[Optional reading: Cerberus Daily News, January 22 and 23, 2011. The Mass Effect wiki has copies of all Cerberus Daily News reports, in case you can't find them elsewhere. The fic is in continuity with those two reports in particular, but not necessarily with other reports.
Not optional: Arrival. This chapter assumes detailed knowledge of the DLC, above and beyond the standard all-DLCs-spoiled warning. At the very least, read a plot summary. Better yet, play it yourself or watch someone else do so on YouTube.]
Shepard activated the communications array for the last time. "In one hour, this rock will hit the relay. No one in the system will survive. For too long, the Batarian Hegemony has systematically oppressed and attacked the human race. This is a blow struck for humans everywhere. We cannot be controlled, and we will not be defeated!"
Aboard the SSV Budapest, Admiral Hackett muted the feed.
"I still can't believe you persuaded the Hegemony to allow your sorry excuses for ships back into the system," snapped his batarian liaison. Ad'erra Balak tilted her head to the right, a gesture of disrespect. She'd been doing it a lot recently. "For all we know, you dropped Shepard off right before we kicked you out last time."
"Once again, Subcommander Balak," replied Hackett, "the Alliance absolutely condemns the actions of human terrorists in general and Cerberus in particular. We will scour every system of the Attican Traverse, if that's what it takes. Shepard will not escape."
"Just like my brother was supposed to 'not escape?'" asked Balak. "Are we really to believe you would spend more resources bringing down one of your own than catching one of ours?"
"We'll certainly spend more resources cleaning up our mess than you have on yours," retorted Hackett.
She glared at him. "Enough political bullshit. What's the Alliance's game here?"
"If you think this is a game, Ms. Balak, you're badly mistaken."
To be continued...
[Don't panic. Just keep reading.]
Earlier...
"Don't try to stop me, Shep-"
Bang.
Amanda Kenson's lifeless body slid to the floor. Shepard stepped over the corpse. "I don't try."
Earlier...
"...sedatives aren't working any more. She's waking up... Security!" The indoctrinated doctor ran out of the Project's medical bay, activating a force field behind her.
A few minutes later, Shepard strapped on her armor, glancing at a wall clock. "So far, so good."
Earlier...
"Kenson, we're running out of people!" shouted a guard.
Shepard pulled the trigger. He expired.
"Send in the heavy mechs," ordered Kenson.
YOUR FINAL DAYS ARE AT HAND, Object Rho helpfully added.
Shepard drew the Cain, and looked over her cover. Sure enough, several YMIR mechs were converging on her. OK, need the right distance on this one. She fired. The projectile sailed over the nearest mech's head, landing at the furthest one's feet. She braced for the blast.
An enormous mushroom cloud replaced the cluster of mechs. Within seconds, there was literally nothing left.
"What now?" called a guard from the sidelines.
"The artifact will take care of her," replied Kenson.
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE ARRIVAL.
Shepard fought the effects, but it was like wading through gelatin. Her mind felt like it had been set aflame. Her limbs refused to respond. She curled up on the floor and blacked out.
Earlier...
"Benjamin."
Sisko looked around. Once again, the world was flooded with white. Only his mother was visible. "Yes?"
"Tomorrow, the Shepard bears a terrible burden. Your burden."
"Mine? I don't understand."
"You will. When you bear hers."
"What are you talking about?"
"The time is not ripe. You face a delicate balancing act in the months to come. Know that we cannot guide you. When dealing with the Shepard, maintain your sovereignty, but do not let it consume you. Remember, we are of Bajor."
"Then why have you abandoned Bajor?"
"We have not."
Earlier...
At C-Sec Academy, Shepard called the elevator to the Normandy's docking bay. Before it could arrive, Councilor Sparatus approached her from behind. Grabbing her arm, he muttered "Council business," and gently but firmly steered her away from Garrus and Tali.
She yanked herself free of his grasp, glaring at him. "Let's try that again. Good afternoon, Councilor Sparatus, how are you today?"
