Chapter 7: Bring It Down
The last of the Batarian forces fell as Shepard, Tali and Ash made their way to the back of the plaza. The plasma torches were put out removing the immediate threat of Terra Nova's destruction. Along the way to this center hub Shepard's group ran into Balak's second-in-command. He was subdued and left in the facility. Saying, "this was just supposed to be another slave grab," did not gain sympathy with Shepard.
The three soldiers stood at the base of the stairs in the back of the room. At the top were several Batarians with Varren warhounds. The Batarian in the middle had a green face with yellow stripes on the side of his head. He wore medium-class red armor.
"You humans," he said with disgust. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth."
"Let the hostages go, Balak," Shepard demanded. "It's over."
"This isn't over!" Balak bellowed. "I'm leaving this asteroid. If you stop me I'll set off these charges and your helper and her friends will die."
Shepard glanced over to the hostages as he spoke and saw them frantically trying to find a way to deactivate the bomb.
"You can't just leave, Balak," Shepard said. "Not after what you've done here."
"This is nothing!" he shot back. "You Humans have done far worse to the Batarians! We-"
"Oh and please tell me which planets Humans have done rock drops on?" Shepard roared. "How many millions have Humans killed? Don't you dare try to compare this to anything the Alliance has done!"
"Damn right," Ash said approvingly. "Don't you dare say Humanity has stooped this low asshole."
"We were forced into exile!" Balak countered. "Forced to survive on what we can scourge up. It's been like this for decades!"
"You stupid bastard, your people's government voluntarily withdrew their embassy from the Citadel and went into exile themselves because they couldn't have some planets that were legally granted to Humans. You weren't forced."
"Of course we were forced out! It's because of you! You and your kind are the reason why we are in this position."
"How does killing millions of innocents make up for that?"
"We had no other option! Sometimes you need to get someone's attention before they listen. That why we attack your Elysium, but you thwarted that attack. You came to Torfan and took another one of our worlds and dozens of my people as prisoners! You, Commander Shepard, came to become the most hated individual in my people's history!"
"You attacked us! And when we fought back to ran to the Council. When they refused to help, you just ran. Fucking cowards. Unable to fight your own damn battles."
"Enough! You couldn't possibly understand. Actually you just don't want to understand, and I'm done wasting my breath. Now if you want your friends to live, I suggest you step aside."
Tali and Ash looked to Shepard waiting for his choice.
"Go," he said reluctantly. "But this isn't over. I'll find you soon, and that's a promise. And Balak, when I make a promise, I keep them."
"Maybe, but I made sure you won't find me today. Those charges are set on a timer. You should hurry to disarm them." Balak and his group exited the room as a dozen drones entered the area along with a dozen Batarians.
"Ash, Tali cover me!" Shepard said as he went behind cover. Tali and Ash went down next to him and provided covering fire. Shepard activated his omni-tool trying to get a comm. link up.
"That was the right thing to do Shepard," Tali reassured him.
"I'm not sure," Ash said. "I mean Balak could do this to someone else."
"Joker, here, Commander."
"Joker, a vessel is going to be leaving this asteroid soon. Engage heat sinks and pursue it. When I give the order, fire a torpedo at these coordinates on the vessel. Batarian vessels use fairly consistent ship design."
"Aye, aye, Commander." Shepard then turned to Ash and Tali.
"What was-" Ash tried to get out.
"No time!" Shepard yelled. "I want you two to disarm the bombs around the area, my omni-tool detects three of them around here. I'll hack the drones to give you back-up. I'll go after the bomb next to the hostages."
The two women nodded in acknowledgement. Shepard rapidly worked on his omni-tool to get into the facility's defense network which was originally hacked by the Batarians. John switched the drones to shoot at the Batarian terrorists and the Varren. This gave Ash and Tali breathing room to disarm the bombs.
Shepard took out Nemain as he approached the room the hostages were in. Blue and green energy surrounded the blade. He stabbed the blade in one side of the door and sliced the door downwards. John slashed the door three more times. He raised his arm and used his biotics to move the door out of the way. The hostages went up against the wall and let Shepard disarm the bomb.
The charge beeped a couple of times to signify its shut down. He gave a sigh of relief.
"Commander," Tali said over the radio.
"Yes, Tali?"
"The last of the bombs have been disabled."
Shepard jumped to his feet and connected to the Normandy. "Joker, do you read?"
"Yes, Commander. I have the Batarian ship in my sights."
"Take the shot."
"With pleasure."
"And be sure to recover the pods."
John slumped against the wall with a smile on his face. He slid down and sat on the ground. Kate, one of the hostages, crouched down in front of him with a smile on her face. "You did it. You saved Terra Nova and us. Thank you." She offered a hand to Shepard.
Shepard grabbed her hand and got up. "I'm just sorry I wasn't able to save that other person on the line." He was referencing the other person he overheard being executed.
"You did what you could. I never did get your name."
"Commander Shepard."
"Thank you, Shepard. From all of us."
"Kate?"
Kate looked over to the source of the voice to see Simon. "Simon, you're okay."
