2181:
"Khali! Khali! " Emily chirped as she took the seat beside her friend.
Khalisah tried to hold back an amused chuckle as she moved to give Emily space. "Calm down. You'll make a scene."
The Freshman retracted into herself for a moment before she tried, and failed to calm down, nevertheless, eagerly opened her omni-tool to show her friend.
"The scholarship went through! I've got a full ride now!" Emily had been working two part-time jobs in order to pay rent, utilities, food and more, in addition to taking a full load in order to work her way through school.
Khalisah, for her part, had offered Emily the spare bedroom in the apartment she owned, or rather given to her by her father, but Emily had staunchly refused, because she admitted the second that she got comfortable, her momentum would grind to a halt.
With the scholarship, however, the financial strain on Emily could ease off a bit and allow her more study time. Khalisah figured that being as obsessive compulsive as she was, Emily was going to graduate before she was, nevermind the fact that she was a year ahead of Emily.
"That's good to hear," Khalisah said as she looked through the text of the award Emily got, "so, want to celebrate?"
"And how!" Emily said with a large smile as she turned off the omni-tool on her wrist, "want to go on a weekend bender, go to the Citadel and see how many aliens we can inadvertently insult?"
"And get comfy with some of the less scrupulous aliens in the Citadel Jail? No," Khalisah muttered, half-serious, half-jokingly.
"Pfft. You're no fun at all," Emily stuck out her tongue in mock disappointment.
"Hey," Khalisah shot back, genuinely indignant, "I'm plenty of fun. I just want to make sure I don't mess up my record before I have a chance to make one."
Emily waved her concerns off. "Oh, come on. You're one of the more risk-averse people I know. The only one more insecure than you is my little brother and I had to fight to get him to play ball with me when we were kids!"
"Ok, seriously, what do you want to do to celebrate?" Khalisah asked again, unsure whether to be flattered or not.
"You make some of that delicious Kibby(-Bel-Saneeya)* and Muhammara! I loved those!" Emily peeped happily with a large smile.
"You sure? You almost passed out when you tried the curry recipe I got from my uncle," Khalisah warned, recalling how much Emily had almost panicked and thought she was going to die after eating an indian dish that insisted you put multiple Ghost Peppers in.
"Only because you were too scared to try my Gan Guo. Wuss," Emily challenged with a smirk.
"Bous Tize, Wong," Khalisah grumbled in her native arabic she had not spoken in years since she left the Saudi Republic, not amused.
"Ching-wah Tsao duh liou mahng, al-Jilani," Emily shot back, her smile growing larger, challenging Khalisah to get as dirty as she did.
The sophomore leveled her eyes, making it evident she was not going to take the bait.
Khalisah poured over her screen as her fingers hopped over the keys frantically to finish the report she had to finish. The turians in question had been thankfully cooperative when it came to explaining the perspective from the Hierarchy when the First Contact War happened. She allowed herself a small smirk when she started asking the question most turians did not like hearing whenever it came to accusations of the Hierarchy trying to strong arm newer races when they emerged in Council space. Apparently, the Volus were not the only vassal state Palaven had working for them. A few other races 'owed' their prosperity to the turians and they would consistently ensure that these lesser known species were swept under the rug as much as possible.
Her normally perfect and well-kept hair was messy and pulled back in a bob as she struggled to find the right words to make sure that her teachers would be impressed. Her own grades had been on a larger downturn than she would have liked and frankly, she wasn't happy that they had slipped as far as they had. Not to mention the hell her father would have given her if he found out she was getting a C in Extraterrestrial Comm II. So, sacrifices had to be made.
Her omni tool flared to life with the sounds of an obnoxious duck quacking, letting her know that someone wanted to speak with her. She quickly put it on and answered the call to find out that Emily was on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Khali, finally! You know how long it's been since we've talked?" The younger of the two asks, exasperated.
Khalisah sighed openly, "two days?"
"Two long, painful, and harrowing days without my best friend that-"
"What'd you do this time?" Kalisah interrupted, aware that whenever Emily went into a hyperbolic tirade, it meant she had gotten herself into trouble. Again.
A nervous laugh confirmed her suspicions. "Turns out that calling asari 'women' can get under the skin of a few matriarchs. You know proper customs from Thessia concerning giving offense, right? Can you please talk to them? Please?"
Khalisah grumbled, then growled to let Emily know that while it made her unhappy, she would comply. Emily had helped her more than the opposite and at the present time, she owed Emily two favors. Oh, to have that occasion where Emily owed her five. Glorious and delicious meals, personal massages, and more. Too bad she wasted them over the previous holiday. Oh well.
"Give me their number," she grumbled, resigned to her fate.
An excited squeal emerged from her omni tool. "Thank you! Thank you! A million times, thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet," Khalisah warned, "asari, especially matriarchs, can be extremely passive aggressive when it comes to accepting apologies. And *I* am going to be the one that has to speak to them."
Khalisah, showered and in clean clothes, sighed as she entered the entryway to the pavilion where the liaison of the offended party waited for her.
The asari waiting for her seemed to understand her frustration more than she as she stood up and extended a hand in greeting to acknowledge human customs. She took the asari's hand and shook it confidently, but made sure not to hold the hand too long, nor shake too vigorously. To greet in asari customs meant you were in control of yourself and your passions so as not to waste them frivolously.
