"I'm surprised they let you come with us, Tali," Etel said as they were all sitting in the Mako, helmets lying around the IFV that had been completely tracked with mud after they boarded it. Williams was driving, while the rest (save for Alenko, who had stayed to help with the wounded) were sitting inside. Sergeant Hawk and the other PDF soldiers had been relieved and Etel let them go do as they saw fit after the battle.
"The prototype was wrecked in the fight," Tali responded with a shrug. "I'm good, but there's not much that I could do and we need to wheel it back to the lab anyways. Besides, I think they figured out that you're here for me."
"Yes, about that…" Nihlus cut in. "You said you had data for us?"
"Oh, that," Tali nodded slowly as she turned to the turian and put her hand on her shoulder where the suit had been punctured during the fight. She had already sealed it, but Etel could tell that it hurt. "It's too sensitive to keep on an omni-tool and as I said I sent it to the Council already. Didn't you hear it?"
"It was corrupted, or jammed," Garrus said as he shook his head. "We only got a part of it."
"Not that it matters, we have evidence that makes it obsolete," the turian Spectre refused to talk about what he had seen, only that they needed to contact the Council.
"Speaking of Saren," Williams cut in, "you need to contact the Council, right? Tali, you know where the nearest comm station is?"
"City Hall, but that got busted in the attack and our comm buoy was taken out as well. Long range comms will be limited until that's back, and they might not be secure," the quarian machinist answered as she shook her head. "The data is back at the command center, though."
"Take us over," Nihlus said, "we need it."
Etel paused as she glanced out the front viewport. "Actually… Williams, stop by the city center. We need to finish something. Garrus, can you take Nihlus over to the command center? We'll be there shortly."
Nihlus turned to her quizzically. "Is there something there you need to do?"
"There is, unless it got taken care of already."
The turian paused before shrugging. "Very well. Williams, stick with Shepard."
"I will," the Alliance marine answered as she turned the Mako and parked it near the city center. It was quite different now that it was no longer a war zone. The Silken Blade had taken up most of the defense and allowed the PDF soldiers to focus on patching themselves up or recovering their fallen. The center of the city had been cleaned of Imperial casualties earlier, but wrecked geth units still littered the area as did the numerous destroyed vehicles that lined the streets.
As Etel, Williams, Jenkins, and Tali disembarked from the Mako they looked at the site that Jenkins had called out when they were fighting there and she lead them to the center of the park. The three humans had their helmets in their hands but none of them wanted to put them back on.
"So what happened here?" Jenkins asked as he nodded towards the man that had been hanged in the center of the park on now damaged scaffold. "That… doesn't look like it was recent now that we got a chance to really look at it."
Etel's suspicions were confirmed, but Tali answered before she could say something. "Oh, that bosh'tet? He murdered the Millers when they charged him for repairs to the local mill after he drove a car through it. The attack happened before they could cut him down."
"That's… well," Jenkins looked uneasy while Williams was still looking around, as if checking for more enemies.
"It's why I didn't say anything about your comment on Eden Prime about non-slavers using hangings as well to enforce order," Etel explained as she walked towards the scaffold, the others following behind her. "But now that the attack is over, we should cut him down. He paid the price, the execution is over."
She stepped up and put her helmet on the ground as she looked at the site before her. Activating her omni-blade, she moved closer to get a grip around the man's waist, and cut the noose. He slumped down and she caught him, laying him down on the ground gently. The others had walked up and were watching, Williams folding her arm as she did so.
"Tali, where's the coffin?" Etel asked as she looked around. "Should be one out here if it wasn't blasted..." she trailed off.
"Should be under the scaffold," Tali supplied. "Jenkins, you want to help me?"
"Uh, sure," the Alliance marine shrugged uncertainly as he followed the quarian down.
Etel knelt next to the corpse, taking a moment to look at the dead man before quietly reciting a prayer. She never personally had been involved in any executions even back home, but she knew the rites. She was of the nobility; it was her responsibility to understand what was due to be administered. Williams was standing behind her as she finished, having taken her helmet off.
"I've heard that before," the Alliance soldier said as Tali and Jenkins were dragging the coffin up. "It's based on the kaddish, isn't it?" Etel raised an eyebrow in surprise before Williams added, "I had these two brothers in one of my first commands - one of them got killed and I heard it after from the survivor. He elaborated on it when the rest of the squad asked about it."
She nodded, impressed at the recognition of the Judaic tradition as Jenkins lowered the coffin next to them. "Yeah, that was where the rite started. With most people it would be done later, but when you string someone up, it's usually done quickly after the execution. You know, not being crueler than you have to about justice," she glanced at the coffin. "Could you help me with him?"
Williams nodded as she put her helmet down, grabbing the dead criminal's legs while Etel grabbed under the arms and laid him in the coffin. Jenkins slid the top onto it after. "So uh, you guys don't just bury straight out, do you?" Jenkins asked as he glanced between their muddied armor and the closed wooden coffin.
Etel frowned, confused before she realized what he meant. "Oh, of course not, but it's easier to transport like this. The morgue workers handle the rest."
"Right," Jenkins shrugged. "Well, we need to talk to anyone? Lieutenant Alenko's helping the local medics, but what about us? We going to go meet with Nihlus?"
Etel was about to answer when her omni-tool chirped. "Shepard here," she answered.
"Sir Shepard, bring yourself and Williams to the command center," al-Jilani's voice echoed. "And have Miss Zorah report back to her duty station."
"Understood."
"Also," al-Jilani added before they could act, "I talked with Gillian and she's bringing in a new comm buoy. The Alliance ship that you came in - Normandy, correct?"
