Hi guys, bit of a short one today. Sorry for the delay, but I've been playing Starfield and Darktide. Both of which take up time. I've also been dealing with problems at work and home that have both been taking up a majority of time.
I've also been working on a Starfield fic that I should have out at some point. It's experimental but I do hope you like it. I've also been working on a couple of original smut works for AO3, so keep your eyes open there, and a Metroid smut fic also on AO3. Look up 'Latex Corruption'. Anyway, hope you enjoy this update.
After getting away from Eden Prime, and having Javik locked in Grunts old room, Zenna ordered for the entire ship to have the next 12 hours off. Rotated so that people keep an eye on the ships systems and on the alert for any Reaper or Cerberus ship. Yes, they escaped, but escaping didn't mean they were clear. That was something they needed to be aware of and counter when needed.
About 6 hours in, while finishing writing her report, Zenna got word that Liara was causing a disturbance where their new 'guest' was. With a sigh, the minotaur stood and made her way to the room. Two guards stood before the room blocking an increasingly angry Asari Shadow Broker from entering.
"What's the problem?" Zenna asked as she approached.
Liara turned and stared daggers at the demi-human who approached. "I've tried to make the room more accommodating but they are not letting me talk to him, let alone enter," Liara said indicating to the guards.
"Apologies doctor but contact protocol with a new spices is assume hostilities," the Sargent said coming up to the two. "We had to dust off the regulations,"
"Blame the Turrians," Zenna whispered as she approached the door which opened up.
Zenna and Liara entered with the guards close, but hesitantly, behind. Zenna looked at the kneeling Prothean behind the guards. In turn, he looked up giving him a menacing image to both Zenna and Liara. The latter of who backed up slightly at the look while the minotaur just stood cracking her neck. He gave a barely perceptible nod her way at that.
"But he's not new, I've spent my life studding Protheans," Liara countered, more out of frustration than anything.
Zenna walked forward to the Prothean putting her hand up. "At ease I don't think our guest will be a problem." she said before she stood right in front of Javik who stood facing the commander. "Will he?" she asked baring her teeth.
"That depends on you human." Javik said before moving forward and touching the minotaur, the guards raised their weapons in case of a confrontation. "I can sense fear in you, anxiety and distress, the Reapers are winning," he said before letting the commander go.
She looked at him, a frown on her eyes. "And I smell concern on you. But it seems that you need more then smell to sense something,"
Javik nodded as he walked to a tank full of water. "All life provides clues to those who can read them. It is in your cells your DNA. Experience is a biological marker, but you seem to be more advanced than these guards," he indicated to the hu-hound and nekomata.
"They aren't like me," Zenna said. "We are the same species, but I'm by far not advanced. So, what I saw on Eden prime was your memories?"
"Yes the battle left its mark on me. It can work both ways." Javik said as Liara stood next to Zenna
"Like your beacons?" Liara asked hopfully.
"Yes." Javik said pushing himself off the tank and facing them. "Which..."
He moved nearer Zenna and used his senses to see if they had found it. Almost immediately he saw the visions that the minotaur had experienced years before. After a moment he backed away wide eyed.
"You found one, you saw it all our destruction, our warnings. Why weren't they headed? Why didn't you prepare for the Reapers human?" he asked in anger.
Zenna looked at his in silence for a moment before speaking. "Your message, it was unclear. We only just managed to avert the main invasion 3 years ago," she countered.
"Bah then communication is still primitive in this cycle," Javik said walking away.
"By your own definition of communication," she countered again. "At least the extinction was delayed," he only grunted in response.
"Now we have plans for the Crucible," Liara said coming up to a terminal while Javik turned to face her. "Now we are building it,"
Liara typed in a few keys onto the console.
"Crucible?" Javik asked.
"The weapon your people where working on. I was hoping you could tell me how to finish it," Liara clarified as she showed him the image of the construct.
Javik looked at the screen and approached it before bowing his head. "We never finished it, it was too late," he admitted.
With an annoyed groan, Zenna hung her head, "Then I take it you don't know anything about the Catalyst?" she asked.
There was a barely perceptible shake. "No, I was a soldier not a scientist skilled in one art killing,"
Zenna nodded at that with another grunt of annoyance.
"Then what was your mission?" Liara asked.
There was a moment of silence before he answered. "Among my people they were avatars of many traits bravery, strength, cunning. A single exemplar for each," his voice betraying sadness, anger and more.
"Which are you?" Kira asked with intrest as the smell in the air began to change.
