Cato'Zorah vas Normandy grunted angrily at the loud beep in his ear.
He shifted slightly, taking his arm off his bondmate Ayita'Zorah, and brought his right hand to his ear. "What…" He growled angrily, not even opening his eyes even as Ayita shifted and groaned unhappily.
"Sorry to disturb you Corporal, but the Sergeant wanted me to pass on a message; erm…" The Quarian paused and cleared her throat, "'If you and your bodmate are done with your Dev'alin, please come down to the weapons storage to prep for our mission.' You uh… get that Corporal?" She asked, sounding very embarrassed.
Cato just grunted again, "Yeah… tell him to give me an hour." At this, he finally opened his eyes and looked at his Inszel; they were face to face, laying on their bed, and entangled together in more ways than one.
"Huneey, We need to wake up." Cato murmured to her.
Ayita just moaned, "Can we just ignore them and sleep? I'm sore…" She replied.
Cato smiled at the fact that her speech therapy had finally started to show real dividends. "I'm sorry huneey, but we both have jobs to do; I have a mission, and you need to go pick up Ori from Dr. Chambers and give some lessons to the new apprentices." he replied.
Ayita moaned again, and the two slowly extracted themselves from each other; Cato grunting as his muscles flared in protest. Ayita stayed in bed and simply rolled over while Cato hopped up and immediately went and showered before pulling on his envirosuit, Realk, and Sehni; while grabbing his Crimson mask but leaving it off.
He looked over at his sleeping 'Wife', the human term causing warm feelings within him; and Cato smiled as he noticed her shivering as their blankets had fallen to her waist. Walking over to her, he gently pulled them back up over her shoulders; and leaned down to kiss her temple.
She surprised him by shooting up and kissing him on the lips, putting a hand on his jaw and feeling his beard. He had really let the thing grow out, as Zaeed had told him that in many human cultures; a beard was a sign of manliness.
Plus it made him look older, which was his goal for the most part.
Ayita broke their kiss and smiled, before a look of concern flashed across her face. It was a testament to how far the Felz'tiyl went that he instantly knew what was bothering her. "Huneey, You heard what Doctor Chambers and Professor Solus told us. The chances of a pregnancy is slim; even if Quarians and Humans can breed, we took precautions."
Ayita just shook her head, "I could feel it in the Vortessence, we're destined for another; when... I do not know, but if it is now… Cato please be careful, I can't live without you and neither can Ori." She practically begged.
Cato smiled and kissed her again, "I will, I love you huneey; and Tali left you a gift. Your own envirosuit and your own Seemas and Realk; considering you like things that leave a trail like your old Poncho, although you certainly don't mind a regular Sehni." He chuckled at the fate of the old thing, a blanket for Ori; who was well into her toddler stage.
Ayita just smiled, "Tell her I said thank you, I'll see you soon."
"Apprentices exit the shuttle!"
Lan'Vigar nar Laafis snapped his gaze forward; trying not to be nervous. He took solace in the fact that everyone else looked just as nervous as he did; but he was clan Vigar, a people known for stoic warriors and soldiers. He would be shaming his ancestors if he did not live up to their name.
He tried his best to not look around the massive hanger of this ship.
So this is the ship that has everyone whispering. He wondered. Lan had been due to begin his pilgrimage when he'd gone through one of the strangest accidents in his life; he had been doing some electrical work, when a short had electrocuted him. But instead of dying, the hands and forearms of his suit had burned away while his mask had shattered; all the while, he hadn't gotten sick once.
"APPRENTICE! Pay attention!" Captain Ysin'Mal bellowed, thankfully not at him; the ire being directed at some kid called Veetor who didn't look nearly old enough to be on Pilgrimage. "As I was saying, you are all here, because you have exhibited exceptional… potential." The Captain's hand and arm glowed green as he walked down the line.
Every 'Apprentice' felt a tingle as he walked by them.
"Here on the Normandy, we will hone your potential into a usable force. In turn, you will serve as a vanguard force. You will aid the fleet, as well as new allies we have gained. This will serve as your Pilgrimage and gift, much as training and serving in the Flotilla Marines does. And just as Marines serve a minimum term before they may request discharge into the general fleet population, so too will all of you.
"Make no mistake this will change you, has changed you, as some of you have noticed. You will be viewed with some awe, and a lot of distrust. You will regain that trust through deed, through honor, and through selfless sacrifice to the Fleet."
'Mal stopped pacing in front and turned to face the Apprentices. "Keelah Se'lai!"
"Keelah Se'lai!" The row of young Quarians snapped to attention.
Suddenly, the Captain tensed; Lan did so as well when he felt a foriegn presence at the edge of his mind. Lan looked around, as did everyone else; but upon finding nothing around, Lan turned his attention back to the Captain.
"Oh shit…" Lan blinked at the unfamiliar curse, "Consider yourselves 'lucky' Apprentices. The Mistress appears to have taken a special interest in you lot; whatever you do, keep any comments or thoughts to yourself. She has quite the short temper."
Lan glanced around to see if anyone knew what the Captain was going on about, and that's when he caught sight of it, of her. A shadow under the shuttle wing shifted and detached, seeming to flow out. There were hints of a feminine shape wrapped in a formal floor length Seema; something Lan had only seen in the history files and videos.
The Alien, for that's what it had to be, seemed to be made of black clouds and shadows; and seemed to drift along the floor, gliding towards the captain. The only other color he could make out from the feminine shaped inky cloud of blackness were its eyes.
It's eyes were glowing like a pair of bright Emerald Stars; and Lan found himself captivated by the Aliens' body shape and eyes.
The Captain's admonishment to keep his thoughts to himself snapped to the fore of his mind as the exotic form shifted it's attention fully to him. All at once, she was no longer the mysterious and alluring form; but the Kelek'miin of myth, come to take his soul for wandering where he shouldn't.
"We are not for your eyes!" Everyone cringed while Captain 'Mal sighed.
"I warned you boy, damned hormonal teenagers…" The Captain grumbled unhappily.
The Kelek'miin floated up to him, and seemed to grow in size to the point that it towered over him; though it still retained its almost alluring form. Lun squeezed his eyes shut and banished the thought from his mind, but the Shadow Alien seemed to sense his thoughts anyway.
"At least you make an effort to correct your behavior." The being hissed, her voice no longer echoing in his mind; but it seemed to be coming from the mass of shadows in front of him. Paradoxically, her voice echoed with every word, yet they did not shout nor did the sound carry beyond the group; Her voice was soft, but had a harshness to it that Lun had only heard in Krogan and Matriarchs.
Lan cringed, "I... Apologize for bringing such shame to my clan." He murmured, hoping the Alien would accept it and not devour his soul.
"So you apologize for your clan… and yet it was not they whom offended us! It was not they whom thought such… distasteful thoughts about us. We shall accept an apology, through your hard work; and your efforts to keep us out of their perversions." The being hissed, and Lun gulped and had to stifle a gasp along with all the rest of the 'Apprentices'.
To refuse an apology from a clan was rare; to demand an apology from the individual was even rarer.
The terrifying form drifted back and it's baleful green gaze panned across the line. "We are all unified as one in the Vortessence; the Felz'zel as your people know it. This does not obviate each of us, each of you from the responsibility of our actions. This is your first lesson; your thoughts are your actions, and they will always have consequences!"
There was a soft sniffling from down the line, though Lan dared not look to see who. The Kelek'miin moved towards the sound, and seemed to shrink until the feminine form was returned. "Hush now Neyha, we are not angry with you." The Mistresses voice became calmer; ethereal and motherly. A shadowy arm extended, ending in a five fingered alien hand that brushed Veetor's tears away. "You are safe here. See," she gestured down the line and to Captain 'Mal, "You are entered into a new Clan. We will care for you, and in turn you will learn to care for all of your people. You will grow to be strong and brave, and you will always have a family amongst us."
