I stepped into the Biotics gym behind Serena, looking around. It was a large space, with racks along the wall near the door holding a variety of objects. Medicine balls, dumbbells, weighted cubes, Biotic puzzles, and so forth. They had every variety of Biotic training tool I had read about on the Richmond, and then some.
Serena pressed a button on the wall, and I felt the gravity in the room decrease.
"Makes practicing throws easier." She said, walking over to the medicine balls and grabbing two large ones. "Now, we're going to practice tossing and retrieving these balls with Biotics, okay?"
I nodded. "So to throw, I just do this, right?" I said, making a pushing motion with one hand as I activated my Biotics.
Red light began to rise from my skin, then it lanced out toward one of the balls Serena was holding, striking it and sending it flying across the room.
"Nice." Serena said. She made a pulling motion, and the ball came drifting lazily back towards her. "Now try curving it."
I repeated the motion, and sent the ball flying again, straight as an arrow.
"So," Serena said, as she retrieved the ball, "What did they do to you on that station? It must have been pretty bad."
"It was." I said, failing the throw again. "Surgery, gene mods, that sort of thing. It was pretty bad. At least I got a cool suit of Power Armor out of it, though."
Serena froze. "Power Armor? What do you mean?"
"It's called the Progressive Armor." I explained. "It has all the normal stuff for powered armor, plus a platoon's worth of kinetic barriers. It also has a dynamic fabricator system that allows it to create plates of enhanced omnigel material to block sustained attacks."
"Wow." Serena said. "That could be a game changer. I mean, it could change the face of infantry combat. What's the status of the armor?"
"Well, first of all, the first few guys they gave the implants required to use the armor to melted." I said. "And I think you have to be biotic to use the armor. So that means that it would probably only be a real benefit to the Asari."
"Damn Asari." Serena said.
"What do you mean?"
"I just don't particularly like them." Serena explained. "I'm not a racist, but they've had it too good for too long. They run the Citadel Council, and they did nothing to earn it."
"I see." I said. "That's an interesting opinion."
"And besides, have you noticed how they always have the most advanced technology?" Serena continued. "All Prothean relics are supposed to be shared with the whole Council, but how do they have better science in most areas when everyone knows that the Salarians are better scientist?"
"That's an interesting point." I said. "Why do think that is?"
"I think they have a Proethan relic, a big one, which they aren't sharing." Serena said, then seemed to deflate. "I'm sorry. I probably sound crazy. Everyone else I've said this to thinks so."
"No." I said. "I think you're right."
I distinctly remembered hearing something about the Asari having some temple or another that contained a Prothean VI feeding them advanced technology. I wondered how Serena had managed to piece that together.
"Really?" Serena said, looking up at me. "You really mean that?"
"Yeah, I do." I said. "And I think that the Alliance needs to bulk up its defenses big time. But that's not important right now. We were practicing Biotics."
"Right." Serena said. "Try that curved push again."
I did. I failed, again.
"This might take a while." Serena said.
[x]
An hour later, I was tired, hungry, and Biotically worn out. However, I still had the appointment with Iris to show her my Progressive Armor, to which Serna was now insisting that she be allowed to attend.
"I want to see it too." Serena said. "This could be the biggest development since the invention of Eezo toothbrushes, but in war, which is vastly more important than dental health. There's no way I'm missing this."
"Do what you like." I said.
Somehow, that led to me walking to my dorm room with Serena hanging on my arm, her nails digging into my skin.
When we finally got there, Iris was waiting outside my door, staring down the hallway.
"Hello?" I said.
"You're late." Iris said.
"Sorry." I muttered. "I was busy trying to gain control of my otherworldly powers."
"That's not important." Iris said. "Show me the armor."
"Fine." I said, opening the door to my room. "It's in the large crate."
Iris was in the room and opening the crate standing next to my bed before I could blink. I stepped inside.
It was actually a pretty nice room. It was decorated in the typical future-y Mass Effect style, with a nice bed and an empty bookshelf, a study desk, and some other odds and ends. The dominating feature was the massive shipping crate that reached nearly to the ceiling and was at least four feet on a side. I vaguely wondered how they had gotten it through the door, but decided it was better not to ask.