"The embodiment of vengeance. I am the anger of a dead people demanding blood be spilled for the blood we lost. Only when the last Reaper had been destroyed will my purpose be fulfilled. I have no other reason to exists," the anger he felt radiated from him as he looked to the two with his fierce green eyes causing Zenna and Liara looked to each other before at Javik as he continued. "Those who share my purpose become allies, those who do not become casualties,"
"Nothing in our fight against the Reapers has been that cut and dried," Kira sighed. "I wish it was that simple,"
Javik turned to face her. "Because you still have hope that this war will end with your honour intact,"
She looked to him a blaze of fire in her eyes. "I do." Kira said proudly.
He sighed. "Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask if honour matters,"
That hit too close to home and Zenna lashed out at Javik.
She let out a low growl that caused the others to back up. "Don't you dare try and feed me that bull crap. I am a minotaur, a warrior as well as an engineer!" she declared. "I have no clan, no family to call my own. All I have left is my honour and, ancestors willing, I will make it though with it as intact as I can. Otherwise, I will bring shame to not only my ancestors, but the ancestors of all other minotaur,"
Javik backed up a bit looking at the commander wide eyed. Wanting to change the conversation Liara walked over to a table with a rectangular piece of metal hovering over an anti-gravity unit.
"We found this at the dig sight, I assume that it belongs to you," she said in a calm tone stepping between the two.
"It is a memory shard," Javik answered quickly waning to get out of the confrontation with Zenna.
Zenna, not completely feeling her anger die, spoke up in a lighter tone as the engineer inside her spoke up. "Could it help us with the Crucible?"
He shook his head. "No, it contains only pain. But it will help you fight and the last thing before the Reapers die will be the last voice of the Protheans sending them to their grave," he spoke with both sadness and anger.
Seeing her chance, the asari jumped at the opportunity. "If you don't mind, I have a few questions I like to ask." Liara said approaching Javik.
"Here it comes," Zenna warned. "If it's ok I'll leave the two of you alone,"
She turned and walked out with the marines following her. With a jerk of her head, she sent them off while she headed back to her room with a note to cut the comms for the next 12 hours so that she could finish the reports and get some very needed sleep.
OOOOO a couple of days later.
The Normandy flew to the station as two more ships came in. The Krogan and Salarian's ships docked soon after the Normandy docked. Shepard sighed as the Airlock finished its cycle. The commander was dressed in her formal uniform, which she didn't like at all, stood as straight as possible. The Door opened and Zenna walked onto the station making her way to the conformance room on her way a Krogan in red armour came into sight.
"Wrex!" she practically yelled making the Krogan turn to her and smile.
"Shepard good to see you again." Wrex said as the two grabbed each other's arm.
"Same with you," she smiled. "How's Tuchanka?"
Wrex smiled with destructive intent. "Reapers are slowly making it there, but we are ready for them. It will be a good fight,"
Zenna couldn't help but chuckle at that. "True enough, come on they're waiting for us,"
He grunted in agreement and annoyance. The two walked into a large curricular room were the Salarian Delatrass and the new Turrian Primach stood around a large round table. While the Delatrass just looked the two with an unimpressed look, Primarch Victus nodded to each of them as they entered and took their places.
"Ok let's get this started," Zenna said earning nods from the others. "Wrex, Primach Victus is requesting for Krogan help on Palaven,"
"The Reapers are hitting us hard Wrex, even with Advent forces helping it's still not enough. I am asking for your help," Victus said. "I'll give you anything,"
Wrex nodded and leaned forward on the table. "I'll tell you want I need," he said looking at the others. "A cure for the Genophage,"
"That is out of the question," the Delatrass said, almost yelling. "And besides it would take years to create one,"
"Not according to the information given to me by someone from the Salairans," Wrex said as he typed something onto his computer.
An image of a lab came up with Krogan in glass cells. It wasn't too dark but all four could make out several Salarian scientists moving around, the cam then turned to face to see a Krogan female in a holding cell. Victus looked to the Delatrass with fury in the eye.
"You knew about this?" he yelled. "You knew and kept it from the Council?"
"It's a fabrication nothing more," The Delatrass insisted not looking at the Turrian.
"Never lie in front of a demi-human," Zenna said tapping her nose. "You smell of fear,"
The Korgan chuckled. "Agreed and my contact is extremely reliable," Wrex said sending a wink Zenna's way.
"Come clean Delatrass, the evidence speaks for itself," Victus said forcefully with a hint of anger in his voice.
The Delatrass closed her eyes in defeat and shook her head, clearly annoyed by what they thought as a 'good idea'. "They are on a research outpost on Surkesh."
"Good we can get there as soon as we are finished," Zenna said making the others except the Delatrass nodded.
But there was little else to talk about as the group departed.
"This is a mistake., the Delatrass said as Victus, Wrex and Zenna then returned to the Normandy and set course for Surkesh.
But as she walked out, hearing the comment, Zenna in an act of pettiness, just gave the Delatrass a middle finger salute without turning back.