Well... I like to see people's reaction to my more graphic and adulty scenes, and I love it when the reviews show that you like what I'm doing. It's a huge help for me to keep going. Especially with the less than happy things ahead. Still, no spoilers, not giving you that courtesy. :)
There were some questions for the last scene, concerning a certain question. Boy did it make me giddy to read those, but you will have to find out why for yourselves.
Alright... well, we ended on the note that everything was well and that humanity was gearing up to kick major ass. Shall we see how things progress?
Also, since I suspect you might forget it at the ending, I would like to inform those of you I haven't PM'ed yet, that a new poll is up on my profile. Of ocurse, you have to the end of this story to answer it, but the faster I can make out a legit result, the better a certain new character's intro will be.
Remember, that BioWare owns everything from the original Mass Effect universe, and that I am just here for the ride, like the rest of you. Enjoy :)
What is dead may never die
November 29th
SSV Normandy
Deck 3 - Crew quarters, Gym and brig
09:38
Waking up, is a bit like being pulled from a circle of people playing 'carrot'. It's uncomfortable, you want to stay in the circle and when you have been pulled out, you can't go back in. Well, unless you're cheating that is.
I suppose you could call me a cheater in that regard then, seeing as I technically am awake.
Waking up again, I can feel how my eyelids are struggling to stay open, even if I got what can be called 'a good night's sleep'. Or, it was not the entire night, but it was close enough. Besides, I really don't regret the time I stayed up. Although I am a bit sore between the legs, it can't spoil the sight greeting me upon opening my eyes fully.
Ashley, divine as I could be tempted to call her, is sprawled on her stomach, her head to the side towards me while her hands go in each their direction, one overlapping my back. Soft, snoring sounds are coming from her throat with each breath, her body rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Her back is slightly curved with her center being in a shallow delve between her shoulder blades and going on down to her soft buttocks. Resisting the temptation to let my eyes linger on her lower half, I sigh, smiling as I place myself a bit more comfortable on the mattress.
"Hmm, seems like I can go back i-"
"Buzz off Roku, we're still naked."
"Buzzing off then... if you need me, I'll be in my lamp."
"You don't have a lamp Roku..." I mutter, smiling as a small moan escapes Ash, her face completely undisturbed in a peaceful sleep. Her cheeks still have traces of the mascara from yesterday, a few dark colorations and streaks from her eyes to a bit down her face. Still, the happiness evident on her face, in the small smile on her lips, makes my heart beat a little faster, thinking of everything we have been through together.
We survived Eden Prime, despite me hardly knowing how to handle the weapons of the twenty-second century,, as well as the armor being a primitive hardsuit with enough weight to almost make me faint. And yet, it saved my life when I was sent flying into a rock. Figures John would find me like that, smashed against a stone.
Ash, she... she was the best thing on the Planet in my eyes, none of the other people really mattering in the long run. Sure, Bolin was fine, but... not really buddy-material. But Ash, she stood up for me when my idiotic comrades picked on me, and she showed me more than just the needed friendliness.
I wonder, if that was why I ended up in love with her, as in really in love with her, and not just attracted to her appearance.
Later, we hugged when I woke up. It's funny, hugging to most people is casual, something to do with a drinking-buddy even. But I've never been good at physical contact, not like that. sure, a pat on the back I can give to everyone, but hugging, it always felt like I intruded on their personal space, or like I was sticky. In hindsight, maybe my lack of hugging people was why I wasn't the most popular guy in school.
Or at work for that matter.
But when I saw her starting to tear up, to lose it because of guilt and blaming herself, I just... I guess I didn't really think, just acted. Actually I wouldn't have done it, had I been thinking. I would have patted her on the back, maybe placed a hand on her shoulder... and maybe not even that. And yet, things turn out better sometimes when you aren't thinking about what you do.
The feelings welling up in me after my fuck-up with Tali on the Citadel, when I saw Ash coming to the rescue, I suppose I might have been a little scared, scared that I was going to have responsibilities or attachments I couldn't live up to. But seeing her smile, it just made the worries go away.
And then there was Therum...Gods, I fucked up that day... I fucked up so hard I could be charged for raping a passing asteroid.
When I told them, told her where I was from, what I really was... it was even scarier than the xenomorphs. To look her in the eye, to watch as the look of anxiousness became doubt, and then fear as Roku spoke... it was the worst point of my life here. And then she just... accepted it.
In hindsight, it seems completely unrealistic that she just did that, just said 'oh you are from a place where I'm just pixels? That's cool', but she did. She did, really did accept me. And as if that was not surreal enough, she kissed me. I don't think I'll ever forget how I felt at that moment, when her lips suddenly touched mine, even if it was just briefly.
I wonder, was Mara with me at that time, did she help me out then? I have to admit, the ridicule I faced for talking about... no, that's the wrong word, to 'call on' the Divines, back then, seems unfounded after all this. If a being such as Roku can exists, and if both Xenomorphs and clones can as well, what's stopping the Eight Divines from being real as well? Nothing, as far as I am concerned. God, is as well just a person in a factionary tale, and yet he might be real as well. What if Roku's boss is the being humanity knows as God under many names?
A sigh from the godly being next to me draws my thoughts back to her, watching as her face reacts and contorts in various expressions, most of them being a little smiling pout with her lips, the soft, pink and kissable lips. Her eyes are moving under their lids, giving the impression she is dreaming. The silence is only broken the occasional thrumming of the engines of another part of the ship, possibly caused by either Joker or the ship's VI maintaining the air or maybe the engines being installed. I don't know, and neither do I really care, not with the sight in front of me.
