Note: I made some small changes in the story
In the year 2186 humanity and all advanced races in the galaxy united to fight the most dangerous enemy they have ever encountered, the Reapers. The war took the lives of millions in the galaxy, either killing them or turning them into Reaper creatures. But during the final battle on Earth, a human named Commander John Shepard turned the tide of the war and destroyed the Reapers, and survived.
But the sacrifices he was forced to make to achieve this victory were great. In the beginning, he chose to save Kaidan and left Ashley to die on Virmire, he sacrificed the council to destroy the Sovereign and died later during the Collector attack. Then he was brought back to life by Cerberus and made an uneasy alliance with them.
After he destroyed the Collectors and survived the suicide mission, he gave the Collector base to the Illusive Man in the hope they'll find a way to destroy the Reapers. But the cost was high which resulted in the deaths of some of his friends, Tali, Garrus, Thane, Jack, and Kasumi. He also destroyed the Alpha Relay to prevent the Reapers from coming but it demanded the lives of thousands of Batarians who died in the explosion.
After the Reapers attacked Earth, Shepard left to build alliances and fleets to take back Earth from the Reapers. He cured the Genophage and killed a Reaper on Tuchanka, he saved the Citadel from Cerberus and killed Councilor Udina but Salarian Councilor Esheel was killed by a Cerberus assassin named Kai Leng. He chose the Geth over Quarians which resulted in Quarian extinction. Shepard attacked Cerberus HQ and killed Kai Leng.
In the end, Shepard was able to destroy the Reapers despite the sacrifices and difficult decisions he made on the way. He survived the Crucible's blast that spread all over the galaxy destroying the Reapers and saving the galaxy.
Shepard spent a long time in the hospital after the war ended but he eventually recovered and returned to the Alliance and Earth. The Alliance wanted Shepard to become a new human councilor but he refused because he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in politics.
When the peace returned to the galaxy, humanity and all races began rebuilding. Shepard and an asari named Liara T'Soni got married and were expecting their first child. Life seemed to get better for everyone but it was not to last. The dark time was over but another one was coming, soon the people of the Milky Way would face the power of the Ori.
Citadel in the year 2188
After the Citadel was repaired, it was moved back to where it used to be before the Reapers took it. Two years after the war with the Reapers, the races that survived were more united than ever. Of course, there still were some problems between them but they still got along a lot better than before.
After Shepard's refusal, a former Alliance admiral named John Sumner was chosen as a new human councilor in the Citadel council. Shepard on the other hand retired from the Alliance military and moved to Illium to live with his wife Liara. After two years of marriage, Shepard and Liara decided to start a family and were now expecting their first child.
While the people in the Citadel were doing whatever they were doing, a young man named Jason Connor was walking in the Embassy until he stopped to look at a statue of the Normandy. He was a lieutenant in the Alliance military and a member of the N7 program, he was also a combat pilot.
While Jason was looking at the statue of the Normandy, two Alliance soldiers named Kaidan Alenko and James Vega were looking at Jason from the bar.
"Who's that?" James asked.
"Lieutenant Jason Connor," Kaidan said.
"Never heard of him," James said.
"Actually, I think you have. Two years ago when we attacked the Reapers on Earth, the Normandy was pinned down by Reaper fighters. He was the one who saved us and created a hole in the Reapers' blockade that allowed us to get to Earth," Kaidan explained making James' eyes widen.
"That was him?" James asked feeling shocked at the sudden revelation.
"That was him," Kaidan confirmed.
As Jason was looking at the statue, he began to go through the events he experienced in the battle of Earth.
Flashback
"Remember, we're here to make sure the Normandy gets through the blockade no matter the cost," Jason said through the radio.
As the fleets were powering their weapons, the squadron of SX3 Alliance fighters along with other fighter squadrons flew towards the Reaper blockade.
"Target the enemy fighters first, Reapers second. And don't worry boys and girls, Admiral Hackett and the fleets will cover our backs," Jason said.
After he said it, the fighters opened fire at the Reapers who responded by sending their fighters. The fight got a lot tenser when the fighters collided and started shooting. Jason was able to shoot down a few Reaper fighters before he broke off from the squadron.
He was about to fly to assist Normandy until one of the Alliance pilots contacted him by radio.
