Lost Magic: First Contact

by MightyFish

A man is left trapped in time, while his world dies around him. Now awakened in the distant future, he leaves the planet of his birth and embarks on a journey to find that which was lost. But the new frontier holds many dangers, and the human race is about to face its first great challenge. A HP/ME crossover. Slow pace, rated M for safety, my profile has more details.

3. Chapter 2: In Tenebris

Traditional disclamer:

I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This story is written merely for my own pleasure, no monetary profit is intended.

*Update: 2015/02/15 - grammatical corrections and a minor addition, check the AN at the bottom for details. Those who have already read the chapter won't loose anything at all.

---

Chapter 02

.

In Tenebris

.

.

.

Specialist Aetius watched through the small viewing screen as the shuttle made its descent towards the dark surface. With no significant source of light in about a five light-years radius, nothing could be seen of the small moon in the visible spectrum. Even the nearby ice giant was nothing but a colossal shadow, blocking the stars behind it.

"Roughly 750 kilometers of mean radius. Composition is 41% silicate rocks and 58% ices, with 1% of heavier elements. Surface gravity is only 3% that of Palaven. Cold, desolate, forgotten." The soldier went over the limited information they had. It was a very old habit of his, to randomly review characteristics of things he saw. At least he had long ago loosed his childhood urge to speak out loud.

With not even the slightest trembling, the small spacecraft touched the frozen surface.

"We have made ground contact. Rise up, legionnaires!" the rough, gruff voice of Master Sergeant Thelam snapped his attention back to the craft's interior.

"Tall, broad of shoulders. Dark brown plates and lighter skin, dark yellow colony marks. Extensive scar over left side of the face, all the way to the neck. Strict, but fair. Does not tolerate tardiness. Skilled with assault rifles and shotguns. A good leader."

Aetius raised from his seat, together with his fellow soldiers. Five legionnaires, excluding Thelam. The red tone of the shuttle's lighting gave an even sharper cast to their features and dark armor.

"Check your equipment." ordered the sergeant, proceeding to do the same thing himself.

The specialist quickly, but carefully, went over his gear. He put his helmet and made sure it was firmly in place, and that the readings showed no signs of any leakage. The HUD was working perfectly. His omnitool diagnostics came up a 100%. The magnetic lock on his back had an Armax Arsenal Crossfire Assault Rifle attached to it. The one on his left leg had a high grade ERC Striker Heavy Pistol. Distributed around his armor were his other equipment, all of it some of the very best available to the military. His was an elite unit, serving a general of the Turian Hierarchy as his personal strike team. Each one of them was hand-picked from the 37th Vindex Legion.

Not that they were expecting to find any enemies in this lost world. But a turian was always prepared to fight.

His comrades had other weapons, most prominent being the large, krogan-made Graal Spike Thrower carried by Thelam. Aetius himself relinquished additional firepower in exchange for a medium-sized pack containing his specialized instruments. Those he took especial care in checking. As a result, he was the very last one to give his affirmative that everything was good to go. No one commented though, as that was expected.

"Very good." the NCO turned to the only figure that was still seated and without his helmet on, gaze down and focused on the orange holographic interface enveloping his right forearm. His armor was a mix of dark blue and silver. The sergeant gave a smart salute. "General Arterius, sir! We are ready!"

The turian raised his head to look at his soldiers. Piercing, ice-blue eyes went slowly over every single one of them, and Aetius had to restrain himself from checking his gear once again. His inspection complete, Desolas Arterius deactivated his omnitool and calmly rose from his seat.

"Even taller than the sergeant, but leaner. Silver-white plates mixed with dark blue ones in an unusual combination, giving contrast to features that are even sharper than is common in our people. Small, blue colony marks. A man of fierce, predatory intellect. Brilliant strategist. Revered by his troops for his tenacity and impressive force of personality."

With two long steps, he was right in front of them. "My soldiers, we are here at last." his voice was slow and smooth, and behind it was an undercurrent of cold steel. "Here, in the emptiness between stars, is where we shall find the power to change the galaxy." he strode past them, to the loading ramp at the rear of the craft. On the way, he strapped his silver helmet on. A gesture, and the doors opened. For a few meters, the loading lights were able to illuminate the path, but beyond that there was only the gaping maw of blackness. "Now come, and fear not the Void! For the Spirits of our people are with us!" then the general himself led the way out in the dark.

Thelam went first, and Aetius and his companions followed, rifles in hand. Once outside the shuttle, they quickly spread out around it, scanning the immediate area with their tools. The standard magnetic boots would not work on that surface, so they were using specialized (and expensive) Mass Effect field generators to counter the microgravity.

Everywhere the vehicle's powerful lights reached, they revealed and eerie sight. The ground was uneven and cracked; an uncountable number of long, talon-thin fissures crisscrossed it. Rising everywhere from the scarred terrain were twisted, jagged formations that resembled the fangs of ancient nightmares. They went from the height of a man to a dozen meters, and were sharp enough to cut flesh. The ice was a dark blue, almost indigo. And, just as the vision from the inside, when the lamps could no longer pierce the darkness it raised up like a wall, as if a physical thing. Space was always silent, of course, but even the quiet here felt more powerful, impossible to ignore.

Looking up, there was the comforting lights of the corvette that brought them there, maintaining orbit a few kilometers above the satellite. Beyond it, however, there were nothing but distant stars. It was not like seeing them from a planet, though, or even a ship's observation deck. The countless specks seemed impossibly far, ghosts beyond the very edge of the universe. On a ship, a person knew it was leaving one place and going to somewhere else. No matter how long the journey, there was light at the start and at the end.

One hasn't experienced the full feeling of nothingness until they had stood upon a rogue planet; or a rogue moon, as was the case; a cosmic body lost between systems, a wandering orphan of the stars.

"Clear!" said one of the soldiers. The call was repeated by all the others.

"Switch to active tactical vision!" barked the sergeant. With a command, the emitter in his helmet started to bombard the area in front him in invisible light. Colors became a little muted, and an amber sheen was cast above them, but his headgear used the reflected radiant energy to greatly enhance his field of vision. It was not generally used during combat operations, as the emitter made them very easy to detect, but it did provide a better personal illumination than an exterior emitter.

"Area secured, General."

"Excelent." came Desolas through the radio. "Follow me, legionnaires."

The specialist moved to the front of the shuttle. There, he found both the General and the Master Sergeant. Thelam was still thoroughly scanning the area, but his superior did not seem worried about any beasts in the dark, arms crossed at his chest. When all the soldiers arrived, he once more took the lead, starting on an apparently random path between the icy spikes. It was not random, though, as the blinking yellow dot on his tactical map indicated.

The soldiers were right behind their leader. They walked for a time, but the terrain remained the same, except that the sharp formations became more numerous the further they went. Soon their shuttle was only a small beacon in the distance. Time seemed to have lost any meaning. The soldiers were always at high alert, weapons ready, but the general still went unconcerned, his single heavy pistol left at its lock point. Nobody talked.

As they trekked cautiously forward, Aetius looked at Desola's back and thought about his words. So this was it, then? This forsaken ice rock was the burial place of his people's legacy? It seemed unlikely, but the general had never led them astray before, and he seemed quite sure of his information. In the end, it did not matter. He was turian, and he would follow. General Arterius was their superior officer, and it was his duty to lead and advise his subordinates, just as it was their duty to obey and trust him. That sacred bond was the cornerstone of their civilization, and what allowed their people to conquer every challenge history ever threw at them.

Though Aetius had to admit, his motives for being there were somewhat different from the others'. Like them, he fully believed in the general's vision. How could he not? When he lost his mate to the violence of batarian raiders, he also lost all faith in the policies of the Citadel. Those slaving barbarians should not be allowed to exist, and everyone knew batarian 'pirates' did not act without consent from the Hegemony.

If it were up to the Hierarchy, Khar'Shan would be conquered in a heartbeat. Their pathetic navy would be crushed, their outrageous excuse of a government replaced by true leaders. The masters would be put in their own chains, while slaves would taste the sweetness of freedom and honest work. The Hierarchy would guide the batarian people, until they finally left their savage culture in the past, where it belonged.

But the Council would take no action. The asari and salarians were content in letting criminals have an embassy on the Presidium. They were happy to allow murderers to walk freely between decent people. No, Aetius most certainly agreed with his general, he was a believer. But even though that was a major reason for his presence there, it was not the greatest one.

General Arterius had not just promised that turians would finally be allowed to put to right the mistakes of a decadent galactic civilization. He also promised that their people would be brought to the next stage of evolution. A stage that they once held, long ago, but which they lost because of foolishness and superstition. They had not been ready then, but they were now. Ready for a life free from pain, from sickness, from death. Every single turian would be elevated. They would all be saved.

Including his son.

"Steel grey plates, just like my own, becoming dull around the edges. Green eyes like his mother's, so full of life and energy. But the red was already starting to creep in. Laughter clean and bright like the crystal waters of the lake besides our house, now weak and raspy. But still so strong, still so hopeful. 'I will be fine, daddy. The Spirits watch over me.'"

