Chapter 19: The Patron God of Geth and Quarians

Vaermina entered the elevator and examined the compartment for a few moments before she figured out that the glowing panel in front of her is the way to operate the elevator. When she tried to press a key on the panel, nothing happened which perplexed Vaermina.

EDI:" Unidentified intruder attempting to access elevator. State your name and reasons for being here immediately or I will notify the rest of the Normandy of your intrusion."

She spoke over the intercom only in the elevator because her scans of Vaermina detected similar energy readings from Malen, but knew it was not Malen as far as she could tell since he was still sleeping.

Vaermina found EDI to be interesting and surprising in the sense that she seemed to be a lesser soul that is bound to the vessel.

Vearmina:" I am Vaermina, the lord of dreams and nightmares. Malen Katarn is my brother."

EDI:" Verify."

Vaermina did not wish to waste time trying to explain the whole concept of the Daedric Lords of Oblivion to this lesser soul so she simply waved her hand at EDI and "made her understand" why Malen was her brother using her powers over the mind and reality. EDI understood now what Vaermina was and that her intentions were not hostile towards the Normandy or her crew so EDI allowed Vaermina to go up to the cabin on the first floor to meet with Commander Shepard.

In Shepard's cabin:

Shepard woke up an hour ago and was looking over his emails when EDI spoke over the intercom in the cabin.

EDI:" Shepard. There is someone coming up the elevator to floor 1 to see you."

Shepard:" Who is it EDI?"

EDI:" Apparently it is Malen's sister. Her name is Vaermina: The Daedric Prince of dreams, nightmares, and ill omens."

Shepard:" Malen never told me he had a sister! And did EDI say that she was a Daedric Prince? Like the one I saw in Apocrypha? I wonder how many of them are there and why my ship is suddenly becoming a hotspot for them?!" He thought to himself.

Shepard had expected to see a horrifying sight when the Daedric Lord entered the cabin and was bracing himself for the worst. The figure that stepped out of the elevator doors and into his cabin was not what he would have expected in a thousand years. While she did have horns on her head and her eyes glowed a cold blue light, she was actually very beautiful, enchanting even.

Shepard rubbed the back of his head in a slight shyness and a little bit of embarrassment that he would assume that she would be horrifying to behold when in fact she was quite the opposite.

Vaermina:" I assume that you're the captain of this vessel?"

Shepard:" I'm not actually a captain, but I am the head officer of this ship. The name is Commander Shepard. EDI already told me your name on your way up here. I honestly was not expecting there to be other Daedric Princes."

Vaermina:" That is probably because Malen did not tell you how many there actually were. I wish to help in your cause since I wish to learn about something that I had lost a long time ago."

Shepard:" And that is?"

Vaermina:" Love." She said with a solemn look in her eyes.

Shepard could really relate to that because Liara, the asari that he fell in love with years ago, had refused to join up with him again and made it sound like too much time has passed for there to be a spark between them that was as bright as it was. He could understand that pain, but he still held on to that torch in hopes that she will come around again.

Shepard:" You're nothing like your brother Hermaeus Mora who I met in Apocrypha."

Vaermina:" That was the brother that I disliked intensely, but not Malen who has taken his place. He and Tali are the reason why I am here Shepard. Would you have me as a part of your crew?"

Shepard could always use a willing hand in this daunting task of his, but it was the sadness in her face when she spoke of losing love and trying to learn it again that made the decision for him, though Shepard had to think of a good place to have her stay in. He thought about the other crew members and which ones were also lonely. Shepard eventually narrowed down the choice to just one person.

Shepard:" Welcome aboard the Normandy Vaermina. You can stay in the weapons chamber down on floor 3 with Garrus. Before you go, I would like to ask you a few things."

Vaermina:" And those would be?"

Shepard:" Well… considering that you're the Prince of dreams and nightmares…. Is your realm really of dreams? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but I would like to be sure."

