Chapter 54
Cockpit – SSV Normandy SR1
She had yawned multiple times since they had arrived back at the Citadel. The flight from the SSV Kilimanjaro was a pretty long one and the shuttle they took didn't have an auto-driving VI, leaving her tired and listless. As she and Liara stepped inside the decontamination airlock, she felt herself yawn again.
Liara eyed her curiously as she did. "Are all human reflexes so blatant?" she asked with a small smile.
"Mostly, yes. We, like the asari, have very expressive faces, so sometimes it's hard to hide a reflexes. Yawning is especially odd however because we have yet to figure out why we do it. Thus far, it serves no purpose other than indicating when we are tired. What's even more confusing is one human yawning sometimes makes others around them yawn regardless of whether they're tired or not. Try and figure that one out," she said as she stepped into the cockpit.
"Little sneaky gnarshrat!" came Wrex's voice from the cockpit. Shepard looked over to see the strange sight of Joker in his pilot seat and Wrex sitting in the copilot seat, both of them holding controllers as they played some kind of holo game. The pair walked over to the seats to see what was happening.
"What're you all doing up here?" asked Shepard as she spied the pair.
Joker looked up at her with a grin. "Oh, nothing much, just handing Wrex his redundant ass in Mortal Kombat," he said, getting a red glare from the krogan.
"How'd you get him interested in playing Mortal Kombat?" asked the spectre as her eyebrow raised.
"I wanted to buy a new game, he said that humans only made baby games about fantasy worlds. I believe he also mentioned how humans could never make a brutal enough game to interest krogans," he said as he input a sequence into his controller. Liara immediately gasped and covered her mouth as one of the characters on screen literally ripped the other in half, showing every gory detail of the process.
Wrex stared at it in awe as Liara turned away. "Holy hell, humans are crazy," said the krogan with an appreciative smile. "Go again, Jeff! I wanna see what my character can do."
Shepard was immediately taken aback at Wrex's use of Joker's first name. She looked back and forth between the two curiously, wondering if they had somehow become blood brothers in the time they had been on the Citadel. Suddenly, she yawned again, then Joker yawned right after, shooting her a glare as he did. "Dammit, Shepard!"
Liara went wide-eyed at the exchange, no doubt surprised at seeing the odd occurrence firsthand. Shepard stopped leaning on the seats and turned to walk down the empty aisle back to the CIC. "You all have fun with that. I'mma take a nap," she said, stretching her arms as Liara followed her.
Suddenly, her omni-tool pinged, causing her to hold it up to see an unusual message aimed at her. [Need your assistance with another case. Please meet us at Citadel Tower as soon as possible.] She glowered at the message; her eye twitching as she looked at the elevator at the back of the CIC. It was so close, and all she had to do was ignore the message and get back to them later.
"Is something the matter, Shepard?" asked Liara curiously from beside her.
Sighing, the spectre reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I have to head back to the Presidium."
"Should I go with you?" asked the asari, who was showing signs of tiredness herself.
But Shepard shook her head. "No, go get some rest. Hopefully this won't take more than a few minutes and I'll be back and face down in my bed soon." The asari nodded and headed for the elevator as Shepard turned back around and exited the Normandy again, a scowl on her face as she left.
Citadel Tower – Presidium – Citadel
"Is there a reason you couldn't contact me over the comms?" asked Shepard as she finally approached the Council, who were standing on their usual platforms and waiting for her.
They said nothing, but Sparatus reached out and tapped his datapad briefly. Immediately, a blurred energy field surrounded them. Shepard looked around curiously, knowing that the tech was used to prevent others from viewing anything besides a blurred image, and it prevented any kind of electrical signals as well, allowing nobody to hear what was going on inside. She turned back to the Council, the hairs on her arm prickling at the safety precaution being taken.
Sparatus cleared his throat briefly before he started speaking. "Spectre, we are in the unfortunate position of asking for your assistance with another Spectre," he said, getting a curious look from her. "Besides Saren, I mean."
"Did another one go rogue?" she asked as she crossed her arms.
This time, Valern spoke solemnly to her. "No, thankfully. But I fear something much worse may have happened," he said letting out a heavy sigh. "Your overseer during your Spectre trial, Spectre Lanis Tol Vura Vassos Zellin Casso…" her eyes widened slightly at hearing the name. "We sent him with an STG group on a specific mission out near the Terminus Systems. They were supposed to be assisting your cause in helping to track down potential leads on Saren."
"I appreciate the assistance," she said as she looked between them all. "Has something happened to him?"
