Chapter 27. Live Bait


Early 2138 CE, HSASV Iwo Jima, Enroute to the Citadel

A few months ago Saren Arterius, Spectre of the Citadel Council, had been tasked with investigating a band of thieves stealing form C-SEC and figuring out how a batarian Eezo supplier based on Camala was connected to the case. He had completed that task. Normally he would've already been well on his way back to the station days before but the revelation that Had'dah was actively trying to harm the Citadel Council had shifted his priorities and the perimeters of his mission. Originally he was supposed to find conclusive evidence against Had'dah Enterprises. Now he was tasked with putting an end to Had'dah's schemes before he could hurt more people. A threat to the body he was sworn to protect was far more serious than theft.

The new perimeters had caused him to go after the lead a security officer by the name of Groto Ib-ba had given him. A krogan bounty hunter named Skarr, an exiled battlemaster renowned for his brutality and efficiency, had been ordered to kill someone on Elysium in an attempt to clean up after a failed mission to cover the tracks of his employer. Any mistake Had'dah had made would be an advantage Saren could, should and would exploit. As such he had tracked the krogan to the home of one Lieutenant Kahlee Sanders and stopped his attempt on her life with the help of another human, David Anderson, who in turn had been ordered to bring the woman in. After an initial disagreement on who should take her, both had realised that they wanted to take Lieutenant Sanders to the Citadel, leading to the turian hitching a ride on a human frigate.

Now he needed to learn why Had'dah wanted Sanders silenced, something he hadn't managed up to now. It was crucial information needed for his next step. Depending on what she told him, he could figure out what the batarian was planning.

"Lieutenant Sanders?" he asked after he intercepted the woman once the N7 soldier had parted ways with her. She turned to look at the much taller turian standing in the corridor to her left. "Do you have a minute?"

"For another 'interview'?" she sighed exhausted as she looked into the direction Anderson had disappeared to. "I just got out of one interrogation."

He was aware of that. He had used the fact that he had been left mostly unsupervised to lurk in these halls ever since she had set foot inside the CIC. The woman had been inside the room for the last few hours, he understood why Sanders was aggravated. However that didn't change the fact that he had to know why Edan Had'dah would send a bounty hunter after her. Once he learned her role in things, he would know how to use her to bring down the batarian and in turn be able to complete this mission.

"I just need to know why Skarr was after you. That's all."

"I'd love to tell you but I have no idea," the human replied as she began to walk, forcing Saren to match her step.

"You mentioned Sidon when the N7 asked you to come with him," Saren remembered. The planet was located in the same system as Elysium and from what he had gathered up to now, the lieutenant had worked there. While the exact purpose of the base located on the world was unknown to him, he had learned that it was a research facility for classified projects. "You worked there?"

"For a time, yes," she said.

"I'd like to know if anything you did on Sidon is related to Had'dah Enterprises. If there was any reason why Edan Had'dah would sent a krogan bounty hunter after you," Saren knew he wouldn't learn any details about her job but he didn't ask for them. He only needed to know what Had'dah's interest in Sidon was.

"The only connection between Sidon and that company would be Elemt Zero," she replied as they took a turn around the corner. His time was running out, the crew quarters were coming closer with every step and he already had his suspicion that their conversation would end there.

Why would an Eezo supplier, a batarian one at that, be linked to a secretive human research base? He was skeptical of the person in front of him. He could usually tell when people were trying to keep something form him but for some reason this particular human was almost unreadable to him. She shouldn't have been. Humans and asari shared the same basic facial expressions and Saren had taken care to study the usual clues across the species of the galaxy, it had come in handy during his missions. He was by no means an expert but he had had some practice in the past. Yet something about the lieutenant made it difficult to tell if she was speaking the truth or not.

"What do you mean by that?" Saren asked as the woman stopped in front of the crew quarters to look at him.

"The facility on Sidon was tasked with researching human biotics. I don't think I have to explain the connection between biotic powers and Element Zero to a biotic," she muttered as she pointed at him before pinching her nose, "and frankly, I'm too tired to do it either way."

"We can help each other, Lieutenant Sanders," he promised, trying to ignore his growing frustration. Falling for sarcasm really made him question if his ability to read people was based around pointing a gun at them.

"Can we?" she replied skeptically.

"Yes," he knew that it was not exactly true but he still had to try. "You just have to tell me why Skarr was sent after you. What were you doing on Sidon that would draw Had'dah's attention?"

"I appreciate that you saved my life, Agent Arterius. I really do, but right now there is nothing else you can do for me," she said as she stepped inside the crew quarters preparing to close the door between herself and Saren and leaving the Spectre no wiser than before, "and I can't tell you anything more about Sidon," she shrugged as the grey metal of the doors slit between himself and the woman.

Maybe it was time for a different approach. Bargaining hadn't worked, maybe pleading would.

"Spirits, there are lives at stake, Lieutenant," he called as his voice echoed through the corridors of the frigate with a hint of urgency. "Lives I will be able to save if you tell me what I need to know. I'm not trying to steal your people's secrets, I'm trying to stop a madman!"

The door remained close. She probably hadn't heard him either way.

