Sitting alone at the helm of a turian frigate, a lone hardsuited figure sat with one arm resting against his chin. Narrowing his eyes, he eyed the hologram projection of the FTL tightbeam communication he was receiving.
"It's good that you've come; Kryik is still tied over at Thessia and you were the closest Spectre. This should calm things down a little, especially with the rumors of Tela Vasir having turned traitor," the salarian Special Tasks Groups operator said.
He said nothing, merely nodding once.
It was not as if they were lacking in manpower at the moment. Not counting the blockade forces of asari starships, there were sixteen additional salarian vessels around a single silent asari cruiser. The problem would have been the fact that even among the Special Tasks Group there lay internal divisions.
While he had not directly experienced the intense obsession some of their number held with cybernetics, he knew that some of them would be willing to subtly undermine the Council if they believed they could get their hands on Redhax. His presence here would serve a long way in quelling such intentions, the numbers and odds shifting against them as he entered the scene.
"Are there any critical matters I should know about?" He asked, eyes narrowing at the STG operator.
"No, at this time matters are under control." Meaning that the salarians would fall in line once he took command. "Simply be advised to refrain from approaching the asari cruiser; maintain a minimum 100 kilometers distance at all times."
He nodded, understanding that it was as much a quarantine effort as it was for preventing collisions. "So he hasn't been found yet."
"No, sir. The cruiser is very large and there are many unmarked passages, so it will take a while longer still. But we are making good progress. We managed to narrow down his position to a section of the ship earlier as one of our operatives was found dead there. It is only a matter of time now," the salarian reassured the turian.
He said nothing to that, simply nodding. If Redhax was not found, it would be necessary to review all of the camera footage for signs of foul play. Whether it be someone siding with the human, or the salarians making a play of their own would be a question all of its own at that point. But for now he would extend enough trust to the STG so as to take them on their word.
"Hmm. And Councilor Tevos is already in Parnitha system?" He asked, deliberately moving on.
"Yes, but Nihlus Kryik is managing her safety detail and there does not appear to be any further danger. Last update was two minutes and fifteen seconds ago."
"Alright. What of Tela Vasir?"
"She is confirmed deceased, as of six hours ago by a group of Justicars. There appears to have been something unusual going on, and the reports so far are conflicting in nature. It also appears that it was her personal starship that was stolen and used to escape Parnitha system."
The turian nodded; he knew the corvette's specs well. "And what of the Janiri's Sickle now?"
"It was boarded by the personnel of the asari cruiser, but it appears the asari captain had been bought out and that it was a ploy to escape once on this side of the Mass Relay. After the cruiser was disabled, we cleared it and disconnected it from the cruiser. It is powered down and orbiting the Mass Relay now. We thought it prudent to ensure that it was not used again to escape."
He nodded, that should be enough. But...
"And the reports of possible long-range teleportation?"
The salarian hesitated for a moment. "Preliminary analysis concluded that it was limited in range, since it was not used to escape Thessia. There were numerous vessels in orbit that could have been used, thus we are assuming that a 100 kilometer gap should be sufficient."
In space, between star-traveling vessels a distance like that would be nothing. But for a person on foot? It was a ridiculous notion, a mobility that overturned all rules of engagement.
Noticing that he had been quiet for a moment, the salarian spoke up as if hasty to draw the comm to a close soon. "Shall I send the preliminary report to you now? It should contain most of the details."
He nodded and the salarian initiated the transfer, after which the tightbeam cut off, leaving him alone once more. Or so it would have appeared.
"Continue heading towards the Special Tasks Group's starship. Notify me of any changes or tightbeam communiques," the turian Spectre said. The only acknowledgment he received on the empty CIC was the beep of a console, but that was enough for him.
Saren Arterius exhaled as he eyed the approaching Parnitha mass relay one more time, noting that it would still be half an hour until he was there. He had been contacted by the Councilors directly, told to head for the mass relay as quickly as he possibly could.
Of all the things... he grumbled as he returned his focus back to his main display where his numerous data points and charts were.
A three-taloned hand reached out and pulled back the zoom on the galactic map. Slowly inching away from the chaotic borderline of the Skyllian Verge until the edges of the map could display the entirety of that quadrant of the galaxy. Numerous small lights dotted the various star systems, drawing lines and regions, all showing the various settlements and pushes into the yet-uninhabited regions. Among them the blue seemed to be making the most headway, as a pale shade of green had been in a slow retreat for months now. It had been a scant twenty years since first contact had been made with humanity—since the Turian Hierarchy had been held back from striking down the dangerously ambitious and expansionist Systems Alliance.
And now humanity was at it again, pushing aggressively into the Skyllian Verge.
The Citadel did not care; it was uninhabited territory they thought. Saren knew differently. He could see the tendrils of the Batarian Hegemony, reaching outwards and into the verge. Their slavers, raiders, traders and diplomats—all practically one and only one profession in batarian culture—made their homes there. Long had the other races filed complaints over batarian aggression in these regions, and long had the batarian officials boldfacedly denied any part in such activities.
But that was how the batarians operated; every dealing of any importance held an element of subterfuge and treachery. Those 'rogue elements' were the outstretched fingers and hands of the Batarian Hegemony, and if the Systems Alliance continued their unchecked expansion, conflict was inevitable.
