Shepard made it to the ramp of the Normandy before stumbling. Kaidan caught him before he fell, and got a shoulder up under him. "Dr. Chakwas should have a look at you."
"She's going to lecture me about meeting up with strange women on strange planets." Shepard winced.
"I think she might be more concerned about the giant alien plant monster, sir."
"Have you met Dr. Chakwas?" Shepard glanced at him.
"Liara will want to take a look at you as well." Kaidan shook his head and half-carried Shepard into the ship. "Prothean cipher? I bet she can't wait to get her hands on you." He sighed when Shepard snickered. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Jealous, Alenko?" Shepard's voice was tight, despite the smile on his face. "Just remember that I saw her first."
He tried to keep his own worry out of his voice. "Only by a few seconds, sir."
#
"Commander? You look..." Liara gave him a concerned look. "Are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?"
"I feel like my brain's been scrambled like an egg." Michael sighed.
"I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it."
The number of women wanting into his head these days was a little disturbing. "Do it. Hurry. We don't have much time." He stood, very much hoping he was not going to regret this. Much.
"Relax, Commander." Liara approached him. "Embrace eternity."
Once again images flooded into his head. They didn't appear to make much more sense than last time.
Liara actually staggered backwards a moment or however much time had passed later. "That was incredible. All this time. All my research. Yet I never dreamed..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so..." She swallowed. "Intense. You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind."
One advantage of already being insane was nothing could drive you that way. Ashley leaned forward. "Come on. Get to the point. What did you see?"
"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete."
If he had this headache for nothing, someone or something was getting spaced. "You sure you didn't come across any kind of clue or hint? Something we might have missed?"
"Everything I saw you already know. You were right about the Reapers. The Protheans were destroyed by a race of sentient machines." She frowned, and touched her chin. "I think it's obvious there's a connection between the Reapers, the Prothean extinction, and the Conduit. But I didn't see anything that would help us find it."
"We need to figure out our next move."
"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there, at least. But something was missing." She tapped her fingers against her chin. "Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can -" She swayed slightly. "Whoa." Her hand went to her head. Kaidan was immediately on his feet, medical scanner in hand. "I'm sorry. The joining is..." She sighed. "Exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment."
Michael nodded to Kaidan, who was giving him a concerned look. "Have Dr. Chakwas take a look at her."
"That won't be necessary. I just need some rest. Somewhere quiet." Liara smiled reassuringly.
He knew that feeling. "We're done here. Dismissed."
#
Joker's voice came over before he could make good his escape. "I've sent off the Feros report, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"
No. "Patch them through, Joker."
"Setting up the link now, Commander."
At least they didn't leave him waiting long. The asari... shit, he still hadn't learned their names. "Commander, Exogeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job much easier."
The salarian glared. "You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it."
"Exogeni tried to study it." He clasped his hands behind his back, mostly to stop himself from just hitting the toggle. Diplomacy should at least be attempted. "Look how that turned out."
"Perhaps it's for the best, then." The asari smiled. "At least the colony was saved."
"Of course it was saved." The turian shook his head. "Shepard would go to any lengths to help a human colony." He said that like it was a bad thing.
He hit the toggle. "Goodbye, Councilor."
"Uh-oh. So-" Joker's voice came over the comm again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, sir. We lost that connection."
"Joker..." Michael rubbed his forehead. "It's possible you and I aren't cut out to be diplomats."
#
"Tali."
"Yes, Commander?" Tali turned towards him.
"I requisitioned you new armor." Michael waved a hand in the direction of the quartermaster. "Get it kitted out to your liking before we get dragged into another mess."
"You..." She tilted her head. "Got me armor?"
"People keep shooting at us. That lightweight stuff you've been wearing isn't going to cut it. Get it kitted out and sized for you, and leave it on the workbench so I can put new plating on." He shook his head. "I don't want any more holes poked in the only other person on this ship that can drive a mako." Garrus made a polite coughing sound. "Something in your throat, Vakarian?"
"No, no..." Garrus shook his head. "Just caught another whiff of crap there."
#
"And you want me to negotiate with this warlord?" Michael stared at Hackett.
