Chapter Forty: Solace and Shadows Pt. IV
"The best kind of emotional support, is fire support."
- UNSC Marine Corps Handbook (Unofficial)
Omega
CAS-Class Assault Carrier Shadow of Intent
"We haven't seen the last of them."
"I know. It troubles me greatly."
The Arbiter's private quarters aboard the Intent were more crowded than usual. The leader of the Sangheili stood in front of his open wall-panel armory, carefully shedding his equipment and returning it to awaiting resting spots. He patted his Plasma Repeater affectionately as he put his last piece of armament away, proud of its performance against the Parasite a short while ago.
Fleetmaster R'tas 'Vadum was pacing the length of the Arbiter's cabin with clear agitation. "It was sheer luck that we managed to contain the outbreak on the station, and even now there could still be remnants of the Parasite that escaped the bomb."
"We have the surrounding areas under extremely heavy quarantine." This voice was that of Ultra 'Harum, who was standing in an out-of-the-way corner, engrossed in a datapad. His matte-grey Ranger armor still showed scars and purple-blue bloodstains from the recent battles on Omega. The fierce, capable Sangheili had quickly risen to a position in the Arbiter's unofficial inner circle. "Almost every Mgalekgolo pair in the fleet is combing through the blast radius, looking for stragglers, alongside an entire strike squadron deployed for close air support."
"I am aware 'Harum, and I have full confidence in the abilities of our forces down on the station. But you'll have to forgive me for the fact that the very mention of the Parasite puts me on edge," R'tas replied. The Fleetmaster's hand went reflexively to the half-jaws on his left side, severed years ago during a close encounter with the Flood.
"As we should all be," said the Arbiter, turning back towards the center of the room. The panels of his personal armory slid silently shut, seamlessly masking in with the rest of the wall around it. "Spartan, you heard the Proto-Mind's final words as well."
The Master Chief was leaning in the corner opposite of Ultra 'Harum, arms crossed against the chestplate of his Mjolnir. He had accompanied the Arbiter per his request back to the Shadow of Intent for this impromptu meeting, instead of returning to Commander Shepard or the Normandy.
"Not just you two," chimed Cortana. Chief had perched her small holo-pedestal on his shoulder, the selectively magnetic base keeping it anchored to the armor. The AI's purple-blue avatar had her arms crossed as well, mirroring the body language of her Spartan. "I heard the words too. Or I felt them. Whatever that was."
I am not alone. We are hungry.
The words echoed again through the heads of those who had heard them, seared deep into their memories.
"Could it have been lying?" This question came from the final person in the room, sitting with legs crossed in a chair opposite of the Arbiter's workdesk. Operative Levas - formerly Captain Levas before she was inducted into Sangheili Special Operations - continued, "Trying to sow doubt after a successful mission?"
Thel 'Vadam shook his head solemnly. "The Parasite has only one desire: to feed. We would be fools to disregard the Proto-Mind's final words."
"We were already fools to have believed that we had dealt with the infestation on Noveria. Who knows where Cerberus could have sent the Flood forms they managed to capture, if not just to Omega," R'tas growled.
"Wait, hold on - " Cortana interjected. "You found the Flood on Noveria? How? When?"
"We did, looking for these," answered Thel. The Sangheili walked over to a small lockbox attached to the short table besides his sleeping cresh. He input a digital code into the waiting touchscreen, then offered the palm of his hand for the biometric scanners.
He withdrew two objects, carefully holding one in each hand. They were small cylinders of simple grey metal, with absolutely no other unique or defining characteristics. Thel placed them gently on his central workdesk then reached to a compartment in his armor and withdrew a third cylinder, putting it with the other two.
"What are they?" asked the Master Chief.
"Keys," said Thel.
"Keys to what?" the Spartan continued.
"Keys to the answers of questions we have all been asking."
Cortana was not in the least satisfied by the Arbiter's cryptic answers. "You're going to have to do better than that Thel 'Vadam. I don't know if you realize, but almost the entire galaxy has been mobilizing and fighting the Reapers, and we sure could have used your help up to this point. Now you're saying that these - grey batons here - are the reason why your forces just picked up and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves?"
"You know not what you speak of," Thel rebuked. "Though that is through no fault of your own."
