HOLOCAUST
CHAPTER THREE:
UNDESERVED SPLENDOR
June 2, 2186
1346 hours.
Medical Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate SSV Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Andura Sector.
The Reaper War.
Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant James Vega, Second Lieutenant Imogen Keeling, Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni.
He rushed through the medical bay door, the metal parting with a metallic hiss. He was in the bay in an instant, rushing towards the nearest bed in an instant, Kaidan's limp form still hefted over his shoulder as he moved with best speed. Liara wasn't far behind him, followed by James, with Eva in his arms, and Keeling, removing her helmet as she did so. Cortez had stayed in the shuttle bay so he could look after the armoury while James was absent.
He moved over to the bed, his first impression of the medical bay being that Kaidan was right; the medical bay hadn't changed at all, and even the AI core looked unmolested by the retrofit. Probably never got around to changing it. He slowly and gently lay Kaidan on his back on the bed, making sure his dead was placed on the pillow before slowly unsealing his helmet, placing it on the table next to him. Looking back, he saw the mangled mess that was Kaidan's face.
His hair was all rustled and tossed all over his face, with some of it sticking to the wet blood on his face. Black bruises covered his features, with one eye swollen shut and a large bump on his lower lip. His nose was broken and bleeding profusely, and he had scabs on his face, some of them having split, causing small bits of blood to ooze out. All in all, the man looked like shit.
Turning around, he saw James carry the accused towards the AI Core, moving through the self-opening doorway as he carried Eva's body to the table at the end; the same table he had Legion lay on when he first met the geth. The door quickly shut behind the marine, and Liara stood on the other side of the table, looking down at Kaidan with tired eyes, shaking her head. She turned to look at him, analyzing his features.
"Shepard..." she began tenderly, hand squeezing his arm, "Kaidan needs help. There's nothing more we can do but get him to a hospital."
"I know," Marcus replied grouchily, feeling Keeling's presence behind him. He finally looked up, removing his helmet as he did and seating it under his arm, meeting Liara's eyes, "I know. The fleets will be in Andura. We'll link up with what's left of the Alliance military, and we'll make for the Citadel. Once there...I plan to hand Kaidan over to Huerta Memorial. They looked after Jack when she was hurt on the Shadow Broker's base, and they'll look after Kaidan. Best care on the Citadel, I've heard."
"Best care in the galaxy, I heard," Liara replied, smiling grimly, "They'll look after him, Shepard. He's alive, and Kaidan's always been a fighter."
"Sure has," he murmured, remembering the past. He watched as Ashley died...the woman he secretly loved, and only found out how much she cared when she was about to have her atoms split...damn it, if I had lost him...I would never have forgiven myself. I will not lose Kaidan like I lost Ashley. Never again will I lose a friend like that. Never. He looked over at Kaidan's closed eyes once more, and remembered what happened on the Constantinople colony, during the Collector campaign a year ago. And if I'm not wrong, he's got someone else who loves him too...and he might just love her back. We all move on...
Hang tight, soldier. Do not die, that's an order.
He watched as Liara began to tenderly undo Kaidan's armor, finding all the latches and removing them. Noticing his frown, the asari explained what she was doing, "If he wakes up in his armor, it'll only had to the pain. He'll be more comfortable without it on."
"Okay then," Marcus conceded, and turned towards Keeling, who had removed her helmet for the first time since he met her, revealing her full face to him. Come to think of it, he didn't even know what she looked like until now. Everytime he had met her in the past, she had been wearing a helmet. This was very different.
The first thing he noted was her flowing hair; it was bright orange, like that of fire. It curled to the back of her neck, and one piece hung infront of her face, before she head-tossed it back onto her scalp. She had plump red lips, with not much eyeshadow, but hazel eyes. Her ears were short and not very pointy, and she had a few freckles on one side of her face, but nowhere near as many as Tali had. Overall, he was surprised by how attractive she was.
Her helmet hung under one arm, and she snapped a firm salute, "Sir."
He sighed, "There's alot of things you're going to have to get used to living on this ship Keeling, and one of them is dropping this rank bullshit," he grinned, not meaning to sound hostile, "I also think its time for proper introductions. We didn't get much time on Arcturus, and even less on Earth."
"Fair enough," she replied.
He held out his hand, deciding to start with names, "I am Captain Marcus Lee Shepard. You can call me Shepard; everyone else does."
She took the hand, shaking it firmly, "I am Second Lieutenant Imogen Keeling. I prefer to be called Keeling; my first name is reserved for people of family."
"Keeling, huh?" he replied, nodding his head, "Good enough for me. On this ship, we live by one rule; follow my orders. Aside from that, we're set. You can set up where you choose if you want, but I guess it won't matter if you're planning a transfer."
"I originally served Admiral Drescher sir," she told him, "But with the admiral dead, I have no fleet to report to. It would be best to concede to your command, sir. As I hear it, this ship could do with an N7."
He smirked, raising an eyebrow, "You do realize I'm an N7 too, right?"
"This ship could do with two N7s, sir," she replied, correcting herself, "Considering the threat we face, having two special forces operative would be beneficial to the team."
"Indeed," he replied, "Very well. Like I said, choose where you want to set up shop. I can already assume James has taken the armoury, and Liara will take the lab, I bet, but the rest of the options are open to you. Until then, you're dismissed. We should have a talk later."
"Anything you need sir," she snapped another salute, before dropping it automatically. With that, she marched out of the bay, and he could only continue to smile. I think Keeling and I will get along just fine. James however...I might need to get whatever is wrong between me and him sorted out soon. He found his feelings drifting back to Keeling. Damn, she was really attractive. For an N7. Damn it, Shepard! Get those thoughts out of your head. You're married, for godsake.
He pictured Tali, and remembered how beautiful she was. How much he loved her. How much he missed her. I'll find you Tali...and the first thing I'll do is hold you. Wherever you are.
"Shepard?" EDI called over the PA just as James exited the AI Core, clearly flabbergasted. Realizing the AI had been talking to him and Liara was still busy removing Kaidan's armor, he responded, turning to face the AI's purple hologram on the console next to the door.
"Sorry. Yes, EDI?"
"Do not apologize Captain," EDI replied, "Admiral Hackett wishes to speak to you on the QEC. He is requesting an update on the mission to Mars. Should I simply tell him, or would you like to speak to him yourself?"
Marcus shot one more glance in Kaidan's direction, seeing that Liara had removed most of his armor, with only his kneepads and boots left. His weapons were dumped unceremoniously on the floor next to the bed. He nodded, but as he turned back to the hologram, he was interrupted by James exclaiming.
"There it goes again!" he pointed out, "That's no VI!"
Marcus sighed, turning to the marine with a weery gaze, before turning away, fixing his glare on the AI, "EDI, you can explain this to him. Liara, make sure James doesn't try to kill her afterwards. EDI, route the communique through to the QEC. I'll be right there," he moved through the medical bay door, and was about to continue when he stopped suddenly in the mess hall, remembering this ship had changed alot, "EDI...where is the QEC now located?"
