1430 Hours AST, April 14, 2183

Human Embassy Suite, The Presidium

The Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula

"In all honesty, that went better than I expected," said Anderson. They had left the Council Tower, and made the short sky car drive back to the Human Embassy and Ambassador Udina's office. The ambassador himself was pacing back and forth in front of the open wall that looked out upon the spectacular view of the Presidium at the height of the day cycle.

"I would tend to agree." Udina was cradling his chin in one hand as he paced, obviously thinking hard. "I believe it would have gone worse, likely including the full dismissal of charges and Saren's subsequent protection against double jeopardy, had it not been for Tevos's intervention. She had obviously made arrangements with Valern ahead of time."

"I wasn't aware that she was that openly sympathetic to humanity."

"Ordinarily, she isn't." Udina stopped his pacing. "This is likely the result of an internal power play on the Council, likely aimed at cutting the turians down to size in some way or another. I am going to make every effort for a one-on-one session with Tevos sometime in the next few days; if she is going to use humanity as a pawn in her games, we deserve the essential courtesy of knowing what is going on."

Politics. Ashley didn't much care what fine distinctions Captain Anderson drew between "diplomats" and "bureaucrats"; Udina was a government official who spent most of his waking hours in shady backrooms and drew his salary from taxpayer money, and that made him a politician in her book. I appreciate that he's trying to look out for human interests, I do, but there has to be a middle ground between that and treating every alien as an enemy. Right? The way she saw it, the asari Councilor might've just been convinced by the evidence they'd laid out and wanted a little something extra to make it indisputable. Though that presented its own set of problems.

"Ambassador, Captain Anderson, it seems to me we have a more immediate problem," Commander Shepard said, echoing her thoughts. "We need to find some sort of concrete proof of Saren's guilt within the next three days, something beyond the evidence we already found on Eden Prime. I'm a soldier. I'm not a cop, and I'm certainly no lawyer. I have no idea where we need to start looking for this proof."

"Actually, Commander, I think Councilor Tevos might have given us a clue there," Lieutenant Alenko said. The LT raised his omnitool and tapped in a brief command, causing three windows full of text to appear above it. "Remember how she sent us all the findings of the CSec investigation into Saren, right at the beginning of the hearing?" Ashley nodded uncertainly. Her omnitool had received the files just like everyone else's, and she'd given them a brief look while the Commander and Captain Anderson were yelling at Saren and the turian Councilor, but she'd dismissed the files as soon as she'd seen the case lead's name: another turian. The CSec investigation obviously hadn't turned up anything worthwhile, either, or there wouldn't have been any need for them to present their own evidence. And I know what I just said to myself about giving aliens a chance, but I think the turians have shown sufficient proof that they're not our friends at this point. She would not have been remotely surprised to learn that the turian case lead had attempted to shelter Saren just as the turian Councilor (she hadn't bothered to learn his name) had.

"I do. I haven't had a chance to look over them myself yet, but I have them here on my omnitool. What about them caught your eye?" Commander Shepard called up his own copy of the CSec findings and began looking them over.

"For starters, Commander, they're incomplete."

"Incomplete? The investigation wasn't finished?"

"Precisely, Commander. I can't really say that I'm surprised, given how short a notice CSec must have had. They would have had to rush to assemble what little they could scrape up into a presentable package, in order to meet the deadline of the emergency session the Ambassador had called." The LT glanced apologetically at the ambassador in question. "No offense, sir. But in any case, the files include a written protest by the case lead, a turian named Garrus Vakarian, at being forced to call off the investigation prematurely. It doesn't say precisely why. It might've been simple professionalism, not wanting to leave a job half done, or-,"

"Or he might have thought he was on to something," Commander Shepard finished. "Excellent work, Lieutenant Alenko." I hope so. Maybe I judged this turian too quickly.

Captain Anderson smiled. "Well, Shepard, it appears you spoke too soon. I'd advise you to get in contact with this officer as soon as possible: the sooner you help him wrap up his investigation, the better. Although I don't have any idea where you might find him."

"I'd like to say that I do," Udina frowned. "Unfortunately, though I recommend all human CSec officers, I lose track of them once they're in. I have no access to the CSec personnel database, and this Vakarian is a turian in any case. The only advice that I can give is to head to CSec's headquarters and ask for him at the front desk by name. As a major government institution, it's located on the Presidium, though the individual officer might be assigned anywhere in any one of the Wards."

Commander Shepard stood. "Then I guess I'd better get moving, while the Presidium is still in business hours. Anderson, are you going to be coming with me?"

The captain shook his head. "I've got a few matters I need to discuss with the ambassador, then I'll need to return to the Normandy. It's generally a bad idea to leave the ship stripped of both its captain and executive officer for long periods of time."

"I see." The commander thought a moment. "Then in that case, I'll want Alenko and Williams to come with me to CSec headquarters. Chase, you remain here with the captain and return with him to the Normandy." Chase began to argue, but Commander Shepard cut her off. "No buts, Corporal."

Captain Anderson laughed. "I don't need an escort, Commander."

"No sir, but you're getting one anyway." Commander Shepard beckoned for Ashley and Lieutenant Alenko to follow and walked towards the door of the office.

