"For a storm is certainly coming; whether by my hand or someone else's. And I have no idea who will survive to see the dawn." - Red Queen, "Glass Sword", Victoria Aveyard

The Hive, Subterranean Level, Hadley's Hope, Feros, Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster, July 12, 2183

Author's Note: Welcome to 'the sell'.

This was quite possibly the hardest thing I've ever written. Made the Battle of LaGrange Point Two look like a shooting range involving fish in a barrel and a Auto Saiga Shotgun compared to working out this idea and dialog.

I've never dumped more than a few paragraphs before. I literally worked on this one chapter seven times over to try and get it at least well.

Spot the Avengers references for a good giggle.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

Captain Jane Catherine Shepard (SAN, N7, OST) stood ten meters away from Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Elaine Ryder as the young woman turned to look upon Species-37/Thorian, the gigantic plant-testicle thing dangling their, the sac in which was its skin slightly pulsating and glistening as well. Jannie noted that something dripped down its slightly veiny surface, and she briefly wondered if it were water or slime. The last thing that the N7 really wanted to think about was some weird alien goo trying to drown them. Lord only knew what that sac thing was filled with. Organs? Sap?

"A survivor of the eons, this beautiful growth." Not-Sara spoke, her voice deeper, almost unnaturally so. It wasn't beyond human ranges deep, not dipping towards the bass scale. No, there was something else behind those words; something powerful, something ancient. It was almost like there was force behind those words, more than just air. The young woman's exposed face had been lit up with wonder gazing upon the Thorian, the smile not at all like hers; this one had been more of a maniacal glee. "Did you know that we predate what you know as the Prothean Empire? The Thanatul were evolving from insects upon an irradiated planet with a harsh star while we conquered the galaxy, bringing much meat to our grasp. We spread our Gardens from Core to Rim, through the dark expanses of known space. Everything you see was once ours."

Great, a villainous monologue. Sara wasn't like this at all. Jannie's eyes flickered to the four that stood at Ryder's side, all of them armed and armored, though without their helmets. Each of them held their heaviest weapons in their hands; 2nd Lieutenant James Vega was armed with his Devlon Industries' M-56 Marshal Medium Machine Gun, Marshal Samantha Collins with her HMWSG MasterGear SPECTRE Mk. I Shotgun, Sergeant First Class Ashley Williams with her Kassa Fabrications' M-76 Reverent Light Machine Gun, and Agent Zevin Raeka with her Kassa Fabrications' M-55 Argus Battle Rifle. None of the moved, standing like armed statues, never saying a word or moving a muscle. Bodyguards, Jannie realized, seeing how they flanked Sara but faced the threat; herself. The same people whom she would trust her back with in battle were now standing in front of her, ready to gun her down at a moments' notice.

"You want something." Shepard wasn't about to listen to a gigantic planet talking to her best friends' mouth about how awesome it once was.

"We were promised something by the poisoned meat, a promise broken by the decree of his star-metal monstrous master."Not-Sara answered, confusing Jannie slightly. "You call him Saren."

"Saren was here?" How in the fuck did they miss that! Well, between the wreck of Fourth Fleet, the battle against the Geth armada over LaGrange Point Two, all the debris from the destroyed and exploded vessels now clogging up sensors around Feros, it was actually a possibility. And Saren could have used the first battle when the Geth had pounced and practically obliterated the Fourth as a distraction to arrive on Feros unimpeded. So that's what that had been all about; access. All those ships destroyed and those Sailors lost so Saren could get what he wanted. And what Saren wants, he gets, that one Krogan said back in the Dig Site on Therum before having his headplate removed by Sara. The Geth were certainly generous to their pet Turian, weren't they? Fielding a Fleet as large as the one over the skies of Feros had been a considerable investment, representing practically man-years of minerals mined and processed, the vessels fabricated and built, not to mention the shipyards, the elements necessary, the fuel, the programming that were the Geth… whatever they needed to bring about that many vessels. The numbers and materials had been staggering, even for a species that had no need for politics or money, it was still a factor of time and labor, no matter how many platforms go involved. All that for a plant… a plant that had predated the Prothean Era.

This thing eats people… and gains intelligence!

"He used you, didn't he?" Jannie ventured, talking a small step forward as she looked up to the Thorian, silent and hanging, and then down to the face of her oldest and dearest friend. "He interacted with a Prothean Beacon on another world, the same one I interacted with. But it wasn't enough. He needed more, so he went to you."

