Hey it didn't take me almost a year to go update this part. Kai's thoughts and or regular thoughts are in Italics, Morinth's thoughts in the memories are in bold, Bold and italics is for Indoctrination.
'What should I do to go back to Vladivostok and see my father?'
Here he was sitting in a bar bored out of his mind
"Do you have a problem, Human?" It was an innocent enough question, but for some reason it bothered him.
The speaker was a Krogan who was almost as bored as he was. Kai didn't know too much of the Krogan only that they went against the Council, and got bombed with a virus. Some say it was unjust, others a reliable way to keep a species that couldn't be appeased. Reminded him of what was said of other groups of humans over the years.
'I wonder if he's good in a fight?' Kai also knew Krogan were tough; they apparently had redundant nervous systems.
'Must people always see the Krogan that way?' Morinth felt slowly furious. I've seen a their sculptures and even holo-novels and holo-films of theirs, it's not flashy, but it's culture nonetheless.'
"Yeah, I'm looking for a fight." The krogan rolled his eyes at Kai's words.
"Hmph, I got better things to do." his voice was somehow more bored than he was.
"I don't."
"You should find something else." The krogan only shrugged. I'm here to not fight drunks and idiots, that is my job and I'm not on the clock as you humans say."
Kai had wanted to step forward to get in the krogan's face. But a glass was broken and like that a bar fight had broken out. The Krogan stepped up with a simple grin.
"Looks like you're getting that fight after all, tough guy, if you want it. Do you want first blood or do you want to be a good sport about it?"
Kai said nothing and proceeded to attack the krogan with a strike low towards the knees. The large alien blocked the strike, pushing him back before charging. However this fight was a bar fight not a duel. His opponent was hit by a chair and staggered.
Kai seized his chance and charged the disoriented krogan knocking him down. His heart was racing and blood was pumping, it felt almost nostalgic as the Blitz and the clean up operations. Kai grabbed a combat knife he kept concealed, and drew it ready to strike.
Kai got another look at the krogan and saw a look of confusion.
"What the hell are you doing with that?"
'You Idiot, your going to commit Murder?' Morinth paused, this was only a memory, nothing she could say would matter here. "This is ten years ago, you threw away your career here, for this? Hm, I suppose you at least had the chance to ruin any chance of normalcy in your life on your own terms.'
Kai stabbed the Krogan quickly and forcefully in the throat. Kai stared for a few seconds as the world seemed to go slow down.
'It all came so quick, he's, he's dead. Shit. I was looking for trouble, so I found it.'
Screaming and shouting brought the world back to normal, the fighting stopped and all eyes were staring at him.
'What have I done? It was supposed to be a fight, a nice brawl to go pass the time, even if it would piss off the brass.
"Murderer." "Killer." "Psycho." The patrons of various species just stared or backed away, Kai only sat down and waited to be arrested. He began to almost hyperventilate.
Time passed as a C-Sec officer came in with a worn almost apathetic face.
"Put your hands in the air, now!" Kai simply put his hands up and was soon cuffed and slowly walked out of the bar.
"So Harkin, you're doing your job for once not trying to flirt with my cousin. It's a shame it's under terrible circumstances." The Salarian bartender remarked as the officer escorting Kai looked back, his eyes had a rare glimpse of purpose.
"This bastard killed Garev, with a fucking knife, I don't know how it's even possible. I'll miss him."
"Even after he threw you out all those times?" The salarian asked, almost surprised.
"Especially after those times." Harkin said deflated, and turned back and walked Kai towards a C-Sec hover car and got in a secured backseat.
Initially the trip was silent before as the officer looked down at a data pad, from what Kai could see, the officer soon became angry, perhaps almost upset. "What the hell is wrong with you! You were a kid with a bright future ahead of ya, and you piss it away? A part of me oughta let an accident happen to you."
"Do you think I need help in ruining my life?" The jaded man gave a sinister smile that soon returned to anger.
"Nah, but Garev was like an old friend. It would be too much to go kill you, Executor Pallin would have my ass. In fact, doing that would be merciful. Everyday you're alive, you're going to be looking in some broken mirror, realizing you coulda been someone else."
The rest of the ride was silent. When Kai had gotten to C-Sec he was soon put into a cell, then memories of trial and one last meeting with his father, soon saw Kai looking at slightly different cell It had been a month since Kai was imprisoned, Regrets shame, but mostly resignation seemed to through the twenty year old's.
"I supposed I should have stayed on Earth, at least I would not have felt like someone before being put in jail." Kai remarked. "Maybe I should have returned to see Fa,"
An alarm blared out, as several explosions had broken out in the cell block.