"Shepard." Commander Shepard paused and looked back at Captain Anderson, who now looked much more serious than he had just a few moments before. "Remember that Saren's guilt in attacking Eden Prime and killing Nihlus isn't the only thing the Council wants more evidence on. A simple two to one majority vote is all that's required to pass a motion on the Council, and that includes whether or not to accept a new Spectre. Handle yourself well in this investigation, and you may yet find yourself replacing Saren. Regardless of what Councilor Sparatus has to say about it."

Commander Shepard nodded tensely, then strode through the door, the LT on his heels. Ashley's mind was abuzz as she followed them. A human Spectre. An actual human Spectre. Spectres were the long arm of the Citadel Council, entrusted with enforcing its will in places and situations where an army or a fleet would be inappropriate or overkill, and simple police officers did not have the firepower or authority. They were allowed to bypass any law and regulation they wished in pursuit of their mission, up to and including those prohibiting murder, so long as the Council deemed the end worth the means. Which is why we couldn't just call the cops on Saren. The only Spectres were asari, salarians, or turians, and it had been that way ever since the organization was founded. It was not a coincidence. For a species to produce a member capable of being entrusted with the functionally unlimited power and authority of a Spectre was one of the final hurdles to clear before being considered worthy of a seat on the Council itself. Ashley shivered, despite the perfectly pleasant temperature. As if the stakes weren't high enough. How did I get mixed up in this?

She had been shocked when the asari Councilor had so casually mentioned Commander Shepard's Spectre candidacy. Mulling it over now, as the three of them walked along the lakefront of the Presidium, she realized that she really shouldn't have been. The Commander was the greatest hero humanity possessed. The Skyllian Blitz, where he'd led a force of less than a dozen police officers and sailors on shore leave in delaying the advance of thousands of batarian slavers until reinforcements arrived, was just the tip of the iceberg. At the age of 29, he'd already been awarded nearly every decoration the Systems Alliance possessed, including the Star of Terra. He'd led a battalion of peacekeepers during the rebellions on Anhur. Ashley had even heard rumors he'd been involved in the disaster on Akuze in 2177, the year following the Blitz, where the Alliance military encountered thresher maws for the first time. If he'd survived that, that was only further proof of his toughness. Not to mention he looks damn good on those recruiting posters, with that chiseled physique and square jaw… well. Her personal favorite was the one with the Commander's face superimposed on the image of a roaring lion, with "ALLIANCE" at the bottom. Simple, yet badass. Of course he would be the first one the Council looked to for a human Spectre.

The headquarters of Citadel Security was about a kilometer and a half downspin from the Human Embassy building. Moving at a brisk pace, even accounting for the fact that they had to push their way through the midafternoon crowds of shoppers and sightseers, it took them only about half an hour to reach it. It took them a scant few minutes more to reach the front desk, and attract the attention of one of the receptionists. Unfortunately, that's when the trouble started.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Citadel Security simply does not make a policy of distributing the whereabouts of active or retired officers, for reasons of personal safety," the asari receptionist informed them. "It would be all too easy for gang members or other petty criminals to carry out reprisals if we did. I'm sure you understand."

"Ma'am, I am clearly not a gang member or a petty criminal. I and my companions are clearly standing here in the uniform of the Systems Alliance military. We were given access to Officer Vakarian's case file by Councilor Tevos, and are seeking him for purposes relating to his ongoing investigation." Commander Shepard was visibly struggling to maintain his composure. Ashley admired his relative success; in his place, she'd long since have lost hers. Chalk up another reason he's the Spectre candidate and not me.

"Sir, the Systems Alliance is a signatory of the Citadel Conventions and is bound by its international treaties, but the Alliance has no authority in the internal affairs of Citadel governance, no more than does the Turian Hierarchy or Asari Republics. Council law alone rules here."

"Yes, but-,"

"You claim to have been given Officer Vakarian's name by Councilor Tevos. Do you have direct written authorization from the councilor to access his personnel files and current assignment?"

"No, but-,"

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you." The receptionist leaned to the side and beckoned to the next in line. "Next!"

The Commander walked back out into the center of the lobby and looked around, obviously trying to figure out their next move. Ashley and Lieutenant Alenko followed suit. The place was crowded with people: trying to speak with incarcerated friends or family, attempting to bring a complaint to the proper authorities, reporting a stolen hoverboard… Naturally, CSec officers were much in evidence as well, standing in pairs or small groups. One of the latter, in a corner, drew Ashley's attention. She tapped the Commander on the shoulder and pointed.

A group of six human and turian officers were clustered around one krogan. Even for a krogan, who as a rule were a foot taller, twice as wide, and four times as heavy as any other bipedal species, this individual was massive. Including the scarred red armor he wore, Ashley estimated his weight at more than half a ton. A set of vicious scars deformed the right side of his red head plate and continued down onto his face, though whatever wound had caused them had not damaged his red right eye… or perhaps it had and he had simply regenerated the eye. Krogan could do that. Red armor, red head plate, red eyes… this guy's a walking danger sign. Five of the six officers around the krogan were wearing combat armor and clutching assault rifles; they were not moving to subdue him, but their fingers were not straying far from their weapons triggers either. The krogan ignored them, bending low to stare into the face of the unarmed, senior officer.

