Okay. BIG TIME apologies for the delay. This chapter took way longer than it should have. I don't really have an excuse. Just plain ol' procrastination really...and WoW. I also blame WoW.
Anyway, hopefully the next chapter won't be as long. Emphasis, of course, on "Hopefully."
...
The ship prowled through space like a shark intent on finding its next meal. It was a very large ship, easily larger than any other ship in the galaxy, and with armaments that can bring an entire fleet to its knees. After a successful mission on Eden Prime, the ship made its way back to the Terminus Systems, where it would be safe from the council's vision. Though it was a fearsome warship, it was still only one ship. Everything is starting to fall into place now, but they still must make their last few moves carefully.
Saren Arterius sat in his quarters. It was a fairly small room, having a chair in the middle, a vid screen before him, a lamp on one side and a table on the other. He sat with his eyes closed in the chair, going over the vision again and again in his mind, trying to make sense of it. He knew that he would not be able to understand much from that vision alone, but until the other pieces of the puzzle were gathered, this was all that he could do.
An Asari, a matriarch to be precise entered the room. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. Saren opened his eyes. He gave no gestures to do so, but somehow, the Asari just knew that she had been given permission to speak.
"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A Human Alliance vessel." she paused. "It was under the command of Captain David Anderson. They managed to save the colony."
Saren grunted at the name. Anderson. A particularly loathsome little Human that had an uncanny habit of turning up to muck up his plans. He failed every time of course, so Saren never viewed him as much of a threat. Even now, when he had saved the colony, it was little more than a minor setback. There was no real evidence to indicate that Saren himself was there; it's likely the council will blame the Geth for Nihlus's death. The synthetics will now be a confirmed enemy of the citadel races, but even that wasn't a terrible detriment to the plan. Most of their operations were based in the Terminus Systems anyway, where the council is unwilling to send a fleet for fear of sparking a galaxy-wide war. However, it was then that Saren realized that there was still one loose end still on that colony that could very well pose a problem.
"The beacon." Saren replied. "What happened to it?"
"It was destroyed...But one of the humans may have used it before so." the Asari reluctantly replied.
A low growl rumbled out of Saren's throat as he dug his talons into the arm-rests. He snarled as he stood up and threw his table and all of its contents across the room, roaring in fury. This was more than a minor setback. This was an outright problem.
"This human must be eliminated." he growled. "The council will send me a report soon. Once we know who it is, we'll deal with them. Now leave." Saren ordered. The Asari nodded obediently and left the room. Saren settled back down into his chair. He contemplated this new turn of events. The human likely received the same vision he did, meaning he had in his mind a single clue. Granted, it was a worthless clue that will likely serve the human no purpose without the other clues. But Saren couldn't take that chance. There was simply too much at steak. Once the human's identity is confirmed, he'll hire some mercs to deal with them. That should settle the matter quick enough.
...
2303 Hours, February 24th, 2683
SSV Normandy
Glory System, Exodus Cluster
...
Master Chief's head ached as the world around him came into focus. He clutched his head and squinted his eyes, not appreciating the level of brightness currently in the room. He slowly got up and, once his vision cleared up, noted his surroundings.
He quickly noted that he was in the back room of the Normandy's med-bay. It was a small room, a storage closet really, with a computer on the side of the room opposite him, and a small stack of crates was next to him, likely full of medical supplies. He was lying on the only bed in the room, and was wearing his jumpsuit. He was briefly alarmed by how he didn't see his armor anywhere, but instantly became relieved when he saw his armor neatly piled in a corner of the room, waiting for him. He got up out of the bed and made his way to the armor, setting about the long process of putting it all on.
Once all the armor pieces had snapped into place, all he needed to do was put his helmet on. The moment he did, Cortana's voice came through, relief clear in her tone. "Chief. Thank goodness. Thought you'd never get up."
"They took off my armor." Chief observed. "Did they..."
"No, they didn't find out about me." Cortana said. "Our secret's still safe. For now at least."
Chief sighed in relief, nodding in acknowledgement. "So what happened down there? With the beacon?" he asked.
"I don't know." Cortana replied. "The Prothean beacon made you levitate-"
"Levitate?" the spartan asked.
"I know weird. Don't ask me how that's possible because even Idon't know." the AI said. "Anyway, you levitated, and then the beacon exploded, knocking you out."
Chief sighed. Great, he thought. Between the dead spectre and the destroyed beacon, it didn't look like he'd be made a spectre anytime soon. Not that he wanted to, but Chief didn't like failing missions in general. "How long have I been out?" the spartan asked.
"Sixteen hours." Cortana responded.
Chief furrowed his brow. That was too long to be knocked out. The explosion from the beacon wasn't even that big. He had shrugged off plasma grenades with bigger explosions than that. "One more thing." Cortana said. "While you were levitating, your vitals were showing that your brain activity was going haywire. What happened?"
Chief paused at that. He then remembered the vision, the images flooding back to him. "Nothing." he replied, deciding that the dream was just that; a dream.
