Omega Nebula, Arinlarkan System, Utha
Wreathed in swathes of lightning, large dark grey clouds sailed lazily over the rich navy blue ocean. The blue expense stretched for miles before frothing and foaming at the brown barrier that stood in its path. Tall spectacular waves lashed at the edges, sending fountains of water splashing in every direction. Stray droplets sparkled in the light. Sim Retok had no eye nor time to spare to admire the sight, his attention was split between the gauges of the drive core and the progress of deuterium collection from the vault of the abandoned prefab.
Once a popular way station for escaping slaves, Utha was now devoid of life. Despite the haven it offered from sensor detection, it was abandoned during the Reaper War. With traffic coming to a halt during the conflict, those who maintained the way station faced death from starvation for they depended heavily on the trade of deuterium for provisions and fusion cells with ships that would occasionally make stopovers. A slow death or a fast death, it made no difference, they chose to leave. After the war, the demise of the Batarian Hegemony and slave cartels further dispelled any chance of a revival.
It was why Sim sent in his crew to remove the stockpiles of deuterium that had been left behind. Not having to buy or trade was a boon, the profits that could be raked in was high with the heavy demand on the market, even if he had to cut the bigger share to Aria. It was still more than what he would have made before the war. With the amount of radiation his crew and he were exposed to, he had to make sure they would live to reap the returns. The longer they stayed on the planet, the further the strain on the shields of the freighter.
Tapping his foot, he checked the drive core readings and blew a sigh of relief; the static electric buildup had been fully discharged. Tapping a key to withdraw the discharging wand, he barked gruffly into the comlink and was gratified to learn the crew was returning with the last cart. The sooner they were off, the better, for they had more buoys to deploy. By rights, he should have returned to Urdak to collect his due for the buoys around the Black Gate but he thought it prudent to finish up the previous incomplete errand because sooner or later, Aria would pick him up on it.
He ran another check on the remaining buoys in the cargo hold, sending a signal and was pleased when each one responded swiftly. Small they might be, they were packed with advance sensor systems with a good range. They were as close to military grade probes he had ever seen. Curious as he was on how Aria lay her beauteous hands on them, he wasn't about to ask. As long as she paid good credits and consumables goods, he would even lick her boots.
The comlink buzz, the crew was on board with the deuterium. Pleased, he made preparations to leave. Within the hour, they were making for the darkness of space. Humming under his breath, he checked the charts for the Batalla System, carefully plotting his flight path.
The comlink buzz again several minutes later. "Yeah?" he muttered distractedly.
"Got a bogey in low orbit," the low voice of his cargomaster rumbled.
Dropping the datapad in his hand onto his lap, he looked at the console screen before him. "Nothing's showing up," he said, fiddling with the sensor settings.
"I'm eyeballing it now."
"I'm not getting anything," he grumbled. "You sure?"
"It's close enough to swat our ass, that good enough fer you?"
"Scut it, I'm still not getting anything," he cursed. "Send me a vid. What's it doing?"
If they were in danger, his cargomaster would have said something long before it was in range for him to see up close. The freighter was a fat target to anything that could shoot and raid. He'd rather nobody said anything. It's better not to know when his number was due. Better to die thinking good stuff and nothing the next.
"Deciding whether we're worth eating?"
The screen lit up with a live feed. He couldn't see anything and wondered if the cargomaster was riding on his nerves. Frowning, he peered at the small screen. Against the navy blue of the oceans of Utha, it was difficult to pinpoint the ship. As if knowing he was having difficulty, a hand drawn circle appeared on the screen. Squinting, he saw a wedge shape, something, with wings. The silhouette looked somewhat familiar though it didn't match any ship configurations he knew of. Yet, he could have sworn he saw it somewhere before. Scratching his greasy head with puzzlement, he squinted and reached for the console. His fingers hovered over the keys but something held him back. His gut feeling told him they should just continue their passive course and do nothing to indicate they had noticed the ship behind them.
