Post by aenthir on Apr 17, 2012 1:53:02 GMT 1
My first ME fanfic. Except for the prologue (which is set about six years after the end of ME3), the rest takes place approximately 100 years later.
An asari Spectre is searching for her parents (Shepard & Liara) who disappeared under missing circumstances years ago.
Hope you enjoy! Reviews and critiques are welcome.
Prologue
It was all over for the human pirate. He was trapped and there was no way out. This was not how he expected it to end as he turned to face his pursuer. Blasto, the first hanar Spectre, had chased him through Council space and across the Attican Traverse, always just a step behind, but now the human’s luck had run out.
“You’ll never take me alive, jelly,” the human threatened.
“This one has misplaced its tolerance for your criminal activity,” Blasto replied flatly, leveling one of the many pistols he clutched in his tentacles at the human. “Enkindle this.”
With a wild a scream the human flew up into the air and slammed forcefully back onto the ground. Blasto then proceeded to jump up and down on his corpse. Then an asari child giggled and made “pew pew” laser sounds as Blasto exacted justice.
Her parents watched her, smiling at the thorough enjoyment she was getting out of her talking Blasto action figures they’d just purchased at Morlan’s Many Fine Goods & Toys Emporium. It was Shepard’s favorite toy store on the Citdael.
Liara shook her head and looked at Shepard with a wry smile. “Just like you. She’s not happy unless something or someone is blowing up.”
Shepard shrugged helplessly as she stood up from her chair. “What can I say? The kid’s a natural Spectre. You’re the one who lets her watch the Blasto cartoon though.” She took a seat in the floor next to her daughter.
Liara sighed. “I can’t help it. She loves it, and I can’t deny her anything. Another thing she inherited from you.” Liara bit her lip after she said that. It was after all Aedri’s unexpected inheritance from Shepard that had brought them here.
Shepard tried to give a reassuring smile. She knew she was troubled and reached her hand out, which Liara clasped. “It’ll be ok,” Shepard assured her.
Aedri pulled on Shepard’s arm to get her attention and offered her the Blasto figure. “Mira,” she said, using the Asari term for father, “you can be Blasto. He’s a Spectre too!”
“You don’t want to be Blasto?” Shepard asked with surprise as she took the toy.
“No, I want to be this one,” she said and held up a female human Alliance soldier. “She’s like you.”
“See, all she wants is to be just like you,” Liara said, “though that is not such a bad thing.”
Shepard beamed. It meant more than she could express that her daughter was so fascinated with her.
“Mari?” Aedri said, looking at Shepard with sweet green eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“When can we go see Tali? I wanna play with Seta and Ranna .”
“Soon. I promise.”
Aedri nodded her approval.
Shepard and Liara both started when the door suddenly opened and Dr. Chakwas entered the room. She stopped and knelt down by the little asari and Shepard.
“Good morning, Aedri. What do you have here?”
Aedri smiled and held up her new treasures proudly. “Blasto!”
“Wow. I like Blasto too!”
“He’s a Spectre like Mira,” she explained as she started playing again.
Dr. Chakwas chuckled and stood up. Shepard handed the toy back to Aedri, patted her on the head and returned to her seat. Dr. Chakwas greeted Shepard and Liara as she took a seat behind her desk. She could see that they were very nervous. They’d contacted her weeks ago, asking to come meet with her on Earth, however, knowing how busy they both were she offered to come to the Citadel. She was technically retired but was more than willing to help her old friends, especially given it was concerns they had about their daughter. She’d called in some favors and gotten permission to work out of an office at Huerta Memorial and done a thorough checkup of Aedri. The results had been unusual, and she had requested time to consult with some specialists she knew personally and who she could vouch for.
“Good morning, Liara, Councilor Shepard. Well, I know it’s been a long few days for you, but at least now I can answer some of your questions. First let me say that Aedri is a very healthy little girl, but there are some concerns as we already knew.”
Liara squeezed Shepard’s hand tightly as she spoke. “What can you tell us, Karin?”
“So we started with the most obvious factors and worked from there,” Dr. Chakwas began. “Your daughter has Shepard’s eyes, which of course shouldn’t be the case, since we all know asari children don’t inherit anything genetically from the father. I spoke with a friend of mine who specializes in asari genetics. She first suggested a number of possibilities. Perhaps that your daughter was an anomaly, that there was something unique in Shepard’s DNA, or that this could be a new stage of asari evolution. Then of course, there is the more serious issue that your daughter is maturing at a rate more akin to humans than asari. At five years she’s at the approximate level for a human child of the same age, which is almost double where an asari should be.”