Iris had gotten the top of the front peice off of the crate, revealing the top of the Armor. It was standing up, in its 'Open' configuration, so the inner gel lining that contacted my skin when I was using it was showing.
"Wow. Iris muttered, looking at it. "This is just... wow."
"I'm glad you like it." I said. "What do you think-"
"Put it on." Iris said. "We're going down to the kill house."
"They have one of those here?" I said, shock showing on my face. "I thought that this was a school?"
"They have one of everything here." Serena said. "Anyway, I don't oppose the idea. I want to see this thing in action."
"No." I said. "There is no way that I'm-"
[x]
I stepped up to the center of the kill house, all systems on my armor operational. I held a training assault rifle in each hand. Even those sized for the largest of hands were tiny in my Power Armored grip.
The room was covered, floor to ceiling, in uniform tiles of white plastic material. It was smaller than the Biotics gym, but not by much. Doors lined the walls, with numbers written on them in read, the only splash of color in the room.
"Okay." Iris said over the intercom, her voice flat. "I've overridden the kill house systems to set the weapons to mostly lethal, but they're programed to stop firing as soon as your kinetic barriers drop. Do you understand?"
"Um, yes." I said, wondering why I had agreed to this.
"Then get ready. Attackers are coming in now." Serena said.
I raised my weapons. Several sections of floor elevated, providing cover. I rushed over and pressed my armored bulk against one, listening with my suit's senses as footfalls entered the chamber.
They were behind me. Great.
I spun around and dodged to the side, servos wiring, then opened fire with both my assault rifles as I surveyed the area.
The enemy were LOKI mechs, armed with their usual Heavy Pistols. I dodged as they fired at me, dropping first one, then two, mechs with what might charitably be called barrage fire.
As the mechs went down, electricity crawling over their bodies, I spun around and pressed myself against another pillar. I spotted a trio of LOKIs approaching me from the opposite direction.
I gave my guns a second to cool off, then opened fire, pellets of metal striking the kinetic barriers of the mechs and dropping them, then continuing onward to strike in tiny bursts of electricity.
One mech went down, and I ducked behind the pillar as its comrades returned fire. The second the barrage of hits against the pillar slackened, I stepped out from behind it, assault rifles flashing.
Three heavy pistol rounds were deflected harmlessly against my kinetic barrier, then I brought both of the surviving mechs down in a hail of fire.
I advanced toward the fallen enemy, then froze behind a pillar as I heard heavy footfalls coming from by right. I smiled. I think it was about time that I showed off.
Activating my Mass Effect drivers, I crouched, then sprang into the air, thrusters flaring. My assault rifles chattered as I rose above the forest of pillars, taking out two LOKI mechs before they knew what was happening.
The few rounds that hit the YMIR mech, though, did squat. I thrusted forward and to the side, still dropping LOKI mechs as I landed on a pillar. A targeting laser danced across my chest, and I activated my Progressive system.
My Biotics flared red, and snakes of Omnigel slithered out from several points on my armor, forming a plate the size of a dinner platter between me and the YMIR. As the YMIR opened up with its twin mass accelerator cannons, the rounds sparked off the plate, slowly draining my Kinetic Barriers, though they were doing less than the three surviving LOKI mechs and their heavy pistols.
I let the YMIR spin its wheels for a second, then started shooting out the LOKI mechs around it. My kinetic barriers were about half down when that was done, and the YMIR was bringing its rocket launcher to bear.
As the mass accelerator fire cut out, I went into interceptor mode. Time seemed to slow as the targeting laser danced across my chest, and I watched as rocket exhaust spread out of the vents on the back of the YMIR's rocket launcher like ink spilled into water. I raised my Assault rifle, my fingers tightening on the trigger as I reached a symbiotic state with my armor.
I pulled the trigger.
Something exploded around the YMIR's left arm as time seemed to return to normal. Sensation rushed into my head as my perception of time returned to normal, and I shivered inside my armor.
