A/N: Hey guys!
So, it's been a while, eh? I'm truly sorry, things have been stressful on my part. I hope to try and make it up to you by making this chapter over 7000 words strong.
Also, I just wanted to say, that a few characters that are introduced here, are OCs that come along with my rewrite. If you guys haven't been able to check it out yet, than please do. So far, chapter 1-15 (Feros) have been rewritten. I'd suggest you catch up on that to avoid confusion in this chapter. I'm still focusing effort on the rewriting.
Have fun guys, and I'll see you around.
Kind regards
KanisRussell
20/3/2186
Citadel docking bay.
Even though the war hadn't really arrived on the citadel yet, it had touched the station in more ways than one. Refugees flooded the docking bays, almost to the point of overwhelming the staff. Mads breezed through it though. Being a Spectre had it's perks sometimes. He was forever grateful for being allowed his magnum with him. The Citadel had tightened it's gun control laws to the point of insanity.
It's for the greater good They said. Maybe… Still, as long as he was allowed to carry arms, he would be just fine with it.
Mads had gotten word that Kaidan had woken up, and was ready to speak with him. Since Wrex needed more time to think about coming to the summit that could change the face of the galaxy, Mads decided now would be as good a time as ever to visit Kaidan in the hospital.
They greeted him with smiles everywhere he when. Like he was some sort of hero. Mads brushed it off. People had a habit of putting too much stock into him whenever they the shit hit the fan. Mads sighed as the elevator doors opened. He quickly found his way to Kaidan's room. Mads couldn't help but notice that this hospital was going to be filled up soon. The Citadel was never designed to be a safe heaven of this size.
Mads met someone special in the lobby. Thane, the assassin. He kept himself in good shape, but he was still effected heavily by his disease. He was doing some training exercises when Mads went up to him. Thane turned around and smiled when he saw Mads.
"Romanov, good to see you again." Thane said as he extended his hand. Mads shook it.
"Nice to see you as well, Thane. How are you?" Mads asked.
"I am well. Thank you. I tried to contact you while you were incarcerated, but I doubt any of my messages went through." Thane replied.
"Yeah, the alliance kept me under lock and key. Didn't really speak with anyone. I see you are keeping yourself in shape though." Mads observed.
"Yes. Regular exercise can postpone the illness for a few years. But, at this point I mostly do it because I enjoy it." Thane replied.
"I see. Do you still talk with your son?" Mads asked.
"We keep in regular contact, yes. I must thank you for the opportunity to be with him again. He is here on the citadel." Thane answered sincerely.
"That's good. You keeping an eye on Kaidan as well?" Mads then asked.
"The alliance major? I spoke a little with him earlier. He seems honorable. His enemies might try and finish him off here, I will protect him in that case." Thane promised.
"Thank you, that means a lot. You sure you don't want a position on the Normandy?" Mads offered.
"That is a kind offer, but I am no longer at my best. I will be of most use here." Thane replied.
"Okay, that's fair. I hope we meet again Thane." Mads said.
"Me too." Thane smiled.
Mads knocked on the door, and eagerly awaited an answer from the other side. It didn't take more than a few seconds before a voice told him to come right on in. There, in front of Kaidan's bed, stood Udina.
"Think about it. This could be your life's greatest decision." Udina reminded Kaidan. Mads was confused as to what was going on, but Udina was out the door as soon as he had spoken those words. Mads stared at him the whole way out, slowly shaking his head at him.
"Oh, hey Romanov! What's up?" Kaidan greeted while trying to sit up a bit more in bed, only doing any kind of movement seeming to hurt him.
"Woah, easy there soldier." Mads gestured for Kaiden to relax. "I see you're rubbing elbows with high society now." Mads joked. Kaidan chuckled, but once again his condition betrayed him.
"Nah, he offered me to become a Spectre, you know, like you." Kaiden replied.
"Do you want to become one? The second human Spectre is quite a title as well." Mads asked. Kaidan pondered on the question for a little while.
"I don't know… There are many pros, but there are certainly some cons as well." Kaidan said as he leaned back.
"There sure is, and being a Spectre also means that the council will still treat you like shit. But… It's your choice Kaidan. If you want to become a Spectre, then I say: Go for it." Mads encouraged Kaidan as he put a hand on his shoulder. "So, how long will you be confined to the bed?" Mads then asked.
"Maybe a week more or so, but even then, I'll have to take it easy. If you ask me though, then I'd say the only thing keeping me here, is medical red tape." Kaidan answered with a laugh.
"You're starting to sound like Garrus. But I always knew you were tough as nails." Mads laughed. Kaidan laughed too, but not for long, he stopped and looked like someone who wanted to ask a question. Mads nodded for him to go ahead.
"I wanted to ask… After Mars… And after all the stuff that happened 6 months ago… Are we… Good?" Kaidan had trouble speaking the words he wanted to say.
