STARCRAFT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. HOWEVER, THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHARACTERS' LIVES MORE COMPLICATED AND DANGEROUS IS A SICK JOY AND PRIVILEGE.
Sorry about not updating this story in so long. I wanted to finish Honor-Bound's latest arc, and then I had to complete Outcast Effect. I'll try not to have such long gaps between chapters, but at least now I don't have as many stories on the brain.
Cycles Upon Cycles
Chapter 27
Getting the Gang Back Together
Welcome back to UNN, with Kate Lockwell. We've got good news from the border, as Asari colonists from Aeryn have praised both Dominion forces for their quick response and Council soldiers for fortifying their defenses and providing aid. According to our sources, the Dominion fleet was escorted back to the border without incident, something I think we can all be happy about.
However, that's only where Alliance and Council borders meet. The area known as the Terminus Systems has been declared off-limits to civilians, because Council laws don't apply there. Any Council forces in that sector can quite literally get away with murder. Of course, the same could be said for our own military, but that just means that it will be easier to start another war. In this reporter's opinion, that would be a really bad thing. Until next time, this has been Kate Lockwell, for UNN.
Ulnar
"Well, I'll admit I'm surprised to see you," Shepard said as he walked alongside Miranda, "I kinda thought you'd be happy to see me locked up."
Miranda smirked. "Please, Commander, I would never let a prison do the job for me; I'd put a bullet in your head myself." She then shrugged. "But, then again, the Shepard I hated died years ago; I don't think it's fair to hold a grudge with you."
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You know the truth?"
"Nova was made aware. She passed down the facts to me." Miranda shrugged again. "The only other senior member of the Strikers that knows is Admiral Anderson; telling anyone else is your decision, though Nova suggested letting it spread no further than the senior staff."
Shepard nodded. "I understand. So, how many Strikers are back? And when did Anderson get promoted?"
"In reverse-order, he was given the rank a few weeks ago. As for the Strikers, nearly everyone is assembled; the only missing senior officers, or at least the ones you've brought into confidence, are Vakarian, Zorah, and Goto."
Shepard noticed the minute twitch in Miranda's jaw when she mentioned Kasumi. "Okay, what did Kasumi do to piss you off?"
Miranda scowled. "Specialist Goto took your… absence, shall we say, rather badly. She decided that I was to blame."
"Tell me no one was shot."
"She broke my jaw," Miranda said tersely. "After that, Dominion Intelligence put her in Dead Man's Port, where Vakarian and Zorah recruited her for a mission. I don't know anything beyond that."
Shepard blinked as he processed all of that, though he decided not to comment on Kasumi's attack on Miranda. "Garrus and Tali are now in Intelligence? What the hell?"
"I agree, at least about Zorah; she doesn't fit the profile for a covert operative. My guess is that she was placed as short-term support of Vakarian, possibly also as a friendly face to convince Goto to join the team."
Shepard nodded; it bothered him that someone so innocent like Tali would be drawn into the shadowy world of Intelligence, if only because he knew from experience what kind of scars it would leave.
"Well, if we're getting the crew back together, I want those three back," he decided. "If Intelligence wants them back so badly, they can talk to me about it."
"Yes, I'm sure you'll make them see reason," Miranda said sarcastically.
"Oh, you'd be surprised," Shepard replied, his eyes sparking with red psionic energy for a moment, "I can be very persuasive."
"About that." Miranda gestured towards his eyes. "I've been told that you have the power under control now, but I want to hear it from you."
Shepard looked down at his hands, his gaze lingering longer on his prosthetic. "Honestly? I think so, but it's not like I've been pushing it. My personality is still Aaron Shepard's, but I don't want to risk Amon trying to destroy the universe again." He glanced at Miranda, his boost in power easily, if unintentionally, allowing him to skim the surface of her mind and see her fears. Fears that, if he was being honest with himself, he shared.
"And if it comes to it, I want you to kill me."
Miranda was a master at hiding her true emotions, but Shepard's statement made her freeze in shock. "Wha—Commander?"
"You're one of the only people I know who can be objective enough to do what needs to be done," Shepard explained. "If you really, honestly, think I'm starting to lose it, then you do what you have to." He smirked. "Besides, you already said that you don't want anyone else killing me."
