Note: I've been itching to post this one for a while I just had to get there first. I'm very proud of this chapter here so I do hope you all enjoy it.
Thank you for all the favorites and follows and for all the reviews. It really does mean a lot. I know several have asked where Victus is...well...wonder no more.
Please enjoy Chapter Eleven: Exile
Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"
Chapter Eleven: Exile
Garrus remembered why he didn't spar with Nov; he was damn good but no one, not even Nov, was perfect. The Spectre hit the mat hard on his back with a loud grunt. Nov groaned loudly as the pain spread across his carapace and shoulders. "Oh, I forgot you were good," he managed out, voice a bit strangled.
Garrus allowed a smile and reached down to help him up. "With you spending all your available time here don't the Spectres miss you?"
"I'd be an idiot if I thought that they didn't know where I was at," he replied.
"And they don't care that you're messing around with someone even the Council – their boss – won't help?" Garrus inquired.
"I'm not going to let her do any of this alone," he answered and Garrus accepted his answer. He'd known Nov for a long time but was never close to him. Nov got on his nerves most of the time but right now he saw that he deeply cared for Sidda and would do anything for her no matter the cost. "The Spectres and the Council can fire me if they don't like it."
"Well, it's good to know you're committed," he said and caught movement from the door.
"We're about 2 hours from the Hawking Eta system," Sidda told them. "Just came down here to watch the show."
"You want to spar, little girl?" Nov smirked. "Doubt you've gotten much practice out of him," he added and lightly punched Garrus' arm.
"Good enough to put you on your back," Garrus retorted.
"Oh that's not hard to do, I've had him on his back many times," she said Nov gave her a nearly abashed expression. His amusement won out in the end and Garrus groaned.
"Oh, Sidda, you just had to go there."
"I was referring to sparring. You two turned it dirty." She was, of course, lying. She meant to put the sexual undertone there, she was playing the innocent.
Sidda's Omni-tool beeped and she tapped it quickly. "Shepard, could I speak to you please. It's urgent." Tali asked and her tone reflected the urgency.
"Yeah," she replied into the comm. "I'm on my way."
The chat with Tali was indeed urgent; she had been accused of betraying the Migrant Fleet and endangering it. She faced the charge of treason and a penalty of exile. The worst thing a Quarian could experience.
Sidda tabled the trip to the derelict Reaper to help Tali and she could hear The Illusive Man and Miranda bitching about it now. "Joker, prepare to change course," Sidda ordered as she stepped into the CIC scratching her head.
"What?" the pilot questioned as did Miranda.
"Change course to where?" Mirada asked in a clipped tone.
"Here are the coordinates for the Migrant Fleet," Tali said and began updating the galaxy map.
"Migrant Fleet? Commander, what is going on?"
"We need to make a detour," she said and the tapped a few things on the Galaxy Map before stepping aside for Tali.
"Commander, we need that IFF for the Omega 4 Relay," Miranda reminded and Sidda knew that.
Sidda nodded, they really did need that, they didn't need to jet off and solve the problems of the Terminus now that they had a lead. "Yes, I know that."
"Then why are we chasing after the Quarian Fleet?"
She sighed heavily. "Because Tali asked me for help," Tali had her back through thick and thin…time to repay part of that debt.
"Comm-…" Miranda began to protest before Sidda help up a hand.
"Miranda," she began with the beginnings of an aggravated tone, "it's a dead Reaper…it's not going anywhere."
"Uhh…Commander, there's a ship coming in. Bearing straight for us." Joker said and Sidda hung her head.
"God, now what? Identify."
There was a short pause before he answered. "Squawking ident; Turian Frigate, it's the Lante."
The look on Sidda's face said it all. Everyone on that ship she was looking forward to seeing again…except one. The important one. She looked at Tali with a raised eyebrow. "Let me guess…Cerrus?"
Tali fidgeted. "I asked him to come. In the event you couldn't help me," The Quarian replied gently.
"They're hailing, Commander," Miranda told her sounding as grouchy as ever.
She sighed and prepared herself for it. "Put it on," she said and tapped the monitor to the left of the galaxy map. The screen changed to the face of the man she had mixed feelings about seeing again.
"Commander." Victus greeted plainly.
"General," Sidda replied in kind. The iciness between them dropped the temperature in the room a few degrees.
"Commander, I'm here at the behest of one of my officers. If you would allow us to dock?" Victus said and Sidda nodded.
"Granted," she said. "Anything else?"
"Lante, out." He replied and left Sidda to sigh heavily.
"Yeah…that went well."
Victus was escorted from the airlock to Sidda in the Comm Room, its location was almost the same as on the SR1 but the layout of this ship was very different. To get to the Comm Room you had to pass through secured labs, Tech or Weapons…poor planning if you were trying to keep secrets. The SR2 was larger and had considerable upgrades, all in all a fine ship. A fine Cerberus ship and that didn't sit well. Palaven Command would be shitting themselves if they knew he was docked with a ship run by Cerberus. The guard posted on either side of the door and it opened to reveal Sidda and…Nov.