"Yeah… We're good." Mads reassured him.
"Good… I was afraid that-" Mads raised a hand to interrupt Kaidan.
"We shall not speak more of it." Mads corrected him. Kaidan slowly nodded.
"Okay… Okay..." Kaidan replied slowly with a soft tone. "But-…. I also wanted to say I'm sorry. I never knew your story until now." Kaidan explained.
"Very few people did." Mads avoided eye contact as he said that.
"I'm truly sorry… But, I always wanted to ask… How was life back then?" Kaidan asked. Mads slowed fixed his eyes back on Kaidan. Mads let out a sigh as he leaned forward in his chair.
"Have you ever looked down from an airplane, Kaidan?-" Mads asked. Kaidan nodded. "-What did you see?" Mads asked further.
"Well… The landscape?" Kaidan was unsure what the proper answer would be, or what Mads was really fishing after.
"Did you see Majesty. Great oceans. Mighty forests. Vast deserts, and concrete?" Mads then asked. Kaidan slowly nodded.
"Miles and miles of concrete scarred tissue criss-crossing the natural world: Cities. That's Modern society." Mads said. "Back then, nature was still there. Nature was respected. We were advancing so fast, but a lot of people still respected the old ways. Nowadays, people can't do anything without technology, they have lost touch with themselves. They just consume, relentless consumption on such a massive scale. Maybe the world back then was no different from what it is now, or maybe it was our golden era. I can't tell you Kaidan, because I don't know the true answer. Nostalgia blinds me, but it also enlightens me." Mads recalled.
"Damn..." Kaiden thought out loud.
"Yeah, well… Let's not talk about that. I'd rather leave on a good note. I brought you some gifts." Mads said as he began fishing around in his bag. He brought up a bottle of whiskey "Candian whiskey. It's not the highest quality, but it was the best I could do under these… circumstances." Mads handed him the bottle and Kaidan inspected it.
"Are you kidding me? This is high tier stuff! I'm surprised you managed to locate this!" Kaidan proclaimed in excitement. Mads smiled as he saw the joy Kaidan was experiencing. "We'll share it sometime when I get out of here." Kaidan promised.
"I'm already looking forward to it." Mads replied with a smile. "There is also another thing I wish to give you." Mads said as his hand once again began digging around in his bag. "Each of us deals with these thing their own way. I would think you have your own way of de-stressing, but I'd like to offer one of my ways-" Mads explained as he pulled out a bible from his bag and handed it to Kaidan. "- I know you aren't religious or anything like that… But I think giving this a read might be a good thing to do. I left a note in there for you. You can read it when I'm gone." Mads said.
"Thanks. I'll try and read some." Kaidan promised. Mads smiled.
"Well, I'd better get going. I have a ton of stuff to do." Mads remarked as he arose from his chair.
"What do you have to do?" Kaidan asked.
"Somehow convince Wrex to lend us his Krogan to fight in Palaven in order for the Turians to lend us some of their fleet to defend Earth." Mads replied.
"Looks like you got your hands full then." Kaidan laughed.
"Yeah, I do. Get better, eh?" Mads ordered.
"Will do, Captain." Kaidan replied with the best military salute he could pull off. Mads saluted him back and then exited the room. Leaving Kaiden with his thoughts.
It didn't take long before Kaiden opened up the bible to find the note Mads was talking about. It was there, on the first page.
"To my dear friend Kaidan.
If you are reading these words, then there is hope. Hope is the rock on which we build our future.
If one were to closely look at the event that has happened within the last week, it would be easy to link them to the collapse. The first four seals have been broken, and the hordes of hell are pouring through. It would be easy to think that our judgment day has arrived, and only those who are faithful will be granted entry into heaven.
But, I don't think this is what God's plan is. He wants us to stop this. He wants us to live and praise his name. We all deal with this stuff in our own way. The bible is simply one of my ways to deal with it. Read the words within this book, and use them to build your strength. Let it be the well that you drink from to fill yourself up. Let it be guidance for you, not terror and despair.
Yours truly
Mads Romanov."
Kaidan smiled as he read the words Mads had prepared for him. Since he had nothing else to do while in bed, he might as well read a little from the bible. It wouldn't hurt, would it?
Mads once again stood in front of the small bar that he owned on the citadel. He hadn't been there in over six months. He smiled as he saw the neon sign that read 'Taste of Russia' outside the bar. It seemed rather empty, but this was midday, or at least what the citadel considered midday.
Mads opened the door to the inside, and it still looked like the same. Hell, it even smelled the same way. The faint smell of alcohol and Goulash still cooking in the kitchen. For a moment, it served as a nice distraction from the horrors of the galaxy.
