looking Tali? Can the data be salvaged?"
"...Maybe...if I can actually FIND the data module." Tali grumbled in frustration as she examined the downed probe from top to bottom. "Is this some new model of probe the Alliance recently developed? Because I'm not seeing the data module where they're usually installed on these things."
"Don't tell me the Geth got to it first?" Ashley inquired worriedly.
"Someone did beat us here, but it wasn't the Geth." Wrex noted gruffly as he studied some tracks around the probe. "Pyjaks! Stupid vermin must have nabbed the module and ran back to its nest. Those trouble making emergency rations just love shiny things."
"We're chasing down pyjaks now?" Garrus grumbled sarcastically. "This isn't exactly the kind of extermination job I had in mind when I signed up to work with this crew."
"Suck it up, Garrus." Shepard sighed, once again sympathizing with the protests of her crew. "The sooner we search every pyjak shelter in the area, the sooner we can transmit the data from the module back to the Alliance and the Citadel." She assured them all as they piled back into the Mako.
...
One Hour Later
'I hate pyjaks! I hate pyjaks! I hate pyjaks! I hate pyjaks!' Shepard fumed mentally as Ben had to use his Fourarms DNA to pry her away from the third pyjak nest they'd searched since arriving. "Give me back my guns already, Ben!" She roared furiously. "I just wanna shoot a few of the poo flinging bastards!"
"You can take as much time in the shower as you need when we get back to the Normandy." Ben assured her as he forced her back into her seat and strapped her in. "Besides, it's not like it can get through your airtight spacesuit anyway." He pointed out.
"...Fine." Shepard eventually relented as Ben drove off to continue their search for the data module. "But you're putting those four arms of yours to good use scrubbing me from head to toe when we get back."
"...Is that supposed to be a threat?" Kaidan asked sarcastically. "Last I checked, taking a shower with an attractive woman isn't exactly a punishment...if you'll pardon my saying so, Commander." He saluted his superior officer as an afterthought.
"The confusion is understandable." Jane smirked darkly underneath her helmet. "Let's just say I have very...demanding standards when it comes to personal hygiene." Her innuendo sent a visible and audible shiver up Ben's spine as he remembered his first time with Jane, or as she insisted to be called during their 'alone time'...The Commander.
"...Do we even wanna know?" Wrex bluntly asked Tali, the only other person in the Mako who would know what Shepard was talking about.
"...Definitely not." Tali eventually shook her head in a tone that was clearly meant to end the conversation.
The rest of the ride continued in VERY awkward silence after that, no one making so much as a peep even as they zigzagged over towering and jagged hilltops, or came across an old abandoned mine shaft that some pyjacks had settled in. They even stayed quiet as they descended deep into the mine to search each and every pyjak nesting there.
"I found it!" Tali called out after searching the tenth pyjak she'd caught today, finally breaking the silence with the shock of a proverbial cannonball. "It's a miracle the data module's still intact." She remarked in awe as she wiped away the dirt and grim that had collected on the device. "Joker should be able to transmit this info to Alliance Command."
"Finally!" Shepard sighed in relief. "Now let's get the hell out of here already. I swear the smell of pyjak is starting to seep through my suit."
"For the last time Jane, these suits are completely airtight, and-" Ben was cut off by the sound of gunfire as a squadron of Geth approached. "Fuck me." He groaned, his patience already so far beyond its limit that he didn't care that he was swearing.
"After we get back to the Normandy." Shepard scolded/flirted as she pulled out her assault rifle and gestured for the rest of the squad to hold back. "Right now though, I've got some much needed stress relief coming my way." She chuckled as she stalked over to the Geth.
...
Three Minutes Later
"I didn't think it was possible..." Tali shook her head, utterly stupefied at what she had just witnessed. "Even though I'm trying to be open-minded, part of me always doubted, but I think I actually feel...sorry for the Geth."
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Wrex began in admiration. "It's a damn shame Shepard isn't a Krogan. She'd give Shiagur a run for her money if she were."
"I truly envy you, Ben." Garrus sighed wistfully. "No matter the species, there's nothing sexier than an all out badass."
"Thank you! You're all too kind!" Shepard bowed theatrically before holding a Geth's severed head aloft. "Alas, poor Gethy! I did not know him well..." She acted pensive for a few seconds before casually tossing the busted head aside. "Well, let's get a move on, shall we?"
"Okay, someone clearly needs to get their head examined." Ashley commented sarcastically as the squad made their way to exit the mines.
"That reminds me, I've been meaning to meld with Shepard for a while now." Liara noted as they approached the surface. "Her interaction with the Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime would no doubt make the experience almost as fascinating as melding with Ben was."
"So I'm only almost as interesting as Ben is?" Jane asked in mock hurt. "Liara my dear, you wound me."