"W-w-what are you?" Veetor stammered, then cringed away from the Alien.
Lan gave his sympathy to the boy, especially with a speech impediment like that; he was likely mocked endlessly for it as a child, and probably expected a similar treatment here. Lan cringed as well at the boy's question; as the Kelek'miin seemed to be especially short tempered.
Everyone felt an almost twinge of regret come from The Mistress. "We are the Shephard and the Mistress of the Vortessence. It is our privilege and responsibility to teach you all about the Vortessence." She seemed to turn her gaze back to Veetor, and floated back to the boy; "Do not worry child, We are all equals here… Our people have been hunted to extinction, we have known pain and suffering, we have known loneliness and sorrow. We are all equals here." She repeated, presumably to reinforce her point; as she again placed her hand on the boy's cheek, again in a motherly fashion.
Veetors trembles subsided, and he looked up at the shadow woman with wide eyes; "H-h-how old are you M-M-Miss?" He asked meekly.
To everyone's surprise, The Mistress actually gave a soft laugh; "Weren't you taught that it was rude to ask a female their age?" she asked with some mirth, before her voice became tinged with sorrow and hurt; "Our people have fought the Combine since before We came into creation; our people are a dying breed, too dangerous to live. We have lived longer than you have child… A life filled with suffering and hardship, and sorrow and woe; and rest assured that our people's secrets and knowledge will not go unpassed." she stated.
Were it not for the sense of ageless power coming off of the shadowed being, Lan might have assumed she was patronizing them and giving them a 'Volus Sales Pitch' about her people.
Lan stiffened as he felt her gaze shift over to him, and she drifted towards him; "You trivialize Our peoples suffering and death as something… mundane… Allow us to show you; all of you, that which we have faced." she set a hand on Lan's shoulder; and gestured for the rest of the group to do the same. "The Ysin'Mal would assist us by keeping us upright."
Captain Mal surprised them all by bowing, "Of course Mistress."
She nodded and turned back to them, "Brace yourselves, for this will be rather… unpleasant."
A jolt went through Lan and all the rest of the assembled pilgrims; and everything went black
Veetor awoke instantly, and shuddered at the blackness that surrounded them. He didn't like the darkness, but it was comforting somehow.
He looked down and was dumbfounded to see that while still a child; he was dressed like a Quarian doctor, though he wasn't wearing an environment suit. Just some Asari-like pants and a weird tunic.
All the rest looked to be reflections of what this Mistress seemed to deem they were best at.
Speaking of The Mistress; her cloudy-shadowed, if still feminine, form emerged from the darkness. But this time it seemed like she was actually walking as opposed to floating around them. And Veetor wasn't sure, but she appeared to be more… solid… than in the real world.
"We have brought you all here, within the Vortessence, to understand a fraction of the power possessed by the enemies which will confront you. We Behold to you, the Slave-turned-Slavemaster; the Nihilanth."
The blackness gave way to a shadowy void, save the rocky ground beneath them and writhing serpentine shapes overhead. They all led towards a central figure; the bottom third was an indecipherable collection of technological components, upon which was squated a grotesque and deformed fleshy creature. It's nearly vestigial spiny legs dangled over the side, while three arms with three fingers each hung limply along it's distended and scarred frame. The top third of the creature was a bulbous mass, possessing a circular mouth filled with dagger like teeth. Above this orifice were two sunken eyes that somehow seemed to covet all that was before them. This was surmounted by a fleshy crown that pulsated against the stitching along its sides.
"Deceive you! They will deceive you! They will deceive you! They will-" The nightmare creature began weaving its arms, summoning orbs of power, bolts of yellow lightning, rippling barriers, and even massive orbs that called forth strange objects from nothing.
The Apprentices all hurried away from the monstrosity, only for it to freeze in a single moment of contemptuous hate.
"This creature is no more. Only fragments of its essence can be found within the Vortessence."
Lan rallied as best he could, dressed only in a simple industrial workers suit and smok. "How are we supposed to fight something like that?!"
The Mistress turned and faced them. "You shall face these and greater foes still with diligent study, and with each other. As you are together here, you are connected to all other Vortals through the Vortessence. Together, we are mightier than any foe we could ever encounter."
Cato took a breath, and released it.
He bored his eye through the holographic scope of his brand new CM1917 Winfield; still marvelling that he was at least three kilometers away from the sighted target, and with a pull of the trigger he could break the Galactic record of the longest confirmed kill. The Asari Justicar Samara, friend of Matriarch Benezia T'Soni; and one of the only potential allies that they would be able to find in this entire galaxy, was totally unaware of the danger she was in should Cato choose to kill her.
Unfortunately, there were two more Justicars and what appeared to be a squad of Asari Commando's with her.
Cato shifted his armor and the 'camouflage netting' that he had replaced his Sehni with. The repurposed and repainted Combine Armor was uncomfortable, but they would do their job more than well enough.
Cato chewed the edge of his moustache, a habit that he had fallen into ever since he had grown his beard. This was a bad setup, very bad, too many unknowns; and there were too many potential snags to be had, particularly the other two Justicars. That… had not been anticipated, and it was not a pleasant surprise at all.
Cato blinked, and shifted his holo-scope to the Commando's; and after a few moments of peering through the Scopes somewhat observer-unfriendly interface, he confirmed that the second target for their little 'black op' was indeed in the same place as their primary target.
"Lead this is Monarch, I've got eyes on both the Primary and the Secondary targets; 'Witch' and 'Maid' are both in the city, over." Cato said cooly, shifting his aim to the rest of the group while zooming out slightly so he could observe the entire group. "Be advised, we have two additional Justicars and five additional potentially enemy commandos on the field. Over."
After a long moment, another voice came back to him; "Lead, this is Archangel; I can confirm Monarch's last assessment over. I also see at least two squads of Illiums Secret Police moving in several Alley's towards what appears to be the slums." Cato had to bite back a curse at his unfortunate range; but he was on the outer perimeter.
He, Ayita, and Garrus were all about even on the range; but Garrus was slightly faster and better at closer ranges, meaning he was inner perimeter. Running along rooftops and acting like a human 'superhero' as Zaeed had put it.
Both had instantly fallen in love with the new CM1917 Winfield, as while it wasn't a great weapon for the standard infantryman; it was a superb sniper rifle.
Tali, Zaeed, and Adams were already working on the next generation of infantry weapons; these ones they intended to be battle rifles. It was something called a 'Mini-Garand'; which one of the human Marines had personally designed, and brought with him fully upgraded from South Mountain.
While Cato had not seen it in action; Kal had, and the man had called first dibs on one when they got the proper production line started up.
Refocusing his attention on the group, Cato said; "They're entering the city, I'm losing visual."
He tapped on the datapad next to him, and brought up Garrus's helmet feed so that he could see what was going on without taking his gaze away from the outside perimeter and keep his position.
Cato frowned as the crowds of people, criminals and regular citizens alike, parted like water for the team of Justicar's, Commando's and their back up Secret Police squads. "I'm not liking this…" Garrus whispered.
"Hold Archangel… we worked this out beforehand; Samara and Shiala will lead them out of the city into our killzone once they complete whatever their job is in the city. You're just there to make sure things go okay; got it?" Kal hissed in reply.
Cato could hear Garrus buzz in their comms in distress and frustration, but the Turian nonetheless did what his species did best; follow orders, "Yes sir…"
Frowning, Cato decided to satiate some of his curiosity and asked, "Doctor, what would justify a team of Justicars, Asari Commando's, and the local Secret Police just for good measure?"
There was a pause before Liara replied, "Normally it would be an Ardat-Yakshi on the loose; you remember Mothers briefing on them?"
"How could we not?" Nihlus interjected, sounding like he was somewhat ill on the matter. "I still have nightmares about it."
