MASS EFFECT 2: DARK RENDITION
*PART XI*
The most important members of the Normandy's crew stood around the polished wooden table of the comms room as they waited for their commander to arrive. Most, including the two Cerberus members had been there for several weeks, while Garrus had been at Shepard's side since the very beginning. As a result a few of them deferred to him automatically, the turian's legend carrying great weight among both the elite team and the regular crew alike.
It was a situation Miranda had dreaded since his identity as Archangel had been revealed. She could feel Cerberus' hold over the group slip as they grew used to Shepard's command and the problem was not isolated to the non-Cerberus members. Despite her best efforts, Miranda had felt a schism between herself and Jacob as the latter grew more comfortable with Shepard's leadership. If it had been anyone else it wouldn't have been a problem but the soldier was more than a Cerberus colleague to her. He was her friend, and at times he'd been the only one she'd had.
She eyed him keenly as he casually conversed with Mordin, his deep voice giving the hum of conversation a warm undertone. With no small amount of bitterness her gaze shifted to Garrus as he said something to Zaeed, bringing a rough chuckle from the old merc. She then watched Jack as she sat in the corner by herself sullenly, lifting her head only to mutter something to Grunt as he milled about next to her. Kasumi too joined in the conversation, saying something that earned a sneer from the former prisoner and a rumbling reply from the krogan.
With a sigh, Miranda turned away to face the door. She was not a part of this team and it irked her that despite her best efforts to keep the ship under the Illusive Man's control, it felt that the reins were slipping from her fingers. With no one to talk to, she folded her arms, listening to the heavy material of her suit creak as she moved.
'You ok?' asked Jacob, startling her slightly. She had not realised how deep into thought she had slipped and didn't turn to him as she answered, lest her cold facade break.
'I'm fine. I see you've made yourself popular, though,' she said, perhaps more resentfully than she intended.
'Not this again…' Jacob sighed. 'Miranda, you know me. You know why I'm here. I've never made it a secret that I've never trusted the Illusive Man, or that I've completely approved of Cerberus. My only loyalty is to this mission and the only way we'll accomplish it is by integrating fully into the team.'
'What about Shepard?' she asked.
Jacob merely shrugged. 'He doesn't trust us but at least he admits it. That kind of honesty is hard to come by and even though I don't always agree with what he does, I can't argue with his intentions. He's a good leader, easily the match of anyone I ever served under in the Alliance and I know he's the best man for this mission.'
'Ah, Jacob,' Miranda said wistfully and, to Jacob's surprise, she smiled as she spoke. 'You were always so…uncomplicated. I'm glad to see some things don't change.'
Jacob smiled in return and for a brief moment the old friends held each other's eyes, a distant memory passing between them, unspoken and rightly so. The hiss of the door interrupted the moment and the pair joined the others in appraising Shepard as he entered the room.
The commander looked exhausted, his skin pale and gaunt, stretched across the frame of his skull with a mop of damp, unwashed hair above and a thin network of scars cutting across the left side of his face. He cut an intimidating figure despite his obvious fatigue and no one could doubt the intensity of his purpose. They met his eyes as they glowed crimson in their sockets.
'This mission just got complicated,' Shepard announced clearly. 'About an hour ago, Tali was abducted by Eclipse mercenaries and taken to their main base near the Nos Astra spaceport. Our main priority is to get her back.' Nobody dared ask if it was Shepard's priority or the mission's. 'As it happens, Samara is also willing to join us if we can retrieve the name of a ship they used to smuggle someone off-world only a day or so ago.'
A quiet murmur rippled through the group as the room darkened and the holographic display in the centre burst to life, filling their vision with the schematics of an office tower. The display flickered wildly for a few seconds before the mass of orange lines sharpened and they could make out every small detail of the building.
'Speed is key here so this won't take long. We need to be out there as quickly as possible in case they decide to move Tali elsewhere. If we don't get her back now we may never find her again.' His eyes shifted to Garrus for a moment and the turian looked away, unable to meet his glare.
'This operation will need us all to work together. We'll be splitting into three teams; two assault teams, Mannovai and Jaёto, and a third team in charge of electronic interference, Shadow team. That team will remain on the Normandy and disrupt security and communications.'
Only Garrus understood the significance of the names and Mordin tilted his head curiously at the mention of the famous salarian colonies.
