Tali watched in slight exasperation as Shephard narrowed her eyes; the human vigorously shaking her head, her brown hair going every which way. "N-n-no! It does not… deserve a name!" The human snapped angrily.
"Mah…" Ori suddenly piped up in Shepherd's arms, looking very upset at her sudden burst of anger. Shephard's eyes widened in panic as she quickly began rocking the infant to forestall another bout of crying.
Tali rubbed her eyes, an action that she relished in spite of Shephard's almost petulant attitude regarding naming the very ship she was staying on. Cato just sighed and walked over to Ayita and put an arm over her shoulders, while letting Ori grab one of his fingers to try and distract her.
"Inszel, we can't leave the ship unnamed. It's..." he grasped for the words, "it's just not done. Half the Migrant Fleet is ships salvaged from people who either tried to rob us, enslave us or murder us, and all those ships have names. Keelah, even Miranda has a name now and she actively tried to kill us. This ship has done nothing wrong."
"Plus it's just bad luck." Ayita gave a side eye to the Turian Specter. "Nameless ships often end up as drifting derelicts luring spacers to an equally nameless grave."
Zaeed scoffed from where he was leaning. "What? The ship will become cursed if we don't give it a name?"
"Perhaps… Ulysses said that this 'Hidden Lord' was real; is it really that much of a stretch that curses, and spirits, and bad luck exists too?" Garrus asked as he sipped his Turian Brandy, which Tali eyed hungrily; the night of drinking the two had shared really giving her a taste for the stuff.
Especially since it didn't make her feel anything when she drank enough.
Zaeed just scratched his chin, deep in thought; "Hm… you have a point there; I say we name it, if only to remind ourselves of why we're out here." He decided.
Tali raised an eyebrow as Ayita looked over at Wrex, Dr. Chambers, and Miranda; probably hoping to find support from them. Tali really didn't get why Shephard was so against naming the ship, when she had named Ori with no problem; and had accepted Miranda as a member of the group.
Chambers just leaned back in her chair, while Wrex grunted "I don't care, just so long as it's easier to say than 'The Battlecruiser'."
Miranda nodded her assent, "It is important we name it, to break the spiritual hold the Combine have over it." She looked over towards Doctor Chambers with a questioning look.
Kelly smiled widely, which very much reminded Tali of her Auntie 'Raan everytime Tali and Cato had done something that made her proud. "That is a very good point Miri, the Combine don't name things; and should we give this ship a name, as Mr. Vakarian and Mr. Kryik have pointed out, it will allow the ship's spirit to break free of its Combine origins."
Zaeed shrugged "Okay, just seems a waste of time. Let's see; taken during a prison break, but I don't think anyone wants this beast named 'Stalag' anything. An Amphibious assault against a technologically superior force, liberating..." He clapped his hands and nodded. "The Normandy!" he decided.
All the humans except Shephard nodded in agreement; while Shephard looked genuinely hurt that the others had not taken her side on the matter.
Tali blinked and tilted her head, "And this name has meaning how?" She asked, knowing that all names had some kind of meaning behind them; especially ship names in particular.
Greg Adams smiled at the Captain. "Normandy was a battle that opened the campaign to liberate Europe from a Fascist government that believed in their own genetic supremacy, and actively engaged in genocidal programs and unethical experiments."
Tali smiled and leaned back in her chair; "Certainly sounds familiar."
"Yes… yes it does…" Shephard murmured, looking down at Ori with a sad expression on her face; and Tali immediately felt bad about it, feeling like she had been essentially gloating over the new ship name.
The others remained silent as well, until Zaeed commented; "Right… so who's got a bottle of alcohol?" He looked meaningfully at Garrus.
"Ohhh no! This is a very rare vintage-"
Nihlus clapped him in the back. "Then that makes it ideal for baptizing 'The Normandy'."
Tali sat at the Captain's chair, picking at the edge of her new Suit; eyeing the Violet mask in her hand with an expression akin to disdain.
Like a smart Quarian, she had bought a spare suit and mask during her brief stay on the Citadel before their departure; Cato doing the same with his own suit. Neither had put them on after they had settled down because they both instinctively knew that the suits would almost certainly be destroyed by the time they left.
Plus, having cured immune systems negated the need for the suits.
She despised wearing it now, whereas before she had seen it as a fact of life; she looked like her old self, Black and Indigo Suit, Royal Purple Realk and Sehni, Purple Mask. No one could see her face when she put it on, and her bitterness on the matter was roaring into her mind in full.
"Ah!" Ori's protest behind her also drew her attention; and she looked at Ayita and Cato both holding Ori, though Cato was handing his daughter off to Ayita.
Tali felt her heart clench for her niece as the infant's expression became upset and hurt as Cato let go of her and passed her off to Ayita… his Bondmate. Just saying that made Tali feel a little ill, thinking of how their father would react.
"WHAAAA!" Tali winced, as did Joker who was trying to leave on his one real leg and one fake leg.
"Aw, don't cry little Lowc'zyni; Mommies with you, and I won't be gone long." Cato practically begged Ori as the infant reached out for him, crying the whole time as tears streamed down her face.
Ayita rocked the girl frantically, looking like she wanted to cry too; "Please… d-d-don't cry Ori! He won't be... g-g-gone long." She added.
"I think it would be best you leave now Shephard, you too Joker; we'll be exiting FTL soon, and I'll need to open contact with Auntie 'Raan as soon as possible." Tali advised, giving the two a sympathetic look as they desperately tried to calm Ori down.
Cato and Ayita both gave each other pained looks as Ori kept crying, and they shared a nod.
Ayita turned and walked out through the hatch, rocking and bouncing Ori to try and calm her down as Ori's cries became louder the farther away she got from Cato. Joker looked like he really did not want to leave, but a look from Tali told him that unless he wanted to lose his other leg; he would be wise to follow Ayita's example.
The pilot stumped away, his primitive artificial leg thumping as he walked down the hall.
Ori's now distant cries were muted as the hatch closed behind Joker, leaving the Quarian brother and sister alone on the bridge.
Cato kept looking back at the hatch where his 'daughter' and bondmate had just departed, his agitation writ clear on his exposed face.
"It'll be okay," Tali rested a hand on his shoulder, "She cares for Ori as much as you do, and Ori knows that."
Cato grasped his sister's hand, relishing the contact he'd been denied with his kin by fate. "I know. It's just," he chuckled nervously, "Ori and I haven't been apart since I rescued her; or she rescued me? That was a hell of a day."
