Chapter 9: Dangerous

The Mindoir outpost, if it could truly be called such a thing, occupied a warehouse owned by a shell corporation and run by mercenaries. Cerberus used the shipping company to keep its interests on the planet funded and equipped, and the foreman's office provided a control room from which undercover agents could manage operations. The office was tiny, barely large enough for a quantum entanglement communicator, computer terminal, a wall safe, and a small arms locker. But that was all right. It was positively luxurious compared to some other assignments this particular operative had worked in the past. Even as the aftermath of the war still wracked the galaxy, Cerberus spared no expense.

As the operative stepped onto the QEC's transmission pad, however, her mind dwelt not on the resources at her disposal, but on the dressing-down she was about to receive.

A holographic image of her superior, a man she knew only as the Director, materialized before her. The operative marveled again at how such an unassuming-looking man—short, surprisingly young, and clad in a scientists' uniform—could radiate the kind of arrogance he did. Of course, he had the power to back it up. "Report," he ordered.

The operative's jaw clenched. This would not be taken well. "The bomb detonated as planned," she said, "but there was… interference. Shepard lives."

"I see." The Director frowned, folding his arms and rocking back on his heels. "What kind of interference?"

"Some off-duty cop stuck his nose where it didn't belong," she sneered. "He found the drone the bomb was hidden in and tried to hack into it. I was able to counter some of his attacks, but whatever he did, it dampened the explosion."

"Incompetence. I expected better from you."

Though she seethed inwardly at the rebuke, the operative returned his glare levelly. "My intel was incomplete. Some improvisation was required." She shrugged. "The important part is that the bomb went off. When its origins are discovered, the effect may well be the same."

"I will decide what is important," the Director snarled. "Your orders stand: you will kill Admiral Shepard, and you will implicate the hanar in her death. How you accomplish that from here on out is up to you." He smiled cruelly. "Further 'improvisation' may be required."

Kolyat stood at a stiff parade rest in front of Captain McGann's desk, staring resolutely at the wall and praying she would read his obvious anxiety as concern for Shepard rather than the lie he was about to tell. "I picked up a strange reading. It was faint and I couldn't tell what it was, so I tried to trace it," he began, keeping to as much truth as possible. "It wasn't until I pinned it down to the camera drones that I realized what it was. By then, it was too late. I tried to hack its computer, but its code had been rewritten. I couldn't stop it."

"And why, exactly," McGann demanded coldly, "were you scanning anything to begin with? You didn't trust your colleagues with Admiral Shepard's safety?"

The thought of lying to her was absolutely terrifying, but he couldn't hesitate. He bowed his head and did his best to look sheepish. "Well, no—I mean, that's not—I just… I thought an extra hand couldn't hurt, and I…" he trailed off, not daring to look up to see if she'd bought it.

McGann was silent for a heart-stoppingly long moment. Certain she was analyzing his every movement and inflection for signs of deception, Kolyat struggled to maintain an outward semblance of innocent embarrassment. Finally, just before he risked a peek at her face, she sighed. "Well, I can only thank God you did. You probably saved Shepard's life."

Kolyat sagged with relief.

"I know you're eager to prove yourself," McGann continued. "You did good today, Krios."

A sour taste flooded his mouth, and Kolyat had to fight back a grimace. McGann was stingy with praise. At any other time, those words would have filled him with pride.

Ever since his first day at the academy, he'd been the outsider. The alien. Playing cultural catch-up just so he could talk to his fellow trainees. And then after graduating, he'd become the rookie, the kid, the "FNG."

Shepard frowns. She tries to hide it, but I can see the pity in her eyes. "Kolyat… I don't know how to tell you this. It… it doesn't mean 'Friendly' New Guy."

His "colleagues" had let him introduce himself that way for weeks.

He didn't fit in here yet, not really. So no matter how well he did his job, he often felt like the department's resident screw-up. His mistakes seemed magnified, his achievements diminished. Maybe it was all in his own mind, and maybe it wasn't, but he never felt like anything he did was good enough. So to hear even mild praise directly from the captain should have been a moment of triumph.

But he hadn't earned it. He'd gotten to this point by going behind McGann's back, circumventing procedure, working with an assassin in the employ of a foreign government, and lying to her face. If she ever found out about any of this, she'd strip him of his badge on the spot.

He forced a smile, pushing back the shame so he could fake some pride. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, wincing a little at the roughness of his voice. He cleared his throat. "What happens now?"

McGann arched an eyebrow. "Now we track down the terrorist who planted that bomb. I'll need all the data you gathered on it before it went off."

