Beyond the Horizon
- Thread starter MarkWarrior
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MarkWarrior
Well-known member
So, I’m actually going to be deleting this thread mark and chapter and reuploading it. I rewrote some bits.
Chapter 97
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
Chapter 97
"It didn't have to end this way," Saren sighed as he pointed his pistol down at Jack Harper. "You could have died at peace."
Jack just chuckled, blood pooling underneath him as he puffed on his cigar one last time before the life faded from his eyes.
"And as for you," Saren turned to the corpse of Sparatus. "It's a shame that I had to end your alliance. It was probably the only chance the galaxy had."
Saren planted the Geth Pulse Rifle he had used on the ground before removing any traces of his existence from the scene of the crime.
"Spirits grant them wisdom," he muttered as he limped away, his form vanishing into the shadows. "I have done all that I can to warn them."
—
—
"Is your mission complete?" The figure asked.
"The objectives were accomplished as instructed," Saren stated outwardly as what was left of him began fighting against the control.
"Good," She smiled. "Come back to Sovereign for debriefing, I believe it is time for us to complete your programming. You have struggled for long enough."
"I believe I am more valuable as I am," Saren bit out. "Further programming would prevent you from benefiting from my mindset and skills."
"That has not been decided as of yet," she crossed her arms. "But we will have made a decision upon your arrival."
Arthur prepared himself for the worst, setting his feet in a CQB stance as he glanced around.
"I've got clear shots," Elizabeth reported. "Just say the word."
The small group of Asari began chattering, some of them taking photos with their Omnitools and posing in front of the bus.
"Belay that," Arthur muttered. "They're a bunch of college kids."
"ETA on a new bus is 30 minutes," Pockastar reported. "It'll take less time to get to the Council building on our own."
"New intel!" Elizabeth called out. "Looks like Jack Harper and Sparatus were just assassinated. A lot of the talking heads are blaming it on the Commonwealth."
"I'm leaving the Beacon," Kordak responds. "Your orders, Major?"
"We're going to ground," Arthur locked eyes with Wiso and nodded. "We can't take the risk of being captured by the Council."
Pocketing a flashbang, Wiso depressed the time delay button before diving back into the bus.
"Need help?" Lara asked.
"Not on this one," Arthur shook his head. "Better that you and Liara stay out of any potential heat."
"Godspeed," Lara mutters as Dr. Jones pulls Liara away and helps cover her face.
"Go," Arthur ordered.
"Taking over from Avina, now," Pockastar replied as a flash of sound and light appeared outside of the bus.
"Get us to the lower levels," Wiso said. "We can vanish a bit easier there.
"Kordak, meet us in the Wards, we'll leave the usual footprint. Liz, stay on Overwatch for as long as you can. Vanish if you need to and meet up with us later."
The bus dove down into the lower levels of the Citadel, leaving chaos in its wake.
Korlus, March 25, 2185CE
"I need intel," Melissa said as she entered the room. "We have a squad of Commonwealth Special Forces stranded on the Citadel. We need to bring them home."
"Our embassy is currently being surrounded by protestors," MacIntosh shook his head. "Unless they manage to make it there they'll need an alternative route off of the Citadel."
"Do we know who killed Harper and Sparatus?" Melissa asked bluntly. "I know what the media is saying, but I want to know what the Council Members have said to our representatives."
"No identifying factors on the weapon," the Citadel Liaison shrugged. "The closest analogue we have is a handful of centuries old weapons of Quarian manufacture."
"Then why, exactly, are we the target of public perception?"
"Because it's a new weapon," the Liaison replied. "And we're the new kids on the block. With new technology and fancy innovation."
"There's got to be more to it than that."
"There is," the Liaison sighed. "One of the mainstream media outlets is pushing the story that we did it and are covering it up. And they've broadcast the news so far and wide that the social media giants are running with it."
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Melissa asks. "I need solutions, people."
"Bump up production on our fleet," Admiral Jewel points at the numbers before her. "We're outnumbered nearly five to one by the smallest navies out there. While we've got higher quality, they'll shred us in any honest engagement."
"Bring Mark and Natasha out of retirement," Nadia Winson says as she leans back in her chair. "It will be good for morale, and they'll be able to point out something that we have missed somewhere."
"Mark is due to be back at Korlus in a few months," Melissa replied. "I'll ask him to step out of retirement when they're both in the system."
"Doctor, how much more can we boost production of the fleet for? And how long before we have to start paying the price in quality and degradation of the yards themselves?"
"Sustained around-the-clock production can be maintained for six to eight months," Adamina Rogers consulted her notes. "Then they'll need to be taken offline for a few weeks of maintenance."
"And training crews?" Melissa raised an eyebrow.
"We'll be speeding up training and spreading the veterans throughout the fleet," Jewel shrugs. "It's what we're going to have to do to keep our edge."
"That's settled then," Melissa produces her slate and types up a note. "MacIntosh, I want our team pulled off of the Citadel, ASAP. The last thing we need is for some of our special forces to be captured and interrogated."
"Understood, Ma'am," MacIntosh stands up. "I'll start working on it now."
"We've all got our jobs," Melissa nods at her staff. "Let's move people! The longer we wait, the less prepared we'll be."
"We couldn't do any better than the sewers?" Pockastar asks as he seals his armor and helmet.
"There are only a few people who work down here," Wiso shrugs. "And the layout changes all of the time, the Keepers shift things often enough that it's a maze down here."
"It's what we'll have to work with for now," Arthur sighed. "We'll bunker down here until we can get a better picture of how to get off of the station."
"Embassy is right out," Kordak stated. "It was surrounded earlier."
"We're lucky that Kordak has some smuggler connections that were willing to get our armor to us," Elizabeth checked her magazines. "We'll likely have to disappear for long enough that they forget about us. Otherwise, a Spectre might come and clear us out."
"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Arthur says as he sits down and leans against the wall. "I'm grabbing some shut-eye. Wake me if there are any problems."
Author's Note: I would have finished and posted this earlier today but I'm pulling double duty. I started a Quest and that's taking up some of my time. Updates should continue as planned, but the Quest might be posted prior to regular chapters.
If anyone wants to participate in the quest, the shameless plug is here: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-fire-nation-soldier.1091742/#post-92464386
"It didn't have to end this way," Saren sighed as he pointed his pistol down at Jack Harper. "You could have died at peace."
Jack just chuckled, blood pooling underneath him as he puffed on his cigar one last time before the life faded from his eyes.
"And as for you," Saren turned to the corpse of Sparatus. "It's a shame that I had to end your alliance. It was probably the only chance the galaxy had."
Saren planted the Geth Pulse Rifle he had used on the ground before removing any traces of his existence from the scene of the crime.
"Spirits grant them wisdom," he muttered as he limped away, his form vanishing into the shadows. "I have done all that I can to warn them."
—
—
"Is your mission complete?" The figure asked.
"The objectives were accomplished as instructed," Saren stated outwardly as what was left of him began fighting against the control.
"Good," She smiled. "Come back to Sovereign for debriefing, I believe it is time for us to complete your programming. You have struggled for long enough."
"I believe I am more valuable as I am," Saren bit out. "Further programming would prevent you from benefiting from my mindset and skills."
"That has not been decided as of yet," she crossed her arms. "But we will have made a decision upon your arrival."
Arthur prepared himself for the worst, setting his feet in a CQB stance as he glanced around.