As the smoke surrounding the YMIR's left arm cleared, I opened fire, inaccurately, with my assault weapons. Its kinetic barriers flared as a fraction of my shots hit it. The mech itself seemed uncertain how to proceed. Slowly, it raised its mass accelerator cannons.
I jumped into the air, thrusting to the side and activating my biotics. I threw a push at the LOKI which, as expected, sent me tumbling backwards. My Gyroscopes tumbled as I flew through the air, my thrusters firing intermittently to slow me down.
My landing was... less impressive than I had hoped.
As I picked myself up off the floor, I considered my situation. The crippled YMIR couldn't follow me here, the space between the pillars separating us was too small. I paused for a moment, letting my badly depleted kinetic barriers recover from the fight.
After a few seconds, I heard footsteps approaching me. I charged forward, spotting a LOKI mech as it emerged from behind a pillar. I changed my course slightly as I locked my rifles to my armor, angling toward the mech.
I hit the Mech like a raging bull. I felt shock as I stuck, and I rode the mech to the floor, sparks flying as we slid across the ground. I punched the mech in the center of the chest, and it stopped moving.
Grabbing my cooled rifles off my thigh locks, I sprayed fire as I rose at the... Nothing approaching me. That was embarrassing. I recovered quickly, as I heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Spinning around, I spotted two LOKI mechs approaching me. I threw one LOKI mech away like a ragdoll, then shot the other in the head as its heavy pistol rounds bounced off my kinetic barrier.
I began advancing through the forest of pillars, toward the heavy footfalls of the YMIR. As I reached it, I sprang out from behind a pillar and sprayed fire at its exposed backside, then ducked and ran as it turned.
The sound of mass accelerator rounds on the floor of the kill house sounded as the YMIR saturated my previous location with fire. I flared my thrusters and sprang up, pouring fire toward the head of the YMIR.
I repeated the process twice before the thing went down. To this down, I don't know how long I fought. It felt like an eternity, like the eternity that separated me from home. I realized that, despite my damaged memory, I was mad, and I poured that anger out into flooring every damn mech they sent against me.
Eventually, I think it was that anger that got me. I exposed myself with my kinetic barriers low to a horde of mechs, and from there it was over in seconds.
I dropped my weapons as my kinetic barriers failed, breathing heavily. My Armor regulated my body temperature and provided me with hyperoxygenated air, among other things, but I was still out of shape from spending more than a month in surgery.
As the mechs still able to walk returned to the doors they had been deployed from, I walked toward the door, unsealing my helmet and pulling the massive wedge of metal off my head.
As I stepped out of the training room, I was greeted by a crowd. Dozens of students, all in the black uniform of the Jon Grissom Academy, were standing in the viewing room, staring up at the monitors displaying the inside of the kill house.
Someone pressed their way through the crowd toward me. It was Serena and Iris.
"That was incredible! Serena said. "Did you see the carnage that you caused in there? You were awesome!"
"I gained a substantial amount of useful data." Iris said, in her usual tone. "I believe it should be rather useful in the future."
"Is that him?" Someone said.
"I think it is!" Someone else shouted.
"Where did you get that armor!"
"Ahem." An adult loudly cleared their throat. "Students, please disperse. Mr. Black, Ms. Browning, Ms. Steele, if I may have a word with you?"
The students seemed to vanish like smoke in the wind. An older man, dressed in the blue staff uniform, approached men and the girls.
"Mr. Black, what made you think that operating Powered Armor in out kinetic training room would be considered acceptable?"
"Before we start, just for the record, I would like to establish that this was not my idea, nor was I a voluntary participant." I said.
"Noted." The man said. "I am Dean Crane. I am in charge of discipline at this school, and I would like to ask you a question."
"Yes, sir?" I said.
"Where did you learn to fight like that, son?" He exclaimed.
"It was mostly the armor, sir." I said. "I just did what felt natural."
"Hum." He said. "Mr. Black, pease change out of that armor, then come to my office. Ms. Browning, Ms. Steele, clean this place up."
[x]
"So." Dean Crane said. "I understand that you received that suit of Power Armor from a close encounter with a group of Asari terrorists, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir." I said.
"What if I were to tell you that they were part of a secret group called the Knife of the Goddess, an Asari supremacist organization."
