Chapter 19
Shala’raan came to his surface as an ambassador to her people but ended up becoming his wife soon after. With Raven actually interested in the Quarian as well he really couldn’t say no. Thus, the quarian became part of the harem as well. She was quick to request a living cloak of her own and he was quick to provide her with something close to what Raven wore; complete with a hood as call back to her old suit.
Now no longer constrained by her suit she was eager to flaunt that she no longer needed to wear her mask, “You should really sell these clothes. They feel amazing,” the woman marveled as she ran her hands across her skin tight clothes, which had taken on a much more purple tint compared to the dark black Raven wore or the vibrant violet bands that Jinx sported.
“It almost feels like it’s your skin, doesn’t it?” Raven replied as she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, earning her a hug from him as her cloak clung to her snuggly, “I don’t think I’ll go back to wearing my old cloak without feeling like I’ll chafe,” she added as he gave him a pat on his eye stalk.
“I know right? They cling so snugly yet the freedom of motion they give is unmatched! The fact that they’re alive means that they can heal damage and move to preserve modesty,” Jinx exclaimed as she did a cartwheel, showing off the gravity defying properties of her clothing. Spreading her legs wide as she did a handstand, she then added as she bite down on her lip, “Plus, the way Nevermore can stuff as all up and taste us just turns me on so much.~”
He snorted in amusement before the tentacles that made up Jinx’s underwear suddenly slipped inside the girl to tease her, which made her stumble before she writhed on the ground, “If you wanted to be lewded, you should have just asked for it,” he scolded her teasingly as the girl became all red faced and cross eyed.
“Noohhh!~ Not right now. I was just joking!” The girl mewled out as she moaned from his tentacles messing with her. He let it go on for a bit before he finally relented and pulled out of her. With shaky legs, she stood up panting as she wiped the drool off her lips. After composing herself, she then said, “But seriously Nevermore, you should really consider selling these. Considering how customizable these suits are and all the benefits they have, you might have a whole market just waiting to be tapped.”
“I know a few Quarian’s that would love to wear these,” Shala’Raan helpfully added as she rubbed her thighs together while a light dusting of pink. He gave her a flat stare before she looked away with her cheeks burning even more. He wasn’t going to call her a liar, but maybe this request had some influence from Jinx.
“I’ll consider it,” He replied evenly. Still, what they said had merit and he wasn’t just going to let this potential go. With more wearers, he could have more people to test on. Maybe he could mimic the Life Fibers of Kill la Kill given enough time but that’s way too far in the future for him to consider now, “Well, enough small talk for now. The Quarian Fleet still needs to be convinced and I still have to contact the Citadel Council to petition for your species' inclusion back to the Citadel,” He reminded her as he gestured at the Quarian Admirals’ crew loading up medical supplies and some refined metal as a peace offering/gift to her people.
“I’m sure they’ll see reason once they see my new clothes,” She assured her before she walked up to his avatar and gave him a loving kiss. He returned the favor, with his tentacles giving her a squeeze; which elicited a moan and giggle from the older woman, “Until next time,” Shala whispered before she walked off with a bit of a sway in her hips.
“I like her. I like her a lot,” Jinx mentioned with a dopey smile on her face as she stared at the woman’s retreating figure. Even Raven couldn’t help but sneak a peek as the woman boarded her ship.
-x-x-x-
It didn't take long for the Quarian to give their answer. All four of the Admiralty Board with their retinue landed on his surface as a swift negotiation took place. As most of his lawyers were in the Citadel, he couldn’t quite make a treaty for them to sign so they had to resort to a mere verbal agreement for now. The decisions and specifics were yet to be hammered out, but they had made their decision.
Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema stepped towards his avatar and harem and, despite the almost palpable anger and resentment he had in his eyes, it was quickly overwhelmed with a resigned restraint. Reaching up to his helmet, he pulled it off to reveal the scared visage beneath. He may have been old but the steel in his eyes still rang true. His response was swift and succinct yet sufficient enough for him to see that they were serious about their choice, “I, Admiral Han’Gerrle vas Neema, as representative of the Admiralty Board in all its entirety, accept your demands.”
His avatar smiled as he reached out and shook the shocked Admiral’s hands before he replied, “Welcome home,” The man’s jaw hung askew but it softened as he shook his tentacle back.
“Home… we’re finally home,” The man whispered as his gaze softened as the crowd around them applauded. From this day forward the Quarians were his people, and that meant he had a lot of work to do.
Soon enough, the massive Quarian fleet settled into a stable orbit around his equator. While not quite a ring of steel, the glinting ships streaking across his sky was still an impressive sight to behold. There were still voices of discontent, from what he heard from Shala’raan, but the Quarians were eager to be free from their suits. With the promise of a life of freedom, they descended down to his planet in droves.
