Sparatus

"I don't recall asking for your opinion." Sparatus snapped his mandibles in tight against his face.

If Adrien thought for one minute he wouldn't beat the other turian over the head with his cane, well, the general had another thought coming. Sparatus took a few steps closer, forcing his mandibles to relax and straightened his spine, meeting the other turian eye to eye despite his injuries.

Adrien flared his mandibles, tucking his hands behind his back and shaking his head. "Be that as it may, you're even more foolish than I thought if you won't listen to reason. The primarch has given you leave to move troops against The Dissension, but he didn't mean you can just throw lives away."

"I'm not throwing lives away, I'm putting them to good use." Sparatus turned, the shocks of pain from still healing nerves shooting down his legs forcing him back to his desk. He eased himself into the chair, glaring at Adrien, daring the general to comment on his weakness. "Victory doesn't come without risks and costs, General Victus. You, of all people with your service record, should understand this reality."

"What I understand, sir, is this human, Commander Shepard, has managed to convince the primarch the reaper threat she speaks of is real." Adrien crossed the floor to sit down on the other side of Sparatus' desk without invitation. "If this is the case, we're going to need every last damn unit we have to fight the upcoming war. The Dissension is a very real problem, I don't deny that, but they are a problem that can be handled more efficiently and with less casualties by Blackwatch. What I understand, sir, is you are still thinking like a Councilor—which you are no longer. Wipe The Dissension off the board, do it fast, and do it discreetly. To hell with what the rest of the galaxy thinks."

Sparatus flicked his mandibles, growing more annoyed with the general with every word to come out of his mouth. "You have no understanding of politics or diplomacy, Victus. If we want to keep the peace with humans and be able to focus on the reapers when they arrive, then the galaxy needs to see the Hierarchy taking charge to end The Dissension. So long as we act in the public eye, the humans remain content enough to not take matters into their own hands, and it gives the Council the room they need to prepare everyone for the reapers."

Adrien chuffed, his shoulders and chest heaving with mock laughter. "You mean it gives them the room they need to continue struggling to maintain their lies to everyone else in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary."

Sparatus grunted, he couldn't really deny the fact the Council was swiftly running out of time before the galaxy stopped listening. He'd said as much to the Council when he resigned, said as much to his replacement. Anderson, of course, agreed, but the oaf would agree with anything that painted humanity as valiant in the face of a threat. Taking a deep breath, he let it out in a sigh, mandibles flaring. "Any word on the krogan?"

Adrien shifted, leaning to the side to prop his elbow on the arm of his chair. "The latest reports show Urdnot Wrex has managed to bring in all but the Gatatog and Weyrloc clans." Adrien rested his chin on his palm, one finger curling around to rest above his upper mouth plates. "He's in talks with the new leader of Gatatog, Krunlot, but it's too early to tell which way it will swing." His mandibles flicked with amusement. "Several of the members of Gatatog are still upset Shepard and her tank-bred killed their former leader after his attempts to sabotage the tank-bred's Rite of Passage."

"Grunt," Sparatus said. "His name is Urdnot Grunt."

Adrien flicked his mandibles and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "There's been reports of several clans having sworn themselves to aid Shepard against the reapers." He sighed, shifting his weight to the other arm of the chair. "The krogan are preparing for the war."

Sparatus nodded. "Good. Spirits help me, but we're going to need them."

Sparatus leaned his weight on his cane, watching the interrogation through the glass. The turian on the other side of the window was the third so far that day. He'd only been in the chair for a half hour, and already he'd given them twelve new names. In the last week alone, they'd arrested thirty-two men and women associated with The Dissension. The rhetoric Sparatus heard them spewing went well beyond insanity; he began to wonder if what he saw in some of the members of The Dissension might be the same reaper indoctrination Saren fell victim to.

"You won't stop us," the turian under interrogation, Temius Candilin, said. "The humans must pay for what they've done."

"And what is it you think the humans have done?" Lieutenant Sanctius leaned back in his chair, resting one foot atop the other knee.

Candilin scoffed, mandibles flicking with agitation as he looked away.

