A/N
Here it is. This was made with pent up rage. It was saved for a reason, this chapter.
Enjoy
Chapter 11: At All Costs
Tali's POV
Clenched fists, clenched teeth, every muscle was wound tighter than the linen of a crossbow. She stared in fury at her bond mate.
"What do you mean, no?" she growled. Kyson made no reaction, not that she could see any past his completely plated helmet.
"You heard me Tali. I have no room to do anything, between orders and my own position on this" said Kyson as if it were a fact of physics. Something that was absolute; like how a star is always burning. It was always true. As true that water runs downhill. As certain as an object in motion, stays in motion; unless acted upon by an outside force.
"You know Kerris is being controlled by something. You saw it! Everyone did damn it! How can we condemn my brother for something he isn't doing?" she asked growling half the time. How could everyone on the Normandy be so collected about this? Whatever was controlling her brother had to be destroyed.
"I don't know what I saw Tali, none of us do! But whatever it is has to be put down. Kerris is gone Tali, trust me on this. The Kerris that wanted you to be safe is no more" replied her bond mate.
"Bullshit, you just don't want to take the time" she sneered. That was a mistake.
"Fuck you, fuck you Tali for not seeing past your emotion!" shouted Kyson as he pointed a finger in her face causing her to cringe.
"The bastard tried to kill me! I was spaced because of him! I was torn apart from you! I suffered for you! I lost a part of me that day, I lost you!" he growled in a tone she had never heard before. It almost sounded like he was going to burst into tears, but pride held them back. She felt sick to her stomach. She was disregarding his stake in the matter.
"My orders are to make sure he doesn't escape or harm anyone. Not to sentence him. There are thousands of others that have bigger bones to pick than me. The fleet being the top most. Don't ever assume what I'm going to do; ever" snapped Kyson. He started to walk away. That was his usual way of ending things when he was angry. If something made Kyson mad, he ripped it apart or deemed it a waste of time not worthy of his attention. Had she made herself and object not worthy of attention?
"Kyson" she said half hoping Kyson wouldn't hear her. He stopped a few paces away. He didn't respond but, she could see the seems of his suit flexing from deep labored breaths. She didn't know what to say. She had just been reprimanded for being selfish, which she was. But the way he had said suffered was still bouncing in her mind. He had avoided talking about so much since she had found him again. She had to know what he meant, but now, there was a trial. After that? She didn't know anymore.
"I love you" she said softly. Kyson turned on a heel and walked up to her. Took her left hand and began to walk.
"I love you too, Saera" said Kyson calmly with a strong squeeze of her hand. Tali felt a wave of relief when she heard that word. The word reminded her that she was what he said. Saera, 'my soul's soul' he is still there. He is still my Saera as well, I want this nasty business over with. But...I must help Kerris somehow. But, is that right? Am I the one who is wrong?
Garrus's POV
This was going to be bad. Very bad to be precise, thought Garrus as he surveyed the gathered Quarians in the commons. It had been over a year since his last visit to the fleet like this. But last time, it was Tali who was about to be raked over the coals. Now, as he listened in on the squabbling of people around him he noticed two distinct groups. On the left, was the upper staff of the Moreh, Xen's crew. On the right, was the upper echelon of the main fleet ranging from security, military, agriculture, nearly every major systems department the Quarians had. Kerris and Daro had not only endangered fleet security, they had destroyed all facets of the Quarians chances of getting back to Rannoch.
"I have seen the vids from Tali's trial, what do you think this one will be like?" asked Liara.
"Thorough. Last time Tali was being used to advance the other Admiral's agendas. It was sloppy. This will be very quick. Not in our sense, but everybody will be on the same page" said Garrus pointedly. He sighed before looking back for signs of Kyson or Tali. That was another aspect he didn't want to calculate. Tali's position was rough. It would be comparable to Solana, his sister being the one who teamed up with Sovereign; not Saren.
"I don't think it's going to be as cut and dry as you think Garrus" said Luke from his right side.
"Han will raise hell like never before, Rael was his best friend" said Beni sternly.
"Yes, but this isn't about Rael this time! This is about a psycho who has completely sullied the name of the Quarians" argued Luke. Garrus just kept his focus on the crowd hearing murmurs of the first possible execution since The Mourning War. Garrus had once asked Tali about this, but she had been adamant about the fact. There were no executions or capital punishment. Here's hoping they change their minds.
"What's on your mind Garrus, I know when you are brooding over something" prodded Liara.
"I've learned a lot of things about the galaxy Liara. Some of those things I wish never happened. If it wasn't for John being there on many occasions I would either be dead, or just like Kerris in some ways. I have learned when revenge is appropriate, but also how to forgive. But this time, I want these two people to die. Kerris, for the lives he has taken. Xen, for what she did to my brother" he said coolly.
"That, was much more than I was expecting" said Liara with understanding in her voice. Garrus just stayed quiet after that, or tried too for some Quarians had listened in on him. Nosy little bastards.
"What did Xen do to your brother?" asked an older male who Garrus recalled to be part of the Military.
"She spaced my brother in an attempt to cover up her plans. My brother was getting in the way so she tried to make it look like an accident. Kerris was her tool" he replied not caring about sharing what was already going to be in the trial.
"Damn, your brother survived?" asked the old Quarian.
