Chapter 3, Surprises
"Status report, EDI."
"Lieutenant Vega has secured the synthetic body in the AI core. Once I can access its systems I should be able to retrieve-"
He cut the AI off curtly. "Not what I meant."
Shepard paced like a caged animal in his quarters. At least what had been his quarters, he thought angrily, looking at the now barren room, fish tank bubbling quietly. Devoid of life. The glass case that had once held the variety of scale models, his momentary distraction during the long hunt for the Collectors, was equally empty. Everything was gone, as if the Alliance had wanted to scour all traces of his influence from the place after his incarceration. Another wave of anger boiled up and he forced it down. In six months one would have thought he'd have gotten over the feeling of betrayal, but watching the Reapers carve up Earth had just driven the stupidity of it all home.
"Don't blame EDI. I told her to hold any status updates until we had done everything we could," Liara said behind him suddenly, filling the silence the AI had left.
He blinked, realizing he hadn't even registered the sound of the door opening. The asari was still covered in soot and a few drying stains that could only be blood, looking as ragged as Shepard felt. The last few words hit him in the gut like a charging krogan.
"She..."
Liara did her best impression of a reassuring smile. "She's stable for the moment, we did everything we could but she needs medical attention soon. There was no medical officer aboard when the Reapers attacked. I did what I could with my limited skills and EDI's help."
"We'll be at the Citadel soon, I ordered Joker to set course as soon as we were aboard," he told her.
With concerted effort he forced down the thick lump in his throat. In the back of his mind the former Spectre wondered why he cared so damn much. Ashley had practically told him that he was a traitor in her eyes less than a year ago. The acknowledgement that she might have been wrong that came during the mission had been grudging at best. But it still felt the same, just like Virmire.
"Then all we can do is trust Joker to get us there and hold onto hope," Liara concluded.
Shepard gave a deprecating snort. "Hope may be in short supply soon."
"No. Not now."
He looked up, surprised to see the conviction in Liara's eyes, even the hint of anger there. It always amazed him how much she had changed. The naive scientist. The bitter survivor, out for revenge. A woman that had slowly turned into a powerful and self assured individual; one of the most influential in the known galaxy. In her position as the Shadow Broker, she had the ability to start a war with a single push of a button should she so choose.
"That's what you're here for, Shepard. What you've always give us. And what we need you to keep doing if we're going to have any chance of winning this war," she continued firmly.
"And what if I can't do that anymore?" he asked, the words leaping from his mouth before he could stop them.
Liara looked at him, calm and collected. "I can't believe that. You're still Commander Shepard. I just watched you walk through Cerberus' private army like you'd never missed a day of training."
"You don't have to," he snapped. "I saw what the Reapers did to Earth just in a matter of minutes, Liara. I thought I was ready to take them on and I was an idiot. All I managed to do was delay them and then get myself locked in a god damn room for six months!"
"Don't start doubting yourself now," she countered. "You held them back for almost three years."
Shepard stepped closer the asari, the sound of his teeth grinding almost audible in the room. It took all of his strength to resist the urge to grab her and just... shake her.
"And all it cost was a quarter of a million lives," he growled. "Men, women, children... they never even saw it coming."
She didn't back down, meeting his gaze and driving home her words so hard it made him step back as if he'd been slapped.
"Then maybe you had best make sure it was all worth it, Shepard. Because the man I know wouldn't let those people die in vain."
This time he did notice the tell-tale swish of the door opening. A woman in an Alliance uniform stepped inside, dark skinned and dark haired. Her voice had an accent that made him think of highly pedigreed halls of education and culture.
"Commander Shepard, I'm Specialist- oh! I... I beg your pardon. I didn't realize you had company. I can -"
"I was just leaving," Liara said quickly, pushing past and shooting him a telling glance.
He sighed, rubbing his face, realizing that he was still wearing his gloves when the smell of burnt plastic filled his nose. Leave it to Liara to get into his head, for better or for worse. The soldier snapped the metal catches at his wrists and pulled off the gloves, tossing them on the desk.
"Go on, Specialist..." he prompted, trailing off.
The woman gave him a salute. It wasn't perfect, but something told him she wasn't a ground pounding marine. "I'm Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor, Alliance R&D. I was part of the team retrofitting the Normandy after you turned it over to the Alliance."