"I would be skeptical, sir, as I have heard nothing of the sort from Alliance Intelligence." I said.
"Alliance Intelligence would only tell you if it benefited them." The Dean said. "Which it wouldn't. There is a chance that you could talk, and that might disrupt the sterling reputation of the Asari. It wouldn't do for them to have some group of Cerberus copycats running around."
"And why wouldn't that benefit Alliance Intelligence?" I asked.
"Why do you think?"
I thought about that for a moment. If this guy was telling the truth, then this definitely wasn't the Mass Effect I knew. But why wouldn't Alliance Intelligence...
Of course.
"Because they want to get onto the council." I said. "And they need the support of the Asari to join. That's why they can't risk offending them."
"Exactly." Dean Crane said.
"But then how do you know about them?" I asked, suspicious. I was starting to get bad vibes from this guy.
"The evidence is there for anyone to see, if you dig deep enough." He said. "Most would simply prefer not to."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who are you?" I asked.
"A concerned citizen."
I relaxed, ostensibly. "Fine."
"So," he said, "there will be no punishment for you antics this time, beyond helping your friends clean up the simulation room, but the same will not be true of future events."
"Thank you." I said.
"You may go."
I went.
[x]
Just like that, on a small blue orb called Earth, January turned to February. A month had passed since I had arrived at Jon Grissom Academy, and I spent it frantically faminizering myself with the minutea of the Mass Effect universe.
Somewhere along the way, I became friends with Serena and Iris. Despite much pressure from Iris, I hadn't put on my suit since that day. I guess I was afraid of it, maybe, of what it represented.
And what it made me become.
I advanced in math, science, and history, and spent at least three hours of leisure time each day either at the shooting range or working out, to recover from my surgery and prepare myself for the Reaper invasion. I was doing pretty well in my studies, and I was finally feeling like I was starting to fit in. In fact, I had become pretty popular following the demonstration of my suit's powers. The random bouts of depression and homesickness were finally starting to clear up, and things were going pretty well, or at least as well as they could with a giant Sword of Damocles hanging over my head.
In fact, I had become pretty popular following the demonstration of my suit's powers,
Then I got the message. It was an anonymous text-only communication that appeared on my desk in the middle of class one day. It simply read: What are your feelings on the ascendance of Humanity?
I was tempted to ignore it, but I responded, generally positive.
A almost immediately, the response came: Do you wish for the item in your position to benefit Humanity alone or everyone, including those who wronged you?
I hesitated for a moment. I could sense where this was going. Hesitantly, I typed out my message.
Are you Cerberus?
I waited for a nearly a minute before the response came.
Yes. I wish to have a further discussion with you.
I paused. Did I really want to get involved with Cerberus? On one hand, they were a group of dangerous murders who were ultimately controlled by an Indoctrinated Illusive Man. On the other hand, their hearts were in the right place, at least from my admittedly humanist point of view. However, they had resources, and they were aware of the threat of the Reapers.
Maybe I use them to fight the Reapers and protect Humanity.
What do you want? I typed.
There will be a failure of the monitoring system for the school at 0700 hours tomorrow. Go to the Biotics training gym. An Agent will meet you there. I sincerely hope you are there. Perhaps we can make a deal.
The messenger closed.
What do I do?
[x]
At the fated hour, nothing seemed to happen. Classed didn't start for another two hours, and most students weren't up yet, so I was fairly confident I could make it to the Biotics Gym without running into anyone.
I had stayed up all night thinking about what had been said to me over the messenger, and eventually I came to the conclusion that Cerberus represented the best chance of the technology being use for humanity. I would give Cerberus access to the suit, on the conditions that they use their front companies to provide the technology to the Alliance, with an export ban. I would try to use my knowledge to get involved enough with Cerberus to gain resources, which would be practically impossible to gain on my own, but not central enough that I wouldn't have an exit strategy when Cerberus went really bad.
Now certain in my decision, I walked out of my room and started making my way to the Biotics Gym, wondering if I was being indoctrinated. Was there some bit of Reaper tech in my suit that was influencing my decisions?
