Disclaimer: I do not own either Star Wars or Mass Effect. They're just two of my favorite franchises and I wanted to play in the sandbox.
Chapter Twenty Six: Clarity
The scale of the campaign was massive. It wasn't the biggest Shepard had participated in, but taking Ringo Vinda was proving to be a bigger challenge than anticipated. Republic forces were struggling to gain significant ground in four rotations of fighting. After a brief pause to regroup, Anakin tasked her to General Tiplar, along with Fives, Tup, and several others to bolster the left flank. As the door opened and they began to move out, an alert blipped once in her HUD then fell quiet. She turned and saw Tup jogging to join the group with Fives following behind.
They quickly pushed forward and soon were nearing the command center, where the Separatists forces were concentrated. Spider droids perched atop crates, B2 rocket droids, and a seemingly endless supply of B1 droids stood between them and their objective. As they entered the field, Shepard found cover and methodically picked them off. Using a lift and throw combination, she cleared a handful of approaching enemies. Anakin came up on her right.
"Can you see Trench in the command post?" He asked over the cacophony of blaster fire.
Shepard drew her sniper rifle and checked the scope and confirmed he was there.
"If you get a shot, take it." He ordered.
"Yes, sir."
The plexi barrier of the command post initially resisted her shots, but small cracks were forming. Aiming carefully, she fired near the spiderweb clusters, further weakening the structure. Just as she was about to squeeze the trigger to bring it down, her HUD and Omni-Tool suddenly erupted with an unfamiliar alarm, breaking her focus. It took her a moment to to realize what it was. She looked around bewildered when it dawned on her it was the implant alert.
"Oh, shit." She breathed when she found it.
Tup, bucket off, was walking toward General Tiplar in a determined daze. Fives called to him, but went ignored. Neither she nor him could move fast enough as the loyal trooper raised his blaster. The betrayal was sudden and unexpected. Tiplar made no move in self defense. Without question, Tup pulled the trigger and executed a Jedi.
Fives tackled Tup to the ground as Shepard raised a biotic dome. General Tiplee immediately went to her sister, disbelieving what she had just witnessed. Anakin tried to keep them moving forward in spite of the casualty, but a wave of Destroyers rolled in threatening to over run them. Reluctantly, Skywalker ordered their retreat and in a flash, the campaign was lost.
Shepard's mind raced as they retreated. Fives dragged Tup down the corridor, who was muttering incoherently to himself. She had silenced the alarm on her Omni-Tool, but her HUD continued to flash. They reached their fallback position and the blastsdoors were sealed. She removed her helmet and watched as Tup was taken to an alcove for assessment by Kix with Anakin, Rex, and Fives gathered around.
As abruptly as it began, the alarm stopped in its own, and she saw Tup talking clearly with Rex. Skywalker turned away to speak to General Tiplee, who was approaching him. They spoke quietly for several minutes. Tup's eyes rolled back, and her OT Illuminated red. He tried to lunge at Tiplee, but she used the Force to propel him back into the wall. Anakin ordered Tup back to the medbay and cast her a scrutinizing look before setting off with them. She jogged his side, desperate to tell him what was going on.
"General, I need a word." She kept his brisk pace.
"Not now, Shepard." He curtly replied.
Although his tone left no room for interpretation, she persisted. "Sir, if you'll hear me out-"
He stopped in his tracks and put his face in hers. "In case you hadn't noticed Captain, I have a trooper that just murdered a Jedi General and a collapsed campaign. I don't have time do for your suggestions. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." She crisply answered and watched him storm away.
Her middle finger tapped the helmet under her arm. As far as she was aware, the command phrase to activate the implant hadn't been issued, yet Tup was seemed to be acting under the influence of his. A cold sense of dread settled into her gut as she boarded the Resolute and hurried to the medbay. If every clone in the Grand Army had an implant, and their true purpose of the implants was to compel the clones to turn on the Jedi at the utterance of a single phrase, it could serve as a massive coup that could cripple the Republic. The door to the medbay was open when she arrived. Glancing in, she saw Kix standing over Tup as a medical droid circle around him taking scans.
"Any theories?" She asked quietly.
"Nothing that I can find." He grimaced at the holopad.