"Back on the dropship you mentioned a plan," said the Chief. "Her plan."
"Yes," the Arbiter said, long neck swaying slowly as he nodded. "Tell me Spartan, Cortana, do you know of the Librarian?"
"We more than know her," Cortana answered for them, "We've seen her, spoken to her. Or at least, a version of her. Back on Requiem, when we were after the Didact, she appeared to us and… changed us. She altered the Chief's genetic code to make him immune to the Composer."
The UNSC AI, usually bold and brash, became quiet before continuing with reserved humbleness. "I was at the end of my rope. She cured my rampancy, pulled me back from the abyss. She saved both of our lives."
"Lifeworker, as her kind was called," said Thel, "She was the head of her order. It was through her efforts that life was able to exist once again after the Halo installations fired, cleansing the galaxy of sustenance for the Flood. That was not all she accomplished, however."
The Arbiter craned a finger down to the table, gently touching one of the non-descript cylinders. "The first time the Gate activated and send the Intent and the Infinity into the unknown, we were as lost as you Humans were. But the second time, when more of our brethren were sent to join us, we received our message from Her, and our mission became clear."
"Your mission?" questioned the Chief.
The Arbiter picked up the cylinder he was touching, the latest one they had recovered from Omega. The Master Chief noticed that the others in the room had become still. Fleetmaster 'Vadum had halted his pacing, Ultra 'Harum had put away his datapad, and Operative Levas was sitting up straight in her chair. They all seemed to be respectfully waiting for something.
Thel looked to R'tas, "Are we prepared?"
'Vadum nodded. "The fleet is standing by."
"Then prepare for Transmittance," Thel said, holding out the cylinder to the Master Chief.
The Spartan took it.
He definitely wasn't on the Shadow of Intent anymore.
After an initial wave of disorientation passed, the Spartan's combat-honed mind took in the details of the scene around him. He quickly realized that this was no warship, no battlefield, no harsh environment that he recognized.
He was in a garden. A lush, vibrant bastion of color and life unlike anything he had ever witnessed. Standing in the middle of a cobbled path, he was bordered on either side by bushes, ferns, tall flowers, and green trees. The air was crisp and fresh, far unlike the recycled atmosphere he was used to on space vessels or within his Mjolnir.
Speaking of, it was then when the Chief realized that he wasn't in his Mjolnir, instead just wearing his armour's form-fitting black undersuit that stopped just below his neck, leaving his head bare to the elements. All of his weapons and other equipment were also nowhere to be seen. Years of fighting instincts told him that he should have been feeling vulnerable at these realizations, but he wasn't. A calm curiosity had rooted itself in his mind instead.
He began walking down the garden path, feeling the smooth, irregular stones underneath his feet and a soft breeze running over his pale scalp. The vegetation that bordered either side of the path was thick, and he couldn't see more than a few meters past the sparkling greens, reds, yellows, and purples of the assembled flora.
It was almost trance-like, the way that the Spartan continued moving through this strange place. His life had always been one of hardship, robotic ruthlessness, and death; for so long had he been killing Humanity's enemies in the dank, in the dark, and in the dirt, lest they do the same to him first. This place… the utter peace of it, it threw the Spartan more off-guard than the most well-executed ambush ever could. In an ambush he could resist, use his training and his skills to try and face and prevail against the immediate danger.
What danger came from flowers? What tactical maneuvers could he implement against shady trees? What weaponry could he bring to bear against the swaying grass?
He kept walking until the single path widened and split into a circular shape, a space in front of him now opening up. In the middle of this new circular area was a patch of rainbow wildflowers, but their striking shades of color was not what the Chief's eyes were drawn towards.
There was a woman by the flowers with her back turned to him, resting on both legs in a low kneel. She was wearing simple grey pants, a cream-colored long-sleeved tunic, and light stockings. Loose, chestnut hair swayed just above her slim shoulders, and he could see the pale skin of her neck as the wind wafted through the fine strands.
He recognized her instantly. "Cortana?"
The woman stood gracefully, pirouetting to face him. She was beaming from ear to ear, an expression of pure joy the likes of which he had never seen in her - nay, in anyone - before. In her arms she was cradling a hand-picked bouquet of wildflowers of all different colors, and as their gaze met she brought them up to her nose and deeply inhaled, her sparkling blue eyes flowers of her own.
