Mass Effect: Each Story Has A Million Tales.
Summary: "There is always more than just one side to a story- and more than one lesson to learn. Follow Garrus Vakarian as he stands by a promise that he means to keep, contemplates the true meaning of life, death, and the ultimate sacrifice, and as he confronts someone who should have been behind him all along. Follow Adelais Vakarian as he mends a broken bond, and as he comes to terms with a terrible loss of his own. Follow Kolyat Krios as he navigates through a very dangerous place, only to find another- under the guidance of someone who may or may not be there at all. And follow Commander Joleen Shepard as she goes through her past and present, only to find herself in the middle of a battle for her future." (Garrus' Story: 'The Promise-Keeper.' Adelais' Story: 'The Old Soldier.' Kolyat's Story: 'The Wanderer.' Shepard's Story: 'The Missing.')
Warning: "This is a heavy one- some swearing, angst, implied adult situations, adult situations, a few character deaths, violence, and blood. All the big ones this time. Remember, this is my Shepard, my feelings on the game and what should have happened and will happen, with my own opinions and storyline, so no nasty comments. Got it? Good." (Commander Joleen Shepard: War Hero, Earthborn. Soldier. Paragon. Romanced Kaidan Alenko in the 1st game, Garrus Vakarian in the 2nd and 3rd. Shot and killed Udina during the Citadel Coup.)
Disclaimer: "I do not own Mass Effect. At all. So don't make me say it again."
Author's Note: "Just so you all know, the name 'Adelais,' is Latin for 'Noble,' and the name 'Carissa' means 'the most beloved one.' Personally, I just thought the two names fit the story and what the characters were meant for."
WARNING: I TOOK MASSIVE CREATIVE LIBERTIES WITH THIS ONE.
N._.S._.S
Chapter Sixty-Six: The Missing XIV.
The open vastness of space is a beautiful, but also truly terrifying, place to consider- the eternal darkness, lit up by tiny firefly-like stars millions upon trillions of miles away, and the endless openness, and its forever-silent crevices, hidden only by an unimaginative mind.
And it was out of this beautiful, yet terrifying darkness that the Catalyst created the very first Reaper.
The Reapers were first created by the Catalyst eons ago, when the first organic beings walked the Galaxy. The original purpose of these gargantuan machines was first to give a watchful curious eye to the growing organic civilizations, but as these civilizations grew, the Catalyst began to notice, as did their rivalries with different clans and families alongside them, resulting in genocides and wars that devastated entire planets and systems.
The Catalyst decided to take matters into its own hands as it watched all of these civilizations, without fail, unwittingly create an AI similar to the Geth, only to be consequently wiped out each time by their own creations.
The time frame for each of these so-called "Cycles" leveled out to every 500,000 years, and with the Catalyst's creation of the Mass Relays, the time of the Reaper's estimated arrival time was more precise, more accurate- plus, the Galaxy would be more spread out, thus allowing the Reapers more access and ease when they arrived.
But for all its genius and confidence in his own plans, each option as carefully deliberated on in their own right, the Catalyst truly underestimated the organics' cunning and self-sacrificing courage, and the organics began to do the unimaginable:
They began to fight back- uniting as one to destroy the Reapers.
It was then the Catalyst decided a "dagger" of sorts was needed to stop this.
That dagger became known in the future as Terra Firma.
Then, later, as Cerberus.
Terra Firma and Cerberus, supposedly pro-Human, never acted on that propaganda. Its core leaders were already indoctrinated by the Catalyst, stemming from almost the time of birth during the near-time of the Reaper's arrival. They were to impede Galactic peace and politics, making the Galaxy unlikely to unite in the future.
However, still, the Catalyst underestimated the organics' stubbornness.
Each generation, without its knowledge and even without that of its spies, even that of Sovereign, the organics each put input into what would eventually be called the Crucible- the one device in the Galaxy that would have allowed them to have three choices:
To destroy the Reapers, and bring "peace" to the Galaxy.
To control them, and gain an imaginable, God-like power.
Or to merge with them, making their purpose, and beyond them, the Catalyst's wishes, invalid.
But there was one more requirement.
Only one willing to completely destroy themselves could enter the Catalyst's sanctuary in the Citadel, and only that one organic being could make the choice to save the Galaxy.
That requirement also meant that there would be few to survive- most of them sacrificed themselves for others, or else died for another worthy cause.
That list became shorter and shorter as the Reaper War of 2186 took more and more lives; and ended with only one person out of the three that scarified everything short of themselves to make it to the Catalyst.
Out of those three, only one would make it out alive.
The one who the Catalyst chose personally.
Her name was Commander Joleen Shepard of the Alliance.
A Human.
And the Catalyst's greatest servant.
