Chapter 1

9 PM, I arrive at the Spectre Office after another night of no sleep.
I'm taking pills like they are tic-tacs, but they are the only thing that keep me getting out of bed every morning. I put away the intel Garrus send me last night as well. Dr Liara Tsoni, 108 years old. Archeologist at the university of ancient xeno civilizations on Thessia. Recently got back from a dig somewhere unknown and so far no luck in finding her crew who were with her on the dig nor did anyone know if she was In a relationship with someone. I cant help but pop a few more pills as the migraine kicks in.
The nightmares are still the same. I hold the trigger in my hand. Tick tock. I hear her calling my name. Tick tock. One life versus 300 000. The clock is ticking, I hear Wrex shouting at me to make a choice. Tick tock. I feel the sweat running down as blaster fire is shredding through her shield and armour. Shepard, Shepard….
"Commander Shepard?"
I snap back to myself as a Salarian walks towards me. Jondum Bau, a Salarian spectre and one of the few peers I have I trust. "Bau." I shake his hand as I follow him to the morgue." Anything?"
"Mordin has been working on her all night, best you ask him if he has. Also…Saren wants to talk to you. Now. "
"I haven't even had my coffee yet…" I cant stop myself from groaning.
"You know how he gets, Shepard." Bau says with a smile and places his hand on my shoulder." Best get it over with."
"I hear you." I reply as we stop in front of the morgue." After I talked to Mordin."
Bau nods." Good luck Shepard, this case smells fishy from the word go."
I frown." How so?"
Bau looks uncomfortable, as if he caught himself on telling a secret he shouldn't have. "Bau, you owe me."

The Salaran sighs and nods." You didn't hear this from me. Saren wants to hook you up with a partner. Another Spectre."
"Another Spectre? Why? Spectre's work alone."
"I know, clearly they want someone to keep an eye on you. Also there's…rumours Dr Tsoni was onto something big."
"Big?"
"We received reports of archeologists ending up dead the past week. Nobody saw the connection until now. That's all I got."
I nod at him." I'll keep my eyes open, thanks Bau."

I bid my goodbye to the Salarian and go inside to meet another one. Professor Mordin Solus, a gifted scientist/biologist/doctor and possibly an expert at Sodoku now turned medical physician for the Spectres. He is arms deep into a krogan corpse, humming away when I step inside. I cough a little which makes him turn around to see me, a big smile on his face.
"Commander, good morning." Professor Solus, the eternal optimist.
"It'll be good if you got me something, Mordin." I reply.
"Got news." He said as he pulled his arm out of the corpse and pulled the glove off." This way."
I cannot help but ask." Who's he?"
"Urdnot Gorvar, got killed last night. Spike bomb, involved in gang warfare. Trying to find all spikes before sending back to Tuchanka." He inhaled." Very time consuming."
"I see…So, Dr Tsoni."

He takes me to the slab where Dr Tsoni was laying. A white sheet is covering her up until the chin, saving me the autopsy scars left in the stomach area but leaving me to see her stitched throat. As I see this blue angel lay down there, I cant help but wonder why anyone would kill someone so innocent looking. My father's saying came to mind " There is a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a weapon in his hands.". Mordin takes a sip form his coffee as he takes out his datapad.
"Toxology report indicates victim was drugged before time of death, no traces of said drugs found in wine glasses or bottle. Found traces of hallucinogenic drugs on lips, tongue, neck, stomach area and diverse other areas."
"So someone had that stuff on his lips?" I ask.
He nods." Probable sexual foreplay numbed Dr Tsoni so killed could make move quickly. Tried to find sign of semen but found none. Knowing how Asari procreate, not uncommon. Could be both genders."
"Murder weapon?" his smile, however macabre of the setting, makes me start enjoying my morning. He pulls out a plastic container showing pieces of metal. I take the container in my hand." A knife?"
"Yes. According to Spectre computer, cross referenced material is probably a Turian Talon. Commonly used by Hierarchy soldiers and favored by Assassins due to reputation of weapon."
"A Talon?" I frown at him.
"Fresh Talon, metal still irradiated from Palaven atmosphere, also explains brittle nature of metal. Normal Talon takes 3 months to "cool down" hence more expensive. Fresh Talons cheaper but also dangerous due to radiation."
"And also very illegal." I reply." How fresh is this metal?"
"Very, probably sold to killer hours before death of doctor. Radiation dwindles after separated from other Talons. Cannot help you where it came from though."
I look at the metal inside." Don't worry, I got a man for that."

