Rex stood on the platform over looking the Zeta's hangar and watched as five vessels slipped into docking positions. Four were sleek slips of translucent metal that glided in with barely a whisper while the fifth was a ship built from faux stone and hulked over the smaller vessels. Veronica and Shepard stood beside him as they watched the ships dock and waited for their pilots to step out into the light of the dock. All around them were the Zeta's crewmen wielding a mix of Zetan energy weapons and magnetic cannons as they crouched behind their fortified positions. Eight of them wore suits of power armor and manned the experimental cannons modeled after the ship's death ray and had them aimed at the docking ships.
"Recognize the designs, Shepard?" Rex asked.
"The smaller ones look Asari and the bigger one is almost Turian but I cant quite tell," Shepard explained as her handed rested on the auto pistol at her hip "In my universe the Asari were basically the central pillar of the Citadel races, but if they're at odds with whatever the Shard races are then my knowledge of them might be moot."
"We just need to find the divergence point where our universe's split," Veronica offered as her power fist whirred "Though I think we can save that until after we know which side wants to kill us."
"Well, one of them is jamming our teleporters and communications," Rex considered as all five ships opened their hatches "Or both, knowing our luck it's both, but let's give this the old college try anyway."
From the larger ship three armored guards, probably Turians by the way their bodies were shaped, stepped out into the open and linked hands forming a bubble of red energy around themselves and the ship's hatch. One guard locked their attention onto Rex and the barricade while the other two watched the four Asari ships intently. Then five more forms stepped from the hatch, four were Krogan led by a large Krogan wrapped in flowing robes and the fifth was a Qaurian judging by her suit's design but without a helmet.
"She's not wearing a helmet," Shepard muttered to herself "Now that's a divergence."
"That's not all," Rex said as he tracked a shimmering form that resembled a thinner Legion skitter across the ship's hull "It looks like we've got a Geth or two in the mix as well. Veronica, how many guards could you spare for Alena?"
"Five," Veronica placed a hand on his shoulder "Two in power armor and three with boosted Zetan energy weapons. She's on the bridge at the center of our fortifications so she'll be fine Rex."
Rex almost responded when the Asari ships pulsed with a blood red aura and from three of the ships stepped out Asari in skin tight black body armor. They're skin was mostly a deep purple that seemed to light up as red energy pulsed off them to lazily lick through the air in tendrils as the Asari eyed the other aliens from across the hangar. They put up no shields or even adopted a posture implying any type of guard being up, as if they were above the armory's worth of weapons aimed at them. Rex gave them a single look before focusing his eyes on the final ship and the Asari stepping out of the shadows of the hatch onto the hanger floor.
Calling what stepped from the ship an Asari was a grave disservice to the being that stepped onto the metal floor of the hangar. She was far taller than the Asari that had proceeded her and dressed in robes of glittering circuitry that pulsed with dark red energy as it swayed around her form. Dark red skin pulsed with power as the air around the room filled with the smell of ozone and Rex felt his ears pop as the creature ignored the other aliens and looked up to lock her glowing ruby eyes with his. Rex tilted his head and raised an eyebrow before nodding to Veronica who shouted an order to a soldier behind the firing line.
"You know, if this dosent work you owe me a twenty caps," Veronica said as a loud whirring noise began behind them.
"Good to know the first round of Kola's on you then," Rex shot her a grin as he placed both hands on the top of his cane.
"What are you two talking about?" Shepard asked as she looked back trying to find the source of the whirring.
"Testing an idea," Rex said with a smile as the whirring grew louder and louder.
After a few more seconds the whirring became loud enough to draw looks from the aliens below them and suddenly a rumble came from somewhere deeper in the ship. A wave of blue energy erupted from behind them that swept down into the hanger and collided with the biotic fields with a loud crack and a burst of purple light. The collected aliens looked around dazed for a few moments before the guards from the bigger ship drew their weapons and aimed them at Rex and the Asari looked to their leader who simply laughed.
"Your biotics should return in a few minutes" Rex yelled as he slowly descended the steps down into the hangar "You'll forgive me for sating my curiosity about whether or not our anti mass effect field would work on organics. Considering you took liberties in cutting off avenues of escape or calling in reinforcements I think it's only fair that I level the playing field a bit."
"What the hell was that?" Shepard whispered as they descended "You had something like this and you didnt tell any of us?"
"It was one of the first things we experimented with," Veronica whispered back as they stepped onto the hangar floor "As we were learning how to manipulate and sustain mass effect fields we also started developing ways to nullify them. One of the researchers at the Big Empty accidentally discovered that your universe's element zero bonds to a plutonium isotope from our world. When energized it creates a counter field that nullifies mass effect fields and disperses dark energy temporarily. Honestly, we had no idea that it would actually work on such a large scale."
Before Shepard could respond they stepped a few yards from the stairway and Rex stopped and tapped the point of his cane on the metal floor.
"I'm afraid my knees give me trouble so I'll have to ask that you oblige me and send your envoys forward," Rex's eyes flicked between the alien groups and watched as the Krogan leader and the Asari leader eyed each other from across the room "No guards or hangers on please, if more than one from each group moves towards me at a time my friends up above us will respond with immediate fire."
The two aliens stared at each other for a moment longer before coils of dark energy pulsed off the Asari's fingers and she laughed as she started the walk over. With a tilt of her head the Krogan placed a hand on one of the guard's shoulders and said something to the Qaurian before starting to walk over. As they walked towards the trio, Rex planted his cane firmly on the ground and allowed his normal aloof aura to slip over him dispelling any thoughts beyond the moment he was in. Yet, he felt a small tremor in his hands as the two aliens approached and his mind drifted to Alena alone on the bridge.
Hold it together, He mentally chided himself Now is not the time to lose your edge.
"Greetings my beautiful little newborn, I am Trenzia T'soni of the Asari Ascendancy," The Asari said as she stopped a few feet from Rex and bowed deeply. Rex bit back a wince as her voice slipped into his ears like ice picks and sent an a sliver of irritation down his spine "So young and yet you possess not only such confidence but the capability to command respect and turn the tides of power in our first meeting. It seems my interest in your species is not unfounded if it can produce such a fine newborn."
