Disclaimer: I don't own the Mass Effect universe or Bioware.
«1.01: SSV Normandy: Command Deck: Cockpit»
«or The Citadel»
The SSV Normandy was a frigate and not, by any means, notable. It was merely a small, fast ship used for patrols and scouting missions. But the Normandy was vastly different than any other ship of its class. It is the first human ship to be developed with assistance by members of the Council races, most notably the turians. It is also the first of its kind with the unique Internal Emission Sink Stealth Systems that allowed the Normandy to be virtually invisible to scans and sensors from other vessels.
And a man named Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, nicknamed "Joker", was the one piloting it. And he was damn proud of it.
Joker expertly piloted the vessel from the massive Relay Station with Shepard gazing out the window nearby, approximately 12 hours after leaving Eden Prime. Joker didn't really know the commander that well, having only talked to him once or twice. Joker did know about the commander's impressive record, which only increased his respect for the man. Still, Joker didn't really care to know more about him. He had a job to do, which was to pilot the Normandy wherever the Captain told him; a job that Joker intended to do with vigor.
"Good timing, Chief," he said as he heard the new member of the Normandy walk up behind him. "I was just about to take us into the Citadel. See all that taxpayer money at work."
Ashley smiled at this and glanced over at the Commander. He was looking out the window, which was completely covered in a soft glow of purple and pink. He wasn't dressed in his hardened battle suit and armor, instead wearing the formal Alliance military suit, the blue wool coat buttoned up the left side of his torso and his blue wool formal pants coming down to his black dress shoes. A gleaming golden metal star hung on the left side of his chest, among other medals and awards he had received. It was the Star of Terra that shone out the most above all the others.
"And there it is," she heard Shepard say. Ashley approached the same window, standing next to the Commander. What she saw took her breath away.
The Normandy was surrounded by light and color, like the universe had been dipped in a palette of purple and pink. To Ashley, it seemed the world outside the window was awash with the light coming from the newborn star Widow. The light, mixing with the colors of the dust of the Serpent Nebula gave off a spectacular show that lifted her spirits up despite the events that transpired before.
Then slowly, a cloud of dust moved away and she saw it: the Citadel, the cultural, political, and financial heart of Citadel Space. The massive space station revolved around a large ring shaped structure called the Presidium. More for the political and financial elites, the Presidium housed the Embassies and representatives of all races of Citadel Space. Out of all of the races in Citadel Space, only the Asari Republics, the Salarian Union and the Turian Hierarchy were members of the Citadel Council.
Ashley squinted against the somewhat bright light and could see the Citadel Tower. In the center of the Presidium was a long, erect shape that spanned the radius of the Presidium ring. She knew that it was there that the Council made their decisions on interstellar policy and law.
But the most magnificent sight the citadel had was the Ward Arms. All six arms were massive, larger than even the largest human Alliance dreadnaught or space station. While the Presidium was more for the political and financial background, the Wards were almost entirely cultural as all members of all races did business in the Arms.
She also saw something else as the Normandy came closer. It was a ship, a massive ship, about the same size as the one they saw on Eden Prime. It had a large glowing oval shape with four 'wings' protruding from it, giving the impression of an eye.
"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed.
"The Destiny Ascension," she heard Kaidan say behind her as he walked up to stand behind Joker. "Flagship of the Citadel fleet."
"Well," Joker remarked. "Size isn't everything." Ashley continued to gaze out of the window, but not really look. She wanted to say something, but what? She hadn't really talked to Joker before now, so what was she allowed to say and what wasn't she allowed to say? She didn't know.
"Ask him why he's so touchy," Shepard whispered softly. Ashley looked over at the Commander and blinked. He didn't look back, but continued to gaze outside.
"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley flirtatiously asked. Joker looked like he was about to throw his hands in the air.
"All I'm saying is you need firepower, too!" he exclaimed. Joker laughed and Ashley looked over at Shepard, but he wasn't looking back, though she could see a small smile on his lips. Ashley smiled and turned her excitement back outside.
"Look at that monster!" Ashley exclaimed as the Normandy drifted closer to the behemoth. "Its main gun could rip through the barrier's on any ship in the Alliance fleet!"
