From Ashes
Chapter Thirteen: Defeat

A/N: Well, looks like LordTicky as right :) Another chapter for you lot to fly through :) Note that I'm definitely not following the given game's storyline all the time :) Otherwise I'd just say "Play the game and use your imagination" ;) Anyway, enjoy.


"Shoot them, but don't raise your guns against the colonists that haven't been converted. That's what the grenades are for."

Shepard had given the order, and the others had agreed. The "Creepers" as they had been nicknamed, were simple enough to eliminate. When they died, they bled a swampy green-brown liquid that smelled like decaying plantlife. The cluster that had been in the garage was gone, and the two men behind the barricades had been neutralized by Wrex' well-placed grenade. The effects were instantaneous; Juliana had predicted that they would act as a paralyzing agent against the thralls, and so it did. These two had slumped over, and Liara had checked their vitals before the squad had moved on back down via the lift. When they reached the stairs, they found more creepers at the top and two colonists at the base. Creepers dealt with, Ash and Wrex turned their guns away from the two colonists: Arcelia Silva-Martinez and Hollis Blake. Both had weaponsand werepointing them somewhat lopsidedly at the approaching squad. Another grenade, and they were both on the ground; out for the count.

Progressing through the outpost, Shepard and her team had to keep a watchful eye for any colonists while still working to keep the creepers at bay or in check. They all kept weapons pointed lower to the ground, and none used biotics if they could help it. Still, as they approached the Borealis, they noticed that its hatches were sealed. There were still a dozen colonists and a few creepers to handle before they could reach the crane safely.

"Shepard, behind you!" Garrus shouted, and he was just in time. One of the creepers had vaulted into the air and was preparing to latch onto Shpeard's back. She took her service knife from her belt and plunged it into the creature's gut as it came down. The muddy substance splattered everywhere, but Shepard kept herslf mostly clear by raising her other arm and gun to shield her face.

"Thanks, Garrus."

"This last grenade should do it." Ash pitched it toward the last few colonists; making sure it didn't get too close toharm them. When she detonated it, they fell back and left the crane controls clear. "Now we just lift the Borealis out of the way and we can deal with this thing." Lifting the freighter out of the way revealed a set of stairs that led to a tunnel and more stairs. Before they could access them however, there was the sound of footfalls behind them. Turning, Shepard had her pistol, but she lowered it when she saw who it was; Fai Dan.

"I tried to shut it out…" He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears as the leader of the outpost staggered toward them. "It gets in your head… You can't imagine the pain…"

"Liara." Shepard said quietly; she knew she was out of grenades, but there was still one on the asari's belt.

"On it, Shepard."

"I was their leader…" Fai Dan continued with clenched teeth. I-I was supposed to protect them." He pulled a pistol from a holster at his waist. "It wants me to stop you, but… I… Won't." He raised the gun,but he didin't point it at them; he aimed it at his temple. "I WON'T!"

"Now!" Shepard shouted. Liara placed the grenade just short of a half meter from Fai Dan and detonated it. The man's eyes rolled back in his head and his knees buckled. When he hit the ground, Ash checked him over; kicking the pistol away as a precaution.

"He'll wake like the others." She said quietly. "I can't imagine what he was going through."

"It will end soon enough." Shepard said equally as quietly as she headed for the stairs. "ExoGeni had damn well better be prepared for the report I give on this matter."

"Won't be glowing, that's for sure." Ash quipped as they all headed down into the tunnel.

The further down they went, the more moist the air became. It was cool and dark; the exact opposite of what most plants flourished in. What looked to be remnants of a mossy substance had spread across the stone floor as they reached the base of the stairs. Thick green vines hung along the wall above them, and in the distance, they could see a thick and bulging bulb-like thing hanging from more of the vines. Wrex and Liara were flanking Shepard's either side, and Ashley was just behind them. Tali and Garrus with her. As they all cleared the long hallway they slowed in their pace.

"So all we have to do is bring down this plant, and…" Tali stopped in her thought as they entered a room with circular floors. It looked almost like a collosium from Earth's ancient Roman era. "Keelah…" The others had stopped in awe as well. There, in the center of the room, a giant plant's core hung over the gaping hole that was the heart of the room. "That is a plant?"

