-o-O-o-
Chapter 26
The Mess was silent at first, as they all contemplated the name Kaidan had uttered; food completely forgotten now.
Chu'Tak.
All Kaidan could hear was the sound of his thumping heart.
"Wait a minute." Joker frowned at them all. "You've just plucked a candidate out of thin-air. I mean, it's a good one, but still…."
"He has a reason to hate the Council races and to want them ripped apart," said Terra, standing and pacing out her restlessness. Her certainty that the yahg was behind this was in parallel with his own.
"Yeah, but he's sure not the only one," drawled Joker. "The batarians have long held a grudge, and there's bound to be other people they've pissed off. Or… hell, maybe the Queen of Omega's decided to extend her realm."
"But this was also personal," murmured Kaidan, a quiet but intense anger igniting at his core at what his family had been through.
"After you bested him, Chu'Tak would want to prove who's boss," James aimed at Kaidan, leaning in. "He messed with you, sure, but taking Shepard out of the equation was a serious stab at you, and removed a major stabilising force where the galaxy's concerned."
There was a wave of disapproval from Terra at that last part, and Kaidan recognised her natural instinct to deny her importance. The way her lips pressed together to suppress the pointless protest confirmed it. Even now, his eternally-modest wife made his heart, body and soul ache, and the way her gaze heated and her mouth tugged in one corner meant she was very aware of everything he'd just felt.
"If it was that yahg then why didn't he go directly for Alenko, too?" scowled Jack. "The batarian assholes Wraith used, got him off his head enough that he couldn't remember whether he fucked someone else." Kaidan's skin crawled at that, and his stomach roiled, but Terra soothed it away with a warm loving light that blazed through his mind with an indomitable reassurance and unconditional love he couldn't have ignored even if he'd wanted to, as Jack carried on, oblivious. "He was completely vulnerable. He could easily have gone 'missing' too."
"Kaidan earned himself a begrudging respect in his fight with Chu'Tak," said Garrus. The turian looked straight at him. "He was willing to give you a chance to fight back."
That explanation felt right. Kaidan again burned with a very different kind of heat from the one he'd been experiencing just a short time ago with his wife, and Terra moved behind his chair, her hands going to his shoulders, working the tensed muscles there, though her mind was distracted.
"But couldn't it just as easily be another batarian?" countered Joker. "Someone above Balak."
Knox leaned forward this time, his head shaking in disagreement. "We already know Wraith used the merc bands to perform for him. The batarians were just another group to be used. The only difference with them is that they almost got what Wraith promised them: their revenge on Shepard. Bet the others would've got shafted. Wraith wants chaos. No way is he going to bother wasting resources on helping anyone else into any kind of power."
"And, if it was the yahg, it would explain why we couldn't trace the communications," put forth Traynor. "From what we've established during previous interactions with them, they're still very much developing with regards to technology, and they haven't had the benefit of prothean data caches. Therefore it's likely to be very dissimilar to ours."
"Yet we know they're incredibly intelligent," said Terra, her hands stilling on Kaidan's shoulders. He ran his fingers over hers, needing the feel of her skin. "Playing us all off against each other was smart."
"And they're arrogant," bit out Kaidan, standing and turning to face her. "'Insults have been made against us, and we will have our vengeance,'" he quoted.
"Chu'Tak very nearly succeeded in making good on that vow," sighed Garrus.
Cortez nodded, solemnly. "We automatically thought their retribution would be in the form of an attempt at an invasion in the future. The last thing any of us were expecting was a move like this; destroying us from within."
"And it started with a salarian attack," pointed out James. "Out of all the races, Chu'Tak has a special hatred for those who imprisoned him on Sur'Kesh. And as much suspicion the Council races may have had with one another, the main casualties would have been the salarian and krogan races if things had kicked off there on Tuchanka, no?"
Joker moaned as he slunk back into his seat. "I give in. Chu'Tak's gotta be Wraith. I was really hoping for someone less…savage."
Garrus got up and began to pace. "Except there's two problems with this theory. One: the geth monitor them constantly. They'd be ready to intercept any outgoing transmissions, so how did Chu'Tak get any kind of communication out at all? Two: the geth would also know if the yahg were able to get more ships off the ground, and as they weren't space-faring before that, how could they know about the Shanti?"
