76 –Priority: Thessia (10)

The conversation between Samael, Samara, and the Headmaster lasted a few hours. Still, by the end of it, practically everything was already accorded between the parts.

Grunt, while the conversation was happening, played with the Illusive Man, who was still passed out. The human would stay in that state for a while, as he just went through a gruesome 'procedure', that essentially killed him.

Anyway, it was agreed that LD would take care of all the Ardat-Yakshi scattered throughout the galaxy. They would get a whole planet to themselves, allowing them to live a normal life among equals. It was basically an infinitely better version of the temple.

In return, it was agreed that LD would use the Ardat-Yakshi to 'unoindoctrinate' others.

Some might think LD lost a lot in this exchange, but no, they won big. The indoctrinated people are, essentially, the trump card of the Reapers. They were extremely powerful, yes, but a tool that allowed you to kill your enemies from the inside was amazing.

The Protheans only lost their war because of the indoctrinated people, so a chance of dealing a blow in one of the most fearsome points of the Reapers was huge.

A planet and a few trillions of credits was nothing in comparison.

The Headmaster and Samara were looking at the signed document with a lost expression. Neven in a million years would they have thought today would bring so many changes to one of their most forgotten and hated points in the Asari society, the Ardat-Yakshi.

Also, they met an incredible duo, who showed them a path and gave them a planet and full support, all in exchange for a promise to help. It was an amazing deal, really.

It also showed LD/Samael takes the Reaper threat very seriously. It compelede the Headmaster, who was watching Samael preparing to leave, to say, '' Samael.''

Samael looked at the Headmaster, '' What's wrong?''

'' ... How are our chances right now?''

While the Headmaster didn't say explicitly, Samael knew right away from her tone what she was talking about. '' Honestly, if we faced then right now ... 20%''

The galaxy was far from united. While LD/Samael made the groundwork, the whole thing was in its initial stages. If the Reapers launched a full-scale attack, they would have almost no chance. 20% was generous.

''With the necessary preparation, that grows to 50%.''

You have to remember, even with the win count in favor of Samael and the galaxy, there were some cycles where they lost. So, 50% was the best they had at all times, even with the Conduit.

The Headmaster sighed hearing that, '' The galaxy is never peaceful, huh.''

Samael nodded at that statement.

'' Anyway, I guess this is where our conversation ends.'' The Headmaster offered a handshake, '' It was an honor meeting you.''

She said that last part truthfully. LD owner was a legendary figure in the galaxy and not only did he come here personally, he also already made a deal that would change a lot of the status quo within the Asari society.

'' Likewise.''

The Headmaster then broke the handshake and said to Samara, '' Samara, can you please guide our guests to the gate.''

Samara nodded and started to leave the office, and Grunt used this opportunity to say goodbye to the Headmaster.

While the Krogan was mostly silent in the whole ordeal, the Asari liked him. She knew just from their small interaction, that he was special.

Soon, Samara, Samael, Grunt, and the still unconscious Illusive Man left the office, leaving the Headmaster behind.

She looked at the documents in her hands and put them away in a safe location. She then grabbed a drink. She really needs one.

Today, she made history. Tomorrow and in the days to come, she will see the results of her actions today. She could only hope it was good.

' To us.'

The Headmaster downed her drink and then sat down. Even though she spent most of the day talking, she still had her job to do.

--

WITH SAMAEL

The trio and cryo pod walked in silence through the temple, with Grunt being the most 'talkative', but in gestures. When they first arrived at the temple hours ago, he was here to conclude a mission and now that that's out of the way, he was cheerfully looking around, attracting a lot of attention from the Ardat-Yakshi present.

Even though the majority of them there could control their urges to mate, seeing a Krogan after so long stirred something deep inside them. Of course, they would not do anything, as the Krogan was with a Matriarch, plus a human who looked strong.

But, they could look.

'' It seems Grunt is popular.'' Samara said to Samael as she watched the scene in front of her.

'' He will be a womanizer in the future. Only, right now, he's only less than 2 months old.''

''... I doubt that matters in Krogan society. But, you will have to tell me more about his origins later.'' Samara said after some pause. She knew from the beginning that Krogan was lab-made, but hearing the confirmation was nice.

