Chapter 6
Zakera Marketplace Alley - Zakera Ward - Citadel
She stood nervously as she waited. Alarm bells were ringing in her head ever since she had met Fist. Something about the man seemed off, as if he were somehow hiding something. But she had no choice but to trust him. She had nobody to turn to. She couldn't return to the Fleet, as her Pilgrimage was not over and there was a near zero chance that the information she held would be a helpful enough gift to promote her. She could not turn to C-Sec, as they would likely brush her findings under the rug and leave her for Saren's men to find. All she could do was pray to the Ancestors that Fist was legitimate, and the Shadow Broker would be able to provide her safety.
As the thoughts passed through her mind, she noticed movement from the shadows of the alley. A turian appeared, with a dark carapace and white markings on his face. His clothes matched his body, all black with a hood over his head. Immediately, her instincts told her to run. This character looked like he was trying to dress for the part of a cliché story villain. But she reminded herself of her options and stayed instead. She could hear movement behind her as well, likely backup in case things went south.
"Are you the Shadow Broker?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he circled her and eyed her like one would eye a fine meal. Finally, he stopped in front of her, his mandibles twitching. "Where's the data?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"I asked you a question," she snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you the Shadow Broker, or are you not?"
"I want to know if you have the data before I answer any questions," he responded as he reached forward and stroked one of his talons down her arm.
She smacked his hand away with a glare. "The deal is off," she said, turning to walk away.
The turian reached forward and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from moving as the armored salarians blocking the alley drew their weapons. "You're not going anywhere."
Tapping her omni-tool, an explosion lit up the doorway where the armored figures were standing, tearing them apart before she lashed backward and kicked the turian directly in his face, sending him skidding across the ground. "Touch me again bosh'tet and you'll get more of me than you can handle!" she roared as she took up a martial stance.
The turian rose to his feet as more figures crawled out of the nooks and crannies of the alley. She slowly backed up, keeping her eyes on all of them as they began to close in. "I like when they play hard to get," he said as he rubbed his face sorely.
Suddenly, a battle cry rang out across the alley, startling both her and her attackers. Out of the far end of the small area charged a krogan, who immediately grabbed the turian. The imposter cried in shock as he was lifted into the air, then slammed to the ground with a sickening thud. The quarian just watched in shock as the merciless brute rained destruction on the turian man, destroying him entirely by jumping and landing a horrific body slam into his chest, caving it in and crushing his lungs.
Then, gunfire began to rain from where the insane krogan had come from. Bullets whizzed by and penetrated the attackers surrounding her, sending them crashing to the ground as their lives came to an end. Finally, another soldier, a human in Alliance blue colors charged forth next to the krogan and began smashing through the imposter's squad with punches, kicks, and deadly shoulder charges that had them doubling over and coughing up blood onto their faceplates.
She was not being attacked, so all she did was stand in place and watch the carnage. After a minute of this chaos, of her standing there as her attackers were disassembled like a Chatika toy, it was finally silent again as the krogan and human stared at her as if waiting for something. Then came the third figure, a human again, but this time dressed in black with an unfamiliar logo on her chest. As the unfamiliar soldier stepped up to her, she took her martial stance again.
"Who are you?" asked the young quarian woman.
As soon as the figure spoke, she could hear that they were female. "Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard with the N7 Alliance Special Forces," said the black-armored figure as the held out their hand in greeting.
Despite her limited knowledge of humans, she still knew the greeting for what it was. Reaching out slowly, she took her hand and shook, earning her a smile from the commander. "I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. And that explains who you are. But not what you are doing here," responded the quarian.
"We heard through the grapevine that you've got some pretty heavy information that we happen to need. So, unlike that traitor Fist who tried to ambush you, I'm here to make a real deal with you," said the woman as she crossed her arms.
"A tempting offer. What's on the table?" asked the quarian as she saw the two behind the commander step up behind her, putting their weapons away. Though it was a small gesture, it made her infinitely more comfortable with talking to them.
"You said you were looking for a place to hide, correct?" asked the strange human leader.
"As you saw, the information I have could get me killed. It's already gotten a close friend of mine killed, and if it weren't for that doctor, I would have soon followed. So yes, I would like amnesty and protection from retaliation by the persons with whom this concerns," she said, her interest piqued.
"I specialize in hiding political prisoners, as well as defectors from rogue states. If you share your information with me, I can assure your safety myself," said Shepard confidently.
"What is your record?" asked Tali curiously.