Miranda shuffled in place, not meeting his eyes. "I understand, Commander, but I thought that the Alliance cleared you?"
Shepard laughed humorlessly. "Just because they trust me doesn't mean I trust myself. Not yet."
"Well, it's reassuring to know that you've got some Human insecurities, just like the rest of us," Miranda said.
This time, Shepard's laughter was laced with surprise. "Did you, of all people, just admit to being insecure? Now I know things are going crazy."
"You're an ass."
"I'm an ass, sir," Shepard said with a smug grin.
Miranda only glared at him.
"Fine, be that way, but I'm entering insubordination into your file." Shepard held back a smirk at Miranda's furious expression. "So, where's the Normandy parked?"
Miranda accepted the shift back to professionalism with only a little fuming. "The ship is just within the Alliance cordon around Ulnar; once we board the ship, we will be given our new mission."
"Sounds good. I assume all of my gear is stowed in the same ship being used to transport us?"
Miranda nodded; Ghosts and Spectres were notoriously paranoid about leaving their gear out of their sight for lengthy periods of time, and Shepard still needed to inspect his new equipment for any updated features.
As they neared the landing pad, they ran into Zeratul—almost literally, in fact. He decloaked nearly right in front of them, and only their honed reflexes prevented a collision.
"What the hell, Zeratul?" Shepard asked, once he consciously reminded himself not to reach for a weapon. "I thought only Kasumi liked to give people heart attacks like that."
{My apologies, Commander,} Zeratul said, placing one hand over his chest. {However, I needed to speak with you about an important matter, one that Karax was unable to discuss, due to the attack by the Tal'darim.}
Shepard raised an eyebrow; if it made Zeratul rush, then it had to be important. "What is it?"
Zeratul reached into the folds of his cloak and brought out a triangular device. It looked like the ones that held Khaydarin memory-crystals, but it was made of the silvery material used by the Dark Templar, and it had an odd socket in the center.
{As was explained to you, your psionic powers are too much for your Terran body,} he said.
"Yeah, and using too much energy will kill me," Shepard interrupted.
Zeratul shook his head. {Not quite. You are constantly drawing upon Amon's power, in the same way that you would breathe. When you use any psionic powers, it is like taking a deeper breath.}
"So, what do I have to do?" Shepard asked.
Zeratul reached out with his other hand and grabbed Shepard's right arm by the wrist, twisting it so that the palm was facing up. {Focus on the space just below the wrist, and you will see.}
Shepard glanced at Miranda, who shrugged. Focusing just a sliver of power into his arm, Shepard watched as a small slot opened up, revealing a red crystal, smaller than the one on the back of his hand.
{This crystal stores your excess energies, but only for so long.} Zeratul plucked the crystal out of Shepard's arm and placed it in the socket of the device he held. {This machine, which Karax has named a Void Channeler, safely empties that energy into the Void, where it can do no harm.}
The device hummed for a moment; when it stopped, the crystal's glow was almost nonexistent. Zeratul placed the crystal back into Shepard's arm, and the metal covered over it again.
"How often do I need to do this?" Shepard asked, masking his frustration about having a handicap.
{Karax informed me that you should do this at least once every Terran day, especially after any extensive use of your powers.} Zeratul handed the Void Channeler over to Shepard. {You could wait as long as two days, but you would begin suffering the afflictions of your power.}
Shepard nodded grimly and placed the device in his pocket; considering it would be keeping him alive, he would leave it in his quarters, and only risk taking it with him on longer missions.
"Thanks for the warning," he said, then waved a hand towards the door. "Are you coming with us?"
Zeratul nodded. {Hierarch Artanis has asked that I resume leading the Protoss contingent aboard your ship. However, I should inform you that our warriors are purely Nerazim; most of the Khalai warriors have returned to Protoss space to improve on their military prowess.}
Shepard tried not to think about how terrifying it could be if the Protoss became even more powerful than they were; then again, if Grunt's new appearance was any indication, the Zerg were evolving as well, and it wouldn't surprise him if the Terrans had new projects in the works. Things had changed during the months he was gone; the threat of invasion tended to spur progress, and the fact that the members of the Alliance were no longer fighting each other certainly didn't hurt.
"Well, I'll take whatever help I can get," he said. "I'd appreciate a list of numbers and specializations, though."