"Garrus has a point about the communication side of it," frowned Traynor, her face reflecting a level of disappointment Kaidan also felt in encountering something they couldn't yet explain, because it cast an uncertainty over their yahg theory.
"And the knowledge of the Shanti," added Knox.
There was a rush of adrenaline and determination from Terra – a heady mix that sparked Kaidan's own. "Edi. Get me a connection to the Dalatrass."
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The blue image of Dalatrass Narra stood in front of Shepard. "I can assure you, Shepard, I know of no such planet, or its people. I would have provided that information to Spectre Alenko when he raised the enquiry with me previously, had I had it."
Shepard gripped the railing that separated her from the QEC. As much as she tried to deny it, her body was feeling horribly frail, and she needed the support. Kaidan knew it too, but he remained at a lean, just out of view, letting her have this moment of usefulness all to herself, and she loved him for it. "And what about Linron's secured files?"
"Linron's…" The scowl on Dalatrass Narra's face was evident.
"I think maybe the yahg she helped uplift may have gotten his knowledge during his time on Sur'Kesh. I only took the most recent files when I raided her office, but what if there was more?" Shepard was thinking about the countless hard-drives she'd seen in that Sur'Kesh facility which had been destroyed by acid to hide what had been taken and what hadn't. Everything of interest went through that facility, and as much as she wished she could think better of the salarians, the Shanti would have been a very interesting discovery. Linron would most certainly have wanted to know more about what they were capable of and how she could use that.
"There were a great many files in Linron's possession," confirmed Narra. "I have only looked through a small percentage of it, myself. I've been starting with the newest files. Most of it so far has been research based solely on various ways of dealing with her perceived krogan threat, but knowledge of a planet and its inhabitants would be the work of a long-term research project. If it's there, it would be in the older files." She paused. "Give me time, and I'll have my people search through it."
"With respect, Dalatrass, we don't have the time." From her talks with Zaliesh it was clear that a great many of the youngest Shanti were unaccounted for, including the Shanti mother's other children, and the easiest option for the resource-limited batarians would be to keep watch over them on Shantou itself until they were wanted for 'conditioning'. Who knew how badly they were being treated, and she couldn't let that stand for a single second longer than necessary. "If you would, I would appreciate it if you would send everything you have to Edi, here on the Normandy. She'll be able to assess it all a lot quicker."
To Shepard's surprise, Narra didn't take more than a few seconds to nod. "Very well. I will agree to your request – with trust."
"Thank you."
Signing out, Shepard spun on her heel, energised as she walked into Kaidan's waiting arms. It felt so good to be chasing a lead instead of trailing back to the Citadel in defeat, and being able to share her hope with Kaidan and feel his own was even more exhilarating. Yes, there were still questions, but this was progress. It had to be. The thought of Edi finding nothing in those files wasn't something she could even contemplate, and like Kaidan, she felt in her gut that they were right to suspect Chu'Tak.
"I'm really not used to that 'easy-going salarian' thing I just saw," joked Kaidan.
Shepard happily absorbed his amusement as she enjoyed the feel of him surrounding her. "I know. Think we should record it for posterity?"
A throat clearing notified them of Chakwas' arrival, and they separated out of habit. Her arms were folded and her face stern, and it spelled doom for Shepard. The Doc wasn't about to accept any nonsense. "How about you get yourself back into the medbay without argument or delay, and I'll record that for posterity instead?"
Kaidan laughed at that, then tried to look repentant as Shepard glared back at him.
"But Doc-"
"But nothing, Admiral. Kaidan and Edi can handle it from here."
"I'll update you straight away, I promise," added Kaidan, urging her towards Chakwas.
It seemed she was on her own in her fight for liberty. Trailing resentfully behind Chakwas like a sulking teen, Shepard glowered back at Kaidan over her shoulder. Traitor.
He grinned in such an adorable way that she had no choice but to forgive him, and would've instantly returned to him if she wasn't tethered by Chakwas' presence. Call it tough love.