"Correct, meat."The voice came from Sara's mouth, though Sara didn't sound like that. She certainly never addressed her Auntie as 'meat'. "The poisoned meat wished to share knowledge in exchange for a seed to the stars."It took Shepard a moment to figure out what 'seed to the stars' meant. A ship. It wanted a ship to the stars.

Excuse me? What does God need with a starship? That memory came unbidden, but Shepard didn't ignore it. The Thorian was way too large to fit into a vessel, not to mention it looked connected to the cavern. But the creepy-looking green monsters and the five people in front of Jannie told a different story. The Thorian wanted to go back to the good old days, back to when it ruled the galaxy.

"You gave him the knowledge that you collected from Prothean… meat." Jannie said distastefully, rather disgusted by the proposal. Protheans had obviously captured this thing for whatever reason or purpose. Hopefully it wasn't some sort of sick science experiment, though the N7 had the sinking feeling that the Protheans probably were doing what ExoGeni was doing; feeding it people for knowledge. "He promised you a ship in return. You held up to your end of the bargain, and he reneged?" Jannie couldn't say she was surprised. Evidently, an ancient monstrosity could be conned. Unfortunately, that meant that Saren walked away with whatever it was he wanted from the Thorian; some sort of Prothean knowledge… knowledge for the Beacon? That indicated that it was just as confusing to him as it was for her. So Eden Prime was a failure for Saren Arterius.

That meant he hadn't gotten what he was looking for, this… Conduit. Or these Reapers Benezia T'soni spoke of.

Unfortunately for Jannie, she was a step behind, and it looked like the only way she was going to get that particular information was out of a gigantic testicle plant with a taste for the other white meat.

"The poisoned meat was merely a vessel to his masters." Not-Sara said, dismissing the issue. "There would be seeds to the stars sooner or later, and we merely waited for the chaos that would surely follow in the meats' wake. But when we learned of you, meat?

"We saw opportunity."

Jannie had a bad feeling about this.

The thing that was Sara turned around to view the Thorian, her hands held behind her back, as if in contemplation. Jannie wanted to scream in frustration, to get the thing out of her friends, to get the thing out of Sara. But she had no idea how. Not yet, at least. They weren't under attack, so Jannie was going to take a play out of Sara's book and do some research and investigation. No doubt she could piece something together if the gigantic plant testicle was more interested in talking.

"Two-hundred and ninety-two thousand of your planetary years, meat, since we first took to the stars."Not-Sara spoke, still facing Species-37. "We evolved from a fungal growth that was useful for breaking down biological components, adding to the natural state of decay by reducing so much matter into more appropriate elements; nitrogen, carbon, calcium. Millennium spent as carrion before we began to evolve, to gain rudimentary intelligence and sentience. Bodies became colonies, colonies that attracted others so that they too could be fed from, extending our lives. Colonies connected through evolved spores, able to communicate on the winds to create a network of colonies, to integrate growth and chance."Thanks for the history lesson, Jannie thought distastefully, saying nothing. There would be a moment of opportunity, something the creature would expect, or its hopes hinged on. And then she was going to exploit the fuck out of it. "It took millions of your years before we became the master of our world, evolved toward domination. Once our Garden had become ours, we sought others."

"You became space-faring." Ghost was already tracking every living thing in the area, tagging it and running it through the multi-core processors of her HMWA MasterGear SPECTRE Mk. IV Armor. Bastila would dislodge and start defending with fire; obviously an organic threat would fear the flame. Cortana already had scripts ready to go to augment Jannie's armor for whatever she needed; speed, strength, smashing something's face in. But the plant was interested in talking, lauding itself and goading her. It hadn't reached its punchline yet.

"It took generations to conquer worlds, world ripe with meat and resources," not-Sara continued, still gloating like some Credit-budget villain. "One by one they fell to our tendrils, consuming the wealth of knowledge and meat this galaxy had to offer. A thousand worlds to be had as we spread throughout the stars thanks to the objects you call Mass Relays."

Wait…

"But the Protheans built the Relays." Jannie pointed out, frowning.

"No."Sara turned to face her, her hands still held behind her back as she looked at Shepard. "They were there long before. Before we took to the stars, they existed. We consumed species that had gained their knowledge and use, and we used them too.

"Then the Firebringers came."

Jannie noted that Sara's infected face looked… pained, nostalgic.

"We fought against the enemy, as many had before, as many have since. And we lost."The Thorian continued to talk, and Jannie felt a little lost. Who the hell are the Firebringers? Had someone fought the Thorians and wiped them out?

"The Protheans?" No, Sara said them by name, Shepard remembered. Had even called them by a different name; perhaps their actual name. This plant thing claimed to predate the Prothean Empire. It was an auspicious claim to make, but it might be a possibility. Plants did live for incredibly long periods of time, and this wasn't some Earth plant, either.