"Hm, starting with flattery are we Trenzia?" the Krogan said with a coarse laugh "Greetings son and daughters of the Earth. I am Thought Seeker Wrail of clan Urdnot, and I come as a representative of the Shard council, a collective of races that seeks to create a peaceful galaxy."
"My name is Rex Craster, leader of the Mojave people and commander of this ship," Rex felt Shepard tense up behind him and he shot her a look to see that her face had gone white before he turned back "This Veronica Santangelo, my second in command, and standing beside her is Commander Jane Shepard, my head of void warfare. None of us are newborns, so you will refer to us by our last names preceded by mister for males and miss for females."
"Of course, Mr. Craster," Wrail said with a nod and a soft smile "Proper honorifics are a key part of communication after all."
"Moving on," Rex continued before the Asari could reply "I'd very much like to know why two separate factions of aliens, who are familiar enough to know each other by name, have decided to come to my little corner of the Milky Way."
"As I said, I am a representative of the Shard council," Wrail explained "It has been the honor of my race, the Krogan, to act as envoys to the undiscovered races that take their first steps into the starts for nearly a millennia now. We look upon these young races and hope to guide them with our wisdom and knowledge so that they may take a place alongside us on the Shard. You and yours have proven to be worthy of our attentions, you like the Krogan have survived the mistake of nuclear war and rise to grasp the stars despite its devastation. For that we find you worthy of our attentions at the very least."
"Hm," Trenzia grunted and flicked her eyes from the Krogan to Rex and gave him a smile that sent another jolt of irritation down his spine "I represent the True Asari government known as the Asari Ascendancy, and unlike the traitors who prop up the false council we seek to enlighten all those who would resist their fetid ideals. Through our medical techniques we offer not only wisdom and knowledge, but the advent of a biotic awakening among your people Mr. Craster."
"What do you mean by a biotic awakening?" Veronica asked stepping forward.
"The Goddess has blessed the Asari with a deep connection to biotics and through our research we may grant her gift to others," Trenzia leaned down to look Veronica in the eyes "Once we map your species' genome it is a simple matter to create breeding programs to imbue biotic potential into an increasing number of children. In just three generations you'll have sixty percent of your people's offspring able to wield the power that is biotics."
"And possess an addiction to your implants," Wrail interjected with a harrumph as she looked to Veronica "Which is why long ago when the Asari served on the Shard Council they outlawed the practice, but the Ascendancy has resurrected the practice to entice those who covet the power of biotics into their powers. Take care Mrs. Santangelo, for the fruit this creature offers is sweet yes but laced with poison."
"Well, it appears that the both of you have conflicting accounts of the other," Rex said as he tapped his cane against the metal floor "if you'll kindly allow us to reconnect our teleportation and communication lines, as well surrender your weapons, we can move both of you and your personnel to separate meeting rooms to continue our little parlay."
"I agree to your terms," Wrail said with a slight bow "As neither I or my acolytes carry weapons we will allow you to guide us to a more private space, and Vice Captain Zoli will remain with our vessel and security team."
"If you insist, I will permit you access to your teleportation and communications grid," Trenzia pouted and made a dismissive gesture with her hands as all of her Asari stepped back to sit in the lotus position in front of their ships "My weap1ons shall remain behind and I will grant you a private audience, but only if it is with you alone Mr. Craster. You seem like a newborn who can recognize the value of assimilated power by the looks of this ship."
"How kind of you," Veronica muttered as the red Asari licked her lips and stared her down.
"My men will escort you to your meeting rooms," Rex said as he gestured two groups of three crewmen, two normal crewmen and one in power armor, forward "Take Thought Seeker Wrail to port observation and Miss Trenzia to starboard observation and see that they're made comfortable."
"Of course," Wrail gave him a small bow as her acolytes joined her "I look forward to talking with you."
"Till we talk again Mr. Craster," Trenzia giggled as she was led off towards her meeting room.
Rex watched them both be led off in different directions and for the thousandth time missed cigarettes.
"Do you remember the days when all we had to deal with were bark scorpions and junked up fiends?" Rex asked Veronica as he let out a deep sigh.
"Those were the days," Veronica patted him on the back "So, how are we going to play this? I was thinking Shepard and I could take Wrail, that alright with you Shepard?"
"Yeah," Shepard said as Veronica's words brought her out of a deep thought "I have some questions about this universe's version of the council races, and she seems at marginally more trustworthy then that red Asari."
"What's with that? I though Asari were blue, granted we've really only seen one, but from what I've read she shouldn't be an outlier," Veronica pondered "Anyway, what about you Rex? Are you okay being alone in a room with that...thing?"
"Yeah," Rex shook his head as the irritated feeling struck him again as he thought of the Asari "My only problem with it is that every time she spoke I felt this strange feeling of irritation. As if someone poured itching powder right on my brain and spine. Nothing too intense mind you, but I was definitely feeling something."
"About that," Shepard tapped her chin "I got a major Ardat Yakshi vibe off her. It's an Asari that has a unique genetic defect that kills their partners when they mate with others. Basically their nervous system overpowers and dominates their partners causing a massive hemorrhage in the brain. What's really screwed up is that the Ardat Yakshi gets stronger after every kill so it becomes addictive. Not only are they powerful biotics but they have an ability to affect people's mental states when they hunt. They can influence people's emotional state and boost more primal instincts like attraction and aggression."
"Hm, so if this Trenzia is an Ardat Yakshi then she might have been trying to manipulate me" Rex considered as he scratched his chin "You said that they affect the nervous system correct?"
"Yeah, when I helped Samara track down her daughter I had to fight off her influence as I waited for Samara to arrive," Shepard said with a shiver "I showered for an entire day just to get the feeling of her mind off me."
"Was it an irritating feeling?"
"No, it was like a whisper speaking with my voice compelling me to obey her," Shepard answered "It wouldn't be a good hunter's tool if it made her prey uncomfortable."
