Mindnoir
Keith Faulkner stewed. Sure he was on a beautiful beach in the middle of one of the most sparsely populated planets in the Galaxy, between the raids and the Reapers, and in one of the most secluded areas on said planet. But he couldn't enjoy it.
It had been five months since the battle of the Citadel and since Shepard had taken down his corporate offices. He had fled to this planet and hoped to disappear. His plan had failed…Harbinger's plan had failed.
His frown turned into a scowl as he leered at the horizon why does that thought disturb me so much?
He didn't know why he was so angry. Other than the fact that he had never lost a battle in his life, or had always picked the winning side. He knew which campaigns to donate too, which Prime Ministers to support, which parties to extole. Knew what sports teams had a good shot of winning whatever championship they were playing for. And he always knew the best business decisions, always putting his stocks and his resources in the right place. Yes that has to be it. He smirked ruefully. But it ringed hollow to his inner ear, and he frowned once again, lifting up his drink and sipping at it.
He had also always been a tireless advocate for humanity. Even getting more than one call from Cerberus and the Illusive Man, but I always turned them down. He chuckled. He felt from the start that they were far too extreme for him or his company.
But even then he always wanted to advance humanity. Not over anyone or anything just in general. Progressing forward and finding the best mix of technology and science to stake a claim in the world.
Until Harbinger came.
His frowned deepened as he disgustedly poured the rest of the drink down his throat, it searing there as he rolled it around.
Examining his own motivations from the beginning he was hoping to use the Reaper, the Reapers. Find something that justified all the horror. Utilize the strengths of the enemy to create a brand new world. To advance humanity and the Galaxy to the apex. To make all those senseless deaths mean something again. The loss of so much life. To turn horrors around into legends, to use them to repair the Galaxy.
But then what…
He didn't know the answer to that question. Somehow he remembered his original motivation to harness the power of the Reapers for the forces of good, enraged that the Government would not use the power themselves, and that turned into…a nightmare. He didn't know where it had gone wrong. He thought he had taken every precaution. But somehow he led the Galaxy down a dark path, somehow he started a religious sect, had them gather all the Reaper tech they could find, resurrect Miranda Lawson, and then built something that led an attack on the Citadel.
In retrospect the events seemed odd, crazy, even insane, but they made sense at the time. I was helping humanity advance, bringing us to our proper place in the Galaxy, ensuring that some species stepped forward to lead it after the war.
"Where had it all gone wrong?" He muttered to himself.
Had I been indoctrinated? Had I fallen under some sort of spell? What had gone wrong? Was I that naïve?
Well at least I still have guards and have disappeared.
He looked to see where they were at, as they walked the perimeter with their Vindicator Assault Rifles and others stayed close in board watching the environment around him.
Perfectly safe, at least I get to live my life in peace and quiet…
A roar interrupted his thought process as his head jolted skyward just in time to see a Kodiak shuttle crest the small hill that led to where the sky cars were.
His guards reacted quickly by aiming down their Vindicators and trying in vain to shoot down the Kodiaks, but they weren't fast enough as they grunted taking hits to the chest.
The side door was open in the shuttle and moved to face him…its Shepard.
He jolted.
…
Abigail Shepard stood in the cargo bay of the Kodiak shuttle looking down, trying to find their target that they've been hunting for the last several months, and finally tracking him down to Mindinoir.
And she saw him, Keith Faulkner, drab at one of the Vindicators and gesture wildly up at her, panicked.
"Cynthia, James!" She shouted.
They answered with the sounds of their weapons booming beside her, Cynthia with Valiant and James with Mattock. She brought the Valkyrie up and joined in on the cacophony of death, firing into the chest and stomach of a guard.
But Faulkner was breaking for his house down the beach, getting away, she debated equipping the disruptor ammo and trying to stun him, but far too many things could go wrong.
Besides I do have another option.
"Ashley, you're on." She said into the coms.
"Roger Skipper." Ashley replied her voice sounded mottled.
A second Kodiak popped up out of the ocean pouring water off of its hull, Keith turned to gape at the sudden apparition.
