Sol System - 07
"Joker."
"What's up, Commander?" Joker replied, not looking away from his console as Shepard walked into the cockpit.
"We just arrived in Sol System. EDI said I might be curious as to what the changes looked like since I last saw it," Shepard led.
Joker scoffed, "I mean...there are two earths now for a start, so you could say that it's different looking for sure. But coming up here to look out of a window isn't going to show you anything...they are literally on the exact opposite sides of the system. And unless your crazy new Guardian powers give you telescopic eyes...then you might as well just look at a holoscreen."
EDI's holographic sphere popped up, "It is more than just that, Commander. There is also Rasputin, the artificial intelligence that controls the Redemption, quite possibly the largest ship in existence."
"Yeah, a big invulnerable bastard of a ship that literally uses our sun as a bean bag chair," Joker said.
Shepard asked, "Bigger than the Citadel?"
Joker finally looked at him, "The Citadel is like a tiny hat for this ship, not even close."
EDI spoke, "The Citadel, when closed, is less than 10 kilometers in diameter, the arms are less than 45 kilometers long and 330 meters thick. The Redemption is around 2,200 kilometers long, approximately 1,000 kilometers wide, and 500 kilometers thick."
"You didn't have to say 'kilometers' every time you said a number," Joker commented.
"I wanted to be specific," EDI replied.
Shepard just shook his head at the idea of a ship that big, "Can you put it on screen, EDI?"
"Of course, Commander," EDI replied.
A holo-screen flickered and showed a current view of The Redemption. The ominous v-shaped ship looked to be staring right at the camera as he inspected the image. The surface of the sun wasn't visible, but there was a forest of solar flares and volcanic geysers seemingly reaching for the Redemption and out into space.
The bottom of the ship was a fiery orange, the direct reflection from the sun gave the ship an ominous glow, as the top of it was only a dark outline that cut through the light of distant stars.
The internal glowing frame-like structures of the ship had unknown purposes and looked to channel some sort of the same orange energy that the central 'eye' seemed to be creating.
The central focus was the massive diamond-shaped orange maw that looked ready to devour moons. A swirling mass of firey red and orange energy was inside, looking as if it was ready to vomit the mass of a star at any ship that it didn't like.
"That is something..." Shepard said.
"Just wait till you see New Terra, the moon is actually a giant robot-" Joker was interrupted as Shepard's Ghost, Aurora, flashed into physical form.
"We have already discussed the nature of the Traveler, thank you, Mr. Moreau," Aurora said, her smooth and feminine voice cut through his sentence.
Shepard looked at Aurora with a worried frown. He was fighting for humanity now, most of his adult life even. But the Guardians and the Traveler have been doing that for hundreds of years. He wanted to learn more from her, but they had only talked about the Traveler a few times.
Aurora had apparently exchanged a lot of information with the Ghosts from Fireteam Starfall but she didn't elaborate except that it was about 'their history'. Whatever information they had exchanged was enough to put her in a strangely depressed mood.
Regardless of that information, Aurora had been unwavering in her choice of going to the Tower. Saying that the Vanguard was just the sort of help they needed.
"How far out from New Terra are we?" Shepard asked.
"Ehhh, couple hours...damn inter-system speed limits are no joke," Joker said, "And I don't recommend going stealth since the Redemption has already spotted us."
"Right, let me know when we are on approach."
"Will do, Commander," EDI said.
Shepard decided it was time to talk with Miranda, to get her thoughts on New Terra and their trip there.
He walked down to her office and pinged the door, receiving Miranda's response as the doors turned and opened, "Come in."
"Miranda, how is it going?"
She stopped what she was doing on her terminal and looked up at him with a small smile, "I am trying to figure out a response in case Alliance ships decide that we aren't welcome here...because quite honestly, it could go bad rather fast."
Shepard nodded, "I know I am a Spectre again, but I am without a doubt not following my orders by 'operating' outside of the Terminus systems. But Aurora is adamant in her claims of this being a necessary mission."
Aurora formed from light, "You are a Guardian, John. By definition, the Alliance cannot do anything about it. As long as this ship is acknowledged as being yours, they also cannot board your ship without your permission. Since many Guardians live in their ships, it was ruled that they are their domains."
Miranda nodded, "I have been looking at that agreement between the Vanguard and the Alliance as well. Beyond just being allies with each other, the Vanguard was extremely specific on 'Guardian Rebirth' and all of the ramifications that come along with that. I believe that the Alliance didn't fully understand the possibility of someone becoming a Guardian, despite the mass amounts of evidence for it. As such, we are all listed as under your command as a member of the Vanguard and newly rebirthed Guardian."
Shepard looked at Miranda with a shocked expression.
"What? I am always prepared, Shepard. You should know that by now," Miranda said with a smirk.
Shepard laughed a bit, "Alright, my mistake for underestimating you."
"Just don't let it happen again."
"You got it," He said. "Did Rico come talk to you about upgrading the ship?"
"He did. I was planning to go meet with Amanda Holiday of the Vanguard. She is the Chief Shipwright and the one who will be able to make certain upgrades. I will get that all lined out while you handle your Guardian duties, but I am unsure we have the budget for it entirely."
