CHAPTER 8: INVESTIGATIONS
Principal C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian sighed as he reviewed the final report on Saren Arterius. He had spent the last two days reviewing every scrap of evidence that had been given to him about Saren. Council records, C-Sec records, Hierarchy records, public records, even records sent by the human Systems Alliance. Information of all types had crossed his desk. He had even "obtained" some financial reports under the table, though he was confident that the action was legal…probably was legal. Possibly was legal.
Despite the access to all of this information, Garrus had precious little evidence to go on. Nearly all of Saren's reports and AARs had eyes-only dissemination to the Council and any relevant Spectres. Only the facts about a few of his missions made it even into unclassified records, and if those reports were any more glowing in their praise of Saren, Garrus wondered if those records would undergo spontaneous fission.
The financial records he had obtained showed a complex web of a myriad of investments and limited liability holdings, and it would take someone with far more knowledgeable about galactic finance to sort it out. He thought he had just the person to do it, too. Someone who could get it done relatively quickly and discreetly, but there was no way that Garrus could afford his services, even with the considerable discretionary funds he had at his disposal as a principal officer. If he had the time, he would assign a junior officer in the white collar crimes department to sort it all out. But both Garrus' boss and Executor Pallin would not allow in any delays. He had heard the Council had reluctantly agreed to the investigation into Saren, and Garrus was surprised that Councilor Sparatus would even agree to it, given that the Sparatus and Arterius families were both influential and close to each other. They're REALLY throwing a fringeplate to the humans.
As part of his investigation, he had reviewed every bit of Saren's personal history. Standard for all turian males, Saren was part of a Junior Cadet battalion on Palaven, followed by truly remarkable and exemplary service in the Hierarchy military. He then received an offer to join the Spectres, and had quickly demonstrated that he was truly one of the best agents the Council had recruited. Since then, despite his name being spoken of in awe and fear from many in the galaxy, he had a very limited public profile.
In the past two days of nearly constant reviewing, Garrus had stumbled upon a few things that didn't quite match up. For example, Saren had four confirmed mass relay transits that ended right at the edge of the Perseus Veil, with each trip taking several days. The last trip was just three weeks ago, and finished just four days before the Eden Prime attack. His unclassified reports had once stated he was on one planet, but witnesses placed him at another planet at the same time on the other side of the galaxy. He had a known appearance at several locations, while the private ship registered for his use remained docked, thousands of light years away. When asked about those trips, Saren had simply responded with, "it's classified." Granted, at times Spectres may travel incognito, but why take much slower civilian transport when he could take his own fast and small, but surprisingly well-armed, ship?
And…if the Alliance reports are true…had he been using that massive ship from Eden Prime? To Garrus, it almost felt as if the room suddenly chilled at just the thought of that ship that landed on Eden Prime. He had seen Alliance recordings of that ship departing, and he wondered just how something that size could even land on a planet without crashing, then somehow depart, without the use of engines. Only a couple prototype ships, and that new stealth frigate the humans were putting into service, could maneuver, land, and take off with only their drive core. None came even close to approaching the size of that massive ship.
Garrus filed the thoughts about the ship out of his mind for the moment, returning his focus solely to Saren. In his years of working the Citadel, Garrus had developed an uncanny sense to tell when someone was hiding something. Saren was definitely hiding something, but the C-Sec officer wasn't quite sure what yet. One of his human colleagues would call it…a…what is the word…intestine feeling.
Another ping came from the executor, asking in no uncertain terms that Pallin needed the report now. Garrus sighed as he attached the file and hit Send. Pallin received the report in seconds, and moments after that all of the files on Saren became locked.
Good thing I made copies of everything, Garrus thought to himself. He leaned back in the chair, wishing he had more time, and a hefty sum of credits, so he could properly complete the investigation. He had searched every angle he could, even the ones that would seem crazy and conspiratorial. He had even quickly investigated the human Spectre candidate that the Alliance had put forward, for any indications that she somehow knew Saren. She did not – their only link being that Saren Arterius was a Spectre and Layla Shepard was a Spectre candidate.
He hadn't done more than a cursory investigation into her while searching for leads on Saren, and now that he suddenly had free time on his talons, he would entirely close off this lead for good, just in case. He opened another terminal, bringing up her public record. She had been just another officer in the Alliance, albeit a biotic one, until the batarians had attacked Elysium. Due to the turian culture having a fascination with all things military, he had read a couple lengthy recounts of the battle. While the Systems Alliance could spin stories and spew propaganda out with the best of them – with the exception of the asari, of course – by all accounts Shepard had truly distinguished herself in that engagement. Public records showed her with a variety of roles in the Systems Alliance, leading her to now be the XO of that new stealth ship.
He continued scanning the headlines of articles, setting a filter to show only the most recent ones…ah, yes, she had been promoted a few weeks ago. Supposedly she was considered young for that rank, but he still struggled with determining a human's age. He had been told to look at wrinkles on their skin and for that fur on their heads to be gray or white to determine whether a human was considered an…elder? Sage? Senior? He couldn't quite remember the word humans used. Shepard didn't have any gray fur on the top and back of her head; hers turned out to be a yellowish color, long like most females of her species. Supposedly that was a rare color for humans, and he tried to recall if he had seen humans with yellow head fur before.
Garrus switched over to quickly scanning the C-Sec report of Shepard, first compiled years ago and frantically updated in the last few days when her name was submitted to C-Sec as the humans' Spectre candidate. The Council had been watching several promising human soldiers for years, and he briefly scanned through these. He saw that C-Sec had expected one of three humans to be put forward as their Spectre candidates, each with about an equal chance of being selected. One was Shepard, the other was seriously wounded a few days ago…talk about bad luck for him…and the last…hmm, the Alliance quietly discharging one of their best operatives? He couldn't quite translate the adjective for the discharge. Reckoning…bad…dishonorable? Garrus doubted that the decision to remove one of their leading operatives wouldn't come lightly. Wonder what he did to get kicked out like that. Regardless, Shepard was the Spectre candidate, not these other two. He pushed the irrelevant thoughts out of his mind.
He opened her C-Sec file which was far more detailed than the publically available records. She had been born on a colony – oddly, the file didn't say which one – and went to their military academy. As a human biotic, she had received significant discrimination until after Elysium, but the report didn't elaborate…again. That's also odd. Shore leave during the Blitz, and then a myriad of roles, some of those roles being redacted. Don't know why they bothered, Garrus grumbled to himself. Everyone knows that the Alliance sends operatives into the Traverse to destabilize – or hunt – the batarians. The C-Sec officer had to grin at the thought. The varren-shit slavers certainly wouldn't like being hunted and put down like the rabid animals they were.
Shepard had completed the human special forces training – training that was just as grueling as the turian's version. And her biotics…Spirits, her biotics…that can't be right. The report placed her biotic power level as potentially comparable to asari matriarchs, with very high confidence in that assessment. Garrus found that hard to believe. No one was as powerful as asari matriarchs, but…that piece of information had come from C-Sec via other intelligence sources, not the Alliance. He had though for certain that the Alliance had embellished that particular fact, but they hadn't. It had come straight from "other sources." Surprisingly, the Alliance hadn't provided any of their own information on her peak and sustained biotic output…that's even stranger.
