Kahje-2192
In the empty city streets of Enkindler's gift four women walked alone. Ahead of the pack Marion Corvus walked side by side with their new companion Val Feris while Jack and Shepard walked a few yards behind together. Jane kept an untrusting gaze on Marion as they moved.
"What was that back there, Shepard?" Jack said and pulled Shepard's attention away from the detective.
"Huh?"
"I got that you didn't want to talk about it in front of, Corvus. But I've never seen you lose your shit like you did on that asari. What did she say?"
Jane looked to her feet. She never was a great liar but she couldn't afford to let Jack know the truth. "She was talking about the quarians. Taunting me about Tali."
Jack seemed to accept the lie. "I heard about that. Messed up what happened to her. I wasn't exactly buddy buddy with her but Tali seemed like she was cool."
Jane nodded. "Yeah..."
"Is she gonna be okay?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, Jack." Shepard told her. "Garrus told me she's paralyzed and in a coma."
Jack chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Fuck." she paused before looking back up to her friend. "Are you gonna be okay?"
Jane met her eyes. "I'll get back to you on that."
Jack playfully punched her shoulder. "These asari bitches don't know who they're screwing with, Shep. We'll kick their ass just like we kicked the Collectors and the Reapers in theirs. You'll see. And when we do, you can give an extra fuck you to Aquilla for Tali."
Shepard cracked a smile.
"I just want to get this crap done with." Jack continued. "Last week I thought I missed the action. But honestly, almost dying half a dozen times isn't exactly as fun as fucking Miranda." Shepard stayed silent so Jack opened up further. "We kinda left things in a shitty way." Jack admitted.
"With the baby talk?" Shepard guessed.
"Yeah. When the cheerleader brought it up I..."
"Acted like you?" Jane said.
Jack nodded. "Pretty much."
"Have you given it any more thought?" Jane asked hoping that the topic would distract her from worrying about Liara and Miranda.
"No...maybe, yes. I don't know. I mean sure babies are cute but cleaning up their shitty diapers and having them suck on my tits isn't my idea of a good time. And I mean what kind of kid would we raise? She'd probably end up even more messed up then me and Miranda."
"She?" Jane said, pulling the pronoun from her friend's sentence. "Seems like you've given it more than a passing thought."
Jack looked away. "Yeah yeah, Shut up." she moaned.
A few yards ahead Marion and Val walked together.
"How much further?" Marion's question came with a stern voice and an untrusting glare.
The blonde haired woman looked to her left. "Not much."
"You wanna fill me in on where we're going?" Marion asked.
"I'm taking you to where you need to go. Have a little faith, mate."
"I don't put my faith in criminals."
Val chuckled. "Criminal? Where I'm from there are no laws to be breaking."
"This isn't the Terminus, kid." Marion reminded her.
"Might as well be. Kahje is a smuggler's paradise. You wouldn't believe the shit that goes through here on it's way to Council space. Dust, Halex, guns, illegal tech, slaves. Hell I even smuggled an AI through here one time."
Evac shuttles were filling the sky and passing through the dome above them. But Marion's eyes were locked on the massive and colorful hand canon Val had holstered by her side.
"Never seen a weapon like that before." Marion said.
Val smiled and unholstered the weapon. "Aye, she's one of a kind. I won her off a bet with a batarian arms dealer. I call her Mona."
It was a red weapon with an elongated double barrel and what appeared to be several custom additions.
"You named your gun? Why am I not surprised."
"Named my knife too." Val said proudly and unsheathed the blade. "Saxon here has been with me for years. I only bring him out when someone's been a real piece of shit though."
"So what did you bet for a gun like that?"
Val spun the weapon around her finger. "I bet the batarian he couldn't survive two bullets to the gut. Turns out I was right." she said as she holstered the gun.
Marion shook her head is disapproval and returned to her silence, confident that her judgement of this woman was accurate.
"So what's your problem?" Val asked.
"I don't have a problem."
"Oh come on, Marion. Life's too damn short to spend with a scowl on your face the whole time. "
"You know I spent years taking scum like you down. And it really pisses me off when I see a piece of shit like you with a grin on her face."
"I've done some shitty things. But I don't think I'm at scum level yet."
"Oh? And where do you draw the line? Murder?" Marion challenged.
"Nah, I'm no murderer."
"What do you call shooting that drell in the face?"