{Very well, Commander.}
"Oh, and one more thing." Shepard held out his right arm. "I have no experience with a psi-blade; I was hoping you'd be able to teach me."
The only sign of Zeratul's surprise was a single blink. {I will see what I can do, Commander.}
Shepard smiled; at least one thing was improving. "Great, thanks. Now then, let's get going."
…
Undisclosed Location
"We've read your report, Agent Vakarian," a shadowy figure said. "To be perfectly frank, the developments on Rannoch are disturbing, to say the least."
Garrus nodded, but said nothing; he'd been told before that, if he valued his career in the Dominion, he would keep his mouth shut around his superiors in Intelligence unless he was asked a question.
At least, Garrus assumed the person in front of him was his superior, or at least his handler. He couldn't make out anything about the Terran, other than his gender. He didn't even have a codename, so Garrus could only address him as 'sir'.
"While the situation on Rannoch itself has been effectively contained, Admiral Xen's capabilities are worrying. Do you have any idea where she might be now?"
Garrus shook his head. "No, sir; the transmission was too scrambled."
The man across from him shifted slightly. "Do you have any theories?"
The only reason anyone would ask him would be because they had no idea, and that worried Garrus. Or it was some kind of test, and that worried him even more. Still, after thinking about it for a moment, he came up with a guess.
"The Quarians' affiliation with artificial intelligences is still frowned on in Council space," he said. "Between the stigma and Xen's own superiority complex, it's extremely unlikely that she's there. The odds of her being in Alliance space are also low; between the resources of the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss, she'd be found before long." Garrus resisted the urge to tap his chin. "The Terminus Systems would be the best bet. It's outside of Alliance and Council jurisdiction… sort of. There's a big risk of war breaking out because of someone doing something stupid there. If she is there, there aren't too many places with the resources she'd need to make an army." Garrus blinked as he realized something. "Oh."
The man in the shadows shifted. "What is it?"
"Omega," Garrus said quietly. "That's the only place that would be large enough and have the resources Xen might want. That station has been a warzone ever since those mercenaries invaded. If Xen wanted to cover her tracks, there are enough bodies to do the job. And she might just cut a deal with Aria; back when I was in C-Sec, I heard that she was hiring anyone who might help her take back Omega. Xen might be crazy, but Aria might overlook it if Xen helps her."
The man was silent for what felt like an eternity. Garrus wondered if he had rambled on for too long, or had said the wrong thing; either way, it felt like he was being judged.
Finally, the man spoke. "Excellent deductive reasoning, Agent Vakarian; we had also reached the same conclusion."
Garrus didn't let his relief show; so it had been a test after all, and he had passed.
"With that in mind, we have your next assignment." A datapad slid across the table and into Garrus' hands. "Take your team to Omega; if you find evidence of Xen's presence, first try to recruit Mira's Marauders, get them to assist you in locating Xen. Regardless of whether or not you can do that, your mission is to find and kill her."
"Understood, sir." Garrus rose from his seat. "Permission to assemble and deploy my team?"
"Granted." The man nodded. "And remember, Agent Vakarian, this meeting never took place."
It wasn't until Garrus was out of the room that he allowed a bit of his humor to return. "What meeting?"
Across the room, Tali perked up her head from where she'd been resting on a table. "Did you say something, Garrus?"
"No, just talking to myself." Garrus walked up to Tali. "My source just gave me a lead. Where's Kasumi? We need to leave ASAP."
Tali looked around. "I'm not sure. She was here—gah!"
As surprised as Garrus was when Kasumi appeared next to Tali with an ambush-hug, it also made him feel better to see her start acting like her old self again. He wasn't sure if it was an act, but at least she was putting in the effort, as opposed to drinking herself to death.
"Hey, there!" Kasumi chirped, then smiled at Garrus. "Did you say something about going somewhere? Will there be a beach and a four-star hotel?"
Garrus chuckled. "No, on both counts. We're going to Omega." He ignored the disgusted growl that came from Tali. "It's the best place for Xen to hide and still be her mad-scientist self."
Kasumi's smile faded slightly. "Well, last I heard, Mira's Marauders were still slugging it out with Aria's troops. Maybe they'll have something to drink after we deal with Xen." At the looks she was getting, Kasumi raised her hands. "Hey, you saw that creepy stuff on Rannoch! We all needed a drink after seeing that horror show."
