From Ashes
Chapter Twenty Eight: Hades' Dogs at the Door
"Glad you got to see your mom before you both shipped out, Skipper." Ashley, Shepard, and Liara sat around a table in the embassy lounge later that evening. They had all completed their pre-flight checks and had everything prepped and ready for takeoff the next morning. All three were nursing different drinks of choice and taking in the half peace around them. "Feels like it's been over a year since I've had a good conversation with my mom."
"I can relate to that." Liara nodded. "There were times when I would want to talk to her, and then everything would get in the way, and I would just say I would get to it later."
"Duty cycles tend to be that way too." Ash admitted before siping her drink. "Didn't get home to see my sisters every time I wanted to, and neither did my dad. Thankfully, Mom was used to it being a military spouse."
"I grew up with it too." Shepard leaned back in her chair and reclined her head. "Mom and Dad both served, and I grew up on starships."
"Spacer." Ash teased. "Like I said, Dad always told us that space was pretty to look at and exciting, but it wasn't a place for a family in his book; better to have solid ground under your feet rather than artificial gravity."
"Mom and Dad considered it." Shepard nodded. "Both had their duties, but they were willing to put it on hold; at least while I was small. In the end, they just decided to keep doing what they were doing."
"You turned out alright, I think." Tali joined them then. "Coming from someone who grew up on a ship as well."
"So, freshly cleared on all charges and about to head out again." Ash leaned back in her chair. "Here's to a career that never seems to cease to amaze."
"Speaking of heading out." Shepardturned to address Tali as she sat down. "That information we gathered on our first go to the Armstrong nebula, what will your fleets do with it?"
"The Admiralty Board will probably review a science team's findings on the data and then make a decision." Tali started. "In truth, I really don't know what they will do with it. The information just proves that there are some geth that act separately from the ones behind the Veil and those that followed Sovereign. I'm sure there will be some that want to use it to start another war, but I hope they don't."
"Honestly, they're not in a position to start another war." Ashley thought aloud. "They're a traveling flotilla. If something happened to those ships in a skirmish, you'd have a huge problem."
"Which is why I hope that they don't opt for war." Tali shook her head. "My father is sensible enough, or at least I think he is. A few of the others are as well. Of course, there are some who think that we should just go back to the way things were and make them laborers again."
"That worked out so well the first time."
"Exactly." Tali nodded toward Ash. "They think that we give the geth too much credit and that they weren't that intelligent, but they weren't there when it happened. None of the current generations were."
"What are your thoughts, Tali?" Liara posed this question now. "On the issue of the geth, I mean."
"I don't think there is an easy solution." She answered thoughtfully. "People wither want to destroy or control them, but neither will solve the problem. After our talk," She looked to Shepard briefly. "I eally started to think about it. Even Saren's comments on Virmire about how they believed Sovereign to be a deity got me thinking. Our people didn't program the geth to think like that. If they have truly evolved to have those sorts of ideas, then maybe there is more to them than just what we saw before."
"Commander," Someone approached their table in Alliance BDUs and extended a datapad toward Shepard. "Important message from Alliance Command."
"Thanks." Shepard accepted it, and the man left immediately. When she unlocked the datapad and read over the message, a frown worked its way onto her face.
"What's up, Skipper?"
"We're leaving tonight." She murmured while still reading. "They want us ready to go in an hour…"
"An hour? Why?" As a response, Ashley saw the datapad placed in the center of the table so that they could all read it. On it was a report from the Styx-Theta cluster. It seemed that an Alliance ship meant to evacuate Lieutenant Durand's people was attacked and left limping away by an unknown vessel. They managed to force the enemy ship to bug out, but they were in no shape to transport the lieutenant's people out of the system. The Normandy was being requested by Hackett himself to extract from the listening post.
"Who would attack that Alliance ship?" Tali thought for a moment before answering her own question. "Wait… The rachni were a part of those experiments by-"
"Cerberus." Liara finished her thought.
"That means we'll need to get to that listening post, get her people out of there, and then make stops by Feros and Noveria to maie sure that Cerberus isn't trying to sweep anything else under the rug." Shepard stood and transferred credits to the barman for their time and drinks there. "Head back to the ship and get things prepped. I'll stop by Anderson's office and see if there is anything else that needs checking."
"Copy that." Ash, Liara, and Tali headed for the door and down the stairs first before Shepard collected the datapad and followed them.
