The void key built into Nyx's ship rippled, tearing open a deep roiling blue portal that the tiny arrowhead plunged through. When it emerged from the crippling disorientation of void travel she grunted in pain and tried to ignore the fresh wave of sobs from the mutilated girl. She could still remember the agony that had accompanied her first use of a void key. Eventually she became desensitised to that particular brand of agony but she could still remember her first time. It had hurt.
She forced herself to ignore the girl's whimpering as her ship docked in the dojo's hangar. Whispering what she hoped were soothing words, she picked up the mutilated girl and stepped out of her ship, breaking into a sprint as she headed for the medical bay.
Passing out of the semicircular hangar, she found herself in the entrance hall, the dark neo-gothic temple decor flashing by as she sprinted the length of the hall, passing through the door at the other end and into the Grand Hall. The cavernous chamber was quickly filled with the sound of armoured feet slapping on stone floor as she took a left, sprinting down the corridor to the medical wing.
Bursting through the door, she set the girl on a bed and tapped a button, bringing the dojo's AI to awareness.
"Welcome back, Tenno Shepard."
She removed her crested helmet, allowing bright red hair to cascade down her back. Better the girl see a human face than a blank mask. She reached out and, after a moment of feeling around the unfamiliar catches, removed the girl's mask.
Her first thought was how stunningly pretty the girl was. Her second thought was that she clearly wasn't human.
"Uh ... EDI?"
There was a momentary pause as even the AI was dumbstruck.
"A full body scan is required to determine the extent of her injuries."
Still barely able to believe it, Shepard began peeling away the alien girl's suit.
###
Tali's awareness was reawakened by the feeling of cold air blowing across skin that had never felt cold air before. She started, tried to wriggle out of the grip of whoever was taking off her suit but strong hands held her down. She cracked open her eyes to see a female Corpus with flame red hair looking down at her, saying something in the Corpus language. Naturally, she only struggled harder.
The Corpus shouted something over her shoulder and an enormous tank in heavy black armour with white highlights strode into the lab they had moved her to, grabbing her forearms and pinning them either side of her head as the torso section of her suit was pulled off. Her knee-jerk reaction was to try and cover herself but she couldn't while held down. One of her arms was yanked straight to the side, the sleeve being tugged off in one motion, then returned to its previous position as the other sleeve was removed as well. She tilted her head and tried to bite the fingers that held her down but the sudden movement brought on a bout of dizziness as her boots were tugged off, then her leggings and finally her undershorts. Her struggles renewed but she could feel her injuries sapping her strength. Really, all she could do was non-verbally express her displeasure as the two armoured forms shifted her to a table with what looked like a rectangular lamp hanging above it and started doing up leather straps, completely immobilising her. She couldn't even tilt her head. Summoning the last of her strength, she snarled out a hated sentence.
"Fuck you Corpus. Just kill me and get it over with."
Then she passed out.
###
"Poshel na'khuy Corpus. Prosto ubeyte menya, i pokonchim'setim."
Shepard turned, one brow raised. It was the first time she had heard the alien speak what was undoubtedly her native language. It sounded almost like the Grineer language, but with a far more melodic, lyrical flow to it and occasionally interspersed with a couple of sounds halfway between a buzz and a click that she was certain no Human-derived life form could make. When she looked back the girl was unconscious.
"You get some rest James, make sure Ash and Kaidan aren't blowing anything up. I'll stay here and wait for the tests to finish."
James removed his helmet, revealing his mohawk and neck tattoos.
"You sure, Lola?"
"I'm sure."
He paused for a moment.
"Alright. See you later."
She absent-mindedly waved at James as she examined the unconscious alien strapped to the scanning table. Her form was surprisingly humanoid, almost with an elfin delicacy about her yet a sense of wiry strength in her lithe arms and legs. She was slender yet perfectly formed, smoky grey skin shot through with faintly bioluminescent silver lines, slightly Oriental features framed by ebony locks of silky hair.
"Scan complete, Tenno Shepard."
Forcibly tearing her eyes from the alien, she looked up at EDI's holographic avatar.
"What have you found?"
"The data packet recovered from the Corpus ship had significant information on the anatomy of this species, referred to as Quarians. Based on the degree of her injuries I estimate that she has less than twelve hours to live."
Shepard sat sharply upright.
"Clarify."
"Her immune system is compromised and several of her wounds are infected. Our medical equipment cannot operate on her, her physiology is too different, and based on these records any attempt to administer antibiotics could cause an allergic reaction."
Shepard's hands curled into fists.
"Unacceptable. What course of action carries the highest chance of survival?"
The AI was silent for a moment.
"There is one course of action that will give her a chance at survival. You're not going to like it."
"Anything."
There was another brief pause, EDI trying to process the ramifications of what she was about to say.
"She carries Orokin interface genes."
