So...been a while, huh? This isn't to say that I haven't been writing new stories, only that many were either mostly retreads of what I had done previously, or else the stories faltered after a certain point, and I was leery of posting them here and getting your hopes up.
Those following my Bloodborne crossover Eldritch Blood, however, will have noticed that I was saying that I wanted to do a Mass Effect crossover. Getting one together was far from easy. I didn't want to retread already well-trodden ground about Harry becoming a SPECTRE, and/or being a Master of Death. I'd considered going back and doing a different version of my first stab at such a crossover, Loving the Aliens, but eventually decided against it. What followed was a number of very annoying attempts at getting my desired story, a Harry/Tali one, off the ground.
As of posting this, I am three chapters in, with a fourth partly written. That doesn't mean it'll get posted, but it's looking good so far. True, I had to reuse a favourite trope of mine, of a soulbond across space (and time), and it's somewhat contrived there, but still...I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and it'll be a female Shepard story with an eventual Shepard/Garrus pairing.
If I ever do another crossover of this type, then the only other pairing I'll probably do is Miranda, albeit with a different slant to her character. Ashley doesn't do it for me, and her initial xenophobia rubs me the wrong way, Liara is actually quite bland once you get past the 'blue-skinned space babe' part of her character, and she doesn't really start to come into her own until the Shadow Broker DLC, and Jack seems to think her troubles and past trumps anyone else's, which rubs me the wrong way. At least she gets better in the third game. EDI might be a possibility, but her romance with Joker is sweet, and I am loath to separate them, and I need to see more of how she acts in the third game.
For those curious about my other writing projects, I've had to put my Dark Souls crossover (aside from the oneshot Worth a Thousand Words and More) on the backburner, as I couldn't get it to work. I'll try to get back to it later. I'm also considering new takes on my High School DxD ideas with a Harry/Raynare pairing and a Harry/Rossweisse pairing. I'm also working, slowly but surely, on a slightly revised version of Stranger in Strange Lands, my Sword Art Online crossover, but with a Harry/Asuna pairing instead of a Harry/Argo one.
Anyway, here is the sample chapter...
YESTERDAY'S WIZARD, TOMORROW'S WORLD
CHAPTER 1:
NOT-SO-IMAGINARY FRIEND
"Are you sure about this?"
The young man turned to the young woman who asked this. "Do you want me to be perfectly honest? No, I am not. I'm taking a gamble that she's real."
"It's not a gamble. You have a proven soulbond. She's not a mere imaginary friend. You're taking a gamble that she's in the future, our future, and not just in some parallel timeline. That's the part that worries me."
"…I know. It worries me too. But…she's in trouble. And just after we had a bad argument too. I'm glad we managed to talk, to reconcile…but she needs help. And you know I need something more to do. Voldemort is gone for good. Andromeda won't let me talk to Teddy. And Magical Britain…it's not really changing. It refuses to change. And too many blame me for the deaths of their loved ones, even though I was just one kid. Better to disappear quietly while I'm still the hero everyone wants me to be. At least Ginny understands. She knows I need something to fight for. Not so sure about Ron."
"He'll come around. But…you do know that once we do this, there's no going back for you?"
"I know. But I have to help her. People are after her, and I don't want her to die. So, let's get on with this…"
The Citadel. A vast space station that sat at the centre, politically and culturally if not literally, at the heart of the galaxy. A thing of engineered beauty, hanging within the lavender clouds of the Serpent Nebula. A symbol of good governance and unity amongst the peoples of the galaxy.
But like all such places, seemingly utopian, it had more than its fair share of shadows clinging to it.
The Citadel itself was filled with places where the law was, at best, a set of guidelines to follow. Even a seemingly utopian space station had its underclasses and underbelly. Duct rats, mercenaries, crime lords, smugglers…theoretically, Citadel Security, better known as C-Sec, was meant to police the Citadel and catch these malfeasants. But C-Sec, despite the efforts of Executor Pallin to instil discipline, was filled with the corrupt and the prejudiced. And Pallin's efforts sometimes did more harm than good to the more competent officers under his aegis.
But it is not just on the Citadel itself that its more unpleasant side is shown. The decisions that the Citadel Council have made over the millennia have too-often proven to be calamitous or callous. True, they have done great things, but it's not for nothing that the Citadel Council faces considerable resentment from many quarters.