Watching as Ash is still sleeping fast, and with no desire to wake her from her probably much needed sleep, I scoop up my underpants from the floor, sitting on the mattress as I pull them on, then the search goes for my socks. Due, maybe to me still being a bit groggy, it takes me a few moments to realize that I am still wearing them. That could explain why the floor feels so soft and smooth. The socks of the standard marine's outfitting are stuffed with internal padding, making the chore of walking miles easier on the feet as the soft cushioning material takes on the strain that would give most people blisters.
Sitting back down on the mattress, I gaze at the still sleeping body of my woman, my Ashley. It's a remarkable thing, even seemingly impossible really, that I can call this gorgeous creature 'mine'. I know she isn't really mine, as she isn't my property, but I belong to her, and she to me. Trying to shake off the enormous, goofy smile spreading on my face, I trace her back down below her firm behind, following the muscled lines all the way to her feet. The soles are upward, exposing the ten small toes on each foot. Each is complete with a dark nail polish, completing her dark attire of black hair, dark uniform, black underwear and now even black nail polish. Not being able to resist the temptation, I lie down flat on my stomach, facing the toes as I extend a hand towards the foot closest to me. Dammit, I know I should let her sleep... but Gods this is just too tempting!
I pick the big toe between my thumb and index finger, squeezing and wiggling it lightly as I pout, grinning from ear to ear;
"One little piggy went to the-" I'm cut off as the foot, seemingly per reaction, smacks upwards into my lower jaw, knocking me backwards along with a startled yelp from Ashley following me as I land on my back, my jaw suddenly having a flashback from meeting Jenny.
"Shit! Sorry Thomas! Fuck, are you alright?!" She exclaims, crawling to me on all four, looking almost scared, but also humored. Taking a hand to my jaw, I try moving it a bit, opening and closing my mouth while feeling for my teeth meanwhile.
"Ow..." I mutter, letting go of my jaw as Ashley reaches me, her hand flying to my face, putting a comforting pair of fingers on my cheek as they trace down my face, accompanied by her silent giggling; "Why is it every woman I meet these days start out with kicking me in the face?" I ask, giving her a raised brow to signal I'm alright.
"Fuck... sorry, I didn't... what were you doing?" She asks, acquiring a cocked brow herself, looking at me with humor in her eyes.
"Well... I was trying to...Ash, are you ticklish?" I ask, grinning as the thought hits me. The look of horror on her face doesn't discourage my idea, rather doing more to prove me right.
"What!? No! I am Not Ticklish!" She exclaims, putting up a face of determination and resolution. It doesn't do anything to lessen my grin though.
"You are ticklish! I knew it!" I laugh, reaching out for her exposed belly. If her feet are sensitive, Gods know her belly has to be as well.
"Am not! And get that hand away!" She screams, laughing as she attempts to swat away my bionic hand from the soft skin of her belly. Though, when it's bionic versus flesh and muscle, bionic wins.
"I think you...ARE!" I exclaim, letting my fingers run amok on her front, crippling and skirting around on her tanned skin, allthewhile she is closer to choking on laughter than to actually stop me.
"Idiot! Stop, I'm going to hit you for this!" She squeals, flailing her hands around, beating at my chest to drive me back. Still, it's without the same violence she puts in the sparring, and it only feels like soft stings, rather than fearing for my ribs.
"Make me." I retort, now using both hands to tickle her at the sides and on her belly, causing her to scream with laughter, rolling around to get away from me. Not having any of that, I grab her around the shoulders and pull her back towards me, ending up with her lying in my lap while I'm kneeling on the mattress, her fits of laughter briefly stopping when our eyes lock.
"You know... I think I might be ticklish after all. Just don't tell Sarah, she's convinced I stopped being vulnerable to it when I was ten." She says, smiling as I bow my face down over her, resting a few inches over her face.
"I love you Ash." I say, feeling how the mere sentence causes my heart to speed up and my breath to get caught in my throat. My real hand goes from her side, trailing up the contours of her body and around her breast, only just touching the skin where it bulges, then travelling up her neck, ending up on her cheek where the thumb starts caressing the soft skin.
"Mmmm... can I have that in poetry please?" She mutters, grinning at me while her own hand goes to my face, rounding the beard starting to dominate my lower jaw and cheeks. It's amazing how fast it grows, considering I was cleanly shaved when I stepped out of my small room in the barracks, only what, three days ago?
"Sorry, that one was all I had. The rest involved the lover dying." I grin, kissing her hand. The skin is still damp from sweat, but the salty taste has a certain... arousing taste to it.
"Well, you have been there a few times." She mutters, momentarily stopping the caressing of my face as she delves into thoughts, probably about me dying. Taking her hand more firmly in mine, I kiss it, letting her know I am still here, not in a coffin like Fixer.
"Hey, I'm here. I'm a little too hard to kill for whatever trash Saren throws at us, you know that right?" I say, kissing her down the arm, ending it with a little blowing on the forearm, the soft skin turning slightly prickly. It causes a small shiver to run down her back, rewarding me with the involuntary shaking.
"I know. My stomach is still sore, and I think you slept on my arm." She says, grinning slightly as she displays her right arm, a few darker areas showing where blood had been denied for some time.
