Exodus of the Damned

by Codename-SURGEON

The Reapers fell and with them fell our worlds. We drift alone in search of home and hope to one day build again. An artifact found provides a ray of hope. And those few who ventures through will seal our doom or not. Other worlds and other chances gives the Damned needed hope.

9. Chapter 9: A Game of Governments II

Chapter 9: A Meeting of Governments Part 2.

March 16, 2596. UNSC Polaris

Their reunion was heartfelt. It wasn't quite fairy tale due in part to the massive warship surrounding them, but they made due.

As the Normandy group and UNSC officers went through introductions and ultimately withdrew, Mara'Teblain grasped her brother in a fierce hug and even attempted to lift him off the deck. Comically, Kal's feet remained planted.

"Still trying to do that?" Kal said while playfully rapping his knuckles on Mara's visor and struggling to mask his own feelings of joy. "You haven't succeeded once you know," he smiled at the tease.

Mara untangled herself from her brother and without a word she balled a fist and punched him in the chest. Kal only grunted as his suit and ribs absorbed the blow. "What was that for?" he almost sounded hurt.

"For scaring me passed death and back," Mara answered before wrapping Kal in another embrace. "Please don't do it again," she sobbed.

Kal didn't bother thinking up a retort or comment, because it wouldn't be very appropriate. He simply hugged his sister back and cast his eyes out into the bay. The first thing he saw was another Quarian.

"By the homeworld I'm glad you're safe and sound," the Quarian said formally in the native Quarian language.

"I too am glad and I thank you," Kal replied both in Quarian and formally. He let go of Mara who stepped back a little bit and faced the newcomer.

"Your Tali'Zorah!" Mara exclaimed both in basic and informally, "I'm Mara and this is my brother Kal." Kal rolled his eyes at his sister for shooting a serious moment full of holes. Tali however, simply giggled.

"Yeah, that's me," Tali smiled behind her visor. "I'm a technical advisor for Admiral Hackett's diplomatic mission and I thought I'd just see how you two were doing right now."

"Thank you, ma'am. These people have treated me quite well," Kal said trying to keep things polite. "I do wish others could have made it though."

There was a short period of silence between the three for the missing crew. "We have a working theory on where they are. We just need a little support before we attempt a rescue mission," Tail told the twins.

"I do hope it happens soon," Mara interjected, "I mean, we're talking a hero here. There's no way we'd just leave him."

"We'll just have to see how things play out, Mara," Kal said, "It's the admiral's game at the moment. Hopefully everything will work out for the better."

"Well, yeah I guess," Mara said, feeling a little eager to change the subject. "Ma'am...uh, Tali, is it alright if I call you by name?" Tail simply nodded her permission. "Okay," Mara was feeling quite giddy about having a conversation with one of her people's greatest heros and a previous admiral. It was just something that didn't happen very often, if at all.

"I'd like to know more about the Normandy," Mara began, "I know everything about its exploits, but how does it feel to actually work on the Normandy?"

Tali easily identified the exuberant admiration from Mara. "The Normandy is the the best ship I've ever served on," Tali said with pride, "It's got the best equipment, a drive core that puts everything else to shame, and the best crew. Many of which I consider close friends."

Mara let out a wistful sigh, "It sounds so surreal. I do wish I could say the same about many of the ships I've been on." Mara cast a look towards her brother, "Any ideas to share Kal? Any thoughts?"

"Only a few," Kal reservedly said, "I don't mean to argue with your personal experience, Mrs. Zorah. But, I'd like to know how, from an engineering standpoint, the Normandy compares to the ship we're on right now." Kal look at the deck beneath him, then at the ceiling, and finally back to his present company.

"Do you have a way to answer that?" Tail asked.

"Maybe," Kal said chuckling," I can get us into the engineering deck. Although, we'll be under guard and not permitted very far."

Mara tossed Kal an inquisitive look. "How did you get access to their engineering compartment?" She asked.

"I cooperated,"

"Oh, I see."

"What's your point, Mara?" Kal asked with suspicion.

"Hey!" Tali interrupted before an argument could occur. "I would like to see how this ship works. Are you two coming?"

"Sure!" Kal excitedly stated before turning on his heel and purposefully speed walked towards the trio of green heavily armored UNSC soldiers nearby.

"So, you two are twins?" Tail inquired to Mara as they strode along behind Kal.

"Yeah," Mara answered, "Not something that happens very often, one in a million in fact, or so they say."

Tali only nodded in response as Kal stopped before a soldier she assumed was a higher rank then the other two. "Greetings, I'm taking my friends and myself down to engineering," Kal declared as he pulled what looked like a greeting card from one of his suit pockets. He offered it to the soldier, who was in fact sergeant. The soldier hesitantly took the card and scanned through its contents. The card had a set of orders printed on it that clearly stated Kal could go where he wished as long as he remained within certain limitations.

"For what purpose?" The sergeant asked in a no nonsense tone once he finished reading.

"Show and tell," Kal very blandly replied.

The sergeant quickly thought it over. The card had Captain Igrison's handwritten signature so it was more than likely genuine. Regardless of the fact this alien had been aboard the Polaris for nearly two weeks and hadn't caused any issues, he decided to install a buffer just in case.

"Fine, you can go, but remain within your restrictions," the sergeant ordered. He turned his attention to his subordinates nearby, "Go with them. Make sure they stay in line."

"Sir," they both said simultaneously with salutes. The two soldiers fell in with the three Quarians as they passed and exited the shuttle bay the same way the UNSC officers and the rest of the Normandy group had.

The sergeant, now seemingly alone, resumed his vigil on the pair of Salarian marines guarding the two shuttles across the bay.

"Greetings? Really?" Mara jabbed at Kal's choice of words once the little group was a short ways down the lengthy corridor beyond the bay. "Could you have sounded more stilted?"

Kal smiled broadly from behind his helmet and said, "I'm happy you're back, Mara." As if she'd been the missing person instead of him.

/

"You disapprove?" Igrison asked.

Lasky nodded, "As the first responder to this incident, you could've handled it differently and probably better." Lasky sighed, "I think this along with some other things makes me see no reason to contradict my earlier opinions on your transfer. You should have remained with ONI, it's obviously you're not entirely cut out for the Navy's way of things."

Igrison visibly bristled, "How would you suggest I fix that , sir?"

"Well," Lasky began, "if I had my way I'd have you shipped back to ONI in a gift wrapped box. Unfortunate, that your ties to important people prevent that."

Igrison's scowl deepened as Lasky stood up. "Thanks to you, ONI has one of Hackett's lost ships and dozens of dead crewmen somewhere and you only thought to tell me now." Lasky secured his cap to his head.

"Sir, I dispatched you a specific message along with my first report," Igrison said in an attempt to excuse herself.

"I just read it," Lasky stated without emotion. "I'm still reading right now it in fact. That's how backlogged I am with everything going on as it is. However, you found it pertinent to personally communicate with Admiral Osman about this. Not just send her a memo."

"Naval Intelligence involvement is never avoidable. I had hope to mitigate their interference by providing them with personally upated information," Ingridson countered.

"True, but you went over my head, and let's not forget the special circumstances we're under," Lasky said.

"Why should we worry about Admiral Hackett's people?" Igrison wondered.

"ONI stole one of their ships and the bodies of its crew!" Lasky answered forcefully. "If Admiral Hackett catches wind of this at an inopportune time there won't be anything good to come out of it.

"How this gonna be handled?" Igrison asked.

Lasky grinned, Igrison was acting just like every other ONI agent he'd known when put on the defensive. "Very carefully and one step at a time."

/

The first thing Admiral Hackett spotted when he returned to the shuttle bay was the absence of his chief engineer and two other Quarians. After that, he saw that two of the three UNSC soldiers that had remained behind were gone.

Hackett stormed across the bay, followed closely by the rest of the group, towards the pair of Salarian marines guarding the alliance shuttles.

"Where did they go?" Hackett barked at the nearest Salarian. He was quite alarmed at the disappearance of the Quarians'.

"Admiral," one of the Salarians spoke up in his species characteristically clipped speech. "Kal, the survivor, took them to engineering. If I heard correct."

"Dammit, just dammit," Hackett deadpanned.

The Normandy crew had formed a bit of a loose circle between the two shuttles and more than a few of them spoke in defense of Tali.

"Our engineer is more than capable of handling whatever comes her way. There's no worries in that regard," Jacob assured.

"Tali can keep the other two under control. She won't let them do anything stupid," Liara added to Jacob's statement.

The rest either worded or nodded their affirmation except Dr. Masuyo who was largely unfamiliar with the Normandy crew.

"I'm more concerned with the UNSC's reaction to having non-humans wandering around," Hackett clarified his earlier statement.

"Kal'Teblain was here for two weeks before we arrived. He doesn't appear to have suffered any harm," Samara explained.

"True," Hackett mumbled, seemingly losing himself in thought, "True."

There was a brief silence which Ashley broke immediately with a different subject, "Samara, you were tense all the way back to the shuttles and you didn't say a word. Is something wrong?"

"There's much evil in this dimension," Samara blandly replied.

"I think that's an understatement for every dimension, Sammy," Vega quipped.

"For an interstellar government to declare genocide on another on a basis of religion is unheard of in our dimension," Samara said staring at the deck. "The Justicars could have done much good here."

Ashley quickly saw where this was going. "Sam, no one in our dimension knew others even existed. Don't beat yourself up with things you had absolutely no control over."

"You're right Lieutenant Williams," Samara said resolutely. "I will need more information before my next move." Samara turned for the group and entered one of the shuttles, quickly disappearing from view and leaving plenty of confusion behind.

The Normandy crew descended into a number of quiet conversations ranging from Samara, to the UNSC, and back home. Admiral Hackett kept to himself for the most part until someone loudly cleared their throat right next to him. Hackett shifted and found himself face to face with one of the Salarian marines.

"Admiral Hackett," the marine whispered, "that soldier is not alone."

Hackett followed the Salarian's gaze towards the lone UNSC soldier across the bay. He was definitely alone. "Who are you? What do you mean?" Hackett asked a bit louder than he meant and catching the attention of the Normandy group.

