Changing Fate
Chapter Ten: Prisoners of Destiny
I don't own Bioware
ALLIANCE EMBASSY
PRESIDIUM, CITADEL
TWO DAYS AFTER THE DEFEAT OF SOVEREIGN
The krogan statue had been knocked down.
The bridge over the lake had been broken in half.
Crashed aircars, remnants of Alliance cruisers, and bodies. Bodies were everywhere. Human, salarian, asari, and any other species you cared to name. They had found Captain Lipson, slumped over the weapons console of the Tokyo. Several turian C-Sec officers had formed an honour guard to remove him from the wreckage of his cruiser.
An asari screaming as the searchers finally located her daughter's body. A turian squinting with pain as a human slathered medi-gel over his mangled legs. Sirens wailed as emergency services struggled to put out the fires. Someone swore they had seen Admiral Hackett leading a search party into the unstable ruins of Flux. Whether it was rescuing trapped civilians or guarding against looters, no one was idle.
Except for Shepard.
"Details are still sketchy, but it is believed that Commander Shepard was able to defeat rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and unseal the Citadel Relay, allowing Fifth Fleet under Admiral Hackett to come to the rescue of the Destiny Ascension and the Council," an asari news reader's voice crackled across the makeshift radio link. "We here at Citadel News would like to take a moment to thank the Alliance crewmen that did not survive the fighting. Crews of the Warsaw, Tokyo..."
Reaching forward, Antony flicked the comms unit off. He didn't need to hear the names of the cruisers that Sovereign had blown to pieces. They were already engraved into his mind. They would be there forever. He sculled the rest of his glass, feeling the alcohol burn his throat on the way down. Ambassador Udina certainly had good taste in vodka. Certainly no one would begrudge him a quick drink. Would they? He had saved the Council, defeated Saren in close quarters combat, and spent the past two days pulling bodies, both live and dead, from the ruins. He just wanted five minutes, that was all. Five minutes to reflect, to take it all in.
"Enjoying a victory drink sir?" Kaidan stumbled in the embassy door. Apparently he had had the same idea as Shepard. From seven metres away, Shepard could smell the cheap whiskey on his friend's breath.
"You're not supposed to drink, remember?" Shepard wearily indicated the seat next to him. "Sparks off your migraines? Makes your biotics unstable? That's what Doctor Chakwas..."
"To hell with Doctor Chakwas," Kaidan was over-pronouncing his words, making sure that nothing he was saying could be missed. "To hell with migraines, biotics and L2's. And to hell with you."
Shepard cocked an eyebrow. Three things were certain in life. Death, taxes and Kaidan Alenko being friendly when he was drunk. The last one had just been disproven. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Oh no sir, absolutely not sir," Kaidan raised his voice pitch, mimicking Ensign Karta, the rookie LADAR operator on the Normandy. "As a matter of fact sir, I think you did everything just perfect. You defeated the forces of evil, restored justice to the galaxy and got to bang the blue alien princess. Hell, just add a sixty piece orchestra playing sweeping music and you've got a fucking blockbuster movie sir. 'The Epic Adventure of the Bold Commander Shepard.'"
"Sounds good," Shepard decided to humour him. "But what about Commander Shepard's sidekick? The Tenacious Kaidan Alenko?"
Kaidan dismissively waved his hand. "I was just getting to him. Lieutenant Alenko, the dependable officer who spent his whole career cleaning up after our hero. The 'stable biotic who had his shit squared away', that's what they'll say. His 'natural inclination to err on the side of caution counterbalanced perfectly with Shepard's hot-headedness.' Ripped straight off Anderson's transfer request for me."
"I think the critics might find that interpretation a bit bland," Antony could hear the sound of an inevitable train wreck pounding in his head. "They'd need to really capture who Kaidan Alenko was. What he did. The lives he saved."