"Wait it's still murder if they deserve it?"
Marion nodded.
"Shit. Well anyway, I'm really not a bad girl once you get to know me. So long as you stay on my good side and don't try to screw me over we'll get on just fine."
"And If I get on your bad side?" Marion challenged.
Val smiled. "Well then things get a lot more interesting." she rested her hand on the hilt of the large blade sheathed at her side. It was then that Marion saw that Val's middle finger was missing above the knuckle on her left hand.
"You know it was pretty convenient running into you back there given all that's going down around here." Marion said.
The blonde nodded in agreement. "Sometimes the galaxy brings the right people together. Like you and this Sarah woman. At least I assume it's a woman, or did you simply name your arm Sarah?" Val asked as she pointed to the tattoo on Marion's arm.
"Stop talking." Marion snapped.
"Oh I get it. Ex? Yeah I've got one of those. Well screw her, you were probably too good for her-" Val was cut short when Marion seized her around the throat.
"I said stop talking." Marion hissed before throwing her to the ground.
Val coughed and rubbed her throat as she quickly climbed back to her feet. "Okay, touchy subject." she said before returning to Marion's side seemingly undeterred. "I'm sorry." she quickly apologized. "I was actually trying to be nice. Didn't mean to...incur your wrath. To be totally open I just shot one of my only friends in the face back there. I'm starting to realize I don't have the best of friends."
"No shit." Marion said.
Val sighed. "Yeah. I think it's a red flag when most of your mates try to kill you for credits."
"Maybe it's time to find a different occupation." Marion advised.
Val shook her head. "I think it's a little late for that. I passed the point of no return so long ago I don't even remember what it looked like when I went by."
Val's seemingly ever present smile vanished for a moment before she shrugged it off. She spun around. "You two ready back there?" Val called.
"Ready for what?" Shepard asked back.
"We're here." Val said and came to a stop at a ledge that overlooked a small mostly empty ship lot below.
Jack and Shepard joined Marion and Val's side at the edge. Below them sat a large ship with it's cargo bay door open. A gang of humans and turians wearing red armor were franticly carrying big cargo boxes into the ship and looking up fearfully at the Lucen as it grew closer and closer.
"Who the hell are they?" Jack asked.
"A small time Terminus gang calling themselves the Inferno. They answer to the same prick that drell tried to kill me for, a man by the name of Dante."
"So they're Dante's Inferno?" Shepard said.
"I know. So lame." Val commented. "We'll find ship parts and hell of a lot more in those boxes. We can even take that ship for ourselves."
"No. We need to leave in ours. We have our own...cargo aboard." Shepard said.
"Okay well we better hurry." Val said.
"Wait, who exactly are we pissing off by taking this cargo?" Shepard asked.
Val chuckled. "You don't need to worry about Dante. He's just a two bit jerk off. I used to work for the idiot actually. We had a...disagreement."
"You seem to disagree with a lot of people." Marion said.
"Sweetheart, you have no idea."
Jack unholstered her gun. "If we're gonna do this shit can we just get it over with?"
"I'm with tattoos. Let's roll." Val said and started down the stairway that connected the street they were walking on to the ship lot down below. Jack followed close behind. Marion and Shepard stared each other down before they followed behind as well.
The four women took cover behind the scrap of an abandoned ship at the bottom of the stairs. Their enemy hadn't noticed them approach between the crates they were carrying and the Lucen over their heads.
"We don't kill unless we have to." Shepard said.
"Sure. Let's just ask them nicely to hand over their cargo and then we can be on our way. Shepard, I've been on the other end of these types of situations enough times to know that if you don't pull the trigger first then you're the one who ends up with the shitty day."
"You want off this planet you do what I say." Shepard commanded.
Val threw up her hands. "Alright fine, mother. You wanna talk with them you better let me do that. Just wait for my signal and come out." Val said and rounded the scrap heap they were hiding behind. She kept her hands resting on the weapons at her hips as she strolled towards the gang members.
Their were half a dozen men and they all snapped their attention to the approaching woman.
"Hey fellas. Didn't you hear? Forecast says rain. I think you better clear out of here." Val said.
The gang dropped their crates but they didn't pull their weapons. Instead one of them stepped forward. He was a bald man with only one eyebrow. "Well well, looks who's back. I thought Krane was supposed to take care of you, Val."