Mads was quick to spot Tony, the bartender. The half Russian, Half Italian. His mother, Olga, was in the kitchen cooking whatever meals the patrons ordered. She was full Russian. Tony was busy cleaning a glass, like a stereotypical depiction of a bartender. Tony turned around to see Mads standing there and he saw the smile that creeped upon Tony's face.
"Will ya' look at that! Boss man has returned!" Tony exclaimed excitedly as he went around the bar and over to hug Mads.
"Hey pal, how are you?" Mads asked as he gave Tony a few pads on the back.
"Better now that I know the boss is back in town." Tony laughed as he let go of Mads. "Oh… And I heard about that-" Mads raised his hand to shut Tony up.
"If you are about to say 'I'm sorry', then save it. I've heard that enough lately." Mads requested.
"Sure thing boss. But I'm here to talk if you need it." Tony replied as he went behind the bar again.
"You always talk, maybe even too much." Mads remarked as he sat down on one of the bar stools.
"Gee Romanov. You hurt my feelings." Tony laughed as he began to fish up a bottle of Vodka from behind the counter. "Same as usual?" Tony asked as he held the bottle up.
"Yeah, that would be great." Mads said as he relocated the ashtray from another seat to his place.
"You hungry? Mama is cooking up some Goulash in the back." Tony asked as he filled up a glass for Mads.
"Nah, no need. I'll be gone in like 30 minutes anyhow." Mads answered as he gave light to his cigarette.
"Are you busy?" Tony asked.
"Am I busy? I don't think that word covers the half of it. My ass needs to be a thousand different places at every given moment." Mads replied as he took a drag of his cigarette. Tony handed Mads the glass, and Mads wasted no time drinking it down.
"Shit, that sounds official. You're back in the alliance's good graces now?" Tony asked as he refilled the glass again.
"Yeah. I'm only good when they need a radical. Rest of the time, they are happy to write me off." Mads said with a short chuckle as he drank from his glass again.
"Anything you wish to share?" Tony asked as he leaned in over the counter.
"I can't. It's all classified. But what I'm about to do next might be enough to give us some breathing room." Mads replied. "So… How is business running?" Mads then asked.
"We are actually doing quite well. We have had a recent surge in customers, but I think most of them are grieving for what they might have lost when Earth was hit." Tony answered.
"Nothing quite like drinking your sorrows away." Mads remarked. Tony nodded his head.
"There you are!" Someone proclaimed from the door. Mads turned his head around to to see another two familiar faces. There, in all their glory, was Kaminski and Riesman. The Medic and the Intelligence officer onboard the original Normandy. Mads couldn't help but laugh as they approached him.
"Will you look at that." Mads laughed as they came over.
"Figured we could find you here. There was a rumor that you were on the Citadel, so this was the first place we checked." Kaminski remarked with a laugh as well.
"Well, you found me… How long has it been?" Mads asked.
"Gee… Like 3 years almost?" Kaminski replied.
"How the hell have you been?" Mads asked as he arose from his chair to hug them.
"Been quite alright. I have gotten nothing but boring assignments since we evacuated the Normandy back then… When you were dead." Kaminski answered.
"Seems like such a long time ago now..." Mads replied but mostly to himself.
"Yeah, also we'd like you to know we are behind you all the way. It's amazing that you are still yourself after all that happened." Riesman jumped in and said.
"Thank you guys." Mads said.
"So…. We'd like to come back onboard and serve on the Normandy." Kaminski laid the chips on the table. That's why they were here. Mads was touched in some way or another. They wanted to serve under him again. Loyalty like that was hard to come by.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want come back serve on the Normandy?" Mads asked. It was just natural curiosity.
"Nothing quite like serving underneath the Red Eagle. And…. We both feel like we owe you. You always were a crazy son of a bitch, but you spoke the god damn truth." Kaminski answered truthfully. There was no hint of a lie on his part.
"Okay, I'll clear up the paper work with the Alliance. You guys go ahead and pack your stuff and move it to the Normandy no later than 1700 hours. Understood?" Mads ordered.
"Yes sir!" They both said in union and quickly left the bar to go get their stuff.
"Quite a fan club you got there." Tony remarked from behind the bar.
"Yeah, but they are good people." Mads replied.
21/3/2186
SSV NORMANDY.
Mads had just finished a call to Tevos, the Asari Councilor, and an update to Admiral Hackett. Tevos and the Asari were unwilling to come to their summit, they were convinced that any alliance between the Turians, Salarians and the Krogan were doomed to fail, and they did not want to waste any resources to it. Mads had almost been boiling with anger when she said those words. He wanted to exclude them from help, wanted to isolate them when they no doubt wanted to get back into the graces of the alliance after this summit would work. But, he knew that was silly. They needed the Asari as long as they joined them sooner rather than later, than he would be happy.