Anderson was just preparing to leave his newfound office when Shepard arrived, and it seemed that he had been expecting her. Relaying what she had just read, he confirmed it and added that they needed to leave as soon as possible. With nothing more to add, she did leave the presidium for C-Sec Academy and the Normandy by extension. On the lifts, she heard various news reports about the state of repairs and the public's opinion of the whole mess. Emily Wong was reporting what she saw in the wards while Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani kept Westerlund News' reputation standing strong with one-sided interviews. She did, at least, state that the beliefs of her subjects were not her own; whether that was a good thing or not, Shepard didn't hazard a thought. She did have to pull Wrex away from a potential standoff with a krogan from a rival clan at the academy, though. Once that was done and they were on their way up to the Normandy's dock, she swore inwardly. Her last night on the station before shipping out was intended to be spent differently rather than bugging out like this. It seemed that Wrex could see right through her thoughts.
"Better plans for tonight, Shepard?"
"They were…" She muttered while quickly sending a message via omni tool to the one she had intended to spend it with. "Never ends, does it?"
"Nope." Wrex shrugged gruffly. "Never does." His orange eyes settled on her again. "Least this is all you're going for; a pickup and few post-battle sweeps. I've got a planet to whip back into shape."
"What exactly are you planning to do there, Wrex?" Shepard sent the message and focused on the conversation; grateful for the distraction. "Rallying the troops or something?"
"Something like that." They cleared the lift and headed for the Normandy's airlock while he continued. "See, Krogan are separated by clan boundaries, and those boundaries aren't just land and name. Some have ideas of storming the Citadel and demanding out old territories back; like that will do us any favours."
"You?"
"We need to focus on breeding." Wrex answered earnestly. "The wars that destroyed my planet and my people have left us spread too thin."
"You mentioned that you were hoping to unite your people at one point before your father betrayed you."
"I plan to try again." The battlemaster nodded. "If this mission has taught you something, it should be that some of us aren't all bad."
"Nah," Shepard shrugged as the decontamination and pressurization were completed. "Just stubborn."
"Ha!" Wrex let out a laugh. "Vorcha calling the krogan ugly, Shepard."
"Commander," Pressly, already at his post and alert met them as the two headed further onto the command deck. "Course laid in. We're ready on your order."
"Let's go, Joker." She answered her XO's offer. "Punch it."
"Copy that, Commander. We'll see how well they tuned her up since our trip to Nodacrux."
Bypassing the galaxy map, Shepard headed down to her cabin and secured everything for transport through the relay. They were gong to be moving quickly back to the Styx-Theta cluster, and she hadn't gotten her armor and weapons secured; intending to leave the next morning. By the time she got into the cabin and started securing everything, a call came in over her terminal. Glancing up, she wasn't surprised to see who it was. Answering via omni link, she answered with the same information she had sent in the earlier message.
"Definitely not how I planned to spend this evening."
"I assumed as much." The voice of the asari councilor came through her terminal as the Normandy gave a slight jerk; leaving the docking cradle. "I should hope that this sudden departure doesn''t have anything to do with the geth."
"Unfortunately, no." Shepard shook her head for all the good it did; the call being audio only. "Suspicious activity in the Styx-Theta cluster. We're being asked to extract a team from one of the listening posts out there. After that, we'll start scouting around for signs of geth in previously visited ports."
"Feros and Noveria."
"We'll also head into the system where Virmire is located." Shepard sat down at her terminal at that point. "More than likely be back by the Citadel soon, though." She then let the disappointment slip into her tone. "I swear, when things start to go right, shit hits the fan."
"Is that meant to be on the record?" The question held the intended amusement, and it did nothing but lighten Shepard's mood.
"Why not?" She leaned back in her chair. "I'm nothing if not honest."
"And not pleased by the situation."
"Yeah." She sighed. "Picked up on that, huh?"
"Not difficult to imagine."
"Don't worry." The thoughts started going through her mind as she spoke. "I'll make up for this sudden change of plans when we dock next."
"I'll hold you to that."
"How'd the rest of the day go?"
"Uneventful, for the most part." Thee was relief etched in Tevos' tone as she spoke. "The usual requests, mentions, and general curiosity why we agreed to support David Anderson as a Council candidate, but that is routine."
"Routine, huh?"
"Reporters badgering us about our decisions? Of course." Tevos' voice reflected her amusement. "You should know all about that; what with your investigation into Saren's actions."
"Right."
"Something else is troubling you." Humor faded into concern at that point, and it caused Shepard to really stop and think on her response.
"It's the unofficial report on this situation that I'm not happy with." Then, Shepard disclosed her thoughts on what was actually going on. "Rachni were delivered to that area; rachni that Cerberus experimented on."
