Ayita slowly opened her eyes.
It felt like Ulysses had smashed his cane full force into her head; mixed with feeling like she had eaten one of his headcrabs, and drunk all of Massani's whiskey on top of that. Where… who… Ayita tried to gather her thoughts, but it was a mess; all she remembered was hearing Cato's screams, and then… it was all blank.
"What…" She rasped, then coughed loudly.
"Mah…" Ayita froze and looked at her chest; snuggled in between her breasts was an infant. It had Grey-Light Purple Skin, a mop of Raven Black hair, and glowing Emerald eyes. It had Quarian legs, but it had five fingers and five toes on its little hands and feet; What… Ayita stared with wide eyes, not really sure what to do.
"Oh! Ayita, you're awake!" She heard a familiar voice exclaim.
Ayita didn't take her eyes off the infant as Cato reached over and plucked the child from off her chest.
She turned to look at Cato, who was busy bouncing the child on his knee; "Sorry about that, I needed to step out to use the facilities for a second; and I couldn't take her with me. She seemed fine with being with you, so I just set her on your bed." He explained, pointedly not looking at Ayita; even as she looked between Cato and the child.
"Cato…" She said slowly, "Why... do you have… a Quarian baby?"
Cato started to say something, but for several seconds he just gaped like he wasn't sure where to start. He finally huffed and extended his hand towards her. "It's a little convoluted; it might be easier to show you."
Ayita gingerly took his hand and opened herself to the Vortessence…
Before everything went blank for a long moment and when Ayita woke up, she heard someone saying, "-coming too."
Ayita blinked away the spots that filled her vision and tried to focus on who she assumed were Dr. Chambers and Professor Solus. She could hear a baby fussing and was vaguely aware of Cato nearby.
"Please do not move," Mordin gently rested a hand on her forehead when she tried to sit up. "Detecting significant energetic trauma throughout the cranial vault."
Ayita allowed herself to be pressed back onto the bed. "I think I had an... Elder God in my... head."
Kelly turned a dial on Ayita's IV drip. "Well now, for possession by entities beyond human comprehension I might have to prescribe more than two Ibuprofins."
Ayita gave a weak chuckle as she sank back into a dreamless sleep.
Kelly and Mordin looked over to where Cato was all but curled around the infant. "I'm so sorry Inszel. Please forgive me!" He whispered as he rocked the child, who herself seemed to be trying to comfort him.
Kelly sat next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Cato, tell me what happened."
Cato drew a ragged breath. "I was trying to explain how I came to have our little Nehya, but I couldn't organize my thoughts; so much was happening. So I decided to show her through our minds." He glanced shamefaced at Shephard's sleeping form. "She agreed, and then she spasmed and all the alarms went off. I should have known better! It's all my fault!"
"How?" Cato's head jerked up in confusion at Mordin's calm question. "How should you have known? Do you have extensive experience with para-cognitive abilities or extra dimensional entities?"
The Salarian waited for a few seconds as Cato gawped up at him. "No?" Mordin's features softened. "Then you couldn't have known. We didn't," he gestured to himself and Kelly, "and she certainly didn't or she wouldn't have agreed. So there is no realistic way you could have known that her using an ability she has known and used her whole life would cause her any suffering."
Kelly rubbed Cato's back and smiled. "This wasn't your fault." She glanced at Ayita's bed and then back at the distraught Quarian. "She's stable, and resting now. We don't have any Xen pools, and while our stocks of AGE are full we need to ration them until we can start synthesizing more. So her recovery will have to be the old fashioned way; with time, bed rest," she smiled at Cato, "and the love and support of those closest to her."
She stood up and headed towards the cabin door. "I still have a lot of patients to look after; I'm certain she's in good hands." The two doctors turned and left Ayita in Cato's care.
Ben Hilsop knew there were times to speak and put a boot in the ass of your CO when he was angry; because being angry oftentimes resulted in clouded judgement, and clouded judgement led to dead troops.
This was a time to remain silent; because Ben knew that if he did speak up to try and calm his friend down, he would probably end up on Jack's next purge list.
"Goddamned idiots drew Breens attention; it's only because he loves his own throne so much that he didn't allow things to go through to the Advisors. If he had… ohhh… I would have put bullets in their heads for the rebels." Jack fumed.
Ben just looked out the window as their Armored Car reached the ruins of Hades Gate; "We're here sir." He stated, giving Jack a look.
He may not have been able to say anything else; but he knew Jack would reign in his emotions now that they had reached their destination. It was always good to let him vent, even if it was incredibly dangerous to try and stop him; or at the very least reign him in somewhat.
The Car pulled to a stop, and Ben opened the door and stepped outside.
He had seen the footage, the photo's, and even caught a glimpse of it from the car window; but somehow seeing it in person was just something that Ben was not prepared for. It made Black Mesa look like a paintball zone by comparison.
It was like a tornado had gone through the complex, followed by a massive artillery barrage, and then finished off with a Mechanized Assault. "Jesus Christ, it's worse than I thought it would be." Jack murmured beside him.
