MASS EFFECT CHASM: CHAPTER 7

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Maktar Cun rasped deeply in his envirosuit's respirator when he caught two female turian C-Sec officers making a direct line to his kiosk. His partner, Tar Hofto, worked diligently at the back of the stall right outside the doors that led to their stockpile. "We have company," He kept his arms lowered and frantically waved his hand about, out of the vision of the officers, to grab the volus' attention nearby. The other lifted his head to also notice the pair of turians before trying to hide his face.

This wasn't the first time that his kiosk received a surprise inspection. It was C-Sec's way of undermining the notorious black market. However, it had been years since the last friendly visit. "Good day, officers," Cun joyously greeted the officers. "On your break? Want to see what is on sale?"

The first female turian glared hard down at the volus with her avian eyes. Her mandible twitched as she seemed almost offended by his comment. Her fringe had blue facial paint markings, while the other officer was bare-faced. "We have reports that you are selling non-listed items."

Maktar eyed his cohort nervously. A few rasps broke through his respirator before he responded, "Non-listed? Bah, that's absurd. What proof is there?"

The bare-faced turian stepped in and slid over the kiosk's flat counter surface to gain access to where the volus were. Both the rotunda-shaped aliens skittishly jumped backward to put more distance between themselves and the invader. The second turian followed suit as her partner. "Officer Narsis, let's double-check their inventory."

Narsis nodded her head. "I agree, Officer Aberion. Then we can see if these guys are lying to us."

"Now, just a moment!" Tar yelled out as his stubby legs carried him over to block the officers from accessing the back. "Where is your search warrant?"

Aberion withdrew her sidearm and pointed the barrel straight at the volus' small forehead. "I think it will not do any harm to check your stock. Then we will be on our way." She motioned for them to lead into the back. Narsis strayed behind and glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking in their direction. Once satisfied that they were clear, she followed the others and closed the doors behind them.

Cun held out his arms to show the labeled crates surrounding them on various shelves in the back warehouse. "See?" His voice filled with annoyance. "There is nothing here."

A slight smirk moved about Narsis' thin lips. "I'm not completely convinced yet. Where's the good stuff?"

Aberion was moving down the aisle despite their protests to glance over the merchandise herself. So far, all of it was legitimate goods for their appropriate business: ship parts, skycar parts, and various maintenance items. Nothing. Not what they came for. Where the hell was it? Hofto scurried down to cut her off. "That is far enough! You owe us an apology, and we will report this to Bailey."

Aberion was not moved, and she scoffed at the idle threat. His sudden action revealed that she was getting close to what they were hiding, what they came here for. She wasn't going to allow these two annoying merchants to block her from her prize. She kicked the round being swiftly in the side, sending him reeling out of her way. Cun's respirator increased at a rapid pace from the unexpected violence. "Wh…what?" If they could see his face, his eyes would have been wide. "You're not C-Sec!" The brutality was not their MO.

"Just shut up, volus," Narsis aimed her pistol at him again. "Tell us where the salvaged parts are that you collected from Saren's attack, or I'll put a hole right through that suit right now."

He coward with his his arm to shield his head. "Oh, dear! Please! I'll tell you!" The respirator shot out accelerated breaths.

"Now."

Cun wobbled over to a shelf that was near the back, with Aberion on his heels. Taking a glance over his shoulder, he noticed that she was not there and then, unreluctantly, moved a few items to the side to reveal a panel on the back wall. Leaning upon his toes, he stretched his arm across the shelf and pressed a button. A hidden door to their left slid open, revealing a smaller back room. Satisfied, Aberion stepped around him to gain access quickly. Her eyes grew wide when she saw a few ten-foot-long closed containers. "Found them!" She called back to her partner.

"Acknowledged," Narsis set to work. She turned quickly and aimed her silenced pistol at the unsuspecting pair of volus and took both out with head taps. Their round bodies sprawled on the ground, with blood trickling from the open holes in their suits. Holstering her weapon, she moved to the back to where Aberion was. "They were holding out."

Aberion opened one container to get a better look at its contents. Seeing the pieces, she reached in and gently ran her gloved talons across the alien metal. Narsis quickly smacked her hand away. "Stop! You shouldn't do that!" Her voice rang with alarm.

Guilty, the turian officer kept her hands away and frowned. "One touch. Nothing to worry about. Sorry."

"Still dangerous," Narsis cautioned. "Let's get these damn pieces off this station."