He had his tentacles serving as massive space ports, with his flesh holding on to their ships as they made their way down to his surface. Almost every man and woman in the fleet, from the smallest of children to the oldest, now stood on his surface. Of course, there were people who chose to not undertake his modifications, but they were a small minority compared to the multitude that stood before him
“Now, this might tickle a bit,” He called out with a teasing tone to lighten the mood as he dug in deep and concentrated. He had yet to attempt a species-wide modification but there was no time like the present.
His senses expanded and quickly he could feel them all atop his surface. With his familiarity with Shala’raan’s body he was no longer sidetracked. He could feel every ailment, every little imperfection, every major abnormality and injury and, with his will, he reached out and corrected them. The crowd cried out as those amputated found their limbs sprouting back. Their surprise soon turned to delight as the painful movements they had no longer bothered them. Even the most minor of tooth problems was corrected.
He felt his reserves drain ever so slightly, but he did not mind it as he pushed onwards. Mimicking the mutations he’d given Shala, their bodies became resilient. While he could reintroduce the missing symbiotic organisms in their body, he opted for the more robust Krogan immune system to augment them. More adventurous Quarian soon stripped themselves of their mask as they breathed in the fresh air and basked in the gentle light of the sun. For the first time in centuries, the Quarian people were free.
With the last of the Quarian double checked, he could finally relax. With a sigh, he felt his avatar sag in relief with Raven giving him a comforting pat on the back, “You did good Nevermore,” She whispered as he felt a weariness settle upon him. It was tiring but it was well worth it. Seeing these people actually smile and live their lives was worth it.
-x-x-x-
The Quarian were quick to settle in and, soon, one of the cities became a vibrant hub of activity. With his control of the environment he gave them a city worthy of their history. Located on the equator, a crescent city now stood; surrounding one of the holes where his tentacles sprouted out. While he couldn’t give them a space elevator he gave them the next best thing (or rather a clear upgrade in his opinion).
Within a week the city of Tonbay was occupied. Jinx, naturally, was eager to explore the city and she dragged Octavia and Shala’raan along with her, which just left him and Raven to deal with the Citadel as they made their report on Benezia. The woman in question now stood before the projections of all four of the Citadel Councilors as she recounted her harrowing experience under the Reaper’s influence.
“I was aware throughout the experience. I knew that something was wrong yet I couldn’t act upon it. Every bit of resistance was met with the Reapers' insidious whispers. They preyed upon my insecurities and my dreams in equal measure. They promised great things and terrible consequences. It was like I was trapped in my very own body and I was none the wiser until Raven freed me,” The woman recounted before turning to Raven with a soft smile on her face. It was Raven that provided comfort to her through the weeks after being cured and the two had grown closer.
Turning back to the council, she then continued, “I can finally make my own decisions and now I ask you to heed my warning. In my controlled state, I managed to spread artifacts similar to the one that indoctrinated me. As we speak, they are out there twisting someone to do who knows what type of evil. Please, make sure that you find them and destroy every last one,” The woman, while traumatized by her time indoctrinated, was no longer showing signs that she was relapsing. She didn’t flinch as she talked nor froze as she remembered her deeds. She had accepted it well enough and was doing her best to make up for it all.
The councilors' expression turned grim at the details that Benezia told them. Even he wasn’t privy to such details as he and his wife were more focused on piecing together the broken psyche of the Asari together. Any prodding might have set her off.
“Now, this is certainly some dire news but at least now we have a way to reverse this insidious process,” Tevos spoke up as she placed emphasis upon the good news they had. With Benezia as proof it was indeed possible to reverse the process.
“Our process is certainly not yet perfected, but with the prison filled with both husks and those indoctrinated we can streamline the process,” He replied. His prisoners were still in their cells in his isolated moon. Dozens of husks with the tiniest bit of spark left in them, “Soon enough, we can even bring back Saren to fighting order,” He then added optimistically. The man would be of great use to them despite his earlier misgivings. He was truly remorseful and sported a haunted look.
“While we certainly can cure it, the best course of action is still to prevent it from taking hold,” Raven reminded them. It was indeed so as the process they had on hand was slow and tailor made for each individual. They also had yet to do it to a husk, which was a whole can of worms to deal with.
“That it is,” Tevos nodded gravely before an image popped up in front of the holograms. There they could see Shepard fighting off a group of Collectors, “With the information we have on hand we must be quick to act upon it. Now if you could pay attention to this projection, we can debrief you on what has happened so far on our end,” she then said as she gestured at the video they had on hand. There was plenty of footage and even some bodies for them to work upon with all the precautions scientists and engineers could devise with dissecting the body.