"Jondum Bau, Salarian STG and Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, one of many agents embedded in your fleet." the marine explained, "As for the soldier, his mannerisms are inconsistent. He is outnumbered significantly by an unknown force. Yet he's too calm, too still, too sure. Granted, full armor make the analysis difficult, but I'm quite sure." Bau slowly glanced around the bay, apparently examining everything. "Reinforcements are likely nearby, or more likely already inside with us."

Hackett had known there were STG agents in the fleet. He'd allowed them onboard even though he didn't know who or where they all were.

The admiral sent his own gaze around the bay as well, examining all the nooks and crannies. He lingered over the upraised platforms between the UNSC shuttlecraft, big bulky things with elongated wings. There Hackett briefly thought he saw a slight shimmer. A case of goosebumps rolled over the admiral and he noticed many of the Normandy group had instinctively reached for the weapons affixed to their waists, an action Hackett was quick to shoot down.

"What do you think this means, Admiral," Miranda asked.

"It means gaining the UNSC's trust is going to be harder than I thought."

/

The UNSC Polaris's engineering deck was an absolute marvel. Its size alone rivaled those found on Quarian Liveships and it was infinitely more robust.

Tali and Mara gazed wonderingly out of a window into the organised arrangement of pipes, conduits, terminals, catwalks, control centers, and the six rounded nodules that rose from the floor and could only be the battleship's fusion reactor, or reactors. Human technicians wearing hooded white jumpsuits and masks gave the whole scene life by criss crossing from terminal to terminal taking readings and checking data.

Kal stood back a ways from the window with his arms smugly crossed. He'd been here multiple times over the last few days and had never been any further than this windowed room. Regardless of his wishes, Kal wasn't permitted any further and the two soldiers guarding doorway made sure of that.

Even with this restriction Kal had learned a lot about UNSC engineering and his source eventually did arrive. Slipping out of a maintenance tunnel built specifically for his kind was the bulbous and tentacle equipped Huragok Kal met when he first woke up on the Polaris.

The Huragok gave a shrill whistle of greeting which gave Tali and Mara, neither of whom had noticed the alien, quite a start which further elicited snickers from the soldiers. The Huragok was quick to apologize in Galactic Basic, which Kal had taught him, by using a collar like device around his neck with a built-in speaker to translate.

"Kal, who's this?" Mara asked warily about the Hanar-esq creature.

"This is Hovers-To-Long," Kal explained, "He's a Huragok, more commonly referred to as an Engineer."

"Why are they called Engineers?" Tail asked a bit less wary then Mara and immediately drawn to the nickname.

"Because they're born technological geniuses," Kal replied, "or created, as Hovers explained it." Kal contemplated what to say next and the answer came surprisingly easy, "He'll show you. Mara, can I borrow your Omni-Tool please?"

"Are you sure about this?" Mara asked, slightly gripping the device on her wrist.

"Don't worry nothing fundamental will change," Kal assured her, "I've seen this happen before."

Mara groaned and slid the Omni-Tool from her wrist and handed it to Kal who immediately passed it to Hovers. The Huragok, in compliance with what his species was built for, examined the Omni-Tool with his tentacle appendages, brought the tool up to his snout and took in the tool's scent, and finally looked it over with his six eyes both individually and together. The examination went on for thirty seconds before the real magic happened.

Before to two Quarian women's eyes a pair of the Huragok's tentacles split apart into fine almost invisible strands. These strands then sunk themselves into the Omni-Tool and in a matter of seconds the Quarians watched as the tool was disassembled to the base components of the tool's base components. Mara instantly turned on Kal for the apparent destruction of her Omni-Tool, but before she utter a single word of chastisement a completely reassembled Omni-Tool gripped by a single tentacle appeared right in front of her.

"Memory storage increased by .5 terabytes," Hovers happily relayed, "micro-fabricator response times decreased by 75%, plastic-steel structuring compound reinforced with titanium-tungsten alloy for exponential physical resistance."

Mara and Tali stared at the Huragok wide eyed and slack jawed, while Kal had a grin that split his face in two. Then Hovers said something odd, "There are 15 sentient species in your dimension. Fascinating, there are only 11 here and humans are the only race in common."

"You looked through my files?" Mara accused and snatched the Omni-Tool away from the Huragok.

"Only the ones marked under the public encyclopedic Codex. It was necessary to understand the appropriate terminology of the Omni-Tool," Hovers explained. The Huragok cocked its elongated head to one side and appeared to be in deep thought. "Technology I've never even thought of, history so vast, culture and peoples so different," the Huragok spoke so rapidly and gleefully that his suddenly change to more somber tones was jarring, "all on the verge of destruction."

Tali understood immediately what the Huragok was getting at. "We're here to change that," she said, "We came here to find help so we can save what's left."

Hovers's head straightened out and he rose just a little higher off the deck, "I will share this information with my brethren. The Huragok will support your petition for aid from the UNSC."

/

Location: UNSC Magnum-class carrier Rhododendron. Date: December 16, 2187, Species Alliance calendar. March 17, 2596, UNSC calendar.

Walls, 24 hours of staring at blank, uninteresting, whitewashed, grey walls. Granted, the view out of the Normandy's helm also included a pair of gantries, a platform, staircases, some terminals, and even a loading ramp far to the right, but the dominant feature was a wall.

Joker sighed long and hard as he slumped into the pilot's chair and observed as the holoscreen retracted into the instrument panel. Only so much boredom could be alleviated with repeated playthroughs of Fallout 24: The Northwest Passage before the idleness intruded on that too. The Normandy pilot casually dropped his X-Station controller on the the nearest surface, an amenity he'd installed soon after Commander Shepard's evil clone twin took a nose dive into the Citadel, and resumed his bored vigil.

Eventually, he just couldn't stand it. None of the instances where the Normandy had to stay in one place before were so bland. Usually, it was a high-risk mission where Joker and the Normandy eventually swooped in and saved the Commander's butt or they needed to hide from a fleet of adversaries. Even when the Commander simply want to stop at the nearest spaceport, those ports were at least interesting to look at. Here the view was just a wall and Joker decided he had to see more. He had to get out of the Normandy before he went absolutely mad.

Hauling himself carefully out of the pilot seat Joker shuffled as quick as his brittle-as-glass bones and stooped posture allowed to the helm's entrance. The thumb the release and the door quietly slid open to reveal EDI barely a meter away.

"Jeff," EDI's head tilted to one side, "What are you doing?"

"I...need to walk," Joker mentally kicked himself for the studder, "and stretch my legs," he said in an attempt to recover.

Suspicion flashed across EDI's face, "You don't intend to leave the Normandy do you Jeff?"

A sly smile spread over Joker's face as he replied, "EDI, how would you feel if you had to crunch the same math equation over and over for hours at a time?"

"Not very productive."

"Exactly. Now, how you think I feel when I'm cooped up in here," Joker gestured behind himself, "staring at the blankest of blank walls and reading the same systems readouts every five minutes?"

EDI blinked but otherwise remained adamant, "You're too important to be undertaking random excursions outside the ship, especially alone."

"Well then I shouldn't be alone," Joker's smile widened as EDI fell into his trap. "Would you care to join me?" he asked an invitation while motioning towards the Normandy's main airlock right behind EDI.

If an AI could feel exasperation EDI felt that now knowing she couldn't do anything to force Joker back into his chair. "The Normandy will never leave eyesight, Jeff," EDI warned. The AI controlled automaton move to a locker next to the airlock and retrieved a Predator pistol which she magnetically attached to her leg.

Elated that the momentary confrontation was resolved, Joker followed EDI into the airlock and took a position next to her as the decontamination process commenced. "EDI, why have you been so skittish recently?" Joker asked as the the anti-pathogen mist wafted over them and EDI's own voice droned, "DECONTAMINATION IN PROCESS,"" over the speakers. "I mean, ever since we encountered the UNSC you've been more defensive then when we took on the Collectors and Reapers combined, and I don't think it completely has to do with their AI."

The anti-pathogen mist had stopped and a blue energy field was now hovering in their direction as the final phase of decontamination. "It has a lot to do with their AIs, Jeff," EDI replied, "They are more powerful than me, very different from me, and, above all, more human than me." Joker was caught completely off guard by that last one. "I learned this from a brief interaction with a few of them and one even had the audacity to insult my "inferior" software." EDI dipped her head in shame, "If one of these AI decided to attack the Normandy I can't guarantee I'd be able to stop it."

"You're no longer the the big girl on the block," Joker understandingly observed, "and you're surrounded by things that could crush you in an instant." Joker looked down at his own brittle body, "I understand perfectly," he said.

"Thank you, Jeff," EDI said genuinely.

"Eh, no problem. It's what I'm here for," Joker stated with only a pinch of sarcasm. "Alongside..." Joker continued to mumble a dozen other reasons why he was on the Normandy until the the blue field snapped off and the Normandy's outer airlock door hissed open.

"This takes way too long," Joker grumbled about decontamination before he stepped out onto a gangway crudely attached to the Normandy with chains and got his first look at a UNSC hanger without the aid of a camera. There wasn't much left to the imagination, sharp angled architecture and blocky design complemented with a range of tans, browns, and whites. It extended 200 meters in either direction from the Normandy and incorporated a half dozen multi tiered berths, one of which held the Normandy, designed for a range of different sized craft. Fluorescent white lighting enforced the stark military professionalism that Joker had yet to not see everywhere.

Joker, mindful of how much pressure he placed on his legs, carefully descended down the scaffolding stairs serving as a gangway. The UNSC hadn't built with Alliance starships in mind meaning the Normandy's cargo ramp was unusable and the airlock hung precariously in mid air. The docking clamps currently keeping the Normandy stable and from plunging into the deck of the Rhododendron had nearly torn the ship apart when the Normandy first arrived. EDI's timely activation of the kinetic barriers and hasty reconfigurations and calibrations from the UNSC deck crew put the issue to rest.

Concurrently, the Shanghai had also faced its fair share of problems. Captain Bradshaw had been directed to dock in a hangar bay built into the keel of the Rhododendron and in order to pull it off Bradshaw had slowed the Shanghai to a snail's pace and entered the hangar at such an awkward angle multiple deckhands panicked and the crew was now thoroughly unable to disembark from the skewed cruiser. Joker definitely didn't envy them.

Planting his feet on the UNSC deck plating, Joker loitered a moment at the bottom the gangway just to get a feeling for the ship under him. It was giant, sturdy, and gave Joker a sense of security. He'd have loved to visit the bridge or even take the Rhododendron out for a spin himself, though he preferred the quick and nimble Normandy.

