Time Effect ( A Mass Effect Fanfiction)

A few minutes had passed since the crew arrived at Chora's Den, and they had already separated into groups.

As always, Javik, Wrex, and Grunt were together, drinking their worries away. Samara joined them, as the Asari appreciated their attitude. Garrus, after getting to know everyone, also decided to join the group.

Kaidan, Kasumi, Thane, and Keiji were catching up with Ashley, Jacob, and Vega. The latter three had some good stories to share about the battle on the Citadel, and everyone was listening intently. Clare, Dr. Chakwas, Mordin, and John were also there and engaged in conversation.

Joker and EDI were in their own world, while Shepard, Tali, Liara, Veronica, and RR were together with Samael.

It was a somewhat harmonious scene, and Samael enjoyed it immensely, as it was a luxury he had missed from past cycles. This was the first time in this cycle that his family was complete. Unfortunately, Legion could not join them for obvious reasons, but it still counted.

He knew it was a privilege, so he was savoring the moment as best as he could.

"So, that's Garrus?" Shepard asked, eyeing the Turian. From what she had heard, he was 'recruited' earlier into LD, just like her, and she compared her abilities to his. Safe to say, she thought she had a 60% chance of winning in a fight, based on what she knew.

Samael realized it was the first time Shepard was meeting Garrus, although the Turian had made a good impression on her crewmates. They had a solid friendship in the games and past cycles, so he wanted to ensure they got along in this cycle too.

After all, they were very important in the upcoming war.

"Yes, that's him. He's a good friend and an even better soldier." Samael said, hyping up the Turian, with RR chiming in.

"Based on statistics, he's stronger than most LD soldiers, though not when compared to Wrex yet."

"He's friendly too, so be sure to get to know him," Tali added.

She and Liara had met Garrus previously, so they were familiar with him, even if only briefly. He seemed like a nice person, and considering Samael was speaking highly of him, it meant he could be trusted.

"We will see.... By the way, Samael, what are you going to do now? I mean, everything urgent has been dealt with, and we finally have a breather." Shepard asked.

Samael smiled bitterly, his mind racing with the many tasks he still needed to accomplish to keep everyone safe and improve their chances of winning the war. 'I have to send someone to recruit the Geth, check on the Rachni Queen, as by now the first offspring must have already been born, and send someone to grab the Crucible blueprint or just write it down from what I remember.'

'That brings me to the last thing on my mind. I still remember what happened on Thessia, so I don't fully trust my memories anymore. I'll go to Earth, talk to Miranda, and ask her to send someone to Mars to grab the blueprint. Then I'll compare it with what I have in my memories. After that, I'll deal with the other me in my mind.'

There was so much to do and only one or two years to prepare. Samael gulped down a drink, 'Crazy to think all of this happened in less than one year.'

Yes, ever since he left Earth for the first time, only one year had passed. But his bond with his family was strong. That was due to the fact he knew their personalities and that some people were literally made for each other, so there was a connection right after they meet.

Some call it fate.

"I will be busier for a few months... And you? I mean, you're a Spectre after all." Samael answered and asked Shepard.

Shepard smiled at that. "Honestly, I think I have bad luck. I mean, on the week I was made a Spectre, Thessia was attacked, and then we went to war with the Reaper on Illos. Tevos hasn't had the opportunity to give me a mission."

"Maybe that will change. By the way, Tali, how are you feeling about your father being made a Councilor?"

Just like with Anderson, Samael brought this up to ensure his family had a good time after the war if they won.

Tali smiled at that question, because she had some doubts too, "That was what I was going to ask. Is that a marriage gift, perhaps?"

Those around the table stared, as this was a touchy subject. After all, all those at the table were in a relationship, and marriage was on everyone's minds, but no one had said anything about it. Until now.

Samael didn't look fazed, as his end goal was to marry all of them. "Hmmmm, maybe. Should we all get married before the war?"

This made the entire table silent, no one could believe what they had just heard. Based on his expression, Samael was serious, something they didn't expect.

Veronica, who had known Samael since childhood, was the most excited. She never thought he would ask that, ever. It took her a long time to enter his heart, and now this.

The others had known Samael for only one year or less, but they also felt good hearing that.

Though, RR said, "How about we wait until the war is over? I know how good it is to marry, based on the data I have, but it's not a good omen to marry before a war. It's all in the statistics."

Even if what RR said was bullshit, they had no way to verify right now, everyone fell silent again. It made sense, as in movies and even real life, those who marry before a war tend to die.

Samael felt the inner turmoil of those around him, the fear stemming from moving too fast and the thought that RR was right, if they were truly meant for each other, etc.

So, he said, "Then, after the war, I'll officially ask you to marry me. If we are still together then and you all accept this... adjustment, we can get married."

That was a compromise everyone could agree on.

"Sounds good to me."

"No problem on my side."

Everyone was on board with it, and Samael remembered something. "Liara, how was the encounter with your mother and father?"

Liara looked embarrassed. "It was good, honestly. We caught up, I forgave them for their absence and... they found out about all of us too."

The other girls, minus RR who wasn't present when they met Benezia and Aethyta, also looked embarrassed. Samael stared, contemplating the scene, before letting out a small laugh.

---

Minutes passed, and the party continued with a harmonious tone when suddenly a mysterious person in a hoodie entered Chora's Den.

