The League Effect

by Cybertramon001

In 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilisation. In 2152, tensions between the kingdoms of Runeterra had become so great that they tore the planet apart and colonised other worlds. In 2183, Commander Ahri Gumiho is part of a new Alliance/Turian ship known as the Normandy, heading to Eden Prime. And the past is waiting. Rated M. On hiatus.

2. And Hexakill's a Crowd

Ok. This will be the last teaser chapter for a while. I just want to show that this won't be a complete rehash of Mass Effect 1. Some things will happen differently. We will meet different people, and some followers that people like will have to be excluded. It's an unfortunate problem when you're combining two series together.

Still, I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 2: And Hexakill's a Crowd

Ahri's head felt like someone was using it like a war drum of old. That, or someone had subjected her to an orbital bombardment. It was hard to tell which one was worse. She got up slowly, allowing her body to acclimatise to the pressure now pressing down onto her skull.

"Doctor Chakwas? I think she's finally waking up." She heard Ezreal's voice breaking through her headache like a bullet through glass. But her head was starting to feel better than when she woke up. Chakwas walked into view, watching her carefully.

"That was a bit of a scare you gave us Ahri. You had us all rather worried. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"Uh. Like someone managed to bang my brains out. How long…?"

"About 15 hours. Something must've happened to you when you interacted with the beacon."

"It's my fault Commander." Ezreal apologised. "I completely forgot that there might've been traps still on the beacon."

She smiled at him. "Hey, cheer up. I doubt anyone would've realised that would've happened. But if you want to make it up to me, I've always found that sex helps clear headaches."

"Even with your… unusual magic, I would highly recommend against that. You need rest, not sex." Ahri stuck her tongue out at the doctor. "Besides, we don't even know if Ezreal was the one to set it off. And given that it exploded after doing something to you, we'll never find out."

"We think it was just a system overload. That beacon was probably about 50,000 years old after all. The Sheriff and I carried you back to the ship."

"Oh? Did you have fun stripping me? Pop quiz; what colour was my underwear?"

"You weren't…" He stopped, but he already admitted it. It was hard to find underwear that could accommodate her tail. She'd rather go starkers than have to constantly adjust her panties.

"Physically you're fine, all things considered. But I noticed unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs of intense dreaming. And given that partway in the examination you curled up into a fuzzy ball and started whining, I'm guessing it wasn't a good dream."

"I saw… I'm not really sure. Death, destruction, Rune War level stuff I think. It wasn't really all that clear."

"I see. I'll jot that down. It might be a good idea to write down anything you remember." She was right. In Ionia there were so many seers and prophets that dreams could actually be used as evidence in court. The door hissed open to let the captain through. "Oh. Captain Anderson."

"How's our XO holding up Doc?" He asked her.

"Well, apart from her usual insatiable lust for sex, she's perfectly fine."

"Glad to hear that. I need to speak to her. In private."

"I get it sir. I'll be in the mess hall if anyone wants to scold me." Ezreal walked off, while Chakwas headed into her office to finish her paperwork.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard. How are you feeling?"

"Ok. I just wished we could've saved more people. Especially Jenkins and Nihlus. They didn't deserve what happened to them."

"Jenkins wasn't your fault Gumiho. He gave his life to defend his hero. And if it wasn't for that, we might be investigating a crater right now. As for Nihlus… That's what I wanted to talk to you about. That Yordle you spoke to, Powell. Did he really say that the other Turian was Saren?"

"I didn't see him myself, but Powell was insistent that he was called Saren. Why, is he important?"

"He's a Spectre. One of the Council's best men. A living legend. And apparently he's gone rogue, with only our word against his."

"What is he like? I'm guessing he isn't all warm and fuzzy inside like Nihlus."

"You'd be right. Saren's one of the best because he's willing to do whatever it takes to complete his mission. He'd fit in perfectly in Noxus. And he hates Runeterrans."

"And he just apparently 'happens' to mobilise an army of Geth to attack a Piltover world that just so happens to have a Prothean beacon on it? There's no way that's a coincidence."

"My thoughts exactly. He wanted whatever was in that beacon, and he was willing to wage war to get it. Did you get anything from the beacon? Anything that might explain why he wanted it so much?"

"I don't really know. All I had was a blurry vision. But from what I could see, it was right up there with the Rune Wars. Synthetics were killing people, butchering them."

"Anything as bad as the Rune Wars is bad news in my book. We need to tell the Citadel Council."

"What's the point? In the Alliance, visions can be used as evidence, but in the Council? They'll just laugh the fur off us."

"We don't know what was in that beacon. Advanced technological weapon blueprints? Lost technology? Theoretical magic? Whatever it was, Saren got it first. The vison could be a warning, telling people what was inside the beacon. And I know Saren. If he's got a weapon, he won't hesitate to blast Earth with it until we're nothing but dust. No matter how good he is, the Council can't just stand by and let him get away with it. Best case, they bring him in and charge him immediately. Worst case, they still revoke his Spectre status and send an agent after him."

"Actually, I think worst case is that they believe him instead."

"None of that cynicism Commander. We've got the law on our side. I'll get in contact with the Ambassador. You should go and talk to the crew. Sheriff Caitlyn decided to join us. She wants to help bring Saren in for unlawful attacks on Alliance property and people."

"Good. She was pretty good back on Eden. I'd love to have her helping out some more."

"I'm glad to hear that. I think you three made a good team down there. Take things easy for now. Spend some time talking to the crew. When you get the chance, let Joker know we're ready to head for the Citadel."

"Yes sir." Nodding at each other, Ahri sighed as the Captain left the room. She seriously doubted they would pay Saren back just like that. He was a Turian, one of the Council's best Spectres. And despite the fact that it was the Noxus Empire who attacked first, everyone was still wary of them. Having a massive war as their history and refusing to fully explain their 'strange biotics' didn't really help make them seem trustworthy. In all likelihood, the Council would simply refuse to do anything. She shook the thoughts from her head. There still had to be a way to get him. It didn't matter how big the galaxy was or how secretive someone could be. There was always some evidence lying around. They just had to find it before it got cold.

"Hello Commander. Glad to see you're feeling better." Caitlyn said to her as she left the med bay. "I was kind of worried that Ezreal almost got you killed back there."

She smiled at her. "I prefer to think of it as payback for all the times I nearly got him killed before. And we got a brand new friend out of it, so I'd say that's a bonus."

"I'm just sorry that I'm taking someone's place here on the Normandy. From what the crew said, Jenkins was a good man."

"The best. No matter what happened he always took it in his stride. Everyone loved him; some of us more than others."

"Were you and Jenkins… close? I thought the Navy frowned on fraternisation in the crew."

"It wasn't really fraternising. I recharge my magic through life energy. When I first got it, the process was more often… fatal. But I found that the energy generated through intimate acts were just as good at recharging me. We slept together, yes. But there was nothing serious in it."

"I… see. So what are we going to do now?"

"Officially, we're heading to the Citadel to report Saren to the Council, where they'll find him guilty of attacking a planet under the protection of the Demacian Alliance, he'll get arrested, and everyone gets a 'happily ever after'. But I think it'll end up being that C-Sec will do some investigating and we'll just have to twiddle our thumbs until they find something to nail him with."

"We have an eye witness. And a Spectre corpse."

"A frightened eye witness you charged with smuggling. And Spectres may be good, but good doesn't stop a plasma shot to the head. There's not really anything concrete that ties Saren to Eden Prime."

"So he'll get to go around and do whatever foul buggery he wants, and we can't stop him."

"Oh we can defend ourselves from him if he attacks again. But Anderson's more worried about what he might do with whatever was in the beacon." She spotted Ezreal moving to leave the mess hall. "Look, can you let Joker know we're ready to head on in? I need to talk to Ezreal for a bit. And hey." She gently squeezed Caitlyn's arm in a supporting way. "Even if Jenkins had survived, you'd still be on this ship. I just know it." She grabbed Ezreal by the arm, dragging him into the med bay after her. Chakwas saw them coming, rolled her eyes and left the room. As Ezreal kissed her up her neck, she released a slight aura of magic into the room. She moaned as they leaned against one of the beds attached to the wall, Ezreal almost ripping her short robe off in his haste. She moved her hands under his shirt, feeling his muscles taunt beneath her fingers.

She was right; sex did help clear her headache.

---

"Hello there." Caitlyn said the man sitting at the reins of the ship. He was a scruffy man, wearing the red sash of a Sorcerous Flyer. Considered some of the best pilots for their skill with both flight and magic, they were perfect for regulating the magic crystals that made up the 'Mass Effect Engines' of the Alliance ships. "I was told to inform a 'Joker' that we're ready for landing."

"That'll be me. Guess the captain was too busy to let me know personally. I'll just vent off some excess magic before we go through the relay, stop people noticing anything weird." He tapped at a few runes, cleverly disguised as holographic controls. "So, how do you like things so far? Going on up in the world, am I right?"

"Actually, I was perfectly happy as a Sheriff. Considering I'm here because a rogue Spectre attacked my charge and butchered my men, I doubt I have much to be happy about." She replied frostily. She hoped he was more serious with the crew he worked with, instead of making jokes.

"Yeesh. Just trying to lighten the mood. I swear, sometimes it feels like the Commander is the only Champion with a sense of humour. And she's hot as hell to boot."

"Yes. I noticed." She looked away, blushing. She wasn't a lesbian. She preferred strong men, when she had time to worry about dating. But whenever Ahri smiled at her, her heart started fluttering.

"Oh. I know that look." Joker laughed. "I wouldn't read too much into it. Ahri's magic allows her to charm practically anyone. I swear she could charm a Volus into handing over all his money if she wanted to."

"Oh." She felt a bit worried how easily the mage affected her. She thought she was stronger than that. "She does seem rather flirty with… well, everyone. But I'm glad that she's serious enough to scold a teammate for getting her injured."

"Hold on. She was going to have words with Ezreal? Did they, by any chance, head towards the med bay for this talk?"

"Yes, they did. I'm assuming she wants to keep the scolding to just them, rather than embarrass him in front of his squadmates." Joker started laughing again. Why? Why was it so funny? How could all of these people take her injuries so lightly?

"Oh man. You don't have a clue, do you? Ahri's going to 'have a talk' with Ezreal alright. But it's probably going to be along the lines of 'Oh Ezreal, your dick is so big'." He laughed again as she stared at him. She… Ahri was already sleeping with someone? It was unbelievable. Granted, she did admit she slept around. But Caitlyn didn't think she'd do it not even 5 minutes after leaving the med bay. Who in their right minds would do that?

