The Czarnian Pilgrimage

By evolution-500

Genre: Science Fiction/Friendship

Disclaimer: "Mass Effect" is a property owned by Bioware and the Czarnians are a property belonging to DC Comics. I do not own this game nor any of its characters.

WARNING: This story contains references to violence, coarse language, disturbing themes and imagery. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter One: Encounters

"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Yena, you have a visitor."

Lying on the bed, Yena'Zorah smiled from behind the transparent decontamination curtain as her lifemate Jan entered the recovery room, her moon-shaped face and tiny button nose nuzzling the baby in her arms, her violet hair draped loosely down her pale freckled shoulders. "Thank you, Kora," she nodded appreciatively to the blue-dressed nurse.

"Will you be needing anything?" the latter queried.

"No, I'll be alright."

Kora nodded. "If you do, just ring the buzzer by your bedside."

With that, she departed, leaving Yena alone with her lifemate and son.

Clearing his throat, Jan approached, almost hesitantly in his step, as if afraid to disturb them both. "H-Hello, my darling. How-How are you feeling?"

She smiled. "Better, especially now that you are here. I have to admit, for a while, things were rather bumpy around here. What's been happening?"

Jan exhaled. "We had run into some damned Batarians."

"Ahh," she nodded, understanding.

"Needless to say, we managed to give the bosh'tets a good black eye or two." He leaned forward in concern. "Neither of you weren't hurt, were you?"

Yena raised a placating hand. "Not at all. Granted, the shaking and the alarms blaring had all been scary, plus for a brief moment I had felt a slight wave of nausea, but aside from that, I'm fine."

"And Rael?"

Looking to the baby wrapped up in a blanket in her arms, Yena's eyes grew warm. "He's doing very well. I've just finished calming him down, actually, but he's a brave little thing. Just like his father."

Jan scoffed, shaking his head. "Keelah, Yena, don't go filling the boy's head with such nonsense."

Yena shrugged. "Just being truthful, dear. You should have seen him, Jan. You would have been so proud of him."

Rocking the infant boy back and forth in her arms, Yena lightly pecked the top of his head as he slept. When she looked up, she saw Jan silently watching them, his eyes filled with a mixture of warmth and sorrow.

Sensing something was amiss, Yena lifted her eyes to meet his, her face filled with worry.

"Is everything alright, Jan?"

Blinking for a few moments, Jan then averted his eyes, avoiding Yena's as he looked away..

"What's wrong?"

Swallowing, he shook his head. "Nothing's wrong-"

"Jan, please," Yena pleaded, lifting a hand to the curtain. "I know something is wrong, saera. Please, tell me what is troubling you. Why did you come down here?"

Giving her an incredulous look, Jan scoffed. "What, I can't check in on my lifemate and son?"

"You could have used the Omni-Tool for that," she replied, gesturing to the device attached to his forearm. "Jan, so many on this ship are depending on you. I know you. Something has happened. Saera, please. What has you so worried?"

The question lingered too long in the recovery room, so much so that the Admiral started to shift in discomfort.

Closing his eyes, Jan raised a hand to his head and wearily sighed. "...We are lost, Yena," he admitted, his voice low. "We had made a blind FTL jump, and right now...things don't look good. Not only is our equipment damaged, but as far as we can tell, this is an unexplored galaxy. I'm scared, Yena. I want to save our ship and our people, but...I don't know how. I..." Dipping his head in shame, Jan stared to the floor, his eyes brimming with tears, "I don't want to lose you."

Softening her gaze, Yena regarded him with a mixture of both sadness, understanding and sympathy.

"Look at me." As Jan complied, Yena placed her hand on the transparent curtain separated them. "You will never lose me, Jan, nor Rael," she promised. "Whatever happens, we will always love you. I will always love you, and I will always be with you. I know you will do your best. We will get through this somehow."

The words flowed like honey, full of warmth and a deep, boundless love. However, despite her assurance, despite the unrestrained, unconditional love that his lifemate had for him, Jan saw the fear and helplessness in Yena's eyes, and it broke his heart.

Lifting his gloved hand, the Admiral quietly pressed it against the curtain, meeting her touch with his through the fabric.

The two Quarians remained there for sometime, neither of them saying a word, relishing their time together, or what little left there was.

If this was how they would die, with the two of them being by each other's side, then Jan couldn't ask for a better way to go.

Feeling a tear trickle down his cheek, Jan breathed. "I'm..." he murmured in a soft voice, "...I'm sorry, Yena."

Swallowing, Yena shook her head. "It's...It's alright, my darling. I know that it's not your fault." Hearing a soft whimper, she glanced down at the baby in her arm. "Listen, um, I was- I was just about to put little Rael back into his quarantine bubble before you arrived. Would you like to hold him before you go?"

Hesitating, Jan opened his mouth to say no, only to find himself unable to.

"...Yes," he said softly. "Yes, I would like that."

Smiling, Yena kissed the infant's forehead, then proceeded to carefully put him into his quarantine bubble, sealing it up.