"Correct," Etel answered.
"They'll be coming with it. I have given them clearance to land in our spaceport, or what's left of it, but I want Williams here until her superiors arrive. Understood?"
"Clearly, Duchess. We'll be there as soon as we can. Nihlus took the Mako and should be arriving shortly."
"What happened?"
Etel paused as she glanced down. "I took down the man that was executed in the city center, no point leaving him there."
"I see," al-Jilani said slowly, pausing before she continued. "Thank you for dealing with that, and when you finish report as soon as you can. al-Jilani out."
"What was that about?" Jenkins asked with a frown as the omni-tool's holographic display faded.
"Probably forgot about this, given all that happened," Etel shrugged as she leaned down to pick up her helmet. "You heard what Sergeant Hawk said, she was under a lot of pressure from all this. Anyways, we better get moving. Maybe we can hitch a ride from the PDF."
"Hopefully," Tali said as they started walking. Williams glanced at Jenkins and checked her omni-tool, pulling up the map that Hawk had given them earlier.
"Jenkins," Williams cut in, "head to the starport and be there when the Normandy lands - tell them everything that happened. And call Kaidan, ask him to head over too once he's done."
"Yes ma'am," Jenkins answered with a salute and headed off, checking his own omni-tool.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Etel asked once Jenkins had left earshot. "I've… picked up that he has a low opinion of the Empire."
"I think he saw some things today," Williams answered with a slight smile as she tried to wipe some mud that had stuck to her face. "And damn, we're going to need showers once we're back on the Normandy."
"Definitely," Etel answered as she shook her head. "Now if only they could invent mud-proof armor."
"At least you can take your armor off," Tali commented slyly. Williams paused, face twitching as she realized the insensitive comment. "Relax, I'm just teasing."
"Right," Williams said slowly as an APC came to a halt near them and the rear hatch opened.
"Hey Tali," one of the soldiers said with a smirk, "need a lift?"
"Actually, yes," Tali answered. "Thanks, Faris."
The three boarded the APC and took their seats. "So, Faris, how'd you do?" Tali asked one of the soldiers.
"Eh, made it through alive," the soldier answered as he hit the bulkhead to tell the driver to move. "Got lucky, though. I was stationed near the base shepherding civilians through to the bunkers. I didn't see much action, though I probably have your friends to thank for that," he looked to Etel and lowered his head respectfully. "Sir Knight."
"At ease," Etel said with a smile. "And Tali, hopefully we'll get a chance to catch up later. I need to talk to your commander about something…"
"Let's hope he agrees, it'd be nice to work with you again," Tali said happily.
"I just hope the colony gets some reinforcements," Faris cut in. "Just listening to the comms told me how bad we were doing. And where the hell was the fleet?"
"Admiral Attia's going to have a burr in his pants over this, that's for sure," Etel commented as she considered how the Admiral and his dim view on the Alliance. Or how he would be able to handle the fact that the Alliance was on top of this and not his own fleet.
"Yeah, I guess he would," Faris answered with a shrug as the APC got off the highway and drove into the main base.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Command Center
Leaving their helmets on a rack nearby, Etel and Williams walked back into the command center. Nihlus was nowhere in sight and Tali had already gone off to rejoin her fellow engineers. Waiting for them was al-Jilani who was folding her arms. There was also an Imperial general that Etel did not recognize and a few other nobles who seemed to be al-Jilani's vassals. Technicians were manning other consoles and chattering between themselves about various stages of cleanup and occasional mentions of a geth straggler being taken out.
"Sir Shepard. How good for you to finally join us," al-Jilani said as the two entered the command suite itself. "Now that the geth interference is gone, we are using Chapter Master Gillian's ship to reestablish long range communications until the Comm Buoy arrives."
"I thought we were waiting for it to ensure a secure channel," Williams said with a frown. The two had washed their faces after stopping to use the bathroom when they arrived, but their armor was still stained. Thankfully they no longer tracked mud and bits of geth conductive fluid everywhere they walked.
"Chapter Master Gillian's technicians were able to use one of their support ships to act as one temporarily instead and the connection passed all tests. We'll make use of it given the situation calls for speed. Jacob, patch us through."
"Yes, mi'lady," a technician answered.
The holograms flickered to life, total of three of them. First one to stabilize was a general Etel could not name. The second image to appear was that of Admiral Attia of Imperial Navy. The third image flickered little bit longer before stabilizing. Immediately upon recognizing the third face, Etel dropped to one knee and bowed her head. Other people in the room were either faster than she was or followed her suit as the image they were seeing registered.
"What is this? Who dares not to pay their respects!?" the general snarled. Etel dared to raise her gaze for a moment, only to see Williams standing up, looking confused and sticking out like a snowman in the desert.
"I am not Imperial, so why would I bend my knee?" Williams asked, staring the general down.
"Williams, check the man in the middle," Etel whispered quickly. Williams took a look at the man in the middle, before snapping into a salute.
"Arise, my friends," the Emperor said warmly and the people slowly stood up, returning to their tasks. He looked at Williams, who had dropped the salute, and put a hand on his chin briefly. "Hmmm; it is rare that we see Alliance soldiers within the Empire's boundaries. May I ask your name?"
"Umm... Yes. Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams. I hope I have not insulted you... your highness?" she said, glancing at Etel who nodded at the use of right term.
"You have not, Commander," the Emperor said, waving his hand as if nothing had happened. "Sir Lionheart's eagerness to maintain a proper protocol is admirable, but misplaced in this case."