"What the hell! Who would attack an Alliance military prison?" Kai question went unanswered as the alarms continued to sound out.
Gunshots could be heard with screaming and shouting heading towards Kai's direction.
"No! Please don't-" The man's cries were met with only gunfire.
The sound of footsteps and gunshots drew closer until it reached Kai's cell. He held his breath, and an overwhelming fear could be felt. It was one thing to face death knowing it could happen, it was another to face it without warning.
'But why? Why go kill prisoners?'
Into Kai's view stepped someone small wearing black nondescript armor, save for a familiar looking runes that read Garmr.
'Someone wants to send a message, the name seems a bit much.' Morinth remarked as the figure walked toward the door, 'Although such brutality was usually reserved for psychopaths, fanatics, terrorists, or criminal organizations. Although all four can overlap.'
"Kai Leng, you've killed a lot of my comrades, all to end up like this; a disgrace and a prisoner." The voice was distorted, but the tone was clearly angry. "Unfortunately, my employer has an offer for you, come with us and live, or just die. The armored figure raised up a rifle towards Kai , their trigger finger itching seemingly hoping he would say no.
The feeling of fear was still there, and now there was uncertainty, but also desperation.
"I'm willing to go take this offer." The asari swore she could see the assailant's body language slightly slump.
"They've accepted, we are bringing him with us." The soldier hacked the cell door with their omni-tool, opening it. "We have the Person of interest, are there any other witnesses?" The assailant's questions were met with screaming and subsequent gunfire that ended it.
"Not anymore, we have the charges prepped on your orders."
"Come with us quickly."
Morinth saw Kai quickly move through a series of hallways towards an emergency landing pad where a shuttle was parked. Kai and the others quickly entered the vehicle as it left the space station.
"Command, we've left the station and we have the VIP." The figure looked at Kai. "I understand."
"Well, bastard." The trooper's harsh tone did not change. "It seems our employer will want to speak with you when we arrive."
The rest of the journey continued in silence as the shuttle landed into a space station near a star. Kai walked out to an immaculate clean hanger bay that seemed state of the art.
'Seems fancy for mere terrorists. I guess it explains the gear, especially for an organization I had never heard of.'
Kai was soon led into a room that seemed to have no features but blackness save for the view of a nearby star, and a man sitting on a chair smoking.
"So you're the one, Mr. Leng was it. You've given us quite the fair deal trouble, but that's impressive. Especially since we know you faked your age, so one so young."
A large amount of relief could be felt. 'But not my name? Thanks Vova. At least my father should be safe'
"However I know skill when I see it, and Humanity needs those skills. Perhaps it was unfortunate that you got arrested, but now have a chance with us."
"To do what?"
"Whatever might need to be done to keep humanity safe. Especially if the Alliance just aims to seek the favor of the Council."
"What? We go it alone, as Terra Firma likes to talk up? We just fought against the Batarians, look at where isolation got them."
"No, but they have a point we cannot rely exclusively on the Council either. We have to use less than legal means, and with more organization and purpose than the Spectres, and that is where we come in."
"We?, how can you say that when I don't even know your name"
"You can call me the Illusive Man, the name is a bit too cliched for me, but we are Cerberus. I know Cerberus is perhaps overdramatic, but it conveys an image. A guardian of the gates of some miserable place. However, we have to be more active than keep people away from things they shouldn't."
"You sound like Crasianius at his Citadel Council hearing. Kai thought back to what was taught about the First Contact War. The Turian commanding officer of the entire 'Relay 314 Pacification Operation' as it was called by them. The Illusive Man, only frowned.
"I fought in that 'war'. Our own carelessness cost me my friends. I will not let our carelessness risk another threat, and with your help we'll achieve that. I know not everyone in my organization is in for the cause. I can offer a generous salary and of course keeping you of prison. But be warned I don't take betrayal easily."
"I understand." Kai said he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic just glad to be alive.
Three years of missions passed. It was 2179, and Kai had to stop himself. This was supposed to be a routine mission to make some contacts out in the Terminus Systems, but now it was something he never thought was possible, a reunion. He had to be sure of it.
Morinth felt a torrent of emotions, anger, hope, curiosity, and even some sadness. He was staring at a peculiar woman
"Can I speak with you for a minute, you remind me of someone?" Kai waited with baited breath, for the woman to reply.
"Sure." The tone was quick and to the point.
"You would not know someone by the name Leng Jialin would you?" The woman only sighed.
"I am her, I know who you are, son."
