Chapter 4: Irrefutable Evidence, Refuted.
Shepard left the med clinic with Garrus and Alenko. It felt weird, referring to Garrus by his first name when she called Kaidan and Ashley by their last names but he wasn't Alliance, and he wasn't under her command, officially. Maybe in time she'd start using less formal terms with Alenko and Williams, or perhaps she'd just stick to her ways and start calling Garrus, Vakarian instead if he stuck around long enough.
She led them down the stairs and to the elevator that would take them to the C-Sec Academy. It was strange having Garrus on her team and having Alenko gone. She'd never really worked this closely with any other species, and with him being C-Sec, would he listen to her when the bullets started flying? He'll have your back; he'll always have your back. Even when others come and go, Garrus will be there until the end. Williams will keep an eye on him, Shepard thought as the news broadcast in the elevator talked about the krogan suing a company called Binary Helix for failing to cure the genophage. The genophage was a genetic mutation created by salarian scientists and used against the krogan as a means to end the Krogan Rebellions. Shepard didn't know much about it, other than what everyone learned in school. Apparently the genophage somehow limited the number of children a krogan could have, stifling their population growth.
The elevator stopped and the three of them made their way up a short flight of stairs and over to the heavily guarded krogan. Shepard recognized him as being the same Wrex they saw earlier at Chora's Den. He actually looked like he was a little smaller than most other krogan she had seen, but that wasn't saying much when compared to most of the other species. This one had bright red plating on the top of his head, with scars that looked very much like something had clawed him, tearing through the surface of the plating and down the right side of his face and neck. Somehow, Shepard doubted that whoever or whatever did that to the krogan was breathing any more. Shepard couldn't help but to think that krogan looked like giant, terrifying turtles. She realized that it probably wasn't polite for her to keep comparing the other species to Earth animals; she would certainly never speak it aloud but her mind kept making the connections anyway. Who knows, maybe they did evolve from similar creatures? After all, humans were primates evolved over time from apes. It is laughable to think that someone wouldn't see the similarities between humans and apes, although she learned that even in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many humans use to deny the evolutionary link with vehemence. Yeah… best she kept her mouth shut on the topic, especially with the krogan who could probably crush her skull with one hand.
One of the C-Sec officers surrounding Wrex told him, "Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him."
"I don't take orders from you," Wrex replied.
"This is your only warning, Wrex," the officer said leaning in towards Wrex.
The man had balls, that was for sure. Shepard doubted he would have been so quick to 'warn' Wrex if they were alone and standing anywhere other than C-Sec. Wrex leaned towards the officer, clearly not intimidated. He moved his face a little closer to the officer's with each word, causing the officer to flinch and move back.
"You should warn Fist. I will kill him," Wrex said.
"You want me to arrest you?" the officer said taking another step back.
"I want you to try," Wrex goaded the officer.
A smile twitched at the corners of Shepard's mouth. Wrex looked over then and saw her group waiting. He walked past the C-Sec officer and towards Shepard without further comment to the officers. The officer tried to save face, telling Wrex to get out of there, but he was beyond the krogan's notice at that point.
"Do I know you, human?" Wrex asked Shepard.
"My name's Shepard. I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to come along," Shepard said choosing her words carefully.
"Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you," Wrex said looking at Shepard a little more closely with his giant red eyes.
"We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist," Wrex said as he closed the distance to Shepard and leaned in close to deliver the final statement.
"Fist knows you're coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together," Garrus said.
"My people have a saying: Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend," Wrex said.
Shepard extended a hand, "Glad to have you on the team, Wrex."
"Let's go. I hate to keep Fist waiting," Wrex said as he rolled his head around on his neck.
"Williams, you're dismissed. Find Alenko and enjoy some downtime on the Citadel or return to the Normandy. I want to go in as quiet as possible on this one and these two know the area better than the three of us. I'll call you when we're done here," Shepard said.
"Ma'am," Williams saluted. "A moment, if I may?"
Shepard nodded her head and held a hand up, palm out towards Garrus and Wrex, "I'll just be a minute."
She walked a few feet away with Williams and the two women turned to face each other, talking in hushed voices, "What is it, Williams?"
"I apologize if this is insubordinate, ma'am, but I'm concerned about leaving you with two unknowns without backup," Williams said.