"Varicia S'Tonu. May the Goddess grant Health and Pleasure unto you," the asari said cordially, and a surprisingly genuine tone with a slight curtsey.
"Khalisah bint sinan al-Jilani. The blessings of Allah be on you," she replied in kind, remembering the many prayers she, her father, and brother when she was younger. It had been a while since she had been to prayers, she noted slightly ruefully since it had been years since she was home.
"We'll, it's about damn time," growled a new voice from the other side of the pavilion. Both Khalisah and the other asari turned to see the matriarch in question, with an evident frown on her face, stomp towards them.
"Madam Polotheas, please," Varicia said, clearly tired, "can we get through this without leaving another corpse to bury and even more apologies to send out?"
Khalisah stopped. Corpses?
"That damn Krogan had it coming. You think I was going to let him get away with- ugh. Never mind, let's get this over with." The older asari turned to her and said, "kid, your friend meant well, but damn, you humans need to get some better editions of asari translations. You've only been on the galactic scene for a few decades and already you're stomping around, thinking that you already own the joint."
She then walked up to Khalisah, got in her face and muttered, "the next time one of you hairy apes start using your damn binary labels on me is going to be the last time you use your voice, because I am going to open your throat and-"
"Madam Polotheas!" Varicia nearly screamed.
The matriarch turned to Varicia and frowned angrily, who frowned in turn and admonished with a frown of her own that said 'do it!'.
The older asari huffed, put her hands on her hips, and then snarled, "Aethyta Polotheas, health, pleasure, and all that shit."
Khalisah kept her cool, then nodded cordially. Most asari she had met held customs and cordiality to the same standard that turians valued the military training they all went through. This one seemed to completely throw those ideas out of the window. In fact, she seemed more krogan than asari and she didn't think that was possible. Or if it even worked that way.
"Well, I was told that my friend, Emily Wong, gave unto you offense. I, Khalisah al-Jilani, wish to extend apologies on her behalf and-"
"Yeah, yeah, Goddess loves and forgives, that's not what I'm pissed about," Aethyta waved off of her apology angrily and continued, "we asari have particular words for the one that knocks up the parent and the parent that pops the kid out! Learn 'em! Better yet, tell your stupid friend to learn 'em! Because I'm sick and tired of every new species looking at us as though they can apply their damn terms about us!" she folded her arms, "Anthropocentric bag of dicks."
Varicia sighed and held her hand to her face, aware that events like this would always go bad and simply go downhill from there.
While scared out of her wits, Khalisah would not stand idly by and allow her friend to be so blatantly insulted to her face, "Now hold on! She was not trying to insult you. If what she told me was true, she just wanted to ask a few questions about asari in general."
"Well, tell the little bitch to learn some damn tact! Not everyone's going to be as forgiving as me," Aethyta shot back, the aggressions getting more evident. "Just remember that the asari were building the council when you little shits were flinging your turds around everywhere."
Fed up with the matriarch's sass, Khalisah frowned and said, "what have you done since then?"
Varicia gasped and Aethyta's eyes went wide at the audaciousness of her words.
'I'm dead. Oh well, it was a good ride,' Khalisah thought as she tried to hold her shaking in check. To her surprise, Aethyta drew her head back and before Khalisah could react, the asari struck her head against her own and everything went dark.
The world slowly came back into focus as the massive bump on her forehead seemed to throb relentlessly. Above her, she saw the smiling face of Varicia. She seemed proud for some reason.
"I think Madam Polotheas likes you. Most people just slink away. You actually had the courage to stand up to her. Not many do that. Well, that and she only seems to headbutt those who actually impress her," she said as a matter of factly.
Khalisah reached up to her head and felt the cold pack on her head to deal with the bruise.
She leaned up and found herself laying on the bench of the pavilion they were at and wondered how much time had passed. She looked to the clock and saw that two hours had passed. She groaned and held both of her hands to her face. She should have had her paper done by now and getting headbutt by an asari matriarch would, of course, throw that out of order.
She then heard Varcia's voice ask almost timidly, "if you have the time, would you like to have a meal together? I mean, that's how humans usually get a chance to introduce themselves, right?"
Khalisah blinked and looked to the asari, who almost looked... smitten with her? Varicia's smile then vanished as though she realized she made a serious mistake. "I mean, if you're not busy."
This caused Khalisah to blink once. She had spent so much time in her classes that the idea of going out seemed foreign to her. Well, save for the jaunts of shenanigans with Emily, she was pretty reserved as far as she was concerned.
She wasn't really attracted to asari. Or attracted to anyone, really. It was a source of consternation when her father would, at times, wonder if she was seeing anyone to eventually give him grandchildren to spoil. It was never malicious and he knew when to back off, which was how they still talked, but she digressed.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take Varicia up on her offer.
Present Day:
"Please, come in," the voice from the other side of the door said, which gave them the chance to step inside the small and simple office of one of Shepard's former squadmates that was now on Bekenstein.
Khalisah and Varicia noticed the petite redhead behind the desk who looked up to them with a smile. There were pictures of her psychology degree on the walls, along with several pictures of her with her family, and friends.
"Please, have a seat," she said warmly. "I'm Kelly Chambers, pleased to meet you."