'Was she just going to say nothing?' Morinth stopped herself. 'You said you wouldn't care. Yet you said that about the others.'
"Then why did you leave?
"I could ask the same of you. You know your father misses you, I'll have to tell him you're alive."
'She would be a liability, I would have to kill her. It would be easy. It would be.' Hesitation was soon replaced by anger. 'To hell with procedure!' "I missed you! I wondered at times why you left and where you went, and you just became a pirate!"
"Yes." A look of regret crossed her face. "I could not really adjust to the life of staying put. I loved the stars and traveling into the unknown too much."
"So Fa, Fyodor told me."
"I know you might not care but I grew up on Earth were the only freedom was being on the seas, I don't know if you know much of Earth before the Systems Alliance, but it was nothing but a bunch of states, the ossified remains of some old orders, and a mix of new rising powers. I was told you could only expect the state to look to perpetuate and protect itself, and lie to the people to do so. I didn't want to shackle myself to that, and was fine being a free trader out among the stars, and I liked the excitement."
"So, what cliché brought you to him."
"None. I was busy leading a shipment of goods back to the Vladivostok starport. It was just a simple shipment of plant samples from the Citadel, when I saw him. Soft brown eyes, black hair and a warm smile. He was surprisingly down to Earth, and something of a romantic. I got to know him more, and found out was a great kisser too."
Jialin had a wistful smile on her face. Kai's mix of embarrassment and irritation only caused Morinth to laugh.
'I'll never forget what Mother said about my Alensa. When they met Mother, they wondered if they were looking for a funeral, not a club.'
Jialin's smile had soon become a frown.
"As for what went wrong, nothing did. There were no serious fights, no major arguments. Just a difference in outlooks we couldn't get over. Your father was committed to his profession, be it on Earth or occasionally the Citadel. He also had a prestigious post within the Russian Confederation. I wanted him to get away from all of that, if we are in the future, why tie ourselves to the past or even Earth?"
"What were you hoping would be different? All Humanity has done is trade the community of nations on Earth for a community of nations in the stars."
"I was hoping we could live in a world where we would see such things fade away, instead practically nothing has changed. We rally around this idea of humanity, all we've done is go make a new idol to justify everything for the 'survival of the species'."
"If there isn't humanity then what do we have?" Kai wonder what alternative could he mother possibly bring up.
"A true future beyond nations, where we can live without being told to go live and die for some ideals of yesteryear, just repackaged for the present. It started with spirits and divine right, and moved on to races, now we've transcended to species. Are we then going to go to some fight for some political body like the Council, or perhaps even the galaxy?"
"What else is there?"
"There must be an alternative instead of just watching the same oppressive systems evolve with us, planets ruled by their people not looking for empire, the glory of some gods, spirits, or living space but peace and cooperation."
"Which justifies being a pirate?" Kai's curiosity remained but it was laced with anger.
"As much as being a mercenary justifies being pro-humanity, which admittedly is not much. I came out here looking for some place free of any states, jurisdictions, mega-corps, and someplace quiet. That someplace quiet saw me here in the Terminus systems, and I eventually ended up with the Confederation of Free Havens, we never cared for Haliat's ambitions out here but it was still a living."
"No matter what you call yourself, you're nothing more than a criminal who cloaks themselves with a cause."
"And you are somehow different?" Kai's mother quickly retorted before she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, as pointless as it may sound."
"Were you just going to let me leave, without saying anything?" Kai felt like changing the question as a look of shame appeared on the woman's face.
"Yes, it would be easier. What could I say that could make what I did easier? I'm sorry for leaving you more than twenty years ago, But I'm willing to go make it up to you now?" Jialin's voice took on exaggerated cheerfulness, and a look of anger appeared in her eyes.
"Hey son, Now let's catch up. How is everything after leaving your father to go join the military, getting court martialed four years later under an assumed alias using my family name, and. And." Jialin soon broke down crying. "You were dead less than a year later! For four and a half years, me and Feyda believed you were dead! We were both at a memorial service we had for you!"
"You had a memorial for a disgraced criminal?" Kai asked, almost unable to believe what he was hearing.
"No, we had a memorial for our son!" Taken aback, Kai said nothing, but Morinth could feel a growing sadness. "Me and Feyda both blamed ourselves, and yet you were alive the whole time!" Jialin took a deep breath. "Maybe I deserve to suffer through that, but what about your father did he?"
"No, but we went our separate ways, I figured I failed him and that was it."
"You know he would want nothing more than to see you again. That you would always be his Simochka, or even Kayechka as it were to him."
A slight confusion came over Kai. "That was years ago."
