Back on the Normandy, Shepard collapsed into bed. She wanted to know more about Silus, but she wasn't sure how to go about finding out more without actively stalking the poor turian. It would be awkward to explain to her friends, and even more awkward to explain if he somehow caught her.
Shepard sighed, and slammed her head back against her pillows a few times, like she was trying to knock the rogue thoughts out of it. But it didn't work. She hadn't expected it to, really.
Eventually, she must have fallen asleep, because her alarm clock blaring jerked her into alertness. 0630 always came too early, even when she hadn't been up half the night thinking inappropriate thoughts about a Turian she'd just met.
"Nooo." She grumbled, rolling over and pulling her pillow over her head. But Shepard knew her duty, knew that laying in bed after the alarm went off was a luxury for someone else. She rolled out of bed, landing on the floor in a tangle of blankets. Angrily she kicked them away, and staggered over to her shower.
Post-shower, she ran a brush through her short red locks, ridding herself of the worst of the tangles. And then she was ready to go. Where, she wasn't sure. They had been cooling their heels in the Citadel spaceport for the better part of a week, waiting for their quarry to appear. They had chased a few leads already, and all of them had turned out to be wild goose chases.
In her bag were the datapads with reports she needed to read through, information she needed to process. She'd thought about contacting the Shadow Broker, but last time she'd asked Liara, her friend had simply shaken her head. There was no word.
As she brushed her hair, she read through the latest reports on her datapad. There was another victim on Omega. But they had checked there, so either someone on that cursed rock was hiding her, or she had been traveling, dodging Shepard. If she was hiding on Omega, it was unlikely Shepard would be able to get good information, she was too well known.
She messaged Liara, asking for any information about recent arrivals on Omega, hoping that would pull something up. She might get a response in a few hours, it was well into the Illium night. Was it better if the rogue had been waiting off-planet? That meant someone was feeding her information. But if she'd been on Omega the whole time, someone there was hiding her.
The whole situation was infuriating.
"Commander?" EDI's voice interrupted her thoughts, "The Council has requested your presence in the Tower."
"Tell them I'm on my way."
"Yes, Commander."
Shepard tugged on her uniform, grabbed a quick cup of cold coffee and a roll from the Normandy kitchens, and then headed out. It didn't take long for her to get to Citadel Tower. She wasn't sure what they had summoned her for, but she was fairly certain it wasn't going to be pleasant. It never was, when they wanted her there personally.
The four council members stood before her, their faces stern.
"We expect results from our Spectres," Sparatus started bluntly, always straight to the point, that one. "And it seems you have spent more time in Citadel space than out on assignment, recently."
"I have been searching for leads on my latest case." Shepard tried to keep her face neutral, but it wasn't working. She was frustrated, and she was afraid it showed. She felt the pressure to be perfect, felt the way they all watched her, predatory and in charge. Part of her understood that they only had the power that she gave them, that it didn't matter if she displayed emotion. The rest of her understood that her job was easier when she fell in line and they were inclined to work with her.
"Well while you've been searching, the rogue Asari Commando has killed anotherinnocent!" Tevos nearly shouted it. Shepard's lips set in a thin line as she struggled to resist yelling back. She understood that it was a hot issue for the Asari Councilor, since it was her race that was misbehaving, and the Asari Commandos were supposed to be the best.
"On Omega, yes."
"If you knew she was on Omega, why are you on the Citadel?" Sparatus again. Shepard's eyes flicked back to him, found herself studying him. He was the most frustratingly blunt of the Councilors, and while she often appreciated it, right then she just wished he would shut up.
"I didn't know she was on Omega until I read the report shortly before you summoned me." Shepard resisted the urge to fidget or sigh. She wanted to grab the Councilors and shake some sense into them. "I plan on heading there right away, to see what I can find out."
"Dismissed, Shepard." Udina waved his hand in a vague and unnecessary gesture of dismissal. Shepard tried not to be insulted, but it was a difficult battle, and by the time she left the Council's presence, she was in a terrible mood.
There was an alcove not far from the Council Chamber which was fairly reliably unoccupied. It was there that Shepard went, practically stomping her way there. Once or twice, there were people who might have approached her, but took one look at her face and opted to retreat instead.
"Brilliant, Shepard," she berated herself. "Throwing a tantrum in public is a greatway to represent the human race."