A frustrated growl escaped the turian's mouth and he pushed the idea of simply breaking down the door and finding out what he needed to know back into the small corner it of his mind it had escaped from before even considering to act on it. Saren wasn't used to interrogating someone who wasn't an enemy and usually his allies were more cooperative. This wasn't a usual situation.

He needed to figure out the connection between Sanders, Sidon and Had'dah Enterprises and he needed to do it quick. Every minute he spent in the dark was a minute Edan Had'dah was getting further ahead in his plan. If he no longer considered attacking embassies on the Citadel as his main priority, Saren wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the rich entrepreneur was planning to do, he only knew that he had to prevent it at all costs. As he turned to leave, the door behind opened again, a blonde woman with a guilty expression looking up to him as he halted his step and turned his head.

"I can't tell you what you need to know. I wish I could but I can't. Not yet," Sanders admitted. "Once we're on the Citadel and once I've spoken to the ambassador, I might be able to answer your questions but until I have that talk, I can't speak to you, I'm sorry."

"Might?" he picked out the detail relevant to his mission.

"It's all I can give you and I know it's far from satisfactory," she said as she looked at the ground, "but for now a 'might' will have to do."

It was better than outright refusal. He nodded his thanks before the door closed once more, leaving him a bit less troubled but still unsatisfied. The lieutenant had proven to possess a sense of morale but as with many soldiers, her sense of duty prevented her from telling Saren what he needed to know. The turian in Saren respected that, the soldier in Saren would've done the same but the Spectre in him was far from happy with it. He knew she understood his insistence, if she didn't, she wouldn't have stopped him but the part of her that wanted to tell him was outweighed by the part of her that was aware of her duties. Saren needed to work this out of his system and as he spotted a door his translator labeled as 'training room', he knew exactly how.


12. January 2396 AD, Citadel, HSA Embassy

The vessel had docked and much to Anderson's surprised, the turian Spectre had not gone straight to the Council but instead followed them to the embassy area under the premise of still having business there. As a Spectre, they could hardly tell him to get lost and as such one Saren Arterius was now waiting outside the building. Glancing through the window as they, Anderson himself, Lieutenant Sanders and two guards, walked through the building housing humanity's link to the Citadel Council, he saw the white figure sitting in the yard in front of the embassy, looking at them as they passed by, making him curious as to how this business might be linked to the suspiciously silent Sanders on his left. An officer of the Iwo Jima had told him that Sanders and the Spectre had talked once aboard the frigate and the N7 suspected that his business in the embassy area was with no other than the woman he had been ordered to bring here.

While the N7 had considered the reason for Saren Arterius's presence, the group had made their way to their final destination. The door to the office he had received his orders in opened and much to his surprise, Ambassador Goyle was not the only person in the room. While she set at her desk, indulged in her work, Anderson noticed the other, uniformed, brown haired man in the room. He was clad in a black uniform and a single, red dagger emblem was sown to his uniform. His head was turned towards the blonde woman as he watched her work from his position in a chair opposite to her, idly rotating a few degrees to the left and back to the right at a steady rhythm.

Section 13.

"There they are," the man spun around in the chair and a surprisingly friendly face looked at Lieutenant Anderson, grey eyes mustering him and the people accompanying him as they stepped into the room. "Told you it wasn't worth starting to work," he chuckled as he got up and faced the guards that had accompanied them. "Thank you, Corporal. You're dismissed."

He had never worked alongside someone like the man standing in front of him but he had heard the rumors about their training, the stories about some of their missions and the description of the type of person they were. The man standing in front of him did not match the picture Anderson had drawn at first glance. While he had certainly been in quite a few rough fights, several scars proving that much, he was nothing like the detached, professional the N7 expected a specialist to be. He had always pictured a bulky killing machine with a shaved head, a grim expression and more medals than he could count. What he got made far more sense. This man, bearing a few details and an incredibly rare eye colour, looked like the average man in his late thirties. He seemed easy going and looked like a generally friendly person. Considering the fact that specialists were still spies who had to blend in, his appearance made a whole lot of sense.

"Lieutenant Sanders, Staff Lieutenant Anderson," he greeted them before his expression grew more serious. Anderson had been under the impression that Sanders was supposed to talk to the ambassador, not a specialist.

"Shepard," the woman next to him nodded in return. "Your extraction wrecked my parent's house."

"I'm glad to see you in one piece," he offered.

"Can't say that for the rest of Sidon's staff," the woman muttered sadly.

The N7 officer was at a loss. He had been under the impression that the lieutenant would be treated as a suspect but as far as he could tell right now, none of that was happening. It seemed like Kahlee Sanders wasn't considered to be a traitor but an informant. Anderson knew when he was missing a crucial detail and right about now he was missing more than just one.

"I'm sad to see your suspicion confirmed," the specialist who was apparently called Shepard said, shaking his head before looking at the confused face of Anderson. "You weren't told, were you?" he asked with a sympathetic tone.

He shook his head, "I'm afraid that I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Four days before the attack on Sidon, Lieutenant Sanders voiced her concerns about the loyalty of Doctor Qian to HSAIS. They didn't make it a priority at first but when Section 13 learned the details, we did," the man explained as he looked at Sanders. "Do you want to fill him in on the rest or should I keep going?"