He decided to file away those oddities from scanning the report as being due to lack of sleep and food. If he wasn't so tired, he wouldn't have missed other relevant sections of the report, he reasoned, because otherwise it wouldn't make sense. He closed her file, deciding to grab some food, deciding to try that new exotic Palaven cuisine place that just opened a few weeks ago. After that, he would nap. The investigation had resulted in him only gotten six hours of sleep over the last forty.
His plans to catch up on much-needed food and rest, however, soon were upended by a message on his omni-tool from the executor, ordering him to report to Pallin's office immediately. He muttered a turian curse as he turned around; half-walking, half-trudging to Pallin's office.
He arrived two minutes later to see Pallin standing several steps away from T'Sella, the asari who happened to be Garrus' direct boss. "Garrus," Pallin said. "You said you were unsatisfied with the report?"
It took all of his self-control for Garrus to keep his tone mostly reasonable. "I told you, I needed more time."
Pallin narrowed his eyes. "The Council wants this closed out now. Saren isn't guilty. They know that. I know that. And you know that."
"And I'm telling you Saren is hiding something," Garrus replied forcefully.
"No, this is just the Council throwing a fringeplate to the Alliance. The humans' Spectre candidate screwed up, and they want to pin the blame on someone else."
"I told you, Saren has made four trips to the edge of the Perseus Veil, one of them just three weeks ago, and taken several other trips to on civilian transport when he could have used his much faster personal ship."
Pallin waved his talons. "Spectres are given wide berth to do what they need to do. And he took civilian transport because he probably needed a cover."
"His financial dealings point to deals with mercenary groups that are banned from Council space."
"While that isn't a wise choice, it's not our call to make. Spectres can operate outside the law. Now, the Council and the Hierarchy want this closed – "
"Of course they do," Garrus scoffed. "Those politicians have their fringes shoved so far up their – "
"Garrus!" the executor shouted. "You have to watch your words when in the Citadel tower." T'Sella crossed her arms, though one of her balled fists went to cover her mouth to suppress a snicker. "I will be presenting this report to the Council. I want you present in the tower in case they have any questions."
They won't, Garrus thought.
Pallin stood from his desk and walked to the door, stopping at the entranceway. "Don't be late." The door shut behind the senior turian.
Garrus sighed, and T'Sella let out the snicker that she had been holding in. "While it was amusing, that's probably not the way to talk to your boss' boss," she told him.
"Saren's hiding something," Garrus replied.
She shrugged. "He's a Spectre. They're all hiding something. That doesn't mean what he's hiding is that he's working with the geth," the asari replied.
"T'Sella, I know Saren's hiding something big," Garrus reiterated.
"How? You've never met him. And don't say it's that…what is it called… 'stomach instinct' that Roger always says," T'Sella replied.
"I never met Felcan either. Guess which elcor diplomat turned out to be hacking up people and selling their organs?" Garrus replied deadpan. He remembered the criminal's repeated acknowledgement of and pride in what he had done, and the turian channeled his best elcor monotone voice. "Proud exclamation: you'll never find the bodies."
T'Sella snorted in amusement. While the incident had been both tragic and disturbing, some of the things the clearly insane elcor said after being caught truly qualified as dark comedy. "Okay, I'll give you that." Then she her face changed to one of concern. "Look, if you think Saren's guilty of something, fine. But…be careful investigating him. He's the Council's most successful agent."
"Yeah, and I'm just a C-Sec grunt," Garrus muttered.
"Don't say anything you'll regret if you're called in to meet the Council." The asari adopted a lighthearted tone. "And do try to have fun up in the Council chambers." She paused for a brief moment. "You could use it."
"No, what I'll need after I leave there is a long shower to clean all of the Citadel Tower filth off," Garrus replied.
T'Sella snickered in amusement, walking out of the room a moment later. Garrus sighed again, muttering a short string of turian curses as he walked out of the executor's office and toward the Citadel tower.
Captain Anderson came up to the airlock soon after the Normandy docked, stating that Shepard, Alenko and Williams would be meeting with the ambassador.
"Oh goodie," Williams muttered, trying to hide her nerves with a joke. "Softclothes idiots."
Nervous as she also was, Shepard tried and failed to suppress a grin. She had met the current ambassador once before during a ceremony, and he seemed decent enough then, but always looking for a political advantage. But that was in public, not when everything had gone sideways on Eden Prime. He had staked much of the Alliance position – and his own – on getting a human into the Spectres, and now that was probably not happening. This sobered the commander's thoughts rather quickly. She suspected that she would be seeing an entirely different, and not at all positive, side of the ambassador.
The four Alliance personnel cycled through the airlock and traveled to the nearby elevator in silence. The neighboring dock was vacant, and the entire area was eerily silent except for their footsteps, as sound did not travel through the mass effect field holding the atmosphere in place. The commander made it a point to momentarily stop and gaze into the nebula, allowing her to take in the vibrant colors put on display by the myriad of constituent gases. Only when the elevator stopped did Shepard approach the captain and ask, "I presume we are going to the ambassador's office, sir?"
"Yes. He'll want to speak with you about Eden Prime."
"Has he got an audience with the Council, Captain?"
"Not sure, Commander. We'll find out when we get there," he said, an odd edge in his voice.
The four of them walked across the Presidium to the ambassador's office, and Shepard enjoyed the view as much as she could; she found the Presidium absolutely gorgeous. Every structure and walkway was composed of a polished white metal. Lush plants lined the walkways, and the numerous water fountains and waterfalls reflected the light from the star and surrounding nebula. They passed uninhibited by the media; word had not spread that the Normandy had docked at the Citadel – yet.
Shepard did not get to enjoy the walk for long, though: it was quite brief. Four minutes later the marines arrived in Ambassador Donnel Udina's office. He was "meeting" with the Council; more accurately he was speaking with life-size representations of the three councilors.
"You've never helped us when batarians raid our colonies, and now you even ignore a geth invasion!" the ambassador yelled.
Not the way you should be talking to the Council, Ambassador, Shepard thought, surprised at the anger and frustration in Udina's tone as he spoke to the three most powerful people in Citadel space. She hadn't realized that the ambassador had maybe gotten eight hours of sleep over the last three days, and his nerves were frayed to the breaking point from exhaustion.
"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador!" the turian councilor shot back. The ambassador and the Council were speaking in the galactic trade language, a very simple variant of the primary asari dialect with hints of turian and salarian tongues. The language was simplified with fewer words, and as such was easier for most species to learn. In-ear translators, though very robust over centuries of honing, sometimes had trouble properly translating nuances of speech and idioms, and due to these imprecisions the galactic trade language was frequently used despite the abilities of translators, especially in sensitive or diplomatic negotiations.
"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the asari councilor said in a calmer tone. "And Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before," she said as the link went dead.
The ambassador sighed and turned to face the four newcomers to his office. "Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew with you," he said in a tense voice, switching to English. Alenko thought Udina looked about ready to blow his top. The two marines waited near the entrance to the office, while Shepard stood behind and to the left side of Anderson.
