Chapter 4
In an office, a ping rings out.
A Turian reaches over, picks up his Omni and checks it.
"What the fuck?"
"Mr Vakarian, I'd like to welcome you to my organisation." I read.
Typing back, "Who is this, I'm on C-Sec premises, this is a black zone."
"Let's not get into semantics, I've an offer for you, an offer to help you complete some of the most important things in the galaxy as they must happen. Do you accept?"
"What things?"
"Do the names Saleon and Saren ring a bell?"
"What do you know about them?"
"Ah, ah you have to agree to our rules first!"
"Fine, however I have lines I just won't cross."
The other end chuckled. "I think in time you'll see it our way. Some things just have to happen to assure the correct flow of the galaxy, universe and time, set points if you will."
unit {4af7gb2ue8!9); start-up sequence} commence
[command recognized; encryption key accepted. welcome legion command. unit start} running.]
prepare for drop, weight negator active test
[command accepted= W-Neg start; all system clear; ready for drop]
system loaded, remote backup active, time set to 1 minute
[system prepared; commence when ready]
- Legion unit you are clear, message repeats -
dropping
As the recording as playing through, a few noticed a slight whistle from above (mostly Turians).
Just after the recording finished and Saren was pleading his, his master's, excuses, the whistle grew in volume till it suddenly cut.
Many looked up, though still some where pre-occupied with the argu-discussion.
But Jane noticed, and so did her squad, pushing Tali behind her and to the ground she drew her pistol and motioned her team to take positions.
"Please clear the area highlighted" the holographic display system activated and indicated a target.
The whistle suddenly cut back in, but unlike the thoughts of many some of whom had dived for cover or the C-Sec who covered the Council expected no explosion occurred, instead a brief, yet bright, blue biotic glow lit the room like a flashbang, with only those properly equipped being able to catch the Geth platform landing in the centre of the room.
"This platform is unarmed, please hold fire!" It cried out, hands and arms aloft, spinning then walking to the side opposite of the council.
"Commander, I have been given the task and honour of representing the True Geth, and the Legion operatives, before the council." The Marked Geth spoke, while kneeling on the glass covering to the council's private garden before the Human delegations.
"We the Geth have been misrepresented by the traitor Saren and the Heretic Geth."
The first to respond was not the Human delegations, but the Turian councillor Sparatus. "Get me C-Sec up here now, we need crowd control immediately, lock sown the tower, initiate Curtain Protocol!" He yelled in an unusual show of emotion, and a rush most had never seen a councillor in.
The second to respond was not the Salarian councillor, who was engrossed in scans and JIT research (A live and operating Geth platform was more than unusual, especially on the Citadel!).
Instead it was the Asari councillor, a once well renowned military contractor and before that mercenary, who turned her abundant sway, power and web of contacts to the political league.
A pistol was pointed at the construct as soon as she'd recovered from the flashbang effects, not long since she'd used her Omni to flash forge a shield in front of her while ducking.
"Geth, do not move, we have you covered. Keep your hands raised and do not try to turn." A steady command droll-ed out, clearly, across the glass.
"This unit has been ordered to hold its position till C-Sec contact arrives and expediates this units clearance. Don't worry councillors I am also under the command of the Commander here."
"What?!" Similar cries broke out over the area, the loudest from the women herself, slightly lowering her sidearm, before snapping it back to the Geth's throat.
In the eerie silence that followed the cries a ping sounded off in a room where a pin drop could have been audible.
"Commander, how did you receive that communication? This is a secure area and doubly so since Curtain Protocol calls for our most advanced jammers to be operational." The Salarian councillor asked, to which Sparatus gave him a look of dampened (expected defeat) anger, finally breaking his fascination induced silence.
"The Commander has been receiving the messages, from an unknown source, since just before the jump to Eden Prime, sir." Nihlus replied, a hand laid to Jane's shoulder.
"And why, pray tell, where we not informed sooner?" Sparatus asked, tiredly.
"I had not intended the information to be made this public, the source revealed some-what detailed information on the changing situation on Eden Prime, more than likely preventing my own death." He replied, rubbing his now missing fringe pieces, before sending the information to the councillors' Omnis.
At this time C-Sec stormed the room, moving civilians, and all those without clearance, from the room. Operatives with optics setting up on the balconies and setting up barriers across the room at strategic positions.
Those left relaxed and lowered their weapons though both the Commander, Wrex and Tevos kept theirs in hand.
Anderson reached over and patted Jane's shoulder, tapping his ear.
Jane mumbled a command and the rear of her armour displayed an encrypted barcode for him to scan.
Once he was in her comm channel he spoke quietly, his implants working as a throat mic and bone speaker, a standard to N7 operatives.
"So, what did it say?"
"Here, I've been meaning to do this but have been caught up in all this shit, I'm setting up an automatic forward."
"You know Shepard I'd send them directly to Anderson if you asked nicely?"