"I've got clear shots," Elizabeth reported. "Just say the word."
The small group of Asari began chattering, some of them taking photos with their Omnitools and posing in front of the bus.
"Belay that," Arthur muttered. "They're a bunch of college kids."
"ETA on a new bus is 30 minutes," Pockastar reported. "It'll take less time to get to the Council building on our own."
"New intel!" Elizabeth called out. "Looks like Jack Harper and Sparatus were just assassinated. A lot of the talking heads are blaming it on the Commonwealth."
"I'm leaving the Beacon," Kordak responds. "Your orders, Major?"
"We're going to ground," Arthur locked eyes with Wiso and nodded. "We can't take the risk of being captured by the Council."
Pocketing a flashbang, Wiso depressed the time delay button before diving back into the bus.
"Need help?" Lara asked.
"Not on this one," Arthur shook his head. "Better that you and Liara stay out of any potential heat."
"Godspeed," Lara mutters as Dr. Jones pulls Liara away and helps cover her face.
"Go," Arthur ordered.
"Taking over from Avina, now," Pockastar replied as a flash of sound and light appeared outside of the bus.
"Get us to the lower levels," Wiso said. "We can vanish a bit easier there.
"Kordak, meet us in the Wards, we'll leave the usual footprint. Liz, stay on Overwatch for as long as you can. Vanish if you need to and meet up with us later."
The bus dove down into the lower levels of the Citadel, leaving chaos in its wake.
Korlus, March 25, 2185CE
"I need intel," Melissa said as she entered the room. "We have a squad of Commonwealth Special Forces stranded on the Citadel. We need to bring them home."
"Our embassy is currently being surrounded by protestors," MacIntosh shook his head. "Unless they manage to make it there they'll need an alternative route off of the Citadel."
"Do we know who killed Harper and Sparatus?" Melissa asked bluntly. "I know what the media is saying, but I want to know what the Council Members have said to our representatives."
"No identifying factors on the weapon," the Citadel Liaison shrugged. "The closest analogue we have is a handful of centuries old weapons of Quarian manufacture."
"Then why, exactly, are we the target of public perception?"
"Because it's a new weapon," the Liaison replied. "And we're the new kids on the block. With new technology and fancy innovation."
"There's got to be more to it than that."
"There is," the Liaison sighed. "One of the mainstream media outlets is pushing the story that we did it and are covering it up. And they've broadcast the news so far and wide that the social media giants are running with it."
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Melissa asks. "I need solutions, people."
"Bump up production on our fleet," Admiral Jewel points at the numbers before her. "We're outnumbered nearly five to one by the smallest navies out there. While we've got higher quality, they'll shred us in any honest engagement."
"Bring Mark and Natasha out of retirement," Nadia Winson says as she leans back in her chair. "It will be good for morale, and they'll be able to point out something that we have missed somewhere."
"Mark is due to be back at Korlus in a few months," Melissa replied. "I'll ask him to step out of retirement when they're both in the system."
"Doctor, how much more can we boost production of the fleet for? And how long before we have to start paying the price in quality and degradation of the yards themselves?"
"Sustained around-the-clock production can be maintained for six to eight months," Adamina Rogers consulted her notes. "Then they'll need to be taken offline for a few weeks of maintenance."
"And training crews?" Melissa raised an eyebrow.
"We'll be speeding up training and spreading the veterans throughout the fleet," Jewel shrugs. "It's what we're going to have to do to keep our edge."
"That's settled then," Melissa produces her slate and types up a note. "MacIntosh, I want our team pulled off of the Citadel, ASAP. The last thing we need is for some of our special forces to be captured and interrogated."
"Understood, Ma'am," MacIntosh stands up. "I'll start working on it now."
"We've all got our jobs," Melissa nods at her staff. "Let's move people! The longer we wait, the less prepared we'll be."
"We couldn't do any better than the sewers?" Pockastar asks as he seals his armor and helmet.
"There are only a few people who work down here," Wiso shrugs. "And the layout changes all of the time, the Keepers shift things often enough that it's a maze down here."
"It's what we'll have to work with for now," Arthur sighed. "We'll bunker down here until we can get a better picture of how to get off of the station."
"Embassy is right out," Kordak stated. "It was surrounded earlier."
"We're lucky that Kordak has some smuggler connections that were willing to get our armor to us," Elizabeth checked her magazines. "We'll likely have to disappear for long enough that they forget about us. Otherwise, a Spectre might come and clear us out."
"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Arthur says as he sits down and leans against the wall. "I'm grabbing some shut-eye. Wake me if there are any problems."
Author's Note: I would have finished and posted this earlier today but I'm pulling double duty. I started a Quest and that's taking up some of my time. Updates should continue as planned, but the Quest might be posted prior to regular chapters.
If anyone wants to participate in the quest, the shameless plug is here: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-fire-nation-soldier.1091742/#post-92464386
Feels a bit more paranoid 'likely scenario'.
"Commonwealth attempts false-flag operation to blame other nation! News at 11!"
"Commonwealth attempts false-flag operation to blame other nation! News at 11!"
Chapter 98
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
Chapter 98
“I am Saren Arterius,” the Spectre struggled against his bonds. “I amTurian.”
Saren fought against the weight that pressed against his mind and spirit, the darkness slowly eroding the walls he had built.
“No,” Saren continued to fight. “̴I̶ ̴w̵i̶l̴l̷ ̷n̴o̶t̷ ̷l̸o̴s̶e̴ ̴w̸h̶o̸ ̴I̶ ̷a̸m̸.̸”̴
̸
̴“̸Y̸o̶u̵ ̵a̴l̶l̸ ̷l̴o̴s̸e̶ ̵w̸h̶o̶ ̷y̶o̷u̷ ̷a̸r̴e̸.̴ ̶T̷h̷e̶r̷e̸ ̷a̴r̸e̸ ̵n̵o̵n̸e̶ ̷w̶h̴o̸ ̶h̵a̸v̵e̸ ̷m̶a̵n̵a̴g̵e̵d̴ ̴t̶o̴ ̵e̴n̸d̵u̸r̷e̶.̵”̵
̵
̵
̶“̵I̴ ̸a̶m̷ ̸b̶e̵y̴o̸n̴d̸ ̵y̴o̵u̸r̴ ̸r̸e̴c̴k̵o̵n̸i̷n̶g̴,̴ ̸y̴o̷u̵r̵ ̴f̴r̴a̵g̷i̴l̶e̵ ̷m̵i̸n̸d̸ ̴u̸n̶a̵b̸l̷e̸ ̴t̷o̵ ̵h̵a̴n̵d̸l̶e̷ ̸t̸h̵e̸ ̷w̸e̷i̶g̴h̸t̶ ̸o̸f̵ ̵e̸x̴i̵s̴t̶e̸n̶c̶e̷!̸”̶
̸
̴
̵
̷
̷“̸F̵l̴e̶s̸h̷,̷ ̷b̶o̸n̸e̷,̵ ̷a̴l̷l̷ ̴t̸h̴i̴n̷g̶s̵ ̴t̵h̸a̶t̷ ̶h̴a̷v̷e̴ ̷m̶a̶d̶e̵ ̷y̵o̸u̷ ̵w̴e̵a̷k̶!̵ ̶B̸u̸t̴ ̵I̴ ̸s̶h̴a̴l̶l̸ ̵m̸a̸k̸e̵ ̶y̴o̶u̸ ̵w̴h̸o̶l̵e̷,̴ ̶m̴e̷r̷e̷l̷y̶ ̸a̷c̷c̵e̴p̸t̸ ̵w̶h̴a̸t̵ ̶I̷ ̶h̶a̷v̴e̴ ̸t̶o̴ ̷o̶f̵f̵e̶r̵ ̸a̵n̷d̵ ̶y̷o̵u̴ ̴s̶h̷a̴l̸l̷ ̴n̶e̸v̴e̷r̸ ̵b̶e̷ ̸w̴e̸a̶k̵ ̵a̵g̴a̴i̴n̶.̸. ̶I̴ ̸a̷m̷ ̵S̷o̷v̶e̸r̸e̸i̵g̷n̵.̶ ̸Y̶o̶u̶ ̷w̸i̵l̶l̵ ̶b̴e̷c̷o̷m̶e̸ ̶w̵h̵a̸t̸ ̸i̶s̷ ̴r̸e̷q̷u̵i̶r̶e̵d̶ ̸o̶f̶ ̷y̸o̶u̶.̴”̴
̶
Saren stilled as he pulled back into the last bit of light left, his spirit and mind giving way to the darkness as his heartbeat began to slow and then stop.
