EPILOGUE
Good Morning Andromeda, It has Begun!
In… hale…
…
Ex… hale…
….
Inhale…
Exhale…
Heartbeat is active, steady, and normal. He's completely thawed out…
My eyes… weighed down so heavily… What was going on? Why was my mind blank… Why couldn't I see anything?
He was lucky that he was found near Aya's city along with a few other pods…
My hearing… So faint… But I heard humming… thumping… and a pitchy bleeping…
He's breathing, slowly, he's still sleeping… Who said that?
Maybe if I try to recap my life… Where to begin?
My name is Jacen Tarren, born from Cipritine of planet Palaven… I was the only son of Vaana and Metias Tarren. I took part in mandatory training at Fort Sanctius. I enlisted in the turian army, stationed on Fort Kindrax for a few missions, then I transferred to the turian carrier, the Undaunted for a few years. After several missions, including assisting turian Spectre Falrian, I was offered training with Saren Arterius. I turned it down and joined Citadel Security for a few years. In the latter years of service, I learned my mother was murdered by my estranged Uncle, Micus Tarren… That was when I got my scar… Even though I defeated him, despite my best efforts, my father died…
That was when everything clicked together, the reason why I joined the initiative. I had no life in the Milky Way. Even if I had accomplished so many things. I had assassinated criminals, thugs, terrorists, and bad-shit nutsos. I tried to save as many lives as I could, even though few died on my hands. I could only wish circumstances had turned out better…
But at least one of my wishes came true… I got to visit Earth for over a week, visiting London, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, New York, Chicago… I spent a night in Erik's home in Wisconsin. Earth was amazing…
As for family, my mother's side of the family. The Vakarians, my aunt… Before takeoff, I remembered that I have spoken to her now and then. During our conversations, she would… I guess… Slip out of mind, but she would never forget me or any other family members, especially not my parents.
Uncle Castis was strict, he was a C-Sec Officer to the bone until he became chief of our precinct on the Citadel… But those times when I was in mourning, he was there for me, like a second father… I suppose like my own, he taught me everything he knew. Military training, survival, combat, updating weapons. I vaguely remember, but I was practically an infant, like my father, he would pick me up and toss me in the air and catch me until I begged him to stop… I never expected that from him.
Solana. She may have been my cousin, but growing up, she was like a sister I never had. We played games when we were kids. I messaged her from time to time. She was with me when we toured around Earth. She sent me copies of all of her recordings, including my Dance-Off against Stuebbs in Chicago… She was the last person to say goodbye to me on the day I was put on ice…
And Garrus…
I think he's waking up!
A light blinded my sight. I tried to raise my hand in front of my face, but both my arms were stiff as boards. I didn't feel anything at first… Not my toes, not my fingers, nothing… I felt a pair of hands grabbing my right shoulder and back, slowly lifting me upright. My vision was blurry at the moment, but my hearing was crystal clear.
"Just give it a moment, Mr. Tarren. Stasis recovery will take time."
I tried to open my mouth and mandibles, but my voice was so hoarsely that it practically hurt to talk. "Ah…" I coughed.
"Drink this." She gave me a hot drink, dextro-caffeine. Soothing, my throat felt relaxed enough. It took minutes for my body to wake up after being frozen for six centuries. My memories of my life came back to me instantly. And my vision started to clear up…
"Are we here?" I asked softly.
"Yes Mr. Tarren, welcome to Andromeda."
We made it.
My vision cleared enough for me to gaze around the room… This room, I don't recognize it. I know I had done many tours around the Natanus, and I had never been here. And the doctor wasn't a turian. She was an asari…
"So who are you?" I asked. "And where on the Natanus are we?"
"I'm Dr. Riava D'Lashi, I was assigned to help wake some of you turians brought here." She answered. "And we're not on the Natanus, this is the Nexus." The door opened up when she finished that sentence.
The Nexus? I whipped my head at her. "What happened to Ark Natanus?"
I gazed my attention at the door as a turian entered. Her outfit was white, gray, and some red streams. Her carapace was light gray but almost white as the snow of Noveria. From the top of her head to her neck her skin was a maroon color. She had red markings forming an archway from the top of her eyes up to her temple plate. More streaks below her eyes, and a pair of lines from her chin… Her markings were asymmetrical with one mark on one mandible but nothing on the other…
"Hi there." She spoke. "Welcome to the Nexus."
"Excuse me." The doctor exclaimed. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Director Tann and Kandros heard that some of the turians brought on board were waking up." She answered. "They figured they wanted some volunteers to give them a proper welcome, and an explanation."
The doctor opened her omni-tool to show a message. She conceded as she turned to me. "Well Mr. Tarren, you'll recover from stasis." She left me a dextro-energy drink to help wake me up, and she took off to help other patients.
As for the turian, she took her seat in front of me, and she grabbed one of the drinks the doctor left for me. "I love this brand, I'm surprised this was onboard since this was contraband." She took a sip and set it down on the counter. "I guess an exception was made to help us turians wake up from our years of sleep."
When I glanced at the bottle, I recognized the brand and flavor. The last time I had that drink was when I was with my friends at Apollo's Café on the Citadel. I wondered how they were doing right now.
The turian opened her mandibles as she spoke to me. "Alright sir, I'll do everything in my knowledge to explain everything that had happened here." She paused. "Although, you are probably not going to believe it…"
I gazed at her and replied. "Try me."
Her story began 15 months ago, the Nexus had arrived in the Heleus Cluster as predicted. But the outcome did not go according to plan… Upon arrival, the station collided with a dark energy cloud that set the Nexus off course and cause internal and external damage.
The energy was called the Scourge, it was determined that the cloud was artificial and placed throughout the cluster by someone… According to the scientists, the Scourge made most of the golden worlds unlivable…
As if things weren't bad enough, some of the people who woke up fell into despair and chaos. A lot of them including some of the key leadership members died… The founder, Jien Garson, was killed. And it gets worse, the head of security, Sloane Kelly instigated a rebellion against the newly appointed leader, Jarun Tann. After the rebellion, Sloane, some of the security, civilians, and most of the krogan were exiled from the station…
Fourteen months later, the human ark, Hyperion was the first to arrive. The Initiative seemed to have high hopes for power, food, and other essentials to help survive. But… like the Nexus, Hyperion had its issues too. They first arrived at Habitat 7, where they had an explosive battle against the planet's climate, a hostile battle against the aliens called the Kett, and their pathfinder Alec Ryder was killed when he activated an alien structure. But before he died, he passed his pathfinder role to one of his children.
Tann and Addison weren't exactly thrilled to have a "Pathfinder-in-training" to help resolve the situation, but they didn't have any other choice at the moment.
Pathfinder Ryder along with a few others traveled on the Tempest to Habitat 1, planet Eos. A highly radioactive world that was infested with Kett enemies and robotic figures called the Remnant. And like Habitat 7, the area was surrounded by alien structures that were believed to manipulate the atmosphere. The three monoliths revealed a massive underground vault with many obstacles, turret guns, more Remnant bots, and what sounded like an ash cloud to incinerate those within the vault upon activation…
And true to SAM's calculations, the vault stabilized the planet's environment, at an accelerated rate. A third outpost was established and it was called Prodromos. It was a small and slow start, but the initiative finally had a golden world to set on.