"No one asked you Mr. Bond…" Liara grumbled, but did not refute the matter.
Cato took another deep breath, held it, then released it; a calming technique, especially common among snipers. He shifted again, turning some of his attention back to the data-slate; watching the main group of Asari as they waded through the city, Garrus tracking them the whole while.
"Where are you going…" He murmured as he looked at Garrus's feed. Suddenly, Cato felt it; and his eyes widened. "All units be advised, I know what they're looking for; I just sensed a Vortal in the city slums!"
"What!"
"Oh that's great."
"What do we do?"
"Quiet on the Line!" Kal barked, silencing the rest; before he asked, "Corporal, can you sense anything about them?"
"Beyond the fact that they are a female; no sir I cannot. I'm too far away from them to be able to tell anything unless I stretch myself to the absolute limit and try to speak to her telepathically; but I doubt that would accomplish much beyond frightening her." Cato replied.
"...Garrus, keep an eye on them; but do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Got it?" Kal ordered.
"..." Cato sighed as Garrus remained silent for a long moment; clearly warring with his morality and his instincts. "...Yes Sir."
Garrus gave a soft buzz of anger once he cut the comms, but kept his doubts to himself.
Illium was regarded as 'Nice Omega' for a reason; it was a place where some of the worst scum in the galaxy went to. Rich scum that is, many business and tech moguls came and set up shop here; and the 'indentured servitude' was just the public relations term for Slavery.
One of the nice things about Illium, or at least this particular city slum, was that the rooftops were pretty easy to traverse; especially with that new 'grappling hook' that the researchers had put into his suit.
Any rooftop that was too high for Garrus to reach through jumping, he just shot the grapple at it.
And his new CM1917; the thing was just an utter beauty, perhaps even more beautiful than Tali. On second thought, second only to her; if it had that wooden stock like Ayita's 'prototype', then it would be more beautiful than her. Garrus thought to himself, as he gave a soft buzz of amusement.
He looked down at the group, and his mandibles hardened; and he couldn't stop the hiss of anger as he saw what the three Justicars saw.
A little Turian Girl, perhaps five or six years old, was hiding underneath a parked skycar. Even from his high perch, Garrus could see the tiny sparks associated with a Vortal coming from the girls' talons; and he was pretty sure that she was scouting out a shop for food.
Any doubts he had as to what she was doing, was put to rest when her eyes flashed Emerald for a brief moment; and then she disappeared out from under the car, and reappeared at the entrance of a nearby store. Garrus frowned, "Monarch did you see that?" He asked, drawing his rifle as he did so. "What ability do you think it was?"
"I did, and it seemed like she was using the Moment; the trick where it looks like time has stopped for you, and you can look around and briefly interact with others. She's probably used this before to hit stores that sell food. Incredible amount of control in the Moment, I've only seen Ulysses have that much control in it."
Garrus turned his gaze back to the street, and his gut sank upon seeing the three Justicars take up position outside the entrance to the store.
That can't be good. He thought dimly, as the Commandos all took up supporting positions at all potential entrances and exits. He had to resist the urge to shoot one of the Justicars, as that would no doubt lead to his death and the death of the kid currently scavenging for food.
Garrus cringed as he heard a loud crash inside the store. "STOP THIEF!" A voice bellowed, presumably the store owner; while the Turian girl dashed out, only to be grabbed by one of the Justicars.
"Let me go!" The Girl exclaimed, thrashing angrily before dropping the loaf of dextro-bread she had grabbed. She froze and tried to reach for it, then squeaked; this time buzzing with pain as the Justicar clenched her fist while holding the Girls arm.
Garrus growled softly, feeling his fringe puff up on instinct at hearing the pain of a Turian child.
"Wha-! Justicars!?" Forcing himself to look away from the Turian girl even as she buzzed in distress, Garrus sighted the shop owner; a Batarian who looked surprised and scared at what was in front of him.
Samara and the one holding the girl remained silent, but the third stated coldly; "This is not your business Batarian, tend to your store. This girl shall be dealt with."
Garrus really did not like the way the Justicar said that; and to the Batarian Shop Owners credit, neither did he. His four eyes widened and he took a step back, "Whoa! Whoa, are you going to kill a kid just for stealing bread? I was just going to have her work in the store for a few hours and have her clean up the mess. And she can have that bread-" He started, casting frantic looks at the girl.
The Justicar holding the Turian Vortal growled as the girl struggled to break free again, green sparks emanating off of her. "Never you mind Batarian, she is wanted for separate crimes against the Asari." She stated, her other arm glowing blue in Biotics.
The store owner gulped, and very reluctantly nodded.
Samara chose that moment to speak up, "Sisters, it would be best if we were to dispense our Justice outside the City; perhaps in that empty field to the south of town."
The two Justicars glanced at each other, when Shiala spoke up; "A good idea Matriarch, perhaps to give the girl some comfort."
The commando's all nodded to each other in agreement, and the other two Justicars gave reluctant nods before setting off towards the exit to the city; The Turian Girl kicking, buzzing, and squeaking in pain, fear, and anger as she desperately tried to get away.
The Batarian shop owner watched the group of Asari go.
Rubbing two of his eyes, he groaned; this was the last thing he needed on his conscience right now. He hadn't really minded the kid stealing the bread since she very clearly needed it; he had been more annoyed by the fact that she had knocked down a few of his food stands in the process of trying to escape once he had spotted her.
Looking back, he saw that the group was already reaching the exit to the city; and his four eyes allowed him to see that the poor kid was crying as she was led out to what was probably certain death.
He wanted to do something, he really did; but Grothan Pazness had not stayed alive during his exile from the hegemony after Jath'Amon had ousted Grothan and his more liberal reformers in the outer colonies from power.
He was the last of the old reformists, and as much as it pained him; he knew that his death here would accomplish nothing but the revolution dying out.
Doing the only thing he could think of, he prayed; "May the Pillars guide your soul to a better afterlife child, for if you do not deserve it; then I do not know who does."
With that done, Grothan went to go inside; only to feel something bounce off his head. Blinking in confusion, the former Hegemony Magistratel-Governor turned to look to see what had hit him. He blinked again, as he saw a piece of paper on the ground. Frowning, Grothan picked it up; and a credit chit fell out.
Grimacing, he knelt down again; his bad leg creaking as he did so.
Pocketing the chit, he realized the loaf of Dextro-Bread was gone. He immediately opened the note, and he read "Call us… If you ever need anything. Signed, The Systems Alliance." While he had no idea what this 'Systems Alliance' was; Grothan did look up on instinct when he heard footsteps on the rooftop, and saw what looked like an armored Turian running along the roofs.
Grothan couldn't stop the smile on his face as he noticed a loaf of bread speared to the side of the Turians hip.
Humming old Batarian folk songs as he walked back into his shop; Grothan knew that it was time for the revolution to begin again. "It is time for a new unity, for which no people should be permanently outcast…" He murmured, already preparing a speech in his mind; preparing to use the one true weapon he had always possessed.
The weapon that had seen him cast out and nearly assassinated several times; because he was too much of a threat.
His voice, and his rhetorical language.
Cato tensed as the group practically dragged the Turian child into the field, dropping her to the ground as the two other Justicars began to glow violet and blue. "Kal, they're going to kill her; I can sense it. Garrus you take the Justicar on Samara's left, I'll take the one on the right." He snapped.
"Got it! On Target!" Garrus replied with no hesitation.
"Now hold on you two! You can't-" Kal started to protest.
Cato and Garrus ignored him as they lined up their shots; "Three… Two… One…"
Samara looked away from the child as her two comrades moved to deal the finishing blow on the girl. She could not bear to watch or carry out the deed, and as such; she watched the field and the surrounding area for any potential hostiles. Why had the Veiled Goddess sent her to this wretched planet? Dreams and portents from the 'Keeper of Mysteries' were rare and warranted the utmost attention, but surely there was more to the omen than simply witnessing the death of another unfortunate Cursed?
