Magical Girls in Mass Effect

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Episode 20-Traces

Much time later, the girls were with Mordin as he was looking after the data. He asked them for something and they ran off. A little afterwards, several of the crew members entered. They stood around the table.

Ashley: “So, how’s it coming along? Anything new that you were able to find?”

Mordin: “No, not much to look into. Data still inconclusive.”

Liara: “Inconclusive? What do you mean by that?”

Mordin: “Not enough data collected, as mentioned by the admiral. However, may be far more to it.”

Liara: “We seem to be suspecting exactly what he suspects. Too bad this really isn’t much to go by.”

Mordin: “Yes, however, the data, although inconclusive, theorizes the residual traces to be far more massive than what is anticipated.”

Miranda: “How massive are we talking? Enough to cover the entire galaxy?”

Mordin: “Possibly. As to the purpose of this, unclear, but have reason to believe that we have but collected a very, very small piece of a massive puzzle and one that clarifies quite a lot. Unable to collect all of it in one go.”

Ashley: “It looks like we’ll all need to make arrangements to collect as many pieces of this puzzle as we possibly can.”

Garrus: “Hm, who knows how massive this puzzle truly is? Would there really be any way to try and find out what the purpose behind this residual trace of Dark magic could be?”

Tali: “It’s far too early to tell at the moment and who knows how much data we would need to collect before we are able to figure that out.”

Miranda: “She’s right, we need to work at this one piece at a time.”

Garrus: “I just hope we’ll be able to find out some important clues along the way. I know that there is plenty that we can all agree on: this indicates that this strong connection that ties us to those girls and their problem may run deeper than we have expected.”

Everyone else nodded.

Mordin: “Will put that aside for the time being, but will now move on to other matters. This regards the girls.”

Ashley: “You have more data on the Fayelons?”

Mordin: “Indeed. Mentioned earlier about convergence.”

Garrus: “Oh, right, you mean what we observed the girls doing during their latest battle. You said something about this being when 2 or more magical beings combine their powers to carry out a more powerful attack.”

Mordin: “Exactly. Been analyzing the girls’ utilization of this special power. Received surprising results. Magical energy is shown to intensify ten-folds.“

Garrus: “That was one impressive attack that they carried out. I don’t think I would have ever seen so many monsters be devastated that way.”

Tali: “I believe I remember hearing that term from another magical girl show somewhere.”

Mordin: “Yes, the term, itself, came from a non-anime magical girl show.”

Garrus: “Non-anime magical girl show? I’m sorry, but is there really such a thing?”

Tali: “Yes, magical girls have been so widely popular that other places on Earth wanted to create their own.”

Kasumi: ”The Japanese and their unorthodox style of cartoons have been very well liked, including the magical girl series. Other countries wanted to make their own forms of magical girl shows, which came with their own unique transformation scenes. Some of them are actually pretty good.”

Ashley: “Hm, I believe I also know about the one that the term convergence came from. It was from a magical girl show that was unique and well-liked. It was made by animators from Italy.”

Tali: “I think I remember seeing that show. It was about fairies that fight evil, they looked very much like humans except they can sometimes sprout wings.”

Kasumi: “Much like our girls?”

Tali: “Not exactly, these girls would look like normal humans but when they transform, they have their wings out at all times. They had many different forms that came with many different kinds of unique wing designs.”

Liara: “I do recall that the Fayelons would have their wings out sometimes, but only when they need them. I wonder why that is.”

Garrus: “I would like to ask them that, too, but let’s get on to important topics of our magical girls before we lose ourselves in discussing more of these shows that you guys love to talk about so much.”

Mordin: “Yes, of course, apologies, got sidetracked for a minute. Now, aside from their convergence, did also notice other matters regarding their powers. Concerns, actually.”

Garrus: “Concerns? Please explain, doctor.”

Mordin: “Their magical energy growing, changing, however, noticed signs of their powers being held back.”

Ashley: “Held back? What do you mean?”

Mordin: “Noticed a standstill, their powers, although changing and growing, noticed signs that they’re stagnant. Analyzed their energy and found something very shocking. The girls, their magical energy draining fast.”

Liara: “Draining? Their magical energy is draining?”

Mordin: “Yes, was also surprised upon finding this out, however, the girls have not shown any fatigue.”

Garrus: “Hmm…now that you mention it, when we first met the girls as well as witnessed them transform and fight their dark enemy for the first time, they were exhausted from the fight. When they fought against that entity’s monsters again, they didn’t mention anything about feeling tired or displaying any signs of exhaustion.”

Liara: “Yes, that’s right. At first, I was so relieved that they weren’t so fatigued when we watched them fight again for that second time. But after hearing this, yeah, that does sound concerning.”

Mordin: “Indeed a concern, would have suspected that they would tire out easily, was inquiring about why they weren’t tired from their powers draining, but then looked into it further to find the changes in their powers. Have reason to believe that this change being the cause of their lack of fatigue but could also clarify their stagnancy.”

Garrus: “Are you saying that the change in their powers and their energy draining are cancelling out the effects they could be having on the girls and their powers?”

Mordin: “Seems to be the only plausible explanation. Already know that the changes are caused by their strong bonds towards us as well as their unyielding devotion to protecting us. As to the cause of their powers draining, uncertain. May need to have them undergo something to find the cause.”

Ashley: “What are you suggesting?”

Mordin took another deep breath.

Mordin: “An endurance test.”

Garrus: “Wait, hold on. What you mean by endurance test?”

Mordin: “Thinking about seeing how long the girls can emit their powers before they tire themselves out.”

Garrus: “Are you seriously considering that the girls should push themselves into exhaustion? I don’t like where this is going at all. I’m not going to condone this.”

Mordin: “Need to look into how long the girls can endure the exertion of their magical abilities before they tire out. May not be an agreeable approach but this might help with finding out the cause of the stagnancy and exhaustion of their powers. Might help with figuring out how to help them.”

Garrus: “Maybe, but I don’t want them to be put through too much pressure. The last thing we need is for them to be overstressed. They’re still young, so they shouldn’t push themselves too hard.”

Mordin: “Agreed, all the more reason why they need to put them through this. If the cause of their exhaustion is identified, then we may find a way to help with fixing that.”

At that moment, the door can be heard opening nearby.

Jewel: “I say we should go for it.”

Garrus looked over and saw the girls entering.

Ashley: “Oh, hello again, girls.”

They walked up towards the others and stood near them.

Garrus: “Jewel, are you seriously considering this?”

Jewel: “Of course, we’re perfectly fine with taking on these endurance tests.”

The other girls nodded.

Garrus: “Are you absolutely sure about this? I mean, I don’t want any of you to be pushed too far. What if you over exhaust yourselves to the point where none of you can even fight?”

Jewel: “It’s OK, Garrus, we know what we’re getting themselves into.”

Star: “Yeah, and besides, it sounds like Dr. Solus knows exactly what he’s talking about.”

Garrus: “Maybe, but…his methods tend to be a bit…unorthodox. His normal meter isn’t exactly up to par.”

Aera: “Yeah, I don’t think he even has a normal meter.”

Garrus: “Well…yeah…that might be true.”

Flare: “But we genuinely believe that he is a good person. A bit scary, but decent.”

Splash: “We know that he would never harm us on purpose.”

Garrus: “Well….if you trust him…alright, I suppose I could allow it, but I’m supervising all of these endurance tests, just so he doesn’t push you too far.”

Aera: “You worry too much, guy. We’ll be fine. I mean, geez, you’re so testy.”

Garrus: “My apologies. I was chosen to be your main caretaker, so pardon me if I’m a little overprotective of you girls.”

Tali: “Oh, don’t be like that. You’ve always been like this.”

Miranda: “From what I’ve witnessed, you’ve been very protective of them since their arrival in our galaxy.”

Mordin: “Exactly why you were chosen for the position. Couldn’t think of anyone better.”

Garrus: “Would it kill any of you to show some leniency?”

Star happily approached Mordin and stood by him.

Star: “So, how shall we get started on these endurance tests?”

Mordin: “Hmmm…thinking about monitoring all of you at once but if overly exhausted, might come up with another tactic. Not meant to tire all of you out to where you can’t fight.”

Star nodded in compliance as she pulled out a snack bag of sorts.

Star: “Mm, hm, yes, interesting.”

She opened the bag, reached in and pulled out what looked like a piece of dried fruit. She started munch on it.

Miranda: “Star? What is that you have?”

Star: “Oh? This? This is my favorite dried fruit snack. I tend to have a craving for something sweet and crunchy.”

She held out the bag to everyone.

Star: “Wanna try some?”

At that moment, they heard the door opening again. They looked over and saw the admiral entering.

Star: “Oh! Hello again, admiral.”

He walked in and stood near everyone else.

Jewel: “So, what’s going on?”

Hackett: “I’m just checking in on how some of you are doing.”

Splash: “We’re just fine, thanks for asking.”

Flare: “Dr. Solus was going over a few vital things.”

Hackett: “I see. I take it that there isn’t much to say about the data that I handed out.”

Ashley: “Not really, he said the data is far too inconclusive to go over, but it does suggest that the very strong connection with the girls and their conflict to our galaxy that may be deeper than any of us suspected.”

Hackett: “I figured as much. I was already aware the data that I handed over was incomplete but it was all that our researchers on Earth were able to collect. We have other teams trying to find other readings similar to this.”

Aera: “How is that going so far?”

Hackett: “They found what they described is something far too massive for them to collect and process on their own. That was why I presented what we were able to find to Dr. Solus. I know that he would be able to bring these pieces together, try to find out what any of this could mean.”

Miranda: “Have you been able to determine if these residual dark readings are connected to the vigilante?”

Hackett: “Small bits of data have suggested a number of similarities but there’s far too much to truly determine how similar they are to one another. I get the feeling that these similarities will increase the more we look into this.”

Garrus: “Hm, it’s hard to fathom what this vigilante has to do with us. There’s no way that he could have possibly known what we’ve dealt with here. There has to be more to it.”

Hackett: “I feel the same way. Something tells me that the girls’ arrival in our galaxy isn’t just a coincidence, but rather something I feel would have happened sooner or later. This encounter was truly inevitable.”

Jewel: “So our being here really isn’t a terrible mistake?”

Hackett: “No, as a matter of fact, I never felt that way. Something tells me that we really do need you here whether we knew it or not.”

The girls stood by and pondered for a bit.

Hackett: “For the time being, we need to work together to deal with the vigilante. The sooner we eradicate that threat, the sooner we can get started on solving other mysteries.”

Jewel: “Understood. I’m also curious about the connection between our conflict and the Dark magic involved in this realm. I would like to know why there was any Dark magic here in the first place.”

Everyone else had serious looks on their faces as though they agreed with Jewel.

Mordin: “Excellent, in the meantime, will work on other things. By the way, a quick reminder, just got started on downloading the first season of Pretty Cure.”

Tali: “Oh, wow, really? That’s great! Let me know when you’ve completely downloaded the entire first season so that we can finally watch it.”

Mordin: “Will do, perhaps also remind Garrus when it is ready so that he can watch it with us, might be interested…”

Garrus just grunted as he walked out of the room without saying anything. Everyone else watched as he did.

Mordin: “Will take that as a maybe.”

Some time afterwards, some of the crew members were within the mess hall. They were joined shortly by most that were in the tech lab. They met up with Jacob, James, Zaeed, Samara, Thane, Javik, Wrex and Grunt.

James: “Hey, how are you guys doing?”

Ashley: “Not too bad. We were just going over a few things with Dr. Solus.”

They sat down with the crew members that were there.

Jacob: “So, how did the briefing go?”

Miranda: “Somewhat interesting. We were talking about some connections between the girls’ conflict and our own.”

James: “Ya don’t say.”

Javik: “I hope that this clarifies a lot of the unanswered questions that I wish to have solved.”

Garrus: “We’re working on it, don’t worry.”

Liara: “It’s quite disheartening what’s been going on. There is no doubt that we need those girls here almost as much as they need us. And we have reason to believe that their arrival here was truly serendipitous.”

Jacob: “Not many people would agree.”

Liara: “I know.”

James: “So, anyone taken notice of anything strange going on?”

Tali: “Lots of strange things are happening right now. Would you mind clarifying what you’re referring to specifically?”

James: “Well…a lot of the monsters being brought out looking like some that we have tackled when we were fighting against the Reapers?”

Liara: “Yes, that, we know. We still have no idea why that is or how the vigilante knew about them, but I have reason to believe that we may find out as we look into this mysterious Dark magic more and more.”

Miranda: “That’s not all that’s disheartening. I don’t know if any of you became aware of some members of the crowd back at the Citadel.”

Samara: “I have taken notice of that. There were some in the crowd that looked upon the girls with such disdain and disgust. I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming.”

James: “Oh, that, yeah, I did notice that, too, actually.”

Zaeed: “That’s some gall that a lot of those people have; to glare out at those girls and for what reason?”

Ashley: “There will most likely be some who will blame the girls for everything that will happen here.”

Zaeed: “What? Those sweet little girls cause any of this trouble? No way. I don’t believe that they have ever caused anyone any misery in their lives.”

Miranda: “But don’t forget that Dark entity has been chasing them around. There is no doubt that people will look to that as a means to blame them for all of this.”

Zaeed: “Oh, well, there’s that, but I wouldn’t be the one to blame them for that monster chasing them all over the cosmos. That thing has been causing them so much trouble for God knows how long.”

Garrus: “They mentioned that this entity has been chasing them around for months. I get the feeling that it was only a matter of time before they would arrive here in our galaxy. Like it or not, we need them and those people will have to accept that.”

Thane: “Good luck convincing everybody of that. There are still some that won’t accept those of us who survived by mysterious circumstances. Some even pretend that many of us don’t exist anymore.”

Wrex: “I can’t say I blame anyone for not wanting to be made aware of this. So many of us have accepted death as something that’s a part of many of our lives. When someone dies, that’s it. No one has ever come back from the dead.”

Garrus: “No one other than Shepard.”

Miranda: “Indeed, my team of the Lazarus Project worked tirelessly for 2 years to bring him back. Even I couldn’t believe that we were able to pull it off, but Cerberus did have the best technology that money can buy.”

Jacob: “I know I can vouch for that.”

Garrus: ”Well, regardless of the bizarre nature behind everything that we have experienced, this is real and we can’t deny it, not even for a second.”

Liara: “Hmm…perhaps all too real. The…Dark energy that I was able to sense out with the use of my biotics, it was…difficult to bear.”

Samara: ”Indeed….so, where are the girls right now?”

Ashley: “They’re still back in the lab with the admiral and Dr. Solus.”

Samara: “Oh, anything interesting that they’re talking about?”

Garrus let out a dejected sigh.

Garrus: “Mordin wants to put the girls through an endurance test.”

Jacob: “An endurance test?”

Garrus: “Yes, said something about trying to find out the cause of their fatigue.”

Wrex: “Fatigue? The girls don’t look tired at all.”

Ashley: “No, they don’t but he mentioned that there was something odd about their condition.”

Wrex: “Care to tell us what he meant by that?”

Liara: “He went on to mention that the unusual changes would be sufficient towards their growth but their powers have yet to develop in any way.”

Grunt: “Any ideas on why that is?”