Later, the crew of the Tempest traveled to the next world, where they encountered the Kett armada led by some evil bastard called the Archon. After narrowly escaping, Ryder got into first contact with the Andromeda natives, the Angara. By the requests of Aya's governor, Paaran Shie, and the Angaran Resistance leader Evfra de Tershaav, the pathfinder team gained a new ally and traveled to angaran worlds to gain their trust so that they could attempt to rescue their elder scientist, Moshae Sjefa.
The moshae was held captive in a kett facility on Voeld. During the joint mission between the resistance and the pathfinder team, they successfully rescued her, but at the same time had to make a hard choice and learn the truth about the kett.
The fact that the kett were all along the angara, "exalted". A process of converting into new kett as a means of reproduction. A complex genetic reconstruction, to put it simply, the kett can turn their victims (prisoners and/or voluntary subjects) into abominations. And I thought the husks on Mars were monsters…
It was after rescuing the moshae, and gaining an alliance with the Angara, Ryder gained access to Aya's vault and learned about Meridian. The supposed control center for all of Heleus' terraforming network. But the problem was that the Archon had the encrypted information on his flagship, and finding the ship required information from a datapad found on the outskirts of Kadara.
The moment the flagship was found, it was tethered to the Salarian Ark, Paachero. A lot had happened onboard the kett ship, there weren't specific details about what had happened in the latter while escaping the flagship's cannons. But, Ryder acquired the information.
While traveling across the cluster on side missions, the Tempest crew with the help of the salarian pathfinder and a few others, defied Tann's orders and traveled to the station that was thought to have been Meridian. The team traveled through the city-sized station only to discover many things.
For one, the angara were created in the station. As hundreds maybe thousands of pods of genetic constructs were discovered. The station also housed many Remnant ships armed and in working condition. And from the information, the one thing the team learned was that the builders were called the Jardaan. Sometime during our trip through dark space, it was theorized that a powerful explosion caused the Scourge to expand throughout the cluster rendering most of the golden worlds uninhabitable. The details however were unclear…
After the fiasco within Khi Tasira, and with the initiative leaders. It was decided to locate the real Meridian, and activate the terraforming network. It took time for the tempest crew to combine their efforts and knowledge from exploring the cluster, the Scourge, and comparing star charts between then and now. Ryder returned to Khi Tasira, and found the location to Meridian, but… The Archon sprung his attack.
He used the Pathfinder to find Meridian and at the same time, he and the kett hijacked the Hyperion with many passengers still onboard, including Ryder's sibling.
There weren't many details about the outcome of the battle, but the fact remained that Ark Hyperion was grounded, the Archon dead, and the terraforming network was activated. Enabling all worlds habitable. The Initiative had found a home, and the angara were at peace.
The battle of Meridian was a month ago, and according to the turian, a lot of colonists were out of stasis and improving all outposts. From Port Hyperion to Prodromos, and others across the cluster. So I missed out on the action, but overall…
"We're home at last." Said the turian.
So the initiative had a glitchy start, but after a few improvements for weeks, the situation was getting better and better.
When I looked closely at her, I remember her from before… "Didn't I bump into you before we went into stasis?"
She tilted her head. "Well now that you mention it…" She looked at me for a moment and approached me. "What's your name?"
"Jacen." I answered her.
"Well nice to meet you, Jacen. Call me Sid."
If I had to guess, Sid was just a kid. A teenager more or less. I wondered if she had participated in boot camp, but otherwise, I asked if she traveled 600 years into Andromeda by herself.
"No, I have an older sister." She answered.
"And where is she at?" I asked.
"Last I saw her was on Meridian. She took off with Pathfinder Ryder exploring the cluster and beyond."
She received a blip from her omni-tool, it was a message from her supervisor to return to her monitoring station near the Ops Center on the Nexus. Sid waved at me as she gave me one last welcome to the new galaxy.
Hm, the girl was young and naïve, but she was cute, she almost reminded me of Solana…
Damn, so I was out cold for an extra 15 months, it was a lot to take in. A lot more to process to the fact that, according to the surveyors that were on a planet called Aya my pod along with a few others were found outside of city limits. By exact count, seven of us, including myself and Calio. The rest were security/APEX, and an engineer and the rest were civilians.
After recovering from stasis, and getting discharged from medical, I was instantly cleared for immigration. However, I was originally assigned to the pathfinder team on the Natanus… I have heard rumors that the turian ark was severely damaged, beyond repair… As for our Pathfinder, Macen Barro was killed during the collision with the Scourge. I know Avitus Rix was next in line, and someone else after him. I know I was among the line of succession (probably the last), otherwise, I would have felt SAM in my head…
Either way, I was to meet with Nexus leadership the next day. In the meantime, I took the time to explore the station. The docks were quite the venue, from Hydroponics, Cultural Center, and the Vortex Lounge. It was also where the apartments were located. The Tech Labs, where the scientists research biology and other phenomena across the cluster. Some stores with armor, weapons, and other modifications were open to the public. It was the commons of the Nexus. I have heard that there would be more venues added within the ring of the station and the few arms.
The next was the Operation Center, where most of the Leadership members resided. Pathfinder Headquarters was allocated to the current director of the Initiative. The Ops Center oversees the security and management of the entire Nexus station.
After I examined the entire station, I thought about what Sid told me about the Uprising. The station was a mess over a year ago, and I wasn't awake yet. But yet after the Battle for Meridian, things were slowly getting better. And yet, the station was slowly getting a little more populated than it was before.
I may have missed the action… But who said the Battle for Meridian was the last?
The apartment I was assigned for the time being was standard… Not too big like my former home on Palaven, and not too small like the quarters on the lunar base… It felt like my home on the Citadel… Hell, the Nexus, slightly smaller, was Andromeda's Citadel. Only two of the four arks were attached at the center feeding power to the station.
There wasn't much to unpack, I wouldn't stay on the Nexus for long. Not until I found out what I was going into… It sounded like Pathfinder Ryder had placed outposts on most of the Golden Worlds… Although everything turned out all right, that also meant things did not go the way I wanted… I wanted to help Pathfinder Barro explore these worlds to settle the turians and quarians at Habitat 5. Not that it would matter anyways since that world was destroyed…
I was itching for an adventure across the cluster, and hopefully the galaxy. I was hoping to meet up with Alar, Erik, and everyone else that came here. But I haven't seen them yet… But I'll find out sooner or later.
In a supposed vacant room that I occupied in, I opened my omni-tool to view the vids and images I had. Memories of my life in the Milky Way… My parents, my friends (old and new), the Vakarians, and Solana with her images and vids she shared with me before I went into cryo… It wouldn't surprise me if she was still laughing at the time I shoved Erik's face in the snow for his smartass remark… And then there was an image that caught me by surprise…
Garrus…
Was it right to leave the Milky Way as I did? Blaming him for…
No. NO! I cannot second-guess my choice! What's done, is done. Everyone I knew back in the Milky Way… My former colleagues of C-Sec, the turian military, and the Vakarians, all lived out their lives fine without me.
