DISCLAIMER – I do not own Mass Effect franchise, the story, or any of its characters. All rights go to Bioware.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Sorry for a bit of a delay in posting this chapter. It was already written, but I didn't feel that it was good enough, so I made a conscious decision to rewrite it. I had always driven myself with the adage that Quality beets Speed, which means that I feel it is more important to enjoy the creation.
I loved the reviews! I hope there's more!
And to answer DocKucCRO, since he posted as a guest – No, Jaina does not get to be indoctrinated on the basis of her eyes being cybernetically enhanced – and yes, they're merely cybernetically enhanced for the purposes of her infiltration specialization, not fully artificial.
Besides, I refuse to use the theory that just because you have implants in your body, you're bound to get indoctrinated. I mean, come on, people, if the indoctrination worked solely because you have electro-mechanic implants in your body, a mere high-end pacemaker would spell your doom!
And yes, I have the fully-developed theory on how the indoctrination works, which I will use in this work when the time comes much later on.
And don't forget those reviews! :-)
Chapter posted on 10.2.2017.
Tags: Action, Sci-fi, Adventure, Friendship building, Love.
Rated M – for mature and adult themes.
Enjoy…
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Chapter 16 – The Mind Meld
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Marcus headed directly toward the comm room without even removing any of his gear. He tapped a few keys on the console and waited. Less than a minute later, the holographic projectors activated, and all three of the Councilors appeared.
"Commander Shepard," Tevos greeted him. "We had received information several hours ago of the Geth attack on Feros."
"What is the situation, Shepard?" Sparatus asked.
"The situation has been resolved, Councilors," he spoke. "The Geth have been defeated, and the colony has been saved."
"Those are excellent news!" Tevos replied.
"Have you found the Cipher artifact the Saren was after?" Valern queried.
"I did," he replied. "But Cipher is not a Prothean artifact. It's an information repository on the Protheans that was stored within a sapient alien life form that is endemic to Feros. We're dealing with the First Contact scenario here, Councilors."
"A sapient life form on Feros," Tevos repeated in wonder. "That is an important piece of news, Commander."
"Strange," Valern commented. "How is it possible that these Feros natives escaped the Council's detection when Feros was explored all those centuries ago?"
"It's not natives we're talking about," Marcus said. "It's a plant."
"A plant?!" Sparatus exclaimed in skepticism.
"A single, millions of years old, fully sentient and highly intelligent plant, whose neural tendril network spans the entire continent at the very least and which has the capability analogous to that of asari melding, as well as significant mind controlling abilities via airborne spores, irrelevant of the species. It is called the Thorian."
The Councilors were looking at him dumbfounded, their eyes wide, and mouths consciously kept shut. Tevos was the first to recover after she swallowed a lump.
"Was the First Contact peaceful?" she asked tentatively.
"As of now – yes," Marcus said. "The ExoGeni corporation discovered it some months ago, directly underneath Zhu's Hope colony, and decided to cover it up and use colonists as lab rats. I have taken actions to right the wrong, and the Thorian has agreed to release the colonists and cooperate with us."
"Thank the Goddess," Tevos visibly relaxed.
"Indeed," Sparatus said gravely. "But this Thorian is still a great threat if it can really control minds. Contingencies need to be considered."
"Your only viable contingency would be to burn half of a garden world with still barely explored Prothean ruins, Councilor," Marcus said pointedly, glaring at him. "You might temporarily lobotomize the Thorian by killing its brain, but one of its numerous ganglia would reform into a new brain in a couple thousand years. Frankly, I don't understand why you're so keen to treat it as a hostile if it has expressed its peaceful intentions in the end, but if you do, then you better be prepared to destroy an entire planet."
"Nobody is taking any hostile actions against a species this unique," Tevos said firmly with a sideways cutting motion. The turian shut his mouth stoically.
"You said that this Thorian had Cipher on him, Commander?" Valern asked, taking his chance. "You said it's an information repository?"
Marcus nodded. "The Cipher is a… genetic information on the Protheans – basically a psychic imprint of a Prothean's own neural network that the Thorian had possessed, which is needed for the beacon imprints to be understandable. Saren was after this. He got it. But Thorian gave it to me, as well, via Thorian's own mind meld."
"Was it effective?" Tevos asked after a moment of processing.
"Yes, all things considered," Marcus replied. "The way I understand, my own neural pathways need to reconfigure to resemble those of a Prothean in order for me to understand Prothean beacons. The time is needed for it to settle in properly, but I can say for sure that information is already becoming clearer by the hour. Saren did not get the Cipher directly from the Thorian, but via poly-meld through asari that served him. Thorian declared its way as more efficient."
"And what about Saren now?" Sparatus asked.
"He has disappeared," Marcus replied. "Pursuit was impossible. His dreadnought, dubbed the Sovereign, has shown its firepower. It is beyond impressive. No information on his intention was uncovered. I am going to need everything that can be found on Saren. Any shred of information."
"Our agents are still investigating on anything pertaining to Saren," Sparatus said. "But the investigations have come to a great snag."
"It is as you have feared, Commander," Valern said. "Our investigating agents have confirmed that Saren had set up a huge amount of assets outside of the Citadel Space – something which we hadn't expected, and thus have no proper means of investigating."
"We will forward everything we have of whatever we do manage to find as soon as possible," Sparatus said.
"And may I say it was a great accomplishment with the Thorian, Commander," Valern added. "Studying it will be most interesting."
"Be careful what you consider under "studying", Councilor," Marcus said dryly. "Thorian can spawn walking soldiers from its plant mass in a matter of seconds. Read the report I will be sending you, and watch the cam recordings before you decide anything. The Thorian is more alien than you realize. Walking into this with your usual approach will not work."