My omnitool blinks, I don't need to check it to know it's Saren paging me. I hand the professor his samples back and ask him to keep in touch before I go to Director Arterius' officer.
I hate this office, it's always half lit with the shutters down halfway. I don't know why he does it, but I guess Saren does it to make people uncomfortable around him. Edgy, more easy to spill the beans. As if the cybernetic arm wasn't enough. The first few times I was nervous, but now I'm to high on my meds and Mordin's news to care.
"Shepard, you are late." I hear him rasp." Explain yourself."
"I was doing my job, the one the Council gave to me." I reply. I notice a man standing next to me. Human. He looks well build, a bit of gray hair on the side of his head, blue armour all around and a stern face. "And you are?"
"Major Alenko." He replied." I'm your partner."

I cant help but blink, another human spectre? So soon? " You are a Spectre?" I look at Saren." When did that happen?"
"Havent you been watching the news, Shepard?" Saren frowned." This morning, less then an hour ago."
"Explains the traffic jams…" I reply. Beats having an Turian or a Asari as a partner. Both of those tried to kill me last year during the war. "Welcome to the job, Major."

"Thanks." He replies with a small smile.
"Thought having a human partner would help things along knowing your previous track record." Saren said as he stands up." Back to business. Matriarch Benezeia is one of the Council's biggest money lenders and a personal friend of mine. You two are the best of our investigators we have."
"The best?" Kaiden asks.
"We don't blow stuff up as much as the others do." I reply which gets me a chuckle.

I smirk until I see Saren staring daggers at me.
"You think this is a joke, Shepard?"
"No." I reply.
"Then at least try to act like you are doing your job. I heard you have a lead, go after it. I want constant information on how this case develops, you hear me?"
"Crystal." I reply.
"Good, get out." He says. He gives Kaiden a nod before turning back to his papers.
As we both go outside I already have theories in my head about Major Alenko. I read about his track record. His actions on Feros probably got him this job. Saving 5000 people with a whole planet filled with Geth and killer plants is nothing to snuff at. He is also a protégé of Anderson, probably his only protégé after I joined the Spectres and broke pretty much every rule known to the Alliance manual to save the galaxy from the geth. I had the galactic public watching me, so neither the Alliance nor the Council could fire me or even court martial me. After all I saved their lives. So in secret it was decided I kept my Spectre badge but work solely on cases that go nowhere and stay out of the public eye. A good enough punishment I assume, but it doesn't stop the nightmares coming back at night. I grab a cigarette and curse myself for not having a lighter.

Alenko flashes his lighter on and lits up my cigarette. I instantly start to like this man.
"Thanks Major." I smile at him, although I'm sure it's wise to keep my eye on him. Anderson only picks the ruthless as his protégé, and Saren wouldn't send me a partner who wouldn't keep tabs on me.
"No problem." He replies." I saw you smoking enough on the vids to know to bring a lighter along."
"You don't smoke yourself, Alenko?" I exhale, releasing that sweet sweet smoke from my lungs.
"Never been a fan." He replies as we both walk to the elevator." I make up my sins by drinking."
"Really?" I look at him." I didn't want to say anything but your accent…Canadian?"
"And proud." he smirks." I read your file and saw the vids, I was involved in the war myself."
"I know." I reply." I read yours. You saved a lot of people on Feros."
"It was a bug hunt." He replies." Geth came out of the goddamn walls. I saw what you did on Virmire…it wasn't an easy choice."

