I Dream of the First Aeons
The Age of the Great Leviathans
I Speak of the Dark Places
The 'Zon' of the Sto'kor Mages
I Sing of the Pitiless Demons
And Their Wars Against Forgotten Empires
I Remember The Third Dark Strife
When The Cycles of Ancient Slaughter Ceased
And The Tears of the Sto'kor Lords Wet Cursed Ground
- "The Book of The Reaper"
The Book of The Reaper is arguably the most interesting and most enigmatic literary text of all the various Salarian "Sto'kor" myth cycles. Unlike the stories and legends about the great Sto'kor Sage Gan'ja, who not only taught ancient Salarians the philosophical school of Ma'arley, but also crop rotation and the meditative value of Hallucinogenic substances, The Book of The Reaper is a gloomy, brooding text that predicts the inevitable obliteration of all life.
It's hard to say exactly when this text was written, but most estimates put the original authorship at approximately 10,000 standard years ago. However, the real controversy of these texts is not in their authorship but in the nature of the text itself: It is a book of prophecies.
Galactic civilization is filled with all kinds of legends about past alien civilizations, but almost none of them offer any glimpses of the future. The only exception to these are the semi-religious texts of the Hanar about the Protheans, and our present topic: The Book of The Reaper. For those of you who only have rudimentary knowledge about this fascinating book, here's what you need to know.
The Book of The Reaper was interpreted and written down by an anonymous Salarian scribe in the city of Talat about 10,000 years ago, and who most likely used his creative license to distort the original information into something that resembled an ancient fantasy novel. According to the book itself, however, the real source of the information was a Sto'kor wanderer whose name or title - we are not sure yet which - can be roughly translated as The Reaper.
The Reaper claims that the "Zon," which we believe to be the name of the Sto'kor empire or some kind of magical technology, had recently been attacked by "the Ancient Demons" from "the ageless void." Despite the overwhelming power of these "demons," however, their wars with the Sto'kor ended in mutual destruction, for even though the Sto'kor empire had fallen, they were also able to crush all of their enemies, The "Ancient Demons," along with the so-called "Betrayers," and the enigmatic "Worshipers of the Granter of Wishes" by unleashing a powerful "Red Storm" that "blotted out the stars" thus, forcing them to retreat "beyond the confines of light."
Interesting information to be sure, but we are still trying to figure out what any of this information means.
In any case, after this terrible holocaust, the Sto'kor known as The Reaper traveled all over the galaxy looking for secrets about the demons and other ancient mysteries, for he claims that their ancient enemies will return in the distant future once they have recovered from their losses, and that their creators shall come with them in a final battle that will lead to the extinction of "all life forevermore."
Needless to say, due to the fantastic claims of these texts many of my colleagues are skeptical as to its authenticity. Indeed, the prevailing consensus at the moment, even among the pro-Sto'kor faction, is that the Book is a hoax, a fictional testimony by a Salarian pretending to be one of the ancient Sto'kor. Logic and skepticism certainly seem to point to this conclusion, and to a certain extent, I agree. I will not disagree that much of the texts is too fantastic to be believed.
However, I and many of my colleagues also believe that we cannot dismiss these texts as just another fictional account. The book contains many bits of information that could not have been known to ancient Salarians. Moreover, there are references in the book about "other worlds and other races" and lists them by name: "Thessia," "Tuchanka," "Rannoch" and "Palaven." Now how could an ancient Salarian, who lived before the Age of Sail, have known about any of these planets?
Simple. He doesn't, which puts into question this assertion that the author of this book was a Salarian or at least exclusively a Salarian.
Furthermore, I must also point out that of many of the passages and anecdotes in the Book of the Reaper is corroborated by information from the Tuchankan codex. This could not be a coincidence, and I believe that The Book of the Reaper offers more knowledge if only we could see through its mythical or symbolic nature.
- Doctor Mura Sokun, Author's Notes On "The Book of the Reaper: Prophecies of Fact or Fiction?" The Citadel Xenoarcheological Digest - 214, no. 13, 2180 (CE), 312
Scutum: Scutum to Dagger. Scutum to Dagger. Do you copy?