Valern blinked, then nodded. "I will look forward to that report, then, Commander," he said sincerely.
"Is there be anything else, you need to say, Commander?" Tevos asked.
"Just a heads-up: I will be heading directly to Earth to settle the incident the ExoGeni has caused."
"Are you sure? It would be simpler to leave it to the diplomats."
"With all due respect, Councilors, but these are private corporations, not Systems Alliance, and I know how to make sure that no other breach of this type of Galactic Civil Rights occurs ever again."
"Very well, Commander," Tevos said. "Good hunting."
With that, she ended the comm.
"So – Earth?" Jaina asked from behind him. She had entered the room just a few moments ago.
"Yeah," he replied as they moved out onto the crew deck. "Gear down, then we will meet up with Liara."
"The meld?" Jaina asked.
"I'd like you to be there," he replied simply.
"Whatever you need," she stated, to what he nodded.
Thirty minutes later, the Normandy was putting a good distance between them and the Theseus system. The safety of the ship at FTL was enough to melt the pressure of the tumultuous day, and the ground team crew felt as cozy as sugar cubes in water. Marcus, however, had one more thing to do for the day.
"So, how is this supposed to work, Liara?" he asked as Jaina and Liara walked with him into the med bay. The place was empty, save for the three of them. Doctor Chakwas had retreated, opting to give them some privacy for the sake of the peace of mind.
"You don't need to do anything, Commander," she said as she walked to the center of the room, then turned toward him. "It is the asari that does all the work. You don't need to brace yourself for anything. There will be no pain, there will be no pressure; you don't even have to think about anything. All you have to do is trust me."
"Fair enough," he said. "So, do we sit, or…"
"Standing, just like this, will be the most comfortable," Liara said, taking a tentative step into his personal space. "The meld will be exceptionally short – a few seconds, no more – but it will feel as though minutes had passed."
He nodded, spreading his arms. "Well, whenever you're ready," he said.
Liara nodded and raised her hands, touching the sides of his head.
"Relax, Commander," she said before closing her eyes and expanding her mind.
Their minds touched and Liara gently went forth to seek entrance. Instead, she met resistance. It was not conscious of him – he really did want to let her in, she felt it clearly; it's just that something else had shaken him up very recently, and his sub-conscious mind was all over the place. This couldn't do. Working on a hunch, she followed the chaotic threads and explored the cause of it… There!
She knew what to do now.
She broke the short-lived attempt at meld, opening her eyes and sharing a look with him, peering into his eyes searchingly. All she saw was a rock solid gaze. He didn't even realize how troubled he felt deep inside, she realized.
"Well?" Jaina asked eagerly from the side.
"We couldn't meld properly," Liara said, lowering her hands from his head and sending him a compassionate smile he didn't know what was for. "Your mind isn't quite at the properly relaxed state, I'm afraid."
"I was as calm as it could get," he said.
"Calm – yes, but not relaxed. There's a difference," she pointed out.
"Well… could you perhaps push through that obstacle?" he asked.
Liara raised her eyebrows in surprise before she slowly tilted her head in acquiescence.
"It is very much possible to do that, yes," she said reluctantly. "I could… force the meld and… make it arrange itself properly but such a thing would be very uncomfortable for you to the point of pain."
"Not a problem!"
"And it would basically make me feel like the filthiest of rapists."
"Oh…" He looked chastised. "Sorry, Liara,"
"It's forgiven," she said instantly, then turned to Jaina with a contemplative smile. "In fact… I think I might know how to solve that problem. Commander Jaina? Could I confer with you for a moment?"
"Anything," Jaina replied, stepping up from where she leaned against the med table.
The two of them moved to the other side of the medbay, out of his earshot.
"I know what the problem is," Liara spoke conspiratorially. "Marcus is still shaken up by the encounter that you have had with the Sovereign. He is not aware of it, but I have recognized it as clearly in that short meld as I look at you now."
Jaina raised her eyebrows in surprise, then cast a quick, worried glance his way.
"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly. "He doesn't look like it and I'm alive and well…"
She trailed off when she saw Liara sagely shake her head, smiling.
"It is not what it is consciously, but what it is in here," she said, touching Jaina's chest with her fingertips. "It is about what it is subconsciously. Have you ever had an experience that while not that scary, was sufficiently shocking that you had dreams about it? It's these dreams I'm talking about. They're not really scary; they're more of an annoying nuisance. Yet they still shake you up a bit at night. And then, it feels good for… someone to hold you close. Doesn't it?"
"Yeah…" Jaina said as realization dawned on her. "It kinda does, doesn't it?"
Liara nodded. "This is what I'm talking about. He needs you, Jaina. He doesn't realize it consciously, but his body and mind crave you – your touch. You two had had to keep up a façade of a pair of professional soldiers and hadn't so much as touched one another since early in the morning, not even after we returned from Feros. We, sentient creatures, can't work like that. We need hugs. We need to hold each other tightly to reassure one another. That is the best medicine there is."
Jaina pursed her lips in an attempt to force a smile down. "You know, for someone as young as you're claiming to be, you're surprisingly wise, aren't you, Doctor T'Soni?" she chided good-naturedly.
Liara grinned broadly, her gaze darting down bashfully.
"But you're right," Jaina said, then stole a quick glance at Marcus from the corner of her eye. "I didn't realize how it must've been for him. Ah, that poor oaf of mine. He must've been worried sick."
Liara giggled once before growing somber.
"I suggest we try this another time, Jaina," she said reluctantly after a moment. "We should do this after you two have had some… private time for yourselves."
"No," Jaina said quickly, taking Liara's hands into her own before she smiled conspiratorially. "No… I have a better idea. Listen… I know how to make him as loose as putty. You will be my winggirl on this. Okay?"