"Nothing?" Cortana asked, not believing him for a second. "Chief, your brain waves were brain TSUNAMIS. Don't tell me it was nothing."
Chief sighed in defeat, knowing that arguing with Cortana was pointless. "I had a vision." Chief said. "Hallucination, most likely."
"I think it was a lot more than just a hallucination." Cortana replied. "It's an ancient alien artifact. God only knows what it did. Maybe it was supposedto give hallucinations to anyone who used it."
Chief grunted at that. After dealing with Halo, he had enough experience with ancient alien artifacts to last a lifetime. "Anyway, you'd better check in with Dr. Chakwas. She'd be happy to know you're alright.
Chief nodded and walked out of the room. In the main med-bay was Dr. Chakwas and, surprisingly, Ashley Williams. They were talking with each other, but immediately stopped when the spartan entered the room.
"Ah, good. You're up." Chakwas said in relief. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good." Chief answered. He had a headache, but he's certainly suffered worst without much complaint. "What happened?"
"You were pulled into the Prothean beacon. It...did something to you." Chakwas explained.
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten close to it." Ashley said as she shook her head.
"Don't blame yourself, Williams." Chief said. "It's not like you planned on having me wind up here." He turned to Chakwas. "Why did the beacon do that?"
"We don't know, and unfortunately, it looks like we'll never find out. It exploded." Chakwas explained.
"Extent of injuries?" Chief asked.
"Physically, you're fine." Chakwas said. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."
It was then that the door out of the med-bay opened. Captain Anderson walked in with his usual commanding gait. "How's our spartan, Doctor?" he asked.
"Just woke up. No worst for wear, far as I can tell anyway." Chakwas reported.
"Good to hear." Anderson replied with a nod. "However, he and I need to talk. In private."
"Of course, Captain." Chakwas said before leaving. Ashley followed her. But the marine stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, giving the spartan one last look before walking away out of the room, leaving the spartan alone with the captain.
"Sounds like that beacon hit you hard, Chief. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I've had worst." Chief replied in a dismissive tone. "So what did you need to speak to me about?"
"I won't lie to you, Chief. Things look bad. Very bad." Anderson began. "Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The council's going to want answers."
"I think that's all we can say; Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. Not a whole lot more than that." Chief replied with a shrug.
"Actually, there is." Anderson said. "There's Saren."
"You know him?" Chief asked.
"You could say that." Anderson replied. "His full name is Saren Arterius. He's a spectre, one of the best the council has. A living legend, kind of like you. But if he's working with the Geth, then he's gone rogue. A rogue spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous." Anderson paused. "And he hates humans."
And just like that, Saren went from simply being a name with not much attached to someone who just sky-rocketed to the top of Master Chief's shit-list. "Hates humans, huh?" he asked as he crossed his arms.
"He thinks Humans are growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that." Anderson elaborated. "But this was an act of war. Saren has allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how, I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon." he paused. "You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"
Chief paused, wondering if he should tell Anderson about the vision. What good would it do? It was just a dream. A hallucination...right?
"Tell him what you saw, Chief." Cortana advised. "It could be more important than you think."
"I think the beacon gave me a..." Chief paused.
"A what?" Anderson asked.
"A vision? I guess?" Chief suggested with a shrug.
"What kind of vision?" Anderson pressed.
"Flesh...metal...people dying..." the spartan shrugged again. "In all honesty sir, I don't know what I saw."
"I see." Anderson said. "We need to report this to the council."
"What are they going to do?" Chief asked.
"Saren's a spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything." Anderson explained. "But if we can prove that Saren's gone rogue, the council will revoke his spectre status and take him in. He'll stand trial for his crimes. I've already contacted Ambassador Udina to see if he can get us an audience with the council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the citadel."
"We're heading for the citadel?" Chief asked. He didn't know much about the citadel races, but he did remember that the citadel was basically the capital of the galaxy, a giant space station that served as the cultural, economic, and political hub of Citadel space.
"We're almost there as a matter of fact. We should be docking in about twenty minutes. Do whatever you need to do to get ready and we'll head for the Human Embassy once we disembark." Anderson saluted Chief, a salute which the spartan crisply returned. "Dismissed." he said before leaving the medical bay.
"Oh goody. We get to meet the big cheeses themselves." Cortana commented.
"Yeah. Goody." Chief replied before leaving the med-bay.
He took a look around the mess hall of the Normandy. All the servicemen on board turned to the Chief and gave him nods of acknowledgement as he made his way through the mess hall. It was then that a familiar face went up to the Chief.
"Uh...Hi Chief." Ashley Williams greeted rather meekly.
"Williams." Chief regarded her with a nod. "What are you doing on the Normandy?"
"Transfer!" Ashley suddenly blurted out. "Er yeah. Captain requested it. Guess he thought I was pretty good down there. Kaidan said so. He's a nice guy. NOT that you're not a nice guy. I'm sure you would've said so if you could so..." she fidgeted. "Yeah."