Aberion opened her omni tool and tapped on the holoscreen with her talons. "I swiped the security footage."

"Good. Let's put their bodies in the containers and move out."

Ustall Vilus paced back and forth down near one of the station's incinerator rooms. The increased warmth of the room didn't phase him. He lived in Sur Kesh before he came to the Citadel, so he was used to a tropical climate. However, Aberion and Narsis were taking too long. Much longer than he would have liked. A few keepers muddled about their tasks. They were not alarmed by the unauthorized presence of the salarian and his asari counterpart. The asari was his assistant. Still, at one hundred fifty years, she was in the maiden stage of her lifecycle. She frequented his office to do all his secretarial assignments and even came to his apartment to bring her beverages or food. The orb spoke to him. It chose her and the two turian security guards to assist him in his quest. He felt a calling since the station's attack. Everyone believed that Saren's flagship was just a ship. Everyone except Commander Shepard, her team, and a few radicals that took her side. Conspiracy theories flooded the extranet claiming that the ship was more than what everyone believed. It was a bonafede Reaper named Sovereign. Sovereign's frightening part was not a rogue Reaper that happened to wander along behind Saren Arterius like a dutiful Geth. More were coming in his wake. "Here they come!" Ea'ra called to him.

Both turians were walking in front of a hover pallet stacked with three small shipping containers. Seeing them allowed the salarian to let out a massive sigh of relief.

After two hours, the four of them managed to set all the pieces onto the conveyor belt that led into the incinerator. Either by hand for the smaller ones or the machinery for the much more significant components. Vilus lingered by the inferno despite the empty containers. He wanted to be sure.

A soothing soft hand touched his shoulder. He looked to see Ea'ra smiling at him. "Sir, you have nothing to worry about. We are safe."

"Aberion touched a piece," Narsis announced with caution.

Vilus snapped in fear and spun around to face the other turian with a look of distrust and resentment. "Did you?! I told you not to!" His anxiety spiked to an elevated level.

"Two seconds," Aberion calmly lifted her hand at him. "I know the warning."

"You could be indoctrinated! They will know! They will see!" Vilus cried in agony as he dramatically threw up his arms. "They could find us and kill us all!"

Defeated, Aberion lowered her head. "The darkness cannot be reached. You are right.." She turned to place herself on the belt. "We must keep it safe." Everyone fell silent as the moving apparatus led the turian into the depths of hell. The fire quickly consumed her body, and her scream of pain was cut short by her death. The glowing flames seen from the glass created a reflection in the salarian's eyes. He was now, once again, at ease. "Ea'ra?" His demeanor was much calmer.

"Yes, sir?"

"We need to keep looking. "

"We will need more to join us," Narsis was unmoved by her friend's tragic end. After all, they all knew the risk and the punishment.

"You are right."

Horizon

Kaidan shivered as the morning's chilly air crept in through the living pod's window. The new day's gentle breeze breathed on his skin. He sat at his small circular table, enjoying his freshly brewed cup of coffee. Day One Hundred Eighty of his assignment at the colony. His job was to help his ground team install new interplanetary guns to thwart any would-be attackers. Since Shepard's death, there had been an increase of human colonies being hit out in the Traverse. The two were not connected, but the whole setting felt odd. A percentage of the rise was batarian slavers and pirates. A familiar and expected foe for the colonies. The other was a new player and much more severe and devastating. Colonies were disappearing completely. The identity was unknown. Comms went dead. No bodies. Despite the garrisons stationed at various ones, no alarms rang to Alliance Command before their disappearance. The Alliance was losing valuable men and women as well. Colonial Affairs was faced with lawsuits, broken contracts, and desertion. The lucky ones not yet hit were taking matters into their own hands and felt like no one could protect them. They blamed the Alliance for losing friends and families by not taking the attacks more seriously and stationing more soldiers. Upon his arrival, Kaidan and his team felt like outsiders and not wanted. Many turned a cold shoulder to them. They didn't want them there, and some thought their presence would even provoke the would-be attackers. Though, some did express their sincere gratitude. One colonist named Lilith was one of those. She was Alenko's liaison between his orders and the residents. She knew how dangerous it was to be a colonist and with the Alliance. Her husband, a corporal, caught a ride with a trader's vessel from Ferris Fields to Horizon. Along the way back home, the ship fell under siege by Blue Suns mercs. He was killed by trying to defend himself from the boarding party.