"Doctor Qian grew obsessed with a private project. An old, alien artifact that was sent to him from an unknown source and he began to study it. We don't know where it came from or what it was. As the chief scientist of the facility, he could request all kinds of things but as rumor had it, whatever he had shipped to him predated even the protheans," Sanders sighed as she looked at Anderson. "His position allowed him access to every part of the facility and the authority to delete all data stored on its servers. He wiped the delivery of the record the moment he learned it had arrived." In retrospective it was easy for the N7 officer to say that giving Qian that kind of power had been plain stupid considering its results but given the purpose of Sidon's research facility, it had probably made sense to give the leading scientist the ability to scorch the earth at a moments notice when the decision had been made.

"He studied it for a few days and then one of his episodes began," she went on with her story. "He started disappearing for hours at a time, shifting resources meant for the AI research over to his project and banning all staff members from the sublevel of the base. He didn't let anyone else help him and he told no one what he was doing but as he kept the base running so we turned a blind eye on his behaviour," Sanders tone grew more resigned, "He had been like this before so most of us didn't think anything off it at first. Qian had these phases of antisocial behaviour once in a while but usually his antics stopped after a few days and were followed by a big breakthrough in the project," she paused for a moment, taking a breath as she explained why Sidon's staff didn't act earlier. "That didn't happen this time. His behaviour went on for nearly two weeks and he became more occupied with whatever he was studying down there every day. It was starting to hurt the project, so I made a judgment call as chief of the technical staff and ranking military officer on site. I looked into Qian's personal terminal and found out that he had been sending unauthorized messages to a third party through the use of a secret relay station he had been building with the parts siphoned from the project's resources. He was transmitting to someone outside of human territories. The implications were obvious."

"So you reported it to HASIS," Anderson figured, receiving a nod from Sanders. "Why not arrest him on the spot?"

"We had to figure out who he was working for," Shepard injected. "I told her to keep a low profile and stay quiet about her discovery until we had a lock on his partner. If Qian suspected that we were onto him, we never would've gotten the chance to go after the thrd party."

"A decision that got a lot of people killed," Sanders eyes narrowed.

"Section 13 decided to exfiltrate Lieutenant Sanders quietly, hence the AWOL in the doctor's notes," the specialist explained. "We had to get her off world without Qian getting wind of it, he had to keep working after all. It was a lucky coincidence that we managed to get to the lieutenant before the batarian mercs attacked."

"They put me on Elysium to await retrieval from you," the lieutenant added, " and since they couldn't just put me on a regular frigate or into HSA custody, they put my mother into the crosshairs of Skarr."

"Doctor Qian is the traitor then," the N7 asked. "Was he the one who hired Skarr?"

"Most likely," Shepard replied. "We haven't been able to figure out who he was working with though."

"It wasn't Qian. It was a batarian," the blonde lieutenant quickly corrected him. "I think the turian Spectre figured out who Qian was working with some time ago," Sanders continued as the people in the room looked at her, " he just doesn't know what to do with the information because he isn't aware that Qian exists. He's been looking for Qian while we've been looking for his target."

"I think an explanation would be appreciated, Lieutenant," Goyle suggested from her desk.

"He approached me on the Iwo Jima, asking me why Edan Had'dah sent Skarr was after me and if there were any connections between Had'dah Enterprises and the facility on Sidon."

"The guy who owns that Eezo company on Camala?" the specialist asked. Anderson had heard of Camala before, it was one of the few batarian planets non-batarians could live on as long as they came from a non-Council world. Few humans had even considered going there because of rising tensions between the Batarian Hegemony and the Human Systems Alliance but others flocked to the planet with the Eezo promising them a rich future.

"Yes," Sanders replied. "I improvised, got sarcastic. I told Arterius that Sidon was researching human biotics and that the only connection would be Element Zero itself," Anderson was impressed by Sanders ability to exploit something like that at a moments notice and a faint smirk crossed his lips as a result.

"So Had'dah is Qian's contact," the Section 13 agent spoke. "The guy hates humans with a passion. Why would he be working with one? Hell, why would Qian sell out to a batarian of all people? His niece was killed in a battle with slavers four months ago, if anything he should be working against them."

"I don't know but as unreasonable as it sounds, it's the most likely explanation given what the Spectre said. It would explain the mercenaries that attacked the base, Had'dah Enterprises has private security," Sanders argued. "But there's something else you should know about the Spectre."

"Go ahead," the ambassador assured her as Anderson kept listening.

"He practically begged me to tell him why Had'dah would go after me, said that he needs the information to save lives. It sounded very urgent."

"You didn't tell him anything about Sidon, did you?" Goyle asked, slightly concerned.

"Of course not. I told him I might be able to give him what he needs after talking to you," Sanders said and as she noticed the frown of the ambassador, she went on. "I think he might be able to help us and if you're willing to hear me out, I can tell you how."

"Your instincts have been right up to now," the specialist reasoned. "I see no reason to doubt you."

