Reconstruction
Wrex stormed down a hall, grumbling and muttering. That idiot should not have provoked him.
"Wrex!" a voice called. Wrex turned around and saw Liara running down the hall behind him. "Wrex, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Wrex grumbled, not stopping. Liara stepped in front of him and cut him off.
"You cannot afford getting into these fights," she said.
"The moron wouldn't get out of my way!"
"That didn't mean you had to throw him out a window," Liara said. Wrex grumbled for a moment and looked up.
"I know," he finally said. "I lost my temper on him. I shouldn't have fought him. It's not what Shepard would have wanted."
Anderson stood on a balcony, staring out over the ruined Presidium. He looked behind him and saw Garrus get off the elevator, followed by Ashley.
"Chief Williams, Agent Vakarian," Anderson greeted warmly.
"Captain Anderson," Ashley said, smiling.
"It's Councilor now. I'm glad to see you both are alright." Anderson's face suddenly became solemn. "I'm sorry about what happened."
"You said the Council wanted to see us?" Ashley asked. After all that has happened, she did not want to talk about Shepard.
"Garrus in particular," Anderson said. "They want to talk about the bounty hunter you ran into." Ashley looked at Garrus, expecting an explanation.
"Bounty Hunter?" Ashley asked.
"You never told anyone?"
"No," Garrus said. "I know that particular bounty hunter." Garrus walked to the edge of the balcony. "They call him Bane. No one knows his real name. He's a big-time bounty hunter, and is wanted for some of the most serious crimes ever committed."
"Why does the Council want to talk to you about it?" Ashley asked.
"Bane is one of the top three most wanted criminals known. It's what he can do that makes him so wanted. The contractors who hire him hire him in particular because they know he is the only one who can get it done. It makes me wonder, though. What is he up to?"
"What do you mean?" Anderson asked.
"Bane was trying to kidnap a Turian when he ran into him. I've been looking at recent C-Sec reports. I think it was Bane who's been doing the kidnapping."
"But, you said he was a big-time bounty hunter," Ashley said. "Then, why would they hire him to simply do kidnappings?"
"I don't know, but if he took a job, there's something big."
"What can Bane do?" Anderson asked.
"Well, a year ago, Bane was hired to kill an Asari ambassador. The Council sent a Spectre to stop him. Bane took both the ambassador and the Spectre hostage. Another Spectre was sent to both stop Bane and free his hostages. Those two Spectres were the best, and Bane somehow killed both of them and the ambassador."
"So, who hired him?"
"And why?" Ashley added. There was a beeping and the hologram of the three Councilors appeared.
"Looks like they're ready," Anderson said. Garrus walked over to the three Councilors.
The doors of the Malevolence slid open, letting Bane to board the ship with his package. As the bounty hunter stepped on the ship, Gore was standing on the side to welcome him.
"You have everything?" Gore asked.
"Yes," Bane said flatly. They looked at the small pile of pods beside them. Bane noticed a specimen tank in another room. "When is this operation you mentioned?" Gore looked at his data pad.
"We have all the materials we need," he said. "You can begin your operations." It was invisible behind his suit, but Bane smiled wickedly.
"With pleasure," he hissed.
Garrus walked back over to Anderson as Ashley went to talk to the Council.
"What are they going to do about Bane?" Anderson asked.
"They're still discussing it," Garrus said. "After what happened to the last two Spectres they sent after him, the Council's taking precautions."
"How's the team holding up?"
"Well, we're not crying ourselves to sleep anymore. But, without Shepard, there's nothing to hold the team together. It looks like we'll soon be going our separate ways."
"What are you going to do now? After what's happened…" Garrus solemnly looked down over the Presidium.
"I don't know," he said after a moment. "I've already resigned from C-Sec. I don't know where to go from here." There was a click and Garrus saw the holograms of the Councilors disappear.
"How did it go?" Anderson asked.
"They still refuse to look for the Reapers," Ashley sighed angrily. "Shepard died so that we would keep looking."
"Can't you do anything, Councilor?" Garrus asked Anderson.
"I can't make a decision without the agreement with the rest of the Council," Anderson said.
