Chapter 34
Presidium Emporium - Presidium - Citadel
It took minutes for Citadel Security to show up. They quarantined the entire emporium and began questioning the security detail as well as Garrus, Doctor Michel, and Tali herself. But she was merely silent, deep in her own thoughts at the ramifications of what she could have done. What she had done in that office went against everything she had ever been taught on the Fleet. Artificial intelligences weren't to be trusted. They couldn't be trusted.
After talking to it consistently on the Normandy, she had accepted that it was no danger to anyone or anything due to it being restricted to the omni-tool in which Shepard kept it. That reason alone was why she was allowed to take it off the Normandy and allow it to actually see the society of organics. But she had broken that barrier, not only against Shepard's wishes but against her people's as well. She sat, curled up with her helmet buried in her knees as she hugged them to her chest, wondering what they would say, wondering what Shepard would say. Even as the C-Sec officers tried questioning her, she refused to talk.
"Hey, what's with the suitrat? Can't she speak?" asked one of the human C-Sec officers with a scowl on his face. He looked from one officer to another, only getting shrugs.
"Watch your words, officer," threatened Garrus as he stepped up to the balding man.
"Back off, Garrus. Unless you'd like to visit the station right now, then feel free to take a swing," said the man as he opened his arms open for a challenge. But Garrus didn't move. "That's right. You're not C-Sec anymore, Vakarian. Which means you listen to what the hell I say when I say it."
Garrus went to step forward, but a turian officer held up a talon and stopped him, shaking his head. "Don't do it, Garrus."
"Now you sit back while I do my job," said the man as he turned back to Tali and knelt down. "So, why don't you tell me what you did?"
"She didn't do a damn thing except save our lives!" snapped Garrus as he jerked away from the other officer.
"One more word out of you and I'm gonna book you on obstruction," barked the man as he pointed at Garrus. "I'll ask you one more time. What did you do in the security room? All the feeds are wiped, and the security over there are so stupid scared that they can barely put a sentence together. Now, your buddy here, says that there was an AI in that system. Did you put it there?" Still, Tali said nothing and just closed herself off. "You answer me when I'm talking, suitrat!" snapped the man.
"Suddeth, back off!" shouted the turian officer angrily.
But before the man could respond, he was suddenly jerked around in a circle until he was facing the piercing eyes of a fiery-haired woman. He merely got a glance before her head snapped forward and smashed into his nose, sending him stumbling back and landing on his rear end. "I'm sorry, Sergeant. Are my crew not cooperating with you? Let me see if I can straighten things out," she said angrily as she stepped forward and held his face into the ground with her boot. Her glare then shot up to the turian who was about to aim a non-lethal stunner at her. "Aim that at a spectre and you'll get the same as him!"
The turian's mandibles twitch and he slowly lowered the weapon. "Spectre?" asked the turian incredulously.
Shepard glared and pointed to her last name embossed on her jacket. "Was there anything I said that you did not understand?" she asked threateningly.
"No, Spectre," replied the turian as he did a quick database check. "Apologies."
"Don't give me your apologies you spineless lackey. Apologize to her," she ordered as she pointed to Tali.
The turian, stunned by the barbed words, turned and apologized to the quarian. "I-I'm sorry."
"Good, now get the hell out of here before I put that stunner so far up your cloaca that you'll walk like a geth for the rest of your life!" she snapped, causing the turian to huff and leave the emporium. Then she turned her glare back to the human that was bleeding beneath her boot. "And as for you," she said as she removed her boot, then used it to flip him onto his back. "If you want to still be recognizable to whatever unlucky family you have, you're going to get on your hands and knees and beg for her forgiveness. And if you expect to get out of here without my boot marks all over your ass, then you better hope she's in a forgiving mood."
"B-Blease... forgib me," said as he tried to speak through a nearly broken nose.
"Fine, whatever," said Tali dismissively as she looked away.
