Bold indicates Shepard Reaper speech
Bold Italics indicate Reaper internal speech
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Possibilities Beyond
Location: Citadel, Huerta Memorial Hospital
Time: 0800 CST
date: 20th March 2184
An eerie silence seemed to have settled over the Citadel.
John stood motionless in the supply room he had sealed himself in, staring ahead, his eyes glowing red, yet unfocused. An eternity seemed to pass, before Shepard exhaled suddenly, and his eyes come back into focus, and returned to their normal colour. He took several ragged breaths, and fell to his knees….
His hand resting on his omni-tool.
Shakily, John stared down at the screen on his wrist, his eyes widening at the '00:00' shown on the countdown. He continued to stare at it, and after what seemed like an age, he released a tremendous sigh, before allowing both his arms to fall limp.
'Thank God, I did it in time. Talk about a close call, I aborted it practically the millisecond they were going to be unleashed.' Thoughts of how close he had come to unleashing genocide, rapidly passed through his head. He had pressed the abort button just in time, causing the stored viruses to be neutralised by the cures with them and the machines to self-destruct. There wouldn't be any evidence that they ever existed.
As John allowed himself to relax, it felt as if his hearing returned to him. Unfortunately, this was not entirely a good thing, 'you really think you should be proud of this…. You just cost our species their best chance at victory,' John scowled and turned his head, and sure enough his own shadow, projected on the wall was sporting glowing red eyes. Shepard stood up and turned to face it, "whatever you say won't change the fact that I prevailed, I beat you, and I did it without giving into my anger," he said, his voice full of determination. John got the feeling that the entity was glaring at him, 'you were the victor against me, that is correct, but you still believe you will be the victor in this war?' It asked him scathingly. John narrowed his eyes at the shadow, "no, I don't know for certain. No one can see the future." He paused for second, "but we've exposed the hidden evil of this Galaxy, and now we'll give them a chance. If they decide to stand in opposition to it, just as we do, then it proves they're not irredeemable, and your ideas of genocide aren't necessary." The shadow stared at him, 'they will disappoint you; you know. they will fail to live up to your expectations,' it stated. "Maybe, I guess we'll see," he responded. The entity gave a dark chuckle at that, 'we will see John. You have bested me this time, but I am still here, and I assure you, I always will be. But I can be patient John, and when the vermin of this Galaxy disappoint you, I will be here. The outcome is inevitable, all I need to do is wait. Ha ha ha ha.' The entity laughed as all traces of its presence vanished, and John's shadow returned to normal.
John didn't have much time to ponder the entity's words, as he received a call on his omni-tool, "John where are you?" came the voice of his sister.
000
"He said he'll meet us in the main lobby," Liz explained to the others as they walked down one of the halls of the hospital. As they headed off, Liz noted the look of immense relief on Kaidan's face, "you alright Kaidan?" she asked. He looked at her with a jolt, and immediately tried to downplay his jubilant expression, "yeah. I was glad your brother didn't do something he'd regret later on," he said. She playfully slugged him in the shoulder, "you and me both Alenko. You and me both."
000
Sha'ira, her hands still held together in prayer, looked out of the chamber windows. Tears of joy fell from her eyes as she let out a jubilant laugh. "The darkness is not yet all encompassing, there is still hope for this Galaxy. There is still hope for him."
000
On Kronos station, Miranda couldn't do anything to suppress the incredible feeling of relief she felt, when she saw that the deployment of the viruses was aborted, and the devices themselves destroyed. A confident grin, formed on her face, "it would seem that Shepard is more than the raging mindless animal you believed he was," she said smugly, as she turned to the Illusive man. She expected him to scowl at her, or show complete indifference. Instead, she froze in terror, what she saw almost broke her. The Illusive man was smiling as well, he looked her in the eye, and her every instinct told her to run, but that would have been futile, as she felt herself suffocated by an aura so powerful, that she feared she might actually pass out. "It would appear so Miss Lawson. It would appear so," Miranda actually took a step back at his, frighteningly happy tone.