On the face of the matter, Saren did not care for the matter one bit. The batarians had left the Citadel years prior, refusing any dealings after the Citadel had refused to intervene in the brewing conflict between them and humanity in the Skyllian Verge. He was a Spectre; someone whose interests lay only in the good of the Citadel as a whole, after all.
But that was only on the face of the matter.
If one were to dig just a bit beneath the surface and look ahead, he could see how the chips would fall.
If humanity was allowed to grow unchecked in this manner, they would continue to spread too widely. Already they had spread into dozens of systems, utilizing barely nothing of the resources they already had at their disposal in a handful of decades. Barely over a century in space—and less than half of one with element zero technology—and yet they had already so much. It was as if the mad monkeys could not stand their own kind, spreading out as far and wide as possible at any opportunity.
The more closely he looked at humanity, the more he could see how they were barely being held together at the seams. The name Systems Alliance said it all, already. It was an 'Alliance' of various human interests, nothing more. It was not like the other races could all be nearly as united as the turians; they all had various factions, disagreements and troubles brewing beneath. But none of them spread themselves out so thin as humanity did, so far from their own existing borders.
If this continued, then humanity would not only grow uncontrollably, but would also sooner or later fracture into countless smaller factions.
Arguably the only thing that had legitimized the Systems Alliance government in the eyes of the rest of humanity had been the threat the turians had presented. It was necessary to keep an external pressure on humanity, a border beyond which they could not freely pass, lest the control the Systems Alliance could enforce on its own members slipped. For once the Citadel had to deal with two, three or however many more human fronts, none of which were beholden to any others words or promises, then it would be too late.
Saren Arterius honestly believed that humanity, if left unchecked, would grow into another catastrophe that could equal the Rachni Wars or the Krogan Rebellions. If for completely different reasons. But that was the danger. The mighty turian navy could defeat another Rachni or Krogan menace on its own today, without even factoring in the other Citadel races' contributions, of that he held no doubts.
But humanity was tricky and slippery. Handling war with humanity on one front and peace on another was something he was not sure even the whole of the Citadel could handle.
Wasn't the disaster at Thessia the fault of humanity? By all accounts he had gathered so far, all it had taken was a handful of humans to throw the asari home world into complete chaos. If it ever came to a war with a human government, the worst allies they could have at their backs were another human government.
Humanity had to be contained; had to be checked. At least until...
Saren sighed, shaking his head.
He had numerous dealings in the area, having focused on the Skyllian Verge for much of his career as a Spectre. He could funnel funds and guide the development of the various factions the dealt in that corner of the galaxy. Indeed, he had been building up the Torfan installations behind the scenes for years. Despite having no direct authority or influence there, he had managed to convince the batarians on the small moon to dig deep and to reinforce their bases until the end result was something that was enough to weather even orbital bombardments from a dreadnought.
At least those that the Systems Alliance could build, anyhow.
And inside those bases lay defenses sufficient to bloody even the most disciplined and well equipped force. It would be a bloodbath, a failure large enough to completely decimate the System Alliance's attempts at gaining control over the Skyllian Verge as a whole.
He had studied humanity's history in detail. Especially the histories of the states that had come to form the current government, and he could predict the effect the public backlash would have on the expansion effort following Torfan. This ought to be enough to hamstring any concentrated efforts for a few decades.
Another year of preparation would have been preferable, but...
This will have to do, he thought with mild annoyance as he mentally changed gears. He had too much on his plate right now to focus solely on humanity.
Quickly checking the various efforts of his numerous contractors to chart out the planets and systems of the Skyllian Verge, he dismissed those as well. He wasn't likely to find a legendary lost world through such means, elsewise he was certain his patron would have long since discovered the location. But it could not hurt to be thorough.
Next he checked the update he had received from the asari matriarch. He blinked, realizing with some amusement that Benezia was pointedly not returning to Parnitha, despite the danger her only daughter her been in recently. The Matriarch had been trying to get closer to him for a few years now, but it seemed that her determination stemmed from more than a mere flight of fancy. She could be a potent ally. Perhaps I should bring her in to the fold, after all...
Well, it remained to be seen how well she handled the search for the missing Professor Henell. He had a desperate need of Prothean experts, one fueled by the growing impatience of his benefactor. Something he found rather strange; for an immortal, it seemed to have very little patience.
Dismissing the rest of his other matters, he finally reached for the preliminary report the STG had compiled and began to look it over.
Saren was long since familiar with the background information regarding Redhax, but much of the new data gathered regarding the civilian person hidden behind the moniker left him disquieted. That a single human on Thessia had apparently been enough to cause all of that chaos on the extranet, was all but a complete confirmation of all his fears regarding humanity.
But any satisfaction he might have felt was pushed aside by the growing confusion and apprehension as he read on. From the initial conflict all the way to the current situation aboard the disabled asari cruiser, nothing about the human made sense.
Except...
Immense physical abilities; the ability to use technology beyond the current understanding of the galaxy; changing the properties of objects at the merest touch.
It all seemed to fit.
"That damn Harper," Saren grit his teeth as he spoke the name. Few today knew him as such, the man having adopted the moniker of the Illusive Man in his efforts of racial supremacy instead. "Did he find another monolith?"