Ben gave him a sideways look, and the Consul shrugged; "Pictures and video don't do things justice to seeing it in person." He stated, narrowing his eyes as he spotted the targets of his ire.
Lawson and Core stood alone in a circle of Overwatch Elites; both having been treated for their injuries, and both were muttering to themselves as Lawson wrote in a little red book. "I hope I am not interrupting anything." Harper growled, walking up to his two chief Allies in the Combine government.
Both stiffened and turned to face him; Eva's face was an imperturbable mask, but Lawson was barely restraining his own rage, and was clearly only doing so out of fear of getting himself put up against the wall like so many others he himself had done to.
"Of course not sir, just discussing the idiots that we'll be putting up against the wall." Lawson replied.
Ben could see right through that lie, and Ben knew on instinct that it had something to do with the Aliens; perhaps it was the Vortessence whispering into his mind, or just intuition. Whatever the case, he didn't pursue the issue; as Jack was focused on more important things. "Did you put yourselves on that list? If not, give me one reason as to why I don't put you on it myself." Harper snarled in reply.
Both humans gulped, while Ben looked over at a second cluster of people; it was a bunch of CP's, and Overwatch Grunts.
No Assassin's oddly enough.
Ben knew what it was even before he took note that none of them had weapons; and he sighed in defeat. He should have been happy, less troopers to deal with in the long run; but truthfully, such ideas and optimism had long since been burned out of Ben Hilsop. The Resistance had no chance, even with the seizure of this Battlecruiser; and the inevitable executions were nothing more than wasted manpower.
He turned his attention back to Lawson and Core; noting that Jack seemed to have calmed down somewhat. Ben had to stifle a snort, he wasn't at all surprised, those two could talk their way out of anything.
"-Already had the idiot in charge of Security executed for incompetence." Lawson was saying. "And the two Assassins that survived have been put on 'Maximum Punishment Duty'; they no longer deserve the title of Assassins, they let those damned Aliens sneak into the compound in the first place. They're more usable as Honey Traps than as actual troopers." Lawson sneered.
Ben blinked, and focused on the conversation; grimacing as he did so, as he had a pretty good Idea as to what 'Maximum Punishment Duty' entailed. Especially if it had been Lawson that was assigning it.
"Very well… and your data on the 'other projects' regarding both cloning and the like has been lost to this attack?" Harper asked, which prompted a raised eyebrow from Ben; but he just continued to do what he'd always done, watch carefully and without comment as Lawson nodded.
"Yes… the rebels stole and wiped the data before they escaped; I wasn't able to save any of it, besides that which I had backed up on the offsite servers." Lawson replied. "I have other cloning/breeding facilities for human's of course; but none were as advanced as this one, and all my O Series were only bred here." The scientist explained, calming somewhat.
Harper nodded, seemingly losing himself in his thoughts; so Ben decided to speak up,
"I noticed no Assassin's amongst the survivors Doctor's, besides the two you mentioned of course; did the Vortal kill them all?" He asked absently.
Eva hissed in anger, "All but Two of my Assassin's were killed. TWO! And above all else it was the two assigned maximum punishment duty." Eva fumed for a moment, while Ben frowned. "I will have to call all of the Assassination units back from Europe in order to bring the North American unit back up to full strength, as I have no intention of letting those two failures operate under my jurisdiction again." she said coldly, calming down to her normal imperturbable mask.
"Four Years! That's how long it will take to bring the next generation up again; assuming we start tomorrow and you get me my equipment and a new lab." Lawson added angrily. "My other facilities lack rapid maturation chambers, I'll need to build new ones."
Harper took in this news with a grim look, before turning his attention back to the 'survivors'; before he looked at Ben, "Would you like to do the honors Ben." He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ben just nodded, while sighing on the inside, narrowing his eyes as he felt something nagging at the edge of his senses. "Sergeant!" Ben called.
One of the Overwatch Elites turned to him, "Execute Order 227; to be enacted immediately." Ben ordered. The Elite nodded, and the squad lowered their AR2's while the Grunts and the CP's all backed up in terror.
As one, the Elites held down the triggers on their weapons and mowed down the Survivors.
The Official Order made the reasoning for failure and incompetence; but the real reason was because they had all known about Lawson's experiments, the Aliens, and the now lost Battlecruiser.
Ben watched with the others as the men screamed and flailed, all falling dead within seconds.
That feeling at the edge of his mind though, it just wouldn't go away; until a thought came to him, "What about the two Assassins, what if they talk?" He asked.
Lawson sneered, "They wouldn't dare; assuming they could even talk with their mouths full."
Ben ground his teeth, the insinuation was not lost on him; and neither was it lost on Harper, whose features hardened an inch. But when the man said nothing, Ben couldn't stop himself; "I can make sure they don't talk, and make sure they're still useful in other ways."