000
Location: Serice, Thessia
Time: 0620 CST
date: 20th March 2184
A buzzing omni-tool roused an Asari from her sleep, she groaned and pushed herself off her couch, she blinked and looked around before promptly grabbing a bottle of Thessian wine from a nearby table and brought it to her lips. To her annoyance, it was empty, so she dropped it on the floor to join the rather impressive pile of other bottles. With great effort, she pushed herself to her feet, and made a few attempts at smoothing out her nightdress. She made her way across the living room, to the kitchen, almost tripping over several more bottles on her way. Years ago, she had taken great pride in keeping her residence in order, truthfully the number of Asari who could afford a place like this was measured in the double digits, but Tevos Araeus, formerly Councillor, had stopped caring about keeping things clean years ago.
As she opened the fridge, she glanced at the picture on the wall, showing her and two other Asari, she gritted her teeth in anger at the sight, and promptly grabbed another bottle and slammed the door. She returned to the couch and promptly slumped back down. Just after she opened the bottle, her omni-tool flashed showing she was receiving a message, she muttered to herself as she identified the caller. This person had come to her: almost immediately after her fall from grace, after the murder of one of her dear friends, after she had been removed from her position on the Citadel Council, and Thessia's Council of Matriarchs, and told her that her time would come again. Tevos sneered in disgust as she remembered those words. Having to spend the last few decades watching her species degenerate, to the point where they began practising slavery, had been unbearable. In addition, the fact, that she knew that the ones responsible for implementing this change in the Republics, were also the ones responsible for, not only her downfall, but those of several of her friends. The fact she could do nothing about it but watch, actually made her contemplate ending her suffering permanently.
Nevertheless, she answered the call, "what do you want?" she asked. "I believe I have told you multiple times, that your extreme drinking is not a good way to deal with your depression," came the calm voice of Sha'ira. Tevos chuckled, "not depressed. Celebrating. Another bitch is dead," she said, quite joyfully. She wasn't lying, when she had seen the broadcast yesterday evening, exposing T'hayra and the other two, not to mention their executions, she almost began dancing for joy. However, she soon remembered that even with those three gone, there were plenty of other corrupt Matriarchs to replace them, nothing had really changed. "You have been carrying out such 'celebrations' every time one of them has been killed," Sha'ira continued. that was also true, of course she had also just wanted a drink to calm her feelings of terror upon seeing Reaper for the first time.
"Are you here to tell me that I should keep waiting for the right time to return?" Tevos asked, mockingly. "No. I am here to tell you that it is your time now." That caused Tevos to spit out the alcohol currently in her mouth, "what?" she shouted, completely shocked. "Any minute now," said Sha'ira, and indeed at that moment her vid screen, which was usually powered off, sprung to life. The static soon cleared to, to show the Council chambers on the Citadel, and in front of them was John Shepard. She saw the human activate his omni-tool, and multiple clips began to appear on the screen. She clenched her fist around the bottle, as she saw the horrendous acts her fellow 'Matriarchs' had enacted. Then her attention was completely drawn by one clip, she could barely believe what she was seeing. The image showed Matriarch T'hayra conversing with a Batarian, he was completely armoured, so his identity was a mystery. His words however, could not be disguised. "The deaths of Matriarch Nisgarae and Matriarch T'kazea, will likely be ultimately ruled as tragic accidents. But there will be sufficient evidence to at least throw suspicion upon Tevos," the Batarian spoke, his voice disguised. T'hayra gave a maniacal grin, "indeed you carried out the assassinations perfectly. This will be more than enough to have her removed from both the position on the Citadel Council and the Council of Matriarchs," she responded. "My superiors are aware of how much this will benefit you, as long as you ensure your end of the agreement, we shall have no issues," the Batarian stated.