"Not by my definition…" Shepard muttered." As they approached, they could see its core shiver as it seemed to process their being there. Nearby, there was a cluster of what looked like tentacles that started shifting near the floor's edge. As Shepard and squad came closer, the plant's core looked to be pumping something out; muddy water leaked more and more from the tendrils. Finally, they opened, and something fell out of them. Upon close examination, Shepard had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. It was an asari in a commando's uniform. Her skin was an odd shade of green and eyes a darker hue; almost poisonous. As the asari stood, she set those eyes on the newcomers.

"Invaders, your every step is a transgression." She began in a medium timbre. "A thousand feelers appraise you as meat; merely useful to dig or decompose." She looked them over without seeing; eyes sharp but vague. "I speak for the old growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian; it commands that you be in awe."

"You negotiated with Saren?" Shepard addressed the large plant now identified as the Thorian. "I need what he came for."

"Saren sought knowledge of those who came before; those who are gone." The asari said in response. "The Thorian listened to flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made, and cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle; flesh fairly given. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies, and it will listen no more."

"You exist by feeding off of others." Shepard observed. "not in the physical sense, but you are still a parasite by nature. You rely on others to survive. What of them?"

"They happened across this land and so fell into this predicament." The asari said coldly. "As I said, they were fairly given."

"I need what Saren came for." Shepard began. Before the asari could object on behalf of her master, the spectre went on. "Consider this if you must: If I don't get the information he came for, the galaxy will be cleansed of all life as we know it as it was before. Your thralls will be destroyed, and because Saren discovered you, it is likely you will be destroyed."

"No point in reasoning with this thing, Shepard." Wrex muttered.

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry…" The asari said quietly as her biotics flared. "Your lives are short and have gone on too long. Your blood will feed the ground for the new growth!"

Her throw field knocked them all back, and it had the force of a shockwave rippling across the ground. Shepard and the others drew down and opened fire on the commando and thralls that emerged from the stairs leading up intothe upper floors. They were showered heavily with the muddy substance as most of the thralls were killed at extremely close range. Wave after wave attacked, and Shepard could barely keep in contact with her team due to the constant growling and gurgling sounds coming from the Thorian. When Ashley was close enough, she took Shepard's shoulder and pointed out what looked to be a large knot of tendrils drawn together.

"Maybe destroying that will help take it down!" She shouted over the constant humming of the thralls' wordless murmer.

"Good call." Shepard opened a local comm channel and spoke as clearly as possible when the opportunity came. "All of you, spread out. Find these clusters and destroy them with whatever means necessary. Bring this thing down!"

Moving up and around the tunnels, Shepard passed some of the clusters, and the others would focus on them once the creepers were dealt with. With each one destroyed, the giant plant groaned heavily and would spawn another of the green commandos. Each would have the same voice and same biotic capabilities when she would attack. Having found six nerve bundles in total, Shepard stood near the last one and sent creepers flying with her biotics; only to shoot them at a safe distance. No one knew the consequences of being overly exposed to whatever those creepers were made of. If they got too close, they would do something that looked like projectile vomiting and send the brown-green fluid spraying through the air. Finally, when the last creeper and asari were dealt with, Shepard focused on the remaining nerve bundle. Wrex had caught up to her and was taking shots at it as well with inferno rounds. It finally burst open, and the vine'like tether slipped away from the solid stone pillar it clung to.

With a roaring groan, the Thorian's grip faltered, and the thick vines that held it up were forced to let go one by one. The colossal plant's core fell further and further down until its many arms couldn't support its weight anymore. With a violent lurch, it finally fell to the bottom of the chamber; a wet thump resounding as it did so. Shepard and the others slowly approached the edge of the level they stood on, but they could only see muddy brown fading to black when they tried to locate the plant's remains. The sudden sound of thick water dripping and something bursting made them all turn to the right. One of the bulbous things had ruptured; flames touching the outer surface and burning away the moist thick surface. From it fell an asari much like the ones they had just faced; this one was more ordinary looking, however. Her skin was a medium indigo. She lay motionless on the ground; eyes closed lightly in what looked to be unconsciousness.

"Is that the one we just…" Garrus questioned.

"I don't know." Shepard approached and placed two fingers to the asari's neck in an attempt to find a pulse. "She's out of it."

"We shouldn't leave her here." Tali said as she looked down at the woman. "You don't think this is one of Benezia's disciples, do you?"

"Won't know until she wakes up;" Wrex said as he stepped forward and lifted the asari from the ground. "If she does."

"Better to think positive, I suppose." Ashley said as they began their descent back down to the other staircase that would lead up and out of this place. "Better to give her that opportunity."