"Arterius has one part of the puzzle, we have the other one. We might be able to help each other out," Sanders added. "If we tell him that Had'dah has been working with Qian, he will probably be willing to tag along."

"You're suggesting to levy his assistance," Shepard figured.

"Exactly," Sanders nodded as she looked at Anderson for assistance. "He's bound to have a network we could use to get to Qian. Not to mention that the batarians are never going to let a human ship frigate pass through their home mass relay. They'd turn us back at gunpoint the moment we drop out of the Harsa System. If a Spectre is on board they have no choice but to tolerate us as long as we don't set foot on Khar'shan."

It was true. The batarians had always been xenophobic, banning most species, slaves being the exception, from setting foot on their home world and core colonies while only rarely allowing council vessels to venture deep into their territory unannounced. The Batarian Hegemony had time and again closed its borders to the rest of the galaxy and in fact ever since becoming an associate of the CItadel Council, HSA ships, just like vessels of the Turian Hierarchy, had been banned from entering batarian space all together, a ban the later tended to ignore when their duties as peacekeepers allowed them to. They would never get permission to fly a military craft straight through their home system. True, the Iwo Jima was capable of a stealth approach and as such the Batarian Hegemony would have no idea where the frigate was headed once it passed through the relay but they would still notice its arrival and as such take action to a trespasser. If the ship was transporting a Spectre, they were simply forced to tolerate its usage of the Harsa Relay.

"I've seen him fight, his help could go a long way," the N7 added.

"He's still an agent of the Council and Sidon's activity are still illegal by their laws," the spy in the room reminded her. "If he gets wind of Qian's research, the HSA is in for a lot of trouble."

"If he gets wind," Goyle countered, emphasizing the first word. "Working alongside a Spectre is the first step on the road of becoming a Spectre. This could be a big step for humanity."

"Or throw us five steps back. We'd have to keep him in the dark," the specialist sighed, "and we can't guarantee that we'll be able to."

"We could always brand Qian as a rogue scientist acting on his own, have him take the fall for all of Sidon. Deniability was one of the contingency protocols in case of being discovered," Sanders said as Anderson looked at her with mild surprise, causing her to explain. "We knew what we were doing was illegal, don't act so surprised. It was Qian's own idea so it's only fitting that we employ it against him and the fact that he did actually go rogue adds a lot of credibility to the claim."

"It's risky," the specialist repeated his concerns.

"The chancellor's orders were clear, we've got to stop Qian by any means," Goyle argued.

"I know, I stood next to you when he told you that," Shepard replied," and I stood next to you when he gave you the authority to decide in situations such as this. It's your call."

Anderson had once more excluded himself from the discussion, silently considering what he had learned from listening. He hadn't been told everything about his mission and that bothered him. He didn't become an N7 to be kept in the dark. In fact the lieutenant considered the fact that N7s were usually told everything about the mission they'd embark on next to be one of the biggest advantages of the job. He understood the need to keep the circle of people included in this mess as small as possible but he didn't understand why they had withheld this piece of information from him before. It didn't sit well with him but holding a grudge wouldn't do him any good right now.

"We've got to get to Qian before he does anymore damage," the older blonde woman spoke. "We're at risk of being exposed as things are. Nothing is stopping Qian from talking the moment he spots us. The help of a Spectre who's after his partner might just prevent that from happening."

"So you're giving the green light?" Shepard asked.

"Lieutenant Sanders, you were the one he approached. Talk to him, tell him that Had'dah was working with a traitor among our ranks," Goyle decided. "Keep the details vague. Stick to the biotic story, improvise if you have to. Get us his help."

Then the woman turned towards him. The conversation had already made it clear that he'd tag along for more than just his skills. He was part of a political play. "Lieutenant Anderson, you'll join the Spectre and try to bring in the doctor. If you can't do that, ensure that Qian doesn't talk."

"By any means?" he asked.

"Do whatever you have to," the specialist replied for the ambassador. "If you can't bring him in, kill him."

He nodded firmly. Others may have worded in a different way, sugar coated what Anderson would have to do. This man didn't. He could respect that.

"The Iwo Jima will be at your service until this mess is over, Lieutenant Sanders you'll remain on the Citadel for the time being," Goyle spoke after nodding at the Section 13 agent. The change in Sanders expression told Anderson everything he needed to know.

"No. I'm seeing this through. I'm going with Anderson," Kahlee Sanders protested. She had guts, he had to give it to her. Of course refusing an order in this situation was completely out of line but it still took courage to do so.

"Lieutenant Sanders," the other woman spoke. "You're a technician, not an N7. Putting you in the field again would be putting you into unnecessary danger."

"No it wouldn't be."

"This matter isn't up to discussion, Lieutenant," the ambassador sighed. "You'll stay here until this matter is taken care of. For your own safety."

"How are you going to draw out Qian or Had'dah?"

Anderson didn't like where this was going and he knew it wasn't a good sign that a part of him considered this a viable approach. The look on the specialist's face told the N7 nothing but Anderson suspected that he too had followed Sanders' line of thought. It only made sense for Shepard to realise what the lieutenant wanted to do, after all people in his line of work had to consider even the most pragmatic actions to accomplish their missions. For someone like Anderson it was a bit more unusual to consider such a morally questionable course of action.