"Oh, we're finally ready to go." Joker said as one of the runes flashed. She felt a slight thrumming beneath her feet as the magic flowed through the ship, converting into thrust as they headed for the Relay. As the mass effect field of the relay interacted with the magic of the ship, the thrum grew stronger and stronger until she felt her feet get anchored to the floor. They then found themselves reappearing a light year away from the relay. "And we've managed to recall not too far away from it this time. Maybe in a few more jumps we can finally use these things properly."

"Aw, don't feel discouraged Joker." Ahri said as she walked over to them, her robe in disarray and revealing her underwear. "I like it when the ship does a recall. It makes me tingle everywhere. It's like having a vibrator at full power." Caitlyn glared at her, blushing as she tried to avoid staring at her cleavage. Stupid mages and their stupid sexy auras. "What?"

"Nothing Commander. The Sheriff's probably just annoyed that you had a quickie so soon. Or it could be you nearly seducing her clothes off. That would be great."

"Oh? I already said I slept with the crew. I didn't realise you were such a prude."

"I am not a prude." Caitlyn replied testily. "I just show enough professionalism to keep work and pleasure separate." She yelped as Ahri hugged her from behind, her hands of Caitlyn's breasts, her own boobs pressed against her back. And then Ahri was nuzzling her neck. "Bugger off." She yelled, pushing her away. Ahri just laughed.

"Boy, are you talking to the wrong girl." Joker replied. "If you want my advice, I'd suggest you stop being so uptight about sex. Ahri just loves messing with people like you. She sees it as her mission to get people to loosen up and enjoy life. Why, on our last shore leave, she managed to get this administrator to get the stick out of her ass and bang a hot Asari…"

"Let's talk about something other than sex." Caitlyn interrupted him. "Like… Like the Destiny Ascension. Look at the size of it. That main gun's got to be able to punch a hole through anything we've got like nothing."

"Yeah. But we could do the same if we really wanted to. And we'd do it better." Ahri giggled as Joker complained. Ezreal shook his head slowly.

"Sheriff, you really shouldn't have brought up the Ascension. The Commander's going to have a field day with you now."

"What? What the bloody hell do you mean?"

"Why, it so very simple Sheriff." Ahri explained, wrapping an arm around Caitlyn's shoulder and her tail around her waist. "Male dominated societies like humans are so very fond of building long, hard, big spaceships. But an all-female race like the Asari seem to love having curvy ships with large openings through them. Can you imagine how it would look, one of our ships docking inside that sexy hole? It'd be almost like they were having…"

"Oh dear God. Enough. Enough. I've heard enough." She wriggled free of Ahri, trying to get her mind out of the gutter. That was obviously not the case. It couldn't be. The Commander was simply reading too much into this.

Right?

"No." She said, seeing her open her mouth. "Not another word. I don't want to hear you try and associate anything else with sex; like the Turian ships represent some macho dom shit; or that the something about the Salarians says they're flexible; or…"

"Or that when the Citadel's closed up it looks like a giant…"

"No!"

"Oh, you're no fun." Ahri huffed. "But it totally does."

"Incoming Vessel, this is Alliance Tower. State you identification, over." The comms in the cockpit relayed the Citadel docking orders. Joker tapped at another rune.

"Alliance Tower, this is the SSV Normandy, requesting to dock. We've got some Mass Effect crystals to vent, over."

"Understood. Proceed to dock 422 for venting."

"Understood, over." Joker turned slightly to face Ahri. "Commander, you'd better put some more clothes on. I kinda doubt the Council would be interested in finding out you like white panties and don't wear a bra."

"Yeah, yeah. This isn't my first time meeting dignitaries, dad." Ahri waved him off. "Besides, I'm not sure we'll even get to meet them anyway."

"Call it animal instincts."

---

"What do you mean you haven't contacted the Citadel Council yet?" Captain Anderson asked Ambassador Udina. Wearing the long, purple robes of a Summoner, Udina certainly cut an imposing figure sitting behind his synthetic oak desk, even with his hood down and revealing a heavily lined face. Ahri pegged him to be about 40, maybe 50; but you wouldn't be able to tell from his appearance. He looked like he was twice that age.

"It means exactly what I just said, Captain Anderson. We don't have enough proof to peg Saren for anything. If we went before them and accused Saren of attacking Eden Prime with an army of Geth, we'd get laughed off the Citadel." Udina said.

"We have an eye witness who saw Saren kill Nihlus in cold blood."

"Yes, yes. I've read the reports. One frightened Yordle Smuggler is not a good witness. Saren could say that we threatened him into saying he saw Saren, especially with your history." History? Anderson did act like he knew Saren, but he didn't say they had history together. Were they old rivals; or friends who didn't keep in touch? Nah. Not if Saren hates Runeterrans.

"So that's it. We've got nothing, and Saren can keep flying around with plans for a dangerous weapon. I didn't think the Alliance would just sit on its ass like this."

"Watch your tongue Captain. We are not sitting on our asses doing nothing. I did inform C-Sec about the accusations. They'll perform a full investigation into Saren's actions. In the meantime, perhaps it would be best for you and your crew to have some shore leave. Our position is jeopardised enough without you taking matters into your own hands."

"Jeopardised? How is it jeopardised?" Ahri asked him.

"This was supposed to be a simple mission. Get the beacon without screwing up. Instead, a Spectre winds up dead, the beacon was destroyed, and one of our colonies is burning. At this rate we'll be lucky if the Council ever considers making one of us a Spectre ever again. I can smooth things over, but it will require that no one does anything stupid in the meantime." His expression brooked no argument. And you don't become a Summoner without being capable of throwing around a room with ease.

"Understood Ambassador." Anderson replied, knowing when to fold. He motioned to Ahri and her team, leading them out of the room in a slight huff.

"So now what? Do we seriously just sit and wait for C-Sec?" Ezreal asked. "Udina can't really expect them to find anything. Spectres don't follow rules."

"We know Lieutenant. But even Spectres can't hide everything from the law. Someone's got to have some evidence we can use. In the meantime…" He sighed. "All we can do is cool off." He tapped away at his Omnitool. "Here's some credit for the three of you. Try not to blow it all at once though. If you need me, I'll be hanging around the Presidium. See if I can hear anything from the politicians."

"Sir? I have a question I just wanted to ask." Ahri waved her hand like she was in a classroom.

"Sorry Gumiho. It's nowhere near enough for the Consort."

"Oh. Thanks. But actually, I was wondering what kind of history you had with Saren."

"I figured you would ask me about that." He sighed again. "Saren and I worked together on a mission once. We were after a scientist who had gone mad and had his whole team eliminated so that he could study some strange tech without any interference. He had tracked the scientist and his benefactor to a remote Element Zero refinery by leaking information about the only survivor of the attack. When we got there, he set up charges and blew the whole thing sky high. Civilians were burning and dying of smoke inhalation, but Saren didn't care. All he cared about was that it led him straight to our criminals. He then nearly left me and Kahlee for dead. We got on even less after that, if it was possible."

Bastard." Caitlyn cursed. Ahri had to agree with her. If there was really no other way, she might – might – do something similar. She would try to avoid fewer casualties than Saren did. But it sounded a bit like they could've completed the mission without all that bloodshed, just because he was lazy.

As if she needed another reason to hate Saren.

"Well that was dark." Ezreal noted helpfully as they left the Demacia Embassy. "So, what should we do first?"

"Don't know. This is actually my first time on the Citadel." Ahri admitted. She had never really been as fond of cities as the others might've been. Too busy, too noisy. And there were just so many people. But her curiosity kept her interested in whatever modern tech she saw. "You've been here before Ezreal. What would you recommend?"

"Well, most of the best stuff is down in the wards. They've got a bit of every legal thing in the galaxy down there. And there's probably a few illegal stuff if you look hard enough. But I don't think Udina or Anderson would want us doing that."

"As long as we don't have to sit around waiting for Ahri to sleep with someone, I'll be…" Caitlyn stopped talking, turning to look at a man slumped against a post. He was a dark-skinned man, looking as though he was from Azir. "Mr Bhatia?"

"Ah. Sheriff Williams." The man nearly jumped out of his skin. He obviously wasn't expecting to see her. Was he a crook form Eden Prime or something? "You're alive. I heard the news, but I didn't really believe them."

"I know what you mean. I still have trouble believing I made it out of there alive. I'm… I'm sorry about Nirali. She was a good officer. I'm sure you'll give her a warm send-off."

"I wish I could, Sheriff. But… I need your help. The Alliance has refused to surrender Nirali's remains to me. They keep saying that they need her body for important findings that could help the Alliance."

She deserves better than ending up some scientist's bloody lab experiment. I'll have a talk to someone in the embassy, see if we can't get some answers."

"Thank you. The man in charge of my case is a Mr Bosker. He was in the expensive bar not far from the Noxus Embassy."

"Understood. Come on you two. Someone needs a damn good boot to the head." Caitlyn stalked off, leaving the two of them, looking at each other in confusion and rushing to catch up. They found her standing before a well-dressed human, giving him a glare deadly enough to kill.

"Ms… I mean Sheriff Williams. Believe me I'd love to help Mr Bhatia. But her wounds are inconsistent with any kind of non-M class weapons we've seen. If we could find a way to better shield our soldiers, we could save far more lives in the long run." The man was trying to explain himself to her. And from the look on her face, failing.

Ahri decided to step in before anything untoward happened. "Oh come now, Mr Bosker. Surely she wasn't the only one with those injuries."

"Ah, Commander Gumiho. Yes, well… the wounds we're seeing were very rare. I think only two other bodies were found with similar wounds."

"There you go. You've got two more people you can study. I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble to just give a good man some closure. Pretty please?" She batted her eyelashes at him, trying to appear demure. She could see his resistance breaking.

"Well… I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble. The next of kin for the other remains have given consent to the studies. Tell Mr Bhatia that we'll have her shipped back home within a day or two."

"There. See? That wasn't so hard." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, leaving him looking bedazzled. "Just think of how pleased people will be when they learn of the good act you just did." She pulled her team after her, the swinging of her tail keeping his eyes on her ass. "Caitlyn, I get that you were upset about your teammate's death. But you didn't have to nearly assault that man. He honestly thought he was doing the right thing."

"I… I know. I shouldn't have lost my temper. But Nirali deserved better. I couldn't just leave her to be some slab of meat in a lab Even if it would be Piltover's."

