A Heretic may see the truth and seek redemption. He may be forgiven his past and will be absolved in death. A Traitor can never be forgiven. A Traitor will never find peace in this world or the next. There is nothing as wretched or as hated in all the world as a Traitor.

-Silvina 1:2

Hours passed as white lights flickered throughout the engine room. There, within the confines of the ship's inner core, stood a lone man, toiling away hours of his life by mending the ship's heart, the same heart which fed life to the ship, and by extension, the bodies of two hundred explorers, archeologists, technicians, navigators, and a the poor few engine seers tasked with hard labor and the pressure of the knowledge that all these lives, depended on their continued work.

It couldn't be helped. The Ezo technology was a box filled with mystery, its contents not fully revealed and it won't be for decades to come, until then the captain must make do with what he had. The data cache left behind by the protheans, although available, was filled with riddles and safe locks, preventing most forms of hacking. But just as the enigmatic race has left with a gift -or a curse- Nines's creators also left a gift, in form of a subconscious deep within his mind, somehow capable of imitating organic emotions while only being consisted of zeros and ones. It allowed his model to navigate through locks and security systems with ease.

"Pod" the Scanner called, cleaning the oil trickling down his forehead with the cloth on his sleeve. Answering his call was a floating box of plasteel and silicon, that revealed itself from behind the fist-sized pumps connected to the core.

The Core, the lifeblood of the ship, it reminded the scanner of something familiar. With vine-like connections to the spherical object, it reminded Nines of the plants on earth. In some ways, both were contrived, one by Android hands, the other by an introduced element called Maso. Records stated that almost no fauna grew to such large sizes.

"State of the ship? hope everything is alright"

The Pod made a clicking sound, personally going through the ship's systems. The process of checking and rechecking took no longer than a few seconds. The Scanner model could have done so in less, but that required the shut down of all other amenities functions "Analysing" the 153 began "The power to all sections has been restored. Query: Should Tactical support unit 153 turn off the secondary power generators?"

"Yes" 9S confirmed, keeping the secondary systems was a waste of energy, the ship won't be needing its second heart.

The whirring sound of the auxiliary power source soon gave its place to the more gentle purring of the Ezo core. The smooth tune of the engine soothed his weary mind, relieving it of fatigue with the mere indication that his work hours were over. Now that today's task was complete, 9S could finally rest.

The Scanner nodded approvingly at his work. The feeling of contentment festering beneath his skin found its way into his poster, causing him to stand a bit straighter. Despite just being another routing maintenance session, Nines still felt pleased, be it a hundred or a thousand times, the feeling will always stay the same. Perhaps it's because of his model that he felt the way he did, but regardless of the truth, it was far from unpleasant. 9s himself Conceived it to be a necessity, a way to spark some joy in his hard labor.

The Scanner rested his arms on his hips "All done" he said, a bit more proudly than usual.

Sooner than expected, 9S let out a yawn and stretched his body to relieve his metallic inner frame of the stress. His focus on his duties has driven his attention away from his system's baser needs. His cognition unit was giving off alarms in his head, signing him to attend to the mountain of files built up in the last 86 hours.

Nothing a few hours of sleep can't fix.

"Pod, block all unurgent messages, I'm going to sleep" he let out another yawn. In spite of the fact that Scanner models like him possessed a superior processing unit, capable of making inhuman levels of calculation in the time it took for an organic to blink, his hardware and software still couldn't match the speed at which information flew into his mind. Nines's ability to compute and process might be advanced but so was his ability to see, feel, and read information.

The Scanner smiled, it had been a long time since he dreamt, and a chance to reexperience something like that doesn't occur often.

"Affirmative" 153 responded, closely following the Scanner as he walked towards the door, exiting the claustrophobia-inducing room.

As the shota boy walked through the corridors, a curious sent landed on his senses, not from the environment but it seemed to be originating from the android himself. 9s sniffed the air, following the source of the smell, only to find himself sniffing his sleeve.

Nines gagged as the full extent of the smell fell upon him, driving him to push his hand away from his nose. Only when faced with the redolent air of the hallways, did he notice his own foul odor.

"Ugh! now that's vile" the Scanner said "I can't let 2B see me like this. I need a shower" 9S concluded before reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief to clean his hands with "Maintenance bay it is" he sighed, there should be a few showers for recreational purposes on the ship, either that or maintenance pods for changing and cleaning parts.