He watched that image nervously and relaxed slightly when it became smaller and smaller. It was still in lower orbit when the freighter finally escaped the gravitational pull of Utha. Maybe it was there to discharge the drive core too, nothing more. He hesitated before bringing up navigation and reprogrammed their course for the Sahrabarik System. Once that was done, he brought up the vid again, enhancing the image. For some reason, it disturbed him very much. Pushing the enhancement as far as it could go, he finally recalled where and when he had seen such a ship before. Wasn't it destroyed? No, wait, it wasn't. Scratching his sticky bristly chin in confusion, he made an effort to remember before giving it up. It didn't matter, someone else would know better than him.
Ilos
It was time wasting and energy sapping to trudge through that mileage every day to get to the lower archives so the first thing that Shepard did the moment she and Liara returned to the expedition base on the surface of Ilos was to send marines down to make a thorough search around the car park. There should be smaller vehicles that the team could use to travel through that long passage. When they reported there were no such vehicles to be found, Shepard was considering falling back to the secondary plan of setting up tents at the landing below the stairs. That was when Liara suggested the marines looked in the eastern passage. The previous expedition could have left transportation there.
In the midst of these activities, Module "awoke" and requested a conference. Using the positions of the cryogenic pods, distance of the passages, the hall, it had been working out a holographic projection of the archives with plausible access points, ventilator shafts and so on. It extrapolated that the power core lay in the center of the yet undiscovered hidden lower chambers. Looking at the holographic image, Shepard hoped there was also an express elevator or something equivalent. Otherwise, they would all have to do a lot of crawling and climbing.
Chin in her hand, she stared at the holographic image, imprinting it in her mind. It was some time before she realised Ulros was speaking to her. The marines had discovered hovercarts in the eastern passage. They were bringing them over to the entrance of the western passage. Ten minutes later, she was out with the team in the trench, making their way to the lower archives. Riding behind her on the hovercycle, Liara made no comment on the speed they were travelling for she was much more concerned with the hurt within her bondmate. The feeling of loss was deep.
Having lost her father at a young age, Shepard had passed into her mother's custody. A mother mostly absent and only heard and seen over vid calls. For the next several years, she was moved from place to place, keeping pace with the vagaries of her mother's postings. Shepard made few friends. Erial was the only one with whom she formed a bond with. Although they were only together for two years, Erial had been the closest thing to a sibling she had wished for and would ever have. A part of her would pine for her, Liara knew, just as she herself missed her mother on the occasions when Aethyta joined them, wishing she was there to make their family whole. She wondered if Shepard shouldn't try reaching out to her mother, persuade her to come to Thessia and forge a closer relationship. She mentally sent that question to her.
It's not going to happen, love. She is and always will be just a voice, an image and an email. {indifferent}
It has been some time since you last saw her. You could try to visit her. {encouraging}
And do what? {scoffs} Stare at each other? The times we saw each other were less than the fingers on a hand. We have nothing to say other than the usual polite platitudes. She's just happy to have a daughter who's not staining the family name.
Are the two of you never to really talk to each other? It seems excessively conflicting. {persuasive}
She never came to our bonding ceremony even though I invited her, never acknowledges you. {anger}
It is not important. You...
Forget it, love. If she ever regarded me as someone living, not a footnote in her ladder climbing, she knows where to find us. {pause} I'm alright. Give me some time. I'm angry, upset, yes, but I'm glad Erial died a quick clean death, not living as a Cerberus slave or experiment. I'm thankful for that at least.
She would be happy you hold her close to your heart if she knew.
Not as close as you, love. {warmth}
Smiling, Liara savored the wave of affection Shepard sent to her and wished they were somewhere else, not riding underground on a dead world. The hovercycle did not seem so daunting now but she was firmly against Shepard bringing it back to Thessia. Not when Shepard herself broke some bones in her illicit joyride as a child. As an adult, she dreaded what her bondmate would do given some of the images she caught in her mind. Mentally, she made a little note to emphasise her stance should Shepard bring it up again.
