HOURS LATER

In the news channels in the Citadel, Earth, and other places in the galaxy, suddenly there was breaking news in 3 different channels. The headlines of said channels were absurd.

' EXCLUSIVE: LD, the behemoth of Earth and who is taking over the Galaxy with its revolutionary products, had found a LIVING PROTHEAN.'

Then, in those 3 channels, Javik's face was shown. They, for good reason, skipped the first question, as a Prothean being alive was more important than a fight in a bar.

The news talked about how LD found a Prothean base on a planet they still had not revealed and they also found a cryo pod in said base. Inside the pod, there was a Prothean, alive, frozen since 50,000 years ago.

The interview then showed Javik and the questions they asked.

Of course one of the questions was what really happened to the Protheans that caused their extinction but Javik dodged that question and threw the hot potato to the Council.

'' I already spoke to the Council about what really happened to my species. It's on them if they want to reveal it or now, as I will not do it... At least not now.''

Some people noticed Javik's tone was far from optimistic, and knew the talk he had with the Council an hour before the interview, as stated by the reporters on scenes, was not good.

The Galaxy was now waiting for some kind of news from the Council regarding this matter, but at least for now, they were silent.

Everyone in the galaxy was blown away and LD suddenly received a lot of calls on all their phones, with everyone wanting to know more about Javik and said base, where it was, and what more they found there.

LD response was the same to everyone: We will reveal the location at a later date.

Safe to say, not everyone was happy about that and wanted to protest, but to do so, they would need to talk with the Council, as LD has every right to not disclose that information.

By the time the supposed meeting to know the location of the Prothean base would take place, LD would've already revealed the location.

So, everyone in the galaxy had to wait until LD was ready to show others.

Of course, some very specific people knew the location, like Liara and a few other select personnel, but they were forced to sign a document saying if they revealed the location, they would no longer receive help from LD and maybe even be ... discarded.

Not a single one of those people said anything. They are not dumb, getting on the wrong side of LD wasn't good, besides, they were the only people in the galaxy, minus LD, who knew the location and specifics of the base.

Also, other organizations took notice of that news and started to get more aggressive with LD. One of those organizations was Cerberus and the Illusive Man got tired of being on the defensive.

Cerberus launched a massive cybernetic attack on LD servers, but an AI repealed them in less than a second. But, Cerberus attack and the other organization were passed to Samael, who took notice of them.

Now, you might ask, where is Samael right in the middle of this controversy?

GARRUS HOUSE

'' ... My house is now a hotel, huh.'' Garrus said while taking a sip of his coffee.

Samael looked genuinely sorry, '' Yeah, even I have a limit. I drank too much yesterday and lost control. We somehow ended up here.''

After Javik, Wrex, and Samael went to Chora's Den, they started to drink nonstop. Sometime later, they sent a message to Garrus, when his shift was over.

By the time Garrus arrived at Chora's Den, they were close to being wasted. The still young Turian then accelerated the process and they soon lost control.

When they came to their senses, the Asari owner was looking at them weirdly. The four of them had, somehow, drank all of their stock of most expensive drinks. Well, Samael was human and while he could drink a lot, the amount was nothing compared with what the aliens could.

Wrex drank more than anyone else, followed by Javik, Garrus, and then Samael.

The cost of the drinks was close to 1.000.000 credits. When the still-drunk Samael heard that, he paid the bill, even though the Asari said it wasn't necessary.

It would help Chora's Den a lot, so after some more convincing, the owner accepted Samael's payment.

After that, the four went around the Citadel, being drunk as fuck. They got into fights here and there, with other drunk people who Samael would later realize it was from his crew. They ended up fine, as the quartet went easy on them.

They caused a commotion so big, that C-Sec was getting involved. What they didn't expect was that there was a C-sec officer with the drunk group.

When Garrus heard the news that C-Sec was coming to apprehend them, he somehow managed to convince the other 3 to go to his place.

Then, as soon as they arrived there, they passed out. Like, Wrex was somehow sleeping in 3 chairs, while Javik was sleeping at the ceiling. Samael woke up in the bathroom, inside the bathtub. Garrus was the only one who slept on the bed.