She took a step closer and dropped her voice, "Did you ever take another look at Doctor Chakwas' reports?"
Kix looked at her abruptly wide-eyed then snapped his gaze at Tup. "You think..."
"Would you allow me to scan him with my Omni-Tool? It might pick up something we're missing."
Kix nodded and she moved to Tup's left side. He was rousing. The glaze in his eyes and distant expression made her blood run cold. Still groggy, he repeated the same sentence under his breath: Good soldiers follow orders. Activating her Omni-Tool, she found the countermeasure program. Just as she readied to use it, Anakin marched into the room.
"Captain, step away immediately!" He ordered.
"Give me a second." She dismissed.
"I'm wasn't asking." He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, pulling her from the room by the collar of her armor.
"Get your fucking hands off me!" She barked, digging her heels in to resist him.
With a shove, he released her in the hall. "Explain yourself. Now!"
"I'm trying to help him!" She gestured to the now closed door then pointed finger into his chest. "You're the one that's too busy to listen."
Rex and Fives ran down the corridor at toward commotion. Further behind them General Tiplee, Commander Doom, and several more troopers followed.
"Both times Tup attacked, I witnessed your Omni-Tool activate. Give me a reasonable explanation for that right now, because it looks to me that you're behind this."
"Sir, there's no way Captain Shepard-" Rex started.
Skywalker cut him off. "I'm sorry Rex, your opinion of Shepard is no longer objective. The Supreme Chancellor is very concerned about Shepard's actions. She is to be detained and questioned upon returning to Coruscant. Fives, take her to her quarters. No one in or out."
Fives rebuffed in protest and tried to argue in her defense, but she didn't hear him. The piercing buzz in her ears was so sudden and powerful, she couldn't fight it. The mention of Palpatine, when she knew he was the one behind it all, eviscerated any patience she had left. Shepard snapped.
"Oh, fuck off you pathetic lap dog! When are you going to get your head out of his ass and think with your own god damn mind?" She shouted and jabbed her helmet into his chest for emphasis.
"Jean!" Rex exclaimed in shock.
"Stand down. You will not be warned again." Anakin cautioned.
"Shepard, take a breath." Fives tried to take her by the arm and diffuse the situation.
She pulled out of his loose grasp, unable and unwillingly to go unheard. "You have no idea what's going on here. You have to let me help him."
"That's not going to happen." Anakin bit each word angrily as he towering over her.
She closed the small gap between, craned her neck and looked unflinching into his eyes. When she spoke, her voice was calm but filled with every ounce of frustration she felt over the past months. "You. Fucking. Puppet."
Rage flared in his eyes, though he managed to control it. "I am relieving you of duty. Commander Doom, take Captain Shepard to the brig of General Tiplee's ship on suspicion of sedition."
As Shepard and Rex both protested, Commander Doom pushed the latter aside and seized her arm. Instinctively she fought back, bashing his helmet with hers as she shouted expletives. Two more troopers rushed forward, grabbing her. Doom staggered to clear the stars from his eyes. Her escalating resistance, both physical and vocal, prompted Fives to move to help her.
"Fives, stand down!" Anakin ordered.
The ARC Trooper fought his instinct to defend his partner and stayed rigidly in place, his face ripe with conflict. Shepard was forced to one knee with both arms pulled back and a hand on either shoulder. She shook with rage as she looked up at Anakin. It was a consuming fury she hadn't felt in a long time, and one Rex had never seen in her. Despite the force of two troopers holding her in place, she still pushed against them to stand as a biotic field began to form around her body. Rex saw Doom reach for his blasters and intervened.
Crouching in front of her, he doffed his helmet, and spoke quietly. "Jean, please. Stop resisting. We will straighten this out, I promise."
Her tight, furrowed brows lifted as her burning eyes squeezed shut for moment. The blue aura around her dissipated. She released a defeated chuckle and relaxed her tensed body. When she finally looked at him, she wore a sad, pained expression.
She leaned in and kissed him briefly then whispered, "I love that you truly believe that."
Commander Doom stripped her weapons, handing them off to an awaiting trooper. She was pulled to standing and her hands bound behind her back. Although she complied with bring manhandled, her eyes burned with the ferocity of a caged nexu, as she focused on Anakin. Doom grasped her elbow to lead her away, but she resisted for one last time to give Skywalker one last warning.