Sanctius let out a weary sigh, tapping a talon against the metal table. "Answer the question."

"We were to be the firsts," Candilin said before snarling, "but then the humans came."

"The firsts?" Sanctius lifted a brow ridge. "The firsts for what?"

"The first to ascend, to meet our destiny!" Candilin tugged at the manacles keeping him shackled to the table. "But now, thanks to Commander Shepard, we've fallen from favor."

Sparatus' veins filled with ice water.

Spirits, it is indoctrination.

Turning on his heel, he made his way from the viewing room and used his cane to tap on the door to the interrogation room. The door slid open and Sanctius raised his brow plates, stepping aside to clear the way for Sparatus. Cane clicking across the tiled floor with each step, Sparatus made his way to stand in front of Candilin.

The turian glared at Sparatus, hate filling his eyes. "You're a traitor to your people."

"Where's the reaper artifact?" Sparatus shifted his weight to stand a little straighter despite the twinge of pain running down his legs.

The scent of Sanctius' sudden tension filled the air, and he moved up next to Sparatus. "Sir?"

"This man is indoctrinated, Lieutenant." Sparatus didn't bother to take his gaze off of Candilin. "Where is the artifact? Is it on Palaven?"

Candilin's mandibles flared. "You can't stop this. They are coming."

Sparatus turned, headed back for the door. "Lieutenant, I want you to find out where the artifact is that Candilin was exposed to. I need to call Primarch Fedorian."

"You're certain about this?" Fedorian closed his eyes, rubbing a thumb and finger over his lids. It was the third time they talked in as many days, and each conversation just seemed to age Fedorian another another few years. "We destroyed Temple Palaven to prevent a bioweapon emergency decades ago."

"Yes, and who issued the order?" Sparatus lifted a brow plate when the primarch met his gaze again.

Fedorain flared his mandibles. "Saren Arterius. Spirits."

"We're still piecing together the story, but I believe the 'bioweapon' Saren mentioned was a reaper artifact. After he became indoctrinated himself, he began excavating the temple's ruins in secret. Whatever was in the temple, it seems Saren didn't believe the Hierarchy managed to completely destroy it with the orbital attacks." Sparatus fluttered his mandibles, shifting his weight. "Which means it must've been more powerful than the one Shepard destroyed on Fehl Prime. Well, or at least built more sturdily."

"Even if it was destroyed, who's to say the remains aren't still just as dangerous?" Fedorian tapped his talons on his desk. "Alright, I'm going to have the area quartered off and quarantined. Let's hope the shielding we have is sufficient." He reached out as if about to disconnect the call but stopped, meeting Sparatus' gaze once more. "This information doesn't leave the Hierarchy until I know for certain what we're dealing with, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." Sparatus nodded, and the screen went black.

"Calling to check up on me again, Tevos?" Sparatus asked as he answered the call.

She smiled, and as much as he hated to admit it, he missed seeing that same smile in person. Missed seeing her. She'd softened him over the years, left him a shell of the turian he was when he joined the Council. Twenty years he served, and fifteen of those years were spent alongside her as something more than colleagues, late nights together 'working' in his office or hers, days off and vacations spent hiding away together from prying eyes. Oh how they struggled to keep their relationship a secret for the sake of appearing impartial. If Valern learned of his intimate relationship with Tevos, the salarian councilor would call every ruling they made into question. Spirits knew Anderson would, too, and the annoying human ambassador, Udina, would be right there beside him throwing one of his endless tantrums.

"I wouldn't need to call to check on you if I trusted you to take care of yourself." She raised a brow ridge, her smile shifting into the private one she reserved for him and him alone. "How are you, Sparatus? Are you following the doctor's orders?"

He fluttered his mandibles, turning enough in his chair to stretch his aching legs out a little to the side. "Stop worrying, Tevos." He let out a soft purr, smiling at her. "I'm fine, and I'll see you soon. I've already booked passage to the Citadel for the day after tomorrow."

She let out a soft sigh. "Goddess, I miss you. Being on the Council has become unbearable without you."

He flicked a mandible. "Is Quentius not working out?"

