VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE!
READ AUTHORS NOTES BELOW!
"New locks? Dammit." Conrad scowled as he pressed his omni-tool against the door. It snapped open, the lock sparking. "Not that it's a problem, anyway." Trying to look as unassuming as possible, he stepped into the lobby of the Melana apartment complex. It was empty, save for a lone Asari security guard sitting a corner.
She glanced up, scowling as she noticed him. "We're closed, human."
"And I have an appointment," Conrad shot back, tossing a credit chip her way. She caught it, her eyes widening at the sum it contained.
"Don't let me stop you, sir." She flashed him a bright smile, adopting a more friendly demeanour.
Conrad flashed her a mock salute as approached elevator. He paused at the door, taking out another chip. "I'm expecting a pizza in about... oh, thirty to twenty minutes. Think you can let it in?" He tossed her the chip which she caught in the air.
"Whatever you want, sir."
He rode the elevator up to the twentieth floor and headed to the back of the complex. It took him less than a minute to arrive at his destination; a locked apartment with heavy security. He scratched his chin. Motion sensors, biometric locks and a turret if he was remembering everything correctly.
But that's not important, he thought, dialling a number on his omni-tool. First things first.
"Hello, Ilana's Pizza, how may I help you?" came the quick yet perky introduction once the call connected.
"Yeah, I'm famished for a triple meat-lovers with extra bacon," Conrad smacked his lips. "To be delivered to room 225 in Melana apartments on the Zakera ward."
"Of course, sir."
"And is it true that if delivery is over twenty five minute than its free?"
"Yes, sir."
"Smashing!" he grinned. "Hurry it up please, I'm starving."
"Of course, sir. And it goes to?"
"Roman," Conrad replied. "Roman Torchwick."
He finalized a few more details before hanging up and returned to contemplating the door. Honestly it wouldn't be that hard to break in. He pressed his hand against the biometric lock, a glyph spinning to life beneath his palm. Another glyph appeared an instant before the door opened, cancelling out the noise it made. He waited a moment, listening carefully. Satisfied that he remained undetected, he cast another glyph. The motion sensors and other electronics sparked, the ruckus muffled by his earlier spell. He listened again, then stepped inside, waving his omni-tool to the turret that popped out of the wall. It read his alias and retracted. Once the panel closed, Conrad cancelled the mute glyph and the surrounding sound returned to normal. He pressed himself against the wall and crept down the short hallway, pressed a glyph against each door he passed, frying the locks from within.
"...wasn't me who called it quits." a male voice said as he approached the connected living room and kitchen at the back. "The traitor had it coming to him."
"Ah give a rest," said another.
"Seriously, why is no one else worried about this?"
"Because its you, Echo 2, shut it," said a third voice, this time female.
Conrad stopped at the corner, listening intently. Three so far, but you never be to careful.
"Alright, settle down," said a forth voice, obviously the leader. "We've got a job to do, Echo team. I don't need you at each others throats before that. Save it for the enemy."
"What enemy?" the first voice grumbled. "We're just nabbing a taxi. How hard can it be?"
"Thanks a lot ya' bastard," the third voice groaned. Conrad couldn't help but agree. Tempting fate was a sure way to get you killed.
"Considering that 'taxi' has been upped to an armored escort, a lot," the leader replied.
"You're shitting me. What happened?"
"We don't know. The mission report from Eden Prime hasn't come in yet."
"It it the Beacon, sir?" asked the second voice.
"What part of 'we don't know' don't ya' get?" said number three.
"Quiet, both of you! We need... Oh, hold up."
"What now?"
"Update from the Normandy."
Conrad tensed. They were in deeper than he thought.
"The Beacon was just destroyed." the leader announced after a moment. Conrad sighed. Dammit, why did life have to be so difficult?
"By us or them?" voice number three asked.
"It doesn't say," said the leader. "But that doesn't change our mission. The Normandy is pulling into the docks as we speak. You all know your roles. Echo team is with me causing a distraction. Bravo stand by to make the grab, and Delta be ready with the containment unit. The Commander is fast and we need to take her by surprise for this to work."
That was his cue.
"An excellent idea!" Conrad crowed, jumping out from the corner and into plain view. He counted no less than twenty people gathered around a long table in the living room. More then he expected, but okay, he could deal with it. All were well armed with the finest gear, decked out in an unassuming black paint job. He clapped one of them on the shoulder, snatching the datapad out of his hands. He read quickly, ignoring their looks of surprise.