"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions," Anderson responded. Shepard stood as straight as she could—she had a pretty good idea of the ambassador's upcoming reaction. She placed her hands behind her back, subconsciously fiddling with her fingers. "It sounds like you were able to convince the Council to give us an audience," the captain said.
Udina frowned. "I did, though they weren't happy about it. We have just accused their top agent of treason."
Which you should have waited until you had a lot more evidence, Shepard thought but didn't dare say.
He then turned to the commander. "Eden Prime was supposed to be a very simple job for you, Commander. Instead, Nihlus is dead and the beacon is destroyed!" the ambassador shouted at her. She simply stood there, keeping her face impassive.
"That's Saren's fault, not hers!" Anderson shot back with his own fair bit of rage. The ambassador turned to face the captain, and the two men glared at each other from a meter away.
It was a moment before the ambassador continued, in a much quieter, yet still angry, voice. "Then we better hope that the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations."
And they won't find any evidence; the Council didn't release or declassify any records, Shepard thought again. Of course, Saren was a Spectre, and the Alliance had next to no evidence to go on. Only a civilian's testimony placed him on Eden Prime. While frantic Alliance investigations had uncovered some suspicious activity, so far nothing concrete had been found other than the dockworker's testimony. Why WOULD they believe he's guilty? There's only that one shred of evidence linking Saren to Eden Prime.
"Otherwise the Council will use this as another excuse to ignore our requests." He glanced to Alenko and Williams before turning back to Shepard. "You can meet us in the Citadel Tower in a while. I will make sure the three of you have clearance to get in. Captain Anderson and I need to review a few things." He gestured to Shepard to leave.
Only after the door closed behind the three did Shepard let out a sigh as she hung her shoulders.
"And that's why I hate politicians," Williams muttered immediately after the doors closed, and got a slight momentary grin from the commander that quickly faded.
"Well, that went better than expected," Layla muttered as soon as the slight grin vanished.
"'Better?'" A momentary pause occurred before the chief continued, this time louder and in surprise. "Wait…what were you expecting to happen?" Williams asked.
"I…" The commander stopped after barely starting to speak, letting out a long sigh. She turned to face the two marines. "Listen, no matter what happens in the next few hours…I want you both to know it's been a privilege serving with you both, even though it was only for such a short time," she said.
Both Kaidan and Ashley stared in confusion for a moment. Then Alenko said in disbelief, "No, you don't think…"
"No, they won't go that far, but it wouldn't surprise me if I received a discharge. Probably OTH, or maybe a general discharge, with medical. Apparently some people say I'm a heroine, but despite that, this political circus after Eden Prime will have everyone looking to save their own hides. I'm the most public person directly involved with Eden Prime, so I'm the one that will get sent to the gallows. Someone has to take the fall, and I'm the easiest and most convenient scapegoat."
"But you did nothing wrong!" Williams protested.
"I still failed," Shepard said quietly. "Jenkins and Nihlus died, and the beacon was destroyed. In other circumstances, I could see the Council even wanting to make a public spectacle of me. We just accused Saren Arterius of treason, and guess who is good pals with our friendly neighborhood turian councilor? Turns out they're both from influential families, and go way back, long before they became Spectres and councilors. Sparatus is going to be livid with us, and I'm junior enough and famous enough to be the public face of this Charlie Foxtrot."
"Wait…you think he's going to want to charge you with something!?" Williams asked in shock.
"There's nothing the Council can really charge me with. I don't fall under their jurisdiction. Councilor Sparatus, however, will really want me discharged and publically shamed, and the ambassador just might be inclined to twist some arms to do it," the commander said. "I actually don't think there will be too much public shaming, though. The Council doesn't want to distance itself too much from the Alliance; regardless of what people may say, they need us. It will probably be quiet, and convenient for everyone," she finished.
"Except you," Alenko said darkly.
"Except me," Shepard agreed soberly.
"Why the hell would the ambassador agree with them?" Ashley asked with a face of disgust. "You didn't screw up, you slaughtered a few dozen geth and saved the colony!"
"It took all of us to defeat the geth," Shepard corrected, a slight edge to her voice. "There isn't a 'me' for saving Eden Prime; there is 'us'. Without either of you there, we would not have defeated the stay behind geth forces quickly, and more colonists would have died. Is that understood?" She finished, getting a nod from the chief. She continued after a couple seconds in a softer tone, looking down at the ground. "Look at it from the Council's standpoint. I 'led' the mission that was to recover the beacon, which probably would have been the greatest discovery of the century, and the beacon was destroyed. One of their top agents was killed, and now we are accusing their best agent of treason after this colossal screwup."
"That's not your fault!" Williams exclaimed.
"The beacon being destroyed is my fault. Even though we had no idea what the beacon would do, I should have approached it slowly, or not at all, and just had everyone keep their distance."
"But someone else would have triggered it if we didn't," the chief countered.
"True, but the fact of the matter is I resulted in its destruction. Now, put yourselves in the ambassador's shoes. He's trying to get a human admitted into the Spectres for several years, and has basically staked much of the Alliance's reputation on it. Finally the Council said they would consider admitting a human as a Spectre. My name was put forward as the best candidate, and the mission I was sent on went to hell. The mission failed. So in order to save face as much as possible, I'll be the one hung out to dry," Shepard responded quietly.
"That's bullshit!" Williams exclaimed after a moment. "I can't believe they would do that to you!"
"Politics is a dirty business. I've tried to avoid it my entire career, but apparently one can only run from it so long before it catches up to them."
"Ma'am, that's…" Williams stopped, searching for words.
"This goes for both of you: you don't need to call me 'ma'am'; unless we are in a formal command setting, you can just call me Layla," she reminded them. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she said, "Everyone seems to always call me 'Shepard' for some reason, and never by my first name. No idea why." She shrugged in puzzlement, before her expression darkened slightly. "Let's go. I want to get this over with," she said, a sour note in her voice.
The elevators opened and the three Alliance soldiers stepped out into the top level. None of them had been here before, so they looked around at the heart of the Citadel space for a couple seconds before they walked towards the Council chambers.
Shepard found the entrance to the chambers to be surprisingly dim. She would have expected the seat of power for the galaxy to be better lit, but the current illumination provided a slightly ominous red hue to accompany the white lights. She thought it was about as well-lit as inside a hab module at night. She didn't find it dark per se, but it definitely could have had more illumination, especially compared to the bright white of the rest of the Presidium. Maybe it's this dark due to all the conspiracies that start – and end – here, she thought dryly.
Soon they came across two turians in the midst of a discussion in a surprisingly public area of the tower, and though their voices were mostly subdued and quiet, all three humans could tell that this was an argument.
Shepard had a passable comprehension of the primary turian language, but she could quickly tell that the two turians were using a different tongue. She didn't have her translator in her ear at the moment since everyone would be using the trade language or English, but she did manage to catch a few words about "Saren," "hides," "time," and "slow" from the first turian.
The second, older turian appeared to do the equivalent of a scoff. Again, Shepard only understood a few words, but she thought she heard "slow" again, along with "council," "stupid," and "done". This second turian shook his head as he walked off, ignoring the three Alliance soldiers.