Tevos sighed and shook her head. "The trouble is, we don't know. He and the STG team that we sent him with were in the system for less than a week. They were apparently tracking an odd shipment of prisoners through the Terminus, a few of which who had worked for Saren before."
Sparatus picked up where she had left off. "When they arrived at a planet named Virmire, they sent reports of an unknown facility."
Shepard reached up and scratched her red hair curiously. "Is the planet habitable?"
Valern nodded dutifully. "A wise question. And yes, it is. A paradise, some would call it. However, the issue lies in it being literally on the border between the Traverse and the Terminus Systems. To put any kind of colony there would practically invite piracy and raids," he said with a sigh. "Even the corporations well known for not caring about the welfare of their employees knows that it wouldn't be profitable to set up on Virmire."
"Understood. So, we have a battleground planet in the Traverse that pirates are too afraid to inhabit because of the Citadel Fleet, and Council Space is too afraid to inhabit because of pirates," she responded, getting a nod from Tevos.
The asari spoke up again. "That is why it was odd to have found a structure set up so blatantly on the surface," she said as she tapped her console and opened a picture for her to see. The facility itself looked relatively plain, like something you'd see on the Citadel or any of its colonies. "The STG spotted several checkpoints surrounding this facility, however. What you see here is the last understandable burst we received before we lost contact."
"Understandable?" asked Shepard curiously as she stared at the picture of the checkpoints.
"We received a burst filled with static shortly afterwards. We don't know if their equipment was damaged somehow, if they experienced electromagnetic interference… or worse," said Sparatus as he went to shut down the visual.
But Shepard stopped him as she held her hand up. "Wait… bring up the picture of the checkpoint and zoom in," she ordered politely as her brows furrowed. Doing as she asked, the turian eyed her curiously. Shepard stared at the shape for a long moment, something screaming familiarity at her. Suddenly, the answer smacked her in the face, making her eyes widen as she recognized the cone shaped tops of the checkpoints. "The geth…"
"What's this?" asked Valern as he gave her a curious look with his voluminous eyes.
"In Armstrong, we saw those same types of structures built into the worlds. They were small geth bases supposedly capable of blasting a ship out of orbit from the surface of a planet," she said, getting a shocked look from the Councilors.
"And… you're sure about this?" asked Tevos incredulously.
"We never saw it firsthand, but they weren't too shy to brag about it," said the spectre as she looked at them. "I'm sorry Councilors, but there's a chance that both your Spectre and the STG team have been shot down."
"If true, that would also confirm their suspicions about Saren on Virmire. If the geth are there, then he has to be as well," said the turian as he looked to the others. Shepard's expression remained blank, knowing that expressing her theory of a detached group of geth from Saren without any kind of evidence wouldn't go over well. Although, she had to be honest that this looked like Saren's geth at work.
"Maybe. Most of the time we get a lead on him, he's already left by the time we get there. The holopics didn't show his ship anywhere, so he might not be there either," she said as she reached up and ran a hand through her hair. "That said, unlike the other areas he's been, he actually had this one built rather than invading it for something he needed. Either way, if Saren is involved, then I'll find out. And… I'll do my best to get any survivors out alive," she said as she looked from one to the other, her expression stern.
"We have faith in you, spectre. But please, do not get yourself into the same situation as they may be. Losing one Spectre is hard enough to imagine but losing one veteran as well as our first human would be devastating," said Tevos with a caring note in her voice.
"Your concern is noted, and appreciated Councilor," said Shepard as she smiled lightly.
"Spectre," started Sparatus. Shepard looked up at his tall form curiously. "If you find Saren when you get there, you have full authorization, and the full backing of the Hierarchy of Palaven to dispose of him. Show him what happens to traitors."
"I'll keep that in mind, Councilor. But I'd rather bring him in for questioning, if possible," she said, getting a somewhat disappointed nod from the turian.
Finally, Valern spoke. "Be careful, Spectre. Not just of Saren and his geth. Virmire is contested territory, so try not to start a war while you're out there. And watch your back for pirates," said the salarian firmly.
Shepard looked between them all curiously. It was odd seeing them all so concerned for her welfare. Then again, she had been through a lot with them all. She recalled the first time she stood on this very dais as they looked down on her with their judging eyes, her own finger pointed at them as she snapped at them for releasing highly classified files to a potential traitor. Tevos, the rock of the group, the foundation upon which the Council stood with her kindness, wisdom, and diplomacy. Sparatus, the sword and shield, with his aggressive loyalty to Council Space and his willingness to defend it at any cost. Valern, the mind, ever curious and vigilant, keeping knowledge and using it to the benefit of everyone.