So, Mads stepped out of the comms room and into the war room. The war room was handy, it tracked the progress of this god forsaken war, and how well they were doing. Mads had gathered up some allies in the short time since earth was hit, and he was cashing in all the favors he had out there. It wouldn't be enough unless they got help from the outside.
Mads spotted Victus standing at a terminal at the very center of the room. Typing away like a man possessed. Mads approached him, and Victus quickly turned around to salute him. "Captain. Thanks for letting me use your ship. It's quite a marvel of technology, no doubt it will keep us safe." Victus thanked.
"No reason to thank me Victus, I need all the help I can get, and right now helping you is the only way for me to help Earth." Mads replied. "You will help earth, right?" Mads asked concerned.
"If you can give me Krogan fire support, than I will give you my word, that the Turian fleets will be there for earth when you need them." Victus promised.
"I just hope I can deliver. I may be friends with Wrex… But I don't friendship is going to cut it." Mads remarked.
"I have faith in you, Captain." Victus replied.
"That's very kind of you, Primach. Thank you." Mads said sincerely. "How is being the Primach anyway?" Mads then asked curiously.
Victus looked off into the distance, not sure how to respond. "I don't really know. Being a politician is not me. I'm a soldier down to the very core. My family has been military since the unification wars. If I have to die, then I want to die with my fellow soldiers. Just so I can say we fought to the very last soul." Victus replied.
"I can relate. I have been given so much power, yet I don't feel comfortable with it. So many people are riding on my decisions. Despite my name, I don't think I'd ever make a good Tsar." Mads once again remarked, thinking deeply of the subject.
"Tsar?" Victus asked.
"Hmm? Oh, It's Russian for Ceaser, or Emperor. The Romanovs used to rule Russia many… Many years ago." Mads replied.
"Ah, I see. But yes, I heard a lot about you Romanov. You didn't want to become a leader, yet people will die if you refuse." Victus observed.
"That's true… The burden of leadership, eh?" Mads chuckled, yet found Victus not even cracking a smile. "Anyway Primach. I must leave you now. My thoughts are with Palaven." Mads bid farewell.
"And mine are with Earth." Victus replied.
Mads didn't really know what to think about Victus. He seemed like a man you could trust, hard and strong. Fair, like Anderson. Maybe there was hope. Mads could only do his part and hope it would work out.
But, before Mads had even left the war room, the lights flickered on the Normandy. Going dim and then coming back online. Confusion hit Mads, but Joker quickly raised him in the intercom. "Captain! EDI just went offline!" Joker exclaimed, clearly scared himself.
"EDI went offline?" Mads asked confused.
"Yes, you might need to go down and check the AI processing room." Joker requested.
"Copy that." Mads replied and hurried himself to the third deck to get a sense of what was happening. Engineer Adams and a few others were at the door, waiting for Mads to come and oversee it. Dr. Chakwas kept a safe distance. Mads could hear the sprinklers at work, putting out the fire.
"Is it safe to enter?" Mads asked.
"It should be, Captain." Adams answered.
"Then let's see what's happening." Mads overwrote the door to let them in. Most of the room was filled with steam and smoke, which made it hard to see. Mads could just barely see the giant computers that held EDI's core in them. "EDI, are you alright?" Mads asked concerned. He really hoped nothing terrible had happened, it only just dawned on him that James had stored the robot body in there.
Suddenly, Mads could make out the shape of a female from the fire. Her movements sounded… Synthetic. Then, the robot appeared from the mist. "How can I assist you, Captain?" It was Edi's voice alright. But… In that body?
"Excuse me… But can you please tell me what the fuck is happening?" Mads requested.
"I was during some scans on the synthetic body, when it suddenly activated a backup power source and a back up CPU. It attempted to hack into my mainframe… But was unsuccessful, and it resisted to my subduing attempts, hence the fire." Edi explained.
"So, why are you in that body?" Mads asked.
"Pacifying the platform presented itself with an opportunity to hijack it. I decided to act." Edi answered.
"You sure you couldn't notify me first?" Mads then asked.
"Notifying the crew would be counter productive. Awaiting your response would have wasted the opportunity." Edi clarified.
"Okay… Okay. But, it might take some time before the crew gets used to see you in that body. So don't be surprised when they are a bit… On edge." Mads informed Edi.
"Noted. I should go to the Bridge. Joker would probably like to see it." Edi suggested.
"Oh, I'm sure he would." Mads chuckled as he walked back out the way he came in. This day was getting weirder and weirder asit went on. But, his original idea had been to go and speak a little with Garrus, so that was what he was going to do. He found Garrus the same place he always found him, at the forward battery.
"You know Garrus, I'd say it's a matter of being unfaithful to the Mako, you standing here and pouring all your attention into our cannons." Mads remarked as he entered the room.
"The Mako died a noble death. But, no use crying over it." Garrus replied wittingly. Mads chuckled as he leaned up against the guard rail.