"What is an Alliance marine doing in our research facility?" the general raised his voice again. "This facility is off-limits to those not involved in the project!"
"An old friend of mine requested my aid to find his daughter," Etel explained quickly, stepping forward and hoping to defuse the escalating situation. She could hear the ambassadors' shared complaint about the words political shitstorm in her mind. "Since I was serving on board an Alliance ship, as per my Spectre evaluation, I requested the captain to take us here, unaware of this facility. When we arrived, we found the colony under attack. The captain dropped us in to assist the colony, before heading out to contact Imperial forces. She came with me. Williams is my counterpart candidate."
"Then she must be detained and interrogated on how much she saw. This research facility is a military secret," Admiral Attia snapped immediately. "As such, I want the ship grounded until we are sure that our security has not been breached in any way. Once we are certain that our security is good, they can leave. If not..."
"Admiral, hold a moment," Emperor Baldwin ordered immediately. "Lady al-Jilani, has Commander Williams attempted to gain access to classified data?" the Emperor asked as he continued to stare at Attia and the general.
"No, Your Highness," al-Jilani explained, bowing her head. "She did see the Archimedes prototype fire and fought alongside it, but she has not attempted to access or even asked about the details of the weapon."
"In fairness," Williams cut in, "I did ask about firing it again after it took out a geth walker, but that's it," Etel wanted to smack her hand on her forehead. Not helping… she thought in annoyance.
"Even then, I see no need to detain her and cause a political incident," the Emperor said with a firm nod. "There is enough tension between our people as it is. As such, Sir Lionheart, Sir Attia, I ask you to drop this matter."
"...As you wish, Your Highness," Lionheart conceded. Attia nodded also.
"Very well, Your Highness."
"Now, I understand this might not be related to current incident, but did you find the person you were looking for?" the Emperor asked as he turned his away from the two officers who were now avoiding the Emperor's gaze.
"Yes, Your Highness, we did. A quarian named Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Etel explained, bowing her head as she spoke. "She was found safe and helped us in the defense of the colony. We also found that she was the one who provided the needed evidence to cause the Council to give us our current mission."
"Actually..." Williams began uncertainly as she looked between them. "Could we recruit her for our team? I mean, we can expect to go against the geth regularly and she was able to hack data from one, not to mention those mean skills with a shotgun. Could be really useful."
"NO!" Sir Lionheart snarled loudly, his rank insignia and medals bouncing on his uniform as he thrust his hand in front of him decisively. "She is involved in a highly classified project and thus, should not be allowed onboard an Alliance vessel where she could be captured and interrogated! I would only release her to your service is the Emperor himself gave permission!"
"Funny that you should mention that..." the Emperor said with a smirk on his face, causing the Noble to stare blankly in horror as he realized what he had just said. "Looking over the details, the SSV Normandy is also a highly advanced Alliance warship, is this correct?"
"Yes, your highness," Williams confirmed uneasily.
"Sir Shepard, what do you think?" the Emperor asked, turning his gaze towards her.
"Well, she would certainly be very useful to us," Etel explained before pausing to swallow as the fact the Emperor was asking for her opinion hit her. "Perhaps she could help us access geth data when needed. Since, as Commander Williams said, we are expected to face the geth, her technological skills could offer significant assistance."
"I see... well, that would merely put two of our people onboard a classified Alliance vessel, one source of classified information for another. A fair trade, would you not say so, Sir Lionheart?"
"I... Yes, Your Highness," Lionheart seemed to deflate at the news.
"I would assume Sir Shepard would look over miss 'Zorah during their stay on Normandy?" al-Jilani asked. "I'm not keen on having one of my charges put into unnecessary danger."
"Yes, Duchess, I will," Etel answered. "Of course, if she wishes to stay here she does not need to come, but she already expressed interest."
"Then you do not need to fear," The Emperor continued with a smile. "If anything, this is exactly what mankind needs, to work together rather than to stay separate."
"Emperor," Admiral Attia cut in, "Forgive the impertinence, but I believe we have another pressing concern with these two geth attacks, both of which bypassed our defenses."
Baldwin nodded grimly. "Indeed. Commander Williams… granddaughter of General Williams who was responsible for Shanxi's defense, correct?"
"Yes, my grandfather," Williams answered uncertainly. The Emperor nodded at the confirmation.
"The Alliance is fortunate to have such loyal patriots defending its borders. And today, it is the Empire's turn to be grateful."
"I uh…" Williams coughed into her hand as she was caught off guard. "Thank you, but I wasn't the only Alliance soldier here, there were two others who fought just as hard. Your highness," she added quickly.
Baldwin smiled warmly. "Then tell your fellows that the Emperor, if no one else, appreciated their efforts here today."
Ashley lowered her head briefly, glancing at Etel who nodded as she picked up the appropriate response. "I will."
"You could learn a thing or two, Admiral," Baldwin commented as he looked towards the Attia, who rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
The door to the command center opened and Nihlus walked in. Upon seeing the hologram of Baldwin he lowered his head briefly but continued walking.
"Who is this?" Lionheart asked, visibly annoyed. "Wait… you're the Spectre, aren't you?"
"Correct," Nihlus answered. "Emperor Baldwin, I apologize for barging in like this but I need these two immediately," he looked toward the two Spectre candidates. "The comm buoy is being installed now and I need them present for a debriefing."
"Go," the emperor answered. "And thank you for your help, Spectre."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
SSV Normandy
Docking Bay 15
Nihlus, Ashley, and Shepard stepped through the airlock and onto the Normandy, where Joker was waiting for them.
