Chapter 53: A Severed Bond
Shepard was on the next ship off of Thessia towards their colony planet the moment after getting the details of what David had done; the trip had only taken a couple of days and Shepard spent them contemplating what to do while Liara stayed on Thessia with Benezia and a still traumatized Annalya.
How could he have done this? Shepard thought to himself. How could he have done this to us? His family?! No matter what scenario Shepard played he couldn't think of any reason why David would have betrayed their home coordinates and pass codes onto Thessia to the Yahg. Ever since he had brought him home after Grunt's death Shepard made sure to go above and beyond to make sure he was treated like a member of the family. He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind of his paternal feelings towards David. I have to keep a neutral stance on this; I may be David's foster father but I'm also the leader of the Spectres, and right now the evidence is burying David alive. Shepard sighed as he continued to sit in silence on the Asari cruiser; as he sat he couldn't help but wonder what the hell had happened to Zaeed. There was no way he'd of let David do anything like that, unless he was the one who had encouraged David to betray them? Impossible, Shepard thought to himself again, but he cleared his mind and steeled himself for the meeting with David to determine his guilt. Normally any prisoner would be given a trial no matter what his crime and given a hearing before the Council of Citadel Space; but as a Spectre, and the leader of the Spectres no less, he would be within his rights to determine David's punishment for himself.
Once the shuttle had entered the Colonies atmosphere Shepard was already standing at the pressurization chamber waiting to be released onto the colony. The moment that the ship had landed and the chamber pressurized appropriately Shepard nearly ran into the gray skinned Salarian Spectre waiting to meet with him.
"Ah Admiral Shepard, Boruku Finn at your service," the Salarian said politely. "I'm grateful that you made such good time getting here."
"Yeah, well this one hits a little close to home," Shepard said as he began following Boruku.
"Yes that's… understandable," Boruku said cautiously, not wanting to say anything accidentally to piss Shepard off.
"What are the charges?" Shepard asked professionally.
"Well we have video and audio proof of him speaking to the Yahg we assume organized the attack, he accepted half a billion credits which we haven't been able to track, we have it on record that the information containing your location was on his Omni-tool and transferred to another. Then there's the fact that he killed six Spectres, wounded four, blew up several buildings on the colony he was captured on and… well you know the rest." Shepard nodded as he didn't respond at first, knowing Boruku was referring to the attack on his home and family.
"Has he been talking?" Shepard asked suddenly.
"No, when we ask him about what happened he growled and called several officers traitors."
"Traitors? Why would he call them that?" Shepard asked.
"We're not sure; he refuses to speak to anyone. Perhaps seeing you will change his mind." After walking for a while longer they come to a large building that is heavily guarded, Shepard assumed it was the main prison facility on the colony. He could feel the static in the room as hundreds of scanners and lasers scanned and analyzed his entrance and movements as he followed the Salarian Spectre through the intricate path of hallways. They entered a room with what Shepard assumed was a one way mirror; he could see what was going on inside the room but those in the room couldn't see him. As he approached the first thing he noticed was the two Turians in there interrogating the Krogan in the room. It took Shepard several double takes to realize that David was the Krogan in the room.
"Oh my god!" Shepard exclaimed looking at David's form. He was heavily scarred with burn marks all over his body and his right arm seemed like a chunk was ripped out of it. Then there was his right eye; the once serene pair of blue eyes that drew an onlooker in was replaced: one eye retaining its shining hue while the right eye had greyed and a large scar crossed diagonally down the socket.
"He got into a fight with that new Drell Spectre, Krid. Took three inferno grenades and still managed to deal a finishing blow," Boruku said sounding impressed. "Oddly enough he injected Omni-gel into him after the fight but not any of the others." Boruku pressed a button on the terminal before the glass and they were immediately met with the conversation going on in the room.
"Don't try to cover this up Krogan, we have you marked and tagged for killing six Spectres. You're going away for a long time for that," one of the Turians said trying to sound threatening. David growled and struggled slightly in his restraints, keeping his arms forced together like in an insane asylum.
"What you consider a long time is a nap for me Turian so why don't you go hatch an egg or whatever you bird things do." The Turian got angry and made to leap at David when the other Turian held him back and brought him out of the interrogation room.