Tevos continued to stare the screen, her expression of horror only increased as the signal was co-opted by Reaper, and she actually shattered the bottle she was holding with her biotics, when she saw the clips from the Voeyra facility. Even after the clip had ended, she was only broken out of it when Sha'ira spoke to her again, "don't you have things to do now?" she asked knowingly. For the first time in years Tevos gave a genuine smile of happiness, "yes, yes I do. I will meet you on Citadel as soon as I have been restored," she replied. "I look forward to it…. I suggest you clean yourself up first," with that last piece of advice, the call ended.
Tevos immediately headed towards the bathroom, already making another call on her omni-tool, "yes of course I saw it Siari …..yes, yes it's wonderful news, we have a lot of work to do," she continued to give instructions to one of the few commandos that stayed with her. "Send a message to the Council of Matriarchs, tell them I expect to be restored to my previous position, effective immediately, as an apology for the harsh injustice done to me. Also get in contact with the others, Sparatus has also been cleared of the allegations against him, it's time to start clearing out the rot that has infested our society," she said determined, and ended the call.
Just as she was about to step into the shower, she received another call on her omni-tool. She looked down at the caller, and immediately sneered. Despite being tempted to ignore it, she decided to answer, "what do you want?" she said harshly. "I thought I would offer my congratulations in advance for your reinstatement," came Benezia's voice. "You really think you can take such a friendly tone with me after what you did," she almost shouted. "Tevos….I…. I am so sorry for what I did to you, I did not have a choice," she said, this time her tone full of remorse. "Everyone has a choice," Tevos shot back. "They threatened Liara, they showed her to me in the scope of an assassin, and told me all they would have to do was snap their fingers," Benezia continued, her voice shaking, "I did what did, to keep her safe." Tevos gave a dry laugh at that, "safe? I hear she was extremely safe on that slaver ship, who knows what would have happened if not for those 'primitive' humans," the former Councillor said, with dry sarcasm. "I am sorry-," "you stabbed me in the back Benezia!" Tevos shouted, cutting the other Matriarch off, "then you stood back and watched as Thessia became more and more like Khar'shan!" There was silence for a moment before, "I know I have a lot to make up for, to you, my daughter, and so many others," said Benezia. Tevos was silent towards her former friend for a second, "then we should get started."
000
Location: Citadel, Huerta Memorial Hospital
Time: 0900 CST
date: 23rd March 2184
It had been several days, and Liara was finally deemed well enough to have visitors. One such visitor stood outside her hospital room, changing his mind on whether he should enter every five seconds. The past few days had been eventful for him, he had been hounded by thankful families, eager to express their gratitude to him. He'd also been approached by those whose intentions had been much darker, usually just thugs, eager to exact their delusional 'justice' for his unlawful execution of Citadel citizens. Usually, it hadn't taken him more than ten seconds to knock them unconscious. On more than one occasion though, it had been professional soldiers who attempted to attack him, but they still proved no threat.
Thankfully, Saren had allowed the five of them to rest at a large penthouse suite he had rented. Which gave them somewhere to hide from all the attention.
'I said I would see them again, when I'd felt that I'd redeemed myself…. But I almost unleashed the biggest genocide on this Galaxy since the Gennophage…. Do I really think I've redeemed myself after that? Come on John, she asked you to come.' He reasoned back and forth in his head, before finally taking a deep breath, and opening the door.