As Yena prepared to deliver him to the father, Jan's Omni-tool went off, causing the two Quarians to pause, the latter's eyes narrowing in displeasure and frustration.

"Keelah, I'm sorry, my darling," Jan apologized, activating it. The air flickered with the holographic projection of Sito. "Yes?"

"Admiral, I'm sorry to interrupt, but...we have a situation."

Exchanging worried looks with his lifemate, Jan straightened in alert. "What's happening? Is it the Batarians?"

"No, it's not Batarians," Sito shook his head. "We've found...something..."

Blinking in confusion, the Admiral frowned. "I don't understand."

In the background, he heard a series of whistles and sounds that resembled moans, trills, grunts, squeaks, and creaks.

"What was that?!" Jan demanded. "Was that the equipment?"

Sito shook his head. "No Admiral. We've...We've come across some new type of lifeforms, but...none of us can believe what we're seeing right now! I'll try to send you a video and some pictures. Trust me, sir, it's something that needs to be seen for yourself!"

Shortly after, a message pinged on his Omni-Tool. Glancing questioningly over to Yena, Jan gave her a questioning brow before activating the message.

The holographic display activated showing the crew deck.

Blinking rapidly in growing puzzlement, Jan heard the crew murmuring amongst themselves, pointing directly something near the window, when a flicker of movement caught his attention, his eyes widening.

"What...the...?"

On the screen, floating just outside of the ship's window was a creature of some sort, with a long slender snout and round black eyes, its streamlined body long, thin and glowing, ending in a paddle-like tail. He didn't see any limbs on the thing save for what appeared to be a pair of flippers and a dorsal fin, its skin a strangely luminescent and translucent green.

However, what was even more puzzling, if not mystifying to Jan, though, was the fact that the creature seemed to be able to survive, if not breathe in the vacuum of space!

Knitting his brows together, he frowned, murmuring, "It can't be." Looking back to Yena, he gave an apologetic nod. "I'm sorry, my darling. I'm needed down at the crew deck. I promise I will come back to see you and Rael later, alright?"

Yena gave a hopeful smile. "We look forward to it, my love. Keelah Se'lai."

"Keelah Se'lai," he nodded again, his eyes focusing on the faces of his lifemate and child, as if to commit their images to his memory for what may be the final time before leaving.

* * * * *

The automated door opened, allowing Jan to step out into the corridor.

Outside the window, though, were a collection of the creatures, causing him to suddenly pause in mystified wonder.

"What the?!" He gasped, his eyes widening, watching them as they floated freely alongside asteroids, making trilling squeaks, whistles and moans that vibrated through him.

Staring with uncomprehending eyes, a slew of thoughts raced through Jan's mind, watching the creatures as they playfully danced and chased one another.

How was this even possible?!

How was it possible for an organism to survive unaffected by solar radiation and without oxygen, let alone able to somehow make sounds in open vacuum?

Approaching the window, Jan stared open-mouthed, watching one or two of the creatures float up to the glass.

He didn't see any nostrils on its snout, its expression playful, inquisitive and curious, yet Jan sensed no malice from it.

"What..." he swallowed, "...what are you?"

The creature blinked, causing Jan to wonder if it were an actual sentient being or an animal.

"Can you," he said slowly, "...can you understand me?"

He watched the creature as it regarded him, then turned back to play with its brethren, leaving Jan alone, who could only watch with growing awe at the strange beings.

Keelah, to think that such animals existed made him wonder about the possibilities, for if creatures such as these existed, what else was there out in the universe?

Turning his attention back to the corridor ahead, Jan hurried his step back to the crew deck, though he would find himself glancing every so often at the creatures from the corner of his eye, watching as the creatures followed his ship.

* * * * *

When he arrived, he found his crew in the midst of an argument.

"I'm telling you, I know what I saw!" One of the engineers, Kal'Atar, pointed to the window.

"And I say that you are seeing things!" Sito retorted.

"Really? Just as we did those creatures not too long ago?"

"What's going on around here?!" Jan spoke up, snapping their attention over to him.

"My apologies, Admiral," Sito nodded. "Nothing is the matter."

"The hell it isn't!" Kal snapped. "I saw a person out there!"

Letting out an annoyed growl, Sito turned in his direction. "That's enough out of you. You are out of line, now get back to work before I have you demoted for insubordination!"

The engineer harrumphed, storming off, although Jan heard him mutter "Bosh'tet!" under his breath.

Jan watched as Sito turned back toward him, clearing his throat. "Erm, my apologies, Admiral. As you have noticed, there has been no shortage of excitement around here."

"Indeed," Jan nodded. "I saw the creatures for myself outside of our ship." He then looked interestedly at his companion. "Were you able to get any samples of it?"

Sito shook his head. "No, but we did manage to obtain audio and visual recordings, along with some scans. Very strange organisms. A lot of their anatomy seemed to contain a number of never-before-seen minerals and elements." He sighed, adding, "It's regrettable that we weren't able to catch one - I'm sure the Science Division would have loved to have analyzed it."

"Indeed," the Admiral agreed. "Are they still around?"