A smile tugged at Shepard's lips, she could see the genuine worry in the Gunnery Chief's eyes and the furrow in her brow. Shepard clasped her hands behind her back and tried to convey her confidence through her body language.
"I will be fine, Williams. Thank you for your concern. I will contact you as soon as this matter is dealt with."
"Ma'am," Williams said and saluted again before turning to leave.
"And Ashley? Try to relax while you have some down time, yeah?" Shepard called out.
Williams turned around when Shepard called her by name, she smiled wide and said, "Yes ma'am!"
Huh, that wasn't so bad, Shepard thought. I'm sure I'll revert to calling her Williams in the field but that's expected protocol. No, I guess she isn't all bad. She is one hell of a soldier, and can handle a gun like nobody's business. She is xenophobic though. One of them will have to die. One of them always has to die. There is no stopping it… trust me, I've tried. Better to keep your distance, don't get attached. One of them will die; the other will break your heart when you need them the most. Shepard made her way back over to Wrex and Garrus.
"Let's move," she said.
They made their way back to Chora's Den only to find that the place was eerily quiet from the outside. Garrus suggested that Fist knew they were coming and closed the place down, Shepard drew her pistol, Garrus and Wrex following her lead just as easily as Alenko and Williams did. Just as Shepard approached the door, it slid open revealing the bartender behind the bar with a gun pointed right at her. She quickly fired off two shots, taking the bartender down before taking cover with her back to the wall next to the door. Men hiding around the corner next to Fist's office, men above the bar up by the lights, and spread throughout the room. Don't forget the krogan bouncer you saw earlier, and for fucksake don't let him get close to you.
Shepard quickly learned that Wrex was a biotic, that wasn't very common in krogan from what she heard. They focused on taking down the men that could be seen from their position of cover, and waited a moment for any others to step into the line of sight. When no more did, but her scanner still showed several enemies, Shepard entered the bar and circled around, gun pointed high up towards the light fixtures of the bar. Something in her gut told her there would be someone up there; it only made sense it was a good sniper position. She laid eyes on the man, right where she expected him to be and knocked him off his perch with a biotic Throw. He fell from the light platform and hit the bar below, hard. One of her squad finished him off with a shot, she didn't see which one. She swiftly turned to take cover against the wall next to the short hall that led back to Fist's office. Two men were there, taking cover behind crates, but they were aggressive and spent too much time standing and firing wildly. Easy enough targets, they took her shields down though and a sudden shotgun blast from across the room hit her hard. Shepard moved out of the incoming krogan's sights and activated the Medi-gel release on her omni-tool.
Feeling the cool, numbing substance wash over her wound was a relief. She knew her flesh would begin knitting itself back together as she turned to face the krogan. She leveled her gun at the krogan and using her marksmanship took him down fast… the others might have helped… a little. Two more men waited just inside the hall door, these men weren't combatants; they were simple laborers. What the hell was Fist doing using these men to fight? Better yet, why the hell were these men fighting? She couldn't spare the time to worry about it, they were firing on her and her team and that meant she had to take them down. On the wall behind them was a weapon locker, Shepard took the time to liberate the locker of its weapons before anymore foolish bartenders or busboys decided to take up arms.
Another door opened when Shepard got near, she couldn't see far into the room, there was some sort of alcove or something just past a wall. Maybe Fist's office? Another door remained closed directly across from them. Shepard put her back to the wall and inched her way to the corner so she could see into the room. She spotted Fist as he pushed some buttons on his desk and ran for cover. Turrets. Garrus moved to the other wall opposite of her just as two defensive turrets popped up and started firing. Turrets? Seriously? Who the fuck has turrets in their office? Damn it, Shepard thought. She used a Throw on the turret on Garrus' side and he finished it off immediately. Wrex aimed a couple of shots at the second turret, nearly taking it down but not before she took a few shots. Damn it! Shepard used another application of Medi-gel, cursing the turrets and Fist under her breath before turning back in to finish off the turret. Garrus took a final shot at Fist and the man went down, screaming bloody murder.
"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!" Fist screamed; holding out a pleading hand as Shepard approached.
"Tell me where the quarian is and I won't have to shoot you in the kneecaps," Shepard said, still more than a little pissed off about the wall of men she had to kill to get to Fist – and the damn turrets.
