I don't own mass effect
Larry Solo sorry to hear that I lost you when I revealed the truth and I know you're not the only one I lost there either but that's just how the story ended up.
A lot of this chapter is conversation on the Normandy and Callum going through what happens in me2. Originally I was going to write out more about the missions and what the crew thought but it quickly became obvious that would mean a lot more chapters so I decided not to do that.
26 chapters and the end of me1 is just around the corner. I have a couple of plot twists coming up which I hope you enjoy.
Also I just started replaying me2 to get ready for when I start to write it and now I remember how much I hate the bloody shuriken. Come on Tim, you give Joker a seat made from Cuban or Italian leather and you skimp on the weapons? I chose to be adept in me2 and the sucky smg have me questioning that choice.
I also told the Council to fuck off, despite how polite it was actually said, the Council still reacted badly...self intitled bastards. Saying I was an idiot, making a mistake, that they did everything they could, I better watch my step...yada yada.
Story Start
With Benezia in tow we left Peak 15. After clearing the garage of debris we were able to acquire a grizzly to help us get back to port and back onto the Normandy without her being detected.
This time however Liara was in the mako allowing her to talk to her mother before she had to hide under the seats while Tali was in the grizzly. When we got to port everyone in the grizzly had to take the long way back to the Normandy while the mako could just drive into the Normandy's cargo bay.
"It's going to take us a few hours before we will be able to meet up with Liara's father. I'll be taking Callum, Wrex, Gamora, and Liara with me. Liara, while everyone else gets their gear off and winds down you're welcome to stay here to talk with your mother before we have our debriefing in a couple of hours.
It's probably going to be a while before you get another opportunity, and since as far as anyone else is concerned you just lost your mother it won't look odd that you want to be alone. Garrus, make sure that no one bothers her. I don't want this to fall apart because someone wanted to cheer Liara up. Also Liara, no discussing classified intel...you know what I mean." finished Shepard before exiting the mako
Even though I was going to be back on the ground in a couple of hours I headed for the showers. Noveria was bloody freezing and I could do with a nice hot shower.
When I was finished I put my year back on and headed back down to the cargo bay to see if Garrus wanted to swap places so he could do the same or grab a quick bite if he wanted to.
When I got to the cargo bay Garrus was working on his rifle.
"Garrus." I greeted
"Callum." answered Garrus " What brings you back down here?"
"Wanted to make sure that you didn't need a break or anything." I responded
"I'm good. Would be working on the mako, clearing any clutter and fixing anything that's damaged from the drive but thought that might look odd considering Liara's greaving." said Garrus, giving a subtle look around making sure we weren't overheard. "By the way thanks for the cover back there with the acid. That shot would have been more difficult if I had to worry about dodging it."
For the next 20 minutes, Garrus and I engaged in some small talk. Nothing really important, just something to fill the time. Soon we got to talking about what we were going to do after we caught Saren. Garrus said he was going to take some more time off and spend it catching up with the rest of the family.
"I've definitely lost my job on C-sec by now, it's been over two months since I've last worked there and we both know how my last day went. As soon as I go back they're going to give me my two weeks notice so I most as well make the most of it." said Garrus
"Sorry to hear that."
"Don't worry, if we do succeed I'll be one of the guys that helped stop Saren and 'cleared a dark stain off of turian honour' if we don't...well we both know a job will be the least of our concerns." trailed off Garrus "Anyway, mum will probably add it to the family service journal, ours goes back to Unification Wars. Seriously I don't think me or Solana for that matter will struggle looking for a job after this."
"Just like that?" I asked
"Just like that. As Solana said before turian society is very duty oriented. Every turian that doesn't do their share in at least some form is looked down upon and that extends in some form to their family. If they join a pirate gang most families instantly disown them. Not that many do, more tend to go with either mercenary or a PMC group but even that is looked down on depending on the reputation of the group. At best they're seen as turians who couldn't hack it as a real turian in a real military, at worst they're seen as a no-good bare face and the family never brings them up again if they can help it. The only exception is if they go after slavers or pirates and even then they have to put up with an aunt or uncle constantly saying they should either settle down or join a real military service."
"You sound like this is coming from experience?" I asked hoping I wasn't pushing any buttons
"A lot of Christmas dinners with extended family, the thing is I think aunt Malana's son is actually part of some black ops group targeting batarian slavers." answered Garrus
"What makes you think that?"
"A few details here and there. The Batarian Hegemony isn't the only one who can do that 'not government-sanctioned' shit. But I think you might have a couple of ideas for me." continued Garrus with a look "What about you, what do you think you'll do if and when we stop Saren?"
"Not sure, I've got a few things that I need to do after Saren's gone if you know what I mean but aside from that I don't know. Anyway, I'm going to get something to eat before the meeting starts."
"See you at the meeting then." said Garrus in farewell
Entering the elevator once again I headed up to get some food. Grabbing a tray I picked up a few food tubs at random, I don't know what they were but it tasted like something between fish and not-so-good chicken.
"May I join you?" asked Gamora walking up with her own tray
"Sure go ahead." I offered, gesturing at the chair opposite from me
"I have to say these meals leave much to be desired compared to what I had at the restaurant." remarked Gamora having a spoonful of...something. Everything always looked the same and unless it was a massive difference such as beef vs chicken everything tasted the same as well. Then again my tastebuds were never the best.
"That's because restaurants need to make money from customers that want to eat there while the military just needs to make sure it provides the needed amount of nutrients. Taste and enjoyability take a backseat. That said you definitely need to try a good home-cooked meal after we deal with Saren." I suggested
"Is there that much of a difference?" asked Gamora
"On this ship, food is part of our payment package, the less they spend the better in their opinion. With restaurants, they need to make more money than they spend but the food has to be good enough so their customers will want to come back. That said they don't really have the time or money to make a good meal a great meal. For example a fresh salad, fresh long-cooked pork or marinated chicken. Either it takes too long or it costs too much to be viable." I answered
"I would have thought that most flesh... most people would want the best meal they can have?" asked Gamora
"They do, they just wish that it didn't take that long. If you asked most people if they wanted to eat now or wait 20 minutes for a slightly better meal they'd say now. In some regards its diminishing returns, an extra 10 minutes preparing the meal doesn't make it that much better. In others, a meal that takes you thirty minutes to prepare tastes much better than what is churned out in 10 minutes at a restaurant. Depending on how good the restaurant is and what the meal is, it can still taste as a well cooked meal though. That's why I recommended the parma, you very rarely get a bad parma when you go to a restaurant. Remind me to get you to try a slow-cooked meal sometime though. After over eight hours on low heat the meat really comes apart on your tongue."