"You're making a mistake, Anakin. If Tup dies, his blood will be on your hands." Her eyes flicked to Fives. "Don't lose your tool. It might just save your life."
With a yank of her collar, Commander Doom pulled her around and down the corridor. Begrudgingly she complied, but not before jerking once against his hold. Rex watched her being led away. Conflict brimmed within him. He couldn't believe Shepard was capable of what General Skywalker claimed, but he knew his General wouldn't make the accusation lightly. In truth, he struggled to comprehend the events of the entire rotation.
"Come on. We need to take care of Tup." Anakin said calmly, setting aside what had just happened.
Fives rested a hand on his shoulder, communicating his concern as well. Reluctantly, they turned toward the medbay. Maybe if they could figure out what happened to Tup, the rest of the pieces would fall into place.
The doors to the brig slid open and he heard it: singing. Not off key or offensive to listen to, it certainly was loud. Although the patter song had a certain whimsy, the intention had been to aggravate. Judging by the annoyed expressions of the guards, it was working. Master Windu needed not ask which one she was in. All he had to do was follow his ear. As he neared the ray shielded cell, the words became clear, not that he really understood the meaning of the lyrics.
"...turian, asari, and batarian. I'm quite good at genetics as a subset of biology. Because I am an expert which I know is a tautology."
Windu stood in the doorway. Shepard wore only her compression suit. She was stretched out on the bench, hands folded behind her head with ankles crossed. Her eyes were closed as she sang away, seeming not to have a care in the world.
"My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian. I am the very model of a scientist salarian!"
She paused to inhale and begin the song again, which she apparently had been singing off and on since departing Ringo Vinda with the current loop lasting for the better part of several hours following the ship's arrival on Coruscant. Before she could begin again, he cleared his throat. Her eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling, but otherwise didn't move.
"Somehow, this doesn't surprise me." He said flatly.
"Oh, I think we both knew I was going to end up in a cell before this was over." She replied sitting up and putting her feet to the floor. "I'm sorry about Master Tiplar."
"Thank you." He paused. "We need to discuss what happened."
"Agreed."
"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has requested you to be delivered to the prison for a formal interrogation."
She scoffed in reply, "I'm not going to the jail."
"Planning an escape are we?"
She shook her head once in a playful gesture with an incredulous grin. "Make no mistake, I could. I've certainly gotten out of tighter spots, but if I was being transferred to the jail, Commander Fox and the Corrie Guard would be here. Maybe Skywalker to give himself the satisfaction. But certainly not you."
Windu hummed a reply, deactivated the ray shield and turned on his heel. Shepard quickly followed and found two crates containing her gear open and waiting at the central control panel. The guards stood off to the side, though visibly disgruntled as she quickly donned her suit and weapons. Before following the general from the brig, she held out her hand to one of the guards expectantly. Reluctantly, he pulled her kabar from the back of his belt and returned it.
"That's what I thought." She scorned and departed.
They walked in silence to the shuttle bay and boarded a transport. It wasn't until they were descending to the surface and neared the Jedi Temple that Shepard spoke again.
"Thank you for allowing me to speak in my defense."
"A trooper murder a Jedi in the middle of a vital campaign. The Council needs answers."
"Has there been any update on Tup?"
A tired look briefly surfaced before descending again. "The medical transport carrying Trooper Tup was attacked by Separatists before the jump to hyperspace. General Skywalker, Captain Rex, and ARC Trooper Fives recovered him and delivered him to Kamino. Fives stayed on Kamino to keep an eye on Tup, while the rest of the 501st is on route back to Coruscant."
A pit of worry rolled in her gut. "I would like to join Fives on Kamino after my debriefing."
He gave her a curious look at her request. "That can be discussed. Master Shaak'Ti is overseeing Tup's care. Do you possess information that could help us understand what's happening to him?"
Shepard hesitated. She at least had a better grasp of the situation and knew Tup was in mortal danger if he stayed on Kamino. Possibly Fives as well, but without airtight proof, she was left with the same speculation she'd been plagued with for months. But then again, General Windu had taken a chance to helped her. It was her turn to do the same. The transport landed and they stepped out.