"There weren't many of us aboard when the Reapers attacked... I'm actually the highest ranking member aside from Lieutenant Moreau," she explained, fidgeting nervously. "I wanted to tell... I mean I wanted to explain..."
"You've managed just fine, Specialist. Take a breath," he said, with a level of calm he didn't feel, slipping back into old habits. Her nervous monologue actually reminded him of Tali for a brief moment before he forcefully shoved that memory down and waited for her to continue.
The woman nodded, letting out a breath. "Thank you, sir. I just never expected to be serving on a ship. I'm a tech; a scientist."
"Then you can give me the rundown of the retrofits. Ash - Lieutenant Commander Williams - gave me some of them already."
"The ship is in line with Alliance regs now and has been completely outfitted with new top of the line quantum entanglement communicators. We're linked to virtually every QEC in Alliance space. Admiral Anderson had planned to use the Normandy as his command center."
"So I was told," Shepard said. "That won't be happening now."
The tech frowned, nodding even as he looked away, towards the empty fish tank and its hypnotic stream of bubbles.
"I heard that the Admiral chose to stay and fight. I wanted to say that it's an honor to serve with you, Commander. And I'll do my best for as long as you need me. They only sent me here to oversee the retrofits..."
EDI interrupted the conversation as was her wont. "Shepard, some of our systems require further testing. Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation of my upgrades. I would prefer that she remain."
He couldn't help but smile slightly at the puzzled look at the younger woman's face. "Wait... since when does a virtual intelligence make requests and use possessives?"
"EDI isn't a VI. She's fully self aware."
"An AI!" Traynor said, eyes widening and hands balling into tight fists. "I knew it! Joker was lying!"
The ship's intelligence actually managed to sound apologetic. "Jeff requested that I pose as an advanced VI to protect myself from tampering. I am sorry for the deception, Specialist Traynor."
"I understand. And I apologize for all the times I... uh... talked about how... attractive your voice was," she replied, finishing quickly and studiously ignoring Shepard's raised eyebrow. "Now, about those upgrades."
He gave a tired smile. "Alright, walk me through it."
"Well, your friend Liara seems to have moved a considerable amount of equipment in the old XO's office on Deck 3. It was almost as if she expected to be here so I think she's officially claimed that room..."
The former Spectre simply listened. Liara's words rolled in his head, bitter in both their content and their truth. He couldn't let all those lives be lost in vain, even if he didn't know how he was going to make a difference. But he would do whatever was necessary to stop the Reapers. He had already given up too much to do anything else.
"We're coming in now, I already radioed ahead. Control says they'll have an emergency team waiting at the airlock for Ashley," Joker informed him.
"Good work, Joker."
"Ash might have went all paranoid bitch back on Horizon but she's still part of the old crew."
He nodded. "That she is. I need to check the rest of the ship and get with Liara on what her and EDI were able to discover. Comm me as soon as we're docked."
The pilot nodded and Shepard left him to what he did best, leaving the cockpit and heading for the elevator. Traynor was at the console that Kelly had once claimed as her own, typing out her reports and likely musing about all the 'interpersonal relations' that so fascinated her. The rest of the ship was disturbingly vacant. When the Reapers had attacked there had been less than a dozen people on board even counting Joker. Vega, Ashley, and two more marines made up half of those. Traynor and few R&D techs made up the rest, along with one lone engineer.
At least they had that, he thought. EDI could do a lot but she didn't have actual hands which were necessary to keep the ship running at times. Shepard stepped onto the fourth deck, heading to engineering to check on the aforementioned engineer. He had ordered Joker to redline the engines as they pushed for the Citadel and the last thing he needed was an overworked specialist getting in over their head.
When he stepped into engineering, though, he didn't find a frazzled young specialist in a sea of blinking consoles. Instead he was shocked into stillness, looking at what he thought was a ghost calmly tapping away at a console.
"Adams? Son of a bitch... I thought you were dead!"
The older man turned, his face marked with laugh lines at the corners of his mouth and hints of gray in the stubble that passed for his hair. A smile spread across his features and he drew himself up into a sharp salute.
"Commander. I could say the same for you."