"No offence to you Shepard, but melding with Ben was...different than it was always described to me." Liara struggled for an explanation the rest of the squad might understand. "...When melding, Asari use our biotics to link our nervous systems with our partner, allowing us to share sensations and information...and Ben's nervous system is just so...complex."
"I'm complex!" Jane insisted as they reached the surface. "Really, I'm like an onion."
"Like an onion? I don't under-...never mind." Liara shook her head, deciding that she wouldn't get a straight answer out of the Commander at this time. "What I mean is that Ben's nervous system is designed in an incredibly intricate way, no doubt to allow his body to cope with his shape shifting abilities. I have no reference outside of melding with Ben, so I can't be entirely certain, but it's almost like melding with eleven radically different beings all at once."
"Wait a minute..." Kaidan began as they opened the doors to the Mako. "Are you saying that, to an Asari, having sex with Ben is like an orgy?"
"Goddess, NO!" Liara backpedaled in embarrassment as everyone else froze, either in shock or amusement, but mostly a combination of the two. "I mean, I did say I hardly have a point of reference, so I have no way of being certain...not that I'd like to experiment with that theory...though I suppose it's inevitable that such experiments will occur at the rate things are going...oh, by the Goddess..." She held her head in her hands as she realized there was no escape from the teasing except to grin and bare it until everyone ran out of steam.
"I am SOOOO glad your bodily fluids temporarily boost my immune system!" Tali threw her hands up in jubilation, getting her a few uncomfortable looks. "Yeah! I just said that! And I'm not the least bit ashamed!" She huffed dramatically. "...okay, maybe just a little ashamed."
"Not that this isn't an incredibly fascinating conversation, but could I have everyone's attention for a moment?" Quasar spoke up suddenly, all eyes being drawn to his avatar. "Thank you. Now then, as you have all no doubt noticed by now, I have been entirely silent since we entered atmo on this planet."
"Actually...I kind forgot you were even here." Kaidan admitted sheepishly.
"Shut up, Kaidan. Nobody asked you." Quasar have the electronic equivalent of a disgruntled huff. "As I was saying, the reason I have been so quiet since we departed on this mission is because I have been devoting the vast majority of my processing power to understanding a surge of data from a previously isolated and deactivated component of my platform that suddenly began functioning."
"An amount of data that took you over an hour to process?" Tali repeated in shock. "That's just...crazy! I've been studying your hardware and software for weeks now, and an amount of data that would take up that much of your time and effort would have to be utterly monumental."
"And indeed it was." Quasar nodded. "I myself would be more surprised were it not for the fact that the component of the armor that provided the surge of data came from a most interesting source itself." The AI then expanded the width of his holographic avatar, splitting his head from another, smaller image.
"...Isn't that the doodad I got from Sha'ira back on the Citadel?" Ben noted curiously once he got a good look at the smaller image.
"Based on the surveillance records of the armor, it is indeed." Quasar confirmed as he narrowed the hologram projector again, the image of the key vanishing. "I already found it curious that the Consort could have obtained such a sophisticated device from a human several centuries before their arrival in Citadel space, hence why I was not as surprised by this mysterious turn of events as I otherwise would be. Based on my study of the data, our arrival on this planet triggered a proximity alert in the device. It would appear there is another device somewhere in the area designed to work in unison with this component. I have taken the liberty of placing the navpoint I found among the data on your HUDs."
"And you expect us to just drop everything else and go looking for the source of this signal?" Ashley remarked skeptically.
"We have been taking several detours on our search for Saren and his allies." Quasar countered with a surprising degree of sarcasm. "These detours were taken with the best interest of the Alliance, and to a lesser extent, the galaxy as a whole in mind. Whatever the origin of this signal is, it is clearly more advanced and sophisticated than anything else I have ever encountered. Regardless of what further data we may find once we locate the signal's source, it is an undeniable fact that any device capable of transmitting such a signal would be of immeasurable scientific value."
"Quasar's right." Shepard seconded resolutely as she jumped into the Mako's pilot seat. "We may have come here looking for a simple data probe, but we've stumbled across something even bigger. We need to look into this, double time!"
...
Ten Minutes Later
"Why do we keep letting you drive?!" Ben shouted to the heavens as he and the rest of the squad wobbled, weak-kneed out of the Mako.
"For the last time, my driving is not that bad!" Shepard protested as she yanked her team into upright positions one-by-one. "So that's where the signal is coming from, huh?" Taking a good long look at what lay before them, the Commander had to admit that she was equal parts impressed and confused. The main structure looked like several pillars, carved out of some obsidian rock and arranged in a circle on a platform of the same material. If that were all it were, Shepard would be wondering what the hell it could possibly have to do with a hyper-advanced signal. No, what drew the most attention was a perfect sphere of what looked like a gently rippling liquid metal in the center of the stone platform. The sphere was suspended a few feet off the ground, just above a metal disk that looked like a smaller version of the stone monument it rested on. "I'll admit, it's definitely...something." She noted, not really knowing what to note. "So what happens now?"
