The four of them followed Udina into his vehicle without having anytime to really take in the scenery of the upper-class Presidium on the ground level. However, now that they were in his large personal taxi, Jack could take the time to look around and understand why so many in the Human population saw the Council races as somehow stealing from them. The walls were made of a pure white marble that looked utterly spotless no matter how long you stared at them. As Udina continued to drive forward, the ceiling in front of them arched upward at an angle constantly. That description often used in fictional media didn't even begin to illustrate all of the colorful plants and waterfalls littered across the surface. The others didn't seem phased by it, yet Jack had to wonder how much it cost to maintain this thing. For better or worse, he was in the heart of galactic power right before the Geth swallowed them whole.
Udina looked to the back where all four of them were sitting, "Now all I want you to do is just restate already known public information if you are asked anything, is that understood?"
David sounded irritated when he replied for the group, "We've all been through the press before Donnel, and we weren't the one that put this on the morning news."
Kaidan responded questioningly, "I still don't see how this is going to help us sir, the Council already knows what happened, how will getting the press involved change their minds?"
At the question the Ambassador seemed to get a smug smirk, "That's because I didn't tell you where we were having this event."
Just when he stopped speaking Jack saw up ahead what he was talking about. In the near distance, the bottom of the famous Citadel Tower loomed over them. From his time watching vid dramas growing up he knew it reached into the stars above the Presidium and was home to the Council Chambers. Council members would vote on legislation that effected trillions of lives while isolated from ordinary people. Humans criticized this as literally ruling from an ivory tower and while Jack understood the criticism, it didn't take a Salarian to see the distance kept them safe from assassinations. No one would want the Council making decisions based solely on self-preservation, otherwise the Krogan would be running things up here. On a normal day he could only assume the area would be mostly empty except for the random diplomat or C-Sec officer, however, today was not normal in many ways. Even from the sky lane Jack could see many dots on the ground making up the crowd of several hundred reporters.
Ashley whistled sounding impressed, "Well damn Ambassador aren't you ballsy? We're gonna make our plea for help just below their noses."
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Jack muttered somewhat to himself not looking forward to dealing with reporters.
Thankfully it appeared as though David shared his displeasure for the stunt Udina was pulling. It was one thing to make a public plea for aid against the Geth, that was necessary given the circumstances. Forcing that plea down the throats of the Council in their own front lawn could backfire though. The Council was known for their staunch independence so if it looked like they were being pressured into doing something, they would usually do the opposite. Udina was playing with fire here, if this went south the entire Human race would be in trouble. That being said despite the stakes of the situation, the Ambassador seemed relaxed like he was just about to have a big dinner with extended family. Perhaps Udina knew something they all didn't that would guarantee this stunt would get him exactly what he wanted. Unfortunately, the more likely answer was that the Ambassador enjoyed gambling with the lives of billions for the entertainment value of it.
With a smile Udina stopped the vehicle in front of the large crowd saying, "People who are bold make history Williams, it's time for us to shape the galaxy for the next hundred years."
The press event started out slowly with the Ambassador giving introductions for the each of them, spending the most time on depicting Jack's many military achievements. The monologue was painful to listen to because he knew himself to well. No, he could not walk on water or save babies from burning buildings. It was now pretty clear that Udina planned on making him the face of the upcoming Geth War. Jack's planned resignation felt less possible than ever before now that he was being put on a pedestal. He didn't like reporters knowing how they dug into totally irrelevant material, today he knew he had to stick to Eden Prime no matter what they asked. Jack was sure that he would not only be helping the Human race but also, Kal's reputation in the Quarian fleet if he didn't let the conversation drift to Torfan.
After several softball questions to Anderson, a scantily clad Human woman stood up asking, "Emily Wong, ANN; Ambassador, would you like to tell us what you're looking for the Council to do exactly? It's clear that after the Blitz that they won't get involved in small scale conflicts like this is shaping up to be."
