I'm beginning to think that I should get a place to live on the Citadel, considering how much time I spend docked here. Fair enough most of it is dealing with the Council and undergoing my SPECTRE training. My N7 training conditioned me, but it was the SPECTRE training that was refining me. I learned how to study body language, assess a person's character from the little things like posture, muscle twitches, tones of voice, eye movement, smile etc. the list was endless. In terms of the combat and military side of the training I was sound. But the social side I was lacking.
It was really convenient that Rylee kept her apartment in the Wards. I spent quite a few nights here whenever I was too tired to return to the Normandy. Rylee stayed here for the night too, probably because she needed to sleep on a comfortable bed. I love the Alliance, but they don't make anything for comforts sake.
"Rylee, I'm headed to the café, are you coming?" I asked.
"Sure, it's not like I have anything to do here," she groaned, as she put her N7 jersey over her head.
"Late night."
"Just... stop talking...please," she moaned. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing joggers and a tank top. She had no make-up on and she also had dried drool on her cheek. She's obviously hungover.
"You're being pretty grumpy right now. Is it your time of the-" I started, but I couldn't finish my sentence before one of her seat cushions was hurtled at my head. Luckily I managed to block it.
"Finish that sentence, I dare you."
"Month..." I smirked before ducking behind the sofa. She jumped over the table and made a beeline towards me and I let her jump on me.
"Do you want to die Nathan?" she threatened. I bit back my smirk and shook my head. "Then don't test me now."
She got off of me and headed towards the kitchen.
I took a deep breath and reassessed the situation. "Let me rephrase that. Who were you drinking with last night and why do you look like Wrex has been taking target practice on your face?" I smirked before diving behind the door leading outside.
She immediately ran toward it, but couldn't open it since I locked it from the outside using my omni-tool. "Nate Shepard, get your ass in here so I can kick it!" She commanded.
I was struggling to keep myself from bursting out into laughter.
"Come in here and die like a man."
"I think I'm gonna walk around for a little bit. You know, get some fresh air while you calm down," I advised. "The lock wears off in a minute," I finished before running away from the scene.
When I reached the upper section of the wards I started walking. I walked towards the steps that lead down to the lower levels before I was stopped by someone.
"Hello there, Commander Anderson?" an old lady greeted. She wore a stunning red dress with a white stripe that covered the torso. From what I can remember from my training, her posture suggested confidence, maybe even arrogance.
"Do I know you ma'am?" I asked.
"No you don't, but I know you Commander. You've come a long way from being a common street thug with the REDS to where you are today," she commended.
"Who are you?" I wondered. Most people who stop me in the street want an interview or a picture, whereas she's being more honest and upfront.
"Where are my manners? I'm Helena Blake, pleased to meet you," she extended her hand stiffly.
I examined her hand briefly. She kept her nails short, her hands were covered in callouses and the way she extended her hand all pointed to a military background, or experience with combat.
I shook her hand, before she guided us to a table. Again, her posture displayed confidence, as though she were in complete control over the situation.
"Your name sounds familiar."
"You may have heard of me back from your days running in the muck on earth. You and your REDS caused quite a ruckus when you were hitting our arms dealers back on Earth."
"You'd openly admit to dealing arms on the Citadel, not very smart on your part,"
"That was 10 years ago. The statute of limitations of arms dealing on Earth is 8 years," she smirked.
"Whatever it is you want, look elsewhere. I'm not a mercenary and I don't need your money," I waved off.
"You're mistaken SPECTRE, I'm acquainted with a pair of powerful crime bosses. They're hiding on remote worlds, and I have their coordinates. You could do the galaxy a favour,"
"You're obviously with them. Why don't I just arrest you instead?"
Her arrogance was again "Arrested for what? You and I are simply having a conversation. I have excellent legal representation. Arresting me would be a waste of your time."
She's probably right about that. She probably has people in C-Sec on her pay-roll too for added insurance.
While I was thinking about my next move, Rylee took the opportunity to join us "I've been looking for you… What's going on here Nate?" she asked.
"Pleased to meet you Miss…" Helena trailed off.
"Lt. Rylee Shepard."
"I'm Helena Blake."
"Now that everyone's said their hello's it's time to say our goodbyes," I urged. I turned on my heel and began to walk into the crowd of people walking downstairs.
"They sell slaves!" she announced, which made me stop dead in my tracks.
