From Ashes
Chapter Two: To Clear Her Name
While they had still been in port on Noveria, Shepard had discussed options with the crew. That had led her to that discussion with Anderson and Udina. Now however, she had just gotten done with checking on Liara. Both Kaidan and Ashley had been by as well. Garrus, Tali, and Wrex had already stopped in right after being dismissed from the comm room. Making her way back to the command deck, the spectre stopped by the galaxy map to plot course for the Citadel. Once done, she could feel the ship move, and as she made her way to the bridge, she saw the blizzard that surrounded Port Hanshan.
Joker had already begun pulling the Normandy back and up into the air when she had reached her current position behind his chair.
"So… Aside from the temperature, most people here are just as cold, huh?"
"Yeah." Looking out of the forward windows, Shepard could see the skies clearing and getting darker as they neared the planet's atmospheric limits. "Beautiful port but I wouldn't want to spend any more time here."
"Too bad, I thought of spending my next shore leave here."
"Bring a blanket."
"Seriously though, that didn't look easy; coming back here with Liara's mom's… yeah."
"It wasn't. I had hoped it wouldn't go that far."
"What exactly happened down there?" Joker asked casually. "You know, whatever you want to talk about." He corrected as he made to approach the Pax relay.
"She was too far gone." Shepard sat down in the chair Kaidan had occupied when Nihlus had been on the bridge back before their run on Eden Prime. "Sovereign influences and eventually exerts control over those aboard it. Benezia was there too long and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it."
"So…" Joker's usually cynical tone was replaced by a slightly serious one. "How did she…"
"She killed herself." Shepard said quietly. "Made sure that if we weren't willing to do it that she wouldn't become a mindless husk."
"Why did she join him?"
"Best of intentions; she intended to lead him away from his plan to help the reapers return." Shepard watched as the bridge was illuminated by the brilliant blue of the relay. "Best laid plans."
"Yeah." The rest of the trip was quiet as they approached and finally went through the relay. Jumping across the galaxy was something Shepard had gotten used to as a kid; growing up on starships and stations with her parents. It was still a wonder to behold. Only when they had fully cleared the relay and the Normandy had begun its approach to the Citadel did something break the silence. There was a chime at one of the nearby consoles, and Joker's eyes darted to it. "Commander, call coming in from the Citadel."
"I'll take it in the comm room." Rising from her place near Joker, Shepard had to smile at the helmsman's next comment.
"Hope it isn't Udina again."
"You and me both." She headed away from the bridge and back through the CIC. Passing the galaxy map, Shepard could hear Pressly having a conversation with Greg Adams in Engineering again. When she entered the comm room, her mind searched the possibilities. Who could it be and why? Approaching the console, she activated it and waited. The form that appeared wasn't who she expected.
"Commander Shepard."
"Madam Councilor." Shepard couldn't keep a slight air of surprise from her tone as she regarded the asari before her. Mind focusing on the matter at hand, she shook it off. "I take it that your embassy received my message, then."
"Just now, actually." It seemed the councilor was looking down at something temporarily before returning her gaze to Shepard. "I can only hope that her death was unavoidable."
"It was." Shepard nodded as she said it. "The specifics of her death are unknown at this time, however."
"Unknown?" The councilor's eyes widened slightly at those words. "How do you mean?"
"We are not sure of the cause, but we know the manner of death." Shepard searched her thoughts before continuing. "We have the means to perform a field autopsy, but it may not yield definitive results."
"Wait…" It took a moment for the asari to work out what had just been said. "You were not forced to kill her?"
"No." Hearing her earpiece chirp in her ear, Shepard thought fast. "Excuse me for a moment." With the councilor's nod, she placed a finger to it to activate it. "Go ahead."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might want to know; we're preparing to dock."
"Thanks, Joker. Let the senior staff know I want them in dress blues for this."
"You got it." With Joker's last words, Shepard returned her attention to the console before her.
"My apologies. That was my pilot; he informed me that we will be docking soon."
"Of course."
"Would you care to meet me when we board the station?" Shepard hoped that there could be more information given after an autopsy was performed in regard to the actual cause of death. "We could discuss the specifics of this matter further, if you wish."
"Yes, that would be preferable." The councilor looked slightly distracted for a second before speaking again. "I will find you once you have docked. Commandos will be waiting to…" She hesitated for a second. "To retrieve the body."
"Understood." The connection broke, and Shepard was left to turn on her heel and leave for deck two. Descending the stairs, she could see Kaidan, Ashley, and Karin Chakwas heading for the crew quarters in effort to change from their standard uniforms. The doctor stopped her before Shepard could turn for her own cabin however.
"Commander, on a hunch, I analyzed a sample of blood for toxicology." Pulling up the results on a datapad, Chakwas passed them on to Shepard. "It was painless. She knew what she was doing."
"Thanks, Doctor." Shepard had hoped for as much. Turning for her cabin, she posed one question. "Is she prepared?"
"Yes. Everything is in place."
