33 – The Lost Planet, The Underworld Dog and The Handler (1)

A DAY LATER

By this point in time, the crew had departed from the Citadel a day ago and were now close to the Terminus System. Samael had ordered Veronica to go there but never gave an exact location, only where she should stop and then wait for other orders from him.

So, almost everyone in the crew was gathered around Samael, trying to make sense of what he said a day ago.

'' Are you 100% sure this is the location? You will not be with us to guide.'' Veronica sounded a little bit unsure. The navigator also nodded.

They were in the middle of the Terminus System, and while there was a space station and hangar around the area, there was nothing more.

The Mu Relay was nowhere to be seen.

Who could blame them for having doubts, as Samael suddenly said they would use the Mu Relay, a relay that was lost to the galaxy a long time ago, thanks to the Rachini war. It was a myth.

While they trusted him with their life, it was still difficult to accept it.

But, Samael knew the truth, and better yet, the location of the Mu Relay. Well, not the exact location, but where it was supposed to be a few years from now. That was more than enough for him.

'' Trust me on this. I've already double-checked the location with RR, this is it. We need to use the Mu Relay to get to Illos.'' 

In the last few hours, Samael explained his plan to everyone. He wanted Javik to go to Illos and try to find anything related to the Reapers so that they could show it to the Council. Now that Tevos was on LD side, they could push more strongly.

Of course, to have Tevos on his side he would eventually have to help the Asari with the Beacon on Thessia, but that is a problem for later. 

Javik was more than happy to go, and Wrex would serve as a bodyguard in this mission. Not that Javik or the other needed it, but Samael was trying his best to ensure everyone got along with each other, as they would expend a lot of their time together in the Reapers Wars.

He also did something to make sure Shepard got along with a few of her future crewmates, but that is a story for another time.

In the past cycles, sometimes the crew was a little hostile to each other thanks to things unrelated to him, but Samael was trying his best to ensure this life of his would be perfect.

'' And where are you going exactly?'' Jack, who was also at this meeting, alongside almost all other members of the crew, asked.

'' Kill a bad dog.'' 

Jack connected the dots almost immediately, '' Let me come with you.''

Samael shook his head, '' I know how much you want revenge but I'll deal with Cerberus alone... I reckon Miranda already put you up to date?''

Jack nodded with a hard face. She didn't want to believe it at first, but she knew it was most likely true. True that an 'immortal' species made out of machines was coming to wipe out all life in the galaxy.

And that they would have to fight that species if they wanted to live. ' All that torture and me escaping only to be given that news...'

'' We need to kill all those opposing us and who are evil right now, as we need more powers to fight the Reapers. This has to be done sooner or later... Also, I need you to protect them while I'm gone.''

Jack's ego inflated a little at that last part. '' Leave it to me.''

''OK, now that everyone knows what we are doing, it's time for me to leave. RR, I'll bring a drone for you to be able to go with me, while also taking care of the ship.'' Samael then said while looking at Veronica, '' I need you to go to this place.''

It was a place close by, the previously mentioned nearby space hangar.

Veronica said nothing and got up and prepared to fly there.

Samael said to her, to dispel her doubts, '' I have a ship waiting for me there.''

This ship was a normal one, but he had made a Stealth upgrade on it. He would fly undetected directly into Cerberus' heart and kill the head.

'' We know our mission. Don't die, protect your comrades and come back alive. We will need all the help we can get to fight the Reapers.''

Everyone nodded and then got up to do their things. 

Samael was going to his room to prepare for his trip when he noticed Wrex was looking quite down and he approached the Krogan, '' What happened?''

Wrex sighed melancholically, '' You have found a good employee.'' He looked at Miranda, '' She made a good deal.''

'' Are you talking about the genophage cure?''

Wrex nodded, '' We reached an official deal. I'm sure she will let you know the specific details about it later on... but damn, I don't feel good.''

Samael smiled in his mind, as the deal must be quite good for LD and bad for the Krogan, even though he asked Miranda to go easy on them.

' Oh well, I trust her, and I know how melodramatic Wrex is. The deal must be good for both of us.'

'' Wait for good news in about 5 years or so.''

Wrex nodded, '' Our species endured far more than that. We can handle a few more years.''

Samael then left the place, making a mental note to call Mordin soon, as he wanted the Salarian to be involved in 'creating' the cure.

HOURS LATER

After making sure everything was ok, Samael made one last call, to see how the guest was and if she would arrive on time. After all, going to Illos was a dream for the young Asari.

While he really wanted to meet Liara, it was not the time yet. Or that was what he convinced himself. But he missed her.

Of course, he missed the other members of his family, and he also ensured they were taken care of, but ... Liara, Tali, and Shepard were different. They are his loved ones, his other half (s). 

 LD had already contacted the trio and from what he heard from his agents, Tali had already agreed to enter his crew, Liara would enter too if asked, as she would not pass the chance to study Javik.

' Only Shepard would be a little more complicated, as she felt she owned something to Anderson. Staying in the Alliance was/is a way to repay him.'

As Samael knew about Shepard's life, he also knew she considered Anderson as a father figure, for everything the man did for her when she was younger. He also knew she would not leave the Alliance, so his approach to her, while almost the same as others, had to have a different result.

' I will deal with that hill called Anderson later on.'

Samael called the LD personnel in charge of Liara, confirmed everything was good with her and they were on their way. He finished the call and looked ready.

' Now, let's go meet one of my many teachers...'

Checking if everything was ok with the drone RR would be using, Samael departed from the space hanger toward Cerberus' main base, while the crew, with the unnamed ship, went toward Illos.

