Starborn Saviour - Prologue

Prologue

Location: Serpent Nebula /  Andraste System /  Thedas / Base of the Frostback Mountains
21 years and 11 months after the end of the Reaper War

Master Dennet was just over seeing the last of his horses when Shepard and Josephine arrived at the stables.

"Master Dennet." The marine greeted the Fereldan man as they drew level. "These the last of your charges?"

"They are, Your Worship. Lady Montilyet, your carriage is waiting for you. I didn't want to leave until I was sure that you were away first."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Shepard apologised, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Not blaming you, Your Worship. With what you've been through, I figure you've got the right to be a little slow."

"Hey, where are you going? Get back here!" one of Dennet's hands suddenly called out, drawing Shepard's attention away from the horse master. Stepping to the side, the vanguard saw his Brecilian Sure-Foot mount, Josmaël, striding towards him with the incensed stable hand chasing after him.

"Hey, bud," Shepard softly greeted the Hart when the beast came to a stop in front of him. Reaching his remaining hand up, he stroked the majestic animal's head. "I'm afraid that you won't fit in where I'm headed. You're better off sticking with Master Dennet." Reaching to one of the Hart's ears, he began to scratch the skin under it. Within moments, Josmaël had closed his eyes and had tilted his head to further the point of contact.

Man and beast stayed that way for a little while until Shepard drew back, catching the Hart's lead rope as he moved and led him over to the hand.

"He should behave himself now." Shepard told the stable hand as he handed off Josmaël's lead rope. The teenager stared at the Spectre, wide eyed. "I may have spoiled him a bit. Just give him a carrot or two when he starts to play up, that should make him amenable."

"T-thank you, Your Worship," The young lad stammered a little as he gripped the rope, and Shepard saw that he was fighting to stop himself from dropping his gaze to the former Inquisitor's missing forearm. "And I will."

Shepard turned back to Dennet as the Hart was led away, offering the older man his hand. "I can't thank you enough for supporting the Inquisition, Master Dennet."

Dennet took the offered hand and shook it. "I was proud to help, Your Worship. And may I say something? You might not have been born here, but with what you did for us, I dare say I can speak for us all when I say you're one of us now."

Shepard could only nod, the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat keeping him from talking.

Josephine seemed to know what he was planning to say next and she spoke his line for him, "Safe travels back to your farm, Master Dennet."

"The same to you, Lady Montilyet," Dennet returned graciously before taking his leave of the pair.

"Shall we, Milady?" Shepard gestured to the coach once his ability to speak had returned.

Josephine nodded her head and took his arm as they walked towards their ride. Their gear had been brought down from Skyhold much earlier in the day, so all the pair had to do was board and they would be on their way.

As they neared, the coach hand opened the door and the Spectre helped Josephine into the carriage before turning to address the coach driver. "There's a small forest with a clearing in the middle a couple of kilometres south of here," Shepard told the man - he'd seen the spot countless times during his travels to and from Skyhold and had advised his XO, Miranda Lawson, to send the shuttle there for extraction. "Take us there first."

Though the coachman looked perplexed at the order, as it took them away from their intended route to Jader, the man acknowledged the instruction with a nod of his head. "At your order, Your Worship."

Nodding his own head, Shepard climbed in - slightly struggling without a second hand to grab onto things with - to join Josephine. After the door was closed and the coach hand had taken his place by the driver, they lurched briefly as the horses moved off.

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The pair spoke of old and familiar topics during the first part of the journey to try and keep their minds off of what was about to happen for just a little while longer. But Shepard didn't fail to notice that despite their mutual distraction attempts, the closer they got to their destination the more Josephine's lower lip began to tremble.

When the first tear rolled down the Antivan's cheek the marine put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him. She went without a struggle, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence.

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When they arrived, Shepard stepped out of the carriage first, his eyes scanning his environs to see if there was anything amiss. Seeing no signs of danger or - more importantly - cloaking distortions, the Spectre sighed. Miranda had given him a general ETA for the shuttle's arrival, but the marine knew that that was bound to change if EDI detected any movement in the area that wasn't the Normandy's CO.

And the last of Dennet's plant of horses definitely counted as movement.

Part of him had been hoping and praying that the horse master would be well past the area by the time he and Josephine got there.

While having to say goodbye immediately would have been hard, akin to ripping off a band-aid, it would be over and done quickly and they could be on their respective ways. But waiting? It was going to be nine shades of hell to get through. Josephine was already in an emotional state and that was only going to get worse with time to fret. And as she became more distressed, Shepard knew that he wouldn't be far behind her.

"Any sign?" Josephine asked as she stepped out of the coach once he had let her know that the coast was clear.