'' I can answer a few of your questions later.'' Samael didn't reject her. After all, now they had a connection and it would be nice to rope her to his family sooner than later.

After that, they continued walking in silence, giving Samael time to think about a few things. What happened in his mind still boggled him, as this situation never happened in past cycles. Another 'him' hidden inside his mind was at minimum weird and at max alarming.

Plus memories of cycles he didn't remember. Inside of one the 'colours' he saw a cycle where he had Biotic powers. Only, the only cycle he remembered where he had it, it didn't end well for him. He got cancer and died even before the final battle.

In the memory he saw, he was fine.

In another 'color', he saw a gadget with anti-biotic power, but he never made that, nor remember a cycle where he even began to think that.

The situation only made him more desperate, as the options for what was happening to him were from bad to worse.

But the worst thing was, despite doing all this preparation today, roping Samara and the Ardat-Yakshi to his side, the feeling that something was wrong was still there, urging Samael to do something.

What that something was, he didn't know.

' Let's think about this not from my point of view but from the galaxy... what is wrong?'

He started to think about the different things that had happened in this cycle.

' I already warned the species about the Reapers, so they were preparing, even if at the initial stages. Then, I got 100 Protheans on our side....'

Samael thought and thought until he remembered something, ' Saren ... is MIA. That's the only thing that is bothering me. But at this point in time I don't have to worry... at this point in time... !'

At, this point, they were close to the gate when Samael suddenly stopped in his tracks, with a stupefied face.

Samara and Grunt also stopped and the Asari asked, '' Samael, what's wrong?''

But Samael didn't respond, as his mind finally connected all the dots and formed an alarming conclusion.

' The Stargazer said he was here to witness history, but the only thing that would have been worth history was Shepard being made a Spectre... or so I initially thought.'

Samael, under the gaze of Samara, the temple guards, and Grunt rushed out of the temple. He then closed his eyes and used his senses to see if he could find anything out of the ordinary.

Thanks to the Asari DNA, that was one of the small perks he got.

And sure enough, at the very end of his sense, he felt something that wasn't supposed to be there. Something that was supposed to appear only a few years later. He knew that something very well, he lived to face them.

Samael, after sensing that, suddenly looked in another direction and opened his eyes. In the distance, he saw Anjo looking at him with a gaze that was a mixture of expectation and worry.

The Stargazer had come to witness history, but he didn't know if it would be a tragedy or a hero's tale.

Samael sighed in a defeated tone and didn't bother to look at Anjo anymore. The Stargazers were neutral and he doubted the man had a lot of fighting power. And that was exactly what they needed at this moment.

'' RR, try to communicate with Earth or any other planet nearby.'' After gathering his thoughts, Samael asked his AI.

RR said after a few seconds of silence, '' I can't open any conversation. Someone more powerful than me is jamming communication.''

That was the first time since she was created that RR was held back by something technological-related. It was a shock for her.

At this point, Samara heard enough, '' Samael, tell me what's wrong.''

Samael slowly looked at Samara with a sorry gazy and asked, '' Do you perhaps have armor for me?''

Today, as it was supposed to be a normal day, he came in civilian clothes, but he had a gun. ' I regret it now.'

Normally, he was more cautious but for some time now, he was falling behind in that regard. The saving grace was that Grunt had armor and his one was at the SSV Phoenix.

'' ... Why would you need it?''

'' Thessia is under attack. The Reapers are here.'' Well, only Sovereign, but he didn't lie.

Grunt's eyes shone hearing that, while Samara and the temple guards around them doubted their hearings.

The majority of them didn't know what the Reapers were, but they heard they were being attacked. That was enough for them to worry, as in their entire lives, the planet was never once threatened, let alone attacked.

Samara knew about the Reapesr, and also that Samael wasn't one to lie, even more so when the subject was the deadly machines, so she immediately said to one of the Guards, '' Arm everyone and go grab an armor for him. Raise the security of the temple to the max! NOW!''

One of the guards nodded and rushed to the temple. Not long after, sirens were blaring and the Ardat-Yakshi started to prepare.