Giving them one last smile, she raised her fist and clenched it in front of them. "Don't worry. If Saren is there, I'll drag him kicking and screaming back here to stand trial for everything he's done. And if he refuses, then I'll make sure he never threatens Citadel Space again," she said, getting a look of approval from them all before she turned and left the tower again with fire in her eyes.
Bridge – SSV Normandy SR1
"So, this may be it, huh?" came Ash's voice from the consoles in front of the galaxy map.
Shepard eyed the gunnery chief and gave her a light shrug. "Could be. Could also just be another planet behind him where we have to clean up his geth," she said in a melancholic tone. Recalling the last couple times, they had tracked a lead on Saren there was a blatant pattern. "But unlike all the other leads we've had, this isn't just some place he stopped to get something. This place was built by the geth with orbital protection, which means that there's something important there. And my gut tells me that we aren't just going there to find out Saren got what he needed and left."
"We've learned to trust your instinct, Shepard," said Kaidan with a chuckle as he walked up as well and nodded to the spectre. "Don't worry. He can run and hide as much as he likes, he can't escape you forever."
"Let's hope we don't have to find out," said Shepard with a smirk.
Suddenly, Garrus walked up as well. "If I had seen what you've accomplished, I'd run at the first sight of you too," said the turian with a cheeky tone to his voice.
Liara chimed in from one of the nearby consoles. "We all know he's avoiding a straight fight with her."
Even Tali and Wrex approached the small gathering, making it look like some form of squad meeting. Tali spoke first, "Of course, that's why he's always gone when she arrives. Too afraid he's going to get his leh'tat kicked," said the quarian with a small giggle.
"Heh… whether this mission, the next, or the one after that, Shepard. One day, you'll be standing with your boot on his throat," said the krogan with a large smirk on his face.
Shepard looked at them all, unable to hide a smile as she saw all of their grinning confidence. She let out a small sigh before shaking her head. "I love you guys, you know that?" she said as she looked over them all, appreciating every one of them for being at her side no matter what. Suddenly, Tali stepped forward and hugged Shepard. As surprised as she was, she hugged back, soon followed by Ash, then Liara. Kaidan and Garrus chuckled as they swooped in for the group hug as well, then Wrex stepped up and grabbed all of them, squeezing them all tight.
"Don't ever tell anyone about this," grumbled the mercenary, causing the others to chuckle.
Pressly laughed from his console as he spoke. "Rules against fraternization prevent me from hugging you, however I do want you to know that I'm with you til the end, Shepard."
Joker chimed in from the cockpit as well. "Same here. No hugs though, I'd like to keep my bones in one piece," he said with a smirk, earning a laugh from the whole group.
Shepard reached up and rubbed her eyes gently to prevent the sting of tears from flowing. "You guys are the best. And I want you to know that when or if we ever part ways, you can always come to me for anything. You'll always be welcome on my crew," she said with a warm smile to them all. "Now, get back to your duty stations before I kick your ass for making me emotional," she said, getting a laugh from everyone before they followed her orders and went back to their stations.
Shepard let out a quiet sigh and headed for the elevator, her tiredness creeping back into her brain.
Captain's Quarters – SSV Normandy SR1
She laid on the bed, her tiredness gripping her as she stared at the ceiling. She hadn't had the nightmares for a while thanks to Liara's magical touch, suppressing the darkness and filling her with joy instead. But without the asari here, she could easily feel the edges of her mind beginning to gnaw with the same dread she had witnessed the day the beacon implanted those memories into her mind. She wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep now and was considering calling Liara to help her again.
But all thoughts flew from her mind as she heard her comm start to beep on her omni-tool. Turning her head, she glared at the device for intruding on her time but reached over and grabbed it anyway. She looked at the display to see who was responsible and was surprised to see the familiar number of Barla Von, the finance guru volus from the Presidium. Reaching up, she opened the call without even getting up from her bed. "Can I help you Zan-Barla?" asked the spectre curiously.
"Ah, good evening, Spectre. It's good to hear from… you again," he said slowly in a friendly tone.
"Glad to hear. Can I help you with something?" she asked impatiently.
"I would hope so. You see, I recently… heard that you received information… regarding Cerberus. And my employer… who you are familiar with, would like to pay… a not insubstantial sum of credits… for this information," he responded formally.
Shepard eyed the volus's face through the comm screen. "What makes you think I would share secret information with someone who I don't even know?"
"I absolutely understand… your position. As an intel operator, information is very… important, and can sometimes be very… dangerous," he said as he reached up to gently tap his mouthpiece. "However, I would like to be… completely transparent with you. The information is rather… mundane given that it… pertains to facilities… that are now abandoned. Also, it will… find its way to the Shadow Broker regardless. But it will be easier if we… simply get it from you. We pay you; you give is the information, and we are all happy."
