Of Cross and Honor

Bioware owns all, I own nothing save for Cross.

Prologue: Earth three weeks after destruction of the Alpha Relay

Colonel Nathanial Cross, known to his men as Colonel Claymore for the Claymore shotgun taken from a Krogen Battlemaster, sat across the desk from his old friend Admiral Steven Hacket. The Admiral had presided over Nathan's first marriage, he was Talia's captain at the time. An empty bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey sat on the desk, the remaining liquid in the glasses between the two old veterans. "You know Hatchet, Shepard is right on the credits. These Reapers are the single most dangerous creatures any sapient race could have created. There is no way God would have made something which would destroy every last one of His glorious creations."

"Claymore would you please knock it off with that God crap." Hacket normally didn't have a problem with his subordinates quoting scripture but Nathan, sometimes, took it to the extreme. Drunken he stood up and pointed his finger at his old friend. "I know, hell Anderson is going to come on back to the military leaving the citidel to that over sized ass Udina. I tried damn it, I'm sure your God knows I freaking tried. Now I have to head onto the SR-2 Normandy and tell THE ONLY BASTARD even trying to unite anything that he is now a war criminal. And there is nothing I can do to stop it. I SENT HIM on that mission as a favor, and now he is a war criminal for killing more batarians then even their own government." He almost fell back into the chair. "Alex Shepard is like a son to me, a son I never had. He died, came back and saved the galaxy again only to be treated like some politicians toilet paper. The only comfort I can find is that it is a military tribunal and every last one of them will be dragging their feet hoping it all blows over or the reapers wipe those four eyed freaks out before any of us gets touched."

Nathan leaned in, "there is another way, the energy signature Talia picked up back when we were dating. I handed it off to a few friends of mine and they say it is LIKE and ezo expulsion. Only it would have to be as much ezo as is contained in over one hundred Destiny Ascensions." Taking another drink from his glass, "and they all said it was similar to but different enough to be measured. Like the difference between a chimps DNA and a human."

Hacket puffed his cigar, the old style Cuban cigar was his favorite but he only did it on occasions such as this, the celebration of the life of Nathans first wife. Whom died entirely too early for either of their likings. "Some Christian you are, believing in evolution and all."

"Don't forget Hatchet, I'm a scientist as well as one damn fine marine. The proof is all around us, every day. Just like his existence. On top of that I have found the system where the energy came from, it is here, in this nebula, about a 2-3 week journey at FTL." Before Hacket could say he couldn't spare any ships without approval Nathan continued, "I know you can't get me a ship, but I still got that old small cargo hauler which Talia and I bought and fixed up our first year. Hell we damn near raised Vic on in there. I got a bonus coming for a few things Miriani and I found last time out in the black." Hacket flinched at the mention of Nathanial's second wife, an asari commando whom helped him kill that krogan battlemaster. They had two girls, one eighteen and the other six. "I have over a year's worth of leave saved up; and Miriani has been wanting a vacation. I pop on over there and then pop back leave my findings and head straight to the Citidal for celebratory attentions, maybe even have girl number three. God brought us all here for a reason, Shepard has sounded the alarm, he blew the horn. He has stood upon the wall with only his small squad for so long it is all but normal for him. It is time to scout the wilderness and find what God has called us to do."

Hacket should have told him to just go to the Citidal and send the next six months with his wife and daughters, watch his son graduate and become a marine, to take them all on a wonderful vacation and make the most of it as after words would come hell and fire and trials and death on a galactic scale none had seen since the Protheans. He did not do this, instead he told Nathans superiors to approve the leave and saw his friend off for the final time.

Nathan looked to the sky as his entire plan, his entire future, is entire world collapsed around him. These mages had depended on him, his wife, his son, his two girls were depending on him and now he had let them down in a manner in which he could not have imagined. All Cross could to was pray his last ditch effort had made his eight months in this back water renaissance world of mages, demons, walking dead, dragons, and spiders bigger then a grizzly tank had not been a waste. He saw Anders looking at him with a look of pity, betrayal, and fear. Looking around at the dozen or so mages whom had believed enough or desired freedom enough to follow him out of the gallows and into the light. Waiting for their ride into the greater galaxy, filled with people whom would seek to understand them and not chain them and treat them like criminal just for being born with a wonderful gift. Feeling the heavy coin purse strapped onto his onyx N6 armor he thought of plan which only a man like Sergeant Basilone would approve of. "Warden, take this and get these mages out of here!"

As the Templars finally got their act together after the incredible show in the sky. "Wait serah, what about yourself, we all must run before the templars gather their wits. I won't leave you behind to their mercies." Cross turned and twisted a templar hunter's arm, smashing his foot into the knee buckling it, following thru with breaking the arm at the already stressed elbow joint. Then used his throw ability to hurl a group of Templars back as if they were leaves in a summers breeze.

"I've failed them Warden," knowing that if he called Ander's by any other title the blighted templars would find him quickly. "Someone must stay behind and hold the line so we all don't end up hanging from the Gallows. I'll hold them off as long as I can. Get these people safe." The Templars had rallied again, and Cross once again shoved them aside with his biotics, while giving the few whom avoided the throw a swift display of marine combat training rending each out of the fight. "Go Warden, I'll meet you at the bar just beyond Saint Peter's Gate." With that Cross turned around and charged at the Templars, while Anders lead the mages away as fast as he could.

