Mass Dragon Effect 1: Shadows of the Past
Chapter 4: Morning Signs
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Dragon Age. Excellent game series that I hope Bioware will turn around in their sequels, but I am not too optimistic with evil overlord EA over them.
Beta Reader: Albert
Last Update: 10/31/2021
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 3
Human Date: February 4, 2183
Nightmares, that is how Jane Shepard describes the sensation as dark images appeared in her mind. Images she could not make out clearly but were enough to sicken and scare the battle-hardened soldier. However, despite all the carnage and psychological screams, Jane could hear a few words repeated over and over again. Words she could not make out or recall easily as the world bled away to a sterile medical room filled with blinking lights and holographic interfaces. Jane groaned as she recognized she was in the USS Normandy's medical bay, and she had finally awakened from her nightmare.
A fact someone else noticed as a woman yelled out, "Doctor, Doctor Chakwas, I think the Commander is waking up."
"No, she has woken up," Jane groaned as she rose up to the side of her bed with a throbbing headache that slowly dissipated as a friendly face showed up in her line of sight.
"You had us worried, Sheppard. How are you feeling, Jane?" Dr. Karin Chakwas asked as she examined her with a medical version of an omni-tool.
"Minor headaches," Jane answered while rubbing away her headaches. "Nothing too serious. How long was I out?"
"About six hours," Chakwas replied. "Something must have happened to the Beacon."
"It was my fault, ma'am," said the newcomer as she came into the light. Revealed to Jane that the woman was Ashley Williams, still wearing her armor covered with grime from the planet below. "When I got close to the Beacon, it activated and dragged me towards it. If I were not so clumsy, you wouldn't have had to save me."
Jane looked at the downtrodden Lieutenant as she got out of her bed and put a hand on Ashley's shoulder, "You had no way of knowing it would do that, Ash. It wasn't your fault."
Ashley looked into her superior's eye, and all the self-pity washed away as she straightened up to give Jane a thankful smile. At the same time, Dr. Chakwas took over the conversation again. "Physically, you're fine, though I do worry about what has happened to you while you were in that coma."
The Doctor then walked over to a screen and displayed Jane's images as Jane looked closer. All looked normal for someone in REM sleep, except for the part Dr. Chakwas had highlighted, "As you can see, there was an unusually high amount of beta waves. These waves are similar to someone entering the Fade. However, since you're a Psychic Knight, which means your implants are specifically designed to disconnect your connection to the Fade to prevent possession and possibly be turned into an abomination. And you were not connected to a Dream Machine; I have to assume the Beacon downloaded information directly into your brain. Can you describe what you saw?"
Jane leaned back as she muttered out loud, "I'm not sure. I remember seeing death, destruction, but all of it was blurry as if the images were out of focus and distorted. There were also words, but none of them made any sense to me. And I have difficulty recalling them."
"Hm… this needs to go into my report, and we may need to take more detailed scans," Chakwas muttered as she took notes and deep scans. She was taking her last note when the door opened behind her as three figures stepped in. "Ah, Admiral Anderson, Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Commander Velanna," the Doctor acknowledged them as her armored guests stepped in.
They were guarding a very stem Anderson wearing not his uniform, but a vested combat suit. Jane was curious why Anderson was wearing his armor but did not get a chance to ask, as the Admiral went straight to talk business with Dr. Chakwas, "How is our patient doing?"
"Besides the readings, I told you about, she is going to be fine. Though I am concerned about how the psychological effects from the visions downloaded into her mind will affect her," the Doctor explained
"I understand your concerns. Please submit this to High Command, and please don't discuss this with the rest of the crew. Wait until the President and the Admiralty decides if the information should be classified or not," John told the good Doctor, who nodded in response as she was familiar with the routine.
"Will do, Captain."
"Good, now can we speak to the Commander in private?" Anderson asked in a demanding tone that left no room for misunderstanding of his intent.
An order Ashley recognized as she saluted her superior officer, "We'll do, sir. I will head to the hanger to prep for our guests."
"And I'll join her to make sure the awakening operation goes smoothly," Chakwas added before the two left, leaving the commanding officers alone.
It did not take long for John to let his stance slip a bit as he asked the million-credit question, "Are you alright, Jane?"
"I'm fine, John. Just trying to make sense of everything," Jane told her brother as she walked around. "How bad is it on Eden Prime?"
"Pretty bad, Jane, casualties were high. Over one-point-three million civilians were killed, along with two hundred thousand soldiers, and the destruction of three Geth Server Nodes," Anderson told the Commander. "Combined with the loss of Eden Prime's entire defense fleet and the severe damage to the space station in orbit, Eden Prime's whole defense network is crippled. As a result, the Fifth Fleet is staying in orbit until High Command can send in a new defensive fleet, soldiers, and technicians to repair the planet's defenses."
"The only good news is that it could have been worst if General Martock did not rally the troops in time. It was made only slightly better by the fact our forces have an estimated kill count of over a million darkspawn. Along with the destruction of a dozen darkspawn ships," John pointed out.
"Still, too many died," Jane quietly noted before she asked the million-credit question. "How did they get past our FRC (Federation Recon Core)'s system patrols?"
"FID (Federation Intelligence Division) and FCIS (Federation Criminal Investigation Service) are looking into it and are already getting results. FID found Salarian's STG bugs used by them and the Council's SPECTRES to spy on us. They sent a few computer viruses back to gather our own intelligence before they disconnected and collected a list of users that accessed the data. One of them was Saren. They are gathering data while the FCIS is running their own investigation to find any forensic evidence in Saren's involvement."
"You mean to say it was the Council's own paranoia that led to this attack?" Jane asked in shock.
"Looks like it, sis," John stated with a shrug.
A shrug that caused Jane to groan as she switched subjects, "I take it that Ash-Lieutenant First Class Williams is going to be assigned to us."
"I've read her service record and felt she would make a fine member of the ground team. Especially since she is an N6 like Lieutenant Alenko and an extraordinary marksman," John pointed to his sister.
"Ash is a good soldier. She deserves it," Jane stated with conviction as Anderson spoke up.
"Lieutenant Alenko, Trex, and Legion-VII seemed to agree with you when I asked their opinion of Lieutenant Williams. It is why I had her transferred to the First Battalion."
Jane nodded along as she turned to face her superiors to do what other soldiers often have done after a battle like the Battle for Eden Prime. Questioned the future, "So, what's next?"
"I won't lie to you; things are bad," Anderson admitted. "Nihlus is dead, the Beacon was destroyed, and we're about to bring them several pieces of evidence against Saren. Evidence that the three Councilors on the Council will fight us over in every way possible. As they will be actively denying the truth that one of their elite soldiers is a traitor. We just have to hope the Ghosting Crystal of Nihlus, along with any other evidence we gather, will be enough. Combined with the darkspawn returning as an interstellar army and a galactic threat, this could very well lead to a very bloody galactic war. Especially since the SPECTRE Saren hates the Federation and loathes humans."