"What about Udina?" Ashley asked. "Maybe he can convince the Council."
"We have to make him do that first," Anderson laughed dryly. A hissing noise caught everyone's attention. They watched as the elevator door opened and Joker stumbled through.
"What the-?" Garrus said as he grabbed the pilot before Joker fell to the ground. "That's just great, he's drunk!"
"Come on," Ashley said as she and Garrus took Joker's arms. "Let's get him to the Wards."
"What did you do?" Garrus asked the drunken Joker as they dragged him into the elevator. The pilot's head bobbed stupidly as he slurred random words. "Why do humans get drunk after tragedies?"
The Destiny Ascension continued its victory cruise around the Citadel, but it still needed to know the progress of the reconstruction, not just reports but eyewitnesses. The Council had sent one of their Advisors to check on the progress of reconstruction. The Advisor's ship was at one of the Citadel's ports, getting ready to return to the Destiny Ascension with the Advisor. The Advisor's bodyguards marched in front of the entrance to the ship, ready to fight off anything that attack, almost anything.
"Alert: intruder has breached the perimeter," the PA system boomed.
"Let's go!" the captain of the guards yelled as he and several other security guards gathered outside the ship. They were surprised when they saw a single Quarian in a trench coat slowly walked towards them.
"This is a restricted area," the PA system announced. All trespassers will be tried due process of the law."
"Freeze," the captain of the guards yelled. "Put your hands in the air!" Bane stopped several feet away from the guards.
"I have no business with mere bodyguards," Bane said hollowly. "Why not you just step aside?"
"Put your hands in the air or we will be forced to open fire!" After the Battle of the Citadel, the Councilor's bodyguards and the Advisor's bodyguards have to be on high alert. This did not have any effect on Bane though. He simply chuckled when he heard this.
"You have been warned," Bane hissed ominously. The guard s were wondering what Bane meant when, suddenly, a loud bang echoed the room. The guards all jumped down as a bullet flew past Bane and into one of the guard's head!
"Sniper!" the captain of the guard's cried as he jumped to cover. There was another bang as the sniper shot one of the fleeing guards. "Emergency take-off!" the captain yelled through his radio. "I repeat: emergency take-off! Get the Advisor back to the Destiny Ascension!"
"I don't think so," Bane muttered as his omni-tool appeared on his left arm. He knew that while the ship was docked, the docking bay was attached to the ship. Taking off without removing the docking clamps could tear a chunk of the ship right off.
"We have a no go!" the pilot said over his radio. "The docking clamps will not disengage. We have a no go!" The captain muttered angrily under his breath when he saw an Asari mercenary turn around the corner to his right. There was yelling as a Human pirate appeared to his left. The captain looked up and saw Bane pull out a pair of pistols and began firing. Under fire from all sides, the thirteen bodyguards were easily cut down. Bane knew that all the bodyguards inside the ship will be racing for the entrance of the ship to help the other guards. Being inside the ship, these guards will be easily taken care of. Bane hacked into the ship's computers and smiled. He could hear loud bangs as valves released coolant gases into the hallways. After a moment, Bane closed the valves and the gas slowly disappeared from the halls.
"Check it!" Bane said to the Asari and Human. As they checked the entrance of the ship, Bane waved to the Batarian sniper. The Batarian wore the standard red, thug armor, but wore a grotesque set of goggles that covered all of his eyes.
"It's clear," the Asari said.
"Cyclops, get our cargo onboard!" Bane ordered the Batarian. Cyclops was not the Batarian's name, only a nickname he earned himself. "Sin, check the pilot, make sure he doesn't do anything," Bane told the Asari. "Carmine, secure the ship!" Bane ordered the human. Bane turned around when he heard uneven breathing behind him. He saw Snu-Cal waddle over to him. "Let's get started."
Joker's head bobbed backwards as he snored loudly in the wards. Joker sat at the same desk where he drank the alcohol, the same desk Garrus first saw him at.
"Glad that's over with," Ashley said. The alcohol was beginning to wear off.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Garrus asked.
"We just wait for Joker to wake up. Hopefully he'll be sober since he didn't drink that much."