No, everything I was doing seemed perfectly rational. I think. Two plus two equals four. Was it possible that I was being controlled on so basic a level that-
Nothing good would come of this line of thought. I made a decision, and I had to stick with it. While still looking out for Indoctrination. It was possible that just knowing about Indoctrination would provide me with some protection, and I had always been called stubborn, if nothing else.
After a few minutes of walking, I reached the Biotics gym and opened the door. A man in the blue of the staff uniform was standing next to the door, eating a candy bar.
"I'm a great admirer of your work." He said. "You really did a number on those Asari back on that station."
"Um, thanks." I said. That had to mean this guy was Cerberus. There was no way anyone who wasn't Alliance would know about that.
"So let's get down to business while no one can hear us, shall we?" He said. "We've had our eyes on you since you came off that station. Fact of the matter is, you're a ghost. Either you came from some anti-computer backwater that does not keep digital records, which your adequate health seems to contradict, or something strange is going on."
"Your point?" I said.
"Point is, you have on one to rely on." He said. "Cerberus can offer you a lot, if you're willing to help us."
"You want the Progressive Armor." I said.
"Exactly. We want it for humanity." He said.
I took a deep breath. "On two conditions. First, that you use your front holdings to disseminate the results of your research to Alliance, selling them suits if you manage to create them, with an export ban. Second, that you give me all necessary resources to fight the Reapers."
He froze. "How do you know about that?"
"You said it yourself, something strange is going on." I said. "But here's a freebie. The Asari have a Prothean VI under the Temple of Athame that's been feeding them advanced technology. What do you say about that?"
"One second, please." The man said. He took a step away from me and pressed a finger against his ear.
"Alright." He said, a moment later. "We accept your deal, but we have a provision for you. Gain evidence for this acquisition you've made against the Asari, and you'll have your anti-Reaper cell. I just hope you don't think this is the end of this conversation."
"How do you expect me to do that?" I said. "Breaking a secret that's been held for thousands of years isn't exactly easy."
The man smiled. "That's the best part."
The door slid open, and Iris and Serena entered the room.
"What are you two doing here?" I said, looking at them.
"I've actually been considering joining Cerberus for a while." Serena said. "I mean, humanity needs an edge if we're going to do well in the Galactic community, and when you said that you agreed with me about the Asari, well, you know. Then when they contacted me..."
"I want to learn more about the Armor." Iris said. "And if you're joining Cerberus, then I'm coming with you. They have resources that I need."
"Are you sure about this?" I said. "I mean, Cerberus are terrorists. They're..."
"We prefer the term Well-Intentioned Extremists." The man said. "Now, if you want to join, then it's time for a semester abroad. It's already been scheduled, and we'll add you to the school roster."
"How do I know I can trust you?" I said. "For that matter, how do we know that you're Cerberus at all? How can I know that you won't just lock us up as soon as we get wherever you're taking us?"
"I won't be taking us anywhere." The man said. "Do any of you know how to pilot a shuttle?"
[x]
"I still can't believe we're doing this." I said, as we boarded the school shuttle, sixteen hours after meeting the Cerberus man. "I mean, I know we all reached this conclusion on our own, but..."
"We've discussed this thoroughly." Serena said. "And I think this is for the best."
"I'm just not sure that this is-"
"Are you scared?" Iris asked.
"No." I said, as I hauled my armored bulk into the shuttle. "It's just that I don't know if... Nevermind."
Serena pressed a button, closing the door of the shuttle behind us. We walked forward, toward the cockpit of the shuttle. I had packed up everything I had on the suit and all the spare parts and such on magnetic crates, and used the suit to carry them to the shuttle bay. Cerberus had cut the school monitoring systems again, and assured us that our absences would not be remarked upon.
As we reached the cockpit, I opened a compartment and began removing the magnetic cases from my armor and stowing them as Serena took a seat behind the controls of the shuttle. She pressed a button on her Omnitool and a pre-prepared message played to the Space Traffic Control of the school.
Moments later, the shuttle rocked, and began to rise into the air. My armor stabilized me as the craft slowly began to accelerate forward, through the opening airlock of the shuttle bay and out into space.
