Myself, Shepard, Ashley, Udina, and Anderson enter the elevator at the base of the council's tower. The curved frosted glass doors close behind us and Udina has to use facial recognition to proceed. A blue light emits from the control panel and a grid on the ambassador's face. Clearance is granted. Afterwards all eyes meet my own.
"Ok Mr. *********, We need to discuss certain rules before we talk to the council. You are a witness. They will be asking you questions. Answer them honestly and do not talk unless spoken to. Everything else you leave to myself or captain Anderson" Udina lectures me. He is concerned I could leave a bad impression on the council. I would like to just to give him an ulcer. It is probably best for me to keep a low profile. I would prefer the council not taking an interest in me.
"I understand and will stay quiet unless I am needed. How much time do we have until we arrive? Are there any customs I should be aware of?" I ask.
Captain Anderson steps in.
"No there is not. We only have a few minutes until we reach the chambers. Just stay with Ashely until they question the both of you."
"Understood." I replied.
We reach the top floor and greet the councilors. An asari, male turian, and a robed salarian. Ambassador Udina greets the trio.
"Hello esteemed members of the galactic council . I apologize for calling this emergency meeting but a grave threat has emerged in human occupied regions. The geth have attacked our prized colony and destroyed a priceless prothean relic. Multiple eye witnesses claim a turian named Saren is leading the geth" Udina announces.
"Ambassador Udina, we sympathize with the unexpected return of the geth and the loss of your people. However sad the loss of your colonists, we need to remind you that your species was warned of the dangers in that region and you ignored it. What exactly are you going to ask for?" the asari councilor asks.
"How about attacking the geth and investigating Saren for his involvement?!" Anderson yells.
I lean over to Ashley and whisper "Should he be angering them?"
"I think he's trying to irritate the aliens and get them to slip up" Ashley said.
"Initial scans report the geth returned to the veil shortly after the relic was destroyed. The accusation that Saren is a council spectre. One who has earned our trust, unlike you humans, is a very serious one. Would you care to speak up, Saren?" The turian councilor reveals.
A large reddish orange hologram appears behind the council. Saren has been listening to us the entire time. His cybernetic mandibles are cold metal jaws which look like sharp serrated teeth. He looks half machine and half vicious predator. His blue eyes are striking, empty, and soul fading.
"This is another embarrassing attempt from Anderson to smear my hard earned reputation. I'd laugh if it wasn't so shameful." The spectre states.
"We saw you leave where the relic was right before it blew up. I almost died" Shepard yells.
"My fellow soldier, I read your report and have questions myself. You claim to have been uplifted and given a vision by the protheans. No known prothean device has been shown to accomplish this. Isn't it more likely the damage from the explosion is making you see things that are not there? Like my presence at your colony?" Saren asks.
Oh, he is good.
"What about the eyewitnesses who saw you murder Nihlus?" Anderson yells full of rage.
The turian councilor speaks up to protect his Saren.
"Two human civilians who can hardly tell turians apart, one caught sleeping on the job, and the other one with a very questionable psyche are not compelling evidence" he barks.
"I would like to hear the witness give his testimony" the salarian escapes from his silence. "The asari councilor has been trained to use her natural biotic abilities to detect any deception. Please step forward ********"
They can do that? Ok I will just have to think fast and tell them what they need to know. I step forward and meet the asari. The closer I do, the more I feel… I do not know. It reminds me of an upset stomach but deeper. I feel strange around her. This does not feel like interference of some kind. Whatever she is doing must be a side effect.
"What exactly happened on Eden prime? Do not attempt to lie" She asks.
"I never have to. I was camping when I heard gunfire. I followed the sounds until I found dead alliance soldiers. I picked up a gun and fought any geth I came across. I heard a loud pistol shot."
I point to the large face being her.
"He killed Nihlus when his back was turned. You took away his chance to fight You are a pathetic coward" I yell.
This gets a slight reaction from him. I need to keep pushing.
"You hid from your victims, you hid behind the geth to do your dirty work, and you are hiding now. I heard the turians were a proud militaristic race. If this is one of your best, no wonder you lost the first contact war" I hit the final nail. This got to him.
"You do not question us?! I have given my life to serve the galaxy and will not be criticized by some cold ape roleplaying as a soldier!"
"I'm not a soldier. I am a warrior. I fight when called upon. I think for myself and never compromise my morals. You could learn from my example."
If turians could shiver, one ran up his spine.
"This is spiraling out of control. Aside from the intense exchange we have no evidence that the geth attack was anything more than an attempt to acquire the prothean relic or the attacks will continue. There is also no concrete evidence that Saren was in any way involved. We can not help humanity without concrete evidence" The salarian says.
"This meeting is adjourned," the asari says. She steps back and looks at me strangely. I look into her eyes and wonder what she is thinking. Is my energetic field and her biotics somehow interacting with each other? We depard and I start feeling normal.
