Chapter 18

"Knight!" I hear Liara shout in my com as I stand in front of a krogan, who's wearing bright red-colored armor. "Get away from there!" She continues and I use my biotics to move myself away from the krogan, just before he charges at me.

"You won't take the clan name? That's just too bad." The krogan's deep voice says from behind me. "You've always fought like a krogan, Janok Knight."

"Don't talk to me…as if you know me, Janok Cain!" I say, angrily. "I don't belong to you or your clan!"

"You're that human brat I built from scratch. I have the privilege to call you by your true name: Janok Knight." He says to intimidate me.

"Stop calling me that!" I say and cough as I feel his biotic grip on me.

"I should have killed you years ago. It's too bad my whelps couldn't kill you." The krogan says as I look all around me for an escape route—but, I'm trapped. "But, don't worry, you can't get away this time. Now, I'll finish this!" He says and I'm suddenly thrown across the platform. On impact, I feel something inside my body shatter and the pain takes my breath away. Instantly, I start coughing up blood. Cain laughs as he calmly paces where he's standing. "That implant still giving you trouble?"

"Knight!" I hear Liara shout as I see her and a large group of soldiers running towards me from far away—three stories above me. Quickly, I look at the krogan. He's more than angry. Then, I hear another krogan charging at Cain from behind him. This is my agent.

"Janok Cain, you weakling!" The krogan shouts and hits Cain—sending Cain flying into a wall. Then, I look up at him. "Knight. It's been a long time, kiddo."

"Wrex!" I say happily as he walks to me. "It's good to see you."

"I wish it were under better circumstances." He says and offers a hand to help me stand.

"Liara, I think you've met Wrex before." I say and hear Liara sigh. "He's a very good friend of mine…and my 'agent'."

"Clan Janok will be purged." Wrex says and I hear Cain stand up. "Knight is a part of my krantt now. She always has been."

"Urdnot Wrex?" Cain asks angrily and laughs. "Here to steal my possessions again?"

"Knight doesn't belong to you." Wrex says and I cough. I feel the warmth of my blood on my face as I gasp for air. "Knight!" Wrex says as he turns to look at me. Then, he turns back to Cain with a growl. "What did you do?"

"I've been trying to teach her a lesson. One that, unfortunately, she won't be able to learn from." Cain says and laughs. "Her biotic implant is reaching its limits. She will die here."

"Shut it! Brat!" Wrex shouts and I hear Liara talking in my com.

"Are you all right?" Liara asks and I put a hand to my mouth—wiping the blood off my face.

"Liara…" I say as I notice my chest starting to hurt—a lot. "I think my implant is broken."

"See! Even she knows!" Cain laughs.

"Why are you so inclined to want her dead?" Wrex asks and Cain starts pacing slowly.

"Creating her was the biggest mistake I ever made!" He says as he looks at me. "She wasn't meant to ally with other species, still she chose to defend what we intended her to destroy!"

"I'm not your puppet, Cain." I say, sharply as I stand up straighter. I can endure the pain in my chest.

"You're just disappointed that the lifeform you created knew right from wrong!" Wrex says and I smile at him. He's a good friend, isn't he? "She knew she could do better!"

"No! That doctor should have ended her life a long time ago! Instead, she released her and endangered my clan! She single-handedly killed my entire family!" The krogan shouts at me as I try to stand up. "She's a real pain in my ass!"

"Then…you should have made me a real krogan." I say and cough. "That way…I wouldn't have felt like an outsider! The…monster you created!" I say and cough some more. "I will…end this today."

"Knight, stop." Wrex says and looks at me again. "Let me handle this."

"No. This is my responsibility." I say and Wrex laughs.

"Watch out, Knight. Your inner krogan is showing." Wrex says and I smile. "But, really, you should let me back you—at least."

"Let's take back the galaxy, Wrex." I say and we shake hands on it.

"Knight…don't do this." Liara says in a panic. "I know what he did to you, and I know what you want to do to him…but please…like you said, he wants to kill you. I can't let that happen!"

"Liara, he's done this galaxy a great disservice." I say and sigh. "Liara…forgive me…but I have to stop him." I say and I hear a feint "no" as I pull the com out of my ear. "Besides, I have a true krogan at my side." I say and Wrex slowly laughs.

