"Sometimes it feels like all I ever did in my life was fighting terrorists. Sometimes I could understand their plight, other times… Not so much. We are all fighting for something, who is to say that their fight is any less legitimate?"
25/4 2183
Comm's room, SSV Normandy.
One thing Mads was sure not to forget, was that he was still in the alliance. He got several requests over the days for him to carry out. He had become the poster boy for the alliance. Puffing out some smoke after taking a drag of his cigarette, he waited for Admiral Hackett to pick up. He had gotten an email that stated it was of the upmost importance. Finally, the call was answered.
"Admiral." Mads greeted as he put out the cigarette in the ashtray beside him.
"Commander Romanov. I'm sorry to interrupt your hunt, but there is a serious issue we need to resolve." Hackett cut right to chase.
"What is it?" Mads asked curiously. Hackett was well respected in the alliance, and rightfully so. He was a brilliant admiral, and the thing about him was that he never brought something up unless it had to be talked about. So this had to be important.
"I received a distress call from one of our research operations on the asteroid X57. We have reason to believe it has been hijacked-"
"Hijacked? How? And by whom?"
"We aren't sure yet, but the asteroid has been moving in a weird circle. By our predictions, it's heading for straight Terra Nova." Hackett explained.
"But how? If it's been hijacked, then how are they steering it towards to our colony?" Mads asked.
"We don't know. But whatever they are using, we need to stop it. There are 4 millions souls on that colony, men, women and children. We need to stop that asteroid, no matter the costs." Hackett demanded.
"But why come to me?" Mads was curious. Surely there were units closer to Terra Nova that could handle it.
"We don't want to spook whoever hijacked the thing. There is no telling what would happen. The Normandy is fast and stealthy, it's the only vessel that can handle this assignment. Besides...-" He took a pause. "You are the best team we have. We need you commander." Hackett said, and it was with a sincere genuine tone.
"I can't let 4 million people die, Admiral. Of course I'll assist. I'm gonna set course and get there as soon as possible." Mads promised.
"Thanks commander. I knew we could count on you. I'll send through the co-ordinates now. Please update me… And godspeed. Hackett out." Hackett signed off with that. Mads quickly hailed Joker and got him to set a course for the asteroid. They weren't too far away from the system, but it would take half a day to get there. Hopefully they would be there in time.
"Remember to hit here!" Mads lectured as he slapped the dummy in the liver area. Liara was practicing her hand-to-hand combat skills. They still left a lot to be desired, her blocking was awful, and she wasn't very fast. She took a swing on the desired area, but it wasn't enough.
"Take a quick break, Liara." Mads ordered. She complied, but it was under protest. If nothing else, then there was enthusiasm to learn. He could respect that. He could see a certain fire in Liara's eyes. She wanted to help. Mads handed her a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow.
"There is another mission coming up in a few hours. If you want to, you can tag along." Mads offered. Her eyes lit up like a thousand stars with that suggestion.
"Yes please." She eagerly replied.
"A few things we need to discuss." Mads said as he pointed to some chairs over by the Mako. They both sat down. "This is a high-risk mission. I need all hands on deck for this one. I want you to stay behind us, and don't take any stupid risks, you got it?" He asked.
"I got it." She answered.
"Good." Mads remarked. "My guess would be, that we will be facing Batarian terrorists here. They don't have any mercy, and they don't play by any rules. They are known for their brutal tactics. They will gut you solely based on your race." Mads explained.
"I understand the seriousness of the situation, commander." Liara replied. Mads nodded slowly. She might change her tune once this was all over, as was the case with most recruits straight out of boot camp after their first assignment.
"Two hours T'Soni, be ready." Mads ordered as he stood up from his chair. "I can't keep my eye on you all the time. Always stick by someone and keep your head down." Mads went over the other corner of the room. Liara started changing into her gear immediately.
"They grow up so quickly." Garrus said with a mocking sad tone as he wiped a non-existing tear off his cheek.
"They sure do. You reckon she is ready?" Mads asked.
"Well, that remains to be seen. She knows the very basic, but I don't know how much that will help her." Garrus changed straight into his serious tone.
