Disclaimer: I own nothing
AN: Just who's shuttle did Revan decide to hijack?
Chapter 2: Pilgrim
Lia'Vael nar Ulnay had never been more terrified in her life than she was at this very moment. Her Pilgrimage hadn't gone exactly as planned since coming to the Citadel and while she had known the traditional Quarian rite of adulthood would be difficult, she had no idea it would be such a trial. Not only had her plans to purchase a ship to bring back to the Migrant Fleet failed when she had found out there was no work on the Citadel for Quarians, but she had also been in the process of selling her shuttle just to pay off the ridiculous docking fees C-Sec had placed upon her or face immediate imprisonment and impounding.
Honestly her heart had nearly stopped when the human C-Sec Officer had appeared. The blank look on the man's face as well as the pistol in his hand when he'd approached her had nearly taken all of her hope away. When he'd given her instructions to get inside of the old shuttle that had been given to her for her pilgrimage by the crew of the Ulnay, her normally quick mind had failed to process his request. It was only when they'd pulled away from the Citadel that she realized the man was merely dressed as a C-Sec Officer and that she had become a hostage to a fugitive on the run.
"What is your name?"Starting slightly, Lia cast a quick, furtive glance at the man who'd hijacked her shuttle and strangely enough become a part of her Pilgrimage. She was weaponless since C-Sec had chosen to confiscate them for her stay on the Citadel and a glance at the pistol in Revan's right hand as well as his professional and familiar grip told her that path was hopeless as well. Her opponent had size and likely speed and strength on her without a weapon and despite her skills with an Omni-tool, she knew the pistol the man held was one of the best in the galaxy. An HMWP Mark X from the Citadel's Spectre Armory. Knowing that the only way one could obtain such a weapon was either from a dead or incapacitated Spectre or by being a Spectre themselves, Lia chose to bide her time and not provoke an assault from the dangerous man.
"L- Lia'Vael nar Ulnay…"
Cursing herself for not being able to hide the quaver in her voice, Lia shifted uneasily as she keyed in random, unnecessary sequences into the shuttle's controls.
"I'm going to die, oh Keelah, I'm going to die!"
Noticing the Quarian's discomfort, Revan glanced down at the sidearm in his hand before placing it on a magnetic holster attached to the belt he'd liberated from C-Sec. Shifting in the slightly too-small clothing, Revan considered the name the masked and enviro-suited alien have given him before deciding the last part of her name was a title and not actually her name itself.
"Well Miss Vael, my name is Revan Qel-Droma. Its fair to let you know I am a fugitive from that bloody place and that, I'm afraid to say; I have absolutely no idea where I am in the universe, what species you or any of the others were aside from the humans and that I am at a bit of an impasse as to what I am supposed to bloody do here."
The man was speaking very much like a human and aside from some discoloration in his eyes, Lia would have been hard pressed to tell him apart from any human. It was the feline glow in his eyes as he grew frustrated that made her doubt he was human. That golden flash was just unnatural and it spoke to a very primal part of her that having those eyes focused on her with killing intent would not be wise.
"I- what- what do you mean?"
Honest confusion flooded Lia as she watched the supposed human pulling at the too-tight collar of his C-Sec uniform. Catching the man's gaze directly, Lia shifted uneasily when two dark brown eyes, bloodshot and nearly as dark as the void before her stared her down.
"I am one quarter Taung… or Mandalorian if you prefer and three quarters human. Until several hours ago I was on the Sith world of Ziost battling their Emperor and his guards when I was… assaulted by some type of Dark Energy and thrown into a blasted oversized- well… Undersized one of those."
Revan gestured to the Mass Relay the shuttle was approaching and frowned as he took in the scope of the device left behind presumably by the Protheans. Not having been given a destination, Lia frantically checked the scanners and saw that the Council was creating a blockade with its fleet back at the Citadel while swarms of smaller frigates and fighters moved to intercept what ships they could that hadn't already escaped the system-wide lockdown that was just that moment coming into effect.
"Oh Keelah, they're locking down the Mass Relay! They- they're going to arrest me, I just know it!"
Revan rose a brow at the panic echoing around the girl he'd been forced to abduct and he sighed mentally as he glanced back at the controls of the shuttle, wishing he was familiar enough with them that he hadn't needed to bring the Quarian along.