The remaining turian sighed, muttering what was likely a curse in that particular language, then he noticed the three humans standing near him. Shepard appraised the turian. He stood taller than his older, presumed boss, with blue symbols painted on his face. The commander only knew a little about turian culture from the requisite classes that few paid attention at, so she could only guess at what colony or political allegiance they indicated. He did have a large hudpiece that projected over a fair portion of his left eye. Not surprisingly given that they currently stood in the Citadel Tower, he only had a pistol at his hip on the black and blue armor.
This turian approached the three and began speaking in the trade language. "Lieutenant Commander Shepard? I'm Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren," Garrus said.
"Nice to meet you, Officer," Shepard said with a nod. "What were you discussing earlier?" the commander replied in the same language, rather confused since she had barely caught five words from the full discussion. While Garrus hadn't stopped particularly close to the Alliance soldiers, due to the turian's height, Shepard still found herself craning her neck up to meet his gaze.
"Executor Pallin just presented my findings on Saren to the Council," the turian responded evenly. The commander had barely interacted with turians before, but she thought he seemed disappointed.
"What did you find?" Shepard asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice.
"Very little. As a Spectre, nearly all of his activities are highly classified." Again, he did the equivalent of a scoff. "They authorize the investigation, but don't give any of the investigators any access to any information."
The commander gave a grim nod, her lips pursed in annoyance. "Defeats the purpose of an investigation, doesn't it?"
The turian snorted in disgust. "Yeah. At least the Council can say 'ah yes, Saren attacking Eden Prime. We have dismissed that claim.'" He performed air quotes when mocking the Council.
A grin appeared on the commander's face. Either turians also did airquotes as a mocking gesture, or Garrus had worked with humans enough in C-Sec to pick up mankind's mannerisms.
"I found a couple pieces of data, some inconsistencies in his supposed locations at several times. Trips to the edge of the Perseus Veil. But something just doesn't add up – something about him pushes me the wrong direction. I've investigated enough criminal activity to know that he's definitely hiding something. I believe you humans say, 'I feel it in my…intestines'?" the turian finished with a puzzled question.
Shepard couldn't help but laugh, and while she noticed that Alenko chuckled as well, Williams remained silent, with a brooding expression on her face. "Close. It's 'I feel it in my gut.' Or 'gut instinct.' Not intestines."
The turian blinked, muttering, "Feel it in my gut…" Then the realization hit him after several moments of contemplation and he replied, "Ah, that…yeah, that makes more sense than what I said."
Shepard couldn't help but grin again. While all of the other turians she had met were cool to her due to animosity between their species, Garrus she liked.
Alenko looked towards the chambers as Anderson gestured to them. "I think the Council's ready for us, Commander," he said.
"Good luck, Commander. Maybe they'll actually listen to you," the turian half-shouted over his shoulder.
The captain gestured to them again, this time with more urgency. "The two of you can wait in the viewing area," Shepard said quietly. "You can watch and listen to the proceedings on the viewscreens."
Captain Anderson approached them, gesturing for Shepard to follow him.
Alenko straightened himself up and faced her. "Good luck, Commander," he said formally.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she replied, nodding to him quickly before turning away.
"Come on, the briefing is about to start," Anderson said as the commander approached.
The two Alliance soldiers joined Udina two minutes later, after going through a pair of full body scans to make sure that they weren't smuggling weapons. Biotics, though, couldn't be confiscated, and Shepard had a brief moment of panic at the thought of –
"You're clear, Commander," the salarian security officer told her.
She nodded in relief, glad that the systems hadn't either hadn't detected her sudden alarm at that particular thought, or had categorized her alarm as simple nerves at meeting the Council for the first time. She passed through the final checkpoint and into the chamber proper.
So here it is, Shepard thought to herself. The heart of the galaxy's power. While it didn't look all that impressive, she had to admit that she was intimidated. Here every day decisions were made that affected the lives of hundreds of billions.
The briefing soon started, and the ambassador took less than five minutes to present all of their evidence on Saren, while everyone else remained silent. To Shepard's great shock, a holograph of Saren was present off to the left. She looked as impassively as she could at his five-meter tall representation for a moment, then she directed her attention back to the ambassador. Even though he was just a hologram, his eyes…they were filled with so much hate. And all of it focused on her.
It sent a chill down her spine.
Shepard instead focused on the content of the briefing. They had several intriguing pieces of intel, but nothing substantial. There wasn't enough data other than some inconsistencies. The dockworker's testimony was dismissed as mental trauma. That was the only piece of intel directly placing him at Eden Prime. Alliance accusations were heavy on emotion and feeling while light on facts and substance. Saren stared at her the entire time with those burning orbs of hate, and it took all of her self control not to shudder.
When it was his turn to speak, Saren, of course, denied everything, stating how Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend, how the galaxy was a darker place with him gone. Of course, why wouldn't he deny everything? We have presented zero hard evidence to the Council of his guilt.
"The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there no evidence of any sort to indicate Saren was involved in any way," Councilor Tevos said. "After all, Saren has recommended we deploy some of the Citadel Fleet to protect other human colonies from similar attacks."
"The Council recognizes the attempt of the Alliance to shift the failure of Lieutenant Commander Layla Shepard onto esteemed Spectre Saren Arterius," Councilor Sparatus said.
"That is bullshit," Captain Anderson snarled.
"Yes, typical," Saren snorted. "Captain Anderson, you're always at the center of false accusations against me. Now you're also trying to cover up your pathetic protégé's ineptitude. You could have picked many promising candidates to be your student, but yet you picked her. She couldn't defend the greatest discovery in Council history from a simple geth attack."
Shepard spoke for the first time during the meeting. She glared her eyes at Saren, then looked back to the Council. "What about that ship? It – "
Saren shouted loudly, his voice amplified by the many speakers present in the chamber, drowning her voice out with his booming tone. "'That ship?' Next you're going to say 'the visions'? 'The visions' were nothing more than the product of a damaged, fragile, weak mind. One that is a travesty to even be considered for the Spectres, and one unfit for any military service. If you actually had a shred of competence, you would have warned Nihlus, he would be here today, and he would certainly agree with my assessment of you!"
"If you hadn't murdered him in cold blood, I suspect he would also say that you're a disgrace," Shepard replied coldly.
Williams had been listening to the exchange from the viewing area. The chief shuddered slightly at the response, having never heard quite that tone from the commander before. Shepard's voice had a sharp edge to it, as sharp as glass. Voice or not, appearance or not, the chief realized the commander was not a person one wanted to mess with. She had seen that for herself, firsthand on Eden Prime.
Saren continued to mock Shepard. "Trying to shift blame from yourself onto someone else?" Saren snorted. "Captain Anderson has taught you well. You're a useless celebrity. You're capable of nothing more than conjuring up a fancy little corona for the cameras."
"If that's what you think, just set the time and place, and I'll show you just what I'm truly capable of," Shepard responded quietly. A dark energy corona flared around her hands involuntarily, with a few sparks flickering between her fingers.