"Maybe I'll even get my own spin-off extranet-series," Kaidan mused. "The Adventures of a Good Kid: The story of Shepard's best buddy, who planned the Commander's strategy, filled out the Commander's paperwork, and covered up the Commander's war crimes. There'll be a special sub-plot throughout the first season. The Lieutenant loves the ship's Gunnery Chief, but once he realises the Commander also has his eye on her, he backs off. A nice boring solution to the problem. And then of course, the Chief dies heroically, depriving both men of her. But Commander Shepard doesn't stay lonely for long. No, he goes and fucks the sweet young thing that hero worships him."
"You were in love with Ashley?" Shepard's heart sunk to his boots. Now it made sense. Kaidan laughing while he suggested Shepard focus his affections on Liara. The all too frequent trips the biotic had made down to Deck Three. "You never told her?"
"Tell her what? That both her superior officers are after her? I'm sure that would have really made her feel like an appreciated member of the crew." Kaidan's sarcasm made Antony flinch. "To know that we're staring at her ass whenever we're in the field would have been such a great confidence builder. So I decided to back off. Be the gentleman everyone always expects me to be. Of course, I didn't know you were going to kill her."
"Lieutenant..."
"That woman was better than you," Kaidan lurched over Shepard. "She was honest, and idealistic. She didn't sign up for the free college education or to set up a career in politics. She was a patriot. And you left her to die. Not only that, you went and spat on her grave."
"I don't have to listen to this," Shepard tried to stand up. Kaidan shoved him back into the seat.
"Tell me, did you go screw Liara in Med-Bay right after you left Ashley and Kirrahe's team to die, or did you wait a whole twenty four hours out of respect for the dead?"
"Stand down Lieutenant," Shepard pushed his way back up. He and Kaidan were eye to eye. "Or I'll have you tossed in the brig."
"You know what? I'm done taking orders from you." Kaidan's eyes were blazing with white hot fury. "I'm done with being your 'conscience'. I'm not playing second fiddle anymore sir."
"I think if Anderson thought you were ready for your own team, he would have given it to you before now," Shepard sneered. Kaidan straightened up.
"Oh he's offered me Sabre Unit with Team Eight several times now." He snapped back. "Promotion to Lieutenant Commander, taking over your old job when you got selected for Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. I turned him down. I thought that sticking with you would be more meaningful."
"Well then why don't you take Sabre Unit and stick it up your ass?" Antony queried with exaggerated politeness. "That way you'll learn that all your idealism and principles don't count for shit without force and strength. And once you get your whole team killed, you can run back to your mother and get a nice big hug for doing your very best."
"I'll do that," Kaidan's muscles tensed. "But not before I do something I've wanted to do for a very long time."
"And what would that be?"
Kaidan punched him in the face.
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CERBERUS TRANSPORT SLOOP
ACHILLES' FURY
HOURGLASS NEBULAE
2185
Shepard snapped upward, grabbing Jack in a headlock. "What the hell are you doing?" He hissed furiously. He saw something in her hand. "What is that?"
"Dermal regenerator," Jack pried his arm out from around her throat. "I was trying to see if I could fix up your scars."
Antony was excruciatingly aware of his newfound weakness. Cerberus had crammed a lot of cybernetics into his body, but his 'enhanced' muscles had yet to fully develop. He had to take care of that, and soon. "Can you?"
"I'm afraid not," Jack frowned. "If I had four kilograms of synthetic skin and a vat of medi-gel I could fix you up like new, but it wouldn't last. Your scars need to heal naturally."
She didn't apologise for his face like she had for his dormant biotics. He couldn't actually blame her for the scars. Alive, kicking and ugly was a heck of a lot better than dead and handsome.
"How do I convince my body to obey me Master?" Shepard raised his voice pitch to imitate a frightened minion from a kid's cartoon. The weak joke earned him a withering look.
"Avoiding stressful situations, yoga, meditation. Maybe even singing 'Kumbya'," Jack tossed him the regenerator. "Endorphins released by mildly strenuous exercise would probably help. So would sexual release."
"You offering?" Antony paused for a second, not bothering to conceal his 'ogling'. Damn, but she had a body. That jumpsuit was tight in all the right places, and the way her hair framed her face.
