SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm ME-N7 – Exodus Cluster – Utopia System – Eden Prime
Scan: "This idyllic agrarian world was one of the first human colonies established beyond the Charon mass relay. Eden Prime's fertile biosphere drew heavy immigration by the Systems Alliance and other human organizations. In 2183, Eden Prime was attacked by a Geth force led by the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. Commander Shepard, responding to the attack, encountered a Prothean beacon that warned of imminent Reaper invasion. It is thanks to this beacon, and the Commander's quick action, that the galaxy has any chance of survival today.
Though the Reapers rushed past much of the Exodus Cluster in their plan to take Earth, it is clear the war has come to Eden Prime. Distress signals have jammed all available frequencies, fires burn in vast swaths across the arable land, and its once-extensive monorail system is twisted metal. It is clear that Cerberus has much to lose if word of their ruthless attack on the human colony gets out. What they stand to gain must be equally valuable."
An Alliance UT-47A Kodiak descended toward the garden world below, carrying two humans, an Asari, and a Quarian.
"Eden Prime…" Liara said. "This is where it all began." She turned to Shepard. "Where the Prothean beacon gave you the vision that warned us about the Reapers."
"And where you went up against Saren and the Geth for the first time, no?" James asked.
"Yes" Liara replied. "And now with Cerberus here, Eden Prime's colonists are under attack again."
"Seems like more than just three years ago…" Shepard mused.
"How bad?" James asked.
"A lot of dead civilians; lost one of my men – Jenkins – to a Geth drone."
"Report said Saren had bombs set up to wipe out the whole colony."
"Not on my watch."
"Damn straight, Loco."
"Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard" Liara said. "Whatever they found here was worth a major offensive. There are survivors elsewhere on the colony, but they killed everyone near the dig site."
"They deserve better…" Shepard replied.
"I know. The Alliance did what it could to evacuate colonists, but Cerberus came in so quickly…"
"If we find survivors, we'll do what we can. What about this artifact? Is it part of the Prothean device we found on Mars?"
"The Alliance didn't get any specifics about what Cerberus has uncovered. But whatever it is, it's better off with us than with them."
"I'm bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can" Cortez called from the pilot's seat. "No way we'll avoid detection, but you should have a few minutes."
"Appreciate it" Shepard replied.
"All part of the service, Commander."
"All right, everyone. Get ready to move."
"With luck," Liara said, "we can get to the dig site before Cerberus knows we're here."
"Since when do we have that kinda luck?" Kal'Reegar asked.
"I know, I know, but we can hope."
The Kodiak shuttle flew in over the numerous prefabricated structures that made up the colony, setting down on a rocky plateau area overlooking the dig site. The quartet piled out, starting their way down a rocky path to the site.
"No sign of survivors…" Kal said. "Come on; we gotta find the dig site."
"This was a beautiful colony once" Shepard said.
"They came back after the Geth attack" James replied. "They'll come back from this."
"I grew up on ships. Lose one, you could always move onto another."
"But you'd still remember…" Liara replied.
"Yeah…"
The quartet headed into a structure, passing a few empty chairs and terminals. On a terminal on a table, they found an interesting – and worrying – message:
"Processing Update:
We've taken more able-bodied men and women from pacified neighborhoods. The colonists generally have accepted the story that they have gone to perform tedious but safe manual labor in a Cerberus research camp on the other side of the planet, and when we increased food rations as "payment for the work" most of the complains died out.
Maintain the story as long as possible. We don't have the manpower to fight the entire colony, and if these families knew they were never going to see their sons and daughters again, there's no way they'd cooperate."
"Shepard," Liara said, "this Cerberus data could help the colonists still alive on Eden Prime."
"How?"
"I can get this intel to Eden Prime's resistance. Maybe it will help them fight back against Cerberus."
After about half a minute's work, the data was sent out to every resistance cell on the planet. The team then moved on, out a nearby door and along a metal-grate pathway leading to a platform overlooking the dig site. Liara walked up to the terminal and started the elevator down below to come up, carrying the 'artifact'. As she read the display, her eyes widened.
"Goddess," she breathed out, "that doesn't seem possible. It's not a Prothean artifact. It's…"
The elevator arrived, carrying a Prothean structure that Shepard quickly recognized from Ilos: a stasis pod.
"…a Prothean."
"You mean a Collector?" James asked. "Those things the Reapers turned the Protheans into?"
"No. An original, unmodified Prothean, who's still alive."
"That doesn't sound possible" Shepard replied.
"We saw Prothean stasis chambers in the archives on Ilos" she began scanning the pod with her Omnitool. "The only reason those failed was running out of power. Cerberus found this one in an underground bunker. It still has power. He's been in stasis for the past 50,000 years, waiting for us. Think of what we could learn."
"What can you tell me about the Protheans? The people, not the technology."
"Given your experience with the Prothean cipher, you probably know as much about them as I do. The Prothean empire spanned the known galaxy. They uplifted countless other species to help them join the galactic community."
"Uplifted?" Kal said. "Like what the Salarians did with the Krogans?"
"Yes. Judging by the dig sites like the Prothean archive on Mars, or here on Eden Prime, the Protheans wanted other species to learn. It's clear that they prized knowledge, growth, and cooperation with the rest of the galaxy."
