KrossoverXKing presents yet another installment of:

The Memoir of Tali'Zorah vas Yoko

a Mass Effectand Naruto crossover.

See first few chapters for Disclaimer

3, 4 months it's been? Not horrible, but not so good either. Hopefully next chapter will be quicker. Also, to give credit where credit is due, I am watching the walkthrough by Youtuber 'Zevik', who used Paragon options and played on Instanity. I'm not playing this time(I've done that about a dozen times, literally, for each game{2 for each character in ME1, 1 for ME2, and 2 for ME3}, and I can pause this to make sure I get the dialogue right). But on to the story.

Oh, yeah. Here's a glossary.

Citadael – the Citadel.

Uzushionium – near-indestructible metal from Gakure. Naruto uses it to make everything.

Gakure – Naruto's home planet. Joab in the og ME universe(Enoch, Rosetta Nebula).

Maledicta – Multi-Lateral/Directional Chakran Transference Array(MLDCTA) – Mass Relay.

Chakran – Naruto's race, the original users of Chakra from Gakure.

Raan/Migranta – Raan are Quarians on Rannoch, Migranta are Quarians who followed Naruto.

Sho-Kunai fighter – small-range fighter meant for speed and maneuverability, not cross-galaxy travel.

Naru'Zumaki vas Yoko – Naruto, in case you didn't figure that out. AKA Admiral Zumaki.

-X-

Docking Bay N-23: Normandy S/R-1

-X-

Tali touched the translucent purple visor with a gloved hand, the foreign feeling of glass obscuring her face one she wasn't fond of. However, to disguise her return as much as possible(Joker had been reprimanded for not securing the channel earlier), she couldn't be walking around without a mask all the time.

Migranta Quarians were nearly defined by their suits. It was a part of them, even moreso than Humans and hair, as there were bald Humans. Should Tali walk around without a suit – or at least gloves and mask – then someone would connect the rumors to the Last Zorah pretty quickly.

After all, only Quarians and Turians had backwards-bending knees, and she obviously wasn't a Turian.

Entering the decontamination chamber, a female V.I. politely told them not to move as a bright beam of light – a visual interpretation of a microscopic war – passed over them, before allowing them entry into the Normandy.

As she had asked earlier, Ashley took Tali to her Sho-Kunai-class fighter parked in the hangar, allowing her to recharge the ship with chakra somewhat, allowing it to keep the flowers alive while she took some for herself. Breathing in deeply and allowing some pollen to enter her immuno-circulatory system, Tali followed the Unitologist back up a floor to the Medbay, where Kaidan and Jane had apparently woken up while they were gone, surrounded by Garrus, Dr. Chakwas, and Captain Anderson.

But Jane was halfway to the door, dressed only in a hospital gown.

"...Saren's gone rogue, then the Council will revoke his SpecTRe status. He almost killed Nihlus... Where is Nihlus?" Jane finally seemed to notice the dark-themed Turian wasn't in the room; as it was, the Turian Ghost was usually just standing silently and unmoving in a shadowy corner he always seemed to find.

It was Captain Anderson's baritone tone that answered her. "He went to go speak to the other SpecTRes. He told us to go ahead without him."

"What?" Jane said in disbelief. "We need him to go with us to present the evidence to the Council. Without him to provide a positive ID of Saren, Tevos'll just say Humans think all Turians look the same and dismiss it."

"Jane," Garrus cut in, "don't you think Nihlus knows this? He's probably on the Citadael right now, downloading his helmet cam and copying it to the SpecTRe database as we speak, as well as pulling some strings behind closed doors to help us."

Neither Tali nor Ashley understood the full context of that train of thought, but Jane seemed to take comfort in it. She looked around at the gathered group, then noticed the two young females standing at the door.

"How'd it go?" she asked with a grin.

"Good," Ashley replied. "Tarquin just told me to watch her, but I'd do that anyway."

Tali sort of understood that, seeing as Ashley was apparently a Unitologist, someone who saw Admiral Zumaki as a god-like being and the Zorah Clan as his holy messengers...or something like that. So long as the brunette didn't get too weird or worship-y, Tali figured they could probably be friends.