"You okay, Williams?" Chief asked.
"Huh? Oh sure. Hunky-dory, never better! Oh crap. Hunky-dory. That's a silly thing to say, I mean, who SAYS that anymore? Hunky-dory. Sorry about that Chief. Er, Master Chief. Spartan-117. SIR!" she quickly rambled, then saluted.
"Easy, Williams." Chief said. "Don't have a heart attack on me here."
"Sir! No sir!" she continued to stand at attention.
"...Dismissed, Williams." Chief said. Ashley nodded and quickly marched off to the stairway that led to deck one. Chief was, to say the least, confused. On Eden Prime, Ashley was very composed and confident in herself. She was efficient, no-nonsense, basically a good soldier. But now, it was as if she was an entirely different person. She's acting like, well, Jenkins when he first met Chief. The spartan was wondering what happened to cause the change in demeanor.
"Well, you ARE the Master Chief." Cortana interjected, obviously detecting Chief's confusion. "Now that there's not any Geth around trying to kill her, she's free to have a proper fangasm over you." Chief sighed and nodded in understanding. After the way ONI sold the SPARTAN-II's as nigh-superheroes during the war, the sight of marines freaking out and getting into a stupor like little boys meeting baseball stars became an all-too common occurrence for him. Chief then made his way to the bridge.
"Good to see you're alright Chief." Pressly said as Chief entered the CIC. "Losing Jenkins was hard enough on the crew."
Chief sighed at that. Jenkins was a good kid overall. He would likely be missed. Chief walked towards the cockpit of the ship, wanting to get a better look at this 'Citadel' he'd been hearing so much about. On the way, he passed Kaidan who gave him a greeting nod, a nod the spartan returned. Kaidan's political opinions may have differed from Chief's, but he respected the biotic for his fighting and tech abilities if nothing else. He then passed Ashley who, rather than go into another sputter, simply blushed and looked away, feigning a sudden intense interest in one of the computer screens that lined the bridge. He eventually arrived at the cockpit where Joker was as usual. It was then that Chief realized that he had never really seen Joker outside of his pilot's seat on the cockpit. He was dedicated to his work, the spartan had to give him that.
"You're just in time, Chief. Time to see the Alliance tax-payer's dollars at work." Joker quipped as they approached the mass relay. With another blue flash, space changed around them. The differences were much more dramatic this time, as they suddenly found themselves in what seemed to be a large purple cloud, a nebulae most likely. Chief began to wonder if he would ever get used to this; being all but teleported from one section of the galaxy to the other with little to no warning. With slipspace, it usually took a few hours to get from point A to point B, those hours spent in an alternate dimension that was bathed in blinding white light. It was then that the Chief saw it. The Citadel.
It wasn't nearly as big as High Charity, but that's a bit like saying an elephant isn't nearly as big as a whale. That didn't change the fact that the elephant was still an impressive sight in person.At the center of it was a ring, from which five 'arms' spread out. The spartan could see distinct lines of light covering the surface of each arm. His eyebrows raised slightly at the realization that those lights indicated that on the surface of each arm was a whole city. "Wow. When they said it was a 'giant space station' they weren't kidding." Cortana commented.
As they drew closer to the Citadel, Chief noticed a truly massive ship. It was pink in color, with what looked like an opening of some sort in front, with fin-like protrusions coming out the top, bottom, and both sides of the craft. "Look at the size of that ship..." Ashley commented as she approached the cockpit to get a better look at it.
"The Destiny Ascension." Kaidan pointed out as he too came up to the cockpit. "The flagship of the Citadel Fleet."
"Well, size isn't everything." Joker snipped.
"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley teasingly asked as she regarded the pilot. Chief noted the change in attitude again. Perhaps she had become temporarily oblivious to his presence in the awe of the massive station and ship.
"Just sayin' you need firepower too." Joker replied.
"Are you kidding?" Ashley said as she turned to the pilot. "Look at that monster! Its main gun can rip through the barriers of any ship in the Alliance fleet!"
"Good thing it's on our side, then." Kaidan said. Master Chief didn't find that comment as reassuring as Kaidan likely intended.
Joker pressed button on the holographic control panel. "Citadel control, this is SSV Normandy requesting permission to land." he casually requested.
"Stand by for clearance, Normandy." replied a flanging voice, likely a Turian. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."
"Roger, Citadel control. Normandy out." Joker replied. The ship continued its course, making right for the ringed center of the citadel.
"Normandy, this is Alliance Tower." came a Human voice. "Please proceed to Dock 422." The Normandy turned slightly towards one of the arms. Chief noted that they were still maintaining close distance to the center ring, which Chief guessed, was the center of power on the citadel. As the Normandy drew closer, the distinct shapes of buildings became more and more evident. Eventually, they were flying through a city, and then finally made birth in a docking bay, magnetic clamps sticking to the ship, keeping it in place during the crew's stay.
