Chapter 27
Human Embassy - Presidium - Citadel
"Commander, I've been getting mixed signals about your reports to the Council," said Udina as he read from a datapad.
Shepard sat back in the cushy chair across from his desk while Anderson typed away at his own workstation. She had found out that after the Eden Prime incident, Udina had chosen Anderson to be the Alliance Liaison for the Citadel. She wasn't sure if Udina was trying to make up for the Council's treatment of the man, or if he simply wanted to keep a closer eye on him. But either way, she was grateful. Having to deal with Udina without Anderson was strenuous enough.
"What did you expect? Sometimes the Council likes my methods, sometimes they don't. Generally, I have a two-thirds majority in my favor," said the spectre as she shrugged.
"Even so, Shepard, I'd appreciate it if you asked for direction more frequently rather than sprinting headfirst into the fray and destroying everything in your path," said the man as he set the datapad aside and looked at the woman tiredly.
"So, your suggestion would be to call you and ask what I should do while a three-story tall plant monster is ripping apart a colony using the dead remains of a building full of ExoGeni employees?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at the man.
His brows furrowed at the loaded statement. "You do not need my permission to do your work, Shepard. But everyone could benefit from accepting advice."
Leaning forward, Shepard unceremoniously placed her elbows on the man's desk with a cheeky grin. "Tell me, Ambassador, how much combat experience do you have?' she asked rhetorically.
The man sighed in frustration as he began rubbing his forehead. "You and I both know that you already have the answer to that question," he growled as she nodded.
"So, tell me this. I've just cleaned out a skyscraper of geth soldiers, found out that an entire colony of people were being held hostage by a fifty-thousand-year-old sentient plant, and stop rescuing them long enough to call you and ask for your advice. What would that advice be?" she asked as she tapped her finger against her cheek. Anderson looked up with a grin that went unnoticed by the ambassador. Udina, meanwhile, simply glowered silently at her. "Look, Ambassador, I know what you want from me. You want me to be a good pet for the Council. You want me to soften them up to the idea of humans, so that someday in the future, they'll be more open to accepting a human into the Council," she said as any amusement left her face. "However, I am not a political chess piece. I'm a Spectre, and I fully intend to use my position to save as many lives as I can regardless of what you and the Council want me to do. Oftentimes, those goals align. But there are sometimes when they do not, and I'm not going to become another Saren just because you fancy the idea of standing up there on that stage with them. Are we clear Ambassador?"
Anderson went back to work, now with an immovable smile on his face, while Udina buried his face in his hands. "Transparently," he said before dropping his hands and looking at her again. "With that out of the way, where do you intend to go next?"
"Well, I have a stop to make in the Terminus Systems first, and then I'm going to be making my way to Thessia," she said, getting a concerned look from the man.
"Be careful in the Terminus Systems, Commander. I'm sure you know this already, but one wrong step out there spells war for the entire galaxy," he droned as he retrieved his datapad again.
"I don't think the pirate gangs or whoever they have set up as their current queen are going to be bothered by my tracking a wanted criminal to a barren solar system. Besides, chances are they won't even know we're there," she said with confidence as she shrugged.
"Alright, Commander. Councilor Tevos has already granted approval for your visit to Thessia. I hope it's less eventful than your other missions," he said before turning to Anderson. The captain looked up at him curiously. "Captain, I'm going out to eat today," he said before standing up and making his way out of the office.
Once he was gone, Anderson let out a chuckle. "Shepard, you certainly have a talent for getting under his skin."
"He makes it pretty easy when he puts his agenda before the lives of human colonists," she said as she stood up and stretched.
"No doubt about that," he said as he stood up and reached out with his hand. Shepard smiled and shook it. "I must admit, part of the joy of having you as the Spectre is that you don't take anyone's nonsense. Should I have been selected, I can't help but feel my lifelong career would have made me exactly what Udina wanted," he said with a sigh.
"Oh, come now, Captain. It's never too late to sign him up for a subscription to Fornax and have it delivered to the office," she said, getting an even louder laugh from the man.
"I'll leave the pranks to you and Joker. In the meantime, you keep doing what you're doing, Shepard. I'll have your back regardless of what the Ambassador says." After saying their final goodbyes, Shepard left the human embassy. After having a friendly chat with Saphi, the receptionist to the asari embassy, she finally left the building and made her way towards a transit car.
As she approached the console, she found one person in line ahead of her. It was a man, slightly taller than her, with short blond hair that was neatly trimmed. But, as he turned towards her, she stopped in her tracks in surprise. His t-shirt had her face artistically painted on it with the N7 logo decorating the background. Her face was remarkably well drawn, if not a bit cartoonish. Suddenly, her eyes shot up to his face and noticed him staring wide-eyed at her.
"C-C-Commander Shepard!?" he asked incredulously as he forgot the console.
"It's Spectre Shepard actually," she said as she scanned him from head to toe. She didn't really mind having fans, but she had no idea if this man was dangerous or not.