Jack's smile took on a decidedly icy property. "I'm afraid you're not my type Commander."
"Oh come on," Shepard swaggered closer. "Good for me: I get my face back and test if my equipment is still in working order. Good for you: Maybe you'd stop being such an uptight bitch if you got laid. Massani mentioned it's been a while for you."
Jack unconsciously backed away. Not because she was intimidated by him, she just didn't want to bump her elbow on the bunk bed when she swung to break his jaw. "Suitable partners are hard to find."
"What about that 'Taylor' guy?" Shepard's smile was playful. He knew there was no way in hell he was getting lucky any time soon. But the desire to see just how far he could push his luck was too strong. "What did he have that I don't?"
"Where do I begin?" Jack looked around the room. "He was thoughtful, considerate, courteous, respectful, sensitive, and didn't mind hiding in the closet whenever The Illusive Man made a surprise inspection. A gentleman of the old school."
"Well, I may not have any of those qualities," Antony extended a hand toward her midsection. "But since when did feelings get in the way of a really good..."
"Shepard," Her hand held his in a vicelike grip. "One thing that I take seriously in my life is problems. I like dealing with these problems calmly, efficiently, and with a minimum of fuss. But right now, there are two very small problems that are about to be dealt with via a biotic warp."
"Maybe it'd be worth the risk?"
Jack smirked. "Beyond your wildest fantasies Commander, but not today. Your armour's in the locker. You want a shotgun or a rifle for this little expedition?"
"I thought this was just a pickup?" Shepard addressed his question to her back.
"Oh Commander," Jack looked over her shoulder, a mocking pout decorating her face. "I just know you're not that naive."
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CRYO UNIT 12
MAXIMUM SECURITY WING
PRISON SHIP PURGATORY
"Niket!" She stares up at the sandy haired young man, widening her eyes. "I want to go riding!"
His smile is infuriating. He knows her too well to be talked out of this. "Not a chance Miri. You've got two dozen French verbs to go, plus your algebra problems. After you've done that, then we can hit the stables."
"Can we go swimming down at the river?" Her tone is pleading.
"Have you been practicing in the pool?"
"Of course I have!" He should have known that. She was always practicing.
"That's my girl." A hot flush of pride streaks through her. She couldn't care less about Father's approval. But when Niket praises her...it's the best feeling in the world.
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"We're bringing her out by just a few notches," the tech explained to Warden Kuril. "She's been in there for over a year now. I wanted to make sure her higher brain functions are still working. Neural degradation is rare in cryogenic suspension, but it can happen."
"Well?" Kuril paced the control unit impatiently. "Is she alright?"
"She's dreaming at the moment," the tech nodded. "Everything looks healthy. I'd like to keep her like this for a few hours, just to give her brain a chance to exercise. Have you read my recommendation that we extract her for a few hours to remove her amp?"
"It'd cost me five thousand credits to pay for a surgeon to come out here and take out her L4." Kuril snorted. "There's no room in the budget for it."
"We've received numerous offers for her," Lieutenant Joshua Peck entered the compartment. "Cerberus would have payed millions to get their hands on 'The Ghost'."
"The Ghost is my retirement package Mr. Peck. Always has been," Kuril retorted, then halted. "Although if this deal with Shepard goes through, I might not need Ghost to buy that beach house on Bekenstein. I might even take her with me."
"Asari mind-meld therapy sir?" Peck thought about his perfectly executed capture of Ghost on Serrice. Ghost was quite possibly the most attractive prisoner he had ever taken. That face, the body...all of it perfect. "Didn't pick you for a human fetishist."
"That pretty little bank robber over in Minimum Security Wing changed my mind," Kuril joined his subordinate in a laugh. There were a lot of perks to this job. Who said being the jailer had to be a boring job? "You'd better get to the docking area. That Cerberus vessel will be arriving soon. Make sure they surrender their weapons. This doesn't need to be difficult."