“Can those things be any creepier?” Arthur asked as one of the Keepers continued on its path, neatly circumventing the squad.
“Most of the Citadel Dwellers just ignore them,” Pockastar shrugged. “They don’t do much more than maintenance. So it’s easy to ignore them.”
“Well, something seems off about them,” Elizabeth agreed with Arthur. “I’m not sure that we should stay on the Citadel for much longer.”
“We’ve got Kordak working on our exit,” Wiso shook her head. “What a strange world we live in. Where the Krogan is our undercover agent.”
“Whelp, it’s the world that we live in, I’m afraid,” Arthur sighed. “We’ll just have to wait and see what he managed to come up with.”
“Liz, you got a spare deck on you?” Wiso leaned back against the wall.
“Yeah,” the woman replied. “It’s a pretty beat-up deck though. ERS sound good to everyone?”
“It’s not like we have the time for anything involving gambling,” Pockastar sat down next to the other two while Arthur moved to keep watch. “Better something that requires a bit less thought.”
“We’re just asking for the body to be returned!” Udina yelled at the Councilors. “It has been days, and we both know that the excuses you have given me are bullshit! Jack Harper is a Hero to the Systems Alliance, and I will see his body returned for proper burial.”
“Come now,” Benezia attempted to calm the man. “Surely there we can hold the body for a few more days.”
“You’ve had it for nearly a week,” Udina seethed. “C-Sec’s examiners told me that they weren’t going to get more information from the body days ago.”
“I was under the impression that the Alliance had requested more testing be done,” Quentius said as he flipped through his files. “Did you not wish that to be done here on the citadel?”
“I’ve been told to bring his body home,” Udina glared at Benezia. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”
“One more day,” Valern finally spoke. “Allow our people one more day.”
“You have 24 hours,” Udina turned away and left the room.
“I thought we had already authorized the release of the bodies,” Quentius sighed. “Why must You antagonize the Systems Alliance so?”
“My daughter is missing,” Benezia’s eyes flared purple. “And Humans were those responsible for her safety. I am angry and I am right to be so.”
A younger Asari then entered the room, her armor scuffed and showing the signs of battle.
“The Beacon has been delivered,” Shiala gasped out.
“Fuck the Beacon,” Benezia said in a rare moment of honesty. “Where is Liara?!”
“I last received word that she was on her way to the Council Chambers,” Shila replied, shying away from the angry Matriarch.
“Find her,” Benezia ordered. “Or do not return to my service at all.”
“How is he doing?” She asked as she looked through the glass.
“He resisted greatly at first, but he seems to be taking to the treatment,” the doctor reported. “He should be awake and ready to be seen in a handful of hours.”