"I have a proposition for you, Adrien," Sidda greeted and saw the General's hackles go up when he saw Nov. "Tali's little side quest aside, I have a mission we need to get to and a little help would be greatly appreciated."
"A derelict Reaper, we need to pass through the Omega 4 Relay and need a Reaper IFF so we're not obliterated on the other side," Nov informed quickly as Victus hadn't said anything as of yet.
Victus heard everything that was said but ignored it for now. "What is he doing here?" he asked gesturing to his former officer.
Nov wanted to pick a fight with him. "What you should be doing," Nov baited as Sidda rolled her eyes.
Victus boiled slowly when angered so when he did let loose it was catastrophic. Nov, despite the animosity now, was sufficiently seasoned enough to recognize the look he received from Victus. It was a very dangerous look. "I will not be baited by you. So keep yourself out of my business or I assure you, Spectre, we will settle our differences now," Victus warned with a growl.
Before Nov could launch into his own rebuttal Sidda stepped in. "Cal, give us a minute." His hesitation and body language told Victus all he needed to know. Nov had proven to be a threat after all and that pissed him off.
Nov didn't want to, but in the end, he did as she asked. "You work fast. Clearly you got over me with no problem," Victus said in a clear jab toward her personal association with Nov. He wasn't stupid, he saw the signs, Nov had always been protective of her but there was far more too it now.
"Fuck you," she snapped.
"Not me," he snarled sarcastically and Sidda advanced toward him a few steps. "Fearless as ever." He admired as his jealousy countermanded everything.
"One more comment like that and you can get off my ship," she warned.
This…was not going the way he had envisioned. She had moved on so quickly when it took him so long. He was mad, jealous, frustrated, and there was a fair amount of shame and regret. If he'd voiced them at all it may have made things easier but he was just as stubborn as she was, even more so, and he refused to bend to it. "How long did it take? A week? Two? Before you ran straight into his bed."
"Get off my ship," she growled. "Now!"
"You can have Cerrus to help Tali, once that's done he comes back to me and you're on your own," he finished. This was petty and spiteful behavior but every rational thought he had was bull-rushed by his myriad of emotions. He left Sidda, no doubt, seething with anger as his Cerberus guard detail kindly escorted him back to the airlock. He eyed Nov in the CIC talking with a human woman but said nothing to him. He'd kill him one of these days but not today.
It was definitely best that two warship didn't arrive at the Migrant Fleet so the Lante remained at a set of coordinates. After the spat with Victus, Sidda's conversations with her previous ship went through Maridus. Sidda could understand Victus' behavior, it was typical male behavior, so she filed it away to be dealt with later. Nov, however, didn't know when to quit.
He paced her as she and Cerrus were in armor but unarmed. Sidda trusted Tali and she told them no weapons except knives. "I swear I'll kill that son of a bitch."
"You are going to leave it the fuck alone, Cal, I will handle it," she ordered and he stepped in front of her abruptly.
"Stop talking to me like that. I can be a little jealous, I get that, but don't treat me like I don't have a say in anything," he snarled.
"You did not help in there. You antagonized him more than you already had."
"It is not my job to help the one who left you. You are my concern, not him, not them, you. The sooner you understand that the better everything will be. If someone talks to you like he did I will get involved," Nov told her and Sidda realized that he was right. She did tend to order him around, sometimes his stubborn ass deserved it, but she nodded.
"You're right, Cal…I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Commander, any time now," she heard Cerrus bark.
Nov ignored Cerrus but Sidda didn't. "One sec," she called then returned her attention to Nov. "I'm sorry, Cal. Really," she said and rose up on her toes to kiss him. "I'll be back."
Nov was satisfied with that response and purred. "Good hunting."
"We're going over there to talk," she reminded him.
"100 credits says you'll be shooting at something before the end of the day," he responded.
The Quarian's weren't exactly happy to have a Cerberus tagged ship docking with one of theirs but the Rayya allowed it. Decontamination procedures drug on until no microbes of any kind were left alive on their hard suits.
"Captain Danna," Tali began as she addressed the male in the center of the detail that greeted them. "It is good to see you again."
"I wish it was under better circumstances, Tali'Zorah. Despite it all, welcome home."
"By my order, Captain Shepard, no one from your crew is to set foot on this ship unless escorted and cleared. You are a Cerberus vessel after all."
"Understood," Sidda nodded to the tall Quarian male Tali identified as Captain Kar'Danna. "And technically I'm not even a Commander. I'm no longer Alliance military," she clarified.
"You command the Normandy and are responsible for the lives of the crew; you are a captain and that entitles you to great respect among our people," he explained.