"I did" said Kyson causing Garrus to look back. There was no reading Kyson in the T5 battle suit.
"Mr. Sorley! I should have known it was you this Turian was talking about. Good work down there on Rannoch, all of you" said the old Quarian. Kyson nodded in appreciation. Tali just stood behind Kyson in silence. Shrunken shoulders showed how she must have lost the argument. It also looked like Kyson wasn't gentle about it in any way. She looked fragile, just like they day he had found her with Shepard. Every few moments Tali would take a step to try and stand next to Kyson, but would stop herself. It was extremely hard to watch.
Then there was Kyson, who had been dropped into command. He stood with shoulders back, and straight as an I-beam. He looked dead on at where Kerris would be brought out for trial. Garrus knew he was one of the best, nicest guys out there in the galaxy. The trick was to find that person past the armor of doubt, self-pity, and fatigue. If you needed help, Kyson would be there, though he would bitch a mile a minute while doing so. But now his brother was something else. Hardened was the term. The term that went with men and women who fought wars, done things that could never be taken back. It was a term for those who have made tough choices in life and suffered the consequences. Garrus knew what that was like.
"Kyson, what's your plan?" asked Garrus. He needed to be on the same page.
"Let the trial happen and offer assistance if needed" responded the engineer coldly. Garrus was a bit surprised to see Kyson willing to stand on the sidelines.
"Tali, are you okay with this?" he asked checking up on his friend.
"She is" replied Kyson for her. This irked Garrus fiercely.
"She can speak for herself Kyson" he snapped back but a hand was put on his shoulder.
"Garrus, please" said Tali wishing for him to stop. Garrus had the right mind to punch Kyson at that moment. How dare he make Tali like this. But that notion had to wait for the Admirals had come out to their posts up on the dais. The crowd hushed almost instantly. Han walked up to the crowd with hand behind his back.
"First, we have the trial of Daro'Xen vas Moreh" began Han which caused a mass booing from the left side of the isle in the amphitheater. Garrus saw the Moreh's crew spitting insults towards Han and even at Kyson who stood like a stone wall.
"Enough! The accused is being charged with treason on the Quarian people for obstructing potential peace with the Geth. She is also charged with conspiracy of murder. Bring out the accused" ordered Han. From the left side meeting chamber Xen was brought in cuffs led by Kal'Reegar then flanked by two more Marines. She looked down at the ground before taking her place before the Admirals.
"Daro'Xen, do you understand the charges brought against you?" asked Zaal'Korris.
"I do, they are unjustified. They are charges based on emotional bias" said Xen confidently. Garrus remembered Xen's goals last time he was here. Her solution to the Geth was to re-enslave them though she called it 'reprograming'. It was a pile of shit but the woman truly believed what she was doing.
"Emotional bias? Don't fool your self Xen, because of your actions a peaceful solution to the Geth was squandered a year ago" said Shala tersely. Xen became very quiet as murmurs ran through the crowd. Garrus knew this part he looked at Kyson who was standing very still.
"This is true? What plan was there?" said a voice on the right side of the crowd spurring more questions from the bystanders. Garrus did not enjoy this part of Quarian politics. Too much gray area for people to interject. That, and Xen was right about one thing, Quarians were very emotional.
"Let us bring someone to the stand who has these answers. Kyson Sorley vas Normandy nar Earth, would you please stand as witness?" asked Han over the crowd. Kyson made no noise as he stalked down the ramp to stand on the right side of Xen. The crew of the Moreh made even more noise as he approached.
"Kyson, would you please tell us what happened?" asked Han. Kyson looked at Xen who seemed to shrink under his gaze despite it being in a helmet.
"Commander Shepard with the help of Tali'Zorah, we had a plan to contact the Geth in a neutral meeting place. That was one of the reasons I came to the fleet almost a year ago knowing we needed all of your peoples help in the coming war with the Reapers" said Kyson firmly. Everyone was quite now, you could hear a pin drop. The stories bleeding through from Rannoch must still have the people scared.
"As I worked here on the fleet, I tried to figure out how to get the Admirals to listen to what our plan was but unfortunately before that happened I was, interrupted" said Kyson.
"We tried to understand Kyson the best we could" said Shala with honesty. Garrus knew the detailed version of the story, Kyson was being very generous towards the admirals.
"But it was not enough" snapped Kyson letting his temper flare up.
"Keep your cool boy" muttered Luke under his breath. This was the make or break moment for Kyson for he paused as if distracted by something.
"Xen was unaware of the plan that had been created. I had gotten into an argument with the Admirals the day before where Xen provoked the others using my relationship with my Bond mate, Tali'Zorah as a distraction" continued Kyson. Garrus heard Tali gasp along with many others in the crowd. Beni began to swear profusely that Kyson was botching the whole thing, but Garrus looked at Liara and chuckled.
"Seems Kyson has a plan after all" said Liara. Garrus just smiled as he watched Kyson continue.
"That's right ladies and gentlemen, your reactions were very similar to what Shala had before she attacked me" said Kyson.
"Enough Mr. Sorley! I have put that behind me, now get what you are driving at with this?" demanded Shala who did not appreciate being dragged in to the story.
