Liara T'Soni knew that things were long over between her and Jon'Shepard; and she knew that words had been said between them that could not be unsaid.
But as she stepped out of her small corvette and breathed in the arid air of Rannoch; she couldn't help but imagine living here for the next century and a half with Jon, raising a little asari or two along the way. Shaking her head, she was greeted by two Quarian Royal Army Soldiers; and she made sure to differentiate them mentally from Migrant Fleet Marines.
For one, they actually had a semblance of uniformity between them; and the two Geth platforms standing behind them also helped her make that mental jump.
"Liara T'Soni?" One of the Soldiers asked, sounding calm and professional; but with a slight hint of mistrust in his tone of voice.
Liara bowed and inclined her head, "I am her, yes." She replied.
The Soldier nodded, "The Queen wishes to speak with you. I must ask you to disarm before you approach her." The man informed her.
Liara grimaced, but nodded and removed her pistol from her thigh and her rifle from her back; handing them both off to the man, who accepted them graciously, then held his hand back out again. After a moment of silence, Liara sighed explosively and reached into her lab coat (which she liked to wear over her armor) and pulled out a small knife and handed it to the Soldier.
The man nodded, and Liara moved to start walking when he held up his hand again.
"Remove your armor, please."
Liara grit her teeth, "Is that really necessary?" She demanded.
"Yes." The soldier replied, "I know you Asari, your armor enhances your biotic abilities; and I'd rather not take any chances. The Queen's safety is my job, after all." Then he paused and added, "If you have nothing underneath, you can keep your lab coat."
A gentleman. She thought sarcastically.
She took off her lab coat and folded it, setting it on the ground next to her; before reaching up and hitting a button, which unsealed her armor and undersuit from her body with a loud hiss. Both soldiers turned around, though the two Geth remained facing her; which didn't bother her as much since she knew that they wouldn't ogle her.
She removed the upper portions of her armor first, then her arms and legs, then the undersuit.
She shivered in discomfort, even though the onset of heat brought no chill in the air; and she bent down and grabbed her lab coat. She pulled it on and buttoned it up, though it didn't cover much since it only trailed down to her upper thighs; and with its thin white material, it was partially see-through.
I should have expected this. She grumbled to herself, Dumbass. Should have brought clothes to wear underneath.
"Alright, let's get this over with." She said simply, holding herself up with as much dignity as she could muster; trying to shove away the fantasy's that she had had when she had still been together with Jon.
The Soldiers turned and nodded to her, keeping their eyes on her face; beyond cursory glances downward to make sure she wasn't charging her biotics or attempting to hide any weapons of course. They marched through the palace, the two Geth behind her and the soldiers in front of her.
Every few minutes, a breeze would come through, and Liara would have to hold the hem of her lab coat to prevent it from billowing upwards. This, combined with how much it was hugging her body (to the point that one could make out her womanly bits), set her in a foul mood.
"Will this be a public meeting?" She asked, grinding her teeth and glancing every which way for both potential threats and spies.
"No." The soldier replied. "Just the Queen, and the head of the QueensWatch."
Well that's comforting.
They walked for a few more minutes, before they finally reached a gilded doorway; which four more soldiers and four more Geth stood guard over. The Soldiers quickly gave her a cursory inspection, not at all distracted by her barely covered up body (to her surprise); and they nodded and opened the door.
The door itself led out to a large stone balcony, which had a picture perfect view of the valley below; and was packed with comfortable furniture that would make a Matriarch jealous.
Liara walked onto the balcony, and the Soldiers and Geth closed the doors behind her; though she had no doubts that they were prepared to charge in and kill her should she do something they didn't like or found to be a threat.
Standing on the balcony were four more Geth combat platforms; and lounging on the furniture were two Quarians. Unlike the soldiers, they weren't dressed in environment suits and armor; they wore more traditional Quarian Raelk's and Sehni's.