I doubled back and stood in front of her expecting her to say more. "If you're associated with them and they're slavers, how the hell am I meant to believe you aren't one either?" I questioned.
"That's part of the reason we severed our business ties… is there somewhere else we can talk?" Blake wondered.
I took her to one of the C-Sec interrogation rooms after using my SPECTRE clearance to commandeer one and turn off the cameras.
"Talk now!" I demanded.
"They're red sand dealers who victims of their customers. Those who can no longer pay are sold to batarians as slaves. They're loathsome, hurting innocent people. They must be ended."
She then took out her Omni-tool and showed us some of their activities. Call logs, supply caches, inventory checks, raids, murders, the list was endless. But she couldn't be implicated in any single one of them. She's obviously taken anything to do with her out. She then forwarded the files to Rylee and me.
"What do you get out of this? You aren't doing this out of the kindness of your own heart," Rylee
"We share interests in certain cooperative ventures. But their business practices have forced me to terminate our relationship. Once they are dead, I will manage our organisation in a more tasteful manner."
"Do I look like a moron to you? What's to stop you from killing me once you take over?" I enquired.
She began chuckling and waving off the idea. "While I appreciate your estimation of my bravado, I have no intention of attempting to murder you. You are the first human SPECTRE, and you are doing important work for humanity. I have no interest in red sand or slavery. Anyone who does deserves to die. Our needs are aligned."
I don't think she's lying to me about her associates. She probably does need them out of the way, and they're probably slavers. But I know she isn't being completely honest about her own activities.
It could be a trap. But then why would she give me their information and proof of their crimes. I could just take it to C-Sec and have her associates arrested, then they'd snitch on her. She wants them… No she needs them dead and I'm the best candidate.
"Alright… I'll deal with the slavers. But if this is a trap, I promise you that I will hunt you down."
"Here are the coordinates. When these men are dead, I will wait for you at the third set of coordinates. But I must warn you Commander, each believe the other intends to kill him. They will be well prepared."
She stood up and left the interrogation room, thus leaving Rylee and I alone in the room.
"How does she know about your-"
"It was common knowledge on Earth that I was an escaped slave. I was too naïve to realise how that would affect people's actions towards me, so I told people."
"It looks like she's trying to use your past to manipulate you. For all we know, she could be involved in the slave trade, and her partners could be the "good guys"."
"No her associates are slavers. I read the shipping manifest. They're shipping crates of Rudo Ye Ndambarukuse to a Batarian farmer in the Viper Nebula."
"So what?"
"Rudo Ye Ndambarukuse means Love of those who belong to mankind. That means human labour force. Her associates are definitely slavers, and that means it's my job to kill them."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
Location: Hades Gamma, Dis System, Klensal
We managed to take the other boss out with relative ease. The Normandy's stealth drive made sure we weren't detected so we managed to catch him completely unawares. So immediately after we took him out, we headed to Klensal. I took the entire squad apart from Kaidan since I realised we needed to start rotating and he was the only one still badly hurt from the last mission.
"Listen up! We've almost reached the main base. According to Blake's intel we're going to enter a cave. This guy is equipped with MECHs, so loud up your Anti-Personnel ammo now. You got that!"
"Yes Sir!" Ashley and Rylee saluted. Garrus, Liara and Tali nodded, whereas Wrex merely stared into space.
I stopped the MAKO 500 meters away from the base, so I could avoid detectors. There weren't any anti-aircraft defences in place which probably meant that they were hidden and would only appear if the situation called for it. Going of foot was the best course of action.
My gamble paid off and we managed to enter the cave with ease. The temperature dropped significantly from -6 to -20 Degrees Celsius, which means we're all better off using cryo rounds.
"When Tali opens the door, be prepared for combat so weapons ready," I instructed before switching from my pistol to my shotgun and charged my barrier up.
The door opened and I ran to the nearest cover. Garrus and Ashley stayed by the door and immediately started spraying the room. It caught two of them unawares and killed them, whereas the rest managed to find cover.
Tali's recon drone was quickly turning into an invaluable member of the team. From the safety of this crate I was able to count the number of hostiles present. There were 10 here, including the target.
I popped out of cover and I made a beeline for the target. I was being pelted by bullets but my shields were able to handle the damage and I managed to reach him. Now the only problem was the huge armoured MECH he had just entered. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
I began shooting the glass, but to my chagrin it was bulletproof, even with this HMWSG. "Shit!" I cursed before he raised one of his arms. I was already running before he fired, the blast landed behind me and I was sent flying across the room. Luckily for me, my crew had taken care of the rest of his men.
