The Asari Councillor
The Rachni Queen took her leave of us in search of a new hiding place to breed her new colony. However, I left a signalling beacon with her to use when her children would be ready to help us. As for Grunt, my team and I had done the best we could for him and, by some miracle and great deal of effort, been able to carry him to the shuttle. Steve took off, and at my behest shot back to the Normandy as fast as he could.
"Doctor Chakwas," I called the Doc from the Kodiak, "we've got wounded coming back with us, it's Grunt and he's in bad shape! You know what you're doing with Krogan?"
It was not that I doubted the fantastically talented Doctor that I would trust any of our lives with, it was that I was pleading to her to save our critically injured friend.
"I'll prep the med-bay immediately, Commander," came Karen's calm voice, "I'll do all I can for him, I swear."
"I trust you, Karen," I told her. I paused for a second but continued to be completely honest with her, "I can't lose another of my friends."
"Neither can I," Chakwas replied. Right then I knew that Grunt would be in good hands and when we reached the Normandy and I watched the Doctor go to work on the Krogan's considerable bulk, I felt heavily reassured.
"He'll be ok, Scott," Ashley comforted me, "I remember the first time I saw that Krogan on Horizon. I thought "damn! There is nothing out there that is gonna kill that beast!"
I allowed myself to smile,
"Considering what he just did, and still managed to come out alive, I hope you're right."
Still wearing my combat gear and covered in the dust of Uttuku and the slime from the Rachni cave, I placed a call to Admiral Hackett. The Normandy was on its way to the mass Relay and we were going to head straight for the Citadel to take Grunt to Huerta Memorial Hospital for special intensive care. The aged Admiral answered my call and at first seemed shocked by the state that I was in. But considering how quickly I was making the call after completing the mission, he deduced that what I had to discuss was important.
"Looks like you've been through all kinds of hell, Commander. What happened on that planet? Were the Reapers breeding the Rachni there after all?"
"They were, Sir," I replied, "but we stopped their operation."
"How were they doing it?" Hackett asked. The way he said it gave me the feeling that he already had a strong hunch.
"They tracked down and captured the Rachni Queen that I released on Noveria three years ago. The Reapers imprisoned her and took her children away as soon as they were born to be implanted and turned into Ravagers."
"So she wasn't doing it of her own will?"
"Negative, Sir," I said firmly, "and now she's sworn to me that she will help against the Reapers… and that her children can help build the Crucible. In a few days, she can have a new colony's worth of Rachni and, looking back at history, the Rachni know a thing or two about waging galactic wars. Javik can also confirm this."
"The Prothean?" Hackett said, "did they fight the Rachni too?"
"In a slightly more primitive stage of Rachni evolution," I said, "but it was still no easy job for the Protheans to put them down."
Admiral Hackett was uneasy, I knew, about my decision to allow the Queen to live again. But eventually he gave me a slow nod and said,
"I'm going with your instincts on this one, Commander. I hope you're right, because we got burned last time."
"Understood, Sir," I agreed. The Admiral resumed a more professional stance and told me his plan,
"I'll take your advice on sending a task force to watch for any enemies that might still be on Uttuku, and I'll have transports move in to pick up our… new allies. If the Queen says that she can help with the Crucible, we have to take what we can get."
"Exactly, Sir. And the fact that we got Aralakh Company out mostly intact means we've got some Krogan support," I stated.
"Then I call this mission a win, Commander," Hackett said. "Your next assignment is to head back to the Citadel and meet with the Asari Councillor."
"What for, Sir?"
"She wouldn't tell me," the Admiral sounded a little annoyed by the fact, "but only that it could be critical to the success of our plans for the Crucible. Beyond that, I have no more for you. She'll meet you in her office."
"Understood, Sir," I said.
Steven Hackett signed off and I went back to the med bay instinctively to see how Grunt was. Doctor Chakwas was still working on him and very nearly had to shoo me away to get the peace she needed. I took a much-needed breath to calm down and went back to my cabin. Cleaning up and inspecting my armour, I then jumped in the shower for a wash. Fighting in the cramped conditions of those caves had been hot, sweaty and dirty work that left me famished as well as exhausted. However, instead of just grabbing a quick bite and rushing back to my cabin to scoff it down before collapsing in a fatigued heap, I found Garrus sitting in the mess hall with his own meal.
"Fancy joining me?" my friend called out.
"Definitely," I set my tray down on the table and rested my tired arse on a seat, nursing my arm.
"So we're siding with the giant spiders again huh?" he chuckled, "never gets boring with you, buddy."
