Chapter 8:
Spectre
"You aren't making my job easy, Shepard," Ambassador Udina growled as he stared out towards the spectacular view the Citadel held. Too bad it was wasted on the politician. "Firefights in the Wards? An all out assault on Chora's Den?"
Patrick shared a glance with Shepard who grinned. After being interrogated by Shepard as to why Patrick and Ashley weren't at the embassies- after everything Shepard confessed he just had to get everyone's stories straight when they went to visit Udina- the Commander, Kaidan, and Garrus retold their story about fighting in Chora's Den and then Shepard's kind action of letting Fist live. That was what had Shepard, Kaidan, and Garrus racing towards the Wards's alleys and arriving just in time to aid Tali and the others. What everyone really wanted to know was how Patrick knew Tali was going to need help. Patrick just said that ever since the Prothean Beacon incident he had been having a lot of strange feelings. Shepard and Garrus seemed to believe him, but Patrick noticed Kaidan giving him strange glances on their walk back to the Ambassador's office.
"Do you have any idea-" Udina turned around, his amber eyes widening when he saw Tali standing in between Shepard and Patrick, "Whose this? A quarian? What's going on here, Shepard?"
"She has information about the geth," Shepard answered simply.
"Geth?" Udina asked in surprise, "How did you acquire this information, Miss...?"
"Tali," Tali said, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and I acquired this information while on my Pilgrimage."
"Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked, "I've never heard of that."
"It's what all quarians do before they reach the age of majority," Tali explained, "Before we return to the Migrant Fleet, we must bring back something of value."
Shepard nodded while Kaidan said, "Go on."
"Well I was following some geth, my people created them so I was curious about how much they've evolved," Tali explained, "Anyway I killed one, but before it died I salvaged something from its audio banks."
"I thought geth fried their systems before they died," Captain Anderson said, "Some sort of defense mechanism."
"How we you able to acquire the memory?" Shepard asked.
"Since we created the geth, we know more about them than other species," Tali explained, "If you're quick and very careful some parts of a geth's memory can be saved."
Tali then took out her omni-tool and fooled around with it for a moment before sound game on:
"The attack on Eden Prime was a great success. The beacon has brought us closer to finding the Conduit."
"That's Saren's voice on the tape," Anderson grinned, "We've got him."
"The Council can't ignore this," Shepard nodded.
"Wait," Tali said, "There's more."
Tali touched her omni-tool once more and the tape replayed itself:
"The attack on Eden Prime was a great success. The beacon has brought us closer to finding the Conduit."
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."
Matriarch Benezia.
"I don't know that other voice," Udina said, "The one talking about the Reapers."
Patrick glanced at his feet as Shepard and Anderson's eyes snapped to him. Instantly Patrick regretted telling them about the Reapers. How was he supposed to explain everything now without revealing the truth?
"The Reapers?" Garrus whispered, "I've never heard of them."
"The geth believed that the Reapers were some sort of sentient race of ancient machines and Saren is the prophet for their return." Tali explained.
"That explains why the geth follow him," Garrus said.
"What about her," Ashley said, nodding towards Tali, "The quarian."
"I have a name," Tali snapped, "Shepard, you've seen what I could do. I'd be honored to assist you on your mission."
"What about your Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked.
"Our Pilgrimage proves that we are ready to give ourselves to aid the greater good," Tali said, walking to stand beside Patrick, "What do I say about myself if I turn my back on this?"
"Welcome aboard, Tali," Shepard said with a nod.
"Thank you, Commander," Tali said, "You won't regret this."
"We've got to show this to the Council," Udina said and Shepard nodded,
"Whatever else the Council might not believe, this at least proves that Saren is a traitor."
"Anderson, come with me," Udina said, "We'll prepare a meeting with the Council."
"Shepard, we'll see you there," Anderson said and the two men walked out of the office.
Shepard turned to his crew, "Alenko, take Williams, Garrus, and Tali to the Council Chambers. I want a few words with Hamilton."
Kaidan nodded and everyone turned around, leaving Patrick alone with Shepard. Patrick could feel his heart pounding and for once he had no idea what was going to happen.
"Alright, Hamilton, how did you know about the Reapers?" Shepard asked, crossing his arms as he stared at Patrick.
"I told you, Commander," Patrick said, trying to keep his voice calm and steady despite what he was feeling on the inside, "I had researched some knowledge about the Protheans before signing up to live on Eden Prime."