"Good thing it's on our side," Kaidan remarked.
"Citadel control, this is SSV Normandy, requesting permission to land," Joker said through the comm. channel.
"Stand by for clearance, Normandy," came the reply and a short pause. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."
Shepard moved away from the window and stood beside Joker, who looked up and smirked. Shepard gave a small smile back.
"Roger, Alliance tower. Normandy out," Joker replied. And with that, Joker began to pull the Normandy into the Docking Bay.
"Williams, Alenko," Shepard said sharply. "The Ambassador wishes to see us as soon as we touch down. Dress in your formal attire."
"Sir!" Both Williams and Alenko saluted sharply and went towards the Quarters to change. Shepard watched them as they walked away, unconsciously fingering the annoying golden piece of metal hanging from his chest. He was not looking forward to meeting the Ambassador.
Not one bit.
\::/::\::/::\::/
"This is an outrage!" Ambassador Donnel Udina nearly roared. 'Respectfully' roared at the holographic images of the three members of the Council. "The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!"
Shepard and Anderson stood nearby, shifting uncomfortably as the ambassador 'talked' to the Council. On the balcony nearby, Kaidan and Ashley stood looking out over the Presidium. Kaidan wore a similar suit like the one Shepard and Anderson wore, though with the Staff Lieutenant insignia on his shoulder.
Ashley's suit differed slightly only that the suit itself hugged her figure a little tighter and the coat she wore came down and branched outwards at the thigh, making a small dress shape. She shifted uncomfortably against the constraints of the suit. She visibly hated it.
"The turians don't find colonies on borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador," the Salarian Councilor chided, arms crossed.
"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the Asari Councilor reminded him, attempting to calm the ambassador down. It wasn't that effective.
"What about Saren?" Udina exclaimed. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre! I demand action!" Udina accented his point with his hands. Shepard thought he would have momentarily and unconsciously flipped them off for a brief second, but he wasn't paying too much attention.
"You don't get to make demands of the Council, ambassador," the Turian Councilor reminded Udina firmly.
"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren," the Asari Councilor said. "We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before." And with that, the orange holograms disappeared, leaving Udina with a look of pained frustration on his face. Shepard took out pack of cigarettes he kept in on belt pocket, as well as his lighter. Lighting it up, he puffed out a small whiff of smoke in front of him.
"Well, that went well," Shepard muttered. Udina turned to the Captain, glaring at Shepard as he did.
"I see you brought half your crew with you, Captain Anderson," Udina spoke, ignoring Shepard.
"Just the ground crew on Eden Prime," Anderson told him. "In case you had any questions."
"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina asked.
"They are," Anderson replied and gestured to the where the Council stood a moment ago. "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."
"They were not happy about it. Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason," Udina shot a look at Shepard. Shepard merely puffed another whiff of smoke in his general area.
"Saren's a threat to humanity, regardless of what the Council thinks of him," Shepard shot at the ambassador. "If they don't stop him, I will."
"Settle down, Commander," Udina shot back, matching Shepard's glare. "You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres! The mission on Eden Prime was to prove you could get the job done; instead Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed!"
"None of that was my fault, ambassador!" Shepard took a step forward, gesturing with his smoking cigarette butt. "If you read the mission reports like you said you did, you'd know that!" Anderson grabbed his shoulder before he could take another step and gave a strong squeeze. Not here, not now, it said. Shepard took another look at Udina before turning away sharply and walking towards the balcony.
"The commander is right, ambassador. All of that was Saren's fault, not his," Anderson told Udina. Udina crossed his arms.
"Then we'd better hope the C-Sec investigations turns up evidence to support our accusations," Udina told them. "Otherwise the Council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres," Shepard rolled his eyes.
"Their loss," Shepard muttered under his breath. Only Kaidan and Ashley heard him and they smiled, chuckling quietly to themselves.
"Come with me, Captain," Udina continued. "I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard! You and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in." With that, the ambassador and the captain strode away towards the door. Ashley watched as the door closed behind them, slowly shaking her head.