Its side door popped open and Ashley Williams hung from the rafters aiming her Harrier at the fleeing former corporate executive, along with Paul Leighy and EDI.
Abby saw Keith bolt turning around to head over the sand dune. Cortez deftly maneuvered his Kodiak into position cutting him off.
Now, Abby decided they had him sufficiently hemmed in.
"Come on!" She shouted jumping off the Kodiak onto the ground.
She and the squad landed with a dull thud on the ground, but managed to bring their weapons up to face the CEO who was stopping in his tracks.
"Keith Faulkner you are under arrest for crimes against the Alliance!" Abby yelled over the engine roar of the Kodiak hovering behind her.
Instead of complying he reached into his belt buckle on his back and pulled out a Predator pistol.
Abby and the squad tensed up moving to face him with their weapons in case he tried anything.
The man hesitated.
"Don't be stupid Keith," She barked, "even if you get shots off my shields will hold, you are massively outnumbered, outgunned, and we made sure to bring in some help."
Just as the last syllables rolled off her tongue two Trident Fighters rolled into view overhead, rocketing through the sky before making a low, lazy turn over the Faulkner beachfront property and coming back around over the beach.
Keith glanced up at them, and then back towards Shepard, he looked scared, biting his teeth. He nodded and dropped the gun, slowly placing his fingers through each other and his hands on his head.
Ashley rushed forward; the Valkyrie stayed behind and covered him with her weapon drawn.
"Please," Keith begged, "I was indoctrinated, have mercy."
He looked broken, alone, a man who had made all the mistakes, Abby wanted to take pity on the man but somehow her rage kept her back. She was still bitter over all the losses he had caused them.
"Tell that to the magistrate at your hearing. Ashley secure the prisoner and transfer him to local authorities." Shepard nodded towards a third Kodiak which was landing in the background.
And that was that, Keith Faulkner was arrested and the last loose ends from the Disciple Incident…as it was being called in the papers and history books…was over. Abby sighed relieved. Feeling the more than year she experienced hunting these people down wash over her. And maybe fifty thousand years of history… or a billion?
She didn't know what it was losing the ability to care long ago, caring about the timelines. But the Reaper threat was finally dealt with. The long nightmare was finally over. As the Disciples came to an end so too did a shadow that was darkening the Galaxy for a billion years.
Soaking it in her closed her eyes, shook her arms, and craned her neck around. Enjoying the moment…but it had to end.
Her eyes snapped open as she heard a beeping noise behind her, a shrill electronic trilling.
She turned around with a smirk to see James Vega. "Uh... Prime Minister Hudson for you."
"Transfer it to my Omni-tool." She sighed after a moment's hesitation.
She walked away down the beach, the Tridents making another pass, as she brought up the holographic communications app on the Omni-tool.
Distortions greeted her as it took the device a second to align. But when it did it showed Prime Minister Hudson sitting behind his office inside the new version of Archturus.
"Commander Shepard." He greeted.
"Prime Minister." She replied smiling.
"I take it your mission was successful and that you've apprehended the fugitives?" He asked formally.
"Yes sir…it's over." She added.
He visibly deflated, rapping his hands between themselves and bringing his head onto his desk. "Oh thank God." He said.
Abby's smiled. A humble politician, something new in his day and age, you might work out OK.
But he looked up bringing up a slight smirk, "On behalf of a grateful Alliance I thank you Commander Shepard."
"Please, no thanks are necessary." She stated in return. "Just doing my job."
He laughed, "Over the past several years of your life I believe you have done more than your 'job' Commander. And you have never really been thanked for it."
"Yes I have, believe me after my latest heroics a lot of people have been 'thanking' me." She frowned.
Hudson fidgeted. "But no real sign of appreciation, no real official support. And I think I may have just the thing…"
AN: OK so here's the deal. I have been working on this chapter and decided it would be better to split Chapter 52 into 2 Chapters that way it would not go long and I could do a better job of fleshing out both chapters as I needed. So thi means that there are 3 chapters left, this one which is now up when you read, the next one which will be up tomorrow (Its already written) and then the next one sometime this week.
And just what do you think this 'official support' is. As always please read and review.