"I'll remember that." remarked Gamora "I want to ask you a question...what's the difference between an order and something you want to do? Or the differences between an order that shouldn't be followed and one that should be followed reluctantly?"
"Okay..." I started, a bit confused "I guess it depends on the order and your personal views. For example, if Shepard ordered me to cover Garrus or take out some geth with a singularity, it's something I would already do without Shepard orders. All the order does is make it my main focus, give me the go-ahead and let everyone know what I'm doing. Also, something you want to do is something you want to do, an order is something you're told to do, sometimes it's the same thing and sometimes it's not. While I don't think she'd ever do it Shepard could order you to go eat some cheesecake, that said that's not really an order and Shepard can't actually tell you what to do in our downtime. But the point remains, Shepard told you to do something you already wanted to do."
"Go ahead?" asked Gamora
"Permission, covering Garrus for example might mean I have to break off from the rest of the group or not be able to cover everyone else
As for orders that shouldn't be followed, there is a thing such as illegal orders that not only can someone ignore but if they don't they could get in trouble for obeying. For example, if Shepard ordered Ash to kiss her she doesn't have to obey, same as if she ordered her to sleep with someone. Ash could and would report her for doing that and she would get in trouble for giving such orders. Then if Shepard ordered us to open fire on a crowd not only do we not have to obey but if we did then we'd be charged with crimes. An order that should be followed reluctantly is an order that you don't agree with is either necessary or there isn't a real reason why it can be ignored, say leaving a post that you believe needs you there to go an support another area. That said, being ordered to leave a teammate to die when you know it is possible to save them is an order that should be ignored does that make sense?"
"In some ways it does, is this one of those 'there is no right answer' and 'you'll know at the time' scenarios?"
"More or less, aside from a few clear examples such as being ordered by a superior to sleep with him or following an order that would be a war crime there aren't many clear-cut examples. For example, if Shepard ordered me to leave someone behind and I disobeyed that order and saved them then I'm in the right. If however, I failed to save them or even if more people died because of me disobeying the order then I'm in the wrong and will likely face a court-martial at best. Why do you ask? Is the Thorian giving you an order you disagree with? Like ordering you to come back?"
"The Old Growth is more than happy for me to remain on the Normandy and in the galaxy as a whole." answered Gamora "Though since you brought it up, it is planning for the future
More of my 'sisters' if you will, are created every day. The Old Growth is consuming resources at a rate it hasn't since it was young in order to be ready when the Reapers arrive ."
"Speaking of the future Garrus asked me a question before and I'm curious on what your answer might be. What do you think you'll do after we get Saren?" I asked
"Aside from staying on the Normandy I have no plans for the future." answered Gamora
"Considering that we might very well die fighting Saren that might be for the best." I responded "None of us know how much time we have left."
"Do you fear death?" asked Gamora
"Fear...not really, I was raised to believe that it doesn't end at death but that it is the start of something more. That said I definitely don't want to die any time soon. There is just so much more I want to get done."
"Such as?" asked Gamora
"Aside from stopping Reapers? Not sure, I've been putting most of my focus on that." I answered
We kept on talking until it was time to head to the communications room, Shepard was the last one to arrive.
"Sorry for being late, the debrief with the Council lasted longer than I thought it would." said Shepard entering the room
"Any problems?" asked Ash
"Yes and no, they've already had a team to go to Peak 15 and found out that Benezia isn't there." answered Shepard
"So soon? But it's only been a few hours since we were there?" asked Kaiden
"I know and that's not all, Benezia's body isn't the only one they couldn't find. I didn't get numbers but they seem to think that the bodies of about a dozen commandos also vanished. On the plus side the Council believe whoever took their bodies also took Benezia. On the negative..." trailed off Shepard
"Who took the other bodies and why?" finished Garrus
"Exactly. Callum the asari that was on Feros do you know what happened to her?" asked Shepard
"From what I remember she stayed behind to help get Zhu's Hope back on it's feet. Then after a few years she was on the Citadel talking to a company about some problems." I answered
"What kind of problems?" asked Shepard
"The Thorian made a permanent connection between each of them, I think they had some issues with it feeling from one person bleeding to the others. But on the positive side it also allowed them to fight with a cohesiveness that could only be matched by a trained squad that's spent years together."
"Hmmm, Gamora?" asked Shepard
"Without the Old Growth it is possible that the connection between them continued to grow and changed over time." answered Gamora
"That's possible, I do remember her complaining that her biotics were no longer stable, she had also turned green. Then again she could have also been one last asari clone that took her place, why do ask?"
"The council just informed me that they've had the entirety of Zhu's Hope relocated to a new planet. But when they got there she was missing, they seem to think all the asari disappearing are connected. Gamora does the Thorian know where she might be?" asked Shepard
Closing her eyes Gamora seemed to concentrate.
"The Old Growth no longer has a strong connection with those it did before. It cannot say where she is, but it can say she seems to be...safe? I'm sorry but as I said the link between them is very faint. All I can say for sure is that she is alive, comfortable but stressed." answered Gamora
"Aside from helping rebuild the colony, Feros would have been a good place to hide out and lay low while everything blew over and everyone forgot about Benezia and her being in her group. My guess is that with the forced relocation staying with Zhu's Hope just became too hot for her and she smuggled herself out."
"That still leaves the missing asari on Noveria." said Garrus "And from what we've seen getting any information out of them is going to be difficult."
"For now I don't think we have much of a choice but to leave it. Gamora if the Thorian gets anything different out of the link, say an overwhelming sense of fear, dread or depression let me know but for now, we need to focus on Saren. I've been ordered to head to the Citadel where a fleet designated to take Saren out is waiting." said Shepard "Once there they'll tell the hunt for Saren is under control, I can't hunt him anymore and that the Normandy is in lockdown."
