Chapter 11: This Is Not Happening
They were all back on the Normandy once more. Shepard had showered, happy to wash the gore away from her skin and hair. Dr. Chakwas had tended to the last of her wounds before she called a meeting in the debriefing room. Shepard paced the floors as she waited for everyone to arrive. Her head was throbbing and she was dreading talking to the Council. As everyone was sitting down, Ashley spoke up.
"What's our next move, Commander? Head for the Mu Relay?" Ashely asked.
"The Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's going, we'd just be wasting our time," Shepard said.
"The Commander is right. We cannot rush off blind. We still need to learn more about Saren," Liara said.
"Who put you in charge?" Ashley jibbed. "Did the commander resign when I wasn't looking?"
Oh for fucksake, Shepard thought.
She shook her head, "We're all on the same team here, Williams. She's just trying to help."
"Sorry, Commander," Ashley said.
"Look. This is a tough mission. We're all on edge. Everyone go get some rest. Crew… dismissed," Shepard said.
Joker's voice came in over the comm, "Noveria report is away, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"
"Patch them through, Joker," Shepard said.
"Setting up the link now, Commander," said Joker.
Tevos wasted no time with pleasantries, "Is this report accurate, Commander? You found rachni on Noveria?"
"And then released the queen!" Sparatus growled. "Do you have any idea what you have done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?"
The tension in Shepard's head increased. She rubbed at her eyes with thumb and forefinger trying to ease the pressure and giving herself a moment to process an appropriate reply to the councilor's angry remarks.
"This queen is different. She understands why her kind had to be wiped out last time around," Shepard tried to explain.
"I hope you're right, Shepard. Our children's children will pay the price if you're not," Sparatus said.
"We'll be waiting for your next report, Commander," Tevos said ending the call.
Shepard took her time going to the CIC. They were headed to the Citadel next, so she knew she had plenty of time to nurse her headache and check in with Liara. The asari seemed to be holding it together, but this had to be rough on her. She stepped up on the platform that would give her access to the galaxy map. The map sprung to life in front of her, responding to her presence in the way it would only for the current ship's captain. She ran her hands just over the map, tugging and swiping the hologram until she was zeroed in on the Widow system; home to the Citadel.
"Good timing, Commander. We've got a transmission coming in from the Citadel. Top priority clearance," Joker's voice came in over the comm.
"Is it the ambassador?" Shepard asked.
"Not his signature. I think it's from the Council. I'll patch it through to the comm room," Joker said.
Shepard groaned as she stepped away from the map and made her way back to the debriefing room. She opened the comm channel and holographic images of the Council popped up. Shepard didn't bother to offer any words of greeting or question why they were calling her again so soon.
"Commander Shepard. We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren," Tevos, unsurprisingly, was the first to speak.
"I'll take all the help I can get," Shepard said.
This time it was Valern who spoke, "We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse."
"You mean spies," Shepard said plainly.
"Spectres tend to attract attention, Commander. But they are only one arm of the Council. Special Task Groups are often a better option for monitoring developing situations," said Tevos.
"We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren," Valern said.
"What did they find?" asked Shepard.
"Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up a proper interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important," said Valern. "Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire."
"I'll look into it," Shepard said.
"The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities. We only want you to be aware of all of your options, including Virmire," Tevos said as Shepard bit back a scoff. "Good luck, Commander Shepard. We will keep you advised if we learn anything else."
The call ended leaving Shepard starring at the empty space the Council occupied. It's where you'll have to choose. Who to let die. Williams or Alenko. Where if you're not careful, Williams will kill Wrex, too. Saren will be there, but he always runs away before he can lose the fight. We never get to end him there and stop the madness. Shepard made her way back to the map. She was still going to take them to the Citadel first. They needed to refuel and restock. Shepard had some people to talk to on the Citadel as well. Things were starting to move fast and she had a sinking feeling in her gut that they were going to get ugly on Virmire. She still needed to go to Feros, too. Virmire sounded more urgent, but there were civilians on Feros who were facing the geth alone. Her stomach churned as she tried to decide between the two unknowns. Either choice could lead to the loss of vital time and information if she were wrong. You'll have to go to both places before Liara tells you that you need to go to Ilos. It doesn't even matter what order you do it in, the same things always happen. Hell, you can spend weeks traipsing across the galaxy before going to either one of them and it won't change anything. This means that you need to make something change. I need to get through to you, to make you see that something needs to change before we die on that Citadel again and it all starts over.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Shepard used the map to lock in the coordinates for the Citadel before making her way to the med bay. Dr. Chakwas glanced up from her desk when Shepard walked in the door and then did a double take as she caught Shepard's furrowed brow and slow movements. She stood and was at Shepard's side faster than what Shepard would have expected from the aging woman.
"Commander, what is it, what's wrong?" Dr. Chakwas asked.
"Just a headache, doc. I'll be fine. Though I wouldn't say no to an aspirin," Shepard said.
"Aspirin?" Dr. Chakwas scoffed indelicately, "Shepard we don't use acetylsalicylic acid anymore, you know that. Haven't for years. I doubt you've ever even seen a real aspirin. I'll never understand why people keep referring to simple analgesics as aspirin."
Dr. Chakwas continued to ramble on about the inefficiencies of aspirin and the risks that were found to be associated with the drug even as far back as the 20th Century. Shepard squeezed her eyes closed and drowned out Dr. Chakwas lecture as the other woman opened her omni-tool and began scanning Shepard. She ran through her mental list of all of the places she needed to go, including the less pressing missions that kept filling her inbox every day. Geth sightings, missing squads, unusual mercenary movements… it never seemed to really end.
"Commander Shepard?" Dr. Chakwas demanding tone cut through Shepard's thoughts.
Shepard opened her eyes to see the doctor holding out a small foil package with her eyebrows raised. She studied Shepard with her shrewd eyes before speaking again.
"Put this patch directly on your skin just behind your ear. I asked if you have been getting these headaches frequently," Dr. Chakwas said.
Shepard took the foil back and tore the end off. She fished out the small plastic patch and peeled the backing off before responding.
"Define frequently," Shepard said pressing the clear square to her skin.
Dr. Chakwas frowned, "Don't give me that, Commander. I swear soldiers are the most stubborn creatures in existence. Especially when it comes to dealing with their own health."
Shepard sighed as the patch began to release medication into her bloodstream and the pain in her head slowly subsided, "I have been experiencing more frequent headaches, yes. This is the first to get this bad. Headaches are a part of the job, doctor. Even more so when it seems like the fate of the world is resting on your shoulders and everyone in a position to do something about it wants to pretend that nothing is wrong."
