Capital City Raaya; Rannoch.
The establishment they had agreed to met Shepard at was in was a humble affair. It was also one of the few places in the capital city whose food units could serve levino foods.
Quarian music, mostly comprised of strings and woodwinds, filled the rooms as Liara led Khalisah and Varicia to one of the smaller rooms near the back. The lights that adorned the room flashed low powered lights and, not dissimilar to some clubs in the Citadel when it was operational.
Eventually, they found themselves entering a room with a single table and the objective for Khalisah's search for the past few months.
Nora Shepard was clad in a leather jacket, simple violet shirt, and pants. A pair of leather boots sat at her side on the floor as she turned to Khalisah and smiled.
"It's been a long time." she said with a knowing smile, aware of what she was doing.
She took a long and deep breath and exhaled with relief. "You have no idea."
"You have a lot of questions, I'm sure," Shepard noted as she moved herself to give Khalisah room to sit.
Liara turned to Varicia and asked, "Would you come with me, please? I would imagine they would like to be alone and I would like to ask you how Aethyta is doing."
The asari attourney blinked once and then smiled. "I would be delighted. She worries about you, you know."
"I know," Liara answered calmly as she led Varicia back to the front of the house.
When the asari had left, Khalisah turned back to Nora and asked, "so, I take it you know what happened to Emily."
Shepard's smile faded and she nodded. "I know. She's part of the reason why you're here. If there's anything you need to know, I'll do my best."
Khalisah breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, and if there's anything you want scrapped from the record to keep people safe, let me know. I want to make this good for Emily. She deserves that."
Nora gave Khalisah a long, hard look, as if she were judging her words for their sincerity. The smile slowly returned and she nodded. "Sounds good to me."
K: Thank you, Commander Shepard for taking the time to meet with me.
Nora Shepard;
You're welcome.
K: First off, there's been a lot of speculation as to your origins. The general consensus is that you came from the slums of one of Earth's larger metropoli. Is there anything else that you can add to that?
N: Yes. It was an understatement to say that life was difficult on the streets. If it wasn't the constant gang fights and corrupt cops, starvation or sickness was going to do you in.
K: How did you survive?
N: You had to be stronger than others. Sometimes, the gangs would gather up us Sand Droppings, toss us into a parking lot and told us they'd feed the winner after a free for all.
K: Unbelievable.
N: I know, right? They got their thrills out of seeing kids kill each other for scraps. It's part of the reason why I don't feel so inclined to return to Earth.
K: While many people on Earth would be disappointed to hear that, I can understand.
N: There are those on Earth that know whom I am and I love them dearly, so, I haven't severed all my ties to Earth yet.
K: So, how did you get out of the slums?
N: I had to fight. And until the chance came for me to escape, I had to wait. They gangs made sure you couldn't get out, so, I had to make sure when that chance came, they wouldn't come after me. The worst part was waiting.
Ann glowered at the floor. All she had was the black tank top and the dirty cargo pants at the moment. Finch, that spineless little weasel, had 'volunteered' her to enter the Reds' pitfights. There was money to be made and Finch was getting far too many ideas in that tiny little brain of his.
"Hey, Ann, it's time!" Finch said from outside the makeshift locker room she used to get ready. She sighed loudly then stood up and cracked her knuckles. She wondered when, if ever, the heads of the Reds would not get their jollies at seeing teenagers like herself fight each other stupid. If she was smart, she might be able to fight probably three people in a row before she had to quit. Naturally, Finch would bet on four, but that was too bad. Not all the blackmail in the world would get her to do more than she was capable and she was no good to that little twerp dead; that was why he kept his mouth shut.
When she entered the basement of the warehouse, the many members of the Reds cheered at her presence. She didn't want their praise. She didn't want anything to do with this group of lowlifes. However, it was because of them she wasn't eaten alive by the Bones or the Blues by now.
Sure enough, there was another guy in the center, cordoned off by chainlinked fences taller than both of them. Not much taller than her, however, he was not as bulky as she was, looked more limber than initial impressions, short hair she couldn't grab, and the tattoos of several gangs on his arms. Also, his various shouts and roars to the crowd told Nora he was a show off. He loved the attention.
