An ancient race…
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Starcraft is the property of Blizzard entertainment.
Mass effect is the property of Bioware.
Any elements used in this story are used only in order to create a story for no monetary gain nor do I claim any ownership over them, beyond the names and characters unique to this story.
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Protoss: An enigmatic race fairing from somewhere beyond the outer galactic rim.
Physiology: Unknown;
Culture: Unknown.
Technological progress: Unknown.
Intentions: Unknown
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Council chamber - citadel.
Before the galaxy stood Xiltar.
An alien of gray skin, digitigrade legs and two powerful arms ending in hands with two sets of thumbs and fingers. From the back of its head, a crest emanated that held some kind of type of chords that had been cut short at the base.
Adorned in dark gray armor with an edged and cut design, some crystals encrusted along a pattern and with cloth of gray and teal that hung from his neck as the cape it once had been, was now tattered as it fell down his back. Eldritch runes carved across its surface, their meaning obscure to the most proficient of linguists and even the most knowledgeable of archeologists.
A crud patch of medi gel along one of his sides, the only place its armor did not cover.
To everyone present this creature was nothing but the true definition of alien.
And this scared them…
Xiltar.
Fate had brought him to the gates of change…
But he had to be the one that took a step through its nebulous threshold.
…
For the future of his people.
For the defense of all life.
And for the memory of a world called Aiur.
He would have to change the fate of his people and lie like he had never done before…
All for sparing them of the truth of his race's exile and their flight from a dark god.
To save them from the truth of Amon.
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"So, am I to act as the voice of my people?" he began after he had descended the temple, now heading towards the dawn of a white sun as his dream continued.
(Yes, traveling Xiltar) Nebula began with a smile (But not as a harbinger of the Xel'naga. You shall stand as the exemplar of your people among this realm) she said while effortlessly walking through the sea of black that now shined with a teal light reminiscent of his own psionic power.
"You advised me to study these races so that my people may know what we will defend once we arrive. But that couldn't be the only purpose behind this, is it?" he had caught wind of at least this much.
She smiled once again (Indeed, Wayfarer) again she called him by this title, what did she mean by this? (I need you to act as the namesake of your people) he stopped on his tracks while she continued walking.
"As mentors? Teachers?" he began "These were titles taken from your race, stolen in arrogance. Long have we proved that we are not worthy" she turned as he said this, a stern view across her beautiful face.
(Are you now?) she began to speak. Angry, it seemed. She began to shake her head (Failure is truly the greatest teacher in all realities, but as any other it can fail too) she then turned once again (I want you to teach them of your last failure, the sin that almost condemned your kind).
He pondered the question, then he found his answer "Hubris…", Nebula smiled again.
(In due time, yes. For now I want you to teach them of your kind and of you) she made her way towards him. Then rested her hand on the left side of his face (In time you shall show them the darkness. But first you shall teach them of the light of your people).
His race…
"..." Xiltar wished to ask one final question as the black sand began to shift around him "Are we worthy? We are not even of this realm".
Nebula seemed saddened by his question (If not you, then who will ever be?) she peered into his soul (I see your doubts, your fears… Your people may not be of this realm but you can find a place for them in the darkness of forgotten memory. Act as ancients long gone and your people will be welcomed).
Xiltar realized what she had asked of him "Do you wish me to lie?".
Nebula nodded solemnly while she covered her face with the white robe (Protect them… From the failures of my people… and the horrors that haunt yours).
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He could sense every mind turn towards him as he stepped in front of the terrans.
Xiltar may have been battered by his efforts in the end war and the months of struggle in the wilderness but one thing had never been shaken from him.
He was a protoss.
Not even Amon could take that away from him.
Xiltar stood with the pride and stance that was often associated with his race as he radiated the spirit of warrior who was forged by the conflicts of his ancestors and the wars of salvation he had faced oblivion in.
He stood before this assorted council of races as their minds raced with a million questions.
Their thoughts were an open letter to how shocked and scared they were to see the figure of this alien before them. Each one thought in different patterns but Xiltar was surprised to find that in the spots where their thoughts overlapped with each other there was one universal constant being shared between them all.
Fear.