They had both been affected by the Shanxi artifact, but Harper had been able to sense it across the galaxy, had been able to understand and read the language and characters of those affected by the monolith. If there was another and Harper had found it, could he have used it to create this entity known as Redhax? Had the humans taken up the challenge of creating 'meta-humans', just as his brother Desolus had once tried to do with turians? He was adamantly against using the monoliths in any form back then, but perhaps his will has been eroded by the artifact over the years?
"Sovereign called them husks... But could Harper have figured out how to control it for himself? He did resist the Shanxi monolith, didn't he?" He pondered out aloud, as he continued skimming the report. Was it possible to fight against that looming darkness, after all?
"Huh?"
Stopping at a particular line in the report, he checked the video footage that had been sent to the STG vessel after they had come through the Parnitha mass relay. Two humans had stridden onto the asari cruiser, one the already familiar figure of Redhax, the other a known Cerberus operative who had also been captured and taken into custody on the disabled asari cruiser. One of Harper's had been caught, but Redhax still remained on the loose.
"Who sent this to the salarians...?"
If Redhax was working with Cerberus, why reveal his escape? Saren would have suspected touched up footage, except for the fact that the asari commandos taken into custody had confirmed the footage as actually having taken place.
Exhaling loudly, Saren rose up from his seat as he walked around on the empty CIC. So the Illusive Man wasn't behind this after all? Or had there been some disagreement, causing Redhax to part ways with the female operative? I'll have to interrogate her, first thing.
But what angle should he try for? She had not spoken a single word to the salarians who had caught her after her capture. He needed to find a crack in her shell before he could hope to gain any answers.
A record of her presence on the Citadel caught his eye, as Redhax had also been present in that event. She had nearly been caught during a party hosted by Synthetic Insights and following that her presence had been linked to the foiling of a terrorist hijack of a starliner on the following day.
Pulling out all relevant data, he eyed through it all. Finally, as he watched the security vid of the starliner incident, he noticed something.
Drawing up the passenger list on the starliner and comparing it to census information, he nodded. The turian's eyes crinkled as he found his angle.
;
"I see. Good work," he said with a crinkle of a smile as he took one last drag of his cigarette.
The glowing embers reflected in his eyes as he savored the feel for a moment, before finally putting it out in the ashtray next to his chair.
"How long until you can begin production?"
"Half a year, but two would be optimal for setting up a dedicated factory."
He shook his head, his eyes narrowing at that. "Not good enough. You have two weeks. Any more than that, and they will be of no more use."
"That's insane, we can't—"
Ignoring the protests, he forwarded a package through the commline. "I've sent you the details three factories that you should be able to convert to fit your needs. Use the contact details if you need specialists or manpower, and the attached funds if it becomes necessary to lubricate the process."
"I—but, I, what?"
"You have two weeks," he said and cut off the line.
Leaning back, he inhaled and took in the silent darkness for a minute as he pondered things to come. If all went well, his preparations would be enough to maintain their current course. Though at the same time, he could not help but feel that there was something more he could do. For holding the line, they had all they needed. But for being able to reach beyond, for fighting back...
"We still need EVE, huh..."
Exhaling slowly, he checked his most recent reports.
Parnitha had now been in a state of a nearly complete communications blackout for well over six hours. He had not expected being able to receive any updates from the away team, but not being able to receive any news at all from the system was something he hadn't expected. Still, it did him little good to worry about things he could not affect.
Humanity's economy is booming. The Alliance Navy is in peak condition and has plenty of blooded veterans to draw on, thanks to the Skyllian Verge campaigns. Popular opinion was firmly on their side on the numerous causes they had helped sprout, Terra Firm was gaining in popularity in the Systems Alliance parliament and the media operations were still running along smoothly. Humanity, now having gained a taste of what it could achieve on the galactic scene and properly prepared, would find itself much more firmly footed for what would be to come.
"I might as well enjoy these quiet moments while I still can."
Even so...
It was difficult to contain his anticipation, he realized as he noted he was tapping with his fingers again. So many losses, so many friends and comrades gone. Shaking his head, he rose up and moved out to go play another game of skyball.
...It would be soon.
;
Liara sighed, looking out the window.
"What is the matter, miss Liara? Should I call the nurse back, or—"
"N-no, it's nothing. You don't have to do that Shiawe," she immediately tried to dissuade the other asari in the room, raising her hands in a futile effort to keep the other from standing upright.
"Are you certain, miss? You were hurt quite badly, after all..." The commando looked away, as if too ashamed to directly look at her. She was still ashamed of having been bested by Tela Vasir and having failed Liara before, it seemed.
"I was merely thinking about how empty the room suddenly felt," Liara said.
"Empty?"
Shiawe blinked at the younger asari, not quite understanding.
"Nn, well you came after they had already left, so it is not unusual that you wouldn't have noticed," Liara said quietly.
Tyra had said her quiet goodbyes once Okama had deemed it time for them to leave. She said they would first head for Trelle, but after that Liara had no idea where her old roommate would be destined for. Tyra would be back, she was certain of it. But somehow it felt like she was losing the first friend she had finally managed to make. Years—decades even—they had been at odds, and for what? Somehow she couldn't even remember anymore. It all felt so distant now.
The commando blinked, before she seemed to realize what Liara had meant. "Ah, your friend and the Justicar you mean? Yes, I understand what you mean."
"You do?"
"Yeah. The Justicars have a certain air about them, don't they? Your mother can be quite intense, but the Justicars are something else, aren't they?" Shiawe said with a light laugh and Liara had to join in.