Using an Asari martial art which focuses the biotics to enhance the punches and kicks Colonel Nathanial Cross proceeds to take out half of the Templars in the Gallows. He was a blur of motion breaking bones, striking at pressure points using is dual omni blades to cut great swords, hammers, and long swords in half, following up with vicious kicks sending the wielders soaring thru the air as a leaf on the wind. Thanking whomever thought it was a good idea to enhance the standard marine with overdeveloped muscles, stronger bones, and faster reflexes Cross became the weapon against all these steel plated bastards. "COME ON you assholes, give me a challenge, I've not even broken a sweat."

The Templars stood a good distance from the choke point he created at the start of the fight almost three hours ago. Despite his bravado, he was getting tired, very tired. Knight Captain Cullen stepped forward, supporting his sword and shield. "What are you doing this for Serah Cross? You have always been a man of honor why strike at us? You know what dangers these rouge mages can posses, hell I've seen you kill them with those odd weapons without hesitation. So why free these mages, why destroy everything you've done, even your sentinels will pay for this, why?"

"The mages whom I killed where criminals, murders, thieves, cultist, demon worshipers, and all other shorts of evil. Yet those mages there were innocent, they have done nothing other than be born with the power of magic. This level of prejudice shall not be tolerated on my watch." The Cullen dropped his shield and sword, being one of the best hand to hand combatants in the order closed with Cross. "I hold not ill towards you Cullen, but I am a marine, and your reaction here is exactly why I must fight. I have been trapped here for five months," confusion passed over Cullen's face, "we measure days different from you. That doesn't matter, my your reaction to my biotics, to my attempt to first bring volunteers peacefully, all of it. I fight because there was a chance to change not just the world, but the entire GALAXY." Cullen came in hard, a right cross blocked only to used as a faint for a driving upper cut. Cross countered by jumping back, only to be sent sprawling from the blow of a great hammer. That is going to leave a mark.

"No, Ser Gerould, Cross is mine. You held all of this back, all of it," resuming a classic boxing stance, Cullen prepared to end this fight. "I thank you for attempting to explain. Sadly I cannot trust you as I once did. No matter what you call it, you've been hiding the evils of magic within yourself. All your words may well belong to a demon, the very same one which blotted out our sky. Prepare to face the Maker Cross, may he be more merciful to you then I."

"Fine then Cullen, time to finish this fight." Cross closed with Cullen, whom stepped into the circle and led with a right jab, Cross used a forearm block and proceeded to send the arm higher. Noticing Cullen's lack of chain mail in the arm pit, Cross finger jabbed and twisted, numbing the pressure point, causing the arm to go dead. Cullen followed thru with a sweeping left hook which Cross caught with is left arm, twisting Cullen until the shoulder joint popped. A swift side kick to the temple, just above the ear and Cullen was out of the fight. "Now that's how we do it in the Marine Corp."

"Well then I would like to show you how we do it in the Templars." Cross Turned to see the Knight Commander striding up thru the few remaining ranks of Templars. "You have been a disrespectful old pain in my side for almost seven months. I would have welcomed your departure from my city, but now you have gone too far mage."

There she stood the embodiment of everything wrong on this continent. Her bigotry and hatred of anything that was different from her definition of pure, "that's marine to you, you back water, bronze age, blonde haired bitch." Nathan ran towards Meredith, fist raised and ready to strike that smug look off her face. Her sword drawn she brings it down in an over head slash, Nathan deploys his left hand omni blade, hoping that it causes her to hesitate. She sees the threat and pulls her swing back, just as Nathan had wanted. It left her open and Cross delivered a vicious upper cut, snapping her head back and lifting her off the ground several feet. "Glad to see you Templars are all the same."

A collective gasp drew his attention behind him stood a large group of Templars back from escorting a small group of mages. Nathan's eyes were unfocused, all he was able to see was a silver mass. His legs felt like rubber, arms like the heavy steel which made up their armor. Bringing up as much bravado and focus as he could muster, "good, I was getting board, so, who's next? No one is willing to start this rumble, fine then, I will." Charging into the group his thoughts began to drift back on the past eight months. His punches became lighter has his body was beyond the point of exhaustion. As he brought a templar into an arm bar darkness crowded his vision. The Templar broke free and brought their fist connecting to Nathan's face. The blow was lessened by his armor but it was enough where the darkness won and Nathan expected his next view to be of the pearly gates and Saint Peter.

AN: Hey guys, after all the time reading the stories from all over this site I figured I'd give it a shot myself. I've had this story jumping around in my head for about a year now and it refused to go away so here it is. This is going to be an epic tale following Cross along on a journey Homer would find cool (I hope anyway). As you can guess from this chapter it is a Mass Effect/Dragon age cross over, mostly taking place in Kirkwall with the Hawk gang.

I will be continuing with this story for as long as I can, hopefully with some constructive criticism it will improve. I already removed the drunken ramblings up top to eliminate the spelling complaints. Made a bit more exposition to answer some questions towards what is going on and why wasn't he already in the chantry or fighting is way out. There yea go guys, hopefully it gets better from here.

Updates will hopefully be around once a week but you all know how life is so there yea go. Read, Review, Repeat please. Peace out.