Udina stood up to his full height at the podium with a grave look on his face, "Well Emily, I would first like to point out that we don't know what 'scale' this conflict will be on. It's true that the Geth have only attacked Eden Prime, but anything is possible, just last week I think we would have all laughed if someone suggested the Geth would leave Rannoch and attack us. So, I would hope that the Council would give us their full support and military assistance. However, I think at the very least they could lift the sanctions from the Treaty of Shanxi, it's been forty years I think we've proven our commitment to galactic peace and security."
The reporters eyes widened, "So you'll be asking for a lift to the current cap we have on our military fleet? By how much and how fast?"
He responded in a clipped tone, "I think Humanity has every right to try and defend ourselves against any threat Miss Wong, don't you? Next question!"
"Wait, wait, wait, you can't just blow me off that easily with something this big! It is well documented that the Migrant Fleet helped the Alliance during Torfan. Are you telling me they wouldn't appreciate help with containing the Geth?" Emily asked still shocked by what Udina's current plan was.
Jack hadn't thought about the possibility of requesting the Quarians for help with the Geth. And that's not because he didn't wish for the opportunity to work things out with Kal. The truth of the matter was the fleet itself hadn't joined the Alliance's final push to Torfan out of the goodness of their hearts. They were only there to recover an asset that their leadership had sunk decades into with no regard to his feelings on the matter. Kal's father wouldn't lift a finger to help Humanity unless he received something important to him in return. If it was merely up to Jack, the Alliance would tell him to stick it in the exhaust port, yet he wasn't Alliance Brass. So, he was curious to see how someone like Udina would dodge the question to avoid anything else that could be considered uncomfortable.
Udina gritted his teeth when no one else was trying to speak over her for another question, "It is true that Admiral Han'Gerrel provided valuable support that helped deliver a final blow to the Batarians. On the other hand, it is the belief of the Alliance that the Admiralty Board would be much more interested in using us to take Rannoch rather than provide legitimate assistance in our struggle."
"Wouldn't freeing Rannoch be a good thing? It would seem to me that you are turning down a potential ally in a war in exchange for a blatant power grab!" Emily shouted clearly not believing what he had to say.
Udina slammed his fist on the podium clearly getting just as frustrated with her, "Miss Wong the Alliance isn't a charity meant to solve three centuries of division when our own people are dying. If you want a foreign policy debate fine, but let's have it when the victims' families have had adequate time to grieve."
As long as no other reporter was going to climb over her, Emily was going to keep pushing him. "This isn't about charity! We should be exploring every other possibility to solve this rather than taking power for ourselves. Aren't we supposed to be cooperating with the galactic community rather than trying to rule them?"
"I hardly believe giving us the ability to build a few more warships will lead to us being able to challenge the Turian Hierarchies naval supremacy." Udina told her getting so wrapped up in the argument that he seemed to be forgetting why they were all here.
From Jack's perspective this press conference had turned into an absolute shit show. What had been designed as a way to pressure the Council to give them aid, had devolved into a shouting match about Quarians. First of all, it was totally unproductive to the topic at hand and would only serve racists targeting Quarian communities. Even all these years later people still liked to blame the Quarians for the ban on Artificial Intelligence research. He couldn't begin to count the number of times he had heard people claim they just weren't careful enough or smart enough to get the job done right. Jack knew this was foolish thinking, yet it was a statistical fact that any time the Geth were part of the news, violence against Quarians spiked dramatically. Secondly, if Udina allowed this alternative to hang in the air, the Council could use it as an excuse to do nothing. They had done the same during the Blitz so why would Udina guess it would be any different now? Someone had to take control of this meeting before things got worse. Too bad it was going to have to be him.
"I first want to say I have nothing but respect for the Quarian people. They have endured more hardship than almost any other species in the galaxy. However, Han'Gerrel is a war criminal who will do whatever he wants in the pursuit of power. Even resorting to exploiting his own son for political gain. I wouldn't want to force my worst enemy to work with him let alone my fellow Alliance personnel. I'm all for galactic cooperation, but it has to be with the right leadership." Jack concluded practically dropping a bomb on the conference.