“I have other matters to attend to,” She replied as she turned away. “Inform me of when he has been awakened, I am eager to see the results of the handiwork.”
The Matriarch disappeared further into the depths of the giant ship, with a small group of Huntresses following.
“Get me the latest information from Noveria,” She snapped at one of the Maidens. “I’ll rip the location of the Mu relay from the Queen’s head myself if I have to.”
“And find a member of the Sect of Athame,” the Matriarch smirked. “I think it is time that we expanded our numbers by bringing the unwilling into the fold.”
“Y̸̭̫̬̳̫̞̳̳̺̬͛͌̀̀̍̒͒̉̓͌̈͘͠͝ơ̷͚̬͙̣̠̩̫̗͉̗̠̝̻̻͊̐̊̽̅̅̊̈́͌̀͌̍̆u̴̧͈̺̗͉̥̮͕͕̲̦̪̦̒̑̈͆͐͐̀͜͠ͅ ̶̣͓͎̣̽͌͂̐̽͊͋̋̈́͐̕ẅ̵̡̛̛̻͎̰͎͈͔͇̘̭̥̫̞͕̞́̉̾̉̏̊̒͂͜e̶̞͇̩̜̖͍͈̩͓̓̓̾̉̓͂͝͝r̷̭͕͓͕͊͝e̸̢̡̱̠̬͈̝̝̦̭̪̭̹͗ ̶̛̫͇͂̆̂̿̐͋̍͊͂̇́͝f̶̡̡̛̙̻̯̟̲͎̎́͑̑̌͗̉̿̓͂́̑ͅl̴̞̐̀͑̀͒̃̀͌̈̍̆̚̕̕͘̕͠e̴̝̯̱̎̓̔̽̅̄̂̉̀̇͋͘ş̷̛̛̮̜̖̥̙͎̤͍̲̱̐̓͂̏̉̍͂̏͛͆̉ḩ̷̗̌͒̐͐̽̌͠ ̸̧̢̹̙͖̹̭͚̞̜̜̗̣͓̥͍̰̃̅̅͆̈ą̴̩̭̦͇͇̦͙̿͑̊͠n̸̘̭͇̞̞̹̙̣̕d̷̢̨̞͖̳̻͓͙̩͆̑͒͜ ̷̡̭̿̽̈́͗̽̊̄̚͜͝͝f̶̯͍̣͓͐̅̄̃̓́̓̊͋̒͒̆̕͘͝ą̵͌î̵̡͚̼̜̖̣̝̖̟̗̩̲̱̑͗ͅt̸̢̹̻̦̗͕̙̖̗͙̣͌͂̿̍́̀̾̐̕͘ͅh̸̬̘̗̮̯̩̯͍̗̻̊̋̈́̋.̶̢̯̫̩͍̪͕̘͚̦̝̤̣͕͕̓̍̈́̋̚͜͝ ̸̨͎͓͙̘̹̫̱̮̰̳̗̱͕̊́̐͝͝B̸̞͙̝̗̱͉͔̭̼̘̂̆́̈́̆͌̔̔̄̀̀u̴͙̤͚͌̀̑̐̀̌͘t̷̛̮̭̣̻̤̰̙͖̻̼̺̤̂̃̊̾͝ͅͅ ̷͔͖̼͌̎͗̄̾̔̀͑̿͒ň̷̛̛͔̟̙̖̼̊͊́̔̍̏̏ö̷̧̧̧̤͉̻̜̺͇̪̗̱͎̹̦́̓̿̑̚ẁ̵̛̗̂͂̓͌̇͆͋́̍͗̐͛̆̕,̵̡̱̙͉̻͔̖͎̲̝̞͔͉̖̱͈̐̊̈́̈́͑̓͌̕ ̸̡̠̜͍̰̥͍̫̺̱̣͙̌̒̃͋̎̈́͑͂̄y̴͔̞̩̱͈̪̪͚͛͊͂͠ơ̸̻̬̬̬͋̄͒̂̓͌̀̀̈́̅̾̆̏̂̓̾u̶̝̳̖̯̬̬̰̳̼̗̘̝̦̣̟̲̽ ̸̗̼̱̬̞͕̪͎͇̬͋͒̌̔̾̒̚͜͜ą̷̧̛̛̭͖̟̫̝͇̥̘͔͙̍͗̍̈́̐̈́͌͂͑̚r̴̡̢͔͓̼͕̙̫̊͌̾ͅe̴͕̟̪̥͊̈́̋̎̇̕ ̵̢̨̛̙̹̮͉͙̰͍̝̼͚͚̪̞̂͗̒̇̅́̆̄̽͆͆͠m̸̢̢͕̬̮̹̮̳̭͉̫̞͆̎̃̇̉̀̃̐̄̋͑̐̈͛̓̊͜͠ờ̷̧̠͈̥̜̼͒̽͒̂͛͠r̴̢̢̛̫͉̮̲͈͙̫͙̪͌͌͌̓̆͋̔͐̅̔̉̓̌͌͋͠ę̶̡̻̥͕͙̪͔̜̝̯͉̟̯̗̆͋̈̔̍̾̑̒̽̈́̒͗̃ ̴̛̫̪͍̞̼̲̫́̏͋͋̃̒̀͂͐̅̽̓̇̎̀͜͝t̴̛̺̑̿͛̀́̐̋̓̈̂h̵̹͉͙̳̫̳͔͍̥̭̗̠͈̒͌̉̊͑͆a̸̡̧̳̭̻͚͈̹̓̇̓̀͌͂̌͋̈́́͂͗̽ņ̴̣̞̖̳͖͕͍̦̳̱̜̝̜̞̭͚̓̽̌̍̅ ̷̟͖͓͎͔̯̋́̒͊̄͋̈̌͒̽̆̓̒̄͂̕͝t̷̢̡̛͚̺̼̜̬̃̄̍̓̽͋̍̆͊̉̓̅͐ẖ̴̢̢̪̙̥̈́͘͠ã̷̛̛̭͍̰̝̜̦̯͒̅͋̉́̈́̿̊̒́̓͘͝t̶̜̜̖̲̞̪̆̂̿̎̓́̏̾͝͠,̵̥̦̜̈̿̀̐͐̔̌̈́͋̒͊̈́̔̂͜͝ ̷̢͇̥͕̤͔̹̯͖̩͔̂̈̂̿̔̓͆͜ͅẏ̴͕̱͉͈̦̼͍̋̋́͗̒̉͂̂́̓̚͠ȏ̷̞̫̥̖̳͎͎͍̮̅̍͠u̸̲̥͖̼̾͑͌͆̚͝ ̸̧̧̛̜̖̤͓͉͔̼̺͎̠̮̞̐͋͌͜͜w̶̡̧̨̧̛̮̯̯̺̮̭̖̝̪͚̫͔͛̀͒̾̏͌̿̽͌̇̕͝i̴̢̡̡̢̗̰̗͎͔͖̹̤͇̫̜̝͑͒͒̃͌̿̄̑̽̈́̀͘͘͘͠ĺ̶͎̮̥͔̜̦̫̬͔͕̌̏̒͜l̷̡̨̺̯̱͎̄̋̈́̈̾̒̓̓̾̽͝ ̷͖̜͉̺̞̹̞͇͙͎̭̮͎͎̝̙̈́͑͆b̵̜͍͎̪̱̗̜̾́͒͐ȩ̸̡̲̣̰̞̭̞̲̪͚̬̼̟̮̞̫͛̎̑͒̀͐͑̓̑͝ ̴̡̛̥̪̮̯̖̙͎̳͂͋̈́͋ͅṃ̷̡̼͓͕̙͈̹̞̙̟̳̄̍̚̕͝y̸͉͔̟̎̍͐̆̆͊̋̿ ̷̡̭̬͙̦̰̞͇̯̭̟̯͋̀̏̈́̊͒̋̈͝ͅĮ̸͖̱͙̪̣̫̮̮̟̟͂̊͑̉͂n̶͍̘͙̞̪̥͍̞̼̫͌͒̍̾̇̚͠͝͠š̶̨̻̠͓͇͕̻̯̘̬͇̘̅̍́̈́̔͋͌̈̍̿̐̒̓̂́͝t̵͔͔͚̫̿̌̄̓̽̑̓̒̏̀̕͝ͅr̷̛̖͕̦̹͔̦̺̪̭̥͇͉̒͋͆͂̑̿́̈́̽̃͘̕͘̚͜͝u̶̢̡̨̮͇͚̣̤̜͕͔̗̥̻̫̅͌͗͋̓͒ͅm̶̩͖̮̗͈̫̣͔̂e̸̪̭̭̫̗̒͋̇̿̎n̷̨̛̹͈͙̝̤̰̻̯͖̯̦̝̼͚͐̅̈́͗̔̆̌̍̈́̍͘͝t̷̛̛̝̙̭̯̹̦̗͔̳̘̻̪̝̟̎̒̀̍̊̋̔̃͝͝ͅͅ ̸̟̺̯̇͊̈́̿͂͛̽̚͝ͅo̸͎̙͍̦̟͙̪̤͕̰͂̈́́͘f̸̳͆̍̔͌͗̈́̓̅́̄͒̀̕ ̷̖̯̹̤̭͈̠̽ẗ̵̛̞̙͎̫̭͍̩̭̬͇͙̼̊͑̈́͐͆͘͜͠h̷̢͖̝̺̣̝̲̺̋͊͂̏͌͑̾̓̓̾̈́̿̒̒̊͘͠i̴̢̡̩̺̮̩͉̪̻͎͛̌̒́̚̚ͅș̶̡̢̛̯̫̖̭͖̺̤̫̠̯́͊̎̓͗́̅̈́̕̚͝ ̶̡̨̖͖̫̠̺̫͚̤̝͉̤̌̎̓̊̋͒̃͒̓̇͒̿̽ͅh̸̡͍̺̜̜̱̝͙̍͋͠ͅa̴̫̩̥̳͈̟͙̮̟̐̄́̀͊͊̾̑͌͛͆̏̓͑̚͠͝ͅͅr̴̞̫̻̮̯̹̦̲̝̦͈̭͂͛͐̍̈́̀̔͒̽̄͐̕͠͝v̷̛̛̳̣͈̜̿́̂̈́̋̃̄́́̉̊͜é̶̢̛̲̬̩̲̰̠̙̳̠̪͔͕̫̿̎̈̏͒͌͂̔̕͠͠ş̶̛̤̙̳̿̾̊̀͆͋̈́̿͒̀͆̋̍t̴̻͇̤̼̞̝͔͕͓̭̼́̋̊̽̾̑̔̅̏̇͜ͅͅSoon you will understand what it is that comes after the harvest has been completed.”.̷̢̡̧͚̩̞̘̫̫̪̦̼̄̓̇̈́̍͗̈́̏̌̇̐͘͝͝ ̶̨̨̟͓̤͎͍̩͔͖́̏͋̇̓̒̍͒̃͛͊̓͊̾͘͝
̴͖̮̀̍
Saren stood up and faced the Matriarch, moving closer before kneeling in front of her.