He punched his fists together and gave her a vicious smile. "Say, sweetie, if you're still conscious after this, you wanna-" her foot collided with his face and he fell backward and the back of his head hit the steel pole hard enough to knock him out. She had put enough force behind the blow to end the fight quickly. They were going to wear her out and she had to conserve her strength as much as she could.
"No," she said calmly then walked back to her corner to way for the next challenger.
An hour and a half later, Nora, her face a mask of exhaustion and rage, pummeled the last of her opponents, another spry runt that thought he could run circles around her, but didn't when she had caught hold of him. Wisps of blue light broke from her knuckles as she heard bones crack.
Then, she collapsed to the ground after her sixth opponent had left a bloody stain from his face on the concrete ground after using the last of her own reserves to force his face into the ground.
The crowds, and Finch, screamed at her to get up, but she couldn't. Instead, her eyes fluttered closed and darkness took her.
Ann's head was throbbing in pain as she looked to the cheap lights from the lamps above her and to her right, she saw Finch counting the credit chits he had apparently won from the night's fight. She then noticed the medi-gel pads, mostly likely stolen or bought off the black market, healing her wounds.
"Gotta say, Ann, you did better than I thought," he then tossed a chit on her stomach, "here's a cut for you."
She frowned and tossed it back. "You're not my damn pimp, Finch. And the last thing I want is anything from you."
Nonplussed, Finch took the chit back and put it in his pocket. "Suit yourself."
"While you're at it, don't pretend you're doing me a favor. I'd kill you the second I knew I'd be able to get away with it," she growled.
Finch chuckled as he stood up to leave, "but you won't. I know you better than that, Ann."
When he walked to the door, she tried to make herself comfortable on the makeshift bed. However, he paused and turned back, "by the way, the heads of the Reds have been thinking of ways to get some extra credits so they can take out the Bones. We, or rather, you, are going to be helping them."
She growled loudly. "Fine..."
K: Are there any ghosts from that life that haunt you from time to time?
N: No. My past is what it is. And since there's nothing left of Old Los Angeles, my past is dead and buried. I'd like to keep it that way.
K: If you don't mind my asking, since you've basically gone into hiding, do you ever plan to return to the Alliance or to Spectre duty?
N: At the moment? I don't know. I've earned my rest, I feel, also, I joined the Alliance to pay off a debt that I've been carrying for a long, long time. The debt's been paid. I'd rather not be dragged through the muck again like last time. Besides, Ashley Williams deserves the prestige she's earned. I can trust her to do the duties I once did.
K: Well, I can only speak for myself, but thank you so much for all that you've done.
N: You're welcome, but it wasn't just me. There have been people far braver than me who did acts of heroism that should be recognized. I don't want the spotlight on me anymore. It feels... I don't know, dirty, when people keep telling me that I'm some damn hero, but I'm not. I never was. I was just doing my job.
K: True as that may be, you've been quite influential with people to inspire them to action.
N: If that's all I'm remembered for, then I can live with that.
K: Now, if you don't mind my asking, what drew you to help the quarian people as much as you have?
N: Probably the simplest way to put it is; they didn't have a home when I first met them. I knew what it was like to not have a home. So, I hoped and waited for a chance to help them get home. We needed friends and I figured that helping them get home would do the Alliance and Humanity some good.
"Major Kyle?" Shepard asked as she finished her report.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked as he took it.
"Have you met any quarians during your tour of duty?" she asked innocuously.
Kyle snorted. "Not particularly, no. Not all that interested in getting my credit chit swiped by those suit rats."
"Do they really do that? I mean, are there reports of them stealing from people? Mostly, from what I've seen, they spend more time in junkyards looking for salvage. You rarely see them in the Citadel or Major Council planets."
Kyle cocked an eyebrow at her. "I... myself, haven't read any reports of them stealing, but they just have that look of people that would. They got a lot of pockets, plenty to hide things in."
Nora said nothing for a moment before she nodded. "I see."
"Is there a point to this, Shepard?" he pressed.
"Well, is there a chance that a lot of the accusations are just hot air? I mean, if they were pickpockets, they wouldn't even be allowed on the Citadel or Major Colonies at all. So, why isn't the galaxy helping them get back to their homeworld?"