"Look after her, will you?" Mads requested as he looked Garrus straight into the eyes.
"Sure. But I can't stop every bullet." Garrus replied as he returned the eye contact.
"I know that… I can't keep my hand over her either, I can't train her forever." Mads commented.
"Who else will you bring along?" Garrus asked as he shifted on his feet.
"Same team from Therum, I'll bring Riesman and Kaminski along as well. With their help, we should be able to succeed." Mads proclaimed.
"Riesman? Who is that?" Garrus asked confused.
"Have you actually talked to anyone outside of the cargo bay?" Mads asked, though the smile on Garrus's face already gave him the answer.
"The Mako needs calibrations, I'm needed here." Garrus excused himself. Lazy bastard.
"Martin Riesman. Intelligence sergeant, and a good friend to have when you need some technology unlocked. He's a good kid." Mads had not known any of them for long. They had just been so lucky to be thrown into the fire. The Normandy was fast becoming the ship that saw the most action.
"Hmmm, I guess that makes sense. Are we still leaving in two hours?" Garrus interrupted Mads' train of thought.
"Yeah, we are working on limited time. There is no telling what they will do, so we move quick and quietly." Mads advised.
"Understood, your majesty." Garrus mocked.
"Shut up, you goddamn peasant." Mads fired back, but not without a small smile creeping up on his face. Garrus was a good man, and a good friend.
25/4 2183
SSV Normandy, approaching asteroid X57.
"Look at you, all dolled up." Garrus joked as Mads came down to the Mako in his N7 armor. Mads noticed most of them were already ready. They were running on only the basic information, so many unknowns were still present. It could go wrong on so many levels. He hated being in the dark, it's what get people killed.
"So, are we all here?" Mads asked as he did a headcount. They all nodded. "Okay, let me give you guys the run down: We are dealing with an unknown threat here, my guess is Batarian terrorists, but it could be anyone. I want all of you to use caution as much as you can, and follow my orders." Mads explained.
"Riesman and Tali are going to try and disable whatever tech they are using to propel the asteroid through space towards Terra Nova. Kaminski will be looking over any wounded we may come across from the research team. The rest of us is the firing team, we will escort them around." Mads addressed each role according. "Are there any questions?" Mads asked, and found that none of them had anything on their mind.
"Romanov, we are getting a signal from the asteroid. You might want to hear this." Joker informed them.
"Put them through." Mads quickly ordered.
"Hello? Hello? I heard your transmission… Can you hear me? Oh God, they haven't found me yet… But I can't talk for long, or they will catch me… They are using Fusion torches to propel the asteroid. You must disable them! Oh god..." It was a female voice, but she did not identify herself. Still, it was their only inside information so far.
"Buckle up fellas. We are going in fast." Mads ordered as he climbed into the Mako. Mads fired up the beast of a LAV they had. Hearing it's engine come to life was always a nice sound and reassuring sound. Mads looked over his shoulder and saw all of them ready in their seats. Joker gave them a count down, and like the two missions before, they came in fast.
They sneaked up to the first torch, which was a whole building of itself. The door was locked from the inside, but that was no trouble for a man like Riesman. He quickly went to work on getting the door open, while Mads made sure everyone was as ready as they could be. Whatever was on the other side of that, would most likely not welcome them with open arms.
Mads looked at them all as Riesman finished his work. He lined up his eye sight with each of them, and waited until they gave a nod. They had to be ready, since failure was not an option in that situation. Mads did a double check on his magnum, and sent up a silent prayer to God that all would work out.
"Go." Mads ordered to Riesman, who hit the control button and opened the door up. Mads was the first one in, his team members kept themselves close behind him. Mads spotted them quickly, the culprits. Like he had reckoned, they were indeed Batarians.
What really nagged at him, was just how calm and casual they appeared. Like they thought that this whole operation was nothing. Like another day in the office. "On the ground, RIGHT NOW!" Mads ordered with a harsh tone. One of the Batarians laughed, and stepped right up.
"You humans will pay for what you have done. Go ahead, kill us, it won't stop anything." The Batarian laughed like it was some sick joke. The powerful roar of the magnum as it fired it's 44. bullet was enough to deafen any and all laughter in the room.