"No. The Thanatul were wiped out by the Firebringers as well, as the Thanatul had nearly drove us into extinction during our preparations for victory."

The N7 was beginning to think she was starting to see the picture now.

"So these Firebringers damn near wipe you out," Jannie began, still ready to fight but now realizing that this was intelligence. Saren had been here for a reason, had gotten something from this plant thing. "Wiped out others too, according to your words." Many had before, many have since, the Thorian had said through Sara's mouth. "You wanted a Round Two but the Protheans went on their little intergalactic killing spree and did their best to obliterate you. You yourself were locked in this zoo cage thing, a way for them to gloat on their victory, showing you off like a prize. Sound about right?"

"You are not wrong, meat." Jannie was really beginning to hate that word.

"Then why did Saren come looking for you? Besides being a potential suppository…" Of knowledge, Jannie was about to say, but then it clicked. This thing had eaten Protheans, and supposedly had their knowledge. Saren Arterius was on the hunt for Prothean knowledge, absconding with the data of a Prothean Beacon, and then nearly kidnapped a Protheantologist who just happened to be the daughter of his confederate. Now he was enticing an ancient plant testicle for whatever it knew, but it went back to that recording that Tali'Zorah nar Reyyahad hacked out of a Geth corpse.

"The mission to Eden Prime was a success. We are one step closer to finding the Conduit", Saren had said, his Turian voice sounding pleased in the recording.

"And one step closer to the Reapers," Matriarch Benezia T'soni had replied, sounding so smooth and assured.

The Conduit was the means, and the Reapers their objective. Saren had launched a Geth Fleet to take on the Fourth just for this opportunity…

This plant knows what Saren wants!

"He asked about the Conduit and the Reapers, didn't he?" Jannie took one step forward, her right hand still on the pistol grip of her Alliance Offensive Firearms Initiative M-99 Saber Battle Rifle, maglocked to her chestpiece of her SPECTRE Armor. "Beacon didn't give him what he wanted, so he went to you with false promises." This had to be something more than just what Saren wanted; the Geth were obviously interested in it as well if they risked not one but two Dreadnoughts plus a horde of ships, no matter how successful they thought they would be. "Did you actually give him what he wanted, or what he thought he wanted?" She didn't trust the plant, and she doubted the plant was stupid; it had been alive for an incredibly long time evidently.

"What was promised was spoiled." Not-Sara said, looking to one direction. Jannie looked in the same direction as dozens of the creepy-looking creature things moved away to show what was a body lying in the bowl, what appeared to be an Asari. "It had something we wanted, but the meat was tainted. This one showed much promise though." Not-Sara raised and flexed a hand, and it took a moment for the N7 to figure it out when the hand shimmered slightly, as if a slight mirage had appeared around it. Biotics…

Why the hell would a plant thing want biotics for?

"Obviously you want something out of me, otherwise your little plant friends would be on me like pigs in shit." The N7 said, knowing that any kind of action would likely be disastrous for both sides. Yes, TEAM LION was outnumbered, but they had more than enough people to really cause some damage, and the Thorian obviously had to have known that. The only reason it hadn't attacked was that Jannie had something it wanted, something that it likely couldn't get if she were dead, maybe not even if it were controlled. That it wanted a vessel was obvious, since Not-Sara had told her. But something didn't quite add up. The Thorian itself couldn't escape, and it certainly believed that it was the sole survivor. Perhaps it hinged its location as a bunker; it had obviously survived not only a Prothean purge, but whatever drove the Protheans into extinction themselves. It thought itself a survivor…

Biology ensures survival in only one way, Jannie realized as her blood ran cold.

Propagation.

"You want the Normandy for a lot more than just a ride, don't you?" The N7 said coldly, staring at Not-Sara, at the green lines that seemed to spread just under her skin, slightly bulging the flesh with their presence, at the green bloodshot look of her blue eyes. "Something bad is coming, and you know it. You either want to fight, or you want to find a way to survive the storm."

"You surmise well, meat." The Thorian said through Sara, the Corpsman turned to look upon the gigantic plant once more. "We were arrogance once to think ourselves the master of these stars, and we learned much to our folly. Nearly eradicated by the Firebringers, our Gardens burned, our seedlings destroyed. We had thought ourselves prepared." There was a sadness to her tone. "We through everything into that defiance, meat. Our very children, our very seed, our very existence. They sought to eradicate, and it was only because of their own arrogance that they missed this Old Growth, the only survivor of a galactic extinction, buried deep beneath the soil, the last child of what was once masters to the stars.