"Knight! No! Stop this!" Danial shouts. "Don't do this! You have Dr. T'Soni, remember?" He says. "Don't throw your life away like this!" I don't want to hear Liara scream for me, but I want the galaxy to be a safer place. For her. For Serana.

"You should listen to your friends. They know better." Cain says and laughs sinisterly. "But, you're already dead. So, it really doesn't matter. Now, does it?"

"Cain, you're not fit to call yourself krogan!" Wrex says.

"Danial, Liara, Kiera…I'm sorry." I say as I look up to the third level. I see Danial holding Liara back from the edge and Kiera looking down at me. "Thank you. You gave me everything." I say as I see Danial looking for a way to get down to me. "If this is the end for me, I want you to know…As I looked at the stars…you became the star I've come to admire. So…this time, I'll be your star. Liara, I'll always be with you." I say and turn to see Janok Cain and Wrex charging their biotics.

"How sweet." The krogan says, sarcastically. "So poetic, but it doesn't matter to me. You're an abomination that must be purged from this galaxy!"

"I may have been some kind of experiment…that you built." I say as I feel my biotics raging through me. "I may have killed the clan you built me to protect; your family, your clan, and your army. I may have done all of that with hate, but I…" I say and cough up more blood. "I can't let you go free after killing my family! The Goliath was my home and you destroyed it!" I say as the blue color of my biotics suddenly changes to red. "I won't let what happened to the Goliath happen to the Normandy! So…let's…finish this!" I say as loud as I can. Then, as Wrex and I charge at Cain with all of our strength, I think about the crew of the Normandy. This isn't just for Goliath. Now, it's for my friends and my new family—for Liara.

"Knight!" I hear Liara shout as I hit the battle master. Wrex and I fly at him so fast and so hard that we hit into Cain on both sides of his body. My arm and biotics manage to brake through his armor and the left side of his chest, while Wrex was able to smash Cain's right side to nothing but blood, broken armor, and flesh. While I manage to punch through Cain's armor, he managed to punch through my body.

I feel a weakness overcome me. A wetness covers my body. In shock, I cannot move. I just observe how my body feels. Cold and warm at the same time.

"Impossible-!" Cain shouts as he and I cough up blood. "You're not a weak human, but—how?" He asks and notices his arm reached into my body. He laughs. "At least…I'm not going down…alone." He says and collapses—dead. As I look at his body, I put a hand over my wound. It's deep. In an instant, I feel the warmth of my blood cover my hand. Slowly, I step backwards.

"Knight!" Wrex shouts as he sees me. "No!"

In exhaustion, I say, "After all these years…It's…finally…over…" as I feel my body start to drop to the ground beneath me. As I fall, it's as if I'm moving in slow motion.

I hear the pounding of footsteps running to me from far away. The roar of screams echo in the room. My body is numb. As I hit the floor, the thump vibrates through my entire body. My vision blurs as I see a pool of blood form beneath me. My body relaxes with exhaustion. In the blood, I see people running to me.

As time returns to the normal pace it once was, I feel the wind from someone racing to my side.

"Knight! Stay with me!" I hear Liara say as she bends down and turns me over onto my back. Two other doctors examine my body as Liara slowly strokes my face. "Oh, Goddess!" She breathes. "Stay with me!"

"The crew…of the Goliath…are finally avenged…" I say with a smile. "And…the Normandy…is safe. You're safe."

"Knight…" Wrex says as I notice him close his eyes.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Liara asks as I see her crying. Her face glows from her wet tears. "You knew this would happen, so why…?" She asks as I feel a sense of being cold all over my body. Am I dying? "You promised me you wouldn't—"

"Dr. T'Soni…she needs proper medical attention and we don't have time to get her out of here." One of the soldiers says as I see Liara quickly look at my body—frantically trying to fix whatever she can. "She's lost a lot of blood…doctor…"

"Liara…I'm sorry." Wrex says as he rests a hand on Liara's shoulder. "This was my fault…"

"Don't blame yourself Wrex. You helped me kill Cain. He took too many lives…I couldn't just run away again…" I say as I notice Kiera and Danial running to us with worried expressions, sad even. I put a hand on Liara's face as I feel someone giving many doses of meti-gel to me. This helps, but I'm still losing blood—not as much, but still losing blood.