Chief turned around and headed for deck two, specifically his locker. If he was going to go on board a station where the aliens outnumbered the humans, he'd feel a lot more comfortable with some weapons on him.
...
February 24th, 2683
Citadel
Serpent Nebula
...
With Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko flanking him, Master Chief looked over the balcony to the presidium below. It was definitely a beautiful place to live, with its stark white walls and floors, a beautiful lake, and vast varieties of trees planted all over the place. He looked up to the ceiling, which looked like a sunny, cloud-filled sky. The spartan knew that it was just an illusion. He could tell from the way the ceiling seemed to curve upwards in either direction, indicating that he was indeed currently inside a ring. He looked back down to the fountains and shimmering bridges below, and took in the activity.
He had seen elites give him a warm welcome on Earth. He had interrogated a grunt for information on Nihlus's killer on Eden Prime. But this was different. Never before had the alliance between Humans and the former-Covenant races been so in his face. Before him he could see Humans interacting with Covenant species, as well as a few species he didn't recognize, on a fairly friendly basis.
He saw a grunt walking alongside a truly massive alien that was walking on all fours. Judging from the way the grunt was flapping its arms about, it was likely that the two were in a conversation of some kind.
By the fountain, he saw a jackal sitting on a park bench with a Human woman, the former dressed in a suit of some kind while the latter was in a dress. He zoomed in with his visor's binocular function and, much to his surprise, the woman was smiling as she talked. Judging from the way the jackal's beak moved, it was talking as well. It was nothing short of surreal, seeing a jackal having a friendly, casual conversation with a human rather than trying to maul her to death.
He then saw a drone fly by, carrying something. His instincts immediately assuming that it was a bomb or something, he zoomed in with his visor as he grabbed his pistol, ready to pull it out and fire if need be. He saw some letters printed on the item the drone was carrying.
Ha'shu Hive Pizza. Thirty minutes or less or your pizza is free!
Chief took his hand off the pistol. A drone pizza boy. A pizza drone. A species that was infamous for swarming around UNSC marines and letting loose a rain of plasma on their heads was now delivering pizza to other species, Humans likely being the most frequent customers. The sheer absurdity of the concept stupefied him for a second.
He looked back down to what looked like a shop of some kind to see a pair of hunters walking through the presidium casually. Rather than a shining sky-blue armor, the hunters were decked out in navy-blue armor with the term "C-Sec" printed across their shields. Master Chief knew that C-sec was basically the citadel's law enforcement agency, of which these two hunters were members, apparently. The idea of letting hunters into C-sec made a twisted kind of sense to the spartan, actually. Would you try to pick somebody's pockets when the nearby cops were easily enraged walking tanks?
Then, he saw it by the fountain. Something that finally got made him realize that the Covenant was no more, that its member races no longer posed a significant threat to mankind. At a table by a fountain, a Human and a Sangheili; an elite, were playing chess. Where once these two races fought each other with bullets and plasma, now they fight each other with wits and little plastic chess pieces. It was the first time since coming out of cryo that Chief seriously wondered if he could live in this century.
Then, he saw the Human make a move and lean back and mutter something. The elite looked around the board, astonished, and then gave the Human a dirty look. The Human couldn't get that smirk off his face. Chief smiled at that.
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" the sound of an angry ambassador snapped Chief from his thoughts and made him turn to Ambassador Donnel Udina who, for the past few minutes, had been having a conversation with the council that the spartan had been tuning out up until now.
"The council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!" the ambassador further fumed. Ambassador Udina was a mulatto-skinned man with grey hair and a wrinkled face, which was currently contorted in rage.
"The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems. Ambassador." the image of the Salarian councilor said, obviously not appreciating Udina's attitude.
There they were. The powers that be. The big cheeses. The head honchos. The three most powerful individuals in Citadel space, which was basically half of the known galaxy. The Turians, the Asari, and the Salarians. Cortana gave Chief a brief rundown on the three council races and their roles. The Asari, who looked like blue women with odd tentacle hair, were diplomats and mediators, likely responsible for making sure everybody gets along. The Salarians, which looked like a cross between the classic 'grey' alien of science fiction and a gecko, were responsible for collecting information, their military doctrine mostly founded on espionage, ending wars before they start. Finally, there were the Turians, who provided the military muscle necessary to enforce peace throughout citadel space. Perhaps that was why the council insisted on putting Humanity under such strict military perimeters. They were worried that the Humans, having an armada to rival the Turians, could upset the delicate balance of power.
On the left, Councilor Sparatus, the Turian, stood wearing a formal-looking suit. His face markings were similar to those of Nihlus, once again making the Chief wonder if all Turians had that odd skull-like color pattern on their faces. He stood rigid and at attention with his hands behind his back, making the spartan conclude that he had a military background of some sort. Councilor Tevos, the Asari, stood in the middle. She wore a long dress and had face markings of her own. She stood with poise and dignity; a politician in every sense of the word. Finally, Councilor Valern, the Salarian, stood to the right. He wore a long robe with a hood over his head and, again, had facial markings. The spartan could tell that he was on edge, all his senses on high-alert, his mind and instincts moving a mile a minute. Of course, that's common amongst Salarians, at least that's what Cortana told him.
"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the traverse." Tevos said, adding to Drin's counter-arguments.
"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue spectre! I demand action!" Udina carried on.
"You don't get to make demands of the council, ambassador." Sparatus said in a harsh tone that intended to remind Udina where his position was on the political food chain.
"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren." Tevos said in a tone that was assuring, yet undoubtedly firm. "We will discuss their findings at the hearing. Not before." And with that, the three holograms faded away. Udina balled his fists, looking as though he were ready to punch something. Chief shook his head in disapproval. While it was nice to see that not every Human Ambassador on the Citadel was going to roll over for the aliens without a fight, an asshat who throws hissy-fits like a three-year-old who just got told 'no' wasn't exactly what the spartan had in mind. The ambassador took a moment to calm himself before turning to Captain Anderson, who had lead Chief and his two companions here.
"Captain Anderson...I see you brought half your crew with you." Udina said. He sounded like he was ready blow again at any moment.
"Just the ground team from Eden Prime." Anderson reassured, trying to calm the ambassador down. "Just in case you had any questions."
"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina asked.
"They are." Anderson said with a nod. He smiled. "Sounds like you convinced the council to give us an audience." he added, trying to put a positive spin on the discussion.
"They weren't happy about it." Udina said. "Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."
"Permission to speak freely, Captain?" Chief asked Anderson.
"Granted." Anderson replied.
"Maybe we should just track down Saren ourselves and take him in." Chief suggested. "If we can find him, I can-"
"Not another word, Chief." Udina interrupted. "You've done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the spectres." he pointed an accusing finger at Chief. "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed!"
"That's Saren's fault! Not his!" Anderson yelled back, quick to defend the spartan.
Udina turned his gaze toward the Anderson. If looks could kill, Anderson would be six feet under. To his credit, the captain didn't back down. Chief smiled, appreciating that the captain was willing to defend him. "Then we'd better hope the c-sec investigation turns up something to support our accusations." Udina said at last. He turned to the SPARTAN-II. "Otherwise, the council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the spectres." He turned back to Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Chief. You and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower in one hour. Top Level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."
With that, Udina left the office, Anderson close behind. "And that's why I hate politicians." Ashley snorted once Udina was out of earshot.
...
The three had an hour to kill before the hearing with the council, so Cortana suggested that the three go on a little tour around the presidium to kill time. Chief then proposed the idea to Kaidan and Ashley, taking credit for Cortana's idea, much to the AI's chagrin. Sometimes it sucked, having to keep yourself a secret from the rest of the galaxy. After the receptionist, an Asari, waved them goodbye, they stopped when a full-size holographic Asari suddenly appeared before a control panel of some kind. She was a see-through hologram as odd patterns danced about her form, not unlike Cortana's design, actually.
"Greetings. Welcome to the Citadel. I am Avina, your virtual guide." The hologram introduced herself.
Chief raised an eyebrow at this. "I thought AI's were illegal in Citadel Space." he said.
"Artificial Intelligences are illegal, as per council law." the hologram elaborated. "I am a virtual intelligence, or VI. As such, while I can perform many functions and answer many queries, I am not self-aware." Avina explained in that cheerfully fake tone.
"In other words, a dumb AI." Cortana observed.
Chief nodded in response. "So, this is the presidium huh? Basically a galactic UEG?"
"UEG. United Earth Governments. A government branch of humanity in which representatives of different territories convene to discuss political matters. That is indeed an appropriate and accurate comparison of the Citadel Presidium." Avina explained. "This area is the embassy area, where ambassadors and representatives come to discuss matters of galactic importance. Several meters to your right is the Citadel Tower, where the Council resides."
"That'll be all." Chief said as he began to walk away, Ashley and Kaidan following in step behind him.
"Thank you for using Avina. Have a pleasant day." the VI said, oblivious that the three humans had already left.
The three made their way through the presidium passing several aliens as well as a few humans, all decked out in fancy clothes. It was likely they were all politicians or similarly influential figures. One massive alien walked by on all fours, and had grey, tough skin like a rhino. Ashley couldn't help but stare as it passed by. "This place is weird." she commented. "I can't tell the people from the animals."
"You think you're uncomfortable?" Master Chief said as he walked past a pair of Sangheili, fighting the urge to whip out his pistol. "From my point of view, half of the aliens on this station were trying to kill me a few days ago."
"Er, sorry. Sir. Didn't mean to offend." Ashley quickly responded.
They eventually came across a strange-looking alien. It looked like a green, insect-like creature and was typing away on some kind of holographic computer screen. Chief stopped to stare at the odd creature.
"Please do not disturb the keepers."
Avina suddenly popped out of nowhere, having apparently detecting Chief's incessant staring. "Keepers?" he asked.
"Little is known about these peaceful servants of the Citadel." Avina began. "Though they are essential to the operation and maintenance of the entire station. Citadel regulations protect the keepers against interference during the performance of their tasks. Obstructing their daily work will result in harsh penalties, including incarceration and rehabilitation. Keepers can be seen in all sections of the Citadel, but are typically found in or around the tower."
"And why's that?" Kaidan asked.
"The keepers do not communicate with other species. It is assumed, however, that the tower houses the citadel's control systems. Many of the stations systems, such as navigation and life support, function automatically. It is believed the keepers operate these systems inside the tower's inaccessible core."
"But no one knows this for sure. It's all just speculation." Chief asked suspiciously.
"Correct." the VI responded.
Chief furrowed his brow underneath his helmet. Once again, Cortana found herself voicing his exact thoughts, if only to him. "I'm starting to notice a pattern with this Citadel Council. Banning slipspace and smart AI's, because they themselves don't use them. Not bothering to study the Keepers or even the Citadel itself, so long as it serves their needs. Apparently, galaxy-shaking revelations make them uncomfortable. They don't like it when somebody comes along to rock the boat."
"If the status quo were a woman, every politician would marry her." Chief silently mused to himself. He turned around and saw a large, tower-like object protruding up into the ceiling. He turned back to the VI.
"The Citadel Tower I presume?" Chief asked, jerking a thumb towards it.
"Correct." the VI replied. "The Citadel Tower is where the Citadel Council conduct their meetings. Their decisions affect all who live in Citadel space."
Chief wasn't surprised. Political leaders seemed to have an odd fixation with large, impressive structures. They toured the presidium a little more. Of note were the relay monument and the Krogan statue. The relay monument was built by the Protheans for unknown reasons, though there are a lot of theories. Kaidan said he heard a low hum, and his teeth tingled whenever he was close to the monument. Chief found that odd. He also learned that the Citadel wasn't really built by any of the Citadel races, but actually the Protheans. The Citadel was merely found and fixed up for use as a galactic hub.
As for the Krogan statue, apparently it was erected in honor of the Krogan, a species that had saved the other citadel races from a hostile species called the Rachni some two thousand years ago. However, the Krogan have fallen out of favor with the council since that war, due to another war called the Krogan Rebellions, in which the Turians were honored for their part. Chief couldn't help but muse on the history of Citadel space. They needed the Krogan to stop the Rachni. Then they needed the Turians to stop the Krogan. So who will they need to stop the Turians?
After a bit of touring, Cortana reminded Chief of the time. He then gave the order to move out towards the tower. They entered the elevator of the tower, and once it closed, it began its ascent.
"I hope they don't ask me any questions." Ashley commented as the elevator ascended.
"I don't see why they would." Kaidan replied. "They have our reports. We just have to trust Udina to make our case."
"No we don't sir." Ashley countered.
After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened, revealing the Council Chambers. It was a pretty well-decorated place. The walls were a grayish color and the brown floors were polished so finely the spartan could see himself in it. There was also a few gardens and fountains strewn about the hall, with trees that looked like cherry blossoms from Earth. And finally, Chief noted that there were stairs. Lots of stairs.
"You sure do have to climb a lot of stairs to see the council." Kaidan noted, apparently having also made the observation. "Think it's supposed to represent their importance?"
"Probably." Ashley replied. "But I'm willing to bet that these stairs aren't just for show. These would make good defensive positions if this place ever got attacked."
As they ascended the stairs, Chief took in all the sounds of the chambers. The sound of rushing water from the fountains, the sound of birds who were apparently allowed to nest in the trees, but most of all the whispers. Specifically, whispers about him coming from the other people inside the chambers that had undoubtedly taken notice of him. The chambers were sparsely populated, mostly by the three council races; Turians, Asari and Salarians. All politicians, most likely. He heard a lot of varying opinions. They thought they were being discrete, but Chief could easily hear them with his keen sense of hearing. Some seemed impressed with the spartan, citing him as evidence that Humanity is indeed a race to be respected. Others were scared of him, saying that the spartan was proof of how dangerous humanity could be. Then, he heard something that seemed to drown out the whispers. An argument.
"Saren's hiding something!" the voice sounded bold, outraged. And needless to say, the subject matter immediately caught the spartan's attention. "Give me more time! Stall them!"
The spartan turned towards the source of the voice. There were Turians, two of them. One had a black face with white stripes. No surprise there. But the other one was different. His face was covered in varying shades of white, with naught but a single horizontal blue stripe running across his face just under his eyes, with additional blue markings near the joints of his mandibles. Apparently, those markings he'd seen on every Turian really were facial tattoos as opposed to natural markings. Of course, that only made him wonder what the tattoos were supposed to represent.
"Stall the council?" the black-faced Turian asked with mixed hints of contempt and disbelief. "That's kind of like stalling a rabid shatha, Garrus. Your investigation is over."
With that, the black-faced Turian walked off. The white-faced one turned and saw the spartan. He then walked over. Chief knew that this was no combat zone, but kept a hand on his pistol just in case.