"Of course! Sorry, Spectre. My name is Conrad, Conrad Verner!" he said excitedly as he held his hand out to her. Keeping her left hand in her coat pocket, ready to trigger her omni-tool at a moment's notice, she reached out with her right and shook. "I'm a huge fan of yours, Shepard!"
"I can tell," she said as she eyed his shirt curiously.
"Oh, do you like it? I had it custom drawn by an artist, then printed onto a shirt! What do you think?" he asked eagerly as he grabbed the bottoms of the shirt and stretched it out for her to see better.
"Well, it's definitely unique," she said as she eyed him. "So, Conrad, is there something I can help you with? Or can I use the terminal now?" she asked, trying not to sound too pushy.
"Oh, of course, Spectre! But…" he said nervously as he scratched his blond goatee. "Before you go, do you think I could perhaps get an autograph? If it's not too much trouble I mean." She immediately cringed as he gave her the sappiest puppy dog look she had ever seen.
"Alright, alright! Just stop making that face…" she groaned as he jumped in excitement. He opened his omni-tool and Shepard put on her best smile. After the picture, she signed it as well before stepping up to the terminal and summoning her cab to C-Sec.
"Thank you, Shepard! I'm going to hang it in my living room! My wife will be so impressed!" he said ecstatically as he held his omni-tool to his chest as if she had just given it to him as a gift.
She narrowed her eyes for a moment as his name began to sound familiar to her. Cocking an eyebrow, she looked back at him. "You said your name was Conrad, right?" she asked as the auto-cab landed next to her.
"It is Spectre!" he said with a stupid grin on his face.
She simply nodded and opened the cab. "I hope you enjoy the autograph, Conrad," she said as she sat inside the vehicle.
"Always! If you're ever on Earth, I'd love to take you out for a drink!" he shouted as he waved at her frantically.
"I don't think your wife would like that!" she responded with a chuckle before closing the door and flying off.
Mess Hall - SSV Normandy SR1
After finishing in the training hall, and then taking a shower, Garrus found himself heading towards the mess hall for dinner. When he rounded the corner, he found Shepard sitting at the tables munching on her own food while working on her omni-tool.
Walking over to the counter, the mess sergeant handed him a tray with the latest dextro meal he was able to make from the rations they had aboard. Nodding to the man, he turned and sat down across from Shepard. "Lunatic?" he said, getting a startled reaction from her.
"Pardon?" she asked with bewilderment on her face.
"Oh... right," he started as he rolled the expression around in his head. "Moon crazy?"
She shook her head. "Still not comprehending."
"Sorry, I forgot that it's a turian expression that doesn't translate well. I was asking if you're working late," he said as he picked up a thick strip of raltae jerky and took a sizable bite out of it.
"Oh... I think I understand. I probably would have understood better had you said it in Turian Common," she said with a smirk. "In human English, it translates to someone driven mad by the moon."
"Ah... the look on your face makes sense now," he said as he chuckled.
"And to answer your question, yes," she said as she closed her omni-tool and looked at him curiously. "Garrus, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
He stopped his pursuit of the meat and twitched his mandibles at the question. "Never," he said, then narrowed his eyes. "Is this a trick question? Because I'd totally lie to you to save your life…"
Chuckling, Shepard waved her hand. "No, it's not a trick question. I was just curious if you keep in touch with Sparatus, the turian Councilor."
"The last time I talked to him I nearly threatened to cram his spurs up his own cloaca. That was when we first met," he responded as he set the food down. "Why?"
Shrugging lightly, Shepard grabbed a drumstick from one of her Earth birds and waved it around. "Maybe it's nothing. But a while back, the Councilor said something odd that made me think he has a mole aboard reporting everything we do."
"You don't check our outgoing mail?" he asked curiously before getting a stern look from her.
"Of course I do. Every scrap of it," she said before taking a bite out of the meat. Chewing hastily, she swallowed it before aiming the drumstick at him. "But I only speak the turian language. I don't read it. And before you ask, yes, I can use translators. But if someone is writing encoded messages in their family mail, I'd never be able to see it because I don't know how the written language works."
"Oh, I see. Well, if you like, I can try and help you out," offered Garrus before he took another chunk of meat and chewed it with his pointed, dagger-like teeth.
"If nothing comes of my current method, I might need you to," she said with a sigh as she took another large bite.
"Well, let me know if you need the assistance. I certainly don't mind helping you out given that you're helping me," he said as he stuffed the rest of the meat into his mouth.
"Speaking of that, you said that his ship has been lurking in an empty system in the Terminus for how long?" she asked as she tossed the bone onto her plate.
"Two weeks now," said the turian after he choked down his food. Taking a spoon, he began to scoop up the pile of mashed tofa.
"Why do you think that is?" she asked as she picked up her glass and drank the unusual liquid through a straw.
He marveled at the straw for a moment before considering her question. "No telling really. It usually doesn't take that long for grown organs to mature. But maybe he just uses that ship as a lab ship and sells the goods using a more convenient craft," he said as he stared at the starchy vegetable mash on his tray. "One of his victims could have also gotten him. But I hope that isn't the case. I want to be the one to make him pay."
"Garrus…" said Shepard in a stern tone, causing him to look up. "We need to talk about your plans for the doctor."