Vaermina:" My realm of Oblivion is the easiest for mortals to enter because the realm of dreams is my realm and it is called Quagmire."

Shepard:" I would like to ask you if you could give The crew and me pleasant dreams since the hell we are walking into is scary enough as it is if you wouldn't mind….. my lady." He said as he tried to sound as humble as possible to her.

Vaermina:" You have nice manners Shepard, and you don't have to worry about nightmares as I am here. I was planning on making the crew's dreams pleasant anyway."

Shepard:" Good… good. My next question is how many Daedric Lords are there and which ones should I be concern about or not trust?"

Vaermina:" There are 17 Lords of Oblivion and while we are considered to be neutral in nature at least as we think of ourselves, there are some Daedric Lords you should stay clear from. Just to name a few of them: Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon, Boethia, Malacath, Mephala, and Jyggalag are the ones you should avoid at all cost, especially Jyggalag."

Shepard:" I'll take your word for it then. It's good to have you aboard Vaermina. I hope Garrus is good company to you."

Vaermina:" I'm sure he will." She said as she left the cabin.

While Garrus was surprised by Vaermina when she arrived, he was not too deterred from his "calibrations", though she managed to get him to talk to her. They had a pleasant time conversing with each other since they both really need it, especially Vaermina. She chuckled at Garrus's "Reach and Flexibility" topic. While they both were talking to each other in a friendly manner, they were both rather nervous around each other: Vaermina was nervous because it had been a long time since she has had a normal conversation with someone, especially a mortal, and Garrus was nervous because he had not really been good at conversing with women before and Vaermina, despite the horns and glowing blue eyes, was one of the most attractive women he has ever seen.

As the time passed the two of them by, they became more and more comfortable around each other. They laughed a little more naturally and loudly at jokes they made. Garrus asked why she was here and Vaermina explained her reasons, which Garrus could relate to a lot since he hasn't even been in any kind of intimate relationship with someone else before so they both had a thing or two to learn about love. Garrus soon got comfortable enough with her that he asked if she would like to watch him work on the Normandy's weapons to which she agreed to. She watched and learned from Garrus as he worked on the cannons for hours since this is what Garrus does with most of his time.

8 hours later on floor 5:

Malen was the first of the two to wake. His sense of touch was the first of his senses to regain awareness of his surroundings. He felt that from the tip of his mouth to his eyes were in-between two very soft like surfaces that felt like pillows but had a silky flesh feel to them. When he finally opened his eyes, he notices that he is staring at a gray surface area and that his face was compressed by 2 large orbs of gray. It didn't take him long at all to realize what his face was in and he mostly had 2 strong emotional reactions to it, shyness and arousal. Malen decided to not move that much since Tali was still sleeping and he didn't want to wake her.

Malen:" She must have grabbed my face and held me during her sleep. I don't remember her breasts being this big before" He thought to himself.

A different part of his mind decided to chime in at this point.

"You kept looking away from her breasts because you didn't want to look like a pervert."

Malen:" Well yeah, but I have seen her chest in her suit plenty of times and I don't think they looked this big, but at least it seems to still fit the curvature of her body pretty well: not too big to where it looks disproportional and not too small to where it looks like she is pre-pubescent."

"She has probably had to strap those nice fun pillows down in her suit for most of her life so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if they were bigger than they looked in the suit."

It was then that EDI spoke over the intercom.

EDI:" Malen. We have arrived at the Citadel and Shepard would like for you to go out and "explore a little"."

Malen:" Ok… just a few minutes please" he said in a whisper.

Somehow Tali did not wake when EDI spoke and the part in Malen's mind that spoke early to him decided to ask the obvious.

"How do we go about waking her?"

Malen thought about this for a while until his arousal decided to answer that question for him. With a growing smile on his face as his checks became warmer and flushed, Malen pulled his arms away from Tali's sides and reached to the left and right of his face where Tali's breasts were and began to fondle her assets. He passed his hands over the top and bottom of Tali's fun pillows, jiggled them up and down a little, pushed on her nipples like they were buttons, and gently compressed his hands into them until Tali finally began to wake up.

