Chapter 6: Sparticus

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We stumbled back exhausted onto the Normandy in the middle of 3rd shift with only a skeleton crew to greet us. Chakwas and Mordin met us with a medivac team and took the still unconscious Kenson to the Medical Centre under armed escort. Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi headed to their respective quarters to get a few hours well-earned sleep but I, acting on a hunch headed straight down to Engineering. True enough my Chief Engineer was still at her station, alone, absorbed in a mass of displays and readouts.

I walked up behind her as stealthily as possible in my heavy armour chuckling quietly to myself as I saw her slightly stiffen. I gently circled my arms around her waist and she leaned back against my chest.

"I can never catch you" I said drawing her into a tight embrace.

Tali pulling back from me a little and turned round placing her three-fingered hands on my shoulders and looked at me with soft shining eyes.

"Wrong, you can always catch me John" she said demurely "because I always want to be caught by you"

I gave a long happy sigh of contentment as I held the young quarian in my arms. "Tough mission?" she said gently "did you manage to free Dr Kenson?"

I nodded tiredly "Yes we got her and everyone got out without any injuries thank to Kasumi. Kenson is in the Medical Centre right now with Chakwas and Mordin under observation. Did you make any progress on that special project I gave you?"

"Please John I'm a quarian, remember?" she joked "It wasn't a difficult problem really; it was just a question of power. We can generate a big enough energy pulse that will knock out all of the colonies security, defense systems shields and weapons for at least an hour. The only catch is that the damage it will do to our systems. The Normandy's mass effect core will be off line for several hours, perhaps a full day."

"Good enough" I nodded "great work Tali" I said.

She pulled away from me "But John, you can't really mean to go ahead with it, can you..? Thousands, tens of thousands, would die fighting in the streets armed with nothing but knives and hammers. It would be a bloodbath… a massacre. The children… the old people...what of them?. And I read about your Sparticus... in the end he lost and all the thousands of slaves that followed him were slaughtered not to mention the horrible things he and his men did…"

I sighed "All this is true Tali, but if I do nothing, if we simply leave, I am condemning over two hundred thousand slaves, many of them human to a short nasty and brutal existence under the Batarians. At least this way they get a chance to fight for their freedom. I have to believe that is the better of two evils."

Tali turned away agitated "John… you can't make me into such a monster… I can't do it... I won't be responsible for all that death… I can't!

I rubbed the back of my neck and bowed my head "The responsibility is mine Tali, I will be the one pressing the button, I will be the monster if that's what it takes to save people and you will do it because it is an order" I said more harshly than I intended "I am your Captain, your hesh'lan, remember?".

She looked as shocked as if I had physically slapped her then finally her shoulders slumped in resignation "Yes Captain" she said "it will be ready by the start of first watch, turning back to her workstation.

I wanted to apologise but I couldn't think of anything more to say so I turned on my heel and went back to my cabin alone.

I woke in an empty bed screaming into the night with the images of thousands of knives and thousands of hammers cutting flesh and smashing bone, of drowning in a mile deep sea of dark sticky blood, of piles of corpses of the old and the young hundreds of feet high burning and all through it Tali's modulated voice crying "monster, monster, monster" accusingly over and again.

EDI's blue hologram appeared "Shepard I detected evidence of vocal distress in your cabin, are you alright?" it said in its soothing monotone.

"Yea… I'm ok EDI or will be" I said rubbing my eyes awake "just a nightmare"

"I have been continuously monitoring broadcasts from Aratoht City and I believe you will wish to see this"

"Go ahead EDI" I said, my head thumping.

The viewscreen glowed into life to reveal a furious Batarian in uniform. "I address this ultimatum to the Captain of the Cerberus vessel in orbit above Aratoht." he began. For the acts of terrorism that were carried out by your crew last night the Hegemony demands the immediate surrender of yourself and your vessel. Your crew will be released unharmed after proper questioning. The consequences of your failure to comply will be your sole responsibility". The image on the viewscreen changed to one of large group of dishevelled humans mostly women and children, huddling together in fear, children crying, mothers trying to comfort them. "God damn it no!" I murmured to myself knowing what had to come next. From out of the frame of the picture I heard the sound of heavy weapons fire. For an instant there was a chorus of screaming and then nothing. As soon as the smoke cleared, the camera zoomed in to reveal burned and shattered lumps of smoking flesh. After lingering on the horrors for a moment, the furious Batarian was back "Cerberus, you claim to stand to protect humans but this is what you have caused by your terrorist outrages on the peace loving Batarian people. Every hour, on the hour 1000 slaves will be executed on this very spot until your Captain surrenders himself and your vessel. Message ends"

"EDI" I said, my voice cracking with emotion "Is it possible that the Batarians can detect the Normandy?"

"It is most unlikely Shepard. Only the Collectors ever possessed the technology to do so. Further if they could detect the ship in orbit there is a high likelihood that they would attack us directly without the use of propaganda and blackmail. Most likely they are as you say 'bluffing'"

I leaped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. "EDI, I need for you to hack into their broadcast system and then stand by. I need to deliver a message of my own and I need it to be heard by everyone in the colony"

"Yes Shepard" EDI said, its blue hologram disappearing.

Marching into the CIC in full Cerberus Assault Armour I ascended the plinth to the Galaxy Map. I activated the ships intercom "Tali" I said commandingly "Is the Project ready?"

"Yes Captain" she said quiet sad voice "I have created a 'button' on the Galaxy Map next to its representation of Aratoht. Click on it once and it will activate"

"EDI, have you tied me into Aratoht's broadcast system?"

"Yes Shepard it is available now"

"EDI begin broadcast now" I said.

"Slaves of Aratoht" I began "Thousands of years ago on the planet Earth there was a slave called Spartacus who raised a vast army of slaves against the greatest empire of the time to fight for his and their freedom. I offer you the same chance now to rise up against the cruelty of your Batarian masters. In a moment all the defence and security systems which allow your oppression will be disabled. Without technology, victory goes to those with the most numbers and you outnumber the Batarians more than two to one. The fight will be bloody and savage and many of you will lose your lives but I know that you will prevail. Good luck. Message Ends"

I pressed the button and instantly the colony below me went dark.

A/N Thanks for your reviews and comments