The man wore a simple Raelk, which was a series of robes that covered his groin, his chest, had long flowing pants, and a cape around his shoulders; while his Sehni covered his face from the nose down.
Jon'Harper vas Rannoch, the head of the QueensWatch. She thought, knowing him instantly, as he had been the man that had recruited her to recover Shepard's body.
She turned her attention to the woman, and she blinked, suddenly understanding why the guards hadn't batted an eye at how little her lab coat had covered up. She wore a Sehni as well, though it only covered her mouth up; and it wound over the top of her head to keep her deep violet hair-quills tied back. Her Raelk covered her groin, her breasts, and she wore a half cape over her shoulder; showing a lot of her gray-purple skin.
Even by Asari standards (and they had no nudity taboo, though they did have standards on when it was appropriate) it was downright scandalous; though once Liara saw the flowing pants, shirt, and sandals laying neatly folded on a nearby chair, she understood.
Clever… She admitted, realizing that the queen had stripped down to her undergarments to make Liara more comfortable; and she did feel a small manner of gratitude to the other woman.
The Queen smiled (which was hard to see, given how everything below the nose was hidden), and stood; her bare feet padding against the carpeted stone floor. "Liara T'Soni." She purred, standing and adjusting her Raelk more securely.
Liara would admit that she had trouble keeping her eyes only on the Queens face.
She was nearly 100 years old, yet looked closer to Jon's age; her upper Raelk only covering her nipples, while her lower Raelk only covered the entrance to her womanhood. She looked more like a Quarian supermodel rather than a royal; though the lean but toned muscles on her abdominal region and arms told Liara that she was not a woman to be taken lightly.
The T'Soni Matron swallowed heavily, adjusting her lab coat again as another breeze came through. "Queen Lun'Zorah." She replied, bowing her head the way Jon had taught her.
The woman smiled and gestured to a chair, "Please. Sit." She said, taking her seat back on her couch; while Liara struggled to sit in such a way so that she wasn't flashing her womanhood. "I do apologize for my guards, they tend to get a little paranoid about visitors; especially Asari." She explained.
"What, do they not have other species go practically naked when they visit?" Liara asked sarcastically.
She didn't care about propriety or ceremony. She gave no respect to any Matriarchs except her mother, so she would be damned before she guarded her words in front of this queen.
Fortunately, the queen just chuckled. "No, they don't. But then, for most other species their body isn't a weapon." She replied, then gestured to her own nearly naked body, "But I felt it appropriate to match you, since it is only fair that you see as much of me as I do of you."
"Of course." Liara agreed, crossing her legs and adjusting her lab coat again.
The Queen smiled again, her eyes flashing silver, "I suppose you are wondering as to why I have called you here?" She asked.
"I have been wondering that, yes; given how secretive your enclave is." Liara admitted.
None of the old crew had even known the enclave had existed until the QueensWatch had contacted them, asking them to retrieve Shepards body. Tali in particular had been stunned when she'd been addressed as 'Princess', and had even demanded answers from her father. Liara had been there when Rael'Zorah had confessed to the truth about the Enclave; and it had been an ugly confrontation to say the least.
They restricted contact with the outside world to an absolute minimum, to the point that Liara didn't even know how many Quarians actually lived on Rannoch. Jon claimed about 3 million people lived on the planet; but Liara had a sneaking suspicion that the number was much higher.
The Queen's smile grew sad, "I wish it were under better circumstances. You see… the Chitikka has disappeared while investigating a wormhole."
Liara's heart stopped, and she felt as if time itself had ground to a halt.
She felt her breath grow short, and she gripped her armrests, No… Not again! She thought desperately.
"But, we know the Chitikka is still operational, as we've been getting constant sensory pings from the wormhole that matches her FOF tags. We can't contact her, but we assume that she and her crew are still operational." The Queen continued, and Liara felt her heart restart and she slowly relaxed again.
I'll take trapped over dead. She thought, and breathed outwards. "I assume you want me to do something about it?" She asked.
