Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Ad Astra per Aspera
Garrus Vakarian, former C-Sec, code name Archangel, hero of the Reaper war and newly appointed Specter, shifted uncomfortably in his seat inside the captain's cabin of the SR-2 Normandy and sighed. His mandibles twitched slightly and the all too familiar tick in his left eye had returned.
The reason for his presently foul mood was a date in the calendar which blinked at him from his omni-tool and reminded him that tomorrow it will be exactly five years since the defeat of the Reapers.
And it will mark exactly five years since the last time he had seen or spoken to Jane. A sharp pang of pain spread from his heart and to his stomach at the memory of late Commander Shepard. He slowly leaned forward and took hold of a half-empty glass of Serrice Ice Brandy, which he had poured earlier, but until now stayed forgotten at the table.
"I sure hope you have a good time there at the bar." Garrus rose his hand in a cheer to his empty quarters and downed the brown liquor in one gulp.
"I really miss you, Jane." He added silently, his eyes focused on the sparkling glass in his hand and bitter thoughts invaded his already heavy mind.
Garrus could hardly believe that it has been so long since they said their hasty goodbyes before Shepard took her mad dash towards the beam and towards her doom. He could only speculate about what had happened at the Citadel. What he knew with certainty was that the love of his life was gone. They later found Anderson's body and the man had a proper burial, but Spirits seemed to have deemed it necessary to rob Garrus even off of this small comfort. The rescue team found nothing left which would indicate anything about the fate of his beloved.
Only a few days later the speculations started. The news of the Reapers withdrawing from all the core worlds flooded the extranet and everyone with any brain left turned to muse and guess as to what could have been the reason for this sudden change.
A week after this unexpected victory a mass of Reapers appeared before now impenetrably sealed Citadel and started to work. They focused on the damaged relays, the Citadel and to some extend to the ground works mainly on Earth, Thessia and Palaven.
Within a month the Council and everyone else had to come to terms with one simple truth, however absurd it might have seemed. The Reapers were there to help and rebuild even though no one had any idea why and how.
Two months later the Citadel opened its arms again though it stayed glued to Earth's orbit and no amount of investigation, engineering, hacking or anger seemed able to move it. Thus, the Galaxy had grudgingly accepted that Earth was now the new center of the power and truth be told Garrus approved. The humans certainly deserved their recognition after what had happened. After all, without them and without Shepard everyone would have ended just like the Protheans.
Exactly one year since the Reapers' defeat, the whole Galaxy was ready for the first official celebration. The Extranet and all other means of communication exploded with a recorded message. A message which left many in awe, fear or hope and a message which left Garrus curled up on his bed, crying his heart out in torn screams of renewed pain.
On the anniversary of their victory and the first anniversary of Shepard's death a new entity was announced to everyone. The galactic species agreed to call "it" Chimera. To them the name represented events which had happened with the Reapers. How Commander Shepard sacrificed herself and merged her own consciousness with the machines to ensure new and prosperous future for everyone. To Garrus this thing was an abomination. A monstrosity which harvested the remains of the woman he loved and re-purposed them into a cold and calculated synthetic demi-god. He hated Chimera with passion and prayed to Spirits each and every day for an opportunity which would allow him to destroy this wretched "protector" of the Galaxy.
Yet as usual the Spirits did not listen to his prayers and instead of setting him against the Chimera and its forces, Garrus was summoned to stand before the Council and offered a position among the Council Specters. Not unexpected yet welcomed distraction. Anything was better than the endless hours of having nothing to do other than reminiscing about the past and regretting all the unspoken words Jane would never hear.
And so, one year and three months after the Victory, Garrus found himself back in the familiar corridors of SR-2 Normandy and together with Joker, EDI, Samantha, Liara and Kaidan they were the core members of the new special Specter team assigned to investigating recent disturbing news.
Something or someone was messing with Dark Energy and unlike the incident with the star which Tali had investigated some years ago, this time the threat was more real but at least a bit more contained.