"Right... sorry about that." I mutter, letting a hand trace down her cheek, along the curves of her lower lip. Quivering lightly, it creases into a smile as I bend down, planting my own lips over hers. Despite the slight strain it puts on my back, I can't but enjoy the feeling of kissing her heads-down. It's awkward, sure, but it also has a strange new feeling to it, as if I was kissing her in a whole new way.
Sliding from my lap, Ash repositions herself against me, leaning her back on my chest while I put my hands around her belly, a thumb idly going up to caress the underside of her naked breast.
"Mmmm... I wish we could just stay like this, you know... just... like this. A better bed might be nice, but just... relaxing." Ash mutters, responding to my embrace by leaning more of her weight against me, forcing me to take a better stand as I'm kneeling on the mattress. I nod, not bothering to do much else than to keep her in my arms, relaxing as she says. The feeling of her hot skin on mine is breathtaking, something I could never hope to properly describe.
"You know... just for future reference, what you did last night, with... you know, your tongue and mouth, I really liked it. What made you do it?" Ash says, glancing sideways to look at me with one eye.
"Don't know, to be honest. It just seemed like a smart thing to do, if that doesn't sound too perverted." I explain, feeling a bit of heat rush to my cheeks at the memory of taking her ample breast in my mouth, doing what I thought only babies should do... but Gods what a feeling it was!
"Well, it was a smart thing. A little weird, but I liked it." She mutters, a smile clear on her lips as she turns in my arms, her front towards me. Not bothering with asking her, I just embrace her again, enjoying the arousal that comes with her naked breasts being pressed against my chest. I lie down, dragging her with me as she intertwines her legs with mine, the muscled, but still delicate female legs brushing against my more hairy, a bit thicker legs. One of her hands snakes its way up my chest, resting on my cheek while her arm stays over my torso.
"Lying well?" I ask, amused at her facial expression as she looks up from my chest, her head using it as a pillow of sorts.
"Yeah... soft, which means you need to work out some more." She says, a devilish hint in her voice. Lifting an eyebrow, I shoot her face a glance, a glance that continues down her body.
"Oh? Any... suggestions as to how to do it?" I ask, looking her in the eyes again. The lips crease into a new smile.
"You bet."
...
Damn... he really is taking his time... Roku thought as the divine being mulled around in his field of existence, the very concept being somewhat incomprehensible to simple logic. He could see and be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and he had been everywhere while he was nowhere.
Needless to say, being the 'angel on the shoulder' of a human, was a new concept to him. In the timeless ages he had been in existence, he had only interacted with a few humans, and only spoken to a few of them. Thomas was the latest in his batch of socializing experiments, trying to get a better understanding of how the mortal mind worked.
That was the disadvantage of being immortal, of being divine and omnipotent. There was no understanding of concepts such as fear, death and finality. He could do anything, be anywhere and anyone. He could become Hitler in a pair of swim trunks, waltzing around in New York if he wanted to.
Of course, seeing as it would only be a waste of what mortals such as Thomas saw as time, a meaningless thing and measurement, he didn't see the purpose for doing it.
"Locked out again, are we?" While Roku in and of himself didn't possess a body apart from the one he had assumed when convincing the Council, he spun in place as his master made his presence known. Of course, his presence was always a fact, only he was mostly only as aware of the actions of the universes as humans would be of cells in their blood-stream.
"Well... it is more of a pact, Master." He said, feeling a slightly mortal embarrassment at the fact that he had, for lack of better words, been caught red-handed.
"I know. Why do you agree to it?"
"Well, it gives my host a sort of privacy. Organics like to think I cannot read their minds." He said, answering truthfully. Anything less and he would be wiped from existence, sucked into a ever-present Warp Storm, one his master used as a personal toy. Spirits and beings from the Warp Storm itself had fought against the control, at first, but they had been little real match for the Master.
"This is why you have not also told him of the presence of his old friend, the Northerner Magnus?" While it was a question, it was spoken as a fact, as the Master knew all that happened, as well as every thought Roku processed.
"I just think it would provide more chaos if he knew, besides, it will be funny when they do meet. The name "Archangel" will have a different meaning. Also, isn't Magnus Keto's area? He's the one who brought him back both first and second time." If there could be a negative tone to Roku's words, it wasn't hearable. That didn't make it non-existent though.
"Keto has been disposed of. He wanted to create sufficient havoc for Nazara to come out the victor. He tried to create a sufficient amount of time for Jane Shepard, who you brought back, to experience love for someone else, and then meet him again."
"They are mortals. Love is a tricky thing for them to figure out. Besides, Magnus seems to have found himself a Quarian girl now. He doesn't even know Jane is alive... should I let him know?"
"No. Things are set in motion that cannot be allowed to be stopped. Nazara and her kin are challenging me, but I cannot mutilate their wretched spirits as long as they reside in the physical forms of these ancient machines. The mortals of the realm think the Reapers to be divine, how ironic that they are both right and wrong at the same time."
"Is this something I should be informed off? Should my host?"
"You? Yes, but not Fisher. Not yet. The plans I have for him involve that he doesn't know until he faces Nazara on the planet Virmire."
"So Nazara is on that planet?"
"Not yet, but things proceed as they shall, as they must. Nazara's host, the one they call Saren, is on Virmire." That took Roku a little aback. That Nazara wasn't on the same planet as her host, that was not what he understood as possible for a being of their calibers. They needed to be physically where their hosts were, even he was still in the head of Thomas.