'Mannovai will consist of Garrus, Zaeed and myself. We'll be entering the building from the ground floor and working our way up. Joker will use the Normandy to insert Jaёto on the roof and they'll infil from there. Jacob, you're in charge. Jack, Grunt, follow his orders as if they're my own.' Jacob stiffened with pride at the appointment. He would not let the commander down. 'Both teams will do a clean sweep and meet up on the roof for extraction. Joker will keep the Normandy nearby in case of an emergency, allowing Shadow Team,' he met the gaze of Mordin and Kasumi, 'to do their jobs. Sorry Kasumi, I know you'd rather go in on foot but the fighting will be intense and you're no front line soldier.'
'Oh, don't worry about me, Shepard,' Kasumi replied in her usual, mischievous tone. 'I'll be able to do plenty from here.'
'Glad to hear it. Any questions before we head out?'
'Yes,' Mordin responded immediately. His arms were folded and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. 'Roof insertion easy. Not likely to be much resistance. Ground entrance, heavily guarded, however. Also, strong security, would take time to decrypt and hack. Even quickest viruses would take time, but then again, not my area of expertise. Maybe do more research-'
'And you're letting this guy co-ordinate comms?' Zaeed interrupted, a sarcastic smirk creasing his twisted features. 'That's a bloody laugh.'
'Better someone with intelligence than an underdeveloped Homo Heidelbergensis. Will let you look up meaning later,' Mordin retorted with an irritated frown.
'Enough!' Shepard yelled as he hunched over the table. 'I don't want to hear any of this during the assault. You were all picked because you're the best. Prove it to me today.' They all seemed to straighten at the compliment and his voice was normal once again as he went on. 'To answer your question, Detective Anaya has given us some intel. A volus was murdered in the spaceport a few hours ago but by the time she got there the crime scene was crawling with mercs. The volus was a known business associate of Pitne For, a merchant staying over in Illium. Anaya believes he's involved with the murder and he may have even hired the mercs to kill his old partner. The way I see it, he's our ticket in.'
'That's assuming he's actually been inside the Eclipse base,' Jacob interjected. 'He could've been working through intermediaries.'
'That's a risk we'll have to take,' Shepard answered with a sigh. It was a long shot, certainly, but he had little choice. 'Look, this is the first time we've all worked together as one unit but it's something we'll need to get used to. When we take the fight to the Collectors we'll need to be a well oiled machine. I know you're all capable of this so let's get out there and do it.' The group murmured their assent and Shepard dismissed them. 'Alright, suit up and get ready.'
The team filed out, talking amongst themselves as they walked. The excitement of the coming combat could be felt keenly by them all, although no one noticed that Miranda and Garrus had remained behind. The Cerberus operative was pale with anger and her voice was a thin, venomous rasp.
'You intentionally kept me out of this operation, Shepard!' she hissed. Shepard looked at her indifferently.
'I need people I can rely on out there, and so does Tali,' he replied. 'You haven't given me a reason to trust you.'
'You don't need a reason!' she said, her eyes narrowed in hatred. 'This isn't your ship, no matter what you think and I won't let this go unanswered!'
Before Shepard could answer, she had stormed out of the room, leaving him alone with Garrus. His friend cocked a brow at the exchange before returning to his solemn mood. For his part, Shepard remained neutral. Garrus had not spoken to him since their return from the spaceport and even though Shepard knew what bothered his old friend, his own shock at the turn of events had prevented him from offering any comfort.
'Shepard…I'm sorry,' he began. His voice, already rendered dry and broken by his injury, cracked under the weight of his guilt. 'I should have gone after her when I realised she'd dropped out of contact.'
Silence stretched between them. Shepard wanted to say it was alright, that there was nothing he could have done but Tali's capture had stung him in a way he had never thought possible. Everything that came before, including Liara's rejection, had disappeared in the moment he saw Tali dragged away. He knew Garrus was wracked with remorse and yet, for some reason, Shepard couldn't forgive him. Not until Tali was safe.
'Thank you for including me on your team,' Garrus continued hesitantly. 'I won't let you down again.'
Shepard nodded brusquely and turned around to shut down the hologram display, returning the room to its previously sterile, white glow.
'I need people I can trust as well as experienced soldiers. Zaeed is as tough as they come but you've saved my life almost as many times as I've saved yours,' he joked. The jibe raised Garrus' spirits slightly and he leaned back to rest on the table.
'Mannovai? Jaёto?' he smirked. The names were used by Captain Kirrahe on Virmire, and as part of Shepard's Shadow Team he recalled the mission with stark clarity, including Shepard's agony over the sacrifice of Chief Williams.
'I thought it'd bring us luck,' Shepard admitted, his eyebrows raised. 'That mission was a success, after all.'