Finding herself at the spot, Liara could only nod slowly.
"Good. Now, here's what we're gonna do…"
The two women spent a few more moments conversing quietly with a muffled giggle or two before they turned and slowly crossed the span of the medbay back to Marcus who was leaning back against the medical bed with his hands crossed over his chest.
"You know," he spoke up jokingly as they entered the earshot, "when two or more females conspire like that, it brings up a bunch of red warning lights in the man's head. I had an urge to storm in and break up their little herd."
"Well, unfortunately for you, you haven't, which means you've already fallen deeply and firmly into our nefarious trap," Jaina declared as she walked around him, taking him by the left hand and leading him around the bed to its side, just as Liara encouraged him to follow by holding him by the bicep.
"Should I be worried?" he joked as he looked to both of the smiling women's faces.
"Not really," Jaina quipped as she hopped on the medical bed, sitting on the edge with her legs dangling over the edge and spread her knees, motioning at him invitingly. "Come over here now, big guy," she said more softly.
He hesitatingly turned his back on her and then felt Liara's hands on his abdomen, the young asari pushing him gently but firmly back toward Jaina. Her reassuring smile made him yield, and he let himself be led back until he felt his wife's arms sliding under his arms and around his torso, embracing him in a reassuring hug.
"There we go," she purred softly against his ear as she pulled herself up to his back and held him tightly. With her legs on either side of him and Liara stepping up close in front of him with a tight-lipped mysterious smile and a pair of blue radiant eyes, there was really nowhere else for him to go.
"There – see?" she said right next to his ear. "Like I said, you're trapped."
"Trapped between two beautiful women?" he pondered. "Can't see the downside."
"Mhm! That was us distracting you," she murmured as she began slowly massaging the back of his neck and his temples.
"That so?" He slowly leaned back into her grasp, appreciating her touch. "And from what might I ask?"
"Everything," she murmured as she felt him giving in to her ministrations.
He chuckled lightly as he relaxed, enjoying the sense of her front pressing into his back, her hands at his neck and head, and Liara's hands on his abdomen where she stood mere inches in front of him.
"You know, I could get used to this," he commented, smirking, his speech beginning to slur as his eyes closed down.
"Isn't that the point?" Liara said from closely in front of him, her voice having that naturally husky flavor.
"Hmm," he managed, the only remaining facilities in his mind dedicated to solely enjoying the moment.
"There we go," Jaina cooed right next to his ear. "I want you to think about there being no more Reapers… no more Thorian… no more Council or Spectres, no more battles… There's just us, the three people exploring something new and amazing, without a worry in the universe. And all is right in the world."
Marcus tried to repeat their little adage, but the massage and Jaina's soothing voice in his ear had melted his mind into a gooey state. All he could do was grunt in appreciation of what the woman was doing.
Jaina grinned happily in satisfaction, nodding at Liara. The young asari had been observing everything in amazed rapture, her eyes wide and attentive, her cheeks lightly blushing, her smiling lips slightly parted.
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she sank back into the absolute calmness. Her hands rose to Marcus's head as Jaina's retreated lower to keep massaging his neck, and she planted her fingers on the sides. The calm and relaxed expanse of Marcus's mind greeted her.
"That's good, Commander," Liara said. "Relax – just like that – and embrace eternity."
Their minds flared and expanded like a supernova, merging into a whole new state of expanded senses.
They felt their focus enhance, sharpen, their capacities, logic, and reasoning empowered beyond any measure. Their speed of thought and understanding exploded, the world around them coming to a grinding halt as their neurons flared like a trillion tiny suns, bringing a sensation of ultimate rush and power.
And it became clear to them in that instant that it was not two minds melded together. It was three.
The two, distinctly female minds were locked in a gentle embrace around the third, distinctly male mind, all three of them forming a single, thriving mass of psychic potential. It empowering. It felt good. It felt really, really good.
But how?
Liara, the main carrier of the meld tried to err on the side of caution to end the strange meld, but Marcus didn't let her. Before she could retreat, a primal, dominant part of his mind seized her firmly in place, and Jaina's fiery presence caught her in a firm embrace and urged her with a gentle mental caress to stay.
And Liara yielded, all too eagerly.
For a long, frozen moment, the three minds just toughed, feeling, sensing and familiarizing with one another, spreading their thought tendrils through each other like the small, tentative tongue kisses.
Liara's mind was cautious on the outside, forcibly calm, yet a sparkling, vibrant presence, full of energy was piercing through the outer shell. Determination. Potential. Immense strength.
To him, Jaina's mind was like a living fire, strong and energetic, warm and nurturing, passionate and unyielding, all of it revolving around a core of steel. She was to him in here, like he knew her out there.
Sensing these two women like this made him want to stay here forever. It felt that good. And due to the meld, he sensed that the two of them felt the same way.
But he had a job to do.
Focusing inward, he turned to the memories and imprints of the Prothean Beacon.
The chaotic mass of images and imprints swirled like a galaxy-sized swarm of jigsaw puzzle pieces. There, underneath it, though, lied a framework that the Cipher had placed on him. Some imprints had already landed into their rightful place.
Now, though, the moment the three of them focused their combined psychic powers on it, the swarm first exploded, and then began to coalesce.
As the first images and sounds found their rightful places, the coalescence began to accelerate, the complete images and memories driving the process behind them, forcing the spiral to congregate, and the full transfer of data to emerge, focused and superbly clear in its presence.
And the three of them witnessed the emergence of the clear and uncorrupted form.
The War. The tactical data.
