From Ashes
Chapter Fourteen: The Council Betrayed
A/N: Well, as the title suggests, but by whom? Looks like you are in for a long chapter, everyone. I hadn't intended it to be this long, but... Ah well, enjoy.
It wasn't merely the transfer of the Cipher that occurred. That would have been too simple. No, when it began, it seemed that Saren's experience was being triggered as well. The beacons on Eden Prime and Virmire flashed before her eyes, and along with them their message. Burning cities, people scurrying around in a frantic and desperate state, the skies darkened by many large mechanical shadows, and the sounds of weapons discharging overwhelmed Shepard's senses. All of that fell away to reveal the blue of a relay and the blinding light of a star; revealing the second planet in its system. The planet came closer to the ponnt where it eclipsed the star in its system, and her vision went black; the outline of a reaper ship the last thing Shepard saw before the experience ended.
Shepard's feet were on the ground, the cool and sterile air of the Normandy's medbay was shifting slowly around, and she could just feel the pair of hands that had lightly touched her shoulders slip away. She opened her eyes to see Dr. Chakwas watching her warily while Liara had moved to make sure Shiala didn't lose her balance.
"Are you alright, Shepard?" It was thedoctor who asked this. Shepard nodded in the affirmative.
"I'm fine."
"I have given you the Cipher just as it was given to Saren." Shiala stated after she had regained her footing. "The collective ancestoral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."
"Did it work, Shepard?" Liara asked; curiosity edging into her tone. "Did you see anything?"
"Saw it all." Shepard reflected briefly on what all had been embedded in the prothean beacons. "I saw a planet, the second from a star. I assume it was beyond the Mu relay."
"It is overwhelming." Shiala confirmed Shepard's thought. "You have just witnessed the Prothean extinction as well as the location of the conduit. In time, the images will be more clear." She paused briefly before adddig: "Saren will go there soon."
"Can you tell us anything else about Saren?" Shepard asked. "Or even Sovereign?"
"I cannot say much more than you already know." Shiala admitted. "Saren is powerful, charismatic, and he is dangerous…" She reflected for a moment before speaking again. "Once I followed him; blind to his true ambitions, but I see that he is leading the galaxy into an age of darkness, destruction, and great suffering. Sovereign however, is a whole different entity. It is ruthless, demanding, yet subtle; a truly frightening creature. It destroys your will and commands that you obey. Saren does not understand this, or he didn't."
"I think he does now." Shepard remembered her conversation wth the turian on Virmire. "He knows Sovereign is using him, but he's fooled by its promises of salvation."
"There will be no chance of salvation, not for anyone." Shiala said gravely. "Not with what it has in mind."
"What about the conduit?" Liara added. "Is there anything else that you may know about it?"
"I'm sorry, but no." Shiala shook her head slowly. "All I know is that Saren believes it was the key to the Prothean extinction." Letting that information take hold, Shiala finally spoke again. "You have the Cipher, Commander. With tme, it will lead you to the conduit; I only hope you find it before Saren does."
"What will you do now that you're free of both the Thorian and Sovereign's control?" Liara asked, and Shepard was thankful for the change of subject.
"If it is acceptable, I would prefer to remain here with the colonists." Shiala answered. "Even if forced, I was a part of something terrible that happened here, and I played a role in their suffering; I would like to make amends."
"A noble gesture." Chakwas commented.
"The colonists will need all the help and support they can get moving forward." Shepard nodded. "They'd be lucky to have you on their side."
"Thank you, Commander."
"I would like to keep an eye on you for a bit longer to ensure that there are no adverse effects from the Thorian's control, if that's alright." Karin said, and Shiala nodded.
"In all honestly, I am not at all sure what it did to me. I would welcome that."
"Something on your mind?" Shepard had seen Liara looking thoughtful while this exchange was going on.
"I was just thinking about the planet you saw." Liara nodded. "If it is a Prothean world, I might recognize it."
"If you think it's possible, go for it."
This time when Liara initiated the joining, the same scenes played through except they seemed to be a bit more detailed. The voices were more clear, and even the planet toward the end was very vivid. When it was over however, Liara recovered quickly; mind working furiously.
"It is a distress call… Sent out over the entire Prothean empire." She explained. "Unfortunately, the distress call came too late."
"Any idea on the conduit?"
"There were other images; sites I recognize from my research…" Liara stopped short and her eyes widened. "Ilos! The conduit is on Ilos… That is why Saren needed to find the location of the Mu relay; it is the only way to get to Ilos."