He returned the salute and then stepped forward to shake the engineer's hand firmly. It was surreal, was this how people had felt when he'd just walked back into their lives? Cerberus had told him that Adams had been among the casualties aboard the SR-1... apparently the Illusive Man's information hadn't been quite so perfect and he hadn't had the time to check on the details during the hectic months following his resurrection.
"It's a long story, but it's good to see a friendly face. How did you end up on the Normandy again?"
Adams shrugged, turning and nodded towards the pulsing drive core. "The Alliance needed someone that knew about the Normandy's systems and I was the best they could do. Two Cerberus techs turned themselves in after you did but last I heard they were being held on the Citadel as 'information resources'. Tried to get a hold of Tali'Zorah but from what the brass said her response was less than agreeable."
"I'm... not surprised," Shepard said, his voice catching slightly but if Adams noticed he gave no sign.
"Have to say, sir, it's great to be serving with you again. Ever since we lost the first Normandy... those of us that made it out knew this day was coming. I thought we'd end up facing it alone," the engineer told him. "But no matter what they say, I feel better about our chances with you leading us."
"Thanks, Adams."
The older man nodded. Before he could say anything else EDI's blue hologram appeared on the console nearby.
"Shepard, Admiral Hackett is hailing us. Liara is already in the war room awaiting your presence."
"Understood, EDI," he replied and then looked over to Adams. "I've got to go, but if you need anything down here don't hesitate to ask."
Another salute was the only response as Shepard quickly made his way back to the elevator, slapping the controls and riding it to the CIC. He made his way past the security system and into the small communications room at the back, finding Liara already waiting just as EDI had said. She was reviewing a datapad before looking up as he entered the room.
"Good, I can give you both the information I've been able to extract from the Cerberus agent. EDI, would you please connect the Admiral?"
"Of course, Dr. T'soni."
The blue pixelated image snapped to life once more, this time far clearer and more distinct than it had been during the first conversation. Seeing the both of them Hackett gave a tired smile.
"Shepard. Doctor. I take it your mission on Mars was a success?"
"It was," Shepard said, glancing at Liara. "But Lieutenant Commander Williams was critically injured. We're on our way to the Citadel now. What's our status regarding the rest of the Alliance?"
"We both know it's only going to get worse, Commander. But I hope Williams pulls through, she's a good soldier," Hackett said with a sigh. "As for the Alliance... it could be worse, but only by degrees. Earth has fallen and we no longer have any fleet presence in the Sol system, it's up to Anderson on the ground to keep hope alive there."
"And the rest?"
The fatigue in the admiral's voice was evident. "They hit us hard, Shepard. Really hard. The Second... is gone. I was forced to have them fight a delaying action just to give the Third and Fifth a chance to escape. The Fourth Fleet... I can count on my hands the number of ships that survived to make it to the relay after Earth fell."
"Goddess... so quickly," Liara whispered.
"Their ships are unimaginably powerful. In two years the memory of Sovereign faded, we forgot just what a single one of their capital ships can do," Hackett continued. "The only good news I have is that the Second's sacrifice wasn't in vain: the bulk of the Third and Fifth Fleets made it out. I've assumed command of all remaining Alliance military forces which includes the scout flotillas and expeditionary fleets, along with the remainder of the First Fleet. Admiral Lindholm made a hard decision but it saved roughly half the First's ships."
Shepard sighed. "Which means that almost a third our naval forces are gone a day into this war."
"I'm afraid so. But we won't go down without a fight, and we're already working on new tactics to engage their ships more effectively. It's a war we can't win, though - only prolong. That's why I'm hoping you found something on Mars that can give us an edge?" the admiral asked.
He looked to Liara, who nodded and stepped forward. "There is a wealth of data to examine. Unfortunately some was lost due to Cerberus' interference, but I was able to find a number of things that might prove useful. I'm sending you the data now."
There was a brief pause in conversation as the info was transmitted through the QEC device. Shepard could see the admiral skimming through Liara's findings, nodding to himself before finally looking back up.
"Good, but it's not a game changer, Dr. T'soni. Improving our main mass drivers velocity by three percent or implementing a more efficient drive will certainly help but it's not going to swing the war in our favor."
"I agree," she replied. "In my opinion the only real chance the galaxy has is if we unite against the Reapers. To be brutally honest the Alliance doesn't have the strength to defeat a force as numerous and advanced as the Reapers even if we doubled the effectiveness of every ship you have."