Tough love? Try this, General. Without mercy, she internally voiced every lust-filled thought of what she wanted to do him just as soon as Chakwas loosened her grip on her time outside the medbay. To add to his torture, she imagined her thoughts caressing their way down his spine and lower.
In response, Kaidan's handsome face went dark with want, he rolled his shoulders as his body reacted, and there was a definite bulge…. That's pure cruelty. His voice was a husky groan. Shepard caught her lip between her teeth, and he clutched at his heart with one hand and reached out to her with the other, to which she merely waved smugly as the doors closed.
Shepard quietly laughed, but it wasn't Chakwas' enquiring look that dissipated her enjoyment. She'd forgotten that her connection to Kaidan extended beyond the same room, and it was his turn to exude smugness. She stepped uneasily into the elevator with Chakwas.
Two can play that game, Admiral.
Uh oh…. Shepard involuntarily gasped as something far too intimate crept through her and fired up every receptor in that place only reserved for Kaidan.
"Are you in pain?" worried Chakwas, and to Shepard's horror, the doctor began a scan.
She grabbed Chakwas' arm and pushed it down. "No, no. Everything's fine," Shepard rushed out, but her cheeks raged with heat and Chakwas saw it.
"You look like you're burning up." The Doc pulled her arm away and continued with her scan, leaving Shepard to moan at her feet.
"It's not that kind of fever, Doc." The scan completed at the same time as the elevator opened, and Chakwas stared at the results a few seconds longer than usual, with Shepard staring holes into the ground. It was much funnier when Kaidan was the embarrassed one. "Told you I'm good."
"What can you two-?" Chakwas actually flushed as she caught herself. "Forget I asked."
Shepard couldn't help the giggle as she once again followed Chakwas out and into the medbay. Okay, Kaidan; you definitely win. This time.
His wonderful, smoky laugh carried her to her bed.
-o-O-o-
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Normandy was nearing its destination: Shantou.
Edi had found the data they needed within seconds of receiving the copious files from the Dalatrass, and putting aside the increasing link to Chu'Tak, Kaidan had wasted no time in getting them underway. Just outside the furthest edge of the Ismar Frontier, the small planet was nestled between two suns, all of which was completely hidden behind an astoundingly vast, bright mass of gaseous debris that swirled in huge swathes.
That Shantou had been found at all was down to pure circumstance when a salarian scout ship had encountered engine difficulties and had lost control, floating out of known space and through the field of light. And so Shantou was discovered.
Linron had sanctioned a covert team to observe and document the lives of the Shanti, only putting the project on hold when she'd chosen to put all resources into the yahg as a more viable solution for her krogan problem. An addendum added to the file noted Linron's intent to return to Shantou to begin taking specimens for closer 'research'.
Kaidan had read that last part with a tight jaw. He knew exactly who those specimens would have been. The salarians were supposed to adhere to Citadel law. A primitive race like the Shanti should be left alone and undisturbed – free from interference which could in any way alter their natural evolution. Yet Linron had ignored it in her search for any edge she could gain the salarian people. As a result, the Shanti had fallen into the hands of others who would seek to use them. Never again.
Picking up his rifle, Kaidan clipped it into place, ready for the trip down.
James and Garrus were conversing over their rifles at the weapons bench, Gardew and Cael had cornered Knox over by the shuttle (whose unimpressed face spoke volumes as the duo chatted away without a breath,) and Cortez was doing his preliminary checks on the vessel. The last to join them in the shuttle bay was Terra, and Jack, who nonchalantly trailed off the elevator, unsurprisingly bypassed the armour, and headed straight to the weapons.
Kaidan focused on Terra as she looked them all over; her demeanour relaxed, but he knew better. Her restless fingers tapped against her thigh – a crack in the mask, even if she hadn't pushed him back to the periphery of her mind the instant Edi had reported the presence of one batarian ship planet-side. She would want to be part of the ground-team to deal with them. But even were her body able, Kaidan wondered at her psychological state should she come face to face with the batarians.
He moved in front of her, gaining her attention. Will you let me in?
She looked down, as though in shame, and wishing his hand wasn't gloved, he gently placed it beneath her chin, encouraging her to look at him.