If Alenko had not seen her in action on Eden Prime, it would almost see like an empty threat, given the rather enormous size difference between a large turian male and a petite human female. However, even from what little he had seen of her, he was confident that she would be a tough fight for someone even as skilled and experienced as the traitorous turian Spectre that "stood" before them.
"Commander Shepard's admittance into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," Tevos said, glancing at Saren, in a tone much calmer than most of the other comments over the last couple minutes.
"This meeting has no purpose," Saren scoffed. "The humans are wasting your time, Councilors. And mine," the Spectre replied, crossing his arms. "What's next, Anderson? Now you're going to say we need to allow dreams as evidence now?" Saren responded with a mocking laugh. "Dreams from a mentally deranged woman? How can anyone defend oneself against such testimony?"
"I agree. Our judgment must be based on facts and hard evidence." Sparatus backed his fellow turian and longtime friend up. "You have provided us with zero evidence of any connection between Saren and either the geth or Eden Prime."
"Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," the asari councilor said.
"Furthermore, the ineptitude of Lieutenant Commander Shepard lost one of the greatest discoveries in the history of the galaxy. The Council recommends that she be immediately discharged from the Alliance military to prevent any other such failures in the future," Sparatus continued.
"She's my XO, Councilor Sparatus. I'll make that decision, not you," Anderson said coldly.
"Consider that recommendation long and hard, Captain Anderson," the turian councilor warned slowly, menace in his cold voice.
"Good. I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren said with a smirk as he disconnected.
The five Alliance members congregated in the viewing area after being dismissed. "It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives," Udina stated after they had left the Council chambers.
"Captain, may I ask…" Shepard started but was quickly cut off by the ambassador.
The ambassador, red-faced with rage, nearly shouted, "What the hell were you thinking!? We're trying not to anger the Council more! Then you get in there and run your mouth off with Saren!?"
"Ambassador, I – " she started to say.
"You be quiet," he snapped at her. "You're lucky that I'm not having you discharged. You stay out of any investigation into Saren. Is. That. Understood." he snarled.
She simply nodded after a brief staring contest with a blank expression on her face. You've already done a pretty good job of angering the Council. Anything I say to or in front of them is just icing on the cake. She should just respond, speak her mind to him…but as pleasing as short-term catharsis would be, she had to be a professional, even if the ambassador wasn't. He stormed off, turning briefly to Captain Anderson. "Meet me in my office in fifteen minutes, Captain. There are a couple things I want to discuss."
Alenko and Williams observed the whole exchange from several meters away, still in shock from the Council meeting, and the ambassador's behavior only added more surprises.
Shepard let out a deep sigh, then looked up, and quickly straightened herself as the captain approached. "Captain, may I ask what history you have with Saren?" she asked.
"I worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad. Real bad." The commander's eyes widened slightly at hearing the small bits of revelation. "We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like," Captain Anderson told her. "AIA is looking at some more leads. They have been putting together a case against Saren. Nothing too solid yet, but there are enough clues that make his recent actions suspicious. Not near enough for the Council to act on yet, though."
"There was a turian named Garrus Vakarian – he was in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren. I'll get in touch with him, sir," she said.
"Good idea," Anderson said. "I spoke with him briefly." The captain paused for several moments, apparently weighing a decision, which resulted in his face settling into a frown. "As much as I hate to say it, other than Garrus, Harkin may be the best source to get leads on Saren." He said the name as if it were toxic.
Neither Anderson nor Shepard seemed to have any second thoughts about disobeying the ambassador, Williams noticed with amusement. "Who is Harkin, sir?" the commander asked.
"He was one of the first human C-Sec officers. The guy joined C-Sec about twenty years ago. He's been an embarrassment to our species ever since," Anderson scowled. "Roughing up suspects in custody, bribery accusations, alcohol, drug use, soliciting prostitutes. The embassy used to step in when he got into trouble, but enough was enough," the captain told them. Took them long enough.
"Why did the embassy hold onto him after everything he did, Captain?" Alenko asked.
"It would have looked bad if one of the first human C-Sec officers. A lot of backroom deals were worked out over the years to keep him on the force. Politics is a dirty business sometimes."
I'm quickly learning that the hard way, Shepard thought sourly.
"Be careful around him, Commander," Anderson warned.
"I will, sir," Shepard replied, wondering just what kind of trouble Anderson was referring to.
"I still have no idea how that slimy little shit gets all his info. I'd prefer to just deal with that weasel myself rather than send the three of you, but Udina will probably have me busy the rest of the afternoon." Anderson stopped on seeing Shepard trying to hold in laughter. "No, Commander," he said sternly with a glare. "I'm referring to Harkin as the weasel, NOT our esteemed ambassador. Is that understood?"
Shepard quickly nodded. "Completely, sir. It wasn't a Freudian slip at all, sir," she replied, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice as she mostly suppressed a snicker, holding up a hand to cover her mouth.
Anderson's glare faded after a quick moment, followed by a slight grin that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. "Even though our esteemed ambassador wants you out of the investigation, see what you find out from Garrus and Harkin," he ordered her. "I'll keep the ambassador off of your back as best I can."
"Yes, sir," she replied, and Anderson returned to the ambassador's office. After they had left the chambers, Shepard said, grin still present, "Well, we have two people to chat with. Let's try to find Harkin, then we can follow up with Garrus. Does that sound good to both of you?" She looked at both marines.
"Sounds good to me, ma'am," Williams said.
Alenko nodded his agreement.
Shepard raised her eyes towards the chief and a corner of her mouth twitched upward in a smirk. "Ashley, remember what I said about not saying 'ma'am' or 'Commander'?"
"Yeah. Sorry…Layla, force of habit. It…takes some getting used to," the chief responded, a bit uneasily. She still didn't feel quite comfortable being so casual around the Commander Shepard. But at the same time, the fact that an officer did not care about her family's past was nice for a change.
"I'm not the biggest fan of always being put on a pedestal. I'd rather keep things informal," she said softly. "Again, if either of you have thoughts or concerns, I want to hear them. Okay?"
"Understood," the chief responded, then her mouth opened as if to speak. She closed it after a couple moments, as if deciding that she shouldn't say what she was thinking. "Commander…was that what you were expecting from the Council meeting?"
"Pretty close. I didn't expect Saren there, though." The commander stood in silence for several moments before letting out a long sigh. "I was afraid of that happening," she said quietly as she closed her eyes.
"What specifically?" the chief asked.
"I didn't want them to bring up the visions from the beacon. They're just going to say it's the visions of some crazy girl. But Saren had to have sabotaged the beacon after getting what he needed. Why else would he have left it there instead of destroy it? And why not destroy the rest of the colony? I would have taken the beacon with me, if I were in his shoes."
"Or at least destroy the colony if he didn't," Williams said.