"Let's just say that when you're under my cloak, there are no records but my own. And nobody who has ever been hidden by me has ever been discovered by anyone who I haven't personally told," she responded, then held out her hand again. "So, what do you say Tali'Zorah? Help me take down a corrupt Spectre and you have my word that he will no longer be able to get to you."
She stared at the woman's face through her face shield, then down to her hand. Her options came into play again, and she found herself with only one choice. This woman, whoever she was, helped save her life and was offering her what the Shadow Broker apparently could not. Hardening her gaze, she reached forward and grasped the commander's hand. "Alright Commander, just tell me what I need to do."
Human Embassy - Presidium, Citadel
Shepard wore a confident smirk as she entered the office. Udina looked up from his work and as he saw her armored figure, he sighed to himself. "You're not making my life easy Shepard. Firefights in the markets, an all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many-" he started, but when Tali walked into his office as well, he stopped in confusion. He looked her up and down curiously. "Who's this? A quarian?"
Anderson too stood up from the table as Shepard gave him a smile. "She's about to make your day ambassador. She has the information we need to incriminate Saren," said the commander firmly.
Udina, though likely startled at the revelation, didn't show his surprise. Looking over at the quarian girl, he nodded. "Maybe you better start at the beginning...Miss?"
"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," she responded politely as she bowed her head.
He cocked an eyebrow at her as he put his hands behind his back. "We don't see many quarians here on the Citadel. What made you leave the Flotilla?"
"I am on my Pilgrimage. My right of passage into adulthood," she responded, getting a nod from the ambassador, and a curious stare from the commander. She would have to find out more about the quarian people later.
"Why don't you tell him what you found?" asked the commander politely.
The quarian looked at her in shock for a moment before nodding. "In my travels, I began receiving reports about geth outside the Perseus Veil. Ever since they drove my people off our home world, they have rarely been outside the Veil, so I got curious," she started, the ambassador and the captain next to him listening raptly. "A friend and I began tracking a system where one of the reports had come from and were surprised to find that they were indeed coming outside the Veil."
"So, you followed them?" asked Shepard curiously. While she had indeed seen the evidence the quarian had to offer, she had yet to hear how she had obtained the data.
"Yes...from a distance. See, our ship was...subpar at best. So, we had to trail a ways behind to make sure they wouldn't spot us. But we managed to pin them down in a system with only one planet that could be landed on. It took a while of trekking, but we found them setting up a communications array for some reason. I managed to get one who had strayed from the rest and disabled it discreetly. Once it was down, I removed its memory core," she said, very animated in her hand movements as she told the story.
Anderson cocked an eyebrow curiously. "I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died as some kind of defense mechanism."
Shepard spoke up for the quarian. "If you're fast enough, you can extract some data before they do. I had to do the same thing in order to disable the bombs on Eden Prime."
Tali nodded at the claim. "If you're quick, and a bit lucky, you can get some data before it's destroyed. My people know the geth inside out, so it was a small matter to extract its data before it self-destructed," she replied proudly.
Udina, who had been only listening up to this point decided to move the conversation forward. "What did you find out from this geth's data?"
"It wiped most of its data before I could access it, but I managed to get a small audio clip and a few interesting shots from its optical storage," she said as she accessed her omni-tool. In a matter of seconds, she shined the picture file onto the wall. As she did when she first saw it, Shepard got chills at the photo. It was a picture of Saren standing with the gargantuan starship that had assaulted Eden Prime in the background. To his left was an asari wearing a strange, almost funeral-like getup by human standards.
Udina smiled for the first time since Shepard had ever met him. "And the audio?"
The quarian tapped her omni-tool once more, and the familiar voice of the spectre came through. "The beacon on Eden Prime may hold the location of the key we are looking for."
Further behind his voice was another, a female. Most likely the asari that they had seen in the picture as well. "It's only a matter of time before the Reapers return."
Anderson slammed his fist into his palm with a confident grin on his face. "We've got him! There's no way he can weasel his way out of this one!"
Udina scratched his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the quarian's omni-tool. "I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about Reapers," he stated as he looked to Shepard.
"Reapers...I feel like I've heard that name before," said Shepard as she scratched the back of her neck.
Anderson nodded to her. "It was a news story a while back. Some salarian fool tried to break into the Council Chambers. When they caught him, he was crying in front of the Council's access panel, saying that he had failed his Reaper masters. When they questioned him afterward, he rambled on about some kind of galactic extinction cycle caused by machines," said Anderson as he shook his head. "He's been in STG hands ever since."