I watched through the image projected on the canopy of the cockpit as the stars came into view. It wasn't my first time seeing them from space, but it was still beautiful. The stars began to roll as the shuttle executed a turn.
"So." I said, after a few minutes. "How far did he say he have to fly again? This thing isn't exactly FTL."
"Not far." Serena said. "Well, not at our speeds, anyway. We're accelerating fast enough to be lethal without the Mass Effect field."
"Pretty impressive." I said.
"It's actually standard." Serena said. "You hear about inertial compensator failures every now and again, but they're triple redundant on everything and hardwired to the ship's main engine. It would be physically impossible to turn off the compensators without cutting power to the engines."
"Smart." I said. "So let's review. What exactly are we doing here?"
"We have been instructed to retrieve evidence of the presence of the Prothean relic you claim lies under the Temple of Athame." Iris said. "I am still thinking of how exactly we are going to do that without any resources."
None of us said anything for a few seconds. "Guys?" Serena said. "I'm getting a tight beam communication."
"Who is it from?" I asked.
"They're identifying themselves as the Cerberus Destroyer Chimera." Serena said. "They're asking if we have the suit."
"Tell them I have it." I said.
Serena muttered something into her transmitter. A moment later, she spoke up. "They're telling us to proceed to an intercept course and prepare for docking.
"What's our ETA to the rendezvous point?"
Serena turned the ship slightly. "Thirty seconds."
I gulped. One way or another, things were going to start changing very soon.
We flew in scilence for a few seconds, then Serena said "I'm locked out!"
"What do you mean?" I said, as the shuttle executed a hard turn.
"I mean they've taken remote control of the Shuttle!" Serna said.
I looked out the canopy as a black shadow came into sight. As we drew closer, I could start to make out the details.
The black ship drew to mind a shark, with its sweeping lines and sleek appearance. Overall, the ship was shaped vaguely like an elongated teardrop, with the thick end pointed down, and two engine pods on either side of the base of the ship. I couldn't make out more details from the canopy, but everything I could see about the ship screamed lethal.
As we approached, we were maneuvered towards an illuminated landing bay on the 'underside' of the ship. I felt the main engine of the shuttle cut out, and we drifted into the bay.
"Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to the Cerberus Destroyer Chimera." A voice said over the shuttle intercom. "Grab everything you need and prepare disembark, because this tub isn't hanging around for long."
As I began to remove my mag-cases from the case where I had stowed them, Serna got out of the pilot's seat.
"We've come this far." She said. "There's no turning back now."
I snapped the last mag case onto my armor and opened the door out of the cockpit. "Ladies first."
[x]
I came out of the shuttle door first, fully armored. The landing bay of the Cerberus Destroyer was shrouded in shadows, with the silhouettes of several craft visible surrounding us. No one seemed to be there.
I jumped down from the shuttle door, my armored feet clanging as they hit the floor. Serena followed me, and Iris dropped down a moment later.
A clapping sound shattered the silence. I looked around for a moment as a man stepped out from behind one of the parked craft. He was wearing a jet-black uniform with a familiar Cerberus symbol on the breast pocket.
"So." He said. "You decided to come, and you brought your magnificent armor with you. Thank you, Mr. Black. Welcome to the Cerberus Destroyer Chimera. I am the Executive Officer of this ship."
I felt a slight jolt, and a slight hum filled the air.
"We just started the main engines." He said. "I hope you appreciate this. We're burning antiprotons to get you and that suit out of here. Anyway, someone very important wants to talk you."
"The Illusive Man?" I asked.
The XO smiled. "Yes. If you'd come this way."
[x]
I stepped into the communications room, still wearing my armor. It looked a lot like the Communications Room on the Normandy SR2, and I wasn't at all surprised as the lights dimmed and the table began to retract into the floor. A moment later a hologram of a seated man with burning eyes holding a cigar appeared in the center of the room.
"Mr. Black." The Illusive man said, without preamble. "You are an interesting man. It is not often that I come across someone I can discover nothing about, but you..." He shook his head. "Nothing. As of three months ago, you didn't exist."
"Yes, sir." I said.