"You are suggesting that they are tying up loose ends."
"Exactly." The slight heave of the ship beneath her suggested that they were on approach to the relay; Joker having moved as fast as legally possible while pulling away from the station. "That means that we'll need to check back with the colony on Feros as well. If Cerberus had anything to do with the thorian experiment, we could lose all of those people."
"Be very careful on Noveria." A hint of warning now. "You saw the frigid attitude they have towards Spectres. Seeing you there there again may give them an opportunity to do something about it."
"I'll keep that in mind." Upon thinking about the less than welcoming port, a thought occurred to Shepard. "Has there been any follow-up in regard to Matriarch Benezia's passing?"
"Some of her files have been transferred to me." At mention of Benezia, Tevos' tone took on a sadder note. "A few of our analysts have combed through them, but some were encrypted to the point that they coldn't get too far into them. They are hoping that the recipients will have some idea as to how to access everything."
"Liara is running into the same problem." The conversation where Liara mentioned it flashed through her mind. "If they are that heavily encrypted, then one could assume that there is something in them that she didn't intend for just anyone to see."
"That is the common thought, but…" Tevos trailed off for a moment, and Shepard checked to see if she lost connection with their proximity to the Widow relay. Seeing no sign of that, she waited and finally heard the end of the thought. "I don't know that I want to see what is in them."
"Why is that?" She asked the question and instantly regretted it. There was a slight shift in the Normandy's stability, and by the slight tingling feeling she got, Shepard realized what was about to happen. "Hold that thought. We're about to hit the relay."
"Be well, Seryna."
She hadn't had a chance to reply. The relay was already preparing to slingshot them across the Milky Way, and there wouldn't be enough time. The call ended, and Shepard was left sitting there watching the purple and silvery-pink hues of the Serpent nebula vanish with a rush of blue. They were then replaced, although temporarily, with varying colors from the relays they went through; the last of which was the Pax relay in the Horse Head nebula. Standing up again, she headed out of her cabin and toward one of the coffee pots. This was going to be a long night, and there was no sense in putting off preparing for it. Whatever the councilor had been going to say still weighed on her mind as Shepard absently worked with the pot to check and see how much coffee was left. Seeing a few thick drops come out, she pulled a face and went to wash it out and run a fresh batch.
"…Everything's locked and loaded." Ash's voice broke the otherwise normally quiet galley. "Hope she's wrong about Cerberus, though…"
"Cerberus went so far as to experiment on their own race and call it progress." Tali was with her. They sounded as if they had come up from the cargo deck. "On top of that, they sent crates of misguided rachni to these outposts and took those creepers from Feros… I wouldn't put it past them to try and sanitize areas of involvement."
"True." A pause, and then: "Speaking of, hey Skipper."
"Ash, Tali." Shepard greeted as she put the coffee on. "Good to go down there?"
"Yep." Ashley sat down at the table nearby. "Hoping that this is just an evac."
"Same here." Shepard agreed as she leaned against the cupboards closest to the table. "Lieutenant Durand is tough; her team is too, but I don't know how they'd hold out against Cerberus soldiers."
"You think boots would hit the ground?"
"More than likely; especially if they know the rachni are dead."
"I caught the last of a news story while we were on the Citadel." Tali admitted in a somber tone. "The freighter that was carrying the rachni from the labs to the listening posts here, it was found in pieces." She displayed an image from her omni tool to the nearby display. "The holds were stripped of everything; signs of scorch marks."
"They swept and burned the freighter before crashing it." Shepard muttered.
"Not much to sweep, seeing as we killed the bugs." Ash quipped.
"I'll send messages to Gianna Parasini and Shiala;" Shepard activated her omni and started typing out a message. "They'll be on the lookout for anything suspicious."
"Heard a rumor that the Alliance is trying to poach her;" Ashley stood to check the coffee while her CO sent the messages. "Parasini, I mean."
"They are; Juliana Beynham too."
"Commander?"
"Joker?" Shepard looked up subconsciously as her helmsman spoke. "Something wrong?"
"You might want to come up here. We've just entered the Erebus system, and sensors picked up something."
"On my way." She nodded to Tali and Ashley, who followed her to the bridge. As they entered the CIC, they all saw Pressly look at something and then move toward the bridge ahead of them; brow furrowed. When they reached the helm, Joker was indicating something on a display, and Pressly was nodding. "Joker, what am I looking at?"
"Good thing you managed to get on Nassana Dantius' good side." He started off. "Those prototype sensor modifications she sent our way are what caught this." He indicated something that looked like a blip on an old sonar sweep, but when they shifted their gaze to the next display, that blip turned out to be a cruiser. Running with Alliance tags, it didn't sit well with Shepard. "This cruiser entered the system several hours ago, according to the transit records."