"Obliged." Mads remarked as he trained his sights on the next bastard lined up. The Batarian snarled at him, as the rest of the terrorists sought cover a midst the brewing gun fight. "Give 'em hell boys." Mads encouraged from his position. His team needed no further instructions as they went to work on the few Batarians left in the building.
As the last Terrorist hit the ground dead, they realized that time was still ticking. They quickly went upstairs in the search for the controls for the one torch that was being operated out of the building. Mads reflected on how long it had been since the last time he dealt with Batarians.
As they located the controls, Riesman went to work on it. Mads kept guard outside the room to ensure they didn't get any nasty surprises. Last thing Terra Nova needed was for their sole hope to be gunned down before they could even achieve anything. It took only a minute or so, but Riesman was successful in turned off the torch. Mads let out a sigh of relief. It was progress.
"Romanov?" Riesman tugged at Mads' shoulder.
"What is it?" Mads asked back as he noticed the concern in his voice.
"By my calculations, we won't have enough time to turn them all off. The stations are too far from each other." Riesman said worried.
"Fuck..." Mads muttered as he took a moment to think. "Okay, we have to split up." Mads ordered. "Riesman, you take the one here-" Mads pointed to the map. It was the torch marked as number 2. "Take Wrex, Kaiden and Ashley with you. And tread carefully." Mads instructed. "Is that understood?" Mads asked.
"Yeah." Riesman replied as the others nodded.
"Oh, thank god!" Someone yelled from down below. Mads quickly went to look over the railing. At the ground floor stood a man, visibly shaking with a gun in his hands. "I had almost lost hope!" He proclaimed with relief.
"Who are you?" Mads asked as he went down.
"Oh, I'm Simon, Simon Atwell. I'm chief engineer here on the research station. I managed to hide from the Batarians. When I heard shooting, I came here." Simon explained. "You have to shut off the torches! I got family down there… Please!"
"Don't worry Simon. I'll get it done. If you got any information worth sharing, now would be a good time to share it." Mads suggested.
"Well, they put out mines around one of the torches. If you get too close.. They'll blow. That Mako would make it. You have to go on foot, even then you have to be careful." Simon instructed.
"Riesman, you got that?" Mads yelled up to the catwalk.
"Yes! I'll use caution." Riesman responded as he came down with the others.
"Then let's get going." Mads ordered. "Simon, stay here and try to stay out of sight. Hopefully they won't send a new team here. But… We'll see." Mads said. Simon nodded.
"Yes… I'll stay here. I'll try and keep in contact if you need me… Please, do whatever you can." Simon requested.
"I will, don't worry." Mads reassured him with a pad on the shoulder.
As soon as Mads entered the Mako, his ear piece came to life. "Who is there?" Mads asked.
"I read that one of the fusion torches is offline. Was that you… Can you hear me?" She sounded scared beyond belief.
"Yes, it was me. I'm commander Mads Romanov, alliance navy. Who are you?" Mads asked, more light toned this time.
"I'm Kate Bowman. I'm an engineer. I'm in the main research station. I'm hiding from the Batarians, but I think they are getting closer." Kate introduced herself. No doubt she was scared considering she just beneath the Batarian HQ.
"Listen closely Kate. Please provide whatever information you can. I'll stay on this channel as long as I can. But, stay out of sight, and be as quiet as possible. We'll fix this." Mads promised.
"I will… Oh shit, I have to go. I'll try and stay in contact." She signed off. Mads just hoped it was nothing serious. He turned his attention back to dropping the others off close by the second fusion torch. Hopefully, they would be able to turn them off before disaster struck. Mads could feel some adrenaline rushing through his blood, and that was even more scary when coupled with the fact that they were working on almost borrowed time.
Mads pulled up just outside the minefield. He waited for team one to disembark the Mako and try their luck. "Take it easy, Riesman. You are no good to us in pieces. Remember to send status updates." Mads said as they went out.
"Got it Romanov. We'll do our job here, just make sure to do yours at the third site." Riesman requested as he took a deep breath. No doubt the prospect of going head first into a minefield was unnerving. Mads gave Riesman an affirmative and carried on to the third site.
