"I suppose modifying the Krogan to function as a Sith war party could've worked," Shepard mumbled, looking over all of the data that Nox had allowed her and Halsey access to. She looked back to the center of the room, where Chief and the Blues stared down the alien Sith clad in armor of the same height as them and the young, five-foot-four apprentice beside him, who had her hands behind her back.
"Indeed, though I see I'm not the sole one who came up with such an idea," Nox murmured, her Holocron-based engram gently flickering, almost see-through. She told Shepard, "You two certainly have a mental fortitude unlike any other in you. From fighting in the War against the Covenant to you facing off against one of these so-called 'God-Machines', the Reapers…"
"Takes a lot to scare us," Both Shepard and Halsey spoke at the same time. The two women smiled at one-another, with Halsey giving Shepard a gentle pat on the shoulder. Halsey added, "Of course, the Commander did die hunting the Collectors," while tilting her head to Shepard, who rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.
"I've been meaning to ask about your Cybernetics!" Nox spoke rather jovially yet again, "But I don't wish to be rude. You are the first people I've spoken to in Millennia, after all, so scaring off potential new comrades is not in my book…" before turning to Halsey and quickly stating, "Oh, of course… Access Code Persephone. If you are ever asked to insert a password while accessing our files."
"Thank you," Halsey replied, then looked at the Spartans again. They seemingly began to talk with Rhasits and his Apprentice. The doctor turned back toward Nox and asked, "... You say they are from the time of the Old Republic? What, four millennia ago when you started experimenting on the Krogan?"
"Yes. I asked for Lord Rhasits and his Apprentice to come to this facility with me," Nox replied with a nod, walking up between Halsey and Shepard, hands behind her back. She added, "Lord Rhasits was one of our best during the waning days of the Empire and the Eternal Alliance. He had taken Kyra under his wing not long before being summoned here as guard to this place's technology."
"You sound like you like him," Shepard quipped, grinning.
"I merely valued his capabilities," Nox snorted, then added, "Plus, I would not dare steal him from Kyra," and the three women looked upon the young girl. She said, "What an odd race, the Miraluka are…" before garnering looks of confusion from both women. She explained, "Oh, yes, right. I don't suppose they would've briefed you on one of a million other sentient races…"
"She looks human," Shepard murmured.
Nox shrugged, "She is a near-human, much like a few other species. However, the Miraluka have adapted to the Force in ways not many of us could," and she walked over to Halsey as the woman pruned through the Database the Republic had given her. The Sith inquired, "Care for me to enlighten you?"
"By all means…" Halsey replied.
"Her eye sockets are vestigial. She would be considered blind by most sentients," Nox quipped, causing both women to double over and look at her. Kyra, who sensed the new gazes falling upon her, turned her head and offered a kindhearted smile at them, despite the 'Sith' teachings. If they could see Nox's face, they could tell she was smiling when she added, "They see through the Force."
"... They see through a magical power that-" Halsey started, but Nox cut her off.
"The Force is what unites all living things, at least in our Galaxy, doctor," She replied, then shrugged, "I figured you'd understand by now that some of your laws and ideations do not apply everywhere. Everything you've seen here, from the booby traps to the illusions, was and is powered by the Force. My essence, embedded into this place and amplified a thousandfold by the Librarian's Manifold."
Halsey blanked, then looked at the Forerunner device and then at Mordin, who approached and spoke, "Introspective. This place, alien, but undertook the reverse of study plans unlike me, STG members, Maelon. Force, incredible. Strangely conducive, capable, strong. Illusions, interesting, though would've liked less reminders. Good modifications through Alchemy and…" he inhaled sharply, "Forerunner genetic editing."
"Ah, one of the enhancers of the Genophage," Nox spoke calmly, "I spent years of my life trying to craft them into the perfect replaceable Shock Troops only for you all to come and do this to them. I am none too fond of it," and she pulled up images of an alien spire rising high into the sky near the oldest city on Tuchanka.
"Necessity because of your recklessness…" Mordin replied, though he was hesitant. Nox had caught that, but decided not to press it. He himself added, however, "But clever design. Might have saved Galaxy from Rachni three hundred years ago. Sith, strange culture… What little I know paints warlike murderers, not… Thinkers."