"You never mentioned Ilos before." Shepard thought back to the conversations they had on possible locations and worlds that had been part of the Prothean empire. "You're sure?"
"The Mu relay links to dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds." Liara explained. "Before, the message was unclear, but with the Cipher, it is unmistakeable that some of the landmarks are from Ilos."
"Excellent, Liara." Shepard lightly cuffed her on the shoulder. "Now we know where he's going."
"And with luck, we can be waiting when he gets there." Liara nodded with some enthusiasm.
"Wait," Shiala turned to face the other asari. "Liara… Doctor Liara T'Soni, the archaeologist?"
"Yes." Liara nodded.
"You're Benezia's daughter." At Liara's second nod, Shiala's expression changed to a soft smile. "Your mother spoke of you often. As a matter of fact, the last time se spoke, she knew you had joined Shepard after your encounter on Therum; She hoped that you would solve this."
"She thought I would find the conduit?" Liara was slightly confused at first.
"With the right tools, yes." Shiala nodded. "She had a talent for being right."
"I didn't know." Liara admitted. "Honestly, I thought she disapproved of my choice of profession."
"She approved. It may have taken some time, but she approved." Shiala paused in slight uncertainty on how to proceed with her next question; choosing her words carefully. "Forgive me, but out of curiosity: what exactly became of her?"
"She has passed on." Liara said this carefully. "I take it you followed her for some time."
"Yes, I spent two hundred yesrs following her; learning at herfeet, if you will." Shiala nodded. "I heard of her passing. Saren… mentioned it."
"She knew she was succumbing to the effects of indoctrination." Shepard explained. "She did what she could to set things right: told us about the Mu relay, explained her reasoning for joining Saren, and gave us insight into his and Sovereign's behavior. In the end, she chose to take her own life rather than become a mindless slave."
"I will take the time to grieve for her." Shiala nodded slowly in understanding. The weight of Benezia's fate did not show in her expression, but it was evident in her words. "She served as a great influence in my life and countless others'. Whether Saren and Sovereign realize it or not; when this is done, she will have succeeded."
"With this information, it will happen." Shepard turned toward the door. "I'll let the council and ambassador know what we've found out, and then I'll send word to the others. We'll need to shove off soon."
She left for her quarters and updated the briefing that she had already sent out; detailing what they had discovered about the conduit and Ilos. Once that was done, she got confirmation that the ambassador had received it; more than likely an automated response from a VI. Leaving her cabin again, Shepard checked to see just where the rest of her team was. They were out at the outpost assisting where they could to repair a few things and lighten the burden that was on the colonists' shoulders. After a few minutes of being outside, she was joined by Liara and Shiala; the latter moving on to speak with Fai Dan, Arcelia, and Juliana Baynham about assisting with the colony's recovery.
"Interesting to have met someone else who knew your mother well." Shepard commented as they were joined by Ash, Wrex, Garrus, and Tali.
"It is." Liara mused. "I did not realize she had that much confidence in me."
"Parents often don't show it." Tali commented. "They think it will go to our heads, so they keep the best praise to themselves until they think we're ready for it."
"Ain't that the truth." Ash agreed. "My old man was exactly like that."
"Your father was military, right?" Garrus directed toward Ashley. When she nodded, he understood. "Mine was C-Sec, so I know the feeling."
"Well," Shepard got straight to the point after a moment. "We now know where the conduit is."
"Wait, what?" Ash blinked. "How?"
"The information Saren wanted;" Shepard hastened to explain. "The Thorian had it, and he used Shiala, the commando, to get it. She passed it on in hopes we would get there before he did."
"So where is it?" Wrex questioned.
"The conduit is on Ilos, a planet in the Pangaea expanse." Liara answered.
"Ilos…" Tali thought for a second. "I remember the Migrant Fleet wanting to make an effort to find Ilos. They said something about possible relocation there. Of course, we never found it due to the missing Mu relay."
"So now, we know ehere to go." Garrus quipped.
"The Mu relay and the Pangaea expanse are in the Terminus Systems." Tali shook her head. "Council authority figures are not welcome there."
"Saren will likely have reinforcements orbiting Ilos." Liara guessed.
"So we need to get the council to act." Garrus finished the thought.
"I've already sent my report." Shepard nodded to both of them. "All we can do is hope they agree. Head back to the ship and we'll leave for the Citadel soon." The others nodded and left for their posts while Shepard had a word with Fai Dan, Juliana, Lizbeth, Arcelia, and Shiala. She expressed condolences for the lives lost and also offered words of encouragement in regard to the colony's potential and growth. Preparing to leave, she spoke with Shiala last. "Fairwell, Shiala.
