Chapter 5
Human Embassy – Presidium – Citadel
"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It likely made the Council question our motives," Udina said in an irate tone.
Ever since they had gotten back, Anderson's face had been a mask of subdued anger. Looking up at the ambassador, he responded with a shake of his head. "I know Saren, and I know how he works. Even if they thought our motives were sketchy, they cannot deny how Shepard's evidence paints this as eerily similar to my own grievances back then. They had to realize that lightning like this doesn't strike twice. They just don't care."
"Uhh…" Shepard began, making the ambassador and the captain look at her questioningly. "Does someone want to fill me in?"
Anderson let out a sigh and turned to her as he spoke. "Eighteen years ago, I was put on trial just like you were yesterday. Ambassador Goyle wanted me to become the first human Spectre, so I accepted. And I was given a Spectre counterpart to watch me work as well."
Shepard's eyes widened slightly. "Saren?"
The captain nodded as he stared at her. "I've seen him work. Nothing takes priority over the mission. If he has to sacrifice a million lives to succeed, he'd do it without hesitation. He wouldn't even look for another option."
The commander crossed her arms as her expression darkened. "Sometimes, lives must be given for the greater good. But that should be saved for the last available possibility."
Anderson nodded and sighed again. "I know, Commander. But Saren isn't reasonable. I'll cut out the prelude, but our job was to track down a human scientist who had gone rogue and was hoarding and studying an ancient pre-prothean artifact on the planet Sidon. Saren was instructed by the Council to bring the doctor and the artifact in, and Goyle had me tag along for a trial run. Unfortunately, while I was saving a friend who was captured thanks to Saren, he went and blew the whole damn refinery. We managed to get out safely, but everyone inside was dead, and the nearby villages followed shortly afterward when a cloud of eezo fallout from the explosion swallowed them."
"Commander, this story is Class 5 as well, so try to keep that in mind," Udina cautioned, his frustration leaking from his voice as he sat behind his desk.
"Understood," Shepard said as she looked from the ambassador back to Anderson. "So, I take it his report of your work was less than enthusiastic?"
"He blamed the whole thing on me. Said I had blown our cover, so he had no choice but to destroy the plant to escape. They locked up the case tight and swept it under the rug, putting off the human Spectre candidacy until now. As a result, this time around, they chose a trainer who didn't hold a grudge against humans." Anderson sat down across from Udina.
"So, what can we do now?" the ambassador asked as he pulled out a bottle of scotch and poured a glass for both himself and the captain.
"I spoke to the C-Sec officer on the investigation before we arrived at the hearing. I'll try and get a hold of him and see if he's dug up anything since and see if I can't help him get some more evidence," Shepard said as she looked down as her omni-tool pinged.
"You do that Shepard. In the meantime, I'll sit here and stare at my hopes and dreams as they spiral down the proverbial toilet," the ambassador said resignedly as he slammed a small glass of the fiery liquid.
Shepard eyed the man sternly. "Don't get too trashed Mister Ambassador. If we find something, we'll need you fresh-faced to talk to the Council again."
Personal Transit Car - Zakera Ward – Citadel
"Commander, it's Garrus! I just got a message from Doctor Michel who works in a small clinic just outside the Zakera Ward Markets! She said she had news important to the investigation! If you can, meet me there as soon as possible!" Shepard's eyes widened as she heard the voice message.
"Well, that's convenient…" Alenko said from the back seat of the transit car.
"I call it lucky," Williams responded with a smirk.
"Whatever you want to call it, we have to get there fast. The message was sent five minutes ago," she said as her instincts kicked into high gear. As she closed down her omni-tool, it lit up with another call, one from a number she didn't recognize. "Who the hell?" she asked in annoyance. "Nobody should have my number."
"Maybe it's a telemarketer?" Williams joked.
"No telemarketer in the history of the world is stupid enough to piss off someone with the Commander's skill in tech, of that I can assure you," Alenko told her knowingly.
Williams glared at the lieutenant before Shepard finally answered the call, her fingers working hastily on her omni-tool, even as she spoke. "Can I help you?"