"And that's why I hate politicians," Ashley fidgeted as she tried for the umpteenth time to readjust her suit.
"Don't worry," Shepard remarked. "I'm pretty sure at some point in the future, someone is going to punch him in the face."
"Someone? Not you, commander?" Kaidan asked jestingly.
"Yeah, from what we heard, you really don't like him, sir. At all in fact," Ashley remarked.
"No, I don't like him," Shepard chuckled. "I swear, he can be more of a chore than Hannah." Ashley looked at Kaidan questioningly. Kaidan mouthed the words 'foster-parent' and Ashley nodded as she understood.
"But, I realize that in the end, he's just trying to do what's best for the Alliance and Humanity, just like us," Shepard continued. "He's just frustrated all the time because humanity wants more say with the dealings of the Citadel Council and a larger role in shaping interstellar policy."
"Everyone knows that it's only a matter of time before we're given a seat on the Council," Kaidan said.
"Exactly," Shepard agreed. "Udina just thinks that it should happen sooner rather than later. Plus, the Council always preaches that humanity needs to be less independent and 'mingle' more with the other species. But whenever we're in trouble, they don't want to help us out. If I were in his position, I'd be pretty pissed, too."
Ashley began to understand how hard Udina's job was, and slowly began to respect him a little more. Still, she still hated him. Then Ashley tried to imagine if Shepard was the ambassador. She couldn't.
"Regardless, he's a colossal asshole," Shepard took another whiff of his cigarette and blew out another cloud. He threw the butt on the ground and stepped on it. "So, to answer your question: no, I wouldn't punch him in the face."
"No?" Kaidan asked.
"Nope," Shepard said. "I think I'd stab him in his eye if he pulled that kind of shit again." Ashley and Kaidan chuckled loudly until Shepard faced them, a small smile on his face. Their laughter died down slowly.
"Sir, are you serious?" Ashley dared to ask. Shepard's smile broadened and deepened, almost mischievously.
"Shall we?" Shepard asked as he turned away. Ashley and Kaidan looked at each other and couldn't help but wonder if the Commander was serious or not. Shepard, on the other hand, couldn't help but marvel at how fun it was to mess with people.
\::/::\::/::\::/
When someone exited the elevator to enter the Citadel Council chambers, the first thing they would see is a hallway of flowers and beautiful plant life. This hallway would open up to a beautiful fountain that was meant to convey a sense of peace and tranquility. This set up was to remind all incomers that the Council chambers were a place where peaceful negotiations could take place.
The first thing Ashley saw when she exited the elevator, however, were two turians in a heated argument.
"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time! Stall them!" one of the turians nearly shouted. From what Shepard could see, this turian was young, an Agent from C-Sec, who wore an eyepiece that extended from the ear. The turian he was talking to wore more formal clothing, and was obviously his superior officer. The way the second turian stood with this arms crossed and head shaking gave away all of these signs.
"Stall the Council?" the other turian asked incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over Garrus."
"But everything on Saren is either classified or restricted. How exactly am I supposed to find any hard evidence on him if I keep on running into these walls?" Garrus asked in a rough voice.
"You don't. You had your chance, and you didn't find anything. Now, your investigation is over," the other turian told him firmly.
"But-!" Garrus began.
"It's over, Garrus. End of discussion," and with that, the other turian turned sharply and walked towards the elevator. He brushed by Shepard momentarily and kept on walking, never looking back. Garrus bristled with anger as he clenched his fists. He then saw Shepard and approached him.
"Commander John Shepard?" Garrus began. "Garrus Vakarian. I was the C-Sec Agent in charge of the investigation into Saren."
"Who was the hard ass?" Shepard asked bluntly.
"That was Executor Venari Pallin, the man in charge of C-Sec," Garrus said contemptuously. "My superior officer. But you're right, I guess. He is kind of a hard ass, as you say."
"You find anything useful against Saren?" Shepard asked. "It sounded like you really wanted to bring him down."
"I don't trust that barefaced turian," Garrus crossed his arms vehemently. "Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a spectre everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find anything solid. But I know he's up to something. As you humans say, I feel it in my gut."