"Multiple witnesses saw you making threats in Chora's Den and attempting to gain access to restricted areas there," said the officer. He was a human, and despite his show of bravado, was very obviously trying not to shit himself. Ashley could not blame him. Regardless of the assault rifles in the hands of his fellow officers, the krogan could pop his head off like a cork in seconds if he so desired. "I am issuing you an official warning. Should you venture onto the premises of Chora's Den again, there will be consequences."

The krogan snorted. "You should warn Fist: I will kill him."

The officer's eyes widened incredulously. "Do you want me to arrest you?"

The krogan actually laughed at that, though the sound had no mirth in it. "I want you to try." He turned and walked away, still ignoring the assault rifles now pointing in his general direction.

The Commander walked up to the senior officer, who was visibly struggling to regain control of himself. Ashley pretended not to smell the brown odor emanating from the man's uniform trousers.

"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you, or one of your fellow officers," Commander Shepard nodded politely at the other five officers, particularly the turians, "could help me locate another one of your fellows that I'm having some trouble finding. His name is Garrus Vakarian, and-,"

"I'm sorry, sir, but-but this sounds more like a matter for our front desk to deal with."

"I've already spoken with them, and they-,"

"If the receptionists were unable to provide any help, I doubt I will be able to either." The senior officer had now regained some measure of his composure, and apparently his pomposity with it. "In any case, personnel files on active and retired officers are restricted due to…" Ashley sighed. Well, this has turned out to be a waste of time.

"Sir," she said quietly, "I don't think we're going to have any luck here." Looking grim, the Commander nodded. As she had been standing at the back of their little group, she turned to lead the way out of CSec Headquarters…

And nearly slammed into the krogan, who had moved back toward them and the officers with a stealthiness terrifying in one so large. "You," he rumbled, ignoring her and gazing almost hungrily at Commander Shepard. "Did you say Vakarian?"

The Commander nodded slowly. "I did. Do you know him?"

The krogan gave another of his mirthless laughs. "No. I know of him. He and I are looking for the same man, although he doesn't know it yet. I think we may be able to help each other…" He trailed off, looking at the Commander expectantly.

"Lieutenant Commander Mark Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy. Second Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams, Systems Alliance Marine Corps. How exactly do you believe you can help us?"

The krogan shook his massive head slowly. "Urdnot Wrex. I said we can help each other; I'm going to need something from you in return. No details here, not in front of these pyjaks," he nodded at the CSec officers still standing in the background. "For now, I know where Vakarian's investigation will eventually lead him. You'll get to the same place with me that you would with him, but you'll do it a lot faster." He took a step closer, looming over them. "These pyjaks confiscated my weapons when I was brought to CSec Headquarters, not that it would have stopped me from wrecking the place: I'll need to retrieve them. You're human military, you should have armor and weapons of your own: you'll want them. Meet me at Transport Station 723, Level 46, on Tayseri Ward in six hours. The three of you and no one else." Urdnot Wrex lifted his head and inspected the senior CSec officer. "And you'll want to change your uniform." He turned, and left.

2120 Hours AST, April 14, 2183

Transport Station 723, Level 46, Tayseri Ward

The Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula

Ashley fidgeted uncomfortably, her bulky pink-and-white armor weighing on her shoulders and hips and drawing occasional stares from passerby. The girl Marine in pink armor. Ugh, I feel like such a cliché every time I put this suit on. If I'd known I'd have to wear this I would never have gone through combat lifesaver school. Though embarrassment from excessively feminine armor was the least of her concerns as she leaned against the wall of the transport station with Commander Shepard and Lieutenant Alenko, waiting for the krogan mercenary/bounty hunter who claimed to have a quicker way of getting the information they needed. No, the real concern she felt at the moment, other than irrationally wondering if Urdnot Wrex was ever going to show and if this was all some obscure krogan practical joke, was the collapsed Avenger assault rifle in its magnetic holster on her back. Ordinarily, the thing was her best friend. But gun control was strictly enforced on the Citadel: weapons in the hands of anyone other than CSec personnel and Spectres were utterly forbidden on the Presidium. In the Wards, civilians could not carry anything larger than a medium caliber handgun, and service personnel from the galaxy's various militaries could only carry and use larger weapons if on an officially sanctioned assignment from their superiors, as she'd learned when the LT had looked up the relevant laws before they left the ship. Up to this point, they could plausibly claim that they were. But if they cooperated with a krogan renegade in whatever bloody scheme he had undoubtedly cooked up… The Commander isn't a Spectre yet. They wouldn't be able to prove Saren's guilt in the attack on Eden Prime if they were themselves in a jail cell.

Despite this, she reluctantly agreed with the Commander's logic. They had gotten nowhere with their efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of Garrus Vakarian: the wall of bureaucratic regulations and red tape in their way had proven insurmountable in the short time they had available. If Urdnot Wrex really could lead them to information on Saren, it was worth the risk of pissing off CSec. Commander Shepard's eyes narrowed as they searched the flowing crowds moving through the transport station, and Ashley followed his gaze to see a very large krogan in red armor shoving his way through the crowd towards them.