When her beautiful eyes locked on his, he saw the war within them. Terra, I'll understand. Those chocolate pools brimmed, just before she opened herself.
She was frustrated; anxious to get this done and return Zaliesh and the others to their families. But there was something darker blazing beneath it all. It was hatred, unadulterated, and it shocked him that it was as intense as it had been on Adek, even as he comprehended its presence.
"Hey, Shepard, you're coming with, right?" Jack interrupted as she backtracked to them with weapons attached. She cracked her knuckles. "This time, it'll be an equal playing field with those bastards." The biotic's visage hid nothing, and yet the murderous intent there didn't compare to what was inside his wife, and that darkness flared with Jack's invitation.
Careful what he himself emitted, Kaidan shook his head in despair at Jack's thoughtless words. The last thing Terra needed was this temptation for retribution. "Shepard's still healing, Jack," murmured Kaidan, not taking his eyes off Terra.
"Bullshit. Shepard's strong enough to point and shoot. With us there, she doesn't have to do any more than that."
He felt the hitch of determination in her. "She's right. I can do this," said Terra, and she began to move towards the armoury.
Kaidan instantly caught her arm, restraining her. "Whoa! Absolutely not! Not least because Chakwas certainly hasn't cleared you for duty!"
"Shepard's a Spectre. She doesn't have to follow those stupid damned regs," argued Jack.
"Now's not the time, Bella," called out James, with a warning in his voice that was asking Jack to back off.
"After what she went through at their hands, she deserves some fucking payback!"
"That's enough, Jack," gritted out Kaidan.
"Kaidan, I want to go." Terra was vehement, and he exchanged a look with Garrus who gave him a supporting shake of his head at what Jack had stirred up.
Kaidan sighed. "I get that. But-" He stopped himself. This was something for her ears only. It's all still raw to you, Terra. He reached out and touched the tip of his fingers to her temple. In here. If we put a weapon in your hands, I know you could tear through every single one of those batarians single-handedly. But you wouldn't do it cleanly. I can feel the rage inside you, and if you give in to it, you'll only feed it and suffer the remorse later, and I won't let that happen. You're not ready.
A trickle of tears trailed down her cheeks and it damn near killed him that she was hurting. "Fuck!" She swiped them away. "He's right, Jack. I'm not ready."
"Ugh! How am I supposed to argue with him when he said it in your head!?" With a disapproving huff, Jack stomped off towards the shuttle. Garrus and James backed off too, giving them some space.
Kaidan pulled Terra into him, his damn armour getting in the way. "I'm sorry, Beautiful."
"What for?"
"For using what's in your head against you."
"I chose to let you in, and I don't regret that." Her breath was shuddering, and when she pulled back to look at him her face was full of fear. "I can't control it, Kaidan. I can't think about them without the hate. It feels like it's…it's trying to smother me, and you're the only thing keeping me breathing."
He kissed her then, because it hurt too much to think about her struggling not to succumb to an emotion usually so alien to her. And it terrified him that he might not be enough to keep her her, the way she was depending on him to.
"In position. You're good to go," announced Joker, and Kaidan reluctantly released Terra.
"You'll get a handle on this," he assured her. "We will. You just need more time."
With the dawn of her smile, he walked to join the others on the shuttle, feeling her warm, appreciative embrace every step of the way, and it felt so good to know he'd brought it back. He could do it, because he loved her.
Moments later they were exiting the ship and making their way down to be the first of their kind to step foot on Shantou. It was a new experience he felt honoured by; to be the ones to free these special people. But though he may have protested her presence, he regretted that Terra couldn't join them in it.
Only when the shuttle crossed into Shantou's atmosphere did Kaidan begin to lose his connection to Terra. Another new experience, and one he didn't welcome. It was like he was losing her light, and he missed her instantly as the warmth petered to nothing. He shivered from the loss.
"Approaching drop-point," informed Cortez.
It was time to clear Shantou of the last batarians, and he released his rifle and focused. This was for the Shanti. And for Terra.
-o-O-o-
-o-O-o-
When the shuttle door slid open, Shepard was more than ready to see Shantou. The area was secured, without injury to anyone except the enemy, and she could let go of the anger now the batarian slavers no longer existed.
