Well, glad a lot of you enjoyed the last chapter, and to those who did express concerns or dislike, I am sorry for that. I hope future chapters will be better, at least as much as I can make them.
In response to the anonymous reviewer Guest Z, my reason for Naruto being a marine has to do with Malcolm Shepard, Alicia's dad and Naruto's adoptive father, being a marine. Naruto is following in his 'father's' footsteps, while Alicia is in the Navy, though that's mostly due to canon reasons. I hope that answers your question.
So, now on to the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect. They are the products of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware respectively. This is a nonprofit fanfic. Please support the official release.
Chapter 8
A Pilgrim in Need
Many of those who worked or visited the Presidium would consider the view that awaited them to be breathtaking. The entire central ring of the Citadel was kept pristine, with lush plants and gardens and the magnificent lake that ran along the center of the Presidium ring adding to the image of paradise. The artificial sky above displayed nothing but beautiful clear blue skies, finalizing the feel of a utopia.
Sadly, all this beauty was currently lost on Naruto Uzumaki Shepard, captain in the Alliance Marine Corps. The twenty-eight-year-old vulzan was sitting at one of the outdoor café's that dotted the Presidium, currently trying to enjoy a relaxing beverage. Sadly, the Presidium's beauty and the turian tea he had ordered had done nothing to calm him down.
It had been almost a full day since the attack on Eden Prime, and Naruto was on edge because of the debriefing he had received. All Alliance outposts, warships, and colonial garrisons had been put on full alert combat status almost immediately after confirmation of the attack on Eden Prime had been received, but the actual details relayed from the remains of the colony's garrison and from the Normandy had been kept amongst Alliance command. The general information revealed was that the invasion was committed by geth forces, but had been repulsed by the colony garrison, though not without severe damage to the colony and serious loss of life both amongst the civilian population and military garrison.
Naruto and Hannah Shepard, however, had received a different brief that revealed more in-depth details, mostly concerning Alicia having been part of the ground side defense while on the shakedown run of the Normandy, and had been left in an unconscious state. Hence why Naruto was incredibly on edge. Not only had the Alliance been attacked, but his sister was currently in a coma and he had no idea if or when she'd come out of it.
Naruto let out a tired sigh, as he checked his omni-tool for messages. After the events on the Randolph's Folly, he had been forced to undergo regular psychiatric evaluations, while also taking lessons regarding both his biotic and emotional control from several specialists both in the Alliance and the Council races. All of this was to try and help him gain better control over his shroud should he use it in the future. He had also attempted to delve more into his genetic memories, following his subconscious instincts while training and practicing to help better his control of his shroud and his biotics, while meditating to try and gain more and more access to his memories, both to learn how to better control his abilities and to learn more about his culture.
However, his efforts to control the shroud didn't do anything to alleviate the fear he felt for it. He still could see the broken krogan lying bloody and beaten before him, the fleeing pirates begging for their lives as he killed them. In his nightmares, he'd see himself cutting down his friends and allies around him, with Alicia being the last to fall to his berserk rage. If it wasn't for Alicia and Hannah giving him support, listening to his fears and nightmares and encouraging his efforts, he most likely would have given up on ever using the shroud again.
Finding only a couple spam messages that he quickly erased, Naruto transferred a couple of credits for his drink into the café's account, and slowly stood, fixing the leather black and red striped leather N7 jacket he wore, with a dark orange shirt underneath it, as well as jeans, and boots. He quietly ran his hand through his spiky yellow hair, as he turned and started to make his way towards the nearest skycab station, intent on heading back to the apartment he was temporarily renting. He had been waiting on the Citadel for his next posting, ironically enough as the head of the Marine detachment onboard the Normandy. But with the recent attack on Eden Prime, it was very likely he might be transferred instead to one of the marine garrisons on a high value planet that the geth might potentially target.
He was nearing the skycar station, when his ears twitched and his head shot up. His blue eyes narrowed as he focused ahead, where he thought he heard both the sound of a suppressed bullet shot, and a feminine cry of surprise and pain. He frowned as he started to take a few steps in that direction, his suspicion growing when he saw three figures ahead rapidly moving in the same direction, as well as hearing an increased amount of yelling and confused chatter ahead. The three figures were a human, salarian, and turian, all dressed in the armor of Citadel Security, or C-Sec. However, what made Naruto suspicious was that the way they moved seemed off. Each one was armed with weapons similar to C-Sec security, but they didn't hold them with the ease that normal C-Sec officers had with their weapons. Not to mention that the human male in the group looked scruffier than most other human members of the Citadel Security force. His instincts were screaming that something was not right here, so he quickly followed, knowing that even if his suspicions weren't founded, he could offer assistance if it was needed.
Unfortunately, his progress was slowed by crowds of people quickly moving away from whatever was going on. The people made room for the three C-Sec officers, but quickly seemed to bunch up as they moved away, slowing Naruto down. He blinked and frowned as he smelled something on the air, something that smelled like blood, but was slightly different. He soon found the source, a small splatter of a blood, red like humans, but lighter in color. Seeing a small trail, he quickly followed that to its source. What he came to made him frown, as he saw the three C-Sec officers cornering a quarian against a wall. The quarian was hunched over slightly, gripping her left arm from which he could see a small stream of blood seeping out, staining her environmental suit.
The turian reached out, roughly grabbing her, and he could faintly hear his sneering voice as the quarian let out a cry of pain. "Got you now, suit-rat," he sneered. Naruto growled as he quickly moved forward.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya whimpered in pain and fear, trying to staunch the blood from the gunshot wound on her left arm. The bullet that had hit her had grazed her, a superficial wound. But her enviro-suit was reporting it detected impurities inside her bloodstream from the wound, identifying them as traces of polonium radiation. Already, she was getting warnings about a fever starting to rise.
As she stared up at the three armored figures around her, she again quietly cursed her luck. Her Pilgrimage, her rite of passage to prove not only her adulthood in quarian society, but prove her worth to the Migrant Fleet, had been nothing but a disaster so far. She had left the Migrant Fleet, the roving flotilla of ships that housed almost the entirety of the quarian population in the Milky Way, in a small scout ship with three other quarians, heading towards the asari planet Ilium. She had hoped to find work there, or leads on interesting salvage she could bring back to the Fleet. Instead, the ship had detected geth on an unexplored planet, and not wanting to pass up this opportunity to learn more about their wayward creations that had driven their ancestors from their home, had moved in to investigate.
That had been the start of Tali's problems. The information she had gathered after ambushing and quickly accessing the hard drive of a lone geth had implicated the Spectre Saren Arterius as being part of an attack that had recently ransacked the human colony of Eden Prime. And mercenaries, most likely under his employ, had hounded the quarian ship to Ilium. Despite their urgent pleas, the port officials had stalled their small ship's landing for hours, in a clear display of the common prejudice against quarians, whom many people considered to be little more than vagrants and thieves. By the time their ship had landed, the mercenaries were able to ambush them on the ground, killing the crew and destroying the ship.
Tali however had been able to escape, and stow away on a transport ship bound for the Citadel. She had managed to evade capture from the crew, and slip onto the station once the ship docked. Getting by customs had been trickier, but after some deft hacking into their database, she managed to bypass that barrier, before rushing up to the Presidium to try and bring the information she found to the Council's attention, which was far easier said than done. It was next to impossible for normal citizens to speak to the Council, but for someone like her? Even as she pleaded with the clerk that barred her way that the information was vital, he simply denied her access, sneering and calling her 'suit-rat', one of the derogatory terms used for her people.
When he threatened to call C-Sec on her, she left, intending to find somewhere to hide until she could pass on the information safely. She had briefly entertained the idea of going to the human embassy, but decided against it, believing they'd ignore it too. She had been passing by a couple shops when the round came out of nowhere, grazing her arm and sending her spiraling to the ground. She hadn't had her barriers up, thinking she was safe in the Presidium with all the C-Sec officers present.