"Yes, that is understandable, Commander. However, these headaches could be related to your experience with the beacon as well. I need you to keep a log for me, every time you experience a headache. I know, I know, more paperwork but this is important, Commander. We still don't know exactly what it is that the beacon did to you, or what physiological or psychological effects it might have had on you. Have you been experiencing any other odd side effects?"
Shepard remained quiet until the doctor scolded her again, "Commander?"
Shepard winced, "Just, uh, visions. Flashes of the same things I saw when it happened."
Dr. Chakwas watched Shepard with her arms crossed for a long moment before she finally pursed her lips and spoke slowly, "Is that all, Commander?"
Shepard forced a smile and a chuckle, patting the other woman on her shoulder, "I'm fine, doc! I've got to go to talk to Liara. I don't know if you've heard yet, but she just watched her mother die from wounds we caused."
"Oh, dear. No, I hadn't heard yet… but you're deflecting, Commander. We'll talk about this again later, Commander!" Dr. Chakwas called to Shepard's retreating back.
Shepard opened the door to the small office where Liara had taken up residence and slipped inside before Dr. Chakwas decided to chase her down. Liara had her back to the door, sitting at her small desk. Her hands hovered over her keyboard but she didn't seem to be really doing anything. She was just sitting there staring at the holoscreen. Shepard took another step in and gently cleared her throat. Liara jumped and turned to look over her shoulder. Shepard offered Liara a weak smile. Liara returned the smile as she stood up to face Shepard.
"If you are here to talk about Benezia's death, you need not bother. She brought it upon herself," Liara said.
"Don't pretend it doesn't bother you. She was your mother," Shepard shook her head lightly.
"She was… but she was not. I prefer to remember Benezia as she used to be, before she was corrupted by Sovereign's power," Liara's voice softened.
"The best of your mother lives on in you: her determination, her intelligence, her strength," said Shepard.
Liara sighed, "That is kind of you to say. I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. Benezia chose her path, just as I have chosen mine. I am with you until the end, Shepard."
Shepard chose not to push the subject. She knew that every culture had their own ways of dealing with death and loss. She had extended the offer to talk to Liara, but if the other woman wasn't ready for that Shepard wasn't going to try and make her.
"OK, Liara. But you know if you decide you need to talk you know where I'm at. I've got us headed to the Citadel now. I thought that if you felt up to it you would like to go with me to deliver the artifacts to the Council. Maybe you can teach them a thing or two?" Shepard said.
"Of course, I will make sure that I have a full report on my findings so far ready for them," Liara said.
"Great. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing…" Shepard trailed off as she glanced back at the door but didn't move towards it.
"Is… there something wrong, Commander?" Liara asked hesitantly.
Shepard blushed and shook her head, "No, I'm just wondering if I'll be able to make it out the med bay before Dr. Chakwas pounces on me again and starts asking to run more scans or take blood samples."
Liara smiled, "Well, perhaps if I escort you out of the med bay…"
"Yes, that's an excellent idea. You don't mind?" Shepard asked hopeful.
"Not at all, Commander. You saved me on Therum, the least I can do is rescue you from the possibility of syringes," Liara chuckled at Shepard's unease over facing the doctor on her own.
The door slid open for Shepard and Liara to reveal Dr. Chakwas standing nearby waiting. When she saw Liara with Shepard she frowned at Shepard but her face softened. Shepard couldn't hide the grin brought on by her small victory. Dr. Chakwas watched as Liara walked Shepard to the med bay door and Shepard made her escape. As the door was sliding closed behind Shepard, she heard Dr. Chakwas soft voice.
"Liara, how are you dear?" Dr. Chakwas said.
Shepard made her way to her cabin after grabbing some dry rations from the mess hall. She sat down at her desk and chewed absently at the near flavorless block of alleged beef stew. She was sure that if she had bothered to add water to the packet to rehydrate the food and induce the thermal reaction the packaging was designed to produce in order to heat the contents it would have been a more pleasant meal. That would have meant spending more time in the mess hall in plain view of the med bay windows, though. Besides, it wasn't the first time she'd had to eat rations dry and it probably wouldn't be the last.
The next morning, Shepard slipped out of her cabin before the rest of the crew, including Dr. Chakwas had left the sleeping pods. She checked to see how much time they had until they reached the Citadel before retreating to the cargo bay. Wrex was sitting with his back against the wall and his shoulder wedged against the weapons lockers. Shepard paused, surprised to see him down here and wondering what he was doing. He shifted around and opened his eyes as she got nearer to him. Had he been sleeping like that? Wrex stood and stretched his arms out to the sides.
"Morning, Shepard," he said to her.
"Wrex? Why are you sleeping down here? That can't be comfortable." Shepard asked.
"I'm too big for your little sleeping pods, Shepard. They weren't made for krogan," Wrex said.
"Oh," Shepard managed. "I hadn't thought of that. I'm sorry, Wrex. I'm sure we can find a cot or something to bring down here for you."
"Why?" Wrex said as he twisted his head making his neck pop loudly.
"Uh, so you're not sleeping sitting up on a cold metal floor?" Shepard said thinking it should be obvious.
Wrex huffed, "I'm a krogan, Shepard. I'm not all soft like you humans. I don't need a cot, or a sleeping pod."
"If you say so, Wrex. Just, uh, let me know if you change your mind I guess," Shepard shrugged before moving over to the weapons lockers.
She worked quietly at the lockers for a few minutes before Wrex ambled over to give her a hand. It was a little like pulling teeth but after a while she got the krogan to open up and tell her a little more about himself. Wrex spoke of his father's betrayal; how his father had set an ambush for him under the guise of peaceful talks and tried to kill Wrex on sacred ground. Wrex had been the leader of a smaller tribe and he disagreed with the ideals that his father – and leader of a larger tribe, Jarrod had been giving to the krogan population at large. Jarrod was only interested in having the krogan fight anybody and everybody that they could while Wrex thought it was more prudent to focus on trying to reestablish the krogan population. Wrex killed his father that day, and left home for good. He had no plans of every returning; he had given up on trying to help is people when they seemed hell bent on destroying themselves.
It wasn't much longer before the elevator started letting off crew on their way to their stations. Engineer Adams stepped off the elevator with Tali at his side. The two of them seemed to already be deep in conversation. As Tali used her hands to make wide gestures, Adams laughter drifted over to where Shepard was closing up the final locker. Not long after they disappeared from view, the elevator brought down Garrus, Davis, and Ashley. Garrus' eyes seemed to lock onto her instantly, but Ashley was halfway to her station before she spotted Shepard.