"That should make things interesting." He muttered, feeling taken down a notch. It was not everyday your sense of being better than others was smashed with the revelation that they had surpassed you on this scale.
"Roku, do you know why I chose you for Thomas's guide, and not Keto or Dothator?"
"Of course. I needed insight in the minds of organics, of mortals, to understand their emotions and thoughts. Wiping out the universe again would be more justified if I knew the minds and reasons of the ones in it. Shiva was pissed when I did it last time, it took him almost four thousand years to establish himself again."
"That is one reason, yes. Also it was to test your independence and your adaptive skills. I see you have given your human some of your gifts."
"Fire? Yes... Dothator once gifted the Krogan with Earth, to learn and master for themselves, but... it was a mistake to make the gift a permanent biological change. It made it... finite."
"The Genophage was imposed on my creations. Dothator got them from me, as you got your fire. All gifts will be returned to those you have bestowed them upon. Fire and Earth are the strongest forces mortals can wield, hence why fire, and the ability to use it, was a thing of divine importance to the ancient humans. A shame they were deemed unfit to keep the gifts."
"You mean, a shame you deemed them unfit, Master."
"You don't agree?"
"Not... in that sense. They did eventually master the Atom, but the primitive human was too destructive to be allowed to wield fire. The Krogan though..."
"They needed it. Tuchanka was far too violent for them to survive without the power of Stone."
"A lot of good that did them... The Salarians used them to bury the Rachni alive, then robbed them of the ability with the Genophage. Let us change to better subjects Master, unless there is something you want to discuss about the Krogan?" Roku said, wanting to steer the conversation away from what he knew would eventually be his own mess to clarify to Thomas and the Normandy's crew. Out of all of them, only he and the comatose Tengberg knew of "Bending", as it had been called by ancient humans.
"No, I just wanted to check on your progress in a more friendly way that seeing into your being. Seeing is believing, but not as social as talking."
"Well... the humans have defeated a pair of Reaper ships. They seem to toy around with the idea that they can use the gifts Leviathan bestowed upon his machines to empower their own. Futile, I know. The only thing they can hope to use for themselves, as I see it, would be a pathetic version of the Reapers' own weapons."
"You don't have a lot of confidence in the galaxy Roku. The people of the Normandy held out against the creatures of the night, and only one died."
"You mean the xenomorphs? Why are they even here? I mean, yes I brought the clones here, even if I lied to Thomas about not knowing it, but who... Keto brought them?"
"Yes... however, they do bring an interesting piece to the play. I'd like to see how it turns out with them in the game."
"So... we have to accept that the creepy crawlers are here to stay?"
"Good idea Roku, let's do that. Now, I think your host is about done with his mating ritual. I will look by later, maybe give you a bit more firepower against Nazara. If she can do with Saren what you did to Thomas, your human... you need to get him in shape, and fast."
"Human minds cannot take the strain I would put on him Master. Even a basic use of my gifts render him suffering from severe headaches... mortal minds tend to suffer those."
"Then you need to hone his mind. Make it more susceptible to the energy, humans call it meditation, I think. Or mindfulness. Now, shoo."The Master said, receiving a bodiless nod from Roku as the presence tuned back to the simple being, Roku left effectively alone with his thoughts.
"Dammit... I have to work more on his brain?... might as well see to getting his bone-structure improved in the meantime, pitiful sack of flesh can't stand a single punch from a simple Krogan without breaking something... still, he has his merits, I think."
...
Arcturus station, Arcturus stream
Training and sparring hall 12
13:42
"Come on, anyone else up for a beating?" Corporal Teresa Aquila bellowed, walking around the small stage with her hands raised in the air, sweat pouring from her body.
She had been at it since morning, beating the snot out of any marine who would challenge her. She needed to work off some stress, and weight-lifting somehow wasn't the same if Tengberg wasn't there to compete with.
She was stripped down to a pair of work-out pants, as well as a solid, non-descriptive sports-bra, showing off only the regulated amount of skin. Both bore the symbol of the USCM marines, as she had made it a habit always of wearing it as a resort. As a marine, you didn't often have the luxury of washing or taking your clothes to the laundry. As a result, it wasn't uncommon to find marines wearing the same clothes for either a week, or to wear sports clothes beneath the uniform and body-armor. Fate seemed to have it that she had been wearing her sportswear under her armor when she was jumped.
Looking around on the crowd of either awed or bruised men and women around her, she got a smirk on her lips seeing how they visibly cowered under her mere gaze.
"Hah! You've bloody exhausted my men, you have. Damn, why aren't you on my payroll?" A gruff, older soldier said. No, not soldier. Taking a look at him, Tequila recognized the stripes on his shoulders, marking him as a captain. Still, there wasn't a need for saluting him, as he himself had tried his luck against her, and been sent from the ring with a bruised shin, a fractured rib and a foot he couldn't feel or move right. Still, he didn't seem to hold a grudge. Rather, he seemed impressed.
"Well Sir, they trained me good in the Corps. Seems like these navy-girls can't take a regular US-marine on, not even in a cue." She replied with a grin, sliding her arms over the ropes to the ring, leaning against it before wiping her face with a nearby towel.