"Good to see you and your underlings made it, Shepard. Wasn't sure if you were going to show." We were here early, you overgrown turtle. "Hope you three are ready for a walk; we'll be going a ways deeper into the foundations of the Ward. The 'seedy underbelly', as I've heard you humans like to call it."

"Hold it." The Commander raised a hand as Urdnot Wrex turned to lead them towards whatever destination he had in mind. "We are no longer in CSec HQ or anywhere else on the Presidium. Before we go anywhere with you, I'd like the full story on who you are, exactly what information you claim to be able to lead us to, and what you expect from us."

The krogan paused for a moment, obviously thinking, then shrugged. "Fair enough. It's not like we'll have time for the full story when we get where we're going." He tilted his head, peering at them from the undamaged left side of his face. "I'm a bounty hunter. One of the best in the galaxy, since I'm not in the mood for false modesty. I've been hired by the Shadow Broker to kill the proprietor of a bar down in the lower area of this Ward, a man called Fist." The Shadow Broker was the public name for the individual or group that ran the largest intel trading business in the galaxy. "Yesterday, Fist came into the possession of some information that directly links Saren to both Eden Prime and the geth. Instead of passing it up to his superiors in the Broker network as he was obligated to do, Fist decided to offer it to Saren. Idiot. The Broker doesn't take betrayal lightly."

Ashley's mind raced. This information, whatever it was, was exactly what they needed. Although I'm afraid to learn what we're going to have to do to get it.

The Commander looked at Lieutenant Alenko: both men looked excited. "You're saying this bartender still has this information? It does sound like exactly what we need."

Urdnot Wrex shook his head. "He's not the bartender, he's the owner of the place. Spends all his time shut up in the back, which is why I couldn't get to him the first time without a bloodbath. And the information isn't a what. It's a who."

A who?

"What are you talking about?"

"While CSec was running their investigation, a quarian showed up here on the Citadel claiming to have proof of Saren's betrayal. Since quarians aren't allowed on the Presidium, what with their tendency to steal everything that isn't nailed down, she attempted to turn in her evidence at the CSec district office here on Tayseri Ward. She ran into the same kind of bureaucratic idiots that you did, mixed with a healthy dose of contempt for suit-rats. So she went to the Broker next, or tried to. I'm guessing Fist is keeping her prisoner in the back of his building. Either that, or he's pawned her off to some of Saren's other buddies. Find him, you find her."

The Commander looked as grim as he ever had on Eden Prime. "So what's your plan? Kick in the front door and massacre every member of this guy's security staff until he tells us where to find this quarian?"

"Only if he makes us. But Fist is an idiot, so he probably will." The krogan grinned evilly. I knew it. I fucking knew it. "And this is where your side of the trade comes in. I could've broken in there and completed my contract already if I wanted, Fist's guards are as pathetic as he is. But I'm already on thin ice with CSec. I could take one or two or twenty of those pyjaks if I wanted, but the trouble with killing cops is that when you kill enough of them you start having to deal with soldiers, and when you've killed enough of them you start having to deal with orbital bombardment from dreadnoughts, and I just don't have time for that. But now you're here." That evil grin was still plastered on the face of Urdnot Wrex. "You're human military. Shoot a few thugs, and your ambassador will give you cover. It might cause a diplomatic incident, but he'll still do it. I want in on that immunity."

"What if he doesn't give it?" Commander Shepard said, remarkably calmly considering the topic of discussion. "What if he throws us under the bus, and we end up in a Citadel jail on charges of mass murder?"

"He won't. Not once you give him that quarian's evidence. But the longer we stand here talking, the more time Fist has to silence her permanently. I know you don't have a better plan or you'd never have shown up here in the first place. I've given you the details, now it's time we got moving." Urdnot Wrex turned and strode towards a staircase that leading down. Ashley and the two men looked at one another, then hastened to follow.

With a massive, 1200 pound armored krogan leading the way, they were relieved of the necessity of shoving their way through the never-ending masses of people, but Ashley still could not help but be overwhelmed at the sheer numbers and variety of the crowds. She had spent all her life in human space, first as a child following her dad around his various boring garrison postings, then as a Marine on her own boring garrison postings. She had seen the occasional alien, and she had been to a few fair sized cities, but never anything like this. Even the Presidium in its day cycle had been utterly tame in comparison.

Tayseri Ward, and its four sisters, hummed with life. Unlike the Presidium, which had a day/night cycle, the Wards never slept. Residents on the arms set their own schedules based on their personal needs, and right now, apparently most of them needed to be out and about. She saw representatives of every Citadel race: legions of turians, asari, and salarians, of course, but also ponderous elcor, huge gray quadrupeds that dwarfed even the krogan. Hanar, which resembled nothing so much as giant jellyfish, casually floated through the air. There were volus, encased in the environmental suits they needed to survive away from the high-pressure, ammonia-and-methane atmosphere of their homeworld. There were even representatives of races that were not officially part of the Citadel: krogan mostly, but there was the occasional quarian as well. Though unfortunately not the one we need. There were, of course, humans as well, freely mingling with the aliens as they moved in and out of the shops, bars, restaurants, and various other establishments that lined the avenues. News broadcasts, loud music, and advertisements of various kinds blared at them as they passed.