"One, that's usually just the one-sided view the Jedi give. Two? Normally, I would say I thought ahead," The apparition stated, then shrugged, "But I am as blind to the goings-on in this Galaxy as I was to the fall of our Empire, sadly. That is to say, I knew something was happening and did my best to preserve it all. However, here, the Reapers are proving to be… Interesting. While a greater threat looms at home…"
"Ilos," Halsey spoke, "Were you also there?"
"No, that would be the Forerunners and Librarian," The woman replied. Halsey sighed, to which Nox told her, "Feel free to start taking a look through that database," tilting her head, "It contains all that I could translate from the monolith powering this base," and walking with Halsey toward it. Mordin joined, leaving Shepard alone.
Well, might as well meet the two new crew members she was pretty sure she just got. She walked over to Rhas, Kyra and the Spartans and said, "I hope you're all getting along, considering what you said, Lord Rhasits…" before tilting her head a little.
"We are," Rhasits nodded, "The Spartans are quite interesting. Genetic masterpieces if I do say so," before turning to look the Chief in the eye, "Though some are certainly more strange than the others. No offense, Master Chief," and, beside him, young Kyra chuckled. Chief was simply thankful this didn't turn into a shootout.
"None taken," The Spartan replied. He looked at Halsey, who nodded and motioned to the elevator leading down to the Forerunner artifact. Chief nodded back, then said to Cortana, "Keep tabs on the Mainframe if you can. Best we got everything we need out of here," before pausing and looking at Rhasits, "How long have you been here?"
"Thanks to carbonite freezing, since this installation was completed," Rhasits replied, crossing his arms, "We were intended to be awoken as guards if something or someone ever made it past the primary defense units. The skeletons told me a great deal many have tried, though I've seen others who tried to escape."
"The Sentinels turned a bunch of people to ash," Kelly quipped.
"I and the doctor even found an old Lightsaber in the Atrium," Shepard stated, then hummed and checked her com. Nox, noticing this, utilized whatever powers she had to boost the signal. Shepard immediately saw the boat and smirked, stating, "Alright… Guess we can call for backup now. Doc Halsey…?" and she saw the woman downstairs.
Of course. Rhasits chuckled, his deep voice reverberating across the halls. He said, "Those of a Scientific mind will always be drawn forth by curiosity. Thank the Force Nox decided not to be too harsh to either of you," before turning to face the Commander. He told her, "Speaking of, Commander. She has requested that I and Kyra join you."
"I figured," Sighed the Commander. Things were never really gonna be easy anyways. She asked, "What 'greater threat' is she talking about?"
"We don't know," Rhasits answered, "She kept mentioning it. It was why she desired to make an outpost here of all places. Once she found the Star Road and its connected Forerunner devices at the edge of the Unknown Regions, she was enamored by the idea of preserving our people and ideals, but evacuating billions would've taken ages…"
"And she did mention the threat is relatively far away," Kyra shot back, "A few more decades at least," and she crossed her arms. She said, "Both you and the Doctor emanate an incredible calm despite your internal turmoil, Commander. Doctor Solus, however, seems a bit too… Giddy. Him, I can't put a finger on…"
Shepard raised a brow, looking at Rhas.
"Kyra is a 'people' person," The Lord of the Sith spoke in a humorous voice. Shepard chuckled a little at that, with the Lord of the Sith himself acting as a calm presence to ease everyone into this new 'friendship'. That he was requested by this Apparition of Darth Nox to accompany the Commander's force was interesting.
And if it meant stopping one extinction event to allow them ample time to prepare for the next, it was fine by him. He looked at Kyra and inquired, "I don't suppose you have had time to retrieve the rest of our equipment after the awakening?" only to get a shake of the head. He said, "I believe it would be best to do it now, before we inevitably depart for the Commander's ship with Blue Team."
She smiled and nodded, then walked off, humming a chipper tune. Cortana appeared on Chief's shoulder and said, "She seems nice," before looking at Rhas. The Sith nodded in thanks, to which the AI added, "Ancient living beings able to wield telekinetic powers and energy swords. I'd have called bull had we not met Ahsoka."
"Oh?" Rhas tilted his head, "You have another Force Wielder aboard?"
"General Ahsoka Tano," Fred nodded, "Formerly a Jedi, now a 'Knight of the Republic' after a Schism in the order," before pausing as he heard Rhas snort. He asked, "Problem?" to which the Sith simply gave a wave of his hand to dismiss it. He looked over as Halsey, now back in this room, approached, seemingly calm.