"They probably put him in a strait jacket," remarked Ashley as she leaned against the doorway in the back.
But Shepard reached up and laced her fingers through her fiery hair, gripping her head as she stared at the ground. "Galactic extinction cycle caused by machines?" she asked as flashes of her visions started to come back to her. "I...I think that may have something to do with what the beacon was trying to show me," she said, then looked up at Anderson and Udina both. "Almost all traces of the prothean empire vanished over fifty thousand years ago, right? What if that's what caused it? What if that's what the beacon was trying to tell me?"
Udina sighed as he stared at the woman. "The Council is going to love this…" he groaned in disdain.
Shepard's gaze hardened as she stared at the ambassador. "If they are real, then they're a threat to every species in the galaxy. The protheans were millennia ahead of us in technological advances. The Citadel, the relays, even our own drive cores are based on designs that they left behind. If they fell to these machines, then how could we even stand a chance?" she asked firmly as she took a step forward. "They need to know ambassador."
"Regardless of what they think about the rest of this, that data proves that Saren is a traitor to the Council!" said Anderson animatedly.
Udina nodded an agreement. "The Captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away. Shepard, you and your group gather what you need and send me a copy of those files immediately. I'll get us another hearing with the Council, and you can meet us there. Anderson, come with me," ordered the ambassador as he turned to the holographic display on his wall.
Shepard, Tali, and Williams all left the office and walked outside the embassy, all of them eager to finally put down the Council's mad dog. However, as they reached the entrance, Shepard was stopped by a small woman of Asian descent wearing a formal dress. Her hair was short, just reaching her chin and her skin lightly bronzed from either the sun or beautification products.
"Excuse me, Commander Shepard?" asked the woman as she waved at the soldier.
Shepard eyed her curiously. "You know me?"
The woman giggled lightly as she stepped up to the commander. "Who doesn't know the great Commander Shepard? Alliance N7 Special Forces, Queen of Command, the one-woman army who held off an entire pirate invasion on Elysium!" said the woman dramatically.
Tali stared at Shepard, her luminescent eyes growing wide behind her face mask. "You held off a pirate invasion on your own? How?"
Shepard grumbled to herself and rubbed her head. "Look, I held them off at the gate, but I had friends fighting down there to save the colony too. One of them sacrificed a leg to save Elysium. So no, I wasn't just alone."
The woman just smiled as she brought up her omni-tool. "You know, we do have a video feed of your heroic acts at that gate if you're too shy to admit it yourself," she said playfully.
"I'd like to see it," said Tali as she raised her hand. But Shepard immediately lowered the woman's hand with her own.
"Is there something I can help you with?" asked the commander, who wasn't too pleased about being put on the spot.
"I certainly hope so! See, I've hit kind of a dry spell on organized crime stories, at least, until I saw a video of you and your friends walking into Chora's Den fully armored," she said hopefully.
Shepard cocked an eyebrow curiously. "I killed all the cameras inside the club, so you couldn't have seen much," she retorted as she crossed her arms.
"Very true! But I saw the aftermath. And it has 'hot' written all over it! C-Sec was all over that place. Which brings me to why I'm here. I was wondering if you could do me a favor and tell me why you went there, and if it had anything to do with Fist," she said bringing up her omni-tool.
Shepard stared at her a long moment before she finally recognized her face from the news. "You're Emily Wong, right?" she asked, getting an enthusiastic nod. Shepard grinned widely at her and put an arm around her shoulders. She knew her and knew she was one of the few unbiased reporters on the Citadel. Her stories ranged from questioning Council decisions to calling out a human dignitary from Earth about a hateful statement he made towards turians, to even covering stories of survivors rather than criminals. Her reports were always clean, and almost never solely for the ratings. "How about I give you one better?" asked Shepard as she steered the woman away from the others.
"How much better are we talking?" she asked curiously as her meticulously plucked eyebrow arched.
"Rogue Spectre better," responded Shepard, getting a surprised look from the woman. "I've got a story here that is about to break wide open. And you'll get to be the first to access it. All I need you to do is hold onto it until the hearing later today at the Council's Chambers. Once the hearing is over, unleash it onto the galaxy."
"I saw the earlier hearing, and they didn't seem convinced. What if they still aren't convinced and give him an innocent verdict?" she asked curiously.
The next words out of the commander's mouth sent chills down her spine. "Well, then I guess we'll see what the rest of the galaxy thinks."
She smiled widely. "You know that's really going to piss the Council off?" she asked, getting a smirk from the redheaded woman.
