Chapter 14 - Reforged
Date : 8.23.2167
Location : Keeva's Emporium
Mirdan
She seems so peaceful now. No worries or fears. No nervousness over late supplies or difficult patients. No deep seated ethical quandaries to puzzle through. Her face is perfectly serene. That soul deep serenity that only lifelessness can bring. He's spent most of the night repairing the wound and cleaning her body. Keeva mentioned a seamster who could make her funeral shroud and had made arrangements for his visit. Mirdan hasn't spoken since arriving. He's spent all his time at the side of his dearest friend, soul searching, trying to find some meaning in such a tragedy. He's come up with nothing and it weighs him down in sorrow.
For the first time in over thirty years, Mirdan has no idea what to do. When he'd first come to Omega it had been out of a desire to spend his last years doing good and Sara had been the shining light to guide him in this hope. She'd come to him after his darkest day, the day he'd led the STG raid on a sex trafficking hellhole in batarian space. The horrors he'd seen there had almost broken him. He'd spent the time after in a fugue of heartbreak over the defiled bodies of so many innocents. He'd been ready to end it all when he'd happened upon a smiling flaxen haired human calmly helping one of the rescued victims adjust a leg brace. She'd been so kind, so happy. Her simple desire to just help others reawakened the old drive to do the same in his heart. The two had worked together for nearly five years since then and she had kept his spirits high all the while.
He'd intended to leave everything he had to her in the hopes that she would continue helping the innocent for decades. And now she's gone, and he's completely lost once more. He doesn't know what to do for himself. He doesn't know what to do for Sara. He doesn't know what to do for Jane.
The girl herself has become totally withdrawn. She's spent all day in Keeva's fabrication room, only emerging for the barest essentials. When addressed she says nothing and simply stares with vacant eyes.
Keeva
Keeva is completely of her league. She's lost loved ones before and has never handled it well. She has no clue on how to help Jane or Mirdan through it. She's tried talking to Jane, but she never responds. She just keeps moving about like she's in a trance. Keeva's scans have told her that Jane is using numerous, extremely complicated tools to work on… something. The only time she tried to get a peek into the fabrication room, she'd almost been blinded by a pulsar bright amber glow coming from within. Whatever Jane was working one, she was employing her biotics with extreme intensity.
She was using so much power from Keeva's generators, the shop has experienced numerous blackouts. She has taken dozens of Keeva's best tools to aid in her work. She's taken in biotically sensitive alloys for ancestors know what. The only thing Keeva could do is make sure her pantry was stocked and the power stayed on. She'd called Vollo to help with Sara and he had sworn to be there as quickly as possible. Vollo was a bit of a diva but had a soul deep respect for the dead. He'd even promised to have a stasis pod delivered to preserve the body until proper arrangements could be made.
To pass the time, she'd busied herself with finishing the repairs to Jane's armor and guns. She's repairing cracks, upgrading shielding, and adding new mods to the guns. As she finishes applying a new paint job to the chestplate, an ethereal voice drifts into the room. "This one humbly requests permission to enter."
"Hello Vollo, please come inside." The hanar drifts in at a stately pace, his typically colorful silk trailing replaced by dark black strands. He has a small stylus and tablet grasped in a pair of tentacles, likely to write down Sara's measurements. "Thank you for coming Vollo."
"This one would never disrespect his friends by refusing to aid in such a tragic time. With the deepest humility, may this one tend to the fallen." Keeva nods and leads him to Sara's current resting place. As he approaches her prone form, he raises a tentacle to his frontal horn, as if stifling a gasp. Mirdan takes a moment to make 'eye contact', but he remains quiet. "This one has no desire to add to the honorable doctor's sorrow, but may this one say a short prayer for the spirit of the loving fallen." Mirdan nods solemnly and Vollo begins, "This one humbly implores the glorious enkindlers to take the spirit of the beloved fallen into their loving embrace. This one prays for her everlasting peace and joy in the warm presence of those who sit on high. May her spirit forever rest in the love that all may find in the embrace of the enkindlers."