Garrus smiled and made his exit, glancing over his shoulder before disappearing from sight. 'By the way, I wanted to tell you the Illusive Man sent you a gift. It's waiting for you in your cabin, I think you'll like it.'
***ME2-DR***
The asari mercenary screamed under the point of the scalpel as it cut into her flesh, a piercing shriek that made Wasea's blood run cold in her veins. They had no anaesthetic besides a limited supply of batarian ale and still it was not enough as the surgical unit worked to cut around the gaping shotgun wound.
With a baleful glare, Wasea watched the merc twist and writhe under her restraints as the unit did its work, the robotic arms gracefully weaving around her leg before cauterising the bloody mass.
A sickly stench rose as flesh burned and Wasea folded her arms in silence as the work was finished and her subordinate was hauled off the bed by two waiting orderlies, a limp, dead weight on their arms. She had fallen unconscious, the pain too much to bear, and her comrades swore gently as they staggered out of the medbay.
'If Nassana didn't want her untouched, the quarian would be strapped to that bed right now,' Wasea muttered darkly to her lieutenant, a salarian with weathered, pale green skin laced with twisting red tattoos. His teeth were gnarled and as yellow as his armour, and he replied in a thin, reedy voice.
'She'll never walk right again,' he said, staring after the injured asari. 'I hate to say it but she may be a liability. She sure as hell won't be earning as much and I know she can't afford cybernetics.'
Wasea shot him an annoyed glance. 'I don't like just cutting my people loose, Kohia, but I guess you know what you're doing. If it looks like she'll be a burden then you know what to do.'
Kohia nodded slowly. The old merc was no stranger to removing thorns in Wasea's side from within the company and without and this would be no exception. It was regrettable but they had to put the good of the company above all else. The last thing Eclipse needed was to waste resources on maintaining a mercenary who could not perform their duties. Often it was deemed more humane to simply put them out of their misery.
'That damn quarian,' Wasea continued to rant. 'She's just lucky she's worth so much.'
'Who is she?' asked Kohia, curiously.
'I don't know, a friend or associate of someone who has Nassana spooked. Some human called Shepard.'
Kohia froze for a moment and his eyes flickered from side to side, as if searching for something. 'Shepard. As in Commander Shepard? That's the name of the human who saved the Citadel from the geth a couple of years back. I'd heard he was dead.'
'The way Nassana's been acting lately, I wouldn't be surprised if she was afraid of dead men. The woman's lost her mind, apparently, totally paranoid. Still, a job's a job and she's paying us a lot for that quarian.'
Wasea turned to leave the room and motioned for Kohia to follow. The two mercs strolled down the long corridor, their armoured boots tapping on the gleaming floor.
'Say he isn't dead, this Shepard, do you think he'll be trouble?' Kohia asked as he tried to keep the concern from his voice.
'Are you crazy?' his commander laughed. 'He'd have to be insane to attack us here. We've got a whole platoon of sixty men, plus a gunship on perimeter patrol. Even if he was stupid enough to try something like that, he wouldn't get far.'
'Still,' Kohia persisted, 'it might be prudent to tighten security, at least until the prisoner has been transferred to Dantius Towers.'
'What's the matter, Kohia?' Wasea said with the unmistakable glint of challenge in her eyes. 'Losing your nerve?'
The salarian pursed his lips in frustration. It was no secret that he thought Wasea too arrogant, too bloodthirsty and prone to acting before thinking. Neither was it a secret that Kohia had always considered himself the true successor to the last platoon commander. However, Wasea had bested him in one aspect; pure aggression. He did not value the post as worth risking his life and had stepped down, leaving Wasea as the undisputed commander of Nos Astra's Eclipse. It was an outcome of which she ceaselessly reminded him.
'Hardly,' he snapped, 'however, I recommend we at least increase patrols along the bottom floors and the roof. The quarian was obviously well trained and equipped, far better than your usual vagrant suit-rat. Whether or not she is a friend of Shepard, if she had accomplices they'd likely be just as dangerous, if not more so.'
They stepped into a vast, spacious chamber stacked high with boxes and canisters. Mercs swarmed between the crates like scuttling insects, cataloguing and moving them into various storage bays lining the high walls.
'The Minagen X3 shipment bound for Omega leaves tomorrow," Wasea shouted, her voice carrying high above the din. 'We need every available man here to make sure it's ready. This deal is worth over seven million credits and you want to delay it just because you're afraid of an attack that nobody in their right minds would attempt?' Her eyes fixed on Kohia and her tone wavered between mocking and outright livid. 'And you say you're not losing your nerve? If Jaroth heard you talking like that he'd have killed you on the spot.'