"Thank you, Captain Danna."
"As Tali's commanding officer, your voice will carry weight with the trial."
"What trial, Kar, what is this all about?" Cerrus asked in a stern tone. He'd met Danna before a little over a year ago and hand nothing against him. Tali's father didn't like him but Danna did.
Danna hesitated looking between Cerrus and Tali. "Tali'Zorah has been charged with treason for bringing active Geth back to the Flotilla."
"What? That's insane. I only sent pieces and parts for research," Tali replied, shocked.
"What now?" Sidda asked trying to drive this forward.
"Technically, I'm tasked with placing Tali under arrest so you're confined to the ship until this is all over. The hearing is being held in the Garden Plaza and will begin immediately. Good luck."
Cerrus garnered several strange looks from the crew on the Rayya, Turians weren't uncommon but it was still strange to see them and he'd been on this ship before. They'd met Tali's family…Rael didn't like him at all but Danna and Raan did. They weren't her blood family but they were close. He listened as Raan told them vaguely about what was happening. The Neema, Tali's home ship, were distancing themselves from her by changing her name to vas Normandy. Not a good sign and it angered him. Anyone who thought Tali was a traitor needed their head examined. He bristled at the notion that Sidda, as the Normandy captain, was going to be speaking for her. He preferred if they let him do it but he wasn't a Captian and Tali trusted Sidda, he did as well…on some level.
The Quarian ships were generational, gave them a real lived-in look but it couldn't be helped when they didn't have a home of their own to go back to. Cerrus read on Quarian history and listened when Tali talked to him about it. He wanted them to fight and take back their home but on the same hand they didn't exactly have numbers to spare for war.
The Conclave was brought to order and Cerrus had a bad feeling about this, they had left something out and he didn't see Rael with the other Admirals. "Something's wrong, Tali," he warned.
"The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy has come before us with her Captain to defend herself against the charge of treason," Raan intoned formally and the Admiral in the middle already had something to say.
"I object!" Koris exclaimed. "A human has no business taking part in a hearing with such sensitive military matters."
"You stripped her name," Cerrus said quickly drawing everyone's attention, "as Captain of the Normandy, Shepard has the right to attend."
"And who are you to dictate policy to us?" Koris hissed to the Turian.
"I am Tali's mate and I will stand with her even against baseless accusations such as this," Cerrus challenged with venom in his tone.
Raan stopped this before it became about Cerrus challenging Koris. "The Major is correct, Admiral, Shepard must stay. As for the validity of the charges…shall we begin? Captain Sidda Shepard vas Normandy, your crewmember stands accused of treason will you speak for her?"
"It will be my genuine pleasure. I regret that her Captain has apparently been forbidden to speak on her behalf," Sidda stated and that managed to set off an argument between Koris and an Admiral Cerrus recognized, Han'Gerral. Raan managed to rein them all back in and keep it on track and Tali began to explain just what she had been doing. She returned disable pieces of Geth tech back to the fleet for study as he father had ordered.
As she spoke Cerrus observed the Admirals, Gerral he knew…not well but he knew him. He was pro-military and charged with commanding the heavy fleet, the bulk of their military power. He clashed with Zaal'Koris, Cerrus didn't know him but from what he saw he was trying to convict Tali of treason and exile her. The third Admiral was a female and had said nothing so far…she actually looked bored with it all.
"Then explain how the Geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!" Koris ordered and that brought Cerrus from his observations.
"What are you talking about? What happened?" Tali asked while Gerral clearly glowered at Koris for dropping the bomb like that.
"As far as we can tell, Tali, the Geth have taken control of the Alarei and killed all those on board…your father included," Gerral explained in a gentler fashion than Koris less than tactful way.
"Keelah…" Tali said in a tone of fear and sadness as she hung her head.
"If they've seized a ship of yours you have to make sure your fleet is secured," Sidda said and now it was Cerrus' turn to glare at someone and it fell on Sidda. "The Normandy stands ready to render any kind of assistance."
"Shepard, we need to take back the Alarei," Tali said, something was wrong with all of this. It shouldn't be happening.
"The safest course is to destroy the ship, but if you are looking for an honorable death-…" Koris said before Tali cut him off.
"I'm looking for my father, you Bosh'tet!" Tali shouted back infuriated by Koris' mere existence right now.
This was getting out of hand and the idea of going over there to get to the bottom of this appealed to both Sidda and Cerrus.
"Admiral, may I speak?" Cerrus asked politely but in a tone that could be heard of the noise of the proceedings and the arguing between Koris and Gerral.
"Of course." Raan nodded as the noise died down. "State your name for the record please."
"Tyr Cerrus, Major, Palaven Special Forces," he rattled off quickly. "You want to know the truth of what happened then let us go to that ship and find out. You owe it to Tali and if you really want justice to be served then let us help."