“It seems that you have finally broken him,” She said as she looked at the barefaced Turian. “It is a shame that so much of his original self had to be reconstructed.”
“What is your bidding?” Saren asked.
“You will be made aware when it is the correct time,” She replied. “Now follow, we have much work to do.”
“Of course,” Saren bowed his head. “But are we going?”
“Omega,” Tevos smirked. “There are some people that need to be… educated on the correct path.”
Standing up, Saren followed the Matriarch as she walked down Sovereign’s halls, the sharp metal of his new talons clinking against the bulkhead with every single step.
“I am Saren Arterius,” the Spectre struggled against his bonds. “I amTurian.”
Saren fought against the weight that pressed against his mind and spirit, the darkness slowly eroding the walls he had built.
“No,” Saren continued to fight. “̴I̶ ̴w̵i̶l̴l̷ ̷n̴o̶t̷ ̷l̸o̴s̶e̴ ̴w̸h̶o̸ ̴I̶ ̷a̸m̸.̸”̴
̸
̴“̸Y̸o̶u̵ ̵a̴l̶l̸ ̷l̴o̴s̸e̶ ̵w̸h̶o̶ ̷y̶o̷u̷ ̷a̸r̴e̸.̴ ̶T̷h̷e̶r̷e̸ ̷a̴r̸e̸ ̵n̵o̵n̸e̶ ̷w̶h̴o̸ ̶h̵a̸v̵e̸ ̷m̶a̵n̵a̴g̵e̵d̴ ̴t̶o̴ ̵e̴n̸d̵u̸r̷e̶.̵”̵
̵
̵
̶“̵I̴ ̸a̶m̷ ̸b̶e̵y̴o̸n̴d̸ ̵y̴o̵u̸r̴ ̸r̸e̴c̴k̵o̵n̸i̷n̶g̴,̴ ̸y̴o̷u̵r̵ ̴f̴r̴a̵g̷i̴l̶e̵ ̷m̵i̸n̸d̸ ̴u̸n̶a̵b̸l̷e̸ ̴t̷o̵ ̵h̵a̴n̵d̸l̶e̷ ̸t̸h̵e̸ ̷w̸e̷i̶g̴h̸t̶ ̸o̸f̵ ̵e̸x̴i̵s̴t̶e̸n̶c̶e̷!̸”̶
̸
̴
̵
̷
̷“̸F̵l̴e̶s̸h̷,̷ ̷b̶o̸n̸e̷,̵ ̷a̴l̷l̷ ̴t̸h̴i̴n̷g̶s̵ ̴t̵h̸a̶t̷ ̶h̴a̷v̷e̴ ̷m̶a̶d̶e̵ ̷y̵o̸u̷ ̵w̴e̵a̷k̶!̵ ̶B̸u̸t̴ ̵I̴ ̸s̶h̴a̴l̶l̸ ̵m̸a̸k̸e̵ ̶y̴o̶u̸ ̵w̴h̸o̶l̵e̷,̴ ̶m̴e̷r̷e̷l̷y̶ ̸a̷c̷c̵e̴p̸t̸ ̵w̶h̴a̸t̵ ̶I̷ ̶h̶a̷v̴e̴ ̸t̶o̴ ̷o̶f̵f̵e̶r̵ ̸a̵n̷d̵ ̶y̷o̵u̴ ̴s̶h̷a̴l̸l̷ ̴n̶e̸v̴e̷r̸ ̵b̶e̷ ̸w̴e̸a̶k̵ ̵a̵g̴a̴i̴n̶.̸. ̶I̴ ̸a̷m̷ ̵S̷o̷v̶e̸r̸e̸i̵g̷n̵.̶ ̸Y̶o̶u̶ ̷w̸i̵l̶l̵ ̶b̴e̷c̷o̷m̶e̸ ̶w̵h̵a̸t̸ ̸i̶s̷ ̴r̸e̷q̷u̵i̶r̶e̵d̶ ̸o̶f̶ ̷y̸o̶u̶.̴”̴
̶
Saren stilled as he pulled back into the last bit of light left, his spirit and mind giving way to the darkness as his heartbeat began to slow and then stop.
“Can those things be any creepier?” Arthur asked as one of the Keepers continued on its path, neatly circumventing the squad.
“Most of the Citadel Dwellers just ignore them,” Pockastar shrugged. “They don’t do much more than maintenance. So it’s easy to ignore them.”
“Well, something seems off about them,” Elizabeth agreed with Arthur. “I’m not sure that we should stay on the Citadel for much longer.”
“We’ve got Kordak working on our exit,” Wiso shook her head. “What a strange world we live in. Where the Krogan is our undercover agent.”
“Whelp, it’s the world that we live in, I’m afraid,” Arthur sighed. “We’ll just have to wait and see what he managed to come up with.”
“Liz, you got a spare deck on you?” Wiso leaned back against the wall.
“Yeah,” the woman replied. “It’s a pretty beat-up deck though. ERS sound good to everyone?”
“It’s not like we have the time for anything involving gambling,” Pockastar sat down next to the other two while Arthur moved to keep watch. “Better something that requires a bit less thought.”
“We’re just asking for the body to be returned!” Udina yelled at the Councilors. “It has been days, and we both know that the excuses you have given me are bullshit! Jack Harper is a Hero to the Systems Alliance, and I will see his body returned for proper burial.”
“Come now,” Benezia attempted to calm the man. “Surely there we can hold the body for a few more days.”
“You’ve had it for nearly a week,” Udina seethed. “C-Sec’s examiners told me that they weren’t going to get more information from the body days ago.”
“I was under the impression that the Alliance had requested more testing be done,” Quentius said as he flipped through his files. “Did you not wish that to be done here on the citadel?”
“I’ve been told to bring his body home,” Udina glared at Benezia. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”
“One more day,” Valern finally spoke. “Allow our people one more day.”
“You have 24 hours,” Udina turned away and left the room.
“I thought we had already authorized the release of the bodies,” Quentius sighed. “Why must You antagonize the Systems Alliance so?”
“My daughter is missing,” Benezia’s eyes flared purple. “And Humans were those responsible for her safety. I am angry and I am right to be so.”
A younger Asari then entered the room, her armor scuffed and showing the signs of battle.
“The Beacon has been delivered,” Shiala gasped out.
“Fuck the Beacon,” Benezia said in a rare moment of honesty. “Where is Liara?!”
“I last received word that she was on her way to the Council Chambers,” Shila replied, shying away from the angry Matriarch.
“Find her,” Benezia ordered. “Or do not return to my service at all.”
“How is he doing?” She asked as she looked through the glass.
“He resisted greatly at first, but he seems to be taking to the treatment,” the doctor reported. “He should be awake and ready to be seen in a handful of hours.”
“I have other matters to attend to,” She replied as she turned away. “Inform me of when he has been awakened, I am eager to see the results of the handiwork.”
The Matriarch disappeared further into the depths of the giant ship, with a small group of Huntresses following.
“Get me the latest information from Noveria,” She snapped at one of the Maidens. “I’ll rip the location of the Mu relay from the Queen’s head myself if I have to.”