"Brutally honest indeed... but correct," Hackett agreed. "From your tone I take it there is something else, though."
The asari continued, nodding once. "There is. Buried deep within the archives was the schematic for a device, something like I've never seen. Its exact function I couldn't decipher but I can tell you one thing: it is capable of generating energy beyond anything we have ever seen."
"Enough to destroy a Reaper?" Shepard asked.
"Enough to destroy a planet," Liara replied simply.
Hackett frowned. "And we have no idea what it does?"
"No. The only information I was able to find was that when translated the Protheans called it the 'Crucible'."
"That's a dangerous amount of power for anyone to wield, especially when we're not sure exactly what it does... but it might be our only chance," Hackett said. "I'll have my people here look over the data."
"It can be built, I assure you, Admiral," the asari stated. "It is... amazingly simple in its design compared to other Prothean devices we've found. But it will not be a simple task."
"So I can see. Shepard, this device might be our best hope, but it's for nothing if we can't build it. We need help. Ships, men, supplies... we need the galaxy on our side."
He nodded, clasping his hand behind his back and meeting the older man's gaze. "And I need to deliver it."
"There's no man better suited to the task. I'll be contact with you as soon as we have more information about Anderson's status on Earth. Hackett out."
He and Liara stood there for a moment after the hologram faded. This Prothean device... weapon, the Crucible? That was a measurable goal. A distant one, but it was something. It was a straw to grasp at when everything else seemed lost. But Liara had been right. On their own humanity couldn't win this war. It would take everyone uniting to pull it off. That meant turian fleets, krogan soldiers, asari biotics... and more.
"About earlier..." Liara began.
Shepard held up a hand. "You were right. Too many people have died to let it be for nothing."
"Too many indeed."
His omni-tool beeped. They'd be docking at the Citadel within the next half hour. "The Citadel... at last."
"What will you do now?"
"We go to the Council with what we have. They've ignored me for too long and now innocent people are paying the price. I won't be ignored anymore," Shepard said.
The asari leaned against the console. "Even now they might not believe the threat is as dire as it is. Before I met you I would have believed in the Council's wisdom. Now I see them for what they are. Flawed politicians that are all too ready to ignore reality. What if they won't provide the support we need?"
"Then we find another way."
Liara smiled. "That's the Shepard I remember."
"Maybe so," he said, forcing a tired smile in return. "Now let's go make some waves with those flawed politicians."
The Citadel hadn't changed a great deal in six months, still the bustling hub of galactic activity it had always been. An Alliance secured dock and traffic control had been an interesting twist, but he supposed it made sense. Military ships docked all the time, why not have their own governments deal with their docking and maintenance? And, as promised, a medical team was waiting at the airlock.
"Let's move. Get me Dr. Rakain and a full surgery team stat," the emergency physician said, checking Ashley's vitals even as she was being loaded onto a medical bed.
"Where are you taking her?" Shepard asked.
"Huerta Memorial. Best care in the Citadel, Commander, I promise."
And then they were gone, double timing it down the crowded halls, orderlies running ahead to push people out of the way. He pushed away the nagging question of whether he'd see Williams again, instead turning his attention to the man with his arms crossed, waiting by the airlock. Captain Bailey's stern expression softened slightly as they approached.
"Shepard."
"Captain Bailey... it's good to see a friendly face."
"Actually it's Commander now, head of Presidium security," the officer corrected.
Shepard arched an eyebrow at his less than enthused tone. "Congratulations... I guess?"
"A mixed blessing, now I spend most of my time fending off the press and political appointees. I'm here to take you to the Council... but I can stall if you want to head to Huerta Memorial first?"
"No... this can't wait," Shepard said, looking down the corridor for a moment before shaking his head. "Williams is their hands now, and I guess her God's. I just hope he's looking out for her."
Bailey gestured for them to follow. "All of you?"
"I don't think I'm going to be much help at that sort of meeting. I'll check in with whatever Alliance brass is here, see what the word is," Vega said.
"Good. Keep me updated."
With the lieutenant's departure they continued on their way, Liara falling behind slightly as they walked, checking her data pad and omni-tool constantly. Shepard gave the C-Sec officer a bemused look.
"So... security for the Presidium and the Council. Makes you pretty close to Executor I'd think."