The galaxy map spun slowly, showcasing Prothean worlds with surprising clarity, many of which nobody yet knew of. The tactical view showed the increasing tide of red sectors, marked with silhouettes of Reapers above them. Marcus recognized the oddity of the encroaching enemy: it didn't start from outside of the Prothean borders, but from the inside, dead center, where the image of the Citadel spanned. A transmission filled their ears, in which the frantic voice of a Prothean yelled in what to Marcus like some African accent:
"They had taken over the Citadel! We never saw them coming! The Prime Fleet has been obliterated within minutes of the first exchange. They have acquired all the data of our planets, census, defenses, communication protocols, all of our executive codes – everything that the Citadel had. There are hundreds of thousands of them, they are spreading strategically outward system-by-system, and they cannot be stopped. Listen to me, it was not the Inusannon, it was them that had constructed the mass relay network, and they know how to control it. They CANNOT BE STOPPED!"
Another set of images.
War footage: Prothean warships – white, cylindrical vessels with star-shaped rings encircling their girth – fighting against the multitude of Sovereign-class Reapers; the green particle beams of the Prothean vessels against the much more powerful molten metal red beams of the Reapers. The tactical data report showed the stark inferiority of Prothean particle weapons' range compared to Reapers' hybrid guns, and how Reapers utilized this brutally.
The war on the ground.
Smaller types of Reapers destroying Prothean ground troops. Diverse alien species could be seen constituting the Prothean army, all losing against the unstoppable onslaught; onslaught brought forth by Prothean's own people that betrayed them, now transformed into synthetic monstrosities. The images showed the influence of Reaper mind control. It showed how Reapers changed their victims, forcibly convinced them to abandon their proverbial humanity and become veritable machine husks and genetically engineered drones. Thousands of Protheans could be seen writhing in pods and on top of metal spikes the likes of which they saw on Eden Prime, as their flesh and organs were being infused and supplanted by synthetic parts by the microscopic nanite processes.
No matter how fiercely they fought – and fought fiercely they did – and no matter how advanced their weapons were compared to today's species, the Protheans were losing on all fronts. Bit by bit, system by system, planet by planet; until nothing remained, except one.
The last imprint showed a great, self-sufficient research outpost, secret and hidden since before the Reapers invaded. It showed how the heads of the outpost read the reports of the Reaper invasion and decided to hide in the vast bunkers in order to weather the storm, undiscovered by the Reapers. Hundreds of thousands of them entered advanced cryo-stasis pods and slept for hundreds of years, tasking a single VI to wake them up when the Reapers left. The task report showed how the energy levels were drained. Resources were being brought to their limit until the VI began to perform triage and shut down the pods of less essential personnel until only several dozen of top scientists remained after the Reapers had retreated through the Citadel relay, and into the dark space between galaxies.
The final imprint.
It explained that the secret project that the outpost had researched was the mass effect relay technology. It detailed the last act of defiance of the remaining Prothean scientists. It detailed them using the prototype mass relay, codename: Conduit, to enter the Citadel at the mass relay monument, and disrupt the Reaper's control of the station so it cannot properly open into the dark space. It showed the location of the world where the project "Conduit" was located at. Its name: Ilos.
The expanse of the three joined consciousness stood for a moment there, before they came to a mutual agreement to end the connection.
Liara's consciousness began to float away, distancing itself rapidly, the bond gently fading with her. Marcus suddenly became distinctly aware of his body as he was brought back into the confines of his own mind.
He held a dazed Liara in his arms, her forehead resting on his chest as her hands slowly fell from his temples and landed on his shoulders.
The young asari raised her head from his chest and looked up at him wide-eyed. He could see it clearly in her eyes: amazement, consternation, excitement, confusion. Arousal.
"By the Goddess!" Liara gasped breathily as she slowly pushed herself off of Marcus's chest.
"You alright?" he asked as he held her up.
Liara just nodded, speechless.
"Did that just happen?" Marcus asked, looking back at Jaina.
She was beaming back at him and down at Liara. "Sure did," she said breathily, then turned to Liara. "Thanks for bringing me along for the ride, Liara. That was definitely one of the topmost amazing experiences I've ever had!"
"That wasn't my doing," the asari replied in confusion as she looked from one human to another, slowly extricating herself from Marcus's grasp. "I don't know what happened."
"That was not the poly-meld you mentioned that Shiala did with Thorian and Saren?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Ah… no," Liara said as she raised her hand to her head crest. "The poly-meld requires me touching both of you, and working to keep the meld with the both of you, but that was not the case here. This was… easy… I felt us fall into this as naturally as if it was merely a single meld. I… I don't know how what happened between us was possible."
Jaina hopped down lithely from the medical bed and stepped up to Liara, taking her gently by the shoulders.
"First tell me are you feeling okay?" she demanded gently.
"Okay?" Liara laughed through a gasp. "I feel amazing! I feel revitalized. This was more than just a memory sharing meld."
"Good," Jaina smiled. "Because the sensation is mutual here," and she turned to look at Marcus, who nodded.
"Maybe it was because of the Cipher," Marcus proposed. "The Thorian's mind meld might have been completely different, and might have left traces of something that triggered this."
"That…" Liara started, "yes, that actually seems plausible! I… wow…"
"It enabled all of us to see the Eden Prime imprint," Jaina said.
"And what a terrifying discovery it is," Liara said shakily, remembering what she saw as she sat back against a lab desk and crossed her hands, holding herself tightly. "To find out that the Protheans had died in such… monstrous way. That such a thing was done to them…" she looked up, and pain and sorrow could be seen in her eyes. "Fifty years of archaeological research, hoping to find the reason for their extinction, hoping for even a glimpse of their lost technology… and now I got it. And I dread to think that even such an advanced species was defeated so one-sidedly by monsters that lurk in the dark that we never even suspected were there."