“And find a member of the Sect of Athame,” the Matriarch smirked. “I think it is time that we expanded our numbers by bringing the unwilling into the fold.”
“Y̸̭̫̬̳̫̞̳̳̺̬͛͌̀̀̍̒͒̉̓͌̈͘͠͝ơ̷͚̬͙̣̠̩̫̗͉̗̠̝̻̻͊̐̊̽̅̅̊̈́͌̀͌̍̆u̴̧͈̺̗͉̥̮͕͕̲̦̪̦̒̑̈͆͐͐̀͜͠ͅ ̶̣͓͎̣̽͌͂̐̽͊͋̋̈́͐̕ẅ̵̡̛̛̻͎̰͎͈͔͇̘̭̥̫̞͕̞́̉̾̉̏̊̒͂͜e̶̞͇̩̜̖͍͈̩͓̓̓̾̉̓͂͝͝r̷̭͕͓͕͊͝e̸̢̡̱̠̬͈̝̝̦̭̪̭̹͗ ̶̛̫͇͂̆̂̿̐͋̍͊͂̇́͝f̶̡̡̛̙̻̯̟̲͎̎́͑̑̌͗̉̿̓͂́̑ͅl̴̞̐̀͑̀͒̃̀͌̈̍̆̚̕̕͘̕͠e̴̝̯̱̎̓̔̽̅̄̂̉̀̇͋͘ş̷̛̛̮̜̖̥̙͎̤͍̲̱̐̓͂̏̉̍͂̏͛͆̉ḩ̷̗̌͒̐͐̽̌͠ ̸̧̢̹̙͖̹̭͚̞̜̜̗̣͓̥͍̰̃̅̅͆̈ą̴̩̭̦͇͇̦͙̿͑̊͠n̸̘̭͇̞̞̹̙̣̕d̷̢̨̞͖̳̻͓͙̩͆̑͒͜ ̷̡̭̿̽̈́͗̽̊̄̚͜͝͝f̶̯͍̣͓͐̅̄̃̓́̓̊͋̒͒̆̕͘͝ą̵͌î̵̡͚̼̜̖̣̝̖̟̗̩̲̱̑͗ͅt̸̢̹̻̦̗͕̙̖̗͙̣͌͂̿̍́̀̾̐̕͘ͅh̸̬̘̗̮̯̩̯͍̗̻̊̋̈́̋.̶̢̯̫̩͍̪͕̘͚̦̝̤̣͕͕̓̍̈́̋̚͜͝ ̸̨͎͓͙̘̹̫̱̮̰̳̗̱͕̊́̐͝͝B̸̞͙̝̗̱͉͔̭̼̘̂̆́̈́̆͌̔̔̄̀̀u̴͙̤͚͌̀̑̐̀̌͘t̷̛̮̭̣̻̤̰̙͖̻̼̺̤̂̃̊̾͝ͅͅ ̷͔͖̼͌̎͗̄̾̔̀͑̿͒ň̷̛̛͔̟̙̖̼̊͊́̔̍̏̏ö̷̧̧̧̤͉̻̜̺͇̪̗̱͎̹̦́̓̿̑̚ẁ̵̛̗̂͂̓͌̇͆͋́̍͗̐͛̆̕,̵̡̱̙͉̻͔̖͎̲̝̞͔͉̖̱͈̐̊̈́̈́͑̓͌̕ ̸̡̠̜͍̰̥͍̫̺̱̣͙̌̒̃͋̎̈́͑͂̄y̴͔̞̩̱͈̪̪͚͛͊͂͠ơ̸̻̬̬̬͋̄͒̂̓͌̀̀̈́̅̾̆̏̂̓̾u̶̝̳̖̯̬̬̰̳̼̗̘̝̦̣̟̲̽ ̸̗̼̱̬̞͕̪͎͇̬͋͒̌̔̾̒̚͜͜ą̷̧̛̛̭͖̟̫̝͇̥̘͔͙̍͗̍̈́̐̈́͌͂͑̚r̴̡̢͔͓̼͕̙̫̊͌̾ͅe̴͕̟̪̥͊̈́̋̎̇̕ ̵̢̨̛̙̹̮͉͙̰͍̝̼͚͚̪̞̂͗̒̇̅́̆̄̽͆͆͠m̸̢̢͕̬̮̹̮̳̭͉̫̞͆̎̃̇̉̀̃̐̄̋͑̐̈͛̓̊͜͠ờ̷̧̠͈̥̜̼͒̽͒̂͛͠r̴̢̢̛̫͉̮̲͈͙̫͙̪͌͌͌̓̆͋̔͐̅̔̉̓̌͌͋͠ę̶̡̻̥͕͙̪͔̜̝̯͉̟̯̗̆͋̈̔̍̾̑̒̽̈́̒͗̃ ̴̛̫̪͍̞̼̲̫́̏͋͋̃̒̀͂͐̅̽̓̇̎̀͜͝t̴̛̺̑̿͛̀́̐̋̓̈̂h̵̹͉͙̳̫̳͔͍̥̭̗̠͈̒͌̉̊͑͆a̸̡̧̳̭̻͚͈̹̓̇̓̀͌͂̌͋̈́́͂͗̽ņ̴̣̞̖̳͖͕͍̦̳̱̜̝̜̞̭͚̓̽̌̍̅ ̷̟͖͓͎͔̯̋́̒͊̄͋̈̌͒̽̆̓̒̄͂̕͝t̷̢̡̛͚̺̼̜̬̃̄̍̓̽͋̍̆͊̉̓̅͐ẖ̴̢̢̪̙̥̈́͘͠ã̷̛̛̭͍̰̝̜̦̯͒̅͋̉́̈́̿̊̒́̓͘͝t̶̜̜̖̲̞̪̆̂̿̎̓́̏̾͝͠,̵̥̦̜̈̿̀̐͐̔̌̈́͋̒͊̈́̔̂͜͝ ̷̢͇̥͕̤͔̹̯͖̩͔̂̈̂̿̔̓͆͜ͅẏ̴͕̱͉͈̦̼͍̋̋́͗̒̉͂̂́̓̚͠ȏ̷̞̫̥̖̳͎͎͍̮̅̍͠u̸̲̥͖̼̾͑͌͆̚͝ ̸̧̧̛̜̖̤͓͉͔̼̺͎̠̮̞̐͋͌͜͜w̶̡̧̨̧̛̮̯̯̺̮̭̖̝̪͚̫͔͛̀͒̾̏͌̿̽͌̇̕͝i̴̢̡̡̢̗̰̗͎͔͖̹̤͇̫̜̝͑͒͒̃͌̿̄̑̽̈́̀͘͘͘͠ĺ̶͎̮̥͔̜̦̫̬͔͕̌̏̒͜l̷̡̨̺̯̱͎̄̋̈́̈̾̒̓̓̾̽͝ ̷͖̜͉̺̞̹̞͇͙͎̭̮͎͎̝̙̈́͑͆b̵̜͍͎̪̱̗̜̾́͒͐ȩ̸̡̲̣̰̞̭̞̲̪͚̬̼̟̮̞̫͛̎̑͒̀͐͑̓̑͝ ̴̡̛̥̪̮̯̖̙͎̳͂͋̈́͋ͅṃ̷̡̼͓͕̙͈̹̞̙̟̳̄̍̚̕͝y̸͉͔̟̎̍͐̆̆͊̋̿ ̷̡̭̬͙̦̰̞͇̯̭̟̯͋̀̏̈́̊͒̋̈͝ͅĮ̸͖̱͙̪̣̫̮̮̟̟͂̊͑̉͂n̶͍̘͙̞̪̥͍̞̼̫͌͒̍̾̇̚͠͝͠š̶̨̻̠͓͇͕̻̯̘̬͇̘̅̍́̈́̔͋͌̈̍̿̐̒̓̂́͝t̵͔͔͚̫̿̌̄̓̽̑̓̒̏̀̕͝ͅr̷̛̖͕̦̹͔̦̺̪̭̥͇͉̒͋͆͂̑̿́̈́̽̃͘̕͘̚͜͝u̶̢̡̨̮͇͚̣̤̜͕͔̗̥̻̫̅͌͗͋̓͒ͅm̶̩͖̮̗͈̫̣͔̂e̸̪̭̭̫̗̒͋̇̿̎n̷̨̛̹͈͙̝̤̰̻̯͖̯̦̝̼͚͐̅̈́͗̔̆̌̍̈́̍͘͝t̷̛̛̝̙̭̯̹̦̗͔̳̘̻̪̝̟̎̒̀̍̊̋̔̃͝͝ͅͅ ̸̟̺̯̇͊̈́̿͂͛̽̚͝ͅo̸͎̙͍̦̟͙̪̤͕̰͂̈́́͘f̸̳͆̍̔͌͗̈́̓̅́̄͒̀̕ ̷̖̯̹̤̭͈̠̽ẗ̵̛̞̙͎̫̭͍̩̭̬͇͙̼̊͑̈́͐͆͘͜͠h̷̢͖̝̺̣̝̲̺̋͊͂̏͌͑̾̓̓̾̈́̿̒̒̊͘͠i̴̢̡̩̺̮̩͉̪̻͎͛̌̒́̚̚ͅș̶̡̢̛̯̫̖̭͖̺̤̫̠̯́͊̎̓͗́̅̈́̕̚͝ ̶̡̨̖͖̫̠̺̫͚̤̝͉̤̌̎̓̊̋͒̃͒̓̇͒̿̽ͅh̸̡͍̺̜̜̱̝͙̍͋͠ͅa̴̫̩̥̳͈̟͙̮̟̐̄́̀͊͊̾̑͌͛͆̏̓͑̚͠͝ͅͅr̴̞̫̻̮̯̹̦̲̝̦͈̭͂͛͐̍̈́̀̔͒̽̄͐̕͠͝v̷̛̛̳̣͈̜̿́̂̈́̋̃̄́́̉̊͜é̶̢̛̲̬̩̲̰̠̙̳̠̪͔͕̫̿̎̈̏͒͌͂̔̕͠͠ş̶̛̤̙̳̿̾̊̀͆͋̈́̿͒̀͆̋̍t̴̻͇̤̼̞̝͔͕͓̭̼́̋̊̽̾̑̔̅̏̇͜ͅͅSoon you will understand what it is that comes after the harvest has been completed.”.̷̢̡̧͚̩̞̘̫̫̪̦̼̄̓̇̈́̍͗̈́̏̌̇̐͘͝͝ ̶̨̨̟͓̤͎͍̩͔͖́̏͋̇̓̒̍͒̃͛͊̓͊̾͘͝
̴͖̮̀̍
Saren stood up and faced the Matriarch, moving closer before kneeling in front of her.
“It seems that you have finally broken him,” She said as she looked at the barefaced Turian. “It is a shame that so much of his original self had to be reconstructed.”
“What is your bidding?” Saren asked.
“You will be made aware when it is the correct time,” She replied. “Now follow, we have much work to do.”
“Of course,” Saren bowed his head. “But are we going?”
“Omega,” Tevos smirked. “There are some people that need to be… educated on the correct path.”
Standing up, Saren followed the Matriarch as she walked down Sovereign’s halls, the sharp metal of his new talons clinking against the bulkhead with every single step.
Poor bastard,indeed.And almost all Asari Matriarchs are stupid bitches,what you expected ?
Those working for Mark could !
And Schephard girlfriend.
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
I’m taking a break from Beyond the Horizon for a bit. I feel like I’m not doing my ideas for it Justice and need to reassess it for a few weeks.
Totally cool. I often find myself in a similar situation.
Just know that I'm still interested to see Mark's ripples in the ME'verse!
Just know that I'm still interested to see Mark's ripples in the ME'verse!