"Right. Of course." Kolyat opened his omni-tool and transferred the data, his mind racing. If this information implicated the Illuminated Primacy in the bombing, it could spark the very war Spathi had feared. He had to find some way to control it, to keep it from being released to the public before the entire truth had been uncovered.

There was one way. "Captain," he said with as much confidence as he could muster, "I'd like to lead the investigation."

McGann's other eyebrow joined the first in reaching for her hairline. "Oh, you would, now?" she asked dryly. "And why is that?"

"Because…" Kolyat drew a deep breath. This was a risky move, but there were procedures in place that he trusted she would follow. "Because I recognized something in the readings. I think the bomb was hanar in design." It was a gamble. If she let him take charge of the case, he could control the information about it until he'd gathered enough evidence to exonerate the Primacy. But if she didn't, it would be out of his hands.

"Hanar?" McGann frowned as she opened her computer and skimmed over the data he'd sent. "Krios, are you sure?"

"Not a hundred percent," Kolyat hedged, "but nearly." Hopefully, that uncertainty would be enough to keep her from releasing anything too soon.

"Hmm." McGann sat back, gazing at him thoughtfully. "Okay, let's hash this out. You grew up on Kahje. Why would the hanar want to assassinate Admiral Shepard?"

Kolyat shrugged. "I don't know. Shepard saved Kahje during the Reaper War, when a saboteur tried to take down their planetary defenses. The Illuminated Primacy was so grateful, they committed most of their navy to the final battle."

"A navy that's been stuck in Alliance space for two years now." McGann leaned forward, pulled her computer toward her, and started typing. "Thanks for the intel, Krios. You're dismissed."

Kolyat blinked in confusion. "So… does this mean I'm in charge of the investigation?"

"What? Oh." McGann looked up from her work and shook her head. "No. I want Lieutenant Picoult on this."

Clenching his fists behind his back, Kolyat drew a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. This was a disaster! He had to find some way to make her change her mind. "With all due respect, Captain—"

McGann cut him off with a raised hand and a pained expression. "I hate that phrase. With all due respect. It invariably precedes something disrespectful."

"But I—"

"I know what you're going to ask. Why not you?" She narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to be very honest with you, Corporal Krios. I don't trust you yet."

"…and there it is." Kolyat gritted his teeth. Might as well say it. "It's because I'm not human, isn't it?"

The words seemed to drop onto the desk between them, clanking and heavy.

McGann suddenly went very still, sitting ramrod straight in her chair, cold steel in her eyes. "Let me tell you something, Corporal Krios," she bit out icily. "I know how much shit you have to put up with, living here. And I know that you're under a considerable amount of strain right now, and your emotions are running very high. Therefore, I will let that accusation fly exactly once. Do you understand?"

Kolyat straightened, schooling his expression to a careful blank. "Yes, ma'am."

"I don't trust you because you haven't earned it yet. You have the makings of a good cop, Krios, but you still have a lot to learn. You're raw. Besides," she added, "you're much too close to this one."

No. No, no, no, she was using the exact reason he needed to do this to keep him out! "But, Captain—"

"I said no." The set of her jaw brooked no argument, even as the tone of her voice softened. "Look, I know how close you and Admiral Shepard are. She's practically family to you; she's your—what is it you call her?"

Kolyat sighed, defeated. "Vo'triha," he mumbled."It means… well… literally, it's something like 'guardian angel,' but not in the sense you humans use it. It's more like… not quite 'stepmother,' but more than 'mentor'? I… it doesn't really translate."

"Godmother," McGann said with a decisive nod. "She's your godmother."

"Uh…" Kolyat shrugged. "Sure. I guess?" The word didn't translate any better for him than his language did for her, but she seemed to have made a connection. And he didn't feel like discussing it any more.

McGann gave him a kind smile. "Look, why don't you take a leave of absence, Kolyat? As much time as you need. Take care of her." She waved him away when he hesitated. "Go. I'll take care of the paperwork."

"But…" It was no use protesting. He'd have to find some other way to track down the bomber. Of course, how he'd do that without the police department's resources, he had not the faintest idea. But what choice did he have? "Fine, okay." He turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing, Corporal Krios."

The sudden air of command in her voice brought him up short.

"Officially, you are not to involve yourself in this case," she said firmly. "But I know you, and I have no illusions about how you'll be spending your time. If you should happen to come across any information that might help… you'll let me know." It wasn't a question.

Kolyat's lips twitched in a faint smile. "Yes, ma'am."