Chapter.7
Incident.
Shepard stood beside Joker watching the miraculous display of ships orbiting around the Citadel, most of them lazily drifting along waiting for a conformation to dock at one of the ports in the wards.
The Normandy was allowed to bypass the conformation check and head straight to a C-Sec port that was reserved for more important members of society. This saved Shepard from having to wait around on the ship and make small talk with Joker, who was at the moment still upset with the Commander for delaying their escape from the Collectors.
Shepard still hadn't figured out what happened to him back on Arul when he had apparently gone berserk and started slaying anything near him. All Shepard could remember was blacking out when he saw the Collector evolve into a Harbinger and start advancing on Tali, he had some memory of the battle but most of it was distorted and he didn't understand why.
Joker suddenly spoke into his mike."This is SSV Normandy making final approach to hanger T-34." Joker's voice was monotone compared to his usual slyness.
Shepard adjusted his uniform slightly trying to make sure he looked appropriate for the Alliance soldiers and civilians that recognized him. He had been the target of numerous media organizations lately, due to his high level security clearance and lack of secrecy on confidential matters; he wanted to rectify his mistake by looking professional just in case he was ambushed by a throng of media fanatics.
The Normandy touched down in its assigned hanger and was grabbed onto by the padded arms of the hanger's walls that securely anchored it to the ground.
Shepard turned around as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. It was Garrus who was closely followed by Tali, they were both looking at Shepard in his fancy Alliance N7 uniform, it was surprisingly simple for a ceremonial uniform consisting of only a dark gray shirt and pants with the Alliance emblem on the left pectoral muscle and the N7 emblem on his right shoulder with a red line behind it.
"You're looking…spiffy today Shepard." Garrus stopped in front of Shepard as he talked, his voice was dry and he sounded tired.
Joker spoke up from his pilot chair without turning around. "Well after you risk the lives of your entire crew just so you can kill something you normally need to act nice for a few days." Joker was obviously pissed at the Commander, not that he didn't have a reason. Most of the crew where worried about Shepard but only Joker was outright mad at him.
Shepard ignored Jokers comment and hoped he would eventually get over the incident. Shepard shifted his weight so that his attention was on Tali who was standing a few inches closer to him then Garrus.
Shepard smiled at Tali, and spoke in a reassuring voice. "Well if the media tries to get us again I plan on being prepared. Anyway are you two ready?'
After Tali and Garrus reassured Shepard they were ready the group made their way to the C-sec customs and processing.
Shepard and his small escort made their way through customs and avoided the crowds easily with the use of Shepards spectre status.
Once past the C-Sec hive they started their way to Anderson's office. Shepard had sent Anderson a report of what happened with the
Prothean bunker and how the Collectors attacked them. A few hours after Shepard sent the message he received a reply asking him to return to the Citadel and discuss the Collector threat in person. At the tail end of the message Anderson informed Shepard that he was not comfortable talking over comms and that he would tell him more once he arrived.
Anderson was sitting in his large extravagant office admiring the view of the presidium when the door behind him slid open reveling Shepard and his team.
Anderson stood up from his chair and walked over to greet the group, he seemed apprehensive and hurried when approaching them.
"Shepard, I'm glad you made it. We need to talk about something important." Anderson walked over to the ledge that looked over the presidium and was followed by Shepard. Tali and Garrus both took a seat in a small waiting area near the door to his office.
"What's this all about?" Shepard asked nervously.
Anderson put his hands on the railing that bordered the ledge of his office."Something bad has happened…After you were ambushed on Arul I began to do some digging to see what Alliance scout ship had detected that bunker" Anderson took his hands off the railing and looked at Shepard with a grimace.
"Shepard. The Alliance didn't have any ships operating in the entire Osul Cluster, there's no way one of our ships could have detected it."
"Then how did you find out about it, it's not like anyone can add false information to the Alliance system." Shepard protested.
"That's why this worries me, there must be someone working in the Alliance that has been indoctrinated." Anderson spoke the last words slowly trying to convey his sense of desperation across to Shepard who had already picked up on it.