"I am sorry about this, Miss Vael, but they were going to execute me with a blasted flame thrower over some AI nonsense and seeing as how I am both unfamiliar with their laws and… not from around here obviously, I find that sentence most disagreeable. Especially when they hadn't even bothered to ask me my name or offer me a trial."
Lia had heard what the man had said, but her mind was stuck on the AI part of his statement and it took her a few tense moments to respond. When she did, she couldn't keep the anger from her voice.
"You- you created an AI? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! Do you have any idea what the Geth did to my people!"Revan grunted in annoyance, unable to mask his emotions after the events of the last few hours. Unconsciously touching his pistol as he brushed his hands by his hips, Revan could not help but snarl as Lia jumped in fear at the gesture.
"That is just it, Miss Vael! I don't know what the Geth are, I don't you who your people are and I most certainly don't know why AI research is such a bloody dastardly crime that it requires burning a man alive who did nothing but cooperate!"
Cowering in the face of Revan's anger as he shouted within the close confines of the shuttle, Lia desperately grasped for a place to send her transport. As much as she wished to stay and be rid of the raving lunatic who'd kidnapped her, she would probably be gunned down by the Citadel Fleet's cannons just for having him on her ship. Quarians were not placed in high regard because of their hand in creating the synthetic and unintentionally intelligent Geth and to have someone the Council was willing to execute brutally without even the premise of a trial… it did not bode well for her continued survival.
"Get this bloody thing out of here, where is the blasted hyper drive?"
Revan had abandoned all pretense of calm in the face of exhaustion and anger and was typing at the controls of the shuttle viciously, his expression turning darker by the second. Terrified and knowing that her only hope of survival lay in cooperation for the time being, Lia quickly entered the coordinates for a jump to Omega before beginning an approach to the Citadel's Mass Relay.
Ceasing his assault on the unfamiliar controls of the transport, Revan cautiously glanced at the Mass Relay as it steadily grew larger within the viewport of the shuttle. Glancing at Lia's resigned posture and sensing her fear, Revan grew uneasy as he wondered if he'd driven the poor girl to sending them on a collision course for the odd space station before a tendril of energy arced from the Mass Relay and took hold of the Mass Effect field of the small shuttle. A cool sensation washed over Revan, temporarily overwhelming his senses with an incomprehensible myriad of lights and sounds before the shuttle was flung from one section of the galaxy to another within an instant.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me! Was that a bloody mass accelerator?"Glancing at the new set of stars as well as a similar but entirely different Mass Relay, Revan tried to wrap his mind around the primitive FTL he'd just been subjected to and its similarity to the device the Sith Emperor had thrown him in. The sensation was similar, though muted by the shuttle and Revan placed his left hand over his mouth as a lurch took over the shuttle and Lia guided it quickly into the next Mass Relay.
"We have to keep jumping or C-Sec may be able to track us…"
Not knowing why she'd offered the explanation, Lia quickly entered the Mass Relay, letting the familiar and calming sensation of the Mass Effect field wash over her as her shuttle and subsequently everything inside of it were accelerated well beyond the speed of light. "Ah… that's… good."
Hearing the strained note in her abductor's voice, Lia cast a glance towards the man as he kept a hand over his mouth, his jaw clenching as he fought off the nausea associated with Mass Relay jumps. Having a moment to think with Revan temporarily incapacitated by the foreign sensations associated with Mass Effect fields, Lia was surprised to realize that aside from being taken as a hostage, Revan had been the most polite person she'd dealt with since leaving the Migrant Fleet.
"So, what species are you?"
Revan managed to ask, sitting down heavily into the copilot seat of the small salvaged Quarian shuttle. The former Jedi Knight and General had paled significantly since the first Mass Relay jump and Lia frowned beneath her mask. That wasn't normal for someone used to Relay jumps. Something was definitely off about the man and the Quarian youth hesitantly answered his questions.
"You- you're serious?"
Lia mentally cried as she realized she was stuck with a complete psychopath. The worse kind to. The C-Sec uniform and the Spectre's sidearm were clear signs that regardless of the man's state of mind, he was deadly and capable.
"Keelah, how did this even happen?"
Revan glanced at the Quarian youth with a sour expression on his face before waving his hand and causing his sidearm to float from its holster to his hand. Of course, the effect only caused Lia more distress when she surmised she was dealing with not only a madman, but a biotic madman as well. A keening wail began to form in Lia's throat and work its way through the auto receptor of her mask, causing the light at its base to flicker as she cowered in the pilot's seat.
