And now it is time to begin the next chapter. After finding the Quarian Ark and dealing with the Blackwing infestation aboard the ship, our heroes still have to deal with the runaway Sith. And to make things worse, another threat has made its presence known. With that said, let's dive in.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The Nexus Militia and Imperial forces had become very busy with the rediscovery of the Quarian Ark. The news of what had happened on the Ark and the zombie infestation hadn't exactly gone down well with the Nexus leaders either, and everyone wanted to make sure that there was no danger to the colonists as a whole.
Fortunately, the Nexus science teams, with the aid of Imperial and Angaran doctors, were able to use the sample of the virus the Tempest crew had recovered and created a vaccine, ensuring that any airborne contamination was completely impossible.
As for the Ark itself, once more the leaders of the Nexus, the Pathfinders and everyone else of relevance gathered to talk, with Ryder and the Jedi taking part in the conversation onboard the Tempest.
"We have teams already scouring the Ark." Kandros said, looking exhausted as he spoke. "With any luck, we should have those zombies cleared out in short order."
"And what about the the populace still in cryo?" Scott asked.
"Best we can tell, the remaining populace is all healthy and virus free." Kesh said in response, looking over omni-tool with a frown. "Though given the reports of another virus outbreak before this one, we should probably take extra precautions just to be on the safe side."
"Already ongoing. Extensive secontamination sites have been prepared to recieve and check for any signs of infection." Kandros replied. "We're taking all the precautions necessary with this. And I have no doubt the Quarians will agree once we explain the situation."
"And what about the Sith?" Tann asked, crossing his arms in concern. "Do we have any idea of where they went?"
"Unclear." Kota said in frustration. "At this point, they could be anywhere in Heleus by now."
"We may have another issue." Ahsoka spoke up. "From what they said, they may have someone in the Initiative feeding them intel and support."
"How can you be so sure?" Addison asked. "Didn't you say the Sith tend to lie?"
"They do, but it would explain a few things." The Togruta stroked her chin in thought. "Like how they were able to find the Ark in the first place, how they were able to access systems onboard it so easily, and why it was so difficult for us to get around."
"This is a very serious accusation." Tann pointed out. "I hope you have better evidence than mere assumptions to go off of."
"I might have an idea as to who it is, though." Scott interjected. "I did tell you that I found evidence to suggest that someone else behind Jien Garson bankrolled the Initiative."
"And what, you think this mysterious Benefactor may be responsible?" Addison asked, her body language skeptical, to say the least.
"It would match a few things." Kota replied. "Like how Garson's death was unlikely to be an accident."
"I will have security look into this idea." Kandros said, ignoring the glares shot in his direction. "It's a possibility we cannot ignore, and could potentially be problematic in the future."
"Very well." Kesh acquiesed, crossing her arms. "However, we also apparently have something else to deal with." The Krogan turned to the Imperial captain with a raised eyebrow as he took over the briefing.
"There seems to be something else going on." Captain Neral reported, bringing up a holographic image of several minor monitoring stations and settlements far from the main ones. "We've been getting reports that isolated settlements are getting hit."
"We've gotten the same reports too." Evfra frowned. "Could it just be Outcasts or Roekaar?"
"The pattern doesn't match up." Kandros noted, looking over the data with a frown. "They seem to be abducting people as well. I would have said it looks like the Kett, to be honest."
"That was our first thought as well." Neral nodded, before tapping some controls and changing the holograms to the same locations, which were now in ruin. "However, it doesn't match the Kett MO."
"What do you mean?" Evfra asked.
"All the advanced technology in each of these settlements have been smashed to pieces, some of which seem to be by hand." The Imperial Captain explained. "It's almost like whoever did this has a pathological hatred of technology."
"That's definitely not the norm for the Kett." Kandros murmured with a frown. "They're definitely not this... excessive."
"So it would appear that we have another enemy." Kota said, blind eyes still looking over the hologram. "One that seems perfectly fine with excessive destruction."