"The smaller device reacts more intensely the closer we get to the sphere." Quasar explained stoically. "Therefor, it stands to reason that we should continue approaching it until I can better process and understand the reaction."
"Are we really sure we wanna do this?" Garrus voiced his skepticism. "I mean I'm all for adventure and discovery, but this all just seems a little...I don't even know how to describe how I feel about this."
"These ruins look Prothean in design." Liara muttered in astonishment, stepping onto the stone platform first as she did so. "There is so much I could learn from studying this."
"Well, looks like we're actually doing this shit." Wrex grunted neutrally as he followed Liara.
"I suppose we are." Tali sighed uncertainly as she went next, followed hesitantly by Shepard, Ben, Garrus, and finally Ashley and Kaidan.
"Uh, guys?" Kaidan gulped nervously as the stone began to glow in the grooves carved into it. "The rocks started glowing."
"I think we noticed that, Kaidan." Ashley remarked, her entire body on edge. "God, this all feels like some ancient booby trap is about to go off in our faces."
"Maybe..." Ben remarked, somewhat more calm than everyone else, as he knew who exactly it was that had lead them here. 'What the hell is going on here, Paradox?' He wondered as he looked down at the hand that had absorbed the key into his armor, then at the sphere, then back at his hand. "Only one way to find out." Bracing himself, he ignored the pleas of caution from his teammates and placed his hand on the sphere.
...
Location Unknown
"I think I had a dream like this once." Ashley uttered neutrally as she looked around. "Only you weren't there. And you weren't there. And you weren't." She pointed at everyone around her.
"A Wizard of Oz reference is the best you've got for this, really?!" Shepard asked sarcastically as she looked around uneasily at the void of blackness the entire squad now found themselves in, the only things visible being each other and some far off stars. Even the ground underneath her feet wasn't visible, if there was even any ground at all. "I'm pretty sure that whatever this all is breaks more laws of physics than I've ever heard of." She whispered uneasily.
"Agreed." Liara nodded nervously as she and everyone else moved into a circle, trying not to get separated. "There's no discernible light source other than those stars, yet I can see you all as clear as day, but nothing else is visible."
"The Varelsi dimension can be rather disorienting for those who aren't used to it." A voice with a British accent cut through the darkness as a man in a lab coat entered Jane's field of vision. "Even now I find it hard to decide whether I am more disgusted by the laws of physics in this reality, or by its inhabitants, but that's a discussion for another Quantum Entanglement Clone." Just as Shepard was about to ask who this newcomer was and what the hell he was talking about, Ben casually strolled forward and gave him a hug like an old friend.
"Paradox! Good to see you again, buddy!" Ben laughed in relief as he gave the time-traveler a friendly pat on the back. "About time you showed up again!"
"Ben..." Jane began uncertainly. "Who is this, and how do you know him?"
Stiffening like a deer caught in headlights, Ben hesitantly turned to Jane and the rest of the crew, then back at Paradox. "Should we...I mean, I?" He asked the immortal nervously.
"It is only fair to have everyone be on a level playing field." Paradox replied with his characteristic grin and confidence.
"Of course it is." Ben sighed as he resigned himself to giving a very...uncomfortable explanation to his teammates...and lovers.
And so, Ben began to explain everything that had happened since just before his arrival in this universe. Several times he would have to stop his explanations to answer some errant question from one person or another, each accusation of 'You lied to us!' or 'Why didn't you tell us sooner?' Further twisting the knife Ben felt digging into his gut. The worst questions had to have been the ones from Tali, Liara & Quasar; the former two because he was dating them, and the latter because he'd only taken a chance on joining the crew because he'd fallen for Ben's necessary lies. The sense of betrayal was thicker than Ben was comfortable dealing with, but the worst would have to be Jane, who just stared, then glared after a certain point during the entire discussion, never asking any questions after she'd gotten her wits about her.
"...This is a hell of a lot to take in, Ben." Shepard sighed once his explanation had caught up to the present, startling him as she had been silent and still as a rock up until this point. "Don't get me wrong, your explanation - absurdly absurd as it is - does make more sense than the lies you told for your cover, and the cover itself is more believable a tale than the truth, not to mention it gives you some leverage over the Council, but..." She trailed off uncertainly, not wanting to let him off the hook so easily, but also not having any argument against the necessity of his lies in the face of the Council's otherwise impenetrable bureaucracy.
"Was it all a lie, Ben?!" Tali hissed scathingly through her helmet as her hands clenched at her sides.