Liara: “He mentioned something about their changes cancelling out whatever is causing them to become fatigued. He wants to conduct these endurance tests to try and find out what is causing their powers to be used up in such a way.”

Garrus: “I was hesitant about the idea. I don’t like the thought of those girls being pushed too far from his experiments, but the girls didn’t seem to have a problem with agreeing to this.”

Kasumi: “Yes, they did seem more than willing to take on these tests. I just hope that they are able to reveal what we’re needing to find out about their condition.”

Thane: “Perhaps it will help with figuring out what could be causing this fatigue in their powers.”

Garrus: “Perhaps, but you know how he is.”

Liara: “Don’t worry, he will never mistreat those girls. You know that he would never do anything to them if they didn’t want him to.”

Garrus: “I know, but still, I can’t help but worry. They’re just teenagers. And it’s not just him that makes me worry about these endurance tests. You know how they are; they feel as though they have to push themselves beyond their breaking point to protect us.”

Liara: “I know, but perhaps that may also be why he wants them to undergo these endurance tests.”

Garrus: “Hm, good point, he may not be so easy to understand at times, but in his own way, he does care about them, just like the rest of us.”

Everyone sat around silent for a bit.

Meanwhile back at the lab, Mordin was still with the girls, looking over the data that he was able to collect. The admiral was with them as well, looking into the data. Star, still standing next to the doctor, was also snacking on her favorite dried fruit snack.

Star: “So, what’s our plan of attack, Dr. Solus?”

Mordin: “Hmm…will need to evaluate this one at a time. Plan to just simply allow each of you to exert your powers for as long as you can. Find the source of your fatigue, might figure out how to fix it.”

Hackett: “It makes perfect sense. There really is no telling what could be causing this, so this might be the only way.”

Star: “Too bad Garrus has been resistant to the idea.”

Aera: “(grunt) He’s such an uptight worrywart.”

Splash: “I know, right? Why is he always so tense and high-strung?”

Jewel: “Guys, calm down, he wants to protect us. He just has our best interest at heart.”

Star: “I guess so.”

Mordin: “Indeed, understand where he’s coming from. I, too, have your best interest at heart, we just go about it differently. Will agree to a compromise. Besides, would never go against your wishes.”

Splash: “Don’t worry about us, Dr. Solus. We’ll be fine. Nothing you would do could ever harm us.”

Aera: “Yeah, believe us when we tell you that we’ve been through worse.”

Mordin: “Hmm…understood.”

Soon enough, Ashley walked into the lab. Everyone noticed her.

Splash: “Ashley.”

Aera: “Hey, what’s up?”

Ashley: “Just want to let you know that we’ll be arriving at the academy soon.”

Flare: “Sure, thanks for letting us know.”

Jewel: “Well? Shall we go meet with Jack again?”

Star: “Sure, why not?”

Splash: “Isn’t this exciting, Flare? You’ll be able to teach more of that special mediation technique of yours.”

Flare: “Hmm…yes, of course. I’m kind of looking forward to that.”

Jewel: “Great, let’s get going.”

They were making their way out of the lab.

Star: “Let’s also use this time to plan out how we’ll be able to undergo the endurance test.”

Aera: “Sure, it can’t be worse than what we’ve been through back at home.”

Eventually overtime, they arrived back at Grissom Academy. The entire crew stepped out of the Normandy with the girls. Jack and Kahlee stood before them.

Jack: “Good to see you back here again.”

Jewel: “It is good to be back.”

Jack: “So, shall we get started with the first lesson?”

Flare: “Of course, I have been eagerly awaiting this.”

Kahlee: “Follow us please.”

Kahlee walked off with Jack. Everyone else followed. Garrus walked up closer to her.

Garrus: “By the way, has Shepard’s cousin arrived, yet?”

Kahlee: “No, I didn’t see her, but I did receive a message that she is on her way now.”

Garrus: “Oh, um, OK, thanks for letting me know.”

Kahlee: “Of course, Garrus.”

They arrived at a large chamber. There, dozens of students stood before them. They seemed very happy to see the group again. Jack stood in front of all of them.

Jack: “Alright, let’s get started. I’m sure all of you remember Flare over here.”

Flare walked up beside Jack. With her arms hanging in front of her and hands clasped together, she took a bow.

Flare: “It is good to see all of you again.”

The students greeted her accordingly.

Jack: “Now then, Flare has a special ability which she, like many with her specific kind of power, has worked on and intensified. She was able to teach it to the few biotics over here. She will be demonstrating that technique. If any of you would like to participate in this, you’re more than welcome to. At the moment, she will demonstrate it to our friends here again. I will also take part in this.”

Flare: “Shall we begin?”

Jack and Flare walked up to the front of the chamber. The crew members who are biotics also stepped up while the rest of the crew members stood by. Many of the students also walked up. Flare made her way to the front of the room and sat down in her lotus position while all of the biotics sat in front of her and did the same.

Flare: “Now then, I want all of you to close your eyes and relax.”

They all did just that.

Flare: “Release all tension within you. Clear your minds. Feel your center and focus on it.”

They sat by in silence for a time.

Flare: “Now then, will all tensions released, become one with your biotics. Allow that power to flow within you and become your guide. Allow that power flow in harmony with every fiber of you being.”

They remained silent for a time. Mordin was on his omni-tool again.

Flare: “With your biotics flowing through you, use that power to reach out to all those around you. Feel out all those beside you and allow them to do the same. Sense each other out.”

The biotics’ powers were reigniting within them throughout all of this. Everyone watching this became startled. Mordin was still fiddling with his omni-tool.

Flare: “Yes, that’s right, I can sense all of you reaching out to one another with the use of your biotics. Now then, use that same power to reach out to all the energy within the cosmos. Feel the eezo energy that is spread out through all that is around you as far as you can go.”

They continued on with this.

Jack: “So, this is what it feels like.”

Miranda: “I take it you’re enjoying this, Jack.”

Jack: “Are you kidding me? Of course I am. I feel…at piece…like…so much of my anger…my pain…it’s…drifting away…I’ve…I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

A petite smile appeared on Flare’s face.

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite story on the Citadel

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Episode 21-Rekindling

After much time, the session stopped. Everyone who participated stood back up. Flare stood before everyone.

Flare: “So, how was it?”

Jack: “That was…amazing! I can’t believe I missed out on the first of this.”

Flare: “My apologies, I forgot to include you. I was worried that you might have been too busy. Next time, I’ll remember to check in on you.”

Jack: “Sure, I would appreciate that.”

Kahlee: “That was…unbelievable! So that was the magical meditation technique utilized by the Fayelons?”

Jewel: “That’s right, that’s exactly how it’s done.”

Kahlee: “So, all Fayelons can do this, right? I was told that only the pyromancers carry this out.”

Jewel shook her head.

Jewel: “To say only the pyromancers can do this is very misleading. It’s just that they were the only ones who learned how to carry this out and they use it more regularly than the rest of us.”

Kahlee: “I see…are you girls able to do this?”

Jewel: “Yes. Flare taught this to us.”

Aera: “It was a wonderful experience.”

Splash: “Yes, indeed.”

Star: “The first time we took on this session, it was the most incredible thing we have ever felt, well, next to our metamorphose, of course.”

Aera: “Yeah, we were hesitant at first because we thought that she was just fooling with us. I should have known better than to think that she would pull jests like that.”

Splash: “When I first took on this procedure, I felt like I was returning to the ocean. I’ve never felt anything so wonderful, well, since the first time I transformed into my true form, of course.”

Everyone looked at Splash like she was losing her mind.

Kahlee: “So…has anyone else carried out this technique?”

Jewel folded her arms and pouted a bit.

Jewel: “I can’t say they were…all for it. As if any of them would even have the decency to open their minds to it.”

Star, Aera and Splash also looked displeased. Everyone else around looked at the girls, concerned. The biotics regrouped with them along with Flare.

Star: “So, did you enjoy it, Jack?”

Jack: “Hell, yeah! That felt awesome! Let’s do that again some time.”

Miranda: “Seems that Jack has learned quite a bit about the cosmos.”

Flare: “Just make sure to keep practicing that technique and your skills over time will improve.”

Jack: “OK, no problem. I’ll instruct my students to do the same.”

Flare: “Splendid.”

While everyone was talking, the admiral was receiving something from his comm.

Hackett: “Yes, understood. Thank you for letting me know. Everyone, may I have your attention? I’ve just been informed that Commander Shepard’s cousin has just arrived.”

Everyone around reacted to this. Garrus had a slightly different reaction to this news.

Star: “What? Really? That Commander Shepard guy’s cousin is here?”

Hackett: “That is correct. She is just making her way here now.”

Star: “Come on, girls! Let’s go meet this Shepard’s cousin.”

The girls ran out ecstatically. Some of the Normandy crew members went after her while a few waited a bit. Garrus seemed the most hesitant as the few that stood back with him took notice. They seemed to have been trying to reassure him. Soon enough, they walked out after the others.

They made their way through. Soon enough, they stopped in front of a young woman with short, red hair. On her clothing was the N7 symbol. They stood at her for a bit. She stared back at them as though she was showing some interest in them. Garrus tried as hard as he could to not show any signs of reacting.

Jewel: “Um…hello…”

She barely had any changes to her facial expression.

Woman: “Hello.”

Flare: “Are you…”

Flare paused for a bit as she noticed the N7 on her clothes. Then she looked back up at her.

Flare: “Could you be…are you…Commander Shepard’s…cousin?”

She reacted with a tiny smile that was almost indistinguishable.

Woman: “Yes, I am.”

Hackett: “It’s good to see you made it here, Second Commander Shepard.”

FemShep: “It’s good to be here.”

Garrus tried to not make eye contact with her as a few of the other crew members took notice of it.

FemShep: “So, you must be the magical girls that I’ve heard so much about.”

Jewel: “Yes, we are. I’m Jewel. This is Flare, Star, Aera and Splash.”

Star: “It’s good to finally meet you!! We have heard a little bit about you. So, are you really related to that Commander Shepard guy that’s still comatose!?!”

The crew members were somewhat startled by her question.

FemShep: “Yes, I am, I…”

Ashley: “Um…perhaps we should discuss something else.”

Kahlee: “Ah, yes, of course, we’ve been meaning to have the girls demonstrate some of their special powers.”

Star: “Wait, we were?”

Kahlee: “Yes, our students wish to see a demonstration of your powers while we still have some time to do so without the interference of that vigilante’s monsters.”

Jack: “Yeah, I wouldn’t want that a******* to attack us again.”

FemShep: “I would like that very much. I’ve been very eager to see these…unique powers of theirs that I have heard so much about.”

Star: “Um, OK, so what would you like for us to do?”

Kahlee: ”Well, first off…”

As Kahlee was going over a few things with the girls, Ms. Shepard walked up to Garrus. He seemed to have been keeping a straight face with a slight reaction. The 2 of them stood before each other without a change in their demeanors.

Garrus: “Jane.”

FemShep: “Garrus.”

Garrus: “Hard to believe that you’ve managed to find time in your busy schedule to come here to see us.”

FemShep: “It wasn’t exactly easy. I’ve struggled a bit, but the admiral managed to pull a few strings to get me to be here and I’m thankful that he did.”

Garrus: “Yeah, given what you’ve been dealing with, I’m surprised that it worked out well.”

FemShep: ”I know, I didn’t think things would work out so soon, but given the current circumstances, it was what needed to be done.”

Garrus looked at the girls who were still chatting with everyone else.

Garrus: “Yeah, it seemed to have fallen into place incredibly well.”

Ms. Shepard nodded.

FemShep: “So, when were you going to tell me that you were on the market for adopting a few teenage daughters?”

Garrus: “What!?! Hey! Hold on a minute!! It’s not like that at all!!!”

Ms. Shepard let out a subtle chuckle.

FemShep: “I’m just pulling your leg. But seriously, though, I’ve heard a lot about how you’ve been towards those girls. You’ve been doing a great job with them so far.”

Garrus: “Yeah, well…I just couldn’t let anything happen to them.”

FemShep: “I heard that you have been helping them out since your first encounter with them. I’m glad you did.”

Garrus: “Well, someone had to.”

At that moment, Tali was heard clearing her throat. They looked over to notice them.

Tali: “Perhaps you guys would like to have some alone time together?”

Garrus: “Uh! Well…um…I…!”

FemShep: “We appreciate that, Tali, but that won’t be necessary, at least, not now. I would like to check out these girls and their unique magical powers.”

Tali: “Hm, OK, perhaps some other time.”

Liara: “For now, let’s focus on the Fayelons.”

Garrus: “I couldn’t agree more.”

Star: “OK, then, let’s get to it. You ready for another show, Dr. Solus?”

Mordin: “Of course.”

Aera: “Alright, let’s just get this over with.”

They then proceeded through the corridors. Garrus walked alongside Ms. Shepard. The girls stood nearby. Star especially stepped up closer to Ms. Shepard.

Star: “So, Ms. Commander Shepard’s cousin.”

Femshep: “Please, call me Jane, or rather, just Ms. Shepard.”

Star: “Oh, OK, So, tell me a little more about how you’re related to this Commander Shepard guy.”

FemShep: “Well, my father and his father were brothers. My father was the youngest.”

Aera: “Were? You mean they’re no longer around?”

She sulked a little as she dropped her head a bit and shook her head.

FemShep: “No, I’m afraid not. Both of his parents were killed years ago. My father also perished. Only my mother remains. It…has been tough on all of us…”

Jewel: “You must be…really close with this Commander Shepard, aren’t you?”

A petite smile appeared on Ms. Shepard’s face.

FemShep: “We’re very close, almost like brother and sister. My mother has been like another parent to him. When his parents died, my mother stepped up to be there for him. Not long afterwards, my own father was killed.”

Flare: “So, she must really care about Commander Shepard.”

FemShep: “She does, very much.”

Tali: “More than you realize.”

Ashley: “Admiral Hannah Shepard would contact the Normandy every now and again to check up on her nephew.”

Splash: “Wow, you must all be really close to one another.”

FemShep: “We are, I still remember times that we used to spend together when we were kids. But that all changed…one day.”

Splash: “What do you mean?“

FemShep: “You see, my cousin lived in a colony on Mindoir.”

Garrus: “I remember hearing about that colony. It was attacked by slavers and he was among the handful of survivors.”

FemShep: “Yes, but…I can’t say the same about his parents. My…aunt and uncle…”

Splash: “That must have been terrible…”

Flare: “We are truly sorry for your loss.”

FemShep: “Yes…my father was fighting a war within another sector across the galaxy. He was killed during that battle. He never even had the chance to say goodbye to his brother. My mother and I were devastated.”

Jewel: “Oh…”

Star: “So…what happened to your cousin after that?”

FemShep: “Well, he was able to be saved by a passing Alliance patrol. When we were able to come in contact with him, he told us what happened to the colony…and his parents. We saw him a few days after the attack. My father was killed not long after that. We were able to tell him that my father was killed. It was…hard for all of us. Ever since then, I haven’t seen my cousin much after that. A few years later, he enlisted in the Alliance. I was also able to enlist.”

Star: “So, were you able to see your cousin again more frequently?”