"Damned if I know, Shepard. Frankly, it's not our problem. Besides, it'd probably be a costly venture to get them reintegrated. Far as I know, they're a bunch of leeches that no one would miss if they were to be wiped off the face of the galaxy," he stated as he took another report, closing the matter.
K: During your hunt for Saren back in '83, what was one event that stood out in your mind?
N: *Pauses* It was when I lost a friend. Kaidan Alenko. We had just escaped Virmire and tensions were running high. I got into a fight with my Gunnery Chief, Ashley Williams, over the fact I ultimately made the choice to save her instead of him.
Nora threw a right hook straight at Ashley's face, but missed when the Gunnery Chief dodged to the left, which gave her a clean shot at her CO's sternum.
"It wasn't your damn choice to make!" Ash snarled before Nora collided her forehead against Ashley's.
"It was, Williams! I was not going to stand here and let you martyr yourself for people who wouldn't give a damn whether you were alive or dead! It's not your call. It's not your order. It's not Alenko's blood on your hands!" Nora growled in response as she grappled Ashley and threw her to the floor.
She had received a few 'subtle' hints from the higher ups that they disliked the idea of Ashley joining her and made it quite clear that she was not meant for such an assignment. Their messages incensed Nora and so she made sure that the Gunnery Chief had every chance to prove herself greater than their assumptions. It had also led her to make that decision and now, she would have to inform Kaidan's parents that they had lost their son.
"The hell are you talking about, Skipper! You didn't pull the damn trigger!" Ashley said before she charged again and threw a punch that Shepard didn't even try to dodge.
"No, Chief. I did worse. You know all those rumors about me and Torfan? They're all true. You know why?" Shepard raged before she drew a feint and then returned the blow Ashley gave her. Before the Gunnery chief had a chance to recover, Shepard had tackled her and to Ashley's surprise, tears started to mix with the rage and anger on her face wasn't directed at her. "It's all about the numbers, chief. How many people I can sacrifice so that that many more can still live another day. That's what I did, Williams. I turned Kaidan Alenko, a skilled officer, a good man, a dear friend, the son of good parents, into a FUCKING NUMBER!"
When her rage was exhausted, Shepard rolled off of her and pushed herself to her feet to maintain some semblance of control. Ashley wasn't buying it and knew it was tearing her apart inside, however, she knew Shepard had to stand up. She had no choice in the matter.
K: It must not have been easy at all.
N: It still haunts me to this day. I can go all day long about me living to honor his sacrifice, but that's not true. The real trick is learning how to live with the choices I make. Every now and then, and in light of what we had to face, Kaidan got off lucky.
K: I apologize if the next segment is personal, however, I have to ask, what did it feel like when you not only found out you had a family, after beliving yourself abandoned for so long, but they were still alive.
N: I found out they were still alive near the start of the war. I was lucky enough to be able to find them one one of the smaller colony planets that had not been touched.
Nora looked up from the data pad she had received from Miranda. This was probably the only chance she was going to get. The war was getting worse. The Reapers were slowly, and steadily, pushing them back. Some began to worry that defeat was inevitable. If that was the case, she wanted to see them at least once.
She slowly walked up to the door of the prefab housing units most colonists had before they were able to construct their own houses. She tentatively reached up and her hand stopped several times before she finally mustered up the courage to knock on the door.
Seconds seemed like hours as she heard the distinct sounds of footsteps approaching. Sure enough, the doors opened and a large man, with dark skin and short, grey hair, noticed the guest in front of him.
"Hello, can I help you?" he said nonchalantly, as though he was not aware that the woman that stood in his presence was a child he thought dead for decades.
Nora swallowed, possibly more scared than she had ever been as she began, "you are Mr. Benjamin Kahue?"
He nodded. "I am."
She shivered as she tried to find the right words to say, but continued, hoping that she wouldn't stumble over her own tongue. "In the mid-2150s, you were in San Diego when a tidal wave hit. You were with your family, visiting friends."
Unsure where this was going, Benjamin nodded. "Yes."
"You also had a daughter. One you named Kaiolohia. You lost her in the resulting devastation," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
He nodded and looked to the ground. "For months, I kept going back, looking for signs of anything for her until the clean up crews tossed us out. We couldn't even find a body. It hit both her mother and I hard to lose her so young."