The AI's response was instantaneous, and he swore he could hear a smile in her voice, "Go through the debriefing room; it is where the Tech Lab was once located. Go through to the back, through the War Room, and it is located in the back. I will feed the connection through once you are there."
He nodded, and continued walking through the mess hall, which had barely changed and into the small corridor at the back; where Life Support and Starboard Observation sat on the right, and the Crew's Quarters and Port Observation on the left. But as he turned to enter the elevator, he noticed something new sitting in the middle of the corridor's bulkhead wall; where the words 'Crew Deck' used to sit. And as he turned around, he felt his features slacken at the sight.
It was a memorial wall. No, not just a memorial wall. The Normandy's memorial wall. He remembered that it was standard procedure for every ship to honor their dead, and therefore their name would be placed on the wall, so that the ship's crew would never forget them. He didn't remember if the Normandy SR-1 had a memorial wall, but it was obvious the SR-2 did. On it were the names of all those who died when the SR-1 was destroyed over Alchera...and those...before...
The middle of the wall was saved for superior officers; captain, admiral, etc. That part of the wall was empty. But the sides weren't. He read all the names. And every single one of them hit home just how many had died when the SR-1 was attacked by the Collector cruiser. But only a select few hit home.
Master Chief Petty Officer Charles Pressly.
Petty Officer Second Class Frederick Deve Johnson.
Engineer First Class Douglas Ahtaq.
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams.
Lance Corporal Richard Lenard Jenkins.
Ensign Susannah Peters.
They were like a long line of torture; every name stinging his mind. Knowing that they either died fighting an enemy they couldn't identify, were gunned down due to terrible tactics, or reduced to nothing by a nuclear detonation. Every single one of them had been under his command, and he had failed them. And so many spots were still empty. Ready to be filled.
I have a feeling many and more will be joining that wall before the war is over. Its bad knowing you can't win, its worse knowing that no matter what you do, you can't save them all. He was just glad to know that Kaidan would not be joining the wall today. He managed to pull his eyes away from the wall, moving up to the elevator and thumbing its summoning mechanism.
It didn't take long for the elevator to reach the CIC; either they upgraded the elevator to not be a slow piece of shit, or his perception of time had improved. Either way, thank god for that. As soon as the doors opened, he was greeted by the bright, white light of the galaxy map, hanging lowly above the CIC command station. Multiple alliance officers moved about, and he noticed that someone else now stood at Kelly's station.
She must have had hearing like a bat, because upon the doors opening, the woman immediately turned around and, noticing who it was, snapped a salute, "Captain on deck!" At that instant, everyone stopped what they were doing and like robots reacting to stimuli, turned to him and snapped salutes just as firm.
He examined the woman's features, the one he remembered Kaidan calling Comms Specialist Samantha Traynor. She was quite attractive, and she seemed to take her duties seriously, if the firmness of her salute was any consolation.
He rolled his eyes, sighing exasperatedly, "Enough with the salutes, for godsake. Didn't I say I didn't run a tight ship? I'm just your commander, that's it. It may be an alliance ship, but I ain't," noticing noone was budging, he sighed once more, returning the salute reluctantly, "At ease," everyone finally dropped their hands, and he dropped his own. Another thing that needs changing. He approached Samantha at her station, nodding curtly.
"Captain Shepard," Samantha greeted, "Samantha Traynor. I'm the ship's communications specialist. I was meant to be here for the tech upgrades only...but...for obvious reasons...that..."
He sighed, patting Samantha's shoulder. She seemed to flinch away at that, seemingly disgusted by the gesture, but just as quickly, it was gone. He retracted his hand regardless, and merely spoke, "I know leaving Earth was hard, but we'll be back. And we'll be back with a
big armada to take it back."
"I know we will, captain. We've got the great Commander Shepard leading us," Samantha said cheerily, "I heard of what you did during the Eden Prime War and the Collector abductions. Everyone knows what you can do. I bet even the children of our generation have heard the stories of the Normandy crew."
More hero worship. Does it ever end?
He smiled weakly, "Glad to hear it, Traynor. We'll have to talk later."
She smiled, nodding meekly, "Sounds good sir," she then turned back to her station, and Marcus continued his trek towards what used to be the Tech Lab, and was now home to the new debriefing room.
As soon as he tapped the interface, he was confronted with a whole new setup in the originally pointless box between the CIC and the Lab (and it was still just as pointless). A whole checkpoint sat in the middle, with two marines on station on either side of the metal detector; which was effectively a blue, holographic grid positioned in the middle of a 'doorway-shaped' frame. A weapons bench lay to the left, and it currently had a steaming hot mug of coffee sitting on its surface in a blue, polymer cup.
Both marines snapped salutes upon his entry, "Sir!" they both shouted, and he reciprocated the gesture. He moved to pass through the detector, only to be stopped by one of the marines, Westmoreland her tag said, who quickly spoke to him in a explanatory tone, "Sir, you have to let the detector scan you first."
He sighed, turning towards her and waving his arms over his body, "Two things, trooper. One: I'm clearly wearing battle armor and numerous weapons, so that bloody thing is going to wail like a banshee. Two: Do I really look like I'm going to blow up my own damn ship? The only thing I plan to blow up on this ship is the hull, and that's because of the ugly colors that now paint it. Now let me through, private. I have an important call to make with Admiral Hackett, and I'm not letting some stupid, pointless, metal detector stop me."
The soldier seemed lost for words but quickly recovered herself as he moved past, hitting the interface for the door on the other side and moving into the debriefing room, "Yes sir! Whatever you say, si-" the door closed on her, sealing behind him.
His eyes glazed over the room, and he sighed heavily with annoyance at what the Alliance had done to the place. Any evidence of Mordin's lab had been removed from the place; the only remnant was the observation window on the left side. The corridor linking the armoury to the lab, and allowing access to the original conference room that had been located on the right was now indeed missing, the door replaced by a grey, steel bulkhead, and doubtless more. Many crates aligned the room, along with many wires over the floor. Some of the ceiling was unfinished, and lighting was darker in some areas.
The entire left side was now home to the debriefing table; which had simply been ripped from the conference room and dumped here, and surrounded with a square-pane of glass. The observation window had been extended, all of Mordin's equipment, tubes and even his desk had been removed, and the area that had once housed the observation window allowing a view of the drive core below was gone, replaced by another bulkhead, and to the right of that was a new door; likely the War Room's. Overall, he disliked the new layout.
Can't believe I'm saying this, but the Illusive Man definitely built a better ship. Cerberus built a better ship. And now the Alliance has butchered it.
He continued to move through the room, clad in his alliance armor and alliance weapons. He seemed to growl with every passing step. Cerberus was keen to remind me that this was their ship, and now the Alliance seems content to do just the same. There isn't insignias on every wall, but there's enough blue and white to send anyone insane. I feel like punching a bulkhead right now, actually.
He quickly hit the haptic interface for the door ahead, and he had to admit; he was blown away by what he saw waiting behind it.