Nines shook his head, if the choice of taking a shower was available, he'll never choose the maintenance pod. Pods may be efficient but they were no match for real showers. Just like the old saying 'The human ways are better' though the saying may not be by humans.

The Scanner stopped walking once he reached the intersection, where the path in front of him led to the mass hall and the one on the left extended around the hall and towards the armory. Maybe he could avoid contact with others if he chose a different route, though a little longer, going around the mass hall was better than being seen by others in his current state.

9S took a deep breath and began to resume his walk, this time towards the armory. The Android's head turned towards his side, towards his floating companion "Pod, what time is it?" the Scanner asked while trying his own smell again, the smell was as repulsive as the first time he smelled it. The unique way in which they combined little maso with eezo to increase efficiency was effective, yes, but it also created a foul aroma that was one step away from being considered a biological weapon, at least in Nines's humble opinion.

"1:34 Terran time" the Scanner nodded at the answer, it was lunchtime on the ship, the armory should be a bit more empty now "Quarry: Should I make a reservation for scanner unit 9S?"

"No, I'll pass this time, maybe dinner" the Android shook his head, it wasn't like he needed to eat anything. Food was just something to increase the morale of the crew, it wasn't essential but recreational, though some may find his thoughts offensive.

Ever since the church came to power, they began preaching about being closer to their makers by virtue of acting like them. Since organic humans required food to sustain themselves, the act of eating was something akin to prayer in the eyes of the zealots. It was foolish really, their makers had their reasons to eat, it was to prolong their survival, consuming nutrients was a necessity while androids required maintenance only once a month.

The Scanner too enjoyed eating like anyone else. Although it was unnecessary, the food tasted great, but taking a religious outlook towards it was a bit too much for Nines's taste. If the faithful wished to believe in something, they are should do so to their heart's desire, however, they mustn't bully everyone into their beliefs, that was just wrong... perhaps even the entire doctrine.

People's minds were so consumed with being like humans, that the Android models nowadays are designed to eat basically anything, be it meat, vegetables, or fish, they can even process alcohol like organics and enjoy its effects. Again, nothing wrong with the desire to be like someone but 9S's kind was becoming too obsessed... just like Adam...

"Useless junk!" a voice took 9s out of his thoughts, the voice sounded furious. The hate-filled words echoed throughout the hall, it was coming from just around the corner "Perfidious dog!" the voice yelled, followed shortly by the sound of clay breaking against metal.

9S rushed towards the sound with all due haste, something was wrong, someone was threatening someone and if the time given by 153 was correct, most of the crew were in the mass hall and taking a rest, meaning no one was present to stop an incident.

Once he turned around the corner, he saw the cause of the commotion. A machine sporting a robe that was adorned with icons of the church. He was shouting at another machine lying on the ground. The Scanner's eyes could make up the fragments of a broken marble vase beside the fallen machine.

There was no reason to ask questions, for in that moment, the truth of the scene was revealed to 9s. The cruelty of the believer was made evident by the scene alone. The power of the church, leading the people into acts of cruelty through honeyed words and promises. One of the aspects of androids 9S has seen more than he liked.

Nines recognized neither of the machines. Never in his life had he met both of them, or at least he did but none were interesting enough to be known by name or a label. Yet despite this, despite not knowing either, in that second, 9s knew which one to hate and which one to protect. Which one to loathe and which one to help.

The Android scowled "What is going on here?" the Scanner demanded as he approached the pair. His voice a furious, and carried an authority even he himself didn't know existed inside of him. Perhaps it's always been there but failed to be noticed. Perhaps it was just a whim, an error in his programming that somehow translated to such power in words.

Or perhaps, it was the pain in the speaker's single broken eye that spoke to 9s on a deeper level than he would've liked. Something in that empty gap between his vocal core and cognition unit, that was filled with broken glass, silicon, and pulsing electric sparks that were eerily similar to something the Scanner has witnessed. A similarity that was, perhaps, the reason behind his anger.

The two machines looked at the android with blank expressions, unlike androids, not much could be read from a machine's face. Behind their face plates, there were no manipulators, no mechanical wonders that allowed them to express how they felt. Unlike the androids, the machines carried no amenity functions, for they were created by their former masters to do one thing and one thing alone, war. It was a cruel fate, unlike Nines and his kin, the machines were not cared for in their hour of creation.