"Hello Commander, I was curious...how long you were going...to make me wait," came the voice over the comm. From his heavy breathing and the loud sound of a breath filter, it was obvious the caller was a volus.
"If you've got something to say to me, make it quick. I'm in a hurry," she said urgently as her fingers flew over the holographic display.
"Ah...yes. Then I shall get to the point. You see, I'm calling as an agent of my employer, perhaps you've heard of him…" he started, but finally Shepard finished her work and cut him off.
"Barla Von, of B.V.V.N. Banking and Associates. If you're calling me on my private number, it means the Shadow Broker wants something. Am I close?" she asked, her voice changing from annoyed to curious as she read the volus' information. She had heard of the Shadow Broker and had received offers from agents of his before in regard to Alliance secrets. The price tags that came with the offers were certainly astounding, but she would never have jeopardized such sensitive work over money, anyway.
There was a short pause on the line before the curious character started speaking again. "It seems I have...underestimated your technical prowess. I will be more...forward in the future."
"So, what does he want this time?" she asked, not believing in the coincidence of such a powerful person calling her as she was headed for potentially one of the most important pieces of intel in her life.
"It has come to his attention...that you are currently headed towards the...Zakera Ward Markets. My employer wishes me...to give you some information that...may help you while there," the volus responded carefully.
"What is this information going to cost? And what does it have to do with why I'm going there?" she asked, wondering if the banker even knew why she was speeding towards the Wards in the first place.
"He is offering it to you for free. In exchange, he would like your assistance...in helping another of his agents...reach their own goal," the volus said meticulously.
"The Shadow Broker isn't someone who makes a habit of giving information away for free. So, what does he stand to gain from this exchange?" she asked doubtfully.
"He wishes to send a message, that is all," the volus explained as a new file transfer request popped up on her omni-tool. "The information is all here. If you choose to use it...he will know. If you wish to ignore it...he will also know. The choice is yours, Commander." The banker then disconnected the call.
"The hell was that about?" Williams asked from the back seat as she leaned forward to stare at Shepard's omni-tool. But she sat back immediately when she found that she couldn't see anything except a holographic blur.
Shepard opened the file as their transit car slowed down. After reading it, she closed it again with a placid look on her face. "It appears that one of the Shadow Broker's flunkies has gone off the rails and started working for Saren. So, it looks like we have two leads to follow up on," she said with a grin as she stepped out of the vehicle and up to the clinic location that Garrus had shared with his message. "Let's hurry and check up on Garrus before we follow Barla Von's info. We'll need his help during the hearing."
"I'm not so sure we should be relying on a turian…" Williams mused as she followed the commander to the door. "There's no telling what his motives really are."
Shepard glared at the woman for a moment before shaking her head. "We're helping him, end of story," she almost snapped as she opened the door.
"Understood Commander…" the woman replied firmly, as she followed the redhead into the clinic.
As soon as they did, though, all hell broke loose. Four men who were standing around the female doctor suddenly turned as they entered, bringing up guns to fire. Alenko donned his biotic shield immediately and both Shepard and Williams dove for cover behind the partition that separated them from the hostiles. One of the men grabbed the doctor and held her up as a human shield.
"Who are you!?" the man shouted as he aimed his weapon towards Alenko.
"Let her go if you want to get out of here alive!" the lieutenant called back as his aura flared up.
"That's bullshit! Kill this-" the man began to order, but he immediately released the doctor and slumped over as a small hole appeared in his head. Dr. Michel screamed in horror before she backed herself into a corner.
"Fire!" shouted one of the other men as he dashed towards the patient room to take cover. But Kaidan reached up with one arm and grabbed one of the men with his biotics, cannoning the attacker into another, knocking them both off their feet.
Shepard and Williams jumped the partition just in time to put the two out of commission with a devastating knee drop from the gunnery chief and a right hook from the commander. Both men fell to the ground unconscious as the lieutenant began to call C-Sec on his comm unit. "We've still got one in the back!" Shepard said as she grabbed one of the limp figures' weapons and prepared to follow the man. But as soon as she approached the door, she could hear cries of pain.