"A good plan," Conrad grinned, tossing the pad aside. "But if you really wanted a plan to capture the Commander Rose, all you had to do was ask. Number one: Containment units don't work. Mainly because I sabotage them all the time, but hey, details. You just need to... well, catch her. Roadrunner style. And I wish you good luck at that. Second..." He pulled a chair from the side and seated himself at the head of the table. "You forgot to take care of me," he finished with a shark like smirk.
The entire room stared at him in shock. Then a man, the leader of the merry band of kidnappers spoke. "Who the hell are you?"
"Call me a devoted fan," Conrad shrugged. "But enough talk. Who's ready to die?"
For a spilt second the entire room froze in disbelief, then reached for their weapon.
Now the table was a marvel of engineering, a blend of current fashion and technology. It featured a built in holo-emiter and communication system. A perfect piece of technology for a group working undercover. It also made for a good piece of cover in a pinch; heavy, able to withstand most small-arms and clamped and wired to the floor, even a Krogan would've struggled to shift it.
Conrad pulsed his Aura and tore it from the floor. A few unlucky mercs found their heads crushed as the table collided with the ceiling. The rest scattered, staggering as the table and bodies crashed to the ground.
A glyph formed in the air as Conrad drew his pistol and fired. The shot passed through the ethereal projection and struck the man behind it with the force of an exploding star. He simply ceased to exist, replaced by a cloud of blood that clogged the air in a layer of crimson. Panic set in as the group clawed for their weapons, trying to find their target through the bloody mist.
Conrad grinned, allowing himself to relax. After so long playing administrator it felt wonderful to be back in action. Another shot pulverized the next target in his sights. He tossed a glyph, beheading a woman with its razor sharp edge as he looked for more targets. By now the group was trying to find cover wherever they could. A few ducked behind the island in the Kitchen.
Killing another merc with a well aimed shot, Conrad pulled out one of the eggs he had brought with him and tossed it behind the island. He heard it shatter, followed shortly by panicked screams. The Sunstrike glyph formed before his pistol as he gunned down the last few mercs with clean efficiency, filling the air with crimson. When the bloody mist faded he could only identify ten of the bodies, the rest having been obliterated by his totally 'OP please nerf' powers.
"Damn," he sighed, casually holstering his pistol. "What a mess."
Still, what better way to send a message?
...
Actually, there was better way to send a message. Sending a message.
He wiped down the table with a rag, stopping to find his egg amidst the corpses it had created. It took him a while to get the table powered up again, but when he did it purred like a kitten. They may have been terrorists, but Cerberus sure knew how to make good gear.
He pulled a clean chair from the kitchen, cracked his knuckles, then brought up the table's communication system. Within moments a hologram appeared before him, baring the face of one of the most wanted men in the galaxy.
"Operative Bradshaw," the Illusive Man said, taking a drag of his cigar. "I trust that..." He trailed off as he noticed Conrad and the carnage behind him. To his credit, the man's expression remained as impassive as ever.
"Mr Verner." He managed to keep his voice remarkably level, in spite of the rage Conrad could see burning in his eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Hmm... Now that's a good question." Conrad scratched his chin, glancing up at the ceiling as he thought. "How about you congratulate me for fucking up your op again."
"Such a... vulgar request."
"But no less true."
The man sighed. "What do you want now, Mr Verner?"
"Straight to the point. I like it," Conrad grinned, leaning forward so he was almost nose to nose with the hologram. "One; your security sucks. Seriously, it took me less than a minute to break in. Two; your men suck balls too. Three..." His carefree visage dropped, replaced with cold, hard anger. "...stay away from Rose."
The Illusive Man sighed. "Mr Verner, please. This-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, heard it before," Conrad interrupted with a grin. "But I swear if you put in a fucking chess analogy I'm gonna be pissed. I get enough of that already. But that's not the point, I don't care what you want with her, I don't even care what you intend to do with her. You won't get her, not while I'm still breathing."
"That can be aranged."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Conrad smirked as he gestured around the room. "Just admit already, you can't do shit. I know everything about your operations and can stop them before they can order a fucking pizza." He voice slowed mysteriously. "Its almost like I have an inside source."
"We both know you're not stupid enough to admit that."
"But if I'm telling the truth?"
Conrad almost laughed at how the Illusive Man's eyes narrowed. The Illusive Man never revealed his emotions, but Conrad was the kind of guy who could get just about anyone to emote.
"Look, TIM, I'd love to sit here and torment you some more, but I have things to do. Just give up already. You'll run your organization dry."
"And you know why we can't do that," the Illusive Man replied.
"I know why you don't want to, but again, not the point." Conrad's face hardened. "I've put up with your shit for long enough. This is your last warning. Stay. Away. From Rose."