"Just like that? We've done all this work and when we are finally getting somewhere they stab us in the back? I don't even think they've even brought up the fact that the very Spectre whose ass they've been kissing is the one responsible for all this." said Ash angrily
"Just like that." repeated Shepard "Now before we go any further let's deal with the elephant in the room. I think what just happened on Noveria proves that Callum's intel is correct...especially when the rachni queen herself says somethings off with Callum." said Shepard giving everyone a look, Ash in particular
"Also while it wasn't exactly the same, the layouts and surroundings were pretty much spot on." added Garrus
"I want to know more about this singing that the queen kept talking about." said Ash
"Callum?" asked Shepard
"From what I remembered the theory was that they had some form of biologically quantum entanglement communication." I answered
"Quantum what?" asked Ash
"Quantum entanglement communication. " answered Tali " I've only ever heard of them but the idea is that two computers are permanently linked. What happens to one happens to the other and it's completely undetectable. "
"Why haven't I heard of them before? " asked Ash
"Because they're hard to make, not to mention expensive and only work in pairs." answered Garrus "Most governments and militaries have at least a few but unless your important you don't get to see one. Your ambassador probably has one connected right to the president of your home planet, I know mine does."
"If they really do communicate like that 'singing' is an apt description. It would also explain Why our 'notes' look flat and why Callum stood out like a shore thumb." said Shepard before frowning " Do any other species have this ability?"
"Not that I know of why?" I asked
"One of the first things Benezia said was that the 'voices' were gone. What if the Reapers could create the same sort of link in those they indoctrinate?" suggested Shepard
"That would make sense, it even sounds similar to what the Thorian was doing. Maybe that's how it cures people, it alters the brain so the connection is gone." offered Kaiden
"Maybe, we'll revisit the topic later should we learn something new. Now I've been doing some thinking and going over all the information I have and I've realised two things, one...the Council are assholes and so is Udina so fuck them both. Two... it's too much information to keep to ourselves. If something happens to me, to Callum or even if nothing happens, the Council will try and stop us from talking about the Reapers at every opportunity. I need to bring in someone who they can't keep silent, say Anderson or Hackett who I've already asked to meet me on the Citadel."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? We've been with Callum from day one, I got memories of us going to Peak 15 before we actually went there and we all were there when a giant insect queen all but confirmed his story. Thanks to him we got a heads-up about my mother's illness. Even with all that I can barely believe it, what chance do we have at convincing Hackett or Anderson?"
"None, which is why we'll be lying our asses off." answered Shepard
"What's the plan?" asked Kaiden
"On Eden Prime when the beacon exploded Callum was right there, he was also one of the first people to check on me. Im going to say that the Beacon did something to him as well, that when I started having visions so did he. Butt his were clearer and of things that hadn't happened yet." suggested Shepard
"Wait are you saying predictions? As in predicting the future, how are you going to get them to believe in something as crazy as that?" asked Ash
"Asari melds, if I can show them the attack on the Citadel before it happens then I can get them to believe everything else I tell them. That mixed with some more intel should get the job done, at least to we have hard proof. I'm not saying it's a good idea, the opposite in fact. But for now the proof we are going to be able to get any time soon will be on Illos. It could be months before Hackett or anyone starts making preparations unless we do this.
With the Reapers coming in three years or less we need to make every minute count. Though if we do this everyone claiming to be a medium or psychic will likely going to be on a government watch list for the next hundred years or so and I'll have to use every single piece of goodwill that I ever earned to get them to let me leave after I talk to them. It will also put Callum in danger as well as either Liara or Gamora, whoever does the meld, maybe even both. Should either Cerberus or the Shadow Broker learn of this they'll do anything to hunt you down."
"It won't just be them either, governments will be after them too. Having someone like Callum who knows what's going to happen in three years will be the STG's wet-dream." added Garrus
"That's true, but I don't think we have much of a choice. That said, its not my neck on the line. If you don't want to do it or think its too risky I'll do my best to convince Hackett and Anderson to start preparing, say Benezia gave me some intel before she 'died'."
"If I wanted to be safe I would have moved to Andromeda. I say we do it, but only tell Hackett and Anderson. Don't let it go any further." I said
"I think we should do it as well, this could result in saving billions of lives. Though I would like my mother and father to be added to the list. While Benezia has likely lost almost everything because of Saren she should have something left." said Liara "My father should also have her own resources."
"That and your mother and father are the only asari aside the Consort that we know can do something and that we can trust. Tevos certainly can't be. What about you Gamora?"
"The plan sounds risky but I believe it would be worth it." answered Gamora
"There is an issue though. While we will be able to show them Callum's memories they won't look...real." warned Liara
"Can't you enhance them or something?" asked Ash
"That's not how it works but with difficulty, I believe it might be possible to mix the memories. Laying how things actual look over the memory. However, that creates its own problems, no asari with any experience will believe that its a true memory. They will know almost instantly that the memory has been modified in someway." responded Liara
"So we won't be able to show them everything...Callum will any of your memories look real enough to be believed without editing them?" asked Shepard
"The attack on the Citadel should look believable as would the attack on Earth, Palavan, Thessia and the final battle in London. The Reaper husks should also look real enough to pass muster."
"The final battle happens in London why?" asked Shepard
"I'm sorry but what's London?" asked Tali
"It's a city on Earth, why the last battle would happen there though I have no idea. Callum?" answered Shepard
"The second we find out that the Citadel was the last piece needed for the Crucible the Reapers went and shifted the whole thing to Earth. Why? I don't know, it could be because they still wanted a human Reaper and Earth had the highest number of us at the time but other than that I don't have a clue." I answered
"Considering what Benezia went through that should be more than enough. Also, include the husks and how they fight. We don't have much longer before we're dropping Benezin off so make sure that it's done after this meeting ends. After that we can get to work on the modified memories." said Shepard "Now how to do this, get one of you to meld with everyone or break up the work load?"
"I should do the modified memories, with the aid of the Old Growth I should be able to make everything look as real as possible." said Gamora
"And it should be me that melds with my father and mother. They might not trust it if it comes from Gamora, though maybe it should just be my father as Benezia knows me well enough that she could sense that I'm hiding something through the meld." said Liara
"If that's what you want. Benezia can just get it from your father later. Gamora what does the Thorian want in return for helping" asked Shepard knowing the Thorian would want something in return for its aid.
"Nothing, the Old Growth believes that the information it gains on the Reapers and their forces will far outweigh the effort it takes to modify the memories. Having such knowledge as it prepares for their future attack will be invaluable to the Old Growth." answered Gamora
"...I never thought I'd say this but I wish the people running the galaxy were more like a giant sentient plant." said Ash as if she couldn't believe what she was saying
"The Old Growth also wants to know something." started Gamora turning to look at me "Based on your understanding, when do you think the Reapers will attack it during their invasion?"
