125 – Confusing Situation (1)

The still confused Samael tried to think rationally, but the Leviathans around him didn't let his mind rest for a minute.

They began to explain what exactly had happened. "The Crucible worked flawlessly. It not only killed all the Reapers, but we also found a way to preserve most of the technology around the galaxy, so the Relays still function."

As mentioned before, the only reason the Crucible is viewed as a last resort but a sure way to kill the Reapers is because the device annihilates all technology across the galaxy, leaving nothing behind—neither Geths, Relays, nor even VIs.

Using it would send the entire galaxy at least 300 years into the past in terms of technology. Sure, they could rebuild everything in a few years, but trouble doesn't wait for one to recover and they would be tied down in a lot of areas.

Samael was surprised to hear this, as even after his 99 cycles of research, he had never found a way around that—only a shield-like structure that protected the tech around it for a few kilometers. It was the same device he asked Mordin to research before he left.

Curiously, he asked, "How?"

The Leviathans went on to explain how they did it. "It's simple, we altered the device to focus on the Reaper's signature. We had to capture one of them, kill it, and dismantle it, but we succeeded."

After a brief pause to digest everything he had heard, Samael asked, "If you managed to focus only on them, does that mean the other synthetic species are safe?"

He was asking on behalf of the Geth, EDI, RR, and the others. Of course, he knew that by now he could change nothing about their outcome, but he hoped their fate was a good one.

Sure enough, the Leviathans sounded proud. "They are safe too."

Samael sighed in relief. This was one of the points he worried about the most, as a lot of synthetics were like family to him. Sure, he would have to deal with RR and the fact that she had been working—without knowing it—for the Reapers.

Still, for now, he was happy. Suspicious about his situation, but happy. Samael had gathered some clues about what this situation could be, but without further proof, he could only wait and gather more intel. He relaxed a bit and asked for a favor, "Can you please guide me to my ship?"

If he got out of his coffin-like home, he would be dead in minutes. After all, very few species would survive at this depth.

"Of course." The Leviathans knew that Samael had finished everything he needed to do here, and they had also completed their part. They didn't mind helping the human one more time.

On the way to the surface and towards his ship, Samael asked, "What are you going to do now? I mean, the Reapers are gone for good, and you are free."

After that question, Samael's eyes shone with a strange light as he waited for their response.

The Leviathans answered matter-of-factly, "We will leave this planet and then guide the rest of the galaxy."

"Just that?" Samael asked to confirm.

"Just that."

"...I see." Samael's expression fell, but before he could say anything more, they arrived at his ship.

The Leviathans looked at Samael, who slowly got out of his coffin-like home and said, "And this concludes our path together. After this, don't come looking for us for help, as we won't do it."

Samael nodded and added, "If you need help, contact Earth or the Citadel and tell them you are looking for me."

He didn't know what had happened to LD or the Citadel, but two years wasn't enough for his reputation or prestige to fade, so his words should still carry some weight.

"We will remember that."

With that, the Leviathans returned to the bottom of the ocean, and their fate was changed. Only time would tell if something good for the galaxy would come out of it.

Samael watched them leave and stayed afloat on top of his coffin-like home for a few minutes before gritting his teeth and starting to swim toward his ship.

The hangar door opened and he carried his 'home' with him. It weighed a lot, but nothing Samael couldn't handle. He dropped it close to the door that led to inside the ship and entered it.

The ship looked clean for something that hadn't had anyone inside for two years. Samael checked a few things and confirmed that nothing had been tampered with.

This only made the situation more confusing, and after ensuring everything was in order with the ship—fuel, energy, and other things- Samael left the planet.

As soon as he confirmed he was out of it, he headed straight for the place where he spent the most time thinking: the bathroom.

Upon entering, the reflection in the mirror staring back at him was the face of someone now two years older. Thanks to the serum, he would age slower and maintain his appearance, but he still felt he changed a bit.

His left eye was still gone, but he hadn't cared about that from the beginning.

Slowly, he tried to move his body around. First, he jumped as high as he could and touched the ceiling. Nodding to himself, he did a few more jumps, a few acrobatics then he punched the wall, leaving a dent on it.