"Hmm, true that. Godammit, I could use a girl... woman, whatever, like you to drill some backbone into my men. Where're you stationed?" The man asked. Tequila looked him in the eyes, and found them to be more dead than she had thought. It was as if his eyes weren't really a part of him, but rather implants.
"The SSV Normandy Sir. I am under the command of Commander John'Shepard, and Captain Jane Shepard." She said, this time saluting.
"Ah, them two officers who sound like brother and sister? Yeah I heard of them, well of John at least. So I take it that means you won't be able to kick some spine into my men?" He said, sounding disappointed.
"If I survive this shitstorm sir, our current mission that is, I would be more than happy to KICK ALL YOUR ASSES AGAIN!" She shouted the last part, looking out over the group of beaten marines, a few returning the favor by flipping her off. This in return only caused her to grin.
...
Arcturus Station, Arcturus stream
Office of Admiral Anna Fisher
19:22
"Admiral, I cannot work with those things!"
"Gerrel, please-"
"No! They tried wiping us out Shala! They drove us from Rannoch, from the Homeworld! I do not intend to just forget about the billions of dead, just because they say 'sorry'!" Admiral Han'Gerrel was vivid, angry and shocked. It was difficult to figure out which filled the most.
"Admirals, can we please just agree that Han'Gerrel needs to shut it? Or at least make a better case than he is?" Anna grumbled, her fingers rummaging through her auburn hair as she tried getting the meeting resolved. Her head was in the process of murdering her. For some reason the headaches went away when she managed the work on the samples of hull from the Reaper.
In the office with her was the Quarian Admiralty Board, consisting of Admirals Shala'Raan, Han'Gerrel, Rael'Zorah, Zaal'Korris and Daro'Xen. The latter was eying Price's inactive disk with obvious interest. Still, that she should have figured out what it was, would be impossible.
"Well, how about this argument? The Geth slaughtered twelve billions of us, then drove us from our home, drove us from our colonies, killed every Quarian they saw, shot down every organic ship they saw. I am fully aware that they split, but even so... No, I just can't do it." Gerrel growled, clenching and opening his fists as he spoke.
"Admiral... let me tell you a little about human history. About two-hundred and fifty years ago, Humanity was restricted to our homeworld. We had a war going called "World War Two", and it ended up claiming the lives of fifty million people, at the very least. Then, about seventy-five years later, we had World War Three, and after that we had a nuclear strike on Paris, a major city on Earth. In the War, a hundred million were lost, and in the strike on Paris, five million died." Anna said, placing her hands on the table.
"Admiral, what is your point here?" Zorah asked with mild curiosity in his voice.
"After centuries of death, hate and war, look at where Humanity is now: We are a united people. We then fought the Turians, and now we are friends with them as well. Admiral... Admirals, the Geth view themselves as part of your race. If humanity could forget and forgive the amount of war and death we have inflicted upon each other, why can't you too?" Anna said, her voice a lot softer than she normally used, but the situation called for it.
"But did it cost you your homeworld?" Gerrel said, his voice colder than what even Anna could brew up when pissed.
"Almost did... in the Paris-incident, China was framed and several nuclear missiles were sent back to them... A SAS-team lead by Cpt. Price managed to dig out the evidence that it was remnants of an extremist group who was behind it, and the nukes were stopped before they reached China. If they had hit, the planet would have been engulfed in nuclear war... so yeah, we almost lost our world too, even if it wasn't completely."
"Then don't try to lecture me Admiral. Unlike your race, the Quarians didn't get a second chance to-"
"You are getting one now! You bottleheaded moron!" Anna shouted, standing from her chair. While not particularly tall, she was still a few inches above the heads of all but Zorah, and made an imposing figure with her eyes wide in anger, her hair wildly sorted and her nostrils blowing. Xen visibly took a step backwards.
"You- how dare- " Gerrel started, but a hand on his shoulder, from Shala'Raan, made him stop.
"Han please, consider the options we are given here. We can have the Homeworld back without thousands of dead. Wouldn't that be far better than trying to defeat the Geth? They are allowing us back, to Rannoch!" It was easy to discern that, while her voice and words were calm, she was as agitated as the rest of them.
"Raan, she wants us to cooperate with the Geth! The Geth! They almost wiped... you are for this!?" He demanded, his voice thick with emotion and rage. But most of all, disbelief. The room went quiet for a few moments, with the only sound audible being the heavy breathing of the people in the room.
"Yes... I am. Han, we owe it to our children to see this through. You owe it to Milah to see this trough, and you owe it to Neema as well, that they can set foot on the Homeworld, and not have it covered in the debris of the Migrant Fleet... Rael, you always said you wanted to build little Tali a home on Rannoch. Can you think of a better way than this, to uphold your promise?" Raan said, shifting her focus from Gerrel to Zorah, the latter looking around him with easily discerned inner turmoil.
"Do we even have a guarantee that the Geth won't just slaughter us when we start... if we start embarking for Rannoch?" He asked, trying to get his concerns out of the way.
"The Geth have given their word. They operate on the premise that if you don't start shooting, it would be cost-inefficient and unnecessary to start shooting at you." Anna said, sitting back down. The admirals did the same, planting themselves in the soft chairs made ready for them.
"I just... you are asking us to risk our entire race on the promise that the Geth won't start killing us the moment they see their chance." Gerrel said, running his hands over his helmet, his entire being tired to the core. They had spent more than four hours today, as well as five hours the former, simply not getting anywhere at all.