''Don't worry about it. You guys are... refreshing. The others are -, I don't know the right word for it...''

'' Boring?''

Garrus hesitates for a bit before nodding. I mean, until yesterday, he was on the side of the 'boring' ones. Now that he had LD support, however, his attitude was changing, little by little.

'' Well, at least we are alive.'' Samael and Garrus then heard Wrex rough breath,'' ... Well, some of us are.''

That made Garrus chuckle a little and he finished his coffee. He then looked at the time and noticed it was close to his turn, '' Time to leave.''

Samael said nothing more and went to wake up Wrex and Javik.

'' Ughh....'' Wrex looked a little taken aback, '' Anyone noted down the plate of the thing that knocked us out?''

'' I did. It was the 100 bottles you DRANK alone.''

'' HEHEHEHEHE, I'm getting old if only 100 bottles did this to me.'' Wrex then, almost like he knew the drill, went to the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee, and gulped it down like a hungry lion.

Javik also woke up, but he was silent, like usual. He also drank the coffee in a hurry, as Garrus was almost finished getting ready.

When Garrus came out of his room, everyone was ready to leave. The four of them left the apartment, going to the elevator.

'' By the way, we are leaving the Citadel for good today, so this is really the last time we will see each other for some time.''

Garrus looked a little sad. While the trio he met a day before was chaotic, they were good people... or so Garrus thought.

They had brought a lot of fun to his otherwise boring life. Also, gave him a path to follow, as before they arrived, he was getting close to giving up on his 'quest', as he was unable to do what he wanted nor fight the corruption.

'' Don't worry, an LD personnel will soon enter in contact with you. He will stay on the Citadel, to follow you around and help you if needed.''

'' Thanks once more.'' Garrus extended his hand to Samael, as he was getting closer to his floor.

'' It was my pleasure. I hope your answer changes by the time we talk again.'' Samael shook Garrus's hand.

'' We will see about that.''

Garrus then shook hands with Wrex and Javik. When he finished, the elevator arrived at his floor.

'' See you guys later.''

The elevator door closed when Garrus left, and now only Wrex, Javik, and Samael were in the elevator.

Wrex suddenly said something, '' By the way, did you notice that the music in the elevator changed?''

Samael just smiled, as he mostly likely knew it was Tevos doing. ' How long will she resist calling me?'

Just in cue, almost like she was reading his mind, Tevos sent a message to his omni tool.

' Why did you reveal Javik's existence?'

Samael smiled seeing that. He soon responded, ' You should be glad we didn't say anything about the Reapers. Javik is not a secret to be kept, he is a survivor.'

' ... Can you meet me today? We have a lot to discuss.'

' When and where?'

' At my place, in 30 minutes.'

' Sure.'

Tevos then passed her address to Samael, who already knew where it was based on his past cycles.

He would now have a 'conversation' with Tevos. Before that, however, he looked at Wrex and Javik.

'' I'll visit someone right now and then we are bound to leave. You guys use this time to assemble the crew and buy the things you want.''

Javik nodded while Wrex looked surprised, '' I'm going with you guys?''

'' If you want to. I have a special mission for you. It won't take long and pays well.''

Samael was going to send Javik to Illos. He knew the risks that might pose, as he would have to expose sensible information to the galaxy, so he wanted Wrex with the Prothean. ' While I trust Javik, more protection is better.'

He also wanted to send Liara, as she most likely already finished looking around the base on Eden Prime and knew about Javik by now, seeing as the interview went live while they were drunk.

While he had not watched the news, the interview was making waves across the internet.

Javik looked confused, as he also didn't know what this mission was.

Wrex hesitated for a moment, as time was of the essence for him now. He had to return to Tuchanka, gather power, and then buy the cure.

'' 1 million credits for a week.''

'' ... I don't know.''

Samael just smiled, '' 1 Million credits a day for a week.''

'' When do we leave?'' Wrex attitude changed in an instant.

'' I don't know how long this conversation will take, but no more than 5 hours.''

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'' Plenty of time to assemble the team and buy the things we need,'' Javik added.

'' Also, please buy those things for me.'' Samael passed a long list of different ingredients to Javik, who looked at the list confused.