Had'dah had sent a krogan bounty hunter after her already, it was obvious that he wanted the lieutenant silenced. His desire to do so may even draw him out. The idea of using the technical officer as bait was definitely not a long shot but its chance of success didn't make it any less questionable in his eyes. Anderson wasn't a fan of putting people in the line of fire who had no business being in combat in the first place, he know that he could pull through most situations, including playing the bait, but he had gone to hell and back to complete N7 training, Sanders was a technician with good instincts, no special forces operative and hardly combat proven. Her question had caused an uncomfortable silence to settle in the room as the ambassador's stare narrowed in on Sanders' own eyes and both the specialist and he himself didn't dare to interrupt the tension that had built up between the two women. As far as the chain of command was concerned, Goyle was right and his own conscience agreed with the ambassador. Sanders lacked the training to put her self into such a situation, it was dangerous. Yet a small pragmatic part of his mind and the reality of the situation agreed with Kahlee. They had to draw out Qian and Had'dah and the best way to do that was to give them what they wanted.

"That's what I thought," Sanders added to the silence. "He wants me and if either of them were to get word that I am on Camala, a world where Had'dah holds a lot of power, they'd jump the gun to silence me. If we put Had'dah in the picture, Arterius is definitely going to help. That batarian is his mission and if the talk I had with him is anything to go by, he won't pass up the chance to get a shot at him."

The ambassador didn't reply at first, causing the lieutenant to keep talking.

"Please, ambassador. I need to see this through. I own it to everyone who died on Sidon."

He understood where she came from. While he came from a very different part of the navy than her, a part much closer to death, he was almost certain that Sanders was feeling extremely guilty for having survived the attack on Sidon due to a lucky case of timing. He had seen it before during N7 deployments or the closing days of the Fringe Wars. Soldiers who survived while the rest of their unit died were either broken by the experience or thrown into a state in which they felt an unquenchable need to finish what they started to honor the sacrifices of their comrades, to give meaning to the fact that they had survived while everyone else had died. Sanders was a technician but she was also a soldier and a lot of the people who had been murdered on Sidon had been her comrades. He had gone through a similar phase after Santino had died when his unit had gone after Sederis. The memory of the guilt caused him to speak up.

"I think it's a good idea," he stated in a clear tone. "Lieutenant Sanders obsesses valuable insight on Qian's personality and would be very useful in securing whatever data he stole. She is far more qualified than me to retrieve anything he could've taken with him," it was lie. He was playing on the technically inept infantry stereotype and by the look of the ambassador it was working. Truthfully he could do without the woman but he knew that she needed closure. A short, thankful smile from they younger blonde woman told him that he had done the right thing. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it in a few days.

"Alright, you've convinced me," she said as she nodded at Sanders. "For the record, I don't think that this is a good idea but the situation is forcing my hand. If it were up to me, you'd stay as far from this as possible. If something happens to you, its on me. The moment you can, you get her out of there, understood Lieutenant Anderson?"

He nodded.

"I'm doing this on my own accord, Ambassador Goyle and if anything happens its the fault of Had'dah and Qian," the lieutenant reasoned to put her mind at ease.

"You should get going," Shepard said as he steered them back on their course, the mission. "This is a time sensitive matter. Get the Spectre on board, get word out that Sanders is on Camala and bag the targets."

"Right," Anderson nodded. "You go speak to Arterius, I'll head out for the Iwo Jima and prep for our departure to Camala. See if he can leak word about your position through third channels."

A nod from Sanders was followed by being dismissed by the ambassador and soon the two parted ways, the lieutenant walking towards a patiently waiting turian and he himself heading for the docking bay. They could work out a plan once the Spectre was on the Iwo Jima.


Early 2138 CE, Citadel, Embassy Area

He drummed the tips of his talons on the armrest of the bench as he waited in the yard in front of the embassy complex, people who were passing by him throwing a glance in his direction ever so often as they took note of the armored and armed turian sitting among them. The embassy area of the Citadel was among the busiest places on the Presidium ring, members of all species rushing between the different buildings to negotiate, discuss and work in order to maintain the galactic community. An elcor and a hanar, both sharing rather unique means of communication, were discussing something on his left, an asari rushing past him on his right, likely to another meeting and a volus waiting for someone as he awkwardly tried to sit on a bench not made for someone of his physique.

He knew that he looked incredibly patient to the outside world as his eyes remained set on the entrance of the human embassy but there was a turmoil raging in his mind which was invisible to the people around him. The turian had not problem with stalking a gang of thieves across Juxhi over the course of months and Blackwatch had made it almost second nature to Saren to spent hours upon hours waiting for the right moment to strike. If he knew that he was actually doing something to advance his mission, he would have no problem with waiting.