"Having trouble figuring out what you need most to get by in the modern, high tech galaxy? Saronis Applications can help! Come by one of our outlets in Tayseri, Zakera, or Bachjret Wards for a free consultation on which omnitool is right for you! A division of Elkoss Combine."

"Following the recent attack on its colony of Eden Prime, which has been confirmed to be the work of the mysterious geth, the Systems Alliance has levied charges of treason and terrorism against Spectre Saren Arterius. The Alliance claims Spectre Saren is in collusion with the geth and aided them in their assault on Eden Prime. A Council investigation of the charges is ongoing."

"Tupari Sports Drinks: Brings Your Ancestors Back From The Grave! A division of Elkoss Combine."

"Sleazily: If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Kepral's Syndrome, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Sleazily: Contact the offices of Yaryn Goadawaduro to begin to claim justice. Sleazily: I will fight for you!"

Urdnot Wrex turned off the busy street they had been following for the past twenty minutes and began to head down a side route that was much less densely packed, though by no means deserted, for which Ashley was duly grateful. There was only so much big city she could stand at once. She could tell the LT felt similarly; if she recalled correctly, it was his first time on the Citadel as well. The Commander looked unfazed, however. Nerves of steel. Of course.

Ashley saw a signpost indicating a doorway off to their left, marked "OBSERVATION AREA". They had still not gone far enough down into the bowels of the Ward that the view of the rest of the station would be blocked, though if Ashley had been reading the level markers correctly, they would be very soon. Feeling a sudden urge to appreciate the sight of the Citadel one last time before they all got arrested, she tapped Lieutenant Alenko on the shoulder and indicated the observation area. "Feel like a break for a moment, LT?" He looked surprised for a moment, then nodded and turned towards the door. The Commander, to Ashley's delight, followed without a word of protest, leaving behind a confused-looking krogan.

The view was worth it. Across the vast space, only partially obscured by the spires of buildings rising from Tayseri, they could see the glow of the other four wards, spider-webbed by traffic lanes and city lights. To their right they could make out the Presidium, backlit by Widow; to their left, silhouetted against the pink mists of the Serpent Nebula beyond the tips of the arms, the drifting ships of the Citadel Defense Fleet. They stood there for a moment, taking it all in from a better vantage than the small viewport on the Normandy's bridge.

The LT was the first to speak. "Big place."

"Yeah. It really is." She pursed her lips. "It really drives home how small humanity is by comparison. I mean, I don't think most aliens are actively out to get us, but I don't think they're looking out for our best interests either. We have to be careful we don't get swallowed up."

"That sounds awful pessimistic, Gunny. I'm sure if humanity just makes the effort, we'll be as accepted by the galactic community as any other species is."

"He's right, Williams." The Commander joined them, standing on Ashley's other side, just inches away. "Besides, I don't see that the various non-human species should have any reason to not like us. We have oceans, hamburgers, barbecue, beautiful women... Just like in the old movies. We should have everything they want."

"Just like in the old movies? Well, if you want me to get in one of those tinfoil mini-skirts and a pair of those thigh-high boots, I'm going to want dinner first…" Oh my GOD, did I just say that out loud?! "… Sir!" She could feel heat flooding her face. Commander Shepard was staring at her with what looked like resignation on his face. To her left, Lieutenant Alenko was doubled over in a fit of silent laughter.

"That's quite all right, Williams," the Commander said after a moment. "I don't think I could imagine you in a dress anyways."

"If you humans are done admiring the scenery, we still have somewhere we need to be." Urdnot Wrex poked his head in the doorway, then was gone. Commander Shepard hurried after him, looking very eager to be somewhere else. That makes two of us. Ashley and Lieutenant Alenko followed, the LT now shaking with suppressed mirth. Tears were streaming down his face. She shot him a dirty look. I'll get you back for this. Suddenly the prospect of a firefight didn't seem so intimidating.

The crowds continued to thin as they descended deeper into the bowels of the Ward. By the time they reached a dingy gray alley with only one door in sight, they were quite alone. "Here we are," the krogan stated laconically. Ashley focused her attention on the lone doorway. *Chora's Den*, the neon sign above the entrance said. Flanking it were two larger-than-life neon depictions of asari, flickering between various seductive poses. I'm starting to get the feeling that this isn't just a bar.

Lieutenant Alenko confirmed her suspicions a moment later. "I've been to a couple places like this on shore leave on Elysium and Terra Nova. The, uh, dancers were quite, uh, flexible. They were all human women though. Never gotten to see an asari perform, I've heard the ones in their Maiden stage are quite, uh, notorious for this sort of thing."

"Hey, LT. Put your tongue back in your mouth before you trip on it," Ashley said vindictively.

"Quiet, you two!" Commander Shepard hissed. They both shut up immediately. "Do you hear that?" Ashley frowned and listened. She didn't hear anything. Save for the sounds they themselves were making, the alleyway was eerily quiet. Then she realized that was the Commander's point. The heavy music and loud voices that should normally have been coming from a place like the nightclub in front of them were completely absent.