'' Can I ask why you need so many ... exotic things?'' Even to Javik's standards, which was weird enough, the list Samael gave him was on another level.

'' Secret.''

The list was the ingredients needed to make the serum. That was also one of the reasons Samael came to the Citadel, as some of the ingredients only sell here.

' I'll buy the last one in Omega... they do have the last ingredient here but I need to make a connection.'

While money is the most important thing in life, connection comes close second. So, Samael would use this opportunity to get close to Aria T'Loak, as she was already one of Omega's leader'.

He would buy directly from her while trying to make a good impression on the Asari. Both had dealings on past cycles and while she was rough and a little crazy, she was a good ally regardless of what she did in the past.

Also, he wasn't in a hurry to make the serum, so he could wait a little more. The serum, while helping fight the Krogan and such, had little to no effect in the fight against the Reapers.

' I also need to get in contact with Mordin, as I want him to 'help' me find the cure to the Genophage.'

Mordin was one of the people who made the Genophage and it's cure on the first cycle, or first timeline. Samael wanted the Salarian to be involved in the cure this time too, as it helped him quite a lot regarding his mentality, as the Salarian felt guilty for what he did with the Krogans.

'While there's still a lot of people to meet, my family is almost complete once more.'

LD is already in contact with Liara, and she was on Eden Prime based on the reports he received. He was also periodically receiving news from Shepard and Tali, and he was making some moves to get them close to him.

Samael wasn't just going to let things go the normal way, no. He wanted to at least control what happen to his family, so they don't suffer anymore than necessary.

Also, with LD powers, the reach he had was enourmous. Not only he was helping his family from the shadows, he also was keeping an eye out for the other aliens who he knew would get powerfull by the time the Reapers arrived.

Samael was going to do his best to get them on his side. If he had to be a little forcefull and crude with his tatics, so be it.

Only time will tell if it will work, as while Samael knew a lot of things, he can't control destiny/fate, he could only do his best for things to go his way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it won't work.

He just hoped things would go his way this time.

Soon, the trio separated, with Samael going to meet Tevos and Javik and Wrex went to do their task.

--

KNOCK

'' Enter.'' A seductive voice came from inside the door where Samael had knocked.

Samael then pushed the door open and sure enough, Tevos was inside, sitting on a table drinking something that looked like wine.

She was looking out her window, at the traffic outside. Safe to say, the view of her apartment was spectacular, a perk of being a councilor.

The scene outside was amazing too. SkyCars floating around, not a single accident even though the number of cars was huge and lack of policing.

It was chaotic while at the same time, organized.

'' Feel yourself at home.'' She continued looking out the window, not looking at Samael.

Samael heard her and went directly to the kitchen. He already knew where it was, and when he arrived there, he grabbed a cup and sat beside her.

He put the 'wine' in his cup and drank it. The duo then continued looking at the traffic for some minutes.

'' It's peaceful, don't you think?'' Tevos suddenly said.

'' It is.''

'' Then, can you imagine the chaos it would happen if they suddenly heard about a species of murderous machines and that this same species was coming for them?'' Tevos calmly took a sip.

While some people knew the Reapers from fairytales, it wasn't much. They only knew they supposedly 'existed', not their appearance or anything like that.

Samael winced. He knew. He saw the despair it caused, he lived it. But he also knew they had to tell them sooner than later.

'' We have to tell them. Prepare them for what's coming.''

'' Now it's not the time.''

Samael took a sip and nodded, '' I know. But when it will be?''

That made Tevos pause. She wasn't ready to answer that question, as even she didn't know if they would reveal that knowledge.

While the other two Counselors were skeptical about the Reapers, Tevos was more trusting of Samael, as from the content they had unlocked in Tessia, there was mention of the Reapers. But, as it was too little, they dismissed it and never bothered to look at it again.

While Tevos was thinking that, Samael suddenly said, '' Thanks, by the way.''

'' For what?''

'' For changing the music on the elevator.''

Tevos smiled faintly, '' Don't need to mention it.''

'' So, let's talk bussines.'' Samael got seroius, '' What is the Council stand on the Reapers matter?''

'' We will not reveal it. At least for the time being.'' Tevos was honest. This conversation with LD leader was to figure out his intention and try to gain his support somehow.