With EDI trailing a step behind, Joker trudged towards the interior of the hanger waving off questioning looks from other Normandy crew members who'd also left the frigate. He took in everything he could as he walked; glancing with disdain at the ugly docking clamps holding up the sleek Normandy, gratefully noting that the hanger was properly shut off from the void with a slab of metal instead of the energy fields he'd seen earlier, and the many familiar faces from the Normandy.

Joker had made it an objective to get to know the crew whenever he could. After all he relied on them just as much as they relied on him and wisecracking was more satisfying in person then over an intercom. Joker peeked down at the lowest of the berth's tiers underneath the Normandy and saw even more of the crew milling around including crewmen Hawthorne, Goldstein, and Matthews some of the last remaining crewmembers from the Normandy's Cerberus days. Intermingled with crew were many of the spare personnel the Normandy had picked up; scientists clustered together chatting and tapping away on Omni-Tools, Geth stood around just being Geth, and most distinctive were some of Jack's biotics identifiable by their leather coats and cargo pants, Jack herself was snoozing on the Normandy. All the while, UNSC technicians wove their way through the crowd doing their jobs and attempting to remain anonymous with UNSC officers and soldiers watching both sides of the Normandy from the highest tier of the berth. Both groups seemed to be trying to ignore each other while simultaneously studying the other.

Joker reached the inner wall and found a set of proper stairs leading to the upper tiers. Acting on little more than a grin Joker started to climb up cautiously.

"Jeff, I must urge you to return to the Normandy," EDI pleaded, "or at least remain down here. The UNSC has not permitted Normandy personnel from venturing far from the ship."

"I don't plan on going far EDI," Joker jovially called down. "Besides, nothing ventured is nothing gained right?" Joker turned his attention back to the stairs, "of course what isn't a venture these days," he mumbled under his breath.

He took a break on the third tier with one more to go. EDI had easily caught up with him and had only asked him to return to the frigate once so far, but she was politely ignored. Joker continued to massage his aching legs and inspect the braces that actually gave him the strength to stay upright before he continued.

Finally at the top, Joker wrapped his arms around his head and took in the scenery with EDI nearby. The hangar was as he'd expected, identical berths, identical walls, and identical features. Only the hanger's sheer size and the UNSC personnel tossing him looks of curiosity laced with suspicion proved interesting.

"I must ask why this you felt this was necessary, Jeff?" EDI asked. "What purpose did it serve?"

Joker would've loved to answer that question. He had every intention to and had an answer planned out, but he lost to a grey, calculated, almost machine-like voice from out of nowhere.

"Because he wishes to prove he can to himself and press against his physical limits."

The voice originated from a man standing stock-still against the hanger wall that Joker could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago. This man had a sturdy built and an ovaline face containing a receding hairline and widow's peak, a perpetually frowning mouth and sunglasses effectively dominated his outward expression. The man's most striking feature to Joker was actually his uniform. It was the usual UNSC padded officer's uniform Joker had seen recently, but the key difference here was this man's uniform was jet black instead of steel grey.

The last time Joker had seen this uniform was soon after the Normandy had docked with the carrier and a group of officers wearing them had straight up attempted to storm the Normandy. Joker had of course reported the incident to Admiral Hackett.

"Osteogenesis Imperfecta isn't it?" the man asked without warning.

Joker fought through a dumbfounded moment before he sarcastically replied, "How observant, what tipped you off?"

"You're hunched over posture gave you away, though the consistent limping, slow and cautious movement, and the leg braces served as further evidence," the man's voice remained emotionless the entire time and his flat expression never wavered. "A rare ailment, easily treated with adequate gene therapy and conditioning."

"Hmm, really I never thought someone would figure it out," Joker quipped as the black uniformed man closed the distance between them to a few feet.

"May I ask what position you fill on the Normandy?" he asked

"For what purpose?" EDI spoke up for the first time.

"One that is vitally important and in your best interest," if the man knew or had a reaction to the fact he was talking to a robot he didn't show it.

"Well, if that's the case," Joker said, "Flight Lieutenant Jeffrey Moreau at your service," he resisted the urge to snap off a mock salute and just smiled instead.

"No, you are not," the man stated as emotionless as ever, "but if you're the pilot of the Normandy then I'm talking to the right person. If you would be so kind as to follow me Mr. Moreau. I assure you it's of the utmost importance."

The man moved away giving EDI and Joker a brief moment alone. "You must return to the Normandy, Jeff," EDI said, "Leave investigating this to me."

"Ah, I'd like to stay," Joker pleaded.

"No, I cannot permit reckless endangerment," EDI sternly stated, "You are too important to the Normandy. I will contact security to escort you back and have Jack meet me here."

Joker begrudgingly conceded EDI's point and resigned himself to wait for security. It wasn't a lengthy wait, a pair of Normandy security officers hustled their way to Joker's location and offered to escort him back. He agreed, regardless of how much he wanted to actively participate in a field mission he knew he simply wasn't built for it.

Surrounded by his bodyguards, Joker descended the flight of stairs he'd just ascended to the second lowest tier where the Normandy's gangway was. At the base of those scaffolding stairs Joker crossed paths with Jack, wearing a black leather outfit and her usual ponytail, who looked steamed as always though she was making decent time on reporting to EDI's summons. That was definitely different from how Joker normally saw the commonly lax biotic behave.

"Hey Jack, have fun with Glasses," Joker called to her. He'd made the nickname up on the spot mostly inspired by the black uniformed man's odd choice of wearing them.

Jack didn't answer, but instead shot Joker an odd look as he passed and continued on her way.

She never could get enough sleep. Why did it seem like a decent nap without interruptions was impossible on the Normandy. Oh well, she'd learned to cope.

The short trudge through the Rhododendron's hanger wasn't anything notable. Jack rarely paid her surroundings much attention unless it was a life or death situation. Although, the hanger's design did remind her of a hand of prisons she'd visited in the past.

Jack shook her head at the memories of the olden days. She hadn't particularly enjoyed her initial time spent on the Normandy. Though, she eventually and begrudgingly learned to trust and even call some of the Normandy crew friends. Without that experience Jack most likely wouldn't have accepted or even been given the opportunity to teach biotics. A choice she considered one of the best she'd ever made.

She found EDI were Joker left her. Waiting as patiently as an AI could wait at the top of a flight of stairs. Jack crossed the distance at her own pace eventually placing herself face to face with the AI.

"What's happening?" Jack asked in her usual sharp tone.

EDI wasn't bothered by it at all. "Someone has approached us with something he thinks we will find of importance. I believe he is an intelligence agent."

EDI's agent wasn't hard to spot, a black uniform and sunglasses easily stood out. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back near a doorway possibly leading further into the carrier's interior.

Jack had never held much trust for strangers and while she had considered Shepard to be a bit of a boy scout he at least wasn't a military to the core jerkoff. In all, she didn't particularly agree with how Hackett was leading this expedition. She'd learned during the War to never leave an ally behind if she could and an ally was missing in this dimension. This meant Hackett's insistence on negotiating with the UNSC struck Jack as a waste of time that could be better spent tearing this dimension apart looking for Garrus. It also meant she was stuck dealing with strange intelligence agents.

"Whatever, let's see what he wants and get this over with," Jack said.

Jack and EDI closed the distance between them and Glasses, as Joker had referred to him.

"Mr. Moreau will not be joining us after all, yes?" Glasses monotonously observed. "Probably for the best, his disease is known-"

"Can we cut to the chase already," Jack cut him off. She saw why Joker had called him 'Glasses' those shades of his obscured a lot.

True to Joker's observation, Glasses's face displayed no outward emotion or reaction and his eyes were hidden. "And you are...?" he asked.

"Jack,"

Again, nothing, not even a facial twitch. Although, he must have been examining Jack from behind his glasses. "Not in any kind of uniform and hair that breaks every known military regulation. Private security...hired muscle I'd wager," he said without inflection.

EDI and, without a doubt, Glasses saw Jack tense up and clench a fist. Silently, EDI hoped Jack would keep it together. "Jack is a valued member of the crew. Now if we could just get to this matter of importance that would be much appreciated," EDI said trying to diffuse the tension.

"Of course," Glasses said. He turned to the doorway behind him and swiped his hand over a holographic panel. The door slid open revealing a brightly lit corridor beyond.

"If you would, please follow." Glasses said.

Jack and EDI obliged, following Glasses quite a ways down the corridor primarily in silence. The group soon encountered a T junction where the corridor they were in continued forward. Glasses turned left into the branching corridor and opened another door. Jack and EDI passed through after Glasses and found themselves in a rectangular room with six support pillars space evenly throughout. Both the pillars and the room's wall were lined with lockers and racks holding items easily identified as rifles. The room was evidently an armory where soldiers could stock up on gear before deployment.

One of the most attention grabbing aspects of the armory was a large squad metal table occupying the the center and the five people around it. Four were soldiers, they stood around the table and wore the usual UNSC body armor reminiscent of old 21st century ballistic vests with the golden visored wrap-around helmets. The one key difference with these soldiers was their armor which was the same jet black color as Glasses's uniform.

The fifth person at the table was a shocker that even gave Jack and EDI pause. He was sitting down in a brown fold up chair staring dejectedly at the plain metal surface and he wore a Normandy uniform.

"I trust you recognize the uniform if not the man," Glasses remarked, "Would either of you be willing to elaborate on anything before we move on?"

Jack elected to remain silent, though she glared daggers at Glasses and each of the four soldiers. EDI on the other hand replied, "He is crewman Kit Wendell, engineering maintenance staff."

Kit winced, Glasses said nothing at first, and Jack turned her baleful eyes on EDI and vehemently mounted, 'why?'

Before EDI could answer, Glasses cut her off, "If that's the case then why was Mr. Wendell here found attempting to hack a data terminal 20 meters from this position?"

Jack and EDI were both dumbfounded at this revelation and unable to come up with an answer, allowing Glasses all the time he needed to continue. "This sort of transgression is taken very seriously here," he stated dryly, without emotion, "The UNSC is very protective of its information. I could personally execute Mr. Wendell and be well within my jurisdiction."