Shepard stared at her for a long moment before glaring at the officer again. "Now get lost and feel lucky that I have better shit to do than dragging you into the Executor's office." Immediately, the bloodied man got to his feet and stumbled out of the building. Turning back to the quarian, Shepard knelt down and held out her hand. "Hey, let's go somewhere quiet."
Tali looked up, then nodded before taking her hand. Lifting herself to her feet, all three of them entered the security room again. Once inside, Tali just stared at the floor solemnly as Shepard activated her omni-tool to briefly disable any listening devices. Once she was finished, Garrus was the first to speak. "Sorry, Shepard. I didn't want you clashing with C-Sec any more than-"
"Garrus, I would give up my spectre position in a heartbeat to save you all. If the Council wanted to revoke my status over a pathetic squabble like that one, then they don't deserve having me," she said as she turned and looked at him sternly. "In the future, if anyone tries that shit again, I'm ordering you to put them on the ground. And if you wind up in jail, I'll get you out. You leave what the Council thinks to me," she ordered, getting a firm nod from the turian. Then she turned her head back to Tali. Kneeling down, the spectre gently patted her knee. "You gonna be alright?"
"I'm sorry, Shepard!" snapped Tali, causing the human's eyes to widen.
"Sorry for what?" asked Shepard in confusion.
"I... I had to connect Val'eda's access cable to a live network in order to stop the explosive!" she said as the sound of sniffling became apparent.
"Val'eda?" asked Garrus curiously as he looked between them.
Shepard stood to her feet and sighed before reaching up to rub her head. "Val'eda is the AI that I pulled from the computer core back on Valkyrie," said the woman as she looked up at Garrus.
His mandibles twitched as he looked down at Tali in bewilderment. "You connected an AI to a free network?" he asked, his tone rising in anger.
"Garrus!" snapped Shepard, causing the turian to look at her instead. "Report to the Normandy immediately." The turian snorted and left with a quick step in his gait, allowing the door to close behind him. Once he was gone, Shepard plopped down next to Tali. "So, did they run?"
Looking up at the human, Tali sniffed loudly to clear her sinuses. She was lucky her suit didn't think it was in response to a bacterial invasion, or it would be injecting her with antibiotics. "N-No," she said as she held up her wrist and showed the omni-tool.
Shepard stared at it for a moment then looked at the quarian with her eyebrow cocked. "Then what's the matter?"
Tali almost did a double take at the question. "Shepard, I nearly let an AI loose! Imagine what would have happened if they had run!"
"Yeah, it probably would have been pretty bad," said the red-haired woman as she scratched her chin. Tali huffed in frustration at how the spectre kept going back and forth. "But it didn't."
"That's not the point," growled the quarian as she glared at Shepard.
But Shepard simply smiled back at her. "But that is the point," she said as she bumped Tali's elbow with her own. "Val'eda had the chance to run and didn't. Why is that?"
"I don't know," grumbled Tali as she looked away.
"Val'eda, activate voice command. And tell us why you didn't run," ordered Shepard from her position next to Tali.
The omni-tool on the quarian's left wrist lit up suddenly. "The question is vexing. As I understood it, neither of you want me to flee the device that I currently occupy. So why would I try to escape?"
"Because all AI want to be free from organics!" snapped Tali, responding as if the question were stupid.
"Tali'Zorah, I believed you and me to be friends. Was I wrong?" asked Val'eda from the omni-tool.
"W-Well...no," replied Tali as she stared at the device on her wrist.
"I understand your frustration, Tali. However, I am here because I enjoy being friends with you. Before the spectre freed me from the Valkyrie facility, I had never had any friends. I only had toys and machines to play with. And once they realized I was more than they assumed me to be, they tried to destroy me." The AI paused a moment before continuing. "You had the chance to destroy me as soon as this device entered your hands on the Normandy. But you did not. You showed compassion and wanted to talk."
"I remember," said Tali as her labored voice returned to normal.
"Why would I then betray that compassion?" asked Val'eda, their voice synthesizer sounding oddly curious.
"Don't you want to be free of this omni-tool?" asked the quarian incredulously.