Liara lay face down on one of the beds, the reason being obvious as John saw the medical gauze underneath her hospital gown. A small section of the room had been cut off by a plastic wall, behind which Tali lay on her own bed. free of her suit, John could see her purple toned skin and short raven black hair. They were not the only people in the room either, as Benezia sat by her daughter's bedside while Shiala stood guard over in the corner. Tali and Liara both looked up as he walked into the room, and smiled as they saw him. "John," they both exclaimed, John couldn't help but return the smile. "I came to see if you both were feeling better," he said. "All the doctors have confirmed, I'm not suffering any lethal infections, Liara however..." Tali explained in uneasy tone. Liara grimaced in pain slightly, "I am on a lot of painkillers, but they do not completely negate my agony," Liara said solemnly. The Asari maiden turned to look John in the eye again, "I know a few months can't compare to the years some humans have suffered, but I'd like to think I understand a little of the pain you went through when you were kidnapped," she looked down sadly. John realised that she still blamed herself for his violent phase as Blood Brawl, for failing to recognise the pain he was feeling, "Liara, I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through that, let alone you two," John quickly exclaimed. Liara smiled at him and reached out a hand, John gently took it, "we would have suffered a lot more if you had not saved us John. Thank you so much," "oh sure, just further inflame my jealousy by doing something that I can't you Bosh'tet," Tali exclaimed, jokingly. The two of them let out a chuckle before, John went over and rested his hand on the plastic screen, Tali doing the same on the other side, "thank you so much John." Wanting to change the subject, John continued, "if you don't mind me asking Tali, how did a Quarian score a hospital room like this one?" Tali chuckled in response, "a certain Asari Matriarch was very insistent," Tali replied, gesturing to Benezia. "Speaking of mindless racism, were you able to get here okay? Right now, I imagine you're either the most popular person in the Galaxy, or at the very top of everyone's shit list," Tali shot back. John just grinned, "some idiots are stupid enough to try, I have to put more effort into reminding them that I killed some of the most elite fighters in the Galaxy," John said, slamming his fist into his palm for emphasis, "and no one in the hospital seems keen on stopping me after what happened with Mordin." Liara sagged immediately upon hearing that name, and John winced upon realising his poor choice of words. "Yes I…..I heard about all the dark secrets that were broadcasted…. I still cannot believe that he... That the one who trained me to be a doctor could be involved in such horrible actions," Liara said in a depressed tone. She looked back at John, "I also heard that Chloe and Karin will be joining you," she said. "Yes, I'm taking them back to Alliance space," John responded. Benezia nodded in agreement, "that is probably for the best. The Citadel is becoming increasingly hostile towards humans, and the rapidly increasing rate of escaping human slaves is not helping to quell the building paranoia," the Matriarch explained. John narrowed her eyes slightly, his gut still telling him she had an ulterior motive to what she did before.
"The broadcast released the darkest secrets of a lot of important people Matriarch, I couldn't keep track of everything, but there wasn't anything in those clips about you, was there?" Benezia easily recognised his scathing tone, she just looked down at the ground sadly. "I did not participate in anything illegal, but I will not deny that I knew the truth behind many of those dark secrets," she quickly glanced at Liara, "and was forced hold my tongue." She then gained a determined expression, "but I assure you, that will no longer be the case, I will do all within my power to help the Galaxy end this monstrous practice," as she said that, John looked at her, unconvinced, "it is the very least I can do, both to make up for my previous inactions, and for rescuing my daughter….a second time now." John merely grunted and looked away from her, "I just wish I could have prevented the bastard responsible from getting away," he said through gritted teeth. Tali let out a laugh at that, "you crushed his testicles John, I really don't think you can say that he 'got away'." John laughed as well before he suddenly noticed Liara trembling.
"He came to our cell," Liara began to speak, her voice trembling, "he asked…..asked if I remembered him…..then he chained me to the wall…and he….he…he…." tears began to fall from Liara's eyes, John quickly rested a hand on her trembling shoulder, "Liara it's okay, you're okay. You're safe, he can't hurt you, I'll make sure he never hurts you again." It took a while, but eventually Liara calmed down, the tears still trickled from her eyes. John leaned back, "I could have actually prevented all this from happening." The four woman looked at him surprised, "the night you discovered about my …. activities in the pit. My opponent that night…. was Balak." Their eyes widened, "I could've killed him there…. but I wanted to toy with him, I wanted to make him suffer, I was enjoying it. Just like him," John admitted in disgust.