Jack immediately readied herself for a fight, placing her biotic abilities within reach. She didn't know Kit Wendell or particularly care about him, but he was a part of the Normandy and she'd be damned if she let him die for typing on a computer. EDI remained serene as usual but Jack knew the pistol the AI had wasn't for show.

"If you do you would be executing a foreign national unaware of your laws," EDI warned.

"Indeed," Glasses said, "So to avoid that, and in the name of...peaceful relations I'm willing to provide the benefit of the doubt." His emotionless voice suddenly developed an edge, "Only if Mr. Wendell is willing to inform us of what he was looking for and who ordered him to do it. If he does not I will be forced to keep him in custody and assume the rest of the Normandy's crew is involved. Everyone aboard will be apprehended and the ship confiscated." His expression remained unchanged, "We'd like to avoid that wouldn't we?"

The tension in the air magnified exponentially and Jack easily saw the black armored soldiers reach for their weapons prompting Jack to grasp her biotics but keep them hidden. Nobody said a word as all eyes were on Kit Wendell silently staring at the table obviously stressed out.

Kit was silent for too long. "Very well," Glasses calmly stated. He raised his hand above his head and snapped his fingers. EDI toppled to the deck hard and didn't move, Jack fully grasp her biotics and was sheathed in blue energy, the black armored soldiers brought their rifles to bear the usual clicks and clacks associated with readying firearms was replaced with the dull whining of energy weapons more than a match for any barrier Jack could produce.

The standoff lasted an intense six seconds before someone shouted, "STOP!" No one relaxed their weaponry, but Kit Wendell was again the center of attention. "I was ordered to find an undoctored account of this dimension's history by the Alliance Council! They were fearful the UNSC would try to take advantage of us!" he yelled, "I'm STG!"

Jack was again stunned but she kept her focus. EDI was still down and four strange rifles were aimed at her head. Usually she'd have attacked first if it weren't for the lessons learned in the War, now she waited for them to make the first move. She was quite confident she could take them.

Glasses had other things on his mind though, "S...T...G," he enunciated as he paced from one side of Kit Wendell to the other. "An acronym, most likely for an intelligence agency. G likely represents Group or Groups, no other term fits as well. S and T though, hmmm," Glasses seemed to lose himself in his thoughts. "S, secure, secret, special, specialized, specific, lots of options. T, tactical, tactics, tasks, similarly lots of options." He stopped pacing and leaned heavily on the table next to Kit, "Which is it," he demanded more than questioned.

Kit refused to meet Glasses's face as he mumbled, "Special Tasks Group," under his breath.

Glasses slowly nodded then waved his hand over his head and EDI's eyes shot open. "Your government will accept whatever rendition of our history we provide and you shall refrain from attempting to steal from us," he stated as EDI scrambled to her feet and the soldiers lowered their guns. "You three are free to go," he said waving them off dismissively, "but be warned the Office of Naval Intelligence has its eyes on you."

Kit practically fled from the armory back to the Normandy. Jack and EDI trailed behind at a slower pace, but the events that had just passed were fresh in their minds.

While EDI was in silent contemplation, Jack grumbled the whole way. She hadn't trusted Glasses at first, but now she hated him and his Naval Intelligence group. They instantly reminded her too much of Cerberus, the organization that had caused her so much pain in the past, and she hated them for that. Then there was EDI and what exactly had happened to her. Jack made sure to ask as the pair walked down the corridor to the hanger.

"This ship's AI...," EDI hesitated, "severed my connection. I couldn't...I wasn't strong enough to resist. It felt awful."

Jack didn't doubt that and it didn't do anything to improve her rapidly degenerating mood. As the two passed back through the hanger they tried hard to ignore the abnormally high amount of black uniforms that had appeared among the UNSC onlookers.

"Fuck, this is not what I signed up for." Jack mumbled.

/

12 hours later. Location: 23 Librae system. Date: December 16, 2187, Species Alliance calendar. March 17, 2596, UNSC calendar.

Two blue and white circular shapes pierced the black of space. From these portals to the endless and scrambled eleven dimensions of slipspace emerged the Vindication-class battleship UNSC Polaris and the Magnum-class heavy carrier UNSC Rhododendron.

The bridge of the Polaris hummed with activity, fingers drummed away on holographic consoles, system reports and readouts were filed, and calculations plugged in for the ship's next set of movements. Admiral Hackett watched it all and impassively compared it to other vessels he'd served on. The similarities were so numerous and the differences so subtle Hackett had to repeatedly remind himself he wasn't on an Alliance ship. Lieutenant Commander Williams and Lieutenants Taylor and Vega, Hackett's security team, stood just behind him not quite appearing out of place in their fatigues compared to his blue and gold uniform and cap. Fleet Admiral Lasky and Captain Igrison surrounded the bridge's central holotable examining a map of the star system showing a gas giant with multiple moons, a terrestrial world, and an asteroid belt..

"Ma'am," a bridge officer addressed Igrison, "Iota Station will be in visual range in one minute."

Igrison only nodded in reply and returned to the holotable. From the forward viewport Hackett had a brilliant view of the terrestrial planet, easily a garden world, covered in greens and browns with dozens of variously sized blue spots and literally glowing evidence of habitation on the planet's dark side. The one detractors from the planet's beauty was the occasional smear of deep black scars here and there on the surface. A detail Hackett quickly asked about.

"I wasn't being figurative when said the Covenant burned colonies to glass," Lasky solemnly answered. "This is Madrigal, an outer colony destroyed in 2528 and reborn in 2590. It's now an inner colony, a major trade stop, and a gateway to the new outer colonies in the Sagittarius Arm. Madrigal's importance was only magnified by the installation of Iota Station twenty years ago."

Hackett and his team shifted uncomfortably. They actually had hoped Lasky was being metaphorical with his presentation, after all, the Reapers never totally destroyed any planets until the Crucible was fired.

That train of thought was completely disrupted when Iota Station became visible from around Madrigal's horizon. That the station easily compared to the Citadel was an understatement. It was massive and shaped like a thin top or a thick needle. The station had three distinct sections, one was a large half sphere which ended in an equally large and layered cylindrical section, and the last section encompassed a majority of the station's length and tapered to a point at the bottom.

As the Polaris drew closer Hackett could see the station's one really catching property was its physical design. With sharp geometrical architecture, silvery metallic coloration, and small areas that glowed a brilliant blue that Hackett recognized immediately from reports filed by Professor Takada and his science team.

"Iota Station is a Forerunner structure!?" Hackett asked in shock.

"Yes it is," Lasky simply replied, "Specifically it's a Forerunner Fortress-class warship heavily repurposed from its primary warfare role to a social center of trade, commerce, and travel, though the station does also serve as a military stronghold."

"What's the size of that thing?" Jacob Taylor asked in wonder.

Lasky turned to the lieutenant and answered, "The station is 100 kilometers in length and ten kilometers at its widest. The Forerunner empire rarely built small and did some really strange things as you all know."

Hackett and two of his team were floored by the station's dimensions that more than doubled the length of the Citadel. "The station is still a operable warship, right?" Ash questioned with a hint of suspicion.

"No," Lasky replied quickly, "It was found in a massive cache of Forerunner technology brought here and striped of its weapons and propulsion systems to a reasonable degree. Iota is immobile and permanently locked in orbit with Madrigal," Lasky smiled, "It's one of humanity's crown jewels."

Vega's only contribution to the conversation was admiring whistle.

"Now then, admiral," Lasky said, addressing Hackett, "I'd recommend you return to the Normandy and orient yourself. As soon as we land it's straight to HIGHCOM for the meeting with the security council."

"Isn't that a little fast?" Hackett asked.

Lasky merely shrugged, "This meeting has been scheduled for awhile now. Your arrival has only extended it and added another subject to discuss."

Hackett wasn't really able to argue about it. This was after all the UNSC's turf and he'd have to play by their rule. So, after a series of pointed farewells, Hackett and his team turned on their heels and filed out. They were escorted the entire way to the shuttle bay by soldiers, but they didn't interfere when Hackett patched a call to the Normandy on the tramway.

"Joker, you there?" Hackett called.

"Uh, yeah loud and clear admiral," the pilot replied, "What's up?"

"We're returning to the Normandy, please prep for our arrival," Hackett relayed.

"Yes, sir, will do," Joker said, "The Rhododendron has just asked that I kindly leave and there's a decent handful of the crew that already wants to be as far away from this carrier as possible. So see you soon, admiral."

The line cut off leaving Hackett to briefly wonder what Joker meant before the tram came to a stop. He crossed the remaining distance between him and the shuttles deep in thought. This was the moment, he'd plead his case to the security council, hope for the best, and be one step closer to stabilizing things back home.

Earlier, Ash had called ahead so the remainder of the Normandy team had already loaded up into the shuttles. All Hackett and the security team had to do was find an empty seat and strap in as the shuttles lifted off and plunged into the void.

Vega was excessively talkative the entire ride. Mainly it was about Iota Station and its sheer size, which Vega somehow managed to exaggerate. Those who hadn't yet seen the station voiced their skepticism all the way to the Normandy which now drifted uncoupled from the Rhododendron and next to the Shanghai.

The shuttle docked with the Normandy as the second shuttle carrying the 'Teblain twins and the two Salarian soldiers linked up with the Shanghai.

Once the shuttle touched down in the Normandy's shuttle bay the group scattered to whichever area they considered theirs. Hackett went straight to the Captain's Cabin and dropped exasperated into the chair behind the cabin's desk. Much of Commander Shepard's memorabilia was still here after all it had nowhere else to go, his fish were alive and well, his model ship collection, bits and pieces of old armor including an N7 helmet, a wardrobe full of outfits as well as white Cerberus and blue Alliance dress uniforms, and random scattered photographs depicting the commander and his exploits. There was only one image that had been lovingly framed and set up, it was an image of Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams. Hackett only briefly pondered the implications of that image before booting up the desk terminal.

Two reports were waiting for him once the terminal finished powering up. One was from Joker which outlined the approach vector he'd been given for docking with Iota Station and included the pilot's colorful written reaction to first seeing the station. The second was from EDI and grabbed Hackett's attention immediately. It was a detailed account of Jack and EDI's encounter with the Office of Naval Intelligence and Crewman Wendell's confession of being STG twelve hours age aboard the Rhododendron. Hackett vigorously rubbed his hands into his face in an attempt to dispel the accumulated stress. He had enough in his hands without a pair of intelligence agencies battling it out behind-the-scenes.