The doctor said, "I could not coerce the Librarian, or whatever engram of her is here, out. That means I will be staying here for a while longer, which, now that our coms are online, also means I have had to call the Prowler and the Urdnot clan in order for them to begin talking with Gatatog. The Prowler will be deploying its company of Marines to the AO."
"... So, you guys are occupying a chunk of Gatatog land," Shepard murmured, "I don't think Uvenk's gonna like that, but it's not like he can say much. And Wrex is sure gonna be glad to help you get rid of them if it means more stable power in his hands," then she checked her Omni-Tool and noticed a message from Tali.
"Indeed. And you should probably call, Commander," Halsey offered a kind nod. She then said to Shepard, "And thank you. For keeping me safe here. You have solidified my trust in you and, by extent, that of Blue Team and Cortana… Keep them safe for me, please…" and she cast a glance over to Cortana, who smiled and waved. The doc waved back.
"Understood, ma'am," Shepard nodded, chopping up a hand in salute. She then said, "Alright, team. Gather up. We're moving out the moment the first Pelicans land with reinforcements," and grabbed her gear. Nox gave a nod and waved goodbye to Rhasits and Kyra, both of whom now followed Blue Team and Doctor Solus out.
Mordin stopped at the door and yelled to Halsey, "Send data to me as well, please! Will transfer custom Omni-Tool to here when time allows!"
"Of course! And thank you!" Halsey replied, then turned back to working with Nox to coax the Librarian out from whatever she was doing. Nox herself was glad to have company and a new comrade in arms after so long, not to mention more people securing the place. For all intents and purposes, this meant her facility was back on the right track.
Halsey's request that her research team not be put through the same trials and tribulations as her and Shepard did irk Nox a little, though. It was too fun to test her potential future comrades in arms. But if this partnership was going to be working out so they could both save this Galaxy and her own, Nox begrudgingly agreed…
Normandy
Ahsoka was tending to one of the cannons on her starfighter while Tali worked on the ion engines with an incredible amount of glee. The General couldn't help but smile when she heard Tali let out, "Oh, so that's how this works!" when she connected another piece. Obviously, she'd given the girl her blueprints, courtesy of the Astromech she had aboard.
She let Tali work on the ship, too, with the blueprints, because the girl had gotten some bad news just now. Bad news she had decided to share with Shepard upon her return. Though she was happy that she could help the young Quarian official get her mind off of the issues at hand, Ahsoka felt a pit in her stomach.
She blanked, feeling a chill shoot up her spine, then stood up. Tali, who'd noticed this, poked her head out from behind the engine's manifold and asked, "What happened?" only to see the Knight visibly tense. The woman ran her hands over the hilt of her longer lightsaber and said in a low, quiet voice, "Go call Jester Squad, Garrus and Zaeed here…"
Tali was about to ask, but she chose not to disobey the Knight. She stood up, preparing her own shotgun, and took the elevator up to call the boys in. Ahsoka watched the air-shield engage as the main door of the hangar opened, revealing the Kodiak coming back from the planet. The closer it got, the worse that feeling became.
The encroaching darkness was backed by a great amount of connection to the Force, too… Greater than even her own and she'd started unlocking her potential after the Schism…
The vehicle touched down in the bay, the young woman, a Jedi as she was raised in the temple, gripping the hilt of her lightsaber. She felt a sense of dread, the darkness emanating from within causing everything else around her to go quiet. When the door of the dropship opened, it revealed an imposingly tall dark figure…
Ahsoka was quick on the draw, igniting her lightsaber without much flourish and pointing it at the side of the enemy's neck as she spat out, "Sith…! What did you do with the Commander!?" only to gasp as a scarlet blade appeared below her own chin. She felt the heat radiating off of it and cast a glance left, noticing the Apprentice, who smiled a little.
The Sith Apprentice spoke, "We would appreciate if you de-escalated the situation now, Jedi."
"Kyra," The Sith Lord's booming voice spoke, "How about we start off on the right foot instead. We know how Jedi are, after all," only for the young Miraluka to sigh and nod, shutting off her own lightsaber. Ahsoka then noticed that the Sith hadn't even gone for his blade, instead simply crossing his arms to his chest.