A few of the junior crew joined us and we told them about our previous encounter with the Rachni on Noveria and we went into detail about the fighting down on Uttuku. They marvelled at the brutality of the fighting, the sheer ferocity of the Krogan warriors and the bravery of Grunt. The few crewmen who had served on the Normandy when she was a Cerberus vessel, and were on board again with me now, remembered the young Krogan fondly and we shared a few tales about my mission recruiting the team that fought through the Omega 4 Relay.
After bonding with Garrus and the crew over a meal, I felt remarkably better. My time on both of the Normandy ships had been nothing short of complete hell considering what our missions involved. However, whenever I came to reminiscing about such times, I always felt nothing but pride and, strangely, longing. For all the misery my job, my calling, had caused me and was still sure to continue causing me, I could never think of doing anything else. My bright mood was made even better when I returned to my cabin and found Tali was already there. My beautiful Quarian wife had made herself comfy on one of the sofas and had busied herself reading a multitude of data pads of reports.
"Good book?" I asked with a smile. Tali had not heard me come in and turned to me in surprise, but I knew that she was happy and smiley behind her mask.
"Hey Scott. I'm glad to hear that Grunt will be ok."
"He should be," I said, "it's still early though."
I sat down at the opposite end of the sofa and Tali stretched her legs over my lap where I proceeded to gently graze my fingers up and down them.
"As soon as he's better, I'm going to give him the biggest hug for bringing you out of there," she said.
"Me too," I laughed. "So why are you reading reports up here? You don't usually bring work back with you."
"Engineering was getting a bit… loud," Tali grimaced. I raised an eyebrow at her and she explained that Gabby and Ken were having a fight.
"Those two?" I did not believe it, "but they're a double-act, inseparable."
"Well it seems that Gabby wants to be more than just that. And I think Ken does too, but doesn't actually realise it."
"So what happened?" I asked. Tali half sighed, half laughed,
"He made another dirty comment, something about how he thinks our enviro-suits are specifically made to "enhance the female figure". Usually Gabby just shakes her head, tells him he's an idiot and gets on with it. But this time she flipped out, in front of the entire team! Told him that he just says these things to avoid saying anything real, asked him why he never says anything about her figure. Really put him on the spot."
"What did Ken say?" I asked. My fellow Scotsman was completely harmless and with his playful nature. I knew that having his best and closest friend explode at him would really shake him up.
"He didn't say anything at first, the look on his face!" Tali chuckled, "but then he said that it was because "It's you Gabby, you know?" and then just moves off. I don't know if they're still at it, but I just needed to get away. The tension in the engine room was killing me."
"I'd better sort this before it becomes an issue," I said, getting off the couch. Tali watched me go curiously,
"Where are you going?"
"Going to play matchmaker," I laughed as I left my cabin.
Half an hour later, I was back in my cabin and found Tali waiting for me on the bed this time. The data pads were still there, but I could tell that they had not been read while I had been away.
"What happened?" she asked, desperate to know the latest gossip.
"I called them both down to the sub-deck and told them that we are fighting the war that could end the entire galaxy as we know it, and that we could all be dead this time tomorrow. It was time for them to tell each other how they truly felt."
"And?" Tali was at the edge of the bed now.
"Ken told Gabby that she had fantastic legs and they hugged," I said with a broad grin. Tali burst out laughing and I leapt on the bed next to her.
"So after this war's over, you're going to be a couples councillor," Tali teased.
"I'm a man of many, many talents," I winked at her. I touched my forehead to her mask and started to get ready for bed, tiredness catching up on me once again.
I lay down under the duvet and thought Tali would join me, but instead she stood at the bottom of the bed and began to take off her suit. Happily grinning away to myself, I thought I was getting a surprise but Tali saw my expression and simply said,
"Sorry, but I'm too tired. But… I still need to feel your skin against mine, if that's alright."
I gazed at Tali's gorgeous body, her wide hips and toned stomach, perky breasts and long neck. How was a man supposed to resist her? Everything about her was just astonishing. As she got under the bed cover with me, I stroked her stomach, pausing at the beauty spot next to her belly button, and took in every detail of her face.
Tali's lilac eyes looked longingly back at me and I realised what she was doing. Tali had nearly lost me finding leviathan, and again on Uttuku when I had been knocked off the path and swarmed by Rachni. There were an untold number of times that I could have died and Tali just wanted to have that basic physical connection with me, in case my luck eventually ran out. Tali's black hair ran over her shoulders and onto my chest as she cuddled in next to me and I held her tight in my arms. Her recurved leg was draped over my own and, holding the woman that I cared most for in this entire galaxy, I drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.