Neither alien argued with her on that, but they shared a wordless agreement to keep an eye on Kasumi, just in case.
"Well, then," Garrus clapped his hands together, "let's get started. We've got a long trip ahead of us."
Kasumi grinned. "Ooh! I'll get the grenades! And the snacks!"
…
The Normandy
"Welcome back, Commander," Anderson said, then shook Shepard's hand. "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise, Admiral." Shepard saw how at ease Anderson was with him, despite knowing the truth; in Shepard's mind, that simple fact cemented Anderson's status as a true friend.
"I'll take you to the briefing room," Anderson said, leading Shepard and Miranda down a hallway. "You'll be happy to know that all of the Normandy's damage from her last mission has been completely repaired."
"I'm not surprised." Shepard breathed in the scent of steel and oil, and felt right at home. "Considering how much went into building this ship, it would be a waste to just mothball her after only one mission."
Anderson nodded. "Of course, we've also replenished our ranks; we lost quite a few soldiers near the end, but from what I hear, every person who was approached to join up did so without hesitation."
Shepard raised an eyebrow. "People want to get sent on missions where we have no assured backup?"
"It probably has something to do with how the Strikers were the most proactive unit during the Saren incident," Anderson said. "A lot of people in the Koprulu Sector are tired of the bad guys kicking in our door before we toss them out."
"And they see the Strikers as a way to do just that." Shepard sighed. "I miss being a secret unit."
Miranda grumbled a wordless agreement. Ghosts and Spectres were supposed to operate from the shadows; it went against their nature to be thrown into the spotlight.
Anderson only shrugged. "Well, regardless, shall we head to the bridge? Emperor Valerian is ready to brief us on our mission." He smiled. "And then, Commander, you should set up a meeting with the senior officers; I'm sure they're eager to see you again."
Shepard nodded, his features completely neutral. I wonder how eager they'll be once I tell them the truth.
…
Omega
"Funny," Kasumi said as she and the others got out of the dropship, "I knew Omega was a warzone, but I thought it was just a few skirmishes. This looks more like Dead Man's Port on a bad day."
Omega had always been dirty and filled with the promise of danger, but now it was even worse. Smoke billowed out of several areas, and Kasumi could see dozens of bodies in the distance, all of them wearing Terran armor.
"Things have changed," Garrus said tensely. "If Xen is using her monsters to help Aria's side, the fighting is just going to get worse."
"Oh, it already has." The three operatives turned to see Mira Han stride towards them. She walked with easy grace, but her face suggested she'd had more than once sleepless night lately. "In fact, until you contacted me, I was considering calling off my little occupation and returning to friendlier territory."
"It's only been a couple of days," Tali protested. "Have things really gotten so bad?"
Mira shook her head. "It's worse than that, darling; I've lost nearly three hundred men over the last two days. We weren't expecting Aria to get reinforcements, and certainly not ones so powerful."
Garrus was holdings his rifle, so he couldn't cross his arms. "What can you tell us about these new forces?"
Despite her fatigue, Mira shrugged almost uncaringly. "They're tough, they don't seem to feel fear, and they're heavily armed. Oh, and they look like a Geth and a Quarian were put together in a blender. Not the most pleasant thing to see."
"Well, we know who's making them," Garrus said, "and we're going to take her down, but we can't do it alone. We could use your help."
Mira raised an eyebrow. "I don't exactly have much to offer. My forces have been shattered; I have, at most, a hundred men that can still fight."
"You have a fleet of Battlecruisers!" Tali said.
"I had most of them return to my base in the Koprulu Sector a while ago, and even if they were here, most of the people on those ships aren't trained for this kind of war," Mira countered. "I'm not going to send in my people to be slaughtered when there's no profit to be made. Besides, I completed my contract here a long time ago; all we had to do was keep Omega from supplying the Council with Element Zero during the war, and we did that. The war ended a long time ago, and I only stayed because I liked the idea of having a giant space station as a base, and until these freaky monsters showed up, I had that."
Kasumi sighed. "So, does that mean that you aren't going to help us?"
To the trio's surprise, Mira grinned. "Now, dear, I never said that. Things might be bad, but I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. I just need a small group of talented individuals to help make it work."
Garrus smiled. "Looks like we can make something work out after all."