"Something's off about that." Pressly ventured. "They send a well-armed cruiser out here before sending us to do a covert pickup?"
"Hail or don't?" Joker asked while turning slightly in his chair to face his CO.
"Don't." Shepard finally said it after a moment. "They aren't aware we're here, and they don't know we've seen them. We need to get down to the surface and evacuate Durand's team now."
"Something else." Tali added as she looked over the display Pressly was hunched over. "The cruiser is running silent. The Alliance doesn't have any cruisers of this armorment that are also considered stealth-class."
"No time to confirm with Alliance Command." Shepard shook her head at her own thought. She then pulled up the survey that they had taken upon arrival the last time they had been here. "We'll need to land as close to the listening post as possible."
"Land right around there is too unstable." Ash supplied. "With rachni workers carving out sub-level tunnels and nests underground, the Normandy could cause a sinkhole in the area."
"Closest place I can see is here." Pressly marked it on a display showing a map. "Land, take the mako, get them out, and leave without the cruiser detecting us."
"Adams," Shepard opened a comm channel to engineering. "We need to land and take off again without a nearby cruiser noticing. Can the IES sinks handle that?"
"Vented the sinks after returning from Nodacrux, Commander." Greg Adams responded promptly. "We should be able to land and then dust off without detection; provided the cruiser isn't taking active scans of Nepmos while we're doing it."
"And if they are?"
"They'll probably see the mako moving around." Adams guessed. "Depends on the sensor calibration."
"A risk we can afford to take." Joker offered. "You know this is the fastest ship the Alliance has, so we can easily outrun them."
"Alright." Shepard nodded finally. "Everyone to the mako." She said this over the shipwide comm. "We drop in, get to the listening post, and get half of Durand's team out. Some of us will remain to guard the rest until the mako returns. We'll get the rest and dust off."
The first of two runs was a go when the mako me the hard and warm ground of Nepmos. The Normandy had landed without issue, and the team had loaded up in the tank en route to Listening Post Alpha. Upon arrival, Shepard filled Lieutenant Durand in on what was going on, and she ordered the most fatigued of her team to board the mako first. She and a few others stayed behind with Shepard, Ashley, and Liara while Tali, Garrus, and Wrex got the mako back to the Normandy. When the word came down that everyone made it in safely and the mako was on the way back, the remaining supplies were packed and everyone was standing by. It seemed however, that the cruiser had other plans. Joker had just enough time to warn them of an inbound shuttle that had been deployed by the other ship before it was upon them. Flying low, the shuttle resembled a Kodiak model, but there was something different about it. There were small automatic turrets mounted on its front, and as it passed, they were activated.
"Come on!" Lieutenant Durand motioned quickly as the dust from the bullets peppering the ground began to rise. "Get down here!" She motioned to a rock formation that had been carved out. It was deep enough to shelter from the passing shuttle, but there was no telling what had made it. Crude, it didn't resemble rachni tunnel structure. Still, it offered a reprieve from the forward turrets. "What the hell is going on?"
"Don't know." Ash answered. "Unknown cruiser flying Alliance colors was parked right outside the asteroid belt when we arrived." As she said it, the turrets' fire stopped. They could still hear the shuttle hovering somewhere nearby, though. "Skipper, we can't have the mako come back here."
"No." Shepard agreed. Opening a secure comm channel, she addressed that issue. "Wrex, stay back."
"We saw the shuttle, Shepard." Garrus answered. "We're holding back a few kilometers away from you."
"Shuttle has touched down." Durand muttered as she chanced a look around the rock formation. "Soldiers deploying."
"How many?" Liara was already working numbers in her head. "If there are fewer, we could overpower them."
"I've seen twelve leave so far…" The lieutenant was ticking numbers off while speaking. "All heavily armed and moving supplies."
"Best not to engage unless we have to." Shepard decided against it. "Hold out here until the shuttle takes off again, if possible."
"And if they do a sweep?" One of Durand's people wondered aloud. "What if we're discovered?"
"Then we fight." His lieutenant answered. "Same thing we've done since being deployed out here."