"So, what's up?" Mads asked. It felt like forever since he had seen Garrus. 6 Months was not that long, but time was funny when you were under house arrest.
"So, just the usual, fixing up the mistakes the idiots did on my beauty-" Garrus gestured to the forward cannons. "-And my home world is on fire. So many people dying." Garrus tone was sad. Mads placed his hand on his shoulder, a sign of sympathy from his side.
"You got any family left down there? I seem to remember you talking about your father 3 years ago." Mads asked.
"Yeah, a father and a sister. I have heard from neither, I can hope, but..." Garrus lost himself in his thoughts.
"I know times are tough, Garrus. But you need to have faith. I'm sure they are fine where they are… So, what did you do after I got arrested?" Mads asked.
"Well, after you turned yourself in, I went back to Palaven. I was being stonewalled by everyone I tried to warn, so I did something I never thought I would do… I went to my father." Garrus replied.
"He never approved of your methods, did he?" Mads remembered when Garrus told him about his father. How his father would not have liked Mads, because Mads was a spectre, someone who was above the law. Where as Garrus' father was a true C-Sec man, by the books.
"No, but I told him everything. From the beginning to the end. And he just listened as I rambled." Garrus said.
"It makes for one hell of a tale. Not sure even I would believe it." Mads remarked.
"Yeah, I guess that's true. But I put everything on the table, and he couldn't deny the connections there were. He actually believed me." Garrus had been in shock back then, and it was still hard to wrap his head around.
"What did he do?" Mads asked curiously.
"He used to be a good friend of the former Primach. He did as we have always done. Yelled high enough until he gave me a token." Garrus answered.
"And what was that?" Mads then asked.
"My own task force. It wasn't much, but it was something. I spend most of the last 6 months doing everything I could to strengthen our readiness for the reapers. I'd like to think it helped, brought us some extra time… But I guess we won't know until this war is over." Garrus explained.
"Damn, you were busy then." Mads said.
"Yeah, I tried to contact you several times, but none of my messages were ever replied to." Garrus informed Mads. It wasn't surprising. Mads had been under constant observation. No one had any real contact with him.
"Well, the alliance weren't big on me speaking to anyone." Mads replied. "So, do you think we'll win?" Mads then asked. He knew that question couldn't be answered truthfully by anyone.
"I'm pretty optimistic. Considering all what we have done so far, I'd say we have a fighting chance. You have killed more reapers than anyone else, Romanov. You took down the collectors, you have risen from the dead." Garrus answered. His answer was as truthful as Mads believed it could be.
"You really think that after what's happening on Palaven?" Mads asked.
"There will always be casualties, Romanov. That's why humans and Turians are different. Turians believe a war was worth it if just a single Turian is left standing. Humans are so concerned with saving everyone." Garrus explained.
"That's the worst part. Knowing that not matter how you try, no matter how much you give up, you simply can't save them all. Victory requires sacrifice. Russians know this perhaps better than anyone." Mads remarked.
"How are you Romanov? I mean, really." Garrus asked, somewhat concerned. Mads thought about that question for a while. He wasn't sure of what to answer.
"I don't know, Garrus. I don't think I'm doing to hot to be honest. I mean, look at me-" Mads requested as he presented himself. His beard was bushy and unruly, his hair long and uncombed. "- Most days I drink coffee to wake up, and booze to fall asleep." Mads remarked as he stared off into the distance.
"This war is taking it's toll on everyone. I'd be more than happy to help you, Romanov. If you want to drink booze, come do it with me." Garru suggested. Mads smiled.
"I might do that." Mads chuckled. The offer wasn't that bad. "You know Garrus, after I woke up this galaxy, I started having these nightmares. I had one where I was back in Syria… Fighting in a foxhole against terrorists. My men are dying around me, and I'm down to my last magazine. Then, I hear that damning click noise. My rifle is out of ammo. Before I know it… The terrorists storm my foxhole, stab me to death with their knifes… And there is another one, one where I'm in a dark room. There is only one light, and it shines upon a crib. Inside the crib, is a human infant. No more than a few months old. It's crying, and I pick it up… Then I play with it, make it calm down. But..." Mads felt tears creep up in his eyes. "It stops breathing. It's dying… And I can't save it… No matter how much I try..." Mads said.
"But the one that really gets to me? Tali dying… We're in some ruined city. Reapers all around us. I'm fighting everything in my path, but at one point, I stop up. I look behind me, and there is Tali. All bloody and dying. I grab her and try to check her wounds. There are so many… So much blood. She mutters words into my ear, asks me why I let her down. Why she has to die like that… Yeah, that one really got to me. And it will come around every 3 or 4 days…." Mads remarked as he wipes his eyes of tears. Now, Garrus placed a hand on Mads' shoulder.