"Rifts" as they grew to call them, were small, contained pockets of Dark Energy which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere inside the atmospheres of the gas giants of the outer rim systems. At first, the Council suspected that the Rifts were some new means how to harness the power and resources from the planets themselves but after they had lost two frigates with investigators they had to grudgingly conclude that something was amiss and might need a closer look.
To make matters worse for Garrus, Chimera seemed interested in the events too and they all bumped into each other's forces too many times for his liking. The sight of Marauders and Husks who worked in harmony alongside the organic volunteers, all dressed in uniformed black suits, still made his skin crawl with disgust. It was unnatural and disturbing to say the least.
"Garrus."
"Yes EDI?" Garrus jerked slightly as the metallic voice from the ship's intercom interrupted his long musings.
"We are less than thirty minutes from our destination. Also, Liara requested your presence in her office."
Garrus sighed heavily and pushed himself up from the chair. They were headed towards the Refuge System, namely its largest planet called Zafe. And Garrus already knew what would follow. They would get there. Start their survey only to be interrupted by Chimera forces yet again and they would be forced to leave empty handed.
"Are you alright Garrus?" EDI's voice sounded genuinely concerned and despite his blue mood Garrus' mandibles twitched slightly in a small turian smile.
"Just...reminiscing about the past. I am alright EDI."
"I see. Should it make your mood better, I have received several messages from our former squad mates. I have placed them under the shared folder as they were mostly addressed to the whole crew. You can access them from the CIC terminal."
"I... right. Hmm." Garrus frowned slightly, his forehead plates furrowed together. It had seemed that others still remembered their little promise. All of them would write a small update on their situation at least once a year. A token gesture of fondness and nostalgia which Garrus deemed to failure after a few months. Yet the old squad kept their promise and messages got through.
"Thank you, EDI. I will look it up later."
"Very well."
The metallic voice of the ship's AI vanished and left the cabin chillingly empty again. Garrus shook his head and with a small effort cracked his neck and shifted from foot to foot to loosen his back plates which became quite stiff after the long hours of sitting in a small chair, which was made for humans. Yet nothing in the whole universe would make him replace that small piece of furniture. It used to be Jane's chair and he was damn resolute about using it, even if it meant that his carapace might break in half. If so then to hell with it.
It took him less than five minutes to get to Liara's office. Normandy's corridors were silent at this hour, only two human marines saluted him, their eyes slightly glassy from the lack of sleep and from the boredom which accompanied the late night's "dog watch."
"Greetings." Glyph chimed merrily just behind the door and the bouncy holographic butler let him in and swiftly flew towards the asari who seemed preoccupied with several data pads scattered over her table.
"Dr. T'Soni, your guest has arrived."
"Ah, thank you Glyph." Liara tore her eyes from the readings on one of the screens and smiled at Garrus in her usual, heartwarming way.
"I hope I did not interrupt anything important Garrus."
"Not at all. I was about to go and get ready anyway. You know, get into armor, weapon check, go down to the shuttle bay only to be called back up when the Chimeras appear." Garrus said in a bitter tone, which was even more apparent as his secondary vocal chords provided a distinct growling undertone to his speech.
"Yes, well I was about to inform you about something regarding this mission." Liara waved him over and tapped with her right index finger against the data screen in her hand.
"I know the initial readings pointed us towards the planet Zafe, but I made some adjustments of the signal and after Samantha helped with clearing out the pitch it seems we might have secondary readings from the planet Agetoton. If so, I would recommend a ground survey, as this would have been the first time for the Rift reading to have come from a terrestrial world and not a gas giant."
Garrus clicked his mandibles shut as he had to fully concentrate on the fast stream of words his friend just managed to say in less than thirty seconds. He absently scratched his fringe before his eyes turned back to Liara who was watching him, with the look in her eyes he knew all too well. She used to have this exact same gleam to her whenever someone spoke a word "Prothean" within her earshot.