"I feel more like a glorified doorman," Bailey countered. "I'm not cut out for politics... all the stuffed shirts and fake smiles. I'd rather be back on the streets."
"Then why accept?"
"Udina isn't a man you say no to... well, maybe you would, but I gotta live here. He decided I was the right man for the job. I wasn't even bucking for it, not like some of the others. So here I am."
He grunted. "Politics."
"Tell me about it. It's all about knowing who the 'right' people are to forward on to the Council, keeping the paparazzi out. Saying the right thing to 'maintain the integrity of the office'," the man said, doing a rather decent impression of the asari Councilor's cultured tone.
"Politicians... weeds of the galaxy."
Bailey laughed. "Ha! If that was a bumper sticker I'd put it on my damn office door."
They continued in silence for a few long minutes as the elevator ascended. Liara was still lost in her digital world of information and contacts, still better with facts than people. When Bailey spoke again his tone was far less jovial.
"It's killing me about Earth. I haven't been back in years. Now I may never get the chance."
"I know," Shepard said. "It was hard leaving."
The officer sighed. "If this ain't the end of days... it's pretty damn close."
The elevator finally stopped, opening up to open chamber that was the Council chambers, fully restored after the destruction wrought during the Battle of the Citadel. Back were the lush plants and bubbling fountains, the immaculately clean floors and walls. It looked just as it had the day he had stood before the Council and pledged to do his duty as a Spectre, to protect and serve the people of the galaxy. Eden Prime had been his first encounter with Saren and where the beacon had forever burned its imagery into his mind... but that moment before the Council is when he'd irrevocably set down this path.
He and Liara stepped out, leaving Bailey inside. Shepard turned back to the man, giving him an encouraging nod.
"Maybe it is the end of the days, Bailey. But what do humans do when our backs are against the wall?"
A humorless smile appeared on the other man's face. "We fight."
"Damn right."
"Good luck, Commander."
The C-sec officer gave him a quick salute before the doors slide shut. With that final encouragement he turned and walked purposefully up the steps to the audience platform. He could see Udina speaking with the others, arguing from the look of it, but he couldn't make out what was being said. On the walkways above them citizens from every race watched on nervously. There was a palpable aura of fear in the room. Monsters were real. And now everyone knew it.
"Earth is not alone in this, Councilor. Palaven has also come under attack."
"By all reports Earth was the first hit and has suffered the brunt of the attack," Udina countered.
"By your reports, maybe," Valern said, the salarian's voice dripping with poorly concealed scorn.
Before the Normandy was destroyed over that icy planet he might have been hesitant to interrupt a conversation between the most powerful political figures in the galaxy. But death had a way of changing your perspective.
"The reports are accurate. Earth was attacked. By the Reapers," Shepard said loudly before the debate could continue. "And it's only the beginning. We need everything you can spare if we're going to have a chance of saving our world."
The asari was the first to speak. "Commander Shepard. Your arrival was unexpected. I am afraid that each of us faces a similar situation. Even now the... Reapers press at our borders. If we turn our fleets towards Earth then our own worlds will fall."
She even managed to say the word 'Reaper' like it wasn't quite real, despite all evidence to the contrary. The sheer idiocy of it almost made him throw up his hands. Udina spoke up before he could offer the scathing rebuttal on his tongue.
"Councilors, we must fight this threat together! Alone we are targets waiting to be picked over at the Reaper's leisure."
"And so we should just follow you to Earth?" Valern asked incredulously.
"Enough!"
To his surprise it was Sparatus, his constant critic on the Council during his entire tenure as a Spectre, that spoke up. The turian fixed him with a hard stare. There was no kindness there, but maybe there was a little less scorn than he had seen before.
"Assuming we even did what you asked and united our fleets... do you really believe we can defeat the Reapers? I've seen the reports from Palaven. Even their smaller warships are capable of devastating our most advanced warships and absorbing enormous punishment."
"I didn't come here without a plan," Shepard replied, looking to his right. "Liara?"
Stepping forward the asari activated her omni-tool, creating a hologram that hung in the open space between the Council's platform and their own. It was a strange, tubular device that was rather smooth in appearance and twice as long as any dreadnought.
"Councilors, this is beginning of that plan. It was discovered within the Prothean archives on Mars. It is a blueprint for a device that they developed during their long war with the Reapers," Liara explained. "I am sending the details of its specifications to your consoles. We are still piecing it together but it appears to be a weapon of some form."