Dagger: This is Dagger. Send it.
Scutum: I was right. I just confirmed that the battlegroup sent to help us went silent 8 hours after they emerged from 314. It wasn't just my hump after all. We are definitely in a lot of shit. Advice you exfiltrate and consolidate with my squad and all other groundside assets so we can figure out what's going on.
Dagger:...
Scutum: Dagger?... Dagger?
Dagger: I heard you, Scutum and the answer is Negative. There's too much at stake here for us to fall back now.
Scutum: Dammit. Listen to me. This planet is trying to kill my men. It is killing my men! I already lost five of my best to those anomaly things, and two more to those spirits damned emissions. With our link to the fleet lost and no idea of what the black spirit's going on, I'd advice you to...
Dagger: Dammit, Nihlus! Get a hold of yourself. In the absence of fleet command, I'm in charge here, and I say we move forward as planned. Stay down and relax. We'll get through this. I promise.
Scutum: Dagger, operational protocol requires us to...
Dagger: I know what protocol says, and I'm overriding it for the good of the mission. Look, I know how difficult the situation is, but you need to listen to me. The technology on this planet could make the Hierarchy the most powerful force in the galaxy! Every scrap of technology here on this Shakari planet is ours. Do you understand that? It's Ours!
Scutum: And my men are dying here, Saren! So don't tell me about what's at stake. I refuse to sacrifice my men if there's another way.
Dagger: There's no other way.
Scutum: Pyjak shit! There are plenty of other ways! The Hierarchy could convene the Palaven Pact and...
Dagger: (Laughter) Ahhhh yes, the Palaven Pact. How could I forget? Listen! The Palaven Pact is a non-aggression treaty, not an alliance! If the Citadel decides to bully the Hierarchy into sharing Shakari tech or blatantly steal them, which seems to be the case here..."
Scutum: You have no proof that Had'dah and his men are affiliated with any government.
Dagger:... Do you really think the Quarians and the Batarians will side with us? They'll probably help the Citadel steal what's rightfully ours!
Scutum: With all due respect sir, I...
Dagger: Enough! I'm in charge here now and I say we stay and move forward with the mission.
Scutum:...
Dagger: Do I make myself clear?
Scutum: Sir, Yessss, Sir... But I still want to put on record that I am opposed to your plan.
Dagger: Noted.
Scutum: And that grabbing Jade 12 under our present situation will lead to a lot of casualties, considering our situation.
Dagger: Negative on Jade 12. I just found the real source of the conspiracy, a Salarian Dalatrass."
Scutum: A Dalatrass?! A Dalatrass is here? Are you sure? No, of course, you're sure. You're always sure. You think she's connected with the Citadel?
Dagger: If she is, it's going to cause a diplomatic uproar.
Scutum:... Fine, we'll do it your way. When do you want my men to move in?
(Noise of a scuffle and mass effect rounds being fired on the other line.)
Scutum: Dagger? Dagger... Saren!
Unidentified voice (presumably Krogan) on the other end: We got your friend, Turian. Come rescue him if you dare...
It's just a planet. What are you so worried about?
Rael'Zorah had always considered himself a calm and disciplined professional, a man of logic and reason who stood defiantly against a superstitious galaxy, but right now, all he felt was dread. Even from the safety of his luxurious room inside of a heavily armed ship, the Sa'kar planet down below, Shanxi it was called, exuded nothing but brooding fear. Oh sure, the planet looked normal enough, but there was just a certain something about it that imposed itself on Rael'Zorah's mind. They were like dancing shadows which hid some lurking fear, or leering faces that should only exist in dark memories.
But it wasn't just the planet that was bothering him. It was everything. Rael felt like he and the ship he was in were being digested inside some malevolent creature, and the more he tried to drive away this feeling, the stronger they became.
It all started when they passed through Relay 314. Yes, it all began when we entered Sa'kar territory. This entire area of space... It's cursed!
