Dae had taken Aleu back upstairs as Melara showed the Ubuuta and her escort the rest of the ship. She had tried to speak to him, to help him understand (though honestly, she herself did not understand this particular tradition of theirs to reject their most helpless members, and never, ever would) but Aleu seemed to not want comforting or explanation. She could tell he was upset, but he refused to speak to her beyond the polite minimum, and finally just asked to be excused to his room.
He was still there when Melara came up to the Nest, having seen Sokka back onto the shuttle for the return trip home. Sihra would be staying aboard as part of the crew for the next several months- both to familiarize herself with the greater galaxy as well as its inhabitants. Though the rakir had taken to the concept of being uplifted and of other sentient life beyond themselves existing, their desire to actually venture off their home world and see it for themselves was lukewarm, and slow in coming. Melara didn't necessarily blame them; they were not prepared psychologically, as a species, to face all of this at once. They had only just learned their world was not actually flat- expecting them to rush out into the stars and integrate with the rest of the galaxy quickly was a fool's dream.
Dae was obviously still worried when Mel came up, and after speaking to her briefly, the Spectre captain slipped quietly into her son's room.
Aleu had always refused a bed. Even as a weanling newly out of his synthetic pouch, he would only cry and fuss if put on a mattress, and as soon as he was able, he would climb off of it to curl onto the floor. They compromised by putting a thin mat down for him to bed upon, and he seemed quite happy with it. As well as serving as a bed, this mat also doubled as a place to wrestle or to sit in study or meditation. He was seated upon it now, watching his vid player, the holographic screen painting colors over his golden face, reflecting in his storm gray eyes.
At first, Mel thought he was watching his rakir language and culture tapes. Then a human face appeared on the screen that she realized he was not watching his culture tapes but rather a live newsfeed from Earth.
The first human she recognized as a fairly distasteful celebrity who hosted a talk show. His name was Bastial Eduarcus, and he was the media 'face' of a conglomeration of ultra-religious nuts called 'Harmony Rising'. Harmony Rising had only come about in the last hundred and fifty years, absorbing the last remnants of the now extinct Terra Firma and the tattered God's Planet movement, as well as some others. A church and a pseudo-political movement, Harmony Rising never failed to give Mel a sour taste in her mouth- not necessarily because of their beliefs, which were distasteful if unsurprising- but rather because of the lies they loved to spin about her father.
The other man that Bastial was speaking with was a politician named Wallis Turkenson. He was fairly green as far as politicians went, and didn't look to have much of a promising career- especially since he kept tying himself into Harmony Rising. While not a direct member of their movement, they had made him their 'golden boy' poster child and one of the few chances they had at a voice in government.
Bastial was in full wingnut mode, eyes alight with both malice and eagerness, as if he delighted in the nameless and completely fictional horrors his side loved to repeat in order to scare the gullible into obedience. Wallis was at least trying to appear rational and concerned. Failing, but trying.
"…see as we can't ignore the evidence anymore!" Bastial was saying. "Throughout human history, since the dawn of writing and record, these creatures have been described over and over and over again. The 'enlightened and educated man' has always dismissed them as 'myth' or 'superstitious nonsense', but now here they are! In the flesh, in existence, just as described of old! I mean, take a look at these pictures!"
An image appeared on the screen of a winged man-goat with a candle between his horns. "Baphomet, revered by devil worshippers and witches throughout time!'"
Another image, this time of what was clearly the old Lucifer- with goats hooves and horns. "The devil himself, oft described as 'goat-like, horned and vicious'. "
Another image, of a creature playing a set of pipes and dancing around a bleeding woman. "The satyr, famous for dragging off women and raping them, delighting in mischief and maliciousness!"
An Egyptian hieroglyph showing a goat-headed god. "The heathen Egyptian god Khunum, a blasphemous bastardization worshiped by primitive man!"
