Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect.
Crimson Dragon
"Talking"
"Thinking"
The room was silent as the people watched the girl through the cameras. Anderson felt on edge, had been ever since he arrived on Mindor. It was clear that slavers had struck the colony. Some of the destruction could be laid on their heads. But not all of them. Anderson didn't know any slavers that would drop their own ship out of orbit onto the colony and the surrounding area, short-circuiting the eezo in the process. He didn't even know anything that could short-circuit eezo!
But from what scant reports he had read, the girl tossing and turning in the bed was involved. Involved in such a way a call had to be made back to Nirn.
A knock echoed at the door, breaking the silence. "Captain Anderson, your…guest has arrived," said one of the marines outside. He sounded nervous, which was puzzling.
"Send him in," Anderson ordered, turning around.
Once the door opened and the man walked in, Anderson paled. Now he understood why the marine had been nervous. It wasn't the fact the man stood tall, taller than anyone there. It was more because of the traveler's cloak that covered him from head to toe. Only his face was barely seen underneath the hood. The eyes all but glowed golden as they took in the room. According to the tales, there was only one person who dressed like that.
Anderson swallowed the dryness in his throat. "My lord," he began.
His next words died as the newcomer looked at him. "I am not a lord." His voice had a surprising richness yet held a slight vibration. "I hold no rank. Simply call me by my name."
It might not have sounded like an order but there was no doubt it was one. So, Anderson tried again. "Silkaaljul, I am Captain Anderson," he introduced himself. He gestured to the soldier at the console. "This is Corporal Cynric." The corporal turned and bowed his head.
The newcomer considered him for a long moment. "A Breton."
The corporal paused. "Y…yes, I am." He wanted to add an honorific, but he wasn't sure which one to use.
"I knew a Breton with your name once, in Riften."
Cynric shared a look with Anderson. They weren't exactly sure how to answer that. Perhaps it was best not to. "Can I ask why you are here?" said Anderson.
"You called High Hrothgar."
"Yes, but I expected a Greybeard to arrive, not…you." The last word felt inadequate.
Silkaaljul regarded the Redguard with a long look. "Your message resonated with what we all felt through Mundus. The Greybeards wanted to investigate but my friend requested that I look into it." The Men in the room let their eyes go wide. They knew who he was talking about. They had to be fools not to. "Now, before we continued, who is the woman currently glaring at my back?"
The glare certainly was impressive. It wasn't even directed at Anderson and he was still uncomfortable. "That's Taorya Pere," he explained. "The actress?" He wasn't sure if their guest watched TV.
Silkaaljul turned his head and looked at her. "Why are you here?" She seemed young. He had heard how asari had three stages of life. Was this what was known as the Maiden?
Anyone else might've been angered by how blunt the question was. Taorya's mother certainly would've. But she responded in kind. "That's my kid in there." She looked to the cameras briefly and her glare softened with love.
He looked back at Anderson. "Is she?"
"The adoption was in progress when everything happened," he explained. "It's a bit up in the air at the moment."
Taorya's glare swiftly directed itself onto him. "Not from where I'm standing," Taorya said.
"Peace," Silkaaljul said. One word and the room went silent. "Captain Anderson, explain to me what happened here."
Glad that he didn't get into another argument with the asari, Anderson began. "Approximately a week ago, slavers struck the Alliance colony here on Mindoir. There was no warning, and the colony was only just able to send out a distress signal. By the time a ship had responded, it was already done."
He nodded. "I've seen the damage." There was work being done but it was clear the colony was a long way from being habitable. "But what does this have to do you contacting High Hrothgar, Captain Anderson?"
"…After extensive examination, it is believed that the slavers crashed before they could flee, due to magic. Specifically, a Thu'um."
That got Silkaaljul's attention. Magic couldn't really function outside the Mundus System. It worked fine on Nirn and the surrounding planets but once through the relay, it was prone to malfunctions, going so far as explode. There had been some reports that it was starting to stabilize in the Exodus Cluster but only just.
Because of this handicap, Nirnians and the System Alliance were forced to rely on eezo technology, including weapons and biotics. It was why magic users, especially the Mer, didn't stray too far from the Mundus System. But now, they had proof that magic could function properly in the galaxy.
The newcomer understood it all as well, especially the implication about the type of magic. His golden eyes found the girl on the camera. She was scared and in misery, even as she slept. "Which Thu'um?" he asked.
"That's the thing. We don't know."
His eyes turned from the camera and looked at Anderson. "You don't know."
"Yes. We looked through all the information of known Thu'ums. What happened didn't register with any of them. I haven't heard of anything like this," he admitted.
