"Is that..." Garrus's eyes gleamed at the sight of the new sniper rifle.
"Mine." Michael narrowed his eyes.
"Can I..."
"No."
"But..."
"Get your own." Michael jerked his head towards the quartermaster. "He's got clear-"
He didn't get to finish the sentence before Garrus was on his way. Michael just shook his head, and went to the workbench.
#
"Now this is the place. My armor is here somewhere."
"Wrex." Michael glanced around the corner and removed the top of a smuggler's head with a shot. "Less talking, more shooting."
Wrex took a deep breath, and flared his biotics, throwing a half dozen crates into the smugglers that had just charged into the room. They went down like bowling pins, and he took out his shotgun almost casually. Then started giving Tali a brief lecture on reloading in combat conditions, while demonstrating.
Michael just shook his head, and took out the sniper trying to get into position. That krogan was starting to grow on him.
#
"Joker, I need the overhead comm."
"Alright, Commander." Joker flipped a switch.
Michael leaned on the console. "People, I can say with all honesty that this crew is one of the finest the alliance has to offer. I am proud to serve with each and every one of you. And I want to make this very clear." He took a deep breath. "If I catch the person who smuggled that infernal little space rat-monkey thing onto this ship they will be marinated in lemon juice and fed to Wrex." He hit the toggle.
"Uh..." Joker blinked. Then he shook his head. "No, I don't think I want to know."
#
"You didn't space the pyjack, did you?" Kaidan glanced up as Shepard started inflicting abuse on the coffee machine.
"Liara actually quivered her lip." Shepard shook his head. "There was lip quivering, on my ship." He waved a hand. "Pretty sure Tali was doing the same thing. And Dr. Chakwas..." He shuddered.
"So..." It was actually just a tiny bit adorable seeing how kind Shepard was being where Liara was concerned. Part of him was starting to wonder if Shepard's interests were starting to go beyond the strictly professional.
"Williams is shipping the rat-monkey off to her sister." Shepard wrinkled his nose, and dumped the coffee into the sink. After some cursing, the second cup followed. He narrowed his eyes at the coffee machine. "I am in the mood to space something. This is the wrong time for you to be uprising."
"Sir, the coffee machine doesn't even have a VI." He stood and took the cup from Shepard. It took him only a few seconds to unjam the control and fix a proper cup. He handed it to Shepard.
"That better not be a smile on your face, Alenko." Shepard accepted the cup.
"Who, me?" Kaidan forced his face back into a stern expression. "I sent the information from the data node we recovered back to Alliance headquarters."
"I don't care how much lip quivering occurs..." Shepard took a long drink from the cup. "Next time, we are just shooting all the damn rat-monkeys."
#
"You see much action in C-Sec?" Michael passed the ammo unit to Garrus.
"Well, not as much as you." Garrus shrugged. "But yeah, I've seen some interesting things."
"Anything stand out?" He adjusted the combat scanner, then frowned and started tinkering with it again.
"I remember this salarian geneticist I was sent to investigate. That case was a bit..." Garrus tossed microtool aside and grabbed a different one. "Disturbing."
"What happened? Why were you investigating him?"
"I was tasked with tracking black market trade on the Citadel. Most of it's harmless. Nothing I needed to pursue. But during the course of my investigation, I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Organs, mostly." Michael went slightly still at Garrus's words, then continued adjusting the scanner. "We usually get a few of those, but not the numbers I was seeing. We weren't sure if there was a new black market lab or if some freak was harvesting organs from citizens."
"You've seen this before on the Citadel?"
"Every so often, some lab sells unwanted parts through the black market. But they're not as bad as the psychos. I remember this one elcor diplomat we caught in my first year on the job. He was hacking people up and selling their organs. Had the station in a bit of a panic. But this case wasn't that clear cut. Turns out there was more going on than we first realized."
He examined the scanner again, then went to work on the ammo unit. "So how did you figure out what was happening?"
"First, we got hold of a sample and ran DNA tests. The weird thing was, the match led us to a turian who was still alive and was very convinced he'd never lost his liver. After a bit of digging, I discovered this turian worked briefly for Dr. Saleon, the geneticist." Garrus finished with the ammo unit, and looked the new rifle over as if deciding what other modifications to add. "So I went to his lab, hoping to find evidence of cloned organ development. But there was nothing. No salarian hearts, no turian livers, not one krogan testicle."
Michael blinked. "You're kidding, right? Why would anyone want krogan testicles?" And he really hoped he didn't regret asking that question.
"Some krogan believe that testicle transplants can increase their virility. Counteract the effects of the genophage. It doesn't work, but that doesn't stop them from buying. They'll pay up to 10,000 credits each. That's 40,000 for a full set."
"And yet that still fails to be an attractive line of work."