I shook off the pain and I continued to run away from him. After rounding the corner I could hear my crew all ask me what was wrong, thankfully the MECH was really slow so I had enough time to find cover.
"BIG ASS FUCKING MECH!" I hollered.
Everyone took that as a queue to find their own cover. "Should've brought Kaidan, this would be a lot easier with him around," I cursed.
"What is that thing!?" Rylee shouted.
"It's trying to kill us, what it is doesn't matter," Garrus retorted, which caused Rylee to shoot him a glare.
"Commander, my recon drone just finished scanning it. That thing only has shields and armour," Tali stated.
"Which means Wrex, Liara, Ashley and I are gonna be the bait until you three can take those shields down. Then the biotics take over and destroy that armour. GO!"
Wrex and I ran across each other to try and give the Boss more than one target and confuse him. The bastard chose me again and started firing. This provided Wrex the opportunity to start shooting him without fear.
Whilst he was turning away from me to face Wrex; Garrus, Rylee and Tali all simultaneously threw an overload to short out his shields. Unfortunately, that didn't destroy his shields, it just pissed him off. He was getting ready to fire on them before Liara and Ashley both threw grenades at the MECH's back.
"Keep him off balance!" Rylee roared.
I grabbed one of the lighter crates using my biotic whip and I flung it at the MECH. It fired at the crate and blew it into pieces.
And again it was up to Liara and Ashley to attack from behind. This time the blast was bigger, most probably because they outfitted the grenade with an overload feature. However, in spite of all our attacks seemed to be doing was pissing the guy off.
"We're ready!" Garrus declared.
"Wrex let's go!" I ordered.
I ran out in front of the MECH and tried my best to be as mobile as possible. But this time I was on my own. WHERE THE FUCK IS WREX!
Wrex was nowhere to be seen and that meant I was a sitting duck. With only one moving target I was as good as dead.
Liara and Ashley tried to throw grenades to distract the MECH but it was too late and the missile had already been fired. I aimed to the roof of the cave and used my biotic tether to pull me into the air. I only just managed to avoid the rocket that seemed destined for my chest.
It was only then that I saw Wrex, who was fiddling with his assault rifle behind one of the rocks. I landed just behind him. But before I could question him he ran toward the MECH.
Whilst Rylee and Liara had its attention, Wrex leapt into the air and jammed his assault rifle into its back before running into cover. As far as I know, no one knows what he's planning and we don't know what he just did.
The MECH began to shake viciously. The Pilot was clearly panicking and from his demeanour it was safe to assume he had just lost all control of his vehicle. And the way it's shields were pulsating I would say things aren't looking good for him.
"Anderson, Whatever Wrex did it worked. The Shields are down and significant damage has been done to its armour," Tali informed.
I looked at the battle hungry Krogan with a mixture of anger and confusion. "What are we waiting for? Let's blow that thing sky high!" Rylee shouted through the comms.
Every biotic on the squad hit that thing with warp simultaneously, almost causing its arm to fall off entirely. It's rocket arm was now a mangled mess so we only have to worry about the pellets.
The MECH jumped toward Ashley and Liara, and was inches away from crushing the two of them if they didn't jump out of the way. Ashley landed behind the MECH, whereas Liara was lying on the floor with the gun aimed right at her.
Without hesitating, Liara trapped its arm in a stasis field, but judging by how much of her biotics she's used recently, that field won't last long. It managed to provide her and Williams the opportunity to look for cover elsewhere. Ashley left a grenade by the MECH before running away and detonating it.
"We need to get everyone a safe-" I began before Wrex grabbed one of the rocket launchers left on the floor to finish the MECH off.
Stupid Krogan! If he'd let me finish, then… oh shit! Liara is still in the blast radius. When the explosion occurred I immediately used my tether to grab Liara by her arm and yank her toward me just as Wrex fired. The explosion turned out to be bigger than I thought and the shockwave sent Liara flying just to the right of me.
I had to jump right to put my body in the way between her back and the pillar she was headed toward. We both slid down the pillar in a heap after the sickening sound of metal on metal rang through the cave. Liara was left unconscious by the blast.
Rylee ran up to us and asked us if we were okay. When I explained that Liara was unconscious, we immediately called Joker for an emergency pick up. I picked Liara up and carried her bridal style onto the Normandy and left her in the Med-Bay.