That thought alone terrified Liara. She already knew she would outlive Shepard by centuries, barring some twist of fate, and that was more than she could bear to think about. To consider the possibility that she might also outlive her daughter was too much and had led to many sleepless nights lately.
“However,” Dr. Chakwas began, seeing the fear in Liara’s eyes growing, “I do have some good news to offer on that issue. While she is currently maturing more rapidly, our analysis of her DNA leads us to believe there is no reason she couldn’t live an extremely long life. It is possible that she could live as long as an asari.”
“Could live as long? Why wouldn’t she?” Shepard asked. They had of course known for some time that Aedri was maturing faster than an asari child should, and she had been guilt-ridden because she was so torn on the issue. While Shepard was of course extremely worried about her daughter, a small part of her was happy that the little girl was maturing more like a human, because it gave her the opportunity for her to have a more traditional parent relationship with her daughter which could often be difficult for a race that lived such a short time compared to the asari. Nevertheless, she would give anything to make sure her daughter was healthy.
“After performing some tests on the information I sent about your daughter, my colleagues and I discovered something interesting.” She tapped a button on her desk and a holographic projection of a DNA strand appeared. “This is Aedri’s DNA. Do you notice anything unusual?”
Liara leaned forward in her chair, studying the hologram. “Triple helix?”
Chakwas nodded. “Yes, and there are a couple of issues here. The normal double-helix strands contain her pure asari DNA. The third strand contains a percentage of human DNA, which can be traced to Shepard. Which would explain why she has Shepard’s eyes and is following more of a human development track. There is more to it than just Shepard though. There is other DNA present, however it is still developing. It’s incomplete.
“Incomplete?” Shepard asked, as she watched her daughter playing.
“Yes, there are gaps in the genetic code. It is still developing, and it is making changes. It’s reprogramming part of her genetic code to create new outcomes.”
“Karin, what the hell does this mean for Aedri?” Shepard tried to keep her voice calm, but she was about to snap. She needed to know that her daughter was going to be ok.
“Aedri is an asari-human hybrid. She has the best of both of you, but she has something more. This third strand is modifying her, not in any way you can see, but on a cellular level. Currently her cells are sacrificing longevity for increased energy. Greater cellular regeneration, enhanced biotic potential. The third strand is trying to make her better in some ways at the expense of others.”
“There is no way to make her better!” It was Liara’s turn to snap. “She’s wonderful the way she is.”
Aedri went over to her mother and buried her face in her
shoulder.
Liara’s face paled and she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into her lap. “I’m sorry, little one. Mommy didn’t mean to get angry. Karin is just trying to help.”
“Dr.,” Shepard began hesitantly, her voice shaking, “it’s not… turning her into a husk? Is it Reaper technology?”
Dr. Chakwas shook her head. “No, we have a great deal of information on husks, there is nothing to indicate such a transformation in Aedri, but I cannot discount the possibility that this is related to the Reapers or even to Cerberus, or she really could be a new stage in asari evolution. However, I believe we can stop it.”
Shepard’s face brightened and she looked to Liara. Aedri had fallen asleep and Liara was gently rocking her. “That sounds… I mean that sounds good, but do we know what the effect would be?”
“Not for certain, but I have spoken to several colleagues at length. We believe we could create a treatment to inhibit the modifications caused by the third strand. We can’t remove it, but we believe we could make it dormant.”
“I’m wondering, since it isn’t causing her serious harm as of yet, should we wait and see?” Liara suggested.
Dr. Chakwas let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead, not sure how to tell them. “Before you decide. There is one more thing. We discovered nanites in some of her cells.”
Shepard arched an eyebrow. “Nanites? You mean robots?”
Dr. Chakwas nodded. “Not quite like anything we’ve seen before. However, there is some similarity between them and some of your Cerberus implants, Shepard, but it’s been heavily modified. Their main purpose seems to be construction of the third strand but beyond that we don’t know. A salarian nanotech expert who examined one of them thinks he could render them inert as well.”
“You can’t remove them?” Liara asked.
Dr. Chakwas shook her head. “They’re microscopic, and we don’t know how many there are. I would be hesitant to put Aedri through something like that unless it became necessary.”