"The way you describe them," Shepard said, "they sound a lot like the Asari."
"I'm certain I'm coloring their culture with my own perceptions… Whatever the Protheans were, finding one alive represents an incredible opportunity."
"Good thing we brought our expert on them."
"I hope I can help. If this single Prothean was sent into stasis, he could be the foremost scientist of his time, or perhaps the wisest counselor." As she looked at her scan results, she sighed. "Cerberus damaged the lifepod when they excavated it. The life-signs are unstable."
"Then let's get him out of there."
"No, breaking open the pod would kill him. We have to find the command signal that ends the stasis mode. We also need to figure out how to physically open the pod without doing more damage. Cerberus took over the labs nearby to research what they found at the dig site. That's likely our best bet."
As the quartet started their way back along the path toward the structures, a Cerberus Kodiak suddenly flew low and fast over their heads, the wind almost knocking them over. It hovered right over the roof of a structure ahead, dropping off a Centurion and three of a new enemy type – Nemeses, females in black bodysuits, with face-concealing helmets and carrying M98 Widow sniper rifles. As everyone got into cover, Shepard drew his N7 Valiant and took aim at a Nemesis on the roof; she was aiming at him too, but he was faster, and his shot tore through her skull. He then Overloaded the shields of the Centurion, leaving the hostile vulnerable to a burst-fire shot from James' Vindicator, and then ducked to narrowly avoid having his head sniped off by another Nemesis' shot. Kal'Reegar fired an Incinerate, the fireball curve-balling to smash into a Nemesis from the side, stunning her and weakening her shields. A few bullets took them down the rest of the way, and a Warp from Liara finished the hostile off. The final Nemesis took aim at Liara, but a Carnage shot from James knocked her for a loop, allowing Shepard to put a round through her head.
"All right," Shepard said, "let's get moving before more of them come."
The team moved on, heading left and through an L-shaped building, wherein they found another Cerberus log:
"Troop Deployment Update:
Local resistance is heavy in the south and west sections of the colony. We've pulled most of our troops from the north neighborhoods to assist. All remaining troops in the north neighborhood: continue standard patrol activities to maintain the illusion of a large presence in that area. If the locals knew we were understaffed, they could do some serious damage."
"More intel to help the colonists" Liara said as she sent it out across the planet. "The more we find, the better chance they'll have."
They hopped down a nearby gap to outside, and moved into a two-story building with a big red '2' on the side. Moving through it, they came to a large open doorway overlooking a section of bare ground between them and a research lab up ahead… as well as the Cerberus Engineer and shielded sentry-turret waiting for them, the latter of which quickly opened fire, forcing everyone into cover. It stopped firing after a few seconds, waiting for them, and Shepard leaned out and immediately hit it with an Overload, stripping its shields. Liara then destroyed it with a Warp, while Kal and James focused fire on the Engineer, downing his shields and filling him full of holes before he could get into cover. In the lull, Shepard and Liara moved right, finding one more Cerberus log:
"Resistance Information Update:
We've gotten word from our source within Eden Prime's resistance movement that we can expect an attack on our security center between 2200 and 2300 tomorrow night. They're pulling in forces from across the colony - this gives us the perfect chance to destroy their leadership.
Once the attack is contained, allow Dr. William Cambiata to escape, firing near-miss shots to keep it realistic. He's given us good information, and with luck, the locals will see him as a daring hero and the only man to escape the Cerberus trap. They might even put him in charge!"
"They even have a man on the inside…" Shepard said.
"Not for long" Liara replied as she sent the data out. "This intel, along with the rest, should give Eden Prime's resistance a real chance to push Cerberus out of their colony."
As the quartet started across the way, two Centurions came out of the building ahead. Shepard immediately hit one of them with an Overload to strip his shields, while the other's shields went down to a few shots from Kal'Reegar's shotgun. A shotgun blast from James took Centurion 2 out, and a barrage of Geth Plasma SMG fire from Liara dealt with Centurion 1. The door to the structure was locked, but Shepard was able to bypass it easily.
"This lab found footage of the Protheans" Liara said. "Cerberus is studying it to figure out how to physically open the pod."
Inside the lab proper, a terminal sat beneath a large display screen. Shepard triggered it, and lines of static formed on the screen. His irises glowed green, as the image and sounds resolved into clarity…
Eden Prime - ~50,000 Years Ago
There was chaos throughout the Prothean colony. Structures burned and collapsed as Reapers of various sizes engaged what remained of the Prothean military, their crimson beams vaporizing anyone they hit, as their black metallic hides completely ignored the projectiles and directed-energy beams fired up at them.
In one bunker, Prothean soldiers fired their particle rifles at charging Prothean Husks. A few of the proto-Collectors wielded rifles, and one of them fired a shot that downed one of the Protheans. The commander of the defenders then flickered and glowed with green Biotic energy, lifting two proto-Collectors up and slamming them into a wall, and then unleashing a Shockwave that sent the remainder flying. He then moved to grab his wounded comrade, dragging him back as his fellows maintained fire on the enemy.
"Victory, seal the bulkheads!" he shouted to what looked like a green holographic Prothean.
"Acknowledged" the VI replied.