"Regardless we need to handle both envoys as soon as possible and figure out what's going on," Veronica reminded them "I'll send a message down below to reinforce the crew here on Zeta, set some people to figuring out how they cut off our communications and teleporters, and call someone to take Alena home while I'm at it."
"I was going to give her a fun day on a spaceship, and now she's probably scared to death," Rex shook his head and sighed "One day I'm going to have an outing without being drawn into something crazy."
"Statistically at this point that's very unlikely," Shepard said apologetically patting him on the shoulder "May you live in interesting is just as much a blessing as it is a curse after all."
"You know, an old woman once cursed Mirada with that phrase," Rex said as he gave Shepard an appreciative nod and turned towards Starboard observation "Time to go walk into a room with a possible alien succubus and silently question exactly why I do this to myself?"
"Once this is done Rex right back to your vacation" Veronica promised as she sent off runners to the teleportation banks "I have everything else handled so really this is the only hiccup you have to be involved with."
"If this is a hiccup I'd hate to see what indigestion looks like," Rex sighed as he limped down the hall accompanied by two guards.
/
Alena sat in the captain's chair on the Zeta's bridge and stared out at the earth as they slowly orbited the planet. She was caught between worry for her father and the sheer awe she felt at staring out the Bridge's huge window at the earth and stars beyond. There had been a message from the hangar that the threat was mitigated for the moment, but her guards were ordered to be on the watch for anything stealthed as they guarded the Bridge. The bridge crew itself had been called to assist with organizing the teleporter terminals as reinforcements arrived, so Alena was left alone as the Bridges functions were locked to auto.
So, Alena watched the earth turn and the stars burn trying to dispel her fear and apprehension. Part of her felt a certain satisfaction in knowing that of all the people from the village only she got to go to the Kingdom of the Stars while still alive. Her uncle and cousins would lose their minds if they knew a mutant of all things floated in the same realm as their gods. Yet, under that satisfaction there was guilt, her mother, keeper of all the stories and rights given to them by the stars, never got to see this beauty while she lived, and Alena was a little ashamed that she was here and not her.
"Momma," She said to the empty room "Is this what you see everyday? I wonder is Aquila carrying you on his back as you watch over the world?"
Alena felt moisture collect under her eyes and blinked away a few tears, but as she did for a split second she saw her mother wreathed in the light of the stars on the level below her. Then she was gone and Alena practically jumped out of her seat to stare at the spot she saw her mother. Her breathing quickened and she shook her head to dispel any of thoughts that she actually saw her mother.
"She's gone," Alena told herself as she walked down the steps to press her hand against the window "You didn't see her, it's just like the visions father gets."
Alena gazed out the window at the earth and sighed before her vision caught sight of a distortion moving behind her. She froze and forced herself to calmly inhale a breath through her nose as she slid her goggles up to her forehead. Sure enough, a distortion in the shape of something thin and bipedal was standing behind her and it seemed to be examining her. Alena very slowly reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of gum before she took her hand of the window and started chewing her gum.
She continued looking straight ahead but used her peripheral vision to locate a small wrench on a container next to her. With as much calm as she could muster, which wasn't much as she was forcing herself to not jump away from the form, she looked at the window again and saw that the form had taken a step forward and was reaching towards her. With one final breath she pivoted on one foot and spat the gum into what she hoped was its face and grabbed the wrench.
"WAAAGH!"She yelled as she grabbed the wrench and jumped at the form slamming the metal tool against what she hoped was the thing's neck with a satisfying thwack.
The thing's stealth field disengaged and with an outraged grunt it hit her in the stomach openhanded and sent her flying back into the window. All the air in her lungs exploded out in a blast of spit and air as she slammed into the window. She crumpled to the ground and yelped when she tried to move and a stabbing pain bloomed in her chest. Alena looked up to see that the thing was a purple woman clothed in a pitch black body suit who snarled as she ripped the gum off her face.
"You little parasite," the purple woman yelled as she opened her hand and a burst of red force slammed into Alena knocking her against the window again.
Alena tried to inhale but only managed the smallest breath before her chest exploded in pain. She couldn't feel her left arm nor could she move her head without sending a blinding flash of pain into her eyes. It dawned on her that she should scream, call the guards into the room to save her from this strange woman, but as she opened her mouth she just coughed and winced at the pain.
"Fa..fa..father…" She croaked as tears streamed down her cheeks "papa...help."
"Hush now," The purple woman ordered as she kicked Alena in the stomach sending her sliding across the room into a wall "Honestly, this is your own fault. What right do you have to assault your betters, hm?"
"W...wh...who?" She croaked as her back pressed the clutter that had fallen to the floor when she collided with the wall and Alena's eyes widened.
"I don't share my name with the whelps of newborns," The purple woman said as she wiped some of Alena's spittle off her leg "Honestly, you'd think respecting one's betters would be a biological imperative but alas nature is an imperfect designer."
Alena mumbled something into the floor and yelped as she rolled onto her back.
"What was that?" the purple woman asked as she stepped forward "Does the broken whelp have something to say?"
"I.." Alena mumbled again.
"Speak clearly," The purple woman stepped forward to lean over Alena "I know I broke a few ribs but poor enunciation is unforgivable."
"I...I...have a gun bitch," Alena screamed in pain and whipped her right hand up to fire an atomic pulverizer point blank into the purple woman's face.
In a flash of blue light two thirds of the purple woman's face disappeared and her body was thrown backward to crash to the metal floor. Alena yelped as her arm fell limply to the ground and she heard the bridge crew return. She barely heard them though, because kneeling before her was a ghostly apparition of her mother stroking her hair.
"My little star," she cooed as the Zeta Crewman came running down the stairs "You did so good."
"Mo...mmm...Mo" Alena croaked as one of the crewmen started to talk to her and check her injuries.
"Hush, let them take care of you," Her mother leaned forward and planted a kiss on her brow just as Alena slipped into blackness.