A picture of a rakir appeared, the image of a fertile male. Mel recognized him- he was one of the only fertile males left in the Kodra, and the only male in Sokka's One Hundred- Juffbak Hotes. Hotes was a big male, rather tattered and crisscrossed with scars. In the picture, he was half turning, and the expression on his face could have been described as vicious and malevolent to those who did not know the rakir- to Mel, he looked caught at the very beginning of a yawn.
"And what is this?" Bastial asked with that rabid eagerness. "Azazel from the depths of Hell? No, though I can understand the confusion. This is one of the so-called 'rakir', the species the ever illustrious Council saw fit to uplift without any input from the voting and taxpaying citizens of this galaxy!"
"I don't…it's hard to look at those images and think 'coincidence'," Turkenson said with a practiced, sympathetic cluck to his tongue.
"Exactly! They and the Alliance refuse to see what is clearly so blatant! These 'creatures' are not nearly as primitive as the scientists would have you believe! They have obviously visited Earth before, and they are very obviously counter to the Creator's plan for this galaxy and for mankind! They are, dare I say it- nothing more than living and breathing demons, and the Council wants to make us live and work alongside them! They-"
The vid cut off as Melara touched the controls with an angry jab. "That is enough of that!"
The young rakir looked at her quietly. "What is a 'demon', Tatta?"
She crouched, looking at him. "Aleu, I want you to listen to me closely, ok? Listen to me very closely. Those people are wrong. They are scared and lost in their own superstitions and want to blame something else for everything bad that ever happens in this galaxy. They do not know you, do not know the rakir, and they are willfully ignorant. Why were you even watching them?"
"They said they were going to discuss the rakir," he told her softly. "I wanted to see. Tatta, what are demons?"
"Aleu-"
"What are demons, Tatta?" he asked, clearly getting angry. She sighed, and shook her head.
"Some humans believe demons are supernatural creatures that do the bidding of evil," she told him, then quickly added, "but some human cultures think demons are good creatures, or even lucky."
"They were not talking like they thought we were lucky," he said.
"I know. Those particular people are just scared, Aleu. They don't understand and that frightens them, makes them lash out. Listen to me son. You are not a demon. Your people are not demons. You are a good, smart, strong rakir boy and you are every bit as worthy as they are- more so."
His face tightened. "I am not rakir," he said angrily. "You heard her. I am not rakir, I am weak!"
"You are not weak!"
"I am! She said it! I am not rakir, I am just detrak!"
"So am I, Aleu!" She said. "So is your Tama, and Vina, and everyone on this ship. So is your Uncle Grunt, and your Grandma, and your cousins. So was my father, and Wrex, and Mordin, and all the heroes you read about from the war. Are we weak?"
He snuffed and pawed a hand over his nose. "No."
"And neither are you. You are rakir, flesh and blood. Even the Ubuuta cannot take that from you. But part of your heart and soul is also detrak- because we are your family. You are the best of both of our people, Aleu. Stronger than we are. Wiser than they are. You are worthy and you have a place in this galaxy. The Ubuuta cannot take that away. Sihra cannot take that away. No one can take that away from you. You are and always will be my son. What other people think does not matter."
He snuffed again, wiping a hand over his nose. He had not actually cried since he was too young to talk. This miserable motion was as close as he would ever allow himself to come to tears.
After a moment, she gently touched his head. "You are my son, and you are part of this family. We will always love you, Aleu."
He cleared his throat, then huffed a bit. "I'm hungry," he declared- his way of ending the conversation. He always did that when he started to get too emotional. She nodded, respecting his need to process everything in his own way, without appearing weak.
"Tama should be ready to take you down for supper," she said. "Go on. I will join you there shortly."
He got to his feet, and left the room. Mel sighed, covering her face as she suppressed a growl. She had heard whispers of this before from Earth and the colonies- echoes of concern right after the greater galaxy became aware of the rakir, regarding their appearance to various demons or malevolent spirits in human culture. That Harmony Rising and that vicious bastard Eduarcus were actively promoting that concept and using it to stir up the equally ignorant was unforgivable.