And… It was clear enough, Garrus, wanted to bring up justice in his vision… He never needed me… He made his choice, more than once…
Some of my belongings were brought to me, from my rucksack with my clothing, supplies, and a few other essentials.
My briefcase with my family gravestone, with both my parents' names. If I was to find a home to settle in, I would like a family shrine. I may not be spiritual (or religious), but my parents deserve a place to rest, Milky Way and Andromeda.
And lastly were two rifle cases that I… Wait, two rifle cases? Last I checked, I only brought one! I tried to tell the requisitioning officer that he made a mistake. But according to him, there was no mistake, both of those cases had my name and signature on both of them…
I didn't know what the hell was going on, and why I received a second rifle case… My omni-tool scanned both cases, my best rifle was in one, and the devices inside… My first instinct, they could have been explosives. But no, they weren't bombs, from what the scans revealed, they were recording and storage devices.
When I opened my rifle case, my viper sniper was still inside. It still looked the same without any dust, scratches, or damage during the voyage through dark space.
I didn't understand it. Why was the second rifle case containing multiple storage devices?
And then I found a small memory drive next to my sniper, something I hadn't seen since I was barely an infant. There was an initial engraved in Palaven's language, the signature itself took me by surprise since I recognized that writing.
Garrus Vakarian. Was he the one who gave me these devices? But why?
I examined the memory drive carefully. There were switches on the side and each one was numbered. I assumed that I had to view these in a certain order.
In that instant, I had thought back to my life in the Milky Way… Everything that had happened in my life, friends and loved ones that were taken… And Garrus, I tried to help, I tried to tell him about his choices, his attitude, and renegade personality would be his downfall… But he would not listen… After our fight that night, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to lay eyes on me. He didn't even bother to come to say goodbye to me, and I find out he's with Commander Shepard, and with Cerberus…
I didn't want to know what he left for me with this…
But… He was still my cousin… I would know, he would not leave this to me if it was for nothing. I didn't care if it was his goodbye message or an "I told you so" recording… It wouldn't hurt if I at least listened to what he had to say as I rerouted his message on the big monitor in my room.
An image showed Garrus looking at me… But was that my cousin? He looked… different… He had a large graft covering the right side of his face, along with a dark splotch… His mandible twitched as his fingers kneaded slowly as if he was numbing the pain away… What the hell happened to him? That scar must have a story there…
And he spoke to me.
Jacen,
If you are reading this, then that means you made it to the Andromeda Galaxy alive. And I have to admit, cuz, you got guts! Taking a giant leap across dark space to settle our people into a whole new galaxy. I know you will have quite an adventure exploring new worlds. I know that beats C-Sec anytime… And speaking of which, I was surprised to hear that you too resigned from your position. That among the fact that you didn't bother mentioning to me that you joined a colonial effort that's a one-way trip and never coming back… But, I don't blame you…
Jace,
the last time we saw each other, things… things ended badly between us… I'm sorry I punched you that night. I'm sorry for everything I had said and done. I don't know why I did that… I never meant to push you out of my life like that…
As you know, my father and I have had a long and complicated history together, dad threatened to throw me in the brig if I crossed the line. You know me best, I never liked to follow any bad orders, I never liked those damned rules and regulations getting in the way of doing the right thing. Honestly, I was never a very good turian… Not like you, at least.
After the attacks at the Citadel and the supposed death of Commander Shepard, I needed to do things my way without bureaucracy getting in the way. That night before we fought, where I attacked Kishpaugh, I got the information I needed to where the drugs were being smuggled from. And of course, you knew where I was going…
During my stay at Omega, I had seen everything. Innocents were being pushed and kicked around by thugs and criminals. Nobody around was doing anything to help, so I stepped in. I was an "Angel" to the locals. Eventually, like Shepard, I started a team. Former military, security officers, basically men who wanted to make a difference. And after nearly a year of missions, and excessive training we've prevented the top mercenary teams from completing their objectives.
That is until we got betrayed by one of our own… A divide and conquer scenario, I was lured away while the three mercs teamed up and destroyed everything I worked so hard on, all gone up in smoke… I was the last man standing, and I barely escaped with a missile exploding at my face, as you can see. Miraculously, Commander Shepard and the crew of Normandy SR-2 with the help of Cerberus saved my life. As of this message, I am helping the Commander on an important mission. So, I am doing what I love, helping to save the galaxy.
But, this mission I am in, it's bigger than anything I've ever encountered, which is why I am recording this message to you. Whether I get out of this mission alive or not, either way, I will be centuries behind while you live the rest of your life in Andromeda…
And I hope this explains why I did the things I've done.
Jacen,
We may not have always agreed on certain things. I normally have no regrets… But that night when we fought, what I said to you about my father not being yours, that… That was unfair of me, even after everything you had lost, that's the one thing I wish I could take back… I never should have said that to you… I don't know how else I can say I'm sorry, even if it is too late…
If I had the ability to time travel, long enough to return to your mansion and stop that bastard Micus from murdering aunt Vaana, I would. But that's not possible…
I may have not been a good turian. But you have always been more like a brother than a cousin to me. I would never forget all the good times we had before Saren's investigation. From playing as spectres, to our little friendly games we've competed, all the way between boot camp and C-Sec when we had each other's backs. And movie night, the vids from Earth were inspiring, and awesome!
And I am pretty sure, at the end of our little dance… You would have won. You always were the best shot.
And by the way, I know you came to Omega for an errand… I wished you had come to me, I would have helped. But I understand why you didn't. Not because of our complicated history, but because you didn't want to risk compromising my identity to the galaxy, to spare me the agony that you have suffered…
I even tried to catch you up the skypad, I had hoped you had seen me…
I love you. I always have. Please, please forgive me. Take care of yourself, my favorite cousin. I have an order for you. Go out there, and find our people home. You can do it, Guardian, you were born for this! If you ever get yourself in a firefight, scratch one for me!
This is your cousin, Garrus Vakarian, codenamed, Archangel. Signing off.
Damn…
So that was him the moment we left Omega… I knew it! He tried to catch me on the elevator and that was him on the crosshair of the pad we took off from!
That was… unexpected. Sure as kids, we started fine and got along famously growing up. Then we've had some rough patches along the way. And the wedge between us went down far enough that we haven't spoken to each other since that night…
But I didn't care about the rivalry we had, proving who was the better shot and dancer… In the end, I guess he truly cared…
So, Garrus sent a message to me, but what were these other devices in the other rifle case? Each of these devices was labeled with a number. My cousin was smart, tactical, and knew how to upgrade and calibrate weapons and machines. For something like this, no way he did that by himself…
I activated the first device, it was another holographic image… Of the asari information broker I met on Illium…
Hello, Jacen
You might not remember me, but we met on Illium, and I directed you to the courier for the Initiative parts. And I also helped remedied the migraines you suffered. If you are reading this, then you have found these data storage memories. These devices contain enough zettabytes with a program to record all of the Milky Way's information and history during your centuries-long voyage across dark space. As well as a personal message from your cousin, Garrus.
He wanted me to pass on these messages and information about the events before the attack of the Citadel as well as his mission with Commander Shepard in 2185.