Once his prayer is finished, he begins drifting about whilst writing on his tablet. The screen rapidly fills with dozens of figures and sketches. "This one shall endeavor to provide his best service. To fulfill this oath, this one must ask a terribly personal question. May this one continue?" Again Mirdan gives a nod, "Excellent. Please forgive this one's impertinence. Tell this one about Sara. Who was Sara?"
Jane
She stands on her shadowed plain as rain lashes down from the sky. It is frigid and cuts to her core. She stands side by side with her dark reflection under the storm wracked sky. The sound of thunder crashes down, beating a regular, metronomic rhythm. She feels her biotics constantly firing and knows that she's not seeing what's actually happening. She sees a lightning scorched anvil before her. She and her shadow each have a hand upon a great hammer and each strike upon the anvil lets loose another peal of thunder. There is something on the anvil, a blurred shape glowing under her attention. She doesn't fully understand what's happening but she doesn't fight it. She feels a deep sense of purpose. This is right, it is meaningful.
With each strike, a memory flashes before her eyes.
CRASH… a golden haired friend dying on the ground.
CRASH… a cannon tearing a hole in her side.
CRASH… a bullet tearing across her face.
CRASH… a blade stabbing through her chest.
CRASH… poison flooding her lungs.
CRASH… her first friends dying by her hand.
CRASH… a man in a lab coat smiling at her hatred.
Each memory spurs on the next strike, her rage fueling her labors. A cacophony of voices guide her as she shapes the item before her. They're indistinct on their own, each shouting a bevy of unknowable words. Alone each is nonsense, but together they form a coherent plan of her goal. Some are loud and angry. Some are quiet and kind. Some roar mindlessly, while others whisper sweetly. Each is unique. Each offers something the others can't and she simply flows with the river of voices.
She's heard them before. Anytime she's tried to take something apart to learn about it, a few of them have come to help. But they've never been so loud and so numerous. The uproar has her migraine soaring to new levels of agony, but she doesn't care.
All that matters is that she carries on. All that matters is that she finishes what she started.
Date : 8.26.2167
Location : Keeva's Emporium
Keeva
The sounds coming from Jane's project are growing louder and sometimes the entire shop shakes. There is now a perpetual glow coming from under the door and they have to be careful to turn away when she comes out. She only comes out for a few moments each time, for food or drink. She never speaks, never acknowledges anyone and Keeva is growing more frightened every day.
Mirdan
Her trance is deeper than he's ever seen. He noticed her fall into this state a few times before, when working on her weapons or armor, but she's never gone this deep.
He rarely leaves Sara's side but Keeva has been asking for help with Jane. Nothing they say has any effect and any attempt at physical contact is rebuffed by a short biotic pulse.
The most disturbing thing she has done occured the day before. She had entered the room where Sara was laid out and had used her biotics to draw a small mote of blood from the woman's body, before returning to her work. She's completely unreachable and Mirdan shudders to think about what is happening to her.
Jane
The anvil is cracking and the hammer is melting. The storm grows more intense with every strike. Lighting is blasting the ground in all directions. The voices are becoming clearer with each moment. She gathers a drop of Sara's blood and crafts a container to house this tiny reminder of a true friend, and she works it into her project's shape.
She and her shadow work in perfect tandem and the item upon the anvil becomes clearer with every strike. Her project is nearing completion and it spurs her on through the agony of exhaustion. The taste of blood only pushes her harder. The rage boiling within is being sharpened to a razored point and she pours it into her work. It's almost finished.
Date : 8.29.2167
Location : Keeva's Emporium
Keeva
Vollo has returned. He drifted in with a large mercenary escort, a tightly sealed container carried by two of them. They place it in the newly finished lobby of Keeva's still growing emporium before Vollo addresses them, "This one thanks the honorable mercenaries for their assistance. The noble warriors will find a substantial payment has been sent to their accounts." Several check their balances and their eyes nearly pop from their skulls. "Now, with the utmost respect, this one kindly requests that the virtuous mercenaries depart. This is a sad task, and the fallen deserve respect." Most just nod numbly as the walk away, several gawking at their account balances.