"Do we really?" he asked in a tone that portrayed his annoyance. "I don't tell you how to do your work, Shepard."
"This is my work!" she snapped angrily. He sat back at the reaction but said nothing. "You don't tell me how to do my work because my work now involves all of you," she said as she pointed a finger directly at him. "And as much as you want to make this about you and the doctor, we're a part of that work now!"
"I'm sorry, Shepard. I really didn't mean to say that…" he said as he felt a flush creeping up his fringe. "I've just heard this so many times from the execs back at C-Sec. I was hoping I got away from it when I left them."
"Garrus, did you leave C-Sec to help me find Saren? Or so you could kill criminals without Citadel law breathing down your neck? Because if you think that I offered to bring you along so you could be some kind of renegade punisher, then tell me now so I can reassign you," she ordered accusingly.
"Of course I didn't leave just to kill! What kind of barbarian do you take me for!?" he asked as he voice rose in anger.
"One not looking for justice, but one looking for revenge. You literally just said you wanted to be the one to put him down. That sounds like you're doing this for you, not the victims," she remarked sternly, causing Garrus to snort dejectedly. "Look, I understand what he did to those people, and what he continues to do. But I don't want you to end up being another Saren," she said, causing him to look at her in surprise. "Do not let a monster turn you into one as well."
"Shepard... I…" he started, but he could barely even retort to that. Sighing, he silently began spooning the concoction into his mouth, finishing the meal off before standing up and taking his tray back to the counter. He was boiling inside but refused to acknowledge her response. Instead, he left the mess hall and made his way down to the mako bay.
Cargo Bay - MSV Fedele
"What the hell happened here?" asked Shepard as she stepped aboard the abandoned-looking freighter. After approaching the ship, the readings on it were spooky. There was a large hole blasted into the side, resulting in a vented atmosphere. It was mainly a cargo carrier, with small rooms for piloting, bunking, and eating. The rest was one long container for cargo to be stored in.
But there was little to no cargo left inside. "It looks like explosive decompression took whatever was in the cargo bay out into space," said Garrus as he drifted weightlessly over to the hole.
Shepard watched him go and activated her spider boots, allowing her to walk on the floor of the ship despite the lack of gravity. "You think pirates did this?"
"I'd say it's a possibility. But unlikely," he said as he pointed to the blast pattern around the edge of the hole. "The wall of the ship around the hole is folded out towards space. Granted, that could have just been the decompression bending it, but…" he started as he activated his own spider boots. Once he was flat again, he knelt down in front of the scorched hole. "We have blood here. Turian blue from the looks of it."
"What does that tell us?" asked the spectre curiously.
"Look at the blast patterns on the floor. Do you notice anything odd?" he asked as he pointed directly at the blood spot.
It took her a moment, but she finally nodded. "There are no burn marks or scoring in this small area."
"Correct. That means when the explosion went off, something took the blast full force in the face, preventing any burns or markings in this small, contained area. The blood here likely came from the same body, and then was frozen to the floor from the sudden drop in temperature," he said as he stood up again. Opening his omni-tool, he brought up the model of the ship. "This is a Toko Class cargo ship often seen running cargo for salarian colonies," he said as he zoomed in on the specs.
Despite being at odds, Shepard had to respect the turian's ability to read events from a crime scene. She found herself wondering if she had accidentally nabbed the best detective in C-Sec. "Are you finding something in the schematics?"
"The likelihood of this being pirates just dropped significantly," he said as he turned to her and showed her the omni-tool. "This model, the STA-221 had a bunch of recalls due to fuel leaks in the cargo bay. Care to take a guess where the leaks all sprung from?"
Staring at the gaping hole into the void, she looked over at the turian. "So, we found our flashpoint," said the spectre as she looked around at the rest of the ship. "But do we have a clue about what happened?"
"Chances are, our friend here," he said as he tapped the frozen blood spot on the floor. "Probably had something to do with the explosion going off. After all, the fuel leaks didn't ignite in the other vessels. For this one to have ignited in the dead of space means it was likely instigated."
"One of his victims maybe?" asked Shepard as she looked down at the haunting blast area.
"More than likely," he said with a sigh. "Chances are he was sucked out with the rest of them."
"We still have a few sections to check," she said as she turned towards the door at the far end of the bay. Garrus shook his head before turning and following her. As they crossed the cargo bay, Shepard saw that the door leading to the front end was being held open by the body of a salarian. "Is this him?"
Garrus stepped up to the unfortunate soul and examined him. "No. Too young, different skin color." Reaching forward, Garrus pulled open the smock that the salarian had died in. "Also, he has lacerations on his torso. He was another victim," said the turian as he stood up and deactivated his boots. Reaching forward, he used the lack of gravity to lift him into the compartment ahead. Shepard followed his example and did the same.
"Looks like emergency protocols are working. All three of the doors here slammed shut after the hull breach," said the spectre as she opened her own omni-tool. "If there's anyone alive in these compartments, then we're going to have to stabilize this room in order to get them out safely."