Eva stiffened and glared at him, "You dare-"
Ben returned her glare, not really sure where this sudden burst of courage was coming from, but relishing in it nonetheless; "Yes I dare! You forget your place Doctor! I am Commandant of the Interior Defense Forces, and I hold Authority over you! You will shift them over to my command!" Ben ordered, his voice growing louder and harsher with every word.
Upon finishing his order, Ben took a breath; and looked at Lawson and Harper.
Jack was actually smirking slightly; while Lawson sneered at him, but neither said anything as Eva growled lowly. Ben stared the woman down unafraid, as she finally hissed, "Of Course sir…"
Ben nodded in satisfaction, and he and Lawson walked back to their Car; their business here finished. Ben would go and oversee the transfer of the Two assassin's to his command in the Palace; while Jack would go and placate Breen and reassure him that everything was taken care of.
Lawson growled unhappily, fingering his book as his two commanders left in their car.
"The Experiments… you saved them?" Eva asked, looking at the book.
Lawson shook his head, "Only the data pertaining to O-1891141; and all the data regarding Vortal abilities has been wiped. Still, I can start making these Hybrids once we get set up; though I was not lying when I said we will have to start over from scratch. It will probably be three years before I can start growing them again."
Core huffed and started walking towards the APC that had been provided for them, ready to leave this wasteland behind; "Why are you so determined to continue the O-1891141 hybrids?" She asked.
Lawson shrugged, "They're all I have left of the O Series, ignoring the currently active ones and the one trainee that we've assigned to the Punishment detail; and that Quarian proved to be quite deadly." He grimaced and rubbed his chest, "And he had quite the kick for a teenager. Don't worry, your precious M Series will continue; I'll just need a new gene pool. The Quarian will be quite useful, as I also managed to snag a bit of the females when we left; the two are brother and sister apparently. With some modifications, we'll have thousands of these hybrids; mixing them with a new human pool."
Eva frowned, and stopped for a second as she looked out at the forest, "Why is that good?" She asked, looking outward; swearing that she had seen something for a second.
"Because none of them will be related, Incest is horrible on the cloning facilities you know." Lawson replied, climbing into the APC.
Core just shook her head, and climbed inside.
Anderson watched as the Scientist and the Assassin entered their transport; followed by the rest of the Elite Troopers.
"Are you done?" He hissed to Ulysses, who had a hand outstretched towards the group.
After a long moment, the Elder Vortigaunt lowered his hand; "It is finished, the events we have set in place will surely lead to the downfall of The Combine." He said it with such conviction that Anderson found himself grinning until he remembered where he was.
Anderson looked outward at the carnage and the men they had been forced to leave behind. "You mean to say all of this was the result of your planning?" He asked, more weary than angry.
He had known Ulysses ever since he and Zaeed had first run into the Vortigaunt in Black Mesa, immediately noting how different he was; lacking the glowing chains the others had yet still having his own broken set, wearing his old cloak, and the cane that he didn't really need.
They had known he was different the moment that he had saved them from one of his own kind.
Anderson had known ever since then that Ulysses was old, one of the way's Anderson knew that was because Ulysses actually had a personality of his own; though the Elderly Vortigaunt was quite secretive about his past.
Above all Anderson knew that everything Ulysses did was always good intentioned and beneficial to those he helped. He was like those kindly old wizards in many children's tales that had such great power that they could easily become dictators if they desired; yet devoted themselves to better the lives of others.
"Not all of it." Ulysses said, jostling Anderson out of his musings; while the Vortigaunt looked out at the destroyed base.
Anderson sighed and looked down, knowing that the Nihilanths possession of Shephard had taken everyone off guard. Nonetheless, David felt compelled to at least try and reassure his friend, "The Nihilanth was something you could not foresee Ulys, he lives outside Time and Space just as you and the rest of your kin do. You saved Shephard from falling to his whims, that's what matters."
Ulys drove his cane into the ground, and David knew that the Vort wasn't reassured.
After a moment, the Vortigaunt held up his cane and examined it; "This was an instrument of peace, before the Combine arrived and drove us away… And here I was forced to use it as an instrument of Violence." He said sadly.
Anderson for his part flinched, That was the first time he had ever heard Ulysses refer to himself with an 'I' rather than 'We'; and knew that the Vortigaunt really was affected by the events that they had survived.
"Master Ulysses…" A voice said behind them, and the two warriors turned to see the Vortal that they had rescued; Jacob, bowing to the Vortigaunt. "The others grow impatient, we must leave sirs."
Anderson huffed and crossed his arms; out of all the people that survived, it had to be those upstart alien 'Spectres'. Nihlus had been the decent sort, albeit reminding Anderson of the CIA Case Officers he had worked with in the past; and Anderson was genuinely sad the Spectre had been unable to stay behind. He had been far more reasonable than his colleagues.
That blue skinned space woman, Tela'Vasir; was the one that Anderson had pegged instantly as something akin to a dirty cop. He wasn't sure why, but he could feel it in his gut that she was off in some way.
The 'Salarian' Jondum Bau was more like a stereotypical spook; if a little more analytical than was normal.