"Oh no, he's fine, I suppose." She chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "I just got so used to dealing with a stubborn old turian with a little more backbone."

He chuffed, tracing the edge of his desk with his talon. "I seem to remember a time when my stubborness drove you crazy." He chuckled. "The first disagreement we got into, what was it over? Human expansion in the Skyllian Verge? Anyway, I felt so sure you were seconds away from ripping me off my feet with a Singularity."

"Mmm, actually, I was thinking of using a Warp," she said, lifting a brow.

He hissed, shifting it into a laugh. "I'm glad we found a more pleasant way to solve our disputes."

She grinned. "So am I. In fact, now that you're not on the Council anymore, I think it's safe to tell you I may have started a few arguments just so we could find creative ways to solve them."

Sparatus laughed, mandibles fluttering. "So did I."

"Councilor! What a pleasant surprise. Are you here to visit someone?" The asari behind the visitor station desk beamed up at him.

He flared his mandibles, fighting back the urge to ask her what the hell she was so cheerful about. "I'm not a councilor anymore."

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm so sorry." Her cheeks shifted from baby blue to purple.

He chuffed, ignoring the apology, as if his resignation from the Council wasn't his choice. "I'd like to see Commander Shepard, I'm told she's a patient here."

"Ah … give me just one moment, I'll have to contact her guardian." The asari turned her attention to her console.

"Guardian? Is she really that bad?" Sparatus flared his mandibles, beginning to question the wisdom of going to The Pearson Sisters' Sanctuary.

"I'm sorry, Coun—ah, Sparatus. I'm not allowed to divulge any details about any patient's status without express permission from either them or their guardian." She waved a hand at the chairs lining the wall. "If you'd like to take a seat, I'll contact Lieutenant Vega and let him know you're here."

Sparatus huffed. "Anderson made Lieutenant Vega her guardian?" He turned, taking slow steps towards the seating. "Of course he did."

He eased himself into one of the chairs, resting his cane against his knee and waited. There were a few people milling about the area, two asari talking quietly together over by a fountain, a salarian wearing a labcoat talking to two humans in hushed tones—the female crying, wiping her nose on a handkerchief—and two other humans sitting in chairs across from him, watching him with wary eyes. He'd hoped having his name cleared of charges and his work to apprehend those involved with The Dissension might earn him at least a little reprieve from the prying eyes, but he'd been mistaken. Still, no one dared to approach him as he made his way through the Citadel, and honestly, the extra distance everyone seemed to give him more than made up for the cross looks.

"Sparatus?" The asari called out, and he looked up to see her standing a few feet away. "Lieutenant Vega has approved your visitation request. I'll show you to her rooms, if you're ready?"

Bracing his cane on the floor, he groaned as he pushed himself up. The asari moved to his side, reaching for him as if he were elderly and at risk of falling. His gaze snapped to her, and he shot his best 'don't you dare' glare at her, making her blanch and take a step back. He might not be exactly young anymore, and he might be recovering from significant injuries, but he was still able-bodied and of sound enough mind to take insult at the woman's attempts to coddle him. He'd had enough of Tevos trying to do that since he stepped foot back on the Citadel.

He followed the asari attendant down the hall, grumbling when she deliberately slowed her steps to accommodate him. Thankfully he didn't have to go very far, it looked like they gave Shepard one of the nicer rooms in the facility, no surprise there. She was technically still a Spectre, after all. The two Alliance guards stationed outside the door nodded to him, and the asari knocked, smiling at Sparatus before turning and walking away again.

A moment later the door slid open and Vega beckoned him inside. Sparatus nodded to the two guards before stepping over the threshold. Shepard sat on a couch at the far side of the room, watching him without expression.

"I uh, I should warn you, she doesn't have a lot of impulse control right now," Vega said, keeping his voice low as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

Sparatus flared his mandibles. "How so?"

"Ah … well, I needed to step out for a little while earlier, and she tried to leave. When the guards stepped in her way, she used her biotics to Throw one across the room. Broke his arm, had to call in a replacement." Vega shook his head. "She spent an hour crying her eyes out afterwards, just kept saying she's sorry."