"Captain's waiting in the briefing room," Joker explained. "The others are already there."
Heading through the CIC and into the briefing room, they walked in to find Kaidan, Jenkins, Garrus, and Wrex waiting for them and talking amongst themselves quietly as Anderson stood at the front. He nodded to them and gestured for them to take a seat as they came in.
"Alright, everyone is here," Anderson said and the small talk stopped. "So, what do we have?"
"I take this is some sort of debriefing?" Wrex rumbled. Anderson nodded, with the old battlemaster leaning back on his seat, trying to find a good position.
"This will be a regular event after missions," Nihlus explained. "After this, I will submit my report to the Council. I want it to be as comprehensive as possible, so we all need to be together to discuss what happened."
"Well, that makes you more organized than half the merc jobs I was on," Wrex said with a slight smile. "So, what'd you find in that geth forward base that got you so riled up?"
"We now have definite proof that Saren has gone rogue and has allied himself with the geth and Collectors. How or to what end, we have no idea," Nihlus continued, standing up and walking next to Anderson, who gave way for him. Nihlus tapped his omni-tool, replaying his conversation with Saren. Ashley had to fight some surprise that Saren still asked Nihlus to not get killed as it ended and Nihlus spoke again. "Although we will need to wait for official word from the Council, I am certain that our mission will change."
"How so?" Jenkins asked.
"So far we have been on a Locate-and-Detain mission. Soon, it will be Search-and-Destroy," Nihlus answered. Jenkins face went through several emotions, before he schooled it back to neutral expression.
"I also noticed something from the after action reports I managed to see in the PDF command post," Nihlus continued. "The moment the geth saw Archimedes, Collectors entered the fray and geth forces moved their focus towards it."
"They wanted the Archimedes," Ashley said confidently. "The armature that it didn't slag had a clear line of sight at it during the fight and did not take a shot. They were taking great pains to avoid damaging it and keeping everyone else pinned down, even with high losses."
"But why would the geth want it?" Shepard asked. "It's a prototype. Couldn't they just build their own design?"
"Good question. It's something we will need to look into," Nihlus nodded. "We can also confirm that Collectors and geth have formed an alliance. Once again, how and why, we do not know."
"They must have similar goals," Garrus suggested. "Why else would synthetics ally with organics? One organic like Saren is one thing, but a whole species?"
"I believe this will answer your question," Nihlus said and activated his omni-tool.
"The attack on Eden Prime was successful," Saren's voice came from the omni-tool. "The information from the beacon is secure and we now have a lead on the Conduit."
"And are one step closer to the rebirth of the Reapers," Benezia's voice answered.
"Yes. With the aid of the Collectors, we can return order to the galaxy. The Reapers and their servants shall be the first to transcend. We shall be the first to achieve the perfe-" the file cut off.
"The rest of the file was deleted, but there were several plans included with the data, some of them still encrypted. Also, there was as a copy of the communication where Saren gave his Spectre codes to the geth, so they could bypass Eden Prime's sensor network as well as the one on New Syracusae. Whatever these... Reapers are, the Collectors, the geth, as well as Saren and Benezia, have thrown their lot with them."
"Reapers... Reapers reapers reapers..." Shepard muttered to herself. Suddenly, she dropped her head, gripping it with her hand.
Kaidan noticed that Shepard was holding her head. "Shepard? You're alright?"
"Yeah, just some headaches..." she said weakly.
"Maybe you overused your biotics again." Ashley suggested. "You should head to the medbay, Chakwas will give you some painkillers," Shepard nodded and walked out of the room. "So, does anyone have any idea what these 'Reapers' might be?"
"Only reaper I can think of off the top of my head is the Grim Reaper, but that's not what it'll be at all," Kaidan commented with a shrug.
"Perhaps it's some other group?" Ashley suggested, before realizing something. "Wait, can you play Benezia's line again?" Nihlus nodded and played the file. "Hmm... She says 'rebirth'. It sounds like these Reapers don't exist anymore."
"What, they are trying to bring back something?" Wrex said. "What would they be bringing back? A species, merc group, what? No group called the Reapers has ever been in control of anything but a small city block, at least until the cops bust them out."
"Not to mention, from the way they spoke of them these Reapers are supposed to bring 'order' to the galaxy," Nihlus agreed. "I would assume, based on the heavy handed tactics our opponents have used, this would not be a peaceful event. Anything that could challenge the galaxy would be recorded somewhere."
"Challenge the galaxy?" Garrus asked in surprise. "That'd be a tall order considering the Hierarchy alone, never mind the Empire, the Alliance, the Republics, the Union, or anyone else who's part of the Citadel."
"That would be a tall order," Wrex agreed with a firm nod. "Especially if you factor in the Terminus Systems or other independents."
"Don't forget," Anderson cut in, "the Council represents about half the galaxy… the known galaxy. We've mapped only what, about a percent of the galaxy so far?" He turned to Nihlus, who nodded.
"Hmm... Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors?" Garrus suggested. "This data was taken from the geth, so maybe Saren and Benezia were keeping up a charade. Lying, acting as if this was furthering the goal of resurrecting these Reapers."
"That does sound more likely," Ashley nodded. "Create an elaborate lie, and stick to it, while directing the idiots under to do your bidding and having the enemy looking for something that doesn't exist."
"Hmph. Reminds me of that 'Cult of Divine Rebirth' scandal a few years ago," Wrex grumbled. Ashley and the other Alliance marines looked at him strangely, Anderson raising an eyebrow at Wrex quizzically. "Some minor sect of Imps or somesuch nonsense; turns out they were just a bunch of conmen."
