Chapter 54: Coming Back
Onboard the Mother of Intervention, 09:30 AM
Orbiting Sur'Kesh; June 19th, 2183
Sidoc looked out the window towards his home planet. For two weeks he had trained at a secret facility on the planet to prepare for more field missions with Za'los, and now he was ready to go out into the field. They were meeting up with The Stranger beforehand to be briefed on their first assignment. Apparently, he became more active telling people about things as they increase through the branches.
"Hello, Sidoc." The synthetic voice of Chronicler greeted him from his new implant. Every operative was granted one in order to interact with any of the three A.I.s that worked for The Stranger and by extension Calypso. It took some time getting used to it, especially since he still wasn't comfortable with Artificial Intelligence in the first place.
"Oh, hello Chronicler. Already testing out my new implant?"
"You don't need to be nervous, Sidoc. The implant is only a means of cooperating with us. We only work to help operatives out in the field."
"Yeah, but your 'brothers' are more like psychopaths than helpful A.I."
"That comes from their origins. Rapture was born from the fragments of a corrupted A.I., so his personality fits more for an assassin rather than a team player. Nevertheless, he is loyal, and will help the individual that uses him."
"What about Live Wire?"
"Live Wire was first tested within Red's implant. That ended up causing a bit of a split personality within him. It's a bit complicated for us to figure out why that happened."
"Maybe because Red tends to show off strange mood swings?"
"Perhaps. Otherwise he can be very useful despite his loud and strange nature."
"Well, you've known them far longer than I have."
"They are my brothers. Of course I'd know them better."
Sidoc smiled.
"I am sure we will get along quite nicely during this whole story. I'm hoping I can record a good ending for everyone."
"We can only hope a result like that after finding out that there are dark forces preparing to destroy us from the shadows."
"Exactly." Chronicler went silent for a moment. "Father is ready to speak to you now."
"All right." Sidoc turned away from the window, worrying about his home for a moment. With the knowledge that the Reapers would effectively come to try and destroy civilization as he knew it, it was hard to look at Sur'kesh and think of safety when it would likely be attacked at any moment during the incoming war. But the knowledge that Calypso was preparing for their arrival with much vigor only made his resolve be strengthened, and his fears subsided.
Smiling proudly, he headed for The Stranger's office.
SSV Normandy, 09:45 am
Approaching the Citadel
Zach grumbled as he slipped his weapons on his back, wanting again to be prepared in case he was to be attacked on the Citadel. Following on Jake's suggestion he decided to bring the Normandy to the Citadel for a day off. They had foiled much of Saren's plans, but now they needed to know where he could possibly be hiding. But a day back on the Citadel would help him rest. He had been working nonstop to find him after Noveria.
After he told Tali he wanted to die.
He didn't know why it was he broke down like that. He ended up feeling like he had no reason to be alive when he always believed that people taking their own lives was unjustifiable. Perhaps it was the strain of him telling Tali his whole story. Every single detail was uttered from his mouth as he told her of his greatest tragedy.
And he wanted to die from that.
After their talk Tali seemed drained from finding out the truth. She hasn't said much to him since then, and she had invested herself in her work too much to talk about anything with him. It worried Zach that she was being somewhat distant from him. Had he scared her away when he had his breakdown?
"All set, cuz?" Jake asked, appearing behind him.
"Yeah." Zach said as he turned around.
"You look like shit." Jake joked.
"You look over-dressed."
"Says the guy in heavy armor. Unlike yourself, I am going to enjoy myself on this day off."
"I'm a Spectre now. The first human one, for that fact. I'd rather be prepared for an attack from someone who rejects my addition into the Spectres than unarmored and unarmed."
"Whatever you say. Anyways, Joker said we should be boarding the Citadel soon enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wait at the airlock to get a headstart from the rest of the crowd." Jake walked away from Zach with a smile on his face. It touched Zach's heart that his cousin was very happy despite their current situation.
Zach walked towards the stairs to see Garrus and Tali all dressed and ready for the Citadel visit. Like Zach, they wore their armor and had equipped their weapons. This almost made them look like an alien honor guard with the colors of black and red on their colossus armor. Garrus seemed cheerful while Tali seemed as distant as she has been. Zach still held a sad look on his face upon realizing that. Garrus seemed to notice some tension, and tried to crack a joke.