Nora's jaw began to quiver she said, "Da... Mr. Kahue, you didn't lose her. There was a logistical error and she was relocated to Old Los Angeles. She survived..." her hands began to shake as she whispered, "and she's right here."
Benjamin's eyes went wide when he was about to lash out at this complete and total stranger until he noticed her eyes. They were the same violet as her mother's.
"K... Kaio?" he whispered as moisture began to gather in his eyes.
Nora nodded then handed him the data pad. "For so long, I thought I was just another Sand Dropping in Old Los Angeles. I only found this out recently, from a friend. I don't know what I am supposed to tell you, other than I've grown up and made a life of my own, but-"
Her stammering stopped when Benjamin took Nora in his arms and embraced her dearly. Uncaring of anything else, she wrapped her own arms around him, noting that she still towered over the older man, but still found some comfort in his embrace.
He reluctantly let go and took a step back to look at her. She was only four when they were separated. Now, many years later, she had returned.
"Nara!" He called back into the house, "it's Kaio! It's Kaio!"
"What?!" came the incredulous response as an older woman, with graying hair like Ben's, approached the door to find Nora looked back to her.
Like Ben, she too was initially skeptical, however, when she noticed Nora's eyes, her own, just as violet as Nora's, widened as she slowly reached out and gently took Nora's cheeks in her calloused and well worn hands.
"Kaio... we... we thought you died... is it really... am I going crazy?" she whimpered as her own tears began to flow.
Nora smiled brightly and shook her head. Then, she took the smaller woman in her arms and embraced the mother she never thought she had. She sniffed loudly as she whispered 'mommy' once, as if to test how it felt to say it.
It felt nice.
K: Have you been able to stay in touch with them?
N: Yes. We communicate regularly because it turns out I also have a brother and sister as well.
K: I may not be the first, but I'll say it anyway, congratulations on finding your family, Shepard.
N: Thank you.
The Perseus Trust
K: So, how were you able to stop the Quarians and the Geth to stop fighting:
N: I didn't do anything of significance. And frankly, it wasn't me at all. It was Tohn'Gerrel vas Neema. *sighs* Before we got the admirals and the Voice of the Geth to talk, they almost got into a conflict that would have wiped either one of them out.
Nora Shepard, Miranda Lawson, Jacob Taylor, and Kelly Chambers looked to the geth platform in front of them.
Unlike the seemingly rugged and heavy appearance of Legion's platform, the one appeared to be like a quarian outside of their suit. It had a pair of eyes which shone like Legion's single ocular, her form was lithe, and from her hair, a mane of micro-fibers hung down from her head as though it were hair.
This was the Voice of the Geth; Unity.
"Shepard-Commander, we express appreciation that you have allowed us to board your craft. We also appreciate the trust you have shown both us and the platform you have designated Legion," it said mechanically, however, unlike Legion's voice it was smooth and its distortion was almost soothing, as opposed to the harsh timbre of the other Geth.
Nora Shepard nodded in acknowledgement. "Legion has had a chance to prove his intent. And we are grateful for his assistance."
Unity nodded. "The reason for appearing upon your craft is that we wish to relay information to you concerning a creator that attempted to contact the Consensus not too long ago."
The platform raised her arm, a light appeared from her hand, and upon the table, a hologram appeared of a quarian ship.
"Approximately four months, one week, and four days before you encountered the platform Legion, the creator was on approach to the Perseus Veil with a signal from his craft with a non-hostile intent. The Consensus came to an agreement that due to the fact it was a single, unarmed ship, we would give the creator an occasion to speak, as none have ever committed to such an action before."
"What happened?" Miranda asked, her arms folded, not entirely trusting of the Geth platform.
Unity looked to the hologram and continued. "While on approach to the veil, it was not alone. There were pursuers that had rendered the creator craft damaged and leaking atmosphere. We had eliminated the pursuers and then boarded the Creator craft to see if we could render assistance."
Unity, seeing through the eyes of the Geth Prime that entered the craft noticed the gravity controls had been turned off or damaged, given the debris that was floating everywhere. Carefully, the platform moved through the passageway of the frigate to the cockpit, noticing the atmospheric shield to keep what little oxygen remained in the craft used by its pilot and no one else.
