Time Effect ( A Mass Effect Fanfiction)

AN: Merry Christmas!

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The journey to Earth would take some time, so the crew used this opportunity to introduce Garrus and Solana to everyone and to the Phoenix.

Garrus was already familiar with most of the crew, but Solana was a new addition and while she knew them, she wasn't that familiar with all, so this was something they had to do. Neither of them had ever seen the inside of the Phoenix, so a tour was a nice way to spend the time.

They visited the infirmary, then the bar, the cockpit, and finally encountered Legion. The Geth was waiting for Samael so he could help the Geth, who hadn't pledged alliance to the Reapers.

The Geth was near the hangar.

Solana nodded and greeted the Geth warmly, reasoning that if Legion was here, he must be normal, or at least not like the other Geth.

Garrus, however, was more cautious about Legion. He had faced the Geth and the Collectors when they attacked the Citadel, so he didn't trust Legion right away.

Samael noticed Garrus's hesitation and acted as a mediator. "Garrus, this is Legion. He helped the Asari fight against other Geth when they attacked Thessia, and now he's waiting.''

Garrus, eyeing Legion, asked, "For what?"

"For me."

Garrus looked at Samael in confusion, prompting him to explain, "The Geth, like everyone in the galaxy, have conflicts among their society. Some followed the Reapers while others, like Legion, just wants to be free. He wants me to recruit others like him, and I will do that."

The Geth as a whole is a complicated species because of what they are. But at least some of them were 'normal', and that was enough.

Garrus still had doubts, but he trusted Samael. "Nice to meet you," he said to Legion. "My name is Garrus Vakarian."

Legion, as always, was monotone. "Nice to meet you," he responded, before turning to Samael and asking, "Where is Shepard and the rest? Have they left already?"

Yes, while not much, Shepard and the others from her crew had interacted with Legion. It started as curiosity, and then it became something normal. Legion noticed they weren't present, so he asked about them.

Samael nodded. "We are entering the last phase in preparation for war. Shepard has her role, just as you and I do."

Legion managed to make what seemed like a 'surprised' face. "Do you mean...?"

"Yes. It's time to recruit the Geth!"

Legion sounded hopeful. "How?"

"Right now, we are going to Earth to prepare on that front. When we arrive, I will send you along with EDI towards the Perseus Veil so that you can recruit the Geth."

While Samael had explored the Perseus Veil in past cycles, the rest of the galaxy hadn't. Just mentioning it made Garrus and Solana exchange surprised looks.

They were listening to Samael and Legion talk and were taken aback by this turn of events. The Perseus Veil was an unexplored area of the galaxy, home to the Geth and many other species that the galaxy was not aware of.

Exploring this region was akin to a suicide mission, yet Samael said he would do it.

It is safe to say that his siblings were surprised, but they didn't dwell on it for too long and decided to ask him about it later.

Legion nodded. "Thank you for that."

Samael patted his shoulder. "Thank me when we win the war. Until then, let's do our best to survive."

With that, the conversation naturally came to an end. Samael, Garrus, and Solana left Legion and continued exploring the ship.

Thirty minutes later, the tour ended.

Solana had nothing but praise for the ship. "Its design is amazing! Who would have thought to build something like this?"

The Phoenix was ahead of its time by at least a decade, and it showed. Even the somewhat stoic Garrus was in awe when he saw the ship's guns. The amount of calibration he could perform...

Samael took the opportunity to boast. "I did."

Solana looked at Samael with surprise and something more in her eyes. "Really?"

Samael nodded. "I created LD, and almost all of its projects are mine. The Phoenix was completed a year ago, and it's the best ship in the galaxy... at least for now."

Yes, while Samael wasn't going to hold on to the technology for long, the Phoenix was still the best ship in the galaxy, even when he released the blueprint to the galaxy.

After all, all the modifications were his.

Solana's face was one of appreciation. "While my brother here told me about you, he never mentioned you also create things... that's amazing."

Samael could detect a flirtatious tone in Solana's voice, but for now, he decided to ignore it. "Thanks. Now that you're familiar with the ship, you can do whatever you want. The journey to Earth will take some hours, and you already have your personal quarters."

Samael then showed them where it was. "Feel free to do whatever."

Garrus nodded and went off, probably to find Wrex and Javik, while Solana looked at Samael once more. "... See you later."

Samael smiled as she left. Thoughts about the cycle they were a couple came to mind. Still, he shook his head; now wasn't the time for that.

He then headed towards Samara. To be honest, the Asari should have left the Phoenix crew after the reunion ended, but she stayed. Samael had a few arrangements for her and knew she would listen.

