Chapter 28 – Silent Observer
Tali's comprehensive experience with any number of different terminals aboard the Rayya had bred an inherent familiarity with all kinds of system, be they ancient and decrepit or alien and state of the art. As such it didn't take her long to get to grips with the layout of the security hub and the engineer quickly lost herself in the comforting world of haptic interfaces and technical readouts.
It struck her as slightly odd that the terminal's displays had been configured to show quarian text and keyboard commands but in her haste to find Ren she didn't dwell on it too much. This was the geth after all, that they were using quarian script wasn't completely abnormal. As far as Tali was concerned, it only helped her identify programs and navigate the system all the quicker, her keen technical mind soon realising that she was operating a more advanced security terminal than she'd expected to encounter. Immediately she began hunting for security programs and subroutines that went beyond basic installation protocols. Readouts flashed before her eyes as she scrolled through the standard surveillance hub controls that she'd been anticipating. Terminal lockouts, room containment procedures, server lockdowns – all a bit extravagant for a compound this size...Oh hello! She flipped the interface back a window, taking a second to fully identify what she was seeing.
A map of the tunnel network filled the screen before her, a number of scattered red blips pulsing softly along some of the narrower corridors and tight turns. Tali ignored the blips for the moment, concentrating on the layout of the cave system. Even her untrained eyes could see it wasn't a comprehensive chart though it did look very familiar. The quarian stared at the mess of twists and turns, running though the passages again in her mind's eye. Some of it, the more prominent turnoffs and wider cavern-like spaces, jogged her memory. Those were the first passages we worked though, Tali realised, right after we got past the geth guarding the dropships. She blinked, looked again and the remaining tunnels suddenly came into focus confirming her guess. So what are these strobe lights for then?
She tapped one with her finger and a window sprouted, bringing into focus a grainy camera screen that appeared to be fixated on the ice-layered tunnel wall. Her efforts to rotate the view and widen the camera's angle proved fruitless and Tali was just about to close the window back down again when a small, dark blur towards the bottom of the picture caught her eye. Staring at it for a second, her eyes widened when she realised what it was. Bosh'tet! It was the proximity mine she would've activated if Ren hadn't spotted it and stopped her. Closing the screen she keyed another one of the blips, locating the mine on the new camera much more swiftly this time now that she knew what she was looking for.
Tali shut the window down again, frustrated. That they had been toyed with from the moment they stepped inside the caves grated on her, but she had to admit whoever was behind this had put a lot of thought into it. Too much so for her to believe this was a simple smuggling base anymore. She turned off the map with an agitated flex of her finger. This wasn't helping her find Ren but at least she was getting into the custom programs now. It was progress, and at least the owners hadn't bothered to encrypt anything. Tali snorted knowingly. Probably understood that the geth would tear through any security routines quicker than they could be installed. Another screen came up, this one clearly labelled 'Security Cams', as though the screen-filling grainy footage wasn't enough of a giveaway. Now ready for the hidden cameras showing the corridors she'd worked her way through, Tali began rapidly flipping through the various screens. Tunnel, ice wall, cavern, cavern with dead geth, stalagmite, pre-fab. Clearly someone had been watching their fight with the deadly hopper units. Ignoring her rising anger, Tali kept going. Pre-fab downstairs, pre-fab upstairs, locked door, tunnel, ice, ice, tunnel-
Her finger froze above the arrow key. Ren!
Ren'Gerrel nar Neema awoke with a pounding headache and dark spots in front of his eyes. He winced and closed them reflexively, the murky blotches immediately becoming circles of stark white tinged with yellow that stabbed viciously at his retina. He popped his eyelids open again with a groan, quickly deciding that the dark spots were the less painful of the two. He tried to reach a hand up to grip the top of his helmet and fend away the hot fires that flared in his head with every heartbeat, knowing the gesture would do nothing to relieve the pain anyway. He was only mildly surprised when his limb refused to respond, instead flopping back down onto a cold surface after managing to get only a few inches off what he assumed to be the ground. Great. What'd you do to yourself this time? He wondered, assuming the lack of response from his nervous system was a side-effect of his apparent concussion.
Blinking in a futile attempt to clear away the blemishes that afflicted his vision Ren cast his mind back through the haze. He remembered fighting a horde of geth, then approaching the pre-fab and ascending the ramp with Tali. It was when he'd stepped inside that piercing white light had assaulted his eyes and a wave of pressure had smashed into him, the impact making him stagger whilst a high-pitched ringing tore apart his hearing. He'd lasted perhaps two seconds under the influence of what he guessed had been a flash-bang before something very heavy had crashed against the base of his skull and plunged him into black silence.
He reached up to feel for the wound but his brow creased in confusion when his arm again refused to respond. This time the sensation was accompanied by a hard pressure against his wrist. Frowning, Ren attempted to reach across with his other hand and encountered the same issue. Gritting his teeth against the flashes of pain that accompanied the movement, Ren propped himself up on his elbows and glanced down. The sight of the heavyweight metal cuffs that anchored his forearms to the re-purposed patient's chair acted like a dose of cold water, instantly purging all traces of sluggishness from his mind.
Ren tugged violently at the manacles, unsurprised to feel his ankles refusing to budge as well. Neither of the cuffs yielded to his efforts and the Lieutenant cast his eyes about the room for another solution. His gaze fell upon the unmistakable figure of a monstrous geth standing only metres from his left shoulder which immediately quelled all hopes of escape. A dejected glance to his right confirmed the presence of another of the white-skinned giants mirroring the position and stance of its counterpart. Neither synthetic had so much as flinched at the organics' movements, standing as silent sentries against the pre-fab walls of the barren room. Hissing through gritted teeth, Ren sank back against the cool metal headrest. "Bollocks."
