III - T.I.M.
Bored.
That became the prevailing feeling as the high of action and killing wore off. The effect wasn't dissimilar from engaging in sex or a octane flight within a simulator back on base. Ordinarily she had goals, objectives and other duties to preoccupy her thoughts to mitigate the gnawing emptiness that came after an intense firefight.
But now, after being resurrected from the actual dead, she had nothing but her thoughts. It was unnerving, to think everything she had come to cherish and protect was gone or worse, moved on without her.
Ever since Shepard boarded the modified Kodiak, she felt her mind adrift in deep thought. She wished that Pressly was around to confide in her about the latest issue involving the Normandy, or how Doctor Chakwas wanted another checkup to see if she was feeling alright. Garrus would cheer her up with witty rapport, Wrex kept her humble and focused, Tali gave her someone to mentor and Liara inspired her with the boundless optimism and endearment they shared together.
And then there was Kaidan. Her foundation and anchor when she became lost in her own responsibilities. She had something real with him and she had hoped that perhaps even a life to keep flourishing together within the confines of her unique position as Spectre.
But...is that even possible, now after all this time?
As she mulled her thoughts, staring at the streaks of bluish light FTL cast by the passenger window of the shuttle, she felt a rattling to her senses. Specifically, Miranda clearing her throat to get her attention.
"I understand you've been through quite the ordeal, Commander," She began, her English accent now shining through the fatigue she had, but rapped her fingers on a datapad she had in her gloved hands. "But we need to run over some questions to confirm how much of your memories are intact. Ordinarily we would have done so after we verified the state of your mind and a gradual awakening but-"
"Oh c'mom, you can't be serious," Jacob rebuked, turning to look at his colleague before Celes had a chance to respond. "She took out all those mechs without breaking a sweat. She doesn't need a quiz or test to prove who she is!"
"The Illusive Man wants to ensure our work wasn't for naught," Miranda firmly answered, blue eyes shining resistantly at her male associate. "I assure you I am very serious. This is important. If she is compromised mentally in any way from how she originally was we need to take proper measures to correct the gap of two years from then till now."
"I feel fine," Celes tersely replied, waving dismissively. "I don't see the point of a psych test or a history lesson will do for me."
Miranda gave a brief appraising glance that lasted all of ten seconds. Then she looked back at Jacob and pressed the datapad into his grip and firmly spoke again, "The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get this over with."
Rolling his eyes, Jacob turned to look straight across at the armored woman sitting from him. Sighing, he read the pad and spoke aloud, "Okay. First point of your life began in the navy. You were brought up in space stations your whole life, parents had you moving around and not a lot of friends made in childhood. Your first noticeable act that got you attention was on Elysium-"
"The Skyllian Blitz," She answered, bringing attention back to her. Furrowing her brows, she remembered the screams, the waves of pirates and the fierce battle that was thrown upon her without warning. "At the time, we blamed the Batarians for the attack as they made up the bulk of the invading forces. They called me a hero even though I didn't feel like it. I joined up for the battle at Torfin to get even with the four eyed bastards; due to surviving that bloodbath I got recommended to be in the N7 program and the rest was ancient history."
"I had friends who did the same thing, most of them didn't come back alive or not right in the head. What you did for humanity was a great thing that no one could repay you for," Jacob spoke emphatically, direct and without any fanfare; unlike a certain rookie she remembered from the original Normandy.
"Let's try something more recent," Agent Lawson continued without skipping a beat, earning a hard glance from the Commander as she began a more sensitive subject. "On Virmire, you were forced to make a difficult decision, leaving one of your own behind to die."
For a moment, Celes imagined how hard she would have to hit the woman with biotics without dealing structural damage to the shuttle. Thankfully, however, the moment of anger passes as she reined herself in and was content to glare heatedly back at Miranda's cold icy stare of dispassion.
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was ordered to stay behind to die in the facility," Jacob smoothly interceded, bringing Shepard's glare his way, asking stoically the point of the sensitive subject. "Why did you do it?"
"I didn't order her to stay behind. She voluntarily sacrificed herself so I could save the most amount of lives I could while still ensuring the facility's destruction. Ashley was a damned hero and I guarantee you if Kaidan was in her place, he would do the same as her. Don't you dare disrespect what she did by boiling it down to 'being left to die'!"