"I'm not sure. Dealing with the Thorian would definitely be up there in importance, it's ability to expose the cycle is just to much of a threat for them to do nothing. That said it can't move and as long as they monitor the planet they could leave it until they get to the cleanup stage of the invasion." I answered
"I doubt the Thorian would be the first to be attacked. Though while powerful, it is only one target. Attacking the Thorian before attacking anyone else will also give the galaxy more time to prepare and alert them that the Reapers have arrived. If it was me I'd either attack it at the same time as another target, or deploy some forces on my way to that target. Also, while Callum is right in it being a stationary target they've already missed it once so they are definitely not going to leave it for last." advised Shepard before continuing
"Now we still have some time before we get close to the planet. Callum, I want you to go over everything that happens from now to the start of the Reaper invasion if there's time after you meld with Liara. When we get back meld with Gamora, I figure that meld will take longer than it usually does." said Shepard
Standing up I meet Liara in the middle of the room.
"Relax and embrace eternity." breathed Liara as her eyes turned black and we faded from the outside world
Again it felt different to the meld I had with Gamora. Concentrating I tried to focus on what I remembered of the attack on the Citadel, of how the geth led by Sovereign came pouring out of the Relay. How they tried and failed to close the Citadel before they could get close, how Sovereigns weapons were able to tear through every ship that came close and how the Destiny Ascension was nearly destroyed. From there I focused on how the Reapers invaded Earth, and a view of Palavan burning. Then I went a memory of Liara and her father hanging out at the Citadel and a conversation I overheard between them
"All I'm saying is that if you feel the urge to head-butt something. It's genetic."
"I have never wanted to head-butt anything."
"Really? Not even a little bit? Come on."
"I do not head-butt people!"
"Allright, fine. Don't go all blood rage on me."
Finally, I decided to finish with the Reapers invading Thessia and how they were utterly overwhelmed despite how much extra time they had after leaving Earth and the other races to fend for themselves and then, as the icing on the cake I had the memory of the statue of Athame breaking up revealing a hidden beacon. With that the meld came to an end.
As the outside world came back into focus something seemingly occurred to Ash.
"While this isn't the best plan I ever heard, not by a long shot but if we are going with it we still need something to clinch it. A reason why Callum got the memories and no one else did and explanation that they can grab on to make sense of everything." said Ash
"Callum got any 'clinchers'?" asked Shepard
"Two come to mind. the first one is the Beacon on Thessia, as Liara knows the beacons were meant to connect to one another for instant relaying of information and maybe just for an instant that's what happened. The other idea is the Crucible, no one knows what it did on how it worked. We can say it fired and I woke up on Eden Prime or on the Normandy." I said
"How clear is your memories of what happens from now till then? From what I understand there are gaps in your knowledge." asked Shepard
"Not as clear as it should be, and there are plenty of gaps as well." I answered
"Then we'll go with the beacon idea, I've make it clear that the visions I got from the beacon weren't clear until recently. Any confusion or anything missing can be put down to the beacon exploding. I also don't want anyone thinking they could replicate the supposed results should we go with the Crucible. Now what happens from this point onwards?" asked Shepard
"After making it to the Citadel we're taken immediately to the Council where they tell you that they're handling the situation. That Saren is no longer a threat. That without his Spectre status and Benezia's backing he's no longer a threat and that he's confined to the Terminus." I started
"Hold on that's bullshit!" interrupted Ash "He still has a geth army plus who knows what from his Spectre days that he's hidden away."
"You can say that he's still a threat, a danger but they'll insist that they have it handled and that the Citadel's fleet will enough to protect them and that each relay which leads into Citadel space will be guarded. Then if you insist that they send you in they'll say it needs a delicate touch, that your stategies worked well so far but won't cut it in the Terminus.
Which is weird as later they give you the option of keeping your Spectre status but only if you limit your actions to the Terminus...the one place were Spectres don't have any real power. Also, in hindsight if we talked to someone like Aria T'Loak before hand I feel she would have been more than happy to let us deal with a rogue Spectre and a geth army that's been hanging out in her backyard. Also, Spartacus will either bring up you letting the Rachini live or you blowing up a bomb on Virmire."
"But I wasn't the one that came up with that plan or the nuke." said Shepard
"I know. After that Anderson asks you to meet him in Flux where he'll help you come up with a way to escape the lock down they put on the Normandy. The two ideas are either to override lock down on the Normandy manually which can get him shot or go to Udina's office and override the orders from there.
Either way you manage to get to Illos where Joker has to drop you off at an extremely narrow landing zone in order to get close to Saren. Unfortunatly, its not close enough as Saren is able to lower an extremely thick door stopping you from following him."
"Could we breach it somehow?" asked Garrus
"I doubt it." I answered "Not only did it look thick as fuck but the Proteans knew how to build their bunkers, just not how to power them. Considering it was probably built to hold back the Reapers should they be discovered I doubt even ramming it with the Normandy will even dent it...okay it would but you get my point."
"Where is the override? If Saren closed it behind him to keep us out, no way is the switch going to be closeby." asked Tali making a vslid point
"That's where I'm not sure." I answered
"Even if we don't know exactly where it is Saren isn't going to leave it unguarded. All we have to do is follow the geth trail...that sounds worse than I thought it would. It's probably going to be a difficult battle finding the override. " said Kaiden
"Take your time." said Wrex with a growl "Considering what I just found out I've got a lot of anger to dish out."
"How's that going for you?" asked Shepard point a pin on the topic for now
"If I was younger then I probably would have roared and thrown the mako down the cliff. But I'm not young and I know exactly what you do with anger, hold it in, hold it down until you get the bastard in your arms and then you let it out. If I see Saren or whatever he becomes before you do I'm going to rip him in half before dividing those halves into even smaller pieces."
"Just leave enough that Sovereign is happy to take over his body. I don't want to test the idea that the real Sovereign only died because Reaper Saren did." warned Shepard before Shepard gestured me to continue
After the door gets opened you make it to either an aquaduct or a flooded tunnel." I started
"If there is flowing water than there must be another way in." theorised Liara "We might be able to avoid the door altogether."