"I wish you luck in your hunt, Shepard." Shiala nodded. "I will remain here and do what I can. With luck, these people can lead better lives than before. May fortune smile upon you."
Leaving Feros, Shepard plotted course for the Serpent Nebula in hopes that the council would act as they suggested in the message she received from Udina. Engaging the FTL core, the Normandy was able to leave the Theseus system quickly; just as it had done on arrival. Shepard spent her down time in her cabin pondering the entire mission against Saren and everything that had come of it. She had never expected to work with a krogan battlemaster, a turian C-Sec officer, a quarian engineer, and an asari archaeologist in one mission. Come to think of it, she hadn't expected to be captaining this vessel. People had wondered about her career since theevents on Elysium, but she hadn't made as big a deal of it as they would have expected. Then there was the political side of it: She had reported to the human ambassador, become a spectre, and was now reporting to the Citadel Council while chasing down a rogue spectre. When she really stopped to think about it, the whole thing was a bit farfetched. Had she not experienced it, she wouldn't believe it possible.
"Then to make things more interesting, I got involved with one of the councilors…" Shepard said aloud. "Wonder what I was thinking…" The truth of it was that with everything on Feros going on, she hadn't really stopped to think about it. Had it simply been a spontaneous fling? Had it been the right place, the right words, the stresses of both of their lives pressing in on them to the point where they had looked for room to breathe? In short, what did it really mean? Leaning back in her chair and turning from the terminal, Shepard let her head fall back so that she was looking up at the sloped ceiling. "What did it all mean?" As if the ceiling held all the answers. "Has she really been watching in more than a professional sense?" Again, she was met with silence as a response; she hadn't expected otherwise. "Guess I'll find out soon enough."
Entering the Serpent Nebula a short time later, Shepard changedinto her dress blues rather than wearing armor on the station. It was an inconvenience; walking around with precise weapons on her back and no real need to use them. When she emerged from her cabin in preparation for disembarking, she saw that others had fhat idea. Garrus and Wrex wore their light armor, but the rest were in casual wear. They were already on the command deck when she took the stairs up.
"…The message didn't suggest a stonewall." Garrus was saying to Tali and Wrex as Shepard stepped past the corporal guarding the door. To the left of the comm room. "If it were, it would have been a wasted trip here."
"Yeah, we could have just gone through the Mu relay and been done with it." Wrex muttered. "Still, odd that they'd believe it now."
"It is strange." Ashley added as she joined the three. "Why would they suddenly believe us now?"
"Think they'll go through with it, Commander?" It was Pressly who addressed Shepard first. "Udina talked about a possible fleet."
"I don't know, Pressly." Shepard admitted. "With politicians, I've heard we can't just take what they say at face value."
"Surely they're not all that bad." Liara said mischievously as she passed. Shepard didn't miss the look she got.
"Maybe not." She replied and went to the helm to look out at the nebula and the fast approaching Citadel. As a side thought, she addressed Liara again. "Remind me not to doubt your observation skills." This brought on a laugh.
"Hey Commander, looks like that fleet's here." Joker pointed out several ships that were more close together than they had been on previous visits.
"That is the turian peace-keeping fleet." Liara pointed out. They are usually sent in as a preemptive strike or a good threat."
"That's a good threat." Shepard pointed out the Ascension making a slow pass close to the presidium. "Just think of the damage that gun could do."
"It is an incredible ship." Liara marveled. Ash chimed in as she approached as well.
"Careful, Doctor. Joker gets touchy when we talk about ships." She joked.
"There's advantages and disadvantages. Just sayin'." Joker said in mock defense. "Approaching dock 422." He steered the ship closer to the station and headed in a slight dive toward the dock near C-Sec. "So," He began in a slightly mocking tone. "Scuttlebutt says you were with someone last time we were here." He raised his eyebrows a few times before continuing sarcastically. ""Cause you know, I don't ever pay that any attention."
"Not this again." Shepard waved it off and spoke with equal sarcasm. "Since when is everyone so interested in my social life?"
"Since you got one, Skipper." Ash shot back, and Joker laughed heartily.
"I like it!" He threw his left thumb back toward Ash.
"I give up." Shepard chuckled at their antics.
"So you're going to tell us, then." Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Nope." Shepard smirked.
"SSV Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please approach." A voice came over the comm.
