74 – Priority: Thessia (8)

Samael walked a few kilometers on foot. The temple where he was heading was 20 KM from the capital, the place he was just in. Sure, he could use a SkyCar and arrive sooner but he had a lot in his mind at the moment. 

The second conversation with the Stargazer, which he thought would help, didn't. To make things worse, the feeling something was wrong still lingered in the air, not diminishing, only increasing. There is also the thing the Stargazer gave him, which he didn't know the effect of.

So, this walk was something Samael appreciated, as in the SSV Phoenix, even though it was home, he was having difficulty stopping and thinking about things. That happened only when he was meditating.

As he was walking, RR suddenly said, '' Samael, who was that man you just spoke to?''

Samael had turned her and EDI off the first time he met the Stargazer, but this time, he let them hear the conversation. And, he answered truthfully, '' That man is a Stargazer. He is here to witness history. What history it is, I have no idea.''

Samael wasn't dumb to think the Stargazer was here just because Shepard became a Spectre, no. It was something more, but he had no idea what.

RR paused for a few seconds, most likely searching for the Stargazer. Then, she said, '' Will there be trouble with him?''

'' I doubt it. You heard him, they were neutral and I have no reason to not believe him... But, keep an eye out for anything suspicious, just in case.''

RR knew Samael too well and knew that anything meant anything really, '' Leave it to me.''

After a few more minutes of walking in peace, Samael finally saw the Temple. It was a big place, secluded to the public's eye, but serene and beautiful.

That would also be the case today too if not for the fact that there's a Krogan at the entrance, discussing heavily with the guards. Samael smiled seeing the scene.

Veronica was nowhere to be seen, as she most likely dropped Grunt and the Illusvie man and left.

'' Well, let's de-escalate things.'' Samael rushed toward Grunt and the guards. Moments later, he was face to face with them.

'' Grunt.'' Samael shouted and the young Krogan visibly relaxed/got excited, as backup arrived. 

'' Captain. Can you explain to those dumb wits that we have permission to be here?''

The guards looked at Samael, who arrived out of nowhere, with suspicion.

Samael nodded at Grunt and then looked at the guards, '' We have business here.''

'' Under whose authority?'' One of the guards asked.

'' Councilour Tevos. Give her a call and you will see.'' Samael knew that Tevos had most likely already talked about them with the headmaster of the temple, but the guards might still be in the dark.

The guard said nothing more and was going to use her omni tool when a voice came from within the temple, '' You don't need to call Tevos, I can vouch for them.''

Everyone looked over at the figure who was approaching in awe. Samael recongined her, ' Samara..'

He had previously kept an eye on her, but he stopped for a while after he helped her with something. Then, he tried to recruit her under LD, but she went MIA. She was also one of the game's companions. She was a Matriarch, strong and resolute.

Normally, Samael only encountered her later down the line, but now she appeared here, without him knowing.

'' But-'' One of the guards tried to say something but Samara interrupted.

'' This is above you or me. Also, the headmaster is aware of his presence and has already given him and any person who came with him, authority to enter the temple.'' Samara said that and the guards reluctantly lowered their guards and opened the gates, allowing Samael and Grunt in.

The Krogan made sure to gloat as he passed them, making them grit their teeth.

'' Hehehe.'' Grunt enjoyed their expression and the earlier commotion was forgotten.

Samael now was face to face with Samara, '' Thank you for that.''

Samara looked at him with a soft gaze, '' I should be the one thanking you.''

'' For what?'' Samael tilted his head.

'' A bird sent me a message months ago, about my daughter, one that I have been searching for ages. I captured her and now I will stay here for some time, to try and guide her. Alas, I fear that is a losing game.''

Samara's daughter was an Ardat-Yakshi, one who enjoys killing. While others tried to control their urge, she let things go, killing a lot of people. She is dealt with in the games, but this time, Samael helped a little bit.

Samael just happened to be at Omega months ago and sent a message to Samara about her daughter being there. He helped his family whenever he could and that was one of the things he did for Samara.

Still, he said, '' I have no idea what you're talking about.''

Samara didn't push, and she had already thanked him.'' Thank you regardless. Now, what business do you have here?''

This was something that was puzzling to Samara. She had received Tevos' message a day ago about Samael wanting to come here. But, for what reason, no one knew.