Take your time,RL is always more important,and it is just story after all.
I saw dozens of good stories dead on SB or SV,one more here do not made difference !
Final
MarkWarrior
Well-known member
I'm… Not going to be continuing Beyond the Horizon for the foreseeable future. I might rewrite it like I am Blood on the Horizon at some point in the future, but I'm not likely to continue it in it's current state.
I tried to do too much at first. And spread things out with too many characters in too many different ways for me to keep track of even in my own head without the outline that I've got.
So, I'm going to explain where I was going to go with this fic and how I planned on ending the first "Book" per se.
First, the Reapers are much more Eldritch than in the standard ME. The Sovereign class is superior to pretty much everything that the modern forces have. Even when brought against it in bulk. The brainwashing is more sinister, and over time people are replaced by machine parts unless they're melted down to form a new reaper.
Anyway, to continue…
Sovereign wins at the Citadel. Tevos knows more about the Council and the secrets that they've hidden in their chambers than anyone else alive at present. So they break through and Saren has basically been completely overtaken by the cybernetics barring a few areas.
Saren has managed to save a small piece of himself, but it's only just enough for him to resist and kill both Tevos and himself as the final act that he performs.
Unfortunately, Sovereign is still able to wipe out the majority of the Citadel fleet, and when reinforcements arrive from The Terminus Commonwealth and the Systems Alliance they are barely able to evacuate a fraction of the population that's on the Citadel. With the rebuild Manassas taking the fore as the ship able to take the most damage and still keep fighting.
The different factions retreat to their homeworlds as Sovereign controls the Citadel. Now, while the Reaper is not able to override the modifications that the Protheans made, it can still send out a signal to the rest of the Reapers and they begin the slow push into the galaxy.
This begins the Long Siege, as it will come to be known. With the Commonwealth, Systems Alliance, and Hierarchy banding together and exchanging forces, ideas and technology, they shift entirely to a war economy. Eventually, the Elcor and Hanar join and contribute what they can as well. Then, the war turns into a slugfest similar to the Human-Covenant War in the UNSC. With the Reapers winning in space while losing badly on the ground until they reach technological parity.
With K-F drives now shared with their allies, the Systems Alliance, Commonwealth, and Hierarchy begin colonizing other worlds off of the path of the Mass Relays before evacuating civilians to them, leaving the worlds behind as military strongholds dedicated to staving off the invasion for as long as is possible.
It's at this point that the Cult of Athame makes a reappearance. They've been preparing to fight the Reapers for thousands of years. But believe that only the Asari are the ones capable of doing so. The Cult's fleets are larger than the rest of the galaxy and they quickly surge in popularity in both Asari and Salarian space as they manage to prevent the fall of both homeworlds to the Reapers, even staving them off.
The first book ends with a stalemate, the Reapers slowly grinding down the two factions of the galaxy while the Batarians go to ground and vanish from the public eye.
The Galaxy stands at the tipping point, and neither side is willing to trust the other at all.