They reached the elevator to the lower archives and made their way down the stairs to the landing below. There, the marines Shepard had sent ahead waited with foldable hovercarts. Liara's guess had been dead on. The previous expedition had brought in the vehicles once they realised the place was too huge for them to go on foot. Each cart could seat four with a small storage compartment at the back. There was even a cart fitted with a small flatbed. Module's eyeflaps twitched but it made no comment to the prospect of being hauled around and stepped readily onto it when one of the marines invited it to take a "seat". On the carts, they took half an hour to reach the elevator to the hall the researchers had named the Hall of Passing.
The carts however, would not all fit into the elevator, even folded and had to be left behind. No one suggested transporting them down to the hall one by one. The unspoken consensus was to walk than ride among the dead. Through the hall they went until they reached the round door. For a moment, no one moved. There were corpses in the way and they had to be shifted. Shepard opened her mouth to detail the marines to shift the bodies when Module stepped forward. Taking a long stride, it stepped over the mound piled at the door and then bent to gently lift the nearest bodies and laying them to the side, clearing a small path. The marines quickly lent their efforts to clear the doorway.
Beyond, more bodies were strewed along a short corridor that forked into two passages. They took the right, stepping carefully in open spaces. Bending now and then, the researchers examined the corpses but kept moving. The exit was a three metre round opening. The illumination from their flashlights were unable to penetrate the darkness to let them see what lay beyond. Signalling the group to hold, Shepard stepped cautiously to the doorway. The last thing she needed was people stepping out to a sudden drop off. There wasn't any of that however. She waved the team forward.
"Where're we?" one of the marines murmured, looking above him as they stood on the other side of the exit. There was nothing to be seen but pitch blackness.
Stepping warily, Shepard moved forward several paces and found a wide flight of steps leading down to what seemed to be a broad lane lined with buildings. She thought she saw benches.
"The settlement," breathed Liara, eyes wide as she peered into the far dark corners. "It has to be."
"And we have no idea how big it is." Turning here and there so the flashlight could play out over a wide area, Shepard spotted intersecting lanes. "Liara?"
"Module, please display pcl02." Liara waited for the holographic image to appear before continuing. "Prothean cities and colonies followed a set structure based on the echelons of rank. Power was centralised-," she pointed to the middle of the map of concentric circles, "in the heart, surrounded by the lower order of hierarchy."
"Outer reaches, vassals?" Kedar enquired.
"Yes," she said shortly, recalling the discussion she had with Javik prior to her departure from Thessia. It had been an awkward conversation. It was hard to keep her composure the more she learned about the divisions of assimilated races and how they were regarded in the Prothean empire.
"The grid for this research colony could have followed the same order, with perhaps one or two merged subsidiaries within the main governing body due to resource constrictions of Ilos," she said as she pointed to sections of the city grid.
"How far down are we?" asked Shepard.
"Approximately midway to the power core," said Module.
The city grid blinked green as the geth prime highlighted the location of the core. Lines appeared, linking it to the elevators and passages they had travelled through.
"There should be passages beneath to lead us to either maintenance facilities or the main entry to the core." More lines lit up, blinking red. "These are plausible routes for more access points."
"Ok, so-," Shepard pointed to one of them, "we've two possibilities. One, we head south-west in the hopes of locating either an elevator or stairs that goes straight down. Two, we go straight to the center of the city grid, the seat of administration. There should be an entrance there. Thoughts?" She looked at the group.
"Option two, logical."
Kedar's answer was expected so Shepard looked at Peliar who nodded in agreement with the choice.
"I concur," Module said, removing the holographic image before looking across the darkness. She wondered how far it could see with its sensors.
"Shall we go?" was all Liara said when Shepard looked at her.
"Let's go."