…
The Normandy
Shepard wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he entered the briefing room, but he knew it wasn't open cheers. As all of his Terran officers took turns patting him on the back and welcoming him aboard the ship, he had to wonder if the universe had any other surprises in store for him that day. He didn't voice that thought, just in case the universe happened to be listening.
"Good to see you again, Commander!" Ashley said as she shook his hand.
"It's about time you got your ass back here," Jack commented from her spot against the wall, her arms crossed. "What, did killing Saren earn you a vacation or something?"
Shepard gave her a smirk. "Yeah, something like that." He waved his prosthetic arm. "It didn't have anything to do with this."
As soon as Shepard had drawn attention to his new arm, he wished he hadn't; Jenkins had practically grabbed the prosthetic so that he could examine it.
"Huh, that's new," he said. "Is this Protoss tech, Commander? Why'd they give you an arm? I mean, I'm glad they did, but this isn't—ow!"
Ashley withdrew her fist after rapping her knuckles across Jenkins' scalp. "Just because you're an officer doesn't mean I won't kick your ass halfway across the ship, Jenkins. Give the Commander some space."
"All right, everyone settle down," Anderson said; his tone might have been mild, but there was an undercurrent of command that instantly made the Terrans, even Jack, tone it down. "I'm sure there's plenty you want to ask the Commander, but right now, we have work to do." He looked around the room. "And we could get started once all officers are here."
Shepard followed Anderson's example and took a quick headcount. The only Terran officer that was missing was Kasumi—something that made his chest hurt a little—while the only aliens not present were Garrus and Tali, though they weren't actually officers.
"I apologize!" Liara said as she burst into the room. "I was making sure that my lab was fully prepared, and I lost track of time."
Anderson nodded. "Not a problem, Doctor, but please make sure that you arrive on time from now on."
Shepard glanced at Liara. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, Liara, but what are you doing here?"
"Doctor T'soni is in charge of our xenobiology and xenoarchaeology research labs," Anderson answered. "Her skills outstrip practically everyone else at Moebius."
Shepard blinked. After everything Liara had gone through, he was surprised that she would willingly come back into that kind of life. "Huh. In that case, I'd like to officially welcome you to the Strikers, Doctor."
"And I'm glad to be here," Liara said, then smiled at everyone. "It's nice to be back among friends."
"As touching as this reunion is," Miranda cut in, "we have a mission to complete."
Shepard nodded. "You're right. Edi, you listening?"
"Of course, Commander."
"Tell Joker to prep the engines, and set course for…" It was at that moment that Shepard realized that he didn't actually know what the Strikers' new mission even was. "Well, I'll get back to you on that." He shared a brief glance with Miranda, Zeratul, and Grunt. "Until then, disable all security systems in this room for the next twenty minutes. No one sees or hears anything I'm about to say. That includes you, Edi."
"Understood. Disabling all security feeds now, Commander."
After taking a moment to make sure that they really weren't being observed, Shepard took a deep breath. "What I'm about to tell you all is beyond top-secret; you can never discuss this matter, save for a telepathic conversation. I'm only saying this verbally because I know some of you don't want a psychic in your heads. If you don't want to know why I've been gone, leave now."
Shepard fought to hide a smile when no one left their seat. The real test, however, would be how they would react after he told them the truth.
And he did. For ten minutes, he explained everything that he had learned about himself while at Ulnar. When he wasn't sure how to explain one detail or another, Zeratul would step in, and any time one of the Terrans not already in the know looked skeptical, Anderson or Miranda would tell them that Shepard was telling the truth.
For what seemed like an eternity, Shepard watched as his officers absorbed all that they'd learned.
Finally, Ashley spoke. "So… you're Amon, but you're also not?"
Shepard nodded. "Technically, Aaron Shepard died on Aiur, but I only have his memories, and none of Amon's."
James gave a low whistle. "Damn, Commander. I mean, I don't know what to say. But you're sure you're not gonna go all 'destroy the universe' on us?"
Shepard made sure to not glance in Miranda's direction. "I've made a few contingencies, and I'm sure there are others in place that I'm not aware of. Regardless, I don't remember being that monster; I don't want to remember."
Most of the Terrans seemed to accept that; aside from Zaeed, who had first met him on Char, they had fought alongside Shepard only after the battle of Aiur, and had trusted him the entire time. Aside from knowing why he was so powerful, to them, nothing had changed.