Shepard stepped out next and called out, "General, wait, wait, wait!" before walking over to her side and putting a hand on her shoulder, "Look, we found them down there when we were helping Doctor Halsey explore. They've been nothing but friendly," to which the General balked as the rest of the troop joined them, pointing blasters and weapons at the pair.
"He's a Sith," Ahsoka replied, voice low, azure eyes still locked onto the man's mask.
"I'll explain everything," The Commander offered, then waved her hand to the Clones, Zaeed, Garrus and Tali. The troops lowered their weapons reluctantly, with Ahsoka herself still glaring at the Lord, faint traces of auburn glowing in her blue eyes. She scoffed, took her blade away from the man's neck and shut it off.
The Sith nodded, "Thank you," completely unfazed, looked at the Clone Troopers and murmured, "Huh. It seems the Republic re-adopted their troops' style from the Cold War. I can respect that," as he lowered his arms by the side of his body. He noticed Ahsoka still glaring at him, then breathed a sigh. His hands went to the sides of his head. He pushed the hood off and his fingers clasped the release of his mask.
Taking it off caused Ahsoka to double over, staring at the man as if he'd grown a second head. Tall as the Spartans, eyes burning red and handsome as a particularly dapper devil, with short black hair on top of his head and a relatively calm gaze, plus scarlet skin and strange creases and attachments to his face, he stated, "I am Rhasits… You are?"
"Ahsoka Tano," The girl mumbled, then whispered, "You're a Sith Pureblood… We thought they were a myth," as she craned her head toward a Shepard that was… Awkwardly staring. The Sith Lord seemed slightly amused by that statement, but also understanding, to which she asked, "What in the name of the Force were you doing on Tuchanka?"
"I and my Apprentice were frozen there, a security measure to protect Lady Nox's research facility," The Sith replied, hands behind his back. Ahsoka looked at Shepard, eyes wide and fear palpable. The Commander laughed awkwardly as the Spartans joined the group on deck, then showed her to follow along.
As they walked toward the elevator, Jesse took his helmet off and said, "A living Sith Lord… I swear, you think you've seen everything," only to pause as he saw young Kyra following behind the Sith, a peppy smile on her face and hands behind her back like she didn't just point a Lightsaber at Ahsoka's throat.
Fives added, "Just another fine day in the Grand Army of the Republic, Jesse…" as they followed along onto the Elevator. Zaeed and Garrus looked at one-another, then at Shepard and Mordin and got only an awkward smile from Shepard. Both soldierly men sighed, then joined the group aboard the elevator, with Tali only staying behind to keep working on Ahsoka's ship.
Upon reaching the meeting room, wherein they were joined by Miranda and, surprisingly enough, Samara, who seemed to be interested in the Sith, Shepard began explaining everything they got about the stuff they found on the planet below. Namely:The Forerunner technology around which Nox's complex had been built… And the Krogan upgrades that had been done by Nox four thousand years ago.
Rhasits added upon the explanations as well, calm and concise, completing missing information like the fact the Librarian was around. It seemed as though the Librarian herself was aware of the 'Greater Threat' aimed at the Republic's Galaxy, not to mention other important issues that were still permeating the Galaxy.
"And to that extent, Lady Nox asked me, Kyra and a few of our force to man the station with her while she worked on research," The Sith Lord stated, "Both in the genetic upgrades received by the Krogan through Sith Alchemy and on the matters pertaining to the Reapers. The Forerunner presence has data entries on these elusive alien machines…"
"Huh," Ahsoka murmured, "How convenient. Anything important?"
"I wouldn't know," Rhasits replied, "I merely worked as part of the protection detail."
Ahsoka hummed, clearly distrustful of the Sith warrior. That, Shepard thought, was her cue to say, "As much as I'd like to believe it'll all be sunshine and rainbows and that we're all decent sentient beings with smarts about us, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it:If anything starts between anyone here, but use your words instead of your lightsabers or guns or else both sides are gonna depart my ship, regardless of who swung first. Clear?"
"... Yes," Ahsoka replied, then breathed a sigh and looked at Rhasits. She told him, "If you and your Apprentice keep up that calm behavior, we'll be fine. It's gonna be one hell of a report for me to write back to Command, though," then she turned her head toward a sighing-in-relief Shepard and said, "I and Tali will go maintain my fighter."