"Oh, hey Commander. I think Dr. Chakwas was looking for you," Ashley said.
"Yeah, too bad no one knows where I'm at," Shepard said with a smile.
"Yes ma'am," Ashley said grinning back. "Let me guess, she still wants to run tests and ask a million questions about the beacon and you're not interested?"
"You got it, Chief," Shepard said.
"So, I guess you'll be spending the day hiding down here with us grunts?" Ashley asked.
"That a problem, Williams?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all ma'am, just means I have to make sure I stay looking busy," Ashley said with a smirk.
Shepard chuckled, "We'll talk more about that later, Chief."
"Yes ma'am," Ashley said.
Shepard could feel Garrus' eyes following her movements from across the room. She finally turned to look his way and noted the rigid way he stood at his console. Something was bothering him; there was something he wanted to say. Well, if he wasn't going to come to her and spill it, she'd go pry it out of him. If there was a problem that was affecting his ability to focus, she needed to deal with it now. She finished up with Davis and walked over to Garrus.
"Commander, I… what can I do for you?" Garrus asked.
"Something bothering you?" Shepard asked.
"It's Saren. I'm starting to wonder whether we'll ever find him. He's always one step ahead of us. And he's got those damn geth," Garrus said.
"We're getting close, Garrus. We'll find him," Shepard promised.
"I wish I had your confidence," said Garrus. "I just can't stand the thought of him getting away with everything he's done. I know you're doing everything you can. And if anyone can catch him, it's you, but… If there's anything else that I can do to help. Anything. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."
"Thank you, Garrus. I'll keep that in mind. Just make sure you're ready to go when we do catch him," Shepard said.
"Yes ma'am. You can count on me," said Garrus. "Thanks for hearing me out. I appreciate it. Can I ask you something, Commander?"
"What is it?" Shepard asked.
"Are you worried that the Council might be protecting Saren?" Garrus asked with some hesitation. "I mean, they were really dragging their heels before. What if we find him, bring him back to the Citadel, and they refuse to act?"
"You seem to have some thoughts on this. Speak your mind, Garrus," Shepard said.
"Well, maybe we shouldn't give them the chance, Commander," Garrus said. "In my opinion, Saren's too dangerous to be kept alive. Too much could happen. He could escape, or the Council might let him go... If we find him – when we find him. I say we make sure we stop him. Permanently."
"I'm glad you see it that way," Shepard said. "I never had any intention of capturing that bastard. When I see him, he dies."
"Good. The Council won't like it, but they can't stop you, either," Garrus said. "You see, this is why I want to be a Spectre. You never have to worry about bureaucratic idiots making a mess of everything."
"Just make sure you're ready when it happens," Shepard said.
"Yes, ma'am," Garrus said.
Garrus seemed more relaxed so Shepard leaned back against the Mako and crossed her arms. One of the plates above his eye shifted, giving Shepard the impression of a raised eyebrow.
"Avoiding the doctor, humor me," Shepard said.
Shepard watched, completely fixated by the movements of Garrus' mandibles as he chuckled and leaned against the Mako himself.
"Aren't you supposed to set a better example than that, Commander?" Garrus asked.
"Pffftt. I'm supposed to shoot things and make sure you guys don't die in the process. No one ever said anything about willfully subjecting myself to tests to satisfy Dr. Chakwas medical curiosity," Shepard said.
"Hmm. Scared of needles, Commander?" Garrus teased.
"No," she said simply.
"Are you lying to me, Shepard?" Garrus asked as the pattern on his visor narrowed.
"Maybe," Shepard grinned.
Garrus growled softly at Shepard. The hairs on her neck stood on end and she felt butterflies in her stomach.
"Huh uh, don't you try that on me, Vakarian. You're not as scary as you think you are. I can tell you're really just a cute, cuddly kitten," Shepard said.
Garrus laughed before affecting an offended tone, "I am not a kitten. What's a kitten?"
"Baby cat," Shepard said.
Garrus shifted his brow plate again so Shepard pulled up some images and vids on Garrus' laptop of first kittens and then adult cats. Garrus stood behind her looking down over her shoulder. Garrus scoffed but Shepard glanced up in time to see him touch his mouth and she couldn't help but to wonder if he saw the same similarity that she had between felines and turians. She didn't dare ask.
"They're all… furry. Turians are not furry," Garrus commented.
Shepard laughed, "Want to see their more impressive cousins?"
"Sure," Garrus' skepticism wasn't lost on Shepard.
She pulled up images of lions, tigers, panthers, bobcats and every other large cat she could think of off the top of her head. She looked for pictures that depicted the animals next to a person or a vehicle, something that would give and adequate size perspective. She clicked through the images showing him close-up images of a jaguar's teeth and claws. She found an audio recording of a tiger growling, chuffing, and roaring. Garrus grew quiet and very still behind her as the sounds echoed through the cargo bay. She looked back up at him over her shoulder again to see that he had his head tilted to the side and his eyes focused intently on the laptop. She quickly muted the recording, afraid that the sound was too much for him but as soon as the recording stopped she could hear his own low, deep responding growl. He seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and the growling stopped as he shifted again.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Shepard watched him in awe not even try to hide her fascination in what she believed to be Garrus' reflexive response as a predator to hearing the sounds of another big predator. He met her gaze for a moment and then shifted his weight again looking away from her.
"That was actually really cool," Shepard said with a grin.
Garrus chuffed which only made her grin grow. The moment was broken by Wrex's sudden presence a few feet away.
"What was that?" Wrex asked looking excited.
Shepard chuckled, "Tiger."
Wrex moved closer to Shepard as she continued to show the two of them different videos. Wrex seemed especially impressed by one she found of a lion taking down a gazelle. Twenty minutes later the novelty had worn off for Wrex and he returned to the little area of the cargo bay he had made his own.
Garrus and Shepard started talking about his time in C-Sec and soon he was telling her about a salarian, Dr. Saleon, he had been investigating for a while on the Citadel. The doctor had been using his employees to clone black market organs, growing them right inside of people. When the organs failed to develop properly, the son-of-a-bitch left them inside. A lot of people died because of this cloning and Garrus wanted nothing more than to take that doctor down. Unfortunately, the doctor got away when he escaped with hostages and the C-Sec higher-ups refused to let Garrus shoot the ship down. Shepard asked Garrus if he had any leads on the doctor and was happy to hear that Garrus hadn't given up the hunt. He had a lead; he just needed someone to take him to check it out. His contacts reported that Dr. Saleon was operating under the name Dr. Heart now. Garrus forwarded the details about the ship and its location to Shepard's omni-tool. She told him that they would go check it out when they had a chance.