She stared at him for a long moment, many thoughts and options running through her head as she considered the repercussions of giving the information. He was right that it wasn't really much to give, to be honest. It held information on the bases she already destroyed, and their plans to create an army of rachni, which were all failures. There isn't much they could do with that, and the information on the rachni themselves was freely available in the Citadel Archives to anyone with a Class 2 authorization.
Then, something clicked in her mind, making her smile at the volus. "Alright Zan-Barla. I'll give you the information, you send me the pay to this account," she said as she gave him a specific address.
The volus gave a small grunt of a chuckle. "A charity for the liberation… of batarian citizens? Very upstanding of you considering… your former occupation," he said as he looked from the pad back up to her. "When can I expect the data?"
"I'll get it to you in one hour," she remarked as she got up off her bed and stepped over to her new computer desk.
"I'm glad we've come to an understanding, Zan-Shepard. As soon as the data… is in my hands, I will forward the funds to… this account under your… name. May Jor watch over you," he said, the screen going blank as he ended the call.
Sitting at her desk, she pulled up the information she had on Cerberus and smiled lightly. "You want the data, you can have it," she said as she began writing a script inside the background of the data.
Virmire Air Space – Virmire – Hoc System
"Spectre, we're getting a signal from the surface," said Tanaka from his station near the cockpit.
"What's it saying?" asked Shepard as she glanced at the planetary surface in holographic form.
"Nothing really. It's all static," responded the communications officer.
"Hmmm…" she hummed to herself as she stared at the holograph. "Can we tell where the signal is coming from?
Gladstone began working rapidly as the Normandy flew further into the planetary airspace, its stealth systems the only thing keeping it safe. Joker admired the view as they saw a crystal-clear paradise of lush green forests with deep blue waters in the ocean. "Damn, if this weren't so far out in the boonies it'd make a great vacation colony," said the pilot as his eyes switched to an alert from Gladstone.
The tracking officer turned to Shepard. "We've got a lock on the signal, but we also confirmed your intel of ground to airspace weapon towers surrounding the facility."
"Joker, make sure we're quiet and bring us in a ways from the cannons. We'll take them out just to make sure they don't pull anything during extraction," ordered Shepard as she turned away from the holograph and headed for the armory.
Surface of Virmire – Virmire
The landing was harder than usual, but she had grown used to that. The Mako was a literal rolling shield, and landing wasn't the focus of its design. Luckily it had strong enough shocks to absorb the fall from the ship and continue rolling. Shepard shook her head to clear it before she finally grabbed the wheel and began driving.
"Wow, look at this place," remarked Ash as she looked at the digital view of the outside. "I wouldn't mind retiring here."
Garrus chuckled as he spun the mako's weapon around to face the direction they were going. "I could see it. Having apha in the morning while sitting on the roost, then having lunch, then fighting off pirates that are trying to take everything you have in the evening. Sounds like a dream."
"Hey, get a big enough force of retired fighters on the world and the pirates wouldn't dream of attacking," said the gunnery chief with a smirk behind her visor.
"Heh… wait for the pirates to come through and then blow them out of the sky. Then use the materials from their ships to keep reinforcing the defenses. I'd settle for that any day," remarked Wrex as he held his shotgun over his lap.
"Maybe we'll give the idea to the Council," said Shepard as she drove the mako over the sands of the pristine beaches. The wheels sent sand flying as she weaved her way around each of the high cliff faces while avoiding the water to keep from losing control. It wasn't long before they got the attention they expected as geth drones flew from behind the cliffs and began pelting the Mako's shields with hostile fire. "Garrus?"
"I got 'em Shepard," responded the turian as he aimed the barrel of the weapon and hit the auto-cannons. The rapid fire of the coaxial machine guns shredded through their shields and turned them into burning scrap that crashed into the sand below. Many more drones swarmed to take their place, but the cannons on the mako were too powerful against the primitive drones.
But the easy ride wouldn't last as they rounded a cliff and found actual geth ground units aiming at them. "Damn!" shouted Shepard as she threw the vehicle in reverse as plasma fire bypassed the shields and splashed onto the nose of the vehicle, stripping the paint and warping the metal. The 155mm cannon on top of the tank fired, blasting one of the geth in half before it could put up its shields.
Then Garrus turned to another that had dropped its hex shield. Firing the autocannons, the shield flickered out, allowing the geth itself to get disassembled by the automatic fire. Shepard hit the accelerator again and swerved the vehicle around the cliff as a juggernaut class geth raised a rocket launcher to fire at them. Her eyes narrowed as she accepted the game of chicken and sped towards the automaton.