"She's not here. I don't know where she is. That's the truth!" Fist swore, desperate for the woman pointing a gun at his head to believe him.
"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him," Wrex said.
"Wait! Wait!" Fist said, cowering. "I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her. The quarian isn't here. Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."
"Face to face? Impossible! Even I was hired through an agent," Wrex scoffed.
Shepard allowed the man to stand, when he was up on his feet he said, "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Ever. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."
Shepard closed the distance between herself and Fist, pushing her pistol up under his chin. The man tried to lean away from the gun, putting his hands out in surrender. She really, really wanted to shoot this man.
"Tell me where that meeting is before I blow your lying head off!" Shepard threatened, pulling the gun back and shaking it in his face.
"Here on the wards. The back alley by the markets. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry," Fist offered.
Wrex pulled out his shotgun, and blew a hole through Fist. Shepard wasn't expecting the shot, so it startled her and she turned to the krogan wide eyed.
"What are you doing?!" Garrus yelled at Wrex, the flanging in his voice becoming more apparent with the emotional outburst.
"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done," Wrex said simply.
"A lot of people died because of him. He had it coming. Now let's move. We have to save that quarian!" Shepard ordered.
Shepard made a mental note to talk to Wrex about his actions later. Even if Fist deserved to be shot, and worse, she needed Wrex to know that if he was going to be working with her, he was expected to wait for orders in this type of situation. Shepard still had questions for Fist, questions about Saren, but now she couldn't ask them. She didn't have time to dwell on that, they had to get to that quarian before Saren's men killed her. Shepard's eye caught on an optical storage disc and she scooped it up on her way to the door.
They made their way back to the main bar area only to find it overrun with more armed men, they were going to have to fight their way out and they had to do it fast. Ducking behind one of the crates in the hall outside of Fist's office, Shepard began firing on the men ordering her squad to do the same. Just as she was about to fire, Wrex moved out in front of her and she nearly shot him in the back. She made another mental note to talk to Wrex about staying the hell out of her way in a firefight. They took down the two men that she could see from that angle, so she moved over to the wall and inched her way to the edge. She turned to look out into the room and came face to face with a man who was just on the opposite side of the wall from her. She brought her pistol up fast and fired two shots into his face; he dropped to the ground as she ducked back behind the wall. Garrus' Sabotage capabilities were coming in handy, maybe even just as much as Wrex's shotgun and brute strength. A few more moments of ducking in and out of cover firing on enemies and Shepard heard Garrus' voice announce, "Perimeter secure."
She didn't waste time checking to see if he was right, instead she bolted for the door. They were running out of time. Left. Left. Left, go left! Shepard tore through the bar and back out onto the wraparound walkway, careening around the corner to the left and up the stairs to the door she noticed earlier. She wasn't sure how she knew, but this door was going to lead to the alley Fist was talking about. She smacked her hand down on the button to open the door and started moving forward, pistol out before the door had finished opening.
The alley was filled with an eerie, blood red ambient light. Shepard tried not to take that as a bad omen as she rushed up a flight of stairs and down the service hall. She reached a flight of stairs leading down a ways, down the stairs she saw the quarian woman being approached by a turian. Across the way, she could see figures moving behind a crate. Behind them, another set of stairs led up to another door.
"Did you bring it?" the turian asked the quarian.
"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" the quarian asked as the turian moved in close to her.
The turian started running a hand down the side of the quarian's face mask, "They'll be here. Where's the evidence?"
He ran his hand down her arm and moved to her hip before the quarian shoved his hand away saying, "No way. The deal's off."
Two figures in full armor, salarians Shepard thought, stepped out from behind a crate and drew weapons. The quarian threw a flash grenade or something at them and dove for cover, Shepard couldn't tell what it was for sure from her position. Shepard and her crew moved in quick to help the quarian take out her attackers. They tried to hide behind some nearby crates but Shepard had a higher position and was able to hit them without a problem. When they were down, she moved to the quarian to check on her.
"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" the quarian said sounding agitated.
Quarian's required full body suits and respirators like the volus, though they wore softer suits, more flexible and with a semi-transparent face mask. The masks were tinted though, so only the vague shape of glowing eyes and a nose could be made out through the protective material. Like the turians, quarians had only three thick fingers though they lacked the claws turians had. Their ankle joints were located higher up than on humans, giving them an unusual bend to their legs much like the turians. Shepard remembered that quarians had extremely poor immune systems, and basically everything made them sick. If they got injured, or even if just their suit got tore, they would get an infection.