"That still leaves us with trying to find the entrance and hoping that it's big enough for the mako. Keep an eye out but the best bet is still following Saren." dismissed Shepard
"Folloing the water we eventually make it to a facility or city really, full of cryopods. Somewhere around there a field pops up trapping us. Entering a nearby elevator we'll end up face to face with a VI who explains the fate of the Protean Empire. How the last Proteans put a stop to the cycle at least temporarily, that Saren is indoctrinated. I think it'll also give you something but I'm not sure what, maybe a copy of whatever they did to stop the Reapers from being able to come through the Citadel just incase Saren started undoing it.
After you finish talking to the VI you'll continue on before making it to the miniture relay that pairs with the one on the Citadel which is guarded by a small army that Saren left behind. Once you hit the relay you'll be spat out on the other side and things don't look good. They'll be down to emergency power if that and a lot of things won't be working. Whether due to damage caused by the geth, sabotage or the fact that Sovereigns daddy is in the Citadel."
"About that." interrupted Garrus "If the one that created the Reapers lives in the Citadel running it then how were the Proteans ever able to stop it? Sure I can turn my omni-tool off but if there is an evil AI living on it surely it can turn itself back on."
"That's because keepers were the ones that started the Cycle. For some reason it must be outside of the intelligence's control." I answered
"It could be done for redundancy reasons or to make it harder to find. An program that needs to executed manually rather than remotely. I imagine that the change from space station to relay is quite significant as is the process that makes it happen. The Reapers likely made a number of features to ensure that no one descovered the truth about the Citadel or the fact there was an AI running it." theorised Tali
"In this case, it sounds like the AI tells the keepers what to do while it stays in the background where it's never spotted but in this case that backfired on it. It would explain why the keepers blow up if anyone messes with them, there the only real link to the AI" said Shepard before sighing "If we don't win they're definitely going to fix that vulnerability, no way are they going to risk letting another civilisation repeat that achievement."
"The place both you and Saren need to get to is the Citadel tower, the Council chambers. The exact spot you stood everytime you spoke to the Council. Climbing aboard the elevator it only takes you part of the way up. The rest you have to take on foot after breaking the elevator window open.
From there you walk your way up the tower. They'll be a ton of geth, krogan and rockets in your way. A lot of turns and corridors, at one point there will be a geth ship dropping of some troops and some turrets you can use can take them out with. Later though you have to deal with turrets that the geth have under control. There is a side tunnel you can use to get around them but it's cramped and full of we get through them you'll face Saren himself on his hover platform and his geth. When he dies you can override the Citadel lockdown and open the Citadel allowing everyone to attack Sovereign. At the same time, the Destiny is being overwhelmed and without assistance, it will be destroyed but doing so comes at the cost of Alliance ships."
"What did you do?" asked Shepard
"Chose to save the Ascension." I answered "Though not to save the Council, if they were on board a shuttle I would have been more than happy to let them die. But just letting the crew die without trying to help didn't sit well with me. After Destiny is either saved or destroyed they attack Sovereign, however until Saren dies for the second time the attacks seem to do nothing. That said anything that distracts Sovereign from either us or bringing his buddies through the Citadel will probably be needed. When Sovereign takes over Saren's body most of his flesh is burned away and he starts moving around like an overpowered geth hopper on steroids."
"His shields are probably going to be overcharged too, with how long Saren's been a Spectre his barriers are going to be top notch and the geth likely modified them to be even better." said Tali
"Thanks to Virmire we know for a fact how good his barriers are. With the amount of fire Wrex, Solana and I put into him we could have taken out a couple of Primes easily, Saren didn't even flinch. If Sovereign supercharges those shields even more we'll need some help taking him out. Garrus and Ash, before we get to the Citadel I'm going to put a shopping list together. As soon as we land I want you on it understood? Okay, Callum what's next?"
"After/if Sovereign is defeated they'll offer platitudes saying how heroic you've been. Even Sparatus how noble the humans were and that humanity is ready to join the Council. Sometime after that, the Council send the Normandy out to deal with any remaining geth. It's then that the Normandy is attacked and destroyed. Twenty people including, Pressley died in the attack."
"How long is this after the Citadel?" asked Shepard
"While I'm not sure I think it was either one month or six weeks. I know I said six months before but I think I was wrong. The Collectors cruiser came out of nowhere and instantly knew where the Normandy was. While everyone else was evacuating you headed up to get Joker out of the cockpit. Unfortunately, as you were getting into the escape pod with him the Collectors got one last hit in that threw you away and caused the Normandy to explode. You wake up two years later at a Cerberus facility that's under attack."
"Who's attacking them?" asked Shepard
"One of the people who was in charge of reviving you, a middle age balding man activated all the defence bots and turned them against everything that moved. Making your way out of the lab you arm yourself and meet the first person who ends up joining you, Jacob Taylor."
"He's on that data drive you gave me, he seems like a good soldier." said Shepard
"He is, his father though is a piece of shit." I responded
"What why?" asked Ash
"When Jacob was a kid his father got a job on a ship, that ship crashed on a planned somewhere and most of the command was killed or at least enough that Mr Taylor was suddenly in charge. At the start everything was going well, they were working on getting an emergency beacon up and running. Then they worked out food was going to start to become scarce, the local plant life while edible wasn't something you'd want to eat for a long period of time, something about mental faculties. But there wasn't enough food to last everyone till rescue came. When they started to ration food, keeping the majority of the food packs to the officers is when things started to go downhill. They found that as the women ate more and more of the local plant life and less of the stuff they brought with them made them more...docile." I said hesitantly
"...those motherfuckers better not have done what I'm thinking they did!" swore Ash angrily
"I'm afraid they did, as time went on less and less people were assigned food from the reserves and had to eat native, while the women became docile and suggestable the men got more aggressive...apparently. Considering everything it could also have been them responding to the situation in the only way they could, eventually the food started to finally run out and the 'hunters' as Mr Taylor called them started getting becoming just too much of a threat." I responded
"So a few people decide they wanted a paradise of women swarming over them while the rest of the men have either gone full-on cave dwellers or remembered the people they served with and knew they were being taken advantage of. What did you do to Taylor?" asked Shepard curious
"Left him on the planet. If he was more than happy to stay there for the last how many years he could stay there and deal with the consequences. His main protection was old mechs. When they were gone there was nothing stopping the hunters from getting to him. After you meet Jacob you'll run into the guy who started the attack, as you make it to the evacuation zone Miranda comes out of nowhere and shoots him as soon as she sees him. Miranda is...up tight to put it mildly but after she gets rid of the stick up her ass and gets her head out of Cerberus she becomes easier to deal with. Like Jacob she had a shitty father, while she didn't want for anything as her father was rich she was the very picture of a bird in a gilded cage, except this cage had spikes. The second she ran away and took her baby sister with her he blew up ovaries."