Samara watched, as there were twin flashes; one from a far off hill, and one from a building on the outskirts of the city.
She blinked in surprise, and then her two fellow justicars heads exploded. A few seconds later, the loud Crack of the mystery weapons being fired finally reached her ears. The Turian girl squeaked in fear and threw herself to the ground as Emerald Green energy sparked all around her body.
The Commandos of the Huntress team they had been traveling with immediately formed a ring around herself, Matron Shiala, and the unfortunate child they had been sent to dispatch.
She and Shiala moved surreptitiously to protect the child. While she understood the necessity of the Justicar's mandate to hunt down and destroy the Ardat Yakshi, she had always felt uncomfortable about pursuing those 'cursed of balefire'. Not the least because there were none in all the recorded history of the Asari people; they were a phenomenon of the other races.
When Matriarch Benezia's disciple Shiala had contacted her after the loss of the Destiny Ascension, she had assumed the Matron was seeking a new Matriarch to follow. What she had found was shocking to her core; not only had Benezia survived, but she had done so by the grace of those same 'Cursed'.
It was her dream: a new dawn rising from the fallen star.
Through her Matron, Benezia had invited Samara to meet with her as well as one of the 'Cursed' called 'The Mistress'. However upon arriving on the neutral world of Illium and meeting with Shiala, a Huntress team had called upon her to aid them in their task.
That task, it turned out, was the very hunt she had come to question.
Which brought her to this moment, as she saw something she had not seen in more than three centuries: a squad of Quarian Marines. While their shape was familiar, their gear was not. For one thing, it was new; from the Armax Assault weapons to their unusual brown and grey uniforms which seemed to make the eye slide off and not quite recognize the shape underneath.
For another, it was all uniform.
Quarians used whatever they had until it was gone, so their equipment tended to be rather diverse. These soldiers were all in nearly identical uniforms, with identical armor and equipment harnesses. Whatever the Migrant fleet had been doing during their last year of absence, they had benefited greatly from it.
Said Marines advanced on the confused Maiden Team, most of whom hadn't even been born when the Quarians had been tragically cast from the bosom of the galaxy. Their speed and agility was everything she remembered, as they silently closed with the commandos with alarming speed. She and Shiala formed a protective Biotic shield around themselves and the Turian child seconds before the Quarians opened fire with ruthless efficiency.
It was a testament to the professionalism of the Quarians that not one shot needed to be deflected.
As the squad approached herself and Shiala, she primly crossed her hands behind her back. "You should be warned," the Quarians tracked her, though they held their fire, "the Huntresses also pressed the Local Secret Police Force to their cause. There are two Patrol Teams approaching from the West and South.."
She knelt beside the child and extended a hand. "Arise, and fear no evil. I will walk with you to whatever fate awaits you."
"Get away from me!" Lutum squeaked, waved the green biotics at the Asari and the Quarians as she frantically tried to crawl away from them.
She stiffened as she felt something at the edge of her mind, and immediately squeezed her eyes shut; blocking out the Asari controller. They won't enthrall me! They won't control me! She thought frantically, opening her eyes again as she slashed the air in front of her.
She tried to mimic what she had seen on the Vid-Screens while spying through other peoples windows; but all she did was create a wave of sparks, which promptly died away. She buzzed in distress and tried to crawl away, ignoring the pain in her arm as she did so; she just wanted her mother.
She glared at her talons; it was that stupid power that she had, these 'Anti-Biotics', that caused her mother to abandon her. As she crawled, a two-toed booted foot stepped in front of her. Squeaking again, Lutum felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she fell back and landed on her bad arm; looking up at the Quarian with fear.
She remembered seeing one just after she was left behind; they had murdered several people before the Secret Police had killed him in turn.
Is that what they wanted to do? Kill her too like these Asari? Was that what Quarians were, murderers?
Realizing that she was surrounded, Lutum curled up in a ball and trembled, allowing sparks to arc off her entire body as she lay there.
"Bosh'tet, what do we do? She's too scared of us and she's sparking too much for us to grab her."
"We need to hurry, secret police units are on the way."
"Hold up a moment, let me talk to her."
Lutum ignored them, until she caught a scent; it was the scent of another Turian.
Garrus knelt beside the child, buzzing his mandibles and frills like he remembered his own father would to calm him and his sister. "Easy there kiddo, you've had a rough time of it." He slowly extended his arm, trusting his species' natural resistance to EM radiation to mitigate her undirected power.
A spark jumped to his talon, and he felt both a mild jolt and a wave of emotions: fear and loneliness being the strongest, but also hunger.
A thought came to him, and he asked nonchalantly over the open comms; "Hey, who do you guys think made the longer shot; myself or Cato?"
"I did, I was at 3.1 Kilometers Garrus; you were at 2.9 Kilometers." He heard Cato snark over the comms, and he spread his mandibles in a smirk as he saw the sparks slowly die away from the girl; and she slowly opened her eyes to look up at him in amazement.
"T-t-that's impossible! The Longest shot in Galactic History was 1.6 kilometers." The kid exclaimed, staring at him. "And that was with a Krysae." She looked down at the Winfield in his arms and buzzed in fascination and confusion while Garrus had to fight back a smile. She honestly reminded Garrus of himself and Solana when they had been her age; fascinated with guns and their history, "What kind of gun is that?"
"We call it a CM1917 Winfield, though I know that doesn't mean much to you. It's what's called a Chem-Rail." He explained, already moving it so she could have a better view.
"Like the Hierarchy used during the Unification Wars?"
He eased up on the droning as she was obviously calmer. "Almost, but those older guns simply used chemicals and electric current. These," he cleared the chamber and magazine so she could safely touch it, "are a hybrid of those and modern Mass Effect guns, so they're a lot more powerful."
The girl buzzed in amazement as she stared at the weapon, then Garrus heard her stomach growl; and the sirens of the local Secret Police units coming towards them. Knowing that he had to wrap things up, he asked; "What's your name kid?"
The girl's face became unfocused for a moment, clearly trying to think "It's Lutum…" She finally said.
Garrus clicked his mandibles shut, no clan name, no clan markings, and her name was a synonym for the Turian word for 'dirt'; he clenched his fists slightly, but took a breath and calmed himself.
He gave a light smile, as Lutum's stomach growled again; "Are you a little hungry?" He asked.
The kid buzzed in embarrassment, "Yeah…"
Garrus chuckled, unable to help himself; "Well… I may not have beaten Cato's record yet." He gave a pointed look towards the hill where Cato was still stationed, "But, I can content myself with the gratitude of the lovely little lady." He pulled out the bread that he had picked up from the city and handed it to her.
Lutum stared for a moment, then leaped forward and hugged Garrus. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She exclaimed. Then they all heard the sirens of the Secret Police vehicles; "No! I can't go back! I won't go back!" Lutum exclaimed, snuggling into Garrus's arms.
Garrus stood up, reloading his rifle around the girl. What is it with us and finding children we end up having to rename? "You're right; you can't," he cycled a round into the chamber, "and you won't."
"Sergeant! We need to leave!" Kal shouted at him, drawing his experimental 'Mini-Garand' and aiming it towards the approaching Vehicles. "Carry the kid, Cato will cover us to the extraction point." He ordered.
Garrus clicked his mandibles. "While I respect Cato, we need every marksman we have to keep the Secret Police Teams at bay." He looked at the child in his arms. "Will you trust me?" He leaned his head forward so she could touch his face. He felt another little jolt. He smiled when he nodded. "Well this is my friend, Sergeant Kal'Reegar. I trust him. He's going to take you someplace safe until we deal with these Blue-Meanies."