They're going to lead to someone getting killed, she thought. They're inciting the most basic and primitive fears and directing them against an entire species. If this keeps up, there is going to be a confrontation at some point- an attack. I need to bring this up to the Council and to SA command before it gets out of control.
Frowning, she glared at the dark vid and then touched the control, switching it back on. The show was still in progress, and Bastial had risen, it seemed, to new heights of furor. Angry as she was, Mel was legitimately startled when she heard her own name.
"…the most disturbing aspect of this entire thing; have you heard this? Did you…did you hear this?"
"I've heard," Wallis agreed grimly, nodding. "Terrible thing. Unthinkable."
"It is, entirely unthinkable! For those of our viewers who don't know, I urge you to please sit down and listen carefully- and then write your representative or even the Council themselves. This is going to come as a bit of shock to you and I feel no delight in revealing it-"
Despite his words, his expression very clearly showed a great deal of delight.
"- but one of these…creatures, these demons…has been adopted by Captain Melara Tali'Zorah Shepard herself!"
"Ghastly!"
"It is true! I have it on very good authority that Captain Shepard adopted a 'rakir' infant and is raising it as if he were her own child. I'm sorry, but I can view this as anything more than a total betrayal- not only to the galaxy as a whole, and all good god-fearing men and women on Earth and in the colonies- worse than that! It is a betrayal to the greatest human being who ever drew breath- her own father, Captain Delilah Shepard! Del Shepard dedicated her life to preserving her brothers and sisters in humanity, and her own child turns around and spits in the eye of everything she accomplished, to take in one of these lying, deceitful, evil monsters – and dares to call it her son!"
"Well, if you ask me," Wallis snorted. "Melara Shepard is nothing more than a representation of the one weakness Del Shepard had. She fell for the lies fed to her by the asari, was seduced into a 'relationship' with Dr. T'Soni, and as a result this pretender tries to claim her name as her 'daughter'. Now, everyone knows the asari's true game. They intend to breed us out of existence. Melara Shepard is nothing more than a randomized genetic clone of Liara T'Soni, with no trace of Del Shepard anywhere in her blood. She is the product of a parasitical relationship that served no purpose other than to remove Del Shepard's genetics from strengthening the human race."
"Agreed," Bastial replied. "Now, we at Harmony Rising believe in natural forms of human reproduction whenever possible, and while we understand and tolerate the genetic flaw that results in some of our number being born with an attraction that prevents them from reproducing naturally, we grudgingly recognize science's contributions which corrects this problem even within that minority. What was it, the early 21st century when therapies were developed that allowed even same-sex couples to bear children that were the genetic offspring of both partners, without an opposite sex donor? This is old, old science, and widely available in any clinic or hospital across this galaxy! Del Shepard could have found a human partner of her particular tastes, and could have- with minor medical aid- produced natural genetic children with this partner. Instead, she allowed herself to be taken off the genes market, as it were, in order to be manipulated by the asari. They used their lies to steal her name, steal her glory and honor, and pretend to be 'heirs to the throne'- and now they further mock her and her sacrifices by bringing this creature in to the name! If Del Shepard had lived to see this, she would be disgusted and infuriated-"
She snapped the vid off again, eyes dark and dangerous. "My father would have loved Aleu like her own flesh and blood," she said angrily to the dark screen. "She would have fought and even died for the rakir if she had too, you lying sack of-"
She broke off in an unintelligible sound born of pure fury, then took a deep breath. The man is a sad, fearful, manipulative nut, Mel. He's not worth even your anger.
Pausing a moment until she was collected, she turned and walked out of Aleu's room to find he and Dae had indeed headed down to the mess already. Leaving her quarters, trying not to let Eduarcus and Turkenson get to her, she had barely stepped off the lift onto the crew deck when Joker came over the comm.