Malen slowly removed his face from her chest as she yawed and was ready to sit up. Malen sat up as well and rubbed Tali's back as she strained to open her eyes.

Malen:" Glad you're finally up! If you had slept any longer I probably would have shaken you to wake up." He said with a laugh.

Tali:" (Yawns) hey Malen. I think I heard EDI a while ago, but I was still so sleepy that I didn't hear what she said."

Malen:" We are corrently docked at the citadel and Shepard wants me to explore it for a while. Want to join me?"

Tali:" Of course I will! Let me just get my suit on… (groans a bit as she rubs her breasts) the girls a sore for some reason."

Malen:" You probably slept on them." He said as he tried to keep a straight face.

Tali:" You're probably right… guess it was that strange dream I had that made me roll over onto my chest." She said as she got out of bed to get her suit on."

Malen still had the smile on his face while a thought bubble appeared next to his head and had an I Lied face from "Rage Comics" in it and the face had hands that were making a grabbing boobs motion with them.

Malen got out of bed and was about to get dressed when he recalled that the citadel had some issues with just accepting new species out of the blue and he thought that the processes of registering himself as a new species where he was the only one outside of his home world would be too tedious and time consuming, so he decided that he probably use a spell to make himself seem unimportant or uninteresting to those he himself is not interested in interacting with.

Malen put on his party cloths that he had let Tali use before. When Malen and Tali were both dressed, they went up to the third floor where they met up with Shepard, Garrus, Thane, and Vaermina at the airlock. Tali was not all that surprised that Vaermina was real and was standing next to her, though the thought of what she did in her dream probably being real made her blush deeply for a bit.

Malen got next to Vaermina and whispered in her left ear.

Malen:" It would probably be best if you tried to have your appearance not draw attention since this galaxy's government can be kinda tedious and lengthy when it comes to first encounters and incorporating new races into the galactic society."

Vaermina simply nodded her head in understanding and cast a similar spell of veiled disinterest on herself.

The group left the Normandy and boarded 2 cabs that dropped them off at the entrance of one of the wards of the Citadel. It was a moderate sized room with a couple of Hanar in the back, 3 Alliance marine standing in a light corner next to the door leading into the ward, and a c-sec customs officer behind a counter speaking rather rudely to a Turian. The spells that Malen and Vaermina placed on themselves were working perfectly as no one paid any attention to them even though they could see them.

On the way through the door into the security scan room, Malen thought that it would be funny to make the c-sec customs officer admit her faulty accusations in a loud spoken way. Malen looked back towards the c-sec customs officer and seemed to be mouthing something, but no words were coming out. Suddenly the c-sec customs officer starts looking like she was very apologetic with a lot of bowing.

c-sec customs: " I'm very sorry sir! I'm a total dumb ass racist bitch who needs to be spanked sir! (bends over and turns around) Please spank me with all your might sir!"

The turian that she had previously insulted became very confused and walked away

Turian:" You humans are all fucking high!" He said as he left.

No one but Vaermina noticed how that exchange occurred and she face palmed herself and chuckled a little.

Vaermina:" Was doing that really worth your time brother?"

Malen:" Well worth it sister!"

They continued on into the narrow security room where there were glass screens on the left, a door at the end of the room, and a turian sergeant standing in front of a small console to the left of the door. When they got close to sergeant, a thin blue grid paced over them.

Malen:" Shit! They will find something odd about the readings on us or their systems will overload. I guess it wouldn't take too long when I would have to use my reality warping abilities I guess." He thought with a nervous laugh to himself.

Malen touched the grid with his left hand gently and began to directly manipulate the information it received as showing an all clear result from the scans.

Sergeant Haron:" Sorry for the inconvenience sir." He said politely

Malen mentally patted himself on the back for avoiding an annoying long conversation with a bunch of confused and scarred people.