Left in the Mako was Garrus, Tali, Liara, Kaminski and Mads. Splitting up could be a bad idea, but there was no choice left. Time was ticking too much. Mads hoped that Tali could turn off the last torch, because he had no idea how to do it. It was times like this he cursed himself.
The drive to the last torch was not a long one. But it was unnerving to no end. Mads made sure to put the pedal to the floor and make the Mako run for all its money. Every second earned was a second they could use. Finally, the building was coming into their sight, standing there like a wall between them and victory.
Mads quickly pulled the Mako up beside the building, and got out to secure the perimeter around them. No doubt there would be surprises inside as well. Mads ran up to the door and waited for the rest to come and join here there.
"Romanov! We just entered the building. We are taking heavy fire from Batarians, but we'll manage." Riesman updated him over the channel.
"Copy that Riesman. Continue the push. We are just about to enter the third building." Mads informed back.
"Understood. I'll provide another update when the fusion torch is offline." Riesman signed off. Mads looked at the others and made a gesture asking them if they were ready. They all nodded. Mads gripped his rifle extra tightly as the door swung open. It was rather quiet inside, which concerned Mads even more. Where were they? There was no way they would leave it unguarded.
"Tali, Garrus. Go find the controls and shut down the god forsaken torch." Mads ordered as he began to look around. They both nodded at the order and went away to find it. "Liara, Kaminski, stay close." Mads turned around and said. And stay close they did.
"Commander, we just turned off the fusion torch! But, I think there might be a problem. We'll head over there to your place." Riesman said over the radio.
"Copy that Riesman. But try and get to the main research building. We'll wrap up things here in a moment." Mads ordered.
"Understood." Riesman said and went quiet again. Mads was still looking around. He hoped that there were no one here, but things hardly ever went as he hoped.
"Commander! I just read that the two remaining torches are offline… You did it!" Kate sounded excited in that moment, but then disaster struck "… Oh no..."
"What's going on?!" Mads almost yelled into his ear piece.
"So this is where you have been hiding… Clever. Now, tell us who is turning off the torches." It was a dark voice, Batarian no doubt, and Mads could tell it had to be their leader. Kate remained silent.
"Are you going to be a hero?" The leader then asked "I don't think your brother will like that." He sounded so sinister. "Still no answer?" He asked, and this was final. A gunshot was heard, and a yelp following that, and then some sobbing. Mads was in disbelief. Did they just murder her own brother in front of her?
"Whoever you are, you have done nothing! If you want to be a hero, then I would suggest you get here as soon as possible. Or little Kate here will meet her maker, and that's a promise." As the final words left the bastard's mouth, Mads was raging with anger. He wanted nothing more than to rip the Batarian's tongue out and shove it up his own ass.
"You, human." A voice called out from the far reach of the room. Mads turned around and saw three Batarians stepping up. Mads took a tight hold on his magnum's grip, but he didn't draw, not yet. They hadn't killed him on sight, so there had to be something they wanted to discuss. Mads slowly came closer.
"We can end this peacefully, or it can end in bloodshed." The Batarian said. He had to at least some sort of authority with the terrorists.
"Why should I listen to you?" Mads asked.
"This wasn't my idea. I simply signed up for a quick profit, a slave grab and what not. Balak took this too far..." He remarked.
Balak, the name rang a bell somewhere in Mads' head. He had heard the name before. "I should kill you regardless. Look at what you did to the people here!" Mads' rage was almost getting the better of him.
"Look, if you let us leave, you can have Balak all to yourself. You won't hear from us ever again." The Batarian was making some sort of offer here. Too bad all Mads could see was red.
"No fucking deal, pal. If you haven't heard already, the alliance doesn't negotiate with terrorists." Mads refused.
"Stupid fucking human. So be it." The Batarian was about to give the order for his buddies to start firing, if it wasn't for the quick draw Mads did. The bullet tore its way through the Batarian's throat. The other two didn't even have time to react before Garrus and Kaminski shot them both dead.
Mads slowly went over to the Batarian who tried to cut them a deal. He was clenching his own throat in an attempt to stay alive, but it was already a lost battle. "Never should have fucked with us." Mads cursed as he shot the Batarian point blank.