"Yeah? That's good. And good job with the helmet. So long as she keeps the hoodie on, no one should notice she's wearing millenia-old armor." She motioned to the Stealth Action Suit, which hadn't been recreated out of respect for the Zorahs, but was known to Unitologists, or simply armor, Quarian or Zorah enthusiasts. Replicas weren't even allowed to be made, being seen as disrespectful to their sacrifice.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ashley said, blushing at the praise. Whether it was because she was being praised by the first Human female SpecTRe candidate, or because it was due to the fact that she had helped the last loyal Zorah, no one knew.

"Now," Jane yawned, stretching so far something popped, "I'mma get dressed, and then we're all going to the Council to try and do something about Saren's betrayal."

"That's fine for you, Shepard," Dr. Chakwas' heavily accented voice replied, "but Kaidan is still unfit to even walk, let alone stand trial, even as a witness. As for the rest of you, he needs his rest."

Kaidan looked up sleepily from his own bed, the fact that he was conscious with all the pain-killers one of many miracles surrounding him.

Even Captain Anderson understood the unspoken order; in the medbay, when it came to the patients, her word superseded his.

On the other side of the door, they made plans to meet outside the airlock where they would then go to the trial. In the interim, both Jane, Garrus and Captain Anderson got dressed or simply freshened up, meeting Tali and Ashley just outside the Normandy's airlock.

-X-

Citadael: Human Embassy

-X-

Their first stop was to the Human Embassy, to pick up Councilor Udina. Though both Jane and Captain Anderson expressed their displeasure towards the elder man, he was still required to be present.

It didn't prepare her for the man, himself, however.

"This is an OUTRAGE! We would all step in if the Geth attacked an Asari colony!" He paused for a brief second, glaring at the all three of them before focusing on the central one. "Don't deny it, Tevos."

The center Councilor, the aforementioned Asari named Tevos, spoke up, as usual, for her fellow holographic Councilors. "Unfortunately for your argument, Donnel, we will not know if such is true. We Asari are smart enough to not build colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems."

Everyone else watched in muted fascination as this travesty of a briefing took place. With the petty insults, obvious lies – Eden Prime was a single jump from Earth, deep in Alliance territory – and complete lack of decorum whether they addressed each other or the Protectors, they seemed to be ignoring the larger threats.

The appearance of a Reaper, the activities of a rogue SpecTRe, the near-assassination of another SpecTRe by the first, and the corruption of the Protectors into a mechanical, methodical army.

"Eden Prime's crops are burning as we speak! Nearly four million colonists live on that planet, and yet you do nothing! I demand ACTION!" Once again, Udina roared out his demands in his aged, gravely voice. Once again, he was easily rebuffed.

"You do not get to make demands of the Council, even if you are one of us. This panel has been, and always will be, a Democracy," croaked out Valern, the Salarian Councilor. Though he was physically the youngest, being in his mid-thirties, he was biologically the oldest, having a decade at most before natural causes took hold of him. "Each action must be preceded by a majority vote. The fact that there are four of us should never have been allowed..."

"And what of the larger threats?" Captain Anderson finally inquired, injecting himself into the meeting. "Saren? The Reaper?"

Each pair of eyes that flickered over to him held a different emotion as they regarded the dark-skinned man in his full dress blues. There was apathy, disgust, exasperation, and relief directed at the man and his interruption.

Tevos dismissed the man as quickly as he had appeared. Regarding Councilor Udina once again, she said "We expect to see you at the hearing," and cut the connection.

Slowly, as if reigning in anger, Udina spoke in a repressed growl and clipped tone that implied the same. "Captain Anderson... I see you brought half your crew with you."

Captain Anderson ignored the exaggerated jab at the Normandy's automation(why he insulted such a thing was a mystery), and replied back with a congenial tone. "Just those on the ground on Eden Prime who saw it all, in case you had any questions."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Udina snapped. "Why do I only have a report of a few radar techs, your pilot, a Turian, and someone who isn't even part of your crew, as well as a drunk dockworker? Why don't I have Shepard's, or the Biotic's? Hell, even the Quarian's would be something, as little as it would do."