After a moment, she tilted her head at the other as the thought popped in her head. "So, is my mother working with a Justicar?"
"Oh, yes. Justicar Anatha. A real curmudgeon and tightass—Erm, I mean..." Shiawe covered her mouth, looking abashed as she realized just what she had said.
But Liara only laughed lightly, not minding the crude words. But after a few seconds the mirth faded, and she returned to looking out through the window. She could no longer see it directly, but it was still visible as a glow in the horizon far beyond the edge of the Serrinan sea. That burning glow across the sky, that is.
Was that his doing, too?
"You can rest easy, young miss. I'm sure Matriarch Benezia will return as soon as she hears what has happened. She will sort everything out with the Justicars and the Spectres. You'll see."
Liara blinked turning her head to stare at Shiawe, nonplussed at her reassuring words. After a few seconds, she managed a wan smile.
"Perhaps."
It wasn't that she thought her mother heartless or cold, but she highly doubted that. Liara had long since expressed her wish to walk on her own path, without her mother's aid. Benezia had given her that knowing smile and agreed, never once expressing anything but support, even as Liara had regretted the words a second later.
She shook her head, clearing the decades old memories through force of will as she exhaled. She had other things to worry about right now.
"Shiawe, do you know when they will let me leave?"
"Oh, uh... I don't know. Do you want me to go and ask?" Shiawe asked.
"Please, if you wouldn't mind," Liara answered with a slight nod.
"Of course! I'll be right back!" Shiawe exclaimed and was out of the hospital room before Liara could even thank her.
Sighing and feeling some amusement at the other's behavior, she returned to looking out through the window.
Unexpectedly, she could hear the door behind her opening only a handful of seconds later. Turning around, she raised a quizzical brow at Shiawe. "What did they say...?"
Only to trail off at the vaguely unfamiliar asari who had entered the hospital room. It was not Shiawe nor was she wearing any kind of hospital garments, but Liara still felt she had seen the older asari somewhere before.
"Liara T'Soni?"
She blinked, nodding dumbly. The asari—a Matriarch Liara finally realized with some alarm—smiled and nodded in response.
"That is good. I have been looking for you. There are some things I would like to discuss with you, you see."
Liara nodded hesitantly again, finally realizing where she knew the other from. Just the same, the Matriarch also seemed to realize she had forgotten to introduce herself.
"Oh, where are my manners. I am Doctor Aurana T'Meles, of—"
"The University of Serrice's board of directors? This is, I am..." Liara moved to stand up from the bed, but the Matriarch gestured for her to remain as she was.
"Please, do not feel any need to stand on any ceremony on my part. Especially as you are a patient, it would be unbecoming of me strain you overmuch over nothing. I'm sure you understand," Aurana said and Liara nodded hesitantly, even if she really didn't. "I've merely come to ask some questions regarding some of the past days events. Only if you feel up to it, of course."
"That is," Liara hesitated. "I am not sure how much I am allowed to say. Wouldn't it perhaps be more prudent to ask the Justicars, or the Spectres...?"
Aurana smiled patiently in return, though for just a split-second Liara thought she saw a hint of aggrieved annoyance in those eyes.
"No, no. Nothing like that, I assure you. I am sure they would not even understand my questions. It deals with our field of expertise, you see?" The Matriarch explained with a conspiratorial wink.
"O-oh," was all Liara could say as she nodded dumbly.
"Now, now. Don't look so taken aback, I have been following your progress the past decade with rapt interest, miss T'Soni." The Matriarch said as she finally seated herself beside Liara. "You've a very bright future ahead of you, one you will decide to dedicate yourself to in Serrice, I hope."
She couldn't say anything to that, merely flushing at the praise and lowering her face.
"Therefore I can't help but wonder at what you thought you were doing, playing along with that Haphia's folly."
"Huh?" Liara blinked, looking up and almost reeling at the sudden whiplash in tone.
"If she promised you some position in the University of Serrice for playing along with her flight of fancy then I assure you, she most certainly did not have the authority to do anything of that nature. All appointments are made strictly through the faculty of directions."
The Maiden licked her lips, too taken aback by the sheer vehemence in the Matriarch's words to voice a rebuttal.
"W-what?"
She shook her head, a mournful expression on her face.
"Forcefully taking over a laboratory—one that has been fully booked ahead for decades, especially—to run 'experiments' so, so irreputable and ill-conceived. Especially when her own schedule ought to be dedicated solely to the findings of the Dretirop dig for years to come. There are procedures, protocols to follow! Requests to file and approve."
Liara blinked, licking her lips as she tried to understand the Matriarch's words.
"But—"
"And then we even received word from the Serrice Guard of her refusing to comply with their officers during a time of crisis! Does she not understand that our funding comes from the city of Serrice? Does she not understand how that comes off to the city council? Goddess, the temerity of her! Does she think just because she is friends with Henell and Tevos that she can do as she pleases?!
"And worst yet, the damages to the exhibits at the museum! We haven't even been able to put a number on everything that has been ruined, much less the cultural loss of so many priceless pieces! She will be lucky to keep her head after this, much less her position!"
Liara said nothing as she could only listen, beginning to wonder what any of this had to do with her. Realizing that she had been shouting, Aurana collected herself, clearing her throat as she smiled at Liara as if abashed by her outburst.