They left the circular lair of the now defeated Thorian and emerged into Feros' misty sunlight. Colonists hadn't come 'round yet, and the outpost was very quiet. Shepard passed the barricades and descended the stairs that would lead to the Normandy. Once on the dock, she approached the ship's hatch and waited while the others caught up. Once inside, they cleared decontamination and headed for their respective stations; Wrex and Shepard making a stop by the medbay first.

"Commander," Karin Chakwas greeted. "What has been going on out there? I heard Mr. Moreau's report that we had colonists banging on the hull earlier."

"Long story, Doctor." Shepard admitted while Wrex headed back down to the cargo bay and Liara joined them. "Suffice it to say those colonists were being controlled by a telepathic plant."

"I look forward to reading your report on that." Karin replied dryly. "What happened here?"

"We don't know." Liara answered. "We found her after the Thorian, the plant lifeform, was dead."

"Vitals are strong." Chakwas observed as she started a brief medical workup. "Body shows definite signs of stress as well as the usual earmarks of consistant biotic conditioning."

"Any serious damage?"

"Nothing a good few hours' rest and fluids won't cure." The doctor made the arrangements and went back to her terminal. "Preparing to shove off?"

"Not just yet." Shepard said as she went to leave. "We might need you out there to check the surviving colonists. They had to be knocked out with a gas grenade, and I don't want any negative side effects if they can be avoided."

"I'll prepare and head out shortly." Karin nodded. "It will give me a chance to put these medical skills to use on someone other than you, Shepard."

"Thanks, Doc." Shepard joked and smiled at the doctor's humor. "We'll be ready to head out shortly. I think they have the same idea I do…"

"To get whatever this is off of us?" Liara suggested as she emerged with a fresh research uniform. "Oh yes. That is a must."

The crew took time to freshen up, change into a clean uniform, and clean their armor and weapons before retuning to the outpost with the ship's doctor. Shepard had already notified the researchers that the Thorian was dead and that they were free and clear to get to the outpost. Emerging into Feros' evening sun, the spectre saw that the others hadn't bothered with their armor; each going out in their fatigues or casual armor in Wrex and Garrus' cases. Most of the colonists were still out of it, but the first few that had been hit with the grenades initially were coming around. The two men from the garage, Arcelia, and Hollis Blake were just emerging onto the main plane of the outpost when Shepard rounded the Borealis. The ExoGeni security officer looked a bit worse for wear, but she seemed to have recovered well enough.

"Commander," She began as she approached. "I'm not sure where to begin…" Arcelia looked around at the outpost carefully; taking in the colonists that had been subdued by the grenades. "I hardly remember a time over the last weeks when I didn't feel on edge. We tried to resist it, and it only made it worse…" Her eyes fell on Fai Dan. "I think he had the worst of it."

"He seemed to." Ash commented. "He was willing to blow his own brains out to stop himself from doing what it wanted."

"It was all a haze." Hollis massaged his head carefully. "At first, Calantha and I thought it might just be fatigue; we had been working to keep things going even with the stretched resources. Subtle hints that we should do things, and we didn't know why…"

"It got worse when the geth showed up." Davin Reynolds, who had been inside the freighter with a few others when the thorian sent its thralls at Shepard's team, came out and sat down on a stone block. "Suddenly, we were all on edge, frantic to keep some secret we really didn't understand, and we were still trying to keep the colony safe."

"It was a sentient plant that released spores to control you." Liara explained. "It did so to keep a steady supply of thralls to tend its needs so that it could survive."

"Where is it now?" Arcelia questioned. "I assume it's dead."

"it is." Shepard confirmed. "We had to kill it." She turned to Liara and the others. "Still, I'm not sure how we'll get the information that Saren was after now."

"Better that it's dead, though." Wrex added. "Keeping live slaves to drag around by their collars when it wanted something is something not even batarians would do regularly."

"Commander," Karin Chakwas had scanned a few of the colonists and was preparing to head back to the Normandy. "So far, there are no adverse effects. I can bring them around by means of a neuro stimulant."

"I assume we have plenty to spare."

"Oh yes." The doctor was heading back now. "That is typically the least used item in our inventory. I'll be back shortly."

"Copy that."

They spent the next hour getting colonists back on their feet, explaining what happened, and accounting for all of the researchers from the ExoGeni facility. The ones that ha survived had returned to the outpos and were more than willing to assist the other colonists in rebuilding. By the time the sun went down, the temperature had dropped to a very comfortable level, and people were settling in for an actual fitful ngiht of sleep. Shepard, on the other hand, was looking out at the other skyways and towers as the light faded and made them fade into a cloudy midnight blue sky. The idea that Saren may have gotten away with the information still worked at her nerves.