FemShep: “Not really. Things weren’t like they were before. Now, we have been working together, we’re doing all we can to remain in contact with one another.”

Star: “That’s good to hear.”

Aera: “So, what about you? Where did you grow up? Did you also live in a colony?”

FemShep: “No, I did not. I was a spacer; I’ve spent most of my childhood on ships and stations. I was never in the same place for more than a few years.”

Splash: “And why is that? Were your parents moving to different places constantly?”

FemShep: “Something like that.”

Splash: “How often did you see your cousin when you were younger?”

FemShep: “I’ve seen John and his family several times each year, but when their colony was attacked…well…you know the rest. We tried to remain in contact as much as we could when we got older. So did my mother. Thankfully, the admiral managed to arrange for us to do so. We couldn’t be happier.”

Star: “Wow, that must have been incredible.”

FemShep: “My mother was also thrilled by this. It was the happiest she has ever been after losing her husband, my father. He and I…we’re all that’s left of my father.”

Flare: “I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now, to be so worried about the commander being in a coma.”

FemShep: “Yeah, my mother had always been the antsy type, especially when it comes to worrying about members of our family. That seemed to have intensified after the deaths of my father and John’s parents.”

Jewel: “That must have been really hard to deal with.”

FemShep: “Yes…it was…and it is…”

Aera: “I know how you feel. I was really close to my father when I was a little girl.”

Aera dropped her head a little. She looked almost as though she was about to tear up.

Aera: “Sadly, I…I lost him, too.”

FemShep: “Oh…I’m so sorry to hear about that…”

She turned her head to the side a little, she seemed almost angry.

Aera: “I…I’d rather not think about it…the details, they’re…”

She clenched her fist tightly.

FemShep: “Oh, that’s OK, Aera, you don’t need to say anything else.”

Aera: “Thanks…but…I would like to talk about it some other time…”

Both Garrus and Ms. Shepard exchanged concerned looks with each other.

FemShep: “So…shall we get on to having you girls demonstrate your powers?”

Star: “I’d thought you’d never ask!!”

Jewel: “Um…weren’t we going to do that anyway?”

Star: “Yes, but…Oh! Just the thought of giving Dr. Solus another show is just so exciting; I can hardly contain it!!”

Aera: “(grunt) This again?”

FemShep: “Um…what is the story behind that?”

Garrus: “It’s…complicated to get into at the moment. We’ll tell you about it later.”

Soon enough, they arrived within another chamber. The Normandy crew stood near one another on the side of the room. Ms. Shepard stood by Garrus, of course. The students stood near the middle. The girls stood in front of the students along with Jack and Kahlee.

Kahlee: “Alright, girls, begin the demonstration.”

Jewel: “OK, let’s go.”

All 5 of them walked to the front of the chamber and stood before everyone.

Star: “Alright, let’s get this show up and running.”

Jewel: “Ready?”

They stood firm and ready.

Jewel, Flare, Star, Aera, Splash: “Metamorphose!!”

From there, they transformed before everyone. Ms. Shepard was indeed astonished by this. From there, they stood before everyone in their Metamorphose forms.

FemShep: “Incredible…!!!”

Star: “You like them? It took us a good amount of time to figure out how to obtain the outfit designs, but when we first transformed, I guess the procedure pretty much picked out the outfits for us.”

Splash: “It’s like our sparkling personalities created the outfit designs for us.”

Flare: “That as well as our cultures.”

Aera: “I’m just relieved these clothes don’t look too girly.”

Tali: “The accessories are also a nice touch.”

Mordin: “Agreed, accessories display powers and unique qualities of each of you quite well.”

Splash: “Thank you!! I absolutely adore my form’s accessories!! Aren’t they just…”

Star: “Yeah, yeah, OK, I think we’ve said enough about the clothes and accessories such. Let’s get on to the main act: Demonstrating our powers. That is why we are here, afterall.”

Mordin: “Yes, of course, would like to see more of that.”

FemShep: “Ah, yes, I can’t wait to see more of how you girls turned out to be known as the real live magical girls.”

Tali: “Oh, yeah, they are very much like that.”

Ashley: “Yes.”

Miranda: “Absolutely.”

Liara: “Indeed.”

Star: “Alright!! Let’s get on it!”

Jewel: “Sure, first, a demonstration of our basic powers.”

Jewel formed a large gem from her hands. The other girls formed their elemental abilities along with her. Flare forming a large flame from her hands, Star formed a large orb of light from hers. Aera formed a miniature cyclone in hers and Splash formed a small pool of water that hovered from hers. The students plus Ms. Shepard were startled by this.

Jewel: “This right here is what we were to figure out how to conjure. Guess you could call it Fayelon Magic 101.”

Flare: “The ability to forge and control our elemental abilities is a true vital first step in becoming a capable magic wielder. It is but a simple step.”

Star: “After that, everything else falls into place.”

Miranda: “Really? Is it that easy?”

Jewel: “Um…no, the forging of our element powers is a first step but from there, we needed to continue fortifying our abilities. It consists of a lot of hard work and determination as well as years of understanding our powers. It is a crucial endeavor to focus on such. Although, some incidences can make it very challenging, such as emotional stress.”

Garrus: “You mean as in emotional abuse.”

Jewel: “Correct. Our…gradual efforts have been…difficult to put it one way.”

Jewel seemed saddened.

Hackett: “But regardless of the difficult obstacles you had to endure, you prevailed. I believe you handle your powers masterfully as far as I’m concerned, though I don’t know what a truly masterful magic wielder seems like.”

Jewel: “I…well…it’s obvious that we are nowhere near our peak. To be honest, I wish I could have gone further.”

Jewel shattered the large gem in her hands as she sulked.

Jewel: “But I guess I can’t dwell on what could have been. It’s not like I could change any of it, even if I was given a second chance to do so. Alright, enough of that. Let’s continue the demonstration.”

Flare: “Yes, of course.”

From there, the girls displayed an assortment of different capabilities of their powers, showing different kinds of presentations of their powers’ potentials and the many things that they can do with them. It was truly a spectacle. They also performed group powers. From this, they were able to display all types of different abilities and such. It was indeed truly amazing to watch.

After the demonstration, the girls decided to stop and take a short break. Some of the students approached them to chat with them. The Normandy crew members stood by for a bit.

Garrus: “So, what did you think of that, Jane?”

FemShep: “That was amazing. I can see why people have called them the real live magical girls. Down to the transformation, and their powers, they were…unbelievable.”

Garrus: “They’re incredible girls, aren’t they? I think they are.”

FemShep: “Yeah, so do I. Their powers were a lot of fun to watch and their transformation sequences, too. They’re just as amazing as anime.”

Garrus looked at her in a somewhat perplexed manner. At that moment, the admiral was receiving a transmission from his comlink. He seemed quite tense about it.

Hackett: “Everyone, I just received a transmission. There is another attack from our dark adversary. This time, he’s launched an assault on Korlus.”

Liara: “What?”

Ashley: “Are you serious!?!”

Hackett: “I wish I wasn’t.”

Jewel: “Then, we haven’t got a moment to lose. We have to leave now.”

Ashley: “Right, we’ll set a course for Korlus now.”

Jewel: “There’s no time for that! We’ll head over there, ourselves.”

Star: “Right! Where’s the nearest airlock?”

Garrus: “Wait! What?”

Jewel and the other girls ran off.

Jewel: “Come on, girls!!”

Garrus: “Wait! Jewel! Jewel!!”

Garrus ran after them.

The girls soon found an airlock. They rushed in, Jewel slammed on a button on a wall close to her. Garrus soon caught up with them.

Garrus: “Girls!! What are you…!?! You can’t just…!!!”

The rest of the crew members were also able to reach him.

Star: “Don’t worry, guy, we know what we’re doing.”

Jewel: “We’ll meet you at Korlus.”

The door closed behind them.

Garrus: “Girls, wait!!! Are you insane!?!”

Soon enough, the other door opened and the girls were sucked into space. The crew members were greatly startled and distraught upon seeing this. As the girls were in space, their wings materialized. Then, one by one, their wings sparkled and glowed and before anyone knew it, they jetted off at light speed. The crew members stood by, stunted by what they just saw. They were speechless for a brief moment.

Garrus: “Did…did anyone know they could do that?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Mordin: “Hmm…fascinating.”

Mordin went on his omni-tool again.

Mordin: “Did pick up on a unique energy reading from their wings. Didn’t know what that was for. Perhaps…that could be for that specific power.”

Ashley: “Let’s get back to the Normandy. We have to go after them.”

Garrus: “No need to tell me twice.”

They rushed off.

They were able to make it back to the Normandy.

Jack: “Wait!”

They soon noticed Jack rushing towards them.

Ashley: “Oh! Jack.”

Miranda: “I suppose we should part ways from here.”

Jack: “Nuh-uh! There’s no way I’m missing out on the action. I’m going with you guys!”

Miranda: “But what about your responsibilities here at the academy?”

Jack: “Pffft! They can wait. I don’t need to get back to them right away.”

Ashley: “Well…OK. But let’s hurry.”

They boarded the Normandy, took off and flew out.

Ashley: “Joker, set a course for Korlus, on the double.”

Joker: “Already on it, Ash.”

Ashley: “Let’s hope we make it in time.”

Mordin pondered for a bit, then made his way back to his lab. Ms. Shepard stared out at the holographic map of the galaxy for a bit. Garrus looked towards her. She then turned around and walked off. Garrus continued to watch her for a bit.

Some time afterwards, Ms. Shepard was in one of the observation decks, staring out at the empty void of space. A little afterwards, Garrus walked in. She turned around and noticed him. He seemed a bit concerned.

Garrus: “Jane…”

FemShep: “Hello, Garrus.”

Garrus: “I hope you don’t mind if I…came in.”

FemShep: “Heh, not at all. I was hoping you would come.”

Garrus hesitated for a bit, then walked up and stood next to Ms. Shepard as they both stared out the window.

FemShep: “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Garrus: “Yeah…it has…”

FemShep: “I’m really glad I got to see you again. I’ve been wanting to for a long time, but I…I’ve just been…”

Garrus: “I know, you have your obligations to tend to. I understand.”

FemShep: “I’m just so relieved that I was able to take time out of my busy schedule to see everyone again. I’ve missed all of you, especially you, Garrus.”

Garrus: “Yeah…same here…”

Ms. Shepard turned back towards the window and looked out at it.

FemShep: “So…those girls…they’re quite amazing.”

Garrus: “Yeah, they are amazing, but they’re still so young.”

FemShep: “I can tell you’re worried about them. You have been quite the father figure for them.”

Garrus: “I guess you could say that. I’ve been looking after them since I’ve first laid eyes on them. They are capable magic users, don’t get me wrong, but…I don’t want anything to happen to them.”

FemShep: “I can understand that. For what it’s worth, you’ve been a terrific caretaker to them. They seem to like you very much.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I know.”

She looked towards him, then placed her hand on his shoulder. He then looked towards her..

FemShep: “Garrus, you are without a doubt one of the most caring and compassionate turians that I have ever known and, to be honest, I don’t know a lot of turians.”

Garrus: “Yes, I’m well aware of that.”

FemShep: “The girls are lucky to have you. There’s no doubt in mind that nothing could wrong with them under your care.”

Garrus: “I…yes…I never want anything to happen to them. I will protect them to my last breath.”

FemShep: “I’m sure they feel the same way about all of you, including you.”

Garrus: “I know. I just hope that we can make it to them before…anything does happen. They can be quite reckless sometimes. They always feel like they must push themselves beyond their limits to protect all of us. I just don’t…why would they even…”

FemShep: “Maybe it’s all they can do. It’s all they understand. They’ve been out there for so long, being chased by that dark entity. They really don’t know anything else that they can do.”

Garrus: “Yes…that is true. Still, I wonder why they feel as though they’re the only ones who need to handle this. I mean, there are so many of their own kind that are more experienced and better able to handle this threat.”

FemShep: “That’s something that I believe we should try to find out. Maybe the girls can tell us.”

Garrus: “Or maybe…we’ll have to figure that out on our own.”

FemShep: “Either way, I’m sure we’ll find out those answers.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I hope so. Though, I have a feeling that there’s a lot of shady stuff going on in their realm.”

FemShep: “Hm, that does sound like a problem.”

Garrus: “All the more reason why I have to look after them, why we have to be there for them.”

FemShep: “I agree. I’ll…I’ll also do whatever I can for them.”

They continued to stare at each other, then they held other close. He placed his hand on the back of her head.

FemShep: “I really did miss you, Garrus. I’ve been wanting to see you again for such a long time.”

Garrus: “So did I, Jane. So did I. Not a second has gone by that I didn’t think of you, yearning for you to return to me.”

FemShep: “Likewise.”

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

So, as I have revealed in the previous episode, yes, the female Shepard is in this story, too, and yes, it is exactly what it looks, so no need to make any guesses.

 

For the FemShep, I have picked out a track for her theme song in honor of the woman who provides the voice for her, Jennifer Hale. This track was a remix from a trance song from a show in which she also provided voice portrayals for a few characters. I could never forget it and I was especially surprised when I heard this. So, here it is:

 

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

So...who here has read my story so far? Anyone? Anyone? Feel free to leave a critique here!!

 

However, insults will NOT be tolerated. Anyone who would leave any nasty comments on here will be reported and their commentary will be taken down!!!

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Episode 22-Respite

Within much time, Ashley was seen observing the holographic map of the galaxy.

Joker: “Ash, we’ll be arriving at Korlus shortly.”

Ashley: “Thank you, Joker. Tell Cortez to ready the shuttle, I’ll have everyone ready soon.”

Joker: “Roger that.”

She made her way to the lab. There, Mordin was analyzing something. Liara, Tali, Miranda, Jacob, Kasumi, Jack, Grunt, Thane and Javik, although the admiral was nowhere to be found. As she walked in to join up with the others, Garrus and Ms. Shepard arrived soon after. They walked in to join up with the others as well. Everyone was already staring at them. Garrus did not seem pleased by this.

Tali: “So, were you 2 able to rekindle with each other?”

Garrus: “That’s...not important right now. We have other things that we need to worry about.”

FemShep: “He’s right. We should be focusing on the Fayelons.”

Ashley: “But before we do that, where is the admiral?”

Liara: “He’s in the QEC, conversing with the prime minister and some of the research team back on Earth.”

FemShep: “Hm, is that so? Anything we need to know regarding the Fayelons, such as where we’ll be able find them on Korlus?”

Ashley: “EDI is already scanning for their energy traces as we speak. We’ll be making our way to their location as soon as we reach the planet.”

Garrus: “Let’s just hope we reach them in time.”

FemShep: “So, what have you guys been up to?”

Liara: “Mordin had been looking into some analysis of the girls’ wings. He said that he found something very interesting and he wanted to share it with us.”

FemShep: “Alright, let’s hear what he has to say.”

Mordin: “Yes, of course.”

He was able to bring up the images of the girls’ wings.

Mordin: “Did recall picking up on an unusual reading consisting of some unique magical energy stored within their wings, from this, was able to find that it can utilize a burst of energy that can enable them to undergo light speed.”

Garrus: “These girls can fly faster than the speed of light?”

Mordin: “Yes, have also found that from these wings, Fayelons can travel many distances, perhaps to places much further than even standard starship could reach.”