He felt his heart clench painfully, and tried to put Darius' smiling face back in the safety of his memories. He needed all his focus now.

"Attention, up ahead!" came the warning from one of the point legionnaires.

Still a little ways ahead of them, it was without a doubt the same structure they had identified from the orbital scans of the moon. As they approached it, the jagged formations jutting out from the ground became so tightly packed together, that it was like walking through a deadly, icy forest. It had been the reason why their shuttle had to land so far. Their destination was another thing, as its gigantic spears of frozen water, coming out at all angles, formed a huge serrated hill. The specialist knew that, unlike the more natural looking formations on the rest of the moon, these ones had all the same length. Their tips formed a perfect circumference in all directions.

"On the left." came another call. It was standing just twenty steps from them, previously hidden among the ice. Although half covered by it, the broken metallic bulkhead could still be recognized.

"Just a piece of the ship, Bremus. Concentrate on the main formation." admonished Thelam.

"Thin, long-limbed. Has a broken tip on the right mandible he keeps as a badge of honor. Heavy weapons and explosives specialist. Predictably, likes explosions"

They kept moving. Soon they were beneath the great structure. The more horizontaly inclined of the giant spikes where high enough that they could easily walk under them, and there were none of the smaller ones now. With the ice above them, not even the stars could be seen any longer. All the while, General Arterius kept walking, just as easily as if this was a simple stroll along the streets of Cipitrine.

Soon they came to the base of the spikes, which formed a long, serrated wall. They saw Desolas stop and tilt his head in consideration. After almost a minute, were no one said anything, he just turned to the left and resumed his march.

"Circle to the left!"

They followed the wall for over ten minutes, before they came upon their target.

"Sir, visual contact with the drone!" surely enough, the bright orange holographic orb of the surveillance unit they had sent ahead from orbit could be seen around the curve. It floated placidly in front of a sudden entrance in the wall.

"Talia, recover the drone and get a light in there. Everyone switch to passive vision when she is done."

"Shorter than average, very nimble. Extrovert. Likes to make fun of asari. Prefers pistols. Calls her assault drone Punisher."

They waited while the combat engineer sent a few commands with her omnitoool, and the machine came to her like an obedient pet. Then she took a small sphere from her belt, fiddled a little, and threw it in front of the opening. They all turned off their personal emitters. The sphere became their source of invisible light, more efficient in enclosed spaces, and started floating about two meters from the ground. It also had the advantage of making them less of a target.

The general and their unit's leader came and stood at the very edge of the gap, while the other soldiers took position around them. Desolas turned to him.

"I believe this is your turn, Specialist."

"Yes, sir!" said Aetius promptly, and went alone inside the passage. The entrance was in fact very small, extending for just five meters. At the end was yet another wall. This one, however, was completely smooth. It was also glowing faintly, as strange purple markings covered the entire surface in circling patterns. But they already knew that from the drone's recordings. Very conscious of the eyes upon him, the legionnaire took out his pack and began to assemble his instruments around and upon the wall. Once that was done he got to work. "Initial readings confirmed. Aside from electromagnetic radiation in the upper range of the visible spectrum, the target gives no other emissions of any kind. Initiating active scans."

For the next fifteen minutes, the soldier subjected that lone patch of ice to every kind of stimuli he could think of. First were the electromagnetic; radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and even gamma rays. When those failed to give any answer, he tried air pressure, ultrasound, magnetic fields, heat emissions, electricity, and even dark energy. Impact tests with different objects also caused no visible damage.

"General, I cannot get any kind of reading. Our orbital scans were not wrong, this particular formation does not react to anything. It just absorbs everything I throw at it, except for the little light it reflects back to give its color. No emissions will penetrate it, I can't even tell you what makes those markings glow!" Aetius was frustrated, and also ashamed. His sole duty was to get them answers about the nature of this structure, and what was inside it. He had failed his fellow legionnaires and his general.

He felt a touch upon his armor. He looked back and was very startled to see General Desolas standing behind him, an encouraging hand put on his left shoulder.

"Do no fret, young man." his superior's voice was empathic, no remonstration present on his flanging. "This result was not unexpected, it is no failure of your own. Even the most experienced can find themselves facing the unknown, something greater than themselves, that's how we learn. See this as the opportunity it is. Now, collect your gear and step back."

The older man's words burned away most of Aetius self-recrimination. Desolas Arterius cared deeply about those under his command. He was without a doubt the greatest leader the specialist had ever served with. He followed the instructions quickly, and soon the general was standing alone inside the opening.

He put a single hand upon the ice, and started speaking. It was a twisting, guttural and completely unknown language. He was surprised that turian vocal chords could even reproduce it. His superior spoke what seemed to be many sentences, but Aetius honestly did not know what that would accomplish. Even if the man's speakers were activated, there was no atmosphere to carry the sound.

Soon, he was proven wrong.

Without warning, the purple markings shone a bright, angry red. The ground around them began to tremble lightly and all the legionnaires brought up their rifles in alarm, though no one knew where to point them. Thelam surged forward, obviously intent on dragging his general back, but Desolas put his other hand up sharply and the sergeant stopped. He calmly took his hand off the wall and stepped backwards to his men. Before their astonished eyes, the ice simply melted away, beginning from the center and pushing outwards in a perfect circle. Soon, a round entrance stood before them, and the little vapor created by the ice inexplicably disappeared.

No one knew quite what to do, until the general gestured lazily to the new opening. It seemed that, for the first time since they arrived, the officer seemed willing to let his subordinates take the lead. Thelam was quick to capitalize on it. "Secure that entrance!"

Immediately, the two soldiers on the left flank crept carefully towards their side's edge. Meanwhile, the specialist and another turian did the same thing on their end, with Aetius taking point. They once more put their helmets to active vision. Upon reaching their own edge, he raised a hand to his fellow legionnaire and started to bring his fingers down. On the third, they turned their corners and scanned the area.

"Clear!" said them both. The group slowly trooped inside. The little floating emitter followed.

It was a wide cave, about thirty meters deep, but with the ceiling coming just a few heads above them. The walls were smooth, no protrusions came from the ground or ceiling, and the ice here was a more common light blue.

"There, on the back and to the right!" pointed one of them, Tacitus.

"Strong, sarcastic, aggressive. A front line charger, like the sergeant. Favors fast-firing assault rifles. Loyal to a fault."

On the indicated cave wall, gunmetal grey metallic sections could be seen coming out, blending with the ice, just like the bulkhead they had found before. Amongst them was a small, uneven hole, just big enough for a person to pass comfortably. The same process from before was repeated, but upon entrance, the new interior was very different from the previous scenery.

"Sir, this is…"

"I can see what it is, Talia." interrupted their sergeant, impatient. "General, how should we proceed?"

They were inside of what was, undoubtedly, a spaceship. A very old one, judging by the design and archaic equipment. The section they were in now must have been some kind of communications and strategic center. They all had studied military history, and knew the basic configuration of warships used during the times before the Unification Wars. This was a ship used by ancient turians shortly after they discovered their own prothean ruins and started to colonize space, almost two thousand years before. To find it here, on a lost rogue moon so far out of what was known space these days, to say nothing of at that time, was nothing short of incredible. Also without logical explanation was the ice structure around and above the ship. Without an atmosphere, it should not have been able to form. Yet here it was, just like their general had promised.

There were obvious signs of damage: large panels broken around the hull, exposed wires and tubing, cracked screens and torn stations. It was no surprise, given the pieces of the ship they had found scattered around the moon. The ancient frigate's landing had not been gentle.

There were no signs of bodies, though. No chairs, no datapads or even papers and common utensils. Nothing to indicate that this part of the ship had been manned before.

"I believe we should make our way to the bridge." said their commanding officer in a ponderous voice. He indicated a passage to the left. It matched with the old schematics they had on record. In those times, turians still installed the bridge and command centers at the front of their ships.

"Understood! Move on, soldiers! Proceed with all caution. Clear every corner. Tacitus, with me, we will take point." he put back his rifle and took out the fearsome Spike Thrower. And so they went.

As they traveled through the empty corridors, went up one set of stairs, and crossed different rooms, the same things Aetius noticed before were repeated. Many signs of damage, absolutely no evidence that the spacecraft ever had a crew. This was a broken, empty tomb. The specialist felt a shiver in his spine that he tried to ignore. He could see that all of the legionnaires shared in this feeling, even Thelam was walking more stiffly than usual.

The only one who still appeared unconcerned was Desolas. He was impressed with his superior's fearlessness.

"Sergeant, do you see those markings?" came Tacitus' voice. They had just turned a corner into what they supposed was the last corridor to the bridge.

"I see them."

The rest of the team approached. As they said, the walls of the corridor were covered in markings. But these were not the sweeping lines of the ice wall they had passed. These looked like…

"Is this some sort of writing?" asked Seleen.

"Average build and coloration. Very quiet, very focused, but kind. The team's designated healer. Deadly good with a knife."

Aetius had to agree with her guess, these definitely looked like letters, although of a kind he had never seen before. The turian alphabet had remained unchanged since before they first left Palaven, their species' tendencies made the turians a very homogenous people, culturally speaking. Their differences came down to an individual's tastes and preferences.