"Excellent." Moving to enter her cabin, Shepard let the door close behind her and she looked over the datapad's displayed results. It was a neurotoxin that acted quickly as soon as it entered the bloodstream. First acting as a paralytic agent, pain and discomfort were easily eliminated. This left it to slow and eventually stop the heart as well as primary brain functions. Finally putting the datapad down, Shepard kept its contents in mind as she found and retrieved her dress blues.
With practiced ease, she changed from the casual Alliance Navy BDUs into the other uniform, and when she was done, she retrieved the datapad again and pocketed it. Shepard checked her appearance quickly before leaving and nodded in grim satisfaction; she did not look forward to the occasions she had to wear this uniform. In most cases, it meant someone had passed, or there was an issue and she had to deal with the Alliance brass. When she emerged back into the mess, she saw Ashley, Kaidan, Tali, Garrus, Liara, and Wrex all broken off in groups talking. Kaidan was speaking with Garrus and Wrex, while Ashley, Liara, and Tali were standing around one of the tables in a conversation. Crossing to the medbay, she found Karin Chakwas making final arrangements.
"I took the liberty of performing a few scans, Commander." The doctor started without preamble. "She was correct; Lady Benezia could not have withstood the influence of Sovereign much longer without losing complete control."
"What exactly happens during this process?" Shepard looked down on the matriarch as she asked; only looking up when the door to the medbay opened again to reveal Liara. "Hey, the doctor was just saying that Benezia was right; she couldn't have held out much longer."
"I see." Approaching her mother, Liara looked down on her face again; speaking in a quiet voice. "What have you found out?"
"I'm not entirely sure what to make of this." Moving to the nearby terminal, Chakwas pulled up the initial scans. "Look at this. There is significant rewrite of some of her key neural pathways." She indicated several and pulled up another scan. "This is an asari not under the influence for comparison. Significant changes can be seen everywhere, and I'm not certain of what method is being used…" Looking over something again herself, Karin looked down at Benezia sadly. "What I'm seeing here is truly irreversible. Even if we had caught her early on, I'm not going to make any suggestions that we could have stopped it."
"Just another reason to stop them." Liara said with a slightly darker edge to her voice. "No one should have to lose complete control or lose their sense of self…"
"We will." Shepard said. "Noveria was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and because of her, we know a general location and of what he's looking for." Seeing Liara's nod, she continued. "I've been in touch with the asari embassy; commandos are meeting us at the docks."
"Which shouldn't be long from now." Karin closed out the terminal and stood again. "It sounds like we're docking." Shepard and Liara stepped back as the temporary casket was closed, and the former stepped out into the mess. She now saw the commandos from Noveria waiting. Hearing Joker's voice over the shipwide comm, everyone paused.
"We're docked, Commander."
"Thanks, Joker." Shepard saw two of the commandos step forward and enter the medbay. Both lifted the matriarch's remains carefully with tightly controlled biotics and exited back into the mess where they proceeded up the stairs and out onto the command deck; the other two commandos joining them and arranging themselves so that there were two on either side. Shepard motioned for the others to follow. She and the doctor emerged first onto deck one, where the commandos were waiting. Liara and Tali followed. Wrex and Ashley were next while Kaidan and Garrus brought up the rear. The first four headed for the airlock first with the commandos following; the others followed them. Approaching the airlock, Shepard waited for the pressure to be stabilized before looking back to her XO. "You have the deck, Pressly."
"Aye Ma'am."
The hatch opened, and Shepard realized they were not at the dock where Normandy was normally cleared for. This one had more space, and there was an excellent view of the Citadel's arms and presidium from it. She and the others exited the gangway and it didn't take long to see that they had company. As the councilor had suggested, three commandos were waiting; one in dress uniform and the others not. Anderson and Udina were also present. Shepard watched as the formally dressed commando nodded stiffly; the two others moving to take positions at the head and foot of the casket supported by the four who had served as Benezia's personal guard. With another stiff nod from their superior, the six broke away and made to move toward an awaiting shuttle nearby. Shepard, Karin, Ashley, and Kaidan removed their covers and had them tucked under arm as the commandos passed. They all noticed that Anderson had done the same. Only when the commandos had gotten away from the gangwa did anyone speak.
"At ease." Anderson said quietly as he approached. "Well done, Commander."
"It was the least I could have done, Captain. She deserved much more." Shepard said stiffly as she watched Udina shake his head slightly.
"You honored a traitor, Shepard." The ambassador said bitterly. "A traitor to her people and to the galaxy as a whole, if your reports are accurate."
"She was no traitor." Half expecting Liara to have said it, Shepard and the others were more surprised to hear Ashley Williams speak against Udina. "If you had read the mission brief, you would know that."
"An interesting way to show respect for a superior, Chief Williams." Udina growled out, and everyone present knew it was a mistake. Before the chief could respond however, Shepard intervened.
"She's right, Ambassador." Her tone wasn't disdainful, but it was an effort to keep the frustration out of the spectre's voice. "The mission brief was forwarded to your office. If you had read it, you would understand my reasoning." Turning to get a look at Ashley, Shepard continued. "As it is, let it go, Ash; he's not worth it."