'Jaroth is dead, Wasea, you seem to forget that,' he replied stoically. From what he remembered of Omega's former Eclipse boss, he did not think she was lying but he knew the only reason Wasea tolerated Kohia's presence was to rub her success in his face. 'He underestimated his enemy too and he paid the price. Mercs value success above all else, remember that.'
'I'm about to cut one of the biggest deals in Eclipse's history. When we're done, even Dantius herself will think twice about pushing us around. I think that speaks for itself,' she answered smugly. Her look of quiet triumph turned to irritation, however, as a nervous initiate scurried up to the pair, her head bowed in exaggerated humility.
'Ma'am, we have a problem. The quarian has escaped from her cell.'
Wasea could only glower in shock and Kohia's mouth curled into a satisfied grin.
'Looks like we won't have to worry about someone coming to find her after all,' the salarian mumbled aloud.
Baring her teeth in fury, Wasea glared at the unfortunate initiate, who paled visibly as her commander vented her rage.
'What the hell do you mean escaped?' she screamed. 'Find her, damn it!'
'Y-yes ma'am, we have search teams combing the building. She w-won't get far,' the young asari stuttered, fear stealing the words from her lips.
'If that damn quarian isn't found in the next hour I want the leaders of those search teams in front of me. I'll teach them the price of failure. If they aren't here I'll hold you responsible!'
Kohia watched in amusement as the initiate simply stood there for some time, either unwilling or unable to move. For a moment he thought she would simply faint until Wasea ordered her away.
'What are you looking at me for? Get out of here!' she shouted, sending the initiate running like a scolded animal.
Wasea eyed Kohia coldly but said nothing, instead choosing to stride away, enraged beyond words. For his part, Kohia pondered the situation. Should he tell her that, as one of a technically-minded species, not to mention being slender enough to do so, the quarian would likely stick to vents and shafts? Should he also remind her of the danger the escapee could pose to their internal networks and systems?'
With a cheerful grin, he decided against it. Let Wasea clean up her own mess for a change, he thought to himself with an ironic smirk. After all, mercs value success above all else.
***ME2-DR***
The Colossus armour shone in the bright lights outside Anaya's precinct building, every detail mirrored in the pristine curves of the unbreakable plates. The suit, a gift from the Illusive Man, was the first choice of any Spectre and Shepard revelled in the freedom of its flexibility and the security of its unmatched protection. Somehow it restored another link to his previous life and he felt a comfort that went beyond the armour's flawless design.
It lent Shepard a truly frightening look. The jet-black surfaces, spotted with bright red inlays, was as intimidating as it was imposing and the effect was not lost on Pitne For as he carefully watched the commander approach with Garrus and Zaeed.
'Commander...Shepard, was it?' the volus asked nervously. No reply came and Pitne stumbled as he unconsciously backed away.
Without a word, Shepard took hold of the harness that looped over the shoulder of Pitne's suit and dragged the helpless volus across the ground.
'What are you doing?' he cried out. 'Get your hands off me!'
His screams went unheeded, however. The officers in front of the station lowered their heads, deaf to his pleas as the men dragged him into a darkened passageway. When they finally dumped him unceremoniously on the ground, Pitne was breathing heavily and his swollen belly rippled as he jerked an accusing finger in their direction.
'This is an outrage! You won't get away with this, I know people!'
'Who do you know, exactly?' Shepard asked casually. His arms were crossed and his companions stared icily at their quarry. Pitne shifted under their gaze, his resolve wavering as he noted the remorseless malice in their eyes.
'I say we just chuck him over the edge and be done with it,' sneered the other human as he glanced back at the shuttle platform. The man's face was pitted and bloated with scars and his right arm was heavily tattooed. 'The little shit ain't gonna be any use to us anyway.'
Shepard's other friend, a turian who was even more disfigured than the first man, watched Pitne as a predator would eye its prey. His voice came as a gravelly, uneven drone over the wind rushing through the alley.
'I agree. This guy obviously isn't interested in talking. I'm all in favour of beating that smug look off his face first, though.'
Pitne was lost for words. Terror had paralysed him and he could do no more than whimper helplessly as the three men calmly discussed his impending death. Finally, he coughed out a reply to Shepard's question, forcing the sound out of his suit's amplifiers.
'Please don't hurt m-me! I'll give you whatever you want!' he sobbed. His voice quivered as it rushed out and his short, stubby arms flailed in panic as he begged.
Shepard turned to Zaeed. 'You know, during Infiltrator training we were given advanced instruction on interrogation techniques for all known species. It's amazing what you can do with a simple combat knife.'