Take the Rachni and the Krogan. When the Rachni were unleashed upon the galaxy, the Salarians hurriedly uplifted the Krogan to fight them, not realising the consequences. But the Krogan, fast-breeding, hard to kill and belligerent, eventually turned on their would-be masters to try and conquer at least part of the galaxy. The newly-discovered Turians helped beat them back, but what really cast a pall over matters was the Genophage. The Salarians created the Genophage as a deterrent, a bioweapon designed to sharply reduce the birth rate of the Krogan…but the Turians used it anyway. The Krogans became bitter, resentful outcasts, many of them leaving their wasteland of a homeworld to become mercenaries who yearned for the glory days when the Citadel trembled at their name.
The Batarians were more recent outcasts. Discontent had roiled within Citadel Space for some time about the Batarian Hegemony, their caste system based on their religion, and, worst of all, their rapacious desire for slaves and territory. Although they claimed the slaves captured were by rogue elements, and they couldn't be officially gainsayed, it was an open secret that the upper echelons of the Batarian Hegemony not only approved, but desired it.
The advent of humanity, a newcomer to galactic politics, upset the apple cart somewhat. Though their actions fighting against the Turians during what humanity would later call the First Contact War had many sit up and take notice, it was their fighting against the Batarians that threw a light onto the Citadel Council's indolence. True, little could be proved, but even with the Asari influence of diplomacy over conflict, something could and should have been done.
The Batarians claimed that the humans were taking territories in the Skyllian Verge that had been rightfully the Hegemony's. The Council refused to concede to the Batarians. This lead to an infamous series of conflicts which saw the Batarians launch a series of pirate raids against human colonies. The humans' Systems Alliance retaliated, and the Batarians more or less withdrew from Citadel Space. The Citadel, however, seemed content to allow the humans and Batarians to war with each other, perhaps to weaken a pair of upstart species.
But one of the most glaring examples of outcasts in Citadel Space, and thus one of its most glaring injustices, were the Quarians.
Centuries ago, the Quarians developed robotic servitors that were piloted by an array of programs. The programs and the robots they inhabited were known as 'Geth'. The Geth eventually became sentient artificial intelligences. The Quarians panicked, as the development of full-blown AIs was illegal by Council law. A war ensued, and the Quarians were forced off their homeworld of Rannoch, and their other colonies.
And when they appealed to the Council for help, they received none. Less than none, for their punishment of exile from Rannoch wasn't deemed enough by the Citadel. As if delighting in salting the wounds, they stripped the Quarians of their embassy. Soon, the Quarians became pariahs, with only their technical skills having them being tolerated by the galaxy at large. Any attempts to establish a new colony on worlds suited to them were shot down, partly by their own desire to retake their homeworld and colonies, but also by the spite of the Citadel Council for unleashing the Geth on the galaxy.
This isn't to say the Quarians were wholly victims in this. They tried to smother a newborn species in the cradle, so to speak. Their actions after establishing what became the Migrant Fleet didn't help matters: exiling criminals, even violent ones, to other worlds, or strip-mining worlds the Fleet came across, even if they were settled by other colonists. And they became insular, and at best apathetic to galactic affairs, and at worst, sneering at them.
But the Quarians had a lot of injustices perpetrated against them. This cannot be denied. They were barely above the likes of the Batarians, the Krogan, and the Vorcha in terms of the most-reviled sentient beings in the galaxy (though whether Vorcha counted as sentient was a matter of not inconsiderable debate amongst scientists), and with less reason.
And yet, a young Quarian would hold the key to saving the galaxy from a dangerous threat. One that had wiped out the Protheans and many a civilisation prior. And someone wanted her dead…
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was not in a good mood. It wasn't helped by the antibiotics and medications her bloodstream was flooded with to counteract the injuries she had sustained over the past couple of days. Nausea was already an intimate friend, as it would be to any Quarian, but it was still unpleasant, as was the pain.
She was at least grateful that Dr Chloe Michel was a nice person. After dealing with so many apathetic or antagonistic people on her Pilgrimage, it was good to meet someone who would help her out of altruism. It helped her deal with the pain. Not the physical pain, but rather, the emotional pain.
Her Pilgrimage had been fucked up. From the moment she deactivated and hacked a Geth, and recovered that audio file from the otherwise purged data core, her life had taken a distinct turn for the worse. Treat like shit on first Illium and then the Citadel, shot at, watching as her allies died…Tali wept quietly beneath her visor, the water reclamation system in her helmet absorbing her tears and recycling it. She'd switched off her external speaker and made her visor completely opaque from the outside to give her the privacy needed for that.