/
Jack stepped off the teleporter pad with Roxanne on her heels and the pair looked at the dozens of soldiers and techs streaming in and out of the Teleporter nexus. As soon as contact with Zeta had been reestablished Jack and a team of techs, soldiers, and doctors had assembled to support the ship and retrieve Alena as soon as possible. Roxanne had been in the house at the time and tagged along to see how different it was from her time line.
"So the aliens never showed up in your timeline?" Jack asked as they stalked towards the Bridge where Alena was being kept.
"Nope, in my go round Alys...someone…shut down the ship's power supply and took the Bridge in the dark," Roxanne said as the tall woman dodged a tech wheeling a mobile reactor past them "They rebooted and apparently didn't trigger the signal."
"You really did have it easy didn't you?" Jack asked as they strolled through the halls before she stopped and turned too Roxanne who had stopped a few feet behind her fists clenched "I didn't mean anything by that."
"I know," Roxanne sighed and started walking again "It's just a lot of complicated shit is happening right now."
"Life's generally complicated but sometimes it's fucking 4d chess," Jack said as they walked down the hall towards the bridge when she heard a scream of pain.
Jack's blood ran cold as she recognized the voice.
"Alena!" Jack yelled as she bounded down the hallway before Roxanne flashed by her in a blur of red hair.
They reached a small sub infirmary where several med techs were holding down a whimpering Alena as one ran a medical scanner over her bare and bruised chest. Jack stood at the threshold of the infirmary her blood cold as Alena lay limp on the table as a medic inserted an iv and began strapping her to the table. One of the medics noticed Jack and rushed towards her.
"Ma'am, I need you out of the room right now," The medic ordered as she pushed Jack back into the hall.
"What happened to her?" Jack asked as she watched a medic slather Alena's abdomen with surgical disinfectant.
"She was assaulted and she's suffering from critical injuries and internal bleeding," The medic explained as the other medics assembled surgical tools and scrubbed up "She'll live but we need to get to work on her now to get her stable. Are you her mother or guardian?"
"I'm her father's..." Jack watched as they drew a curtain around the impromptu operating table "I'm her father's fiancee. Her father's the Courier, has he been told that she's been injured?"
"No, the Courier is in the middle of talks with one of the Alien leaders," the medic turned and watched the silhouettes of the other medics as they finished prepping for emergency surgery "When the teleporters were cut off Miss Santangelo secured her on the bridge but she must have discovered one of the purple ones walking around. We found her after the Courier entered the observation deck and had to rush her here. Gave the purple bitch a blast to the face though, even with her ribs broken and a collapsed lung she managed to kill her attacker."
"She's her father's daughter alright," Roxanne said shaking her head.
"Purple ones? Let me guess, all female with head frills instead of hair?" The medic nodded over her shoulder "Has anything been done to the purple ones? They just attacked a child in the nerve center of the ship, this deserves some fucking retribution."
"The Hangar bay is sealed and every gun big and small has the area secured," The medic explained as she pressed a button closing the infirmary's door the glass door to the infirmary "Every hall, room, and vent is sealed and being swept by ground crews, so hopefully there arent any more breaches. Miss Santangelo and the Courier will be informed quietly and we can proceed from there. It's a bit of a delicate situation, We cant just throw them in the brig without causing an incident, even if they do deserve it."
"Where's the Courier, now?" Roxanne asked.
"Starboard observation," the medic replied before her pip boy beeped and she checked her messages "Look, I have to double check the main infirmary is prepped. You can wait here if you like but I have to get to work."
Without another word the Medic walked down the hall towards the ships main infirmary leaving Jack and Roxanne alone in the silence. Jack's mind reeled as the image of Alena on the operating table stuck in her mind's eye and she clenched her fists. Anger and adrenaline pulsed through her as she tried to calm down her breathing, something in her seemed to snap and Jack ground her teeth against a roar as she thought of Alena broken and whimpering on that table. Protective rage she didn't know she was capable of burst from her stomach like fire and Jack clenched her teeth as she turned towards the hangar bay.
"Go," Roxanne patted Jack on the shoulder and gently aimed her towards Starboard Observation "he needs to know what happened, and they'll let you in. I'll stay here and make sure she's alright."
Jack nodded and darted down the hallway towards Starboard Observation and Rex…
/
Shepard and Veronica sat at one end of a large fold out table as the Krogan emissaries took seats across the table from them. These Krogan were like none she'd ever seen, thinner and unarmored these Krogan held the air of monks more than the hardened warriors Shepard had dealt with before. There was a certain calm about them that she'd never seen before in even the most mild mannered Krogan. A cool and collected demeanor that both calmed Shepard and piqued her interest.
"Thought Seeker Wrail," Veronica pressed the tips of her fingers together in her best Rex impression "Thank you for sitting down to explain your intentions. Are you and your people comfortable?"
"Thank you miss Santangelo," Wrail said with a toothy Krogan smile "I'll be honest, you've done wonders with this meeting room. The Zetans were never known for accommodating furniture though I've heard a few rumors they've developed quite the skill with cloth and silks as their isolation has gone on."
"Hm," Veronica looked to Shepard who just shrugged "Why exactly were the Zetans isolated on their home world?"
"Ah, so easy to forget that you know nothing beyond your solar system," Wrail's tone was that of a mother circling around a subject she knew the child she was speaking to knew about "When the honored Turians and Salarians uplifted the Krogan people from Tuchanka our scout clans found the Zetans in their solar system barely surviving with the haphazard space infrastructure they had. You see they had long ago developed cloning technology and had ballooned their population to unsustainable levels. Instead of developing long range craft they focused on weapons technology and short range teleportation, so when we found them the Zetans were starving themselves in massive colony stations sapping their system dry. It was decided that the Krogan, masters of unity and responsible stewardship would take these poor souls under their wing to show them a path to sustainability."
"Wait," Shepard raised an eyebrow at the older Krogan "The Krogan were tasked with teaching another race about responsible stewardship of a planet?"