The anticipation had been eating at their minds as they continued to analyze him while Xiltar looked at them in silence, each had a different thought at the forefront of their mind: Disgust, curiosity and dread.
Hubris was amongst them all.
…
Let the first lesson commence.
Xiltar moved his hand to his chest and pressed a small panel at the top of his chest armor. In mere seconds, the crystals that adorned his armor and served different functions all together began to vibrate in unison and they then began to resonate with his thoughts.
The constructs of his people now would allow him to speak as these aliens did.
"I am Xiltar" the gathered crowd gasped in astonishment at his words. His ability to speak despite his lack of a mouth left them utterly confused.
As confused as he was that they still used orifices to communicate.
"I come before the council of this galaxy to speak as leader of the Ihan-rii, my people" he began " I am a member of the Protoss race and first of my kind to stand before you" he moved his head to the right to address part of the crowd and the gathering devices he knew would record this meeting like they had done with the induction of Shepard amongst the protectors of the galaxy "I speak as the voice of my people" he said while placing a hand over his chest.
The chamber exploded in an uproar as the diplomats began to speak amongst each other, trying to make sense of this situation.
The turian councilor was forced to call the assembly into order.
"ORDER, ORDER!" demanded the councilor who Xiltar now knew as Sparatus. The noise began to die down.
Once the last murmurs had been extinguished, the councilors began to look at each other before their glances fell on the asari amongst the group "Greetings… Xiltar. In the name of the galactic council I bid you welcome" spoke the asari named Tevos.
"We apologize for our lack of hospitality or a formal reception to you and your people. We weren't made aware of this development on time as you may see" Spoke the last one, Valern while he glared at the human delegation.
But this surprised Xiltar, for as he read through his mind he understood that the salarian union had the human embassy filled with spying devices and were partially aware of his existence.
"I thank you for your concern, councilors. But I wouldn't blame the ter… humans for these circumstances. They have been very accommodating to my requests" began Xiltar, praising the terrans in front of the galaxy as a way to thank them for this service.
"I see… " retorted Sparatus, not even glancing at the humans " You may forgive us for our caution. We have a bad record of first contacts and most recent races to be contacted had made their position amongst our society… understandable " the crowd began to glance towards the members of other races, as if measuring their reactions.
He also witnessed a strange development at the uttering of these words.
While most of the turian and salarian gazes fell for some reason on the figure of the crimson alien he had met along Shepard's group he also saw that those of the asari and humans turned to look at the quarian he had met before.
Hatred for different reasons was shared amongst all of them.
Curious.
"I will forgo formalities and ask directly. What are your intentions?" Sparatus continued.
Xiltar pondered this for a moment.
As an individual he had the task to lead his people towards this realm and earn them a place amongst this galaxy. For it would act as a sanctuary to his race, not only his tribe.
So that they may grow anew and in time rise beyond the devastation ushered in by Amon.
But what would his people do?
They would claim that this galaxy was theirs by right alone and they would come across as nothing but barbaric imperialists in the eye of the younger races.
He wouldn't allow this.
He then took a moment to gaze towards the group who had led him here, his eyes rested on the quarian and the krogan for a moment, then he turned and proceeded.
"My people have no ill will towards this assembled body, nor does it have any quarrel with the people that you represent or anyone beyond your space" he said this while turning back to the council so he could meet their gaze. He first looked towards the salarian "I come as an emissary for my people as we return from our self imposed exile, I bear the news of our return and by my word they will return to form part of the galaxy once again." he then turned to the asari "For you see, millions of years before the rise of even the protheans, we emerged from a long lost homeworld on the far edge of the galactic wheel. We searched through the stars for any civilization that may have existed before or alongside us…We found only empty worlds or societies too primitives to interact with us. We receded from the galaxy and embarked our people aboard our starships to the darkness between galaxies for one purpose…" he finally turned to the turian "So that whoever could muster the strength to rise from their homeworlds and join us amongst the stars could prove that our holy vows were worth something… So we could come and elevate you as we wished to do since eons past".
"Elevate us?" Tevos asked.
Xiltar nodded while he pointed towards a rune in his armor…
It spelled the word for Ihan-rii
"In my tongue, the name my tribe selected for ourselves carries a meaning as well as a divine vow… We the Ihan-rii are to act as great mentors and defenders of all life" he explained.