"Connor! Three enemy fighters on your six," the pilot said.
"Understood," Jason said.
The Reaper fighters fired their beams at Jason and he began evasive maneuvers. It was difficult to evade the beams and not get hit but Jason was able to dodge the beams and keep his fighter intact.
"Okay, let's see how good you really are," Jason thought.
He quickly turned off the engines and got behind the Reaper fighters who were now in front of him. When Jason turned the engines on, he went after the enemy fighters. Luckily he soon got a lock on the fighters and opened fire. He shot down two of them but the last one turned around and headed towards the Normandy.
"Oh shit," Jason said and went after the Reaper fighter.
While Shepard and the others were in the Normandy trying to find a way to get through the blockade, EDI detected the approaching Reaper fighter.
"Commander, enemy fighter is approaching from above us," EDI said.
"Can you evade it?" Shepard asked.
"Negative, it's moving too fast," Joker said.
When the Reaper fighter was in range, it prepared its beam weapon. It was about to fire until it suddenly blew up. Shepard and the others looked up and saw an Alliance fighter flying past them.
"Thank Goddess, he saved us," Liara said.
"Those were some nice moves," Joker said.
"Another Reaper down, commander," Jason said through the radio.
"Well done, soldier. Who are you?" Shepard asked.
"Lieutenant Jason Connor, sir. Alliance Navy," Jason said.
"We're having a hard time getting through the blockade, lieutenant. Can you and your squadron assist us?" Shepard asked.
"Don't worry, sir. I've got an idea," Jason said.
After he said it, Jason turned his fighter towards the Reaper blockade. Shepard and the others didn't know what Jason was up to but held their positions and watched. Jason called a couple of fighters from his squadron and was flying towards the nearest Reaper.
"Okay, target the Reaper's legs and beam weapon. With luck, we might create a hole in the blockade," Jason said.
"Yes, sir," the pilots said.
When Jason and the fighters were in range and had a lock on the Reaper's weak spots, they fired their guns and missiles. It took a lot but they were able to disable the Reaper and create a hole for the Normandy to get through.
"I can't believe it. They created a hole in the blockade and took out a Reaper," Joker said not believing what he just saw.
"That pilot is truly extraordinary," Liara said.
"Get us through, Joker," Shepard said.
"Aye aye, sir," Joker said.
After the Normandy got through and headed to Earth, Jason and his pilots flew back into the battle to assists fleets.
Flashback End
Jason felt proud that he was part of the final battle in the Reaper war even though most of his friends lost their lives in their fight against the Reapers. Thanks to what he pulled off during the battle, Jason was chosen to the N7 program and was now one of the best soldiers in the service of the Alliance.
He was about to leave the Embassy until he heard someone walking toward him. Jason turned and saw James and Kaidan behind him.
"Major Alenko, Lieutenant Vega," Jason saluted.
"At ease, lieutenant," Kaidan said.
"Long time no see, kid," James said as he shook hand with Jason.
"Likewise, big guy," Jason said.
After he shook hands with James and Kaidan, he asked politely what they were doing in the Citadel.
"What brings you here?" Jason asked.
"We were in the neighborhood and decided to say hello," James said.
"Thanks," Jason said.
"I don't believe it."
Everyone turned to the sound of the voice and saw a young man about Jason's age walking to them from the bar. Recognizing the man, Jason pulled him into a brotherly hug and the stranger hugged him back. After they broke the hug, they started talking.
"Jake, long time no see," Jason said.
"Yeah, how long has it been?" Two years?" Jake asked.
"Almost two years," Jason corrected.
"Uh, excuse me but who is this?" James asked.
"Oh, sorry. This is my friend Lieutenant Jake O'Neill. We studied together in the Alliance academy and were in the same squadron during the final battle with the Reapers," Jason said introducing his friend.
"I'm also with the N7," Jake added.
"Wow, you guys really are something special," Kaidan said.
"You could say that. But not as special as Commander Shepard," Jason said.
"Speaking of, where is Shepard by the way?" Jake asked.
"I heard that he's living with Liara on Illium," Kaidan said.
"I heard that they would visit Citadel today," James said.
"Maybe we could go to see him if he's really coming to the Citadel," Jason said.
"Good idea, let's go," Kaidan said.
