Chapter 30: Sadness Ends and Joy Begins

The answer to last chapter's question was: Akatosh: he wore gold and felt that the disappearance of Malen was a lost to him since Akatosh is Malen's father in a way.

When Tali got back to the house on a mountain side on Rannoch, she noticed that she was standing on the left side of the master bed where Malen was lying down. Vaermina and Garrus were on the other side of the bed.

Tali:" did the others leave?"

Vaermina:" yes, though I asked Garrus to stay here and help me take care of him. After all, it has been roughly 2 months since you left."

Garrus:" I noticed that you brought someone with you." He says pointing at Tali's stomach area.

Tali:" Yes I know. This would normally be one of the most exciting times in someone's life, I just hope Malen wakes before our child is born." She says with a slightly depressed facial expression.

Vaermina:" Speaking of which Tali: I've tried making progress with stirring him to wakefulness by entering his mind and dreams, but to no avail. His mind is to well protected and his dreams are too chaotic to control even for me. Any time I try to stabilize his dream, his dream would change into another chaotic form."

Tali's depressive look worsened as Vaermina talked. Vaermina smiled at her with hope.

Vaermina:" Fear not Tali Zorah. I believe I have come up with an answer to this predicament. While Malen's dreams change into another chaotic form when I try to interact with it, it still does respond to outside stimuli. If we can introduce the right stimuli, which I believe I know now, then Malen's dream and subconscious should accept it, thus waking him."

Tali:" And that outside stimuli is?"

Vaermina:" What placed him in this comatose state in the first place was his fear in how the galaxy would react to the news and that everything that he had worked so hard for would be for nothing. If we can show him that the galaxy has indeed has prospered into an ever lasting peace as he has hoped that the outcome would be, then he should wake up. To go about doing this, we are going to need to assemble a large portion, if not majority, of each space fairing species and bring them here to Rannoch. When they are here, then I should be able to bring them all into Malen's subconscious. This will have to be done willing however. Malen's mind, even in comatose, will be able to detect manipulations over someone's feelings or soul to where he would reject those who his mind sees as not truly there by choice."

Tali ponders over Vaermina's plan and is a little saddened that the process might take a while, but she still kept the hope that there was a way to wake her love.

Tali:" How long do you think it will take?"

Vaermina:" It will probably take a couple of months to accomplish since I can use any form of manipulation other than to enter his mind and bring those who have volunteered. We were actually getting ready to leave just for that reason, but don't fret Tali. You are never alone, and Malen is not gone." She says as she hugs Tali goodbye.

Garrus:" I'm not really the one to give speeches so I think I will just stay here to help you and give you company."

Tali:" Thank you Garrus. I could really use the company, not that my husband, even when asleep, isn't company enough, it's just that….." she trailed off.

Garrus:" You need someone to talk to and help around the house?"

Tali:" Yes, though I can't imagine you in any sort of apron." She said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Garrus:" I'm not as affront to new experiences as you may think." He said with a laugh as he got up to get an apron.

Vaermina lightly laughed as she left the house and teleported away.

The song "Little bird Little bird" by Elizabeth Mitchell starts to play

Days pasted after one another, with some days with mourning and some days with laughter. Garrus, Tali, and Malen would watch movies at night: Tali would have Malen's head on her stomach so that he could feel the movement of his children moving their developing arms and legs. As time went on, Tali could feel 2 tiny hands reaching out and touching the outer walls of her uterus, under where Malen's head was laid whenever they sat on the couch or bed. Garrus would cook the food , as best as he could, and they would talk and laugh as if Malen was wide awake and talking with them. Garrus would tuck them in each night and turned out the lights. Tali would bath and wash her husband twice a day. She would float in the patio pool next to her husband whenever the sun was warm and inviting. They would play games of all sorts, though Garrus especially like playing Mannequin since it felt ironic to him.

The song ends. I got the idea to add this song from how I wanted to cry when it played on Futurama: when inspector 5/ Hermes spared Bender.

4 months later:

A lot more volunteered to help Malen than Vaermina expected, but it would be worth it in the end as she visited each home world of the space fairing species. Millions upon millions of people of all different races were teleported by Vaermina to Rannoch. She told them to rest when they had arrived so that she could bring them into Malen's mind unhindered.

Inside Malen's mind hours later:

The chaotic nothingness that consumed his unawakening moments were suddenly changed into something much more calm as the pitch blackness faded away into a misty pool of water that didn't seem to have end.

The song of Healing from " Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask" plays

As Malen got up, the mist that surrounded the water began to clear away, revealing a sun light ocean with crystal clear water. All around him, people in praise and cheering appeared in ghost like form. They cheered his name in praise, respect, honor, and compassion. There must have been millions that surrounded him as the cheers were almost deafening, but surprisingly not painful at all. Malen's mouth hung open as he watch something that he had most hoped for come true as all of the space fairing races were united together in cheer. Malen was speechless as he felt like he could fall to his knees, but a familiar face stopped him from falling.

Vaermina:" Go on my brother. She is waiting for you." She says as she holds her right arm out and pointing to a nearby coast where Tali was sitting down on the sand, waiting for her love.

Malen broke through the crowd and rushed to the coast as the dream faded away to wakefulness.

The song ends.

Malen opened his eyes to a sun light room that had ornate and decorated ceiling. Malen felt lighter than he had ever felt before as he rose from the bed. Pah Zun was slung to his right side , though nothing else seemed to be on his person except for a purple silk robe with golden laces. The air flowing from outside was crisp, fresh, and had a hint of the sea.

He walked over to the bedroom patio view of the outside and saw green hills with a river, from the sea, flowing underneath his location. Malen then remembered how he woke up and rushed for the nearest outside door to look for her. The door led to the side of a cliff that had a set of smooth stone steps leading down from a raised floor from the cliff. Sitting in a chair on the right side of the raised floor was Tali, who was six months pregnant with twins. Vaermina, followed by the Normandy crew, were near the highest steps as they smiled and cheered. A few Vis could be seen approaching the top of the steps as they recorded Malen and his reaction to what he is about to see and hear.

In the far distance of the hills, shore, and plains, Malen could see countless people cheering his name in joy and praise. Huge portions from all the space fairing races in the galaxy were united in celebration for peace and for the one who made it possible.

Malen collapsed to his knees with his head hung down as he began to process the torrent of emotions he was feeling.

1:34-2:45 ( part repeated/looped) of the Starcraft 2 song " Showdown" plays

Malen slowly raised his head up as he began to laugh. His eyes were closed and opened at random times as tears of unimaginable joy began to slowly ebb from his eyes. His laugh became more and more boisterous as an unending well of indescribable joy flowed from his soul into his body. Warm, tingling sensations covered his body and were amplified by the sun's rays that were not too hot, but still warm and inviting. Malen's hands tingled greatly and began to ball up on their as he felt like he was losing control of his body. He fell down to his right side and laughed as loudly as he could. His body rolling, balling up, and spreading out on the simplest of whims as joy spread throughout his entire being.

Author's Notes:" I know this was a short chapter, but I didn't want for the chapter to pull away from the mood at the end, so I'm ending it here so that mood stays. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and stick around for the next one.