N._.S._.S
The Catalyst stood, hands clenched in its hoodie pockets, grinning at the Reaper in front of it like all of this was one big practical joke to him. Beside him, Commander Joleen Shepard stood, hands clasped nicely behind her back, lips curved in a soft smile, and glasses sitting precariously at the bridge of her nose.
The boy-God turned its head over at Shepard, and its smile grew. It took a step back, hands still clenched in its pockets, and mirroring his move, Shepard took a step forward- it was a small move, but a confident, unhesitating one.
She looked up at the Reaper's crimson "eye," that was slowly beginning to fire an attack-
Point blank.
The Galaxy has chosen its path, Shepard spoke, her voice echoing strongly, valiantly, reverberating throughout the suddenly entirely still Galaxy, smile still clear on her lips, And so be it.
She lifted her hand, and, as if on silent command, the Reaper's eye clicked off-
Suddenly vacant and empty of life and crimson.
Destroy!
Shepard's eyes blazed crimson for a fraction of a second, and her voice was in an inhuman roar.
And, slowly, the Reaper began to dematerialize. Slowly, the black hull and black metal began to unhinge, piece by piece, their size rivaling that of only a fingertip. They swirled around her, and began vortexing into Shepard's still-outstretched hand, and as they disappeared into her, her azure form grew brighter and brighter, as if pulsing with the sheer power of what she were absorbing.
In one more single, powerful pulse and a bright, blinding flash of white light, the Reaper was gone.
Shepard slowly lowered her hand back to her side, and turned her back on the now empty place where the Reaper, less than a minute ago, was about to attack. Her eyes were bright white, instead of azure, with no irises or even pupils to speak of; as if she were possessed by a Demon-
Or perhaps, something akin to a God.
The Catalyst gave her a nod, and this time, he spoke up as she returned to his side, his voice even more powerful than Shepard's, and was filled with something that made everyone close to it shake with trepidation and awe- especially within the hearts and very souls of those of his enemies.
I am the Catalyst, the boy announced, carelessly, his young face giving off not a care in the Galaxy, as if he were addressing a horde of angry children instead of a fleet of trained soldiers, And I no longer need you.
Cerberus, it continued, its voice not arrogant or imposing- sounding akin to perhaps a patient teacher explaining a difficult task or concept to his students, You do not realize the extent of your own Indoctrination- nor do you understand the consequences of it.
You believe the words of your long-since dead leader, the Illusive Man, as though they were the word of a deity or more, the boy-God states, mildly, But the truth is, he murdered at will and used all of you to further the work of the Reapers, and even then ultimately failed.
As the Catalyst spoke, Shepard stepped forward, eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion, and even apprehension, as she stared unblinkingly out at the small cluster of Cerberus ships before them. She still had her arms behind her back, and she still looked calm- but the air around her changed into a suddenly deadly, utterly dangerous one, as one of the smaller ships, a stealth-and-attack one, darted in and out of formation.
You will fail here once more, and you shall never again return, if you attack me now, the boy says, matter-of-factly, And what's more, you will be destroyed by the enemies you once thought long since dead.
The Catalyst outstretched its arms, as if in a daring, "come at me" position, as Shepard stepped forward again, her fingers of her left hand slowly and surreptitiously wrapping around her middle and index one of her right hand, facial expression growing calmer again as the silence drew on.
Then, suddenly, a shot was fired.
And all hell broke loose.
Shepard didn't even have time to react.
The shot went directly through the middle of her chest, making the young woman's bright white eyes widen in shock. The Catalyst turned its head, azure eyes widening a fraction of an inch, and then vanished, just like that, into thin air, and the tiny, white-hot azure particles he just happened to left behind when he vanished disappearing, just seconds later, into nothing.
There was a jagged, crimson wound in her chest now, and Shepard touched it, flinching, looking back at the suddenly engaging ships and eyes flashing as they all began shooting-
At her.
Joleen gripped the wound and extended her palm again.
Defend! She commanded, sharply, as if this were just another old mission with her old crew, her voice still unearthly strong and resonating despite the jagged wound in her chest-
Defend!
N._.S._.S
She lay spread eagle on the floor, eyes wide open- so wide, the whites showed. Instead of her old, rich dark chocolate brown, her eyes were now a startlingly bright azure.
When the shot hit, her entire body jerked.
After that, however…
Nothing.
Even as blood began to stain the blue-and-gold uniform.
As a bead of blood slid silently from slightly parted lips, down her chin.
As the blood began to pool underneath her.
Her azure eyes flickered back to brown for a split second before returning to their bright, striking azure.
N._.S._.S
Yeah, yeah. Major creative liberties.
I warned you. XD
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It means everything to me!