The salarian studied the image carefully. "But is it capable of destroying the Reapers?"
"So it would seem... look at the power output that the design promises. That much energy would destroy anything, no matter how powerful its shields or thick its hull."
"The scale, though... it would be a colossal undertaking!"
"Besides, the Protheans still lost their war against the Reapers," Councilor Tevos said, gesturing to the image. "Why would we expect to do better with their device?"
Liara shook her head. "The records indicate that they never completed the device. There was a piece missing, something called the 'catalyst', that they were unable to build before the Reapers destroyed them. As for the scale... it is considerable, but Shepard has already forwarded the data to the Alliance and resources are being gathered. The schematics are deceptively simple, as if they expected an unfamiliar race to need to interpret them."
"The point is that we can build it. But only if we work together," Shepard finished.
Sparatus leaned forward, still fixed on him. "An impressive find. But the question remains, do you really believe that this device can stop the Reapers?"
"Liara believes it will work. And I trust her judgement. I believe that we don't have any other options and I'll be damned if we're going to go quietly into the night," he said, returning the stare before turning his eyes to the other two alien Councilors. "The Reapers won't stop at Earth. Either we stop them now or they will wipe out every organic civilization in the galaxy, just like they've done a thousand times before."
There was a moment of silence as the Councilors looked at each other before the salarian finally shook his head. Already he could hear the platitudes, the excuses. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. It was Tevos that finally spoke, always the voice of the group.
"The cruel and unfortunate truth, Shepard, is that while the Reapers focus on Earth it gives the rest of us a chance to regroup, plan, and prepare."
"We have called a summit of our species to come up with a plan of action," Velarn added. "If we can manage to secure our borders then we may consider aiding you in the fight for your homeworld."
"I'm sorry, Commander. That is the best we can do," Tevos concluded.
He looked at them incredulously for a few long moments before giving a bitter laugh.
"The best? Two years ago I told you what was coming. You doubted me and when I died you did everything you could sweep me under the rug. Six months ago I warned you again. Brought you hard data... and you labeled me 'disgraced'. Told the Alliance that peace with the batarians was too important..."
"Everything we have done-" Tevos began.
"Has been to cover your own ass!" Shepard snapped. "So when your world is burning too, Councilor, you can talk to me about how everything you've done was for the greater good of the galaxy."
With that he turned and stalked away, not even waiting for a response. He just saw red. For the first time since the Battle of the Citadel itself he almost regretted his decision to order the Fleet in to save the Destiny Ascension. Only the hundreds of other crew members that had also survived aboard the dreadnought brought him any kind of consolation. His omni-tool blinked rapidly. Udina was asking him to meet in the Councilor's office.
"I'm going to meet some of my contacts, Shepard. Hopefully I can have better news for you soon," Liara said.
He merely nodded curtly, slapping the button for the elevator. It was a quick ride to the human embassy. Upon exiting the elevator he found the area flooded not just with humans but a sampling of virtually every race. It seemed confusion and panic wasn't restricted to any one place as he heard people demanding information about loved ones on Earth or colonies that had gone dark. He pushed through the press of bodies until he made it to the restricted area, quickly locating Udina's office.
"You make Anderson look like a master diplomat, Shepard. But you're dedicated, I'll give you that," Udina said as soon as he stepped inside.
The former Spectre shrugged. "I'm not playing nice anymore. Too many people are dying to keep playing games with those idiots."
"Not all of us are idiots... but then maybe it's because both of our homeworlds are under siege that we share a common bond," a flanged voice said behind him.
"Sparatus?" he said in surprise, turning.
"We don't have to agree and we can talk about who was stupid later, Shepard. But I think I have a way for you to get what you need. Or at least a step along the right path. Primarch Fedorian has called a war council among the Council races, but he's stranded on Palaven. The Normandy is one of the few ships in the galaxy that can extract him."
His eyes narrowed. "Years of practically calling me a traitor, then the Reapers show up on our doorstep... and you still want me to play politics?"
"If it gets you what you want, what does it matter? The Primarch is our most powerful military leader. With him on your side you'll have a powerful ally in this war summit," Sparatus pointed out. "The men and women at that summit will be the ones that decide where our ships fight. And for whom."