"I have received a bit of Citadel credits, I will put all that towards it...wait do they take credits?"
Miranda smiled, "I heard that they do, but Rico said that the Vanguard would be willing to pay for it, especially with the urgency and content of our mission. Rico said he has seen enough 'proof' to convince them."
Shepard nodded, "Alright then, what else do you need from me?"
She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "I need you to make sure your mind is in the right place. Do what you need to do here, but know we need to get going at some point. We have people to recruit, save, and fight. That is what I need."
He sighed, "I meant-"
"I know, I just don't want to get distracted from our mission. You of all people know how important this is."
"I do understand, but I also trust my Ghost when she says that I need to speak with the Vanguard," Shepard said.
This received a satisfied nodding motion from Aurora. He smiled at his Ghost, her unique design was called a 'shell.' It was something that manifested when a Ghost claimed a Guardian. They could change their looks and colors, but they had an original shape. His was of the standard shape, yet she had taller extensions on her upper and lower points. The shell was black with graceful silver symmetrical lines that emphasized her longer shapes.
It was strange how he could pick up emotions from her 'expressions' as they were, and right now he could both see and feel her pride in his support.
Miranda was watching the pair stare at each other with curiosity but finally spoke after a good 10 seconds of silence, "I am on board with whatever decision you make, Shepard. I told you I will follow you, but I also will do my best to make sure our mission succeeds."
Shepard nodded, "That is all I can ask from you. But I think together with our crew and the Guardians, we will be enough to face the Collectors and win."
Miranda searched his face, witnessing his resolve, and smiled at him, "I believe you, Shepard."
He nodded once, perhaps more sternly than he meant, but it still conveyed his trust.
"Keiji...please talk to me."
Keiji was sitting on their temporary bed in the observation lounge. The artifacts from Kasumi and his past surrounded them, but his mind was elsewhere.
He was staring at the metal floor of the ship yet his sight was deep in his mind.
"I just remember his face, Kasumi...He died right in front of me," holding his hand out, he felt the phantom pain of his second death. He remembered the feel of the man's hand as he just gripped it for a moment. The fear in his eyes spoke louder than any explosion.
"You died too..."
"That doesn't seem to matter anymore," Keiji said, glancing at the window where his Ghost, Parker, was looking at the stars as they cruised through the Sol System.
Kasumi's heart dropped at his words, she only scooted closer to his hunched forward form. She leaned on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his burdened shoulders.
Asking if he was alright just didn't cut it, she could only offer her support.
"I am not even mad at the Commander or Zaeed, they were upfront about what they were doing. Why they were there, why it mattered, and what they had to do..." Tears began to flow down his face. "I don't know who he was or what he was doing there, shit...I don't even know what his last words were...the explosions were too loud to make them out."
Parker floated over, his articulating joints almost seeming to droop as he felt his Guardian's sorrow through their bond, "No matter what we do... people will die."
Keiji and Kasumi looked over to the empathetic Ghost as he continued speaking, "I might be a new Ghost and you a new Guardian, but talking to the others made me realize that saving everyone is impossible. They said that saving anyone is remarkable but giving everything to do so, is beyond that. It's what a Guardian does."
Kasumi wanted to snort at that, calling anything heroic felt like an outdated term. There weren't heroes anymore, there were just Guardians.
But then the hollow and horrified gaze of Keiji crossed Kasumi's mind and she remembered...Keiji is a hero...her hero. She would have to do everything she could to support him.
"Well said, Parker. Keiji, what you did terrifies me. I lost you once and my life felt meaningless. But now that you are back...I just want to run away," Kasumi said. "I won't though. People do need our help and for the first time ever...I feel like I want to help too."
Keiji leaned into her as she continued.
"At first, I was worried that you were throwing your life away again, picking strangers that were going to die anyways over me...I was mad and terrified all at once. But not anymore."
"Not anymore?"
"No...the galaxy, humanity even, needs you. And you need me."
Keiji turned and his gaze bore into Kasumi's dark eyes as he slightly nodded. He couldn't argue that point.
His lips pressed firmly against hers and he murmured, "I love you, Kasumi."
She smiled as heat blossomed all through her chest and she mumbled through locked lips, "I love you too, my Keiji."
Inside their M3-D1 Valkyrie, Fireteam Starfall was relaxing in the various ways that they enjoyed. Rico was sitting in his favorite chair, reading a tablet about upcoming events in the Last City.
Kessa was doing some sort of yoga that she had come up with. Mixing martial aspects into it, she formed a sort of Kata. Her movements were deadly and graceful all at once as she held her Quickfang.
Kira was sitting at her workbench, compulsively deconstructing, cleaning, and rebuilding the weapons she used. This was something that her Ghost could do at any time in a matter of seconds. Just a flash of light and it would be finished, but that wasn't the point. It was cathartic and the tactile sensations of manipulating her weaponry always brought her mind around.
A message pinged in Rico's mind, sent from his Ghost, "Hey, Rico?"