"How much did you give them Vollo?" Most mercs wouldn't be so visibly dumbfounded.
"This one felt the sum of twenty thousand credits each would be an appropriate expression of gratitude for their assistance." Keeva's stunned. That means that Vollo had, by his own volition, spent nearly two hundred thousand on an honor guard for someone he'd never known.
She struggles to articulate her astonishment, "But Vollo, why would you spend so much? There wasn't much danger for you." The hanar flashes several times before answering.
"This one may have been unfortunate enough to have never known the merciful Sara, but this one's friends did. This one has seen the terrible sorrow this tragedy has inflicted, and it has moved this one's unworthy heart. Forgive this one's brash declaration, but it is obvious to this one that Sara was a beloved friend. The fallen deserve respect and this one will not, forgive the vulgarity, spit upon the memory of Sara by offering anything less than its utmost efforts." It's one of the most impassioned declarations she's ever heard Vollo make. Vollo picks up the shroud's container and follows her.
It brings a tear to her eye as she guides the lovable jelly into Sara's resting place. Mirdan is still by her side, carefully ministering to her stasis pod. "Mirdan, Vollo's back. The shroud is finished." The old man turns to them with haggard, bloodshot eyes. He almost never leaves Sara anymore, and Keeva's almost as worried about him as she is about Jane.
"This one has endeavored to capture the spirit of the dearly departed. May this one reveal the fruit of its labor." Mirdan gestures for Vollo to continue and he doesn't disappoint.
Mirdan
The hanar has made something truly wondrous. The shroud is made from a darkly beautiful silken material and has dozens of images hued in subtle yet perfectly chosen colors. Images of wounds healed and hearts mended adorn the edges. The symbol of Sara's faith, a humble wooden cross, is just below center. The place of honor, in Mirdan's opinion, is perhaps the most perfect representation of his beloved friend. In the center of the shroud is a beautifully wrought image of a pair of hands and in those hands is a bright red, bleeding heart.
Sara had always been the one to pour out love and hope to any in need, no matter how much personal pain it caused. She never shied away from helping those in need, even when they had been rude or even cruel to her before. She'd mended broken bones for a human that had mugged her days before. She'd helped a turian supremacist recover from an acid attack from an angry mob. She had even held an old batarian's hand to comfort him in his final hours, a batarian who'd spat on her days before when she first told him that she'd be giving him medical care. These people had never shown her an ounce of decency, yet when they needed help, mercy, or even just a hand to hold in their most terrifying moments, she didn't hesitate.
Mirdan can't help shed a tear over such a beautiful reminder of Sara's loving nature. "It is truly a master work my friend. She would love it." Mirdan gently takes the shroud from Vollo and carefully spreads it over the top of Sara's stasis pod. He'll wrap her body later. The three of them stand in stately silence, just living in this moment of absolute peace.
The peace is so absolute that Mirdan finally notices something. The sounds coming from Jane's project have stopped and the shaking of the walls has ended. Mirdan and Keeva turn to the door as a familiar tread echoes from the hall. Standing in the doorway, covered in days of uncleaned grime, with bleeding hands, and a face flushed with blood, is Jane.
And in her hands is something amazing.
Jane
It's done. It's finally done. Jane has finished what she has worked so hard to forge. Soon she'll return to her real work, but first she needs to lay some things to rest. First she needs to say goodbye.
Keeva
She can barely believe her eyes. Jane is holding something far beyond what even the best quarian weapon smiths are capable of. She's holding a sword of incomparable quality. The blade is a full meter long with a slight curve to it. The forward edge is perfectly smooth and razor sharp but it is the back of the blade the is truly intimidating. There are several vicious serrations along the back, each sharpened to a razors edge. The blade would likely pierce a body cleanly, but upon being removed, it would rip free in a torrent of gore. Some kind of script is engraved along the length of the blade, but she can't understand it. It's written in unfamiliar alien runes.