Rael paused to calm himself.
Stop it! You're making a damn fool of yourself. But he couldn't stop looking at the planet through his window.
Rael's brooding thoughts, however, were soon interrupted by the unexpected arrival of an old Salarian female, the opening of the door was the only sign that betrayed her presence. For a moment, she just stood there in the portal, and then in a few deceptively youthful steps, she seated herself on a chair across the table where Rael'Zorah stood. Her demeanor was calm, and if Rael didn't know better, calculated to make him lower his guard.
Presently, they were inside a Salarian Kutik class Yatch, the Librarian, reputedly one of the best in the Union due to its stealth technology, and its state-of-the-art eezo core that would have been better off inside a cruiser than a private yacht.
But it wasn't just the yacht that was interesting. Rael's room, too, was furnished with everything an exiled Quarian could want. He had access to the best Rannochian wines, foods and suits, as well as the latest gadgets from the Citadel. His bed was also rich, his desk made from the finest Thessian Yuktai wood and he had access to more than enough intel about the sector, Relay 314 and the Sa'kar planet Shanxi.
But such luxuries did nothing to drive away his fears.
When the Librarian first arrived on Korlus in great secrecy, its arrival had sent a tremor of dreadful fear through Rael'Zorah, who had expected Batarians or even Terminus mercenaries to come pick him up from Korlus. Instead, he got a cutting edge high powered private Yatch with stealth generators,crewed by Salarians, who if Rael didn't know better, were either STG or ex-STG.
This had been the first sign that something was wrong, but the Quarian, who was certainly no stranger to clandestine and illegal operations, dismissed such fears as anxiety over his family; and the ruthless scientist in him urged him to push on.
The second sign that something was wrong was Rael's very fast journey from Korlus to Shanxi. It had taken place over the course of 3 to 4 standard days, and he got the impression that Had'dah – his not-so-secret client – was on a very tight schedule. Rael had worked for various clients in the course of his exile from Rannoch, and he knew from personal experience that it was always a bad sign when everybody's in a hurry.
It usually means that somewhere someone fucked up.
The last hint that something was wrong was the arrival itself and he was given direct video feeds from the planet where the job was to take place. Rael expected some ancient half-forgotten Shipyards and ruins filled with arcane Sa'kar technology. Instead, Shanxi looked like an extremely gloomy and unusual paradise world. Sure, there were numerous ships and ruins on the planet's surface, but nothing breathtaking or stupendous. Just gloom and dread. Now that he thought of it, the entire system seemed gloomy, and more than a little... menacing?
Rael suddenly became nervous as he tried to focus on his visitor. There was no mistaking the nature of the Salarian female. It was in the way she moved, the way she looked at him piercingly. She's a Dalatrass. What was a Dalatrass doing on a ship headed to an unexplored Sakar planet?
Rael had caught glimpses of her throughout his stay on the ship, but nothing definitive. He dismissed her as just another crew member, but now that she was here, he was sure that there was more to her than she appeared. She was small thing, smaller than most Salarians, but her face was more expressive, and her horns curled charmingly in a way that made her seem younger than she actually was.
"Are you well rested?" She asked with sudden brusqueness.
"Yes, thank you, but I would prefer to-"
"Good. We will descend onto the planet once everyone's ready." Rael was going to make a protest, but the Salarian continued without missing a beat. "My men have prepared all of the equipment you'll need – the very best, I assure you."
"Thank you, but I still have a few ques-"
"We have about an extra hour until then, so I thought we should spend it productively by discussing a few details about the mission." The Salarian said as she smiled at him, "you may call me Madam."
Madam. A nice way of saying, you are not to know anything about me, understood?
Rael's room was small, but it was luxurious. For someone who spent the last ten years in poverty and exile, it was a very big improvement to what he was used to, but despite all of the splendor, he wished he was somewhere else, and the creeping feeling of dread gave him second thoughts about this job. The planet below, the gloom of this sector and now, the presence of this Salarian Dalatrass all made his skin crawl even under the protective layer of his suit.