Yet it seemed her faith in the safety of the Presidium was not founded as she now found herself facing three thugs who were sneering at her. Just one glance let her know these weren't real C-Sec officers, as their armor was not only slightly scuffed and dirty, but older, outdated models. Though their attitude wasn't too far off from what she was coming to expect from most people on the Citadel. She mentally cursed the fact that she had been forced to leave her shotgun back at the Customs checkpoint, since firearms had to be held for twenty four hours for people entering the Wards, and were forbidden on the Presidium for all but C-Sec officers, Spectres, and embassy guards to carry.
The turian just smirked down at her, as he raised his pistol towards her. "It's too bad you chose to poke your nose into business that doesn't concern you. You might have lived longer. Any last words?" He asked, preparing to pull the trigger.
Mustering what little courage she had left, Tali looked up at him through the glass of her helmet. "Go fuck yourself, bosh'tet," she whispered, closing her eyes and waiting for the embrace of death.
Neither of them noticed the figure approaching, nor heard the human 'C-Sec officer' tell them to move along. However, they did hear the sudden yell of surprise that came from both him and the salarian, causing the turian to turn around.
Naruto hadn't stopped, even as the two thugs had started to raise their weapons. Instead, he suddenly shot forward, sweeping low with his arms and taking the thugs legs out from under them. The turian turned in time to see a rising Naruto drive his elbows into the back of both thugs heads as they fell, driving them into the ground and into unconsciousness. Seeing his partners knocked out, the turian swung his pistol around, only for Naruto to grab his arm, twisting the wrist while slamming his palm at the elbow joint. The force of the biotic enhanced blow snapped the turian's elbow, causing him to yell in pain and drop the pistol, which Naruto grabbed, spinning it to hold it by the barrel before pistol whipping him across the face, breaking one of the mandibles in the process and driving him to his knees. He knelt there, yelling and crying in pain, as Naruto now held the pistol normally, pointing it at the thug.
Tali, who had opened her eyes at the first sounds of struggle, could now only stare at this figure who stood before her, pointing the gun that had been about to end her life at the thug who had wielded it. She slowly took in his features, the somewhat shaggy and spiky blonde hair, the whiskers that gave his face a more feral like look, the slightly pointed ears. But what captivated her were the eyes: deep blue, with slit like pupils. She could only gape at him, even momentarily forgetting the pain in her arm as she took him in, standing there like some type of guardian angel.
Naruto glanced away from downed turian, taking in the quarian. He had seen a few before at some of the more outlying Alliance colonies he had been stationed at, where they had been working as mechanics at civilian ports or in smaller colonial towns. He was surprised to see this one was taller than any quarian he had seen before, though that still left her shorter than most other species. She was garbed in the standard envoi-suit he had seen them wear, hers with a purple patterned cloth hood and wrap going over her chest and around her waist and thighs. The glass visor of her helmet was tinted purple, but he could faintly see her nose and a pair of what seemed like silvery eyes peering out of it at him. He mentally shook his head, turning his attention back to the downed turian. "Alright. Here's how this is going to go. You're going to tell me what is going on here, and I'll see to it you get at least some consideration from C-Sec, before they book you for impersonation, assault, and who knows what else," he said.
The turian painfully laughed, before spitting at Naruto's feet. "Fuck you, human," he said, glaring up at him, only to blink as he took in Naruto's features.
Naruto chuckled a bit darkly as he crouched down, staring directly into the turian's eyes. "I think you just noticed I'm not exactly human. No, I'm their 'pet vulzan', as some of your species I've run into like to call me. I've been learning a lot about my people lately. How they lived, how they fought…and amusingly enough…how they got information out of unwilling people. It's all rather interesting. Perhaps you'd like for me to demonstrate?" He asked, giving him a grin that bared his slightly longer and sharper canines.
The turian flinched slightly, staring at the figure before him. He opened his mouth to speak, only for the side of his head to suddenly explode, blood splattering across the ground as he fell over dead.
Naruto's eyes shot open, before he whirled to face the direction the shot came from, throwing up a biotic barrier around him and the wounded quarian, blocking a second round that was aimed at him. His eyes narrowed, barely picking up movement on the other side of the lake that divided the Presidium, as a figure seemed to be rapidly moving. Naruto kept the barrier up however as he glanced back over his shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked.
Tali blinked at him, shaking herself from her stupor. "Yes, I'm fine, other than being shot and poisoned," she snarked at him, the return of the pain souring her attitude a bit.
Naruto just turned back, checking for any sign of the sniper, but couldn't see any movement. His eyesight was better than the normal human, but even still it was hard to make out every person on the opposite side. "Can you hold on until we get down to the Wards? I know of a small free clinic near the upper part of Zakera Ward," he said, as lowered the barrier and turned, tearing off a portion of his shirt and turning it into a makeshift bandage for her arm.
"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" She groaned slightly. "I just hope you didn't add a bunch of germs to my wound when you did that," she said.
Naruto's only response was to suddenly sweep her up in his arms, making her yelp. "What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded.
"We'll get there faster if I carry you. Just trust me, okay?" He asked, as she just stared up at him, trying not to blush due to the gesture. "My name is Naruto, by the way, Naruto Uzumaki Shepard of the Alliance Marine Corps."
Tali just blinked at him, before speaking. "Tali…I'm Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."
"Well Miss Zorah, we better get you some treatment, shan't we?" He asked, giving her a grin before rushing off, leaving one dead thug and two other unconscious mercenaries for C-Sec officers to find.
Normandy Sick Bay
Alicia could only groan softly, as she felt herself returning to consciousness, and immediately wish that she wasn't. Her head was pounding and throbbing, making it hard to focus on anything. She didn't even want to open her eyes for fear that any light or movement would make it worse.
She heard some shuffling nearby, and a female voice speaking. "Hey doc, I think she's waking up!" The voice made Alicia groan again, slowly lifting an arm that felt like it weighed and ton, and gently rub her forehead.
"Gggaahhh, no more loud noise, make with the quiet," she mumbled, placing her hand over her eyes, before slowly opening them, giving her a moment to adjust. Slowly she moved her hand away, blinking as the lights around her seemed dimmer than they should be.
"Take it easy Shepard," spoke the comforting voice of Dr. Chakwas, as the Normandy's doctor came into view. Alicia winced as she felt a light sub-dermal injection, before the headache slightly subsided. "That should take care of the headache for the moment."
Alicia just nodded slightly, as she slowly began to push herself up. "Did someone get the number of the krogan that hit me? I wanna return the favor," she jokingly grumbled out, sitting up on the bed and slowly shifting her legs over the side, noting she was back in her fatigues.
"Well at least your sense of humor is intact," Chakwas said with a hint of amusement in her tone, before growing serious. "How are you feeling Shepard? And the truth," she said.
Alicia let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Well, my forehead is still throbbing, and my back aches a bit. I'm assuming that I crashed into something after that Beacon started mentally scarring me," she said. "How long was I out?"
"Almost twenty four hours. I was forced to sedate you because you started screaming and thrashing," Chakwas said. "Whatever the beacon did to you must have been traumatizing."
"Makes me sort of glad you saved me," Ashley said from behind, before moving into view. She was also dressed in fatigues, her black hair pulled back into a bun. "Thank you for that by the way ma'am. And sorry for putting you into that mess in the first place. I should have held back, until we got some experts down there to examine it."
"Hey, we all survived, didn't we? Though my head would definitely not thank you for the headache I woke up with," Alicia said. "Besides, one of those experts probably would have set it off instead of you."
Ashley just gave a weak grin, her shoulders relaxing a bit, before the grin faded. "Well even still, I did cost us the beacon. It exploded shortly after it…it…what did it to you, ma'am?"
"First off, stop calling me ma'am, Williams. It makes me feel like some old librarian. Call me Alicia, Shepard, heck, call me by my rank if you have to," Alicia said, as Ashley chuckled a bit, looking slightly sheepish. "Just not ma'am. And as for what that beacon did to me, I'm not exactly sure. I saw…something. Like a vision or a dream."
"Hmmm…that would explain the unusual brain-wave readings the monitors picked up while you were unconscious. Can you describe what you saw?" Chakwas asked, grabbing a datapad to record down what Alicia told her.
"To be honest, I don't have a clue," Alicia said, frowning as she stood up, before leaning back slightly against the medical bed. "All I remember was a lot of death. And fear…and…maybe machines?" she said, closing her eyes, struggling to bring the memory back up in her mind, but failing. "I don't know," she said with a tired sigh.