"Be reasonable, Mr. Verner," the Man said slowly. "Cerberus can be a very dangerous enemy. You are only one man. You can't fight us forever."
Conrad bit his lip, hiding his smirk behind a raised hand. "Said the demon to the devil... and who says I can't? I've been at this for thirteen years and still going strong. You didn't get here when she appeared and you won't get her now. Trust me, this is for the best."
The Illusive Man tried to speak but Conrad cut him off. "Listen, this is your last warning Jack Harper." He saw the Man stiff at his real name but ignored it. "Stay away from Rose or I will hunt you down like the three headed dog you are. I know were you are in that little 'unmarked station' of yours. Think about that for a moment."
With that he threw the table aside, wrenching out the power cables. The screen flickered and died, taking the Illusive Man's stunned visage with it.
He really should have left, C-Sec would be here soon, but there was still something he needed to do. Going around he looted all the bodies, snatching every last credit they had. Soon he had amassed a sizable amount, more than twenty thousand all together. Cerberus may have been corrupt, but they sure knew how to pay well. He put it all together in a single credit chip then separated a small amount and put it on another chip. He placed that on the ruined table with an affectionate pat.
Just then the doorbell rang, heralding the arrival of something delicious.
Licking his lips Conrad hurried to the front door. He readied another glyph, casting the spell just as the door opened. A young Asari stood outside, holding a steaming box aloft. Her uniform was rather... revealing, with a plunging neckline and short skirt. It was a signature of Ilana's Pizza, doubling as a stripper service when necessary, but the young Asari looked like she wished to be anywhere else but here. And judging from the way her lips curled in disgust, his altered appearance was anything but pleasant.
"Triple meat-lovers with extra bacon. Thank you for eating with Ilana's, where your pleasure is our pleasure." She handed over the pizza with a moan that should have been arousing but sounded more like a dying Elcor.
Conrad took it with a smile. "Thank you. I am famished." He looked her up and down, trying to make it as clear as possible. "Say, would you like to come in and enjoy it with me? I could use some company."
She scowled angrily. "Screw you, human. I don't do that kind of work."
"Yet you work at Ilana's? No offence but skimpy Asari feeding you pizza is kind of their thing."
"I don't do that," she growled. "I only took this damn job to pay my way through college. That's it. Keep your hands to yourself, pervert."
"Well that's rude." Conrad flipped open the box, noting it was real authentic cardboard, a rarity nowadays, and took a bite out a perfect slice. "But I can respect that," he continued, chewing quietly. He handed her the loaded chip, watching with amusement as her eyes almost bugged out of her head. "That should cover everything."
"Th- this is for the pizza?" she stammered, taking the chip and holding it like a bar of solid gold.
"No, that's your tip," Conrad replied, pushing past her into the hall. He shoved another piece in his mouth as he headed to the elevator. "Should handle classes, dorms and anything else you need. You're welcome."
"B-but what about the pizza?" she called out, looking desperately at the chip. No doubt thinking her boss would confiscate it as 'payment.'
"Don't worry. The bill is on the kitchen table," he shouted back through a mouthful. "Just go in and take it, I'm busy."
She rushed in eagerly.
The elevator doors were just about a close when her screams echoed down the hall. Conrad ignored them, taking another bite. Mr Torchwick was going to be a very wanted man in a few hours. He could have left his operation to be discovered naturally, but he needed to leave Admiral Kahoku a tip. The sooner they got Cerberus under control the better.
One more thing thing to take off his checklist. It had taken him months to track down that cell, just in time too. That made it... twenty four operations to capture Ruby foiled by yours truly. Now it was back to his mundane existence as Conrad Verner. Well, as mundane as you can get being a Huntsman masquerading as an ex-Director in a galaxy that had forgotten you.
"Damn it, they owe me big for this." He took another bite and opened his target list. Rose was safe, now it was back to his original mission. Now, where could that bitch possibly be?
-ooo000ooo-
"And the Beacon?"
"Destroyed."
In spite of the good news, the Woman didn't allow himself to relax. Benezia was far too calm, preparing for a storm.
"One of the humans may have used it," the Asari Matriarch admitted after a moment.
Sitting in his throne in the Reaper Shell's control station, Saren ground his teeth. The reaction was what she had come to expect from the Turian. He was cunning, but too quick to anger. The indoctrination process wasn't helping matters. "How?" he snarled.
"The Geth failed, obviously," she replied calmly when Matriarch Benezia remained silent. "They have their uses, but ultimately fail when subtly is involved." She narrowed her eyes beneath her hood. "Your invasion was proof enough for that."
"It was the only way," Saren growled.
"I offered to retrieve it myself."