"Khalisah al-Jilani," she answered, attempting to fend, unsuccessfully, the kindness that seemed to radiate from the young woman.
"Varicia S'Tonu," she said as she reached over the desk and took Kelly's hand in her own.
"So, the gist of your message was that you wanted to talk to people about Nora Shepard. Well, I've been her psychologist for a while and can offer some insight, within reason," she said with tilt of her head.
"I would take a guess and say that the 'within reason' is concerning personal details that you can't divulge," Khalisah assumed.
"Of course."
"I understand. And thank you," Khalisah said as she turned her drone on.
K: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Ms. Chambers.
Kelly Chambers; Psychologist:
You're most welcome.
K: So, from what you can tell me, how was her profile when you first met her?
Ke: She was moody, withdrawn, and hostile. It was rather difficult to get her to open up.
K: Was there a turning point?
Ke: Yes, there was. However, there are details that would put that in the 'personal information territory' that I cannot divulge.
K: I see. What can you divulge?
Ke: Shepard was, at the time, isolated from her friends and squadmates. She needed a friend, she needed a confidant. She didn't trust me at all initially.
"Good Morning, Commander," Kelly said as Shepard exited the elevator and went to her console. However, the taller woman said nothing, checked her messages, and as if Kelly had said nothing, she returned to the elevator and closed the doors.
Kelly let loose a deep sigh. It had been a whole month and a half since Shepard had come on board and she was not able to get a word in edgewise.
It had become routine at this point. Kelly would attempt to speak with Nora Shepard, and Nora Shepard would say nothing in return and go about her business as if Kelly was never there.
She was able to get a chance to speak with the Quarian Shepard recruited that was not on the dossiers, Kenn'Reegar nar Tombay. He was very polite and got along quite well with Jacob Taylor.
As she typed in the current report, she spoke aloud, "EDI, can you tell me where the Commander is?"
The holographic image of the ship's AI appeared at her side. "Commander Shepard is currently in the mess hall, speaking with Sargeant Gardner."
"Gardner? " she asked for a moment before she held her fist to her chin in thought. Well, as sparse as her file was about Shepard's likes and dislikes, there was one thing she knew she could at least show that she wasn't a threat. She then quickly typed in a request to some of the agents she had come into contact with in Sol. If she was right, perhaps Shepard would realize she was not a threat and that she wanted to help her.
Another week had passed. When she had gotten her package, Kelly smiled broadly then quickly hurried to the mess hall. She needed to time this just right. With Gardner's permission, she was able to prepare her parcel and take it up to Shepard's cabin.
She pressed the button to announce her presence at the door. A moment later, Shepard appeared, slightly ragged, tired, and just as irritable as before. The assault on the Eclipse had not gone well. The instant she noticed Kelly, her eyes narrowed and her frown grew.
"Chambers," she rumbled darkly.
"Commander, I know you've had a hard time thus far and I'd like to let you know that no matter what happens, we're behind you. So, here," she then extended a thermos, specifically cooled with a concoction that Kelly hoped Shepard would enjoy. "I was able to get some fresh fruits from our last stop and mix them into this Hawaiian Lemonade. It's not much, I admit, but I hope it'll at least help you relax a bit. It's still chilled and ready for whenever you feel like it."
Nora paused at the innocuous gift that seemed to come out of nowhere. Regardless, she reached forward tentatively, took the thermous, and took a step back. Though the anger and mistrust still smouldered hot, she did however, lower her head a bit and whisper, "thank you."
The door slowly closed.
Kelly let loose a deep breath of relief and smiled to herself. She felt she was one step closer to gaining Shepard's trust. If she was lucky, maybe Shepard'd actually speak with her next time.
K: So, I was told that you helped Shepard overcome some psychological problems she had developed. Can you go into detail about that?
Ke: Of course. Some patients who die and come back to life have a hard time believing they're still the same person. Shepard believed she was some sort of Frankenstein monster because of all the resources Cerberus put into bringing her back. It also made the slight feelings of persecution worse as she went on.
K: She was able to overcome that, didn't she?
Ke: *smiles* She did. That explains how we're all still here. I just needed to give her a clean bill of mental health, though, she's been kind of busy at the moment, so, it can wait. And... if she ever reads this, I'm glad I met her. I got a chance to get to know her and become her friend. And she became my best friend. She saved my life.
K: How so?
Ke: *pauses* During the Terminus Campaign, the Collectors had attacked our ship while Shepard was away. They kidnapped all of us and wanted to liquefy us into fuel for more Reapers. She saved me. She saved the whole Normandy crew. That sort of thing never happens in real life, but she beat the odds. She beat the Collectors and the Reapers. *smiles and sniffs* We'll never be able to thank her properly.
K: Thank you for your time, Ms. Chambers.
(Author's note: As of publication, Ms. Chambers is in hiding after an attempt was made on her life. Her current whereabouts are unknown.)
Both Khalisah and Varicia looked to each other as the doors to the Council's office on Bekenstein remained closed. Their request to meet with one of the Councilor's regarding Nora Shepard had been met with confusion, however, it was not long before Councilor Tevos, and only she, would meet with them.
"Think they remembered?" Varicia asked quietly as she took a step towards Khalisah and took her hand gently.
She gave Varicia an encouraging squeeze of her hand before she replied, "I hope so. They probably got a lot of things to worry about, though, so, I'm hoping we'll be able to get a few questions in before they have to return to getting the galactic political infrastructure up and running again."