"John!" she exclaimed, skipping over to him lightly, the air soft and light beneath her steps.
The word had caught him off-guard. His own name had caught him off-guard. Only Blue Team and Cortana ever called him John, but it certainly felt like a long time since he'd been around his fellow Spartan-II's, and his AI partner had never used that tone of voice…. A tone with so much joyous enthusiasm and warmth that it struck the Chief stone still, as if he had been transfixed by the glare of Medusa.
She stopped suddenly just in front of him, craning her neck to look up his tall figure. "The flowers, John! I can smell the flowers!"
Cortana took another deep inhale, smile never subsisting for a second. She held the flowers up to him, "Which one do you like?"
He pointed to a flower that was sapphire blue. It matched with her eyes. Cortana picked it out of the bunch and tucked it behind an ear. "Can you believe this place?"
John shook his head slowly, glancing around again. Another rush of wind swished through the low trees, carrying with it unfamiliarly melodic birdsong "No…"
"I've been waiting for you."
The new voice took them both by surprise, John looking up quickly while Cortana spun around on her heels. The circular patch of wildflowers had changed, the middle was now clear of flora and instead played host to a simple table and three chairs resting upon verdant grass.
Standing just to the side was Her. She was dressed in a resplendent flowing purple gown with shimmering silver trim, the sunshine flitting through the trees casting her in a golden light.
"Librarian…" Cortana whispered in awe.
"To many, yes," she replied, "To you however, know me as First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song."
The Librarian - Living Song - emanated an aura of purest warmth, comfort, and grace. She held her arms out to them. "Come. Sit. We must speak."
Half of their own volition, half pulled by an innate desire that they both couldn't have tried to fight if they had wanted to, John and Cortana walked together to join the Librarian at the table. As they passed by her to sit in their chairs, Living-Song touched each of them lightly on the shoulders with slender fingers. Gentle waves of heat emanated throughout their bodies from where she had touched them, and John shivered for a second at the pleasant sensation.
She had just sat down with the two of them when Cortana, ever curious, got out her first question. "What is this place?"
Living-Song smiled, looking around the garden. The trees and grass swayed in a cooling wind, and the birds played a soft musical accompaniment to the moment, having wound down from an earlier crescendo. "This is a Bastion. It used to be one of many, but now…"
Her smile faded around the corners slightly. "Now it is the last, and I am it's final occupant."
"You survived the firing of the Halo Arrays," John said.
"Part of me did," she corrected. "It was my spirit, the essence of my drives and passions, that persisted. Here in this Garden, and before in others like it."
"What have you been doing all this time?" Cortana pined, "It's been over a hundred thousand years since then."
"Thinking, planning, reminiscing, but mostly waiting. Lots of waiting…" Living-Song answered. She had a distant look to her eyes with those words, and was silent for a moment before she came back to the present. "Time is different here, but time eventually consumes everything. Everything — except the Flood."
The air was still now. The wind had fallen from the leaves and the birdsong had fled to more distant meadows.
"The Flood," John repeated. "What do you know about them? Why are they here?"
"The Precursor's most lasting and terrible legacy," she said, not really speaking directly to either one of them. "And ours as well. How much progress has been lost? How much potential has been wasted? How much does the Mantle grieve as it wanders, still lost in darkness after all this time?"
John and Cortana shared a brief glimpse. They both didn't know what to make of the Librarian's sudden ruminations. "The Flood?" John gently reminded.
Living-Song waved a hand, looking off into the distance. "Tell me, what do you know of our conflict with the Precursors?"
Cortana answered for them. "Not much, other than that the Forerunners ended up victorious and became the dominant factional power in the galaxy."
Living-Song smiled with tight lips absent of mirth. "The Precursors were a Tier-0 civilization. The breadth and scope of what they were truly capable of is so far beyond what even I could comprehend. The basic building blocks of the universe - galaxies, stars, planets, matter, every miniscule atom - they were all at their beck and call. They created life, and shaped it's evolution, guided its growth. They gave birth to my people, fostered our development, shielded us from hardships until we were ready to face them ourselves, and provided us with every opportunity to reach our full potential."
"Until you killed them," said John.