But right now this wasn't the case. A 'might' was all he had to go by and that was eating away his patience with every minute he spent waiting for Sanders to exit the building. Had she said that she would tell him what he needed to know after the meeting, he would be at complete ease but no such thing had happened. Her words had been that she might be able to tell him, therefore he felt like he was possibly wasting time he could spent to track down Had'dah on his own by waiting for something that may not even happen in the first place. He had briefly caught sight of the lieutenant and the N7 as they had walked past a rather big window. That had been some thirty minutes ago. Ever since then he had observed the people passing by the glass panel, its higher position, somewhat reflective surface and taint making it hard, but not impossible, to identify who was walking past it.

As he caught yet another glimpse of two people, looking like they could be the couple he had encountered on Elysium walking past it, time began to slow down even further. Soon he would know if he had wasted his time. The door of the building opened a few minutes later to reveal the couple he had been waiting for. The two people walked outside before parting ways, one, Anderson, walking past him and the other walking towards him, Sanders.

"You waited," the woman noted as she closed in on Saren. "Good."

"Can you tell me what I need to know?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Yes," relief washed over him. He had not wasted his time.

He looked at her, expecting Sanders to keep talking. When she didn't, he took the initiative.

"Well?" he very nearly growled by accident.

"The chief scientist of Sidon has been working with Edan Had'dah for a few weeks now. He betrayed the HSA and Had'dah wanted to silence me because I figured it out. That's why he sent Skarr after me."

He nodded while his mind began to raise. The lieutenant had told him that Sidon was researching human biotics and since the HSA had access ot its own Element Zero, there was no reason for the head scientist to reach out for a batarian Eezo supplier, a supplier owned by Edan Had'dah at that, someone who hated humanity with a passion. Logically there was no reason for the batarian to even consider working with a human scientist.

But Had'dah wasn't driven by logic, he was driven by hate.

If Edan Had'dah believed that the turncoat would enable him to enact his revenge on a scale even bigger than attacking Citadel embassies, it was possible that he was willing to make an exception. That in turn raised the question what a biotic researcher could give him that would be bigger than a terroristic attack on the galactic center of power. Biotics were dangerous but what purpose would a human scientist have in this matter? Batarian biotics, while rare, had existed for centuries. Unless the HSA had made an unknown breakthrough, a very unlikely scenario since biotics were very well understood by now, there was no point in striking a deal with him for his expertise. Could it be his security clearance that Had'dah was after? A high ranking scientist could give Had'dah the location of sensitive targets.

But that only covered the human part of the aristocrat's grudge. Edan Had'dah hated turians just as much as he hated humans and had blown of the attack on the embassies because he believed that he could strike them at an even more vulnerable point. What information could the scientist hold that would hurt both the turian and the humans? Was it possible that he had been part of yet another joint research program Saren had no knowledge of? Was it possible that the scientist was an expert in more than just biot-

"Still with me, Arterius?" he was torn form his thoughts as he felt a slight push against his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" he asked as his mandibles twitched in surprise. Apparently Sanders had been talking with him all the while he had been trying to figure out what Had'dah might be trying to do.

"I asked you if you're going to help us go after them. They are working together. We want Qian, you want Had'dah and we need you to pass the Harsa Relay without causing a major diplomatic incident. As you said, we can help each other."

He recalled that conversation. At the time Sanders had denied that possibility, most likely because she hadn't known if she could tell him what he asked for. His mission was to stop Had'dah, Councilor Idril had made that very clear after he had sent him a preliminary report of the events on Juxhi. Now they could actually profit from each other.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked. He would like to know details before charging into the unknown.

"You totally spaced out on me, didn't you?" the woman sighed.

That reaction suggested that she had already told him their plan.

"Had'dah wants me dead, that's why he hired Skarr to go after me. If I were to appear on a place where he holds a lot of power, say Camala, he'd be drawn out. By now its likely that Qian is with him. If we get to either of them, we'll find the other one," she explained. "We'll travel to Camala with the Iwo Jima and then we'll need you to leak word that I'm hiding out there. I'll play the bait to draw them out and you and Anderson go in for the kill when they appear."

"What if they send Skarr to grab you? Nothing forces them to go after you personally," he said as he noticed the most obvious flaw in the plan. Why would they not sent their krogan bounty hunter?

"Then you go after me," Sanders replied confidently.

"Last time I fought Skarr, I had the moment of surprise," he said as he rolled his shoulder. He still felt a slight sting, "and barely won."

"You sent him running," she reminded him. "I'd call that more than 'barely."

"He wasn't expecting a fight," Saren admitted. "Furthermore if Had'dah wants you dead, what would keep Skarr from killing you on the spot?"

"Not reassuring, Arterius," the woman frowned. "I'm counting on the fact that he doesn't want to make it a very public event. Skarr was keeping a low profile before, maybe he'll do it again. Now, assuming I don't get 'killed on the spot'," she quoted him,"and Skarr is sent to take me to Had'dah and Qian, you'll go after me. Once he ges to them, you take care of Skarr, capture them both and we're golden."

The plan was risky and had questionable chance of success but risk and questionable chacnes of success were constant companions for a Spectre.

"You do realise that the most likely scenario is that Skarr will come after you and that there is no guarantee for your safety?" he asked again.

"Are you in or not?" she dismissed his question.

"Yes," he nodded as he got up from the bench.