"I'm afraid Krane has a bit of a headache and needed to lie down." Val said in a cold voice. "I'd hate for you boys to join him."
The men laughed. "You always did have balls, Val."
"More than I can say for you, Anthony." Val insulted. "Now I'm afraid I'm gonna need Dante's cargo. So I guess you have to ask yourself if that limp dick is worth your lives."
"And how do you plan on taking it?" Anthony asked.
Val smiled. "My friends are gonna help with that." she said.
Hearing the cue Marion, Jack and Shepard emerged from their cover and drew their weapons. The gang members tensed at the sight of the three new targets and their hands fell to their guns at their hips.
The man recognized the Commander in an instant. "Commander Shepard? What the hell are you doing working with an old pirate like Val?"
"Old?!" Val protested. "I'm 44, dick!" Val turned to Jack. "44 isn't old right?"
Jack shrugged.
"You know how this works, Val." Anthony said. "We don't make our shipment back to the boss then we end up like you."
"Don't worry, mate, I'd say the chances of you ending up like me are pretty slim."
"Dante, does have a pretty high price on you. I guess fucking a man's wife has a tendency to do that."
Jack laughed. "You fucked this guy's wife?"
"You said you had a disagreement." Marion said.
"Well he obviously disagreed with it!" Val defended.
"If we let you go he'll fucking kill us." The man said and unholstered his gun. "We take you down and we're rich men."
Val laughed loudly, perhaps a little too loudly. The gang members lower their guns and arched their eyebrows in confusion.
"What's so fucking funny?" Anthony cried.
In a flash Val drew Mona from her hip and blasted Anthony's head off. Shepard, Marion and Jack were just as quick on the draw and all of the remaining gang members fell dead.
Val holstered her gun and turned to Shepard. "I just realized where I recognize you from! You're that hero!" she said continuing her thought from before seemingly unmoved by the men they just killed. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you before. You were the one they based that awesome vid off, you know the one where Anya Yatani played that hot asari you banged at the end. And you gave that big speech 'We face our enemy together!'" Val said doing a rather spot on impression. "I love that vid. Man, you fucking killed the Reapers!"
"Okay what the hell is a Reaper?" Marion cried out in frustration.
"What were living under a rock six year ago?" Val questioned.
"I wasn't here six years ago."
Val raised an eyebrow. "Wait...are you a time traveler?!"
"No. I was frozen." Marion said.
Val frowned. "Time travel would have been cooler."
"Can we just find the damn Mass Effect field generator?!" Shepard cried in frustration. "Marion you can have a history lesson later. Right now I just want off this planet."
"Oh fuck." Jack said in a hollow voice here head was tilted back.
Shepard and the rest looked up in time to see the Lucen breaking through the barrier dome and with it came a waterfall at the edges of the barrier's tear. The ocean water crashed down around them.
"Hurry!" Shepard cried and all four of them began to frantically search through the crates.
The amount of water pooling into the domed city increased as the tear grew around the Lucen while the ship sunk further and further inside. It wouldn't be long before the domes' gravity crashed the Lucen down on top of them and tore the whole city apart. Mercifully Marion cried out first.
"Found it!" Marion cried holding up a small device.
"Move!" Shepard cried but Val stopped her from running.
"Wait! We'll never make it if we go on foot. Let's fly the Inferno's ship to your transport. You ladies know how to fly right?" Val said.
"Yes." Shepard answered but Marion ran inside first.
"No you don't, Shepard." Marion said as she settled into the pilot's seat and powered on the engines.
Jack tried not to focus on the idea of dying at the hands of her greatest fear again and strapped herself in behind Marion. Val and Shepard held on to a support beam as Marion took off.
"This cargo you need to get must be really important." Val commented as she watched the Lucen slip further and further into the dome from out the viewport.
"She's a pain in the ass." Jack said.
"She?" Val questioned.
Corvus flew the gang ship over the abandoned city. The last of the Hanar's evac shuttles had departed leaving just them and whoever was dumb enough to stick around in the domed city. It didn't take long to soar over the ground they had covered on foot. Soon they were back outside the apartment building they had crashed into and all four women ran out of the gang ship and sprinted to Felina's transport.
Marion cradled the generator under one arm as she ran to the engine panel on the side of the transport. Jack stayed behind with her as Shepard and Val entered the ship.
