((A/N: Urg, work is so uninspiring. This chapter might be kinda bleh, but there will be action and reunions and stuff next time. I promise.))
To organize anything just a few days after a full scale galactic war was short of miraculous on its own. The new impromptu rescue squad had to nearly fight to get anything they needed. Except for the geth. Having a fleet that rivaled the turians' own was a bonus, and geth ships were faster and tougher in a fight. They would be great assets in this mission, and all geth were on board with the plan.
Shepard perhaps had the greatest impact upon the geth than any others. With her help in staying the hand of the quarian fleets, geth became individuals, now capable of a synthetic evolution beyond what the quarians orginally ordained three centuries prior. Any geth asked would easily volenteer. They all wanted to express their gratitude for what the human did for them all and all synthetics. Not to mention the geth were not exactly happy to have to fight their own creators. The geth would gladly honor the peace between the quarians and themselves.
For the mission the Geth Concensus pledged a small fleet. Two large cruisers, ten frigates and a wing of 6 fighter craft. And full complement of geth on each one, plus a geth prime and three hunters for the ground mission. It wouldn't make Wrex any less nervous knowing they were along for the ride. But if they helped him kill Cerberus for hurting Shepard in any way, he was okay with it. That or some other salarians. Mordin was the only one with his hide, the rest were worthless schemers the krogan couldn't be bothered with.
Wrex for his part was trying to keep his krogan from starting any fights on Earth while they were there. The relays were still not all online or whatever it was the geth had said. Enough that the krogan could not leave for Tuchanka just yet. Although, despite all of this, despite how the old warlord had lived up til now, he just wanted to go home. Krogan had earned a peaceful life now, it'd be nice to sleep without worrying about someone trying to kill you in your sleep.
Helping the C-Sec officers dig through endless cargo bays amid the mess the Reapers made on the Citadel, Wrex finally had to ask what they were looking for. Again.
"What the hell are we looking for? Wasn't very important when the Reapers kicked down the door and threw you off the Citadel," Wrex said, knowing he had to be wearing the human and turian's nerves raw by now.
"We confinscated it from a STG worm. He conned an asari scientist in helping him develope it. Nothing benign about it," the turian grumbled.
"It's a salarian we're talking about, Tarkus," the human, Hyrawl said, both hands in pockets as they walked down an empty corridor. "Wrex knows. Most of them are up to something."
"Well, they can't be all bad now. One did just cure the genophage for us."
Hyrawl looked back at the krogan with a skeptical glance. "One doesn't redeem the lot."
"True."
...
Hours later the trio finally found what they were looking for. It was in one of the Ward station houses. They couldn't tell which Ward it was, the carnage and damage was so extensive. But it was heartening to a degree that the keepers were cleaning up the mess. The crew tagged a large cargo container for pick up in a turian frigate that was also assigned to the mission. It was by sheer luck the asari scientist was evacuated from the Citadel to Earth when the massive station was moved.
The scientist, a biotics specialist by the name of Yasea Renthe, was in the middle of helping set up another field hospital in a refuge center. She was lost on Earth, lost even more in Paris. Humans here spoke with a thick accent, or in a language they insisted was the language of love. Being just under 500 years old may have made her a little cynical, but now her temper was so short people were just giving her a very wide berth.
She was especially displeased when the men who shut down her legitimate research showed up to ask her for her help. And an appearent krogan flunky made her a little less willing to be any help to them.
"Please ma'am, Hyrawl is trying to get a team together to go rescue Commander SHepard," Tarkus tried to appeal to the asari's better nature.
"Well then he and you and who ever the hell else can figure it out yourselves then," Yasea spat, using a biotic field to finish setting up the corner of a tent. Hyrawl was already losing his patience, and Wrex was just chuckling at him. They needed to get her back to the fleet's rally point.
"Look, Dr. Renthe, I know we were not as delicate as we should have been when we, ahem, interrupted your research, but now we need your help. Not us personally, hell Wrex probably doesn't know how to ask. But Commander Shepard needs us. Nothing she has accomplished will matter if we let a bunch of fucking cowards murder her in secret. If she dies, so does any hope in the galaxy," Hyrawl said, then stepped toward her then gestured to the ruined buildings behind them and the refugees huddling around the camp. "She gave every person here and everywhere else the galaxy hope. If they lose that light, the Reapers might as well have won."
Yasea looked at him for a long moment. Her royal blue skin was smugged with ash, but piercing eyes seemed to be dissecting him as she thought. She walked in close and looked him dead in the eye, and Hyrawl didn't budge. She still couldn't intimidate this one.
"Alright, I'll help. I just want to figure out why humans are willing to throw perfectly good lives away."
The turian and krogan were already trudging their way back to the borrowed shuttle. Hyrawl spared the asari a grin. "Its what we do. When all we have is our bones and our blood, we'll trade it for victory. I just hope Shepard doesn't make that transaction."
...
It seemed like it was all an elaborate plan, like the Illusive Man himself had it all figured out. EDI just could not see that far into the plan. Or it was simply that the remaining Cerberus members had their bases covered. When the Normandy exited the relay, it was already surrounded. Not only that, Cerberus was jamming all communications. Evasive manuveurs was an only option, that, and by now Cerberus ships were wise enough to not linger in front of the bow of the Normandy.
The chase wasn't very long, the Normandy forced to land on a moon of a large jovian planet. It had an abandoned docking facility that allowed Cerberus the oppertunity to board the ship. Rather than destroy it, or kill the crew, they were all taken hostage and the ship locked down. The only thing they missed, was EDI. The synthetic body was placed in the AI core, staged to look inactive. EDI also allowed the Cerberus troops to try and lock out her access to the ship's systems. All she had to do was wait until they were all off the Normandy.
The hardest part was cutting through the interferance Cerberus was creating. EDI was tracking the ships, but could not signal until they were out of range or risk retaliation. She offhandedly hoped they would leave Eden Prime alone, and was satisfied Cerberus promptly left the utopia system. Luckily, some of the ships had poor encryption in their comm systems, and learned where they were going.
...
"Open a comm channel to C-Sec Officer Hyrawl," Admiral Hackett ordered one of the officers on the bridge of his ship. The call was placed, and a few moments later the channel was opened.
"Hyrawl here, what do you need, Admiral? We're packing up what we can here, we'll be ready once Ms. Lawson cares to grace us with her presense."
Hackett could not help but wish this motivated individual had stayed in the Alliance, he was certianly used to getting things done.
"Not so fast son. I have two things before you can head out. EDI, the Normandy's shipboard AI has contacted us. The crew was taken as hostages and they tried to lock the Normandy up on a moon orbiting Zion in the Utopia System."
"Really? Must have surprised them then. I thought there was a detachment of an Alliance fleet sitting on that system."
Hackett rubbed his forehead and nodded. It was a little embaressing but it was as it was.
"EDI can bring the ship back but I would rather you rendevous with her and transfer a skeleton crew over, and take the Normandy with you. She might have information for you. I don;t want to risk her leaking information to our enemies over these channels."
Hyrawl was quiet for a moment, in which Hackett hoped the channel was compromised. Now would be the wrong time for a breach like that.
"What's the other thing?"
"I'm going with you, that's non-negotiable. I babysat the Crucible and dropped the ball at the critical moment. I may be an old warbird but I will make it up to get Shepard out of Cerberus' hands."
((A/N: If people are still following, then you're in luck! Next chapter will has much action, an OC will be hurt, and Wrex! Yay Wrex!))