Shepard shook his head as he turned back to face her. "EDI would have alerted Miranda to Master Dennet's movements through the AO. So no shuttle."

"And how long before she deems it safe enough?"

"An hour or so, most likely. Miranda knows my stance on over exposing Thedas, so she'll only send the Kodiak once she's absolutely certain that things are quiet down here."

"We wait?" Josephine asked as she looped her arms around his remaining one.

"We wait." He confirmed.

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With time to kill, Shepard's mind had begun to wander to what Thedas was about to face.

The marine didn't know if Solas was expecting this move from him, but he had no choice. He would need to be at a hundred percent if he had any chance of turning the Elvhen Rebel away from his destructive path - hopefully without resorting to violence, but he would need to be prepared if the hedge mage left him no choice - and protect Thedas from the untold horrors that could rip its lands apart.

But leaving to get the necessary treatments to fix and replace his missing forearm as well as the various implants and eezo nodules throughout the affected area meant that he would have to say goodbye to the woman that was currently clinging to him like a second skin: Lady Josephine Montilyet; eldest child of the noble Montilyet family from Antiva. Former Ambassador and chief Diplomat for the Inquisition, she was an eminent figure in diplomacy, forging relations with grace, charm and careful favors. She had worked for years as chief ambassador from Antiva to Orlais prior to the Inquisition's rebirth. But when the unrest in Thedas had hit boiling point she had been asked to join the Inquisition, where she had tirelessly played her part in restoring the ancient organization to its former glory.

And she was also the love of his life.

Funny how a man has to go to a completely unknown planet to find the one for him. The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways, the vanguard couldn't help but think with a slight smile.

But he couldn't muster any more happiness then that, not with Josephine's face once again nestled in the crook of his neck. He could feel her tears as they trickled down his skin, feel her petite form tremble against his every time she heard what she thought was the Kodiak's engines, heralding the shuttle's arrival.

She had been this way ever since he had announced his intention to return to his world once the Inquisition's disbandment was complete.

As her family's heir apparent, he knew that she had an obligation to her family and he also knew that she did not take her responsibilities lightly. But he was the man that she loved and he'd just gone through something terrible and she'd made it plain that she wanted to be there for him and support him throughout his recovery.

But he, knowing that what he was about to undergo would not be pretty, hadn't wanted her to see him that way. It was only after promising - truly, making him repeat his vow many, many times promising - that he would return, that he had managed to convince her that her family needed her more then he did at that moment that she'd accepted it.

But she had made it quite clear to him that she would still hate seeing him go.

And damn if she wasn't true to her word, the marine thought as he did his best to comfort her.

Suddenly his radio crackled to life, and Shepard tilted his head to mask the movement of his remaining hand to cover his ear so he could hear the communiqué.

"Shepard-Commander, this is Ghost. Are you receiving this transmission?"

"I copy, Ghost. Go ahead," Shepard replied in a soft voice so that only Josephine could hear his side of the exchange.

"The Kodiak has landed. I am en-route to your position."

"Cloaked?"

"Affirmative," the geth Hunter responded.

"Where are you coming from?"

"I am currently north-east of your beacon."

"There's a clump of three trees, on the edge of the forest, due south and about two hundred meters away from where I'm standing. Stay there, I'll come to you," Shepard told the synthetic.

"Understood, Shepard-Commander. I will wait for you at the designated area."

As Shepard lowered his arm, Josephine drew back a little.

"This is really it?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"It is," he confirmed.

Josephine's face crumpled, and she buried herself against him again.

Hating to see her this way, the Spectre began to stroke her ebony hair, mindful of not mussing up her hairdo, as he softly started to sing to her.

~We read the wind and the sky
When the sun is high
We sail the length of the sea
On the ocean breeze
At night we name every star
We know where we are
We know who we are, who we are~

He had sung this song countless times whilst he'd been here, staring up at the night sky, hoping and praying that the Normandy would find him.

But now, his perspective had changed and as he began to sing the next verse, he pulled back a little ways so that he could make eye contact with her in order to stress the message he was trying to get across.

~Aue, aue,
We set a course to find
A brand new island everywhere we row
Aue, aue,
We keep our island in our mind
And when it’s time to find home
We know the way~

You're my island now, my home, and I'll be back by your side just as soon as I'm able.

The song and his silent vow seemed to settle her a little, but he knew it wouldn't take long before she was openly weeping again.