As the commander dragged his comrade through the closing heavy doors, the others continued firing at the Prothean Husks until finally the doors sealed shut. He stopped to catch his breath as another soldier checked on the fallen one. He gazed out at the fires burning in the bunker, the damaged pods, and scowled.
"How many have we lost?" he asked.
"Reaper forces have destroyed approximately 300,000 lifepods" Victory replied.
The commander knelt down by a pod, opening a small hatch near the 'feet' of the pod's top and keying in a command sequence into the little keypad that emerged. The pod emerged, showing the charred body of another Prothean.
"A third of our people…" he murmured, closing his four eyes and hanging his head.
"Alert," Victory suddenly spoke, "north-side bulkhead cannot be sealed. Hostiles detected."
"All forces to the north!"
The Prothean squad moved out, intent to defend what little remained of their people…
Present Day
"I think I can duplicate that to open the lifepod" Shepard said.
"You understood that?" Liara asked.
"You didn't?"
"All we saw and heard was static, Commander" Kal replied.
"Cerberus was trying to make sense of it," Liara said, "without success. …The Prothean Cipher you received on Feros must let you see the images as a Prothean would, and understand their language."
"Whatever it does," Shepard said, "I saw the video, and how they sealed and unsealed the lifepods."
"Perfect. Now we just need the signal they use to activate and deactivate stasis mode."
With that in mind, the quartet made their way back through the building to outside, heading left across the area and up some stairs into another building. In one of the rooms, they found four men dead around a table with food & drinks set up, beneath a big-screen display.
"They were gunned down while having drinks and watching the game…" Shepard said.
"Son of a bitch, this was somebody's home" James growled.
They opened the door nearby, to see a squad of Cerberus soldiers led by a Centurion, as well as an Engineer trying to set up a turret. Shepard sniped the Engineer, and then sent out a Combat Drone as he ducked into cover to dodge the return fire, letting the drone's shocker and Incinerate-launcher start softening the enemy up, managing to kill one of the Cerberus troopers. Kal'Reegar hit the Centurion with a Concussive Shot, allowing Shepard to finish him with a Warp, while Liara tossed out a Singularity that left three Troopers vulnerable to a grenade from James. Shepard finished the last Trooper with a Biotic Slam, picking him up and then slamming him into the ground.
With the way clear they moved into the next building ahead, soon finding another lab. Shepard triggered the console, and his eyes glowed a faint green as he watched and listened…
~50,000 Years Ago
The Prothean commander walked through the massive hall alongside a civilian.
"I never thought our empire would fall…" the civilian said.
"It won't" the commander told him. "We will sleep here until the Reapers return to dark-space. Then we will rise, a million strong."
"For the empire…"
"For the empire. Get to your stasis pod."
As the civilian hurried away, the Commander kept walking.
"Victory," he said, "broadcast the stasis readiness signal to all lifepods."
"And the refugees who have yet to reach the bunker?" Victory asked, 'walking' alongside the Commander with a holographic representation of the signal.
"…Their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire."
Suddenly, there was an explosion down the hallway, and proto-Collectors came rushing in. The commander readied his particle rifle…
Present Day
"You understood that one, too?" Liara asked.
"Yeah" Shepard replied. "I've got the signal the Protheans used to activate stasis mode."
"Excellent. Then we have everything we need to open the pod."
As they exited the lab, two Cerberus shuttles flew in, dropping off around a dozen hostiles. Shepard tossed out a Singularity that caught three Troopers in the middle of their jump out of one shuttle, allowing him to gun them down with his N7 Hurricane. As the group moved out, Shepard then threw out a Shockwave-Chain that sent flying the pair of approaching Guardians, as well as the Engineer trying to set up a turret in back; a grenade from Kal took out the downed Guardians, while the Engineer got to his feet just in time to take a round between the eyes from Liara's pistol.
The group moved on, and almost walked right into a courtyard occupied by two auto-turrets. Shepard called up his Omnitool and hacked one of them, and it turned its heavy gun on the other turret, destroying it though taking heavy damage; it managed to kill the Engineer as well before the Troopers took it out. James and Kal rushed in next, using their assault rifles and shotguns to clear out the rest. The group climbed a short ladder down to a lower rocky area, went around and up, climbing to the top of another structure's roof, crossed the roof to another ladder, and then went down and finally returned to the pod.
"I'm transmitting the signal" Shepard said as he called up his Omnitool; after a few seconds, a hologram appeared over the foot of the pod.
"It'll take a few moments for the lifepod to process it" Liara said.
"Lots of bogeys inbound!" James pointed at approaching shuttles. "We'll have to hold this position!"
The quartet took cover near the pod, as Cerberus troops started dropping in from the shuttles. Shepard readied his Valiant, and with three pulls of the trigger three Cerberus Troopers went down. As the others got a little closer James and Kal opened fire with their rifles, cutting a few more down; in response, the Cerberus forces focused fire on Kal, forcing him to cease fire and duck down, the beeping of a 'Shield Low' alarm sounding in his ears. Liara used her Geth SMG to down a Centurion's shields, and then a Pull to hoist him into the air for a few shots of Shepard's N7 Eagle to finish off.