"Yet perhaps until today, I will always remember it like it was just yesterday."
"So, what will you do now, tell him?" Brown eyes met brown eyes
"Why wouldn't I? A part of me still loves that man, and it would be wrong to not tell him." Jialin seemed almost heartbroken. "But what are you going to do? Still run with this Cerberus outfit you've joined with."
"They gave me a new life."
'A life given at gunpoint under someone else's control, isn't your life to go live.' Morinth's bitter remarks broke a long silence for her.
"Is it one worth living?"
"I will make it one."
"Xingan." Kai stopped in his tracks with a mix of anger and sadness at the term, it was for someone precious, but he almost couldn't believe it was him. "You don't need to promise me anything, if I even deserve such a promise, but please just live." Kai only continued to continued to walk away conflicted before stopping, he gave his mother one last look and sighed
"I'll live, even if it's for my own sake." A small sad smile appeared on his mother's face, but he soon turned to get back on his transport.
'It's a shame this promise gets cut short only a few years from now.'
A few years passed, until it was 2183 it was not too long after the attack on the Citadel.
It was in front of a memorial commemorating Tala Shepard. Kai's vision seemed to be blurry as if he had just stopped crying.
"She's dead, and all the Alliance says is that it was some tragedy? She was one of the best humanity had to offer, I knew from experience. She stopped the Reapers, saved the Council, and even helped give us a seat on the Council. And she died in some fucking ambush!"
"And here I thought you didn't care." Kai turned around and saw a familiar face, it was another Cerberus operative. Her name was Brooks, supposedly no one knew anything about her, or even how she came to join Cerberus. [1]
"We fought together during the Blitz. It's not exactly need to know information."
"So, what was she like? I've poured over the documents, but that would be nothing to knowing someone else who served with her."
"It seemed like she could do anything if she put her mind to it." A nostalgic grin crossed Kai's face.
"Even with misfits like a bunch of aliens, that asari with mommy issues and some reckless turian cop?" Morinth instinctively felt annoyed, but realized it was not about her. "Out of all of them I remembered that krogan from earlier and I like his style. But that suit rat, who knows what she got into." Kai had given Brooks a look that seemed to have her taken aback. [2]
'How dare she!' The asari into a rage that dwarfed the irritation Kai had felt in that moment. 'The Quarians are survivors, for having managed so long on whatever they can get their hands on. Especially when those who live now only have to pay for the crimes of being born. One saved my life, when she probably shouldn't have, even before the Morning War.'
"I would watch your words, I don't know if you come from Earth, but Quarians are treated as badly as many people back on Earth were and still are."
I'm from out in the colonies near Benning."
"Vladivostok, from the Russian Confederation."
"So, you've come from an old power from the cradle of humanity itself." Brook's tone was defensive.
"If it's a cradle it might as well be made from rotten wood." Whatever the human woman was hoping for she wouldn't get it.
"Perhaps. Anyway if Shepard was so great how come she also had to work with such broken cases like Alenko or Williams." Brooks was only greeted with an even harsher glare. "You care about some refugee from the BAaT program, and a soldier whose grandfather was a coward, you were going to kill if need be?"
"No I don't care about them, but I would not use such words. What breaks soldiers is horrible to witness, I saw it firsthand and it's never pleasant. Regardless, what Shepard had on the Normandy was much better than what we had at Novi Sloin, some local defense forces and old veterans who came to settle down from other worlds, and two squads of twelve soldiers, we were both lieutenants."
"And now she's gone." Brooks seemed to give a look of sympathy "Say, if you're up for it, do you want to go with me, Jiri, and Hal to the wards?"
"I'm upset, but not upset enough to go bar hopping, or to any place like Chora's Den. If that is what you're asking."
'I never want to stake out another person in such a miserable place, again at least Shepard shut that place down.'
"We were going to Severus Gravis's comedy club, to go see the Anti-Biotics." Kai was slightly amused at the name.
"Couldn't you just look inside your own medicine cabinet." Brooks almost smiled at the remark.
"Funny, they're a biotic centric comedy group. It was Jiri's idea, and besides if we don't have a mission, some levity would be nice."
'She might have a point, Shepard dying has been the tip of a very shitty four months. First she destroyed several research bases. It was a shame Kahoku had to die, but apparently tests were to be done on Rachni and some bizarre creatures found in some ruins. I thought Oleg didn't bother with mad scientist experiments. Second, my old squad mate Toombs wasn't dead on Akuze after all, but he was experimented on by Cerberus, or so he says. It might be PTSD, but surely the Illusive Man was right in saying it was a rogue cell.' [3]
Kai quickly brushed the thoughts from his mind. "Maybe you are right. I'll come with, surely this place isn't in the worst part of the Citadel."