Tali smiled as she spun her brother to face her and thumped their heads together. The normally benign gesture between suited quarians caused them both to stagger and hold onto each other for a moment. Tali recovered first. "Right; need to not do that without an environment suit. Anyway, you wouldn't remember it, but I do; our father was the same way with you when he had to attend to official duties. You just need to do what he did."
Cato raised an eyebrow while rubbing his forehead. "Oh? And what's that."
"Make it a point to spend the same amount of time you were away playing with your daughter."
Cato smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes, "Thanks sis…" He said, adjusting his Red Sehni and Realk, which matched with his Black and Dark Grey suit incredibly well.
Tali just smiled and put on her Violet Mask, sealing it with a loud Hiss. Cato followed her example with his own Crimson Mask; grimacing as he did so. He shuddered, "How did we tolerate this?" He grumbled.
Tali shrugged, "We never knew what it was like without them." She replied simply, walking up to the Captain's chair and sitting down; typing into some keys in preparation of contacting their Auntie 'Raan.
Cato winced, "I… I'm worried about what Auntie 'Raan will say; about… everything…"
Tali nodded slowly, frowning behind her mask; "It certainly is a bit… unbelievable isn't it? We need to get her aboard the Normandy before we explain everything else; as much as she trusts us, she does require hard evidence whenever we tell her something important."
Cato shuddered, "Don't remind me; I still remember that history paper."
Tali just laughed, "It was your own fault you stayed up playing games rather than properly research the paper on the night it was due." She admonished, "Even when I told you not to."
Her little brother just shook his head as he sat down at the Pilots seat.
Shala'Raan was a patient woman, but now she found herself wishing that the Tonbay would speed up even faster than Faster Than Light. For a Dreadnaught, it was still remarkably fast all things considered; but to her it was still too slow.
As much as she would never say it openly, for fear of provoking a scandal and potentially offending Rael; Tali and Cato were her children in all but name. Cato in particular, she saw as her own son; because the whole reason Rael and Ceema had been allowed to have Cato in the first place was because Shala had never bonded with anyone, or had a child.
So her 'child ticket' was given to them instead; under the guise of them winning the 'Child Lottery' of course.
The fact that she had practically raised Cato along with Tali after Ceema had died probably helped stir those motherly instincts within her. "Admiral… are you sure that this is a good idea?" A familiar voice asked next to Shala as she stared at the holotable.
She turned to look at Sgt. Reegar, the Fleet Marine all Armored up and ready for combat.
She smiled behind her mask, because she knew that Kal didn't really mean it; he saw Tali and Cato as a little brother and sister, or cousins. She still remembered the time he, Tali, and another one of their friends had taped Cato's enviro-ball to the wall when he was only two. The Mother-Varren induced tongue lashing she had given them still brought shudders of fear to the now veteran Marine.
"It is not as if we are alone here Sergeant." She replied, pointedly not answering his earlier question; because he was right.
This wasn't a good idea, but she wasn't an idiotic Bosh'tet who acted only on impulse; she had taken the Tonbay, and four of her most trusted Captains and their ships to the meeting point Tali had sent her.
While the two of them didn't seem to be in trouble during the transmission, she wasn't taking chances either. If they were being held against their will, she would fight tooth and nail to get them back.
"Captain, we're exiting Faster Than Light." The helmsman informed her.
Shala smiled, In a Quarian's eyes a Captain was more important than an Admiral; and it was always touching when her crew referred to her as such when onboard. "Thank you Lieutenant." She replied.
The Tonbay and her escorts dropped to regular speeds; and immediately the proximity alarm started blaring.
Shala and Kal rushed over to the Holotable to bring up whatever it was the sensors had detected; Shala stopped dead, and felt a pall of dread overcome her as she stared at what was on the table.
The ship on her scopes was substantial to say the least, and not merely in mass or length. It was slightly underlength for a cruiser, but her gravitometers put its mass at almost three quarters of the Tonbay's. A combination of laser spectrometers and neutrino dosimeters told her the self-propelled spike in front of her was almost solid titanium, with none of the normal spaced armor used by Council races.
It was also powered by a quartet of crude but massive fusion reactors, as well as a fifth power source that read as an enormous disruptor torpedo. The Captain in her drooled at the power they promised, while the Admiral in her cringed at the fuel they likely consumed. There were a number of passive detection alarms indicating the ship had a sizable nuclear payload.
She could detect Mass Effect fields generating gravity, though it was oriented with 'up' in the direction of travel. There were also several localized generators which could be crude Kinetic Barrier emitters, but she couldn't be sure unless they were brought online.
Whoever made this Krogan spear-tip of a ship, they were simultaneously very new to mass Effect technology, and very old hands at warfare.
"I… Kheelah… what is that thing?" Kal wondered. "It's like a Turian and a Krogan got together, had some drinks, and drew it up while drunk."
"Captain we're being hailed; it's audio only." The Communications officer informed her.
Shala pursed her lips and nervously wrung her hands together; "Play it." She ordered, praying to the Ancestors that Tali and Cato were alright.
She almost sagged in relief upon hearing Tali's voice start the passphrase, "After time adrift amongst open stars…"
Shala had to fight down tears of relief as Cato finished the phrase, "...by endurance of trials, withstanding my hardships, I return a hero."
Reaching forward, Shala hit a key on the holotable and swallowed to force down her emotions; "Unidentified Vessel, this is the Tonbay; we read you. It's good to hear from you Tali, Cato…"
She could practically hear the smile in Cato's voice as he said, "Good to hear from you too Auntie 'Raan."
Tali's voice however caused Shala to frown, "Auntie… could you come aboard? You may bring a team of Marines with you, but only those you trust; we have something very important to discuss with you in private."
Everyone on the bridge looked at each other, while Shala stewed it over in her mind. It could very easily still be a trap, despite the passphrase the two had uttered; she was shaken out of her thoughts when Cato said, "Auntie please, Trust us. We wouldn't ask if it was not important."
Signing she finally said, "Very well, I shall come aboard soon." Shala closed the message and turned to Kal, "We'll go in, but not like fools; assemble three teams and have them go aboard those stealth shuttles we stole from the Salarians. Have them hover outside that ship and prepare to board if something goes wrong."
Kal nodded, already moving; "Of course Admiral."
"And Sergeant," He paused at the hatchway; "You and I will be going in alone."