"These are not painted, they are actually engraved in the metal." remarked Bremus.

On a hunch, the specialist put the tip of a talon to one of the lines. It was a perfect fit, but he immediately dismissed the idea as absurd. For all that they looked dangerous, a turian's talons were designed more to enter the small spaces between the plates that covered most of Palaven's fauna and pull, rather than to outright cut into flesh. They could barely scratch soft rock, they certainly were nowhere near strong enough to slash battleship-grade steel!

"These are the letters of the Titans, my brothers and sisters." said the general, silver helmet tilted and a hand passing slowly over a line of text. His voice was reverent. "This is the language of the beings who once granted our people the Gift we came here to recover." they all watched the man in silence.

After about half a minute, Talia gathered enough courage to speak. "Sir, you can read them?"

"Not yet." was the soft, distracted answer. "But they tell a story. A very old story, that should have never been forgotten." then he seemed to remember where he was. He straightened and put his hands behind his back. "We are on the cusp now, my friends. Let us take the final step."

They went back to formation and proceeded the rest of the way. Just a few meters and they arrived at a closed door, the first one so far. It was also covered in the ancient writings. Thelam and Tacitus spent a couple of minutes examining it, until they just decided to grab the edge and pull. The rest of the team went back a little, and Talia and Aetius covered them.

As the physically strongest members of their unit, they made short work of the door. Beyond it was the ship's bridge, and they fanned inside.

It was an oval space. Large sections of the hull were missing, and ice had entered. Like all the other rooms, there was equipment but no furniture, or tools, or objects. No corpses. Every square centimeter of the walls, floor and ceiling was covered in the Titan's letters.

All those were secondary observations though, as the thing that immediately caught all attention was the object sitting at the very center of the room. Talia deactivated the floating emitter.

"Rougly three meters tall. Twin, flat panels going up in a slight spiral, surrounding a narrow pillar. Five support legs at the bottom. The central pillar glows a bright electric blue."

"At last…" Desolas stepped ahead of them, but stopped well away from the object. He turned to them and gestured to it with a sweeping arm. "Behold, the deliverer of the Gift of the Titans. The instrument of our ascendance. That which will allow us to cleanse this galaxy from violence and corruption. The Arca Monolith!"

If they were seeing it in a picture or video, Aetius thought anyone would be forgiven for mistaking the artefact for a piece of asari art. But here, standing less than ten meters away, there was no denying that this Monolith was something beyond their understanding. There was a heavy charge in the space around it. The blue light at its center seemed to burn itself in their eyes. If he stopped to listen, the soldier could almost hear a subtle thrumming coming from it, even if he knew that was impossible. He found himself unable to turn his gaze away as a wide, powerful hope filled his very being. This was the power that could safeguard the innocents of the galaxy. This was the power that could heal his beloved son.

"Young Aetius?" Desolas's voice broke whatever force he was under. He felt a little empty, and that confused him. He brought his attention to his general. "If you would?"

The specialist hurried to comply, berating himself fiercely for his distraction. Once more he prepared his gear. This time, he would get answers. He would never again fail the man who would be responsible for saving Darius's life.

The second he started his scans, he could already tell this would be different. While that wall before had been a completely impervious body, the amount of energy the Monolith was radiating was staggering. His readings were all over the place!

"The energy readings are of the charts, General!" he went a little closer. "There's a strong magnetic field. Electric charge within the artefact is enormous. And sir, it is generating enough dark energy to rival a frigate's Mass Effect core."

"Very good, soldier. What else?"

"The artefact is affecting local gravity in some strange ways. Wait, let me try something." He took out another instrument, and took another step towards the object, he was now just three meters from it. Suddenly, a powerful arc of electricity arched from the Monolith, impacting Aetius squarely in the chest.

Pain. Agony greater than anything he ever experienced before. He could do nothing to stop it, his world was now just blue light and suffering. After an eternity, his vision went dark.

"…"

"…"

"…us!"

"…Aetius!"

"…wake up, soldier!"

"Spirits, he is dead!"

"He is not dead, Talia! Legionnaire, wake up!"

The voices sounded as if a million kilometers away. Aetius felt an indescribable soreness in every one of his muscles. His bones seemed like liquid fire. He felt an incredible urge to throw up, but could not.

"He's moving! He's alive!"

"Of course he is, woman! Legionnaire, can you hear me? Talk to us!"

"He is hurt, General! He needs immediate medical attention! Let me go to him!"

"No, my dear. I am afraid what young Aetius is passing through right now is quite beyond your expertise. It is beyond any medic's expertise. However, you are all wrong to think he is in any danger."

"Sir, how can you say that?! Look at his state!"

"I know it looks terrible, and the changes coursing through him will certainly cause some pain, but you need not fear for his life. The Arca Monolith is designed to do one thing, and one thing only: to break the barriers that chain us, to jump start our bodies to the next stage of evolution."

Changes? Evolution? Aetius did not feel as if he was evolving. He felt as if every cell in his body was being destroyed, one by one. Another wave of agony surged through him, and he was sure his flesh was being ripped apart.

Yet the calm voice of his general kept going. "It is a tragedy that he had to experience the Gift in such a way. We need more time to study the Monolith, to understand how it works. At the very least, we have to make sure the process is as painless as possible for future recipients."

The radio went silent for the next few minutes, while everyone watched the soldier writher on the floor. He tried to speak, to call for help, but no sound would come out, not even grunts or moans. Suddenly, amidst all the pain, he felt cold, hard things burying inside his body. Like shards of steel, they started spreading to every one of his limbs. He was beyond the limits of suffering.

And then came the Voice.

He had been hearing it for a while, but the pain had not let him notice it before. Now, it was too loud to be ignored. It was a deep, old, terrible sound. A hungry, dark cadence that burrowed into his mind and into his heart. It washed over his own thoughts, until he could feel them slipping away like water through his fingers. It consumed him.

With a sudden ripping, pieces of his armor started to break apart, as his body grew larger.

"Spirits! He is exposed! He will not survive in vacuum!"

"I will get him!"

"You will do no such thing!" The voice of Desolas was deadly sharp now, the first time it had been raised since they landed on the moon. It was enough to silence the panicking soldiers. "Do you believe our evolved forms will be so fragile? The Void holds no threat to Aetius now, soldiers. He is beyond such weakness. The flesh…"

With a crack that reverberated across his burning brain, his helmet split open and fell away. Without the radio, he could no longer hear their voices. But the Voice inside his head did not stop, it only grew stronger. The pain was starting to wane, but it had become very hard to think, to remember.

With a wild surge of utter, horrendous panic, he realized he was losing his memories! Already he could not remember his childhood. Could not remember his parent's faces, or their names, or their voices. Could not remember his mate! His recollections were replaced by alien knowledge, dark whispers that he could not understand. And still the Voice wanted more. Its hunger would not be satisfied with just a part of him. It wanted everything he had, everything he was.

He felt a presence by his side, and found himself suddenly able to open his eyes. He could see the ceiling of the room, could see the marks engraved upon the metal. A small, fragmented part of his mind that could still contemplate such things told him that he should not have been capable of seeing so clearly just with the light given by the Monolith. Above his head, right at the edge of his vision was General Desolas Arterius, looking down at him.

He tried desperately to scream at him, to tell him that they were wrong, that the Monolith would not save them. The Voice that even now tried to silence his thoughts was wholly evil; it wanted nothing more than to consume, to dominate, to corrupt. It was stripping away his memories, his identity. It was taking away his son!

"Be calm, my brother. Soon you will no longer feel pain, ever again." he could not hear the general's words in his ears, but he heard them in his heart. It was the same language he had used before, at the ice wall. It knew now that it was nothing but a pale shadow of the Voice. A child's thing, taught to those too limited to understand the greatness of the truth.

The marks on the ceiling were clear to it now. It could see, it could understand. It knew what to do.

Silently, it sat up. Looking down upon itself, it saw grey plates and blue flesh. Around its body, glowing blue cables crossed the chest and every limb. Its obsolete coverings had been completely torn, the last pieces falling away as it raised to its feet. It was tall, much taller now than the rest of the Lost Creatures in the room.

The one who called himself Savior looked up at it, satisfaction in his gaze. "Can you see the future, brother? Will you help us?"

It listened to the Voice. Yes, it would help the False Savior, for now. The Voice needed more food, more power, and more servants. Until it could acquire the resources necessary to fulfil its purpose to the Harvest, it would need the help of the Lost. And the instrument would do its part, as dictated by the Voice.

As dictated by the Great Ones.

---

Amanda, watch the door to the Room of Time! Padma, Susan, take those two on the left, don't hold back! Neville, with me! We are taking this bitch down tonight!

Don't worry, Harry. I have a theory. We will get you out of there soon, I promise.

Luna came here earlier today. She was desperate, crying. She said she could not hear them anymore. She is sleeping in our guest room. I don't know how to help her.

Neville and Hannah are going to get married today. They wanted to wait some more, but I convinced them not to. Harry would not have wanted it.