But Saren reminded David of the HECU, particularly the more morally bankrupt members of the Unit; yes, they worked towards a common goal. But the method that people like Saren employed made David feel like he was no better than the people they were fighting.
Ulysses tapped his cane, giving one last look towards the remains of the launch pad; "And so it is… Let us leave this place of death and sorrow."
Cato slowly rocked his daughter back and forth in his arms, the infant giggling happily the whole while. He still needed a name for her; he couldn't just call her Neyha forever, but he didn't want to give her one until Ayita was awake and everything.
He also needed to explain... everything. The baby fussed slightly as he stopped rocking her.
Ayita gave a soft moan next to him, drawing Cato's attention; his Inszel holding her head as she opened her eyes and winced, her eye glow was gone replaced by simple green eyes.
Cato rested a hand close to hers, but not touching. "How are you feeling?"
Ayita blinked, then a panicked expression crossed her face; "C-Cato… I can't… I-I Can't use my… Telepathy!" She exclaimed, looking alarmed and looking at him; "I… I can't... spread my feelings… Is this Permanent?"
He didn't need telepathy to see that she was very upset by that possibility, in fact he could see tears pricking the corners of her eyes. He took a chance and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"The Doctors, Kelly and Mordin, don't think so. The Matriarch Benezia was in here also to consult as much as possible." He saw her tense at the mention of the Asari, but she didn't immediately pull away or rail. "From what everybody is seeing and saying, it's like a concussion, or maybe childbirth, or passing a kidney stone-"
"Those are nothing... alike!" Ayita scoffed and stared coldly until a tiny arm reached up and began grasping. "Wait... childbirth? You don't mean... that... that I-"
Cato's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" He glanced down at the baby he was holding and who Ayita was staring at with no small amount of fear. "No-no-no! She's not your daughter! Well, she sort of is, but not like that! It's..." he huffed out a tired breath, "it's some of your planet's really weird science."
"Mah..." The infant babbled, reaching forward with her tiny hands to try and grasp Ayita's arms.
The teenager stared at the infant; "Who… is she…" She struggled to find words as she stared into the baby's admittedly adorable face. "Is she… mine?" She finally asked before giving Cato a look of confusion, "I don't… remember being that… out of it."
Cato smiled and sighed in relief. "This little Neyha is, sort of, our daughter." His face hardened. "You can thank those psycho Combine mad-doctors for that."
"Mah!" The baby began fussing again and he reigned in his emotions. But it seemed that the infant would not be denied her mother, as she kept fussing and reaching for Ayita. Cato looked at his Inszel with a wane smile, "I think she wants you to hold her."
Ayita stiffened, "But… I… I'm not good… with children… W-What if I-I… d-d-drop her." She stammered nervously, even as she sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. The baby really wanted to be with Ayita now, and began to cry softly at her mother's apparent 'rejection'.
Cato moved over to sit beside Ayita on the bed and gently handed the baby over. "You were strong enough to survive the Nihilanth; I think you're strong enough to hold a baby."
Ayita cautiously took the child, who immediately calmed. Once he was certain Ayita and their little Neyha were settled, he continued. "There were two scientists; they called themselves Core and Lawson."
Ayita went rigid at the mentions of the two monsters of Hades Gate. The baby began to fuss, and she absently began bouncing the child on her knee. "So she's... what? Like Miranda?" Her conscience warred with her contempt for the two notorious scientists and their pet projects; the Assassins.
Cato's eyes wavered between green and silver. "In a way; Lawson was more interested in studying little Neyha. She's Vortal, like you and I; which makes sense, I guess. He created her from genetic samples taken from our initial landing site and the attack by Miranda's troops." He looked at the two absently as his eyes flashed back to green. "He was, or maybe still is, planning to clone an army of Hybrid Vortal Assassins in a bid to depose someone called 'the Administrator' and 'the Consul' and become the supreme leader of Earth."
He shivered slightly. "We destroyed and erased most of his notes, but he still got away from us. Doctor Core didn't seem to care one way or another. She was just upset that the two Assassins she sent to take me acted more, human I guess? They toyed with me before bringing me to Doctor Lawson. Core was furious and said something about 'greater punishment' Considering how they reacted, I hope for their sake they died in the attack." His head came up when he felt Ayita pull him into a sideways hug.
He returned the gesture until he stopped shaking. "Muh." They both looked down at the child blinking curiously at them.
Ayita decided it was time to change the subject. "You called her... Neyha; is that... her name?"
He chuffed a light laugh. "No. Neyha doesn't translate well, but roughly it means 'one I would like to know more about'. What does Massani call those obnoxious names he gives everyone? Nicknames?" He shook his head and looked Ayita in the eyes. "My people have our traditions in naming, but a part of that is that both parents and any close relations be present. That means you need to be well enough to move before we can name her, and I am not risking Dr. Chambers' wrath by having you leave before she says you can."
"From my... 'Psychic Kidney Stone'?" She gave him a mock-stern glare.
