Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and EA. The Alien/Predator franchise is the property of 20th Century Fox.
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The Citadel.
Financial District, The Presidium
There was no visual connection, only audio. That was always the case.
"The krogan will arrive shortly," the voice said.
Barla Von, officially the most respected financial advisor on the Presidium and unofficially the most respected information broker wheezed softly as he spoke.
"I have confirmed there is no other leak ..." wheeze "... There will be no further..." wheeze "... security breaches."
"Good. However, there may a new problem. The humans may be looking for Saren."
That was new information, information that he should have found for himself.
"There has been no indication..." wheeze "...The human ambassador..." wheeze "...blamed only the geth."
"That means nothing. If they suspect Saren's involvement they would be wise to remain silent for now. Note the two officers that arrived. Anderson has a history with Saren. Shepard has not, but she is the sort of officer the humans might send it if they wanted to deal with a Spectre, permanently."
"Should I inform Saren..." wheeze "...that the Butcher of Torfan..." wheeze "...may be hunting him?"
There was a moment of silence.
"No. Saren needs to learn that there is a price to be paid for subverting the Shadowbroker's agents. Let him feel what it is like to be blind and deaf. But observe closely. Events are moving quickly. Either Shepard or Anderson may contact you for information. If so, steer them towards Fist. he knows little of true value and it will raise your credit with the humans. Besides, it will do Urdnot Wrex good to have some competition."
-o-o-o-
Near the Presidium lake
Three humans wearing undress USM uniforms were standing next to the Presidium lake, staring at giant, stylized figure of a Krogan while the holographic figure of an asari explained the nature and origin of the statue and all around them people of all species went about their business. That in itself was probably more remarkable than the statue. Twenty-five years ago, no one on the Citadel had even known that humans existed, and their discovery had let to the largest military and political crisis in centuries. Now a group of uniformed humans could stand in the middle of the Presidium, without anyone sparing hem a second glance.
"... despite strong pressure to have it removed in the wake of the Krogan Rebellions, the Citadel Council decided that the statue should remain, in memory of the many krogan that sacrificed their lives for galactic peace. Also-"
"Yadda-yadda-yadda- Does that thing ever shut up?" Shepard slapped her hand down on the interface and the asari hologram disappeared. "Much better. Damn, if they're going to put asari holograms all over the place, why don't they dress them up to make them look a little more fun?" She gave the giant krogan statue another look. "Ugly as sin. I guess it honours the krogan because it makes them look pretty by comparison. Anyone who has seen this and meets a real krogan goes 'Oh, I guess it's not that bad after all'. Besides, since when do krogan give a damn about galactic peace? Even I know them better than that. They were probably just looking for a good fight. Morons should have kept a few rachni alive. They could have built themselves an arena and held gladiator games." She took out her tablet and opened the brochure they'd been following. "What's next on this bloody school trip?"
"Commander...?" Chief Williams tried to speak up, not for the first time, but Shepard waved her off.
"Shut up. The ambassador told me to play tourist, so I'm playing tourist. As for you two," She grinned. "I wouldn't dream of denying you a share of all this wonderful alien culture we're looking at. Let's see... next stop, the Mass Relay Monument."
-o-o-o-
Nightclub Flux, Upper Wards
Anderson looked around as he nursed his overpriced drink. Not much had changed in the nightclub since his last visit, many years ago. Flux still had the same bustling volus proprietor, the same dancefloor, the sound of the Quasar machine upstairs. The krogan bouncer seemed to have been replaced, but the new one projected the same image of hulking menace as the old bouncer. One thing had changed, though: humans. The last time he'd visited the Citadel, humans had been a tiny minority, and they had clustered together among their own kind. No more, now there were at least half a dozen humans scattered around Flux and they were mingling with the rest of the clientele. Under the circumstances, that was a good thing. It meant that one could arrange a meeting in plain sight, without attracting any attention.
Anderson rose from his seat as a woman approached his table. She smiled.
"Please, no need to stand on formalities on my account. It's been a while. I understand it's Captain Anderson, these days."