Hackett spared a glance at the pristine bed at the other end of the cabin. He hadn't touched it, and the 12 hours of sleep he'd acquired over the past week had been on the couch. Hackett spent the next few minutes gathering his thoughts for the imminent meeting up until the desk terminal chimed with a new message.

It was from Joker again, informing Hackett that the Normandy was approaching Iota Station and would dock within a few minutes. Hackett sighed explosively, a ten minute rest and right back to it seem to be his whole life now more than ever. He composed a quick set of messages and sent them to the major Normandy crew members. Hackett already intended for Jack and Dr. Masuyo to remain behind and watch the Normandy. The security team was coming along with Liara and Tali and he was giving Miranda, Samara, and EDI the chance of going or staying. Each message he sent reflected his choices and requested those who would be disembarking meet in the CIC.

Hackett waited for the terminal to power down before he stepped back into the elevator and rode it down one level. He stepped off and moved to the front of the Galaxy Map as the elevator sped off to collect someone else.

Miranda, Taylor, Liara, and Tali were already there waiting for Hackett and the others filed in soon after. In the end, EDI elected to remain behind leaving the final team count at eight.

"Joker, tell us when," Hackett told the pilot over the COM.

"Will do, admiral," Joker replied.

From the cockpit Joker had a vista point view as the monstrous Iota Station loomed in front of the Normandy. Why was he not surprised he needed to pick his jaw up off the floor again? After travelling through the space between spaces, to quote a lame film, and encountering ships that didn't use element zero and surpassed the 1500 meter mark in the same day! Sure, why not a space station that dwarfed the Citadel twice over. What other science fiction phenomenon could this dimension possibly have? Joker thought back to a pair of sci-fi classics he'd been assigned to read in high school, Larry Niven's Ringworld and Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. If it turned out that this dimension had atmosphere jumping soldiers and giant habitable hula-hoops Joker was absolutely adamant on punching something.

As intriguing as this line of thought was Joker had slightly more important things to handle. "Starship designated Normandy please proceed on final flight plan, over" a gruff voice sounded in Joker's ear.

He'd have loved to follow the plan if only he knew where it went. Joker was staring at hundreds of differently sized hangar bays and could see dozens of ships of various sizes darting in, out, and around Iota proving the station to be a center of activity. He just didn't quite know where to go.

"Uh...control," Joker tuned into the frequency the station had called him on, "where am I aiming for exactly?"

"Hanger D24 is reserved under authorization of Fleet Admiral Lasky. Sending your AI the coordinates."

Why did that sound familiar? "Got them, EDI?" Joker asked.

"Yes, marking the appropriate location now." A red highlight appeared around a single specific Hanger.

"Thank you very much control we're on our way. By the way, what's the weather like in there?" Joker grinned at the oldest question in the book and fully expected to be blown off as was usual with military people.

"Quite balmy actually, have a decent time Normandy."

What!? Joker's head did a flip. Every time he thought he had this place pegged it pitched him a curveball.

"Please concentrate, Jeff," EDI implored snapping Joker out of his slight daze.

As the Normandy glided regally into the decently sized Hanger D24. Joker was immeasurable relieved to seeing a traditional flat deck instead of the tiered berth where the floor dropped out from under the ship's underbelly on the Rhododendron. It also allowed him the use of both the forward cargo ramp and the Normandy's new landing gear, one a few upgrades that allowed the ship to function in the post-Reaper War era.

Joker finally set the graceful frigate down in very center of the hanger, seeing as it was apparently reserved for the Normandy, and sat back to observe his new surroundings once the ship settled into place. It was a much better view then on the Rhododendron where the hanger wall might as well have been right in his face. This hangar was easily 300 by 400 meters and from the Normandy's location Joker could see cargo cranes and gantries moving massive crates, technicians and workers scurrying around in orange coveralls, forklifts carrying palettes full of material, and smaller bays built into either side of Hanger D24 holding a variety of small spacecraft that didn't appear very military.

In fact Hanger D24 didn't resemble the Rhododendron's hanger very much at all. The lighting wasn't as harsh, the predominant greys and whites were replaced with tans and browns with speckles of yellow, and even the people here were different. Joker could see that most of them were working, yet a decent number was slouching off and holding casual conversation along the walls and corners. Hanger D24 lacked the air of militarism from the Rhododendron and in its place was an air of commercialism. The Normandy had been sent to a cargo hold.

Joker held off a brief episode of indignation as a pair of vehicles came into view. They greatly resembled pieces of equipment used in old fashioned airports one was a drivable gangway, a real one instead of a set of scaffolding stairs, and the second was a rootless barge with seats probably referred to as a shuttle.

"I'll direct them on where to go," EDI said.

Joker nodded in agreement and dialed up Hackett on the COM, "Admiral, you may leave as soon as the door opens,"

"Good to hear Joker. Has there been any word from the Shanghai?"

Joker pulled up the relevant message he'd gotten minutes before approaching Iota. "Well, the UNSC refused them entry into Iota so they're stuck in a holding pattern outside the station. The Shanghai hasn't had a very nice time, sir."

"Acknowledged, carry on Joker."

His job done for the moment, Joker propped his legs up on the console, crossed his arms, and settled in for another lengthy wait.

/

The Normandy's outer airlock slid open and Hackett stepped out onto tunneled gangway. He gave the simple steel stairs and fabric overhead covering a once over before descending followed closely by Ashley, Vega, Taylor, Dr. T'soni, Tali, Miranda Lawson, and Samara.

As Hackett exited the gangway a moment later, he looked up at the person who'd driven the gangway to the Normandy. The orange vested man behind the gangway controls didn't react to or acknowledge the Normandy group in any way instead he continued fiddling around with a datapad of some sort. The noises emanating from the device indicated the man was playing a flight simulator and he appeared to be deep concentration.

Hackett shifted his focus to the second vehicle that had arrived. It had the look of an airport shuttle without any ceiling or walls just a mobile platform with rows of padded seats. Two people occupied the shuttle at the moment. One was the driver, a woman in another orange vest seated in an upraise section at the back of the shuttle. The second was a man in a sharp brown business suit and tie with a rounded smiling face and slicked back ginger hair. This man was currently closing the distance between him and Hackett who was also moving towards the shuttle.

"Am I correct to think your Admiral Hackett?" The brown suited man asked in an almost cautious tone.

"Yes I am," Hackett basically replied.

"Ah, wondrous," the man exclaimed jovially and offered his hand, "I'm Seth O'Gren, assigned by Admiral Lasky to be your lawyer of sorts a day ago."

Hackett took the offered hand and shook it, "Is a particular reason why we'd need a lawyer?"

"Well, "Seth began, "I'm representing the UNSC's interest in your case so to speak. You make the claims, I state the pros, and generally defend your position. The council will be dissecting every word you say so it's my job to make it look appealing."

Hackett nodded, "Are you good at your job?"

Seth smiled, "I could convince a jury a Huragok murdered a Sangheili." He gestured towards the shuttle, "Shall we?"

Not quite understanding the implications of what the lawyer had just said, the group piled into shuttle which then did a U-turn towards the back of the hanger. Seth had positioned himself next to Hackett in order to continue the conversation.

"So, I've taken the liberty to program a scenic route. We'll have at least an hour before we arrive at HIGHCOM," Seth informed Hackett, "Plenty of time formulate our defense and responses."

"Why are you treating this as a trial?" Hackett asked apprehensively.

"Because that's pretty much what it is," Seth stated, "You're petitioning for military and government aid not a college grant. They're gonna demand the explicit reasons, cost, and benefits of what you're asking for, and they're going to try and cheap out on you." The lawyer sounded quite serious about now. "Admiral Lasky told me everything you told him and truth be told you might represent the greatest humanitarian crisis the UNSC, and by extension the Assembly, has faced in over 40 years. That fact will definitely have a lot of higher ups on edge."

Seth's seriousness faded a little bit, "Anyway, your permitted three companions inside the council chamber not including me," he turned to observe the other Normandy members in the shuttle and his eyes lingered a little longer on Tali, Liara, and Samara with badly disguised curiosity. "That's a decision best made quickly."

Hackett only grunted in response. He had hoped the Reaper War had ended his involvement in hard politics, how naive. Hackett leaned back and stared at the hanger ceiling as the shuttle approached the inner wall. "The UNSC built this hanger, correct? It's obviously not Forerunner." he asked trying to temporarily change the subject.

"Technically no," Seth answered not minding the change, "Iota Station is a collaboration between the military and a dozen other corporations. The entire interior has been completely adapted for human habitation."

A large doorway built into the hanger wall opened revealing a sizable rectangular lift with enough room for the shuttle to squeeze in sideways with room to spare. As the door slid closed, Seth began a lengthy explanation about how the existence of the Forerunners had been public knowledge for decades and about the different sections of Iota. The Sphere was the residential and industrial district of station, the Cylinder was where all outbound and inbound traffic both civilian and military arrived at Iota, and the tail section, or the Spire, was all military, garrisons, R and D, intelligence, it was all down there.

The door sealed with a hiss and a loud mechanized male voice sounded over a PA system, "GOING UP, HOOD MEMORIAL TERMINAL, FROM TRAXUS CARGO PORT, HANGER D24."

"So, given any thought to what I told you?" Seth asked as the lift steadily ascended.

"Yeah." Hackett answered, "Dr. T'soni and Tali'Zorah are currently serving as advisors in their respective fields and will be presented during the meeting."

Seth turned to the two women in question, "What exactly are your specialties?"

"Archaeology, most recently sociology, and a little bit of information gathering on the side," Liara said smiling.

"Technology," Tali absently stated, "I didn't get a chance to fully view the station, but so far it looks impressive. Why isn't your government's capital?"

Seth appeared thoughtful for a moment, "Well, Earth always has been, and probably always will be, humanity's capital. You could possibly see that as nationalistic pride, but ask just about anyone and they'll say it's because the Covenant had their capital city on a massive space station. And anything to do with the Covenant, even after all these years, is still a sore topic." He grinned slightly, "So, while we definitely see the advantages of a strategically placed outpost like Iota it will never be our capital."

Seth shifted back to the front of shuttle, "Who's the the third member?"

"Lieutenant Taylor," Hackett quickly stated without explanation. "Everyone else can wait outside."