With its gun raised, it slowly moved to the cockpit and noticed a single quarian in the pilot's seat. A quick scan revealed that the life signs of the organic in the seat were fluctuating, probably due to the scuttle the ship was in before the Geth intervened.
The Prime lowered its gun, then walked beside the Quarian. The pilot slowly looked up, revealing the shattered face plate and the blood seeping into one of his eyes. The quarian was about to speak when he began to cough violently, sending out bile and blood from his mouth.
"Are... are you here..." he began to ask when the Prime slowly knelt down beside him.
"We are here to render assistance, Creator," it said with Unity's voice. "What is your condition?"
The quarian male shook his head. "Not good."
The platform remained still for a moment. Within seconds, it calculated the possibility of getting him to a facility that had the means to treat him. The Creator Fleet was too far. Any other places capable of healing his wounds were too far. Not to mention that it would have been impossible for them to transport them in the ship as it was, as Geth ships often were targeted when alone during reconnaissance missions.
With what little time he had left, Unity asked, "What was your purpose in coming to the Perseus Veil?"
The quarian took a few short breaths before he forced out, "I wanted... I wanted to speak. Wanted to let you know that we don't want to be in exile anymore. Wanted to know why you went out of the veil to attack those humans. Wanted to ask so many questions. We're scared. We want to return home. I wanted... I wanted to bring the Homeworld back to the Migrant Fleet as my Pilgrimage Gift."
Unity heard and understood the meaning behind that, however, several hundred of the other run-times in her unit brought up problems. "Creator, that will be difficult. Given the results of the Morning War, peace will be problematic."
The quarian nodded, as if the possibility had occurred to him. "I know. I just want to ask the Geth what they want. That way, we can hopefully reconcile, and move on. There's something out there. Something bad. I don't know what it is, but I saw it attack the Citadel. There has to be more than one of those things. And unless we do something, there won't be a future for either one of us."
Nazara. The entire Geth Consensus answered in one voice. The prospect was troubling. The Old Machine and the Heretics' attempts at wiping out organics had failed for now. However, given the nature of the Old Machines and the Heretics, they would not stop in their directive. The one silver lining was the quarian's words that had struck a truth that worked in harmony with the desires of the Geth.
The quarian began to cough again. The Geth Prime, with surprising gentleness, held him down so as to prevent unnecessary movement.
"What is your designation, creator?" Unity asked bluntly.
With another cough to clear the blood and phlegm, he wheezed, "Tohn'Gerrel vas Neema. Please. Forgive us. We were scared. We still are. We don't want to be scared anymore. I'm not going to make it, but please, find a way to let the Migrant Fleet come home. I beg you. I can't bring my father home like I wanted... but... at least..." he started coughing again.
Unity looked down, aware that his life signs were starting to weaken further. The Voice of the Geth, connected with the Consensus as a whole, presented the dying quarian's request. There were many voices speaking for and against the idea. Countless ideas and counterpoints were interposed in the matter of seconds and a debate seemed to endlessly go on.
The argument ended when Unity put forth a new directive;
Reconciliation with the Creators is the only means for the Geth to achieve their future. If this cannot happen, neither will have a future.
The Consensus took this thought. And one by one, the entirety of the Geth spoke of its approval.
"We will do all in our power to fulfill your request, Creator Tohn'Gerrel,"
Tohn smiled a bit before another fit of coughing took whatever he wanted to say. When his breath returned, he muttered, "Thank... you... K... Keelah..." he took one deep and ragged breath, " Se... 'lai..."
Tohn'Gerrel exhaled one last time before his eyes closed.
Unity, who had been recording the conversation the whole time, deliberated as to what to do now. They could not mourn. However, they were capable of fulfilling his final request. In a fit of inspiration, Unity moved the now inert body of Tohn'Gerrel into its arms and lifted it up out of the seat. As if the quarian's body were extremely fragile, Unity carried him out of the frigate and onto their own.
She then sent a request to the Consensus on Rannoch. They would need to prepare a plot of land near the old capital where they had allowed the Creators who had defended them during the Morning War to sleep.