Liara: “That’s...incredible!”

Jacob: “Let me see if I got this right, the Fayelons can travel much faster than any starship?”

Mordin: “Correct.”

Miranda: “Well, they did mention that they have drifted from one realm to another, so I can imagine that they are able to travel at remarkable speeds.”

Jacob: “Huh, compared to how fast they can fly through space, they must think that the Normandy is too slow.”

Javik: “Hmm...remarkable, such incredible power from such young girls. I did not expect to find out about something like this and here I thought they weren’t anything special.”

Tali: “You’re kidding, right?”

Thane: “This may not seem remarkable to them.”

Kasumi: “I would imagine, considering that this would be typical of their species.”

Jack: “Damn! Why don’t we have anything like that?”

Ashley: “Hmm...well, I do remember the girls mentioning something about their kind serving their “Divine Bringer of Light” as guardians of the Universe or something like that.”

Jack: “The Divine Bringer of Light?”

Thane: “They did mention to us something about that. It is the deity of their kind and the very being that is said to be an entity that can wield the massive Light energy while others believe this energy to be a powerful form of matter.”

Ashley: “Well, their kind has been raised at a young age to treat it as their deity and they mentioned that some choose to serve this deity, to protect all of its creations.”

Thane: “I see, so that would include being able to reach other galaxies in the universe. Other...realms, as they would say.”

Miranda: “So, theory suggests that this power to fly faster than light speed is necessary.”

Mordin: “No, not a theory. The magical energy from their wings not part of their natural magical abilities. Readings confirm it to be the Light Magic from their Divine Bringer of Light.”

Liara: “Are you serious!?! That Light magic!?! The one that the girls say is forbidden for any of their kind to wield?”

Mordin: “Yes, that. No denying it, this power from the true source itself.”

Jack: “So, this Divine Bringer of Light or whatever grants these girls this power?”

Liara: “Do the girls even know about this?”

Garrus: “I would think so. I mean, it would be very difficult to remain unaware of using a special power that is utilized by the “Forbidden Light Magic”.”

Grunt: “And yet, their kind did nothing to save us from the Reapers.”

Liara: “We don’t know why that is, not yet, but there have been a few clues that suggest Dark magic had something to do with that.”

Miranda: “And besides, the Universe is incredibly massive; there’s no telling how many galaxies they know about. For all we know, we could be another speck that is very difficult to find.”

FemShep: “But there’s also the matter of their deity, their “Divine Bringer of Light”. There’s a lot that we don’t know about it.”

Garrus: “Yeah, there’s that. Even their own kind knows very little about it. Some don’t even believe in it.”

Ashley: “Well, some hold it in high regards and the girls talk about it as though it is as such. Also by their actions and beliefs of serving this deity, this “Divine Source” as they call it...”

Garrus: “Divine Source? That’s...an interesting name; less of a mouthful than the Divine Bringer of Light, but it does speak high volumes.”

Kasumi: “Well, this Divine Source must be real if some of their kind are willing to pass on the teachings of this belief and the importance of serving it.”

Tali: “Not to mention Mordin saying something about a lifeform of sorts that can control this Ultimate Light Magic. That would have to be it.”

Thane: “Yes, I believe that, too. This magic is without a doubt not some formless energy that can control itself.”

They looked up at the holographic images before them.

Ashley: “Yes...There is something out there that is very much alive. Whether or not it takes on any shape or form, I really don’t think that matters.”

Everyone nodded in response.

FemShep: “Well, let’s talk about our destination. This planet, Korlus. Last I heard, my cousin arrived here to extract some krogan warlord by the name of Okeer.”

Garrus: “Ah, yes, I remember that mission. He was on the dossier for the suicide mission to the Collector’s Base.”

Jacob: “Too bad he never lived long enough to partake in that.”

Miranda: “That’s right, he risked his life for his research. This was where we recruited Grunt instead.”

Grunt: “Is that so? We’re returning to where I was found? This should be interesting.”

Garrus: “You know what? I don’t care about that at the moment. The sooner we reach the girls, the better.”

Ashley: “I agree. As soon as we’re able to locate them, we’ll have Cortez send us down immediately.”

Garrus: “Let’s just hope that’s soon enough.”

Minutes later, they were able to reach Korlus. The group stood by and looked out at the planet for a few seconds.

Ashley: “EDI, what’s the status on the girls?”

EDI: “They seem to be holding together quite well, but I suggest you get down there soon.”

Garrus: “That’s all we need to hear.”

Ashley: “Let’s go.”

From there, they rushed to the cargo bay as fast as they could, boarded the shuttle and made their way down to the planet. Along the way, Garrus was fidgeting. Ms. Shepard, who was sitting next to him, took notice of this.

FemShep: “Garrus, are you OK?”

Garrus: “Yes, it’s just...I really hope that we make it down there in time. I don’t want anything to happen to them.”

She placed her hand on his thigh.

FemShep: “We’ll make it there. Those girls are resilient. We will reach them in time.”

Garrus stared at her, he seemed comforted but was still nervous.

The shuttle eventually arrived on the surface. As soon as it landd and opened, the group rushed out as fast as they could. They soon stopped to look out at what was before them. They seemed almost relieved with what they saw.

Liara: “There they are.”

Before them was the girls fighting a horde of monsters in the air.

FemShep: “Looks like we weren’t too late.”

Garrus: “Thank goodness.”

Mordin was on his omni-tool.

Mordin: “Hmm...their energy declined at an alarming rate. Still have plenty to fight, but not for long.”

Kasumi: “At least we know they’re still alive and hanging in there.”

The girls continued their fight, then stopped and noticed the group. They flew up close enough to be able to converse with them.

Jewel: “Hey! You made it!”

Aera: “Took you long enough.”

Garrus: “Sorry, we can’t fly as fast as you.”

Aera: “Yeah, we noticed. Geez, your ship is so slow.”

Garrus: “Don’t get snippy with us again, young lady. I'm just glad that we were able to make it here before you nearly got yourselves killed...again.”

Aera: “High-strung as always.”

Flare: “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, we need to clear out these monsters before they cause any more damage here.”

Jewel: “Right, let’s get on it.”

The girls flew back into the sky.

Star: “Glad you were able to find us!”

They stood by and watched as the girls continued their fight. Mordin went on his omni-tool again. He seemed quite concerned. The rest of the group turned their attention to him.

Miranda: “Mordin, what’s the status?”

Mordin: “Picking up on potent reading retaining to Dark magic.

Something...odd...”

FemShep: “Care to clarify, professor?”

He fiddled on his omni-tool for a bit.

Mordin: “Unusual, scattered readings detected all over the place. Suspect this could be...from the monsters but....hmmm....could be from...other places...need to find the sources of these readings.”

Ashley: “I don’t like the sound of that.”

Kasumi: “What could this mean?”

Garrus looked back up towards the sky, he was indeed worried.

As the fight continued on, the girls were holding their own, utilizing different magic techniques regarding their powers. Jewel, forming a large gem from both of her hands and using it as a battering ram. Flare, conjuring up large streams of flames as a means of attack. Star, conjuring up several balls of light and sending them off to the monsters, bursting on impact. Aera, summoning gusts of wind that can cut her enemies like knives. Splash, unleashing her water abilities, sending hard blows from her water attacks as well as her ice powers. At one point, Splash was knocked out of the sky, she fell towards the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Liara: “SPLASH!!!”

Before she got too close, she regained consciousness, then with the use of her powers, materialized a large puddle of water and fell into it.

Liara: “Oh, no!!”

Miranda: “Splash...”

Jack: “Is she OK? Please someone tell me she’s OK!!”

From a few feet from where she fell, another large puddle of water formed. She flew out of it, back towards the sky with great ferocity. From there, ice formed on her hands and feet all the way up to her elbows and knees. She flew to nearby monsters, punching and kicking each one that she encountered. She then unleashed the ice that formed on her to other monsters, utilizing them as lethal projectiles.

Jack: “Whoa! That Splash sure is wicked.”

Miranda: “Indeed. Her skills towards water and ice are remarkable. No doubt she has exquisite control and execution over her elemental powers.”

Ashley: “Yeah, they all do.”

Kasumi: “They must have undergone some training within their realm to become so skilled.”

Tali: “They did mention something about taking courses, so I would think so.”

Liara: “Hmm...I wonder if their transformation is part of those courses.”

Tali: “Maybe.”

They continued to watch the fight from the ground. The girls were unleashing each of their different attacks. Jewel then stopped as she seemed a bit suspicious about something.

Jewel: “Something’s not right. It feels as though...he’s holding back.”

Flare was nearby.

Flare: “Yes, I can sense it, too. He’s planning something, but the question is what?”

They were about to continue on with the fight, but then, they could hear a screeching, the very same one that they have heard during their previous fights.

Jewel: “That screeching again!!”

Flare: “No! This can’t be.”

Aera: “Um...did I just hear that coming from the ground or am I wrong?”

Star: “You’re not wrong, Aera, I heard it from down there, too.”

Jewel: “Oh, no, down there is where...”

Jewel looked down and was startled.

At that moment, the crew members could hear the screeching, too and it was coming from behind them. They turned to look behind them and found a whole horde of Banshees approaching them.

Liara: “Banshees!!!”

From the skies, the girls could see the Banshees approaching their friends on the ground.

Flare: “Banshees!! No!!!”

Aera: “They’re going to overwhelm the Normandy crew!!”

Star: “Noooo!! Garrus!!! Mordin!! Someone do something!!!”

From there, Splash unleashed a massive amount of water. It approached the group on the ground in the form of a massive typhoon. The group was greatly startled by this, they then braced themselves. Soon enough, the water rushed through the entire ground. The crew members, however, soon noticed that nothing happened to them. They lowered their guard to find the typhoon somehow split and redirected itself away from them. They looked on at this in amazement.

Liara: “Whoa...this is....incredible...!!”

Miranda: “She just split and redirected the massive typhoon away from us.”

Mordin, seeming a bit more amazed by this, looked towards the massive water stream before him.

Mordin: Hmm...”

He slowly attempted to reach out to touch it, but Garrus immediately grabbed him before he even got the chance to.

Garrus: “Whoa, easy there, professor. We can’t risk having you be swept away by the current. We need that brain of yours in one piece.”

Mordin: “Yes, of course, apologies.”

Star: “Hey! You OK down there!?!”

They looked up to see the girls hovering nearby.

Liara: “We’re doing OK. This is amazing!! Splash was able to control her water powers to divert away from us.”

Star: “Of course, she’s really good at redirecting her massive typhoons away from anyone that she doesn’t want to hurt, so there really is no need to worry about that!”

Miranda: “We appreciate that. For a moment, I thought she was being reckless.”

Aera: “Heh, there aren’t many who would appraise her for it.”

Garrus seemed a bit suspicious. Soon enough, Splash stopped blasting out her water, she then felt a little worn out.

Splash: “Phew...that took a lot out of me.”

Jewel: “I think we all feel that way. This fight really took a lot out of us, so let’s try to use the last of our reserves to finish off this fight.”

Flare: “Indeed, we must end this quickly."

From there, the girls proceeded to finish off the last of the monsters with some of their strongest attacks. After a long while of fighting, the monsters were decimated and everything quieted down again. The girls were relieved for the fighting to have ended then descended to the ground. They landed near the crew member, reverting to their dormant forms. Each of the different crew members tended to them.

Liara: “Girls!”

Miranda: “You’re OK.”

Kasumi: “Thank goodness. That was quite a rough fight.”

Jewel: “Yeah...we’re OK now.”

At that moment, the girls were exhausted and collapsed on the ground, barely able to stand back up.

Ashley: “You look like you used up a lot of your energy.”

Jewel: “Yeah...we did...that was rough...”

Garrus: “You shouldn’t run off like that! We were seriously worried about you!!”

Aera: “Ahhh!!! Must you always be...oh.....”

Mordin: “Concerned for your well-being but amazed with your powers. Didn’t know you had the ability to travel at such an incredibly fast rate.”

Star: “Of course we can! How else were we able to traverse from one realm to another?”

Mordin: “Yes, understandable.”

Garrus: “I don’t want any of you to do that again. If there is anywhere that you need to go, we’ll gladly take you there. It’s not a problem.”

Jewel: “Yeah...OK...sorry to...leave you like that...we were just worried about getting here soon enough. You guys...you’re too slow...”

Tali: “We figured as much. We found out about your special power from your wings.”

Jewel: “Heh...we keep forgetting that this is new to you...we’re so use to it...”

Ashley: “Come on, let’s bring them back to the Normandy. It looks like they’ll need some rest.”

Jewel: “Yeah...rest...that...doesn’t sound like...a bad idea...”

And with that, the few crew members tending to the girls carried them back on to the shuttle and made their way back on to the Normandy.

Much time later, the Normandy was already flying through space. As they were making their way through space, some of the members met back in the lab. Mordin was already on the console while a few others, Ms. Shepard, the admiral, Ashley, Javik, Kasumi, Thane, Miranda, Wrex, Tali and Jacob. A little while afterwards, Garrus, Liara and Traynor entered. The others took notice of them.

Miranda: “Oh, good, you’re back.”

Ashley: “How are the girls doing?”

Liara: “We brought them into the crew quarters to rest. They seem to have fallen asleep almost immediately after we laid them down.”

Traynor: “They looked so peaceful sleeping, that was after they magically changed into what I believe is there...pajamas...I think?”

Garrus: “Hm, I didn’t see anything like that. I guess they didn’t want to be seen changing in front of everyone.”

Traynor: “I don’t know why; it’s not like they had to strip down into being nude to do that. They just changed from their regular clothes to their pajamas right before my eyes.”

Liara: “I guess they didn’t want to change into such in front of everyone. It made them feel uncomfortable or something like that.”

Garrus: “And yet they’re perfectly fine with changing to their other forms in public.”

Liara: “Well, they would be use to doing that in public.”

Ashley: “Well, either way, we should let them rest. They’re very tired.”

Garrus: “Yes, we shouldn’t disturb them while they’re sleeping.”

Miranda: “Of course, let’s wait until they decide to wake up.”

Hackett: “Now then, since we’ve taken care of that, there are a few things that we need to discuss.”

Liara: “Yes, of course, how was your meeting with Prime Minister Jones and your research team back on Earth?”

Hackett: “We were discussing the matter of those residual readings of Dark magic. We’ve been spreading across the entire galaxy and have even reached out to researchers from other races, such as the salarian and the asari. They were a bit skeptical about our findings upon revealing the possibility of it being magical energy but after seeing the data, they soon realized that this was no mere fantasy. They also became very interested when we disclosed that the mysterious readings being Light magic might be causing the miraculous survivals.”

Garrus: “So, pretty much a lot of other people across the galaxy are already becoming aware of the existence of magic.”

Hackett: “Correct. For some, that had become apparent after seeing the girls and their powers. For others, all that was needed was this indisputable evidence of such.”

Thane: “Hm, I see. I, myself, or anyone who went through what I have would truly believe in magic. It is hard to explain how I could have survived the injuries that I sustained without involving such.”

Jacob: “No kidding, you were stabbed by Kai Lang and in a spot in which pretty much no one would have survived. If that doesn’t convince anyone of the existence of magic, then I don’t know what would.”

