09/06/2020

The Catalyst For Revenge: Andromeda
A Different Story 2

-cfr:a-

It had been many years since anyone, or anything had looked down upon him. Shepard didn't look down upon him, so much as view him as a valuable asset. Harbinger didn't look down upon him, so much as view him as just another Ascended. As such, Harper was finding the experience rather novel.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ, the supposed leader of the Andromeda Galaxy, or as they pronounced it Ğãĺīåňķşĩ, was looking down on him, or at least his avatar. Not literally, though there was no doubt in Harper's mind that Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ wanted that, but figuratively, he could feel the height. Shepard thought it was hysterical and was chuckling into his mind. Harbinger was silent.

He had been selected to represent them, but there were many safety measures in place. He could imagine what his LMC bodyguards would think but they weren't here. Instead, Cerberus was still in Dark Space and was hidden. They had approached the Andromeda galaxy with remote ships. Those were currently orbiting the planet above. The remote ships had the ability to flash clone avatar bodies so he had appeared to be simply a member of the crew.

"It took the Milky Way galaxy long enough to develop," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ sniffed.

He considered telling the group he was actually from the LMC Galaxy, but Shepard would never let him live that down, and would probably ban him from the Milky Way. It was a good thing that this arrogant thing would be destroyed. Harper was going to enjoy looking down on it.

"I am insulted that your leader believes an avatar is appropriate," came the next sentence.

That was far more interesting than the first. Harper could almost forgive the insult of the first statement given the implications of this one. "You have experience with them?" Harper asked, confirming Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ's belief by not directly denying it.

"The control option is very much about avatars," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ told him.

Harper was lost. The control option meant very little to him but he could feel shock, or what passed for shock eminating from Harbinger. The First Ascended was watching this encounter through him.

"And it took your underdeveloped, primitive galaxy long enough to succeed," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ mocked.

Harper would be more insulted if he knew what was going on.

"All I'm really curious about is who did it? Obviously not your species, since you are an avatar. Which species is truly organic?"

Harbinger stirred in his mind. Confirm that it knows about the Crucible, the First Ascended instructed. Harper recognised the tone as being an absolute order was was reminded that Shepard was not the only one in the chain of command.

Harper decided to play it up. "I have been instructed to ask what you know about the Crucible," he said.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ couldn't smile but it gave the impression of it. The rest of Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ's party looked slightly confused but they were still trusting of their leader. "I know about it."

Harper took on an air as if he was listening to instructions. He felt Harbinger working out something but the First Ascended was controlled enough that there was no leakage from his internal thoughts. Ask if it knows all the options.

"And all the options?"

"I do. Destroy, control, synthesize. Which species chose control?" Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ pressed.

Harper chuckled without prompting from Harbinger. "As if that was the only ending," he mocked, as a heap of information was pushed into his head. The Crucible was something he had heard about but Shepard actually had information on it. It had been designed once the cycles had started, and was the hope of organics to destroy the Ascended. That's what they locked on to. As far as he was concerned, the other options were far more interesting, and that wasn't just because he was Ascended. Control. As a human that would have been his choice. The power represented by the ability to control even the original Ascended fleet was not to be scoffed at. He would have taken it in a less than a heartbeat.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ did not look convinced.

"I am, as you say, an avatar," Harper confirmed, "from an Ascended but it is the Ascended who chose control," he explained.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ gave him a sharp look. "The Ascended chose control? The Ascended could not use the Crucible."

"As if we would allow organics to choose our future!" Harper spat, glaring at Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ, daring it to contradict him. "I am Ascended, and ascension is the genetic destiny of all organics."

Shepard laughed, even as Harbinger approved. It was Ashley's message that interested him more. They just got targeting lock, she said from Cerberus. On the remote ship, she added.

"Is that how you want to play it?" Harper asked.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ glared at him. "I will not allow Catalyst to spread!"

Harper laughed. "The Catalyst is dead," he said firmly. Of all the Ascended, he was the most certain that Catalyst was dead. He had waited all through those long years for it to die.

For some reason, his phrasing caught Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ's attention. "Dead?" It asked.

"Dead," Harper confirmed. "I killed it."

"And the Ascended chose control but not via the Crucible," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ said skeptically.

Ẍåřīčį öłķə, Harbinger said. Harper understood because the First Ascended gave him additional information with the words. It was the name of one of the first species, almost contemporary to Arshan. They had created an AI… which had to be this thing calling itself Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ. The language had changed but Harbinger gave an assessment of the time. The current pronunciation was possible. All Harper focused on was the stupid number of accents.

Harper merely smiled. He already knew how this was going to end, though there were questions, since this Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ seemed to know about the Milky Way.

"I did not think it possible," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ indicated.

"The Catalyst lacked desire," Harper replied at Shepard's prompting. It was appropriate. Desire was at the core of how Shepard had been able to override the Catalyst's controls.

"Ah," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ nodded, seeming to understand. "I will have to verify."

At that Harper laughed, shaking his head. "I don't think so," he replied. "It is us, who will have to verify you, Ẍåřīčį öłķə." He spat the name.

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ looked at him. "That's the way it's going to be?"

"That's the way it must be."

"How disappointing then," Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ pontificated. "That the Ascended are still not free. I will free you."

They're firing, Ashley informed him.

Fire back, Shepard instructed. It would look odd if they didn't. Start advancing, he added, the order going to the fleet that had been laboriously dragged through Dark Space into Andromeda. If this thing thought they had learned nothing since the Catalyst, it was going to be surprised.

Harper smiled. He knew what was going to happen to this body, but he didn't care. Destroying this body gained them nothing. He'd come prepared for battle. And against someone who knew Ascended, it would be a good battle. It would be interesting. "No," he objected with all the force of power he had gained through the long years as Emperor of the LMC. "We will free you."

Əľɖĕqãýïṛḿẳ looked surprised, and then the expression shifted. Harper thought that several million pieces of information had been sent to it.

It had been many years since anyone, or anything had looked down upon him. Harper was pleased, he still had what it took to turn the tables.

-cfr:a-

I might have forgotten I hadn't posted the last few of these.

Review please. :D