Ereyla looked up from the kitchen table she was resting her head on. "Who the hell is this?" she questioned.
"What kind of kinky shit are you guys doing in here?" Val questioned as she stared at the asari cuffed to the table in her underpants.
outside Marion worked quickly to remove the busted generator from the engine panel. Jack stared with wide eyes as the Lucen slipped almost halfway past the dome.
"Marion, hurry the fuck up." Jack said.
"That doesn't help, Jack!" Marion cried as she removed the busted generator and threw the small cylinder aside.
Suddenly the dome's gravity took it's hold on the Lucen and Aquilla's massive ship was thrust inside the dome and crashed into the tall buildings below. A series of catastrophic explosions followed as the ship broke apart and leveled buildings. The tail end of the Lucen tore into one of the support beams that gave the dome it's shape. With it's structure destroyed the barrier that used to be a two way shield that held back the ocean flickered as it malfunctioned and soon enough it failed it's job. An entire section of the dome's barrier disappeared and a massive wave poured inside and doused the flaming wreck as it enveloped the city.
Jack's eyes widened as she stared at the tidal wave rushing towards them. "Fuck! Marion!"
Corvus looked over her shoulder and saw water coming. "Get inside, Jack!"
Jack stood frozen. Marion finished her job. "I got it! Jack we need to leave!"
The convict snapped out of her trance and the two ran inside.
"What the fuck is happening?!" Ereyla cried.
Marion ignored her and ran to the helmsmen's chair. She didn't have time to check and see if the new generator fully powered the shields before she lifted off, she just had to hope that they were. They were off the ground just as the wave swept underneath them. As their ship soared skyward the other parts of the barrier dome finally collapsed and walls of water began to crash in around them from every side. Corvus gripped tightly to the thruster's as they collided with the ocean.
Their ascent was slowed to a crawl as the pressure of the ocean deep began to crush their hull. Shepard ran to the seat next to Marion and brought up the ship's diagnostics on the terminal.
"Shields aren't gonna hold!" Jane announced.
Marion ignored her and gave the ship's thrusters all the power they could handle. They began to climb to the surface quicker as the shield's integrity rapidly dropped. The entire vessel bounced around violently, the VI was screaming alert after alert but soon the seemingly hopeless fight was won.
Felina's ship broke free from the ocean at last and all the women inside, except Ereyla, cried out in relief as they flew higher and higher above the surface.
Jane looked over to Marion who laid back in her seat and let go of the breath she was holding. Marion caught her eyes and Shepard smiled. "You did it!"
Val clapped her hands together. "Now that was fun! Damn, you ladies are exciting." The blonde took a seat at the kitchen table and roped her arm around Ereyla's shoulders before she rested her boots on the table.
"Take us to Earth, Marion." Shepard said.
Turian Cruiser in Outer Orbit of Rannoch
Garrus felt a little too comfortable in his old blue armor as he was escorted down the hallways of the Primarch's personal vessel. Victus rarely traveled without a fleet, it was simply one of many warning flags that something odd was happening. Beside him walked two mute marines who carried their rifles in their hands at his flank.
He didn't speak to them, he was too busy trying to figure out what was so important that the Primarch of Palavan and leader of the turian people would be requesting the presence of an old retired soldier like him. Sure Garrus had become something of a living icon after the war on his home planet but Victus knew just as well as he how to separate fact from fiction. So why did he need him here?
He hated leaving Tali behind, dreading the thought that his wife would wake up alone in their home terrified and helpless. He had made arrangements for one of Tali's friends to look after her in his absence. Still it didn't make him feel any better. Garrus had hardly felt like himself since he received the news of the Migrant Fleet's destruction and Tali's condition. Or perhaps he had and he just didn't want to admit it. In truth Garrus had felt this way before, a time when he was fueled by hate and vengeance, a time he had been called Archangel. It was a time in his life he tried to forget. But it was hard not to be reminded of his butchered friends on Omega when he had first seen Tali after the attack. He had failed to protect her just like he failed them and it was time to make up for it.
Finally the marines finished their escort and they came to a stop outside the captain's cabin. Garrus didn't ask for permission before stepping inside. He found Victus staring at a tactical map displayed on his desk. The Primarch looked up and powered off the hologram.
"Garrus, thank you for coming on short notice. I know this is a difficult time but I'm afraid it's about to get a lot more difficult."