I understand there was some complication between the two of you. Whatever you think of Garrus, despite his rebellious and anti-political views, he was a good man and a friend.
So, whatever prejudice you had with Garrus, despite his personality, please understand, his intentions were for the right reasons.
I wish you the best of luck in Andromeda. May you find your path home.
Dr. Liara T'Soni
Liara… Did she and Garrus know each other? Of course, she mentioned his name at an inconvenient time. And it probably made sense because they both had their interactions with Shepard within my last few years in the Milky Way.
But why would they just give me information about Shepard and the last six centuries of the Milky Way? By now the people of the Nexus would have relayed to the descendants of our safe arrival in Andromeda.
Well, as a former detective and a calibrator, I am naturally curious. Of course, I would want to know, the second device was active!
In 2183, the human, Commander Shepard was assigned to the human alliance frigate, the SSV Normandy SR-1. Leaving Earth to Eden Prime for a shakedown run with turian spectre, Nilus Kryik.
I remember back when I was in C-Sec, that day when I went to Zakera, Executer Pallin informed us about the events that happened in the colony. And Argus told me about what Garrus had done while I was out.
Shepard interacted with the Prothean beacon. The device telepathically fed the commander information that was unclear to understand. They were visions from what sounded like a nightmare, machines killing people… Thanks for giving me that colorful image…
But anyways, after meeting Ambassador Udina at the Embassies and running into my cousin at the Citadel Tower.
After that, Shepard along with two accomplices traveled across the Presidium and the Lower Wards to find any evidence to incriminate Saren. And they did, it lead to a quarian girl, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya… I remember Jesa mentioning her name more than once. But true to her word, Tali obtained information and an audio recording of Saren Arterius and the asari matriarch Benezia. After relaying the information to Captain Anderson, Donnel Udina, later the council. Commander Shepard was made the first human Spectre. And was tasked to stop Saren, by any means necessary.
So, Argus was right about that fact, although it was unknown if Garrus was involved in the situation. Not sure if Liara kept that information to herself, or if she neglected to input it into the storage devices.
The Normandy had traveled across a few sectors in the Galaxy looking for Liara T'Soni, hunting Matriarch Benezia, getting information about the reapers, and getting Saren above all. Their journeys had taken them to Virmire…
I remember, back on Mars, Alar told me that his captain, Kirrahe, acquired information on that planet. From Saren and Benezia with a prothean beacon, along with a few other accomplices… Micus among them…
Anyways, after infiltrating several barricades guarded by geth, Commander Shepard and the ground team met up with Captain Kirrahe, discussing a plan to destroy the base where Saren was occupying… It seemed that Saren had found a cure to the genophage plaguing the krogan, and he was using them for his conquest. There weren't many details on who did what… And it sounded like the situation got so complicated that Shepard had to leave one team member behind to die in the explosion…
According to Liara, after her memory transfer to the Commander, she recognized a planet beyond the Mu Relay. A prothean ruined world of Ilos. But the Normandy was ordered to return to the Citadel to relay the information to the council. It was typical that the council members denied Shepard to pursue the turian spectre beyond the Mu Relay. So, the Normandy was grounded until further notice.
With the help of Anderson, Shepard and the Normandy crew defied the council's orders and traveled through the Mu Relay to Ilos. While chasing Saren through a passage, the team found a damaged V.I. called Vigil. The "Conduit" was a prototype mass relay developed by the protheans. It was how Saren came in undetected and was followed by Shepard's ground team.
It took hours for Commander Shepard and a few others to eliminate Saren and stop his reaper dreadnaught. Sometime later when I arrived back in the Citadel after both my parents were murdered by Micus… It made me wonder, like Saren, did he fall victim to this Indoctrination of the reapers… In his last moments, before I ended him, he spoke to me, as if he broke free from some mind control…
After days of cleaning up, missing persons reported, a heated argument between me and Garrus… Well, I knew the rest of my part.
While Garrus played Archangel on Omega, and while I was on the Earth's moon training for the Andromeda Initiative. Liara was caught between the Shadow Broker cronies and Cerberus operatives. She and a drell, an information trafficker, Feron found the Commander in a stasis pod. There was some discrepancy with Feron's background… But after traveling through Omega and the Shadow Broker's base on the planet of Alingon. Her situation was complicated, but she managed to obtain Shepard's body. But given the damage done to the body, Liara was left with no choice but to pass it on to Miranda Lawson of Cerberus. And Liara had one task to find and eliminate the Shadow Broker…
It took about two years for Cerberus to completely reconstruct Commander Shepard. After leaving the Minuteman Station, the revived Commander along with Cerberus Operatives Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor traveled to Freedoms Progress. A human colony that went dark all of the sudden…
I remember Erik mentioning Freedom's Progress, along with Ferris Fields, Fehl Prime, and several other human colonies that went dark all of the sudden in news reports… There were a few speculations of what was causing these disappearances… And Liara's information showed me the answer…
After a sudden run-in with Tali, who was at the time looking for a friend of hers, they discovered the Collectors were responsible for abducting entire human colonies across the galaxy…
Well shit… The mythological alien race said to be hiding behind the Omega-4 relay was enigmatically real all along… But why would they want to abduct humans?
Along the way, Shepard and an upgraded SSV Normandy SR-2 traveled across the galaxy recruiting the best to stop the collectors. And after examining the dossiers… It was a really small galaxy… Or should I say a small universe… Several of these recruits I have heard of from the friends I've made in the initiative… Mordin Solus, Tali'Zorah, Thane Krios, and if I had to bet all my 100,000 credits I was sure that Subject Zero, Jaqueline Nought was Reggie's long-lost childhood friend (Jennifer or Jackie), "Jack", according to her dossier, were the same. And Garrus, at the time Archangel was among the selected few…
Looking into how he was recruited, Garrus' life was in danger. True to the message he sent me, he was betrayed by one of his own as the three top mercs teamed up and attacked his base, killing every one of his comrades… From what I had seen from Shepard's vid log, of a rocket exploding…
How did I see that coming? Ever since Omega, I saw Garrus' demise from a rocket exploding at him… From my nightmares…
Well, Garrus, if you still wanted a contest, of who received his facial scar the worst… You'd have won. That I'll admit. So there, con-DAMN-gratulations! YOU WON! I got mine from an acid spill and yet I got back up despite the pain I endured. And personally, my facial scar doesn't count as dying since I was resuscitated within minutes…
But anyways, after recruiting a select few, and investigating a recent abduction on Horizon. Shepard had a bittersweet encounter with an old friend. That recruit was displeased by Shepard's involvement with Cerberus…
I almost, almost, didn't blame them… Cerberus' actions on Omega were etched in my brain for the rest of my life. They were the last people I'd allied myself with. And yet, Shepard, Garrus, and several other aliens were recruited by those fascist bastards…
Although the team knew that this mission was possibly a one-way trip, a suicide mission. Each squad mate had an issue to resolve, something to clear their heads before meeting their possible demise. For Garrus, he wanted revenge for the lives of ten men by killing one man, Lantar Sidonis…
I ran into him once, and my first impression, he seemed to be a decent man. Who believed in bringing justice to criminals abusing the weak and helpless… I found that hard to believe he would betray intentionally, even if it was that one meeting with him, there must have been a reason why.