Mordin: “Indeed. Have scanned your injuries. No way for you to have lived by any means. To have you alive after that, truly a miracle and an impossible one at that.”

Miranda: “The council already thinks of this survival as an abomination for it being impossible.”

Ashley: “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know. Seriously, I had expected better of them, especially the salarian council member. You did give your life to save him.”

Thane: “I know and I would do it again if I did as such.”

Garrus: “I would advise against that. You may be alive because of magic, but I don’t think you’ll be given that same miracle a second time.”

FemShep: “I agree, we don’t know the limits to these miracles and there is very little we understand about these magical forces. For all we know, none of us would be given a second chance.”

Thane: “Understood, it would be unwise to become reckless, especially with dependence towards magic.”

Garrus: “That’s fine, I wouldn’t anyway, not to this and especially not to the girls.”

Liara: “Yes, we’re all in agreement with that.”

Hackett: “Well, at the moment, a lot of the other races are already taking the initiative to seek out more readings of these residual traces. I requested them to send any results of those scans here so that Dr. Solus can look into them. Hopefully, we should find some answers to many of these questions.”

Liara: “How long do you think it will take to get all of the results?”

Hackett: “I’m not sure, probably many days. The search is ongoing, something I believe will continue until the very last of these traces have been identified, but chances are that it could have spread throughout the entire galaxy. Thankfully, we have the other races helping us out, so I believe that will help to cut down the amount of time that will take by a massive amount. As great as that is, I fear that what we’ll find will paint a very grim picture.”

Javik: “If we are able to solve the mystery as to why these miracles are happening, I will be fine with that. Our situation had always been grim throughout these many eons.”

Thane: “Yes, there is no denying that.”

Liara: “But there is also the matter of this vigilante who is able to control this dark entity. He seems to know a little too much about the horrific events of this galaxy for someone who is still within another realm.”

Ashley: “Yeah, that is very odd. I would think the Fayelons know nothing about what happened here. They are capable of traveling to different galaxies at will based on what we have found out about them.”

Liara: “Indeed, we do not know why it took them so long to find us.”

Tali: “Maybe it’s because the universe is so massive, we may seem very small and unnoticeable. As Miranda said, our galaxy may be a small speck that is very difficult to find.”

Garrus: ”That is a possibility, I mean, who knows how many galaxies or realms they have visited before they ended up here and not to mention it took them several months to find us.”

Wrex: “Hmm...how many indeed.”

Liara: “And they did mention that they stayed no less than a day within each one. Within the many days that they have spent drifting from one galaxy to another, they must have visited a lot.”

Ashley: “Hmm...their kind, according to those girls, are meant to be guardians of the universe, although not all of them need to be and they can reach one realm to another with ease while none of us even come close to coming up with that kind of technology.”

Mordin: “Indeed, such ability not their own, granted to them by their Divine Bringer of Light, possibly. Magical energy from their wings consisting of the same reading of their forbidden Light Magic.”

Liara: “Well, I would think that they have permission by their deity to use this power.”

Garrus: “It’s apparent from everything we’ve seen that there are so many questions that we don’t even know what questions to ask first.”

Mordin: “Indeed, such is absolute but maybe we’ll be able to answer them before we even get the chance to ask them. Or maybe we already know the answers but are not aware of it.”

Wrex: “OK, this whole talk of magic, the universe and such is really starting to hurt my head.”

Tali: “Yes, there is a lot to think about.”

FemShep: “We should probably take this one at a time, let’s focus on what we do know and work our way from there. We’ll figure out the rest along the way.”

Liara: “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll continue to look into those Intel Crystals and see if I can find out anything else.”

Liara walked out of the room.

Mordin: “Yes, so many mysteries, so many questions, much to look into.”

Garrus: “Great, we’ll leave you to that. In the meantime, since the girls are sleeping, I think I should take a break from all of this magic stuff and get back to working on the forward batteries.”

Garrus walked out.

Tali: “I’ll get going, too. Let me know if you’ve made any breakthroughs.”

Tali also walked out.

Hackett: “Miss Williams, Miss Shepard, if you don’t mind, I would like the both of you to join me in the QEC. There are some things that our researchers back on Earth would like to discuss with the 2 of you.”

FemShep: “I’ll be right there.”

Ashley: “You’ve got it.”

Ashley and Ms. Shepard walked towards the other area of the room with the admiral. The rest left the lab as Mordin was busy on the console.

At that time, the girls were in the crew quarters, sleeping on a few of the bunkbeds. Splash, however, was sleeping on a waterbed formed from her powers. Both Jewel and Star were sleeping on the bottom bunks across from each other with Aera and Flare sleeping on the respective top bunks above them. Each one was sleeping quietly. Star was quiet for the most part but has a tendency to talk in sleep.

Star: “Uh...no, Mordin, don’t...slow down, I enjoy...hearing you talk.”

Thankfully, she wasn’t too loud to wake her friends. However, Jewel seemed a bit bothered in her sleep. In her dream, she was floating in an empty void. She was in her pajamas. She was confused as to where she was.

Jewel: “Where...what is this place?”

From there, she could hear a faint voice coming from seemingly nowhere calling her name.

Jewel: “Huh? Who’s there?”

Voice: “I am here. I am always here. I am everywhere.”

Jewel: “What? What do you mean?”

She kept looking around as the voice continued to call for her.

As she dreamed, she also began talking in her sleep.

Jewel: “I-it’s you...who are...you...where are you...?”

Meanwhile, Mordin was still working on the console. After a little while, he stopped to take a look at everything that he had been working on and nodded.

Mordin: “Hm, that should be everything for the moment. The data just needs to process. Now then, how to spend this time while I wait for the data to compile?”

Suddenly, a chime went off. He went on his Omni-tool to check on something. Shortly afterwards, he smiled.

Mordin: “Ah, just in time, entire First Pretty Cure series just finished downloading, must find Tali’Zorah and let her know about this, looking forward to seeing this with her, though, might be busy in Engineering.”

EDI: “Tali is not in Engineering at the moment, Professor Solus.”

Mordin: “Is that so? Then where is she?”

EDI: “She is currently in the Main Battery Room with Garrus.”

Mordin smiled.

Mordin: “Ah, perfect. Been meaning to see him, too.”

He walked out of the lab.

At the Main Battery Room, Garrus was working on the Forward Batteries while Tali hung out nearby. They heard the sound of the doors opening, they looked over and saw Mordin walking in. He stood by for a brief moment before clearing his throat. Tali didn’t wasn’t phased upon seeing him, but Garrus seemed a little annoyed.

Garrus: “What do you want?”

Mordin: “Just wanted to let you know, the complete first series of Pretty Cure has successfully downloaded. They are ready for viewing.”

Tali: “What!?! Really!?! The entire first series of Pretty Cure!?!”

Mordin: “Yes, just wondering if you would like to watch them with me.”

Tali: “Are you kidding me!?! Of course I would like to...uh! I mean, sure.”

Mordin: “Excellent, let’s go then.”

He walked out of the room, Tali was about to follow him while Garrus went back to work on the Forward Batteries. She stopped and turned back towards Garrus.

Tali: “Are you coming, Garrus?”

Garrus: “Uh...no, thanks, I...still have a lot of work to do on the forward batteries; perhaps some other time.”

She shook her head.

Tali: “Oh, keelah.”

She walked back towards him.

Tali: “You’ve been at that non-stop for hours, you should take a break.”

Garrus: “I’m fine, but I prefer to be left alone.”

Tali grunted then grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled him out of the room.

Tali: “Come on.”

Garrus: “Hey! Wait a minute!”

She continued to pull on him as he tried to resist. Mordin stopped to watch as this was taking place.

Tali: “You’ll thank me later, Garrus.”

Garrus: “I still haven’t approved of this!”

Mordin seemed pleased by this then went off with them.

A little while afterwards, they were at the Recreation Room. Tali was trying to get the monitor on the wall just near the door set up.

Tali: “Alright, hang on just a few seconds and we’ll have this up and running.”

On the other side just facing the monitor, Garrus and Mordin sat down on the couch with Garrus, who was sitting on the end that’s opposite to the bar. Mordin sat patiently while Garrus was annoyed with his arms crossed.

Mordin: “Ah, of course, no need to rush, Tali’Zorah.”

Garrus: “I can’t believe you guys actually dragged me all the way here just to make me watch your...magical girl shows.”

Tali: “Heh, do you know how long I’ve been wanting to watch this? It’s been years and I never thought I would get another chance to see them again.”

Mordin: “As do I, truly been ages since the last viewing I’ve had. Don’t even know if my niece is still a child. Most likely fully grown. Need to look into that.”

Tali then walked up to the couch and sat right next to Mordin.

Tali: “Also, I think it would be a lot more fun to view it with some of my closest friends.”

Garrus: “Do you guys really need me to be here? I mean, seriously, I’m hardly the kind of person who would take an interest in girlish shows.”

Tali: “Magical girl anime isn’t just any girlish show. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”

Mordin: “Often common for magical girl shows to appeal to both males and females, contain qualities of such.”

Garrus: “You guys would know that better than me.”

Mordin: “Also, this may help you with better understanding the Fayelons, our magical girls, good way to study the demographics of such.”

Garrus: “Well...if you say so. Actually, to be honest, I am kind of curious about this.”

Tali: “Alright, let’s get on it! I can’t wait another minute!”

Mordin: “Certainly.”

Mordin went on to his Onmi-tool.

Tali: “You did make sure to exclude the intros and outros, didn’t you?”

Mordin: “Of course, made that request upon download entry to toggle off both, must avoid spoilers.”

He was then able to turn on the monitor and they began viewing from there.

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Episode 23-Overviews

At the time, the admiral was with Ashley and Miss Shepard in the new Conference Room. With them were Miranda, Jacob, Kasumi, Liara, Wrex and Thane.

FemShep: “Alright, so, what do you know about the girls? I want to hear everything that you have found out.”

Ashley: “Certainly, we’ll tell you whatever you need to hear.”

Jacob: “Where do you think we should start?”

Hackett: “Let’s talk about their enemy, the vigilante that controls that dark entity.”

Ashley: “Oh, yeah, him.”

Hackett: “He is a member of their race who somehow managed to figure out how to control this…dark force?”

Liara: “Yes, but from what the girls have told us, that’s not possible.”

FemShep: “How so?”

Hackett: “From what we were able to find out about their race, the females contain a much more significant amount of magical energy than the males. The strongest of their kind wouldn’t be able to find out how to control such an entity; a male of their kind would never succeed.”

Miranda: “So there could be something else going on.”

Ashley: “The mysteries don’t end there, however.”

Thane: “Yes, we have heard that the vigilante somehow knows about the Reapers.”

Jacob: “Not to mention that his dark powers were able to replicate the Husks and Banshees, monsters that we have fought during our confrontation with the Reapers.”

FemShep: “So, our vigilante “friend” somehow knows so much about the Reapers.”

Miranda: “And he’s never been to our galaxy before. I don’t think he’s ever left their realm.”

FemShep: “But…then how is this possible?”

Thane: “Perhaps the secret lies within the dark entity that the vigilante is able to control.”

FemShep: “Yeah…maybe…hmm…I wonder…”

Wrex: “Perhaps those salarians and asari could, you know, scan them or something?”

Hackett: “We’ve already coerced them to do that. The salarians especially have tried, but…from what they have told me, that entity is massive. There’s too much for them to scan completely. There’s just too much to really analyze.”

Liara: “Is there any way we can fix that?”

Hackett: “They reached out to Dr. Solus to work on a solution to that problem. He already began pulling together all of the data to figure out a way to scan and collect any intel that we could obtain from that massive entity.”

Kasumi: “Hmm…there was something I remember talking about with those girls. There was a mention of that entity possibly being the same Dark Force that their deity, their Divine Source as they call it, could be fighting. They believe that such an entity would be far too massive to be conceivable.”

FemShep: “A massive Dark Force?”

Miranda: “Yes, you remember hearing stories about the Darkness and Light in a constant battle with one another? It’s pretty much like that.”

Liara: “Yes, the Ultimate Source of Light Magic fighting against a massive Dark Force, they didn’t seem to know much about it, but, from what one of the Intel Crystal have told us, this battle is a power struggle of sorts.”

Miranda: “Well, I believe that the concept itself is just too massive for us to get involved. We faced off against a great force that could have destroyed all sapient life in the galaxy and were struggling badly. To get involved with a near eternal battle between Darkness and Light, there’s no way we would even know how to handle that, much less triumph against said battle.”

Hackett: “Yes, that’s understandable. But still, this is a force of Darkness that is incredibly massive. We have yet to figure out how massive it is, but I have my suspicions.”

Liara: “Can the girls…really stand up against this dark entity? I mean, they’re doing all they can and they’ve stood up against it so far, but…”

Thane: “They are nowhere near the level that they should be to truly eradicate it. They’re still young girls.”

Wrex: “Huh, I really feel for them. They’re trying their best to protect us, but…”

Liara: “They can only do so much.”

FemShep: “It’s good of all of you to help them out.”

Liara: “We feel like we have to. They wouldn’t have made it as far as they did without our help. Also…even though we’re doing what we can to survive this, this isn’t just about us and our survival.”

Liara sulked a bit. Ms. Shepard was glancing towards her, taking notice of it.

FemShep: “It’s about them. You care about them personally.”

Liara: “Yes, such brave young girls, going out of their way to protect all those that they care about within their realm as well as this one. I worry about them.”

FemShep: “Yeah…I know…Garrus has expressed his concerns for them. He really wants to protect them.”

Liara: “Yeah…we all do…”

Wrex: ”They’re strong, almost as strong as any krogan. They’ve even earned my respect.”

Thane: “But there are so many questions that need to be answered. Why were they the only ones to step up? How is their vigilante able to control this dark entity?”

Hackett: “Let’s not forget about mysteries of our own within our galaxy, many of which are very much connected to the Fayelons’ own conflict.”

Thane: “Yes, how could I forget? I feel as though I owe my life to them and so much more.”

FemShep: “I would like to return to the Citadel to check on the miraculous survivors that are still comatose.”

Hackett: “Yes, that sounds like a great idea, Second Commander.”

Liara stood by and thought for a minute.

Liara: “So much to consider. I’ll try to use some of my sources to try and figure out these mysteries.”

FemShep: “Yes, we could use the Shadow Broker’s help. Perhaps the other information brokers could help with gathering some intel that can help us solve them.”

Jacob: “I highly doubt they could tell us anything that would answer these questions.”

Thane: “There wouldn’t be much that anyone else in the galaxy would know.”

Liara: “No, I wouldn’t think so, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Ashley: “I agree, we can use all the help we can get.”

Hackett: “Indeed. The Shadow Broker’s resources may give us useful intel. I’ll expect nothing more than bits and pieces but I’m sure we’ll fit them all together and paint a vivid picture of this situation.”

Miranda: “Mordin’s already working on that right now. In fact, now that I think about it, he is trying to determine a way to accurately measure out the size of that dark entity.”

Hackett: “If there’s anyone who can do that, it is, no doubt, Dr. Solus.”

Liara peeked into the lab to find that no one was there.

Liara: “Say…where is Mordin?”