"We're hoping your position will enable you to talk him down. A show of strength and respect." Hackett nodded to him.
"Alright." Michael shrugged.
#
"I'd hoped the Alliance would take this meeting seriously." The man up on the landing waved a hand dramatically. "Instead, they insult me by sending a military grunt to show me how tough they -"
Kaidan blinked when Shepard shot the guy in the head. And then casually replaced his sidearm. "Um..." He glanced at the body that tumbled down and hit the ground with something between a thud and a splat. "Sir..." He looked back at Shepard. "Weren't you supposed to negotiate?"
Shepard shrugged. "Knew I should have looked that word up."
#
Hackett shook his head, but a smile played around the edges of his mouth. "You could have tried to negotiate."
"Sir, if you'd wanted to negotiate with him, you'd have sent a negotiator."
"The Alliance does not condone assassination. We would never give that order. Killing Darius was your decision alone -" Hackett nodded. "And because you're a Spectre, we couldn't reprimand you if we wanted to."
"Good to know, sir."
"Can still kick your ass though." Hackett smiled.
"You and what army?"
"The Fifth Fleet, son."
"I..." Michael shrugged. "Well, maybe."
"Hackett out."
Michael rolled his eyes, then caught a glimpse of Kaidan standing in the door. "You need something?"
"You and Hackett..." Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't realize you two knew each other."
"He's the one that recruited me." Michael nodded. He looked out at the comm. "Wasn't for him, well..." He shrugged. "Might still be one of the Reds."
"Not..." Kaidan rubbed the back of his neck. "That's kind of a frightening thought, Commander, all things considered."
"Might be right about that." He leaned back in the chair. "Were you at the door for a reason?"
"Just checking up on you." Kaidan shrugged. "Liara was trying to work up the nerve to come look in on you, but was worried that you'd feel like she was wanting to dissect you or something."
"I don't think it's a completely invalid concern." Michael waved a hand. Kaidan and Liara made kind of a cute couple. "She's a nice girl."
"She is." Kaidan smiled.
#
"Commander, are you coming to check up on me?" Liara raised an eyebrow.
"According to Kaidan, you've been trying to decide if you should come check up on me." Michael shrugged. "Thought I'd save you the trouble."
She gave him a warm smile. "Then let us talk about you. Are you okay?"
"Define okay?"
"You need to take care of yourself, Commander. The crew relies on you for leadership. It can be a heavy burden." She looked up at him. "You said I could ask..." She shook her head. "About you." She shrugged.
"Why so curious about me?" Michael raised an eyebrow.
"I want to know more about you. To understand what made you into the man you are. There's something compelling about you, Shepard."
"Yeah. It's the visions of the Protheans."
Liara gave a small laugh. "I admit, your connection to the Protheans had something to do with my initial interest. But it has grown beyond that. You intrigue me, Shepard. But I was not sure if it was appropriate to act on my feelings. I thought there might already be a relationship between you and Chief Williams."
His brain attempted to do a hard reboot. And failed. He tried again. The girl his friend was sweet on had an interest in him and thought he was interested in Ashley. He felt the urge to bang his head against the nearest bulkhead. "I care about Ash, but not..." He shook his head. "Like that." Did Ashley think... Well, he hadn't been shot in nearly a week. He was probably due.
"I see. I feel there may be some attraction between us, Shepard." She smiled up at him.
Damn. If Kaidan wasn't... He really needed to learn more about Asari mating rituals to stop this kind of thing from happening. First the Consort and then... "I'm sorry, Liara. I'm not interested in you that way."
Her face turned several shades of purple. "This is very embarrassing for me, Commander. Please, let's talk about something else."
"Why don't I just..." He glanced over his shoulder. "Pretend this conversation never occurred and..." He sighed. "I'm fine, you're fine, and we are both busy with lots of other things so..." He shrugged. "I should go?"
"Thank you."
#
"Is this another negotiation?" Garrus glanced at Michael.
"I looked that word up." Michael shrugged. "Apparently, it involves diplomacy."
"And did you look up the word diplomacy?" Garrus's mandibles clicked.