"Were you hurt in the fight?" Shepard asked.
"I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?" the quarian asked warily.
"My name's Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor," Shepard said, hoping to ease the other woman's fears.
"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe," the quarian said.
"We could take her to the human embassy. Your ambassador will want to see this anyway," Garrus suggested.
Shepard paused in the alley to scan the keeper that hadn't seemed the least bit disturbed by the gun fire. Garrus' mandibles fluttered slightly, and he cleared his throat.
"You're, ah, not supposed to 'disturb' the keepers," Garrus said.
Shepard looked at Garrus, looked at the keeper, and then back to Garrus, "Doesn't look disturbed to me."
Garrus chuckled, "Yeah, they never do. What is that thing?"
"Scanning device. Gathering information for a salarian scientist. I mean, c'mon, it's not hurting them," A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "You going to arrest me, officer?"
"Why do I get the feeling that any such attempt would end with me on my ass?" Garrus asked.
Shepard smiled and kept walking as Wrex's booming laugh echoed off the alley walls. They made their way to the embassies, and as soon as she entered Udina started in on her.
"You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many…" Udina cut off when he turned around and realized Shepard wasn't alone.
"Who's this? A quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?" Udina asked.
"Making your day, Ambassador. She has information linking Saren to the geth," Shepard said, a hint of smugness seeping into her voice.
"Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss…?" Udina asked the quarian.
"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Tali introduced herself.
"We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?" Udina asked.
"I was on my Pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood," Tali said.
"I've never heard of this before," Shepard admitted.
"It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and our people behind. Alone, we search the stars, only returning to the flotilla once we have discovered something of value. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood," Tali explained.
"What kinds of things do you look for?" Shepard could tell that Udina wanted her to shut up so that Tali would get back to the evidence, but she was curious and enjoyed the chance to rile the ambassador.
"It could be resources like food or fuel. Or some type of useful technology. Or even knowledge that will make life easier on the flotilla. Through our Pilgrimage, we prove that we will contribute to the community, rather than being a burden on our limited resources," Tali explained, a hint of pride evident in her voice.
"Tell us what you found," Shepard said.
"During my travels, I began hearing reports of geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core," Tali said.
"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died. Some kind of defense mechanism," Captain Anderson said.
"How did you manage to preserve the memory core?" Shepard asked Tali.
"My people created the geth. If you're quick, careful, and lucky small caches of data can sometimes be recovered," Tali said. "Most of the core was wiped clean. But I salvaged something from its audio banks."
Tali opened her omni-tool and began to play a recording, Shepard could easily tell that it was Saren speaking.
"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit," Saren said on the recording.
"That's Saren's voice. This proves he was involved in the attack!" Anderson said excitedly.
"He said Eden Prime brought him one step closer to finding the Conduit. Any idea what that means?" Shepard asked.
The Conduit is a backdoor onto the Citadel. It's hidden on Ilos, and Saren is going to use it to attack the Citadel. Listen to me! Listen goddamnit, if you can get there first you can shut it down, keep Saren from using the Conduit to access the Citadel. You can save so many lives and maybe stop this crap from ever happening. Do you hear me? Damnit do you hear me? LISTEN! Shepard winced as a pain shot through her head; she pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before shaking it off.
"The Conduit must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe it's some kind of prothean technology… like a weapon," Anderson said.
"Wait… there's more. Saren wasn't working alone," Tali interjected, replaying the recording from the beginning.
"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit," the recording played.
"And one step closer to the return of the reapers," a female voice responded.
Benezia, you poor fool.
"I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about reapers," Udina said.
"I feel like I've heard that name before…," Shepard said wringing her hands; searching her memory. Yes, the reapers. The bloody fucking reapers! They're coming and they're going to kill everyone if you don't stop them. And if I can't figure out how to make you hear me, it's just going to keep happening again and again. I can't keep doing this, I can't. You need to listen to me!
"According to the memory core, the reapers were hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago," Tali said. "The reapers hunted the protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe."
"Sounds a little far-fetched," Udina said crossing his arms.
