Chapter 5
The as of yet unnamed Cerberus ship slipped silently through space, its cutting edge stealth systems enough to impress even the hardened Klausian crew. Jill Valentine stood at a terminal just behind the pilot seat, watching wistfully as the stars streaked by.
She had discovered over the last week or so of space travel that Klausians, not unlike humans, were a race of contrast. Given that her experience with the species was so limited, she had come to believe that old one eye was the prototypical Klausian, quiet, methodical, intense. But her interactions with the crew that had come to help them on their mission had gradually changed that view. They were quiet and a little aloof, yes, but almost all were cordial, and a few were even friendly. The navigator, for instance, a 'young' Klausian at forty Earth years of age, was a tall thin woman named Marietta. She had been nothing but very friendly towards Jill, a fact that had surprised her at first, and was even teaching her some of the intricacies of Klausian culture.
They were nearing the mass relay that would bring them into the Omega Nebula, and the first real leg of their journey would begin. The Klausian had some sort of specialty weapons supplier on Omega, and that was their first stop. The enormous floating asteroid city was home to a good deal of the Terminus systems criminal and mercenary organizations, making it the perfect place to acquire rare and powerful (and usually illegal) weapons. The ship had come armed with some of the best mass produced weapons available, but the Klausian had quickly deemed them inadequate for this first mission.
Jill sighed, remembering the rather cold conversation yesterday in which she had the temerity to ask what their first move was. The Klausian had outlined a general plan, but no specifics. She was particularly interested in this system they were heading to, the dark void cluster. Cerberus intel on the system was limited, and the only survey team they had snuck past the quarantine blockade had not returned. That something very deadly lurked in that system was obvious, the Klausian was having all armor outlined with acid proof coating, and the three Klausian commandos that would make up their initial ground team were undergoing drills in the hold. Her questions had been met with that cold stare, and she had eventually relented. Her military days were not so long gone that she had forgotten how to let certain topics drop. Sighing again, she stared out into the void, her mind wandering.
"Good morning, Miss Valentine."
Jill couldn't help but start at the voice. She hated when he did this. Old one eye had the skill to sneak up on any one of the Klausian members of the crew if he wanted, and if he could fool even their highly developed ears, stealing up on a day dreaming human was no doubt child's play.
She turned to look at him, on his face a small half smile was tugging at his lips, an expression she had come to interpret as mild amusement.
She glared. "You do enjoy doing that, don't you?"
The half smile became a little more pronounced. "My dear Miss Valentine, whatever could you mean? I merely had some business with you this fine morning. The fact that you were so absorbed with staring out the window that a Volus with a leaky suit could have snuck up on you is no concern of mine…"
The half smile disappeared. "The Citadel is now a week behind us, and we are about to enter the Terminus systems. The time for secrecy is ended. Time to inform the crew of our mission."
Jill nodded. "Do you think they'll believe it? I mean, I'm still surprised you believed it so easily…"
The Klausian shrugged as if the question was irrelevant. "Living for centuries you become more adept at separating fact and fiction. I know your Illusive man has been less forthcoming than I would like, but has been more forthcoming than I might have been in a similar situation. This crew will believe what I tell them, the words of an Executer are law in our culture, as I'm sure our chatty young navigator has no doubt told you."
Jill nodded, long past being surprised by what the Klausian knew went on around him.
Turning to the pilot, a young Klausian woman named Lucrezia Noin who up until a week ago had been one of the best fighter pilots in the Citadel defense force, old one eye keyed the ship wide intercom.
A tone sounded, and without introduction or formality, the Executer's grave voice came over the intercom. "I'll start by telling you something you already know." Old one eye pause, as if considering his words. "Nearly two and a half years ago our Citadel was attacked by the Geth. Many lives ended that day. Most of you were there, as was I, fighting in the wards, doing everything we could to preserve the lives of those that called the Citadel home. If not for the brave actions of one very skilled human, many more would have died." He let this sink in for a moment, the crew retaining their trademark Klausian passivity. "Now I'll tell you something you may have heard as supposition and dark rumor. Something you have no doubt heard shouted down by those too blind and too frightened to face the truth of the matter. It was not the Geth that ordered the attack on the Citadel."
Jill looked amongst the faces of the Klausians currently on the bridge, looking for some sign of surprise. She saw only grim realization.
"It was ordered by a race of beings whose sinister intent we cannot even begin to comprehend. A race known as the Reapers. Many millennia ago, when our proud race was certain nothing lay beyond the two inhabited worlds of our system, a race called the Protheans were destroyed systematically by these sentient machines, these Reapers."
Something about the last statement confused Jill. The Protheans had died out nearly fifty thousand years ago. A time when most of the current species in the galaxy, even the long lived ones such as the Asari and Krogan, were living in caves. If they had even evolved at all yet. Just what level of intelligence did the Klausian race possess if it was able to map its own system nearly fifty thousand years ago?
These questions were dispelled as the Klausian continued.
"Our benefactors, the organization known as Cerberus, may indeed be as malevolent as we have been led to believe, but unlike so many others they have the courage to face the grim reality that the Reapers will return if they can, and will repeat their genocide upon the trillions that exist here. Those of us sworn to uphold the ideals of our fathers can not sit by as this happens. But it is not the Reapers that are the goal of this mission, but their tools."