"It's not that bad, we're meeting in the upper wards at 12:00 GST." Which Kai knew was when the artificial sky of the station started to darken.
"I'll be there." It wasn't like there were better things to do, even if Brooks lacked tact.
Morinth was soon driven towards a memory that was much shorter in length, it felt almost a little more than a year. Kai was face to face with a woman who had black hair, brown eyes, and a calm analytical nature about her.
"I can't believe it, you mean to tell me you've been playing mad scientist bringing someone back from the dead, and it's fucking Shepard of all people!"
'So she was brought back to life.'
"The Illusive Man believes that no one else could stop a threat we've theorized might be related to the Reapers." A name came with that voice, Miranda Lawson. Another Cerberus Agent.
"I'm supposed to believe this is possible, you can revive someone back from the dead with mad science?"
"You're not supposed to believe anything. The Illusive Man wants Commander Shepard brought back by whatever means possible. I'd appreciate it if you called it experimental science.
"Would that even be her?"
"A real Ship of Theseus' question isn't it."
This isn't some philosophical question, how can we even be sure this can even work."
"We can't. I said to call it experimental science for a reason." The operative, no director, rolled her eyes. "We can clone vital organs, rebuild Tala's neural pathways, and preserve her brain. In theory you could restart the body's processes, and if her hippocampus is intact there's a chance it still has her memories intact."
"This is the Illusive Man's grand plan? Go spend the cost of several warships to bring one person back from the dead and hope they are intact physically and mentally to go chase some ghosts?"
"Well it's not like the Alliance or the Council will do anything not if I entirely blame them on that, this whole thing sounds insane even if you can believe it. We're all a part of one big cycle of extinction, and Tala has at least delayed it."
'So is this it? The end of everything? What are we fighting for if we can't stop them?'
'Could I be forgiven after everything, if we were to talk again?'
Another set of months had passed.
Anger could be felt, even if Morinth could feel Kai's face muscles were normal. But she only saw the Illusive Man in. Well dressed as always, but only a hint of annoyance could be seen on his face.
"Why did you refuse my request?"
"I feel your inclusion could complicate things"
"You wanted Shepard to be around some of our more acceptable faces to ease them into a sense of familiarity, aren't I familiar enough?"
"Too familiar." The Illusive stated bluntly "You could be seen as a destabilizing factor."
"Yet recruiting a dangerous unstable criminal, or a Krogan scientist so old and twisted he could have seen Mengele as a misguided understudy, or an Asari driven by an uncompromising code of justice, that she would kill any wrongdoers if left with no choice are somehow stable?" Kai's voice had slightly risen.
'I wouldn't have been too sure about that, Mother was always determined and calm, even before she became a Jusiticar.'
"You would be one too many Cerberus assets, at risk. To say nothing of the fact Subject Zero, and your failure to capture her could alert her to who you are." Kai kept silent, but figured this was the Illusive Man's payback. I also need someone here on standby, Agent Brooks' defection is most concerning, especially since she took that clone of Shepard." [4]
'At least he didn't mention Hanlon's Razors. Surely Hanlon didn't need to die, that whole incident at Akuze was a rogue cell after all, it just happened to make us look bad. It was a good thing I was able to cause a distraction that couldn't be traced back to me.'
"I understand." Kai turned and left, fuming over everything that transpired.
'What would happen if I saw her anyway, as far as she knows I'm dead. I guess there is no point in trying to imagine fixing that relationship, my actions ruined that one."
A few months passed, until it was just a few days after the destruction of the Collector base.
'And a few days after my last meeting with Mother, I guess Shepard works quickly, I overheard their ship's distress signal about being boarded.' Morinth slightly paused upon seeing some of the footage sent from body cams and the Normandy. 'But, she fought those same things I did, whatever these Collectors are or were they were with the Reapers'
Kai was summoned to see the Illusive Man.
'Damnit why did Shepard have to go destroy the Collector Base? Well at least I wasn't a part of the scavenging crews, although we did manage to find something. I wonder if that is why the Illusive Man was here?'
Kai entered through a door to see the Illusive Man stand directly over the remains of the only significant piece of scrap from the base. It was apparently the heart of some Human-Reaper construct Shepard fought on that base.
'If I didn't believe the images we received from her Omni-Tool, I'd thought she was living in some cheap sci-fi film.' Kai wasn't alone in feeling repulsed as he remembered some of the more vivid details of what happened.