Chakwas nodded as she noted that down. "I'll add to this my report on your condition. Unfortunately there isn't any information regarding how these beacons work, so we have no idea what this affect is. But I don't detect any mental degradation or damage to your brain, so you should be fine, provided you rest. Which I know you won't do, of course," she said, rolling her eyes while giving Alicia a knowing smile.
Alicia just sheepishly chuckled. "What can I say Doc? I don't like sitting around," she said, as the door opened and Anderson entered the room.
"Shepard, it's good to see you back on your feet," Anderson said, a hint of concern in his voice. "Are there any concerns or problems?"
"The Lieutenant Commander is in excellent shape, other than bruising along her back and a headache. She'll be perfectly fine," Chakwas said, as she moved over to her desk. "I'm just finishing my report now, Captain."
"That's good. I've just finished debriefing Lieutenant Alenko here, and now I need to hear your report, Commander," he said to Alicia. "Sergeant, Doctor, if you don't mind?"
"Understood sir," Ashley said, saluting, before leaving when Anderson returned her salute. Chakwas instead turned, entering the science lab connected to the infirmary, leaving Alicia and Anderson alone in the room.
"Are you sure you're okay Shepard? Whatever happened to you didn't sound good, considering you had to be sedated," Anderson said.
Alicia let out a slightly tired groan. "Well…you heard the Doc. Physically, I'm alright. But if I may be honest sir?"
"You may Alicia," he said, showing that he was allowing this to be more informal.
Alicia gave a nod, grateful for that, before speaking. "To be honest Anderson, I'm mostly just confused and angry at the moment. That mission was FUBAR, and I mean big time," she said. "Did we manage to recover Jenkins and Nihlus?"
"Yes. Both their bodies are currently onboard," he said, making Alicia nod quietly.
"That's good. At least we managed that," she said with a tired sigh. "The biggest problem I've got right now though is this…whatever in my head. This vision, this dream. I don't know what it is, but it…to be honest, what little I do remember seeing, it scared me," she said. "All I know for certain is that it involves a lot of death, and a lot of fear."
"I see. We should probably have you talk to a psychiatrist to make sure there isn't any trauma. Unfortunately, there's no time for that right now. We have other problems on our hands," Anderson said.
Alicia just gave a soft chuckle. "When do we not? I'm guessing the Council is not too please?"
"That's putting it mildly. This was supposed to be a simple mission, and now we have a dead Spectre, a lost Beacon, and geth making their first appearance in almost three hundred years. The Council…'requested' that we head to the Citadel at once for a formal debriefing," Anderson said. "They're going to want answers, and at the moment, you're the one who has them."
"I'll give them what answers I can, but to be honest, I'm almost as confused as they probably are," she said. "Still, it's best we lay everything on the table, especially if we're going to find out why the geth are invading and who this 'Saren' is," she said.
Anderson stiffened a bit at the mention of Saren. "That's actually another reason why I'm here," Anderson said. "I've debriefed both Lieutenant Alenko and Sergeant Williams, as well as reviewed the footage from your armor's recording systems. This Saren, the one implicated in killing Nihlus? He's most likely Saren Arterius, a turian Spectre. He's one of the best agents for the Council, practically a living legend. Which makes him a very dangerous enemy if he's gone rogue. More so for humanity, since he has a hatred for humanity."
Alicia frowned at the thought. "I don't think he went to Eden Prime just to kill humans. Why would he kill Nihlus, unless he wanted the Beacon?"
"If he was after the Beacon, it means he most likely has the information from it. Which means you're our only chance of figuring out what he is after," Anderson said. "We'll need to try and find a way for you to make heads or tails of that vision then."
"Sounds like a job for Naruto. He's been dealing with memories and visions a lot these past few years," Alicia said, smiling slightly at the thought of her brother. "I'll need to let him know I'm okay."
"You can do that as soon as we're done here. And you're right; he might be able to help make some sense of this vision. But we'll need to report this to the Council as well. It'll give them some clue as to what was in that Beacon," Anderson stated.
Alicia just scoffed. "Oh yes, I'm sure they'll be pleased that we can tell them the Beacon gives people incoherent nightmares," she said. "They'll be thrilled at that."
"We don't know for certain what was in that Beacon. It could be that all kinds of data was stored in there, and you're only able to remember or see a portion of it. The Council can perhaps point us to experts who can help unravel what you've found," Anderson said. "The sooner we know what you saw, the better. Because if Saren was on Eden Prime for the Beacon, it means he has that information too. And he might already have a way of deciphering it. We need to find out what he knows, and stop him, before he launches his next attack against humanity."
Alicia nodded as she stood up. "Well, that's a lot better reason for going after him then what I had. I wanted to find him and stomp his face into the ground for ruining my mission and killing NIhlus," she said with a wry grin, before getting serious. "You're right though, sir. He needs to be stopped. If he can go after Eden Prime, who knows where he'll strike next."
Anderson nodded in agreement. "It won't be easy. He's a Spectre, which gives him access to every sector of Council and Council affiliated space, as well as access to the resources at the Council's disposal. I've already forwarded a copy of the evidence from Eden Prime to Ambassador Udina, so that he can try to set up a hearing with the Council to try and get his Spectre status revoked at the very least. And we'll need to be there to give our testimonies, as well as debrief the Council on everything else that happened."
At that moment, the intercom buzzed, and Joker's voice was heard over the intercom. "Captain, the relief force from Arcturus Station just arrived. They said we're free and clear to depart orbit," the pilot reported.
"Alright Joker. I want you to plot a course for the Citadel and take us there as fast as possible. Anderson out," the captain said. "It's about time they arrived. We weren't exactly supplied to provide medical relief or garrison forces," he muttered, turning back to Alicia. "Get an all clear from Dr. Chakwas, and then rest up. We'll be at the Citadel in a few hours time, most likely. That's when the hard stuff begins."
"Yay, politics," Alicia said with sarcastic cheer, before straightening up. "Understood sir," she said, saluting him. Anderson returned the salute, before departing.
Alicia took a few moments to steady herself, feeling the medicine work on her headache, which was now a dull throb, and was mostly ignorable. She ventured over to the science lab, and after getting the okay from Chakwas, headed out of the infirmary, entering the mess hall area.
Several of the crew were present, discussing what had happened, a couple mournfully talking about Jenkins. Ashley was with a couple others, talking with them, probably about what had happened on the surface. As soon as they spotted Alicia, they immediately snapped to attention, saluting. "At ease everyone," she said, causing them to relax again. She nodded to a couple of them as she headed over to the kitchen area, grabbing a bottle of water.
"Good to see you on your feet Shepard," spoke Kaidan, as he joined her. "You had us all worried there."
The red haired vanguard just smiled at him. "I'm not that easy to put down," she said, opening the bottle of water. "How's the crew holding up?"
"They're all a bit shaken about what happened, especially with Jenkin's death. I think it's a wakeup call to some of the younger enlisted personnel, that death is something that happens easily in the Service," he said. "Still, they're happy to be only mourning one person, and not two."
Alicia nodded quietly, looking over the crew. "It's not easy, dealing with losing somebody under your command," she said softly, her mind drifting back to the battle of Elysium, and the battle of Torfan. She remembered the victories, but she could never forget the dead, those whom she had fought alongside, or commanded, but who hadn't made it. She let out a soft sigh, drinking some of the water. "The best we can do is push on and try harder, to try and prevent anyone else under our command from dying," she said.
Kaidan nodded at that. "Understood commander. Besides, while we might have lost Jenkins, and even Nihlus, it's good to think about how many people we saved at the colony."
Alicia just nodded, as she drank some more water. "Keep their spirits up lieutenant. I don't think this is going to be the last scrape we get into," she said, as she headed off towards her cabin.
"Aye-aye, ma'am," he said, as Alicia grumbled softly regarding the 'ma'am' part. As she entered her cabin, she let her face drop for a moment, as she moved to her bunk, sitting on it. She looked down at her hand, clenching it slightly before releasing it.
