It was in the morning after the party with Shepard and her crew. Samael had just woken up and noticed Tali was without her suit.
It then hit him that he didn't see her without it at the party, meaning she didn't take her suit off then. He now wanted to know if she was in pain, or anything along those lines.
So, after she woke up a few minutes later, he asked after cuddling a bit, '' So, why you didn't take the suit off yesterday? I mean, you are already free...''
Tali looked at Samael like he was an idiot, '' Love, this is a groundbreaker thing. What would happen if it was known that a Quarian was living out of its suit?''
'' ... A frenzy among the Quarians.'' Samael knew it was true. He was so blind to his love for Tali that he didn't consider that.
'' Yeah, unwanted attention. So for now on, unless you and I absolutely trust the person, I will not reveal it until LD is ready to reveal it. I endured my entire life, I can endure a few more months.''
Samael was touched and said, '' I love you. And sorry you have to restrain yourself for a bit longer.''
Tali lightly kissed Samael, '' It's my choice, so don't burden yourself with it. Now, how about we eat breakfast, huh?''
'' You read my mind.''
The duo then went to the kitchen and noticed that Liara and Valery were there. The latter was grinning a lot for some reason.
Just as the couple sat down on the table, Valery didn't waste time and said, '' A bird or two told me a few things you all did yesterday.''
Samael and Tali immediately looked at Liara, who looked at the clouds (?).
'' Do I want to know what the bird said?'' Samael said while eating. Tali was smiling at Liara, who was doing her best to look innocent.
'' I'll keep that information to myself.''
The family then ate breakfast and after that, Samael went to visit an 'old friend', while the others went to do their own thing. He arrived at the house and rang the doorbell.
RING RING
'' Coming!'' A voice came from inside the house, and hurried steps were heard. A teenager opened the door and said, '' Samael! Long time no see. Are you here to see my dad?''
'' Hi, Scott. Yes, I'm here to see your dad, is he home?''
'' No, he's out. But, feel free to enter and wait for him.'' Scott Ryder opened the door fully and invited Samael in.
'' Thanks.'' Samael didn't reject it and entered the house.
'' No problem.'' Scott leads Samael to the sofa. '' Do you want anything while we wait for him?''
'' Nah, I'm good.''
''OK. I'll let Sara know you are here.'' Scott then screamed at the top of his lungs, '' SARAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, SAMAEL IS HERE.''
'' OKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.'' The girl twin also screamed, but that was that.
Samael and Scott then talked some more, and finally Alec arrived home a few minutes later. The Pathfinder greeted Saamael, '' Hello.''
'' Hello. I came to check with you about the progress of our project and to tell you not-so-good news.''
'' Ok?'' Alec was taken aback by that last part, but he put it in the back of his mind. He then started to explain where the Project was, '' In the last 3 months, we started the building of 5 Arcs. It's coming along nicely, and I also have a list of people I want to recruit.''
Alec passed a list to Samael, who looked at it. As expected, as it was too early in the timeline, almost no one from Mass Effect Andromeda was there. Regardless, he decides to help them.
Samael nodded at the list and said, '' I also want you to recruit a few people.'' He then passed the list of the side characters from Androme to Alec.
The man didn't hesitate to nod, as Samael was the boss and main financier of this project, '' No problem.''
'' Also, I entered into a deal with the Asari. They will send a few of their prodigies to the Arcs, in exchange for something I can't say now.''
Alec was taken aback. For the Asari to 'give' their prodigies like that, the deal must be pretty good... or something was happening that he didn't know of. It was then that he remembered the bad news Samael had.
' Could it be, that something bad happened in the galaxy?'
Just in cue, Samael said, '' Now, onto the bad news.'' He then passed the Files he had on the Reapers to Alec.
Alec spent the next few minutes reading it and then sighed, '' So, that's why you wanted this Project. You must have known about his way before then.''
Surprisingly, Samael nodded, and a lie that helped him in the past was used once more, '' I entered into contact with a Prothean Beacon and it showed me what the Reapers were capable of. I acted with that in mind, knowing they would come back, and started Project Andromeda. Who knew they were close to attacking us?''
Alec now has more motivation for Project Andromeda than ever before. '' I'll speed things up. I might need more money, though.''
'' Don't worry about funds. Just make sure you have the Arcs built in at least 5 years or so.''
Alec made the calculation, and sure enough, 5 years was a good timeline.
'' Leave it to me.''
Samael then said goodbye to the Ryders and went to his secret building.
There, he met Okeer, who said the Grunt Project was coming along nicely. In a month or so, he would have the first specimen made.
He also checked the other projects, and they were coming along nicely. Samael said a few words to Mordin and the others and left the secret building, going to the slums. It was time to meet another old friend.