"Fist knows we're coming," Urdnot Wrex stated. The krogan looked back at them as he unslung his massive shotgun from its hardpoint on the small of his back. "They're probably going to start shooting as soon as we come in the door. All the better, it'll let your ambassador claim self-defense. I'll go in first. All their fire will be focused on the first thing they see, and a few hits from the peashooters they'll be packing won't bother me." The evil grin was back on his face. He turned and strode toward the door.

"No, wait-," Commander Shepard began, but Urdnot Wrex had already slammed the door open. An eruption of noise met their ears as the nightclub's security opened fire, and the krogan roared and disappeared inside. Commander Shepard swore and made to follow, but Ashley grabbed his shoulder.

"Sir, let me." He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. Of the three humans present, she was wearing the heaviest armor. She retrieved her helmet from where it had been riding on her belt and sealed it in place, then reached back over her shoulder for her assault rifle. Well, this is it. Ashley heard the familiar whir as the Avenger expanded into its operable state, and felt its comforting weight in her hands. She took a deep breath, then rushed through the entrance of Chora's Den after Urdnot Wrex.

Chaos greeted her eyes. In the fifteen seconds he'd been alone in the nightclub, the bounty hunter had already managed to blast two members of the security staff into giblets with his massive shotgun. Even as she watched, he picked up a third man with his off hand and snapped his neck with a sickening crack, then whirled, dropping the now-lifeless body, and thrust the same arm forward. A man who had been perched atop the large raised platform near the center of the room, attempting to hide behind one of the poles normally used by dancers, flew screaming down off the platform and impacted the far wall. As he'd predicted, Urdnot Wrex had drawn most of the attention of the nightclub's defenders, but a few switched targets to the pink-and-white blur that now raced in the door. Part of Ashley's mind noted the shots chipping at her shield, even as the training hammered into her took over and sent her looking for the best available cover.

There.

She dove into a booth four meters to the right of the doorway, undoubtedly used for private table dances in normal operation, then poked her head out and scanned for targets. Urdnot Wrex had gotten rid of one hostile on the central dancing platform, but if there were any more up there, they presented the greatest threat…

There.

A man peeked out from behind one of the poles on the platform, trying to get a bead on her or Urdnot Wrex. She dropped him with a short, precise burst, then instinctively flinched as rounds slapped into her shields. The bartender popped up from behind the bar, firing at her with a cheap, civilian grade pistol. She returned fire, watching dispassionately as her shots tore through the man's t-shirt and out his back. He hadn't even been wearing armor. Her eyes flicked up to the shield charge readout in the corner of her helmet's HUD. 85%, and they never recharged from the shots I took when taking cover. Whoever Fist is, he's either too dumb or too cheap to actually buy his goons real gear. A blue glow lit the corner of her vision. A man yelled in fear as he was yanked into the air from behind the cover of another private booth by unseen forces, his arms windmilling frantically, his weapon forgotten. A blue ball flew in and smacked him, producing a loud explosion. Commander Shepard and the LT had made their own entrance. Wait, am I the only person here who can't abuse the forces of gravity with their mind? Why am I just now noticing this? The biotic explosion had left only a couple of dazed survivors in her field of view. She dispatched them with a pair of precise shots each. The room fell quiet for a moment, then more gunfire erupted.

Ashley left her booth and quickly worked her way around the right side of the dancing platform as the Commander and the LT moved around the left. Her eyes moved back and forth, searching for the new hostiles…

There.

Three more men had entered the room from a back entrance. Fist's private bodyguards, have to be. They were at least wearing armor with personal shields, though it still looked like cheap second hand crap compared to her own heavy plate. They raised aftermarket rifles and opened fire on Urdnot Wrex. The krogan's shields were already severely damaged from being the continuous focus of the vast majority of the security staff's fire. Ashley heard the pop as they went down, and rounds began impacting his armor. He roared again, lowered his head, raised his shotgun and charged his new assailants. He probably would have succeeded - krogan were too resilient to be brought down by a few shots from such poor quality weapons – but she beat him to it.

In one smooth motion, she retrieved a frag grenade from her belt, flicked the cover off the arming key, pressed it, and sidearmed it towards the three new hostiles, who were standing bunched up in a rough triangle formation, two forward, one back. Amateurs. The grenade sailed across the room and detonated at shoulder height in front of the right-most bodyguard. It killed him instantly, tearing through his weak shields, and tore the left arm and shoulder off of the man standing next to him. The one in the rear "only" lost his shields and got a face full of shrapnel; he dropped his weapon and doubled over, clutching his face. Ashley finished him with a single headshot from halfway across the nightclub floor, and grinned viciously behind her faceplate. You can keep the fancy blue biotics, boys.

The four of them reassembled at the door the bodyguards had used to enter, then slowly moved through it, taking care to maintain as much spacing as possible between them in the back corridors of Chora's Den. As it turned out, it wasn't necessary. There were only three rooms in the rear area of the nightclub, and two of them were empty. One was storage, the other was apparently some kind of meeting room. Neither held a quarian. The third had a plaque on the door, reading "Office". Ashley and Urdnot Wrex stacked up on either side of the door, with the Commander and Lieutenant Alenko behind them. The krogan gave her a short nod; she stepped out in front of the cheap, outdated hinged wooden door and kicked it in.