"Well, hopefully no one saw anything and word doesn't get back to Udina. He'll have our hides if we make his job more difficult." They told Mr Bhatia the good news, and he couldn't stop thanking them. He paid them some credits as re-compensation for their kind actions. Caitlyn kept telling him it wouldn't be necessary, while Ahri was catching the eye of the Asari receptionist. Even with all the aliens up here a woman with a tail wasn't all that common. She was about to blow the young (well, probably young for an Asari) lady, when she felt something grabbing her tail. She twisted round slightly to see a peculiar sight.

A young Human girl was hugging her tail, gently wrapping herself in the long fur. Ahri sighed. This was a bit too common for her liking. Whenever she went into a city she'd usually collect a little hanger-on, entranced by her tail.

"Aw. Looks like the Commander's made another little friend." Ezreal teased her. "She's probably too small to keep though. You'd better throw her back."

"Shut up Lieutenant." She replied automatically, turning until the girl was in front of her. "Yes little cub. It's very soft and cuddly. But you need to let go now." But the girl wasn't listening. She was too busy snuggling up to the tail.

"Aria!" They heard a woman shouting, scrambling about in a panic. "Aria, where are you? Aria!"

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" Ezreal called out to her. The woman seemed a bit relieved to see a soldier of the Alliance Navy. "Have you lost someone?"

"Yes. My daughter. I turned my back for just a moment and she had gone missing. I don't know where she might've gone, and the Presidium is such a big place. Please, you have to help me."

"This girl. Is she rather young, with black pigtails and a bright rainbow dress on?" Caitlyn asked. "Possibly has a big interest in very fluffy things?"

"I… Yes. How did you…" Ahri moved enough for the distraught mother to see the little girl, asleep in her tail. "Aria! There you are. Oh, I am so sorry about this. She seems to have taken a liking to your… tail." She blinked several times as she realised that what she had mistaken for a fluffy blanket was actually a real tail. Ahri gave her a tired smile, to convey that this happened regularly, before twitching the end of her tail under the girl's nose. She sneezed awake, Ahri pulling her tail free while she woke up. "Young lady, that was a very naughty thing you did. I was worried about you." She faced the three of them again. "Thank you so much for your help. Again, I apologise for anything she did to upset you."

"But I was just following the fluffy lady." Aria mumbled sleepily. Ahri blushed at that.

"It's quite alright, really. This happens all the time with me. From the sounds of it, it's partly my fault she wandered off like that." The mother thanked them profusely, walking away with her sleeping daughter in her arms. "Don't you dare say a word Ezreal. Or I'll make you fall in love with a Krogan."

"Sure you will, Commander Fluffy." He replied, smirking at her. She swiped her tail at his legs, sweeping his feet out from under him. As Caitlyn smiled at his discomfort, they jumped slightly as fire exploded out of a building not too far away. Everyone stared in shock while the two marines readied their attacks instinctively. Even as they watched the floor below the fire lit up with a variety of colours. A clear sign of Magic at work.

"Of all the days this had to happen. Do you think it's got something to do with Saren? Like he's got a team removing any special evidence?"

"It'd be pretty stupid of him if it was. I bet even the Council's noticed this little show." Caitlyn scoffed.

"Well, whatever it's about, someone's in there throwing M around like there's no tomorrow. I'm sure regulations would suggest that a member of the Navy should be on site in the event that a Summoner can't take charge." Ahri replied, dissipating her magic orb.

"I thought we were supposed to stay out of trouble." Ezreal noted as they took off at a run. "How does heading towards trouble fit in?"

"We're not causing trouble. We're just observing it. It's enough of a difference for me." The next two floors exploded, raining debris down upon the crowd. Ezreal shot at the larger chunks, turning them into simple dust, while Caitlyn fired nets at the clumps about to land on people. And Ahri ran around, pushing people out of the way and letting her spells shatter more debris. A wall between the building and an antique store exploded outwards, shattering several rather pricy items. As the dust settled, Ahri could see a Yordle stumbling out of the store, a large explosive attached to his back. Shaking his head slightly, the diminutive man suddenly jumped about like a rabbit as playing cards came flying out of the hole in the wall. A Turian wearing C-Sec colours ran out and hid behind a display, firing off a few shot from his rifle. The Yordle responded by pulling a few explosive bombs from somewhere and tossing them down with glee, forcing the Turian to move away as they tore apart the display and everything around it. The Yordle threw some more, but they were intercepted by more playing cards as the thrower stepped into view. Ahri hemmed appreciatively. He was a tall and well-built man, with a dashing short beard and dressed in a long black leather coat with blue highlights. Underneath the coat he wore a standard medium Human armour (also black) and he had a wide-brimmed hat like people of the old Serpentine River Banks. The most noticeable thing about him was that his eyes were glowing completely blue. Deep down, Ahri groaned. How this guy hadn't blown their cover was beyond her.

"Alright pal. This is your final warning. Surrender now, and we might go easy on you." He said in a rather suave voice, another hand of cards in his fingers.

"Easy for you to say, Fate. You haven't nearly been killed by this guy a dozen times over. I'm not too sure how much longer my shields might last for." The Turian said to him, shouldering his rifle and pulling out a sniper rifle.

"No, no. Ziggs is not going down. You set me up. Deal was completely legal. Ziggs will win League match." The Yordle shouted at them in a high-pitched screechy voice. Wait, this guy thought he was in a league match?

The man called Fate sighed dramatically. "Well, looks like negotiations have failed." And he threw his hand of cards at Ziggs. The Yordle bounced around, detonating the cards with his bombs. The next three cards suddenly arced towards him, but Ziggs ducked underneath and threw a bigger bomb. This bounced at them like a rubber ball, before exploding in their faces. Fate was pushed back, but he threw a glowing red card at him. When Ziggs tried to block it with a bomb, the explosion was powerful enough to blow him away. He crashed into the opposite wall hard enough to crack it, but he got back up and tried to run. As he went, he threw a dozen or so bomblets behind him, littering the ground with them like a minefield. Ahri was about to step in and stop him when Fate jumped over the field while throwing a yellow card. When it hit Ziggs, a magical field enveloped him and he fell to the ground. But it wore off after a few seconds, long enough for him to grab the giant bomb off his back and lift it overhead. He yelped as the Turian's shot knocked it out of his hands, allowing Fate to boot him to the ground.

"And now you've seen my winning hand." Fate smirked as the Turian handcuffed Ziggs. "Garrus, call the station and tell them to get an interrogation room ready. I want to talk to this creep personally. He needs to learn that no one starts shit up on my watch." He winked at Ahri as he said that.

She decided it might be a good idea to find out what happened. It wasn't really her job, but she just knew that Udina would start asking her about this the moment he saw her. Besides, she was pretty curious herself. A League match in the Presidium? This wasn't going to go over well. "That was some impressive Biotic work you did there. I've never really seen someone use cards with their biotics before."

"Well I'm a very impressive guy. Name's Twisted Fate, officer of the law and a wooer of women. Especially women as beautiful as you." He kissed the back of her hand like an old fashioned gentleman. "Oh, and the guy sitting on our suspect is my partner Garrus. He's nobody, really."

"Oh, keep talking Fate. You'll be back out here with a brush and shovel, cleaning up your mess again." Garrus replied jokingly. She got a good sense that this was one of those 'guy things'.

"Ahri Gumiho of the Alliance Navy."

"Navy, huh? You know, if more girls dressed like you I might've joined them."

"So, was this a League Match? I thought they were only supposed to happen on Runeterran-claimed worlds."

"Well if it was, no one ever told me about it. Garrus and I were following up on a lead and found this guy waiting there. We politely asked him to answer a few questions…"

"Shouting 'C-Sec! On your knees!' isn't what I'd call being polite." Garrus interrupted. "Mind you, I can't point fingers. I fired the first shot."

"…Well point is, he resisted arrest and we had to put him down. Which we did. Now once he tells us who he works for, we'll be golden. Perhaps after I finish my shift we could perhaps go out tonight, just two lovely young Runeterrans having a night of fun?"

"Tempting, but I'm afraid I have to decline. I don't expect us to stay here any longer than today."

He sighed in defeat. "A pity. Still, it was enough that I got to meet you. My card, madam." He flourished a sparkling card with his details on it. "If you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood again, perhaps you could give me a call. I'm sure I'll still be available for you."

"Come on Fate. Let's get going. The Executor's going to have our heads if we don't get this suspect to the cells pronto." Garrus was lifting the Yordle like a sack, a pile of bombs sitting in an Omnitool box. Fate rolled his eyes, but hurried after him, waving and blowing a kiss at Ahri. She giggled as she blew a kiss back. Everyone else just stared at Fate as he and his partner left a crap-ton of damages behind.

They'll get used to it.

---

"Excuse me, I think you might be interested in this doohickey." Ahri said to the Volus running Flux, a guy by the name of Doran. She handed him a small device, something that could easily be hidden.

"What's this? Oh, I recognise this thing." Doran replied. "You got it from Schells, didn't you? Already caught him trying to hack my Quasar machines with one of these. Tossed him out on his ass for that." He threw the device to the ground and stomped on it. "Thanks for that Rune-Clan. Have a few games, on the house."

"Thanks for that." She said, conveniently forgetting to mention that she already used it to win a few games before she handed it over. Luckily for her, Caitlyn was busy tracking down a strange signal she detected in the club, stopping her from complaining about her cheating. "By the way, I couldn't help overhear you talking to that serving girl earlier. Is she having some trouble?"

"Rita? I suppose she does. Her sister left Flux to work at Chora's Den, and it's all part of a C-Sec sting. It's not that I don't think they've got it wrong; Ancestors knows what kind of shady things go on down there. But the people she's investigating aren't the kind who appreciate anyone stepping on their business. And they're not against hurting a young lady if she gets in too deep. I'd love to help, but I can't exactly poach her back. If you want to help Rita, have a word with her. I know she'd like some help."

"I think I will." Ahri replied, eying the young lady. She was rather pretty, especially in the long, sleek dress. And someone so worried would probably be very glad to get her sister back safe and sound. Glad enough to show her appreciation.

"I bet 50 credits that she refuses your advances, boss." Ezreal whispered to her.

"You don't have 50 credits anymore, remember?" She shot back. After their time in the Presidium, the headed down to the Wards for a bit of shopping and drinking. Ahri always had to keep a good track of how much she drank and what it was. It was far too easy for her to get drunk. And the last time she ended up sleeping with a bunch of animals in a shed. They had found several useful items, like a new slot for a grenade and medigel. And Ahri ran into a big fan, the hero Jayce of Piltover. It was pretty amazing to have such a brave and strong hero asking for a picture with her.