The attack was months before Kaidan came there, and yet her pain was still fresh. Seeing him in uniform was like a ghost from her past. He could see it in her eyes. Yet, despite the negativity he endured, she was there for him. She was recapturing some of the support. He knew what it was like to lose someone special….maybe that was why he felt comforted with her being around. Was that the only connection, or was it something else? It was two years since Zalena's passing, and he felt like he couldn't get over her. Every day, when he woke up, he saw her face as if she was lying beside him in bed, and every night when he closed his eyes, she was there. She haunted him.

A chime came through at the door, and it snapped him out of his reflections. Realizing what time it was, he sprung up from his chair quickly and knocked over his cup of coffee. The liquid spilled all over. "Crap!" He groaned and then raced to the door.

Lilith stood on the other end, her face pleasant yet professional. She overheard his outburst and glanced over at him to see the spilled drink. "Bad morning to start, Lieutenant Major?" She teased.

He chuckled, "You could say that."

"Am I early?" She checked her holowatch.

"No, no." He moved aside to let her in. Why was he nervous around her? Her appearance was more of an earthy tone and natural. She didn't wear a ton of makeup as most female humans did in the Presidium. Shepard didn't, either. "You, uh, you're right on time." He moved back to the table to clean up his mess. "Punctual."

"Here," Lilith grabbed a cloth from his kitchen sink and walked over to wipe up the coffee. She was now a foot away. He could smell her coconut scent body lotion that she must have put on right before she came there. It reminded him of his younger days when he would go down to the beach in Vancouver, how he missed them.

"Thanks."

She set the cloth aside and walked back over to the door. "I did a check-in this morning with your team. Carter said the synchronization would be completed shortly."

"Yeah," Kaidan took her side, and the two set off to stroll from his living pod to where the gun towers were. The most prevalent structure now in Horizon. He could see the tips ahead over the colony's stackable pods. The morning sun glistened off the metal. "Coming along nicely."

Lilith frowned. "Some may think that."

"What's wrong?"

"A lot of the colonists don't like the idea of a large gun in their colony."

"It's for protection," Kaidan argued. He was frustrated by the constant opposition.

"I know that," She pursed her lips together as she was trying to find her words. "They just see it as the Alliance taking over." A sigh. "They are worried that this is going to be a military outpost."

"That's not the Alliance's intention. I would know that."

"Would you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked coldly. He finally stopped in his tracks to hash this out. Lilith was the one person that he could confide in. He was always transparent and would admit to anything he could not disclose due to orders. However, her judgment rubbed him the wrong way.

"All I'm saying is that I'm no stranger to the Alliance. I know that some things you cannot say. A lot of families are out here. Families with small children. Families that want a fresh start. Away from the violence. They want normalcy. They don't want armed soldiers walking around in front of their kids."

Eying two small children playing with a ball nearby made Alenko relax his composure. "Fair enough."

Surprisingly, Lilith reached out and took her hand with his, giving it a comforting squeeze. Her touch was warm and relaxing. "I'm glad you are here. I worry about this whole place every day."

Alenko felt tense as she held his hand. A part of him wanted to pull away quickly. He wasn't ready, and yet a part of him wished for that. He allowed his hand to remain. Feeling his tension, Lilith blushed and pulled away. "Sorry, I uh…."

One of the children nearby ran over to them with her ball in her hand to interrupt their private conversation. She appeared to be around the age of six, with dirty blonde braids in her hair. Her freckled face and light green eyes stared up at Alenko with a look of wonder. "Hello, sir." She mustered up a sloppy salute.

The failed attempt brought amusement to Alenko, and it warmed his heart to see her so spirited with the military. The little boy who she was playing with ran up to join her. "Hannah!" He called to her. He was around the age of four, with the same hair color. Most likely, a sibling. He stopped a few feet away and gaped at Alenko, then timidly ducked behind his sister.

"Hey, buddy." Alenko greeted him with a slight wave.

The boy squeamishly glanced around his sister to look upon him, then ducked away again. His sister scolded him, "Straighten up, Oliver. Salute."

"No!" Oliver cried.

Alenko squatted down to where he was more at their eye levels. "Hey, there," His voice gentle. "I won't hurt you."

"He's just a baby," Hannah fussed. "I'm ready for action."

Lilith giggled at her. "You're too young, sweetie."

"No, I'm not," The girl shook her head. "I'm ready to face some pirates."