"Others have studied the Protheans, but no one has ever claimed a race of sentient machines to be the cause of their fall," Shepard said coolly, "What made you think the Reapers were behind everything?"
"Intuition," Patrick said with a shrug.
Shepard nodded, "I'm not forcing you to tell me, Hamilton. As long as it doesn't endanger anyone, keep your secret."
Patrick nodded and the two of them walked out of the office.
"By the way, Hamilton," Shepard said and Patrick felt his body tense up as he wondered what else the Commander would want to say, "Since you will be serving on the Normandy for the Alliance, the Lieutenant thinks that perhaps you should join the Alliance military."
"But I haven't had any training," Patrick relaxed, but was still very surprised. Kaidan had suggested that?
"Alenko said that he would help you train whenever there is downtime on the Normandy," Shepard explained, "I'm also sure Chief Williams wouldn't mind helping and even though Garrus isn't Alliance, he could still help."
"I'd be honored, Commander," Patrick said with a nod as the two of them walked towards the Council Chambers.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Patrick asked Shepard as the two of them headed upstairs in the elevator. Patrick already knew what was going to happen, but he was curious as to what Shepard was thinking about.
"Hopefully the Council will believe us," Shepard said, "There is too much evidence here and then Saren will probably be brought in to answer for his crimes. Although," Shepard paused, "I think he's long gone."
"You think he's hiding?" Patrick asked.
"Not really hiding," Shepard answered, "I think he is looking for the Conduit and I bet that is no where near the Citadel or else the Council would have found it centuries ago."
Oh its very close, Patrick thought to himself, knowing that when the Conduit was activated, the Reapers would pour into the Citadel in a matter of seconds. Hopefully Shepard would be able to save everyone like he did all the times Patrick played as him.
Patrick glanced at Shepard, but his mind suddenly felt very hazy and he felt himself cling onto the wall.
"Hamilton, you okay?" Shepard asked.
Patrick nodded, but watched as everything went spinning, a familiar sound roaring in his ears. Patrick closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths and soon everything calmed down. Patrick bent over gasping and he would bet his life that the nausea that he just experienced had something to do with the Prothean vision. After all, it was made for a very advanced mind like Shepard's. Patrick's mind could understand it, but it couldn't truly deal with like Shepard's could in the game. Or could it? Would Shepard be bent over in pain in this real version of the game? It wasn't in the final copy, but did the writers know how bad the vision would be?
"I think it was a side effect from the vision," Patrick whispered, "I'm fine really."
"Think you can faint again in front of the Council? It might help them believe that your vision really messed up your mind," Patrick glanced up at Shepard in bewilderment, but was surprised when the Commander was grinning, "I'm kidding, Hamilton."
Patrick smiled weakly, but still felt sick. The two of them left the elevator to find Kaidan and the others waiting for them.
"We thought you were never going to come," Kaidan grinned.
"You okay, farmer?" Ashley asked while Tali added,
"You look kind of pale."
"I'm fine," Patrick whispered, but then stood up straighter, "We should be going."
The whole motley crew walked towards the Council Chambers. There was the technical quarian who was on her Pilgrimage; the aggressive, but loyal turian who favored the free life of a Spectre over the strict life of a C-Sec Officer; the gunnery chief who was more skillful than anyone Patrick knew yet wouldn't ever really rise past her position due to her family; the lieutenant who was the most logical out of everyone, but could still unleash a powerful biotic kick; the commander who was a famed battle hero and would one day save the entire universe; and then there was Patrick: someone from a completely different world who had accidently changed the whole course of the game.
Needless to say, other than Shepard, they weren't the most average of heroes and they had yet to find Wrex or Liara.
"Come on, you six," Anderson said, "Udina is presenting Tali's evidence."
The seven of them all headed out just as Udina played Tali's evidence:
"The attack on Eden Prime was a major success. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."
"You wanted proof," Udina growled, "There it is."
"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador," The turian councilor said with a nod and Patrick sighed. At least one thing would turn out right. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in and answer for his crimes."
"I recognized the other voice, the one speaking to Saren," The Asari councilor said, "Matriarch Benezia."
"Who's she?" Shepard asked.
"Matriarchs are powerful Asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and their experience, they serve as guide and mentors to my people," The Asari councilor explained, "Matriarch Benezia is a very power Biotic and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."
"I'm more interested in the Reapers," The salarian councilor said, "What do you know about them?"
"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core," Anderson explained, "The Reapers were an ancient race of sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished."