"It took generations to grow our strength," Not-Sara continued, "to find species in which to feed from, to replace our once great numbers. We fertilized entire Gardens in preparation for the coming of the Firebringers, spreading our germ through meat to add to our collective strength. Alone, they would have perished, as many have before. To ensure survival, we added them to our Garden, to prepare for the day when they came to plow the galaxy once more for meat."

"I take it the Protheans found you first."

"YES." There was heavy scorn and hate in that voice as Not-Sara turned violently to look at Jannie, her infected feature furious. "The hated Thanatul encountered us, wishing for us to bow to their paltry 'empire' and their servile ways as if they were the master. They brought violence and called it peace, they brought oppression and called it freedom." The Corpsman snorted. "They had conquered many species for their empire, to feed their greedy roots and lift them closer to their own 'Avatar-Gods'. They came with warriors and fire, burning our germ and destroying our Gardens. They took the Old Growth as a trophy, planting it on this hostile Garden to be an amusement for their Avatars and 'Citadel' governors. Yet their empire was a decadent thing, many cracks in its stem and roots. They fought against the cold ones, what you think of as the 'Metacons', and lost many Gardens of their own. They faced the Racini, what you know as the 'Rachni', and more lives were lost. Together… together we could have stood. Together we could have won." Not-Sara sounded exhausted, defeated. "A hundred thousand cycles has the Old Growth lived, meat. It is tired, its seedlings and children gone. It is the last of its kind, the Firebringers' ultimate victory so close. For the sake of our Garden, we will not go quietly."

"And who will we be fighting? These 'Firebringers'?" Shepard asked, her focus still on Sara. All this information wasn't giving her much, nor had she really heard anything that she thought would have interested Saren. If they had both interacted with the same Prothean Beacon, then it was likely that they needed the same information. Saren was looking for this Conduit and these Reapers. Any information Shepard could glean could let her exploit or deny him those items. The rogue Agent thought he needed the Thorian, so Jannie needed the Thorian. Unfortunately, it had Sara and several of her teammates, not to mention the colonists of Hadley's Hope and the Marines of the Fourth Marine Expeditionary Unit. She wasn't about to jeopardize Human lives (and a Salarians' life) jumping to conclusions or jumping the gun. If there was a way for Jannie to have them released from whatever grip or control the Thorian had, she would do so. But she also needed whatever Saren wanted as well. She was in the classic Catch-22, in a bad position either way. She wanted to free her friends and the colonists. She needed that information though, whatever it was that Saren Arterius wanted.

"We would fight the Firebringers. You and your meat would simply lose. As countless others have."Not-Sara replied dismissively, completely disregarding anything that Humanity could possibly do. "We have the knowledge of this current cycle. The coming of the Firebringers will go as planned on their part. You will lose."

"Coming from someone who's now oh-and-two? Might want to step down on the arrogance a bit." Jannie snarked, her tone holding no mirth as Not-Sara scowled. "You lost once against these Firebringers, and then again against the Protheans… the Thanatul," she corrected herself, "who themselves lost to the Firebringers. Whatever weak-sauce plan you happened to have had? Probably going to end up with you turning into a pot roast."

The green-laced eyes of Sara Elaine Ryder looked at her for a long, long moment. Shepard wondered if she had really just pissed off a carnivorous immortal plant.

"You speak sense, meat."

Okay, Jannie hadn't expected that.

"We have a proposition."

Uh oh.

Detective Garrus Kaaldor Vakarian (C-SEC SCU, C-SEC RRU) held his position behind the trunk of a tree that wasn't a tree; it appeared to a large fungus growth of some sort that was easily a dozen meters tall and a quarter of that in circumference. He used the trunk as cover as he kept his eyes and the motion-capture program of his ERCS Rapid Response Unit-issued Kuwashii Visor on the enemy, his talons cradling his ERCS Rapid Response Unit-issued M-15 Vindicator Battle Rifle, ready to fire at… well, a larger sign of trouble other than the gigantic hanging ball plant that dominated the underground cavern that TEAM LION happened to be in. In his twenty years in the Hierarchy Military, fifteen of them in the Blackwatch Unit, and another twenty years in Citadel Security Services, fifteen of those being in both Special Crimes and Rapid Response, he had never seen or heard of anything coming close to the Thoi'han save from what he learned of from the Presidium Academy of Education. As he understood it, even Thresher Maws didn't get to be this big.

The words of the proposition from the Thorian, coming from Petty Officer Sara Elaine Ryders' mouth? Even that had Garrus' mandibles fall slack in disbelief.