"Then I guess we've got a Primarch to extract," Shepard replied with poorly disguised sarcasm.
The turian gave him another unamused look and headed towards the door of Udina's office, only to pause and turn. "Oh, and the Council has decided to uphold your Spectre status. Our individual governments might not be providing support but you'll find access to certain resources you might not have otherwise had."
"Can't say I'm not surprised."
For the first time since first laying eyes on Sparatus he watched the man's mandibles curl into what he had learned was the turian equivalent of a smile. And only thanks to spending so much time with Garrus and their equally twisted senses of humor.
"We'll never be friends, Shepard. But I'm still a turian. And the difference between us and the salarians or the asari? War is in our blood. I think it might be in the humans too. We both know that some things can never be solved with words. Good luck, Shepard."
"Huh," he muttered.
The turian was out the door and gone before he could muster anything else, instead turning back to Udina. Thinning gray hair and an almost permanent scowl had always made the man look even older than his sixty some-odd years would suggest, but now there was another layer of worry etched into his face. He'd never liked the man, but he could at least respect the position he was in, expected to have all the answers but none of the power to actually provide them.
"I wasn't expecting that."
Udina shook his head. "Neither was I. It's truly dark times when the turians are the most sympathetic to humanity."
"I'm just not sure how he got the salarians or the asari to pitch in the extra vote to reinstate me."
"I overheard Sparatus mention something to Valern about 'the next uplifted species to get out of control'. The smug bastard certainly got flustered at that. Whatever it was, he gave the third vote needed," the Councilor replied, managed a faint smile.
"What about you? Any word from Earth? Or news at all?" Shepard asked.
"There's news, all of it bad. The few quantum entanglers we have spread across Earth are our only method of communication, everything else is gone. Our comm buoys are destroyed... for all intents and purposes our economy consists of nothing but one giant IOU. With the Parliament gone and Earth fallen, I have more power than any other person in the history of humanity... and it's not enough."
"Maybe not now, but I don't think you're just going to give up."
"Hardly. I'll lean on the colonies for all they're worth. Institute a draft... humanity has generated some good will in the galaxy and now it's time to cash in the chips. I can gather enough material to repair and resupply Hackett's fleet at least," Udina said. "The rest is up to you."
He looked out of the expansive view from the Councilor's office, the scene deceptively idyllic. Traffic flowed smoothly across the skylanes and the Presidium below was a splash of blue and green. A stark contrast from the world he'd left burning behind him. He thought of what the older man had said, about Parliament and Earth.
"Did you have family back on Earth?"
"No. But Arcturus... hell, I was on a first name basis with most of Parliament. I even had to get a second VI to keep track of all of their birthdays and anniversaries. It seems so trivial now."
The exhaustion in the man's voice was the most human he'd ever seen Udina.
"A lot of things seem trivial when you're fighting for survival. But it doesn't mean they didn't matter. I know you'll do whatever is necessary to help win this war, Udina. And I'll do the same."
The Councilor met his gaze with equal determination. "I'd expect nothing less. I'll be here if you need me, your Spectre status should give you a direct line to my office."
Leaving the diplomat to his thoughts Shepard turned and left, opening his omni-tool to check the new message that had just popped up. His authorization for full Spectre status was confirmed in the system. First stop would be the armory and offices, then. Time to see just what Sparatus meant by resources. Interestingly enough the Spectre facilities were only a short distance away.
He found the door, a heavy, double plated affair with a retinal scanner. Putting his eye up to the scanner it beeped once, twice, and finally a third time before the door opened. Once inside he was greeted by a short corridor constantly being swept by half a dozen sensors. The VI acknowledged his presence in that usual polite tone that most VI systems seemed to have as he made it past the final door, finding himself in a decent sized room filled with computer consoles, storage shelves, and screens but little else. So much for the Spectre break room.
"Shiny, isn't? A girl could spend days just messing with the computers and all those delicious overrides!" a voice exclaimed behind him, high pitched and almost giddy sounding.
Shepard spun on his heel, reaching for a gun that wasn't there, only to blink in surprise and relax as the air in front of him shimmered. Where there had been nothing a slight female form appeared, eyes twinkling beneath a familiar hood.
Kasumi smiled. "Heya, Shep. Thought you'd never get here."