"Is it really that bad?" Jane asked.
"It's worse than that, Jane," Anderson sighed. "A lot of aliens outside of the Federation think our mutually built government is just Humanity building an army to take over the galaxy. Most don't do anything about it, but Saren is an extremist. He sabotaged a joint mission and caused a massive number of casualties in an attempt to discredit me."
"Why?" Jane asked in horror as Anderson sighed.
"He has personal reasons to hate us, and we have reasons to hate his family. His father led the Turian fleet we destroyed over Shaanxi during the Human Turian War. His brother, who officially had been declared missing in action, had actually committed suicide. After our forces found him committing espionage within our territory without the Council or the Turian's consent, so they claim. So this attack must be personal."
"Maybe not," John stated as he stretched his neck. "If it were personal, he would have used that giant warship on the planet. We recovered black boxes that indicated it destroyed the defense force and damaged the space station with one shot. The warship could have destroyed the colony from orbit without revealing the darkspawn or that Saren was their leader. But no. He was after the Beacon, which means he knew something valuable was in it."
Anderson nodded in acceptance, "I feared that was the case." The Rear Admiral then turned to Jane to ask his question, "The Doctor suggested that the Beacon had downloaded something in your mind. Can you remember anything you saw?"
"I'm not sure how I can describe it," Jane admitted. "It was blurry, but I could make out explosions, death, and destruction. I don't even know who exactly their victims were, but I think their killers were machines."
"This needs to be reported to High Command, the President, and to the Council," Anderson told his officers.
"And tell them what. That the Commander had dreams of death after being put through hell?" John asked when Velanna stepped up to make a tentative suggestion.
"We may be able to show the Council and our superiors what the Beacon downloaded into Jane and maybe even focus the images for the Commander."
"How Lieutenant Commander?" John asked.
"Through the Dream Machine we have in the back," Velanna suggested quietly. "As a Magician, I can enter through the Fade through mediation and my partner to assist Jane to access what the Beacon had put into her mind while the device records it."
Jane nodded in acceptance, "It could work, as the Fade Dream Machine is designed to pull ideas and thoughts from the Fade, and we are technically connected to it. Though I've never been to the Fade. Never had to deal with demons either, thanks to the implant I got at a young age." Jane then cracked a smile as she voiced her thoughts, "If I didn't have to worry about the prospects of viewing those dark thoughts with greater clarity, I would be jumping in excitement."
"Hm," Rear Admiral stated as he thought it over. Scratching his chin until he came to a decision, "Alright Velanna, help Jane in recovering those visions the Beacon gave her. If it looks like it will be too dangerous, discontinue it. I consider her a lot more important than whatever the Beacon downloaded into her head."
"You got it, Anderson," Jane nodded with a bright smile as Anderson nodded in acceptance.
"Very good, Cortona will keep watch over you as Chakwas is going to have to handle our new guests," Anderson told the confused Commander.
"What guests?" Jane asked in confusion.
"Some people that seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," John told his sister before the Captain and Admiral left the two Commanders to their own devices.
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 5: Hanger Bay
Human Date: February 4, 2183
In the ship's hangar, a large number of the crew were preparing for the worst as they stood around six pods John had picked up from Eden Prime. The entire ground team was there with additional security forces led by Ashley Williams, the crew's newest recruit. A young woman who felt like she had a lot to prove, especially after watching her whole team die on Eden Prime. Therefore, she quickly took advantage of the weapons offered to her due to her transfer to an elite military team.
She swapped her semi-automatic M-96 Matlock assault rifle for what many called an assault/sniper rifle hybrid, the M-99 Saber. A heavier version of the M-96 Matlock offered a lower fire rate in lieu of a higher accuracy over a longer range and higher damage rate per shot. That did not include the heavy extended barrel but increased the damage to a degree it outclassed most sniper rifles. Combined, it was the perfect weapon for a marksman as she readied herself for potential hostility while her fellow humans tried to calm her down.
"Hold your horses, Lt," Kaidan said as he tried to soothe Ashley's mind. "We don't know if they are going to be hostile yet."
Ashley responded with a glare, "That may be so, but we can't afford to be caught exposed again like… like E-Eden Prime. I would rather be safe than sorry. And I especially don't want to see potential hostiles killing someone else because we were too lax."
Kaidan frowned but accepted her caution as he got into position while Adams worked over a computer console hot-wired into the device as his former engineer assistant, Tali, helped in making the connections. Confident that the pods were now compatible with the Federation's technology, Adams developed a small smile as he watched the Admiral and Captain walk towards him.
"Captain Sheppard, Admiral Anderson, the pods are stable and ready to be opened any time we wish. However, I recommend waking them up one at a time to be safe. It also gives you time to access the pod's databank information… which includes personal information on the subjects listed by name." Adams reported, with Tali nodding in the background.
"How?" John asked.
"I think the pods are equipped with neural implants that interpret the subject's minds over several weeks. I'm uploading the files now," Lieutenant Commander Greg Adams reported to his commanding officers. In addition, Adams also sent the files to Sarah, who employed a specialized omni-tool used by communication officers to translate text into something they could read.
"With this information, I can align the communicator's translator program to their language. Then, as soon as they wake up, we'll be able to communicate with them through our omni-tools."
"Good, then let's not waste any more time," John stated, as the ship's Doctor looked ready to protest.
"Captain, I still recommend against waking them up now!" Dr. Chakwas stated as she performed another neural scan. "In fact, I suggest we wait until we come to a proper hospital before trying."
"Would it be dangerous for us to wake them up here and now?" John asked as he looked at the sleeping humans, elves, and the qunari.
"They'll probably be fine. A bit dehydrated but physically fine," Dr. Chakwas admitted. "However, if something goes wrong, we don't have the facilities to save them or even keep them stable enough to reach a place that has the facilities. Even if we're a few hours travel to one that is not overflowing with patients."
"Understood, Doctor, but we can't afford to wait," John stated as he studied the six subjects. "High Command said we have two hours to gather any new evidence before we are forced to go to the heart of Council Space, the Citadel. And this is one piece of information we can't afford to miss out on."
"I agree with the young Captain," stated Supreme Commander Urdnot, Wrex. "These pyjaks are from the darkspawn's homeworld and were captured by Saren. If we are lucky, they heard his plan or gave enough information to triangulate their planet's location by their local star clusters. Either one would make my trip to the Citadel to deal with those political sharks worth my time. So, the risks outweigh the potential troubles we'll face."