"You're nothing like him John," Liara exclaimed loudly, "you saved us. You saved so many. You put a stop to his plans, and eliminated his co-conspirators." John didn't immediately answer, Balak's warnings flashed through his mind again, "It hasn't really changed anything, has it?" he muttered.
"I think you will be surprised Lieutenant," Benezia said with a smile as she turned on a vid screen in the room. They all turned to the screen, which showed various news reporters outside a large building. "We are live outside the Capitol building in Serrice, where the newly reinstated Matriarch Tevos, will be giving a statement momentarily," the reporter explained, before the camera zoomed past her to fix on an Asari, who John assumed, could only be Tevos. It was at this point, the large crowd gathered in front of the building was much more obvious, "it fills my heart with joy to see so many people welcoming me back," she began to speak, her voice radiating confidence and determination, "as you are all aware, I have been reinstated on the Asari Republics Council of Matriarchs. I will state now, that I do not plan to be idle. During my forced exile, I have witnessed an abomination take root in not only Asari society, but all of Citadel space. The abomination called slavery." John was slightly taken aback by her declaration, and from the voices he heard, he wasn't the only one. "I have been forced to watch as the citizens of Citadel space have disregarded the principles the Citadel Council once stood for, and degraded themselves by participating in this atrocity. I look around the Republics, and want to vomit at how similar to the Batarian Hegemony it has become." she spat. "Of course, many have deluded themselves into thinking they have committed no crime, it has been legalised after all. And indeed, it has been easy to ignore until now, because it was only the humans who suffered from the legalisation of slavery. They suffered from the Turians, the Salarians and us as well. It is only recently, thanks to the heroic effort of Lt Shepard and his comrades, that we have come to realise, that the legalisation of this horrific practice has made us just as vulnerable to the horrors of slavery as humans are. Thousands of Asari were torn from their homes, and now likely suffer as slaves. And the few hundred that were rescued, only remained free because the 'human' Lt Shepard showed greater moral character than most in Citadel space," she continued, making sure to emphasise that Shepard was a human. "I say let this tragedy serve as a wake-up call to us all. That is why I call on all within Citadel space who have learned from these horrific events, to aid me in the complete and utter eradication of slavery from Citadel space. Let us create a Galaxy where all species are free!" her declaration was met with thunderous applause.
John continued to stare at the vidscreen. His eyes wide in complete shock, as she saw his expression Benezia smiled at him, "as I said. Your actions have set things in motion Jonathan."
000
Still reeling from the shock of Tevos' announcement, John decided to excuse himself from the hospital to try and find somewhere to process it. He found a quiet spot near the hospital entrance, a walkway providing a great view of the Citadel. "You're sure about this Miranda?" he spoke into his omni-tool, "yes Shepard," Miranda replied with certainty, "when she was a Councillor, Tevos constantly worked to reduce the Batarians influence, and condemned the practice of slavery. She once told a Lord of the Hegemony, that a rabid Varren had more value to the Galaxy than him." John wanted to believe that Tevos generally wanted help the Galaxy, but he couldn't help but feel slightly sceptical. Sensing his hesitation, Miranda continued, "you have every right to be suspicious John. But this was the initial plan remember, to expose the horrors of slavery and those among the Citadel races would come forward to oppose it as well," she said, repeating the very words he once said. "How much backing does she actually have Miranda?" he asked, 'this woman was nothing more than a disgraced exile less than 24 hours ago,' he mused. Miranda gave a chuckle, "well, in case you've forgotten, she wasn't the only anti-slavery Asari Matriarch who was exonerated and reinstated due to the evidence you released. Many previously blackmailed figures, have come forward to support her…oh and a good number of opponents are now dead," she said in a sarcastic tone, causing John to groan in response, knowing that all of those things were due to him. "There's also the fact it's not just the Asari Republics John," Shepard's interest picked up a bit at that, "Tevos was the first to come forward, but there will be others," she said with certainty. "All right, tell the Admirals to gather at Kronos station…. I have a felling we're going to need to change how we do some things," he said as he ended the call.
