"What more do you want to know about that turian's death?"
"Every last detail would be nice, but we're a little short on time. Can you tell me what direction he went, and how he managed to kill Nihlus without there being any sign of a battle?"
"He went towards where the Beacon was being prepped for transfer to the ship that it was supposed to go on. And... Nihlus seemed to trust Saren. He turned his back to him. Two in the back of the head. Never stood a chance..."
"How didn't Saren and his geth spot you?" Ashley asked,
"I was hiding... behind the crates. I sometimes go back there to take a nap on shift..."

"You fucker..." the Sergeant growled, drawing a pistol and placing it to his head. "I should get the only worker those damn robots didn't get."
Sarah pushed Ashley's weapon away from the worker, and said, "Stand down, Sergeant. If this piece of shit hadn't been such a lazy fucker we wouldn't have any information about what's going on here. We can't afford to kill the only semi reliable witness of anything that has happened here."
"Commander, you expect me to spare this coward who was hiding back here while my unit was getting massacred? Because he was a lazy fucker who didn't do his job right? Maybe if he had the beacon would have been on the ship that was to transport it off world."

"It wouldn't have been even if they got it ready faster, Williams."
"How can you know that for sure, Commander?"
"Because, dumbass, my ship showed up after the attack started, and we're here to pick up the goddamn beacon. Which we won't be able to do if you keep wasting our time trying to do the enemy's job for them."

Ashley glared at the Commander, then turned to the worker, and asked, "Do you know anything about three missing shipments of grenades, specialized ammunition for organics and synthetics?"
"I know a guy in the capital. For each of the crates I got ten times my annual salary working here."

Ashley pushed Shepard's hand away, placed the barrel to his head... and then her jaw dropped as the weapon vaporized in her hand.

Sarah glared at her, and said, "Now is not the time to let your personal feelings get in the way of the mission, Ash. If I have to tell you one more time I swear to all that is holy I will put you down."

Ashley sighed, and said, "Fine... let's go get that beacon."

-=0=-

Saren looked at the bombs, and said, "Are the explosives set to destroy the entire colony?" A geth nodded, then pointed at the beacon. The rogue Spectre asked, "Is it set to explode upon activation?"
The machine nodded once more, and Saren replied, "Very good. Return to Sovereign, our work here is done."
-=0=-

Sarah sighed as she walked up to the area the beacon was. Ashley walked towards it, examining it,. Then, she started to rise into the air, only to be pushed well out of the way by Shepard. The Commander was lifted into the air, as the beacon began its information transfer.

Then there was an explosion. She felt the heat graze her skin, only barely managing to push it into the ground before the entire team died.

Ashley looked at Shepard, and asked Kaidan, "What just happened? That explosion... it should've killed us. But then it just dropped into the ground."
The Lieutenant smirked, and said, "Shepard's too good for something as basic as an explosion to kill her."
"Skill doesn't change the fact that things should not have happened the way they just did!" Ashley shouted, "Logic says that it should not have been possible!"
"Williams, it's best you don't ask too many questions about Shepard. She's a very strong, very gifted, very talented woman. If I tried to explain it to you... things would end very poorly."
"What do you mean it would end very poorly?"
"I mean I'd have to kill you."

"Why?"
"Because nothing makes sense. Now we need to get Sarah back to the Normandy. Who knows how much the beacon put in her head."

-=0=-

Ashley walked up to Jessica and asked, "Who the fuck are you?"
The woman looked at Ashley, and said, "No one important, Ash."
"How do you know my name?"
Jessica laughed, and said, "There is no reason for you to worry about it. Maybe wait for Sar to tell you about it herself."

"Why is everyone on this ship so goddamn cryptic?"
"The main reason is that blackops teaches ya to be cryptic quick."

"What do you know about blackops?"
"I'm the best of the best. The first of my kind, and maybe the last." Jessica replied.

"What?"
"Sarah'll explain one day."
"Are you two... you know..." Ashley asked her voice trailing off, as if she didn't know how to finish the sentence. Especially as Jessica started vomitting on the soldier's boots.

The Commander wiped the vomit from her chin, and said, "Sorry, but I know where you were going. And let me just say that I would never even get that close to it again if I were you."
"Okay... I just know that she's... you know... a queer."
"That is a bitch way to put it Williams. Sar's with Ms. Lawson."
"I thought that bitch would be all crazy about having twelve dicks in her ass all the time."
"Nope. And if Sarah hears you say that, I won't help you dig up that grave. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go check up on someone who may or may not be my sister depending on the technicalities of inter-dimensional travel."

"Wait, inter-dimensional travel?"
"Yup."
"Didn't you say you couldn't say anything..."

