Chapter 20
Onodesa got to Raes maybe a minute before his Force powered lungs would give out, finding the stream of polonium gas being filtered through the ship's ventilation and tracing it back to the ship's fusion core where he found the cowardly traitor huddled in the discharge shaft just before that minute was up. Even though they weren't beholden to the same code as the Jedi it wouldn't serve the balance or the Empress to let Raes die clawing his eyes out, even if he had let his own comrades die in the same fashion. Instead he dragged him out and forced him to reveal where he had planted the EMP. He returned down the lit main corridor minutes later to find his master at the pilot's chair, Lieutenant Taneda gripping the stump below his right elbow, shock and hyperventilation obvious to any species features.
"What's the plan Master?" he asked stepping by the injured cultist.
"They have something close to the equivalent of a bacta-patch on the wall over there, grab one and give it to Lieutenant Taneda".
"This Me-di…gel?" Onodosa sounded at the words on the container.
"That's it. Some ships passed through the checkpoint just before the EMP went off. I aim to find them."
Ono bent down in front of the Turian and attempted to pry the alien's fingers off his wound, but got cursed at in an unknown language for his trouble. This time he pried the bony digit back as far as it would go and the he relented with a gasp, revealing the tell-tale damage of a lightsaber.
"I think we're too far behind that nexu Master, I have a suggestion," he said as he applied the painkilling and healing adhesive.
Gaedus turned in his seat as the ship's sublight engine came alive. "By all means, let's hear it," he said with his trademark half grin.
"Hey kid…kid!" Garrus shook his head at Ven next to him as he looked at Nair.
"Her name is Nair, and she's trying to find us a way out of this mess". His words were punctuated by a thud against the flyer's stern as the C-Sec vehicle had now opened fire, causing traffic to fall away like leaves in a gale.
"Well, can Nair help us from back here?" he patted the sniper rifle between his legs.
Ven leaned forward and grabbed the twi'lek's shoulder, her eyes snapped open with the genuine surprise of being forced out of a Force meditation. But after an initial look of annoyance she climbed into the back as Garrus climbed into the front. The maneuver made all the more awkward by Kaiden's rapid shifts within the sky lane.
Their actions in concert with each other would've been admirable for any pair of Force-linked Jedi, let alone one Force sensitive with little training. With a simple nod, Kaiden allowed the C-Sec flyer to get right on their six before dropping down and throwing the ship into reverse, while at the same time throttling forward and thumbing down the holographic stick, bringing their dented, and now smoking flyer, up fifty yards behind the C-Sec flyer. Garrus, who had been readying his shot half hanging out the window despite the high inertia, unleashed two slugs from his high powered rifle into the back of the blue and white flyer. A plume of bluish smoke erupted from the back grill and the ship plummeted to into the shallow chasm below.
Garrus pulled himself back inside the vehicle and thumbed the window. Kaiden shot him a raised eyebrow and the turian shrugged, eliciting a sly smile from the human beside him. Despite it all, Ven smiled broadly himself and looked to his Padawan beside him to see if she had seen what happened, but found her still in deep meditation. That aloofness lasted just a moment as her eyes bolted open and she shot forward to lean between the front seats.
"It's a small dock and has a B-11 over the bay door, do you know it?"
Kaiden looked at her briefly in the mirror and then answered by taking a hard left. "Ven com the Mand'alor tell them to hit auto-destination and say Vessana Docks B-11".
"We may need to pile in with them after that move you pulled," Garrus teased.
"I'll be gentle from here on in" she said, patting the dashboard.
They did make it to the Vessana Docks in the half speed flyer, even beating the Mandos autopiloted flyer to the second of three cargo docks located on this ward. Waiting for them outside the Alliance light cruiser were a tense and even angry looking pair in red armor. So they don't share the Jedi's stoicism. Kaiden hadn't spent much time with the Imperial Knights, but they were far easier to understand. She could relate to having a tangible duty given by a living being, whether that being was an empress or not.
Nair broke into a short run as she saw the younger knight before falling into an awkward embrace that ended even more awkwardly as Ven, Rand, and the others caught up to them. The Mand'alor's last bodyguard shrugged at Ven. "Mesh-la didn't make it. Osik has lost his pursuit and will join us soon."