Shepard stood with her arms crossed as she twisted her body gently from side to side, "I should go…"
Garrus watched her quietly. Taking in and assessing her body language in that calculating way he seemed to do everything. He breathed in deeply through his nose.
"But…," he said.
She nibbled on her lower lip for a second before shrugging and saying, "But I don't want to. Too bad that doesn't matter. Things to do and all that."
Garrus grinned, "You are the Commander. And a Spectre. I figure if you want to stand around talking to the definitely not-a-furry-kitten-turian all day, that's your call."
Shepard snorted, "What and keep the definitely not-a-furry-kitten-turian from picking all the geth parts out of the Mako's grill?"
Garrus chuffed, "Can't blame me for trying."
"Uh huh," Shepard turned to make her way towards engineering.
She heard him take another deep breath and felt his eyes on her as she walked away. She had to beat down the fluttering of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach. Changing the little things. So many new little things.
"Definitely going crazy," Shepard mumbled to herself as the door to engineering opened.
"Shepard. I'm glad you're here," Tali said sounding far happier than she had the last time they talked.
"Good to see you smiling again. So to speak," Shepard said.
"I'm sleeping much better now. I guess I'm getting used to how quiet your ship is," Tali said. "I still think a lot about my Pilgrimage, though. I know Saren is our top priority. But with all the worlds we go to, I was hoping to find something to bring back to the flotilla."
Tali spent some time explaining to Shepard that with her father being the senior member of the Admiralty Board, she was held to a higher standard than other quarians. Technically, her father's position had no effect on her status but in practice it did change the way people treated her and how she was expected to behave. She needed something more impressive than a derelict ship to bring back to the flotilla.
"What would you need to bring back to make everyone happy?" Shepard asked.
"Something that would help us better understand the geth. They've changed significantly since the exile; they've continued to evolve. We've done our best to study them, but it's not easy. They're very reclusive. Until recently, they never went beyond the borders of the Veil. And all the geth we run into now are under Saren's control. We'd need to find geth operating on their own. Independently. But I don't want this to get in the way of our mission, Shepard. First, we stop Saren. Then I'll worry about my own problems," Tali said.
Shepard and Tali spent another half hour talking about the various types of geth that they had come across so far. Beyond the simple troopers, Tali was at a loss. The other types were the most visible evidence of how the geth had evolved since the quarian's exile. Tali had taken it upon herself to start cataloging the various types of geth that Shepard had come across, as well as including a list of the capabilities when possible. Shepard promised Tali that she would tell her anything else that she came across on the geth when Tali wasn't with her.
Shepard finally sucked it up and went to face the music with Dr. Chakwas. The doctor was sitting at a table in the mess hall drinking coffee and finishing her lunch. Shepard grabbed a tray of her own and slid into the chair across from Dr. Chakwas.
"Commander," Dr. Chakwas said over her cup.
"Williams said you were looking for me?" Shepard said keeping her eyes on her food.
"Don't be coy, Commander. I want to know what other side effects you've been experiencing." Dr. Chakwas cut to the chase.
Shepard looked around the mess hall to see if anyone was close enough to listen to their conversation, "I've always had nightmares… but lately, some nights, I wake up from strange dreams that are unlike any other dreams I've ever had. They're gone seconds later, and I can't remember anything about them at all. There's always just this feeling that they're… important."
Dr. Chakwas leaned her elbows on the table, "Go on."
Shepard sighed, "And sometimes I feel like I know things that I have no reason to know. Little things usually, like where a room is located in a building I've never been in or maybe sometimes I just know what someone is about to say to me before they say it."
"Interesting. You said 'little things usually'. Have there been 'bigger things', Commander?" Dr. Chakwas asked.
Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose before leveling her eyes on the woman sitting across from her. She chose her next words very carefully. She knew that Dr. Chakwas had the power to cause her a lot of trouble if she had any reason to think that Shepard was unfit for duty. Her words might not hold much weight with the Council, but it would mean everything to the Alliance.
"Before we left the Citadel… I was investigating some strange activity involving a gambling machine that had been altered to funnel credits to an account. Garrus noticed the discrepancy while were working on something else. Anyway, we finally traced the signal back an AI housed on a server in the financial district. The AI said it was going to self-destruct and blow the whole server up, killing us and any other people in that area," Shepard began.
Dr. Chakwas gasped, "Dear God."
"Yeah, so, anyway. I didn't have any real choice other than to try to disable the server with the AI fighting against me… There was a moment of panic… and then I, and then it was just like my hands took over. Had a mind of their own and new exactly what needed to be done."
Shepard held her breath as she waited for Dr. Chakwas to insist on a full psychological evaluation and suggest that she should be put on inactive duty in the meantime. She would fight it, of course. There was too much at stake and she had to get to Saren before he found the Conduit. There was no way she would let this or anything else stand in her way. Dr. Chakwas sat quietly watching Shepard.
"Commander, with your express permission, I would like to discuss these things with Dr. T'soni. I know that she is not a medical doctor, but she has far more knowledge on the prothean's than what I could ever hope to have myself. I need to know if these… symptoms match up to anything that Dr. T'soni knows about prothean technology," Dr. Chakwas finally spoke.
Shepard released her breath slowly and leaned back against her chair, "Yeah, sure. If you think it'll help."
"In the meantime," Dr. Chakwas began and Shepard groaned. "In the meantime, Commander, I want you to keep track of these symptoms to the best of your ability and report any changes to me right away."
"Yeah," Shepard said noncommittally.
"Commander," Dr. Chakwas persisted.
"Yes, OK, Dr. Chakwas. I'll keep logs and report to you on any changes. Got it," Shepard said.
Dr. Chakwas stood up and took her plate to the sink before returning to the med bay. Shepard ate the rest of her meal in silence before heading to the cockpit to check in with Joker and get an ETA. She leaned down over the co-pilots chair and Joker glanced over at her.
"Boy am I glad to be off Noveria," Joker said. "I don't know which was worse: the cold or the corporations. One will freeze your balls off, the other will sell 'em out from under you. With all due respect, Commander."
Shepard laughed which made Joker genuinely smile. She gathered that was a rare sight.
