Ultimatum
-We dock in thirty minutes-
Got it, go ahead and let the Admiral know that I'll be there in an hour.
"Hey, you're almost free. How's it feel?" Shepard asked
"Yeah, I don't know" I said, getting a confused look from Shepard. "Look, my contract is up next year, and I've been a headache for the Alliance. That's why they sidelined me to the spook corps in the first place. My first real mission out, and I make headlines. I don't think this isn't going to bode well for me."
"They won't kick you out"
"And they're not going to, they just wait the 6 months till May 2179, and not sign the dotted line." I retorted
"But Anderson won't let them do it, hell, you know Admiral Hackett, can't he do something?" she asked.
"And have them put their careers at risk? No, I dug my hole, I'll lay in it." I replied, getting all mopey
"What about…. I got nothing" she said, wrapping her arms around me from behind
"Don't worry kid, I'll take care of it" I said, receiving a slap to the back of my head
"I'm not a kid, what about the Shadow Broker? Doesn't he owe you a favor?"
"I don't think there's much left there. I'll talk to you later, I'm going to hit the treadmill till we get there, burn off some stress, I'll message you when the meeting's over" I said, walking over to the gym.
"Okay" she replied, walking into the showers
-Good to see you're in a good mood-
Well, my career's pretty much over, why should I be in a good mood?
-Cause it's not-
What are you talking about?
-Oh, I'm not going to ruin the surprise-
What did you do?
-I may have peeked into some high-level Alliance officials communications, they do have a plan for you-
I don't know what to be more concerned about, you know about what they're planning for me, or you are hiding it from me.
-I'll say this, it's a fair compromise, you might even like it, maybe-
Any hints into what I'm walking into?
-Udina won't be there-
As happy as that makes me, I was hoping for a real hint.
-The Alliance just made an agreement with the Turian Hierarchy and the Citadel Council to develop and commission the Normandy, they're calling it Blackbird-
And? The Normandy was originally meant to go to some other guy, but because of a disagreement or something, they changed it to Anderson, and that's sometime in 2183, over four years away. You're telling me they're planning that far ahead?
-Well, my best assumption is that you being in this universe has changed certain things, because they've already choose Anderson to captain it-
What? And Shepard? Any communications regarding her as a spectre candidate?
-Yes and no. The Spectre, Nihlus, has been in contact with Alliance command regarding people for possible Spectres. They received a list of five names from Nihlus, including you and Shepard, and the Alliance expressed interest in the both of you, but given how the Council is not too happy with us over Torfan, they decided to not bring it up until Blackbird's in its final stages-
Really? That seems a little too convenient.
-And?-
Nothing, just a little thought that's been nawing at me for the past few years, not worth worrying about it.
-What is it?-
What if this is all fake? Like I'm in some sort of coma and this is all a figment of my imagination, because everything's been going my way. Sometimes I question if this is real.
-Hmmm, interesting theory, unfortunately there's no way to prove or disprove it, and it's not like you haven't had trying times since being here. Plus, me and Thane kind of push yours and Shepard's name around, giving you notoriety around certain circles. This universe is now fundamentally different than the one you experienced on your computer. By the way, Thane and Mordin are both on the Citadel currently-
That's why I said it's not worth worrying about. And they're both here? Why?
-Mordin's here on business, he didn't specify what. Thane's visiting Kolyat-
I get off the treadmill, realizing I've ran 5km and we docked without noticing. I take a quick shower, throw on some new clothes and make my way for Admiral Spook. I get to the Admirals office, and have to wait for five minutes till they let me in. Odd, I've never had to wait. I walk in, and see the Admiral end a vid-call with Admiral Hackett, and Captain Anderson is over to my right.
"Dammit Anderson, you better have not risked your career for me" I said, crossing my arms.
"You're a good friend Jarrett, but not that good. I'll pull some strings, but won't risk my career" he replied.
"I see your bed-side manner hasn't changed"
"Alright boys," the Admiral cut in, "Let's cut to the chase, no pun intended"
"I get it" I cut in after her, "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, and certain Alliance Brass doesn't want me anymore, what are my options?"