The sergeant opened the doors and the group could proceed through the c-sec checkpoint unhindered. This is where the group split up since Malen had other intentions in mind and wanted Tali to be with him for it. Shepard, Vaermina, Garrus, and Thane went to go find the one who killed Garrus's team and find Thane's son while Malen and Tali went to the presidium to see the council in person.

Malen had to use his abilities to mentally "persuade" individuals of authority to arrange a immediate meeting with the 4 councilors in person. Malen profusely apologized to Tali that she saw him do that, but he was in a little bit of a hurry, what with Collectors abducting human colonies and reapers approaching the galaxy, though Tali was actually ok with it since he explain that he was only using his power to temporarily have individuals mentally "suggested" to go along with what he said (Like a Jedi mind trick, but not being limited to weak minds), and it was very convenient for them.

The councilors, including Anderson, seemed a bit confused by the sudden summons they received to meet this "Entrepreneur" who wishes to make a very expensive purchase that would require their consent on.

As Malen and Tali approached the outstretched platform in the middle of the large room, Malen could feel the unease from the councilors and decided to change that by manipulating their emotional states to one of a calmer domineer.

Malen approached the front of the platform.

Malen:" It is an honor to meet your aquatints councilors. I am Malen Katarn and I have asked you all here to oversee that this transaction is properly authorized since my request is a rather large one at that."

The asari councilor was the one to respond to him.

Tevos:" What is it that you request that would require the presence of all head council members?"

Malen:" I wish to purchase Haestrom and Rannoch and to ensure that they are owned by the proper owners. I do not purchase these for myself, but for the people that the worlds belong to."

Valern:" You wish to secure Quarian ownership of Haestrom and Rannoch once the Geth threat has been removed from the Vail am I correct?"

Malen:" That is correct councilor and I have more than enough funds to secure ownership of them to the Quarian people."

Sparatus:" That amount of credits I would love to see!"

Malen taps a few keys on his Omni tool and sends a link to the councilors to transfer the funds that he would pay for the two worlds' ownership. Most of the thoughts of the councilors were along the lines of " Damn! He must want those worlds to stay in Quarian ownership badly if he is willing to pay that much for them!"

After the funds were received and some documents written into files that are stored in a data vault, the councilors decreed that ownership of Haestrom and Rannoch will remain with the Quarians and cannot be infringed upon under any circumstance. The council adjourned after the purpose of the meeting was done.

Tali was joyful and happy about the transaction, but was perplexed by where Malen was going with this since this was obviously not what he had fully in mind of doing. After everyone but Malen and Tali had left, he turned Tali towards him and a serious look about him.

Malen:" Listen to me Tali. Once I leave the Citadel I need you to go back to the Migrant Fleet and tell them to go to Haestrom as soon as possible. I have a plan to help the Quarian people immeasurably as well as the geth, but I need trust in every quarian in the fleet for this to work. Please trust in me Tali…. Please!" He seemed to be almost begging her at this point.

Tali:" I trust you Malen. I really do! Please don't look disparaged like that or you'll make me cry again!" she said with a timid laugh.

Malen hugs her tightly for a few moments and releases her.

Malen:" Thank you Tali! I'm doing this for everyone Tali and I hope that the Quarians can put their trust in me and what my intentions are."

Malen was then surrounded by a black orb that obscured his entire image, and when the orb disappeared, so did Malen.

Tali took this as her que to go to the Migrant Fleet and tell them to go to Haestrom. She used her Omni tool and contacted her father and requested transport back to the fleet. Tali got onto the quarian shuttle when it had arrived and made her way back to the fleet.

On Rannoch:

Malen had reappeared on Rannoch lush surface that still seemed untouched even though a advanced society once populated it centuries ago. Malen had several things in mind as to what to do as he walked on Rannoch's grass lands. Malen peered across the landscape and took note of plants that grew on Rannoch since he would need to know how to recreate them on Haestrom so that it would be habitable to the Quarian people.