Shala wrung her hands and paced back and forth inside the shuttle; trying not to think about how likely it was that she may be about to die with her 'adopted children'. Funny that I only now admit how I feel about them when we're potentially about to die. She mused with a grim smile.
"Ma'am? We'll be fine, you have me with you." Kal said, looking over his shoulder as the autopilot took them in.
Shala couldn't stop the chuckle from coming out of her mouth, "I'd believe you Kal, if you weren't young enough to be my son." She smiled as he tensed at her words, "You may be a veteran Marine Kal, but I still remember the day you and Tali taped my-" She caught herself, but she had little doubts Kal had caught it.
An awkward silence filled the cabin until Kal cleared his throat, "Ms. Shala…" He started, and she knew then that this was Tali and Cato's honorary older cousin/brother talking, not the Marine; "Everyone sees it. Tali is like your favorite niece, but Cato is your son even if not by blood or birth. He was your 'Birth Ticket', and you raised him as your own ever since Admiral 'Zorah locked himself away." He gave a nostalgic chuckle, "When you yelled at me that day, the only thought going through my mind was that I had just angered his mom."
Shala looked down and she wrung her hands even tighter, Is it really that obvious? She wondered.
Kal left her to her thoughts for a bit before he finally said, "We're here."
The ship seemed imposing on initial approach, but as they rolled to orient to the ships vertical gravity alignment, it towered over them like the ancient Inusannon monoliths Shala had seen once during her own pilgrimage.
Both Quarians braced themselves as the shuttle landed, and turned to the exit ramp. The ramp opened and Shala and Kal stepped out into the hanger, Shala smiling widely upon seeing Cato and Tali standing nearby; both of them bouncing on their toes in excitement.
"Tali, Cato…" She started, and cut herself off when both dashed forward and hugged her tightly.
She quickly returned the hug and smiled deeply; Kal stood off to the side, respectfully letting them have their moment. After a bit, the three of them broke their little group hug; at which point Tali and Cato bowed, "Auntie 'Raan, we present to you our Pilgrimage gift." Cato said, smiling widely behind his mask; Shala could tell.
Shala looked around at the neat, sterile, and brand new interior of the ship. "I have to say that this is one of the most impressive Pilgrimage gifts I have ever heard of."
Cato and Tali glanced at one another and nodded. Tali stepped slightly forward. "The Normandy isn't our Pilgrimage gift Auntie, this is."
Admiral Raan turned curiously to the two youngsters just in time to see them both remove their masks. "Keelah! What are you doing?!"
Tali breathed deeply, while Cato smacked his lips several times. "Do I need to clean the filters on this more, or was the air in these always that stale tasting?"
"Cato! Tali! What are you two doing! This ship is unclean!" Shala rushed forward and grabbed both of them by their shoulders, and both of them winced at the 'Concerned Mom' tone that she had adopted. It was a tone she only resorted to when they really scared her.
"Maybe," Cato gave a tired smile, "but not to us. This is our Pilgrimage gift, but it comes with a bit of a price-tag."
Tali lightly elbowed her brother and smirked. Shala could only watch in shock and wonder at the faces she had not seen directly in more than a decade. "That's why we wanted you to come aboard; this is bigger than just Pilgrimage Gifts and the Fleet surviving for another year. This could mean the renewal of our people, but there are... complications."
Kal snorted and spoke for the first time since coming aboard. "The price tag you mentioned? Why can't you two ever do things the simple way?"
"Because we're 'Zorah's!" the two said almost simultaneously. Shala wanted to sigh in relief, but the situation was still too surreal. Still, the fact that the two were resorting to 'sibling speak' meant that whatever they had gone through had bonded them closer together.
Shala gave a soft chuckle, "It seems the two of you have quite the tale. How about we have a seat somewhere, and you can tell us what you went through."
Shala and Kal blinked slowly at the menagerie of species in front of them. Admiral Han'Gerrel's security reports to the Admiralty Committee meant she was passingly familiar with Specter Nihlus Kryik and Battlemaster Urdnot Wrex.
Her position as Patrol Fleet Admiral meant she was up to date enough on galactic politics to recognize Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, and the maiden sitting next to her bore too close a resemblance to be anyone but her daughter.
The Salarian seemed familiar, and not in a good way but she had nothing to go on at the moment. She'd look into the matter when she was back aboard the Tonbay.
The other Turian rubbed her suit wrong, though in a much more personal way; the glances he thought he was hiding from her... Rael's daughter didn't go unnoticed by her. Nor did the glances Tali was sending the Turian; which somehow made Shala feel a little better and a little worse at the same time, much to her confusion.
The real Pole-Stars in this meeting were these, humans. They looked oddly similar to Quarians in face and general conformity, though stockier and having five digits instead of a more reasonable three. Well, no reason to hold that against them. One thing she did notice was how seamlessly they seemed to insinuate into the mixed species group; a matronly female and a striking younger woman were almost inseparable from Wrex, while a grizzled male sat between the two Turians like he'd always belonged there.
Shala tried not to stare at their hair; it was so weird seeing another species have the ability to grow it.
"So..." Shala started as she took her seat, "What has happened that you discover a new space faring race?" she asked.
"Not only that, one's that look like us." Kal added, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
Tali and Cato shared a glance, while all the humans chuckled; "Well, not exactly Auntie…" Tali started, before she told Shala and Kal everything that had transpired on this 'Earth'.
Cato, the other Turian 'Garrus', Benezia, and Wrex all adding in their own thoughts and moments during the journey. If Cato and Tali had been anyone other than her… Raels Children Dammit, then she would have assumed they were lying; but even then, she found her belief stretched to the absolute limit with some of their experiences.
Many in the room came and went as the story progressed, though Tali, Cato, Garrus, Benezia and her daughter 'Liara', Wrex, the Salarian, and Nihilus remained until the end; along with the humans Zaeed, Dr. Chambers, and Miranda.
She looked at the matronly Dr. Chambers. "It's a lot to take in; your world is under siege by an extradimensional empire, that doesn't have spaceflight capability?"
Dr. Chambers shifted uncomfortably, "Technically they do; it's just that their fleets are all stuck in their other universes where they have already left their gateway worlds. Earth is a backwater for the Combines Empire, most of us believe that the Combine have always entered a new universe where the species they subjugate have already achieved regular spaceflight.
"They can only bring in standard ground forces through Portal Storms, spaceships can't go through; at least we think so. In all honestly we don't know anything about them really." She admitted.
Kal shifted in his seat. "Are they limited to coming through your system, or are we likely to see other worlds get hit by this 'Combine'?"