"Shepard, Alenko, and Lady Zorah were unconscious until just recently. Alenko is still in the medbay recovering, as a matter of fact," Anderson replied, cutting off the three females before they could show him the wrath of a woman insulted. Or the friends of one, even. "Though I am glad you were able to secure that hearing with the rest of the Council so quickly."

"They weren't happy about it," Udina muttered, glancing back towards the holographic projectors. "Saren is their top agent, and all I had as proof was a few half-assed reports of people I can't vouch for. They don't like the fact that you're trying to prove him a traitor with so little evidence..."

"Then I'll give my testimony," Jane decided. "It'll be more moving than that piece of paper, anyways."

"And as for you," Udina suddenly said, spinning and facing the red-haired SpecTRe candidate. "This was your last mission on probation. That mission to Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, the Prothean Beacon you were sent to collect was destroyed, and you decided it was a good idea to blame their most highly decorated SpecTRe, instead of taking the blame for your failure!"

Captain Anderson was powerless to stop Jane from going full-ballistic on the old man, if he even wanted to. "It was Saren's fault! I know he was in that Reaper, and that Reaper was controlling the Protectors and destroyed the Beacon, under his order!"

Jane paused to breathe after her yelling, and after another pause, Udina got over his shock enough to retort.

It wasn't to be, however, as Jane continued. Her hollow-sounding whisper shut the normally unfeeling man up if for no other reason than it was rare to see the impassioned Jane Shepard as one who seemed devoid of one extreme emotion or another. Even Garrus was unsure how to help her.

"I still blame myself to this day for the death of my father... I didn't even know this Saren guy until I saw him trying to kill Nihlus. All I knew, was that you wanted me to get some fancy-like giant space cellphone some assholes built fifty-thousand years ago and then buried, stick it in the Normandy, and bring it back. I wasn't expecting another SpecTRe to try and kill Nihlus. I wasn't expecting to find the last Zorah, let alone have her standing ten feet behind me even now. I wasn't expecting to have to protect myself from the gorram Protectors..." She paused, taking a second to collect her thoughts before she plowed through the next sentence. "And I definitely wasn't expecting to almost be killed by a Reaper before Admiral Zumaki told us they would be here, so don't you ever... Ever. EVER!" She paused again, glaring at the man in front of her as she wrapped up her speech. "accuse me of blaming someone else when it was my fault, because that will never happen."

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support your accusations. Otherwise, you'll be yet another Human to fall short of the SpecTRe candidacy."

Ignoring how Udina spoke as if he wasn't a Human, also, Anderson spoke up. "What investigation? This confrontation happened a few hours ago, so there's no way they gathered enough evidence to pin Saren down. What about the reports?"

"As I said," Udina stated, "I couldn't vouch for the testimonies presented to the other Councilors. Therefore, they were inadmissible as evidence."

"What!" Ashley screeched, now that it was her turn to be flabbergasted. "What kind of rigged system is that? Oh, 'if you don't know every member of your species, one of them may get thrown in jail because you can't give them a character evaluation'? That is utter bull-"

"Williams," Anderson said firmly, letting her know to ix-nay on the anger-ay. For the redhead, it was fine, but Ashley was more attuned to the chakra that leaked from Admiral Zumaki's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan as he wept for the Prothean known as Deoxys.

And no, that wasn't a Creation Myth. Due to the Great Sage having his eyes constantly activated – though he usually hid such behind a Genjutsu – his tears carried trace amounts of chakra from said eyes, from the New Founding Clans of Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Ootsutsuki, where each Human was forever tied to one of those three. The dominant Clan's chakra made up approximately half of ones own chakra, while the other two made up roughly a quarter apiece. No one clan was more powerful than the others, instead having a rock-paper-scissors style of domination within the chakra pathways.

One with Ootsutsuki-dominated chakra and one with Uzumaki-dominated chakra would have a baby aligned with the Ootsutsuki Clan.

An Uzumaki parent and Uchiha parent would have an Uzumaki baby.