Dr Chakwas kicked me out of the room, saying that she needed space to do her work.
I have to find Wrex so he can explain to me just what the fuck was going through his mind. Rylee and Ashley were glaring daggers in his direction the entire ride back to the ship, whereas Garrus shook his head.
I rode the elevator down to Engineering. The trip was excruciatingly long and it left me with way too much time to get worked up over Wrex's actions. Pictures of Liara's inanimate, unconscious body in my arms flooded my mind, causing me to tense up the closer we got to Engineering.
When I arrived I saw Wrex and a small group of crewman, including Kaidan, were using the gym. "EVERYONE OUT! WREX STAY!" I ordered.
The crewman all gathered their belongings and headed to the elevator, leaving me with the big Krogan, who looked unfazed.
"That thing had a 3 second recharge time between pellets and 9 seconds rockets. I had to wait for it to fire a rocket before I could act," he answered the question I hadn't even asked yet.
"Tell me that next time and then we could have prepared for it together. You acting without informing the team is stupid and reckless. How am I meant to trust a loose cannon to watch my back!" I shouted.
"Whether or not you trust me is irrelevant, Anderson. So long as we complete the mission."
"So long as we complete the mission with minimal casualties! You damn near killed Liara with that rocket blast. If I hadn't pulled her away, then she'd be dead!" I argued.
Wrex had no good comeback for me in that situation, but instead opted to stare me down. He's looking to see if I back down from him, and there's no way in hell I'm letting that happen.
"What! No reply! No excuse for your actions! Or is it that you know that you were wrong."
I could see Wrex tensing up as I was yelling at him. He took a step forward to try and intimidate me. There's no way in hell that I'm backing down now to him. He almost got Liara killed, I can't let him think that he can run ruck shot over me on my ship!
"You're not going out in the field until I say so! CLEAR!" I ordered.
Wrex looked at me with a slither of approval, before he turned around and went to his weapons bench to continue cleaning out his guns. I'm going to take that as a yes. If he tries to defy my command, then I'll have to kick him out. Things are a lot easier if he stays than if he's gone but I can't have anyone undermine my command. If he ever pulls a stunt like that again.
I'll shoot him myself.
Location: SSV Normandy SR-1
[Rylee]
After finishing up with the last boss, Nate ordered the pilot to head straight for Amaranthine. The journey was going to take a little over a day to complete. This was problematic considering how much tension was still in the air over the whole Nate and Wrex situation. Nate was refusing to take Wrex and I was scared to find out what would happen if Wrex tried to defy him.
"Okay, okay let's play a game…. Would you rather… fight a Krogan with a stick… or spend a day dealing with the Council and politicians," I asked.
"Tough one Shepard, but I'd rather fight the Krogan. One is gonna make me dead and the other is gonna make me wish I was dead," Garrus answered.
"I'd go for the Council… mainly because I wouldn't fight Wrex even if I had the Normandy's main cannon on my shoulder," Kaidan laughed.
"What about you Rylee, which would you choose?"
"I'd probably choose the Krogan, since I could punch 'em in the face without consequences."
"Which Councillor is the biggest asshole?" Ashley asked.
The vast majority of us all chose the Turian Councillor, including Garrus, but Ashley chose the asari one because of her condescension. We played even more games after that one just to kill time before we got to Amaranthine. I was trying to keep spirits high whilst Nate was asleep.
Another thing that worried me about Nate was how little sleep he got during the night. Ever since Liara melded with him and his memories came flooding back, he hasn't been sleeping very well. I had to sneak sleeping pills into his water just to make sure he could get enough rest sometimes.
"It's good that we can still have a laugh even after all that's going on," Kaidan said.
"Yeah, I agree. This mission has been really stressful for all of us. I can't even imagine how Skipper is handling all this pressure," Ashley added.
Garrus sat up straight before speaking. "Anderson seems to be struggling more with handling the crew than he is handling Saren. Don't get me wrong, he's improved drastically from when I stepped aboard. He's working at making the crew more accepting of having non-humans aboard and accepting us, which is admirable considering what non-humans have done to him in the past. But he can't seem to get Wrex fully into the fold."
"I wonder why you guys seem more accepting than most of the crew. Outside of the Engineering team, most of them seem to avoid me," Tali asked.
"I think it's because we've fought alongside you guys. It's easier to trust people when they've saved your life," I answered.