Liara watched in horror as this happened before her. She had trouble seeing why the commander was so brutal. But, now was not the time to question the commander's leadership abilities. It was quiet for a few seconds before Mads ordered them to move out.
As they pulled up to the main research facility, they noticed that the other team was already there. Waiting patiently outside. Mads couldn't help but notice the look of concern on Riesman's face. Whatever he wanted to tell Mads, it was important. Mads climbed out of the Mako alongside the others.
"Riesman, give me a status update." Mads requested as he walked over to the group standing by the wall.
"They are holding the research and engineering crew hostage inside, but that's not the real issue." Riesman sighed.
"Then what is?" Mads asked.
"Turning off the torches is good and all… But it isn't enough." Riesman explained.
"Get to the fucking point, Riesman." Mads demanded.
"Do you know Newton's first law of motion, Commander?" Riesman replied.
"An object in motion stays in motion unless stopped by external force… Can we just skip the science class?" Mads requested.
"Turning off the torches made sure the asteroid won't pick up any more speed, but in space there is no counter force to slow it down. Unless we find something to propel it the other way… We're fucked." Riesman replied with a heavy heart.
"…Please tell me someone has an idea!" Mads almost yelled.
"Maybe we can have the Normandy fire upon it?" Kaiden suggested.
"I don't think our weapon systems are powerful enough to destroy an entire asteroid, at least not this size." Riesman dismissed.
"Look, let's deal with Balak first, then we worry about how we stop this floating rock." Mads ordered. They nodded in agreement and lined up against the door as Riesman began to fire up his hacking program.
As the door opened, they all rushed in. They moved coordinated and picked their targets clean. The main facility certainly didn't lack any targets, Batarians were pretty much everywhere. Mads made sure to keep an eye out for Balak, he wanted to skin the fucker alive.
Batarians fell like flies. They were acting out of desperation as they realized their mission was doomed. They fought hard, but not hard enough. Mads made sure to keep Liara in his sights at all time. She wasn't doing too bad, but she had a look of disdain on her face ever since he killed the Batarian that tried to cut him a deal. He began to realize just how naive Liara might be, how sheltered she had been. He remembered when he was like her, an innocent soul.
The rest of team gave the Batarians hell. They took no chances with them, they even double tapped the Batarians to be sure they didn't get back up and shoot them in the back. Slowly but surely the station meant for research was turning into a battleground. Mads and the crew kept up the pressure and slowly the Batarians yielded to their superior firepower.
Then, as one of the last Batarians fell, silence fell upon the facility. Mads made sure to give a gesture to keep his team mates on guard. They hadn't nailed Balak yet, Mads knew it. And the engineers were still trapped in the room the Batarians had placed them in.
"Balak! Show yourself!" Mads yelled out, and for a few seconds silence still dominated the huge room.
"Commander Romanov. I should have known the alliance would send their poster boy to face me… No matter." Balak's voice was cocky, he knew that having hostages was a useful thing when dealing with humans. "I will walk off this floating piece of junk, and you will step aside, unless you want to fry your friends."
"What's the big score here Balak? Kill 4 million humans and hope everything works out? Are you really that stupid?" Mads asked.
"Fuck you! This is nothing compared to what has been done to the Batarians! We are starving, we are living in poverty and we keep being outdone! Something had to be done!" Balak ranted.
"However tragic that may be, it was not the humans that forced you out of citadel space. You chose that. The humans were in the right to colonize in the Terminus Systems. Shifting the blame is easy, a hell of a lot easier than actually fixing your problems." Mads fired back, with matching fire in his eyes.
"You don't understand our plight. You never will, you humans don't care. Now, step aside or the humans die." Balak demanded.
"I can't do that. You will die here." Mads promised.
"So be it!" Balak replied, and in a fit of rage he typed the damning commands into his omni-tool that would set off the charges in the hostage's room. Mads heard the explosion, it was enough to rock the ground they stood up. It made Mads see red.