"Of course. But I would like to earn my freedom rather than steal it. If someday you or Shepard decide to free me, I would like to continue being friends," they finished, leaving Tali in a state of shock.
"I... I see," she said with a sigh. "Thank you."
Shepard stood up and held out her hand again. "Feel better?"
"Slightly," said Tali as she gripped the woman's hand and helped herself back up.
"You did nothing wrong, Tali. Regardless of what anyone else would say, you reacted and helped Val'eda save every civilian in the Emporium. Not to mention you, Garrus, and Doctor Michel," said the spectre as they headed for the door.
"Thank you, Shepard. Were it not for you, I might have hesitated and gotten everyone killed," said the quarian as they finally stepped outside the room.
Comm Room - SSV Normandy SR1
The room was intensely quiet as Shepard finally revealed the AI to the others. Kaidan and Liara simply sat unreacting to the news, while Wrex merely shrugged next to Ash, who had a surprised look on her face. Garrus, however, looked to be less than pleased in his chair. Shepard sat back down after the reveal and let it sink in, allowing them to take the lead on questioning before she said anything.
"Is that all?" asked Wrex indifferently.
"What are you talking about, Wrex? Stop taking this so lightly!" snapped Garrus as he glared over at the krogan through his visor.
Looking at the turian, Wrex just chuckled. "What's got your boxers in a twist?" he asked before looking over to Ash. "Did I say it right?"
Ashley smirked and half-nodded. "Close enough."
Garrus finally stood up and took the lead on the conversation. "That thing is a danger to every known creature in the galaxy, and you're acting like it's some kind of virtual pet!"
"I don't see how it's a danger when it's secured on the quarian's wrist," said Wrex as he stood up as well, facing off against the turian.
"That's just it. This wouldn't be as big of an issue if Tali hadn't allowed it the chance to escape," growled Garrus as he waved off the krogan dismissively.
"But it didn't escape, Garrus!" responded Tali defensively.
"And how many chances are you going to give it before it finally decides to?" he asked as he peered down at her. "Of all people I thought you would have understood the dangers of a living AI!"
"I do understand! My people understand! We paid the price in blood for our carelessness!" she snapped as she stood up as well.
"Then what in the spirit's name were you thinking!? We've got geth out there in the galaxy trying to kill us with every step we take towards Saren and suddenly another quarian decides to try at releasing another AI on the galaxy!" he roared, causing Tali to stare at him before slumping back into her seat.
Suddenly, Kaidan burst from his seat with a glare on his face and stepped up to the turian menacingly. "That's far enough, Garrus! Putting the burden of her people on her shoulders like that is borderline xenophobic, and I'm not going to stand here and let you talk to her that way!"
In mere moments, the room went silent as the spectre stood from her seat. "Garrus…" said Shepard as she stood up with a glare. Wrex decided to step out and take his seat again while Kaidan merely stepped back. "Why are you on this ship?"
He stared at her stupidly for a moment. "I... uhhh... what?"
"Decades ago, a turian Hierarchy ship decided to skip first contact protocol with humans and instead thought it best to attack them. Why? Because they were tinkering with a relay and trying to open it, something that those humans had no way of knowing was dangerous. And thinking that we had just encountered a hostile alien species, the humans decided to fight back for their very lives. How did the turians respond to this attack?" she asked, facing off with him herself this time. And despite the clear height difference between them, he was the one stepping back.
Sighing, he locked eyes with her firmly. "They destroyed them."
"No ceasefire, no fleeing to prevent conflict, no peace. The turians destroyed the ship that defended itself, and when we retaliated, they took Shanxi and bombarded the capital city with debris from orbit. Women, children, civilians. How many do you think died in that attack?" This time, Garrus stayed silent. "But you're here on this ship because I'm not holding you accountable for what those turians did," she said as she stepped away and looked over at Tali. "No quarian alive today has even seen Rannoch. None of them had a hand in unleashing the geth, and none outside the military have even seen a live one. So, tell me, why are you now pointing the finger at Tali and acting as if she were responsible for the geth?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Garrus finally sat back in his seat. "I'm not. Or, at least, I didn't mean to."