Spirits. I guess they can't exactly take her biotics away … or her hand to hand skills.

Sparatus straightened his spine, doing his best to hide his weaknesses; he was turian, after all. "Thanks for the warning." He pushed forward, making his way further into the room, telling himself the uncomfortable itch under his plates wasn't because Shepard's gaze tracked his movements like a predator. He stopped when he got to the first place to sit down and lowered himself into the chair. "Hello, Commander."

She blinked, watching him for long moments in utter silence before she simply said, "Sparatus."

He had the eerie feeling she meant it less as a greeting and more as a confirmation, as if she were merely identifying an object placed in front of her. Fluttering his mandibles, he fought back the urge to shift around in his seat, instead, forcing a smile on his face. "You came to see me while I was in the hospital, I thought it only fair I return the favor."

After another long stretch of silence, Vega said, "Yeah, she doesn't really talk much, but keep talking to her. Dr. Chakwas says it helps keep her oriented. She understands what you're saying just fine."

Sparatus glanced over his shoulder at the human marine taken up station behind him and gave Vega a sharp nod. Turning his attention back to Shepard, he said, "The list you gave Primarch Fedorian has been an immense help in tracking down members of The Dissension, including those we believe to be responsible for the attack at Tiberius Towers." He fluttered his mandibles when she didn't respond. "We've taken over two hundred into custody, and forty more were killed resisting arrest."

"The list had what? Five hundred names?" Vega asked, drawing Sparatus' attention.

Sparatus dipped his head in a nod. "Yes, and although we know their numbers are higher, we don't yet have any idea how many more there are." He hummed. "But the Shadow Broker, of all people, has been sending the primarch updated lists. Fedorian said Shepard made arrangements with the Broker before …."

Vega smirked, scratching at the side of his stubble covered face. "Yeah, you could say that."

Sparatus raised a brow plate.

The human shrugged. "She's Shepard, she makes things happen, especially when the odds are stacked against her. The Council threatened her with treason, blocked her access to Spectre resources, so she made some things happen, and now she's got access to the Shadow Broker's resources."

"She … she knows the Shadow Broker?" Sparatus' mandibles fell slack, eyes widening. Spirits, the things they could do with the Shadow Broker's resources ….

Vega held his hands out and shrugged with both shoulders. "Maybe. You'd have to ask her."

Sparatus knew the man was being evasive, knew more than he said; Sparatus smelled it on him. He wouldn't press, though, he held no authority over the human. Not anymore. Instead, he turned his attention back to Shepard and flicked his mandibles. She still hadn't said anything more than his name, how was he supposed to ask her if she knew the Shadow Broker? She stared at him, blinking slowly every so often but otherwise remained motionless. It made his hide crawl.

"Shepard, do you know who the Shadow Broker is?" he asked, shifting uneasily beneath her gaze.

"Yes," she said, surprising him.

He hummed with excitement, pushing himself to the edge of his chair, leaning in a little closer to her. "Who? Who is the Shadow Broker?"

"No," she said.

Sparatus straightened his spine, holding her gaze, only half conscious of his tone shifting back to that of the councilor as he said, "Commander, if you have access to the Shadow Broker's resources—"

"No," she said more forcefully, brow furrowing.

Vega shifted a little behind him, clearing his throat, and when Sparatus looked up at the marine, he gave Sparatus a tight shake of his head. Remembering what the lieutenant said about Shepard using her biotics against one of her guards, Sparatus sucked in a shallow breath and sat back in the chair again. His mandibles flicked with agitation, and he tapped a talon against his cane, reminding himself for the second time in a matter of seconds that he'd left the Council and held no authority over either of the humans present. He'd come as a courtesy, to show Shepard the same respect she'd shown him, and to update her on The Dissension since she'd been so useful in the entire ordeal. Spirits, she sided with him publicly and then saved his life, the least he could do was respect her wishes, at least while she still worked to recover from the loss of so many.

He sighed, relaxing into his chair and decided to change the topic. "We've located Spectre Protalus … well, the Shadow Broker located her. He refused to tell us where exactly she is, but he did agree to pass on a message from the primarch. Fedorian spoke to the Council on Protalus' behalf, and they've agreed to allow her to continue her work, ferreting out other members. They're not letting it be known publicly, of course."