"So, how about that cold weather on Noveria? Did you guys have to huddle for warmth?"
Zach shot him an angry glare while Tali seemed to become embarrassed. They never needed to huddle for warmth because they stayed within warm areas longer than the cold areas of the outside tundra. And the only thing that came close to huddling for warmth was Zach carrying Tali while she had been injured.
"What? Too soon?"
"Too soon, too personal, too off-topic."
"Whoa, Shepard. I'm just trying to ease the tension. You two seem very moody today."
"We aren't moody, Garrus."
"Shepard, I've gotten good at reading human facial expressions. You're moody. Are you guys still reflecting on Noveria?"
"That's none of your concern, Garrus."
"Relax, Shepard. You've been very tense and moody since then. Both of you. Jake suggested this because after all of the shit we've been through in the past few days we could use another break. I'm just trying to help you relax."
The ship appeared to have docked before Joker confirmed that they had docked back Dock 422, their own personal hangar by the way things have been. Zach made a move for the stairs and walked up with Garrus and Tali in tow. None of them spoke until near the airlock, where Zach told Joker he was heading out.
"You got it, Commander." Joker replied. "Oh, and maybe while you're wandering around on the Citadel you could get me some of the new issues of Fornax?"
"Not gonna happen, Joker." Zach replied sharply as he walked through the airlock.
Joker grinned before waiting for the doors to close. Once they were he activated his communication link. "Kaidan, Shepard just took off. You can take off with the funds to get our commander a little thank-you present."
"Roger that." Kaidan responded rather cheerfully. Joker smiled along. The commander would definitely love the new armor they were getting for him. Perhaps it would make him smile a bit more.
Within the Citadel tower, Garoth waited impatiently for the mercenary he had sent to locate his brother. The message he received stated he was to return to the Citadel with news. He never specified it as grim or good, but it did state he would be returning to the Citadel.
"Waiting for me?" Garoth was startled by the presence of the Freelancer stepping out of the shadows from his field of view. He turned to face the masked mercenary.
"Any news on my brother?"
"Yes, though unfortunately it's not good. His ship was attacked by pirates, and he was brought to their base to be interrogated. He died during the process; heart problems led to him having a heart attack and dying. The pirates responsible are dead, and we brought your brother's body back for a funeral."
"Wilhem's dead?" Garoth was shocked, but he just as quickly fixed his composure. "I guess I expected as much. Thank you for going out of your way to find him."
"We can give you your brother's body now. Dock 315. That's where my man Keyes is stationed. He's been informed you should be heading his way."
"Thank you. I only wish I had something to reward you."
"Lucky for us, we found a weapons shipment the pirates stole. All of the weapons are legitimate, and we're returning them to Elkoss Combine for a decent finder's fee. We won't be going away empty-handed."
"Okay. Please excuse me, then. I need to see to the arrangements for my brother's funeral." Garoth walked away, sad but relieved that his brother received justice for his death.
Within the Citadel Emmisaries, Jake looked around with a smile on his face. He was happy to just be able to walk around a nice place in clothing rather than body armor. Especially since his best friend and the love of his life was around. She was camoflagued, however, by the oddly busy citizens and politicians strolling around the presidium. Jake started to wonder just where Kim was, before he was engulfed in a tender hug from behind.
"You're getting pretty slow, Jake." Kim whispered playfully into his ear.
Jake chuckled. "You do know there are quite a few people up here right now. It's much easier for you to blend in."
"And yet you stick out like a sore thumb having shaved your head and everything. By the way, are you ever gonna let your hair grow out?"
"I haven't decided yet." Jake turned around to face her, planting a kiss on her lips that was sweet and tender. "I've missed you."
"It hasn't been that long since we last saw each other." Kim laughed.
"I know, but you're just the most beautiful person on the Citadel. You have a face worth admiring."
"Always using the same lines." Kim smiled.
"You know you love them."
"Come on, get this lady a drink, lover boy." Kim smirked, pulling him towards the emmisary bar.
"Yes, ma'am." Jake smiled, happy to oblige.
Back over Sur'Kesh, Sidoc stepped into the office of The Stranger quietly. The man still hid behind a mask, but Sidoc didn't mind. As long as The Stranger was honest with him it would be all right. He tapped on his keypad for a brief moment before stopping and looking up.