"The vision on Eden Prime – I understand it now. I saw the protheans being wiped out by the reapers," Shepard said scratching her head, uncomfortable to be talking about the vision again.
"The geth revere the reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the reapers back," Tali said.
"The Council is just going to love this!" Udina pouted.
"The reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space. We have to tell them," Shepard insisted although she wasn't happy about the prospect either.
"No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor," Anderson insisted, fixated on bringing Saren down.
"The captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away," Udina said.
"What about her? The quarian?" Wrex asked.
"My name is Tali!" she asserted. "You saw me in the alley, Commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you."
"I thought you were on your Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked.
"The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?" Tali insisted, "Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My Pilgrimage can wait."
Shepard nodded, "I'll take all the help I can get."
"Thanks. You won't regret this," Tali said moving to stand next to Shepard.
"Anderson and I will go ahead to get things ready with the Council. Take a few minutes to collect yourself, then meet us in the Tower," Udina said before leaving.
Shepard took a minute to contact Ashley pulling up a vid comm on her omni-tool. Williams face popped up on the screen looking relieved.
"Commander Shepard!" Ashley said, "You're alright. Good. I don't think the LT would have taken it very well if you got squashed by a krogan."
Wrex chuckled and Ashley's face went a little white, "And… he's still with you. Sorry."
"Alright, alright, Chief! Really, a guy makes one slip of the tongue and he never gets to hear the end of it," Kaidan's voice broke through in the background.
Shepard smiled, "It's okay, Williams. I'm fine, really. Listen, I'm in the ambassador's office right now. I just spoke with Anderson and Udina; they're going to set up a meeting with the Council. We took down Fist and found the quarian… ah, Tali," Shepard said glancing at Tali briefly with an apologetic smile, "She has an audio recording she recovered from a geth memory core. It clearly has Saren's voice confessing to the attacks on Eden Prime. There's more to it, of course… nothing is ever easy, but I'll fill you and Alenko in later. For now, if he wants to stay with us," Shepard paused and looked at Wrex, raising an eyebrow in question, "I'm sending Wrex to the Normandy. Help him get set up somewhere. I'm keeping Garrus and Tali with me to have at the Council meeting; I think the Council will be more willing to listen with a C-Sec officer present."
Wrex, rolled his head around on his shoulders before slamming one meaty fist into the palm of his other hand, "Sure, my work here is done. I'm open to helping you crack some skulls!"
Shepard chuckled and turned back to the vid comm, "He's on his way. I'll see you soon."
Shepard disconnected the call and then gave Wrex directions to the Normandy. She wanted to stop by the elcor embassy since they were so close and then drop in to Sha'ira's before the meeting. Tali and Garrus didn't seem to mind the detour, though Garrus grinned when she mentioned Sha'ira. Xeltan took a little effort to convince of Sha'ira's innocence, but in the end, with the datapad right before his eyes, he accepted the truth and left to find Sha'ira. Calyn told her it was a good thing that she did, and pointed it out the Din who in turn insisted that he was sure the Earth-clan stood to gain from the actions. She wasn't going to deny it, but she wasn't going to offer what exactly her intentions were either.
Leaving the elcor and volus embassy, Shepard and her team moved down stairs to the Presidium. An older human man stopped her, asking if she could spare a moment of her time. Shepard nodded and stepped a little closer to the man. He told her his name was Samesh Bhatia and that his wife was in the 212 on Eden Prime. That meant she was one of Ashley's team, Shepard's attention was now securely focused on the man. He explained that his wife was a marine and she died during the attacks. He wanted his wife's body for cremation, but he was getting refusals from the military and he didn't understand why. The poor man just wanted to give his wife a funeral, put her to rest. Shepard knew that there could be a few reasons why the military would refuse the man, most of it had to do if there was a contaminant exposure or something of that nature but there wasn't anything like that in play on Eden Prime that she knew of. She told Mr. Bhatia that she would look into it for him, and see if she could at least get him some answers if she couldn't get the body released. Mr. Bhatia said the man who he had last spoken to on the matter was in the bar on the embassies; she would start there.
Shepard went to the bar and found the man, Mr. Bosker leaning against the wall. He recognized her when she approached him so she didn't need to bother with introductions. She asked about Mr. Bhatia's wife.