"Hello... um, Madam," Rael said, but he kept the nervousness out of his voice, "You are an associate of Mr. Had'dah?"
The Salarian looked at him with a sarcastic smile that only Salarians seem capable of doing. It was one part amusement and one part annoyance. "What do you think?" she asked in a sarcastic voice.
"Ah, right. Stupid question." Rael admitted as he sat down. "Well, then... How may I... uh... help you?"
"That's what I want to hear," The Salarian female said, and then she added, "Forgive me if I seem a little candid, Mr. Zorah, but we are on a very tight schedule, my associates and I."
Rael suddenly sat up straight, expecting a few other strange Salarians to come into the room, but none came.
If the Dalatrass noticed this, she did not remark on it, and instead kept on talking. "I will not lie to you, Rael'Zorah. Our mission is dangerous, but I assure you that the pay will be more than worth your while. Very worth your while. Here's the situation on the planet that we're... excavating," Madam said the word with a little wry smile, "The original plan was to acquire a series of encryption algorithms from several storage devices hidden beneath a Stalker vault. We were to take the algorithms, along with whatever other items Had'dah and his men could carry and slip out of 314 as quickly as possible." She paused and frowned. "Unfortunately, certain delays have rendered that plan unfeasible."
The Salarian did not tell Rael that Had'dah's greed was the source of the delays. Instead of heading straight into the vault – his main objective – he and his men spent most of their time treasure hunting, grabbing "ancient Satakar relics" which they planned to sell on the Terminus Black Market.
Even now, the Dalatrass was still furious at Had'dah, but on the other hand, she was also furious at herself. Edan Had'dah was her puppet, and she failed to control him.
When this is all over, I will make that piss drinking slaver scum pay! She thought with well-repressed fury.
"You must understand that I..." she continued, "We, Mr. Had'dah and I never intended for you to come to the Stalker planet. The original plan was to show you some of the devices and you will extract the necessary encryption algorithms at a secure location."
Stalker. That's a strange pronunciation. Rael thought with some curiousity. I thought Salarians called them Sto'kor.
"Is it too much to know why the plan changed?"
"It's on a need to know basis, Rael'Zorah, and you don't need to know."
"I see," Rael said and lapsed into silent thinking.
"Had'dah has spoken very highly of you, despite your notoriety," The Dalatrass said slyly.
"My notoriety?"
"You made quite a reputation for yourself during the Quarian civil War," the Dalatrass said, smiling. "Hmmmm. Tinkering with Geth technology. Very naughty."
"I don't want to talk about the past!" Rael'Zorah snapped back at her in a tone that surprised even him.
To his surprise, he found the the Dalatrass' face became apologetic, as if regretting her recent words. He had expected her to make some snide remark about him. "I'm... sorry. I didn't mean it that way." She said.
"I don't want to talk about the past," Rael repeated calmly.
"As you wish, but know this Rael'Zorah. We know much about you and your family."
The hidden threat was not lost on Rael.
"Leave them out of this," Rael hissed timidly.
"Did you tell them anything about this mission?"
"Not much."
"Define 'Not much.'"
"They don't know anything," Rael lied.
The Salarian woman did not reply for a few seconds, but her eyes stared at him accusingly, and then she spoke in a calm but ominous tone. "You do know what will happen to you and to them if you tell anyone about this job, right?"
Rael nodded, and the Salarian female suddenly amiable, as if the earlier tension had never happened. "Good, now you may ask a few questions."
Slowly and hesitantly, Rael asked, ""What else do I need to know about these encryption algorithms that I'm supposed to retrieve?"
Madam then typed a few commands on her Omni-Tool. "I've uploaded additional mission details into your Omnitool. That should give you some idea of what to look for. If you need additional information, it will be given to you by one of my men, so please speak with the captain if you need anything.. Don't worry. You will only be given the best tools for the job, as well as the best compensation."
Rael looked at the information sent to him and frowned. "This is... This can't be real," he said with some astonishment.