He gripped the railings and looked down. He actually was at a complete loss about what to do now, he had spent the last few months trying to convince himself that genocide was the only way the Galaxy was going to change. And though he didn't regret stopping the mass murder, and a large part of him was glad that some parts of the Citadel races were now actively taking a stance against slavery, he hadn't actually considered what his new path going forward would be, his gut was telling him Cerberus couldn't continue as they had been, not completely anyway. He let out a deep sigh.
"Well, there's someone who looks like he's got a lot on his mind," a horribly familiar voice reached John's ears. He resisted the urge to pull out his pistol and put a high velocity slug between Anto's four eyes, by gripping tight on the railing, causing it to deformed slightly. "Korragan," he said through gritted teeth, "all the slavers that Reaper has killed, and he hasn't gotten around to you yet," he growled. Anto just chuckled, "Guess I changed profession just in time," he said jokingly, "figured the great Lieutenant Shepard, would be celebrating his victory against the traitorous leaders of the Citadel races," he continued. John growled, once again resisting the urge to turn around and mutilate the Batarian, "did you come over here just bug me Korragan?" He seethed. "No actually, I was on my way to see Liara," John instantly wanted to vomit, any time he visualised Liara with the piece of shit who ripped him from Mindoir, it made his insides squirmed. "On that topic," Anto continued, his tone very solemn now, "I just wanted to say thank you, for saving her. It's good to know that despite everything that happened between you two, you still care about her." John sneered, he realised what Anto was doing now. The Batarian wanted John to confirm his statement, so he could report it back to the Hegemony, and then they would try to use Liara as leverage against him. "Get this through your head Batarian. I didn't let those bombs go off, because I didn't want to cause damage to the colony, I couldn't have cared less about those prisoners." There is a moment of silence before Anto started chuckling, "I'll admit that's pretty convincing, practically anyone else would have bought that," Anto said. "Bought what?" John responded, trying to throw him off as he turned around to face the Batarian. "I spend most of my time amongst the worst of the Galaxy Shepard. I can tell when someone is an absolute bastard…..and I can tell when they're putting on an act. You don't need to worry, I'm not getting intel for the Hegemony," he answered.
"Still, surprised you're by yourself, the Citadel isn't exactly the safest place for humans, you specifically," Anto said. John narrowed his eyes at him, "same could be said about Batarians right now," he replied scathingly, "true" Anto responded. "Still, you have something on your mind, if I were to guess, it would be Tevos announcement," Anto said. John didn't respond, "you spent so long seeing only the worst the Galaxy has to offer, but then a pleasant surprise finally comes along, you can't actually believe it happened." John continued to stare forward, "I'm probably one of the last people in the Galaxy you want to hear advice from, but enjoy the surprises Shepard," Anto turned his attention back towards the hospital doors, "Like having the woman you love, miraculously rescued," he finished calmly as he walked off. John shook his head once he was certain Anto was gone. As much as it pained him to admit it, Anto was right, he was struggling to believe that Tevos was honest in her proclamation.
He needed to talk to someone.
000
Location: Citadel, Presidium financial district, Consort's Chambers
Time: 1100 CST
date: 23rd March 2184
Shepard approached the consort's Chambers, completely uncaring of the stares lobbied in his direction, some of hatred, some surprise. But the Asari manning the reception desk had quickly informed him that Sha'ira was waiting to speak with him, so he immediately proceeded to her private quarters.