"Tali..." Ben's heart sank as he walked forward, placing his hands on Tali's shoulders, only for her to shrug them off, leaving Ben even sadder. "...Of course it wasn't all a lie." He assured her as he grabbed her shoulders again, his grip holding her more securely this time so she couldn't push him away. "Tali...Liara...Jane...what I've been with you three has been the most real I've ever been in my entire life. I could never fake what you mean to me, and that goes for everyone else on the Normandy too!"
"Just for the record, I'm not into men." Garrus quipped, getting a firm ribbing from Ashley for his sarcasm.
"...You've only really been 'alive' since you arrived in our universe." Tali reminded Ben bitterly, even as she placed her head on his chest, not resisting as Ben wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "I just...this is a lot to take in, Ben. Parallel universes? Superheroes? Time Travel? Quantum Clones?" Shaking her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms around him. "I just...need some time, I guess."
"Take all the time you need, Tali." Ben rubbed her back reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Actually, we really should get going now." Paradox interjected abruptly as he checked his mechanical arm. "Another Ben will be arriving in this dimension shortly with some of his fellow Battleborn, and we really must have a talk with the man in the machine before that happens." Having spent enough time with Paradox to get a feel for his sense of humor, Ben half-resigned himself to the inevitable.
"Who's the man in the machine?" Kaidan asked reflexively before Ben could stop him.
"I am!" Paradox grinned as the squad found themselves in another time and place, standing atop a giant walkway that split into three; the left and right paths leading to towering machines, while the middle path led to a massive frozen-in-time energy beam.
As everyone looked around in stunned amazement at the sudden change in scenery, Ben just sighed. "Yeah, quick rule of thumb: Never comment on, or ask a time traveler a question about a non-sequitur they just said. Nine times out of ten, it's a set-up to a lame joke."
"You thought the man in the moon was amusing the third time we met." Paradox insisted in mock-indignation.
"Pretty sure that happened the first time we met." Ben retorted, realizing too late what he'd done.
"Was it really, then?" Paradox hummed thoughtfully as Ben face-palmed. "I apologize, it's really so hard to keep track of these things after a while." He shrugged casually. "And for the record, this discussion only covers three times out of seven, but more on that later."
"...Not one word out of any of you." Ben slumped sullenly, even as he heard several of his friends snickering.
"Now then, if we can continue." Paradox began as he tapped his cane on the ground once, making a chalkboard appear behind him during the fraction of a second everyone else was blinking. "Causality is like a tree." He explained as he drew a crude tree on the chalkboard. "As time passes, more and more branching paths appear. Contrary to popular belief however, not every single solitary decision you make creates two different timelines, that would just be ridiculous and overwhelming, and as any physicist worth their degree would be happy to tell you, there is only so much matter and energy in the known universe."
"Get to the point already!" Wrex moaned in frustration, the finer points of Paradox's lecture boring the old Krogan.
"The point is that the Reapers have not only been plaguing this galaxy in this universe for countless cycles, but they have been doing so in countless timelines as well." Paradox summarized before letting out a tired sigh. "You can scarcely imagine just how many times I've faced the Reapers alongside the various cycles in the past, how few victories I've had against them in comparison to the far more numerous failures...Even for an immortal such as myself, it can get a bit overwhelming at times." There was a long silence as the squad struggled to process what Paradox was saying, the implications incredibly sobering for what was already an incredibly high-stakes mission.
"...But you have beaten them before, right?" Shepard zeroed in on the most important part of what Paradox had said. "They're not invincible."
"Your determination suits you well, Shepard." Paradox went back to his usual smile. "It seems I was correct to make you the Fulcrum of this cycle."
"The Fulcrum? What's that supposed to mean?" Shepard repeated questioningly.
"Allow me to ask you a few questions first, if you please." Paradox responded knowingly. "Tell me, what would you say were the three most defining moments in your service history?"
"When my unit and I were attacked by a Thresher Maw during an early mission, and I had to survive for weeks on my own. When I saved Elysium during the Skylian Blitz. And two years later when I lead the retaliatory strike on Torfan." Shepard listed easily, not really sure where the Professor was going with this.
"So far, so good." Paradox nodded. "Let's go a bit further back now, to your childhood. I know it's been a while since you thought about it, but tell me what you can remember about the general setting of your earlier days."
Just as Shepard was about to ask how Paradox knew she hadn't thought about her childhood in a while, she felt a sudden headache coming on. "My...childhood?" She grunted as she fell to her hands and knees, causing Ben and Tali to rush over and support her in concern. "Why can't I...remember?" *Flash!* She remembered her parents in military uniform, spending her formative years always on ships and stations, never staying in one place too long, and being inspired to follow in her parent's footsteps. *Flash!* She remembered growing up an orphan on Earth, living on the streets of great cities and committing petty theft until she enlisted to get away from a life of crime. *Flash!* She remembered growing up Mindoir, a farming colony in the Attican Traverse, where Batarians attacked, enslaved, tortured, and killed almost all of the colonists. She barely survived, her parents weren't so lucky, both of them tortured and killed before her own eyes, and Shepard joined the Alliance in hopes of one day getting revenge. *Flash!*
As Shepard's thoughts slowly cleared, she directed a fiery glare at Paradox. "...What the hell did you do to me?!" She hissed furiously.
