Hey pals.
A happy new year to all of you, I hope 2018 will treat you well. 2017 has been a wonderful year for me since I got involved in this lovely community that is fanfiction. Cheers!
So, a lot of things have happened since last update. I have uploaded two new stories. One is a spin off to this one, focusing on Harold and Joseph Romanov and their adventures in Andromeda. The other is the first story I have written that isn't set in the Mass effect universe, but rather in an alternative timeline where Germany won the First World War, it's based upon the mod named Kaiserreich for Hearts of Iron. If any of you are interested, please do check them out. They are both very short at the moment, but I will update them as time goes by.
I had originally meant for this update to have been out just after Christmas, but a few things happened. I fell ill and I decided to play Dayz again. But at last, here it is. The chapter might not make much sense right now, but it will later on.
Kind regards
KanisRussell
?/?/?
Mads' eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light at the end. He didn't know what to expect, but surely not this. He found himself inside what appeared to be a ballroom inside a palace. He was still in his armor that he had just died in.
Unsure what was going on, Mads looked around. There were two set of double doors in the room, one right behind him and one at the far side of the room. In the middle of the room was a piano, standing all by itself. It was dark outside, but the chandeliers lit up the room pretty nicely. Mads tried opening one of the set of doors, only to find it locked tight. Mads went to the other side of the room to try the other one, yet it too was locked.
The hell? Mads thought to himself as he tried opening the door, but the lock wouldn't give way.
Mads then went over to the windows, but they too were locked. Mads tried kicked the doors open, but it was like they were made of concreate.
Mads was confused, perhaps it was a dream? A dream of a dying man maybe. It had to be, this didn't make any sense. He tried checking his onmi-tool, but it was dead.
Faced with no other options, Mads choice to sit down by the wall. Once he took another look at the room, it felt awfully familiar, like he had been there before.
He looked around the room. On the walls were beautiful paintings, most likely from the 1800 hundreds and before. It bugged him that it seemed familiar, yet he couldn't place his finger on it.
Mads then realized just where he was, but it didn't make any sense! He was in the winter palace in St. Petersburg. But how did he get here? He was millions of miles away from where he just died! Could it be his version of heaven? But it seemed absurd!
The last time he was there, he was only 12 years old. It was a small trip with his parents and they were allowed inside some of the rooms, because the family had once been the owners. But why here? There had to be some sort of explanation.
Then Mads' eyes lingered on the piano. It seemed like it was begging for him to play it. Mads thought about it for a few moments, there wasn't really anything else to do.
Mads stood up and walked towards the piano. He sat down by it and looked at it for a while. He hadn't played a piano since he was 15, and that was only because his granddad forced him to learn it, something about it being the duty of every prince to know his way around a piano.
Mads hated it, he always did. He wanted to play with his friends instead, but he always had to do something or learn something. He hated his granddad. His granddad never liked him either, always going on about how Mads was too spoiled or didn't know the true value he had. Hell, there were even a couple of times Mads was hit by the old man. When his grandad died in 2014, Mads didn't even bother asking for leave from the army to go to his funeral.
But that didn't matter anymore. Mads was now faced with the dilemma of what to play. If he even remembered how to play anymore. His fingers were raised above the keys, yet he didn't know what to do.
That was until the lights in the room suddenly dimmed to the point where they were shut off. Now the only thing lighting up the room, was the moon. Its beautiful rays bathed the piano in its light and gave him the inspiration he needed.
Mads' fingers began moving over the keys. He slowly began playing one of the first tunes he learned by himself. It was Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. He played slowly and softly, creating a beautiful atmosphere around himself. He soon closed his eyes and let his fingers do the work. He could feel tears forming in his eyes and he let go of his outer self. He found comfort in the memories he had. He remembered the cold winter nights in his apartment in St. Petersburg. He remembered his family and all the good times he had with them.
It felt like he played for hours, perhaps he did. Mads lost track of time. The only source of light was the moon and the only entertainment was the piano. His fingers never grew tried and the music never grew old. He felt like he could sit there forever.
Then, all of a sudden, the light returned. Mads slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in his armor that he died in. Now he was sporting a ceremonial uniform usually worn by the tsars. It was bright and colorful. Mads didn't even question it anymore, everything was just so out of this world.
Mads stopped playing and let out a sigh. Then he heard clapping, a lot of it in fact. Mads was greatly confused and quickly scanned the room to see where it was coming from.
The room was no longer empty, but full of people. Mads arose from the seat at the piano and looked confused around at everybody.
Then it dawned on him. Those weren't random people, they were all someone he had known and his ancestors were there too. Peter the great, Alexander the third and Nicholas the second. They were there, and all were smiling at him.