There was no information if whether or not, Garrus pursued his Judas comrade… And honestly, it's probably better that I DON'T want to know…
Later on, the Illusive Man tasked Shepard's team to a derelict reaper ship. The task was to acquire a Reaper IFF to find and locate the Collector Home Base. That and it looked like, Shepard's team found a geth unit wearing an N7 insignia, and it could talk. Why it could talk, let alone how? Asked as if I had a fucking clue…
It would take time for the Normandy's AI, EDI, to access the Reaper IFF and locate the Collector Home Base. As Shepard and the ground team disembark for a mission… Things went way far south… A Collector Ship finds the Normandy and hijacked the ship. Everyone, except for pilot Jeff Moreau, was captured, and after barely escaping, "Joker" called Shepard about the situation. Upon returning, EDI was about to locate the Home Base at the Center of the Galaxy…
I found that hard to believe because in the center was a black hole… It probably explained why Terminus, Omega, and its relay were all definitions of Final, end, and suicidal death. And why centuries, even millenniums of ships ventured through and never came back…
Damn, this Illusive Man was using Shepard, the ground team, and the Normandy crew as his Suicide Squad without consideration of those who were involved… All the more reason why Cerberus is an evil bunch.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much information about what happened after traveling through the Omega-4 Relay… No information on who survived and who died… Garrus could have died there. But, even if we haven't spoken since our fight, I knew him for most of my life. Garrus was too stubborn and ignorant for his own good to get himself killed… Unless something was clouding his judgment, that or it was from some crewmember's neglect… The Collector Base was destroyed, and the abductions came to an end. But otherwise, that was all the information about Commander Shepard she shared with me…
With most of Commander Shepard's story out of the way, there were two more devices to examine. The third one was consistently bigger than the rest. From the looks of it, that memory drive could hold at least thousands, hundreds of thousands, probably more than a million zettabytes.
Damn… If Liara wanted me to examine every detail of that device, it would take me years, decades… Maybe my entire life to finish. No way in hell was I going to look into that. That was until another message popped out from my omni-tool.
Hello, Jacen
If you are seeing this, then you are about to witness televised recordings of the Milky Way during your 600-year voyage through dark space. I am still wrapping my head around the thought of that idea, since someone I knew, like you, also decided to make the journey.
But anyways, I have placed this with your message from your cousin as well as the information of Commander Shepard under Garrus' wishes. By the time you have reached the Heleus Cluster, the recordings would have stopped. Quite likely, nothing serious would happen. But there was a reason why he wanted you to see certain reports. A special program will automatically show you anything important should it happen.
All I can say is, no matter what happens, DO NOT forget about our great-great galaxy. And I wish you, and everyone else in the initiative the best for you all. Make Andromeda safe and find your path home.
Dr. Liara T'Soni
Okay, so I wouldn't have to examine EVERY past event from the Milky Way. I would only see some important bits. And so I did.
The first recording showed a news report from the Citadel's news anchors, asari Eney Kyari and human Geoff Godfrey. The report of the Nexus and the four Arks of the Andromeda Initiative departs the Milky Way, while Ark Keelah Si'yah was under preparations and would not depart until late 2186… That part was sped up a little bit as did other reports and dozens, maybe thousands of ads just zipping by in a fast-forward motion.
Liara wasn't kidding, her program would only speed up toward a piece of very important information about the Milky Way. It took only ten minutes for the program to stop and play a human ad.
Featuring the latest in carbohydrate technology! Tastes just like the Milky Way! Get your daily dose of Element Zero with… BLAST-OHS! ENKINDLE YOUR TASTE BUDS!
[This one does not endorse this message.]
Damn, that ad never gets old, or more annoying no matter what galaxy you were in… From the Blasto movie franchise back in the Milky Way. I remember watching them with Solana and Garrus when we were kids…
The ad ended and the Citadel News Network opened up with the two anchors Eney and Geoff opening up with their names and started their announcements.
First, their top story; the former Spectre, Commander Shepard was detained by the Systems Alliance of Earth for several months for aiding and abiding with the paramilitary human supremacist group, Cerberus. First sighted on Omega with two associates, thought to have been caused by the hallucinogen drug of Hallux. It was previously reported that the commander was killed in action in late 2183 by an unknown force. Admiral Steven Hackett, along with David Anderson and a few others confirmed that Shepard was alive, and was incarcerated pending further investigations…
Well, Shepard was alive, and yet, Earth had its bureaucracy just like the Citadel. They never mentioned anything to the public about why the former commander was involved with Cerberus. They probably didn't want to scare the people to death about what had happened to the several human colonies that were attacked and abducted.
On to breaking news on the Citadel. Security Executor, Venari Pallin was pronounced dead at the Zakera Ward precinct. Pallin was accused of aiding enemies of the council. And was reportedly killed by C-Sec officer, Armando-Owen Baily. In the aftermath, Baily was promoted by the human councilor, Donnel Udina as the Commander of Citadel Security.
Damn… Executor Pallin… I never saw that coming… Pallin was strict, hell, he was a C-Sec officer to the bone. But I would never have imagined that he would betray the council like that. And knowing him, he wouldn't. If I was still in the Milky Way, I would have looked into this myself. Because something did not make sense of the issue…
But Baily, I've worked with him during the Batarian Juggernaut case, he was a decent man. I trust he would make a good Executor of Citadel Security.
Next, another Citadel Security topic was about a smuggler's arrest due to fraudulent business dealings with the Blue Suns. The smuggler, Fade, was the disgraced human C-Sec officer…
Harkin…
I remember the first time meeting him, we started fine, but the next day he was already on my ass. Plus, there were times he crossed the line, breaking rules, blackmailing, and substance abuse during the job. He was a fucking asshole, not just to me, but to everyone, on the force and toward civilians.
Hearing that he had become a criminal by changing the identities of many people to hide from certain people, law enforcement especially, was low.
He was put on trial within the Presidium, and he was found guilty of his crimes. The news anchors were about to announce his sentencing hearing date, but then…
It cuts off, I took my eyes off, trying to ignore Harkin's mug shot shown on the screen. When I turned back, it was all black… I tried to use my omni-tool, I had hoped it was a glitch within Liara's programming.
I flinched backward from the loud synthetic buzzer. The black screen turned navy blue, with the Citadel's insignia shown in the center. Sandwiched in between the logo were two lines…
CITADEL EMERGENCY
PLEASE STAND BY
A synthetic buzzer continued to sound off, it was loud enough that I had to turn the volume down so no one outside my apartment room would hear me… A synthetic voice spoke out loud, too.
[THIS IS NOT A TEST. This is an Emergency Alert Transmission.]
A correspondent from the Citadel Tower announced a state of emergency, as he was about to transfer to a representative of the council members. He stood behind the podium, telling the viewers to remain calm, but he just went to the point.
As of the human month September 28, 2186, Galactic Standard Time. The Batarian homeworld of Khar'shan, as well as council worlds Palaven, and Earth were being invaded and attacked by sentient starships, designated as Reapers…
Within the next five minutes, a reporter or two tried to ask questions but was cut off. He urged the viewers to remain calm and not cause panic.