As if in answer to her hopes, the door opened and a different asari, with noticeably dark purple markings along her face and fringe.
"You're al-Jilani?" she said bluntly.
"I am," Khalisah answered carefully.
The asari then activated her omni-tool and slowly moved it in front of them both, evidently scanning them. She adjusted the omni-tool and did a secondary scan of them both before she reached up to the comm in her ear and said, "they're clean. Want me to let them in?" A pause. "Alright." She then looked back to them and said with an incline of her head backward, "come in, but watch yourself."
Varicia gave a small and apprehensive whimper before she followed Khalisah into the building. Surely enough, down a well-lit hallway, they were led by their host into a larger emporium where politicians and negotiators were heatedly speaking to one another for whatever reason.
Through the crowd, they were led and eventually, at the back, segregated by sound barriers, they noticed Councilor Tevos, reading over a data pad, before she saw her visitors.
"Madam, here they are," their guide said.
"Thank you, Tela," the Councilor said with a nod. She then gestured to the seats in front of her modest desk, which they both took.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to see us, Madam Councilor," Khalisah said as sincerely as she could, making sure she kept her usual snide tones she saved for politicians smothered.
"Considering there is no more Westerlund News for you to represent, it made me curious as to why you wished to speak to me," the Councilor said as she leaned back in her chair.
Khalisah turned to Varicia momentarily with a look that spoke, 'here goes nothing', and then asked cordially, "as a way of honoring a friend of mine who did not survive the Reaper War, I am attempting to complete a biography of Commander Shepard she started."
Tevos nodded and asked, "I can understand that. However, what brings you to see me?"
"Well, from what I was able to find, you were the one whom she often spoke to and as her superior in the Spectre Agency. And as such, if you have any insight that you can share, you know, that you *can* share, it'd be greatly appreciated."
The Councilor nodded. "I'd be honored to do so."
Councilor Tevos P'Dova:
K: What exactly made Shepard stand out among the other Spectres, other than the fact that she was the first human?
T: Well, she was not the first human I had worked with. She was, however, the first to serve in a capacity that enabled regular interactions. Not long into her hunt for the rogue Spectre, Saren, she exhibited a few interesting traits that caught my attention.
Tevos, with her fellow councilors at her sides, watched the image of Shepard, along with her XO, recounting the results of the mission they had completed.
Part of the Councilor felt sorry for Shepard. She was supposed to be under the wing of Nihilus, not being shackled as a poster-girl for the Alliance to recruit more of their people into the military so she could use the Normandy. She was no stranger to such politics from newer species that wanted to showcase its ability to hold their own. It was rather unfortunate, because she did feel the young human held the sort of promise that got her recommended for the Spectres long before the Alliance even put forth her name.
She had been given the basic information dossier concerning the Agency and had brief meetings with a few other Spectres during her mission, however, it was hard not to think that the poor child seemed so lost. Here she was, blindly searching for a rogue Spectre, with decades of experience no less, with only bread crumbs of information to go on.
Then, there was this whole ordeal about the Reapers she initially went on about. Thankfully, she quickly learned that until she had solid evidence to coincide with her vision from the Beacon, she was reluctant to say anything on the matter, however, Tevos could tell she wanted to speak more about it.
"Thank you for your report, Spectre. We shall reconvene when we receive your next report," Velarn concluded with a nod.
The image of Commander Shepard remained when she should have cut the channel. Tevos was about to leave when she noticed Shepard had a look in her eyes that held a question behind them.
"Is there something wrong, Spectre?"
As though Shepard were almost a child scared to ask a thing of her parents, she took a breath and answered, "Madam Councilor, I have a question that I wish to ask you privately about."
Velarn, Sparatus, and Shepard's XO looked to both Councilor and Spectre. Shepard turned to her XO, muttered a few things and the older human man took his leave. Tevos turned to her fellow Councilors, nodded, assuring them this would not take long, and watched them depart.
"What is it you wished to speak to me about, Shepard?" Tevos asked with her arms behind her back.
"Well, as you know, not too long ago, we rescued Dr. Liara T'Soni from Therum and while I thank you for granting my request to allow her to accompany me on my mission, I want to gain her trust," Shepard then swallowed, "however, I don't think I know enough about asari culture to be able to do that. The only other asari I know isn't exactly the type that conforms to mainstream asari culture."
Tevos smiled. "Madam N'Kona. Yes. She has a reputation among the more conservative circles of asari politics. I can understand why you would hesitate to ask her."
"So," Shepard continued, "I know you're busy with being the Council and everything, however, if it's not too much to ask, could you direct me to a primer on asari culture so I won't accidentally insult her when I don't mean to?"
The request wasn't out of line. However, Tevos felt it a bit strange. "Surely you already have access to such information."
Nora nodded once, yet pressed, "I know. However, I don't think that the materials I have on hand would suffice. I want to make sure I'm doing it right. And since you seem to be the representative of asari in the galaxy, I'd rather hear it from you."
Tevos saw it. Shepard wanted to trust her. Whether Nora Shepard was an excellent actor, or she was genuinely opening up to her, it warmed a part of Tevos' heart to see such humility from someone so young, relatively speaking. It also gave her an epiphany.