Everyone else looked back towards the lab and also saw that he wasn’t there.

Miranda: “Huh, that’s unexpected. He usually doesn’t leave his lab unless he had something else important to do.”

Ashley: “EDI, can you tell us where Mordin is?”

EDI: “Professor Solus is in the Recreation Room with Tali and Garrus. They are, uh, watching one of those Pretty Cure shows that they’ve been talking about.”

Ashley: “No way, they actually managed to make Garrus watch one of their shows with them?”

Kasumi: “I’m also surprised by this, though I doubt that they would be subtle about it.”

Thane: “I wonder why they would be so eager to watch those shows with him.”

Ashley: “I know, it’s not like he would be interested, knowing him.”

Miranda: “I think I would have some idea as to why Tali would want to egg him on, but Mordin? That might not be so easy to understand.”

Wrex: “No kidding, that salarian is a living enigma, even by salarian standards.”

Kasumi: “He had always been difficult to figure out. I wonder why Star would take a liking to him.”

Jacob: “Yeah, it’s hard to imagine actually.”

Wrex: “I know, I can’t seem to find out how she has has such a huge fascination towards him. She’s almost as much of an enigma as that salarian, but not by much. Though, I feel like because of that, she seems to pair up almost all too well with him.”

Liara: “I can. We…I…had the chance to talk to her. She…didn’t exactly have an easy childhood. It was…terrible…”

Miranda was almost taken aback.

FemShep: “A…a difficult childhood? Can you…specify?”

Liara: “Well…her father…he was…an emotionally abusive man. He would manipulate and gaslight her into being a normal girl.”

Thane: “But we all know that she is not.”

Liara: “No…Garrus and Mordin also spoke with her…they know…”

Liara was sulking as she paused for a bit. Everyone around her stared at her with concerned looks on her face.

Miranda: “Yes..I have heard.her father is also a manipulative and egotistical man.”

Liara: “I don’t think I need to tell you much to understand what she’s been through…”

Miranda stood by a bit and stared.

Miranda: “No…you don’t…it sounded like her father seemed to have tried to manipulate her into becoming what he wanted her to be. I know what that’s like. I was given so much but everything I wanted always came with a price.”

Liara: “Star…didn’t have that luxury. She was always given things that he wanted her to have, not realizing that she, herself, wasn’t interested in them…”

Ashley: “Girlish things?”

Liara: “Yes…as I have mentioned earlier, he wanted her…to be a normal girl, doing normal girl things and if she would so much as stray from that slightly…he…”

Liara was silent again. However, her silence spoke volumes. Everyone didn’t need to say or hear anything to know what she would have said next.

Jacob: “That b******!! I take it the professor is like a coping mechanism to her.”

Liara: “Yes…aside from not being a girly-girl, she has taken a liking to…anything strange or unorthodox…a way of…spiting her father.”

Wrex: “Heh, everything about that salarian screams unorthodox.”

Thane: “No wonder why she’s so attached to him. But I had no idea that she was hiding so much emotional pain.”

Miranda: “Well, maybe not that much, but we knew that she was hiding a lot of strife. She really did try to seem positive, but the way she lashes out at others for how they treat those that she cares about…hmm….”

Jacob: “She must have not had anyone in her life.”

Wrex: “Poor girl, even I wouldn’t dream of doing anything that horrible.”

Thane: “Kind of puts a new perspective to her demeanor.”

Kasumi: “I know, I feel really bad. But…if that’s what she’s been through, then I wonder what Splash’s story is.”

Miranda: “I wonder that, too. The other girls wouldn’t mention what it was that caused her to throw hissy fits over the slightest mention of seafood.”

Jacob: “I would guess that what she went through must have been something really horrible. For someone to react like that, she must have been traumatized badly.”

FemShep: “And she hasn’t told any of you?”

Liara: “No…she hasn’t.”

Ashley: “We would like her to tell us.”

Miranda: “Yes, we all do. I want to be able to help fix her problem, at the very least reduce her temper tantrums so that she doesn’t start another incident.”

Liara: “I know, but it seems that she has a lot of trust issues. Her friends are the only ones that she had been able to trust, so I’m guessing that what she went through, it would be difficult to entrust to anyone else.”

Thane: “And they did mention that she does not want to relive that terrible incident. I can’t say I blame her, but shutting it in doesn’t exactly fix the problem.”

Hackett: “We all know that, but that’s her choice and we can’t force her into that. She has to be the one to make that decision on her own.”

Kasumi: “So, until then, does this mean that we’ll have to supervise her, in case she has another outbreak like that?”

Everyone stood around and paused for a brief moment.

Liara: “Well, it’s all we can do at the moment.”

Miranda: “I’m sure Jack would like to help out with that. With her biotics, I think she can hold her back on her own.”

Liara: “We’ll see in time. We’ll also need to make sure that Jewel is nearby if the girls decide to go their separate ways.”

Miranda: ”That is also a great idea.”

The admiral straightened himself up a bit as he briefly processed what he had heard.

Hackett: “Hmm…we seem to have a little more understanding of the girls. Anyone who would hear about them being magical beings would think that they live in a perfectly happy fantasy world but…”

Jacob: “Based on what we were told about them, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s clear that they have suffered emotional pain and trauma.”

Liara: “Jewel did mention something vague about having gone through some difficult times. I wish that she would mention more of it.”

Ashley: “Yeah, I would like to hear about it, too.“

Miranda: “Though, it may have been far too painful for her to want to talk about.”

Ashley: “Well, she will have to tell us sooner or later much like how Star poured her heart out about her terrible childhood, whether or not she told you everything.”

Liara: “No, I don’t think she has, I’m sure there is more to it and they know that as well.”

Thane: “Well, we shall wait and see.”

Kasumi: “And what about Flare? She seemed to have suffered her own hardships?”

Wrex: “Oh, her? I don’t know what it is about that girl, but she intrigues me.”

FemShep: “She seems awfully strong-willed. Did she tell you what she had endured?”

Ashley: “Not so much her as it is her culture. Her people consist of pyromancers and are feared by many; most likely reviled as well.”

Liara: “Yes, she did give that impression. She said that her people became cultural because they fear their own power as well, so they practice the customs that they have for the purpose of maintaining control of their powers and control over themselves as well.”

Hackett: “I see, so her people practice self-discipline. I can tell from her demeanor that she is very much that.”

Wrex: “Except when she’s around food, then her appetite becomes fiercer than even a starved varren.”

Liara: ”Ah, yes, and her friends had to become as vigorous as her when around food.”

Thane: “I wonder why that is. Such ferocity towards food would indicate a long-term deprivation of food, but…”

Hackett: ”Their kind believes in food being nothing more than pleasure.”

Thane: “Correct, that seemed to have always boggled my mind.”

Jacob: ”I’ve been questioning that, too. There’s no reason I could think of that would clarify that type of ferocity towards food if it isn’t a necessity.”

Kasumi: “Unless she enjoys the taste of food that much.”

Jacob: “Well…there’s that.”

Miranda: “Perhaps we should look into that and see how much she had eaten throughout her life. We might find something that would clarify her behavior being related to what we found out about food or if it’s something else.”

Ashley: “Yeah…that sounds like a good idea.”

Liara: ”I have yet to find out about any of that, but I’ll keep sorting through those Intel Crystals until I am able to.”

Wrex: “Heh, I wonder how long it would take to truly sort through all of those crystals. That jewelry box seems to contain a lot of them.”

Jacob: “A lot of Intel Crystals; someone really wanted to hand over a lot of intel regarding the Fayelons’ realm. This has really really put me on edge.”

Liara: ”We all feel that way. The deeper we get into this, the more I feel that corruption is involved with their kind.”

Hackett: ”Yes, there’s no doubt that there is a lot of Darkness regarding that magical race. If their world is truly similar to fairy tales, then those girls would no doubt live perfectly happy lives, not suffer from so much trauma and abuse.”

Liara: ”Yes…I wonder how far that abuse went.”

Everyone stood by silent for a bit, contemplating on everything that they have talked about.

Much time later, Garrus, Mordin and Tali were still watching the first Pretty Cure, having just finished up one of the show’s episodes.

Tali: “Wow, that was amazing. That really did take me back to my childhood. Though, there are some things about it that I have outgrown, it was still very good.”

Mordin: “Glad you liked it, Tali’Zorah. Have also been eager to see this again.”

Tali: “So, does it bring back memories of your niece and the times you spent watching these shows with her?”

Mordin: “Yes, very fond memories. Missed those days. The happiest I’ve ever seen her. Such a good kid, incredibly ambitious, so full of vigor, excited, always mentioned that such shows were the closest she ever came to experiencing the world outside our home world.”

Tali: “Those shows must have brought her so much joy.”

Mordin: “Yes, magical girl shows always remind me of her, such is why I enjoy them. Wish I could go back to experience that with her again. Most likely can’t, but did enjoy watching it with you.”

Tali: “Absolutely, we should do this again sometime.”

Mordin: “Of course, will work on downloading more Pretty Cures and other magical girls shows, perhaps even the one that is most well-known out of all of them.”

Tali: “Oh, I’m looking forward to that.”

Mordin smiled at her.

Tali: “So…Garrus? What did you think of the show?”

Garrus: “It was…interesting. I wasn’t real crazy about it, but it was pretty good. There were some parts of it that were boring as hell but the fight scenes were amazing. Are all of these shows really over the top?”

Tali and Mordin looked at each other before looking back towards Garrus.

Tali: “Heh, you kidding? Anime specializes in over the top, especially magical girl shows.”

Garrus: “I see…well, regardless, I was really surprised to see how a few girls in frilly outfits could be so tough. I expected to see glitter or whatever is usually in girlish cartoons, but I never expected to see it so action-packed.”

Mordin: “As mentioned before, shows like these meant to appeal to both genders; a little something for girls and a little something for boys.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I can see that.”

Tali: “So…”

Tali stood up.

Tali: “Did you enjoy it?”

Garrus: “I…kind of did. I also had the chance to witness a magical girl transformation for the first time in a show. I can see why they’re so well liked. That was…amazing to watch.”

Mordin: “Indeed. Magical girl transformation; a very well-liked cliché in anime. So well-liked that other animated series opted to take on the ideas of such. Many different shows outside of anime consist of such. Would like for you to see them sometime.”

Garrus: “Um…I…I don’t know…maybe…”

Tali: “Well, we’ll go more on that when the time comes. For now, I think maybe we should meet back with the others.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I agree. Those girls should be waking up by now.”

From there, all 3 of them left the Recreation Room.

A little time afterwards, Miranda, Ms. Shepard, Liara, Ashley, Kasumi and Samantha were within the mess hall of the Crew Quarters. A little afterwards, Garrus, Mordin and Tali walked in.

FemShep: “Ah, there you guys are.”

Traynor: “Hello again.”

Liara: “How did the first magical girl session go?”

Tali: “It was great. Not as good as when I watched them as a child, but I still like it.”

Miranda: “That’s good to hear. So, Garrus, did you enjoy those shows?”

Garrus: “Um…not as much as these 2 magical girl fanatics, but I have to admit, it did take me by surprise. I expected to see glitter or pixie dust, but it was action-packed. I had no idea how tough those magical girls could be. I mean, these girls developed some superhuman strength along with other incredible abilities.”

Miranda: “Well, that’s usually how magical girl shows are. They’re very much action-packed, with some of the usual magical powers here and there.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I could do without the slice of life bits, though. They were kind of boring.”

Tali: “Really? I thought you would be interested in how preteens of the 21st century use to live.”

Garrus: “Yeah, maybe I use to think that way, and…there were some things about the 21st century that I was surprised to find out about, but…it felt like it dragged on for a really long time, I was just waiting to see another action-packed scene after going through all of that.”

Mordin: “Hm…didn’t agree on that. Was fascinated to see how young girls from long ago used to live. Will work on cutting out some of the slice of life scene and keep in the best parts. Can help with saving on lots of time.”

Garrus: “Yeah, that depends on whether or not I actually decide to watch those shows again.”

Tali glanced over at Garrus, almost as though she had a smug look on her face inside her mask.

Traynor: “You know, I am a huge fan of the Pretty Cure series, but there is one particular series of the show that is my most favorite. I would like to see it when you guys get to it.”

Mordin: “Certainly, just let us know which one it is and will remind you of when we are coming up to it..”

Traynor: “I would greatly appreciate that.”

Mordin smiled. Garrus seemed a bit annoyed.

Garrus: “You magical girl fanatics and your shows.”

At that moment, the girls walked out. They were in their pajamas, each of different colors and styles. Jewel was wearing a thin tank-top and shorts combo. Flare had what looked like a thin robe with sleeves that stopped a little after her elbows. Star had a large tank-top that stopped a little above her knees, like a dress, while wearing a pair of thin caprese underneath her shirt, Aera had a thin t-shirt and shorts combo and combo and Splash wore a thin dress. Each of their pajamas consist of their signature colors and patterns. They were also barefoot. They walked up towards the crew members.

Jewel: “Mornin’, everyone.”

Liara: “Well, look who’s finally up.”

Miranda: “How are you girls feeling? Did you enjoy your sleep?”

Flare: “It was wonderful. I feel like I haven’t had a good sleep like that in a long time.”

Ashley: “We’re glad to hear it.”

Liara: “Do you girls at least feel rested?”

Star: “Yes! The best I’ve ever felt!”

Aera: “Yeah, I’ll say, I can tell that Star really had a good night’s sleep.”

Kasumi: “That’s really good to hear.”

Liara: “So…are you girls ready for breakfast?”

The girls had a confused look on their faces.

Star: “Break….fast?”

Aera: “I’m sorry, but, what is that?”

Each of the crew members exchanged looks with each other before looking back towards the girls.

Miranda: “You girls never had breakfast in your world before?”

Jewel: “Um…no, not really.”

Ashley: “Wow, food must really not be so important to your kind if you’ve never even heard of breakfast before.”

Kasumi: “Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. It is a significant kind of meal that we would have every morning.”

Star: “Wow, you guys have specific meals during the beginning of everyday? Is food really that important to you non-magical beings?”

Ashley: “Very important.”

Kasumi: “It’s never good to start out the day with an empty stomach.”

Garrus: “Hm…perhaps you girls should start having breakfast from now on.”

Splash: “There isn’t any fish during this….breakfast, is there?”

Miranda: “No, generally, there are no meals in the morning that consist of fish or other foods from marine life. Well, actually, it’s very rare at most.”

Splash: “Ohhhhh!!!! I’m starting to like this breakfast already!!!”

Miranda: “Well, I suppose you girls would like to get dressed before we started with breakfast?”

Star: “No problem! Already on it!!”

Star then emitted a bright light from all over her body. Everyone around stared at her as this was taking place. They had awkward looks on their faces. When the glowing dissipated, she was in her normal clothes.

Star: “Alright, let’s get on it.”

Garrus: “Uhh….are you sure…you should be…doing that…in front of other people?”

Star: “Why not? I don’t see what the big deal is. Geez!”

Her friends also stared at her awkwardly.

Aera: “I’ll…go change somewhere else that’s private.”

Aera walked off, her other friends followed after her. The crew members stared out awkwardly for a bit.