Shepard looked to Liara, who merely nodded. “Alright, Dr., let’s try it your way.”
An asari Spectre is searching for her parents (Shepard & Liara) who disappeared under missing circumstances years ago.
Hope you enjoy! Reviews and critiques are welcome.
All For One Child
Prologue
It was all over for the human pirate. He was trapped and there was no way out. This was not how he expected it to end as he turned to face his pursuer. Blasto, the first hanar Spectre, had chased him through Council space and across the Attican Traverse, always just a step behind, but now the human’s luck had run out.
“You’ll never take me alive, jelly,” the human threatened.
“This one has misplaced its tolerance for your criminal activity,” Blasto replied flatly, leveling one of the many pistols he clutched in his tentacles at the human. “Enkindle this.”
With a wild a scream the human flew up into the air and slammed forcefully back onto the ground. Blasto then proceeded to jump up and down on his corpse. Then an asari child giggled and made “pew pew” laser sounds as Blasto exacted justice.
Her parents watched her, smiling at the thorough enjoyment she was getting out of her talking Blasto action figures they’d just purchased at Morlan’s Many Fine Goods & Toys Emporium. It was Shepard’s favorite toy store on the Citdael.
Liara shook her head and looked at Shepard with a wry smile. “Just like you. She’s not happy unless something or someone is blowing up.”
Shepard shrugged helplessly as she stood up from her chair. “What can I say? The kid’s a natural Spectre. You’re the one who lets her watch the Blasto cartoon though.” She took a seat in the floor next to her daughter.
Liara sighed. “I can’t help it. She loves it, and I can’t deny her anything. Another thing she inherited from you.” Liara bit her lip after she said that. It was after all Aedri’s unexpected inheritance from Shepard that had brought them here.
Shepard tried to give a reassuring smile. She knew she was troubled and reached her hand out, which Liara clasped. “It’ll be ok,” Shepard assured her.
Aedri pulled on Shepard’s arm to get her attention and offered her the Blasto figure. “Mira,” she said, using the Asari term for father, “you can be Blasto. He’s a Spectre too!”
“You don’t want to be Blasto?” Shepard asked with surprise as she took the toy.
“No, I want to be this one,” she said and held up a female human Alliance soldier. “She’s like you.”
“See, all she wants is to be just like you,” Liara said, “though that is not such a bad thing.”
Shepard beamed. It meant more than she could express that her daughter was so fascinated with her.
“Mari?” Aedri said, looking at Shepard with sweet green eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“When can we go see Tali? I wanna play with Seta and Ranna .”
“Soon. I promise.”
Aedri nodded her approval.
Shepard and Liara both started when the door suddenly opened and Dr. Chakwas entered the room. She stopped and knelt down by the little asari and Shepard.
“Good morning, Aedri. What do you have here?”
Aedri smiled and held up her new treasures proudly. “Blasto!”
“Wow. I like Blasto too!”
“He’s a Spectre like Mira,” she explained as she started playing again.
Dr. Chakwas chuckled and stood up. Shepard handed the toy back to Aedri, patted her on the head and returned to her seat. Dr. Chakwas greeted Shepard and Liara as she took a seat behind her desk. She could see that they were very nervous. They’d contacted her weeks ago, asking to come meet with her on Earth, however, knowing how busy they both were she offered to come to the Citadel. She was technically retired but was more than willing to help her old friends, especially given it was concerns they had about their daughter. She’d called in some favors and gotten permission to work out of an office at Huerta Memorial and done a thorough checkup of Aedri. The results had been unusual, and she had requested time to consult with some specialists she knew personally and who she could vouch for.
“Good morning, Liara, Councilor Shepard. Well, I know it’s been a long few days for you, but at least now I can answer some of your questions. First let me say that Aedri is a very healthy little girl, but there are some concerns as we already knew.”
Liara squeezed Shepard’s hand tightly as she spoke. “What can you tell us, Karin?”
“So we started with the most obvious factors and worked from there,” Dr. Chakwas began. “Your daughter has Shepard’s eyes, which of course shouldn’t be the case, since we all know asari children don’t inherit anything genetically from the father. I spoke with a friend of mine who specializes in asari genetics. She first suggested a number of possibilities. Perhaps that your daughter was an anomaly, that there was something unique in Shepard’s DNA, or that this could be a new stage of asari evolution. Then of course, there is the more serious issue that your daughter is maturing at a rate more akin to humans than asari. At five years she’s at the approximate level for a human child of the same age, which is almost double where an asari should be.”