"No way…" I hear Kiera say as she bends down in front of me. "Knight…why would you…" She says as Danial puts a hand on her shoulder. I notice him and Kiera tearing up. "…you should have listened to us!" She shouts as I see Danial help her stand and then he hugs her. I see Danial shedding tears as well.

"Don't…cry…" I say as I put a hand to Liara's face. I feel my body becoming lighter as I feel the warmth of the blood surrounding me. "Don't…" I say and gasp as I finally feel the pain of my wound.

"Knight! Don't you die on me!" Liara says and I gently guide her head closer to me. "You can't leave me like this. You promised me…"

"I'm not…going anywhere, Liara." I say and, as I start losing consciousness, I hear Liara sobbing. "I…love you…"

In an instant, there was nothing.

Nothing but darkness.

Everything is laced with blackness. Where I'm at, there is no sun. There is no moon. Not even a single star to gaze up at.

Just plain nothingness.

It's cold. Damp and dry at the same time. Lifeless. But, I still have my memories. My family. My friends. Liara. They are all I have left.

Nothing else.

No light in the darkness.

No voice to keep me company.

No body to keep me warm.

No legs to stand on.

No heart or rhythm to hear.

No sight to see.

Nothing.

Is this a dream? I feel as though I have lost more than I have to lose. Gained more than what I received. Felt more than I can feel. Loved more than I hated. Lived longer than I felt alive.

I've done everything, yet still not enough. I've accomplished what I thought would be impossible. Empty, but full. Complete, but left unfinished.

Still, I am here. Lying alone in the darkness.

A slight breeze that seems out of place brushes the sides of my face. My body feels as though it is returning to me from far away. It's cold, yet warmer than the darkness. There's the sense of a hand resting on my chest. It holds me. It calms me. It helps me breathe once again.

A small light appears from far away. So, there is a light in this darkness. What is behind it? A frame? A picture? A person?

An echo from far away surprises me. It calls a name. My name. As I focus on it more, it becomes louder. Clearer as the light envelopes me.

"Knight!" I hear a feint voice as I feel my body moving. It's as if I were being pushed. "You're going to be all right!" They say as I slowly open my eyes. I see Liara and other doctors surrounding me. Behind them are Kiera and Danial. They look somewhat relieved. I can't speak, but I feel myself nod to let them know I can hear them. They smile as they stop following the doctors pushing me. Soon after this, I lose consciousness again.

Some amount of time passed before I finally regained consciousness. When I did, I saw that I was in a hospital room. I wasn't in any pain, and I wasn't tired.

I stand up and walk around. I'm alone in the room, for now. As I look out the window, I can see the stars. Suddenly, I hear something metal drop to the floor. Quickly, I turn to see a nurse looking shocked. "Doctor! She's up!" The nurse shouts and runs away.

"Knight?" I hear Liara's voice ask as I walk to the doorway. There she is, smiling, looking at me with tired eyes. Quickly, she hugs me. "I came to visit again…" She says and I hug her back. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet."

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere." I say and she backs away slightly and kisses me.

After a moment, I sit on the bed with Liara. "So…how long was I out for?"

"Almost 3 months." Liara says.

"I was out for that long?" I ask.

"Your biotic implant was destroyed…so, you now have donner organs in place of the ones you lost." She says and I put a hand to my chest. "And…the Alliance standard biotic implant."

"I didn't think it was possible…" I say and Liara rests a hand on my chest.

"I thought I lost you…" She says as I see her starting to cry. Then I raise a gentle hand up to her face.

"I'm sorry, Liara." I say and she looks into my eyes. "I never wanted you to go through that…you mean everything to me. If it meant that you would be safe, I would do anything." I say as I look into her eyes. "I love you, Liara." I say and she kisses me.

"I've been visiting as often as I can, so has-" She says and is interrupted. Then, I hear a knock at the far end of the room. I quickly look to see who it is—Kiera and Danial.

"We got the call that you were awake." Kiera says as she quickly walks to me. "We didn't believe it, but we came anyway."