"Wake them up now! We can't afford to let them sleep a minute longer!" John ordered the Doctor, who looked at Anderson for confirmation.
One Anderson gave as he supported the new Captain of the USS Normandy, "It's the Captain's choice and his first command of this ship, for better or worst. I hope you're willing to take on the risk of such decisions?" Anderson stated and questioned as he looked right at a confident John.
"I am," John stated with conviction.
"Very well, Captain Shepard. We're beginning the awakening sequence, ETA five minutes," Chief Engineer Adams reported.
Tali nodded in agreement as she nervously monitored the connections as her superior, John, looked on. The things that will awaken from the pods will change the galaxy as they know it. Though not to the level of those of his sister's revelations.
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 3: Medical Bay
Human Date: February 4, 2083
In the back of the medical bay is a small room designed to hold medical supplies and a unique chair. A comfortable inclined chair that was connected to a wired helmet that seemed to glow green when used. It was a device illegal for most citizens in the galaxy to own without special licenses. Though only a few bothered despite its usefulness for non-mages to conduct research, serve as a general search engine for ideas and technical data, and help recover memories. It is a device designed to enter into the mysterious dimension all sentient beings are connected subconsciously, known as the Fade. It is also known as the realm of dreams as it holds every idea conceived, both good and ill, to a society's development. A realm few can enter aware without the device.
"So, this is the Simulated Fade Sleep Machine, aka the Dream Machine?" Jane asked with a raised eyebrow. "It looks like something a nerd put together for a science fiction convention."
"I guess… I haven't noticed," Velanna mumbled.
"I have, and I thought it adds to the quirks found in the world of geeks and nerds," Cortona stated from her holographic interface. "Are you ready to step into my parlor?"
Jane sighed as she lay back on the inclined chair to put on the device's helmet. In front of Jane, Velanna inclined into an Indian-style stance and explained softly to Jane the plan. "The device will pull you into the Fade where my companion and I will be waiting to guide you. That is if it's all right with you?"
"It is, and thanks to you," Jane stated with a small smile.
"See you on the other side," Velanna smiled before she closed her eyes, and with a swirl of black and white magic, they entered the Fade.
Seeing her friend making the trip, Jane followed. She closed her eyes, as instructed by Cortona before the AI activated the machine. A green light began to swirl around her as she was drawn to her mind. She went deeper and deeper into her subconscious, pulling up faint memories and dreams. That was until Jane finally emerged into the floating, distorted world of green, brown, and black. For the first time in her life, Jane was in the Fade, and she looked around in wonder.
It was a world of constant movement as landmasses floated as far as the eye could see. It was a continually moving atmosphere without the optical illusions of a static universe. It was a world that seemed apparent, and yet it was more unreal than even one's dreams. It was a fantasy world that appeared within her reach as she watched the world ripple through her movements.
She felt she could do anything with just a thought as she voiced out loud, "This is amazing."
"Oh, you haven't seen anything of the Fade yet," answered a beautiful voice that echoed across the green void.
Jane whirled around to see Velanna being held in a seductive embraced by a beautiful creature tethered to her. A tall, curvy creature that Jane recognized from reports she read about Velanna. A creature that wore the elf's face had purplish-white skin, long curved horns, and was almost wholly bare-skinned.
"So, you're the desire demon, Angle?" Jane asked as the demon chuckled in response.
While all sentient beings are technically connected to the Fade subconsciously, evident when considering how ideas seem universal despite distance and development, most are unaware of the beings that exist in the realm of dreams. Spirits, as they call themselves, are sentient beings given form by thought and categorized by the virtues they are born from, such as nobility, courage, fear, and pride. At least that is the assumption for its debatable which came first and which influenced the other first, the idea or the spirit, as there is shockingly little information beyond fifty-thousand years.
Most spirits do not seek or attempt to interact with what they call mortals, if not avoid them altogether. However, a subset that calls themselves demons do seek interactions with mortals. Out of curiosity to experience what it means to be mortal and possibly gain power as they are being of thought and the experiences beyond them make them stronger. Demons accomplish their goals by possessing mortals, mostly unplanted mages, transforming them into what are called abominations. Alternatively, developing partnerships made with magicians like Velanna where they share a body. The latter gives both parties many benefits, such as a power boost, with a few side effects. Side effects Velanna shows every day.
"Yes, I am the desired demon attached to cute little Velanna to see what it means to be mortal. And I must say, it would be more exciting if she just let out more than she does," the demon said. She tried to loosen the girl's clothing with no luck as Velanna kept pushing the demon's hands away.
"Could you please stop that? It's embarrassing," Velanna stammered out with a blush as radiant as the sun.
Angle pouted as she let go of Velanna, "As you desire. Though it's a shame that our partnership leads you to develop into such a prude and shy little thing. If you don't have the occasional sex with your loveable Captain, I would be fearful you never find out about the pleasure of the flesh."
Leaving behind a stuttering Velanna, Angle then flew up and around Jane as she sang out, "Now that you are here, shall we head out, or do you have a question to ask us? Like how often my host is getting it on with her Captain, among other things," Angle suggested, much to Velanna's embarrassment and anger. The young elf looked as red as an exploding volcano.
A volcano Janae wanted to avoid, for she had seen Velanna angry before, and it was not pretty. Especially when she calls on her partner's power. Angle as a desired demon is generally on the higher end of the hierarchy of the average demon. They are only surpassed by pride demons on average, with the keyword being on average. Angle's partnership with Velanna meant that she was one of the most powerful beings in the Fade. Regardless of the natural advantages that other demons have over her.
"Um… I don't want to hear how much action my brother gets. Though I am curious about the name," Jane stated with a tilt of her head.
"I like being ironic, if nothing else," Angle acrostically stated as she took note of Velanna's rising anger. Not wanting to anger her host further, she moved on to their primary objective, "So, shall we head out to see what the Beacon put in your head? Or do we just float here for a while?"
"Yes, let's go," Velanna strained as she slowly cooled her anger.
"Alright," Jane said with an unsure tone. "What do I do?"
"Nothing," the two beings tethered together replied as they moved to either side of Jane. "Just let us take you into the flow."
Jane nodded in acceptance as she let the two take her down memory lane, seeing glimpses of her past. From parts that she loved, like the first time she saw a planet from space. To parts that hurt her, like the day her mother told her that her father died trying to save the outer colony world named Mindoir. Velanna gave a squeeze of reassurance when they finally met the memories alien to her. It was the memories that the Beacon had put into her mind, and it was a jumbled mess.
The desire demon, Angle, moved close to suggest a possible solution, "Since they are alien to you, you may not understand most of it. Or even see most of the images as your mind barely comprehends what they are saying. I can try to clear it up as much as I can. Though please understand that a lot of things will be over your head even with my help. Accurate Prothean information is obscured, even in the Fade, but I can focus the image if you desire."