The geth fired the rocket, and Shepard hit the jump jets, boosting the vehicle into the air just high enough that the rocket flew underneath it and exploded harmlessly on the beach behind them. Shepard smirked as the wheels of the vehicle hit the sand again and they charged forward, slamming into the geth so violently that it was sucked under the large wheels of the tank and crushed flat before the scraps were hurled out behind the vehicle. The few that were left were finished off by Garrus on the gun as Shepard drove the vehicle through the small inlet pools
"Looks like the geth are clear here, Shepard!" said Garrus as he spun the weapon around just to make sure.
"Alright but keep your eyes forward because we're about to hit one of the checkpoints and they know we're coming!" she ordered as she drove around the edge of another peaceful cliff with the waters lapping at the sands beneath it. As soon as she turned the corner, she swerved so that the front of the vehicle faced the large gateway built into the cliffside. It was a two-story structure, the top full of geth aimed directly at them, and the bottom mostly taken up by the reinforced gates that were currently closed. "Garrus, do you have a good shot?" she asked as she drove the vehicle closer.
The automatic fire from the mako's machine guns ripped away at the geth's shields, causing them to duck behind the cover on the second floor. "I've got you covered, Shepard. Their heads are down."
"Good! You two, with me!" she shouted as she opened the hatch of the mako and launched herself out, pistol ready. Ash and Wrex followed soon after and together they formed a breach formation with the krogan at the front before moving up the ramp to the second floor. Wrex immediately charged from his position and fully slammed a geth that had been hiding into the wall, stunning it briefly before he blasted it apart with his shotgun.
Shepard waved her hand and stunned too more that had noticed the commotion further down the walkway before sprinting forward and blasting through one's core, then she threw her weight into a drop kick that sent the other flying over the barricade and right into Garrus's machine gun fire. Ash jumped over Shepard as a larger geth with a menacing plasma weapon emerged from the other side of the wall and aimed at the spectre.
The gunnery chief ignored her weapon and sent a devastating uppercut into the bottom of the weapon. The geth's arms folded and the face of the weapon turned upwards, pointing directly at the holder's head before firing. The plasma hit the geth and ate through its head in seconds, causing it to collapse on the spot as its weapon self-destructed with it. Pulling her assault rifle up, she sent rounds down the long hallway that lead to the control center for the giant anti-aircraft weapons on top of the checkpoint, and likely the gate as well. The geth at the end of the hall played more carefully and took cover as the chief knocked their shields out.
"Wrex, you got this?" asked Shepard as she rolled to her feet and covered the door from the other side, her pistol up next to her head.
"Heh… do you even need to ask?" he roared as a biotic aura covered his entire, massive body. In an instant, he vanished in a flash of blue light and appeared at the end of the hallway, the biotic blast from the charge knocking both of the remaining geth off their feet. Within seconds, the krogan had finished them off, leaving the control center open. "Room clear, Shepard," said the mercenary over the comm.
"Affirmative," responded the spectre as she moved down the hallway with her pistol aimed down. The gunnery chief quickly followed her and together they entered a small, circular room with terminals covering its walls. Immediately, Shepard opened her omni-tool and began the work of cracking into the locked computers.
"Garrus, the control center is secure. Keep an eye on our backs," said Ash over the comm as she too kept an eye down the hallway to make sure they weren't boxed in.
"You got it, Chief. Things look clear out here, but I'll keep overwatch," he retorted before closing the comm.
Shepard worked a few moments longer before nodding. "Got it. The cannons are disabled, and the controls destroyed. But the gateway isn't cooperating," she said as she turned to the terminal nearest to the door.
Wrex eyed it curiously before raising his shotgun and blowing the entire display off the wall. All of the holographic displays vanished, and the components shattered against the floor. Shepard eyed him sternly before Garrus called over the comm again. "Gates are open, Shepard."
"That's how a krogan fixes things," he said as he gave her a smirk, then turned and trundled down the hallway again.
Ash chuckled as she followed him. "Can't argue with results."
Even Shepard smiled and shook her head as she closed her omni-tool and followed them back to the vehicle. Climbing back into the pilot's seat, she sealed the vehicle again before driving through the shallow puddle that lie in the gateway, speeding out of the other side, and fighting their way to the next checkpoint where an armored colossus stood before them. "Ahhh hell…" groaned the spectre in annoyance.
Unknown Forest – Surface of Virmire – Virmire
"Our readings show the guns are down, Spectre," came Pressly's call over the comm.