"Something is troubling you, Commander."

"Hmm?" Shepard looked back. She had thought that the colonists had all headed off for the evening, but their leader stood just short of her right shoulder. Fai Dan came to stand beside her and looked out as well.

"I have apologized to many people for my inaction in the last weeks alone." He said quietly. "I've done so in my mind for the most part. Only today have I been able to voice it, but it does not change the fact that it happened."

"Unfortunately, you couldn't do anything about it." Shepard said gently. "You were exposed to its spores like the others."

"It is difficult being a source of inspiration and encouragement." Fai Dansighed heavily. "I don't have to remind you of that, either." He looked the spectre over carefully. "Now that communications are back up, I've done some reading over the last hour. I share in that anguish that you can't allow yourself to feel." He turned to look back at the outpost. "I've fought for the welfare of these people, seen good ones die, and I've also seen the rewards of staying vigilant. The scale is different in your case obviously," He pointed out. "But the concept is the same. The more we fight against the odds, the more seems to stand in our way."

"Still, we go on and do it." Shepard nodded. "If we don't, no one else will step up and take responsibility."

"A few short hours ago, I thought our lives were over." Fai Dan didn't hesitate to admit it. "It hurt worse to know that I had failed these people than the physical pain itself did. We made it through this; due in no small part to you and your team." He prepared to leave to rest before saying one more thing. "This situation is a good reminder: The future is still out there. Don't let despair and doubt take it from you."

"You have no idea how much I needed to hear that." Shepard admitted. "Everywhere I turn, I find something else getting in the way. It's good to be reminded that there's still a chance for success."

"I remember thinking that I needed to hear someone say that during these hard times." Fai Dan added before retiring for the evening. "Funny thing. It was; I just couldn't hear it, because she wasn't using words."

Shepard returned to the Normandy that night a short time later and headed for her cabin. They had decided to stay in port until morning to ensure that the geth presence had been eliminated completely. Dropping her sidearm back onto the table, Shepard kicked off her boots and dropped back onto the bed. The thought crossed her mind that she would have preferred the one on the Citadel to this hard one; that and it was good to not wake alone. She had to add that as an afterthought. This reminded her that she hadn't filed her report on Feros with the ambassador and council yet. She hadn't spoken with either interested party since returning from the Thorian's chamber. It could wait until tomorrow, though. The hour was late and Shepard had enough mental and physical exhaustion to keep her from getting up to do it. Not bothering to change out of her combat fatigues, she leaned back and folded her arms behind her head.


It had been a long day, people had suffered, a colony had been spared, and a unique lifeform had been killed. That was the short version, and Shepard made sure to scrap that early the next morning. She had to give the report as much as she could: details, time taken, state of mind, and all that came between. Working with her words and personal log for about an hour, she finally settled on it and sent both to the ambassador's extranet address. After that, she went and looked at a note she had written before working on this.

Mom,

It's funny how we're lightyears apart and I can still be reminded of you by the smallest actions from others. Yesterday, I encountered two people that were not unlike you and I. Though in slightly different fields, they both want the same outcome, and they would do anything to be reunited if separated.

It's things like this that really make all the hardships worth it. I was told yesterday that the future is always out there and not to let despair and doubt take it away. This came from a man who was nearly pushed to the farthest boundaries. He was right. That small victory, reuniting a mother and daughter, along with all of the rest of the good we did, makes the hardships worth it.

Of course, I'm telling you things you already know. Hope you and the crew are well.

Fly safely.

She sent that message before heading out of her cabin and refilling her coffee mug. While doing so, she saw the ship's doctor coming toward her. "Morning, Doctor."

"Good morning, Commander." Karin greeted while doing the same. "I was on my way to see you."

"Oh?" Shepard took a sip of the black coffee that she preferred and inhaled its scent. "What about?"

"The commando that was brought in yesterday," Karin started. "She is coming around."

"Good." Shepard followed the doctor back into the medbay where said commando was sitting up slowly; eyes moving around and taking in her surroundings. When they landed on Shepard and Karin, Shepard spoke again; addressing her. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"A bit confused…" The commando replied slowly. "Where am I?"

"You're aboard the Systems Alliance frigate SSV Normandy." Shepard said smoothly. We're docked at Zhu's Hope, the port for the Feros Colony." At that point, Liara emerged from the back lab and watched curiously as the commando blinked a few times.