The reporters had their questions made to the representative.
Sir, how many of these Reapers have been sighted?
What's the damage ratio of their energy beams?
Are these the same Reapers Commander Shepard warned about years ago?
As the reporters flooded the representative, a monitor opened up from Earth's Alliance News Network. It showed several Reapers touching down and beginning to destroy a city. Rio de Janeiro, Montreal, London, and so many other major cities…
Palaven had their reports, and Cipritine was hit the hardest… My people are warriors-born, prepared for our inevitable demise should it come. But not every turian was a fighter like myself and my family… If our best soldiers couldn't stop a massive sentient machine, how could anyone else?
There was a radio communication from a station at Menae. His voice gave out, I recognized him when I saw his face…
"This is Palaven command to all turian units within range! Under catastrophic Reaper attack! Primarch Fedorian is dead! Ground units are searching for the next in succession!"
Opter Adradas, my former comrade from our mission on Noveria… After Anlea's funeral, he and Pacia Veriraka were still in the military last I heard. But anyways, he was still facing the camera making an address, but his eye twitched to the left as if something caught his attention…
"Will advise when-"
His head turned completely around as did other soldiers and their surroundings turned red. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"
The cameraman or Opter might have accidentally turned the camera opposite of them as it caught sight of the giant mechanical squid with its giant optic eye glowing angry red… It got brighter and brighter until eventually, the view shifted into static…
So… That dreadnought that Saren flew in was a Reaper…
Uncle Micus, Commander Shepard, hell even Saren were right! And no one listened to them… Not the council, not C-Sec, not the Alliance… Not even me…
But in the back of my mind… Micus first mentioned Reapers to me as he was dying. Jesa mentioned that her friend Tali acquired the audio recording of Saren mentioning Reapers… I just knew something was going on back in the Milky Way…
After nearly an hour of watching news reports from every species in the galaxy… One by one, they had shut down, gone dark, basically every broadcast possible just collapsed…
How could I have been SO STUPID? The Vakarians… my aunt… Uncle Castis… Solana… Garrus… I should have been more persistent to convince them to come with me to Andromeda. They wouldn't have suffered at the hands of the Reapers…
Damn it. DAMN IT ALL TO FUCKING HELL!
I blacked out, and slept for the night…
I had been out for only five hours… I honestly didn't know how to feel, after finding out that the galaxy I grew up from was pun intended ancient history… It was a long night of processing the messages I received from Garrus.
Why didn't I club 'em, sack 'em, and drag 'em with me to Andromeda… The phrase bounced in my head.
Off the corner of my eye, a light blinked from one of the storage devices… It came from the last one. I never finished examining the recordings because of the coverage of the Reapers. I figured I should finish it and get it over with.
When it opened up on the monitor… I didn't believe who it was…
This is a message to all the Tarrens. My brother, Metias. Sister-in-law, Vaana. And nephew, Jacen. If any of you are seeing this. Then…
Something unforeseen has happened to me.
In the case of my demise, I figured I would record this message to (any of) you Terrans. I do not expect you to forgive me for the choices I have made. I only want you to understand why I did the things I have done.
It all started after the Relay 314 Incident. The Hierarchy tasked me to "keep an eye" on Saren Arterius. For more than 20 years, I have learned about his involvement with several humans. He informed the council of Anderson's "reckless choice" that ruined their mission. But that was a lie… I wanted to step in and inform the council of the truth with evidence.
But, the Hierarchy's orders were to investigate Saren's intentions of destroying the relations between the turians and the humans. My choice might have been dishonorable, but it was necessary for my objective without compromise.
So, I arranged a face-to-face with Saren. Courtesy of Metias' role as a liaison, and a recent spat. I allied with Saren, along with a few others in his goal.
At the time, he was completely unaware of the fact that I was a double agent…
Throughout my work with Saren, I've done… terrible things that I wish I could take back… Perhaps, Metias was right… No, he was right. I was only running a fool's errand that would only lead to ruin. And as of this recording, I am sure enough that I've been compromised.
Something about this monstrosity of a starship felt different and wrong. I am seeing things, and hearing this voice in my head…
Whatever this Sovereign is, it's affecting everyone on board. Saren, an asari matriarch, and others… It's too late for me at this point…
If you receive this, no matter what happens, STOP Saren! Stop the Reapers! Stop me… By any means necessary. I don't expect forgiveness. I don't deserve it… And that's fine. After what I've done, or will do… If I had the chance to start over and do it right, I would…
This is Micus Tarren, signing off.
Seeing Micus for the first time since Mars, I was conflicted… He intentionally worked with Saren, only to discover his intentions. But in the end, he succumbed to this Sovereign, the Reaper Saren used to attack the Citadel in 2183.
It seemed that the ship he was in was brainwashing him. It would explain his erratic behavior… And come to think of it, when I shoved my omni-blade into him, he spoke to me as if he was breaking free from mind control. He warned me about the Reapers…
I guess despite our complicated history and his choices… He truly cared, even if it was too late. This brainwashing, this indoctrination was the real cause of my uncle attacking people and murdering my parents… That was the Reapers' influence.
But there was one thing I didn't understand. Why was he after my family heirloom? My father's souvenir. It was prothean, for sure. It was just a rectangular plate, like a shard of sorts. What was its purpose with the Martian ruins? It was 600 years ago, I'll never know…
As for the other device… It was a file containing intercepted messages between the Nexus, Hyperion, and the Milky Way. They were all dated in ascending order.
The first message:
Alec, this is Jien Garson. For the record, Year 2185. It's about "Fulcrum". I'm on the Nexus, and we're going into stasis for the voyage. Looks like you're already asleep. I'm very uncomfortable with our "benefactor," and the fact that we still don't know who they are… and all these lives in our hands. I should have done something sooner. This is all very troubling, Alec. Let's talk as soon as you reach Andromeda.
Jien Garson? I never thought I would hear her voice. I've had a few interactions with her, mainly for retrieving parts for Ark Keelah Si'yah…
Wait a minute. Why did I receive a transmission from Jien? Why was she apprehensive about the hundreds of thousands of lives traveling through dark space to Andromeda? And what was this "benefactor" she was talking about?
I played the next message.
Hello, Alec. This is Liara T'Soni, and the year is 2186. I don't know if you'll even receive this message, but we corresponded years ago. I remember you spoke about a plan to settle Andromeda. I don't know if your arks made it out of the Milky Way but... the worst has happened here. I'm with Commander Shepard and a brave crew. We're trying to build a weapon to turn the tide, but… I fear that the civilization you remember, the people of the Milky Way as you knew them, could be gone forever. You may be all that's left. Please, don't forget us. Keep us alive in your hearts, and tell your children of the wonders that once were. On behalf of the crew of the Normandy SR-2, this is Dr. Liara T'Soni, signing off.