Then he saw them, he saw his parents, his sister and brother. They were smiling too. Tears were forming rabidly in his eyes. Mads was in shock, never did he expect to see them again. Mads was thrilled, even if it was just a dream of a dying man.
"Mom? Dad?" Mads asked as he looked at them. He wiped away the tears in his eyes.
"It's good to see you again, son." Mads' father greeted while smiling.
Mads ran over to them and hugged them tightly. He quietly sobbed.
"We are proud of you. You did everything right." Mads' mother told him.
"So, is this heaven?" Mads asked as he wiped away the final tear in his eye.
"Indeed. We are all here; everyone you have ever known and cared about is here. Even your ancestors are here." Mads' father replied.
"I can see that. Man, never thought I would meet them" Mads remarked.
"Go on and speak with them." Mads' father suggested.
"Alright." Mads replied as he slowly went over to the long dead tsars of Russia.
They were all there, at least the Romanov dynasty was. Mads made a salute as he stopped in front of them, they replied with a salute as well.
"It's an honor to meet you all." Mads greeted.
"And it is an honor to meet you as well, Mads." Peter the great replied.
"I'm humbled by you saying so." Mads replied while bowing down.
"You have done well, I would have loved to have you in the imperial army, back when they were a thing" Alexander the third said as he looked over at Nicholas the second. Nicholas simply looked in the ground.
"Know that you have our full support in everything you did. You are a great man." Peter the great said.
"Thank you, it means the world to me" Mads replied.
"No worries. Now, your presence is required elsewhere." Peter the great said.
"Where?" Mads asked.
"There" Peter the great answered as he pointed to the doors that had been locked only moments before. Now they were open and light was shining in.
Mads nodded to the former Tsars and began walking over to the door. Only to be stopped by someone familiar.
"Victor?" Mads asked as he saw the familiar grin on his friend's face.
"Mads you big dumb bastard! How have you been?"
"Not so well, considering everything that had happened. But I'm better now that I can see your ugly face again." Mads replied.
Victor laughed. It was a sound Mads hadn't heard in ages.
"Look, I'm sorry I didn't do more. I should have checked the building better than I did." Victor remarked as he looked defeated at the ground.
"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. I never blamed you and I never will." Mads explained as he put his hand on Victor's shoulder. Victor looked back up at him and smiled.
"Thanks, though I suppose you should get going, don't want to keep the man waiting now, do we?" Victor said.
"Who... God?" Mads asked.
"I think so; he has requested your presence, just step through that set of doors." Victor answered as he pointed to the same set of doors.
"Any advice?" Mads asked further.
"I'm afraid not, I never spoken with him, in fact, very few people have. Not even the old Tsars have. So it's really unusual for him to request someone." Victor replied.
"Well... That really helps my nerves." Mads said sarcastically.
Victor chuckled. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll be just fine." Victor replied.
Before Mads could enter the set of doors, he was greeted by one last friend. The recently deceased Ashley Williams.
"Ashley, I'm sorry I couldn't do more." Mads said.
"Please, you did quite enough. I knew the risks going in and out. Pretty nice bunch people you have up here." Ashley replied.
"Thank you, never did I imagine I would meet them again, even in heaven. Thank you for your service." Mads said.
"Thank you for being a good commander. Now, don't keep the man waiting." Ashley said.
Mads smiled and went through the doors. Light engulfed him and blinded him for a few seconds. No longer was he inside the familiar room of the winter palace, now he was standing inside what appeared to be a Roman temple. The kind of place with huge pillars to support the roof.
The place seemed holy in every way possible. A peaceful vibe was present, like you didn't have to worry about anything. To Mads, heaven was everything he had expected, which was quite unexpected. He didn't think that Heaven would be everything he thought it would be.
And there was the man, God himself. And like the room, he too was exactly as Mads expected. An old man with a long white beard in white ropes. Something seemed fishy.
"So, I take it that you are God?" Mads asked as he approached the man.
"You could say that." God simply answered.
Mads looked at the man for a few minutes, trying to read him.
"You are not who I think you are, are you?" Mads asked again.
God simply laughed, amused at Mads' skepticism.
"Glad to see you still are smart enough. You are quite right. I'm not God as you would comprehend him, neither do I like being called God." The man answered.
"Then, what are you?" Mads asked.
"Creator of the galaxy and ruler of the void." He replied as if it was nothing.
Mads looked at him in confusion. "The void?" He asked.
"Heaven is tailored to each soul's ideals about heaven, in reality; it is just a big void. I would look like this" God said and snapped his fingers. Mads saw everything disappear and replaced by a void. Mads was floating, like he was in space, yet he could do everything.
God snapped his fingers again and everything returned to what it was before.