"Roger that, Alliance Tower." Joker straightened up slightly as he said this. When the channel was closed, he sniffed. "Jeez, it's like they think I haven't done this before."
When the Normandy Shepard and her team disembarked and so did a few of the other crewmen. It was a chance for a few hours of shore leave. The requisitions officer was heading out to trade off some things he had acquired, and others were just out to stretch their legs. The team headed for the presidium with a focus on the Citadel tower. Udina had sent word to meet him and Anderson in the council chambers. They took rapid transit to the station near the wards' access. This left a short walk down and around to the tower's entrance. Taking positions on the lift platform, they could see people stopping and looking at them all.
"Wow." Ash remarked dryly. "Feel like celebrities going up here…"
"Most people don't get to see it." Garrus commented. "Then again, there are those who decide to get in the wings and watch a few things going on in the chambers every now and again. Palin usually has a few of us go up there and escort them out."
They emerged in the top level and headed around the fountain, past the trees and benches, and finally ascended the stairs to the overlook. At the last flight, Anderson was waitning. He, Shepard, and Liara went out onto the platform while the others hung back; Ash and Wrex on one side, Tali and Garrus on the other. Shepard had warned her that the ambassador might want her for confirmation of what had been discovered. It seemed however, that Udina had already been addressing the council when Anderson went to meet the newcomers.
"Good job, Shepard." He greeted. "Thanks to you, the Council is taking real action against Saren."
"The ambassador is correct." The asari councilor spoke first. "If Saren is foolish enough to attack the station as you suggested in your report, we will be waiting for him."
"Fleets are posted at every mass relay linking to Council space." The turian councilor added.
"What do you plan to do about Ilos?" Shepard inquired.
"Ilos is beyond our borders." The salarian councilor stated. If we send a fleet in through the Mu relay, the only thing that could occur is full-scale war if the Terminus factions notice, and that is inevitable."
"Commander, now is the time for discretion." Udina growled as he turned to face Shepard. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy; exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."
"Secrecy wasn't his greatest weapon; the conduit is," Shepard bypassed Udina and spoke directly to the council, which the ambassador visibly disapproved of. "And he isn't the threat, either. Sovereign is. If they get to the conduit and allow the reapers' return, we may as well lie down and accept defeat."
"The conduit is merely a means to divert our attention from defending the Citadel; his real target." Valern clarified. "As far as the reapers are concerned, they only exist in your visions. We cannot and will not invade the terminus systems based solely on a dream."
"One ship going into the Terminus systems won't start a war." Shepard kept her tone even, but it was an effort. What the council was suggesting wasn't the worst of it; Udina was standing there and not saying a word. "I can be discrete."
"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire." Sparatus interjected. "I wouldn't call that discrete."
"And you know the circumstances behind that." Shepard countered before either of the other councilors could say anything. "I'll also point out that it was the salarian captain's decision to do so."
"Your style has served you well in the Traverse, Commander." Tevos spoke this time. "We can respect and appreciate that, but I am not certain about this."
"Ilos requires a deft touch." Valern nodded as he picked up where she had left off. "We have the situation under control."
"So you'll do nothing." Anderson spoke for the first time.
"This is one of those situations where we have no available course of action." Tevos explained. "The Terminus systems are beyond our borders. We cannot simply send anyone, let alone a spectre, in there without repercussions."
"We don't know what the conduit does, but I would hate for Saren to find a means of accessing the Citadel other than the relays your fleets are guarding." Shepard said this whtiout the slightest idea as to where it came from. It got the attention of Udina and the council; Tevos looking up sharply.
"What gives you that impression, Shepard?" Udina ground out. "How would you know the conduit's intended purpose?"
"I don't." Shepard clarified. "I don't know what it is or what it's capable of, but it must be an advantage; otherwise Saren wouldn't have wasted time trying to find it."
"Ambassador Udina, I get the feeling that Commander Shepard is not willing to let this go." Sparatus addressed Udina with a hint in his tone.
"There are serious political implications here, Commander." Udina addressed Shepard with an air of superiority. "Humanity has made great gains thanks to you, but now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."
"You son of a bitch, you're selling us out!" Ashley exclaimed, and Udina simply ignored her. Shepard reacted differently than expected.
"Let it go, Williams." She turned to the chief briefly. "The council is right. They can't take any action here." She turned back to Udina, who had already prepared to speak again.
"It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job; now let me do mine. I've ordered C-Sec to lock down all of Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you are grounded until such time when you will join Admiral Mikhailovich in defense of the Citadel; should that be necessary."