"We'll make sure it never happens. I promise you that Romanov." Garrus had never been a liar. He would do his upmost to help Romanov find peace alongside his bond mate.
"Thank you… Truly..." Mads replied as he pulled Garrus into a hug. Garrus accepted, normally he wasn't very big on hugs, but he knew the Captain needed one right now.
17/3/2186
Onboard the FP Glory.
William Sheridan was looking over the galaxy map as he always did. He had spent the last week trying his hardest to get back on Cerberus. To expose them and fight them where ever they were. But, that task was not always easy. Cerberus were good at staying hidden. But, now they had turned from a terrorist organization to a full blown rogue army, with their own intentions. William grinded his teeth as he thought about how annoying it was that Cerberus seemed to be one step ahead all the time.
William was just about to sip his coffee when his second in command, Irsall, A Salarian, came up to him with a data pad. "Sir? You need to see this." Irsall said as he handed the Data pad to William.
William looked confused at the data pad as he started to read. "This is just an Turian message that states they have recused the students from Jon Grissom Academy?" William looked over at Irsall confused.
"To that naked eye, that might be true.. But there is something sinister about it." Irsall replied.
"Come on, tell me." William requested.
"Remember when we went to that abandoned collector ship 6 months ago?" Irsall asked.
"Yeah, I do. What about it?" William asked back.
"Cerberus used a Turian message to push that it was disabled. This message has the same outline, and used the same channel." Irsall explained.
"Jesus fucking Christ. Fucking Cerberus!" William exclaimed in a fit of rage. "Set a course there right now! We need to get this under control!" William ordered.
"Understood Sir!" Irsall replied.
"Fucking Cerberus think they can take our gifted youth?" William muttered to himself as he watched over the galaxy map.
25/3/2186
Normandy.
Mads adjusted the collar on his alliance dress uniform so that it sat perfectly. They had finally managed to get Wrex on board, alongside the Turian Primach and the Salarian Dalatrass. It was sure to be an interesting discussion. Mads knew what Wrex would demand, and he was worried as to how the other two would react.
Mads sighed as he snapped on his belt. This might be a ceremonial uniform, but it would be damned if he went anywhere without his gun. As he put on his jackboots, he wondered what would happen at the meeting. He wonder if they would reach an agreement, or if it would just be a shouting match. He once again sighed.
Mads washed his face in the bathroom. He took a long moment to look at himself in mirror. He shook his head at himself. What a failure he was. A man like him did not deserve to be in this position, he deserved death or worse. Mads wouldn't lie, he thought about placing his own magnum in his mouth and pulling the trigger. Just to end it all. But he had a feeling he would just come back again, just to finish what he started. That was his curse, right?
There was only one person that really kept him going, Tali. She was the sole reason Mads really fought on. She was the reason he didn't give up. All of his friends on the Normandy were also a part, but nowhere as near as Tali was. Mads slapped some sense into himself: He was needed elsewhere. So, Mads did a quick trim of his beard to make sure he looked at least presentable to the crowd.
Finally, he was ready. He went out of his quarters and stepped into the elevator. He pressed the button to go down a floor. He nervously tapped his foot while the elevator took him down a level. When the doors opened, it showed the usual busy scene of the CIC. The crew still had a ship to run, and he had a Krogan he had to convince. So, Mads made his way past the crew and through the scanner. The machine of course flared up when he was wearing his magnum, but considering he was the captain of the vessel, it was allowed.
Mads could see the glass box they were arguing in. They were already hard at work shouting at each other. They went quiet as soon as Mads entered the room. Mads nodded to them. "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome on board the Normandy." Mads greeted as he went to his spot at the end of the table. They all mumbled their thanks in return.
"Wrex, I'm sure you know why you are here-" Before Mads could continue, Wrex interrupted him.
"Yeah, you want Krogan warriors on Palaven to help the Turians." Wrex recounted.
"Yeah, that's about right. What do you say?" Mads asked.
"I'm not just some junkyard Varren these people-" Wrex pointed a finger at the Dalatrass. "- Unleash whenever they are in trouble! I have my own reaper problems. Reaper scouts have been sighted on Tuchanka. Why should I care if some Turians go extinct?"Wrex asked.
"I have no time for this, Wrex. Just tell us what you want." Victus replied.
"I have to side with the Primach on this one, Wrex. What are your demands?" Mads asked.
"It's not what I want, it's what we need. You can probably guess my price." Wrex replied.
"Curing the Genophage?" Mads had always wanted for the Krogan to be rid of that, but time was not on their side.
"Bingo." Wrex remarked.
"No way! Not happening!" The Dalatrass said, she sure was against the idea. She still believed the Krogan were nothing more than wild primitive beast, who would only start another war should they get the chance. "You Krogan will only terrorize the galaxy once more!" She proclaimed.
"You Salarians did this to us! We stopped the Rachni from taking over the galaxy, and what did we get? The Genophage!" Wrex preached and he was damn good at it.