"Why yes, why wouldn't we be?" Wrail gave Shepard a half smile and continued "You see, the Krogan nearly killed our sweet mother Tuchanka in a nuclear war that spread great radioactive storms of fallout in a blanket of shadow. Many of the remaining Krogan almost split into clans of warriors to fight over the scraps of what remained like animals they would have destroyed any hope of redemption. Luckily for all the children of Tuchanka that have come since, a single clan of Krogan, A clan that would one day be known as Urdnot, rose to power after taking command of a surviving cache of weapons and resources. With their might and cunning they united the scattered fragments of the Krogan and destroyed those who would not fight for the survival of our race, and enacted strict laws of conservation."
"No one was to be thrown away for even if they were not the strongest they might possess skills where the warriors did not," Wrail continued "From our temples the rescued priests began to call for a harnessing of our primal rage, no longer as a consuming fire, but to hone it into a tool to rebuild our world and protect our children. Our leaders began to enact strict practices of birth control, for the very potency of the Krogan was a curse even in the times before our nuclear destruction so that never again would we have too many mouths to feed. Our scientists and engineers worked tirelessly day in and day out to support our population and shield us from the deadly storms around us. In time, the Krogan became as prosperous as we could be on our ruined world, and we dreamed of a day when our children could touch the stars."
Shepard sat back in her seat and tried to control her facial expression. These Krogan, at least from what she was hearing, were completely divergent from the Krogan she knew. She looked towards Veronica who was starry eyed as she listened to Wrail speak no doubt relating to the sentiment of the Krogan's words. There wasn't too much different about the Mojave and these united Krogan after all what with factions uniting together to rebuild their ruined world.
"Just as we started reaching out into the starry sky the Turians and the Salarians came," Wrail continued smiling as Veronica coughed and tried to banish the starry eyed look from her face "They came for a weapon against a threat called the Rachni, but instead, they found a people hardened by their sins walking a path to absolution. They recognized the Krogan as not a mere weapon but a powerful potential ally in more then just war. Though that is only the beginning of that story I am sure you dont want a full history lesson on the rise of the Krogan within the Shard Alliance. I was a teacher on Tuchanka in my youth and I still haven't quite shaken the habit of lecturing. There will be plenty of time to learn each other's histories later, but I believe the original question was about why the Zetans are now isolated on their home world, yes?"
"Um, yes," Veronica said as she slipped Shepard a note:
They're definitely divergent from your Krogan.
"As I said the Zetans developed fairly advanced cloning technology and as one of our allied races they developed a habit of splicing their own genetics into captured prisoners," Wrail explained as Shepard nodded to Veronica "When it was found they were doing this to entire colonies they were given a choice isolation on their repaired home world or extinction. Most of their cloned population was killed in the Rachni wars and the Asari Insurrection, so it was relatively easy to resettle them on their old home world. A few escaped into unexplored segments of the galaxy resulting in you resourceful lot attaining one of their ships."
"As...Asar...Asari insurrection?" Shepard asked blinking at the words as her mind tried to process this information.
"Yes," Wrail balanced her chin on her clasped hands "Now, since I have answered one of your questions I believe I can take the liberty of asking you something, sound fair?"
"Of course," Veronica said shooting a look at Shepard "This is an open dialogue after all."
"Good," Wrail said tilting her massive head "Neither of you seem to be surprised at how I, my compatriots, or our adversaries look. Indeed, it's almost as if you possess a certain familiarity with our species. Care to explain that?"
"Well we dealt with the Zetans on this ship," Veronica said sliding her hands over the tabletop attempting to look at ease "And to be honest, your average wastelander deals with scarier things than a Krogan, ma'am."
Wrail tapped a button on her wrist and several holographic panels appeared showing various shots of a number of Shepard's non human crew. Shepard blinked at the displays and the high definition images of them walking about New Vegas. The implication was clear, Wrail had sources of Intel on the ground in the Mojave and she knew about the Normadnyverse's aliens living down in New Vegas. Whether or not she meant any threat by the images it was clear that Wrail wasn't nearly as blind as they were.
"Now that we've put away any doubts about your exposure to our unique flavors of alien life let the discussion begin," Wrail leaned back and patted the table "In lieu of anymore questions I'll begin my sale's pitch. As I said when I arrived, I am Thought Seeker Wrail, I am a representative of an alliance of several space faring races that for centuries have been united against lawlessness and corruption. Our main goal is the unification and advancement of any race intelligent enough to take the first chilly step into the darkness of space. I have spent the last few weeks pouring over data points from every level of your civilization, and it is with great humility that I offer a hand in friendship towards the Mojave."
"Well, that's certainly a great honor," Veronica looked towards Shepard. Shepard knew she had through the codex like Rex and knew the tumultuous history of "friendship" with her universe's aliens. Veronica nodded and steeled herself before turning back to Wrail "I hope you dont take any offense at this, but what exactly would "friendship" entail?"
"A shrewd instinct is admirable in a race as young as yours," Wrail nodded and one of her people stepped forward dismissing the displays as he placed a small box on the table "What friendship with the Alliance entails is quite lucrative for a race like yours. Considering your civilization is just now taking the first steps towards becoming a true space faring race standard procedure is to establish an Embassy in your capitol with a semi permanent diplomatic presence once a viable Mass Effect Relay, how the wider space faring population crosses interstellar distances in a reasonable time frame, is established. In cases such as yours, where the civilization is in need of more resources to grow safely, it is customary for a Shard race to take this civilization under their wing."
"Naturally, I believe that the Krogan would be a perfect match for this task," Wrail continued as she reached over and opened the box revealing three small polished metal spheres the size of marbles "Each of these spheres are metals taken from vital moments in the history of the Krogan."
She picked up the first sphere made of a graying steel.
"This is metal from Mother Tuchanka a testament to the Krogan's fall and rebirth."
She placed the sphere back in the box and took the second sphere made of a bright white metal.
"This is metal from a planet called Thessia where the Krogan finished the Rachni cementing our place in galactic society."
Placing the white sphere back in the box, Wrail took the final sphere cast from a dark black metal.