"I am. Now, this led to me having to directly take care of my mate from Xen. She saw me as a threat. She sent me a message a day later to pick up a part that had been repaired. While on the Moreh, she confessed she was wrong and tried to make amends, up until Kerris'Vateevah vas Nedas nar Tasi took me by surprise" said Kyson grimly. More murmurs were heard from the crowd.
"I was tossed into the airlock where Xen said, and I quote: 'I'm sorry Kyson, but you stepped out of line and it's time for the consequences' and out I went. But that was not the worst part. The worst part was the timing of the flotilla leaving the Valhalla system. I got to watch as the fleet jumped away ship by ship, as I was drifting freely in space. Xen had blocked my distress beacon on my suit. I...I can't even describe the terror I went through" finished Kyson to a now hushed crowd. Garrus tried not to let his mind wander to that scenario; for all people feared it. Few lived it, even less survived it. Kyson now fully had the crowd.
"But the true loss was not me, no. It was the fact that we were so close to finding a way to get peace. Tali and I were to get the Admirals to come scout resources on a moon controlled by the Alliance. Once there, we had a scenario for the Geth to show up without being blasted away first. While Tali along with Commander Shepard helped make this plan, it was devised by Legion. The Geth that saved us all" said Kyson hitting the key note he wanted.
"This plan was the Geth's?" asked Zaal.
"Yes, the very Geth unit that sacrificed itself to make the Geth sentient and stop fighting us yesterday tried to stop this war before it ever began. Xen is responsible for countless suffering" finished Kyson. The whole crowd was silent not sure to react to Kyson's treatment on the fleet.
"Thank you Kyson, is there anything else you wish to add?" asked Shala in a softer tone than before.
"That's it ma'am" said Kyson before he walked back to stand next to Garrus. That was done right, well done. Thought the Turian as he saw Tali reach for Kyson's hand. For a moment, Kyson made no move to touch her but, he did. What started as a light holding turned into a firm grasp.
"I wish to voice my opposition!" said a crew member of the Moreh. There were groans from the right side of the isle.
"You heard what she did to Kyson Sorley! She is guilty!" shouted a woman from the agriculture group.
"Quiet! The opposition can speak" said Zaal'Korris. Garrus grunted wondering what this idiot had to say.
"Thank you. My name is Bhrea'Quas vas Moreh. I am the second in command on my ship and what is happening here is wrong. Xen by Mr. Sorley's admission had no knowledge of his supposed plan. The argument is founded on possibilities, not facts. Are we to judge her on something she was not aware of?" asked Bhrea. Garrus nodded despite his stance. She was right. Xen may have stopped any plan Kyson and the others were working on but that was not a factor Xen had worked upon.
"While this is true, she helped tarnish the Quarians as a whole. We are a people who show respect to our guests. If we were to drop the charges of treason, there is still the topic of attempted murder. Kyson was our guest helping repair our fleet while building his life with Tali" said Han as he crossed his arms. Brhea began to laugh.
"That is a topic unto itself Admiral. An alien bonding with one of our own? Truly this is absurd. We have our own culture to preserve! What next? Krogan? Batarian? Kyson's intentions even if pure, defile our race" said the woman getting rumblings of agreement from both sides.
"That is not your place. To judge someone's choice of a mate is solely up to them. To imagine that we have become so close minded..." Han would have gone on defending Kyson and Tali, but the whole crowd erupted into a storm of fury. Most of it directed at Han for his stance on the Geth along with instigating the war. It took ten minutes for order to be restored. Brhea began to speak again.
"Xen is responsible of keeping this fleet alive. Not only for her jamming of the Geth or advancement of tech to keep us a float. But making unique marketable items to sell on galactic markets. We would be much worse off without her guidance and us on the Moreh assisting. Finally, Xen had every right to space Kyson. She should have done it to Tali as well if you ask me for they endangered the fleet with their negligent meddling. Let us not forget the actions of her father. Blood runs thick when an aptitude for trouble is concerned" said Bhrea. That was it, the breaking point. Full on fist fights broke out in the crowd with much of the Moreh crew ready. They had a tactic of pushing the right buttons and it worked.
"This is pathetic!" shouted Kyson who was so furious he stopped the fighting almost out right. Everyone stared at Kyson not sure if the now infamous man would just kill Xen then and there.
"It's time to decide" snapped Kyson as he pointed to the admirals. Han cleared his throat as he told everyone that they need a few minutes of discussion.
"That was intense. I didn't know you could control a crowd like that boy" chuckled Luke.
"There are many things you don't know" Kyson responded distantly.
"Such as?" pressed Luke. Garrus saw Kyson let go of Tali before walking over to his father.
"My capacity for indifference" said Kyson.
"We all can be cold Kyson but the key is to rise above that" Benalia pointed out. Garrus felt like he was re watching his years on Omega again. It was unnerving. He remembered feeling the same way as he was talked down by Shepard. If it wasn't for John, Sidonis would be dead.
"Attention, the ruling is about to be given" said Shala after a few minutes, bringing the focus back upon them. Everyone whether sitting or standing was silent.
"Daro'Xen vas Moreh, the Admiralty board has reached its decision. You are to be stripped of your title of Admiral. You are to be confined to the Moreh which you still command until further notice" said Shala. Garrus clenched his fists in rage. This was unbelievable!