The human girl Miranda scoffed. "Unlikely; your peoples," her eyes took in all the Council races, "lack the basic scientific knowledge to form a rudimentary teleportation gate, much less a dimensional bridge. As far as the Universal Union is concerned, you're beneath their notice right now." She crossed her arms and looked at the table. "Which isn't a bad thing."
Shala took the information silently, normally she would have been furious at being insulted in such a backhanded way; but she could almost… sense for lack of a better term, that this girl had no malice behind her words.
From her perspective she was stating a simple fact.
Zaeed chuckled darkly. "Yeah, we stumbled into that one; only ever put boots on our own moon before we started trying to punch holes in the universe. Bad for us cause we aren't really useful to them, but good for everyone else cause they're stuck in their own dimensions right now. Just their Synths and their bloody 'Advisors' for us to deal with."
Kal breathed a sigh of relief, "So that means they're stuck on your world with no way off?"
Chambers nodded, "The Combine can tunnel 'between' dimensions rather well, although from what I gather it's quite costly and inefficient; but once they're in a universe they have to use local transportation. That's why it's a blessing in disguise that humanity didn't achieve space travel by the time we started poking around with teleportation; because if we had, the Combine would already rule this universe."
Shala had the irrational desire to rub her eyes. "Teleportation, extra-dimensional invasions, laughably easy genetic alteration and general industrial construction;" she looked at the 'Zorah kids, "did I miss anything."
Cato glanced at his sister who nodded.
He turned back to the Admiral. "Yes Auntie."
It took a moment for her to realize Cato's lips hadn't moved. If Kal hadn't flinched upright when Cato... spoke, she would have sworn she imagined it.
Shala stared at Cato for a moment, "What…" She struggled to speak as she looked at him, before finally leveling Cato her sternest glare while saying. "Cato'Zorah… if that really was you, what am I thinking right now?" She asked.
Cato… you are my son in all but blood and name; what has happened to you? She thought, staring right at him.
Cato smiled softly. "Auntie 'Raan, you were the only mother I ever knew." He grabbed his sister's hand when Tali looked down at that comment. "I've... reconnected with something we lost; something older than the Citadel Accords, maybe even older than the ancient Kingdoms of Rannoch. It saved my life." He looked down at his other hand and snapped his fingers, causing green sparks to dance between them until he balled them in a fist. "You've heard everyone mention Ulysses?"
Shala nodded, "Yes, the one that saved Tali's life, correct?" She asked, already thinking of ways to send her thanks to this mysterious person.
He started to reach over to Shala when Mordin began tapping on his Omnitool. "Perhaps a more conventional display than you and Miss Shephard are prone to."
Shala caught the flinch and coloring in Cato's cheeks at the comment; but she held her tongue as the Salarian brought up a holographic image of a gaunt, hunched creature with three arms, a mouth filled with fangs, one great glowing eye, and three smaller eyes above the main one.
"Ulysses insisted this be recorded before we left South Mountain." Mordin explained before hitting play.
"We give greetings to the Wanderers Amongst the Stars. We are the Ulysses, and we have recorded this plea for the future's sake." The Alien leaned heavily on a cane while brushing something off of its Sehni-like garment. "This planet, the home of the Curious Amongst the Independants is in great peril; and we ask that you may give assistance in our quest for freedom from the Conquerors." Ulysses tapped his cane on the ground out of sight from the Omni-tools camera, "While we hope that our plight is enough to convince you to lend us aid; we still offer you these boons.
The recording of Ulysses then pointed to where Tali and Cato sat maskless, "We can revive your Dead Immunities, and reconnect your people with the skills that they have lost; and allow you to throw off the shackles of The Old Machines."
The recording then turned to Shala, and this removed any doubt in the Admiral that the Alien had not foreseen this. He had known exactly what would happen, and had planned accordingly; "The Shala'Raan must make this choice, if not for herself then for her Spirit-Son... Our Apprentice can show you that which you have lost, The Shala'Raan; for you are connected with the Cato'Zorah in more ways than you know." And with those words, the Elderly Alien bowed his head and the recording stopped.
Shala stared at the professor and the others; all of whom except Cato looked equally surprised, "What did he mean by that?" She asked curiously, while Kal looked between her and Cato with narrowed eyes.
Cato and Tali exchange a look, and Cato opened his mouth to speak; before his eyes flashed Emerald. Kal and Shala blinked as a panicked expression crossed over Cato's face. "Er… guys, If everyone except Tali, Auntie 'Raan, and Kal could leave; that would be great."
Everyone stared at him confused, and Cato's eyes flashed Emerald again; and suddenly everyone seemed to understand why he was asking. Zaeed hopped to his feet. "Right; I've seen this Gallagher Show already, don't need to see it again. Everybody, let's go!" He began herding the various people out of the room and paused to turn. "Do you want me to-"
"She knows and they're already on their way." Cato's voice was slightly strained as Zaeed nodded and left.
Only Garrus hesitated, and said, "Cato if you don't mind…" and he looked torn between leaving and staying with the group; Shala and Kal just watched the whole affair feeling totally confused.
Cato just gave Garrus that same smile Shala remembered seeing back whenever he had been still in the bubble and talking with Kal, and Shala didn't miss the shy smile Tali sent the Turian either; "Sure Garrus, I don't think they would mind."
Shala was becoming more confused and alarmed as the moments passed when she heard the peculiar cry of a baby, accompanied by the sensation of distress. She looked towards the cabin's hatch as the door opened and a human female about Cato's age came in carrying... a Quarian baby?! Shala thought incredulously, staring at the human and the infant.
"She won't... won't s-s-stop crying! She wants... you, n-n-not me!" the woman exclaimed, sounding like she was close to tears; stuttering and pausing at odd moments as she talked.
Cato staggered to his feet and took them both in his arms. Cato was about to speak when the young woman gasped. "When... was the last time... you discharged?" Her tears were partially replaced by a stern tone not unlike those Shala had heard many times; between bondmates.
Though her voice was still filled with pauses, the stuttering had gone away.
"Well, I meant to this morning, but with the ship so light handed-"
The human female gave him a very Tali-esque dope slap. "No excuse! You… k-k-know better!" despite the seeming rough treatment, neither pulled away and the child had calmed considerably.
While his face was still covered by his mask, Shala could tell that Kal's jaw was on the bottom of his mask; she knew that for a fact because her own jaw was in a similar position. Tali and Garrus on the other hand seemed to be on the verge of open laughter.