Later in the dock
After they got to the docking area D24, they saw that the Normandy was docked but there was no sign of Shepard yet. They were about to ask A C-Sec officer if he had seen Shepard until the doors opened revealing Shepard himself with his wife Liara and other Asari who looked like a scientist.
"Shepard, good to see you again," Kaidan said.
"You too, Kaidan," Shepard said.
"Hey, don't forget about me," James said.
"Sorry, nice to see you to James," Shepard said.
"We're so happy to see you again," Liara said while rubbing her pregnant belly.
"Congratulations by the way," Kaidan said.
"Thanks, Kaidan," Liara said with a smile.
"How far you are?" James asked.
"Three months," Liara said.
Shepard and Liara soon turned their attention from Kaidan and James to the two young men standing next to them. They didn't recognize them first until they remembered that they were the pilots who helped them to get through the Reaper blockade during the war.
"Connor? O'Neill? You're here too?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, sir. We heard about your visit so we decided to say hello and also congratulate you about your baby," Jason said as he and Jake shook hands with Shepard and Liara.
"Thank you. It was very sweet of you," Liara said.
"So, what brings you to the Citadel?" Jake asked.
"Liara wanted to take some of her artifacts from her old office to Illium," Shepard said.
"We also wanted to check if the artifacts are related to the Protheans or some other ancient race," the asari next to Liara said.
"Who's this?" Kaidan asked.
"Oh, sorry. This is my lab assistant and former student Treeya Nuwani," Liara said introducing her assistant. (Treeya Nuwani is from Mass Effect Paragon Lost movie)
As soon as she said her name, Jason and James' eyes widened and made them look at Treeya who was also looking at them. James was surprised to see Treeya again but didn't know how to react or if he should because her attention was completely on Jason. It didn't really surprise him because Jason and Treeya did kind of become close since the Collector attack on Fehl Prime.
Jason hasn't seen Treeya for a while but he and she did send messages to each other and call sometimes but the last time they met in person was before the final battle with the Reapers. Jason and Treeya kept staring at each other until Jason spoke.
"Treeya?" Jason said.
"Jason?" Treeya said.
A second passed until the young asari pulled Jason into a hug and cried on his chest taking everyone by a surprise, mostly James because he didn't think Treeya would still react to Jason's presence like this even after four years since what happened on Fehl Prime.
"Jason, I missed you," Treeya said.
"I missed you too, Treeya," Jason said.
"Uh, excuse me but how do you know each other?" Shepard asked.
"Oh, sorry. Jason and I met on Fehl Prime four years ago," Treeya said.
"During the time Connor, O'Neill, my squad, and I were stationed on Fehl Prime," James added.
"Yes. Jake and I were in the Alliance special forces at the time," Jason said.
"When I was captured by the Collectors, Jason saved my life," Treeya said.
"I take it you two are close," Shepard said.
This made Jason and Treeya blush and release each other from the hug while trying to cover their blush. Liara couldn't help but giggle at her former student's shy behavior because it kind of reminded her of the time she and Shepard were getting together. She also knew Treeya well enough to see that she definitely felt something for Jason.
"What?! No, we're just good friends... that's all," Treeya said blushing like crazy.
"Yeah, that's right," Jason said feeling very awkward now.
"Yeah, sure," James said making them feel even more embarrassed.
"Come on, Vega. Leave them alone," Shepard said.
"Yes, sir," James said making Jason and Treeya sigh in relief.
After that, most of the group left towards Liara's old office while Shepard along with Jason and Jake stayed behind to chat a little.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but are you and miss Nuwani close?" Shepard asked.
"Well, it's complicated. After we got back from the Fehl Prime, she and I hanged out a lot to move on from what happened," Jason said.
"But?" Shepard asked.
"But Vega had a thing for her but she was interested in me at the time. He didn't like it at first and there was a fight but she begged us to stop and from there... well, I just don't want to talk about it right now," Jason said.
"But you two are still friends, right?" Shepard asked.
"Of course. I'm just not sure if she wants to be more than a friend with me anymore," Jason said.
"Come on now, bro. The way she hugged you and reacted to the commander's question tells me that she is still interested in you," Jake said.