"Android, this fool is a heretic and must be punished as such. Do not stand in the way of judgment" the robed Machine pointed towards the downed Robot. His every word was filled with so much hate that one might think they were arch-enemies.

The shota Android knelt beside the fallen machine and helped him to his feet, his furious glare was soon directed towards the fanatic "And who are you to decide what he is?" 9S growled, his voice caused the machine to take a cautious step back "The cult of homines stands against religious discrimination. What you're doing is unjustified!"

The 'Law of protection' was one of the core pillars of the church. It guaranteed protection for all religions and beliefs, be it the cult of Homines, the broken god, or the Independentist. It was one of the oldest laws of the Triarchy that was put in place in order to reduce the church's influence, but like all things standing against the fanatics, it was often ignored. Like the case of this mad bot.

"The law?" the robed Machine questioned mockingly, he then gestured towards his fallen kin "Because of people like her, our destiny is in jeopardy. Because of people like her, our future is unclear!" the Machine yelled "We must correct her ways, unless she drags us all into oblivion!" the Fanatic claimed.

The Scanner's face hardened, he wanted to retort, but he was cut short by the voice of the fallen machine "Do the words of a single man cause so much damage to endanger your afterlife?" the machine asked, her voice was distorted, most likely damaged during her confrontation.

"You're in no place to decide what humans intend, heretic!" the fanatic hissed, his gesture indicated that, had 9S wasn't present, he would've taken a more physical approach "But of course, an android like you would support bastards like her" the words escaped the Machine's vocalization unit with disgust, both agitation and frustration could be heard in his voice.

The Scanner's sharp glare returned toward the Fanatic but before he could speak a few fair words to the fanatic, he was interrupted yet again, this time by an android.

"Enough, Solus" the robed machine flinched as he became aware of the newcomer, his hostile attitude was immediately conciliated.

The Shota android turned his head toward the voice, he recognized him to be Dante, one of the three Templars who joined their ship after they returned from the expedition. Captain Anderson had accepted their request when they asked to be transported to the newest colony of the Triarchy, Shanxi.

The Templar was exactly what one might expect from a Paladin Marshal. Long blond hair, sleek physic, a charming personality, and an excellent manipulator. He was no doubt favored by many, even the none believers found Dante to be pleasant company. For 9S however, he was nothing more than a nuisance, a reason for agitation and frustration. Dante was among the few Nines truly hated, though how much of his hate towards the Paladin was due to his jealousy was yet to be determined. It definitely has its highs and lows, especially when he talked with 2B.

"Our dear man is right, Solus, this is not the way" the Templar gave a warm smile, though 9S would damn himself if it was genuine.

Dante was a skilled manipulator, a mind player whose every action was to further his goals. Nothing that comes out of this man's mouth is true, not entirely anyways.

"And by luna, look at what you have done" the Paladin said, masking the face of a guilt-induced man as he knelt beside the speaker machine. The marshal's inner intent to appear what he is not, infuriates the scanner even further. Dante was the kind of a man who like to work his charm at every opportunity, the speaker's misery was no exception.

"Is this how you teach them? to assault people as soon as they're unsupervised?" 9S questioned, he tried to hide his anger.

Dante sighed after carefully observing the fallen machine's eye, then helped her to her feet "You're right" he admitted, his gaze then turned towards the fanatic nervously standing in the background "I have favored you more than I should, Solus. I cannot let this one go unpunished"

The robed machine flinched as he heard his superior, from the looks of it, he wished to speak, to defend himself but was unable to speak. He had to courage to beat a defenseless machine but not the courage to explain his actions.

The blond android sighed again and rubbed his temples "Why did you do this, Solus?" he asked, now all eyes were focused on the machine.

A twitching sound came from the fanatic, seconds passed as he carefully considered his next words "Marshal" Solus said, softly. His left hand gestured towards the fallen speaker "That unit, she is dangerous, I know she is" he claimed, with a more polite and tuned voice "Her faith is heretical, she will doom us all, unless you... order her execution"

Nines's head snapped towards the fanatic as soon as he heard him. This was outrageous, not only had he assaulted without reason, and now he demanded his execution.

"How in hell can you say that?" 9s snapped, he stood up ad approached the fanatic, grabbing him by the collar of his robe. His oily hand left a stain on his robe.