"Does Dr. T'Soni please you, Shepard?" Tevos asked as though it were nothing.
Nora blinked at the question. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
The Councilor showed a bit of amusement as she continued. "That is one aspect of asari culture. You realize that our kind, being monogendered, have fewer scruples than you do about physical intimacy. I am aware of the various trends and degrees of your kind, however, if you wish to earn Dr. T'Soni's trust, you must understand that subjects you may consider spoken only in good company or private, can be spoken to out in the open with us."
As comprehension shined on her features, Nora replied, "Dr. T'Soni did say that asari were a bit more liberal with their sexuality. But I wasn't aware as to how much."
Tevos nodded. "You will learn in time. It will be important if you wish to serve the galactic community the way you do. Eventually, you will learn how to do the same with the other galactic cultures as well. However, for now, I'll have one of my aides prepare you a basic primer that I will look over to ensure that you understand what you need to do in order to gain Maiden T'Soni's trust."
A pleased look crossed Nora's features. It was difficult for Tevos not to compare her to a child who was eager to learn about things she wished to understand.
Shepard straightened her back and stated gratefully," Thank you, Madam Councilor."
"We shall discuss your progress at a later date. Until then, be safe, Spectre."
Nora acknowledged her statement and the image vanished.
K: Wait, wait! Were Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni really an item? I kept hearing rumors about them, but there was never any substance to them.
T: That is something you will have to ask her yourself. Commander Shepard was quite discreet when it came to her private life. In all honesty, I cannot blame her; considering how much the news corporations hounded her.
K: ...
"Everyone in the 5th Fleet is a hero. The Alliance owes them all medals. The Council owes them more than that," Nora said with a restrained growl in her throat as she leaned over to get in Khalisah's face, "and so do you."
The reporter's eye twitched in annoyance. She hated being bull rushed on her own show. It was no different than the first time. Shepard had outmaneuvered her again and it was a heavy blow to her pride as a reporter. However, she got the news. And as far as Westerlund was concerned, that was it as her camera drone cut the feed.
She threw Shepard an angry glare and muttered, "tight assed bitch."
Khalisah did not see Nora twirl around and, with an angry snarl on the Spectre's face, struck the reporter with a balled fist faster than she could see coming. The blow dug into her cheek, and she think she felt a tooth or two fly out of her mouth as her jaw was dislocated, and caused her to twirl once in the air before falling flat on her face.
"Next time you want to do an interview, try and do with it a bit of tact, Jilani!" Shepard snarled, then stomped away.
K: Yes. Considering a lot of human interest groups were hounding her nonstop it was understandable if she ever got... defensive. Anyway, continue, please.
T: Probably the most important thing that I respect and am grateful for, was how she decided to take a view that some asari would take; the Long View.
K: When did this come up?
T: Immediately after the Allied Fleets had destroyed Sovereign. Shepard had sacrificed an entire Alliance fleet in order to save the Destiny Ascension.
Tevos could tell Shepard felt uncomfortable as herself, Velarn, and Sparatus attempted to thank the person who had made the decision to pull the Alliance Fleet in time that had saved the Council. Sparatus spoke of sacrifice. Velarn spoke of the cost. And Tevos herself was about to speak about how their actions would not be forgotten, Nora raised her hands as if to request to speak.
"Councilors. I appreciate the fact that you are grateful for your lives. However, I would like for you to understand something. Despite my repeated attempted at warning you of the Reaper Threat, with proof, you chose to ignore my warnings and that was how Sovereign was able to get as close as he did to succeeding. More of the lives of our people could have been spared had it been taken seriously."
Surprised, Tevos objected, "but the Reaper ship is destroyed. Surely that has to be the end of it."
Nora shook her head. "No, Councilor. There's more out there. The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans with just one ship. I don't know how many of them are out there, waiting for the time to attack, however, I do know this; all we did was slow them down. If they were able to continue doing this for who knows how many millions of years, then we have a dark road ahead of us. I did not sacrifice the Fifth just to save your lives, Councilors. I did it for the ten thousand on board the Destiny Ascension. For the mothers, sisters, and daughters of everyone on board. They deserved better than this."
None of the Councilors could say anything as Nora Shepard gave them a curt salute, "Pardon me, Councilors."
K: Wow. It's a miracle that she was still a Spectre after that. I know I'd get fired if I spoke out like that.
T: Bear in mind, I could understand how she felt. We allowed it because she had earned it. However, it was not long after that event of the Commander's passing did we start to realize how much we had erred.
"What became of the science team that we sent to examine the wreckage of the craft?" Matriach Persea said with evident impatience. This had been the third time Tevos had come to her, as the representative of High Command, requesting that greater information be gathered in regards to the remains of Sovereign.
"It was not long after they began their research did they discover an unsettling element of the wreckage. The material, which we've determined is far older than our own civilization, emits a subharmonic frequency that matches the traits of the 'Indoctrination' that one of my Spectres made repeated notes about in her reports," Tevos answered, "as a result, we found it expedient to limit any and all exposure by personnel to the wreckage and have resorted to using robot drones from what is hopefully a safe distance in our research facilities."
"Hmm," Persea said with thinned lips. She had neither the patience nor the inclination to believe the stories of the Reapers, even after all the reports she had submitted.