The next one will work, I am sure, Harry. I really feel I'm on to something here.

It is happening all over the world. People are starting to panic. They are demanding answers, but we do not have any to give.

The truth is a wonderful and dangerous thing, Harry.

Ginny screamed at me. Said I'm not trying hard enough. Then she broke down, and we spent the whole morning crying on the sofa. I'm doing everything I can, I swear.

I have finished my studies. After much insistence, the Director has given us authorization to approach select mundane specialists about the Sundering. It could also give me some fresh ideas about Harry's case.

Neville and Padma founded the International Defense Association. They are doing good work.

There was a riot on the Alley. People died. We could barely keep it from spilling into the streets of London. George's shop was burned down.

Ron came visiting last night. He and Amanda broke up. They just couldn't handle it any longer. I wish them the best.

After my name is cleared...if you wish to... have a different house?

The goblins have closed all their doors and are abandoning the effort. They are retreating deep into their tunnels. I suppose it is a blessing. A revolt would have been much worse.

Hogwarts is finally closing its doors. I went to see Filius, it was heartbreaking.

A man named Sinclair is giving trouble to the yanks. He claims to have the means to save us, but his methods are fanatical, barbaric. By all accounts, he seems to be just as powerful as Riddle was. At least he doesn't bother with fake names and silly titles. They have asked the IDF for help.

Nothing works. We cannot reverse it. I do not know what else to try.

We just received word that the ICW declared a ban on all dragon products. Charlie said they lost their last one to poachers yesterday. He was so devastated.

Sinclair's cult detonated a ritual circle on the States. It wiped out a whole town. They managed to pin the blame on a terrorist attack, but they are running out of excuses.

We just received a report. Antoinette Calissari is officially the first magic user on Mars, but it's an empty victory. The planet is dead.

There is a door at the Department of Mysteries that is always locked. It contains a power more wondrous and terrible than death, than the human intelligence, than the forces of nature.

Five more Ministries have left the Confederation. Two more have been dissolved. We managed to stop India and China's war, but the damage was horrendous.

Victor Sinclair is dead. Neville brought the man down himself, but he didn't make it. The U.S. President awarded him the Medal of Freedom. Hannah received it in his name.

I am seeing this mundane doctor that is working with us, John Wilkins. He is a very good man. His daughter is a little cold to me, but I am sure I can win her over.

I cannot do this anymore. We have so many things to do. I'm so sorry, Harry. I have to let you go.

They are going to do it. I have gone over the ritual myself, and the arithmancy is sound. It could work.

The mundanes have made threats again. They are making demands we simply cannot agree to. But we cannot fight them as we are. I am afraid of what they will do. I am afraid of what our response will be.

Goodbye, Harry.

Only death can bring life.

'THUNCK'

The sound of a heavy object hitting the floor snapped Harry awake. It took him many seconds to get his bearings, and to chase away the remnants of his dream. He looked around and finally recognized the familiar interior of his ship's cabin, the lights comfortably dim.

Outside, night had fallen. A better look at the windows told him they were currently flying lazily over one of Shanxi's gigantic lakes. There were no clouds, and without any city-lights the Milky Way could be seen in all its splendor, reflected on the still waters. Only the faint thrumming of engines broke the silence of the world. He would usually have a much greater appreciation for the sight, but right now his mind was still full of old shadows.

He remembered what they were doing, now. Astrid had asked (whined) about a little ride after Letia had visited. After a couple of hours spent removing the more questionable parts of his recording and tidying up some other things, they went off to their favorite mountain range for some stupidly reckless flying. A long time later, Harry declared they had enough and started on their way home, but once more the sentient starship asked (whined) for 'just a little longer'. And he, in his usual infinite lack of good sense, had agreed.

Astrid was perfectly capable of flying by herself. And on a remote place like Shanxi, it would have been safe to do so. Yet for all her non-stop complaining about being grounded all the time and having nothing to do, she always refused to fly without him, unless it was an emergency. Harry just did not get women some times. But in any case, he had told her to just go wherever she wanted while he did some reading...

Oh, right.

He looked around, a little more focused this time, and sure enough there was a large half-open book on the floor, right next to his left foot. He bent down to grab the soft brow leather of the cover, bringing it back to his lap. He started closing it, but his eyes got draw to the writing on the very first page, like they always were.

Notes and Memoires of Dr. Hermione J. Wilkins.

He did not know how long he spent tracing those eight words with his finger; much more than was healthy, he was sure; before a soft voice came from the ship's speakers.

"The dream again?"

"Yes." was his simple response.

There was a pause, where he knew she was considering her next words. "Harry, you have to stop doing this to yourself."

With a sigh, he finally closed the journal, putting it over the nearby chair. "I know, girl. Trust me, I know. Bloody hell, I promised myself I would stop this after I left Earth. But it's just so hard."

"I get you." she went on, voice full of compassion. "But this really isn't helping. Every time you pick up that diary, or those letters, or those old newspapers, it's like a little piece of you dies again. It is painful to watch, Harry."

"I'm sorry, Astrid. I understand that. I understand it here." he tapped his forehead. "But here," he then tapped the left side of his chest, "is a bit more complicated."

They spent a few minutes in companionable silence, Harry watching the stars slowly dance above them. When Astrid spoke again, she had an exaggerated condescending tone. "You meatbags. You know the heart is just an ugly flesh pump, yes? It isn't a data disk for your little organic feelings."

That gave him a small smile. It wasn't the terrible joke, but the sincerity of the intention behind it that lifted his mood. For all their gripping with each other, he honestly didn't know what he would have done without her for the past few years. "Tell that to the heart, Astrid." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before physically shaking himself, giving light slaps to his face. "That's it! That's enough angst for today." he straightened himself on the pilot's chair, grimacing as his back popped into place again. He hated sleeping on chairs! "Time to go home. I need a proper bed."

"Must we?" at his unimpressed look, she continued. "Tsk. All right, I get it. Little princess needs her beauty sleep. Here, at least do it yourself." she passed control over to his console again.

He just chuckled, and put them on a course for Green 14. During the way back, he busied himself with some deep scans of the lakebed. That spot right there looked interesting, he would have to come back later to check it out.

It did not take long for him to realize that Astrid had yet to utter a single word, which was very unusual for her. He knew she was not really angry, even she was not that childish. In the end, he just chalked it up to her still being worried about him.

He really should have known better.

"So, Harry." those two words were spoken with absolute nonchalance. Of course, he was instantaneously suspicious.

"What is it, Astrid?"

"While you were taking your nap, I passed close to Central."

Sweet Titania, what had she done now? "All right, so?"

"And I happened to listen in on the military communications..."

"You what?!"

"...and there were some really interesting chats going on over there." she continued, ignoring him. "And it got me curious; and I may have kind-of entered the Alliance secure network..."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"...and in the middle of all that junk about weapons research, navy deployments, candidates for promotion... you know, the usual jarhead stuff (there was even some porn in there, can you believe it?), I found this really juicy data packet, just coming fresh from one of the 7th Flotilla's ships."

Harry's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Frankly, he was a little too stupefied for words at the moment.

"And I really think you should have a look at it." she concluded.

He slowly managed to reengage his brain. "Astrid... that's just... you... bloody hell, girl?! You can't just 'listen in' on the Navy's channels like that! And to actually hack into their network? Have you gone completely bonkers?!" he was doing everything he could to keep from blowing his top.

"Pfft! It's not like they would catch me." she said with obvious derision.

"Getting caught isn't the point." he bit out through gritted teeth.

"Harry, you must see these files."

The sudden and grim seriousness of her voice caught him by surprise. That was so unlike her, he could feel his anger being replaced by worry faster than he could stop it.

"I... all right, Astrid. But this better be good."

"Just read." she once again took control and started relaying the data.

Just a minute into his reading and he had completely forgotten his aggravation with the ship's unlawful practices. As he continued to view the records and battle data collected by the SSV Kings Mountain, the results of the Alliance officer's meeting, and the reports on the emergency procedures being covertly implemented, he felt his heart grow heavier with each passing minute. Half an hour later, he was finished.

So that was it, then. After four years, they finally met the sentient extraterrestrial species he had hoped so hard to find. And that species had just killed seventy two people, and injured eighteen more, without apparent incitement. Merlin, that was just like one of those bad sci-fi movies Dean had insisted they watch...

"Well, bollocks." was his succinct summary of the situation.

"So, what do you think will happen?" asked his companion, who had not uttered a single word while he read the files. There was just the tinniest hint of anxiousness in her voice.

"Astrid, I don't rightfully know." he passed a hand through his hair, messing it even more than usual. "I think the Alliance's decision to secure their downed ship's remains is a reasonable one. If those are some sort of 'conquer them all' people, they getting the information from any surviving computer on a warship could be disastrous. On the other hand, I think the Navy may be a little too willing to shoot at the slightest provocation. They will arrive there, all big ships and guns blazing, and if those people are just a warrior civilization, like the goblins, they will only feel challenged rather than intimidated."

"Should we go take a look?" she suggested.