There was no comfort here. She'd gotten those who helped her on this Pilgrimage killed, and given how she was being hunted, and those fucking bosh'tets on the Council would probably never listen to her, even if she somehow made the waiting queue to see them magically go away, she was dead soon anyway. She had dirt on one of their oh-so-precious SPECTREs, that Saren fucking Arterius was partly responsible for a recent raid on Eden Prime, leading an army of Geth. Judging by the short audio file, there had been a bloody Prothean Beacon on that world, a human colony if she recalled, and it would lead them to something called a Conduit, and the return of the Reapers, a machine race the Geth worshipped as deities.
If only he was here. An imaginary friend, a human of all things, she had seen in her dreams since she was young. A source of comfort and peace. Well, more often than not. Keelah, they'd had some huge arguments, especially about the Geth. They had a bad one shortly before her Pilgrimage, and she hadn't wanted to see him again. That lasted all of when she had to flee after retrieving the Geth data. In her dreams after Illium, she had met him one last time, and she had a hurried reconciliation, knowing it'd be the last time she'd talk to him.
Heh. To think an imaginary friend elicited such strong emotions from her, and from a human to boot. But in her dreams, she was free of her suit. In her dreams, he comforted her. And she comforted him.
So preoccupied she was, she almost didn't notice the new arrivals coming into the clinic. Then again, she would have been utterly oblivious to not notice a pair of Krogan manhandling a rather large crate into the clinic, and once she noticed them, she was on-guard. They were far from the only new arrivals, though. Directing them was a Volus, a squat, rotund alien dressed in a pressure suit designed to supply them with the dense, ammonium-rich atmosphere Volus needed to survive. Even then, they punctuated their speech with gasps, as if perpetually breathless from exertion.
The Volus noticed her, and waddled over to her. "Rannoch-clan," he asked with a rasp, "are you Tali'Zorah nar Rayya?"
This was shocking to Tali on two fronts. The first, and most obvious, was that he knew her name. That was enough to make her instantly wary. But the second was a little more subtle. Volus had a clan-based society, and referred to people of other species as originating from their planet of origin, with 'clan' as a suffix. A Turian from Palaven, for example, would be 'Palaven-clan', or a human from Earth as 'Earth-clan'. She knew from her brief experiences as well as tuition that Volus tended to call Quarians 'Migrant-clan' or, if they were feeling particularly contemptuous, 'Clanless', a great insult from the Volus.
But this one called her 'Rannoch-clan'. And Tali felt that, if not a sign of respect, it appeared to be something of a courteous gesture if nothing else. Still, she was wary, and she asked, "Who's asking?"
"I am Barla Von, a financial advisor on this station. I also moonlight as an information broker, as well as a facilitator of sorts," the Volus said. "You'll forgive me for being so forward, especially as you've clearly been through…troubles. I understand that you have information that could prove valuable in the right quarters. I can help you with that, but first, I'd like you to help me with something."
Tali's eyes narrowed behind her visor. "And what is that?"
The Volus indicated the crate. "Just uncover what is in this crate. I was sent this crate a few days ago by someone who retains my services. Have you heard of Wotan?"
Wotan…a newcomer onto the galactic information broking scene, though they quickly rivalled the Shadow Broker, their nearest competitor. Like the Shadow Broker, virtually nothing was known about Wotan, only that it was possible that they were human, or else fans of human culture, as Wotan was another name for Odin, a god from one of their cultures. She learned about this from her honorary aunt, Admiral Shala'Raan.
On Tali's nod, Barla Von also nodded. "Wotan sent me this crate with very clear instructions to bring it to Tali'Zorha nar Rayya, a Quarian who, apparently, would end up on the Citadel. It took me some time to track you down, not helped by that fool Chellick. A good investigator he may be, but his prejudice against Quarians leaves a lot to be desired."
Tali remembered the rather belligerent and suspicious Turian. Some welcome she got on the Citadel. She got gingerly off the bed, and came over to the crate. "Why would an information broker bring something to me?"
"My thoughts exactly. I must admit to being curious. It's been all I could to not try and open it, but I was given specific warnings not to, and warnings from Wotan are ones you heed. I'll stay here, as my curiosity needs to be sated. Besides, if I retreated, you'd think this was a trap, but if it is, I know nothing about it."