"Commander, I need to speak with you," he replied.
She sighed. "About...?"
"These 'interdimensional aliens' of yours. We know what they are."
"Oh?" she asked, her voice noncommittal.
"Yes. In fact, the Hierarchy is rather shocked you apparently thought we wouldn't notice."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.
"Of course you don't," he replied. "Whenever something untoward happens in human space, no one ever knows anything about it. Anyway, these 'aliens' were clearly designed to look like Star Trek characters."
"Designed?" she asked, the mask slipping. "Councilor, just what the hell are you implying?"
"I imply nothing at all. It's perfectly obvious you had no idea these people were illegally cloned and genetically engineered to look like characters from some old vids, despite those vids being one of the cornerstones of modern human culture."
"I... what?"
"It's also perfectly obvious your Cerberus allies - excuse me, former allies - know nothing about it, either."
"Wait, you think Cerberus cloned and engineered these people, gave them a ship, put it in orbit around the Citadel, then attacked said ship? Why would they do that?"
"I wouldn't know any more than you. And, as we already established, you know nothing."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you don't like humans."
Sparatus responded with a glare. "Accusations of racism are hardly-"
"Whatever, I don't actually care. Have you spoken with Anderson or the rest of the Council about this?"
He harrumphed. "They have taken my concerns under advisement."
She smirked. "Ah yes, 'Cerberus.' We have dismissed that claim."
"Commander, this is serious" rebuked Sparatus.
"So are the reapers. Anyway, they blew you off, so you came to me in hopes of... what, exactly?"
"I was hoping that an honorable if confused Spectre would be honest with me."
That stopped her cold. Damn it, mocking him is one thing, but I can't keep lying to his face. "All right. It's true. They are Star Trek characters. But so far as they can remember, they really did come from another dimension."
"And you just believed them. I don't know why I find that so surprising, given how easily Saren manipulated you with his 'reaper' myth."
"I believed them after they teleported aboard my ship," she retorted, ignoring the barb about the reapers. That way madness lay.
"You're saying Cerberus has teleporter technology?" he demanded with some alarm.
She facepalmed. "Oh for the love of... Why do you need me if you're just going to believe what you want anyway?"
His mandibles flared in anger. "My job is to draw conclusions based on the available evidence, not to blindly accept whatever you tell me. Now, what other technologies did you observe?"
She thought back to her experiences with the Defiant's crew. "They have a cloaking device, better than IES because it works in the visible spectrum, transporters, shields much stronger than ours, handheld and shipboard phasers, and tricorders. They also claimed to have replicators, a warp drive, and subspace radio, but we never saw any of those operating."
Sparatus gave her a thoughtful look. "If they truly have cornucopia technology, they are more advanced than the asari. Cerberus must have found a cache of prothean technology. This is worse than I feared. Good day, Commander." With that, he abruptly turned and walked away.
She shook her head and returned to Garrus and Tali. "Let's just go before he changes his mind."
Earlier...
"You should be good to go, Commander," explained Anderson, "but if C-Sec gives you any trouble, here's the release order for the Normandy." He handed Shepard a data pad.
Tali, Garrus, and Shepard piled into the elevator from the Presidium to C-Sec.
"Another long elevator ride," remarked Garrus. "Anything you ladies want to talk about?"
Tali shot him a look, though he couldn't tell what kind of look through the mask. "Still have the shotgun."
"Right. Shutting up now."
"So, how's the Admiralty board going to feel about working with the geth?" Shepard asked.
Tali inclined her head slightly. "Shepard, I think you're confused. This isn't something the Admiralty can do by themselves. We need the Conclave's permission."
"The admirals can't do anything?"
Tali shook her head. "I didn't say that. The Admiralty are much more visible than the Conclave, and much more respected. They're not just military leaders. They're symbols of the different wings of quarian politics. Koris isn't the only man who believes we can reconcile with the geth, though it is a minority position."