Now that Jason really thought about it, the way Treeya hugged him and acted towards him confirmed that she did still feel something towards Jason even after two years since they last met. But he wasn't sure if he was good boyfriend material for Treeya, he was an Alliance soldier and she was an asari scientist. Jason just didn't know if he was perfect for Treeya.
"I appreciate what you said but I'm not sure if I'm good enough for her," Jason said.
"Don't beat yourself up, kid. I'm sure Treeya would love it if you tell her how you feel about her," Shepard said.
"But what if she's not interested in a romantic relationship?" Jason asked.
"I'm sure she is. She's just waiting for you to make the first move," Jake said as he put his hand over Jason's shoulder.
"Thanks, guys. I'll think about it," Jason said.
Shepard and Jake smiled at Jason before leaving to join the others.
Meanwhile in Liara's old office
After Liara and Treeya got to the old office, they started checking the ancient artifacts Liara had in her office. Most of them were Prothean but some of them were some other ancient races'.
While the ladies were checking out the artifacts and the office, Liara couldn't help but ask Treeya about her bond to Jason.
"So, how are things between you and Jason?" Liara asked.
"We're good friends. He always helps me when I need it and he's been good and kind to me," Treeya said.
"Are you two close?" Liara asked.
The sudden question took Treeya by surprise because she didn't expect Liara to ask if she and Jason were more than friends.
"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," Treeya said trying to hide her blush.
"I have known you for a long time, Treeya. I can tell that there's something between you and Lieutenant Connor," Liara said.
Treeya knew that she couldn't hide it anymore so she decided to tell Liara what Jason meant to her and what's been bothering her lately.
"To be honest with you, Dr. T'Soni. Jason and I are friends, but I have felt that I want to be more than friends with him since the Collector attack on Fehl Prime," Treeya confessed.
"But?" Liara asked.
"But I'm not sure if he feels the same about me. He's a good friend and all but I don't know if he wants to be with me," Treeya said.
"When you hugged him, he seemed to feel the same even though he didn't show it," Liara said.
"But he's kind, smart, and a perfect man. What if I'm not worthy of being his mate?" Treeya asked as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
Liara felt sympathy for her assistant and pulled her into a hug. After Treeya calmed down, they broke the hug and Liara looked at her in the eyes.
"If you want me to tell you what you should do, answer this question. Do you love him?" Liara asked.
Treeya blushed at her former mentor's question and felt awkward. She knew that she should be honest and tell her that she loves Jason and always have ever since the Fehl Prime but she didn't know how to tell him about her feelings. But Jason has done so much for her, he saved the colony from the Blood Pack, defeated the Collectors, and saved her life. It was more than a reason for her to confess to Jason and hope that he loves her back and they can have a happy life together. But Treeya still needed advice and decided to tell Liara the truth.
"Yes, I love him," Treeya confessed making Liara smile.
"Then tell him how you feel after we have checked the office completely," Liara said.
"But isn't that too soon?" Treeya asked.
"You can tell him whenever you want but don't wait too long," Liara said.
Treeya smiled and then they went back to work. The group boys arrived shortly after the girls' conversation and started helping them pack Liara's stuff in the boxes. While they were working, Treeya couldn't help but look at Jason when he was working. She thought about what Liara said and decided to tell him about her feelings when the time was right.
After they got most of the stuff into the boxes, they decided to take a little break and Shepard made some coffee. While they were drinking coffee, Jason looked at the artifact on the office's wall that looked like some sort of device (repository of knowledge device from the Stargate SG-1 series).
"If you don't mind me asking, Dr. T'Soni. But what is that?" Jason asked as he pointed at the device.
"I don't know actually. It was found in Thessia several hundred years ago. I've studied it for some time but I still don't know what it is, who made it, and what it does," Liara said.
As Jason walked closer, he looked into the device and saw lights inside it.
"Have you seen the lights inside this thing?" Jason asked.
"Yes, but the device didn't react even though I looked into it," Liara said.
"But what do you think it is?" Jake asked.
"I'm not sure. It could be some kind of power source or something," Liara said.
While the group was talking, Jason took a closer look at the device in front of him. But when his face was close enough, two arms suddenly came out of the device, grabbed Jason's head, and pulled his face into the device. Everyone in the office noticed this and went to help Jason.
"Jason!" Treeya yelled in worry.