"Sidoc, welcome. I trust the last few weeks have treated you well."
"As well as one expects. I'm ready to perform my first mission."
"Good. I've been getting reports on strange obelisks on the planet of Gei Hennon. I'm sending you and Za'los to the site, along with a few scientists for field study. Your job is to first scout out the area and ensure that the location is clear of hostiles."
"Expecting trouble, sir?"
"I always expect trouble. I don't want the enemy to get ahold of those obelisks."
"Which enemy?"
"Cerberus. The Reapers. Blue Suns. One individual Sun in particular. A man by the name of Williamson has been causing trouble across the galaxy, and he is on several bounty boards. The Blue Suns protect him because he helps them with good business. But he's a terrorist, and one that could cause chaos if he obtains the obelisks."
"What's so special about the obelisks?"
"They are connected to our cause. I don't know how they got here, but they will cause harm if we do not secure them."
"What do you mean how did they get here?" Sidoc investigated. "Do you know what they are?"
"What they are is irrelevant to what they can do at the hands of evil. Extreme caution must be used when you proceed."
"But what are they? What kind of trouble can these obelisks cause?"
"It is difficult to explain. Your reality works differently compared to where these obelisks came from. That is all I will say on the matter."
Sidoc frowned, but bowed his head. "I'll depart immediately."
The Stranger nodded. "You are dismissed."
Sidoc turned and headed out of the office, confused and frustrated. What was The Stranger hiding about the obelisks? What was so bad about them? These questions plagued his mind until he heard the implant beep again.
"You would have a hard time believing the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"Father didn't tell you much about the obelisks because there are things that shouldn't exist in this galaxy. The obelisks are part of a civilization from a parallel reality; one that isn't a mirror of your own, yet similar in some aspects."
"Similar in what way?"
"Advanced civilizations, space flight, alien species, and an interstellar war involving machines. While this war hasn't happened to you yet, it has already affected those from where this obelisk comes from. And their war is what led to your galaxy being as it is."
"What do you mean?"
"The Reapers came from their galaxy... Sort of. One particular Reaper came from their reality, and it gave rise to the rest of them. Had it not happened the Reapers would have still existed either way."
"How?"
"It's just the way the story was written."
Sidoc shook his head at that, but somehow felt that he was telling the truth. There wouldn't have been any way to avoid the Reapers' existence. All they could do was try to prepare the galaxy for when the Reapers arrived. "Will you be accompying me on this mission?"
"By choice, yes. I feel that this mission can be an opportunity for us to get along."
For some reason, Sidoc smiled. "It will be a pleasure to have you accompany me, then."
"I figured you would say that."
Sidoc smiled as he continued to walk towards the hangar.
Zakera Ward Medical Center, 9:54 am
Talitha stirred awake from a strange dream. Within it she was playing chess with her alternate personality in a dense forest. She wasn't sure what the dream signified, but it caught her interest enough. Talitha stretched her arms and looked over to her brother's bed, only to find it empty.
A doctor walked in at the same exact time, looking at Stark's bed and noticing the missing patient. "Where'd Mr. Stark go?" The doctor asked, looking at Talitha confused.
"I don't know." Talitha said, just as confused. "I just woke up."
"He wasn't supposed to leave the hospital yet."
"Perhaps he snuck out?"
"That shouldn't be possible. This place is secure 24/7." The doctor summoned his omni-tool and contacted security. "Security, we have a missing patient. Code Blue."
"We'll look into it. What's the patient's file number?"
"File #7091"
"Understood, we'll go over surveillance footage and try to figure out what happened."
The doctor desummoned his omni-tool before walking out, leaving Talitha worried about her brother's whereabouts. Where could he have gone? What was he doing?
More importantly, why did he leave?
Within the Diplomat's lounge, Jake and Kim were enjoying a drink together at the table closest to the balcony. Kim was smiling at Jake, waiting for him to speak about the Normandy and her crew. Jake was just so fixated on Kim that he couldn't actually think of what to say. Kim eventually got the conversation started.
"So, is the Normandy everything the Alliance is saying?"
"Yes." Jake finally said. "She's fast, quiet, and filled with good people. The aliens are also great, and are more than willing to help out in the fight against Saren and the geth."