Jaina immediately stepped in close to Liara's side, touching the young asari's shoulder and the middle of her back supportively, the aftereffect of the meld making her exceptionally touchy-feely.
Marcus spoke up:
"You might think that your work on the Protheans might be for naught now, but you fail to realize that it's only the beginning," he said somberly. Liara raised her crystal blue eyes to look up at him hopefully as he continued:
"The Protheans are just a part of a larger mystery. They didn't create the Reapers. Somebody before them did – just like we theorized back on Feros. They didn't create the mass effect relays, but the Reapers did – or they were created by the very first species that the Reapers came from. You told us when we first met, Liara, that there is a cycle of extinction in the Galaxy, and that you had firmly believed it to be true when no one else did. Our task now is to seek for the slivers of information from the ages past, to seek and find anything that may help us find the way to stop the Reapers from doing to us what they did to the Protheans."
Liara straightened up, a new glow of determination showing in her eyes.
"Thank you, Commander," she said slowly. "I needed that."
"What are friends for," Jaina spoke up with a warm smile. "I have a feeling that it's time for our young Doctor T'Soni to rise up from archaeological dirt and take the bull that is the academic society by the horns, and direct it to find the information for her; for us."
"And I know just where to start," Liara declared in sudden revelation, eagerly turning toward Jaina and pointing a finger at her. "The world we saw in the shared experience."
"Ilos," Marcus said. "The resting place of the Conduit. That mass relay leads straight into the one on the Citadel."
"And everybody thinks it's just a monument," Jaina said incredulously, then looked at Liara. "How come nobody ever noticed this? Some kind of energy readings must've been noticed."
"Hardly," Marcus shook his head. "Remember Charon relay? It didn't radiate any energy whatsoever until they activated it. But that aside, I'm more worried as to the reason why Saren wants the Conduit."
"A back door that nobody is even aware exists," Jaina spoke his thoughts. "It has to have something to do with opening the Citadel to the dark space. He must have the information on what he needs to enable it."
"And we must find what it is, and counter it," Marcus nodded. "The information we need just might be located on the planet Ilos. The imprint held the instructions on which relays to take to get there."
"I'm afraid it is not that simple, Commander," Liara spoke up as she took a few steps around in contemplative thought. "The archaeological community has known of Ilos for some time, now. Coordinates were found in the same cache of data that held the coordinates to Feros, Aketan, and Nodaka, to name a few. However, the only way to Ilos is through the Mu relay, and the system that held the Mu relay went supernova about four thousand years ago. The relay is believed to be intact since few things can damage a relay, but the blast has thrown it out of orbit and into deep space. Nobody knows its exact trajectory."
"That is good, then," Jaina stated. "It means Saren doesn't know its location, either."
"Unless he found a way to find it," Marcus pointed out.
"Hardly," Liara said. "The region of space where the Mu relay was is the Shastan Cluster. That part of the galaxy was the Rachni territory. None of them are left to tell the tale."
"Maybe, but Saren doesn't strike me as the type of guy to let something like that stop him," Marcus said, then added, "I wouldn't let it stop me."
"Well, be that as it may, I think this puts us many steps ahead of Saren," Liara pointed out. "Your Cipher is now – well, deciphered! We have the location, and we know what Saren is planning in the first place."
"Right," Jaina said, enthusiasm seeping into her voice. "We can warn the Council now of Saren's plans. We can warn them that the relay monument is actually a small relay and that the Citadel is…" She trailed off, raising her eyes to meet Marcus's. "They're never gonna believe any of this, are they?"
"Not a snowball's chance in Hell," Marcus replied grimly.
"There has to be something!" Liara declared vehemently, turning her head sharply to the side, thinking hard.
"Small steps," Marcus cautioned. "They'll never believe the Citadel is, in fact, a gigantic mass relay, and even if they did, they'd never evacuate. I know exactly what would happen. They'd say that evacuating the whole station is unfeasible and that it'd cause a major political and economic destabilization, and the rule of the modern world is that money makes the rules." He shook his head. "Uh-uh… they won't do squat even if the Reapers were to pop on top of them and start towing the Citadel off with them.
"However," he continued, "we might be able to convince them to check out the "relay monument" if we say that we have the info that it is an actual miniaturized mass relay. They might put enough of an itch for them to want to send their research teams."
"That might work," Jaina acquiesced. "We contact them as soon as we exit in Hercules and find ourselves a comm buoy, then?"
Marcus nodded. Jaina sighed and rubbed her temples as she sat back against the med bed.
"Ugh, I hate politicians," she said. "Why can't they ever be pragmatic and simple?"
"They wouldn't get any voters," Marcus said dryly, to what all three people chuckled.
Liara spoke up, "Still, to think that a discovery this great might be buried under layers of bureaucracy…"
"It was some discovery alright," Jaina said as she leaned back with her hands against the medical bed. "And to become one of the people who truly know what happened with the beacon."
She then squinted at Liara through her auburn bangs, a bewildered smile spread across her lips. "And you're sure that kind of meld was never done by asari?"
"I wish I knew the reason as to why it truly happened, Commander," Liara said sincerely. "I wonder if it would ever be possible to repeat something like that." Corners of her lips turned up into a smile as she looked down. "I… have to admit that the experience was… perhaps the most beautiful and exhilarating melding experience that I have ever had. At least to me."
"Then the feeling is mutual," Jaina said, smiling.
"And… you're not offended… or feel violated by being pulled into a meld against your will?"
"Hah-are you kidding?!" Jaina declared effervescently, hopping up from where she leaned and cupped Liara by the cheeks with both of her hands. "That meld was one of the most amazing experiences for both me and Marcus. We are not offended, and we are not reserved in any way. That was an amazing adventure between three friends, and if I'd ever get the chance to do it again, I'd hop right on that train without a second's hesitation! I say it, and I know that Marcus would say it – if he wasn't trying to act the tough, unmoving commanding officer of the most advanced warship in the Alliance Fleet, that is," she snarked teasingly at him.