"Does Kaidan know about this?" Garrus finally asked. He had to admit the slight excitement was there. Yet he tried his hardest to remain reserved. After so many failures he has settled on a rather pessimistic approach which worked surprisingly well for him.
Expect the worse and don't be disappointed
"Yes, he asked me to wait for your opinion and meanwhile he is downstairs with Steve. They are going through the gear and shield generators, the surface temperature on Agetoton is roughly 510°C and even with the improved tech we have received it might be quite dangerous."
"Hmm well I see no reason why we should not get a look at this place. I mean, it can't really go worse than all our other missions. And it at least sounds pleasantly warm." Garrus grinned slightly and inclined his head forward to underline his joke, a rather useless gesture to anyone else than a turian. The other species were very lacking in the nonverbal communications after all.
"I am ready to join you for the mission Garrus." EDI's voice suddenly interrupted from the comm near the door.
"Yes, that would be preferable, I think I can do more good if I stay here and monitor the readings." Liara replied with a soft smile and a nod of her own.
"Very well, I will move my mobile platform to the shuttle bay."
"Right. I'll go get ready then. If anything comes up, let us know Liara, I don't like going down blind." Garrus shifted his weight from one leg to the other before he turned towards the exit.
"Of course. And be careful down there."
He only nodded and waved his hand in a casual "goodbye" before his footsteps carried him to the elevator.
"Stealth systems online." Joker's voice echoed from Normandy's coms and Garrus could almost feel the slight shift in the speed as the ship made its way towards their destination. They had less than five minutes before they would arrive at the orbit and if they knew anything about the Chimera then they had less than an hour before their rivals would appear and order them away.
"So, I take it is you, EDI and myself going for this mission?" Kaidan greeted him the moment Garrus exited the elevator, the human specter was already in his full suit, the usual blue Alliance navy.
"Yeah, or did you think I will really miss a chance to get stranded with you two again?" Garrus smirked and turned his focus on EDI who just finished attaching series of environmental exoskeleton plating to her mechanical body.
Damn if EDI needs those, we are in for quite some ride. Garrus thought and sped up to take care of his own armor and weapons.
"What do you think we will find down there?" Kaidan asked probably more to interrupt the silence than for any real value of the answer.
"No clue, although anything else than a squad of supremacist idiots would be a victory." Garrus replied and the usual annoyed growl tainted his voice again.
"True. By the way I read some of the messages from the old crew."
"Yeah I still need to get to it myself. Anything interesting so far?"
"Not really. Miranda is still MIA, I had hoped that someone might have found something about her by now." Kaidan let out a small sigh and with a few clicks firmly attached his helmet to his suit.
"We are talking about Miranda here. If she is still alive, and I am damn sure she is, then she is probably somewhere, working on something and does not want to be found." Garrus shrugged and after the last quick inspection of his own suit took hold of his helmet.
He hardly believed in what he had just said. But he had heard from Shepard once that if one repeats a lie often enough, it becomes believable as much as the truth. And right now, Garrus wanted to believe that Miranda, and all his other friends were alright and well somewhere. But still there was one thing he could not push from his mind no matter how often he had tried to persuade his brain in other beliefs. Miranda and Harbinger have both vanished during that last day of war and were never seen or heard from again.
And when Garrus thought about how vocal and persistent the leader of the Reapers had been, he was often left wondering if his disappearance was a coincidence or anything else. Yet with Chimera in charge of most things, no one really knew anything with certainty. That kept driving him mad. It had seemed that everyone except few of his friends had no problem in accepting this synthetic overlord and its creeping expanse across the Galaxy.
"Brace for some bumping folks, the atmosphere is crazy around here. I'll try to get you to the lower levels but pray that Cortez has his miracle skills sharp today." Joker announced through the com and true to the words Garrus could feel Normandy shake, her hull vibrating with the sudden gusts of wind.
"Right. Ground crew get in, we are ready to go." Steve Cortez waved at the trio from the Kodiak and they all hurried into the shuttle.