He saw the conflict in the little girl's eyes, but she still nodded and allowed herself to be passed off. He nodded to Shiala and Samara. "Would one of you be willing to give me a boost to that roof over there?"
The Justicar nodded and flared with power. "I shall aid you, and perhaps redeem myself in some small way in the Goddess' eyes." Garrus began floating up. "Matron Shiala shall accompany the Sergeant and ensure this lost soul arrives safely to her destination." He was settled as gently on top of the four story building as if he had just sat in an overstuffed chair.
Garrus saluted the Matriarch as she stalked towards the oncoming force. He checked his ammunition, looked at the mix of ground and air cars, then smirked. "Okay, not out ranging you today Cato, so let's see about a speed drill?" He set the rifle to his shoulder and allowed the enhanced sight to illuminate the drivers of all the airborne vehicles.
-CRACK-claclack-CRACK-claclack-CRACK-claclack-CRACK-claclack-
Four aircars careened into the Secret police below as their pilots were successively sniped. "Ha! Beat that, Monarch!"
He waited for a response. "Monarch, respond." There was no response. "All units, be advised Monarch is non-responsive, any unengaged forces, move to reinforce and call in!" He settled back into his perch and began a more careful dissection of the now thoroughly stalled force; a raging Justicar Matriarch tended to have that effect.
Cato took a breath, and released it.
CRACK!
The first Asari Secret Policewoman dropped to the ground, Cato working the bolt and taking aim before she even hit the ground; while the rest looked around frantically for the 'trail' of the sniper. He knew on instinct that they were only searching within a one kilometer radius; because that's the maximum effective range for all but the most skilled snipers.
For Council snipers that was; the CM1917 Winfield was far superior to all of the sniper rifles on the market. And at three kilometers away, Cato could shoot at the Secret Police with near impunity.
CRACK!
The driver of one of the still stationary vehicles flopped out of her seat, the top half of her head missing. Cato worked the bolt again, and took aim at another Secret Policeman setting up an LMG; why in the Ancestors would Police have an LMG? He wondered as he lined up the shot, thanking the Combine softwares auto-lead-ballistic drop compensator in the Holo-Scope.
CRACK!
As Cato worked the bolt, he couldn't help but smirk at seeing Garrus attempt the 'Mad-Minute' drill that Zaeed had taught them. A good try to salvage your pride Garrus, but I'm still pulling off shots that would turn you Turians Blue with Envy. He thought to himself, lining up the next shot.
CRACK!
crunch…
Upon hearing the sound Cato immediately rolled away from where he had been laying prone as a glowing sapphire corona surrounding a black boot slammed into the ground; cracking the dirt from where he had just been moments before.
Cursing, Cato immediately took cover behind a tree as the unknown sprayed her Sub-machine gun at him; his K-Barriers mostly blocking the slowed down hits as they tore through the tree. He drew his 'CM1917 Bayonet', his sword, and attached it to the end of the weapon; and telekinetically broke the tree he was hiding behind, and pushed it to fall down towards where the mystery assailant was standing.
Cato growled as he spied the Asari Commando nimbly hop out of the way; and dashed forward, employing the same charge and bellow war cry technique that Zaeed had taught him.
He fired a shot as he rushed forward, the Asari flinching at his brazen action; and Cato worked the bolt and hopped over the now fallen tree, slashing the blade at the Asari. The glint of the titanium blade was blinding, and it whistled through the air as it caught the Asari's hand.
The commando shrieked and hopped backward as the blade tore through her flesh and muscle, forcing her to drop the gun. Cato capitalized on the Asari's disorientation, and stabbed the blade towards her gut; cursing the whole while that he wasn't allowed to use his Vortal abilities in an obvious way.
The Commando had recovered by this point, and deflected the fatal blow to a mere injury; as Cato stabbed the blade into her side just below the ribcage.
The Asari gritted her teeth in pain, but smirked nonetheless; confident the stupid Quarian had left himself vulnerable. She had forgotten that Cato had worked the bolt of the Winfeild before he stabbed her.
Crack!
The sound was muffled, since the muzzle of the weapon was pressed up to her side; and an explosion of flesh and blood shot out of the Asari's back, much to Cato's disgust.
The Asari collapsed to the ground, while Cato withdrew the blade. That was the nice thing about the .30-06, in Cato's humble opinion anyway; any body shots were almost instantly crippling. There was no chance of her living, but Cato knew he had to be thorough; and worked the bolt to load another round, before pointing it at her head.
Just as he pulled the trigger, she fired a Biotic Warp at him.
Acting on instinct, Cato instantly activated his Vortal abilities; and the Asari earned a lightning bolt to the heart, killing her instantly. But she still succeeded in launching Cato into a nearby stone wall, smashing his Visor in the process.
Cato lay there for a long moment, allowing himself to fully process his pain; before forcing himself to his feet.
With a heavy scowl, he picked the pieces of his mask out of his short beard and walked over to the dead Asari. The Energy Bolt had burned out her chest; leaving no chance for resuscitation. Sighing, Cato channeled some energy into his palm and healed the cuts on his face; noting the soreness in his muscles increasing as he did so.
Pulling out his spare mask, Cato put it on and sighed in distaste at the crimson red tint that once again covered his vision. Brushing some flecks of blood off of his new 'Combat-Suit' and the Camo-netting, he detached the Bayonet and sheathed it; before reloading his rifle.
With that done, Cato cast one last glance at the dead body; wondering if he had missed anything important. Shrugging, he walked off to the extraction point; cursing that his radio was damaged the whole time.
He never noticed that the Commandos helmet camera had never stopped recording.
Commandant Ben Hilsop sat at his desk, tapping his old fashioned thumb drive uncertainly.
It wasn't anything big, just the potential to have an entire army's worth of Assassins and Elites being bred at Lawson's facility. He had underestimated Lawson, the man was a genius; and his work ethic was nothing short of incredible. If the man had actually been raised with some ethics in the pre war Earth, he probably would have gone on to be some kind of CEO or a great captain of industry.
But the man had been raised in an Australian Orphanage, and all he cared about was surviving; and leaving a memorable impact on human history.
Over a million tank bred Assassins and Elites; at least three quarters of which were these new 'Quarian-Human' hybrids he had been bragging about. Most were likely Vortal; though they still had time before Lawson completed his maturation chambers en-mass. About two years if Ben's own estimations were correct.
BoopBeep! Ben smiled in relief and hit a button under his desk.
"Thank God! I was getting worried." He rasped, as the red eyed and brown skinned Assassin slipped out from behind the secret entrance to his office from behind the bookcase.
O-1872397 swallowed uncomfortably, "You… called for me sir?" She asked, her british accent tinting her voice doing nothing to hide the fear in her voice.
Ben ignored the fear, and walked up and quickly hugged her; she returned it, and he silently hid the flash drive in her back pocket. Breaking the hug, he smiled; "Sam… you've come a long way since I rescued you." his smile turned somewhat cheeky, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were attracted to the couriers."
Sam's face tinted red and she looked down, "Well… the guy is very handsome… He's quite a gentleman too I might add. The girl's cute too, very nice voice; but I don't know…" She admitted.
"Whoever makes you the happiest Samantha." Ben replied. "Now, what did they have for you this time?"
O-1872397 nodded and squared her shoulders. "Hard-line communications between the South Mountain, Frostburg and Capitol cells are now in place. Commander Anderson made it back to Frostburg with the Alien Special Forces operators and have begun disseminating their new modifications throughout the Lambda resistance. We are already getting reports that the Xen Wildlife has been cleared out of some smaller locations and hideouts." She reported.
Ben nodded, and leaned back in his chair; "This is good, with these new weapon modifications; the Resistance can get a good foothold and some breathing room to start making inroads. Breen is still watching Jack like a hawk, so that means we have some more freedom to operate for the time being." He replied.