"Who is this?!" Checking her Omni, finding no connection having been made. "Actually, how are you doing this, my Omnis unable to receive anything but text communications!?"
"Oh, quite simple, may I call you Jane?" Grinding her teeth Jane replies. "No, only friends get to call me that."
"Oh, then I will endeavour to be your friend, I think you'll like what I can do for you. But back to the topic at hand, well simple answer is your in range of one of my operatives."
Looking round Jane can't tell who it might be for a moment. "The Geth Shepard, the bloody Geth!" Shepard gets sheepish look having the distinct feeling that Anderson isn't the only one face palming.
"May this unit call upon a single operative?"
"I don't see why not." Valern cuts in before anyone else could."
"Thank you, councillor. I would like to call Garrus Vakarian to my defence."
Disabling his rifle and giving it over to his spotter. Garrus grumbled all the way down the stairs to the cordon. Setting his armour for mobile disassembly, left with a sizable briefcase and his sidearm, which he turned into the Lieutenant at the cordon, receiving a hostage shield generator, which could be remotely disabled by the lieutenant.
"Good luck Garrus."
Turning back as he continued towards the Geth. "Thanks Susan!"
Jogging up to the Geth, "So, I guess you're part of Mist?"
"Hello Mr Vakarian! Nice to finally meet you, I've heard good things. Nice work on that desert planet, two miles and the target still lost their head? Brilliant." The Geth effused, patting Garrus on the back and gesturing about with its free hand.
Which both worked to put Garrus at ease and the rest of the room on guard.
"But, yes, I forget myself, sorry councillors, Mr Vakarian could you please explain what your work has been like in C-Sec and, I must correct you here Garrus, for Mist, please."
So Garrus did just that explaining how He'd been working for Mist for two years, working to make the galaxy a better place, taking on missions not too dissimilar to those of a fully licenced and trained SpecTRe. But also contrasted this with the slow and often times sloppy work he'd been forced to do at C-Sec, with some bosses even ordering him to get rid of evidence in order to pander to a high ranking official.
"So Garrus how would you sum up working for Mist?"
"Well… Overall It's good work and sometimes the work was sketchy but overall I'd find out maybe the same day, maybe a year later what my work lead to, assassinating a certain individual, Mist taking over their work and then a month down the line the guy would turn up dead found by local authorities or a patrol, miraculously with as much dirt on them, sometimes taking down whole organisations!"
"Just to add some clarification Mr Vakarian is referring to the Rokta incident. Also, while he may not have known it but Mr Vakarian was not always working alone, Mist has multiple agents including the Legion units like myself, numbering in the hundreds of thousands."
After good amount of time, well over five minutes, nearing ten, the first to recover was Sparatus. "So, the Rokta incident was the work of this organisation, Mist?"
"Both yes and no. Yes, we have been behind multiple operations, Rokta being one of ours, but no not necessarily an organisation. Just give me some time I need to speak with my superior."
With this the Geth sat down with crossed legs and a lowered head.
When the Geth sat down, a weird sight, seeing as the Geth was obviously, well not organic and therefore didn't need to do such a thing, Garrus walked over to the Human Delegation and vaulted the barrier.
"So, how did you get roped into this… Sorry what was your name?"
"Shepard, Commander Shepard." Jane replied with a handshake. "Well I was on my way to Eden Prime with Nihlus here." Giving a wave in his direction.
"Garrus." "Nihlus, been while." They nodded to each other. "That it has."
Giving them both a look, Shepard continued. "Sell, even though the ship was running cold, black holing or whatever you call it, I received a message warning me and Nihlus of what was happening on Eden Prime."
"Similar to myself, I was at my desk thinking about what a waste of time C-Sec is, almost close to giving in my resignation when I get a message, now C-Sec and the Presidium are both black spots, shielded with only few ways for information to pass in and out, all of it monitored heavily, so it as nigh impossible for it to come through, for a second I thought it was a joke by a colleague and played along."
Shepard gestured to the Geth. "Well I guess we know how we were contacted, all those systems are open to reception but not transmission, in case of emergency, the Geth could waltz through any and all defences they want to no problem, all they'd have to do is upload themselves into a system and poof there goes all your info."
Nihlus cut in. "I'm just glad they're not using the info for nefarious reasons."
"Yeah tell me about it, we don't need a second Shadow Broker, I once had that pervert sell some of my personal info to some rapist, guy didn't know I would break his back when he broke in." Shepard laughed it off but all there had at least one horror story about the Shadow Broker.
"Yeah, fucker sold info about my mother to the highest bidder, and it just so 'happened' to be found out by my dad's superiors, he's been stuck in the same position for five years because mom's illness can be seen as a security risk."
"Yeah, I've had at least fiv- not six, six fucking, missions go south due to that bastard. Garrus knows but Shepard that's not the only life-long scar I've got, and most aren't my own fault."