Shepard nodded agreement. "But he didn't. After thinking about it since I regained consciousness, I think I wasn't supposed to see the visions at all. I think…the beacon was supposed to…kill whoever used it. He would have known that a human was under consideration for the Spectres. The geth attack would probably kill the first human Spectre candidate, and whoever was unlucky to approach the beacon first would have destroyed it. Both of which could then be leaked all over the news to further discredit the Alliance. And on the off chance that the person did survive the beacon's use, they would see these visions, not be able to make heads or tails of it, and they could then be painted as a raving lunatic as a result. Which…is exactly what seems to have happened." She sighed again and shook her head. "Either way, it's a win-win for Saren. And I'm still going back to…why not blow up the whole colony? Leave no evidence of a geth ground attack? I mean, the geth units were spread out, but it's nothing a couple three-stage nukes couldn't take care of."
"Or an orbital bombardment," the chief added.
"Or an orbital bombardment, especially from whatever that ship was," Shepard agreed. "Maybe…" she paused for several moments before continuing, "maybe he wanted to use the chaos of a known geth attack on a human colony, the first human Spectre dying from the geth, and the beacon to get destroyed, to accomplish his ends, or to buy him time to meet those ends? We're still trying to scramble to figure out what his intentions are, and he's just getting closer to his objectives. Whatever they are…" She paused for several moments, her eyes closed and in deep thought. "It…we weren't supposed to find any evidence of his presence. Without that dockworker's testimony…we would have absolutely zero reason to suspect Saren was somehow involved. But…Saren's not stupid."
"You don't become the most successful Spectre in the galaxy by being stupid," Alenko said quietly.
Shepard nodded. "Exactly. He would have to anticipate the possibility that he could somehow be linked to Eden Prime. And that someone else could receive the visions from the beacon and actually survive." The commander let out a frustrated sigh, then felt a chill run down her spine at her next thought. Just what would make the most successful, talented Spectre in the galaxy ally with the geth and attack a colony?
"I've heard you talk about the visions, and…well, your scream on Eden Prime was blood- and bone-chilling," Williams stated quietly, then paused for a couple moments. "What exactly did you see in the beacon?"
The commander looked for a place to sit, and walked towards a bench several meters away. She sat in the middle and the marines took a seat on either side of her. "It was…death…slaughter. I saw some sort of…synthetics, gunning down humanoids without mercy. Everything, the land, the sky, was burning. Streets of cities were filled with bodies. There were these…things in the sky. I saw…" she shuddered as she described the parts of the vision that had she had managed to understand.
The lieutenant and chief exchanged a concerned, and pale, look. They had no appetite remaining as the commander finished the description.
"But that wasn't even the worst part. It felt…that I was actually there, on whatever was happening. That I wasn't Layla Shepard on Eden Prime, that I was someone else, watching…feeling those things happening…to others. To me." She rubbed her temples for several moments.
"You put all that in your report?" the chief asked.
"I did, and it wasn't easy," she said quietly, rubbing her forehead.
"I still can't believe we have no video of Saren at Eden Prime. Security cameras are everywhere, especially at spaceports. Something had to have survived," Williams asked.
Shepard shook her head. "All were either destroyed or wiped clean by that cyberattack that knocked out comms. So we just have that one dockworker's testimony. Plus that ship…frankly, I'm surprised that the Council seems so nonplussed about that ship. None of the known species could land a ship of that size on a planet, much less have it take off, especially without using any thrusters."
"Commander…you've been briefed more about ships than I have," the chief said quietly. "Just what was that ship? Who could have made it?"
"My first guess is H.P. Lovecraft," she replied. The joke didn't take. "None of the Council or Terminus species could build it, or anything close to that capability. Maybe the geth could have advanced their technology by leaps and bounds over the last three hundred years, but the infantry weapon tech we've seen seems to be comparable to ours. We've explored…what? One percent of the galaxy? What else could be lurking out there that we can't even fathom?"
"And the Council doesn't worry about that ship, or even take note that the geth have suddenly ended their isolation," Alenko said.
"Exactly," she agreed. "The geth attacking any organic's planet after three centuries of complete isolationism should be alarming. Human, asari, turian…even batarian or the yahg homeworld." She sighed, glancing down at the floor.
"Maybe the Council wants to project a calm face," Alenko mused. "They don't want to be seen as worried or scared – it would undermine public confidence in them."
"Maybe," Shepard replied in a half-convinced voice, then she stood resolutely. "Leads on Saren's activities aren't going to find themselves," she said firmly. "Let's get back to the embassy."
The three marines went back to the embassy offices. Shepard started the walk in an awkward silence, which was broken up a minute later by Alenko. "Commander?"
"There's no need to call me 'Commander' here," she reminded gain with a small smile. "I'll have to break that habit out of you two. Sorry, Alenko, I'm still just thinking."
"Saren," the lieutenant stated.
She nodded. "What's his objective? He wanted something in that beacon, but…what?"
"What could be worth the risk of exposing himself as a traitor," the lieutenant stated.
"Exactly. Everything comes back to that beacon, and…it's all in my head. But I can't make sense of any of it, but it would be foolish to presume that Saren also can't," she muttered. She shook her head yet again, letting out another long sigh of frustration as the corona around her hands flared slightly.
They arrived back at the embassy a few minutes later. Shepard sent a message to C-Sec asking to meet with Garrus, while Williams and Alenko looked up Harkin.
"Turns out after firing him, C-Sec keeps an 'eye' on Harkin. This time of day, he's currently in a bar in the wards. Not the nicest of areas, but there's definitely worse places on the Citadel," Alenko said.
Shepard paused. "Are we okay going like this? I really don't want to miss him if he's there while I run back to the Normandy to change into armor, but…" Shepard trailed off. Alenko and Williams were wearing simple light armor with a sidearm. As such, the two marines wouldn't necessarily stand out in some parts of the wards, but the commander was wearing her service dress, something that was common on a place like the Presidium but a bit unusual and formal when going to some sections of the Wards.
"It looks to be a somewhat crowded area, and there's other restaurants and bars nearby. Honestly, I'm not sure," Alenko responded, looking at the map.
"I'd rather be in armor and armed. Protection against these politicians," Williams added.
The commander grinned at the chief, then her smile vanished as she pondered for a couple moments before coming to a decision. "Let's just hurry and go. I don't want to miss him if he's there, and have to find him again. Besides," she said with a grin, turning to the lieutenant, "I'm short, I'll just hide behind you if people start staring."
"Really? You're going to play that card?" Alenko said with a raised eyebrow.
"It's worked before!" Shepard replied in theatric amusement. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at the floor. "Actually, come to think of it, no…no, it hasn't," she pouted theatrically.
Both subordinates laughed at their superior's ridiculous expression, and the three soon boarded a skycar. Unfortunately, most of the cars here were coupes and not made for people in armor, especially the second row of seats. "I'll get in back," Shepard said, and started to before either could object. "You two have armor on." She squeezed in back without too much trouble as the chief and lieutenant got in the front.
Alenko put in the destination and the vehicle zoomed off. He and the chief shared a look that indicated both had the same thoughts. Both had seen Shepard on a few vids, and a couple recruitment ads. Some assumed because she was a pretty heroine and one of the literally handful of people with the Alliance's highest honor, she would be conceited and stuck up. This proved to be patently false. Time after time again she could have demanded or pomp and ceremony, or treat them like crap, or ignore their inputs, or…take the front seat even though it would inconvenience subordinates. Sure, they had heard the rumors, and had now seen, that she was easy to work with, and not conceited at all about her fame, but it was still a surprise to both of them seeing just how down-to-earth she actually was.