"The geth believed the Reapers were gods," Shepard said, "And Saren is the prophet for their return."
"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back," Anderson added, "Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime."
"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" The salarian councilor asked.
"Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers," Shepard answered, "That's bad enough."
"Listen to what you're saying! Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy. Impossible! It has to be." The turian councilor growled. "Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something."
"I tried to warn you about Saren and you refused to see the truth," Shepard said, "Don't make the same mistake again."
"This is different," The Asari councilor said, "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the geth to search for the Conduit, we just don't really know why."
"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander," The salarian councilor said, "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will."
"Saren is a rogue Spectre on the run for his life," The turian councilor said, "He no longer has the rights or the resources of a Spectre. The Council has stripped him of his position."
"That's not good enough!" Udina shouted and for once Patrick agreed with him. "You know he is hiding somewhere out in the Traverse! Send your fleet in!"
"A fleet cannot track down one man," The salarian councilor said.
"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region," Udina said, "Keep the geth from attacking anymore of our colonies."
"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus systems!" The turian councilor growled, "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!"
"I cam take Saren down," Shepard suggested.
"The Commander's right," The Asari councilor said with a nod, "There is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies."
"No!" The turian councilor argued, "It's too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibility that comes with joining the Spectres!"
"I faced Saren on Eden Prime and then exposed him as a traitor," Shepard disagreed, "I've proven myself."
The three councilors all nodded and the Asari councilor waved Shepard forward, "Commander Shepard- step forward."
Shepard glanced at everyone and Patrick gave the Commander a supportive nod, knowing that Shepard joining the Spectres was exactly what humanity and the galaxy needed. Patrick glanced around and saw that several onlookers had appeared, all of them staring at Shepard and the Council. Patrick remembered this scene very clearly in the game and knew he was seeing it in a whole new light now.
The Asari councilor paused and then continued, "It's the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."
"Spectres are not trained, but chosen," The salarian councilor said with a nod, "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."
"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol," The Asari councilor added, "The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."
"Spectres bear a great burden," The turian councilor said, "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."
"You are the first human Spectre, Commander," The Asari councilor said with a small smile, nodding to Shepard, "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."
"I'm honored, Councilor," Shepard said with a nod.
"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren," The salarian councilor said, "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."
"I'll find him," Shepard promised.
"This meeting of the Council is adjourned," The Asari councilor said and Shepard turned to face everyone.
"Congratulations, Commander," Anderson said as he shook Shepard's hand.
"We've got a lot to do, Shepard," Udina said, stroking his face with his finger, "You're going to need a ship, crew, supplies."
"You'll get access to special equipment and training now," Anderson explained, "You should go down to the C-Sec Academy and speak to the Spectre requisitions officer."
"One more thing," Shepard said, nodding to Patrick and Kaidan to join him, "Lieutenant Alenko and I have been thinking that if Hamilton joins my team he should join as Alliance."
"I can vouch for him," Kaidan said, "He has proven himself greatly since we joined up on Eden Prime."
Ashley took a step forward as well, "He has a good aim and plenty of endurance."
"He hasn't had any training," Udina complained.
"We can train him," Shepard said, "Surely myself, Alenko, and Chief Williams are more than able than to train him."
"What about you, Hamilton?" Anderson asked, "You haven't said anything."
"I'd be honored to aid the Alliance," Patrick said with a nod, "And I'll be proud to train under Shepard and the others."
Anderson shared a glance with Udina who shrugged and looked away, "Very well, Hamilton. Normally these things would require more people to witness, but as Shepard said he, Alenko, and Williams are more than enough to supervise you."
Anderson paused, "The first rank of the Alliance is a Serviceman which is the title I now give you, Serviceman Patrick Hamilton."
Patrick shook Anderson's hand, "Thank you, Captain."
Udina then took a step forward, "Come on, Anderson. I'll need your help to pull this off."
Everyone watched him go until Shepard said, "Congratulations, Serviceman Hamilton."
Patrick grinned and shook Shepard's hand, "No congratulations to you, Spectre."
Ashley took a step forward and laughed, "I guess I can't call you farmer anymore, Serviceman."
Patrick grinned before turning to face Kaidan, "Thank you, Lieutenant. For offering to train me and all."
Kaidan smiled softly and shook Patrick's hand, "Anytime Hamilton. We're members of the same crew now. You're one of us."
And that made Patrick grin widen as he realized he was truly a part of the game now.