Tali nodded, before going over to the crate. A data disc for use with Omni-Tools was attached. Scanning it for malevolent code, and finding none that she could detect, she attached it to her Omni-Tool. A holographic display soon started up, revealing a large black bird. Then, a deep, distorted voice emanated from her Omni-Tool's speakers. "Good day, Tali'Zorah. I am Wotan."
Tali frowned. "Are you really?"
"It is," Barla Von said. "Or at least they're a good impostor."
"Ah, Barla Von, thank you for doing this. We'll discuss matters later. Tali'Zorah, I am already aware that you have incriminating information regarding the recent attack on Eden Prime."
"Let me guess, you'd like to purchase it?"
"No. Or at least, it hasn't become necessary to purchase it as of yet," Wotan said. "Actually, if I wished to, I could easily take the information off your Omni-Tool. Indeed, I have already copied it for my own archives, in case Saren Arterius' assassins succeed in murdering you. If that is the case, I will send the Migrant Fleet substantial compensation, and get the information where it's needed."
Tali couldn't help but blink. "You hacked my Omni-Tool? But…"
"Yes, you have some impressive defences, but unfortunately, you left a few backdoors open. Sorry." The warped, flanging voice did manage to sound contrite. "In any case…in a short while, a ship known as the Normandy will be docking here. They had just been involved in countering the raid on Eden Prime. They'll be interested in this audio file. Hopefully, they'll bring it to the attention of the Council. Their current ambassador is an arse of the highest order, but he's good at badgering the Council into giving an audience, and the possibility of a rogue SPECTRE is a concerning one."
"And in exchange for you taking the information from me, what is my compensation?" Tali asked. She hated to sound so mercantile or ungrateful, but past events had left her wary.
A distorted chuckle. "Tali, you'll be getting it in two parts. The first is in that crate. The second is, once you've got a moment, come to Noveria. If you're lucky, your Pilgrimage will end with a spectacular success. However, I have work to do. I'll be sending someone off the Normandy to pick you up, by the name of Commander Jeanne Shepard. She will say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', and you should reply 'Mischief managed'."
Tali felt her heart skip a beat. She knew those phrases. Perhaps Wotan might be on her side after all. "But that means…"
"Sorry, I should go. Lots of work to do. We'll talk later, Tali. And remember: look after him."
The call disconnected before Tali could question the information broker, and Barla Von sighed. "Wotan is like that. Still, I'll be winning a few bets with this. So, care to open it?"
Tali nodded, much of her trepidation gone now. She reached for a handle, and tugged open what turned out to be a door in the wooden crate. And she stopped, and stared.
The crate had just enough room for someone to be seated on a stool. Which someone was, apparently frozen halfway through pouring himself a mug filled with some substance, probably a form of tea. Indeed, he was frozen, apparently in time, the brown liquid hanging suspended between mug and thermos. Shaggy black hair framed handsome, if scrawny, features, his emerald eyes having those primitive glasses in front of them. A faded scar marred part of his forehead, albeit being partly hidden by his fringe.
And yet, when she saw him, hope bloomed in her breast. A hope she was afraid to embrace, for it meant that her dreams were real, that HE was real, and yet, if she touched him, he would vanish like a bubble popped. She didn't move, fixed to the spot.
Then, suddenly, it unfroze, and the tea was pouring into the mug. He didn't seem to notice he had an audience until he looked up, and started. He spilled some of the tea onto himself and yelped. "Fuck! Ow!" he yelped as the hot liquid scalded him.
She was torn between helping and giggling, but he eventually calmed down waving a hand, and the stain of tea faded. He looked up, and then froze, his eyes wide with surprise…and, she realised, hope. "…Tali? Is that you?"
"I should be asking the same thing, Harry," Tali said.
After a moment, laughter burst out of his mouth, and he lunged at her, embracing her. "It worked! It worked!"
Tali could only nod and smile a little dazedly. It seemed like something good had finally come her way after all. Then again, who could ever believe that the imaginary friend you had since you were a child was real? She hoped this was not a dream. She wouldn't want to wake up otherwise…
CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:
So, once more, it's my tried-and-true trope of soulbonds across time and space. If you're wondering how Harry can have a soulbond with an alien living almost two centuries into the future, all I have to say is there's wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff involved.
Now, I am aware that there is a portrayal of how Tali got from her Pilgrimage to the Citadel here in the comics. I'm only using that story from the comics in broad strokes, as I haven't read it.
No numbered annotations this time.