"I see clan Gerrel hasn't lost its cohesive grasp of profanity."
Ren jerked upwards with a start at the voice behind him, the distinctly organic tinge filling him with a sudden flush of hope. "Who's there?" He demanded, trying and failing to glimpse the owner over his shoulder. "Have they captured you too?"
A soft chuckle resounded throughout the room. The lack of objects within produced a slight echo, making it difficult for Ren to pinpoint or even get a good guess at how far away the speaker was. "Hardly," the other man replied, "I'm afraid the only captive here is you my friend."
Ren paused as the implication sank in. "So you're the Bosh'tet behind all this then." He said, the words more statement than question.
"Very insightful." This time the voice was accompanied by a soft shuffling, as though someone was trying to get comfortable in their seat. "A pity your companion never made it this far, I should have liked to have seen her face."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Exploded Ren, futilely straining at his bonds as sudden fury overcame him. "What have you done to her?"
"She is no longer a concern of anyone's but the maggots." Replied the voice dismissively. "Your friend will never see the fleet again."
Ren roared in rage and flung his head around wildly, trying desperately to catch even a glimpse of the cruelly dismissive mastermind. "You son of a bitch!" He shouted. "You're dead you hear me?"
"Oh I think not." Chuckled the voice. "In fact-"
Abruptly one of the geth platforms warbled something and the man's words died on his lips.
Straining his ears as his chest heaved from the efforts of his outburst, Ren could hear the faint tapping of an Omni-Tool's keys.
"What do you mean?" The man demanded a moment later. "Why was I not informed sooner? Why haven't you sent someone after her?"
The fire that burned in Ren's blood abruptly cooled. What were they saying? Was Tali alive after all?
The geth responded and again Ren caught the sounds of the Omni-Tool. "How could you possibly have...Very well," the man cut himself off with a sigh, "you had best remain here then. On the off-chance that she finds this room the girl would be foolish to dare enter with a pair of primes standing guard."
Drawing hope from the conversation, Ren decided to try and use the opportunity to provoke his captor. He sank back against the chair as casually as he could and spoke with a mocking laugh. "So much for the maggots' dinner plans. She's a lot smarter than you gave her credit for huh?"
"Oh how little you realise."
And just like that, the mysterious being robbed Ren of any advantage. "What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded, instantly on guard once more.
"But of course, you wouldn't know would you?" Said the man, his mocking tone firmly in place again. "No matter. My quarrel is not with the girl."
"She has a name." Ren growled, unsure why the man's refusal to use it grated on him so much.
"One that will be forgotten when this day is done. Yours however, shall live on. I intend to make certain of that."
"How considerate of you." The quarian muttered sarcastically.
"Oh it's not you I do this for my friend."
"Then who?"
"Your father," was the menacing response, "Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema."
"My father?" Ren said in surprise. "What does he have to do with this?"
"Far more than you could possibly imagine." Replied the voice darkly.
Ren bit back his retort when he heard the sudden movement from behind, followed by the soft, purposeful footsteps that crept ever closer. Finally managing to pinpoint his captor's position as he drew nearer the Lieutenant looked to his left and was rewarded a moment later with his first glimpse of the enigmatic man. He felt as though the air had been punched from his lungs as he took in the sight of the familiar enviro-suit, the dull grey faceplate behind which a pair of dark eyes stared down at him. The pale grey tones of clan patterns he recognized but failed to recall the owners of were streaked across the fabric of a moody black veil. As he tried to take in the vision before him, only one thought passed through the quarian's mind. "You sick nikkian Bosh'tet. Your own bloody kind?"
His words seemed to strike a chord in the man, who tensed as the accusation hung in the air, hand tightening into a fist at his side. "Don't even think to lecture me on ethics Gerrel, I won't suffer it. Not from the likes of you."
Unseen behind his visor, Ren's eyes narrowed in thought. The more he looked at this man, the more convinced he became that he'd seen him before. It was difficult to pinpoint what it was at first and he had to concentrate to look beyond the basic traits inherent to his species and the suits they wore to try and identify it. The man was talking again but Ren ignored the words, focusing his full attention on whatever it was that was jogging his memory. Something was definitely familiar; he could feel it. Something about the colour tones and patterns of his veil and the strangely formal tones he used. Suddenly the man made a gesture with his hand and just like that it all clicked into place.
"I know you." Declared Ren, cutting the quarian off mid-sentence and gaining a surprised look that handed him the advantage once more. "I remember you, aboard the Neema about two years back. You were one of the diplomats."
The man recovered quickly, stepping back and tucking his hands at the small of his back. He nodded for Ren to continue.
"I remember your name."
Watching the entire scenario play out over the cameras Tali re-adjusted the speaker volume with a quivering hand, breath caught in her throat as she strained her ears to catch every word. The footage on the cams was grainy, the light was toying with the colours of the captor's veil, playing tricks with her memory. It couldn't be him, she knew it couldn't.
"I remember you, aboard the Neema about two years back." There! She thought triumphantly. It couldn't be him, he was never assigned to- "You were one of the diplomats." Ren continued solemnly. The declaration seemed like a death sentence and Tali felt all hope within her die at the proclamation. "I remember your name." There was no more denying it and her hand reflexively slipped over her mouth as she whispered the words along with Ren in horror and disbelief. "Zeras. Zeras'Boa nar Gedda."