"Yeah, Sam?" He spoke telepathically through his connection to her.
"A Miss Chambers is here, hoping to speak with all of Starfall, would you like me to warp her in?"
"One sec," Rico switched to vocals, "Hey ladies, we have the Yeoman Chambers here looking to speak with us...do you want me to let her in?"
Kessa finished up her stretch before glancing at Kira, "Uhh, sure...Adam, give me something comfy to wear please!"
A flash of light and Kessa was wearing skin-tight pants and a hooded sporty shirt with soft billowing sleeves.
Kira was so in the zone that she didn't hear.
"Kira?" Rico asked louder.
The Warlock jumped lightly, her Light beginning to ignite with Solar power until she realized that Rico was calling her.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Rico with a questioning gaze her bright gaze illuminated the path of her vision.
"Yeoman Chambers wishes to speak with us, do you want to...put some clothes on?"
Her eyes went wide and she looked down at herself. Her cheeks turned purple from the light blue they were, clearly blushing. She nodded and telepathically sent a message to her Ghost to get some robes on her. She also covered her face with one of her helmets but then continued cleaning the Loaded Question.
"Alright Sam, go ahead and Transmatt her in here," Rico said.
Without another word, Kelly Chambers appeared inside their relatively small ship with a pop.
"Ooop!" She yelped.
Rico stood with a smile and offered his hand, "Welcome Yeoman Chambers. What can we help you with?"
"Oh! Sorry, I knew that the teleporting thing here would be strange, but I guess that didn't prepare me for it."
"Uh, no problem," Rico said.
Kessa laughed, "It can be a bit jarring at first, but it's way better than a silly hatch or something."
"That is true, I guess. Airlocks always make me nervous for some reason," She said with a laugh. "Anyways, I was only coming by to speak with all of you. I am more than just the Yeoman on this ship and it is partially my duty to act as the ship's counselor. As a part of that, I would just love to see if I can at least meet everyone on the ship, to offer a free ear, or if there is anything I can help with."
"Ship's councilor, is it?" Rico asked.
"I am," Kelly smiled.
Rico exchanged glances with Kessa as Kira was still working on one of her fusion rifles, "Either way this goes down...maybe go speak to Garrus and Keiji... They just became Guardians after all."
"I have heard a bit about the burden you all bear...would you be willing to expand on that a bit?" Kelly asked, noticing that The Guardian hadn't turned to look at her and that she was still fully armored.
Kessa scoffed lightly, but Rico shot her a look.
"I would be happy to discuss this with you a bit Kelly," Rico said and Kessa walked up next to Kelly and summoned a Light-Couch of purple void energy.
"Oh wow! That is incredible! This is that other power, the one different from Biotics, right?"
Kessa smiled, "It is, and don't worry, it won't hurt you unless I want it to."
Rico sighed at Kessa's statement, "Here, please sit here Miss Chambers, I will sit with Kessa..."
Kelly was looking nervous as the towering form of Rico gestured to his comfortable chair.
"Thank you, both of you," Kelly said with such sincerity that it was impossible to be mad at her.
"No problem. Let me tell you about us Guardians."
Rico went into a long and drawn-out tale of the burdens and tribulations that Guardians carry. The endless deaths, the constant battling through wars and countless catastrophic enemies...the sacrifices.
As the story went on, Kessa leaned against Rico and seemed to feel his story through the deep vibrations that produced his voice.
Kelly would keep glancing at the Guardian, her trance-like state was unending as she cycled through nearly 5 different weapons as Rico continued the story. She was finally working on cleaning and oiling a beautiful single-handed sword with a black blade and golden handle.
"That is both incredible and terrifying, I can't imagine going through what you have all gone through. You briefly spoke on Silent or Nameless Guardians...is that.." Kelly gestured to the Guardian.
Rico nodded, "She is her own person, but everything we go through affects us all differently."
"You were all reborn on the New Terra...before the warp here?"
Rico and Kessa both nodded, "I was around for maybe 4 or 5 years before the Red War, about a year or two before Kessa I think?"
She nodded again.
"And her?" Kelly asked with the same worried frown on her face.
"Just as the Red War started-" Rico began but was interrupted.
Ghost manifested above Kira's shoulder, "I brought my Guardian back from a pit of corpses at the start of the Red War, she has gone through much, but please do not talk about her as if she is not right here."
"I-I am sorry, Guardian, Ghost. I just would like to learn more about all of you. It seemed like I shouldn't have tried to do so like that and I do apologize," She said. Once again her voice was so sincere that it was hard to not believe her.
Kessa sighed, stood up, and walked over to the Guardian. She draped herself over the other Awoken and leaned into her helmet.
Kelly watched as the Guardian's body language changed. It was tense and rigid, using the movements of cleaning weapons as a front to hide her intense emotions at the conversation. When Kessa hugged her, the tension drained and she stopped working on cleaning the sword in front of her.
"I can see that there are a lot of heavy emotions between you all, it is a beautiful thing."
Rico chuckled, staring at those he cared about, "It really is."
Shepard stood on the platform in the CIC, overlooking the image of New Terra. He saw the halo of Guardian ships, slowly floating just outside of the atmosphere.