Harry took a minute to think about that. It was very tempting to go take a gander themselves. But in the end he shook his head. "No, we shouldn't. It's a four hour trip to that system on each leg. I don't want to risk these beings arriving at Shanxi while we are away. If nothing else, I can try to keep some people safe." he nodded to himself. "Besides, our presence might complicate matters. Remember, your particular brand of stealth is only guaranteed to work against mundane technology."

"We don't know if some, or all, of them are magical." she concluded. "And if they are, we don't know frickles about the extension of their powers."

"Quite."

"You think they will come here?"

"As invaders you mean; Merlin, that's so clichéd. Well, if they want to pick a bone with us for whatever reason, it would not be hard to find Shanxi. Even if they don't extract that information from the Alliance's ship, that system is only two light years away."

"Ok, then. Suppose they are hostile, cruel and want to experiment on us. What about reinforcements from the Alliance?"

"That's another problem." he breathed out harshly. "As far as I know, the scientists are still having trouble with FTL communications. They haven't found anything about that in the Prothean Archives until now, so they had to begin from scratch. Like that admiral said, a courier will need more than two and a half days to reach Arcturus Station. A situation like this means the Alliance will have to pass the matter up to the UN." he smiled ruefully. "If there is one thing that hasn't changed in 150 years, it's politicians."

"Even after the UN reaches a consensus, there is still the question of logistics. They will never take the First Fleet out of Arcturus, that would leave both the station and Sol undefended. That leaves the Second and the Third Fleets. They are both still scattered around a dozen clusters, most of them on the opposite direction to Shanxi, and those also cannot be left completely unguarded. That will mean more couriers, and more time. Then they will have to think about scouting, supply lines, and a hundred other military things I haven't got a clue about."

"So we will basically be on our own for a good while, then?"

"It seems like it, yes."

"Okay then, what's the plan?"

Harry smiled. At no point did Astrid make any suggestions for them to just leave the system, something they could very easily do. She knew him too well.

"First, we pack the house. Whatever happens, we might need to move quickly. Then I will start preparing some stuff in the lab. I can also think of a couple ways to boost the colony's defenses without it being too obvious. I will need your help with that." he shook his head. "If these people don't have magic, it should leave them baffled for a time. If they do have magic, it may level the field for the Alliance a little." for so long all he wished was to find a species capable of using magic. Now here he was, hoping they would not. The irony left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Anything else will have to wait until we can find out more about them. And all that is supposing they will come looking for a fight. Things might get sorted out at Shanxi-Theta, or they may not come shooting, or they could bypass the colony entirely."

"With your luck, Harry?" Astrid's tone was not accusing or judgmental, just a statement of fact.

"I know." he sighed. "I want you to continue monitoring the Alliance channels. Keep me informed."

"HA! Who is the lawbreaker now?" crowed the sentient craft triumphantly.

"Oh, put a sock on it, will you?"

They fell into another silence while the Trailblazer burned towards Green 14, now at high speed, both deeply contemplative. Well, Harry was contemplative. He could not begin to guess what his crazy ship was thinking right then. It was only when they were a couple of minutes from arriving, that something she said registered on his mind.

"Wait a second. Astrid, you said you found porn on the Navy's mainframes?"

"Oh, yeah! Funny thing, huh? Most of it was uploaded by a Corporal Charles Moreau. That guy has some strange tastes. Not "ew" strange, mind you. Just... unusual. What is so interesting about women with animal ears and tails, anyway?"

"You know what? Just forget I asked."

---

Avani stood back to inspect her work and nodded, satisfied. Each one of the samples they had taken from the southern marshes had been planted inside their respective nutrition capsules. Fifteen of the waist-high white cylinders were neatly arranged along the greenhouse's wall. Now all she had to do was wait and monitor them very closely.

Those were not the only samples they had collected, of course. The total number of specimens they had gathered for further examination bordered on two hundred, among seeds, flowers, stems and leaves. And those were only the most promising candidates for medicinal properties, human and animal consumption, and simple decoration. She and the other scientists had divided the load amongst themselves using a most professional and analytical process (poker, Texas hold'em), and she got some great ones! In fact, a sister of the little flower she gave to Harry was on the forth capsule from the left.

She took off her working coveralls and thoroughly washed her hands and forearms. All around her were greens, yellows, blues and reds. The familiar scents were comforting for her. Be it at Earth, or at a planet a galactic arm away, the feel of a well-kept greenhouse was the same. With one last look upon her beloved little ones, she went outside and sealed the door. Night had fallen some time ago, and thanks to Shanxi's slow rotation speed, it would remain dark for most of the following waking hours.

On her way to the house, she saw one of her assistants carefully watching over a small, floating drone while it worked over a patch of land. "Everything all right with nº 08?"

"So far it looks fine, Ms. Bahtia. Mr. Hiroishi may not be the most amiable fellow, but he does good work."

"That he does, Emmet. If 08 keeps it up for the next half-hour, you can go back to the lab."

"Sure thing, Ms. Bahtia."

With a last smile to the solicitous young man, Avani took the remaining few meters to the back door to her kitchen/service area. Right before opening it, she took a look at the sky just in time to catch the very faint streak of blinking lights crossing to the north. Probably one more of the Alliance's shuttles, which was somewhat curious. There had been an unusual flurry of activity in the skies of Shanxi for the last several hours. Most of the time, the only vehicle around Green 14 that was not a land transport was Harry's ship. Shrugging to herself, she went inside.

"So there I was, just getting out of my ship at Arcturus…"

And speaking of the devil.

The mother could hear the voices of her children and their favorite neighbor coming out from their small living room. As was common in prefab units, everything but the bedrooms and bathroom was one big connected space. The room's sofa was turned away from the kitchen, and none of its occupants had seen her enter. Avani would bet that Harry knew she was there, though. She had long noticed that the man possessed an incredible sense of awareness.

"And then, the guy accuses me of stealing his contract!" he continued his story. Avani stopped just at the edge of the kitchen, leaning on the wall. "Right there, in the middle of the loading bay! And he was not quiet, mind you. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at us, and of course a group of Marines was stationed nearby and came to see what all the fuss was about."

Samesh snickered, while Lucretia just waited for him to keep going, a smirk on her lips.

"And it just turns out that the corporal in charge of those Marines was a guy I had picked up a fight with in a bar on Terra Nova, because he was being very rude to this lady there. I mean, for real? Of all the hundreds of thousands of Marines in the galaxy, it had to be the only one that had a bone to pick with me, because of something that happened a year before and two thousand light-years away?"

Her son gave a little laugh, while his sister shot him an incredulous look. "Harry, you've got one of the worst lucks I have ever seen."

"You don't know the half of it." he said with a sigh. She thought she heard a strange tinge on his voice, but it was gone before she could ponder it. "Anyway, the soldiers took me away for questioning, and the corporal and the other Voyager actually shook hands, right there in front of me! Then I spent the next five hours inside a small room, having to show every last document I had, and provide proof of every single one of my contracts. And all the while the bloke just stood there drinking coffee and looking smug."

Avani smiled. She could hear the swearing on Harry's tone. She was certain only Samesh's presence kept him from calling the man something nasty. She was also certain that the whole thing had been a much tenser affair than he was letting them know. Voyagers abusing the privileges given to them were committing a serious crime. And if the people doing the questioning were set on making everything as difficult as possible, those must have been some truly unpleasant hours.

"After that, however, my luck finally turned up. Apparently, they looking into my files raised a red flag somewhere, because suddenly a lieutenant came storming inside the room and started to demand just what the soldiers thought they were doing, detaining an innocent man without proof. Everyone went pale, and when they all looked to the corporal at the same time, I swear the guy was going to faint. The lieutenant, I think his name was Hackett, apologized profusely in the name of the Alliance, assured me that they valued my work very much, and said that I would be given a bonus on my contract as a 'thank you'. And at each word the corporal looked like he was getting sicker. Before the door closed behind me, I could already hear the shouting." he sounded very pleased at the memory.

"Yes! He deserved it!" said Samesh, arms crossed and nodding haughtily.

"You bet he did, mate." agreed the man, giving the boy a high-five. Lucretia just shook her head at them.

"Kids. Well Harry, great that it worked out for you in the end. Still, I can't believe the nerve of that guy."

"Not so great, were they?" challenged her little man.

It was the girl's turn to cross her arms. "Hey! I never said that the Navy had just nice guys on it, pipsqueak. And an officer came and put them in their place, yeah?"

"So they just stopped because a big guy came in? Why none of the others did anything?" was the surprisingly insightful counter.

"Look, they were all wrong, no question about that. That corporal was a piece of s…"

"Harry, so nice of you to visit!" she interrupted, shooting a dirty look at her daughter, who just cringed.

The man was quick to take his cue. "Ah, the lovely Ms Bahtia." Rising from the sofa, he came to Avani and asked for her hand with a flourish. When she giggled and offered it, he took and kissed it. "How can I not come to gaze upon the beauty of the prettiest flower this side of the Orion Arm?" he said, in a very over-the-top manner.

Her children both smiled, argument forgotten. She smothered her own smile and gave him an imperious look. "Mr. Harry Evans. Care to explain exactly how you can flirt with me so shamelessly, when you still won't call me Avani?"