"Sure did." He nodded. "It means bring Kaidan and Liara along." He gestured at the biotics that joined them in the airlock. "Closest thing we have on board to puppies."
"Does he mean that as a compliment?" Liara glanced at Kaidan.
"I didn't hear anything." Kaidan shook his head. "I turned my suit radio off the moment I saw both of them holding sniper rifles."
"How?" Liara started reaching for her helmet.
#
"You see how it is? You write letters and everyone ignores you. Force is the only thing people appreciate." The leader of the biotics had the chairman kneeling in front of him, with a gun pressed to the back of the man's head. "So how about if I kill Chairman Burns and finish this charade?"
"Please!" The kneeling man was all but whimpering. "I was trying to help you people."
"Let's not do anything we're all going to regret." He could take the shot, but if everyone else in the room was a biotic, it could get messy fast. Keeping the chairman alive was going to be an interesting challenge.
"Why not?" The leader shook his head. "What have we got to lose? Since the chairman here decided that we didn't get reparations, we've got nothing left to live for."
"But I've changed my mind." Seeing y-you all, it's c-clear that you all d-deserve..."
"You had your chance. Some L2s are nearly crippled from side effects of the implants, but you voted against reparations."
"If you die fighting, you'll get a lot of biotics killed, as well." Michael narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?" The leader of the biotics looked up at him.
"You've just made all L2 biotics look like terrorists." He was going to have to apologize to Kaidan later. "Think of what will happen to them."
"But people need to hear about what the government has done, and what it has failed to do." The leader waved his free hand.
Kaidan took a step forward. "People have heard. You've already accomplished that. You don't need to die for it."
It took a couple seconds, but it worked. The man lowered the gun. "You're right. I don't want to die. Maybe something will happen this time. We surrender."
#
"Thank you, Commander. I thought I was dead when they took me." The chairman rubbed the back of his head where the gun had been. Kaidan began running a medical scan over him.
"Reopen the reparations discussion." Michael nodded to him.
"I..." Burns nodded. "Yes. I'll see to it the reparations discussion is reopened. I didn't know they were so desperate."
"Then you weren't doing your job." Michael shrugged. "A Fifth Fleet cruiser will pick you and the prisoners up."
#
"I thought that was going to end in a firefight." Kaidan followed Shepard back towards the lockers.
"Couple years ago, it might have." Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "Didn't know much about biotics until talking with you. Didn't know what some of you have been through, or about the implants. And the biotics I worked with in the past..." He shrugged. "Sadi was kind of a..."
"Linus Sadi?" Kaidan raised an eyebrow, and then shook his head. He's heard a story about... "You're the guy that broke his nose, aren't you?"
"I think the fact that I did not get court martialed for that is rather telling." Shepard leaned against the locker. "Now I'm wondering how much was him being an asshole, and how much was trouble from the implant."
"He..." Kaidan sighed and then nodded. "I'd say about ninety percent was asshole, sir."
"Well, that's comforting." Shepard rolled his eyes. "Working with you and Liara..." He twitched a shoulder. "You're part of my team, not prima donnas I have to baby-sit. Hell, you've carried me back to the ship twice now." He nodded. "And for a researcher, Liara's shaping up to be one hell of a soldier."
He smiled. Watching Shepard and Ashley giving Liara and Tali lessons in hand to hand combat the previous evening had been oddly heart-warming. Ashley had more or less decided Tali was just another little sister, and Liara and the commander looked really good together. "She is." Kaidan glanced at the elevator. "Wrex is a biotic too."
"Wrex is a damn tank. I wouldn't be surprised if his hump is actually some kind of hidden missile launcher."
Kaidan laughed.
#
Ashley laughed. "She thinks that..." She shook her head. "That you and I are..." She actually snorted. "She really doesn't get out much, does she?"
"I think I'm a little insulted by how amused you are about this." Michael shook his head.
"Sir, if you had the choice between seeing me out of uniform or getting a new modification for your sniper rifle...?"
"What kind of modification?" Michael raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you for proving my point." Ashley snickered.