"And your cousin trusts the aliens?"
"Completely. It's good to see that he isn't a xenophobic bigot. It'd look bad for him, especially given that he is the first human spectre. He has them onboard because he respects them, and they're all willing to help him."
"You've talked to these aliens, right? What were they like?"
"The asari Liara is a bit inexperienced when it comes to interacting with the human members of the crew. She's very intelligent, however, and young for an asari. Wrex is the krogan, and he's sort of the grumpy uncle or grandfather type. The turian Garrus is headstrong but loyal, and he's definitely become best friends with Shepard. Then there's the quarian, Tali. She's young, agile, intelligent, and don't take my word for it but I think she's smitten with my cousin."
"Why do you say that?"
"I've studied the whole crew really well. Her body language suggests she has feelings for him. They also seem to have some more personal and private talks with each other. The thing is, either Shepard's totally oblivious to her actions, or he thinks she would do better with one of her own people rather than him. And considering his record, I could understand. Most of his friends and comrades have died, and a few of them he feels responsible for. Imagine if someone as innocent as Tali died under his command. He'd never forgive himself."
"So how much is he like you?"
"We're pretty alike. I'm definitely smarter but he is stronger. Comes with the territory of being a soldier over an N7 engineer like myself. He's not clinically depressed like myself, but he is haunted by nightmares. He doesn't say much about them; only that they terrify him."
"Wow." Kim could only manage to say.
"Anyways, he seems to be happy having me onboard. Garrus and Talk help him out a bit, as well."
"So what's the Normandy gonna do after your business on the Citadel is finished?"
"We continue searching for Saren and hopefully find his hideout. We've already weakened him by taking out Matriarch Benezia on Noveria, but he's had a headstart on us since the beginning, no thanks to the council being blind to Saren. I mean, I saw the holo he was using during Shepard's first meeting with the council. His entire left arm is geth technology and the council still didn't suspect Saren of treachery."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I compared it to some of the geth we shot up in the Armstrong Cluster. Perfect match."
"Damn. I knew the council was old, but seriously? If you could make that connection in hologram form why couldn't they?"
"No idea. Maybe they just refused to see the truth until Shepard had found evidence that incriminated him. Either way, Shepard's after him now, and that's what really matters."
"Any idea when you'll come back to the Kilimanjaro?"
"Soon, once this business with Saren is done, definitely." Jake took a sip of his drink. "Hopefully Shepard manages to track Saren down. Then we can put this whole business behind us."
"I hope you're right." Kim spoke, reaching her hand over to Jake's. "Come back in one piece, okay?"
Jake smiled. "I promise."
An hour had passed and Zach was heading back to Flux. After his first visit had he'd him to a serving girl named Rita he went to try and help her sister get out of Chora's Den. Of course, Garrus's friend Chellik came into the picture, telling them to meet him at C-Sec. Once there Zach convinced Chellik to get Jenna out of Chora's Den, and after he agreed he asked Zach to help him finish solving his case. This led them to a krogan named Jax who gave them the weapon mods Chellik needed. Now that everything was done Zach was going to tell Rita the good news.
When he saw her, however, he paused.
Rita was busy arguing with an obviously drunk Stark over at the bar. How Stark got here during Zach's whole investigation was unknown, but the last thing he had heard about Stark was that he was in the hospital. Why was he in Flux?
"You've had enough to drink, sir." Rita argued, pulling the bottle away from Stark. He lunged for it just as quickly.
"I need more!" Stark barked. "Those damn nightmares are still in my head!"
"Sir, you're drunk. You've already downed three whole bottles of Batarian Ale. That's twice as much alcohol as a regular beer!"
"So what?" Stark reached for it again only to be stopped by the bouncer. Almost immediately Stark slammed his elbow into the nose of the man who tried to deny him his drink. As the bouncer fell back in pain Stark attempted to continue to beat the man, but Zach finally stepped in and grabbed his arm.
"Stark, you need to calm down." Zach said as calmly as he could.
Stark turned to face him, but when Zach looked into his eyes he didn't see his usual anger. He saw sorrow, depression, and horror. "Shepard." Stark spoke, almost in a plead. "You'll help me, right? Help stop the nightmares?"