He confirmed he was in charge of his body. But, the situation still remained strange. By now, thanks to the clues left by his conversation with the Leviathans and their overall attitude, Samael had a few guesses about what this situation might be, but all of them were either bad or troubling.

Still, even though he knew the situation might not be good, the temptation to check how his family and the galaxy had been doing over the last two years was too strong for him to ignore.

The Leviathans had only told him that the galaxy won, but they never mentioned what they lost in the process.

Shaking those thoughts away, Samael decided to focus on the present. He was smiling a bit, as even though the coffin-like home had a refresher inside and a way to bathe him, the last time a real shower was 2 years ago.

Samael entered the bath as his ship made its way towards Earth.

---

DAYS LATER

Samael and his ship finally arrived at Earth. On the way to his home, he passed through many clusters and planets, and the overall atmosphere was a hopeful one all around the galaxy.

From what he heard in the news as he traveled through those populated places, things were looking good.

The Reapers had launched their full-scale attack not long after he entered the Leviathan's lair, and the galaxy engaged with the machines multiple times. The war, at least in the beginning, reached a stalemate until something changed.

The Reapers, perhaps fearing something, started to grow aggressive, and their offensive gained momentum.

They destroyed Thessia once more, Tuchanka fell, and many more planets were devastated.

However, the morale of the galaxy did not falter, and the inhabitants fought back. All those from the devastated planets were relocated to safe spots. Many, however, decided to join the war effort.

The training sessions with the Krogan and the Turians, though brief, proved significant. Even the Volus, who many didn't consider a threat due to their physical limitations, fought bravely against the machines. Additionally, the Hanar, Elcor, and even some of the Yagh joined the war effort.

However, this type of conflict couldn't be won in a single day and the war continued to rage across the galaxy,

After a year and a few months of war, the Reaper offensive reached Earth. Before they could destroy it, the galaxy decided to finally use the Crucible.

Samael didn't know if it was because they hadn't built it yet or something else, but the wait was over at that time.

Still, before they could use the device, it was destroyed. From what he gathered, no one knew exactly what had happened, as the Reapers didn't attack it, yet it was destroyed. But he had a few hunches.

"It could have been RR... no, I'm sure it was RR."

Putting those thoughts aside, Samael continued to remember.

After that incident, the galaxy's morale hit an all-time low, and hope seemed lost. All arcs of the Andromeda Project were launched, ensuring that at least the galaxy would have a few remnants of its legacy.

However, before the Reapers could completely destroy Earth, a miracle occurred. One by one, reports started flooding into the Alliance and the rest of the galaxy.

"The Reapers were falling one by one!"

No one knew what had happened, but the Reapers were defeated in less than an hour. They fell in droves, literally everywhere across the galaxy.

The war was over just like that. The galaxy had lost many in the process, but they had won the war.

The puzzling things to all was that no one knew what exalcty had happned. They had just lost their trump card and were sure of their defeat when suddely they won.

Of course, Samael knew it was the Crucible that the Leviathans built, but the rest of the galaxy was in the dark about it.

Samael stopped reminiscing and looked at Earth with complicated emotions. From what he could gather, Earth was safe, and the majority of its inhabitants were too, so his family should be all right.

But that wasn't exactly his worry. Still, he continued on his path toward San Francisco.

As soon as he turned off the stealth system on his ship, he was overwhelmed by the numerous calls from his crew.

He answered all of them with, "I'm home and going to LD headquarters. Meet me there." He then ended the call soon after.

Arriving at the LD headquarters—or at least what was left of it—made Samael sigh with emotion. From what he could see at a distance, the grand majority was there, meaning the chances of a lot of them being dead were minimal.

' That's good....'

After the ship landed and the hangar was opened, and before Samael could even leave the cockpit, a lot of people entered the ship in a hurry.

At the forefront were Tali and Liara. They barged into the ship and jumped onto Samael as soon as they saw him, tears in their eyes and raining kisses upon him.

"We thought we had lost you."

Tali was ugly crying, while Liara remained somewhat composed, but anyone with eyes could see the turmoil behind the Asari's gaze.

With complicated emotions, all Samael could say was, "I'm home."