"Straight to the point, one of my favorite qualities about you." she said, picking up a paper file. "You have one choice, we have a plan for you, but it's a few years in the pipeline, so you join the Horsemen, or don't get re-signed come May"
"Yeah, I know Project Blackbird is a few years down the line. What the hell is a Horsemen?"
"How do you know anything regarding Blackbird?" Anderson butted in.
"I was relegated to working with spooks for the last two years, I picked up a few tricks and friends"
"How much do you know?" Spook asked me
"Pretty much everything, including contacting us, except I have no Idea what a Horsemen is"
-I've got nothing, at least on electronic databases in the Alliance regarding 'Horsemen'-
"Okay, this doesn't really affect anything" she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "The Horsemen are an elite set of operatives, who perform black ops for the Alliance, and there's only ever four at a time. They operate with their own set of rules, as long as the mission is completed. But the Alliance will deny everything, and you'll operate out of a small base, not attached to the Alliance. No one ever knows the identity of all four, and to put it as simple as possible, they're the Alliance military version of Spectres. Except, with some oversite, and a lot more secrecy"
"Bull, I've never heard if it, not even rumors of it"
"Because it's very compartmentalized and on paper only, no trail, and besides us, only one other person will now about you, minus some high up politicians. Fortunately, we just had an opening, so some higher-ups, including myself, Anderson, and Hackett thought this would be the perfect job until Blackbird's operational" she said
-Kai Leng was just arrested-
This would be the perfect job for him.
"And the specifics of the job?" I asked
"Will vary, usually about 1 mission a month, so lots of free time. Missions vary from assassinations, to intel gathering, to infiltrating pirate groups, etc. You'll also be permanently assigned to the Citadel, we'll help you with finding a suitable base of operations. You'll receive missions from either myself or Admiral Hackett"
-We already have a warehouse here on the Citadel that's unused, perfect for this situation-
I just nodded, my only goal from joining the Alliance was to be able to help Shepard, and if they're already planning to put me on the Normandy, along with Shepard, I'll just grind out these next few years on the Citadel.
"Well?" Spook and Anderson asked
"I'll do it, given I don't have much of a choice if I want to stay in the Alliance, but I want one thing in return. Shepard has to be part of Blackbird, deal?" I asked, and they both nodded. I can see from Spook's grin that they already choose to put her on the ship, but I needed to make sure. "I can make my own arrangements for my base of operations, I guess I'll hear from you when you have my first assignment" I said, snapping a salute, and walking out.
*Cass, just finished my meeting. Call me when you're free. -Chase*
-That went over pretty well, I'm surprised you're not mad-
It could've been worse, and Shepard's on the Normandy. And the thought of working solo, under my own rules, is nice. No spooks, except the Admiral, but she's grown on me.
Cortana suddenly lit up my HUD, leading to the warehouse, somewhere on the Zakera ward. I make my way there, passing by some familiar sights. I come up to the building, quite a large one, and open the door. Walking in I see the size of this place, at least two stories high, about the size of four cars long, and about a little over a two-car garage in width. At the end I see a small gym, and a small lounging area with a t.v. and large bookcase, and a door leading to a bathroom I presume. Above it is a loft, and I see a bed and a small kitchen, along with a wardrobe. Looking around I see fabricators, simulators, and other tech.
"What do you think?" I look over, and see Mordin doing something on a console.
"This is great, but how the hell did you know I'd need it?" I asked
"I can answer that" I look over, and Cortana popped up in her holographic form, a nice change of pace. "Soon after we left Torfan I started observing certain Alliance channels, and they spoke of you. While they didn't go into details of the 'Horsemen', they did mention that you needed a base of operations on the Citadel, so I contacted Mordin, and we got too it."