"And your trial was a defeat for that position," added Shepard, frowning.
"That was the initial perception, but it seems Gerrel's group lost face as well. Your... outburst pushed a lot of people away from 'political bullshit,' as you called it. They want to do something, but they're not really sure what."
"Is this Raan's faction?"
Tali considered it. "I suppose you could say that, but she's got the role more or less by accident; I don't know that she actually feels that way. Still, if we can get her on our side, things will go a lot smoother."
"How does Xen fit into this?" asked Shepard.
"Her faction is tiny. They make Gerrel look positively moderate. Almost no one seriously thinks we can retake the geth. But her research is something to watch for. Technology is always disruptive, but the right development at the wrong time could tip the scales one way or the other."
"They're your people, Tali. How are we playing this one?"
"I'd say... start with Raan. She and Koris together should be enough to swing the Conclave. Gerrel doesn't have the political strength to fight back, now that..." She trailed off.
Shepard took Tali's hand. "Are you all right?"
She shook her head. "Eventually, I will be. Thanks, Shepard."
Garrus took her other hand. "We're here for you. Just say the word."
The elevator continued its descent.
Earlier...
Donnel Udina entered the Councilor's office, reading the latest news off a datapad. "Anderson, I need the minutes from that Council meeting-" Looking up, he noticed the large crowd of people in the room. "What in God's name is going on in here?"
Anderson shook his head. "Sorry, Udina. Need-to-know. Shastri ordered it himself. Same goes for that Council meeting, I'm afraid."
Udina raised his eyebrows. "You went behind my back to the Prime Minister? And now you're bringing Shepard in on it? Do you trust her more than you trust me?"
"Yes," replied Anderson.
Udina's face assumed its default expression of extreme annoyance. "Well, you might like to know that whatever you told the Council has seriously upset the Turian Hierarchy. This kind of bickering so soon after getting the seat is not doing our credibility any favors, Anderson, not to mention it's scaring the associate races." He glared at Shepard. "But obviously you have more important things to worry about." He flounced out of the room.
"Shepard, can I talk to you for a moment?" asked Kaidan. "Hackett wanted me to give you something."
"The Bahak system?" asked Nog.
Kaidan glared at the ferengi. "Thanks for telling everyone."
Shepard held up a hand. "Will everyone who hasn't served on either the SR-1 or the Defiant please step out for a moment?"
Most of the SR-2 crew cleared out. Anderson took Samara's wrist before she could leave. "Excuse me, aren't you a Justicar?"
"Yes, I am," replied Samara.
"Udina would kill me if I kicked someone of your stature out of my office. Please, stay."
"Then I would kill him," replied Samara, returning to her place in the office. Anderson wasn't sure whether she had understood his joke, and was playing along with it, or had thought he was serious.
"Now, from the top. What's happening?" asked Shepard.
Nog went over the details. Shepard's face grew more and more grim as the explanation wore on. "Suggestions?" she asked.
"Dr. Chakwas or I could give you small quantities of sedative to build up your resistance," suggested Bashir. "I don't think we have enough time to bring you to full immunity, but it should at least give you a full 24 hours before arrival."
Garrus shook his head. "That's not going to work. The batarians are never going to evacuate on our say-so. And even if they do listen, 24 hours is not enough time to evacuate a colony."
Garak grinned. "Of course they'll evacuate when we tell them to. You just have to... phrase it properly. Pretend to be a terrorist. Tell them you're finishing what Kenson started 'for the glory of the Alliance' or some such nonsense."
Kaidan nodded. "That could work. Between the Skyllian Blitz and the Cerberus connection, I'd say it's pretty damn plausible."
"Gee, thanks," deadpanned Shepard.
"To a batarian, I meant."
"But how are they supposed to evacuate so many people in such a short window?" asked Garrus.
"Transporters?" asked Liara.
Anderson shook his head. "Sorry, I can't condone handing that tech to the batarians."
Sisko raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that my decision?"
