This artwork is inspired by a spectacular sequence in the film "The Fountain" and by my mutuals who keep coming up with all kinds of devastating ideas around the Control ending. Thank you ❤
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The Reapers retreated en masse, husks and such turned to dust, Reaper technology across the galaxy stopped functioning. They remained for sixteen days, repairing mass relays with speed unlike any construction crew in the galaxy, then disappeared through the Omega-4 relay. The relay stopped functioning, after that, and no one could turn it back on.
But the galaxy eventually discovered that they hadn't entirely left. Indeed, there was a token force guarding a single planet: Parnax, the yahg homeworld. The reasoning for this was quickly discovered when files of Salarian "uplifting" yahg attempts flooded the extranet en masse—a Council quarantine was quickly put into place around the planet, and a Hierarchy fleet sent to patrol that border. The Reapers did not interfere with the patrol fleet; they simply remained in the planet's orbit, silent sentinels guarding the natural growth of a young species.
This group was discovered only months after the end of the War, and though they were an unnerving sight, quickly became a simple fact of life, easily ignored.
Then, ten years later, a second entourage of sentinel Reapers was discovered. A human exploration vessel ventured where few had gone before.
There was, it seemed, a second planet the Reapers guarded: a single ocean planet in the far-flung system of Psi Tophet in Sigurd's Cradle. This was a system hundreds of light-years away from the others in the cluster, sitting at its very edge. The primary star had only three planets in orbit. None had truly been explored.
The HESV Einstein decelerated from FTL to take their first look at the Psi Tophet system.
And sixteen Sovereign-class Reaper dreadnoughts suddenly appeared before them.
The Reapers, however, did not attack. Instead they took formation, creating a tunnel of sorts that herded the ship toward the system's gas giant. Any attempt to go in any other direction was quickly countermanded by a Reaper moving directly into an intercept path.
("I shit my fucking pants, no lie," said James Fredericks, Ensign to the HESV Einstein, when asked for comment. "I thought we were all gonna fucking die to a bigass red laser." It should be noted this comment was obtained while the Ensign was at an Omega bar, after having consumed two shots of Batarian liquor…and a Hanar mindfish.)
The Reapers had given them only one course of action. Taking the hint, the exploration vessel parked in the gas giant's orbit, discharged its core, and promptly fled the system.
Several weeks later, a Council fleet arrived to attempt to communicate--but were armed with Thanix cannons and multicore shielding, prepared for battle. Last time, the Reapers had made their intentions known by exposing Salarian interference, and kept to themselves. This time, the measures taken were not so subtle.
Reapers converged on the fleet, and broadcast a signal to every ship in the system: a single audio recording, containing a voice half the galaxy remembered.
Spectre Shepard to the Council. Commander Shepard to Alliance High Command.
I have a priority message: keep everyone the hell away from Psi Tophet.
I once said that the Reapers were the greatest threat this galaxy had ever seen. I lied. There are no resources to be found in this system, no garden worlds, no life. There is only a danger that will destroy us all if it gets free, and it does that by using you as a conduit. Stay the hell away.
Shepard out.
This was, predictably, received with chaos. It brought up more questions: was the recording real? How had the Reapers gotten it? What could possibly be more dangerous than the Reapers?
The recording was brought before its only surviving recipient (the Council to which the message had been sent had all perished when the Citadel was moved to Sol, on that fateful day ten years ago). Admiral Steven Hackett, now retired, confirmed the recording was genuine. The Admiral then threatened to come out of retirement "if that's what it takes for you to let Shepard save this galaxy again."
He refused to elaborate on just what the warning was about.
In an effort to gain clarity on the situation, Shepard's own colleagues were consulted. A messenger sent to Urdnot Wrex returned only with the advice to "do what she said, you brainless pyjaks." Sergeant Major James Vega repeated this opinion, and when pressed for details said, quote, "You don't wanna know, man. Don't ask." (He then muttered, "Can't believe I'm agreeing with a Reaper.")
The Grissom Academy instructor known only as "Jack" recommended taking Shepard's advice. Loudly. And with a far more colorful vocabulary.
Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau refused to comment. Several reporters that attempted to ambush him found all their technology suddenly hacked and/or inoperable.
The Quarian Conclave sent a single message, voiced by Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch nar Normandy: "Shepard was right. Don't go to Psi Tophet." The Geth Consensus sent the same. No further information was given.
Hierarchy General Garrus Vakarian repeated this opinion and remained tight-lipped on the nature of the threat, but allegedly met with the Primarch shortly after the news broke. The next day, all turian-crewed ships promptly exited the Psi Tophet system.
Honorary Matriarch Liara T'Soni, when asked, simply advised that Thessian leadership take Shepard's advice.