"How far out are we, Joker?" Shepard asked.
"ETA two hours forty minutes," Joker said. "Everything alright, Commander? Not to pry or anything but it looked like Dr. Chakwas was just giving you the mean scary face down in the mess hall. Same face she gives me when she thinks I'm not taking my medication the way I'm supposed to."
"Joker! You shouldn't avoid your meds, I need my pilot at his best," Shepard said.
"You too, huh? Alright, Commander, I tell you what. You convince the doctor to give me something that doesn't make me need to piss every hour and we'll talk. So, you alright?" Joker said.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some headaches and crap to do with the beacon. She's upset because I didn't tell her about it right away," Shepard said.
"Yeah, so what was up with that beacon?" Joker asked.
Shepard slid into the empty co-pilot's seat. Joker's mouth twitched and Shepard wasn't sure if it was amusement at seeing the commander sitting in a co-pilots chair or annoyance that she was making herself comfortable in his space. She sat looking out at the vast expanse of space surrounding the Normandy. After a few moments of silence she caught Joker staring at her so she started to speak again.
"It was, uh, red and painful. These images of aliens, the protheans I guess, being ripped apart by synthetics. Of circuitry and tubes and wires being connected to flesh. It's really hard to describe. It was flickering, flashing from image to image too fast to track and it was all in shades of red. Like trying to see with blood in your eyes. Guess you probably don't know what that's like, sorry," Shepard said.
"Wow. That's uh – wow. That sucks," Joker said.
Shepard laughed again and thought she heard Joker give a quiet chuckle. When her laughter died down she looked back out at the stars. She stayed like that, just enjoying the view and the quiet with Joker occasionally glancing her direction but not speaking. She didn't realize how much time had slipped by until Joker's quiet voice shook her from her thoughts.
"ETA twenty minutes, Commander," Joker said.
Shepard turned her head to look at him, "Thanks, Joker. Sorry for uh, you know…"
Joker shrugged, "As long as you don't go messing with any of the controls, I don't mind, Commander."
Shepard stood up and stretched before patting Joker gently on his shoulder. She noticed he stiffened at the contact.
"Oh, sorry. Did that hurt?" Shepard asked.
"Uh, no, Commander. Just wasn't expecting it," Joker said.
"Oh. Alright, well tell Ashley and Liara to get ready for me, will ya?" Shepard said on her way out of the cockpit.
Joker's response was to flip two switches and speak the request into the comm. Shepard went to get ready herself before going to wait by the airlock. Ashley was already waiting and a little while later Liara arrived holding the box of artifacts snuggly against her chest. The ship docked and Joker gave them the all clear to leave the ship. Someone was waiting for them next to their dock, an admiral by his uniform markings. Shepard slowed to a hesitant stop a few feet away from the older man.
Ashley stopped and saluted, "Ten-hut!"
"At ease," he said to Ashley before turning to look at Shepard and saluting her. "Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, Fifth Fleet."
Shepard decided to respond in kind, not knowing what the admiral wanted. She saluted, "Commander Shepard, SSV Normandy."
"You don't know who I am, do you Commander?" Mikhailovich asked. "I command the sixty-third Scout Flotilla. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit after shakedown. Then the Council got their paws… Claws. Tentacles. Whatever. They got them on our ship. And you."
Did the man really not see the asari standing right there next to Shepard?
"I still serve the Alliance, sir. As a Spectre, I can advance our interests to the Council," Shepard took the diplomatic route.
"Hmph. You still know what color your blood is, Shepard?" Mikhailovick said. "I don't begrudge the politicians' decisions to throw you to the Council. It's an… opportunity. I do begrudge this overdesigned piece of tin, though."
Shepard fought the urge to punch the admiral. She'd probably get away with it but it would definitely cause waves.
"This ship has saved our lives a dozen times over!" Shepard said.
"An exaggeration. I've read your reports. This experiment," Mikhailovick said pounding a fist down into his open palm, "diverted billions from our appropriation bills. For the same price, we could've had a heavy cruiser. But no, we had to make nice to the turians. Throw money at a co-developed boondoggle. I'm here to make an inspection, Commander. Normandy is an Alliance warship. I intend to see she's up to snuff."
"Normandy is an Alliance warship, but she's on loan to the Citadel. That means she's not in your chain of command," said Shepard.
"I believe there is something wrong with my ears. Did you just contradict me?" Mikhailovick snarled.
"Normandy is not legally a part of the Alliance Military," Shepard said shaking her head. "I can't allow you aboard without permission from the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."
"Sophistry. You're talking like the Council. Using the law to obstruct the Alliance," Mikhailovick pouted. "Have it your way, Commander. But expect me to file a report on this."
Admiral Mikhailovick turned and walked away leaving Shepard and her team to head into the elevator. Shepard had her mind focused on Mikhailovick, wandering why he really wanted on the Normandy so she didn't catch the full conversation between Liara and Ashley. Something about Ashley's training and taking down Saren. Shepard spared a fleeting pleased thought to see Ashley and Liara talking as she stepped off the elevator. Her thoughts were interrupted by a call coming through on her channel.
"Commander Shepard? Sorry to bother you. This is Lieutenant Girard down in the docking bay," a man with a heavy French accent said. "There's a woman here, uh… She was rescued from batarian slavers a few weeks ago. She's from Mindoir. I guess she was taken. In the raid on your town."
Shepard held her hand up to the communication device secured in her ear, pressing the small button there to speak, "She's been a slave for the past thirteen years? Is she alright?"
"Not really," Girard's voice came through. "She's a little messed up. She got free somehow. Grabbed a gun from one of my guys. Now she's holed up here in the docking bay. She, uh – She says she wants to die. I hoped you'd talk to her. It's a long shot but you went through the same thing. The raid. I figured maybe you could talk her out of her tree."
"I'm on my way, Lieutenant. Sit tight," Shepard said even as she turned back to the elevator.
"Anything you can do would be great. I don't want to – She's been through enough. I'll have my men stand by for you," Girard said.
Ashley and Liara gave Shepard a quizzical look as she stepped back on the elevator but they followed her without question.
"There's a situation on the docks that I need to take care of before we deal with the Council," Shepard said.
The elevator took her back up to the docks where she saw two guards standing near the Normandy looking off towards a stack of crates further down the docking platform. One of them turned to salute her.
"Commander, glad to see you," he had the same voice; it must be Girard.
"I wish it were under better circumstances. Where is she?" Shepard asked.