What makes it even harder to read is the dark black blade. The blade is so dark that it seems to absorb light from its surroundings. There are strange lines running down the length and these twinkle slightly under the lights. Keeva's auto-scan software picks up abundant amounts of biotically sensitive alloys. These materials will allow her to channel her power through the blade. In the base of the sword, inside the pommel, Keeva picks up a powerful stasis field, and within it is a single drop of human blood.
Jane walks up to Keeva and extends her arms, "Keeva, will you hold my sword for a moment." She puts her hands under the blade and Jane lets it settle into her grip. Keeva is almost driven to her knees by the surprising weight of the sword. It has to weigh almost thirty kilos, but it's perfectly balanced. As she regains her own balance Jane moves to the pod and casts a tiny mote of biotic power to lift the shroud.
She looks into Sara's serene face for several minutes before raising a hand to the surface over her face. She lets loose more power and carves a rune over Sara's face. Keeva's auto scan takes several seconds to identify the symbol as an ancient krogan rune. There are numerous meanings but the most meaningful, the most agreed upon, makes Keeva's heart ache. Jane has carved a symbol for 'mother' over Sara's face. Tears clean twin trails down Jane's face as she moves the shroud back into place. Keeva holds the blade out and Jane takes it back.
Mirdan
Jane turns to him and gives him what he's been so desperate for these last few days, "Mirdan… you need to leave Omega. The Wake knows you've been helping me, and they'll be coming after you." He almost argues until Jane drives it home, "Please take Sara home. Please don't make her rest in this terrible place. Don't make her rest on Omega." It takes him a moment to understand. It's a way forward, at least for a time. It a new purpose. Perhaps taking Sara home can help him find a new reason to keep going.
He steps up to Jane and looks her in the eye, "I promise you, Sara will make her way home."
Jane
Her heart feels hollow as she takes both Mirdan and Keeva in a crushing hug. She holds them for several minutes, all three of them staying quiet. After setting them down she turns to Vollo. 'Thank you for making something so beautiful for Sara. How much does it cost. I'll pay whatever you want.' The hanar has dozens of rapid flashes before answering.
'This one did not create this piece of art for its own benefit. This one believes the honorable fallen deserve love and respect. This one refuses to accept any monetary compensation for its effort. The only payment this one will accept is the continued friendship of the lovely ones before him.' She beams a broad smile at him and takes a few of his tentacle in a hug. He makes several more flashes before she releases him.
'Keeva, where is my plating.' The quarian leads Jane into her favorite armor workshop. Her plates are mounted on a mannequin, and they're more wonderful than ever. They're thicker and the coverage is more extensive than ever. She can see several are connected with hydraulic machinery.
'I've been upgrading everything I can. It's more durable than ever and now it has powered joints. It will boost your strength and speed even further. The new shields will recharge faster than ever.' Keeva runs through several other minor improvements as she helps Jane into her armor. It's heavier than before, at least until the servos start pulling power from the new generator Keeva's added. After that, the armor is feather light. A new plate provides better cover for her neck and by extension, the pink friend she keeps tucked into its place at her back. Despite all the damage that she had personally taken, her hanar was still in one piece, even if it was a little dirty.
She slots her new blade into her scabbard and is relieved that it fit despite being made for a different sword. 'You should leave too Keeva. They might not know who you are yet, but eventually they'll figure it out. I can't lose you too.'
Keeva takes Jane's hand to answer her, 'Jane, I do intend to leave Omega, but only when my pilgrimage gift is complete. That will take a few months. Until my gift is ready, I'll be right here, helping you every chance I get.' Jane looks sad as she nods.
After she's fully geared up she steps to the exit, 'Goodbye Keeva. I'll stay in touch.'
'Good luck Jane.'