"In a manner of speaking." QueensWatch Director Jon'Harper interjected, leaning back on his own couch and smoking some Quarian T'ytoń; "We have assembled a team roster for you, though with one exception you'll need to go to them yourself." He cracked his neck and ran a hand through his red-brown hair. "We want you to track the Chitikka and find a way to get her back, yes, but we also want you to investigate these wormhole that have been popping up across the galaxy. And we also still need to deal with the collectors."
Liara grit her teeth, "No pressure then." She grumbled.
The Queen nodded sagely, "I would not ask if I did not think you capable."
"I'll send all that you'll need to your ship, Matron T'Soni." Harper concurred, his eyes flashing Sapphire.
"I'm no Matron." Liara corrected, then frowned, "Who is it that will be accompanying me?" She asked.
Harper smiled, "You're a Matron because you are the head of your family, and because… well I'll be honest, you act more like a calculating Matron as opposed to a giggling and impulsive Maiden willing to sleep with any male or female that invites them into their bed." He remarked.
The Queen flashed him a disapproving glare at his phrasing, but turned her attention back to Liara, "You'll have a more proper list on your ship, but-" She paused when the sound of shouting drifted through the doorway, and she sighed and held her head in her hands. "But it seems as if the one companion here planetside that we have chosen for you has decided to make his appearance."
She stood and grabbed her robes; and quickly put them on, adjusting her half-cape so that it was overtop of the robes, then she barked out, "Let him in!"
The doors opened, and a Quarian man sauntered out onto the balcony.
Liara blinked rapidly, and she swallowed heavily as she struggled to keep a flush off her face and prove that she wasn't a simpering Maiden.
He appeared to be Jon's age, though he had gray-purple skin and black hair; and he was covered in muscles, not freakishly large, but ones that showed that he had used them frequently. He wore only a lower Raelk which covered his groin and nothing else, and a Sehni that covered his neck and the lower half of his face.
He had a eezo spear, and he was covered in sweat; and Liara couldn't help herself as she traced her eyes over his muscles.
The man glanced over at her, and immediately his green-yellow eyes flashed a golden color as he looked downwards. "Huh… I don't judge if you wish to bed a kur'wa, mother; though I would prefer if you waited until she was dressed before calling me over from training." He grumbled.
Liara felt rage overtake her for a moment, then embarrassment as she realized that she had accidentally uncrossed her legs out of nervousness; giving him a full view of her womanhood. She growled as she stood from her chair, and in a bout of reckless anger and bravery she ripped off her lab coat and tossed it aside.
"You like what you see?" She sneered, stalking up to him and flaring her biotics. "Well let me tell you something, I'm no whore. I'm here on official business; and your mother's guards deemed it fit to strip me to ensure that I am no threat."
She smiled coolly as the Quarian took a step back. "But… an Asari's body is a weapon. So, if you'd like to apologize before I rip your Raelk off and crush your gentlemans parts with a biotic squeeze; that would be much appreciated."
The quarian opened and closed his mouth, while the queen sighed and rubbed her eyes. "For Ancestors sake… Doran, this is your new boss. Hopefully you'll learn how to mind your tongue and keep your hands to yourself; because I have no interest in cloning you a new penis should she justifiably rip your current one off." She grumbled.
Externally, Liara kept herself composed, though internally she was screaming at how stupid she was acting. She'd stripped naked in front of a man, she had threatened a prince, and she had lost her temper.
Jon changed me. She thought sadly, In the past, I would have thought twice about threatening others with maiming and death; nor would I have actually made the threat in the first place.
She biotically yanked her lab coat back to her hands and put it back on, not breaking eye contact with the Prince as he swallowed heavily.
"I… apologize." He said, bowing his head. "I do hope you can forgive my misstep, and that we can continue our work together."
Liara sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I accept your apology, Prince Doran." She replied, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my ship. Please be quick in meeting me there, we have a lot to do and little time to do it."