"I think the Council's ready for us, commander," Kaidan chimed in.
"Good luck, commander," Garrus said. "Maybe the Council will listen to you." Shepard nodded and walked past him. Shepard later looked over his shoulder and saw Garrus hurriedly walking out. Shepard smiled to himself. The turian was probably off trying to find evidence on Saren.
"Look at that bug thing," Ashley said, pointing towards a bug-like creature working on a console. "What is it?"
"One of the keepers," Kaidan told her. "They were here long before the asari discovered the citadel. So far, all they seem to do is make sure the citadel is in pristine condition, fixing whatever needs fixing. To go near them is against the law, as the council thinks that they shouldn't be disturbed."
"Huh," Ashley remarked. She fidgeted as she tried to rearrange her clothing. Again.
Shepard walked up the stairs towards the podium, seeing Captain Anderson waiting for them.
"The hearing's already started, come on," Anderson told them quickly as they walked up the stairs. When he reached the top, Shepard could see the ambassador standing in front of the council, in person this time. He also saw a large holographic image planted next to the council. It was the figure of a turian, with his arms crossed and head held high.
Shepard guessed that he was Saren.
"The geth attack is a matter of some concern," the asari councilor was saying. "But there was nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way." Her voice was soft and melodious, attempting to cool Udina's anger.
"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the turian councilor's rough voice reminded. This didn't satisfy Udina.
"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood," Udina held his anger in check this time.
"We've read the Eden Prime reports, ambassador," the salarian councilor said. "The testimony of one traumatized dock worker is hardly compelling proof."
"I resent these accusations!" Saren said roughly. "Nihlus was a fellow spectre, and a friend."
"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson pointed an accusing finger at Saren. Shepard looked at Anderson's eyes and saw hatred. Complete and utter hatred. It was clear to Shepard now that Anderson knows Saren on a more 'personal' level.
"Captain Anderson!" Saren said amusingly, as if he had just noticed him standing there. "You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me. And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed." Shepard looked at Saren right in his eyes.
"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret," Shepard told him. "The only way you could know about the beacon was if you were there." Shepard was trying to keep himself calm, but the more Saren looked down at him, the harder it was.
"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me," Saren answered. "I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed. But what can you expect…" Saren shrugged. "…from a human." Shepard lost it.
"Saren despises humanity!" Shepard shouted. "That's why he attacked Eden Prime!" Saren glared violently.
"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard," Saren said slowly and strongly. "You're not ready to join the council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!"
"I think I am!" Shepard shouted back. "Want to come down here a prove me wrong?"
"He has no right to say whether or not Shepard can join the Spectres! That's not his decision!" Udina shot a glare at Shepard. Keep out of this, it said.
"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," the asari councilor reminded Saren.
"This meeting has no purpose! The humans are wasting your time, councilors, and mine!" Saren exclaimed.
"So, you got better things to do than hide behind the council? Would you like to share what they are exactly?" Shepard shouted. Anderson gripped Shepard's shoulder.
"There's still one outstanding issue," Anderson told everyone. "Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon." Shepard shot him a look. Shepard didn't think it was a good idea to bring that up. Saren chuckled.
"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?" Saren chuckled some more. Shepard wanted to stab the smug turian. "How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"
"I agree," the turian councilor spoke up. "Our judgments must be based on facts and evidence. Not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."
"Do you have anything else to say, Commander Shepard?" the salarian councilor asked. Shepard sighed, took out another cigarette and lit it. He purposefully blew a cloud of smoke at them.
"You made your decision," was all Shepard said. He turned away and walked off the podium. As he walked away, he heard their answer.
"The council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," he heard the asari councilor.
"I'm glad to see justice was served," he heard Saren say. Shepard turned and looked at Saren in the eye. He pointed a finger at Saren and cut a line across his own neck with his thumb. Saren smiled and then disappeared.
"This meeting is adjourned."
"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the council question our motives. And you, Shepard," Udina glowered.
"Yes?" Shepard asked innocently.
"What were you thinking!" Udina exclaimed. "Blowing up in front of the Council! We are trying to get you into Spectres and just for that outburst, they may ban you from it altogether!"