Much time later, the girls, fully dressed in their regular clothes, were chowing down on their breakfast. Some of the crew members were watching them as this occurred. Also with them were Jacob, Grunt, Wrex, Jacob and Samara. Jack, however, sat much closer to them, the rest of the crew kept their distance.

Jacob: “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat like that.”

Grunt: “Heh, it’s almost as though they’re krogan.”

Wrex: “Probably because of that Flare. She’s still eating as viciously as ever.”

Thane: “Yes, it may seem that way.”

FemShep: “Hmm….Fayelons never have breakfast, huh? That’s interesting.”

Mordin: “Interesting, yet…odd.”

Tali: ”Odd for us, maybe, but not for them. They did say that their kind would have 1 meal a day.”

Traynor: “Yeah, and besides, you have to give them some time. All of this is hard for them to get use to.”

Mordin: “Not the point, not what I meant.”

FemShep: “What do you mean then?”

Mordin: “Been looking over the readings. Their magical energy rejuvenates by a massive amount for each meal. A ratio, how much energy they can store, how much energy they must store. Very important. Very unusual. Very suspicious.”

Traynor: “Um…am I missing something here?”

Miranda: “Sorry, but would you mind rephrasing that a bit? I didn’t understand any of that.”

Ashley: “And in a language that we understand, if you don’t mind.”

Mordin: “Magical energy capacity within their bodies, looked into said capacity, their bodies could contain lots more energy than what they currently have.”

Miranda: “Wait, hold on, are you saying that they can store more magical energy in their bodies?”

Mordin: “Yes, the amount of energy they store, they carry a massive amount, however, not the amount that they need to be carrying.”

Tali: ”Are you saying the girls are containing less magical energy than they should be carrying?”

Mordin: “Judging by the capacity ratio, should be able to store away more. Could be consistent with excess. Didn’t know of any way to be sure. However, did notice something else that may support the theory that they should contain more energy than what was found. This was found out while scanning them during their battles and that was the amount of magical energy being used up.”

Liara: “How much magical energy did they use up?”

Mordin: “Lots, magical attacks consume massive amounts. Complex spells consisting of tremendous amounts of power in order to be carried out.”

Miranda: “Well, isn’t most of their magical energy contained within those…um…magical items of theirs? Magic receptacles, if I’m not mistaken.”

Mordin: “Yes, magic receptacles contain an immense amount of their magical energy, the necessary amount for their transformations and secondary forms. Magical energy within their bodies is their reserve, energy needed for their bodies to be stored away as their lifeforms.”

Ashley: “You mean the magical energy within their bodies is what’s needed to keep them alive?”

Mordin: “Yes, receptacles consist of energy needed for combat, can store away nearly countless amounts. Did notice during their battles that the magical energy draining out by an alarming amount. The energy stored within the receptacles needs to be extracted from a true source, a significant source, that source is their bodies. Their bodies are capable of storing more energy, that energy is needed for combat as well.”

Liara: ”So, what are you trying to tell us?”

Mordin: “Data from combat indicates the amount of energy within their bodies too insufficient. The magical energy needed for their powerful attacks, conjure up complex spells, transformation, all insufficient. Bodies do not produce enough magical energy. Drains their life forces.”

Ashley: “Oh, my god, are you saying that each time they’ve been fighting or using up their magical powers, they’re pretty much killing themselves?”

Mordin: “Not necessarily, but dangerously close to that. The insufficiency of their magical energy incredibly dangerous for their health.”

The crew members were at a loss of words because of this.

Traynor: “That’s….unbelievable!!”

Liara: “If that’s true, then how were they able to make it this far?”

FemShep: “Hmm…I would think that those girls are incredibly diligent. I would also believe their strong will has pushed them this far, but we knew that they couldn’t make it without us.”

Miranda: “Yes, we did notice that when we first saw them fight.”

Liara: “They were so tired after that first fight.”

Miranda: “But they’ve come a long way. It is apparent that their powers are changing.”

Mordin: “Yes, the change in their powers pushed them a little further. Took them a lot before they tired down again.”

Ashley: “And we made sure that they were properly fed after their battles.”

Mordin: “No doubt about it, food does play a significant role in the development of their powers, the magical energy within their bodies converted from sustenance.”

Kasumi: “I would think the girls realized that, too.”

Ashley: ”They do know. They have known all along.”

Liara: ”Yes, didn’t they mention something about a friend of theirs looking into that?”

Everyone sat quietly for a brief moment. At that moment, Garrus slammed his palms on the table.

Garrus: “Well, that settles it. From here on out, these girls are getting the regular 3 meals a day just like the rest of us. Their kind can continue to convince every one of their citizens that food is nothing more than pleasure for them all they want, but we know that’s not the case! We have to provide that for them! No questions asked!”

Mordin: “Yes, would not object to this. Also believe that this is essential to their health.”

Wrex: “So…how do you intend to continue feeding these girls?”

Ashley: “We have plenty of reserves on the Normandy. Though, I think it would be a good idea to pick up a few supplies when we return to the Citadel, just in case.”

Garrus: “Yeah, we will do whatever we can for them. We made that promise to help them and I’ll be damned if I broke that promise.”

Miranda: “Here, here.”

FemShep: “Heh, you really have become quite the father figure for them. No wonder why most of the crew agreed to make you their main caretaker.”

Tali: “I think Commander Shepard would be impressed.”

Miranda: “Yes, he would be.”

Ms. Shepard sulked a little.

Jacob: “Alright, we’ll need to come up with a meal plan and make sure we will be able to have enough to provide.”

Traynor: “There is also the matter of the grocery bills.”

Ashley: “That won’t be a problem. It should be the same as providing for the rest of the crew. Besides, we receive shipments from other suppliers at affordable deals. I think we can manage this.”

Thane: “Then let’s get right on it.”

Liara: “Of course.”

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Another character theme for my story. This one is for Ashley:
https://iffdwfayelons.tumblr.com/post/641593013714436096/4-clubbers-children

Edited April 21, 2022 by FayelonMagicalGirl

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Episode 24-Reconnections

Some time later, the girls finished up with their breakfast. Some of the crew members approached them.

Miranda: “Hello, girls. So, how did you enjoy your breakfast?”

Flare: “It was the best thing I’ve ever had!!! Oh, my goodness, I had no idea you non-magical beings enjoy so many sweet tasting and salty foods in the morning!!! It was all soooooo good!!!!”

Aera: “Yeah…it was quite an unusual experience for us.”

Jack: “The breakfast or Flare nearly devouring everything?”

Aera: “Are you kidding me!?! The breakfast, of course!!! Flare’s fierce appetite is what’s very typical for us!!”

A few of the crew members can’t help but chuckle at this.

Jack: “Whoa, calm down there, Aera. I have a different point of view of this.”

Aera: “Yeah? Well…I would figure as much.”

Splash: “Thank you so much for making this for us!! It was all so amazing!”

A somewhat creepy gleam appeared in her eyes.

Splash: “And not a single trace of seafood in sight!”

Ashley: “Uh, yeah, we…that’s…um…”

Liara: “Most of us don’t eat fish in the morning, anyway, so it wasn’t so hard. Plus, Gardner has made extra special care to avoid any recipes with fish in it.”

Splash: “Good!”

Another frightening gleam appeared in her eyes.

Splash: “It better stay that way!!”

Liara was a little startled by this.

Flare: “Um, might I ask how many meals that you guys have each day?”

Mordin: “3 meals essential for each day.”

Aera: “What!?! 3 meals!?! You guys have 3 important meals each day!?!”

FemShep: “Usually, that’s how it is. We have breakfast each morning, then lunch during the middle of the day and then dinner later during the evening.”

Star: “And why are these meals so important?”

Garrus: “It usually takes a certain amount of time for our bodies to digest food as a way to maintain the much needed energy to get us through each day.”

Jewel: “Hmm…that’s interesting.”

Garrus: “We’ll be putting you girls on the same diet regimen. I don’t want to hear any whining of any of you!”

Aera: “Alright, alright, no need to be so testy, as usual.”

Garrus glanced at her in an annoyed manner.

Flare: “Ohhhhhh!!! 3 meals a day!?! It’s almost like a dream come true!!!”

Her eyes were sparkling like the anime characters that she was made out to be.

Jack: “Um….wow…she must really like food a lot.”

Aera: “Uh, yep, I think you guys just made her day.”

Star: “So, what do we have in store for today?”

FemShep: “The admiral wants to return to the Citadel. There are a few things that he would like to take care of there.”

Aera: “Oh, no! Don’t tell me we have to meet with the Citadel Council again!!”

Ashley: “No, no, don’t worry about that. We won’t be doing that this time.”

Jewel: “Well, that’s a relief.”

Star: “Yeah, another meeting session with them and I’m going to let them have it.”

Garrus: “That’s still not a good idea, Star.”

Star: “I know…”

Flare: “Hmm…since we’ll be returning to the Citadel, there’s something that I would like to look into. I felt something…unusual the last time I was there.”

Ashley: “That won’t be a problem, Flare. We’ll have other things that we need to take care of. We’ll need to look for supplies and other equipment that we’ll need to shop for. Some of us will be wanting to visit other important places.”

Splash: “Like what?”

FemShep: “A medical facility. The admiral wants to stop by at a clinic called the Huerta Memorial Hospital. There are a few people there that he wants to see.”

Aera: ”What kind of people?”

The different crew members exchanged concerned looks with one another before looking back toward the girls.

Jacob: “The miraculous survivors…that are still comatose. There’s…something there…someone…very important that he wants to visit.”

The girls were silent for a bit. From there, Ms. Shepard made her way towards the area of the ship where the elevator was. Garrus took notice of her walking off, he looked towards her, worried.

A little afterwards, Ms. Shepard arrived within the commander’s quarters. There, she stood near her cousin, still comatose on his bed. She reached out to him, touching his face with a sad and worried look on her face.

FemShep: “John…”

Garrus: “Still worrying about your cousin, I see.”

She looked up and saw Garrus standing nearby.

FemShep: “Oh, Garrus, I…”

Garrus: “It’s OK, I know you can’t help it, but you shouldn’t. He will wake up. I don’t know when, but we will.”

FemShep: “I…I hope you’re right. I have faith that my cousin will, but…I just…I don’t want…I…”

Garrus: “I know.”

He walked up to her and comforted her as he held her in his arms.

Garrus: “He took on a tremendous sacrifice for all of us. We couldn’t believe that we were able to find him alive, but…we held on to hope that we would, and we did.”

He pulled himself off of her and held her by the back of her shoulders. They looked at each other with the same sad look in their eyes.

FemShep: “I want…to hold on to hope…so badly, but…I…I don’t know if he…if he will ever…”

Garrus: “Hey, he’s strong. He’s been through a lot. He was nearly killed who knows how many times. He’s been through the worst. I should know; I was there with him.”

FemShep: “Yeah…I suppose.”

Garrus: “If there is anyone who can make it through this, it’s your cousin, no doubt about it.”

FemShep: “I…I suppose…”

Garrus: “Besides, something tells me we have magic on our side. With that, nothing is truly impossible.”

Ms. Shepard chuckled a little.

FemShep: “Really? That is the corniest thing I have ever heard you say, Garrus.”

Garrus: “Hey, give me a break! Mordin and Tali made me watch hours of their Pretty Cure show. I’m still not over that flashy, colorful anime.”

Ms. Shepard started cracking up again. Garrus looked annoyed.

Star: “Oh, hello, what do we have here?”

In an instant, they looked over and noticed all 5 of the girls right there with them.

Garrus: “Wh-what are you doing here!?!”

Jewel: “We came to see what you guys were doing.”

FemShep: “How long were you girls here?”

Aera: “We arrived just now.”

Ms. Shepard looked over and noticed Splash mesmerized by the fish tank.

FemShep: “Uh…is she…OK?”

Aera: “Oh, her? Yeah, she’s fine. She’s just mesmerized by your cousin’s fish tank. Never fails.”

Splash: “Hello, my little fishies. How are you doing today?”

FemShep: “I…see…so, she must really like fish that much.”

Garrus: “Yeah, she does.”

The girls all nodded.

Jewel: “So, you checking up on Commander Shepard?”

FemShep: “Yes, I…I wanted to see my cousin.”

Flare: “We figured as much. Our condolences for going through such a difficult time.”

FemShep: “I appreciate that, Flare.”

Garrus: “Um…ahem, you girls wouldn’t mind giving us some alone time, would you?”

Jewel: “Oh, yeah, sure, sorry. Come on, let’s leave them alone.”

Flare: “Yes, of course, my apologies.”

Jewel, Flare and Aera proceeded to walk out. They walked past Splash, who was still staring at the fish tank. Aera rushed back to grab her and pull her out. However, Star still stood around.

Star: “So, you guys are in a relationship, huh? I would love to hear all about it.”

FemShep: “Um…maybe, but…not right now.”

Star: “Oh, come on, I want to know everything about the 2 of you.”

FemShep: “Star, we really would like to…”

Garrus: “Oh, um, hey, Star, I just heard that Mordin was asking for you, he could use your help with a few things, so maybe you would…”

At an instant, Star became excited and ran out of the room. Both Garrus and Ms. Shepard watched in silence as she left. Ms. Shepard was a little taken aback but Garrus wasn’t startled at all.

Garrus: “Heh, mention his name once and she’s already gone.”

FemShep: “Huh, that’s…interesting, anyway, where were we?”

Garrus: “I don’t know, something about magical girls if I recall?”

FemShep: “Oh, right, you mentioned something about watching one of those shows.”

Garrus: “Yeah, but…let’s talk about something else, OK?”

FemShep: “Sure, we can do that.”

She looked over towards her cousin, sulking again. He consoled her, which she seemed greatly appreciative towards. They went over to the nearby couch and sat down together. She was still sulking.

FemShep: “Garrus…I…”

Garrus: “Yes?”

FemShep: “I…I can’t tell you how relieved I am to return here. To see everyone again. To see you again.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I feel the same way. Jane, I…I worry so much about you being out there, not knowing if you would be able to return or…if you end up killed out there.”

FemShep: “I know. It’s tough being one of the first 2 human Spectres of the galaxy. My cousin and I…we’ve always had our own tasks that needed to be dealt with. And to meet all of you for the first time? It was great.”

Garrus: “Yeah, I can remember that. When we first met, you looked at us as though we’ve met some time before that.”

FemShep: “Yeah, those Prothean Artifacts that my cousin and I found on those different planets seem to have some sort of strange effect on us, almost as though…they’ve linked our minds together. I could experience everything that he has been through and he could experience everything that I have.”

Garrus: “I know, it’s…unusual…not to mention that you both encountered both of those beacons at the same time. Talk about a very bizarre coincidence.”

FemShep: “Yeah, how about that?”

She looked over to her cousin again.

FemShep: “I wonder if…if there is some way…that he’s…he’s still…if that connection is still…established. I mean, I haven’t seen anything from him obviously, but…does he…does he still see the things that I can?”

Garrus: “Hmm…I…I don’t know…I wish there was some way we could find out.”

FemShep: “There’s…there’s something else I have to tell you.”

Garrus: “What is it, Jane?”

FemShep: “I…I’m going to be working with you guys now more.”

Garrus: “What? Really?”

FemShep: “Yes…the admiral managed to pull a few more strings for me. We’ll be able to see more of each other.”