Girard looked back at the crates and pointed, "Behind those shipping containers. I've got a sniper positioned, but I don't think we'll need him. She's only a danger to herself. We've got a sedative to calm her down, but we can't get close to her. Every step we take gets her more wound up."
Shepard took the sedative from Girard, "I hope I don't need it. Tell your men to stand by."
Girard held up a hand, "Don't push her too hard. If she seems liable to pull the trigger, back off. Or walk away. I'm willing to wait her out. Good luck, Commander."
Shepard made her way slowly over to the woman hiding behind the crates. She didn't let her get very close before she pointed a pistol at Shepard.
"S-stop! What do you – What are you?" Her voice was heavily laced with fear.
"My name is Shepard. Lieutenant Girard sent me to talk to you. What's your name?" Shepard spoke slowly and softly, hoping to soothe the woman.
The woman shook her head, "Animals don't get names. The masters put their symbols on her. Hot metal all over her back. She screams when they do it."
It was difficult to tell how old the woman was; thirteen years in slavery undoubtedly took a toll on her body. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, creases formed over her face. Her hair was cropped close to her scalp. Scars and bruises were visible on her arms, neck, and face.
"You're not an animal. Your parents? What did they call you? Do you remember them?" Shepard asked trying to keep the venom out of her voice.
"She remembers a lot of things," the woman said. "Talitha. They called her that. Sh-She doesn't remember the rest. Leave her alone."
Talitha lowered the gun while she thought about her name before rubbing her forearm across her head, the gun swinging around wildly as she did so. Shepard tensed as she tracked the weapons location with her eyes.
"What happened to your parents?" Shepard asked.
"There's – She sees them. They're yelling. Run. Hide," Talitha startled and looked up and to the side as the memory took hold of her. "They hit the masters. But the masters, they have lights and hoses. Daddy's – He's melting!"
Talitha grabbed her head, the pistol rising with her hand. She used the back of the thumb gripping the pistol to rub at her eye, "Sh-She doesn't want to see that! Don't make her look. Don't look! Stupid, stupid!"
"I know it hurts, Talitha," Shepard said making sure to use her name. "I'm sorry. But you need to deal with this. What happened to them? Think."
"When she thinks, water comes out of her eyes. The masters beat her when she wastes water. So she doesn't think anymore. She sees them. Mommy and Daddy. Burning in white light. Melting. Going to pieces. They can't even say anything to her. They're dead, Shepard. They try to save her, and the masters burn them. Can she stop remembering now? Please?" Talitha's voice was cracking; she was so close to sobbing as she grabbed her head with both hands once more.
"I'm going to take a step towards you now. Okay?" Shepard said.
Talitha startled back as Shepard neared, "No! She's no good. Don't want to be handled again!"
"What's the last thing you remember from Mindoir?" Shepard asked.
"Fires. Smells of smoke and burning meat. Animals screaming as the masters cage them. As they put the metal to their backs. Put wires in their brains," Talitha moved the gun to the side of her face and whispered as if telling a secret behind her hand. "She pretends to be dead. If she's dead, she can't work. But they know. She hopes they'll leave. But they put her in the pen. She didn't fight. She was already broken when they put the wires in."
Shepard swallowed back the bile that was threatening to rise up her throat and pushed back her own memories of watching her parents die at the hands of the batarians. The smell of burning meat, Talitha said. Shepard knew that she was describing the horrible scent of burning human flesh. She had smelled it too; she would never forget that smell.
"With everything that happened that day, no one could blame you for hoping they'd just go away," Shepard said.
Talitha's head ticked, "She can. She can blame her. Stupid! She's stupid and she deserves to be dead!"
"How did you get here? Did you escape?" Shepard asked.
"She can't escape," Talitha shook her head like it was obvious. "They have chains. Wires. Needles. You go too far, they take your brains away," she shook the gun at Shepard as if it were a simple finger she were waving around to emphasize her point, "Animals like her come. Animals with guns. They make the masters explode. She tries to fix the masters. So they won't be mad at her. She puts all the reds and purples back in, but they don't move. The other animals take her."
"You were afraid. All you'd known for thirteen years was the 'masters' abuse. So you tried to heal them," Shepard said.
"She doesn't want to see other animals. They're not real. They can't be real. They can't see her. If the animals can see her, then this is real. But it can't be. The wires. The chains. The hitting. This doesn't happen to her. It's another girl. A dirty girl. A stupid girl. She deserves it! It – It happens to her. Doesn't it? They see her, so it's real. She doesn't want it to be real," the tears start to fall from Talitha's eyes.
"I was on Mindoir. My parents died in the raid," Shepard forced the words out.
Talitha jumped and started looking around erratically again, "Lying. You get hit for lying. Get the buzz or the burning. Can't be there. Why are you alive?" Talitha screamed and pointed the pistol at Shepard again, "Why are you – Why aren't you like her? Broken. Only fit to dig and carry."
"For a while I was broken. I lost my whole family, Talitha. My friends. My childhood. I had to pull myself up and keep going," Shepard spoke the words she hadn't to anyone else in years.
"You lose your mommy and daddy. But you don't dig. You don't carry. You stand up. She wishes she could stand up," Talitha said.
"I'm going to take a step towards you now. Okay?" Shepard repeated the same thing, wanting to keep things simple and precise with Talitha before taking another step.
"She doesn't want – don't touch her!" Talitha snapped but kept the gun down.
"Please don't touch her. She's dirty. You'll catch it!" Talitha whined and pleaded.
"Talitha, this will make you sleep," Shepard said handing the sedative to Talitha. "If you fall asleep, they'll take you to a place where you can get better."
Talitha looked around before taking the sedative, "Will she have bad dreams?"
Talitha's eyes started to droop and she stepped towards Shepard. Shepard opened her arms to the battered woman. Talitha laid her head against Shepard's shoulder while Shepard wrapped her arms around her. Shepard knew exactly what her own dreams would be like.
"You'll dream of a warm place. And when you wake up, you'll be in it," Shepard told her.
"She'd like that," Talitha's voice came soft next to Shepard's ear. "It hurts when she – when I remember me." She pulled back from Shepard to look her in the eye, "But she wants to remember."
Talitha slumped forward. Shepard reached out to grab her before she could hit the ground and slowly lowered the woman to the dock. Shepard walked past Liara and Ashely with her spine straight and her eyes forward. She whisked a few tears away from her face as she went back to Girard.
"Is it over, Commander?" Girard asked.
"She took the sedative. She wants to get better, Lieutenant," Shepard told him.