"That's the idea. If he gets an innocent verdict, then the Council will be called out for favoritism. If he's declared guilty, then you'll have the first crack at the story of the rogue Spectre," said Shepard as she transferred the files over. "Do that for me and you can have an interview with me firsthand any time you like."
"I think we're going to be great friends in the future," said the woman ecstatically.
Council Chambers - Presidium Tower - Presidium - Citadel
"The beacon on Eden Prime may hold the key we are looking for. Once we have it, we may finally have a way to open the relay." As the Councilor's stared at the pictures that had Saren in front of the massive starship, along with a video of the same starship landing on Eden Prime during the attack, they stayed silent. Sparatus clenched his talons in anger as the second part of the voice clip played. "It's only a matter of time before the Reapers return."
As the audio file ended, Udina spread his arms as if inviting challenge. "You wanted proof? There it is," he said with a smug smirk on his face.
Finally, the turian councilor stood straight. "This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status, and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."
"I wasn't sure until I heard her voice, but I did recognize the asari in the photo, the one speaking to Saren in the audio file. Her name is Matriarch Benezia," said Tevos as she looked over at Sparatus.
"Who's she?" asked Shepard curiously as she stood, still armored, next to the ambassador.
The asari councilor turned and gazed at Shepard with a smile. "She is the yranessa of House T'Soni on Thessia. She has many followers who support her and has more than enough wealth to back whatever endeavors she may take interest in. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."
The salarian councilor cut in. "I'm more interested in this mention of Reapers. The last time we heard that name, an insane man tried to hijack control of the Citadel Tower," responded Valern thoughtfully.
"I tried to look more up on it after we reviewed the evidence. It apparently has to do with an ancient race of machines that wiped out the protheans. Afterward, they vanished, leaving no trace of themselves behind," said Shepard as she held her head. "Benezia herself said that their goal was to bring back the Reapers, and all Saren needs is this key he's looking for. We don't know what, or where it could be. But Saren thought it had to do with the beacon on Eden Prime," said Shepard as she stepped forward.
"And we have no idea what this key could be?" asked Valern with concern in his usually care-free voice.
"If Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers, then we should consider it a threat," said Shepard firmly as she stared at all three of them.
But Sparatus shook his head. "Listen to what you're saying! Saren intends to bring back a race of machines out of thin air, one that wiped all life from the galaxy? That's impossible! It has to be!" he said as he stared down at the commander. "Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? Why have we found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we would have found something by now!"
Shepard glared at the turian and stepped forward challengingly. "I tried to warn you about Saren once, and you refused to believe me Councilor! Don't make the same mistake twice!"
Holding up her arms, the asari drew their attention. "Unfortunately, Shepard, I have to disagree. You brought us proof that Saren betrayed the Council and allied himself with the geth. We all now agree that he's searching for this key, but all we have as to why is speculation," said Tevos in her pleasing voice.
The salarian councilor shook his head. "The Reapers are obviously a myth, Commander. A convenient conspiracy theory to cover his true purpose and bend the geth to his will. Whatever this key is he's trying to find, it's unreasonable to assume that it has to do with some galaxy consuming prophecy," said Valern dismissively as he waved his hand.
She stared at the salarian with a glare. "How good is your knowledge of artificial intelligence, Councilor?" she asked curiously.
Shocked by the question, Valern raised his hands in question. "I don't see what this-"
Shepard cut him off immediately. "You're telling me that an AI, a mechanical brain that thinks at the speed of light and was smart enough to overthrow its host species in a war is going to be stupid enough to be conned by a single turian with a conspiracy theory?"
Tevos stepped in to keep the diplomacy flowing and to cool tensions again. "While it may sound far-fetched, it is no more or less so than a theory of ancient machines destroying galactic civilizations. We need proof to prove either way Commander."
Looking to Tevos, the commander sighed. For some reason, she felt like she could never raise her voice at the woman, unlike the other two. Something about her was charming, almost hypnotizing. "The proof is in my head."
"Pardon?" asked Sparatus, his mandibles twitching in confusion.
"Surely you don't intend to bring up those dreams as evidence again…" groaned Valern as he tapped his finger impatiently.
"Those dreams were put there by the beacon! They were visions, images that I can't remove from my mind!" she snapped angrily.
"But they are inconclusive as evidence, as we cannot see them, Shepard. You must understand this!" growled Sparatus back.
Shepard stared at the turian for a moment. "You can't…" she said, then looked over at Tevos. "But she can."