Suddenly, the man's body soared out of the back room and slammed into the partition, where he slumped over, dead to the world. Shepard raised her new weapon as a turian walked out of the back, glaring. "Twice the coward. Trying to bully innocent people into silence, and running for safety as soon as he's confronted," snapped the officer as he turned and looked at the doctor. Immediately, he ignored Shepard's gun trained on him and stepped up to the cowering woman. "Doctor Michel, are you hurt?"
Shaking off her horror, she silky-haired redhead stared up at Garrus almost adoringly. "N-No. I'm okay, thanks to you. All of you," she said looking at the others as well.
"C-Sec will be here in a few minutes to clean these guys up," Alenko informed them as his barrier died down.
"Would you care to tell me who exactly these guys were?" Shepard asked as she put the weapon away.
"They work for Fist," Michel said, cradling herself. "They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."
Shepard cocked an eyebrow at the development. "Quarian? What does this quarian have to do with the investigation?"
"A few hours ago, I found a quarian stumbling through the markets, limping almost. Her suit showed signs of omnigel usage, which we commonly see on recent gunshot victims. When I questioned her, she was barely comprehensive and was mumbling about the geth. So, I brought her to the clinic and helped her. She had indeed suffered a suit puncture and was running a high fever due to exposure. Using extranet assistance, I managed to sterilize her treatments and apply them to her properly. To my relief, she showed signs of getting better," the doctor explained as she began to pace, keeping her gaze away from the dead man on the floor.
"Quarian suit punctures are life and death. You probably saved her life," Garrus said in admiration.
The doctor smiled sweetly; her cheeks tinged pink at his words. "Whatever the case, when she finally awoke, she told me what happened. And according to her, she had hidden files somewhere on the Citadel, important files on the geth." She looked up at the turian again. "And well, you mentioned that your investigation had something to do with Eden Prime, where the geth attacked."
Shepard and Garrus both went wide-eyed at the words. "Doctor, can you tell us where the quarian is now?" Shepard asked urgently.
Dr. Michel immediately took a step back, fear returning to her face as the commander demanded the information. But her stance softened immediately as Garrus's talons found her shoulders. "It's alright. Please, tell us anything you know," he assured her.
Nodding gently, the lightly French-accented doctor turned to Shepard again. "When she finally decided to leave around two hours ago, she wouldn't tell me how she was injured. But I could sense that she was scared, perhaps on the run from someone. She let slip that she had dangerous information on a spectre and needed to hide. So, I sent her to Fist, who is an agent of the Shadow Broker. I thought they would trade the information for her safety."
Shepard clenched her fist tightly at the information. Garrus immediately noticed her agitation. "What's the matter Commander?" he asked curiously.
"Fist isn't an agent for the Shadow Broker anymore, he's now working for Saren!" she growled, getting a slack-jawed look from the turian.
"How do you know that?" he asked, bewildered at her statement.
"One of the Shadow Broker's agents sent me a message just before I got here, saying that Fist had switched sides. They wanted me to meet a third-party agent outside Chora's Den to deal with him." She turned and headed for the door. "Alenko, you stay with the doctor and make sure nothing happens to her until C-Sec arrives! Garrus, you and Williams follow me. If we don't find that quarian, she's as good as dead!"
"You got it Commander!" Garrus shouted as he turned to the doctor. "Thank you. You've almost helped me crack this case wide open." He turned and sped to the door after Williams. The doctor just sighed with a smile.
Zakera Marketplace - Zakera Ward – Citadel
After leaving the clinic, the commander ordered her two companions to get themselves ready for the worst. As such, they armored up and brought their weapons out from the Normandy where they had been stored for the hearing. Once they were finally as ready as they could be, Williams spoke up while they marched through the throng of people crowding the marketplace. Despite the many numbers, moving through the crowd was relatively easy, as anyone who saw them avoided them, not wanting anything to do with the heavily armored trio.
"So, Commander, why exactly are we walking into a civilian establishment so heavily armed?" the gunnery chief asked curiously as an asari practically tripped over herself to get out of their way.