A Nemesis appeared on the rooftop, a shot from her Widow narrowly missing Liara's head. In response, Shepard quickly targeted and killed her, the enemy sniper's body landing on top of a Cerberus Trooper below, knocking his aim off so that his shot missed Kal'Reegar's hiding spot. Kal, his shields now recharged, tossed a frag grenade out, killing two Troopers and wounding a third who was quickly gunned down by James. Shepard's Overload de-shielded and stunned another Centurion, and a Warp to the head from Liara finished him off. Shepard caught sight of an Engineer trying to set up a turret, and used his Valiant to put a stop to that. Soon, the last few Troopers of this wave were dealt with, and everything was quiet for a bit.
Then, however, Team Shepard got a nasty surprise as a huge mech stomped onto the scene, its pilot visible behind a durable see-through cockpit canopy. The heavy walker aimed its cannon and fired a shot, almost taking Shepard's head off.
"Are they ever gonna run out of new toys?" Shepard said.
"They call it an Atlas" Liara replied. "And it's going to take a lot to bring down."
Shepard leaned out of cover and hit the Atlas with an Overload, but its heavy shields were only downed by about one-third; it responded by firing another cannon shot at him, keeping him pinned. It then fired a rocket at the group, but Liara used a well-placed and -timed Warp to destabilize the rocket's flight path, sending it careening off to the side to explode harmlessly against a boulder. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone, which hovered in and behind the Atlas, firing shock-blasts at it to further drain its shields and easily flitting out of the way of the mech's attempt to smash it. With concentrated fire from the squad pitching in, the Atlas' shields were soon down.
Shepard and Liara started firing off Warps to weaken the Atlas' armor, aided by fire from Kal's and James' assault rifles. The Combat Drone began shooting Incinerate 'rockets' at the Atlas from behind, helping however it could, until the mech finally managed to hit the construct with a swinging blow, destroying/dispelling it instantly. A Carnage shot from James did a little more damage, the Atlas now shedding sparks and smoke. Finally, a Double-Warp from Liara and Shepard triggered a Biotic explosion that pushed the combat walker over the edge, its power core going off in a powerful explosion that consumed its pilot.
"The pod is ready, Shepard!" Liara reported.
Everyone gathered round, as Shepard opened the little hatch containing a holo-keypad. He keyed in the command, and slots opened on the pod's sides, venting cold gas. The pod opened, revealing the Prothean – angular red armor, two pairs of nostrils, semi-triangular head, and four horizontally-aligned eyes.
"Goddess…" Liara breathed out.
"Give him a little space" Shepard said, he and the other stepping back a bit.
After several seconds, the Prothean stirred, his eyes opening. He then quickly went into motion, climbing out of his pod only to stumble. He picked himself up, and Kal & Liara got out of his way as he staggered toward the cliff edge. Shepard followed.
"Be careful," Liara told Shepard, "he's confused."
The Prothean looked out and around at the world he'd woken up into, a single Prothean structure half-buried in the earth all that remained familiar to him. Shepard approached.
"Remember," Liara called out, "it's been 50,000 years for us, but for him it's only been-"
Shepard touched the Prothean on the shoulder…
~50,000 Years Ago
"-a few minutes!" the Prothean was saying in a pleading tone.
"No" Victory replied. "The bunker is falling. There is no other option."
"There are pods online! Those soldiers are still alive!"
"Their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire. Preparing neutron bombardment. Get to your lifepod now."
The Prothean commander growled, but then rushed past a few burning fires and climbed into the lifepod assigned to him, being sealed within.
"Neutron bombardment underway…"
The ground shook for several seconds, as explosions raced through the facility. The commander closed his eyes, knowing he was hearing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his people. Finally, it stopped.
"The bunker is secured, Commander Javik."
"What is left of it. A few hundred people… How am I to rebuild an empire from that?"
"Further adjustments may be necessary. The neutron purge compromised the facility."
"Clarify."
"Sensors are damaged. Automated reactivation is not an option. You will remain in stasis until a new culture discovers this bunker. This may lead to a power shortage."
"Do not shut off more pods! I need the few that are left!"
"Power needs will be triaged appropriately. You will be the voice of our people."
"I will be more than that…"
Present Day
The Prothean stumbled forward, as Shepard staggered back, his mind briefly reeling from the scene he'd just witnessed.
"…How many others?" the Prothean asked, in perfect though accented English.
"Just you" Shepard replied. "You can understand me?"
"Yes, now that I have read your physiology – your nervous system. Enough to understand your language. The 'cipher' in your brain helped."
"So you were reading me, while I was seeing…"
"Our last moments. Our failure."
Shepard stood beside him. "Your people did everything they could. They never gave up. And we could use some of that commitment now."
"Shepard," Cortez contacted, "whatever you did got Cerberus interested."
The Prothean turned to look as the rest of the squad approached.
"Asari, Human, Quarian… I am surrounded by primitives."
"Well, it has been 50,000 years" James said in response.
Javik took a few seconds as the knowledge 'copied' from Shepard's mind translated this figure into a number he was familiar with – to 'Prothean years', as it may. "The next Cycle has begun?"
"Yeah. It started less than a week ago. And every space-faring race is fightin' back as hard as they can."
"Though the human and Batarian homeworlds have already fallen…" Liara added.
"We can give you the full story later" Shepard cut in. "It's not safe here. Will you join us?"
"You fight the Reapers?"
"Yes."