He saw the massive moon that they called the Traveller, the energy he recognized as Light floating around it, along with debris suspended on those strange tendrils.
The Last City as it was called, was sprawled out beneath the Traveller. Spilling out beyond the massive walls, the city had a myriad of architecture and cultures.
"Commander, mind patching me through to the Tower?" Rico asked.
"EDI?" Shepard asked.
"Of course, connecting to you right now, Rico-77," EDI said.
Rico was patched right through his helmet and was given a waypoint to send to the Normandy after he explained the situation to the Tower. The information was relayed and the Normandy began her descent.
It wasn't 10 minutes before they docked in a newer section of the Tower, a massively rebuilt and expanded hangar.
"Commander, I think Kessa and the Guardian will take Garrus and Keiji to meet their Vanguard representative, but we should all go meet Zavala first," Rico said.
Shepard nodded, feeling agreement with Aurora, "Alright," He turned to find Miranda, "And do you want to come with us or what are you doing?"
Miranda looked slightly surprised to be questioned like that, "I could either meet with Amanda Holliday or I can follow you. Either way, we need to discuss the upgrades with the Vanguard. The sooner the better."
"Zavala would be the one we need to get the approval of first. We give him all the information you have on the missing colonists and we make our case. Being a new wave of Guardians though, he will want to support you and your crew most likely," Rico explained.
"And do you plan to continue with us after we leave New Terra?" Shepard asked.
Rico laughed, "The Guardian would never let us leave a potential fight."
Sam popped up over his shoulder, "I wouldn't let you leave either!"
Rico laughed, "True." He made eye contact with Shepard, "If you will have us, Commander, we are in."
Shepard nodded again, "Right, we go as a group to meet Zavala," he gestured towards Miranda, "We can figure out the plan from there, but I want you with me as we meet Zavala."
"Of course, Commander," Miranda said.
The group of Fireteam Starfall, Shepard, Miranda, Keiji, and Garrus all piled out of the ship. A few loud slams and it seemed that Grunt and Zaheed would also be joining them, though they went off exploring instead of sticking with Shepard.
Rico wasted no time marching Shepard and most of his combat-capable crew to meet with Zavala.
He knew exactly where he would be, the same place where Zavala always was. The Tower might look different but the small courtyard containing Zavala's perch was still in action.
"Commander Zavala..." Rico led when they made it.
"Ah, Rico, Fireteam Starfall. Good to see you all," Zavala said as he turned. The rest of Starfall greeted him as normally as they do.
"This is Commander Shepard, new Titan of the Guardians, Spectre of the Council, and well, Commander in the Alliance," Rico introduced.
"Commander Zavala, it is good to meet you."
"You prefer the title Commander?" Zavala asked.
"That is fine, though in this circumstance Spectre or Guardian are also acceptable," Shepard said.
Zavala walked forward and held his hand out, the two Commanders shook hands.
Above Shepard's shoulder, Aurora formed, "Greetings, I am Aurora, since my Guardian decided not to introduce me."
Her affronted feminine voice had Zavala chuckling, "Good to meet you as well Aurora, I would introduce you to Targe, but he is quite shy right now."
"Ah, I see."
Zavala continued, "So, Fireteam Starfall's mission is complete, they found three new Guardians. A Titan..."
Shepard nodded, "And Garrus Vakarian here, I believe they said he was a Hunter or something."
Zavala's eyes went wide, "A Turian?! So it is true then, a non-human Guardian. It is an honor to meet you Guardian Vakarian. I don't know how the Turian Hierarchy will want to handle this, but I will make sure that you and your Ghost are both informed of your rights as a part of the Vanguard and the Alliance."
Garrus nodded, "Good to meet you as well, Sir. This is Zorah. I have always heard of the work of Spectre Spiras Vectarin on New Terra, it is an honor to be here."
Zavala nodded to his words and his Ghost, "Indeed, I believe Spectre Vectarin owns an apartment in the Last City, she stops by often, I will have Targe see if she is around."
Garrus nodded again.
Shepard continued, "This is Gaurdian Keiji Okuda, another Hunter according to Starfall."
"Two for the Hunters, Cayde will be excited," Zavala's amused voice said.
Kessa laughed, "More like annoyed."
Zavala didn't deny it.
"It's good to meet you, sir," Keiji said.
Zavala nodded, feeling the weight of heavy emotions behind Keiji's eyes, he measured his voice and adjusted to it, "It's good to meet you as well, Hunter."
Zavala took a breath and looked around, "Three new Guardian's from our new universe. It is inspiring."
"Commander Zavala, I need to speak with you about my current mission," Shepard said, moving into the main reason why he even bothered coming here.
"Your current mission?" Zavala asked with curiosity.
Rico nodded, "It's important, sir."
Zavala nodded, "Right, let's go to the conference room to speak privately."
"How about I take the new Hunters to meet Cayde while the rest of you talk?" Kessa asked.
"Of course, I think he is with Failsafe."