"Thanks, Commander. That means a lot. I didn't want to hurt her. It's just, when I see her curled into a ball, shivering… She was only six when they took her. Why the hell are we out here if we can't even keep one little girl safe?" Girard asked.
"Bad things happen to good people, Lieutenant," Shepard said. "That's why you and I are here. Don't wring your hands over her – help her."
"Yes ma'am," Girard said. "Thanks for your help, Commander. We are taking her to a counseling center. They'll help her get better.
Shepard nodded to the lieutenant before making her way back to the elevator. Ashley and Liara exchanged a look but stayed quiet and close to their Commander. Shepard took a deep breath and patted her cheeks to make sure they were dry.
As soon as she stepped off the elevator in C-Sec for the second time was Shepard waved down by a reporter.
"Commander Shepard? Khalisah bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Would you answer a few questions for our viewers?" the reporter asked.
"What sort of questions?" Shepard asked.
"People back home have heard a lot of wild stories about you, Commander. I can give you the chance to set the record straight. What do you say?" Khalisah said.
"So long as you understand that I may not be able to answer all questions," Shepard said.
"I'm sure our viewers will understand," the reporter opened her omni-tool and the camera that had been hovering near lowered itself to zoom in on Shepard; shining a light in her face.
Shepard stood with her hands behind her back and answered all of the reporter's questions as diplomatically as she could. The reporter seemed to have some serious problems with the Council and the alien races that made Shepard uncomfortable. Shepard had never been very good when dealing with the press, and right now, especially right after dealing with Talitha she was having trouble keeping things civil. Finally Shepard held up a hand to bring an end to the interview before she did something really stupid like knock the reporter flat on her ass.
"Hold on. It's pretty clear you have an agenda here. I'm not going to be part of it. Excuse me," Shepard was proud of herself for walking away.
"You can't just walk away, Commander. The public has a right to know!" Khalisah called after Shepard. "Isn't it true you're just a shill for the Council?"
Shepard kept walking with Liara and Ashley at her side. She sent a quick message to Nassana Dantius to inform her she would be available to speak with her at the designated location in an hour's time. She led her small group to Tevos' office, expecting the asari councilor to be more conducive to surprise visits. Plus, she just didn't like Sparatus and Valern seemed generally disinterested in most things to do with Shepard. Tevos' office was expansive and far more posh than Shepard was comfortable around. An asari sat at a desk across from the door.
"Spectre Shepard. What can we do for you today?" she greeted Shepard.
"I have some artifacts that were found in the field," Shepard said gesturing towards the box Liara carried. "I wished to deliver them to Tevos personally as my associate, Dr. T'soni, assures me they are quite delicate and fragile."
"I see, of course. One moment, please. I will see if Tevos is available to see you," she said before pushing a button on her console.
Tevos voice rang through the comm, "Yes?"
"Sorry to bother you, Councilor. Spectre Shepard is here with two of her associates. She wishes to see you regarding some artifacts that she has brought with her. Are you available to see Spectre Shepard?" the asari spoke while maintaining a smile and watchful eye on Shepard's companions.
"Yes, of course. Send them in. Thank you, Selene," Tevos said.
The asari stood up and walked around the desk before holding out an arm, "Right this way, please."
Selene led Shepard down a long hallway decorated with sculptures and paintings. She opened the door at the end of the hall and stepped aside for Shepard, Liara, and Ashley to enter. Selene closed the door behind them as Shepard stood before Tevos' desk. Tevos finished typing something on her computer before turning her attention to Shepard. Her smile faltered when she saw Liara but she recovered it fast enough to not appear overly rude. She pushed her chair away from her desk and stood.
"Shepard, it is good to see you. And you, Liara. It has been a long time. I was grieved to learn of your mother's fate," Tevos said.
Liara bowed her head, "It is a pleasure to see you as well, Councilor."
A hint of sadness washed over Tevos' face before she turned to Ashley, "And if I am not mistaken, you are Alliance Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, correct? You were involved with the Eden Prime missions, is that correct?"
Ashley nodded, "Yes ma'am."
"Well Shepard, what is it you have brought for me?" Tevos said done with the pleasantries.
Shepard gestured to Liara who gently sat the box down on Tevos' desk before carefully laying the items out for Tevos to see.
"Shepard has recovered historically significant specimens from each of the Council races, Tevos. She has asked me to study them in order to provide you with a full report, which I have here," Liara handed the councilor a datapad, "These medallions are salarian origin, they were found with mummified corpses and my research has confirmed them to be the identifiers of the League of One. These banners contain insignias from the lost turian colonies, and here we have some journal entries that I have confirmed to have been written by Matriarch Dilinaga."
"Oh my. I am quite impressed, Shepard. These are all quite valuable discoveries. Thank you for bringing them in personally. I will make sure that you are well compensated for your time and efforts. Liara, thank you as well for your diligence in studying and caring for these artifacts," Tevos said as Liara carefully placed each item back into the box.
Shepard nodded to Tevos, "Of course, Councilor. We needed supplies from the Citadel anyway before continuing on. I will let you get back to your work."
"Thank you, Shepard," Tevos said as the three women left her office.
They took a skycar to the bar in the embassies and met with Nassana Dantius. Shepard recognized her as having been in the same bar, at the same table the last time Shepard was here talking to the Alliance rep about Bhatia's remains.
"Commander Shepard, I am Nassana Dantius," the asari introduced herself. "I'm glad you're here. I must talk to you about my sister, Dahlia. She has been kidnapped by slavers!"
Shepard crossed her arms, "I killed Dahlia myself. And I know she was blackmailing you."
The asari pursed her lips and tilted her head, "Hm. And I was all set to try to manipulate you into hunting her down for me. But I guess that won't be necessary now, will it?"
Shepard closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Images began flashing on the back of her eyelids. She was standing in an office in front of Nassana Dantius. Mercenary guards stood around the woman. Shepard could see sky cars buzzing by in the night sky out of the window. Nassana thought Shepard had come to kill her and Shepard found that amusing. A salarian stood next to Shepard, wearing white and red armor, and missing part of the right horn on his head. Mordin. On her other side a human woman, young, bald, covered in tattoos, with a mostly exposed torso. Jack. Movement from the ceiling caught Shepard's attention, but she kept her gaze locked on Nassana. The drell assassin she had been tracking through the building dropped from the ceiling, falling silently to the floor. Thane. He moved like magic, like flowing water, and dancing wind as he snapped the neck of one guard, punched the next in the throat, and shot the last before spinning around to knock aside Nassana's gun placing his own firmly against her abdomen. He paused briefly and then pulled the trigger. Gently he laid Nassana down against the desk as she sputtered out her final breaths. He crossed her arms over her chest before clasping his hands together and bowing his head as if in prayer.