"Squad! Open fire!" Mads quickly ordered. They did as he requested. Balak only had a select few men left, and they were no tougher than what they had already witnessed. They butchered his personal guard in a matter of minutes. In the fire fight, Mads noticed Balak making a run for it.
Time slowed down as he tightly gripped his magnum, and lined up the shot. A single shot to the Batarian's abdomen. The bullet cut through his shield like butter, and forced the terrorist on the ground. Balak wasn't dead yet, but he soon would be. Mads would make sure of that.
"Fan out people, give me solutions to the problem at hand." Mads ordered. "Kaminski, go to the hostage room and check the damage." Mads requested. They all nodded and began to look for anything that could help them. Mads slowly approached the terrorist as he attempted to crawl away.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Mads asked as he kicked the Batarian in the rips, forcing a whimper for the already dying Batarian.
"Fuck you!" Balak spat his blood upon Mads' boot, which earned him another kick. "You have showed me that you are no different than me! You are just as much a terrorist as I am!" Balak laughed.
"I don't remember pushing any buttons that killed the hostages. You made your choice, Balak. And now it's time to pay for it." Mads said as he rolled Balak over, so he was laying on his back. "I can't stomach people like you. All you want is destruction, a fruitless attempt to be heard. Violence is all you know." Mads preached as he punched Balak in the face.
"I'm not alone, Romanov. There are thousands ready to pick up the fight. They will do whatever needs to be done." Balak threatened.
"Let them come. I'll deal with them the same way I dealt with you. You want to piss off the alliance? You keep pushing the Batarians' luck, and this will end in war." Mads promised, he was about to finish off Balak when he heard Garrus call out for him. This prompted Mads to go see if they figured out something yet.
"What's up?" Mads asked as he walked up to a center console in the room where Garrus, Tali and Riesman were standing.
"The engineers rigged the whole rock with explosives to mine it. There is enough here to blow the whole asteroid to kingdom come. The Batarians were busy connecting and laying down new charges as a backup plan. If we set it to blow, we can maybe stop the whole rock from coming down, but some pieces might still land on the colony." Riesman explained as he showed Mads the console.
"It's our best shot. Set a timer for them, long enough for us to get out of here." Mads ordered. "Garrus, send a signal to everyone on this rock. If anyone is alive, they better meet us here for evac. I'll deal with Balak." Mads said.
"Copy that Commander." Garrus said as quickly went to work. Riesman began to put in commands on the console to make sure the timer was correct. Mads took the handcuffs from his belt, the same ones used on Liara, and went over to Balak.
He forcibly grabbed Balak's wrist and cuffed the one hand. Balak grunted as Mads dragged him half way through the room over to a stationary table. "You want to be a martyr, huh?" Mads asked, but received no answer from Balak, who was still losing blood at a rapid pace. "Then wish fucking granted" Mads remarked as he slammed the other handcuff to the table.
"Fuck-… You!" Balak replied as he coughed some blood up. As Mads looked back at his team, he noticed Liara in the moment. Her expression was revealing to say the least. The horror upon her face was not hard to notice. She had never seen anything like this, and Mads made a mental note to check up on her later.
"Let's wrap it up!" Mads ordered. Riesman gave the thumbs up from his position at the console. Mads sent up a silent prayer, and hoped that the debris from the asteroid wouldn't cause any major damage.
A few hours later
Comms room, SSV Normandy.
"Commander Romanov." The hologram greeted.
"Admiral Hackett. What's the status update?" Mads asked, hoping that it wouldn't be too high.
"We are still making heads and tails of it, but most of the debris seemed to have landed in the water, at least the parts that didn't get destroyed in orbit. Unfortunately… Some of it did land on the coastal area… We estimate the death toll to be somewhere between 100 and 300 civilians. Most of them were evacuated." Hackett answered with a low and rather sad voice.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that… I wish there had been more I could have done." Mads remarked with a sad tone as he hung his head low.
"You did what you had to do, commander. You acted where other officers might have been frozen in shock. Even if 300 people died, that's a hell of a lot better than 4 million dead. You did the right thing. We will honor the fallen with all we have." Hackett reassured.
"Good, I had to make a choice. I made sure Balak wouldn't walk off the rock, but in the process… Some of the engineers died." Mads confessed.