"That was quite intense," Ashley lets out a quiet chuckle
"I apologize for my reaction. I hope I did not harm relations between our governments" I replied.
"The relationship between humans and the council has always been a strenuous one. Calling out a spectre is very risky. He could kill you if he wants to, `` Udina said.
"He will fail like all my other opponents" I say.
"This is no time for games. He is dangerous and may try to harm you" Shepard said.
I lean forward slightly. I look in the center of Shepard's pupils and look deep into the window of his soul. My full attention is towards him. I speak with the very essence of my being.
"I have killed far worse than him"
Everyone is taken aback. Even Anderson is unnerved. I think they know not to underestimate me. The air is filled with an invisible thick cloud. Udina coughs and breaks the tension.
"I, uh, need to get back to the embassy. I believe you when you say Saren was there. If he was there, then evidence must be somewhere. I will notify Captain Anderson when I find a lead" Udina awaits inside the elevator. I think I scare him.
"********* will you please give us a moment" Anderson asks.
I turn around and look at the decorations while they discuss important matters. I see a mural. It is a celebration of winning the rachni wars. Asari, turian, salarian, krogan, and a painted over species. It has legs like the turian but smaller in size. It must be a quarian. I wonder if that is censoring from the council or if the quarians asked for any artwork depicting their faces to be covered. I stare at the happy faces. Peace rarely lasts as people think it does not need maintenance and when a little trouble starts, they fall into war. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. A sad yet reassuring reminder how things progress.
"I do not know if we should trust this man" Anderson states.
Shepard thinks. He is a very… unique person. He is a couple inches taller than himself. He is toned but is very strong given Ashley's claims he did not look tired carrying the corpses to the ship. A civilian who admits to killing is a red flag, however he seems very compassionate as he consoled Kaiden when he had his breakdown. He is friendly and sociable and may be religious according to Ashley, although she mentioned his prayer to the dead seemed strange. He followed Udina's commands when talking to the council. The fact he never lies seems like an admirable trait, but I sense he is hiding the full truth. In some ways he is an inspiration but is also a threat. His past hides a colorful story. One I fear learning. I know he can help us on our mission, assuming he earns our trust.
His disdain for Saren killing Nihlus without giving him a chance, comforts me a bit. If he kills, there is an honor to it. He values his independence, maybe a little too much. That could be a problem if I gave him an order he disagrees with. Despite this he is effective and brave in combat. I fear what could happen to others if we leave him alone or what will happen if we bring him along.
"He is an unknown. However, I think we could use him. We will need to keep a close eye on him, but I believe it would be a good idea to recruit him" Shepard said.
"I agree. He is dangerous but not to us. He cares about people and respects life. I may be biased with my faith, but I think he is a holy man. He does scare me, but he seems to only intimidate to warn people. He has not displayed any traits of a sociopath or anything. When I saw him help Kaiden, I don't know. He draws out feelings I haven't felt in a long time. I think he would be a great asset. The question is if he would be willing to come. He is not materialistic so I do not think money will persuade him. He just has this aura around him" Ashley said.
"If you both feel that way then I can start up the paperwork. I would like you to try to find out more about him first. Take him to lunch. Invite Kaiden too and get his thoughts about him." Anderson said.
"********* you can come back. We are leaving" Anderson calls out to me.
I stop marveling at the painting and walk over to the elevator with everyone. The doors close and we descend.
"So what is going on?" I ask.
"We plan to go to lunch. We invited Kaiden to meet us at Matriarch's. An Asari restaurant. Do you like asari food? Our treat" Shepard said.
"Food is pretty good when someone else pays. I never had asari food before. Any suggestions?"
"The varren pasta is good" Shepard suggests.
"Isn't that a space dog? I do not want to eat anything I would consider having as a pet. Anything else?"
"Are you vegan?" Ashley asks
"No, I just love animals yet understand my place in the food chain"
"They have really good sandwiches too" Shepard said.
"That sounds great!" I am excited. I wonder how the naturally occurring element zero in the food will affect the taste.
The elevator reaches the bottom and we hail a skycar. The three of us squeeze into the back. I get a window seat and observe the citadel as we fly to the restaurant. I am actually in the citadel. The curvature from the arms is a little disorienting but cool to watch the landscape curve upwards. We land near the restaurant and wait for Kaiden. A few minutes pass and Kaiden arrives. He looks a bit better. He washed his face as I do not see tear residues, but his eyes are reddish. Shepard walks over and wraps his right arm around him.
"Are you feeling better?" he asks.
"I feel like I should be asking you that" Kaiden replies.
Shepard understandingly nods to no longer pry. We sit down at a booth and an asari brings us menus. That feeling is back but it is weaker. I twitch my neck to try and ignore it.
"You ok?" Ashley asks.
"When an asari is close, do you feel something? Like a subtle wave is doing something to you?" I ask
"What are you a xenophile?" she asks.