"Get it off of him!" Shepard ordered.
"I can't, sir! The arms are too strong!" Jake said.
A few seconds passed until the device let go of Jason and he fell into James' arms.
"I got him," James said.
"He's got a pulse," Liara said as she checked Jason's pulse.
"Let's take him to the hospital," Shepard said.
A few hours later
When Jason regained his consciousness, he slowly opened his eyes and took a look around the room he was in. He could tell that he was in the hospital but he wasn't sure about what happened to him. But when he started thinking, he began to see flashbacks and hear voices in his mind.
"We cannot hide our ways any longer."
"Nor should we."
"The Ori have amassed armies and move to destroy us. Everything we believe, all we are, is an affront to them."
"The Ark can change everything."
When Jason opened his eyes again, he felt so strange. Not only because he had memories of an ancient race in his head but also some of their knowledge.
"Oh god. Talk about a total memory upgrade," Jason thought.
The door in his room suddenly opened and Treeya along with others came into the room. When treeya saw that Jason was awake, she ran to him and hugged him.
"Jason! You're awake," Treeya said feeling relieved.
"How long was I out?" Jason asked.
"A few hours give or take," Jake said.
"Are you alright? do you feel anything?" Shepard asked.
"You could say that," Jason said.
"You know what the device did to you?" Liara asked.
"It was a repository of knowledge," Jason said taking everyone by surprise.
"A what?" Shepard asked.
"A device that can download information into people's brains," Jason said.
"How do you know that?" Treeya asked.
"It's what happened to me. It was a small part but it was still a lot of data," Jason said.
"Do you know who built the device?" Liara asked.
"Yes. It was the Ancients," Jason said.
"Ancients?" Shepard asked.
"A race of humans who lived in the Milky Way long before us. They even lived before the Protheans," Jason explained.
Everyone was now shocked at the sudden discovery, especially Liara. The fact that there was an advanced civilization of humans living in the galaxy millions of years ago long before the Protheans was a magnificent discovery. Wanting to know more, Liara walked to Jason and started asking questions.
"I know you just woke up but I need to know more about these Ancients," Liara said.
"Can it wait? I think he needs rest first," Treeya said.
"It's okay. I can answer the questions," Jason said.
"Well, first I want to ask what happened to the Ancients?" Liara asked.
"They ascended. Well, most of them," Jason said.
"Ascended?" Shepard asked.
"They evolved to the point and left their physical bodies by transforming themselves into pure energy and live now in the higher plane of existence," Jason explained.
"That's amazing," Liara said feeling so great now.
"I think this is gonna take a while," Jake said.
"Yeah," Shepard agreed.
Later
After Jason told everything about the Ancients through the knowledge that was downloaded into his brain, Shepard and the others were amazed by what they just learned, especially Liara since studying the ancient cultures was her job along with being the Shadow Broker.
"By the Goddess. I never thought that we would find proof about another long-gone civilization, let alone the one far older than the Protheans," Liara said.
"I guess these Ancients avoided their extinction in the hands of the Reapers by ascending," Shepard said crossing his arms.
"You have a problem with that, commander?" Jason said.
"They could have helped us to destroy the Reapers earlier. More lives could have been saved," Shepard said.
"They couldn't because it's forbidden to them," Jason said.
"What is forbidden to them, Jason?" Treeya asked.
"To interfere the lower planes or in this case, interfere the matters of us mortals," Jason said trying to explain the main rule of the ascended beings.
"But you didn't tell us why exactly," Jake said.
"Well, from what I understood. The Ancients believe so strongly in free will that they won't use their power or knowledge to help us even if the whole galaxy gets wiped out," Jason explained.
It was a lot to take in and Shepard still thought that the ascended Ancients should have helped them in their war with the Reapers or stopped the Reapers earlier but they all nodded in understanding. But before they could ask more questions, Jason suddenly remembered something.
"Wait! There's something you should know," Jason said.
"What is it?" Shepard asked.
"The device also downloaded information about the Ancient called Myrddin," Jason said.
"Never heard of him," Jake said.
"On Earth, he's known as Merlin," Jason clarified which shocked the humans in the room.
"Merlin? As in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Merlin?" Jake asked while feeling shocked.
"Yes," Jason confirmed with a smile.