"When the Reapers last visited their horrible wrath on organics, they broke the minds of the Protheans they did not destroy, making them mindless slaves to their will. These pitiful creatures remained, even after their twisted masters returned to dark space. They continued to do their master's bidding, even after all contact had been removed. How this was possible was a mystery… until a few months ago."
He regarded Jill now, fixing her with his single grey eye. "Our good friend Jill Valentine has provided me with the records of a Cerberus ship that discovered a rather odd item floating in the nothingness of space. The scientists aboard this Cerberus research vessel referred to this item as an Anima Relic."
"This massive floating tablet, drifting quietly in deep space for untold millennia, was the key to the Reapers continued mind control over the helpless denizens of the Prothean empire. It amplified the already immense psychic powers of the Reapers a million fold, allowing their sinister consciousness to blanket the known galaxy, and these devices continued to amplify it, even after their creators disappeared into the void. These relics are the subject of our mission. Even now a powerful human practitioner of biotics and psychokinesis, perhaps the most powerful practitioner of biotics and psychokinesis in the galaxy, is seeking these relics to amplify his own evil power. This man, known to Cerberus and a few select others only as code name Mantis, seeks direct telepathic control over as many organics as the relics will allow. In short, he intends to make himself a god."
"He acquired the first relic not long after it was discovered, brutally breaking into, then destroying the minds of the scientists. It is not known whether or not he has unlocked the secrets of this one relic, but it is known that there are others, although how many is unknown, and that Mantis is seeking them."
He gave a long pause, letting his stalwart crew absorb the information. "This is a lot take in, I know. But we are Klausians. We will not waiver, we will not fold. And we will not fail!" The last was spoken with driving intensity, and even Jill felt moved by the words. "So orders the Executer." This last sentence was spoken low, barley audible even through the intercom's sound amplifiers.
"AND SO WE OBEY." The Klausian crew cried out in a single, resolute voice.
As the harsh red light of uptown Omega beat down on her, Jill Valentine regarded one of the ugliest Turians she had ever laid eyes on. She had always considered them a handsome race, but this Turian's face was a mish mash of what could only be many crisscrossing wounds caused by everything from bullets to explosives. He also had a hunched, snickering way about him that made Jill a little uncomfortable. Despite of all this, Jill had to appreciate craftsmanship when she saw it. And right now she was seeing it in the form of the largest handgun she had ever seen.
The Klausian lifted the behemoth with little apparent effort, its bright nickel plating glinting in the dim light of what was the most famous gun shop in the traverse, possibly the galaxy. The weapon looked like a massive revolver, a testament to the human weapon the Klausian had used as a jumping off point. The revolver hadn't been widely used by anyone other than collectors in a hundred years, as thermal clips had replaced conventional ammo, but the Klausian had specifically designed this weapon for the mission ahead.
"I really must admit, when I received your message I was quite excited, Specter." The Turian sniggered, his dark eyes darting from gun to patron.
"…every time I hear from you I know something rare and exotic is in my future." His face tightened in what Jill was pretty sure was a smile, but the mangled face made it hard to tell. "The double barreled Krogan shotgun is still one of my proudest achievements… I trust it still serves you well, Specter?"
"It does." The Klausian's one good eye did not leave the massive pistol in his hand, the immense butt of the revolver seemed to contour to the Klausian's hand.
"He may be a fidgety cuss, but he has a right to be proud of that weapon." Jill thought, her eyes going to the Turian's face.
"It's a fifty caliber, just as you specified, modified human Magnum design. The cylinder was made by a Krogan weapon master, the sight and barrel from Earth, and the butt…"
"Klaus IV." The Klausian interrupted, twirling the immense revolver expertly in his hand. "And the Turian expanding shells?"
"Ten thousand are ready to be put aboard your ship, Specter. I might remind you again that only shells made especially for that weapon will suffice, as it does not use a thermal clip but actual bull…"
"I know. I designed it."
Over the last week Jill had come to notice some of the Klausian's quirks. This constant interrupting of the Omega weapon seller was a clear indication of his impatience, an indicator clear to her, but not clear to the Turian, who continued to ramble on.
"The kick back is even more vicious than I think even you anticipated Specter. The force is great enough to break the arm of most species, and the accuracy is sadly lacking…"
Without bothering to reply the Klausian turned to the shops extended shooting gallery. Steadying the immense revolver in one hand he aimed down his one good eye.
Even with all her training, Jill couldn't help but flinch at the roar that filled the confined shop. Still she was much better off than the shop keep, who fell to his knees, his hands over his ears, a small whimper escaping his lips. It was a single blast, sharp and pronounced, and it ringed with impressive force.
Across from them a row of paper targets, shaped like everything from Krogan to Featherfolk, were stapled in place. The one in the center, a human shaped target that was sunken back from the rest stood, its distance nearly fifty meters by Jill's quick estimate. While the target had been unblemished a moment ago, it now had a hole the size of Jill's fist squarely in the center of what was outlined as it's head.
"Yes. I believe this will suffice." A small half smile was again tugging at the corner of the Klausian's mouth.