Before the Scanner could apply more force, Dante grabbed his hand, 9S glared at him "Leave him be, 9S. You YoRHa may be venerated among the clergy but you have no right to punish MY subordinate" the two glared at each other down as the air grew thick. Only a minute later did the androids calm down and 9s released his grip on Solus.

Dante gestured for Solus to leave, and he did so with no complaints, the fanatic seem to be more docile next to his master. The Paladin then turned towards the speaker and 9S "He will be punished accordingly, you have my word. Any damage done by Solus will be paid by me and not the church, considering he is my underling" he sighed again and shook his head "Disgraceful. I will never let something like this happen again" Nines huffed, drawing a look from the paladin.

"Words alone can't undo what he did. I'll have to report this to captain Anderson" the Scanner said, a bit more happily than he should be. He might be acting like a child but goddamn if it isn't fun to poke at the church every now and then.

Dante looked at the Scanner, directly in the eye, a swift glare was exchanged between the two before their attention was drawn towards the victim. The speaker machine was standing on her feet, though she couldn't see, she was able to stand on her own without the need for assistance "Please, ignore this transgression, dear savior"

A look of surprise appeared on both men as she spoke. 9s looked a bit shocked due to the display of kindness by the speaker machine, but mainly due to losing his chance to get back at Dante. The Paladin himself looked amusingly at the machine.

"But he assaulted you"

"I know" the machine spoke softly "And I forgive him"

"Ah" Dante couldn't help but feel surprised. The soft smile displayed on the Paladin's face seemed to enrage 9s further

Captain Andreson once compared 9S and Dante to oil and water, knowing with certainty that a day when they get along with never come. Only now did the Scanner understand what he truly meant, if he is angered by a mere smugness, their relationship was worse than Anderson feared.

Nines gently placed his hand on the machine's shoulder "You don't have to fear the retaliation, you will be protected if that is what you fear" the Shota android reassured her while enjoying the glare he received from the blond android.

The Speaker shook her head "My doctrine preaches peace, dear savior, I don't want conflict. Pursuing revenge would be against everything I believe in. Against the will of the machine god" she began walking towards the wall, hands in front to feel the wall. Once her hands touched the wall, she leaned against it for support.

"Allow me to help you" the white-haired Android rushed towards the speaker, offering help while ignoring the expression Dante had as he heard the machine.

9S grabbed the machine's hands, wanting to guide the injured speaker to the maintenance bay for repairs. But before he could depart, Dante stopped them both.

"Since it was my subordinate who caused this, I will take the responsibility to guide the speaker. You can leave the rest to me, 9S" the Paladin approached the due, stopping right in front of the YoRHa android. 9S glared at the blond man.

"Why should I?"

Dante sighed "I won't harm her if that's what you're worried about. I have no reason to" the Paladin explained "I will pay for her repairs and extra for mental damage that might've occurred, since she is kind enough to forgive Solus's mistake" the white-haired boy still doesn't seem convinced.

The confrontation looked as if it was going to last for minutes, the only thing persuading the YoRHa android to give the machine to the Paladin's hands was the machine itself. It took a personal reassurance from the speaker herself for 9S to leave.

As the short android was leaving, Dante's voice stopped him "And 9S" he looked back "Take a shower for Luna's sake" Nines blinked, he has forgotten in midst of the confrontation.

Dante rubbed his eyes, his long blond hair hanging loosely on his back. There in his office, he and Solus were the only occupants.

The room given to the Paladin marshal was as lavish as one could get in a starship, symbols of his faith were adorned on the wall and incorporated into the design of the room. Tens of trophies were hanging from the walls, the most prominent of which was a lion's skull located directly behind his throne of a chair. Other than the fluorescent lights and expansive carpet beneath their feet, the room was decorated with a small dining coffee table big enough for four people to use, not to mention the leather couch and small refrigerator unit filled with expansive Booz.

Solus was sitting on a metallic chair in front of the Paladin's desk, the only chair capable of supporting the machine's weight. Dante could tell he was nervous, despite the machine's lack of hardware to show emotion. It was hard to read a machine's emotions without hacking into them, yes, but Dante wouldn't have reached as far as he has in life without learning a few tricks. Sensing how the soulless machines feel was one of them.