"Finally this was cast from the support structure of the Krogan's first colony ship after it landed on our first colony world," Wrail finished as she placed the sphere back into the box and looked to Veronica "If you would accept our guidance I believe that our races could do amazing things together to say nothing that humanity could do if you joined the Shard Alliance. The Mojave is a prime example of a people rising above the specter of destruction and I believe it to be the cradle from which your people shall be reborn. The very crucible in which the remnants of man shall transform from the unrefined masses into a unified people as the Krogan did before you."
"Quite the sale's pitch," Veronica said leaning back in her seat.
"Thank you," Wrail smiled and nodded her head "Poetic language aside, I do believe that humanity has great potential, the people of the Mojave especially. From my observations your people show an amazing ability to adapt and assimilate tactics, technologies, and ideas into your society and industry. You are a nation of warriors and innovators dragging your fellows from the brink towards a better future whether they like it or not. With the guidance and resources at my people's disposal and the wider community of the Shard Alliance humanity can rise to be a titan of the galactic community."
"The flattery is lovely," Veronica tapped her fingers against the table "Why single out the Mojave though? Considering how much information you have on us it's not outside the realm of possibility that you know about other factions on earth. Why us?"
"Well, the spaceship is a plus," Wrail said with a chuckle "But to answer your question, The Mojave brotherhood is industrious but most of their recent development is tied to their alliance with you. The NCR meanwhile is mostly an agricultural economy with very little in the way of advanced infrastructure. With the Mojave at the nexus of an emerging advanced humanity it will be far easier to aid all of humanity with your infrastructure than say half competent farmers or militant technocrats."
"First things first though," Wrail snapped her fingers and took a data chip from one of her people "This chip contains a complete codex listing information on everything from dense dossiers on the Shard races to galactic trivia along with exact information on the resources and technologies we can make available to you. After reading exactly what we have to offer and familiarizing yourselves with the cultures of the Shard Alliance you can make an educated decision on joining our happy little coalition of worlds."
"Say we did agree to establishing an embassy and allying with the Krogan," Veronica looked to Shepard who gave her a subtle thumbs up in solidarity before Veronica turned back to the Krogan "What would be the first steps be? How long a time frame would you expect for a species in our situation to meet the other Shard races?"
"Well if an Embassy is established both my people and the Captain of the vessel who ferried us across the dark sea of space will of course want to establish a secure perimeter around it," Wrail scratched her chin as she went over math in her head "We can get a message to the rest of the Alliance in short manner but they wont arrive for a little over a local year. Once a message is received and the Shard Council goes over our proposals a freshly built mass effect relay will have to be moved into the system to collect you to the galaxy at large. Though it will take a while to connect physically we can readily connect you to the Extranet once a FTL communication array can be built."
Veronica looked to Shepard and the two women shared a smile.
"Now Wrail," Veronica smiled at the Krogan "What if there was a mass relay ready and waiting for us to use?"
"Well," Wrail looked surprised at that "That changes things."
/
Rex stepped into Starboard observation and felt that annoying cold slip down his spine as the red Asari locked her eyes on him. The alien woman practically dripped with predatory sexuality as her red eyes followed him to the chair and she made a cooing noise as he took a seat with a grunt of pain. He leveled his gray eyes on her and suppressed a shudder as a fresh wave of cold irritation dripped down his spine like cold maple syrup. This was a creature that preyed on the weak and open and right now Rex knew he looked like a wounded gazelle lagging behind the herd.
"Miss T'soni," Rex began as the asari's lips curled into a smile "First, I'd like to thank you for giving us back our communications and teleportation systems. I know it must have been a minor convenience for you to turn off whatever jamming device that shut them down in the first place, so I thank you for the effort."
"Oh my sweet little Newborn, please call me Trenzia," The Asari licked her lips and leaned back in her seat "I do hope that you haven't taken offense to my little insurance policy. When an unknown force has command of a vessel with an arsenal of laser weaponry large and small and dotted with presumably armed individuals what is a poor diplomat to do?"
"Open a communications line without hijacking my ship," Rex said bluntly as he blankly stared into her eyes "Let's skip the pleasant banter and cut straight to the heart of the matters at hand. What is it that brings you to my corner of the cosmos and what are your intentions now that you've arrived?"
"Fu fu Mister Craster," Trenzia chided with a faux annoyance "It is the duty of Elders to guide the young, is it not? Newborns like you, barely taking your first steps into the blackness of space, need a guiding voice and firm hand if you wish to burn against that black night. When I think of all the delectable things someone interesting as you can do with the proper guidance I get all tingly. Then I imagine that the race that spawned such an interesting person is worthy of the attentions of the Asari Ascendancy."
"Flattery dosent work on me you see," Rex said suppressing a twitch as the cold annoyance spread around his stomach as he tapped his chest "This is where I'm supposed to ask why you find me interesting and you say some spiel about how you have a way of knowing when you meet interesting people. I blush and swoon a little and then you go on and on about how much allying with your Ascendancy will bring about a golden age for my people where the good times will flow like cheap wine and the children will never go hungry again. Sound about right?"
"Hm," Trenzia bit her lip and her demeanor changed ever slightly as Rex felt the strange cold discomfort fade a little "You certainly are a tenacious one aren't you? Oh well, since you've seem to be resistant to my charms I'll cut to the chase. The Ascendancy is always looking for new races to add to its ranks and I believe you and your people will make an invaluable contribution to our efforts. In exchange we offer technology, resources, information and of course the previously mentioned biotics that will go a long way in uplifting your people. All that we ask is the right to form one or two colonies on the landmasses lacking a significant human presence."
"You want to colonize the Earth?" Rex raised an eyebrow and sat forward "What isn't nuclear wasteland is either a post society hell hole or thanks to the Russians, a frozen tundra. Why do you want to colonize our planet in the first place?"
"Much like yourselves, we have ways of repairing the wounds of nuclear war," Trenzia laced her long red fingers together "As to why we wish to create colonies on your world the answer is quite simple. We need space, many centuries ago the Shard Alliance, a multi species coalition founded by the Asari millennia ago, waged a terrible war with a race of insectoids called the Rachni. They were a cunning enemy and could only be fought using total war tactics and the up jumping of a race of shamanistic warriors. When we started to win against them the Rachni conveniently began focusing on assaulting not the assets of entirety of the Alliance but only the Asari. One by one they slipped through our blockades and destroyed colony world after colony world until only a few dozen remained alongside our home world Thessia."