Being a Lord of Oblivion did have its perks as Malen was able to quickly analyze the all the plants that grew on Rannoch and their composition. With the knowledge of Rannoch's plant life at the front of his mind, he then proceeded to accomplish the other task that he set out to do on Rannoch.

Malen remembered the sadness on Tali's face when she recalled her mother: while he was strong enough to help bear her burdens when she needed him to, it still pained him deeply to see her sad since she is what gives him warmth in heart where there was only the cold to begin with. Malen hoped that recalling Tali's Aura and her scent that he would be able to find her mother.

Even though that any lingering scent of her would evaporate into nothing eventually over time, he could still pick up the scent of tears in the air. It was very faint, but Malen knew those were the tears of a daughter who lost her mother. Malen followed the scent to a small dug in crater where a casket had been worn down and beat up from the crash landing and time.

Malen approach the casket and read out loud the inscription on the casket.

"May your soul find eternal peace on Rannoch Kana'Zorah nar Rayya"

Malen slowly opened the casket and saw inside a quarian woman who was in the beginning stages of decay. Malen leaned his face to Kana's left ear and began whispering in her ear.

Malen:" I'm sorry that you didn't get to see the wonderful woman your daughter grew up to be, but perhaps I can change that for you if you are willing. I hope that I will be able to call you mom someday." He said as his mouth quivered a little.

Malen then whispered:" Slen Tiid Vo"

Malen pulled his head away from the body that began to rise out of the casket and land in front of Malen as the decay was reversed and the reasons for her death erased from existence as she breathed the breath of life once again.

Kana:" ….. what? Where… where am I? Am I dead? Is this where my soul goes?"

Malen:" You are on Rannoch Kana'Zorah."

Kana turned around and staired face to face with Malen.

Kana:" How am I alive? I'm sure that I was dead."

Malen:" You were Kana, but I brought you back to life using the power of the Shout. I know that it is not always right to bring back those who have passed on, but I wanted you back so that you may see your daughter again and that she won't hold you as a painful memory anymore."

Kana:" Tali? You want me to see Tali?! Where is she?! Is she well!?"

Malen:" She is Kana and she will be even better when she sees you alive and well. It took me a while to find where your body had laid to rest, but I'm glad I found you. I must confess to you my reasons for doing this though. I once only knew the bitter cold of the void, but in the little amount of time that I have been with your daughter, she gave my heart the warmth that it had been denied since my birth: The warmth of closure and love. Kana….. I love her….so very much! And I want to see her truly happy with no burdens on her heart to restrain her laughter or smile or singing or dancing." He says passionately and full of heart.

Kana held Malen close to her as if he was her own son.

Kana:" I know you love her. I can see it in your eye as it hangs there with so much to give and receive. I'm not upset at all that you brought me back; in fact, I couldn't be happier to be able to see my loved ones again. You have my thanks and my blessing."

Kana let go of Malen and Malen patted her on the shoulders.

Malen:" That is not the only thing that I'm giving Kana. Come with me to Haestrom and you will see what I mean." He said with a warm smile.

Malen opened a black portal next to him and had his right hand out to receive Kana's and escort her through the portal. This was all very new and surprising to Kana, but she went along with it anyway since she was just fully resurrected only moments ago.

Malen and Kana reappeared on Haestrom near the site where Malen first met Tali. Kana was amazed at what Malen could do though just remembered that she didn't even get his name.

Kana:" What is your name son?"

Malen:" My name is Malen Katarn mam." He said as he prepared to use his power to seed the entire planet with plants of the exact same nature as the ones on Rannoch.

As Malen raised his hands to the sky, plants began to rapidly grow to full maturity around him and off into the distance. Malen glowed a pretty lime green as he poured his power into creating these specific plants at an accelerated to a specific age all across Haestrom.

When Malen had finish seeding Haestrom, Kana began to understand what it was that Malen was giving, but didn't quite understand the full reason why.