Time passed, and all that was heard from the newcomers was the scraping of supply crates. Occasionally, one would swear as a crate was particularly difficult to maneuver or open, but no one spoke otherwise. Finally, an explosion was heard, and that was the diversion that both Shepard and Durand were looking for. When the first clouds of black dust rose into the air, the lieutenant motioned for her people to move. Shepard transferred the last location of the mako to all of them before both COs glanced back toward the rachni colony. They were met with yellow flames burning through the black haze. It seemed that Cerberus, if that was who this was, had decided to scorch the remains of their experiment. That could only mean that the facility at Listening Post Theta was getting the same treatment. Troopers were standing around and watching the blaze burn out of control. Apparently, that had been what they had been moving; explosives and accelerants. After getting a feel for what was going on, both women turned and ducked out of cover while drawing their weapons. Liara, Ashley, and Durand's second in command were escorting the others forward but kept a distance so that they could double back if needed.
"Shepard, the mine!"
"I know!" It seemed that both were on the same page as far as the possibility of a sink hole.
"My people sealed off the tunnels as best as possible, but they cris-cross throughout the area. This could trigger a seismic event!"
"Concentrate on here and now." Shepard managed while running and thinking of the incident on Therum. Unfortunately, a second explosion followed her words, and it sent the ground around them rippling. Cracks that had already been long formed were being stretched.
"Shepard!" Liara called from just a few meters ahead. "The ground is too unstable. If these tunnels stretch as far as my omni tool says they do, the next explosion could cause a massive sink hole!"
"Copy." The word had no sooner left her when the ground ahead seemed to swim before her eyes. Black rock buckled and gave way to the subsequent shockwaves, and two of the lieutenant's people were brought down and pinned. The others started to double back, but both Shepard and Durand waved them on; the former giving the order. "Get to the mako!" At both Ash and Liara's objections, she went on. "Now." When they finally relented and got moving, Shepard analyzed the situation. Two people were trapped; pinned by shifting rock. Neither could reach their omni tools to activate a cutting torch, so that left her and their lieutenant to do it. "We'll need to cut them out."
"We don't have that kind of time." Lieutenant DDurand's tone suggested defeat. "Go on and get the rest of them out of here."
"There's time-"
"When that mine goes, the power supply for the sub-structure does as well. "We're not far enough out of the blast radius. There will be eezo contamination and who knows what else!"
"No one's left behind." Shepard had already activated her cutting torch and was working on one while Durand attempted to free the other.
"N7 program give you that attitude or does it come naturally?"
"Little of both." Shepard motioned for the one man to try and pull his arm free. It moved but not as much as she would have liked. "Stubbornness comes naturally."
"Noted."
Freeing the two men was only half of the job. When they were able to be pulled from the newly formed holes they had fallen in, it took work to keep a steady hold and stay on solid ground to pull them out. Thankfully, both could use their limbs to assist as much as possible. When they were both free and standing again, a white-blue flash illuminated the area. It seemed that a team had gone for the mine and had set off explosives down there as well. Shepard had seen explosions like this before, especially during the blitz, but it didn't make it any less troubling or dangerous. Wordlessly, they all bolted; heading in the same direction as Liara, Ashley, and the others. The mako should have been long gone and those aboard it safe. Hearing a roaring somewhere above them that didn't match the sound of explosions, Durand swore.
"Damn! I had hoped that shuttle wouldn't leave the ground…"
"That's no shuttle…" Shepard managed before the wind around them picked up. Looking up, she saw something coming at them from the darkening sky, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing when a voice came through the comm.
"Someone call for roadside assistance?"
"Joker," Shepard let the relief filter through her tone now. "Am I glad to see you."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." At that, the angular form of the Normandy became more and more clear as it descended, and its cargo ramp started to lower as the frigate hovered inches above the ground. "You coming, or are you going to admire the scenery?"
They managed to jump onto the ramp before it fully lowered. From what Shepard cold see, the mako was parked haphazardly in its rush to get into the cargo bay and for Joker to take off. When all four were aboard and the ramp was being raised, the Normandy gave a heave as Joker pulled away from the planet's surface. Liara and Ashley were the first to meet them and assist the two previously trapped grunts to the lift so that they could be checked out.
"Well, that shuttle didn't leave the ground." Wrex grunted as the ship stabilized.
"And now, it won't." Durand said with a satisfied smirk as she removed her helmet. Steel-grey eyes met Wrex' orange ones. "Too much interference and instability. Whoever they were, I hope they were willing ot give their lives for that hellhole."
"Anyone willing to play games with rachni deserve what they get." Wrex said it with distaste. "Nasty business when they breed out of control."
"Same thing we said about the krogan." Garrus commented dryly.
"What's your excuse, Garrus?" He shot back, but in good nature. "Turians always seem to have a stick up their ass or their carapaces in a knot about something."
