CHAPTER 14

"I apologize," Samara said, inclining her head at Rosemary. They were standing in the War Room, with Alenko and K'Mohi. "I killed her before you could interrogate her. This has caused you distress."

Rosemary knew her complexion was still pale from her little adventure in Illium. She silently appreciated the fact that Samara had been the one to kill Cicely and not her – but to shoot her in the head right in front of her... She wouldn't be surprised if she saw her armor later, with blood and gray matter still caked in the grooves. Killing Cicely right in front of her had done nothing to alleviate her distress – if anything, she had intensified it. So she smiled a politely vague smile and left the War Room, leaving the soldiers to their work.

She decided to visit the Med Bay. A twitchy doctor with distractingly whispy whiskers greeted her nervously, staring at her overly hard for a few seconds too long after she had explained her purpose. She had heard from EDI that a Doctor Karin Chakwas had been the Normandy's doctor until Emma Shepard's death. Unable to deal with the loss of her friend, she had accepted a position on the Citadel, in Huerta Memorial. She had been an excellent doctor, with a calm, easy disposition, EDI had said, a testy tone to her synthetic voice. Dealing with Doctor Haal, Rosemary could understand EDI's position.

"Name and rank," Doctor Haal repeated, his voice thready, with a whiny pitch to it.

"I just told you that my name is Rosemary Fletcher, and I don't have a rank. I'm not military."

"But this is a military ship," the doctor stressed. "It's an Alliance ship, too. You cannot be on this ship if you're not military," he rasped.

What bullshit, she thought angrily. "Look, I'm just here to check on Jondom Bau. The Spectre?"

"Jondom Bau is in my care. You are not Alliance; therefore, I cannot permit you to see him," the doctor insisted.

This is so stupid! "Jondom Bau isn't Alliance! He's Council," Rosemary argued, frustration making her voice louder.

"You know, I'm right here," Jondom said from his bed. "And she's right, doctor. I'm not Alliance, and technically this ship isn't exactly Alliance. She flies the colors, but she shares joint ownership with the Turian Empire."

The seedy-looking doctor narrowed his eyes. "A mere technicality. Don't know why the Alliance agreed. The Normandy is a human ship... with alien attachments."

You racist bitch. Royally pissed off now, Rosemary jabbed a finger at the door to the Med Bay. "OUT."

The doctor was outraged. "This is my Med Bay," he protested.

Jondom agreed with Rosemary. "And I outrank you," he pointed out. "Please leave."

When the doctor stomped off, muttering threats, Jondom relaxed in his bed. Rosemary sighed. "Thank you for that."

"You are welcome. Though, I think I might ask K'Mohi to guard me here. You just evicted my doctor, after all."

Rosemary winced. That hadn't occurred to her. "I'll ask her and Vega. Garrus, too. We'll take shifts," she assured him.

The salarian shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll only be here for another day. They're transferring me to Huerta Memorial when we reach the Citadel. Will you be coming? Yadai tells me you live there."

The Citadel. Had she lived there long enough for her to call it her home? She shrugged, not knowing the answer. "It's up to the Council, I suppose. I want to go back, but we don't know if things are safe enough for that."

"What you did on Illium – I was impressed." The salarian cocked his head. "I hear you're a C-Sec secretary. Why not be an officer? You have the potential."

"Thanks... but...no." Rosemary had thought about it for a while. "I have the ability now, yes – but not the talent." She showed the bandage on her neck. "Getting cut still hurts. I don't have the stomach for it."

"Well, of course it hurts," the Spectre chastised her. "You have krogan strength and toughness now. Krogans are hard to kill, but you can still kill them."

Rosemary's eyebrows rose. "Are all salarians this condescending?"

Jondom grinned. "It's a base racial trait."

XOXOXOXO

When the Normandy docked at the Citadel, Rosemary had barely set foot on it when she was whisked away by a couple of familiar C-Sec officers. Oliver and Keeya stayed behind on the Normandy, under the watchful metaphorical eyes of EDI and CARD.

The C-Sec officers were chatty, but alert. One of them, a white-marked turian, looked around the small Presidium street with sharp eyes, and said, "We've missed your coffees. Any word on when you'll be back here permanently?" For some reason, he seemed familiar.

The other officer, a batarian, perused a nearby storefront, eyeing the lingering shoppers with suspicion. "We've missed you doing our reports, too. We waste a lot of time on those stupid things."

Rosemary shrugged. She also felt bad, not knowing their names. "I hope I'll be back soon. It's all up to the Council."

"Wakey Brews looks like it'd be a nice place to relax," the batarian said, his voice rough but sincere. "I hope it opens soon."

She wished she could see the shop. She wondered what magic Imitha had done with it, to elicit such expectations. The C-Sec officers escorted her to the secret room she had had her last meeting with the Council in, and paused by the door. Rosemary took a deep breath. She needed courage for what she was about to do.