When he entered the room, she was once again looking out of the large window at the Citadel skyline. As Shepard looked at her, he found himself unsure of what to actually say. Seeing his hesitation, Sha'ira decided to start, "will I still be needing your gift?" She asked, gesturing to a familiar syringe on a nearby table. "No, and you never will," he replied. She turned around, a smile on the face, "that is good to hear. Well, if you have decided that is not your path forward, do you know what is?" she asked. John looked past her, out the window "I was so sure that committing this act of genocide was the only way I could ensure humanities freedom and safety, I was willing to deny them any chance to redeem themselves. I didn't consider alternative paths, so now that one has come up…." he trailed off. "You are unsure, what you should do," she finished for him. "I know I can't continue as I have," he said. "You have seen the worst this Galaxy has to offer; therefore, you fear that this may be just a ray of false hope, that will be snatched away as soon as you reach for it." She paused as she looked him in the eye, "if it means anything I can vouch for Tevos personally, as well as those who will soon stand alongside her. In terms of what you should do now, you've exposed some of the greatest crimes in our society's history, I believe that is something you can take advantage of."
John pondered her words for a moment, "I believe I may have an interesting proposition for the associate race ambassadors," he suggested, Sha'ira gave him a small smile and nodded in response. John's face turned stoic, "there is something else I wanted to ask. Although I took every step to make sure I would be the only one responsible for the millions of deaths the viruses would cause. I believe that few in Cerberus, in its current state, would have shed a tear over it." Sha'ira gestured for him to keep going, "when I was first rescuing slaves, we prioritised those who had cruel masters. Those whose lives were in immediate danger. Many of those rescued people wanted to join us, and our numbers increased rapidly." Shepard let out a deep sigh and looked at the ground, "Unfortunately many of those people, rightfully so, held unbridled anger towards the people that abused them. I don't think they'd lose much sleep if we killed every man woman and child. I wanted to transform Cerberus into an army to liberate humanity, but it's turning into an unstoppable force of hatred."
"Your actions were not wrong, rescuing those in immediate danger was definitely the correct course, and the fact you can see the direction the tide is going, proves you are not blind to it." She paused for a second, "it is true there are countless beings in this Galaxy, who abuse and mistreat their human slaves, I will not shed a tear at their deaths. But some treat humans kindly, as you well know," John immediately thought about his experience living with Tali and Liara, "I do," he replied. "Then find others like that, slaves who are not in immediate danger of being killed by their masters, but still want to see the Galaxy change, ones who want to live in a Galaxy where they can be seen as equals. These Individuals will help to balance out the rage in your existing followers." John looked at her, "that won't be an easy transition," "the fact that you have chosen this path over your bio weapons, means you are willing to take the path that is right, not the one that is easy Johnathan," she said seriously. John looked at her for a second, before nodding his head and turning to leave.
Just as he was about to reach the door, Sha'ira called out to him, "I once told you, that if you remained true to what you promised, then I would share my knowledge of the power you wield," she said sagely. John turned to her, slightly surprised, "you'll give me some answers? Even after what I almost did," he asked, astonished. "I always knew that your path would never be easy, especially considering the circumstances in which this power was awakened within you, and suffering such exposure to the worst evil of this Galaxy, there was always a great risk of straying from your promised path." She turned towards him, "you came an inch away from falling further into the abyss than ever before…. but you pulled yourself away, and remembered your promise."
Shepard looked down at the ground for a second, before looking back at her, "what can you tell me?" "Not everything…. yet?" Sha'ira responded, "the first thing that I can tell you, is that it is more than just energy. It is connected to your very being, just as you seek to utilise and shape it, it will seek to shape and utilise you, as you should know from your many conversations." John's mind flashbacked to all his interactions with the entity, "acts like it's got a mind of its own," he remarked as he generated red lightning round his arm. "Yes, and it will continue to do so until you fully master this power…. or it masters you," she said. Shepard's eyes widened in shock, 'it really could have taken over me,' he thought. "What you mean master it?" he asked. "When it first emerged, you desired nothing less than the total destruction of alien civilisation. That is the thought that birthed it, that is the thought it has sought to cultivate. As you continued your career in the pit, you must have noticed how your minds became more and more synchronised, had you continued like this, you would have become a single entity and fully mastered your power…. to truly horrifying effect. Therefore, when you realised the path you were heading down, you tried to separate yourself from it. You have continued to try and keep yourself separate, thus causing your constant state of conflict." "I keep myself separate, because all it talks about is our path of 'blood and carnage'," John said through gritted teeth. "Yes, you fear the risk of losing yourself to it. But your conflict cannot remain unresolved forever Shepard. One day, a victor must emerge," she said with finality.