Turning around, Shepard went down the stairs, kicking up clouds of dust. The group fanned out loosely behind her, lights gliding this way and that as they looked at the buildings along the broad lane. None were more than four storey high. Several small streets bisected the road, neatly dividing the grid into blocks.
Covered with centuries of dust, the buildings were a uniform grey. Long and blocky in design, they could house several individuals or a few families. Doors were shut, dark round windows stared back glassily, giving no clue as to what lay within. There was nothing along the streets that could be construed as street lamps. If there had been any flora, they had been reduced to dust. Numerous benches dotted the sidewalks at intervals. Not the typical straight benches often seen everywhere else. These were a set of five small curved benches forming a circle.
Liara was sure they meant something. Perhaps a representation of something important. Or she could be reading something out of nothing and they were meant to aesthetically enhance some design or to facilitate gatherings. She looked around, unsettled. In the archaeological expeditions she had been with, most Prothean ruins were often reduced to fragments but the underlying colours, beauty and design were clear once the pieces were assembled. But here, the current surroundings exuded a dreary plain drabness. It did not help that there were corpses lying around. Most upsetting was the sight of an adult hugging a smaller body that could only belong to a child. A small pair of corpses huddled at one of the benches, limbs twined around each other. A hand grasped hold of her arm, pulling her away as she stood staring at them.
Come on, love. {empathy} There's nothing we can do for them.
What could have happened? {disbelief} Were they really sacrificed?
Right now, I need you to focus. Questions later?
Taking a deep breath, Liara nodded. Without knowing what had happened, she should not jump to conclusions. It was hard not to, given the evidence before their eyes. She realised the rest of the group had halted ahead, waiting for them when Shepard realised Liara had dropped behind and went to get her. Without a word, they continued down the lane and came within sight of a low wall that stretched across their path. The road continued through an arch in the wall. Passing through, they found low buildings with curved facades. They were also wider, with varied shaped doors. There were no windows. It took some time before they registered that something was missing.
"Corpses?" Kedar looked around curiously as the rest came to the same realisation.
"I'm guessing they're either in cryogenic pods or lying in the hall," Shepard said, pausing to rub the tip of her boot on the surface of the road. It felt somewhat different to her. Thicker?
Observing her action, Module brushed away the dust beneath its foot, revealing a plaid of grooves cut into the ground. "Compressed compounds," it said. "Buildings in this area are also denser."
"Better built, higher status," Kedar nodded, tapping his omni-tool to take a reading for the ground.
"Let's move on." Impatience laced Shepard's voice.
How the Protheans arrayed their empire was not important to her at the moment. She was more interested in reaching the heart of the research facility. There was nothing to threaten them in this dead settlement. There was no reason they should trail along like frightened tourists, with the exception of Module, gawping at empty buildings.
It was the bodies, she decided. If there was one thing to sap energy out of an expedition, it was the notion of having to walk among the dead. Especially if was starkly clear they had not gone into the void peacefully or by choice. Nothing like entertaining the idea that wraiths would come to you in your dreams for having disturbed their sleep. Or it's just me. Inanely, she wondered if geth dream.
"There." Liara pointed ahead. "It should be the main complex."
"I'd say it is," Shepard agreed. "I don't see any other imposing facade around here."
She eyed the pyramid-like structure that reared into the darkness. Tall towers stood at all four corners, linked to the building by bridges. Their flashlights were barely able to stab through the darkness to reveal more until they were near enough to discern a long flight of stairs leading to the main entrance.
"At least they left the door open," Shepard said once they reached the top of the stairs to find an ovoid blackness.
"No,' Module corrected, reaching out to slap the blackness. There was a thud. The ovoid was a hatch.
"Right," she sighed. "Take a ten minute breather, everyone," she said as she examined the door, running her hand over the surface before moving to the edge.
How were they to get inside? There should be a few emergency or maintenance entrances for a complex of this size. Humming under her breath, she tapped the wall beside the door as she strode past it. Her vision wavered for a moment...