"That's awful." said Tali "How can he do something like that?"
"In Miranda's words he didn't want daughters, he wanted a dynasty. He's also the one behind Sanctuary and the Reaper Zombies on Omega that I talked about before. At one point he manages to convince an old friend, her only friend that Miranda's sister would be better with her biological father, though biological parent would be more accurate as both were grown from his DNA. Unfortunately, her friend didn't know how bad Mr Lawson really is and literally gets shot in the back when he starts getting second thoughts."
From there I ran threw every mission I could think of, though I was pretty sure I had forgotten a lot and I said as much. The main ones I remembered were the recruiting missions and the loyalty missions though I called those personal missions. Garrus got a big kick out of getting a name such as Archangel, though he quietened down after I said his whole group was killed after another turian betrayed them, whether willingly or through torture I couldn't remember. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me either that Wrex recognised Zaeeds name by reputation and leader of the Blue Suns before they got all 'slavery' in his words. I was getting to the point where the vorcha released a plague designed by the Collectors when I was interrupted.
"Vorcha? Is that another black op group or something?" asked Kaiden
"...wait you don't know what the vorcha are?" I asked surprised
"No should we?" replied Kaiden
"The vorcha are a race of well...it's hard put into words. Their immune to diseases and illnesses, have rapid healing, even more than a krogan just not as tough and can adapt to nearly any conditions. The only downside is that they have shorter lives than a salarian and are...really dumb. I mean really dumb most of the words they know are DIE, I KILL YOU NOW! and variations of those. That said if educated early enough that changes, I even saw a vorcha acting but considering how quickly they grow and reach maturity makes that hard, imagine going through primary and highschool in a couple of years?"
After that I went through all that, I brought up the big missions. The mission where you run into Ash or Kaiden. The trap on the Collector ship, finding the IFF on the derelict Reaper. How there was a virus hidden in it and the only reason the Normandy made it out was because Joker unshackled I talked about the journey through the Omega Relay and how dangerous it was even before we got close to the Collectors base. The floating platforms, the constantly opening and closing doors. The perilous crawl through vents to get through the doors that even EDI couldn't get to open. Finding a room bigger than the Presidium full of millions if not billions of pods. How they started to digest the last people captured when they arrived and how the ones saved were escorted back to the Normandy.
I then brought up how at one point they had to split up. One group to stay behind to cover their backs while the other had to walk through a swarm of seekers so thick it was basically a wall.
I was just getting to the part where the partly-formed Reaper came in when
"Commander sorry to interrupt but we're about ten minutes from that planet you wanted me to head to. If you don't mind me asking why are we heading there? The Council ordered us back to the Citadel." asked Joker
"Got some intel saying there are more of those asari writings there. It's close to us so I thought a little detour would hurt us." lied Shepard
"Okay commander." said Joker before hanging up
"Quickly cover the start of the Reaper war. We can't meet back here so soon after returning from the planet. Everyone, especially Joker is becoming suspicious of how much time we've been spending here as it is.""Well for Earth there was literally no warning aside from a short distress call from Luna before they were landing planetside. One of the fleets guarding Earth sacrificed the majority so the rest could escape. Palavin only did slightly better. As you left Earth you picked Liara up from Mars where she found the plans for the Crucible." I answered.
After a moment of thinking Shepard starts giving orders"This is the plan, Liara and Tali, you'll be coming with me to Illos. Make sure that the generator or whatever you built is ready to go by then. Same with what's going to disrupt the locking clamps when we get to the Citadel. Kaiden you'll be with them just in case they need any extra help or there's any more geth around that need to be taken out. After we leave we'll send the elevator back down so make sure you secure it until we come back, blow it up if you have to."
Stopping for a moment Shepard looks between Ash and Solana before she resumes speaking
"Ash you'll also be with me along with Callum and Gamora. Wrex, Garrus and Solana you'll be staying on the Citadel when we get there along with the rest of the marines we have. Solana you'll be in charge understood?"
"Understood Commander." answered Solana
"Before we go I wanted to ask are there any other races that will be discovered in the next few years?" asked Liara
"I do remember hearing something about an avaian race. I never saw them but apparently they were encountered first by the elcor. Sortly after they reached galatic civilization though there was a out break of some diesies and when the Reapers started arriving they retreated back to their home planet and destroyed every piece of space faring technology they had in the hopes they would be left alone. Whether it worked I don't know, though considering the intelligence that runs the Citadel knows about them I doubt it. If a race is space faring or close to it the Reapers harvest it."
After that, the meeting came to an end and we headed back down to the cargo bay before we were leaving it via mako drop shortly after.
"Benezia you can come back out. Staying under there will be a bit dangerous for orbital drop." said Shepard as soon as we were all aboard and the hatch was the side of the seat off Benezia crawled out from underneath the seats.
"Thank you commander. While I understand the need for secrecy it is quite uncomfortable under there." said Benezia
"Well, you'll be happy to know you won't be hiding in there again. We're a few short minutes of dropping you off to Aethyta. Remind me to get Garrus to undo the modifications he did to the mako later. Don't want anyone asking why there is a hidden compartment in the mako big enough to fit a person." mused Shepard
"If might ask how do you know who Liara's father is? She wouldn't tell me." asked Benezia
"It's a long story, I'll tell you it when we get there." said Shepard not giving an answer
Landing Shepard took a brief look at the mako's readings before driving off in a single direction. After about fifteen minutes of driving, we came to a stop.
"Okay, we're here everyone out." ordered Shepard Exiting the mako I saw a small campsite with a small ship nearby. At the front of the campsite was an asari in medium armour. While I couldn't recognise the manufacturer it was clearly well made.
She also looked tense and didn't relax until Liara exited the mako.
"Liara!" started the asari, relief clear in her voice before spotting Benezia behind her "What in the Goddess's ass are you doing here!"