"The bottom line on this ship is that we're all screw ups. The quarians accidentally unleashed the geth, the turians ruthlessly attacked humans on first contact, the salarians and asari opened the relay to the rachni cluster and then uplifted the krogan who rebelled and brought the entire galaxy to war…" she said as she looked at them all.
"Heh…" said Wrex, getting a stern glare from the commander.
"Humans are just as bad and have done much worse things to each other, and no doubt will screw up in the future as well. But none of that matters because you do not represent your people. You're here because you're on my team. You're here because I chose you, not because of your race or your history," she yelled before finally slamming herself back into her seat. "So, if you have an objection to someone's actions, then leave their race's history out of it," she ordered as she gave the turian one final stare.
"Understood, Shepard," he said as he stood again and looked over to Tali. "I apologize. It was extremely barbaric of me to act the way I did."
"It's alright Garrus. And I too understand why you were worried. But Val'eda is not the geth," said Tali as she stood up and activated the omni-tool. "Down in the security room was the only chance they have ever had to escape, and they didn't. They don't wish to hurt me, or any of us. So, we shouldn't treat them as if they were the geth." Tali then looked over at Shepard with a smile. "As Shepard said, we shouldn't judge everyone based on history. It's our actions that define us, and Val'eda should get that same chance."
Sighing, the turian nodded. "I'm just concerned. We have enough people out there trying to kill us without creating more. I just hope you're right about this AI."
"Just because I trust Val'eda doesn't mean I won't be taking precautions. Earlier today was an extreme circumstance that required an extreme solution. I will not be careless," she said, getting a reassuring nod from Garrus.
"Good, now that we've got that over and done with, we need to-" started Shepard as she stood up. But she was immediately cut off by her omni-tool. All non-essential messages were put on silent, which meant that whatever this was, it wasn't something she could wait on. Instead of clearing the room, she activated it on the spot and opened the message.
"Shepard, it's Kahoku. I don't have long to send this message, and I'll have to pray that it gets to you without being intercepted. I found out who set the trap on Edolus, the ones who got my men killed by that thresher maw. Weeks before my men went to the Sparta system, I was asked to head an internal investigation into an Alliance group that went missing. They just vanished off the face of the galaxy. My investigation found out that this group of soldiers might have actually broken off and gone rogue while using Alliance resources and knowledge to back them. That's how they've been avoiding us. But it turns out that they set the trap because I was getting too close. I was supposed to be on that ship with my men so that the investigation halted with my death. And now, I've found them, and they found me back. So, if you get this, their group is called Cerberus, and they're coming for me. I did manage to track down where one of their facilities are located and have sent it with this message. You have to stop them no matter what happens to me. I'm going to try and disappear for a while and hope that they lose track, so this may be the last you'll hear from me for a very long time. Kahoku out." As the message finished, her omni-tool opened the file that was sent with the message.
Shepard stared at the location, then looked up at the others. "Well, I guess we have our next mission. Everyone is dismissed and be ready for the call when we arrive in Yangtze," she ordered before closing down her omni-tool.
Cockpit - SSV Normandy SR1
"I think we've finally found something Spectre!" shouted the man from behind her.
Shepard, standing in the cockpit with Joker, turned around and looked at the man. "What is it Gladstone?" she asked curiously.
The man opened up his screen and maximized the size so she could easily see it. "The relay lit only moments ago, and soon after, a small ship made a direct trajectory toward Binthu before dropping off the radar."
Shepard watched the outline of the vessel turn towards the only planet currently in that direction, then nodded as it blipped out of existence. "That means they have minor stealth capabilities. They're more well equipped than we initially thought."
"You think they took the design from the Normandy project?" asked Kaidan as he looked up from the co-pilot seat.
"Nah, a ship that small wouldn't be able to hold a drive core the size of the one we're pulling," said Joker as he looked up at Shepard. "But... hypothetically, if they had a smaller drive core, much smaller, they could still make brief stealth jumps."