He noted the fidgeting of O-1872397. "Lawson is up to something; I think he did in fact save the data on your fellow hybrid, O-1891141, and is making more." He said, knowing that Sam was likely thinking about the mad scientist.
The Assassin turned spy's face darkened, "More of those Quarian-Human hybrids?" She asked.
Ben nodded with a grim look; "I can't prove it of course, and I doubt that Jack or Breen would care; but I know Lawson… More than anything else, he wants to leave a legacy. And there won't be much of a legacy for him if the Combine completely subjugates the Earth… what is his endgame…" Ben rubbed his eyes and grabbed a Cigar out of a box on his desk; quickly lighting it up while leaning back, looking out the window of his office down on City 1 below.
Councilor Tevos was not a woman that liked to be kept waiting.
But she was a patient woman nonetheless, ironically enough; which was what allowed her to keep up her iron discipline when dealing with the other Councilors. Valern was new, and quite the Varren Kit; always eager to please in some way.
Sparatus in contrast was nothing more than a well meaning Pyjack; always blustering and spitting in anger and fury whenever things didn't go his way.
And the races they represented were all the same, it was why the Asari were meant to be in charge; they were the only ones that had the temperament to make the critical decisions necessary to keep the status quo, to make sure their populace was kept happy.
And to make sure the Matriarchs kept their power.
Not all of the Matriarchs, though. She had long suspected Benezia of becoming… disillusioned; an unfortunate trait she had passed on to her daughter. She had hoped that by sending her to the farthest reaches of known space, it would buy Tevos the time she needed to dismantle the intellectual's power base. The reports of the loss of the Destiny Ascension over some alien world had been a gift from the Goddess to the Councilor.
Until whispers started to circulate through Benezia's old contacts; her daughter had survived, and it was suspected Benezia herself as well.
More concerning were the hushed rumors of clandestine meetings with Matriarch Samara. Few beings in the galaxy were beyond Tevos' political reach, but the most venerable of Justicars was one that gave Tevos pause. The reports of one of the Cursed on Illium were the perfect opportunity to deal with the obstreperous bitch, and one of the most dangerous threats to Asari dominance.
The team she'd sent to carry out the dark deed had not reported back, and so Tevos had been forced to send a courier to Illium for some intelligence as to the events there.
Now she stood there, waiting, and she was not one to be kept waiting.
She was an Asari, others came and sought her out; not the other way around. This courier had best have a good reason for her delay; if only so Tevos didn't have to waste time finding a new one.
A knock on the door to her chambers jarred Tevos out of her thoughts; and pushing away her impatience, she walked up and checked the security camera. Upon seeing who it was, Tevos plastered on a fake smile with practiced ease, and opened the door.
There stood the maiden she had dispatched, though she appeared shaken.
Tevos extended her will, stilling the impressionable child's fears. "Be at peace, Daughter of the Goddess. What have you found?"
Tevos found herself perplexed at the sudden resistance of the Maiden as her fear crept to the fore again. Silently, the shaking girl extended a locked case. Tevos' pretense at patience and calm evaporated when she opened the case and found the mangled remains of a Commando helmet.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Thank you Child… you may leave now." She stated simply, turning on her heel and walking back into her chambers.
As soon as the door closed, Tevos dropped the helmet onto the couch; and growled, her Biotics flaring in tune with her fury. "CK'KI!" she cursed in Thessian, punching the wall and denting the metal.
Of course her assassin had failed, of course Samara was still alive; and while she didn't know for sure, Tevos had a hunch that the abomination and threat to Asari dominance was still alive as well.
Taking a breath, Tevos calmed herself; and she walked back over to the destroyed helmet.
Plugging it into her database, she quickly pulled up the footage of the Commando's ill fated mission. There was not much to see throughout it; mostly just shadowing Samara from rooftops and treelines. The Commando seemed to have decided to try and snipe Samara, but it seems the Matron had never gotten the opportunity before her fatal encounter.
The fact that her agent had met her end at the hands of a Quarian boy was surprising, but not nearly so much as how.
How has he survived this long without us noticing him?! She paused and replayed the scene; that was most definitely an intentional attack, and not simply an instinctive, untrained reflex.
He's been trained! The helmet was nearly reduced to a speck by her sudden rage. I thought we crushed that lineage?! Heads would roll once she sent word back to the Council of Matriarchs. Many of them had personally been involved in the pogroms to purge the Cursed that seemed to infest Rannoch; to find that, not only had the gene for the Abominations endured, it had thrived in Thessia's indolence would spell the end to many a family line.
She still remembered meeting with Queen Lun after her mentor had come up with the plan to purge the Quarians. The Queen had known… known right then what Tevos and her old Mentor had intended to do. And had known there was nothing she could do to stop the Asari's supremacy.
The Queen had practically begged Tevos not to do it; that the Quarians had no desire to rule over the Galaxy or supplant the Asari, that all they had desired was to be left alone.
Tevos snorted as she recalled that fateful night; the Queen had been lying of course. What other reason was there for her desire to continue the Quarian Monarchies neutrality? Now the question was, what to do about the Quarian question?
The Batarians were an easy answer; but one that had major potential to backfire.
Amon had only recently secured his position after ousting Pazness and his progressives; and if the Batarians securing the Migrant Fleet as a 'protectorate' ever got traced back to her, then Tevos could kiss her throne goodbye.
She began pacing her chambers; trying to think of what to do about this Quarian.
Then there was the issue of Samara; some would say it was a foregone conclusion that if a Quarian Abomination was anywhere near a Justicar, then one or the other would end up dead. Tevos was not 'some'; the timing was too convenient, and the coincidence of the reappearance of the Abominations after the disappearance of the...
Tevos allowed herself a small, wicked grin. The destruction of the Destiny Ascension over an unnamed world, combined with the loss of so respected a matriarch as Benezia and the resurgence of the Quarian threat was an almost ideal mix. She could easily spin this to her puppets in the Council, and they in turn would turn the machinery of the Citadel races loose on these damned Cursed!
-Oh how tragic! The Quarians, whom we graciously allowed to dwell among us for so long despite their transgressions, have at last shown their true colors!-
She could even release some, some of the historical documents to demonstrate the veracity of how dangerous these Abominations were; she looked at the ruined helmet, including this.
Even if Benezia and Samara somehow survived their crucibles, they can be dismissed as puppets of the resurgent Quarian Empire.
She fought to school her features; Influence was a tenuous thing, and could be disrupted by something as jarring as Tevos cackling like a Crone about her pre-emptive victory.
It was time to inform her 'Peers' on the Council. The end of the Quarian threat was at hand.
Lutum sat next to Garrus.
She refused to go anywhere without him, she couldn't bring herself to trust any of the Aliens in the bay of this dropship. She probably sensed that they were trustworthy, but still wasn't that willing to trust them yet.
It genuinely worried Garrus, How long has she been alone like this? He wondered; using his detective skills to try and deduce some things about her, besides the fact that she was Vortal of course.
Guarded gaze, Moderate Malnourishment, Looking for potential escapes from the moment we got on board… refuses to leave my side… That last one was what always stopped Garrus dead in his tracks.
He had never been involved with any females; well… there was this one woman back in his days in the navy, but beyond a one night stand nothing had come of it. At least… Garrus hoped so. Just the thought of that made him constantly look over Lutum's features to see if there were any similarities between her and that Woman from all those years ago.
She was about the right age, but Garrus never had any latent Vortal abilities; both Ulysses and Ayita had checked to make sure. He felt Cato touch his mind, and with practiced ease; Garrus did not break his gaze from Lutum as he mentally asked, "What is it Cato?"
"I'm trying to see if there is any connection between you and her; or in other words, if you are related." He replied, sounding tired.