That thought alone terrified Liara. She already knew she would outlive Shepard by centuries, barring some twist of fate, and that was more than she could bear to think about. To consider the possibility that she might also outlive her daughter was too much and had led to many sleepless nights lately.
“However,” Dr. Chakwas began, seeing the fear in Liara’s eyes growing, “I do have some good news to offer on that issue. While she is currently maturing more rapidly, our analysis of her DNA leads us to believe there is no reason she couldn’t live an extremely long life. It is possible that she could live as long as an asari.”
“Could live as long? Why wouldn’t she?” Shepard asked. They had of course known for some time that Aedri was maturing faster than an asari child should, and she had been guilt-ridden because she was so torn on the issue. While Shepard was of course extremely worried about her daughter, a small part of her was happy that the little girl was maturing more like a human, because it gave her the opportunity for her to have a more traditional parent relationship with her daughter which could often be difficult for a race that lived such a short time compared to the asari. Nevertheless, she would give anything to make sure her daughter was healthy.
“After performing some tests on the information I sent about your daughter, my colleagues and I discovered something interesting.” She tapped a button on her desk and a holographic projection of a DNA strand appeared. “This is Aedri’s DNA. Do you notice anything unusual?”
Liara leaned forward in her chair, studying the hologram. “Triple helix?”
Chakwas nodded. “Yes, and there are a couple of issues here. The normal double-helix strands contain her pure asari DNA. The third strand contains a percentage of human DNA, which can be traced to Shepard. Which would explain why she has Shepard’s eyes and is following more of a human development track. There is more to it than just Shepard though. There is other DNA present, however it is still developing. It’s incomplete.
“Incomplete?” Shepard asked, as she watched her daughter playing.
“Yes, there are gaps in the genetic code. It is still developing, and it is making changes. It’s reprogramming part of her genetic code to create new outcomes.”
“Karin, what the hell does this mean for Aedri?” Shepard tried to keep her voice calm, but she was about to snap. She needed to know that her daughter was going to be ok.
“Aedri is an asari-human hybrid. She has the best of both of you, but she has something more. This third strand is modifying her, not in any way you can see, but on a cellular level. Currently her cells are sacrificing longevity for increased energy. Greater cellular regeneration, enhanced biotic potential. The third strand is trying to make her better in some ways at the expense of others.”
“There is no way to make her better!” It was Liara’s turn to snap. “She’s wonderful the way she is.”
Aedri went over to her mother and buried her face in her
shoulder.
Liara’s face paled and she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into her lap. “I’m sorry, little one. Mommy didn’t mean to get angry. Karin is just trying to help.”
“Dr.,” Shepard began hesitantly, her voice shaking, “it’s not… turning her into a husk? Is it Reaper technology?”
Dr. Chakwas shook her head. “No, we have a great deal of information on husks, there is nothing to indicate such a transformation in Aedri, but I cannot discount the possibility that this is related to the Reapers or even to Cerberus, or she really could be a new stage in asari evolution. However, I believe we can stop it.”
Shepard’s face brightened and she looked to Liara. Aedri had fallen asleep and Liara was gently rocking her. “That sounds… I mean that sounds good, but do we know what the effect would be?”
“Not for certain, but I have spoken to several colleagues at length. We believe we could create a treatment to inhibit the modifications caused by the third strand. We can’t remove it, but we believe we could make it dormant.”
“I’m wondering, since it isn’t causing her serious harm as of yet, should we wait and see?” Liara suggested.
Dr. Chakwas let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her forehead, not sure how to tell them. “Before you decide. There is one more thing. We discovered nanites in some of her cells.”
Shepard arched an eyebrow. “Nanites? You mean robots?”
Dr. Chakwas nodded. “Not quite like anything we’ve seen before. However, there is some similarity between them and some of your Cerberus implants, Shepard, but it’s been heavily modified. Their main purpose seems to be construction of the third strand but beyond that we don’t know. A salarian nanotech expert who examined one of them thinks he could render them inert as well.”
“You can’t remove them?” Liara asked.
Dr. Chakwas shook her head. “They’re microscopic, and we don’t know how many there are. I would be hesitant to put Aedri through something like that unless it became necessary.”
Shepard looked to Liara, who merely nodded. “Alright, Dr., let’s try it your way.”