'I'm sorry Jenkins…I wasn't good enough this time, and you paid for it,' she thought, letting out a tired sigh, as she finished off the water, before setting aside. Getting up, she moved to her desk and the computer monitor there, which she activated. She had an e-mail to send, to let her brother and mom know she was okay.
Citadel Wards
Naruto currently sat in the small waiting area of the small free clinic situated near the entrance between the Zakera Ward arm of the Citadel, and the Presidium. Naruto had found it a couple years ago after a night in one of the clubs in the Wards had led to a bit of 'roughhousing' with some of the locals, and he needed a place to patch himself up before returning to the Alliance housing complex. The doctor who ran it, a Dr. Chloe Michel, was happy to treat him, being discreet about his visit, and so Naruto stopped by every so often to help her out when he had some free time and was on the Citadel.
Now he glanced up, seeing her exit the main treatment area. She was a relatively young woman with short auburn hair and green eyes, wearing the standard medical uniform for humans and asari on the Citadel. She approached him as he stood, smiling slightly. "Our friend should be alright. I treated the gunshot wound and gave her a couple of boosters for her immunity system, as well as some anti-biotics to help purge the radiation from her system. She should make a full recovery," she said, her voice tinged by a French accent.
Naruto nodded, glad to hear that. It had been a couple of tense hours since the incident on the Presidium, and Naruto hadn't left the clinic, keeping an eye out for any other thugs. He gave her a grin, as he shook her head. "Knew you could patch her up Dr. Michel. You're quite the miracle worker."
"It was nothing, really," she said, waving off his compliment. "I've treated far worse in the past from bar brawls and gunfights. Though the radiation poisoning was a bit tricky," she admitted.
"Still, sounds like you did great work. How much for the treatment?" Naruto asked, bringing up his omni-tool, even as Michel tried to wave him off.
"No no, it's alright. You know I don't like charging people who genuinely need my help," she said, only for Naruto to shake his head.
"Doc, c'mon. You know you can use the extra credits to keep this place going. Even if you don't use it for yourself, you can donate it to charity or something," he said.
Michel rolled her eyes, sighing. "Fine fine. Two thousand credits for the full procedure," she said, as Naruto transferred the credits to her account. "You're too nice for your own good, you know that?" She asked.
Naruto chuckled at that. "Trust me Michel, if you had seen what I did to the guys who caused our friend's problem in the first place, you wouldn't say that. May I see her?" He asked.
"Yes. In fact, she was asking for you," she said, indicating the treatment area. "Go right in."
"Thanks again," Naruto said, as he moved back to the treatment area, where there were a series of medical beds set up in a row, each with a table for medical tools placed next to it. In the closest one sat the quarian girl, who seemed to be running a program on her omni-tool. She looked up as she heard him approached though, and shifted to face him.
"Hey there…umm…sorry for snapping at you earlier," she said sheepishly, glancing down a bit. "I wasn't exactly in the best of moods, you know. Kind of hard to be when you have people shooting at you and trying to kill you. So, thank you, for saving my life. And then getting me here, which also saved my life. Guess I owe you two, huh?"
Naruto grinned softly, finding it a bit funny and adorable how she seemed to be babbling a bit. He also noticed, despite the slight synthetic static created by her suit's speaker, that her voice was accented quite a bit, which he hadn't noticed before while he was busy focusing on the thugs, or getting her to the clinic. He just waved a hand towards her. "It was nothing, really. Don't worry about it. Though you could also thank me for paying the bill too for your stay here," he joked.
Tali however didn't seem to get it was a joke, as she stammered. "O-of course, thank you! I-I'll pay you back as soon as I get some money, I swear," she said, only for Naruto to blink.
"Whoa whoa, easy there. I was just joking," he said, as he moved to lean against the wall opposite of her bed, facing her. "I really don't need anything more than your gratitude, really. So don't worry about it."
She just nodded at that, shifting on her bed. "Well still…thank you," she said. "I really thought I was going to die there, until you came along and saved me. That was really quite impressive, how you just took them all out without a gun."
Naruto smiled at her compliment, before he grew a bit more serious. "Can you tell me why they were trying to kill you? Because I really can't believe that it was a simple mugging or kidnapping gone bad, all things considered," he said.
Tali hesitated for a moment, shifting on her bed. "I…found some information, that implicated a very important person in something bad," she said slowly. "And he knows about it, so he's doing his damndest to kill me before I give that information to someone."
"Must have been someone really big and important, if they managed to get assassins and mercs onto the Presidium like that," Naruto said. "Do you know who it is that's after you? And what could be so bad to call this kind of heat down onto you?"
The quarian girl shifted, tilting her helmeted head away. "I…I'm not really sure I should share the information with you. I mean…it could make you a target, like it's made me one. And…well you saved me, but I'm not sure if I can trust you with the information here. After all I've been through lately, I don't know who I can really trust anymore," she said. "I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful."
"No, I understand. Course you know if I was someone you couldn't trust, you've already let me know you've got information in general that was valuable. I could just overpower you and take it anyways. If I was that kind of person," Naruto reasoned, raising an eyebrow, and causing Tali's head to shoot up at him.
"Oh…yeah…I did do that, didn't I?" She asked, somehow looking sheepish simply through her shoulder and body movements. Naruto just chuckled softly, as he moved closer to the bed and crouched down, bringing himself closer to eye level.
"Hey don't worry, okay? I'm not that kind of person. Like I said earlier, I'm part of the Alliance military, a captain in the Marine Corps," he said, making her blink.
"You're a captain? You command a ship?" She asked, her eyes widening behind her mask. Naruto blinked, before shaking his head.
"Ah, no. In the Alliance Marines, a captain's rank is a few ranks lower than the captain's rank in the Navy. Not to mention that since I'm a Marine, I can't command a ship unless things have gone horribly wrong," he said with a chuckle.
Tali just giggled a bit at his reaction, as Naruto smiled. "Look, if you want, I could try and get you protection inside the human embassy. You'd be safe there, until you find somewhere safer to hide, or are ready to pass on the information to someone else. Though you know whoever is after you will probably keep coming for you even after the information is gone," he said.
Tali just sighed, shifting to a more comfortable position. "I know, but…three of my people have already died because of this information. At the very least, I owe it to them to make sure their deaths aren't in vain. But…if you think you can get me that protection…," she said a bit hopefully.
Naruto gave a slow nod at that. "Alright, I understand. And I'll see what I can do about it. Is there anything else you need in the meantime?"
"Dr. Michel already offered to get me some nutrient paste, so I should be good there. But…if you wouldn't mind maybe getting me a pistol or something? I'd really like something to protect myself with," she said, sounding worried still.
"You got it. What about your suit there?" He asked, pointing to the tear, which was currently covered by a disinfected gauze patch.
"I've already been working on converting some junk Dr. Michel had into a patch," she said, holding up the omni-tool. "It shouldn't take too long, and I can make the repair myself."
Naruto nodded. "Alright then. I'll be back with a pistol for you, and then I'll go see about getting you sanctuary in the human embassy. In the meantime, we should trade contact info so we can keep in contact."
Tali nodded, telling Naruto her omni-tool's comm frequency and e-mail address, and he did the same for her. With that done, he nodded. "You sit tight. I'll be back before you know it," he said, turning to leave.
"Okay…thank you again," she called out to him, receiving a wave in response. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh, sitting back and looking at her omni-tool, waiting for it to finish converting the junk into patch material. At that moment however, her message program dinged, making her blink, before accessing it. Finding a new e-mail, she accessed it, frowning as she began to read.
'Miss Zorah, I understand you recently came into possession of very valuable and sensitive information. Information that my boss would find highly valuable. My name is Fist, and I work as an agent for the Shadow Broker. He has authorized me to make a deal with you in exchange for the information you have. My employer can offer you and, through you, the Migrant Fleet, valuable information and even items, in exchange for your cooperation. Please contact me as soon as possible to set up negotiations.'
Tali frowned, as she read over the message again, before lowering the omni-tool. She wasn't entirely sue if she could trust this message, but she knew about the Shadow Broker, and if what the message said was true, not only would she be well protected, but she could even help out her people somehow. Quietly lying back in the bed, she stared up at the ceiling through her purple tinted mask, considering the pros and cons, and again wishing she had never found this information.