"Oh, it's real, and you will have a very small window of opportunity to grab what we need. Rest assured that I and..." a frown creased her face, "Mr. Had'dah have taken every precaution to ensure your safety. We will get you back home... I promise. Anything else?"
"Yes. Um," Rael paused as he looked up from his Omnitool, "I am worried about the Turian patrols," he said, allowing some of his fears to emerge, "314 is under the Hierarchy's sphere of influence."
"Ahhh... I see. Well, Had'dah has many friends in the Turian Navy, many of whom have a habit of taking bribes," the Dalatrass said with some amusement, and before Rael could respond, she added: "And this is not Turian territory. This entire area of space belongs to the Stalkers."
"Well, they're all dead, aren't they? Like the Protheans, I mean?"
The Dalatrass merely smiled at him, and quickly changed the subject. "If we move quickly, we won't have to worry about anything. We move in, grab what we need and we get out."
"But I heard from your crew that a Turian fleet just emerged from 314," Rael protested.
"Ah, so you've heard about that," The Dalatrass was rather annoyed that Rael was the snooping type, but then again, it was part of what makes a good technician. So she decided to tell him a portion of the truth. "Don't worry about them, Rael. That fleet won't bother us."
"And how can you be so sure?"
"I have friends..."
"Friends who give out bribes or friends who recieve them?" asked Rael.
"Friends who are capable of destroying a Turian fleet in a matter of seconds," the Dalatrass said ominously.
"Mercenaries?"
"No," she said in a tone that made it clear to Rael that she was weary of talking about the Turians. "Do you have any other questions?"
Rael thought briefly about what to ask and suddenly something came to his mind. "Well, I suppose I want to talk about the Sa'kar?"
"The Stalkers?"
"Yes, the Stalkers."
"Hmmm. Well, what do you want to know in particular?"
For a moment, Rael was speechless. He never really knew much about Sa'kar legends. As a boy, they had always been fairy tales to him, but ever since they had been proven to be real, it was hard to make sense of them. Rael knew much about the Protheans, but the Sa'kar? Not much really.
"I don't know. I mean, I always knew that they were ancient aliens, but I never really thought of them as anything other than magical tales for little children. I suppose I want to know they disappeared? Or maybe what kind of people they were. Maybe that would give me some clue on what to work once we're down there."
"Ah... Well, Rael'Zorah. We will need several weeks to properly discuss that matter, but I believe I can give you a Book to help you if you are interested."
"A book? Really?"
"A document file actually." She fiddled on her Omni-Tool briefly. "I just a sent it to you. The third and fourth chapter should provide you with the information you need, though I'm afraid it can't give you the technical details you are looking for."
"The Book of the Reaper?"
"Never heard of it before?"
"No," Rael answered, and after scanning some of the texts, added, "Weird."
"Ominous would be a more apt description. That Book took several Salarian lifetimes to translate, but its message is incredible. Not even the Ancient Sayings of Ganja could compare to it."
"I know about the story of Ganja!" Rael said happily, eager to show his knowledge of Salarian "Sto'kor" folklore.
"Ah! But Wise Ganja – All Knowing Ganja – came to Surkesh at an earlier age, a much earlier age. The Reaper came much much later, about several thousands of years later, and the records of his works is known only to the most dedicated Xenoarcheologists."
"Like Dr. Mura Sokun?" Rael asked slyly.
The smile disappeared from the Dalatrass' face and it became ominous again. "What do you know about him?"
"I know that he was a leading expert on Stokor myths and legends," Rael said, while continuing to scan the texts, "I also know that his abduction about few weeks ago couldn't have been a coincidence."
"And you believe that he was taken by one of Edan Had'dah's men?"
Rael paused from his reading to look at the Dalatrass; the sound of his voice was calm and unassuming. "I didn't say anything about Mr. Had'dah."
She smiled ambiguously, but said nothing. There was no need for words. Rael couldn't quite figure it out but he suddenly felt in peril, and it occurred to him that he had accidentally made himself look more dangerous to his Salarian client. She looked at him with searching eyes, and Rael was thankful that he was in a suit because it hid the fear on his face.