Garrus had to fight his whole body to stop himself from tensing; "And?"
"It's… hard to tell…" The Quarian admitted, "She has latched onto you, and that is throwing off my attempts at trying to sense her parentage. Ayita would probably be able to tell, or a blood test if you want to be simple with it."
"A simple gene scan back on the Normandy can tell us that. What do I do in the meantime?" Garrus practically demanded, trying his best to ignore the fact that he was asking for essentially parenting advice from someone who had only recently become an adult.
"Talk with her and get to know her; move to the section up by the cockpit, you'll get more privacy then. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pass out for the rest of the trip." And with that declaration, Cato withdrew from his mind; and Garrus saw him pass out near the ramp of the stealth shuttle.
Smiling, he leaned over and whispered; "Hey, how about we have a quick talk while we wait to arrive?" He asked.
"Okay…" Lutum murmured back, quickly standing up with him; the both of them walking up to the cockpit on Cato's advice.
They both sat down on the deck, and Lutum practically snuggled up to Garrus to his surprise. We really need to think of a better name for her. He thought to himself, as he thought of what to say. Finally he asked, "Are you from Illium?" He felt genuinely foolish asking, but every interview he'd ever conducted in the C-Sec had started with confirming facts he already knew; after all, the best way to get people to talk, was to invite them to.
Lutum shook her head, "I don't remember; I just remember living with mother until I showed these stupid electric powers." She buzzed unhappily. "Then she left me on Illium for my 'own safety'." She looked up at Garrus with wide, questioning eyes. "What did she mean by that?" She buzzed, her sub-harmonics angry, sad, heartbroken, and curious all at the same time.
Normally, such inquisitiveness would be discouraged amongst 'good Turians'; but Garrus was no such Turian. He was very much a bad Turian. "I'm not entirely sure; but if the Asari were any indication, it's likely that you were going to attract some attention.
"What do you remember about your mother?" Suddenly shifting tracks was a tried-and-true interview tactic, since it forced the person being questioned to look at events from a slightly different angle. "Do you remember what she did? Did you move around a lot, or were mostly you in one place?"
"We were on ships a lot, but they were Navy Ships." Lutum replied, buzzing in thought.
Garrus however blinked and narrowed his eyes in thought; "Do you remember the name of the ship?"
Lutum immediately shook her head, "No… I just remember going to some outer colony when mother received some leave; and then I just started… sparking after I accidentally touched an exposed socket. Then she left me on Illium…" Lutum squeaked and began to cry, bringing her knees up to her chest and buzzing in distress.
Garrus began buzzing as well: there was no duty more sacred to a Turian than their responsibility to the next generation! To abandon that duty, to abandon a child, was beyond his comprehension. He pulled her into his lap and rocked her as best as the shuttle restraints would allow.
"Whatever the reason you were on Illium, you're not there now. I promise I'll find your mother, and find out why you were left behind." She seemed to shrink into herself at that. "I won't hand you over, if that's what you're worried about. Your mother abandoned her responsibility, her duty to our people. Someone like that doesn't deserve another chance to fail you."
Lutum's buzzing began to ease as she felt Garrus' sincerity. "You mean it?"
Garrus began easing off on his own buzzing, now that the child was calmer again. "Yes, I mean it. You can feel what I say, can't you?" She nodded hesitantly. "Well, we're going to the ship I live on now. There are more people like you there. My mate's brother, and his bondmate both have the same ability. They can teach you how to use that power; but I will teach you what it means to be Turian."
Kal had walked up to them while Garrus was talking, and both Turians turned their heads as one to look at the Quarian Sergeant. He shifted uneasily, "Um… two things Garrus, one; I couldn't help but overhear that last part, and I think that it would be up to the Mistress as to who Ms. Lutum is trained under." He said, giving Garrus a pointed look of warning; "And the other, is that we'll be arriving at the Normandy soon; about five mikes, so be ready."
As the group exited the shuttle, the Marines all began trading jokes and quips over how well the mission went; although Samara and Shiala remained silent.
Samara never indulged herself in such petty brags and insults; even before becoming a Justicar, she had always seen that sort of thing as being beneath her attention. The group of dead Commandos was something that still shook her more than she cared to admit; mainly because she was only now realizing that they had likely been sent to kill her and Matron Shiala.
She distracted herself from reflections on Asari politics to study this new ship. There was a strange dichotomy in it's stark utilitarian design, and the simple fixes the crew had made to make it more usable; as if the vibrancy of the ship's occupants was competing with some unseen force to make the ship less stark and foreboding. She glanced at the plasma barrier holding the atmosphere in, and was shocked to see the form of a Quarian live ship rising up from below, as if it were some great beast of the sea breeching into the sunlight.
Samara and the others were shaken out of their amazed glances around the hanger; when an echoing, almost ethereal, child's laugh sounded in their ears.
Samara, Shiala, and the turian child Lutum all exchanged confused glances; while everyone else visibly tensed.
"Uh oh… If Ori's out of her room…" The 'Cursed' Quarian, Cato began saying before trailing off, snapping his eyes with an almost laser like focus; Samara followed the boy's gaze, and froze at what she saw.
It was a toddler, Quarianoid in shape; but still completely alien to Samara's long traveled eyes. It was completely Alien, because it seemed to be made of inky-black clouds; with glowing Emerald Green Eyes.
Still, no matter how Alien it looked, Samara could not let a child wander around completely unattended; and moved to help secure the Alien being.
"Shephard please stop!" Samara flinched, as the toddler was surrounded by a familiar aura of Sapphire Blue Energy and lifted up in the air. Samara could not make out any facial features from the mass of shadows, but from the way its glowing eyes dimmed like a Quarians; she could use her ingrained experience as a mother to sense that the infant was about to cry.
It floated over to a young Alien female that looked like a cross with a Quarian and an Asari; an Older, Matronly looking Alien female standing behind her. Towering over both, and the current source of the Biotic display, was the Krogan Battlemaster Urdnot Wrex.
A terrifying and competent leader and warrior; but now very much the image of a beleaguered father looking like he desperately wanted a nap.
The young female grabbed the vaguely Quarianiod shaped mass of shadows out of the air and immediately began rocking it. "Please don't cry Shephard, If you do you will distract your Mother from her lessons; and no one wants the Mistress angry do we?" The maidenly female asked.
Everyone stiffened as a foriegn presence touched the edge of their minds; although the shadowy toddler just exclaimed, "Mamma!"
The Krogan huffed. "Too late." He looked towards the wriggling mass of shadow, just as another more substantial shadow enveloped the obfuscated sprite. "You're on your own now kiddo; I'm getting a meal. You coming Doctor? Miranda?"
"No… The Urdnot Wrex is not escaping this…" The writhing, cloudlike mass of shadows coalesced into something resembling these more normal looking Asari-Quarian hybrid Aliens; although it was still loose and hard to make out beyond its alluring feminine shape.
Samara swallowed, she could feel power from this Alien; and her Asari peacekeeping instincts won out over her ingrained Justicar self preservation instincts. Still, she was not cowed by this Alien in front of her, even if she was somewhat impressed by its control over the 'Curse of Balefire'.
"Pardon me." she said, bowing lightly as a sign of respect, something done between matriarchs; while the maidenly shaped mass of shadows turned its glowing Emerald gaze upon her. "I have encountered many over the years who wielded the Green Balefire. I sense that power within you, though it is more refined than I have witnessed in centuries; not since the tragedy of Rannoch." She sensed the tension from not only the being in front of her, but also the Cursed who had accompanied her. "Ignorance has in all ages preceded tragedy, so I would ask of you a question."
The being drifted close to her, close enough that Samara could see that it was holding its child in its arms; even as it tilted its head as it seemed to think over her question. "We shall answer that which we deem answerable; but shall leave unanswered that which we deem unanswerable." The being replied, its odd mannerism gave off the impression that it was unfamiliar with the language it was speaking; as if it was not the language it had known in its youth.