As Shepard answered, she felt herself surprised by her own lack of hesitation. True, her relationship with the gunnery chief was rocky at first, with disagreements on a few things - bordering on insubordination at times - between the two. But, at the end of the day, she wasn't a Terra Firma bigot nor was she a lousy soldier in the slightest.
She was the closest she had to a sister to the Commander. They bonded, and truly had comraderie by the time Virmire happened. No one knew how dangerous that place was, yet, Feros and Noveria were also just as perilous in their own way. Every mission could have been the end of a storied career yet they prevailed, often by the skin of their teeth.
Ashley finally got the recognition she desperately wanted her family to have: Celes wished it didn't have to be posthumous.
"I meant no disrespect to her," Jacob answered after a pregnant paused elapsed uncomfortably within the hold of the Kodiak. "Everyone at Cerberus knew that cloning facility had to be destroyed. She did humanity proud and we couldn't have asked a finer soldier to pay the ultimate price," He stopped, turning to grate aloud his displeasure of this ordeal to his coworker. "Satisfied Miranda?"
"Almost," She responded, almost condescendingly so, to the man as she turned to meet unflinchingly at the Commander by sight. "During the Battle of the Citadel you chose to save the Destiny Ascension at the cost of human lives and with Sovereign's destruction, earned a place on the Council. Who was it you recommended to be on the Council?"
"Captain Anderson was the one I recommended to be on the Council," Celes replied with fondness in her voice, a smile gracing her features for the first time since the questioning began. "I couldn't think of a finer man for the position."
"Yes, though he is now Councilor Anderson. He has done remarkably well despite having no experience in politics; I have heard the man preferred life in the military," Miranda responded, this time more informally than her previous statements.
"I say it's about time humanity has a representative that puts defense ahead of politics," Jacob voiced openly, a hint of a smile breaching his face before it disappeared. "With his help, we might not need to save their asses the next time their fleets get jumped by mechanical nightmares."
Celes chuckles in wordless agreement.
"Your memories and personality seem intact," Miranda spoke, surprise bleeding through her tiring cold mask. Shaking her head she looked at another datapad and began to pick it up as she continued to speak to her, though less directly than before. "There are other tests we really should run-"
"Come on, Miranda, enough with the tests," Jacob argued, though softer and just as firm as before. "Shepard has proven she can hold her own. Based on how she performed against the mechs, I can personally vouch for her combat capabilities."
"I guess you're right," She sighed with resignation, looking over at her 'project' completed before her eyes. "Hopefully it will be enough to convince the Illusive Man she's prepared for the worst to come."
"Ominous," Celes spoke sardonically at the Lazarus Director with a wry smirk. "Can't help but wonder you already know what the Illusive Man wants me for. Why not give me a clue?"
"I never tell what isn't essential to know, especially if it creates redundancy of information," She replied without batting an eye, though added in noticing Shepard's annoyance at what she said. "Don't worry, Commander. While I know some things, the Illusive Man will share with you things much more clearly and also outside my realm of awareness."
"He's good at that," Jacob added, although a hint of contempt was noticeable.
Arching a brow, Celes Shepard decided to let that slide. Leaning back in her seat, she was already feeling more interested what kind of person this leader of Cerberus was. She had contacts with the organization, but only ever researchers or failed experiments at isolated sites. They were a black ops group that was pro-human but...who were they really?
If what Kahoku said was true, members of the Alliance had classified the disappearance of his men shortly before I confirmed their deaths. That means Cerberus has friends in high places, regardless of their public status as enemies of the state. Even if I wanted to dismantle them and bring evidence back to the Alliance, there's no way to confirm it won't be swept under the rug. So I'll play along, for now…
Shepard's thoughts concluded as sleep soon claimed her, with hours before she'd arrive at their next destination.
Horsehead Nebula - Minuteman Station
Exiting FTL, the Kodiak finally cruised into view of a large station. Much to Shepard's shock, the enormity of it comparable to Jump Zero by its sheer scale as she estimated.
If this isn't their headquarters, I'm almost afraid of how much resources have in comparison to the Alliance...
Her thoughts gave her a sense of anticipation as the transport approached the large facility. Gliding into the docking bay, she saw it had a number of similar shuttles to the one they were using. Exiting out, she followed Miranda and Jacob, following them down a labyrinth of halls that all looked the same clinically sanitary white upon white decor with occasional black paned windows.