The Librarian nodded solemnly. "Yes… until we killed them. We asked for the Mantle of Responsibility, and they denied us. Our ego and arrogance flared like never before. We knew - without any kinds of doubts - that we were the chosen of the Precursors. When we discovered just how wrong we were, we rose up against our own life-givers, striking them down with an unbridled passion and ferocity that even we did not know we were capable of."
"But how?" interjected Cortana. "How could it have been possible to destroy a civilization so much more advanced than your own?"
"With utter ruthlessness and violence of action," Living-Song answered. "Most of the Precursors, the purest of beings, were driven to madness by their own children turning against them. They offered little resistance. Others tried to escape by fleeing outside of the Milky Way, where they altered themselves in the interest of long-term preservation…. But even they weren't able to escape the corruption brought by our betrayal. The forms they turned themselves into — a fine, desiccated powder that was intended to amalgamate back into their natural state— instead became distorted and mangled itself into what would become the Flood."
"Then they resurfaced in Ancient Human space," Cortana said, "And, well, we know the rest…"
"No, you do not," the Librarian said. "I did not either, not until after the Halo Arrays fired. Answer this for me: When you were brought here, to this galaxy, you arrived above almost an exact copy of Erde-Tyrene. Excuse me - Earth."
"Not just the Earth, the entire solar system was similar," John said. He remembered the frantic disbelief of those first few minutes and hours in the dark right after they had been transported here.
"And Cortana, I don't need to tell you just how astronomically impossible the chances are of a recreation like that happening in two seperate galaxies, do I?"
Cortana's eyes widened in both alarm and understanding. "Because it wasn't chance. It was design."
Living-Song nodded slowly. "Yes, It's design."
"It?" Cortana pressed, "Who is 'It'? A Precursor? One still lives?"
"One must have escaped our genocide all those millenia ago, and somehow they did not succumb to the vociferous insanity that birthed the Flood. Instead they came here, and created, said Living-Song.
"Wait, do you mean to say that this lone, surviving Precursor, on the run from both death at the hands of the Forerunners and the corruption of the Flood, came here and created this mirror solar system?" Cortana asked, the hint of skepticism evident in her tone.
Living-Song shook her head, giving her the same smile that a schoolteacher would a pupil who only gave part of the answer when called upon. "Not just the solar system. This entire galaxy."
The gravity of her statement took a minute to settle in John and Cortana's minds.
"This Precursor created an entire galaxy just to escape from our Milky Way? To preserve it's own life?" asked Cortana, who had gathered herself and her thoughts quickly.
"This galaxy was created to preserve you," she said, gesturing across the table to them both.
"The duplicated Sol system…" Cortana whispered, "It was supposed to be Humanity's second chance."
"When we went on the warpath the Precursors knew it would only be a matter of time until we began our crusade against the Humans, our most real opponent and sole barrier to the birthright we believed was ours."
"The Mantle." John had been markedly quieter than his companion in this dialogue, but his razor-sharp mind understood the Librarian's revelations all the same.
"Back so long ago, they could not have known about my later efforts to preserve your species after the Halo Arrays activated. Fearing that their chosen shepherds for the Mantle of Responsibility would be consumed by the Flood, alternative plans had to be made. And so, this perfect template for Humanity to start anew was created and discovered by me, whether by chance or design. Before the majority of myself was lost to the Halo's cleansing fire, I sent a seed ship through the same Gate that you came through, hoping that if my efforts in our Milky Way failed, then at least there would still be another chance elsewhere..."
"But you succeeded!" Cortana said, "Humanity continued on in our galaxy, and we've prevailed against both the Covenant and the Flood."
"Not here you haven't," said Living-Song. "This project did not go unnoticed by the corrupted Precursors, and a few established their own Bastions here in this galaxy. Here they've waited, resting and gathering strength until they could be let loose to feed once again."
Cortana and John shared a tight-lipped glance. Cerberus.
"That's already happened. I still have their blood on my armor," John said, reflecting on the chaotic mission to destroy the Proto-Mind that used to be growing on Omega.
"I am aware. I heard the Proto-Mind's final worlds as well. That is why you must continue your mission with haste," Living-Song said. She reached into a fold of her elegant robes and withdrew two plain, grey cylinders, placing them on the table in front of John and Cortana.