Samara nodded at the aliens' response, and Shiala stepped forward; the Matron clearly unnerved by the being. "What… are you?"
"The Quarians have called us the Kelek'miin and it is a name that suits us, although it does not matter; as we are the last… We are the Shephard and the Mistress of the Vortessence. You are to refer to us as 'The Mistress' and our offspring as 'The Shephard'." The being replied, narrowing its eyes and drifting forward to float in front of Samara, Shiala, and the little Turian girl,
Samara was vaguely aware that all the Quarian Marines had fled the area; with the exception of the Sergeant, Cato, Liara, Nihlus, and Garrus.
Samara nodded again, though she felt a tingle of... something; not Influence, but a desire to be seen as something else. It made sense; her order had been created to hunt down and destroy the Cursed among the Asari. The Balefire drove all Asari mad, whispering about 'Gods in the Void', and eventually sinking to every manner of depravity.
There was another tingle, like the first grasps of a Maiden coming into her ability to sense those around her. On a hunch, the Matriarch opened her mind to perusal.
A single Ardat Yakshi could, if left unchecked, wipe out whole planets. So she and her sisters went out into the Galaxy, to hunt and destroy these broken, wretched, Cursed people and put an end to them. But over the centuries and millennia, they encountered more and more species. The Curse could be found teasing at the edges wherever they went, and so the Justicars, with the blessing of the Council of Matriarchs, sought to expunge the Curse wherever they found it.
The order was wholly successful, until they came upon Rannoch.
The shadow being seethed for a moment as Samara remembered her own dark and terrible deeds during her Matronage; deeds which laid the foundations for her doubts as to the righteousness of her order.
She nodded to the Cursed. "Yes, I did take part in those tragic days. There are nearly none whom I would call peers whose hands are not stained with innocent blood, though most would say it was 'Justice' and 'Mercy'."
"And so you believed…" The Shadow being stated, it's voice belying an undercurrent of rage. "But we will relieve some guilt of yours; your Ardat Yakshi… they were truly enslaved to a fate worse than death." The Mistress turned away, and idly floated in a circle while it's child fussed slightly; "Your goals were noble… And they truly did good in your time; but it has been corrupted by that which you served."
The Mistress looked back at Samara and Shiala, even as Lutum cowered away and hid behind Garrus's legs; and Samara suddenly felt one emotion.
Sorrow… Sorrow so strong that the Matriarch found the beginnings of tears springing to the corners of her vision; until she managed to reign it in, and bring herself under control. Then she felt something else; pain…
The Mistress simply shook her head, "We have survived much… Much more than the Samara supposes. We are…nearly the last… And our Shephard will be the last as we ourselves inevitably fade away. We would not see others suffer as we have."
Samara, her senses still open, felt as much as heard the fear and determination in the words of the Mistress. "It is not, nor has ever been my desire to visit suffering. Only to follow in the teachings and paths of the Goddess'. It is those very paths which have led me here to you." Samara did something she had not done since before the discovery of the Batarian Hegemony: she knelt. "In atonement for my past sins, both known and unknown, I offer myself in service to you: your will is now my will, and your enemies are now my enemies. I shall follow you down whatever path the Veiled Goddess has laid for us."
The Mistress floated forward, and an arm coalesced in front of her; forming a hand, which she put on Samara's tiara, "As the Mistress of the Vortessence; and among the last of the Kelek'miin, we accept your oath."
Adrian Shephard watched the whole scene unfolding in front of his eyes suddenly stop dead in place.
Adrian blinked in confusion, then despair, and then finally relief as he realized what was going on. It appeared that his time here had come to an end; after all this time… I get to go home. He sighed with a smile. That had been the promise, that once this assignment was over he could go home; that this 'detainment' would be lifted.
"Time… Corporal Shephard? Is it really that time again…?" Everything began to shift to a black and white coloration; like Adrian was turning colorblind.
He blinked, and suddenly there he was; the Government Man that had put him here in this universe in the first place.
"It truly has been a long time since you first arrived; you have done so well, and kept your silence for such a great amount of time... that my employers have finally decided that you can be trusted to keep your silence." The man/not-man walked forward with a satisfied smirk on his face; and Adrian had to resist the urge to take a step back.
This guy very clearly had no sense of personal space, whatever the hell he was.
The Government Man's face suddenly turned sympathetic; "Unfortunately, it appears that your employment has yet to be terminated."
WHAT! Adrian's eyes bulged out of his head, and he opened his mouth to immediately start railing against the being in front of him for breaking their deal; when the being smirked again.
"Fortunately, it appears your next assignment takes you back home… just in time to smell the ashes…"
There was a flash of light, and Adrian blinked; and he no longer found himself on his assigned world, and instead now stood in a city. He looked around, his old H.E.C.U and Marine Sniper School training immediately coming to the foreground of his mind.
Aliens… nothing but aliens; the majority of which looked like blue skinned hairless women with tentacles in place of hair. But all seemed to be running in terror, as more Aliens; these ones four eyed, and mostly human looking, but also hairless. All held guns and were dressed in armor that reminded Adrian of the HEV Suit prototypes almost; and many seemed to be shooting at the Blue women, and though he couldn't know for sure since they were aliens, it seemed to Adrian as if they were laughing.
He blinked again, and he was suddenly holding his MP5SD with its attached grenade launcher in his hands; wearing his Urban Camo Fatigues, his PCV, his Helmet, and his Gas Mask.
"Your home… is not as you left it." Adrian looked at the Government Man; whose smile had turned almost vindictive. "So welcome home Corporal."
Adrian blinked; and time resumed, even as the screams started reaching his ears.
Pilot A/N: Welcome back folks, to Act Two of Half Life: Entanglement.
So in case things are not clear, this takes place a year and a half after the events of the two Interludes; so about half a year before the events of Half Life 2 kick off. Now then, onto the events of this chapter; and the meaning and development behind them.
I will admit the main villain for this arc, besides Harper back on earth, being Councilor Tevos was something that Ian surprised me with; but it was one that I absolutely loved the moment he presented it to me.
You may notice that with all the Orwellian and Lovecraftian themes in the Half Life universe; that we intentionally drew parallels between Jack Harper and Mr. German Moustache Man (I don't think saying his name will get us banned, but I don't want to chance it). Well, in this arc, we'll be drawing parallels between Councilor Tevos; and Mr. Soviet Moustache Man, (again, don't know if saying it is bad, but I'm not chancing it.)
Now for the majority of this arc, and I know this will be a turn off to some of you, Ayita and Cato will not be the main characters; but they will be major characters. Quite frankly, most of their story is done and wrapped up for the time being; the two are married, are raising their daughter, have jobs that they love, and both are even more badass.
The four people that take over as the main characters for this arc kind of took me off guard in all honesty; but it should be a relief to you that one of them will be our dear Quarian Princess, Tali'Zorah.
Now that being said, the screen time is pretty evenly split, but Tali and the other three character arcs in this arc are the main focus. I look forward to seeing what you guys all think of it.
I will say this much, one will be an OC, one will be someone teased in the story, and one will be a canon ME character that I feel is criminally underutalized.
You have anything to add Ian?
Ian A/N: As was apparent, there has been no small amount of character development in the background by Cato and Ayita. Parenthood will do that. There were also a number of background characters who will play crucial roles in future chapters. Keep an eye out.
Beyond that, there isn't much to say that hasn't been said without giving too much away. Stay tuned dear readers as we delve deeper into the Mass Effect universe and its implications.
Pilot: Right then, link to the discord is on my profile.
Leave a review, tell us what you guys think.
A TV Tropes page and recommendation would be loved and appreciated.
And we will see ya when we see ya.