"It is not prudent for me to ask, but why be so lenient?" asked Xen in obvious shock. Shala walked down to Xen. She released the cuff binding her before answering.
"As Tali's aunt, I want you dead. But as your college, I know and can't dismiss what you have done for our fleet. We are sparing you your life knowing exile would have no impact on you. Yet you are of no use dead. We have the Reapers to contend with. The crew of the Moreh has some of the brightest among us. We need them for not just the war but rebuilding our world. This is our ultimatum so listen carefully, you do anything counter to helping our people as a whole 'this including working with the Alliance and Geth' you will surely be on the new list for those to be executed" said Shala using the last word as a club beating down on the back of Daro.
The crowd was startled. Xen had been set free, but with a heavy price. A precedent had been set by the Admirals on a topic that hadn't been touched since their race's exile. Capital punishment, something most council races found barbaric. Garrus was for it but only as a very far extreme. But these were hard times.
"I understand completely" said Xen shrinking in place yet her shoulders sagged a bit with relief. Garrus looked back at Kyson and Tali. Kyson was busy shaking his head slowly but Tali stamped her foot down in fury.
"The bitch is going to catch my bullet with her face, I swear it" growled the Quarian. Garrus stood in front of her.
"Not now, that will ruin everything" he said to his friend. Tali balled a fist ready to do something but it just trembled by her side. Garrus would make sure to be ready for this next one.
"Sit down Daro. Now, we have an even graver situation. The one regarding a man who has been gone from the fleet for many years. He was already exiled, but that wasn't enough! Bring him out!" Snapped Han.
"Here we go, be on your guard everyone, have weapons on standby. We know what Kerris is capable of" said Kyson tensely as he drew his Wraith shotgun and cradled it in his hands. Both the elder Sorley and Beni had their old M-8's, while Liara brought out her Tempest. Garrus made sure to have the Viper ready. Tali just stood there not even going for her pistol. Probably for the best.
"When you say 'we know', do we? What about that evil shadow crap?" asked Garrus under his breath. Kyson just shrugged. That's reassuring...
From the right-hand hallway a door opened and a platoon of Quarian Marines came filing out with guns at the ready. All of them lined the way to the dais where Kerris was to be hopefully condemned. Next, came Kerris himself. Very slowly, for he was bound in something the Turian didn't expect. With slow rattling steps, the heavily chained cyborg clomped out into the open. The crew of the Moreh began to cheer as he stood proud and tall. The Quarian was making many on the right side very uncomfortable with his uncovered face. Garrus studied the thickness of the chains Kerris was shackled in. They had to be an inch thick! But he remembered this was a Quarian ship. They used old salvageable stuff for a myriad of uses.
Another thing Garrus noticed was the way in which Kerris was bound. There was a giant cuff wrapped around the cyborg's neck which had multiple chains protruding outwards and linking to various other cuffs located on his waist, forearms, ankles, and even metallic plugs in his thrusters. The cuffs on his forearms had been positioned in a way that forced his arms together and against his chest so that his chin was resting firmly on top of his fists.
Kerris began his shamble to the dais with another platoon in tow. Upon getting into position, two sets of chains shot out of the floor on either side of Kerris and latched onto the cuffs holding his arms in place. They pulled and pulled until finally his arms were apart and held firmly to the ground, causing the cyborg to be dragged and forced to sit on his knees, arms outstretched at either side and held to the ground. Once the locks on the chains had finished setting, Han began to speak.
"I never thought I would have to deal with you again" said the old Admiral through what sounded like gritted teeth. Kerris just smiled back as if the Admiral had just given him a compliment.
"I hope this goes quickly" said Luke who knew Han's past with Kerris.
"Kerris'Vateevah vas Nedas nar Tasi, you are accused of attempted murder of Kyson Sorley..." began Shala'Raan, only for Kerris to start cackling.
"Guilty as charged!" shouted the cyborg. Garrus clenched his gun. Kyson was right, this was going to be a shit show deluxe.
"Just like that? There is much more you must answer for" said Korris trying to reign in the proceedings.
"We have our own voice. We shall speak for ourselves and explain in full" snapped Kerris with delight.
"Then by all means, tell these people about the monster you are" said Han with a sneer.
"Oh we will, we will! Ah, where to start? First, let us remind people of why we were already exiled. Ladies and gentlemen, when we went on our pilgrimage years ago, we went straight to Rannoch. We had no idea of the Geth Heretics at that time. Naturally we were shot down. We lost an arm in the crash. The Geth saved us, rebuilt us...made us stronger. We no longer needed our mask, we found freedom" recounted the cyborg.
"Why would they do this?" asked Shala moving the maniac along.
"They wanted peace with us Quarians. They sent three programs in our suit, willing to parlay with the Admirals. When we arrived, we had to hide them for the right moment. We wanted peace, we had wronged the Geth. Brainwashed our people into believing who the real tyrants were. Ourselves." spat Kerris causing an uproar from the crowd. Kerris just smiled while turning his head to look at the crew from the Normandy.
"He has something up his sleeve..." growled Kyson. Garrus brought his rifle up, placing the cross hairs on Kerris's face. The cyborg smiled directly back at the Turian with a tooth-filled grin. What now you son-of-a-bitch? Once order was restored, Kerris cleared his throat only to continue in his gravely distorted voice.