Intriguingly, known Shadow Broker agent Barla Von came before the Council and revealed that the Shadow Broker had had standing orders for all agents to avoid Psi Tophet at all costs for over ten years.
Only one person remained to be consulted, but it was not to be. The last of the Normandy's primary crew, Ashley Williams, had disappeared over five years ago and was presumed dead.
Until, after one week of tense Council debate, the second human Spectre climbed the stairs of the Tower and interrupted the Council mid-session.
Williams waited patiently. It took only thirty seconds for every person in the vicinity to register the sudden appearance of a long-dead Spectre, pull out a camera, and point it at her. (There was, after all, nothing politicians loved more than a spectacle.) The Citadel Tower, political hub of the entire galaxy, fell silent.
Williams fixed her eyes on the Council and spoke.
"Eleven years ago, I doubted Shepard," she began, voice neutral. But her eyes were dark with a grief that had long since crystallized into icy rage.
On the dais, a Councillor met her gaze, and flinched.
The Spectre continued. "I looked her in the eyes on Horizon, a god brought back from the dead, and I called her a traitor. And then so did everyone else."
Williams laughed humorlessly, the sound sending chills down her audience's spines. "Shepard wasn't a fucking traitor, she was trapped. She was making the best out of a terrible situation, trying to use Cerberus resources to make them do something actually fucking good for once. She went to the Collector base, and she did what Shepard does: she killed a fucking Reaper.
"Yeah, yeah, this is all super classified. The Collector abductions were Reaper-backed, shocker. I don't give a fuck, it's Shepard, what did you expect?
"Listen to what I am telling you: I doubted her, but Shepard was right. After that damn beacon exploded on Eden Prime and gave her crazy Prothean visions, she tried to warn the Council Saren had turned, and they ignored her, but she was fucking right."
Ashley Williams shook her head and closed her eyes. "And then she died, and everyone buried their heads in the sand, pretended Sovereign was a geth ship instead of facing reality. And then Shepard came back. She came back from the dead to warn us about the Reapers, again, and you know what we did? We called her crazy." Ashley laughed again, this time with clear derision. "And then she wiped out a whole fucking Batarian colony to stop them from invading, and we put her in jail, and then six months passed and suddenly, finally, everyone was forced to admit: Shepard was fucking right.
"If you all had fucking listened to her after the Citadel was attacked, maybe we wouldn't have lost half the population of Earth. Palaven. Thessia, Sur'Kesh, Irune. In case you all fucking forgot about that. Maybe the Batarians wouldn't be a fucking endangered species.
"Maybe Shepard wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself to save the fucking universe. Maybe she'd still be alive."
On the last word, Ashley's voice cracked. She closed her eyes, took a moment to gather herself. The silence in the Tower remained unbroken, the air deathly still. The Citadel held its breath in anticipation.
Ashley took a deep breath and gave the Council a measured gaze. "Look, my point is: nobody listened to Shepard when she was alive, and we paid for it when Saren attacked. Then we didn't listen when she warned us about the Collectors, and we paid for that with the lives of millions of human colonists. We didn't listen when she warned us about the invasion, she even gave us six extra months to prepare and we didn't, and we paid for that with trillions of innocent lives. Trillions!"
Ashley shook her head. "I don't know what the hell Shepard did to make the Reapers back off, but I can tell you this: The Reapers are guarding that planet for a damn good reason. And no, I'm not telling you what it is. For once in the history of this goddamned Council, take Shepard's advice. Trust the savior of the galaxy, don't ask questions, and leave it the fuck alone.
"We owe her that much."
One beat passed, then another. Ashley met each Councillor's gaze in turn, then nodded briskly, as if she'd found what she was looking for.
And with that, the second human Spectre turned on her heel and vanished into thin air.
Ch. 24/?: Dropped into starry darkness
Rating: T/M
Fandom: Mass Effect, Femshep x Garrus
Additional Tags: Post-ME3 Control Ending, Memory loss, Enemies to lovers (but complicated)
Shepard swiped her sweaty palm against her equally sweaty forehead to push back a damp lock of hair. ‘A little uncomfortable’ her ass. What an understatement.
3 bar.
“Gotta say I’m going to miss this planet,” she croaked. “I only almost died three times.”
“Downright relaxing by our standards.”
“Exactly,” she rasped—her throat was killing her, but it wasn’t exactly an opportune moment to grab another hydration pack. “Practically a vacation.”
“Personally, I could do with more palm trees,” Garrus said, and she caught the motion of his head turning to look at her as she checked the pressure reading.
0 bar.
“Shepard,” he said, the humor in his voice vanishing into an edge of alarm, “you’re—”