"So, what's next for the Normandy?" I ask and they look at each other. "Any more bombs to diffuse, krogan to battle, or rescue missions to do?"

"After you killed the krogan battle master, attacks on other Alliance vessels stopped." Danial says as he crosses his arms. "The war is over."

"We haven't been the only ones visiting you." Kiera says and points to a corner of the room cluttered with presents, letters, and balloons. "You've gained quite the fan club."

"That's impossible." I say as I stare at the gifts. "Those can't be mine."

"They are." Liara says and I look at her. "Now, the galaxy knows who you really are."

"I don't deserve such respect. I'm just a space rat and an ex-Alliance soldier." I say and feel a hand on my shoulder.

"About that…" Danial says. Then, I feel Kiera hand me something.

"What's this?" I ask and look into my hand. It's a key.

"Admiral Coen came to apologize for what he did to you. He decided it was time for you to put your days as a soldier behind you." Kiera says as I feel tears coming from my eyes drop onto my hand. "This is the key to your new home."

"I hear it's quite spacious." Danial says and I look at Liara.

"I'm starting to think that all of this is just a dream." I say and Liara puts a hand to my face.

"This is real." Liara says with a smile.

"But…I don't deserve this." I say and feel a light pat on my back.

"Take it from me, then: You deserve this." Danial says.

"The people who gave you these gifts…" Kiera says as she sits across from me. "…they came here, one by one, to thank you for saving their families. It took a while to get through all of them. Admiral Coen included."

"No kidding." I say as I think about all of the gifts. And the key.

"There's one other gift, if you want it." Liara says and I notice Kiera and Danial leave quickly. Then, I look at Liara. "The last time I did this, it was before Commander Shepard gave her life for the galaxy. She was very special to me, as you know, but that was over 300 years ago. I've never had someone special in my life since, until now. Now, I feel that I can give it to you. Because you are the one I've come to love."

"This was something you and Commander Shepard shared. Are you sure?" I ask and she smiles as she calmly nods. "Okay…" I say and she grabs my hands.

"Close your eyes." She says and I slowly close my eyes.

Soon, it was as if we were standing together in outer space. Stars surround us as I feel calm—at peace. Then, as I admire the stars, I feel Liara grab my hand. Slowly, she pulls me closer to her. Then, we kiss. It was long and heartfelt. Truly passionate.

When we come out of it, I feel an overwhelming amount of love. From the two of us, from the stars, from the galaxy. After all this time, I finally feel complete. "Liara…that was…amazing. Thank you." I say as I look at her with a loving smile.

"I love you, Knight." She says and, this time, I kiss her.

"I love you too, Liara." I say as I pull away from her.

"We should start planning on moving into the new house the Admiral gifted you." She says and hugs me. "Maybe we can both have a family now." She says and I wrap my arms around her.

"We will." I say and she gives a small laugh. "What is it?"

"It seems like forever since we've had this much peace." She says.

"I guess my guardian angel is at work here." I say with a smile.

"You never told me who your guardian angel was." Liara says. "Can you tell me now?"

"She was known as Commander Shepard." I say as I look out the window to see the stars. As I look at the stars, I feel Liara hug me tighter.

Even if it was just a consolation through the stars, I swear I could see Commander Shepard smiling back at me. Perhaps she has been guiding me to this destination all along.

If that is true, then I owe everything to her. Without her help, I never would have left the science lab. I never would have become an Alliance soldier. I never would have met the people in my life today. Kiera, Danial, Serana, and especially Liara.

So, it was you who guided me to the stars. You guided me, taught me so many things, and helped me bring peace back to the galaxy—just as you would have.

If you're out there somewhere, still watching over me, then I want you to know:

"Thank you for allowing me to see the stars, Shepard."

-XXXXXXXXXX-

A/N: I remember that I wanted this to be my "thank you" letter to Mass Effect. The Mass Effect Trilogy was a major part in my life at the time I wrote this. It inspired me to write again after 5 or so years without writing anything.

Thank you to those who stuck around long enough to get to this message. I have more interesting stories planned for FanFiction in 2019 and they'll hopefully arrive on time this year.

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

-Eddy