And an Uchiha parent and an Ootsutsuki parent would have an Uchiha baby.

Just with the three Humans that had survived the Eden Prime mission, Ashley was an Uchiha by chakra, Jane an Uzumaki, and Kaidan an Ootsutsuki.

No other race was like this. Naru'Zumaki vas Yoko was on Earth when he learned of her passing, and had cried literal rivers afterwords. Though jaded, he knew how it felt to be the only one fighting for what you believed in, while everyone around you constantly made the wrong decision.

And the emotions she had felt: depression, loneliness, betrayal... All those darker thoughts and feelings that gave rise to his Yami self during his pre-Genin years.

But there was nothing he could do, so he resigned to wallow in despair for a year to be able to face the Quarians after failing yet again.

All the longest rivers on Earth, the Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Mississippi... they were created from his tears, as it was written in the Book of Unitoligy.

Those verses were to show how Naru'Zumaki was as caring as they were, as flawed as they were. And how quickly he had recovered, for what was a year to a man who lived for hundreds of thousands of them, whereas Humans were lucky to live the daily equivalent to half the years of a single Cycle.

"Glad to see you've found a way to deal with the more...volatile members of your crew," Udina stated haughtily, seeing Ashley completely cowed. "Now if you don't mind, we have somewhere to be soon."

"Of course," Anderson replied immediately, glad for any reason to get out of the Embassy. The group said nothing as they entered two Human-owned skycars, heading towards the Council Chambers, flanked by a wing of Turian Talon fighters.

-X-

Citadael: Council Chambers

-X-

As they landed near the Council Chambers, Udina broke away from the group to take his place with the other three, leaving Jane, Garrus, Ashley, Tali, and Captain Anderson to speak to a finely dressed Turian dismissing a member of C-Sec.

"Hey, Executor Pallin," Jane greeted the man simply, giving a half-hearted wave as they got closer. It was only the fact that she used his title that she wasn't immediately strung up for insubordination.

That, and no one in the six-person group would have turned her in for it.

"Shepard," Pallin said as softly as he could in his flanged tone. The dual gravely and high-pitched voices that Turians produced made it difficult to whisper. "I wish I had better news. Even with my most loyal members on the case, it appears we were too slow. We have no way of knowing if there's any evidence behind the SpecTRe firewalls, and you were a day too slow for the weekly colony update."

"And Saren's a SpecTRe, so everything about him is Kage-level classified. If he goes to the store, C-Sec has automatic Council authority to confiscate the security footage, and a smart virus uses facial recognition to distort their image on any camera besides a SpecTRe helmet-cam, to boot..."

And SpecTRes were the only ones to have helmet-cams in the first place, due to the millenium-old precedent that was set by the Council that helmet-cam evidence was irrefutable. Due to this, it was decided that the less people that had access to such evidence, the less of a chance there was of it being tampered with.

"Exactly," Executor Pallin finished as he walked away, patting the red-head on the shoulder. "So you better hope Nihlus got a good look at him, otherwise you have no hard evidence-"

"The kind we need to pin a SpecTRe down for treason, especially one as decorated as Saren," Garrus finished, getting a nod from the man as he left the five others to continue his job as head of C-Sec.

"Let's go," Captain Anderson said as he also walked away, though towards the Council Chamber. "It sounds like they've already started."

As crazy as it sounded, what with Jane being the accuser, they could tell it was the truth as they began following him.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern," came Tevos' ever patient yet condescending tone, "but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way. The C-Sec investigation turned up no evidence to support a charge of treason."

From left to right, Udina, Tevos, Valern, and Sparatus stood on a raised platform overlooking a balcony over a traditional garden complete with cherry blossom trees and large stones. A walkway and benches were also present, their purpose unknown. After all, no one was allowed down there.

However, what was most surprising was the larger-than-life holographic representation of Saren Arterius on the left podium watching the proceeding with a thoroughly bored expression on his face while he leaned back on an invisible surface, his arms – real and prosthetic alike – crossed over his armored chest.