The descend through the thick clouds and vapors which created orange and red atmosphere of the planet Agetoton was anything else than pleasant. Garrus could hardly remember when they had to use the safety harnesses inside the Kodiak but the turbulences their shuttle got into had them bouncing from side to side and they all earned their share of bruises and scratches even before they landed.
"So... anyone still feels like this was a good idea?" Garrus yelled at his friends through the deafening creaking and moaning of the metal plating of their shuttle.
"I would like to remind you that it was Liara who thought this was a good idea." EDI replied, her synthetic voice stuttered slightly as her body shook from side to side.
"Yeah, next time let's get her down with us." Kaidan growled through gritted teeth and closed his eyes.
Finally, after what seemed like eternity the Kodiak broke through the upper layer of thick clouds and descended towards the muddy brown ground below.
"Alright folks, I will wait here for you, pick up in one hour unless something happens." Steve announced through the com and the ground team started to untangle themselves from the straps of their safeties.
"Gah...I swear this thing always finds its way how to hook on my helmet" Garrus swore and tried to pull the leathery strap from around himself, after a few tugs and pulls he hung his head down in defeat and waited for EDI to get him out of this turian trap.
"So, the signal comes from around two clicks north-east of here. The terrain seems flat but there are some sulfur pools nearby so be careful." Kaidan's voice resonated through Garrus' helmet and he lightly tapped his omni tool and lowered the volume.
The three of them exited the shuttle and the second they left the protective shields which surrounded Kodiak the immense heat hit them.
"Hmm...I do hope we get to that Rift soon, else you might find out if you like your turian better boiled or roasted." Garrus took hold of his rifle and looked around through the scope, an ingrained habit more than a precaution.
"Ground team, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear Liara." Kaidan replied and motioned for EDI and Garrus to follow him forward in the direction of the signal.
"I made some additional scans from the data sent by Kodiak. It seems that the Rift is centered around some structure. I am not sure what it is, it might be ruins or debris from the orbit."
"Roger that T'Soni. Also, next time you're on the ground team with us." Garrus chuckled into his com while his eyes still scanned the unfamiliar, alien world.
The ground appeared oddly flat and sparkled slightly, probably some minerals reflecting the sunlight. He mused. He could see a mountain ridge several kilometers away from them and large, yellow pools which stretched to the west.
"Not exactly the prettiest of places hmm?" He voiced his thoughts through the com to break the lingering silence.
"I found traces of Gold, Palladium and Beryllium in the nearby area. The weather seems stable for now although I would recommend haste, with our current equipment the heating shields will last only around two hours before the surface temperature damages our suits."
"Thanks EDI, right let's move it people." Kaidan picked up the pace, his M-8 Avenger already firmly in hand and motioned them forward.
Fifteen minutes later they all found themselves standing before a structure of a design none of them have ever seen before.
"Well this certainly complicates things." Garrus breathed out and his mandibles closed tightly against his mouth.
"I have run a scan on all presently known ruins and artifact designs in the Citadel archives. This structure does not match any pattern." EDI announced after a slight pause and took a step closer towards the nearest metal beam.
The whole building, at least Garrus suspected this was a building and not some sort of statue or something. Had a distinct black surface. The inner structure which looked as best described like a reversed pyramid was supported by four slender metal beams. There were no visible doors or windows or any markings of any kind.
"I am getting data feeds through EDI's visor. This is incredible. I have never seen anything like this."
"I think we have already established that, Liara." Garrus said with a slight impatience in his voice and moved forward. Well if the Rift is around here somewhere, they better find it. He swallowed and with a deeper breath reached out with his right hand and carefully tapped the surface of the nearest beam.
The structure let out a soft humming sound and to their surprise several of its places lit up in silvery lights, which created a dancing pattern of impossible designs along its black surface.
"The area inside the beams seems cooler than the surface. I detect a few hollow corridors which lead at least several hundred meters under the ground."