"He has no respect for the lives he took!" the Turian said angrily. "He shows no sign of remorse at all!"
"He's batting you Spectre, he's trying to get you to react so he can justify killing the others," the other Turian reasoned. It was at that moment they realized that Shepard was there and they immediately quit arguing to salute him.
"Admiral Shepard please excuse my outburst," the first Turian apologized. "I understand that this is especially personal for you so I hear." Shepard didn't say anything but merely walked towards the glass looking in at David, trying to gauge a reaction from his foster son.
"I'm going in to speak with him," Shepard declared, daring either of the three in the room to challenge him. Boruku simply nodded and gestured to the door as he and the Turians waited behind the glass. As Shepard walked through the door David turned his head towards him with a scowl ready to form on his face, but the scowl immediately disappeared to a sigh of relief at the sight of seeing Shepard.
"Battle master; thank the ancestors you're here. I was wondering how much longer they'd be sending these middle men at me." Shepard didn't say anything. He merely shut the door behind him and took a seat on the other side of the table across from David. The young Krogan seemed to be ignorant to his stern expression as he moved his head in close to Shepard speaking barely over a whisper.
"You need to listen to me," David said quietly. "The Spectres have been compromised, someone has betrayed you!"
"Yes I'm aware of that David," Shepard said calmly and without emotion.
"You are," David stated, surprised to hear that he was aware of the splinter group already.
"Yes, and we actually have a very good idea from who."
"Well that's great!" David said excitedly. "Get me out of these cuffs and let's go get em!" Shepard stared at David for a few moments, narrowing his eyes as he examined the young Krogan and it was at that moment that David realized something was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on what. Finally Shepard reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out the data pad with all of the evidence against David including the audio recording: he hit play and watched David's expression change.
"Join us young Krogan, and I can guarantee you a place of honor in the Yahg Empire."
"You make a good argument, if I refused it would make me an idiot wouldn't it?" As David heard the select tidbits of his conversation with the Yahg he realized that Shepard thought he was the traitor.
"Did this conversation happen?" Shepard demanded in a calm cold voice.
"This isn't all of the conversation though," David stuttered.
"DID this conversation HAPPEN?" Shepard demanded in a raised tone.
"Yes it happened," David stuttered slipping briefly out of his controlled tone and slipping back into his Irish sounded accent.
"Did you accept money from the Yahg you spoke to? DON'T try to explain it to me just answer the question. DID YOU accept the Yahg's money?" Shepard asked.
"Y-yes but-"
"Six Spectres are dead David, and each one of their personal cams, implanted into their minds mind you, has you as the last thing they saw."
"They attacked me and Zaeed, we defended ourselves! Ask Zaeed he'll back me!" David drawled.
"No one has seen Zaeed in almost a month David, supposedly you were the last one to have seen him," Shepard told him allowing the hidden accusations sink in to David's mind.
"I didn't kill him!" David drawled. "There's a splinter group in the Spectres Battle Master, they're working with the Yahg!"
"That's impossible," Shepard snarled quickly losing his temper. "Each Spectre is now implanted with a computer monitoring chip in their mind; anything they see and hear we see in here and it's impossible to turn off or record selectively, none of the men and women you killed were traitors."
"And I am?" David demanded angrily in a drawl. "You would take their word over mine?"
"They attacked my house David!" Shepard shouted angrily, David's expression changed to one of shock instead of anger. "They were able to land on Thessia undetected and blow up the house. Luckily we were able to stay safe in your lab; I'm actually surprised your VI didn't try to kill us!"
"B-but I destroyed the codes," David said trying to reason things in his mind, nothing making sense anymore.
"Maybe, but would that have stopped your AI from resending them?!" At the mention of Rune David looked up again in shock as Shepard actually scowled in disgust. "That's right we know David, we know about everything you've done in the last month. Just be honest and I may be able to convince them to give you a lighter sentence.
"Shepard," David said in exacerbation. "Listen to yer self! I'd never betray you or the girls. I never would!"
"You just lied for the last time David," Shepard said angrily. "We have records of the codes to get onto Thessia being transferred directly from the Omni-tool Liara gave you to the Yahg's terminal."
"But Battle Master-" David called out desperately as Shepard turned to leave only to have the human snap at him by slamming his hands onto the table in a heated rage.
"DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT!" he shouted. "After everything I did for you, took you in and cared for you as my own and THIS is how you repay me? By trying to have my family killed!"
"But I didn'-"
"Just stop," Shepard said looking down angrily at the young Krogan. "We're through." As Shepard turned to leave David's mind went into a frenzy. How could he think I'd do such a thing? I'd never! I'd NEVER even consider endangering Benezia and the others. How DARE HE THINK THAT?! For the first time in the young Krogan's life David began to lose his temper, and not a simple temper tantrum that young adults in any species can have but a unique one known only to happen to Krogan. For the first time in David's life he entered into the Blood Rage. His one eye hardened from the gentle blue to a hard steely color that screamed anger in itself. As David shook in anger the restraints holding his hands together began to hiss in stress when David finally managed to snap them in half while freeing himself from his restraints.
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME! " David shouted angrily. Shepard turned around just in time only to be grabbed by the neck and slammed into the glass behind him, cracking it immediately.
"AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOUR FAMILY YOU THINK I'D TRY TO KILL YOU ALL? YOU WERE ALL I HAD! AND YOU ACCUSE ME OF THIS?!" David roared a monstrous roar as Shepard struggled under his grip, trying desperately to get air to go through his currently crushed wind pipe. Suddenly the door flew open as Boruku and the Turian Spectres came rushing in with their Omni-weapons ready. Roaring again monstrously David turns towards the three advancing Spectres. Using his free hand he swats one of the Turians away like a fly sending him flying into the nearby wall with a painful sounding CRACK. After head butting the other Turian and Boruku in one fluid movement David turned his attention back at the gasping Shepard. As Shepard struggled in David's grip he couldn't help but stare at the hardness of his one eye: it looked exactly like Grunt's. "I DID MORE FOR YOUR FAMILY THEN YOU DID TRYING TO FIGHT THE YAHG!" David roared angrily still lost in his rage, tightening his grip on Shepard's neck as he spoke. "WHEN BENEZIA WAS PRACTICING FOR HER SCHOOL'S TALENT SHOW WHO HELPED HER PRACTICE HER VOCALS AND APPEARED AT THE SHOW WHILE YOU WERE BUILDING BARRIERS AROUND SUR'KESH! WHO HELPED KEEP LIARA FROM BEING DEPRESSED WHILE YOU TALKED PERIMETERS WITH THE PRIMARCH ON PALAVEN?" David's grip continued to tighten subconsciously as he continued to glower angrily at the man whose life he held literally in his hand.
"AND OF COURSE LETS NOT FORGET WHO IT WAS THAT HELPED KEEP ANNALYA FROM BEING SENT OFF TO A MONASTRY TEN YEARS AGO!" Suddenly David howled in pain as a Neural Shock, raised far beyond the suggested power rate coursed through him from behind. He took the shock for a few surprising moments as he glowered at the downed Boruku who was zapping him from the ground before releasing his hold on Shepard and slumping to the ground passed out. Shepard took deep pained breaths as Boruku managed to wearily stand from his position.
"Admiral are you all right?" he asked haggardly.
"How did he… break…. out?" Shepard managed to say in between much needed breathes.
"I'm not sure; science has never been able to measure the true strength of an enraged Krogan. I guess this shows just how unprepared we are." Boruku helped Shepard up from the ground as he looked at the two Turians on the ground.
"How are they?" Shepard asked.
"He'll live," Boruku assured him pointing to the Turian David had head butted. "He'll wake up with a cracked skull but at least he'll wake up. As for his partner," Boruku walked over to the Turian David had swatted aside and after a few seconds he sighed sadly. "I'm afraid he won't be waking up." Shepard looked down at David's passed out form and had a mixed feeling of anger and confusion at what he had said. How dare he say such things about them like that? There's no way any of it is true, is it? Shepard's thoughts came to a halt as Boruku returned to Shepard's side.
"So what do we do Admiral? Do we give him a trial with the Council? Or take matters into our own hands?" Shepard's eyes narrowed at David's still body.
"He just killed another Spectre and nearly killed three more right in front of us, there's nothing for the Council to decide. Lock him up: forever."
"In what prison?"
"The Citadel."
AN: A little short but I think the point was made, remember to leave reviews you all know I love those and I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. So until then,