At first glance, Jack just destroyed Kal's reputation among members of the Migrant Fleet. Calling his father a war criminal should have made some waves but, if everything Kal told him about Quarian society was true his statement wouldn't make the paper. The Quarians stayed isolated to themselves whenever possible so most members of the Fleet may legitimately never hear this accusation. Those that did would write it off as Humans not understanding the ins and outs of Quarian culture. As for Gerrel himself, he would most likely presume Jack was referring to the fact that Kal was sent out of the Fleet to participate in the Blitz and not the real terrible reason. So, Jack was comfortable throwing that piece of red meat out there to shut the Quarian aid conversation down. Sadly, that meant he was standing in front of Udina now at the podium, making himself a juicy target for any hungry reporter wanting to feast on his past trauma.
"Do you have any proo-" Emily tried to get one more question in but was soon cut off.
Another reporter raised her hand, "Diana Allers here from Westerlund News, Commander Shepard how would you compare the devastation on Eden Prime with any colony hit during the Blitz?"
Jack stayed where he was letting out an internal sigh, here we go, "I don't want to get into classified details other than to say it was certainly reminiscent of places like Elysium and Mindoir."
Allers nodded making notes, "Ok then, Commander early reports have suggested five of you actually landed on the ground instead of just three, can I ask where the other members of the ground team are?"
Jack looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Anderson give him the silent go ahead so he said, "Unfortunately, Private Richard L. Jenkins, and SPECTRE Nihlus Kryik both died in combat during the operation. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko also took a bad hit in the fighting as you can all see."
The waterfall nearby was the only thing that could be heard for a moment after the revelation until Diana followed up with another question quickly, "So would you say it's normal with your command style to lose at least half your squad with every mission?"
Jack's eyebrows shot up like she had just slapped him in the face, "Excuse me?!"
She didn't miss a beat saying, "Torfan, the last major operation you led brought about the deaths of 70% of the slaves you were trying to save as well as your whole team except one person. Granted this is an improvement but I have to wonder why we should keep trusting in your ability to protect all of us Commander?"
Her question almost immediately sent his mind back to the bloodshed he participated in that day. The smell of burnt flesh from the intentional oil spill still tinged his nostrils to this day. Even from five stories above ground level he could hear the tortured screams of suffering from the slaves who had just been trying to get away. Perhaps the Batarians would've eventually killed those people eventually though it would be impossible for Jack to not blame himself for what happened. Especially when he actively participated in the carnage in order to save someone he cared about. Of all the times the final moments of Torfan to come back to him, why did it have to be now when he was standing at a press podium. Billions of individuals across the galaxy were judging his proficiency in combat right now yet all he could do was hear the voices of his past hammering his ears.
"FIVE!" Balak shouted in a high pitch tone clearly becoming desperate.
Kal's hoarse voice was begging him to do the opposite, "We'll be together again...in the next life... Please, let me go."
"FOUR!" Balak ignored Kal entirely, glaring directly at Jack with all four eyes.
Kal continued to plead with him knowing what the consequences were if Jack went through with this, "One life...is less important...then the Alliance..the slaves. You taught me that...let me go."
"THREE!" Balak had lost any patience he had been clinging to drawing his pistol in a threatening manner.
Jack snapped out of the memory before the final decision could be made leaving him back on the Presidium staring at a horde of reporters. It was a terrible look for the potential future of Humanity to be made speechless by a single question when the Council had to be watching the exchange. Would the Alliance really want someone in the SPECTREs who couldn't think on their feet against a relatively innocent woman? He could've beat himself over it for months to come, though if he was honest with himself Jack's conscience was going to stay clean. If David had merely accepted his resignation when he had the chance none of them would have been put in this awkward position now. The truth was that Diana was absolutely right implying he had no business on a battlefield. Unfortunately, saying that out loud in front of all the cameras could jeopardize what the Alliance needed right now so he was going to have to come up with another answer.
Udina finally came to his rescue practically shoving Jack back to his seat, "Commander Shepard's history is not relevant to today's meeting whatsoever Miss Allers."
She shot back in a snarky retort instantly, "But you just said a moment ago and I quote, 'With heroes like Shepard, we can look to come out of this disaster.' Shouldn't we be able to question the past of this hero? Why should we put Human lives in the line of fire under this man's leadership?"