SSV Normandy
Alicia grinned as she moved up to the helm of the Normandy, moving to stand behind Joker as the ship exited from the relay jump, and now maneuvered through the nebular cloud that shrouded the Citadel. Ashley had joined her, having never seen the Citadel before, and wanting to catch a glimpse of it as soon as it appeared through the smoky nebular gases.
And sure enough, there it was. As the Normandy slipped around a cloud of gas, the Citadel appeared in its monolithic glory, framed by the celestial light of the nebula's center. Ashley let out a gasp as she saw it. "Damn…I've seen vids of it, but it really doesn't compare to the real thing," she whispered, eyes locked on the slowly growing space station.
Alicia chuckled softly. "We've all been like that, seeing it for the first time in person. I think the only people not impressed by it are the ones who grew up on it," she said, her eyes roaming over the Citadel, and then the space around it. "And that is probably the biggest ship I've ever seen," she said, pointing to one of the ships dotting the space around the Citadel.
There were several transports and civilian ships dotting the space around and inside the Citadel, but there was also a somewhat large assortment of military vessels. Some of them were simply stopping at the Citadel to transfer personnel and gather supplies, but others were part of the Citadel Defense Fleet, a task force made up of largely ships from the Asari Republics and Turian Hierarchy, but with a few ships from the Salarian Union and Systems Alliance. The ship that Alicia was pointing to was the largest and most dominant ship currently patrolling near the Citadel.
It was a massive ship, far larger than the dreadnaughts used by the Alliance. The main hull of the ship was shaped almost like a massive delta-wing fighter, with an oval shaped hole running from the front through the central hull to the rear, giving them a clear view through to the space on the other side. A tall dorsal spire rose up above the ship, while a shorter ventral spire hung from below. The hull was a dark grayish blues, with lines of yellow lighting running along portions of the hull.
Ashley just gaped at the sight of that. "Look at the size of that ship! That has to be four times bigger than our dreadnaughts!"
"That is the ARWV Destiny Ascension, flagship of the Asari Republics and the Citadel Defense Fleet," Joker said from the helm. "Not to mention the most impractical ship I've ever seen. That thing has to be the biggest and easiest target in the galaxy to hit, outside of a moon or planet. Guarantee you I could fly rings around her while blindfolded," he said.
"And she could one-shot us, the dreadnaught behind us, and the space-station behind them with that main cannon," Alicia stated, grinning at Joker. "That speed won't do us much good if they hit us with that main gun."
Joker just grumbled, maneuvering the ship towards the Citadel, but slowing her down as he activated the communications network. "This is SSV Normandy, designation Sierra-Romeo One, to Citadel Control Tower. Do you copy Control?"
After a few moments, a male voice spoke up. "Normandy, this is Citadel Control Tower, we read you."
"Requesting approach vector and docking clearance for Alliance designated dock, Control. Over," Joker requested, waiting for the clearance.
After a few moments, the controller responded. "Copy that Normandy. Approach vector is One-Zero-One, at half speed. You'll be handed over to Alliance Control Operator for docking bay assignment. Out."
"Roger that control. Normandy out," Joker responded, before switching to internal comms. "Captain, we're on approach to the Citadel. ETA to docking, five minutes."
"Thank you Joker. Shepard, I want you, Kaidan, and Williams ready to depart as soon as we've docked. We've been ordered to meet with Ambassador Udina," Captain Anderson ordered.
"Copy that sir. I'll be sure to get on my Sunday best," Alicia responded, before the comm was shut off, and the ship accelerated slightly, heading in towards the Citadel, Joker expertly maneuvering the ship along the assigned approach vector.
Ashley could only stare in awe as they drew closer to the Citadel, and she began to see the true scope of the Citadel. Each of the massive five arms, the Wards, were lit up and alive with lights from the thousands of buildings dotting their inner surfaces, and lines of skycars could be seen traveling within the 'skyline' of each city sized Ward. Each ward had numerous force field generators that allowed them to create a pseudo atmosphere several meters above the surface to allow the people to walk around in simple clothing, as well as protect the citizens in each Ward from the vacuum of space, should a wall or window in a building be broken.
As they passed by the five massive Ward arms, a female voice identifying themselves as an Alliance Control Operator hailed them over the comm, directing them towards docking berth 442, as well as approach speed and path. Confirming the path and speed, Joker deftly slipped the ship sideways, as they passed by the massive central tower of the Citadel, which housed the Citadel Control Tower that directed all space traffic within the boundaries of Citadel space, as well as housed the Council chambers where the three Council members met and worked. The ship continued towards the Presidium Ring, maneuvering towards the docking areas designated for ships of the Systems Alliance, before slowing and maneuvering into position, passing through the force-field that protected the interior of docking berth 442. Soon enough, the ship was docked, as Joker powered down her engines.
Captain Anderson soon arrived at the airlock port behind the helm, where Kaidan, Ashley, and Alicia were waiting. Stopping for a moment, he reached over to a small terminal near the airlock, activating the ship-wide intercom. "This is Captain Anderson to all hands. We have successfully docked at the Citadel. Until further notice, all hands are given Shore Leave. However, I expect those assigned to Deck Watch to remain onboard until relieved. All crew will check the duty roster for their assigned Watch rotation. That is all," he said.
As the crew began talking excitedly about their plans onboard the Citadel, Anderson nodded to the trio by the airlock. "I'm having your armor and weapons transferred to temporary quarters on the Citadel. We don't know how long we'll be there, and Saren might try something against you three, so I want you to be prepared," he warned them. They all nodded in understanding, as he led them through the airlock, and onto the Citadel.
Human Embassy
Naruto let out an annoyed sigh, rubbing his forehead as he listened to the human ambassador, Donnel Udina, speaking to the holographic images of Councilors Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern, the turian, asari, and salarian Councilors respectively. Though speaking was a polite term, as Naruto felt that the ambassador was closer to ranting towards the trio of Councilors.
"This is outrageous! Our colony was attacked by geth and you refuse to do anything?! Just last week you raised funds and sent supplies and rescue workers to help the turian colonists on Uresium, but you refuse to help us now?!" The ambassador ranted. He was about average height, with short gray hair that was balding and brown eyes, as well as a face that was line with age and stress.
Valern, in the hooded robes favored by salarian leaders and politicians, responded to him. "That was a natural disaster, and the only support we sent was humanitarian. Support that we have already offered and begun sending to Eden Prime as well. What you are asking for is military aid in the Attican Traverse, an act that will lead to increased tensions with the Batarian Hegemony and the pirate bands of the Terminus Systems. The Council has no interest in sparking war with the batarians, or inviting pirate and slaver raids from the Terminus Systems," he stated, arms crossed.
Tevos, attempting to be diplomatic, took over. "Ambassador, you must understand that we cannot make decisions that affect all of us because of events that only affect one race. We cannot risk the wellbeing of other colony worlds for the safety of one race's colonies. Your people should understand the dangers of the Traverse by now, and be taking appropriate measures," she reasoned.
Udina however was not calmed or chided by these words. "What about Saren!? You cannot ignore a rogue Spectre! Doesn't his involvement make this a Council matter?! I demand action for his attack on our colony!"
Sparatus growled, his holographic eyes narrowing at Udina. "You have no authority to demand action, especially when we have no solid proof of your people's charges," he snarled at Udina.
Tevos raised a hand, stopping any further outbursts. "Ambassador, we are having C-Sec investigating the charges you have leveled against Saren, as well as reviewing the evidence presented to us from the ground team on Eden Prime. We'll discuss all of this at the hearing tomorrow, and decide then what course of action, if any, will be taken. Until then, this matter is closed," she said, before closing the holographic communication.
Udina growled angrily, before turning away from the holographic emitters. As he stormed over to his desk, he glared at Naruto. "What is it you want, Captain Shepard. I'm busy," he snapped, having admitted Naruto into his office shortly before the call from the Council had come through.
Naruto sat down in one of the chairs before the ambassador's desk, before speaking. "I'd like to request political asylum for a quarian who was attacked by mercenaries on the Presidium. She apparently found out some very important information that someone doesn't want found out, and they-," he started to explain, only for Udina to curtly cut him off.