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest, the smirk managing to fight its way onto the corner of his lips before he made a small, conspicuous wink at the giggling Liara whose cheeks were now released by Jaina.
"Thank you for feeling that way, Commander –"
"Jaina," the woman interrupted her. "Call me Jaina, and call him Marcus from now on. We're friends here. And it kinda helps the confusion as to who you're addressing."
"Hah… no argument there," Marcus declared wryly.
Liara smiled. "Then, thank you for feeling that way, Jaina," she said. "I'm glad you don't see the meld like many of the younger asari do – a means of gratification. It always was and always will be a special thing to me. I am glad we could share one form of it. And since the both of you are interested, then, maybe… when this frantic chase ends we could…"
"Yes," Jaina nodded. "We will."
Liara's eyes lit up brightly, and she nodded.
"Now, I think that it was enough excitement for one day," Jaina declared. "How about all of us retreat to the privacy of our rooms and get some shuteye."
The three people bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways, sending fleeting glances to each other as they went their way – Liara into the chamber adjacent to the med bay, and Marcus and Jaina onto the crew deck and toward their chambers, completely uncaring if any of the crew noticed the XO frequenting the CO's cabin; hell, they probably assumed everything anyway.
As the doors to the captain's cabin closed behind them, Marcus breathed a sigh of relief as he reached out and touched Jaina's hand.
A brief, murky swirl of moving images flashed in front of him. He was on the Normandy's Command Platform, and the tactical display showed a glaring red beam lancing from above and narrowly missing the Normandy before he heard Jaina's voice from his throat: "Dive!"
The images flashed and dissipated in a fraction of a second as if nothing had ever happened.
He shook off the weird sensation and pulled Jaina into him, and they shared a long, loving kiss. They rested their foreheads against each other and just enjoyed the tight hug.
"I was worried about you," he said. "I saw Sovereign's beam slice through that ancient Prothean tower from the distance. I knew it was you that it was targeting."
"Me? Stopped by something as insignificant as the death ray? Pffft!" she chuckled. "Besides, you're not getting rid of me that easily, buster."
He laughed. "Glad to hear it," he replied. He kissed her again, and then gave her a mock frown: "Mm, by the way – you seem to be anting up your resolution to seduce Liara."
"Yes," was a deadpan response, and she poked a finger into his chest in a mock-stern way. "And there's nothing you get to say about it."
"Oh, really," he challenged as he pulled her in tighter against him.
"Really," Jaina spoke with a sincere voice, not challenging back. "She's beautiful, smart like hell, and she's a wonderful being with whom you'd love to do more than just bang. Don't tell me you haven't noticed what she is like."
"Oh, I've noticed," he said. "Not that I'd mind having a pair of amazing, beautiful women at my sides… but it's not like I'm going to do anything about it when I have this woman," and there he squeezed her flanks possessively.
"Well, that's why you have me to do it for you," she spoke as she hugged him around the neck.
"However," he said with a serious tone, "You will do nothing that will compromise this ship's operational capacity. The crew knows the two of us are sleeping together; even if we didn't they'd assume we did, so no point in hiding that… and you will most certainly do nothing if Liara is not responsive to it."
"Oh, she's responsive, alright," Jaina said as she slowly pushed him backwards deeper into the room. "Haven't you seen how she looks at you? She has looked at you in that way since the day one. And before in the med bay, when we all somehow melded, I could sense it all in her as she watched your presence in that meld-scape. She was amazed, enraptured…"
They reached the bed's footing, and Jaina pushed him powerfully, and he landed on his back, sprawling across the bed.
He looked up at her in a pleasant surprise and saw her looking down at him from behind her auburn bangs, the hunger in her misted eyes radiating outward. She bit her lip and lowered herself onto the bed slowly, prowling forward on her hands and knees over him until she straddled his groin and pinned his hands against the bedding.
She ground her hot core against his hardening member as she spoke:
"You should have seen yourself in there," she all but gasped out. "To see yourself like Liara and I could see you."
"What was I like?" he asked, prompting her knowingly to let herself go.
Jaina growled, then purred.
"You. Were. Indomitable," she said, then dove into a deep and hungry kiss.
Time ceased and everything else faded away. All that remained were two lovers in the throes of passion, and carnal desire the only way for them to alleviate the aching need for each other. The only things that existed in the world were hot gasps and warm sweaty bodies that writhed in ecstasy long into the night.
Liara locked the only entrance into her appropriated chamber after she had returned from her evening shower. She removed her clothes, remaining only in a pair of white lacy panties before she threw on an old, comfy t-shirt she used as sleepwear.
She lied down on her bed and took a slow and deep, calming breath. Then another. And another, still. And despite her best meditation techniques, she couldn't get it out of her mind.
She sighed heavily as her thoughts were pulled back to the memory of the earlier meld she had with the two humans. Goddess, with both of them! She thought briefly. But even the fact of the unusual nature of the meld couldn't keep her mind from sticking right back to the memory of both Marcus's and Jaina's mental presences.
Liara hugged herself as she lied there, remembering the magnificent presence of Marcus. He was like a powerful, massive volcano – huge as a mountain, immovable and solid like a rock, strong and hard; and underneath that mighty shell, a torrent of contained liquid fire burned. It seeped forth through the small cracks of the mighty rock and bleeding down in glowing rivulets, though – a clear testament of how the fury he fought to contain spilled through the cracks when he fought. But it was on the peak that a gigantic caldera fumed and radiated all of the might that was hidden within, promising certain destruction if it were ever to erupt.