I recall that meeting I had with Liara on Illium, she mentioned having communications with Jien Garson and "a friend" she knew in the initiative. It was safe to assume that friend was Alec Ryder. And like before, she assisted Commander Shepard in the fight against the Reapers. Whatever this "weapon" she was referring to, would help put an end to the Reapers…
And the last message:
Jien, I got your message about "Fulcrum". It's now 2819. We reached Andromeda, but have no sign of the Nexus. I have the same concerns as you. In all likelihood, the Milky Way… well, something terrible happened there. At least the benefactor spared us from that. But why keep hiding? Something's off. But we got bigger problems at the moment – Habitat 7 may be a bust. Finding a home is all that matters now.
Something IS off, aside from intercepting transmissions between Alec Ryder of Hyperion, Liara T'Soni back in the Milky Way, and Jien Garson of the Nexus. Jien and Alec both mentioned someone called "the Benefactor" as if they knew this, phantom…
Did they know about what had happened in the Milky Way? The war with the Reapers? Commander Shepard's prophecy coming true… If I didn't know better, I'd say the Andromeda Initiative wasn't just a colonial effort to expand our species across the universe. It was a safeguard, no, a refugee effort. Saving a portion of the Milky Way Civilizations from possible extinction courtesy of the Reapers.
The problem is, both Jien Garson and Pathfinder Alec Ryder are both dead… So we'll never know from them… But were they the only ones that knew? I had a bad feeling about this…
An hour later, I took a tram into the Operations Center to meet with the leaderships of the Nexus. Along the way, over the tram's monitors and P.A. speakers was the Nexus' Heleus News Service. And the anchor spoke.
The kett defeated. Meridian found. In a dramatic battle that killed the Archon, the mysterious Remnant technology known as Meridian was activated. While the limits of its power are still unknown, the effects are widespread, making any world with a vault not only livable, but sustainable. The Hyperion was nearly lost in battle with the Archon. But thanks to the bravery of the ark's pilot, Captain Dunn, its estimated 20,000 passengers in stasis survived a crash landing. Species across the galaxy are heralding the decisive victory over the kett as a major step forward toward galactic unity.
In other news.
Authorities continue to work to establish contact with our Milky Way descendants. As of now, beacons confirming arrival in Heleus remain unanswered.
This is Davis Qar of Heleus New Service.
That last news report put me on edge… Every part of me wanted to react and say something out loud. But I have restrained myself from lashing out. I keep telling myself, NO! Keep it quiet for now! From what Sid told me, these people have been through over a year of hell. The Scourge disaster, the deaths of Jien, Alec, and several others. Exiles and Hostiles. And SO many other issues.
These people are NOT ready to hear about the Reaper War in the Milky Way.
The Pathfinder Headquarters was where the current director of the initiative director resided and oversaw everything. And where the pathfinders and their teams congregate and share information about their discoveries. Sometimes civilians can enter, but only by an appointment.
As I stood by the round table, I was surrounded by the leaders of the Nexus…
Jarun Tann. Born in Sur'Kesh, and was fascinated by exploring beyond. He was eighth in line for the succession of Director of the Initiative… I have heard, interesting things about him. The obvious was that he has issues with Krogan… How was that bigoted worm the current director of the Andromeda Initiative?
Foster Addison. I imagine that she was from Earth, a former Chief Operations Officer for a provincial capital. She's the current Director of Colonial Affairs for the Andromeda Initiative. I have heard that she had quite the personality, personally, it was hard to tell. She was a "stiff" with that "tired face" she had…
Nakmor Kesh. The Superintendent of the Nexus. She was part of the team that originally designed the station, and maintains the station to keep it as functional as possible. I think she brought a family member with her. A 1,400-year-old fossil. Why do I get a feeling this "grandpa" is an interesting krogan?
Tiran Kandros. The current Head of Nexus Security after Sloane Kelly. And the current commander of APEX. Upon arrival he led a prospecting team on a Heleus moon, that was his first encounter with the kett. His escape was tight, he managed to grab a weapon and free his team. When he returned to the station, everyone looked at him as a hero. Much like his Kandros ancestor… And I remembered something from Omega.
The conversation was about the turian ark, the people, and their first pathfinder since Macen Barro was killed. Damn, I wondered how Avitus Rix was holding up since the two were together. It was no surprise that someone from the team was chosen as the new pathfinder. Rix most likely, but no specifics.
After the battle for Meridian, outposts have been set up on a few of the golden worlds within the cluster. The procreation blockers have been lifted for some of the colonists. Meridian has become a home to the humans along with other Milky Way species. Ryder and the Pathfinder team of the Tempest were out there somewhere exploring the cluster.
There were still some threats. From exiles having ill-will feelings toward Tann and the Nexus leadership. Followed by the Roekaar, an Angaran fascist group against aliens. The kett out to exalt more Angara and the Milky Way species. And the scourge was still an issue that our top scientists were still researching on.
Everything Sid told me, the leaders practically repeated to me, along with some additional information.
But getting to the point, due to the welfare of my people, and their appointed pathfinder chosen and currently being trained by the Salarian Pathfinder… My SAM implant was (at the moment) disconnected. I was made aware that after I was knocked out cold for the voyage, I underwent a surgical procedure. A neural implant to have me connected to a Simulated Adaptive Matrix (or SAM for short). A unique artificial intelligence created by the human pathfinder, Alec Ryder, required a node and an implant physically connected to the pathfinder for assistance.
But until the turian pathfinder was ready for a team and ready for exploration… The best idea the leaderships say was for me to join APEX…
Well, I finally get to do some exploring, and have a little action while I am at it! And Tiran Kandros is a good man. I know he will lead us to keep our people and the Angara safe from hostile threats. And I might have nudged him about his cousin, Nyreen…
I found it unfair that I would not receive paid vacation time for the next two years… Seriously? But after everything that had happened… Well, someone has got to keep these people safe and alive. My cousin reminded me from his message to me.
There was a group of APEX recruits outside Kandros' Militia Office, some were the Milky Way residents. And the rest, for the first time, I see the angara. They weren't like any other species I'd ever encountered. I wasn't sure how to describe them, other than broad shoulders, slender waists, and leg structures almost similar to turians, salarians, and quarians.
And that's the thing, from one's point of view. Us turians were described as a combination of avians (birds), raptors, and something called Yautja from the human movie Predator. But anyways, salarians were amphibian, the drell people were reptilian, and the humans… well, I'm not sure I want to go there.
I was about to descend a ramp to the tram when I saw two men exchanging words with each other.
"Meridian is amazing!" Said a salarian. "A planet surrounded in a dyson sphere, lush green plants. You humans are lucky Ark Hyperion landed in there."
"Hermano, I'm not sure I would call it lucky. But you are right, that world is something! Pathfinder Ryder has found humanity a home! Reggie is already looking for a place to settle and call home…"
I screamed out their names when Erik and Alar turned their heads at me. The reunion was surprising for all of us. The two were aware of what had happened to Ark Natanus, they thought I was gone. But, I die hard.
We went to a quiet corner so we could have our conversations without distractions. And they had a lot to explain.
Erik woke up after Pathfinder Ryder found and rescued the Salarian Ark from the Archon's flagship. And Alar was amazed that he wasn't taken out of his pod waiting to be dissected by the kett-bastards. Since then, the two joined up with APEX and assisted and ensured the safety of the colonists and the angara.
"So are things still as bad as it was months ago?" I asked.
