With a hum the door to the elevator smoothly slid open.

Kaidan glanced to his right, worried about the others while he himself collected his thoughts about what had transpired.

To be honest he hadn't been all that surprised by the Council's decision, he didn't even feel much anger with them. It had always been a fact of life that those on the higher up had to aim for a bigger objective, to see the bigger picture...and that it at times blinded them to justice and ideals...not to mention reality itself as too many problems occupied their thoughts, the sheer scale of their workload making each issue more difficult to properly handle.

Not that it wasn't frustrating for those the government was supposed to help...Kaidan shuddered at the thought of the killer all those colonists of Eden Prime remaining loose...ready to enact another crime like it again.

A step ahead of him and at the front of the group Michael was walking, his steps measured and sure, not once had he turned to them since they had left the Council chamber...making Kaidan unsure. Personally he wasn't sure where he had the Commander, he didn't really distrust the man...but it was hard to find someone switching from different moods to outright viciousness as dependable...and as such Kaidan kept half a step further a distance then normal.

Ashley on the other side was visibly fuming, the woman's jaw-muscles twitching again and again as she with small but immeasurable tense steps followed their Commander. Her lips were nothing but a thin line and there was a visible twitch of her hands, as if she wanted nothing more then to grab any of her three guns and blow the Council and a good number of their staff apart in a blaze of self-righteous glory.

Good thing she didn't try that or I'd been forced to knock her over with my biotics. And Kaidan really didn't want to anger the woman...he didn't know her all that well of course, but only a fool wouldn't understand that she was not one you wanted to get on the bad side of.

And then they were in the elevator, coming to a stop in the same formation they'd been walking in, almost as if on parade. Or maybe neither Ashley nor I want to be next to Shepard right now...

A thump and the door closed behind them, a hint of vertigo...and the elevator began to move downwards for what Kaidan knew would be a long time. Why did they put the citadel tower so high up anyway?Getting to it is a bit of a pain...maybe that's the reason actually? Oh well, a few minutes more or less makes no difference in the grand scheme of things.

Ashley obviously disagreed though, them not even three seconds into the ride before she growled: "I hate this elevator already, it's too slow, can't we just rappel down?"

"I don't think the Council would appreciate marines playing circus in the middle of the citadel Chief." Kaidan pointed out, watching the woman out of the corner of his eye as she whirled at him. Oh dear... "Besides, you're not really frustrated with the elevator but with the result of the hearing."

The soldier's eyes narrowed at him, searching for mockery perhaps. Hostile aren't we? Kaidan forced himself not to react to it. "Wouldn't you be? Those pricks didn't do anything! Thousands of dead and they don't even do a proper investigation of our charges!"

"To be fair there wasn't much evidence we had." Kaidan replied, then hurried to add as he watched Ashley go red with anger. "Really, a drunken and criminal dockworker already confused by that big ship and the Geth attack isn't much of a testimony."

Ashley's redness faded a little as she looked away, arms crossed in front of her. Is...is she pouting! "Now you sound like the Council..."

Kaidan made a conciliatory move with his hand as he inched closer, bowing his head slightly. "Honestly they had a point, it's not right, but it's the law...there's too much doubt to arrest such a successful Spectre."

Ashley was still turned away from him when she whipped her head around to glare at him. "But what about to footage of him idi-sir!"

Kaidan blinked, hesitating at the heat in her voice, then managed a weak smile. The losses are too personal to her, don't take it personal. "The Commander only managed to film the back of his neck, not really a telling picture..."

Ashley turned her head to look down at her feet, shaking her head with a frown on her face, glum. "Because there's so many other Turians with extensive cybernetics covering their back all the way up to their neck and back of their head...?"

"Probably not." Kaidan agreed. "But one never knows, besides, it could have been staged as a smear-campaign."

"What!" Ashley whirled about to face him, eyes narrowed.

Raising his hands up Kaidan took a step back, trying his best to look neutral. Okay, so it's very personal to her... "Relax chief, I'm just saying what the Council might have been thinking. Captain Anderson and Saren obviously have a history, as do humans and Turians, not to mention that Saren is known for his anti-human views. It's not odd for them to consider us humans using this attack as an excuse to get rid of a political enemy..."

"So it comes down to that huh?" Ashley grimaced, her voice a growl as she looked away from him and to the solid back Shepard still kept turned to them. "Humans are still just some second class citizen where their word is less worth then that of a Turian's..."