And Jaina. Jaina was like a hurricane of fire that swirled around a solid steel core. But she was not the fire that burned; she was the fire that brought warmth and protection, but that could utterly incinerate if it so desired. It was hot, and wild, and seductive, and in perfect control. And it swirled all around Marcus's mountainous volcanic presence. The two people were so in line with each other, that there seemed nothing in this universe that could oppose them should they so desire.
She realized then the stories she had heard, of how powerful individuals proved to give the greatest of melds due to their personalities, and she wished she could try the true sexual meld. She craved to bask in Marcus's and Jaina's presence so badly.
But she couldn't. Not like a lover. They were spoken to each other. Their friendship would have to do… wouldn't it?
Her mind flashed with an image she had accidentally stumbled onto during the meld – a brief glimpse of the two of them naked in a hotel room, writhing in ecstasy, doing things that… things she never…
Liara's core clenched hard. Before she even realized what she was doing, the covers were thrown off, her t-shirt was pulled and bunched up high, exposing her breasts, and her panties had already slipped down her shapely legs.
She gasped as the cool air licked her exposed skin, her already stiff nipples hardening even more. Her hands glided over her naked body, sending tingling, electrifying shocks into her mind as she writhed to the sensation. A low, involuntary moan escaped her lips, and she grabbed the hem of her shirt, biting it between her teeth to muffle the desperate sound of need from her lips.
Her fingers trailed down to her azure and traced the wet velvety folds as her other hand's fingers played with her nipple, a muffled whimper escaping her lips.
She thought on those two magnificent mental presences that she had seen during the meld as her fingers finally sank into the hot folds of her azure, and she ground the nub of her luna with her palm. She thought of them, desiring to be enveloped and scooped up by the wild fiery hurricane that was Jaina, and to be dunked into the molten caldera that was Marcus's core. She wanted the molten rock to grab her, solidify around her, hold her, keep her trapped, as the wildfire's fiery tongues licked all over and into her helpless body, the two people having their way with her.
Having their way with her…
Her tight, wet core spasmed around her fingers, hard. She exploded in wave after wave of pure, undiluted pleasure. Her mind was a blank slate, a single giant bundle of nerves that tingled and shook her, overtaking every sense for what seemed like a long time.
She came to, breathing hard, and her vision swimming. She hoped to Goddess that she didn't shout out in her ecstasy and be heard, and then hazily remembered that all doors on the Normandy were the soundproofed blast doors. She had enough of remaining facilities to pull up the covering sheet over her naked body before the blissful oblivion enveloped her into a sweet land of restful and content sleep.
.
32 hours later;
Earth, Sol System, Local Cluster;
North America West Coast, San Francisco Bay area;
.
"So, the Project: Thorian has been a failure," one of the present men said.
"Not necessarily," the CEO, Alexander Johansen, replied as he sat into the comfy leather chair at the head of the Board table, and took the datapad from the woman who worked as his assistant.
"The Species-37 samples were taken from Feros several weeks prior," he continued. "They were transferred to our facility on Nodacrux, and from there, a number of them were sent to our associates. Now, how did that go?"
The board members turned to the side to look at the holographic projection of a gray-haired, middle-aged man who sat on a chair.
"I'm afraid the venture was not as profitable as we had hoped, Mr. Johansen," the man said as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette. "The specimens had attacked the scientists, and destroyed our outpost on Binthu."
"The report said they were docile," one of the Board members said dubiously.
"They were," the Hologram Man said as he tapped the ash off of his cigarette, "but whatever happened on Feros has caused the shift in the creatures' demeanor. We believe that the Thorian itself instructed them to attack us via an as-of-yet unknown method of organic-based FTL communication since the attack was remarkably coordinated and efficient at eliminating several of our experienced agents."
"We haven't heard anything about this from our facility on Nodacrux," another member of the Board spoke.
"And you never will," the man replied. "My sources indicate that there already was an outbreak there, as well."
Alexander Johansen took a deep breath, then spoke:
"Well, that is unfortunate. I trust you will remain onboard with our other ventures?" he asked the Hologram Man.
The man took a sip of whiskey on the rocks, then spoke: "The other ventures are not a concern, Mr. Johansen; the fallout and information leak from Feros is. I never placed any of my agents there as I received insurances that your people there would be enough. Have I been wrong?"
"I have people doing damage control as we speak," Johansen replied easily, without any concern. "The loyal employees from Zhu's Hope will be transferred to new and isolated locations, while the ones that resigned will be met with accidents should they decide to leave the colony and spread the word. We can expect the political backlash from the Citadel Council, but the matter will not go any further than a formal reprimand and comparatively minor fines. I have given the instructions for the evidence to be fabricated that will make sure that the head of ExoGeni on Feros, Ethan Jeong, is fully marked as a soul orchestrator of the incident, and that he worked without our knowledge. Everything else will be locked in politicking between the Council and Systems Alliance. Therefore, I fully expect –"
The great double entrance doors banged loudly as they were violently flung open, making everyone flinch as their heads whipped toward it.
A tall soldier in black heavy armor with an N7 insignia stepped into the room. A fully armed and armored turian and a krogan stood on either of his sides as the man's icy gaze swept the room, sending chills down everyone's back until it settled on the Hologram Man.
The soldier's icy stare met the cybernetic blue eyes of the powerful mysterious man on the hologram head on and stayed there for a second to drive the point, or maybe just to memorize the mysterious figure's face. And then he turned toward the head of the table.
"Alexander Christian Johansen," the soldier spoke with unblinking firmness, "I am Commander Marcus Shepard of the SSV Normandy. You have been found of intentionally ordering unethical experiments upon the entirety of the Zhu's Hope colony's population, and thus in breach of Galactic Civil Rights Laws in accordance with Section 3. Is there anything you wish to declare?"