"The reports of the science team has led me to believe that the Reaper threat that my Spectre has informed me about requires far more preparation than what we are currently doing at the present time. Going over the combat footage, the logistical officers that were on the Destiny Ascension have given me their observations that it took almost two fleets worth of ships in order to destroy one. If the reports are to be believed and this is but a precursor to a galaxy wide invasion, it is my opinion that we begin to prepare Thessia and all her child colonies for possible-"
"That will not be necessary," Matriarch Persea said as her image placed the data pad down, "with the general galactic economy being as it is, not to mention that there is no evidence of a forthcoming invasion, we will continue to go about as if the threat is no more. If the other council race leaders wish to share their observations with us, then we shall give it consideration, however, we will not be the impetus for a galaxy wide panic for something that may never occur."
"But Matriarch, for all the evidence we've been given, there is a greater likelihood of there being more waiting for the signal to attack. At the very least, could we being to institute protocols and procedures that should an invasion happen-"
"And I repeat to you, Councilor, there is no invasion happening and there won't be," Persea's frown grew deeper the more Tevos attempted to protest, "and I would suggest you cease wasting our time with," her face scrunched up in disgust, "crying wolf, or however that human saying goes, or else such disrespect towards High Command would certainly come with a price higher than you are capable of paying, 'Councilor'."
Tevos kept her fear in check and slowly nodded. "I meant no disrespect, nor offense, Matriarch."
"Good. It would certainly be unfortunate for the Council to lose such a notable member who had done so much for the galaxy," Persea noted with little subtlety as to what would happen, should Tevos continue to appeal for more readiness for a possible invasion.
With that, the image vanished and Tevos let out a despondent breath.
It had been no better with her colleagues. Their own respective governments had given them, unsurprisingly; similar if not the same reasons as the ones High Command had given her. Each of them had secrets to keep and they would remain that way, in spite of the working relationship they had with each other.
K: So, the heads of government knew the whole time and didn't do anything.
T: Not entirely correct. However, there was one thing that the heads of government were right about; it would have caused a panic that we could not afford to have and would have worked in the Reapers' favor. So, we had to work in a few more subtle ways for us to prepare that would have allowed the galaxy to prepare for the invasion. We were able to reverse engineer the primary weapons the Reapers used against them. It had taken a lot of convincing on our part, but it would have ended up a lot worse had we not.
K: Did Shepard ever hear about this?
T: *shakes head* Sadly, no. While she was, for all intents and purposes, correct, going around like a Mad Prophet did her no favors. Can you imagine being in the position of someone who did not see what she did?
K: Probably not the best of ideas at the time.
T: Correct. However, after all she had done for it us, it was difficult to, in essence, repeat the position of our superiors when we were there and had seen what we have. But, perhaps the most difficult of the whole ordeal was after Shepard had returned.
Tevos and her fellow councilors could tell Nora Shepard wanted to lash out. The scars on her face, the weariness in her gaze. It was all too telling. However, to the relief of everyone in attendance, which included Anderson and Udina, she stepped forward and spoke calmly, "I accept the reinstatement. I thank the Council for their assistance."
Tevos then answered, "Goddess be with you on your investigation, Shepard. And may your relationship to Cerberus end just as swiftly. "
She nodded as the image of Shepard vanished.
Velarn could not help but shake his head. "Unfortunate. If what her reports were true, she's not had an easy time of it."
"I still find it rather hard to believe that Cerberus was able to bring her back from the dead," Sparatus intoned as he took a seat at his desk.
"I agree, but at the same time, all the information we have on Cerberus points to the idea that they are extremely well funded and connected. I wonder just how much clout they have within the Alliance itself in order to protect 'human interests'," the salarian noted from his own console.
Tevos remained silent with her hands behind her back, still staring at the place where Nora, who Tevos could describe as a child who needed help and a guide and seemed so lost and abandoned. Tevos never lamented the fact that she had no children of her own, however, in a strange way, Shepard's simple earnestness and passion evoked the feelings of a concerned parent who did not wish to see their child go astray. While she did feel a certain sense of responsibility towards the Spectres, since it was through her and Chairwoman Iressa of the Oversight Committee that the Spectres acted, it never went this far.
"Do we have any information about the Collectors?" Tevos asked as she finally left her position and took her own seat.
Velarn shook his head. "Afraid not. Any information we have is often in the form of second hand accounts and unreliable witnesses. The fact that Shepard forwarded this footage of them abducting humans leaves me troubled."
Sparatus raised an eyebrow. "That she even sent the information to us in the first place? Considering she was ready to explode back there, it seems inconsistent."
"No, I mean, the fact that for the first time in decades or even centuries, we have actual proof that the Collectors exist. Not to mention the footage that the other Alliance Spectre candidate was able to bring in more proof from Horizon. The rest of the Union's Intelligence Committee, along with the STG and the Dalatress, are finding it more and more difficult to deny that there is something afoot, however, the fact that they're targeting humans doesn't make it a priority."
"For now anyways," Tevos noted dourly.
"Do you really think the Collectors are part of this Reaper plot?" Sparatus said with his arms crossed.
"Whether they are not, then I certainly hope Shepard takes care of them soon. If there is an invasion that's going to happen, I rather she be here at least making an effort to cause a stir to get our peoples ready. High Command certainly doesn't seem inclined to make the preparations," the asari noted as she stared at the many reports she began to read through.