'' As you heard, interplanetary communications are unavailable, so we can only rely on the forces on the planet. And thanks.''

'' Don't mention it... What now?'' While Samara was old and had experienced a lot of wars, this was the first time she was faced with an enemy she had no idea of. So, she had no trouble asking Samael, who was supposed to be an expert in Reapers matters.

'' Now, we prepare.'' Samael tapped his omni tool a few times and made a call to everyone important that was on the planet. They needed to hear him.

WITH SHEPARD

Today was the day Shepard was introduced into the Spectre ranks. They celebrated and they went their separate ways, with a few groups forming.

Shepard, Tali, and RR were together, walking through the roads of the city, and making a few purchases along the way. They stopped in one place to eat and watch the scenario.

Shepard was still amazed every time she saw the peace this place had. There were a lot of civilians smiling and living their lives normally.

It was a nice change of scenario for her, who spent most of her time fighting.

'' So, when are you going to ditch the suit for good?'' Shepard asked Tali, as she watched the Quarian struggle to eat through the suit.

Tali could eat normally but chose not to. The only precaution she had when she had not taken the Pill was an allergic reaction, with that now out of the way, she was ok. Still, she would admit it was a hassle to hide it, '' When LD is ready to reveal the Pill to the public. I can wait.'' Tali then thanked RR, who passed a few tissues to her.

'' By my calculations, it will take a few months to a year.'' RR, while being one of the most advanced AIs in terms of maturity, was very methodical when it came to numbers and data.

Suddenly, RR stood up with a stunned expression on her face.

That was the first time Tali and Shepard saw her reacting like that.

'' RR, what's wrong?'' Tali asked with concern in her voice.

Just then, all their omni tool rang at the same time. RR just said slowly, '' You should take it.''

The caller was Samael, and both Tali and Shepard didn't have a good feeling about this.

WITH VERONICA

Veronica, alongside Joker, EDI, Dr. Chakwas, Clare, and Jacob were together, close to where their ships are, talking about life.

'' I'm serious. I'm pretty sure I have seen studies being made at LD about your conditions.'' Clare said to Joker, who was already taken aback.

They were casually talking when his condition was brought up. He had Vrolik syndrome, which causes the bones of the body to be very fragile. He was about to explain what it was when Clare said that.

Before Joker could even doubt Clare, EDI said, '' I also heard about it.''

That made Joker pause, as he knew EDI was closer to Samael than almost any other member of their crew. But he still asked Chawkas, '' Doc, how big are the chances of this being real?''

Dr. Chawkas was experienced and knew/helped Joker with his condition. If it was any other group that said they were working on a cure for Vrolik syndrome, she would dismiss it as a fantasy, but the side was LD, a group specialized in doing the impossible.

'' If it's LD, I think the chances are high.''

Jacob beamed when he heard that, '' Dude, congratulations.'' He did his best to hype his pilot. '' Now you can't run from training.''

Before Joker could even be overwhelmed by the news, EDI suddenly stopped up with a strange expression. Immediately after, their omni tool rang at the same time.

The caller was Samael.

WITH JOHN

John was together with Kaidan, Ashley, Thane, and Keiji. They got together and went out and were now talking about Thane.

'' You gotta introduce Kolyat to us.'' John said to Thane.

The Drell was a late addition to the crew, so he wasn't that familiar with those from his own crew let alone from Shepard's. But, he was already opening up.

Thane had just finished talking about him when his son came up in the conversation. He didn't mind talking about him one bit, as he was his pride, '' Samael said he would go look out for him and bring us together, but-''

Before Thane could continue, John said, '' If Samael promised that, he would do it, you just have to trust him.''

'' How come you guys trust him so much?'' Ashely asked. Both crew were close friends, but the Normandy one never knew the reason why the SSV Phoenix trusted Samael so much.

'' You gotta tell us.'' Kaidan also was curious.

Keiji was just background, listening and only talking when being talked to, ' Ah, I miss Kasumi.'

She was supposed to be here with him, but she made something that prevented that from happening.

John sighed, '' That guy is a monster... in a good way.'' He was the person here who worked for Samael for longer and knew the man personally.

The beating he took years ago still comes back to haunt him a few times.

John then started to tell about Samael's legend to the others. Of course, they had heard it from others before, but John was there in the majority of them, so his telling was more credible.

After a few minutes of, all their omni tools rang and the caller was Samael.

WITH LIARA

Liara was with her Mother, Tevos, and Kasumi. The human was here because she didn't listen to Samael and tried to borrow something from Tevos, but was caught.

Of course, she wasn't caught per se, it was just that Samael had already given a heads-up to Tevos, so she was prepared.

Anyway, it wasn't anything serious, but Tevos decided on a whin to have the human follow her around.

Liara happened to be close by with her mother when she saw Tevos and Kasumi. One thing led to another and they ended up walking together.

Benezia started to pester her nonstop as soon as they sat down in a restaurant. '' Don't be seduced by a human word. They can't be trusted!''

'' ... Mom, I'm already 150 years old!''

'' You're only 150!''

While Mother and Daughter bantered around while waiting for their food, Kasumi was sighing. Her cleptomaniac instinct got her in trouble this time.

Still, it was a surprise they didn't punish her that badly. Still, being here was a little bit of torture.

'' .. I miss the Phoenix.''

Tevos, who was working and listening at the same time, smiled at Kasumi, '' Relax, you will return soon.''

The Asari normally would've thrown the human into a prison, but she had to give face to Samael... besides, she would never have realized she was robbed if wasn't for him.

Kasumi gave her a wry smile.

Just then, all their omni tool rang and the caller was Samael.

NORMAL POV

Samael immediately said as soon as everyone picked up the call, '' I will not go into much detail because it doesn't matter, but Thessia is about to be attacked by the Reapers. We have 5 to 10 minutes max to prepare.''

It was like someone threw a bomb into the heads of everyone listening. The Reapers were supposed to appear in the future, and not now. They weren't ready.

Everyone immediately jumped into action. They were in civilian clothes, so they had to go to their ship to gear up. So, they started to run, with EDI carrying Joker in her arms.

As everyone rushed to their respective ships, they could not help but look around the place and notice that there were a lot of civilians around. A lot.

So, everyone that received the call started to scream, '' THESSIA IS UNDER ATTACK! HIDE IN A SHELTER NOW!''

The Asari's around looked at them like they were idiots. Some even called something like the police force for them, but they continued running at full speed.

Tevos and Benezia looked at each other and noticed the horror in their eyes. While the call with Samael was still happening, they called other Matriarchs and relayed the info.

'' Thessia is under attack. Evacuate the temple and gather the forces. Now!'' Benezia took it upon herself to warm the Matriarchs while Tevos called their forces.

'' I want everyone armed and ready to fight, right now. Also, I need our forces in the sky too.... Yes, everyone. Thessia is under attack.''

Samael continued, '' Interplanetary communications are blocked, meaning we are on our own. Our priority is protecting the civilians, the rest doesn't matter. The Reapers are probably looking for the Prothean Beacon.''

After the call with the others Asari ended, Tevos tried interplanetary communication, to check, but to no avail.

' It seems we are blocked from getting help.'

Tevos at this point was running to a place where she could help better, with Liara, Benezia, and Kasumi following her.

'' They probably have huge numbers, seeing as they got the courage to attack Thessia. Don't be too surprised if you see a lot of ships. Don't forget that they were the enemy.''

'' Joker, Veronica, you guys have the best ships in the galaxy, so make use of it. They will probably have a lot of forces in the air, so don't engage too much and focus on protection. EDI, stay with Joker at Normandy to help... And Veronica, I need you to drop my armor and the rest of my guns at the Ardat-Yakshi temple.''

'' On it!''

'' Got it!''

Joker and Veronica were already at the Normandy and SSV respectively. They were ready to depart as soon as everyone from their crew gathered their forces and armed themselves.

'' The rest, I want you to separate in groups and fight the ground forces. Ignore the Reaper completely, we can't make a dent on him right now. Our focus will be to protect the civilians. Remember the file I gave you all on the Reapers ages ago and what they could do.''

Samael was referring to the fact he made a list, together with Javik, about the Reapers dangerous threat. There, he put about the device that transforms others into Husks. That thing was one of the reasons they lost ground fights.

'' Make the groups as you see fit. You can use a separate channel or use this one, it doesn't matter... Good luck to us all. See you later!''

Everyone who was on the call acted the moment they heard Samael's first complete sentence. All this readiness to act was something Samael had planted a long time ago. With his trustworthiness, everyone believed him right away.

And now, they would face the very things that threatened their existence.

If they would win, only time will tell.

--

WITH SAMAEL

Samael ended the call and not even 10 seconds after, he heard a sound he tried to forget a lot of times, but never could. If Death had a sound, he was sure this would be it.

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Samara looked up to the sky and sure enough, a machine so big she could not believe it was real was seen entering the atmosphere, followed by at least thousands of Geth ships.

Everyone who saw was surprised by the addition to the problem, but the Geth was not the real threat. Samara was frozen after seeing the Reaper. All this, she hoped Samael was wrong, but no such luck.

' Oh my...'

While facing death, some people no matter their species and their experience, act in a variety of ways. Some froze, some started to act, some even accented it.

But, others...

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

Samara broke out of her stupor and looked at Samael. She noticed his face was calm but had a hidden madness and resolution behind it. 

' He's shooting at it...'

The Asari knew that it would do nothing to the machine, but just the act was of defiance. Even in the face of death, he was ready to fight.

The bullets never got close, but just that act made those watching recover a little bit. Grunt, on the other hand, was itching to go towards the fray, but held back, as Samael still hadn't given him the okay to act.

After shooting Sovering and knowing that it would not even hit the Reaper, Samael felt a little bit better. It was then that the female guard that went to get an Armor for him returned. She passed it to Samael and said in a hurry, '' As you know we are an all-female species so the number of male armor we have is limited... very limited. This was the only one still working, and even then, barely.''

It seems that seeing the Reaper shocked her a little, as she was shaken.

'' It doesn't matter.'' Samael had asked Veronica to drop his armor here, ETA being 10 minutes, or so he thought. He would use the armor the Asari gave him until then.

'' Thank you.'' Samael thanked the guard and looked at the worn-out Krogan Armor. Normally, no human would be able to use it, thanks to its weight of, but Samael was way past that point. Under the gaze of the Samara, Grunt, and the remaining guards ( the majority of them went inside the temple, to help organize their forces), Samael put the Krogan armor.

'' ... It surprisingly fits.'' Grunt said that while admiring Samael. His captain was, after all, the person he looked up to the most. Seeing him in a Krogan Armor was something that somehow made sense.

'' It really does.'' Samara, ready to battle, agreed with Grunt. She had received armor and guns from the same guard that gave Samael the armor.

After putting on the armor, Samael entered war mode, something that last happened decades ago. Out of everyone on the planet, he was the most experienced when it came to the Reapers.

'' Ok, listen up. As I said before, the Reapers goal is probably the Beacon. That might lead you to believe they would not attack other places but you would be wrong. They are merciless, their only goal is total annihilation. So, you have to be prepared for everything.''

''They have a device that transforms any living being into their soldier. We call them Husks.''

As mentioned before, Samael and Javik had compiled a lot of info about the Reapers and released them to those necessary. There, they explained about such a device. But, the majority of people still didn't know about it, because the Reapers threats weren't made to the public yet.

The device that transforms others into Husks was also one of the trump cards of the Reapers. Different from the games, where they were limited because the console could not handle a lot of enemies on the maps, this was reality.

There was no cap on the number of enemies or devices. If they weren't careful, Thessia would fall today.

'' Our goal is quite simple. Survive. Grunt and I will head to the temple in the capital, killing and saving others along the way if possible. The rest of you will stay here and protect the temple.''

Before Samael could say anything more, everyone noticed a huge number of Geth ships coming in their direction.

Samael closed his eyes one more time, and when he opened again, only madness remained. '' Samara, you take control of the Ardat-Yakshi temple. Grunt and I will help in the initial wave and then leave.''

Samara nodded and at the distance, the Headmaster and the rest of the guards were ready to fight.

The first battle between the galaxy and the Reapers was about to start.