"Well, somebody's making a killing out there." Garrus shrugged.
"And the geneticist?"
"I brought in some of his employees for interrogation. To see if I could get them to talk. While I was interviewing one of them, I came across something suspicious."
"Good thinking. Lackeys are always easier to scare." And often dumb enough to let things slip by accident.
"Exactly. Though in this case, it paid off in a different way. One of my detainees started bleeding profusely during the interview. We offered to patch him up and he got frantic. Freaked out. I ordered a full exam, to find out what was going on. Our medics found incisions all over his body. Some of them fresh. That was our big break. These people weren't just Dr. Saleon's employees. They were test tubs. Walking, living test tubes."
"He was growing parts inside these people?" Michael stared.
"Exactly. He cloned their organs right inside their own bodies. Then he harvested them and sold them off. Most of the victims were poor. He'd pay them each a small percentage of the sales, but only if the organs were good. Sometimes an organ wouldn't grow properly, so he'd just leave it in them. Most of them were a mess, but only on the inside - hidden so nobody could see it."
"You shot him in the face, right?" Michael raised an eyebrow.
Garrus gave him a frustrated look. "That's the worst part. We never caught him."
"Why not?" Michael sat up straight. "What the hell happened?"
"He ran. Blew his lab, grabbed some of his employees, and headed for the nearest space dock. By the time I found out, his ship was already leaving. He threatened to kill his hostages if we tried to stop him."
From the sound of it, they were dead anyway. "But you went after him, right?"
"I ordered Citadel defense to shoot him down, but C-Sec headquarters countermanded my order. They were worried about the hostages. Worried about civilian casualties if the ship was destroyed so close to the Citadel. I told them those hostages were dead anyway. He'd just use them to make more organs. But they wouldn't listen."
The civilian casualty thing was an actual issue, though it sounded suspect. The Citadel had shields. More likely somebody didn't want to fill out the paperwork. "I hate it when civilians get mixed up in it, but sometimes..." He shook his head. "You have to take the shot."
"Letting him get away like that..." Garrus sighed. "All they had to do was disable that ship. Stop him from running. Maybe the hostages die, maybe they don't. But at least we stop the bastard responsible for it all."
"That kind of math was never my favorite subject, but a few causalities is a small price to pay to stop someone like that. If you have to kill five to save a hundred, you do it. You get drunk after, but you do it."
"Yeah. Exactly. I mean, those hostages might be wishing they'd died by now anyway." Garrus started putting his tools away. "I just wished I could have stopped him. That's all."
"Any idea what happened to him?"
"I sent out feelers from time to time, hoping to find something. I thought I'd found him a while back. He'd changed ships and changed his name to Dr. Heart - his idea of a joke, I guess. I told the military, but they weren't convinced it was him. I got the transponder frequency for his new ship, but I just can't get anyone to check it out."
"Upload the data. No promises, but we're running all over the damn place. We happen to cross paths, well..." Michael finished putting in the stabilizer, and set the rifle against his shoulder. It fit perfectly. "Who knows what might happen?"
"I was hoping you'd say that. But Commander, take me with you when you go. If it is Saleon, I want to be there when you find him."
"Garrus..." Michael leaned back and stared at the other man. "You know I'd never poach your kill. Unless of course..." He gave Garrus a challenging look. "You missed."
#
"So these biotic extremists..." Michael glanced over his shoulder at Kaidan.
"There are several groups. Some have legit concerns..." Kaidan looked over the information. "These ones are just your run of the mill malcontents."
"They just happen to glow blue when spouting off." Michael nodded. "Alright, people. Take this one careful. Check your targets and if you have any doubts, stun. Saving the civilians is part of the objective here."
#
"I didn't think it could be done." Hackett looked at him from the other side of the screen. "You managed to secure the base and neutralize the biotics without a single civilian casualty."
"That was the mission, sir." Michael nodded.
"Every now and then, you remind me why I didn't throw your ass in jail." Hackett chuckled. He shook his head, and then his face became serious. "The Spectre thing..."
"We are heading to Feros next. Still playing catch-up but closing." Michael folded his arms. "I've got a hell of a crew here."
"Good." Hackett nodded.
He hesitated a moment. "Finch is dead."
"You?"
"No." He shrugged. "Reds went hate group. Weisman messed with a medical shipment to turians and got caught. Finch tried to sucker me into bailing him out. When that didn't work, he tried blackmail." Michael shook his head. "And when that didn't work, he tried to threaten the guard on his own. I'd already tipped the guard off and he had backup waiting. Finch and his enforcers got dead."
"Understood." Hackett took a deep breath. "You good with the outcome?"
"Finch made his own choices." Michael rolled the coin through his fingers. "I made mine." He shrugged. "Well, with a bit of help from this one old geezer."