She didn't respond, just sat there, passively watching him once again.

"I spoke to Anderson earlier today. He said you're making progress, and he expects you to pull through this." He flared his mandibles. "He also said there's no way you'd let anyone else lead the fight against the reapers."

Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing. "You don't believe the reapers are real."

Sparatus cocked his head to the side, confused. "I do, Shepard. We talked about this several times, when you first came back to the Citadel after Cerberus …." His mandibles stilled, and he glanced back at Vega again only to have the man shrug. "Has her memory been affected, too?"

"The Council never believes us until it's too late," Shepard said, a familiar outrage seeping into her tone, drawing his attention back to her.

Unease swept over him, mandibles flaring as he tilted his head to look at her. She stood up, the movement abrupt enough to make him jump a little, and Vega took a step closer. Her gaze shifted to the lieutenant and then back to Sparatus before she turned, walking over to a shelf where she picked up a hat.

"The reapers are coming, and Palaven will burn," she said, barely above a whisper, quiet enough he doubted Vega heard her at all. "We will unite the galaxy, bring an end to all of your petty squabbling, and then, just like a thousand times before, we will die." She ran her fingers over the SR-2 emblazoned on the hat, tears welling up in her eyes. "When we wake up again, everyone we've lost this time will be alive again. We can start over."

What in the world …? What is she talking about? Anderson is truly insane if he thinks for even a minute she's going to be fit to lead this war.

She turned, looking dead at Sparatus, and with her voice still feather soft, she said, "We think it's listening to us."

"Hey, Ídola, we can't hear you with you whispering from over there." Vega bobbed his head when Sparatus glanced at him. "Well, I can't." The man took a few steps closer to Shepard, putting himself partially in front of Sparatus. "Sparatus isn't on the Council anymore, remember? The Dissension went after him while we were at Anderson's apartment. You and Garrus found Sparatus upstairs, in his apartment, trapped under … what was it?" He glanced at Sparatus.

Sparatus frowned, refusing to acknowledge the embarrassment he felt over having his choice of home décor nearly be the thing to end his life. "A model of one of Palaven's moons, Menae." He flicked his mandibles, understanding what the marine intended, even if he didn't understand why it was necessary. He turned his attention back to Shepard and added, "You came to visit me in the hospital after that, and I told you I planned to retire. I moved back to Palaven, where I've been working to prepare the turians for the reapers and hunt down The Dissension."

Confusion seemed to pull at her for a couple of seconds, her brow furrowing as she looked at him. "The Dissension," she said, putting the hat back on the shelf. "We remember."

Spirits what happened to her? Why does she keep calling herself 'we'? What 'it'? What does she think is listening to us? A reaper? Could this have something to do with whatever the prothean beacons did to her?

The whole thing was more than he signed on for. He expected to find her depressed, maybe refusing to get out of bed and eat, hell even suicidal. He'd heard about humans doing those things while they were grieving, and she had plenty of reasons to grieve. He certainly did not expect her to be rambling nonsense and prophesying about Palaven burning. He needed to tell Tevos how serious Shepard's condition really was, obviously Anderson had been misleading the Council.

Pushing himself up from the chair with a groan, he glanced at Vega. "I should get going. I'm scheduled to go back to Palaven in three hours, and I have a couple of stops I need to make before I board the ship."

"Sparatus," Shepard said, and he turned back to her, but she wasn't looking at him, gaze returned to the hat on the shelf. "The galaxy needs to work together if you want to survive what's coming. The sooner that starts, the better. If you're finally listening … tell everyone. Tell them all. The reapers will be here soon."

He fluttered his mandibles, glancing back to Vega before returning his gaze to her. "I'm listening, Shepard, and so is the Council. I have to go now … take care of yourself." He turned, making his way back to the door when she didn't say anything else or even look at him again.

Vega followed him, stepping out into the hall before saying, "She's right, you know? We're all going to have to work together on this. It can't just be the turians doing their thing while the humans, asari, and everyone else does something different. You're not on the Council anymore, but you still have pull. Use it."