"Affirmative. Them and every damn geth on the planet…" growled Shepard as she drove the limping tank through the swampy forested area, its shell now warped in many places, one of its wheels was nearly blown off and not working at all, and the weapon now locked in one immovable position. "What's the location of the signal?"
"About two kilometers to the northwest, Spectre. They appear to be stranded near a beach at the edge of the forest," responded the XO.
"Got it. We're going in first. You stay where you're at until we give the okay that it's not an ambush," she ordered as she continued to drive the broken monstrosity.
"Affirmative Spectre, holding our position," said Pressly before the comm cut out.
It took twenty minutes of grinding the nearly destroyed mako through the forested area before making it to the beach outside of a large wall. Stopping the vehicle, she popped the hatch and jumped out, resigning it to the waves as her squad got out and followed her through the lapping waters and onto the shore where she saw a familiar face.
Smiling for the first time in hours, she let out a heavy sigh. Reaching up, she cupped her hands together in the salarian greeting. Getting a grim smirk from the salarian, he did the same. "Good to see you again, Shepard," said the spectre as she stepped up to him.
"Been a while, Zellin. I heard you dropped off the radar, so I came to find you," she said as she noticed a group of salarians gathering in the background and eyeing her curiously. Reaching up, she activated her comm. "Pressly, send the backup down to my location. We've got friendlies."
"Roger, Spectre. On our way," said the man before she closed the comm and looked from Zellin over to the others.
"I take it this is the STG team?" she asked curiously.
"Indeed," said the spectre as he turned to the others. "This is Team Leader, Captain Kirrahe."
"Pleased to meet you, Spectre Shepard," said the salarian as he laid one hand on top of the other, as he too gave Surakesh's blessing. "With the introductions out of the way, I'd like to speak to you."
"I'm all ears," she said, getting a confused look from the salarian. "I mean… I'm listening."
"Ah… a human expression," said the animated figure who now held his hands locked behind his back. "Feel free to bring your squad into the temporary field quarters. Spectre Casso and I will inform you of the happenings inside."
She nodded and looked up just as the shuttle from the Normandy touched down on the beach. "Understood, we'll just be a moment."
STG Temporary Field Quarters – Virmire
"I believe it would be advantageous if you were to tell us what you already know," said Kirrahe as he sat across the flimsy table from the two spectres.
Shepard nodded and brought up the photos the councilors gave her. "We received the burst you sent giving us these holopics. I surmised due to experience that the checkpoints around the entire facility were all of geth origin, leading us to believe that you had indeed found a facility built by Saren," she said as she put the photos away.
The salarian frowned. "That is all you received?"
She nodded and gave the captain a shrug. "The rest of the data we sent was all static."
Ever the cool one, Captain Kirrahe let out a sigh and continued. "I believe our signal of distress and other data may have been sabotaged by the presence of Sovereign."
Immediately, all of Shepard's squad, including Shepard herself went wide eyed. Shepard spoke for them all when she said, "Sovereign is here? Now?"
"Indeed. We were tracking those anti-orbital guns carefully using information we traded from the Migrant Fleet on geth facilities. However, we didn't anticipate that a ship as large as Sovereign could move as quickly as it did, and it found us. It shot us down and we have been hiding and maneuvering through the forests to avoid detection by Saren's geth," he stated firmly. "Before being shot down, we left a tracking probe floating near the relay that alerted us to your presence in the system. So, we set up here and turned our signal back on."
"Wait, how did you know it was us?" asked Ash curiously from Shepard's right side.
"We didn't know it was you. If it was, then we had hoped you got our information in order to avoid our same fate. And if it was a pirate or raider, then our signal would lead them right into Saren's orbital weapons' range," he said firmly, showing no regard to the lives of pirates.
"Win win as you humans say," said Wrex with a smirk.
Kirrahe eyed the krogan suspiciously before turning back to the spectre. "In any case, the facility we are stationed just outside of… obviously, belongs to Saren and is filled with his geth. It's a research facility that he set up outside of the Council's eye."
"How did you even find this place?" asked Tali curiously.
Kirrahe cleared his throat for a moment before turning to Shepard. "Does your crew make a habit of interjecting with irrelevant questions?"
Her eyes narrowed on him. "Consider my crew an extension of myself. If they ask for information, assume I'm asking it," she said sharply at the agent's attitude.
Kirrahe looked over to Zellin, who nodded knowingly. With a heavy sigh, he continued. "As you wish," he began, his voice filled with annoyance. "After investigating Saren for a while, we noticed an odd pattern surrounding him. His men, the people who work under him, often disappeared without explanation. We didn't know what happened to them until Spectre Casso here alerted us to their presence on a slave manifest that was being shipped out to the Terminus Systems. So, we planted two of our men with tracking dots, and had them work as mercenaries for weeks before Saren offered them a job."