"Well, they don't have to," Seth said. "There's plenty of places to go on Iota. Just look," he pointed to the wall on the right side of the shuttle which suddenly fell away to reveal a metropolis.

The city was built on a massive disk with skyscrapers of every height rising up in clusters scattered here and there. The architecture of the buildings themselves heavily made use of geometric shapes and angles including tall trapezoids, pentagons, pyramids, and even traditional rectangles and others were prismatic triangles. There were still other buildings that didn't follow the geometric theme instead using spiralling designs and rounded shapes. Every one of them was covered in mirror smooth glass panels that shined a polished silver, a motif that obviously mimicked the humongous Forerunner dome overhead. From their high vantage point the Normandy group could see dozens of long and wide highways tethered to skyscrapers and suspended in the air. Hundreds of vehicles could be seen traversing these highways and below them was the usual city grid design amid a myriad of smaller built buildings. In many areas the towers and skyscrapers were simply placed over the grid giving the city a slightly jumbled and haphazard appearance.

To a few the image was like seeing the Citadel Wards for the first time again, and to others it was another stunning view on an ever growing list. Everyone's verdict however was the same, it was majestic.

"78.5 square kilometers, plenty of places," Seth half whispered as the view of the city disappeared behind another wall. It seemed that Iota struck even those who had seen it before.

The lift made a series of odd whining noises and came to a steady stop. Then the large doorway cracked open and slid apart to reveal one of Iota's many transportation hubs. The hub was definitely large, though slightly smaller than Hanger D24, it was colored a pristine white with blue tiles interspersed along the floor. The whole place abounded with activity and conversation, shuttles identical to the one the Normandy group occupied carried people and baggage to and fro, while hundreds more in business and casual apparel made their way around on foot. A massive screen built into the ceiling displayed a gigantic list of available transports, destinations, departure and arrival times, as well as whether or not a particular transport was delayed or not.

The driver of the Normandy group's shuttle expertly weaved her way through the massive throngs of people many of whom cast looks and glances their way. Hackett knew these looks were primarily aimed at the three non-humans in his party and was relieved to see mostly curiosity and even a little confusion. That being said, once or twice Hackett easily distinguished expressions of disgust and indignation.

Seth tapped Hackett on the shoulder, "Like I said earlier Admiral, there's plenty to see and little reason to let a bunch of your people just wait around. If that's okay, I'm quite capable of arranging a transport, though whoever does go will have to be under light escort." He paused for breath, "After all, if these negotiations go well, which they will, you'll likely be seeing a lot more of Iota in the future." Seth lightly chuckled to himself and rubbed his chin, "Damn, to think I'm working and talking with people from another reality. This is history in the making my friend. I'll see you get what you need."

Hackett was beginning to like Seth O'Gren. He had an easygoing demeanor while staying eager and focused on the objective. It looked like the Normandy group had found a valuable ally in their mission.

Samara was first to speak, "I would like to take this offer, admiral. If that is permissible?"

"I'd like to as well," Miranda added, " Can't let Sam see all the sights alone."

Hackett responded with a nod of consent which prompted Seth to ask, "Alright, what place in particular would be of interest? Iota has plenty of shops, malls, museums, maybe-"

"A park or cultural center would suffice," Samara cut in.

Seth briefly rose an eyebrow, "Okay, I can arrange that." He turned back to the front and began talking into a small COM device.

The shuttle rolled through a set of automated sliding glass doors into an ornate marble lobby with crescent shaped receptionist desks and terminals. Dominating the center of the lobby was a huge bronze statue on a polished granite pedestal depicting a tall stoic old man in a highly decorated military uniform and peaked cap.

At a quick glance Hackett would've mistaken the statue as Fleet Admiral Lasky. Only because the shuttle's driver was taking care to remain within the lanes painted on the floor along the edge of the lobby was Hackett able to discern specific differences between the admiral and the statue. The most obvious one was the statue's uniform was wildly different from Admiral Lasky's.

"Who is that?" Hackett asked.

Seth didn't even look at the statue instead he answered almost reverently, "Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood."

"What did he do?" Taylor interjected politely.

Seth turned around to look at the lieutenant, "Lord Hood led humanity during the latter years of the Covenant War. When the war ended he returned emergency powers to the civilian government and spearheaded the reconstruction and diplomatic efforts for years afterwards."

Each of the Normandy crew members looked at the statue with one or another form of respect as the shuttle exited out the next door. Beyond the door was an asphalt roundabout positioned high above the skyline with a substantial sidewalk and curb. It was obviously an area designed for travelers to be picked up and dropped off quickly while more long term vehicle parking was somewhere else.

At the moment only three vehicles were present in the roundabout of which two of them were big black SUV-esq vehicles of obvious human design. The third however, was smaller, sleeker, more curvy in design, colored a deep red, and featured a dual seated open cockpit towards the back. In addition, this vehicle also marked Hackett's first encounter with an alien species of this dimension.

It towered at least a meter above Hackett and wore a ornate robe reminiscent of a Japanese kimono which covered a majority of its muscular body leaving the alien's scaly skin visible only on its forearms and elongated head. The alien's most catching feature was its four mandibled mouth and rows of pointed teeth.

The Normandy group saw all these details as the shuttle passed by the alien, though to all their surprise, Seth leapt from the moving shuttle onto the pavement as it continued towards the SUVs. Once the shuttle came to a stop and the Normandy group climbed out, Seth had gone through a half-dozen greeting gestures and was in the middle of terse but amiable conversation in a guttural and growly alien language no one else understood. After a few minutes passed Seth and the alien clasped arms and went their separate ways with Seth making his way back towards the Normandy group.

He was met with more than a few questioning stares. "Who or what was that?" Vega asked.

Seth smiled, "Ussa Zembri, a member of the Sangheili species and current bodyguard to the Sangheili ambassador. We met a few years back when I served as a liaison between a handful of bickering Assembly and Commonwealth corporations." He developed a far off look, "Those were good times."

"The Commonwealth?" Taylor said, "Lasky mentioned that. Isn't one of the major governments?"

"Yes it is," Seth stated, "and the Sangheili are its leading member with at least nine other races under them." He moved next to one of the SUVs and motioned towards it, "Now, without further ado the-"

"What about the KYDR?" Taylor continued, "How could piracy communism even get started?"

Seth turned back to him slightly annoyed, "That story is loaded with rumor, alright. The gist of it is an Assembly freighter was attacked by Kig-Yar pirates in the 2550's and a certain pirate prince came across a complete collection of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. What were those books doing on the freighter? No one knows, but the rest is history."

Seth returned to directing the Normandy group into the SUVs, "Now, the HM back there will- Hello?" He was talking to Tail's legs which were sticking out from underneath one of the SUVs.

Upon hearing Seth's sudden change of voice Tali scrambled out from under the vehicle stood up looking slightly embarrassed. "I wanted to have a look at..." she stammered.

"A look at what?" Seth asked.

"Well, all your vehicles seem to have wheels and I thought it was odd that there wasn't any obvious anti-gravity technology to be found. So I thought I'd just have a look." Tali said innocently.

"We do have anti-gravity technology," Seth said not quite understanding if this was important or not, "The lift we used to get here was anti-gravity and you saw the elevated highways out in city, right?" Tail nodded. "There's only a finite number of locations to tether them to skyscrapers everywhere else they're held up by anti-gravity pylons." Seth glanced down at the SUV's tires, "Somethings just don't change."

He spun on his heel to Admiral Hackett, "Is normal for your people to avoid what they're supposed to be doing for as long as possible and in the meantime do a bunch of semi-significant little things?"

Hackett only shrugged.

"Okay," Seth breathed deeply, "as I was trying to say earlier these SinoViet HM 1500's have been pre programmed with our destinations." He pointed to the one on the left, "This one is heading to Keyes Square," he said specifically for Miranda and Samara, "and the other one goes to HIGHCOM. Now, if everyone could please board the appropriate vehicle we'll be on our way."

Hackett stepped into the passenger seat of the SUV while the rest of the team going to HIGHCOM occupied the vehicle's roomy back seats and Seth took the driver's seat. Through the rear view mirror Hackett could see Miranda and Samara doing the same in the second vehicle.

"Hello, Seth O'Gren," a synthesized female voice emanated from the SUV's speakers as a holographic image of a woman simultaneously appeared on the dashboard, "having a good afternoon are we?"

"It's been just fine, Sera," Seth replied, "If you would be so kind as get us where we're going I'd be much obliged."

"Sure thing," the hologram cheerfully said then dissipated.

"Sera is one of Iota's superintendent AIs," Seth explained as the large SUV hummed to life and began moving. "She keeps the station's transportation grid following smoothly,"

The knowledge that the SUV was AI operated didn't faze the team much aside from a few hesitant glances to each other. They'd had plenty of experience with such things.

The SUVs went halfway around the roundabout then turned down an off ramp that led away from the transport hub and into the open city. There they found themselves travelling along the same suspended highways and traffic they'd seen earlier on the lift. Soon after, Miranda and Samara's SUV split off down another off ramp and vanished from view.

However, just before that Seth had begun an entirely new conversation. "Alright, it's to time talk business," he said in a serious manner, "We need to finalize our plan for the council."

"Who exactly is on this security council?" Hackett asked, "I've been meaning to ask."

"That's a question best answered in person," Seth assured. "Now, I'd suggest we start with..."

For the next hour it took the SUV to reach HIGHCOM, Seth O'Gren and the Normandy team debated and formulated their arguments. Seth's intimate knowledge of the workings of the UNSC's upper echelons proved invaluable as did input from Hackett and the rest of the crew. In the end they settled on playing both side's status as victims of genocide to full effect, portraying a trade of technology as highly beneficial to both sides, and establishing the UNSC as the morally superior Samaritan within the bigger picture. The preliminary goal they decided upon was to simply establish trade as a baseline between the Alliance and the UNSC which, with guidance, would evolve in near future into a full partnership between the two governments with the aim to reconstruct the Alliance to pre war levels.

Soon enough the SUV was directed off the highway and into the literal forest of silver towers below. As the Normandy group continued to hammer out the details of their plan the height of the towers around them began to drop before disappearing entirely. The crew soon found themselves crossing a bridge spanning a massive open space in the center of the city, and in the middle of that open space lay HIGHCOM Facility Iota.