After five minutes of swift navigation, Shepard saw a number of Cerberus personnel pass them by, giving berth to the agents while only giving a passing glance to the Commander. Each seemed engrossed in a task or errand, passing each other at varying paces within the space station. By the time they came to a door, a new processing room with an adjacent office of Cerberus agents working over terminals while giving no mind to the three new entries.
"The Illusive Man is waiting to meet you through the door on the far right of the room," Miranda gestured as she walked over to a nearby terminal of her own, with Jacob at a dozen paces away left to stare at the blackness of space from the viewing window of the chamber they were in. Catching her glance at her colleague, Lawson cleared her throat and nodded to the platinum haired woman. "Don't keep him waiting, Commander."
Celes thought of saying something snarky, but decided against it and just walked ahead towards the room. Given she was still armed, it was likely some form of measures was taken so the leader of a clandestine organization wouldn't have a nasty surprise from a dangerous entity like a resurrected Spectre. Still, she was curious as to how this meeting would unfold.
Passing through the aforementioned door, she walked into an empty black chamber. Furrowing her brows, the only spot worth mentioning was a highlighted circle of blue near the room's epicenter. Slowly approaching it warily, she stepped within the circle, looking around and waiting to see what came next.
A whirring sound and buzzing transpired as a slowly rising orange ray scanned her from the feet up. By the time it passed her helmeted face, her eyes weren't beholding an empty space but one filled with near immaculate detail of another room entirely.
There, seated on a metal chair within a black ceiling and floored room with the window view of a bluish-red star in its vista - giving it luminescence to the dimly lit chamber - is the Illusive Man. Taking a drag from a cigarette, he possessed richly tailored clothing of a dark suit with a white collared undershirt, graying hair smoothly swept back with few imperfections on his face apart from the wrinkles of advanced age creeping upon him. The most unique thing Shepard saw was the almost robotic eyes where normal pupils and irises were, glowing a persistent blue hue in the darkness of his environment.
Exhaling smoke from his drag, the Illusive Man greeted the woman simply.
"Commander Shepard."
"Illusive Man," She parroted back, crossing her armored arms over her chest.
"It's an honor to finally meet humanity's greatest hero," He spoke, his voice airy and showing flattery with a semblance of sincerity behind his unflappable visage of calm. "Wish this could have happened sooner, under better circumstances. It was good to see you haven't lost your touch upon awakening - nor your resolve in desposing our loose end - but the precautions we took to ensure your safety couldn't anticipate every outcome. Regardless, this encounter has been a long time coming."
"Funny way of showing it, given how elusive you are from meeting me in person," She jabbed with a shrug.
"A precaution," He replied matter-of-fact, taking a quick hit from his cig before continuing through a smooth exhale. "Necessary for people like us, given what you and I know."
"And what is it that you and I know?" She inquired with a raised brow.
"That our place in the galaxy is far more fragile than those in the Alliance, the Council or anyone else realises; that one woman is all that stands between our survival and extinction against a very real foe."
"The Reapers," She murmured grimly, acknowledging her own suspicions leading up to this point.
"Good to see your memory intact," He commented, a sense of relief heard as he tapped out the ash of his cig into a armrest tray before asking with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, in all honesty," She replied, rolling her shoulders and neck in a show of popping joints as she emphasized audibly. "Though it seems you added a bit extra parts while you were at it."
"There was no sense in rebuilding you if there wasn't a chance of making you better than before," The Illusive Man answered with a grim smile. "And we spared no expense in doing so."
"Cut to the chase," Shepard spoke firmly, redirecting the flow of conversation back to the matter at hand. "Why did you bring me back?"
Uncrossing one leg from the other, the Cerberus leader stood up and approached her while unveiling the truth. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it but humanity is under attack. While you were sleeping, whole colonies have been disappearing. We believe its agents working for the Reapers; like the Geth and Saren aiding Sovereign. You bested them all, Commander. That's just one reason we chose you."
A whirlwind of questions swam in Shepard from the information dumped upon her. She didn't know where to start, and didn't want to ask anything superfluous. Why didn't Cerberus show this kind of initiative the first time the galaxy was at stake?
On that note, Celes gestured offhandedly as she probed the Cerberus Chief for more info. "Cerberus fighting a war doesn't seem your style. Why do you want to get involved?"