"No, we're just the ones with the stick up our ass." Garrus countered. "The ones with their horns in a knot are the salarians."
"Ha! You're right; scrawny pyjaks are always worried about something…"
"Welcome aboard the Normandy." Shepard managed in a mock-serious tone before motioning toward the lift. "Where everyone gets along famously granted there are insults involved."
After a once-over by Dr. Chakwas, Shepard was free to go about her business. First order was to head back to Arcturus so that Lieutenant Durand's team could be debriefed. During transit, nothing really went on aside from casual conversation. It took time to travel through systems with relay trafficbeing what it was, but they made good time. Once they were cleared to leave the hub for the Systems Alliance, Pressly set course for Noveria. It was closest and the source of the rachni problem.
All in all, the next month was spent going from port to port and then the occasional random stop to check the odd uncharted world. Noveria, though still frigid when it came to spectres, was business as usual. Peak 15 had been shut down quickly; Binary Helix realizing they were on the wrong end of the proverbial short stick. The personnel that had been at the coplex had long since been debriefed and sent on their way. It was rumored that Ventralis' people were now working with ERCS under Captain Matsuo. She had accepted their offer under the condition that they undergo more training. Gianna Parasini, though still working with Noveria's Internal Affairs bureau, agreed to hear wht the Alliance had to say as far as a job offer. Lorik Qui'in was, again, head of Synthetic Insights and passed on a cheery hello when spotting Shepard and the others at Port Hanshan. While Shepard passed on the warning about Cerberus and more geth, she did it discretely; which Captain Matsuo and Sergeant Stirling appreciated. Feros was no different, when they reached it.
Still the remains of a pieced-together colony, Zhu's Hope had managed to continue to survive. ExoGeni, though discredited by the events on Nodacrux, was making sure they had everything they needed. There had been no geth incursions or sightings, and what remained of the thorian had been burned out by colonists once they had been released from its control. The core of the plant was still somewhere in the bowels of the ruin, but the sensory clustors had been destroyed. The thorian's "lair" had been cleaned out and was being repurposed for sleeping quarters. With people moving from the ExoGeni complex to the main colony, they needed places to sleep and tend to family, if they chose to go about it. Ethan Jeong, not changing much, spoke of what ExoGeni had done for them since everything had happened, but the truth was revealed by Juliana Beynham. A group, caliming to be couriers for ExoGeni, had come and taken samples of the Thorian's remaining sensory clusters while they had been present and had transported remains of some intact creepers that had collapsed after the creature's defeat. They hadn't been heard from again, but those who had seen the ship come and go had all said there was a collective bad feeling. Fai Dan had registered his concerns with Colonial Affairs, and they had assured that they would look into it, but it seemed that the Alliance had taken over and not found anything in regard to the ship's flight logs. Juliana also mentioned that she would speak with an Alliance representative about their R&D offer. It would be a change of pace and a step forward toward getting out from under ExoGeni's thumb as far as the colony was concerned.
When they left Feros, it was in good spirits. The colony had survived Saren's attack and was still on its way to becoming a thriving outpost; despite ExoGeni's influence and track record. The next worlds were less hospitable. Therum was still hot as blazes, the Armstrong nebula was the same way. Geth that had been there before were still maintaining a presence, but they were keeping out of sight when people came to call. Tali had been conflicted in passing that intel on to her people for fear of their want to start another war with the geth where the last had left them fleeing their homeworld and colonies. Thankfully, it seemed that they weren't choosing to make a move yet. Other systems were simply scanned for geth dropship activity or planets wre surveyed for structures. When nothing was found and the Normandy was due for a refueling and servicing, Shepard chose to return to the Citadel to report their findings. While en route, they received a request for help on Luna, Earth's moon.
It seemed that a VI that was responsible for training simulations, had gone rogue. Systems were acting of their own accord and no one could shut it down remotely. The facilities had been evacuated hastily, and there had bee minimal casualties. When Shepard and her team arrived, they were immediately aware that the defense cannons were all active. Even when the Normandy dropped the mako, they were following the frigate's progress; regardless of it being out of their range. This left Ashley to take out the cannons with the mako's main turret and gun at a respectable distance. When they approached the compound, the team divided. Shepard led Liara and Wrex into one of the two flanking buildings while Ashley led Garrus and Tali into the other. They would all meet outside the center building once the two others were neutralized. This plan worked, though they were faced with different simulated enemies and drones; there was also the matter of the kinetic barriers that were being produced to block access. Both Shepard and Ashley had codes to manually shut off the VI terminals in the buildings, and when they were both down, the two groups entered the last structure prepared for the worst. This was where the central terminal for the VI was located, and the two fail-safes had to be offline to even access this building. Inside, there were more drones and holo enemies like the ones in the simulations Admiral Ahern oversaw at Pinnacle station. They were handled like the others, but when Shepard finally managed to shut down the VI, a message was sent to her omni tool:
01001000
01000101
01001100
01010000
"Any clue what that is supposed to represent, Skipper?" Ashley indicated the terminal nearest. She was the only one to see it, however; the rest were checking the room for any more surprises and making sure that the door would open for them to escape.