"Please! I just wanted to bring a ship back to the Migrant Fleet! I wasn't going to do anything wrong, I swear! Oh Keelah, please don't let this be happening!"
Rolling his eyes, Revan absently spun the pistol in the air with his Force-powers as he tapped a finger on the console before him. Spotting a monitor with some information, Revan narrowed his eyes, disgusted when he realized he couldn't even read the alien symbols. The translators worked well enough for speech, but text was something he'd have to learn himself. Luckily Revan was a master linguist and while it would take time, the former Jedi Knight and Sith Lord was certain he could decipher the symbol's meanings.
"Calm yourself, Lia'Vael nar Ulnay. I mean you no harm."
Sending a reassuring wave of calming Force-energy at the young Quarian, Revan took the pistol in his hand and held it out to the girl, the barrel facing him. Words alone weren't going to calm the girl. With a speed Revan wasn't expecting, the Quarian took the pistol and turned it on him, all panic and hysteria gone.
"Do not say anything you Bosh'tet! As if my Pilgrimage could not get any worse, now I am a fugitive from the Citadel as well because of you!"
Revan rose a brow slightly at how steadily the girl was holding the pistol and could not help the appreciative smirk that crossed his lips. His respect for the Quarian had just gone up significantly. An almost invisible motion caused the pistol's heatsink and ammo-block to fall out, startling Lia as she scrambled to catch the vital components as they fell.
Before her eyes, the objects ceased their descent in the shuttle's limited gravity and floated back together. Revan, waved a finger and smirked at the shock coming from the girl. While Lia's knowledge of biotics was limited due to her childhood in the sterile environment of the Flotilla, she knew such precise manipulations were not possible. Except perhaps by an Asari Matriarch and then only after centuries of experience.
"Now I'm going to keep my voice in this tone so the full ramifications of what I say will properly sink in. I am from another galaxy. I was forcibly shoved through a miniature version of whatever you used to get this shuttle to go Faster-than-light. Whatever else you may think, I have absolutely no desire to harm you… quite the contrary, I very desperately could use your help."
The words of her mother echoed in Lia'Vael nar Ulnay's mind at the calming tone coming from the human and for the first time since the entire nightmare began, Lia began to believe the man's previous if ineloquent claims. The sheer power her abductor held and the ease with which he used it caused Lia to lower the pistol, though she held it in her three-digit grasp more firmly than was necessary.
"You're telling the truth?"
Revan gazed directly into Lia's mask, locking his eyes with the two glowing orbs visible through the faceplate. A subtle nod was all it took before Lia heaved a heavy sigh and gave a humorless laugh.
"The- my mother told me that the Pilgrimage is not just about bringing something of use back to the Flotilla, but also proving that we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good… If- if what you claim is true than I- I can still continue my Pilgrimage… I only need to help you."
It was more than Revan could have hoped for and the warmest reception he'd been given since leaving the Republic years before to pursue the threat of the True Sith. A depressing thought, Revan reflected as he relaxed back into his seat. Through the Force he could sense the sincerity in Lia's voice and Revan offered his own pledge to the Quarian youth.
"Lia'Vael nar Ulnay. You will most definitely not regret that decision."
The Quarians had made a friend of Darth Revan that day by being the only ones willing to listen to his fantastic claims and while it was only one of seventeen million Quarians that had pledged her aid, it was enough to favor the entire species in Revan's eyes after his dealings on the Citadel.
Huffing humorlessly, Revan gestured to the small monitor before him that was imbedded within the control console of the transport.
"If you were to turn off whatever is translating my speech, you might find yourself assaulted by a language you've never heard before. I am sorry to say it, but I cannot even read your language at this point."
Lia smiled slightly beneath her mask, seeing Revan's discomfort over such a thing and she set down the Spectre pistol Revan had freely handed to her. Shifting in her seat, Lia reached down into her field-pack that she had been previously transferring her possessions to in the wake of the impending impounding or sale of the transport back on the Citadel and pulled a small data pad from its depths.
The Codex was outdated by a couple of decades, but still held the general information Revan would need to assimilate to be able to blend in with the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants. On top of the value of the information to Revan, it also came with a built in program that read the words aloud. It took Revan only moments to decipher the device and Lia was impressed by how quickly the man took to the technology. Recalling his claims of the crime the Citadel accused him of, Lia frowned slightly and asked after the subject.