"Denied. We don't have time to play guardian for every stray who needs shelter. Besides, the attack on Eden Prime is far more important matter to deal with at the moment," Udina said, bringing his terminal online and starting to read whatever had appeared on the screen.
Naruto frowned as he leaned over. "Ambassador, wouldn't offering protection for those in need look good from the public's perspective? Help others, so that when the time comes, they help us back?" He reasoned.
"If people were that honest and naïve, yes. But the truth is most people will happily exploit you without a care about repaying you back. Not to mention we're in the middle of a crisis involving geth, and you want us to give sanctuary to someone from the race that built them? What kind of message do we send when we do something like that?" Udina asked.
"That we're calling in an expert on the geth so we can find a way to defeat them?" Naruto asked, as Udina paused, glancing up.
"…touché, captain. I'll think on it when I'm not so busy. I have more important things to worry about at the moment, like your sister jeopardizing humanities chances of joining the Spectres," he said.
Naruto growled softly, feeling his anger boil beneath the surface as he clenched a fist, his eyes gaining a slight purple tint, making Udina hesitate for a moment. Before he could attempt to resolve the situation however, the intercom on his desk buzzed. "What is it?" He spoke into it.
"Ambassador, the group from the Normandy has arrived," his secretary said from outside the room. Immediately, Naruto perked up as Udina ordered her to let them in. turning around, he grinned as the door opened and in walked his sister.
"Alicia!" He said, rising up to greet her with a hug, as she chuckled.
"Jeez, I have one itty-bitty accident and you practically tackle me as soon as you see me," she said, ruffling his hair as he let her go. "Good to see you, little bro," she said.
Naruto just grinned at her, before his eyes moved to those with her. He nodded respectfully to Anderson, and a friendlier nod to Kaidan, and then he blinked as he saw Ashley. "Ashley? I wasn't expecting to see you again. Been some time, hasn't it corporal?" He asked with a grin.
"Its gunnery sergeant now," Ashley said with a grin, as she shook his hand. "And I hear you've gone up too. A captain now, right?"
"Yep," he said with a smile, only to be interrupted by an irritated throat clearing from the Ambassador.
"If you're all done with the meet and greet, let's get down to business," Udina snapped impatiently. "Captain Anderson, is this the entire ground team from Eden Prime?"
Anderson nodded as he kept his face blank. "It is ambassador. The only other people on the ground were Corporal Jenkins and Nihlus, and both of them are KIA," he reported.
"Very well. The Council will be holding a hearing tomorrow, where they'll wish to question the ground team on what happened, as well as review the evidence against Saren. They are definitely not pleased about that last part. Saren is their top agent, and a hero. I hope the evidence you found will be enough with whatever C-Sec manages to turn up," Udina said.
"It better be," Alicia said quietly, eyes narrowed, "because one way or another, I'm making sure that bastard pays for Eden Prime."
Naruto glanced at Alicia, seeing the anger on her face, only for Udina to draw their attention. "You will do nothing without the Council's permission, commander. You've already jeopardized your chances of joining the Spectres and caused a political situation that could end very badly for humanity. The last thing we need is you attacking a Council Spectre," the ambassador said.
"You can't blame Commander Shepard for that!" Ashley said, stepping up to defend Alicia. "Saren's the one who screwed things up and killed Nihlus! The commander saved Eden Prime!"
Udina just glared at the sergeant, causing her to hesitate for a moment, before turning to Anderson. "It seems your crew is as vocal and aggressive as you are, captain," he stated. "For now, there is nothing we can do but prepare for tomorrow. I suggest you all make sure your information is correct and you're ready for any questions the Council might have. Anderson, I want you to stay here as we have things to discuss," he said.
Anderson just gave a reassuring nod to his crew members, before they left, along with Naruto. Outside the office, Kaidan chuckled softly. "Looks like being quiet paid off. I'm the only one he didn't chew out," he said with a grin.
Ashley just grumbled. "I hate politicians. Nothing but back stabbers interested in their own gain," she muttered. "And can you believe him!? We saved an entire colony from being blown up, and all he cares about is whether or not you can still join the Spectres! I think that's the least of our problems right now."
"He's the human ambassador to the Council. It's his job to try and make humanity look as good as possible to them," Alicia reasoned. "Even if he is an asshole," she added with a grin.
Naruto just chuckled softly. "Trust me, I'm pretty sure the Council thinks the same thing," Naruto said. "You should have heard him ranting to them about their lack of support outside of humanitarian aid. Though to be fair, you do think they'd be concerned with the geth coming from beyond the Perseus Veil for the first time in three centuries. I'd have thought they'd send a small task force, if for no other reason than to try and learn more about the geth"
"The batarians would just spin it up as a prelude to war and start inciting more strikes all along the border of the Terminus Systems," Alicia said, her voice growling slightly as she mentioned the batarians.
"So, guess we need to find something to do, until tomorrow," Kaidan said quickly, feeling that it was best to move away from the subject of batarians given the lieutenant commander's reaction. "What do you all think? Quick tour of the area?" He suggested.
"Well…I actually have a bit of a situation of my own," Naruto said. "I've got a friend who's in a bit of a situation, and I'm helping her out. If you'd all like to come meet her, since I need to go let her know how things are going," Naruto said, not wanting to leave Tali hanging too long.
Alicia grinned as she leaned in closer. "Ohhh, a friend, hmmm? A female friend? Has my little brother gone and gotten himself a girlfriend without telling me?" She teased, as Ashley grinned as well, while Kaidan grimaced.
Naruto blinked, and groaned softly. "It's not like that sis," he grumbled, as Ashley just grinned more.
"That is the exact same line my sisters use. He's hiding something, skipper," she said to Alicia, who just kept grinning.
Naruto glanced over to Kaidan for help, with the biotic lieutenant simply raising his hands, indicating his desire to stay out of the situation. Naruto rolled his eyes, as Alicia smiled. "Well I for one would love to meet this 'friend' of yours Naruto. Lead on," she said with a grin.
"I am so going to regret this," he muttered softly, as he started to lead them towards the nearest skycar stop, while typing an e-mail. "I'll let her know we're coming, so she's not freaked out by seeing three strangers with me," he said.
"Yeah, it'd be embarrassing or your big sister to walk in on what's meant to be a naughty surprise for you," Alicia said, as Naruto groaned again.
Med Clinic
Tali frowned softly as she read the e-mail Naruto sent to her. He had told her that the human ambassador was deliberating on granting her asylum in the human embassy, but was also dealing with the crisis regarding the recent attack on Eden Prime. She felt a small pang go through her chest, as she knew that the information she had was probably something that the Alliance desperately needed and wanted. But at the same time, she couldn't help but be worried that those above Naruto's head would simply give her asylum long enough to get the info, and then abandon her on the street, to be found and killed.
And if she took up the offer this Fist had given her regarding the Shadow Broker, she could get not only protection for herself, but negotiate for valuable intel for the Migrant Fleet, such as the location of raw mineral deposits, or maybe even advanced weapon schematics that could be used against the geth. Tali knew that between the two choices, there was only one to make.
She quietly typed out a message on a data pad, which she set aside, before sending a message to Fist, letting him know that she accepted his offer, and would be waiting for more details on where to meet him. Getting up, she checked the pistol at her side, a civilian variant of the Alliance M-3 Predator that Naruto had purchased at one of the local gun shops, before approaching Dr. Michel, who was cataloguing her inventory. The doctor glanced up at her and smiled. "Do you need something?"
"Yes…I ummm…I wanted to thank you for the aid you gave me. Patching me up and giving me some things to fix my suit. And I want you to know that I'm in your debt. However I can pay you back, please let me know," she said.
Dr. Michel raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you planning to leave?" She asked.
Tali hesitated, before nodding. "Yes. I know Naruto made an offer to get me asylum within the human embassy, but someone has made a…well they've made an offer I can't refuse. I was hoping you could give Naruto this message, when he comes back," Tali said softly.
Dr. Michel frowned as she took the datapad. "Why don't you simply stay and give him the message yourself?" She asked her, as Tali glanced away to the side.