"I made you the best you you could possibly be." Paradox began as he pushed the blackboard over the edge of the walkway.
The path on the left glowed blue as the other two paths darkened. "A child born in space to military parents, who would be inspired to follow in their footsteps, and eventually save Elysium from the Skylian Blitz, becoming the Paragon the Galaxy needs."
The path on the right glowed red as the other two paths darkened. "A child born on Earth and abandoned before they were even aware, who would enlist in the military just to get away from a life of crime, and eventually attack Torfan and become known as The Butcher, becoming the Renegade the Galaxy deserves."
The path in the middle glowed green as the other two paths darkened. "A child born on a farming colony to plain and simple folk, who would lose everything they know and love to slavers in the most violent and painful way possible, join the Alliance Military who saved her, and eventually survive a Thresher Maw attack on Akuze, becoming the Survivor they had to be."
"...You messed with my past." Shepard realized as she forced herself to recall that the man standing before her was a time traveler. "Those branching timelines..." She whispered in dread as she looked over the side at the shattered blackboard. "You made me some...combination of three different versions of...myself."
"A harsh, but necessary decision, I assure you." Paradox remarked seriously, his admittance of bending the laws of time and space in such a way as actually fusing entire timelines now locking everyone's undivided attention on him more so than before. "Before you jump to conclusions, know that I didn't create any of the situations the three alternate yous went through during their lives. As I said before, time branches of its own accord, and it does so in ways both large and small. I simply took the timelines where Shepard had a realistic chance of defeating the Reapers, and merged them into a single new timeline." After saying this, the three paths behind him shifted and warped into a large green staircase going up, with red banisters on the right and blue banisters on the left.
"...So, does that mean we're all three people in one?" Ashley panicked as she held her head in her hands, the revelation overwhelming her.
"Not at all." Paradox assured her comfortingly. "Merging timelines are actually far more common than you might think. After all, if new timelines are being created, then it is inevitable that some of the old ones will be recycled at some point. I simply nudged the process along in a way that would benefit your galaxy and made a few snips and stitches here and there."
"But...entire timelines just...what happens to them?" Kaidan asked, uncertain as to whether or not he actually wanted an answer.
"I just said that they get recycled, didn't I? Or is it that I am going to say that?" Paradox joked sarcastically.
"Not helping!" Wrex growled, getting a bit pissed off at the Professor's flippant attitude.
"Noted." Paradox nodded stoically. "If it helps avert the potential existential crises you may be having now or soon, know that nothing of 'you' is truly lost when timelines merge. It's just that most probabilities throughout time and space don't create enough of a splinter in causality to branch out on their own path, and are harmlessly merged back into a single timeline before too long." After saying this, everyone found themselves teleported again, this time into a snow covered field, with the occasional tree dotting the landscape, and two crescents - one large, one small - from the reflected light off two planets hanging in the night sky. Before anyone could comment on or question the sudden change in scenery, Paradox continued. "Individuals like Shepard that can create distinct enough timelines to be able to stand on their own happen in about one-in-twenty-billion sentient lifeforms, and even then, unless something incredibly drastic happens as a result of their actions, the timelines can still merge after several thousand years or so when the waves they caused begin to fade."
"So...merging three different mes made me into this...'Fulcrum' you were talking about before?" Shepard inquired, trying to get back on track before Paradox mentally scarred her team more than he already had.
"Yes, and no." Paradox elaborated cryptically. "You were already the Fulcrum that could turn the tide against the Reapers, but none of the three yous that you're made from could have achieved complete victory over the Reapers, merely a partial one at best."
"So you took the best of three Shepards to make a new timeline." Liara realized excitedly. "One where total victory over the Reapers is now possible!"
"Exactly! In theory at the very least." Paradox shrugged sheepishly. "Keep in mind that all I did was create a new 'Possibility' for the future. It still falls on all of you to actually create a pathway that leads to victory."
"I don't suppose you could give us a cheat sheet?" Garrus asked half-sarcastic, half-hopeful. "You know, a guaranteed path to victory against the Reapers? Preferably one that doesn't involve a lot of the galaxy being caught in the crossfire."
"I would if I could." Paradox shook his head sadly, his serious admittance of actually wanting to do more than just gently guide like he usually does starting to scare Ben. "Sadly, as I said before, I've helped this galaxy oppose the Reapers in every cycle of every timeline it suffers from their cruelty."