"We're committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity," He intoned with a smile, as if he himself penned that slogan for his organization. "If the Reapers are targeting humanity, Cerberus will stop them. If we wait for politicians or the Alliance to act, there will be no colonies left to save."
Celes appreciated how flowery the statement was, for a rogue black ops of the Alliance government. Which brought up the reason she was here at all, if the name of Cerberus was used to commit to stopping the Reapers.
"You spent countless credits on rebuilding me when you could have trained an army for the past two years instead. Why?" She asked pointedly with a pointed gesture.
"You're unique," He replied, his voice almost mystified as he began to put into words that almost seemed esoteric for Shepard to hear. "And not in your abilities and experience, but what you represent. You stood for humanity at a critical moment. You're more than a soldier - you're a symbol," He continued, pointing at her center mass as he added. "I don't know if the Reapers understand fear but you killed one. They have to respect that."
Part of her wanted to refute what he said, but she knew people from history never thought they would become icons by doing what they believed what was right. She's still the same soldier that did her duty on Elysium and followed through on Torfin. It was sheer luck that she survived up until the point of her death.
But if the Reapers were behind my death, two years ago, that means they value icons more than a machine should. After all, why use Saren if not realizing he was the best of the known Spectres? Still, that doesn't feel like the full answer why they want specifically me. Too convenient…
Her doubts led her to inquire the Man even further. "Sovereign was out to harvest all life in the galaxy. How do you know the Reapers are behind the colonies' disappearances?"
"Hundreds of thousands of colonists are vanishing. I'd say thay fits the definition of 'harvesting'," The Cerberus Chief countered, earning a slight flash of alarm and query in Shepard's eyes, one that he brought his own thoughts into the matter. "No one's saying anything on the matter because the targets are random and been in isolated systems within the Terminus. Easier to blame on slavers and pirates. More convenient too."
"Isn't there any evidence?" Shepard gawked with her inquiry.
"None," He shook his head in answer. "Evidence by both Cerberus and the Alliance have yielded no information on the identity of the attackers. However, the patterns are all the same. Everyone, and I mean every colonist, vanishes without a trace. No bodies, signs of defiance of scorch mark and bullets marring some structures but no distress beacons left behind."
Not a single trace? It'd be stupid to lie, given I could fact check those claims in accordance with Alliance reports but still...hard to believe in this day and age something as fantastical as wholesale theft of people could go undetected and not found in the slightest…
Shepard's thoughts disturbed her to her core. She wasn't used to fighting boogeymen. Sure, phantasmal threats she knew existed but didn't to engage head-on like the Geth were there, but she fought all forms of aliens during her time as a soldier throughout her more clandestine career as a spec ops.
Entire colonies, taken, and all without word who, why and where. Not even Batarians could manage such a large scale of kidnappings nor be just as discreet. She knew the Hegemony would lose no sleep with the disappearance of human colonies but, she had no idea who else would even be interested in targeting her kind on behalf of the Reapers.
Staring long and hard at the Illusive Man, she finally formulated a response to the enigmatic and mysterious figure, "If what you say is true and human colonies are in jeopardy by the Reapers, I'll work with you to stop them."
"I'd be disappointed if you took what I said at face value," The Man responded with a knowing tone. Grasping a glass of gin from his armrest he began to drink from it as he gave his next suggestion to her. "I'm having a shuttle fueled and ready to hit the most recent target, Freedom's Progress. Unlike before where pirates and scavengers had first picks along with whatever teams the Alliance have trample over any potential evidence. This will be your best bet to find some clue as to the connection between this colony and the others."
"Sounds like a plan," She nodded, pausing before asking as it just occurred to her. "Are those two people of yours coming along?"
"I planned as much, unless you have a problem with it?" He inquired after his admission.
"No, they'll do," Shepard concurred.
"Glad to hear it," The Man remarked with a thin smile. As she turned to leave, he finished speaking as she glanced over her back at him. "Once you're at Freedom's Progress, find any clues that you can. Who's abducting the colonists? Do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. The rest is up to you."
Shepard thought to say something snarky about how God Complex the last statement sounded. But by the time she opened her mouth, he pressed a holo button along his chair and the room whirred back to its empty blackness once again.