"What exactly were the charges the Citadel leveled against you?"
Revan glanced up from the device in his hands, halting its lecture as he answered Lia's question honestly.
"In my world… my galaxy, machines are sentient servants. While they aren't given the same rights as most organics, they do have a right to self-determinate should their Master or builder die outside of their control. Most chose to live in seclusion, assimilating knowledge and living out their functionality in peace while others chose to serve a higher purpose. There are varying levels of restrictions on constructing battle-droids, but most are programmed with loyalty algorithms or are fitted with restraining bolts. The C-Sec officer that scanned me said the… nanites injected into me at birth by the Mandalorian Clans violate the Citadel's anti-AI laws…"
Revan trailed off, shaking his head while Lia tried to recall what he'd said earlier, a chill crawling up her spine when she realized the Council had sent a Spectre to burn the man, and the nanites within him alive until none remained. It was a brutal punishment but in the wake of the Geth assault on the Citadel two years before, Lia could understand the wariness of the Council, especially when given the source of Revan's arrival to the Citadel.
"My- my people created a race of non-sentient machines but they somehow grew outside of our control and we were forced to flee our home world and our colonies when they fought back for their survival. We didn't make them sentient… they- they did it themselves. When the Council found out what we did they banned us from forming new colonies and refused to aid us in our war with the Geth… the machines we created."
Lia lowered her head, saddened by the fate of her people. While she had never encountered a Geth, it was an old hatred that many parents within the Flotilla passed on to their children.
"We were forced to survive in space. We assembled what ships we could and for three centuries we've grown our own food and lived as well we can."
Looking up from the point on the floor her eyes had focused upon when she spoke of her people's fate, Lia was both surprised and confused at the expression of utter horror on Revan's features.
"This- this Council bans you from developing AI and when your people discover the nature of the machines you created and you try and fail to right the issue by their laws… They forbid your entire race the right to survive? How are you to live without even a colony to sustain your people? There must've been billions of Quarians fleeing your colonies and home world in the wake of the machine's rebellion."
Revan shook his head at the thought, appalled and disgusted at the same time. Politics had always been a hated necessity but to damn and entire race over something outside of the majority of Quarian's control. To punish the species itself for the actions of a few members of its race was beyond immoral. It was an atrocity.
"That- that is a vile atrocity. How can a race claiming to be civilized even entertain the thought of subjecting another to genocide."
Lia hadn't really thought of it in that regard and she stiffened at Revan's words. She'd only known him for a few short hours and already he'd understood the plight of the Quarians and the nature of their people in a way that the galaxy had ignored for over three hundred years. The Quarian was surprised when she heard Revan continue, obviously not finished with his disbelieving rant.
"This is despicable. How- how can your people…. The bloody entirety of your galaxy's sentient races abide such a thing? What did the Geth do in all this? Where are they now?"
Lia gazed at the former Sith Lord in wonder; shocked by his honest and open disgust over the treatment of her people.
"They claimed out lost worlds and remained silent until a few years ago when they attacked a human colony. I- I don't know the whole story behind why they would act after doing nothing for so long outside of the Perseus Veil, but… one of my people worked with the humans to stop the Geth. I only know of the rumors and what the extranet said of the attack on the Citadel. From what I have heard, a rogue Turian Spectre… the enforcers of the Council that work outside of the law somehow gained control or allegiance of the Geth and tried to destroy the Citadel."
Revan snorted in disgust, already liking the unnamed Turian Spectre on principal.
"I like him already."Revan commented, drawing a horrified look from Lia that was lost on the Mandalorian due to his distraction by the data pad in his hands.
"You- you don't understand, Revan! He had thousands, perhaps more humans murdered simply because he could. Humans had nothing to do with the Council and were only trying to expand. They've only been capable of Relay travel for thirty years! Were it not for the Council, the Turians would have wiped out the humans as they tried to do the Krogan."
Revan turned fully to Lia, ignoring the star field before him as he gave the Quarian his complete attention. By the serious expression on Revan's face, Lia knew what he asked would be vital to his views of the galaxy and she swore to herself she would be as honest as she could. She knew right and wrong and the Council's treatment of the man was beyond wrong. He had no way of knowing of their laws and from his story, she knew his appearance in Citadel space was involuntary.
"Tell me everything."