'By the Goddess!' It was a thought Morinth genuinely hadn't had for several centuries. 'They took entire colonies just to liquify them, to make that, that thing? I have seen empty wartorn villages. I even made one because I was, no, I am selfish. But what happened to these people, just-. she only sighed I'm glad Mother put a stop to those things and made it out alive.'
"Agent, there you are. It's regrettable Shepard could be so short sighted. The secrets of the Collectors could have finally been revealed to us." The words snapped Morinth back to focusing on the Illusive Man's eyes and the piece of scrap that lay near him
'From something that built that.' Kai felt a slight headache. 'That, work in progress.' A third voice appeared, but it felt unnatural as It was somehow both subtly persuasive and forcefully demanding. It sounded both delicately soft and overwhelmingly shrill at the same time.
'What is this? I've heard of melding therapy treating some mental disorders, even if it is controversial, but how does one get a voice in their head? I would have heard this before, so why now?'
"Yes, but it is Shepard, you can always expect them to be a hero." 'Traitor, weakling, you can outshine her, perhaps even kill her.' Kai only clutched his head as this strange new voice kept speaking.
"Perhaps, but such heroism won't be needed in the galaxy I hope to create."
"But how do we account for Shepard taking the Normandy or the loss of our agents, and EDI. She has an untold number of secrets." 'Vile Machine!' The Illusive Man's eyes seemed unusually narrow, almost matching that thought in Kai's head.
"It." Disgust seemed to be rare from the Illusive Man, but then he seemed to return to normal. "The losses of such people and resources are irreplaceable, but we can manage. For now we bid our time, currently we plan to gather a small fleet of ships and some soldiers and expand from there."
"We aren't planning to fight the Citadel Council are we?" 'Are you afraid?' The other voice was seemingly ignored.
"No, but I feel we need to defend ourselves, and possibly aim for expanding our reach." Another look of sadness came across The Illusive Man's face. "Surely my old friends didn't die for nothing."
"So what happens now?"
"I still need you to conduct some missions, the ability to augment people with tech is still untapped. Those husks are horrif-," The human paused only to shake his head "Horrific, but the fact remains we're holding ourselves back by not looking to cybernetic modifications. What we accomplished with EDI and its abilities is only proof of that. Bleeding edge technology that could revolutionize our lives, and the Council says no."
'The Quarians suffered more than necessary for that, many of them said it was a revolt, I remember few saying it was a revolution against oppression. Maybe humans aren't a race of maidens after all, just insanely reckless if they think it will end well.' The matron aged asari sighed after realizing what she said. 'I guess I am getting older.'
"I understand." The Cerberus operative couldn't help but think back to another disgraced N-7 or well 'disgraced' N-7 in his eyes
'What the Alliance did to Alec Ryder was criminal. A dishonorable discharge because of AI research, one of the men who went along with Jon Grissom himself, consigned to be as lowly as someone like me because of experiments with no test subjects. What a bunch of horseshit, what was the worst Alec could have done? Save his poor wife?' 'What a fool, AI is for the weak!' [5]
"Keep yourself sharp agent, we're currently following leads to go find Paul Grayson."
"I hope we find him soon." 'So you can kill him!'
'He's indoctrinated?'
The voice came back again, but before Morinth could dwell on it she felt herself going through another sequence of memories, she could make out the occasional distorted voice, until the memories returned to that night they met. He was right about him hunting a traitor, and gradually observed everything he did, from receiving orders from Pluto command, which sounded similar from that prison break. even going into that strange maiden's restaurant.
Apparently it was an unexpected slice of home for Kai, but it made him uneasy and irritated. It didn't help that she was curious about a place he seemed to not care for anymore.
'Are all non-purebloods like her eager to explore their roots, or is she just crazy in particular? She's not even a child by our standards, and she's out on Omega! I hope someone is looking out for her.'
Kai almost turned around the left the building before it reached an all too familiar point in the melding process, Morinth finally saw herself, off in the distance she remembered keeping track of him as soon as he came in.
'Unnerved? What kind of hunter are you? Asari merely play at being soldiers, take away their biotics and they are nothing.' The voice was back again, and this time it struck a nerve with her.
'So that voice plays on your fears too. I guess you really dislike biotics, but you would be in for a rude awakening. Many Commandos stressed physical training and like Leri Danalis, Talein Saylis, Falere T'Nara.' Morinth briefly felt a tinge of regret at that last name. 'Falere T'Nara, my youngest sister's namesake. Mother once said her mother told her stories of Falere, and how she saved her life.'