"So, you claim that the Asari have a functional Prothean beacon under their temple on Thessia. Is that correct?"
"Yes." I said. "I believe that the knowledge it contains would be helpful in the war to come."
"And what war would you be referring to?"
"Why, the war with the Reapers, of course." I responded.
"And how do you know about them."
I paused.
"I'd prefer not to say. It is for the same reason that I don't exist more than a month back." I said. "But I know lots of things."
"What do you want?" The Illusive Man asked.
"I want to save the Galaxy, of course." I said. "And to ensure that Humanity comes out of the Reaper war in the best possible condition."
"Fair enough." The Illusive Man said. "How about this. You let the science crew on that ship study the armor and I disseminate the results to humanity, as requested. You use the resources of that ship to gain proof of the Beacon on Thessia, and it's yours."
I took a step back. "What?"
"The damage the discovery of a Beacon on Thessia could cause to the Asari would be immense." The Illusive man said. "As would the benefits of the dissemination of their technology. That is more than worth the sacrifice of one ship, and that's not even counting the benefits of gaining your armor technology, the profits alone from which could buy me ten of the ship you're standing on. And I don't think that you'll throw my ship away."
"No, Sir." I said.
"Good. Now, get me irrefutable evidence of that beacon before the end of your semester abroad." The Illusive Man said. "Mr. Mcbride will help you get acquainted with the resources available for your operation, and has final veto power over your actions."
"Why are you doing this?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "This seems awfully trusting for you."
"I've taken precautions." The Illusive Man said. "But... Call it a hunch. I have a feeling about you, Mr. Black. Make sure it's a good feeling."
The hologram disappeared, and the table began to rise out of the floor.
"Come on." The Executive Officer, Mcbride, said. "I'll take you to the bridge. We have an operation to plan."
[x]
"These," Mcbride said, opening a hologram on the bridge display, "are the ship schematics. You can see all the main systems, weapons, engines, and so forth."
I stood on the bridge with Mcbride, standing in a fresh Cerberus uniform. Iris had disappeared down to the science department with my armor, and now Mcbride was giving me a virtual tour of the ship.
"Three hundred meters long, assembled in pieces shipped out of one of our Aerospace holdings. She's got a radar cross-section the size of your head, and twin accelerators able to obliterate anything we can't outrun, which is fighters, basically. Just about her only flaw is sub-par hull integrity, which we've got overstrength kinetic barriers to compensate for. And the best part is that the Alliance paid for the whole thing."
"How did you swing that?"
"Cost overruns, mostly." Mcbride said.
The door to the bridge opened, and Serena walked in, carrying a large hologram projector.
"I've pulled the plans for the temple off of the extranet." Serena said, setting the hologram projector on the floor and activating it. "I don't they're legit, but they're a start."
"Good." I said. "Now, let's get to work."
The hologram projector activated, and the outside of the temple appeared.
"This is the Temple of Athame." Serena said. "It has declined since the Asari largely took up the Siari religion, but it still has a formidable network of security. Let's start at the top."
The image of the temple zoomed out to show the surrounding city, the temple and the empty space surrounding it in the center of the screen.
"During the day, anyone can come and visit the temple, but they're limited to the public areas of the Temple, which are of no interest to us." Serena said. "Guards will politely turn around anyone entering a forbidden area, and a heavy response team is on standby outside the temple, here." Serena pointed at a small building outside the temple.
"During the night, Security increases tenfold." Serena continued. "Motion detectors and cameras prevent anyone from entering the premise, though we know guards are recognized and excluded from the security systems by a combination of gait recognition, facial recognition, and RFID tags. The heavy response team is still on standby."
"Alright." I said. "What's it like inside?"
"Laser grids line the floors and cut off intersections." Serena said. "They have more cameras, this time with no exemptions. Any disruption of the laser grid or motion detected is logged and, presumably, investigated."
"Is that all?"
"Then there's the inner sanctum of the temple." Serena said. "That's presumably where the Prothean Relic would be kept, if anywhere. That's a blank. We have no intel."
"Well then, I said." Let's get planning."
Coming up next time: Thessia's Eleven.