Cato rolled his eyes. "I foresee that I'm going to be paying for that comment for a while." They both chuckled while the baby gurgled. "But yes, and everyone is also certain you will make a recovery once the trauma eases," a chime rang from his omnitool causing him to retrieve the baby and help Ayita lay back down, "which won't happen if you push yourself too hard. I'm going to find her some food, then I'll be back." He waited for a moment and watched as Ayita slowly sank into a restful, non drug induced sleep.
Ayita was nervous as they entered the bridge, the infant held tight in her arms; She really wasn't sure how her… friends she supposed, would react to their 'daughter'. Cato had informed her that Tali had straight up fainted when told about the baby, and hadn't been back since.
They still had yet to decide on a name for her, but Cato had insisted they go up to the bridge where the rest of their… 'squad' was resting and looking out into space.
Beep.
The doors slid open, and Cato went in first, pausing to look back at her. He smiled at the sight of her holding the baby, and waved his hand for her to come forward; "It's okay Ayita, the others just want to meet her for the naming ceremony." He said, both of them conveniently ignoring the fact they had yet to think of a name for the little one.
Ayita gave a nod, and stepped through the hatchway onto the bridge.
It was quite spacious considering the fact that it was Combine make; but the Cherry Oak wooden liners around the holotable, leather seats, shiny decorative lights gave her the impression that the Consol had not wanted any expense spared with this thing.
Ayita stepped in, and saw the Squad all standing at the head of the bridge looking out the windows of the Nebula; Massani, Chambers, Miranda, and the Asari 'Matriarch' were all there as well.
"It's beautiful…" She heard Liara whisper, and Ayita flinched and looked at the Asari thinking that she had been referring to the child; but she was instead looking out at the nebula.
"What is this place?" Garrus asked.
She saw Tali shrug, "Joker called it the 'Orion Nebula'."
Cato was staring out the window as well, but started at the name of it; before grinning and walking over to Ayita, leaning close to her ear. "I thought of a name, how about Oriana?" He whispered.
Ayita thought it over for a moment, it had a nice ring to it; but… She shook her head, "It's a nice... name Cato; but it's too... long and too... too human. She needs a Quarian name… How about… Ori? Ori'Zorah?" She asked him, her eyes unknowingly flashing Emerald for a moment as she talked.
Cato smiled warmly as he looked down at their daughter; who gave a happy gurgle. "Ori'Zorah it is."
Benezia looked at the assembled leaders with a solemn frown.
She wanted desperately to rub her eyes and curse Nihlus out at the moment; but she was still a Matriarch, and she had a reputation to maintain. "I'm afraid that what Nihlus has told you regarding the Council is nothing more than an Optimistic fantasy." She said, noting the Spectre shift uncomfortably in his seat.
The other people present were less than pleased by her blunt admission. Except for Wrex, who just grunted and said; "An Asari Matriarch who's honest, that's a pleasant surprise."
Benezia took the swipe silently, but internally she winced; Wrex had no idea just how right he was.
"What… what do you… mean?" The human maiden Ayita Shephard, asked quietly; bouncing her baby on her lap, her Quarian Bondmate, Cato'Zorah sat next to her with a hand on her shoulder.
"I mean that it will be outright harmful for us to go directly to the council with this." Benezia explained bluntly; knowing that everyone assembled would not appreciate flowery language or evading answers. Humans, especially the ones in front of her, tended to be incredibly blunt; even Lawson, for all his flaws, was quite up front with what he wanted from others. "Going to the Council is probably the worst thing we could do… for the moment." She leaned back in her chair and sent a look towards Nihlus.
Nihlus' mandibles audibly clacked in agitation. "With respect Matriarch," nearly everyone heard and understood what he actually wanted to say, "we can't leave them in the dark about this. I have a sworn obligation to, at the very least, report the destruction of the Destiny Ascension and the disposition of the other Specters who were aboard."
Benezia sighed, It really is sad how naive he is to believe that such a thing is necessary. "Nihlus… tell me, how would Councilor Sparatus react to the knowledge that a race still confined to their homeworld was able to pull our flagship apart with little effort; and that their military is mostly made up brainwashed Cyborgs?" She asked, raising an eyeridge as she did so.
Everyone else shifted uncomfortably while the humans looked ready to protest, which Benezia forestalled by raising her hand "Think about it from our perspective, yes there is a large resistance force against the Combine on your world; but the vast majority of your people simply live in their homes and just try to survive. To a Turian like Sparatus, or General Desolus Arterius who is Commander of their Army, that is the equivalent to aiding the enemy; to do nothing against them."
She leaned forward in her chair and glared at Nihlus while addressing the rest of the humans in the room. "At best, Sparatus would order the relay blockaded; at worst, he would drop your moon onto your planet while stealing whatever technology he could get his hands on to advance the Hierarchy, then wash his talons and consider the matter closed."
Nihlus wanted to refute her but he knew his people, and more specifically, knew his leaders. "Then we appeal to the other Councilors. I'll grant you that Valern is rather fresh faced and may not have as much political sway, but surely your own Councilor won't ignore such a beneficent crisis as what is going on back on Earth." He did his best to hide his pride in that bit of 'out-of-the-box' political thinking.