"That's because I expect to win." Ezreal replied, smirking.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so cocky. I can be cunning, you know."

"Cunning like a fox?"

"Really? You just had to go there? That's complete stereotyping. I had an uncle who couldn't sneak his way out of an open field. Every week he kept coming back with more and more traps stuck in his fur. He got killed when he ran into a carriage."

"Alright, alright. It's just a saying. Don't get your tail in a twist. Let's go ask that girl and watch you get shot down already." Ahri rolled her eyes, but led the way. Rita was leaning on the counter, looking at her Omnitool. She had probably tried to call her sister and ask her to leave Chora's Den. And she probably got ignored.

"Oh. Sorry, I'm kinda on my break right now. If you go and talk to one of the other girls I'm sure they could set you both up with a table." She replied, brushing away some tears.

"Actually, we don't need a table. I overheard you had problems with your sister. Doran mentioned something about her working with C-Sec?" She said.

"Oh, you heard us talking about that? Yeah, she is. She brings up whatever dirt the crooks there talk about when they think she's not listening. She helped put some dangerous people away, but they're sure to figure things out. And when they do, they'll kill her. I told her it was too dangerous, but I think she keeps doing it just to spite me."

"Have you tried talking to her contact in C-Sec? Maybe convince him to pull her out or something?"

"I tried, but they won't tell me anything. The last time I asked someone I was told to stay out of it – For Jenna's safety."

"Well in that case, I could try to persuade her to leave Chora's before anything happens to her. Maybe she'll listen to someone other than her sister."

"Maybe. But forgive me if I don't hold my breath. She's always been way too stubborn for her own good. But if you could, I'd be very grateful."

Of course. She'll be back in two shakes of a tail." And Ahri shook her own tail as she turned, flaunting her ass. They were about to leave the club when they spotted a C-Sec Turian walking up the stairs. Alarm bells rang in her head. "Excuse me Officer? Is there a problem here?"

"Huh? Oh, not really. I just need to talk to one of the serving girls. She might know something about a case I'm working on." The Turian replied, looking a bit flustered. The bells were ringing even louder.

"A serving girl by the name of Rita, by any chance? And does this case have to do with her sister being your…"

"Keep it down, Human." He said in a panicked tone, covering her mouth with his hand. "Spirits, you lot don't seem to have a clue about being subtle."

"Well you Turians aren't very good at lying either. I'm guessing that you're Jenna's 'friend on the force'."

"How about we have this conversation away from the crowds. Someone could be listening in. Meet me at C-Sec in a couple of minutes, alright? Have a couple of drinks, play a few games of Quasar, just don't follow me right now. Ask for Chellick."

"Ok, ok. Sheesh. You're going overboard on this whole 'paranoid' thing." Ezreal started coughing, and she swore she heard the word 'Magic' in his coughs. Ahri elbowed him in the stomach, forcing to start coughing for real. Looking at them suspiciously, the Turian walked away, acting like he was just going about his rounds. Ahri was a bit puzzled at this level of secrecy. Honestly, the way he was going on it was like he was dealing with an intergalactic crime lord instead of some crooks with too much money and not enough brains. "Come on Ezreal. I want to go and look out that big window we saw on the way into the wards."

"Sure thing." They walked out of the room and through the markets before he spoke up again. "You know, I'm wondering how Caitlyn's doing. She's been gone for a while now."

"Knowing her she's putting more of a dent into crime here than Chellick could hope for. That or she's causing enough trouble to give Udina a migraine. It always seems to be one or the other these days." She sighed. "Things are just starting to get too complicated.

"Don't remind me. We're trying to join the Council itself while keeping practically everything about us secret. One of these days it's all going to collapse on us. And you can bet that the Council's going to be pissed. Especially since not everything of old was destroyed."

"They weren't? I thought they were all destroyed in battle, or smelted down."

"Nope. There's still plenty out there somewhere, buried under a crap-ton of traps and walls. Most of my time in archaeology had me finding ancient weapons and handing them over to the Alliance for safe keeping. And I wasn't the only one. That's why I kept PEARL here. It's the first weapon I found that had more than just a 'kill everything' setting."

Ahri paled as the implications came to her. "So, every world that was originally a part of Runeterra could potentially contain one or more weapons from the Rune Wars, or the weapons made when we first discovered the Vault. If anyone got their hands on that kind of firepower…"

"Everyone would be in for a nasty surprise. Yeah. Now you understand why we need an entire squad just for Archaeology. They're not just to recover this stuff and keep it away from the Noxus Empire; they're also to wipe out any alien organisation who digs up something they shouldn't. And we can't complain to the Council about them digging on our turf without giving away the existence of the weapons." By now, they were standing outside the largest window, giving them an impressive view of the Wards and of the Destiny flying overhead.

Ahri sighed, leaning against Ezreal. "All this political sneaking is crap. I hate it."

"Most people do. But we have to accept it. We couldn't trust ourselves with them; why should we trust the council? They might fuck things up just messing with things they don't understand." They stayed that way for a while before Ahri stood straight again. "I guess we gave him enough time. Time to talk to Mr Trusting. They found the elevator right behind them, a small crowd of alien exiting and discussing all kinds of things. They had to wait a bit for the crowd to disperse enough for them to reach the elevator. The music playing soothed Ahri's nerves.

"Today on League of Legends, Ionia has won the rights to colonise a habitable world in the Phoenix System during a daring match between them and Zaun. They won thanks to a decisive knockout from Irelia, the Will of the Blades. Zaun cried foul, particularly Singed the Mad Chemist. But the Summoner in charge of the battle enforced his will, and all complaints were dropped. Ionia has decided to call the planet Intai'sei to denote how secluded the planet's surface is."

"In other news, Blue Flames' capital city Bilgewater was the sight of a riot that nearly overwhelmed the city watch. City leader Captain Gangplank led the riot in response to strongly worded response to his piracy. The riot was stopped when Miss Fortune led a charge and bashed Gangplank over the head with a keg of beer. Reports suggest it was more the beer than anything that ended the day-long riot. When asked whether such actions would affect his standing amongst the people, Gangplank merely replied that 'There's nothing us Blue Islanders like more than a fight and grog'. Miss Fortune responded by kicking him in the balls."

"Well, sounds like another day in Bilgewater." Ahri said cheerfully. The entire nation was well known for living out the stereotype of dumb drunken pirates, even in this day and age. "Miss Fortune's doing a great job in keeping the peace."

"Yeah but let's face it. The only reason she hasn't been executed by Noxus is because we're running interference for her." Ezreal replied, leaving the elevator. He stopped in surprise as C-Sec walked past with a man in chains. He was massive, easily half again their size and covered in plating that seemed to be fused to him. The armour was designed with bones and flames sculpted into it, with spikes everywhere and a long red tattered cape. He wore a large horned helmet, hiding all of his face except for glowing red eyes. Behind him, four C-Sec officers were trying to cart a massive spiked mace, with a glowing red jewel in the centre of it.

"I recognise that style. What's a member of the Shadow Isles doing on the Citadel?" Ahri didn't know either. Given the fact that they were completely undead, most citizens of the Shadow Isles preferred to remain in their own territory, only leaving to cause death and misery. There were the odd few who hired themselves out as mercenaries, mostly Champions of the Shadow Isles. But this was the first she ever heard of any of them entering Citadel space. And it looked like things weren't going too swell for him. "We've got to warn them about him. Maybe give him a few blasts to the head."

"Whoa, easy there Ezreal. Do we really want to get in a fight with a Shadows Isler? There are plenty of Runeterrans already in C-Sec. I'm sure they know what they're doing. Now, let's find this Chellick and hope nothing goes wrong. Ezreal looked unsure, but he eventually let himself get led away. Ahri let out enough of her aura to calm his nerves down. They soon found Chellick sitting behind a desk, tapping away as he wrote a report.

"Ah, Commander. Glad you followed my directions." He said, stopping to greet them. "As you guessed, I am Jenna's handler. She gives me info and I keep her safe. A job that's hard enough without you and her sister telling the whole Wards that she's an informant."

"We're just trying to help her. Given some of the crooks Runeterra has you can forgive us for being overly cautious."

"I get that, really. You won't believe the tales Runeterran officers tell us about the kind of people who call Noxus and Zaun home." He sighed. "Look, this job isn't always pleasant. If you want Jenna off the case so bad, then I pull her out. If you help me with my case."

"Fair enough. What lead are you following?" Ahri asked him.

"One of our biggest advantages over the crooks living here is that our equipment is better than theirs. We've got top of the line stuff. They're using things that were outdated before the First Contact War. But there's a weapon's dealer running around, offering top-grade weapons to anyone with enough credit."

"And there goes your advantage. You want us to knock his head in and bring him to you?"

"No. You do that, and all his little friends go scurrying for cover and we'll never catch them all. If I could get my hands on their product without them getting suspicious, then I would have enough to blow their whole operation wide open. And then I might have Twisted Fate and Garrus sent in to grab them."

"We've met them already. Are they your best or something?"

"Kind of. It's more that they're our most destructive. They're good at causing chaos and rounding up crooks, if you ignore the bills they collect."

"They're corrupt?"

"No. I mean literal bills. Garrus cost us a pretty penny – I think I'm saying it right – requisitioning a tank to arrest a suspect and destroy their getaway car. What he 'forgot' to mention was that his partner had already broken this guy's arms and legs, and had disposed of his weapon before he made the call. By the time we learnt about this, Garrus had already smashed through practically every warehouse he could find and scaring the crap out of all the crooks there. They were handing themselves over to us."

"Badass." Ezreal replied, smiling.

"So just to make sure I'm getting this right, you want us to meet with a seller, get you some contraband without a fight, and then you can use that to have them all arrested."

"Exactly. He'll be waiting in the Ward Lower Markets for you. Goes by the name of Jax."

"And I know how things end up around your kind. Please don't set the place on fire or something like that."

---

"You owe me 50 credits." Ezreal replied as they left Flux for the second time.

"No. She didn't turn me down. I decided in the end to help her for the Greater Good." Rita had been so happy to have Jenna back safe and sound – even if she did take all the best tips – that Ahri just couldn't bring herself to ask her for a quickie. "The act of kindness was better than anything else."

"Uh huh. And the fact that she was probably straight unless you practically brainwashed her with your aura had nothing to do with it." She glared at him. They were probably about to argue some more when they felt a magical aura touch them. A rune resembling a crossbow on top of a circle appeared on Ezreal's chest, while Ahri had a flame in a valley on what would've been her breast. It only meant one thing.