Kaidan's eyes widened slightly. "You threw your own men into the fire?" he asked incredulously.
The salarian eyed him sternly. "We threw nobody anywhere. We are the Special Tasks Group. We are dedicated to our cause, and we are willing to put our lives on the line if the cause is just. And I believe we both know how important it is that we stop this threat."
"So, what happened to your men?" asked Shepard curiously.
Nodding, the captain continued. "We are unsure. They received the job from Saren, did some work for him tracking down specific people who had interacted with prothean technology, and reported back in. Of course, they didn't hand the people over, as aiding a rogue Spectre is the last thing we'd want to do. So, he deemed our men unreliable. They went off the radar, just like the others."
"So, you used the tracking dots implanted in their bodies?" asked Shepard, getting a nod from the captain.
"We tracked them here, but we do not know of their current status. While I would like to save them if they are still alive, our first priority is blowing this place off the planet, which will be difficult to do given that most of the facility is underground," he said as he clenched his fist.
"Why? What is Saren doing here?" asked Shepard as she leaned forward on the table.
"It turns out he created this facility as a research and development lab that is a threat to the entire galaxy. While we don't know what the slaves, including our men, were brought here for, we have learned in our time here that Saren is using this laboratory to breed an army of mindless krogan," he said, his eyes locked on Shepard.
The room was silent for a long moment before Wrex spoke up. "Could you run that by me again?" asked the mercenary.
Standing up, Kirrahe faced Wrex and gave him a look of intolerance. "Saren is using this place to breed mindless krogan that he uses as soldiers to do his bidding."
"How is that possible?" asked Wrex as he dropped all humor in his tone and planted his hands on the table.
"Apparently, Saren has found a way around the genophage by using cloning. He replicates their DNA and creates new soldiers, each replica more unstable than the next," said the captain with a glare.
"He's got the geth behind him who are capable of manufacturing a potentially endless number of soldiers and fleets, and now he's cloning an army of endless krogan soldiers to do his bidding…" growled Shepard as she stood as well. "I now understand why you said this place has to be wiped off the planet."
"Wiped off the planet? I don't think so," rumbled Wrex as he faced Shepard. "My people are dying a slow and painful death, Shepard. This technology may be able to help stabilize our growth and keep us from going extinct."
"Anyone using this technology could breed and army of mindless brutes that could take over Citadel Space. We cannot allow it to leave this planet," said Kirrahe firmly as he glared at Wrex. "We cannot repeat our past mistakes and let anyone-"
Wrex immediately lunged forward and grabbed the salarian by the collar of his uniform as every STG agent in the tent, as well as Spectre Zellin now aiming their weapons at him. "We are not a mistake you scrawny, spineless little rodent," he shouted aggressively before shoving him backwards. Two of Kirrahe's men caught and helped him stand up straight as Wrex smashed through the flimsy table angrily before stomping out of the tent.
Everyone watched him go before the STG captain turned back to Shepard with a disapproving look on his face. "Is he going to be a problem? Because we already have enough angry krogan to deal with."
"I'll deal with Wrex. In the meantime, you need to find a way to take this facility out. The Excalibur we have on the Normandy can bombard the place and destroy it from the surface, but it isn't capable of fully destroying a facility that's build underground," she said as she turned to leave the tent.
"We will formulate a plan to take out the base. Give us a few minutes to figure out how," he said as he turned to the others.
Shepard stepped out of the tent and stared at the krogan who was meters away, firing his shotgun into the ocean. Kaidan and Ash moved to either side of the spectre. Kaidan was the first to remark. "He looks pretty pissed. I mean… more pissed than usual."
Shepard nodded. "I can't really blame him. The Council treats krogan as little more than neutered pests," said the spectre as she gave a heavy sigh. "I can see why he would want to save the tech here."
"You might want to go talk to him. I trust Wrex, and I don't think he'd betray us over this, but it couldn't hurt to calm him down," she said as she looked at Shepard. "Well… actually, it might hurt a little bit depending on his reaction."
Kaidan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, he is a bit punchy."
"Alright you two, stay here and see if you can help Rentola and the others with whatever cockamamie plan they have brewing," she said as she moved forward, her feet carrying her towards the angry krogan.
Shepard stopped on the sand rather than entering the water with him, causing him to stop firing his weapon into the lagoon. His weapon arm slackened, and he dropped the shotgun into the sand as he turned towards Shepard. She could easily see the orange tint in his eyes as he glared at her. "This isn't right Shepard. This technology could help my people."