"Thanks EDI, but how do we enter this thing?" Kaidan too stepped closer and followed Garrus' example, his armored hand gently traced the surface.
"Hold on everyone, it seems there is an energy peak around ten meters from you to the right." Liara interrupted them and Garrus had to almost smile at the excitement which underlined her voice.
"Let's check it out. Everyone full alert, you know the drill." Kaidan moved out first, EDI and Garrus followed with silent nods, their weapons ready.
They circled the building and after a few minutes of looking around managed to locate what seemed to be a sealed entrance to the main chamber.
"So, we have the door...anyone has any ideas about where to get the key?" Garrus looked over his shoulder at his friends who looked as helplessly lost as him.
"The structure seems powered by some sort of energy readings, I will try and redirect my cyber warfare suit to establish connection with the power source. Please stand by."
"Are you sure it is safe EDI?"
"I took necessary precautions but thank you for the concern Kaidan."
EDI's normally orange visor assumed more aggressive, red hue and Garrus exchanged one worried glance with Kaidan before they returned their attention to the structure behind them.
"Folks, we've got readings of another ship in the system, it seems the Chimera is here. They probably did not pick up our signal yet. Just letting you know, we might have visitors soon." Joker interrupted the silence.
"Great. I swear...if they screw up this mission I quit." Garrus growled and did not even bother with hiding his irritation from his voice. "I mean four years of running up and down along the Galaxy and we know nothing while they turn up and hide or destroy all the clues. And the Council does not care."
"Access granted."
Garrus was about to utter his thanks to EDI when an ominous hiss of a door plate interrupted him. A large square wall seemingly moved on its own and slid somewhere inside the building. The tunnel was a pitch black but after a few seconds a sequence of silver lights appeared along the glistening, smooth ground.
"The Rift's readings are coming from inside this shaft. Around two hundred meters from you is what appears to be a central chamber."
"Alright. We go in Liara. Garrus you take rear, I take point. EDI you scan for anything abnormal. Let's move out."
The three of them slowly entered the inside of the building. Compared to the hellish, scorching heat outside, this place was cool and felt almost freezing. Garrus focused on his visor display which indicated breathable atmospheric environment with pleasant temperature of 29°C. Fascinating.
"The structure seems to be powered by geothermal energy from the planet itself. According to my preliminary study I estimate it is likely several million years old. Very likely a relic from one of the civilizations harvested by the Reapers."
"Well if we find what we came for, we might mark it for the Council as a possible dig site." Kaidan nodded towards EDI but they continued their trek towards the central chamber.
It felt like they had walked for hours. The corridor was unchanging, smooth and utterly boring. Garrus knew this place was supposed to make his blood rush through his veins with excitement and in the old days it probably would have. But now all he could feel was a cold emptiness in his stomach which had spread there after EDI uttered the word "Reapers".
"There it is." Kaidan said suddenly, his voice was riddled with awe which made Garrus snap his head up and abandon his previous thoughts.
They all stopped dead in the tracks as they entered the edge of the central chamber. The whole area resembled the entry corridor except for an intricate object which hovered in the very center. The thing, whatever it was, was around thirty centimeters long and resembled small obelisk. It glowed in silvery light and blue glyph like markings shimmered across its surface. They appeared and disappeared in timed intervals and Garrus felt almost hypnotized by the sight.
"What are we looking at?" Kaidan finally interrupted the stiffened silence.
"I am not sure. This artifact is unlike anything I came across in my studies." Garrus could hear Liara's eagerness in her voice, even behind the com and he almost chuckled. Some things never change.
"I am not able to get any suitable readings for the object Kaidan. Although the Dark Energy Rift readings are coming from it."
"Can we disable it?" Kaidan asked and moved forward, his eyes were glued to the artifact.
"I believe I might be able to overwrite the protective barrier which holds it in place. But we should be ready to seal it in the shielding container immediately, the effects of its power are...unknown."