"Then we will see."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy II – Deck 2, War Room, CQE Chamber
"A living Prothean?" Adm. Hackett asked.
"That's correct, Admiral" Shepard replied. "But he's not quite what we expected."
"Commander, our scientists barely understand what they need to do here. If the Prothean can help us construct this device, we need his cooperation."
"Understood, Admiral."
"We're losing colonies faster than we can evacuate. We've never seen a force like the Reapers."
"He has, Admiral."
"Can he help us?"
"I intend to find out."
"Good. Cerberus slipped up and gave us a new weapon; don't let it go to waste. Hackett out."
"Shepard," Liara called, "I need you down in the cargo hold. It's about our new guest."
-Break-
Deck 4, Port Cargo Room
"What's the problem?" Shepard asked as he entered the room; a few curtains of sort had been set up, and what looked like two large tanks of water rested against the far wall, on either side of a large display screen. The Prothean sat in a meditative pose further in, while Liara and three armed Alliance marines were in the room as well.
"I've tried to make the room more accommodating," Liara replied, "but they're not letting me talk to him."
"Apologies, Doctor" one of the guards said. "Contact protocol with a new species is 'assume hostility'; we had to dust off the regulations.
"But he's not new. I've spent my life studying the Protheans."
Shepard looked at the old soldier, who after a few seconds looked back. Shepard stepped forward.
"At ease" he told the guards. "I don't think our guest will be a problem." As he stood before the Prothean, the old alien stood up. "Will he?"
"That depends on you" the Prothean replied, and then stepped forward, grabbing Shepard by the upper arms. The guards went on-edge, rifles ready.
"I can sense fear in you," the Prothean said, eyes close, "anxiety and distress. The Reapers are winning."
"What do you mean, 'you sense'?" Shepard asked as the Prothean let go of him and stepped back.
"All life provides clues for those who can read them. It is in your cells, your DNA. Experience is a biological marker."
As the Prothean walked over to one of the water tanks, running his hand through it, Shepard signaled the guards to back off.
"Then what exactly did I experience back on Eden Prime?" Shepard asked. "That was a hell of a flashback."
"The battle left its own mark on me. I 'communicated' this to you. It can work both ways."
"Like your beacons?" Liara asked.
The Prothean turned to face them, a bit of surprise in him. "Yes. Which…?"
He grabbed Shepard again, and the horrific sights and sounds of the Eden Prime Beacon filled his mind. He stepped back, a bit in shock.
"…You found one" he said. "You saw it all – our destruction, our warnings… Why weren't they heeded? Why didn't you prepare for the Reapers, human?-!"
"It's Shepard – Commander Jason Shepard. And there are two reasons. First, nobody could understand your warnings; the Eden Prime Beacon was damaged and nearly killed me. The specialists said any lesser mind would have been destroyed, which has happened with other Beacons in the past. In a few really unlucky cases, the Beacons caused fatal brain damage."
"Then communication is still primitive in this cycle… What was your 'other' reason?"
Shepard scowled. "Politics. In this cycle, a council of representatives from each 'dominant' race oversees the galaxy. I had no proof, and the Beacon blew up after uploading the 'message' to me. Even after a Command-subtype Reaper attacked the Citadel three years ago, accompanied by an Indoctrinated Spectre agent and an army of synthetics, the Council denied the threat, deeming the Reaper a ship of those synthetics' make, and blaming the entire incident on the rogue agent."
He called up his Omnitool, playing an audio file:
"Ah yes, 'Reapers'" Councilor Sparatus' voice was heard, dripping with incredulous sarcasm. "The immortal rate of sapient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. *Scoff* We have dismissed that ridiculous claim."
"There is no reason to believe Sovereign was not a Geth ship" Valern's voice joined in.
"As far as the rest of the galaxy is concerned, Shepard," Tevos' voice added, "the Reapers exist only in your mind."
"Precisely" Sparatus said. "If you want to go believing that ludicrous fairy-tale, that's your problem, not ours."
Javik let out an animalistic growl, so angry that his Biotic power began to flare a little, a faint green aura clinging to him.
"Around four months ago, however," Shepard continued, "I finally obtained proof of the Reapers' existence – footage and data from an Alliance/Quarian/Batarian fleet that engaged a scouting party of Reapers, and a conversation I had with the Reapers' leader, Harbinger."
"YOUR TIME WILL COME. YOUR SPECIES WILL FALL. PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE ARRIVAL…"
"That finally got the Councilors to listen to me and accept that the Reapers were real. That's why we're doing so poorly against the Reapers; we've only been preparing for them in full for around four months, because everyone else besides me and a few dozen others refused to believe they even existed until then."
"…This is worse – and more infuriating – than I could have imagined. To have the dominant powers of this cycle not only ignorant of the Reapers, but actively denying they even exist until practically the last minute?"
"Three years ago, we managed to stop the Command-type Reaper called Sovereign from opening the Citadel Relay; we delayed the invasion. In actuality, a lot of their invasion plans have been foiled by various factors for almost 3,000 years now. They're desperate, and have resorted to an all-out attack on the galaxy, knowing they'll take heavier losses than they've ever taken before. Unfortunately, it's working; even with the Reapers we're managing to kill, there's just too many of them."