IN THE SLUMS
'' Samael! Long time no see! For what do I own the pleasure?'' Tarzan, who started as a small boss in the slums, is now the uncrowned king of the city.
He got rid of the criminal part of his business (the best he could), and now it was legit. Tarzan had the whole city under his thumbs and knew that as long as he didn't cross the line with the Alliance or Samael, he was safe.
'' You got fat.'' Samael said as he sat down on the sofa in the office. He pointed out the obvious, '' It seems powers made you relax.''
Tarzan laughed out loud because it was true. He let himself go when he gained power, '' Nothing a surgery or two doesn't fix.''
'' Or three.''
'' HAHAHA. Now, enough jokes. What do you come here for?'' Tarzan was someone who watched Samael grow in power from the beginning, even helping at the start. So he knew the now young adult wanted something from him.
'' To give you an opportunity. Count this as your luck.'' Samael passed a file to Tarzan, showing him an unknown planet with a few buildings.
Tarzan looked at it with curiosity and asked, What is this?''
'' A planet LD owns and currently lacks people. You can move there if you want to.'' Samael would not say anything about the Repaers to civilians, and even though Tarzan had a strong will, there was no point in telling him now.
'' ... Wow.'' Tarzan knew this was big. He was quite touched by the gesture, '' I don't think I will leave Earth for a long time, but thank you for this. It means a lot.''
Samael nodded, '' You just need to say the word, and we will come to get you and the others.''
Tarzan had a feeling there was more to it, but he trusted Samael enough. ' If he didn't want to say it, it means he has control over the situation... At least I hope so.'
'' I will keep that in mind... And, don't worry about your mother. I will increase the number of people protecting her.''
Samael smiled at the man, ' He's smart. Well, he had to be for reaching this position.'
Both talked some more, catching up with what the other was doing.
20 minutes later, it was time to say goodbye.
'' Thanks. For today, that was it. It was a pleasure catching up with you.'' Samael offered a handshake, which Tarzan accepted.
'' Likewise. See you soon, boy.''
Samael then parted ways with Tarzan and started to walk towards his home.
He looked at the sky and thought things were going nicely.
' Well, I have one more month to enjoy Tali and build up the relationship with Liara and Shepard. It will not be easy, but I think I can do it.'
' Then after that, it's time to go around the galaxy once more.'
There was still a lot Samael had to do in order to face the Reapers, and the list of things to do, contrary to decreasing, was only increasing.
' Well, I will deal with things as they come. For now, let's go home.'
A MONTH LATER
A lot and not much changed in the last month. The crews blended easily and were now friends for real, thanks to the continuous meetings they had. So much so that Tali opened up to Shepard and her crew about her condition.
She revealed this by showing up at one of the parties without the suit. There was a reaction, but only a fraction of what Tali expected, to the point she asked around about it.
The responses...
'' We kind of knew it.'' Ashley said while the rest nodded.
'' It was kind of obvious.'' Said Kaidan.
'' .. How?'' Tali was surprised they knew.
Dr. Chakwas smiled at the Quarian and said, '' Honey, you're seeing without the mask, kissing Samael for the past weeks. All without any side effects of being without the mask. We connected the dots from there and assumed LD/Samael had a hand on it.''
'' And it seems we were correct.''
Tali got a bit red and said, '' It's still a secret. LD plans on selling this to the Quarians in the future. I trusted you guys, so please don't say anything.''
Shepard and her crew looked solemnly. '' You can trust us.''
After that conversation, Tali never used the suit in front of Shepard's crew again. She was now waiting for Samael to reveal the Pill to the world, and when he did, so would she.
Those parties, Shepard and Samael organized. Both crews met up at least three times a week. Sometimes to drink, others to train.
Shepard's crew visited LD headquarters and also the base of operations they had in the slums. They were left impressed by all of it.
Also, they put up a good fight in the training sessions, but for the most part, the SSV Phoenix crew won. Jack and Miranda didn't participate, thanks to Clare's advice.
If they want to get pregnant sooner than later, they should refrain from training hard. Still, they weren't pregnant yet, and by the look on their faces, they wanted another session with Samael.
They got their wishes last week, with Tali's permission, of course, and now they are waiting to see if they got pregnant.
The Quarian, almost as if influenced by the threat of the Reapers, didn't mind the weird situation one bit. Of course, participating in it was another story, and she still wasn't comfortable with it. Maybe in the future.
As the crews got closer, Joker started to flirt with EDI openly, but there were not many results on that front yet. RR was doing her best to help the young AI navigate the relationship waters.
Very few took the Serum, even though Samael offered. A lot of the crew really wasn't sure if they would survive the serum, so they refrained for now and would train their bodies more.
The few selected who took all survived. Veronica and John were included.
They were now a force to be recon, capable of facing a lot of enemies head-on.
Finally, it was time to leave Earth and deal with some things.