"Don't remind me, it took six months just to clean up their remnants on the Citadel," Garrus shook his head. "Seriously, how badly can you scam people before they realize that 'eternal paradise' is not coming and all you're doing is getting slips of hardcopy?"
"Well we had a lot of guys thinking rapture was coming at the turn of the millennium," Kaidan commented with a smirk. "Boy were they disappointed."
"On topic," Nihlus cut in coldly as Anderson simply shrugged, "I doubt that these 'Reapers' exist, or if they do that they will live up to the expectations, but I'm troubled by this."
"Why?" Jenkins asked. "I mean, Saren's crazy, and apparently so is this Benezia. I could see crazy believing this kind of stuff."
Nihlus glared at the corporal before continuing coldly. "Because it's not like Saren to believe in ghost stories. Unless something happened to make him believe that such things exist, he is more likely to dismiss it as primitive superstition. Unless he set this up purely as a distraction, he seriously believes that these Reapers are something."
"Extranet search?" Anderson suggested. "Probably won't yield anything, but it might give us some leads."
"We can always try and access the Citadel Archives if this is real old, maybe there's something there," Garrus suggested. "There's a lot of information there that's not available on the extranet."
"Possibly, but we shouldn't devote too much time to this unless the Council tells us otherwise," Nihlus turned towards the communications suite at the front of the briefing room before turning back. "If the Reapers are something real, then we need to be alert for proof. But until we have more, this is just a footnote in our investigation, something to be alert for but not at the expense of the mission."
"There is another thing we should consider actually," Ashley said as Shepard returned. She turned to her counterpart candidate. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Still bit shaky, but I can handle it," Shepard responded. Ashley nodded and turned back to Nihlus.
"Back to what I was saying, what are we going to do with Tali?" Ashley asked. "I mean, we are going to go against the geth now, that's clear."
"And she managed to actually pull data out of one," Shepard agreed, nodding her head and sitting down. "She could be a valuable member of our team. If we can get her access to the geth databanks before they flash them, we could learn something more."
"Hmm..." Nihlus said, rubbing his mandibles before turning to Anderson. "Captain, would you mind another foreign national onboard your ship?" he asked Anderson. Anderson thought for a moment before answering.
"She will have to comply with our regulations and security protocol, but beyond that... the logic is sound. I will accept her onboard if she is willing to join us."
"Good," Nihlus nodded to the captain before turning his head. "Williams, Shepard, you go pick her up after this debriefing then."
"Understood," both answered.
"I am worried about these new type of husks you mentioned," Anderson said. "The old ones were bad enough. To hear that they are... evolving, is even more worrying."
"Not to mention it's clear now that this process is not limited just to humans," Garrus said.
"Never thought a quarian might be threatening in close combat," Wrex said with a wry smile.
"The Council will want to know about this development. The geth have clearly evolved far beyond our imagination," Nihlus said.
"Let's hope those autopsies of the husks on Eden Prime yield results soon," Jenkins said. "Though, I guess there'll be more samples to pick from now."
Shepard gave Jenkins a harsh glare before shaking her head. "They'll pay for what they've done."
"Do not let your emotions to cloud your judgment. I need clear headed people, not berserkers," Nihlus chided.
"I thought that was why I was brought aboard," Wrex said as he frowned deeply. Nihlus looked surprised, before noticing that Wrex was fighting down a smile.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Garage 3
One and half hours later
After the debriefing was over, Ashley and Shepard had taken few minutes of clean their armor and get a basic first aid check from Chakwas, who chided them about unnecessary risks before sending them off while Jenkins underwent a more in depth medical examination. Medically cleared, they set off to meet Tali as soon as Shepard had grabbed another tabard from her foot locker. Ashley drove the Mako to the base while Etel sat in the technician's seat. After asking around the main base, they located Tali in one of the garages, trying to repair the prototype. Only her legs were visible, as she was underneath the chassis on a roll cart.
"Tali, how are you?" Shepard asked when they approached.
"Huh, who?" Tali asked, before reaching for the edge of the laser system and pulling herself out from it. "Oh, hi Etel. I'm good, just trying to salvage what I can from this thing," the young quarian said.
"You're not trying to fix it?" Ashley asked.
"It's pointless. The lenses melted, then leaked onto the targeting computer which fried the core. Better just to take it apart and build a new one."
"I'll trust your expertise," Ashley said. She couldn't see her expression, but Tali straightened up little but from her words.
"So, Tali..." Shepard began. "Would you be interested in traveling with us?"
"With you? I would love to!" Tali exclaimed. "I always wanted to see the galaxy and being stuck here kinda hampers that goal. Not to mention, it would be great to spend time with you again. It's been too long since we had time."
"That is true," Shepard nodded.
"But... What about my job here?"
"It has been already been taken care of. If you want, you can join us."
"Lionheart gave a permission?"
"Well, he did need some persuasion at first..." Shepard said.
"The Emperor kinda told him to shut up and let you decide," Ashley added.
"You met the Emperor?" Tali asked, knocking her head against the chassis before managing to straight up entirely. "Wow, that's..." she trailed off, hand on her head.
"Well, we didn't plan for it," Shepard said with a faint smirk. "But yeah, we did talk to him briefly. He has given his blessing for you to join us."
"I... I uh... Sure!" Tali responded, enthusiastically as she let of her head. "When do we leave?"
"As soon as Council has been briefed. We could go pick your items and note your leave with your superiors."
"Sounds like a plan. I don't have much to take with me, so it shouldn't take long."
