Chapter 25
Pallin huffed as he lay back in the hospital bed.
He had been in the excellent care of the doctors here for only a mere four hours or so but already he was itching to get out.
The stab wound had gone deep and the human medic who treated him had helpfully pointed just how close it had come to doing serious harm.
An inch or so further and the blade would have nicked a number of important blood vessels.
Pallin glanced at the time on his omnitool.
It was getting late. The work he had left the apartment with the intention of reviewing now lay uncompleted on the desk in his office while he was here on this enforced break.
Shortly after he arrived at the clinic, Pallin had made it a priority to contact the necessary people that would act in his stead and lead while he was being healed up.
All were competent officers with years of experience to guide them through any decision-making they would need to do. Pallin was more hopeful that he wouldn't have to be here that long anyway and could remove that burden from them.
He, of course, contacted Anne.
Pallin's brief message was just to inform her of his impromptu hospital visit and his potential delay in getting back to her that evening.
She had immediately called him back.
Pallin spared her most of the details about what had happened because she had been quite upset at his injury as it was, let alone if she found out the truth of its origin.
He doubted she would react well if he admitted that his hospital visit was due to being stabbed while he prevented one angry drugged up batarian of a well-known cartel from killing another one.
She had wanted to come to see him but Pallin had convinced her that it was unnecessary. Anne was still ill herself while he was in far better physical condition and more likely to heal at a fairly rapid pace.
Even so, she had fought with him on the subject.
While it warmed his heart that she would want to see him regardless of her own health, Pallin knew the sensible option was for Anne to wait at the apartment for his return.
Eventually she accepted his logic begrudgingly but the human had made her opinion on the subject very clear.
Pallin knew that when he returned home would be to both happiness and anger.
The door to his room slid open.
He glanced over at the intruder with a scowl.
"Vakarian. I did not expect you to call in."
The younger turian strode forward purposefully with a datapad in one hand.
"I was in the neighbourhood. Heard the call go out. I hope the injury isn't too bad, Executor."
"I will live but I imagine this is not entirely a social call."
Vakarian barked out a short awkward laugh. " Ah no, Executor. I was going over some outgoing data streams for one of my cases when I came across this particular one. I thought you especially would want to know about it."
He handed over the datapad, which Pallin began to scan over the contents of immediately.
He froze when he came across one name in particular.
"Are you certain this is correct? I have had the misfortune of coming across hoaxes involving that name before."
Vakarian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "This is just what was going out across the comms, sir. Heavily encrypted too. Had to get it decoded by a salarian expert. I would say that there would need to be a full investigation to confirm or deny its veracity."
"Get to it then. But... keep away from the Spectre for the moment."
"Arterius?"
Pallin nodded. "I want you to focus yourself on finding Ortha Nervius. The man disappears off the face of the galaxy for over five years and now turns up apparently chasing Saren Arterius of all people? Madness. This has to be another false trail. Find out the truth, Vakarian."
"And the Spectre?"
"Leave him. Saren would kill you without even thinking about it and I rather not have a good officer dead. If you come across any evidence involving him in anything more sinister then bring it to me and me alone. We have to keep this between ourselves for the moment."
Vakarian nodded. "Yes sir. I'll get right on it."
After the younger turian had left, Pallin stared at the datapad in his hands.
Ortha Nervius was not a name he had ever thought to come across again in his lifetime.
The turian had ruthlessly made his way up the ranks of what had been a powerful mercenary group that dabbled in everything from robbery and prostitution to political assassinations.
Pallin and Ortha had more than a few run ins over the years with the merc always seeming to escape justice by the slimmest of margins. Then five years ago he disappeared without a trace along with some of his best and brightest. His mercenary outfit disbanded without his leadership and was long gone.
The Executor stilled.
He had forgotten something... something important.
Pallin had let the events of the past few weeks completely distract him from something that could have opened his eyes to all of this a long time ago.
He quickly opened his omnitool and found the pictures he had taken of Anne's old apartment door front on the day he had removed her from the place. He stared at the damage from gunfire and... the graffiti.
Venari knew those symbols.
He knew what that sign marked on the panel with an expert hand meant.
It was a warning to other groups to stay away from both the apartment and the occupant within.
Pallin's heart almost stopped in his chest as he stared at the emblem of the what had been Ortha's almost unstoppable group.
Anne was under the protection of the Legion.