"Serviceman Nirali Bhatia died on Eden Prime, as Mr. Bhatia no doubt told you. Her wounds are inconsistent with any type of weapon damage we've seen before. That is why her body is being held," Mr. Bosker said.
"You think that her body might be dangerous or contaminated?" Shepard asked pointedly.
"No, Commander. Nirali Bhatia is not dangerous. Her body is, in fact, extremely valuable to the Alliance. The tests we're conducting may lead to better defenses against the geth attacks. Respectfully, Serviceman Bhatia may save more lives in death than she did in life," Mr. Bosker explained.
Shepard didn't like the idea of holding the body against the will of the family, but if it could really help the Alliance that much, it was worth considering.
"How long do you think the research is going to take?" She asked.
"This is a long term study. I wouldn't expect the body to be released for a year or longer," Mr. Bosker said.
"You've got to have a lot of bodies. Can't you release one?" Shepard asked.
"Very few bodies had this new type of weapon damage, and very few were in good enough condition to study," Mr. Bosker insisted. "Beyond that, Commander, we need as many bodies as we can to get a reasonable sample size."
"When will this research result in actual new technology?" Shepard asked.
"If we're lucky, we'll actually realize usable technology from this study in a few years.
Shepard was pissed, this wasn't right; at the very least Mr. Bhatia deserved to know the truth. She flexed her fingers, wanting to punch something but knowing that wasn't going to solve the problem. Her hands were tied; there really wasn't anything she could do. Sure, she could argue with the man, maybe even smile sweetly and convince him to release the body but if what he was saying was true… that would be a mistake. Shepard knew that if things went south with this whole thing, the geth could be a very big problem very soon and the Alliance – hell, all the races – would need whatever extra edge they could get. She said she would explain the situation to Mr. Bhatia, hoping that it would help and he would understand.
Shepard returned to Mr. Bhatia and explained that they were holding his wife's body for tests, she had hoped to be able to explain more but Mr. Bhatia was immediately upset.
"My wife served the Alliance faithfully. She gave her life for humanity! And this is how they repay her?" Mr. Bhatia said raising his voice.
Shepard agreed to try to talk to Mr. Bosker again, she wasn't sure why she was doing this but something about the situation pulled at her. Tugged on her heartstrings as the old saying went. She returned to Mr. Bosker, mentally kicking herself as she went.
"I understand what you're trying to do, but holding the body is wrong," Shepard said.
"Commander, you of all people should understand how far we must go to protect humanity!" Mr. Bosker insisted.
"Not if we lose humanity in the process! I'm out there fighting to stop crap like this!" Shepard said.
"Alright, Commander. You win. It was hard enough refusing Mr. Bhatia. I'm not going to risk an incident by refusing you," Mr. Bosker finally said sounding defeated. "Tell Samesh that the body is being shipped back to Earth. I'll go now to see to it myself."
Shepard cursed herself. She was sure that this was going to bite her in the ass somewhere down the line. She returned to Mr. Bhatia and let him know his wife's body was being shipped to Earth. He thanked her and said he was returning home to prepare for her funeral service. He said he thought it might bring him peace; Shepard sure hoped he was right.
She used the rapid transit to get to the Consort's Chambers and went straight up to her room, bypassing the asari that stood at the door. She didn't have time for gatekeepers. Shepard entered the room to find Sha'ira waiting in the middle. Sha'ira told her that Septimus had sent her a note and that Xeltan had withdrawn his complaints about her. She seemed very pleased. Shepard had intended to question Sha'ira about Saren, using the fact that she helped to resolve her issues with Septimus as leverage if needed but decided to wait, holding on to that card in case she needed it later. With the evidence that Tali provided, Shepard had hoped that they had all they needed to convince the Council.
"I also have one more thing to give you, if you are interested," Sha'ira said.
"I'd be honored," Shepard said nodding to the Consort.
"I offer a gift of words. An affirmation of who you are, and who you will become…," Sha'ira said stepping closer. "I see the sadness behind your eyes. It tells a story that makes me want to weep. Pain and loss. But it drives you, makes you strong. That strength is what kept you alive when everyone around you was dying. You alone survived. You will continue to survive. This may be who you are, but it is not who you will become. It only forms the basis for your future greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends, Commander."
That wasn't exactly what Shepard expected, but still it was nice to hear, "You have quite a gift, Sha'ira."