Soon, he found her near the cockpit, meditating. He watched her for a moment before coughing to break her from the meditation.

Samara didn't look mad as she turned her gaze toward Samael. "I thought you would never come talk to me."

It was true; Samael, even though capable, often left things to the last minute.

Samael scratched his head. "Sorry, it's just that things were moving too fast, even for me."

This was also true. In this cycle, things were progressing at a much faster pace than any other before.

Samara wasn't upset, she simply acknowledged the truth of his words with a nod. "Then, what are we talking about?"

While she used the resources of the LD, the first Reaper kill belonged to her. It was a badge of honor, and Samael and the rest weren't going to forget it anytime soon.

"I want to recruit you to the crew." Samael got straight to the point. He wanted his family close, and Samara was part of that. She wasn't part of the crew formally yet, so he wanted to make sure that was resolved.

Samara had already worked through a lot in her mind, the most pressing being her daughter's well-being.

Morith was at the temple in Thessia, and just like the rest of the Ardat-Yakshi, she would receive help from the LD.

So, in a sense, Samara was free to accept Samael's invitation, but she had some reservations.

Samael noted her hesitation. "You don't need to answer now."

"What are my roles in the crew?" Samara asked.

"You will take on a mentorship role, helping LD train some biotics while also being part of my crew. When we go on a trip, you can come along too."

Samara didn't think long. "I'll accept it."

She was already familiar with everyone and, honestly, she already felt like part of the family.

"Welcome aboard… for real this time."

Samael would send a formal contract—similar to what Thane, Kasumi, and Keiji had— when they arrived on Earth.

He then said goodbye and left Samara.

His mind was racing; it was finally time to move things forward regarding his plans and other matters.

'This is it. We will enter the final stages of preparation now.'

He wasn't going to lie; he was nervous. After all, there was no more do-over. If he failed, that would be it.

The pressure was immense, but he was confident that he and the galaxy could win.

However, at least for the next few hours, he would relax with his girlfriends.

'A shame Shepard isn't here, but at this point, there's nothing we can do.'

With that thought, he headed toward his quarters.

---

CITADEL

While Samael and the others were going to Earth, another reunion was already taking place in the Citadel.

It was supposed to be tomorrow, but it had to be moved forward due to circumstances.

Fortunately, Tevos had already recovered from her hangover, same as Mordin, Anderson, and Castis.

Since this reunion was secret, it took place at Tevos' location. There were no reporters or anyone like that, with only the Councilors and the representative present.

Although the setting for the reunion could be considered casual, the atmosphere was anything but, especially on the Salarian side. Perhaps it was because of what happened in the last meeting, their presence was noticeably subdued, yet everyone else was on edge too. After all, no one knew what to expect.

Tevos, noting the atmosphere, decided to start the reunion. With a cough to grab everyone's attention, she said, "It's a pleasure to see you all once more in such a short period of time. What we will discuss here is confidential, so no leaks, please."

Her words alone sparked murmurs around the room. Given the controversial nature of the last reunion's contents, which were deemed crazy, one could only imagine what this meeting held.

"First, to make sense of our discussions, I need to introduce you all to Mordin, who has come here as the representative for LD."

With a nod from Tevos, Mordin began to introduce himself while passing the data he had on Project Andromeda to the others. "Good day to all. My name is Mordin Solus and as you can see, I'm a Salarian.''

The Salarian representative recognized Mordin but said nothing.

''My job here, as Tevos mentioned, is simple: to explain to you any doubt you may have about what you will be reading next."

The data was transmitted immediately. "If I may, please read the file that has just been transferred to your omni-tool."

The participants in the reunion did just that, except for those who were already aware of the information. It quickly caused an uproar, as it contradicted what LD had previously stated about fighting until the end.

As Mordin realized the situation, he calmly said, "This is just an assurance, as LD has no plans to lose the war. So much so that none of the higher-ups will join the arcs."

Yes, Samael will not be joining the Andromeda Project because this was his home. Whether he lived or died would be here, in this galaxy. Of course, if circumstances changed after the war, he wouldn't mind leaving.

"As you can see, the arcs are already under construction, with 20 to 30% complete. It's now time to allocate people to them."

The Salarians and other species not on the council exchanged solemn glances, as they knew their standing. Even if someone opposed, they knew the others would receive different treatment. It also made sense, as the others had allied with the creators of the arcs, while those not in the Council, didn't.

Not on the same level as the Salarians, but their positioning was clear.