"They have countermeasures against you." Tali realized bitterly, getting a sad nod of confirmation from the Professor. "And I take it those countermeasures keep you from solving my people's problem with...they keep you from helping peace develop between my people and the Geth too?"
"Twenty-one cycles ago the Reapers developed a Chrono-Jammer." Paradox explained as he projected a hologram of the galaxy from his mechanical hand, with a pulsing ring flowing from the outer ring to the center. "It's a series of small satellites surrounding the galaxy that constantly emit special waves that prevent any form of time travel within the field they create. I've been able to work around it since the Reapers created it - or rather, indoctrinated a team of scientists to create it - by leaving behind instructions for Chrono-Pulse Generators that force the Chrono-Jammers to reboot for a split-second, allowing me to enter and exit this galaxy for brief instances." As he said this, a small dot of light pinged in the hologram, making the pulses that represented the Chrono-Jammer waves fizzle for a split-second.
"That's why you froze time when you brought me here." Ben realized. "And the explosion that made me must have been just what you needed to slip me in."
"We aren't the first ones in this cycle to find one of these Generators, are we?" Shepard realized knowingly. "The Consort found one of your Generators a long time ago, didn't she?"
"Sha'ira is one of the most intelligent and insightful people I have ever had the pleasure of working with." Paradox grinned fondly. "When I explained what she had found and what was going to happen, she immediately vowed to help me however possible. I told her what she needed to do in order to help prepare the galaxy for what was coming, and offered her as much advice and information as I safely could. She devoted centuries of her life to the mission I entrusted to her, and I must say that she's exceeded all my expectations. Thank you for convincing her to pursue her happiness with Septimus by the way. She's done so much in her efforts to help protect the galaxy, and I doubt she would have risked a relationship under such pressure without that extra push from Ben."
"I take it that advice included Ben and I too." Shepard guessed. "That's why she gave the key to activate the Generator to Ben. She knew we would have to talk to you eventually."
"That, and the Pulse Generator does have other uses." Paradox admitted casually. "While the components that allow it to scramble the Jammers are fried to an unrecognizable mess after a single use - a failsafe to prevent the Reapers from developing a countermeasure to my countermeasure for their countermeasure - it still contains a sizable amount of data from the previous cycle, including partial blueprints for making new Chrono-Pulse Generators."
"Only partial blueprints?" Ashley glared bitterly.
"Can't risk the Reapers finding out too much, now can I?" Paradox retorted with a chuckle. "Keep looking for more Prothean Data Disks and other Chrono-Pulse Generators by the way. They'll hold more data caches, and help you make more sense of the data in the devices you've already collected. Plus, I have plenty of personal advice to give to you all and your future comrades that won't make much sense until you find them."
"Personal advice?" Garrus inquired skeptically. "I wasn't aware any of us needed therapy...other than Wrex that is." That got a withering glare from the old Krogan, but he otherwise remained miraculously silent.
"Garrus." Paradox fixed the Turian with a surprisingly serious look that looked out of place on the usually cheerful Professor's face. "No one in any universe anywhere is entirely incorruptible. The right or wrong circumstances can make the best of the worst of us, and the worst of the best of us. Strive to maintain your moral compass and trust in your comrades, but always be cautious when things seem suspicious."
"Tali." Paradox turned to the Quarian with a warm and comforting smile. "You are making great progress in opening your mind to the possibility of peace with the Geth, despite all the evidence pointing towards that notion being impossible. My advice to you is - for once - simple and straightforward. Talk to your father." Ben noticed his girlfriend tense slightly at the mention of her father. "He wants to be there for you, but he is torn between what he wants for you, what your people want from him, and what you want for the both of you. If he doesn't want to listen, don't hesitate to make him."
"Wrex." Paradox turned the surly Krogan, pausing only for half a - relative - second when he growled at him. "Mind your temper and trust your friends. You'll often find they have your best interests at heart if you let them speak." Not giving Wrex a chance to make a cynical remark at the cheap self-help talk, he moved on.
"Liara." Paradox beamed at her with pride the Asari didn't feel like she'd earned...or at least, hadn't earned yet. "You are capable of so much more than you know. Never let your goals and ambitions be restricted by what you feel is possible. Just look at me! If you'd told me back before I became immortal that I'd spend 100,000 years going mad, sane, horribly sane, learning all about the space-time continuum, and developing the ability to time travel after falling into the event horizon, I'd call the very idea ridiculous! Yet here we all are. What is impossible yesterday, will be merely improbable tomorrow."