"Alright, we'll wait with the Mako," Ashley said as she gestured to the infantry fighting vehicle. The quarian nodded and hurried off as the two Spectre candidates waited, leaning on the Mako.
"So," Shepard asked, "how was it being with Imperial troops for a while?"
"Well I can't say I'd prefer them over Alliance troops, but I might be biased," Ashley smirked at the obvious joke. Shepard frowned briefly before smirking as well. Ashley paused, considering the last two missions. "So, you think Nihlus is just going to rotate who's in charge based on the territory we're in?"
"Probably just for when we have to drop in without time," she commented. "I mean, Eden Prime, here? We dropped in and didn't have time to have Nihlus establish this as a Spectre operation. If we have more time he'll probably take the lead."
Ashley nodded as she glanced around. "So, what'll happen to the colony?"
"Depends," Shepard answered as she rubbed her chin. "The Duchess is probably going to be burning through the house's treasury to get everything back to normal. The capital alone was wrecked; and we haven't seen how other cities were damaged."
"There won't be any help from above?"
"There will be, but given that this planet is the Duchess' responsibility she'll be pouring a lot of effort in," she paused. "Overall, I'm hopeful. If the Duchess manages to get this colony rebuilt quickly, I think people here will be back to normal soon," Shepard's face hardened. "Or as normal as you can get in war."
"Huh. Back on Earth, when we still had nobles, their only responsibility was to send soldiers to the monarch."
"HAH!" Shepard laughed. "You should see what running a planet costs a Duke on a weekly basis. I swear, over half of the income goes straight into just running the basic infrastructure. Then you need to pay an assortment of other stuff and consider possible investments for expanding the existing infrastructure. We might be Nobles, but that just means we get more responsibility," Shepard's face grew serious. "Indeed... If the Duchess can't rebuild fast enough to attract people capable of paying taxes, she might run out of money. Which means she can't uphold her responsibilities. Which means... she would lose her title."
"Wait, really?" Ashley asked, not believing what she heard. "Because her fief got devastated, she might lose it? Even if she was doing everything she could?"
"It's the law. Fail to uphold your duties, as determined by your status, and you lose your status. It is a harsh system, but necessary to keep Nobles straight. Too much power and too little responsibilities..." Shepard didn't need to finish the sentence.
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Ashley said as soon as Shepard trailed off, finishing the point. Shepard raised an eyebrow at the comment. "It's a saying on Earth. It means that power without checks is liable to corrupt its wielder," Shepard nodded at her explanation. "So what happens if she loses the title?"
"Could any number of things," Shepard answered. "The only thing for certain would be that a new Duke would be appointed to oversee New Syracusae. As to the Duchess herself, the most likely result would be she would just be demoted to a Baron unless she did something horrible."
"Huh," Ashley was surprised how strict the system was. She had assumed that the nobles had a free reign over their subjects, or at least were more like governors than actually being wholly tied to the fate of their territories. Maybe we need to tie our own politicians closer to the places they represent, she mused before dismissing the idea as impractical.
"So... Can I ask you about something?" Shepard asked. Ashley nodded in response, wondering what it might be. "I read some the scriptures from your Earth religions. Well, some of them, you guys have tons of them, even different versions of the same thing. What's the deal with the 'unclean' food thing?"
"The what?"
"You know, 'don't eat this, it's unclean'? It was called pork, I think. The other was this big animal, cows. What's the deal with not being allowed to eat them?"
"Uh... Well, to be honest... I don't know," Ashley rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, not expecting this question at all. "Apparently, some people think that some animals are unclean, not worthy for humans to eat. Eating them is a sin, or something like that."
"That's... weird. The only taboo we have is not to eat anything sentient," Shepard responded. "I mean, how can something be 'unclean'? There's food hygiene, I get it, but come on!" she said in an exasperated tone. "'Not worthy of human consumption'? God created everything, why would he create something that is 'unclean'!?" she threw her hands into the air. Ashley merely shrugged, though she did find Shepard's outburst amusing.
"Well, it's their loss. Pork tastes good when you grill it right"
Shepard paused, looking at her with a slight grin. "I have a feeling some faiths moved past it?"
Ashley shrugged again. "A lot of denominations moved past it. Probably because we actually learned how to cook stuff safely."
Shepard nodded. "That'd make sense, actually. The Council did help us with identifying what was safe to eat early on, along with medicine."
Ashley raised an eyebrow in surprise as there was a loud crash as an engineer dropped a crate of unspent ammo. The two turned but once they saw it was nothing Ashley turned back to her Imperial counterpart. "I thought the Council did a controlled uplift, not just handing over all the toys."
"Well they didn't give us nukes, for one," Shepard pointed out as she nodded towards the ammo that had been dropped. "But they did give us a lot of basic medicine and the like, mostly just so we weren't dying from disease and all. I think the salarians also taught anatomy once they had an idea of our biology."
Ashley nodded. "So, it was medieval warfare but without all the mud killing people?"
"Pretty much, at least at first. The Council was doing an uplift, they were just pacing us so we had time to adjust."
"Had to be weird."
"You have no idea..." Shepard said. "Let's just say that some of ancient scriptures are... creative. Not to mention for a long time people thought asari were either devils or angels depending how long you worked with them. Also, the succubus accusation was popular, especially as people's sons and daughters got to the age."
"I'll bet," she said.
"Also... I am not sure about this but..." Shepard started, before seemingly stopping to rethink her words.
"What is it?" Ashley prodded. Shepard waited for a moment before saying anything.