"According to Captain Anderson, he has a few key witnesses to provide damning testimonies, if we had only waited a short while longer to begin," Sparatus said sharply. He didn't like the fact that it seemed like Tevos was trying to protect Saren from the accusation by exploiting every loophole – legal or otherwise – in order to do so, instead of, say, allowing the trial to happen and refuting them with the truth.

Unless, of course, the truth was what they were trying to avoid.

"That dockworker is a drunkard and an all-around irresponsible employee," Udina bit out harshly. "The fact that he was able to master his Suiton chakra to a degree which makes him invisible by refracting light around him is a miracle. His testimony should be dismissed, as well as all those others he handed me. If the reports he gave me are anything to go by, we're wasting our time."

"I resent these accusations," came Saren's amplified voice from the speakers all over the room. "I am the longest-serving SpecTRe in the millenia-long history of the organization. To now be accused of going against the laws I have spent decades defending is laughable... And to be accused of attempting to murder my fellow SpecTRe, my friend..."

Tevos seemed to want to latch onto that, using his previous exemplary service to throw doubt on the current accusations, but there was a wrench thrown into those plans.

"That just means this is the first time you've been caught," snapped Captain Anderson suddenly, a haze of Katon chakra distorting the air around him due to his anger. "And to you, Saren, being someone's friend just means you have an easier time stabbing them in the back!"

"Honestly," Tevos muttered at the man's short fuse.

"Captain Anderson...," Saren drawled out, staring down at the man now at the edge of the podium. "You always seem to be involved when Humanity makes false charges against me. I would have figured you learned your lesson the first time."

"I did," Captain Anderson said, a hint of smugness in his voice. "This time, I brought witnesses."

Saren's head-sized eyes surveyed the small group behind his pathetic rival, analyzing them in turn like a bird-of-prey, before finally resting on the N7 standing just off to the side of the others. "And this must be your protege, Commander Shepard. The one who let the Beacon get destroyed."

"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret," Jane said, a steely edge to her voice. "The only way you could know about the Beacon was if you were there!" she accused, glaring fiercely with her bio-mechanical fuchsia eyes.

Saren chuckled at her paltry intimidation tactic. "Silly girl, have you never had a friend? Or a mentor? But of course you have... Haven't you told Captain Anderson about things you maybe shouldn't have?" At her guilty glance, he pressed on. "Nihlus told me about the mission, bzzzt, -ow badly you failed at a simple retrieval mission."

"No I didn't," Nihlus snapped suddenly from the podium near Sparatus, his own large sapphire hologram glaring across the room darkly at his mentor's orange one. "I have helmet-cam evidence showing Saren at Eden Prime, which he tells me is at your behest." He then pleaded to the Council. "Saren despises Humans, believing they gained preferential treatment, like the Migranta Quarians, from Naru'Zumaki vas Yoko. He tried to distill this same racism on me, but I resisted. I believe this is why he launched a full-scale attack against Eden Prime instead of simply using the Beacon for whatever he needed and then leaving."

"You claim to have evidence?" Saren snapped. "Well I have evidence of the fact that Humanity needs to learn its place. They shouldn't have joined the Council in the first place. We shouldn't be giving them the opportunity to join the SpecTRes! They're too rash! Too impatient! They have more chakra variants than any other race, including the Quarians, and they believe they're entitled to-"

"Saren? What are you doing here?"

"The Council thought you could use a little...help on this."

"It's bad, Saren... The Migranta Quarians told us the Protectors were keeping the Rann Quarians on Rannoch, and have been for 40 millenia. So why did they leave? And why are they attacking now, so far into Human territory?"

"Don't worry, Nihlus. I have it all under control..."

Suddenly, various retorts of a shotgun begin slamming into Saren as he withdraws his pistol from the back of Nihlus' head to focus on an invisible foe. Nihlus wastes no time in joining the fray against his once-mentor turned would-be executioner.

Every time Saren gets the upper hand, another shotgun blast forces him to disengage, losing the momentum. Eventually, Saren is shot twice by disruptor rounds before being engulfed in a cone of electricity, only to step on a hovering platform and book it down the monorail system.

He reveals the location of Tali'Zorah nar Migranta-Zorah first, however.