Erik answered, things might seem complicated at the moment. But, Ryder activated Meridian's control center, and most of the worlds with Remnant structures were slowly but surely getting better. We would soon start colonizing and settling our peoples throughout Heleus, and eventually, across Andromeda.
Alar interrupted as he wanted to show us something. "It was days ago that I visited Meridian, looking inside Ark… sorry, Port Hyperion, I obtained a message." The message he found was white noise at first, he pulled an all-nighter to clarify and enhance it. But the message spoke up loud and clear.
REPEATING! This is the Ark Keelah Si'yah! The situation is NOT under control! Note and avoid until further updates. Repeating…
Keelah Si'yah. The quarian ark housed multiple species. And where Kayu and Jesa were in… That voice… That belonged to Captain Qetsi'Olam…
"So the quarian ark is here, in Andromeda." Erik sighed. "But where are they exactly?"
"I don't know…" Alar answered. "And that's the problem…"
In her message, Qetsi said the situation was not under control, and must not make any contact, or as she said, note and avoid until further notice…
"That wasn't a cry for help." I replied. "They were warning us… Something must have gone wrong with them…"
Until the initiative received any confirmation from Keelah Si'yah, we would have to rely on their pathfinders. Not much we can do, but wait…
I made a quick stop in a store and purchased a small storage device that could hold enough data. When I returned to my apartment, I went to work downloading the information Liara and Garrus gave to me. Their information about Commander Shepard, Saren's betrayal, the Collector Mission, and the Reaper Invasion of 2186…
Having this information was concerning… Even though the initiative found several outposts across the cluster, defeating the Archon, finding Meridian, and finding a home. The people were still emotional. Showing this information to them, they would think it was a hoax, they would think I was crazy and edited the entire thing. But even if they had believed it… I didn't even want to think about it…
All the information was downloaded and placed into my omni-tool. It goes wherever I go. The originals were destroyed. It was probably best to keep this to myself… My friends, maybe I would start with them. I mean, I trust them, but… It wasn't the right moment, not yet.
Since Eos was a viable planet, thanks to Pathfinder Ryder, it was decided by the initiative leaders to establish another outpost to get more colonists out of stasis and into homes they deserve to live on. But, there were still some hostiles in the way. The wildlife for one, followed by the exiles, the roekaar, and the kett. There was also the remnant that would respond as hostile if anyone approached them.
There was an area of land that was viable for another outpost. Promise and Resilience, the first two failed outposts were to be determined if they should be re-established. And Prodromos was getting more populated, and the colonists were off the blockers to start families.
Kandros assigned me, along with Erik and Alar, and a few others to survey and ensure that no hostiles would endanger the colonists.
As soon as I found them on the shuttle bay docks, all stocked up with weapons, ammo, and other supplies needed for the operation. Erik and Alar were on the shuttle talking with Calio. That smartass doesn't know when to stop following me.
I saw Reggie tying her long red hair in a… I think the humans called it... a ponytail? I guess those who preferred to have long hair didn't want it getting in the way. He had her pistol and Avenger armed and ready. She had her biotic abilities that would come in handy, should she need to.
Miller and Virgil stocking up on spare ammunition. They both had alliance training on Earth and other planets back in the Milky Way. The two would make good backup support.
The Urdnot siblings, Marak and Megi. The brutal duo could break down walls and could lift heavy objects should we need their strength. Both were fresh out of cryo, like me. Hey, it should be fair to have a krogan on the team. Why not have two?
We were set for the trek to Eos. And then Erik had his eyes on Virgil as if he wanted to say something to us since we were standing in front of him.
"What, Virgil?" Erik asked. "Awestruck by us?"
He murmured something about how we stood in a line, posing and doing nothing. And he responded. "Y'all remind me of a set of selectable cast of racially diverse characters in one of my great-great grandfather's BioWare games."
Erik chuckled at his remark as if he was familiar with the brand. "Like what? Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic? Dragon Age? Anthem? Let's not go there."
An earth company I'll bet for entertainment, somehow I get a feeling that in some random universe, the Milky Way's mass relays were used as a component for a role-playing game… The next thing I hear is that my cousin had received the most popular as an audience favorite. Could I blame him?
We were set, the engines fired up and we were airborne, en route to Eos. While Erik was looking for certain music to play during our travels. Alar retained information from Kandros. It was typical for mission specs to be announced at the very last minute. However, we received the information halfway to our destination.
The place the initiative wanted was claimed. Some bad-shit nutso called the architect would be a problem for the colonists with it wasn't resolved.
So I knew the truth, about everything. The Reaper War in the Milky Way, the Initiative's problems, and the Battle for Meridian. I might have missed the action, but I won't let that get me down. There will come a time when some random dictator would attempt to attack us. An exile, the roekaar, the Kett Empire. Whatever the case, whatever the challenge…
Vakarians, Mom, Dad, wherever you all are now. I will show the Andromeda Galaxy, what I'm made of. What we are capable of…
Maybe someday, I will meet the Ryder twins and the pathfinder team. But who knows really? In the meantime, I will do everything in my ability to keep our people alive in the Heleus Cluster. And calibrate the Andromeda Galaxy.
END? OR TO BE CONTINUED?
I DO NOT own the Mass Effect franchise or its content. I DO NOT make any money from the writing of this story. All rights belong to their rightful owners (EA Games and BioWare).
Once again, would like to thank everyone for reading my first fan-fic. Please, share this story to your friends, Mass Effect fans, Sci-fi fans, etc. Some feedback, and replies would be greatly appreciated!
I will repost this story on my DeviantArt account, ETK90, soon!
I started playing Mass Effect when it came out. Garrus' character was interesting! And it got more interesting in ME2, when Archangel shot me on Omega and he was a turian, I had a hunch it was him! I will admit, I had ill-will feelings about his loyalty mission, because I have seen what revenge does. But I understand why he wanted that, it was his personal choice to go through with it, and whether or not Shepard (the player) can intervene. And from what he said from his post-loyalty mission, his anger and reaction was understandable since it is part of his culture.
As for Mass Effect Andromeda, I will admit upon release the game had a "glitchy" start, but truth be told it never bothered me at all. And the game was modified over a period of months to almost a year, the graphics and imagery was improved and no more sudden restarts! So, when I heard about the unnecessary criticism MEA received, I say to myself, "Those critics are witless a$$holes with no imagination." But I learned that everyone has their own opinion on how they think/see things in life in general. Whether it was from a movie, a book, or this case a game, everyone has their opinions, good or bad, right or wrong, paragon or renegade!
So, this was a learning experience! From writing a fan-fic, to... (The reason why I wrote this fan fic, was so that I could gain experience of writing my own original story!).
The inspiration for my fan-fic came from a fan art I saw on DeviantArt, Colonising Eos by Sorceress-Nadira on DeviantArt. (And yes, I know the artist misspelled Colonizing) But the message from that image was... Andromeda deserved a Garrus-like character!
Honestly, Mass Effect Andromeda deserves more credit than it deserves, and sequel!
With N7 Day slowly coming I say! I'll live, to see that I'm in the middle of some Calibrations and We'll bang!
Stay safe out there!