"Hold the body." The commando in dress uniform spoke for the first time, and her tone was authoritive but not cold. When the commandos stopped, she moved forward toward it. Only then did anyone notice that there had been another asari at her shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Udina questioned this before anyone else could.
"Verifying that it is her." The commando said simply as she prepared to make the identification, but she was stopped.
"I will handle that." Shepard hadn't paid much mind to the asari that had followed the commando until now, but when she heard her speak, there was no mistaking who it was.
"Councilor-"
"It is one of the reasons I came down here, Lidanya." It wasn't a dismissive tone but there was a hint of coldness in the councilor's tone as she took the commando's place. When the body was revealed, she nodded slowly.
"You do not trust the word of her own daughter, Councilor?" Udina voiced the question that seemed to be on most peoples' minds.
"Unfortunately, I did not have that option." Not looking back toward the human ambassador, the councilor kept her eyes on the now retreating casket. "Protocol dictates that identity be confirmed on arrival." Only when the shuttle departed with six commandos and Benezia's remains onboard, did she turn back to face the others. By that time, Udina looked skeptical. The others were silent.
"Commander Shepard," The last commando, whom the councilor had addressed as Lidanya, set her dark eyes on the human spectre. "I have to ask; you say she is not a traitor? What exactly happened on Noveria? Why was she even with Saren?"
"She was attempting to lead him down a gentler path." Shepard began with Benezia's own words. From there on, she gave them all an unabridged version of what happened from the beginning of the confrontation in the lab at Rift Station. She even went so far as to go back through her hardsuit's onboard computer and playback the recorded conversation. In the end, that left those who hadn't been there fully informed; if not slightly shocked. Shepard did manage to conclude her recap of the events at Peak 15 with a request of sorts. "If I may, I would ask that Lady Benezia's reputation not be smeared by these events. Her actions were not meant to doom her race and the galaxy. They were intended to save it."
"I will see to that personally, Commander." The councilor, who had remained silent during all of this, now spoke with slightly more conviction than Shepard had heard; save for her Spectre induction. Her tone quickly changed to one more businesslike as she prepared to leave. "Would you accompany me back to the embassy, Shepard? There are a few other matters that need to be discussed."
"I was just about to suggest that, actually." Shepard stepped away from the others and moved toward the lift as well. "Take some time to restock and be ready."
"Aye, Commander." Kaidan and Ashley nodded stiffly as they joined Garrus, Tali, Liara, Wrex, and Doctor Chakwas, who were headed back aboard the ship. Shepard waited as the commando, Captain Anderson, and Udina joined her and the councilor at the lift. While it took a few moments to get there, the silence was awkward. Once it finally arrived, all boarded and headed back for the presidium. The journey back up to the rapid transit terminal left them all in their own thoughts. Shepard thought of Saren and where he might be at this point. He was not on Noveria, but Feros was an option. From what she had heard, it was a planet full of prothean ruins. The surface had many highrises and skyscrapers as well as skyways to bridge them. What could he have wanted there? Fortunately, she didn't have long to ponder it. The lift had stopped, and a skycar was landing nearby. Only then did Shepard recognize where they were. This was a point near the presidium; the wards access tunnel.
"I'm headed back, Councilor. Send word if you need me." The commando in dress uniform stated this stiffly and headed for the recently arrived skycar. Once it had gone, Anderson and Udina made their exit.
"Shepard, when you're done, I want to see you in my office." The ambassador said as he turned on his heel. Anderson nodded to the remaining two and headed after Udina after he was called.
"Commander, it seems that all of this has put you in an awkward position." The councilor spoke quietly as she looked out over the lakes.
"How do you come by that, Councilor?" Having watched Anderson and Udina on their walk back toward the embassies, Shepard finally turned back.
"Reports suggest that you are still pressured to act on behalf of your people first before completing this task we have set for you." That was blunt, and Shepard had to admit that it was true. Throughout the trips to Therum and Noveria, admirals Steven Hackett and Kahoku had asked her to investigate a few things. There were also people here on the Citadel who had asked that she investigate matters while out in the Traverse.
"You could say that, yes." She had to admit it, and when she did, she didn't get the response she expected. The councilor allowed herself a slight smile.
"I apologize for the added complication." She said as she continued looking out toward the relay and Krogan monuments. "Returning Benezia's remains here was very unexpected."
"Unexpected?"
"I assumed that she would remain wherever she met her end." The words weren't cold, but for some they could have been considered as much. "By all accounts, she was indeed a traitor to both the asari and the other races; seeing as she allied herself with Saren. Regardless, I wanted to thank you personally."
"I wasn't about to leave her in that place." Shepard said quietly. "Terrible things happened there, and for her efforts, she deserved better." Remembering what she, the doctor, and Liara had discussed before they had left the Normandy, Shepard averted her gaze to the lakes as well. "She didn't feel pain."
"I take it by that that you know more about her cause of death."
"I do." Shepard could feel the other woman's eyes on her now. "Preliminary analysis shows that the cause was a neurotoxin. The manner of death…" She chanced a look at the asari beside her, and there was an almost hesitant anticipation in her green eyes. "The manner of death was suicide."