Soha 'Rolamee gripped the armrests of his command chair, even as his ship hurtled through slipspace; heading on the same course that human ship and the Ascendant Justice had gone.
They still weren't picking up their flagship nor their commander, so command of the fleet had fallen to him and his own ship; the Cruiser Truth and Reconciliation. He would be the first to admit, he didn't like being forced into a position like this. He genuinely hoped that his Fleetmaster was on the other side, having dealt with the human warship already thanks to the oddness and inconsistency of Slipspace.
But he was also a realist, and had already taken measures to ensure that his master's fleet would still continue to function in his absence.
"Fleetmaster."
He squashed the urge to wince with extreme prejudice, and instead turned to his subordinate; the Minor bowing his head.
"Yes?" Soha asked, wondering what the younger sangheili would be bothering him with.
The Minor spread his mandibles, "We are approaching the estimated destination of where the human ship should exit slipspace." He hesitated, "Should… we prepare our weaponry to fire?" He asked.
Soha thought about it for a moment.
Humans are still able to detect us when we exit slipspace, and they would detect our weapons charged up. Perhaps… He flexed his mandibles in thought, as he tried to think of what the Fleetmaster would do in his situation. We should be able to detect them almost instantly; assuming they exit slipspace in the open. I would prefer to deal with them quickly and efficiently, assuming the Fleetmaster is not already there and has yet to deal with them.
"Charge weapons." He ordered firmly.
"At once, Fleetmaster." The Minor replied, then turned to the various technicians, Sangheili, and unggoy at their consoles. "Prepare the weapons to fire, and raise shields. Prepare for combat." He barked.
The technicians all began to shout back various status reports, but Soha paid it no mind as the Minor walked back over to him. "I shall relay your order to the rest of the Fleet… Though, might I inquire as to the Jiralhanae?"
Soha grimaced at the thought of those dishonorable apes.
I hold the utmost respect for him, but I cannot help but wonder if madness gripped the Fleetmaster when he allowed those beasts to be a part of this Fleet. He wondered for a moment, then shook himself, "Contact Shipmaster Maximus, have him restrain his ship and the other Jiralhanae into formation behind our ships." He ordered, "I do not want him charging ahead into a human trap."
"It shall be done Fleetmaster."
And so Soha sat the remainder of the journey through slipspace in silence, only giving the occasional nod and shake of his head to any questions thrown at him by his assistant.
Already, he could hear Maximus bellowing over the comm channel, demanding to be given the same honor as the Sangheili ships; and he was mentally bracing himself for a long and tiresome argument that would go nowhere and he'd have to resort to threats.
He was so lost in his thoughts that when they exited slipspace, he almost didn't notice it.
It was the gasps from his crew that brought his attention and focus back outwards, and when he looked through the viewing screen; his mandibles dropped open, and he was suddenly very glad he was seated, because he was quite sure that he would have collapsed into his chair in utter shock had he been standing.
It cannot be… He thought, before rallying himself and shooting to his feet. "Scan the structure, make sure that it is truly what we see."
The men carried out his order, but his assistant murmured, "We are truly blessed by the gods, we have found it."
Soha gave the Minor a look, "Perhaps so… but now we must prove worthy of it." He warned, before turning his gaze back outwards.
"Prove that we are worthy of Halo."
"So… Who is this guy? Freeman?"
Gordon froze in place, his hand still close to the doorknob as the muffled voice of one of the Marines traveled through the simple wooden barrier to the outside. He felt a spike of fury well up inside him and he clenched his hand and grit his teeth. They've been trying to kill me ever since they arrived, and they don't even know who I am? What the hell? He thought.
He stayed his hand though as he slowly reached down and gently twisted the knob, opening the door a crack.
"They say he was at ground zero." A second Marine replied, his voice muffled by his gasmask.
"Science team?" The first one questioned, disbelief and incredulity leaking into his muffled voice as he absently brushed some dirt off of his PCV.
"Yup."