As much as she tried to stay calm, Shala couldn't stop the dismay spreading throughout her as she examined the human and the infant. Shala could see the infant was about eight months old, and she had spent enough time on the liveships to be able to tell the children apart and match them to their parents. And she could see both the human females features in the infants face; and she could see the infant shared many physical similarities with Cato, such as his Black Hair, his Grey-Light Purple skin.
Her train of thought was brought up short when the young woman pulled away and handed the baby into her father's arms, only to drag one of the empty conference chairs against the wall opposite of Cato. Once in place, she walked up and retrieved the child and pointed meaningfully at the bit of furniture.
"Cato…" Kal started, seemingly recovering first; but stopped short when Emerald Green electricity began sparking from the Teenaged Quarians hands. Shala didn't even think it was possible, but her jaw fell even further; even as her eyes began to practically bulge out of her head.
Then Cato windmilled his arm and lashed it forward towards the chair; and a beam of lightning struck the chair, sending it tumbling backward. The baby gurgled happily at the light show.
Shala and Kal were on their feet now; staring at Cato, the human girl next to him, and the infant in her arms, which Shala only just now noticed had five digits rather than three.
"Cato'Zorah Va'Seras, you will explain what is going on, and who these two people are right now." He was about to answer when she held up a hand. "I am not asking as Auntie 'Raan, but as Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Commander of the Migrant Fleet Defense and Patrol Flotilla."
Cato gulped while the human cringed slightly and seemed to hide behind him somewhat; which did make Shala feel a little bad, but she shoved it down. Cato opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before saying; "Auntie 'Raan," he weathered her glare and pressed forward, "I'd like you to meet Ayita'Shephard Vas Normandy Nar Earth and Ori'Zorah Nar Earth… My Ne'Bahnté and Na'Vera."
While Shala may have put the pieces together mentally, hearing Cato actually say it out loud for her to hear was like someone had taken a hammer to her ability to think coherently. A wave of emotions flew through her mind, Motherly Pride, Admirals Fear, Quarian Instinctual Curiosity… though the Motherly Pride and the Instinctual Curiosity seemed to be winning out somewhat.
Kal spoke first, "Huh… to think that you would be the one who beat us out at finding a bondmate; though it looks like you jumped the gun somewhat." He joked, looking at Shephard and Ori.
Cato turned a deep purple while Shephard's face tinted red; Ori just gurgled happily and stared at Kal with curious eyes.
Shala opened and closed her mouth for a moment; before she felt something instinctual well up within her. "May I see her?" She asked, trying not to sound like she was begging.
Everyone stared at her for a moment, when Cato and the Shephard girl looked at each other; their eyes flashed Emerald at the same time, and Cato took Ori out of Shephard's arms and walked up to Shala. Cato looked at her cautiously as he walked up to her, while Tali, Cato, and Garrus seemed tense.
The Shephard girl looked very nervous, and Shala couldn't help but feel a little hurt by that; she had no intention of harming a child, ever.
"Ah!" Ori exclaimed, smiling widely as Cato gently placed her into Shala's arms.
She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face, remembering the days when she had held Cato in his bubble. "She's beautiful Cato…" She whispered.
"Da!" Ori babbled, reaching her hands towards Cato after a minute of resting in Shala's arms; and Shala knew that Ori wanted to be with her father. She went to hand Ori off to Cato when the infant's eyes flashed from Mercury to Emerald like her parents; and Sparks flew off her body.
Shala flinched, both at the sparks and at the odd rush of energy that suddenly overcame her.
She suddenly felt twenty or even thirty years younger, had just had a superb night's sleep, and had several tubes of Turian Tea all at the same time. Shala blinked as she was suddenly bombarded with multiple sensations at once, but the greatest one was confusion.
Blinking, she took a step back and looked around the room, and was confused to see Professor Solus and Doctor Chambers back; while Kal, Tali, Cato, Shephard, and Garrus all stared at her in slack jawed amazement.
Ori was fussing in Shephard's arms, and looking back and forth between her mother and Shala; and somehow, Shala could sense the infant felt… guilty. Then she realized something, her vision was no longer tinted purple. "what … where…" She asked, blinking in surprise as she noticed her voice no longer resonated in her own helmet.
Kal wavered slightly. "Green Biotics... here-you..." He thumped heavily into his chair.
Doctor Chambers and Cato helped Shala sit down. The human glanced over to her Salarian cohort, who was examining his Omnitool. "Dark Energy levels stable, though transition not entirely complete; detecting mild anaphylactic reaction in exposed extremities." He shut the device down and went to the nearby wall unit. "Medical team, report to Ready Room One with a mobility chair."
Shala looked at the people around her in growing confusion and alarm. "What's happening?"
Tali levered Kal out of his chair while Cato helped Shala stand. "Ori must have triggered the Vortal... whatever it is in us. Your suit is breached and we need to finish the process."
Shala blinked, "But, I feel fine." She protested.
"Perhaps," Dr. Chambers shooed people away from the door as a pair of orderlies came in with a wheeled chair, "but as the ship's Chief Medical Officer I'd like to avoid an interstellar war by letting you get sick on my watch."
The Salarian attached a small monitoring device to the collar of Shala's suit. "Have only observed transition process twice; both times concurrent with substantial physical trauma. Must ensure process occurs smoothly, and medical record will help in... convincing Admiralty Board of an absence of intentional changes."
Cato slowly entered the medical room with Ayita, both of them incredibly nervous.
Auntie 'Raan had been stabilized and in fact was showing better medical readings than before Ori had unlocked her abilities. But now, her Energy was building; both Vortals could sense it, and that meant that they needed to teach her how to discharge it.
Both of them needed to do so anyway, so it was a good opportunity to show her.
Cato walked in first while Ayita lagged behind with Ori, just in case Auntie 'Raan reacted negatively to their presence. Cato stopped, and looked away, a little embarrassed but also amazed.
Shala had stripped out of her suit, and was now wearing the 'Battle Dress Uniform' the humans seemed to love; the sleeves rolled up, and no footwear of any kind. Her Sehni and Realk lay on her lap; Shala rubbing them in her hands, mesmerized at actually being able to feel them. Cato stared for a long moment, his subconscious memorized her face; unknowingly categorizing her as 'mother', before he cleared his throat.
Shala jumped, setting her Sehni down and looking at Cato; unbeknownst to him, she had sensed how he categorized her and was deeply touched by it. "My Son... " she murmured in Kheelish.