Instead of Shepard speaking, however, Garrus answered. "Fist is Saren's man now. Saren knows about the Commander, and Fist knows about me. And if those men in Michel's clinic were any indicator, once he sees us coming - and he will see us coming - we're going to be walking into a zavis hive."
"Zavis?" Williams inquired, eyeing the turian oddly.
"Oh...uhhh...it's a Palaven insect...similar to your bees, I think," he said matter-of-factly.
"Ah, alright then," Williams responded as she looked ahead at the walkway that led to the bar they were about to kick the door in on. However, Shepard held her arms up to stop them. Her eyes immediately locked onto a towering, shadowy figure that stood in a nearby alley.
"Show yourself!" she snapped as she held her pistol at the ready.
"Ha!" came a gruff laugh from the figure as he stepped out from the shadows and walked up to them. "Commander Shepard huh? When he told me to look out for you, I thought you'd be bigger, more intimidating at least. You don't look like much, to be honest," the red-armored krogan said as he eyed her up and down.
"I'm enough to kick your quad into your trash talking throat," the commander responded with a smile.
The krogan stared at her for a long moment, both Garrus and Ashley unsure of what to do. Suddenly, the imposing mercenary let out a riotous laugh and patted the redhead on the shoulder. "If you fight half as hard as you talk, Shepard, then this is about to get really interesting."
"Wrex, right?" Shepard asked as the two behind her eased their trigger fingers.
"Urdnot Wrex at yer service Shepard. I believe you were told about the arrangement?" he asked, getting a nod from the woman. "Good. Then I'll be coming with you."
"Fine. But when we get to Fist, I need information. So no firing before I tell you," she ordered, receiving a glare from the krogan.
"Fine. But don't forget our deal," the towering figure said as he took his place next to them.
"Everyone, helmets on. They can see us clear as day from this walkway and I don't want any sniper fire taking us out before we even get in the door," she ordered as she detached the helmet from her side and strapped it on.
Williams, who was the first done, looked at Wrex curiously, as he had yet to move. "Not putting one on?" she asked as she readied her weapon again.
The giant armored krogan looked down at her. "My skull is thick enough as it is. Besides…" he said before a biotic sheen covered his body. "I've got plenty of backup."
Once checking to make sure everyone was secure, the commander held her pistol low. "Alright, let's move. Unless someone confronts you, do not stop until we get to Fist. If someone gets in your face, put them down easy. If they draw a firearm, then they're taking their own lives into their hands. Once we clear the main room, we get the civilians out and take the fight to Fist. Move out!" she ordered as she began moving forward onto the walkway.
Almost as soon as the four stepped out of the doorway, however, gunfire erupted. They all took cover behind the walking guard that kept drunk idiots from falling into the chasm below. "Well, that didn't take long," Williams griped as she prepared her weapon.
"Those are Saren's men. I've seen files on both of them!" Garrus called over the gunfire.
Nodding, Shepard brought up her omni-tool. "In that case…" she said as she tapped away quickly at the display. Within seconds, information started scrolling over the screen. "Nothing conclusive, but definite orders to kill me and Garrus on sight," she said looking up at the krogan. "Wrex?" she asked, getting his attention. He looked down at her curiously. "Smash."
"Smash?" he asked with a grin.
"Smash," she ordered, and the krogan got up with a roar. In a blast of blue biotic energy, he vanished, followed by horrified screams from the two turians who were shooting at them. The three others rose to their feet with their weapons raised but lowered them as Wrex tossed one of the unfortunate men over the railing and into the chasm below with a gut-wrenching scream. The other's position was announced with a sickening crunch as the behemoth mercenary stomped on his head.
The trio moved quickly and met him on the other side. "Learned that one from a human Blue Suns mercenary. Right before I blew his head off," the krogan explained with a cheeky grin. Williams just shook her head as Shepard smirked.