Yet somehow, it all felt too controlled. Too rehearsed. Liara glanced at the door, wondering at the Matriarch's timing for the first time. She had been here for hours, yet only once she was all alone did Aurana decide to visit her?
Liara swallowed, trying to wet her suddenly all too dry throat. She had left with Professor Henell to Dretirop, hoping to gain some practical experience but also to avoid much of the politics that in her opinion plagued much of the Thessian Academia. There were thousands of specialists on the Protheans among the asari, yet the Dretirop expedition seemed to have managed to collect every one of the two and a half hundred asari among that number who had been on more than one dig in their entire life.
Certainly it was a requirement for all to have been on at least on expedition to receive their master's degree...
But overwhelmingly, the preference among asari experts on Protheans seemed to be for the theoretical side of matters. For discussion, forums and panels. For the cleaner side of the matter, they said. Leave the digging in the mud for the salarians who seemed to love it so much. Give the short-lived and eternity-driven salarians the fame they craved; as asari they had the luxury of a millennium to build their own legacies.
Or so the sentiment seemed to go.
"I should apologize, that must have come off a little too harshly." Aurana's thunderous expression mellowed, and she smiled, almost apologetically. "But you must understand how such things come across."
"I... I am not sure I do," Liara hesitantly confessed.
She did realize a great deal had happened.
Immense and groundbreaking things, revelations that had shaken her to her core and dangers that had left her completely adrift and lost in a world the seemed entirely unalike all that she had been so familiar with her entire life. Too lost in absorbing everything that had happened just from her own perspective, she had not even considered how it would seem to the rest of the world.
Aurana reached out with one hand, placing it on Liara's own and giving her's a reassuring squeeze. "I apologize, you've been through so much, yet here I am laying these troublesome matters at your feet..."
"Ah, no... That's..."
"You have been through so much, miss T'Soni. I am sure you must be tired. Wouldn't it be best if you left the rest to everyone else? I am sure a month or two away from everything would do you good."
Liara hesitated. "No, but the Dretirop findings, and..."
Aurana squeezed again, smiling more widely.
"There is no need for worry, they will wait. In fact, until Nirida Henell returns, those matters cannot even be properly begun. Something like this cannot be handled without someone to take charge, you understand."
"I am not sure I—"
"It is fine if you are confused, miss T'Soni. As long as you simply rest here for the time being, it will all sort itself out."
Liara blinked, slowly nodding. But then she shook her head; there was too much to do. There was the matter of Dretirop, but more importantly she hadn't forgotten about the Prothean gun. He had said he had found it on Mars, beneath the already known ruins.
Baliya had not said anything, but Liara had seen it for herself.
The gun originated from Ilos and it was proof of the seventh age. Just as he had suspected, much to her great consternation. She couldn't rest now; she needed to get right back to it as quickly as possible. It was as much annoyance as genuine interest on her part that was spurring her onwards now.
She looked up, meeting eyes with the Matriarch and she spoke calmly. "I am sorry, Doctor T'Meles, but I cannot do that."
The Matriarch continued smiling for several seconds in silence, though there were no hints of incomprehension in her eyes. Finally, she sighed. "So you will side with that Baliya Haphia after all. Even knowing that she will be losing her position—crashing and burning as a consequence of everything that has happened, so to speak—you will still side with her?"
Liara did not hesitate, nodding immediately. She was not entirely certain what Aurana's driving policy here was, but she knew it had little to do with what she wanted. No, rather with what she needed.
Let the Matriarchs butt heads, she would simply get on with the research.
The silence lingered for several seconds, until finally the Matriarch stood up and smiled, as if everything that had been said had merely been a dream and nothing more. "Your loyalty is admirable, but... No, it is nothing. Thank you for your time, miss T'Soni. It has been most enlightening."
Liara didn't know what to say to that, only nodding as Aurana moved to leave the room.
Just then Shiawe returned however. Bursting into the room at such speed as to almost topple the Matriarch, she was panting and upon spotting the stranger in the room flared her biotics as if she was expecting a fight.
"Miss Liara! You're—you're alright!" She almost collapsed as she said that.
"Shiawe, what is the matter?" Liara asked, standing out of the bed before she had even realized it. There was something about the commando's bearing that unsettled her.
And the words that followed only proved her worst fears true.
"It's that professor you were with, Baliya! She's been found dead in her hospital room!"
;
Miranda felt tired.
Everything had been going so right, and then suddenly it had all fallen apart in an instant. One moment she was on top of the world; riding the greatest wave of her life and rushing forward toward successes she couldn't even have dreamed of.
And now here she was.
Captured and all alone, at the mercy of the salarians and the Spectres. Her bound hands chafed and her skin itched all over, the dried sweat and grime from her attempted escape sticking to her skin uncomfortably. She had tried to make things right again, had tried desperately to find Emiya, to escape the cruiser before it was too late. But it was useless. Her own hastily prepared trap had sprung just as she had intended it, only to find herself trapped and alone as he simply vanished as if it had all been a lie.
Left alone in a holding cell, she found her doubting her own memories and thoughts.
Had he really been there at all? She was certain that he had some kind of projection technology, something that allowed him to act from afar. But she was still certain that his actual body had been with her the whole time. It had to be. Why else would he have gone through all the trouble so far? Didn't he want to leave Thessia and Parnitha? Of that much she was certain. She had thought she could use that, to read moves ahead on the board and to make a grab for everything.