"And he was an Ancient?" Jake asked.
"The data from the device told me that," Jason answered.
"Not that we're complaining but why did you tell us this?" Liara asked.
"Because if I got it right, Merlin hid something on Earth in the place called Avalon," Jason said.
"What did he exactly hide?" Treeya asked.
"I don't know yet but it could be some Ancient technology we haven't discovered before," Jason said.
Everyone thought about it for a moment until Shepard spoke.
"I better call Admiral Hackett and also ask Miranda to do some digging regarding this matter," Shepard said.
"Ms. Lawson? Isn't she a leader of the new Cerberus? Jake asked.
"That's her," Shepard confirmed.
After the Reaper war, Cerberus changed into an Alliance special military organization whose job is to do covert ops, recon, intelligence, sabotage, and even assassinations. They were kind of like the Council Spectres except they were an Alliance organization and they only took humans in their ranks. Miranda was the new leader of this new Cerberus who had the code name "the Illusive Woman" and Jacob Taylor was her second-in-command.
Later on Earth
After a long discussion with Hackett, he finally authorized Shepard's request to go to England to investigate what Merlin hid there. Shepard also contacted Miranda and asked her to do some data digging and she did find some old legends about Merlin and Avalon but nothing that would refer to the Ancients.
When the Normandy reached the Earth's orbit, EDI did a full scan over the area where Avalon was located and she detected a hill that was hollow which meant that there was definitely something in there.
Shepard wanted Jason to join the mission because he had the data of the Ancients downloaded in his brain that could be useful (Jason has a small part of the Ancients' knowledge so it doesn't kill him or anything). Jake volunteered and Treeya wanted to come along because she had experience in archeology. Even though Shepard denied it many times, Liara wanted to come with them because she was an expert with ancient lost cultures and she just had to go with them.
Shepard said that Liara should stay in Normandy because it wouldn't be safe for her to go because she was pregnant but he eventually gave up because Liara was very stubborn.
While the team was putting on their gear, they had a little chat before going to the mission.
"You sure you really want to come with us, Treeya?" Jason asked while he and Jake were putting on their armors (the pictures of Jason and Jake's armors are in my Deviantart profile JasonConnor19).
"I would never miss something like this. And besides, I feel much safer around you, Jason," Treeya said with a smile.
"Uh, thanks. I guess," Jason said while blushing under his helmet.
"Shepard. No matter what you say, I'm going with you," Liara said.
"But we don't know what we will find and going would put our baby in danger," Shepard said.
"I know that but you'll need my expertise on this one and I can't talk to you by radio because the signals won't penetrate the ground," Liara said.
"But-"
"No buts. I'm going and that's it," Liara said.
"Sigh, fine. But stay close to me," Shepard said.
"Always, dear," Liara said before kissing Shepard.
When they were all geared up, the team took a shuttle and headed to the hill where the Avalon was supposed to be. When they landed, the team came out of the shuttle and Liara and Treeya started scanning while the boys checked the area. Unfortunately, the scans didn't show anything which made Liara and Treeya suspect that whatever was underground below them was shielded somehow.
But when Shepard and his fellow Alliance soldiers walked to the top of the hill, they saw something on the ground.
"Hey! We found something," Shepard said.
Liara and Treeya ran to them and took a closer look at what the boys found. On the ground was what looked like some sort of ring (transportation rings from the Stargate SG-1 series).
"What are those things?" Shepard asked.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before," Jake said.
"Doesn't look like Prothean technology," Liara said.
"They're transport rings," Jason said.
"What? How do you know?" Shepard asked.
"It just popped into my mind. I think it was part of the Ancient data the device downloaded," Jason said.
"How do these rings help us actually?" Treeya asked.
"They can transport us to the underground caves EDI found with her scan," Jason said.
"But how do we do that?" Liara asked.
"We'll just have to step in the middle of the ring and then they'll activate," Jason explained.
The team looked at each other for a minute until they nodded and stepped into the middle of the ring on the ground. But as soon as they did that, several rings rose from the ground and beamed them away. Then the rings beamed them to underground tunnels and disappeared.
The team turned on their flashlights and took a look around the cave they were in but there was nothing.
"All clear, sir," Jason said to Shepard.