"We managed to find a camera recording of when it happened," Corporal Cynric added. "There was no audio, but we had someone who could read lips." He looked at his omni-tool, which held the notes. "She was able to figure out what the girl said. Apparently, it was three words: Al, Du—"
"DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME!"
The roar filled the room, forcing its power upon them all, while those eyes burned with a sun's fury. If Anderson hadn't steadied himself on a chair, he would've fallen to his knees. Taorya was holding onto the wall, her annoyance quickly being overwritten by fear. They were the presence of a great predator; one they had unintentionally pissed off.
The corporal received the worst of it. His healthy skin had gone pale and sweat caked his brow. The only reason there wasn't a suspicious smell emanating from his chair was because he hadn't eaten in hours. "I-I-I'm sorry," he managed to get out. "I m-meant no dis-dis-disrespect." At this point, he didn't care if he sounded pathetic. Only that his words were heard.
Silkaaljul's eyes were still burning as they stared at the Brenton. They dimmed back down to glowing as he breathed in deep. "If you…insist on talking about him, I'll accept one of his titles." It wasn't an apology, only an allowance.
The Breton's cluelessness shined through in his face. Anderson quickly wrote down a single word on a nearby paper scrap and passed it to him. Cynric paled even further, if that was possible, after reading the note. He swallowed and said, "Yes, my lord." At this point, he felt an honorific was a good way to ensure he didn't die.
Another moment of silence passed before the newcomer spoke. "So, Anderson, you're saying that a new Thu'um has been discovered and it has the power to disrupt eezo. Correct?" It might've been voiced as a question, but everyone knew it wasn't.
Anderson nodded. "Yes. Combined with the fact the girl uttered the Thu'um, you can understand why I contacted High Hrothgar and requested a Greybeard."
"I do." He considered the girl again. "You believe she is a Dovahkiin."
"The evidence does seem to suggest that."
Taorya had been losing her patience since this whole thing had started. Now the humans were making up words. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"The girl's future," Silkaaljul said. That was all he said to her. His eyes stayed on the cameras. The girl was young, practically a child. "Who is she?"
The corporal quickly brought up the information. "From what we've learned, her name is Jane. She was an orphan back on Nirn, from the Imperial City or Anvil." The eyes found him, and he explained. "She was guessing. There was water outside the walls. That much she knew. She didn't say anything, but we guess that she was in a street-level gang."
"How did she end up on Mindoir?"
"Apparently, it was an accident. She thought she ran into a warehouse one night and fell asleep. Only it turned out to be the ship bound for Mindoir. By the time she was found, they were already through the relay. So she became the colony orphan." He wasn't sure if he should mention the next aspect or not.
He didn't get the chance. "That's when I found her," Taorya said. "She was a sweet kid who trying to find ways to get cash. What I saw of her life was wrong, so I resolved to change it. I adopted her."
"Ms. Pere, technically speaking, you still haven't," Anderson told her. It's not that he wanted to be the offensive person but the point had to be made.
Her glare was very impressive. "It wouldn't be technically if you Alliance men kept up this farce!"
"It's not a farce, ma'am. She—"
"How certain are you that she's a Dovahkiin?" Silkaaljul asked Anderson.
He was glad for the change in conversation, even if it annoyed Taorya further. "It seems conclusive, but we're not sure. After all," and here he had to tread very carefully, "your friend was supposed to be the last, wasn't he?"
"That would clearly be wrong. And there's the matter of the Thu'um."
"Um, if I may?" Corporal Cynric said. He did his best not to wither under those golden eyes. "There might be a theory that explains both the Thu'um and her status. It's not really an official theory, just something that was passed around whenever we started talking about history…" The eyes didn't waver and they were unamused. That was all he needed to know that he was babbling. "The stories say that a Dovahkiin is a mortal born with the soul of a dragon."
"They do," Silkaaljul answered.
"Do they ever say where said soul comes from?"
The question hung in the air for the longest time. The asari had no idea what they were talking about. Anderson did and stared at the corporal as if he had declared himself emperor. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Corporal?" he asked.
"It's a theory, sir. But it would explain her status and why that…name is a Thu'um. Technically speaking, she would know it." It was a stretch and not one he would be willing to defend in a court. But it made sense to him.
A new sound emerged from Silkaaljul, quickly erupting into laughter. His head flung backwards, enjoying what he just learned. If he didn't stand so strong, he probably would've fallen down.
The humans weren't sure what to do. This wasn't a situation they expected. If they were being honest, their guest laughing was a little unnerving "Uh, sir?" Corporal Cynric said when the laughter died down, "Is something funny?"
"Oh yes," Silkaaljul said. The smile was small but it was there all the same. "If your theory is right, then I've just heard the greatest joke ever told. The others are going to love this!" He looked at the cameras and his humor faded somewhat. "Ah, looks like she's awake."