"And now we have the plans for your people's device" Liara chimed in. "We're going to build it."
"…Device?"
Liara called the blueprint up on the screen. "The weapon your people were working on. I'd hoped you could tell us how to complete it."
The Prothean looked closely at the screen. "…We never finished it. It was too late."
"Then I take it you don't know anything about the Catalyst?" Shepard asked.
"No. I was a soldier, not a scientist, skilled in one art: killing."
"What was your mission?" Liara asked.
"Among my people, there were… avatars of many traits: bravery, strength, cunning – a single exemplar for each."
"Which are you?" Shepard asked.
"The embodiment of vengeance. I am the anger of a dead people, demanding blood be spilled for the blood we lost. Only when the last Reaper has been destroyed will my purpose be fulfilled. I have no other reason to exist. Those who share my purpose become allies; those who do not become casualties."
Shepard signaled the guards to leave. "Nothing in our fight against the Reapers has been that cut-and-dried" he told the Prothean.
"Because you still have hope that this war will end with your honor intact."
"I do."
"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence you'll hear is your answer."
Liara walked over to a small Prothean-looking construct on a table – a black rectangular thing with a glowing blue line running through it, about 10 inches in size. "We found this at the dig site" she said. "I assume it belongs to you."
"It is a memory shard" the Prothean replied.
"Could it help us with the device?"
"…No. It contains only pain." He looked to Shepard. "But I will help you fight. And the last thing the Reapers hear before they die… will be the last voice of the Protheans sending them to their grave."
"…If you don't mind, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask."
"Here it comes…" Shepard murmured.
"I'm a xeno-archeologist, and have been studying the Prothean culture for decades. I've written over a dozen studies, publishes several journals…"
"I awaken in a time where all that is left of my civilization is ruins speculated over by archeologists… What do you wish to know?"
"Is there anything more you can tell us about the device your people were trying to build?" Shepard asked.
"We heard only stories. They said our scientists were constructing a great machine that had the power to defeat the Reapers."
"You never saw it?"
"By that point, the empire was smashed into pieces. None of us knew what the others were doing."
"Well," Liara replied, "if we don't finish it soon, the same will be true of us."
"…Liara here would never forgive me if I didn't ask" Shepard said. "What was Prothean civilization like?"
"Yes, I've always wondered. What sort of government did you have? And can you tell me anything about your people's religious beliefs? Or perhaps-"
"We are dead now" the Prothean interrupted. "What does it matter?"
"I'm… sorry. Studying your civilization has been a lifelong passion of mine."
"When I was born, our empire was already in the midst of war with the Reapers. The first thing I remember is seeing my planet on fire."
"What was your civilization like before the Reaper attack?" Shepard asked.
"We were the dominant race of our cycle. We ruled the galaxy."
"My studies indicated that the Protheans were the only race engaged in space travel at the time" Liara said. "I always found that curious."
"We were one empire composed of many subjects. All, regardless of birth species, eventually called themselves 'Prothean'."
"What if they didn't want to?" Shepard asked.
"They weren't given a choice."
"Are you saying you enslaved the other species?"
"Any could oppose us if they wished. And if they had won, they would have ruled. Many tried; none succeeded."
"I had no idea Protheans were so… severe" Liara said.
"It was by necessity. Very early, we encountered the dangers posed by machine intelligence. They rebelled against us. We could not allow the machines to surpass us. It was decided the only way to win was to unite all organic life within our empire."
"Did it work?" Liara asked.
"For a time. The 'Metacon War' – we were turning the tide. But then the Reapers arrived. Then, we understood that machines had surpassed us long ago in ways we could never imagine."
"What can you tell us about your own war with the Reapers?" Shepard asked.
"Many of the details were lost" the Prothean replied. "The conflict lasted for centuries. Those who faced the Reapers at the beginning were long dead when I was born. There were memory shards, however, passed down from soldier to soldier. They gave us fragments of what happened."
"Why do you think your own cycle lost the war?"
"What had been our strength – our empire – became a liability. All races conformed to one doctrine, one strategy. The Reapers exploited this. Once they found our weaknesses, we could not adapt. The subservient races became divided and confused. Then, it was only a matter of time."
"I'm happy to say our cycle is different" Liara said. "Most races cooperate, but they still remain unique culturally and in military doctrine."
"That may be your only hope…"
"How did your people wage war against the Reapers?" Shepard asked.
"Attrition. We fought them system by system, planet by planet, city by city. Entire worlds were sacrificed just to slow the Reapers down; time they spent harvesting a population was time we could regroup."
"That must've cost you in the long run."
"Yes. Our own people were Indoctrinated, converted, then turned against us. But there was no choice. Mercy is not a weapon; it is a weakness."
"Three years ago," Shepard said, "we found a Prothean VI that called itself 'Vigil' on the planet Ilos. He was the caretaker of a research project."
"During my life, Ilos was only a rumor. It was said we had cities there, built on the ruins of the Inusannon, the civilization before us from whose ruins we discovered mass-effect technology. If our scientists did have a research facility, whatever they were doing was secret from everyone else."
"Yes," Liara replied, "Vigil said they wiped all traces of themselves from the records so the Reapers couldn't find them."
"The scientists eventually went into cryogenic stasis" Shepard said.
"More of my people survived?"