Mirdan
He's gathering his things and getting ready to call in a few favours to get him off the station with his precious cargo. Jane marches into the room, her armor more imposing than ever. It's still a mix of dark red and black highlights, but the plates are thicker and she's a little bit taller inside them. Her weapons have been repaired and remounted. She's almost certainly about to resume her crusade, "Mirdan, is there anything you need from your clinic."
He shakes his head, "By now it will have been picked clean. Besides, it's doubtful that I'll return... It's time to move on." He hangs his head in sorrow as Jane steps closer and embraces him again.
"Thank you... for everything. Goodbye Mirdan." She slots her helmet home and steps back into the streets of Omega.
Jane
She makes her way back to the clinic through her tunnel and is mortified by what she sees. The clinic has been torn apart and everything worth anything has been stolen. Even the trash has been taken. There's literally nothing left to take but that's not why she's here.
She'd come for Sara. The body was with Mirdan and Keeva but this was where she died. This is where her spirit is, so Jane came to say goodbye. She offers up a few prayers to spur her spirit into the beyond. She starts to leave, but a sound stops her. There a high pitched whine coming from outside, along with several cackling laughs. She steps outside to find the source.
There's a pack of vorcha inside the remains of her totem circle. Some are eating scraps of flesh from the defiled corpses still mounted on the towers. Three of them are circled around an animal, each taking turns kicking. The terrible mewling is coming from whatever the Vorcha are abusing and it pisses Jane off. She stomps over to them and several turn to hiss at her. One particularly brave piece of shit steps forward, 'Leave filthy human! This our food. This our find!'
It swipes its claws at her and she grabs its wrist. It angry growling warps into a hideous shriek as she crushes its wrist. As if falls to its knees, the others turn in confusion at this strange turn. She grabs its shoulder in her left hand and with her right, she rips the arm free. The rest flee in terror as their leader falls to the ground pouring blood from the ruined stump. Jane moves to the poor creature they hand been abusing.
It's a varren, and a fairly young if she's any judge. It's scales haven't even fully formed, the pale grey skin is still soft and thin. Its back legs are broken in multiple places and there are deep cuts all along its back. One of its eyes has been reduced to a bloody mess. The poor creature struggles to crawl away and she can feel the terror radiating from it. Its suffering so much it hurts to witness. She draws her sword and raises it to put the poor thing out of its misery. Before she can drive it down, one of the voices inside calls out. Her mind is filled with memories that aren't her own. Images of a similar creature are prevalent and she puts up her blade.
She kneels down next to the whimpering varran and injects a heavy dose of medi-gel and gathers some energy in her hands. Following the voice's instructions she uses her biotics to pull the creature's bones back into their proper shape and she uses tiny bits of energy to fuse them together. She carefully removes the ruined remains of its left eye and adds medi-gel to all of its cuts. It's whimpers are slowly disappearing as she heals its injuries. When she's done, the varren shakily gets to its feet and look at her with its remaining eye. It keeps low to the ground, almost bowing to her. She tries to wave it off, 'Go on. Get going." It just stares at her, drooling into a puddle beneath it, until a scraping sound drags both their attention to the side.
The vorcha she'd maimed is desperately trying to sneak away. The varren looks to her panting with its tongue hanging out. The strange memories are telling her that it's actually looking to her for approval. She points to the vocha and growls. The animal lets loose a high pitched howl before charging over. Its prey shrieks in fear as her new friend bounds over. It crouches in front of the vorcha, growling with its teeth bared. She walks to stand behind the vorcha and the varren looks to her again. She nods and the creature unhinges its jaw and takes its prey's entire head into its maw. The vorcha struggles the whole time, right until the varren clamps down hard and rips the head free.
It swallows the head whole and plods over to Jane. She gives it a pat on the head before heading out. It whimpers as she walks away, so Jane turns back and waves it on. It yips excitedly and bounds after her, the two of them taking off into ducts, leaving behind the ruins of Mirdan's clinic.