She saw a pudgy man in red-and-black armor, obviously of much finer make than that of the men he had sent to fight and die defending him, lounging behind a desk in a faux-leather chair. She saw the look of disbelief and horror that spread across his face as he saw her and the rest of the squad coming through behind her: obviously he had somehow believed his goons could protect him. She saw him fumble for a button on the holographic keyboard of his computer, one that would likely cause turrets or traps or some kind to spring into being from somewhere in the room.

Ashley saw all this in the four seconds it took her to take three steps into the room and dive across Fist's desk, bowling him out of his chair and slamming him to the ground. He was a man and a thickset one at that, but her armor was sufficiently heavier than his to roughly equalize the weight factor, and she was much more physically fit. She felt his right arm scrabbling across her waist and upper thigh, obviously trying to reach something on his belt; she grabbed his wrist with her left hand and smashed it against the floor a few times as she pressed her armored right forearm into his throat, pinning his neck against the ground. That discouraged him. She held him that way for the few seconds more it took for the shadows of the rest of the squad to fall on the ground around them, before releasing him and getting up.

"GET THE FUCK UP! HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD! TURN AROUND AND FACE THE WALL!" Commander Shepard screamed as Ashley bent to scoop up her rifle, which she'd dropped in her haste to subdue the man. Fist, trembling, complied. The Commander gave a short, sharp motion of his hand and Lieutenant Alenko moved forward and relieved him of his sidearm. "Now turn back around." The Commander's tone of voice was much more normal now, but there was still no mistaking the deadly authority in it. "We have a question for you."

"I'll tell you anything. Anything, please just let me live, I'll tell you anything you want to know, there's so much I can tell you, I work for the Shadow Broker, please just let me live."

"Shut up." Fist did. "I've only got one real question for you. Where's the quarian?"

"She- she isn't here."

"I know that, dipshit," Commander Shepard snarled, showing real anger for the first time since Ashley had met him. "We checked every other room in this place before we came in here. So. Where. Is. She?"

"She- she was never here." Fist's terror was making itself known in his rapid speech, the way his eyes kept rapidly moving back and forth between their weapons. "She was suspicious. Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself, and no one else."

"Face to face?" Urdnot Wrex, so full of fury when they'd faced the thugs in the front area of Chora's Den, seemed oddly emotionless now as he stared at Fist. "Impossible. I was hired through an agent. Everyone who works for him is."

Fist nodded rapidly. "No one meets the Broker. Ever. But, but she didn't know that. I used that. Told her I'd set up a meeting. Sent her away with a time and a place. Sent the time and place to Saren. When she gets there, it'll be his men waiting."

"When? Where?" The Commander's voice had now gone very quiet, and very soft.

"A back alley two levels further back up, two kilometers further toward the tip of the arm. In about fifteen minutes from now. The exact coordinates are on my console. I've told you everything you need to know, now just please let me-,"

"Live" probably would've been the next word out of his mouth, given his previous pleas, but they never found out for sure. Urdnot Wrex's shotgun erupted, with a noise so thunderous in the tiny office that not even her helmet's built in hearing protection could stop her ears from ringing, and Fist's chest evaporated in a red mist. What was left of him clattered to the floor in a heap, his armor having done nothing whatsoever to save him.

Ashley reacted instantly, pivoting in place and taking two steps back as she brought her rifle in line with the krogan's left eye. "Drop the gun, krogan!" Bloodthirsty, uncontrollable bastard! The LT also moved to bring the krogan into his line of fire.

Urdnot Wrex did not seem to care. "The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." He flicked a piece of Fist off his armor. "You can tell your minions to stand down, Shepard. There's no reason for me to hurt you, especially considering you still have something I want."

"That isn't the point!" Despite seemingly being ready to execute Fist himself moments earlier, the Commander was still very angry. "You charged into Chora's Den without waiting for my order! You executed a defenseless man, without my order! I cannot and will not have you charging around doing whatever the hell you want whenever you want! From this moment you will obey my orders, or so help me God I will tell Ambassador Udina to offer you up to CSec on a silver plate!"

The krogan stared at him for a moment, then gave a wide, genuine grin. "I like you, Shepard." He gave the corpse one brief glance, then eyed the door. "Now don't we all have somewhere else to be?"

Commander Shepard nodded, and just like that he was back to his more normal, ruthlessly cool and efficient self. "Alenko! Grab those coordinates off that console, upload them to mine and Williams's omnitools! You then have thirty seconds to grab anything else on that you can find relating to Saren! Williams, upload the coordinates from your omnitool to your helmet's HUD as soon as you get them, then move!"

Ashley was no stranger to running. She had made countless forced marches during Basic Training, AIT, and Combat Lifesaver School, nearly all with a full pack of kit and weapon, many in partial or full armor, several of them five or even ten times longer than this. She was in excellent physical condition. But sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, through winding alleys and up a few flights of stairs, clutching her Avenger in her arms, going around or through the occasional bystander, in a full suit of heavy plate, with a sealed helmet, was something new. Before long, she was gasping. She could not stop, not even for a moment, not even to double check that they were taking the correct route to the glowing dot that marked the location of the ambush on her HUD. She had to have faith that they had not taken a wrong turn somewhere, that the few seconds it had taken Lieutenant Alenko to pull Fist's records of his dealings with Saren off his console would not mean the difference between life and death for the quarian, and the difference between exposing Saren and letting him get away.