"Do it. I need to understand," Jane told the demon, who nodded in acceptance with Velanna.
The paired souls soon got to work as the images began to become defragmented into clear images, to Velanna's horror and Angle's fascination. Not that it mattered to Jane as she was memorized by the results. She did not even hear Cortona report that she was recording her memories. All she could think was the images of death played before her as it quickly became evident that the jumbled images were worlds being destroyed.
Through the corrupted fragments, she saw what her mind conceived as Prothean worlds, cities, and ships destroyed by things clouded in shadows. She saw synthetic and organic lifeforms beings massacred by horrific monsters. All the while, planets' names were displayed as they watched the destruction. The victims were mostly called 'Protheans,' and the destroyers were called 'Reapers.' The scene repeated over and over until finally, she reached a planet so fragmented she could not tell what it was. But the word 'Conduit' came through before the squid-like ship similar to Saren's dreadnaught appeared out of thin air. Forcing the three to jump back in shock as the image faded into her memory.
The desire demon Angle was the first to regain her bearing as she stated, "Well, that certainly got my heart beating. I think we just saw an empire fall to a galactic scale massacre."
"I… I have to agree," Velanna stammered in shock.
"And that ship on Eden Prime is somehow tied to this Conduit and whatever these Reapers are," Jane said with a headache.
"But what does it all mean?" Velanna asked her commanding officer. "And how do they all fit together?"
"I don't know. I am not an expert on extinct empires. Regardless, this needs to be reported to High Command… We need to stop it from happening," Jane blurted out as though it was forced on her.
"Then let us awaken," Velanna suggested before she turned to Angel. "Thank you for the aid and service."
"Think nothing of it, my child, as I'm here to serve," the demon smiled before she faded out of view, leaving the two 'mortals' alone to return to the waking world.
She turned to Jane, speaking an incantation as the Fade swirled around the Commander as she approached the realm of reality. It would not be long before her eyes opened into the blinding lights of the waking world. Without a moment to waste, Jane pushed off her helmet as Velanna opened her eyes. The elven woman rose from the ground as Jane jumped out of the chair, ready to face the world.
"Tell me you've got everything, Cortona?" Jane asked as she landed on her feet.
"Yes, I did. It's recorded into the databanks, ready to be accessed and downloaded by your command," Cortona reported to her superior, who nodded.
"Save it for now. We'll show it to our superiors later once we get a complete picture of everything."
Cortona was about to acknowledge when Eliza's frantic voice reported over the comms, "All hands, security alert. Captain John Sheppard was attacked by one of the aliens in stasis. Assume he is hostile. All crewmembers are ordered to stay at their post while security forces converge into the hanger bay to subdue the alien. Repeat..."
Jane did not need a moment to curse as she went to a personal locker for weaponry. She quickly found her weapons and armor and picked up her two melee weapons and her M-77 Paladin Pistol. The only items she could equip herself with at a moment's notice. With her weapons secured on her person, Jane turned to Velanna to issue orders dressed as suggestions, "Let's get to the hanger and lend a helping hand. We can't have your boyfriend have all the fun."
"Aye, Commander," the woman shyly saluted before the two rushed off to the hanger bay to a situation that resolved itself a few minutes earlier.
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 5: Hanger Bay
Human Date: February 4, 2183
It took over twenty minutes to wake five of the ship's new 'guests.' Starting with one Leliana, a redheaded, pale-eyed beauty in priestly robes. She was a human who was an initiate to a monolithic god's priesthood similar to Earth's Christianity. Moreover, she was pretty skilled with a musician's silver tongue as she helped the others have an improved wake-up experience than she had.
Recall: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 5: Hanger Bay
Human Date: February 4, 2183
Darkness, oh how it brings dread, Leliana thought as she remembered how it came to be. She was with a large group of templars (mage hunters), priestesses, and initiates like her who represented the Chantry. A religion focused on the one true God, the Maker. Her group met with a nomadic clan of elves known as the Dalish Elves to convince them to join an alliance designed to fight the darkspawn. Their numbers drastically went up over thirty years ago with a few armed with strange new weapons called boomsticks (guns). Weapons the darkspawn used to great effect until they ran out of ammo that they did not know how to manufacture.
They also seemed to have lost their ability to acquire said weapons after the powerful underground earthquake around 30 years ago. Followed by several tunnels underground consumed with fire and contaminated by some non-gas poison that kills everything. Though, even without said weapons, their boost in numbers made them a significant threat. To the point that several kingdoms, even those in the far-off Jade Empire, formed alliances to drive them back.
A military alliance looking to expand its fighting power with smaller factions is not affiliated with most kingdoms, like the Daleish Clans. The Chanetery went along with this diplomatic mission for the Kingdom of Ferelden. Mainly to find ways to convert them from their Polynomial gods, the Creators, to the Maker. Making it so they would no longer be what Leliana would quote from the Revered Mother, head priestess, that was part of the mission, 'Heretics.'
Therefore, the priestess met with the Dalish Elves' representatives, trying to strike a compromise that included missionary work. In contrast, she struck up a conversation with one of the mages, a bubbling black-haired girl named Merrill. She found the pale-eyed girl with hair braided into several different strands to be a joy. The girl's naïve wonder was refreshing to Leliana. However, that naivety came crashing down when the earth shook and opened up for the darkspawn. They were running away from something and were fighting their way out. With her trusted bow, she fought back with the Dalish warriors and Templars.
They were winning until a swarm of insects appeared behind the running darkspawn that covered all of them. The insect swarm did something to them, freezing them in stasis that also put them into a world of darkness. She could not see the hands as cold as their souls as they lifted her up. She could not even squirm as she heard a growling, predatory voice state, "These individuals will make proper test subjects. Take them away for storage; the darkspawn will need them for my army."
That was the last thing Leliana heard before putting her into something like an organic cocoon, entrapping her within something fluid. All she remembered were soulless yellow eyes as she entered into a world without dreams, light, or darkness. A world of nothingness that Leliana could not forget as her eyes fluttered open to an entirely new, alien world. A world of metal and lights so strange that it seemed more magical than magic. She felt her heartbeat bounce off the scale as an older woman with silver hair and clothing made of finer material than most nobles had come into view.
She spoke comforting words as she calmed her distressed patient, "Don't worry, your safe. My name is Doctor Chakwas, a healer if you will. May I have your name?"
Unsure if this 'Doctor' could be trusted, the woman threw caution to the wind as she answered the older woman. "I'm Leliana, a Lay Sister of the Chantry," Leliana replied as she tried to raise herself out of the pod.
Only to feel sick as Chakwas helped her up, "Take it slowly, you've been in cryostasis for several months and..."