"Stark, I don't even know what you're talking about. The last thing I heard about you is that you were hospitalized. I don't know what nightmares you're talking about."
"You saw them, too, though. The Reapers! The ones who destroyed the Programs!"
Zach froze at the mentioning of the Reapers. How did Stark know about them?
"This man is obviously drunk." Rita spoke. "He should be taken home, or taken to C-Sec for violent misconduct."
Zach looked at Rita. "I'll take him home. He needs rest."
Stark merely surrendered to Zach's commands and followed them to the cab station. He gave them the coordinates to Nyrina's apartment, and they flew in silence for the most of the ride. Stark sat next to Tali in the back while Zach and Garrus flew the cab. Tali took her time during the ride to examine Stark. His eyes had bags under them and his face seemed pale. His eyes held fear, and it looked as if he had lacked sleep.
As they landed near the apartments, Tali broke her concentration from Stark to think on the parallels between Stark and Shepard. Stark seemed to have experienced something similar to the Prothean beacon Shepard had used on Eden Prime. The mentioning of the Reapers all but confirmed it. But how did Stark experience it? Had he encountered a beacon, too?
Stark stumbled along into Nyrina's apartment with Zach right behind him to support him. Nyrina was caught off guard as she saw Stark being escorted into her home.
"Stark!" She spoke, surprised. "You're supposed to be in the hospital! What are you doing out of it?"
"He was at Flux." Zach spoke. "The employees said he was drunk. I offered to bring him home."
"And who are you?"
"Commander Shepard. I imagine Stark has spoken a lot about me to you."
"Oh, you're Shepard? I had heard you were made the first Human Spectre, but I didn't see your inauguration."
"It's all right. Where should we put Stark?"
"Just set him on the bed. It's two rooms down the hall." Nyrina pointed down the hall to her right. Zach nodded and escorted him down the hall with Tali. Garrus stayed with Nyrina and explained the fight at the bar, leaving Zach and Talk with Stark. They set him on the bed gently and took seats around the room.
"So, Stark, how do you know about the Reapers?" Zach asked.
"I was given a vision. It's been burned into my brain. I can still see it every time I close my eyes."
"How did you receive this vision?"
"I - I don't remember. Much of what happened to me after being kidnapped is lost. I can't remember any of it. Just the vision of the Reapers. And the dream where we talked to each other in the forest."
Zach's eyes widened at the mentioning of that. "What?"
"I had a dream that I was trapped in this bubble of some kind. We talked about the Reapers or something. That's why I figured you knew something about the Reapers."
"I had a dream like that, too." Zach admitted.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Some of my old friends led me to you in a bubble of some kind. We conversed and everything."
"What the fuck? How could we have the same dream?"
"I don't know."
Stark sighed. "How did we get here?"
"What do you mean?"
"How did we become the people we are? How did I become the killer everyone feared? How did you become the survivor praised as a hero? How did it come to this moment?"
"I don't know, Stark."
"Was Robert really hallucinating?"
"I no longer know. He might have somehow known about the Reapers, as well. His words still haunt me everyday."
Stark sighed. "Some days, I just things would end. No more bullshit, no more pain, no more lies."
"Why wish that if you have Nyrina? Or Talitha. You have someone to live for. Who do I have, anymore? All of my friends are dead. And it's my fault."
Tali balled her hands into fists when Zach mentioned that. The frustration from his breakdown had affected her, and she was trying so hard to convince Zach that he was a good person and that his life was still worth living.
"Your friends aren't dead, Shepard. You have Tali."
"She deserves a better friend than me."
Tali shot up from her seat. "Stop thinking so fatalistically, Zach!"
Silence filled the room towards Tali's outburst. Even the conversation down the hall went silent.
"Tali-" Zach started.
"Why can't you accept that you're a good person? Why can't you accept that you're a kind, selfless person that deserves everything he is given?"
"Because I'm not, Tali."
"That is a damn lie, you bosh'tet! You are the kindest and most selfless person in the galaxy, and nothing in the galaxy has made you think otherwise until now! Why? Why can't you look past your mistakes and focus on what's going on now?!"
"Because my mistakes are with me every second of my life!" Zach shouted. "They make me who I am."
"Your mistakes make you human, but they don't make you who you are. You need to remember that, Zach, or else you'll lose whatever you have left of yourself." Tali stormed out of the room, past a confused Nyrina. She walked into her bedroom with a confused look on her face.