"I know. If it will help ease your worries, knowing that I am actually concerned as to what happens to your people, Admiral, I will send a battle group with you to Rannoch. I can spare a few ships only though... will thirty cruisers and as many frigates be enough?" She said, looking over the gathered admirals. If her words caused one reaction with them all, it was surprise.
"Thát many? But... why, I mean, can you really spare them? Why would you send that many just... to help us?" Korris asked, leaning forward in his seat. Anna turned to look him, then the rest of them directly at where she assumed their eyes were, going by the bright dots.
"Let me make one thing clear here Admirals. I do not care about the reasons, the how's, when's or why's as to your exile, nor do I give a shit about what the Council thinks of you. For all I know, beneath those suits you are as human-like as you aliens come, and I'll be damned if I let a collection of toads, whores and bird-skulls dictate how I treat Humanity's friends. Sure, the Council doesn't like you, but I am not the Council..." She said, taking a deep breath;
"You already proved your race was our friends when you fought instead of fleeing over Elysium. Again: I'll be damned before I forget what you have done for my species, and for me personally. So thát's why I care." She said, her voice leaving no doubts as to her honesty in her words.
For a few minutes, none of the Admirals said anything, not even their breathing could be heard.
Then, slowly, Rael'Zorah got to his feet, unsteady as if he was ill. Still, he regained his footing and his posture. Still sitting, Anna raised a brow at him, unsure of what he was doing.
"Admiral Fisher... I... I don't know if we can ever repay this gift. Not just the ships, or the upgrades, the repairs or the supplies you have given us, but... the Homeworld. You... and, the Geth. I don't know how you arranged it, but... if this really works, if we can regain the Homeworld without violence... the Quarian people will forever be a friend to Humanity." He said, his voice becoming more even as he progressed. Slowly, but in unison, the others got to their feet as well.
"Yes... I... you are right, much as I might not like it. If we can avoid fighting the Geth, it is the better solution." Gerrel said, his voice a bit uncertain. It was fairly obvious he wasn't used to being this much in someone's dept.
"What Han means to say, Admiral, is that we are forever grateful for what you have done, and are doing for us." Raan said, bowing her head to Anna.
"Yes, yes, it is a remarkable moment. I didn't think I would ever live to see it. Rather I would die in some idiotic attempt to battle the Geth over Rannoch. No thank you, I prefer to grow old." Daro'Xen said, the hint of amusement in her voice. Maybe Price was on to something when he had called her insane, though Anna would never admit it.
"There is just one thing I don't understand Admiral, and don't take this the wrong way... but why do you disagree so much with the Council? It would seem far more beneficial for you to simply obey them in everything, just like all the other races are." Korris said, drawing some less than pleasant stares from his colleagues.
"Zaal! We can't start asking like that, it's inappropriate." Raan berated, her stance yelling 'annoyed and disappointed'. Still, Anna could see what he was thinking, even if his colleagues couldn't.
"It's okay, I'm not offended. Actually that's a good question Zaal, may I call you Zaal?" She said, receiving a confused nod; "Now... as you might remember, the Turians once invaded Shanxi and killed a lot of people. Good people. I lost a friend that day, a very, very dear friend, because the Turian Desolas went mad with power. They wanted Humanity suppressed and repressed, shoved into the same category as the Krogan and you guys. Now, officially, we are friends, but, and this stays between us... I still dream of seeing the Turian fleets burn for what they did. I want to kick the Turians in the balls, the Asari in the tits and the Salarians in... whatever they have. I want to see Khar'shan conquered and their leaders beheaded with spoons and dinner-knives... In truth, there aren't a whole lot of races I bother to like and care about." She said, looking at the now astounded Admirals. Clearly they hadn't been prepared for her to spill that kind of secrets. And yet, she knew they would never tell.
"The Quarians and the Krogan are the only two races I see as deserving respect. Your race, because you keep going in the face of defeat, in the face of exile and being forced to fly around in what others would discard. You make the most of everything, and your people are some of the most earnest and hardworking people I have ever had the joy of seeing put a warship together. And yet, the other races view you as trash, thieves and swindlers. For that alone, I could tear of someone's jaw. Humanity seems to be the only race who actively likes you. A pissing shame you are dextro's though, or we could have given you relief by simply giving you land on our planets." She said, chuckling a bit at the last line.
"And... what about the Krogan?" Rael asked.
"Well, they are just badass and haven't invaded us. Plus they are downtrodden and are being slowly wiped out." Anna said, sounding as casual as she could. Secretly, she had some plans on that field, but they would require the cooperation of a certain Krogan. And said Krogan seemed like he wanted to focus on his mission for the time being. She respected that, and had decided to wait until Saren was dead. After all, it wasn't like Krogans died of old age very often.
"Anna" A new voice broke in, drawing all eyes to the side, where the projector for the comms had turned on, revealing Price with his brow drenched in sweat.
"Price..." She said, then looked at her guests. Of all of them, only Raan and Korris knew about Price. This could get hairy; "Admirals, this is Captain John Price, a personal subordinate and aide of mine. He is in charge of most counter-hacking, hacking and scientific breakthroughs we have made these last months. Price, this is-"
"Admiral Shala'Raan, Admiral Daro'Xen, Admiral Rael'Zorah, Admiral Han'Gerrel and Admiral Zaal'Korris. Pleasure to meet you all." Price said, nodding briefly to the admirals. Xen, didn't nod back, instead glancing from the now activated disk, where a small green glow had appeared around the sides.