The War Room was a large, spherical room, with two levels; the upper level, which he currently stood on, and the lower, central level, all the levels moving in a ring. The upper level was only a meter above the central one, and had numerous consoles and terminals surrounding it, almost all of them manned constantly. The central level was home to one, large circular platform; a holotable where currently a blue holographic projection of the galaxy sat; the lower half almost constantly shining red; representing Reaper occupied territory. And at the end of the room, on the upper level, was a doorway leading into the room containing the QEC; his destination.
More salutes followed him as he crossed the room, and he mostly ignored them this time as he marched straight for the QEC. The room itself was pretty basic; a simple railing with a console on it, which controlled the communicator itself. The QEC sat behind it; a large, two by two, circular disk glowing bright blue. Approaching it, he saw the console beeping, indicating an incoming call. He set his helmet ontop of the railing, before hitting the console. He stood back, hands clasped behind his back as the pixels swarmed into the center to form the blue, holographic form of Admiral Hackett.
"Shepard," Hackett immediately greeted, hands also clasped behind his own back and standing, "Your VI pinged me to let me know you had arrived back from Mars. Did you get to the Archives?"
Marcus nodded, frowning, "We got there, but so was Cerberus. They were the ones behind the communication failure. They massacred half the facility by the time we got there, and Liara was the only one to have survived. Turns out a Doctor Eva Core was behind Cerberus' infiltration, but we managed to pursue her, take her down, and retrieve the data. Turns out she was an AI."
Hackett's eyes had already been widened by the first mention of the terrorist organization, "Cerberus was there? Did you find out what they wanted?"
He nodded, sighing heavily, "The same thing we did, sir. They wanted the data on that super weapon you mentioned; that's what Eva was trying to escape with before we chased her down. We had to leave quickly though; Reaper forces had already begun assaulting the planet, and we didn't have much time. Eva's body has been detained for experimentation, and we've got...one wounded. Major Alenko; Eva incapacitated him before I could do anything. He's currently in a stable condition, but we need to get him medical attention; and fast."
Hackett shook his head, "I'm sorry to hear that captain, but you and I both know this is just the beginning," he rubbed his chin, stroking his pale, white beard, "Our war just became twofold here. With Cerberus now playing the game against us, we've got two enemies instead of one; and the Reapers are bad enough."
"The Reapers are the main threat. I'll deal with Cerberus," Marcus vowed.
"We'll both burden the load, or neither. Either way, we're all involved now. The entire galaxy, no matter how much they wish they could pretend otherwise," the admiral nodded slightly, "As for the weapon...this data must be as important as intel thought it is for the Illusive Man to try and get his hands on it."
"It is," Liara's voice spoke, and he turned to watch the asari enter, smiling at him as she did. She came to stop beside him, "The Protheans tried to build it, but they were unable to finish it. If they had finished it, it would have been their key to destroying the Reapers. From what's described, it would have had the ability to wipe them all out with a push of a button; instant death for every single one of them."
The admiral seemed to contemplate these words, as if trying to understand, "Sounds a bit overly optimistic. A weapon that can destroy them all? A big deus ex machina if there ever was one. But its all we got, so I guess we have to play the cards we're dealt."
"Indeed," Marcus acknowledged, patting Liara on the shoulder, "Liara will send over the data to what's left of our engineers in the fleet; see if they can decypher it. With luck, construction for this weapon could begin soon; but first, we need to know exactly what we're dealing with here. We're a child playing with a loaded gun, and we need to know just what this weapon does and how it ticks before we go pulling any triggers."
Hackett nodded, "You're absolutely correct on that, Shepard. Send the data over and our engineers will try and crack it; considering this is a galactic fight now, maybe the salarian STG and asari can help us. And if we're the luckiest bastards on the block, we can hire some quarian expertise as well."
You'll get all three if I have my way. I won't stand for games anymore. They either unite with the rest of us or face the Reapers alone. We fight or we die.
"We'll regroup with you soon Hackett. Then we'll head to the Citadel, and see what the Council has to say for themselves. They've got alot to answer for. Hell, I'll have Liara shove this weapon in their faces. They can't ignore it; giving them the cold hard truth will get us the support we need."
Hackett gave a curt nod and seemed about to respond when a voice shouted from behind him, and he turned to the source, nodding. Turning back, he exhaled through his nose, "We're about to enter the Andura sector. We should have word from the Eighth Fleet soon, so hopefully you'll be here when they turn up. See you then, Shepard. Hackett out," with a crisp salute, the admiral turned and left, the pixels projecting his body combusting into nothing, and causing the room to darken with their absence.
He saw Liara turning to leave in his peripheral vision, but he barely moved an inch from the railing, still leaning against it, deep in thought. What do I have to give up to make sure we win this? We can't fight this like I used to. I can't kill a few geth heretics and then piss off back to the ship like everything's fine. I can't just pick up a few squad members, piss off back to the ship, and pretend everything is just a joy ride. This is a war for survival. Sacrifices have to be made to ensure our victory.
We will not vanish into the night like the protheans did. I will not allow my people to become the next Collectors. Quarians, salarians, turians, asari, humans, krogan...every single one of us will cease to exist; just another fable for the next cycle to hypothesize about, just like this cycle did with the protheans. Not this cycle. No, this time, we prevail.
No matter the cost.
"Shepard?" Liara spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts, and reminding him that the asari hadn't left, and still stood in the doorway, waiting for him, "Is everything alright?"
I am. But not all of us are. Without turning to her, he exhaled, speaking in a soft tone, "How's Major Alenko? Will he survive?"
"Of course he will," she replied, hands on her hips, "He's suffered some bad wounds to the face, but if we can get him to a hospital, he'll be fine. You need to stop worrying about him and starting worrying about you. You've been moving about non-stop ever since the Reapers hit Earth. Not only have you watched your homeworld fall around you, but you've watched thousands of innocents be butchered, had to leave a father figure behind, gone straight to Mars only to learn that Cerberus is now an enemy as well, and now have almost watched a good friend die before you. If anyone's mental state is currently vulnerable, its yours."
He turned to her, annoyance in his voice and eyes, "Who are you? My fucking babysitter? I can look after myself perfectly bloody fine, thank you very much. I'm a damn soldier; I've handled Elysium, I've handled Torfan, I've handled Akuze. I can handle this. So get off my damn back." He immediately stopped, realizing just what he had said, he rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"No, its okay," Liara reassured him, "We've all been under a bit of stress. I've been pursued by Cerberus, you've been locked up for six months, and Kaidan's been forced to leave his homeworld to a relentless enemy. Goddess help us all if we got out of that perfectly sane."
He smiled, nodding as he picked up his helmet and moved past her and into the War Room, "I'm not sure my insanity is even questionable anymore. The shit we've seen? We knew the Reapers were coming; this should be no surprise."
He moved down the steps and became to stand before the war room table, bracing against it, helmet placed ontop of its surface. Liara was at his side in an instant, a sigh in her voice, "Talking about it and seeing it are two different things, Shepard. Yes, we knew they were coming and we knew what destruction they could unleash, but seeing it first hand...especially while watching your world burn...it puts things into perspective."
He nodded, rubbing his temple with an armoured glove. Just wearing this damn suit was beginning to annoy the hell out of him, and he needed out of it, "I just wish we had something we could call concrete. Something to call our salvation."