"To some extent..." Kaidan agreed, shifting his feet, feeling uncomfortable. "...you have to admit that humanity has been a bit rough in their journey into the galactic community..." Before Ashley had time to protest he added: "Besides, this is Saren, a highly decorated Spectre who has served the Council with distinction for years and years...if the roles were reversed we wouldn't so easily cast aside his given word."

Ashley raised a hand, index finger up in protest, her mouth opening...then closed her mouth and lowered her hand as she looked away with a weary shrug. "Perhaps."

"At least they didn't expressively forbid us to try and dig up evidence..." Kaidan tried, gaze darting from the suddenly tired-looking woman to the back of the stoically silent Shepard. What's on your mind Commander? The ambassador told you to find evidence...what's the plan? There was no answer from the tall man.

"Okay." Ashley grunted, turning to face Kaidan again with an exasperated look on her face. "Then what about the Geth attack? They're doing nothing about that either."

"Eden prime is on the edge of the Terminus system." Kaidan replied, sighing as he remembered the old extranet reports he'd seen about the Council's view on humanity's near explosive expansion. "The Council warned us about colonizing such planets and obviously view the prestige loss of not protecting one of the citadel's member species as better then the danger of pursuing Geth raiders into lawless territory and perhaps sparking an all out war."

"Bet they would have acted if it had been a Turian world..."

"I'm not so sure, perhaps." Kaidan shrugged, feeling a bit more relaxed now that he realised Ashley had gone from potentially violent to grouchy. "Then again the Turians might have felt honour-bound to take care of such a matter themselves and not drag the Council into it, fought their own battle." Please work, please work...

"As we will." Yes! Ashley grunted at the idea, a fire in her eyes as she glared down at the floor, as if willing the elevator to move faster. Then she looked up at Shepard's back. "Right Commander?"

A muffled grunt and a shrug was all the answer she got.

Helpful... Kaidan sighed, the fact that he wasn't sure where he had Shepard making the non-answer all the more frustrating. "Well...we could talk to that citadel security man? Garrus wasn't it?"

"C-sec?" Ashley snorted. "You mean the Council's own little private army? Why would they help us? Not to mention that you're suggesting us going to get a Turian to arrest a Turian hero...gooood luck." Kaidan shot her a glance at that, making the woman blink and look away as she hurriedly added: "Sir."

Well aren't you blunt? Kaidan managed a small smile. "Citadel security is a police force, not the Council's army chief, not only that but give Spectre's known disregard for rules and protocol c-sec men aren't all that keen on them...or so I've heard. As for them both being Turians...didn't you hear him near the Council chamber? That was a furious Turian I can tell you...obviously not a fan of Saren's."

"Perhaps." Ashley once again reluctantly agreed, though looked none too pleased as she glared at the floor of the elevator. "But forgive me if I won't hold my breath. Even if we find something I don't think it'll make a difference..."

"We just have to hope the council acts once more telling evidence is brought forth." Kaidan responded with a shrug.

Once again Ashley snorted. "No, we don't."

To his annoyance Kaidan found himself smirking at the response even as he forced his voice to remain neutral as he directed it at Shepard's stoic back. "So Commander, what's next?"

Silence, save the gentle hum of the elevator.

"He said by any means possible." The Commander's voice was cold, yet had a dangerous edge to it, something...predatory.

"Sir?" Ashley exchanged a confused look with Kaidan.

"The ambassador." Michael explained. "He told us to find evidence by any means possible." Finally he turned, only enough for the right side of his head to show, making the scar over his eye look even more jagged as the shadows cast by the lights outside the elevator played over it. His teeth were bared in a grin, a ferocious grin. "So we'll do just that."

Kaidan felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

And next to him Ashley nodded with a grin of her own. "Music to my ears sir..."

8

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8

The Shadow Broker's information had been good.

As Shepard knew it would be.

Though tall and heavily built he was still dwarfed by the Krogan now towering close to him, large red eyes narrowing at him as the beastly creature looked down at him with a nearly curious smile over its shark-like mouth. "Nice of you to talk the c-sec officers out of arresting me..." The voice of the monster was deep bass and calm as only a confident veteran's could be. "...I would have handled it myself...but let's pretend I now owe you a favour, a favour you'll expend asking me to listen to you I'm guessing."

Intelligent, observant, heavily armed and a veteran...use caution, feign casualness. "You're clever for an oversized frog." He smirked, watching the teeth of the Krogan be bared in a grin. "The Shadow Broker apparently hired you to take care of a club-owner here, a club-owner who is working for Saren...?"