"How did you know who we were?" Rael asked.
"I like to keep informed of everyone and everything Anna goes near. It's pretty damn important she stays alive and well. I've already beaten back three attempts of hacking the doors and air supply for this office. Saren's agents no doubt, but could be any number of people she has pissed off. My point is, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't damn good at what I do. Now, Admiral, I have some updates on the subject-R."
"Subject... oh, right. Admirals, I would like to continue this meeting later, but I seem to have an urgent meeting. I have seen to some comfortable cabins to be made ready for you. Ask the marine outside the door for directions. I bid you goodnight." Anna said, nodding at the befuddled Admirals. It wasn't their fault, she had that effect on lots of people. Even Steven, who had known her all but the first five years of her life, could be weirded out by her behavior. Still, the pounding headache might have something to do with her not being at her most social level.
"Thank you for the offer Admiral, we will be grateful for the beds. It will also be much quicker this way. Goodnight." Shala'Raan said. When the Quarians had left the room, Anna turned back to Price, the soldier having placed his hat back on his head.
"Alright Price, give it to me. My head is killing me and I need to go down to the labs to check on the examination of the fragments." Anna said, groaning as she massaged her temples.
"Yeah... that's not going to happen. I've had the chunks jettisoned and some drones tow them into the nearest star." He said, looking away as his eyes found the window more interesting than the stunned admiral in front of him.
"You... you what? Why?!" Anna demanded, feeling more upset about the loss of the material than she would normally have been.
"I found something in my scans of them... trillions upon trillions of nanobots, all making up the material of the ships. It's not a metal, it's more like synthetic flesh. A large portion of those bots were emitting some sort of signal. I don't know what, and I don't know why, but the entire department working on them had complained of headaches when not near them. After my own meeting with the Reaper, I couldn't take any chances." Price said, turning his eyes back to Anna, the admiral leaning against the table for support. She could feel a sickening feeling welling up inside her, as well as a headache that seemed to demand that she punished the AI for his actions.
She just didn't know why.
"Headaches?" She finally asked, having fought down the nausea.
"Aye... wait, you was close to that thing more than once. Have you..." Price said, gaining a concerned look to his eye-section pixels.
"Had headaches? Yeah... whenever I wasn't near that thing, I had a killing headache, I even have one right now." She admitted, opening a drawer to get to her medication.
"Damn... well, I don't know what the meaning of the messages were, and I doubt it would be worth the risk to study it anyway... But, I have two reports for you, if you feel like hearing them now." Price said, furrowing his brows in obvious worry.
"As long as I don't have to go anywhere... my body feels like it's revolting, and I can't do shit but try to avoid throwing up." She muttered, downing the two pills without water.. She couldn't bring herself to walk to the bathroom.
"...Right. Well, first thing first, the nanobots did reveal something. Apparently the 400mm Howitzers did a lot more damage than we thought initially."
"The front-mounted turrets... How much?" Anna groaned, leaning on the desk again while taking a hand to her forehead. It wiped away at sweat, drenching her hair.
"Enough to pummel the innermost barriers with sufficient force to make the cruisers and dreadnoughts targets. I'm guessing it's because it's chemically propelled, it doesn't activate the regular kinetic barriers, and those were the strongest defenses the ship had. If we can still do it, I'd suggest trying to replace the regular MAC's at the broadside with 1400mm Howitzers. You still have those from First Contact I think. Fit them with EMP-shells, or maybe just really powerful charges, and they should do some actual damage." Price said, reporting in a very monotone voice. Behind the mask of simple worry, he was in the process of calling up the nearest medical center on the station.
"Fine... what else." Anna groaned. No longer having the strength to stay standing, she slid to the floor, her back against the desk.
"I have deducted the origin of the Reaper ships. The two we encountered had traces of particles on the outer layers. I did a scan, as well as running the composition through the records. Only one planet has that exact composition of particles in its atmosphere." Price said, waiting for his cue to go on.
"Anna?" He said, seeing as she didn't respond. For the first time in days, he suddenly felt panic. Going from his scans of her heart rate, she was rapidly declining. Without hesitation he changed the simple alert to the medics from a troubling, to full alert urgent.
"Anna!" He yelled, seeing streams of blood starting to appear from her nostrils. Around the station, several others from the team responsible for cutting up the Reaper, had dropped to the floor without warning, a few of them starting to unconsciously throw up fluids.
The door opened at the same moment, revealing the doctors entering the room. At first, they only saw Price as Anna was lying on the opposite side of the desk. When they found her, she had started throwing up in irregular bursts as well, her heart-rate going in dangerous loops.
"Get her to the fucking hospital!" Price yelled, watching as the horrified but professional medics placed the Admiral on a stretcher and hurried from the room with her. Logging out from the office, Price sent a simple priority-message to Hackett, as well as the Admiral's brother. Both were on the station, so they should be at the hospital soon. Maybe even before the Admiral.
He used the stations cameras to follow the stretcher's progress through the corridors and hallways, cursing and swearing over the lack of cameras. Often he was left with no visual for more than ten seconds, far too long when a life might be at stake.
...