"Nothing here either, sir," Jake said.
"All right. Let's take a look around," Shepard said.
The team nodded and started looking around the cave. They looked around the cave for a minute until they saw a stone and then a sword appeared on it.
"Wow, the sword in the stone," Jake said feeling amazed.
"What does it mean in your mythology?" Treeya asked.
"Well, King Arthur once pulled the sword from the stone as proof of his righteousness and royalty," Jason explained.
But when Liara touched the sword, a hologram of an old man appeared behind the sword and the stone. The men of the group reacted by aiming their weapons (M-8 Avengers) at the hologram at first but lowered them when they realized that they weren't in any danger.
"Welcome, ye Knights of the Round Table, men of honor, followers of the path of righteousness. Only those with a wealth of knowledge and truth of spirit shall be given access to the underworld... the storehouse of riches of Ambrosius Aurelianus. Prove ye worthy, and all shall be revealed."
After it said its message, the hologram of Merlin disappeared. The team was stunned at first but quickly got over it and started thinking.
"Okay, how do we prove our wealth of knowledge and truth of spirit?" Jake asked.
"I have no idea," Jason said.
"The Ancient data doesn't mention that?" Treeya asked.
"No. Merlin probably wanted us to figure this out on our own," Jason said.
"Maybe we should go to check the tunnels to see what's in there," Shepard said.
"Good idea, sir," Jason said.
"Okay, Liara comes with me. Connor and Treeya go to the other tunnel and O'Neill stays here with the stone and sword in case something goes wrong," Shepard said.
"Understood," everyone said.
A few minutes later
After Jason and Treeya walked in the tunnel for a few minutes until they found some sort of chamber. When Jason carefully stepped in, the torches on the ground lighted up. Jason and Treeya carefully walked into the chamber but when they were in, the entrance behind them closed and trapped them in.
"Dammit. Commander Shepard, do you copy, over? Dr. T'Soni, do you read?" Jason said through his helmet's radio but no one answered.
"The walls are probably blocking the signal," Treeya said.
"Step back a little," Jason said.
Treeya nodded and took a few steps back. When she was in the safe distance, Jason aimed his assault rifle at the stone door and fired several shots but they didn't even scratch it.
"The door must have been made so the firearms can't break it," Jason said.
"Maybe this is some sort of test," Treeya said,
"What do you mean?" Jason said.
"There's some text and symbols on this stone," Treeya said as she was checking the stone in front of her.
Jason took a look at it and saw eight pieces with a symbol on each of them and text below them.
"I can't read this," Treeya said.
"It says "reflect on the Eightfold Path"," Jason said surprising Treeya.
"How can you read this?" Treeya asked.
"I think the device also downloaded the Ancient language in my brain. And before you ask, I didn't know it until I looked at the text," Jason said.
"So, what are we supposed to do?" Treeya asked.
"I think we must put these eight symbols in the right order," Jason said.
Meanwhile with Shepard and Liara
Shepard and Liara found a chamber at the end of the tunnel and got trapped in as Jason and Treeya did. They tried to contact Jason and Jake but the walls were blocking the signal. Then they turned to the table behind them and took a closer look.
On the stone were two pots, one was golden and another one was silver, there was also Ancient writing on the stone below the pots.
"Can you read this, Liara?" Shepard asked.
"Just a second," Liara said.
She took a translator from her pocket and thanks to the translation program she got from Jason, the device translated the text without trouble.
"The writing under the golden pot says "the universe is infinite" and the one under the silver pot says "the treasure is in this pot"," Liara said reading the text.
"So this has to be some sort of test," Shepard said.
"I think so," Liara said.
"Okay, what do you think?" Shepard asked.
"Well, I think we must choose carefully which pot we open because if we open the wrong pot, something terrible might happen," Liara said.
"You mean like a booby trap?" Shepard said.
"Something like that," Liara said.
Meanwhile with Jason and Treeya
Jason and Treeya tried the first order of symbols they came up with but nothing happened.
"You know, figuring out the symbols' right order could take years," Treeya said.
"I know but we can't give up now," Jason said.
But sadly after he said it, the chamber started tremoring and the roof started slowly coming down.
"By the goddess," Treeya said getting very worried now.
"Oh, come on," Jason said not liking the situation.
To be continued