"Give it time. It normally takes something huge to bring everyone together. For now, we'll keep fighting your corner," Kaidan smiled.
"I personally believe that Nate is doing a good job. I can't imagine anyone doing any better than he has. He's battling his own demons. He's dealing with a Council that doesn't want him to be in the position he's in. He's fighting Saren and something that could possibly destroy an entire species. He has to deal with crap from the crew about having aliens aboard. The Alliance brass is on his ass about not reporting to them anymore. And he's also trying to balance the personalities in his combat squad." I reminded everyone exactly what Nate had gone through since this mission started.
Even when I recall it, I'm still amazed at how he's handled all of what's been thrown at him. When you actually think about it, only a small amount of the crap that's thrown on him seeps through the cracks. But that little amount is still enough to draw unfair criticism.
"I'm not sure if we can stop Saren. But I honestly think that Anderson is our best shot at getting the job done." Garrus declared.
It was a sentiment that was shared by the majority of the room. It wasn't perfect but at least they respect him as a leader. That's all we can really expect at this point.
Location: Horsehead Nebula, Fortuna System, Amaranthine
I took Rylee and Garrus down to the compound. Helena Blake insisted that we show up unarmed and celebrate the deaths of slavers. She can't be stupid enough to think I'll show up unarmed, so I doubt she'd mind if I show up in full body armour. I'll just carry a sidearm to be on the safe side. I also instructed Ashley, Kaidan and Tali were on standby in case we needed them.
When I arrived I was directed towards a secluded room, her guards prevented Rylee and Garrus from entering the room since they showed up armed to the teeth. The room was fairly small and private, kind of like the interrogation room I took her to on the Citadel.
"My squad stays. If they have to leave, then they are taking your heads with them." I threatened.
Blake walked out of the interrogation room clad in her own body armour. "Hello again, Commander Anderson. Please come on in. You're people can stay out there. It's only the two of us in this room." she offered. I took her up on her offer and sat down.
"I'm not sure whether or not I should be surprised or offended that you showed up with full body armour,"
"I'm definitely not surprised that your men are armed to the teeth and you're also armoured up," I smirked.
"That is because neither of us are fools. I see you've done this sort of thing before."
"More times than I would have liked. Now enough with the pleasantries, the job is done."
"I owe you a debt of gratitude. With my former partners dead, this syndicate is now mine. I could not have done it without you."
"Those men deserved to die. Now, are we going to have a problem?"
"Not if I can help it, Commander. I hope you can see that I am, by far, a lesser evil than those men. Under my leadership, this organisation will restrict itself to gambling and smuggling illegal technologies. There will be no drugs and no slave trading for the batarians. Those days are over."
I smirked at the cocky older woman. She was right about one thing, she is the lesser of two evils. But this organisation will not become more ethical under just because she promises. If you want something done right, you do it yourself.
"Those days are over, that's very true. And a new era has begun. Under My Leadership!" I stated. I stood up and opened my visor so she could see my smirk.
Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Interesting proposal for you to make when you're in my compound."
"Now I know that this might be a bit much for you to get to grips with in such a short period of time so I'm going to take things very slowly."
When I said that you could hear a grenade exploding in the other room. Then the gunfire parade began. This room was fairly soundproof so it didn't affect the current conversation.
"Right now my people are out there neutralising your men. Believe me they don't stand a chance in hell. We've had far tougher opposition than some random mercs who weren't good enough to last in the Alliance," as I said that the sound of a body crashing into the one way mirror rang through the room.
"I don't trust you to lead this organisation, you're too calculating and I'm almost certain you'll cross a line at some point in the near future. No, no I can't allow you to stay unchecked. That will just create more hassle for me later. I need to have you under control now while you can still be useful to me," it was at that moment that the gunfire stopped.
"You see Ms Blake. I find that I'm in need of agents of my own. I need to find Saren and I'm certain if I have to rely on more than just the Council if I'm going to take that son of a bitch down. That's where your... well my Syndicate comes into play. You are going to divert every expendible resource into finding Saren Arterius and anything he's involved in."
Garrus, Ashley, Kaidan, Tali and Rylee all walked into the room, armed to the teeth and looking tired.
"The only thing left to know is whether you can be the public figure head I need," I offered my left hand to her.
"Or I keep looking," I said in a menacing manner, whilst aiming my gun at her chest with my right hand. "The choice is yours."
Needless to say, she took my offer and I managed to gain my own Syndicate.