As Udina came up with a bullshit answer to spin it Ashley turned to Jack whispering, "Is that true Commander?"
Out of everything he had to deal with today he didn't think offending Ashley was going to be added to the list so quickly. It was clear she felt betrayed that he didn't come clean about his past when the opportunity came up before they got here. Maybe she would change her stance on whatever else Jenkin's killer told her on the fields of Eden Prime? Or, perhaps Ashley would quit worshipping him as the hero that ended a war? Given the stakes of their assignment here he could care less what Ashley thought of him in the heat of the moment yet the expression on her face made it clear she wanted him to say something. What could he honestly say to her in the middle of the press conference that wouldn't start an argument? He wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of hers either so as far as Jack was concerned, she was just going to have to live with the knowledge he wasn't the perfect soldier. It was better than telling her the reality of the situation was far worse than what Allers was illustrating right now.
Kaidan filled the silence between them with what was hopefully a diplomatic reply, "It's just media spin Williams, Jack ended the Blitz that day so nothing else matters."
Seeing as each reporter was now asking about Shepard's experience on Torfan, Udina declared with a dismissive wave of his hands, "The Council will be expecting us shortly so I'm afraid this press conference will have to come to a close. As soon as the Council makes a decision you all will be the first to know," As they headed towards the door he whispered, "What a shit show Commander."
Once they were alone heading towards the Council elevator, it was clear Udina was about to say something when David cut him off, "Not a word Donnel, you're the one that set up that little stunt giving us no time to prepare. The Commander is a hero, and he didn't deserve that kind of questioning."
He gritted his teeth as though admitting he made a mistake physically pained him, "Fair enough, however once we are upstairs, I don't want to hear a word from any of you. It'll take a master diplomat, like me, to get anything out of them now after that performance. And we can forget about you joining the SPECTREs Commander, you could've just set the Alliance back thirty years with that."
"Are we going to just ignore the fact that Jack called a foreign leader a war criminal?" Ashley asked as though that was the real topic of discussion they should be focused on.
Jack crossed his arms when they got into the elevator, "I said what I said because it's the truth. Han'Gerrel is a piece of shit, and I will continue to say it whenever I get the opportunity to do so."
Udina actually came to his defense this time which surprised him, "Regardless of the validity of his claims, I am grateful Shepard attempted to put the press conference back on track. The problem was he overstayed his welcome at the podium."
Kaidan felt like he had to defend his friend, "Back off Udina, he had no idea where Allers was going with that. I think he did a good job under the circumstances."
He had to admire Kaidan's loyalty as a friend knowing the balls it would take to call that performance good. Jack started by potentially creating a diplomatic incident and ended with a PTSD attack in front of the cameras. Other than Kaidan, who in their right mind would consider him as a worthy candidate to join the SPECTREs? Especially when the nomination came from a now dead Turian whose wishes could easily be ignored now. In hindsight, he shouldn't have expected anything less from Kaidan who always stuck by him during their biotic training on Jump Zero. Jack hadn't purposely done everything he could to sabotage his SPECTRE chances though he could see how David might feel that way in the moment. That being said, he would be lying if he told them he wasn't relieved by losing the job. Although the mention of his father may eventually raise a few questions for Kal on the Fleet, it was a lot better than having their prior relationship exposed.
The elevator doors finally opened revealing the vast Council Chambers. As Jack looked around, he noticed the room was much more toned down than the rest of the Presidium in terms of its affluent decorations. Rather than having gardens as far as the eye could see, a single white tree stood in the center of the room separating where the Council would stand versus them. He noted that they would be standing on a similar elevation which could be a way for the Council to suggest they were no better than the diplomats that frequented the halls. However, a large window hung behind the Council podiums showing off the nebula outside. It was obviously meant to symbolize the Council's authority over the whole galaxy. Then, Jack saw a Turian in the observers' booth above them and his heart stopped. He recognized him immediately as Nihlus' killer despite the fact the man was wearing different armor. It was his eyes; they were as cold and dead looking as ever.