Gordon slowly edged the door open and peeked outside, the night sky lit up with a half moon and stars; the vast new mexico desert stretching outwards on the borders of the launchpad. He spotted the rocket and gripped his MP5 as he struggled to think of how to get to the launch room.
He turned his attention back to the ground, glancing over the two Marines in front of him, then out to the launch pad; where around a dozen Marines were milling about.
How am I gonna sneak my way around this? He thought.
As angry as he was about Sergeant Hill's death, and as angry as he was about all the innocent Civilians that the Marines had killed; he still wanted to avoid a fight if he could help it.
"Huh… Shit…" The first Marine mumbled, then turned to his battle buddy. "So, what, you think this guy's responsible? Sabotage, maybe?"
Gordon froze, even as the other Marine hummed loudly.
"Yeah… Maybe…" He mused, contemplating the theory. "Would explain why they've had us chasing after him." Then he straightened his shoulders, and his voice turned hard as ice. "All I know for sure? This guy's been killing Marines."
Gordon didn't even let the two men continue as he snapped his MP5 up to his shoulder, his heart pounding in his ears as his vision turned slightly red; enraged beyond belief at the hypocrisy the two men in front of him were demonstrating.
He held his finger down on the trigger and blasted the men away, then sprinted towards the rocket; his blood pumping in his ears.
An alarm sounded, and the gate around the launch pad immediately closed; but Gordon didn't care. He rushed over towards a cluster of pipes that ran parallel to the fence and gate, ignoring the gunfire as 9mm bullets pinged off his suit; causing bright sparks of electric blue to spark off the reactive armor.
He climbed over the pipes and found himself jumping over the fence and landing in the midst of a pair of Marines; both of them manning a .50 cal gun emplacement.
Both men stared at him with wide eyes, and they were cut down without a moment's hesitation from him. More Marines started to pour out of the main entrance to the launch control center, and Gordon immediately swung the .50 cal around and pressed the button with his thumbs.
The thumping boom of the .50 caliber Browning M2 filled the launch pad, the concussive blasts rattling Gordons ears, even with the HEV's helmet protecting him from the majority of the sound and concussive force. The HEV suit was tough; and while it was a lesser and cheaper version of his armor, the PCV was a force to be reckoned with.
It was a testament to the PCV's toughness that the Reactive Armor still managed to catch or reflect two or three .50 cal rounds from the gun whenever Gordon hit the chest of one of the Marines; but they always exploded or were torn to pieces from the massive rounds impacting their bodies once their PCV's charge ran out.
He kept his thumb on the button for several minutes, but finally the gun ran out of ammunition.
The click startled Gordon, and he flinched and instinctively ducked, waiting for more gunfire from the Marines. Nothing came though, and he slowly poked his head upwards out from behind the sandbags and the gun emplacement; finding the area littered with bodies, most resembling ground beef rather than people.
Gordon swallowed and climbed over the sandbags, mostly desensitized to the horror by this point in his journey; but still feeling a measure of disgust, both at himself and at the MArines for forcing him to fight them like this.
If only we could work together, this mess would probably be over by now. He thought angrily, gripping his MP5 as he walked over towards the main entrance; inputting the code that Sergeant Hill had given him, and walking inside.
He walked through the halls for a few minutes before he found the entrance to the launch control room, and he went to put in the code.
"I didn't sign on for this shit!"
Gordon froze at the sound of the voice for a number of reasons.
First, he was stunned that some Marines were still alive and had stayed inside to wait for him. The next, was because from the sounds of things, the Marines morale was at an all time low. And the final reason was because it was a woman's voice that was being spoken.
He frowned and pressed his ear to the door, his helmet's audio receptors picking it up for him.
"Roe, you gotta calm down." Another Marine said, this one a man, his voice having a pleading tone to it.
"Calm down? Calm down!" The woman shrieked, "We're dealing with a fucking alien invasion, and the boss men have us going about and shootin' civvies. Not only that, but civvies that can probably help us stop it!"