He sat in the nearby chair and hesitantly extended his hand towards hers. "Mother… I… This will feel a little odd; but I want you to trust me."
Shala smiled, "Of course Cato, I've always trusted you." She replied, taking his hand; relishing the feeling.
Cato nodded and turned to Ayita, who had walked into the bay; "Ne'Bahnté, could you set up a Room please?" He asked, while Shala tilted her head curiously.
"Of course…" Ayita replied.
Shala smiled at the exchange, the two of them reminded her of Rael and Ceema when they had first met; they both completed each other, and Shala couldn't stop the hollow pang in her soul that told her that she had never found another to complete her own soul.
Ayita continued rocking Ori, and then set a hand on Cato's shoulder; A Jolt ran through Cato and Shala; and they both slumped over unconscious.
Ayita pulled up a chair and sat next to Cato; and leaned him onto her shoulder, allowing his head to rest on top of hers.
She hadn't thought that it was a good idea, but he was her Other; and in the end she supported him. Now all she had could do was sit and wait for her Inszel and his Soul-Mother to complete the Unlocking.
Shala opened her eyes to an empty black void.
She looked around and felt her Sehni shift slightly, but oddly. She put her bare hand up to her head and felt a restraining band holding her head cover close, similar to how she remembered images of ancient Quarian Mariners. A glance down convinced her, as she was in the vest/tunic, kilt, and sandles common to those ancient explorers and tradesmen that had lived on the Rivers and the Sea.
It was… incredible how she appeared; it was like she had walked out of a historical photo.
"Wow… Soul-Mother… I…" Shala flinched at the disembodied voice and turned towards it to see Cato walking out of the darkness, looking somewhat stunned.
He wore the Dress Uniform of the Royal Guard, the remnants of which had formed the Fleet Marines with the death of most of the Royal family; and the princess abdicating her Emergency Authority, the Authority of the Parliament, and of the House of Lords to the Admiralty Board. Cato's Realk and his Sehni were Purple rather than Crimson; but otherwise, he looked the same.
Shala walked up and put the palm of her hand to his chin; "Cato… I am so proud of you my Spirit-Son." then her face fell as she realized what she had said.
Cato started slightly at what she had called him, "I...I didn't mean to..." he was torn between the urge to leave the Room and rush over to Shala. She apparently sensed his conflict and decided for him as she walked up and hugged him tightly. The walls flashed with dozens of shared memories and repressed emotions. Their reverie finally waned as Shala began to feel a building pressure, like a drop in cabin pressure combined with raw nervous energy.
She shuddered as green energy sparked around her, and the Admiral stared at her hands as sparks jumped between them; "Cato… what is happening to me? No one was able to really explain anything beyond saying that I had 'Unlocked my Potential'." She turned her gaze back to Cato, "What does that mean?"
He stepped back and vague images from Cato's time on earth began to play out. "It means we Quarians used to have access to a power similar to Biotics. It comes from something Ulysses and Ayita call the Vortessence. Beyond that, I'm not really sure."
Cato then channeled the Emerald energy in his palms, and smiled lightly; "I simply call it 'Anti-biotics'."
Shala mouthed the word and looked back down at her hands; "And… Do all Quarians have this ability?" She asked, "And why did they see fit to have me remove my suit? Yes, I may not have had any outward reactions to breathing unsterile air; but…" She paused while Cato seemed to think things over.
Shala blinked as suddenly they found themselves in an old cave, the entrance to which was collapsed. "I found out the hard way that Eezo and the Vortessence don't get along well; something to do with 'population inversions of Dark Energy' or some such. Give Professor Mordin the chance and he'll give you a Master's Dissertation on the subject.
"The point is," Shala watched and listened as the memory of Cato fought his way out of his ruined suit on the cave floor, "that the Eezo in our suits impedes our ability to channel the Vortessence. Which is a real problem since it's like static charge in an Eezo Drive Core; you either discharge it, or it builds to lethal levels and blasts it's way out. So your old suit had to go."
She looked down at her hands again; "So how do I…"
"Concentrate on your hands, and focus on punching your Energy out of them." Cato Instructed.
Shala sighed, this was going to be a long lesson.
Kal stared at Tali's face in wonder, He had seen his own face of course; and Tali's when they were kids, but to see it as an adult was something else.
He had little doubts that he was going to have to threaten a whole lot of men away from her before she found the one; her bondmate. Though Kal suspected that he may have to try already with that Garrus fellow.
Said Turian was giving him a none too subtle side eye while keeping close to Tali.
Garrus was more than familiar with both interspecies relationships, and the cultural backlash that could occur from them; he'd answered more than enough 'Domestic Dispute' calls while with C-Sec, many of which had turned out to be intolerant family members trying to discredit one or the other member of the couple. Given how insular the Quarians were and their alarmingly low population, he had no doubt there were major taboos against relations outside the species.
Tali didn't seem to mind at least, given the amount of time they had spent drinking all of his Madara '43; not that it had gone anywhere beyond drunken flirting. Of course, she was oblivious to the two men behind her giving each other the stink eye; she was more excited giving Kal the tour of her ship.
"So where are we off to now Captain?" Kal asked, glancing at Garrus.
"Please Kal, you're like my older brother; drop that 'Captain' nonsense." She admonished him as they walked.
Kal just smiled lightly, "No can do ma'am, old habits die hard." He replied with a light chuckle.
Tali laughed as well while Garrus rolled his eyes, "Very well Mr. Marine; we're here anyway." She stated, opening a hatch as it scanned her face; flashing green, and opening.
Kal stopped dead in his tracks.
Tali and Garrus walked a few paces forward, then stopped as they realized that Kal hadn't kept up with them; they both turned and saw to their great amusement that Kal's glowing Mercury eyes were as big as dinner plates.
"Are… Are those TWO Spinal Cannons!" Kal demanded, not remembering that the Tonbay had detected them earlier; but had not correctly identified them. He was so focused on the two cannons, that he didn't notice the human from the conference room; Zaeed, along with the Krogan and the young Human, Miranda, had noticed his exclamation and had walked over to see what the commotion was about.
Garrus gave a wry chuckle while looking nervously at the weapon breaches. "That they are. The Combine stripped the Destiny of every usable scrap of equipment, including two of her secondary guns. They are," he glanced at the magazine behind them, "heavily modified."
Kal scoffed. "I'll bet. These are what; two meter bores? What does this thing fire?"