"And you're not going to lecture me on the fact that I don't belong in the field? Being a technician and all that?" she asked with a smile.

"You volunteered for this, didn't you?" he asked. Her answer wouldn't influence the fact that he would go on this mission, it would only serve to give him a clear consciousness about his acceptance.

"Yes," Sanders replied with determination.

"Then I see no reason to do so," he spoke. Turians understood that the good of the many outweighed the good of the few. If someone was willing to play the bait for the good of the many, he saw no reason to question that person's decision.

"So can we count on you?"

"Yes. I need to stop Had'dah," he replied. "When do we departure?"

"Now. Anderson is already making preparations to head out."


Three Days Later, HSASV Iwo Jima

The travel to Camala had been surprisingly easy thanks to his presence and as far as he had been told, the Batarian Hegemony had been unable to track this vessel to the Indris System. Apparently it shared similar qualities as the frigates used by the Turian Hierarchy to deploy Blackwatch teams on covert missions or the STG ships capable of avoiding most means of detection he had heard rumors about. He wondered what would happen if one combined the different approaches to stealth of these vessels. A blend of kinetic barrier technology and human shielding systems had already created the more versatile but less powerful hybrid generator he used as a backup for his main barrier, who knew what the combined effort of the two governments could do with stealth technology.

Saren sat in the observation deck of the frigate, a rare luxuray for a military vessel, and looked at the dark brown orb they were currently approaching, Camala. The world was part of the area known as the Kite's Nest, the same cluster in which the home system of the batarians, Harsa, was located. Orbiting a star called Indris, its system was only reachable through traditional FTL travlel, lacking its own mass relay. It was a new colony, only being settled after prospectors found a large amount of Element Zero that had escaped early batarian surveyors due to the lack of advanced scanning equipment a decade ago. In a very untypical and mostly economically motivated move, the Hegemony had opened the world to people of all races as long as they hailed from independent colonies, causing its population to be larger than the typical mining world.

Camala's capital, Ujon was build around several oases, allowing its nearly three million inhabitants easy access to fresh, drinkable water in the otherwise unbearable drought seasons of the planet. It was also constructed near the largest deposits found on the world, large refineries replacing the suburbs around the rich core of the almost paradisiacal location as they enriched the Hegemony every day. The wealth of Camala's citizens was evident to Saren simply by looking at the pictures of Ujon. It spoke of just how much money one could make with Element Zero and almost reminded him of Thessia, another world who earned a fortune through the bluish material that allowed the civilizations of the galaxy to harness the mass effect.

Just like Thessia, Camala's viceroy had taken steps to ensure that the planet would remain wealthy once its considerable deposits of Eezo were depleted. Instead of building the world as an economic and politcal center, he ordered the construction of empty cities around the other oases of the planet to create a tourist attraction for wealthy people unaffiliated with the Citadel and luring in companies with favorable laws to ensure the continued high living standard of the world. It was a rare example of a viceroy actually being good at their job. Usually the batarian colonial rulers were selected for their loyalty, not their ability. Camala had either gotten lucky or Chairman Kar'Amon, the despotic ruler of the Batarian Hegemony, had realised that the world would be of more value to him if held in competent but somewhat less loyal hands.

The Iwo Jima would soon deploy them to the surface through the use of a shuttle capable of stealth insertion, a rather useful tool. From there they'd find their way into the center of the city on foot. Unlike most batarian colonies, Camala lacked a large Internal Forces presence to avoid scaring of non-batarian people or more importantly companies. Instead the bigger companies of the planet policed the world with their private security forces, professionals equipped with the best gear the rich companies of the world could afford. This was the sole reason such a bold plan would work. The security forces were mostly focused on asset protection and as such the core of the city was only patrolled by a few, mostly bored officers that were currently not deployed to the refineries on the city's edges. On any other batarian world they'd most likely be caught before being sentenced to a life of slavery as punishment but Camala was truly an anomaly.

Once inside, they'd set up a small base of operations and leak out word that Sanders was hiding near the center of the city, far away from most security forces. Then they'd wait for Had'dah to take the bait and hopefully bag him in a swift grab and run operation. If Had'dah sent Skarr, he knew that the best course of action would be to let him capture Sanders and track him to the batarian and his human accomplice, even if it put the woman at even more risk. The Spectre had refrained from telling this to Anderson, his human partner for this operation but Sanders, their bait, was already well aware of it. Over the last few days it had become quite obvious to Saren that the N7 was uncomfortable with using Sanders, who had still volunteered for the post, as bait. By observing the two over the last few days, he had figured out that Anderson had agreed to the mission as a favour for Sanders and Saren suspected that if he told him that the best course of action was to let her get captured, he wouldn't be willing to go through with the mission due to the possibility of Skarr killing her. The man struck him as a good military leader, not willing to put innocent people in the line of fire, determined to protect his comrades, grounded in his morale principles and willing to fight to the last breath. But not the person willing to be as pragmatic as this situation called for and not the person for this kind of work. While he admired these traits in Anderson, the years since becoming a Spectre had taught him that pragmatism was sometimes the only way to succeed.