When I awoke, Tali was still asleep, gently breathing on my neck. I tenderly rubbed her back for a while before I slowly got up, trying not to wake my wife. However, as I slipped my trousers on, I heard her voice,
"Thank you for lying with me. Sometimes I hate that suit so much! I wish I could be… just me all the time."
I sat back down and kissed her,
"One day we can have that. One day, if we win this war, we will be living together on Rannoch and you will have adapted back to your natural environment. You'll be living without the suit every day!"
"And we'll have little Human/Quarian children running around," she smiled. I loved her smile. Her lovely lips were just the perfect size, not too big that they seemed to dominate half of her face and not too small that it looked like she was pursing her mouth all the time. She had meant the comment as a joke, our joke. But I suddenly went into a contemplative mood,
"What if that was actually possible?" I said. Her face was a mix of desire and sadness,
"I wish it was, Scott, but biology is against us," she said.
"Come on," I said, "given enough time, there is nothing that science cannot do! I'm not saying that it could get to the stage that I swallow a magic pill that would make it possible for me to get you pregnant through traditional means. But what if there was some way that they could take a sample from me, distil certain traits from it and use that to fertilise your egg? An artificial means of delivery, but still carrying my DNA!"
For a moment both of us sat there stunned as if we had just made some incredible scientific discovery. I knew it was just a silly dream, but if there was some way to make it work, I would snatch that chance in a heartbeat.
"There's got to research into this kind of stuff," I said, "members of every species are getting involved in xenophilic relationships. There's a Salarian biologist out there somewhere that is looking into ways to make a cross-species child possible. I wish I could ask Mordin!"
Seeing how into the dream I was getting, Tali brushed her hand on my face. She knew that when I was talking about some mad plan to find a way for us to have a child that belongs to both of us biologically, I was really just saying to her how serious I was about us. I was in this marriage to the end. Coming back to the real world, I looked at her and saw her very alluring expression.
"Well if it's going to be possible one day," she said as she removed the bed cover, running a hand down between her breasts and down to her sex, "we should get some practice, don't you think?"
Instant rush of blood to my Southern regions.
"But I just got my trousers on," I smiled, "I'll need help getting them off."
With one finger Tali undid my buttons,
"Too easy," she giggled.
I started my shift with my blood still running a little faster than normal and a wide grin on my face. Going around every one on the ship and seeing how the Normandy was running, they all noticed my exuberant mood. I told them that it was because I felt like we were going to win the war. I had received an email from a Turian Special Operations Officer who was involved in planting Leviathan's artefacts behind enemy lines. In his report, he had spoken of how incredibly effective the plan had been. In some places, entire legions of Reaper soldiers would just start ripping each other apart. In one particular instance, it had actually won a hard-fought battle for the Turian/Krogan forces on Palaven. This was a perfectly valid excuse for my mood, but my closer friends saw right through me.
"Funny, because Tali's in a very similar mood, Loco," James gave me knowing smile when I visited him and Cortez in the armoury.
"Leave it, James," Steve laughed, "didn't you once tell me that you "totally would" if you got a chance with Tal…"
"Ok, Steve!" James' face went as red as a tomato, "let's let the Commander get on his way."
I had my crew and friends inspired, working hard and ready for whatever came next. I did not know what the Asari Councillor wanted, but I knew it had to be big. The Normandy docked at the Citadel and I made sure that I was with Grunt every step of the way while he was transported to Huerta Memorial. Strangely, he was put in the same room as Ashley had been when we had brought her here after Mars. Yet this made me feel hopeful as Ashley was back fighting fit. If the doctors could bring Grunt back from the brink as well, then the Reapers would be in trouble.
"Do whatever you can for him," I told the head physician, "if there's anything you need, you let me know and I'll get it for you. He's been to the galactic core with me and saved my life on our last mission…"
"I won't let you down, Commander," the Salarian assured me. As I moved to leave the room, I looked back and almost certainly saw that Grunt's eye was open just a tiny bit, and that he was looking at me. The door closed then but my heart was filled with hope for my Krogan friend. He would be up and killing again in no time, I knew it.
I left the team and some of the crew with orders to restock the Normandy's supplies and get a short amount of time away from the ship so they did not feel too stir-crazy. During the taxi ride to Councillor Tevos' office, I found myself breathing rather heavily and the slightest bit of perspiration appeared on my forehead as I felt apprehensive about what might be coming my way. I hated the veil of secrecy which the Asari Councillor was keeping this meeting under. I'd rather have just had everything out in the open so I knew where I was going and what I was doing. The security detail for Tevos' office was heavy and I was certain that half of the armed Asari guards that I saw were not just simple C-Sec officers, they were Asari Commandos. These measures were understandable considering what happened during the Cerberus coup that nearly killed all of the Councillors, and did kill the traitorous Udina.