"Why?" Dante asked, as he spoke the Machine flinched, ever so slightly "Of all of your kind why you, Solus?" he looked directly into the machine's eyes, trying to make sure that Solus understood that this matter was personal. The robed machine was the first of his kind under his command, he needed to know how important he was to Dante, not only as a person favored by him but also as a symbol. Solus was the first machine follower Dante acquired, if he was to go against his wishes, what will that say to the council about his ability to command machines, his competence will come under question so will his new position on Shanxi.

"My Marshal... I..." Solus stuttered, having a hard time trying to find the right words "I... apologize" unable to see Dante eye to eye, his head looked down in shame.

The Paladin sighed "I know, you don't need to tell me that" he said, patiently "What I want to know is why? why did you do that?" he asked "I know you as I knew Hermes, you wouldn't do something like this without a reason, just tell me why"

Solus looked unsure, his eyes looked around the room for a speck of a minute before returning to the android in front of him "I know how this may sound to you, my marshal, but I want you to know, that despite my prejudice towards the unbeliever, I would never disobey you"

Dante blinked, where was this conversation going? he wondered. Of Solus's loyalty he was already aware, why a new pledge now of all the time?

"Tell me what you want, my friend. I am not a man who will judge before seeing the full story" the Marshal's words seem to reassure Solus as he no longer seemed nervous.

"Marshal Dante, I don't know how to convey this to you but the Speakers, they are a danger, not only to the church but to everything we hold dear" he paused, carefully calculating his next words "Their existence shouldn't be allowed. The high priestess must order their prosecution"

The Android's lips curled into a snarl as he processed what the machine was suggesting. The high priestess? the Triarch of truth? who was this lowly machine to suggest such a request? his kind was born without a soul, they were soulless sinners who once stood against the ones evaluated by humans to the pinnacle of non-human life. His kind was generously forgiven after thousands of years of atrocities against the androids, how dare he request something like this to the priest favored by the gods? the Triarch of truth herself?

"I think I heard enough, Solus" Dante brought his hand forward, gesturing for the machine to stop talking. Had it been any other machine, even an android who proposed such a thing, he would've killed them right then and there, but Solus was special, he didn't know what he was saying.

'His faith is strong but he is unaware, his intentions are good, the problem stems from his belief' Dante convinced himself of his friend's innocence. Solus simply wished for the dominance of the cult of homines, his intentions are pure, however transgressional.

The faithful machine flinched "I believe it will be best for us both if you stopped that line of thought"

"What?"

"It is as you heard" Dante continued "I know I have promised that I will listen to the full story before I make a judgment and I will but your..." the android paused, trying to find the right word "Request is out of the question. No one, not even me can request a meeting with the Triarch let alone ask her to exterminate a religion, no matter how deviant and heretical they might be"

Marshal Dante himself and most if not all of the Templars wished to eliminate all but the church of humanity itself, there was no doubt about that. But regardless of how much they detested the independentists, the church of the broken god, and all the other minor religions appearing out of nowhere, they had a law to maintain. The cult of homines, being the most powerful religious force within the Triarchy, has promised religious freedom for everyone. If the church doesn't keep their words, then how much their teaching could be worth?

"But you said you will listen!" Solus retorted.

"And I will but I never promised to act, not like this, not in this manner, and certainly not to this extend!" the machine fell silent "Are you hearing what you're saying? you're talking about extermination! this isn't the barbaric era of the machine wars, we have a civilization to keep!" the android berated the machine.

Solus looked downwards in shame, the machine had looked up to Dante ever since their first meeting, and to hear him reprimand him like this was hard on his mind. Dante took a deep breath, seeing Solus like this made him feel guilty, perhaps he could've been more gentle with the poor machine. But then again, Solus wished for the extermination of a religious minority.

"Listen, Solus" the Marshal spoke, drawing the eyes of the machine to himself "We have been friends for years now, and believe me when I say this, I want to preserve our friendship but what you're asking is beyond me or any of my colleague's abilities. The speakers are as you said dangerous, but we still cannot order their persecution"

The machine stood there in silence, astonished "You knew they were dangerous?"

"No" the android answered "I simply trust your judgment on this one" he smiled "Ever since we've met, you were honest with me, Solus. You've never lied to me, not even once. So yes, I do trust you even though I can't do the things you asked. What I can do, however, is help you gather evidence of the speakers and once their true nature is revealed, present the evidence not only to the high priestess but to all three Triarchs. How does that sound?"