"The Precursor Keys…" Cortana said. John touching the one that the Arbiter had given to him is what sent the two of them to this unexpected meeting with the Librarian in the first place. "What do they do? What are they supposed to unlock?"
Living-Song's shrugged her slender shoulders. "I am not meant to know. That is for you to discover. Each of you, touch one and receive their messages. I have to be sending you back shortly. It has required a great deal of my strength to bring you here."
Tentatively, both John and Cortana reached out to an individual cylinder and touched it with a finger. The sharp spear of vivid imagery into their minds was shared between the both of them.
There was an planet lit by an dim orange star, with sprawling and arid deserts vivisected throughout by lush riverbanks and dark blue oceans.
There was a planet with great expanses of emerald green landmasses bordering sapphire blue lakes and seas, illuminated by a bright yellow sun.
Cortana, who had taken the first opportunity she had to pour over information on the systems and planets of this galaxy when they first arrived, realized what she had been shown quickly. "Rannoch and Thessia, the Quarian and Asari homeworlds! These are where the next two Keys are?"
Living-Song nodded in affirmation. "You must be quick. The longer the Flood is left in the darkness to its own devices, the the more difficult your fight will become."
"This is why the Sangheili have been absent this entire time," John said, finally understanding the Arbiter's cryptic descriptions of his plan. "They were looking for the Keys."
Living-Song stood from her chair, and her two guests mirrored her action. "The Sangheili finally have the purpose and drive that they were meant to all along. No longer are their minds clouded by the false judgments and actions of false others. Their pride demands that they make amends for the wrongs they had enacted upon your species. Use their strength, as from this moment they will always be dependable allies to you, Reclaimers."
She began to raise her arm, supposedly to send the two of them back to the 'real world', but Cortana interrupted her.
"Wait!" she said, and the Librarian paused, a quizzical expression playing on her face. "Can I - There's something I'd like to do before you send us back… while I'm still - while I'm still like this."
Cortana reached behind her ear and took the sapphire wildflower from behind her ear, handing it to Living-Song. She smiled warmly and took it from her, pinning it gently to the bosom of her shimmering gown.
Cortana then turned to John, craning her neck to look into his weathered eyes. She stepped towards him, reaching around his well-built frame with her slim arms. She couldn't even reach around his entire body, but that didn't stop her from leaning her body against his, pressing the side of her head against his sculpted chest.
At first, John didn't know how to react. He couldn't remember the last time he had been… hugged. It had to have been before he was inducted into the Spartan program, a period which felt like several lifetimes ago. He decided to do what felt natural. He took his arms and enveloped Cortana's petite frame with them, pulling her a little closer.
She was soft, she was warm, and in this strange, picturesque garden, he felt a rare moment of peace.
"Did you see?"
The Master Chief had to take a couple of seconds to re-center himself in reality. The trees and flowers of the Librarians garden were gone, replaced by the austere silvers and purples of the Arbiter's quarters aboard the Shadow of Intent.
He turned his head towards the Arbiter and answered his question. "Yes, I did. The next two Keys are on Rannoch and Thessia."
The Arbiter placed both three-fingered hands on his desk as he thought for a few seconds. "We have not been shown two Key locations at the same time before… the appearance of the Parasite must be accelerating things."
Chief turned off his external audio transmitters with some quick blinks so he could talk to Cortana in private. "You okay?"
"Yes," she replied quietly. "What just happened was… strange, but it was nice. More than nice. It's hard to describe, being given access to sensations you never thought you would be able to experience… I'm grateful for it, and for Her."
The Chief was silent, but Cortana knew that he felt the same way. After so much pain, suffering and death brought on by this new war, to have that quiet moment to themselves was more than he felt he deserved. But now, they had to get back to work.
R'tas 'Vadum had halted his pacing and had joined Ultra 'Harum in the corner, but the Arbiter took up his friends movements throughout the room as he started to plan. "Two Keys, two planets... "
"And one of them is my homeworld," Operative Levas said. "We won't be able to go in guns blazing on Thessia like we did the other Keys. The Thessian Council has recalled all Asari warships to guard Asari space. This could be difficult."