"This is a low blow, Udina." Shepard couldn't stop that remark from escaping. "Even for you."
"I think it is time for you and your team to leave, Shepard." Udina either ignored it or didn't show his anger. Either way, his tone was icy. "The council can handle this; with my help, of course."
"You heard him." Shepard turned on the spot and headed back for the stairs and the lift. "We're no longer needed here."
"Shepard, you're not just walking away from this-" Garrus protested.
"There's nothing more to do, Garrus." Shepard left it at that. "All of you: walk it off, and get some air." They left the tower without another word. When the lift hit the ground, they stepped off, and opinions flew.
"I can't believe that bastard screwed us in there." Ash glared straight ahead as she said this. "Cocky son of a bitch."
"They have no idea what they're about to step into!" Garrus agreed. "The council is known to do things like this, but I thought Udina would listen."
"He's just like the other stuffed shirts around here." Wrex growled. "Good to butt heads with."
"It's like they just dismissed the conduit completely when Saren himself mentioned it on the audio from the memory core." Tali chipped in.
"Unbelievable." Liara frowned.
"Why did you agree with them, Shepard?" Ashley turned and faced her CO.
"Never said I did." Shepard countered in a forced calm voice. "What gave you that impression?"
"You said nothing when they went off about the Terminus being out of reach."
"That's because they're right." Shepard explained. "If a council spectre went into the Terminus, it would raise suspicion. The last thing we need is the powers that be making trouble there." She let her shoulders drop slightly and faced the group fully. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. This is where we are until we can come up with something else. Walk it off."
Shepard broke away from them at that point and headed for an aimless path around the presidium. She didn't know or care where it would lead, ad she didn't expect to cool her jets anytime soon. Deciding against remaining with the "Elite" she headed for the wards' access. It had beena long time since she had gone to a shooting range, and that seemed like a good place to take the edge off. Shepard had seen one just short of the presidium when she had visited the station the first time after Eden Prime. It had been busy that particular day, but thankfully when she arrived outside, it was nearly deserted; save for a few commandos, C-Sec officers, and an Alliance lieutenant.
Choosing a light pistol at first, Shepard got pefect marks on the target. She then moved to a rifle built for sniping and had the target moved to a good range before scoring highly on it again. The rifle was heavy, precise, but it had one hell of a recoil. To compensate for this, Shepard would utilizeher biotics to stabilize the gun and reduce the kick it provided when fired. Finally satisfied with her accuracy as a marksman, she moved to a shotgun; the M300 Claymore. Normally a gun reserved for berserkers or vanguards, it had a wide spread if fired long range, had a nasty kick, and was heavy to boot. Going for close range, Shepard shattered the target in a short blast before returning the gun to its place on the weapons rack. Once secured, she paid for her time and headed back out. It hadn't gotten rid of the high stress levels, but it had helped a bit.
Headin back up to the presidium, Shepard saw Udina crossing back over to the embassies. His nose wasn't in the air, but he walked with an arrogance suited for him. Anderson was walking in parallel; arguing with him over some moot point or another. When he saw Shepard, he shrugged the ambassador off and met her near the lift that led down to C-Sec.
"Shepard, I know you don't agree with what happened in there."
"Permission to speak frankly?" With Anderson's nod, Shepard went on. "That arrogant twat stabbed us in the back in there. Reminds me of when they pulled the Normandy out from under you."
"I know." The captain nodded gravely. "I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked." He crossed his arms and leaned against a support beam for one of the upper walkways. "I know you're pissed off, but you can't give up. They all think this is over and done, but we both know it isn't."
"We have to stop Saren from gaining access to the conduit, whatever it is, but that's not possible right now." Shepard mused.
"You really got their attention when you mentioned a possible backdoor onto the Citadel." Anderson pointed out. "Where did you come up with that?"
"Honestly," Shepard really hadn't thought about it since. "I don't know. It wasn't intentional."
"It might have served a purpose. It got them thinking."
"I need to think of a way off of this station." Shepard admitted.
"I was thinking the same thing." Anderson agreed. "I'll look around and see what I can come up with." He straightened up and prepared to walk away. "If I come up with anything, I'll let you know."
"Understood." Shepard crossed toward the embassies as well, but she had no intention of following Udina. Instead, she entered the embassy lounge and sat down at a table near the front balcony. The barman, after attending to a few salarians, came over and checked in.
"Afternoon, Commander." He greeted. The lounge was empty save for him, her, and the three salarians. "Anything I can get you?"