They were being summoned.

"Quick! Into the Alleyway!" She nearly shouted it she was panicking so much. What kind of idiot would summon them in a crowd? There would be no way they could hide Magic after that, especially once the Council learned that they were pulled to a planet in another system.

"Commander Gumiho. Lieutenant Hallam. Sheriff Williams." They heard Udina's voice in their head. "Report back to my office immediately." His voice cut off, leaving them alone with their thoughts. The rune faded away, now that his message was sent. Ahri sighed in relief, and now realised how silly they would've looked, running into the alley in a panic. Luckily, no one had paid them any attention.

"It must be pretty important if he was willing to almost summon us to tell us that instead of using the comms." She said to Ezreal as they ran for the nearest transmit station. It was pretty much a taxi for the Citadel, allowing one to go from one station to any other.

"Maybe he's worried that someone might be listening in to our comms. At least with Summoning only your team can hear you, and even then only if you let them." Ezreal replied as the car took off. "So if he's calling for us, and he wants to make sure no one will overhear us…"

"It must be about Saren." She realised. "C-Sec must've found some dirt we could use." This was perfect. She knew he wouldn't get away with Eden Prime. Soon they'll be before the Citadel Council and Saren will be hunted down. No matter how many Geth he's got working for him they will capture him. She was practically bouncing in her seat. When the car finally made it to the Presidium, she nearly ripped the door off she was so impatient. Ezreal yelped as she dragged him along, trying not to fall. When they reached the Demacian Alliance Embassy, she was pleased to see Caitlyn already waiting for them.

"Traced the signal back to an AI taking up residence behind the antique store." She explained as to why she had been gone for so long. "Still, I doubt that's as important as this meeting."

"Less talking, more walking." Ahri told her, pushing her through the doorway. Anderson was leaning against the railing, not actually looking too happy. Warning bells started ringing as she saw him. Why wouldn't he be happy? They had Saren. They had him.

Right?

"I'm afraid we have some rather unfortunate news." Udina told them when the door had closed and locked itself. "Several reports noted that you were seen observing that little fight before, correct?" They nodded. "Unfortunately, that building and anything inside of it are little more than ash now. And whatever evidence they might've been able to find is gone."

"What? But that can't have been all of it. There had to be some other evidence elsewhere." Ahri exclaimed.

What about the Yordle that was arrested. Doesn't he have anything he could offer to save his own fur?" Caitlyn asked Udina.

"Unfortunately, after almost an hour of interrogations and threats, it's been determined that Ziggs had nothing to do with Saren. Apparently, he went into that building to meet a seller of restricted materials. They're not illegal under Council law, but everyone frowns heavily on those who use it."

"So C-Sec enters the building looking for evidence and runs into Ziggs. They declare themselves, and Ziggs panics. He starts blowing things up, C-Sec retaliates, until all we've got is a massive mess."

"And thanks to their destruction of private property, police brutality and endangerment of civilians, the officers were pulled from the case and a new team was assigned, who didn't find anything." The silence filled the room.

"So that's it." Ezreal huffed. He wins. He gets away with murder and invasion because he's a damn Spectre."

"He hasn't won yet, Lieutenant. And we might still have something. Half an hour after I was given the report, Officer Fate left his desk and didn't tell anyone where he was going. I'm thinking that he thought of another possible location of evidence, and went to get it before it went missing. And under League of Legend law, a Summoner may summon Champions to do whatever they require as long as it's within the law."

"You want us to go after him and help him bring that evidence in without a hassle." Ahri guessed correctly.

"I refuse to let Saren win like this. And I'm worried that Fate will expose Magic to the Citadel. God knows I've been cleaning up enough of his messes already."

"How will we find him? If no one knows where he is then I doubt we could do better." Ezreal asked.

"Maybe Garrus would know. Or you could just summon him like you did with us." Ahri pointed out.

"Unfortunately, Officer Fate has refused to place himself onto the List of Champions. He regards it as detrimental to his duty as an officer of the law if he has to answer the beck and call of any Summoner. And Garrus isn't talking. He's worried he'll get his partner fired for insubordination. And he might have a point. But there could still be someone who knows. Harkin."

"Forget it." Anderson finally spoke up. "They suspended him last month for drinking on the job. I wouldn't bother wasting time on that loser."

"We don't have many other options, Anderson. But if you find Harkin so distasteful, then I suppose we could always buy some information from the Shadow Broker."

"Who's the Shadow Broker?" Caitlyn asked.

"An information dealer. He buys and sell secrets to the highest bidder. We're reasonably sure he knows about Magic."

"Then why don't you have him bumped off like everyone else who might know?" Ahri asked accusingly. Udina took over.

"Barring the fact that we don't know who or where the Shadow Broker is, he's become a key figure in the galactic community. Everyone out there, including Demacia and Noxus, buys his information if they don't want to be left behind. If he vanishes, things could get ugly. For the moment, the fact that he knows seems to be enough for him. If you do decide to deal with him, you'll need to go see Barla Von. He's said to be one of his agents."

"What do you think Commander?" Ezreal asked her. Ahri thought things over, putting the good against the bad.

"I think that we need every advantage we can get to put Saren down. If Fate and the Shadow Broker give us different evidence, we'll have more to nail him with. If they point to the same thing, then it's even more important that we get it. Ezreal and Caitlyn, you both go and talk to Von. I'll have a chat with Harkin. Maybe I can convince him to talk."

"I doubt you'd like it Gumiho. Harkin's slime. Even you wouldn't want to touch him with a ten foot pole. But if you're really determined, then you can find him in Chora's Den. Von's got a shop in the Presidium, not far from the antique store."

"I know where Chora's is. And I can handle him." She replied. "Let's get moving, team."

She was going to bring him down even if she had to kick the Wards' collective asses to do it.

---

"Is it just me, or is the Commander a bit on edge?" Ezreal asked Caitlyn as they left the Embassy. Ahri had rushed on ahead, heading for the transit system at full speed.

"Of course she's on edge. That bloody bastard's about to get away with murder. This Barla Von better have something. What does he even do anyway?" Caitlyn replied.

"Apparently he uses every loophole in the system to move vast amounts of credits around without a trail. He's harmless on his own, but he must be in the position to get some good stuff."

"That can't be legal."

"Sure it is. Says so right here. What kind of idiot would advertise this kind of stuff in the middle of the Presidium if it was illegal?"

"Fair enough. Let's go talk to him already. Just being near his office makes me want to punch him." Man, Ezreal really wished Ahri was with them. Her aura would probably make Caitlyn feel a lot better. He doubted the Shadow Broker would like it if they punched one of his agents. They stepped through the doors, showing them a rather simple room, completely unadorned. There was just a few terminals and a Volus sitting behind a desk. It makes a bit of sense that Von was one of them. They made the banking system after all.

"Well. If it isn't the Rune-Clan female again." The Volus said as they got closer. "I trust that you followed that signal you detected successfully?"

"You could say that." Ezreal replied for her. "From the name on the front I'm guessing you're the famous Barla Von."

"Indeed. Are you perhaps interested in my services, Rune-Clan?"

"Actually, I'm a bit more interested in your employer's services." Von stared at him for a few seconds before closing the far doors.

"You'd like to buy information about Saren, am I correct? Information that could reveal his possible involvement in the attack on Eden Prime?"

"Possible? We know he did it, you…" Ezreal covered her mouth, stopping her from insulting the guy.

"Actually, if you knew he did it, then you wouldn't have to go to all this trouble to find evidence. Fortunately for you, I do have something on Saren."

"Great. How much do you want to charge the Embassy? I'm sure they're willing to pay you anything for this."

"No charge. Giving you this information works out for both of us. The Shadow Broker is very upset with Saren. They used to do a lot of business, until Saren turned on him."

"And this is surprising because…?" Caitlyn asked.

"No matter what you think of Saren, he's not stupid. He knows that the Shadow Broker is a valuable ally, and a dangerous enemy. The only thing that would ever possibly justify such a rash action is if something huge was at stake."

"Like evidence. Evidence the Council can't ignore." Ezreal guessed. "So, what is that evidence?"

"I don't know. He doesn't keep me up to date on everything. I just know that he hired a freelancer from the Shadow Isles to deal with it. A Wraith by the name of Mordekaiser."

"I've seen him. He was in chains at C-Sec. Not surprising, really."

"If you pay for his bail, I'm sure he'll be willing to give you all the details he was given by the Broker. Now, if there was anything else…?"

"I've got a question. Caitlyn pushed past Ezreal. "Why would anyone legal need someone like you to move their money?"

"It's actually rather simple Rune-clan. Not everyone who wants money moved without questions is doing anything wrong. For example, imagine if a Hanar ambassador petitioned the Council to reduce tariffs on Hanar goods. How would it look if it turned out he had money in a Hanar exporting company? He might actually have noble intentions, but the Council would believe he's merely interested in lining his wallet. Do you understand now?"

"She does. And we'll leave before she does anything she'll regret. Ezreal gently – but firmly – pushed Caitlyn out the door. "Ok. Crisis averted. Let's go and find that Shadow Isler. I just hope he won't kill us for kicks."

He wondered how the Commander was doing talking to Harkin.

---

"'It'll be easy Sir' I said. 'I can handle one creep' I said. That's the last time I jinx myself." Ahri scolded herself as she stepped over the corpse of a bunch of mercenaries. They must've been sent by Saren to stop her from getting him, though good luck getting evidence from that. They were probably paid by an unmarked company or something like that. She smoothed out her leather and cloth before she stepped through the door, swaying her hips as much as she could. Everyone stared at her for a second before turning back to what they were doing. Hmph. Guess having strippers dancing around had desensitized them to real beauty. Oh sure, the strippers looked nice and all. But there was no love in what they did. No energy.

You could replace them with machines and you'd probably not notice any difference.

"Hey there, sweet cheeks. You looking for some fun? Because I've gotta say, that soldier get-up looks real good on that bod of yours." A slightly drunk balding human said sleazily to her as she approached the back of the room. "Why don't you sit that sweet little ass of yours on top of good old Harkin, let us get to know each other more intimately." Ugh, she nearly gagged at the slime coming off this guy's life force. No wonder Anderson didn't think she'd like him. She could barely stomach being in his presence.

"Maybe later. I'm actually here to ask you about something." She replied, hiding her revulsion.

"Why yes, I do have 12 inches in my pants. Thank you for asking."