"Let us hope," Velarn said as he went back to his own console and began to type another appeal, making notes to add the physical evidence that all three of them would share and send to their respective heads of state to let them know that this was a development that required the attention of more than just one Spectre in the Terminus.
K: So, do you believe that there is one single source of blame for all that the galaxy's lost?
T: Not at all. Bear in mind, the Reapers were expert in hiding their presence to ensure that they would not be expected every cycle. What few indications of their presence, if there were any, would not identify them in any way, shape, or form until it was too late. We were fortunate that we had enough forewarning that gave us a sense of preparation. We could have had it a lot worse.
K: Did you ever get a chance to speak to Shepard about that before the invasion?
T: Yes. It was not long after she had severed ties with Cerberus.
Tevos had gotten the signal. It was from the same frequency that only Spectres knew. She walked over to the console where she would often speak with her Spectres and to her surprise, it was Shepard. A bit battered and worse for wear, however, the smile on her face spoke of good tidings.
Immediately, the news of her information agencies from her own branch and from that of the other Councilors had confirmed that Shepard had not only entered the notorious Omega 4 relay, but had come out from it as well.
"Councilor, I apologize for not reporting in sooner, but I wanted to make sure and any possible bugs and listening devices were scrubbed from the Normandy," she said with a proud smile on her face.
Tevos nodded and kept her demeanor professional. "What have you to report, Shepard?"
Nora nodded eagerly. "Well, the Collectors had been defeated. I was able to obtain as much as I could about their origins, their technology, and so on. I'll be sending you all my findings the next time I reach an Agency port, so they can reach you. More importantly, I've cut all ties with Cerberus. Since it seemed their desire for 'human interests' only seemed to go so far when it was in tandem with Cerberus' interests."
Tevos nodded, but held back a sigh of relief. She truly believed Shepard was as good as her word and her desire to be, and to hear her throwing in her lot with Cerberus was troubling to say the least.
"That is good to hear. I will be expecting your reports and your findings," she said with a nod.
"Councilor," Nora's exuberance suddenly deflated as she began to ask tentatively, "I want to apologize for my behavior the last time we spoke."
"From what I recall, you conducted yourself professionally. I see no reason for you to apologize."
"No, no. It's not that," she said, "I was angry with you, with everyone, and angry at the whole galaxy. Because, I don't know, but I just felt angry and recent events have not done me any favors."
The asari councilor could see the desire for approval in her eyes. So, she decided to see if Shepard was whom she believed she was.
"May I ask you a question, Shepard?"
"Of course, Councilor."
"Do you ever regret sacrificing the lives of the men and women in the Fifth fleet to save us and the Destiny Ascension, even after all that has transpired since your death and return?"
Shepard was shocked and taken back. For a moment her voice was lost, when it seemed Shepard was clearly torn as she looked this way and that in an almost desperate search for answers. She couldn't blame Shepard, really. Her race had been marginalized in many cases, their colonies would often left to their own devices and open to raids, and after all this, humanity still had much to prove. However, Tevos had to know for sure.
Nora took another deep breath and then calmly, "no, Madam Councilor. Yes, sacrificing the Destiny Ascension could have saved many Alliance lives and, for all I know, given humanity better standing in the galactic community. However, doing that would not have earned us any friends. And that's what we need." She let out chuckle, "the funny thing, the man who runs Cerberus thinks that sacrificing others for some vague goal knows what it means. He doesn't and I doubt he ever will."
Tevos began to smile. That same humility and eagerness she had seen not too long ago had returned. This was the Nora Shepard they had chosen to become a Spectre.
"Well said, Shepard," she said as a small feeling of pride began to well in her chest, "so, now that you have effectively cut ties from Cerberus, what do you intend to do now?"
Nora took a deep breath as though the weight of the previous subject had taken a lot out of her, then answered, "well, if you don't mind giving me a bit more autonomy at the moment, I'd like to try and do something that's been bothering me for a while."
"And what is that?"
"I want to help stop the hostilities between the Quarians and the Geth," she said confidently.
The news surprised Tevos as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a wise course of action to take? That is an issue the quarians need to handle themselves."
The human nodded. "I know, however, I feel reinstituting the quarians back into galactic society would do us all good. And I would wager a guess that they're tired of living in space for as long as they have. Plus, I'm trying to keep my presence in the matter as minimal as possible."
"And how would you get the Geth to speak to anyone, let alone the Quarians?"
"You'd be surprised whom I met during the Campaign here in the Terminus," she said with a wry smile.
Unsure she wanted to hear the answer to that, she held up her hand and said, "I'll take your word for it and assume that you have found a means for them to talk and leave it at that. You may leave the minutia in your report."
Shepard nodded. "Yes, Madam Councilor."
"One last thing," Tevos interrupted before she cut the line. "Is this, by any chance, part of your claims about the Reapers?"
Nora paused for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, Madam Councilor."
"I assumed as much," Tevos muttered, hiding the fact that she was secretly proud of the human who held to her convictions.
"I know you don't believe me, Councilor," Nora said, but this time without any anger behind it, "however, I-"
Tevos held up a hand again to silence Shepard's protestations. "Do what you need to do. Then, report back to the Citadel as soon as possible. You have much to catch up on."