"Not to mention Rannoch." This was Cortana, who was the most knowledgeable in the room with regards to the unique situation revolving around Rannoch. "It used to be the homeworld of the Quarians, before their AI servants - the Geth - rose up against them and expelled them from the planet three hundred years ago. Who knows what the situation around the planet is like currently…"
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they thought. Operative Levas was the one to break the silence. "Thel, let me take a transport from Omega to Thessia, under the radar. I have contacts in the Asari Navy who might be able to help us with getting the Key. It's a better play at first then showing up above Thessia's space with your warships, staring down the Destiny Ascension and the rest of the Home Fleet."
The Arbiter nodded in agreement after another moment of rumination. "Alright. See what you can find out, but don't draw too much suspicion. Go now, and take one of the other Asari from our team. There's still unfinished business here on Omega anyways, and I have a certain Admiral to call…"
Levas got up and headed for the door, but the Arbiter called for her right when she got to the threshold. "But Levas… know that if required, I would have no hesitations jumping right above the Asari capital city and deploying assault teams to get the Key. After today's encounter with the Parasite, diplomatic niceties are admittedly far from of my mind."
Levas acknowledged hearing Thel with a curt nod, then strode out of the room with purpose.
"And what about Rannoch? Any ideas?" This question from the Arbiter was directed towards the Master Chief, but was really meant for Cortana.
"It's the Geth's world now," Cortana began. "The Geth are networked artificial intelligences, and the estimated number of combat platforms on-world ranges anywhere from the tens of millions to the single-digit billions, not to mention the tens of thousands of warships they've built."
"A billion ground troops and ten thousand ships," said R'tas. "Those numbers are not… insignificant."
"Compared to the six ships and twenty-five thousand troops that we possess, it certainly is not," said 'Harum. "Are these Geth hostile?"
"Yes," replied Cortana. "A few years ago a contingent of Geth influenced by Reapers attacked the Citadel and its member races, and any attempts that have been made by military scout teams or civilian adventurers to even get close to Geth space have been met with either failure or death."
"Excellent," Thel commented sardonically. Then, he thought of something. "The Normandy is here! They could reconnoiter the planet under stealth and give us a better idea of what we would be dealing with."
R'tas was skeptical. "Would Commander Shepard ever agree to such a request though? Such a mission is bound to be incredibly dangerous, not to mention the fact that he and his crew are not ours to order around."
Thel pursed his jaws together. "That is true. However, the Keys must be collected, no matter the cost. We will have to see what we can do to convince him..."
Omega
Storage Hangar 89-G
Shepard, Liara, Garrus, and Vega waited for Viper-Heavy's troopbay to drop, weapons out in their hands but resting in non-threatening positions. Kal'Reegar had said that the hangar he was waiting in was secure, but it never hurt to be cautious.
The four walked down the Pelican's ramp into the grimy, cramped and dimly lit hangar, and even though half of the overhead lights were out of commision Kal'Reegar's crimson red armor was easy to spot. He had been leaning against one of several cargo boxes outside of his beaten-up freighter, but once he saw Shepard's crew approaching he quickly made his way over to greet them.
Reegar and Shepard clasped forearms warmly, and the Marine said, "Commander Shepard, am I glad to see you. Dr. T'soni, Vakarian, you as well."
He looked over to Vega and extended an arm to him, which he took. "Lieutenant James Vega, Alliance Marines."
"Captain Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines."
Vega grinned, and underneath his opaque helmet the Quarian was doing the same. It was an unofficial rule that no matter the species all Marines were considered brothers and sisters to one another. This rule was especially evident in two specific places: battlefields, and bars.
"So it's 'Captain' now?" Shepard said, an eyebrow raised in quizzical admiration.
"It is, got promoted by Captain Tali'Zorah vas Kael when she assigned our Marine company to her ship."
"Vas Kael? She has her own ship now?" Garrus questioned, "When did that happen?"
Reegar let out a heavy sigh. "A lot has changed in the past few months, but its not all been good. First thing though, all these crates here behind me are yours, courtesy of the Shadow Broker. Experimental and heavy weapons, cutting edge equipment, the works."
"These will be a great help," Liara said, "The standard issue Alliance weapons we have on the Normandy right now are starting to fall behind."
"You said that Tali had a message for us," Shepard said, the seriousness of his concern for his friend evident in his voice. He had acknowledged the crates of equipment as well, but the wellbeing of a certain Quarian Engineer was what was foremost on his mind. "Can you play it?"