After they arrived, Alenko got out first, warily sweeping the area as Williams followed suit. There were only a few people about, and while the area certainly wasn't the Presidium, it wasn't a slum either. Shepard climbed out after them and the three of them entered the bar.
The club was somewhat crowded at this hour, primarily populated with humans and turians. Two asari and a human woman danced for the clientele while a score of patrons watched the three scantily-clad entertainers intently. More of the patrons stood at the bartop or sat at one of a few booths. All were drinking, and their levels of inebriation ranged from "slightly slurred speech" to "minutes from passing out".
The lieutenant sighed to himself, which wasn't heard over the din of the bar. Shepard, however, noticed his change in demeanor. "Everything alright, Alenko?"
"Never been a big fan of crowds," he responded.
"Me neither," she responded quickly.
They glanced around the clubs for several moments, not immediately seeing anyone that matched his picture. Ashley sighed to herself, shaking her head. "A million light years from where humanity began and we walk into a bar filled with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on stage. I can't decide whether that's funny or sad."
"What? You don't think they're here because of the food?" Alenko commented dryly.
"Sir, with all due respect, you might want to pull your tongue back in your mouth before you trip on it," Williams snarked back.
Alenko looked down and shook his head with a small grin, and Shepard couldn't help but laugh at their banter. "Settle down, you two." She looked around the club, and fortunately nearly everyone was occupied by either their drinks or the live entertainment, and not staring at them. "That's him," the commander said, recognizing the face from the embassy files, gesturing towards a man sitting alone in a corner booth. "Keep an eye out for trouble. From anyone," she told Alenko and Williams as she approached Harkin. The two subordinates stood a few meters behind her, scanning outward for anything that could be a threat. Nearly all of the patrons were too drunk to notice even two armored soldiers and a third in service dress.
The man looked up at Shepard as she approached. "Hey there, sweetheart," he said with a lecherous grin, looking up and down her body. "You lookin' for some fun? 'Cause I gotta say that uniform looks real good on that body of yours. Why don't you sit your cute little ass down beside old Harkin? Have a drink and we'll see where this goes."
"I'll pass," Shepard responded icily, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. She wasn't going to play his games.
"Suit yourself, princess. You know, if more Alliance gals looked like you, I would've joined the Navy instead of C-Sec," the man said as he proceeded to undress her with his eyes. "So what can I do for the lovely Commander Layla Shepard this fine morning?" he asked with a wide grin.
She ignored the man's comments as best she could, though her eyes had subconsciously narrowed at in frustration. "I was told that you have information on Saren," Shepard said. She needed information, and as much as she now wanted to smear him on the back wall with her biotics, she had to play nice.
"Saren? Ha ha ha!" Harkin laughed. "You must be on Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down after all of these years. Yeah, I have information on Saren. But you gotta tell me something first. Did the captain let you in on his big secret?" he asked.
"I just need to know where Garrus went," she responded neutrally.
"But it's all related, sweetie. The captain used to be a Spectre." He laughed when seeing the wide-eyed look of surprise on Shepard's face. "Didn't know that, did you? It was all very hush-hush. He was first human ever given that honor and then he blew it. Fucked up his mission so bad they kicked him out. Of course, he blames Saren," Harkin sneered as he rolled his eyes. "Says the turian set him up."
"If they covered this up like you said, then how did you hear about it?" Shepard asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow.
Harkin leaned back in his booth, placing his hands behind his head, and said with a sneer, "I spent twenty years working cases here on the Citadel. People on this station love to talk. Secrets are like herpes. If you got 'em you might as well spread 'em around." He finished with a shit-eating grin, apparently rather proud of his grotesque analogy.
"Ugh. You're disgusting," the commander replied, her eyes first widening at the comment, then narrowing in anger as her face turned into a scowl.
He simply laughed at her. "Just realized that now, did you? Fine. Don't believe me, then. I never heard any of the details. Bet it's a good story, though. The hero's fall. Classic tragedy. Ha! That bastard got what he deserved." He took another long swig of presumably cheap whiskey.
"Captain Anderson earned his rank and his medals!" Shepard shot back angrily, a few wisps of dark energy appearing around her fingers.
"Sure. Whatever. Dress him up in a fancy suit, pin some shiny medals on his chest, and call him a hero. Everybody else does. But if he's so great why'd the Spectres kick him out? Go ask him about that, sweetheart," Harkin responded, taking another long swig of his drink. "You're even worse than he is, freak," Harkin spat. "The only reason you're where you're at today is because you're cute and look sexy in that uniform. Your need bigger tits, though. Heh, you probably let a few superior officers fuck you along the way for a promotion or two. You've done nothing to earn anyone's respect."
"You're a pig," came the commander's enraged response, complete with a scowl, dark energy freely flowing around her hands. An oh-so-tempting thought entered her mind. She could use her biotics to turn Harkin into a bloody smear on the wall, and the floor, and the ceiling. It would be oh-so-easy to do, just a quick pull to get him out of his booth, then a throw, or a slam…
"Just realized that now, did you?" Harkin replied with a grin.
Kaidan and Ashley shared a nearly identical look of anger at hearing the words used to describe their executive officer. Both marines turned to face Harkin, taking a step closer as their hands subconsciously moved towards their sidearms. Both marines contemplated possible excuses for using them on Harkin.
"You're going to tell me what you know about Saren. If you don't, I'll either run you into C-Sec for harassment or I will beat it out of you with my biotics." An arm sheathed in bright blue energy came up. "Your choice," she glared.
Harkin paused for a couple moments, then his eyes lit up. "How about this, honey. I'll tell you what I know about Saren. But to get the information you want, we'll have to go to a private room. You can start by giving me a lapdance, and we'll see where it goes from there," he said with an evil, lecherous grin as he leaned forward in the chair, reaching out with his left hand to try to reach up her skirt and his right hand to try to reach around her rear.
Shepard stepped back from Harkin as her biotics flared instinctively. His drunken groping attempts missed her by a fair amount. She used her biotics to push him back and pin him against the couch as Williams and Alenko both approached on either side of their XO. The marines had already drawn their sidearms, both hands on their weapons and ready to aim them in a split second. Harkin first tried to stand, then tried to move the mass of dark energy resting on his chest with his hands. Both actions were completely futile.
"Stop it," Shepard snarled at him. "Tell me what you know about Saren." A small wave of biotic energy slammed into Harkin's hips. "Now," the commander emphasized.
A wide eyed expression of pain suddenly erased Harkin's earlier smirk as he doubled over, wincing as he clutched at his groin.
Shepard crossed her arms, wisps of dark energy still flickering around her. "Well, Mr. Harkin? I'm waiting, and you've already worn my patience very thin," she warned.
His voice seemed to have jumped a full octave as he strained to speak. "Saren's after quarian…has evidence…bunch of guys on station…searching for her."
"Where is the quarian?" Shepard asked.
"Dr. Michel's clinic…Wards," he croaked.