Turning back to the dead salarian, Garrus reactivated his boots before using both hands to pry the door open. "I'll hold the door, you remove his body," ordered the turian as he exerted his strength. As soon as the pressure of the metal doors was released from the body, Shepard grabbed the legs of the young salarian and pulled him into the compartment. As soon as Garrus released the doors, they closed, and the room lit up. "Give it a minute to heat and oxygenate the room, then we should be good."
Garrus stared at Shepard through his faceplate as they waited for stabilization. They hadn't spoken since the last conversation in the mess hall. But that didn't mean he hadn't thought about what she said. Her words stung deep like a spur kick. He'd had plenty of chances to get his anger out, and he took them many times. He had practically sprinted himself to the point of exhaustion on the treadmills, then took his anger out on the impact machine.
But nothing he did could get the words out of his head. They simply burrowed there, echoing at him any time he thought of how he wanted to handle Saleon. It was enough to drive him mad. He was snapped out of his thoughts as the stabilization finished, alerting them from his omni-tool. Letting out a heavy sigh, he headed for one of the doors. Shepard followed, and as the door slid open, his mandibles twitched inside his helmet.
On the floor in front of them was a salarian with a long face and dark skin lying next to a food crate. Wrappers and water containers littered the floor everywhere. "Is that him?" asked Shepard as she stepped up behind him.
"Yeah. That's him," he growled as he stared angrily through his visor.
"How do you want to handle this?" she asked as he spun and looked at her in surprise. "This is yours to handle Garrus. I'm not going to stop you. The choice is yours," she said as she crossed her arms.
Immediately, he grabbed the pistol that he had brought along from his back and aimed it directly at the salarian's head. He didn't know if he was already dead from starvation, dehydration, or injuries. He could be sleeping, and if that was the case, then all he had to do to put this matter to rest was squeeze the trigger and rid the galaxy of a monster.
But every second he stood there aiming the weapon, the trigger became harder to pull. The weapon became heavier, harder to aim as the blue cleared from his vision. Letting out a sigh, he lowered the pistol.
Suddenly, the salarian's large eyes snapped open. "Wh-Who are you? What are you doing?" he asked in a raspy voice as he tried to get up weakly.
Reaching back, he secured the pistol on his back before reaching down and backhanding the doctor, sending him rolling across the floor. "Doctor Saleon, you're under arrest by the authority of the Citadel Council for homicide, negligent homicide, illegal experimentation on a sapient species, kidnapping, obstruction of the law, detonating a class six explosive device on the Citadel, and possession of illegally obtained organs with the intent to sell," he growled as he forced the salarian onto his face less than gracefully. "All of the rights that you abused will be read to you once we reenter Citadel Space."
"Help! What are you doing!? My name is Doctor Heart! Heart!" shouted the salarian as he groaned in pain. Looking up at Shepard, he gasped as his hands were forced behind his back. "Do something! He has the wrong person!"
"Sorry, Doc. But I just pulled up your file. So, unless you accidentally had Doctor Saleon's face transplanted onto your own, and his DNA swapped out for yours, then I'm afraid you can't talk your way out of this one," said Shepard as she watched with a grin.
"I'd quiet down, Doctor, before you accidentally bite your tongue off," said Garrus forcefully as he yanked the man up by his weakened arms. "Consider yourself lucky that the Spectre convinced me that you weren't worth shooting," he said as he dragged the criminal towards the door.
"Lucky me," said the salarian sardonically as he jerked against the restraints.
Garrus dragged the cuffed doctor out of the room and into the main corridor of the ship. "So, how are we going to get him back on the ship?" asked Shepard as she looked around. "He doesn't have a suit, and we can't exactly drive the shuttle inside here."
"Luckily, these Toko-class ships have safeties built in just in case. The head can separate from the cargo bay in dire emergencies," he said as he released the doctor to bring up the schematics again.
As soon as his talons were free of the salarian's arm, Doctor Saleon sprinted away from the pair and headed for the door leading to the cargo bay. Garrus went to move after him, but Shepard grabbed him instead. "There's no time!" she shouted as she opened the room they had just left. Just as they both tried to jump inside, the door to the cargo bay opened and they were yanked backward forcefully by the rapid decompression. Reaching out, they both grabbed onto one side of the door, hanging on for dear life.
In seconds, Saleon's screams were silenced, and the pair found themselves floating in the zero gravity once more.
Garrus just floated silently for a long moment, letting the lack of gravity carry him. Finally, he snorted angrily and reoriented himself so that he could use his spider boots again. Once on the ground, he turned to the spectre. "And he died anyway, making this whole thing pointless."
"It wasn't pointless, Garrus," said Shepard as she stepped up to him. "You can't predict what other people will do. But you can control how you'll respond. In the end, that's what matters." Reaching up, she bumped her fist against his chestplate. "This was never about bringing him back alive. It was about whether you gave in and did something you can't come back from."
Letting out a wistful sigh, Garrus returned the gesture to her own chestplate. "I guess you're right, Shepard," he said as the pair of them began opening the other compartments to make sure there weren't any more survivors onboard. "You know, I've never met anyone like you, Shepard. "
"How do you mean?" she asked as the pair cleared the last two rooms.