"I…there's just reasons," she said, not wanting to state that she was wary of what Naruto's companions might do. She'd prefer simply leaving him this message and leaving. "Please, just…give him the message?"
The human doctor sighed as she set the datapad down. "Very well. But I feel like you're making a mistake. You should talk to Naruto. He is an honorable and good person," she said.
Tali just kept looking away. "That's what he seems like…but he's a soldier, and he'll have orders he'll need to follow. I just…this is better," she said, moving to exit the clinic. "Thank you…again, for healing me, Dr. Michel," she said, before exiting the clinic.
Dr. Michel just let out a tired sigh, putting the datapad down to the side, and going back to work on her inventory, completely unaware that as Tali left the clinic, unfriendly eyes were watching the door, waiting for the right moment to enter.
Skycar
Naruto frowned slightly as he watched the busy traffic around them slow the speed of the skycar he, Alicia, Kaidan, and Ashley currently were in. He shifted, checking his omni-tool yet again, frowning more due to a lack of response from Tali. Hoping nothing had happened, he sat back in his seat.
Alicia glanced over at him. "Jeez, how much trouble is this girl in?" She asked, seeing how antsy Naruto was. "Like, trouble with the law, or trouble with gangs?"
"Trouble with mercs at least capable of making a hit in the middle of broad daylight and killing their comrades if captured," Naruto said, as Ashley whistled lowly.
"That's some trouble," Kaidan said. "But how in the heck did they get onto the Presidium without causing a ruckus?"
"They were dressed in C-Sec armor. Older models apparently, but good enough to fool most people watching them. And they had a sniper on the other side making the hit. Seemed pretty organized to me. Sniper takes the shot, and the others on this side clear up the mess quickly," Naruto said. "Except for me stepping in."
"Yeah, but it still can't be as easy as simply throwing on some C-Sec armor. There has to be-," Alicia said, only to be interrupted by Naruto's omni-tool beeping and blinking. Naruto activated it, bringing up a voice call.
"Hello, is this Captain Shepard of the Alliance Marine corps? I'm officer Garrus Vakarian with Citadel Security, and I need to ask you a few questions," a flanged, turian voice spoke on the other end. Naruto blinked at that, before responding.
"What do you need to talk to me about, officer Vakarian?" Naruto asked, slightly wary considering what had happened on the Presidium.
"It's something that we really should discuss in private. Do you have somewhere we could meet? It's really important," Garrus asked.
"Ummm…I'm heading to the free medical clinic near the access between the Presidium and Zakera Ward, run by a Dr. Michel. Please meet us there," Naruto said.
"Thank you Captain Shepard. I'll be there as quickly as possible," the turian said, closing the comm.
Naruto closed his omni-tool, as Ashley shifted. "I'm suddenly wishing I had a gun on me," she said.
"Getting a bad feeling sergeant?" Kaidan asked, as Ashley shifted in her seat.
"You could say that lieutenant," she murmured, as the skycab continued on its way.
It eventually reached the skycar stop near the clinic, and the quarter got out, after Naruto slid his credit chit into the meter and pulled it out, paying the fee for skycar use.
As they approached the free clinic, Naruto looked to Alicia. "Look, just don't do anything weird, and try not to scare her. She seemed skittish after what happened to her, and I don't want her getting the wrong idea."
"Awwww, you sure this girl isn't your girlfriend?" Alicia teased, as they entered the clinic.
The tease and good humor ended however as they saw a group of five men, each one armed, and one holding Dr. Michel at gunpoint. The woman was scared out of her mind, hands in the air, as the man waved a pistol in her face. "Now remember doctor, you don't know nuthin' bout no quarian, got it?" He snarled.
Dr. Michel whimpered. "I-I swear, I won't say anything!" She cried out.
Naruto and his group stopped dead as they saw and heard all this, as one of the thugs looked up and saw them. "Boss!" he shouted, raising his assault rifle.
"Cover!" Alicia shouted, as the four Alliance personnel dove into cover behind anything they could find. Ashley was cursing as she hit the ground.
"Well that's just fucking great. Armed thugs with assault rifles. What am I going to do, glare at them?" She ranted.
"You four, come out with your hands up!" The leader of the thugs shouted, as Naruto glanced at Alicia.
Alicia just nodded to him. "Do you think they know who they're dealing with?"
"Probably not," Naruto said, as both of them charged biotics to their hands. They both immediately popped up, shooting the biotic energy at two of the thugs.
Immediately both of them were yanked off their feet, dragged to the quartet. Kaidan and Ashley grabbed the thugs, dragging them down and quickly knocking them both out, grabbing their weapons. Kaidan gripped a pistol as he handed Naruto an assault rifle. Ashley gripped her own acquired assault rifle, but Alicia was weaponless due to the thug only have an assault rifle.
One of the thugs, with a shotgun, yelled as he began firing on their cover, a turned over couch in the waiting area, while the boss grabbed Dr. Michel and the other thug fired on Naruto and Kaidan's position behind a small counter.
Alicia grinned as she charged her biotics around her, and shot upwards before unleashing herself into a charge, driving the shotgun wielding thug through the wall separating the waiting area from the operating area. As she came out of the charge she quickly kicked the downed man across the face, knocking him out while grabbing his shotgun.
Naruto, Ashley, and Kaidan all rose up now, firing on the other thug, forcing him into cover, until Kaidan used his own biotics to throw him into the wall, knocking him when his head slammed into the wall.
The four of them now all pointed their confiscated guns at the last thug, who was holding Michel hostage, a gun pointed to her head. "You all better drop those guns, and fast, or else the good doctor here dies," he growled out.
"Uh-huh, and then you've got no shield, which means you die. I don't think so bub," Alicia said, gripping the shotgun. "You can't kill her if you want to get out of here alive. So how about you drop the gun, and we instead have a nice little chat?"
The thug sneered at her. "Yeah, right before you send me off to C-Sec? Not going to happen. And maybe I can't kill her, but I can wound her," he said, as he started to move his gun to point at Michel's leg. "A nice gunshot wound, right here, if you all don't back off!" He shouted.
Naruto snarled softly, glancing at Alicia, who grimaced a bit. Looking to Dr. Michel, he could see the terror in her eyes, which made him sigh, and he slowly lowered the assault rifle. Alicia did the same, followed by Ashley and Kaidan.
The thug smirked, as he began to move to the door, pushing Dr. Michel along with him, keeping her as a shield against them. However, he didn't count on the door suddenly opening, and a shot passing right next to Dr. Michel's head, passing through the center of his head. He dropped lifelessly to the ground, dead, as Dr. Michel dropped to her knees.
The four Alliance personnel turned, their weapons up again, only to blink as they saw a turian in C-Sec armor standing there, holding a smoking Predator pistol. He had blue markings under his eyes and across his nose and mandibles. He also had a pair of bluish-gray eyes, the left one hidden somewhat by a targeting visor. He raised his other hand up, waving the tri-digit hand. "Sorry I'm late to the party," he said.
Naruto blinked, lowering his assault rifle. "I take it you're Garrus?" He asked.
Garrus quickly entered, nodding. "Yeah. Garrus Vakarian, at your service," he said, before blinking as he saw Dr. Michel still on her knees. "Is she okay?" He asked worriedly.
"Well…you did kind of almost shot her in the head," Kaidan pointed out, as Garrus's eyes widened, and he quickly dropped down next to Michel.
"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he said frantically, mandibles twitching due to his worry.
She slowly shook her head, allowing him to help her up. "Y-Yes. I'm fine," she said, glancing behind her at the dead body. "I…you saved my life," she said, looking back at him. "Thank you."
"Next time though, try to be more careful. Trying to save a hostage by shooting them may not exactly work," Alicia said, setting the shotgun down and moving to secure the unconscious thugs.
Naruto meanwhile realized that someone was missing, and quickly began looking around frantically. "Dr. Michel, where's Tali? Did they take her?!" He demanded, searching for the quarian girl.
Dr. Michel, who was being guided to a seat by Ashley, shook her head. "N-No…she said something about being given an offer, and deciding to take it…she left you a message in a data pad. It was on the desk, when those thugs came in here," she said, pointing to the desk.