"Admirals, the three of us combine have more experience fighting Geth then anyone in recent memory," Sidda said agreeing with Cerrus' suggestion.
The board agreed and Tali had some serious words for all the Admirals involved as did Cerrus. They were given permission to retrieve weapons from the Normandy but Tali had to stay on the Rayya.
Cerrus' weapons stayed on the Lante so he opened Garrus' locker knowing that they had pretty much the same loadout preferences. Garrus would be miffed if his weapons didn't return but Cerrus had no intention of leaving them behind.
"What is this?" he asked as he handled the Mattock.
"That's a Mattock, you'll love it," Nov said from the door. "I gather it did not go well," he said jovially, watching them load up.
"Well, let's just say I owe you 100 credits," Sidda answered and he laughed. "Major?"
Cerrus did a quick check over the black sniper rifle that was Garrus' baby and nodded. "We're good," he said and collected Tali's weapons and extra gear. He brushed by them and headed back to the airlock.
"Isn't that Garrus' stuff?" Nov asked and Sidda nodded.
"Don't tell him until we get back." She replied.
"Need backup?"
Sidda shook her head, the less people on this the better, though if things got sticky on the lab ship she'd be singing an entirely different tune. "No. We're good. Hold the fort, Baby, we'll be back."
She didn't tell them what they were going to be shooting at but he'd hazard a guess, Geth. "Good hunting," he called after her, repeating the same thing he said before she left.
They returned to the Rayya and found Tali talking with Kal'Reeger. Sidda remembered Reeger from Haestrom and he looked to be up and well, having healed from his injuries.
"Reeger," Cerrus greeted handing Tali her gear, "nice to see you again."
"You as well, Major," the Quarian Marine replied and shook his hand. "Nice move requesting to retake the lab ship. Hope you find what you need."
"You think I'm innocent?" Tali asked and the Marine nodded.
"Even told the Admirals, that didn't help much as it seems," he said and could see the Admirals impatiently waiting for them to depart. "Good luck over there, Tali."
The Alarei was a mess, dead Quarians littered the halls, the Geth were efficient bastards. There were more Geth then there really should have been.
Cerrus listened to Sidda and Tali bicker over the basic differences but he didn't hold it against Sidda. Tali wanted to help herself but not at the expense of her people or her father. Cerrus even found himself frustrated by it.
They found Rael; he was dead though Tali was convinced that was wrong. "You wouldn't just die like this and -…"
"Tali. Tali," Cerrus said gently and pulled her into his arms around from the body of her father. So far it all pointed to Rael being responsible for all this, networking Geth and losing control over it. He caused his own death and now Tali was on the hook for it. "It's alright."
"Damnit…" she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Shepard."
"Sorry about what? None of this was your fault."
She pushed away from Cerrus and knelt down next to her father. "Maybe he left a message somewhere. Maybe he knew I would come," she said and tapped his Omni-tool. It lit up and began to play the recording. A recording that damned him and Tali, Rael did it all. He activated the Geth and caused the destruction of the Alarei. He didn't leave a personal message to her even though he knew he was going to die he just left her instructions on how to fix it.
Cerrus was the last person to talk about family, he lost his father when he was 9, his mother died a few years after Anara died, and all he had left now were his brothers and their families but he hadn't seen them in quite some time. If he couldn't fix his own family's short-comings he'd damn sure try to fix hers.
Tali focused, although she knew she felt the fact that her father was dead. He wasn't warm and cuddly with her and that was a source of pain for her. He always treated her like a soldier, the same way Cerrus' mother treated him and his brothers.
Taking the bridge was an event, the angle was terrible and there was cover in all the wrong places. It was small so the number of Geth and their numbers didn't matter. The Prime was the target but it had protection in rocket troopers, and Hunters, not to mention the standard troops. Cerrus' target was the Prime but was soon swarmed causing Tali to drop her drone to draw them away. Some of them fell for it but not all. He managed to clear the ones attacking him but followed the rule he learned on the Citadel: Don't go hand to hand with a machine.
Sidda had her own problems as the Prime and two hunters had her pinned. "Cerrus!" she shouted and he caught the Ark Projector flying at him. "Take it out!"
He barely heard her over Tali's shotgun barking repeatedly but with Sidda entertaining the majority of the party he let the heavy weapon do its job. The energy released from it arched from one enemy to the other taking out all but the Prime itself. It took a second hit from it to finish it off but it finally fell.
"Oh yeah…" Sidda said from her position on one knee, "that was fun. Tali, kill the uplink…make sure nothing else springs up."
Cerrus grabbed Sidda's arm and helped her to her feet. He could see lots of scraps on her chest piece; she took a few hits from the Prime. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I hate Geth."
Cerrus agreed and handed the Ark Projector back. "I like that."