"I could see myself with an alien if I enjoy her presence. What I meant was I feel kind of taken aback. It feels uncomfortable. Almost a magnetic force is repelling us" I explain.
"Sometimes biotics can sense each other but you are not a biotic. I do not know what you are feeling" Kaiden said.
We look at our menus. Shepard tells me to get a "Justicar special." I do so and get ice water. We make light conversation until our food arrives. Kaiden ordered some kind of blue salad. Shepard had a piece of asari cattle meat and pie for dessert. Ashley had soup. My sandwich was delicious. The ezero gave the bread a fluffy texture and new delicious flavor. The unknown meats, cheeses, and sauces blended well and gave a savory taste. The water cleaned my taste buds to experience the flavor all over again.
"So *********, how does one exactly come to be like you?" Shepard asks.
"What do you want to know?" I ask.
"What exactly happened to you to make you like this?" he asks.
"Oh no. This is going to cause deep emotional feelings. I need some lubing! Get me some hard stuff! He is paying so you can get the expensive stuff" I yell to a nonexistent waiter.
"Haha you comedian. Seriously what made you…" I interrupt Ashley.
"So amazing in every little way? Super smart and almost as handsome. My trade secrets are worth a lot of free entertainment" I say.
"I want to hear it too" Kaiden looks at me and asks somberly. He needs something to distract him. I'll open up to them.
"I do not like talking about all my past at once. Besides, we would be here for a while. Let's see. I had a really hard childhood. I had an amazing family, but I was a troublesome child. I am probably not remembering it accurately, but it seemed like every other day I would have outbursts. I never hurt anyone. I would just get so mad at this confusing reality. I feel guilty for making my parents go through that. One of my greatest fears is losing control of myself. To try to make sense of things I would look up whatever I wanted to know and it led me to some interesting ideas. We didn't know it at the time, but my hormones were messed up and the doctors wouldn't help me until I got really sick. Before then I tried medication, exercise, therapy, meditation and more but it barely helped. It took a while for me to get healthy then I started feeling so much better. I rarely get angry now. More annoyed than anything as I understand how people work now. How emotions work and how by fixing my perception of them, I can alter them to something preferable. Anyways after I got better, life became so much easier, and I wanted to keep the mental strength I had to build up to survive so I kept challenging myself to do all kinds of things. After a while I needed more and started looking at various religions and philosophies and found parts of the answer in a lot of different books until it all clicked. One day I was meditating and I was letting go of everything. Something changed that time. I felt like someone blew on the spot above my nose. Then my mind went completely silent. Like a candle was blown out and the muscles in the area completely relaxed. It wasn't quiet or my mind repressing my thoughts. It was nothing. Completely nothing. I was still aware but not conscious. I passed out shortly afterwards. Things started to slowly change the next few months. My emotions were stronger and more positive. I was smart before, but I was having complex thoughts and coming up with answers I never would have before. My perception of the world slowly started to change. It went back to normal then to my new outlook until it sticked. I finally was able to put together everything I have learned. I discovered the secret to everything. Once I had it, I continued to develop myself. It took years of practice and training of my mind, body, and soul to start the path of what I am now. I went from being miserable all the time to understanding everything and life became so much better. I never would have understood it before, but life truly is a gift. And despite how hard my life was and how much I hate what happened to me, I begrudgingly came to terms with it and accepted that it needed to happen. Sometimes the worst things that could ever happen to you become the greatest thing to have happened to you. If it doesn't break you. Now I just coast on life and learn as I get experience and enjoy this amazing experience. There is a lot left out but that is my origin"
"That must have been tough. My family is the Williams. My grandfather surrendered a human world to the turians during the first contact war. It was the right thing to do for the people at the time, but it left a stain on my family. I thought my life was rough but after hearing what you have been through, I hope to have the strength you do one day." Ashley said.
"It is a transition like all things. A seedling doesn't develop a strong trunk until it grows. It may not be necessary. It doesn't make life easier. It just opens up new obstacles to overcome. Why did your grandfather give up a human world?"
"There was a blockade. If he didn't surrender the colonists would have starved" Ashley explained.
"Was it a strategic location?" Shepard asks.
"Not really hoewever it was the first time humanity showed weakness to the turians" Ashley replied.
"Your grandfather made the right choice. People are change engines. We can make the universe however we want it to. We just need the tools and creativity to do it. In the end the people matter. Your grandfather was a hero. Never let people make you feel shameful for the actions your grandfather did. He was a hero" I say.
Ashley starts to tear up. She closes her eyes and covers her mouth with her left hand.
``Thank you" she manages to spit out. Crap I didn't mean to make her sad. I mean she is relieved to have someone talk positively about her family, but I need to stop this.
"Kaiden stop making her cry" I yell. A couple of strangers looked our way.
That got all of us to laugh. The waitress brings the check and Ashley offers to pay.
We decided to cool down and walk around the citadel until we hear back from Udina or Anderson.
Shepard thinks to himself, I made the right call bringing him along.