"It was there on our blessed home world that the war was won but at the cost of Thessia and almost every soul on her surface," Trenzia seemed to be truly angry as she told the story before breathing in and out of her nose and continuing "Our home world ruined, the true Asari split from the Shard Alliance and have toiled ever since to repair our worlds. Unfortunately, our displaced population is massive and we Asari are long lived so in the centuries since the war it has been a constant struggle to find a place for our wayward sisters."
"So in exchange for allowing you to form a few colonies on Earth you allow us access to your technology and knowledge base," Rex mulled over the offer and the information. He'd skimmed the codex entries on the Rachni war ages ago and was certainly aware of how this universe's events had played out differently. "I'm sure the presence of an alien culture would be enlightening in more ways then o…"
He was interrupted by the doors swishing open and Jack stepping into the room. Rex immediately picked up that something was wrong by her tensed body language and the simmering anger on her face. She wasted no time as she quickly walked over to him and whispered in his ear words that made Rex's body go cold. Every sensation was banished by the words as the reality of their meaning as he looked up to glare at the red woman. Righteous anger bubbled up in his stomach as he turned his body to face the red Asari she tilted her head and cocked an ear.
"Oh, has something happened?" The red Asari's lips curled into a vicious smile "Found one of my weapons digging through your under garments?"
"One was caught on the Bridge, and killed by my daughter after one of your "weapons" beat her to within an inch of her life," the fire of rage in his stomach burned out only to be replaced by a cold fury that pumped through his blood chilling him into a monotone "As their superior what do you have to say?"
"How old is your daughter?" Trenzia pursed her lips and laughed as she wiggled her fingers releasing snaking tongues of red energy "Considering you cant be more than what, a few decades old? To kill one of my weapons is a feat that I'd congratulate any of your unrefined species for accomplishing. The child survived I take it? Good, I hate to hear of such a promising children being wasted."
"So you condone this kind of action in your people?" Jack asked slamming her hands on the table "One of your fin head bimbos beats a child near to death and all you can fucking say is kudos?"
"Ooh, it appears you've taken this far too seriously," Trenzia rose and gently placed her fingers on the table and licked her lips as she leaned forward "If you didn't expect the party that blocked your means of communication and reinforcement to also scout out this fine little vessel then you're far more naive then even I anticipated. Listen, first contact is always a messy affair and this is no different. Cultures clash and with two peoples separated by millennium alongside evolutionary and cultural inadequacies these things are bound to happen."
"I'd stop talking if I were you," Rex snarled as he stood up and pulled a small device from his pocket and pressed his finger on a small spring loaded switch "Jack, kindly activate the ship's intercom while I explain to Miss T'soni precisely what she's going to do next if she wants to live."
"Ooh, such a confident newborn," Trenzia licked her lips and tilted her head to one side "Is that a loaded trigger? Planning on killing the three of us if I dont cooperate? Simple in it's brutality yet effective I suppo..."
"Oh no bitch," Rex sneered at her as copied her head tilt "This is what's known as a spacial displacement charge. You see, everything in this room is actuated with the ship's teleportation nexus through sensors built into damn near everything. So if I let this switch go it will activate a very specific protocol in the teleporters, basically, every atom not registered to the ship's internal database will be trapped mid teleport in a kind of transient state. I haven't experienced it myself but from what I've read it's quite the painful experience. You see anyone who comes through an official teleport pad or device is scanned, but since you arrived by ship..."
Trenzia stared at him for a long moment as Jack activated the intercom and her smile slipped away.
"Attention all crew members of the Zeta and her "Guests"," Rex watched the Asari's face as she internally mulled over whether or not he was telling the truth and found some slight satisfaction from the uncertainty hiding beneath her stoic contemplation "As of this moment Locked room protocol is to be engaged and Miss Trenzia of the Asari Ascendancy is ordering ALL of her subordinates and operatives on this ship seen or unseen to report to the hanger bay for immediate confinement. Isn't that right, Miss T'soni?"
After a pregnant moment of silence the Asari smiled and spoke:
"That is correct, Mr. Craster," Trenzia tapped her cheek and sat back down "All of my weapons and tools shall return to the hangar bay. This includes those of you who do not work directly under my command as well as those who I gave specific orders. It appears negotiations with our new friends are reaching a bit of an impasse."
"Any members of the ascendancy found to be disobeying these orders will be frozen and stored in Zeta's cryo storage or shot on sight if they resist," Rex stared at the alien woman as calmly twirled a bit of dust between her fingers "We need an armored escort team to Starboard observation as soon as possible. Four powered armored units minimum with squad of fully equipped escort troops."
"All that for me?" Trenzia giggled as the intercom switched off "I haven't even showed you any of my tricks yet."
"Kindly shut the fuck up," Rex said as he looked towards the door as it opened and two power armored soldiers stepped in wielding modified Alien Disintegrators with a uniformed engineer carried a transportalponder the he handed to Rex.
"We've run a sweep of the ship sir with most decks still on lock down," The engineer said "Six Asari willingly turned themselves in and four had to be apprehended."
"Ooh, now that's a surprise," Trenzia eyed the transportalponder as she rose "You caught all of the stealthy little tools we brought with us."
"Oh good," Rex said as he aimed the transportalponder at her and pulled the trigger sending her away in a blast of orange light.
He handed the transportalponder to the engineer and immediately darted out of the room towards the infirmary with Jack at his heels.
"Rex," She said as they ran down the hall "Is that weapon real?"
"No," Rex tossed her the device and as the trigger popped up a small flame lit on end "I only have so many ass pull weapons at my disposal."
Jack couldn't help but smile as they ran down the hall.