They would give him rest.
K: But you had that information, how did the war between them occur nonetheless?
N: By the time we were able to locate the Migrant Fleet, they had already attempted to retake Rannoch by force. I wanted to present the information to Admiral Han'Gerrel personally, so as to prevent this event from happening in the first place. *A pause* I should have spoken to him sooner.
K: What makes you say that?
N: If it wasn't obvious, Tohn'Gerrel was Admiral Han'Gerrel's son. He didn't know that the Geth intervened to save him, but by then it was too late. The last transmission Tohn was able to send out before the Geth boarded was received by the Migrant Fleet and I can only assume that Han believed the Geth killed him when it was due to Batarian raiders.
"The Geth don't want to fight you, if you can believe that for one minute, this war will be over!" Shepard spat into her comm as Legion's attempts to upload the Reaper Code into the consensus drove her heart to beat faster and faster with every moment lost.
"I will not let these monsters get away with-" Han'Gerrel spat back before Nora interrupted him.
"Dammit, the Geth didn't kill Tohn!" Nora screamed. "It was Batarians! The Geth came to his rescue, but couldn't get to him in time. Tohn wanted nothing more than to give you the Homeworld. He begged the Geth to stop fighting so you could come home. Are you really going to let his death be wasted over nothing?! Please! Keelah Se'lai!"
Tali and Legion stood still as time seemed to come to a complete halt. Gerrel was a stubborn man, especially when it came to his son.
"All ships," Gerrel's tired voice came over the comm with a long, drawn out sigh of acceptance, "…stand down and hold your positions."
After facing down a host of Reaper and Reaper allied Geth, not to mention staring down the cannon of a destroyer, Nora's strength finally gave out as she collapsed to the ground, sighing a loud breath of relief.
K: Considering you often stood up for the Quarians, it must have been a nightmare knowing they were that close to dying.
N: Like you wouldn't believe. However, they did. The Quarians are back home and the Geth are fulfilling their purpose. Considering a three hundred year old conflict was stopped that day, I think it's safe to say that I really earned my paycheck, then.
K: I'm sure your attempts at helping the quarians earned the ire of some who didn't want them back on Rannoch.
N: You'd be right. When I finally got the Admiralty Board and the Voice of the Geth to speak, there was a batarian raiding party that attacked, supplied and supported by the Hegemony, to prevent any sort of progress. Turns out they had eyes on Rannoch and hoping to catch the heads of both societies unaware, they wanted to swoop in and take it all. And sure, the volus made some complaints, however, it was more economic on their ends than anything else; turns out they don't like competition, but they didn't go as far as the Batarians did.
K: Were there other races where you feel you could have improved relations with?
N: Well, I did ok with the asari, despite that, I found out that High Command was ready to order a hit on me after I came back. The Turians don't care either way and I've made an enemy of the Dalatress because of the Krogan. Batarians hate me for obvious reasons and I don't see that changing any time soon.
"Go, Balak," Nora snarled with her gun drawn as the warlord slowly edged his way around the room, "go back and hide on Kar'shan. And understand this; I know you for the coward that you are, and I'm going to kill you."
"Typical hollow threats for a spineless human!" Balak said as he finally made his way to the door and before Nora and her crew could shoot him down, several remote drones appeared from behind the creates he had been using as cover and had attacked them.
"You hear me, Balak?! I will kill you!" she roared as she took down another drone before the last of the drones went down and she quickly made her way to the room with the hostages. If there were any of them brought to harm, she would chase him all the way to Kar'shan and gouge his eyes out with her bare hands.
"Come on, Skipper! We got more important things to worry about," Ashley said as she helped one of the hostages to their feet.
"You'll get your chance, Commander," Kaidan assured her.
N: And the greater irony is, I did. When Balak tried to kill me, not once, but twice afterwards. I won't lie to you. I hate Batarians like him.
K: Yes. We found the weapon and the documents about his attempt on your life.
N: However, I'm not ignorant of the fact that the Hagemony's mostly the reason why everyone hates them. For what little I was able to do for the people, I hope it was enough.
"Hey," Nora said in her civvie disguise as she walked up to Shen'laei Trahn, the Batarian Prophet.