Her changing the elevator music was just an olive branch, to show her sincerity.

'' And what do you think about it?''

'' While I do believe Javik's words, there's isn't much we could do now.''

Samael sighed internally. ' Time to force things a little.'

'' How about this, if you help me with what I need, I'll help the Asari regarding the hidden Prothean Beacon in Thessia.''

Immediately, Tevos started to gather her biotic and reach around for a gun.

Almost no one knew about that, and those who did were in the upper schallon of the Asari society knew. For a human to know that it was astonishing.

Samael didn't even react to that, '' Calm down, LD, and I have no interest in revealing to the galaxy. We have a alive Prothean with us, it's way more valuable than just a beacon.''

Tevos calmed down a bit, but she was still on edge. This is no laughing matter, as it was a secret no one should know.

'' What could you offer for me to help you?''

'' You guys never managed to unlock all things in what the Prothean left behind, right?''

Teveos was getting more and more surprised by how much this human knows, '' How did you figure that out?''

'' Those things the Protheans left behind, they had a failsafe. Only those who had the mind of a Prothean, could understand the contents of the message.''

The Cipher. It was the end goal of a mission in Mass Effect 1. The effect it had on the mind of the person who used said Cipher was that it allowed them to fully unlock the contents of what the Prothean left behind.

That was why the Asari never managed to fully unlock that. They didn't know about the Cipher so they could never truly unlock all the content in the beacon.

If some people ask how Samael managed to find out about the Reapers from a beacon if he wasn't a Prothean, he would do what he does best: Say some bulshit and improvise.

'' Then, how could you know about it?'' While Tevos didn't know for sure if Samael had entered into contact with a beacon or something like that, it was the only plausible opinion.

'' Secret. What matters is that I'm willing to help you guys unlock all of what the Prothean left behind.''

'' What's the price?'' Tevos knew everything in the Galaxy had a price. Even this.

Samael smiled faintly, '' I want the Asari support regarding telling the galaxy about the Reapers.''

'' ... That's it?'' It didn't make sense to Tevos. What Samael was asking was too little, as they would help them anyway, only later in the future.

Samael looked deep into Tevos' eyes, '' We are not prepared for them. Hell, even if we start preparations now, I don't think we are ready. So, we need to accelerate the process of unification of the galaxy. I'm willing to trade that.''

Tevos hesitates for a moment before accepting. '' Deal.''

Tevos then stopped reaching for her gun and dissipated her biotic power. She then offered her hand to Samael, who accepted the handshake, '' Deal. It was a pleasure doing business with you.''

Then, Samael tried to take his hand off, but Tevos held it. When he looked at her eyes, he could see the lust in it.

'' Say, how about we ... discuss something a little better now that we finished talking business.''

Tevos wasn't going to lie, this human attracted her. He acted like he was in control of everything that was around him and based on the little interactions they had, he proved himself more and more delicious.

It would not be the first time Tevos had fun around, as the Asari people are known to be a little... promiscuous.

Who could blame them though, as their race was quite literally made for that.

Samael smiled faintly, not rejecting her touch or the offer.

' The things I do for the galaxy...'

--

By the time both fished, Tevos was left painting in bed while Samael left after kissing her some more.

She could only moan faintly and some red colored her face. Never in a million years would, she imagine she would lost in bed to a human, a young human at that.

It's not like she was strange to sex, as she also did everything to get to where she is. But almost every time she came out on top... But today, she lost.

Quite badly too.

'' See you later.''

She watched as Samael left her house. Then, Tevos decides to take a nap.

'' I'll deal with everything after I wake up.''

--

While Tevos was recovering, Samael's eyes shone in a dangerous light. While he was drunk and had this meeting with Tevos, he didn't forget about what RR repassed to him.

Cerberus and other organizations attacked LD servers. They finally crossed a line they should not have crossed.

And while Samael could ignore the other organization, he could not ignore Cerberus. They were weak, yes, but they still had powers. Samael was going to deal with the right after his trip to the Citadel, and they still managed to piss him off.

It was time to end them for good.

' Time to kill a dog.'

Cerberus was about to be attacked.