"It's about those visions..." she began before looking away. "Looks like Tali is done," Shepard said. Ashley followed her gaze and saw Tali coming back with a bag in hand "Let's talk more once we are alone," Shepard finished as she pushed herself off of the Mako.
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SSV Normandy
"Welcome aboard," Anderson said as the three stepped out of the Mako after it was parked back into the Normandy's engineering bay. "I take it this is miss 'Zorah?"
"You can just call me Tali," the quarian answered with a wave of her hand. "So, where am I going to be working?"
"Probably in the bay itself," Ashley said as Shepard turned towards her. "Also, the two doors on the far side of the bay, past the elevator?" She gestured for them and Tali nodded. "Off limits; that's the drive core."
The quarian turned at her, dead in her tracks as Shepard remained silent and just watched. "Wait, I thought the whole point of me being onboard was so you'd have another engineer."
"For cracking geth data, yes, but the drive core's a military secret," Ashley explained, finding herself again wishing she could see Tali's face. Couldn't she just not polarize the faceplate? Ashley briefly wondered as the quarian folded her arms.
"It's a security precaution," Anderson explained. "This is a prototype. Don't worry, I don't want any details of the Archimedes and if any of the crew pester you for classified information on it tell them they can talk to me about it."
"Thank you, Captain," Tali said as she lowered her head respectfully. "You know, I've never served on a ship before. Maybe I'll get a chance to understand why so many quarians stay on the Flotilla instead of trying to find somewhere to settle."
"Maybe," Shepard said with a faint smile, "but at least your father will be happy to know you're safe. Speaking of that, we should call your parents."
"Damn, I completely forgot about that, I was supposed to call them a week ago! Is there a comm station I can use? Sorry to be abrupt, but…"
"It's okay," Anderson said with a smile on his face, "We'll have Joker patch you through as soon as we can get a clean signal. However, that may have to wait as… ah, Spectre Kryik."
"Captain," the turian Spectre said with a nod. "I understand that you may need to brief our new recruit with the ship regs, but I need her for debriefing the Council."
"Very well," Anderson said with a nod. "This way," he gestured to the elevator.
After a ride up and climbing the stairs, the group stood inside the communications room. Ashley, Tali and Shepard stood behind Nihlus as the holographic images of three Councilors appeared.
"Spectre Kryik. We have received your reports and we must admit, this is a serious development," Councilor Sparatus began. "Saren Arterius has been stripped of his rank and his access codes have been revoked. Anyone trying to use them will be flagged."
"As such, since his guilt is no longer in doubt, your mission has changed," Councilor Valern continued. "You are no longer required to detain Saren. Your new mission is to find him and eliminate him."
"I understand, Councilors. I believe I have some leads that I can investigate. With the knowledge of his goals, we can perhaps anticipate his next move."
"I doubt that these... Reapers are anything more than a fabrication," Sparatus said dismissively. "A false trail laid by Saren to distract us."
"While certainly possible," Valern noted, "Saren may also have information that we don't in this matter."
"Councilor?" Tevos asked as she frowned at the salarian.
"I'm merely stating that we should be prepared for the possibility that Saren would have more motive here and we should not dismiss this out of hand," the salarian noted calmly as he folded his arms. "I doubt this is anything more than a ghost story, but even fools can make the right guess."
"If nothing else," Nihlus said, "learning more of Saren's motives may tell us why he turned on us."
"Agreed," Tevos said with a nod. "However, I am greatly concerned by some of the preliminary analysis of the data you sent. It indicates that the geth are using previously unknown relay routes to bypass our defenses."
Ashley immediately felt her gut tighten as she realized the implications, both Shepard and Tali's stances tensing and Nihlus stared blankly at the Council for a moment before he recovered. "Are you suggesting the geth are opening relays?" the turian Spectre asked. "But how is that getting them into position for these attacks? The sheer number of places those relays could go to..."
"Agreed, it seems unlikely, but that is what the preliminary data indicates," Sparatus elaborated. "However, it is only an initial analysis. In the meantime, however, assume that nowhere is safe from geth attack and be prepared for anything. We are sending an alert to our home governments on this development, but we will not make public announcements until the information is verified."
"Let's hope that's the end of the surprise attacks," Shepard muttered under her breath and Ashley nodded in agreement.
Ashley glanced at the Councilors who glanced between each other for a moment before Tevos spoke. "We are still analyzing the data, but we cannot afford to be careless with the implications of this information. However, you are still to focus on Saren, but be aware that he may be using more than just Spectre codes to bypass defenses."
"I understand, we will remain vigilant," Nihlus answered calmly.
"You also said you had found some interesting technology?" the salarian Councilor asked. Nihlus nodded and gestured Tali to take a step back. Tali obeyed and Nihlus pulled out a cylinder from his tool belt.
"Yes. I found this," Nihlus said. Ashley guessed the Councilors were seeing a holographic copy of the object, seeing how their holograms were not focused on Nihlus' hand, but slightly left of it. "It seems to be some kind of heatsink. Capable of absorbing greater amounts of heat than our normal ones, but it can't dissipate it as fast as our own. It may not even be able to dissipate at all, depending on what it uses to absorb the heat."
"Hmm, what are you getting at?" Sparatus asked, leaning slightly forward as he put a hand on his chin.
"I managed to catch a few glimpses of geth troopers using these heat sinks. I was wondering how they could sustain such high rates of fire, when I noticed they swapped their heatsinks for new ones."
"That is extremely dangerous! Full capacity heat sinks have caused third degree burns!" Tevos exclaimed, eyes going wide at the implication.