"Great! Come on you two! I will introduce you to Cayde-6!" Kessa said. She turned and looked at The Guardian and sent a message via Fireteam Chat, "Come with me?"
The Guardian nodded at her, before placing a gentle hand on Rico's shoulder. Her faceless mask stared up into Rico's glowing eyes. He placed his hand on her arm and smiled, Kessa felt the exchange of emotions through the simple gestures and smiled at both of them. Rico turned his gaze to her and he winked.
Kessa snorted and walked off, leaving a final message, "Have a good meeting, love."
"And this is Freedom's Progress?" Zavala asked, looking at the projected images of the desolate colony.
"Yes sir, completely devoid of life, but there have been others as well," Shepard explained and he nodded to Miranda.
Her Omnitool lit up, "Commander Shepard is correct, there have been many events like this that all take place out in the Terminus systems. We have many colonies as a race, but they are not being defended properly. It is our mission to find these Collectors, figure out where they are coming from, and stop them."
"Furthermore, we believe that they are connected to the Reapers, but aren't sure how. I don't know if you were around yet, but the Reaper Ship, Sovereign, was who attacked the Council. The 'Official Belief' of the Council is that it was just a ship that the Spectre Saren was using to do so. But I was there. I fought him. He was no Turian by the time we engaged in the Council Chamber, but instead was an abomination of Reaper technology," Shepard explained.
"This is their indoctrination method you spoke of?" Zavala clarified.
"To an extreme degree, Dr. Mordin Solus, who is currently on board the Normandy, theorized that the Reapers use some form of bio-mechanical nanotechnology that rebuilds the body. It essentially takes all the memories of that person and turns them into a thrall of the Reapers," Miranda explained.
"I see..." Zavala's customary frown was in full bloom.
"To summarize," Miranda said, "Our mission is to use our stealth capabilities to somehow catch a Collector ship. Break into their systems, and find out everything we can... home base location, who they answer to, and what their goals are. Then we use that knowledge to launch an attack on them. We came here to hopefully better arm and enhance our capabilities as Fireteam Starfall here described."
Rico nodded, "We had enough gear to arm an army, but Kessa is a lady and her gear doesn't fit males or Turians for that matter. I also know that we should be able to upgrade their ship, the Normandy quite a bit." He shrugged, "Fireteam Starfall is willing to donate more than what we have already given to help. And of course, we request to maintain our position under Guardian, Spectre, and Commander Shepard for the duration of this conflict."
Zavala nodded, "The Vanguard is in a time of prosperity, it seems. The threats to New Terra are minimal at this moment, but what you describe is something that we would always help with. Targe, send a message to the rest of the Vanguard, Holliday, and Banshee-44. Have them prepared to equip the Normandy and her crew with whatever they need."
He turned back to the table, "I will set missions to have Fireteams head out to colonies. It might not stop an invasion, but it could delay it enough for reinforcements to arrive. I won't lie to you Shepard, you represent a lot of factions and people all crammed into one massive Titan suit.
"That has the potential to bring a lot of eyes and people to your cause and I fully intend to bring it to light. We are going to support you on this, but you need to be ready for the ramifications of doing so, especially since you have retained your memories of being alive as a member of the Alliance."
Shepard's face darkened, "You are saying that factions, even the four that I represent, and I do have members of my crew that are Cerberus," He nodded to Miranda, "That they all will vie for prime control of me and my crew?"
Zavala nodded, "Indeed, and I am saying that you should change that, become a beacon that represents all, yet bows to none. You take advice and requests, but you do not follow anyone's direct orders. The only way that you can maintain your strength is to represent everyone. Become a symbol for people to rally behind."
Zavala continued, "I have a feeling that you will succeed."
Shepard followed his line of thinking. If he wanted the authority and power of a Spectre, a Guardian, and a member of the Alliance, then he had to represent all but be unbiased to all. That starts with this current mission, "The Reaper's and Collector's are connected, so I need to find proof. I need to figure out why they are only targeting humanity, and how to stop them."
Zavala nodded, "You have my support on this, starting with your ship and crew. But I can't hide this from the public, my missions to the Colonies alone will stir up the Tower."
Shepard looked to Miranda and she nodded enthusiastically which he thought was surprising. "You are alright with this? Maybe becoming a face to some...renegade?"
She scoffed lightly, "You are the face, but we have a mission. More people supporting the colonies with Guardians can only be a good thing. We have a mission, and I will take any and all help we can get."
Shepard nodded at that and looked back to Zavala, "It seems I need to speak with my crew."
"You do that."
Cayde-6 had a glowing green drink in his hand as he sat at a table next to Failsafe, "You know...things were so much different back then, I actually had to work. Now, it's like I have an assistant for every task. I have been using hand gestures too, many times I don't even have to speak to them, and they just go do stuff. It's fantastic."
"You seem so relaxed these days Cayde-unit," Failsafe began, her tone switching from positive and slightly sarcastic to fully disgusted and negative, "No wonder you don't work anymore."
"Ah, Failsafe...honey, you are cruel. I mean, look at me! I am burning with...the work stuff, right now! I am so reliable that anyone can find me right here...AT THE BAR!" Cayde said while looking around.