The machine paused for a moment before slightly bowing his head "Thank you, Marshal, thank you for listening to my selfish request. I knew serving you wasn't a mistake"

The blond android let out a chuckle "Of course, though your wording might use some touch" Solus froze again, fearing he might've insulted the Paladin, only for Dante to let him loose of his fear "Just joking Solus, you are fine the way you are. Honest and reliable" Dante gave a warm smile before speaking again "Now tell me, what sins are brewing within the speaker circle?"

"Yes, my Marshal!" Solus replied "Have you heard of those beyond the veil?"

The command room was filled with activity as adepts of every needed profession, rushed to finish the last touches to the ship's system before entering Shanxi's orbit. Among those men and women, the one in command was none other than captain Anderson, the veteran of the machine wars and one of the first-generation naval officers of the Triarchy, appointed to his position by the blessing of the Triarch of steel.

The destination of FFS Progress was Shanxi, one of the newest yet most developed colonies of the Triarchy. Despite being located in the outer regions of the Federation of Ferro(The official name of the Triarchy), the Shanxi was one of the most important systems within the nation, with the fastest population growth recorded in the Triarchy's history due to the large concentration of raw materials used in ship construction. People flocked into the system from all over the Triarchy in search of opportunities, the speed of population growth was within expected levels.

"Thinking when you'll get to command your own?" the ebony-skinned android asked, eyeing the face of the woman beside him "You'll get your's soon enough"

Anemone chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched the approaching planet "I'm not some attention-seeking career hopper, Anderson" she shook her head. That brought a smile to Anderson's face, it was good to know his old friend hasn't changed despite all of her new achievements "I wish you gave more credit than that. Who do you think I am? Tanya? Udina?"

The Captian looked blankly at the holographic map as he spoke "I don't agree with their methods either, Anemone, but they are doing what they think is the right course of action for everyone" Anderson spoke gently.

"I know, I know, I'm just joking cut me a little slack here" the female Android sighed, her voice sounding a bit tired "Still, I wish every stopped seeing me in this light. Just got a few titles and everyone is praising me as if I'm half-human or something"

Anderson's head turned towards the woman beside him, his black expression questioning her sanity and why shouldn't he? does she even know what she is talking about?

"N7 Validictorium" he said in a simple flat tone which caused the former resistance commander to cringe "Army of humanity special recommendation, YoRHa battler module pass, YoRHa gunner module pass, YoRHa recommendation. Templar knight pass, Templar white rose pass, Templar trial of faith pass, Templar recommendation. Personal endorsement from Triarch of steel, personal endorsement from commander White, personal endorsement from High Marshal Sevastivan. I don't even want to mention the lower passes, endorsements, and recommendations you've received from the army" he listed every one of her achievements, this bitch really had to galls to call all these "A few". She was the third person to achieve Validictorium from N7, Luna damned N7!

"It's only a matter of time before they promote you to a Questor, and a questor needs a ship"

The commander raised an eyebrow "Questor? they won't accept me, they don't accept anyone" she shrugged off the notion "Remember the trials five years ago? over two thousand candidates were sent, but none of them were accepted"

Anderson nodded, he did remember the trials, for he was, one of the most decorated candidates at the time.

'Decorated my ass, I was a failure' he smiled, he still could remember the disappointment on the face of his sponsor.

"Captain Anderson" a voice drew him out of his thoughts. The Captain's head turned towards to voice, it was operator Kelly Chambers, Anderson's current Yeoman, and if the gods wills it, Anemone's future assistant. Anemone might be a far more talented individual than he is but as her current CO, he had the duty to provide her with competent crewmen when she is promoted "We will reach Shanxi's orbit soon sir but... there is something I think you should see before we make planetfall"

The CO rubbed his chin as he hummed, Chambers never interrupted him during his meetings with other officers unless the situation was urgent "Speak, Chambers, what is going on?"

The Yeoman scratched the back of her head "Captain Anderson sir, I'm really sorry if it interrupts your off-duty time sir but... em..."

Anemone raised her eyebrow "What is it, Yeomen? you're free to speak your mind, I'm sure our dear Captain doesn't mind" Anderson nodded.