Benezia looked down for a long moment before turning to Mordin; "Professor… How likely is it that the STG has developed a genophage for the Turians, Asari, Quarians, and all the other races except for their own?" She asked.
"Likelihood unnecessary to extrapolate; was assigned to biannual security review of Bioweapons research facility." Nearly everyone at the table jerked their heads at the frank admission. "Developed several centuries ago; kept in cold storage for projected contingency scenarios."
She took his answer with a grim nod, "I thought as much, and how fast would they develop and deploy a genophage for humanity once they see what Vortal abilities can do… discover that about a third of all humans born have a strong enough connection to this, Vortessence, to wield it's abilities. Above all else, what would they do when they discover that humanity's stubbornness and independent streak puts even the Batarians to shame."
She let the question go unanswered; because they all knew what she was implying.
Liara looked up from where she was all but shivering. "Mother, certainly we can do something for these people?" She gestured to the humans gathered around. "Would Tevos turn her back on these people in their time of ..." The words died in her throat as her gaze landed on Tali and Cato, then flinched to Wrex.
Benezia looked at Shephard, and saw her own thoughts mirrored in the young maidens glowing Emerald eyes; and the Infant and her Bondmate must have picked up on their thoughts, because Cato put his arm around Ayita and hugged her, while Ori fussed in Ayita's lap.
"My species would be the worst of all… Little Wing... Not considering our almost crippling pacifism in all but the most dire of circumstances. I talked with 'The Ulysses' before we left, Telepathically of course." She rolled her tongue around on the unfamiliar word. "Liara… you remember that time that one Professor at your university invited you to her office to… 'discuss' your disagreement regarding her theories?" She asked, "And how I almost sent Shiala to kill her?"
Liara pursed her lips at the memory, and her realization of what had likely been about to transpire. "She had intended to... influence me to refute my own theories and support hers, hadn't she?"
Benezia nodded, looking at Shephard; "It shames me to admit, but there is a reason the Asari have dominated the Citadel Council all these long years. We have essentially puppeted many of the race's leaders, many of my fellow Matriarchs are drunk with their power; their ability to play with others lives with a wave of their hands.
"And they raise our children with this mentality; that the Asari are the ones meant to rule. Why do you think that Tevos's predecessor, who was her mentor I might add, refused to give aide to the Quarian people in their time of need?" She asked, while Tali and Cato flinched. "Even after the Quarian Monarchy made it to space and under constant exposure to Eezo, they still retained a latent connection to the Vortessence, I didn't know that's what it was at the time of course; I didn't make the connection until I talked with Ulysses.
"And this latent connection made them immune to the Matriarch's efforts to Puppet the Queen, the Parliament, and the House of Lords; to 'convert' them to their way of thinking. So it was simply better to allow them to die out; or exile them as they currently are." She stopped as Cato hopped to his feet, everyone except Ayita and Ori immediately jumping away from him as he sparked Emerald Energy around him.
For a few moments he said nothing, though emotions rolled off of him like heat off of a reactor; rage, grief, confusion. He finally collected himself enough to communicate more conventionally. "Are you seriously saying my people have been dying out for centuries because your's couldn't brainwash us?!"
"Calm yourself Master 'Zorah, you're scaring your daughter." She reprimanded, but was sympathetic nonetheless.
Cato's face fell and immediately dropped the field of energy surrounding him and knelt down in front of Ayita as they both tried to calm Ori down; while the infant cried in fear.
After Ori had calmed down, Benezia continued; "While the Matriarchs didn't set off the Geth Rebellion, they certainly had a hand in its start by ordering the Quarians to shut them down. And they most certainly benefited from their Exile, as the Quarians could no longer challenge them for supremacy."
The old human called Zaeed snorted, "It's like the British Empire, Russian Empire, and the German Empire; Brits were the masters of the world, owned somethin like 25% of the land on Earth and like 20% of the population. The Russians and the Germans were both just as invested in the 'Great Game', and when Britain had the chance to knock them aside, they took it. The Red October Revolution bollocksed that up a bit regarding Russia, as they managed to bounce back and properly Challenge Britain after a couple decades; but Germany was chopped up and handed out like slices of cake to the victors, and would never again challenge Britain in the 'Great Game'."
Benezia smiled, "That matches my thoughts exactly; and the Krogan rebellions? They were like these 'Germans' you speak of, just as how these 'Russians' were the Quarians. The Krogan were too numerous and dangerous, and as such their empire was deemed too dangerous to continue; too much of a threat to Asari dominance."
Nihlus by this point was sagging in his chair, "Is there nobody we can go to for help?" He practically begged.
No one said anything for a long moment, the Tali stepped forward; "Well… what about the Migrant Fleet?"
Benezia frowned at the Quarian, but the girl stood strong; "Explain your reasoning." She stated, not convinced but not dismissing the option outright.