"How did I get here?" She asked cautiously. "I remember being on Feros, but," She slowly raised her right hand to her forehead. "The rest…"

"Do the Thorian or Saren Arterius mean anything to you?" Shepard asked.

"Both." The commando shivered slightly but looked up suddenly as if remembering something. "My name is Shiala. I was one of Matriarch Benezia's disciples. When she revealed her plan to join Saren, she gave her disciples a choice: only those who were willing would follow her. Many thought her actions rash, but I believed in her abilities. I thought she could turn Saren away from his madness; instead, we joined him in it."

"I am not sure if you remember this," Liara began. "But when we confronted the Thorian, I believe it used you to communicate with us."

"If it did, I do not remember." Shiala shook her head hopelessly.

"It said that Saren sought knowledge of those that came before, and that trades were made." Shepard offered as clarification.

"Yes…" Shiala thought for a moment before continuing. "That much is true. Saren came to this world in search of the Thorian. He offered me in trade; needing my biotic abilities to communicate with it. I was sacrificed, in a sense, to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian."

"Saren is quick to betray his followers." Shepard remarked; Liara and Shiala nodded sharply.

"He was quick to betray the Thorian as well." The commando justified her agreement. "When he had what he wanted, Saren ordered the geth to destroy all traces of the Thorian's existence." Studying Shepard briefly, Shiala nodded slowly. You are Shepard, the human spectre, aren't you?"

"I am." Shepard confirmed.

"He knows you seek the conduit as well, knows you are following his steps, and tried to do whatever possible to prevent you from obtaining the cipher."

"Cipher?" Liara questioned. "What is that?"

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions, did it not?" Directing the question toward Shepard, Shiala continued at the spectre's nod. "You cannot fully comprehend them. They were meant for a prothean mind." At both Shepard and Liara's nods, she went further. "The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city; it watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it."

"So, the Thorian taught Saren to see and interpret things as if he possessed a prothean mind." Shepard guessed.

"The cipher cannot truly be explained in a simple way." Shiala nodded slowly, but went on. "It would be like describing light and color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic, ancestoral memory; a viewpoint spanning thousands of prothean generations. I sensed this ancestoral memory, the cipher, when I joined with the Thorian." At this point, Shiala sounded both terrified and amazed while describing the encounter. "Our essences merged, our minds intertwined… It enveloped me, and I became a part of it. I still cannot fully understand it; so alien and ancient. It's exact age is unknown; dozens of millennia in hibernation broken by a few frantic centuries of activity. Its mind was awesome and terrifying: overpowering, unyielding, and frantic, I lost myself completely." For a moment, she stopped; eyes closed as if willing the experience to go away. When she spoke next, she got back to the cipher. "Before that however, I passed the information on to Saren. Once that was done, he left me there at the mercy of the Thorian."

"Goddess." Liara muttered.

"It may seem strange; I am thankful that it is no more and that I am free of it, but I cannot help but feel a sense of loss for such a rare and unique being that no one will encounter again." Shiala admitted.

"Therein lies the problem." Shepard thought aloud on the subject that had bothered her shortly after the Thorian had been slain. "The Thorian is gone, and so is the cipher."

"No." Shiala stood carefully. "The cipher is not lost, Commander. It still exists."

"You still have it." Liara guessed.

"I believe so." Shiala nodded. "There is a way…" She looked the human spectre over carefully before finishing her thought. "I can do the same as I did with Saren; transfer it from my mind into yours."

"Are you up to it?" Shepard asked. There was no telling what effect being trapped within the thorian had on the commando physically and mentally. "It can wait-"

"No, it can't." Shiala persisted. "Every second that you do not have this knowledge is another that Saren gains. I was responsible for his progress." Carefully, she stood level with Shepard; speaking calmly when she continued. "Try to relax, Commander; slow deep breaths." Shepard had heard this from Liara before. "Let go of your physical shell. Reach out and grasp the threads that bind us; one to another. Every action creates ripples across the galaxy, each idea must touch another mind to live, and all emotions must mark another's spirit. We are all connected; every living being intertwined in a single glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander…" Shiala paused in her speech, and Shepard felt the closeness of their bodies; the pair of hands just touching her shoulders. "Embrace eternity."


A/N 2: So, another chapter gone. Already at work on chapter 14: The Council Betrayed. Thanks for reading :)

Cheers!