"Aethyta." started Benezia before being cut off
"Don't 'Aethyta' me! What on the Goddess's blue tits were you thinking?! I heard what you've been up to! And you!" exclaimed Aethyta before turning to Shepard "What were you thinking letting Liara get close to her! Do you have any idea what the matriachs on Therium will do if the they think she's been talking with Benezia!" shouted Aethyta
"I-I had no choice." defended Benezia stuttering
"No choice? You're a matriach, not a maiden running away with the first person they have an adult meld with!" argued Aethyta
Before things could go downhill any more Shepard interrupted
"She's telling the truth. Until very recently she was completely indoctrinated."
"Indroci what?" asked Aethyta
"Saren has a powerful ship that I have never seen the like of before. With it, he can influence minds. I-I thought I was strong enough to resist him but all too soon I was under his control. It was all I could do to keep a part of my mind safe, trapped behind glass that was slowly cracking, unable to do anything to stop myself." pleaded Benezia
"You expect me to believe this?" asked Aethyta
in disbelief, though her tone had softened slightly
"It's true." confirmed Shepard "My team and I have seen enough of it to know that for a fact. Problem is the Council doesn't, and even if they did I'm of the opinion that they'd rather dissect her brain to learn how it works or even worse how to recreate it. Liara was present when we first learned about it and was also there when Benezia was cured if you want proof via a meld."
"Sure, besides I haven't meld with my daughter since she was a little blueberry. Most as well do a quick catch up." agreed Aethyta
Walking forward Aethyta got close to Liara, taking her hands into hers and after giving a quick look around to make sure no one was about to move her eyes turned black with Liara's eyes doing the same a second latter.
The meld was extremely short, lasting only a few seconds. When they were done they quickly separated, both putting a hand to their head.
"Sorry about making it quick kid but I don't fully trust everyone here and an asari is vulnerable during a meld as you know." apologised Aethyta
"That's fine, I just wish you had warned me prior." said Liara accepting the apology
"If I had that would have kinda defeated the purpose." said Aethyta with a small grin "Nice kiss by the way, it certainly knocked her socks off."
"So do you believe us now?" asked Shepard
"Yeah, I know Nessy and there is no way she would talk about Liara like that." answered Aethyta before turning to Benezia "How long have you been under his control?"
"It is hard to tell, at first it was subtle. A preference to pick a different choice over what I would usually take. By the time I realised that I no longer had full control over my actions it was almost to late. I do not know where Saren got his ship but I believe that it is either Reaper in origin or is full of their technology. No race that I know of has the technology it has."
"Saren's ship isn't his, nor is it Reaper in origin...it is an actual Reaper. One left behind to monitor us, Saren's goal is to bring the rest of them into Citadel Space. Should he succeed then we're all fucked. If not then we have a couple of years before they make it anyway." said Shepard "We need to be ready when they get there. In a matter of days Saren will attack using the Conduit to get onto the Citadel undetected"
"Have you told the Council this?" asked Benezia
"The Council won't listen and I don't think they ever will. Especially with the evidence we have at the moment, they act like leaders when they're just another politician wanting to cover their ass." said Shepard
"Of course they do." snorted Aethyta "There are only three Council positions, do you have any idea how many people would jump at the chance at becoming the new Counciler...expesacally for the asari and the salarians? Anytime they make a bad desecition there is a possibility that they would be replaced. That bitch Tevos spent centuries waiting for the right time to jump and she wasn't the only one by far kid. And unlike the ones that actually run their own species like the Dalatrass or the Primarch they can be replaced at any time. Either because they own people want them out or if there is a big enough outcry. I was meant to stop someone corrupt from staying in power too long but instead it just created a Council too afraid to make their own decisions or do anything. Why do think we haven't gone after the Batarians despite the fact that the majority of people don't think it's okay?"
"But how can you know what the Conduit is? Not even Saren told me what it was, if he knew. All he said was that it was integral to bring the Reapers back." asked Benezia
"Liara time for the other meld." said Shepard in answer
"Please don't rush this one." requested Liara as she instigated another meld. When it ended
"...the goddess was that?" asks Aethyta stunned
"What was it?" asked Benezia
"I saw myself sitting down with Liara, adult Liara. How is that possible? I can tell it a memory but how?" asked Aethyta confused
"What else did you see?" asked Shepard
"I saw that ship that attacked Eden Prime and a fleet of geth attacking the Citadel, just tearing through the defences. The image looked off though, like someone was viewing through a bad vid feed. Then I saw ships the same make invading Earth, Palaven and even Thessia. By goddess Thessia was in ruins Nessy. It all ended with a large statue of Arthane breaking apart revealing a hidden beacon." answered Aethyta still confused
"You mean the beacon that is currently being hidden by the asari on a temple on Thessia? Despite it being illegal to do such a thing? The very same beacon that Benezia here herself knows about?" asked Shepard turning to a Benezia that was growing increasingly pale with each word
"How...how do you know that? The only one I ever told without the permission of the Matriaches was Saren and he said an attack on Thessia carried to much risk." said Benezia shocked
Giving me a quick look Shepard prepared to speak, this was it. If we couldn't confince these two what chance did we have at convincing Hacket?
"I know a lot of things I shouldn't know. The hidden beacon, a second genophage etc. While on Eden Prime I accidentally interfaced with the beacon." started Shepard
"I know...Saren was most...displeaded at learning this. The very ship seemingly reacted to his anger. Which if what you just told me is true makes sense." confirmed Benezia
"The beacon's message came to me in a dream, that you should also know. What you don't know is that Callum started having dreams as well, dreams of things that hadn't happened yet. He started sending out to places he thought would get hit. Eventually, it caught up with him." half lied Shepard "I ended up confronting him and had him meld with Liara."
"I saw the rachni queen before we even landed on Noveria. Mother I-I saw you die in front of me. Your last words were how I always made you proud and you called me your little wing one last time." said Liara tearfully
"How would that even be possible?" asked Aethyta
"I don't understand how it happened myself but as far as we can tell somehow the beacon on Therium connected with the on Eden Prime at the moment of its destruction. It doesn't make sense but Callum knew what was going to happen on Noveria. If it wasn't for Gamora and Benzia keeping part of her mind intact then she would have lost herself completely. I don't expect you to believe me, I know we didn't when Callum first told us but after Noveria we knew he was telling the truth. If Saren does launch and attack on the Citadel you know we're telling the truth." said Shepard
"And should Saren attack like you say?" asked Aethyta "There's no way this was done as just as a favor for Liara."