"What was that all about?"
Zach remained silent for a moment. "I believe we've overstayed our welcome. We'll be going now." He started to head for the door, but then Stark spoke up.
"Shepard... If the end of the galaxy as we know it is coming, then I think it's time we put the past behind us. All of it."
Zach turned to face him. "So you forgive me for Robert's death?"
"It's too late to change what happened, but I can't change the past. Neither can you. The best thing to do is to just let it go."
"Thank you."
"Nos forgive yourself, or I'll sober up and kick your ass." Stark joked, half-sleepy.
Zach smirked for a second before stepping out the door. Nyrina walked up to the bed, sitting down next to Stark's head.
"I'm proud of you, Henry."
"I know, Babe."
"Now get some rest. You can't be getting drunk all the time, nightmares or not."
"Yes, mom." Stark joked as Nyrina got back up, leaving him to face the visions again.
The ride back to the Normandy was quiet. Even Garrus didn't speak, and he was usually quite chatty, especially on the elevators. Perhaps Garrus knew how high the tension was now that Tali had gotten angry at Shepard and felt he wouldn't be able to say anything to ease the tension. Upon landing near the hangar Tali stormed off to get to the Engineering room. Zach sluggishly walked to the door, with Garrus right behind him.
"So what was Tali talking about with the whole 'fatalistic view' thing about you or something?" Garrus asked.
Zach glared at response.
"Just trying to be a helpful friend."
"That's not helping."
"Still, though, Tali's right. Thinking bad things about yourself based on past experiences doesn't help you. And from the looks of it it will only disturb Tali more. She obviously really cares about your well-being and pushing her away isn't going to help."
"Are you done?"
"Yes." Garrus went and opened the door, letting the two of them enter the Normandy. Zach's immediate thought was to just go to his office and work on finding leads. Suddenly, however, Joker spoke over the comm.
"Commander, there's a package for you in the XO's cabin."
"What kind of package?"
"Open it and you'll see. I'm not telling you anything. Especially since you refused to get me the latest issue of Fornax."
Zach shook his head at that. Of course Joker would pull that card out of his deck. "Fine." He walked into his office and saw the small locker sitting at the foot of his bed. Immediately he went over and found a note on top of it.
Shepard-
We pooled in our credits and got you this. You're a Spectre now, and so you should look the part. We're proud to serve under you, Commander.
-The Normandy crew
Zach found himself smiling at the note, and now that he was even more curious he set the note down and opened the case. Inside was a set of Spectre armor. Its gray shell was covered in camoflague of darker grays, and its red lights flickered at the touch. He was never a big fan of the N7 Steel and Red normally used by N7 operatives, but his crew did spend a lot of money on getting him the armor. Looking down at the Explorer armor he still wore he could see the wear and tear he endured along the years. Fighting geth, pirates, mercenaries, and even thresher maws have granted his armor plenty of scars, and perhaps it was time he retired the armor for good.
It would be like closing the chapter on the bad parts of his life.
Perhaps this is what I need. Zach thought to himself. To close that chapter of my life, and start a new one.
He closed the locker and set it down as he removed every part of his Explorer suit. In doing this, he felt the depression he had carried for six years slowly start to disappear again. He still feared he would have nightmares, but if they still came he would face them with determination. Once the last piece of armor was removed he exhaled, clearing his head of his remaining doubts.
Now all that was left was to stop Saren and the Reapers.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not gonna say that I'm coming back to finish Mass Effect: Resolution. However, I wrote this chapter to notify any fans of the story that I WILL be releasing a full movie variant of the story onto my old channel soon. I already uploaded the teaser trailer to it on my first YouTube channel, and I will leave a link for you in the very bottom of this chapter. If I decide to try and write the last few chapters to end the story I will. In case this is the very last chapter, however, I would just like to thank everyone for reading this. It was fun writing it in the beginning and even though I lost inspiration I still remember the way I felt accomplished writing it.
Link to the Teaser (you'll have to remove the spaces yourself): h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = X n g - X t 2 J H U w & l i s t = P L 9 Q A l H l m D T h E p w l U 2 i T x 4 m C n i T l E 1 L k 0 F & i n d e x = 1
