MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA HOLLOW WORLDS:
CHAPTER 23
The bench just outside Hydroponics was more comfortable to Torvi than it looked. She immersed herself in the busy workers bustling from specimen case to the other, studying the various plants that were captured from Eos, Kadara and Voeld. Some were just checking particulars such as color change or growth with the fake habitats. While others just stood there outside the glass casings and merely observed. "What a boring job," Torvi mused. The idea of just staring at planets all day was not very alluring to her and she wasn't too sure how anyone would just want to be signed up to do that. Then again, some people were looking for change in their life and they would board whatever bandwagon they could. Keri T'Vessa requested another interview following her landing from Kadara port, but Torvi respectfully declined momentarily. That was after she learned more dark secrets that plagued the Initiative. More fragments that unveiled events that none of the leadership wanted to discuss. The murder of Jien Garson was frightening. The founder and the face behind the Initiative. Killed in her own apartment. All the evidence that Torvi looked into pointed clearly to a cold-blooded murder or a cover-up to something larger. Anybody without the technical skills could have seen it. The autopsy report showed the cause of death were multiple stab wounds. Why would the leaders write in "scourge," if clearly there was no severe blunt trauma to her body? There were no shards of glass to impale her and her room was intact. In fact, that room was deemed to be closed during the time of the scourge. First it was the uprising or "mutiny" as Tann called it, then Nilken, then the batarian aboard the Nexus. Tann stated that the consequences would be horrendous if a rumor started to spread aboard the Nexus that the woman that encouraged those onboard to sign up was killed by an unknown would cause panic and chaos. He dismissed the idea to continue the investigation or even talk about it. Like other things. Defeated, Torvi found herself sulking in Hydroponics. Taking in the tranquility. "Ryder?" SAM spoke to her. "I have detected an elevation of blood pressure and anxiety. Should I send a request to Dr. T'Perro for a check-up?"
"No," Torvi grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "That won't be necessary." She wondered if the AI would still pass along her scans to the Tempest's registered physician or not. "Don't send anything," She firmly reminded him. "Not unless I tell you."
"Is it about what we discovered in Garson's room?" The AI questioned.
Torvi refrained from having an open dialogue with the AI out in public. No one needed to know what she unraveled. It would only provoke more lectures from the director and avoiding him was a dire task each time she landed even though she reported to him. Just when she was starting to make progress and felt like she achieved so much after the activation of Kadara's vault, failure was smacking her across the face again. Was their departure to the new galaxy all a complete joke? A subplot for someone's true purpose? Who really backed the Initiative? The Benefactor's true identity? So far, she couldn't piece it together and that was the one mystery that still remained. She began to truly believe that not even Jien Garson knew who it was. All Ryder understood was that they funded their dad the funds needed to complete SAM. She couldn't believe her father would just rely on someone he didn't even know. The desperation he had to save her mother's life. Maybe the Benefactor was still lurking around, hidden in the shadows, among the Nexus occupants or even the Hyperion. Was she doing their dirty work for them? Maybe, they wanted her to fix the vaults before they could move forward with their true agenda. People were finally starting to make a home on the outposts. Was she placing them in greater danger? Bile formed in her throat and nausea struck her head. Cupping her face between her legs, she took a few long breaths to allow the feeling to pass and try to suppress the worry that was striking her over and over again relentlessly like a krogan head-butt. The more she thought about it, the more she debated if she should return to Kadara to even negotiate the terms on establishing an outpost. It was the next step and yet, she loathed it. Judging by the established ruler of Kadara, Kelly had a serious attitude problem. The idea of fresh water may not real move her. Maybe, another way to present itself along the journey.
Kaetus jumped out of the rover cautiously as he glanced at the cave west of Draullir. The message he received from Torvi told him to meet her there without Sloane and to be alone. Still, the Kett thrived in the outskirts of the port and so did various independent factions of raiders. Strangely, he noted that her vehicle was nowhere in sight. Maybe, she was dropped ahead by her squad and advised to keep the vehicle out of sight. The Initiative's trademark rover may have brought too much attention to their current location. Cautious and smart Kaetus perceived. Then again, he could have arrived before her.
Grabbing his side arm, he walked up the small hill that led to the cave's mouth. Striking a flare, he held the red glowing stick with his free hand and walked inside. Off in the distance, in the back depths of the cave, he could hear the sound of water slowly dripping and the scurrying of small creatures. When the light of the entrance was fading away, the turian paused and glanced around. "Pathfinder? You here, yet?" He called out gently. Convinced that he in fact was early, he lowered his guard and tossed the flare onto the ground to allow the flame to continue to burn to provide partial lighting.
Just as he did, he heard the sound of multiple steps coming out around the large stalagmites that acted as columns up to the ceiling. Several armed exiles came out of hiding with their weapons fixated on him. He recognized a few to be guards on the port. Men on Sloane's payroll. A green-skinned angaran male accompanied them. Realizing that he was fooled, Kaetus glared and gripped the pistol in his hand tightly. "What is this?"
"The Charlatan wants to send a message to Sloane," The angaran coolly suggested with his arms crossed, a smug look on his alien face.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" The turian jeered.
Without a response, the angaran signaled the men on each side of him with a simple nod of his head. The turian's heart stopped as he expected them to just open fire. Even with his armor and shields, he couldn't withstand a direct attack in close proximity. Surprisingly, the men stepped closer towards him. Seizing the opportunity, Kaetus squeezed the trigger and nailed one human male squared in his forehead. Blood splattered all around. This only intensified the assault as the rest of the exiles lurched at Kaetus. One swiftly kicked the pistol out of his talons. His hand throbbed in pain. An asari held his arm tightly as a krogan delivered a hard blow to his abdomen, knocking all the air from his lungs. Kaetus doubled over as his lungs burned, nearly vomiting. Just as he did, the asari did a roundhouse kick to his face, sending him reeling onto the cave floor. The right side of his face throbbed and he could taste the blood in his mouth. Not being given a chance to regain his footing, the krogan was at him again. This time the large reptilian bipedal creature delivered a massive swift kick to his right side, shattering multiple ribs. Kaetus naturally balled into a fetal position to try to protect the rest of his vital organs. Another blow came to his head and he felt the room spinning as a red hue filmed over his vision. He pushed through the pain and staggered to his feet surprisingly. His right eye swollen shut. He swung at the asari, but his attempt was in vain. The group laughed at the amusement before the biotic being delivered a discharge of dark energy, sending him crashing into a stalagmite. The rocky formation shattered into rubble as his body continued the motion and was met with the cave's sidewall.
The angaran watched on with a look of pleasure and then signaled the team to withdraw any further attack as he saw the turian not being able to regain his footing any longer. "Leave him out there to rot as feed to the Adhi. Send a message to Sloane with his coordinates. She can come out here to collect him if there's anything left. Get rid of the rover."
Kaetus groaned as his entire body throbbed in pain. He gritted his teeth as his talons dug into the dirt to try to get himself to stand. The motion required a lot of effort and breathing on his part and the attempt was met with intense pain. He was pretty sure that the fractured ribs punctured at least a lung. His body was lifted as they dragged him out and then he shut his eyes tightly as the bright Kadara sun burned into his retinas as they tried desperately to adjust from the darkness of the cave. The intense sunlight made his headache intensify even more. Then he finally succumbed to his body's want to lose consciousness. He embraced the darkness.