"Master Chief?" the Turian asked as he walked up to the spartan. Chief nodded. "Garrus Vakarian." the Turian introduced himself with a nod of his own. "I was the officer in charge of the C-sec investigation into Saren."
"Who was that you were talking to?" Ashley asked.
"Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss." Garrus answered. Chief still wasn't entirely comfortable with the way Turians talked. The vocal flanging effect they had made them sound as though two voices were talking at once. It was, for lack of a better word, creepy. That said, he could still detect some frustration in the alien's tone.
"You sound like you really wanna take Saren down." Chief observed.
"I don't trust him." Garrus answered. "He's up to something. As you Humans say, I can feel it in my gut. But he's a spectre. Everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find any hard evidence."
"I think the council's ready for us now, Chief." Kaidan said.
"Good luck, Chief." Garrus said as he began to walk away. "Maybe they'll listen to you."
The spartan hoped that, but honestly doubted it. With that, he continued his ascent up to the main council chamber. They soon saw Captain Anderson waiting for them.
"The hearing's already started. Come on." he said as he led Chief to the stand. It was a long, thin ramp that hovered over a glass floor, underneath it was another garden. Ambassador Udina was already there, and was apparently oblivious to Chief and Anderson's arrival. The spartan also found himself in the presence of Councilors Sparatus, Tevose and Valern. Live and in-person this time. Off to the left was a massive hologram of a Turian. Chief assumed it was Saren.
"So that's Saren." Cortana observed. "Wow. He's even uglier than I thought."
"The Geth attack is a matter of some importance." Councilor Tevos admitted. "But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way." she gestured to the hologram when she said Saren's name, confirming Chief and Cortana's assumptions.
"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason." Councilor Sparatus further clarified.
"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina fumed, apparently unable to fathom that he was losing.
"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador." Councilor Valern spoke up. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof." Chief hated to admit it, but Valern had a point. He couldn't imagine that a grunt was a reliable witness, with the way they babble on incoherently and wave their arms around like maracas.
"I resent these accusations." the holographic image of Saren said. "Nihlus was a fellow spectre. And a friend."
"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson yelled at the hologram with an accusing finger, much to the Chief's surprise.
"Ah, Captain Anderson..." Saren began. "You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me."
"Oh yeah. These two definitely have a history." Cortana pointed out.
It was then that Saren noticed the spartan's presence. "Ah. And this must be your newest protege'. 'Humanity greatest hero', the one I've heard so much about. The Master Chief."
He paused. "Or do you prefer John?"
Chief's eye twitched at that, his hands immediately balling themselves into fists. He balled them so tightly that, had he not been wearing gloves, he would've cut his palms with his own nails. "How did you..."
"Know your real name?" Saren finished the question for him. "Oh, when I heard you were being considered for the spectres, I simply HAD to do the proper research on you. After studying you, I quickly concluded you were, in fact, not spectre material."
"I killed a lot of bad guys in my time." Chief pointed out, barely able to contain his rage. "Destroyed a lot of enemy encampments."
"Precisely." Saren said. He turned to the council. "This man is, for all intents and purposes, a walking WMD. Everywhere he goes, craters and dead bodies tend to follow."
"No worse than you, Saren." Anderson pointed out.
Saren ignored the captain's comment and continued. "He's about as subtle as a Krogan berserker and has a similar level of skill in diplomacy. And yet, the Humans hail him as a hero." he turned back to the spartan. "What do you think that says about the species?"
"Chief, don't. He's baiting you." Cortana warned. Her warning fell on deaf ears as Chief took a few steps forward and gripped the railings of the stand.
"If you've got something to say, say it!" Chief said in a volume that his throat wasn't used to. It was suddenly sore, but Chief didn't really care at the moment.
"Your species needs to learn its place, John." Saren replied. John. He used it again like it meant nothing. "You're not ready to join the council. You're not even ready to join the spectres!"
"He has no right to say that!" Udina burst in. "That's not his decision!"
"Master Chief's admission into the spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." Councilor Tevos pointed out to Saren.
"This meeting has no purpose." Saren said dismissively. "The Humans are wasting your time. And mine."
"Saren's hiding behind his position as a spectre!" Udina yelled accusingly. At this point, Chief wasn't even paying attention to the meeting anymore. He was just glaring at Saren's hologram now. "You need to open your eyes!"
"What we need is evidence." Valern said. "So far, we've seen next to nothing."
"There's still one outstanding issue." Anderson spoke up. "Chief's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon."
"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren argued.
"I agree." Sparatus stated. "Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."
"Do you have anything else to add, Master Chief?" Valern asked.
"...Guess not." Chief said, not taking his eyes off Saren for a moment. Tevos looked at Sparatus, who shook his head. Tevos nodded in acknowledgement, as did Valern.
"The council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren Arterius and the Geth. Ambassador Udina, your petition to have him disbarred from the spectres is denied." Tevos stated.