"Hold on a moment…" ordered Garrus as he stepped forward. "Can you link me into their intercom system?" he asked the commander. She nodded, tapping briefly on her omni-tool before holding it up for him to use. Leaning forward, he began to speak awkwardly. "H-Hello? Is this thing on?" he asked, getting a sigh and a headshake from the commander. Clearing his throat, he continued. "All civilians in Chora's Den! This is Garrus Vakarian with C-Sec, badge number 10011974. I'm ordering you all to get on the ground and keep your heads covered! As soon as this door opens, if you are standing, you will be fired on!" With that last statement, he took his sniper rifle off his back and moved back to the walkway.
"Not coming with us?" Williams asked curiously after Shepard had cut the comm to the inside.
"I fire better from a distance," he replied as he leaned his weapon over the walkway's guardrail. "Leave the door open on the way in if you don't mind!"
As Shepard reached for the door, she looked over at the eager krogan who was rolling his shoulders. "Wrex, try not to step on any innocent civilians."
"No promises," the mercenary said with a smug grin. As soon as the door opened, fire rained from all corners of the strip club. From behind the circular bar in the center, behind flipped over tables, and even from the main stage, the circular platform above the bar. Despite the rain of bullets whizzing by them, Wrex barreled in headfirst and destroyed the first man in the open with an earth-shattering headbutt. Garrus's sniper roared, its round ripping through one of the fools standing on the stage. Then Shepard and Williams followed through the door.
As soon as she was through the door, WIlliams spotted the man behind the bar ducking down. She sprinted forward, and as soon as he rose again, she hurled herself over the smooth surface and directly into his center mass, crushing the air from his lungs and making him instantly drop his assault rifle. When she hit the ground, she knew that her heavily armored form had broken more than a few ribs. Rather than let him get his wind back, however, she raised her own assault rifle and slammed it down into his face, cracking bone sending his senses scattering to the galaxy.
Shepard bolted towards one of the tables and hurled her shoulder into it, sending it careening back into the man using it for cover. He was flattened against the wall long enough for her to dart sideways, aim her pistol, and put a round into his head.
Wrex had already taken out two more on top of his first blood, leaving their corpses in ruin behind tables that easily buckled under his heavy shotgun's roar. As the last of the men in the main hall popped up to fire, he was silenced by another cry from Garrus's sniper. Switching out his guns for one more close ranged, he joined them in the main room as people continued to cower on the floor. As the turian entered the scene, he spoke loudly through his helmet filter. "Alright, those of you who are still alive and conscious, get to your feet slowly and exit the building in an orderly fashion!"
Slowly, the bar workers and customers rose to their feet. Shepard, despite her focus, couldn't help but stare as one asari stood up. She must have been on stage recently, or perhaps it fell in the chaos. But her already skimpy dancing outfit was hanging off of her, leaving her rather large chest out in the open. Shepard's eyes widened at seeing them, then shook her head and looked away. Suddenly, the asari's face went from frightened to surprised, and she sprinted towards Shepard. Despite her assets slowing her down, she made quick time and jumped past the commander. Spinning around, Shepard spotted the woman wrenching a human man's arm downwards, where he then fired a round into the ground from his gun hand. Angrily, the man reached up and backhanded the asari, sending her crying to the ground before turning his gun on Shepard.
But the commander caught his hand before he managed to aim and snapped his wrist like a twig. As the weapon fell from his hand, he shouted in agony as he looked into the furious soldier's eyes. Releasing his arm, she grabbed his head with both hands and cannoned her armored knee directly into his face, breaking his nose, some teeth, and probably did a number on his jaw. But if he thought the pain was over, he was sorely mistaken. She pulled back her first knee, then slammed her second one right where the first one had connected. As the man hit the ground, her armored form followed him down until her weight crushed his skull.
"Now that's how you kill someone!" Wrex cheered from the other side of the bar as he saw the commander's combat prowess. Looking down for a brief moment, he looked up at her curiously. "Hey, Shepard! You said only innocent ones, right?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked as she got to her feet and returned his curious glance. She got her answer when she heard a man scream loudly, followed by a loud crunch that signaled his death. Shepard sighed and shook her head. "Goddammit, Wrex…"
"Hehehe...humans are fun," the mercenary said as he walked around, looking for more victims.