"I'm glad you are forthcoming about it… Part of being an alliance commander is taking tough choices. Balak had been on out watch list for a while, we should have seen this coming. If he had walked, there is no telling what he would do next? Find another asteroid? Hijack a warship and let hell rain down upon a colony? At lease now we know he was stopped." Hackett replied.
"Thank you… But it is a burden I must carry." Mads added.
"I know. But rest assured, the alliance has already found your actions justified. Continue with hunting down Saren. Hackett out." And with that, the hologram went away. In Hackett's wake, came silence. Mads wasn't sure how the crew took his decision. He would have to have a talk with all of them, it would be for the best.
Cargo bay, SSV Normandy
Mads approached the large Krogan known as Wrex. He was standing in his usual place, just… Staring, like he always did. It always seemed like Wrex was just waiting for the next fight, but after speaking a bit with him, Mads realized he wasn't a dumb warrior.
"Hey Wrex, how are you?" Mads greeted as he stood before the mighty Krogan.
"Fine, I suppose." Wrex was usually short with his answers, and they were usually the crew.
"I just wanted some input on what happened on X57." Mads requested.
"I don't see what there is to talk about. You killed Balak and stopped the rock from destroying the colony." Wrex bluntly answered.
"So you don't think it was wrong to let the hostages die?" Mads asked curiously.
"No, it had to be done. I know people like Balak, they do this shit all the time. Killing innocent people to get his goal, a bit like what Saren is doing. I always knew he was trouble." Wrex replied.
"Wait… Did you know Saren before?" Mads asked confused.
"Knew him is not the right expression. I took a job once, turns out he was the boss man." Wrex recounted.
"How come you didn't tell me this before?" Mads asked, a bit taken back by Wrex's statement.
"If I thought it was relevant, then I would have. It happened a long time ago." Wrex was quick to reply.
"I'd like to know anyhow." Mads requested.
"I heard about a job some time ago, one that was high pay and rather low risk. The boss wasn't around to look over things. We took on a Volus trading vessel at some point, a pretty big haul, and killed all the security on board. That's when I saw him, as we were looking through the inventory. He was just going through the vessel, looking. Someone called him by name, but he didn't answer." Wrex explained.
"What happened?" Mads was curious at this revelation.
"I got out as fast as I could. Something about him didn't sit well with me. I didn't even wait to collect my paycheck… Turns out I was right. Everyone involved died within a week of me leaving. I knew he was a nasty piece of work." Wrex said.
"Damn, so he has been in some shady business for a while? That's interesting." Mads remarked. "Anyway, thanks for the info Wrex." Mads said and promptly turned on his heels.
"Romanov." Wrex bid farewell.
Mads pulled out his pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips. His zippo gave the signature click sound as he gave fire to the cigarette. He exhaled the smoke and savored the nicotine now in his blood. It never failed to make him calm down. Mads looked over to the Mako, and saw Garrus standing by the small terminal.
"Garrus, you bird looking ass. How are you?" Mads asked with a smile as he went over to him. Mads took another drag of his cigarette as Garrus turned around.
"I can't believe it, his majesty actually visits his subjects?" Garrus joked. It was clear that Garrus had done his research on Mads' name.
"Wouldn't be a good commander if I didn't see how my crew mates were doing." Mads replied.
"Well, I'm doing just fine. There is never a shortage of work on this Mako." Garrus remarked.
"What's your take on the last mission?" Mads asked as switched to a more serious tone.
"That thing would never fly with C-sec. They are by the book, likes their rules." Garrus answered.
"So you don't approve of what happened?" Mads asked concerned.
"I wouldn't be here if I was happy with how C-sec run their operation. You did the right thing, you took down the threat. C-sec would have let him go. Personally, I would have put a bullet in Balak's head. But I guess this is just as well." Garrus explained.
"Yeah… Balak wouldn't have stopped if we let him go." Mads concluded.
"Indeed. Men like Balak only care for their goal, a slap on the wrist like this would have done nothing. Killing him will make sure he won't hurt anyone ever again. As for the Asteroid, there was nothing more you could have done. 300 people dead is a lot better than 4 million." Garrus reassured.