Garrus: “That…that’s great!! I can’t believe it! That’s great news!!”

FemShep: “Yeah, he said that it’s necessary considering that the girls are pretty much always here with you guys, so I’ll need to be here with them.”

Garrus: “Yeah, makes sense, but still, this is great news! I was hoping that…that we would work with each other more.”

FemShep: “So did I. Those girls really are fascinating. I look forward to spending time with them and, of course, I look forward to spending more time with you.”

Garrus: “Yeah…so am I.”

From there, they both embraced passionately. At that time, the jewel that Commander Shepard was clutching in his hand had one brief flicker of glimmer.

Meanwhile, Mordin was back in his lab. At that moment, Star ran in.

Star: “Hello again, Mordin.”

Mordin: “Hello, Star, what brings you here?”

Star: “Garrus said you asked for me, so I came to see what it is you need my help with.”

Mordin: “Oh! Right! Yes! Uh! I…um…! Of course, yes, lots that I need from you! Just…um…”

Star: “You OK, Mordin? I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?”

Mordin: “Uh! No! Course not! Just…have…a lot on my mind! Lots that I need for you to do for me…just…don’t know where to…uh…begin…uh…uhhhh….shopping list!”

Star: “Shopping list? Oh, right, you wanted me to go pick up a few things for you.”

Mordin: ”Yes, lots of materials, equipment, important for research.”

Star: ”Oh, I see, so you want me to buy a few things for you when we arrive at the Citadel, right?”

Mordin: ”Of course, you wouldn’t mind, would you?”

Star: ”Are you kidding me? I would love to! I’d do anything for you, Mordin. But, wait, you’re not coming with me?”

Mordin: ”No, sorry, can’t, have a lot of work to do, lots of data to sort through, need to look over the data collecting. Very busy.”

Star: “Ohhh….but…I wanted you to come with me.”

Mordin looked at Star, he let out a sigh then went over and tended to her.

Mordin: “Understand that much, but there’s a lot that needs to be done. Doing this for you and your friends, of course. Looking forward to seeing you when you return from shopping. Be a good girl for me, OK?”

She stared at him, at first, she stood by without saying anything then smiled.

Star: “OK, I understand. It’s just…I enjoy spending time with you.”

Mordin: “Enjoy spending time with you, too, Star. Will do more of that as soon as you return and have everything that I need you to get.”

Star smiled cheerfully.

Some time afterwards, the Normandy arrived back at the Citadel. Most of the crew members were getting ready to go.

Hackett: “Alright, I will be heading over to the Huerta Memorial Hospital. If there is anything that you need to take care while on the Citadel, now would be a great time for that.”

Star: ”No problem, I have some shopping that I need to do for Mordin. He’s asked me to find and purchase lots of equipment for his research.”

FemShep: ”Heh, glad you managed to run into him before we arrived.”

Star: “Of course.”

Ashley: ”I, on the other hand, will be handling inventory to make sure we have all we need for sustenance.”

Hackett: “I take it the girls will be going their separate ways for the time being.”

Aera: ”Of course.”

Jewel: ”We have our own things that we would like to check out.”

Flare: ”I will be leaving with the krogan. Wrex and Grunt have told me about this amazing eatery that they thought I would be interested in. They call it an “all-you-can-eat" type of eatery.”

Flare was almost salivating.

Flare: “And I intend to eat as much as I can handle.”

Wrex: ”Let’s get going then, girl.”

Grunt: “Heh, the whole thing will be on you, old man.”

Wrex: ”Shut up, just be thankful for this one favor because you might not get another chance.”

Splash: ”Well, I hope to check out plenty of places with lots of water. I bet there will be so many fishies for me to swim with.”

Liara: “A few of us agreed to stay Splash, encase she…throws another hissy fit.”

Samara: “Yes, we will keep a close eye on her.”

Jack: “Heh, something tells me she’ll do something else crazy.”

Miranda: ”No, I wouldn’t doubt you one bit, Jack.”

FemShep: ”We’ll agree to meet with the admiral at the hospital. Until then, each of you can carry on with whatever it is you want or need to have done.”

Jewel: “Yes, we understand.”

Star: ”So, Mordin, I’ll be back with everything that’s on the list.”

Mordin: ”Yes, will be seeing you soon.”

Mordin walked off back to his lab.

Garrus: “Hey!”

He grabbed Mordin by his shoulder and stopped him.

Garrus: ”Thanks for keeping Star off of our backs.”

Mordin then patted on Garrus’ shoulder.

Mordin: ”Always a pleasure.”

Mordin then walked off.

A little time afterwards, the Normandy returned to the Citadel and docked. Most of the crew members stepped off of the ship along with the girls, Ms. Shepard and the admiral. There were some that split up into small groups. A few of them, like Ashley, Star and the admiral went off by themselves. Flare left with Wrex and Grunt. Aera left with Tali and Samantha. Splash went off with Miranda, Liara, Samara and Jack. Jewel, of course, left with Garrus. Ms. Shepard stayed with them for a while before going off to take care of something else. Ashley took care of handling the inventory shipments. Cortez helped out with the shipments and bringing them back to the Normandy. Star was busy shopping for Mordin, going from store to store, clearing out the shopping list and very cheerful taking care of this errand. Flare enjoyed a massive all-you-can-eat chow down fest with the krogan, with both krogan spellbound by her ferocious appetite. Aera spent some time with Tali and Samantha, going around the place like a bunch of young girls hanging out with friends. She even stopped at a pet shop where she was fawning over a lot of the cute critters that she came across. Splash went around the Citadel as well with the biotics staying close to her. Jewel happily spent time with Garrus. They went around for a bit before stopping someplace.

Garrus: “Now, before we do anything else, there’s something that I need to take care of here if that’s alright with you.”

Jewel: “Yes, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all.”

Garrus: “I appreciate that, Jewel.”

They continued on towards a nearby location: C-Sec Headquarters. There, they ran into Captain Armando-Owen Bailey. He was working on a console when he looked and spotted the duo.

Bailey: “Well, hello again, Garrus.”

Garrus: “Hey, captain. How are things going around here?”

Bailey: “Same as always. Still lots to take care of, a lot to look after. You know, another busy day here at C-Sec.”

Garrus: “I see. I always hope that things would improve, but that’s something I’ve gotten use to not having to happen.”

Bailey: “Yeah, I know. Your history here at C-Sec understandably left a bad taste in your mouth and I honestly can’t blame you for that, considering you used to work for us. By the way, how is Shepard doing?”

Garrus: “Same as always. Very little changes but at least he’s still alive.”

Bailey: “Ah, still haven’t come to. Well, give my regards to the rest of the crew.”

Garrus: “Will do, by the way, I don’t know if you’re already acquainted with this young lady who’s with me.”

Bailey: “Ah, yes, I’ve seen her and her friends around here before. So, it turns out that you and your friends are magical girls, huh? Never would have thought I’d see something like that come around.”

Jewel: “Umm…yeah…that is what everyone’s calling us.”

Garrus: “So, you have met her before.”

Bailey: “Of course, when she and her friends first arrived on the Citadel, they spent a bit of time going through security. We were all suspicious as they gave little information of how they arrived here. But given their age, I was able to let them go around the place for a bit. We did keep tabs on what they were doing just in case. Said something about stopping by to take a break from their long travels.”

Jewel: “Yes…we were…tired from flying around for such a long time. We needed to take a break before we were to be on our way.”

Bailey: “And I could tell that you were honest about that. I said that I would let them travel around the Citadel as long as they didn’t cause any trouble.”

Jewel: “Too bad that didn’t last…”

Bailey: “If you’re referring to that turian bartender, don’t worry about it. He was in the wrong for how he treated you and your friends; you had every right to react the way you did. We’re…working on taking care of him. It’s a good thing that Garrus was around to help you out with that.”

Jewel: “Oh! Right, um, that. Well…actually…that’s not what I meant.”

She sulked for a bit. Bailey stared at her for a while, concerned for her.

Bailey: “You’re actually talking about that dark entity of yours, aren’t you?”

Jewel: “Yes…we intended on leaving here before he would even be able to find us, but….that wasn’t the case this time…”

Bailey: “I remember that. You said that you and your friends weren’t planning on staying very long, hence why you agreed to our terms so easily.”

Jewel: “Yes, and that was our intention, but he found us a lot sooner than we suspected; a lot sooner than he…usually does…we had no choice but to stay and fight…here…we never meant to cause any of this, but….we didn’t have a choice…”

Bailey: “Hey, calm down, I don’t blame you for that, at all. It’s very clear that you and your friends have been dealing with this for a very long time. I’ve heard about your story. That thing…has caused so much turmoil for your entire race. If anything, I’m sorry that you girls have to deal with something so horrific. How can I possibly fault you on that?”

Garrus: “We agreed that the girls have to stay here in our galaxy and combat this threat.”

Bailey: “Yes, I’ve received the reports. If they did decide to leave our galaxy, then things would have eventually gotten worse, not only for them but for everyone else as well. This dark entity is a menace and one that these sweet girls shouldn’t need to be dealing with.”

Garrus: “I agree, but for some reason, they seem to be the only ones who are willing to step up to handle this.”

Bailey: “Their conflict seems to me like it has some similarities to our conflict with the Reapers, except most of the entire galaxy were willing to step up and combat this. But the Fayelons, their kind?”

Garrus: “I know. The threat, itself, is alarmingly devastating to them and yet, these girls were the only ones who decided to step up to do something about it. We don’t know why, either, but we have our suspicions that something else is going on.”

Bailey: “I know. Thousands of their own kind are being killed by this monster and it seems almost as though a lot of their kind don’t seem to care about it.”

Jewel remained silent.

Garrus: “There’s no doubt in my mind there are many red flags in this conflict. We don’t exactly know what is really happening, but we intend on helping these girls out with this fight no matter what and I would be damned if I turned them away and let them continue handling this on their own. No way in hell will I ever turn my back on them.”

Bailey: “You’re a good man, Garrus. I feel like C-Sec suffered a tremendous loss after you quit, but you made your choice and they made theirs to devalue your dedication. Keep it up, you’re doing the right thing.”

Garrus: “Yeah, thanks.”

Bailey: “And you, young lady. You continue doing what you feel you need to do. If you feel that you need to stay here and fight your enemy, then by all means, more power to you. And don’t worry, none of this is your fault. There are some who blame you and your friends for this threat, but I don’t agree with any of those people. If anything, I truly believe that it can’t be helped and this is probably best for everyone.”

Jewel: “Thank you, captain. We will continue to do our best.”

Garrus placed his hand on her shoulder.

Garrus: “Likewise.”

Bailey: “And I will continue to root for you. You will always have my full support.”

Jewel smiled, Garrus seemed touched.

Bailey: “Well, if there’s anything else you need from me, just let me know.”

Garrus: “Yeah, we appreciate this, captain. We just came to talk about my friend over here and the situation that she had dealt with. I should have known that she had already met you.”

Bailey: “Don’t worry about it, hardly anything gets past me. I’ve had been suspicious of them when they couldn’t tell me how they arrived here, something about it being “too complicated to get into” and at the time, they would be right, but now I understand it enough for it to not be so complicated.”

Jewel: “Thank you.”

Garrus: “We’ll see you again some other time.”

Bailey: “Sure thing, have a good day.”

Garrus and Jewel walked off and continued on their way. As they walked on, Jewel looked around with a slight disheartened look on her face. She whispered loud enough for only Garrus to hear her.

Jewel: “Garrus, don’t look now, but I can sense some who are discontent.”

Garrus, only shifting his eyes a few times and spotted some of the bystanders with contempt looks on their face.

Garrus: “Yeah, I know.”

Much time later, the different groups reunited. They met with each other at the Presidium. Splash and her group were already at the location with everyone else just arriving. All 4 women were surrounding Splash as she had a large towel over her obviously naked body, soaking wet. Everyone else who arrived were shocked to see this with her friends being moreso annoyed as though they had seen this from her.

Traynor: “What happened?”

Samara: “We lost Splash a little while ago.”

Jack: “We spent a lot of time scrambling to try and find her.”

Tali: “She didn’t try to rip anyone apart, did she?”

Miranda: “No, thankfully, she didn’t. That was our biggest concern.”

Liara: “It took a lot of time before we were able to find her and when she did, well…”

The 4 women looked at her. She had an embarrassed but content grin on her face. They looked back at the others.

Liara: “She was…in the water…without her clothes.”

Jewel, Flare, Star and Aera had a look of annoyance and embarrassment as though they have dealt with this before.

Ashley: “She was skinny dipping?”

Liara: “Yes…in the lake.”

Aera let out an annoyed groan.

Aera: “This again?”

Garrus: “So, she’s done this before, hasn’t she?”

All 4 of Splash’s friends were still very much annoyed.

Aera: “Yes, many times.”

Wrex: “Wow, she must really love the water so much.”

Star: “Obviously, there’s that, but…”

Aera: “She very often does this to try and “revert” to her “true form”.”

Garrus: “Oh, that fantasy again?”

All 4 of the other girls had looked at Garrus, still annoyed.

Jewel, Flare, Star, Aera: “Yes.”

Ashley: “How did you guys lose her so easily?”

Liara: “We were…checking out a nearby store. We saw something that greatly interested us.”

Miranda: “We thought that one of us was keeping an eye on her.”

Samara: “But upon realizing that all of us assumed the same thing, she was already gone.”

Jack: “We spent nearly an hour running all over the place trying to find her. I already know about her temper tantrum from…certain incidences.”

Miranda: “Yeah, she makes you seem tamer, even back when we were trying to recruit you from the Purgatory.”

Jack: “Hey! Watch it!”

Liara: “We had feared the worst, but when we found her in the water, we were relieved and mortified. Judging by how she’s been so nonchalant, I had a feeling that you girls are used to this.”

The other girls looked at Liara, still visibly annoyed.

Aera: “Yeah, more than we can count.”

Star: “Thankfully, this doesn’t happen in public…too often.”

Flare: “Yes, it is indeed a most awkward endeavor that we’ve had to deal with time and time again.”

Garrus: “Heh, it’s like dealing with a little kid, as we thought.”

Miranda: “Next time, let’s make sure that one of us always keeps an eye on her.”

Liara: “Yes, we are lucky that this is how we have found her. If she wandered near an eatery that, at the very least, serves aquatic cuisine, well…”

Miranda: “It would almost be like when Jack rampaged through Purgatory.”

Jack: “Are you really trying to set me off again?”

Grunt: “Heh, that would indeed be an incredibly accurate way to put it.”

Jack glared at Grunt.

Ashley: “Alright, that’s enough, everyone. Let’s dry off Splash and…try to find where she left her clothes.”

Star: “Oh, clothes won’t be a problem. We can just simply materialize them in an instant.”

Ashley: “Um…right, you…you girls can take care of it, then. After that, we need to meet with the admiral at the hospital, just like we had agreed.”

Garrus: “Of course, he did mention something there that’s in need of our attention.”

Ashley: “Alright, let’s go then, after we take care of Splash, of course.”

Everyone stared awkwardly at Splash, she still seemed quite happy.

[FayelonMagicalGirl]

Now for the next character theme. This is the one that I chose for Garrus: