The savior of the galaxy is a Ginger. We're all going to die.
Domicile 2209, Celice Park Tower, Ringside District, Block 0220 (Skyward), Kithoi Arm, Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula, July 1, 2183
Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Elaine Ryder woke up in the morning in paradise.
That wasn't exactly true of course as the Human woman found herself lazily opening her eyes to look upon a fresco upon the ceiling, a motif of a world long since gone; Ancient Thessia. The work depicted several scenes blending into one another in a sort of chronological order of ascendancy, much like the ancient Sistine Chapel. Sara could see ancient Asari huntresses hunting game, dressed in the skins of animals and armed with light-lances and songblades, the depiction molding to the first proto-nations on Thessia. Sara looked above her as she laid in bed, gazing upon Thessia's history as it morphed from the War of Queens, to the Unification of the Matriarchy, to the Great Calamity, to finally Thessinaut Commander Dalanasa T'mori's discovery and landing upon the Citadel. From an archaeological point-of-view, the ceiling was a work of both history and art.
It didn't surprise Sara at all that Professor Irissa T'vara would have such a ceiling in her bedroom.
The Human woman slowly got up out of bed to find herself curiously alone, knowing that her Asari paramour was indeed in, but not in the bed that they had shared last night. True to her word, Irissa had offered her domicile for Sara's convenience while at the Cit, and the Corpsman had tentatively taken the Professor up on her offer. It was a big step on Sara's behalf, never having a 'sleepover' before (what Auntie had jokingly called it yesterday when Sara had made the official request for overnight shore leave). Irissa had taken Sara out on a date, their first real one, going to a nice friendly club where poetry readings and civil get-togethers were the theme. They both had a wonderful time together, and had stayed out late into the night cycle of the Cit, talking, sipping wine, and listening to various people taking advantage of open-mic night, some of the works inspiring, while some were down right silly. Sara had never done anything of the sort, and had found it to be charming and enjoyable. The evening had ended with the both of them tumbling into the Professor's bed, a night of Joining and passion that had left Sara satisfied on quite a few levels.
Getting dressed with a spare change of clothes that she had brought, Sara left the magnificent bedroom that was quite Asarikin-oriented to pad into the main portion of the domicile, to find that while she certainly wasn't alone, it wasn't Professor Irissa T'vara that she found herself looking upon in the main room of the Professors' Cit Condominium. Ryder felt her heart jump up in her throat for a moment at the sight of another Asarikin lounging upon a plush chaise couch, reading prosaically from a SMARTpaper, obviously a Cit-oriented news media publication. The Asari in question was a Maiden based upon the centurymarks upon her face, colored silver, and dressed in a more business-like robe that, while form-fitting, was of appropriate taste and style. The fact that it went to her collarbone and didn't have openings or windows to show of anatomical portions of her body said much of her. The Corpsman was just glad that her spare set of clothes were at least casual and decent for unexpected company, a Cit-appropriate robe that was Human oriented for normal day-today affairs that was of a suitable color scheme. She just wished she had worn her bra.
Sara found herself looking upon Irissa's only daughter, Asha T'vara.
"Good Light to you." Sara began, getting the Maiden's attention as her aquamarine eyes went from the SMARTpaper to her, a small twitch of the Asarikin's lips as the Maiden set the paper down on a nearby end table as she stood, automatically smoothing her robe as they both approached one another for greetings. Sara bowed appropriately to the Maiden, knowing the correct posture and angle for a respectful meeting with someone one had never met before, as Asha did the same. "I am Sara Ryder. I… was not expecting company."
"Asha T'vara. My fault, honestly." The Maiden replied, her tone light with a voice that was so much like her mothers'. "Mother told me of her ordeal on Therum, and I decided to take some personal time off from my profession to visit her. Discovering that her life was in danger and that she narrowly avoided death at the hands of the Geth was a startling realization I could have done without. Still, the lesson has been learned, and I wished to reconnect with her."
Sara sadly knew what Asha was talking about.
For almost a century, Irissa had been bonded to a Turian male named Janus Tiberix, an antiques dealer and noted researcher in the field of Turian paleontology. From that union came Asha, their daughter. When Janus had passed away from natural causes at the ripe old age of one hundred and sixty-three, his Asarikin daughter had just begun her first real profession; exotic dancer at the Blue Light; a club in the Bachjret Arm Outer Tract, in the Lower Wards. Unfortunately, Asha, as headstrong as a young Maiden could be, had gotten in way over her crest into activities and situations that normally got one arrested for a good length of time or killed before moving onto her next profession; an off-the-books mercenary. Working for an outside-Cit-Space private military company known as the Songblades, after the ancient Asarikin bladed range weapon, Asha spent a century and a half aiding smugglers, pirates, hostile takeovers, and gang wars throughout the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems, wherever the Creds were good. Somewhere along there, mother and daughter had a serious falling out, and Sara suspected that there were parts of the story that she wasn't aware of. She had respected Irissa's decision not to speak of it and didn't inquire further.
Irissa hadn't seen or talked to her daughter in well over a century. And now she was here, out of the blue, as it were.
'Awkward' just about summed up what Sara felt, meeting her lovers' estranged daughter for the first time.
"I'm glad that you did. Some don't get that chance, and live with regret." Sara thought of her Marines, their lives given to save the Serrice and Oxford Teams sent to the dig site on Therum. None of them certainly got to have a last-minute goodbye to their families, whatever correspondences or vids they had sent prior unknowingly being their last. That knowledge had been reinforced with the sight of Anna Holodansk, Private Mikael 'Blowjob' Holodansk's sister, who had been present for the Memorial for Red Platoon, Betelgeuse Company, Third Battalion, Seventh Marine Infantry Regiment (1B3/7), dropping a childhood still of herself and her younger brother into the empty bottle of Degresser. That could have been Scottie doing that for her. "I… ah… was wondering where Irissa went."
"A little uncomfortable?" Asha's brow twitched upward, the Maiden folding her arms in front of her in an Asari posture that usually meant smugness. She was a merc, after all. "Understandable, honestly. I had contacted her Early Light of my pending arrival, and she is collecting First Meal preparations." Ah, Irissa was going to make breakfast. "She said that you might awaken before she returned, though…" the Maiden's lips twitched upward into a self-deprecating smile, "…she might have mentioned that you would likely sleep in later due to last night." Ugh! Asari and their lack of taboo on all things concerning sex and sexual activities! The last thing Sara wanted was to talk about her love life to her paramour's mercenary daughter. Awkward didn't even begin to cover it! "She… looks happy." Asha said thoughtfully, studying the Corpsman, checking her out in a more familial manner, obviously sizing up the Human who was in a relationship with her mother. "I remember the last time she looked this content. When my sire was still alive."
Sara guessed that meant she had some sort of seal of approval.
"Is there anything I can offer for you to drink? I do apologize that this is a little… surprising." If Sara had known Asha was going to be here (and Ryder didn't expect the Asarikin to ever show up, much like her mother thought), then she would have been a little more prepared. At least she hadn't just walked into the living room with just a t-shirt and panties; that she would have never lived down.
"Coffee if you have any." That request didn't surprise Ryder in the least. It was the most likely request for a Human in the morning… as well as that for an Asari, a Salarian, a Drell, and even the Volus! Thankfully, Irissa did in fact own a Keurig 7.0 Brewing Station, as well as several K-Cups boating both Human-oriented coffee and Asari-oriented teas. Sara went to the adjoining culinary, finding a K-Cup dispenser next to the station on the counter of the ultramodern culinary.
"Do you have any preferences? We got Starbuck's, Starbuck's, and… more Starbuck's." The House Blend, Cafe Verona, and the French Roast were generally the most popular brands, which Irissa had all three. Many Asari loved coffee, and Starbuck's was the popular brand. God only knew how rich they were when practically every Thessian drank the stuff more so than their Human counterparts!
"House Blend is more than fine, Sara. No dairy or sugar." The mercenary replied as Ryder pulled out a K-Cup from the queue and placed it into the stations' receptacle, placing a CeramiGel-crafted coffee mug into the dispensary before activating the device, the machine automatically heating the appropriate amount of water to seventy-six degrees Celsius, brewing the coffee to perfection less than a minute later. Sara handed over the mug to Asha, who stood just outside the culinary, the counter divider that separated the kitchen from the living room between them. Sara was in a bit of a quandary. She was making polite with Asha, whom she had just met, who just so happened to be her lovers' daughter. Ryder wasn't sure what to say, knowing only a little of her. Irissa had truly thought she might never see her daughter again due to their previous fallout and the activities she performed both professionally and recreationally. Sara took that to mean that Asha likely did more for Creds than just merc work. Well, she wouldn't be the only Asarikin who worked a bedroom, far from it. "I have heard that Council Space is fretting over Geth movement. I guess they have moved on from Terminus Space and onto civilized space." Ah, that scornful voice Sara knew of. It seemed that anyone living in the Terminus or the Traverse held the fact that their half of the galaxy wasn't civilized. Because being governed by warlords, dictatorships, and dark empires constituted cultural advancement.
"Have the Geth been making moves in the dark sectors?" Sara asked, remembering some of the discussions on the Normandy. Doctor Liara T'soni had wondered if there had been any attacks on other Prothean sites in the Attican and Terminus Sectors, ones that they weren't aware of. "The attack on Eden Prime was for an unearthed Prothean Beacon. The one on Therum was for a Protheantologist." The Corpsman wasn't about to admit it was a nepotist move, Doctor Liara T'soni being the daughter of Lady Benezia T'soni, an acknowledged confederate of Saren Arterius. Detective Garrus Vakarian had been investigating histories and holdings on both the former Council Agent and the Priestess and House Matriarch of House T'soni for leads and clues of movements, past berths, financial deals, any anything else to fill in the gaps of what they might have done, where they might have gone, and a timeline. "We think the Geth are looking for something specific, something ProTech, or perhaps something in Prothean sites. You are certainly in a position to gain intelligence from various hirings and scuttlebutt." That was a nice way to reference Asha's job.
"That…" The mercenary's eyes went shrewd, obviously thinking. "You have a point, Maiden. The Geth have been making moves outside the Perseus Veil for well over a decade at least, but at times and locations that did not connect. ProTech is guarded zealously for obvious reasons, so I do not know of any attacks on popular installations or sites. But… about six years ago, there was noted movement in an unheld system in the Nemean Abyss that the Geth were spotted by another company." Ah, she meant a merc company. "The Rainreave Sector is noted for its high concentration of interstellar anomalies; supernova remnants, neutron stars, gravitational fluxes… it is a hazard to visit, though there are some outposts and colonies out there. Especially Cartagena Station, the de facto hub of the Rainreave Sector and the Transveral Ocean in the Abyss." The Corpsman had heard of Cartagena Station, the so-called 'Dark Heart Station'. Sara had yet to hear one pleasant thing about the conglomerated structure that involved old freighters, space outposts, and a planet-fracker vessel fused together into a mishmash station ruled by no one, but under constant new management. "I do not know what the Geth were doing there, but they were spotted upon a Charnel House planet that was otherwise uninhabited."
"Do you remember the name, by chance?"
"I don't think it merited a name." The Asarikin replied, amused as she took a sip of her coffee. "Standard designation of letters and numbers by whomever found it and what sequential order. If I remember correctly, the system was a binary-star system with a blue super-giant and a white dwarf. Three planets, I believe?"
"I'll look into it, Asha. Thanks." Sara queued up her Aldrin Labs' Bluewire OmniTool and typed in the information into a note app. "So… is this as awkward for you as it is for me? I certainly wasn't expecting to see you." She didn't want to imply ever but it was there.
"A little." The mercenary replied, but her face was… thoughtful. "I see that you do not know the details of the falling out between my mother and myself. I… appreciate that. I made mistakes, as most young Maidens do. Mine were… irreversible, I'm afraid. Coming to Council Space was quite difficult for me, legally speaking." Ryder understood what Asha was referring to. Likely, she had several crimes or connections to her name, and just because it happened a hundred or so years ago didn't mean that she couldn't be brought in for them. The Cit didn't have a statue of limitations, after all. "Spent too many years not correcting them."
"My dad always says that the worst mistake is not learning from one." Dad was full of wisdom. It usually came with time out when she and Scottie were kids, twin tornadoes that bickered and fought like all siblings did. "You're here now. That's a start. Can't expect to change things doing the same thing." Another Dad quote.
"True." The mid-stage Maiden replied, nodding thoughtfully. "I think I see why my mother is intrigued with you, Sara Ryder. I think the Human term is that… your heart is caught on your cuff?"
"I wear my heart on my sleeve." Sara corrected her, and yeah, that was true. She always had been passionate and open about such things. "I guess that's what made me such a good medic. Started early, you know? Fifteen isn't an adult age for a Human, but I was on a Skybulance, learning what I could while helping people. It felt… good, being there during someone's time of need."
"Quite the opposite of what I do, honestly. I wish I had your insight." Asha replied ruefully. "My mother spoke of you. She sounds happy, content. I have not heard that in a long time. When I discovered that you were a Human, and practically a Youngling, I was…" She seemed to try to find the right word.
"Not pleased?" Sara could tell that her paramour's daughter was trying to be civil.
"That would be putting it mildly." The mercenary replied, a slight smile on her cerulean lips. "And yet I looked you up, plex'ed your story. I was… rather surprised, honestly. My opinion of Humans is not high, I have no shame in admitting that. But you certainly are an exception. The jokes were a little silly, though."
"Oh God, those are still around." Ryder knew exactly what Asha was referring to; Jane Shepard jokes. During one of their interviews after Elysium, Jane and Sara had been together for a late-night show after Auntie had gotten her Star of Terra and Sara her Gold Ribbon. Thirteen year old Sara had been rather charmed by the attention, and had (on the spot) created about a dozen 'Jane Shepard jokes' pertaining to her athleticism, prowess, and voracity in battle. "In my defense, I was a kid. A young one, at that."
"The Lion doesn't do push-ups, she does ship-downs?" Asha quoted, making Sara groan. God that was terrible.
"Please, no…"
"The Lion once killed a man by pulling out a gun. Afterwards, she started shooting?"
"I was thirteen, okay!" Ryder defended herself, looking at the merc, who had a smile a parsec wide. She was doing this on purpose.
"The Lion has a Krogan statue in her room. He isn't dead, he's just too afraid to move?"
"God, kill me now." Those fucking jokes. Sara just hid her face in her hands. After seven years, she still heard them and the hundreds or so that had been made up afterwards. Why did she think it was such a great idea to blurb those out in front of a live audience while being recorded?
"A Thresher Maw once bit the Lion. After a week of agonizing pain, the Maw died?"
"Torture. I cry torture." Actually, those were some of the good ones. They got worse, unfortunately.
"I see that you two are conversing." Irissa T'vara walked into the main room with a small hovercart in hand with groceries loaded inside, the Professor smiling. "I honestly did not expect you to be awake yet, dear one, considering."
"What have you been doing to my mother at night?" Asha asked slyly, and Sara just felt befuddled at the question as her cheeks grew warm. Damn the Asari and their very open sense of sexuality!
"I… ah… um…" Nice save, Doc. Best education in the galaxy, and she just got smacked speechless by an Asari merc having way too much fun. "Can we leave that sort of conversation for like… after the Great Collapse?" Never was too soon. Sad part was, Sara knew that Asari families often shared experiences. It was like mental porn or something. It had been worse in the Academy, all the Asari Younglings looking forward to their Maidency and their first sex melds, picking out likely candidates (usually multiple) and sharing the experiences with their friends. Sara had to listen to that kind of drivel for five years.
"Oh, you do not wish to know some of the pleasure devices the Asari have?" Asha continued mercilessly as Sara looked to Irissa, who was looking to the Human with some amusement.
"Save me?"
"I will make you a deal, Maiden." Asha T'vara said, her aquamarine eyes twinkling. "If you can make a Jane Shepard joke on the spot I have never heard of, I shall relent."
Fuck.
"The Lion does not travel by Mass Relay." Sara was practically desperate, spitting something out. "The galaxy shifts."
Asha T'vara looked at her for a moment, blinking.
"Not bad. Let us make breakfast."
Sara knew this was going to be a bad morning.
Detective Garrus Kaaldor Vakarian worked in the SSV Normandy's cargo hold, having set up a personal work station for himself along the port wall where the General Dynamic M-35 MAKO Armored Personnel Vehicle rested whenever it wasn't in use. The work station was a loan from Citadel Security Services, complete with encryption and access to C-SEC databases for his investigations. Ever since joining the Human hybrid Frigate, Garrus had continued upon his investigation of former Council Agent Saren Arterius, the so-called Bloody Talon. Technically, the case wasn't closed, and he hadn't been removed from the investigation. As a member of the C-SEC Special Crimes Unit, Garrus more than use to dealing with criminals who were proficient in covering their tracks, destroying evidence, removing witnesses, and using Creds to buy their way out of richly-deserved prison sentences. As an Academy Alumni, Vakarian was more than smart enough to see through most half-cocked plans and pale attempts at such things, having other means to haul suspected criminals and having them enjoy their day at the Tribunal. To date, there were only five investigations that he hadn't closed with the perpetrator behind bars, waiting for their Cit-sponsored execution.
Garrus only got the worst of the worst, and he thrilled at sending them to their richly deserved fates.
The Turian noted when Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Ryder came aboard the Normandy, coming up the opened deployment ramp as dextro-chiliary supplies were being accounted for from Citadel stocks; foodstuff, medicines, and armor components for Quarians were being brought in from the Lady of the Chamber. Little Sara looked a little worse for wear, and a quick scent had him confirmed what he had assumed before.
"I know that look, Ryder." Vakarian said as Sara walked near him, intent to pass him by before he interrupted whatever she was doing. "You have the scent of two on you now. Related, unless I miss my guess."
"Thanks, big guy." The petite Human female replied as she moved towards the bulkhead wall, standing to where he could easily see her beside his terminal, but without her looking at it. She always respected his work as a cop and didn't pry unnecessarily. "Met Irissa's daughter. Merc from the Terminus, mid-stage Maiden. It could have been more awkward, but not by much."
"Hmm, I seem to remember a few occasions in my life where meeting the family ended up a fringe-cringing experience." Vakarian admitted, a little amused at Sara's predicament. It was something that all went through if one wished to mate, after all, unless one blessedly found some sapient whose family was gone to the Spirits or just on the clochea end of the galaxy. "On a scale from one to six, how bad?"
"Embarrassing, almost painfully so." The Human admitted. "Not the worst, if that's any consolation. We both know who won that particular crown."
Yes, he hadn't forgotten.
"Is that sire-vracking son of a goat still breathing?" The Detective asked, looking to the Human as his talons still worked his Haptic keyboard, inputting information relating to some of his investigations into Saren. "If you wish, I could peel him. Gladly."
"Tempting." Ryder sing-songed, but shook her head immediately afterwards. "I like to think the joke will be on him eventually. Karma and all." Garrus vaguely remember Sara explaining karma once; what comes around, goes around, she had told him. Cops tend to like that the 'goes around' part came with a pair of SnapCuffs and a SickStick to the fringe. "Besides, Alixa kept tabs, and Tonus is slugging weedwater in Taetrus, fighting the Separatist Insurgency there. We both know what will happen to a Heirarchist if they're captured. That's… not something I'd wish on anyone. Not even that queepah." Garrus merely snorted at the Keelish curse, sometimes forgetting how many languages Sara Ryder knew. What other Human knew how to swear in Quarian, after all? Or Thessian Low Cant, Sur'keshian Logilang, and Common Cipritine? Spirits, she knew how to tell someone how to vrack their mother in Voltine! And the Volus didn't even have a word for 'mother'! "Whatcha working on, now? Looking up financial paths and investment routes on our illustrious Turian asshole de jure?"
"Mapping his past, yes." Vakarian replied, inputting a few more notes. "Arterius is clever, but he wasn't hiding before. I'm compiling a list of locations he had visited before Eden Prime, going back at least a decade. He might have been a SPECTRE, but using his Cit-issued Credit Chit for lodgings, rentals, and purchases puts him in locations. Find the ones he frequented more often, and perhaps we can find out why he was there besides clandestine missions."
"The devil is in the details, after all." The former CitEMS Paramedic replied, smiling. "Still wonder how the hell he was able to convince the Geth to collude with him, or how he found the plates to go to Rannoch to talk to them. All I can think of is that there's a piece of the puzzle we're missing. I doubt he came up with a piece of ProTech and dangled it before the Consensus, promising more."
"True, they would have likely blown him out of the sky before he got close enough to raise anything on Rannoch communications-wise." Garrus surmised, thought honestly… who knew?
Saren was brilliant according to his Academy records, having graduated first in his peerage before the Relay Incident. Biotics were normally sequestered in Cabals, but Saren had come from a proud line, and even before his biotics manifested, young Saren Arterius was recognized for his intelligence and drive. Much like his older brother, Desolas, Saren had surpassed his peers, elevating himself about the common rule by his intelligence and dedication. He had learned biotics alongside Asari, trained by Academy-hired Asari Instructors, and had placed first in that endeavor. A Turian defeating Asari. Younglings, to be sure, but still. It hadn't been a shock to anyone who had known the Arterius family that their youngest scion would be named the youngest Turian Council Agent in Hierarchy history. He was intelligent, he was powerful, and he was driven.
And Saren really, really vracking hated Humanity.
Arterius had been nominated for SPECTRE in the days following the Incident, his brother having just been killed due to some sort of situation involving something discovered on Shanxi that even Vakarian couldn't get access to. Saren was almost rabidly vocal about his feelings towards the Citadels' newest 'minor' species, even making public comments that did nothing to ease tensions between the Sons and Daughters of Palaven and those of Earth. Desolas Arterius had been the General of the Fifth Heavy Machinam Legion, the battlesuit-armored unit sent from orbit to crush any ground resistance after the Great Hastist had been called over Shanxi over its entirety. The colony had been given a planetary day to surrender in full (which was almost next to impossible, logistically), but that hadn't stopped the Hierarchy's Forward Expeditionary Fleet from landing craft and soldier upon the planet well before the timeline.
Garrus had no idea what he was to be fighting when he himself had been deployed to the planet, having been told that the Hierarchy had found a stronghold of pirates and anti-Council isolationists who had been attempting to open a Relay without permission (and worse) without mapping its vector or destination. When the Blackwatch Sniper had put his taloned feet upon the grasses of Shanxi, he had found himself aiming at… a race he had never seen before. As an Academy Alumni, he was quite familiar with the thirty-seven known species of the time, and yet he was looking at one that didn't match any of them.
Long before the Hasti timeline had passed, Hierarchists had been given the orders to kill on sight anything not Turian upon the planet.
Garrus had known of Saren Arterius, an Alumni form a few years before him, and already enjoying a meteoritic rise in the Blackwatch ranks thanks to his education and Biotics. He had been a full Commander at twenty, leading a full Spear of Turian Special Forces, while his older brother Desolas lead the heavy armored personnel that crushed anything in its path, decimating cities and villages. But there had been something that Desolas had been looking for, something that made him ignore calls for reinforcements during the Fall of Shanxi or a Quick Reaction Brigade. Humanity had cut its fangs on Turian hide, and hadn't been found wanting. Vakarian remembered well the dirty tricks and insane traps that the colonists had inflicted upon the Hierarchy Troops. If they couldn't win a stand-up fight, they would win it another way. In a queer sort of sense, Garrus respected the s'kak out of that.
Desolas and Saren had left Shanxi before Humanity came and smashed the Forward Expeditionary Fleet with their ragtag fleets, hightailing it out of the war before it had been initially lost, stranding thousands of Turians upon the planet with no reinforcements, no supplies, and no way out.
A week later, General Desolas Arterius was dead, and Saren a SPECTRE. But it hadn't been on Shanxi. That Garrus knew for certain.
So why does Saren hate Humanity? That was the linchpin, Vakarian knew. It was almost a bad joke amongst Turians, Saren's vile opinion about Humanity. After the Incident? Sure, most in the Hierarchy were right there with Arterius, hating the Humans. Spirits, Garrus hated them at the time, too! But the truth had come out after about a year or so, the real truth. That the SSV Reed had been destroyed for attempting to open a Relay without any warning was a slight, but the Council had ultimately approved of the action. A three month shadow war against an unknown, barely-spaceflight species? Lying to the Council and to the galaxy in general about it? Kinetic strikes on what the Turians believed to be the 'Shanxian's' homeplanet? The Great Hastist? There were dozens and dozens of infractions against the Hierarchy concerning the 'Incident', and most Turians didn't even consider the fact that they had lost to a primitive species! No Mass Effect weaponry whatsoever, aerofoil shuttles, vehicles that used hydrocarbons! And then there had been the improvised explosives made out of granulated chemicals called gunpowder that seemed to be stuffed into every piece of trash, every nook and cranny. He had almost been killed by a soda can filled with gunpowder and rocks, lit with a corded fuse. Backwards… but effective. It was then that he realized that Sara had asked him a question, but had missed it due to his ruminations.
"You have the same far-away look my Dad gets, you know? When you think of the FCW." No Turian called it that; it was a stark reminder how badly they screwed up. No Torin wanted the reminder that their Councilor and their Primarch had been sacked due to it. Still, Garrus didn't fault Sara or her species need to call it for what it was. "You know I don't fault you for it, right? Your service to the Hierarchy or your deployment to Shanxi."
"So you have told me on several occasions, little one." He faulted himself, honestly. He hadn't even lodged an informal protest when he discovered he was fighting an undiscovered species! Over a hundred Humans died by his trigger talon, and he hadn't had the plates to say that the entire action was wrong, against Council Law. "I do appreciate it, though. What was your question from before?"
"Can you get a hold of any non-Council Systems Index?" The Human female asked, folding her arms over her soft chest carapace bulges, what Humans called breasts on a female. "After suffering an Asari merc's dirty mind, the one tidbit I did glean should be looked at so the whole exercise wasn't for naught."
"Hmm, Attican and Terminus Planetary Records aren't exactly… reliable." That was putting it mildly. "What are we looking for?" Garrus was already typing up in the C-SEC Directory for any database searches for planetary descriptions.
"Binary star system, one blue super-giant, one white dwarf. Three planets, but open it up for two to four. Nemean Abyss Sector." That had the Detective look to the Corpsman, hearing about one the most dangerous sectors in space. There was a reason the Nemean Abyss wasn't ruled by anyone of note. "Supposedly the Geth had an excursion there about six years back on a Charnel House planet. Just an official Cit Stellar-cartography name, letters and numbers."
"Hmm. This will take a few moments to compile." Garrus felt his ovaloid eyes slipping over to the much shorter Human female standing close by. "Sara? Are you… happy?"
"With…?"
"How things turned out."
Ah, that varren was now in the room thanks to him. An alpha varren, at that; rabid and slobbery.
"You waited… four years to ask that question?" Ryder looked at him, and Vakarian winced at the tone of her voice. She wasn't pleased. Her strangely round eyes bore into him, and the Detective was intimately reminded that this young Human female had once jumped Cit to a war zone to save her Aunt… and personally killed something over a hundred Geth platforms on her own on Therum. "You barely talked to me afterwards, and only got involved after I came to you about Tonus Belltonis. Then you dropped me like a bad habit. Again."
"That's… a little unfair. But a little true." Vakarian shouldn't have brought it up, but he genuinely liked Sara Ryder. "One part is my profession. It should come as no surprise that Special Crimes Detectives and members of the RRU are targeted by criminals for a variety of things; assassinations, graft, calumny, extortion. And I'm both." Sara had in fact met him during one of those situations, a criminal entrepreneur having hired a group of merc to take out the Detective to derail the investigation against him. Garrus had gotten wounded, and an off-duty CitEMS Human Paramedic had come on-scene to aid him when Garrus was trying to figure out how to pull three bullets out of his plates. That… had sparked her involvement with the Red Harvest, no matter how unwilling or not ready she was. That was a story best left buried in a biomass plant. "I would not hurt you and you know it. After what happened… my worst fear was seeing you hurt Sara. And I did see that. It… scared me." Torins didn't talk about things such as fear or fright. But two ugly things had occurred in which Sara had been hurt; one physical, the other emotional. It had broken his heart both times. "I… probably didn't make the best judgment call, but at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. Perhaps it was at that point in time, but later? No, perhaps not." He had vracked it up, plain and simple. Not initially, but certainly afterwards. "I just wish to know if you are happy now. I know you are bonding with the Professor, who seems well for a Matriarch. She treats you well, as you deserve. I think I have a chance to at least know."
"Oh, Garrus… still the Turian knight in shiny C-SEC armor." The Human female smiled at him; a real one. "You're going to find yourself a little Turian female to rub spurs with, and she's probably going to have no damn idea how lucky she is." The smile was still there, but it morphed to one of sorrow. "We were… doomed from the start, I think. Nothing that we did caused that, but I don't think anything we could have done would have changed that, either. I think if we had told our respective families to piss off and deal with it, it would have soured things between us, probably poisoned us. I don't know if we would have been truly happy afterwards. I don't know if it was for the best or if 'things worked out'," she airquoted him, "but I am happy. I'm where I want to be, better than expected, actually. And I'm with someone that does make me happy and treats me with love and respect. I could have done without this morning, though." That had Garrus snort. "What of you? You rubbing spurs with anyone?"
"No."
"Um… you're not still hooked on me or anything, are you?" Sara asked, a little concerned. Humanity certainly had some weird males that pined over females in an unhealthy manner.
"A little, but not to where I don't seek the pleasures of the company of others." The Corpsman just looked at him for a long moment, her round blue eyes piercing into him.
Vrack.
"For someone who's an expert at discerning lies, you make a shit liar yourself." The female finally said, shaking her head as she looked at him sadly. "So I'm the one that got away?"
"You're the one I'm trying to protect." Garrus replied as he brought up something on his terminal, minimizing the holographic field that had the planetary inquiry on it, still rummaging through thousands and thousands of detected planets on the database. Instead, he showed her something else, another investigation. This one four years old, as of yet to be closed. Sara looked, and her round eyes grew wide.
"HIM." The Petty Office spoke but one word, but the venom contained in that word was heavy enough to deliver a small kinetic strike with. "That fucking… cocksucker." Ah, Humanity and their sex-related jokes and vernacular. Yet in this instance, 'vnark-sucker' was indeed appropriate for the sapient in question. "How the fuck is he still alive? I thought the Office of Special Tactics had taken the job?"
"That's what I was told as well, but I still find movements and clues to his potential whereabouts." Vakarian relayed, but he was just as perplexed as Sara was. Rapid Response was the most elite law enforcement unit in the galaxy, and when one told an RRU Officer that a SPECTRE would be handling such an escaped criminal, Garrus had assumed that the criminal would be dead in the next week or so. It wasn't as if he were the general public or some politician to coax; he knew better. He knew how Council Agents operated, having worked around a few in the past. The fact that it had been four years and he still found evidence that the Red Harvest was going on disturbed him. Greatly. "He's still active, Ryder. He hasn't stopped at all."
"Oh… oh fuck." The Human's soft face plates went a great deal paler, and Garrus knew what that meant. "Garrus, he's literally one of the most vile sapients in existence. If he's still active… oh God. For four years." Sara wiped away a tear, and Garrus had a very good idea why that tear existed. He didn't blame her, either. "What damage has he caused after all this time? All those lives?"
"I know. Had him located about a year or so back, and I was ready to travel to Megnegon to finish up what we started, but… politics." Garrus snarled that last word. It wasn't the first time politics had stood in between him and catching a criminal. Saren had been another with the too-short investigation in which the Special Crimes Detective had leads and evidence of collusion, but just needed a little more time for proof. Which came in the form of a pair of Quarian Pilgrims while an STG Operative was working on her own case, actually. "If I locate him again, nothing is stopping me. Our lives are in danger while he is still alive. Yours, especially."
"You find him, we're both going." Ryder insisted, her alien eyes piercing, showing no faltering. No longer was she the sixteen year old paramedic in way over her fringe. No, now she was a trained Frontline Barber-Surgeon, blooded and victorious. He wanted to argue with her, he really did. A Torin did not put a Serah in danger. But he knew she wouldn't rest easy until the Red Harvest was over and done with, and likely she'd want to see the corpse for verification.
"Fine." Vakarian wasn't happy with this, but he knew that Sara would have his back with this, just as she had four years ago. He wondered if she still cared for him as he did her. "Does your Aunt know?"
"No, of course not." Ryder replied softly, looking away. "If I told her, she'd probably start a war hunting his ass down. Auntie's idea of subtlety is two bullets to the back of the head. Remember Haliat? She executed him and uploaded the footage."
"I know. I watched." Along with just about everyone else in the galaxy. The most hunted criminal in the galaxy, and it had been an Alliance N7 who had tracked the Torin down and blown his fringe off. Garrus had approved. The death of Elanos Haliat had fractured the Separatist Insurgency badly, that sire-vracking son of a goat the undisputed leader of the movement. The trideo of his death had been accompanied with information that then-1st Lieutenant Jane Shepard had hacked out of databases connecting the Separatists with the Hegemony, deals made amounting slaves for arms during the height of the Skyllian Blitz. Humanity had faced off against not one but two semi-governmental forces at the same time and came out on top. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know."
"You bring the chainsaw, and I'll bring the beer."
Author's Note: I'm going to introduce you to something that I've been wanting to show you since I came up with the idea in Mass Effect vs. Aliens: The Siege Of Hadley's Hope (circa 2015). The game flubbed it. I'm going to hold your hand and make you sing Aladdin's "A Whole New World" with me.
Welcome to the Office of Special Tactics.
Of the many fanfics I've read? I don't think anyone's actually shown the actual organization upon the Citadel pre-ME 3. This may be a first.
You lucky bastard you.
Captain Jane Catherine Shepard took her hand off of the multi-biometric scanner that cataloged at least five different metadata sample points about her; fingerprint, retinal, voice recognition, skin flake DNA, and bioelectric field. It had taken ten minutes to do the samples, each one painstakingly taken in a slow and official manner to alleviate any miscommunication or possible error as a Salarian technician ran the gauntlet of hyper-advanced security measures as each sample was taken at least five times to ensure not only accuracy, but also prevention of future corruption or espionage. Jannie suffered it well, never saying a cross word to the ancient Salarian male who ran the initiation process for the security data, in no small part due to the fact that connected to his hip on a maglock was a Salarian-made automatic Venom Shotgun that fired airburst flechette rounds, eviscerating anything quite quickly. It had been made to specifically kill Krogan, and no doubt it would do well against her. The redhead weathered it without a single complaint as she stepped into the access multi-scanner for final verification of the security measures, getting a blue light. Jannie looked back to where Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Ryder stood, the Corpsman having already completed the process. Ryder was smiling from ear-to-ear, practically bouncing on her toes she was so giddy. Jannie didn't blame her; she was just as excited.
With a nod of the Salarian's horned head, Shepard and Ryder walked into the Office of Special Tactics.
Humanity's First SPECTRE entered into the compound of the most elite enforcement agency in the galaxy, where the common rumor was that a Council Agent could go anywhere, do anything, authorized by the Council of Law to absolutely annihilate anyone or anything that violated the Treaty and Conventions, no matter where in the galaxy they might be. While Jannie was a little taken aback by the normal-looking lobby that she had initially entered with the Salarian technician armed with a Venom shotgun (semi-retired SPECTRE, perhaps?), she figured it to be a facade, much like the building was. When Council Agent Avitus Rix had given her data on the Office of Special Tactics, she had noted that there were many locations throughout the Cit that she could access, but that she would need to go the main headquarters first to get her SPECTRE Access Codes registered and confirmed, as well as getting herself fitted for the HMA SPECTRE MasterGear Armor. As her Second, Sara Ryder was allowed many of the same allowances as Jannie was. Weaponry, armor, tech, intelligence, briefings… if something happened to Jannie while on mission, Sara would be expected to finish the task and thus given the tools and knowledge to complete the mission. Rix's data had filled her in on a good bit of information that she hadn't even suspected about SPECTREs; approved forces allowed to carry many different forms of BlackTech, access to a discretionary budget to maintain a vessel and crew, and an approved actions list that didn't even need a call to the Council for verification (and that list was staggering… and shocking).
Jannie had read what a SPECTRE was able to carry and do… and realized that Saren Arterius had the same equipment, but a lot more experience.
The first 'room' after the security checkpoint of the benign lobby of the building named 'Office of Civil Complaints' (the 'front' government apparatus where a complete department of C-SEC Officers worked what was considered the worst bureaucratic joke in CitGov, answering citizen complaints about Keeper modifications and petty complaints) was obviously a situation room of an advanced degree that Jannie had never seen the likes of before. The N7 had seen the 'SitRoom' in the Office of Naval Intelligence for special operation mission briefings and debriefings, where the Systems Alliance Naval Intelligence Branch collated current intelligence and threat assessments from several Earth Alliance Space organizations throughout the entire galaxy. What Jannie was walking into was somewhere between a squad room and mission control; dozens of low-level SPECTRE Support Operatives keeping abreast current activities, intelligence, and events, updating everything… in immersed Augmented Reality! She saw what looked to be an Asari matron on an advanced chair, a trigraphic 'bubble' surrounding her holographically as she moved data with her hands, taking pieces of intelligence and trying to network and link it with like information for dissemination and collation. The redhead could see what was a marquee feed of intelligence coming from God knew where, data labels from (likely) tapped sources from every other Intelligence Agency throughout the entire galaxy coming into play, the marquee occupying a top portion of the holographic sphere, color-coded due to importance, species, or some other descriptor she wasn't aware of. And there were dozens of Support Operatives, Level One SPECTREs whose job it was to keep Level Three Council Agents (such as herself) abreast with the latest intel, innovations, and actionable data. This was the Brain Room.
The walls of the room were something else. There was a holographic representation of the galaxy suspended above everyone's head, the Milky Way slowly spiraling with hundreds of blue points that Shepard quickly concluded were known Mass Relays. White points connected to the blue points, and she figured those to be discovered and occupied systems, be it in Council Space or non-Council Space. Along the walls were trideo screens representing each of the points, shifting from location to location to its specific point, a marquee of data scrolling at the bottom of the holographic screen of local news networks to keep abreast of any emergencies and local data, a holographic line beaming from screen to point on the galaxy map so that anyone not connected to one of those advanced Augmented Reality chairs could tell what they were looking at. Jane was shocked to see that the Arc had its own screen… and fucking footage! There was a SPECTRE camera right in the SAGov Wing, monitoring everyone coming in and out of the main turbolift, seeing the movement of Systems Alliance personnel, government employees, politicians, visitors… everyone. By the angle, Jannie knew the possible location of the trideo transmitter; in front of that turbolift was a trigraphic emitter that displayed pictures of Earth and other colonies, a sort of 'feel-good' scroll of what the SA defended with propo pictures of pretty vistas. Fuck, was the bug in the damn emitter itself? How the fuck had the Office of Special Tactics pulled that off?
Another screen had Jannie's blood run cold; she was watching the fucking Primarch of Palaven sitting at his office, at work. Gallinus Fedorsian was in a meeting with an adviser… right now, minus LightLag.
Oh… oh fuck.
There was no denying it; this was literally beyond cutting edge everything.
"Holy… shit." Sara's jaw probably just broke the floor, it dropped that had. Jannie's likely had done the same. It was one thing to assume that the Office of Special Tactics was at the top of their game in things like cutting edge intelligence, weaponry, armor, tech, codes, and equipment. But now she was seeing what 'cutting edge' meant. It was well beyond what she had assumed, and as an N, she could assume pretty damn good. Shepard slowly spun in place in the half-darkened room, mostly illuminated by the hanging representation of their spiral galaxy and the hundreds of trideo feeds decorating the walls… and even the ceiling! She watched one Drell (there were Drell SPECTREs?) 'pull' a trideo feed from the wall and onto his/her (she couldn't tell) ARO bubble for a closer view, what looked to be an image from some Asari planet gauging by the amount of Thessians on the feed. Well ,it probably made sense to have a non-Asari keeping tabs on Asari; conflict of interest and all. Shit, Jannie hoped there wasn't some Turian monitoring SA activity. Likely, there were probably a couple just out of attrition.
"Well, I see you found your way here."
Jannie was dealt another shock as she spun to the feminine voice that had addressed her, her green eyes wide at the sound of the voice; a Human's voice!
"What in the actual fuck?" Ryder punctuated exactly what Shepard was feeling as she saw a woman shorter than she approximately a year or two younger than the N7, with short brunette hair and dressed rather casually in denim work pants, a white work blouse, and a black blazer over it. Her head was topped with (of all things) a black Stetson, and it was really hard to miss the silvered six-pointed star clipped to the left side of her blazer, the one with the word 'MARSHAL' engraved upon its center. There was another Human Being in the Office of Special Tactics, and Jane Catherine Shepard knew exactly who she was. Damn near every Human Being did. Likely, a damn good portion of the galaxy did, too.
"Federal Marshal Samantha Lynn Collins. Call me Sam." The Marshal said with a smile, extending a hand to shake. Jannie did just that, still flabbergasted at the thought that, of all the places and all the Human Beings in the galaxy, Marshal Sam Collins worked for the Office of Special Tactics. "I can already see you have a billion questions or so. Let's get out of the Bureau and someplace a little quieter so you can pick my brain."
"Um, yeah." Jannie replied, still… stumped. Marshal fucking Collins was a SPECTRE? Shepard had been under the impression that she herself was the first. Nihlus had said so. Fuck, the Council had said so! Collins beckoned the both of them to follow her as Jannie and Sara exchanged a look, the Corpsman's face still one of shocking surprise as they followed the Marshal out of the 'Bureau' and towards another door that was code-locked, Sam placing her hand on a reader to change the red icon over the doors' access to blue, granting her privileged access. The Lion and the Angel followed a woman as infamous as they as they entered a rather normal-looking corridor with several access doors on either side, marked in seven different languages, Standard Alliance English being the last of them. Jannie was guessing that had been added before the redheads' inclusion to the Office of Special Tactics, if the woman she and Sara were following were any indication. The Marshal led them to a room that looked to be a normal office, a pseudo-window with a vista of downtown Neo Beijing, Shanxi as a backdrop. Ah, Collins' birthplace. Jannie had forgotten that Sam had survived the First Contact War as a toddler. The false window actually played as if someone were looking down Shanghai Boulevard, with aircar and hovercraft traffic, pedestrians moving in and out of the buildings' ground floors, and even a sky that was tinged between blue and violet with slightly silvered overcast clouds. It might have even been in real-time.
"Your office, Marse?" Sara asked tentatively, but Jannie didn't think so. Besides the window, there were no personal effects in the room save for a common terminal, desk, and chair, along with a bureau with datapads connected to the intrinsic field charger and downloader along one wall.
"It's a common office, but the window shifts for personal preference." Collins replied as she sat in the office chair, indicating the spare seats in the office, which the two Normandiers took. "I reserved it for today because I knew we'd be needing it. Needless to say, I will be your liaison for the Office for the time being. Actually forwarded a request to join through the Three. That's… still in bureaucratic hell somewhere." Jannie was a little stunned at that news as she took to a seat, the chair automatically adjusting to the 'Human' option. Well, that was nice. Why couldn't all seats on the Cit do that automatically? "So I'll start with the big obvious, since the question's practically written all over both of your faces in big neon colors.
"I am, in fact, a Level Two Clandestine Member of the Office of Special Tactics. Have been for a few years now." The Marshal explained, Shepard slowly nodding. She knew a bit of what that meant. A Level One Council Agent was generally a Service and Support member, a non-field agent who handled data, research, finances, weaponry, any a myriad of other jobs and professions for the SPECTRE Home Office and its clandestine subsidiaries throughout Council (and non-Council) Space. Level Three Council Agents, such as herself, were known as 'public' SPECTREs, known Agents of the Council that were the visible threats against those who broke the Citadel Conventions, the Treaty of Farixen, and thwarted the Council of Law.
Level Two Council Agents, like Marshal Sam Collins, were Clandestine members who operated out on the field under a public cover, performing their duties without anyone knowing that they were, in fact, SPECTREs themselves. Most, as Jannie understood it from the data that Avitus Rix had given her, were intelligence operatives who performed espionage and sabotage behind enemy lines, so to speak, as well as a myriad of other duties under the guise of their public covers. Obviously, Collins was still a part of the Alliance Federal Marshal Services, a law dog with the authority to enforce Systems Alliance Law throughout Earth Alliance Space as well as the ability to chase down criminals who violated said law throughout the galaxy if required. Such a person would be perfect for a Level Two Council Agent, honestly.
"I'm honestly surprised they didn't make you a public SPECTRE, considering." Sara said softly, referring to Collins' infamous past. Jannie had to agree.
About seven years prior, Deputy Sam Collins was a Frontier Marshal Deputy on the Systems Alliance colony of Therum who had been caught in the middle of an impossible situation; between the nefarious Interplanetary Brotherhood of Teamsters and her own corrupt Marshal's Office. Collins had been investigating a routine call of intimidation and racketeering, and her investigation had led her to believe that her Marshal, Bart Weathers, and several of her fellow Deputies, were in fact playing enforcers for the IBT President, Nico Dekker. Events had led to what was generally known as 'the Miracle of Therum' where Deputy Sam Collins had been involved in a Deputy-related shootout involving a dozen of her fellow Deputies who were trying to frame her for the act, as well as another dozen Teamster-employed thugs. Collins had come out the victor, wounded and betrayed by her own, but had succeeded in arresting her own corrupt boss, ripping the data from his own terminal to implicate all who had been involved. Admits gunfire and bloodshed, Collins had arrested seven and killed five of her own, along with another eight arrests and four deaths of the Teamsters, including the capture of President Nico Dekker. She had initially inherited Weather's position as the Marshal of Therum, cleaning house, and her status had been approved by the Systems Alliance President himself for a woman who took the most corrupt law enforcement location and tabula rasa'ed it, turning it into a post of integrity and respect once more.
Then the Skyllian Blitz happened.
During the war, Frontier and Federal Marshals worked to keep Batarians and Separatists from capturing Humans on remote worlds and outposts, and Marshal Collins was no exception. There had been no less than five attempts on the mining town of Nova Yekaterinburg, known as No'burg, the largest colonial town on Therum. Her, her Deputies, and No'burg Militia held off each attempt, losing people yet not one soul had ever been abducted and fettered. Yet when a captured mercenary had been interrogated back in 2180 during the final failed attempt, Marse Collins learned of a large slaving compound on the moon of Aratoth where Separatists held captured Humans and traded them to the Hegemony for weapons.
What Collins did next was unthinkable.
Knowing of a location of thousands of fettered Human Beings, the Marshal of Therum went on the offensive. Absconding with a Kowloon-Class Merchant Freighter that had been used by a pirate gang, Marse Collins went to Dostoevsky Prison Station and cleared out the Death Row inmates there on a promise; one fight, and full pardons. Two hundred and fifty convicted murderers had been armed, armored and dropped onto the Separatist compound upon the moon of Aratoth, killing anything Turian and Batarian as a team of Deputies lead by the Marshal herself raided the compound in the name of justice. The event had been a slaughter on both sides, but when the gunfire stopped, every slaver and insurgent was dead, with less than eighty convicts had survived the purge, along with half of Collins' team. Yet they had completed the mission; the fettered Humans had been freed, Alliance vessels called to extract everyone still breathing. The Alliance had hailed her a hero, awarding her the highest award a civilian could receive; the Gold Ribbon. Humanity spoke of her name with awe and reverence, much like they did Jannie's. Like the gunslingers of old, Marse Collins was one made of true grit, issuing the pardons she had promised to the convicts, and freeing the fettered. Humanity called her a hero.
They called her the Butcher of Torfan.
"Honestly, the discovery of the Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime was the final factor. Politics." Collins described, and that didn't surprise Jannie at all. "They… did ask me before you were selected by Nihlus, and I turned down the offer. I was… happy with where I was before."
"Was?" Sara noted. Jannie had caught that too.
"Nihlus… Nihlus was my husband." Sam said softly, her blue eyes mixed between hardness and grief, a hardass cop having been dealt a terrible blow. Shepard took that news… with some difficulty. She wasn't exactly keen on Human-alien relationships, though she tried to be understanding and accepting of it, like she was with Sara. But the loss of a loved one wasn't something she'd wish on anyone, alien or not. "Thank you for bring back his body, Captain. It's a cold comfort, but it is a comfort."
"I take it that's why your inclusion with the mission hasn't been approved? Conflict of interest?" Not that Jannie saw any conflict of interest. If the Butcher wanted to rip off Saren's head and shit down his neck, the N7 would help hold the fucker down. She had promised Nihlus she'd get that fucker, and now she was sitting in front of his wife/bondmate. Just another reason to see that spike turned into a puddle of blood and gory chunks. Nihlus had alluded once about something concerning anyone in Jannie's life, before the mission on Eden Prime. The Turian had told her that Level Two and Level Three SPECTREs didn't generally enjoy retirement, and to enjoy what time she could with friends and family. Jannie had thought of Sara and Poppa Bear; she hadn't been close with her mother in years, Admiral Hannah Singer having been a little too career-oriented during Jannie's younger years, the impression set. Nihlus had a Human wife, and had selected a Human SPECTRE. For someone who himself had been picked for his harsh stance on Humanity? Nihlus Kryik had really flipped a bitch and pulled a Crazy Ivan on that one. If it had been Sara or Poppa Bear lying dead on the ground of Eden Prime? The redhead would have found a magical quantum means to throttle Saren's holographic form to death in front of God and Council with a smile on her face. "Marse? I've aimed to have the most lethal team in Human history on my side. I've paid a pretty Cred without batting an eyelash on the best gear and equipment a warrior could want, and then ran them through a wringer to make them as deadly in skills as I could get in a short but intense amount of time.
"You want in? Because I could give two shits less what the fucking Council says concerning conflict of interest." The N7 said, looking at the Marshal.
Collins looked at Jannie for a good long moment, and the redhead could see those blue eyes contemplating.
"Before I say yes or no," Sam began, "you should know what I do. As a Clandestine Operative of the Office of Special Tactics, it's my job to monitor Relay traffic. Any and every ship that jumps a Relay gets logged by the Relay itself… in which the master control unit is here on the Cit." Jannie felt a little cold ball grow in her guts at that. She hadn't known that, though it did make sense. The Relays were built by the Protheans, as was the Cit. It would make sense that the center of their Empire would also hold the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. "Now, those logs don't tell you much beyond mass, dimensions, energy output, departure and arrival date/time stamps," Collins continued, "but a dedicated individual can monitor traffic. Especially if they begin recognizing patterns."
"Like the Geth?" Ryder asked, perking up.
"Like the Geth." The Marshal replied, nodding her head. "I bet you've wondered how the Geth have managed to get into Alliance Space beyond Citadel Defense and Alliance patrols."
"I was thinking an undiscovered Relay in our territory that they've unlocked, letting them bypass our defensive screens." Jannie realized that Collins knew.
"I would have noticed." Marse answered. "No, I'm sad to say it's much more nefarious than that, Captain. It took me a bit to figure out because we thought it impossible.
"The Geth are catapulting Relays."
"You mean… a one-way trip with no terminator?" Sara's voice said it all; a mixture of fear and awe. That sort of thing was impossible on a number of fronts. One had to hack a Relay (which was beyond any singular individual, or even a damn good team considering the Prothean electronic security was a mutating algorithmic code that was in their language, which wasn't decrypted), and then use a Relay as a slingshot, having to compute a trajectory that wasn't pre-ordained and land in a spot that didn't have a collision at the end of it, accounting for distance and drift. That was well beyond what an organic could do. Hell, even a damn good math-heavy VI would have a wide margin of error considering the distances. Mass Relays took care of most of the issues being pre-ordained flights and a powerful networked system of VI's that did the calculations based upon the mass of a ship, its energy output, dimensions, amount of Eezo draw, and a myriad of other factors that trained pilots studied and practiced on.
One didn't merely approach a Relay and use it like some Cit Transit Aircar getting off at an exit point from the Common Lanes. It required math, synching, certain level draws, and knowledge of how much of a static charge a vessel could take over distance. Small vessels couldn't translate some of the longer connecting distances, having to do shorter 'jumps' at interconnecting Relays while larger vessels, like Carrier-Classes and Dreadnaught-Classes could make jumps in the ten-kiloparsec range. Part of the Normandy had been crafted to make such long jumps despite its Frigate-Class size, rated for even the longest of translations, in which most Frigates could only do small-to-medium translations equaling half-a-dozen kiloparsecs; good enough for Earth Alliance Space, but not for the entirety of the galaxy.
What Marshal Samantha Collins was suggesting was that the Geth were translating from a Relay… and landing in empty space without a terminator Relay. That… should be impossible. The math to make such a jump was incredible, and there was no doubt that the Geth were doing it from outside Council Space.
"Captain, the Geth are jumping from the Perseus Veil."
"Holy fuck…" Jannie did a double-take. The distance…! "That's… sixteen kiloparsecs away! Fifty thousand lightyears!" The Milky Way was only forty thousand lightyears across from the Scutum-Centaurus Arm to the Outer Rim Arm. The Perseus Veil technically laid outside of the proper Milky Way, trailing behind the Perseus Arm in which the region of space inherited its name from. The longest Relay-to-Relay translation was just over ten kiloparsecs, a jump only Turian Hierarchy and Asari Republic Dreadnoughts could make due to their ability to hold such an incredible static build-up charge. Anything else would disintegrate mid-jump. Sixteen in a singular jump? That was… unthought of! "How in the fuck?"
"ProTech. More like ProData." Sara spoke out loud, her near-genius brain going into overdrive as the Angel slowly nodded her head. "Protheans built the Relays, so they could access their full use and capabilities. We inherited a flawed, lesser version of it, our tech nowhere near as capable. The Geth must have Prothean data caches we've never encountered, perhaps data on how to do just that. Build ships specifically capable of catapulting, not having to worry about organic concerns? Yes, that would explain a lot, wouldn't it?" Sara looked to Jannie. "If the Geth Fleets are jumping without a terminator point? They can land anywhere."
"Earth's vulnerable." Shepard got the point Ryder was making, and Collins grunted with that. "Fuck, everyone's vulnerable. It must take them time to configure the ships for the jump, making the calculations and possibly waiting for cosmic weather for better prediction. There was a ten-day difference between Eden Prime and Therum. Either it took them that long to realize they needed Doctor Liara T'soni, or it took ten days for the criteria to be met. Might be a shifting variable where it isn't always possible, but certainly an usable idea."
"Scary is what it is, but the Angel is right." The Marshal agreed, nodding. "It's the only logical conclusion that I can come up with; the Geth must have discovered a Prothean cache that gives them the necessary quantum equations to make such a jump feasible. I still haven't figured out what their need for the Beacon on Eden Prime was about, or why they would assist Arterius if it was he that needed it. I'm not a hundred percent certain what they have in common to work in concert with one another. What does Saren have that the Geth would want? Likewise, why would Saren turn traitor? Based off the recording that your Quarian Pilgrim Tali'Zorah gleaned from the Geth, they don't actually have what Saren wants, this… Conduit. Or these Reapers."
"The Geth want the same thing as Saren? But how would they know that, and how did they discover that they both want the same thing?" Ryder continued mulling it over. "More pieces to the puzzle, but not enough for a decent picture, I think. Plus the involvement of Lady Benezia T'soni. That confuses the hell out of me. She was Thessia's Ambassador to Earth for like… five years. She didn't join forces with Saren because she hates Humanity."
"I had forgotten about that." Jannie admitted, remembering when the former Ambassador had been named during the Council session in which Saren Arterius had been stripped of his title and citizenry of both the Citadel and the Hierarchy. Benezia T'soni was labeled a 'sapient-of-interest' considering all they had was a singular recording of her voice speaking to Saren, but no other information or intelligence. While Matriarch T'soni was nowhere to be found in her domicile in Serrice, and likewise unable to be located anywhere in CitSpace, no one had any idea why a former Priestess and Ambassador would join forces with a Council Agent in the first place. She hadn't been requested through the Council, and Saren hadn't reported her involvement before being exposed as a Rogue Agent, either. It was… confusing. Councilor Tevos T'essus had been similarly perplexed, mentioning that Matriarch T'soni was actually more affable towards Humanity than most Asarikin, being one of the first voices to invite and include the newly-discovered Sons and Daughters of Earth in the days after the First Contact War. She was a supporter of Humanity. Now it seemed to be that she was working against them, and no one had any idea why.
"Her daughter has no idea, but that I understand since they've been out of contact for like twenty years, some sort of major falling out that's actually public record." Jannie continued. "And Doctor T'soni is too shy and introverted to make even a crappy espionage agent. Sara met her in Therum before the attack on Eden Prime, and Liara's movements are easily followed, as well as her transactions. Detective Vakarian vetted everything she's done, and I was satisfied with both his work and conclusions. What her mother is up to has the intellidicks of ONI scratching their heads." Someone as rich and as influential as Lady T'soni in league with a Rogue Council Agent was quite foreboding. As Jannie understood it, the House Matriarch of the T'soni Family of Serrice was super-fucking-rich in the way that most other rich Asari Matriarchs described as super-fucking-rich. She had seen the potential finances thanks to Garrus' work, and Jannie had almost shit herself at the thought that Lady Benezia could purchase a full fleet and fund it for the next several decades. Easily. If that was what she was doing to Saren was anyone's guess.
"Now you see why I have an issue just leaving." Collins continued. "I might not be able to tell where the Geth are heading, but I can tell when they're leaving. Me staying here means you'll have direct access to SPECTRE intelligence and events. I go, and I'll be another qualified shooter, but that'll be it."
"What are the chances of Saren having some 'friends' still inside the Office of Special Tactics?" Sara asked, and it was a damn good question. Avitus Rix alluded to such a possibility, and it couldn't be discounted, especially if there were more than a few who hated Humanity and didn't mind seeing Terrans knocked down a peg or five. "My big worry is… well, assassination."
"I wish I could say that I'm confident in that wouldn't be the case." The Marshal replied ruefully. "Truth is, there's more than a few 'Incident' Vets in the Office of Special Tactics, being the last real major action the Turians have had. Most of them are quite endearing, let me tell you. Would one of them love to see me brought down? More than a few. Killed out right?" Jannie watched the Butcher's right hand do a see-saw motion. "I think the premise of it would ward them away. But I don't doubt one or two might try to find a way to get away with it. If I really started digging into Saren's clochea and track his movements? Yeah, I think it's a pretty safe bet. We're all armed here, and all it takes is a draw and a trigger squeeze."
"Marse? This will be a close as I get to thumping you over the head and dragging you along for the ride as I get." The N7 told her counterpart, looking into Sam's blue eyes. "I owe Nihlus. He gave me a fair chance, and if the only way I'll ever get to repay him is to skull-fuck his killer and keep his wife protected? Then I'll do that. Do what you need to get yourself ready for shipping out in the next two days, and then join us and help us hunt down that piece of shit. Why be in danger by yourself when I can throw you into the fire with a bunch of friends at your back?"
"Gee, don't sell it too hard, Jane." Sam smiled a little, but her blue eyes were twinkling. Shepard knew what that was; revenge talking. "Here I thought the Lion of Elysium was suppose to be some sort of paragon of goodness?"
"And here I thought the Butcher of Torfan was some sort of blood-thirsty renegade maniac? Who knew?" That had Collins laugh as Sara hid her own chuckle. "Hell, wait until you see Sara in action. Kiddo here ripped off a Krogan's headplate."
"No shit?" The Marshal looked to the Angel, who blushed a little. "Next time? Go for the roof of the mouth. I found a soft spot there."
Author's Note: I don't know if it was Canon or ever has been Canon, but I've seen more than a few times that Thessia was hit with an asteroid some four to six thousand years in the past, prompting Asari space exploration out of protection and necessity instead of discovery. While Thessia is heavily laced with Eezo, I don't believe it actually contains a high amount of Eezo ore, merely dust and particulates. The War of Queens is borrowed from LogicalPremise's concept from the Asari, where Asari warlords vied for continental control.
SMARTpaper? Imagine an electronic newspaper. Foldable OLED screen paper with updating news instead of a datapad. This can be possible in the next ten years with the advent of OLED technology that has emerged in the last few years.
76 degrees Celsius is 170 degrees Fahrenheit… which is what Codsworth brews your coffee to in the prelude of Fallout 4. Perfect for the pre-apocalypse.
The Nemean Abyss - Found in the Spinward-Coreward side of the Galaxy (NW, about 10 o'clock, towards the core) near the southern-most border of the Terminus Sector, the Nemean Abyss is a debris field of micro blackholes, pulsars, heavy interstellar dust, gravitational fluxes, and other anomalies that make exploration and settlement chancy. It's de facto capital is Cartagena Station, the semi-canon station from CDN wikia.
Charnel House - Generally, a house of slaughter or death. Traditional a house where corpses or skeletal remains are interred. A 'Charnel House Planet' on the other hand is a planet that had life, but was obliterated for some reason, with nothing but ruins left behind. Honestly, an Asari would never call a planet a 'Charnel House' as the word is French in origin. Blame the Universal Translator.
Jane Shepard jokes? Really? I did promise them several chapters ago. Four of them are, in fact, Chuck Norris jokes, but the Mass Relay one is original. Thanks to Anknownymous for helping me come up with this loony idea and running with it. I might make a few more 'Commander Shepard facts' about the galaxy's greatest!
I cover a little bit of the FCW/R314I. Yes, Humanity went insurgent during the Incident, making IED's.
I touched a little on the Skyllian Blitz, too, and made Haliat something more than a… whatever that mess was suppose to be. Prestige criminal, really? A major Insurgent leader with an Iran-Contra Affair deal with the Batarian Hegemony, on the other hand, sounds war-sexy. I could probably do a story on that.
The Red Harvest? I have made mention that Garrus and Sara know one another from before, and intentionally have left it vague. Jannie has mentioned it, and even Ash has heard of it. But no one knows what the Red Harvest is. You'll find out before/after the Feros Arc.
I made a Tango and Cash reference. God that movie is so stupdiculous, and the one-liners so cheesy. Couldn't pass it up.
The Office of Special Tactics- The concept was actually several years of ideas put together. The 'Hub' (mission control) was an idea that was between NASA, the War Room that POTUS uses that we see in movies (and likely pretty accurate) and what we saw in the FBI Situation Room in the movie Live Free Or Die Hard (which likely is also accurate). I have seen… something close to this in real life, though none of those places. What do you think the Army Intelligence Branch Office in Baghdad looks like? I didn't see that, but I saw a much less component.
For those who have read "Where The Law Stands Tall", I brought back Marshal Sam Collins and introduced what she was going to do for the Office of Special Tactics into this story with the undone idea of "The Fury Of Our Maker's Hand" that would have followed "A Fox Amongst The Wolves". I worked too much and too long with Sam to just let her disappear forever. Congrats, you got your gunslinger back. She's much like what she was from WTLST, but I highlighted a few differences.
Sam is the Butcher. Which is seen as a good thing. Dropping convicts onto a slave pen sounds like a horrible idea… sadly it's been done before with mixed results. I wanted a slightly different spin than the Canon Butcher, who was seen as… an anti-hero/nefarious good guy for some reason.
Torfan is actually a moon, but its planet was never mentioned. So I made it a moon of Aratoth, where the 'Arrival' DLC mission takes place. Why not? We already know it's a shithole.
Was Nihlus left on Eden Prime? The Council didn't seem too perturbed at the murder/death of one of their vaulted Agents. I think I would have mentioned something at Saren's lack of diabolical rage at the loss of a protege and friend just to cast blame somewhere else. Some pseudorage rant of 'I'm going to find who killed my friend and rip his fucking head off' would have done wonders. In this story, Nihlus Kryik's body was recovered and taken back to the Citadel on the Normandy. Jenkins was not recovered. You find out why later. But you might guess.
Lady Matriarch Benezia T'soni - I think I've mentioned before somewhere that her involvement would be explained better than the game. In Mass Effect, she 'joined' Saren to turn him from his 'dark path' (gee, what, is she a Jedi or something?) but nothing else. The one time you meet her (rocking out with the Rachni Queen) she really doesn't get into the why of it, fully indoctrinated save that Saren's will filled her with light. What, was she going to meldfuck him into being good? What sense does that make?
In Canon, Benezia was mentioned to being Thessia's Ambassador for Humanity (it didn't mention if that was for Earth itself, the Systems Alliance, or the species as a whole). This doesn't explain why she joined forces with an obvious Human-hater initially before Reaper Jelly turned her Asari Sith Lord. Her initial involvement was never explained. Even Councilor Tevos was stumped as to why a respected member of the Thessian community (and supposedly really rich, too) went and joined forces. While we know it was indoctrination that turned Benezia, the game never explains why an 800 year old Matriarch gave a shit about some 40 year old Turian SPECTRE going 'dark'. How would she of known in the first place (and the other SPECTREs missing this factoid) or why she would have cared unless she was trying to protect Humanity from a racist Turian by 'guiding' him away from his path of revenge.
I'm going a different route. You'll see. And I think you'll like. Those random data disks had to be good for something besides random Credits and XP.