Shepard shook his head trying to grasp what he had just been told. "Have you told anyone besides me?" Shepard asked.
"No, I don't know who or how many are indoctrinated so I felt it would be safer to keep this personal." Replied Anderson talking even slower than before.
"There's one more thing that concerns me Shepard. While you were on your way here I received a report that a vessel matching the description of the Collectors was spotted near the Exodus Cluster relay. That relay leads to Earth." Anderson shifted his weight after he finished his sentence and looked at Shepard face awaiting a grim response.
Shepard didn't show any emotion on his face instead he focused on the facts. He thought quickly trying to decide what his next course of action should be.
Shepard took a deep breath in and responded to Anderson after a few seconds of uneasy silence. "Nothing's changed; I still have to investigate the sighting." Shepard didn't like the idea of exposing himself a second time to the Collectors ambush but he knew there wasn't much of choice since the only thing he could besides investigate the ship was to wander aimlessly throughout the galaxy hoping to stumble on something use full.
"Normally I would disagree with you, but this time you're right. I would send you some Alliance forces to help you but I'm afraid that if I did it would draw attention and the spy would tell the Collectors who would probably just disappear." Anderson walked back over to his desk and sat down.
Shepard followed Anderson and stood beside his desk still contemplating whether he made the right decision. "I'll look for something use full in the Collector ship and send you a report to your private terminal, I don't think the spy has access to that." Shepard said with a determined resolve having already made up his mind that he was going to investigate.
Anderson looked up at Shepard from his chair. "I don't envy you Shepard, but good luck in there. Just remember that anyone could be one of the indoctrinated so watch your back and don't rely too heavily on the Normandy's stealth systems. If they can add false information they can probably look at real information."
"Don't worry Councilor, if anything goes wrong or you don't hear back from me just send in the Calvary" Shepard replied with a hint of sarcasm trying to brighten the dark future that lay ahead.
Shepard turned and started walking toward the door when Anderson spoke up behind him. "Oh and Shepard."He spun around to see what the councilor wanted."Nice uniform." Shepard grinned and nodded his head at Anderson. Shepard left the office followed by his small team that had been patiently waiting the entire time.
Once they were headed back to the ship Garrus was the first to speak up, sensing Shepard discomfort after the meeting he tried to pry some information out of him only to be met with."I'll brief everyone once were on the ship." Garrus gave up trying to ask and simply followed Shepard.
The group was walking past a store that had been broken into and had shards of glass lying inside of it everywhere. There were a few C-sec guards standing around the entrance obviously posted to keep everyone out until someone who had the authority to investigate arrived.
Tali lingered a little behind the group and slowed her pace to observe the scene. She was looking at the safe mounted on the far wall of the store, it had been cut open with a powerful torch of some kind and Tali was intrigued by the display.
One of the C-sec guards noticed her looking over the store. He was a human and appeared to be a rookie by the lack of ornaments on his uniform. The guard approached Tali and spoke to her in a tone that was anything but courteous.
"What are you doing here Quarian, and why are you staring?" The way the guard said Quarian made it sound like more of an insult then a fact.
Tali was startled by the guard who appeared suspicious for no reason. She looked back towards Shepard and Garrus who were stuck trying to navigate a mob of multispecies groups and having a hard time doing so, she was about to ignore the pestering guard and walk back over to her companions when the guard stepped forward and became too close for comfort .
"Hey! Answer me Quarian, it's a simple question." The guard had heard about Quarians being scavengers and thieves and was eager to impress his superior by solving a case that hadn't even been started yet.
Tali looked back at the guard and shot back with."Mind your own business." She started to turn around and walk away but the guard grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Get your hands off me you bosh'tet!" Tali exclaimed slapping the guards hand of her arm.
"Why don't you just come with me since you're so cooperative." He said with a smug satisfaction, believing that all the stereotypes he had heard about Quarians were true.
He grabbed both her arms more forcefully this time and jerked her around so her back was facing him. Tali infuriated at this ignorant guard lashed out and used her powerful right leg to kick him square in the chest, sending him sprawling.