"Not if you are a synthetic," Councilor Valern said thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "Yes, a simple and fast change would allow them to fire in longer bursts compared to our own soldiers, who have to manage heat buildup in their weapons."
"Ooh, that could solve the heat problem with Archimedes! Have ejectable heat sinks on it!" Tali said excitedly, before noticing that everyone was looking at her. "Did I say that one aloud?"
"Who is this?" Sparatus demanded as Tevos looked at her curiously and Valern was typing furiously into his console. Nihlus gestured Tali to step forward.
"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. As I outlined in my report, we came here to seek her to fulfil a promise made by candidate Shepard. She had further proof of Saren's guilt, which was included in the report."
"Capturing data from the geth is not a small feat," Valern said as he finished typing, nodding to himself. "You can be proud of your skills," Ashley noticed that the young quarian's stance seemed somewhat lighter as a result.
"Well, at least you can take the credit for it," Shepard said with a slight smirk. The turian and asari Councilors were still looking at Tali curiously, while Valern was rapidly typing something into his console.
"Hmm, we can have our research and development to look over it, but until I see results, I doubt it will offers us any meaningful advantages," Sparatus said, waving his hand. "Send us the samples and we will have people look into them."
"As you wish, Councilors," Nihlus nodded.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
The debriefing was over some time later, after the Council had gone over the mission progress and requested clarifications on some things. There were also questions on how Etel and Williams had worked together, with Nihlus complimenting both of them for their ability to do so.
"So, want a brief tour of the ship? So you know where to go when asked," Williams asked after Nihlus had left them in the comm room.
"That would be nice," Tali said. Etel could see from her stance that she was eager to see more of the ship, especially since it was top of the line.
"Alright, follow me," Williams said, gesturing them to follow. Etel and Tali followed her, Etel mainly because she wanted to look after Tali.
"This is the CIC. Normally this would be barred, but due to the layout of the ship, we will be passing through here often," Williams explained as they stepped to Combat Information Center.
"How so?" Tali asked.
"The main airlocks are at the front of the ship, don't ask why. I didn't design the ship. So each time we leave by foot rather than with the Mako, that's how we get off."
"Just don't touch anything without permission and it should be fine, right?" Etel said, before looking at Williams for confirmation. Williams nodded.
"I guess I should have you meet Joker, our pilot. He will be responsible for keeping us alive while onboard this ship," Williams said, walking towards to front of the ship. Tali followed her immediately, while Etel took one more look around the CIC.
One they reached the cockpit, Joker turned around in his chair, looking over the trio.
"So, who's the quarian?" Joker asked as he looked towards Tali in particular.
"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, the quarian we came looking for," Williams answered, gesturing to Tali who was standing behind her, looking around the ship. "Tali, this is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, also known as Joker."
"Welcome aboard," Joker said.
"Hi," Tali said, raising her hand.
"She will be joining us, under my protection," Etel concluded.
"Ah, so the master has taken a padawan?"
"A... what?" Etel asked, tilting her head at the strange word.
"He is quoting some old movie, Star... something," Williams said, shaking her head with a grin.
"Star Wars, it's a classic series of movies!" Joker protested, "Besides," Joker continued as he pointed to Etel, "she got the Force and she's a Knight, she is obviously a Jedi! And that omni-blade's a lightsaber if I've seen one!"
"I repeat, a what?" Etel said, confused. Force? Jedi? Lightsabers?
"Just ignore him. C'mon, I should show you the medbay and the crew quarters," Williams concluded, gesturing for Etel and Tali to follow her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter End
Author's Notes:
Yes, the Council is listening to the possibility of the Reapers existing. They also give it a fair shake in canon, but the evidence was never thick enough in ME1 to justify more than Valern asking about it once before shrugging it off as a myth.
Also, if reading the Codex entry below and you wonder at the long titles... just check the titles of some real life monarchs like Charles the Fifth of the Holy Roman Empire. This is tame by those standards.
Also, thanks to swemand47, Lone Gundamn, the Porater, reality deviant, and the guest reviewer for their reviews.
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Codex Entries:
Codex: The Emperor of the Star Empire
The Emperor of the Holy Star Empire of Jerusalem is the reigning monarch of the Star Empire. He, or she, is considered to be God's messenger on the material world as well as the supreme authority of mankind and in all matters of faith. His or her full title is His/Her Holiness, His/Her Highness, the Regent of God, Emperor/Empress of Mankind, King/Queen of Jerusalem, High Priest/Priestess of the Faith of Abraham, Archduke/Archduchess of Hasir, Duke/Duchess of Nod, Baron/Baroness of New Jerusalem, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, the Supreme Commander of Chivalric Orders, and Grandmaster of the Hashashins. However, this is commonly abbreviated as simply the Emperor of Mankind when arriving in foreign territories or in diplomatic meetings in the interest of saving time.
The female version of the title Emperor is called Empress However, female rulers of the Star Empire are rare. Out of thirty-four Imperial Monarchs, only six have been females. The crown is passed down to the oldest living descendant of the Emperor when the monarch passes away or otherwise retires. However, most Emperors will rule for life unless their age has left them unable to serve. In the event that the monarch does not have any living descendants, the crown goes to closest living relative. However, a person can be disqualified from this inheritance if they either abandon the Faith of Abraham or marry an alien. The person must also not be an illegitimate child to have a claim on the throne.
The wife or husband of the Emperor or Empress is officially called the Imperial Consort. While legally having no limits of from what class the Consort can come from, it is traditional for the Emperor to choose one from the Noble class. Note that despite not having legal power in the state matters, the significant other of the Emperor is usually respected.