"Spiced tea if you've got it." Shepard decided while looking out at the skycars passing with traffic above.
"We've got a human and asari blend." The barman ticked them off on his hand. "Of course, we have a dextro blend as well, but you know how that would turn out."
"Go with the asari blend, if you don't mind." Shepard suggested.
"You got it." The man returned to his place behind the bar and began working. Soon after that however, a cluster of humans came in. Shepard recognized them as a bunch who had been standing around in the wards near Flux when they had come in. They had been shouting something about "No Aliens", and "Earth First". She had been stopped by their forerunner; a man named Charles Seracino. He and his group represented the Terra Firma party, and he had been running for a seat in Parliament on Arcturus station. Seracino had almost stirred up trouble with Ashley over the subject of Shanxi and the First Contact War of 2157. The group chose a larger table and sat down around it; talking so that their conversation could be heard throughout the lounge. When the barman came back with a mug of dark reddish brown tea, he sighed heavily.
"Heard they were coming up here." He murmured. "I was really hoping C-Sec would find a reason to keep them out of here."
"Yeah." Shepard nodded carefully. "They tend to throw around their opinion without caring who it hits."
"And that's a problem." The barman left to see if they wanted anything, and they had a laundry list of drinks they had in mind. When he went to get them started, they began going on about the presidium and how the aliens strutted about up there. A few even bgan speaking about the council and the recent business in the tower. Apparently one of them had overheard Udina and Anderson arguing near the tower and had passed the information on to the others. Shepard, with her back to them, let it go in one ear and out the other until her name was mentioned.
"…Well, consider how it looks." Seracino began. "They have this turian that was supposed to evaluate her, and he dies, so she becomes their puppet anyway." Shepard assumed he was just miffed that she sided with the council and "aliens" in general over their party. "So now, she's bent over backwards to do what they want, and they still say they can handle it better. What does that say?"
"Says someone only got half of what was said." The barman remarked as he passed Shepard's table with an arm full of used glasses from another table that was now empty.
"What was that?" One of the Terra Firma crowd saw him comment and questioned it.
"Nothing." The barman said casually and went on his way.
"Say Gene," Another began. "How's it feel to work for the tentacle heads and the birds?" Shepard pursed her lips briefly at that. "Must be great working for the "elite" up here."
"I like my job." The barman replied lightly as he brought them their drinks a few minutes later. "I get paid well, enjoy the crowd, and appreciate the diversity."
"Diversity." The same one snorted. They went back to talking about a little of every form of malcontent for a bit, and the barman came with a refill of Shepard's tea shortly after.
"Like I said, that's the crowd I'd rather avoid." He muttered under his breath. "The salarians haven't left yet because they're good at tuning them out, but it won't take long."
"Sadly, no." Shepard managed in an equally low voice. "They have a problem with everyone that isn't human."
"Given their topic of conversation, they'll really have anissue with who just walked in." The barman went back to work: cleaning off tables nearby and collecting empty glasses. Shepard noticed out of the corner of her eye that he waved someone around so that they would walk behind the bar and not in front of the Terra Firma table. Turning slightly, she realized why. A pair of asari had entered the lounge; one Shepard recognized and the other she didn't. The latter only hung around to finish hearing what the former had been saying before she nodded and left again. While the remaining one, the councilor, crossed behind the bar and sat down a table away, Shepard was distracted by the conversation from the group of humans nearby again It seemed she had been noticed.
"Aah, Commander." It was Charles Seracino who addressed her. "Good to see you again. Tell me, have you changed your mind about our political platform?"
"And why would I do that?" She humored him; turning to face him so that she blocked the newcomer from his view.
"Given what just happened, I thoughtthere might be a chance." Seracino admitted.
"What do you know about that?"
"We heard that the council turned you down flat." Another man said bluntly. "They acted like they had the situation under control and dismissed what you'd discovered."
"Proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Shepard remarked. "Honestly, it isn't the council that disappointed me." She looked the group over before finishing the thought. "It was our own human ambassador that did."
"Donnel Udina?" Seracino raised his eyebrows. "He's been pushing for change in humanity's favor for a while. He is stepping up to engage and assist the council."
"More like he is stepping up to further his political career." Shepard countered. "Every move he has made hasn't quite been in humanity's best interest."
"He stood up for Eden Prime when that turian attacked it!" One woman pointed out a bit harshly. "If you ask me, we should have kept that beacon and not said a word about it."
"It's against council law." Shepard pointed out. "No species can withhold prothean technology."