"Cryo. what?" Leliana asked, confused by this 'Doctor's term.
"A method that slows down your metabolism and vitals so you can be put into a deep sleep for months if not years. Without killing you," Dr. Chakwas explained to her patient as another voice advised caution.
"Doctor, I suggest you step back. We have no idea how people so primitive will react to what most would call modern times."
Feeling insulted, Leliana looked up to see who called her primitive to get the shock of her life. She pointed at the crew with a shaking hand, starring at the geth, krogans, and the single quarian as she asked out loud, "Where am I? What is this place?"
"You're aboard the USS Normandy, a Union of Federations' warship," spoke a man that approached her. "I'm Captain John Sheppard, commander of this ship with Rear Admiral David Anderson."
"A ship? A ship from where? The Fade?" Leliana asked in shock.
"The Fade?" Anderson asked with interest while Leliana babbled on.
"How else can you explain a ship made of more metal than the whole battalion of Chivalry from Orlesian? Along with blinking, magical lights. Walking, talking mechanical golems. And a beast that would make the qunari look tiny."
"Ha-ha-ha," laughed one of the krogans she later would find out was the leader of the Krogans: Urdnot, Wrex. "Glad to see we are still the biggest badass in the galaxy!"
Leliana could not take much more as she slumped, "I think I need to lie down."
"None of that," Dr. Chakwas advised as she helped the woman up. "After being… asleep for so long, your body needs time to adjust itself. And the recovery time is hastened if you remain active. Besides, I may need your help in calming down the others."
"Others?" Leliana asked as she turned to the other pods to see five more, including one with a small, petite elf with black hair tied into a braid.
"Merrill!" Leliana called out as she rushed towards the pod with a burst of speed that she did not know she could produce. It did not take her long to reach the sleeping woman. Concerned, Leliana turned to the crew to ask, "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing, she and the others were put into a cryosleep," Dr. Chakwas explained.
Leliana then looked at the other pods, trying to see if she recognized any of them, and found none were familiar, "Is this all of us."
"No," replied the mechanical being she later knew as Legion-VII. "There are ninety-three more units on the Primary Colony World known as Eden Prime. An additional nine hundred units were killed before allied units shot down the ship at Eden Prime world."
Leliana looked down sadly, thinking of the people who had died when she picked up what Legion-VII said, "World? Do you mean I am not on Thedas?"
"Thedas! Ha, so that's where you are from. Good to know where we are going, darkspawn hunting!" laughed the second krogan, Trex, while Chakwas took over.
"Technical, you're between worlds right now, but in a sense, your right," Chakwas told the young woman.
"Why am I here?" Leliana had asked as she tried desperately to wrap her mind around the subject.
"We need information," John stated bluntly. "We need to know who took you and who helped Saren raise an army of darkspawn that just recently attacked Eden Prime. Finding your world and eliminating the darkspawn would be, at this point, the icing on the cake."
"Darkspawn is here on other worlds? And someone is controlling them? But how?" Leliana asked a tall man she thought was from her planet's Ander Fields named Anderson came to speak in a grave tone filled with wisdom.
"Let's just say that we live in a world with such advanced technology that it seems like magic. And someone is using this advanced technology to control them," Anderson attempted to explain to the lost woman. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we need your help to stop a madman from killing any more of our people."
Leliana bit her lip as she looked at the people in the pods. Trying to decide what to do before she nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll help you wake them up, but I recommend you wake the qunari last. I've… I've never met one, but I heard their people are like an avalanche. One that took four Exalted Marches to beat back in their war of conquest."
"Are my people that violent?" asked the single qunari female, Sarah, who Leliana just noticed.
"You have a qunari serving on your ship? How?" Leliana asked in shock.
"Let's just say the Federation is very accepting of members of our multi-species alliance," John explained to the young woman. "Now, let's wake your friends so we can explain everything all at once," John ordered as Chakwas went to Merrill to begin the process.
She activated her glowing omni-tool, shocking Leliana further as she asked, "Are you a mage."
Chakwas just smiled as she stated, "No, I was not born with any special abilities."
"Then how are you…?" Leliana tailed off as Chakwas gave her a simple answer.
"Let us just say some tools will be explained later. Now let's wake up your friends."
End Recall
Merrill was the first to be awakened, and the others followed. With similar reactions that Leliana experienced when she to awake, though a bit calmer thanks to her and later Merrill. The first to awaken following Merrill was a human with the dwarf gene named Varric. A surface dwarf merchant with light, auburn hair, burly chest left open from his brown jacket, and an unshaven face without a beard. He wore a golden earring and coat that screamed classy storyteller, unlike the next person awakened that appeared to be a rebel.
Anders was a tall mage that was all too happy to appease his host when they revealed they did not know what a 'Templar' was. The rebel with a short, light brown slick ponytail revels in their acceptance of him as the smirk appeared on his thin, unshaven square chin. A grin that was not nearly as smug as an elf with a messy, dirty blond-haired elf named Zevran. An elf, Leliana was recognized as an assassin for a planet's organization called the Crows due to his tattoos. The tattooed man was handled with great caution as they moved on to their final guest, the qunari that databanks said his name was Sten.
"Alright, Doctor, I want you to stay back for now. In case the subject is as dangerous as our guest indicated," John advised the Doctor, who scolded but obeyed as she stepped away from the pod as it activated.
"Trust me, my friend, a qunari is as dangerous as they are tall," the elf, Zevran, stated as he eyed the room, especially the young, female qunari.
"We'll see," John ordered as Tali reported the pod was beginning to open up.
With a loud swoosh, the front of the cocoon opened like a self-moving puzzle, showing the giant within. Sten was a tall man with long, white braided hair with a stern face even as he slept. He was a powerful man with one noticeable feature that he lacked compared to other known qunari, horns. Something Sarah noticed as she studied every millimeter of the first male qunari she had ever seen. She found her face warming up as John came in close, followed by Legion-VII and Trex. Behind them, Ashley Williams watched over the other guests with her biotic friend, Kaidan.
They waited for the sound of a hiss as the qunari slowly opened his eyes. Taking in the world around him as he slowly rose up. He continued to examine the room until John stepped into view, ready to fight at a moment's notice. The purple-eyed qunari examined John as he growled, "Where am I human?"
"You are aboard my ship, the Normandy, which you currently are a guest after we rescued you," John told the qunari as he rose up to his feet. This beast of a man did not seem to feel the effects of being in cryosleep for months.
John recognized the strong man as the qunari looked to his side and noticed something was missing, "Where is my sword?"
"We took it away from you as it is standard procedure when we are conducting first contact with unknown factions," John told the qunari, who looked enraged.
"Return my sword, now!" the qunari growled at John, trying to intimidate him.