"That's not what I meant," Garrus corrected. Ashley has been avoiding the question ever since the destruction of the Normandy.
"I don't know," she said. "I'd stay in the Alliance military, but I don't know about you guys."
"Tali needs to get back to the Migrant Fleet, but she doesn't have any money to pay for transportation."
"I thought being part of the crew that stopped Saren and the Geth would help."
"Apparently not. I wonder what Wrex is going to do?"
"I'm surprised you care about Wrex," Ashley chuckled slightly. "Usually the Turians and the Krogans hate each other."
"Strangers become brothers in a foxhole under fire," Garrus said.
"Huh?"
"It's a saying we had at C-Sec. Either way, we've all changed since our fight with Saren. Ashley thought for a moment. It was true, they have changed. Ashley, for example; when everything began, she was reluctant to share any information with Garrus and Wrex. Now, she'll share information with them without any second thought.
"I'm going to miss you guys," Ashley simply said. There was a hiss and the elevator door hissed open.
"Hey, I'm back," Sidonis said flatly as he stepped off the elevator.
"Who's he?" Ashley asked.
"Sidonis," Garrus answered. "He the Turian Bane attacked."
"Why is he following you?" Garrus took a moment to think. To be completely honest with himself, he did not know. He just let Sidonis follow him around.
"A C-Sec officer downstairs wanted me to give this to you," Sidonis said, handing Garrus a data pad.
"What is it?" Ashley asked.
"Some friends back at C-Sec still give me updates on what's happening," Garrus explained. "Looks like a couple crates of mechs are gone." This was not surprising, considering the lack of security tempted looters. As Garrus scrolled down the list, he noticed that there was an audio file. He linked the sound to this headset and listened. Garrus's stiff face suddenly became filled with fear.
"What is it?"
"Get Liara, Tali, and Wrex in here," Garrus said.
"But-"
"Now!"
The Councilor's Advisor's ship cruised back towards the Destiny Ascension. As the small transport ship docked with the massive dreadnought, the docking clamps locked on the ship.
Guards waited at the entrance to the ship, waiting for the doors to open. They were definitely not expecting what happened next. As the doors hissed open, the guards drew their guns. They were stunned to see that the halls were filled with coolant gas. The opening of the door let the coolant gas suddenly flood the area they were in. The guards had helmets, but the gas completely obscured their vision.
"This is the security checkpoint, it looks like we have a coolant leak," one of the guards said. But, he got no response. "Hello?" There was a thud and the guard could just barely see a small ball bounce out of the ship and landed at his feet. He immediately recognized what the ball was, but he only had enough time to say, "Oh, crap." There was a bang, and all the guards at the docking entrance fell down, unconscious. After a moment, all the gas cleared from the halls, revealing Bane and his small strike team.
"This way," Bane said, leading the others down the hall. He quickly checked his omni-tool to make sure the communications were effectively jammed, the cameras were disabled, and the internal sensors were malfunctioning. They were.
"How are we to get to the Council?" Sin asked.
"The ventilation shafts," Cyclops suggested.
"No," Bane said firmly. "All vent shafts have sensors to make sure they are not infiltrated."
"Then, how are we to get in?" Carmine asked impatiently. Bane stopped to turn and face the team.
"The Destiny Ascension suffered heavy damage during the Geth attack. The sewage system had to be shut off to prevent flooding on several decks." Bane led the team into a small private bathroom. Snu-Cal followed everyone in, closed the door, and locked it. The bathroom door knob now read: In Use.
Bane took a moment to put a silencer on his pistol before he aimed and the wall and shot a massive chunk out of it. As the dust cleared they saw that the shot had blown a hole in the wall and a hole in a large sewage pipe. The pipe was as wide as a ventilation shaft, but the sewage system did not have detection systems in it.
"Follow me," Bane said as he crawled into the pipe. The rest of the team followed. They crawled through the pipes for several minutes before they finally reached a hole in the pipe that lead back into the hall. Obviously the hole was created during the battle with the Geth. Bane looked around as he got out.
"Let's go say 'hello' to some Councilors," Bane said.
Garrus, Tali, and Sidonis rushed through the halls of the Citadel.