Tali pursed her lips, then noted the odd look Garrus gave her at the expression. She cleared her throat and faced the Matriarch. "Setting aside the example Cato and I represent for rebuilding my peoples biology, Cato is a prime example of what my people lost over the centuries, and not just during our exile." She began pacing, tilting her chin up. "Also, there are enough rumors and innuendo about our exile that the revelation of," she hesitated for a moment, "political factors influencing our current predicament won't come as a surprise. Having another species aiding us, perhaps two if the Vortigaunts can be persuaded to lend their aid."
She paused in her movement and looked down while rubbing her jaw. "We'll probably need them to hold us in check as much as anything else. Admiral Han'Gerrel may not get along with father, but he's as much a war-hawk about retaking Rannoch, and Auntie 'Raan might jump at the chance to stick it to the Turians," she glanced at Garrus and Nihlus, "no offense."
Nihlus chattered in annoyance while Garrus merely chuckled. "None taken. We can respect your people's resourcefulness while still being political opponents. Right?" He glanced pointedly at the Specter beside him.
Benezia watched and had to fight down a smile watching the girl; she wasn't sure why, but just as she saw herself in Liara, she suddenly saw 'Tya in the young Quarian as she paced back and forth. She knew that once the girl had her stroke of inspiration, she would blow away any arguments everyone else would throw at her.
Benezia looked over at little Ori, who seemed to feel the Matriarchs eyes on her and smiled and waved at her. "Dr. Solus, you said you stole all the data regarding these… 'Humrians' that the esteemed Dr. Lawson created. Correct?" She asked, smiling back at the adorable little thing.
Everyone's expressions soured at the mention of the Combine Scientist. "Yes… I have, what of it?" He asked.
Ayita's eyes flared angrily, "Do you… want the data regarding her… birth?!" She demanded.
"Of course not young one, but the last thing I want to do is to delete it or allow it to sit around gathering dust. Imagine the possibilities regarding your people and the Quarian people." Benezia exclaimed.
"Ah!" Ori exclaimed while reaching her hands towards her father, and Cato immediately picked her up; rocking her back and forth while he looked up at Benezia with a calculating look. "I have my own reservations about how my people will react to that news. Certain specific people to be exact." He glanced at his sister who held his gaze for a moment before ducking her head, knowing what her father and Admiral Daro'Xen might do with that information. "Ori was created to be a new class of terror soldier for the Combine; she isn't Quarian or Human, and I don't know if another like her is possible without laboratory help." He hugged his daughter while grasping Ayita's hand. "The last thing I want to see is my people following Lawson's path and growing an army."
Benezia sobered up at the thought, "What of Admiral 'Koris or Admiral Shala'Raan? If nothing else, it would be an opportunity for your people to bolster their numbers; or help them settle another world."
Tali looked at her brother. "Auntie 'Raan might be a good choice. It would give our people a starting point on repairing our immune systems without having to go to Earth and getting a sharp-force penetrating injury like you and me." They both snorted and rolled their eyes.
Benezia smiled again at the siblings banter, "And Admiral 'Koris? I've met the man myself on several occasions, he has his people's best interests at heart; and he's of the decent sort." She recalled feeling his Aura, and it was that of a benevolent King.
The fact that Koris was probably unknowingly one of the last descendants of Queen Lun'Calin before she was killed during the Geth uprising had something to do with it. It was in his blood and soul that he looked after others; no matter what the cost was to himself, if the fact that the Queen had died leading a final defense of the evacuation ports was any indication.
She had been a good friend, and Benezia had watched her descendants carefully over the years.
Cato and Tali both furrowed their brows in thought. The young Captain hummed in thought. "I haven't ever met the Civilian Fleet's Admiral before; I only know him through reputation." She glanced at her brother and...niece. "If any of the Admiralty were in a moral and ethical position to decide what to do with the data, it would likely be him." She refocused on Benezia. "I'll consult with Admiral 'Raan first. Auntie knows her peers better."
Benezia looked around the room, "You make a convincing Argument Commander, all of those in favor of going to the Migrant Fleet; please raise your hand."
The vote was unanimous.
Tali growled at the navigational interface. "This VI must have been programmed by a drunken Vorcha!"
"Nope," Joker cheerily chirped from the helm station, "only the finest in Combine scavenged technology and Red-neck engineering. Say what you want about the Universal Union, their tech syncs up with everyone's like nothing else." He entered a command and received a guttural response from the terminal. "The interface is still about as user friendly as the people who designed it."
"Charming. Are we on a course?" She pointed to the holographic map in the center of the room. "This system has been through so many layers of translation, I'm not sure where we are."
Joker typed another command into his station, and the holo-map zoomed in on a blip midway between two other blips. "Short-cutted through your peoples Relay network, and we're now 700 Lightyears from the Stellar Nursery of Messier 42: the Orion Nebula." Joker's jocular mein slipped for a moment. "I used to dream of flying as a kid; of going into space, but I never imagined I'd actually make it."
Tali looked thoughtfully at the human at the helm. She'd never met anyone in her life who hadn't been into space even once. His wide eyed wonder at the vastness of space was refreshing. "I just wanted to prove my worth to my father, to my people. Now I'm in command of a Cruiser trying to save yours."