/
Five hundred feet below Lake Mead
Trenzia blinked into existence in a blazing orange blast of light and fell onto her back as she fell down a slight incline. When her roll was through she sprang to her feet spitting vitriol only for the words to die in her mouth as she found herself in a concrete bunker. It couldn't have been more than a few hundred feet in dimensions and was stuffed with generic cots, showers, sinks, and toilets. All around her, the lesser Asari she'd brought were desperately trying to rip the concrete walls apart looking for a hidden exit. She looked up the incline she'd fallen down and the acidic taste of bile rose in her mouth as she gazed beyond a metal teleportation pad to a large window looking out on packed earth and a crumpled stuffed animal of some kind pressed to the glass.
"Welcome to the Coffin" An emotionless copy of Rex's voice said from a hidden loud speaker "We hope you enjoy your stay."
Trenzia ground her teeth together and with a punch she sent a blast of biotic energy into a concrete wall sending several of her Asari flying and leaving behind a smoking indention in the concrete only a quarter of an inch deep.
"Lady Trenzia," One of her tools said drawing her attention "There are no exits and it appears that we're underground."
"How many of you were found or turned yourselves in?" Trenzia growled.
"All but Sari," The Asari bowed her head and tried to distance herself from the taller Trenzia "We believe she was killed."
"Pity, two casualties on a diplomatic mission," Trenzia flicked her wrist and the Asari's head exploded in a burst of red energy and blood mist "Mother will not be happy about this."
?\
Three days later…
Alena sat in her bed of leathers and feather stuffed pillows cuddling deeper into her pile of blankets to escaped the northern cold seeping into the hut. The orange rays of dawn were shining through the small openings in the hut's roof and she could hear her mother stepping around the cook fire and humming softly to herself. It was just another day in the village waiting for her so Alena just cuddled deeper into the blankets trying wring as much sleep as she could before mother forced her awake.
"Wake up sprocket,"
Alena opened her eyes and rolled around to look up into her father's face.
"Father..." She mumbled as she sat up in bed "What are you doing here?"
"What's this about?" Father asked as he brushed a lock of copper hair out of her eyes a flesh and blood hand "Last I checked I lived here, but you know, I've been wrong about these things before. Anyway, get yourself up and cleaned before breakfast. Big day with your cousins ahead and you know how Aunt Rose gets if we keep her preciousness waiting."
"It's you're fault for spoiling her so much when she was a child," Mother said shooting Father a playful look as he stood "Honestly, if I hadn't intervened after we were married she'd be even more of a tyrant then she is now."
"Oh you know I cant say no to a strong willed woman," Father said as he slipped over to grab Mother's cup of tea and plant a kiss on her cheek "That way I can get one strong willed woman to discipline the other."
Alena watched as Mother playfully slapped Father on the shoulder and she knew this was a dream. Mother was dead and Father never lived with them. She looked down at her hands and found that they were sleek black metal like her father's in reality, and when she looked up the dream versions of her parents were still there happy and together only she seemed to be slipping backwards and away from them. With a silent shout she reached forward and tried to grab onto the floor or a support beam as she tied to hold onto the perfect lie before as she was dragged to the waking world where she and her father were broken and mother was…
Her eyes opened and Alena almost screamed as a wave of pain and nausea washed over her. Alena tried to breath but her chest exploded in pain the moment she tried to inhale more than a small amount and she became aware of the myriad of aches and pains assaulting her body. The ache was a dull throb that was more annoying then painful and only seemed to really hurt if she tried to draw a deep breath. As she lay in the bed trying to adjust to the dull ache in her body Alena let the memory of the fight with the purple woman solidify in her mind and the absolute beating she'd received before Alena killed her purple attack.
Pushing the memories away to avoid a panic attack, Alena forced her self to move her head to look around the dim hospital room. Most of her body hurt too much to move so she looked around the room with slow deliberate movements of her head until she spotted her Father sitting in an armchair asleep with his black metal arms folded at his chest. He was dead asleep and snoring softly with a thick blanket hanging off his lap. Even asleep he looked incredibly tired and Alena could see thick scratches and dents in the metal of his fingers.
"Hgrm," She croaked quietly to the dim room "F...f...f.."
"Dont talk,"
Wincing, Alena moved her head to look at the voice and found herself looking into Miss Jack's eyes. She sat against the wall on the other side of the bed half hidden by the array of machines monitoring Alena's vitals. There was a solemn softness to the woman's face as she considered Alena, as if she was mulling something over. Alena tried to speak but only croaks came out when she opened her mouth as her throat burned.
"Here," Jack raised a glass to Alena's lips and helped the girl drink down the soothing liquid "You put up quite a fight Alena. Really gave it to that bitch."
Alena sat back into her bed and felt an odd twitch in her shoulder as she settled back into the pillows. She shifted her head downward towards her left shoulder and froze as she caught the sight of black metal where her arm had been. Grunting through the pain she brought her left arm and with chilling realization she saw that her arm had been entirely replaced by an exact metal copy exactly like her father's. The metal fingers twitched and clicked as Alena stared at the thing with abject horror realizing that she could feel nothing from the arm or even her shoulder. Panic slipped into her muscles and she almost jumped up in an attempt to escape the false limb only for to firmly grab her by the shoulder and press a small button on the side of her bed sending a wave of relaxing warmth through her.
"Calm down," Jack said as Alena sunk back into the pillows "You're alright Alena, when you were attacked the nerves in your arm were damaged and they had to amputate it to save your spine. Your father's run himself ragged building this new arm before passing out from exhaustion. Don't be afraid, I'm here with you Alena. It's going to be okay just look at me and know that you're not in this alone."
Jack wrapped her hand around Alena's black metal fingers as the lights slowly brightened and a doctor stepped into the room. Alena winced at the growing light but her eyes didn't leave Jack's as the doctor called in two nurses to assist him. She saw a strange fragility in Jack's normally fierce eyes, a fragility filled with a soft warmth that helped calm Alena despite the pain. With a twitch, she squeezed Jack's hand with her new metal fingers and let out a croaking sob.
"J...j..." Alena croaked as Jack reached forward and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Hush and let the doctor take care of you," Jack squeezed her metal hand and continued to do so as the doctor and two nurses wen to work checking Alena's vitals.