She frowned at him, he could sense it, and when he turned his head to look at her, he confirmed it. She spoke, hesitation in her voice, followed by understanding, mixed with confusion, "But...wait, you...you don't believe it'll work, do you? You don't think this super weapon is...legitimate."
"Hardly," he replied morbidly, twisting his neck until it gave a satisfying crack, "How am I supposed to put all my faith behind something when we don't even know what it does yet? For all we know, it could be a galaxy-bomb, and instead of saving us, it destroys us and the Reapers. Hell, for all we know, it could be a Reaper trap. How do we know? We don't. And I can't put my faith behind something like that. Not yet. Its just too good to be true."
She nodded in agreement, wringing her hands in the an endearing way; almost like how Tali did it. Damn it..."Isn't it worth a try...at least? Can't we at least...believe?"
He sighed, and he met her eyes in an instant, not knowing what to say. In all honesty, he couldn't. Believe, that is. To believe, you needed something to found it on, and what was he going to found it on? A bunch of data that may or may not be an elaborate trap to trick us into a false sense of security? No, he couldn't believe. He couldn't have faith. The only person he could possibly put all his faith, trust and belief into was likely on the other side of the galaxy, far away from him, and most likely just as lonely as he was. I've got friends to back me...but is that enough? The short answer...
...is no. It never has been.
Without so much as a response to her question, he turned to leave, his voice showing no emotion, "I'm going to my cabin to clean up; get out of this armor. We'll be in the Andura sector soon, so I won't be long. Just got...a few things to tie up," a wife to contact. A brother to search up. Friends to look over, "Tell me when we're there. Then we'll take our fight to the Council."
As heard neared the top of the stairs, he heard Liara's words behind him, and it stopped him in his tracks, "I'm sure the Council will be more than willing to help us."
He shook his head, his voice acidic as he moved through the door and left.
"It'll be one hell of a short war if they don't."
{Loading...}
June 3, 2186
1129 hours.
Docking Bay D24, Shalta Docks, Shalta Wards, The Citadel.
The Reaper War.
Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant James Vega, Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni.
Madness is how he could best describe it. Chaos. People running back and forth, frightened and scared, but most of all curious and anxious. A new era for the galaxy had begun, and the civilian populace didn't know whether it was good, or the beginning of the end. Had they witnessed the Reaper invasion of Earth, maybe they'd think differently, but that wasn't the case; these people had known nothing but peace time; they had not experienced the horrors of war, and definitely not on this scale.
But it wasn't a war. Not really. Not for the Reapers.
More like a campaign of extermination.
Vidscreens displayed news reports from all the different news stations; worlds falling to an unknown, but powerful and vast enemy, and two whole governments wiped out in the space of six hours; and humanity, who had barely spent thirty years in the galactic community, had already lost their homeworld, their Parliament, and a large amount of their military.
People crowded around the vidscreens; humans, asari, turians, salarians, hanar, elcor, even a few batarians. He heard batarians growl when they saw the images of a burning Khar'Shan, and humans gasp and cry and shudder when the images of entire Earth cities being cleansened of all life; their inhabitants transformed into fresh hordes of husks. And the screaming...he could still imagine it all in his head. He could still hear them.
That was the scene observed by Marcus Shepard as he emerged from the dock's doors, with James and Liara at his back. That was what all three of them observed. And soon their numbers will dwindle...some will leave to protect their loved ones, others will stay to do the same. Some will join the military to help fight, others will leave to protect their respective homeworlds. Some will die, others will live. Some will be indoctrinated, others transformed into husks. Every single one of these people have a purpose to serve...and soon enough, all of them will die if the Reapers aren't stopped. Every. Single. One.
We fight or we die.
"Move!" one doctor shouted from behind him, voice ever growing closer, "Get out of the way! Coming through!"
On instinct, Marcus was moving, strafing to the right along with James and Liara on the left. The space they had occupied a minute before was quickly filled as four alliance nurses rushed past with a portable bed in their arms and rolling across the ground, Kaidan ontop of its surface, half-naked body covered by the sheets, his bruised and battered face evident for all to see as he rushed towards the elevator at the end of the hall. The three of them merely watched as he disappeared, his fate now in the hands of Huerta Memorial Hospital.
They looked after Jack. They'll look after Kaidan.
The door closed behind Kaidan, shutting off his view of the unconcious marine. With a heavy weighed sigh, he moved through the hall, bumping into the occassional civilian on his way to the observation balcony that lay a few meters ahead, James and Liara at his sides.
Once he had reached the railing, he found himself leaning into it, arms gripping it tightly as he braced against it, eyes looking out into the purple haze of Widow. The Citadel's long wards stretched out like long arms, reaching out into space with the lights of many city blocks lighting up the station, giving it a ethereal glow. The Citadel was not only the capital of galactic governance, but it was a 'safe haven' for many and all. Looking up, his eyes landed on the Citadel Tower, and remembered that only three years ago Sovereign had been wrapped around it, tearing into the Citadel fleet and Alliance Fifth fleet alike. And now, with the relevation that the Citadel was a Reaper creation, as were the mass relays and the looming Reaper attack, the Citadel wasn't all it was advertised to be.
Its about as safe as building a fortress inside a Thresher Maw's nest. If there was ever a place that had underserved splendor, it was t he Citadel. If only people could realize that. You'd think after the Battle of the Citadel that they'd be thinking differently, but apparently not even the decimation of the entire Citadel fleet could persuade them of the dangers.
"Aren't we going with them?" James asked, arriving at Marcus' side as he too leaned against the railing, gazing out into space, some of his animosity towards his captain now gone from his features. Marcus turned to face him, thankful that the marine's attitude had changed, "I mean, he's one of us, isn't he? Bro code and everything?"
Marcus chuckled, facing him as he turned around, leaning his back against the railing, "Afraid not, Vega. Kaidan will be just fine; but right now, I need to concentrate on what's seriously important and right now; that's talking to the Council. They should be in session in a few minutes; apparently Hackett contacted Udina and informed him of the situation, so he arranged the meeting." Marcus wasn't wearing his armor; he wore a standard alliance shirt and jeans, deciding to ditch the senior uniform. Not that he missed wearing the damn thing anyway.
James snorted, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his broad chest; the marine having also changed into his usual attire, "Bloody Council are a bunch of thick-headed putas. Getting through to them will be one hell of a huge battle."
You're telling me. You should have seen them during the Eden Prime War. Sons of bitches were as thick as bricks back then, and I doubt the test of time has made them any thinner or more complacent. But maybe a Reaper invasion has left them just a tad uncertain. And that's all I need.
"Loco," James suddenly stated behind his voice curious as he seemed to be looking at something behind Marcus, "Looks like we've got company."
Frowning, he turned to face what James was looking at, and found himself smiling as said man emerged from the crowd and headed towards them, purpose in his every step. His face seemed to be just as firm as it had been a year ago when he met the officer, wearing the standard C-Sec uniform, badge on the front of his breast to let people know he was a member of the Citadel's police force. He had a long jaw ending in a deep chin, and his eyes were hardened. Even then, there was a slight smile as he approached.