"What's your name, anyway," the batarian asked.

"Everyone calls you the Coffee Human back at the precinct," the turian explained.

Rosemary smiled, relaxing. She didn't feel so bad now, not knowing their names. "I'm Rosemary Fletcher. Rosemary's fine."

"Rynak Imperatus," the turian bowed.

"Tross Houg'Hom," the batarian introduced himself.

Now she recognized the turian. He was friends with Nuni's admirer. She supposed she ought to feel bitter about hearing what he had said about 'fatty' humans, but she wasn't feeling that. To each their own, and all that.

She felt better now, and mustered her courage. Here we go.

XOXOXOXO

After Rosemary gave her personal report on what had happened on Illium, the councilors took a moment to discuss it amongst themselves – in annoyingly hushed whispers.

She inhaled. Then exhaled. Let's do this. "What steps have you taken to ensure the safety of the hybrids," she asked the councilors, her voice echoing in the sparse chamber.

The councilors looked at her, startled at the difference in her manner. She pushed her natural timidity away and forced herself to stand straight, and glared at the Council. "I asked a question." The tone of her voice was curt, and hard.

The salarian councilor looked highly offended at her tone. "I hardly see how that is any of your business. You are merely one hybrid's guardian."

"She is also a Unique Energy Facilitator," the asari councilor reminded the salarian councilor. "She is in a uniquely dangerous position. The Divide has targeted her."

Eastment agreed with Tevos. Before the salarian councilor could protest, he answered her question. "There is... a development being constructed to secure the hybrid population. Hybrids are rare, but not overly so. There are only thousands of them. The development will be prepared to house and service one million hybrids at maximum capacity."

Rosemary was stunned. Hope blossomed in her heart as she realized the magnitude of what he was saying. She could come home – soon, even. She also realized that there was only one place on the Citadel that had the space for such a huge project.

"Wasteful," the salarian spat. "All that potential space on the Crucible – being donated to these... hybrids! Charity cases – the lot of them! Not just the hybrids, but whatever Fletcher is."

The turian councilor was unmoved by the salarian's discontent. "It's just as well. The Citadel is a few million citizens as it is – a direct consequence of the Reaper War. We need to prove that the Citadel, the seat of our galactic government, is a safe place again."

"You do realize how many plans you've upset with this development? How many financial powers you've angered," the salarian demanded of his peers. "They were prepared to invest billions of credits! Billions!"

The asari, turian, and human councilors ignored him. "The townhouse is yours, Rosemary Fletcher," the asari told Rosemary. "You have been made the permanent and official guardian of Keeya , and of your brother, Oliver. Balint Fortem has reinforced the townhouse's security."

Rosemary winced. "Balint... is still in charge?" She didn't know if she could handle seeing that turian again. The memory of their last encounter still stung.

"You have an objection," the asari councilor queried.

"Balint Fortem is our finest officer." The salarian councilor glared at Rosemary. "What more do you want?"

"But..." Rosemary shook her head. It was her own personal hang-up; it didn't concern the safety of her family and the hybrids. She needed to get past it herself. "Never mind."

The salarian councilor hmphed. "Such a waste of limited funds," he muttered, contempt oozing from every uttered syllable. "No financial potential at all. It's a credit pit. They are even real asari or real salarians."

Rosemary snapped. "Shut it!"

The salarian stared. "I beg your pardon?"

"You don't like it, QUIT! Do you expect me to just sit here and take your racist bullshit?"

"You cannot talk to me like that," the salarian shouted, incensed at her gall.

All the raw emotions she'd kept down boiled to the surface. "We are SYNTHESIZED. We are connected! Get OVER it!"

The asari councilor looked stunned by her outburst. "Rosemary!"

Rosemary thought of little Keeya, and the thousands of children being hunted by the Divide – and rage overcame her. "Those children represent a united future! Shepard gave her life to bring us peace! How long did it last? TWO GODDAMN YEARS! The world is changing – you need to get that stick out of your amphibian ASS and accept it!" Her eyes flashed green, lighting up the entire room. The salarian councilor faltered, sensing a very real danger coming from the human. He actually looked afraid, and Rosemary felt pleasure, seeing, smelling that fear.

"Easy, Rose," a voice whispered in her ear.

Starting, Rosemary turned to see Garrus standing right behind her. Her eyes widened, but her rage was already diminishing. Garrus didn't look afraid of her at all. His posture was relaxed – unmoved. She felt his calm – absorbed it.

"How... When did you get here?"

"I was just outside the door. I came to support you. Sparatus notified me when you started shouting."

Embarrassed, Rosemary hung her head. "I'm sorry." She really had gone out of control...

Garrus' eyes were kind. "Don't be."

XOXOXOXO

WARNING: Lemon ahead!