He landed hard on his chest and jumped back up. The only thing that was hurt was his ego which he probably never had much of anyway.
The other two guards spotted the commotion and rushed to aid there friend who was already on his feet and headed back over to the Quarian who was walking toward a crowd.
The guard sprinted to catch up to Tali and grabbed her arm again once he was within reach. He knocked her feet out from under her with his right leg catching her off guard she fell to the ground. Tali was tired of dealing with the guard and used her free hand to elbow him in the face causing his nose to bleed. He staggered back long enough for her to get up to her knees.
The guard cursed and withdrew a small weapon that resembled a box with two darts in one end. It was a taser and if he had been a guard long he would have known using such a weapon on a Quarian could penetrate its suit and possibly kill it.
The guard aimed at Tali as she stood up. He fired his weapon just as she turned to see it deflected by a blue pulse of energy.
She turned back around and saw Shepard glowing blue, he did not look happy. Shepard began walking to the guard with large powerful strides; still glowing brightly he picked up the guard with a biotic lift and pulled him close. The guard looked terrified, he had never faced a biotic before and didn't know what to do, he screamed loud enough for everyone to stop and look realizing what was happening everyone stared.
The other guards withdrew pistols and aimed at Shepard. None of Shepards team was armed our armored except for a knife and a pistol that they all carried just as a precaution.
Garrus just stood back and waited for the guards to do something stupid enough to give Shepard a reason to flatten them, while Tali folded her arms and observed the scared floating guard amused at his screams.
Shepard didn't need a weapon he was a moving weapons platform with enough biotic energy to tear through a dreadnaughts hull; however Shepard was unaware of his power at this time which left him highly unstable and unpredictable in combat.
The guards yelled at Shepard to put there companion down, Shepard was unresponsive to their calls. He was fighting back the growing urge to rip the guard in half for hurting Tali, however another part of him simply wanted to kill this guard so he could exercise his power.
The guard with the most stripes on his uniform yelled at Shepard again this time more direct. "Put him down our will fire on you!" There was a brief hesitation were no one moved, Tali glanced over at Shepard and assumed he was going to put the guard down and inform them he was a spectre which would have ended it all. Tali was surprised when she saw a faint smile spread across Shepards lips and his eyes were glaring at the guards as if taunting them to fire.
Tali rushed to Shepard's side and put a hand on his shoulder he jerked his head back to her and the smile left his face. He looked down at the ground as if ashamed; he dropped the guard on the ground and pulled out his identification. After a short talk with the group of guards and a series of apologize from the rookie who started everything Shepard and his team began heading back to the Normandy.
Once back on board Garrus went to the armory to check his gear, already assuming whatever news Shepard had involved combat. Tali and Shepard went to the elevator together in silence, both of them afraid to mention what was happening to Shepard.
Once the elevator opened up in the Captains quarters Shepard rushed over to his private head and began washing his face thoroughly looking up after every splash of water to observe his scars. Tali sat down on the couch and leaned forward contemplating how to discuss what was going on.
Shepard after he had gotten done scrubbing his face in a vain attempt to remove the scars walked over to the bright blue fish tank and crossed his arms. Tali stood up and walked over standing beside him, glancing at him from the corner of her mask.
Shepard suddenly turned to her and hugged her; he was filled with remorse and fear. Not fear over the coming war but fear as to what it was doing to him and how it would affect their relationship. Tali hugged the commander back crying softly as she did.
He moved his head so that she could look into his eyes."Tali, I want you to know that no matter what happens…I love you."
Tali kept staring into his eyes transfixed on them."I love you too Shepard, but I'm scared at what's happening to you…I don't know what is making you so distant at times but I feel like its growing and…..and…." She stopped to cry; through her sobs Shepard could hear her saying."You're all I have; you're the only one I've ever had."
Shepard held her even closer wrapping his arms around her. He felt the same way about her, he had never been emotionally attracted to anyone before her and she sparked something deep inside him that made him want to be with her.
Shepard spoke again softly and just above a whisper. "I'll never leave you Tali, I'll always be there."