"Ah, but I am English, Madame. And a true Englishman would never be so disrespectful."

"And being a flirt is not disrespectful?"

"Not when it's done with style."

That cracked them all up. Avani swatted him on the shoulder and went back to the kitchen, intent on some fresh water. "Can I get you anything, Harry?" he gave her a negative wave and a grateful look. She filled a glass for herself, took a long drink, and turned back to him.

"All right, seriously now. To what do we own the pleasure?"

Harry's smile dimmed, and a weary look entered his eyes. It was the first sign she had that not everything was all right.

"Actually, Ms. Bahtia," he indicated the two youngsters subtly, who were now behind him and could not see the gesture, "I really did came here to see you. I have come across a very important scientific matter that I need to discuss with you, personally."

She could understand his meaning. She also saw Lucretia giving him a beaming smile. Her daughter had been dropping hints all the time yesterday that Harry had something really incredible to show to her. Something told her this conversation would not be about that, though.

"Of course, Harry. Lucretia, Samesh, do your mother a favor, all right? Emmet is outside keeping an eye on our problem drone, seeing if all the kinks have been worked out, but I really need him in the lab right now. Can you go and relieve him? Just make sure the little guy is doing his job for half an hour, then you can come back."

Samesh was obviously unenthusiastic, but the girl got up without complaint and went to him. "C'mon half-stuff, let's save poor Emmet from boredom."

He got up reluctantly, and shot his sister a sullen look. "Why do you have to keep calling me that?"

"You will stop being a half-stuff when you turn into a full-stuff. Now let's go."

A few more grumblings and they were out. She made sure they were on their way before closing the door and coming back to her guest. He was standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back and looking distractedly outside the window. His mind was clearly somewhere else. "Harry?"

He brought his attention once more to her, and gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry about this, Ms. Bahtia, but I really do need to speak with you about a very urgent matter."

"Oh, Harry, there's truly no problem. And for goodness' sake, it's Avani." She shook her head and went to take a seat on the sofa. She indicated for him to sit as well, but he had started to pace now. "What is it that got you so worried, my friend?"

He continued to pace for a minute, obviously trying to formulate his answer. In the end, he scratched the back of his head in consternation and sighed. "Oh, bloody hell. There's no way of saying this in an easier way." he looked straight in her eyes. "Ms. Bahtia, what I am about to tell you may sound a little absurd; or not, come to think of it; but I assure you it's the truth."

"Harry, I never knew you to be a liar or to exaggerate facts. I will believe anything you say."

"All right." he took a deep breath. "I came across some very important information from a… source of mine in the Alliance. It seems the ships that were supposed to open up Shanxi-Theta were attacked by an unknown force. One of the ships got destroyed, and the other escaped to warn us. It's the reason why the ANN hasn't been giving any more reports on the activation, and are just running interviews."

Avani put a hand to her mouth. She could feel a small seed of fear forming on the pit of her stomach. "An 'unknown' force? Harry, does this mean…" she could not finish the phrase.

Harry sighed again. "Yes, Ms. Bahtia. By the report of the surviving ship, it seems yesterday we had a First Contact of the worst kind."

The mother felt stunned, but she did not doubt his words. After the discovery of the Prothean Archives, the existence of sapient extraterrestrial life had been proven beyond any shadow of doubt. Humanity knew there were aliens out there, aliens who were very technologically advanced and who had been to their very Solar System and studied their distant ancestors. She had been a researcher in the Martian Terraforming Project at the time, and while the mood on Lowell City had been mostly one of great enthusiasm, the news back from Earth were a different matter.

Even though earlier testing had put the Archives as more than forty thousand years old, their existence had reawakened all kinds of myths and conspiracy theories; from the reptilians, to Area 51, to the supposedly alien Egyptian gods. People on Earth divided their time between exultation and outright panic. News agencies got crazy, people went to the streets to protest against their governments 'hiding the truth' from them, and suddenly 'legitimate' prothean artefacts started to appear in every seedy market on the planet. For the most part, the more conservative religions could not provide good enough answers to accommodate the new truth, and ended up seeing the greatest exodus of their faithful in human history.

Fortunately, practical minds had focused their attention on the more immediate concerns. So there were aliens, be they Protheans or some other race. If they were peaceful, that was fine. But what if they were not? While the Systems Alliance had been mostly founded as a means to unify the economic and scientific power of Earth's nations in order to meet the astronomical costs of extrasolar colonies, the Alliance Navy was formed as a direct answer to that question. Spurned by public opinion, the Navy found itself with a budget that would have made even the most fanatical war hawk self-conscious, and they put it to good use. Only eight years later, the military arm of humanity on space boasted more than two hundred and fifty warships of various weights, with more being constructed all the time. While the initial personnel had been picked from the various armed forces of the Alliance's signatories, there was no shortage of volunteers.

And now it seemed that all the fear and preparation had been justified.

Harry had been watching her reaction, and he was clearly reluctant to continue, but could not stop now. "And it gets worse, I'm afraid."

"Worse?" she croaked.

He nodded, face very grim now. "The admiral in charge of the Expeditionary Flotilla decided to go and stop the attackers from messing up with the remains of their ship. There was also the hypothesis that the aggressors could have been human, which wasn't that farfetched, really, but it seems that was not the case. They returned just an hour ago. They found the other people and ended up fighting them again. The Alliance won, but more of the other ships came into the system, with a cruiser this time, and they decided to retreat rather than risk losing ships and giving them more research material."

"And these… people, they are coming here? To Shanxi?"

"That has not been confirmed, but it is very likely. We are too close to Shanxi-Theta; all they have to do is go to the nearest planetary system to find it. Now, just because they attacked us, doesn't necessarily mean they will invade us. But the Alliance is working with the worst case scenario in mind."

Avani sat for a while, just trying to process that information. Her initial feeling was of disappointment; though at whom she was not sure. She had been one of the 'hopefuls'; those who believed the Protheans intentions were benign, and that First Contact would be the bridge to an unprecedented cultural and technological revolution. That belief seemed silly, now.

Immediately, however, her thoughts turned to Samesh and Lucretia. And that earlier seed of fear turned into a full, ugly dread.

"Harry, my children! How am I going to keep them safe from an alien invasion?!" she put her arms around herself and closed her eyes. The mother was a brave woman, but her head was full of dreadnoughts raining fire upon the red earth and hulking grey monstrosities roaming the streets. What could a glorified farmer do against that? She had not felt so powerless since her childhood, when she had to fend off muggers, kidnappers and worse things on the dirty alleys of Dheli's slums.

She felt a gentle touch. Rising her head, she found Harry sitting on the sofa next to her, just close enough to put a comforting hand upon her arm.

"Ms. Bahtia… Avani. Do you trust me?"

He was looking straight into her eyes, and all she could see in his green gaze now was an iron-clad determination. She suddenly realized that all of his earlier worry and agitation had been for her; for how he was going to tell his grave news and how she would take them. This was not the face of a man who was afraid, or even truly anxious about the looming darkness. This was the face of a man who saw a trial and would let nothing stop him from overcoming it.

Avani Bahtia was not an innocent woman. She had stared in the face of human depravity, felt it with her own hands, and knew fully well the lengths that men and women could go to in order to survive. She understood that even the most law-abiding citizen could become a monster when things became desperate.

But she had also seen another side. A doctor turned prostitute who always treated the ailments of the poor for free, a smile on her face, even when they scorned her. An old Shaivite who stood between a gang and their prey, frail body firm and face defiant. A retired soldier who caught a thief in the act, and instead of running her off or calling the police, gave her shelter, food and a future.

She had known Harry Evans for little more than six months, but she knew that he was like them. There was a fundamental goodness to this man, an innate sense of right and wrong that could not be forsaken, even when he wished for nothing else. A man who knew that many times, the only reward of decency was to have it tested again, and again, and again.

"Yes." was the simple answer.

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze and let it go. His hand went inside a breast pocket. "Then believe me when I say that you three are going to be fine. The local garrison has been making preparations for almost a day now. Right as we speak, the governor has given orders to evacuate all civilians to the deeper cave systems around Central and the Inner Settlements. Marines have been moving material, food and equipment inside them non-stop, you may have noticed the frantic shuttle traffic. They should keep you safe of anything short of nuclear bombardment. We can hold long enough for the Fleets to arrive."

He took out a small pendant in the shape of a yellow rose, connected to an unusually long chain. "More importantly, I won't let anything happen to you." he took her hand and put the piece of jewelry on it.

She examined it, confused. "What is this, Harry?"

"That, is a very… special device. One of my own making." he gave her another penetrating look. "If we do end up with a battle in our doorsteps, I will most likely not be able to stay with you. I have skills I can use to help the Alliance."

She just nodded. She did not doubt that.

"If that happens, and you find yourselves in imminent danger, then I want you to take hold of this pendant and have both Letia and Sam grab the chain tightly. And anyone in proximity to you, too." he closed her hand around the little object. "After you do that, I want you to say the word 'Activate', followed by the word 'Shelter'. Those precise words, in that exact order. Make absolutely sure that the others are holding the chain, otherwise the device will not work for them, and it is a one-shot thing."