Sparatus shifted his mandibles in tight against his jaws, annoyed by the human's audacity but hearing the truth in his words nonetheless. He gave the lieutenant a curt nod. "I'll take it into consideration. Good day, Lieutenant."

Tevos stood up from her desk when he walked into her office. Smiling, she met him halfway into the room, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I didn't expect to see you again before you left for Palaven."

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "I went to see Shepard."

"Oh?" She pulled back to meet his gaze.

"We need to talk …." He waved his hand at the chair, and Tevos lifted her brow. "Let an old man sit down."

She chuckled, dropping her arms and returning to the chair behind her desk. Sitting down, she watched him as he made his way to the seat across from her. "And how is Shepard?"

Sparatus eased himself down and rested his cane against his hip. "Not nearly as well as Anderson has led you to believe."

"How so?" Tevos leaned forward, folding her arms on her desk.

"She's … it's not really easy to explain." Her fluttered his mandibles while he thought. "She seems very confused, and she needed to be reminded of things … like the fact I'm not on the Council anymore, and we believe her about the reapers." He flicked his mandible and dipped his brow plates. "She kept calling herself 'we' and said something about 'it listening to us.'"

"It? What is she talking about?" Confusion filled Tevos' eyes, leaving Sparatus feeling at least a little less lost and alone.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. A reaper, maybe?"

"Goddess." Tevos lifted a hand to her mouth, delicate, slender fingers covering her lips. "Do you think she's indoctrinated?"

The thought hadn't really occurred to him, but he supposed it was a possibility. "I don't know … I had thought it was a side effect from the prothean beacons, maybe even something the collectors did to her, but you might be right. I do know she's in no condition to be leading the war, and I highly doubt she will be any time soon."

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "That is unfortunate. Still, she is only one woman. It's not as if our victory hinges on whether or not she's fit to fight."

Sparatus wasn't sure why, and he'd never say it outloud, but his gut told him Shepard played a more pivotal role in things to come than anyone wanted to admit. Spirits, the woman's ancestors sent her back from the dead to fight the reapers. After a moment of silence, Tevos stood, a mischievous smile on her face as she rounded the desk again, her movements slow and seductive as she worked at the buttons on her dress.

"Was that all, or did you want to keep talking about Shepard?" She arched her brow, letting the material slip down off her shoulders, exposing her collar bone.

He flared his mandibles, holding his hand out to her and pulled her to him when she slid her hand into his. "Shepard who?"

Tevos chuckled, reaching back to activate her intercom system. "Selene? Hold all my calls, I don't want to be disturbed."

Reaching up, he slid his hand down along her arm, tugging her dress down further, only distantly aware of Selene's reply. The dress hit the floor in a puddle at her feet, and Tevos stepped out of it, taking his hand in hers to urge him back to his feet. He suppressed a grumble as he stood and leaned over her, pulling the scents of Thessian oceans into his nostrils, the particular smell never leaving her skin no matter how much time she spent away from her home. He settled his hands on her hips and backed her towards the desk.

She smiled and began working at the clasps on his tunic. He hummed, feeling her soft skin slide over his plate and hide as he tugged his gloves off, tossing them on the desk. His legs ached, but he could ignore it for the time being; he'd be damned if he let it get in the way of giving her a proper goodbye. She pushed his tunic off, and it fell to the floor. His plates were already parting when she reached for the clasps of his trousers.

… and then, just like a thousand times before, we will die.

Spartaus froze, mandibles pulling in against his face as he fought to banish Shepard's voice from his mind. He closed his eyes, lowering his face to the crook of Tevos' neck again, breathing in her scent and using it to wash away the tension, like talons prying away at his plates. Small, gentle fingers kneaded at the hide beneath his crest, pulling a purr from him. He nipped at her delicate skin, and she tugged open his trousers, pushing them down off of his hips before her free hand moved to coax him further out of his plates.

"I hope you're not still thinking about Shepard," Tevos whispered in his ear, her hand wrapping around him as he slid completely free.