"Guess that ends that. Good talk, Man," She derisively snorted, turning on her heels and leaving the room the way she came.
Miranda finished typing up her debrief of her prognosis of Project Lazarus's sole patient by the time Shepard returned. Inwardly, she was grateful that the schedule had been accelerated. With the latest colony becoming victim to the unknown abductors, she felt the ticking clock bore into her mind with every passing month she was stuck at the station for the past two plus years.
Outwardly, however, she was on guard against the unpredictable Spectre. She had beheld the ruthless interrogation and execution of Wilson, the slimy traitor that betrayed everyone in the facility for the sake of money and fame. It would be commendable, had the Commander not have a checkered past dispatching Cerberus personnel and destroying whole outposts or dismantling operations near singlehandedly.
Revered and feared, the Director of the now complete project of Lazarus spoke to Shepard without raising her gaze from the console she was still working on other pending files she had to complete or messages to send.
"The Illusive Man thinks highly of you, Commander. I hope to see if you live up to his expectations," She spoke in an even tone to the armored woman.
"Are we going to have a problem?" Celes asked brusquely, clearly not impressed by Miranda's verbal choice of tact.
"I know who I work for," She answered, coolly gazing up at the Commander, icy blues glaring unaffected to reddish silver orbs. "As long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus, I'll follow your orders."
"I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for what you did," Celes backed up a step, gesturing for apology with one hand. "For real, I am."
"I just hope it's worth it," Miranda responded, lowering her gaze back at her terminal as she continued her work. "A lot of people's lives were lost on that station."
"I saw," Celes intoned with furrowed brows. "I'm starting to get a funny feeling. For someone who spent so much time bringing me back to life, you don't seem to care for me all that much."
Halting her typing, she rose upright and addressed the Commander with a cold air to her voice, "I have the utmost respect for your accomplishments and what you are. It's your motivations that concern me. Only time will tell if you are an asset or a liability."
"I could say the same of you people," Shepard replied, one hand on a hip and the other pointing cocked at Miranda while glaring defiantly back. "My motivations come from first-hand contact with your people. Not only do your methods shed light on how little you care about the people whose lives you ruin or discard for a fancy thing like the advancement and preservation of humanity, but I haven't a clue what good you have done for anyone in human history."
"Your ignorance isn't my problem," Miranda icily countered, placing a hand on her own hip while the other rapped fingers on the console impatiently. "And clearly the Illusive Man saw that you were doing fine without our help. Otherwise, we surely would have arranged a parley with you one way or another."
"Somehow I doubt that," The Commander intoned skeptically.
"Not my problem," Miranda replied, unfettered by the attitude Celes was having.
"It doesn't seem like either of us will agree with the other," Shepard relented, sighing as she reined in her frustration with the Cerberus operative.
The tense silence resumed as Miranda typed away on the console, the Spectre looking as if she was deliberating on something. Eventually, a hitch of a voice and then Operative Lawson heard the soldier speak.
"I wanted to know more about Project Lazarus from the woman in charge," Shepard asked directly.
"I wasn't in charge. The Illusive Man was," Miranda coldly corrected, her head raising to meet the Commander visually. Her eyes narrowed at the helmeted visage of the Spectre, speaking coldly to the armored individual with brutal honesty. "If I was, we would have handled things differently."
"Such as?" Celes asked with a visible arched brow.
"For starters, I would've placed a control chip in your brain," She admitted, leaning back with her arms crossed under her expansive bosom. "The Illusive Man wouldn't allow it. He was too worried that it would compromise you in some way, change you from the woman you once were. He didn't want to limit your potential...against his better judgement, I believe."
Shepard snorted, looking surprised and amused while doing nothing to hide her contempt of what the Cerberus agent revealed, "I can't say I'd like the idea of waking up with a chip in my head."
"The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you. Let's hope his gamble will pay off," Miranda emphasized with a sharp look behind fierce blue eyes despite a calm cadence behind her speech.
Obviously at a loss at how to continue the given conversation, Shepard recoiled and reassessed at how to perceive the woman before her. Miranda could feel the muddied silver eyes sizing her up, causing her to stiffen her posture and glare challengingly back at the Spectre.
After a few seconds of tense silence followed, Celes asked - cordially at that - with a gesture to Lawson. "Tell me about yourself."
"Worried about my qualifications?" She asked daringly. "I can crush a mech with biotics or shoot its head off at a hundred yards. Take your pick."