"I've got some shore leave coming." Hackett narrowed his eyes, but his lips twitched. "You finish playing around with Saren, and then meet me at Pinnacle Station. I think it's about time for your yearly ass-kicking."
"And what would it do to Alliance morale to see the leader of the Fifth Fleet get humiliated in the ring?"
"Get back to work son. You've still got a job to do."
"Yes, sir."
#
"Hey, skipper. Any interest in a small drink? It's a special occasion."
"Gunny, that looks like contraband." Michael raised an eyebrow.
"Does that mean you're going to confiscate a glass?" She held out a shot.
"Maybe two." He accepted the drink. "What's the occasion?"
"It's Armistice day. When the First Contact War ended. My family always marks it." She shrugged. "Since I'm the only Williams on board, I thought I'd ask you."
He took a sip, and gave the glass an appreciative look. "Seems like an odd thing to celebrate. That was twenty-six years ago."
"In our family, it's not really a celebration. More like an obligation." She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you don't know about my family. My commanders always find out. It's not in my files or something?"
He was the last person that got to judge people by who they had as relatives. "Ashley, I don't give a shit if you're the long lost heiress of Australia. I care that you know which direction to throw the grenades."
"Not at you."
"Exactly."
She smiled, and it faded after a moment. "I'm General Williams' granddaughter. The commander of the Shanxi garrison in the War." She spread her hands. "The only human ever to surrender to an alien race." She sighed.
His father had ranted about that. Traitor to the species, firing squad, whole bit. "Don't tell me you're blamed for that."
"Not formally. Dad got passed for promotion over and over. And I think my record merits more than garrison duty on a backwater agri colony." She squared her shoulders. "It takes a special kind of thickheaded to march into a job where your family's blacklisted. I did it anyway. I'm not going to let our name go down with Arnold and Quisling. Granddad deserved better than that."
"I slept through half the history classes I attended, but seems to me he made the right decision." Michael handed her back the empty glass.
She shrugged, and refilled it before handing it back. "You've never mentioned. You have any siblings?"
He hesitated a moment. "Almost."
"Almost?" She blinked.
"Had an uncle out on a colony. Standard package. Wife, house, picket fence, three kids. I was going to be shipped out to live with him, we exchanged a few letters. Seemed like nice folks."
"What happened?" She leaned back.
"The colony was Mindoir."
"I..." Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh."
"Jezebel, Brenda, and Samuel. Jezebel and I actually had the same birthday. It was the same day the attack happened." He shrugged. "So, no. No family."
"I'm sorry."
"Life goes on." He waved a hand. "I'm a marine. You walk into the fire with strangers, and you walk back out with family."
She held up the glass. "Now that, I'll drink to."
#
Feros was not a pretty planet. The surface was covered in prothean ruins, surprisingly well preserved. He decided to bring Liara along, and not just because Kaidan was being rather solicitous of the asari.
A man met them as they disembarked. "We saw your ship. Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately."
That was really never a good thing. "What's so important he needs to see me right away?"
"The geth are making another push. Fai Dan is preparing our defenses, but he needs your help." He pointed. "Please. Up the stairs past the freighter."
Michael turned towards his crew. "I have a hunch this might be the place." He switched on his communication unit. "Williams, Tali, suit up."
#
An older man smiled warmly as Michael approached. "Oh, Commander. I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us."
The woman next to him, on the other hand, looked rather angry. "You're a bit late, aren't you?"
"Arcelia." Fai Dan turned towards the woman. He looked back at Michael. "Sorry, Commander. Everyone's on edge since -" He blinked.
"Watch out." Arcelia ducked back and hefted her rifle. "We've got geth in the tower."
"Protect the heart of the colony." Fai Dan yelled as he took up a defensive position.
"Wrex, Williams, Liara hold this position." Michael unslung his rifle. "And Ash, when I get back I don't want to hear any shit about a Williams girl getting outshot by some mere krogan."
"Yes sir." She grinned as she found herself a good position.
He led the others into the tower to start the fun work of clearing an enemy out of a defensive position.
#
Kaidan checked out Tali's injury first, and was relieved to see the shot hadn't penetrated the new armor plating upgrade Shepard had insisted upon. Her own suit was capable of treating the minor bruising she'd received. Garrus had a couple small abrasions where chips off a wall had struck him. Shepard had some ringing eardrums and a brief lecture for Tali on being overenthusiastic with the flashbangs. Medigel took care of the former problem.
Shepard nodded. "Tali, do a quick scan, see if you can learn anything about what they might be doing here."
"I think these ones are in too many pieces." Tali ran her omnitool over the most intact of the geth. "I've got a signal location, but not much else. It's probably the main encampment."
