Garrus wasn't sure what they were expecting to find but he knew they were about to jump headfirst into a rabbit hole. He had seen a few ex-slaves from his days at C-SEC. If they were fortunate, they had merely been collared for years. If they were unfortunate, they were implanted with control chips that turned them into jibbering husks only capable of completing the task assigned to them. And he had never met one that was even remotely sane, not that he could blame them.
He sat back, watching events unfold. Apparently, red was a rare hair color among humans. Upon hearing that Garrus internally winced, he didn't want to know what Batarian slavers would do to a child they viewed as 'exotic.' Yet, it would make her file significantly easier to track.
"Shepard, I think this is her." Tali whipped around, her omnitool displayed a spreadsheet with slave designations, numbers, descriptions etc. "Female. Pre-pubescent child. Red hair with green eyes. Low risk. #1182. The dates match up with the raid on Mindoir. It says she was taken to Kar'shan for auction."
"So if she's alive, she's on the Batarian homeworld. That's just great."
"Maybe. But that was thirteen years ago commander." Garrus offered his modest expertise on the slave trade "slaves frequently change hands. At least she was labeled low risk, less chance she was chipped or forced to work in the mines as disposable labor. More likely she was sent to a brothel of sorts."
Garrus suddenly felt a jolt of pain as Tali kicked him under the table.
"Shush you Bosh'tet! We are looking for his little sister. Shepard doesn't need to hear that garbage."
"Don't worry about it Tali. It's been thirteen years. If, and that's a big if, she's even alive I know whatever condition she's in won't be pretty. I have no illusions. At least we have a possible ID number. If she was resold, it should come up in the database. I didn't spare that cretin's life for a mere ship manifest. This should have the records of every slave that passed through their two major auction hubs. Kar'shan and Erszbat."
Nervously Garrus fidgeted in his chair, catching the commander's attention.
"What is it Garrus?"
"Nothing."
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"I have to ask Shepard. Why'd you spare him? Once you had the data, why not just kill him?"
"Ah. That. I thought about it. But what if she is alive and somewhere down the line I need a favor to get her out? He's my only connection in the Hegemony." Shepard sighed. "I'm not sure sparing him was the right call but -"
"I have something!" Tali jumped up, voice shrill. "Number 1182 female human sold in 2181 to the AML Rotund. I don't see any other references to her but… that means…."
"She was alive two years ago." Shepard finished. "Guys I know with Saren dead, you probably have your own plans. And my mission regarding the reapers is still ongoing. Hell, I'm not even sure where the council will send me next but I can't ignore this. I won't ask for your help but…"
"You won't have to." Garrus interjected. "For whatever it's worth Shepard, I'm with you. Even if it means pissing off the entire Hegemony. We'll find that ship."
"Is that even in question?" Tali piped up
"One more thing. We need to be discreet about this. The fact Jane may be alive doesn't leave this ship. If we do wind up raiding The Rotund, I'll ask only for volunteers. Attacking a Hegemony ship without permission is treason. If the Alliance caught wind..."
"Good thing we're not Alliance" Tali said slyly
"The Normandy has a state of the art stealth drive; if any ship can get us into The Terminus & help us board an enemy vessel undetected it's her. We've got your back Shepard." Garrus clapped his friend on the shoulder.
Shepard seemed at a loss for words. After a few moments, he found his voice "I can't say how much I appreciate this. All of this. Tali once you've had some rest, if you could run a database-wide search for red headed, human females that'd be great. I can't imagine Jane is the only one and I'd like to know how many possibilities we'll be chasing down. First chance I get, I'll pester Anderson & see if we can't get our orders a bit early. I'd like to get underway. This trail is two years old already, if it's even her."