"Ma'am, sir" Kelly began, she brought forward a data tablet and gave it to Anderson who took it and began reading immediately, his features hardened as he did "As you can see, sir, we haven't received back a message from our expedition into the relay in the last few days and they haven't been hailing our calls" she paused "The normal procedure demands that emergency message should be sent after a week of radio silence but I think we should call it now sir"

The Captain looked thoughtful, she was right, no message was received from the expedition for three days. It could be that they were simply too busy surveying the system but even then, the automated response system should send back up-to-date reports to the nearest Triarchy fleet. Did their systems suffer a malfunction?

"What makes you think that they're in trouble?" it was Anemone who asked the question, she was reading the data right beside Anderson.

"Because the leader of the current expedition is captain Varruns, although adventurous, captain Varruns is a cautious woman, she never neglects her reports" Kelly explained as she tried to keep a stoic face.

Although she tried her best, Kelly's mask soon fell off as Anderson noticed her nervous demeanor. Perhaps there is more to the Yeoman's report than met the eye. An old friend perhaps?

"I see" the Captain hummed "I'll have to make a report about this to the fifth fleet, but right now, we must go to Shanxi and retrieve Anemone's shi-" Anderson fell silent as the red lights began to flare as the sound of the alarm resonated within the ship "What's going on here?" the Captain hollered, a synthetic voice in his head was his response.

"Several unidentified objects have entered the system through the relay, energy readings indicate spinal cannons and heavy shielding. Captain Anderson, you're presence is required in the command center"

"What's going on?" Kelly cried out.

"Isn't it obvious?" Anderson replied, his face taking a grim expression "We are being invaded" as the words left his mouth, both women looked at him with shocked faces.

Looks like their trip to Shanxi won't be boring after all.

Codex

The Chruch of the Broken god:

A relatively small band of different evolutionary cults working together under the name of "The Church of the Broken god". These loosely allied cults believe in a higher form of existence in form of a massive super consciousness.

This group of individuals believes that the souls of the humans after their extinction have entered an entirely different realm of existence, in which, their consciousness has merged together to create a god-like omnipotent entity.

Since androids are children of humanity created in their image, and the highest form of praise is imitation, therefore androids must follow in the footsteps of their creators.

The name of the church is a reference to the androids themselves who are broken pieces of a god, and only by merging their souls can they achieve their true form.

Speakers:

Speakers are a small group who worship those beyond the veil, this group is not recognized by the Triarchy.

N7 Validictorium:

The highest form of graduation from the N7 program, the requirements of the title are as follows:

1- Complete scores in all tests, both physical and intellectual

2- At least two aces in simulations and mock battles

3- Extraordinary squad management and commanding skills

4- Unwavering loyalty to the Federation of Ferro(Triarchy) which is determined through several trials of faith and tests of mental resistance

The total number of graduates with Validictorium is three.

YoRHa Battler module pass:

The person in possession of this medal has passed the test for YoRHa B Models.

YoRHa Gunner module pass:

The person in possession of this medal has passed the test for YoRHa G Models.

Templar Knight pass:

The person in possession of this medal has passed the Knight trials of the Templars.

Templar White Rose pass:

The person in possession of this medal has passed the White Rose trials of the Templars.

Templar Trial of Faith pass:

The person in possession of this medal has passed the trial of faith.

End of Codex

Attention soldiers of the Triarchy! This message is from the human author(Praise be to his name):

How are you guys doing? I'm sure now that I'm back, your day is brighter than ever. (No need to thank me, I know my charm has that effect on people)

Now to the real matter at hand, the reason for my late upload is a bad internet connection. As you might've heard that my country(in the middle east) is on fire with protests and as a result, the government has cut access to the internet.

So yeah, the internet is barely working. Until things calm down, I will upload whenever the internet works, so don't fill the reviews with "When are you going to upload", I'm trying my best man :(

Now to answer your reviews:

Nexsus95: Yes, there are humans.

Firetrail: I liked children of humanity but the story itself never suited my taste. It seems you and I both like to see humans in Nier x Mass effect fic :D Also, yes, Tanya is a bit bitter. Her character was inspired by Tanya from Youjo Senki, an atheist to the core.

Fecyrineu: 9 literally killed his father so he is a bit messed up in mind. About the government, plans 9 had ended a bit differently than he intended. I like to do that in my story, not everything goes according to plan.