"What gets me is the destruction of technology." Ahsoka murmured. "To so thoroughly destroy it like that, it implies a hatred of technology beyond normal reasoning-"
Ahsoka paused mid sentence, her eyes widening as Kota had a similar reaction, to the concern or confusion of everyone else present. Ryder and the Imperials, knowing about the Force, instantly knew that was not a good sign.
"What is it?" Scott asked, as the eyes of the two Jedi turned to him.
"Put the Nexus security teams on alert." Kota said calmly, but urgently. "The Sith are on the station."
...
As the meeting was ongoing in the Nexus HQ, the two Sith snuck inside the building using a combination of sticking to the shadows, mind tricks, and appropriated stealth technology used by the Initiative.
It was fortunate that the Jedi were not on the station, as they would no doubt have detected them regardless. But they had managed to arrive before they did, and as it stood, they didn't even need much in the way of directions.
The Benefactor had proven most helpful in guiding them through the station, allowing them to stick to the shadows and avoid getting caught by security patrols. For those that didn't, a few well placed mind tricks were able to clear the path.
Xianne had been disgruntled about the need for stealth, and would have preferred to have just openly stormed the building and taken the Holocron by force. Fortunately, Zhaff had been able to convince her otherwise, but the Zeltron had still grumbled about it every time they didn't just kill someone.
Regardless, the Benefactor's aid had paid off, and soon they were inside the Nexus Militia HQ itself. Having "appropriated" a couple of tactical cloaks from one of the storage areas, they were able to sneak past most of the guards, blanking the minds of the ones that did notice before reaching the Jedi Master's office.
The Holocron stood out like a sore thumb against the unnaturally clear office, a black and red object sitting on the desk. Zhaff and Xianne looked at each other, before sealing the door behind them and approaching the artifact.
"So, this is what our Master was using to record all his findings." Zhaff said as he walked up to the Holocron. "The findings he was so obsessed with guarding."
"And no doubt the Jedi have been trying to access it." Xianne chuckled as she extended her hand and the Holocron flew into it. "Without success, no doubt."
"Then let us see what our master was hiding." Zhaff reached out with the Dark Side... and the holocron opened.
...
The Tempest hadn't even fully opened its landing gear before the two Jedi were already moving, leaping on to the landing platform and breaking into a Force enhanced run as the baffled technicians watched.
They had already deduced the most obvious target for the Sith; the Holocron they had taken from their master, which meant that the Nexus Militia HQ needed to be put on heavy lockdown to ensure that they couldn't get it.
"The building is already sealed off." Kandros reported over the comms as they came to a halt near the HQ. "They couldn't have gotten in without us knowing."
"Have someone go to my office and grab the Holocron, just to be safe." Kota ordered. "I'd rather avoid them getting their hands on it."
"Are we even sure that's what they'll go for first?" Neral asked over the same link. "Given their previous actions, wouldn't they want to target the civilian or military infrastructure?"
"We already have security guarding the Nexus leaders." Kandros replied. "As well as-" An abrupt scream and the sound of a lightsaber interrupted the turian's report, causing the two Jedi to run into the HQ as fast as they could, drawing their lightsabers as they arrived.
They found the two Sith standing in the room, holding an asari and human hostage with their lightsabers at their throats. The Zeltron's other hand was holding onto the Holocron, the Sith artifact having been unlocked.
"Stand down and surrender, now." Kota ordered calmly, as a dozen weapons were aimed at the two Sith. "There's nowhere for you to run."
"Didn't you say that the last two times as well?" Zhaff smirked in response. "You couldn't keep us from leaving on Meridian, or on the Ark."
"Because you ran." Ahsoka smirked, causing the Theelin and Zeltron to scowl. "Just like Sith wannabes and the Sith themselves always do."
"Bold words, Jedi." Xianne admitted, before drawing a smirk of her own, as she held the Holocron up. "Especially since you are holding onto this. Not a very Jedi thing to do, is it? I thought your kind were afraid of knowledge leading to dark places."
"You accessed the Holocron." Kota frowned, gesturing discreetly as Kandros saw, the turian already doing what the General was suggesting.