"No; by the time it was safe for them to awaken, there were far too few of them left to maintain the genetic diversity needed to keep their species going. They ended up giving their lives to make it so the Reapers couldn't remotely activate the Citadel Relay. It delayed their invasion by a few thousand years."
"…I never saw the Citadel. It was captured long before I was born."
"Back on Eden Prime, it looked like there were other stasis pods. What happened?"
"The empire had fallen, and we knew our cycle was lost. We were the final vanguard, the best soldiers left alive."
"So more of you were supposed to survive into this cycle?" Liara asked.
"Yes. Under my leadership, a new Prothean empire would have arisen. We would have commanded the races of your time to prepare for the next Reaper invasion. But traitors within our ranks – Indoctrinated agents – betrayed us, and the Reapers discovered our plan."
"Just out of curiosity," Shepard said, "how would you have 'commanded' us?"
"By leaving you no other option. You would have joined our army, or faced the Reapers alone."
"We've uncovered quite a few Prothean ruins. Were you observing our ancestors?"
"Before the war, we cultivated species who showed potential. Eventually, you would have been offered a… choice to join the empire. But when the Reapers attacked, we ceased all study. We hoped they would see you as too primitive to harvest."
"Well thanks, I think. …We've never met a species with this sensory ability you have."
"It was common among my people; imparting experience through touch, the chemistry of life. Complicated ideas could be absorbed in seconds."
"That sounds very useful" Liara said.
"We evolved as hunters. Reading a thousand details in our environment ensured our survival."
"So it's basically touch-based telepathy and psychometry" Shepard said. "No actual races in this galaxy have it, but it's been touched before in works of fiction, so the concept isn't entirely foreign. …I'm beginning to understand the beacons a bit more."
"We eventually developed the technology to harness our ability. Information could be stored in certain objects through touch. Memory has its own biomarker, its own chemistry, as do knowledge and skills; the beacons could 'remember' these things."
"Things like Reaper invasions."
"Yes, I can still sense the turmoil within you. Witnessing the extinction of our empire… The fabric of your being was forever marked that day."
"…Well, thank you for talking with me. I never imagined actually meeting a Prothean."
"This has been… amusing."
"Oh?"
"To discover the most primitive races of my time now rule the galaxy – The Asari, the Humans, the Turians…"
"There's also the Salarians" Liara said.
"The lizard people evolved?"
"I believe they're amphibian. They're one of the four dominant powers of the present age."
"…They used to eat flies… Commander, you may count on me. I am known as Javik. Though I still need time to recover; the… shock has not worn off yet."
"I understand" Shepard replied. "This must be a hell of an experience for you. We're just glad to have you aboard, Javik. While you're down here, I'd suggest you go over some archived data-footage – learn more about this realm's 'recent' history and about a coalition called the Dimensional Defense Force…"
-Break-
"So," Joker said, "a Prothean? A real, live Prothean? Has Liara stopped bouncing yet? I'm guessing there may have been some bouncing."
"He's a bit more… severe than we expected" Shepard replied.
"Ah, another of those types, eh?"
Shepard moved down to the CIC, finding Specialist Traynor at work on her console.
"Those poor colonists on Eden Prime…" she said. "First the Geth attack, now Cerberus. For what it's worth, our new crewmember doesn't need a translator himself, but he shared a Prothean language tutor program. It was apparently designed for servant races being inducted into the empire. Charming cultural clue… Oh, and Commander, the Alliance has found a Cerberus lab on Sanctum. Admiral Hackett would like you to investigate…"
- SCENE BREAK-
Sigurd's Cradle → Decoris System → Sanctum
Data: "Sanctum is known for the freezing ice storms which sweep across its poles and temperate zones, with only a thin strip of habitable land along the equator. Because of those harsh living conditions, Sanctum attracts only the most gruff and hardy, from miners to mercenaries to company men. Mining, referred to as "ice-cracking" anywhere but the equator, is the backbone of Sanctum's economy. The planet is rich in platinum and palladium deposits, as well as boron, which is locally used in semiconductor doping.
Sanctum's corporate factions have learned that Cerberus is involved in the planet's finances. Systems Alliance intelligence agents embedded within the corporate strata are quietly urging the companies to confront Cerberus directly, but so far, financial bickering has kept Sanctum's major stakeholders from acting against the Illusive Man.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: Carbon dioxide levels on Sanctum can reach 5,000 parts per million during thermal inversions. Travelers should carry a breath mask at all times and consult the Sanctum World Weather Service for warnings. TRAVEL ADVISORY: Piracy is at a 14-year global high on Sanctum. Visitors should take appropriate security precautions."
As the UT-47A Kodiak descended through the freezing wind, carrying Commander Shepard, Asa, and Kal'Reegar, Shepard stepped into the cockpit as Admiral Hackett appeared on-screen.
"Shepard, we've uncovered a secret Cerberus lab – function unknown. We sent in a recon team, but they were forced to pull out before they got very far."
"Any other intel?" Shepard asked.
"We think they're using the facility to warehouse and study Reaper tech. We've been wondering how Cerberus is connected to the Reapers, and this might give us some answers."
"We're on it."
"Find out what Cerberus is doing, and get me any Reaper tech samples you can, Commander. Hackett out."