"Once back, Rael'Zorah, who had never trusted us found us out, but said nothing. We had to talk to someone. Han'Gerral, he was the guy. If we had to convince anyone it had to be Rael's best friend. But, as we got close to him he said some of the most derogatory things we had ever heard about the Geth. We couldn't stand it. In turn we snapped, we tried to impale him! But we were stopped" said Kerris flippantly as if it was a fond memory. Han remembered it differently.
"You had three active Geth programs on you, but all I knew was you coming at me. Due to the circumstances of that time, I had no choice but to rule in favor of your exile" said Han.
"We know, this was a good thing. The following years were spent planning, killing, and feeding! Oh it was glorious. Taking mercenary jobs? Guilty. Taking out heads of state in Citadel space? Guilty. Killing our own people? Guilty! Killing innocent people for pleasure? Guilty! Pleasuring our self with other races? G-U-I-L-T-Y! We're fucking guilty and not ashamed of a fucking moment! You see? Because of the Quarians' follies! Squandered chances of peace! You know in your infinitesimal hearts, we are right! You created us! We are the product of your broken society! Ah! HAHahahahahaha!" cackled Kerris scaring the audience into silence. The Quarian was completely mad.
"But, seeing now that we have full attention, let us see what Rael'Zorah has to say on the subject, shall we?" asked the cyborg. Garrus was thoroughly confused, for the last time he was here he found Tali's father. Rael had been gunned down by the rogue Geth units he was experimenting on. Now, Tali's reaction was much different. Instead of an outburst of anger, she shook her head while looking at Kyson.
"It'll be okay Tali" said Kyson who finally showed some sort of compassion towards his mate.
"Rael is dead" deadpanned Han in irritation. Kerris just laughed.
"We have a holo for you. We think you might like to hear it. We know you have our Omni-tool on you. Search the file 'Sins of the Father' for us. And see for yourself what Rael had us do" said the cyborg. Han glanced at Koris. Apparently the cyborg had nothing to hide for it had already been determined to not be encrypted. Garrus knew it was a tool designed for capture. Not too uncommon. Han played the holo for the court to see.
"Kerris'Vateevah. This is Rael'Zorah. I have very little time for as you can hear, Geth are at my door. I am to be gunned down. I tried to leave a full vid for my daughter but, just know this. I know what you have become Kerris. I know the things you have done in the galaxy. I believe I am largely to blame for this. You know the reasons, but if there is anything left of you that has a soul, then watch over Tali for me. Keep her safe, at all costs. And tell her, that I love her."
Garrus had thought that the message for Tali was the last one before he was shot, but they were wrong. Tali began to sob, but tried to hold it in causing her muscles to quiver. Kyson stood still letting her lean into him. But that wasn't the end of the vid. A loud bang hit somewhere close to Rael. An explosion made the holo figure lose balance, but with something new. A length of electrical conduit laid buried deep in his chest. Rael screamed once in pain before crumpling to the floor. Then, he was no more.
"By the spirits cut the vid" snapped Garrus over the noise of invading Geth. Han stopped the play. Garrus remembered the pipe in Rael, but for Tali to see that? Garrus decided to stay out of Kyson's way on this. Shepard was on the mark as usual.
"What is the point of this?" asked Shala who was obviously furious from the tremble in her very restrained tone. Kerris shrugged.
"It was important" replied the Cyborg.
"Tali, I'm sorry you had to see that. If I had known...is there anything you might be able to add to understand why this thing brought this up?" asked Han. Tali shook her head staying quiet as many eyes fell upon her.
"Just because you were asked to watch over Tali does not dismiss or justify your actions Kerris. If you are trying to change the perspective of the Admirals based on emotion, you lost that battle years ago" said Kyson. Kerris began to laugh.
"Change perspective? Ha! Perspective! P-E-R-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E! That's how you spell it! If you want to debate perspective Kyson then let's talk perspective!" said the Quarian with an evil grin that made even Garrus get a slight chill. Kyson grunted just loud enough for those close by to hear his disdain.
"Some out there in the galaxy would call many of our acts heinous, barbaric, and disgusting. But, what many here need to realize is the alternative! Let's look at the larger accomplishments shall we? First, all of those people we hunted down numbering in the thousands. From terrorists to mercenary groups. We killed them all for the name of galactic balance! They all had what was coming to them. We do truly hate those who pillage on the weak" sneered Kerris.
"What about those unfortunates that got caught in the crossfire?" asked Garrus loudly appalled by the justification of collateral damage.
"Just because you and your team kept your noses clean makes you no different Vakarian. Now, a shining example of this is our destruction of a massive illegal colony of Batarians!" said Kerris gleefully. Rumblings of agreement could be heard from the side filled with the crew of the Moreh.
"Yes, an unknown planet of six hundred thousand, which the Batarians had settled under the radar of the Council! It was a very well thought out endeavor for such a nasty species. Well, the Salarians in joint operation of the Alliance had made a space station that was fully ready and operational for covert operations. We were hired to distract the Batarians ground side, but we did something better. We crashed the station of seven hundred people into the planet! Taking nearly every life, but stopping a drawn out war before the Reapers arrived! Is that not similar to crashing an asteroid into a mass relay? Hmmmm, who does this remind us of?" asked Kerris. Garrus at that point was done with this shit show.