He nodded. "Ms Vickers. Long time, no see"
"Indeed. Mind if I sit down?"
"Of course not. Please, let me get you a drink."
"Thank you."
Andersson pressed the call signal for the waiting staff while she sat down.
"It's been a long time since we boarded the Calypso, Ms Vickers. Tell me, when we were discussing the alien ship we found there, did you ever imagine we might end up meeting again in a place like this?"
"Please, call me Meredith. We're old friends, after all. And, no, this..., this is beyond anything I could have dreamed up."
"Same here," Anderson shook his head ruefully. "So, tell me, how have you been? I understand you left Weyland-Yutani to start your own business here."
She nodded. "It's been going quite well, really. There are a lot of non-human corporations that want to do business with us, but they're running into endless roadblocks. Some of them deliberate, of course, but a lot is just the result of misunderstandings and a lack of knowledge. They all need someone to intercede for them, to contact the right people, to make sure the right forms are filled out, and to make sure that they know how to avoid offending the wrong people. That's where I come in."
"Smoothing the way."
"Exactly. All these different species have been interacting for so long that their societies have completely mixed. On the one hand, that makes them quite cosmopolitan, on the other, it leads them to underestimate how different an alien culture can be. Then we came along and a lot of their instinctive assumptions simply don't work with us. And, of course, any human corporation that tries to set up shop in Citadel Space runs into the same kind of problems." She shrugged. "We don't have a few thousand years of intermingled cultures to mould our preconceptions, but a few centuries of science fiction stories have generated a remarkably similar effect. It can be an uphill struggle to convince people that aliens are not just funny looking humans with weird foreheads. But that's enough about me. Tell me, David, why was Udina so insistent that we meet? I would have thought he'd have his hands full with the situation on Eden Prime."
-o-o-o-
The Presidium
The Relay Monument was very aptly named.
"Oookay. Well, it's a relay." Williams looked at it again. "I'm not an expert, but it looks like a really good copy. But what is it doing here?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure we're going to find out," Shepard muttered as she activated the hologram.
"The Relay Monument is a popular topic among-"
"Oh for... Cannot they at least use a different asari for each hologram? This is beyond boring!" She looked around and noticed Lieutenant Alenko, who was staring intently at the mass relay replica.
"Everything alright, Lieutenant?"
"What...?" Alenko shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It's just. I thought I was hearing this... this humming noise, coming from that statue."
Shepard's eyebrows rose slightly as she looked back at the massive monument
"Cannot say I hear anything. Well, other than see-through lady here." She pointed at the holographic asari who was still babbling on and on about the protheans and why they might have built a mass relay statue when there was any number of real, working relays all around the Serpent Nebula, easily accessible for anyone who felt the need to look at them.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Alenko repeated. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"Alright then. Everybody got a good look? Now, what else can we find to gape at." She searched the brochure. "Looks like we're all out of statues. We can sit by the lake and eat our lunch, except we don't have anything to eat. We can walk through the commercial district and look at merchandise we cannot afford, or-" She looked around. An argument seemed to have broken out between a turian security officer and a hanar, who were disputing whatever it was that turians and hanar disputed, and a small crowd was forming. "No, let's not get involved in that. That guy has the typical look of a cop about to lose his temper. That usually involves handcuffs, though..." She paused. "I'm not entirely sure how one would go about cuffing a jellyfish. Still, no sense in giving the cop additional targets."
"Commander, look at this!" Williams was looking at one of the many screens scattered around the area. Normally it was showing an endless stream of advertising, but the program seemed to have changed to a news broadcaster.
"Look, Commander, they're showing the ambassador's meeting with the Council."
Shepard grinned. "He was in a foul mood when he got back, but for some reason, the recordings didn't make the news, yesterday. A bureaucrat getting kicked around? And we get to watch it for free? I guess aliens do know how to have fun, after all."