"Okay." Alenko thought for a moment. "You can be my private today. I need you to maintain a perimeter right here. You got it?"

She scratched her head. "What's a per-i-meter?" Her broken word revealed her lack of definition of the terminology.

"Just keep watch," He gave her a playful wink.

She tried her best to salute again. "Yes, sir!" She then ushered her brother along with her. "Come on, Oliver. You can be my helper!"

Alenko stood back up and laughed softly at the two kids. "That right there is why I love this place."

Lilith smiled at him, much longer than average. "You are great with them." He smiled back at her words. Suddenly, the radio strapped to her side crackled to life.

"Lilith, this is Hank with hydro. That water valve is acting up again."

"Ugh, I'll come," She placed the radio back on her hip. "Sorry, Kaidan. I need to fix it again. Catch up later?"

"Sure," He paused in his footsteps. He knew what he needed to do next. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. Was he prepared to do it? Forcing himself, he leaned over and gently kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks." He quickened his pace to head onto the guns, daring not to look back. He scowled. He had to make the first move, but why? Why was this happening? Why did he feel so awkward about it? Kaidan just needed to let go.

Later on that day, the humidity kicked up, and Kaidan wiped the sweat from his brow. There were a few glitches with the synchronization, and one of the towers was off by ten degrees. The targeting had to be precise. "Lieutenant Major?" One of his teammates came up the metal ladder to the platform, to where he stood near the large weapons. There's a call waiting for you from Councilor David Anderson."

The name made him move fast down the ladder to pass the officer and turn into the small communications office that they established at their post. "I'll take it privately." He shut the door. It wasn't like the captain to just call him out of the blue. Something had to be up. "I'm here," He announced over the comm.

"Good. Are you sitting down?" Anderson's question was abnormal and guarded.

"Do I need to be?" Alenko stumbled for an answer. He wasn't expecting this, and his brown eyes glanced to see a chair just to the right of him.

"Up to you. A cryptic message hit my desk five minutes ago by an unknown and undetectable source. Commander Shepard was spotted."

A knife stung his heart as he suddenly felt sick from hearing her name. He felt pale. "Has to be fake, sir," He denied. "Where at?" There were tons of tabloids popping up from people claiming that Shepard's ghost was floating around. All a hoax, and most fizzled out after a year from her passing.

"Freedom's Progress. Another colony was recently hit. The whole colony disappeared except one claimed survivor."

"Have to give them kudos for originality on the location. That's a new one," Alenko chided in dismissal. "How can there be one survivor if the rest disappeared?" It's a hoax, sir." Why did Anderson believe this news? Was it false hope? Maybe, he was dealing with her death harder than he was. The captain never divulged his private feelings.

"I don't think so," He remained steadfast in his opinion. "The end of the message read, 'Keelah Se'Lai.'"

Kaidan's knees felt weak, and he quickly sat down for the chair that Anderson offered before entering the conversation. He recognized the notable quarian quote. "Tali? Why is Tali on a human colony?"

"It gets stranger than that," The captain continued. "Tali stated that Shepard arrived there accompanied by two Cerberus operatives and admitted that she was openly working with them."

Anger took him, and he growled by the inclination that his old lover would team up with a terrorist organization; The same group that dealt an inhumane end to Admiral Kohaku. "No way! Tali has to be mistaken! It's a trick! That's not Shepard!"

"I wish it weren't," Anderson sighed hard. "Yesterday, a man met me in a secluded area here outside my office. He identified himself only with Cerberus, and I'm sure he would have given me a fake name and ID. He told me that Shepard was with them now and told me how I could get a message out to her."

"Sir, they are lying," Kaidan hissed through his clenched teeth. "They are deceiving everyone. Shepard is dead. I was there during the attack. No way she could have survived that. What do they want?"

"They didn't demand anything."

His entire world was shaken like a snow globe. He suppressed the hot tears that were forming on his face. He believed that Shepard was gone and wanted to move on, yet he was pulled back in by a ghost. "Has to be a clone or something. Does Cerberus even have that level of technology?"

"With their unlimited resources, I wouldn't put it past them. I sent a message to the address they listed. I'm waiting on a response," He admitted.

"I bet they are just laughing their asses off."

"Maintain radio silence, Alenko. I don't trust this is either, but if it's Shepard, then I want her here."

"Understood, sir." Seconds later, the call ended, leaving Kaidan sitting there in a daze. What does this all mean?