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The Achilles' Fury didn't have much of an armoury. A rack of assault rifles, a crate of pistols, a few shotguns and some storage containers filled with thermal clips. Shepard couldn't complain about the quality of the equipment though. An M-8 Avenger seemed to be the best choice. It's range was pathetic compared to his old HMWA SPECTRE, but it still preferable to a shotgun. Without his biotics, he wouldn't be able to pull his targets closer. He'd have to completely alter his fighting style.
Blue Suns were known for being quite technical in their fighting...at least that had been the case two years ago. Advanced shield generators, heavy mechs, and upmarket weapons and armour. Disruptor ammo seemed the best choice. A disruptor round would go straight through a shield and rip apart the person behind it. Not very effective against a biotic barrier, but the Suns didn't have many of those.
An M-3 Predator, two bandoliers of thermal clips, and three rounds for the concussion grenade launcher. Antony decided to leave the Cerberus M-100 behind. It would just be an unneeded burden in a close quarters fight.
Zaeed, Jacqueline and a pair of Cerberus commanodes were also choosing their weapons. The Operative loaded a Katana and clipped it across her back, then slipped an M-4 Shruiken into her hip holster. Her whole demeanour had changed. Any mock flirtation or false humour had gone out of her face. Only the slight shaking of her hands betrayed any pre-mission jitters.
On the other hand, Massani just looked bored. He was lovingly cleaning an old rifle, wiping down the iron sights of his weapon.
"Nice weapon," Shepard gestured toward the rifle. Zaeed grunted.
"Don't kid yourself mate, she's a museum piece. M-96 Mattock, one of the last ones I reckon. Managed to find some spare parts back in '81. She's slow loading, slow firing and kicks back like a cantankerous varren bitch."
"Why do you keep her?"
"Because," Zaeed grinned from ear to ear. "She'll chew threw a krogan's armour and kill that fucker in ten shots. I call her Samantha."
"Got any more like her?" Antony gazed at his own rifle with distaste.
"Got one of the early model Avengers," Zaeed looked sorrowful. "But Jessie packed up on me years ago. I never loved a woman like I loved that shitty old rifle."
"And that should tell you all you need to know about his sex life," Jack strapped a six slot bandolier to her right forearm. It would allow her to easily retrieve and load extra thermal clips once her two weapons exhausted their internal supply. "Shall we go?"
Corporal Nino and Private Jun both nodded, readying their own rifles. Shepard held up his hand.
"The Illusive Man put me in charge of this mission, Miss Harper. Until you and I part ways on the Citadel, you're under my command."
"My mistake," Jack coolly backed off. "By all means, lead the way."
Antony felt slightly foolish as he walked past her. He had expected the need to assert his dominance, but it seemed that in things not relating to Cerberus, she wasn't particularly touchy. That...or her father had passed on his warning.
Maybe Jack was just being paranoid. Maybe this would just be a simple pick-up after all.
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PRISON SHIP PURGATORY
DOCKING AREA
FIVE MINUTES LATER
"I'll relinquish one bullet," Shepard informed the human he had pinned against the wall. His pistol was pressed right up against the skull of the Blue Suns officer. "Where do you want it?"
Peck swallowed his humiliation. He was bigger and stronger than this pale bastard. He'd snap him in half in a fair fight. But now the skinny finger on the trigger belonged to Shepard, not Peck. "You kill me, you don't get your prisoner."
"Wanna bet?" Shepard tightened his grip. "For what I'm paying, the Suns could hire a dozen new muscle heads like you."
"Everyone stand down!" A guttural roar echoed through the docking bay. A brown plated turian appeared behind the guards. "Shepard, I am Warden Kuril. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I have a standard policy. No weapons on unauthorised personnel. If the prisoners got so much as a handgun they could start a riot."
"Five people?" Shepard gestured to his makeshift team. "I don't have much hope for a station like this if you can't handle a team as small as mine. We've paid for our prisoner, we don't need to start a riot to break him out."
"Sir..." Peck tried to speak again. Shepard changed the location of his pistol from Peck's temple to his throat.
"Quiet pretty boy," Shepard patted him on the cheek. "The adults are talking."