"Sure they can. It's just a matter of not getting caught." One of the men who spoke earlier muttered.
"Regardless, my position hasn't changed." Shepard dismissed them. "I can't support a political party that condones racism and extreme views such as yours."
"Bending over backwards to get what they want accomplished, getting dismissed, and you still say their way is better." Seracino said as he shook his head. "Makes me wonder-"
"Just what color my blood is?" Shepard finished his statement in a sharp questioning tone. "I've already been asked that. It's red; same as yours. The Council is right: we can't just go off into the Terminus without alerting them to our presence. On top of what will happen, we don't need a full-scale war amongst ourselves."
"Spoken like a sympathizer." The woman from earlier muttered. "You seem pretty friendly with all of those things. Tell me, Commander, which race are you sleeping with?"
"Whether I am or not," Shepard said in a stern and dangerous tone. "Is none of your business."
"What have the tentacle heads, birds, and lizards got that we don't?"
"Besides a more cooperative nature," Shepard shot an apologetic look toward the salarians who had gotten up; their business finished or their patience reaching its end. "Gee, I don't know. This conversation is doing nothing to change my mind, though." She added frankly. "Trying to highlight their flaws doesn't mask our own."
When Shepard turned away from them again, she tried to drown out what they were still going on about. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. It seemed that the longer she sat there, the louder the Terra Firma rants became; it didn't help that they were still drinkingand getting more intoxicated by the minute. Finally, Shepard stood, paid at the bar, and walked out the side door to the balcony with overgrown hedges. She was careful to walk past the councilor; hand just brushing her shoulder as she did. Once outside, Shepard continued sipping at her tea, which was proving to be more calming the more she did. It was odd what a handful of herbs boiled in piping water with tea leaves would do for one's nerves. She wasn't alone long however.
"I hate that you had to hear that in there." Shepard said without preamble. "Would have been nice if they had stayed down in the wards."
"I have certainly head worse." The councilor's smooth tones differed from the almost cold indifference that had been the case in the tower a short time ago.
"You alright?" Shepard asked casually as she watched a bird with silver-tipped wings dive down for a bug on the bush nearest her.
"I should be the one asking you that."
"How do you figure?"
"It doesn't take a joining to know that you are furious." Tevos remarked; her eyes on the commander.
"It's not directed toward you."Shepad turned away from the bird devouring the bug in a few snaps of its beak to regard the asari carefully.
"It should be."
"Why?" Shepard tilted her head slightly to the right. "What did you do?"
"Precisely the point; I did nothing."
"Alright, I'll rephrase. With the information you had, what could you do?" While the councilor pondered this, Shepard already knew. "The answer you're looking for is nothing." She explained why shortly after. "Councilor Valern called it; You can't invade the Terminus on the word of a spectre who had a dream."
"Surely it was more than that." Tevos waved the remark off. "It had to be."
"Oh it was definitely more than that," Shepard nodded. "But he didn't see it, did he?"
"No." It was a simple answer, but it was the truth. "The only other who has seen it is Saren," Tevos said quietly. "And he is not going to confirm it."
"No. Sovereign wouldn't let him even if he considered it."
"We have never faced a situation like this…"
"I can see that it's eating at your nerves." Shepard commented as she leaned against the low wall; eyes falling on the keeper to her left patiently working on something.
"I just don't know…" It seemed like an accidental utterance, and the councilor's continued statement proved Shepard's thought. "For the first time in many years, I really just don't know… This is a threat we cannot comprehend; one we are just seeing the beginnings of, and now everyone assumes we knew the severity of it all along!"
"You didn't know." Shepard said gently. "All you had were reports; empty words."
"How are you so calm about this?" Tevos' eyes were a dark hazel now as they landed on Shepard. "How is it not tearing at you; knowing that time is running out?"
"It has been the whole time." Shepard clarified. "That's just it; I've had the advantage of seeing what we're up against. It's all just becoming real for you now."
"I need to know that I am not about to make a very costly mistake by doing nothing…" Tevos had lowered her headin thought as she finished this statement, but when she looked back at Shepard, the uncertainty that had clouded her expression previously was gone. "I see only one way."
"You're asking me to bridge the gap between personal and professional by revealing the beacons' message."
"It is the only way."
"That would be like me strong-arming you into a decision." Shepard was prepared to say no. "As soon as you see this, your judgment will be clouded by information the others don't have."
"I would prefer that to death, if what you say is true." Tevos countered.
"The other councilors might not see it that way."