While the Normandy was docked Nov poked through the ship. He passed though the armory that had been pillaged by Cerrus, seeing Garrus noticed that his gear was gone, then went into the Tech Lab to fiddle with some stuff. Mordin was there, as usual, working diligently. Mordin was a mystery for him. He was a Salarian with an STG background, which wasn't particularly unusual, but it was things that he had said that made him wonder. He tried working but didn't get far, he was distracted.
"Can I ask you a question, Doctor?" Nov asked politely and the Salarian looked up from his work briefly with an affirming grunt. "You said you worked with a female Cabal. Why?"
"Part of a mission. Joint between STG and the Hierarchy," he replied quickly but Nov had trouble accepting that. Salarians and Turians didn't usually pair off for missions or joint strikes. Turians and Asari were normally the muscle and Salarians were the intel.
"Why? What was the mission?"
Mordin was curious as to why Nov was asking. "Classified mission. Why do you ask?"
"Where?"
"Again, cla-…"
"Doctor, this is important." Nov's tone was an honest one and Mordin's curiosity got the better of him.
"Tuchanka. 2176."
Nov tapped his omni-tool and a holo image appeared. "Was that her?" he asked and let Mordin look at the image. The service record image that those close to Cerrus usually had saved on their omni-tool…just in case.
Mordin blinked and then gave Nov a strange look. "Why do you ask, Spectre?"
"Doctor, please," he replied as his heart nearly roared through his chest.
The Salarian weighed his options; he wasn't clear on why Nov was asking him this. Wasn't sure why anyone was interested in something that happened nearly 10 years ago. "Yes."
Nov closed his eyes and cursed in his head. "What happened?"
"Who was she?" Mordin insisted instead.
"Maj. Cerrus' mate." Mordin straightened at the news. His brief encounter with Cerrus made the mission flood back to him, everything even the memory of what he did rushed back in perfect clarity. "Tell me what happened."
"I can't." He could…but it was probably better that he didn't. He wasn't STG anymore but there was still the military discipline for classified operations. Secrets weren't secrets if they were told to everyone who asked.
"She didn't return from that mission, Doctor, Cerrus has gone 10 years without knowing what happened because it is so well classified our General couldn't even find out more information. Ten years…no closure…no explanation," Nov said in a tone that said he wasn't going to let this go.
Mordin thought a moment, considering his options and consequences. Turians were lethal in a fight and upset Turian males were even worse. "I believe your military refers to it as: Priority Black," he answered finally.
Nov knew what that was; he'd done a Priority Black mission three times in his entire career. "You killed her." Priority Black was a military order meaning to kill certain personnel at the end of a mission to protect a person or intelligence. He'd been the trigger twice and it was part of being Special Forces. Victus and Maridus too had been the triggers before too.
"That is all I will say," the Salarian added noticing the Turian was completely taken aback. "Please leave, Spectre Nov."
The ride back to the Rayya was spent with Tali asking both Cerrus and Sidda to not say anything to the Admiralty Board about her father's gargantuan mistake. Rael wanted his work to go to Xen and Garrel but Tali didn't even want that. Cerrus and Sidda both agreed that an attack on the Geth would be the Death Knell for the Quarians. In the end Cerrus would do as Tali asked but Sidda was the wild card.
They returned to the Rayya as it seemed they were ready to render a verdict. In all honesty it did take some extra time to wade through the Geth and retake it.
"Could have waited," Cerrus snarked.
"We apologize." Gerral said sounding a little sheepish. "Your return was…unexpected."
"Spectacular," Sidda grumped. "You can go and get your ship now."
"Did you find any information on what happened, Tali?"
"Only that his whole thing is a sham. You don't know what happened so you slap a hero of yours, someone who instrumental in stopping Saren, Sovereign, and the Geth with treason even though you don't have all the facts. Anybody who knows Tali knows that she'd never endanger the Fleet," Sidda said in a tone that was meant to be forceful. "We didn't find any evidence over there just experiments that went wrong. If you exile her you'll prove that this is more about political gain than anything else."
Cerrus was actually pretty proud of her in that moment. She said exactly what he was thinking without compromising Tali's wishes.
"Tali'Zorah," Raan began, "in light of your service record we find there is not enough evidence to convict. Therefore, you are cleared of all charges with our apologies and are free to go."
Garrus was waiting in the armory when they returned and he held his hands out to the side when he saw Cerrus. "That's called stealing, you know," he said and Cerrus shrugged it off.
"I brought it back so it's actually called 'borrowing'." He handed the sniper rifle back first. "That's a fine weapon, Garrus," he complimented.
It was Garrus' favorite gun, a gift from Sidda, and it saved him life more times than he could count. "They don't make them like they used to," he said and Cerrus agreed.
Sidda stowed her weapons listening to Garrus and Cerrus talk about guns before she was startled by the sudden appearance of Nov. "We need to talk," he said quickly and made it a point to not look at Cerrus at all.