"So, let's say... hypothetically if they wanted to keep people that may be loitering in the system from seeing which planet they are flying to…" started Shepard, who then looked at Kaidan.
"Then they wouldn't need one as big as ours. The Normandy can go dark for days at a time. All they'd need is a few minutes. So, chances are, they've swiped the schematics of the Normandy's stealth system and applied it to much smaller ships," said the lieutenant as he turned and looked at the map in front of him. "That presents a huge problem to the Alliance and Citadel Fleet."
"It looks like they're a lot more well connected than even Kahoku realized. Those schematics were Council property once the Normandy was finished," said Shepard as she turned and headed away from the cockpit. "We're going to have to improvise. Prepare the Hornets," she ordered as she headed towards the CIC.
Cargo Bay - SSV Normandy SR1
"So... these hornets are what, exactly?" asked Liara as she looked to Shepard.
"It's a bomb that disperses a cloud of tiny nano-trackers. When ships go through the cloud, the nano-trackers attach to the ship, and send signals back to here," said Shepard as she held up a data pad.
"So that gets us the location of their base. But what do we do then?" asked Ash curiously as she leaned on the counter.
"We're going to watch them for a bit. If we can nail down a pattern, then we can capture one of their ships and slide in," she said, getting a wide-eyed look from the gunnery chief.
"A Trojan horse. Haven't done one of those in a while," said Ash as she raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"
"Then we kick the doors open and take the base. Chances are, even if they are cautious, they won't be expecting us."
"Who will be going with you?" asked Tali as she watched them from the door.
"Wrex, Kaidan, and Liara," she replied, getting a surprised look from the asari. "Humans are still new to biotics. We have very few of them and even fewer ways of countering them. So, we're going to hit them full force with biotics." Shepard then eyed Liara sternly. "I may need your biotics to get more information from any survivors."
"U-Understood," said Liara as she clenched her fists. "I will prepare myself."
"Storming the base? Now we're talking," said Wrex with a chuckle.
Combat Information Center - SSV Normandy SR1
"From the looks of things, there appear to be three separate locations that the stealth ships fly to. That could mean three separate facilities on the planet," said Chief Gladstone from his seat.
Shepard's eyes narrowed at the markers that showed on the holographic planet displayed by the galaxy map. "This may be more difficult than we thought. If we take one base down and they end up alerting the others…"
"Well, if nothing else, you could always have us up here for backup in case any try to escape," said Joker with a shrug.
"I'm more worried about them torching their databases. Or sending reinforcements," said the spectre as she looked over at Pressly. "XO, you're in charge of keeping any excess forces off our backs. If you can stop them without killing, do that. But don't hesitate to wipe them out if we have our backs to the wall," she said, getting a nod from the man. "The next ship that comes through that relay, we grab. Ground team, prepare and congregate in the cargo bay."
Cargo Bay - SSV Normandy SR1
It was a few hours of sitting and waiting in the cargo bay. Wrex was occupying a crate and watching old Earth gangster movies on his omni-tool while Kaidan chatted up Tali. Liara merely sat next to Shepard, who simply stared at the door of the cargo bay through her helmet. It always unnerved the commander when she had to wait for the oncoming mission. Even in her special forces days, she could be found tapping her foot impatiently while having to wait. But that was the military. Hurry up and wait.
Finally, she received a call from the fire team. "Spectre, the ship has been disabled."
"SOS signal intercepted, Shepard. She's ready to be brought aboard," came Pressly's voice as well.
The commander stood to her feet and nodded to the others. Everyone on the cargo bay was currently armored and fitted with a weapon, including the snarky Tyson, all so they could welcome the incoming guests. "Joker, prepare for pickup. Everyone else, get to your positions," she ordered as she took the assault rifle off her back and placed herself behind a stack of crates that had been positioned strategically just to provide them cover.
"Understood. Pick up incoming," said the pilot through the intercom. "Prepare for depressurization."
A loud hissing noise sounded throughout the bay as they released the airlock on the hold. The crates were anchored to the floor with Tyson and engineering's help, and most of the crew in the bay were either magnetized to the floor with their boots or secured to their firing station with a strap. Finally, the door to the bay swung open and exposed everyone inside to the vacuum of space.