"Right. Garrus, get the container ready, EDI you do your work. Hopefully we can wrap this up and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
Garrus nodded in approval, he was not fond of this place at all. It felt like a tomb and the shimmering lights reminded him of the Collector base. He clasped his rifle back to its place and unstrapped a container which they carried for each mission. A curtesy from the STG team who assured them that it will hold against the Dark Energy leakage. Well after four years they might finally get a chance to test it.
"I am ready to begin."
Garrus and Kaidan moved forward and readied the container under the artifact. "Now EDI." Kaidan ordered and Garrus uttered a few quick prayers to the Spirits. He wanted this mission to succeed but if it didn't maybe he will get to see Jane at that bar up there and buy her some good drink.
Only a few seconds later the barriers around the object shut down and the artifact slowly dropped to the container. Garrus could feel an odd, warm sensation rip through his shields and a warning red light on his visor warned him that something had drained them below 36%. Luckily Kaidan managed to close the container shut and the warmth disappeared.
"Let's wrap this up people, good work so far. EDI take the container, you have motion stabilizers." Kaidan turned around towards EDI with a slight nod.
"Very well Kaidan." EDI replied and swiftly picked up the container which remained still and secured.
"I will go and prepare the cargo hold for the package." Liara signed off from the com but only seconds later Jocker's voice joined them.
"Right so about that second vessel I mentioned earlier. They are here. I could see them rip through the skies three clicks from you, they will probably have a ground team down by now. Also, I can't contact Steve."
"Let's move, on the double." Kaidan motioned for his squad and they all rushed through the corridor and out into the scorching heat. They followed they footsteps, weapons ready and Garrus could feel his body overheating. His throat felt parched and a quick glance at the shields told him that he only had 27% left.
Wonderful.
"I don't want to rush anyone, but we need to hurry. I really don't feel like getting sunburned today." He said through his com and tried his hardest to avoid a slight panicked tone in his voice. Yes, burning alive was not among the ways how he wanted to go.
"Cortez can you hear me?" Kaidan sprinted slightly ahead and Garrus could detect a trace of worry in his friend's voice.
"I detect several life signs around Kodiak."
"You know what? I don't care anymore. Any of those guys get in our way I shoot them." Garrus growled in a dangerous low hiss and un-holstered his rifle. His fingers lightly patted the metal and he smiled. This weapon was a gift from Jane. If he took down few of the Chimeras with it, then it would only be fitting.
"Garrus..."
"I don't want to hear it Kaidan." Was all he could say before he stopped dead in his tracks, his heart raced into his throat as he finally recognized what he saw. There were two Marauders on guard at Kodiak and possibly two human soldiers in the black suits.
None of the Chimera crew uttered a word and they stood still, eerily calm and steady.
"Steve can you read me?" Kaidan repeated again his previous question
"Your shuttle pilot is unharmed. We had to jam the communication to establish ours with the base ship." A third soldier walked slowly from around Kodiak and Garrus was sure he had just had a heart attack.
That voice was so painfully familiar and yet distorted with a synthetic undertone. But the armor had the right shape. Although black and unmarked he would probably recognize the distinct N7 design in his sleep.
"Shep..." He stopped himself from saying that name. It was impossible. It couldn't be. She was dead and no wistful thinking could bring her back to him.
"Please cooperate. Hand over the sample." Was all the woman had said, her stance was a bit stiff but the way she held her gun was so distinct that Garrus wanted to rush forward, push her into the Kodiak and rip the helmet from her head only to make sure it really was not Jane.
"And if we don't?" Kaidan suddenly replied.
"We would be required to use force. A measure profitable for no one."
Kaidan suddenly turned towards Garrus and with a slight nod of his head pointed at the two soldiers while his right index finger lightly tapped his M-8. "EDI on my signal, unlock the canister and throw it at them." Kaidan whispered the command while Garrus gave him almost invisible nod of agreement.
The whole fight took less than two minutes. The Artifact broke free from its holding. The Chimera soldiers did not expect such an attack against their shields and in a matter of seconds went down in screaming flames as the planet consumed them with its merciless heat.