"My father, the Hierarchy, C-Sec, they all drill into you that it's the law, no matter what. Even if you don't like it, you follow it without exception. I guess I've heard such a ridiculous sentiment so frequently that it drove me mad when the law protected vile creatures like Saleon," he said as they exited the ship and headed back for the shuttle. "In all my time alive, you're the only one to ever tell me that it's not about keeping the sanctity of the law. But rather, it's about the consequences that killing him would have on me."
"You're what matters, Garrus. Saleon? I could shove him out of a ship and watch him float into a sun without losing a wink of sleep. But I didn't want you to become what you hated the most," she said as they reached the shuttle that was anchored outside the ship.
Garrus took her words to heart and let out a defeated sigh. "I guess it's not so bad having someone actually care about my wellbeing for once."
"Of course I care about your wellbeing. I've gotta keep you alive to keep taking bullets for me," she said with a grin through her faceplate, causing Garrus to laugh loudly.
T'Lana Institute Prothean Museum - Republic of Serrice - Thessia
As the asari approached the building, she carried a heavy pack with her. Looking at the amazing architecture of the place, she knew that her mind had dislocated her again. Once, this place felt like home to her. There was no other place she would rather be than here at the institute, in her office, buried in data from prothean artifacts. But now, it wasn't her home anymore. Any place besides the Normandy seemed distant, almost alien to her. She didn't know whether she should feel proud that she was so adaptable or be disappointed that she was apparently so finicky.
Either way, she had a purpose here. Ever since leaving this building last, her priorities had changed immensely. No longer was her one true purpose the discovery and understanding of the protheans. Now, Shepard was her goal. If Jane's interpretation of the visions were, in fact, true, then her previous studies of trinkets and ruined walls were all but meaningless. The looming threat of ancient machines invading the galaxy and snuffing out civilized life wildly sorted out the goals of her studies.
But to be of any assistance, she had to gather her things and reinterpret everything with the use of possibly the greatest find in the history of prothean study, the cipher. Now that she had it, all of her work in the past could possibly be undone. Normally, that would be devastating. But all she could feel was excitement.
As she walked into her office, she immediately began grabbing her datapads, as well as the terminal she had used for work. It had most of her notes, discoveries, as well as dissertations and even her university thesis. Once she had all of them stuffed into her pack, she turned to a few of the artifacts that she had stored into time capsules. Reaching forward, she picked up one of the preservation devices and stared through the plasteel container at the object itself. It was a chip, or rather a data card. But unlike the ones in the current civilization, this one wasn't used to store computer data. Instead, it was a diary of sorts. A storage unit for the knowledge of whoever last used it.
Previously, it had given her little more than a few unusual images and inflections of emotion. But with the cipher, she may actually be able to translate it to data. The possibilities gave her chills as she gently slid them into her pack.
"You know those technically belong to the Institute, right?" came a voice behind her, surprising her enough to jump.
Turning, she saw a familiar asari woman holding a glass of Serrice brandy. "P-Professor! You startled me," she said as she turned and leaned against the desk.
"When you said you were coming to pick up your work, I thought you meant to study. I didn't think you were actually moving from the Institute," said the elegant asari as she gently tapped her chin with the edge of the glass. Her face was painted fairly delicately with white, and her dress looked like she had just come from an important event.
"I apologize Professor Voss. But circumstances require that I work elsewhere," she said as she stood straight and bowed her head.
The asari's face cracked into a sly smile as she stepped forward and stood in front of the younger woman. "And do these circumstances have anything to do with the human waiting patiently outside the building?" Immediately, Liara's eyes shot open and her head snapped up. Chuckling to herself, the woman sat in one of the chairs that Liara had in front of her desk. "So, tell me, is it romantic or professional?"
Liara closed her eyes and sighed to herself before reaching up to rub her flushed face. "It's professional," she said as she finally looked at the woman. Even if it were a concrete thing with Shepard, she had no intention of sharing that information with her. "Professor…"
"You're moving up in the world, Liara," said the woman as she took a sip from her glass. "Please, call me B'Nalia now."
Trying not to let the shock register on her face, Liara nodded. "B'Nalia…" she said, unused to calling the woman by her first name. "I assure you that the knowledge I've obtained since joining the Spectre could potentially change everything we know about the protheans."
The professor, whose painted face made it appear as if she had eyebrows like a human, cocked one in a similar manner to Shepard. "You're that confident? What is it then? What's this apocryphal knowledge you now possess?"
Looking up at the door, Liara began to wonder whether Shepard was growing impatient. But from the looks of things, she wasn't going to be able to leave without revealing something to the woman. Sitting down across from her, the doctor sighed heavily. "What is your Galactic Security Clearance?"
Going wide-eyed, Professor Voss started to smile. "Ohh... dealing with classified information, are we?" she asked, getting a nod from her student. "Unfortunately, I'm only a Class 3. I've been petitioning the Councilor for a higher class, but she's fairly stubborn." The woman eyed the doctor curiously. "You think that would be enough?"