A smile Marcus returned as he held out his hand for the man to take as he came to stand before him, "Captain Bailey," he greeted as he shook the man's hand, "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were in command of Zakera Ward?"
"Was. A recent development, courtesy of Councilor Udina," he chuckled for a moment, before scratching his chin, where light stubble had begun to grow as he exhaled, "I've been promoted. Its Commander Armando Owen Bailey now."
Promoted by Udina? Ouch. Being promoted by that asshole can't have been a nice trip. He reached up a hand, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as he awkwardly kept eye contact with Bailey, "Ah...congratulations?"
The commander rolled his eyes, letting Marcus know he agreed with the sentiment, however veiled, "Thanks. Not exactly one of my finest moments, but I have to make do with what I have. I can't say I miss Zakera Ward, but it was definitely alot quieter down there. Even before this commotion, Shalta Ward is a noisy hole."
"With this war its only going to get louder," Marcus replied, "How's the situation here?"
"Getting worse and worse," Bailey sighed, jabbing a finger at the throngs of crowds behind them, "These crowds aren't growing any smaller, and my force isn't growing any bigger. Crime is going through the roof while we're dealing with this, and coupled with that, we received almost every single batarian in existence all at once, and they seem to be completely overwhelming us. The Council's ordered us to set up a refugee camp, but we're fast running out of supplies, and the ships just keep comin. And now we've got the entire Alliance Navy on our doorstep," concern entered his eyes, along with fear as he spoke, gulping, "Its killing me not knowing what's going on Earth. You were there. How was the situation?"
"The Alliance got its ass kicked, Bailey," he lamented, remembering the man had a son on Earth, "Reapers obliterated Arcturus and were on Earth before we knew what happened. They blew through Hackett's ships, and were on Earth in seconds. Last I saw Vancouver, it was in flames, as was the rest of the planet. People slaughtered ...it didn't look good, Bailey. I can only imagine its going to get worse."
"I haven't been much of a godly man, but I guess all we've got now is our religion to provide us hope," Bailey said with sorrow, looking at the ground with a mix of fear and determination. When he looked back up, his eyes only showed determination, and Marcus respected his attitude, "I just hope my son got out in time. And...and my ex-wife. I hope they're all safe; but right now, I've got to worry about these people. And escorting you to the Council Chambers. Council assigned me as your personal tour guide, unfortunately," he held his hands up in defense of himself, "No offense."
"None taken. Trust me, I know how you feel," he replied, motioning for Bailey to lead the way. The C-Sec officer did just that as he moved down towards a skycar bay at the end of the corridor, James and Liara struggling to keep up with them as they moved through the large crowd of people. Bailey spoke as he walked.
"The Council's likely already in session, so you'd best be quick," the man informed them, "I think they're currently talking with the batarian leader; Balak Uhtero. He's the leader of what's left of the Hegemony at the moment and considering what arrived at the Citadel not too long ago, that's not all that much."
Marcus felt anger pool up inside him. Balak. That scumbag. He remembered Torfan, when the batarian mocked him. He remembered Asteroid X57, when the batarian tried to send it into Terra Nova but was stopped. When the man had been conveniently behind the abduction of Madi'Soi, and had been thwarted again. He had met the batarian everywhere, but he had always escaped, but maybe this time he would succeed.
No. Now's not the time for grudges. Right now Balak is the leader of the Hegemony; and we need the batarians. I need the batarians. Which means I'm going to have to work with Balak...for now. I just need to gain his trust...gain his allegiance.
Before he knew it, the four of them had reached a C-Sec skycar on the left of the carport, and Bailey opened his omni-tool, opening the door to the driver's seat and watching it fly open. Just as he placed one foot into the car, he turned to them, eyes scanning all three of them, "All of you comin?"
James shook his head, "I'm just a tourist today."
Marcus grinned, turning to the marine's retreating form, "Try not to crash any more shuttles. Or skycars."
The marine gave no response as he left, and Marcus could only chuckle. He turned to Liara and let her enter the vehicle first, before following her, closing the door behind them. Bailey was quick to bring the skycar to life, and before they knew it, they had reversed out of the car port and shot out into the Citadel skyline, racing towards the Presidium.
The ride was quite short; shorter than Marcus had thought it would be. The traffic seemed to be the usual today, and not as chaotic as he believed it should be. People don't think the war will reach them; they still want to believe the Citadel is safe. Inpenetrable. They're all still living in a fantasy.
The Presidium hadn't changed much either; and it looked like most of the Citadel had finally recovered fully from the battle three years ago, with most wreckage now absent and many areas fully functional once more. The Presidium itself was still the shining epitome of the Citadel's splendor and beauty, and also painted a very celestial and heavenly picture. It was a picture that the monolithic space station, given its history, didn't quite deserve.
The Citadel Tower loomed over them as Bailey brought the skycar to land, the officer cutting the engines as it tapped the ground. Seeing that they had arrived, Marcus hit the door's release, and it shot open, allowing him to step out onto the prestine white tiles of the Presidium's floor. Liara wasn't far behind him, and Bailey had just opened the door to follow them when his omni-tool began beeping, and he was forced to acknowledge it.
As it opened, a familiar face appeared, and Marcus groaned, "Sir, we've got a situation around Flux. Multiple armed hostiles have engaged one of our fireteams on site. They're Blue Suns, sir."
Bailey sighed, wiping a hand across his temple as he replied, "Solid copy, reporting to section 8. Contact Falpat and his men and have them report to Flux immediately. Bailey out," his comms cut out, and Samuel Ghost's face cut out, allowing the officer to turn and face Marcus with a weary look in his eyes, "Duty calls, apparently. Damn Blue Suns can't keep quiet for ten minutes without causing trouble. Nothing we can't handle of course; they seem to have lost cohesion and just attack randomly without any semblance of organization. Probably because they don't like their new leader, or so I've heard."
Marcus supressed a grin at that. Its hard to like Zaeed and his methods, but at least he's getting results. But why hasn't he been able to control the Blue Suns? Another person to contact, I guess. My list seems to grow with every passing hour. He needed to warn Garrus that a Reaper attack was imminent, he needed to see if Tali was okay, and he wanted to know if Jack and Miranda had recovered sufficiently. Now Zaeed seemed to have problems controlling his mercenaries.
Just another problem to fix.
"That's okay, Bailey. I know my way around. Six months stuck in a cell hasn't killed my memory," Marcus replied, nodding with understanding.
The man pushed his lower lip out in agreement, "Fair enough. I'd better get going then; before the executor decides to pull my tail again. Grouchy bastard, that bastard. And he's a turian; just like Palin." With that, the man retreated inside his skycar, brought the engines back to life, and both of them watched as it shot back into the sky, disappearing into the traffic, illuminated by the big, bright artificial sun.
He turned to his asari companion, a smile on his face, "Well, best not keep the Council waiting. I'm sure Balak must be wearing them down, with all his demands and such."
The two of them preceeded into the nearest elevator and it ascended along the spine of the tower to the top. Luckily, unlike the elevator on the Normandy, it wasn't slow, so they got there relatively quickly, and they stepped out into the Council Chambers; a place he hadn't been in since his final battle with Saren three years ago. And back then, it had been in ruins and covered with Sovereign's remains, flames licking at every surface and sirens blaring through the walls.