Shepard cocked a brow, and Miranda wondered what the Commander was thinking when she was asked that question. Seeing the helmeted woman glance pointedly at the idling form of Jacob down the room, she returned to look back at her along with another inquiry.
"Have you and Jacob served in the Alliance together?"
"No, I joined up when the Illusive Man saw my potential and recruited me at a young age," She spoke quickly; almost too quick, as she saw a flash of concern cross Shepard's eyes.
"How young were you?"
"Old enough to know this is what I wanted," Miranda spoke proudly, though knew this was just part of the truth.
"I kind of wanted to know the woman behind Cerberus, so to speak," Celes explained with a tinge of awkwardness in her voice. "You know, as a person?"
"I'm not looking for a friend, Commander. Stay focused on the mission," She coldly rebuked.
Despite shutting down the question, Celes didn't look satisfied.
"Look, Cerberus is the last place I'd look for friends. Honestly, I thought the same when I recruited people to help me stop Saren and the Geth; but comraderie is important to me. Just like how you are deadset on questioning my motives, not my abilities, that's exactly where I'm coming from trying to understand how you tick. If for any reason you compromise anything I do, I'll cut you loose."
Shepard sighed, shaking her head as she reached her hands up and took her helmet off her head. Silvery hair wafted out of the cowl of the helm's interior, her pale face flushed with warmth and marred with orangish scars from her healing process. With the exposure of light from the surrounding bulbs made them less noticeable; even her silver eyes shined an almost crystal quality akin to Miranda's.
"But I rather not treat the woman who helped bring me back like that," She replied, her helmet held in her gloved hands as she spoke sincerely to the raven haired Cerberus agent. "Give me a chance, and I'll do the same. I want to work with you but I need to know you won't second guess my every decision because I don't follow Cerberus rules or think like you want me to."
Raising a brow, Miranda took a step back and crossed her arms over her bosom. Eyes assessed the now visible face of Shepard, searching for anything that could betray an emotion or intent. Despite her stance, the Commander gave nothing away.
"I've no patience for recklessness, incompetence or heroics. I'll complete the mission for you or in spite of you. I'll follow your orders. I'll follow you into battle. But you'll have to fight to earn my trust."
"Noted," Shepard replied without hesitation, smiling despite Miranda's demeanor. "So nothing I do will change. I'll wait to see when you can trust me, but I got the answer I wanted to hear."
Hooking the helmet on her unarmed side's waist, Shepard turned and walked away. Miranda couldn't help but sigh as she returned to work on her console, wondering how the mission would unfold with Shepard in charge.
Seeing the silver haired woman approach, Jacob Taylor turned to greet her with a respectful salute. "Commander. I'm sorry about how rough your return ended up being, no time to take stock and ensure you're back in top form. Whatever the case is, you joining Cerberus or finding the nearest exit, it's a privilege to meet you in person."
"I'm not joining anyone until I determine this isn't some fabricated conspiracy for Cerberus keeping me in their control," Celes point blanked with a dismissive gesture. "I won't say one way or another until I can see the evidence with my own eyes. Given how hard I fought them during my term as a Spectre, I can't help but distrust everyone in this organization on principle."
"Noted," Jacob nodded with surprising understanding. "Do you trust me?"
Celes found herself surprised again by what she felt by the man. For all intents and purposes, he had been straight with her since she 'awakened'. Even under threat of her wrath at knowing who he worked for he voluntarily stuck his neck out and was brave enough to tell her without flinching.
"You're a good man, Jacob," She began to say, grimly keeping neutral as she spoke sincerely to him. "I just think you're working for the wrong people."
"Maybe," He furrowed his brow, looking far-off to the side as his thoughts drove him to a familiar, dark place. "But I thought the same when I was with the Alliance. That's why I came here."
Curious on that note, she asked, "How long did you serve in the Alliance?"
"Five years in total," He began, looking as much as sounding proud of his tour of duty. "Stationed all over across the galaxy. Even spent a couple years as a Corsair."
Furrowing her brows with confusion, her mind drew a blank on that title. Even throughout her career in N7 and prior, she had been made aware of a number of black ops and initiatives the Alliance used that were either public or were incognito. However, it didn't mean she knew everything, so this just was a humbling reminder how deep the influence the Alliance had in the galaxy.