"Heh," Garrus muttered. "Gottie..."

Without prompting, Saren's hologram disappeared, the dichotomy of colors replaced by the suffusion of blue over all present.

"You wanted proof..." Jane said lowly, glaring at Tevos, then Udina as she jabbed a finger at where Saren had been. "The innocent don't run! The innocent don't lie!"

Jane visibly calmed herself as Garrus placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't pull her back – he valued his relationship with her too much – but stood right beside her as he spoke next.

He was her voice of reason. The one who said what she was thinking in a way that others actually listened to. Some emotion was good, in order to show conviction, but when she started emphasizing and exclaiming every other word, it was time for him to work his space magic.

"It was stupid to not have Saren physically present at this hearing...for this very reason. Now that it hasn't gone his way, he has a head-start on us, and he probably isn't even-"

"He's still on the Citadael," Nihlus interrupted, "Zakera Ward, in fact." He glanced down at his protege, something akin to pride in his eyes which, while he was composed entirely of blue light, weren't as blue as they were in person. "Meet me in the lower markets. We'll rendezvous there and come up with a plan of attack as well as get a better fix on his location."

Jane nodded, and everyone combat ready was ready to go even as Nihlus' hologram disappeared.

"Commander Shepard," Tevos said just as they turned around. Jane rolled her fuchsia eyes (prompting Garrus to sigh with a good-natured smile, Ashley to school her features to downgrade the full-on laughing fit into an unexplained coughing fit, and Tali to giggle since she wasn't used to suppressing – or really having – positive emotions), but faced the Asari Councilor.

"Yes, ma'am?" Jane said, more through her teeth than her mouth.

"Step forward, please," Tevos continued, ignoring the red-head's tone in favor of continuing with her own soft timbre.

"This evidence is irrefutable," Valern said once she had done so. "Saren Arterius will be stripped of his SpecTRe status, as well as any and all rights and resources associated with that title being revoked as well."

"You did well to have all survived a surprise attack from him," Sparatus continued, "though I believe that is due in large part to Lady Zorah's intervention..."

Tali blushed even as Tevos shot her Turian counterpart a scathing look. She had hoped to just ignore the little suit rat in the hopes that it would scurry away after not getting enough attention, but it seemed like this one was stubbornly persistent...or a masochist.

"That's cool and all," Jane began, tapping her foot, "and I'm grateful, really...but we just heard that Saren was still here on the Citadael, and you're stopping me from getting up with Nihlus to take the bastard down. So can I please just go?"

"We will send in C-Sec to take down Saren, Shepard," Udina bit out. "They can secure the entire ward, as well as shut down the docking bays."

"Only a SpecTRe can take down a SpecTRe...or maybe two in the case of Saren," Sparatus said, glancing across at his fellow council members. "Securing the ward and the docking bays is fine for C-Sec, but Shepard and Nihlus will have to take down Saren. There would be too many deaths, otherwise."

"Then we know what we have to do," Valern said, nodding. "2-vee-1, with no restraints. No civilians in the way due to C-Sec, and two proven combatants."

Eventually, begrudgingly, Udina and Tevos nodded as well to the logic.

Jane was having a hard time following the conversation, but the direction it was going was nearly unfathomable for her. She had hoped and worked for it, sure, but there was always that doubt that Tevos would block it on the grounds that she was Human – though the blue lady wouldn't say as such – and she would be just another failed Human SpecTRe candidate.

Granted, she had made it the farthest (a year as Nihlus' shadow, then another more or less with him as her guardian angel), but it didn't stop the fact that all four council members had to say yes. To become a candidate was marginally easier. You needed one high-ranking member of your species to speak to and get the approval of a council member, who then uploaded your credentials to the SpecTRe database, where one of them had to agree to take you on as their apprentice.

Admiral Hackett – a five-star General and commander of the Arcturus Fleet – had spoken to Sparatus – since Udina was always busy – who gave it to the SpecTRes, where it was immediately picked up by Nihlus.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

All four councilors quickly typed into their keyboards, before once again focusing on Jane.