Garrus crossed his arms. "What's this about, Victus?"
Victus let out a heavy exhale and sat down in his chair. "I won't lie to you, things are bad."
"How bad? What's happening?"
"I assume you've heard of Councilor Tevos' assassination?"
"I have."
"Well some rather...troubling news has come from that incident. The shooter was a turian soldier, one of our high ranking officials actually. Someone I trusted and who worked directly with myself back on Palavan and Councilor Sparatus. Rumors have begun circulating that either myself or the Councilor was somehow involved in the assassination."
"Were you?" Garrus asked.
"Of course not! But...as for Sparatus, our councilor dropped off the grid soon after Tevos' death."
"What do you mean?"
"He's gone, Garrus. Even our best people can't find a trace of him. And the asari want answers and we have none to give them."
"So why call me in? Politics was never my area of expertise." Garrus reminded him.
"A few days ago we picked up two asari scouts infiltrating our secure military network. We were holding them in a compound on Palavan but neither said a word."
"You were holding them? What happened?"
Victus dipped his head. "We found both prisoners dead in their cells with their throats slit. We don't know who's responsible but only our own people knew where they were and had access to them. What we do know is the asari were downloading classified intel on our fleets and that they were doing so under Matriarch order. We were forced to order all our ships on to alert status. And it now appears the asari are doing the same. And if the news breaks that their operatives were executed things will only get worse."
"You're saying there's a war brewing because the asari think we killed their councilor? That's insane!"
"That's not the only reason..." Victus said. "This has to stay between us."
Garrus nodded.
"We think our military might have been compromised."
"Compromised? Compromised how?!"
"We don't know. But one thing is certain, someone within our ranks is involved in these events. And with Sparatus missing and no evidence to prove our innocence our situation with the asari will grow more desperate by the day."
Garrus was silent for a moment as he thought about this. "You said earlier you discovered who was responsible for the Migrant Fleet."
Victus's mandible twitched. "Before Sparatus vanished we uncovered a series of logged communications between him and the quarian conclave. It seems he was looking to establish an embassy for them once the Citadel is finished with reconstruction."
"So?"
"So, Sparatus didn't share this information with the rest of the council. People are beginning to speculate he used the embassy as a ploy to gather the quarian admirals on one ship and...dispose of them."
"This makes no sense. Why would Sparatus do this?"
"It all seems to point to a cover up gone bad. We think Tevos and the quarians knew something and Sparatus wanted to get rid of them to maintain his innocence. And when it all went bad he vanished."
"And you think he was covering up that our military has been compromised. That's he's involved with that. So what do you want me to do?"
"With Sparatus gone the position of councilor falls to the acting Primarch as I'm sure you know. Which for the time being at least means I'm a councilor. And I have a mission that needs doing. But as it stands there's not a lot of people I know I can trust, and even less who would be able to do this."
"What mission?"
"Our people were able to lift coordinates off the asari spy's omni-tools."
"And that's it?"
"That's it. They lead to Illium. I need you to follow them there. We don't know what you'll find but if you uncover anything about what the asari are planning or where Sparatus has gone you need to tell me."
"Illium is is the Terminus Systems. They won't respect any authority I have there."
"Illium only answers to one kind of outside authority. That's why my first order as acting councilor is making you a Spectre, Garrus." Victus offered his hand.
Garrus's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"Nobody deserves it more than you. And we need you now just like we needed you six years ago. Say yes."
Garrus stared at the Primarch's hand. His thoughts were racing, being a spectre had been a dream of his back when he first met Shepard. But he wasn't sure he wanted to pick up a rifle again after everything that happened. Then he realized that what's happened to Tali is exactly why he needed to. Garrus shook Victus' hand. "I accept."
"Good. We'll provide you with a ship, weapons, anything you think you'll need. You can leave immediately."
"Understood, sir."
"And one more thing, Garrus. If by some small chance your search leads you to Sparatus,"
"Yes?" Garrus pressed.
"It might be more beneficial if he never gets the chance to incriminate us further."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying he's a traitor. I trust you to do what needs to be done if it comes to it."
Notes- Spectre Garrus Vakarian has finally joined the fray and our heroes are on their way back to Earth. Everything's coming up Milhouse! Please tell me your thoughts in the reviews and have an awesome day :)