Now the only sound was that of people talking, although the amount of people had definitely increased since last time; it wasn't as quite and peaceful as it was before, and was now filled to the brim with the sounds of delegates and diplomats waiting to speak with the Council. Military officers and representatives and the like. Flames no longer licked at every surface, and the fountain at the top of the steps was once again spraying water into the pool surrounding it, lights dimmed.
They proceeded up the steps and through the atrium's garden, the tree's leaves no longer present, having been burnt off from the fires that had licked at it during the Battle of the Citadel. Now it was just a charred remain; dead and desolate; about as peaceful to look at as a battlefield was, and it showed that the Citadel was definitely not as safe as people believed it to be.
The sound of both the Council and Balak speaking could be heard from the bottom of the chamber. The massive observation window that stood vigil at the back was intact once more, and Sovereign's debris was nowhere to be seen. People milled about, listening and observing the meeting; both from below, and on the balconies above.
Marcus and Liara pushed past and through the crowd, many of them complaining while others began to whisper to each other at the commander's arrival, curious as to what it would entail. He noticed some batarians glaring at him, some looking purely murderous; batarians hardly forgave anyone, and they especially gave no forgiveness to the murderer of the Bahak System. If I hadn't of killed them, the Reaper invasion would have happened six months ago, instead of now.
They arrived at the main platform, seeing four C-Sec officers arguing with what were obviously three of Balak's men. But all seven turned to them upon seeing them approach, and the lead turian officer spoke, three-fingered hand held up, "Stop right there. The Council is in session, and they will not be interrupted."
"Not even for Captain Shepard?" Marcus asked sarcastically, "What a shame. I just happen to have a solution to their apocalyptic problem."
The officer froze for a second, eyes still on Marcus', but his hand refused to drop, and he didn't move aside, "How do you know about that?"
He would have yelled at the man for sheer denseness if he could. Is he that oblivious? That's bordering on mental retardation. How the fuck could you not know about the giant synthetic starships from outside the galaxy spreading through Council territory? How could you not know?
"Not only is it all over the news," he stated, "But I also just happen to have been the one who warned them about the Reapers in the first place. So if I could please get through and say 'I told you so,' then we can get to saving the galaxy from extinction. May I?"
The batarian quickly stepped in, his throaty voice and putrid breath cascading onto his face as he stepped in alittle too close, "Our leader is in talks, human, so you'll wait your turn. Stay where you are; or do you have no patience?"
His eyes met the guard's pretty fast, "While you've been hiding under a rock, batarian or trying to blow up human colonies, you ignorant scumbag, I've been out there saving your worthless ass for three straight years. And I might just have a solution that could save you for a third time. So if you stop running your mouth for a few seconds and let me through, I might do something about it."
The batarian's breath did not dissipate, and he made no move to leave. He spoke again, words laced with acid, "You? Save us? Have you forgotten about the three hundred thousand you sentenced to death on Aratoht so quickly, human? I don't expect a genocidal murderer to save my race; the Council will do that. We should hope."
He had enough of this asshole's attitude, and his hand shot up, wrapping tightly around the batarian's throat, the batarian's four eyes widening in shock. The men around him moved to unholster their weapons, but quickly found themselves facing an intolerable looking Liara, biotics wrapping her form and shaking her head. His comrades backed off, hands leaving their guns.
Marcus' words were far more acidic, and his eyes narrowed, "If you don't get out of my way, I might just let the Reapers do the same to Khar'Shan. Is that what you want? Cause I'm this close to turning and leaving, and giving this super weapon to someone more appreciative. Right now, I'd love nothing more than to just let you scum burn," his voice hissed, "I've faced your horrors on Elysium and Torfan. Do not think I won't hesitate to let you and your species be wiped from the history books, because I will if I find it cost productive. Have I made myself clear?"
The batarian nodded erratically, desperate to get out of the man's choking grip. Marcus nodded and let go, the batarian falling to his knees, clutching his throat as he made heaving sounds with his lung; drawing in as much air as possible. He turned to the other batarians, who looked at him with shocked expressions, some with anger, and the C-Sec officers seemed to be just a bit scared of him, both having moved out of the way, Liara waiting at the top, her biotics evaporated.
He nodded, moving to follow her up the steps, where the Council...and Balak, were waiting. What happened there...that wasn't Marcus Shepard. But the galaxy doesn't need Marcus Shepard...they need Commander Shepard.
But I wasn't Commander Shepard either.
The two of them continued to march forward, a familiar sight standing across from them on their seats of power; the Citadel Council itself. Councilor Valern, the salarian councilor, stood in his usual spot on the far left. On his right stood Councilor Tevos, of the asari. On her right was Sparatus of Palaven, and then Councilor Donnel Udina, of humanity. Marcus couldn't say that he had a loving friendship between him and the Council; Tevos had been the most supporting of all of them, and even she had been reluctant to help him at times, and Sparatus had definitely been his biggest criticizer. Udina was just an asshole, and Valern just seemed to be a more subtle version of Sparatus.
At the end of the bridge was another familiar sight; but more hated. Balak stood in full combat armor, hands at his sides as he spoke to the Council, all four of them focused on him with worried eyes. Marcus could see the hidden fear in Tevos' eyes, and Valern seemed to look defeated. Udina looked exhausted, and even Sparatus seemed to look contrite. They're finally coming to realize I was right all along. And they've never been more scared.
Marcus and Liara came into full hearing range of Balak in a few steps, and listened to what he said, "...our ships are battered and our morale broken! My people demand refuge! We need provisions! We demand food and supplies! I have soldiers who need rearming. My fleet needs to be ready soon so we can surprise these scum and reclaim our homeland!"
Marcus snorted loud enough for the entire room to hear as he came to a stop just next to Balak, on the batarian's right. He eyed the slaver, who turned to him with gritted teeth and a hostile expression, "You won't be reclaiming anything at half strength. Especially not against a Reaper fleet."
"Shepard," Balak hissed, jabbing a finger at him while eying Udina, "Your people informed our good regent that he was locked up on Earth, rotting in a brig!"
"He was," Udina replied, rubbing his eyes as he met Balak's eyes, "But considering all hell was descending upon our homeworld was well, he most likely broke out or was broken out; likely by Anderson. But what does it matter now, anyway?"
"He murdered-" Balak began.
"Wake up!" Marcus growled over his words, regaining the batarian's attention, "Look to your homeworld and see the enemy before you. If you want to continue getting pissy over something that happened six months ago, go right ahead, but right now, we've got more important matters. Like a Reaper invasion..." he turned to the Council with an accusing glare, eying each of them, "...one we should have seen coming three years ago, but this Council so graciously ignored."
To their credit, the Council did not respond, merely remaining silent. After a moment, he shook his head and scoffed, turning to Balak as the batarian cleared his throat.
"So I'm just supposed to forget that you blew up an entire system full of my people in it?" Balak asked, vehemence in his gaze, "Is this Council so blinded by their moral hypocrisy, that they'll forget what this mass-murderer did in your name? Do not pretend you had nothing to do with it! He was your spectre!"