"Yes, Horsemen, fascinating, nod to the biblical ones no doubt, will have to look in to at a later date" he paused to breath, "You like your new base of operations? Was fitted with full armory and fabrication lab, as well as heavy machinery and industrial grade fabricators"
"Yeah, it's great and all, but I don't know how to use all this crap" I said, pointing to everything
"That's where I come in" Cortana said, "You promised if we had the time, you'd let me teach you. Now you have a lot of free time over the next four years, I'm going to make you a savant"
"I wouldn't hold your breath on that" I commented
"Anyways, Cortana and I choose this location for a specific reason" Mordin started, "Given that this was a warehouse, it's outfitted with an elevator to a private dock, behind that bookcase. As well I installed a security system that even Cortana would have a tough time hacking, and the walls, ceiling, and floor are reinforced with three inches of a modified Salaris armor. The only people authorized to get in here are a few officers that you trust from the Alliance, all of us, and Shepard of course"
"Cool" I said, strolling through my new pad
"I had arrangements to have your stuff from your old apartment moved into here, as well as Shepard's" Cortana mentioned
"You've been busy Mordin" I said, just getting a shrug from him, "We should all do lunch, invite Thane and Kolyat"
"I already have, they insisted on pizza" Mordin said
"I have no complaints, how's the dreadnaught coming along?" I asked
"Guys" Cortana interjected, but Mordin and myself ignored her
"It's coming along well, should be finished around June 2182, those drones you and Cortana came up with are invaluable, slow, but they work"
"DREADNAUGHT?" I look over, and see Shepard of all people, and she looks pissed. I look to my right, and Mordin, by reflexes, backs up grabbing his pistol. I stop him, able to move faster than him, dropping his pistol and pulling him towards me. "If I'm going down for this, you're going with me" I whispered at him, holding him tight.
How the hell did she know where I was?
-I let her know, thought you'd like to see her in person, didn't anticipate this, and I tried to warn you, why are you taking Mordin hostage?-
"Dr. Solus?" Shepard asked, stepping closer, fists glowing blue.
"Shepard, nice to see you again" he replied hesitantly, trying to get out of my grip
"Hey Shep" I said with a weak smile
"Dreadnaught, explain" she ordered
"Wait" I said, putting up my hands, "Yes, we're building a ship. But, technically a dreadnaught is classified as a ship that's 1km or greater, where are ship is not a km, so it's not really a dreadnaught"
"That is technically true" Cortana said, getting Shepard's attention.
"How long is the ship, and what is that?" She asked towards us, pointing at Cortana's hologram
"997 meters" Cortana said
"That's Cortana" I said
"Explain to me how you can even afford to build a dreadnaught, why, and how, and it better be fucking good" she said, Mordin backing up after escaping my grip
"We can afford it because" I paused, looking over to Mordin, and he just gave me a shrug, and I sigh loudly. "I didn't want to mix you into this"
"Answers, now"
"We can afford it because between Mordin, myself, Cortana, and someone else, we are the shadow broker. Though truth be told I don't really do anything, and we kind of took it over awhile back" I put my hand up, stopping her from interrupting me, "The ship is being built as a test platform for new armor, shields, weapons, etc., that Mordin and his team has been making. It's not really meant for combat, and it's being built by a few hundred drones"
"Why, why would you need any of this?" she asked
"Reapers" Mordin quickly blurted out, and I just glared at him, and I knew he was scared, because I had every urge to kill him right then
"What?" she asked
"Look, why don't we go sit down, I'll make some lunch, and I'll start from the beginning, tell you everything I know, the whole truth" I said, getting a reluctant nod from her, and she powers down her Biotics.
"Mordin, why don't you change our lunch plans to dinner, and give us some privacy" I said, and he nodded and mouthed good luck to me.
We walked over to the Kitchen on the loft, and I started looking around. "You know" I stated, "Using biotics does increase the scary factor, but they don't work on me"
"Really?" she said, clearly not in a good mood, "You don't have your armor on"
"Go ahead, give it a try" I said, my back turned to her. I could feel a small warp field come over me, not very strong, but as it hit me it dissipated.
"How the hell?" she muttered
"Biotic nodes" I said, pointing towards my prosthetic, "Same ones in my armor, are in my leg, However I can't harness it like my suit, and I slowly discharge the power into the ground, so they can technically be overloaded. Now sit down, because we'll be here a while"
"When the hell did this mess start?" she asked, and I just turned to her, completely straight faced.
"Mindor", and she just fell into her seat.