"What will it do?"

"It will keep you safe." he responded. At her look, he went on. "This is the part where you have to trust me, Avani. I cannot explain how the device works, there is no time. But it will make it impossible to hurt you and anyone else who uses it."

It was Avani's turn to gaze deeply into the Voyager's eyes. She spent a long moment looking for something inside them, until she simply nodded.

She was a scientist, a woman ruled by logic and facts. What Harry was speaking about here sounded like some kind of magical power, or sci-fi fantasy. A small flower pendant capable of somehow rendering people impervious to damage? There was absolutely no logical reason to believe in his words.

But she did.

She took the chain and put it around her neck. It came down almost to her navel. "'Activate', followed by 'Shelter', correct?" he nodded.

She got up, and waited for him to do the same. Them, without warning, she hugged him. She felt him stiffen in surprise for a few seconds, before he relaxed and patted her back gently.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Ms. Bahtia."

Despite all her worries, she let out a small laugh. "So, now that the heavy moment is over I am back to being Ms. Bahtia, huh?"

She had just let him go when the front door opened, letting her son and daughter in. Lucretia looked anxious, while Samesh was just confused. "Mom, we have another visitor. And it looks urgent." said the young woman.

That was when they saw the large figure of Sergeant Dale, of the Green 14 Marine detachment, standing on the doorway. At her nod, he stepped in, put his hands behind his back, and spoke in a respectful but firm manner.

"Ms. Bahtia, Mr. Evans, I am here to collect you all. There has been a planet-wide emergency and we are having to implement some safety procedures. We need all inhabitants of the settlement to gather immediately in the main square. All explanations will be given shortly."

She nodded. "All right! Samesh, go put your excursion clothes. Lucretia, do the same. I want you ready in 10 minutes. Will that be good enough, Mr. Dale?"

Her children looked very surprised, but no more than the soldier. He obviously had not expected her to comply so quickly and without question. A do-it-now-or-I-will-be-very-displeased look from her saw the two youngsters moving to obey. "I will do the same, please excuse me."

On the way to her room, she heard the sergeant speak again. "Mr. Evans, I also have a notice from Colonial Authority to you. It concerns your ship." she stopped and turned back to watch. "I am sorry to say, sir, but Authority will have to confiscate your vehicle for the duration of this emergency. There is a ban on all civilian air or ground traffic until the situation is resolved."

Dale had been through the rigors of military training and many years of service. He was a head taller and much broader at the shoulders than Harry. He wore full armor, had an assault rifle on his back and a handgun on his hip, while the Voyager was dressed only in a shirt and pants, and did not carry any weapons.

And despite all that, the expression on Harry's face made him flinch and shrink a little within himself.

Avani smiled and went inside her room.

---

"As I said, your fleet is being immediately redeployed, General."

The words echoed firmly within the austere confines of the meeting room. Behind his back, Desolas Arterius' hands were clenched hard. It was only a lifetime of discipline and experience that allowed him to stand dutifully at attention and not to give any outward signs of his anger. They were so close! This wretched situation could not have come at a worst time.

Even though he knew it was useless, he had to try. "High General Pavlus, I would never excuse myself from carrying out the Hierarchy's will. But I must again remind Command that my ships are just returning from a long tour on the edge of the Traverse. My soldiers have been away from their homes for much time, years in some cases, and while they would serve just as faithfully for another one, they deserve the chance to see their families."

He could see in the other turian's eyes that the wizened warrior sympathized with his words. Unfortunately, that sympathy would not grant Desolas his wish.

"Regardless, General, the decision has been made. The 16th Fleet is currently our closest available force not occupied with other critical duties." the older soldier's hands pressed together beneath his jaw. "To be honest, Arterius, there are some other fleets we could deploy, but those could not be moved without immediately alarming the Council. While we have no intentions of hiding this matter from our fellow races, Palaven Command wishes to keep the full scope of the situation confidential until we learn more about this new people."

"That is to say, until we can see if it would be feasible to make them into a client race." complemented Desolas.

Amongst other Council species, the turian practice of maintaining client races had been a matter of much debate throughout history. While only the most fanatical would call it a form of slavery; as client races maintained their governments and enjoyed full citizenship rights within the Hierarchy except for the ability to occupy the higher political or military offices; the tradition was still looked upon with reserve by many. By-and-wide, turians were seen as the guardians of the galaxy, the keepers of law and peace. They guided and nurtured the races subordinated to them, and brought the unsurpassed weight of their military force upon any who threatened their lives. To their enemies and detractors however, turians where little more than glorified tyrants; hiding a desire to rule other species behind a veneer of honor.

The truth, as was often the case, was somewhere in between.

Desolas was not young, and many would say his experience and military record should earn him a more important position than as leader of one of their smaller fleets, and they would be right. Desolas had many times been offered a greater Command and citizenship tier, even a rank of High General, like the one currently passing him instructions. But he refused to leave the 16th, always citing an unbreakable bond with his ships and his soldiers, and a humble unpreparedness for higher responsibilities. As turians valued the acceptance of one's limitations more than the pursuit of ambition, none questioned his motives.

They should have, because his motives were a lie.

Knowing that arguing any further would only bring suspicion upon him, Desolas resigned himself to the delay on his plans. "I understand, High General. It will be done." at the superior's nod, he permitted his stance to relax slightly. "Now, could you give me the summary, sir?"

With a gesture from the old turian, a much younger aide came to his side and gave him a datapad. He scrolled through the data quickly, a simple review of well memorized information. "67 hours ago, the 53rd Patrol Group belonging to the 11th Legion was sent to search for a possible pirate's nest in the poorly mapped Australis Margo Cluster. In order to more efficiently search the large area, the Group's commander ordered her ships to split. 31 hours ago, four of those ships encountered two unidentified, frigate-weight vessels in a small planetary system. They stood watch from the relative cover of a gas giant. 27 hours ago, they confirmed that the unknowns were in the process of activating a dormant Mass Relay. Due to light-lag, the process had been ongoing for more than 2 hours. Following Citadel law, and aware of the urgency, the officer in charge of the detachment ordered a direct intervention upon the offending vessel. They proved to be warships of considerable quality. When the one responsible for the transmission to the Relay failed to interrupt its activation signal, even under combat, they were forced to terminate it. The second vessel fled the system before it could be subdued."

"Afterwards, they sent a message probe to the Group's rendezvous point, and prepared to wait for their arrival. Three of the ships stood guard next to the partially-activated Relay, designated Relay CS-314. The fourth ship, the light frigate Occram, conducted an investigation of the unknown frigate's remains that, due to inertia, had drifted for a considerable distance. Some data was collected and sent to the lead ship. Before the rest of the 53rd could arrive, the unknowns returned with five frigates of the same type encountered before and a cruiser-class warship. While the Occram was in the process of collecting its EVA personnel and return to the group, the now designated hostiles made a short-range FTL jump between them. The isolated frigate was surrounded by three hostiles while the remaining ones positioned themselves to stop any attempt of rescue."

"The leading officer designed a plan to use electromagnetic charges as a distraction and allow the surrounded frigate to flee. The plan was foiled however, as the enemy ship's sensors were unexpectedly resistant to the charge's effects. The hostiles opened fire. The Occram managed to retreat for a thousand kilometers before it was destroyed. Our remaining ships retreated from the immediate area and settled for executing threat runs; either in case the hostiles once more attempted to activate the Relay, or tamper with the Occram's wreckage. They seemed more concerned with guarding their own ship's debris, however, and did not make the same decision to split their own forces. No new attempt to approach the Relay, or transmit to it, was made."

The high general looked up into Desolas' eyes as he concluded. "Six hours and 17 minutes later, the rest of the 53rd arrived; five light frigates, one heavy frigate and the cruiser Ascendant Shadow. Realizing themselves once more outmatched, the unknowns left the system. But not before the hostile's frigates bombarded the larger pieces of their wreckage, an obvious attempt to difficult any additional investigation. Further search of the remains revealed that it had been stripped of any corpses or other objects of importance."

General Arterius took a moment to assimilate the information, and then nodded. "I understand. And what of the information that led to our deployment? Is it related to the data the Occram was able to extract and transmit before its demise?"

"That is correct. Lieutenant, if you would take it from here." responded the older officer. He gestured to his aide, and the turian woman smartly saluted Desolas.

"General, it's an honor." he just gestured for her to continue, hiding his impatience in Pavlus' presence. "The alien ship's main data banks were apparently located very closely to its Mass Effect core. Upon the ship's destruction, an electrical discharge from the core completely fried the mainframe, and almost every other electronic device onboard. Our technicians believe the configuration is made on purpose, an admittedly ingenious way to limit the very same information gathering we attempted. Also, the Occram suffered from a lack of specialized equipment. They mostly had to make do with their omnitools."

Desolas scratched his left mandible in thought. It was a clever defense. The kind of thing a salarian would come up with.