Shepard crossed her arms and stared at Wrex. "You and I have been through a lot together, Wrex. I can understand your anger, but Saren is who that anger should be pointed at."
"Why?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders. "Saren found a way to get around the genophage. Give me one reason why I should be mad at him when you're the one who wants to destroy it!" he said angrily. He stood there a moment before his body sagged, his hostility seeming to die out. "Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and enemy have always been drawn between us, but it's starting to blur."
"I really shouldn't have to explain to you why we can't let Saren or anyone else have control of technology that can breed mindless clones into an army!" she snapped as she spread her arms wide.
Wrex stepped forward and glared deeply into her eyes. "Indulge me, Shepard," he said as he raised a finger and poked her chest armor. "I've been loyal to you so far. You've done more for me than my family ever did. I even gave you a damn hug…" he said as the fire built up inside him again. "You and I have disagreed over a lot of things, not the least of which is you unleashing the rachni to breed and flourish again. Why let them free to do as they damn well please, and then turn around and block me from a solution to helping my people?"
Shepard stood her ground and shook her head sadly. "Wrex… this isn't what you want."
"What the hell do you mean this isn't what I want? How can you not see how important this is to the krogan people!?" he snapped at her as he clenched his fist threateningly.
"Wrex, open your damn eyes!" she said as she stepped forward and got in his face. "These aren't free krogan! He's cloning them and using them as cannon fodder! Each krogan born from this technology gets more and more unstable, leading to madness! Is that what you want for the krogan, Wrex?"
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do, dammit!? This is all we have!" he shouted directly in her face, his breath washing over her and her hair even ruffling from the shout.
"Wrex…" she said, her tone cooling down. "I could never understand what you and your people have been through. I could never understand what you all have had to suffer through."
"You're damn right you can't. Just try to picture the agony of a mother crying herself into madness after giving birth to nine stillborn pups for the fourth time! Imagine the horror of having to discard children that were killed as punishment for a crime I wasn't even alive for! Imagine the rare child being born in the blood and carnage of the rest of their siblings! And imagine watching your species wander throughout the galaxy looking for purpose as their extinction slowly closes in on them," he said as he began to hyperventilate.
"I can't," she said as she spread her arms wide again. "I could never even imagine in my worst nightmares what you and your people have to go through," she said as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his plate and sighed. "But I can see that this kind of technology doesn't help you or your people. These are husks born to be controlled by Saren. If you use this technology, you aren't breeding actual krogan. You're breeding mindless puppets, just hollow representations of your people. This won't help your people, Wrex. And you know that."
He closed his eyes as well and let out a heavy sigh. "They are krogan. They have our DNA. But…" he said, growling the next few words. "You're right. These are puppets born into misery and will die in misery when their mind finally breaks," he said as he reached down and picked his shotgun back up. It was clear to her that the orange around his eyes began to clear up. "These are my people, and they're suffering at the hands of Saren. We will end their suffering. My people were tools of the Council once, and I will not allow them to be used as tools again for anyone else."
"Wrex…" said Shepard curiously as he turned away from her.
"I don't like this Shepard. This is the closest I've ever come to helping ease the suffering of my people. But I can't deny that these clones aren't going to help the krogan. We already have enough mental suffering to go through without the madness instilled by this damn cloning technology." He turned to her again, the orange now gone from his eyes. "I knew there'd come a day when I'd have to decide between your judgement and mine."
"And?" she said with a small smile.
"And… I trust your judgement, Shepard," he said as he looked her dead in the eye and glared at her. "But… when we find Saren, I want his head."
"Hey, you get to him first, he's all yours," she said as she eyed him up and down. "So, are you okay to go on?"
He snorted in amusement before punching Shepard directly in her armor and knocking her on her behind. "Better than ever. Now let's go see what those scrawny little bastards are cooking up."
CODEX ENTRIES
Gnarshrat | Zoology | Tuchanka
A large and vicious rodent from Tuchanka that somehow miraculously thrived in the nuclear winter brought on by the krogans' destructive war. They have fur that they matt into armored plates with mud and are territorial. They are so aggressive that oftentimes larger predators, even krogan themselves, think that it's not worth fighting them.
Leh'tat | Derogatory Linguistics | Khelish
A profane word that refers to one's anus. It is only used in a derogatory manner, and never for medical or clinical needs.
Apha | Food | Palaven
The turian equivalent of coffee made from the leaves and seeds of the Apahtala plant native to Palaven. It provides a minor stimulant to dextro species who sometimes use it as a dessert due to its sweeter flavor.