He casually bumped Anderson's shoulder while subtly motioning to the booth in a whisper, "Captain, who's that?"
David took a short glance before he replied as quietly as possible, "That would be SPECTRE Saren Arterius, Nihlus' old C.O. why?"
He wanted to answer with his suspicions only for the Council to enter the room from their side. Jack watched the news enough to not be surprised by their appearances though he did have a surreal feeling from just being here. This was a moment that could shape the galaxy for all future generations, and he was going to get to be a part of it. Just the consideration of where he should be looking became overwhelming for him. Should he make eye contact? If so for how long and to whom specifically? What if he smiled at them funny betraying the seriousness of the moment? Realizing he was probably just having an anxiety attack; Jack took a deep breath glancing at Saren again. The Turian was stoic as ever, making him completely unreadable. His presence at the meeting might be somewhat unorthodox given Jack's admittedly limited knowledge on how the Council worked. Which begged the question, why would he risk getting revealed as a traitor when he didn't have to?
Udina straightened his tie with a smile acting innocent, "Good afternoon Councilors, I'm sorry for the brief delay but as you can see, there was quite the crowd at your entrance today."
Sparatus seemed angry still despite the apology, "Excuse me if I hold my sympathy since that crowd was of your creation. Unless you want to try to suggest we called them here?"
Udina turned defensive in a vain attempt to save face, "Many people have friends and family on Eden Prime, I was just giving them an update on the ongoing situation."
Valern, the Salarian tilted his head seemingly genuinely curious on the procedure, "It was my understanding that the Alliance would inform the families privately in this kind of situation."
Udina stood his ground defending what he did to himself as much as the rest of them, "I think we can all agree that the Geth attacking a Human colony isn't exactly a normal situation Councilor, now can we get to the matter at hand?"
Saren's voice carried from the observation booth with ease, "How do we know that Geth were responsible for the attack rather than other individuals? It seems farfetched that the Geth would leave the sanctuary they perfected for three hundred years because of your kind. Humans aren't that special no matter how often they attempt to make it so."
Jack knew he wasn't supposed to say anything, but he wanted to challenge the Turian, "Were all of our reports not good enough for you? They all said the same thing, Geth were after the Prothean beacon being led by a Turian."
Saren gave him a cruel wicked smirk, "Ah Commander Shepard, the Butcher of Torfan, I thought you'd be taller. If you listen to the reporters outside, you're the grim reaper. In any case, I think this entertaining, yet fictional document shows that you are not ready to join the SPECTREs."
Udina jumped in practically yelling mad, "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!"
Tevos gave Saren a warning look to calm the room down, "Shepard's admittance to the SPECTRE program was not the purpose of this meeting."
Saren scoffed apparently not afraid to speak out of turn, "This meeting has no purpose Councilor, the Humans are wasting your time and mine."
Sparatus nodded showing sympathy towards Saren's position, "I tend to agree but the Ambassador has put us in a difficult position. If we do nothing, we are somehow taking away your rights, and if we act it could lead to problems down the road."
Jack spoke again feeling furious, "Problems down the road? Councilor, people are dying right now. How would you feel if the Geth impaled innocent Turians right in front of you?"
Valern interjected to avoid an argument, "What about some sort of compromise then, a temporary lift on the Treaty while the Geth threat is investigated. If it is discovered this Turian is planning more attacks, then the lift can be extended?"
Tevos looked to Sparatus who didn't have a visible opinion, so she glanced back to Udina, "What do you think about that proposal, Ambassador?"
Udina seemed to know when he had won a conversation, so he bowed his head, "I think that's reasonable given the current understanding of the situation."
Sparatus took a threatening tone, "Ambassador, I don't like to have to fight through crowds to get home at night, with Shepard's SPECTRE hearing in two weeks I'd suggest not doing that kind of stunt again."
With a smile Tevos announced, "Excellent, we'll see you in two weeks Ambassador, unless you have more information on the Geth before that time."
As Jack watched Saren storm out, he knew that eventually they would see each other again. He felt Nihlus's data pad in his pocket hoping it would have the key to put the SPECTRE away, before a real war started.