"It wasn't." It was really. One life against 300 000. And all I had to do with pull the trigger and hear Ashley die and hear her every night for the rest of my life. A fair trade. I had no other choice I keep telling myself, and it's true. But why don't I believe myself then? I shake my head as we reach the sky cars." Right, lead."
"You got one?" Alenko asks as we step inside the sky car. As I dial in the location I pull up my omni tool with the data send to me." The coroner found traces of a turian metal in the victim's throat."
"A Talon?" Kaiden asks. He has smarts I don't deny him that.
"Yeah, a fresh one hence the metal splintered off so easily. There is only one man on the Citadel I know who knows where to buy such weapons."

Fifteen minutes later we arrive at a children's playground where two Asari children are swinging along on the swings. On the bench is their father, a man in his late 30-ties dressed as a cowboy from the old west. You either got to be mad or have massive amount of guts to wear clothing like that for no reason every single day. My eye is drawn to a graffiti on the wall nearby. It has the shape of a hand holding out over a planet as it's eye flares red, I've seen that symbol before on Omega…
"Is that Luke Boone?" I hear Kaiden ask me. I nod at him. Luke Boone is an Ex-Corsair, One of the few people next to Garrus, Urdnot Wrex and the Quarian Tali Nar Rayya who believed me in the Geth threat to revive an old war ship called "Reaper". We saved each other's lives a lot in those days, and in the end it cost him a lot more than it did me. I haven't spoken to him since we won the war, how can I? The person I killed to save thousands was his fiancé.
"Stay here." I tell Alenko. He gives a nod and stays put as I walk forward.

"Luke, still wearing the old duds?"
The man turns around, his blue eyes staring right at me. In one second I'll find out if he has forgiven me or not. The cowboy stands up and walks over to me slowly.
"Shepard." He says." Long time no see…."
"It has been." I reply. We both look at each other, not saying anything. The sound of playing children, the birds tweeting and the water steaming nearby seem to get louder, roaring at me. I barely keep myself from falling through my knees as the big lug hugs me and laughs.
"Long time no see indeed, partner." Luke smiles. " The hell have you been? Didn't you get my wedding invitation?"

"I did, I was on Omega. Couldn't get there in time." I lie with the biggest smile on my face. I'm a monster. He slaps my back hard, not knowing or not caring.
"Still good to see you." He looks at the playing Asari." Misses is working today, so I took the kids to the playground."
"You had kids?" I look at him.
"Two years ago. I met the misses in a bar, we both got drunk…one thing let to another and after Virmire, I just…y'know."
"Didn't want to end up alone." I nod at him." I understand. How is Kria, it's Kria right?"
"Yup. She's fine, Garrus and Wrex met her. She's wondering when she'll meet you."
"Garrus did mention her a couple of times." I reply." I was going to but…you know, busy."
"Yeah…" this time he knows im lying, but he's not acting on it. His smile changed to a stern and serious frown." What do you want, Shepard? I know your not here to reminance about old times. If you did you wouldn't have brought Kaiden Alenko over there."

"You know him?" I ask.
"I was a Corsair remember? I got people on the Alliance and other places to know whose who…especially if they just got made Spectre." He folds his arms." And I thought Spectre's work alone?"
I motion him to sit down on the bench." Last night a Asari got killed, an archeologist. The Killer used a Fresh Turian Talon. The weapon can only have come from someone who sold it to him on the Citadel. You have any ideas who?"
One of the children wave at their father who waves back with a smile.
"I promised my wife I would keep my nose clean, Partner…"
"I'm not asking you to go back on that path, Luke." I reply." I'm asking you if you remember anyone who can sell Illegal weaponry on the Citadel. He has to be fast and smart to fly through the Citadel Fleet's patrols with illegal cargo in tow. Someone really good at flying."

Luke leans back for a moment, thinking before he looks back at me.
"There's one man I know who can pull off a job like that. He's been doing this ever since the Alliance took his wings for using pain killing drugs during flights."
I lean in closer." Who?"
"Chora's Den, ask the barkeep for the Joker."

TBC