...circuitry needs more work. {hand taps on side panel} Primary components are online. {a rod emits a healthy green light} Secondary power backups should be in place {hand reaches up and into the circuitry access niche}...
Dimly, she heard someone calling. "Shepard ... Shepard!"
"What?" Blinking in confusion, she stared at Liara. Why did she look so unsettled?
"The door is opened," Liara said, resisting the desire to touch Shepard, to find out what was that strange cloudy feeling she was receiving from her. For a moment, she had sensed something odd, as if she was hearing someone else. The Cipher?
"It is?" Shepard realised her hands were within a open circuit panel in the wall before her and snatched them away. When did she open ... how did she ...? "Damn it, it happened again," she muttered.
"What did?" asked Peliar, eyeing Shepard intently.
"Prothean database that was shared before we left Thesia," Liara interjected smoothly. "We have been discussing how to use them if they ever appeared. We were told it is not an easy procedure."
"Yeah," Shepard caught on quickly. "I didn't think I would remember."
"What is this Prothean database?" Peliar asked suspiciously, not taking her gaze off Shepard. It was just as well she could not see through her helmet.
"Data on access panels for one." Shepard gestured at the opened niche. "Not every one has the same design. I didn't have time to assimilate everything."
Which was not exactly a lie. She had accepted what Shiala had said about the Cipher and made no attempt to try to understand exactly what it was or even find out what it contained.
"It's just pure luck I happened to hit all the right nodes."
The rest said nothing though Kedar was in that posture that she had come to recognise as his contemplative mode. She wondered if the salarian saw through the half-truths.
"Primary objective is near," Module interjected just as Peliar was about to probe further. "We should proceed."
"We should, yes," Kedar nodded supportively, ignoring Peliar's glare.
"Let's get to it," Shepard said, stepping to the door. "Stay alert, we don't know what's inside," she warned before stepping through.
Thessia
Third Quadrant, Armali
Rubble were strewed everywhere. Once standing proud and tall, admired for their beauty, spires and towers lay broken on the ground. Clogged waterways overflowed, rogue streams wound their way under and through every obstacle. Sprouting green mossy growth lapped up the bounty greedily and flourished. Looming over all, ominous, bloated and malevolent, the black hulk was a blotch. It and its dead ilk cast their shadows long and lasting, withering every tiny effort life made to renew the land beneath them. Their touch had no effect on another life form however.
Like wasps, geth dropships converged on the hulk and proceeded to systematically cut it to pieces. A flurry of bombardments suddenly exploded in their midst. The attack was not unexpected, the geth had been encountering resistance ever since they began to clear away Reaper remains.
The dropships quickly assumed a higher altitude and returned fire at the hidden missile placements that had been inert before their arrival. Various smaller vehicles erupted from the ruins, taking to the skies. Gunships and skycars headed for the dropships. Despite broadcasts by the geth to the drivers and pilots to withdraw, they fired on the geth dropships and were in turn shot down. In the middle of the one-sided battle, the geth prime in charge of the operation received an unexpected call.
"You wish us to disengage?" it queried the asari on the comm.
"Yes, the Assembly request that all purging procedures to halt until further notice," she said carefully, as if afraid she would be misunderstood. "It is also requested that all geth ships assemble at Station Misear until the Assembly can confer with the geth ambassador."
"Noted. It shall be done," it said and gazed at the blank vid for a moment after the asari ended the call.
Its eyeflaps wavered even as it issued the order for the withdrawal. The geth dropships ceased firing before they boosted for space, easily leaving behind the attackers that tried to chase them. The surviving skycars and gunships scurried around the sky, as if in celebration before returning once more to their dens.
Miles away, Aethyta looked up from her console in her office as her assistant hurried in to hand her a datapad. Before long, it was slammed down on the desk. The force of the impact broke the datapad in half.
"Fools!"