As it was, they were almost too late.

As they came within thirty meters, the Commander, who had pulled ahead during their sprint, skidded to a halt and signaled for them to do likewise. Ahead, around a corner, they could hear voices.

"You're here. Do you have the data?" The voice of a turian.

"I don't think so." The voice of a teenage girl, with an accent noticeable even through the filters of a helmet. Sounding suspicious, and rightly so. "Where's the Broker? Where's Fist? No deal unless I see them."

A long pause. Then an explosion.

Commander Shepard burst around the corner, Ashley hard on his heels, Lieutenant Alenko and Urdnot Wrex hard on hers. As it had in Chora's Den and on Eden Prime, her training seemed to take over, analyzing threats and prioritizing the actions she needed to take.

A quarian, the quarian, was huddled behind some crates to their right, clutching a shotgun in her hands. Thank God she's still alive. Ashley knew next to nothing about quarians, but she could see no visible injuries on this one.

Not far from her, a turian with garish facial tattoos was advancing on her cover, his weapon drawn. Further away, the stain of an explosion marked the spot where three salarians lay unmoving, though even as Ashley looked, one of them stirred and began to get up. The other two remained motionless. Looks like she was the one to start the fight. Two more salarians, another turian, and a krogan moved out of the shadows on the far side of the alley. Saren must really want her dead. Ashley and the other humans quickly moved into the cover of another stack of crates on the opposite side of the alley from the quarian.

The closest turian was the immediate threat, and a red indicator appeared over him on her helmet's HUD indicating that the Commander had designated him as such. Ashley leveled her Avenger and opened fire, as the Commander and Lieutenant Alenko did the same on either side of her. The turian almost instantly went down; he had been wearing normal civilian clothes, though Ashley suspected that had only been to help him blend in and lure the quarian into a false sense of security. The formerly hidden backup were wearing armor, and of a quality much better than the cheap stuff Fist's bodyguards had possessed. Only now, with the turian who had served as the lure suddenly dead, did they begin to react to the presence of the four new arrivals.

A new red indicator flicked on in her HUD, this time over the krogan, who had pulled out a shotgun similar in design to Urdnot Wrex's and began to advance towards them. He presented by far the greatest danger of the remaining hostiles. To her left, the LT thrust out his left arm in the direction of the enemy krogan, and she heard the pop as the overload shorted out his shields. She and Commander Shepard immediately began firing their assault rifles, to seemingly no effect except to anger the krogan, who lowered his head, bellowed in rage, and quickened his pace.

The Commander threw a biotic ball at the krogan, which impacted square on his chest and began to eat away at his armor.

He came on.

Ashley sprayed a long burst into the weakened area of the krogan's armor. Orange blood splattered over the ground.

He kept coming.

Lieutenant Alenko waved his omnitool and did something that caused the krogan to roar in agony, but he did not drop his shotgun, nor did he slow his pace.

As the krogan came within ten meters and Ashley began to feel the first twinges of fear, his feet abruptly left the ground with a surprised yell. Haloed in a blue glow, his momentum carried him forward, sailing over their heads, and she ducked to avoid getting kicked in the head by his flailing feet. They had somehow forgotten about Urdnot Wrex. Their own krogan pulped the enemy's head with a single blast from his own shotgun, and the alley fell silent.

Only now did Ashley realize that during the enemy krogan's charge, there had been no weapons firing in the alley apart from their own. The three salarians and one turian who had tried to take up positions to shoot at them had instead spent that time frantically fiddling with their weapons, the internal circuitry of which had apparently shorted out. The LT didn't do that, he was too busy trying to help us with the krogan. They realized the futility of their efforts and dropped their guns as the squad walked out into the alleyway.

"Thank you for helping me." The young voice they had heard earlier came from behind them. The quarian moved out from behind her crates and stowed her shotgun. She was short, perhaps 5'5", and moved hesitantly. Her voice, too, sounded more confused than anything. Nothing could be gained from her face; only the vague gleam of her silver eyes was visible from behind the nearly opaque faceplate of her enviro-suit. Ashley knew very little about quarians, but she did know the reason for that. The immune system of quarians was horribly atrophied; any exposure to an environment that was anything short of perfectly sterilized would usually lead to half a dozen horrible diseases for them. "I don't know you, though. Who are you? Why would you want to help me? Nobody's tried to help me since I got to this station." Poor thing.

"I'm Commander Shepard with the Systems Alliance Navy. These other two humans are part of my crew. This is Urdnot Wrex, a bounty hunter that promised to lead us to you. We're told you have evidence concerning Saren Arterius's attack on one of our colonies, evidence that you've been trying to get someone to notice?"

The quarian's whole demeanor changed, from confusion to joyous relief, and Ashley knew what the answer would be before the words left the young alien's mouth. Thank God.