"I'm glad to see justice was served." Saren said, returning Chief's glare.
"This meeting is adjourned." Tevos said. With that, Saren's hologram faded away while the three councilors walked away. Anderson and Udina walked back to where Ashley and Kaidan were waiting.
"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain." Udina spoke out. "You and Saren have too much history. It made the council question our motives."
"I know Saren, Ambassador." Anderson replied. "He's working with the Geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire Human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe!"
"Calm down, Captain! Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to overturn the council's decision." Udina said, oblivious to the irony of his statement.
"What do we do now?" Kaidan asked.
"As a spectre, Saren's virtually untouchable." Udina said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "We need to find some way to expose him."
As the four talked, Chief remained where he stood, his hands still gripped on the railing. John. That was his real name. That was the name the members of blue team used for him. Linda. Kelly. Fred. Samuel. William. Kurt. To a SPARTAN-II, nothing was more sacred than their true name, only to be openly used by fellow spartans. It spoke volumes of camaraderie and trust between them. No matter how dire the battle, no matter what circumstances they would find themselves in, a spartan would always have their name.
And Saren ruined it. Saren, an alien that had nothing but contempt for humanity, so much so that he even launched an attack on a Human colony, DARED to call Chief by his real name. He had no right to call him that. Chief knew that Cortana was probably right. Saren called Chief 'John' specifically to make the spartan angry. Well, it worked. Not since the day Arthur-079 and Solomon-069 were killed by the Covenant did Chief feel such anger and hatred towards an enemy. Chief was planning on going after Saren anyway. The difference now was that it was personal.
"Chief? You okay?" Ashley asked as she walked up to the spartan.
Chief responded to the question by pulling off part of the railing with his bare hands. Then he put all his inhuman strength in bending and contorting the metal into a pretzel-like shape, imagining that it was Saren's limbs. When he was done, he let out a sigh of relief and casually dropped the metal on the stand. He turned to Ashley. "I'm good." With that, he re-joined the group, with Ashley close behind. His form of stress-relief did not go unnoticed by Anderson, Udina and Kaidan, who now all looked at Chief with wide eyes. The only thing that dared break the silence was the Keeper that scurried over to the stand to fix the railing.
"Alright. What now?" Chief asked.
"We were discussing a way to expose Saren so the council would listen to us." Udina answered cautiously. It was a humbling experience to say the least, seeing a man bend metal with his bare hands. Well, armored hands, but still.
"I suggested we talk to Garrus, that C-Sec investigator we met earlier." Kaidan spoke up. "He seemed close to finding something on Saren. Ambassador Udina says a man named Harkin might know where he is."
"I also suggested speaking with Barla Von." Captain Anderson said. "He's an agent of the Shadow Broker, so he knows information. If anyone on the presidium will know where to find evidence of Saren's schemes, it'll be him."
Chief shook his head. "With all due respect Captain, but the odds of finding additional evidence connecting Saren to the attack on Eden Prime are slim to none. If the council won't do anything about Saren, we need to take matters into our own hands." Chief said resolutely. "As I said before, we need to know where he's hiding and take him in ourselves."
Anderson sighed as he shook his head. "This isn't the same war you fought Chief. We can't just attempt to capture a spectre. If we did, then we'd be the ones being tried for treason. You have two decent leads to people who might know what Saren's up to. Use them." He paused. "That was an order. Am I clear, spartan?"
"...Yes sir." Chief reluctantly said with a nod. He then realized something. "Wait. Us? Leads?"
"We can't contact C-sec again about this." Udina said. "We don't want to alert the council or they might think we're out for blood, giving them more reason to disregard any evidence we find. So it will be up to you to find evidence against Saren."
"With all due respect Ambassador, I'm a soldier. Not a detective." Chief said.
"Well, you ARE a spartan. You were trained to adapt to varying scenarios. So adapt." Udina said. "I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later." And with that, Udina walked away.
"Williams, Alenko. Let's move." Chief said after giving Captain Anderson a quick salute. The three then made their way to the elevator. After descending several stairs, they entered the elevator and began their descent down to the presidium.
"I can't believe Saren called yo-"
"I know." Chief said, interrupting Ashley. Wisely, she decided to shut up after that.
"So, what lead will we investigate first, Chief?" Kaidan asked.
"Both." Chief answered resolutely. "You two go find Harkin. I'll go find Barla Von."
"Yes sir." Kaidan said. "The captain said Barla Von is in the financial district of the Presidium. Look for 'Barla Banking.'"
Chief nodded as the elevator arrived on the presidium. He walked towards the relay monument while Ashley and Kaidan went to summoning a rapid transit aircar.
Chief thought back to what Anderson said. That this was no longer the Human-Covenant War. Chief hated to admit it, but he was right. This was a whole new war, and a whole new set of rules. So he'll just have to do what Udina suggested. He'll adapt to the new rules; beat Saren at his own game. One way or another, that Turian was NOT going to get away with what he did to Eden Prime.
Or to John