"Hah ha. No. I heard that you might know where I could find Twisted Fate." Even as she said it aloud, she groaned. His card. She had his card this whole damn time and she forgot. But then again, he might be on radio silence. Then again again, he might answer a call from her. But he could be in a combat zone or something.

"Fate? What the hell do you want with that bastard? Did you get pulled in by his good looks? Word of advice, Fate used girls and just throws them away like trash. Yet another thing I hate about him, besides that he gets all the hot ones."

"You don't get along?"

"He does some crazy shit, and yet C-Sec lets him off with a scolding because he's a fucking Champion. I do something perfectly normal, and I get suspended without pay. Place is a fucking joke."

"I'm in kind of a rush. So could you please tell me where he is?" Harkin moved to speak, but his eyes started glinting.

"I thought I recognised you from somewhere. You're that Commander Gumiho lady. Anderson's protégé. I see he's got you helping him try to nail Saren." He started laughing. "I'll tell you where Fate went off to, but first I want to know something. Did Anderson ever tell you he was a Spectre?"

"I think you mean he worked with a Spectre."

"Sure he did. But he probably forgot to mention that he was a Spectre too. They were working together on a case, and he blew it so bad they kicked him out. And of course he blames Saren for it. Says the Turian set him up. Like he needed help to look like a fucking idiot."

"I don't have time for your bullshit, Harkin. Now for the last time, where is Fate?" She growled at him, her fur standing on end and her body glowing with Magic. The people around them started backing away as they sensed a fight ready to go down. But from the way his face paled Harkin already knew who'd win.

"Ok, ok. From what I heard he was going to see the Med Clinic down in this arm of the wards. Some bird named Dr Michel. Don't know why he's interested in her. That's all I know."

She smiled at him, letting more teeth than usual show. "See? Now was that so hard?" And she walked off, leaving him alone. Her hearing picked up a chair scraping on the ground, the air whistling as something large sliced through it. She ducked under the blow and kicked him in the sternum, causing him to drop the chair. He moved to grab hold of her, but a bolt of lightning came arcing at him, making him scream in pain. Ahri turned to see Jayce standing in the doorway, his hammer smoking slightly at the tip. He saluted her before walking out again. She could've handled Harkin alone, but it was the thought that counted. She left the crowd murmuring about the fight, easily finding the location for Dr Michel's clinic. She tried Fate's number as she walked, but as expected it was disabled. He mustn't have wanted to be disturbed while he was working. Sometimes she knew the feeling.

And right now, her feelings were telling her that things at the clinic weren't as rosy as they were in Chora's Den.

When a crook came flying out through the door in a blast of sound, she knew she was right.

"Alliance Navy! Hands in the air, creeps!" She shouted as she ran into the room, her pistol at the ready. There were at least 6 other crooks in the room, hiding behind pillars. A woman with long flowing blue hair and a massive rack (damn they were huge) was hiding behind the counter, playing music on a string instrument. Magic flowed from the strings, peppering the pillars as they tried to reach the criminals. Ahri threw her orb at a couple as she ran for cover, causing a spray of blood from where they were hiding. As she moved, she saw Twisted Fate teleport in and started throwing cards at people. A few of the crooks ended up with cards imbedded in their skulls. The last two tried to make a break for it, but between the three of them there wasn't much left beyond a pink mist.

"Citadel Security. If you know what's good for you, stay dead." Fate said as his cards returned to his hand. "Miss Gumiho. We really need to stop meeting like this. People will talk." He winked at her again. "I'm assuming you're here for me and Dr Michel?"

"We weren't happy that C-Sec found nothing to implicate Saren." She replied. "And then we heard that you went AWOL and figured you might know something."

"I don't. But she does." He turned to face the woman. "Sorry about the mess, Dr Michel."

"It's fine. I'm used to it. This is nothing compared to a League fight. And please, call me Sona." She replied, her voice sounding synthetic. She must be a mute, using technology to talk for her.

"So, Sona. I heard from a friend of a friend that you might know something about Saren Arterius. And from the looks of it, I'd say he was right."

"He was. I had a rather strange visitor a few days ago. A young woman from Azir. She said she had found a strange relic capable of extracting knowledge from the minds of others, and she had tested it on a Geth. She found something big. Big enough that someone was willing to start a fire fight in the Citadel Presidium to kill her. And he nearly succeeded. After I patched her up, she told me about how she had been forced to stow away on a ship to get here and now she needed a way home. I told her of the Shadow Broker, and how he'd be willing to buy her information. Fist, the guy who runs Chora's Den, is one of his agents."

"Not anymore. The idiot decided to ditch the Broker and work for Saren."

"Fist betrayed the Broker? That's stupid, even for him. And his men just attacked three Champions, I might add."

"Well, if Saren's willing to steal the Shadow Broker's men, then this must be pretty big." Ahri said. "I'll call my team, get them to meet us at Chora's."

"No need. We've come say the day when we don't have to." She heard Ezreal say as he entered the room. "Man, you guys fucked them up goo…" He trailed off as he saw Sona, his eyes latched onto her breasts. Not surprising, really. They were nearly falling out of her top. Caitlyn rolled her eyes at him as she stepped into the room. And behind them was the Shadow Isler that they saw before at C-Sec.

"Anyway, as Ezreal was trying to say before he was distracted, we just learnt that Fist and Saren have betrayed the Shadow Broker. But I'm getting the feeling that you already knew that." Caitlyn told her.

"Yes, yes. This is all so very touching. Now can we hurry up and slaughter our way through the damn club already? I've got a paycheck to cash in." The Isler said in a deep, booming voice.

"You guys go and rescue her. This isn't the first time I've had to clean blood off my floor." Sona told them. Nodding, Ahri led the five of them out and back to the Club. When they got there, the whole place looked like had been shut down for the night.

"Alright, how are we going to do this? Ezreal asked, regaining awareness. "Are we going to sneak inside, using M to bust a few heads? Or will we just blow this place…?" The Isler stomped up to the door and slammed one foot through it, squashing whatever poor sap was on the other side. "Or Mordekaiser could just kick the door down. That works too." The rest of them rushed in to provide some form of back up. But they didn't need to worry. On the Citadel, Minions weren't allowed. All these guys had were normal weapons against a heavily armoured monster armed with a massive mace. The bar was smashed to pieces as the mace travelled through, the gem glowing and firing magical blasts at them. No doubt about it, this guy was good. All the rest of them had to do was mop up after him. He promptly kicked down the next door, revealing two trembling warehouse workers. Ahri placed a hand against Mordekaiser's chest, trying to stop him.

"Let's keep this simple. You boys stay, you die." The workers looked at each other and ran right past them, dropping their guns as they went. Mordekaiser grunted, but let them go. They passed through the next set of doors to find a proper office. And a man fiddling with some turrets.

"Are they dead yet? Or do I have to do everything my… OH MY GOD!" The man shouted in panic as he saw Mordekaiser running for him. The turrets opened fire on him, their combined fire stopping him in his tracks. Several metal shards exploded from his body, intercepting the bullets as best as they could. Ezreal and Caitlyn started blasting at one of the turrets, while Ahri and Fate dealt with the other. They were so focused on Mordekaiser that their onboard VI didn't even realise they were under attack until they exploded. Now unimpeded, he slammed the butt of his mace into Fist, denting the wall behind him and shattering his shield and armour.

"That's enough. We need him to talk." Ahri shouted out. Mordekaiser growled, but he stepped back and let her get close. "Alright Fist, where's the Shuriman?"

"I don't know. She said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself. Said her intel was too important to leave to anyone else."

"Meet the Shadow Broker? Impossible. Even I was hired by an agent." Mordekaiser said.

"So if she isn't meeting the Broker, then who is she meeting?"

"Some of Saren's men. They're going to fuck her up real good. I find it rather fitting that it's happening in the back alley behind the market. Girl was rather sexy in her outfit."

"So, do you have everything you need?" Mordekaiser asked. Ahri nodded, turning away as he brought his mace down on Fist's head. The splat echoed through the room as the rest of them left. The few grunts who had decided to ambush them on the way out were lucky to have enough time to run before they ripped through them without stopping. They ran as fast as they could most of them wanting to reach the alley before the evidence disappeared.

And for a second time that night, they arrived just in time to see their 'victim' taking care of herself.

"Somebody pin that bitch down already." A Turian shouted as a young woman ran past them, throwing a giant spinning blade at them. Their shields were ill-equipped for it, barely holding out against the sustained blows. When they fell, their chest landed a few feet from their legs. And they were certainly not equipped at all for a charging wraith, who crushed them underfoot like tin cans. That just left the Turian, who tried to run for it. But he wasn't very lucky. Ahri needed a boost to replenish her mana. And this guy was just what she needed. She raced ahead of him, grabbing him by the throat and planting a kiss on his face. His life energy flowed into her, his limbs jerking as he was drained. After a few seconds of this, he finally fell still.

"Yikes. And people accept kisses from you?" Caitlyn asked her in shock. Ahri just smiled at her.

"I can't believe this. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that bastard. I swear, when I find Fist, he's going to pay." The young Shuriman was dressed in a black bodysuit with blue lines all over that fitted her curves very well. Her white hair was left loose, and she held a giant cross blade in her hands. Her face was partly hidden behind a red visor. "And who are you people?"

"Oh, we're just a ragged bunch of Champions. A few Alliance Navy here, a C-Sec officer there… a Shadow Isler mercenary in the back."

"Well, I appreciate you coming to my aid. I am Sivir, Heir of Shurima."

"Wait. You're Princess Sivir?" Once Ahri gave her a closer look, she was astounded to see that she was. Even though she had white hair instead of her normal brown, it was clearly her. "What are you doing here in disguise?"

"Until you lot came along I was being hunted like a rat because I found something interesting. I was originally going to sell it to the Shadow Broker, but it seems I can't trust his men anymore. But I bet that the Alliance would be willing to pay a good sum for this."

"If it has anything to do with Saren, then you may be right. Come on, let's get back to the Embassy before anything else jumps us."

---

Udina wasn't too happy with them.

"Gumiho, when I sent you to find that evidence, I didn't expect you to gain the urge to completely destroy a night club while doing so! Do you know how many…?" He stopped, staring at Sivir. "Lady Sivir? What brings you to the Embassy?"

"Wouldn't you know it? It turned out that she held the evidence we were all after. It must be incredibly good if Saren was willing to kill Azir's Heir." Ahri said to him, looking all smug. "Mind you, I think it might be time to tell us what that evidence is."

"Of course. But I want a guarantee that you will offer credits in exchange for this. I'm not a charity."