"I have a theory and circumstantial evidence." She conceded.
"And you're only now sharing this?" There was a bite to his tone.
"This isn't the first time I've had a major accusation against a high ranking figure. I learned the hard way you can't go in half cocked. I have been trying to find the truth and who's behind it, but I know in my bones this whole thing is much bigger than any of us. Especially with what happened on Ringo Vinda."
"Against whom do you have an accusation?" He pointedly asked.
"Respectfully sir, I think you already know the answer to that. Which is why I've remained silent until now." She held his eyes for a moment. "I will testify to the Council of what I witnessed on Ringo Vinda. As for the rest of it, that's a conversation you and I should have behind closed doors."
"That isn't how the Council works."
"I know." Shepard conceded with a sigh. "But it's how war works. The one behind this is a dozen steps ahead and has been for years. If this leaks before we have an airtight case, we lose our only shot."
He silently debated for a moment. While he didn't outwardly agree, he also didn't disagree either. Instead, he turned and entered the temple.
After waiting for hours, she was finally called for her debriefing. Shepard detailed the three rotations of events, with the focus settled on the final moments of the campaign. She explained the events as she witnessed them, keeping her thoughts focused the facts not speculation. Inevitably, the question of Skywalker's accusation arose. Had she been facing a typical tribunal, she could have fallen back on strategically worded answers to neither lie nor disclose the full truth. Unfortunately being surrounded by a dozen Jedi Masters who's minds and senses were trained on hers eliminated that option.
She explained that her Omni-Tool has a variety of functions and had likely detected an errant signal during the battle, hoping that was a vague enough explanation. Just as she was pressed for further explanation, Master Shaak'Ti made contact with the council. Tup had died following the removal of his inhibitor chip.
Fives, it seemed had made the decision against orders to remove Tup's chip. When he was to be returned to the field, he fled, removed his own chip, and ran rampant through the lab facility. Master Shaak'Ti, Nala Se, and Fives were all in route to Coruscant to meet the Supreme Chancellor. In light of recent developments, she was cleared of the sedition accusation and dismissed from the council chamber. When the council adjourned, Master Windu approached.
"I think you and I need to talk." He said quietly.
She agreed, but as she turned to follow him, Anakin barked her name and stormed down the corridor. Tangled in the fury trailing behind him was Rex. Although he still wore his helmet, Shepard could see the conflict in his body. Windu waited for Skywalker to jog to them, seeming to have anticipated the confrontation.
"What is Captain Shepard doing here?" He demanded. "The Supreme Chancellor ordered her to the prison for interrogation."
"Captain Shepard is here at the Council's request. As a witness to Master Tiplee's murder, her statement was needed. I'm sure you'll be relieved to know the Council has cleared Shepard of all suspicion."
Anakin protested as he and Master Windu moved away to continue their debate. Rex doffed his bucket and, as expected his brows were knit with concern. Guiding her behind a pillar, Rex embraced her quickly but tightly.
"Jean, what's going on?" His voice was urgent and hushed.
"I can't explain it right now. You just have trust me." She implored quietly.
His mouth worked, trying to find a balance between his trust in Shepard and his faith in his general. "Do you know what this is about?"
Shepard swallowed hard. It was a conversation she had been desperate to avoid and the middle of the Jedi Temple wasn't the place she wanted to have it. As she looked up into his desperate honey brown eyes. The truth caught in her throat and refused to budge. Instead, she took his face in her hands and put her forehead to his.
"Please trust me." She whispered.
Anakin called to Rex. It was time to go. He rested a hand on the back of her neck and clenched his jaw, holding her close for one last moment. Pulling away he cleared his throat, shoved his helmet on, and joined his commanding officer. As they walked away, he cast one last glance over his shoulder. Her eyes gaze was fiery and confident, but conflict swirled below the service. An ominous feeling crept down his spine.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
More waiting. She hated the waiting. After taking a cab to her ship, she and Vod waited. Waiting for the ship to arrive, waiting for General Windu to make contact. Two days had passed since Ringo Vinda and she'd spent the majority of it waiting.