First, the crew would go to Thessia, conclude the deal with Tevos by unlocking the Prothean Beacon there, wipe out the Illusive Man personality, and see if they could help with Samael's mind.
After that, they would deal with the Quarian and Geth conflict, find the Rachini Queen and bring her to their side, check on Wrex, and FINALLY, rest for a few years and prepare full-time for the Reaper attack.
But, farewells were necessary once more.
'' Are you sure?'' Samael wanted to confirm once more. He just offered for her to leave Earth and go toward the planet where Javik was. Because from now on, things might get dangerous.
But, she rejected it.
Vallery nodded, her eyes showing conviction, '' I'm sure. At least for now, I'll stay here... It's home.''
Samael sighed internally but relented. His mother was just as stubborn as him. ' At least she will move in the future.'
'' At any kind of problem, call Tarzan or Jaret right away. They will help.'' Samael had contacted the ex-slum boss, and they made another deal. He would provide the man with a place on his planet in return for his protection.
Of course, even without that, the man would do so. It was more of a reward for his hard work.
'' I'll miss you.'' Samael hugged his mom.
Vallery hugged her son back. The talk they had about the Reapre played in her mind once more, and she said, '' If you find any of those Repaers traveling around, give them hell.''
'' I will do so.'' Samael broke the hug and let the others say goodbye.
First, it was Tali, then RR, EDI, and finally Liara.
After the goodbye ended, Samael was going to the LD building, to reunite everyone and then go to the SSV Phoenix, when he received a call in his omni tool. It was from Okeer.
'' Okeer? Is everything good?'' Samael asked the Krogan.
An ecstatic voice comes through the call, '' Samael, it's done!''
'' Project Grunt?'' Samael asked in a hopeful tone.
'' YES! The first specimen is done and only needs to be woken up. Do you want to do it now?''
'' Let me be there first. Give me 5 minutes.''
'' No problem.''
Samael looked behind him when the call ended. The girls heard everything, but he didn't care, '' Anyone want to come with me, or do you want to go to the LD building first?''
'' I'll go to LD buliding.'' Tali said and kissed Samael, '' See you soon.''
Liara followed Tali, '' I'll go with her.''
'' Aren't you going to kiss me goodbye too?'' Samael teased Liara. Their relationship, while not yet in the realm of lovers, was close enough. Tali didn't mind one bit and also enjoyed the situation, as she also stole a few kisses here and there.
Liara rolled her eyes at Samael and went to LD Headquarters along with Tali.
EDI and RR decided to follow Samael.
Five minutes later, the two androids and Samael arrive at the secret building. They entered and went directly to the room where Okeer was.
Opening the door, they could see a lot of the researchers surrounding a pod, their expressions a mix of astonishment and glee.
Okeer was the first one to notice Samael, '' Samael! You arrived!''
That gathered the attention of the researchers, and they made their way to Samael.
'' Nice to see all of you.'' Samael then looked at Okeer and said, '' Where is the speciemen?''
'' Here.'' Okeer pointed at the pod with a proud expression. '' For the last few days, I've been giving him some lessons. Nothing too profound, but he knows who he is.''
Samael nodded at the Krogan and looked at the pod. There, Grunt was resting.
' Hello, old friend. It's nice to see you.'
After that mental greeting, Samael looked at Okeer once more and asked, '' Can we wake him up now?''
'' Sure. Give me a moment.'' Okeer started the process. He remembered something and said to the others, '' It's better if you retreat a bit. A newborn Krogan might react strangely.''
The researchers did so, but Samael and the Androids didn't move.
Okeer didn't say anything because he knew how capable they were.
Soon, the pod was opened, and Grunt came out of it.
The newborn Krogan almost fell down hard on the floor, but Samael held him up with one hand.
The newborn Krogan was still dizzy, as he literally just woke up. But, his instincts kicked in, and he tried to attack the first person he saw, which just so happened to be Samael.
PUNCH
The punch was caught by Samael's palm. If this was before he took the serum, his hand would be broken. '' Easy.''
That made the newborn Krogan relax a bit, but things were still confusing for him, '' Where am I?''
Samael released the hand and said, '' You just woke up. Can you tell me your lineage first?''
The newborn Krogan 'smiled' with pride, '' I have come from the lines of Shiagur Kredak, Moro, Terg, Wrend, and Veeoll. I'm a pure Krogan. You should be in awe!''
Samael smiled like a madman. No one knew why he did that, but some noted that.
He held his hand out for a handshake, '' I see. Have you thought of your name yet? If you don't, can I propose one?''
'' Go ahead.''
'' How about Grunt?''
Okeer and the others who were aware of the Project name nodded their heads. It made sense to name him that.
Okeer, in particular, was very proud of what he did. Grunt was the perfect example, at least in his mind, of a perfect Krogan. A model others should follow.