Why had she tried to trap him, anyhow? Maybe if she—No, he was lying again. He was going to do the same damn thing he did last time. He had no intention of actually working with me once he got what he wanted!
Miranda had to believe that. Otherwise...
She seethed, clenching her fist so hard her nails drew blood.
"Focus, focus," she told herself as she shook her head. "I need to think of something..."
She needed to escape.
There was no one coming for her, no one who had either the pull or the interest to free her. She was neither irreplaceable nor was she too dangerous to be lost. She knew better than anyone how quickly Cerberus would be able to account for anything she could possibly reveal to her interrogators, she had helped design and test many of the protocols herself after all.
Her hands were bound by a solid block of steel made with a material fabricator, and her omnitool, gun, hardsuit's helmet, kinetic barrier pack and biotic amp had all been confiscated by the salarians. If she had any of those items, then perhaps she could get the fabricated bindings off, but as it was she was helpless.
The best idea she could think of was to create a minimal biotic warp field without her amp, to erode the steel enough to be able to break it. But the rough calculations she did in her head on the field intensity told her that she would die of thirst before she could have any hope of breaking free.
If they're keeping me incarcerated and isolated for a long time, maybe...
But that would only be the first step. Carelessly revealing she could break free could be disastrous; she had to be patient. As long as she quietly observed and planned, eventually a chance would reveal itself.
She wasn't going to let it end here. There was no way in hell she would give up. Not until—
The door opened and she had to consciously relax as she worked to keep her breathing in order, making an effort to appear neither confrontational nor too submissive at the salarian who was staring down at her.
"Get up."
The thin, warbling voice sounded strange to her ear without an omnitool for translation, and it took her a second to realize he himself had spoken English.
She obeyed, standing up without hurrying or tarrying. The salarian motioned for her to get out, and then led her away down the hallway of the STG ship had been moved to earlier. Her eyes took in everything, poring over anything she thought could be useful. If they were just moving her to another facility or cell, then even just knowing the route could be important for when she finally made her escape. Anything and everything could prove vital, she wouldn't know until the moment of realization once she had a plan. It was important that she maintain her calm, regardless of what happened. As long as she kept a cool head and always kept thinking, she would be able to take everything in.
However, as she was guided into a meeting room, her mind went entirely blank for a second as her body stiffened in shock.
Standing there was a lone turian, facing half away from her and giving her a profile view. His skin was a light gray—an almost metallic silver even—with two long crests running at the sides of his head. His eyes moved to hers, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as she almost took a step back. But she controlled herself, maintaining a placid poker face as they stared at each other.
There was a second of tense silence, until Saren Arterius smiled with his mandibles flaring widely. "Miranda Lawson. This is certainly an interesting time, place and circumstance to be meeting, no?"
His flanging voice made his speech sound slightly off, but his pronunciation and articulation of the English language was good enough that it was perfectly understandable.
"Sit right over there," he said motioning with one hand at a chair on the opposite end of the table from himself.
She hesitated for a second, before stepping forward. Behind her the salarian stepped into the room and settled by the door, intent on standing watch.
But Saren had other ideas.
"Leave."
The salarian hesitated, glancing at Miranda for a second. But the turian didn't repeat himself, did not even bother looking at the salarian. Finally, almost sullenly, the salarian left and closed the door behind him.
"Hmm..." Saren nodded to himself, standing up to walk around the room.
Miranda eyed his talons, the clicking noise the armored tips making on contact with each other unnerving her. Physically humans and turians were nearly equal when it came to strength and speed, but when it came to fighting the turians held a distinct advantage with their sharp claws and teeth. He would be able to rip open her throat with a casual swipe of his talons.
She swallowed, wetting her dry mouth as Saren continued his slow circle around her, walking behind her back with deliberate slowness.
Finally, coming to a stop on the other side of the table, he hummed to himself as if he had been thinking about something. "Hmm, that's better. Now we are finally alone."
She blinked. It didn't seem like he was referring to the salarian...?
Sitting down, he placed his hands on top of each other, almost as if he was miming human gestures just for her. Inhaling slowly, he almost seemed to be savoring the silence as his eyes bore into hers.
What does he want? What does he know?
As a Spectre he was free to do with her as he wished, a fact which left Miranda more than a little apprehensive. The turian's disregard for humanity was well known, but even among the turians Saren Arterius's vocal opposition to humanity could be heard above the din of the crowd.
Miranda swallowed, wetting her dry throat again.
"Are you thirsty? My mistake, I'll have them bring something for you to drink," Saren immediately said, causing her to blink. "Some 'scotch', perhaps? That was Harper's choice of beverage, last I checked. Does he still inhale those smoke sticks, as well?"
She froze entirely, taking a whole second to realize that now the turian was grinning at her.
"Yes. Yes, of course I am aware that you were one of his. What is it that he's calling himself these days? The Illusive Man? Pah." He laughed, shaking his head as his mandibles quivered with amusement. "There is little illusive about that man, excepting his own beliefs regarding his and humanity's place in the galaxy. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to understand. Let's put that behind us, it is enough that we have established that I know exactly who you are, Miranda Lawson."
She looked away, desperately keeping her face controlled and mouth closed as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind.