"You?" Benezia scoffed, "a scientist? Leave this to your elders, human."
It was all she could do to keep from laughing. The Asari had no idea. She could have done it whether they wanted her to or not. For all their bravado they were ultimately powerless.
"I'm sorry." She inclined her head, gauging her response and its implacations carefully. "I forgot my place."
"So, the humans have the vision," Saren mused, ignoring their little spat. "This complicates matters."
"Not as much as you think," the Woman said. "Possession is one thing. Comprehension is another. Our missions guides us through the chaos the Protheans left behind. Without it, the humans will stumble around in dark trying to find the way."
"Yes," Saren murmured to himself in agreement. "Who was it that access the Beacon?"
"Commander Rose," Beneiza replied.
The Woman scowled. Even in death they resisted. An enemy come back from the grave to haunt her existence.
What more would it take?
"Is she still alive?" Saren asked, ignorant of her inner turmoil.
"That remains to be seen. You prepared to use the Beacon, she didn't. It may take a few days, but we'll find out."
"But if she survives then my position is threatened." Saren leaned back in his throne, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Say she did, would the Council believe her?"
"Not without evidence," the Woman reasoned.
"Nihlus is all the evidence they'll need." The Turian straightened. "Still... they might be persuaded. I am their top agent, after all."
"So we're safe, right?" she asked, adding just enough uncertainty to her voice to plant the seeds she needed. "Even if you do lose your Spectre status we can continue our mission, right?"
Saren scratched his chin thoughtfully. She could see the gears churning in his head.
"Only if we proceed carefully," he said at last. "The Alliance will will pin the blame on me, that's to be expected. The Council... well, I can't image they'll choose reputation over common sense." He look up at them. "But if there is a lack of evidence..."
"Then you're innocent."
"Until proven guilty," Saren retorted. "There are men in the Alliance who would see me brought down, and they're high enough in the chain of command to cause problems for us. We'll assume the worst and expect to loose my Spectre status. We'll collect our resources and save what we can, that way we won't be caught completely off guard when we're cut off."
Beneath her hood the Woman smiled. "So what do we do now?"
"Lay low. We have the vision, the map, if what you say is true. But its... distorted, I can't make anything out. The Conduit is in there somewhere, but the vision is... incomplete. We need specialists, Prothean experts if we're to have any chance to deciphering it."
"I know some who can help us," Benezia said. "My daughter among them."
"Good. Bring her here."
Yes, bring her here.
"So, we're ready to move on?" the Woman asked, gently pushing her influence. She shrugged. "They know nothing of the Conduit, what's stopping us from finding it. There's no possible way they know about it." She paused for effect. "Right."
Saren shook his head after a moment of thought. "No. The Quarian."
Excellent.
"She's the last link to Conduit. " Saren, thinking aloud. "With her gone we'll be free to continue without pursuit. Fist will hunt her down, he may yet do us some good."
"I shall contact, Liara." Benezia bowed and left the throne room.
As the door closed, Saren sighed explosively, slumping in his throne. He ran a hand down his face. "Spirits, how did my life turn out like this?"
"Destiny waits for no-one," the Woman said sagely. "It rarely calls us at a time of our choosing."
"But this..." He leaned forward, a haunted expression on his face. "The Reapers... Spirits but they give me nightmares."
"Me too," she whispered softly, stepping forward and resting a pale, bone white hand on his. With the other she tilted his head up so he looked into the black interior of her hood. "But this nightmare will never end. Not unless someone is strong enough to fight back: You."
She fought the urge to gag.
"You will find the Conduit, and you will save the galaxy. Sacrifices must be made, but the galaxy will vindicate you in the end."
He nodded slowly. "Sacrifices... but how much more can I give before there's nothing left."
Just give it all.
"Just... give it your all," she replied after a calculated moment of consideration. "We can't hold back, not against a threat like this." Her voice dropped. "The Reapers are coming, and only you can stop it. If you're right, if this Conduit is a Prothean weapon, then we can use it to stop all this."
She gently squeezed his hand. "Save the galaxy, and you will be remembered forever."
As a traitor.
She gently pulsed her Aura, letting it sink in with her words. Then he nodded again, looking at her. "You're right. But I don't care about my name anymore. Saving my species will be enough." He stood, forcing her to take a step back. "I have business to attend to. I'll expect word on your... experiments when I return."
He left, casting the throne room in dark silence. Finally, she could think in peace.
She crossed the room and sat in the throne, pulling her hood further down over her brow. It was only out of her good graces that the Turian was still alive. None sat here without being flayed alive. She'd tolerated his presence for now, but soon the time would come when he would no longer be needed.
How she longed for that day.