The only one in the room that seemed afraid was Liara; she was staring at Shepard, her eyes even wider behind her glasses, and several people spotted her trembling slightly. Still, when Shepard made eye-contact, she nodded; Shepard took that as a sign that she was at least willing to talk to him, after she'd spent more time to take it all in.
"Obviously, this information cannot become widely known," Miranda said. "Even though information on Amon is kept vague for the sake of the public, the knowledge that even part of him is alive would cause widespread panic. Only the senior staff were given permission to know the truth."
"Got it, no telling the rest of the men," Kaidan said, then looked around. "I don't have a problem with this. Do any of you?"
Jack summed up their feelings best. "Hey, if he was gonna kill us all, he would have already. Besides, Commander, didn't you say that using too much power would make you blow up?"
"Eh, pretty much," Shepard said. "I've got a Protoss gadget that'll keep me from overloading, but I'll still need to be careful."
Jack shrugged. "Then I'm not too worried. It'd be hard for you to kill us all if you explode."
"Thanks for that mental image, Jack," Shepard deadpanned; he then looked around the room one more time. "Just one more time: you guys are okay with this?"
"Well, it's certainly a shock," Jacob admitted, "but you've risked your life for us, Commander. I don't think the Amon we knew would have cared if we died."
{No, he would not,} Zeratul said. {Commander Shepard has a trace of Amon's power, but none of his cruelty.}
Jenkins laced his fingers behind his head. "Well, if the Protoss are sure, I don't think we have anything to worry about."
The others nodded, echoing the common Terran sentiment of 'if the Protoss ain't worried, then neither are we', when it came to matters they didn't really understand. Shepard could sense that they were wary, but the reason was less about him, and more about his power. He didn't blame them; he would have felt the same way. Still, they were willing to trust him, if only because he hadn't tried to kill them, and that helped.
Legion spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. "The Consensus was made aware of Shepard-Commander's condition. We have seen no indication that he is a threat to the Koprulu Alliance."
"The Queen of Blades was ready to break you out of that place, Shepard," Grunt said. "You know where the Swarm stands."
{And I have already spoken to the Commander,} Zeratul said. {The Protoss believe that he is more of a risk to himself than others.}
Shepard gave him a sidelong glance. "Thanks… I think. Now, is there anything else that needs to be said?" When no one spoke, he turned to Miranda. "Begin the briefing."
"Yes, Commander." Miranda activated her omni-tool—and surprised Shepard when he saw that she even had one—and projected a hologram of Rannoch. "Several days ago, remnants of Saren's forces attacked the Asari colony of Aeryn. Dominion forces, including Lieutenant Williams, were sent across the border to assist in the colony's defense."
After Ashley nodded, Miranda continued. "The fighting was over in less than an hour. Civilian casualties were low, and Dominion forces remained only until a Council fleet arrived to take control of the situation. However, a team of Dominion Intelligence operatives were sent to investigate some odd activity. What they found was… disturbing.
"According to the reports, a rogue faction of Quarians was conducting experiments on captured Heretic Geth, in an effort to control all of them." Miranda glanced at Legion, but his only reaction was a slight shifting of his plates. "They had also captured several colonists, but the Intelligence team was able to capture several of the Quarians, kill the rest, and rescue the civilians.
"The team followed clues on the Quarians' computers to Rannoch, where they uncovered evidence of a conspiracy that resulted in the attempted murder of Admiral Daro'Xen." Several people murmured amongst themselves for a moment, and then Miranda continued. "The leader of the conspiracy was arrested. Soon after that, the operatives led a team of Quarian Marines into the renegades' base of operations, where they discovered that Admiral Xen was alive. She had been experimenting on Quarians and Geth, attempting to…" Miranda's nose scrunched up in disgust as she read the file. "… fuse them together."
"That is impossible," Legion said calmly. "Creator Xen may be suffering a mental illness."
"That's what Intelligence decided as well," Miranda said. "Regardless, she fled Rannoch; according to the most recent report, she is on Omega, in the Terminus Systems. She is assisting Aria T'Loak with retaking the station from Mira Han. Our mission is to reinforce the Intelligence operatives, kill Xen, and take any data she may have with her."