Meanwhile Kaidan and Garrus both at the same time fired their shots at the Marauders who could barely reach for their weapons before a salve of bullets tore their chests apart.
Garrus turned around and looked through his scope. He was searching for the woman but there was not a single trace of her.
"We need to get out before they bring in the reinforcements." Garrus breathed out his words, just as EDI closed the container and Kaidan managed to open the door to Kodiak.
"Steve are you alright?"
"Yeah, they cut my coms."
"We need to get out, now." Kaidan motioned for everyone to get on board. Garrus felt reluctant. He scanned once more around the shuttle in a vain hope he might see the missing soldier, but a frantic beep of his suit reminded him that his shields were below 10%.
"Right...lets go." He hopped in and without a second thought moved towards the safety harness.
"Joker get Normandy ready, we leave in a hurry!"
Two hours later the main crew of SR-2 Normandy gathered on the bridge around Joker.
"Ah man, we are so screwed." Was all Jeff had said when he received the news about what had transpired at the surface of Agetoton.
"Ye that pretty much sums it up." Garrus nodded and looked over the others.
"I suppose we can vote on it?" Kaidan took a deep breath and leaned against the nearest wall.
"Yeah like you can vote on this. "All in favor of being trialed for treason say aye". Joker turned in his pilot seat and stressed his point with air quotation marks.
"It was not the crew's fault Joker." Kaidan reminded him.
"And you really think the Council will care who fired first? Chimera pretty much runs the things. I don't know how you see it, but I think it will not be very happy that you killed its guys."
"We could ask for a private protection?" Liara said hopefully with her hands crossed over her chest.
"Most of the private sector still relies on Chimera's repairs. What if we hide somewhere and it decides to turn off the relay to that system?" Samantha sounded rather high strung. And Garrus suspected she might have been on a verge of hysteria. Everyone started to talk over each other. In times like these he wished for an ability to be able to turn off his hearing.
"Jeff, I have received a new message on our encrypted channel." EDI suddenly interrupted their argument, and everyone fell silent.
"From who?" Garrus asked, the encrypted channels which were reserved for only closest of their close friends certainly peaked his interest.
"I cannot be certain, but it seems the message is from Miranda Lawson." EDI replied to now stunned silence on the bridge.
"Well then let's hear it..." Kaidan was the first to say something.
"Long time no see. I am aware you will have many questions but right now we are running out of time. Only moments ago, I managed to intercept and decrypt a message for the Council. The Chimera knows what has happened as all its members are linked with one another. The Council will have no choice but to apprehend you.
I found another way. If you wish to know what is really happening, follow the coordinates which are provided with the message.
Also, leave only the most trusted crew. The Alliance cannot be trusted anymore."
They all exchanged the looks before the silence engulfed the bridge once more. "Sooo, how I see it, we are all fugitives, and this might be our best bet." Garrus finally breathed out and to his surprise he felt rather relieved by the turn of the events.
"We currently have six Alliance personnel on board the ship. We could arrange for their pick up at the nearest fuel station before we head out for the coordinates."
"So, I assume that means you are on board the fugitive train EDI?"
"My self-preservation programming leaves me with no other choice. If I return to the Alliance space I could face erasing of my files and destruction."
"Alright. Anyone here who actually wishes to return to the Citadel?" Liara stepped in to prevent any sort of argument. Garrus turned around to see if anyone would say anything but it was unlikely. He knew these people and he was sure none of them would betray him or EDI or themselves for that matter.
"Very well. Let's gather the Alliance crew then and set out for the coordinates Miranda gave us." Liara nodded with a firm resolution and headed out of the bridge, the others slowly trailed behind her.
"Right...I'll be here. Flying the ship." Jeff turned in his seat and a subtle change and vibrations round the hull told Garrus that they will soon jump to FTL speed.
"So where exactly are we headed anyway?" Garrus asked finally before they all boarded the elevator.
"Omega 4 relay." Liara replied with a small smile.