"Roe, you know what the commanders said. These guys started it." A third Marine interjected, though he sounded unsure of himself.
"So?! We prosecute them and execute them afterwards, not now! We could force 'em at gunpoint to shut these things down. This is illegal, and idiotic!" The woman roared.
There was a long pause, then a sigh, "She does have a point…" The second Marine grumbled.
"Well what do you propose we do then?" The Third Marine demanded. "We're in the middle of a desert, with no place to go. Not to mention that we'd be shot for dereliction if we don't shoot civvies anymore; or shot for desertion if we try to leave."
Gordon sighed and prepared himself for a fight, then inputted the key and opened the door.
After a moment's thought, during which time he could hear the Marines scramble into position, he held his hands and MP5 out around the doorway. I don't want a fight… Please don't make me kill you. He thought, slowly stepping outwards and into the open.
It was three Marines and one corpsman (he didn't know which of the four hadn't spoken), and all four of them knelt behind the control panels pointing their weapons at him; but none of them fired.
He blinked rapidly in surprise.
All four weren't wearing helmets or masks, in fact, they looked to have been relaxing or resting before he'd shown up; which allowed him a good look at their faces.
Oh Jesus… They're practically kids. He thought, horrified.
The woman and two male Marines were all only 18 or 19 years of age at the oldest, and all three looked terrified; the woman having a bloody bandage over one eye. The Medic, or Corpsman, was the oldest of them, looking to be around Gordons age, with harsh steely eyes and blood soaked gloves and sleeves.
For a long moment, the four Marines glared at Gordon, and he glared right back at them; then he signed, "I suppose it would be too much to ask for one of you to understand ASL."
All four blinked in confusion, and he sighed loudly; then walked over to one of the computers, opened up Microsoft Word, set the text to the biggest setting it had; then he typed, "I don't want to fight."
The Marines all stared at him for a moment, and the woman (girl really) said in a shaky voice, "H-h-how do we know that. You slaughtered our brothers out there."
Gordon clenched a fist, then typed, "You attacked me and my colleagues first." He took a breath, then added, "I overheard what you all said. We didn't start this, not intentionally. Let me launch this Rocket, it should start fixing things."
The Corpsman scoffed, "And why should we trust you?" He asked.
Gordon shrugged, "What do you have to lose? I launch it, you all can grab one of the security sedans and take off towards Mexico or Texas; they should have the fuel for it if you load up enough cans."
Then he cracked his neck, "Or, we can fight here and now; and you die. My suit is better than your PCV's in every way, and if I were to hazard a guess; you're all low on charge, given how none of your cuts and scrapes have healed." He noted.
The four of them exchanged looks, then slowly, one by one, they lowered their weapons; and Gordon breathed a sigh of relief and clamped his own MP5 to his back.
The woman swallowed again. "Launch this damned rocket, then leave. You come back, we'll shoot you. Got it?"
"Understood… And thank you."
Cayde whistled a merry tune to himself as he piloted his ship, ignoring the glares of irritation the Exo Stranger kept throwing at him from her passenger seat. He enjoyed singing whenever he was flying, it felt right to him; plus it kept things from getting too quiet. He didn't want to think about his wife, his son, his…
He shook his head and started singing the first song that came to his mind, stomping his feet and nodding his head to the tune playing in his head.
"Listen to the jingle, and the rumble, and the roar,
"As she glides along the woodlands,
"Through the hills and by the shore,
"Hear the mighty rush of the engine,
"Hear the lonesome hobo's call,
"Traveling through the jungle,
"On the Wabash Cannonball!"
He could see out of the corner of his eye, Elsie was staring at him as if he'd gone insane; and he could tell that she was seriously regretting riding shotgun in his ship; as opposed to borrowing one from Amanda or buying one of her own.
Well too bad bitch! My ship is the only one with a co-pilot's chair. He thought, grinning at the other Exo as they continued to fly.