"They had nothing to do with it. What I did was of my own accord," Marcus declared, jabbing his own finger in Balak's chest, "But of course, noone asks why I did it. I did it to stop a Reaper invasion six months ago; one that would have used the Alpha Relay to enter this galaxy early and invade. Those people would have died anyway...at least this way, they won't serve the Reapers in death as their mechanical servants. At least this way, they won't be harvested. I did what had to be done. In my place, you'd have done the same. Any of you would have. But of course, my efforts and all their lives were wasted, weren't they? I gave you six months to prepare and be ready," he glared at the Council once more, fury in his eyes, "And you did...nothing. As per usual. And just like it always does, its come to bite you in the ass," he turned back to the batarian, "Now, the Council and myself have important business to discuss."
"What?" Balak roared, turning to the Council once more, "What about my people? Refuge? Supplies? Rearmament? What about the agreed provisions!?"
"They will be provided by Citadel Security and our Emergency Management Agency. Your people will be provided for, do not worry," Valern assured him, "But now you must take your leave. War is a nasty thing, and it must be discussed in finite detail."
Balak merely scoffed, pushing past Marcus as he stormed off down the bridge like a impudent child. Watching him go, Marcus turned back as Liara took Balak's place on the bridge, the Council turning to address him.
"We might again Councilors," he sarcastically greeted, "Hate to get straight to business, but I'd just like to state how much I hope the repercussions of this fuck-up of yours is really driving home at the moment."
"What we did was for-" Tevos began, but he was having none of it.
"Cut the bullshit, and save it for someone who cares. At the moment, I don't. What I do care about is the lack of preparation that has left wide open and falling like dominos," he stepped forward, "What was done? Nothing. As usual. But now I'm going to rectify that."
"Earth needs help, for starters," Udina coined in, apparently on Marcus' side, but with his own agenda, "Earth is currently under siege, and the Reapers are winning easy territory. What military intervention is being committed to stopping this?"
Marcus sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. Even when he is siding with me, he still maintains a human centralist agenda. He's going to have to drop that bullshit if we want to win this war. He either accepts that everyone is in this together and all worlds matter equally, or I'll have the Council remove him and replace him with someone who will do what's necessary. He sighed again, this time mentally. Anderson should have stayed as councilor. He at least knows what's at stake.
Sparatus was quick to speak, turning to face Udina with a hesitant, but determined look, on his features, "We've got our own problems, Councilor. Earth is not in this alone. You heard what Regent Balak said," he pointed at the space that Balak had once occupied, "Khar'Shan is under siege as well. And considering their proximity to those clusters, Palaven and Sur'Kesh will soon follow."
"And Tuchanka," Liara pointed out, "The Krogan DMZ is this cluster's neighbour, and the Apien Crest isn't that far from here; neither is the Annos Basin. The krogan do count."
Sparatus nodded, motioning to the asari, "You see? Earth cannot be the focus of this situation; we have our own peoples to worry about as well, Councilor."
Udina exasperated, leaning against the railing, letting the other two get a full view of him and his fatigued expression, "But Earth was the first Council world hit. By our Admiralty Board's reports, it faced the brunt of the attack. Not only that, but it suffered far worse than Khar'Shan. They literally rushed through the batarian systems to reach Earth first; even the Regent said so. He said that where the Reapers were fast and rapid with batarian territory, they were more slow and methodical with human territory."
"And if the batarian says so, its true," Valern quipped, shaking his head, "Only two species have been effected, and only one of them a Council species. The Reapers have yet to attack our homeworlds yet, so how can we jump to conclusions?"
Udina seemed unable to speak, but Marcus quickly jumped in, anger quickly boiled. Self-centered as usual, "The Reapers are invading, and you four are fighting over who got hit the worst and who's more important?" he laughed, but it was mirthless, and the Council could only look at him, "That's pathetic. This is more important than all of you individually. This is about the galaxy as a whole. I'll tell you what I told the Defense Committee; this isn't about strategy or tactics. Its about survival. We stand together against this threat, or we'll be swept aside, one by one, until there's nothing left. We cannot afford to play games here. Unification is the answer here. We must unify. And yes, I'm talking everyone, including the Terminus. They'll be wiped out just like us, whether they like it or not."
He moved until he stood an inch from the bridge; able to see the glass down below that hung over the concealed garden bed; the exact same place where Garrus, Tali and himself had faced Saren's huskified form in the final battle of the Eden Prime War three years ago. He fixed each of them with a determined gaze, honing in his point, "We need your help. The galaxy needs your help. The Turian Hierarchy, Human Alliance, Asari Republics and the Salarian Union must all band together to combat this threat. You must give this alliance everything you have. Every soldier, every ship, every gun with a round in it. I don't care if we're talking peashooters; everything."
Seeing that he was finished, Tevos replied, her voice calm as ever, "Each of us faces a similiar situation. We don't know who will be hit next, but we've narrowed it down to Sur'Kesh and Palaven, and understandably, the Hierarchy and Union are nervous. The Reapers press down on their borders, and even the Republics is worried that Thessia won't be safe forever," she licked her lips, meeting his eyes with a sympathetic gaze, "If we give you all our strength on a impossible quest, our own worlds will fall. We cannot take that risk. Nor would you, if you were in our position."
"We must fight this enemy together!" Liara yelled, coming to Marcus' side.
Valern turned to her angrily, waving a dismissive hand, "So we should just follow the Alliance to Earth? Unless the Commander has greatly overexaggerated the Reapers' abilities, we risk the chance of losing our entire military in a unilateral strike like that. Who would be left to defend our own citizens? An alliance like you're proposing is impossible anyway! Who would join us? The disorganized bands of the Terminus? The ramshackle fleet of the quarians? The murderous geth? The batarians, who can barely hold themselves together? The krogan, who can barely reproduce? Or perhaps the vorcha? Would you like us to gather hordes of them, put them on a leash, and then unleash them on the Reapers? Such an alliance is doomed to fail. It is impossible."
I found Ilos. I killed a Reaper. I came back from the dead. My crew went through the Omega 4 Relay. We found and defeated the Shadow Broker. I destroyed a Mass Relay. I got a quarian and geth to not only work together, but to work as friends. They say such things are impossible, yet I did it. My crew did it. I wouldn't put such an alliance past me.
Not only that, but such an alliance would not only be gargantuan in scale, but it would be the largest unification of species in galactic history. The first of its kind. The largest combined military armada in living memory.
Sparatus stepped in, not letting anyone respond to Valern's comment, "Even if we did somehow manage to unite our fleets, make such an alliance, and headed for Earth. Do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?"
Marcus nodded, knowing what was to come next. The prothean super weapon, "I don't expect you to follow me without a plan," with that, he turned to Liara, the asari practically already whipping out her omni-tool with the utterance of his last word, the asari's hands dancing over the holographic interface framed on her wrist.
Soon, the holographic form of a mega structure, which looked alot like a quarian liveship in design, appeared above it, and she faced the Council, a smile on her lips, "Councilors, we have that plan. A blueprint, created by the protheans during their war with the Reapers."