Of course he disliked the inherent risk of the plan as well but he was a turian. His people had long since understood that the good of the many, which would be achieved by risking Sanders life and stopping Had'dah and his accomplice, outweighed the good of the few, which in turn would've been keeping Sanders out of the line of fire but letting the batarian and the doctor run free.

After they got a shot at Had'dah and Qian, hopefully taking them out of the equation in the process, they'd make a run for the closest landing site they could find. The idea was that the Iwo Jima itself would use its advanced stealth technology, including the ability to hide from most atmospheric sensors to pick them up. Shuttles had been considered for the retrieval as well but by then the airspace would be crowded by whatever interceptors the companies possessed, a threat a frigate such as the Iwo Jima could simply shrug off thanks to its ability to maintain its shields within the atmosphere and its advanced point-defence systems. After that they'd jump inside the frigate's hangar and make their escape, disappearing in the deep of space before making a quick FTL jump to the Harsa Relay, the fact that they had been on a Spectre assignment acting as their shield against the batarian navy.

The door behind him hissed open, the reflection of a man wearing onyx armor appearing in front of him.

"We're just about ready to hit the surface," he spoke as he walked up next to him. "I presume you're ready?"

"Yes," Saren replied. He had been ready for a few hours which had prompted him to go the observation deck in the first place. "Are you?"

"Of course I'm ready, it's why I came to fetch you," the human chuckled as he looked at him in confusion. Anderson failed to realise that Saren hadn't asked about his gear. It had been a question aimed at his mental state. He had asked if he was ready to go against some of his core personality traits.

"I know you're not very comfortable with this plan," the Spectre clarified. "I meant to ask if you're ready to go through with it in spite of that."

"It's not like we got any other options," he said, "and I think both of us are going to try our hardest to keep Sanders as safe as possible, right?"

"Yes," the turian nodded as he rose, now standing slightly taller than Anderson. The N7 had no idea that the Spectre's definition of 'as save as possible' might have to differ from his own for the sake of the mission.


Codex: Starship stealth

For centuries it was believed that disguising a spaceship from heat sensors was nearly impossible due to the extreme cold of space and the heat generated by even the most basic activity on space ships causing every craft to appear as a bright, red dot on even the most basic scanners and as far as the public was concerned until the Normandy, the first ship of its class and product of a joint turian-human military project starting in 2406 AD, was commissioned in 2415 AD this consideration was the truth.

However, as far as high ranking political, scientific and military officials were concerned, the Normandy-class simply represented the absolute pinnacle of stealth technology, outclassing previous concepts in terms of efficiency and function by several magnitudes.

Stealth ships have existed in one way or another ever since the Krogan Rebellions, being used and advanced by both the Turian Hierarchy and later the Human Systems Alliance. The concept of the Normandy's internal emission sinks is simply the single most effective design to ever be created, capable of storing its heat for much longer than other ships of its lineage.

Past designs would employ a leapfrogging strategy, short range FTL jumps followed by a period of several hours of slow travel speed with their heat sinks engaged, a strategy the Normandy made obsolete by being capable of flying for several hours at an incredible fast pace or drifting for days at the slow speed employed by other stealth vessels. Instead of leapfrogging, the Normandy-class was capable of operating like any other frigate with their heat sinks engaged, only having to vent its heat after a buildup that would've destroyed previous designs several times over.

The Turian Hierarchy and Human Systems Alliance remain the sole, known, operators of a fleet of stealth frigates employing them for long-range reconnaissance, convoy raiding and deployment of special operation forces. While neither military has published official numbers on how many vessels capable of stealth each of their navies possess, it is known that three other Normandy-class vessels were finished shortly after the Normandy SR-1 engaged [redacted by authority of the Citadel Council] and that at least one, the THS Parnack, is currently (2417 AD/ 2158 CE ) part of the turian navy. Currently an unknown number of ships remain under construction in classified human and turian docks.

Nearly all races affiliated with the Citadel Council, except the Salarian Union, have time and again tried to bargain for the exact design of this ground breaking design but neither Council member has been willing to disclose the secrets of the Normandy class. It is unknown why the Salarian Union has not requested access to the ship's design although certain groups believe it to be linked to the still unknown method of deployment used by the Special Tasks Group.


A/N:

Chapter 27. Took me sometime to get everything like I wanted it to be and we're closing on Revelation's third act!

This chapter has no action whatsoever, I hope its still entertaining though, its mostly talking really.

I tried to divide it between Saren and Anderson as much as possible but still, Saren had three scenes, Anderson only one, slighty longer one. I also wanted to make it clear that they don't think exactly alike. Saren is still a Spectre and personally, Anderson never struck me as the kind of person who could think like one, hence that bit at the end.

Now don't worry, I'm not gonna go back on the burry the hatchet thing I wrote last chapter, I'll just illustrate why Anderson, in my opinion, was never quite fit for all shades of Spectre work in the first place.

For the Record, we're at 197 reviews, 404 favoritues and 487 follows.

We cracked 400 favorites, that's insae guys.

As always, tell me what you think about this chapter and I'll come back to you, if I can. I can't come back to guests, sorry mates.

See you around next time.