"And after that you ceased to be useful! You terrorized the galaxy and tried to take over! The Genophage was the only way to keep the Krogan in line!" The Dalatrass responded with harsh words. Perhaps not untrue. Wrex was giving the Dalatrass a look that could only be described as 'I'll murder you when this is over'.
"Dalatrass! We need Wrex on our side, We need the Krogan on our side! This war needs us to stand together! The Asari have already jumped ship, I can't afford to lose any more potential allies. At this moment, the enemy of my enemy is indeed my fucking friend!" Mads yelled.
"Craving in to Krogan demands is unwise in every sense of the word! What will happen after the war is over?" The Dalatrass asked.
"We'll deal with that when the war is done. Right now, I'm much more concerned about the Reaper threat than I am about Krogan expansion!" Mads fired back. Mads felt like the air in that room was getting more and more thin, like he was back on that Turian moon. The setting was so tense.
"Enough! It doesn't matter if the Krogan deserve the cure or not, it will take years to make one!" Victus jumped in and said.
"According to my sources, that is not true." Wrex replied. All looked at him with confusion, expect for the Dalatrass, her expression was very different indeed. Wrex went down to the other end of the table to showcase what he meant, and it was truly something to behold.
"You remember Maelon, right Captain? The Salarian that was on Tuchanka trying to create a cure for the Genophage. He was using our females to test on." Wrex asked.
"Yeah, I do. He was less than ethical about his experiments though." Mads replied as he leaned in on the table to get a better look at the video Wrex was about to show.
"But what you didn't know, Captain, was that some of those females survived-" Wrex played the video, which could only be described as a homemade video shot from an omni-tool. It showed some sort of research facility. "-So The Dalatrass sent in a team to clean it all up, and she took them as prisoners." The video clearly showed what Wrex was taking about. Krogan females were standing behind glass cells, looking back at the person filming.
"W-Where did you get this?! It could be a fabrication!" The Dalatrass argued, but her voice betrayed her.
"Don't insult me! Those are my people, and they are immune to the Genophage! And you are going to give them back to me!" Wrex demanded, once again with a pointed finger.
"Dalatrass, is this true?" Victus asked as he approached her. Effectively backing her into a corner.
"How will curing the Genophage benefit my people?" The Dalatrass asked.
"Right now, we need to set aside these petty differences. We need the Krogan as allies, and I'd suggest you help us get there, so that you won't be left with your ass in the wind." Mads replied back.
"Captain Romanovis right. You need to give Wrex what he wants." Victus agreed.
"Either that, or let us fade into darkness. What does it matter if we don't survive?" Mads asked.
The Dalatrass hung her head low. "The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh."
"Okay, we need to move quickly!" Mads ordered as he began to leave the room.
"But I warn you Captain. What you'll do here, will have consequences for thousands of years!" The Dalatrass argued. Mads stopped in his tracks and spun around.
"That won't mean jack shit if the reapers win. Let's focus on surviving, eh?" Mads fired back.
"Let's get the females! I'm ready!" Wrex said as he joined Mads' side.
"You won't set foot on Sur'Kesh! This will take time to-" Before the Dalatrass could finish, Victus cut her off.
"You're wrong! It happens now. As a council Spectre, Captain Romanov can oversee the exchange." Victus demanded.
"We're going." Mads said, and it was a promise.
23/3/2186
Onboard the FP Glory. Apporaching Jon Grissom Academy
William stood right behind the Helm's seat, watching the station as they came closer. Irsall had been right. There was a Cerberus cruiser there, as well as a dozen fighters waiting for anyone to come close. William eagerly watched the scene before him, studying it. His pilot, A Turian named Larpius, was planning on what to do next.
The FP Glory was a Frigate. A little smaller than the Normandy, and less advanced than the legendary ship, but still quite handy. It had served them well so far, but Cerberus knew they were in the system, they had to know. While both William and Larpius were discussing how to proceed, a distress call came through.
"Hello? This is First Lieutenant Kahlee Sanders. I read your ship is not Cerberus, but not Alliance either?" The transmission asked.
"This is William Sheridan with Outer Heaven. We are here to rescue you." William replied.
"Thank God. Alright, listen closely William. Cerberus has locked down the main hanger. You can't get in." Kahlee explained.
"I see. Are there any alternatives?" William asked as he scratched his chin.
"I can probably open the cargo hold for you, it should be enough to land a shuttle in." Kahlee answered.
"Okay, good. We'll come in and recuse both you and your students… Larpius, can you get me a distraction?" William asked.
"Sure can. Just watch." Larpius boasted and smiled.
Larpius stayed true to his words, he cause a hell of a distraction for them. He kept them nicely occupied while they went in. First order of business was locating Kahlee Sanders and getting a feel for the situation. William had went in with a team of five, to stack the odds in his favor. It didn't take long before he found Kahlee, and he quickly saw the Cerberus troops that was trying to breach the door.