{Captain, you have an incoming private communication. Should I forward it to your omni-tool?}
"Who's it from, Joker?"
{The ident is from a Sallie Rogers from ExiBaric Mining. She's flagged as the commanding foreman on a methane gas extraction team, stationed on a moon in Hades-Gamma; Nevarro system.}
"Make sure the message is clear and send it on," she said, already powering up her omni-tool. While it was a bit of a step outside of protocol to contact a Spectre directly like this- most requests were supposed to be routed through Spectre Services- it was not so unusual for her to get such a contact to raise any concerns. She had a million different feelers out for any news regarding Red, Athena, information on the extra-galactic Reapers or possible travel network, and anything else to do with Irie's findings, that there was no telling where any bit of pertinent information might come from.
Joker fully checked the message to make sure there were no hidden nasties and in a nanosecond, she had it scrolling up on her omni-tool display.
Captain Shepard,
Forgive me for the contact outside of protocol, but I do not believe this can wait. I am Foreman Sallie Rogers, ExiBaric Mining. We have been routinely mining methane from frozen ice on a moon flagged P11-14a in the Hades-Gamma cluster and have come upon a very unusual…discovery. My team has found what appears to be a ship buried two miles beneath the surface of the methane ice field that is unlike any we have ever seen. Dating at this level puts the ship at nearly forty million years of age. I have connected our scan schematics for your perusal. We are unsure how to proceed- we have no training for this kind of discovery, and my superiors want nothing to do with it. I was about to send the information to Spectre Services directly, but a friend of mine who works for Aria T'Loak suggested that you were specifically looking for rare, extremely high-tech items. Rare we got, and from what we can glean, the ship (if it is truly a ship, we have not yet been able to fully clear it) is extremely high tech. If you are able, please come or send a team to deal with this discovery- I want nothing to do with it. I will be awaiting word. If I have not heard from you soon, I will forward this on to Spectre Services and move my team to the secondary mining field in the interim.
My appreciations,
Foreman Sallie Rogers.
Closing the message, she looked up and met Dae's eyes briefly across the mess, before turning and stepping back into the lift, heading up to the CIC.
"Joker, put us on course to P11-14a in the Hades-Gamma cluster, Noverra system. And send a message to my sister- let her know we may have a lead on an ancient, high-tech artifact buried under two miles of methane ice."
{Understood. Message away. Course correction input, ETA thirteen hours from our current position.}
She stepped off the lift and walked over to her station, sending a return message to Sallie Rogers to let her know they were on their way. She also sent an update message to the Council, confirming their course change. Almost the moment she'd finished, she heard Dae step off the lift behind her.
"What is it? What is happening?" her bondmate asked, concerned.
"We have a lead on an artifact, possibly a ship," she said. "Seems a bunch of gas miners found it buried under two miles of methane ice."
"Have they dated it?"
"Nearly forty million years, according to the age of the ice layers surrounding it. She sent a scan along with the message, I'm putting it in the system for analysis now."
In front of her, the galaxy map shrank and reduced, moving off to one side. Taking its place in the center was the three dimensional scan of the massive excavation site. The small miner prefabs ringed a series of shafts and depth stations that sank deep into the floe. The mining equipment and prefabs showed up a dark blue, the billows of methane created by melting the ice in controlled portions throughout the floe showed up as mists of green- captured and pumped into the holding tanks. At nearly the deepest part of the shaft, where excavations had clearly been made to widen the space and allow for another depth station to be constructed, they could see the large shape-highlighted in red- mostly buried in the ice. Dae squinted at it as Mel zoomed and turned the image to examine it more closely.
"It is not shaped like a Reaper," Dae said with some relief. "At least, no Reaper design we are familiar with."
"Doesn't mean it's not contemporary to them," Melara replied.
"Indeed. It could also be a ship from a species of a previous Cycle. They could have crash landed here when the methane on the moon was liquid instead of frozen. Or perhaps the ice simply built over them through time."