"It doesn't matter," interrupted Dax. "Transporters consume enormous quantities of energy, by local standards. Portable transporters could get maybe a few dozen people off-world without recharging, while shipboard transporters would take time to install. We need an immediate solution."
"The Alliance responds to Shepard's actions," offered Garak, "and pledges to assist in the evacuation. Send a few unarmed heavy cruisers to speed up the process."
Liara shook her head. "The Batarian Hegemony would never agree to that."
"Take out the comm buoys on your way in," added Garak. "Then have EDI fake a signal from Khar'shan. By the time the batarians discover the lie, it'll be too late."
"It'll be close, but I think we can pull it off," said Shepard.
"Probably the best we're going to do," added Wrex. "But Shepard, you know they're going to leave their slaves behind, right? There's no way they'll put slaves' lives ahead of batarian lives."
Shepard shut her eyes and clasped her hands. "You can't always save everyone. Sometimes, you can't even save the people who most deserve it."
Kaidan thought back to Virmire. It should have been me. Shepard's words from so long ago echoed in his mind's ear. You can't keep beating yourself up over the past, she'd said. And I still can't seem to listen to her.
Samara cleared her throat. "That's a noble thought, Shepard, but I can't condone this. And I must remind you my oath is completed. I will be obliged to stop you."
Kaidan frowned. "I don't suppose I can convince you by quoting Spock?"
Samara inclined her head in thought. "'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.' A good principle, but it is not fundamental. You cannot base your morality around it, though some have tried."
Shepard stared at Samara. "You'd favor the few over the many?"
Samara returned the gaze. "Under the right circumstances, yes. Imagine someone commits murder. The police are only able to prove it by gathering evidence illegally. What happens next? On Palaven, the scenario cannot arise. Every turian is absolutely beholden to the hierarchy. There is no such thing as 'illegal evidence.' This is best for the many. On Sur'Kesh, the police are punished for violating the law, but so is the murderer. This also favors the many. Only on Thessia, the Citadel, and Earth will you see the murderer released. Even the guilty have rights."
Liara folded her arms. "Justicar, are you suggesting the salarian and turian systems are wrong?"
Samara nodded. "I don't pretend that everyone agrees with me, but that is my position. I cannot personally make war on entire species; they are sovereign, and beyond my concern."
Garak rolled his eyes. "This is nonsensical. The reapers will kill them anyway. What difference does it make?"
"Blood will be on someone's hands. That person should not be Shepard," insisted Samara.
"You are choosing between a galaxy in which everyone is dead, and a galaxy in which a colony's worth of slaves are dead. How are we still arguing over this?"
Samara sighed. "Once again, you frame the question incorrectly. The Code does not concern itself with consequences or outcomes, but with rights and obligations. The ends cannot justify the means. Those slaves have a right to live, and we are obligated to respect that right."
"Spirits, Samara, this is an act of mercy!" interjected Garrus.
"Mercy? I... had not considered that. Killing someone for the sake of mercy is questionable at the best of times... yet under the right circumstances, it can be appropriate. The harvesting process is certainly unpleasant. But I fear we may be using it as a fig leaf to hide our own wrongdoing. That is a very easy path to fall down."
"We must survive," implored Thane. "There's no point in morality if there's no one left to follow it."
Samara interlaced her fingers. "There is truth in that as well. Shepard, I want your word as a Spectre and comrade-in-arms that their deaths will not be in vain."
"Done," replied Shepard.
"Then... the Code permits this slaughter, if only to minimize the suffering of those already dead."
Earlier...
[The events of the previous chapter happened, and the one before it, etc. back to the beginning of time. Normal story chronology resumes in the next chapter.
I've recently transitioned from part-time student to full-time employee. As a result, my free time has been drastically curtailed. Updates will likely be infrequent for the foreseeable future. I do have an ending planned, and I don't intend to ignore all of the questions these chapters have been raising. But it will likely be a long time before you get to read that ending, since we haven't even finished ME2 yet.]