"So, what are you exactly, if not God?" Mads asked trying to understand the situation at hand.
God(Or whatever he was) chuckled at the curiosity.
"The name God is fitting. But I'm not just your God. I'm the Asari goddess, the Turian sprits and the Qurian's ancestors." God replied.
"Then you have your plate full." Mads commented.
"Indeed" God said.
"So, why did you want to see me?" Mads asked.
"The situation in the galaxy is not ideal. You and I both know that." God answered.
"You're thinking about the reapers, right?" Mads asked.
"Yes and I need you to take care of them" God answered.
"Why don't you just snap your fingers and kill them all off?" Mads asked.
"Unlike what most people think, I don't intervene in the 'Real' world." God said.
Mads looked at him in confusion.
"I created the galaxy, but I consider the galaxy a 'testing' ground for souls. They need to prove their worth, without my involvement in the matter. I have only ever created one species." God explained.
"Let me guess, the first species that ever came about?" Mads guessed.
"One would think that, but no. I let organic life evolve by itself. Millions of years ago, one of the first species in the galaxy created their first true AI. The AI was tasked with solving problems and soon it saw a pattern. Organic and synthetic were doomed to fight each other... For a long time, I decided to let the souls of the galaxy solve it themselves, however when the Protheans were facing destruction, I realized that I had to intervene to stop the bloodbath." God explained. He took a quick pause.
"It was too late for the Protheans, so I created another species. The Asari." God said.
The words came as a shock to Mads, but he soon realized that it made sense. The Asari were the first species to find the citadel and to discover all that was left behind by the Protheans. Their long life spans and the fact that they were all natural biotics made them a dangerous foe.
"I created them, took inspiration from all the species in the galaxy and added some new perks. I made sure the Protheans gave them the proper guidance needed to ensure they would be ready." God continued, he took another short break.
"Somewhere along the way, I must have misjudged my own creation. They grew to become diplomatic, a trait not suited for reaper combat. I realized that I couldn't help them, so I went on to my second intervention. I created not a new species, but a single person, you." God said.
The words echoed in his mind. Him? It seemed absurd.
"Me?" Mads asked with great confusion.
"Yes, you. Humanity peaked my interest towards the end of the 20th century, you were moving faster than any other species had ever done. I realized I didn't need an entire species, just a single person who could lead them all. The reapers were supposed to invade by 2021, but due to the actions of the last Protheans, that was stalled. I had already created you, and I'm not one to squander my investments. So I sent you packing into the future, without your consent I'm afraid." God explained.
"You... you did this?" Mads asked with a very angry tone. He felt an urge to strangle god right then and there. But Mads knew he most likely couldn't kill a God.
"I did, it was a bit unorthodox. But it made more sense." God said.
"Unorthodox? Is that what you call it? Stripping away everything I held dear?" Mads asked with even more anger building up inside him.
"It was necessary. I gave the Russians cryo freeze technology and made sure you were the only one permitted into the program. I made sure you had the right connections, the right military training, the right mind set. Everything is handcrafted." God tried to justify.
"Why would I even want to go back?" Mads asked.
"There is a millions reasons why you should go back. You are the only one that can end this madness. Millions of people are longing for your return, and one person in particular is eager for your return." God replied.
"And who would that be?" Mads asked further.
"You'll never know unless you return." God answered with an almost evil smile.
"How would it even work if I went back? Would I just wake up in space with no chance of escaping?" Mads asked.
"Circumstances are ideal for your return. A familiar organization has recovered your body and they are hard at work rebuilding it. They too know it is only you who can save this galaxy. However, without your soul, they will never be able to bring you back to life." God replied.
"Interesting, but why would I go back. Life in heaven seems pretty good and everyone I know is here." Mads said.
"So you don't care about what happens back in the real galaxy? You would rather kick your feet up and watch from a distance as everyone's lives are destroyed?" He asked.
"Really? That's the card you pull?" Mads asked back.
"And what of the Russian throne? You have always preached that everyone in your family should keep that in the back of their minds, it might be destroyed if you don't save it." God was really squeezing him.
Mads let out a loud sigh and thought about it for a few moments. God(Or whoever he was) was making a pretty good case against him.
"If I do this, then I need to sweeten the deal. I need free hands to do this." Mads demanded.
"You always done it your way, I would be surprised if you didn't do as much going forward." He replied.
"Fine, then I'll do it." Mads said.
The smile that grew upon god's face was uncomfortable to look at.
"Excellent, I'll even throw in another sweetener." God said.
"And what is that?" Mads asked.
"You'll find out soon enough. I will now send you back. So long Mr. Romanov. I will watch your progress with great interest." God replied. He then snapped his fingers, turning everything black once again.