-o-o-o-
Flux
"You have a problem, David. The whole concept of SPECTREs is controversial, even in Citadel space. Frankly, I suspect that historically some of the councillors have wished that the program had never been initiated. Unfortunately, they're pretty much the only independent armed force the Council has, so they will not publicly denounce them. And this is Saren we're talking about, the poster boy Spectre. Now, personally, I think he's a thug, but there is no denying that he gets results and that's what his reputation is based on. If you want the Council to withdraw their protection, you're going to need solid proof; and to get that proof, you'll need to move quickly and without making waves. Then, assuming you get it, you need to inform the Council without tipping Saren off. And that's a whole new challenge.
Let's be clear. Neither you nor this Commander Shepard can investigate Saren without him finding out. Forget it, it cannot be done. He will find out, the moment anyone starts asking questions. The best you can hope for is to make him think it's just humans looking for him, that the Council is still behind him. That may stop him from going to ground and hiding somewhere on some empty rock in space where you'll never find him. But it will require a lot of careful manoeuvering and that the Council plays along."
"And the chances of that happening?"
"Not good. First, we have to go through an intermediary who has to keep his or her mouth shut. Keep in mind, that it doesn't matter if Saren finds out what Udina tells the Council. Just the fact that he's talking to them in secret will be enough to arouse suspicion." Vickers thought for a moment. "I think I know the right person, someone that I can approach without setting off any alarms. Also, someone that you or Shepard can talk to, even openly. Now that I think about it, Shepard would be better. The aliens have not forgotten the 'Butcher of Torfan'. Her, eh, notoriety makes her something of a public figure. My contact can seek her out without attracting the wrong kind of attention. The problem is the Council. First, we'd have to convince them to cooperate, then they have to make sure they don't get caught at it. That's going to be hard."
"How is that? All they have to do is ignore what we're doing and stay out of the way while we're tracing Saren."
She laughed without much humour "Really? Don't you think you'll need them? What if Saren is in Citadel Space? How are you going to pursue him without Council permission? And how can they give it without it becoming known? What if Saren contacts the Council? As a Spectre, he does check in with them occasionally. He will certainly do so now, to see if they suspect anything. Would you not want them to tip you off? They have to participate. And the Councillors live in a fishbowl, David. Their every word and every move are under scrutiny."
"Are you saying it cannot be done?"
"No, but it will be complicated, there is no guarantee of success, and it will require that the Councillors, -all three of them!- want it to happen. As I said, you will need solid proof."
-o-o-o-
The Presidium
"We had an agreement, ambassador Udina." The asari councillor's voice was cold. "We allowed the settlement of Eden Prime on the condition that you would not keep warships in the Demilitarized Zone."
"Perhaps you should inform the geth, councillor." Udina retorted. "I guess they didn't get the memo, because they seem to be quite willing to deploy their warships wherever they want."
"What ships, ambassador?" That was the turian. "The only hostile vessel that was observed has long since left the system. There is absolutely no need for a continued USM fleet presence in the Utopia system. The geth are long gone and from what you say these, eh, xenomorphs do not even know how to fly a shuttle. Your ground forces should be able to handle that. There is absolutely no excuse for a continued presence of, what was it? Two carriers, two battlecruisers, eight destroyers and ten rapid deployment vessels in orbit over Eden Prime. Not to mention the frigates that have been observed all over the Exodus Cluster."
"And invite the geth to return?" Udina sounded outraged
"Why would they do so, considering that the only item of value to them has been destroyed?"
"Should we then trust the safety of our people to unwarranted assumptions about the motives and behaviour of an artificial intelligence?"
"We should have brought some popcorn," Shepard remarked as she looked at the screen.
"It's kinda sad, though," Williams said. "I honestly don't know who to root for."
"Why root for anyone? That's the nice thing about bureaucratic deathmatches. No matter who gets smacked down, it's a win for the audience."
"Udina's being rather aggressive, though," Alenko observed. "Wasn't he the one who was supposed to get smacked down? He certainly seemed to think of it that way."
"He may be a bit oversensitive," Shepard said. "Then again, he actually has legitimate points here. Screw the treaty. We're not going to leave Eden Prime open to another attack and he knows it. So do the aliens. I suspect this is all just bluster, so the Council can tell everyone that they really told the mean humans off for sending in those ships. No, the smackdown is yet to come. Listen! I think they're just about to get to it."
