The My Fair D.A.M.E. Project
Chapter 2
Edit 2/23/10: Formatting for quotation grammar correction.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is for amusement only.
------------------
John Shepard sighed and placed the most recently completed reported on the 'Done' stack and looked back at the 'Not Done' stack with a pursed frown. Whoever had said that Spectres never had to worry about anything or report to anybody had quite obviously lied. As the background tool of the Council, they apparently had an ungodly amount of paperwork to catch up on to justify everything from various decisions to simple finances.
John looked out the window situated in the wall to his right. The council had gratefully given him a small office in a secured, relatively undamaged sector of Citadel Tower. He could see the ongoing repairs that were nearly complete down in the Presidium below. He smiled softly, glad to see that things could return to the closest semblance of normalcy possible within a matter of days.
He then leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to relax and allow his mind to wander before getting back to his 'work'. It was only a couple of months ago that he and his team defeated Saren, Sovereign and the Geth right there in the Citadel. Thankfully the known universe had been quiet and clear of trouble in the time since. It was as though the criminal element felt they also needed a break after the intense upheaval their world had suffered.
The Normandy was in dry dock for minor repairs and maintenance, as well as a few upgrades. It was thanks to Joker's incredible skills that the Normandy was the least damaged of the present fleet. The Salarians and the Asari both had been extremely impressed by the craftsmanship and the concepts behind the ship. As tokens of thanks from their nations' governments, some new technologies were being given to John and his crew for use on the ship. John had kindly said he'd pass any data they gathered back to the science teams that designed the systems.
John himself had taken three weeks after the 'Sovereign Incident' as it was now called, to recoup and take time for himself. After that though, he'd reached the point of boredom and had started getting caught up on work so that his team could get back out to the good fight.
John's team had been given shore leave and were enjoying it thoroughly. Ashley, in interest of their now romantically involved relationship, had stayed nearby and was quick to drag John out of his office whenever possible.
Joker had been snagged up by the heads of various military schools to do a series of joint lectures about space flight and mass relay tech for the current students. He of course was eating up the attention, glad to see his hard work was being recognized by others outside the Normandy's social strata. The ego stroking led to Joker being mildly insufferable for a week before Garrus and Wrex oh so kindly pointed out that he was still just Joker.
Liara was also doing lectures. She'd presented her findings to a group of archeological peers and since then had been leading a discussion on the paradigm shifts that had to occur because of the new knowledge. Like Joker, she was glad to see her work taken seriously for once but was doing so with much more grace than Joker's mild 'strutting'.
Garrus had shipped off after a week's relaxation to a training camp for potential Spectre's. He'd also reapplied to C-Sec and had been re-granted his rank as detective. He was then assigned as the C-Sec liaison to Spectre Shepard's team as per John's request to Executor Pallin. Pallin had been mildly impressed by John's idea that C-Sec and the Spectres should really consider each other allies instead of rivals. There was also a brief moment where Garrus politely introduced John and the team to his father. The older Vakarian shook John's hand and thanked him for bringing some goodness into the Spectres. John just smiled politely and said nothing.
Wrex had quite simply settled some financial accounts with a few 'associates' and then dropped into a quiet routine of drinking, patrolling for troublemakers and playing silent bodyguard for Liara. Liara herself wasn't quite sure what to make of the stoic Krogan's sudden company, but did not hesitate accept his presence. Most of the team was mystified by Wrex's strange protectiveness. He'd only shrug and reply that he had nothing better to do when questioned about it. The only one who took it as a completely normal action, was Garrus, who was apparently now drinking buddies with Wrex.
Tali, had returned to the flotilla with the data they'd found for her pilgrimage. What John had not expected was to find her knocking at his office door a month later while holding a duffle bag and official documents assigning her as the Quarian liaison to his team. It was the hope of the Admiralty board that in her work with John that she might find a way to make up for the problems caused by the Geth and quite possibly a new homeward for her people as well.
John sighed as he then finally remembered one other significant member of his crew. It was only two days after the incident that they held the memorial service for Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko. John still felt that he hadn't tried hard enough for a third option when the time had come to choose. All of his friends had told him that he did the best that could be done and so John nodded and said farewell to Kaidan at the service. He thought with something akin to regret that they could've been best friends.
John snorted and pulled himself out of his reverie. Things had calmed, and the Normandy was due out of dry dock by the end of the week. He needed to get that paperwork done. But as soon as he reached for the next report, the alarm klaxons sounded and he started receiving updates via his communicator regarding the activation of the miniature mass relay below in the Presidium.
John let to his feet, checked his weapons and then commed his teammates to meet him at the entrance to the barriers that had been erected around the device. Within minutes he was there and smiling grimly at his assembled team, proud to see them already there and battle ready.
He nodded at Executor Pallin and waved at the entrance. "If you like, I'll take my team in at point while your officers hold the perimeter?" he suggested neutrally.
Pallin smirked and waved John ahead, "Be my guest. I don't mind using you and your people as shields for mine."
John grinned and waved his team into position around him and they went through the entrance. Panning out in a semi circle in front of the relay, John and his team watched the final flare of light fade. What appeared was no vehicle but a group of humanoids in the strangest gear he'd ever seen.
Ashley blinked in surprise, "Chainmail and plate armor? They've got swords? Can the relay enact time travel too?"
Liara shook her head, "No.. that shouldn't be possible with the physics involved."
No further speculation occurred as John approached the group with his pistol drawn. He spoke in his 'commander's' voice, "Freeze! Do not move! You are surrounded!"
One of them, a human male in plate armor by the looks of him, stood and blinked in confusion at John. He put out one hand in placating gesture but did not otherwise move. John gestured with his pistol at the sword on the man's hip. "Place your weapons on the ground, now!" he ordered. The male recoiled in confusion and then looked over at a human female in chainmail with a pleading face.
John followed the man's glance just in time to hear that woman's war cry as she let at him with a pair of daggers. John internally sighed, this was going to be a long day.
He stepped out of the way of the woman's charge and then pistol-whipped her, leaving her to fall unconscious on the ground. This of course, led to the chaos that followed. The human male, enraged, also charged but was tackled by Wrex. John barked out a quick order, "Subdue only! We want them alive!"
Each of his team issued an affirmative and took action. Garrus knocked out a stout red haired midget while Liara restrained two other human women who appeared to be armed only with staves. One woman was having a panic attack and the other needed more clothing. Ashley grappled with another man who was easily as tall as Wrex before finally shooting him in the knee and knocking him out.
What John was not prepared for was the very large dog that now leapt at him with vicious snarl. He fell under the dog's massive bulk and then blinked in surprise as it went completely still. John nodded gratefully at Tali as she rolled the limp, sleeping dog off of him and retrieved what appeared to be a tranquilizer dart. John then watched Garrus and Wrex take down a slight male and a red haired woman in swift tandem. And like that it was over.
Garrus shook his head and then turned to John, "This could've gone much worse, Shepard. These… people, were obviously disoriented. I think they're used to working together more solidly than this. We got lucky."
John nods and then claps him on the shoulder, "I agree. Go get the Executor and his officers. We'll need to get them quarantined and disarmed asap. And Garrus… tell Pallin I get first dibs on interrogation."
Garrus smirked and nodded before striding out the entrance door to find his boss. John sighed and tried not to think about the extra paperwork this would entail. "Okay everyone, clean up time. Weapons over on that side, unconscious bodies on the other," he ordered before bending down to drag the unusually heavy dog off to the side. Things could only get stranger from here on out, he thought to himself.