He was quickly reminded of the Collectors. That last reaper was still out there with their forces active. He couldn’t quite recall what the plot of the Mass Effect two was and all he knew was these Collectors would have to be dealt with.
“Commander Shepard’s search and investigation has finally yielded results. With the Capture of the Reaper responsible for opening the gate to our galaxy, their forces are now acting up,” Councilor Sparatus stated as he brought up a screen of his own. This time, it was a map showing places where the Turian Navy encountered the Collectors.
“These are the Collectors,” Tevos explained as she told them what they knew about the collectors, “For some time, we thought them as mere myth, boogeymen to scare the pirates over in the Omega Nebula, but thanks to the info you initially shared and with the help of Shepard we now have irrefutable proof of their existence.”
Clearing his throat, Salern then said, “With the help of the STG, we have created a map showing confirmed sightings of their activities. While there are outliers, most of them can be seen around the Omega Relay,” The Turian patrol sightings were quickly overlaid with the information the intelligence arm of the Salarians have collected so far. The signs were clear and Omega was the epicenter of this.
The Salarian then pointed at the outliers that had popped up and had them labeled with time stamps. These were recent sightings, mere days from the meeting they had and they’re going further away from Omega with the sighting clustered around the border regions of the Batarian and Human territory, right at the hotly contested region of the Skyllian Verge, “Unfortunately, there’s now a trend of these creatures expanding outwards and performing more daring actions beyond their normal range. There’s even reports of them doing punitive raids on human and batarian territories.”
“We fear that they’re trying to incite violence between the System Alliance and the Batarian Hegemony, but their intentions could be far more sinister,” Anderson, the newly minted councilor, then said as he brought up videos of such raids. They had the telltale signs of a Reaper attack, with the insectoid collectors capturing as many as they could before leaving within an hour. They were quick, efficient, and almost machine-like. It was simply far too fast for him to respond to.
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“The Systems Alliance is doing its best to assure the Batarians that we have the best of intentions and these are not raids from our people, but talks have been dicey,” The man then admitted as he shook his head in dismay. Given the history of the Batarians, they might truly see this as just an effort by Humans to have a bit of revenge for all the times the Batarians had sent raiding parties in the guise of pirates.
“Whatever their intentions are, we need to stop the other reaper before they do more harm,” Sparatus declared adamantly as he banged his hands against his podium. “So long as the Citadel remains in the Council’s hands, the Reapers will have to go the long way by traveling back to the Milky Way from deep space. If we let these Collectors do as they please, who knows what they could do? Terrorist attacks on the Citadel perhaps? What is clear is that their logical goal is to somehow dislodge us from the citadel and avoid Nevermore in doing so,” He then pointed out. All the attacks so far had stayed clear of him, running away as soon as he even made a move outside of orbiting a star.
“The Turian Fleet has been on high alert for any potential attacks heading straight for the Citadel. With hundreds of new ships being produced, we’re able to free up more ships for its defense,” the Turian veteran reassured them. From what he heard from the mines, the needs of the shipyards were starting to outstrip the foundries in the mines. There were even talks of him making some structures for the miners so they can have more miners in the area.
With the topics shifting to that of the navy, it seemed appropriate now to bring up one of his concerns. Calling upon their attention, he then put forward one of his proposals, “On the topic of the Citadel Council, I’d like to express my intention of championing for the Quarian people’s reinstatement back to the council. They have been exiled long enough and they could be of great use for the war effort. Just having their ships, though outdated, could effectively double the tonnage we can bring to bear.”
There was a pause as the Councilors deliberated on it. He had high hopes with Sparatus nodding along but he was quickly reminded that not all things could be that simple as Tevos spoke up, “While they’re certainly of great help, they still broke citadel law. Their creations have run rampant and we can’t let them simply slide. It would weaken the Citadel’s power if we were to simply let them back in,” She replied diplomatically and he nodded in response.
It was certainly a hairy situation and, while the council's predecessors overreacted, their fears were not unwarranted. The Quarian were a mighty people with a navy that was once greater than that of the Turians’ until the Geth defeated them in the Morning War. With the geth at large, the reminder of why this disproportionate punishment was still out there. Still, that meant that an ancient wrong could be righted by the very same people that started it in the first place.
“What if they can solve their problem? What if they can broker peace between themselves and their AI creation?” He proposed as he brought up the possibility of diplomacy. The geth had stopped at the old borders of the Quarian’s territory. That wasn’t the action of someone looking for more revenge but that which had been satisfied, “Wouldn’t such an action warrant a reward rather than further condemnation?” He prodded, hoping it was enough to convince them. It was a long shot but it’s certainly worth a try.