"Yeah. I'm glad to see you're alright."
"I should attend to the others," she said to him.
"Yeah..." Simon waited for Kate to leave before saying. "He left... Is that okay?"
"Oh, he didn't get away," Shepard assured him.
"Yeah, what was that with Joker?" Ashley asked.
"I gave Joker the coordinates to hit to disable the ship. By now the life support systems should be deactivating leaving Balak and his men with little choice but to use the life pods."
"What if he tries to commit suicide?" Tali asked.
"Balak is too much of a coward to take his own life to avoid interrogation and imprisonment."
VVVVVV
Shepard entered the ship's brig where Balak was kept. He sat on a bench in the back of the cell. "I told you I would find you soon," he said.
"Are you here to gloat?" he growled.
"No. I'm here to notify you that we're taking you down to Terra Nova where you will be turned over to Alliance authorities."
"My imprisonment doesn't change anything. The Batarians have stayed hidden long enough. There are thousands more like me out there, waiting their turn. Each one willing to die for our cause."
"And what cause is that? Taking any planet you choose? Enslaving thousands?"
"Slavery is a part of our culture."
"Your culture is wrong."
"How dare you! Racist bastard."
"That's ironic you call me a racist for calling a culture based on prejudging individuals based on appearances, castes and allowing slavery of others wrong," he quipped. Shepard stared at him at the area between his eyes. While many try to focus on one set of eyes or another, Shepard knew you look at the ridge in between. That is the center of their view-field. This made him a lot more intimidating when interrogating Batarian prisoners. "Freedom is the right of all sentient life. Eventually your race is going to face a crossroad. It will be either change and survive or stay the same and die out. Your race isn't going to end because of the Humans or any other species. It will end because life at its very essence is change. Resistance to change only leads to self-destruction. I don't want your race to die out but your culture will lead down that pathway. I'll leave you to that thought."
Balak tilted his head to the right and scoffed. "When vids of your colonies burning are played, you will know that the Batarian rebellion has begun."
"And my people will be ready," Shepard said before leaving the brig.
VVVVVV
"...And I just don't get the Hegemony," Shepard sighed.
John sat next to Aether in the Presidium. The Normandy was back at the Citadel for resupply and a brief break for the crew.
"Well, their culture has had slavery for over a thousand years," Aether pointed out.
"Even then, the Humans stopped officially supporting slavery several hundred years ago," Shepard argued. "At least among the major nations on Earth. But Batarians... It's not just a few nations, but their entire culture. How can they not see what is wrong with their caste system. With slavery."
"Change has to come from within a race. If they are unable to change then they will fade away like anything else that resists change, and the Batarians will have no one else to blame but themselves for it."
"I just don't want to watch another race die out, especially this way."
"Don't blame yourself, Commander. Especially over this." Aether patted him on the shoulder. "Just deal with one problem at a time. Or in this case two. Cerberus and Reapers. That's enough for you."
"Speaking of which... For the first time in years, we have a lead on Cerberus."
"Oh?" Aether turned towards Shepard in interest.
"An Admiral by the name of Kahoku had me check on his missing marines. They were killed by Thresher Maws. It was a trap for them. I was later contacted by him stating that Cerberus was responsible for it. He gave me the location to some of their bases. After my crew is done here, we're going to pay them a visit."
A grin came to Aether's face. "Then the time to seek justice is upon us. I wish you luck in the mission. May Cerberus forever wade in the void."
Shepard got to his feet. "We can only hope for so much."
"Before you go..." Aether reached into the pocket of his cloak. He pulled out an injector with a vial inserted into it. The fluid of the vial was a light green color. "I wanted you to know that it's complete."
Aether placed the injector into Shepard's hands. "This will work?"
"100%," Aether replied in confidence. "It will take a while to get enough to fulfill the quota, but the hardest part is over. I thought you would like one."
Shepard stared at him for a moment.
"For your Quarian friend of course. Tali'Zorah."
"And how do I approach that conversation? 'Hey, Tali, just so happens I have the remedy to your weak immune system. Where did I get it you ask? Why just from some friends.' She would not believe I just happen to have friends who are geniuses at biotechnology."
"You could just tell her the truth."
"I..." The thought has crossed his mind many times, but he kept it quiet. To tell her the truth of whom he really is.
"Look John as much as you try to deny it, I know you have found your Eli'Dimi. Why continue to hide your real feelings to her."
"She deserves better than me," Shepard replied in a somber tone.
"Better than you...?"
"My mind, body and soul have been scarred. Tali deserves to be happy with someone who doesn't have...baggage. I've been dishonest with her for the last 15 years. That alone makes me unsuitable for her."
"If she feels the same way about you as you do about her, and I do believe she does, then I think she would understand. The truth about your origin doesn't change who you are or were to her. Because John, you deserve to be happy too. Especially after everything you've been through. Just- think about telling her. About everything."
John looked at the injector again. "I'll think about it."
Aether pulled the hood of his cloak forward to ready for his disappearance.
"Oh, Aether."
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"Anytime," he said before vanishing.
