Queen's Gambit, Book 1 - "Gone with the Sun"
Chapter 13 Memory
Ave atque vale
Hackett looked even more forbidding and morose than usual as Sanders approached the flagship bridge. "I got your call, Admiral. Something about a recon team?"
"Ah, Kahlee." Uh-oh. Not 'Sanders'. "Would you accompany me to the lounge please. I'm assembling a small group. You may prefer not to join. We're to discuss another pressing issue as well, retrieval of the Primarch and survivors of Shepard's team from London, including Urdnot Wrex."
"Well, good! Isn't it?"
Hackett and Sanders, escorted by two Recon Marines, continued into the elevator. "Indeed. What's remarkable is not that so many died, but that so many are still alive."
Turning, Hackett dismissed his marine detail as they left the elevator, then: "But there is some bad news. Nothing like the calamity we just averted, but nonetheless armed men in a crowded room including upset Turians and Krogan would be a provocation. Kahlee, everything you will hear is secret at a level beyond COSMIC."
"Of course." They continued towards a conference lounge at the end of the corridor. Kahlee often used it; it looked out on the void. There were times when that helped, and she dreaded what was coming.
"But also, I wanted to speak with you alone, before we entered, and this is an even higher secret, but you need to know. Kahlee–" He halted for a minute, composing his thoughts. "David did not survive the firing of the crucible."
Kahlee's world went white for an instant. Hackett held her briefly as she staggered against him. "Oh…" She found herself tearing up.
"Here." Hackett must have had that handkerchief ready in hand. Damn. Damn, damn, damn.
"I'll walk you back to your cabin–"
"Oh, no you don't, you're not getting rid of me that easily. Just wait a second."
Sanders thought for a minute. "What's this team? What's waiting for us in there?"
"Two teams. We've had word that Normandy survived and is passing the depowered Charon relay on the way to Jump Zero – Gagarin Station. I'll have work for them, for Williams at least, and whoever can work with her. The other one is a rather efficient private outfit. I'm using them for some seriously dangerous and ethically rather difficult missions. They're the ones who found David's body. I was going to ask you to work with them, but I'll understand–"
"I'll work with either, Steven. Where do you want me?"
Hackett breathed out. A head poked around the door, inquisitive eyebrows raised. Hackett shook his head fractionally and the head dodged back in.
"Your choice, Kahlee. Both commanders can be difficult. I expect Ashley Williams has assumed command of Normandy, and you've met a leader of the private team, Miranda Lawson."
"Oh. Yes. At Grissom, when they brought Archer in, and I met Jack for the first time. Shepard seemed quite taken with her. With both of them, I think, which made matters very very awkward. Jack was going to start something with Lawson, but I saw the look on Shepard's face and so did both of them."
"Right, but they seem to have reconciled their approach to that lately. Despite Lawson being frankly a war criminal, and Jack just a criminal, neither is facing the executioner."
"Honest?"
"They're too damned useful, and prosecuting Jack – well, the defence attorney would have a field day with what Cerberus did. And by extension the Alliance, at that time. Also no-one, not even me, wanted to see what Shepard or Williams would do about their arrest."
"Right, the Spectres who shot a councilor out of hand and got medals for it. From the other councilors. That would give a few demagogues pause."
"More than you know. Now the Spectres are… absent, though, Lawson and Jack are both targets for the vengeful."
"I get the impression they annoyed a few people?"
"I won't go into details. That's not all, some on Ms Lawson's team are ex-Alliance loose cannons, Zabaleta for example was seconded by… well… Shepard's mother. Now, he did much better than I was expecting. Nonetheless there's a severe shortage of people on her team who I can trust, and entirely too many for me to shield. What I can tell you is that besides Anderson they came back with at least one other dead man, Jack Harper–" Kahlee suppressed a brief exclamation;
"– and just how he wound up dead isn't clear yet but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Lawson shot him on sight."
"No kidding. She is a very… definite person. Like Jack."
"As you say. So I'm in the invidious position of trying to get Lawson and her people immunity in the face of some of her past actions. Right now I want her team out of town, and I'd like you to go with them."
"Can I take Jack with me?"
"She will only go with the Grissom kids."
"Even better."
– Next chapter will be #14, "By indirections" –
Wednesday, July 15, 2015