Once it was clear that Miranda was done, Shepard nodded. "I'm assuming time isn't exactly on our side, and that additional details will be sent to us?"
Miranda gave him a superior smirk. "Of course, Commander."
Shepard only rolled his eyes before turning to the others. "Any questions?"
"I do, sir." James raised his hand. "Not that I don't think that someone like this Xen should be put in the ground, but why are we being given this op? Shouldn't Intelligence handle this? I mean, this is their mission."
"We are being sent for two reasons," Miranda said. "First, the Strikers have more experience fighting in Council space than most Alliance units, and the situation calls for less-than-subtle tactics."
"In other words, they need us to shoot first and ask questions later," Shepard summarized. "What's the second reason?"
Miranda glanced down at her omni-tool. "According to the files taken from Rannoch, some of Xen's… 'methods' are similar to the process the Harvesters used to create Husks. The Strikers are the closest thing to an anti-Harvester taskforce that the Alliance has at the moment, so anything that might give us insight about how the Harvesters operate falls on us to acquire."
Shepard nodded. "Well, if there's even a chance that the Harvesters are involved, I can't say no."
"I thought as much, Commander."
For an instant, Shepard noticed something; whether it was a tiny surge in his own power or Miranda's mental wards weakening for a moment, he didn't know, but Shepard saw that there was something that his former rival wasn't telling him. He didn't intrude into her mind to find out what, but it instantly made him suspicious. He didn't let his suspicion show on his face, merely nodding at her.
"Okay, guys, you know the drill," Shepard said as he got up. "Read the files, brief your men, and get ready for action. Dismissed. Miranda, stay behind for a minute; there are some details I want to go over with you."
The Terrans—even Jack—gave him a salute, then filed out of the room. Legion, Grunt, and Zeratul all nodded respectfully before doing the same. Liara hesitated briefly, then tried to mimic the Terrans' salute before quickly leaving.
"She seems worried about your condition," Miranda noted, once Liara was gone.
"She just found out that I'm basically a genocidal god with amnesia," Shepard pointed out. "Honestly, I'm surprised no one's pulled a weapon on me yet."
"The senior officers know you better than the rank and file," Miranda said. "Considering all that Amon was responsible for, I wouldn't put it past the average Terran to try and kill you."
Shepard gave her a droll look. "And on that note, I think we need to change the subject. Now."
Miranda smirked; even with all that she had learned about the man, it still amused her to push his buttons. "Certainly, Commander. I assume you wanted to know something, but wanted our discussion to be private?"
"Yeah." Shepard crossed his arms. "What are you hiding from me, Miranda?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know what you—"
"Don't play dumb," Shepard growled, his voice suddenly full of menace. "I saw it in your mind. There's something going on that you don't want me to know, not now, anyway. If it has something to do with the mission, you will tell me, or I'll dig my way into your mind and find out for myself."
Miranda sighed. "You won't like it."
"Tell me anyway."
Miranda told him.
"They're the ones on Omega!?"
He didn't like it.
…
Codex Entry: Council Space, Post Battle of the Citadel
With the quarantining of the Citadel, the united government of Council space has changed drastically. Rather than uniting their leaders in one permanent location, and thus increasing risk, each meeting is held on a different major homeworld every standard month. For security purposes, the location of each meeting is kept a secret.
Rather than electing new Councilors, each race, and any client races under their protection, are represented by a direct leader, such as a Dalatrass or a Matriarch. These individuals are not permanently elected, and never represent their interests twice in a row, unless special circumstances demand it.
Following the brief chaos after the Battle of the Citadel, dozens of contingencies were put into place to prevent such a thing from happening again.
Okay, so I have several apologies to make. The first one is, once again, for the severe delay in updates. I don't want to bore you with the details, but I had about 3 years of grief and tragedy squeezed into the last couple of months. That, combined with college, writer's block, and, well, having a life, I just couldn't write this chapter until recently.
Second, I'm sorry about the chapter length. I promise that most of my chapters going forward will be my usual length. I wanted this to be longer, but it would have been useless padding. Believe me, now that I'm over this particular roadblock, I should be writing longer chapters with less delays. Probably.
Next Chapter: The Strikers rush to Omega to stop a threat before it grows too large, but nothing ever goes according to plan, especially when it comes to reunions…
One shot, one Muffin…