The female councilor looked taken aback at the claim. All three of them stood silent for a long moment before finally responding. "I understand what you are implying…" she started but was cut off by the turian.
"You can't be serious! She is a Councilor of Citadel Space and you expect her to link minds with you!?" he asked bewildered, almost outraged.
"I don't expect her to do anything. But the option is there if she ever wants to see how bad these dreams are. Maybe then the Council would actually get off its ass and do something about a serious threat to the galaxy," she snapped as she gave the turian a hard stare.
"Shepard!" growled Udina from behind her.
But before the outraged Sparatus or the baffled Valern could step in, Tevos cut them both off. "Enough!" she snapped, her former matronly tone turning hard enough to silence everyone in the room. Looking back to Shepard, her gaze softened. "Commander, we do intend to stop it. Whether this threat of Reapers is real or not, their return seems to hinge on Saren. So, in taking him down, we are in fact doing something."
"He's now a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the resources or means to search as freely as he has before," said Sparatus as he held back his anger.
"That's not good enough! He nearly wiped a colony off the face of the galactic map!" snapped Udina as he stepped up next to Shepard. "Send your fleets in!"
Valern cut in, his monotone voice returning. "A fleet cannot find one man."
"But a Spectre can," said Shepard as she stared up at Tevos.
The asari nodded knowingly as she stared down at the commander. "Shepard is right. There is one way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies," she said soothingly as she turned to look at Sparatus.
Despite his usual calming attitude towards his female comrade, he stamped his foot down and responded angrily. "No! It's too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres!"
"I faced Saren on Eden Prime, and despite being hindered by a time limit, and zero resources from both C-Sec and the Council, I still managed to expose him as a traitor," she said as she eyed the turian. "I think I've more than proven myself Councilor."
Sparatus stared at Shepard with a hard leer, then looked back to Tevos who nodded. Even Valern seemed interested in this new development, which meant that he lost. Finally, he deflated and waved his hand to get it over with. All three of them entered something into their panels before staring at the woman. "Commander Shepard, please step forward," requested Tevos.
As Shepard stepped forward, an unusual hard-light display appeared before her. Anderson gave her a smile and a pat on the back before he and Udina stepped back to watch the proceedings. While standing at the display, the commander began to notice that many more people began to gather in the mezzanines on the side of the chamber to watch. She shook the thought from her head and focused on the Council in front of her.
"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel," said Tevos, her voice more official sounding now than it had ever been before.
Shepard then looked over to Valern who spoke next. "Spectres are not trained but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."
"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will," spoke the asari once more. Shepard questioned whether this little speech was supposed to get her pumped, or was it officially written that they had to do it for ceremony's sake. Either way, she stayed silent.
Sparatus finally spoke up and delivered his line. "Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first, and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold!"
Finally, the spell seemed to break as Tevos softened again. "Please Commander, place your hand on the display," she requested. Shepard nodded, removing her gauntlet and placing her right hand flat onto the hard-light panel. It lit up immediately with scanners of all kinds, health scanners, fingerprint scanners, DNA scanners, and more. When it finally finished, the display vanished, leaving the new spectre to look up at the Council. "You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."
"You know what they say, one small step for man…" she said, leaving the end off intentionally. But she was surprised when the asari finished the quote.
"One giant leap for mankind indeed," she said with a knowing smile. "I believe that was your Neil Armstrong's speech when you first landed on Earth's moon." Shepard nodded dumbly, slightly surprised that the asari woman, even as wise as she was, would know such a detail about human history. "The words are fitting."
"I'm honored, Councilor," said the Commander as she nodded her head politely.
Valern, who seemed much more animated by the development, spoke up as he stepped forward. "We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice who, as you so elegantly put it, was too cowardly to show up for his own trial. So, you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him," he said, getting a nod from Shepard. "Of course, in light of Nihlus's unfortunate demise, we would still like to send one of our own with you."
"Another Spectre?" asked Shepard curiously.
Tevos nodded before speaking up. "They would merely be surveying and helping where needed. They do not intend to interfere, nor hinder your search. But given that your trial was so abruptly interrupted, we thought it prudent that we finish it as cleanly as possible."
"As long as they aren't impeding my work, they're fine to come with," said Shepard with a nod.
"I'm glad to hear you cooperating with the Council. Hopefully, this trend continues in the future," said Sparatus smartly.
Shepard eyed him, hiding the glare as she smiled. "I've always had trouble with authority figures who do nothing when action is required. You've taken action now Councilor, so you have my cooperation." The remark left a sour look on the turian's face.