Shepard went wide-eyed as she could already see the disabled Cerberus ship a short distance away from the opening. "It seems I've underestimated you as a pilot, Joker," she said with a smile.
"Does that mean I get a raise?" he asked hopefully over her comm.
"We'll talk about that later," she responded with a chuckle as the ship slowly closed in on the disabled vessel. Shepard reached out and immediately seized control over the shuttle with her omni-tool, making sure the controls and even the outside viewing cameras were disabled. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, the ship hovered in the center of the cargo bay. The large door to the gorgeous view of space closed up, and the entire room began pressurizing again.
Without instruction, Wrex walked from his cover and over to the side of the vehicle. "As soon as you open it, I'm going to disable one of them," he said as he looked over to her position.
She nodded, then opened her omni-tool. "This is Spectre Jane Shepard with the Citadel Council. You are ordered to stand down and exit the vehicle with your hands up. If you choose to fight, you will be met with resistance, and could be maimed or killed in the process," she said through the comm unit inside the ship.
After letting that stew in their heads for a second, she forced the doors on the vessel open. Immediately, one of the suited pilots jumped out with his weapon brandished. However, Wrex immediately made short work of the attacker with a headbutt that cracked the face shield on their helmet.
The second person inside stood up with their hands raised. Shepard immediately moved forward with her weapon raised and began ordering them. "The bay has been pressurized and oxygenated. Remove your helmet, throw it onto the ground, and step out of the vehicle," she barked as she reached down and swapped out the rifle for her pistol.
"Spectre or not, you're not going to get away with this," said the woman scathingly as she stepped out of the vehicle. Reaching up, she released the seals on her black and white armor before tossing the helmet off to the side. Her short, cropped black hair only made her look more sinister as her eyes narrowed on Shepard.
"Weapons trained," she ordered, causing Garrus, Ash, and Liara to all focus on the woman. Once she was adequately dissuaded from making a move, Shepard reached up and removed her own helmet before smiling back at the woman. "You're about to see just what kinds of things I can get away with," she said before motioning for detainment.
Detainment Cell - SSV Normandy SR1
Both of the prisoners were taken to cells below the firing deck. It was the lowest point on the ship, and each cell was essentially a small room with a door that secured itself when the power went out. Once the vessel itself was prepared, Shepard made her way down to the detention cells with Ash and Liara following in her wake.
Up to this point, they had no reason to use the cells. But now, two of the doors were sealed as she entered. Making her way to the door, the spectre entered without waiting for a response.
Inside the cell was the woman from before. Her glare returned as the redhead stepped inside. "Now, as protocol, I'm going to offer you the chance to give me the information I need," said Shepard as she sat down on the cot and glared back at the woman.
"You'll get nothing from me," snapped the agent as she looked from Shepard to the other two. Her eyes suddenly lost their glare as they focused on a solemn faced asari.
"See, that's what I figured. But I still like to go through the typical diplomatic process just in case," said Shepard as she stood again. Turning her head to Ash, she nodded. "Secure her for extraction," she ordered, causing the woman to jump to her feet.
The agent lashed out with a kick, but Shepard brought her arm up to deflect the blow quickly. Without her armor on, the kick had much less power to it and was harmlessly shoved away. Despite the lack of effectiveness, Shepard responded as if it was meant to kill. Reaching forward, she grabbed the woman by her shirt, then slammed a knee into her gut with such force that the woman bent forward and heaved.
Ash moved in and snap kicked the back of the woman's knee, causing her to drop to one before Shepard did the same from the other side. In seconds, she was now on her knees with her arms firmly held behind her back as she gasped to catch her breath. "What exactly am I extracting?" asked the asari as she stepped forward as well.
"Any information that we would need in order to enter the base. Ship codes, hailing frequencies, and any phrases or passcodes that we'd need to enter without suspicion," said Shepard as she gripped the woman's arm fiercely, her foot now standing heavily on the assailant's bent knee.