"As a last resort! Shepard tried to get a warning off in time, unfortunately it was too late. But the Reapers would have been here nine galactic months ago if not for the Commander" growled Garrus.
"But, the result we produced had a positive impact, not a bunch of governments denying a hero's actions. But, moving on. I over the years have worked with the Geth, I have been their only friend for the past decade. Many of the technological advances this fleet benefits from, which came from the Geth were through us, slipping them onto the fleet for people to discover. This very fleet owes its continued existence to us." admitted Kerris. At this point the crew of the Moreh began to clap their hands while the woman who testified for Xen shouted her praises of the cyborg. Kerris turned to Bhrea with hate in his eyes.
"Shut! UuuuuuUUUPPP!" he screamed; full of rage. The whole room fell silent.
"You, Bhrea. It is your bigotry, your racism that made us leave this place. You are a blight" snarled Kerris.
"Enough of your hypocrisies Kerris" said Kyson interrupting the cyborg.
"Then there is you Kyson, oh how we have looooonged to kill you. We hold no regrets spacing you. You are a typical human. Always trampling upon those who came before you! We like this quality, but you personally are filth. That vid of Rael. He asked us to watch over Tali at all costs. We have been honoring that. As long as Tali is with you she will always know pain, despair, and death. Kyson is a man who cannot even understand himself! How could he ever be able to understand you, Tali? Be there for you, bond with you." finished Kerris with a burning hate.
"Kyson is capable. He is responsible for the reclaiming of Rannoch, peace with the Geth. Along with the crew of the Normandy. Tali stood with Kyson as a Reaper bore down on them just a few meters away. The two of them are fully bonded for I have seen it, their relationship is what made the reclaiming of Rannoch possible" said Garrus effectively ending the argument.
"See, we are just the other side of the coin. Despite your argument, there is one thing you cannot deny. We are a necessary evil" growled Kerris with a smirk. Han, who had heard enough spoke his obvious decision.
"Well then, it is also necessary to eradicate evil. We shall put you down like the refuse you are." said Han calmly. Sure of his decision. There was going to be no contest from the other Admirals.
"Why do you speak in such a way?" asked Korris trying to find answers. Kerris shifted his gaze to the Admiral.
"You have always tried to do the best for these people Zaaaallll. So we shall oblige you. But the answer is today's surprise" said Kerris.
"I think I know what you are speaking of, what technology have you stumbled upon? That witchcraft for a lack of a better term back on Rannoch?" asked Han sounding nervous for the first time. Garrus could feel himself tense up while hearing the others do the same.
"This can't be Kerris, this is whatever is inside him" stated Tali not able to hold herself back anymore. As if on cue, something seemed to shroud Kerris ever so slightly. As if shadow had become tangible once again.
"Orders Kyson?" asked Garrus quickly, he had a clean shot on the cyborg, but not for long. People began to stumble away from the growing mass of shadow that seemed to grow into a pillar above Kerris. The chains which bound the cyborg to the ground began to tremble.
"Hold, I want answers" replied a very odd sounding Kyson. People began to shout in fear as they ran away while the Marines began to back up, guns raised but unsure what to do. The pillar grew a head with long gangly arms that stared at the mass of people.
"Keelah! What the hell are you!" screamed a man from the crowd. A single word was uttered. Gravely yet high pitched like breaking glass that echoed upon itself.
"Chaos!" it boomed before plummeting back down upon Kerris. The force shattered the chains holding Kerris. Now free, but without a clear shot Garrus swore loudly as he brought out his Mattock. Then the worst thing possible happened. A loud thud sounded, then the entire ship powered down leaving everyone in complete darkness.
"Damn it I should have taken the shot!" blurted Garrus as he ran into the screaming crowd. The chains had shattered into shrapnel flying into the crowd. Gunfire erupted from the Marines in a much untrained manner. They were spooked. The chain of command had been broken. Garrus' helmet instantly compensated for the total darkness but he couldn't find Kerris. Once in a few seconds he could see the cyborg slice someone apart.
"Kyson! He is killing everyone!" he shouted as he got a chance to pull the trigger, but some woman stumbled into his path botching it.
"Damn it! We knew this would happen!" he shouted as he lost sight of the cyborg once again.
Tali'sPOV
She knew what was happening; while the others ran about, she ran to the hall on the right. That was the most logical escape route. She didn't give a damn about what Kyson had to say. Something was inside of Kerris and she had to save him. She owed her brother that. But what she watched made her heart stop. Flashes of Kerris killing innocent people. She should go in and kill him, but her gut said something else was up. She couldn't turn back now. She had to buy time. After two minutes of bloody screams, Kerris bounded past her without even a glance.
Taking flight herself, she began to run after him in the pitch black with only the glowing orange night vision to assist her. Kerris's billowing cloak could be seen around every corner, but she pressed on. Why was he taking such a long route?
As Tali ran her mind began to wander as her breathing became labored. Was Kyson right? Was this truly what Kerris was now? How could that be? Hell she had made the decision to try and catch him right when the shadow showed up. Kyson had forced her to do this! She had told herself. He had blown up on her back by the Normandy. He had been disgustingly brutal with his shouting. The amount of raw anger she had never known existed in her mate. She saw an ugly side of her love for the first time. It scared her to her core. She had felt it through the bond making her stomach bind into knots. Making her muscles so tense she thought they would snap. But the worst part was when she found out quite by accident that she could push back actively with her own emotions. It was an odd feeling brushing against his mind.