Sparatus hummed as he mused out, “It’s certainly a possibility, but it’s still a matter of if it could be possible,” It was a big if considering how bloody the wars were between the Geth and the Qurian, but it had been ages since they’d last clashed and it was certainly possible to make amends between the two now that the Quarians were living on his surface rather than forced to live a life of hardship in space.
Tevos looked conflicted but finally, she relented as she replied, “If they do so, it would be remiss of the council to not lift the sanctions we levied upon them. We only did place them for the clear danger their AI posed to the galaxy, but if that was to be removed…” It was certainly an interesting idea if peace could be achieved, an AI could be pulled on board their efforts against the Reapers.
“Are you sure that the Geth aren’t compromised?” Salern then asked. It was certainly a question that needed answering. While he couldn’t say that they weren’t he did have one piece of evidence he could point to refute such claims.
“If they were, they would have joined the collectors, but so far… have there been any Geth attacks?” He fired back, pointing out how the reclusive Geth had turned inward once more. From what he could remember, the ones controlled by Sovereign were a mere splinter faction.
“Well, I don’t see what the problem would be afterwards. You have my word that I’ll support that motion if they could actually achieve such a thing,” The turian councilor piped up with the other councilors voicing their agreement as well. It was a simple task, fix this problem and they would grant him his request.
“I’m glad we came to an agreement,” He thanked them.
“Now, is there any other matter you wish to bring up?” Tevos then as their talks were about to wrap up which leads him to a matter he had been meaning to bring up.
As much progress they’d gained so far against the reapers, it was still frustrating for him to just sit here and merely build up. He somehow needed to get into the action and, if he couldn’t approach them, he just had to send someone in his stead. He and Raven looked at each other before nodding.
Raven then stepped forward as she replied, “We would like to express our intention to accompany them on their mission.”
This caused quite the stir as the councilors gave her a look of concern, “I don’t mean to be rude, but is it wise? You are our only way of breaking through the indoctrination and it would be a terrible loss if we were to lose you,” The woman asked, questioning their decision on the matter.
“While certainly true, with how close Commander Shepard is to such corrupting artifacts we believe that our expertise in detecting and destroying such could be of greater use,” She replied. While Shepard was the key to finding the reapers, she was still not immune to its effect. With her seeming ability to attract the Reapers attention, Raven could scout for potential indoctrinated individuals. She was also one of the few people that could easily shunt artifacts to the nearby star given her portal creation.
Raven then turned to him as she gave more reasons on why they could risk having her on the field, “My husband has shown aptitude in learning the arts as well and distance is not a matter when we’re bonded through spiritual means,” She brought up his ability. With his role in curing Benezia, he’d picked up a thing two in such matters and, one of them was in the communication between two minds. With a piece of him attached to her they could easily communicate, even if the distance was too far for his senses to effectively puppet the tentacle suit, “The realm of dreams can serve not only to heal one's mental self but also to impart information and skills to another,” she further elaborated. He could certainly dream well enough and he didn’t need a time or place for him to fall into a deep slumber.
“There is also the Spectre Octavia. With Benezia healed, her task here is finished and she could accompany me in this mission,” She then added. The woman’s mission was effectively over with Benezia cured. Despite his marriage to her, she still had her duties to attend to and this seemed like a great opportunity to keep her with Raven as well satisfy the fears of the citadel. It was one thing to have Shepard guarding her and another for another Spectre to guard her as well.
“That she could,” Sparatus grumbled.
Tevos sighed as she finally agreed, “Alright, We’ll relay the information to Command Shepard,” It was all they could ask for now, and both he and Raven gave them a bow for their understanding.
Turning to Benezia with a radiant smile on her face Tevos then said, “Before we forget, I’d like to congratulate Matriarch Benezia on her recovery. You don’t have to fear for your reputation, the council has made sure that the wider public knows you were simply having a retreat,” The matriarch sagged in relief. Having her condition all but shouted to the public would have created an atmosphere of paranoia, best to keep it under wraps for now, “With your condition effectively cured, you are now free to go back to Citadel Space. We apologize for the harm we might have caused you,” She then said.
“It’s alright, and I’d like to thank the Council for their efforts,” The matriarch replied before turning towards him and raven with a fond look on her face, “As for returning, I might actually stay here for a while. An actual retreat does sound tempting and I am already here. I might even invite my daughter over,” She admitted with a soft chuckle. He certainly wasn’t going to say no, and thoughts of her daughter had him even more interested.