"Oh yes." Zhaff smirked, moving his lightsaber closer to his hostage's throat. "We know exactly what's on there, what happened to this galaxy. That's what you wanted to know, right? Why you've kept it around? You crave the knowledge it possesses."
Zhaff briefly glanced at his partner as he spoke, the Zeltron quickly catching on. Xianne brought her lightsaber down on the Sith Holocron, slicing the artifact into two pieces, which fell smoking to the floor.
"Oh dear." The female Sith mocked. "It seems you lose that knowledge forever."
"Are you finished?" Ahsoka rolled her eyes, even as she smirked.
The warning for the Sith almost came too late. As they and the Jedi had been talking, the rest of the Nexus Militia hadn't been idle, discreetly surrounding them even more as their focus had been fixed on the Jedi.
Zhaff and Xianne took Mass Accelerator rounds to the shoulder, forcing them to let their hostages go as they cried out in pain. The two Sith retaliated with a massive Force push that knocked the ones behind them back, before quickly bringing their blades up to block the ones of Ahsoka and Kota, who used the distraction to close the gap.
"Very clever." Zhaff hissed, even as he winced from the pain in his arm as Ahsoka drove him back. "Truly devious like us."
"Don't flatter yourself." The Togruta responded, even as she kicked him in the stomach and knocked him back. "I've met Hutts more devious than you."
Zhaff's comeback was interrupted when the Nexus Militia used the opportunity to start shooting at him again, forcing the Theelin on the defense again. Mass Accelerator fire couldn't be deflected, which meant he couldn't attack back that way.
Snarling, the Sith unleashed a blast of Force lightning at one of the turians, only to be forced to bring his blade back up as Ahsoka swung at him again. She just smirked, driving the Sith further into a rage.
Of course, Xianne wasn't doing much better, as Kota effortlessly had her on the ropes, while the militia took potshots against her every time they could. It was clear the Jedi had prepped for this, as had Kandros and the Nexus militia.
Mass Accelerators were solid, unlike blasters, meaning that they couldn't be deflected. Furthermore, the Jedi had taken to wearing Kinetic barriers as a secondary level of defense, meaning that in the event that any of their shots missed, they would be more likely to survive.
And for all their preparations, the Sith were arrogant enough to believe that they wouldn't need to stoop to using those same defenses. And now they were clearly paying for their hubris, as the combined arms started to wear them down.
The pain of getting shot helped fuel their power in the Dark Side, of course, but even still, that could only sustain them for so long, especially if the fight continued on. They needed to leave, now.
With a brief nod of communication, the Zeltron and the Theelin made their way back to each other, and quickly threw out their arms. A wave of Force power knocked most everyone to the ground, with only Ahsoka and Kota remaining standing as they braced themselves.
The Sith had already taken off towards the exit, with the Jedi moving to intercept. And that simply would not do. Xianne spun around and raised both her hands, unleashing two streams of Force lightning at both Kota and Ahsoka.
The two Jedi blocked them with their lightsabers while Zhaff opened one of the doors that led towards the actual exit. Once Xianne ran through, he shut the door and slashed at the lock, sealing it shut. Undettered, the Jedi started cutting through with their own lightsabers.
Meanwhile, the Sith exited the building... only to find themselves to be surrounded again. Even more Militia forces as well as Imperial troops had surrounded the building, with the Human Pathfinder lying in wait along with them.
"Sorry." Scott grinned at the two Sith. "Did you think you were leaving so easily?"
As he spoke, Ahsoka and Kota also emerged into the courtyard, with the APEX teams coming up behind them. Meanwhile, Zhaff and Xianne took stock of what they had to deal with.
Mass Accelerators and blasters were aimed at them, biotics flared in preparation, Angara biolectricity was ready, and even a few fighters and shuttles hovered overhead, their weapons trained on the the Sith.
"We're going to give you one last chance to surrender." Scott said, his voice amplified by his omni-tool. "Lay down your weapons, and you will not be harmed."