"What can I do for you, human?" he asked in a subdued and weary voice. It had been a difficult week when he and what few left of his people had hunkered themselves in to the docks at the citadel for what looked like to be the foreseeable future.
"Looks like you've had a rough time. I only know the details, but what happened?" she asked, belying the fact she knew more than she let on.
Shen shook his head. "We were betrayed. The Hegemony was working with the Reapers the whole time. Of the ninety billion people the Harsa system once housed, all that remains of Kar'Shan's children is less than three hundred thousand. You have seen the refugee fleet. And with the Reapers running rampant, I fear for us all. There is so little to hold onto hope for."
In response, from beneath her heavy jacket and hood, she pulled out a heavily ornate book. It was a large one, however, it was small enough for her to carry about her person as she weaved through the crowds and handed it to him.
"I believe this is something you may find some use for," she said quietly.
All four of Shen's eyes went wide as he started to turn the pages of the book. He sniffed once and wiped his face with his free hand to pull away the tears that had developed.
"The Pillars of Strength!" he exclaimed. "How... how did you come across this?" It had been years since he had laid eyes on it and had to recite passages from the book in secret meetings underneath the eyes of the Hegemony.
"That's not important, what exactly is it?" she asked, genuinely curious as she could not read Tajali, the Batarian base language.
"It's scripture. Many, many years ago, before the Hagemony took power, we Batarians were a very spiritual people. We lived in reverence to the Gods as we tended and cared for Kar'Shan, the first chapter of this book, states that Kar'Shan was a gift and we were charged with keeping it beautiful. Then, when the Hegemony took over, all forms of worship was banned under the regime, but we still held onto our faith, even in the face of oppression."
"Care to humor a curious human who's never heard anything about this?" she said with a wry smirk.
He nodded happily as he turned to a particular chapter he hadn't laid eyes on in years. "In the fourth chapter, the Gods, Sel'khari the Sculptor and Gen'Treha the Tender, gave of their essence to give life to our people. And with each life, came a promise that if we were to take good care of Kar'Shan and her children, then the Gods would welcome us to their presence and then we would be granted the honor of tending new gardens in the world to come."
He stopped and bowed his head deeply, a sign, Nora would later learn, of deep gratitude.
"Stranger, even if you were not able to save the lives of our kind, you may have yet saved our souls," he said, unable to hold back the relief and joy he had not felt in years.
Unsure why she did this, she reached forward and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up yet. Your people may need you if we survive this war. Until then, don't let them give up, either."
Shen closed the book, looked to her and nodded eagerly. "I won't."
N: I can only hope that Shen'laei Trahn is doing ok.*
(Author's note: As of this writing, Shen'laei Trahn is on Kar'shan, working alongside various Council representatives, in the reconstruction effort and the formation of the fledgling United Kar'Shan Democracy.)
K: I hate to ask this, but what about your former connections to Cerberus?
S: What is there to know? I cut my ties with them and when they tried to stop our efforts to destroy the Reapers, I took the fight to the Illusive Man, the head of Cerberus.
Nora screamed in a combination of agony and defiance as her finger squeezed the trigger against her will and saw the blood splatter through Anderson's torso.
No! Something in the back of her mind broke. Images of Torfan, Chora's Den, and OLA among others flooded her consciousness and smothered her reason with pure rage.
Slowly, her head turned to the Illusive Man, but her gaze had changed from one of angered defiance to an almost glazed hatred. Her biotics slowly sparked to life around her body. When she took a singular step in The Illusive Man's direction, she felt the grip he once had over her body fade like a web of ice, obliterated by a furious inferno. He had noticed this and took a step backward. He recognized Nora's gaze from once before.
When she had destroyed the Collector's base, she had vowed to kill him.
When she took another step, with the look of something far more terrifying, his resolve began to fail him. He could not control her anymore. The half glow of green in her eyes, mixed with the violet haze of her biotics gave her the appearance of something akin to a force of nature. It almost seemed that the Nora Shepard everyone knew of was a mere shell and bindings for a beast that could not be controlled nor deterred once its eyes were set upon its prey.
"Stay back!" he warned and aimed the gun, but his fear had prevented a clear shot of her head.