"Ashley and Kaidan." Paradox sighed at the two human soldiers. "I'm not going to sugarcoat things. In the mission to take down Saren, one of you is going to die." Everyone suddenly felt their blood run cold, the two people in question more than anyone else. "And Shepard will be the one forced to decide which of you lives." Now the Commander felt like she was dead on her feet. As a hypothetical situation, it was already stressful enough, but Paradox was a time traveler. He knew that what he was saying was an absolute certainty. The idea of losing one of her squad bad enough - Jenkins perishing on Eden Prime still weighed on her mind from time to time - but the notion that it would be her choice to make, her call as to which of them lived and which perished...it was too much to process right now, especially after all the bombshells that had already been dropped today.
"Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that." Ben interjected bluntly, half-diffusing/half-exciting the powder keg Paradox had made. "That may have been how things happened in one, two, or even all three of the old timelines, but I seem to recall you saying that this new timeline had all sorts of new possibilities in it, at least one of which will likely involve both Ashley and Kaidan living. Plus, none of those old timelines had me in them, did they?" He grinned confidently, his attitude bordering on the smugness that had plagued him since he first got the Omnitrix six years ago.
"I see you've gotten wise to my cryptic wisdom and secret tests of character." Paradox let out a warm laugh, finally diffusing the tension that had been hanging in limbo, though the three human soldiers the test had concerned were still feeling a little lightheaded. "It's exactly as you surmised Ben. In the timeline where Shepard was a Renegade, she would save Ashley. In the timeline where Shepard was a Paragon, she would save Kaidan. In the timeline where Shepard was a Survivor...it could have gone either way. Time is a fluid concept after all, not a constant. Even I can't know everything, especially with that blasted Jamming field the Reapers put up."
"That wasn't funny!" Shepard hissed in barely restrained fury and indignation.
"Which is exactly why I said it." Paradox countered the commander's anger, causing Shepard to blink in confusion. "I cannot put too fine a point on this topic, but I'll keep trying regardless. You and Ben are the two greatest weapons I'm able to give this cycle against the Reapers. A Fulcrum, and the start of a good Lever."
"Give me a lever long enough, and a fulcrum upon which to rest it, and I will move the moon." Quasar recited the famous quote sagely, surprising everyone at his sudden appearance after staying silent for so long. "Shepard is not the force that will save the galaxy from the Reapers, merely the turning point of that force. Ben is part of the force that will save the galaxy, but more force - more allies, resources and information - are still yet required." He surmised.
"I see you have no need for any advice from me, Quasar." Paradox noted casually before turning his attention to Ben. "You on the other hand, could still use a bit more." Ignoring the sullen look on Ben's face at that remark, Paradox continued. "Do you remember what I said on Eden Prime about saving your 'Big Guns' for Virmire?"
"Vaguely..." Ben strained himself to remember that conversation, having mostly forgotten about it after finding Quasar and thus only having half the reason to remember the advice he originally did. "What about it?"
"As you deduced earlier, my knowledge of future events in this new timeline is...limited to put it mildly." Paradox admitted reluctantly. "You found Quasar less than a day after we spoke, back when things were still well within my calculations, but already things have gone wildly off the course of events I originally witnessed in any of the three old timelines."
"Paradox...what are you saying?" Ben asked nervously, already half-certain of what the professor was going to say, but desperately hoping that his guess was wrong.
"Virmire will not happen for a while Ben." Paradox frowned nervously. "Don't go looking for it until at least after you follow up on the two remaining leads you have on Saren, that is one thing we must have remaining constant. Outside of that much...the details have become so murky and uncertain that I'm unsure as to whether your 'Big Guns' are still going to be your best option there."
While everyone else was confused to varying degrees by Paradox's out-of-context advice, Ben felt like a heavy weight just sank to the bottom of his stomach. "...This is all one giant gamble, isn't it?" He said with dread, the reality of both his and Paradox's words slowly sinking into the rest of the squad. "Defeating the Reapers...it might still be impossible, even with everything you've put in motion."
"...At the very least, your odds shouldn't be any worse than they were in any of the three previous timelines." Paradox tried to find a silver lining for everyone to grab on to, though even he only sounded half-convinced himself. "A partial victory is better than no victory, and while I would ideally like to help you all create a total victory, I have had to arrange compromises before in other timelines. All of that said however, my power and knowledge is much more limited in this relatively small corner of the Omniverse than most other areas. Believe me, if there were anything else I could do to help-"
"But you can't help us any more than you already have." Shepard cut him off, partly angry, but mostly just frustrated and sad. "You would have already said and done more than this if you could have."
"It's quite a rare occasion that I encounter someone able to see through me as well as you do, Commander Shepard." Paradox gave a half-smile of approval. "Other than telling you to have the elevators on the Normandy reinforced, are there any other questions you have for me? If it within my knowledge and doesn't break any rules, I'll be as forthcoming as I can be."
"...I only have one final question." Shepard began, making a mental note about that tidbit about the Normandy's elevator for later. "It's not really anything big, because I know you probably can't answer questions like that. More of a...curiosity than anything else. Before you got involved with this cycle...before you merged the three timelines that made me, or all the other timelines that made other Fulcrums...in how many timelines were the Reapers still a threat?"