“I’d be lying if I said that I’m not jealous,” Tevos replied with a teasing grin on her face. He snorted as he was reminded of how widespread that live stream of Jinx’s was. It’d certainly reached far and wide. “It’s good to have you back, Benezia,” She whispered before turning to the other councilors to see if anyone wanted to bring up another matter.
Met with silence, she clapped her hands as she declared, “With all said and done, this meeting is adjourned.”
One by one, the projections of the councilors winked out until only Sparatus remained. He stared at him with steel in his eyes as he said, “Nevermore, one last thing. I know that Octavia is already a grown woman and she can do as she pleases, but break her heart and I’ll make sure to break your back; even if I have to find it somewhere on your surface,” He was taken aback before he started to piece things together. So this was what Lydania meant when Octavia was well connected.
Smiling back at the man for his shovel talk, he nodded and promised him, “Understood. We’ll make her the happiest woman in the galaxy,” With those words, Sparatus gave them a satisfied nod before he left.
-x-x-x-
With Raven shifting his focus on teaching him mind arts, the matter of who was going to teach him about magic became a problem. He had been so busy with all the terraforming they had been doing Magical lessons had been in the backseat. They merely did it when time allowed, which most often was not, and not make it a focus of their time.
“We need to give you a magical teacher,” Raven stated as she walked up to the broken platform where Jinx was first summoned. It had been left unused all this time due to the dangers of him possibly contracting another person unwillingly, like in the case of Jinx.
“While Jinx is a powerful sorceress in her own right, and a prodigy-” Raven started with Jinx quickly interjecting.
“Damn right I am!” The tiny girl shouted with a proud strut to her walk. With how easy it was for the girl to conjure up a blast of concentrated bad luck, he could certainly see why Raven declared her as such. She did it easily as breathing and walking.
“That makes her a terrible teacher,” Raven then continued making the girl trip as she was caught by surprise.
“Hey!” The girl exclaimed in protest but Raven ignored her as she started picking up the pieces. With a wave of her hand, the summoning circle etched upon the crystalline platform was sliced off leaving her with a blank slate to work with.
Not even bothering to look up, Raven then questioned her, “Explain to me how you cast your spells.”
Jinx snorted as she started to explain, “I just imagine and cast it…” She quickly drifted off as a dawning realization came upon her. With how good she was she was indeed unable to explain how she did it. She was a savant of her craft and almost everything was instinctual to a fault, “Fuck, you’re right,” She cursed out as she reconsidered.
“How can we find another magical teacher if you two are the other magic users in the galaxy?” He then said, pointing out how hard it was to find another teacher. The only way they’d find another teacher is if… they find one in another universe.
Raven smiled as a complex magical circle was etched upon the crystalline floor. While normally, the purple crystal was tough and hard beyond measure, requiring great force to even break or scratch it, it gave way under the sharp blade that Raven made with her magic. It was as if she was merely writing in sand. The circle quickly took shape and Raven nodded as she inspected it.
“The answer to that is simple: we just have to summon them,” Raven answered as she walked away from the center of the circle, “And no, we’re not using the familiar summoning spell. We’ll have to create a modified demon summoning spell,” She reassured her as she knelt down in front of the circle.
He paused at the explanation before he replied, “That sounds concerning,” Anything with a demonic as a descriptor was a great way to know if one should be worried.
“We just need to edit out the part where you invite a demon and make it into a teacher of magic instead. In theory whoever is on the other end would get blasted with an invitation to serve for a magical favor,” She explained and he followed easily enough. Basically change the target, but what made this separate from a familiar summoning ritual? Raven was quick to pick up his confusion as she further elaborated, “This is a voluntary message and since it’s a modified demon summoning spell you can simply banish them if either of us do not like the deal.”
“And with how big your mana pool is, you can simply blast it as far and wide as you can,” Jinx then added as she peered from behind his avatar.
“You make this sound like a spam message,” He chuckled out as he decided on what he should do. It was voluntary so even if it was accidentally accepted they could in theory banish them back. He had enough reserves to push them back, especially after he grew.
“Well, there’s only one way to test it out,” He said as he tapped into his reserves.
With magic pouring into the ritual, the circle turned a bright red, but that was quickly replaced with white as the demonic aspect of the ritual was cleansed. A message was tossed out into the void, a message asking out for help to anyone willing to teach magic… and someone replied. With a powerful burst of magic, a form was pulled from the ether and landed upon the platform with a thud.
Smoke obscured their form but soon, it dissipated leaving him and Raven dumbstruck at just who they pulled. With a shaky step forward, Raven called out, “Mom?”