Three other sets of eyes found the camera. The girl was awake, rocking back-and-forth on the bed. Tears were leaking down her cheeks as she said something. They couldn't hear the words but they did know it was the same two words, over and over again.
It was the asari who noticed Silkaaljul moving first. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" That was the last thing he said before he stepped through the door. Whatever her argument might've been, the door closing cut it off.
The room lay beyond a short corridor. The girl looked at him as soon as he entered. She couldn't have been older than twelve. Her red hair almost looked like blood in the faint light. He was sure it would look different in a brighter place. Green eyes stared intently. There was a fire behind them, a fire directed at him.
In that instant, she knew who he was, what he was. And it made her furious. Words she didn't know, filled with emotions she didn't understand, formed in her throat and raced up to her tongue. They were going to come and—!
Silkaaljul growled. Once.
And just like that, the fire was gone. A little girl was left behind, scared of everything.
He knew that feeling, all too well. He spread his arms wide. Before he could blink, she slammed into his hug. "I'm sorry," she whimpered into his chest, tears still flowing out. "I-I didn't mean to. But he won't stop screaming." Those last words showed how scared she was.
That was all he needed to hear. There was only one Dovah who would scream at the state he was in. The corporal's theory held true. Silkaaljul held the girl gently, rubbing her back to soothe her. It was something he had seen plenty of times. "It's alright," he assured her. "You're safe."
The sobbing eventually quieted down to a few sniffles. When those stopped, she looked up at him. "Who are you?" She didn't know why she had run into his hug. It just…happened.
"A brother," he answered her.
Confusion crossed her face. She knew of the word but thought it didn't apply to her. Yet, looking up at this stranger, even though he had threatened her moments before, she felt as if he was her brother. "Do you know what's happening to me?"
"I do. More than that, I can take you someplace you can be taught."
She was both hopeful and nervous by that. "Really?"
"Yes. Do you wish to go?" She nodded, quite enthusiastically. She didn't know what was going on but if there was a way to be trained, she wanted to go. This power, or whatever it was, it was scary.
"Then it's decided." He stood up and held out his hand. "Shall we?"
The question surprised her. "Now?"
"Yes." There wouldn't be any other time. Her hand was a little hesitant. But once she held his, there was no letting go. Together they walked out of the room.
Anderson noticed how Silkaaljul held her hand when they entered. It was gentle, but also protective. It looked like a good thing to him. "Well?" he dared to ask.
Silkaaljul nodded. "She is Dovahkiin." A simple declaration that was uttered with the power of a king. "And she'll be coming with me to High Hrothgar."
At that point, Taorya Pere was simply done. "No, she is not!" She marched right up to the stranger, who she had tolerated ever since he arrived. "I don't know who you are, buddy, but you can't just waltz in here and take over like you have the power. You don't even know her!"
"And you do?" It was a simple question, spoken with a subtle mildness. The humans knew it for the warning it was.
"Better than you. I've spent time with her. I care for her! And I am not—!"
"Fus."
All she had heard was one word. Yet suddenly she found herself on her knees, back where she had been standing. Her limbs quivered, unable to move. There was no chance she could stand. All she could do was look up.
Silkaaljul loomed over her. "That was one Word, spoken, not roared," he told her. "Would you be able to help Jane if she unleashed a Word, or perhaps three, in her anger or frustration? Could you stop the roof from collapsing upon your head?" Taorya didn't answer, not just because she knew the answer. She looked at him, realizing that, for the first time, he was more than he appeared to be.
Jane tugged on his hand. When he looked at her, she was looking at the asari. He could guess what she wanted to do and released her hand. As Taorya felt life come back to her limbs, she felt little human arms give her a hug. "Thanks for trying to care for me," Jane whispered. "You would've been an awesome mom."
With those two sentences, Taorya knew she lost any chance of adopting Jane. She could only watch in silence as the two of them walked out of the room, Jane in Silkaaljul's arms. She looked at Anderson again and asked, "Who was he?"
"That was Silkaaljul, the only dragon who can transform into a mortal form," he answered.
It took her a moment to understand what he was saying but it still didn't make any sense. "But he looked human!"
"The cloak helped, as it was a gift from his father." She still didn't understand. Anderson sighed. "Ms. Pere, I don't have all the answers. If you want to know them, you'll have to read up on Nirn's history and lore. Focus on dragons and Dovahkiin."
Taorya would do just that. Years later, she would always remember how close her arrogance had brought her to pissing off a very dangerous, not to mentioned storied, creature.
"So, you lived atop a mountain?" Liara asked once Jane finished her little tale. The team was all sitting around the mess table, taking the time to enjoy a meal.