-Break-
The Kodiak took position hovering right next to the landing pad, dropping off its three armed passengers.
"I'm tracking some tech with a Reaper signature" Cortez radioed them. "That's your first sample to grab. Updating your NavPoint."
The trio moved into the facility, catching a trio of Cerberus Troopers by surprise, and Shepard hosed them down with his N7 Hurricane. He moved to the console bypassing the containment shield to reveal an artifact around 10 inches tall.
"That's Reaper tech, alright" Kal'Reegar said.
"We've got the sample, Cortez."
"Gotcha. Meet you at the landing pad."
On the way out, a Centurion jumped them, but Shepard zapped him with an Overload and then slashed across his chest with an Omniblade strike. They hurried outside, dropping the sample off in the shuttle, and then headed back in, following another Nav-Point. The next artifact was in a lower level, and this time it was guarded by a pair of Centurions and an Engineer, the latter of which had already set up an auto-turret. Shepard simply hacked the turret, letting it kill one of the Centurions and wound the Engineer before it was destroyed. Asa used her Lancer to finish the Engineer off, while Kal charged in and fired a few shotgun blasts to kill the other Centurion. On the way to the artifact, they found a terminal with two entries by someone called "C. Talavi":
"Finally here. Wow, the troops here are really intense. No one smiles. Ever. And suicide-on-capture orders? Seriously? They call training "integration". I start being "integrated" tomorrow. Can't wait."
"Integration successful. Suicide-on-capture orders confirmed. Cerberus is my friend. Obey. Protect humanity. At any cost."
"So they're indoctrinating their soldiers, in a way" Asa said.
"Probably using Reaper tech to do it" Kal'Reegar said. "No way that won't bite them in the ass further down the line."
Shepard moved to the console, bypassing the security and obtaining the little artifact.
"Cortez, second sample secured. Heading back to you now."
"Negative, Commander. Pad got hot. Had to bug out. Got three birds on my six; taking fire! …Scratch that, make it four. Will rendezvous when I can. Out."
"We need to hold out until Cortez can pick us up!" Shepard told the other two.
Cerberus troops started dropping in outside, as well as emerging from further in the facility. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone to even the odds a little, the construct firing Incinerate blasts at anything in its sights. Shepard moved up the stairs, using his N7 Eagle to take out a trio of Cerberus Troopers. Moving into a room on the right, he found a terminal with some data.
"Failed medigel experiment…" he read. "Hmm… 'Will only lead to medigal enhancement for Hanar'. Only Cerberus would call that a failure."
He grabbed the data and then hurried back down, just as Kal'Reegar fired a Concussive Shot to stun an Assault Trooper who Shepard used his Eagle to kill. Asa used her magic to yank a Guardian's shield out of his grasp, and then her pistol to finish him off. The Combat Drone kept zapping and blasting, until a grenade from a Centurion took it out; Shepard gunned the Centurion down with his Hurricane.
"Cortez, do you copy? What's your status?"
"Engaging multiple targets. Time for something a bit risky. Wish me luck!"
"I hope he makes it…" Asa said.
"Let's just keep the landing pad clear."
The trio moved out onto the landing pad, taking position behind some crates. Shepard summoned another Combat Drone as a fresh wave of Cerberus troops came out of the facility. He tossed out a Shockwave Chain that sent three Troopers flying, and then a grenade to finish them off, while Asa fired a bolt of destructive raw magic that acted like a Warp, slaying another Trooper who'd been trying to flank the group. Kal'Reegar kept firing controlled bursts of his assault rifle to help then the enemy out some more, occasionally firing Concussive Shots to keep them off-balance.
"Commander, had to go dark-side to shake 'em. Coming in hot; be ready!"
Within seconds, the Kodiak swooped in, its side door opening. The trio leapt in, dodging fire sent their way by Cerberus soldiers, and the Kodiak closed up and shot off into the sky.
-Break-
QEC Room
"Commander, we've got our best engineers looking at the Reaper tech you secured from that lab."
"What was Cerberus doing with it?"
"We don't know yet, but whatever they're up to can't be good; we read that excerpt you sent us from their one recent member… Even if we can't determine its purpose, we've disrupted their experiments."
"I doubt they'll just close up shop."
"Agreed. We'll keep sending strikes against the facility. Good work, Commander."
-SCENE BREAK-
The Citadel
Having dropped off the medigel data he found at Huerta Memorial, Shepard was heading back through the Docks to return to his ship, when…
"Commander! Wait please!"
He turned to find Sarah coming up to him again, this time accompanied by a familiar little girl.
"Commander," Erika said, "w-we want to accompany you t-to Palaven. We…. We need to find our sister."
"I can't take not knowing whether Marie is still alive and alright or not any longer" Sarah said. "Please, Shepard, take us with you for this."
"T-Timmy and Mariko are still h-helping Kaidan down in the refugee center, s-so they'll be fine while I'm gone. So, please…"
Shepard thought for a few seconds. "Alright. And I'll help you look if I can. But promise me you can keep it together in a fight."
"Yes, Commander" the two girls replied.
He smiled "Very well. Come on; we're about to head out."
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Going to Palaven…'s moon Menae, and also maybe (as in, either next or next-after-next chapter) some more developments in the other realms that are being hit by the Reapers.