"That's right." The mercenary rumbled, making Shepard feel as if his name was apt. Wrex, short, simple, perfect to shout in a fight... The creature cocked his head to the side, smirking, which on a Krogan made it look as if he was about to bite Shepard's head clean off. Micheal casually laid a hand to rest on his pistol...which Wrex's eyes darted down to with a widening of his smirk. "The Shadow Broker isn't too happy when his agents double-cross him, thinking they can sell their acquired information directly to the buyer instead of to the Shadow Broker..."

"I can imagine the Shadow Broker keeps such things from happening, makes an example of such agents?" Michael asked the question, already knowing the answer as he cocked his head to the side as well, matching Wrex's stance.

"That's right." The Krogan chuckled. "Which is why I'm here after all, to...make an example of Fist." He shrugged, head turning to nod towards the shotgun strapped to the small of his back.

"Yet I take it you have not yet completed your work..." Michael smirked, crossing his arms in front of him as he leant back. Jump back if he's offended enough to attack, continue prodding if not.

The mercenary only chuckled however, deep red eyes watching Shepard with a glint of interest. "I will, in time, I'm nothing if not patient when I need to..."

Push, continue the prodding, he knows where you're going and has yet to disagree with it. "But patience isn't always needed..." Michael let it hang there for a moment, then spoke again: "Tell me, what is this information Fist is trying to sell?"

"A person rather then information actually." The Krogan replied, a grin forming on his lips, watching Shepard with real interest now, apparently not even noticing how Ashley on Shepard's right was straining to draw her weapon or how Kaidan on his left was shifting from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the events. Michael easily ignored them though, they would only be important if it came to a fight, and both her and the Krogan now knew there would be none. "Some little Quarian got a hold of some information she shouldn't have, and Fist realised he could make a really neat sum selling both her and the information directly to Saren instead of a Shadow Broker already upset with the Spectre..."

"Switching loyalties like that is usually a bad idea." Michael noted, arms unfolding as he took a confident step closer to the Krogan, ignoring the hot breath of the creature's nostrils blowing against him. Get in his face, no hesitation. "Seems you and I have common goals, we want that information, which the Shadow Broker is willing to give to us...and you want this Fist issue gone."

"Seems so." The Krogan grinned with a nod. "I've yet to turn back help working without receiving a share of my bounty." A hand three-fingered hand shot out, close to Shepard's chest. "If that's what you're offering?" The grin was almost teasing now, as if finding Shepard's long way into offering cooperation amusing.

First objective secured. Michael took the hand, hand closing around the forearm of the Krogan as Wrex squeezed his in turn, keeping his face close to Shepard's...who refused to look away from the large red eyes boring into him. "It is."

"Good." The creature chuckled, a final squeeze and he released Michael's arm and took a step back, looking at Michael with an appreciative look. Respect gained, potentially useful to assert dominance. Deal with that later, focus on secondary objective.

"Yes, good." Michael nodded, sensing Ashley relax next to him even as Kaidan continued his shifting stance. Ethical issue with working with mercenaries? Keep an eye on him. He didn't look back though, keeping his gaze focused on the Krogan. "Now, why haven't you killed this Fist yet? Is he that well guarded?"

"Sure, got a lot of firepower for 'genuine' businessman." Wrex grinned, then the grin faded as he shook his head. "But that's not the real issue, he has this door, real citadel stuff but with some high-tech lock added to it." There was no frustration in the voice, only a counting of hurdles needed to be dealt with. Good. "No explosive I have access to could even put a dent on that door, and blowing a path through the walls would take too long, c-sec would stop us before we reached him. And the lock's too tough to decrypt for me, I think it's stolen from a c-sec high-security prison actually. Real nice stuff...will be a shame to ruin it."

Explosives a no go, lock too high-tech to decrypt within a useful time-period. Shepard nodded, frowning, then glanced over at Kaidan as he remembered what the man had said in the elevator-ride from the Council chamber. Second objective...achievable. "A c-sec high-security prison you say?"

He looked back at Wrex, finding the Krogan smiling at him, realising he had a plan and probably loving the thought of getting under way as he rumbled: "Yeah, that I said."

"A lock that a c-sec investigator might have both experience and skill enough to handle...?"

Wrex's smile turned into a grin: "Yeah, that would probably do it..."

8

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8

Thanks to Abydos Jackson for her continued assistance.