"I'm sorry," Ven intoned solemnly and both Mandalorians grunted their acknowledgement.
"I have no doubt it was a good death," Mirdala removed her helmet for the first time since the fighting started.
"Yes, I'm sure it was," Ven agreed with feeling that would probably be frowned upon by some of the more conservative of his order. Rand nodded imperceptibly her thanks at his acceptance of Mandalorian customs.
"We had Vanguard on our picket" the white haired knight said, ignoring both the budding romance and the solemn condolences.
"It wasn't just on the picket. They had people in place throughout the station…they must've been planning this for months if not years," Ven answered as he locked arms with his counterpart.
"Some ships passed through unchecked right as a hidden EMP went off, there can be no doubting who it was".
"No doubt," Ven agreed.
"So Nair said you had a plan?" Kaiden asked clearly impatient.
The two knights looked at each and the older one nodded to the younger. "This large spire" Onodesa said pointing to the Citadel tower in the distance, "is where your mother and the rest of the Council meet?"
Ashley and the other councilors had been moved to their council rostrum, and that was where they had stood in near silence for the past half an hour. Eventually new guards arrived, one or two in C-Sec uniforms and the other four in civilian clothes. Ashley could only fume silently at the depth and scope of this betrayal. Finally commotion in the form of com chatter and guards straightening their posture, signaled the arrival of Sol'nothea, her iconic scalp cresting the last flight of steps. A krogan and another Asari flanked her.
In her late seven hundreds she still had the physique to rival Kaiden's. She wore a white leather one piece suit with a gold head band. Ash also noticed some kind of staff like weapon on her back.
She walked to the edge of the Petitioner Balcony. Ash was beginning to wonder as to the point of this show before the yellow hover cam materialized off to the left.
"You all know me as Sol'nothea; fomer Justicar and leader of the Vanguard. But what you may not know is what we are the Vanguard of. We are the dawn of awakening. The blaring alarm that shakes the orginal denizens of this galaxy out of their complacent slumber. The force that rocks those censored by the constraints of polite society and-"
"-Get on with it! I would rather be-"
"-Silence her!" Ashley felt a rifle butt to the back of her head before she was grabbed and gagged.
Despite the pain and anger, the fact she could see Sol'nothea had lost her moment, made it all worth it.
"We are your Vanguard. The humans had the incredible fortune of being the only Citadel race not to have their fleet decimated by the Reapers. They have turned that fortune into an unchecked position of military and political power. None of us should have so much power over the rest. Especially not some primitive upstarts who have shown a predilection towards conquest."
The Asari next to her held a finger to her ear to listen to a report before flashing a look at her leader. The signal was clear, hurry up. "What I do now may seem extreme. But only to those without the foresight or the selflessness to see past their own today."
Sol'nothea made a show of about facing to the rostrum at her left. The hovercam following her every move. "Councilor Valern. I petition you to vote Yes on expelling the humans from the Citadel…and using the station's counter measure to render their fleet no further danger to us".
If Valern had a human nose he would've looked down it at her. Instead he lifted an accusing finger and said "I vote no".
Sol'nothea for her part didn't blink. "I am sorry to hear that".
Ashley knew what was coming but was still jolted when the sound of hand cannon discharged just behind Valern's head.
Ashley head Tevos cry out as she pressed forward again. "You bastard!"
Instead of hitting her, her new Batarian guard simply locked her arms behind her back.
"As luck would have it, we have a ready replacement". A female Salarian callously stepped over own kind, and straightened her back in a shallow attempt to mimic a true elector about to give their oath. One of the guards pulled the Councilor's key off a Valern's neck and handed it to the traitorous Salarian now standing in his position.
"Councilor Esheel, I ask you to vote Yes to my previously stated petition".
"I do…vote Yes that is" the hooded alien said as she input the simple key into Valern's rostrum.
Sol'nothea gave an exaggerated nod of thanks and moved her gaze to Tevos's rostrum. "Councilor Tevos" she smiled fiercely. "Do I even have to ask the great puppet of Earth?"
"Tevos, just give her what she wants, give us time" Sol'nothea pointed at her and she was slammed down into the rostrum.