Kessa, the Guardian, and two others walked up as if on cue, "See?" Cayde said, "People looking for me? I mean, Failsafe, how can you say that I am not working, these people here are in desperate need of my work, right?"
Kessa nodded, "Yes, I agree to whatever weird scheme you have come up with."
"Kessa, you're the best, so glad you came to see me, and oh my dear Guardian is that you? Come to rescue me from work?" Cayde said to the Guardian.
She tilted her helmet and light formed, congealing in her hands. A reddish rooster popped into existence and she began to pet it.
"AHHH!" Cayde yelled as he dramatically fell to his knees, "You wound me again! Colonel, the bestest rooster in the land! How dare you go into retirement without me!"
Kessa was laughing and Garrus and Keiji exchanged confused glances. When they turned back, Cayde was gone.
Garrus heard a sniffing sound and he turned left.
Cayde-6 was standing next to him, "Well, you certainly smell like Guardian, but definitely not human, that is quite interesting."
"Neither are you..." Garrus said.
"Was it my horn that gave me away?"
Garrus looked up to his horn.
"Hey! Don't look at it! You will make me blush," Cayde said.
"Cayde unit, I believe you are making our new Guardians nervous," Failsafe said, her dual voices once again ringing throughout the room, "They probably hate you."
"Don't be mean Failsafe! Everyone hates Cayde-6 at first, he's got to slowly break down your walls and then he finally becomes funny!" Kessa said while laughing.
Even the Guardian's shoulders were shaking lightly.
Cayde just stared at Kessa before turning back to Garrus, "I don't deserve that, do I? I mean, I worked SO hard to...you know, do whatever I have to do, and this is how they speak to me...Disrespectful! I tell you."
"Uhh, I can't imagine why," Garrus said.
A flash of white light covered Garrus and his mechanical-sounding Ghost popped out in surprise as Cayde's scanned them.
"Thank you, Sundance, what kind of Hunter are you anyway? I get an Arc feel from you...do you by chance lick spark plugs, batteries, and slash or do you enjoy hanging out in high places during lightning storms?" Cayde asked with total seriousness as his Ghost, Sundance, finished scanning Garrus.
"Uhhhh.." Garrus began but was immediately interrupted by Cayde.
"Shhh! Don't answer...I can tell with my mind..." Cayde stared at Garrus with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Stop looking at my horn, it's distracting," He whispered.
"I'm not looking at your horn..." Garrus said, unsure whether he was amused or annoyed.
Keiji was just watching this whole situation with disbelief.
"He hasn't discovered his Super yet, but he's definitely an Arc Hunter. Good at ranged shots, damn near reborn with a sniper in his hands. Haven't been able to watch Keiji yet, do you know your element?" Kessa asked Keiji.
"Void. It's void, but Parker said I haven't found a Super yet," Keiji said.
Parker appeared above his shoulder, "I have a feeling it will be something to do with movement or transportation. I am unclear why though."
Keiji frowned at that. It would be a worthy power, to save instead of destroy.
Cayde looked over to him, "Movement, huh? I think I have something you might like. BUUUT we will deal with that later. Sundance did you get this him also?"
Keiji flashed with white light, being scanned, "Got it!" Sundance said.
"Thanks," Cayde said. "Alright, I will have some of our top weapon and armor smiths put the best work together! I mean, top-of-the-line, highest Light armor you can find! You won't believe how long it takes to finish armor like this! I mean, you might as well make a spaceship or something! You have no idea the amount of sparkly little crystal that goes into making something like the armor and weapons we have...You would never-"
Failsafe finally interrupted Cayde, "Armor and weapons are finished, I will Transmatt them to your Ghosts!" Failsafe's happy voice was so jarring that her sarcastic statement hurt to hear, "Don't bother thanking me."
"Ahem...right, well, you are lucky we have such dedicated-" Cayde was interrupted once again as both new Hunters flashed with white light.
Keiji was encompassed in a set known as the Pathfinder Armor. It had dark purple metal plates with silver accents and everything else was pitch black.
"Hmmm, I didn't actually order the colors like that...must have been a personal choice," Cayde said.
Parker popped up, "I made the colors match his Void affinity."
Keiji's helmet disappeared and his hood remained, "I like this."
Cayde nodded and Kessa commented, "Very nice armor guys."
The Guardian quietly clapped her hands and made some solar firecrackers that silently popped into sparks.
Cayde inspected Garrus's armor next, the same blue, white, and black color scheme that he loved was in place, but it was much different.
He now had a hood that covered his head crest and lay perfectly over his brow. The helmet was on as well, a large black circle over the right eye was the only feature on the face of the blue helm, something to enhance his aim maybe. White lines could be seen trailing down his helmet crest under the hood and the sharp angles were unlike anything a Turian had worn before.
He looked less gangly and more deadly as the armor set lay perfectly on his frame.
"I like the eyeball, that is like a super zooming thing, right?" Cayde asked.
His Ghost appeared, "I noticed that Garrus enjoyed having a tactical aiming device, so I wanted to incorporate it in his new armor. Thank you Failsafe, for being so accommodating."