The turian Spectre did not seem to mind one bit, as he continued talking in the same relaxed tone of voice. "Now, what does interest me is what you were doing here. Were you behind the incident with the orbital station KX-0331?"
Silence.
"How did you manage to get past the blockade onto Thessia? Did you have forewarning that this would happen?"
Maybe she could lie to him? As long as she kept her fiction straight, it might be convincing enough to pass. She had been taken alone, meaning that Kai Leng and Rasa were still probably free.
"What is your relationship with the individual who lived in Serrice under the name 'Fujimura Saiga'? Is he a member of your organization?"
As long as Matriarch Trellani did not attempt anything, she should have the certainty of being the only one who had been arrested. That meant she had control over the narrative. A tiny bit of it, anyhow.
"How did you come into contact with the asari captain of the cruiser?"
The question was, how much truth could she mix in? As it was, it was the truth that was far too strange to be believable. But a certain amount was necessary, to sell everything else she would want to say. What could she sacrifice to protect what had to be held secret?
Miranda licked her lips and opened her mouth.
"I came alone to Thessia—"
"You're lying," Saren interrupted her, almost gently.
She blinked. He wasn't guessing. He knew for a certainty that she was lying. How? Did they have someone else in custody already? But—
"The salarians took quite an interest in humanity after the event you were a part of on the Citadel happened, years back. Five years is a long time for them, and several of the brightest minds of the Special Tasks Group dedicated all their time to but one subject..." Saren said, clicking his talons on the table in a click-click-click rhythm. "Can you guess what had them so fascinated?"
She said nothing, not having heard anything about the STG having taken an interest in humans. But then pieces began to fall in place. Statistical anomalies, people turning missing, human psychologists' and neurosurgeons' homes and practices being raided by persons unknown...
If the salarians had been behind it, then—
"The human mind."
"Exactly," Saren crooned, making Miranda realize she had spoke out aloud.
With one decisive rap on the table with his middle talon, one of the walls of the room suddenly lit up. She flinched at the sudden change, realizing that what had seemed like a plain wall was actually a very large display. It was almost like one of those one-way mirrors that still remained in numerous ancient crime and cop vids from Earth's past, because she could see her own face in it.
She looked around the room, completely unable to find the cameras feeding the live footage into the display. There were numerous graphs, numbers, dials and rolling text on the sides, all indicating something that was being observed and analyzed about her. There were thousands—no, hundreds of thousands of data points being taken down about her every second. Every twitch of her eyes, every breath she took, every thought she had was being reflected in that 'mirror'.
"Now, they had been interested in the mind-body connection of humans, along with their brains more than anything. But this 'lie detector' was one of the more productive results of those efforts. They had hoped for something different, but I am more than satisfied with the results of their work. It does require the processing capability of an entire mainframe, so its uses are limited... But, that's hardly a problem for me," the turian explained as if he was boasting of his new skycar to a friend. Casual, friendly, as if expecting her to care about it with a polite interest rather than the full knowledge of her actual situation.
She swallowed, inhaling slowly.
This changed everything, and nothing. If she couldn't feed him false information, then all she could do was keep her silence. If she said nothing, then it didn't matter what the device could read. It was not possible to read minds, not yet at least. Of that much she was certain.
"I see you arrived at the crux of the matter. Even if I can see through your lies, I cannot compel you to speak truth." The turian nodded sagely, running a lone talon across the table as if he was checking for dust. Drawing the limb to a halt, he looked up at her. "But well, I do believe you will tell me, Miranda Lawson."
The talon rapped the table again, twice this time. Immediately the wall next to them lit up and displayed something. This time she did not flinch, instead only slowly turned to look at the display. Something in her gut was telling her that she should not watch, that she should not become aware of it.
But she couldn't look away.
It was the camera feed of a helmet camera, looking through a scoped rifle. Through the magnification, she could see the crosshairs following a diminutive target.
"Oriana..." She whispered.
"Well then... What shall it be, Miranda Lawson?" Saren asked with a pleased expression as he leaned back away from the table. "You two look very alike, don't you? Even I could see the resemblance right away."
"You...!" Miranda grit her teeth, standing up violently as the blood rushed to her head.
She clenched her fists, all the apprehension over their physical differences long gone as she tried to piece together how she would kill this turian, who—
"And do mind that even with the FTL connection, we're still seeing minutes old footage. She is light-years away from us. Who knows, perhaps something might have already happened...?"
But his calm, almost slightly amused words poured down on her like a pail of ice-water. Her logical mind reeled at the mistake she had almost committed in her white-hot anger. Sitting down unprompted by her captor, she looked down at the table as she tried to calm down.
She had to be calm.
Calm.
There was no room for emotions or mistakes here.
She felt sick. She felt like she was swaying in her chair, even as her hands clenched the table so hard that her knuckles were white and the barely healed wounds from her nails opened up again.
What does it matter? What does any of it matter?
She inhaled slowly, feeling the sickness in her gut pulling back. Her eyes weren't wet, but they felt as if she had pulled her eyelids back and sandblasted her pupils.
The shaking in her limbs stopped as she inhaled slowly.
Miranda Lawson had already once betrayed all her friends and family to protect one thing. She had done it before; what did it matter if she did it again? She would tell the Spectre whatever he wanted to know, would do whatever he asked.