A loud beep drew his attention, and Elsie immediately reached across his chest and practically slammed her hand down on the button to answer the hail. "Yes?!" She snapped, her eyes flashing red for a moment.
There was a long pause, and then Ikora's voice drifted out of the speaker; and Cayde could hear the amusement dripping out of the Warlock Vanguard's voice. "I see you're not enjoying the ride, Elsie."
"I want off this insane person's ride." Elsie replied, "I'll ride on the outside while duck taped to it so I don't have to listen to him singing or whistling."
"Well… Sorry to say, but we've got a transmission from the Awoken Queen; Mara Sov." Ikora stated, her voice turning serious. "Can we afford the distraction?"
The Exo Stranger leaned back in her seat, while Cayde took the opportunity to interject his own thoughts. "I think we can afford a small delay; I haven't felt any murderous urges or anything like that. I think a distraction would help."
Elsie narrowed her eyes at him, then turned her attention back to the comms channel, "It would depend on what she's asking our presence for."
"...She wants out help in dealing with Savathun, and removing the Witch Queen's Worm Familiar."
Cayde stopped tapping his foot and slowly turned to look at the Stranger; Elsie doing the same with him. "I say let's neuter that insect bitch." Cayde said.
"Agreed."
A/N: Happy 4th of July Ladies and Gents.
-I hate writing short chapters, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to add that wouldn't be fillar. This was, as the chapter title suggests, a "Meanwhile" chapter; meant to show what's been going on with everyone else while our main hero's were in Xen.
-From this point forward, I do plan to split up Xen Effect a little bit; with ⅔'s to ¾'s of the chapter focusing on Xen, and the last bit focusing on what goes on outside.
-Liara stripping naked then putting her lab coat on is a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean 3; I'll let you figure out what (rather obvious though).
To clarify something, Liara and Jon were romanced in this series equivalent to ME1; but after the QueensWatch brought Jon back to life, he and Liara had a rather brutal falling out. I won't say much, but it does involve some destroyed rooms and some surgery for both.
Jon at the moment is unromanced, though I think all y'all can see that'll be changed soon.
-So, when I talked with PyreElegy (check out The Songbird and his latest story, Ouroboros), I kinda realized just how much I fucked up with the Destiny timeline. Among other things, Savathun shouldn't be captured yet; but I had a simple explanation to fix it for you Destiny fans.
Savathun infiltrated the Last City sometime during the first game, using one of Ikora's Hidden instead of Osiris (given how Osiris is still alive). Whisper, Cayde, Ikora, Petra, and Queen Mara captured her. Simple as that.
-Gordon encountering Marines that don't want to fight doesn't happen… or rather, this is modified from the canon scene. When Gordon goes to launch the rocket, if he sneaks about he runs into 2 Marines complaining about having to kill civilians and contemplating who ordered this illegal operation. It doesn't stop them from trying to kill Gordon once he reveals himself; but I felt it was a scene that could be made into something a little more.
-Before anyone asks (even though I made it clear in the text), yes, Tali is related to the Queen; but it's more along the lines of them being great however many times cousins, to the point that they only really share a name and a distant ancestor.
-Prince Doran is (contrary to his name) based off of Prince Oberyn from Game of Thrones; but you'll see more of that in later chapters.
-I know ME fans are going to point out that Liara is an Asari and wouldn't have any problems with going nude in front of people. I'd like to point out that there is a difference between no nudity taboo, and having no shame; Liara doesn't want to go naked, so she feels it more acutely.
Secondly, Liara spent a lot of time with Jon, Tali, Garrus, and everyone else (the majority of whom are Quarians); and people pick things up from other cultures. Among other things, Liara is more of a prude (at least around Quarians) since she knows what showing skin means to them.
-Beyond that, please leave a review and let me know what you guys think; the feedback is my lifesblood that keeps me going.
A TV Tropes page would be loved and appreciated.
And I will see ya when I see ya.