The blow cut her head as she could see the tinge of red fill her eye as the Batarian held her face against the rostrum's vid screen. Even with the sanguine obfuscation she could still see Tevos's act of bravery as she told Sol'nothea she didn't need to waste her time, and then closed her eyes before mouthing a quiet prayer to the goddess, never to open them again. Again another Asari was ready to replace Tevos and sign on with her planned genocide.
One of the stipulations upon admitting Ashley to the Council was that the previously unanimous consensus for passage was trimmed down to a simple majority. Access to the station's full capabilities now rested with Sparatus. Strangely enough there was no ready Turian standing just off his shoulder.
"Councilor Sparatus, for years you have seen the threat posed by the humans but haven't had the chance to act. At least I hope you haven't had the chance and it wasn't your courage that faltered. Either way, now is that chance to preserve the security of the indigenous inhabitants of the Citadel. I ask you to vote Yes to expel these would be conquerors," she pointed dramatically at Ashley who had just been ripped back from the podium, "and use our last defensive measure to bring parity back to the galaxy".
Sparatus looked at Ashley and she made a point of staring back as hard as she could under the circumstances. "Go ahead Sparatus, it's what you always wanted" she spat.
The painted Turian gave her a rueful shake of the head. "No it isn't" his voice was barely audible.
"What was that?" Sol'nothea demanded.
Sparatus turned back to their tormentor. "I said no…this isn't what I wanted. I warned of the threat of humans becoming too powerful because I believed the rest of the galaxy was giving them more than enough accolades. And while the size of their fleet and the destruction of my own pains me and sometimes worries me, they have done nothing but fight for the whole good of the galax-"
"-enough of this!" she snapped.
But Sparatus continued undeterred. "-Even against their own extremists!"
Ashley saw the Carnifax M6 rise to the back of the Turians head and she yelled as loud as she could at the galaxy. Then, as if the galaxy heard her, a loud crash erupted behind them. The sound was snuffed out as quickly as it began as the air in the room began its rapid escape from the room. Just seconds passed before sound returned to the room and a darkness descended upon it. Her handler had spun around to find its source and took her with him. Behind them she could see an Alliance picket in the fountain garden below and behind the Councilor platform. It's ramp descending even as it slid to a stop.
The security barrier had gone up in place of the destroyed plasma viewport. But the soft interior lighting was complimented by a cadre of blue, green, and white laser swords that leapt from the back of the expensive battering ram.
"Execute them!" Sol'nothea yelled as she drew a staffed weapon and her own blaster and backed down Petitioner's Walk, her retinue surrounding her.
Ashley used the commotion and the Batarian's loosened grip to her advantage, planting an elbow as hard as she could into the alien's midsection. He whoofed! As the air rushed out of his lungs and she grabbed his blaster hand and whipped it up into his face, the top of his Stryker Pistol making a wet crunching sound with the space in between his two sets of eyes. At the same time she wrenched the pistol away and shot the Asari behind Sparatus a second before she could pull her own trigger.
Sparatus didn't even have time to shoot her a look, as he kicked out at the Salarian next to her, taking the pistol from his outstretched hand as he fell backwards. Crouching down behind their rostrum's they began firing down the platform at 'Councilor' Esheel and her bodyguards, who were firing at the garden.
Ven felt the shots coming before he led the raiders down the ship's ramp. He also knew he could not deflect them as consistently as he could a blaster shot back home. To counter that they Force ran to the back of the platform, while the Mandalorians rocketed out the back of the ship, Garrus under the arms of Osik, and up over the platform, firing down as they flew overhead. They dropped Garrus and his sniper rifle on an upper balcony and he wasted no time setting up and sending perfectly placed shots down range. Their move took the heat off the Jedi and Kaiden as they Force leapt on to the platform, landing in front of a wholly surprised enemy.
They quickly cut through the defenders left there and linked up with Ashley and a Turian, and began moving down the Tower's extended walkup towards the fleeing Sol'nothea.
At the second flight of stairs they ran into a stiffer line of resistance, but Mirdala and Osik landed behind them and quickly turned the tide. Continuing their lightning fast attack to bring them in range of the enemy's omni-blade rather than their blasters was paying off. The extendable silicon carbinoid weapon was no match for their lightsabers, and the short melee weapons could be seen flying off the battle in every direction, always with the wearers forearm attached.