"I found Tali," Garrus said through his radio.
"This is Liara," Liara said back through the radio. "Ashley's gone to check on Joker. I am still looking for Wrex."
"Not anymore," a voice beside Liara said. She looked up and saw Wrex run up to her. "What's all this about?"
"I don't know," Liara told Wrex. "Garrus wants us for something."
"Everyone, meet back in the wards where Ashley is," Garrus said. Suddenly, red warning lights and buzzers began ringing.
"All C-Sec Personnel are called to headquarters," the PA system boomed. "All off-duty personnel are called back on duty for emergency services. This is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill."
"Now what?!" Garrus groaned. "Sidonis, get Tali back. I'm going to see what this is about." Garrus turned around and ran back down the hallway. It figures, Garrus found Tali not too far from the C-Sec headquarters, and now he has to run back there!
"What's going on?!" Garrus asked as he burst through the doors of C-Sec headquarters.
"Agent Vakarian," a nearby officer said. "We've got a problem."
"I know that much," Garrus said in annoyance.
"That bounty hunter Bane, he's taken the Council, several of their advisors and Ambassador Udina hostage." Garrus's jaw dropped when he heard this. He's heard of ambassadors being taken hostage while negotiating with an enemy, but hearing a government official being taken hostage on their own ship, surrounded by the full force of both the Citadel Fleet and the Alliance fleet was unheard of.
"How did this happen?"
"I wish I knew," the officer said, returning to his work station.
"What does C-Sec want me to do?" The officer looked around.
"Umm…we're transferring several on-duty personnel to designated areas. So, you have to wait to receive orders. Off-duty personnel are being assigned over the radio. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing." With nothing to do, Garrus could now go back to his friends and tell them what he found, but his running was not helping his mood. He ran to C-Sec headquarters to find Tali, halfway away from C-Sec headquarters to get Tali to Joker, back to headquarters, merely to find out he did not have to run back. As Garrus sprinted back to the wards, he could not help but wonder, what was Bane up to?
"We're here," Wrex said as he and Liara entered the room, where they saw Ashley, Joker, Tali, and Sidonis. Joker groaned in pain as he grasped his head.
"I feel like I just banged my head off a desk," the pilot groaned.
"Maybe next time you shouldn't drink so much," Ashley laughed.
"It wasn't that much!" Joker protested.
"But, it was enough," Ashley said. Joker groaned again.
"They offered me a ship."
"Who?" Liara asked.
"The Council. They offered me the SRV Odyssey."
"I know of it," Tali said. "It is a new missile frigate the Alliance designed. From what I hear, it will be much like the Normandy in many perspectives including the fact that it has a new MAKO." They team did not react when they heard about the MAKO; they all remembered the bouncy rides they had in it.
"Did you accept?" Liara asked. Joker shook his head.
"It might be LIKE the Normandy, but it's not." Suddenly, Garrus burst through the door, panting.
"What happened to you?" Ashley asked. Garrus simply grumbled as he tried to catch his breath.
"We have a problem," Garrus finally said.
"Is this about the Council?" Joker asked.
"How do you know about the Council?" Joker pointed at a holographic news screen that was broadcasting what was happening. "It's not the only thing." Garrus fell into a chair nearby. Hopefully he will never have to do that much running again. "I got a message from C-Sec earlier."
"I thought you resigned," Tali said.
"Some friends still give me updates. C-Sec just intercepted a transmission from a pirated cruiser." Garrus took out his data pad and played the recording.
"Do we have everything?" a voice asked.
"Indeed," a definite batarian voice answered. "The body is complete, our Master will not settle for anything less than perfect."
"What of the bounty hunter?" The team exchanged glances with each other. They all knew the voices were talking about Bane.
"He has already begun his operations. No one knows what is happening. We have already tracked down the final transport ship. We shall find what we need there."
"Excellent. All of the Citadel's concerns will be focused on the Council. Our Lord Sovereign will reward us when Reapers return." There was a click and the recording stopped playing.
"That's not good," Wrex commented.
So, this is the second story I have ever written. How am I doing so far? How well did I recreate the Mass Effect characters? What do you think of Bane? You can be truthful.