Several of the stunned members of the Board worked their jaws in some vain attempt to show their control of the situation.
"Let me handle this," Johansen addressed others, his tone confident and condescending from the very start. He turned to Marcus, projecting a practiced air of superiority as he spoke: "Commander Shepard, for one, I have no idea what you're talking about. Secondly, I will have you know that my lawyers will have a talk with your superiors in the Alliance Navy, and that –"
"'No' it is," Marcus interrupted him firmly, quick-drawing his hand cannon, and sending a heavy shredder round into Johansen's gut with a deafening explosion.
The Board members wailed in terror as they recoiled in their seats.
Marcus ignored them, and instead sent a deadly glare at the beautiful icy-eyed brunette that worked as Johansen's assistant, just daring her to draw the hidden pistol from her business suit.
Johansen, still alive, raised his head shakily from where he was holding his intestines to look disbelievingly at Marcus, all pretenses at some perceived superiority gone as he gaped like a fish.
"Let me introduce myself again since the lot of you obviously considers yourselves too important to watch the everyday news," Marcus said with utter businesslike calmness as if he was preparing lunch. "I am Commander Marcus Shepard of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel Council."
Terrified glances of realization turned his way as heads sunk deeper between their shoulders. Marcus continued:
"I know what ExoGeni did on Feros. I also know that such a thing could not have happened without the majority of you being both aware and supportive of it. Therefore, I will make myself clear: these things, I will not tolerate. Ever.
"As of this moment, you have only one course of action. You will provide full financial support for the continued functioning of the Zhu's Hope colony as a means of reparation, the coverage of all medical expenses that would be warranted due to their situation, as well as a direct financial restitution to each and every one of the colonists in the worth of one year's average Galactic wage.
"You will cease any and all works that are in any way in violation – be it direct or implied – of the Galactic Civil Rights Law, and while you may think that I cannot possibly track whether or not you have actually done so, you also need to realize that I don't have to. Everything comes to the surface sooner or later – and sooner if it crosses my path – and when that happens, I will return. Nothing stays hidden forever. Everyone gets found."
Marcus glanced at Johansen. The man's hands lied limply in his lap with his shredded intestines hanging from the fist-sized hole that ran all the way through, and the lifeless eyes stared at the floor from his hanging head. He was dead, alright.
Marcus then looked to the fake assistant, memorizing the calm features of the professional operative, before he looked one last time at the Hologram Man. He met the blue cybernetic eyes that would have shaken lesser men, noticing the cigarette in the man's fingers had burned without being smoked at all during this time, a long column of ash rising up.
Marcus turned around and left the conference room without a further word, Garrus and Wrex following closely behind. As they walked through the building, numerous employees were standing to the sides in fear or getting out of their way. The security personnel had stood helplessly, the Spectre credentials he had flashed when he first came keeping their hands completely tied.
Wrex laughed out loud when they entered the elevator.
"I haven't had this much fun in years," he said jovially. "You sure know how to negotiate like a krogan, Shepard."
"I'll say," Garrus spoke. "And punishing the superior instead of subordinate? Any turian would applaud you. Why did you insist on bringing me and Wrex for the ride, though?"
"Turians by stereotype still hate humans," Marcus said, "and krogan hate the turian's guts. I am the human that has both a turian professional and a krogan battlemaster working in tandem for him. That means this is more than me just paying them; this is the power you can't buy. They will be intimidated. They will be thinking and fearing of what else I can bring to bear. This was far more effective than if a single Spectre had entered that room."
Wrex turned to look at Garrus.
"Listen to the man, kid," he rumbled. "You might learn something if you take that turian stick out of your ass."
"Shouldn't you be careful about thinking too much, Wrex," Garrus jabbed right back. "Too much brain might crack that thick plate of yours. How're you gonna butt heads?"
"Hahahahahaaaa!" Wrex laughed out loud. "Good. You're learning. We'll remove the good turian outta you yet."
Marcus's crew left the building and entered the skycar, punching in the directions toward the spaceport, when Marcus's omni-tool chimed.
"What is it, Jaina?" he asked.
"It's Admiral Hackett," she replied. "I'm patching him through a secure channel to your omni-tool."
There was another chime, and Admiral Hackett's gravelly voice came through:
"Commander Shepard, I understand that you're on Earth?" he asked with slight bewilderment.
"Yes, sir," he replied. "The CEO of ExoGeni was progressively working to cause problems for the Systems Alliance. I took care of it."
There was a short pause. "Took care of it, or took care of it?" Hackett asked pointedly.
"I took care of it," Marcus intoned grimly.
There was a long pause.
"Udina is not going to be happy, Commander, I tell you that," the man said. "And I don't have the slightest idea as to what the Council will do." He then sighed. "But regardless of that, I'm calling you because we have a problem; the fact that you're on Earth only makes the matter all the more expedient."
"I'm listening," Marcus nodded.
"You know of an Alliance training ground on Luna, I trust?"
"The one where we test weapons and tech in live-fire simulations?"
"The one. One of the VI's we use to simulate enemy tactics in the drills is no longer responding to our override commands. It has gone rogue. Seventeen marines have already been killed before we realized what has happened."
"I assume you don't want to just bomb the facility from orbit," Marcus said.
"It houses too much valuable tech and gear. Shutting down the VI core would be the most beneficial, especially now that we are beginning to shift our economy into military re-armament. You are our best operative, and we know you'd be perfect for this job."
"Understood, Admiral," Marcus said. "I'll be at Luna in approximately one hour."
"Very good, Commander. Fifth fleet out."
Marcus shut down the comms and sighed.
"Never a dull moment."
.