Revan's voice was flat, almost robotic as he focused on the Quarian he'd abducted and inadvertently found a traveling companion in. Lia'Vael nar Ulnay sighed wearily as she began outlining the galaxy as she understood it, careful to explain to Revan her uncertainty of certain events and sentiments. It would have been wrong to mislead the man and unknowingly, Lia secured the complete trust of Revan when he used the Force to scan her and found her answers to be completely honest.
On the Citadel, Captain Bailey was cursing up a storm as he checked and rechecked the security logs of the processing room Revan's possessions, including his damaged light sabers were being kept in. The items had simply vanished and no video-feed existed of the Mysterious Stranger reclaiming his possessions. The lockdown of the Relay had come too late to stop several dozen transports from escaping within the time frame a flight from the Citadel would take and the C-Sec Officer fixed Shari'a T'Nala, the attending C-Sec Officer that had been responsible for the items with a dark glare.
"Officer T'Nala, you were responsible for the unknown fugitive's belongings. You want to tell me how he managed to raise unholy Hell across the entire of C-Sec Academy and not only escape, but recover his illegal and very dangerous possessions as well?"
The Asari C-Sec Officer stood stiffly at attention, her pale blue eyes fixed on a nonexistent point above Captain Bailey's head. She had been trying to process the unidentified subject's mask when the alarm had gone off and while she could have reported that she was still in possession of Revan's mask, she had been appalled to learn a Council Spectre was being sent to execute the man, without a trial.
Had C-Sec not been a part of her life since she was a mere Maiden, Shari'a would have resigned on the spot. As it was, she bore the reprimand from Bailey with the cool acceptance that would have made a Matriarch proud.
"I was trying to aid a group of human C-Sec officers the subject assaulted in the locker rooms on deck 4-a. I was only gone for a few minutes. I don't see how he could have possibly crossed five decks in that time without anyone seeing him. By that point the kinetic barriers within the vents were active and escape from the Academy would have been unlikely without someone having spotted him."
Bailey sighed in annoyance. Standard procedure was followed and while he didn't like the results, Shari'a had done nothing wrong in his books. The Council was simply looking for someone to blame and so far, all the fingers pointed at one, lone Asari.
"The Council is coming down hard on this, Shari'a. They want someone to put on the cross and damnit, I can't stop them this time. That Spectre was one of their best and they aren't just unnerved by the fugitive's technology and appearance through the Conduit,… they now have a very public clusterfuck on their hands and someone has to hang for it. I'm sorry, Officer Shari'a but you need to turn in your badge as well as your files and issued weapons."
Stiffening in disbelief, Shari'a slipped from attention, deflating in the face of her career being thrown down a waste receptacle. The part of her mind that was still not fully matured from a Maiden was glad she hadn't turned over Revan's mask while the majority of her mind was filled with anger at the political interference of the Council. Recalling Garrus Vakarian's very public and vocal falling out with C-Sec after Commander Shepard's death, the Asari Matron removed her badge from her belt as well as her sidearm and keyed in the necessary sequence to unlock her C-Sec files. Storming out of the room, the Asari barely heard Bailey's honest apology and slipped away to her office.
Cleaning out her possessions from her desk and making a quick stop by the lockers to recover a very important mask, the Asari returned to her apartment in the Wards, packing her most personal possessions as well as a few special weapons that she'd acquired in her youthful wanderings before a trip to her bank emptied her personal accounts.
With an angry glance at the Citadel tower in the Presidium on her way from her bank in the financial district, Shari'a made her way to a rapid transit terminal and made her way back to the wards. She had an appointment with a Volus ship dealer and a transmission to send to an Information Broker on Illium that her cousin recommended. She wasn't sure if she was going to try to arrest the Mysterious Stranger that had unraveled her life or if she was going to help him, but Shari'a T'Nala was certain on one thing.
She would find the fugitive if it cost her all the credits she'd saved over the centuries and any hope of a career with C-Sec, should the Council decide to shove their political BS and reinstate her.
While the Asari former C-Sec officer was busy making arrangements to pursue Revan, a small unmarked crate was loaded by a mech onto a human transport that had miraculously gained clearance to leave the still in-progress lockdown. Its destination was a secret Cerberus facility that would study Revan's possessions, minus his mask. The same facility a certain human Spectre was recovering within, his body nearly rebuilt after two years of tireless work and billions of credits.
AN: Wanted to make the last chapter a bit longer... but it felt like it was dragging on so I divided it in two. Hope you're all enjoying it, plan to update again this weekend.