"You might want to repeat that one to me again, motherfucker." Captain Jane Shepard said, her tone as hard as Iridium, and just as unforgiving. "You want me to do… what?"

"The storm is coming, meat. The poisoned ones' tainted presence indicates that this cycle is nearly at its end-stage." The thing that controlled Sara said through the young Human females' mouth, looking at the Lion. "The Firebringers' are coming, meat, and you and your fellow seeds will be eradicated and used for fertilizer for the star monstrosities, seeding their vessels with your remains to create an abhorrence of life to further plague these Gardens. None have survived, none have succeeded, and we do not see the Gardens of Humanity being any more successful than their galactic predecessors. You and your kind are doomed, meat, as well as that of the other meat kind. They will fall as many others have before.

"We are your only chance. If you do not join us, you and your kind will perish."

Garrus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised considering what the Thoi'han was and what it once did.

"Imagine, meat, your species elevated, uplifted." Not-Sara spoke, the figure of the young Human woman walking forward in a way that wasn't like the female he had once contemplated bonding with. "It was Humanity that opened this infernal prison for us, it was Humanity that fed us when we were weak. No matter that those who first contacted us kept us purposefully weak, it was your kind that first came to us after all. The meat in question wanted knowledge, all that we knew, and that we are willing to provide. Your meat can be added to us, and we can in turn elevate your kind to greatness."

"You're… fucking shitting me right now, right?" Shepard asked, her tone not at all dubious as far as Garrus could tell. "I'm still waiting for the punchline where this is one big ol' laugh."

"We do not make this offer in jest, meat." The Thorian said through Sara's lips, Vakarians' mandibles flaring in anger hard enough that they rubbed against the interior of his helmet. "Imagine, if you can, meat… peace in your time."

Oh… oh s'kak, the Turian Sniper thought to himself as his hearts stuttered a little. He had a pretty good idea what was about to happen. That thing is going to sell the concept of a perfected Humanity!

"Humanity is fractured, meat; many Gardens on many worlds, barely clinging together by writing upon edicts tossed aside for expediency." Not-Sara spoke as she walked slowly to Jane. "Crime, war, poverty, starvation, corruption, intrigue… all inherit amongst your fractured kind, meat. These very vessels that we now hold were as different as the many seeds that life can bring, each with their own views and goals, some willing to hurt others for their own personal wants.

"But what if that could all be brought to an end?"

"What are you telling me?"

"Mankind… redefined." The Thorian said as Sara's infected face smiled, her green-bloodshot eyes boring into Shepard's armored visor.

"We know of you, Lion meat," Not-Sara continued, "for you are in the thoughts of these vessels who now stand more united than your species has ever had. You are a defender of your Gardens, a hero amongst your meat. Upon their stalks they place their hopes in your protection. Yet these seedlings are also poisonous, bringing calamity and woe to their own Gardens, willing to see themselves and others for their own personal advancements and interests. This is the Garden you fight for, meat. They are unworthy of you.

"But we can make them that way."

"At the cost of freedom and personal liberties?" The Captain exclaimed, her tone both shocked and belligerent.

"The freedom to starve? The freedom to be victims?" Not-Sara scoffed, waiving away the notion. Garrus knew that 'freedom and personal liberties' were a big thing for Human Beings, something he had in fact asked Sara about once, interested in the comparisons and contrasts between what a Human and a Turian thought. They really were quite different, but Vakarian had the sense that those two concepts were a big driving force for a Human. "Tell me, meat? Is the personal liberty of one to use another for monetary gain worth keeping? For a sapient to look upon another as a means to an end? Freedom is a mislabeled concept that many never have, and only enacted by illustrious leaders to further oppress the downtrodden or enjoyed by those who circumvent laws for their own pleasures and profits. Are these freedoms worth it, meat, to make victims of your kind? For billions to be used as fertilizer for political expediency or to continue the progression of a broken machine that you call a system of government? No, 'freedom' is merely a word to keep meat in line, to ostracize when one of the rabble get out of line and failed to get away with it. And as for personal liberties? They are trampled upon by your very kind upon the meat you are so willing to defend for an agenda. Is this worth dying for?

"We can give them the very thing you are so willing to give your existence to defend in a way you cannot comprehend."

"By turning ourselves into some sort of… hive?" Shepard scoffed.