John was about to refuse the man when Leliana spoke up behind him, "Please give it to him. From the books I read, qunari warriors consider their swords as a part of their souls. To be without it, well, their life is considered forfeit."
John looked at Leliana before he turned toward a container that held their "guest's" weapons. All of them were tagged and ready to be returned if they proved to be non-hostile or to calm them down. John picked up the sword to hand the sword back to the qunari, who immediately calmed him down. That was until John quietly commented, "It's not like it's much of a threat with something so primitive."
Leliana could not express her horror in time as the statement sent Sten into a berserker mood as he raised his sword high to strike down John. John only had a brief warning before he raised his arm in defense. Sten expected his attack would have cleaved the man's arm in half, but that was not so. Instead, a blue shield of energy protected John for a few seconds before its collapse. Giving the soldier sufficient time to provide the pod groups' second surprise, John fired off a biotic push to send Sten stumbling back. He stared at the human, paying no attention to the 'magical' voice as it reported he had attacked the human.
"So, you are a mage?" Sten asked the human.
"No, I am not," John stated as his two trusted men, Legion-VII and Trex, stood next to him, their weapons ready to fight a qunari whose rage began to boil.
"Don't lie to me!" Sten yelled as he rushed towards John with his sword raised high, only to feel that it was blown out of his hands by a loud bang.
In shock, Sten turned to see the second giant creature, Wrex, who had blasted his sword away with his shotgun. Sten glared at the scared krogan as he stated, "Oh, you got fire in your heart, I'll give you that. But I am also disappointed that you don't seem to realize how much shit you're in right now."
Sten looked at the krogan, then back to the three soldiers in front of him that he stared at with great focus. He looked past the second krogan to examine the humans surrounding him and the machine (geth) with a glowing right arm. Magic or what the qunari had perceived as magic unnerved him, for he was always taught magic is evil. Therefore, he had moved to ready himself as he tried to decide whether he should fight to the death or not.
Not realizing his movement into a battle stance put him a step closer to death. Especially as the two human soldiers further back took aim. Moreover, one of them had fingers that twitched with anxiety brought by the stress of the last couple of days was about to fire. The air itself was filled with tension that made even the people from Thedas become tense.
"This is not going to end well. With all the magic these people flying around, I don't think our tall friend is going to surrender without a fight," commented the elf, Zevran, as his training kicked in. Keeping him aware of everything in the room, including the guards that moved closer towards them.
As opposed to the tall blond man Anders who stated, "That was no magic."
"Are you sure, blondie? It seems like the entire room is very 'magical,'" commented the dwarf, Varric.
"Yes," Anders answered with a twitched in his eye. "I can sense magic, but it's not in this room. Whatever this is, it is not magic."
"Maybe it's beyond magic, like how pretty-pretty butterflies are beyond those wormy caterpillars," Merrill pointed as she spoke in a wildish accent.
"It is beyond something, but according to the healer, it is something explainable. She said this is all advanced technology from a supposedly advanced society," Leliana pointed as she looked at Chakwas being held back by the ship's security.
"Well, regardless of how advanced they think they are. They're going have to put the qunari down unless something drastic happens," Zevran commented, not realizing something drastic had walked past him thirty seconds ago.
On the sidelines, Operations Chief Sarah Sinclair watched with bated breath as her only hope of discovering her people was trying to get himself killed. None of the girls brought back to Terra during the Darksapwn War had little to no memory of life before the darksapwn captured them. While most had adapted to the change and were happy to forget their origins, she felt a longing to find out where she came from. A feeling so strong, the Operations Chief could not allow a chance to find out about her people to slip through her fingers as she moved to calm Sten down.
But first, she needed to save the male qunari from being shot in the head by the expert marksman. Therefore, Sinclair pushed down Ashely's gun while she pleaded with the Lieutenant to, "Please don't kill him."
Startled, Kaidan yelled out in shock as he lowered his weapon to prevent misfire, "Sarah, what are you doing?"
"Sir, I think I can talk him down," Sarah explained to Kaidan as his fellow Lieutenant spoke up.
"Not worth the risk of putting our commanding officer and communication specialist in harm's way," Ashley Williams pointed out. Before she pulled her M-99 Saber rifle out of Sarah's grip to take aim again. However, she did not pull the trigger after Speaclist explained her reasoning while putting the female qunari hand on her gun.
"I disagree, ma'am. We know nothing about my people. All of us taken in by the Human System Alliance (a founder of the Union of Federations) were too young to remember. He could provide valuable information about my race and maybe help calm the others we left on Eden Prime. So it's worth the risk."
Kaidan nodded in agreement as he turned to Ashley to state, "She has a point."
Ashley sighed in acceptance as she stated, "Fine, but if he so much as takes a hostile step towards you, I will put two bullets into his chest and one in his head. I am not about to lose another fellow soldier if I can help it. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sarah saluted as she approached Sten's line of sight.
Meanwhile, the qunari was still weighing his option when he heard someone approaching him with a steady step. Curious, he turned to see, to his surprise, a female qunari walking towards him. Sten stared at the woman that moved towards him. Curious, the larger qunari asks, "Who are you? And why are you with these humans and creatures around me? Are you Tal-Vashoth?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sarah told the warrior, who looked disturbed.
"How do you not know the Tal-Vashoth? All qunari across Thedas should know what a Tal-Vashoth is," Sten practically yelled at Sarah, who looked as steady as a rock due to her training. It certainly helped when Admiral Anderson and Captain Shepard moved back her up to realize she could help de-escalate the situation.
"Because I was raised by humans, and we are very far from your homeworld. In fact, we are in the space between worlds right now," Sarah told the man who raised an eyebrow.
"Explain," Sten demanded as Sarah looked for a thoughtful answer.
"As I learned at a young age, seeing is believing. And I think there is only one way to explain it is to show you," Sarah sighed as she turned towards her commanders. "Sir, can we show them what it means to be a galactic civilization?"
The Admiral and Captain looked at each other, trying to decide whose decision. Anderson then gave a nod of encouragement to John to make the right choice. John did not disappoint, "Eliza, erect a barrier between the hanger door and open the door. Joker, back us up and get a good view of the planet below us."
"You got it, sir," Joker acknowledged over the comm.
And Eliza followed up with, "On it, Captain," before she worked her magic.
At that moment, Sten reevaluated his whole view of the universe when he heard the sound of moving metal behind. He turned to see that the hanger door behind him and open to reveal the galaxy to him and the citizens of Thedas. For his very eyes was Eden Prime three thousand kilometers away from the planet. His eyes never wavered from the green world as he asked a straightforward question, "What is this?"