Also knowing that it wouldn't take Ghost long to reach them and that it was time for them to go their separate ways, Shepard raised his hand to her chin and tipped her head up as he lowered his. Their lips met, and as the marine focused on pouring every ounce of emotion he possessed into the kiss to reassure Josephine, her hands were moving also, one gripping the front of his armor while the other went to the back of his skull, her fingers threading through his short sable locks as she returned his emotion and passion ten-fold.

Eventually, however, the need to breathe forced the couple to part.

Shepard rested his forehead against hers and they remained wrapped in each other for a time before he, reluctantly, stepped away from her.

"Here." With a slight struggle, the Spectre removed his long coat and placed it over Josephine's shoulders. "Not exactly matching fashion, I know. But you'll need it more than I do."

The act brought on a fresh wave of tears and she wrapped herself around him again.

"I will be back, Ke aloha, you have my word," Shepard vowed to her, his voice slightly gruff as he fought not to cry himself.

"I know you will. It's just..." she trailed off.

"I know," he murmured as he gently ran his hand up and down her back.

And he did.

Saying goodbye to Cassandra, Varric, Dorian, Bull and all of the others had been hard enough. Saying goodbye to Josephine - even temporarily - was a hundred times worse.

To try and make things light again, Shepard suddenly spoke up. "Y'know, I know you said I can be irresistible, but this has got to be a new record or something. I mean, you've hardly taken your hands off of me since we got here."

The comment, out of place as it was, got the desired effect and Josephine began to smile as she lightly smacked his chest plate in response. Shepard could still see the lingering sadness in her eyes, but she seemed to understand what he was trying to do and was grateful for it if the giggle she let out was anything to go by.

He took a step back and bowed deeply before her, offering his remaining arm to her - the action a replica of his actions at the Winter Palace three years prior, "Your carriage awaits, Lady Josephine."

She took his hand. "Thank you, Captain Shepard," came her gracious response as he straightened up and chauffeured her to the carriage.

As he helped Josephine get back into the coach, Shepard's eyes drank in the sight of the woman he loved, doing his absolute best to commit every last detail of her appearance to memory for the long months of separation that lay ahead. She was dressed as someone who was used to finery and yet her outfit was not ostentatious or overstated. Her bodice was a deep royal purple that was surrounded by draped and pleated satin. Often in Skyhold, he had been enthralled when the yellow fabric would catch the light from the candle on her ever present clipboard, making it shine like gold and turning molten whenever she moved. More than once she had caught him staring and had blushed in response at the attention.

Once she was in and seated, he went to step back, but Josephine grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Te amo. Voy a extrañarte tanto." Josephine murmured to him in her native tongue as a few tears rolled down her cheek.

"Eres el amor de mi vida, querido. Yo regresare. Te prometo," he responded without hesitation as he reached out to wipe away her tears with his thumb before cupping her cheek.

She smiled warmly at him before she closed her eyes and leaned into the caress.

"Beg your pardon, Your Worship," the driver hesitantly spoke up, breaking the couple's moment. "But we need to get going if Lady Montilyet is to catch her boat back to Antiva."

Josephine just let out a sigh in lieu of words.

"Don't think of it as goodbye, just 'see you around,'" Shepard offered as he lowered his hand.

"I know. I just can't help but worry that the Citadel Council will-"

"I'm not going to turn my back on Thedas," the Spectre cut her off, his tone hard. Realising that his anger was starting to get the best of him - and that it was flaring because of Josephine's distress at their impending separation - he stopped and took a few calming breaths before he continued. "I won't. I can't. Not now. And anyone who knows a thing about me knows I don't make those types of vows lightly. And as for the Council," Shepard shrugged, "well, them being displeased with the decisions I make isn't exactly anything new. Nor is my reaction and response to them trying to shut me down. I'll be back. Rain, hail or shine." At her look of disapproval, however, he quickly added, "But the Council aren't stupid. They know that I know Thedas' culture and am a respected individual within these lands. There's no better person suited to an ambassadorship to bridge relations between them and a nearby planet that, until now, they had no idea was even there. Thedas may not be space-fairing yet, but the planet is still unique and may have mining resources that are valuable to the Council."

Though he could see she was still worried, and she gave a smile at the later part of his speech, she seemed to choose to let it go so that their departure was on a more positive note and simply offered, "Take care."

"I will. And I'll be back before you even know that I'm missing."

Josephine gave him a half smile. "If only that were true."

With a final nod of his head and a brief peck to Josephine's lips, Shepard shut the coach door before stepping back to where his bags were.

"Safe journey," the marine offered to the driver.

"The same to you, Your Worship," came the man's reply as he flicked the reins to get the horse team moving. The carriage circled around him, allowing him to blow a final kiss to Josephine, before returning to the road and setting off for Jader.