"In a minute," Sidda replied but he insisted even before she finished her sentence.
She could remove her armor later but this couldn't wait. "Right now," he demanded and led her away from the rest. He said nothing to her as they took the left up to her quarters and then still nothing until the door behind them was closed.
"Cal?" she questioned, something was obviously wrong. He was pacing, he seemed upset and maybe a little angry. "Cal, what's wrong?"
"I just solved a decade old mystery, Babe," he replied quickly as he paced.
She stepped in front of him to stop him. "Cal," she said clearly to get him to focus, "what is it?" Nov was usually a very calm person, taking everything in stride, but this time he was clearly upset.
"How much do you know about Cerrus' mate?" he asked abruptly.
Sidda blinked mildly confused as why this topic had him so upside down. "Umm…she died on an op in 2176. Why?"
"Mordin," he said. "I asked Mordin about a female Cabal that he went on a mission with…"
Sidda remembered his story from when she was getting to know him and his past deeds, credentials, as it were, for being on the Normandy for this. "Yeah…joint mission with Salarians and Turians, one Cabal escort that he…" she trailed off as it dawned on her. "Mord-…she…? The Cabal that he killed was Cerrus' wife!"
"Yes."
"Oh my god," Sidda said and could understand why Nov was acting the way he was. Cerrus was unpredictable on a good day…if he ever found out the result would be disastrous.
For as long as he'd known Cerrus this was the only thing he wanted answers to. Now he had them and there was only one decision. "I have to tell him."
That was bad idea, bad only in the sense that it could explode all over everyone. "No, wait, wait, wait." She chased after him and stopped him at the door.
Nov was confused with her reaction. "What do you mean, wait?" Sidda, despite her friction with Cerrus, was always sensitive to his situation. No one should have to endure what he had but now she was telling him no.
"I mean wait and think about this."
"Think about what?"
"You tell Cerrus and I guarantee you he kills Mordin and then probably me next," she spelled it out for him.
Nov's posture turned confrontational. "How'd you jump to that conclusion?"
Her answer was honest. "I'd want to kill him and he doesn't like me much anyway."
Nov was offended on behalf of his friend and it showed. "Sidda, I love you more than anything else in the universe, but Tyr is not your enemy. He's not a mindless killer. You give him too little credit, you always have," he said in a staunch tone. "I'm telling him. With or without your blessing."
Nov left listening to her protest. "Callus!" she called but he ignored her. She grimaced, not looking forward to any of this at all. "Fuck."
"This weapon is amazing," Cerrus praised, looking over a disassembled Mattock that Isla was working on.
"Doesn't need modifications. It's highly accurate, and so far, very reliable," she told him. "Garrus only modified the scope and the barrel on his, in case you were wondering."
"Damn."
The door opened and Cerrus saw Nov looking a little unsettled. "Tyr, I need to talk to you."
Cerrus nodded and moved away back toward the lockers. He used Garrus equipment so he made sure it was all squared away. They were far enough away from Isla's station and Nov continued to look unsettled. "Hey," he said and put a hand on his arm to stop him from pacing, "what's going on?"
"I know who killed Anara," Nov blurted and Cerrus blinked. He never expected that.
"What?"
"It was something that he said and I finally got it out of him-…" Nov babbled before Cerrus put his hands on his shoulders.
"Who, Cal?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Mordin. STG mission with Palaven Command, one Cabal escort." He explained, admittedly a little disjointed. "I showed him Anara's service picture, it was her," he went on. "Mordin killed Anara as a part of a Priority Black mission from Palaven Command."
Cerrus' was stunned. He stepped away and let his mind absorb as much of it as he could. A thousand questions went through his mind and he didn't hear what Nov said after that, not completely. What he got from it was that Mordin had admitted it to him but refused to speak more of it. After the Blackwatch disaster Cerrus vowed to kill the person responsible for her death and he retreated to that mindset. "Give me a minute," he said after a long silence.
Nov wasn't sure that was a good idea. "Tyr, are you-…"
He cut him off, getting angrier. "I said give me a minute," he repeated slower.
Cerrus calmly walked over to the bench near Isla. The weapons were secured apart from the ones that were being were being worked on. The Carnifex on the table was intact it just needed a thermal clip. He was casual about picking it up and loading it.
"Hey," Isla questioned having detected a significant change in his vibe, "what are you-…" before she finished the question Cerrus hit her hard in the face with his right forearm. Still wearing armor he put enough force behind it to nearly knock her out. She staggered back and fell to the floor, dazed.
Nov heard the commotion. "Hey!" he called to Cerrus but by the time he got to him the door to the inner corridor closed. "Cerrus!" he shouted and tried to open it but it sparked and the light changed to red and flickered. "Son of a bitch! EDI!"
"I have been monitoring. Control systems have been sabotaged. Attempting bypass."