"Gunny, I just want you to know..." He shrugged. "I would definitely check you out before anything from the Hammer, Avenger, Reaper, Devlon, or Lightning Strike catalogs."
"What about Ariake?"
"Depends on what page of the catalog and what you were..." He winked. "Or weren't wearing under the uniform."
#
"... fires seven shots to every six and doesn't have anywhere near the kickback."
"One more shot isn't that helpful if none of them can get through even the substandard ariake plating."
"Are you two still arguing about sniper rifles?" Tali looked from Garrus to Michael.
"No." Michael shook his head.
She blinked. "Then..."
Ashley lifted her head off the table. "I made the mistake of asking them if I should upgrade my sidearm." She put her head back down on the table. "That was an hour ago."
#
"Dr. Heart, huh?" Michael shook his head as they walked towards the airlock. "I feel like that alone kind of deserves a bullet to the head."
#
"Thank you." The salarian actually smiled. "Thank you for saving me from those things."
Michael turned towards Garrus and raised an eyebrow. Garrus nodded. "That's him. That's Dr. Saleon."
"What?" The salarian took a step backward. "My name is Heart. Dr. Heart. Please, get me out of here."
"Are you sure it's him?" Michael shrugged.
"Positive." Garrus's mandibles clicked. "There's no escape this time, Doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time."
"You're crazy." Dr. Saleon shook his head frantically. "He's crazy. Please, don't let him do this to me."
He glanced over his shoulder at the bodies strewn through the ship. Those had been people, once. Before the 'good doctor' had gotten his hands on them. "Put him out of his misery so we can get going."
"Gladly." Garrus drew his sidearm. "Your days of butchering are over, Doctor."
"No. Please..." The doctor started backing away. "Please."
#
"That was..." Garrus nodded as they stepped out of the room. "Satisfying."
"Good. Remember that feeling." Michael shrugged. "That's how it should be." It hadn't been, at Torfan. Really only helped when you killed the right ones.
"I will, Commander." Garrus looked down at the corpses. "Well, I guess we're done here."
"I'll send a report in." Michael nodded. "Get someone out to identify them and..." He shook his head. "Likely some people out there who could use some closure."
#
"What's going on here?" Michael glanced at the table.
"We were just teaching Wrex how to play cards." One of the engineers said. He looked down at the pot and sighed. "He's pretty good for a beginner."
"A..." Michael rubbed his forehead. "Beginner." He shook his head. "Wrex."
"Shepard."
"Are you hustling my crew?"
"You accusing me of something, Shepard?" Wrex narrowed his eyes.
"You're older than the country of my birth..." Michael shook his head. "And you actually expect me to believe you've never played cards before?"
"Yes." Wrex shrugged.
Michael nodded. "Well, neither have I." He sat down. "Deal me in."
#
The communicator pinged, and he glanced at it before taking a second look. Hackett, requesting secure communication. He opened the channel. "Admiral?"
"Got a problem, son." Hackett folded his arms. "Major Kyle, your commanding officer at Torfan, has set up a small compound in the Hawking Eta cluster. He's attracted a number of biotic followers. He's become an outspoken critic of the Alliance, and we believe he's mentally unstable. This could be trouble, Shepard."
Michael took a deep breath. "What kind of proof do you have that the major is dangerous?"
"Three days ago, we sent two Alliance representatives to meet with him at his compound. They have disappeared. We believe Kyle and his followers killed them." Hackett sighed. "That compound is a cult, Shepard. They call him 'Father Kyle' now. He's set himself up as some kind of religious leader."
He folded his arms. "You said his followers were biotics?" He didn't recall Kyle being a biotic.
"Yes. Major Kyle never showed any biotic tendencies himself, though. I think he's just latched onto a group he identifies with. Many biotics feel marginalized or ostracized by society. Kyle probably sees them as victims who need his protection. And they see him as someone who will fight for them. Unfortunately, he's convinced them the Alliance is somehow responsible for all of their problems. We can't let him go on like this."
"And what were those Alliance representatives going to talk to Major Kyle about?"