"You hired him, Commander," Williams said with a smirk as she approached their leader. "Sooo…" started the gunnery chief as she looked down at the stunned dancer. "Got a bit distracted there?" She received a glare that silenced her but didn't hide her smile.
Shepard helped the woman up and assisted her in looking presentable before showing her gratitude. "Thank you. You risked your life for me, and I hope I can repay that one day."
The asari smiled up at Shepard's taller frame and nodded as she rubbed her cheek sorely. "D-Don't worry about it. Ever since Fist's guard detail changed, they had all but held us hostage, so I just returned the favor," the blue beauty explained as she sniffled lightly.
"You should get to a C-Sec station as soon as possible and tell them what happened here," Garrus stated as he stepped up to the others.
"Thank you again for saving us!" called the asari as she headed for the door quickly.
Williams tilted her head slightly as she looked at Shepard. "Never knew you had a thing for strippers, Commander," she poked teasingly.
Shepard stared at the gunnery chief for a moment before shaking her head. "You and her both sell your bodies to men in suits, Williams. The only difference is that she has less of a chance of dying." The commander raised her pistol again and headed for the back, leaving Williams stunned.
"I mean, technically she's right…" Wrex chimed in from the other side of the bar.
"Shut up!" snapped Williams as she grumbled and followed the commander.
As soon as Shepard opened the door to the back, she found herself staring down the barrels of two more pistols, both being held by men whose stances were shaky at best. "D-Drop the weapons!" one of them shouted.
"You two aren't Fist's men, and you sure as hell aren't Saren's men. Who are you?" she asked with an authoritative tone.
"We work for Fist!" the one who already spoke said loudly, trying to be taken seriously.
The other, however, cared more about his life. "Look lady, we just move boxes for him."
"Good. Here's some advice, go find a new job," she ordered, standing aside.
They both looked at the doorway, then back at her. Immediately dropping their weapons, they marched out past her, Ashley and Garrus. "Fuck Fist. This shithole isn't worth dying for…" grumbled one of them as they left.
Wrex soon entered the hallway as well, getting a glare from Williams. "What's the matter? No more skulls to crush?" she asked sarcastically.
"It's not as fun when they're already dead," he said as he stared at her. "It's the scream that makes it great." He flourished his hand up as if he were a connoisseur that had just tasted a fine wine.
"Ugh…" the gunnery chief groaned as she turned back to Shepard. The commander began to move again, and the other woman followed suit quickly. When they finally opened the door to the last room, they stepped into a lavish office, the decorations of which made the main room look downtrodden in comparison.
As they stepped into the room, machine gun fire tore away at the floor in front of them, making the commander dive backward in retreat. "I know you're there Shepard! I saw you coming from a mile away!" a man called from inside the room.
"We know! You didn't do a very good job stopping us!" Shepard called back with a smirk. "So why don't you come out of there real peaceful, and I'll make sure you get to a trial to be tried for conspiracy, kidnapping, and attempted murder!" Shepard put her weapon away as she began typing on her omni-tool. "Otherwise, you could die here. Very gruesome, and nobody but the C-Sec forensics team is going to remember what your face looked like."
"Fuck you, Shepard! I know better than to trust your kind!" Fist shouted in a panicked tone.
"This coming from someone who turned on a dime for money…" Garrus chuckled as he shook his head in amusement.
"Fuck you too, Garrus!" Fist screamed angrily.
"Hey, I wanna get in on this," Wrex said as he stepped up. "You're ugly and nobody will love you!" he yelled from around the corner.
"Goddammit! Fuck all of you!" Fist yelled back as he fired his pistol at the corner, getting a loud chuckle from Wrex.
Finally, Shepard put away her omni-tool. "Last chance Fist, put your gun down and come out. Or there's gonna be consequences!"
"Kiss my ass, Shepard!" he shouted as he fired a few more rounds for good measure. "You take one step out of cover and my turrets will...shred...you…" he said in surprise as he looked over at both of his automated turrets and found them aiming directly at him rather than at the front of the room. Each time he moved, they refocused directly on his head. "What the fuck?" he asked, then turned as Shepard stepped out of cover and sprinted for him.