"Sidda," Nov called into his Omni-tool, "get up here, we have a problem." He headed over to Isla to make sure she was okay. Her nose and mouth were bleeding but she was still somewhat conscious. "Slowly. Slowly. You okay?"
"What the hell?" she mumbled.
"I'm sorry…I really should have seen that coming," he admitted.
Cerrus entered the Tech Lab before EDI could lock him out then tapped the same key on his Omni-tool causing the doors to fritz out same as the Armory door. "Major, this action is unacceptable." EDI admonished.
"I know," he replied and turned to the only other person in the Lab with him. Mordin watched the Turian. "You and I are going to have a talk, Doctor," Cerrus said quietly and the Salarian eyed him. He read his demeanor and deduced quickly that this wasn't going to be a friendly chat. "I want to know what happened to my mate."
Mordin was silent as he thought of how to handle this. "I have nothing to say on that matter as I told Spectre Nov," Mordin replied.
That was not the answer he wanted to hear and it only made him angrier. The Turian raised the weapon in his right hand. "Her name was Anara Cerrus, wore Chatti colony paint. Codename Gallion," he growled but Mordin remembered all that except her name. He only knew her by her codename. "Tuchanka. 2176. You tell me what happened now or I will kill you."
Mordin still hadn't moved from where he was. "The mission was STG classified. Rumors that there was a mutation in the Genophage sparked concern. Genophage no longer as effective prompted STG and Palaven Intelligence to conduct a fact finding mission. Mission parameters gave one Cabal as escort," he told him. "Further parameters given to me…your people call it Priority Black. They set the order. Upon determination that the Genophage required alteration I was to eliminate my escort."
The level of betrayal he felt couldn't be put into words and the thousands of questions he had dissipated into one. Priority Black…his own government ordered her death. "How did she die?"
Translation: how did you kill her? "Clean and painless," Mordin answered delicately. "One shot. Back of the head." Cerrus' heart broke all over again as he listened to Mordin. The thought of it nearly broke him. "I thought very highly of her, Major. Very kind. She enjoyed music and cooking. Wanted to modify a Salarian recipe I told her about to make for her mate."
Cerrus wanted to pull the trigger, wanted to avenge her. With every fiber of his being he wanted to kill this man.
Sidda joined Nov at the interior door to the Tech Lab as he had the panel to the right off trying to unlock it. "So, you told him," Sidda snapped at Nov. "How's that going for you?"
"Later," Nov snarled. "EDI, get this damn door open."
"Working. Maj. Cerrus did well in sabotaging the system."
"How'd he know how to do that?" Sidda asked only further irritating Nov.
"Because he's not stupid," he snapped. "It's one of my programs I gave to everyone. EDI!"
"Stand by." The AI replied with a hint of irritation of her own. "The sabotage is efficient."
"Thanks for that, Cal," Sidda sniped and the Turian rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Nov loved Sidda with all his heart but right now he really hated his girlfriend. "Will you save that for later?" he snapped loudly.
The door finally opened and the Sidda and Nov appeared. They got to see a simple scene of Cerrus standing across the lab console from Mordin's usual station holding a gun to his head.
"Cerrus, put the gun down," Sidda ordered but he ignored it. "Cerrus," she repeated and Nov put a hand on her arm.
"Did you leave her on Tuchanka?" Cerrus asked ignoring the fact that he had an audience now.
"Yes," Mordin answered honestly taking a gamble on the fact that so far Cerrus only wanted the truth. The fact that he was armed didn't seem to be as much of a problem unless he lied to him or tried to deny it. "There is no grave for her, Major. Her body likely claimed by the Tuchanka desert long ago. I am sorry, Major."
Nov observed Cerrus, he was a volatile person given the right stimulus and he had every right to kill Mordin right now. "Tyr," he began quietly, "you're not a murderer. Put the gun down."
Cerrus wanted to, he really wanted to. The thought about her last minutes, the idea that she was shot in the back of the head by someone she had gotten to know, maybe even trusted, angered him. He thought of her left on that radioactive rock to be claimed by the desert. It crushed him to learn that his own superiors ordered this and then redacted all information. They didn't even have the decency to tell him the truth. But here in front of him was the person who actually killed her…all he had to do was pull the trigger. He was so conflicted the pistol in his hand started to shake, he gripped it so tight they almost heard it creak. Spirits, did he want to pull the trigger but the other thing he thought about was what Anara would want him to do. He let out a frustrated, pain filled yell, and then slammed the Carnifex down on the lab table between them before leaving the Lab without a word to anyone. Mordin was following orders, that was what Anara would have told him.
Cerrus ran as far as he could on the frigate, trying to get away, trying to hide and found himself on the subdeck. He should have killed him. At least Anara would have been avenged in some way. People thought of him a mindless killer anyway so why not feed the stereotype. He should have just pulled the trigger. He roared his anger and hit the wall hard enough he felt it clean up into his shoulder and hit the wall again.