The Asari soon focused more on the then Cerberus agent starting at the apartment complex, well not any apartment, it was one of Epno Wen's old properties, the Kympha Tower. Epno Wen, a Volus architect who made it big as someone willing to largely make Omega more than a glorified former mining station creating actual housing blocks, over several generations of cheap or makeshift housing.
'These were being built when I was 60. I remember seeing the scaffolding going up. It's almost nostalgic to remember Omega when Dhambra Nax ran things, more gangs, more mercenaries, more places to hide, and less control.' Soon Morinth saw Kai take down the salarian guarding a door and enter the building. [5]
The layout was alien to what the Asari remembered at various times. A small service elevator ride up four floors saw Kai close to his target and radioed Pluto Command before placing a breaching charge on the door. Kai had soon gotten into a fight he was hoping for, but Morinth saw a familiar face.
'Liselle? That's Aria's brat?' The asari soon saw Kai win, with the voice telling him to kill out of spite, as a retrieval team had arrived before they were quickly shot down. By her hands, and by those same hands she felt Kai getting pulled out to the hallway. Normally their fight would be interesting but all the while she couldn't help focus on that voice.
As they were in the commandeered skycar she noticed the voice kept talking and urging Kai to kill her, but once she tried to exert her influence on him, something changed. The voice was more distorted and mechanical and it seemed to not hide it's alien nature until it seemed to go away.
'Did I remove his indoctrination?, at least he can die as himself'
It wasn't three days after their encounter on Omega. She was looking at Anderson, both humans had their guns drawn on each other. They were in a place called Grissom Academy, it was a school for Human biotics, they were near an emergency exit bay apparently they just stopped someone, Kai felt tired and so did Anderson. [6]
"Damn it Leng, you couldn't have remained a dead disgraced N7, you had to somehow become worse?" I told you there are limits to what should be done and what do you do? You join Cerberus who have no such reservations. What bullshit did they use to justify everything from assassination from a Turian General to a Human Pope to Akuze where they tortured your old comrade Hanlon Toombs?" [7]
'You son of a,' Kai did not finish his thought. Morinth felt Kai get angry.
"They told me, the Alliance wouldn't respond to the real threats. Look at what happened to Tala against the Collectors, the first time. Cerberus brought her back and stopped them." It seemed it was Anderson's turn to get angry
"It's not like we were going to do nothing, we managed to secure info on the Collectors, saying nothing of the fact your organization used both Horizon and Shepard as bait. What the hell did you do to this man?" Kai did not look at the body since he figured it to be a trick, which Anderson wasn't above.
A thought of almost mental nausea hit Morinth as she thought more of the man, no thing that Kai and Anderson just killed. His skin was translucent to point she vaguely recalled seeing ever expanding mechanical implants
"We made a mistake and a situation got out of hand." Anderson couldn't glare anymore if he tried.
"You call what was done to him a mistake? I want answers, and you're going to give them to me."
"You think you can capture me and get me to talk? How?" As far as Kai knew this was stand off, where no one had a clear advantage
Anderson's omni-tool activated on a delayed timer disabling Kai's gun. Anderson fired a brief thought of accepting death mixed with fear was replaced by a sharp searing pain in his left
'Sa'nara!' Morinth swore as Kai was shot through his left leg, but it almost could have hit his knee, but it hurt enough to give him a limp. 'This didn't happen to you, this isn't real, it's someone else's body. This is just like those other times, like Ladeon getting electrocuted or even Kran being thrown to a bunch of Varren when he was just a child.'
'My leg, bastard.' Kai felt a hand grip his shoulder, it must have been Anderson. 'Where's that extraction team?' Anderson pulled, but Kai tried to elbow him.
"Don't you know you've lost?"
"You said it yourself, I can't stay dead." Kai then quickly punched Anderson to at least get him off of him, and possibly try to escape. Kai forced himself back towards what he knew was a railing nearing an emergency hangar door, and quickly opened it. The emergency hangar was meant for quick exits and a small holding bay. There was a Cerberus Kodiak with its engine running In the holding bay, all Kai needed to do was get to it, but his left leg was as good as worthless.
Kai forced himself forward on one leg. 'What am I, some kind of Jiangshi? Well as far as these people know I might as well have died and come back.' The thoughts were mirthless and yet he kept focusing on them. [8]
'Tch, all to keep the pain away huh?' Morinth grunted as she felt the pain, it was quite like the real thing, but some Asari did suffer heart attacks or even acquired PTSD or Phantom Limb like episodes. It was always a risk even if she had her fair share of wounds and injuries.