' He only needs someone to teach him... and I have the best example here.'
Okeer looked at Samael. He knew the man for less than 2 months, but from what he knew, the man was an example. Not only in terms of Krogan's likeness but just as a good person in general.
' If Grunts learn from him...'
Of course, in the last few days, Okeer did his best to 'teach' the newborn Krogan in the pod the best he could about his species. But that had limits.
' Only time will tell if my choice is right.'
'' Grunt! Grunt! I liked the sound of that!''
'' Good. For now, let's get you prepared to leave.''
'' To where?''
'' To face enemies with great strength.''
'' HEHEHE. I like the sound of that.'' Grunt was ready to leave. He was a simple Krogan, really.
Of course, in the future, when he develops better, he might change, but for now, that was it.
'' Ok, for now, follow those 2.'' Samael pointed at RR and EDI, who came with him, '' I'll follow you soon.''
Grunt followed the Androids out. But his curiosity got the best of him, and he asked, '' What are you?''
'' One of your new teachers.''
'' What can you teach me?''
BANG POW
A small scream was heard, but everyone collectively chose to ignore that.
Samael faced Okeer and looked at the Old Krogan with a mix of emotions. '' Good job.''
That was enough for Okeer. His lifelong goal was completed, thanks to LD making the Cure, and he even went a level above and created Project Grunt. If they wanted, they could make others Krogan like Grunt.
But...
'' Thank you. I honestly don't know what to do now.'' Okeer was sincere. He now had the chance to make others like Grunt, but he didn't know if he should. They were 'perfect' Krogan, but ... sometimes imperfection makes things imperfect.
'' How about putting Project Grunt on hold for now? Maybe there will be a time we will need more of him, but that time is not now.'' Samael still hasn't revealed the Reapers to this team. He would do so in a few minutes.
'' I see... I can do that. But, still, I still did my job, and now what? Are you going to kick me?''
'' No... I also have to tell something to all of you.'' Samael gathered the attention of everyone. When he saw that all his researchers were there, he tapped his omni tool and passed the files on the Repaers to them, along with Project Andromeda.
'' Those who want to join the last project shown, just need to tell me. This is for years into the future, but think about it now.''
The researchers read the files in a few minutes. It is safe to say that the mood in the room was at an all-time low.
'' Is this confirmed?'' Okeer asked, his face clouded.
Samael nodded, '' Yes. We confirmed their existence and that they were coming for us.''
'' ... FUCK!''
Someone shouted, but no one cared. They were too distraught.
Samael was tired of seeing that, so he said, '' Have faith in you and us.''
'' What? Do you think all those projects I gave you were for fun? No, it's for the upcoming war with the Reapesr.''
Something clicked in the heads of the people here.
'' So please, continue doing your best to ensure the projects are done.''
The researcher nodded and remembered the Projects they had at hand. Nanomachines, bigger MECH, a better MAKO. It all made sense now.
'' Again, say it if you want to join Project Andromeda.''
Samael looked at Okeer once more. The Krogan too was shocked, '' You can stay and help us. This is not just for humanity but for the whole galaxy. You will even receive a salary.''
Okeer didn't hesitate and said yes. This was bigger than him.
'' If you want to release some anger, there's an LD base in the slum nearby. Just go there to train.''
Okeer nodded and went away.
Samael then focused his attention on Mordin. The Salarian was calm, something normal.
'' You can also stay. No, please stay.'' Samael knew how precious Mordin was in the whole picture.
'' I wasn't planning on leaving.''
'' Good. And here's another project for you to work on. Illimited budget and ask for help if necessary.'' Samael passed a file to Mordin.
' Project Lazarus.'
Mordin read the name but decided to open the file later. Goodbyes come first.
'' I heard you're leaving, yes?''
'' I have something to do in the galaxy. I'll be back in a few months or so.''
'' Good. When you come back, let's make a project together.''
'' Lets.''
Samael said goodbye to everyone in the building and went to the skycar parked outside.
When he arrived there, he saw a now covered-with-marks, but still smiling Grunt.
Samael ignored the implication that the newborn was beaten up by both AIs and entered the sky car, followed by Grunt, EDI, and RR, the latter went to the driver's seat.
'' Where to?''
'' Meet with the crew and then leave Earth.''
'' On it.'' RR turned the skycar and went in LD's headquarters direction.
'' Who is this crew?'' Grunt asked after a few minutes.
'' Your family. People who have your back anytime, anywhere.''
'' Huh, that sounds like a clan. Good!'' Grunt knew a few things, but sometimes not enough. '' Are you going to be my battlemaster?''
'' We shall see.'' Samael smiled at the young Krogan. Truth be told, he wanted Shepard to mold him but knew it was difficult. So, he would do the job.
He would raise Grunt to be one of the best Krogans to have ever lived.
If that would happen, only time would tell.