"We'll have to save most of the speculations until we can actually get there and take readings. I should give Mother a call, she may want to lend a hand on this. She and Dr. Williams' archaeological expertise should-"
"Captain, incoming message from your sister," Joker said, interrupting.
Melara accessed the call through the QEC hookup on her station. "Irie? I was not expecting a response so soon."
{I was actually just about to call you when I saw your message,} Irie replied. {Gerty and I are packing his ship now. We, too, received a communication regarding this moon in Hades Gamma.}
"You did?" Melara frowned. "Sallie Rogers?"
{Yes. What is more, I was in the middle of a call with Mother when the message came in- she got one as well, nearly simultaneously with me.}
"That…is very suspicious," Dae said softly.
"Irie, something isn't copacetic here. It makes sense to ask me to come- this Rogers should not have messaged you and mother as well-"
She paused as her omni-tool beeped. She looked at it. "What the…now I have a message coming in from EDI. She, too, received communication from Rogers and a request to come to the mining operation on this moon. She says her message is from T'Loak."
{Yes, my message mentioned T'Loak's name, but did not claim to come from her directly.}
"As did mine. Why is Aria sending for all of us to come together?"
{Efficiency, perhaps? She got wind of this discovery, and knew we would need Mother and potentially EDI's aid? Or am I incorrect in thinking you were considering calling Mother yourself when I contacted you?}
"Then why not just call us herself? Why use this Rogers? Aria knows we'd listen to her- so long as it doesn't interfere with her interests, she's always been helpful."
{I do not know. What I do know is we cannot afford to ignore this buried ship- it may hold the very answers we seek. And both Mother's and Sam's expertise will be invaluable, as will EDI's. Whatever her reasons, Aria made the right call by informing us all.}
"I don't know. My gut is telling me something is off about this. Irie, you are two hours closer to this moon than we are at the moment, even in that little clunker of Gerty's. I want you to stay in wide solar orbit until the Normandy gets there. I don't want anyone to set foot on that moon until I'm there with proper security escorts. Is Mother leaving from home?"
{Yes. She was confident they could depart within the hour, but she will arrive at least an hour after the Normandy. It should take EDI and Joker nearly that same amount of time. I am the only one who should beat you to the punch, as it were.}
"Ok, we'll do scans and establish a grid when we arrive in the sector. I mean it, Irie. You stay at a distance until the Normandy has the situation cleared. Don't do anything stupid."
{I think you are forgetting which of us is the reckless sister, Mel.}
"Don't give me that, you can be just as stubborn and reckless as I am, and you know it."
{I understand, love. We will remain at a distance and wait, I promise you. We are nearly ready to depart. I will contact you again soon. Irie out.}
Dae shook her head. "So is this a case of T'Loak just helping out, or something more?"
"I don't know. T'Loak has her own code of a sort. So long as we're not interfering in the management of Omega or directly contrary to her interests, she's always proven to be a loyal enough ally. She has been keeping an eye on some of the black markets for me for just this sort of thing- it isn't outside the realm of expectation or even belief that she would contact all of us if she caught wind of this discovery. I just…we'll take every precaution. I don't want any unpleasant surprises waiting for us."
She looked at her wife. "We have thirteen hours until we arrive. I want to know everything about this mining project and about Sallie Rogers herself that we can dig up in that time. Joker, I want you to send a message to Salvik Koritala and Donnie Jones. See if they're close enough to join us in Hades-Gamma. And alert the Alliance Third Fleet- if things go awry they can get reinforcements to us within an hour. I'm going to call T'Loak directly myself, verify this message is in fact her doing."
"You do not think two additional Spectres and their crews enough back-up?" Dae asked. "If Aria verifies she is the source of this information, I mean?"
"When dealing with anything that may potentially involve the Reapers, with my family in very close proximity? No," Melara told her. "No, I don't."