Shepard's eyes flew open and she blinked rapidly; the images faded but unlike the dreams the memory of it stayed with her. Yes! Yes, that's right, that's real. Keep it, hold on to it. Don't let it go. Oh thank the gods. She could feel her heart racing. No, no this isn't happening she told herself. Shepard looked at Nassana and swallowed down the hard lump that had formed in her throat. No, no, stop that. You're not going crazy. That was real. I am real. No, stop. What are you doing? Don't push it away!
"You wanted your sister dead?" Ashley raised her eyebrows.
She was grateful for Ashley's distraction. She didn't think anyone noticed her moment of panic. Shepard struggled to push the images away but they wouldn't leave her. She was able to regain her composure enough to follow along with the conversation and school her expressions. She felt her calm returning as she focused on what Nassana was saying.
"If people found out my sister was a criminal, I'd be considered a security risk. They'd revoke my clearance, or place me on administrative leave until she was apprehended," Nassana said. "I shall transfer a little something into your account as a token of my appreciation. I'm sure you will find the amount satisfactory."
"You're a diplomat on her way up the ranks. It could be handy to have a Spectre who owes you a favor," Shepard said.
"You make a good point. Anyone can come up with credits, but I can give you authorization to purchase prototype asari mods. I will get you added to our manufacturer's preferred client list. I think you would be very interested in what they have available. Goodbye, Shepard. It's been a pleasure doing business with you," Nassana said.
Shepard couldn't wait to get away from Nassana. The image of the woman being shot in the abdomen at point blank kept flooding her mind. She escaped into the public restroom as soon as she could and locked herself in a stall. She was shaking so hard she had trouble engaging the lock at first. She sat on the toilet and leaned forward, digging her elbows into her knees so she could bury her face in her palms.
"This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening," Shepard whispered to herself over and over.
Yes it is. Yes it is. Yes it is. Stop fighting me. I can help you. You need me. I need you. Gods don't push me away. It's taken me so long, so, so long to make progress. Please don't push me away.
"Commander?" Liara's soft voice was at the door. "Commander, is everything alright? Should I… should I call Dr. Chakwas?
"No! Sorry, no, Liara. Do not call Dr. Chakwas. I'll be alright. I just need a minute. It's uh, just hitting me a little hard. That woman, Talitha, on the docks, I mean," Shepard said.
"Of course. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for you. I had heard whispers about your past and what happened to your parents on Mindoir, but I had no idea of the extent of what you must have witnessed. My heart breaks for you, Shepard and for that poor woman. Is there anything that I can do for you?" Liara spoke softly.
Shepard stood and opened the stall door. Liara had been leaning against it and jumped in surprise. Shepard tried to smile but couldn't make her mouth obey her command. She walked over to the sink and splashed some water on her face before looking at Liara's reflection in the mirror. Liara held out a towel to Shepard to dry her face on. Shepard took the towel and pressed it against her face. She took a deep breath, letting the clean scent of the soft cloth fill her lungs before she let it out slowly.
"Thank you, Liara. I think I'm OK now. Where's Ashley?" Shepard asked.
"Standing guard," Liara indicated the door. "I do not think that those waiting appreciate her refusal to allow them to enter. I fear it will only be a matter of moments before one of them calls C-Sec."
Shepard surprised herself with the laugh that rushed out of her. It seemed to startle Liara as well but soon the asari was giving Shepard that soft smile of hers. It helped though, to calm Shepard. She patted her face again and put the towel in the chute.
"Well, we had better get out of here before they arrive, then. Come on, I have a few more people to see before we'll head back to the ship," Shepard put her hand on Liara's back to guide her towards the door.
Shepard made her way to where she had last seen Garoth, the man who asked her to look for his brother. She found him in the same area, it seemed like he had been waiting there for her to return. He probably came there every day to watch for Shepard, hoping that she would bring him good news. She really hated this part of the job. She supposed every solider and did. She broke the news to Garoth as gently as she could. She avoided the more gruesome details of how she found his brother's body and gave him the datapad she had found with his corpse.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Shepard said.
Garoth shook Shepard's hand, "Thank you for finding him. It's better to know one way or the other. That's what they say, right? Please excuse me. I need to go make arrangements for his funeral."
Admiral Kahoku wasn't very far from Garoth. It was only marginally easier to tell a fellow serviceman such bad news than what it was to tell a civilian. He didn't want to believe that his men were all dead, not by a thresher maw. Shepard told him that the evidence suggested that they had been lured there by an Alliance distress beacon which appeared to have been deliberately placed in the middle of a thresher nest.
"Damn it! I had a bad feeling about this ever since my team disappeared. An Alliance beacon used as bait, my unit wiped out… and nobody seems to know anything about it!" Kahoku ranted. "Commander, I appreciate what you did. Now I need to do my part. The families of those marines deserve to know why they died."
"Anything you need from me?" Shepard asked.
"Not right now, Shepard. But I'll let you know as soon as I find something out," Kahoku walked away.
Feeling calm and completely in control of herself once again, Shepard took the rapid transit to the markets in the wards. She did a little shopping, ordering supplies for the Normandy mostly. She bought a couple of bottles of ryncol for Wrex after repeatedly assuring the merchant that she didn't intend to drink it herself.
"Hey, Commander Shepard! It's me, Conrad Verner. Remember me?" Conrad waved at Shepard from across the markets.
She made her way over to the man, wondering what he could possibly want now.
"There are rumors on the extranet that you've been made the first human Spectre! That's incredible!" Conrad gushed.
"Being a Spectre is a big responsibility. I just want to make humanity proud," Shepard said.
"The vids were all talking about 'Commander Shepard fighting for all of us back home,'" Conrad said saluting. "And your grace and skill have inspired a whole legion of admirers, too! Hey, can I get your picture?"
"I don't have a problem with it, but… why?" Shepard asked.
"Are you kidding? Nobody will believe that I talked to the beautiful Commander Shepard unless I get a picture!" Conrad said.
"Just hold up your gun. Perfect!" Conrad said as Shepard posed for the picture.
He snapped a picture and Shepard relaxed putting her gun away.
"Thanks again, Commander. I'm going to hang this in my living room! My wife will love it!" Conrad said walking away.
"Yeah, that wasn't creepy," Shepard drawled. "Let's get out of here."