"I wanted to tell them to fuck off," Shepard said simply, taking another whiff. "Be glad I didn't."
Udina gritted his teeth.
"Besides, they had already made their decision before we ever got there. And they let Saren go free because we didn't have any evidence," Shepard said. Udina nodded. He was right.
"Still, Captain Anderson…" Udina didn't need to finish.
"I know Saren," Anderson told them. "He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race! Every colony we have is at risk! Every world we control is in danger, even Earth isn't safe!" Shepard wanted to know more about what happened between Saren and Anderson, but he knew that now wasn't the time for it.
"The Council isn't going to help us now," Shepard noted. "We'll have to do it ourselves for now."
"As a Spectre," Udina rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He's virtually untouchable. We need some way to expose him."
"What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the Executor" Kaidan asked helpfully.
"That's right!" Ashley exclaimed. "He was asking for more time to finish his investigation. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren." Shepard thought for a moment.
"Any idea where we can find him? We need to know if he found out anything," Shepard asked.
"I have a contact in C-Sec who might help us. His name is Harkin," Udina was going to say something else but Anderson cut in.
"Forget it! They suspended Harkin last month, drinking on the job," Anderson said, disgusted. "I won't waste my time with that loser."
"You won't have to!" Udina told him. "I don't want the Council to use your past history with Saren to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle it." Shepard furrowed his brow.
"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation," Shepard said. "He has every right to be here as I do."
"No, Shepard," Anderson sighed. "The ambassador's right. I need to step aside." Shepard could see the pain in his eyes. Shepard nodded.
"I need to take care of some business," Udina rubbed his forehead. "Captain, meet me in my office later." He turned and walked away towards the elevator.
"Ass," Shepard muttered, throwing his cigarette down on the ground, and stepping on it.
"He may be an ass, but he's right," Anderson said. "You can probably find Harkin getting drunk in Chora's Den. It'd be worth talking to him, just don't believe everything you hear." Shepard smiled.
"Chora's Den," Shepard grinned jokingly. "It's been awhile since I've been there. I wonder if Jenna is still working there?"
"Remember, Shepard," Anderson warned him. "Your there on official business. Don't get sidetracked."
"Yeah, yeah, sir, I hear ya," Shepard rubbed the back of his head, cracking his neck. "Don't mix business with pleasure. I got you. Don't worry about it. We're all carrying a weapon so we should be fine. We'll get back to you if anything comes up." He turned and began to walk away. Ashley and Kaidan saluted sharply before following Shepard.
"Shepard!" Anderson called after him. "You going to be okay?"
Shepard turned around and smiled.
"What you don't trust me?" Shepard asked.
"Not in the slightest," Anderson replied. Shepard smiled, gave a small salute with two fingers, and set off. Anderson crossed his arms and watched them enter the elevator. He sighed. All he could do now was wait.
So, we met Garrus. Nice. It's all coming together. When the salarian councilor asked Shepard if he had anything more to say, I was tempted to have him say "Fuck you," but decided against it. It would have been funny as hell, but I don't think they would let him into the Spectre's after that. I guess I played it safe.
My email address is currently dead so if you send me any messages, I won't get them. On the bright side, I switched from Cox to Verizon Fios so it's all good! And no, I won't give you my name so you'll find me on Facebook. I don't want people I don't know friending me. I know most of you might respect my privacy and don't mean to group you with them, but that's the way it is. Unless I wrote my name somewhere I wasn't aware of, then whatever.
No, I don't condone smoking. If you do already, you know it all, I won't preach to you.
Garrus calls Saren a 'bareface.' In Turian history, this refers back during the Unification War. During the war, different factions and clans were fighting against each other. They would denote which clan they belonged to by facial markings, which you should find on all turians. A bareface was someone who didn't have any facial markings. This usually meant that any clan shouldn't trust the turian. Saren doesn't have any facial markings, the only turian we've seen so far to not have any. Just FYI.
So I finished Spore in about 3 hours. Could play the Space Stage but that would take 3 generations, I think. Can't wait for StarCraft II.
