"Well, I have good news and bad news." Tali stood in front of them, wringing her hands. Four days after the geth cruiser, Shepard called Garrus, Tali, and Pressley into a private meeting in the com room to discuss their ongoing search for the Rotund.
"Let's hear it." Shepard sighed.
"Good news first then. I firmly believe there's a solid chance #1182 is Jane. I've found no evidence to the contrary. Everything lines up. The time she was taken, physical description. Everything."
"And the bad news?"
"There's another. Number 4913. She was listed as a mere sidenote, which is probably why I missed her during my initial analysis."
"Something tells me there's more."
"She never made it to auction. She died enroute from starvation. That, and it looks like Batarians keep rather shoddy records of slaves sold to star ships. Slaves slip through the cracks all the time."
"While that's true Tali, their records regarding slaves on their homeworld are meticulous. And I believe you mentioned that 1182 was sold on Kar'Shan." Pressley interjected. "They want to know any and all potential threats. That way they're chipped, killed, or broken back into submission before any uprisings start. And all slaves are given a scan-able tattoo. That way if they're returned to Kar'shan, the batarians know exactly who they're dealing with. I spent my earliest years in the navy fighting these bastards. Plenty of time to learn how they work."
"Well, I'm glad we brought you into the fray then." Shepard nodded in Pressley's direction. "Tali, send a copy of the data to Pressley. See if you can't figure out the chances of 4913 being Jane."
"Of course. I'm here to help Shepard. I think it's ridiculous that scum like this is allowed to operate freely. Terminus or not, we should have burned them to the ground a long time ago. But we need to think about bringing Joker in. He's going to find out one way or another. After all, when we locate the Rotund, he'll be flying you lot in close enough to board."
"And when I find a suitable muzzle, I'll be sure to do just that." Shepard groaned. "That man can't keep a secret to save his life. But you have a point. He'll have to be apart of outlining our advance."
"Have we given any thought to our tactical plan once we find the Rotund?" Garrus had been debating various methods of approach with the Normandy's stealth system "Normandy's IES will only get us so far. We have to leave no trace or face the wrath of both The Alliance and Council."
"Actually, Tali and I have been formulating a rough sketch for that." Shepard nodded in Tali's direction indicating she now had the floor.
"Err. Yes. I think if I upgrade the same jammers we used on the geth cruiser, I can disable their communication array. That'll work on short range systems. The issue is, I specifically wrote it for the geth neural network. I'll have to adapt it for batarian code before it'll affect long range signals and I don't have access to their systems. So, that means I'll be doing it on the fly once we board."
"We'd have to go in quick and quiet. Any resistance would have to be put down immediately or risk discovery. No gunfire. So long as we don't alert anyone in the cockpit, we should be golden. Their internal coms will be down." Shepard added.
"And after we leave? What happens to the ship? Seems a bit conspicuous to leave it hanging out in space." Garrus queried.
A dark smile crept across the commander's face. "That's what the guns are for Garrus. We'll evac the slaves & blow their ship out of the sky. When we're done, there won't be a single identifiable piece left in the rubble. We're literally on a mission to investigate missing starships, most likely overtaken by geth or forces allied with the reapers. Something strange is going on. And we'll take full advantage of the situation."
"I was hoping you'd say that commander. I've been wanting to test out our new teeth."
"I figured." Shepard snorted. "As for the slaves, we'll talk to Chakwas about options. Most likely, we'll drop them off on a well-established colony world after an amnesiac treatment."
"Now we just have to find the Rotund."
"Actually, an agent of the shadow broker owes me a favor after I sent that Cerberus data his way. We passed a com-buoy earlier and I was able to get a secure message out. Now it's just a waiting game. I also requested blueprints of the Rotund's interior design. When I receive them, I'll assemble the full boarding party and we'll get to work formulating a plan of attack."
"So, who's coming?"
"The whole team. Well, everyone who agrees – this is a volunteer only mission. And I'd rather do this sooner rather than later." Shepard paused. "Wrex has some news but I'll let him tell you guys."
"We'll get her back." Tali piped up.
"We'll see." Shepard said quietly. "Alright. Great progress everyone. Tali, Garrus, dismissed. I need to speak with the rest of the team and see who's on board. Then meet with Anderson regarding the geth presence. Pressley, assemble the whole crew in twenty minutes, including Joker. I need to have a word with Chakwas."