Around them, Tali noticed the balconies filling up with members of the council races, watching the proceedings with baited breath. Why the public was allowed into a meeting which, before, seemed more focused on a rogue SpecTRe agent and was a strictly Internal Affairs matter was beyond the out-of-touch Quarian.

"It is the decision of this Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel," Udina began bitterly. He made no secret of his dislike of Jane, so for her to be the one that made Humanity a true council member must contain a plethora of conflicting emotions for the old man.

"SpecTRes are chosen from individuals forged in the fire of service and battle," Valern picked up, "those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file... Then we train them beyond even that."

"SpecTRes are an ideal...a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance," Tevos continued with a pointed glance at the group around the redhead. "They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

Jane made a face at that, but quickly changed her attitude when Sparatus spoke up.

"SpecTRes bear a great burden," Sparatus finished gravely. "They are protectors of galactic peace; both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold... You are the first Human SpecTRe, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

"I'm honored, councilors," Jane replied dutifully, more out of reflex than any current stimulus.

"Go," Sparatus finally said, reading her not-so-subtle body language. "We've kept you long enough. We'll coordinate with C-Sec here while you go meet up with Nihlus."

"Thanks," Jane said hurriedly, already turning around, giving a backwards wave. "And thanks for the promotion!"

"How ungrateful," Tevos muttered once everyone – even the crowd on the balcony – had left.

"We'll come to regret this," Udina agreed. "Shepard's not one for subtlety, much less restraint..."

"She's in shock," Sparatus defended. "She's more thankful than she lets on."

Valern hummed in thought, noting the clear divide between his other three councilors. There was only one question that he hadn't answered in regards to that...

Which side was he on?

-X-

Citadael: Zakera Ward Skyway

-X-

"Shepard, what's your ETA? You should have been here five minutes ago. I've already tracked the signal," Nihlus' voice crackled to life in the skycar. Jane glanced at the map of the packed vehicle and replied with the good news.

"We got about three more minutes before we reach the Chora's Den's st-"

"No!" Nihlus cut in suddenly. "That's where I pinpointed the feed to... Assuming Saren is still there-"

"It'll be heavily guarded," Jane finished with a sigh.

"It is heavily guarded," Nihlus corrected. "My HUD's picking up half a dozen hostiles just on the walkway, and I can't use explosives in case someone goes over the edge into oncoming traffic."

"Hold on a sec, sir," Ashley interrupted. While normally she wouldn't be so rude to a superior, especially a SpecTRe, they had two and a half minutes before they were in the same boat as Nihlus. She turned to Tali, who was in the passenger seat. "Can you hack this skycar? They haven't changed since their time on Rannoch."

Tali tilted her head at that statement, wondering how no one had created a better automated transportation vehicle in 40 millenia. Or was it the old adage of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'? After all, like the rest of the Citadael, skycars were made of Uzushionium, the near-mythical self-replenishing metal from the Chakrans' home planet.

"If it's the same exactly, then yes," Tali finally told them all. "I've had to use them a few times if I had to get away from or to somewhere quickly, so I can do it if that's the case." She pulled out her Arc Pistol, pressing the barrel behind the central screen even as she activated her omni-tool and used the attached wire to hook into the vehicle. All three fingers of her right hand poised over the holographic display and her left keeping the gun steady where she had set it. "Otherwise, I'll have fried the automatic steering with no way to switch to manual."

Everyone sobered at that. Best case scenario for something like that, was they didn't immediately die on impact.

But the other option was to let Saren run free because he hired a bunch of thugs.

"Let's do it," Jane said with a near-feral grin. Had any of their enemies saw it, they wouldn't even have to attempt this crazy stunt since they would have run away in fear.

"Nothing like an adrenaline spike before a big fight," Ashley agreed with her fellow human.

Garrus shook his head at their antics, before reverting to sarcasm as was his norm when faced with life or death situations. "May as well... We'll either save the day or wind up as ten seconds of a fail compilation."

"A fail wha-" Tali began, before being interrupted.

"60 seconds," Ashley reminded them. "Do it if you're doing it, Lady Zorah!"