"That beacon was priceless, ambassador, Absolutely priceless!" The asari was speaking again. "And you knew that as well as we do. When we entered into our agreement, it was on the clear understanding that it would be handed over to us undamaged, so that all species could share in its discovery-"
"With all due respect, councillor, prothean technology does not come with a warranty."
"That's my line!" Shepard was glowering at the screen, much to the amusement of the others. "That son-of-a-bitch! He was sitting there, lecturing me, and then he stole my line"
"To let it be accessed by the geth, let alone destroyed is beyond reprehensible. Your people had a responsibility and they failed. They failed completely! There will be consequences for this, ambassador. Grave consequences."
-o-o-o-
Tiberius Towers, Silversun Strip
Meredith Vickers looked at her screen and hesitated. When you were about to engage in a high-level conspiracy and the person you needed to contact actually contacted you first, without being asked, it was time to wonder whether it was a happy coincidence, or if someone else was moving pieces on the chessboard. Still, there was no real reason not to answer the call.
She pressed the contact button.
"Ms Vickers"
"Hello, Sha'ira."
The asari consort smiled. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all. What can I do for you?"
"I have a small problem that I need some help with. There is this curious human tool, which I don't know how to use."
"A tool?"
"Yes. You see, I have been invited to the opening of a new human restaurant here on the Citadel. Now, I've been informed that its food requires a particular method of eating, involving this," She held up a thin stick. "to pick up the food." She frowned. "I'm not entirely sure how that can work; and on these occasions, one doesn't wish to appear provincial."
"Ah!" Vickers nodded. "I see. For one thing, one uses two of them at once, not one."
"Oh?"
"Yes. It's really quite easy, but it does require a little practice. If you can make some time, perhaps you could come over so I can demonstrate."
"Of course."
-o-o-o-
Lower Wards
The bleeding had slowed down, thanks to the built-in emergency medical gear in her suit. That was the good news, the only good news. The list of bad news was considerably longer. For one thing, the bleeding hadn't actually stopped. For another, the shot had not gone through completely. At least some parts of the projectile were lodged inside her and there was not much she could do about it. Her suit could provide first aid, but it wasn't a replacement for a trained surgeon. Between that and the rising fever, she needed medical assistance, discrete medical assistance, and she needed it quickly.
Finding such medical assistance was a challenge in itself. She could not use a public terminal. Quarians attracted attention from the authorities wherever they went on the Citadel. A wounded, bleeding quarian would stand out anywhere. Fortunately, the Citadel's information network had proven to be quite vulnerable to some discrete hacking. She scrolled down the list. No, no, definitely not, possible -wait owned by turians? I don't think so-, no, no, wait! Upper wards but nearby. Human operated. Human? Well, it could be worse. In fact, humans might have less prejudice against quarians than most species, or rather, they were rumoured to be equally prejudiced against everybody. Still, anyone running a medical clinic in the wards would have to treat other species than their own, just to stay in business and a human-run clinic would be sure to have access to medigel. The new human invention had been spreading throughout Citadel Space, and even the Terminus for the past few years, but it could still be hard to come by.
Alright, let's check. Human medical ratings? Better than expected. Technical xenomedicin quality improving over time. Ethics? Some complaints, but not that many. Link to oath of... OK, I cannot even pronounce that, but it sounds reasonable. Well, I guess I'm about to find out for myself.
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A/N All those conversation options I wanted to have, but ME1 didn't give them to me when I was walking around the Presidium and filling up codex entries. Now I finally get to use them anyway. It wasn't the worst way to provide background exposition, but I still wish there'd been a way to shoot the asari who stood model for that hologram and provided Avina's happy voice.
I was a bit in doubt about Dr Michel's clinic, considering the different political situation, but in the end, I kept it the way it is in canon. If there are humans living on the Citadel, they're going to need medical care and it only makes sense that doctors would set up shop. Just like there would inevitably be human restaurants. (And someone teaching aliens how to use chopsticks.)
And Vickers is back. I'm getting a lot more mileage out of that character than Prometheus did. Such a waste of a good actress.