"When we got to Nirn, yes," she answered.
It sounded a little fantastical to the asari. Then again, a lot of things sound fantastical when it came to the Mundus System. "And you were trained by a dragon?"
Jane shook her head. "No, I was trained by my master, the previous Dragonborn." To her mind, Master Bjorn was always the Dragonborn. She just happened to have the same skills.
Kaidan and Ashley shared a look. "As in the same Dovahkiin who defeated Alduin?" Kaidan asked.
She nodded. "Yes, my master."
"Hang on, I think I read something about that," Garrus said, frowning. The details came back to him. "That happened in the 4th Era, right? The victory was said to have herald the beginning of a new Era." At least, that's what the book he had read at the C-Sec Academy had said.
"Yep, and we're still in the 5th Era."
"But, wasn't that almost three hundred years ago?" As far as the turian knew, no human could live that long. "If that's the same man, how is he still alive?"
Jane just shrugged. "I don't know. I never asked."
"…You never asked?" he repeated, wanting to be sure he heard that right.
"Yeah. It's the same reason why I asked his friends how they were still alive."
Her team looked at one another, trying to figure what that meant. No one could deny there were hidden implications in that sentence. Wrex got tired of the silence and went for the blunt method. "Who were the friends?"
"The Nerevarine and Sheogorath."
"I don't know who those are."
She smirked at the krogan. "Guess you're going to have brush up on your Nirnian lore then, Wrex." His look was quite annoyed. Her smirk stayed. No way was she going to give all the answers.
"Sheogorath?" Ashley repeated, still having a hard time believing it. "Your master is friends with the Prince of Madness?"
She nodded. "Although, that's not usually who he is when he showed up."
"Who else could he be?" There wasn't a note of hysteria in her voice, no matter who would say otherwise.
Jane smirked again. "The Oblivion Crisis." That was all she needed to say. Kaidan went pale and Ashely's eyes went wide.
Questions whirled their way through Liara's mind. Yet, one stood out. "What was it like, living on High Hrothgar?" she asked Shepard.
Her smile lost its smirk and turned reminiscent. "Like nothing I ever experience before then. On clear nights, I could go up to the peak and Paarthurnax would tell me about the stars and the constellations. One night, we stayed up so late, I fell asleep on his arm." She had never felt more safe or secure than that night.
"You fell asleep on a dragon?" Garrus asked, wanting to be sure. "I'm surprised he didn't try to shake you off."
"Nah, he just got himself comfortable and fell asleep himself. Master Bjorn found us the next morning. From what I know, he's been holding a picture of that as blackmail against Paarthurnax for years."
That one took them a moment. "…Dragons respond to blackmail?" Kaidan asked. It sounded wrong, yet plausible.
It took everything Jane had not to laugh at his baffled expression. "Oh yeah. It's a pastime for them." She liked this. She liked sharing what she knew about dragons and her old teacher. It had been a decade or so since she's been to High Hrothgar but she remembered everything that happened there fondly. One thing stood out from it all.
She had a family there, just like she had the start of a family here.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
As you've probably gathered, this is the far-future sequel to my previous Skyrim chapter. I had fun writing those characters, I wanted to bring them back. Of course, not in the same manner. It's more entertaining this way.
Every time I've read an Elder Scrolls/Mass Effect crossover, the Elder Scrolls tech outpaces eezo every time. It's fun to read on occasion, but after a while, it gets boring. So, I decided to have magic go wonky outside of the home system. Oh, it'll settle in neighboring systems but that's going to take time, years even. In the meantime, everyone from Mundus has to rely on eezo like everyone else.
I personally believe the heroes from Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim are still around after their games end. The Nerevarine gets infected by Corpus but is cured in such a manner that he's rendered ageless. The Hero of Kvatch gets promoted to being Sheogorath. And the Dragonborn? Well, absorbing so many dragon souls must do something to the body. In the end, they know one another and have their own private club, playing cards or chatting about the world's events.
Jane's appearance really shook things up for everyone. For the dragons, especially after so many peaceful years, and interactions with Bjorn, they pretty much see her as the little sister/niece. And yes, I do believe that dragons would respond to blackmail. For all we know, they could've invented it.
The situation with Jane's status as a Dovahkiin, and her new Thu'um, was one I do believe in. They never say where the soul of a dragon comes from before being born as a Dovahkiin. Maybe it gets a new turn at life as a mortal, with their names becoming Words. Give them a couple of millennia and all that would be left are the Words.
Of course, considering who Jane used to be, especially his status, Alduin isn't quite gone. For the record, I didn't write this as Jane being a Jinchūriki. It's her power and her Thu'um. If she wants to talk to Alduin, she'd have to go deep inside herself.
I'll see you all next chapter!