"Thank you. Not everyone appreciates it as you do," Sha'ira said. "Never underestimate the power of words. Here, Commander. In light of your efforts with the elcor ambassador, I would like you to have this small trinket."
"What is it?" Shepard asked looking down at her hand.
"A small mystery. I have never learned its use or purpose, but I sense it is time for me to pass it on. And now, I must ask you to leave. I have done everything I can for you." Sha'ira said. "Remember my words, Commander Shepard. They will give you strength."
Shepard led them out of the Consort's Chambers and to the rapid transit station outside. She remembered the OSD she had swiped from Fist's office and decided to pay that investigative journalist a quick visit before heading to the Tower. She accessed the rapid transit station and punched in the med clinic as the destination, it was the closest to where she'd last seen Emily Wong and it would give her a chance to let Dr. Michel know that Fist wouldn't be an issue for her any longer. She stopped in to see the doctor and told her the good news, taking the opportunity to replenish her stock of Medi-gel. She found Ms. Wong right where she has last seen her and handed over the OSD. Shepard told the investigative journalist that she could have an exclusive interview with Shepard once her investigation was complete. Ms. Wong was excited over the prospect; she paid Shepard not only for the files but in advance for the rights to her exclusive.
Accessing the rapid transit once more, Shepard punched in the location for the Tower. When they arrived, she headed up the stairs to Anderson. The Council was already in session, she took longer than she thought running errands around the Citadel; Anderson urged her on. As they climbed more stairs, Shepard could already hear the recording of Saren claiming Eden Prime as a victory playing throughout the chamber.
"You wanted proof. There it is," Udina said pointing at the councilors.
"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes," Sparatus said.
Tevos turned to look at Sparatus, "I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia."
"Who's she?" Shepard asked.
"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."
Valern spoke up, "I'm more interested in the reapers. What do you know about them?"
"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core. The reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the protheans. Then they vanished," Anderson answered.
"The geth believe the reapers are gods. And Saren is the prophet for their return," Shepard stated.
"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime," Anderson added.
"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" Valern asked.
Yes! Yes we do, it's the backdoor to the Citadel. It's on Ilos! Listen to me. Oh gods, please hear me. Please!
"Saren thinks it can bring back the reapers. That's bad enough," Shepard said.
"Listen to what you're saying! Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be," Sparatus said. "Where did the reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something!"
Agh! You cocky son-of-a-bitch! If you would just listen to us, just once! No, that's what's 'impossible'. You – the whole damn Council, you have your heads so far up your collective asses that you can never see what's right in front of your goddamn face! No, you've got to deny everything. Deny, deny, deny. Pretty soon you'll have a dead reaper sitting in your front fucking yard and STILL you'll deny! Damnit! I should just kill you all now and save the galaxy from the fucking stupidity of the Council! Shepard winced as a sharp pain flared up momentarily behind her eyes. She shook it off though, and stayed focused on the Council. She understood that it all sounded far-fetched, but just because she didn't have the answers to all of their questions doesn't mean they should ignore the evidence they do have and shut down any planning on assessing the reaper threat.
"I tried to warn you about Saren, and you refused to face the truth. Don't make the same mistake again," Shepard warned.
"This is different," Tevos said, "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why."
"The reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander," Valern said shaking his head. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will."
"Fifty thousand years ago, the reapers wiped out all galactic civilization. If Saren finds the Conduit, it will happen again!" Shepard said losing her patience.
"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life," Sparatus said. "He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position."
"That is not good enough! You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!" Udina insisted.
"A fleet cannot track down one man," Valern said.
"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies," Udina said making a chopping motion with his hand.
"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems! We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!" Sparatus said.
"Every time humanity asks for help you ignore us!" Shepard spat out.
"Shepard's right. I'm sick of this Council and its anti-human bull –," Udina was cut off when Tevos spoke.
"Ambassador! There is another solution. A way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies," Tevos said.
"No! It's too soon," Sparatus said sounding rather petulant. "Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."
"You don't have to send a fleet into the Traverse, and the Ambassador gets his human Spectre. Everybody's happy," Shepard reasoned.
The three councilors looked at each other a moment until Sparatus final nodded his head. They each did something to the consoles on their podiums before looking up at Shepard again.
Tevos spoke, "Commander Shepard, step forward."