It felt vast, but she had concluded it was because it was like gaining another mind. But as soon as Kyson felt it, he walled of his mind with a sickly wave of fear, rage, and distrust. He had pushed her away with his very soul. Did he even recognize that it was me? That was when she began to question her choice in a mate in full. That was why she had to find Kerris, or more like the thing in side of him. If it could just pause long enough to listen, she could understand what was happening.
Finally, after countless halls she turned to the left. It was the main corridor leading to the biosphere. She ran full tilt for two hundred yards, but Kerris stopped at the main loading port. It was a direct air lock for the large cargo ships they used to make the bulk transfer of goods. She skidded to a halt while instinctively drawing her shotgun. Kerris just stood there, studying her like a predator.
"Kerris, this has to stop!" she shouted quickly, it was only a matter of time before they were found. The only reason they were alone was the power failure, all hands were at the biosphere to keep the backup power in line until the reactor came back on.
"You wait, you want something" said Kerris bluntly. Tali hadn't thought this far out in her haste.
"Yes, Kerris. Something is possessing you. We need to get you help. Can you even hear me?" she asked; voice full of fear.
"I can Tali. It is growing stronger! I have tried for so long to fight this thing inside of me" said Kerris hurriedly as if afraid the shadow thing was listening.
"Tell me what I need to do to free you" she said quickly activating her Omni-tool to record the exchange.
"There is nothing you can do! I have been trying for years. Every time I get a step closer to my freedom it punishes me! Please do yourself a favor and do not follow me. I cannot guarantee you will survive our next encounter" said Kerris sadly. She stared at Kerris a long minute. She was out of options. She had been wrong again. She had let more people die if Kerris was truly speaking to her. But she would not give up.
"Tali! Take the shot!" screamed a voice far in the distance but amplified in her helmet. It was Kyson.
"Hit me" she said as she ran up to Kerris and tried bludgeon him with her gun. She would say it was a jam that prevented a shot.
"What?" he said catching on as he swung his blade dangerously close to her.
"I'll be fine now make it hurt!" she said harshly. Kerris grunted as he swung his cybernetic fist into her chest sending her flying down the corridor. She heard from Kerris a soft 'I wish this could have been any other way' before he opened the air lock. Then she struck something. Another person who caught her midair. It was Kal, he was busy trying to recover but she rolled her head on the ground to see what happened.
"Still a good shot!" laughed Kerris before gunfire erupted. Kyson had his shot gun rolling by disabling the heat sink. Blast after blast could be heard as Kyson screamed bloody murder. But the door slammed shut, Tali watched as Kyson peered inside. Kerris said something that made Kyson begin to pound at the door in fury before Kyson chucked his smoldering gun to the ground. He began to stalk up to her. Now she was truly scared.
"What, happened" growled Kyson as he reached Tali who was still on the ground. She began to get up, but Kyson hauled her to her feet and right to his face.
"Tali" he pressed. The look she imagined on Kyson's face reminded her of one man. She was there when Zaeed had gone after his old partner. The old mercs words still echoed in her head at this moment. 'Vito must die! Whatever the cost!' Zaeed had bellowed before charging into a burning fuel factory. She could feel those wild eyes behind Kyson's helmet.
"My gun jammed...I got screwed" she admitted quickly. Kyson let go of her then ran over to his shotgun. He picked it up but trails of light smoke could be seen as the overheated sink began to melt the coating on his armor. Cursing, Kyson ejected the sink only for it to melt into the metal floor.
"Ground team, back to the Normandy! Now!" bellowed Kyson.
Kyson's POV
One would be surprised at how fast one can move when in a blinding rage. The dark hall meant nothing as he ran full tilt. Normally the heavy battle suit would have slowed him down even with the actuators in the legs. But he didn't have time. He never did, Kerris' private ship had flown by and nabbed him. The whole thing had been a bit for them to gawk at before they got slaughtered. How many died? Ten? Twenty? All on his command. He was ready to go to Earth early and just buy the farm.
Tali had promised that if it came down to it, she would take the shot. But a damn fault had screwed him again. For fucks sake would anything go right? He felt so very alone in his position. Kyson looked back to see everyone trailing him by twelve paces or so but he dug deeper and ran past the recovering people in the commons. He ignored the calls of the admirals as he shouted into the comm.
"Joker! Get the Normandy ready!" he snapped. Kyson had been advising EDI the entire time so the Neema was ready for their departure. As he ran, a shout rang out behind him right before a bright flash went off in the dark ship. Traces of electrical discharge snaked its way along the hall and onto his suit with loud crackling noises accompanying the electrical arch.
"Ow! That's not good" snapped Garrus. But it was Tali who pointed out the worst.
"He set off an EMP! Damn it my suits fried!" she said angrily. Kyson knew the Normandy was equipped to handle such a direct hit from an EMP, but it would still screw with things he growled as he got the team into the airlock.
The decontamination finished, Kyson bounded to the CIC and the galaxy map.
"Liara, tell me where he is going" said Kyson as he brought up all of the known active relay systems on the map.