It had taken some persuasion to get Chakwas to allow her to get boots on Shantou, but she was extremely grateful that the doctor had caved – after Kaidan had added his support. She needed this; to see the positive result of what she'd been through on Adek. Looking behind her at the shrouded bodies of Varush and the other Shanti she hadn't been able to save, she took some comfort that at least their bodies could return to the earth they loved. They were the last Shanti to come home.
Kaidan was walking over, and she waited in place, taking in the environment she was laying eyes on for the first time but also remembered thanks to the residual memories from Zaliesh. The forest in the distance that provided them sustenance, the lush grassland the Shanti travelled and lived upon, the waterfall that fed the river they followed; it was all exactly as she'd 'seen', along with the sounds of the birds and rushing water, and the unique scent of Shantou.
The immediate vicinity wasn't quite as idyllic. Batarian blood stained the ground, though the bodies had been removed. The only aliens here now were themselves. There were more Alliance soldiers here than she'd have liked, but her father had sent two of his vessels to assist with the relocation of the Shanti from the Normandy to Shantou, and the extra shuttles had made the process a lot faster. It also meant that there were additional medical personnel on the ground to alleviate the pressure on Chakwas and her team.
Her gaze fixed on the medical tents which had been erected to tend to the young Shanti injured at the hands of the batarians.
"Will they be alright?" she asked Kaidan as he got to her, and he followed her eyes.
"It's mostly bruises. A few broken bones." But that was just the physical side, and they both knew there had been a far deeper type of injury inflicted here. "They haven't suffered nearly as much as those on Adek did, and we've already seen how well they've recovered. They're a community with incredibly strong bonds. They'll overcome the effects of the batarians treatment, just as you will. You don't need to worry about them." His certainty swept through her, lifting the weight that concern had created.
His hands settled on her waist and she looked down at her husband as he helped her down. If she didn't know better, she'd never guess he'd just battled a small platoon. Inside his head, there wasn't a trace of fatigue. Only satisfaction came through, along with that constant heat of his love that had still stolen her breath the moment she'd neared the planet's atmosphere and they'd reconnected again. Those batarians hadn't stood a chance, and that was all the thought she was prepared to give them.
But her attention was drawn back to those tents. If only she'd thought of the yahg earlier. Her delay in getting here had meant more suffering for these people.
Don't do that.
She sighed at Kaidan's gentle admonishment, and fell into those whisky depths. He was so easy to escape to.
"You're not responsible for what happened to them." Kaidan's fingers threaded between hers. "But you are responsible for this." He led her away from the tents and towards the main encampment. Here, those in Alliance uniforms had maintained a respectable distance and were watching something with smiles on their faces.
Garrus turned as they approached, and though turians couldn't display happiness in the same way, Shepard recognised the emotion in her dearest friend. "I have to say: I'm glad I was here for this, Shepard. This is job satisfaction."
With Garrus' hand squeezing her shoulder, and Kaidan's hand in hers, Shepard looked past them to the Shanti. Those from the Normandy were reuniting with their loved ones, and Zaliesh was at the centre, on her knees as she wept over each child that ran into her arms. Beside her mother, little Sharna was jumping up and down in excitement at seeing her older sisters and brothers.
Shepard let her own tears fall. If this was what had come from her being taken and tortured, then it was worth it. Her being there had meant she could fight for them, and her ties had meant they were found. The demons she'd picked up along the way would be dealt with sooner or later, because she couldn't fail, not with her family around her – not with Kaidan so completely a part of her.
Then Zaliesh was reaching her hand out to Shepard, and both Kaidan and Garrus let her go. With every step she took, more Shanti stood and faced her, and by the time she got to Zaliesh, she was surrounded by benevolent faces.
"Shantou is as beautiful the people who reside in it," Shepard said, sincerely.
Zaliesh gripped Shepard's hands, and one by one the others made contact with each other until they were all united. Their collective minds were in tune, and Shepard felt the profound relief and joy, and it reached into Shepard until she was feeling it too.
"Yes. Our home." Despite the contact, Zaliesh spoke out loud – if you could call that whispery voice loud. "You brought us home, Shepard. Thank you."