She reluctantly pushed the thoughts of vengeance aside for the more vital issue.
Ruby Rose.
Her hands gripped the arm rests as she glared at the floor.
How?
How?!
That line was dead. She'd witnessed Summer's death herself, felt the life leave her body. Remnant had been wiped clean long ago. None had survived.
But how had Summer's daughter survived? The resemblance was unmistakable, but that was impossible. She remembered it all; killing Summer Rose and hunting down her two children, crushing the life out of them as they begged for their lives.
But had she been careless? Had the daughter of Summer somehow survi-
Pain lanced through her chest, doubling her over. She felt her Aura groan in protest at the blow and looked inward, passed her mortal body. There, deep inside was the small part of her that refused to yield to her control, a part of her Aura... and yet not. A presence at the back of her mind and soul, pushing with all its strength.
The Woman glared hatefully at the grey walls surrounding her. "Why do you do this?" she snarled, gathering her power. The Reaper groaned as she slamming her will into the foreign presence. It screamed in agony as the Woman gathered her Aura and mercilessly pummelled it into submission. It fought valiantly, but couldn't withstand the unrelenting onslaught as she forced it into the darkest corner of her being.
"You just don't know when to give in, do you?"
It was beaten, pushed against the wall, defeated, but that wasn't enough. She was going to make it suffer.
Groans and creaks echoed through the Reaper's hull as she she began the delicate operation of flaying the presence layer by layer. First the will, then the drive, then down deeper to its very essence. She stripped it all away, relishing in its agony as she destroyed the wayward Aura piece by piece.
At last she stripped it of everything, leaving it a twisted semblance of life, gasping in torment at the back of her subconscious. It was nothing now, everything it was left bare for the whole world to see.
"Is this what you waited for? A show of weakness?" She looked around at the walls, feeling the Reaper itself tremble with rage. "I won't be overpowered so easily. Know your place, worm."
She returned to scheming, shoving the annoyance aside as it screamed in endless torment and vengance.
The Reapers were growing stronger, and she was running out of time.
-ooo000ooo-
...Page 3
Don't be alarmed. I meant no theatrics but there's no easier way to say it. I use 'human' in the narrowest of terms, though it's not completely accurate. Make no mistake, Rose is human, in fact she's likely the purest human of us all.
As a species our genome is slowly adapting to our new environment and circumstances. Millions of years of evolution has shaped our species, giving us many unique traits. It's small, but the evidence of evolution is in our very blood. Rose has barely any of the markers. In fact, it appears as though she's evolved in an entirely different way. The changes are so small they're impossible to detect without highly sensitive equipment, but they are there.
I'm afraid that's all I can say on the subject. I hope you understand that all the secrecy is for her safety. If this were to become public knowledge, the results would be disastrous. Verner, on the other hand, is something we cannot ignore. He knew of Rose from the start, set up Rosarius to find her and then what, expected us to train her? You know me Admiral, I'll do anything to give the Alliance an advantage, even if that means ruining the life of a fifteen year old girl.
What a coincidence. One just so happens to appear just as I become the Director of the Intelligence Division.
Did you know that Verner petitioned me specifically to be his successor? He knew what I wanted from Rose and he let it happen. One way or another I got what I wanted, but who's to say he didn't play me like fool the whole time.
Call me delusional if you want, but hear me out. You can't deny that our colonies were attacked, you can't deny that people died and you can't deny that Rose is real. Something is happening, the Intelligence Division was used to get Rose and train her, but for what purpose.
Please, look over this last file and tell me you're not suspicious as well. If you agree, send a reply. While Verner is a leak we can seal, this goes far deeper than I imagined. I and a few others agree that this needs to be dealt with. Verner has committed crimes against the Alliance and we will get answers out of him. Join us, and I will tell you everything you want to know. Only together can we get to the bottom of this.
[File: Personal Message: to (Address Unknown): Subject: I hope you know what you're doing, Oz.]
...Page 3
...End Message...
To answer your first question, no, I am not dead. The reason for my long absence was the Spacebattles forums. I was re-posting Rose of the Stars there and got some criticism that really made me think. So I changed up a few things with the early chapters that had to do with pointless conflict and ended up creating something completely new. The changes are small, just a changed segment in chapter 2 involving Fang and a few more messages at the end of some chapters, but it changes a lot. For the returning readers this message at the bottom may seem out of the blue, so I encourage you to reread chapter 2 then look at the bottoms of chapters 5 and 7 for context. Everything else is just small edits and corrections I've made.
I still do plan to keep updating every Saturday now that I have this out of the way, for those who were wondering.
I hope you enjoy and I will see you next time!