"Not all, no."The young Human female replied in a voice that wasn't exactly her own as she took a few steps forward, mere meters separating the N7 and the Corpsman. "Give us your criminal, your dissonant, those who cannot do anymore. Humanity will be ensured survival, and prosper as never before. Full unity where seeds can be nurtured by loving Gardens, never knowing the taste of growing alone… as you did." Garrus felt alarmed by what the Thorian was saying; it was making a very personal attack, obviously knowing of the Captains' past. "You went without your male progenitor, lost through war. He gave his life in a noble effort for his species, meat, one even we recognize. Yet how many of your kind were too ready to cast the blame upon those who fought so valiantly for the Garden of Shanxi?" Not-Sara turned to where Sergeant First Class Ashley Williams stood. "Did you know that this one's family was cast out of their Garden, left to wither and die upon the vine? Her grand-progenitor was a leader of your kind, and fought with every intent to hold out for a rescue that came too late. For his effort, they banished him and his seeds, exiled by weak plants who never knew the bitter taste of fire or the hollowness of being without sustenance. Is this the species you fight for? Is this worth saving?

"Is it worth knowing seedlings grow up without the shade of their progenitors, one gone by war, the other by her own volition?"

"You walk a very thin line." The N7 growled, but Garrus had to wonder of Jane's resolve. This Thorian wasn't espousing upon its greatness any longer. No, it was using the collective knowledge of TEAM LION against Shepard, knowing where to make it hurt and how to hurt it. It was using the words that could make a sentient break.

"We know the bitter tang of loss, meat." There was no arrogance to that voice. "We are the last of our kind, our progenitors destroyed, our children gone. We know the ache of loneliness and loss, to feel that which we yearn taken from us. That does not have to be the way for Humanity. Seedlings held in caring hands throughout your kind, all cherished and loved. No longer made second by personal endeavors or greed, seedlings cared for as they should by a pair of progenitors that will not elect a profession over their own seeds. How many children are without a progenitor due to conflict? How many do not have a progenitor because they elect not to put forth the effort? How many go without sustenance, without care, without dreams of a better and brighter future? Is this worth electing? Disassociation? Turmoil? Those who would use seedlings for war or pleasure? Is this freedom and liberty? To give those rotten in the stem the power to do as they please? To forever hunt rotten meat as they hide their deeds behind lies and money and laws?"

This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good…

"Imagine your species without those things, together where the brave and bold are correctly recognized for their deeds," Not-Sara continued, taking another step forward, "where those who have joined together stay together."Garrus nearly growled out loud at that as his talons gripped his M-15 Vindicator tighter. That was a low blow, what the Thorian was about to say. "You dedicated your life and your efforts to improving yourself for the sake of your species, meat. You also chose to share that life with another, one you hoped to be the progenitor of your own seedlings one day. While you struggled to be the growth that your progenitors would be proud of, the meat you call a provider sharing himself with others who would bear his fruit. Promises given and broken by the same wind that delivered them. A shame, really. To have only the briefest feelings of such ownership to see it slip away, to not understand the joy of the feelings of another, only your own.

"We feel it amongst these," the Corpsman indicated the other members of TEAM LION behind her, "the caring a devotion each have for others. The one called Vega who looks upon an Uncle he would call his progenitor, a male who raised a seed as if his own. A worthy cause, a worthy shade in which to nurture, wouldn't you agree? And what of the one called Collins?" Garrus noticed that neither Lieutenant Vega nor Marshal Collins moved with this personal information. "Grieving the loss of her mate, her existence one of pain and loneliness, of nights with a cold Gardenbed to sleep upon, missing the warmth and affection of her companion. She is at ease now, meat, a respite from the ache in her broken heart. And this one, Williams? A bud of affection for a blue one, scared of what is different, hoping that she does not make the mistake that will break her heart for the risk she would take for walking a brave path she would have denied to tread before. She, too, offers shade for a seedling, thoughts of being a progenitor herself aching her heart at the thought of a… Newt. And Raeka, the poor exile, a bane upon her family for her decision not to have her seedlings used as pawns for her family's games, to see her sons cast about in space for the sake of a species that undermines all that others do, the first to strike from shadows."Garrus felt his throat go dry with that, Raeka having never mentioned why she had refused to become a Dalatrass for the Zevin Clan. And this monster just blurted out her darkest secret in front of all. Oh, Raeka, you did it for your family, not the ones you were born to, but the ones you would birth. Vakarian knew that their female Salarian was a brave member of her species, but now he had to fully admit that she was more brave than he himself; Garrus could have done the same thing for the same reason, but didn't.

"And what of this Sara?"

Garrus felt his hearts drop. No doubt Shepard felt the same. Please… don't. Don't tell them what Sara thinks or feels. Her secrets are her own, her heart her own.