Kana:" You want to give the Quarian people a world to call home?"

Malen:" Not just this one, but also Rannoch, but I need the trust of the Quarian people so I can make peace between the Geth and the Quarians. I think there is a chance for peace Kana and I am giving the Quarian people what they have longed for in centuries. I hope that they can put their trust in me to bring the geth and Quarians together in harmony and accept this gift as a token of trust and conviction. I don't want anymore quarian blood spelt Kana, and I think peace is the best way to stop the bloodshed."

Kana removes her mask and walks up to Malen and slings her left arm over his shoulders.

Kana:" I know Malen, but it won't be easy even for someone like you."

Malen:" I know, but I'm going to do it… I will make it happen no matter what. Tali will despair no more someday."

A few hours later:

The migrant fleet arrived to Haestrom and thousands of shuttles began to land on the surface. The admiralty board landed near Malen and Kana's location and meet up with Malen. When Rael'Zorah recognized who the quarian that was sitting next to he rushed to her with arms flung open and tears streaming down his face in rivers. Tali quickly followed suit when Rael called out "Kana".

The rest of the admiralty board approached Malen in awe, confusion, and curiosity.

Raan:" Why did you summon us here Malen Katarn vas Nirn?"

Malen:" I wish to make an offer that I believe that you can't refuse." He says as he raises his hand over a ledge.

Malen:" I offer you a reborn Haestrom. A world that is habitable to the Quarian people: something that the Quarian people have been without for centuries. I ask in return for all of this is to simple place your trust in me when I say that there can be peace between the Geth and Quarians."

The first response to Malen's offer is to check the validity that this planet is indeed habitable to the Quarian people as the Admiralty Board calls in for scans of the planet's atmosphere and ecosystem.

Reports soon came in to the Admirals that the planet's atmosphere and ecosystem matched Rannoch's completely, meaning that they could take off their masks without fear of infection on Haestrom. The Admirals began to delegate amongst themselves about what to do.

Malen could sense their indecision and decided to raise the offer to the point where they could not refuse him. Malen opened a massive portal gate into Apocrypha just in front of a ledge. Inside Apocrypha, Malen had changed his realm to resemble the one that he was currently in and have a planet exactly like Rannoch be the first place that is seen by the Quarian's as it is presented to them.

Malen:" Please accept My offer! I don't want any more Quarian blood to be shed. Not only will I offer you Haestrom reborn, but I will also offer you to explore and live where ever you like in my realm of oblivion that is infinite in size."

The admirals and all the other Quarian's in the area, except Tali, stood there unimaginably perplexed. Some Quarians wandered into the portal to test if it was real: If felt their foot fall down below the ground then that meant that the portal is nothing more than a hologram or illusion even though they detected no such device that could project a hologram of that size anywhere in the area.

The Quarians that walked into the portal seemed to keep going and going and not once felt like they were going to fall, which meant that their eyes were not deceiving them and that this was indeed a portal to a new location entirely since it was also night time in the portal but daytime on Haestrom.

While no one else could tell if it was infinite or not, the admiralty board came to a much quicker conclusion about Malen's offer.

Raan approached Malen again and delivered the board's decision.

Raan:" The Admiralty board has decided that your offer would be unimaginably foolish to refuse over view points on the Geth and we are willing to put our trust in you to seek peace between Geth and Quarians. May you have success in your endeavor Malen Katarn vas Nirn. Keelah Se'lai!" She said with a bow.

The other admirals also bowed in respect to Malen. Malen was overly pleased with the success of his offer and the future looked a lot brighter to him with the chance of peace on the horizon and for Tali's people to not have to shed a single drop of blood for their home world back.

Author's Notes: I know that was not too much longer than I said that this chapter would be, but it is still a really great chapter that you guys enjoy. I know that people have been asking me to continue one of my other stories, but I just haven't really had the chance to get back to it or get inspired to write some more of it down right now, but I will get back to it eventually. Hope you liked this chapter and stay tuned for the next one