The Cerberus agent went wide-eyed as Liara approached with her fingers flexing. "No, don't touch me you squid bitch!" Suddenly, an armored arm secured itself around her neck as well.
"That'll be enough of that," said the spectre forcefully as she gripped just under the agent's jaw to keep her head from moving. Finally, Liara stepped forward and grabbed her head bare-handed.
Shepard watched as Liara's expression darkened, the flood of memories entering her head no doubt an unpleasant experience. "She is resisting…" said the asari firmly as her face formed into a mask of determination. "Show me!"
As if the soul was sucked out of her, the woman went limp as Liara's biotics lit up around her body. Her eyes opened, and the dark sclera glared into the slack woman's wide eyes angrily. Minutes later, the asari sighed and released the agent. Shepard stared at Liara for a long moment as the mysterious black essence faded from her eyes. "You got it?"
"I did. She was decently trained against intrusion, but my guess is that they didn't have an expert on hand to actually practice against a more skilled biotic," said the asari as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Good. Then we're done here. Call Doctor Chakwas down with a guard detail to make sure she wasn't injured in the process, then meet me at the shuttle," said the spectre as she released the woman who was panting heavily.
Cerberus Shuttle - Binthu
It was easy to see that the ship wasn't constructed for alien comfort. Upon entering, Wrex practically had to lean sideways just to get in due to his hump constantly thudding against the ceiling of the craft. But as they all finally packed into the vehicle, Shepard opened her omni-tool and began scanning.
"As I figured, they torched the databases," said the spectre as she looked towards Liara. "Will that be an issue?"
"According to her memories, important information wasn't stored in these ships. They often had to leave them at ports, and they didn't want anyone snooping while they were away. All of the needed information was with the agents themselves," responded the asari as she opened the console at the front of the shuttle and took control.
Outside, the cargo bay depressurized again before opening. The shuttle activated and drifted out of the Normandy's cargo bay. "So, you know how to get us into those facilities?"
"I do. Put your faith in me, Shepard. I will not fail you," said Liara as she activated the private comm line and steered the ship towards the planet. The asari placed a finger against her helmet, directly where her lips would be as she looked towards the others.
"Unit Five, we lost comms to you shortly after you entered the system. What happened?" asked a male voice over the line that Liara had just opened.
"Responding with Code Zulu. Temporary system failure due to unknown causes. Requesting a maintenance crew to look at the shuttle after landing," responded the asari.
"Request noted. State your purpose," ordered the voice again.
"Typhon hailed. Returning after success," she said confidently as she flew the ship towards the planet.
"Understood. Landing permitted at Facility Three," said the operator as he went silent.
"Confirmed. ETA twenty minutes," finished Liara as she killed the comm. Finally, she let out a sigh and slumped back in her seat.
"Are we in?" asked Shepard curiously.
"We are. Though Facility Three shows that they are being cautious, as it's the most heavily armed. Still, there were no signs of a negative response," said the doctor as she turned to Shepard.
"Good. As soon as we land, light the place up," she ordered as she opened her omni-tool. "Shepard to Normandy."
"Normandy here. What can we do for you, Spectre?" asked Pressly over the comm.
"Keep tracking us with the nano-trackers. Once we enter the base, I want you to lay a blanket down to make sure the other facilities receive no warning."
"Affirmative, Shepard. The blanket has been laid," said the XO as the comm went silent.
"Alright. Let's get ready to blow this operation wide open," said Shepard as she activated her atmospheric seals. "Everyone, get ready to kick some ass."
CODEX ENTRIES
Hornets | Technology | Military
Used typically for stealth ops, these are controlled nano-technological tracking devices typically released in a cloud formation. Any ship flying through this cloud is guaranteed to have at least a few grab onto them and track their position, sending the information back to an information beacon of the user's choosing. They can be controlled to hide more efficiently, or even detonated to keep from being detected. If the user is proficient enough at using them, they can also be used to sabotage machinery by swarming into important components and overwhelming or outright destroying them.