"Nope." Shepard took note of the message displayed there and turned to leave. "We'll have to report back to Admiral Hackett when we get back to the Citadel. He'll want to know what we found here."
"Shepard," Tali had been looking over the actual console, and she sounded like she wasn't pleased. "I'm not sure about that."
"What's up, Tali?"
"I think they were purposefully toying with this VI." She motioned toward the console. "It looks like they were trying to provoke a response or force sentience on it."
"You mean they were trying to create an AI." Ash ventured.
"Yes."
"Are you sure about that?"
"My people tried it, and there are logs on the changes they made in the geth code." Tali nodded. "It looks like that is what they had in mind here."
"AI research is illegal." Shepard mused. "This won't look good for the Alliance."
"What do you want to do, Shepard?" Garrus voiced this question. "Legally, they can't research or tinker with artificial intelligence. On the other talon, if the council got wind of this, it wouldn't sit well with them."
"I don't know." Shepard shook her head. "We'll report this back to Hackett and then go from there." They headed for the door and made to exit the facility while sending word to the Normandy. With one look back, Shepard eyed the numbers on the display again. "I just hope he has a good answer when I bring this up."
They left there to report to the Citadel as originally planned, and while in transit, Shepard got a message from Steven Hackett stating that he would be there waiting when the Normandy docked. News of the neutralized facility on Luna had reached Earth via SatComm and they were already moving in to clear out the wreckage. She couldn't be certain if she felt good about that or not. Regardless, when the Normandy docked and her crew disembarked, the admiral was waiting for them on the dock just outside the gangway. Standing in his usual pose, his facial muscles and silver beard twitched slightly when he set eyes on the Normandy's CO. Shepard led the way as had become custom, though she wasn't particular about it. When she reached him, she saluted.
"Admiral."
"Commander." He greeted with a return salute. "I'm glad you managed to deal with that facility on Luna so quickly. We've lost enough people and resources as it is."
"Actually, if you have a moment, I'd like to talk about that." She was direct but not overly cross about it. He seemed to appreciate her cutting to the point and nodded. "Sir, my crew brought up something that I think you should be concerned about." And so she spoke of Tali's findings; that the Alliance, or at least people in that facility, were pushing for the VI to become more than what it was. Hackett was patient while listening, and there were even a few facial ticks that suggested surprise. Whether that was surprise that they had found this out or that it had actually happened, he didn't elaborate. When she had finished, he seemed to think for a moment.
"I don't know what to say, Shepard." Was all he said for a moment, and she chanced a look back toward Ashley. The gunnery chief's expression mirrored her concerns. Finally, Hackett went on. "I just assumed that this was indeed a rogue VI, but what you're suggesting is…"
"More than troubling, given the political climate." Shepard finished. "I was just asked to scout out around places I've already been for signs of geth, and the Alliance seems to be experimenting with this tech all the while."
"I'll look into it." Hackett nodded gravely. "This would be just the right ammunition to use to try and revoke a council seat; thereby negating your hard work getting us this far."
"It would be a backstab to our own, Sir." Ash voiced this tersely. "For the people who died on Eden Prime and everywhere else during this reaper mess, it would look like we spat on their graves."
"Agreed." The admiral nodded again. "Don't mention this to Anderson yet. After looking into it, I will. At least, if all of this is true, we can be up front about it."
"Yes, Sir." Shepard then changed subject. "There is something else as well." She passed on the tags faken from the Alliance cruiser that they had seen in the Erebus system. He didn't seem surprised. "I take it you received my report on the Styx-Theta incident."
"I did." He nodded stiffly. "The fact that another ship flying Alliance colors was there is disturbing."
"So it wasn't sent by any of our fleets?"
"No. We didn't send any ship before or after requesting the Normandy for the evac run."
"So it was Cerberus."
"No way of proving that, but it is a safe bet." He nodded again. "Along tose lines, Lieutenant Durand and her people have already given statements as to what went on there. There are even talks of an N7 commendation."