"And I was just trying to earn a payday while trying to find myself."
"Gah!" Tali spun to face the voice directly behind her, only to find Garrus' smirk waiting for her. "Bosh'tet!" She resisted punching his shoulder, both for how unbecoming that reaction would be and that fact it would definitely hurt her more than him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off duty?"
His smug look turned up just a little bit, though to her it felt almost insufferable. "I am. The question is, shouldn't you be as well? You've been awake for almost 48 hours, with half of those being on a hell world fighting cyborg monsters." His smug look slipped away and he looked at her with genuine concern, and a hint of something else. "You have a crew to look after the ship; you're no good to anyone falling down tired."
She was about to rebut when Joker spoke up. "Go ahead and take a siesta, Cap'n; we're a good 10 hours before the next leg in the relay race. If you do, you won't have to listen to me." She was about to ask what he meant when he tipped his head back.
"I got cabin fever, it's burning in my brain!
"I got cabin fever, it's driving me insane!"
Both Tali and Garrus recoiled from the discordant song coming from their pilot. "Alright, alright; I'm leaving! You can stop now." She shook her head and followed Garrus to the bridge's main hatch. "I should put you on report for Mutiny, or at least Assaulting a Superior Officer."
Garrus chuckled and theatrically motioned down the corridor. "Not to worry Ma'am, I have just the thing to wipe such a terrible memory away."
Tali looked sidelong at the faux gallant Turian and did her best to hide a blush. "Oh? And where is this wonder cure?"
"In my cabin," he said, causing Tali to sputter to a stop. "Not that! I mean there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself." He saw her shivering in a dozen unreadable expressions. "I don't mean with you." She froze still at that declaration. "Not that I don't find you attractive! You're beautiful, but it... Booze! I have Booze!" He gasped while looking around in a panic. "I have a bottle of Madaria 43' my dad gave me when I was first posted to the Armringer Legions." Garrus huffed, all of his plates fluttering in distress.
Tali giggled, then laughed; not just chuckling, but full stop laughing to the point that she had to hold her stomach because her abs started to hurt. Slowly, Garrus started to laugh as well; and the two of them, by unspoken agreement, walked together to his quarters giggling like school children the whole way back.
Even though his eyes were closed, the flashes across Adrian Shephard's vision startled him awake.
He immediately went into defensive mode; scanning the area for weapons, exits, entrances, cover. Blinking, he realized that he was still in the Ospray that damned Government Man had left him in; all his weapons gone, but he still had the rest of his gear on his body.
Adrian looked around, feeling pained as he remembered that Ayashe was not with him.
He had to content himself that she was safe… for the time being at least. The door to the Cockpit of the Osprey suddenly opened; and Adrian turned in his seat to see a very familiar shape exiting the Portal inside.
"Corporal Shephard… We Meet Again… And it appears we have a need of your… Abilities? Hm? If you desire to regain your… freedom... simply step through this Portal… And I shall see you up ahead."
Pilot A/N: And so act one comes to an end, not with a bang; but with a whimper.
I will admit, I feel both sad and happy that act one is over; sad because it'll be awhile before this story gets updated again, but happy because now Ian and I have more free time to work on other stuff.
There will be an update around thanksgiving to christmas, a long time range I know, with a set of interludes that take place between act one and act two. But until then, this story will be on the backburner; and AGAS has a few chapters left to be worked on and uploaded before I consider Act one of that story done as well.
Now then, as for the plot of this chapter; there isn't much to say beyond mostly tying up loose ends.
I think the three main plot points of note are Lawson saving the data regarding 'Humrians'; Benezia's reveal of the Matriarchs and how they've puppeted the Galaxy, and another insight into Ulysses' past.
Benezia's reveal I think warrants the most attention, as Ulysses is more of a fun mystery; and Lawson has been relegated to unimportance until the gang returns to Earth.
Now then, the Reveal of the Matriarchs being the real leaders of the Galaxy; being more like Soviet Leaders hiding behind innocuous titles and harmless visages. This is something of a blend of two separate ideas mashing into one; Ian's idea of establishing how Vortal Abilities and Biotic Abilities are mirror images of each other, mixed with my idea of the Asari Matriarchs being the real cause of the Galaxy's problems (or rather, exacerbating them).
What are your thoughts Ian?
Ian A/N: The two major take-aways for me are Tali coming into her own as a leader and commander, and the return of the G-Man to the field. The first should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the character, and will factor heavily in coming chapters. The second was alluded to back in chapter one, and with hints throughout. What his return portends for our intrepid heroes, well you'll just have to stay tuned dear readers.
Pilot: Well then… Thank you all for reading this story; and we hope to see you again soon for act two.
Leave a review and tell us what you think of this chapter and this story as a whole.
A TV Tropes page would be loved and appreciated.
My Profile contains the link to my discord and the writing challenge I have posted.
And until next time guys, we will see ya when we see ya.