"I would not be able to tell you where I got it, but I can tell you what it is I possess," she said as she inhaled, before slowly exhaling. "B'Nalia, I have a prothean cipher."
As soon as the words left her lips, the glass fell from the woman's grip and shattered on the floor, surprising Liara again. The expression on her face was one of sheer incredulity.
She was silent for a long moment before finally responding. "You must be joking! An entire cipher?" she asked as she leaned forward in the chair. Liara nodded seriously, causing the woman to sit back again. "We've only found fragments until now! How did you find an entire cipher!?"
"I'm afraid I can't say. But that's not all. I may have discovered the cause of the prothean's disappearance as well," she responded, finding it painful to hide such things from her teacher.
Throwing her arms up in dismay, the professor scowled. "Let me guess, that's classified as well?"
"It is," said the younger woman as she bowed her head in apology. But she quickly looked up again when the woman began laughing. "Professor?"
B'Nalia held her head in frustration as she smiled. "I really should have expected this."
"What do you mean?" asked Liara, unsure if the woman was implying something bad about her.
"Ever since the day you graduated, you've been changing the scene of prothean study. You've made discoveries in years that it took decades for some to decipher. You seem to know exactly where to go and what to do to make a new breakthrough on something every couple of years," said the woman with an exasperated sigh. "I've behaved very poorly to you, Liara."
Going wide-eyed, the doctor shook her head. "Prof-B'nalia, you haven't-" she started, but was cut off.
"For half a century you've been making moves forward in prothean study and technology. And I was all too happy to take credit because society thought that you were too young and naive to have made these discoveries on your own," she said as she sat up straight. "Were I a better person, I'd have stood by your side and forced them to accept you. But I didn't, and I apologize for that."
Liara was stunned into silence by the apology. She knew the words she spoke were true. She had even held a small amount of bitterness at the professor's willingness to slap her name on the projects that she herself had poured years of work into. But she never held the woman personally responsible for it. To hear her apologize for it almost made her tear up, but she refused to crumble. "Apology accepted, B'Nalia."
"Thank you, Liara. I hope from this point forward, we can see each other as partners rather than teacher and student," said the woman hopefully.
"I'd like that," said Liara with a gentle smile. "But, in the meantime, I will be needing these artifacts. With the knowledge I now hold, I can potentially interface with them like I never could before."
"I will have the headmaster place them in your care for as long as you need," said the woman with a nod. "Anything else?"
"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd also like you to meet Jane. After all, I would never have been able to obtain the cipher without her assistance." Liara grew wary as the woman smiled again.
"First name basis, are you?" she asked playfully, then nodded. "I would much like to meet her myself. If someone can command not only the respect but the devotion of one of the brightest minds to come from the University of Serrice, then they're someone I want to meet."
T'Lana Institute Prothean Museum - Republic of Serrice - Thessia
It had been a while since Liara entered the building. Shepard had decided to forgo the signing in at the front desk and obtaining a guest pass and instead chose to wait out by the vehicle. However, she found two problems stacking up consistently ever since.
The first was that she was a human standing in the middle of a heavily populated area of asari. While Thessia did have civilization centers where other species could come, visit, live, and even work, this area was not one of them. This led to many awed glances from the citizens who walked by. She even had two small asari, barely up to her waste run up and take her hands playfully.
She smiled at the youth, likely barely more than a decade old, and greeted them in Alai, which got surprised looks and gasps of awe from both the children and the adults. But the mother frantically apologized in her language before taking the young girls' hands and leading them away.
The other issue that she was having was with asari society. She had known beforehand through study, and it was reaffirmed through Liara. But the asari were far less modest than most other species in the galaxy. Shepard's first encounter with this while on the crystal blue planet's surface was one of the gawkers that were surprised to see a human. Her dress, while very fancy-looking and elegant, left one of her breasts exposed. Shepard had to quickly look away to keep from staring, only to find another asari wearing a tight-fitting pair of pants with no top whatsoever. Sighing to herself, the spectre just closed her eyes and rubbed her head gently.
Finally, after half an hour inside, Liara resurfaced with another asari woman behind her. As the pair approached, Shepard reached forward and took the pack that Liara was lugging behind her. "Shepard! I want you to meet my professor, B'Nalia Voss!" she said excitedly as the older asari smiled. "B'Nalia, this is Spectre Jane Shepard."
"Good to meet you B'Nalia," said the redhead with a smile. The asari reached forward and offered the spectre the embrace. Shepard nodded and followed through, placing her hands on B'Nalia's hips and touching her forehead with her own. For a brief moment, she felt joy and almost envy through the simple touch.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Jane," she responded as she smiled and released the woman. "I read up quite a bit on you once news of your induction came to Thessia. But I never thought that a student of my own would be pairing up with the first human Spectre. I'm humbled."
Shepard cocked on eyebrow curiously at the woman, wondering whether she was referring to Liara's helping her, or if she was implying a relationship. But she pushed her curiosities aside and simply smiled back. "Liara's been a great help ever since she came aboard."
"I'm sure she has," said the woman with a playful smile. "So, as is custom for humans, do you intend to have a wedding?"
