A dozen quarian helmets tilted up to the skies in confusion. Shuttles were inbound, an insect hum in the air. The Rannoch skies were golden and beautiful in the late afternoon light as the menace swept in on a tidal wave.
"They aren't ours…" a green garbed quarian murmured in confusion, activating his omnitool, sending a message through to the citadel.
Admiral Tali'zorah vas Neema nar Rayya stood on the cliffs overlooking the burning settlement and did not weep. She could see the bodies of her people down there. She could see the blown remains of the geth, lying where they had tried to defend the people they had sworn to protect. She did not weep, but her soul cried out in anguish.
"Ancestors, who would do this awful thing?" Captain Kal'Reegar vas Neema nar Idenna spoke from behind her.
"Creator Tali'Zorah, our sensors detect that there is no life within the Xen'haenon settlement. All life signs have been extinguished," a geth prime informed her, its voice crackling with sorrow.
Tali rose a hand to her brow, and her voice was hard when she finally spoke, "I want the settlement locked down. Now. Prime, I want guards posted at the site - no one is to go in without my direct authorisation."
"Yes, Creator Tali'zorah, it will be done," the geth nodded.
A tall human woman in robes that flowed as she walked stepped out of the shuttle as she approached. Her face was twisted in an expression of great sorrow, and her eyes reddened as though from weeping.
"Tali," Miranda Lawson shook her head and held out her hands, "Gods, I am sorry. We had no warning, no knowledge that our space had been breached."
Tali'zorah took Miranda's hands briefly, glancing back over her shoulder to where Kal'Reegar spoke with the prime. She closed her eyes, and her voice was very soft, "I will have them found and make them pay."
She stepped into the shuttle and sat down on the seat opposite her human advisor. Kal'Reegar paused at the doorway of the shuttle, his voice was low as he spoke to Tali, "With your permission, Admiral, I am going down into the settlement. Something…its bugging me."
"Of course, Captain," Tali nodded her head, "I will send the shuttle back."
Kal slapped his hand on the door of the shuttle and it slid closed. Tali keyed her omnitool and information flickered down her helmet's HUD. She was quiet for a long time. Miranda sat in silence, giving her the space she clearly required to gather her thoughts.
"Xen'haeron was an outer settlement," Tali began after a moment, "Only just getting on its feet. There were a hundred and fifteen quarians out there, fifty geth to support them. The biospheres were almost ready to come online. Two days and they would have been online and we might have been prepared for this."
Miranda's voice was soft in the enclosed space of the cabin, "Our sensors did not pick them up, and there was no warning from the geth dreadnoughts either."
"I'm going to call in a favour. I want people on this that I trust. That I know can help me without fear of politics," Tali stared out of the window of the shuttle, her voice emphatic.
"That might be a mistake, Tali," Miranda spoke hesitantly.
Tali sharply turned her head back to Miranda, her voice was irritated, "Why?"
"Rannoch is still finding its feet," Miranda tried to explain, "If we cannot be seen handling our own problems…we might be thought weak."
"With all due respect, Miranda," Tali's snapped, "This is about my people, not about our image."
"I…" Miranda went to reply, but hesitated and cast her eyes down to her lap and her clasped hands, "Of course, Tali. I'm sorry."
Archangel snapped the final part of his sniper rifle back into place, it's pieces gleaming and oiled. He caressed its smooth curves like a faithful lover and hoisted her up to rest on its stand on his workbench.
"Archangel?" the query came from the doorway. The turian glanced around.
"Thane," he acknowledged the drell, "Yes?"
"I have a message for you," Thane held out the datapad.
Archangel sighed, and accepted the tablet, "Who from now?"
"Admiral Tali'zorah vas Neema," the drell replied, his hands linked behind his back.
The turian stilled, and after a moment scrolled through the messages and found the one he was looking for. He frowned, "Hells. Thane, find Zaeed. We need a meeting. Now."
"He's in Afterlife."
"Isn't he always?" Garrus Vakarian aka Archangel cast Thane a wry glance.
Thane chuckled drily, "Only since Aria set him up with free drinks thanks to saving her blue backside."
Garrus just shook his head, "Just get him here." He levered himself to standing from his seat, "We are going to take a little trip."
"So..what you're saying is…we get to head to a planet virtually devoid of wildlife. Filled to the brim with geth and quarians…and work out why someone has knocked out one of their settlements?" Zaeed repeated the gist of what Archangel had told him, "Well that just sounds peachy keen. How much are we getting paid?"
"This one is being done for free, Zaeed," Archangel replied sharply.
"Well that's just a pile of horse shit, Archangel," the mercenary protested, "We don't do nothing for free."
"For Tali'zorah we do," Garrus replied in his quiet way.
Zaeed quieted, "Look, alright. I suppose. But seriously, Archangel, we have a good thing going here! The Blue Suns and Blood Pack are staying the hell out of our way now! If we leave, we will have to start again. And there is this pretty little asari that is coming around to my way of thinking…"
Archangel shrugged, "Get packed, Zaeed, we leave tonight."
Zaeed just groaned, "Gods there are times when I hate you, man." He stalked off, muttering under his breath.
Thane turned back to the turian after watching Zaeed depart, "Are you prepared to see Tali'zorah again, Archangel?"
Archangel glanced up, "Yes." His tone was stern, though it had no affect on his old friend.
"She would not have called you unless she was in a lot of trouble," Thane remarked smoothly.
"I know," the tone was getting irritated now.
"And she is to be wed to Captain Kal'Reegar."
"Damnit, Thane, I know! We had a brief…thing…years ago. I'm not in love with the girl. It was just a time and place," Archangel shrugged, "Quit being so nosy."
"Very well, Garrus," Thane bowed his head, though there was concern in his eyes, "I shall be ready for departure shortly."
"Yeah," Garrus stared at his desk when the drell had departed, the surface littered with the debris of the last two years. A hammered silver pendant hung on the side of his terminal, hovering over the small, stretching figure of an onyx cat, "Yeah, I will be ready."
Tali'zorah watched three armoured men step off the shuttle. The first she knew - Garrus Vakarian, in his blue armour, the other two were unknowns - a drell, in a sleek black tunic, and a human plastered with tattoos and armed to the teeth. She waited uneasily.
"Tali," Garrus' rumbling voice was almost a comfort, but she remained aloof.
"Garrus Vakarian," she replied, holding out her hand in greeting, "It is good to see you. I notice you have brought your companions with you."
"Two men I have fought alongside and trust like brothers - Thane Krios," he gestured to his friend who bowed respectfully.
"Yes, I remember you. It is good to see you again, Thane," Tali returned the polite gesture with a bow of her head.
"And Zaeed Massani, a one time leader of the Blue Suns who saw the light one bright and shiny day on Omega," Garrus gestured toward Zaeed.
"What Archangel means is that he kicked my ass and took down my entire squad. I wanted out, and the asshole turned out to be a decent enough guy to work with," Zaeed drawled and nodded politely enough.
"Then I hope you can help me," Tali dropped the volume of her voice.
"What's going on, Tali?" Garrus asked, frowning down at her, "You didn't give any detail in your message."
"I couldn't," her voice broke a little, but she stiffened her spine, "I don't know who to trust, Garrus. Another settlement went down yesterday. Another settlement whose security wasn't online yet. They aren't hitting our armoured units. Two hundred and sixteen souls - geth and quarian."
"I'm sorry, Tali," Garrus touched her arm, but she pulled away awkwardly.
"Come on," she intoned, and gestured for them to follow, "I have some people you need to meet."