"This meeting of the Council is adjourned," finished Tevos as she shut down the holographic display in front of them.
Shepard noticed the asari woman activate her omni-tool but removed the thought from her mind as she turned to the two humans standing behind her. Anderson was the first to step up and hold out his hand. "Congratulations Jane," he said with a proud smile on his face.
It felt odd that in the words, she felt a form of fatherly connection from the man. Perhaps it was the use of her first name, which he had never done before. Or because she felt that he would be on her side, regardless of peer pressure. Either way, she shook his hand and smiled back at him in earnest. "Thank you."
Udina them spoke up, his arms folded and his hand on his chin as thoughts sped through his mind. "We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard. You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies…" he said absent-mindedly.
Anderson spoke up again, a tone of rare excitement in his voice as he placed his hands behind his back again. "You'll have access to special equipment and training now. You should visit C-Sec Headquarters and speak to the Spectre Requisitions Officer."
"Anderson, come with me! I'll need your help to set this all up!" said the ambassador as he turned to Shepard. "Commander, it'll probably be a few days before we get all of this together. In the meantime, find yourself a place to stay and send the bill to my office. I'll have it taken care of. But make sure to watch your comm. I'll be sending you updates as we progress," he said firmly, not caring about a confirmation as he walked away.
As if on cue, Shepard received a ping on her omni-tool. Lifting it up, her eyes widened as she saw who the sender was. Meet me at the bar I've marked on your navigator. We'll talk more there. To keep others from getting a glimpse, she closed the message as Kaidan and Ashley approached her.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Commander," said the lieutenant, before he gave her a questioning eye. "Uhh... do we still call you Commander? Or is it Spectre now?" he asked curiously.
"Commander is fine. As a matter of fact, since I will likely have my military career frozen due to conflict of interests, you can call me whatever you like. Jane, Shepard, Commander, whatever," she said, her movements rather urgent.
"Yeah, I think I'll stick with Commander," said Ashley as she smiled at Shepard. "So, what's next?"
Shepard thought for a moment before nodding to them. "If you choose to accept it, I'm going to be drafting you both onto the Normandy for the purpose of TAD. If you'd rather go on with the Alliance, then I'll understand, and you can report to the Alliance Command Post here on the Citadel for your next duty assignments."
"Please Shepard, as if either of us would miss the opportunity to put an armored foot squarely up that traitor's ass," said Williams with a smirk.
"I'm with her on this one. I'm sure the Alliance could still use me, but for the sake of humanity, it's more important that we take down Saren first," replied Alenko with a nod.
Shepard smiled at them both. "I'm glad to have you both aboard. But just know that my command supersedes Alliance. If they order you to do something that goes against my own personal wishes-"
"You're the Commander Shepard. We're not going to go behind your back, especially after the way you watched ours on Eden Prime," responded Ashley confidently.
"Agreed," said the lieutenant firmly.
"Glad to hear. Now, get yourself a hotel for the moment. Nothing fancy, but send the bills to me and I'll make sure you're reimbursed. We have a few days before we leave, and I have some business to take care of," said Shepard as she stood straight and saluted the two.
"Aye aye sir!" shouted Williams as she saluted back with a smile.
CODEX ENTRIES
Bosh'tet | Derogatory Linguistics | Khelish
A bosh'tet is a simple, all-encompassing insult towards other people. The name comes from a rodent native to Rannoch. When making a nest, this rodent often uses the dung of other animals to build, and even feeds off them for nutrients. However, its ability to produce entire litters of newborn were its only survival mechanism, as the creature is often dumb enough to mistake simple rocks as food and attempt to feed of them.
Chatika | Zoology | Rannoch
Another small rodent native to Rannoch. Unlike the bosh'tet, this one was seen as adorable by the many residents of the world and was vastly smarter as well. As such, they were commonly kept as pets. These pets, however, were left on Rannoch after the Morning War, and the citizens of the Migrant Fleet often make toys in their image as a remembrance of their lost home.
Yranessa | Culture | Asari
In asari corporations and families, there is always one person who leads. The person is often selected due to their historical success and judgement. For family estates, the title of this household leader is known as the Yranessa, otherwise translated as "one who enlightens our path." These titles are given to only those who wield vast power, connections, and influence on asari space.
TAD | Military | Human
An acronym in the Systems' Alliance that stands for Temporary Additional Duty. It's a special assignment given to soldiers under specific circumstances that allows them to participate in a specific mission outside of normal Alliance duties.