"I wouldn't say another fucking word." Jane leveled.

"And deny her the life she could live, meat? Free from prosecution, free from reprisal?"Not-Sara smiled, her ruined features nothing like the female that Garrus had fallen in love with… was still in love with. "Her heart is large, is that of our Queen of Blades. She bears the love of many, her Garden encompassing many. Her thoughts are of her progenitor and sibling, of a woman she looks upon as a hero, of a blue one she wishes to share her heart with, and the plated one that still holds it whenever she looks upon the one you call Garrus." Vracking son of a goat, Garrus thought to himself, knowing why Sara hadn't told others of her kind, knowing many wouldn't understand or accept it. He remembered Sara's stories on how Humanity struggled in accepting that what was different, even those amongst their own kind such as those of different religions, flesh color, and even gender choice. A Human in a relationship with a Turian was a big taboo for both their species. "She remembers the struggles that you yourself had in accepting her choice to breed with a race you despise, desperately hoping not to lose your respect. Imagine a Garden where she can have the freedom to chose whom she loves without reprisal or denial. Where others would accept her for who and what she was, for the greatness of her heart and not the shallowness of theirs? For a progenitor that would accept whom she wishes to share her life with, for the brother who wishes to share his affections with another but cannot out of the fear his progenitor would say if he knew…"

"ENOUGH!"

There was dead silence in the cave, Garrus wanting to shoot something, anything, but not knowing if it would do any good.

"We can save Mankind, Shepard. The price is far less than what you think.

"All you need to do is accept."

Half… oh God… half.

Jannie had never, ever thought something like this would ever come to be.

It wasn't that she didn't believe the proposition. She had the nasty suspicion that every damn word that the Thorian had said through Sara's mouth was completely true. She didn't doubt that the Thoi'han or whatever the hell it wanted to call itself could do exactly what it proclaimed. Considering it was a gigantic Venus flytrap that could evidently absorb knowledge and control thoughts? Oh yeah, it could certainly 'perfect' humanity by controlling every single one of them and giving them the perceived notion of getting what they wanted. Freedom through mental slavery, liberties by forcing everyone to do the same thing.

But… it could certainly deliver on its other promises. No more crime, no more racism, no more lies. No more false political promises, no more devastating wars, no more lies. A perfect world, a perfect race. One worth fighting for. One worth dying for.

At the cost of half of the population of Humanity. From here unto eternity. Based on a threat that may or may not exist.

Saren came here with the intent to get knowledge from this creature, Shepard thought, looking at Sara-who-was-not-Sara, her ravaged face staring at her from a mere three meters away, intent. Saren wants to bring something terrible, that much is evident. And this Thorian knows what it is and what it can do. With this knowledge, Mankind can protect itself from whatever calamity that fucking spike intends. Colonies can be defended, the military striking out to deny what Arterius wants.

But the cost! Oh God, the cost…

Captain Jane Shepard found herself looking at the face of Sara Elaine Ryder, knowing that if she accepted, if she agreed, her face would be the one to bring about this so-called' New World Order' to Humanity, a monster of the ages wearing the face of her dearest friend. People wouldn't understand, and there would be men and women who would fight to the very death to prevent something, even if beneficial. Even if the Thorian could logically and indisputably prove itself right, most of Mankind would resist, unwilling to give up their sovereign destiny of choice and free will. The potential utopia of unity and peace would start with the bloodiest war Mankind would ever know, millions easily dying as outposts and colonies fell. Half would be consumed by this monster, and the other half taken under its control. Men and women would know love and commitment as they willing handed over half their offspring as livestock, no longer the top of the food chain. Criminals would be eaten, those who proved useless or worthless to the destiny of Man taken and consumed as the rest became sheep, only a select few like Sara left in charge. It would be a horrifying Golden Era, a sinister paradise. She was briefly reminded of Adolphus Huxley's Brave New World where the entire population of Mankind were cloned, conditioned, and kept practically in blissful catatonic euphoria with a drug called soma. Life had been perfect for them, but the thought of it had horrified people who had read it. Half of Mankind would be turned to food, and another forty-nine percent would be workers and drones to keep Mankind fed and producing children, both for the continuation of the race and to feed the Thorian. The last percentile would be in charge, like this so-called 'Queen of Blades' that was Sara. Jannie didn't miss the StarCraft reference for Sarah Kerrigan, a psychic warrior captured, mutated, and evolved into a Queen for the Zerg who had taken over when the Overmind had been destroyed.

Sara wouldn't want this; not for herself, and certainly not for Humanity.