"They wanted to bring him back to an Alliance facility for treatment. Major Kyle served us faithfully for many years. We weren't going to abandon him. Given his state of mind, however, he probably saw them as a threat. We're almost certain he had his followers kill them."
"What are you asking me to do here, sir?" He leaned on the desk, slightly afraid of the answer.
Hackett sighed. "You served with him; he might listen to you. But he's already killed two Alliance representatives. I'll trust you to use your judgment. Hackett out."
Well. That was a very helpful failure to answer the question.
#
Kaidan glanced at the commander. They were in a mako, with Garrus, and nobody was talking about sniper rifles. This did not bode well. Garrus was discussing calibrations with Tali, but Shepard hadn't said two words since getting into the mako.
They arrived at the facility, and Shepard climbed out and went to the entrance. The console beeped. "This is a private sanctuary. Outsiders are not welcome here."
"I need to talk to the man in charge. It's important." Shepard's stance was military rest.
"Father Kyle wants nothing more to do with the Alliance."
"My name is Commander Shepard. Major Kyle knows me. I have to speak with him."
"Wait..." Whoever was at the console paused for a moment. "Father Kyle will speak with you. Head to the building at the far end of the compound. He'll meet you there."
Major Kyle? Kaidan wanted to ask, but Shepard was already moving. Was this about Torfan and why... He hurried to catch up, falling into step beside the commander.
#
Major Kyle stared at him. It took a moment before recognition flooded into his eyes. "I know you. The Butcher of Torfan. Why have you come here, Shepard? Why can't you leave us alone?"
"What happened to those other Aliance officers?" Michael kept his hands at his side. The person in front of him had been a good man, once. "The ones who came before me?"
"They wanted to take me away from here. They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy." Kyle punctuated his words with vaguely disjointed gestures. "I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe."
Michael sighed. "The Alliance sent me to bring you in, Major. Can't you see this has gotten out of hand? Don't you understand you're endangering your followers?"
"I respect that you have come under a banner of peace. But I cannot do as you ask. If you take away their father, my children will be helpless."
He turned towards his crew. "Wait outside."
"Sir..." Kaidan started to shake his head.
"That's an order." He waited until they'd left before turning back towards Major Kyle. "Brekin's and his wife had a little girl, about three months ago." He took a deep breath. "Named her Sandra."
"I..."
"What are we doing here, Kyle?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hackett tells me you feel responsible for the soldiers who died back on Torfan."
"I was in command and..." Kyle shook his head. "You were there, Shepard. You know what happened."
"I know a lot of good men and women, all of them a hell of a lot better than the two of us, didn't make it off that planet. Fuck, some days I'm not sure we did either. But I do know this..." He clenched his fists. "Their deaths mattered. Bai. Aditi. Zavala. Meyers. Coltran. Vallen. Gitel." He swallowed. "Taggert, Monet, and Vasquez are all gone now too. They died soldiers. They died heroes. And when this is all said and fucking done..." He took a deep breath. "I'd like to be able to look their ghosts in the eye."
"I..." Kyle sighed. "Vasquez is..." He folded his arms. "I didn't know. How?"
"Refinery fire, out in one of the asteroid fields. Her suit tank ruptured. Safety was seven minutes away. Help was forty minutes away. The crew had ten minutes of air if the safety systems didn't kick on. They needed five minutes of repair work. She had eight minutes of air. She was an Alliance marine, Major. Tell me the truth." He met Kyle's eyes. "Do you think Gabriela Vasquez hesitated?"
"No." Kyle let his arms fall to his sides.
"We're soldiers. When the butcher's bill comes due, we're the ones who pay it. So others won't have to. It's our job. Do you think Gabriela Vasquez hesitated?"
"No."
"One life, so that dozens could live. Do you think Gabriela Vasquez hesitated?"
"No." The word was barely whispered.
"Then where the fuck do you get off taking responsibility for the choices we made back on Torfan? Who the hell do you think you are to take credit for the sacrifices they made? We ended a threat affecting the lives of every colonist out there, threatening the future of Earth and the human race itself. And you have the unmitigated gall to be..." He glared. "Ashamed? Of what they died for?"