"Oh goddess…" groaned Liara as she covered her face.
Both of the commander's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the question. Looking over to the doctor, she knew getting an answer there was a lost cause as she had practically buried herself in her hands in embarrassment. Instead, she looked back to the professor. "Sorry?"
"Having known Liara for over fifty years, I can tell when she's enamored with something. I've seen the look on her face when she talks about you only when referring to some of the most prestigious archaeological dig sites," said the asari, which caused even Shepard to blush lightly.
But Shepard shook away her embarrassment and simply smiled. "I have a personal relationship with all of my crew members. Liara is no different," she said, the look in her own eyes saying that the woman should tread carefully.
Apparently picking up the signals, B'Nalia simply smiled and nodded. "I apologize if I crossed a line, Spectre. I was simply asking because I would like your assistance," she said, getting a curious look from the redhead. "See, I need to visit the Citadel due to matters alerted to me by our common friend here," she said, motioning towards Liara. "And I was hoping that I could come with you when you head back that way so that I can assist Liara with her retranslation of prothean data."
Shepard leaned back against the vehicle for a moment as she thought about the request. After a moment, she finally answered. "Alright then. But as a non-member of the crew, you're not allowed to leave the crew deck."
Smiling brilliantly, the asari nodded. "I will keep myself where I am wanted, Spectre. You will have no trouble from me."
"Excuse me, Spectre?" came another, shy voice. All three of them turned to find another asari woman in a tight-fitting black dress standing at the end of the vehicle.
Looking around to make sure there weren't any asari around who could fit that description, she sighed and turned to the woman. "Can I help you?"
"Spectre, my name is Irissa. I'm here at the request of the Honorable Judge Matriarch Teyra," said the woman with a no-nonsense look on her lightly-painted face. "She would like to speak with you."
"Why?" asked Shepard, noticing the shocked looks of both of the asari next to her.
Her look souring; the visitor snorted. "Impudence! You dare question-"
"If you're going to come swinging with the elitist attitude, then I think I'll pass," said Shepard with a look of annoyance. Turning to the others, she waved them towards the vehicle. "Let's go."
"Please!" snapped the woman, almost desperately this time. "Matriarch Teyra would like to see the first human Spectre. She doesn't have long to live!"
Turning back towards the intrusive woman. Sighing to herself, she sighed gently. "Fine," she said as she turned to the others. "You two go ahead and get this back to the Normandy. Hopefully, this won't take long."
Teyra Estate - Republic of Serrice - Thessia
She really shouldn't have been surprised that humans weren't the only creatures in the galaxy to build stupidly elaborate homes for a single person. But as they landed, she couldn't help but marvel at the enormous estate. The entire front side of the manor was a garden of flowers that she had never seen before, all sending scents spiraling around her head that almost made her dizzy. The walkway that they took from the vehicle to the home itself was elaborately decorated with stones and circled around a statue of the goddess Athame.
All she could do as she was led up to the main area of the massive home was stare in awe at the elaborate craftsmanship of the entire estate. But soon her attention turned to another asari woman. She was sitting in a wheelchair, and her face was painted white as intricately, if not more so than Tevos herself. As is usual for an asari of her age, her skin was nearly flawless of any creases, as if she were made of marble that had lost its brilliant blue, being replaced with a more whitish color. The only sign of aging, when compared to humans, were the small webs of wear at the corners of her eyes. She wore robes of red that accented her skin wonderfully and had rows and rows of jeweled bracelets down her slender arms.
"Spectre. It's good to meet you," said the asari in a quiet voice as the human approached.
"Likewise, Honorable Teyra," returned Shepard as she bowed her head respectfully with her hands behind her back.
Irissa looked at Shepard in surprise as the much older woman smiled. "A human well versed in our culture and society. It is refreshing to see that someone of your stature does not think of us by stereotypes, Spectre."
"I worked hard to make sure I'm studied in all kinds of culture, even before taking the role of Spectre," said Shepard as she raised her head again to look at the woman.
"Wonderful," said the chair-bound woman as she leaned her chin into her hand. "Would you care to join me in my study for a moment?"
"I would be honored," she responded, walking forward with Irissa next to her as the elder turned the chair around with the panel on the rest and moved slowly towards the room. Shepard had to keep herself from gawking once more as they entered a solarium. Half of the room was nothing but tempered plasteel, allowing rays of light to pour into the room from outside. All manner of asari relics, titles, degrees, and awards decorated the large shelves that adorned the walls. And directly in the center of the room was a projector that showed a holographic version of the galaxy.
"Do you like my quiet place?" asked the elder as she stopped herself and faced the spectre again.
"It's bigger than most apartments I've had," she said as she turned her focus to the woman.
Irissa cleared her throat, and the elder donned a serious expression. "I am happy that I was able to see your species ascend to Spectrehood before I died. But the real reason I asked you here was that I'd like to ask you a question."
"I will answer as well as I can," replied Shepard as she kept her hands behind her back.
Smiling lightly, the elder woman nodded. "Spectre, hypothetically, what would be the asking price if I wanted you to assassinate someone for me?"