"That is Eden Prime, a colony world for the Human Systems Alliance and the Krogan Clan Alliance, both members of the Union of Federations," Sarah explained to the disturbed. "The planet is one of the hundreds of planets we control, with a population of over three-hundred million humans and four-hundred-and-fifty million krogans. And this is not even the most populated planet found in Federation Space."
A fact that was embedded into the qunari's head as he stared at the rotating world before him. A world that was getting smaller as the foreign human, Anders, realized what was going on as he gasped, "We're moving away from the planet."
"Yes, we are," Kaidan had told their guest with a smile. Bringing the others out of their thoughts as the elevators behind them opened to allow Jane, Velanna, and a squad of soldiers behind them. They were ready to fight as Sarah closed the gap between her and Sten.
"We're not your enemy Sten, and if you help us, we can help you. But first, you have to trust us and put your weapon down," Sarah begged the man who looked at the younger qunari before he put his greatsword up.
"I will comply, but don't think I will trust people willingly using such magic," Sten stated as he crossed his arms.
"This isn't magic or your understanding of such things. The only mages in our group are my sister and my second in command, Velanna," John stated as he pointed to Jane and Velanna. The latter gave him a big cheesy grin and smiled while the other gave a nervous wave as some of the elves from Thedas's group stared in shock.
"Then how are you able to do all this?" Sten asked in shock.
"Very advanced technology," Sarah answered for her Captain.
Sten looked up, confused as he started, "Explain?" and Anderson was the one to provide the qunari with the answer.
"Think about it this way. Say, if you journeyed back in time to see your ancestors at a time before they had even developed a tool. Then ponder what they would think of a man with armor that protects him from most blows. A bow and arrow that can kill targets beyond their reach. And a sword stronger than the improvised weapon they could find in the woods. They would think it is magic, just as you thought all this is magic."
Sten raised an eyebrow to the Admiral as he asked, "How is this possible?"
"We can do more than that!" Jane exclaimed as she directed the soldiers to leave. "Come to the Mess Hall, and we'll give you the basics of the twenty-second century."
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 3
Human Date: February 5, 2183
In the center of the ship's bow was a large room known as the Mess Hall. An open facility connected by closed doors to the crew quarters, the elevator, the restrooms, and sickbay. Although the people of Thedas did not know that as they sat around a metal table. Chewing their tasty food in comfort as they assimilated the basic information provided by Admiral Anderson, Captain Shepard, Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Commander O'Connell, and Chief Operation Officer Sinclair. All of them dressed in full dress uniforms, despite Jane's grumbling. They learned about the Milky Way Galaxy, the various spacefaring species, basic information on current mass effect and dilithium-based technology, history, and how to use the codex to gain even more information on their own. Just in time for Joker to report that they were cleared to leave the system.
"So, the stars in the sky are more extensive than anyone has thought, and I am the first dwarf from Kirkwall to see the beauty found among these stars," Varric stated with a small laugh while Anders smiled.
"Personally, I think it's great that mages have basic rights in the galaxy. The Chantry can learn a thing or two."
"Foolish," Sten added while Anders continued talking.
"I am very interested in biotics, and the studies were done on both biotics and mages. This could answer a lot of questions."
"I am more interested in these implants that make you immune to possession. If we had such things, people would be less fearful of mages if they cannot be possessed," Merrill added with a sparkle in her eye.
Sparkles Leliana dashed by adding, "Maybe, if you take away the ability to use Blood Magic."
"What's Blood Magic?" Jane asked out of curiosity.
"You don't know what Blood Magic is?" asked Anders in shock, while nearly every Federation crewmember presented a blank face. Almost everyone except an elf looked scared.
"I do..." Velanna softly answered with a raised hand. "It's a power that uses blood to do terrible things like kill, torture, control, and drain targets."
"Basically, the three Harry Potter's forbidden curses rolled into one," Jane stated as John raised an eyebrow at the compressing.
"Harry… what?" Zevran asked the group as he waited for an answer.
"A popular series of fictional books about magic before mages existed in our world," Jane explained to the ship's guest.
"The best source of information is often a story. It's more enthralling than reality," Varric laughed as Sarah shook her head.
"Maybe to you, but to me, fiction is still fiction," Sarah mumbled.
"Much like Blood Magic is… to us. I don't think anyone in the Federation can use blood magic due to the implants that keep us from being possessed by demons. It enhanced some of our powers and limits others," Velanna added with a nervous pitch as everyone stared at her.
"Hm, maybe you people are not as foolish as I thought," Sten added as he looked at the crew with a raised eyebrow.
However, before anyone could speak, John growled at the small talk, "Enough with the questions, we need information on who attacked us. Can you help us?"
The six in the room looked at each other before Varric spoke first, "I'm sorry, Shepard. But all I do remember seeing when my brother's caravan was attacked was the darkspawn and the swarm of those insects that paralyzed everyone."
"Same with me and my vanguard as we were scouting out a blood mage from the Tevinter Imperium," Sten reported while the Normandy Crew looked increasingly depressed.
A facet Anderson added to by saying, "That is what happened to me as well. I thought it was karma getting back at me from running away from the Circle. Although thinking about it, it was probably the blond elf that was there with me."
"What can I say," Zevran answered with a shrugged. "I was just returning from a… a mission when I met him in some empty road when we were swamped by the bugs," Zevran quickly added.
"The same thing happened to me and Merrill at the meeting spot between Chantry and the Dalish Elves," Leliana added with Merrill nodding agreement.
The crew began to think waking them up was pointless. Until the bubbling girl brought the crew some hope, "Yep, and the only other thing I remember was the odd voice ordering us into those pods."
"Yes, I heard a similar voice ordering us into those… cryostasis pods, right?" Sten noted, and the crew nodded as Anderson looked thoughtful.
"Can you describe this voice?" Anderson asked.
"Um… it made a deep tenor echo that seemed to be also high in pitch," Sten noted with Merrill, and Leliana nodded along while the others looked confused.
"Really, mine sounded like a high-class woman," Varric added with a smirk joined by Anders and Zevran.
"Well, I don't know about the woman, but from your description, the other could be turian," Anderson said with a thoughtful expression. "Eliza, please play a voice log of the last time me and Saren mixed words."
"Aye-aye Admiral," Eliza replied over the comms before a recording of a voice was played.
"You don't know how lucky you are, Anderson. Just don't think it will hold out for you. The next time that you interfere with my mission will be your last, human. Saren out."
And with a click, Saren had hung up on the recording, and the three members had the name of the man that captured them. "That's him, that the one. I'm sure of it," Leliana exclaimed.
"Are you sure that is the same voice?" John asked for the group.
"Yes, before my time with the cloister, I made a living singing, playing, and mimicking other voices. I was quite good as I always had an ear for music. I am sure it was the same voice," Leliana explained as Anderson smiled with glee.