Unlike the soaring skyscrapers that surrounded it, HIGHCOM Facility Iota was squat and sprawling complex of marble cubes, rectangles, and prisms with hardly a decorative surface save an occasional strut, cornerstone, or dome. It had an air about like a stone medieval castle it was well built, built to last, and built with functionality at the forefront. It was undoubtedly a military headquarters by design.

The SUV pulled up to the front stairs and allowed its passengers to disembark before being directed to move on. Admiral Hackett stared up at the imposing wall in front of him that represented HIGHCOM Facility Iota and marveled at the sheer scale of the building which had to be at least 30 stories at the highest and stretched a kilometer in either direction. The concrete stairs he stood at the base of ascended a big grassy berm that surrounded the building and was designed like a funnel and led to a prominent section that jutted forward in comparison to the rest and had one of the facilities few bronze domes on top. The front face of this particular section was carved with the emblem of the UNSC, a predatory bird with upraised wings positioned behind a shield with the letters 'UNSC' carved into it gripping a planet with a banner stating 'United Nations Space Command' wrapped around it. Chiseled underneath the emblem was another banner with the phrase, 'For the defense of Earth and all her colonies' carved into it.

Sucking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Hackett began climbing the stairs with Seth and the Normandy team just behind him. Every step he took seemed to increase the weight on his shoulders he knew represented the billions of lives depending on him to succeed here and now. Only through sheer will did Hackett reach the top without wavering even a little bit and only with intense determination did he pull open the steel and glass doors without faltering once. Each step he took through a medium sized foyer and second set of glass doors served to keep Hackett grounded in the present and focused on the current objective.

On the other side of the foyer was a sight in total contrast to the outside of the building. A large round rotunda easily 90 feet in diameter with the UNSC eagle tiled into the floor and a mural that covered the wall from top to bottom and stretched all the way around depicting the story of this dimension's humanity from the birth of civilization on earth, through the Covenant War, and on to the present day. The dome in the ceiling prominently displayed images of planets with Earth easily identified in the center, but real centerpiece here was the four large bronze statues on top of a granite pedestal.

One of the statues Hackett recognized as Lord Hood from the transport hub, but the other three he did not recognize. One statue depicted a man of similar age to Hood but significantly smaller and sporting a completely different uniform, another statue showed a more middle-aged man in a uniform much closer to Hood's but lacking a lot of decorations, and the the last statue held no resemblance at all to the other three. This one portrayed what could only be a person who towered over the other three clad in a massive bulky suit of armor holding an equally bulky rifle at the ready.

"Wow, who might these personas be?" The Normandy team had sufficiently scattered themselves around the rotunda and Vega was the first to directly ask about the statues.

Seth walked up beside him also looking up at the statues, "Well, you know Lord Hood," Seth pointed up to the shorter man, "He's Vice Admiral Preston Cole, Hood's predecessor and the one who proved humanity had a chance against the Covenant. The other officer is Captain Jacob Keyes a brilliant naval tactician and key player in the Covenant's eventual downfall."

"And who's this guy," Ashley asked this time, referring to the behemoth.

Seth wrung his hands together as he answered, "He is Master Chief Petty Officer John 117, the definition of legend." Seth in front of the statue, "This man led the first truly successful unit of supersoldiers the UNSC ever produced, the Spartan II's, and he is almost single handedly responsible for destroying the Covenant in the end."

The revelation of supersoldiers was mostly met with shock, but they have much time to voice or register it.

"Okay, Vega, Ashley," Hackett spoke up, "I'd suggest you two remain behind here."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, admiral."

"The rest of you with me," Hackett looked at Seth, "Mr. O'Gren, if you would please lead on."

"Sure," Seth turned to the side of the rotunda opposite the front entrance with a set of wide steel doors built into the wall. There he faced a panel off to the side with a camera built into it.

"Verbal and retinal verification required," a voice said from the panel.

"O'Gren, Seth A." He spoke at the panel, "CC ID 555505." He positioned himself a foot away from the panel and a blue beam shot into his eye, moved up and down, then disappeared.

The steel doors noiselessly apart and revealed a carpeted wood grain walled elevator. "All aboard," Seth said before entering the elevator himself.

The Normandy team followed him in and situated themselves. Seth selected the appropriate floor, the steel doors slid closed, and the elevator moved silently downward. It was an uncharacteristically quiet ride compared to most other elevators, with no cheesy music or blaring PA the entire way down.

"Do you think this will be like our first meeting with the Citadel Council?" Tail mused out loud to no one in particular.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened with a suppressed ding. A voice announced, "Sub-level seven," over a hidden speaker.

"I hope not," Liara said in response to Tali's question."

The group entered a hallway positioned perpendicular to the elevator with grey carpeting and tan paneled walls. It stretched a long ways in both directions and passed through a multiple junctions with other halls before abruptly ending.

"This way," Seth turned right and and led the way with the Hackett next to him and the Normandy team behind him. They walk along the hallway for a few dozen meters for a few dozen meters before take a left at one of the many junctions.

"Okay," Seth said, "When we get in there I'll walk everyone through introductions and from there it's just as we planned, alright." He got a handful of nervous nods in response.

After rounding another corner they found a set plain wooden doors with the UNSC eagle inlaid into both of them and a pair white armored guards with the letters 'MP' stenciled across their helmets. From the other side of the doors the team could discern muffled conversations between unknown persons.

"Halt," one of the guards said, "ID?"

Seth recited what he'd said at the top of the elevator and procured a card from one of his pockets. The guard gave the card and Seth a once over before declaring them clear, pushed the doors open with this comrade, and stood aside.

The room beyond was semicircular in shape, large, imposing, and mostly shrouded in shadow. Even the councillors were hard to distinguish. Faint lighting only succeed in illuminating the most important areas of the room, a rectangular table with chairs in the center, a raised crescent shaped platform and table where the security council was seated along the far wall, and a display of flags above the platform. There were eight flags in total, six of them displayed ornate symbols Hackett didn't recognize while the other two showed the emblem of the UNSC and what must have been the emblem of the Assembly depicting an image of the Milky Way with the Sagittarius Arm highlighted.

No one of the security council paid the Normandy team any attention at first, instead remaining focused on who was currently in front of them. Hackett was momentarily surprised to see that someone was a Sangheili wearing robes similar to the one they'd encountered at the transport hub and that of course meant Hackett couldn't understand a word the alien said.

Seth silently motioned for the team to remain silent as the Sangheili uttered a guttural almost accusing sentence in its native dialect.

"As we have said many times before ambassador, your request has been approved but we cannot move forward until your government gets us what we need," a woman on the council stated coldly.

The Sangheili's reply was unintelligible, as usual, but Hackett could tell from the tone it was directed as a question.

"I can confirm the fleets are in position," another voice Hackett shockingly recognized as Thomas Lasky said, "It's like the admiral said, all we need is the information."

The Sangheili ambassador's answer was cut short by the appearance of a holographic man off to the side. "Fleet Admiral, your guests have arrived," the hologram said.

The council appeared to notice the Normandy team for the first time at that moment. "Thank you, Tyler, you may go," Lasky commanded and the hologram winked off.

The Sangheili ambassador turned towards the Normandy team, looked them over, turned back to the council, and said something.

"It is ambassador. I apologize but we'll have to bring this up another time," Lasky assured the Sangheili who turned to leave soon after.

Seth snapped into action, "Okay, take seats. Taylor, stay standing for appearance. Admiral..." he held a hand out in front of Hackett, "Quick intros, these six are the highest commanders of the UNSC military branches and they're not going to waste time." He took a quick look at the council, "Left to right, General Markus Hastings of the Air Force, General Elizabeth Dasher of the Army, General Burgess Simcoe of the Marine Corps, Admiral Serin Osman of the Office of Naval Intelligence, you know Fleet Admiral Thomas Lasky of the Navy, and lastly is Master Chief Spartan General John 117 of the Spartan Special Forces."

Hackett assigned names to faces as the lighting intensified slightly revealing a little more of the room's wood paneling. With the exception of Lasky who always appeared to have an optimistic visage the other five councillors were all stern faced individuals all with highly decorated uniforms and insignias. General Hastings was a short paunchy man with a deep tan and balding head while General Dasher was the complete opposite, rail thin, gaunt faced, sporting a unhealthy pale pallor, and auburn hair, she looked more like a spectre then a woman. Simcoe was probably the liveliest next to Lasky with brown hair and a face that displayed more then one expression in a row from confusion, to curiosity, and to excitement. To Hackett this marked Simcoe as the youngest and least experienced councillor.

Admiral Osman wasn't in anyway physically remarkable aside from being a few inches taller than those immediately around her and sported a black uniform. She looked middle aged with salt and pepper hair and a hard calculating glare. The final person on the council, John 117, had a blank expression, was completely unreadable, and towered over the other councillors even while sitting down. The knowledge that this man and the statue upstairs were one and the same honestly spooked Hackett as he and Seth took their seats next to Liara and Tali. After all, what kind of person could tear down an alien empire single handedly.

"So, Lasky, "General Hastings said with a distinguishable Irish accent, "are these the extra-dimensionals ya ran into?"

"Yes, they are general," Lasky replied, "Admiral Hackett here, leads the expedition they've sent and I'd highly suggest we hear what he has to say."

"We've all read the survivor's report, Admiral," Serin Osman stated before shifting her measuring gaze on Hackett, "but I would like to hear the full story from the source."

Hackett took the cue and again retold his story, likely not for the last time, of why he was there. Commander Shepard, the Normandy, the Reaper War, and the Crucible, Hackett left as little out as he could. When he finished the security council was obviously enthralled and extensively pondering what he had told them.

"Why shouldn't we help?" General Simcoe asked, "This is an opportunity the Assembly has been searching for for decades. We could-"

"Hush, Simcoe," General Dasher rasped, "There's a lot more to discuss."

"No, councillors," Seth stood up from his chair and marched into the space between the council and the Normandy team, "Listen to General Simcoe. He has the right idea." Seth drew himself up, "This is an opportunity to prove to the galaxy that we are completely rid of the stagnant UEG who promised much but fulfilled little. If the Assembly is seen publicly pledging full support for, by all definitions, an alien government then we can prove humanity has recovered enough to be trusted."