While Samael was flying towards Anadius, a planet in the Horse Head Nebula, the location of Cerberus' main base, memories of the cycle he studied/worked with the Illusive Man came to his head.

He wasn't proud of that moment, but he had hit rock bottom and thought there was no way out of the time loop so he said fuck it.

Ironically, it was this cycle, where he committed so many wrong things, that put Samael back on course. He continued stuck in the subsequent time loops but no more involvement with Cerberus or doing evil stuff.

Anyway, in that cycle, he came to know the Illusive Man or Jack Harper, on a personal level. The man taught a lot of things to Samael, that he would come to use in future cycles.

How to manipulate those he wanted, to kill those who stood in his way. It was painful for Samael to admit it, but the teachings of the lunatic were useful.

Their relationship is complicated, as while the man is without a shadow of a doubt a piece of trash, ridiculous, a lunatic, a maniac, etc, he is also Samael's teacher.... Well, at least one version of his was.

Of course, Samael would not blink an eye when killing him but it was a complicated feeling.

While working under the Illusive Man, Samael knew the exact location of every Cerberus base, and everything they did and would do, so he knew they should be destroyed, for the sake of all life in the galaxy.

Only one thing was on his mind, ' If I do this EDI will not exist. Well, yes, I do have her mother-code and could make 'her' as soon as I want, but this begs the question: If I create her, It would be the same EDI I know or not?'

The situation was the same with Legion ( a Geth ) and Grunt ( a Krogan made in a lab), as one of them would be born only a few years down the line, and the other might not have the upgrades he need, but if Samael wanted, he could also make Grunt right now with the right 'ingredients' and he could also direclty go to Legion and upgrade the Geth. But, would they be the same?

Basically, Samael's entire life was a Ship of Theseus paradox. ( AN: Ship of Theseus paradox: it's a paradox regarding identity over time. One version, positing a scenario in which all the parts of a ship are replaced gradually and one at a time, poses this question: Is the vessel that exists after the replacements the same ship as the vessel that existed before the replacements?)

If he upgraded Legion to his best form, if Samael made both EDI and Grunt right now, would they be the ones he know.... Is ANYONE he met, the same person he met in the first cycle? Is it fair for him to think about that?

Even if he didn't like to think about it, he had modified a few things here and there around the previous cycles and in this one, and those things changed the person he had met in the previous cycles, even if just a little or maybe too much. They were the same but at the same time, they weren't.

Some of their personality were different, he took out a few growing experiences they might have, he added a few more here and there, and some things about them changed.

Sometimes he thinks he didn't have the right to do that, but he knew they had better chances of survival if he intervened.

Of course, the majority of them maintained their personality across all cycles but, it was fair to change the way they are? 

Their original personalities/life were the ones from the games, but Samael had already deviated from that path long ago.

Samael's mind broke, healed the best it could, but never managed to find the answer to that question... and he knew he would never be able to answer it. 

He could only accept what life threw at him and deal with it. But now, this was the last time. NO more redos, no more time-loops

What he decides now is the end and he would have to live with the result. Because of that, a small spark of doubt crept into his mind.

' Should I wait so that EDI can exist? If I make her... it's ok to do that?'

While thinking that, Samael was calm.

' It's just doubt. I know what I need to do with Cerberus... If EDI suffers from the consequences of my actions, so be it.'

' Time to put an end to this madness.'

WITH THE ILLUSIVE MAN 

Things haven't been going Cerberus' way since a few years ago. Everything dates back to when LD was created. Cerberus lost a lot of power and influence thanks to them.

The worst thing was that they had the chance to go all out at the beginning when LD was at the start of its journey, but the Illusive Man chose not to.

Who could blame him though, as if they created a Med Gel way ahead of its time. If he gave them time and then took the benefits from them down the line, things would be incredible.

Alas, fate had other ideas and now Cerberus was a shell of its former self. While still powerful, it was not good enough for the Illusive Man. So much so that he did something that endangered them all.

'' EDI, can you send me the reports on the researchers on the bases? I need the data from all fronts.'' Jack asked his newly made AI while he was making his way towards his office, with a view to a dying star.

A robotic voice responded, '' All data has been transmitted to your omni-toll.''

'' Thank you.''

The Illusive Man checked the documents while thinking about the consequences of his actions. Making an AI was taboo few crossed and those who did came to regret it.

But he had no other choice. LD was too powerful, and he would need the AI to win the upcoming war against them.

His original plan was to make an AI, but in the future and only after making the necessary preparations for things to be safe. Also, it would be shackled but the final version was unshackled, something VERY dangerous.

Cerberus was going all or nothing. If outsiders find out, they are gone, if they don't find out things would go smoothly.

It was just recently made but the results were amazing. But, for some reason, EDI could not hack into LD servers.

That put doubt in Harper's mind, ' What if LD also has an AI?'

But just as that thought came, it went away, as AI research was prohibited across the galaxy, so there wasn't much from where to start. Hell, even Cerberus's research was at the beginning and EDI was made as a last-ditch effort.

LD was good, but not that good.

'I'm almost prepared for the attack. They will not see what hit them.'

Cerberus had been preparing an attack on LD for ages, and the one he launched days ago alongside other organizations was just a ruse. The next attack will be the main one.

When Jack Harper entered what was supposed to be the most secure room in this facility, he was shocked to see a young man wearing armor clearly waiting for him.

The young man was seated on his chair with a drone flying above him while looking at the door, and subsequently, at him. '' Hello there. I think we never met, at least not in this cycle.''