'' I came looking for help. Something only the Ardat-Yakshi can help with.''

That picked Samara's interest, '' Oh? Can you explain better?''

'' I could but let's meet with the Headmaster first. After, she will have to give the okay.'' 

The Ardat-Yaski is something the Asari tries to hide from the galaxy. To allow them to work for LD, the Headmaster must give them permission.

'' No problem.''

The trio + the cryo pode carrying the Illusive Man made their way through the temple. Samael had already been here a couple of times in past cycles, so he knew the layout and a few hidden places. He, after all, studied under the Asari for a couple of years.

On the way to the Headmaster's office, Samara made small talk. Normally, she was silent but Samael was her benefactor, so she broke that rule today.

'' So, Grunt is it?''

Grunt nodded and Samara continued, '' I can see that you are a very special Krogan.''

Over the years, few Asari, mostly Matriarchs, gained some kind of sixth sense, that allows them to gauge their opponent's strength. It was rough, but it worked. Samara was one of them.

And the feeling she was receiving from Grunt was telling her he was dangerous.

Grunt looked prideful, '' Finally, someone here knows my worth. How do you know?''

'' I can sense if a person is strong or not. And both of you are strong.'' Samara didn't say the rest, but the feeling she received from Samael was way higher than Grunt's.

Grunt held his head high, '' I have come from the lines of Shiagur Kredak, Moro, Terg, Wrend, and Veeoll. I'm a pure Krogan. Of course, I'm strong.''

Samara recognized some of the names, and she fought alongside and against a few of them. That meant Samael, or LD, made something with Grunt... but she would not involve herself in it. She wanted to warm the human to not meddle with things he doesn't understand, but that's not her role.

Samael made sure to praise Grunt too, '' He's special. The best Krogan in ages.''

Grunt's ego was growing through the roof with so many compliments.

The trio continued walking, passing through various structures and Asari. Most of the Asari here were Ardat - Yakshi, who wanted to hide from the world, so as to not kill anyone. Most of them just wanted peace and quiet, that's why they chose to come to the temple.

The temple was, after all, a sanctuary to all of them.

Finally, they arrived at the headmaster's office and Samara knocked on the door. '' Enter.''

The trio + the cryo pod entered the place. Samael was familiar with the place, as he came to the headmaster for guidance a few times, and noticed very few things changed. It had a table, a couple of chairs and a few statues around.

The Headmaster was one of the oldest Asari alive at the moment, almost crossing 2000 years. She made it her mission to give the Ardat Yaski the best life they could have.

So, imagine her surprise when she received a call from Tevos about someone from LD wanting to come here to talk. Worse yet, it was the owner of LD, a man who had a very big reputation for causing trouble whenever he passed.

The stories about what he did at Omega reached even her ears. He was also the one who gave the location of the Mu Relay to the Asari. Alas, the things they found there were something they could not disclose as of now, something that troubled the Headmaster.

' If we shared our knowledge with the rest of the galaxy, things would be easier...'

She knew it wasn't that simple, but withholding information also wasn't nice. Now with the Reapers around, it showed.

Yes, as a Matriach and one of the oldest Asari alive, she knew all of this.

So, the Headmaster knew something was up with Samael and the sudden visit and started to prepare for this conversation, but no matter how hard she thought about it, she could not see why would someone come here.

So, she would do her best to stay neutral and answer things if necessary. She eyed Grunt for a few moments then turned to Samael, '' Tevos told about your visit. Now, care to explain why?''

This was something puzzling to everyone who knew about it.

Samael sat down on a chair and started to explain, '' I need help with something only the Ardat-Yakshi can do.''

'' You will have to explain better than that.'' The headmaster said, but it got her interested. Over the years, the Asari tried to study the Ardat-Yakshi nature, to try and help, but failed at every turn. So, someone coming to ask for help from them was weird, to say the least.

So, Samael started to explain exactly what he needed.

" As you know, the Ardat-Yakshi have a problem. They can't control their urges and thanks to their predisposition, they kill their mates." The problem was deeper than that, but that was just to show them he knew about them.

Up to this point, Samara and the headmaster were nodding internally. While the asari tried to hide the Ardat-Yakshi from the public's eyes, some piece of information leaked here and there. So while not much, the galaxy was aware of their existence.

" But I think that there's more to them than normal.... sorry, I'm sure the Ardat-Yakshi were more important than you guys think."

" In what way exactly?" The Headmaster now had her full attention on Samael.

'' You see, as mentioned before, they don't have the restriction of the Asari. Their greatest gift and curse. Supposedly, It allows them to do things the normal Asari can't like forcefully melding with someone, extracting information, wiping memories, among many other things.''

The list goes on but Samael knew just this was enough to gather the attention of the Headmaster and Samara. As it should, both of them were now paying full attention to Samael. When he stopped talking, both said, '' Are you sure?''

As mentioned before, the Asari as a whole, over the years, spent time and money studying the problem that was the Ardat-Yakshi, but no concrete results in that area. They knew something was there, but were held back by their own faults. They just weren't intelligent enough. 

So, when Samael, owner of one of the most powerful groups in the galaxy, who created a lot of things over the years, said something like that, it sparked something deep within the Matriarch.

Grunt, bored out of his mind after listening to the talk, was messing with the cryo pod, making faces to the sleeping Illusive Man.

Samael smiled at the both of them, '' I did say supposedly. But, all things were theory before they were proven to be true. That's why I came here, to test those theories and, if they were proven right, to ask for help.''

Samara and the Headmaster exchanged looks and could see the shock and surprise on each other face. The history until now made sense, and LD had a history of studying things others might think weird. So, they were hopeful that whatever Samael wanted to test, could help with the Ardat-Yaskhi.

'' How can we help you with that?'' 

Now that they saw an opportunity, they would act on it.

Samael pointed at the cryo pod. He noticed both Asari had a strange look on their face, and when he looked at it, he saw Grunt on top making silly faces at the Illusive man. He smiled at that and continued, ignoring the scene,'' Inside the pod is a human, called Jack Harper. He also had an alias, with which he used to commit many, many atrocities. You name it he did it.''

Samael then started to say each and every crime the Illusive Man of this cycle committed. He also said things other Illusive Man did, from past cycles, to further prove his point.

Even Grunt, who was joking around but listening to the whole ordeal, was taken aback when he heard about what the small man did. He now looked at the pod with disgust. Immediately after, he went back to dancing on top, this time, more forcefully.

By the time Samael ended listing the things the Illusive Man did, the Headmaster and Samara also had a look on their faces. They found the cryo pod strange very early on, but now, listening to this, it made sense why it was here.

Samael would experiment on the man, who experimented on others. Poetic, in some weird way.

'' He didn't exactly voluntariate to this, but oh well.'' Samael shrugged his shoulders and looked deeply at the Headmaster, '' Now, are you up to the task?''

From the beginning of the conversation until now, Samael was aware that the Headmaster was not only one of the oldest Asari alive, but she was also an Ardat-Yakshi. He had, after all, studied under her in a past cycle and knew her on a personal level.

Samara and the Headmaster were a little taken aback that Samael knew about this, but from the beginning of the interaction until now, he had full control over it. So, for him being aware of this wasn't too far-fetched.

'' ... What do you need me to do?'' While the Headmaster didn't like being ordered around, the allure of what Samael was offering, a way of using the Ardat-Yashi, was something she could not pass.

After all, she was one of the special ones that managed to live with her 'condition'. If what he had to say could help the others live a normal life, so be it.

Samael smiled at her. He now could finally finish the Illusive Man, and open a path to the indoctrinated people to live on.

'' I'll say this just once, but the nature of the Ardat-Yakshi can't go away. This is a way to give them a somehow normal life, allowing them to go wild. If our theories are proven correct, LD will give a job to all actual and future Ardat-Yakshi.''

Samara was getting her hopes high, but the result was yet to be shown.

What she didn't know was that everything Samael wanted to 'test' had already been tested ages ago. This was just a show to the Headmaster and Samara a path to Ardat-Yakshi.

'' Now, what you need to do is...''

--

'' Is this right?''

The scene at the Headmaster's office was weird now. For the last 10 minutes or so, Samael explained in detail the 'theory' he and his scientist had. Now, the Headmaster was in front of the Illusive Man, who was now out of his cryo pod but still in deep sleep, with her hand on his head.

Samara and Grunt were watching the scene with interest.

'' Do you perhaps have some snacks?'' Grunt asked the Asari.

'' ... Unfortunately no.''

'' A shame.''

'' A shame indeed.''

Both knew what they would see would be something no one had ever seen before, so not having a snack to accompany them was bad.

'' Yes, now you need to meld with him.''

The headmaster hesitated for a few seconds. This was something she had restrained herself, but now she would do it once more.

' All to help my younger sisters..''

The hesitation went away and she started the forceful medling. This was something only the Ardat-Yakshi could do, thanks to their true nature. A normal Asari could only meld if the partner gave her consent.

'' Now, instead of going for the climax, search around his brain. You can do it slowly.'' Samael explained the process slowly,'' You are looking for the side of the brain that overlooks the memories and the personality.''

Samael had guided other Ardat-Yakshi in this process countless times in past cycles, so he had experience. Now, some of them got the hang of it quite fast while others tend to take a while. Luckily for everyone involved, the Headmaster lives up to her reputation of being one of the most experienced Ardat-Yakshi.

'' Found it.''

In just a few moments since the process started, she had found the place Samael said. She was looking at it while holding back her urge to destroy everything.

'' Good, now listen carefully.'' This was the part where most of the failure happened, so Samael was extra careful, '' Because of your nature, I know you're feeling the urge to destroy everything as we speak, but listen to my voice only.''

'' I'm not asking you to not destroy, I'm asking you to relieve your urges in a very specific area. I want you to go all in, full force in the area you just found.''

That was the way to wipe the memories and personality of a person that only the Ardat-Yakshi could do. It was also the Undocrination process. Basically, the Ardat-Yakshi kills the Reapers' influence over the person but in the process, 'kills' the original person as well.

It was a huge price to pay, but it was the only way to Undocrinate someone.

'' All of it?'' The Headmaster asked just to be sure she heard correctly. She was also doing her best to hold her urges.

'' Yes. You know the theory I told you, so go for it.''

Under Samael's urge, the Headmaster stopped holding back her urges and unleashed them.

'' AHHHH...'' For the first time in a long while, she felt free. She felt pleasure long forgotten. So much so, that she almost lost focus and killed the human for good, but managed to hold back by a strand of hair.

The Illusive Man, or Jack Harper, twitched fiercely for a few seconds then stopped abruptly. Samael checked the man and noticed no blood was coming out of any orifices, which generally meant the process went okay. If it didn't, you would be seeing brain matter scattered around the place.

This in turn also means that finally, after a long time, the Illusive Man was officially dealt with. Now, Samael could finally mold the man in front of him into whatever he wanted.

He had already discussed with Jack and the others about this and would most likely mold the man into being an advocate of true equality among all species.

The Headmaster recovered from her climax after some time. Samara helped her a bit, by helping her seat down, while Grunt just watched in interest.

'' Is it done?'' The Headmaster asked after taking some water.

Samael nodded, '' It should be. You can check it yourself.''

Then, the Headmaster got up and went to the Illusive Man once more. She repeated the process and checked the results. Sure enough, everything in that part of his brain was gone. '' It's gone.''

This means that the Ardat-Yakshi now had a path and were more special than others might think. Granted, they still had obvious drawbacks that can't be fixed, but based on what Samael said before, they will now have LD's full support.

With that, they would have a way to let go and get paid for it.

Samael nodded internally as he saw the lit-up face of the Headmaster, '' Congratulations, you made history today.''

'' Now that your theory is proven correct, what are the next steps?'' Samara asked after some silence. After all, even though Samael said he would support the Ardat-Yakshi, he didn't explain how.

'' Now, we will conduct official business.'' Samael tapped his omni tool a few times and passed the files he had compiled on how to use the Ardat-Yakshi and in what areas.'' You can take your time to read it, it's a lot.''

Samara and the Headmaster spent the next couple of minutes reading the files. The first thing they noticed was the length of it, which means LD was really researching them for a long time. It also showed their interest in their particular set of skills was real and how Samael was sincere when he said he had a job for the Ardat-Yakshi.

When they finished reading it, they were now sure Samael was sincere from the start. Granted, he would still get something out of it, but it was better than nothing. So they would reciprocate the feeling.

'' As the representative of the Ardat-Yakshi, I want to thank you for giving us a shot at having a somewhat normal life.''

As expected, Samael said, '' Don't thank me. I showed you a path, sure, but you saw the files and know what I plan on doing with your people.''