Naruto quickly ran over and grabbed the datapad, as Garrus joined him. "Look, Captain Shepard, can we-?"
"Just a minute," Naruto said, as he accessed the data pad and started reading the message on it.
Naruto, I'm sorry for just disappearing like this, but I received an offer for protection that I couldn't refuse. I know you are trying to help me, and I thank you for that. But this offer guarantees not only my protection, but offers more as well. I hope that after all this is done, we can meet again so I can pay you back for saving me. Thank you again for saving my life, and everything else. Tali.
Naruto sighed, dropping the datapad aside, and turning to Garrus. "What is it you want?" He asked a bit tiredly.
"Captain Shepard, I was-," Garrus said, only for Naruto to raise his hand.
"Just Naruto right now, okay? You don't need to use my rank," he said.
"Naruto," Garrus said firmly, not wanting to be interrupted again. "Can we please talk now? It's important that I talk to you and your quarian friend."
"Why?" Naruto asked, turning to look at him. "Why is it important? Does this have to do with that incident on the Presidium?"
"Yes. I was one of the officers involved in questioning the two surviving suspects. They were resistant at first, but we managed to crack them," he said. "We learned that they both work for the criminal Fist, who runs a large criminal gang here in the wards."
"Fist? That's who these criminals work for too," Michel said from her seat. "I've seen them shaking down some of the kiosk owners for protection fees."
Naruto blinked at that, and looked at the thugs on the ground, then at Garrus. "So wait…Fist is after Tali? He's the one sending all these thugs after her?" He asked.
"If that is your quarian friend, then yes, he is the one going after her. But what's interesting is that we learned Fist isn't doing this just for himself. Someone's hired him to go after this quarian. One of the thugs mentioned that they overheard Fist talking to a 'Saren', and heard him mention a 'quarian'," Garrus said, looking at Naruto and then the others. "So Fist isn't interested in Tali for his own reasons, but because Saren or at least someone named Saren wants her."
Naruto just stood there, his face blank, before he slammed a fist into the wall with a snarl. "Tali's data, it must implicate Saren. She must have somehow got data that connects him to Eden Prime, and now he's trying to silence her before she can reveal it to anyone. He must have contacted Fist to get the data," Naruto said, growling in anger. "We need to find her."
Alicia glanced at the thugs on the ground, before looking to Dr. Michel. "Okay, but where is she? I mean, you said she accepted an offer someone made her, but who would it be, that'd she'd trust them?" She asked.
"Fist could do it," Michel said. "He works…or maybe worked would be more appropriate now, for the Shadow Broker. He helped gather information to send back to the Broker here on the Citadel. If he offered a deal to Tali on behalf of the Broker, Tali might have accepted it. The Shadow Broker has a lot of intel to offer people," she said.
"Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked, confused. Kaidan merely shrugged, just as confused as she was, so Naruto started to clarify.
"The Shadow Broker is an information broker. Probably the biggest and most powerful information broker in the galaxy. No one knows who he is or how to contact him, but he has agents everywhere, buying information he's interested in, or selling information to clients. He also has been known to acquire items for people who pay high enough for them, though his main focus is still information," Naruto said. "If Fist was one of his agents, then he most likely would have lured Tali in with a promise of a deal with the Broker."
"If Fist has betrayed the Shadow Broker, he either must be really dumb, or Saren has something that made Fist willing to turn against the Broker. I doubt the Shadow Broker and Saren would be working together on this," Garrus said. "Either way, I'm guessing we'll need to confront Fist if we want to find this Tali," Garrus said.
"We'll need to get suited up first. I doubt we can take on Fist's goons with the four of us in fatigues and using stolen guns," Kaidan said, indicating the pistol in his hand.
Garrus nodded as he typed in a command on his omni-tool. "Right. I'm authorizing the four of you with special permits that will allow you to carry weapons and firearms. Consider yourselves part of an 'official Citadel Security Investigation'," Garrus said, as Alicia grinned.
"I like the sound of that," she said, looking to Dr. Michel. "Will you be alright?" She asked her.
"Yes, provided these thugs are removed before they regain consciousness," she said, glancing down at them a bit nervously.
Garrus quickly tapped in a few more commands on his omni-tool. "I just sent a notice to C-Sec, and they should be sending a patrol to clean them up."
Kaidan handed over the pistol he had, as the others set their weapons down. "Here, in case any of them start causing problems," he said.
Michel nodded, nervously gripping the pistol, as Alicia grinned. "Well let's roll people. We've got a quarian to save. And if she does have info on Saren, then we can hopefully convince her to help us nail his spiky ass to the wall."
Garrus blinked at that as they left the medical clinic. "Ummm…is she always so…enthusiastic?" He asked.
"From what I've seen, yes," Ashley said.
"Pretty much," Kaidan said.
Only Naruto remained quiet as they made their way to the skycab depot. He was feeling somewhat frustrated and annoyed that Tali hadn't told her the information was connected to Saren, as it would have made things far easier in getting her protection and asylum in the human embassy. But he rationalized that with everything she'd been through, she likely wasn't quick to trust anyone. For now, he would focus on the task at hand. As they piled into the skycab, he grimly set himself to the task at hand. Like Alicia said, they had a quarian to save.
Presidium
If anyone was to describe Barla Von, they would describe him as a generic volus. Like all of his species, he wore a highly pressurized suit that allowed him to survive outside the atmosphere of his home planet, Irune. Volus were very short, and could be described as 'round and chubby', with stubby legs and arms ending in three digit hands. Because of their small stature and unimpressive physicality, the volus had instead focused on economics, become a species widely regarded as being highly capable traders, merchants, and financial experts. They were the first Council affiliate race, and helped establish the galactic economy used to this very day, though their lack of a strong military had kept them from being able to gain a seat on the Council despite their many years as a Council affiliate and their contribution to galactic society.
Barla Von himself did not seem to be any different from his volus brothers and sisters, working on the Citadel as a financial expert who advised and aided the rich and powerful with their vast riches. However, very few knew that Barla Von had a second profession, one that required a great amount of discretion and secrecy.
Currently, Barla Von was seeing off a hanar client, watching the long limbed jellyfish like alien leave through the door of his office, before quietly setting the door to 'locked'. Setting up security measures to encode a transmission and scramble scanners, he then activated a personal communications terminal he had hidden inside his desk. After a few moments, a distorted voice spoke from the terminal. "Report Agent Ditrec," the voice said.
"Shadow Broker, I've confirmed that our mercenary is in position, and will be handling our traitor problem shortly. Should I relay any last minute instructions to him before he begins?" Barla Von asked, his voice sounding slightly tinny thanks to the speaker in his suit.
"Yes. Tell him to leave the quarian girl alive and unharmed. He is to simply execute Fist and any of his men who get in his way. Afterwards, I want you to approach the girl, and apologize for Fist misleading her on this. Make her an offer to try and get the information, and then report back to me on what happens. You are to not take any other action beyond that. Understood?" The voice ordered.
"Yes Shadow Broker. It will be done. Agent Ditrec, out," Von said, as the communication ended. Securing the terminal that connected him to the Shadow broker, he kept the security measures in place as he activated his regular communications terminal, connecting him to a second source.
This time, it was a deep gravelly voice that answered him. "What do you want? I was just about to get going here," the voice said, annoyance evident in his tone.
"I have a few last minute instructions from the Shadow Broker. He wants you to leave the quarian girl alive and unharmed. You're to do nothing except ensure she's alive and escapes. Is that understood?" Barla Von ordered.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Just make sure my credits are ready for when I'm done," the voice grumbled, before cutting off communications.
Barla Von sighed, ending the communication and securing the security measures, before sitting back for a moment. Now he would wait, and see where the credit chits fell.
So here we are. Already done with this chapter. Not as long as the last one, which is probably a good thing.
I hope you all enjoy this twist to canon events. Or at least, I hope I didn't screw up too badly. Guess we'll see what you, the readers, think.
Thanks go out again to my two beta readers Kyuubi123 and a7xfanatic11 (formerly 1195) for their work in editing my chapters. Thanks a bunch guys.
So, till next chapter my friends!