The Commandos nodded respectfully to me and allowed me to enter the office. I had never been there, and compared to the rather plain and forgettable office designated for the Human Councillor, the Asari office was awash with paintings and other works of art that were obviously to take the breath of visitors away, and it certainly succeeded with me. The delicate and intricate patterns on the walls and the gentle swirls on the carpet gave the room a very soothing feeling. When Councillor Tevos looked up from her desk, she too looked rather ravishing. I was sure it was just the illusion that the décor of the room created, as I had never seen Tevos in such a way. The Asari Councillor, arguably the being with the most power on Citadel Space, stood to receive me at her desk and beckoned me over to towards the balcony.
With a wave of her hand, darkened shutters came down to obscure us from view from outside of the office. Suddenly, the office ceased to feel welcoming and colourful. Instead, a sinister aura descended on the room and when I stopped looking around, I found that the Asari Councillor's eyes had not left me.
"I am glad you have come, Commander Gardner. I have a matter of great importance that I must speak of with you. In light of your extraordinary efforts to unite the species of the galaxy against the Reaper threat, my government has asked me to let you in on one of the greatest secrets the Asari have. It may help you with your Crucible."
My heart skipped a beat and it must have shown on my face as the Asari let a faint smile show through her stern front.
"You mean the Catalyst?" I asked.
"Perhaps," the Councillor said. Her Omni tool activated and she tapped a few buttons, "there is an… artefact on our home world of Thessia. We believe that it may hold the key to determining the nature and location of the Catalyst. It is located at the coordinates that I am sending you now."
She was still not telling me all that she could, but I knew better than to ask. Liara, in her hidden profession, could surely dig up the information that we needed.
"I'll get the Normandy enroute as soon as possible, Councillor," I said graciously, "thank you!"
"I apologise that you had to come here in person just for this short meeting. I dared not send information as sensitive as this over any kind of communications, whether deemed secure or not," Tevos said. I was grateful to finally getting something relating to the Catalyst after so long without any leads, but something still did not sit right with me.
"Councillor," I said slowly, "why now? Why did we not get this Intel as soon as the Reapers hit? Or at least after the Asari pledged their full support after the Cerberus Coup?"
Councillor Tevos did not look pleased by the question I had just posed to her, and I thought I was going to be asked to leave, politely of course. However, I knew that after all I had achieved against the Reapers, both during this war and before, the Council did have a degree of respect for me. When it was clear to Tevos that I was not going to leave of my own volition, she composed herself.
"Every species has its secrets, Commander. There's a balance of power that exists in the galaxy that can very easily be upset, and we do all we can to keep the peace with that power."
"But the Reapers put an end to that months ago," I told her.
"And that is the reason that we have come to you now," she replied. "The Matriarchs are growing scared. Thessia has always been an oasis of peace in a galaxy full of chaos, but now Thessia is vulnerable for the first time in our history."
The Asari Councillor, one of the most politically powerful beings in the known universe looked at me then. Not as an esteemed leader of her people, but as a person concerned for her home, her friends, her family.
"Whether you desire it or not, Commander, you have become the sole ray of light in a very dark night for our galaxy."
"It's not just me on the Normandy," I reminded her, "I have the best this galaxy has to offer fighting beside me."
"I am aware of that," she nodded, "but when people speak of the Normandy, it is not Garrus Vakarian or even the Prothean Javik that they speak of. It is Commander Scott Gardner who they look at to deliver them from the worst danger that we have ever faced. Please, do us proud, Commander."
I took my leave of the Asari Councillor and headed straight for the Normandy, sending out the call for everyone to return ASAP as I did so. As I expected of my exceptional crew, they were on station and ready to go when I got back and my ship's engines were burning bright and firing us toward the Mass Relay in record time. My sense of purpose had not been this great for a while now. Indeed, every mission that we had undertaken during this war had been of paramount importance, at least on a personal level. But anything to do with the Crucible and the Catalyst had to be the priority and now Councillor Tevos had given us our best lead for months.
What I did not know, however, was what state we would find Thessia in. The Reapers had only opened their campaign against the Asari sector of the galaxy recently, but the speed of their advance had shaken every High Command. The brutality of the Reapers had once again astounded every one and when I thought of what I had seen the Reapers do to Earth, I pitied the Asari home world. The devastation that would be wrought upon them would be the greatest catastrophe their species had ever faced.