"If it's what we need, then I swear I will pay you a sizable sum. Now, explain."

"Very well. As you all know, the desert kingdoms of Shurima held vast vaults and tombs filled with ancient artefacts. In order to bring in funds, and keep Rune War technology out of the wrong hands, the people of Azir have been going through them all and cataloguing everything we find. During one of these excursions, I came across a strange box marked with old runes." She pulled the box from a pouch on her hip, revealing it to be apparently made of bronze and carved with beautiful runes all over. "When I asked Azir about this device, he told me how it is a Mind Sifter. It has the power to probe the mind and remove any memory you want. It used to be used in interrogation. But he also mentioned how the magic could work on constructs too, pulling recordings from the magic that animated them."

"Interesting. Do you think it could work on electronics and Virtual Intelligences?"

"Azir wasn't certain if it could. I'm still not sure if he fully understands what a VI is. So I decided to go and find some Geth to test the Sifter on."

"And since Saren was hunting you down, I guess it worked."

"It did. But it's not Saren who was hunting me. At least, not anymore." Everyone looked confused. "It might be easier to simply show you what I learnt." She tapped at several of the runes, causing the box to explode into shards. A wavy mist was held within the radius of the shards, becoming clearer and clearer until it showed a desert landscape. And there was a Turian standing before them. He was dressed in white, tattered armour, with what looked like a Geth arm grafted onto his body.

"That's Saren. I'd recognise him anywhere." Anderson said. So, this was Saren. He certainly didn't look all that friendly. But as they watched, he started struggling, like something was trying to grab him. He grabbed his skull as he fell to his knees, trying to scream in pain. And then a stranger approached him.

This stranger was dressed in a mixture of flowing robes and metal armour, his face hidden behind a helmet. What little of his robe could be seen resembled the robes favoured by the Seers of Azir. And at his feet were several crab-like creatures, also covered in armour. Saren could do nothing as the stranger surrounded his head with magic, before crushing it like a grape.

"According to the Geth I got this from, this happened two weeks ago. Before Saren attacked Eden Prime." Sivir pointed out. "But there's more." The mist flashed, revealing Saren standing before floating woman in black and purple robes. Ahri noted that she was rather beautiful in a cold way, and her robes bared quite a bit of skin.

"How well do you think this illusion will hold?" Saren asked the woman, looking at himself in a mirror.

"Very well. The Council refuses to understand what our power is capable of. They still attempt to paint us with their own brush. But they will learn, just like everyone else."

"Good." Saren vanished in a purple glow, revealing the armoured man from the first vision. "Such a highly decorated Spectre will serve us well as a front. And as a scapegoat for when things will go against our plans."

"Indeed. And do you think you will learn anything from this beacon they found on Eden Prime?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. The Protheans knew far too much for their own good. But they didn't know one thing. The Reapers will return, and the Void will consume all."

"…Well." Ezreal said after a moment of silence. "That doesn't sound too pleasant."

"Dispense with the joke Lieutenant. This is not a joke." Udina was tapping away at his Omnitool. "There. I'm certain this will cover any sum you could think of. Now, I need to get this cube to the Council at once. They must be warned."

"Will they? Or will they just know the bare minimum?" Ahri asked him, glaring. "Look, I'm not a real mage. If you asked me whether it was possible to use magic to change your appearance I wouldn't have a clue. But I bet that the Council might be more willing to believe it's possible if they knew about Magic. Not to mention that we have to tell them about the swirling evil vortex between dimensions that we try not to think about."

"I understand your concerns, Commander. But there's no point ruining ourselves to stop just one possible breach of the Void. I will tell them enough to prepare. It's up to them whether they believe me or not. Anderson, come with me. The rest of you, join us once you've made yourselves presentable." He left the room, almost gliding away he was in such a hurry. Anderson, gently squeezed her arm before hurrying after him. Ahri wanted to groan in fury. This couldn't go on forever. They couldn't keep everything close to their chests and kill anyone who finds out too much if they wanted to become something more. Why was she the only one who got that?

"What did he mean by 'sort ourselves out'? Do we all look dingy or something?" Caitlyn asked.

"He probably meant sort out who's going to join us and who's leaving." Ezreal guessed. "You know Fate, we made a good team together. If you get tired of just being a police officer, we could pull some strings and get you a job on the Normandy."

"Hmm." Twisted Fate thought it over, giving Ahri a few glances. "As long as our pretty Commander gets to stay, I'm up for it. But this still doesn't mean that I'm a Champion. I like to stay neutral in League matters."

"If you're going to fight this fool and his Geth, then we'd fight his Voidborn too, correct?" Mordekaiser asked them. "Huehuehue. If that's the case then I think I'll tag along. I love a good fight, especially against an army."

"Oh please don't say yes." Ezreal hissed at her. But she recalled how easily he smashed his way through the bar, how much damage he took instead of them. Jenkins' death flashed in her mind, how she could've avoided it.

"It's a deal Mordekaiser. I'd be honoured to send you charging at the enemy. They won't know what hit them." She turned to Sivir. "What about you? Do you want to join the good fight, stopping the Void…?"

"Pass. While I get that this is big, I've still got a nation to help run. Azir's a good ruler, but he's still old-fashioned. Just the other day, I caught him trying to turn his extranet screen like a book. If I went off on a galactic adventure, he'll have probably run Azir into the ground by the time I get back. But I'll follow you to the Council Chambers. I need to recover my cube from the Summoner."

"Suit yourself." Ahri shrugged. "But I'd get some people to keep a close eye on your vaults. With all the weird shit people seem to find in past Shurima lands, there's probably something you've got that this creep wants."

"I figured that. I wish you and your friends luck on this quest." She saluted them, leaving the room after Udina.

---

"Come on. We should probably get moving so we can hear what's going to happen."

"…Indeed. And do you think you will learn anything from this beacon they found on Eden Prime?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. The Protheans knew far too much for their own good. But they didn't know one thing. The Reapers will return, and the Void will consume all." They arrived just in time to hear the last part of the memory, and to see the Council looking at each other in shock. Ahri guessed they didn't expect their top agent to have been killed so easily.

"There's the proof. Saren - or someone pretending to be him - was behind the attack on Eden Prime. Isn't it the Council's duty to hunt down anyone who has killed one of their own?" Udina was saying to them.

"Indeed. Saren's Spectre status has been revoked. Whoever this impersonator is, they can't use his status to get their own way." The Turian Councillor replied, although begrudgingly. Ahri decided right then that if she ever died she'd want someone other than him mourning her.

"I'm actually more concerned as to who those people were. They appeared to be Runeterrans, correct?" The Salarian Councillor said. "Surely the Alliance ambassador would have some inkling into their identities."

"I ran a check on them on the way here. The woman is Magister Syndra Benezia. She was a respected Biotic teacher before she went missing and her old mentor was found dead in his study. We had assumed that Noxus had been behind the attack, but if she's working to destroy us then we may have to revise our assumptions. As for the robed man, we're still looking into him."

"I believe I've found him." Anderson spoke up now, stepping forward. "A few weeks ago, Azir sent out a missing person's bulletin on a Seer by the name of Malzahar. According to the message, he had been complaining about strange visions that were forcing him to wander the desert sands. They tried looking for him after he vanished, but there's a lot of sand to look through." The Turian Councillor gave a barely audible snort. Evidently, he didn't believe that Seers could really see the future.

"And this Void? Since you see it as urgent I'm assuming your people have some knowledge of it." The Asari Councillor asked him. Ahri could sense everyone tense up at that. It was like the calm before an ambush. They were all waiting to see who moved first.

"What we have are mostly stories and myths of old. During the Rune Wars some of our Magisters must've accessed some form of Relay that allowed the Void to reach us. Then, several powerful monsters arrived and started attacking every nation they could. But as I must state, the details are rather sketchy for the times. They apparently believed that they used 'Magic' to open a portal for them."

"And of course, this relay was most likely lost when Runeterra was torn apart. Rather convenient, I must say."

"Debating what was true and what was false is useless right now." Ahri said angrily, stepping forward. "What matters is that the Void and these 'Reapers' don't sound the slightest bit friendly and Malzahar seems to want to unleash them upon us. We can't let him."

"Commander Gumiho is right, even if she does forget protocol." Udina replied. "We need to send the Citadel Fleet after him, round him up before he does any more damage to us."

"They are Runeterran citizens, correct? Shouldn't it be the responsibility of the Demacian Alliance to hunt down their own criminals?" That was the Turian again. Was he… Was he trying to wriggle his way out of this?

That cowardly bastard.

"And leave Earth and all our colonies open to attack from the Noxus Empire and Bilgewater? They'll notice the missing ships as soon as they get out of range. We can't go hunting for two criminals to stop their attacks if all we're doing is leaving ourselves open."

"And the Citadel can't send the entire fleet to scour for two crazed lunatics determined to access a made-up location. This Void could simply be some Rune-War bioweapons that were disguised as monsters from beyond the known world. If they even still exist today, they are most likely too old and damaged to be a threat to the entire galaxy."

"Are you really willing to bet our lives on that? Even we don't know the full capabilities of the things we made back then. For all we know, we managed to achieve space travel, or the ability to destroy entire planets."

"A compromise then." Udina spoke up. "neither of us will send our fleets in and leave ourselves weakened. But perhaps a Spectre, one who knows Runeterran history, could be able to sneak around and find Malzahar without much trouble."

"Councillor, is this your way of declaring that humanity needs to have one of their own as a Spectre?" The Salarian asked, looking suspiciously at him.

"That… could work." The Asari thought about it. "It would be far easier and faster than trying to teach one of our own everything we know about Runeterra. Something that we know precious little about, even now." She gave Udina a look. The three Councillors tapped away at their screens. "Commander Gumiho, step forward." She did as they asked, aware of the growing crowd watching her. She could feel her tails trying to unravel themselves in nervousness.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel." She continued saying, giving off the airs of something that she learnt by wrote.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen." The Salarian Councillor continued. "Individuals forged in the fires of service and battle. Those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of determination, courage, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." The Asari took the reins again.

And finally, the Turian spoke. "Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defence. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first Human Spectre Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your people." The Asari congratulated her.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. I prefer to think of myself as Runeterran above all." Mostly because she wasn't really a human.

"Your mission is to find Malzahar and his colleagues and bring them to justice. They are fugitives of the law and have killed at least one other Spectre, so you may apprehend them as you see fit. If you bring in a corpse, we will understand. I'm sure the Alliance may have some leads on their possible locations." The Salarian said.