EDI was right. Shepard didn't like it. But it was the only way.
"Alright. Prep the Mag for integration."
###
The Hierarchy assault dreadnought Proud Shield of Palaven fired its plasma torpedoes, the enormous blue bolts of destruction taking almost three seconds to traverse the distance between it and the Corpus battlecruiser it was targeting despite travelling at near half lightspeed. The target vessel, already with shields down and armour compromised by a wave of frigates, never stood a chance. The missiles ripped through the Corpus hull, splitting the ship in half even as the Proud Shield slewed round to bring her forward batteries to bear on the next target.
The Palaven class, and her smaller cousin the Menae class heavy cruiser, were the only ships in the Turian arsenal considered to be superior to their Corpus equivalent. The vessels were designed, ironically, using technological breakthroughs provided by a small fleet of captured Corpus ships and imcorporated all the goodies the Corpus brought, combining with the mastery of element zero only hundreds of years of experience could bring to boost their reverse engineered Corpus tech far beyond the wildest dreams of its creators.
On the bridge of the Proud Shield, Admiral Adrian Victus crossed his arms as he watched his ship's forward battery spit out another volley of plasma torpedoes, the four projectiles splitting off to each track a different Corpus destroyer. He heard a familiar set of footsteps coming up behind him and tried not to show the shit eating grin his face reflexively reassembled itself into in the presence of his marine commander. Popular among subordinates, demonised by superiors and an inherent need to do anything but stand on ceremony - he and Commander Garrus Vakarian were often jokingly referred to as long lost brothers.
"These Corpus never learn, do they. This is the third time this month they've tried to run Relay 314."
Victus chuckled and shook his head.
"They never do. All dreadnoughts, focus barrage on this target on three."
At the end of the countdown all six dreadnoughts in the task force assigned to protect Relay 314 fired their main weapons at the target in question, twenty four plasma torpedoes bracketing the unfortunate Corpus battleship and dropping its shields in one blow. Nodding in satisfaction, Victus tasked three bomber squadrons to take out the now defenceless battleship, turning his attention back to Garrus.
"I don't think this is going to be enough. Look how far we've come in just the last six years alone, four kilometre long dreadnoughts, plasma weapons, us fighting alongside Quarian and Batarian fleets and still the Corpus are slowly pushing us back. Sure we've fought them to a standstill in places, pushed them out of others but mathematically they're taking more territory than they're losing. We need a game-changer."
###
Shepard sat in the chair watching as the modified Mag warframe slowly integrated the wounded girl inside it. At one point she tensed as from behind the Mag's helmet issued a bloodcurdling scream, the pain of the symbiotic connection not something she ever wished to revisit, yet it was necessary to save the girl's life. Then she lay still for almost twenty minutes as an increasingly worried Shepard resisted the urge to interfere. Finally she stirred.
Her head tilted minutely, as if examining her surroundings. Then she caught sight of Shepard and scrambled backwards, letting out a panicked yelp as she tumbled over the edge of the table and crawled crabwise along the floor, pushing herself into the nearest corner. Shepard didn't blame the girl - she had read the recovered Corpus datamass detailing the sick pseudo-science they had been doing and punched a dent in the medical room's wall. No wonder she was traumatised. Understanding that hearing Orokin, the same language the Corpus spoke, would unnerve her even further, Shepard slowly approached, hands held out placatingly as she made what she hoped were soothing noises.
"Keelah! Ostav'menya va pokoye Corpus! Ne prikasaya komne!"
Ignoring what was no doubt some colourful language in the alien's native tongue, she tapped a button on her wrist. The girl screamed softly as a hologram of a Corpus trooper appeared in the room. Shepard made sure she had the girl's attention before trying to communicate.
She pointed at the hologram.
"Corpus."
Then she pointed at the girl.
"Quarian."
Then she pointed to herself.
"Tenno."
She repeated a couple of times, then sat back on her haunches as the girl in the Mag warframe looked at her. Eventually she spoke, raising one finger to point at Shepard.
"Tenno. Ne Corpus?"
Taking a wild guess, Shepard nodded.
"Ne Corpus."
The alien sat down heavily, cradling her head in her hands and speaking to herself in her language.
"Y'a soboden. Koncheno, y'a soboden. Ne veryu."
Then she promptly burst into tears, making Shepard rush over to her and embrace her. The Quarian wrapped her arms around Shepard, clinging on as she wept.
After what seemed hours but couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes, the alien stopped crying, sniffling slightly as she picked herself up off the floor. Shepard couldn't help but be fascinated by the way her digitigrade legs bent as she moved. The girl pointed to herself.
"Tali."
After a moment Shepard repeated the gesture.
"Tali."
Tali nodded, then tilted her head and pointed at her. Taking the hint, she gestured at herself.
"Ellen."