But only part of this was true.
His people never intended to act as great mentors…
They were kleptomaniac crusaders and dogmatic zealots who hoarded the legacy of their gods while extinguishing their true legacy from the stars. How it was that his people misinterpreted the legacy of the true Xel'naga was beyond his understanding and he would most likely never learn the truth.
But… What if this could become true?
What if he was able to teach his people a new path? He could teach them a more honorable way to live. Defending the innocent and satiating the intrinsic thirst for justice that all protoss shared…
What would his people be capable of should they cooperate with this exquisite tapestry of races? They could rise beyond the confines of reason and reach heights only dreamt of in myth and legend.
What would it be of their spiritual guides should their memory be defended by his race? Even if the Xel'naga had truly failed them in their original reality, they now were given a chance beyond the most generous of charities.
One Xel'naga had not abandoned his people.
And he would defend their legacy with all of his might.
It was said amongst his people that a lie was only successful in deceiving its utterer… For they could only deceive their peers for a time but they would always deceive themselves into thinking this had been the right choice…
But Xiltar dared to be that fool… and allowed to deceive himself into thinking that his people could be redeemed in such a manner.
Xiltar knew this may never come to be. He knew that his people may outright reject this chance but he knew above all that should his struggles bring back his people he would get a chance to make what he wished for them a reality.
Freedom.
And the people that now stood in front of him held the key for said freedom.
…
Yet he could sense… doubt.
Not at his words, but rather at their intent.
He had chosen to lie in order to protect them from the dark reality of his race's desolation and almost complete extermination.
But he was facing people who had done nothing but lie as part of their lives.
The salarian was the first to voice his concerns "There is no record of your civilization ever existing, nor do the archives of others gone before us mention your kind. How can we expect to believe any sort of word that you may tell to the galaxy".
The turian spoke next "He clearly is a member of an undiscovered race laying in wait somewhere the galactic rim. The hierarchy should send a task force to police whatever backward world he came from to account for his transgression"
The asari spoke last "That may not be the right thing to do. He came peacefully before us and shared the history of his kind openly" she still doubted him tough "But he may be using theatrics as a way to try and gain favor from us".
All doubted him.
Worse yet, they dared to insult his existence as being that of a con artist.
…
They may be partially right, yet he felt insulted by these professional liars calling him on his lies.
Xiltar narrowed his eyes.
"What little faith" He deactivated the speech from his armor and proceeded to speak directly into the mind of everyone present (Do not dare to insult my people, councilors) he answered, fury in his voice (My kind had already mastered the stars by the time your ancestors began to crawl from the oceans of your world) the shock of the public began to increase as they did not understand how it was that they could hear his voice in their heads.
He reached once more for the top part of his armor but then proceeded to reach for a different compartment within it.
Below his head and right next to his neck stood a compartment that held the most precious thing to any Ihan-rii and the most important possession Xiltar ever had… His void crystal.
Not just any of these priced relics of their kind that were often used in the function of powering their weapons but rather the sole void crystal that was linked to his being.
That jewel held as much of his being as he himself did.
And he wished to show the galaxy something through it.
He did something that was painful for the protoss as he held the crystal up high and began to focus void energies into it.
This served a higher purpose than the price he was willing to pay for it: he would show the galaxy part of what he had been.
As the energies coalesced into the jewel and the crystal began to resonate with his psionic signature he commanded the void construct to show to all in the room what he wished for them to see…
He began by showing them images of Arakyr, as it had been millennia before his entombment into stasis: beautiful, pristine, the pride of the Ihan'rii civilization of which thousands of enigmas were known and religiously guarded.
In a world of sand and oceans they had built their civilization. Massive temples of the Xel'naga had been moved to that world as it stood as the most sacred poace in their domain. Spires of black stone that shined with energies most ancient dotted the skyline while their massive starships dominated their skies in anticipation for the decrees of their elders that would allow them to go fort and march across the stars by the will of their… gods.
(We built wonders beyond your understanding) Xiltar said once.
He then showed them images of his combat across the stars as he fought the forces of heretics and those of the aliens who stood as 'slavers' and 'tyrants'.