"Anything else?" Shepard asked, letting her corona flare around her hands.
Harkin quickly and vigorously shook his head. "No," he squeaked out.
"Thank you, Mr. Harkin, for your cooperation." Her biotic display had likely attracted attention from the bar's staff, and they probably wouldn't be happy with the fact she had "physically" attacked a "client", despite the fact he had harassed her and tried to grope her. At least she had extracted some measure of revenge on him. Maybe he learned his lesson, but Shepard seriously doubted it. "We need to get out of here," she said quietly the two marines, and the three hurried to the exit along the dimly-lit side of the club. Shepard glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, a bouncer approach Harkin. An additional krogan and turian looked to be following her to the exit.
The trio of Alliance soldiers vacated the club quickly, and the bouncers did not follow further than the bar entrance. The three boarded a skycar, and set the destination for the quick ride.
"Asshole," Shepard muttered.
"I would have hit him harder," Alenko said.
"Oh trust me, I thought about it," the commander replied.
"I seriously contemplated using my pistol," the chief agreed. "Do you have to put up with…harassment from people often?" she asked.
Shepard frowned. "It sadly isn't the first time I've been accused of that," she said. "At least I got some measure of revenge."
"Do…do you really think he's telling the truth about Captain Anderson?" Williams asked.
"Harkin's an asshole," Shepard repeated as she scowled, but then adopted a more contemplative look. "But…" she paused, "Captain Anderson has a history with Saren, but…as a Spectre?" Her tone and expression conveyed skepticism, but it quickly vanished. "I…suppose if Captain Anderson wants to tell us the details, he will," she said cautiously. Harkin was a weasel, but…she didn't think that was a topic that Harkin would lie about.
The ride was over quickly, and thirty seconds of walking brought them to Dr. Michel's med clinic. Shepard's eyes suddenly narrowed with an alert look on her face, gesturing to the squad to draw their sidearms as the commander and lieutenant put up their barriers.
"I didn't tell anyone. I swear!" a muffled, scared female voice came through the closed door.
"That was smart, Doc," an angry male voice said. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll—"
The door opened as a result of a thug backing up, triggering the motion sensor. Of COURSE it would, Shepard thought, cursing at the terrible luck. The squad saw four thugs harassing a woman in a doctor's coat. A thug grabbed the doctor and pointed a pistol directly at Shepard. "What are you doing here!?" he yelled, a bit of fear entering his expression as he recognized her.
"Let her go!" Shepard shouted as her biotics flared brightly. Alenko and Williams aimed their pistols as the thugs did the same.
At that moment a turian emerged from a corner of the room and shot the thug in the head that had grabbed the doctor. Then gunfire and dark energy erupted.
Shepard's corona flared as she hurled a thug into the wall, and Alenko did the same a split second later. Williams opened fire on the final thug, who promptly dove for cover.
The thug didn't make it. Ashley's fourth and fifth rounds passed through the weak barriers and connected with the man's head, making a rather unsightly mess on the wall behind him. His limp body was spun around and hit the ground face, or rather what was left of the face, first.
"Doctor, are you okay?" Shepard asked softly, approaching the slightly shaking doctor.
"Yes. I-I'm okay. Thanks t-to you. All of you," the doctor responded, the tremors in her voice mirroring those in her body.
"Perfect timing, Shepard. It gave me a clear shot at that bastard," Garrus said as he came out cover.
Alenko hadn't served under the commander very long, but he had a pretty good guess at what was coming next.
"What were you thinking!? You could've hit her!" Shepard yelled at the C-Sec officer, her corona flaring in response.
"There wasn't time!" Garrus shouted back, his nostrils twitching in surprise at the sudden outburst from the petite human female that stood in front of him.
Shepard's narrowed her eyes for a moment before turning to the doctor, the commander's face quickly changing to one of concern in an instant. "Doctor Michel, do you know why those men were here?" she asked in a soft tone.
The doctor straightened herself and regained her composure, quite quickly for someone who was just threatened with her life. "Those thugs wanted to shut me up, keep me quiet about the quarian," the doctor said.
"What quarian?" Garrus asked, a split second before Shepard could answer. The doctor hopefully had more information on this mystery quarian.
"A quarian recently came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She then said she wanted to trade information with the Broker in exchange for a safe place to hide," the doctor explained.
"Hide? Hide from whom?" Garrus asked in confusion.
"She wouldn't say anything about who wanted her dead," the doctor replied.
"This quarian is supposed to have information about Saren. Where is this quarian now?" the commander asked.
"I'm not sure. She wouldn't tell me anything else, and she insisted that she should leave immediately after I patched her up," the doctor replied.
"Damn it," Garrus muttered. "What brings you here, Commander?" he asked cautiously, remembering the outburst from just a minute ago.
"I heard that a quarian with information on Saren came to this clinic. Then," she said as her look changed to one of slight amusement, "after running this lead down, we were going to get in touch with you." Her face then turned neutral. "But it seems that this lead is a dead end."
"Maybe not. I can have a couple agents look into it. You have my full cooperation in this investigation, as well as the officers under my command," he promised her.
Shepard appraised him for a moment. She got a feeling that many at C-Sec wouldn't approve an investigation into the most successful Spectre. "Your boss, though?"
"She'll have to deal with it," the turian responded with a shrug.
Shepard nodded. "I appreciate that, Garrus," she said quietly. "This information must be important if Saren's sending hitmen for risky jobs on the Citadel."
"How well do you know the Citadel, Commander?" Garrus asked.
"About as well as one can for arriving for the first time a couple hours ago," Shepard replied with an amused look.
"Then you've already seen everything of interest on the Presidium," Garrus replied with a quick chuckle. "I'll find this quarian. I also wanted to open all of Saren's financial records."
"The Alliance is already looking into his finances," Shepard replied.
"So is C-Sec, but I know someone that will get it done far faster. But I can't afford him, even with my C-Sec accounts," Garrus replied.
"The Alliance might. Who is he?"
"Barla Von. A volus over in the Financial District. Rumor has it he's also an agent for the Shadow Broker," Garrus replied.
Uh oh, Shepard immediately thought, and her concern immediately showed in her expression. "So he's a banker?"
"Yes, a financial genius. But he also passes along information he hears to the Shadow Broker. Or so I'm told," Garrus confirmed, then handed over an OSD. "Here. This contains a copy of all of Saren's financial records that C-Sec obtained."
Shepard took it with a nod. "Thank you, Officer. We'll take it to Von and see if he can make sense of it."
"In the meantime, I'll find the quarian," Garrus said confidently.
"Thank you, Officer. Please contact me as soon as you learn of any leads," Shepard replied as they parted ways, then the commander turned to her subordinates. "Good work, you two. Let's get back to the embassy and get authorization to pay Von."
A/N: I realized that Anderson tells Shepard to be careful around Harkin, then he sends her to go talk to him anyway, even though Harkin blatantly harasses a female Shepard. Anderson's behavior will probably be fixed once I think of a better way to handle the situation. Also, if it wasn't already evident, Harkin will be even more of an asshole in this story when he unfortunately returns later.