"Is there something else here I need to know?" Rael asked boldly, trying to prove to himself and to her that he was not afraid. "About Dr. Sokun and Mr. Had'dah?"
"You know better than to ask that," the Salarian answered ominously.
"It's worth asking, nevertheless."
When the Dalatrass said nothing, Rael wanted to say that he had no more questions, and that she can leave, but somehow, he felt that the Salarian woman had something else to add, so he kept quiet. To distract himself, he put his Omnitool closer to his face, pretending to check on something important, and he waited for the Dalatrass to share something more or leave.
For a few minutes, the Salarian sat patiently, and then with very deliberate movements, she got up and stood to face the window on Rael's room. Silently, almost sadly, she looked out towards the planet known as Shanxi.
Then suddenly, she said: "I searched for them all my life, but instead..."
The pause was sudden, as if her self-control told her to be quiet before she carelessly reveals her secret. "Instead, all I found was failure... until now."
Behind his helmet, Rael was sure that the Salarian woman was going to say something else, something more dangerous and damning, but he knew better than to ask. Once again, he wondered if it was a good thing that he took up this mission, and like before, he reminded himself of the number of digits that would be paid to him once this is all over.
Now is not the time for second thoughts!
"Are you afraid of the Sa'kar Rael'Zorah?" the Dalatrass asked suddenly, and it caught Rael off guard.
"What?" Rael almost yelled, "No, Why would I be?"
She then turned away smiling from the window and looked at him. She then recited the first passage of the Book of the Reaper, in a lilting but sorrowful voice:
I Dream of the First Aeons
The Age of the Great Leviathans
I Speak of the Dark Places
The 'Zon' of the Sto'kor Mages
I Sing of the Pitiless Demons
And Their Wars Against Forgotten Empires
I Remember The Third Dark Strife
When The Cycles of Ancient Slaughter Ceased
And The Tears of the Sto'kor Lords Wet Cursed Ground
Rael was speechless, so she explained to him that this was the first part of the Book of the Reaper, and very briefly he gave him a summary of the history of humanity (though she referred to them as Stoko/Sa'kar) and in particular the Third Long Dark War (though she called it the Third Dark Strife); and of how humanity fought the Reapers (the Ancient Demons). She told him about the Great Betrayal (The Protheans) and of the Fall (The Great Emission). She told him about the Zone and its powers. And most ominously of all, she told him about the darkness beyond the galaxy as well as the secret things buried inside forgotten planets which lurk and watch an unsuspecting galaxy.
In all of this, she used the words of fairy tales. She spoke of legends and magics, not science and technology; Sto'kors, not humans. And when she was finished, the Dalatrass smiled at Rael'Zorah, like a patient mother.
"My daughter would love you. She loves stories about the Sa'kar," Rael remarked, and a smile appeared on his face at the memory of his daughter, Tali.
"And you don't?"
Rael shook his head. "And all of this is written on the book?"
"Yes," the Dalatrass answered, and how does any of this help our mission?"
The Dalatrass smiled warmly at him. "You'll see."
"You can be quite cryptic."
"I like being cryptic.
"Well, okay, but what about the Sa'kar?" Rael asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what happened to them? They defeated the demons and their enemies, but you said, or at least, the Book of the Reaper claims that the demons will return to destroy all life in the galaxy. I suppose what I'm asking is, won't the Sa'kar... sorry, I mean Stalkers, come back and fight the demons when they return?" Rael felt a little silly with those questions, because it was as if he suddenly became a young boy who was completely enraptured by a fairy tale.
"I thought you said this is just a myth?"
"Well... I do," Rael said in the same nervous tone, "but I'd like stories to end in happy endings."
"The story hasn't ended yet, and we are about to become part of it." With that she smiled happily at him, and quickly made her way to the door. The words, though, filled Rael with terror that he could not quite understand, and it seemed to him that the Salarian woman was more than what she seemed.
"Be ready in the next five to six hours," she said as a parting shot."The Zone can be quite pitiless."