"I could see it." Shepard nodded firmly. "From what I gather, their original CO died in the initial wave of rachni drones attacking the post."
"That's right."
"Then I fully support it. She led her team through a hard and stressful time; what with comms cut temporarily and supplies shortened. No telling how many sleepless nights she and her team went through to keep everyone alive."
"Good. I needed another N7 to agree before I could make it official." Hackett made an annotation on his omni before looking back up at Shepard; something troubling in his grey eyes. "If that is all, I have something I need to discuss with you personally, Shepard."
"Personal, Sir?"
"It is a sensitive matter pertaining to you, yes."
"Unless it is a matter of security, anything you need to say can be heard by them." She cast a slight look over her shoulder toward her team.
"If you're certain." Wit Shepard's nod, Hackett continued; is pose faltering to make him look a little more human and less military. "It's about your mother."
"Skipper," Ash went to back away. "You sure about this?"
"I am." There was an air of finality there that kept the others rooted to the spot. "What happened?"
"The Kilimanjaro was led into a trap by the freighter it was escorting." This took only a second to sink in, and when it did it felt like someone had dropped a cold brick into her stomach. Shepard's fists tightened slightly.
"What is their status? Was anyone injured?" Her tone was losing its normal calmness by the millisecond; growing more and more worried and slightly higher pitched. "Admiral, where is she?"
"She and several others were declared missing." Hackett said quietly. "I'm sorry, Commander."
"What's the ship's status?" Ash picked up where her CO didn't have the words. "Where was it last seen?"
"The Kilimanjaro is intact." Hackett passed along the relevant data immediately. "Most of the crew were still aboard but in varying states of shock. The ship's distress beacon was triggered when it was raided. We have people combing the area and surrounding systems, Shepard. We will find her."
"It was supposed to be a simple escort…" Shepard was trying to work it out in her head. She was thankful that Ash had picked up the slack and gotten more information when she did. "That was what she said the last time I was here…"
"That was." Hackett nodded slowly. "This was a supply run."
"So they were raided for the supplies?" Garrus asked. "If so, they could be traced through various black markets, and the sellers could be caught."
"We're working that angle now." The admiral confirmed.
"What about the batarians?" Wrex volunteered. "During the X57 run, their leader was pissed off but let go to save the civilians."
"There are no known mentions of Balak, but that's a good place to start looking as well." Hackett then addressed Shepard again. "I've got people on this."
"I want in on the search." Shepard said it without thinking. "The Terminus sweep can wait."
"No." Hackett dismissed that quickly but not unkindly. "The Terminus sweep is a priority-"
"She's my mother, Admiral."
"I know." He seemed to sympathize. "Your judgment will be clouded. Take a mandatory two days to deal with this and then complete the search around the Terminus boarder. After that, if we haven't already located her, you'll be the first call I make."
"The two days aren't optional?"
"No. Take them, because yuu might miss something while distracted."
"With all due respect, I'll be distracted until she is found." Shepard countered. It didn't have the effect she hoped for, though. He was unmoving.
"Anderson said you would have tis reaction. He wanted to tell ou himself when he found out a few hours ago, but I thought that I should; seeing as I was the one who authorized the Kilimanjaro to be their escort."
Shepard, after a long moment, finally relented. She knew that he was right, but a part of her wanted to turn around and head out to search right that second. Sighing, she collected herself and gave the admiral a level stare. "Find her, Admiral."
"I'm seeing to it personally." He confirmed. "I'll keep you posted on our progress."
"Thank you, Admiral." All she could do was stand there as he gave her one last look, nodded to the others, and then headed for the lift that led to C-Sec Academy. It was already there and waiting, but he turned back as the door opened with one last thought.
"You're more like her than you know, Seryna." He sounded less like the legend people had built him up to be and more human now. "The determination that you showed when on Elysium and in your race to find Saren Arterius and Sovereign didn't just come out of thin air; you got it from her. She's stll out there." Leaving her with those words, he stepped into the lift and vanished behnd the solid metal door as the platform descended. In the silence that followed, a single thought echoed through Shepard's mind.
She'd better be.
A/N: Hey all, the next chapter is what has been requested. Definitely need more time spent with the main pairing behind this fic, yes? Right. Mass Effect 2's plotline will be part of this story as will 3's. Also, my other story, "Eclipsed" will be playing a role in this later. It's why I've spent time on it as well. Getting the storyline and timeline straight has been... interesting. Anyway, that takes place during ME2's timeline later on, so have a read if you like, but you won't see the connection until much later. The Jagged Whole series will come into this as well but on a minor level.
Cheers!