"Shepard..."
"Hackett sent me, Kyle. Look at me." He narrowed his eyes. "Hackett sent me. You know who and what I am. You know what I can do. What I have done. Hackett sent me. Your decision, Major. What happens now?"
#
He looked up when Shepard came out of the room. Shepard gestured for them to follow. Kaidan glanced over his shoulder as they did, and saw Major Kyle was still in the room, leaning on his desk. Shepard's glare had the residents of the compound rather eager to get out of his way.
As soon as they were outside, Shepard hit the communicator. "Joker, get on the horn and tell the Fifth Fleet they can pick Major Kyle up in an hour at this location."
"Command -"
"You heard me, Flight Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir." Shepard walked over to the mako without another word, and popped the hatch open. Garrus glanced at Kaidan, and Kaidan gestured for him to follow.
#
"Your helmsman just forwarded your report on Major Kyle." Hackett looked back at him. "It's a bit sparse."
"I asked him to surrender peacefully." Michael twitched a shoulder. "He did."
"That's your story?"
"That's what happened."
"After what happened at the biotic compound..." Hackett slowly nodded. "Seemed a chance worth taking. Major Kyle surrendered to us without incident. Now we can make sure he gets the help he needs."
"Sir?" Michael raised an eyebrow.
"If I'd have sent anybody else, it would likely have ended in a bloodbath. I think..." Half Hackett's mouth turned up in a smile. "Maybe this Spectre thing agrees with you."
"Pinnacle Station." He narrowed his eyes. "Only hit you're going to land is when you hit the mat."
"Shepard, you're doing that thing where your mouth is making noise. You should see to that." Hackett started to reach for the control. "You did good, son. Hackett out."
#
Kaidan hesitated a moment when the voice on the other side of the door told him to enter. Then he stepped through and waited for it to shut behind him. He held up the datapad. "Commander, I..."
"Looked around until you found an excuse to check up on me." Shepard finished the sentence, and then raised an eyebrow.
"Well..." Kaidan rubbed his neck. "Yes. Um..."
"Is it at least a good excuse?"
"No, not really." He tossed the datapad aside. "You check up on us after every mission. I just thought this one might call for a return of the favor. I..." Kaidan sighed. "Are you alright, sir?"
"Good question." Shepard folded his arms, and then shrugged. "Yeah. Actually, I think I am."
"You're not just saying that?" Kaidan raised an eyebrow.
"Haven't lied to you yet." Shepard gestured to a chair, and then sat down in the other one. "Which is actually something of a record for me."
It was funny how touched he was by that casual statement. Kaidan sat down in the offered chair. "Any thoughts on where to head next?"
"No." Shepard sighed. "Liara suggested pulling up the star map and 'letting my subconscious guide us'."
"And?"
"My subconscious apparently wants to find out what it's like to fly through a black hole." He leaned back. "I blame the weekend 'classic matinee' for that."
"You like classic movies?"
"The ticket machine was really easy to hack and..." Shepard twitched his shoulder. "Yeah."
#
"Good timing, Commander. We've got a transmission coming in from the Citadel. Top priority clearance."
"Is it the ambassador?" This better not be a complaint about them blowing up part of a training base on the moon. Hackett had asked them to, after all.
"Not his signature. I think it's from the Council. I'll patch it through the comm room."
The Asari councilor... Did they even have names? The Asari councilor nodded at him. "Commander Shepard. We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren."
If they were calling to tell him Saren's shoe size, he was going to have Wrex eat them. "What kind of information?"
"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse." The salarian waved a hand.
Spies. Well, the STG did know what they were doing. Sometimes. Sort of. "What did they find?"
"Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up proper interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important." The salarian nodded. "Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Fine out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire."
"I'll look into it." The lead wasn't much, but it was better than he'd had ten minutes ago.
"The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities." The Asari councilor shifted her weight slightly. "We only want you to be aware of all your options, including Virmire. Good luck, Commander Shepard. We will keep you advised if we learn anything else." She hit something on her end, and the holographic images disappeared.
Michael sighed, and hit his communicator. "Joker, set a course for Virmire."