"It is our duty to serve our people and Council space in the best way we know how." Tevos seemed to regain a bit of her professional composure as she spoke. "Frankly, the way I see it, I am doing just that."
"Only if you are absolutely sure." Shepard finally relented. "You know that once this starts, it cannot be stopped."
"I know."
"Alright."
The two stepped closer, and Shepard attempted to focus on entire warning left within the two beacons. Unfortunately, that was not all that passed between them: Eden Prime, Therum, Noveria, Virmire, and Feros all combined in a long and vivid tribute to Shepard and her team's efforts. The rachni and their queen, Benezia's words in regard to Saren and Sovereign, Imness and Rana's explanations on indoctrination, Saren himself, Kaidan's sacrifice, the Thorian, and Shiala's tale all weaved into one long cinematic; the whole and vivid warning ending the experience. It left the two participants more or less numb. Though Shepard had seen it all before both awake and asleep, to have it all thrown back in an inglorious run was more than a draining event. Opening her eyes again, Shepard had to react quickly; an arm extending around the councilor's waist to keep her standing. There was a bench nearby, and she guided them both toward it.
"Sit down…" Shepard managed as she too collected her own thoughts and corralled them.
"How is it that one mind…" Tevos hesitated as she attempted to do the same. "Can handle all of that and not be unhinged? Never mind the pursuit of Saren itself; that… whatever it was, is…"
"Enough, I know." Shepardfinished quietly. "It wasn't as vivid before. That was the only thing I had intended for you to see…"
"Sometimes, even a well trained and disciplined mind does what it wishes." Tevos managed while still working through what she had seen. "What exactly was that?"
"Technically," Shepard began. "It was the prothean extinction." It was a chilling thought; as it had been when Liara suggested it. "Liara assumes it was a warning of what was coming; spread across the empire, but she thinks it came too late."
"What is significant about Ilos and the conduit?" The councilor questioned. "I assume that was the planet in the end."
"It was, and I don't know." Shepard confessed. "Like I said, I don't know what the conduit is or why Saren wants it, but he has spent this time looking for it; so it has to have some significance." At these words, silence fell between the two for a good five minutes or more before the asari councilor finally stood slowly and walked a medium distance in thought. When she spoke again, her voice was low and her tone brokered no argument.
"You will return to your ship, Commander."
"What?" Shepard stood and watched as Tevos slowly turned her head over her shoulder and repeated herself.
"You will assemble your team, return to your ship, and wait."
"What do you have in mind?" shepard asked slowly. She did not like the implications here. Her suspicions were confirmed almost instantly.
"Not what Ambassador Udina and the Alliance have in mind."
"I'm not going to let you jeopardize your career by association or otherwise-" Shepard started.
"I will put it this way:" The councilor spoke as if she were at her post in the council chambers now. "If what you have seen is indeed bound to happen to us, then my career will be dead alongside me if Saren and Sovereign succeed." She waited only a moment for those words to take effect before continuing. "Within a quarter of an hour, you will find that the Normandy's systems will have been unlocked and are online." She raised a hand to stop any protest that might have happened. "When that time comes, leave this station and do not return. Complete the original assignment that we tasked you with; stop him by whatever means necessary."
"I'm not going to let you hang yourself politically." Shepard said in an equally serious and authoritative tone. "I'll find another way-"
"I don't believe you are in a position to stop me." Tevos said in a quiet tone before returning to the previous one. "If I must, I will order you, Spectre." Shepard finally released a frustrated sigh at those words.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"Good."
"This is Shepard." The commander had opened a comm channel with the rest of her team; wherever they were on the station. "Report back to the ship." When she received no questions from them, she closed the channel and turned to leave herself.
"And Shepard?"
"Hmm?" The commander paused briefly before leaving. That was all the time it took. She felt a hand gently close around her shoulder, assist in turning her to face her companion, and their lips met in a silent but very intense kiss. While it lasted, Shepard reached back and gripped the low wall with one hand for support while the other arm kept the councilor as close as possible for the duration. When it ended, Shepard blinked for a moment while catching her breath. Once she had, she voiced a single question: "Where did that come from?"
"One does not simply forget events that occurred the last time you were aboard this station." The tone used was soft and much more warm than previous. "This was just business."
A/N: So it took a bit longer to get this one done due to its contents. There's a lot of grey, and I had to check a few things before going through with it. Anyway, starting work on chapter 15: Ilos. I'll hopefully have this one up faster, due to straight forward content :)
Cheers!