Essentially, the Ardat-Yakshi would act like a secret organization with LD, in charge of extracting information, remodeling people if necessary, and Unoindocrinating others.

'' Still, you did more to us than any other living being. For that, you have my thanks.'' Then, the Headmaster made a sexy pose to Samael. She had, after all, let go and now wanted to go at it again, '' Say, how about we do something fun?''

Samara and Grunt pretended they didn't see, or hear it.They were pocking the now basically brain-dead Illusive man.

Samael smiled at her, '' I would love to, but I have a favor to ask first.''

The Headmaster was a little bit disappointed but said, '' I will help you in any way I can.''

'' Good. Then, I need you to look into my mind for a bit.''

Samara and the others were taken aback by this request, but Sameal knew that based on his actions in this cycle, something was wrong with him.

At first, he just acted strange, but later he forgot things he should not have. Again, he knew something was wrong, but had no way of checking. Even after fusing with the Asari DNA and gaining a few mental perks, like meditating faster and more effectively, the problem still existed.

So, he now had a chance to check his mind with one of the oldest Asari and he would not miss the chance.

'' ... Are you sure?'' The Headmaster asked just to be sure. After all, no one was crazy enough to ask a person who had, essentially, lobotomized another just a few moments ago, to enter his mind.

But, Samael was crazy enough and he trusted the Headmaster, '' I'm sure. Just don't be surprised with what you will find there.''

While Samael had mental barriers around his brain, thanks to the continuous training he did with the Asari, protecting the information in his brain about everything, there were still some risks involved if he allowed an Asari, in particular the Headmaster, to enter his brain.

After all, even with all his training, something might go wrong. But, he would allow it and guide her the best he could. He would trust in his training.

The Headmaster said nothing more, approached Samael, and started the process once more. This time, however, she would not use the newly discovered process on him. Instead, she would be looking for something wrong with his mind.

Soon after, the Headmaster was inside Samael's mind. To her shock, she felt something familiar resonating deep within her.

''It's almost like he is an Asari ... but it's impossible....''

Suddenly a voice came from behind her, startling the poor Headmaster, '' Well, I guess I'm the impossible then.''

Samael stared at the mental form of the Headmaster in front of him. She still had a shocked expression on her face.

The implication of what Samael just said wasn't missed by her. She said after recovering from the shock, '' ...What are you?''

Samael smiled bitterly, '' I'll explain to you after we leave here. For now, please focus on the task.''

The Headmaster had many questions but she held back for now. She would honor the deal, and then get to the bottom of this. '' What exactly I'm looking for?''

'' Any abnormalities, not the obvious ones.'' Samael had meditated before and roughly looked around his mind, doing his best, but no results. He was hoping the Headmaster, and an actual Asari with much experience, would notice something he missed.

'' Got it.'' The Headmaster, in her youth, did a lot of melding, giving her more than enough experience in dealing with minds. So, she started to look around Samael's mind.

The very first thing she noticed was how his mind was ... damaged, to say the least. It was almost like it broke, then forcefully put back together.

Save to say, she never saw anything like that in her entire life. Samael was getting more and more interesting in her eyes. Regardless, she continued looking for anything too abnormal.

Soon, after walking around some in Samael's mind, she felt something in a deep region of his brain. It was like a hidden room.

'' What is that?'' She asked Samael and pointed at that area.

Samael tilted his head, '' There's nothing there... That is what I would like to say, but I guess I'm wrong.''

He noticed something was wrong when he looked at the Headmaster's face. She wasn't faking it, '' I can't see it.''

The Headmaster nodded, '' Seems like it.''

'' Can you guide me to it?'' Samael asked after thinking for some time.

'' Sure.''

The Headmaster guided Samael to the strange area. '' It's right in front of you. You just have to reach it.''

She knew it was a hidden area in his brain, so he just needed to find it to have access to it.

Samael closed his eyes in his mind and used his senses. Sure enough, he finally felt something in front of him.

' It was so well hidden that I had to be literally in front of it to realize its existence.'

'' So, this is it.'' Samael was sure this hidden place was one of the pieces of the puzzle regarding his state of mind. '' See you later.''

Without hesitation, Samael lunged forward, and under the gaze of the Headmaster, entered the hidden realm in his mind.