(We marched for the glory of our gods and the mission of our forebears) Xiltar said twice.
He then showed the final image he was willing to show… and the most painful.
As the crystal crackled by the effort, Xiltar tried to hasten his lesson so he could try and save his most precious possession.
Xiltar showed them the day of their exile. The exact words that were said to his people as religious gospel and the orders he had received as a Judge just the day after his selection into that position by his peers and the elder he served under.
He showed his people marching into columns of light that would take them into the void worlds that would serve as their sanctuary in their exile and he finished by showing the galaxy the last memory he had of his home as their temples were siphoned of their energies and their structures felt silent.
(And we sacrificed more than you could ever imagine because of this) He said while he showed them the first death of his race.
He dared not to show them the second.
The crystal finally gave in and exploded into pieces as the effort had been too much for the small relic to handle.
Xiltar was no stranger to sacrifice… yet this felt more personal than even the death of his family.
A part of him died that day, but a new being was reborn from the ashes of the third demise of his spirit.
(We are an ancient race, elders to the oldest memories of the universe and forerunners of all that you are) he spoke once again (Once, we believed ourselves the chosen race of our gods...) he paused as he lowered his gaze (We were wrong. And in turn we failed) he stopped for a moment as he clenched his fist in defiance (We failed our task to protect life and by doing so we failed all across reality including ourselves) he then exploded with emotion (We won't do so again. Fate has given my kind another chance, one I won't be willing to waste).
Activating the speakers in his armor he continued for the crowd to listen to his words. "You asked what the intentions of my people were? Then I tell you this: we will stand for what once made our kind the beacon in the darkness, to protect life at all cost" he continued his speech, the people enthralled by his words "We won't let the mistakes of the past repeat themselves as we left the galaxy in chaos and disorder" he turned now to the crowd "I promise you, not as an elder to the younger races, nor as a servant to gods long gone and not as a warrior of ages past. But as Xiltar the Protoss. I will be your shield against the darkness".
He then turned towards the council once more "I am mentor and student. General and scholar. Champion of a thousand wars and last elder of the Ihan-rii, mentor to the wiling and once again defender of the galaxy".
He ignited his blade and pointed it towards the sky. His blade stood as proud as his new born spirit "I am Xiltar of the Ihan-rii and I promise to stand against the darkness in your stead".
The crowd answered his promise with an ovation.
The councilors were shocked by his speech
Here stood a member of an alien race who they knew nothing about and he had just delivered a promise to the galaxy that had earned them the respect of those who attended the hearing.
They dared not challenge his resolve.
As the crowd began to settle down once more he remained there. Staring at the council as if he awaited their answer.
"If…" Tevos began, not finding the right words to express herself "If what you say it's true… will you aid this council in the war with Saren?" she gambled heavily on his response.
"I will, councilor…" Xiltar accepted "For Saren is a threat to all life. Far larger than you comprehend him to be" he extinguished his blade "I was there when he besieged the world of Eden Prime, I saw first hand the barbarism in which he prosecuted his war. There was no honor in his purpose, no mercy in his judgment and no reasoning to his actions. He deserves no justice save for that his victims are bound to bring down upon him".
The councilors hung their heads as his words showed more gravitas than what the terrans had been allowed to impose.
"But do not be bound by the shame of your mistakes" Xiltar said "Rise. Rise beyond fears and conquer your shame as you make amends while you strive to give peace to the souls of the departed" he reassured the councilor that he did not see defeat yet "But now I ask you this: Who will be the brave who I shall stand with? Who will aid me in stopping the darkness that would threaten all that we hold dear? Who shall I fight for?" he stopped as the crowd fell into silence once more.
His dire warning on Saren took them aback, but none among the crowd dared to answer the call.
All save for a few.
"We will!" Shepard spoke as he and his team approached him on the platform.
He dared not challenge their resolve.
Together they promised to defend the galaxy together.
One by his desire to save the galaxy.
One for the honor of his kind.
One to give rest to the souls of those murdered.
One to clean the good name of his people.
One for the thrill of war.
One to repay debts due.
And finally one for the cause of life.
They would fight for the future…
Together.
Afterword
For an eternity lost. I give this words /º\
Edit - And for the cause of life I create this world.