"It won't end there," vowed Shepard. "I'm going to make sure you and your people stay safe. You won't ever have to fear this happening again."
"I believe you. From the first moment I touched your mind on your Citadel, you gave me strength and hope. I will share that with all our people. The Shanti will heal and continue. And we will not forget you, and what you did for us."
Not knowing how to respond to that, Shepard hugged her. Certain she was about to start bawling in front of everyone, she quickly broke the contact. Thankfully, Kaidan rescued her with a polite cough, and the Shanti parted for him.
"Sorry to interrupt, but the doctors are happy they've done all they can. We're packing up. Ready to leave you all in peace." He held out a communication device. "Here, Shepard wanted you to have this."
"You know what it is and how to use it?" checked Shepard, in case Zaliesh needed to take that information from her, but Zaliesh nodded. "If you should need anything at all, just call, and we'll come. We may be making sure you're left alone, but you won't ever be alone."
Taking the device from Kaidan, Zaliesh hugged it to her chest as though it was a great treasure. "Thank you."
"Take care. All of you."
"And all of you, Shepard."
With a final nod, Shepard walked away with Kaidan's hand reclaimed in hers, and nothing else in her head except for the entirety of the man she loved. Garrus fell in step with them, then James with his arm slung over Jack's shoulders, followed by a contemplative-looking Knox and her two favourite salarians who were already embroiled in mid-babble over the events. Finally, there was Cortez, waiting by the shuttle.
"Hackett's people confirmed they'll be remaining in place over Shantou until a more permanent sentry's in place," said Cortez. "Liara's working on that already. As the main issue is how to protect them without more people knowing where it is, she was thinking of adapting beacons with a detection/warning system."
"And maybe that Spectre task-force can come in handy," suggested Garrus.
"You want to put krogan on a ship with other species and give them nothing to do but baby-sit a planet?" laughed James.
"Be sure to put in cameras," smirked Jack. "I'll pay to see that outcome."
"I don't know, I think that would be a pretty good test," reasoned Kaidan. "With short rotations, of course."
"Apparently, krogan find a lot of motivation when it's a challenge with a name," shrugged Garrus. "Just call it… the Rite of Forbearance."
Knox huffed in amusement. "Good luck with getting recruits from the other races once you tell them they're bunking with krogan in the middle of space - where no-one can hear them scream."
"Hey, have some faith in the krogan," said Shepard, lightly, enjoying the moment. "I agree with Garrus and Kaidan. It's definitely something to think about."
"We would do it," offered Cael.
"Yes. Worthy task indeed," agreed Gardew.
"We have already made krogan acquaintances, in fact." Cael was jumping up into the shuttle, with his other half right behind him.
"Interesting ones, for sure."
"Holy shit," muttered Knox, as the two salarians continued talking in the background, apparently oblivious that it was just the two of them. "They'll either drive the krogan insane or have them screaming for mercy."
Laughing, Shepard looked around at Shantou and its gentle inhabitants. They deserved the best guardians, and she smiled at the thought of a krogan watching over them.
Everyone asides from Kaidan began to board the shuttle.
"So, are you ready to go, Shepard?" Cortez asked, softly.
"Absolutely. One wrong righted. Just the perpetrator left."
With that, Cortez stepped in and started the engine.
Taking a deep breath of Shantou air, Shepard gave one last look at Zaliesh with her family… and her heart yearned. Wraith was still out there, but she really didn't want to go chasing off after a rogue yahg, and it tugged her spirits down. She felt so very far from Rorie and Nate, and it had been so long since she'd just held them like that.
Kaidan's comforting presence amplified within her until he was all she could feel. It was like he was pulling her back to her feet, and lifting her chin. "You know, the yahg aren't going anywhere. I doubt that 'Wraith' even knows we're onto his real identity. And we'll get a better response from the Council and Alliance brass if we can answer the question of how the yahg could communicate outside their own planet; prove beyond doubt all roads lead to Chu'Tak."
Her heart leapt at the hope of where he was going with this. "So...we've got time to…"
Kaidan's smile lit her up from the inside out. "Let's go home."
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