"Hey! What the hell…" a female voice exclaimed and he spun aggressively to see who interrupted him. It was the Human called Jack. Tali had told him about her, troubled Human biotic who did everything she could to keep to herself. Jack's body glowed blue and he realized that he was about to attack her and stopped himself.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly sounding more ashamed of his potential action then anything else. He wasn't a mindless killer.
This was the Turian that Sidda didn't get along with and she saw the violence in him. "Are you okay?" Jack found herself asking.
Cerrus saw the cot through the piping in the wall and realized he was standing in her quarters. "No," he answered truthfully. He was quite certain he'd never be okay after this. People he trusted lied to him for nearly 10 years. "I'm sorry…I just wanted to be alone."
"Ship's too small for that, Man," she replied. Jack wasn't totally insensitive and could tell he wasn't playing with her and also could tell that he needed help. "Take all the time you need," she told him. "Just try not to tear out the bulkhead."
When Tali found him it was because Jack let her know he was down in the subdeck. After his initial outburst he hadn't made so much as a peep. He was sitting in the dark corner ignoring everything except the image of Anara on his Omni-tool.
When she approached him she wasn't sure he even knew she was there, he was just staring at the image. "Hey," she announced and he tapped the Omni-tool sharply shutting off the image. "Shepard told me what happened. I'm so sorry, Tyr."
He held out his right hand and she took it letting him guide her down next to him. "I should have killed him."
Tali disagreed. "No. You would have regretted it." She was right. "Out of curiosity…why didn't you?"
Cerrus knew he had that reputation to shoot first and ask questions later. This time he asked the questions first…in time he'd forgive himself for doing it. "He was following orders."
"That's how I know you aren't a killer," she said as he put his arm around her.
Cerrus wasn't so sure. He'd been in the military a long time and had done horrible things to the point it didn't bother him as much. A bad sign. "I wanted to…even after he told me."
"You're a good person, Tyr," she said, "and I love you." It was the wrong time to bring up that he called her his mate during his candid statement to the Conclave. All they had been lacking was the ceremony to make it official.
He was glad to have her, lucky to have her really, and accepted her opinion of him. "I love you too, Tali."
"Shepard said an hour until we meet up with the Lante," she added and Cerrus remained where he was.
"I think I'll just stay here," he said as he thought about what was next. His future had always been set: career military just like his brothers and his mother. Now…he wasn't so sure.
The Normandy found the Lante right where they left them and Cerrus was over onto the ship in a hot minute. He didn't talk to anyone except Tali and now he was bound for Victus in the War Room. "Clear out," he ordered and Victus looked up from the map table when he heard the order. The crew looked from Cerrus to Victus and Cerrus barked his order again. "Now!"
They cleared out leaving Victus to give his officer a curious expression. "Major?"
"Did you know?" Cerrus demanded and Victus blinked…he apparently missed part of this conversation.
"Did I know what?" he asked genuinely confused.
"I know what happened to Anara," he said and Victus gave him an odd look.
"What? How?"
"The Salarian who killed her is on the Normandy," he snarled trying to keep his emotions in check. "She was killed during a STG and Palaven Intel joint mission tagged as Priority Black."
Victus' expression changed, he'd been a trigger on a few of those missions. No one ever liked them but if she was killed on one of those and then it was classified like that he didn't want to know what the government was trying to cover up. "Spirits…what was the mission?"
"You telling me you didn't know, General?" Cerrus hissed and Vicus took a step toward him.
"Major, if I'd have known I would have told you, now stow the accusations and tell me what happened," he scolded with the authoritative tone that made Cerrus back off.
"Palaven Command killed my mate," he said going from angry to completely crushed. "They killed her to protect their secret about the Genophage."
"What secret?"
"The Genophage mutated, became less effective," he answered sharply. "If you want to know more ask Mordin Solus."
"If the Genophage mutated it would definitely be something both governments would want to protect." Victus commented ignoring how snarky his officer was. "I'll talk to Fedorian."
"Don't bother," Cerrus replied and handed him the pad in his hand. "I resign."
The words hit Victus like a brick. Cerrus was career military just like he was. After everything he'd been through Victus thought Cerrus would make General, despite his colored past. As it sunk in he realized Cerrus was walking away. "Major, stop," he ordered loudly and Cerrus grudgingly did so. "I know you're angry and feel betrayed but do not do something you'll regret," he told him moving around in front of him.
"I will not work for the people who ordered her death," he replied firmly and left.
PS: In the first draft of this part of Foreign Relations I had this little mystery remain unsolved. That changed when I evolved Cerrus' character. I'm still pleasantly surprised with how many readers really love him.
Song used while I wrote out Cerrus in this chapter is Awake by Godsmack