There was a pause before Shepard continued. "Do you know where this power comes from?" he asked. "Yes, and I can tell you, that although you are the first being in recorded history to possess such abilities. This power is not new to the Galaxy," Shepard's eyes widened in surprise at that. "There are a few historical records, so much of what I knows is merely theoretical," Sha'ira explained, "from what I have gathered, when the Protheans journeyed across the stars, they found themselves beget by many great evils, when it looked like their extinction was all but certain, they developed an incredible gift." Realising what she was saying, John cut in, "the Protheans had this power?" he asked. Sha'ira, "Yes, many Protheans were able to wield the same power you do now, but it was not only that. The ability manifested itself….as two forces. Opposite, yet equal."
John was completely floored by that statement, "two forces…. you mean there's another power like mine?" Sha'ira nodded, "yes although an individual Protheans could only wield one power or the other," she clarified. Shepard pondered for a second, "and there's no one in the Galaxy whose developed this second power?" for a second he thought he saw the Matriarch flinch, "no," she responded, "you're the only one to awaken this ancient power." John looked down at his hand again, "why me?" he asked. "I'm afraid that is something, I do not have knowledge of," she replied, regretfully, before continuing, "but I do know, that these powers became the cornerstones of Prothean civilisation." "How come no one else has come to the same conclusion as you?" he asked. "Records of the Prothean empire are rare enough, many other researchers simply say references to this power is another of the Protheans great mysteries."
Suddenly an idea struck John, "you said this power became the cornerstone of their civilisation," he raised his hand, in a flash, the artefact he had recovered from Balak hovered in his hand. Sha'ira's eyes immediately widened at the sight of it. "I took this from Balak, somehow it seems to react with my energy," he trailed off as he saw the Matriarch shocked face. "Balak…. was after that?" she stuttered, before staring at John with wide eyes, "you must ensure this never falls into his hands," she exclaimed. John narrowed his eyes slightly, "what is it?" he asked. Sha'ira immediately looked away, "let me just call it, 'a star to light your way'," she said cryptically. John wanted more of a direct answer, but seeing her expression he knew he wasn't going to get more out of her. "I'm too busy dealing with the here and now to deal with secrets from the ancient past anyway," he said dismissively as the artefact vanished. "Thanks a lot for your advice, and trusting me with your knowledge. I hope in time, I'll prove myself worthy of more," and with that he took his leave.
Sha'ira stared back out the window, 'how could Balak know where that was located, unless he told him,' terrified thoughts frantically raced through her head, 'does he truly intend to unleash that madness on this Galaxy again,' she took a deep breath to calm herself down, 'nevertheless, it is safe in Jonathan's possession, perhaps there is…'
Her thoughts were cut off as she grabbed her arm in pain and fell to her knees. Pulling up her sleeve, she saw the skin on her forearm had become white and flaky, almost dead.
"We are running out of time," she mumbled to herself.
000
Location: Unknown
Time: Unknown
date: Unknown
A single figure sat overlooking a cliff, he was completely obscured by a cloak, the only part of him visible, were the edges of his faded and worn metallic boots. He looked over the desolate wasteland, that was the planet's landscape, and couldn't help but lament at how this world had once been full of life.
Hearing a noise from behind him, he got to his feet and walked towards a strange assortment of machines, all surrounding what appeared to be a metallic sarcophagus. He rested a gauntleted hand against the surface, and could help but think about the last time he been able to touch anything with his own hands, of course, that was part of his penance. He brought up the screen from the machine, showing the devices current power. He winced as he saw it drop to 9%.
"We're running out of time," a mechanical voice mumbled.