"You are welcome, Zorah," Failsafe said happily, "I always do as I am told..."
Zorah and Garrus exchanged glances at the antics of the AI.
"Garrus, please don't correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a Light-made sniper already, correct?" Cayde asked with a straight face.
"I do, Albruna-D and Finite Impactor, gifts from Starfall," He nodded at Kessa.
Kessa smiled.
"So you need some mid-range, here ya go," Cayde-6 said and gestured to the table.
A Riskrunner appeared with a flash of light.
Kessa scoffed, "You're just giving him an exotic, I had to friggin' grind for my first Riskrunner."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Cayde said, before moving back to Keiji.
"Alright, you got the Palindrome hand cannon and the Funnelweb SMG. The question is, what should be the third weapon..." Cayde said while looking at Keiji with a stern expression.
"What? No, I don't."
Parker looked down at his waist, "Sorry, Keiji, I equipped both for you."
"I didn't even feel them..." Keiji said, realizing that he had a weapon on his back and a hand cannon on his hip. He pulled the hand cannon, the frame was purple, matching his armor and the grip and barrel were all black. It was a beautiful weapon, "More purple and black?"
Parker wasn't sure what to say but Cayde spoke up, "Hey don't worry about it, you have a theme, you know? All the good ones have a theme."
Cayde continued, "So, in continuing with that theme... here is a Pulse Rifle, it does better at range, obviously, but it is an Arc weapon so it might not be as comfortable as a void one, but it's one of the best out there."
He put down a Phyllotactic Spiral. The weapon was beautifully decorated with glowing and swirling lines of pink and purple light as if someone drew purple wind along it. The small scope fits perfectly and the weapon feels powerful.
"I do apologize, as I have used it. I got exactly 69 Cabal kills with it. Then I retired it because I REFUSE to call her back," Cayde said while looking around.
The silence was painful, "What?"
"Nothing..." Kessa said, shaking her head at Cayde's antics.
Keiji gently grabbed the pulse rifle and inspected it, "This thing is beautiful."
Parker spoke up, "You really did get 69 kills with this weapon didn't you?"
"What? Don't believe me?" Cayde said.
Parker showed the information in a mental 'pop-up' screen and sure enough:
Enemies Slain: 69.
Keiji sighed, "Well, it's alright, I will put it to good use."
"I know you will, making me so proud that I might die and turn into Cayde-7."
While Garrus and Keiji met with Cayde-6, Shepard was held back from the meeting with Zavala.
"A moment of your time, Guardians. If you don't mind," Zavala asked.
"Of course," Shepard said, he nodded to Miranda who acknowledged it and walked out of the room. Rico was welcomed to stay though, and Shepard knew it had to do with being a Titan.
After the rest of the room left, Zavala addressed Shepard, "I just wanted to formally welcome you to the Titans of the Guardians. As the leader of the Vanguard, I am also the representative to all Titans, including you and Rico-77 here."
Rico nodded, "I remember your speech like it was yesterday, but it was before the Red War, so things were different back then."
Zavala nodded, "Indeed. Yet it seems that we are soon facing another incoming crisis. Another form of Darkness that we must defeat. Shepard, speak to me about your Guardian abilities, have you fully unlocked them yet?"
Shepard nodded, "I have a Super that Starfall had been pushing to name Void Eater. It feels like void threads spread out to everyone that is an enemy around me and I can sort of pull the...I don't know the stability of their forms. Or no, it hits machines too, I am not sure how it works. But I can destroy them with Void Light essentially, somehow pulling stuff from them."
"Fascinating," Zavala said as Aurora played a video of him using it on Omega. "Void Eater Titan, now that is an intimidating name."
Rico and Shepard laughed lightly at that.
"Right, I don't know how your weapons situation is looking, but I have a rifle down at Banshee-44's shop for you to pick up when you are ready. If you have any questions about being a Guardian, or a Titan, or you need help in the political realms, let me know. Rico is also a very experienced Titan, and is surely at your disposal."
Shepard nodded, "I will."
"Good, I need to send out instructions, we have rooms available while your ship is being worked on, so make yourselves at home."
"Thank you, Commander."
"Of course, Guardian."
The rest of that day was filled with meetings. Commander Shepard made sure that he had the time and one by one he took his crew into a meeting room and questioned everyone on their feelings about the mission, the consequences of his choices, and the continued service on the success of the mission.
The response he received was surprisingly positive. There were hardly any negative complaints and only a bit of nervousness at the thought of going toe to toe with the Collectors.
It was reassuring to him that he had such a dedicated crew. They would be severely tested in the coming weeks.
Speaking with Jacob was easy, as he was more inclined to follow the Commander than Cerberus anyway.
The hardest conversation he had was with Miranda. Who was still loyal to the Illusive Man and his goals. Shepard trusted Miranda to follow her instincts but still held out for her to stay. He wanted her as his number 2, and he would fight to get her to stay. They agreed to finish the mission and see where things went before continuing the conversation.