"A strong argument, Mr. O'Gren," Admiral Osman applauded, "but either way our assistance won't be for free."

"I would urge," Lasky interjected, "that we take into consideration the fact these people are on the edge of ruin."

"Noted, Admiral," Osman said, "I'd still like to know what Admiral Hackett is willing to offer."

Seth turned to the Normandy team and whispered, "now or never," under his breath before returning to his seat.

Tali loudly cleared her throat and stood, "Um, admirals, generals, my name is Tali'Zorah. I'm a member of the Quarian people of the Species Alliance and I'm here to explain our technology and how a trade would be beneficial."

Osman's eyebrows scrunched up, "Wasn't the survivor, Kal I believe, a Quarian as well?"

"Yes," Tali answered.

"Please continue," Osman said. She'd already pegged the Quarians as a technological adept race from a report filed from the Polaris about Kal's easy understanding of UNSC engineering and the fact that Tali was presenting technology. Though the suits were still a mystery as Kal had proven they didn't need them to survive. The suits were probably cultural objects.

"Thank you," Tali responded in an attempt to be respectful, "Most of the technology we've developed is reliant on a single element, we refer to as Element Zero, to function. This element-"

"Only one element?" General Hastings interrupted, "That seems heavily limiting."

"Not to mention the existence of an element with a mass of zero is impossible," General Dasher added.

"I will admit," Tali said regaining the floor, "the name is a misnomer and our technological growth did stagnate, but what we accomplished with Element Zero in still impressive."

"Go on," General Simcoe said. He and Lasky seemed to be the only ones really interested.

"Element Zero, simply said, has the ability to manipulate the mass of an object and change its density," Tali explained. "The manipulation of the mass effect fields produced by Element Zero to change the densities of our ships and weapons and achieve faster than light speeds is the core concept of our technology."

"What speeds can your ships achieve?" Hastings asked.

Tali suddenly realized too late she'd trapped herself in a hard place. During her time on the Polaris's engineering deck she'd learned a thing or two about slipspace including the speeds a ship could reach. "Our ships can only reach at most 15 to 20 light years per day," she said bracing for what was about to come.

Generals Hastings and Dasher scoffed, Osman's gaze hardened, and the other three remained impassive. "Surely, you don't expect us to be impressed," Hastings said incredulously, " You came here on a Vindication-class battleship, a brick by our modern standards, that can reach 2,000 light years per day."

Tali turned to Hackett and the others for support and found it in Liara. The Asari was silently mouthing in Galactic Basic, an action that wouldn't be translated. "Our ships don't matter, put eezo on their ships and make it viable."

Everything clicked together from there. "The use of Element Zero on our ships is not what we're discussing here. If anything we're discussing how you could use Element Zero on your ships," Tali stated regaining the council's attention.

"With Element Zero you can cut one of your ships mass in half and double its speed," Tali announced. "The same can be done with land vehicles, construction, and weaponry, all would have less mass but be much more effective."

"So if Element Zero...mass effect fields only affect solid matter or something with definite mass," General Simcoe said, "it won't affect our weapons much, but I can possibilities in dozens of other fields."

Each of the Normandy team members wondered individually just what Simcoe had meant by saying eezo wouldn't affect their weapons. They didn't have a lot of time to ponder it anyway.

"I can see the possibilities as well," Osman slyly said, "However, we still need to hear what exactly you require from us."

Tali knew this was Liara's end of the argument so she retreated to her seat as the Asari stood up. "Hello, good day," she said sweetly with a smile.

"And what's your race's name?" General Dasher asked.

"I'm Dr. Liara T'soni and Asari is my race's name," Liara answered, "We're the oldest and most influential people back home and were the first founders of the Citadel Council. The government that fought the Reapers."

"Thanks for the history," Osman stated dismissively, "but I'd like to know the asking price for a sample of Element Zero."

Well, if she wanted to dive right into business, that was fine. "We'd need a steady supply of basic necessities. Food, fabrics, raw materials, that sort of stuff at first," Liara said plainly.

"At first?" Hastings wondered.

"Indeed," Liara continued, "as our governments come to know each other in the future, any trade agreement will grow to include more complex supplies, machinery, and even personnel going both ways."

The security council briefly retreated to talk Liara's offer over and decide whether to proceed. When they returned Osman said, "If anyone has anything else to say now is the time."

"I do."

The entire chamber went dead silent as John 117 leaned slightly against the table making it creak a little bit. "Can you confirm the Reaper threat have been neutralized?" His hard blue eyes bored the question into Hackett who sucked in a quick breath.

"They were annihilated down to the last strand of code," Hackett declared, "They are no longer a threat."

117 only nodded in response and Hackett recomposed himself for what he was now about to say. He'd been putting it off for awhile now after all.

"I too have one last thing to say," Hackett announced catching the room's attention, "When the Alliance Council granted me ambassadorial status they requested that I negotiate for the rights to found one or more colonies on this side of the relay."

The atmosphere of the room changed drastically in an instant. Each of the security councillors shot Hackett a stern look, even Lasky's perpetual optimism disappeared, and Hackett found himself with a spike of dread in his stomach. The Normandy team themselves radiated shock, which was understandable because Hackett hadn't informed them of what the Council had asked. All the while Seth looked on with alarm.

"You mean to establish a presence in our territory," General Dasher's words were laced with suspicion.

"I realize that these talks won't be quick," Hackett said pushing on, "So I'm fully prepared-"

"Admiral Hackett," Osman interrupted, "you've given us a lot to discuss. I'd recommend this meeting adjourn for 24 hours before we make a final decision." She turned to look down the table, "General Hastings, I assume you've arranged the transportation I requested?"

"Indeed ma'am," Hastings replied, "the convoys should be waiting for us now."

"Excellent," Osman turned back to the Normandy team with a decidedly neutral expression, "You may return to your ship until the proper time." She and the rest of the security council stood from their seats and began filing out of a side door.

"Admiral," Osman shifted around and found it was General Simcoe who'd called, "I'm going to stay here ma'am. I've got things to settle in my office upstairs."

Osman gave the general a look that said he'd stepped on her toes. "Very well," was all she said.

Pretty soon the Normandy team was all alone with only their thoughts. Most of which were centered on what exactly had happened and why.

"Well!" Seth exclaimed, "there's no reason to stay here. Let's head back."

The walk back the way they'd came was more confused and somber then when they'd walked in. Seth lead the way and no one said anything all the way to elevator. Hackett was hit the hardest by the council's reaction and now fully understood what Shepard had gone through back with the Citadel Council. He'd also recognized the tone in Osman's last comment to him, it was the tone of a superior ordering a subordinate to back off.

"I didn't have much experience with the Citadel Council back in the day," Taylor said as the team entered the carpeted elevator, "but these guys were pretty spooky."

"I'm honestly unsure which council I consider scarier," Tali added, "At least we had someone on our side here."

"They didn't exactly help us in the end there," Liara observed while the elevator closed and began to rise. "Who is Serin Osman exactly?" she asked Seth directly.

"She's the the head of ONI," Seth answered, "been that way for four decades and she's held a seat on the council for almost as long."

"We'll need to be careful around her," Liara warned, "Trust me, I know spymasters when I see them."

The elevator dinged open and allowed the Normandy team to exit out into the grand rotunda with the statues. Both Ashley and Vega were there anxiously waiting there for the team's return.

"How did it go?" Ashley asked noticing the less than exhilarated faces. "Not good?"

"Could've been worse," Tali replied.

"In other news, we should have a ride outside," Taylor stated.

Vega chuckled, "Which one exactly?"

As the Normandy team made their what to the front exit, Seth stepped in front of Hackett and held up a hand. "Admiral, why exactly did you not tell me about your orders? We could've wrote them into our argument and avoided the whole 'fuck you and goodbye' routine."

Hackett didn't have a decent answer so he kept silent.

"Okay," Seth exaggeratedly said, " we'll just have to do better next time."

He stormed off through the entrance with Hackett just behind him. There Hackett and Seth found the rest of the team intently examining what Osman had referred to as transportation, which apparently translated into a forty plus vehicle convoy. The convoy was arrayed in single file along bottom of large stairs leading into HIGHCOM, and all the vehicles were the same bulky black SUVs the team had rode in on. Apparently the military brass favoured the SinoViet HM 1500, because each councillor, excluding Simcoe, was already boarding their own SUV along with a group of bodyguards.

Seth tapped something on his datapad and spent a moment reading, "We've been assigned vehicles, but there's a space constraint," he informed Hackett.

"What are you talking about?" Hackett asked.

"I mean you, your security team, and me have been assigned to vehicle A8, while your advisors are in vehicle A17," Seth said. "Apparently it's because every other vehicle beside these two have a full complement already," he shrugged, "I don't make this stuff up."

"I trust both vehicles are going to the same place?" Admiral Hackett asked dissatisfied with having to split his team again.

"Yeah, Hood Memorial Terminal is the convoy's final destination. Although, convoy B has a slightly different route," Seth told the admiral.

Hackett only grunted and moved down to the Normandy team. He told them what Seth had told him and after a small bout of protest he'd only just managed to convince the team to comply. Finding the right vehicle wasn't a problem with Seth acting as a guide, and in very little time Liara and Tali were settled in one vehicle with General Hastings, much to their surprise, and Hackett, Taylor, Ashley, Vega, and Seth were in another vehicle with Fleet Admiral Lasky and his entourage of suited bodyguards.

"No need to fret," Lasky stated, "These things rarely work out on the first go."

Hackett sighed as the convoy rumbled to life. There was too much relying on his success here back at home, and even in this dimension someone important was lost and Hackett was their only chance. It was starting to wear on the ageing admiral.

Oblivious to Hackett's plight, the convoy began its journey.

/

"Everything is in place. It is time to enact the Caesar Initiative."

"Finally, we will strike terror in the minds of the fascists and I will have my revenge after so long."

"Fine by me. Just be aware some changes to the plan may be necessary, but I'm confident you can pull it off."

"I will kill them all."

/

A/N: This little arc is officially wrapped and it's on to a pair of chapters I've been waiting to do for a while. But before that some assurances, the next chapter will still focus on the Normandy but after that it's back to Garrus and if it seems like the Normandy crew have forgotten about him don't worry they're just putting their trust and patience in Hackett. The question is how long will that patience last.

Fav, follow, review and until next time.