"Seven." Paradox answered immediately. "Furthermore, this is the only merged timeline I was able to create in this cycle. Of the Five timelines with a Reaper invasion on the horizon that exist now...only Four of them have a chance." He looked down sadly, leaving everyone to soak in the gravity of the situation.
"...What was the deciding factor in the timeline where victory against the Reapers is...impossible?" Liara asked, desperate for any clues as to the different between victory and success in the coming war. As an archaeologist, and as a member of The Fulcrum's crew, she had to know.
"Simple, the Human race, as well as all organic life on the Earth of that timeline, was wiped out by self-replicating, organic matter eating war machines." Paradox explained sadly, leaving an icy cold chill in the veins of every human crew member, and to a lesser extent in the rest of the crew as well. "Granted, a team of scientists managed to create an incredibly sophisticated failsafe to clean up the planet and reseed life once the machines ran out of fuel, but some last minute sabotage by the madman responsible for making the war machines in the first place made it necessary for me to send one of the other Ben clones there just under 950 years after Zero Day, when the Yahg activated one of my Pulse Generators. Honestly, the desperation and depravity of hedonists and egotists never ceases to disgust me. I only hope Grey Matter and Clockwork will be enough for him to help Aloy fix the faulty AIs and save the Earth from a second attack."
"Let's...table that bit of information." Shepard gulped, forcing down the feeling of something rising up from her stomach in disgust. "We should go now."
"Not just yet." Wrex spoke up angrily. "I've sat by and listened to your crazy talk this whole time because it didn't feel that important, but this crosses a line! Why should it matter if Humans aren't around in this one timeline? Sure, it sucks to be them, but what difference will one species more or less make against the Reapers? Krogan alone should be tough enough to give the galaxy a fighting chance in any timeline, at least once the politicians are either dead or forced to get their heads out of their asses! What makes Humans so special?"
"A fair question, Wrex." Paradox nodded, taking the irate line of questioning in stride. "But not the proper one. Humanity itself is not special in any cosmically meaningful way, especially in comparison to many other sentient species in this or any other galaxy, universe or timeline."
"Way to make a guy feel special, Professor." Ben grimaced bitterly.
"The proper question here is: What makes Commander Shepard so special?" Paradox concluded his point, leaving Wrex speechless, and more than a little sheepish. "I'll give you a hint, by the way. The only other Fulcrum candidate in a position to directly determine the eventual outcome of the inevitable Reaper War is Saren. Think about that for a bit. Ta-ta!"
...
Normandy
"...We're...back on the Normandy?" Tali blinked in shock and amazement when she realized the scenery had radically changed the moment she blinked.
"Does...Paradox act in this manner frequently?" Liara asked in stunned astonishment at the metal sphere now sitting next to the Mako in the cargo bay.
"No. This is weird even for him." Ben answered casually as he mischievously shut the gaping mouth of the unfortunate Normandy crew member that happened to be doing inventory when everyone suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Try not to think about his sense of humor too much, I certainly don't. His advice is always worth listening to though."
"I...need to go lie down in my sleeper pod for a bit..." Garrus muttered on his way to the elevator as he rubbed his fringe tiredly. "Wake me...never."
"I'm gonna get drunk off my quad and try to forget this ever happened." Wrex grunted as he made his way toward the elevator as well. "If there's any alcohol left on the ship after I'm done, you guys can feel free to join me."
"Wrex has the right idea." Shepard sighed from the intense mental exhaustion of the past hour. "Nothing says stress relief like indulging in vices. Alenko, Williams, let the rest of the crew know we're back. Tennyson, Zorah, T'Soni, meet me in my cabin for immediate fornication." Before anybody had a chance to respond to her utterly absurd orders, she was already joining Wrex and Garrus in the elevator.
"What the fuck?!" Joker's voice sounded over the PA system. "How the hell did you guys get into the cargo bay?! We're in the middle of space, going FTL for fuck's sake!"
'We're screwed.' Kaidan and Ashley thought in unison as they both felt a massive migraine coming on, each one dreading the idea of having to explain what just happened.
I know I'm cutting it off kind of abruptly, but screw it! I've been stuck on this chapter for over a month now, and I've finally managed to hit a good stopping point. 10 Points to anyone who decides to take up the Ben 10/Battleborn or Ben 10/Horizon Zero Dawn crossovers mentioned in this chapter. And before anyone asks: No, I'm not going to be integrating either of these storylines into this one or vice-versa. Those comments were just Easter Eggs I threw in to remind everyone that there are other story requests loosely related to this one. Next chapter, we're finally going to Feros! Will I be able to power through the entire Mission and all related Assignments in a single chapter, or will it have to be split into two parts? I honestly have no idea!