"As I said the Council won't act until either they're made to or their asses are on the line. I have no time for either, I need you to start working with anyone you can and get them to prepare." answered Shepard
"I'm sorry who do you think we are? I don't have that pull and neither does Benezia..at least not anymore." said Aethyta making Benezia look down "Not after Saren."
"Do want you can, convince who you can. Any asari that you can get questioning whether the Reapers could be real, that Sovereign wasn't a once-off, or that the Citadel fleet clearly needs an upgrade is a win. Eventually, we'll have the proof needed to start convincing others. But we can't wait for that to happen." said Shepard
Elsewhere
Releasing a deep breath of smoke, the Illusive man contemplated. Once again, the bug on the Normandy had given him a wealth of information. While the fate of the survivors was...unfortunate, it also provided an opportunity. An opportunity that couldn't be wasted.
While it was clear that the Reapers went after species that were space fairing, what would happen if a species had regressed from that stage and showed no ability to regain it?
Plans would have to be made, Mr Talyor senior would need to be dealt with, and steps would have to be taken to ensure that the survivors would never be found. With a bit of luck, that planet could allow humanity to rise like a phoenix through the ashes.
If the crew stayed for the hotsprings.
part 1
Leaving Noveria was just as hard as getting there. Since we had been around classified systems at Peak 15 and the Syntetic insights office the the Executive Board needed to make sure that we weren't smuggling anything we shouldn't off world. Which we were, but since a matriarch hiding underneath the be bench seats of the mako wasn't something they were looking for they shouldn't find her. At least that was according to Garrus.
He said what they were likely to be doing is scanning for contaminates, DNA of unknown origin or hidden electronic signatures aka either the biological weapon they were making, bits of rachni or a hidden data drive. They also checked our omni-tools for anything we might have illegally accessed. After Tali made sure that all they did was scan for anything we shouldn't have and not copy it they went ahead.
Gamora went first and was easily done the fastest. Tali, Kaiden, Solana and Garrus took significantly longer with Wrex taking the longest.
I was the fourth person to be checked and like Gamora, I didn't take long. Since we had some time to kill, Shepard said we could either wait on the Normandy or go enjoy the hot springs for a bit. Wrex said he wasn't interested. Garrus and Shepard needed to go to the mako while it was being checked over just in case they did find Benezia. Now that I think about it...what would happen if they did find Benezia? While it was smuggling, it's not like they had the ability or reason to stop her from leaving. Though it would mean it would be harder to keep her survival as a secret.
Entering the hot springs reception, it had a pleasant air about it. The front desk was a nice cream colour and matched the rest of the room and was being staffed by a single asari. It looked completely different to the rest of Noveria. On either side of the front desk were two white curtains. Walking towards the front desk the asari immediately greeted me."Hell my name is Kameya, how may we help you today?" she asked with a bright smile "I want to try out the hot springs." I answered "Of course. May I have your name?" asked Kameya
"Callum Maclean, I'm here on Noveria with the Normandy crew."
"I see, Wurin?" called out the asari
"Yes Kameya?" asked a voice and out from behind one of the curtains stepped a salarian
"Please show Callum to their reserved hot spring." requested Kameya before turning to me and handing me a wristband "This will allow you entry to your spring and the rest of our public facilities which include a larger public spring, food bar and small garden. Since it is a private hot spring, clothing is optional though most still tend to use swimwear or undergarments though. The water is coninually filtered and replaced but we still ask you to have a good wash before you climb in. Should the water be too hot or cold, you can adjust it yourself or ask one of our qualified staff for help."
"Please, follow me." asked the salarian before walking away
'Shepard must have hired a hot spring for us to relax...remind me to thank her later.' I thought to myself
"So do you enjoy working here?" I asked Wurin as we walked down a hallway
"Definitely, the best part is that this is the most humid area around. Aside from the humidity or steam room, as humans tend to call it. Anyway this is your room." said Wurin stopping a door "In there you will find a shower and storage for your clothes. Beyond that will be the hot spring itself. If you wish to change the atmosphere, say to romantic, play music, dim the lights or increase or decrease the temperature then please ask out loud, and the VI will make the changes for you.
However, for safety reasons, the VI will only change the temperature within a certain range due to different races having different tolerance levels. Should you wise to
change it beyond these levels please speak to our staff. However, we will not be liable for any injuries, nor do we recommend that anyone join you without informing us as their species might be more susceptible to the heat requiring us to lower the heat for safety purposes."
"I'm guessing that was done for a reason?" I asked
"Turian and a krogan kept turning up the heat to see who could take it. They were fine, but the person who got in after them nearly fried. Anyway, if you keep going down this hall you'll make it to the garden, it's an excellent place to take a break from the heat. Get a drink of ice tea or some food. Alternatively, you can call for service and have it delivered. On your left as you enter the garden will be the door to the public hot spring. Will there anything else?" asked Wurin
"I'm good thanks." I responded as I used my wristband to unlock the door. Though as walked through something occurred to me 'why would he suggest romantic?'
Closing the door behind me I had a look around. The colour of the room was a pleasing white with some yellow thrown in. The floor plan was open, on the left was a number of lockers, robes and towels. On the left was a shower big enough to fit a krogan or half an elcor. In the middle of the room was an extra drain, and at the back half of the room was the spring itself. It looked like the layout was designed so that both areas had a pretty much-unobstructed view of the other. Whether this was done to make it look could or make it hard for someone to go through your things, I wasn't sure. This was Noveria, after all and you were either trying to keep your secrets or steal someone else's.
Though the hot spring was empty at the moment, I had the feeling that after the majority of the ground crew got in, moving around would probably cause you to bump into someone. The hot spring was square with some large rock in the middle. In the back corner was a waterfall and in the other was either a real or fake plant, it was hard to tell.
Walking over to the lockers I start stowing my gear before heading over to the showers. While I didn't have swimwear on me, my briefs were the size of small shorts and should be good enough. Having a quick rinse I grab a robe before getting into the spring, placing the robe on a nearby hook as I did so.
Climbing into the water felt so good, closing my eyes I could feel the very heat of the water seep into my bones.
Behind me I heard the sound of the door opening before the shower started. Feeling someone climbing in next to me I look up and see...green ass titties.