Shepard's eyes widened at the question before she donned a stern look. "I'm afraid I'd have to hypothetically take your offer to the Council, and have you arrested for conspiracy to commit murder," she responded seriously. "I'm afraid what little time you have left would be spent behind bars, your Honor."
Smiling wider, the asari nodded. "Good," she said, getting a confused look from the redhead. "I didn't bring you here to hire you as an assassin, Spectre. I just needed to know how easily your allegiance changes."
"My allegiance is to the people of the galaxy above all else, even the Council. My crew knows that, the Council knows that, and the Alliance knows that," she said with a no-nonsense look as she dropped her proper demeanor.
"Indeed. And that's why you are here," said the judge as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. "I've lived a long life, Spectre. In two months, I will be one thousand, one hundred, and twenty-five years old. In that time, I've been a judge for over five hundred years. And as a judge, I've been a very bad person."
"How so?" asked Shepard curiously as she crossed her arms.
Looking down at the ground, the elder sighed. "I've closed my eyes on many crimes and let hundreds of dangerous criminals go. These are acts I regret and intend to rectify." Teyra looked up at Shepard again with a sharp stare. "Before I die, I intend to correct my mistakes and reveal the crimes of these monsters. However…"
"They're probably not going to like that very much," said Shepard as she started piecing the puzzle together.
"Indeed. And while I trust my bodyguards, all it would take is one paid off member of my security to leave me vulnerable so that someone can put a bullet in my head," she said with a sour look. "The people that intend to stop me are very powerful and will stop at nothing to keep me from talking. And because of that, I'd like you to protect me until I go tomorrow to see the Conclave."
Sighing to herself, the spectre nodded. "Using someone from the outside who can't be influenced by the criminals in question," she said, getting a clear enough picture. She ran the potential scenarios through her head of how things could go wrong. All of the combatants would be asari, meaning biotics would be flying around like fireworks at New Years. She would have to upgrade her armor to compensate for the detachable weapons. Looking up at the woman, she planted her hands on her hips. "Let's say I agree to do this. I expect you will be compensating me?"
"I did not expect to leave you empty-handed if you are successful, Spectre. You will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts," said the asari with a gentle smile.
Finally, Shepard nodded. "Alright. Then when do you expect an attack?"
"I've been receiving attempts on my life for the last week. They have failed thus far due to my overly cautious nature. But tonight will be their last chance to get to me. I do not believe they will be pulling any punches, as you humans say," remarked the judge as she stayed remarkably still in her chair.
Shepard nodded and tilted her head curiously. "I get to do things my way?"
"I'm aware you have your own team and as long as you trust them, they are welcome in my estate as well. But I have another Spectre on the way who has also agreed to help. I know her personally, and she should be able to assist you," she said as she wheeled herself in front of Shepard. "I am putting my life in your hands, Spectre. Do not let justice fail."
"I don't intend to, your Honor. But I have one rule if I'm to do this," she said, getting a curious look from the elder. "When I tell you to do something, you do it. Do not ask questions, do not argue with me. Just do what I say as fast as you possibly can."
"I trust you Spectre because you are focused on doing what's right, and not about your pocketbook. I will not question your orders," said the woman with a smile. "Now, it's about time you armored up. Your very presence here has likely set my antagonists in motion, and it will not be long before they try to strike."
CODEX ENTRIES
Moon Crazy | Translation | Turian Common
An expression meant to imply someone is working late at night. Given the similarity of the two phrases, translators commonly mistranslate this expression as the derogatory insult "lunatic" from human languages.
Raltae | Zoology | Palaven
A large, ground-based predatory avian from Palaven. Like ostriches and emu from Earth, they have large, dangerous legs that can kick and kill easily with blade-like talons for tearing. Despite their predatory nature, they are farmed and eaten for their high protein qualities.
Tofa | Edible Flora | Rannoch
Originally a plant borne of the planet Rannoch, once the quarians had joined the galactic community, it became a fast favorite of turians. It's a root vegetable grown in the ground sometimes called the quarian potato that is commonly boiled into soups, stews, or even simply eaten as is. It has become so wildly popular with turians due to its flexibility in cuisine and its ability to easily store that its proverbial roots on Rannoch are sometimes forgotten.
Spider Boots | Technology | Equipment
Technology that comes standard in most military armors that relies on suction. When one boot is secure on the ground, it sends a signal throughout the armor that uses the power of suction to keep the boot anchored, and then releases the suction from the other boot allowing the person using the armor to walk functionally in zero gravity. Recommended only for use on space stations or ships, as the suction requires flat surfaces in order to create enough of a void to hold someone in place. They also have a magnetic mode that allows limited use on mineral rich asteroids.
Embrace | Culture | Asari
As common as a human handshake or turian wrist clasp on Thessia and asari colonies, the embrace is a greeting born of the asari, a species that are less modest with innate biotics. The embrace consists of two people placing their hands on each other's hips and pressing their foreheads together. The simple touch of foreheads allows enough extrasensory touch in order to show their joy in meeting. Asari who are not thrilled with who they are meeting often forgo the embrace and use less intimate greetings from other species.