She cleaned her kit, which didn't take long. A shower and meal didn't take much time either, despite intentionally dragging her feet through both. Eventually, she tried to sleep, but it was was pointless endeavor and she gave up after endless tossing and turning. Ultimately, she and her Geth companion passed the time by listening to the comm chatter so they'd know as soon as Fives arrived. Despite her best efforts to focus and stay calm, her right leg bounced anxiously while she sat in the cockpit. At some point, exhaustion overtook her and she slept.
A deep, groggy haze clouded her mind and vision when she woke. Vod watched as she rubbed it from her eyes and stood to clear her head.
"How long was I out?" She asked as she stretched her arms overhead.
"Three hours. You seemed to be in need of rest."
"Guess I was. Anything change?"
"Not as of yet. We will keep you informed."
Shepard dressed in her hardsuit again. A nagging intuition told her told her to be ready. With a cup of bitter caff and a ration bar in hand, she returned to the cockpit and put her feet carefully on the dash. Once both were consumed, she opened her Omni-Tool and reviewed the alert data from Ringo Vinda. It didn't make sense. The chip wasn't supposed to activate until the command was given. Why did Tup's?
Her Omni-Tool chirped with an incoming call. General Windu was finally free to speak with her and requested she return to the Temple. Upon arriving, she was escorted to a meditation room and instructed to wait. Eventually, Windu arrived.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Captain." He sat on the backless circular chair and gestured for her to do the same. "You said you a theory and circumstantial evidence. I'd like to know what that is."
Shepard told him everything, starting with the Normandy's scans through the events of Ringo Vinda. The only detail she glazed over was their side trip to Saleucami. She wasn't about to compromise Cut or his family. Instead, she generically stated they removed chips from deceased soldiers left in the field. Fortunately, Mace accepted her explanation without question. He sat patiently and quietly as she laid out the details and offered the data and research her team compiled. When she finished, they sat in silence for several minutes.
"Prior to the incident on Ringo Vinda," He finally said. "Did you have any indication this Order 66 related to the Jedi in any way?"
"Not specifically." She paused for a moment to. "We've spoken briefly about Cerberus and my employment with them. In reality, The Illusive Man was indoctrinated by the Reapers and had been for years. When I worked for Cerberus and during war, I saw first hand what they were capable of. They used cerebral implants based on Reaper tech to control and indoctrinate their employees, turning them into mindless drones. Granted those were the equivalent of stone tools compared to these, but there is no morally sound reason to put a control chip in these men without anyone knowing about them, and especially without their consent."
"Nala Se claims the chips are intended to control aggression in the clones, due to the temperament of the genetic donor, Jango Fett." He countered.
"Forgive me, but bullshit. Aside from the fact the troopers were engineered to be aggressive in the field, with all the genetic modifications the Kaminoans were able to make to the clones do you genuinely believe they had no control over their aggression? Besides that, emotional responses, like anger are managed by the amygdala, not the frontal lobe." She found a model the brain on the datapad and pointed to the different structures. "I'm not an expert in neurobiology but I have kept company with people who are. Looks to me that this implant is in the wrong place for what they claim it does."
Windu stood and paced through room thinking. "It is highly suspect. But I see what you've kept quiet thus far. By itself this isn't enough to launch in inquiry, nor does it tell us who's responsible."
"Except that now Fives has apparently stumbled ass-backwards into the middle of it and is being sent for an audience with the person I know, but haven't been able to prove, is behind it." She darkly reminded. "General, he is in danger. I need to get to him."
Just as her Omni-Tool tool Illuminated and chimed with a call, there was an urgent wrapping at the door. Fives went off the reservation, attacked the Supreme Chancellor, and escaped. He was on the run and Palpatine ordered a manhunt by the Coruscant Guard. The pit of worry in her stomach rolled on its end. Skywalker demanded she remained sequestered in the temple as he and Rex joined the hunt. After they left, she waited several moments and moved to the door, expecting Windu to stop her. To her surprise, he only offered a caution.
"Going against Skywalker may come with a heavy price. Are you prepared for what this might cost you?"
She paused at the open door. "I've always known what I could lose. But stopping this, that's a price I'll pay."
A/N: I tried to stay true to the episode canon, but obviously made minor changes. I know. Don't come after me for it.