Aware that the Councilor was granting her request and showing some trust in her judgment, she saluted gratefully and cut the feed.
Tevos sincerely hoped that she had made the right decision. While it was not the first time she had allowed Spectres to go out on their own, she at times had misgivings, considering the nature of things that tended to explode around the human.
K: I assume being able to see the genesis of the Perseus Trust didn't happen because of what occurred at Aratoht.
T: *nods* What a mess. We were able to obtain the report from Admiral Hackett and we all came to the conclusion that Shepard was there at the right time and place, but with the worst possible outcome. The Hagemony was screaming for blood and there was nothing we could do to help her.
K: Was there any communication between the Council and the Alliance during her incarceration.
T: *a pause* Yes. There was.
Tevos kept her calm, however, she was becoming more and more annoyed at Udina's repeated deflections whenever they wished to speak with Shepard. While it was true she was an N7 Marine in the Alliance Navy, she was also a Spectre, which meant that the Council had the necessity, and right, to speak with someone who was ostensibly one of their own.
While it was true they could use some of their political clout to get the Alliance Parliament to allow them to speak, the political implications and repercussions would reflect poorly on the Council and be seen as weakness. And that was the last thing they needed.
"Councilor Tevos," Udina said cordially as he entered Tevos' office.
"Representative Udina," she said without looking up at him. She was currently busy at the moment with the acclimation of the Raloi delegation and getting them to fit into the Citadel was becoming a bit difficult. The last thing she needed to hear was Udina giving himself yet another excuse why they would not be able to speak with Shepard. While it wasn't the greatest of priorities, they wanted to hear what had happened from Nora herself, not from some report.
"Is there a reason why you've come to my office, Representative?" Tevos said as she slowly placed another requisition form for Raloi transport frigates from their homeworld.
"Yes. I wanted to inform you that the Alliance Parliament has given permission for me to speak with Shepard," he said, clearly unhappy with the development.
Tevos looked up from her desk in surprise. "What?"
"Apparently, the Senators of the Defense Committee felt it was necessary for their representative to speak with her to ensure that she has not, in fact, gone crazy," he continued. She felt disgusted over the fact that even though Shepard had nominated Udina, given his skill in the political arena, he couldn't be bothered to return the favor.
Tevos had seen such circumstances more than she would have liked to admit. While it was true Shepard and Udina didn't see eye to eye, they did, however, both understand that they needed to navigate the political waters of the galaxy with extreme caution.
"I made it a fair point that as a Spectre, she needed to be allowed to inform the Council personally, however, they continued to argue that this was an internal matter and therefore, the Council has no part of it. So, they will allow me to speak with her in the stead of the Council," he said with folded arms.
"Is that so?" Tevos said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, Councilor, so, if there's anything you wish me to relay to Shepard, now is the time to do it," he concluded, aware that there was not much time for either one of them.
Tevos frowned at him, however, understood the necessity of time. "Come back in five minutes, I'll have something prepared for her."
He nodded, "Yes, Councilor."
"By the way," she said before he left the office, "I assume you went to the other Councilors with this news?"
Now it was Udina's turn to act surprised. "I assumed only you wished to speak with her."
Her frown deepened, "be careful with your words, Representative. Such words can lead to implications that could lead to unpleasant conclusions." After all the headaches High Command had been giving her about Shepard, it was disgustingly nice to work out that aggression on someone else.
Aware of his mistake he then took a step back to the door and said, "I apologize, Madam Councilor. I'll be sure that such a mistake isn't repeated. "
"Be sure that you do," she said flatly as he finally, as the human saying went, got the hint and went to pester Sparatus and Velarn.
When the door closed, she quickly took out a blank data pad and quickly penned in several questions she would have asked her, had the Alliance Parliament allowed them to see Shepard. The job itself did not require much thought or effort, however, until Udina returned, she had a moment to ruminate as to exactly why she became so defensive when it came to the human who would, by all rights, not live to see her hit her eighth century.
While the concept of Nora seeing her as a parent figure was not a new one, there had been others, Tevos never saw herself as such a thing before. Besides, she already had Admiral Anderson as a father figure, if she remembered her human phrases right.
Maybe she was just getting old. She was already three quarters into her sixth century. Matriarch Benezia, Athame bless her soul, was eight hundred when news of her having her first daughter reached her. Tevos almost laughed at the prospect of herself becoming a mother, even a surrogate one to a human. Her life was one of service and as such, the role of a family to call her own, even to appease the paparazzi, would be negligible at best.
A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts as Udina had returned. Sooner than she would have liked, however, she acknowledged his presence, stood up and then handed him the data pad without a word.
She gave him a curt nod as he took the questions, harmless and to the point as usual, and left. While she was well enough aware that Spectres could take care of themselves, she certainly hoped that the Alliance legal system would allow Nora her freedom. The Hagemony notwithstanding, leaving Shepard behind bars was the wrong thing to do.
K: Would it be presumptuous of me to assume that you felt a sense of responsibility for Shepard?
T: My feelings on the matter were always irrelevant, however, being the one whom she communicated the most with, I did, in fact, feel responsible for her. While I wasn't aware of it at the time, the intrigue that prevented Anderson from becoming the first human Spectre had a very real possibility of happening a second time. I speak only for myself when I say this; she does her name and her people proud. Nothing will change that.