"He is heading to Arvuna, when Kerris briefly worked for me, the old Shadow broker had compiled a rather large file on him. Nothing we didn't already know. The Broker knew how dangerous Kerris was and had a tactic in using him. He would only use Kerris sparingly, thus keeping a long distance of contact" said Liara. Kyson calculated in his head what should be done next.
"EDI, get us to Arvuna ASAP" ordered Kyson.
"A course has already been plotted, ETA Thirty minutes. But, while we are shielded from EMP's, the one Kerris used has many key systems down. You need to take the Kodiak if you are to pursue Kerris. Also, it is good that Liara already knew the likely location, the EMP stopped us from being able to remotely track the vessel Kerris escaped in" was the response. The damage from the EMP was no surprise. Kyson was already ten steps ahead thinking about weapons and such. He would have to remember to grab a few things from his room. He hated having to leave the Normandy in disarray, but he had a priority.
"Luke, Beni, you two are relieved" said Kyson as he stroked his chin.
"Like hell" said Beni. Luke had a nasty look himself for everyone had taken their helmets off the first chance they got.
"That's an order" said Kyson as he scowled at his step mother.
"Shepard made a shitty choice putting you in charge boy" snapped Luke.
"Come again?" said a voice who was sitting in one of the stations on the port side of the ship. It was Shepard. Kyson grimaced.
"He got away" stated Shepard without a single note of surprise. Kyson just kept his mouth shut.
"John, what the hell? You knew this was a bad idea under the circumstances" said Luke gruffly, tired of the whole mission.
"That has yet to be seen. Kyson, do you have everything in order?" asked John calmly.
"Yes" replied Kyson firmly.
"Will you be relieved?" asked John. Kyson bristled at the question.
"No, I will not" he replied with his teeth beginning to show in anger. John nodded before looking at Luke.
"Then his order stands. You two are relieved" and with that said, John went into the elevator and disappeared.
"You boys are being jackasses" scoffed Luke before heading to the war room. Kyson stared down his father as he left.
"Garrus, you are still on deck. I'm going to need you and Liara doing a serious data mine on this place. Any information is vital. Secondly, I need some serious muscle behind us" said Kyson as he went to the comm.
"Attention Ashley Williams and James Vega. Be battle ready in five. Meet in the shuttle bay and pack the big guns" he said over the ship wide comm. Turning back to his team he lit a cigg.
"We are not letting Kerris get off of Arvuna, no matter what" he said as he led them to the elevator. The ride down was silent. Kyson made a quick stop by himself to his room. He picked up two things. A FISH, and something he had stashed in a crate in the corner of the room. Shepard's M-920 Cain. Today was a reckoning.
"You have seen what has consumed Kerris. Good, now you know what I'm trying to bring to your attention. You see Kyson? That is power! You can have it if only you would just accept me! I am no demon. I am what is going to save you. Improve you. But you are too busy wallowing in self-pity and hate to let yourself thrive. But what you are doing now. This focused drive to take Kerris out. This is acceptable" said Kevin making Kyson look at his door. Kevin was smoking himself leaning against the door.
"I will see myself crushed by a Reaper before giving into you" he snapped. Kevin sighed and disappeared, but not before laughing like the Cheshire cat as he drifted away. Grabbing his bottle of moonshine from his desk he gulped down three slugs causing fire to erupt in his stomach. He could feel his senses begin to numb as he bolted out the door.
Once in the shuttle bay with his new ordnance in place he saw his team. Liara had a projected map of what he assumed was Kerris's base on Arvuna. It was a giant dam. James had an Arc projector he had never seen used before, while Ashley had the M-100 grenade launcher. Kyson still felt outgunned but it would have to do.
"Saddle up, ETA is in thirty and counting. Whoever needs to make suit repairs after the EMP, do em' on the go" ordered Kyson. The team made its way to the Kodiak. It was go time. Kyson made sure everyone was on board but Tali, she was standing a few feet away. She was holding an arm to one side by the elbow. She looked like she was lost. Kyson looked at the time. He got out of the shuttle and walked right up to Tali.
"Hey, we are about to leave" he said in a somewhat calm voice for the first time in hours. Tali wouldn't look him in the eyes. Something she had never done. Kyson took a deep breath, he had been on overdrive for weeks now but, he needed her now more than ever. Even though he had put himself in a bad position.
"You didn't give me any orders, I figured I wasn't on this one" she said timidly causing Kyson to realize he had steam rolled right past her. He did that when stressed. If he thought people were on the same page he left them to their own devices, this lead to gaps.
"Tali, no one can root out data like you can. This is going to be Quarian and Geth tech, there is no way we can do this without you" he said seriously. Tali nodded while still looking at her feet.
"I'm sorry Kerris is the way he is now. But if we can't take care of him now, we will not have any more time or resources to go after him. We have the Reapers, and with Kerris as a loose end he will bite us in the ass at the worst time" he said trying to reach her.
"Tali, please look at me" he asked. He needed her with him. She did as asked.
"I love you. Never forget that, it's all we have in the end" said Kyson.
"I know" was all she said as she got into the Kodiak. Liara was busy giving a run down on possible landing zones. Kyson lit another cig as he tried to clear his mind. It wasn't working.
A/N
There it is. Much is to come from this, and it is on the way.
Review as you will as always.
~RJ