Tali wasted no time in pulling the trigger, the electric-based bolt sending every light on the vehicle into high-beams – even those inside – and causing the engine to red-line.

Everyone slammed into their seat with an audible "Oomph!"

"No, no, no!" Tali called out, scrabbling over her omni-tool.

"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE!" Nihlus' voice rang out in the skycar, about as loud as consecutive shotgun blasts.

Everyone turned to Tali, whose fingers continued to fly over her keyboard as they continued to drift further and further up a banked curve, the fact that it was banked nearly vertically the only reason they were still on the road. She spoke without stopping.

"I was aiming for the VI housing, but grazed the armatures...overcharged it. Still got it!"

Suddenly, a steering wheel unfolded from in front of Ashley, who quickly jerked the wheel. An ear-splitting screech sounded as the rear end slid along the edge of the track.

"Comin' in hot!" she called out, everyone bracing even as the skycar – whose front end was raised due to the rear-end's stint over the edge – hopped onto the entrance walkway to Chora's Den, killing one combatant before he even had time to turn to meet his maker.

Tail end still hanging off the edge, the skycar was wedged in the other corner of the short side where Nihlus was still at. Behind him, they could make out a C-Sec line stopping innocents from getting closer. Able to get out, Ashley immediately took care of a fellow Human who had been about to rush Nihlus before they arrived. Garrus and his own sniper rifle hopping atop the car and hiding behind the lip of the cockpit, taking out two along that same side before even having to inhale during his breathing exercises.

By this point, Tali and Jane had also exited, the last Zorah ending the only one in range of her shotgun, while laying covering fire as Nihlus and Jane stalked towards the last two combatants, who were hidden behind the waist-high wall near the entrance to Chora's Den.

A Turian Ghost Infiltrator and an N7 Shadow Slayer flanking your rudimentary defense was a terrifying experience for anyone, especially if they were also both SpecTRes. So the fact that they chose to stand and fight instead of cower in fear was admirable, though it didn't help the Salarian or Turian.

For the biggest threats on the battlefield had just...disappeared.

'fwoop!'

'kwoom!'

'SH-CR-SHINK!'

Jane had appeared behind her opponent, crouched on a wall. The quick burst of speed afforded by various beneficial supplementary implants made it seem as if she were bending the laws of space-time worse than a Maledicta. Her sword was extended far from her body, parallel with the wall.

Nihlus was far above his own opponent, omni-blades poised on each wrist and extending half the length of his arm past his arm. Unlike Jane's his seemed more ready to be thrust than swung.

Then Jane kicked off the wall and beheaded her opponent even as he was halfway through turning around. Green blood speckled her visor as most pooled around her feet.

Subsequently, Nihlus' boosters sent him over his own adversary's 'spray and pray' method, crushing the assault rifle with a knee as his orange blade was coated with cobalt blood, the organic material burning away just as quickly due to the weapon's heart.

Tali, Ashley, and Garrus joined the two SpecTRes at the door, rearranging a few metal crates to provide some cross-fire once the bar was opened.

Tali, sensing her cue, steeped up to the terminal and had it unlocked in less than ten seconds. Though wary of the flimsy security, Nihlus saw no other alternative as he prepared a few incendiary grenades.

'Five...four...three...two...one...now!'

The assault to capture Saren had begun.

-X-

6100 words, pretty alright.

Dat cliffhanger, though ;)

Anywho, next chapter of this will begin with Nihlus tossing that incendiary grenade.

Also, thanks for all the likes, subs, follows, c2's and reviews, everyone. I'm glad one of my most anticipated – for me to write – stories is also favored by you all, as well.

Got t-boned by someone who ran a red light which totaled my car then got fired from my job, so I'm back with my mother for the time being. Hopefully that'll give me some more writing time in between job searching, though of course job searching is –and has been – more important. I've probably filled out three applications a day since those incidents – which occurred mid-july and early September, respectfully.

If you liked this story until this point, punch those like and subscribe buttons in the face if you haven't already.

Next chapter I'm updating is Operation: Eden for anyone who is reading both of these stories.

Ja Ne until then.