Arcturus Station, Arcturus stream
Bowlin' Fun and Games
19:25
"Striiike!" I yell, dancing on the spot as the pins are knocked over by the ball. Next to me, Ash and Garrus are groaning, seeing as I am on the lead with three strikes and a spar, whereas Garrus is the furthest behind. It's not my fault he thought he could rock at this, with him having just three fingers and all.
"Yeah yeah, at least I'm a better shot than you." Garrus says, growling as Ash puts in the new set of points, an annoyed expression on her face.
"You cannot touch this human Garrus, I'm just, ah ah ah, smokin' today!" I exclaim, grinning from ear to ear as the Turian places his face in his hands, a very audible groan escaping him.
"Come on Garrus, it's your turn." Ash says, grinning as the Turian gets up.
"Dammit, I should never have gotten into this. I mean, why the heck invent a three-fingered game if you don't make it possible for three-fingered species to play it?" He grumbles, picking up one of the lighter balls. It's not because he can't lift the heavier ones, but simply due to the fact that his talons can't get a good grip on the surface of the balls.
"I know, right? I bet they invented it all those years ago, just to spite a race they didn't know existed. Smart people those 20th century people." Ash muses, the laughs at the visibly pissed Turian's facial expression.
"Knock it off Williams, I'm trying to compensate for not having softer fingers here." He says, weighing the ball in his hands.
"Right, sorry." She says, still grinning from ear to ear. It's nice to be able to do something like this, something casual with my close ones. Just a pissing shame Nicolai is in a coma. He used to kick my ass in this shit... on the other hand, maybe his coma is a good thing.
"That's not the most comfortable thought you have expressed so far..."
"You know I don't mean it Roku."
"Maybe... in any case, have you considered my suggestion?"
"No! Roku, there is no way I'm getting my fucking bones drilled with steel-stuff! And I am NOT letting some sort of nano-machines make a spider web of my muscles!" I growl. I have no idea why, but Roku seems insistent that I turn my body into something like a post-revival Shepard, with cybernetics and shit going into my body. It was cool in the game, but fuck no I let him do that to me, or let the doctors or whoever is responsible for it do it.
"You cannot allow personal fears to impede your advancement. You already have a cybernetic eye, a bionic arm as well as extensive augmentations in your legs. I do not see the reason for your qualms." He says, switching to that really, really creepy unfeeling voice.
"I hate needles Roku! how the fuck do you think I feel about having my body stitched with enough metal to catch a magnet?"
"Don't know, I don't feel personal fear or pain like you do. Besides, you need to be ready in case more things turn up that the regular Shepard cannot take on."
"Can we take this later? I'm kinda-" I start, but the chiming of my Omni-tool stops me. A red glowing usually means something urgent.
Three sentences catch my eye.
Thomas Fisher
Your sister is at the D-5 hospital, sick-room 2.
Condition: grave
The message causes my heart to stop beating, my blood freezing in the veins as I process the message. Not even being fully aware of what I'm doing, I stand from the bench and start walking. Despite being clad in the weird shoes, I don't stop to take them off, instead just proceeding out the door. I can hear both Ash and Garrus call my name, but it doesn't matter.
D-5, room 2!
D-5, room 2!
D-5, room 2!
D-5, room 2!
How the hell did something happen to her? What happened to her? I run, running faster than I can remember having been running for the past month. I can only see the corridors and the signs through a more and more foggy and clouded vision.
I don't know for how long I've been running, before suddenly finding myself hammering the panel to a sick-room with enough force to cause it to shoot sparks. As the doors open, I'm greeted with the most unreal sight I have seen since... I don't know.
An entire sick-room is dedicated to a single bed. Around the bed, three uniformed people are gathered, as well as a person in a white uniform, probably the doctor. Two of the uniformed people are marines, both armed with a sidearm and dressed in some sort of light body-armor. The third person is one I saw just two days ago, or is it one? I can't remember, but Hackett doesn't give me more than a glancing look before he returns his stare to the bed. On that bed, my sister is lying with tubes protruding from her body and her head, with drops and hanging bags of clear liquid near the bed. A series of machines are making noises and sounds, a regular beeping signaling that the heart rate is normal. At least, it isn't the flat tone signaling someone has died.
One of the marines say something to me, maybe something about me having to stand back. I don't know, and I don't know how I find myself shoving him out of the way to get to the bed. The other one doesn't do anything, but I think that's because Hackett said something to them. I don't know, and I don't really care. I just reach the railing at the bed, trying to stare Anna to consciousness as I look at her.
She has dried lines of blood coming from her nose, as well as a smell of puke around her. Her face is contorted in pains, clear pains. My knees buckle under me before I even feel it, causing me to grip the bed even harder.
I can't breathe.
I can't speak, only open and close my mouth, with no words coming out, no words capable of even being formed.
I can hear Hackett saying something, something about Anna, but I can't hear what.
I can only stare at the distraught face of my sister, my little sister, as she is forced to breathe by the mask over her mouth.
What. The. Hell?
"She seems to have experienced severe neurological breakdown, as well as damage to the connections in her nervous-system."
I don't reply, not having the interest or the bother to do so. I just can't, can't form a clear thought, can't form a clear sentence.
"Corporal... I am sorry, but..." I can hear Hackett again, this time I can even understand him. I look up, trying to spot him through the curtain of fog or something covering my eyes.
"What... happened?" I press out, trying hard not to break down in the process.
"...We don't know. She seemed to be fine one minute, but... but the next she was on the ground and unconscious. The doctors say... they don't know if she will ever wake up again."