"Well, we've cleared this area, at least." Garrus looked around.
"That should keep Fai Dan and the others safe." Kaidan nodded. "After an update we can head out for the main encampment."
"Garrus, you did remember to bring tungsten ammo, right?"
"Tungsten, incendiary, high impact, and phasic."
"Phasic?" Michael stared at him. "In a sniper rifle?"
"With the increased range of the Devlon -"
"You and your Devlon."
Kaidan sighed. "I'm heading back to the encampment now."
"Me too." Tali hurried to fall into step beside him.
#
"The tower's secure. Thanks to you, Commander." Fai Dan smiled.
"It's what we do." Michael nodded to him.
"Well, I'm glad you're on our side, then." Fai Dan took a look around. Kaidan had walked over to where Liara was tending to some of the wounded.
Arcelia sighed. "They may have been slowed, but they'll be back. They always come back."
"Tell me what the geth want." He looked around the encampment. Low tech. Barely even functional tech. Nothing leapt out as welcome sign for the geth. "Why are they attacking you?"
"If you want answers, go ask them yourselves." Arcelia shook her head in frustration.
Fai Dan put his hand on her shoulder. "We don't knwo what they're after. They came, they attacked us. That's all we know." He sighed. "Their main base is at the ExoGeni headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers."
A quick check with Tali confirmed that the ExoGeni headquarters coincided with her signal location. Fai Dan went over the difficulties the colony was experiencing. And Kaidan and Liara were starting to get puppy-eyed. It did make some sense to have a fall-back point. "Tali, check out the power and water problems, see if you can jury-rig something."
"Yes, Commander." She headed in the direction Fai Dan indicated. "Williams, Wrex, hold this location." He left Kaidan and Liara with the medics and gestured for Garrus to follow him to see what kind of food problem they had.
#
Tali's report was somewhat less optimistic than he'd hoped. It didn't take him long to realized that they were heading into the tunnels. He left Garrus, Ashley, and Liara to hold the point and headed down into the tunnel.
He shook his head as he watched Wrex and Tali. The tiny quarian and the massive krogan made a surprisingly effective team with their shotguns. Wrex managed to work in a lecture on proper grenade usage while blasting varren.
"Aha." Tali looked down at her scanner. "Commander, these power cells. They'll work for the colonists with only minor rigging."
"Note the location. You found that jammer yet?" He raised an eyebrow.
"We are getting close."
"Good." He glanced over. "Kaidan, how are you coming with that water?"
"Looks like we need to switch it on in a couple more places."
"Right." Michael sighed. "Cause it can't just be easy. Big red button and make everything work."
"Shepard..." Wrex glanced at him. "Is there any way you pushing a big red button wouldn't make everything explode?"
"That..." Michael shook his head. "Is a tragically good point."
#
"You don't want to go down there." The man shook his head.
"Um..." Michael glanced over his shoulder at his team, and then shrugged. "What's back there?"
"I could tell you. Tell you everything. How would you like that?" The man glared defiantly, then gasped in pain and fell to one knee. "Nooooo."
Michael drew his sidearm before gesturing to Kaidan. Kaidan pulled out his medical scanner. Slowly, the man got back to his feet. "That was a good one. Very intense."
"What's the matter with you?" Michael tilted his head. He kept the sidearm ready, but didn't point it at the man yet.
"Just invoking the master's whip. Helps remind me I'm still alive." The man grinned. "You're here for the geth, aren't you? You're not the only one interested in those..." He waved a hand. "Things."
Alright. He'd play asking questions of the crazy. "Who else is looking for the geth?"
"Not looking for; looking to get rid of. They're a thorn in the side of the -" The man's face contorted in pain. Kaidan stared at his medical scanner, then shook his head in confusion. "Trying to get to the -" The man cried out again, then started laughing.
Kaidan applied a dose of something, then stepped away. "He's lost it. We should just leave him be."
"Right." Michael nodded. "We don't really have time for this anyway."
"Well, don't stay too long, or time will be all you haaaaaaave-" The man yelped again.
#
Kaidan glanced back over his shoulder, then looked down at the scanner. According to the readings, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the man. He turned back to Shepard, who was raising an eyebrow at him. "I've got nothing, Commander."
"Alright." Shepard nodded. "Let's finish getting that water on, and head..." He sighed and then glanced back up to Tali and Wrex. And where Tali was hurling geth pieces for Wrex to shoot. "You know, I'm not really sure anymore which one of them is the bad influence on the other."
"Something about that seems..." Kaidan glanced down at the remains of a geth. "Like it should be wrong."
"Yeah, the part where they are making noise and wasting ammo." Shepard whistled shrilly, and gestured for Wrex and Tali to join them in heading back out of the tunnels.