I changed my mind." Jessica replied.
-=0=-

Sarah stirred, to see Miranda smiling at her sleeping form, and Jessica reply to Rakdos, "Why is it that I get the feeling you're only ever telling me half the story?"
"Because I only ever do tell you half of what I know regarding a sitaution. You must learn to figure the rest out for yourself."
"You could try to be a little bit more helpful."
"I could, but then it would teach you to rely on me. That would be a weakness you cannot afford to have. I am here to teach you, but after that I will have outlived my purpose. I will have no reason to remain, and age will take me."
"Care to explain?"
"I am old, Shepard. The genetic engineering of my time may have helped my live for countless years, not considering those spent in cryostasis. You don't know how many thousands of years I have watched the galaxy. At this age, a human mind if it has no purpose will crumble, and so shall the body. All had a purpose that kept them sane. That helped them endure the countless years.
"That time is gone, Jessica. My time is gone. All that remains is your era, one that I do not belong in. You are all the age of children, and yet you are treated as experienced.

"You have not seen a thousandth what most middle-aged people had seen in my time. And you are considered to be one of the most experienced people alive. No, my purpose is to see you on your path. Ensure that the Reapers fall, and the galaxy begins to hunt the Leviathan menace. Once that is done, it will be time for the last era to fade away into memory. To become history, and eventually be forgotten."

Jessica nodded, and said, "I see."

Then, Sarah asked, "Where's Chakwas?"
"Right here, Sarah." the Doctor said. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good. The beacon was... different this time."
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked, looking the Commander in the eye with worry.
"It didn't show me the Reapers. It didn't show me anything prothean at all. It... was human text. A... story..."
"What kind of story?" Chakwas asked, looking at Sarah with concern.

"It goes... He has been known by many names. The Destroyer. The Dark Brother. Halthas. Lord of Shadow. But first he was known as Chaos. One of the Twin Gods of Creation and Destruction.

"When this universe came to be, he saw it as an affront to his nature of destruction. He stood up against his brother, and a great battle broke out. Eventually the twins were separated by The Creator of All Dimensions. But the stalemate could not last. Finally, the firstborn of the Creating King made the ultimate sacrifice, and sealed Halthas within himself.
"Thus did he become Halthas. He went into the Chaotic Lord's Realm, and though his sacrifice had weakened the Dark Brother, it had not ended his threat. He was still greater than any of the Lucis Entia.
"The Age of Chaos began a thousand years later, and the younger son of the King rode out with the Guardians of Creation behind him. They faced Halthas, and in the end, Loganis slew the one who had once been his brother.

"And then... he became the vessel of Halthas. The Dark Brother enslaved the one who had slain him. And those who had stood behind that warrior did not see the end of the day. All were destroyed."
"Wouldn't that mean if you kill this Halthas guy, you'd become him?" Jessica asked.

"It definitely sounds that way. Which means I've got to find a way out of this mess. Assuming that was the truth. Could be propaganda spread by Halthas."

"It is the truth." Rakdos said, "The leader of the Lucis Entia told me of the situation when I spoke to him the other day."
"And you didn't think I needed to know?" Sarah asked.

"This is not my realm, Shepard. It was not my place to tell you."

"So you'd have just let me kill Halthas and become his puppet?"
"I assumed that this Halthas is stronger than you are currently. That you lack the power to end him and by the time you would be able to, a method of avoiding that fate would have become clear."

"And if I did kill him before then you'd have been long gone so not your problem?" Sarah growled, approaching the ancient human.

"Calm yourself, Commander." he replied, "It was not any hostility towards you or apathy about the fate of you and your dimension that made me withhold that information."
"And what was it?" The soldier asked a blade of flame surrounding her right arm.

"Any interference by those from anyother reality could have dire consequences. Including changing the very nature of your reality. Only the one who created all realities can intervene directly without harm coming to everyone and everything."
"Wait, one who created all realities? I thought the idea of god had been disproven like... a century ago." Jessica said.

"It is not like the gods of mythology." Rakdos said.
"How so? Creator of everything is pretty much how religions described gods."

"He cannot physically intervene. His direct intervention is by creating new ways for us to handle a problem. Giving us new powers to make the situation work out how he wants. Changing the minds of our enemies, against their will. So long as in the end it is how he wishes it nothing matters."
"Why does he care about how realities turn out?"
"No one knows. The only unsolvable mysteries in this universe are the motives of those who will not, or cannot, speak to you. We cannot learn the Creator's mind because all we know is what happens in our reality. He who is outside of all reality we do not know if it is purposeful his silence, or if he is screaming silently but it is not a thing that could be heard."

"This is irrelevant." Sarah said. "If your creator exists he's not a way out of this dilemma. SO, how about we focus on what we can do in the meantime. Before shit hits the fan harder than normal. We're nearing the Citadel, and the Council will want to hear about Eden Prime. Saren's gotta be exposed for the traitor that he is. Everyone here knows the Reapers are coming, and we've got to make sure that the galaxy is prepared for their arrival. If not... this discussion will be meaningless. Halthas is a threat for me to deal with sometime later."

"Sounds good." Jessica said. "Seventy-five minutes and you'll be at Chora's Den investigating that shithead Harkin?"
"Sounds about right."
"We'll meet you there."
"Wouldn't that risk killing everyone?"
Jessica laughed, and said, "Getting a few beers won't kill everyone."

-=0=-

A/N: Welp, another chapter done. Sorry about the wait, but I do hope you enjoyed it. And if you did, please leave a review.