Kai was almost near the shuttle which at least had two operatives covering him, he heard footsteps behind. 'It figures he wouldn't give up, wouldn't be Anderson if he didn't.'
The operatives open fire to keep Anderson back, who only fired a few shots at least as far as Kai knew. Another shot was fired behind him that came too close towards his remaining good leg. He just needed to reach the shuttle, it seems Anderson had stopped, and he was being helped into the Kodiak, when another two shots came from behind him. One missed him, and another had hit him in his other leg. [9]
Kai could only scream out in pain.
If he were not held up by the others, he could have fallen right then and there, he was quickly rushed on board. The Engines soon fired up and the kodiak had quickly left the hangar.
"Shit, get this man some anesthetic." A mask was put over Kai's face and soon everything had gone dark.
Afterwards all that was left were memories of recovering, adjusting to cybernetic legs and the taxing events yesterday. Morinth had come back to reality. She saw Kai's body awkwardly fall backward on the bed.
'That's it. An existence of 30 years gone in just seconds. Another life ruined by you, and it's going to be the last one too.'
She turned around slightly sighing to get one last look at him. But there was something different, he was breathing normally, he seemed almost fine.
"What?" Morinth moved over to bring her Omni tool to check brain and nerve activity. It seemed fine.
"How? Why?" She began to feel unwell. "He should be dead, no one can survive melding with an Ardat-Yakshi, it can't be possible. Even Krogan can't survive with a redundant nervous system, and attempts at treatments have been held up, and even they are experimental theories at best."
Morinth desperately ran her Omni-Tool's scanner feature once more. His neurological signs were normal, his brain and nerves were functioning perfectly as far as it could tell.
Now Morinth felt uneasy as she processed it. "Why, why him. Sure he's not bad considering who you usually go for, but he should be dead, and he isn't. 'You've killed a lot of people, especially the ones you've melded with. Nef, Ladeon, Kran, Valaria." Morinth paused almost on the brink of tears. 'Telianna.' Morinth's unease grew to nausea perhaps as worse as seeing those Cerberus experiments.
'Everything I did after you Teliana, I did for my own freedom. How else was I suppose to live? Go off to a monastery because of my parents. I could be free, and mother could still have my sisters. What happened? My mother lost them anyway, and what did I do with my freedom? Became a murderer and a failure of a Commando twice.'
"But now, was the last four hundred and twenty-nine years all worthless? Did I kill those people for nothing?" Morinth quickly ran to a sink, unable to hold back her unease at her life.
Kai's mind felt hazy, he didn't know he was seeing. He looked down at where his hands should be, why are they small and blue? Did she meld with him? Was it supposed to have these sharp feelings of pain all over. [10]
So this is the end of going through Kai's memories, and on to Morinth's. I'll try to keep that to one chapter even if I will run into the same issues of largely having to fill in a ton of blanks, and I because don't want to make you guys suffer through another chapter endless flashbacks, even if has color commentary.
As for why Kai survived where Shepard does not, the only reason I can come up with is Cerberus magical bullshit tech which you could use to explain other parts of ME 3. As far as we are aware Shepard's is never drastically altered even with the cybernetics given to them, apparently even the nervous system, although they do get a reinforced spine which means it could have been. Then again Melding might as well be something like space magic, even more so how Ardat-Yakshi function.
[1] Brooks, before ME 2 was a Cerberus agent and analyst who compiled dossiers on the crew of the SR 1 Normandy. S
[2] Brooks did have a run-in with Wrex and talk with Ashley around the time of ME 1, IIRC slightly before it.
[3] Yeah, Hanlon Toombs from the last chapter is the same Corporal Toombs who survived Akuze.
[4] All of this happened in the Mass Effect Foundation comics along with her ME 1 involvement, and explains Brooks' backstory who is relevant to the Citadel DLC.
[5] Alec Ryder being the father of Sarah and Scott Ryder the protagonists of ME Andromeda, was court martialed for A.I Research and also an N-7.
[6] Aria only really came to power in the 1980's and may have only arrived there about a good hundred years prior in the 1880's. Dhambra Nax is supposed to be the Patriarch. I have Morinth as having fled around there, around the 1790's, so she knows of a time long before Aria became leader of Omega.
[7] I'm taking some liberties with ME Retribution's confrontation with Kai Leng and Anderson
[8] A hopping corpse from Chinese folklore.
[9] Instead of being shot in both at once, which does happen in Retribution, it happens slightly differently here, generally because I don't know if I could have pulled off writing him as escaping with broken legs as it was written.
[10] Distortion is my way showing just how different Ardat-Yakshi melding can be with a slight twist, since it won't be fatal.