This time, there are no superweapons to fall back on, there are no control devices. All there is, is survival and the ingenuity of those who are left to face impossible odds.
And then the first book ends. With Hull captaining the Manassas as the flagship, and the rest of the galaxy recoiling from the sucker punch that it was dealt.
Arthur Steiner lives and ends up being one of the main trainers and specialists for fighting the Reapers while on the ground.
Arthur marries Elizabeth Hazen following the attack on the Citadel.
The Geth continue building their Dyson Sphere. After their split, the ones that sided with the Reapers left those who stayed in the Perseus Veil alone.
Meanwhile, Shepard ends up becoming the expert in anti-Reaper space warfare. With the lessons learned from the Normandy being spread throughout all of the fleets… Along with DHS technology. Which now means the stealth is as perfect as it can get.
From this point on, it becomes the story of worlds as they hold out against the Reapers while waiting to be reinforced. With the ground forces able to hold unless bombarded from orbit and the space forces killing two to three Reapers before having to retreat.
Book two focuses on desperation. With a time skip of several years. All of the nations are moving back and retreating. With as much of their populations being hidden on worlds off the main paths and the military starting to lose morale with the loss of ships and planets.
And so, Hull and Co plan a counter-offensive. If they want to reclaim morale, then they need to get a win.
So they set a trap, luring Sovereign and its escorts to a sun that's about ready to turn into a Black Hole.
This begins their mimicry of Admiral Cole in the UNSC. With the Manassas luring Sovereign and the rest of the massive Reaper fleet closer to the sun before they artificially increase the mass using a modified ME generator. This increase transforms the Star into a black hole and sucks in the Reapers and the Manassas. With the inability to escape, the Reaper fleet is trapped and the Manassas attempts the impossible. With an impossible idea, they directly hook up the K-F drive to the Mass Effect generator long enough for them to trigger the drive, getting them out of the Black Hole, but leaving them temporarily stranded in an unknown area of space. Thus ends book 2.
Book 2 is all that I had storyboarded out to.
I'm sorry that I'm not going to finish this. But I'll continue to answer any questions y'all might have had about my plans.
If someone wants to continue this story then they're welcome to it.
I tried to do too much at first. And spread things out with too many characters in too many different ways for me to keep track of even in my own head without the outline that I've got.
So, I'm going to explain where I was going to go with this fic and how I planned on ending the first "Book" per se.
First, the Reapers are much more Eldritch than in the standard ME. The Sovereign class is superior to pretty much everything that the modern forces have. Even when brought against it in bulk. The brainwashing is more sinister, and over time people are replaced by machine parts unless they're melted down to form a new reaper.
Anyway, to continue…
Sovereign wins at the Citadel. Tevos knows more about the Council and the secrets that they've hidden in their chambers than anyone else alive at present. So they break through and Saren has basically been completely overtaken by the cybernetics barring a few areas.
Saren has managed to save a small piece of himself, but it's only just enough for him to resist and kill both Tevos and himself as the final act that he performs.
Unfortunately, Sovereign is still able to wipe out the majority of the Citadel fleet, and when reinforcements arrive from The Terminus Commonwealth and the Systems Alliance they are barely able to evacuate a fraction of the population that's on the Citadel. With the rebuild Manassas taking the fore as the ship able to take the most damage and still keep fighting.
The different factions retreat to their homeworlds as Sovereign controls the Citadel. Now, while the Reaper is not able to override the modifications that the Protheans made, it can still send out a signal to the rest of the Reapers and they begin the slow push into the galaxy.
This begins the Long Siege, as it will come to be known. With the Commonwealth, Systems Alliance, and Hierarchy banding together and exchanging forces, ideas and technology, they shift entirely to a war economy. Eventually, the Elcor and Hanar join and contribute what they can as well. Then, the war turns into a slugfest similar to the Human-Covenant War in the UNSC. With the Reapers winning in space while losing badly on the ground until they reach technological parity.
With K-F drives now shared with their allies, the Systems Alliance, Commonwealth, and Hierarchy begin colonizing other worlds off of the path of the Mass Relays before evacuating civilians to them, leaving the worlds behind as military strongholds dedicated to staving off the invasion for as long as is possible.
It's at this point that the Cult of Athame makes a reappearance. They've been preparing to fight the Reapers for thousands of years. But believe that only the Asari are the ones capable of doing so. The Cult's fleets are larger than the rest of the galaxy and they quickly surge in popularity in both Asari and Salarian space as they manage to prevent the fall of both homeworlds to the Reapers, even staving them off.
The first book ends with a stalemate, the Reapers slowly grinding down the two factions of the galaxy while the Batarians go to ground and vanish from the public eye.
The Galaxy stands at the tipping point, and neither side is willing to trust the other at all.
This time, there are no superweapons to fall back on, there are no control devices. All there is, is survival and the ingenuity of those who are left to face impossible odds.
And then the first book ends. With Hull captaining the Manassas as the flagship, and the rest of the galaxy recoiling from the sucker punch that it was dealt.
Arthur Steiner lives and ends up being one of the main trainers and specialists for fighting the Reapers while on the ground.
Arthur marries Elizabeth Hazen following the attack on the Citadel.
The Geth continue building their Dyson Sphere. After their split, the ones that sided with the Reapers left those who stayed in the Perseus Veil alone.
Meanwhile, Shepard ends up becoming the expert in anti-Reaper space warfare. With the lessons learned from the Normandy being spread throughout all of the fleets… Along with DHS technology. Which now means the stealth is as perfect as it can get.
From this point on, it becomes the story of worlds as they hold out against the Reapers while waiting to be reinforced. With the ground forces able to hold unless bombarded from orbit and the space forces killing two to three Reapers before having to retreat.
Book two focuses on desperation. With a time skip of several years. All of the nations are moving back and retreating. With as much of their populations being hidden on worlds off the main paths and the military starting to lose morale with the loss of ships and planets.
And so, Hull and Co plan a counter-offensive. If they want to reclaim morale, then they need to get a win.
So they set a trap, luring Sovereign and its escorts to a sun that's about ready to turn into a Black Hole.
This begins their mimicry of Admiral Cole in the UNSC. With the Manassas luring Sovereign and the rest of the massive Reaper fleet closer to the sun before they artificially increase the mass using a modified ME generator. This increase transforms the Star into a black hole and sucks in the Reapers and the Manassas. With the inability to escape, the Reaper fleet is trapped and the Manassas attempts the impossible. With an impossible idea, they directly hook up the K-F drive to the Mass Effect generator long enough for them to trigger the drive, getting them out of the Black Hole, but leaving them temporarily stranded in an unknown area of space. Thus ends book 2.
Book 2 is all that I had storyboarded out to.
I'm sorry that I'm not going to finish this. But I'll continue to answer any questions y'all might have had about my plans.
If someone wants to continue this story then they're welcome to it.
Pity,another great story died.
But,RL is always more important - and you could answer us,how book 3 and final would end.
I hope,that with cult of Asari idiots getting eradicated !
P.S If you want new story,you could start with Manassess send to WH40 Universe after they ambushed Reapers !
Or other place as nice as WH !
Simonbob
Well-known member
That's a pretty awesome story idea.
It's a very broad scope. I can see why you're having issues. Too many POV, too many moving parts.
You got a lot further than I would have, at least!
It might work better if you do a part at a time, I guess? But, you'd know better than me.