"I can't, because I'm the message," Reegar said. He took a step back from the, and another deep breath, readying himself for what he was about to say. "You know when I said some things haven't been good? Well, I may have been understating things."
"Two months ago Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh got wind of a rumor that there was part of a dead Reaper on a remote moon on the edge of Geth territory. Given Tali's past experience and expertise when it came to the Geth and the Reapers, Xen convinced the rest of the Admiralty Board to give her her own ship, under Xen's command in the Special Projects Fleet. Tali initially jumped at the chance. To a Quarian, the opportunity to Captain your own ship… it's what we all dream of. Xen ordered her to recon the site, which would be a dangerous enough given the proximity to Geth space, but that wasn't all she wanted her to do."
"Let me guess," Shepard said, "Xen wanted her to try and recover some Reaper tech…"
Reegar nodded solemnly. "Yes. Tali protested strongly, but word was Xen made it very clear that if she didn't proceed with the mission she would strip her of not only her current command, but blacklist her from any other advancement opportunities in the future."
"So Xen gave her a command and immediately used it to blackmail her?" Garrus said, the indignation at his friends treatment clear behind his words. "Did she go along with it?"
"She had no choice," Reegar said, "She submitted, but not before she pulled some strings with Admiral Shala'Raan to swap out the Xen's Marine contingent on the ship with my own company."
"A smart move at least," mused Shepard.
Kal'Reegar continued. "We loaded up the Kael and set on our way, but Tali called a general crew meeting as soon as we got into FTL and told us all in no uncertain terms that we would not be taking a single scrap of Reaper tech back to the Fleet. We arrived near the moon a couple of days later, but we had already been beaten there. There were three Geth cruisers on station against our one, and they already had ground forces down on the moon. Tali scrapped the mission as soon as the situation became clear, but that's when all hell broke loose."
"An hour into our departure preparations ten warships from the Special Projects Fleet jumped in, including Admiral Xen's flagship. They immediately engaged and destroyed the Geth ships, then sent assault and recovery teams onto the moon to eradicate enemy ground forces and recover whatever Reaper tech they could get their hands on."
Shepard was in disbelief. "Xen, that goddamn fool! What the hell is she thinking messing with Reaper tech?"
Liara answered that question for them all. "She's trying to find ways to give the Quarians an edge over the Geth."
"What happened after Xen and her ships showed up?" Shepard pressed.
Reegar started shaking his head. "That's when things went from bad to worse. Xen boarded the Kael and arrested Tali for dereliction of duty, then accused her of leading the Geth to to an 'established Quarian research site'."
"They arrested her!?" exclaimed Garrus, incredulously. "For what! The Geth were already there, how could that moon have possibly been a Quarian research site?"
"It was a power play. Xen planned it from the beginning," said Reegar. "Admiral Xen and Admiral Gerrel have been trying to make the case to take back Rannoch for a long time, but Admirals Raan and Koris have always kept them in check because they knew we wouldn't be able to stand toe-to-toe against the Geth."
"So when Xen heard about this unattended Reaper tech, she jumped at the chance to try and get an edge over the Geth," said Shepard, quickly connecting the dots. He had never liked Admiral Xen, but this was something else…
"She knew that Tali had a large amount of sway with Raan and Koris, and that she would vehemently oppose any attempts to work with Reaper tech," Reegar said. "So she had to get her out of the way, and that was how she tried to do it."
"But how did you get here then?" Garrus asked, "There's no way that Xen would have allowed you to leave that situation to tell us what was going on."
"She didn't," answered Reegar. "Right before she got arrested, Tali sent me a message to get off the Kael and to find you Commander, to let you know what was happening. Xen's carelessness with that Reaper tech combined with Gerrel's brash aggressiveness could result in them forcing the Migrant Fleet to try - and die - to retake Rannoch. Tali feared that if Xen got away with her plan, our entire people would be in grave danger…"
"Commander, you need to understand something. Tali deciding to send me away in the face of her own arrest was a crime. A grave crime. A treasonous crime. Xen took her and the entire crew of the Kael, including my Marines, into custody and charged them with treason. Do you know what happens to traitors in the Migrant Fleet?"
"They're excommunicated?" Vega asked.
"Usually, but not this time," Reegar replied bluntly. "Xen wants them executed."