"Modified Trident III SLBMs," everyone glanced over as Sergeant Massani came up through one of the magazine service hatches, "each carrying ten Independantly Targeting Attack Warheads."
Kal could see rack after rack of two meter by twenty meter cylinders. "And what does all that mean in Council speak?"
"It means it's a dreadnought killer; one good hit from any one of these things, and it will literally shatter the entire ship, with or without barriers." Tali stated. "And that's not even accounting for the Missile Pods, Warp Cannons, Pulse Machine Guns, and Nuclear Warheads."
"Keelah! Who did these people think they were going to be fighting?" Kal boggled at the sheer firepower; if the Council ever got wind of a ship like this, they'd send half the Turian Armada to seize or scuttle her.
Massani gave a humorless laugh. "Everybody lad; they figured they'd be fighting everybody. The Consul doesn't do power sharing or fair representation; he had literally just finished reenacting 'The Night of the Long Knives' when we took this ship out from under his nose."
Kal shifted uncomfortably, he didn't get the reference; but it sounded like a Purge of sorts, like whenever a new Batarian Hegemon consolidated power in his base and purged many of the rivals and allies that had helped put them in power in the first place.
Deciding to change the subject, he asked; "What powers this? And how do you get supplies?"
Tali gestured towards a nearby catwalk. "You probably detected the secondary Fusion drive plants, right?"
Kal paused at that. "We detected four fusion torches, yes; and something else."
Tali nodded and walked towards another hatch, the others following after her. "Well the Combine has their own version of the Mass Effect Core, called a Dark Fusion Reactor. It's like an Eezo Core, but there's only Dark Energy; no Eezo." She opened the hatch, stepped into an elevator and pressed a button.
To Kal's surprise the Elevator was actually fast; rather than the slow climb and drop that he was used to. "That seems a bit far fetched; you need Eezo since you can't directly manipulate dark energy."
Massani chuffed. "Don't let Adams hear you say that."
The elevator doors opened to the sort of chamber he'd expect from any Mass Effect powered vessel, but where he would normally see a bright blue ball of electrostatic plasma surrounded by a purple halo, he instead was staring at a soft blue ball surrounding a roiling mass of shadows.
"That's-"
"100% pure Dark Energy." Wrex sauntered towards the group while being followed by Miranda and harried by Ken and Gabby.
"Yes, and apparently it tastes like Roast Varren. Isn't that right, Wrex?" Garrus mocked.
Wrex scowled and spat. "No, I said it tasted like Roasted Varren shit! Still better than cooked headcrab, but not by much."
Kal watched the people banter and looked over at Tali. "Please tell me this is a Rating-Hazing, and not serious."
She smirked at him. "Afraid not Kal; the Combine uses Dark Energy plugs for just about everything, and Wrex ate one."
"It was absolutely necessary!" the Battlemaster bellowed. "I think; I don't actually remember much. I just remember waking up to the loudest light I have ever heard in my life."
"Anyway," Tali loudly interjected, "this 'Dark Fusion Reactor' provides for all the more, shall we say exotic power needs of the ship: FTL, gravity, inertial control, shields and primary weapons. As I understand it," she looked to Chief Adams, "as long as it's running correctly and you keep it supplied with matter, it will just keep running."
'Reegar's head whipped back and forth between the floating mass of exotic matter and his childhood friend. "Wait, anything? That violates like," he started ticking his fingers, "five different scientific laws! You can't just get Eezo reactor levels of power out of a machine by feeding it space junk and bodily waste."
Chief Adams huffed and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. "Tell that to the Combine. And it doesn't violate Conservation of Energy and Mass, if that's what you're talking about." He turned and looked at the reactor. "You need a huge amount of seed Dark Energy to start one of these bad boys, and it uses about 90% of its own power just to sustain the reaction; 80% if you cajole it like a baby. We could improve that down to about 55% for a short time if we were to feed it an enriched Dark Matter source, though that has the real chance of destabilizing the reactor." He glanced over at Kal. "We don't want that."
Kal's mind was racing. "So you would start with a Dark Energy burst, like from an unstable Eezo reaction?" He glanced at Tali who nodded while smiling. "Then you contain it like this, rather than with a magnetic bottle, and it becomes a self sustaining reaction as long as there is something to feed into it?"
Greg nodded and handed a tablet over to Kal, detailing the machine in front of them. The Quarian Marine couldn't read any of the words, but he knew a technical schematic when he saw one. He looked over to Greg. "Just like that?"
The human nodded with a sad smile. "From one refugee to another." Ken and Gabby joined them, and were soon followed by the dozens of humans working in engineering. "We want our homeworld back. This is a pittance to pay for that."
Shala concentrated, and watched with a pleased expression as a sphere of Emerald Green energy formed in her palm. To both her and Cato's confusion, it had a slight Silvery tint to it; as with all the other times she had managed to harness her power.
"I still don't understand; I think I saw a Silver tint whenever Ulysses used his power, but I never got a good enough look to be sure. And whenever Fredrick, myself, Ori, or Ayita used our power it was just regular Emerald." Cato wondered with a frown as Shala threw the bolt towards a fake Turian.
"Perhaps it's simply indicative of age?" Shala mused, "I am in my mid fifties Cato, and while I am certainly not old; I am not in my prime."
Cato shook his head, "Ayita told me that while Vortals are incredibly new for humans, we still live longer than most normal beings. Humans before the Combine invasion lived to be about 80 or 90; and Ayita told me that as much evil the Combine has done, they have done one good thing. They subjected people to Gene tests and put them in 'age acceleration chambers'; and found that after receiving gene mods, most humans would live to around 450 to 500 years old and would only start showing their age at around 400.
"I have little doubts that the same thing could be done for Quarians, and the curing of our immune systems of course; we even have Genetic kits here on the ship, since the Consol made sure it was fully stocked with supplies before launch." He explained.
Shala's eyes brightened, flashing Emerald as she understood; "So you think that we… us Vortals I mean, will live as long as Asari provided disease or weapons don't kill us?" She asked.
Cato shrugged, "That's the theory anyway; but no one knows for sure."
"What about these Gene mod kits?" Shala asked next, lashing out with two more bolts of energy into some Batarians. "I genuinely doubt there is enough for the fleet, but what about replicating it?"
Cato looked away and began to pace.
Shala let him do so, knowing that it helped him think; and instead focused on lashing out more bolts and gathering energy in her palms and finding it much easier and faster than when she first started.