"This meeting is adjourned." Ahri recognised when he was dismissed. Bowing politely, she backed away to re-join the others.

"Wow. Spectre. Pretty impressive Commander. Do I even still call you that, or do you get a brand new rank?" Ezreal teased her.

"Commander's still good for me, thanks. But now what? Do we even have any leads?"

"It'll take a bit of time, but now that we know their identities I can begin doing some research on them." Udina replied. "Commander, take this time to finish up whatever business you have here. Hopefully the next time we see each other you'll have Malzahar and his men in custody, but I won't hold my breath. Captain, come with me. I have to discuss some changes with you."

"You know, I thought Udina would be a bit happier about this. He didn't even thank you." Fate pointed out.

"Until I bring in Malzahar, I'm just a Champion with a really fancy title. Come on, let's squeeze in a last hour of shore leave we can. I think we're going to need the relaxation."

If she knew what she was going to run into, she would've regretted volunteering.

---

"…Well, that was rather enjoyable." Ezreal said happily, tossing a squeaky toy up and down as they walked through C-Sec for the docking bay. "I gotta say, you looked so cute in the pet store."

"Shut up." Ahri growled, feeling completely embarrassed. They had been walking past when she heard the jingling and squeaking of the toys. Her old instincts had her running through into the store on all fours and tripping the man up before anyone could stop her. After apologising a lot for it, she was irked to see that Ezreal decided to buy a toy. Probably to torment her now.

"So, uh. Does this sort of thing happen often with you?" Fate asked, trying not to laugh. She glared at him.

"No. This was… a one-time thing. Old habits and all that." They all hopped into the elevator, aware that the floor slightly dipped where Mordekaiser stood. "Look, as you commanding officer, I order you all to drop it." Ezreal released the ball, and she banged into several of them trying to grab it. She glared at him again, squeezing the ball in her hands. He just smiled at her.

"Ah, Commander. We've just finished with the preparations." Udina said as the elevator opened for them. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Just one more thing." She smiled sweetly, before throwing the ball as hard as she could. Ezreal groaned as the ball went sailing far beyond their sight, no longer a problem to anyone. "There. Now, what have you got for me?"

"The Geth have been reported on the planet Feros, just before we lost contact with the colony. We don't know why they're there beyond the fact that it's still covered with a ruined Prothean City. There could be something hidden there, something that ExoGeni hasn't found yet. If you could figure out what that thing is and stop them, we can get one step closer to stopping his plans."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"No one really knows much about Malzahar. He didn't really have many friends on Azir, despite his skill and power. But Syndra's a different story. She has an office on Illium, an Asari colony where they skirt at the edges of the law. We sent out a few feelers to the planet and it seems that she's been there recently. But if you follow her, be careful. She's far stronger than before." Anderson replied.

"Another possible lead is her apprentice, Lux Crownguard. She's part of a prestigious family, and when she showed incredible M potential she was sent to Syndra to learn to control it effectively. She might be able to tell us more about Syndra's plan. At the very least she might know why she would turn on us. We contacted her family and they said she was exploring Prothean ruins on Therum in the Knossos System." Udina said.

"I think I'll find Lux first. Any info she could give us would make things later much easier. Captain Anderson, let's get the crew ready for departure."

"Yes, about that." Anderson looked nervous. "A Spectre can't be beholden to any leadership besides the Council. As a token of our appreciation, the Normandy is now your personal vessel."

"Wait. You're leaving us?" She was surprised. He was their best Captain. He had more medals and anyone, ever. Rumours were that if you melted them all down, you could make a statue out of them.

"I've been at this for long enough, Commander. There was always going to be a day where I would have to step down and retire. It's sooner than I'd like, but at least I know that you're on the job for me."

"We won't let you down, Captain." Ahri and Ezreal saluted him, making him smile.

"I know you won't. Give that bastard hell from me."

And there we go. We're now officially on our way. I first thought about how I would have Ahri meet Fate without doing the 'see the Council, get made an idiot' thing, but having him in a fight was a blast, especially when I threw Garrus into it. Yay, Garrus is still in this. Oh, and I based his achievements on the Garrus from the Mass Effect/Command and Conquer fanfic 'Renegade'. That version sounded awesome.

And yeah, Sivir isn't going to join us sorry. I first thought she would, but then I read through her background and I realised she probably wouldn't be as interested as Tali would. And since the Alliance is already paying one mercenary, they couldn't pay for both.

And yes, I am aware that Mordekaiser probably wouldn't join the crew. But I really wanted him to be a part of this because he looks awesome.

Edit: I didn't realise that Sona was mute when I wrote this. I always thought she talked normally like everyone else. I mainly threw her in to try and make things a bit different than having Fate and Ahri save Michel. Sorry about that.

People:

Officer Twisted Fate

While much of his past is considered sketchy, Twisted Fate has revealed that before joining C-Sec he was a card shark working in both the Demacian Alliance and the Noxus Empire. Able to stay one step ahead of the authorities from both nations, he amassed a rather impressive fortune from his misdeeds. However, the one thing he couldn't win was Biotic powers. Deciding to attempt the impossible, Fate approached Dr Xavier Rath of Zaun in an attempt to modify his body to process mass effect energy. Surprising all those who said it was impossible, Twisted Fate was granted a powerful charge ability, allowing him to relay to anywhere on whatever planet he is on, along with becoming able to imbue his playing cards with biotic effects. But what good his knowledge of criminal behaviour and incredible potential is limited by his sheer disregard for the safety of others and protection of property.

His partner Garrus Vakarian is no better.

Mordekaiser

One of the few members of the Shadow Isles to leave his homeworld, Mordekaiser is seen by some as the diplomat of his people. If so, many are pleased that Islers are mostly satisfied staying home. An 'Undead' soul bound in armour – or more likely, a cyborg – Mordekaiser has a lust for killing and destruction. Figuring out that it was far easier and more profitable to be paid to kill only certain people, he gained a reputation in the galaxy as someone who will make sure that your enemy stays down. He isn't cheap, but he seems to prefer jobs that will result in large amounts of casualties. One can usually find him by following his trail of destruction.

Princess Sivir

Originally a mercenary with a powerful blade taken from the ruins of Shurima, Sivir rose to prominence through the use of the technological power granted to her by the weapon. Favouring money above all else, she nearly met her end when she accepted a job from a Noxian Noblewoman by the name of Cassiopeia. The job was simple; enter an ancient Shurima tomb and take the contents. But it turned out that Sivir's weapon was the key needed to open the final door, and she was stabbed in the back for it. She laid dying as Cassiopeia opened the door and was cursed, but she was saved by another. It turned out that Sivir was a descendant of the last Emperor of Shurima, Azir The Emperor of the Sands. No one will explain how he came back from the dead or healed her, but she decided to help him bring Shurima from the brink as the new Nation of Azir. In exchange for a sizable pay-out. Now, she spends most of her time either furthering Azir's goals, or helping the old emperor adjust the his new times.

Neither of these would be considered easy.

Emperor Azir

Azir, the Emperor of Shurima, was considered Shurima's greatest emperor, who would lead them to complete victory over all of Runeterra. He was at first content to take it by blood and sword, before his trusted advisor Xerath to attempt a ritual known as the Ascension, said to grant one incalculable power. Reports of the ritual's results were lost in the Fall of Shurima, but given that the two events happened at the same time it can be confirmed that he was unsuccessful.

Millennia later, he was somehow resurrected from the dead by the blood of Sivir, the Battle Mistress. Determined to save his lineage and bring Shurima back, he saved her life. But he now relies on Sivir more than she relies on him, for many things taken for granted now are incomprehensible to him.

But he will face all trials if it means bringing back his nation.

Ambassador Udina

A summoner of no little power, Udina has spent most of his life learning the rules and regulations of the Citadel politics. He may not be the easiest man to work with, but he focuses all his energy into advancing the Alliance's position; whether through meetings and negotiations with other species, or fighting in the League of Legends. More than once he has demonstrated his powerful Biotics to an uppity individual.

Planets:

Blue Flames

Named after the Island now attached to it, Blue Flames in the capital of the Bilgewater Pirates. Less an official nation and more a fleet of pirates, the council has decreed that any ships entering official Bilgewater territory loses the right to complain when their ships are plundered. However, there are reports of a conflict between two possible leaders, Gangplank and Miss Fortune. Considering that Miss Fortune wishes for Bilgewater to be recognised as a nation under Council Law, many are hopeful she will be successful.

Azir

A desert world, Azir's original claim to fame was the fact that countless fighting had caused the remnants of Old Shurima to crash to the planet's surface. Cities and civilisation started growing as more and more adventurers sought to uncover the ruins and find whatever ancient relics were left behind. Many items found are considered to be equal or greater than most modern technology, leaving many to assume that Shurima was once similar to the Protheans in terms of power.

But only a few years ago, people were amazed to discover the ancient city rising from the grave. At the old palace, they found Emperor Azir of old with Sivir the Battle Mistress, declaring that Shurima and Azir were now its own nation. Backing up his claim with strength and ancient scrolls, the Summoner's Council soon accepted their claims and gifted them several non-aligned planets to grow from. They are weak now, still building up and understanding, but one day they will be equal to any other nation.

It also helps relationships that Azir wants most of his old artefacts locked away.

The Shadow Isles

Even less is known about the Shadow Isles than the Geth, since at least the Perseus Veil was inhabited before it was lost. All that is known is that somehow the Isles are home to what would be considered undead by others, comprising of ghosts and ghouls and monsters. However, there have been rumours that a member of the Isles resembling a walking tree has met with the Alliance, asking for help in purifying his planet.

But as we've said, this is all speculation.

Ionia

One of the Nations residing on Earth and making up the Alliance, Ionia is seen as the Alliance's Asari, focusing on diplomacy and enlightenment. They are focused enough that they devote entire schools to answering a single question about their place in the universe. However, they also train their soldiers in the art of assassination. An Ionian commando squad is considered on par with an Asari group of similar strength, with an added bonus of stealth technology. Their Government is made up of councils of elders, with those considered truly enlightened or wise considered of great help to them. There has been no record of any kind of power struggle between the elders, leaving one to assume that they have some way of only choosing the best and brightest.

Zaun

Zaun is considered the 'Mad Scientist' of Runeterra, ignoring all safety laws in favour of pushing science as far as it can go. This has given them the advantage of finding and creating things most have yet to consider, but it also means that nearly all their scientists are murderers, insane, or both. They have bad blood with Piltover for being their academic rivals, while an attack on Ionia during the Shattering has led to frosty relationships between the two.