It wasn't long before Shepard could hardly see the coach in the distance. He continued to stand there, however, long after the carriage had vanished from sight, just watching the road and softly singing to himself.

~Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a navy spaceship
And when I reached Thedosa I made a stop

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave my lady-love in Antiva town

Sounds of laughter everywhere
And the dancing girls sway to and fro
I must declare my heart is there
Though I've been from Sol to Galactic Core

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave my lady-love in Antiva town

Sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave my lady-love in Antiva town~

After what felt like twenty minutes or so his radio sprang to life once again. "Shepard-Commander-"

"I know, Ghost," Shepard cut the synthetic off. "Just... give me a minute."

After a few more minutes, Shepard snapped out of his funk and picked up his bag, hoisting it onto his good shoulder before turning and striding to where the Hunter was waiting.

"Are you alright, Shepard-Commander?" Ghost asked the human as Shepard came to a stop beside it.

Even though the geth was cloaked, Shepard could still just make out through the distortions that the flaps around the Hunter's optic were posed to make it look curious about what it had just observed.

"Not really, Ghost," the Spectre admitted as he tried to fight off some of his melancholy.  "But that's for me to deal with. Do a lap around the perimeter, check that there's no one close."

"Understood, Shepard-Commander. Executing command."

With barely perceptible foot falls, the geth left to attend to its task.

Following Ghost's example, Shepard set off towards the clearing.

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Ten minutes later, Shepard entered the clearing where the shuttle was parked.

After putting his luggage down, the Spectre had practically fallen into one of the shuttle's seats, grateful to be out of the hot sun as his heavy plate was practically cooking him alive.

"You okay, Captain?" Hawthorne asked, watching Shepard as he tried to get comfortable, the scale mail the marine was wearing making that near impossible as it dug into his skin despite the cotton undershirt he was wearing. But while the sight of seeing Shepard in such old-fashion armour should have kept Hawthorne's attention, the shuttle co-pilot's gaze kept falling to the Spectre's missing forearm.

Shepard noticed his eyes roving and sighed. "I'm fine, Lieutenant. These kinds of injuries might not happen that often nowadays, but they still do happen. Wounds of war and all that."

"That's not what I..." Hawthorne started to say but then trailed off.

"Ghost reported that you... ah... were with someone when he got a visual lock on you..." Cortez took up the line of questioning.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at the bold question. "Prying, Lieutenant?"

"Uh..." the shuttle pilot looked down sheepishly at his CO's penetrating stare.

"I'm fine, Cortez. And this isn't - wasn't - goodbye," Shepard clarified, dropping his steely facade. "Just 'see you later.'"

"You're coming back? After what's happened?" Cortez asked, his head jerking back up at the revelation, his surprise at his CO's decision evident in the look on his face and in his tone of voice, though he kept his eyes squarely on Shepard's face and not the tied up scale mail. Hawthorne also showed a similar look of shock.

"I don't have much choice."

Cortez tilted his head in a 'please explain' gesture when Shepard didn't continue.

Shepard sighed, not really in the mood for conversation as his mind was still preoccupied by Josephine, but he spoke anyway. "There are events that have been put into motion here that will cause untold death and suffering if I don't at least try to guide the one responsible away from his chosen path."

"Another seemingly impossible task?"

Shepard gave a humourless smile. "It must be a curse."

To stop any further questions, Shepard raised his remaining hand to his ear. "Ghost?"

"Yes, Shepard-Commander?"

"What's your report?"

"The Area of Operation is clear of any organics that would be startled or alarmed by the Kodiak's departure."

"Good. Egress back to the shuttle. We'll leave as soon as you're back on board."

"Understood, Shepard-Commander. Executing order."

Shepard sighed tiredly as he let his head fall back against the shuttle wall.

I can only imagine the tongue lashing that Chakwas has in store for me once she sees me. Of all the insane and idiotic things I've ever done, this has to be the worst. And this is only the start of something that could be ten-fold worse then what I've just been through.

"I am back, Cortez-Lieutenant," Ghost reported a few minutes later as it's Tactical Cloak deactivated, revealing the navy-coloured geth sitting in the seat to Shepard's left.

"Alright, closing the hatch. Next stop; Normandy,"

As he felt the Kodiak leave the ground, Shepard couldn't help but let his mind wander to all that he'd been through over the last four and three quarter years.

Just another routine mission that turned into something else entirely.

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Translations:
"I love you. I am going to miss you so much."
"You're the love of my life, beloved. I will return. I promise"

Songs Used:
"We Know The Way" from Disney's Moana © Disney
"Jamaica Farwell" by Harry Belafonte - a few changes made to make it world/galaxy appropriate

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