Finally they reached the last flight of steps. It was their last stand, but Sol'nothea eas still nowhere to be found.
"Come Primarch, if we can get to our forces in the Presidium, we can retake the tower" Elsana said, pulling her leader towards the elevator bank at the back of the foyer. The Primarch's eyes blazed like black fire but she let the protective shell almost carry her out of danger.
Elsana was closest and hit the key to call the lift. It opened before took her hand from the pad and revealed…her sister. "Liara?"
Her soft, disbelieving voice was met by a wave of biotic energy that knocked them all over. "Hello sister" she said as she brought a booted foot across her face. The two human C-Sec guards that came out from behind her leveled their rifles at the writhing mass on the ground.
"Don't move!" the agent snapped as a Salarian rolled away to reveal Sol'nothea, her hand outstretched. The agent lifted off the ground and his body twisted in completely unnatural ways. The sound of screams and popping bones audible over the din of battle on the stairs behind them.
Liara activated her own shields and brought up her pistol as the other guard had his legs swept out from under him by the Primarch's staff. She brought its sharp point down into his chest, activating its shield at the same time to block Liara's close range shots.
Liara turned the pistol on the Asari beside Sol'nothea, but the others were rising too fast. She cursed herself and used her own considerable biotic ability to leap out of danger and over the heads of the combatants on the steps behind them.
Ven blocked another overhead swing from the Krogan's omni-blade. He heard his 2nd cry from their own side and glanced over to see Onodesa behead a Vorcha in front of him, but looked down to see the alien's omni blade was still lodged into his lower right side, just between his chest and back plating.
"No!" his Padawan yelled, slashing and kicking her way towards him.
"Nair! Focus!" he yelled. His own distraction allowed the Krogan to level his shotgun at him.
A lesser Jedi would've allowed his emotions for his Padawan to sever his focus in the Force, but Ven Sala was not a lesser Jedi. He re-centered himself, pushed out towards the Krogan's weapon hand and sent the gun flying. The Force of the push spun the big reptilian around and Ven impaled him from behind. The site of a member of the Vanguard's inner circle sliding limply down the stairs was enough to break the spirit of the remaining biotics. Across the foyer they began laying down their pistols and deactivating their omni-weapons.
It was at that moment that Nair let herself go and ran towards her fallen boyfriend. She scooped him up in her arms as his bloodied master stood over them both. Ven knew Osik had also been killed, but Mirdala was beside him, helping to restrain the surrendered Vanguard. He didn't know why, but that fact, coupled with Nair's weeping embarrassed him. This is why we don't form attachments was all he could think. But Rand Jonibe appearing beside him quickly reminded him of his hypocrisy. For they had even been a couple of years older than Nair and Onodesa before they broke off their long running affair.
"Go to her" Rand said softly. "We got them".
He thanked her with his eyes and walked quickly to his Padawan, kneeling down and pulling her head into his shoulder.
"Liara!" Kaiden shouted as the Asari leapt down from the balcony.
"Hey little Shepherd" she said with a hug.
"You came?"
"blood or no blood, I couldn't live with her actions on my conscience".
"How did you get through the Wards? The Presidium?" Kaiden asked pushing her to arm's length.
"Wrex" she said with a smile.
"He's here?"
"They all are. It was their assault that got the station back under control. As they did the reinforcements in the Presidium were called away. Me and a couple of loyal C-Sec agents took care of the rest…they didn't make it".
"I missed her" Garrus's voice came from behind them. "I can't believe I missed her. She moved her head at the last second…like she knew I had her in my sights" he finished as he walked up, his sniper rifle cradled in his arms.
"That's because she did. She's more powerful than any of you. You have don-" whack! Mirdala struck the Asari across the face with the back of her hand.
"Mirdala" Rand chided.
"You'll get another shot" Kaiden said, ignoring the outburst.
"I'll stay with Nair and keep them under guard until C-Sec arrives" Ven said standing up with Nair.
"No, I'll stay with her" Gaedus said. "I don't want to leave him…besides you're a lot younger than me".
Ven looked at Nair and she consented. "Alright then, lets move out. We got a station to take back".