Sito shook his head again. "No. One moment they were playing around our ship, the next, the...school or pod, whatever they were, just vanished into the stars. Just makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"About what exactly?"

Sito raised a brow from behind his visor. "If creatures such as these exist, what other beings are there? Surely these animals aren't the only ones to somehow survive in open vacuum. Indeed, it makes me wonder about what other fauna are out there."

Staring out the window, Jan was struck by the lingering words.

Was it...possible that there was an entire ecosystem out here that somehow managed to adapt and survive such harsh conditions?

What force or phenomenon created such entities, let alone allowed for them to do so?

The more he thought about it, the more dizzying it became, so much that it nearly made Jan's head hurt.

Clicking his tongue, the Admiral shifted in discomfort, glancing over his shoulder at Kal. "What was this talk about seeing a 'person'?"

Letting out a low chuckle, Sito dismissively waved his hand. "Oh, don't mind him, Admiral. Engineer 'Atar made a preposterous claim, that's all. It's not worth mentioning."

Looking seriously at him, Jan narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "I'll be the judge of that. What did he see?"

Sito didn't have time to properly respond when one of the crewmates called out. "Sir! We have detected a ship incoming!"

Whipping toward the crewman in alert, Jan straightened. "What?! Whose is it? The Batarians?"

"Negative," came the reply. "Signature is definitely not Batarian, nor is it either Asari nor Turian."

Looking up to the front windows, Jan watched as a colossal red vessel appeared, its metal smooth and pristine. However, what made it so unusual was not only its size, which easily dwarfed the Maedir, but also its shape, which looked like a giant metallic rose.

"Keelah, look at that!" One of the crewmen murmured, standing up from his seat.

"Ship seems to be hailing us," another spoke up, "but our comms are down."

"Are any of our weapons systems active?" Jan pressed.

"Negative. Nor is our FTL drive core working."

Wincing, Jan hung his head, wringing his hands together.

No matter what, it would seem that they were at the mercy of this new alien race.

Damn it.

Jan had no idea what to expect, but he prayed that these beings were not hostile, otherwise, his crew were in trouble.

Watching with bated breath, Jan stared ahead at the window, watching as the metallic "petals" started to retract, releasing a smaller pod-shaped ship that approached.

"Contact incoming," one of the crewmen spoke up.

As the vessel came closer, Jan watched as the ship suddenly stopped.

From the side, a hatch opened, and to the complete and utter amazement of all, the owner - a tall, muscular being in a colorful one-piece body suit that was orange and purple - stepped outside his ship, his hairless face pale with an aquiline nose, his black hair and red eyes standing out from the star-covered expanse.

"What in the world?" Sito breathed.

Staring open-mouthed in shock, Jan watched as the being smiled and waved at them, its teeth sharp and pointed, with pronounced fangs.

Blinking in confusion, Jan and the others mimicked the gesture, regarding the being with growing curiosity, although a small part of Jan was wary.

The Admiral watched as the smile on the being's mouth widened. Opening its mouth, the being then spoke in a language unlike anything Jan had ever heard.

The voice was soft and almost lyrical, a very pleasing and musical sound, and yet the words and vocals were completely unpronounceable, possessing a strangely layered and otherworldly drone-like quality that Jan was able to feel, regardless of the fact that its owner floated in open vacuum.

Regardless of the metal separating it from the crew.

What was most peculiar about the language, though, was the fact that, even though Jan couldn't understand the words, he was somehow able to feel the meanings and intent behind them based on the speaker's tone alone; the words projected notes of warmth and friendliness, a mixture of curiosity and intrigue.

That alone gave Jan some measure of hope for a peaceful resolution, but another part of him was wary.

However, not everyone reacted well to the being's tongue; a few visibly recoiled, while one pilot let out a startled shout, springing up from his seat, as if the latter had been inexplicably touched by a ghost.

"Keelah, what in the world was that?!" Sito flinched. "Was that its voice?!"

"It would seem so," Jan murmured with a wince, feeling the hair on his arms rise as he activated his Omni-Tool, hoping that the device would be able to translate. "GREETINGS. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND US?"

He watched as the being blinked in confusion, its mouth frowning.

Shaking its head, it spoke again, the notes in its voice indicating its lack of comprehension, though thankfully the warmth and friendliness it had indicated earlier hadn't abated.

"Were you able to get that, Admiral?" Sito asked.

Looking to the Omni-Tool, Jan scowled. "No, its vocals are far too complex for the Omni-Tool to even process. I'm not getting anything."

Running a hand through his hooded head, the former exhaled. "Keelah, how are we going to be able to communicate with this thing?!"

Wringing his hands, the Admiral paced around, refraining from growling.

"I think I have an idea!" A female crewmate, Communications Officer Lieutenant Jura'Vanya, spoke up. "We should try hexadecimals. Given the fact this species seems to be a space-faring race, it's fare to assume that they understand math. Mathematics is the universal language, after all."

Jan nodded. "Good thinking. Get to it then."

Nodding back, he watched as Jura approached the window and opened her Omni-Tool, enlarging the holographic display for the being's benefit.

"Here's hoping that this works," the latter murmured as she started to type.