"Let them pass," Shepard's remark had stung Kuril's pride. "We're more than prepared to handle a few armed guests. If you would follow me Commander?"
"Certainly," Shepard holstered his pistol. "See you around round, pretty boy."
Peck glared at Shepard as he strutted after Kuril. 'Just you wait. In ten minutes, you'll be in a cell and I'll be testing out that fancy armour of yours.'
Something on Peck's face made Zaeed uneasy. He turned to the two Cerberus riflemen. "Jun, stay here. Keep an eye on those guys."
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"Impressed Commander?" Kuril noted Shepard's amazement at the giant prison blocks. "We house some of the worst scum in the galaxy here. Everything from mass murderers to white collar criminals. Their sentences range from a few years to life imprisonment."
"Why white collar criminals?" Corporal Nino asked from the rear of the group. "They don't seem like the kind of people to be stored in places like this."
"Rehabilitation," Kuril gave the turian equivalent of snicker. "Some of them, particularly the volus, are still incredibly valuable to their companies. But since Matriarch Varisian doesn't want her eighth niece running off with two million credits worth of embezzled funds again, she pays for her six month stay in my capable hands. I believe humans call it 'Scaring them straight'."
"Blimey," Zaeed looked fascinated. "Maybe it'd stop half the bloody insider trading going on in Nos Astra if they thought they'd wind up here."
"SHEPARD!" An angry yell came from down the hall. A thin salarian in an orange jumpsuit was being pushed along by a pair of turians. "I remember you! You're the reason I'm stuck in this hellhole!"
For a second, Antony looked confused. Then a look of absolute delight spread over his face. "Administrator Anoleias?"
"Oh you remember me?" Anoleias looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "How nice. I hope you're happy. I'm penniless, jobless, surrounded by criminals and this damn jumpsuit chafes."
Shepard raised his hands. "I have no time for space born vagabonds," he quoted. "Did you expect me to do a favour to the guy who insulted me?"
"I'll be out of here in three years Shepard," Anoleias yelled as his guards forced him into a cell. "And when I do, I'll put a bounty on your head so big that every hired gun in the Terminus will be after you."
"Good luck with that," Antony casually flipped up his middle finger as he moved away from the ex-Administrator's cell. "I'll give your regards to Gianna Parsini next time I see her."
"I could give him a krogan cellmate if you like," Kuril suggested. "Consider it a professional courtesy. Anyway you'll find the Ghost just down the hall in Out processing. I recommend you keep the Ghost in a warm environment for the next few days. Coming out of cryo is not a pleasant experience for anyone."
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CELL 78
It wasn't fair. He shouldn't be in here. He had offered to serve with the Alliance instead of going to jail. His knowledge of explosives would have been invaluable to humanity. It wasn't as if he had harmed any humans. The colony he had hit had only been turians. Humanity was supposed to fight turians, make them pay for what they did on Shanxi. At least...that's what Grandad had said. Grandad had lost his legs at Shanxi. The turians had killed his whole squad in cold blood. They had to pay for that.
There were voices along the corridor. Human voices, not turians. Maybe they were here to get him out?
"Hey, hey you over there!" Miles yelled as he jumped off the bench and ran to the door of his cell. "Who are you?"
Shepard glanced at the human. "None of your business."
"Well, you're not prisoners, and you're not Blue Suns...you're customers." Miles felt a ray of hope. "Look, I'm Miles. Miles Stavendish. If you're buying prisoners, could you buy me too? I'm real good with explosives and stuff."
"We're wasting time Shepard," Jack tapped her foot impatiently. "We're not here for him."
"Hold on," Antony turned his full attention to the other man. "What are you in here for?"
"I killed a whole bunch of turians," Miles announced proudly. "Got about forty of them in the one blast. Real tricky stuff, did it with only some industrial grade explosives. I've got magic fingers man."
"Military base?"
"Nah, civilian colony. I wanted to hurt them the way they hurt our colonists on Shanxi."
Shepard's facial expression turned from interest to disgust. "Not interested. I've got enough terrorists to deal with as it is."