"Got you, you son of a bitch," Anderson stated as he held up the Ghosting Crystal that held Nihlus's last thoughts. "With this crystal and evidence supporting our case, we've finally got Saren in a place the Council can't push under the rug. I'm finally going to get that bastard."
"Sir, what about the woman?" Sarah asked the four members.
"We'll find out who she is later. But, right now, we have a chance to strip Saren of his rank as a SPECTRE, and we should take it," John stated with conviction as the members of Thedas looked unsure.
"What about us?" Anders asked for the group.
"For now, you come with us to our Embassy on the Citadel to act as a witness and decide your fate for later," John told the six members that reluctantly agreed.
The crew was just about to settle when Joker said over their comms, "Attention all hands, we are about to hit the Mass Relay in this system. If you want an up-close view of Citadel, I suggest you get to a window now."
Anderson nodded as he rose up, "I believe this meeting is adjourned. If you want to see the Citadel, I suggest you get to the cockpit. Especially you, Captain, Commander. I want you to make sure Joker doesn't take any detours."
Jane smiled as she practically jumped out of her chair, "Alright then, come on, you lot, this is a sight no nubby should miss."
Six followed, unsure how spectacular this 'Citadel' had to be as Sten asked, "Do we have to take the elevators?"
Jane laughed as she pulled them into the elevator as everyone but Anderson followed her. Soon the elevator closed its doors and raced to the top.
Location: Exodus Cluster/Asgard System/USS Normandy/Deck 1
Human Date: February 5, 2183
It had been an odd experience for the people from Thedas. They looked in wonder at all the glowing consoles as the people operating them as the majority made their way to the cockpit. Only Sarah went in the opposite direction as she went to the backroom to work. They soon headed to the cockpit where Ashley, Kaidan, Trex Legion-VII, and Tali. All of them were without weapons, and the humans were in uniforms. Ashley wore a vest uniform with two red stripes to indicate she was a soldier-type lieutenant instead of a specialized tech user, biotic, or mage.
Jane practically ran up to them with a warm smile as she stated, "Hey guys, didn't expect to see you here."
"Well, I was off duty, and I've never seen the Citadel, so I wanted to take a look," Tali answered with a nervous smile. The other nodded along, except Legion-VII, who just shrugged.
"Same here," Velanna whispered loud enough for Joker to hear as he typed the final set of the coordinates.
"Then you arrive just in time, for we're about to hit the Relay," Joker smiled as he flew in close to the Relay. Activating the Primary Relay system as a blinding light propelled them through the relay network to their destination, the Serpent Nebula.
A gassy, purple nebula, the Serpent Nebula was a series of gasses that spanned several light-years. Treacherous to navigate, the nebula would be a dangerous place to go through if it had not been thoroughly explored. And through that exploration to the point, the crew of the USS Normandy knew where to go. The ship made a beeline through the gasses to an open patch within the nebula known as the Serpents' Window. It was an open field of space created by powerful elemental zero-based gravity generators coming from a massive space station that was tens of thousands of years old. The enormous station was known as the Citadel.
"Do these wonders never cease to amaze?" Varric asked in awe as he assimilated every piece of it.
It was a massive ringed station with five long arms. Making it appear to be giant starfish that can close itself into the shape of a flower bud if necessary. Making it impervious to enemy fire to the invaders as they faced its enormous defense fleet made up of various warships that came in all shapes and sizes. The computer quickly identified the classes, most being turian-warships with long bodies and wings in the aft portion of the ship resembling birds of prey.
Not that most of them noticed as they soaked in the Citadel until Ashley yelled out, "Look at the size of that thing!"
"I know, this space station is impressive, m'lady," Zevran stated with a smile as Ashley shook her head.
"Not the station, the ship," Ashley stated as she pointed to the largest ship she had ever seen.
Over two kilometers long and wide, it was monstrous and resembled a four-point star, with an oval center and a glowing 'eye.' She was a monster of a ship, and the crew could not count the number of guns along the hull. A well-recognized ship, as Kaidan exclaimed, "That's the Destiny Accession, the Flagship of the Citadel Defense Fleet."
"That's their flagship?" Anders asked while Sten looked at it with a raised eyebrow.
"It is an impressive ship," Sten added while their pilot scoffed.
"Size isn't everything," Joker said offhand.
"Are you jealous, little man?" Trex laughed while Joker smiled.
"I'm just saying you need firepower too."
"That ship is more than a match for anything allied units can produce," Legion-VII corrected Joker. "The Destiny Ascension and her sister ship, the Thessia Rose, is a larger, more powerful version of the current Asari dreadnaught. Compared to our Unity Class Dreadnaughts, the ship is twenty percent faster and at least two to four times more times powerful in other areas such as weapons, shields, and armor. Combined with the use of kinetic and practical plasma weapons means she can engage a large fleet all on her own."
"Is that analysis including the rumor that the ship is equipped with the Asari's new upscale PPCs, which are said to be several magnitudes more powerful than those on our own dreadnaughts?" Trex asked with a raised eyebrow.
"This unit does not base calculations off rumors," Legion-VII corrected.
"Well, I don't think the rumors matter as the cannons on the ship look like they can tear through any of our ship's barriers in the fleet," Ashley pointed out.
"Good thing they're our allies," Kaidan said as Joker gave a small smile as the ship moved to the station's docking bay.
Once he felt they were close enough, Joker opened communications, "Citadel Control, this is the USS Normandy, requesting permission to dock."
"Standby for clearance, Normandy," Citadel Control reported, and after a brief pause, Joker heard additional instructions. "Permission granted, transferring you to Federation Command."
Joker smiled as he acknowledged his orders, "Roger, Normandy out."
Just before the USS, Normandy made a steep turn towards the docking rings. And in a few seconds, with some last-minute instruction, the ship went through the force field into a giant hanger. The vessel made its descent as the morning clamps attached to the warship, holding it in place. Joker just smirked as he stated, "We've made it."
"Yes, we did. Thank the Maker," Leliana prayed as the crew planned to disembark.
Finally done, and it took far longer than I liked to write out this chapter. I had to rewrite the chapter several times, and combined with a limited of free hours, it dragged on. Especially due to the fact this is the first chapter that makes considerable changes to the narrative. The next chapter will take longer as I am unsure what will be kept or discarded. Here is a hint, at least one more character will not join the Normandy, and since Sten survived this chapter, it will not be him. Well, enjoy the story, and please review which of the Dragon Age characters can be left on the Citadel. I will not use all of them and want to hear which of the six you like the least; it can be more than one.
Also, for reviews, if you ask the question, please note I only answer through PM. Therefore, I will not respond to them if you leave a review as a guest without an account. Just to let you know.