They were trapped. Even with their power, there was no way they could walk out of here this time. But with a brief glance at each other, Zhaff and Xianne knew their next course of action; they were Sith. They would not surrender to these weaklings.
After all, death would be preferable to facing the threat they now knew existed.
...
The Benefactor had to admit, the Sith were quite stubborn. They refused to back down even when faced with impossible odds, and even more impressively, lasted longer than she had expected them to.
But in the end, even they could not withstand the forces arrayed against them. She had watched the fight as they were worn down by Kota and Ahsoka, along with the weapons fire of everyone around them when they had a chance to shoot.
The two extragalactic Dark Side users didn't take this idly, tossing out telekinetic attacks and bolts of lightning to retaliate, but in the end, they were overwhelmed. Before they did fall however, there was one exchange that caught the Benefactor's attention as the Zeltron and Togruta were fighting.
"This is all your fault!" Xianne screeched, lunging towards Ahsoka, who blocked her blades with ease.
"Our fault?" Ahsoka repeated with bemusement. "You're the ones who did all this, not us. Of course, a real Sith would undoubtedly be far more cunning than either of you."
"You're just like that other Jedi." Xianne snarled. "He's the reason we became stuck here!"
The Togruta's eyes had widened in surprise at that, giving Xianne an opening as she kicked Ahsoka back and tried to cut her down, but then a blaster bolt knocked her lightsaber out of her hands.
Xianne immediately retaliated with a burst of lightning at the offending Scout Trooper, but this distraction was enough for Kota to close the distance himself, and before Xianne could retaliate, he cut her down with a single precise swing of his lightsaber.
And with Xianne dead, the Theelin Sith quickly followed. Already suffering from the wounds accumulated in this fight, the shock of his fellow Sith's death caused yet another distraction, even as he tried to throw several soldiers away to give himself breathing room.
A single mass accelerator round went through his chest, Zhaff too late to stop it. The round didn't hit the proper area to be immediately fatal, but it certainly left him in shock. Ahsoka capitalized on that by plunging both lightsabers into his chest.
And in a single moment, that was it. The Sith were dead. The Benefactor watched through the security cameras as the bodies were carted away, the wounded were tended to, and cleaning up began.
Personally, she was more focused on the conversation between the Jedi regarding what Xianne had said before her unfortunate passing.
"She mentioned another Jedi." Ahsoka said, looking at Kota. "One who came through with them."
"Then it would appear we have another mystery on our hands." Scott said as he approached, sighing in exasperation. "On top of everything else."
"Furthermore, I think it's safe to say there's no doubt." Kota frowned and crossed his arms. "Someone in the Initiative helped them."
...
It had been some time since he ejected from the Ark, after the dead rose to life and forced the crew to abandon ship. Even now, he felt guilt for leaving the Ark's colonists in cryo, but as long as it held, they should be safe. The infected seemed uninterested in the frozen colonists, only going after live ones.
Still, it was clear that they needed support from the Initiative as a whole. Perhaps warning them to stay away was not the best idea, but they had to be sure the infection wouldn't be spread as a result of misguided altruism by any potential rescuers.
The Quarian saw Initiative tech, but also several unknown aliens. From a distance, it was hard to determine their features, but they were fairly tall, even towering over the Krogan. They seemed to be wearing armor with wicked looking spikes on them, though he couldn't tell if it was aesthetic or not.
Worryingly, the unknowns seemed to be destroying the computer and comms systems, but rather curiously, they seemed to lack any firearms, instead using all manner of curiously primitive looking weaponry.
Fortunately, it seemed that they were unaware of his presence, watching them as they continued their grisly work. It appeared Andromeda was not quite as safe as the Initiative would have liked to believe.
His eyes went wide behind his mask as the unknown aliens suddenly turned in his direction.
And I think this is where we're going to end the chapter. Obviously, quite a bit happened here, what with the Sith on the Nexus and then their deaths, but we've still got quite a bit more story to cover.
And quite obviously, it's going to be in regard to what happened at the end there. And yes, it's exactly who you think it is who have shown up in Andromeda, and they're obviously going to play a major role in the story.
With all that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.