"Technically… yes; but we would need to find a suitable substitute to the Antlion Gels, and its likely any synthetic copies would be poor imitations. Nowhere near as effective, and while it would cure our immune system; we would still be more susceptible to other viruses and the like as opposed to what you and I have, which prevents us from getting sick… ever." He explained, seemingly struggling to find words.
Shala's concentration flickered at the thought of the likely accusations were they to try that route; that the Admiralty was hoarding superior medicine for itself and the chosen few.
Open mutiny would be an almost certainty at that point.
Shala frowned as she suddenly remembered the whole reason that she was here in the first place. "Cato… My Spirit-Son; you never did get the chance to explain to me how you and your Bondmate met. More importantly, why you have given me a Granddaughter." She gave him a look that was equal measures of disappointment and pride; "You two have certainly bonded fast if you reached that stage of a relationship." She noted, fighting down a grin as Cato blushed purple at her words.
She stepped forward, her expression becoming serious; "Cato… please; if only for my own sanity, not to mention that of your fathers and the rest of the admirals. Is it even possible for Quarians to mate with humans? Because I can certainly see a massive population boom if that were true." She put the palm of her hand onto Cato's jaw as he looked away, "How was Ori created?" she asked softly; "I know my granddaughter was not made in the traditional sense Cato; please… tell me."
Cato's mind flashed back to Dr. Lawson's Laboratory as half formed images flickered in the mists surrounding them. "A mad scientist created her on a whim, from blood samples pulled at our initial crash site. He is the Monster responsible for creating Miranda. Has anyone told you about her yet?" Shala shook her head. "She's two years old." She recoiled in shock. "He has a method of cloning and accelerating the aging process, as well as imprinting knowledge onto the… individual."
He locked eyes with the woman who had all but raised him. "Please, Spirit-Mother, you have to make the board understand how dangerous this group is! We may have stolen and erased the data, but they've seen Mass Effect technology now, and they know it can be done. They will be trying everything to leave the Earth, and if that happens we won't be able to stop them!"
Shala nodded, "I will make sure they understand Cato… Admiral 'Koris will definitely side with me; and if it means that he and I must leave the rest of the fleet to help you, then we will. Our people are tired of living on our ships my Son, and hearing of another people in a plight like ours; people who can cure our immune systems and perhaps even give us a home… Your Bondmate and her people will have their help; one way or another."
Shala opened her eyes, and upon seeing that both Ms. Shephard and Ori were asleep and leaning against Cato, she smiled and tapped Cato on the shoulder as he was waking up. "I'll discharge outside and go see your sister, I'll leave you three alone."
She smiled at seeing Cato give her a bleary nod and Shala stepped outside, making sure the door shut behind her while she grabbed some boots.
Once the hatch was closed, Shala took a deep breath and concentrated.
A crackling sound filled the hallway, as Shala lashed out and sent a bolt of Silvery-Emerald energy into a nearby exposed socket; smiling in satisfaction as the lights in the hall brightened for a moment.
"Always amazing to see a Vortal's discharge; no matter how many times I've seen it." A voice remarked nearby, and Shala jumped slightly; turning toward the voice.
It was a human male, about her age; dark brown hair cut close to his head like how most of the males of his species seemed to prefer. He wore a blue jumpsuit, a grey shirt underneath it, and a tan belt around his waist.
On his lapels, there was a gold anchor with Silver Letters laid overtop of it.
If she squinted, Shala could see the human letters "U.S.N."; what that meant, she had no idea. "Hello, what is your name?" She asked cautiously, feeling like she had seen this human before from somewhere.
"Chief Petty Officer Greg Adams; Chief engineer of this boat." He smiled and reached his hand forward; and Shala blinked in confusion. Adams seemed to recognize her confusion and said, "A human gesture of greeting, you take my hand and shake it."
"Ah." Shala nodded, and took it and shook. "May I ask what you're doing here?"
"I was getting off shift, and had some time to kill and realized you haven't been given the tour of our boat yet." He smiled as he let go of her hand, "Would you like a tour?"
Shala grinned, "I would love one."
Pilot A/N: Black Mesa is currently in the running for the Steam Awards for 'Labor of Love' and 'Game of the Year'. The Dev's are shooting for both, but aiming for 'Labor of Love', since it was 16 years of grueling work to make Black Mesa what it is; so please go out and vote in the election that matters.
Make Black Mesa Steam's Game of the Year and Labor of Love of 2020; but you can only nominate it for one regrettably.
Right then, happy Thanksgiving everyone; today's the day when back when I was a kid everyone would hang out with their families and catch up with everyone; only now everyone screams at each other because they voted for the 'wrong' person, assuming they aren't arrested by the tyrants they elected.
Alright, onto the actual content of this chapter.
First off, the naming of the Normandy; which is honestly rather self explanatory. Ayita's desire to not name is more of an irrational hatred of anything Combine than actual malice or substantiated arguments against it.
Next up, is Kal and Shala and their relationship with Tali and Cato.
If you can't tell already, I love Kal and Shala and always felt they were criminally underutilized. Kal, for his part oftentimes finds himself either serving a 'big-brother surrogate' or 'Tali-Bondmate alternative' when it comes to fanfics; and Shala oftentimes finds herself as the 'Secret Biological Mother' or other such nonsense in fics.
Here, we decided to make it a bit of subversion regarding Shala while playing it straight with Kal; Kal is the Older Brother Tali and Cato never had, and they are the siblings he always wanted.
Kal sizing up Garrus to try and intimidate him since he could tell Garrus had the hots for Tali is something that made me chuckle; I will admit, it's that kind of dark humor that makes me laugh.
As for Shala, particularly her Vortal abilities… you want to explain the thinking behind that Ian?
Ian A/N: We had come to the decision that each individual's abilities were slightly different, and that, as Shalla hinted, personal maturity affects them. We will meet other Vortals with distinctly different abilities along with the idea of blood lines.
We will also eventually explore just what the Normandy is capable of in a stand-up fight. I have always personally felt Sci-Fi franchises have a bizarre aversion to the use of nuclear ordnance. The Combine would not have that mental handicap, and so any domestically produced warships would obviously take advantage of Earth's rather impressive collection of Nuclear and Thermo-Nuclear weapons. That will be an issue with the Citadel that we will explore going forward.
Next time will be introducing the rest of the Admiralty to the Normandy and her motley crew.
Stay tuned dear readers.
Pilot: I hope y'all enjoyed.
Leave a review and tell us what y'all think.
A TV tropes page would be loved.
And we will see ya when we see ya.