Looking up, letting the curtain of dark hair recede back to reveal her face, she met the turian's eyes. She was certain that she had regained her calm; that her face was a careful mask showing no emotions. She could even see numerous dials and readouts in the damned 'mirror' behind the turian's back flat-lining in response to how her mind seemed to be pulling back from her body.
But even so, as their eyes met she could see a spark of vicious glee in him. He knew he had won, and he reveled in her crushing defeat. At the ease and efficiency with which he had subjugated a willful human. However, even with all the pleasure he was obviously deriving from this, he was still a professional. And there was work to be done.
"Well then, let us try this again... Were you or your organization behind the incident with the orbital station KX-0331?"
"No," she answered promptly and clearly.
He did not look as much surprised as he did contemplative at that response. "How certain are you of that?"
Saren doubted her words. Not due to any possibility of her lying, but merely due to her being too low on the organization's totem pole to truly be in the know. That she had been kept in the dark, that she was simply too unimportant, uninformed and incompetent to have known about any such plans.
Does he have dossiers on Cerberus' officers? She shook her head, swallowing once as she glanced at the visual feed of the crosshairs targeting her sister. How much can I explain to him? I need to make sure he understands, that he doesn't wonder. Oriana comes first, everything else I can...
Yet, there was niggling sense of guilt. No, not guilt. She was far too removed from everyone in Cerberus to feel such an emotion.
Shame.
"Well?" The turian prompted and she looked up.
It couldn't have been them. It couldn't have been Cerberus—she wouldn't have stood for it. Supporting and aiding humanity in the shadows by combating the other races was one thing. But genocide on this scale?
No. She wouldn't have condoned it. The majority of the people working for Cerberus wouldn't have condoned it. All for varying reasons and causes, but still. And most importantly the Illusive Man wouldn't have condoned it.
But Saren would not believe or care for such reasoning. She had to explain it in colder terms, in reasons why she herself would not have stood for such a plan.
"...No, that's impossible. We have too little to gain and too much to lose. The long-term consequences of this incident will only hurt humanity. We do not possess the presence required for something like this to have been made possible, either."
It made no sense. Cerberus was not behind whatever it was that had happened. But then, who was? It couldn't have been Emiya, of that she was certain. Was it the Shadow Broker, as he had suspected? Something is off here.
"I see," Saren said with a nod. "A shame."
She blinked, a sense of calm dread washing over her for just an instant as her previous train of thought was lost. Something about his callous remark struck her. Why would he wish for Cerberus to be behind the attack?
"Then, how did you arrive on Thessia?" He asked.
Miranda hesitated. Why was he asking these questions. It ran counter to the agenda of the Citadel, didn't it? He should want to pursue the KX-0331 lead, shouldn't he? The room seemed to be closing in on her, as that nameless dread seemed to be returning in beat with her trembling heart.
"...We have a contact on Thessia who helped us. A Matriarch by the name of Trellani," she sacrificed something without hesitation, the poisoned truth spilling from her lips without any signs of subterfuge.
Even the 'lie detector' seemed to believe it. Though, could she trust that he was showing her the actual readouts? Did it even work? He had called her out on a single lie, but that was all. This could have been just an elaborate bluff.
It doesn't matter, she couldn't gamble with Oriana's life.
"That's not what I asked you, Miranda Lawson," Saren rebuked her. "How did you arrive on Thessia?"
"...There were stealth vessels that could get us past the embargo," she finally admitted. "I don't know the details of how they work."
She knew about eezo, but that much was still true. She couldn't have built something like the injectors, even if she had some of the exotic variant eezo.
"And where are these stealth vessels now?"
"We left them with Trellani."
He nodded, a thoughtful and satisfied gleam in his eyes. As if pieces were falling in place in some grand scheme he was concocting. And she was his accomplice, his tool in all of this. There was nothing she could do, as she had helped him achieve a checkmate in some grand shadow game she could not even imagine. She clenched her fists below the table, the monitors noting elevated responses on hundreds of dials.
And then he blinked, the air of absoluteness vanishing as if it had been a lie all along. Frowning and looking away, he opened his omnitool, fiddling with the haptic adaptive interface with a bewildered expression.
Something had just happened, but what—Ah, of course.
Miranda couldn't help it; she guffawed. A solitary laugh, almost a cough. Yet the tension and restlessness in her vanished, just a smidgen.
The turian's sharp eyes instantly drew to her, and she could almost feel a tangible pressure against her throat. As if he was pondering whether to rend open her throat in that instant. But the expression of amusement did not disappear from her face, even if she had no winning moves left to play, that did not mean that Saren had won.
Not yet.
"He did something again, didn't he?" She shook her head and looked away. Not while that wildcard was still on the loose. And somehow, despite the entirety of the situation pressing down on her, she felt as if she had scored one point back against the turian Spectre. "You'll get used to it sooner or later."
For in that silence as he blinked at her words, she could sense a deep apprehension.
;
Thanks to Olive Birdy for proofreading.
Sorry for the wait. A bit shorter than I've gotten into a habit of lately. But this is because I wanted no Emiya scenes in here, to act as a sort of tangible divide between the Thessia Arc's closing and the beginning of the coming arc. Also since I'm no longer getting paid and feel obligated to give sufficient bang for the buck I'm receiving, it feels like I'd be okay writing shorter chapters too.
Any thoughts on the matter?