"Of course, General," Shepard nodded, then stopped, "Before that, though… Tali, the message you sent seemed urgent…"
"Find me in engineering… It's sensitive, private," She offered, rubbing the back of her neck. Shepard nodded and dismissed them without another word, then looked at Miranda, who simply stared at Rhasits with some degree of concern. Same as Jesse and Fives, to be honest. It was noticeable to even the two Sith.
Kyra, however, simply smiled at them again, jovial as ever, while Rhasits examined the two men and said, "Kamino finally perfected its cloning, then… You all seem like fine soldiers and I can understand the General's attachment," remaining respectful throughout. The two Clones looked at each-other, while Miranda seemed to ease.
"Thanks," Jesse spoke, a bit wary, "I and Fives will go grab a bite to eat… Rupert's cooked something with a recipe we gave him, so," he shrugged. Shepard smiled at that and waved them off, then looked at Samara as the Asari seemingly stared at the two still. Miranda looked at Shepard and asked quietly to be dismissed, which Shepard approved.
"If that is all, Commander… I and Kyra wish to seek a place to meditate, preferably while stirring clear of General Tano until she figures out her feelings toward us," The Sith requested with that same deal of respect he showed the clones, though obviously with the added respect toward the officer in charge of the vessel.
"Sure…" Shepard spoke, "A lot of the rooms are occupied, but-"
"They may stay with me if they seek to meditate," Samara was quick to offer. Kyra smiled at that, then looked at her Master for approval. Rhasits, seemingly confused by the extended olive branch, felt through the Force for Samara, finding that, surprisingly enough… She was touched by it. More-so than anyone in this ship, save maybe Ahsoka and her Clones.
Shepard asked, "You sure you're okay with that, Samara?" as she turned to face the woman. Samara bowed her head in confirmation, then looked at the two extragalactic guests. The human woman then said, "Alright. That solves that… Let's get to the elevator. I have to go see what Tali needs before we head to the Waystation to arm up."
"Of course," Samara spoke. The group left the conference room and entered the Elevator, taking it down a floor to the Crew Deck, where Samara and the two Sith disembarked. With just the three of them now, Samara spoke, "I feel the Darkness within both of you… Though it is certainly tempered by your years of experience. More-so in you, Lord Rhasits."
"Kyra is still my Apprentice," The man replied, "She has much to learn."
Samara nodded, "I find the fact our Galaxies have been linked before strangely interesting," as they approached the door to her room, the Starboard observation deck. The room was friendly, calm and decently-lit, giving a window to the void outside. A sea of stars marked the right, but the more they moved to the left, the more visible the dustbowl planet of Tuchanka became.
Rhasits sighed, seeing the planet below. He spoke, "I might be misremembering, but the planet below was certainly a fair bit more lush when we were awake. I suppose Nox's modifications worked too well…" in a murmur. Kyra nodded in agreement, still acting the part of a calm, reclusive and cutesy apprentice.
"... Your Apprentice certainly holds her tongue," Samara offered, turning to face him.
Rhasits nodded, looking at Kyra, then said, "Like many of us, she is a slave that was brought to Korriban for training," and straightened up his posture. He told Samara, "She was, if my mind serves, slave to a Zygerrian before he… Sold… Her. To us…" and the room suddenly chilled a few degrees. Kyra's smile waned a little, but she turned and put a hand on her master's shoulder. Rhasits nodded and sighed.
"I see," The woman replied, "I apologize if my inquiry has caused painful memories to resurface," and she bowed to Kyra. The girl smiled a bit more brightly at Samara and bowed, too, though she remained relatively quiet. The room warmed again. Samara felt it. So, she said, "This is where I meditate. The sight of the stars eases my mind… Allows me to think clearly."
"We thank you for sharing this spot with us," The man bowed, too, then said, "It isn't often that we find another who is gifted in the Force just by chance," which caused Samara to blink. He stated, "You can feel us. That's what you said. Our struggles, our tempered darkness, as you called it. Signs, maybe, of something more than just being Asari…"
"Hm… Perhaps," Samara paused, then sighed, "Shall we begin meditating?"
The two nodded. Samara sat down first, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. Her powers flared lilac, an aura forming around her body as the other two sat on opposite sides of her, taking the same pose to begin meditating. It was… Intriguing to Samara to consider the possibilities of being Force-Sensitive, though she'd rather leave it for later.
Right now, she still had a quarry to pursue…