She continued. "But the Occram found what we believe to be personal digital devices belonging to members of the crew. Though damaged, their engineers were able to salvage data from some of them. Fragments of video files, audio recordings, we are still going over it all. Sadly, not all the gathered data was transmitted before we lost the ship. Also, the linguistic and cultural barriers make much of what we do have incomprehensible for the moment. One of the devices revealed two crucial pieces of information, though. First, a short video file showing what we believe to be a defense exercise that accurately portrays all the ships in the alien's fleet. Second, an astrogation chart of the cluster showing the position of their main base of operations. It is a planet on a system just a few hours from Relay 314."

"Also, we have established a means of communication." the woman looked satisfied with that. "Right before the situation deteriorated, the new species attempted to hail our ships. They used one of the later prothean dialects. Given their advanced use of Mass Effect technology, we already expected them to have found a repository of their own, and this confirms it. You can use this as a bridge to facilitate interactions."

The high general once more took the word. "Therein lies your deployment, General. Though the 16th Fleet is relatively small, it still outnumbers the expected enemy naval presence three to one. With the addition of the 53rd, of which you will assume nominal command for the duration of this campaign, that number goes up yet again. You are to take your ships, meet up with the Patrol Group, and proceed to subjugate any military forces on the planet. Standard limitations on armaments will apply if the target is a garden world. Any apparent civilian population must be pacified, but their casualties should be kept to a minimum. If no distinction can be made between military targets and civilian ones, treat them as the former. At all times, you must look for any knowledge you can about the species. How you go about that is up to your discretion, but give it the utmost attention. Any information regarding their military strength, prothean knowledge, and the location of their homeworld and other colonies, if applicable, is top priority. After the planet has been secured, Palaven Command will use the information obtained to make further plans for the species."

While the high general had been giving his brief overview of the operational plan, Desolas was only half-listening. His thoughts were once again on his interrupted plans. Perhaps this was not such a bad turn of events after all. Here he was, being given command of a planetary invasion on a remote system, away from any oversight. He would have to be careful, but it could be possible to use this as an opportunity to test the Arca Monolith. No one would care about the new aliens, and some turian casualties would only be expected...

"That is the summary, General. More detailed information has already been sent to your staff. High Commander Vakarian will be expecting your arrival in a day.

Wait, who?

"Excuse me, sir. But did you say Vakarian?"

The older turian's brow plates scrunched up in confusion. "Mavis Vakarian, yes. She assumed command of the 53rd almost seven months ago, if I'm not mistaken."

This time, Desolas obviously failed to completely hide his emotions. Fortunately, his superior also misinterpreted the reasons for his dismay. "Ah, it seems you are aware of the High Commander's reputation." he made a dismissive gesture. "I assure you General, that Vakarian is utterly capable, and has never failed to complete any assignments given to her. While she can be... willful, and has taken some risks in her command that other wouldn't, she will follow orders as dutifully as any soldier."

Desolas hastily resumed his neutrality. "No, High General, I don't have any problems with Vakarian. I was just surprised, that's all. In fact, she served with me on a tour two years ago, and I am well aware of her competence."

"Ah, very good then." Pavlus smiled, then stood from his chair. "You are dismissed, General. We hope for a swift resolution to this unfortunate situation. Spirits be with you."

"Yes, sir." he saluted. "For the Hierarchy."

Both other turians saluted back. "For the Hierarchy."

Desolas Arterius quickly left the room and made the long trek to the dreadnought's transport bay, where a shuttle waited for him. On the way, he considered this new, and unfortunate, twist.

Of course, he had lied to Pavlus. He did had a problem with High Commander Vakarian. However, it was not her audacity, which he valued; or her independent thinking, which he respected; or even her support of diplomacy and cooperation, which he could tolerate. No, Desolas' problem with Mavis Vakarian was a simple one.

She was sharp. Very, very sharp.

And what was worse. She already had some reason to suspect him.

Two years ago, Vakarian had served as his ship's Second Officer. As an extremely bright leader with enormous potential, Desolas felt compelled to try and bring her to the cause. He was cautious and subtle, like always, but it was soon made clear she did not agree with his vision. So he stopped.

But afterwards, he could feel that her attitude towards him had shifted slightly. She was just a little more observant, a little more inquisitive. Nothing alarming, but as a man who lived in a web of deception himself, he could see it. So he made some arrangements, some recommendations. One month later, she was granted command of her own ship on a tour just as prestigious, but far away from his activities. No reason to waste such potential, after all.

And now fate decided they would have to work in close proximity once again. And something told the general his actions on this campaign would be under special scrutiny from the high commander of the 53rd Patrol Group.

Desolas pondered his possible course of action for the entire trip to his own cruiser, the Penitent Justice. Perhaps it would be better to get the Monolith directly to Palaven. He could easily make up some excuse to send a single corvette to the homeworld. His people could keep it secured until his arrival. He could ask Saren...

No!

He should do this. He deserved this. Was it not him, Desolas Arterius, who spent more than half of his life on this quest? Was it not him who researched for countless hours to glimpse only a fraction of the truth? Was it not him who chased a thousand shadows, on a thousand forgotten worlds?

And now, he finally had proof! He finally acquired the instrument of his people's ascendance! He would not allow anyone else this honor. He alone would arrive on Palaven, to begin the path of turian supremacy over the galaxy.

He left the shuttle and stalked purposely to the ship's CIC. So resolute was his stance, so fierce his eyes, that every soldier gave him a wide berth. Upon arriving he found the room already in a flurry of activity. No doubt, his Second Officer had received Command's orders and was already mobilizing the Fleet in preparation for his arrival. Desolas gave the man an approving nod, before turning to another officer.

"Lieutenant Abrudas, come with me." the woman was startled by the sudden order, and the expression in her general's face. But she followed without question. It was a short walk to his office, and upon arriving he immediately closed and locked the door. The room was sparse: a work table with chairs, a computer station, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a locked armory, and a bed. No decorations. No trinkets. No frivolous electronic equipment. Desolas was a man of higher purpose, and had no time for petty creature comforts.

He went to the station and pressed some quick commands. Soon, the customized security systems around the room made it completely isolated from outside interference. Only then did he turn to Abrudas, who was waiting impassively for any order. She was one of the faithful, a believer in their cause. Not the brightest of soldiers, admittedly, but loyal and willing to do whatever it took.

"Lieutenant, you are being reassigned. I want you to gather some of those we can trust and move the Arca Monolith and its guardian to the Serarth. Take every precaution for transport. You will stay in the ship and watch over the artefact at all times. Do not let anyone interact with it, you know what the consequences are. Is that clear?"

"Yes, General." no hesitation, no questions. Good.

"You know what our orders are?" at her affirmative, he continued. "The Serarth will stay outside the battle at all times. We will assign it to scout duties. But no matter what happens, you and your men will defend the Monolith with your lives."

"Of course, General."

"Good. Another thing, Lieutenant. Go over the Serarth personnel logs. I want you to be capable of recognizing every single member of that ship's crew on sight. If at any time you see a soldier who is not on that list, he or she is to be detained immediately and I am to be informed. If at any time a member of the crew displays unusual interest in you or your mission, the same thing applies. I will call the ship's commander to give the instructions. He is a believer, he won't complain."

"Yes, sir."

"You have your orders. See to them." he deactivated the lockdown.

She gave a smart salute and strode out.

Desolas watched her go. He sat at his chair and contemplated his bare walls. His mind was far into the future. To a glorious time where his race would bring order to the chaos, as they were born to. And no eternity-loving asari or quick-talking salarian would stand in their way.

And certainly not these new upstarts.

He had waited for almost three decades. He could wait a few more months. He would conquer these aliens. And then, he would fulfill his destiny.

---

.

.

.

Author Notes:

Hey, first ever ANs here!

First of all, let me give my most sincere gratitude for all those who took their time to read and review the first chapter (and the prologue, too). Though I know my writing needs much improvement, I could not help but be pleased by the positive response.

Secondly, my apologies for all those that waited so long for a response to their reviews. My initial intention was to post responses for the reviews here, so everyone could see them but I thought better of it. I don't want to bloat the ANs too much. So this space will be reserved for important notices and responses to constructive criticisms (not flames) and questions I see are something many people want to know.

Which leaves us with our first ones.

*User Blueowl (love her works, fully recommended), rightfully pointed out the need to get a beta. I am working on that. Besides English being a secondary language for me, I have very clumsy fingers. If anyone thinks there are too many typos and misspellings in the chapters, you never saw the original drafts.

*A very reasonable point was raised by a guest reviewer: this gentleman/lady noticed the apparent discrepancy in the Prologue, of Hogwarts Castle being a collapsed ruin while the buildings of Hogsmead were mostly intact. It's a good observation, and all I will say is that it was done on purpose.

That's it, folks! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next week (hopefully).

*Update: 2015/02/15 - Removed some typos, misspelings and adjusted a few phrases, in the hope they flowed better (when that Beta arrives, he/she will have some work). Also, add a single line explaining how the turian legionnaires could walk on the moon in microgravity. Don't know how I left that out, as it had always been the idea. In short, they used Mass Effect fields. Handy things, aren't they?