"...no..." she growled, more bestial and deep the closer she came with every step. The haze of her biotics seemed to render her towering over him as another step seemed to flood the room with her power.
"Stay back!" he said in all a panic. He was about to pull the trigger when in a single fluid motion, Nora had reached back with her left hand and had thrown something small and sharp into his arm. On reflex, he blocked the object with his forearm, but when Nora's larger body tackled him to the ground and pinned his shoulders under her knees. With one large hand, she held his face in place and his jaw shut.
"Remember," she rumbled once before she quickly drew her serrated edged combat knife and stabbed him in the eye with it, to the hilt.
She held him to the ground as his final attempts at struggle ultimately ended with him spasming one last time before he fell silent.
To be safe, the dark energy around the hand that held his face in place sent a bioic warp into his unguarded head, warping the contents within into a grey paste. The Illusive Man had cheated death far too many times.
And now, the account was settled.
K: My goodness.
N: I understand why Cerberus behaved the way it did. Humanity, at the time, required a guardian for its people. However, the Illusive Man went too far. He tried to elevate himself above us all and it cost him everything. He forgot what it was to be human.
K: Would it be safe to say that they would think of you as a rabble rouser?
N: Sure. I wouldn't mind it. The fact that we as a galaxy can start over without the status quo that almost allowed the Reapers to kill us all is a good thing in my eyes. And, I think I just lost a few more supporters.
K: I'm not so sure about that, because you have made friends. Councilors Sparatus and Tevos speak highly about you.
N: They wouldn't be the first politicians that would no doubt pay for helping me. How are they?
K: Working as hard as they can to restore the infrastructure.
N: Good. I had a hard time working with them at first, however, I'm glad that they were there. I just hope I left them with a good enough impression that if I wanted to return to the Spectres, they'd let me.
Shepard had gotten the call. The Reaper offensive was falling apart. One by one, the worlds they had lost were reclaimed and with Bekenstein secure, was she invited to lead the charge to wipe the remainder of them from Earth.
She had been, along with other Spectres, working to protect the Councilors and assist in coordinating the assaults with the rest of the allied galactic forces.
"Councilors," she said as she gave them all a salute, "with your leave, I'd like to rejoin the fleets to take back Earth."
"Some would consider Earth a lost cause after being under Reaper occupation for the past few years. And yet, you'd still go," Sparatus noted from his seat.
"Yessir," she said, without hesitation, "Earth may not have been the most ideal of places as I was growing up, however, it's still my home."
All three of the Councilors looked to each other and then to her. "You have helped us with our homeworlds and our peoples. It would only be right for us to assist you in liberating Earth. We will send all we can spare to assist," Tevos said resolutely, with nods of agreement from Velarn and Sparatus.
"You have done your people proud, Shepard," Velarn said calmly. "And in your attempts to serve the Council, have proven your worth as a Spectre. While there would be those among our own kind who would brush off your attempts as mere pandering, we have seen your character, and are fortunate to have you serving the galaxy in this capacity."
Nora gave them a wry smirk. "Even if this tends to make things explode around me at great cost to those who dare defend me?"
"Yes," Sparatus said, matching her sarcasm, "even that. Even if all of us were to no longer serve as Councilors after this war is complete, we will not allow your name to be slandered by those who would not listen."
There was a long silence between them before Nora bowed her head humbly. "At times, I don't feel worthy of such praise, however, I thank you anyway. Thank you for trusting me."
Tevos then stepped forward and gingerly took Nora's hands in her own. The smile on the asari Councilor's face was indicative of how proud she was of the human. "Go, Nora Shepard. Even if the Goddess is nothing more than a prothean construct, may She watch over and protect you."
K: Shepard, while we may not have always agreed on things, I always wondered if you had humanity's best interests at heart. I was doubtful for a long time. Recent events have called that assumption into question.
N: I read once that a wise Indian Chief once said that 'Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.' I know it sounds something like Connected Stars would say, but I believe it's true. We prove ourselves to the other races and they'll return that favor. It's how Earth and, subsequently the rest of us are still here.
K: I see. Thank you.
N: And Khalisah?
K: Yes?
N: Keep asking the hard questions, ok? They need to be asked.
K: I will.