He didn't bother with the rest of the combat-oriented members of his crew, they would stay or go as the mission went. Each had already agreed and that was enough for Shepard.
For two days, the crew of the Normandy, fighters included, enjoyed the comforts of the Tower.
Fireteam Starfall went back to their daily training routines, including picking up a few hours of Crucible training each day.
Zaeed and Grunt had found common ground as they watched the Crucible matches that were held in the Tower's Arena. They sat there watching matches for nearly the entire time. Crucible matches happen nearly all the hours of the day and Guardians can be found duking it out. Being a part of Shepard's crew, they had no trouble watching the fights.
Keiji and Kasumi had found an apartment within Last City, both of them promising to make a new home there. It was unclear where they had acquired enough money to buy the apartment in one go, but no one bothered asking. Keiji also spent some time with his fellow Hunter Guardians, though he hadn't found his weapon or Super yet.
Garrus spent the two days training with Hunters and even got a few Crucible matches in. It was during his third match, having died many times, that he discovered his Arc Super. It let him summon a rifle made out of pure Arc energy, but it was nearly 2 and a half meters long. He fired a single devastating Arc shot that utterly annihilated the two Guardians the missile went through.
They didn't have a name for it yet, but people were starting to call Garrus the Arc-Angel after hearing about his past alias. In the end, Garrus called his Super an Arcshot Super.
Jack had found a nightclub where she ended up getting into a fight with a Hunter Guardian. They ended up staying together for two days, and he even offered to bring his team along with the Normandy, but Jack declined.
Mordin, Miranda, and Jacob were mostly with the ship, though Mordin had found a lab offered to him by the Salarians in the Circle of Life Cultural Center. The Salarian Tower had many fully-capable labs and getting more scientists and aides involved only accelerated his progress. He had a fully anti-Seeker Swarm system that could be mass-produced in a day's work.
The Seeker Swarms were biological machines that input nanites with each sting. The nanites send paralyzing signals through the nervous system, followed by the projection of a stasis field around the body. It is impossible to move once stung, but the counter that Mordin had thought of made the Seeker Swarms unable to track and target people within the disruption field created by his devices. It can only just cover a humanoid body and each non-Guardian would have to equip them.
Back at the Tower, things were happening, even outside of the Normandy and her crew. Fireteams of Guardians were flying away from the Tower and the Ring of Guardians in large packs. Many of them accepted missions to go and protect human colonies, with the potential bounties for Collector kills.
Zavala had contacted the Alliance about potential incoming attacks on outer colonies in the Terminus System. He received little response besides approval to have Guardians patrol.
The Normandy had been moved to a new and larger ship bay where Holliday and her staff were upgrading the Normandy SR2. The hull itself was nearly replaced in its entirety with Light-forged and enhanced metals. A Transmatting System was added, the tech systems were upgraded, and the Main Cannon was entirely replaced with a devastating weapon provided by Rasputin.
When the Warmind heard about the Normandy and its new Guardian Commander, it had sent a drone to scan it. Rasputin then followed up by sending higher levels of technology to improve the ship. Holliday wasn't mad, since the new upgrades would go faster with Rasputin's drones taking on smaller projects.
All over the ship, Transmatt and Shield projection arrays were placed around Light-forged armor plates. The engine core was upgraded as well, keeping the same design and engine type but increasing the efficiency with higher-quality materials for connections and larger sections.
A literal hoard of drones had shown up to work on the ship, and Holliday and crew were glad to have the help. With all the upgrades in place, the final thing that was needed was a new paint job.
The ship was painted black. NORMANDY SR2 was in white on both sides, but on the right side, a single massive red stripe ran down the length of the newly armored hull, with two smaller white lines on either side. Just like Shepard's N7 armor originally had.
The rear of the ship had a series of symbols, different on each side.
"From left to right, The Vanguard, the Alliance, the Council, and Cerberus logos. On the other side are the symbols for Titan Guardian, Citadel Spectre, and Alliance N7 Special Forces. It seems Zavala wasn't kidding about sending a message," Aurora said.
"I guess not."
"Well?" Miranda asked from behind him.
He turned and looked straight into her dark eyes. She had a slight smirk on as she sauntered towards him, "It's pretty damn good, in all honesty."
"I concur, they did way more than I thought was possible. We had EDI watching everything and it all turned out well," Miranda said.
Shepard knew Miranda was worried about surveillance and breaches so it was good to hear she approved of the entire operation.
"As far as upgrades go, is there anything that stands out to you? Anything I should know about?" Shepards said.
Miranda shrugged, "Besides the new Transmatt Systems, which has a 50-meter range, there are a plethora of updates that not only make the jobs easier for many departments but also more effective. I am extremely impressed with most of the upgrades, considering the ship was originally top of the line before."
He nodded, "Garrus was foaming at the mouth when he looked at the new weapons systems."
She laughed lightly, "After looking at the new estimated potential of the Normandy, so was Joker."
Shepard laughed as well.
Before he could continue a message beeped through Aurora, "John! The Colony Horizon is being invaded! The Fireteam on sight has engaged the Collectors!"
Shepard and Miranda exchanged glances, "Here we go."