As Alex greedily picks up the chest with a smile, everyone else continues to stare at Benezia.
"Mother?! She is … dead, but what was that light? Alex, did you do that?" Liara asks.
"No," Alex lies boldly, trying his best to remain calm.
"...No? So that light was just a coincidence, huh?" Shepard asks sarcastically.
"Look, my condolences, Liara, but your mother is a hero. She fought against Saren and gave us the location of the Mu Relay. I think it's best if you think of her like that," Alex says, dodging Shepard's questions.
Liara looks at him skeptically. "Something happened! It almost seems as though she ascended to a higher plane!"
"Maybe she did. She was one of the most accomplished and powerful Biotics. Perhaps she discovered a secret," Alex lies again.
"MY HEAD HURTS!" a voice complains from behind them. It's Tali, who had been knocked away earlier.
"Vot, let's evacuate already!" she says, sounding annoyed and in pain.
"I… let's go! I think at least a part of Mother was saved," Liara says, still glancing suspiciously at Alex.
"Fine, we did a good job! Let's get you all treated and call in reinforcements. It's time we get out of this hellhole. However, first we need to," Shepard says, turning around, "get rid of our biggest problem! These lunatic corporations would probably continue their experiments despite everything that's happened."
Suddenly, the corpse of an Asari Commando, still slightly mangled, rises unsteadily and begins to move. It stumbles forward, stopping directly next to the cage before turning around.
Everyone except Alex quickly points their guns at the corpse, confusion etched onto their faces.
Finally, the Asari corpse begins to speak: "This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."
Shepard asks cautiously, "Who am I speaking to here?"
"Feels almost like we're talking to the queen," Alex remarks.
It should be obvious… sometimes Shepard really acts stupid!
"We are mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced," the Rachni Queen says.
Shepard's expression changes to one of disgust. "I didn't come here to talk to bugs."
The Queen, ignoring Shepard's insult, continues calmly, "The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are."
Liara asks, "Please explain. Why are your children killing people? They seem uncontrollable."
"These needle-men. They stole our eggs from us. They sought to turn our children into beasts of war—claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds."
"I understand," Liara says softly. "A child left alone in a closet wouldn't remain sane either."
"Anyway, I'm more than willing to wipe them out. If there are any left, we should've gotten rid of nearly all of them by now," Shepard interjects.
The Queen, speaking through the dead Asari Commando, now speaks softer and slower. "Such discordance bodes ill for what we must compose here. Before you deal with our children, we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"
Wrex steps forward, his voice devoid of humor. "There are acid tanks rigged up on that thing. Set them off. Millions of my ancestors died to put these things down. Don't let them come back."
Liara quickly steps forward and rebukes Wrex, "They made a mistake. They let the Krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to atone. She has done nothing to us."
The Queen continues pleading, "Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory."
Shepard, despite her earlier hostile attitude, decides to ask more questions:
"If I let you live, would you attack other races again?"
"No. We—I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. We could seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we could return."
"...My opinion hasn't changed," Shepard says, turning to Alex. "Kerber, what do you say? I share Wrex's opinion, but I'll gladly listen to yours."
"Alex, please. We can't condone genocide," Liara says urgently.
"Human, too many people died. Too many Krogan sacrificed! We can't risk it," Wrex insists firmly.
The Queen now stares intently at Alex with her many eyes.
Hmmm, not that it matters to me… but if I ever return…
Alex steps forward and questions the Queen:
"Your race's mind seems incredibly strong—at least yours does. Could you resist Indoctrination? Similar to what happened to those we just killed, and to the one you currently possess."
"Yes, we—I can't be controlled by something like that. Our song can't be broken so easily."
Alex continues, "So, if we free you, would you be willing to aid us in the coming fight against the Geth, Saren… and those who control them?"
"Yes," the Queen responds without hesitation.
"You probably don't know, but we humans have large ships. If you betray us… you'll be dealt with one way or another. You could probably escape this planet on your own, by stealing a ship or even building one yourself. However, how about we release you, then send a ship for you afterward? We'll drop you off on a planet under Alliance control, and we'll stay in contact."
"… as long as we may continue our song, we agree to your conditions," the Queen responds.
Alex then turns to Shepard, "I won't debate morals; the choice is yours. The Queen is incredibly strong, reminds me of the Thorian. Even Saren bartered with the Thorian. This could be your chance to gain the cooperation of an entire race… who knows what we'll face in the future."
Shepard now appears deeply thoughtful.
"They could be useful, if they can be controlled! How can we trust them?" Wrex interjects forcefully.
Alex steps closer to Shepard and whispers through the comms, "You can always change your mind after we've dealt with Saren and the Reaper threat. They can't build an empire in just a few years… I believe they can be controlled."
Shepard nods slowly. "Interesting… You know, I trust these bugs more than the entire Administration or Council. We'll do it like Kerber suggested. I'll report this straight to Anderson—there's no need for the Council to know anything about this. Stay near this facility, but keep yourselves hidden. I'll organize transport for you. This is your one and only warning: deceive me, and things will become very unpleasant."
"You will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children, and we will repay our debts. We also thank you, man carrying iron," the Queen says through the Asari corpse.
Shepard then uses the controls, and the Queen's cage slowly rises to the surface. The dead Asari slowly collapses, no longer being controlled.
"Let's pick up the others!" Shepard says, turning around.
Alex hesitates, then picks up Benezia's body, carrying her along.
Everyone stares at him, prompting him to mumble, "Deserves her last rites…"
"..."
Exactly twelve hours later, on the Normandy, after eating and resting for a few hours, the crew meets up in the CIC.
Shepard briefly summarizes what happened after the fight, keeping especially vague about Benezia's death.
"From what you're saying, Kaidan, Garrus, and I missed out!" Ashley remarks, sounding slightly annoyed. "Anyway, what's our next move, Commander? Head for the Mu Relay?"
Shepard shakes her head. "The Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's headed, we'd just be wasting our time."
Liara, looking solemn yet focused, supports Shepard, "The Commander is right. We cannot rush off blind. We still need to learn more about Saren."
"Who put you in charge? Did the Commander resign when I wasn't looking?" Ashley says in a smug tone, leaning back in her chair.
Those two should just make out and calm down.
"We're all on the same team here, Williams. She's just trying to help. She knows I'm the one in charge! Look, this is a tough mission. We're all on edge. Everyone, go get some rest. I have to report to the Council, but before that, I need to get my story straight with the Alliance. Crew dismissed!"
Great! I can't wait to open that chest… or should I wait? Maybe I should….
As Alex watches the crew disperse, he follows Liara to her room behind the Medbay.
"You alright, Liara?" Alex asks as he enters.
He finds her sitting on her bed, tears streaming down her face. "I… am fine," she responds, struggling to stay calm.
"I… wish I could tell you details. However, I can tell you that your mother is in a bette—no, perhaps I should call it a different place. She won't suffer anymore, you can be sure of that," Alex says softly.
"I… I accept these words. For now. I'll have you tell me more after we've accomplished our mission," she replies quietly.
"Sure," Alex answers.
I'll be gone by then.
"Also… thank you for backing me up earlier. Saving the Queen was the right decision. I know you had to come up with some argument to convince the Commander, but still. You did something great," Liara continues gently.
"No problem," Alex says as Liara stares deeply into his eyes.
This is awkward….
------------------------------------------------
A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
If you are interested, then please support me at patreon.com/FRWriter
65+ Early chapters available - I will still release on WN daily!! Thank you!
Bored? Complains? Demands? Check out the Discord: https://discord.gg/puVqWsf3y9
Thank you for supporting the story with Power Stones!