He raised his weapon and panic fired, but only one of the bullets made contact and it deflected harmlessly off her shield. When she was finally in range, she reached out and grabbed his gun arm, then thrust her knee upwards. Her knee slammed into his elbow, broke his arm, and made him yelp in pain before a right hook put him directly on his ass. When he could finally see straight again, he was staring up at four different guns from four different people. "You've made a very poor decision, Fist," Wrex said with a smirk. "Not the first, but definitely the last."
"Wait! I surrender!" Fist shouted as he held up his uninjured arm.
"You have a lot of non-vital body parts Fist. Tell me where the quarian is before I start checking them off the list with my gun," the commander ordered, her voice cold as ice.
"She isn't here! I don't know where she is!" he said in a panic.
"He's no use to you now, let me kill him," Wrex requested as he glared at Fist with a predatory gaze.
"Wait! Please! I don't know where she is, but I know where you can find her!" The bar owner gasped as he scooted himself away from Wrex. "She said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself!"
"Face to face? Impossible. Even his most reliable agents only talk to him through a damn computer screen." Wrex chuckled.
Nodding rapidly, Fist stood and stared at Shepard. "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker, ever. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."
Grabbing him by the collar, Shepard slammed him against the wall, the turrets still following his every movement. "Tell me where that meeting is before I blow your lying head off!" she snapped, menacing his chin with her pistol.
"H-Here in the wards! In a back alley behind the markets! She's supposed to meet them right now!" he choked out under the pressure of her pistol. "If you hurry, you can make it!"
"Good enough," the commander growled as she released him and stepped back. As soon as she did, Wrex cocked his shotgun and Fist covered his head in fright. With a single blast, he destroyed the man, his corpse slamming against the wall from the force of the blast.
Garrus turned to the krogan and yelled angrily, "What are you doing!?"
Shepard's fist immediately slammed into the side of the mercenary's head, the force making him turn slightly, but otherwise not fazing him. "What did I tell you about firing before I told you to?" she asked as she glared at him.
"Must have slipped my mind," he said cheekily as he brought a hand up to the spot where she had decked him. "You got a hell of a punch Shepard. You even startled me for a moment. But don't do it again," he growled at her.
"Don't make me do it again," she snapped back as she glared at him.
"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I'm not in the business of leaving jobs unfinished," he responded as he flexed his shoulders.
She snorted and turned to Garrus. "How good are you with tech?" she asked curiously.
"Pretty damn good. Why?" he asked, his mandibles twitching at the odd question.
"Stay here and copy every bit of information he has. I've already opened the safe, so make sure he doesn't have any information in there either. If he lied to us…" she said, glaring at the krogan. "Then I want to make sure I have every ounce of info he has on Saren," she ordered as she turned towards the door. "Williams, Wrex, follow me! We've got a quarian to save!" She rushed out the door with the other two behind her.
Garrus stared after her for a moment in awe. "Did she really just punch a krogan holding a shotgun?" he asked in amazement before going on about his work.
CODEX ENTRIES
Holographic Blur | Technology | Intelligence
The omni-tool was created for the comfort of everyone who used them. They were designed with voice commands, interactive displays, and arm-mounted for comfort. One thing they did not have, however, was privacy when it came to those standing nearby. Due to the omni-tool being mounted on the wrist and projected onto the forearm, those within eyeshot could easily see the displayed information. As a result, the private intelligence sector created a holographic interface that covered the omni-tool's own projection, allowing only those looking directly at the display to see it, while all others only see a blur.
Omnigel | Technology | Medical
Adhesive in nature, omnigel is a salarian creation used primarily for vehicle and suit puncture repairs. It fills every available space at the injection site before hardening and becoming nearly indestructible. Removing it requires a neutralizer which is commonly sold with omnigel. From 2180 to 2183, omnigel was commonly used by thieves who would inject it into an electronic lock. The adhesive gel would fry locking mechanisms, causing it to go into its neutral state of unlocked. Locking technology from 2183 and on switched the protocols inside the locks, making their neutral state to be locked, thus nullifying the usefulness of omnigel as an unlocking agent.