A looming threat that has destroyed species, Jannie thought hollowly, and the possibility of ushering an era Mankind has always dreamed of but will never obtain. Humanity perfected over mass grave sites, unity without escape. A very dark heaven.

And it doesn't want to stay on Feros, that's for certain.

Jannie could see what it wanted a starship for; relocation. The Thorian itself wasn't going to be relocated; too big, too interconnected to this cave. No, it wanted a vessel to bring someone that could plant more Thorian seeds throughout the worlds of Earth Alliance Space. Would… would Sara be the Harbinger of those seeds? A mother of monsters? Breeding stock for terrible things to come? That thought put a shiver in her heart, and with that she made her choice.

I'm your Auntie, I'll always be here for you, nine-year old Jane Shepard once promised an hour-old Sara Ryder, young hands cradling such a tiny thing made up of swollen belly, curled limbs, and bright blue eyes that had been rather grumpy at being in this noisy cold place. But little Jane Shepard had looked into those brand-new eyes and felt love, and she kept her promise.

She would always keep that fucking promise.

"We see that you are hesitant, meat."

I really fucking hate that name.

"Well, first," the N7 began, "while you've been blathering, my ship that you want to use to turn the galaxy into your personal buffet has aligned itself for a series of kinetic strikes right at this position. Right now, you're vulnerable." Not-Sara's face hardened considerably as Jannie noted that the infected members of TEAM LION shifted into a more combat-oriented stance while the green monsters slowly took a few steps forward for conflict. The pitch had been told, the punchline over, and now it was time to close the curtains and end the show. "You yourself have suffered the yoke and didn't exactly find it to your wishes, yet you think that we would so easily fall under the sway of a terrible peace? Yeah… I don't think so. Which brings me to my second point."

"Which is what, meat?" The Thorian was clearly not amused, as Jannie smiled inside her helmet.

"We have a Wrex."

Author's Note: Who's looking forward to this? Hey, when you're facing ancient monstrosities, subtlety kinda loses its day in the sun.

This was, by far, the most difficult chapter I've ever written, primarily dialog and explanation for 'the sell'. This is by far the shortest chapter for 'Of Lions And Angels' and it took me the longest, too. I've rewritten it several times, and I'm still not particularly happy with it, though I think I covered my intent.

I threw in a couple of Avengers references, most notably the last line ('We have a Hulk') but also what the Thorian wanted; half of humanity would survive. There's also a Fallout 4 reference, too; Mankind, redefined. I also mention StarCraft as well, which is partially what this chapter is based off of; the existence of Sarah Kerrigan and what she eventually turned into.

There have been mini-themes to each ARC more or less, nods towards Science Fiction that I add to the story to give it is feel, such as SIEGE and Aliens/Pod People, LAGRANGE POINT TWO and Battlestar Galactica, FOREST and Star Trek: First Contact/Dead Space, CENTER and the concept of the Oasis from Ready Player One (the book), WATCH and the Robert Heinland book 'The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress', THERUM and (oh dear God) the movie The Black Hole (a favorite of mine when I was a kid!), and DIG with the Barsoomian/John Carter Series/A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I take the feelings (or perhaps the base concepts in some cases) and use them in each ARC to give each its own feel, a little bit for tone change, but also to color each part with its own feel. Some ARCs have been quite different (and unique) like with FOREST being a survival/horror ARC and one that likely doesn't exist much in ME-fanfic'dom, stuck on a vessel/location absolutely stuffed with Husks (which is partially a mission on Aequitas in ME2, the cave with the Reaper Monolith on it, or LAGRANGE POINT TWO being completely in space an involving a complete space battle from beginning to end, in which few get into with real depth because, as I found out, writing a space battle requires some finesse and understanding. I know I handled it brilliantly (LGP2 is by far my most popular set of chapters that I've ever written) but it required a great deal of effort and continuity on my part. Honestly, I thrilled at the challenge and am pleased with the tone and the success of it, but it wasn't easy.

The Commando Shayla is mentioned only once, the 'promise that was spoiled', the body of the Asari about a third of the way in. We're not going to fight Asari Clones coming out of a plant vagina. Someone out there (ahem, SomethingProfound11) mentioned a rather interesting concept involving Shayla that while wasn't my cup of tea, certainly perked my interest. In the game, you have Benezia and Saren as 'bosses' at boss levels, but someone with no real emotional involvement for Feros save this unknown Asari that keeps getting birthed in front of you. That's getting changed, obviously. So is the aftermath (as if you probably hadn't figured out I already torched the rulebook).

Now I get to embrace my inner-Wrex. Knuckle up and pony up!