Even though everyone was enjoying the party, they were soldiers at their core, so they were alert from the beginning. When this person entered, they stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

The person paused when she noticed their attention and took her hoodie off, revealing that it was Tevos. She smiled at the gaze she was receiving. "I heard about the 'best party' that the Citadel has ever seen taking place here, so I decided to check it out!"

Tevos looked around and nodded. "It seems to be true!"

"HELL YEAH!" As always, Wrex was the most animated among them and exclaimed when he heard that.

Everyone in the place knew Tevos, either personally or through others. When they recognized her, they relaxed, and the party returned to its normal rhythm.

When Tevos scanned the room, she spotted Samael's table and made sure to remember where it was. He was alone, so after greeting everyone else, she made her way to his table.

Samael was in one of the best moods that day, so when Tevos sat down at the now-empty table, thanks to the others wanting to dance, he smiled at her. "Welcome to the party."

"Thanks for the invite. And nice place you have here." Tevos, proving she was a good Councilor, knew that Samael was the true 'owner' of Chora's Den.

Honestly, everything that happened in the Citadel, she knew. Sometimes she knew all of it, others times not so much, but she was aware of it.

"You're welcome, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Yes, Samael had invited Tevos and a few others to the party, and yes, he was lying through his teeth.

He then got serious. "The 'secret reunion' to talk about the Geth and the Andromeda Project is tomorrow, right?"

While he wasn't going to participate, he knew all about it because, well, the Andromeda Project was something he had initiated.

"Yes. Are you really going to miss it?" Tevos knew that Samael's presence would raise the stakes, but sadly, he was going to miss it.

"I have something to take care of urgently, so I will not be participating. Sorry about that, but I can send someone to act as the LD representative." He already had someone in mind: Mordin.

While the Salarian was important to LD, if he was missing for one day, it wouldn't matter that much. He was also the one in LD who knew the most about the projects, so he was already familiar with the Andromeda Project.

"I would appreciate that." Tevos then ordered some drinks while the conversation continued, with Samael asking for a favor.

"Go easy on the missions you give Shepard. And, if and when I need her presence, let her go. Can you do that for me?"

Tevos smiled knowingly, as she knew Shepard was intimate with Samael. "Don't worry about it."

As they continued to chat and drink, two more Asari entered Chora's Den. Liara grew pale as she realized it was her parents. Nothing could be more embarrassing than that, but thankfully, they only nodded at her and didn't embarrass her.

Liara sighed in relief and returned her attention to the party.

The two immediately went to meet Samael after nodding at everyone in the bar, with Aethyta sizing him up. After all, this man was in a relationship with her daughter and four others.

"Hmm..." She was surprised by the feeling she was receiving from him. that he was dangerous. Of course, she knew all about him, being the owner of LD, but she never believed the rumors surrounding him. Now, seeing was believing, and she realized those rumors were most likely true.

"Benezia." Samael had already met with her on Thessia, so he greeted her warmly.

"Samael." Benezia sat down, along with Aethyta. She then pointed at her, "This is Aethyta, Liara's father."

Samael already knew her from past cycles, but he still greeted her as if it were the first time... well, it was the first time in this cycle. "Nice to meet you."

"What are your intentions with our daughter?" Aethyta went directly to the touchy subject.

Samael calmly replied, "The best. We even talked about marriage not long ago but decided to touch the subject after the war."

Benezia and Aethyta never thought they would hear that today. Based on what they knew, they had only met about a year ago. It was fast, but honestly, considering the state of the galaxy, it made sense.

Tevos, who had been ignored until now, smirked at the situation.

Benezia recovered slightly. "As long as she is happy."

Aethyta had the same train of thought. "Make sure to keep her safe."

"I swear on my life I'll do my best."

Aethyta nodded, feeling satisfied with the conversation, and finally asked for some drinks.

It was then that she realized Tevos was at the same table as her. "What are you doing here?!"

Benezia also looked shocked.

A vein popped in Tevos's head. "I WAS HERE FROM THE BEGINNING!"

The three matriarchs started to banter and time continued to pass.

Not long after Benezia and Aethyta arrived, three more people entered the bar: one human and two Turians.

Garrus recognized two-thirds of them, even though he was already tipsy. "Father, sister! Welcome to the party!" he exclaimed.

He passed drinks to them, and Solana, who had already made friends with the crew, was like a fish in water. "Let's get drunk!" she declared.

Solana, being younger than Garrus, inherited the free-spirited nature of her family, making her much more social than he was.

"Hell yeah!" Grunt cheered as he escorted her to the bar, which was close to running out of stock already. The owner had to call in some favors to replenish the supplies quickly. It didn't matter the price, Samael was going to pay for it anyway.

While Solana embraced the atmosphere, Castis felt lost. He knew almost no one there, just like Anderson, who finished saying hi to Shepard. They awkwardly greeted everyone before hurrying to Samael's table, which they had spotted earlier, to escape the situation.

On the way to the table, Castis remarked to Anderson, "Samael gives off the feeling of being old, doesn't he?"

Anderson, trying hard not to laugh at Shepard's earlier attempt at dancing (if you could call it that), nodded in agreement with Castis. "He really does."

They arrived at the table, greeted everyone there, and sat down. "Thanks for the invite."

"No worries," Samael replied. "I know how busy you all are, so take this party as a vacation of sorts." Samael really understood how rough they had it.d things, so he was honest.

Moments later, a few drinks arrived at the table, and Samael said, "Let's drink our sorrows away."

Castis grabbed a drink right away and replied, "Let's!"