"First things first, the arcs will have multiple species inside to prevent chaos when they arrive in another galaxy, and to maintain a sense of collaboration between species."

Only god knows what would happen if they let one Arc with only one species.

"Second, the species on the Council will have privileges and preferences when choosing the Arcs and in the numbers allocated."

The Batarian representative, who hadn't spoken a single thing and was down since the conversation with Samael—and who had already discussed blowing up the relay with their government—looked at the Salarians, hoping they would speak up. But his hopes were dashed as he realized the Salarian looked even more downtrodden than he did. It made sense; while the Batarians had never been on the Council, the Salarians had only recently been part of it.

Now, on the brink of a war the galaxy has never seen before, those who were on the Council would receive perks.

Safe to say, the Salarians weren't happy at all, but there was nothing they could do. They had already 'exposed' LD, and their relationships with the others were also damaged because of it.

"Third, we will be fair in the process of selecting personnel. For those who will be in cryo-sleep, we will choose from the most promising young people of your species, and for the captain positions, we will select those with experience."

Tevos interjected at that moment, "If only someone had not done that to LD, maybe they would have had time to build more than five, but alas..."

She was ensuring everyone remembered that the Salarians had messed things up, all to maintain her strength in the Council.

Indeed, everyone looked at the Salarian representative with difficult expressions. The Salarian regretted his actions, but now there was nothing much he could do.

Mordin shook his head at how shrewd Tevos was, realizing she wanted to make sure the Salarians didn't gain any power, and asked, "Any questions?"

There were many, and Mordin did his best to answer them.

"How many arcs will there be, and how much does it cost to build one?" the Volus representative asked after a few seconds. He had read the file and knew it must be expensive.

"It's trillions per arc, the exact number I'm not aware of. There will be five of them, at least for now. After all, LD funded the project alone."

That alone was enough for everyone to respect LD more and view the Salarian with more open hostility.

All of them had almost the same thought: If they had just remained quiet, things could have been better with more arcs being built.

"How long will it take to complete?" Councilor Rael asked.

"According to our initial calculations, it was going to take four to five years to complete. But thanks to some external factors and the current situation of the galaxy, we plan on building all of them in one year or less. After all, the Reapers will not wait for us."

"Can you explain to us what those external factors are?"

Mordin nodded. "As you all know, LD has entered into contact with a Rachni Queen. They made a deal, and the Queen will provide workers so the building process will be faster and smoother."

Mordin looked at Tevos, asking for permission to talk about the next subject. With her nod, Mordin continued, "Also, LD is currently working on getting the Geth's help."

"WHAT!"

'' WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?''

Safe to say, no one there liked hearing that. It caused a commotion and the Salarian representative looked at the Quarians, hoping they would cause a scene so that he could speak up, but was shocked to see Rael remain calm.

Then it clicked. Some people there already knew about it, while the rest were in the dark, dancing in the palms of their hands.

With a defeated sigh, the Salarian decided to cooperate and hope his species could gain some support in the arcs.

"The details are still being worked out, but it's in progress. With the help of the Geth, we can build things even faster."

"But how do you plan on keeping them in check? After all, the Geth are known for not being exactly trustworthy." the Elcor representative asked after a brief silence.

"That's something I'm not aware of, but I trust LD will have everything covered."

Silence filled the room once more, as everyone considered the potential risks and rewards of such an arrangement.

It also made sense they were so apprehensive, as it was a very bold move. The Geth weren't what one would typically call an ally, especially after they had joined the Reapers in their attack on Thessia and the Citadel.

So, hearing someone say they wanted to recruit them was unexpected.

Mordin could see the hesitation in everyone's eyes. "We don't have the luxury to choose our allies right now. You all know what the threat we are facing is capable of, so any help we can get is welcomed."

The representatives remained quiet because they knew he was right—they didn't have the luxury to be choosy.

The Volus representative finally spoke up, "...What can we do to help?"

Mordin and Tevos exchanged glances and knew their plan was working. Now, everyone present would try to assist LD, either for more space on the arcs or out of the goodness of their hearts.

While Mordin explained how they could help, his mind was on his crew. He wanted to leave this meeting and rejoin them as soon as possible, feeling he could be more effective if he was with them.

The meeting continued for a few more hours until it naturally came to an end. Every species, including the Salarians and the Batarians, pledged their support—either in the form of funding or personnel.

The galaxy emerged from this meeting stronger than before, but because it was a secret one, no one knew about it.

IN THE PHOENIX

The ship had just entered Earth's atmosphere and was heading directly to San Francisco.

It was time to put various plans forward while meeting old friends.