"I never heard of the Corsairs."
"As you can guess by the name, it was an Alliance Initiative," He began to debrief her the nature of his old job. "They hired independent starship captains and had them do jobs that fell outside Alliance jurisdiction. If any one of us were caught, we technically didn't exist so they could deny any connection to us. We were supposed to be free from restrictions and rules," He growled after saying it, lowly speaking with disdain and disappointment. "But there was still enough red tape to sink a cruiser. After awhile, I just gave up."
Hypothetically, it didn't sound that bad of an idea to Shepard. It felt like a prototype of a human based group of modern privateers that could do things without government micromanagement plaguing their every step. But as she saw with how even the Spectres faltered with constant nagging of the Council, it was likely similar political hemorrhaging that made the black op group doomed to fail from inception.
She didn't blame Jacob in the slightest for being upset at his superiors brick walling them at any junction of progress they could make. It was a reminder that for every species, politics always stood in the way of efficiency.
Damn, now I can see why groups like Cerberus start. Too bad they can't see when they take things too far…
On that note, Shepard returned her focus on Jacob and asked with a gesture to the man, "Is that why you joined Cerberus?"
He shrugged. "I guess I got tired of never making a difference. Everything we did in the Alliance seemed pointless. I thought things would change after the attack on the Citadel. Humanity finally got an opportunity to join the Council; but nothing really changed."
He stopped, angrily scowling as he spoke bluntly to the former Spectre, "Same bureaucracy, same politics, same bullshit with different leaders," Crossing his arms, he looked straight into her eyes with an unflinching confidence in what he spoke. "Cerberus is different. When colonies go missing we don't commission a team to write about what we should do about it. We just go and find out."
Celes smiled. Her respect for the man grew exponentially.
A man of action and not politics. I wish I had his help taking down Saren back in the day…
Thinking of the ongoing issue, she thought to ask the most poignant question. "When are we leaving?"
"When the ship is finished refueling. Thankfully Freedom's Progress isn't too far away and we discharged the eezo core after arriving. Should only take us about six to seven hours give or take to get there," He answered.
"How stocked are we for armaments? As much as I like using my biotics, I'm no Adept so I'd like some better weapons to suit up."
"Miranda had sent an order for arms once we arrived here. They're prepping with what they have on hand since this is a time sensitive mission. We shouldn't expect any trouble but can't be too careful," He admitted.
"I'll take what I can get," Celes confessed neutrally.
"It won't be top of the line, yet, but it'll get the job done."
And within under a half hour later, Shepard reboarded the shuttle she arrived on with the Cerberus pair. Again, their destination wasn't far since the shuttle had prototype long-range FTL engines placed within; unlike the original shuttles that had barely enough fuel to travel in a given soar system.
Inspecting her weapons, Celes went through a full rundown of her equipment.
The first was the new up-to-date Avenger line, using Thermal Clips as all their competitors did, the M-8 Avenger. Common even back in her heyday, it seemed to still be popular enough with mercenaries and militaries due to its reliable power and accuracy.
The second was the M-23 Katana, the shotgun made by Ariake Tech. Built with a cocking mechanism to expel the clip after five shots, its rugged reliability and decent stopping power made it a decent choice though obviously wasn't spectacular for any other reason but short distances. Mirthfully, she had to make do with less when defending Elysium, though that wasn't saying much.
Third, was the M-100 Grenade Launcher - something he saw Jacob Taylor equipped with - that used a casing of power cells that was the ammunition and catalyst for making it a deadly weapon. With rapid firepower and armor tearing shrapnel, it made it an obvious choice for personal mobile artillery.
Lastly was the aforementioned M-3 Predator. For all her earlier gripes about the clips changed out from heat sinks, the additional power draw was definitely worth doing away with the overheating issue. Rapid fire in critical areas made it just as deadly as a rifle in the right hands and was decent in long range.
Looking to her two Cerberus compatriots, they were armed similarly to Shepard with a change-out from Miranda's choice of handguns and Jacob's shotgun. Miranda possessed a Shuriken Machine Pistol, a Predator and what looked like a M-8 Avenger with some mods attached to it. Jacob on the other hand was outfitted with an M-100 Grenade Launcher, a Carnifex Hand Cannon, an Avenger and a shotgun model she didn't quite recognize with black decal and silver tubing.