With that, Zaeed produced a short, wicked-looking blade from a scabbard on his belt and silently handed it over to the commander. A cold wave of dread washed over Pitne at the sight of the knife and he felt his suit grow damp.
'A volus' suit is highly pressurized,' Shepard continued. 'Even a small exposure to the atmosphere of a regular garden world is enough for the skin to split under its own weight. I've heard the pain is similar to being cooked alive.'
Pitne wailed in horror at the thought of his own skin bursting like ripe fruit. He shook uncontrollably and shrank back as Shepard kneeled before him and spoke into the eyes of his rebreather.
'You cut a deal with the Eclipse mercs, didn't you?'
'No, I s-swear!' Pitne stammered.
'Don't lie to me!' Shepard roared in response. 'We know your business partner was murdered by those mercenaries and we also know you paid them to do it!'
'No! It wasn't like that!' the volus screamed. 'I didn't want them to kill Dakne, I swear!'
'What did you want them to do? Torture him? Beat him? Tell me what I need to know!'
Zaeed and Garrus watched without reaction as Shepard took hold of the fleshy creature's suit and slowly raised the knife. The silver edge of the blade flashed in the dull light and Pitne howled mournfully as his bowels emptied.
'I didn't want him dead! They killed him because of the Minagen! They killed him because of me!'
'What the hell are you taking about?' Shepard asked. His expression remained hard, although curiosity had edged into his voice. 'What's Minagen?'
'Minagen X3,' Pitne sobbed. 'It's a chemical that can drastically enhance biotic abilities in sentient beings. Anybody with an ounce of biotic talent can become several times more powerful in a matter of minutes.'
'What does this have to do with Dakne?' pressed Shepard impatiently.
'The Minagen is perfectly safe in small doses but it's still highly experimental, unstable even. After a short time it begins to overwhelm the user's nervous system. Too much and it'll overload all kinetic barriers and kill you outright. We...' Pitne paused, shame overwhelming him as he confessed his mistake, 'we didn't tell the mercs. They must have found out the hard way. The next thing we knew we were being chased by one of their squads through the spaceport. Dakne distracted them and told me to run but Anaya...'
Shepard blinked in surprise and lowered the knife. Pitne now wept openly, a pathetic shell of the defiant volus who had barked objections at them mere moments before.
'You sold them a deadly narcotic and then tried to cut and run when they realised you'd screwed them over,' Shepard muttered in disgust. 'Even while your partner took the fall you tried to escape on the nearest shuttle. You misled Detective Anaya and because of your lies my friend is in their hands.'
'I wish we'd never come here,' said Pitne. 'I wish none of this had happened.'
'The last words of a beaten man,' Garrus mumbled as he shook his head. 'Would you have been this remorseful if you'd have gotten off-world after all?'
Shepard was unmoved. The volus had gambled and lost, taking everyone with him. As a single, momentary thought of Tali crossed his mind, Shepard briefly considered carrying out his threats and scraping the knife across Pitne's suit. It would not solve anything, however, he knew that much. There was still some good the wretched, weeping figure before him could do.
'Did you get access to the Eclipse hideout when you sold them the Minagen?' Shepard asked.
'Yes, in fact I kept the codes to their rear entrance. It's a freight elevator, you can't miss it.'
Shepard's omni-tool lit up as Pitne transferred the codes. He did not need to mention that he would have sold them off to a rival merc company or even one of Illium's law authorities once he was safely off world.
'If the mercs have been consuming this Minagen, isn't there a danger we could run into an army of unstoppable biotic soldiers?' Garrus pointed out. Pitne shook his head.
'I don't think their leader wanted to use it, or even keep any of it. I think she wanted to sell it on. Minagen is highly illegal and still in the developmental stages, but it is valuable. I doubt they'd want to keep more than a small stash when they could make a fortune selling it to other mercs.'
'I want you to head over and see Detective Anaya,' Shepard ordered. His tone was filled with a sense of finality and Pitne's heart sank as he listened. 'Tell her everything you just told me. If I found out you've tried to run again, I'll find you, do you understand?'
His voice was calm and for some reason it chilled Pitne even more than the snarling threats he had made only minutes before. The volus nodded in grim resignation and slowly waddled off in the direction of the police station.
'Great. Now we can finally get some killing done,' Zaeed said with satisfaction. Shepard did not waste time and immediately keyed his suit radio.
'Joker, we have the codes. You can start your approach.'
'Aye-aye, Commander,' the helmsman replied and Shepard glanced at his two teammates.
'Here we go.'
