Hero's Survival - Chapter 4: Meeting the Ancient

Summary: The Reapers are here, the galaxy is being destroyed, and it's all my fault. Now I've gotta stop the Reapers, save the galaxy, and find a way home...oh and I'm pregnant. What's a girl to do?

Pairings: Female Shepard/Garrus, Joker/OC, and Male Shepard/?
Language Warning: Contains adult language
Rated: T or PG-13

Chapter 4: Meeting the Ancient
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Location: Attican Traverse
Date: October 30, 2183


Javik's eyes closed as he awaited the humans return. This reality's races were no doubt going to have the same fate as his own, but he'd be even more damned if he were just going to sit around and do nothing. He'd already come to the conclusion that he was currently weak due to the stasis pod. By what he could remember he'd be weak for three, perhaps four days before he could help these people.

Taking a deep breath he recounted the male that had been with the female Commander when he'd awakened. He smelled differently. Yes, even with the scents of floral, fire, guns, and steal he'd smelt something was different and then he recalled what he'd been told by an elder a long time ago...
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Ian looked at his food with distaste and sat his fork down. Placing his hand over his face he groaned silently and sighed. His shoulders slumped forward. It was then he saw Ann sit down across from him with a smile. "Long day, huh?" she asked.

"Very," he groaned before pushing his half eatten meal away from himself.

"I know you haven't gotten time to mourn your friend's death, but I doubt he'd want you to starve yourself," she mumbled as he took a bite of something that resembled purple.

"What's that?" he asked as his curiosity got the better of him.

"Eggs." She chuckled as Tali and Kal both took seats next to her.

"I still can't believe we found a real live Prothean in this reality as well as our own." Tali giggled.

"Too bad our Javik left after the war and didn't stick around for all this fun," Kal chuckled.

That caused both humans to cough. "Yeah. I could see that meeting going smoothly." Ann shook her head. "Jackass meet stick-up-his-ass. Stick-up-his-ass meet Jackass." That had Ian laughing.

"Come on, our Javik got better towards the end of the war," Tali defended.

"Yeah, but now we're back to square one with newly awakened Javik." She sighed. "Guess I've gotta give him a fair chance."

"Give who a fair chance?" Garrus asked as he took a seat at the end of the table with Kolyat. The deeply man had a purple goop on his plate, which looked as bad as the blue stuff on Garrus'.

"What is that shit?" Ian gagged at the smell of rotten eggs and foot odor.

The turian gave him a smile. "Apatarae, only after it's been through a blender, mixed with bianasae." He laughed as both his wife and Ian face him confused looks at the names.

"Palaven animals," Tali cleared up. "The apatarae is the turian version of the human dinosaur brontosaurus. The bianasae is much like a human deer."

Kal snortted. "I've never read about a deer weighing forty to fifty pounds or being six to seven feet tall."

"They're big deer," she cleared up.

"Smell like shit though."

Garrus chuckled. "That's because my dear husband has bone flakes in it and didn't fully cook it." This got her a finger flick from him, which caused her to laugh.

"So where's John?" Garrus asked switching the conversation from his dinner.

"Went to find Serena." Ann stated with a shrug as she finished her eggs off.

"Why?" Ian asked looking at the Commander. The woman's eyes seemed to laugh at his question.

"Because our new Prothean wishes to speak to the time traveler or jumper." She paused. "I'm still curious on how he knew about her." She leaned back in her chair. "Did anybody mention her name or her specialty to him on the way to the ship?"

Ian shook his head when suddenly he paused. His eyes widened. "Shit!" he then took off out the door leaving everybody shocked.

"Guess when ya gotta go, ya gotta go." Kolyat muttered as he went back to eating. His statement however left everyone in laughs and giggles.
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Serena glared at the door that led to Javik's room. She was cracking her fingers out of nervousness. She didn't know what to say to a fifty thousand year old ancient Prothean. Taking a deep breath she walked up to the door just as the elevator door opened revealing Ian. He looked a little relieved to see her. "You okay Ian?"

"Yeah." he muttered as he walked up to her. "You haven't got in yet, have you?"

"Err...no." She looked away. "Kinda nervous. I mean...what's he want with me?"

"I think he wants to talk to me?"

Serena blinked at him before hitting him upside the head. "What! You could've told John this earlier and here I've been getting myself upset and nervous for nothing! I'm pregnant damn it! It's not healthy for the baby-" her hand flew over her mouth at that second.

Ian's eyes widened. "What!" he gasped. "How? I mean who's the-"

"Joker."

"Of the SSV-" That earned him another hit. "Ouch! Stop that!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" she paused her eyes starting to fill up with tears. "I can't help but be mad right now." She stomped her foot.

"Did you just stomp your foot?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah?"

He laughed. "I thought girls only did that in movies!"

"Oh!" she punched his shoulder.

"Abuser!" he laughed. "I take it nobody else, but Joker knows." Wiping her eyes, she nodded. "I'll keep it a secret."

Just then the door to Javik's room opened revealing said Prothean. Serena eyes widened as she took him in. He radiated power. His eyes turned and looked them over. "I was coming to find you human," he said. "Explain to me how is it you are here. I can sense you do not belong, but you are not alone." He looked from Ian to Serena. "How is it there are two of you?"

"Uh..."

"Fate has a sick sense of humor?" Serena stated causing both men to look at her. "What? It's the truth. I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around the fact that if I wish something it'll happen."

"But with consequences." Ian finished.

"Yeah."

"And you wished to be here?" the Prothean asked sounding as if he didn't believe her.

"Actually I wished to have some sort of action in my life." She blinked. "I mean I was thinking along the lines of a job, a car, and maybe a really hot boyfriend. Now I'm a hundred years away from my old life and am now facing a Reaper threat where they'll turn all organics into goo for a new reaper." Ian coughed causing her to look at him. "What? It's true."

"That's putting it blunt." He then looked at the Prothean. "On my part, this all happened when I went into my bathroom and was being a smartass." That caused Serena to raise an eyebrow. "I was saying Bloody Mary three times into the mirror and one third time a fucking asari appeared in the mirror and grabbed me. Next thing I know I'm on the Citadel." He laughed. "The really crazy part is the fact that in my reality all of this, the Citadel, the Reapers, and Shepard are all a part of a game called Mass Effect."

"Same here!" Serena gasped.

Javik watched the two humans for a second before suddenly grabbing them both a emerging himself into their past memories, while they got to see his...