"Hold on, you were interested a second ago," Miles protested.
"I've had to kill turian soldiers in my time. It wasn't always legal, but it was for a purpose. Attacking civilians is barbarism." Jack sighed as Shepard gave one of his lectures. "I'm here to get The Ghost, not you."
"The Ghost?" Miles suddenly backed off. "Forget I ever mentioned it. Wherever the Ghost goes, trouble follows. I haven't met him, but I heard he busted out of here five times. Killed about thirty guards the last time. Biotics, improvised weapons, hand to hand, the guards got massacred. Kuril locked him in cryo this time, I doubt he's ever gonna let The Ghost go."
"He is now," Shepard turned away. "See you around Miles. Or not."
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"Jun, right?" Peck approached the young Cerberus Private. "Sorry if things got a little heated before. I really do respect Cerberus. You guys have humanity's best interests at heart."
"That's all cool man," the commando relaxed. "Orders are orders right?"
"Right," Peck agreed. "Say, your ship looks pretty advanced. Any chance of a tour?"
"I'm not sure if Operative Harper would approve," Jun looked back toward the airlock, unsure of how to proceed.
"That's okay," he heard Peck say. "I'm not really interested in a tour anyway."
Turning back, Jun found himself looking down the barrel of a pistol.
Peck only needed one bullet. It went straight through Jun's throat. The commando dropped his rifle, hands flying to his throat, trying to stem the bleeding. Peck caught him as he fell, gently lowering him to the ground.
"Shh, it's okay," Peck patted his shoulder sympathetically. "It'll all be over soon. I've seen these kinds of wounds before. You have about eight seconds."
Jun stared up at him in horror. He tried to move his lips, tried to beg for medi-gel, for bandages, for anything. But he couldn't.
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OUTPROCESSING
"Commander Shepard? Lieutenant Kiris sir," the turian indicated a door at the end of the room. "The Ghost is waiting in there for you."
"Thanks," Shepard was within three feet of the door when it opened. It was one of the interchangeable cells...and it was empty. He could almost hear a voice screaming 'IT'S A TRAP!'. "Actually...no thanks."
=I'm sorry Shepard= Kuril's voice rang over the loudspeakers. =But you're more valuable to me as a prisoner than a customer. Surrender your weapons and I promise I'll let your team go=
Antony balled and released his fists, inhaled and exhaled several times and tried to picture a gently flowing river in his mind. "Kuril. I'm going to count to ten. Now, if you have the Ghost ready to go by then, I might reconsider ripping your mandibles off and feeding them to you."
=Don't make this harder than it has to be Shepard= Kuril warned. =Besides, if you're lucky, Cerberus will pay your bail=
"Your time's up Kuril."
=So is yours. Kiris?=
The other turian drew his shotgun and pumped a round into Corporal Nino at close range. The Cerberus trooper's shields weren't even raised. He collapsed to the deck in the welter of his gore. Before Kiris could switch targets, Jack encased him in a biotic field and squeezed. The modified barrier instantly compacted him into half of his previous size. A crunch of bones and a squeal signified his end.
"Make your peace with the Spirits," Shepard called, deliberately unclasping his rifle. "You'll be meeting them in about ten minutes."
=SHEPARD IS LOOSE, ACTIVATE SECURITY=
Antony yanked back the charging handle. The rifle gave an eager whine as it loaded a thermal clip. The sound of booted feet pounding against metal grating signified the arrival of Blue Suns reinforcements.
"I'll focus on shielded targets. Harper, focus on unshielded. Zaeed, take out any mechs you see. We'll go straight to cryo."
"Affirmative," Jack felt a twinge of satisfaction. He didn't trust her or Zaeed, but he slipped into his role as a commander without even thinking about it. "Engaging."
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A/N: When I first stepped onto Purgatory, I was half hoping you'd get to see some of the potential 'prisoners' you took in ME1, such as Anoleias, the Cerberus doctor (if you saved him from Toombs), and a few others. I felt Bioware missed a good opportunity to add some comic relief, (seeing Anoleias in prison would have Made My Day).