They had the advantage here, they caught the Cerberus soldiers completely off guard. Killing them in seconds. Grissom Academy had seen better days, now the walls were decorated with blood and bullet holes. William called for Kahlee to open the door and let them in.
She did so, and they all entered. Kahlee made a sigh of relief at the very sight of help arriving, even if it wasn't alliance. "Thank God you are here." She took a long look at him. "I remember you, William Sheridan, but I didn't think you could fight anymore after what happened on-" William held up a hand to stop her.
"It's a long story, and I'd rather not get into it now." William replied.
"Okay, but I assume you are still one of the best. I need the best, considering Cerberus is trying to kidnap my students. Most of my students were sent home when the word of the reaper invasion spread. Some decided to stick around." Kahlee remarked.
"How good are these students?" William asked out of curoiusity. Back in the day, he had some of the best biotic abilities, but nowadays people seemed to up themselves all the time.
"Their good, but not really experienced. They trained as Biotic artillery." She answered.
"Hmmm, training and actual combat tend to be very different things." William remarked.
"Agreed, but in times like these, the alliance can't really afford to lose personal like this. Plus, they volunteered to stay and train." Kahlee replied.
"Now, we need to make a plan-" Before William could finish, comms came from the trapped students.
"There are student trapped in Orion Hall! Cerberus have boxed us in, and they are moving on our positions!" The desperation in the man's voice was all the motivation William needed to go and take the fight to Cerberus.
"Where is Orion Hall?" William asked as he equipped his rifle again.
"Just down the hall… Before you go, please keep an eye out for my students. Not all of them are together." Kahlee requested.
"Got it." William replied as he left.
William and his men battled through the corridors of the academy, taking out Cerberus forces left, right and center. They manged to recuse a few students on their way to Orion hall. Of course, when they got there, there was another surprise waiting for them. An ATLAS. Cerberus heavy Mech, commanded by an engineer. A tough enemy to face.
Of course, they had a little help with it. The students still had some strength left to give, and their teacher, a woman heavily decorated in tattoos, seemed the most powerful out of all of them. So, they took the fight to Cerberus. Putting on pressure and getting the heat up.
The fight didn't take long with their combined strength. As it became quiet once more, the teacher barked some orders to her students, and then jumped down to greet William and his team.
"Who are you?" She demanded to know.
"William Sheridan, outer heaven." William replied. "And you are?" He asked.
"Outer heaven, huh? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Her attitude was not exactly what William had hoped for. Not to mention she dodged answering the question
"We are anti-Cerberus. Everywhere Ceberus is, we fight them." William replied.
"I suppose that could work. I dunno, I was half expecting Romanov to show up." She remarked.
"Captain Romanov? You know him?" William asked curiously.
"Fuck yeah, I was part of the team that took out the collectors. I'm Jack." She finally answered.
"Anyone who is a friend of Romanov is a friend of me." William replied.
"You know him?" Jack asked.
"Kinda, it's a long story. Let's just get your students out of here."
"Alright, give me a moment to talk with them." Jack requested. William nodded.
After 20 minutes of countless fighting, and the recuse of several more students, including a student named David Archer who also knew Romanov, they managed to get to the final arena before they could get the students off the station. William had hijacked a ATLAS that was undergoing repairs.
He had to defend the students as they evacuated to the shuttles. Doing so was easy when you had the ATLAS, it was just point and shoot. He even had help from Jack and a few of the other students. Cerberus were throwing their numbers at them, they wanted these gifted student for their own cause. William killed rows upon rows of them. He never really felt remorse when he took the lives of Cerberus operatives. But, he had seen what they had become. They were in bed with the reapers.
It took some time, but all students made it safely to the shuttles. William kept up the pressure on the Cerberus forces, until his ATLAS refused to take another step. He heard Kahlee say that they were ready to fly the hell out of there. He jumped out and proceeded to help them get ready.
There was a single student missing, she had fallen behind, and Cerberus forces were qucikly closing the gap between them and her. Jack and William acted quickly. One thing William could see, was that Jack truly cared for her students. They were her new family, and she was willing to protect them at all costs. They got the student back and safely to the shuttle.
They all took a moment to catch their breath in the shuttle. William was pleased with the outcome, they had gotten all of the students back, and had given Cerberus quite the beating. They all thanked him, saying how grateful they were. He assured them that it was no problem, that they were in this war together. Kahlee had suggested that they start on the front lines, since they were even better than she expected. William disagreed, mostly because Jack had stated that front line service would probably be slaughter for them.
Whatever their purpose may be, that was for the alliance to give. He had saved them, and he would drop them off at the nearest alliance base. He would make sure they were delivered safe and sound.