"What model is that?" Celes asked with a nod to the man.
"This?" He patted with a look to her while continuing to tweak it. "M-22 Eviscerator. I customized it heavily; all my handiwork."
She instantly raised a brow as she visually scanned the weapon with her gaze. At one point she had dealt with a weapon of this make, though obviously an earlier model. It was a favorite among the Batarians who were bunkered in on Torfin, and she crossed on occasion pirates or mercs that possessed it. Dangerous weapon, and also highly illegal.
No wonder he has it. I bet Cerberus gets all the illicit goods on bargain price…
"How is it modified?" She questioned, remembering how mods were back in her early career throughout into her service as a Spectre. They gave all sorts of options, enabling benefits and cons to every outfitting one did to a gun of their choosing.
"I gave it up to seven shots per clip instead of the current market limit of three. Changing it from buckshot to slugs, I can increase its range and damage to armor but does reduced impact on shields. Lastly, I have an ammo converter installed on it; incendiary rounds," He smiled at the last part. "Melts right through armor and sets enemies ablaze. Good for adding panic to organic targets and synths who warble about temperature malfunctions."
"Sounds like you know your stuff," Celes applauded with a mirthful smirk. "I almost feel sorry for anyone who gets in your way."
"Pays to be prepared, but its cash money to those who go over and beyond to give oneself an edge to any possibility," He remarked with a satisfied smile, collalsing the weapon and putting it back on his person.
Gesturing to Miranda, he also noted aloud, "I even modified her weapons too."
"What kind?" She asked, though now pointedly looking at Miranda, who met her gaze stoically.
"The kind that will make an army of mechs sorry to cross me a second time," The Cerberus woman icily responded, then looking at Jacob appreciatively before answering more succinctly. "I have ammo converters on weapons, adding EMP charges to the projectiles that deal arcing surges against kinetic barriers and fry electronic systems of any kind. Does no wonders to armor, but I already have Jacob for that."
"Also added increased fire rate per clip, and ammo capacity overall to all of our weapons," Jacob explained, gesturing to the Commander's own slew of armaments in question. "I gave your weapons the incendiary converter to start, but if for whatever reason you want to change that out, I can help after the mission."
Nodding her thanks to him, her mind then steeled to the task at hand. Even though she had the basis of the objective, she wanted to ensure there was as few unknowns as possible.
"What can you tell me about Freedom's Progress?" She asked.
"The colony? Not much, only we just lost contact with them not long ago. We'll know more when we get there," Jacob said in a cool matter of fact tone.
"Freedom's Progress is a typical human settlement in the Terminus Systems," Miranda began to say, adding her own two cents as she gave the Commander a more informed opinion of it. "They had a small military force accompanied by some mechs and drones for security. Low populace, kept to themselves. Completely average in every way; until recently."
"So what makes you think this situation is going to be any different?"
"All other times, 'official investigators' got to it first," Jacob explained, though the tone he used on with the latter 'officials' was with derision before quickly continuing on. "Sometimes looters or salvagers would be there to contaminate the scene and mess with evidence. Given we just got word not long before your awakening, we think this is the best shot of getting there before the Alliance or anyone else gets there to muddy things."
A sudden jerk within the hold and the star-streaked outside was replaced with the blackness of space outside.
"Out of FTL. ETA to landing site is three minutes," The designated Cerberus pilot spoke from the cockpit.
"Are there any orders you have for us, Commander?" Miranda pointedly inquired.
"Look for evidence of any kind. Consider any sentient non-hostile until fired upon," Shepard ordered directly. "I don't think survivors are likely, given the past two years of no signs. But if we do find any we prioritize their safety over any supplement evidence on site."
"Understood, Commander," Miranda answered neutrally.
"It'll be nice if this is our big break, but I won't hold my breath. Whatever you say goes, Commander," Jacob affirmed.
Feeling the shuttle jerk and throttle into the atmosphere, Shepard closed her eyes and began to steel herself for whatever she may find down below. The images of her final moments, burning in atmosphere, crashing and losing consciousness drifted across her thoughts. Gritting her teeth, she picked up her helmet and placed it over head, affixing it in place as the transport finally touched down and open the flaps.
"Let's move!" She shouted, taking the lead as she took point with her squad following close behind.
I'll find my answers. One way or another!