"Thank you, I guess we think alike." Mads remarked as he leaned against the Mako.
"That's why I joined you. I can see that you are willing to do what needs to be done. Regardless, I'm with you every step of the way." Garrus promised.
"Thanks Garrus." Mads said as he gave Garrus a pat on the back.
Mads walked into engineering, and looked around. Everything was still going smoothly in there, but he was there to talk to specific engineer. Mads wanted to know where everyone stood after what had happened. He wanted to know if everyone could stand up to what they would face. What happened on X57 was only a taste of what was to come.
"Tali!" Mads greeted as he walked over to her station. She quickly turned around as soon as she heard his voice.
"Hello Commander. How are you?" Tali asked.
"I'm fine, and you?" Mads asked back. Tali shifted a bit on her feet before answering.
"I don't know. I have been thinking after what happened on the last mission… I don't think I could have done it." Tali replied a bit nervous.
"How so?" Mads asked curiously.
"Making the decision to kill hostages to stop Balak… It must be a heavy burden. I have been thinking about it, and I do believe it was the right choice… But, I don't know if I could make such a decision..." Tali answered.
"It's not easy, Tali. I mourn the lost souls of the martyrs killed on the asteroid, as well as the civilians who died in the aftermath… But if I had done nothing, Balak would have just picked a new target, and a new weapon." Mads explained.
"I know you are right, Commander. I respect your decision, and I will follow you no matter what." Tali reassured Mads.
"Thanks Tali, it means a lot. Now, I have a question-"
Tali and Mads spoke for hours, mostly about Quarian culture. Despite what Mads had read on the extranet, or simply what he had heard floating around, he didn't actually know that much about Quarian culture and life. It was quite interesting to him. Now the Quarians had not only adopted themselves into a new life with the environmental suits, but also every part of their culture had been reworked. Tali would explain everything in great detail and Mads would ask another question.
Mads knew the friendship they had was brewing, and he was happy to have Tali as his friend. She was smart, brave, creative… And even a little cute. But he wouldn't admit that, he had a hunt to complete.
Mads gently knocked on the door to Liara's office. There was silence for a few seconds, before a faint 'come in' could be heard from inside. Mads opened the door and found Liara sitting at her usual desk, doing her research. Mads approached her slowly, but she got up to meet him half way.
"Commander..." She greeted.
"Liara, how are you?" Mads asked.
"Not well, not after what I witnessed on X57. Commander, how could do such a thing?" She asked with a meek voice.
"I did what I had to do Liara, I-" Mads didn't have a chance to finish before Liara interrupted him.
"You killed them, Commander! They are dead!" She cried.
"Liara, let me try and explain it to you. Please, sit down." Mads suggested. She sat down and Mads began to pace around a bit. "… Have you ever heard of the trolley problem?" Mads asked.
"… No..." She replied as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Let me ask you a question: You are standing at a railroad junction, a train is going down the track and shows no sign of stopping. By your side is a lever to change which track the train will go through on. On the main track, there is 5 people standing, unaware of what is going on. On the side track, there is a single person, also unaware. Now, you have a choice to make, do you remain inactive, and let the train run over 5 people, or do you take action and be directly responsible for one person's death?" Mads asked her. She got real quiet, she remained in deep thought.
"I-… I suppose I would pull the lever..." She replied.
"Right. The lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few. Balak wasn't going to stop, not after being let go like that." Mads explained, Liara remained quiet. "I don't claim to be a perfect man, Liara. But I saw what was coming and I choose to act, to lead. Maybe you should think about that." Mads suggested.
"… Yes, I'll give it some thought…" She replied, and Mads nodded at her statement.
"I know these are tough situations, it can be stressful. I need you at a one hundred percent if we need to find Saren. These decisions will come again, and maybe you will have to choose next time." Mads informed.
"I understand commander. You have given me a… New perspective..." She replied.
"No worries. But there is nothing wrong with weeping for those lost. Having a moral compass is not a bad thing, Liara." Mads advised. She nodded. Mads smiled, but knew that the whole thing was a lot for her to take in.
Besides, he had other business to see to. Most notably, Feros.