Sparatus stroked one of his mandibles, Marcus watching it twitch as he regarded the hologram with a curious gaze, "Just what kind of blueprint is it? It looks like a space station."
"As much as it looks just like that, it is actually a super weapon of some sort," Liara explained, nodding to Sparatus, "One of vast, uncalculatable power and scope."
Valern pitched in, leaning against the railing of his podium, "Capable of destroying the Reapers?"
Liara and Marcus shared a momentary glance before Marcus nodded, knowing the asari's conflicting feelings. I may not have faith in it, but that doesn't mean others can't. Seeing his agreement, Liara turned back, nodding estatically, "Yes."
Valern and Sparatus shared a moment's glance before the salarian turned back to her, the salarian, for once, being out of words, "The scale is...it would be a colossal undertaking! Think of the resources needed to build such a device! Tremendous."
"And we've already got a head start," Marcus informed him, "Hackett's already dispatched the Sixth and Seventh Fleet to begin gathering resources to begin construction. The Alliance can start this, but we won't be able to finish it without help. We don't just need builders; we need scientists and techs to determine just what it does, and engineers to also help building it. We need every scientific mind in the galaxy if this is going to even have a chance at working. We need the salarians, we need the asari, we need the turians, we need everyone."
Valern seemed unconvinced, needing evidence as every salarian did, "So you need our scientists just to figure out what it does? Seems to me you know its purpose and that it destroys Reapers, but you don't know how it achieves this. For all we know, this weapon could indeed destroy the Reapers, but destroy us as well."
Tevos, ever the main speaker of the group, spoke again, her voice laced with sorrow and regret, "Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the protheans? What good did this weapon do them if they couldn't even save themselves from extinction? What help is it to us?"
"Both questions can be answered," Liara replied, turning to Valern, "For one, we do indeed not know what the weapon does, but we know that it kills Reapers; that should be good enough a risk to take if we can obtain that ultimate goal," she turned to Tevos, "And the protheans were building the device, but they ran out of time and were destroyed before they could use it. They also discovered it too late; we haven't. This is only the beginning of the war, and we already have it. We just need to build it, and hope for victory."
"Thus the flaw in your plan reveals itself," Sparatus skeptically stated, "You want this Council to put its full faith in an unknown weapon; all our resources and manpower behind a weapon who's destructive capabilities are an enigma. We cannot just blindly follow this. It requires risk that this Council is unwilling to take."
"Fact of the matter is that we cannot follow you to Earth. Or give you the manpower to build your weapon," Tevos declared, sighing, "As sad as it is to attempt, and cruel to dictate, but while the Reapers are focused on Earth and Khar'Shan, we can prepare and assemble our ships to protect our own systems. I'm sorry Commander, but you will not be getting support from us."
Marcus didn't answer for many seconds. He just stood there, gazing at them accusingly. His eyes glazed over them, ignoring Udina, who looked so exhausted he could barely move, and he couldn't blame the man. Tevos, Valern and Sparatus fell under his glare, and as he opened his mouth, he didn't hesitate to let them know how angry he was.
"Actually, its Captain Shepard now," he hissed, slamming a fist into the railing infront of you, "And you are a bunch of fucking idiots; I should have known you'd be a waste of time. Always looking after your own interests!"
"We do this for the-" Tevos began, but was once again cut off, harshly.
"I've heard it all before! But no more! No fucking more!" he growled, pacing back and forth as Liara deactivated her omni-tool, looking at them helplessly, "The asari think themselves so fucking superior to everyone else, the turians believe themselves unbeatable in military might, and the salarians think yourselves so subtle that nothing can find you. All three of you will soon find that proven wrong. The Reapers will find you, they will beat you, and they will show you true superiority. So remember this clearly, for I won't repeat myself," he leaned further in, pure anger in his eyes, along with a hidden malice he never thought himself capable of, "When Palaven, or Sur'Kesh, or Thessia are burning, don't come crying to me for help. Because remember what you said? If Earth isn't worth the risk, then you aren't either. I will not help you, and neither will humanity. We will ignore you just like you ignored us. And only then will you realize that unity could have saved you, and you, the Council, chose to reject it. Believe me or don't," he turned to walk away, "I'm done with you morons."
The Council offered no response as he stormed off, Liara rushing to follow him. He tried to channel his anger as he pushed past the C-Sec officers at the bridge, and he managed to do so well until he reached the elevator, slamming his fist into the icon to begin his descent just as Liara leapt inside.
"Please," she begged, "You didn't mean that! Please tell me you didn't-"
"I meant every fucking word of it," Marcus growled, turning to face her, "Those morons will be the end of us all; and I won't stand for it. I'm done with the Council. For three years they've ignored me, but no longer. I won't take it anymore. This is a war we all need to be fighting, but they'd rather cower behind their homeworlds and hope the threat goes away. They are fools."
"You're preaching to the choir, Shepard!" she replied, "But you can't have meant the rest. About Thessia! Thessia is my home, Shepard. I was born in Armali, its capital. Please, you can't-"
"You think I'd let the entire asari race suffer just because Tevos is a fucking bigot?" he turned to her, and seeing the fear in her eyes disappearing, he shook his head, turning to face the elevator doors, "Of course I won't let Thessia burn. Or Palaven. Or Sur'Kesh. None of them. I only said to make the Council wake up to itself. I won't let your home burn, Liara," he added the last bit in a soft tone, his voice losing some of the ice it had before.
Her eyes warmed and she slowly nodded, turning away from him. Silence filled the space as they descended, but after a few moments, she turned to him, clearing her throat, "So...what now?"
He shrugged, "Every alliance starts somewhere. Best to start with the race that's willing to listen. The ones who give a shit."
Liara nodded, realization in her features, "The quarians."
He nodded, "The Migrant Fleet will be a good start; continue with the peace talks where we started. If we can acquire the quarians and the geth, then we'll have the most powerful of the alliances formed. Plus, having geth and quarian engineers to help this super weapon will be invaluable; it'll significantly speed up the process."
She merely nodded, but before she could answer, Marcus' omni-tool beeped. And when he opened it, and read the message contained, Marcus smiled for the first time since he entered the Council Chambers.
Today just got better.
"The Council was unwilling to help, so you had to go around them. Hit your intended targets individually; rally the galaxy under your flag, correct?"
- Reia'Inas pav Earth.
"Correct. Although it was a long, audacious process, it worked. In the end."
- Marcus Shepard.
"But just what you were you smiling about?"
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"Oh...just part one in my plan. Here's a clue; it involved a little gang civil war of sorts."
- Marcus Shepard.
A/N:
Sorry if this seemed to take forever to come out guys, but I was seriously distracted by school and such. This chapter may have been a little dull, but I promise you that the next two chapters will be largely action-packed. The next chapter will not be focused on Shepard at all; it will show the Siege of Khar'Shan, the fighting on Earth, the invasion of Palaven, etc. The chapter after will be Shepard focused again, alongside a familiar face. Take a guess in the review section at who it is. The word 'mercenaries' should have made it obvious.
Keep your minds cleared, marines!
Keelah Se'lai!
