Shepard limped up to the shining post, the digital advertisements send a wash of lurid colors over his intentionally nondescript appearance. He was leaning on a cane, his face hidden by a hood. Contacts stuck in his eyes, making him blink more than he should be. The cane was a prop. Well – mostly a prop. It had been a week since he'd met with Lyvanis. He'd been released from the hospital, with very strict orders not to strain himself. After an interminable number of tests, the doctors finally gave up admitting they knew exactly what was going on with his biology, but he seemed to be functioning at healthy – if somewhat elevated – levels. Tired of studying endless mission reports, Saren's journals, and other intelligence about his foe, Shepard had finally decided to take Wrex up on his offer to "stop laying about."
The hulking krogan was leaned up against the sign, his armor and loadout brazenly shorting the ad's haptic interface. It blared polite requests at him.
"Shepard." Wrex said.
"Wrex." Shepard said. "I'm supposed to be in disguise." He added, raising an eyebrow. The movement still felt unnatural, the bone plate on his forehead pushing in places there shouldn't be pushing.
"You still smell like you." Wrex said, one eye staring directly at Shepard's form. There was an unidentifiable quality to the stare – part challenge, part gratitude.
"You had something for me?" Shepard finally asked,
Wrex shrugged his head over towards a large shop, directly perpendicular to their current position. The large glass doors gave off a peculiar sheen to Shepard's eyes, and they revealed a richly decorated entryway, a blue, Elysian marble floor giving way to richly appointed transparent cabinets, displaying obviously expensive trinkets and other items.
"That's an antiques shop." Shepard said, nonplussed.
"My grandfather's armor is in there." Wrex rumbled.
Shepard waited, his mind going back over the conversation he'd had with his friend. Treachery and patricide on hallowed ground, and a grandfather that had raised Wrex to respect the traditions that nearly got him killed.
Wrex continued, his voice made almost guttural by the bitter growl underlying it. "An honorless craven named Tonn Actus stole the armor after the Rebellions. The armor itself is useless. Like the krogan themselves, it's one more relic for sale to the highest bidder."
"Do you want it back?"
Wrex seemed to still, the sparking and weak protestations of the advertisement he was leaning on the only sound passing between them.
"Is it valuable?" Shepard asked, probing.
Wrex's fingers clamped themselves into fists. His red eyes seemed to bore straight through Shepard. Abruptly, Shepard realized that this was a test for him, as well. Would he care about the history of the krogan? Would he see value in the race? In Wrex? Or was theirs yet another mercenary relationship?
Shepard nodded, and motioned with his free hand. "Let's go." He said simply, limping into the lavish shop, not checking to see if Wrex followed him.
The doors slid open smoothly. They revealed a rich interior, full of gleaming surfaces, richly decorated cabinets and display cases shone, unapologetically old, but chock-full of class even before one's eyes reached the carefully curated items within. The shop was big, tall cabinets and narrow aisles making the place a pleasant maze. Gentle music wafted over the sound system, the scratches and wavery sound quality indicating some older technology was emitting the music. An old turian dressed in an unusually sharp suit glanced up at them as they entered. His polite greeting froze as Wrex barged in after Shepard, the mercenary's battle-scarred and stained armor utterly out of place with the smooth cleanliness of the shop.
"I trust you're not here to cause trouble?" the shopkeeper asked, his mandibles flicking in suspicion. Shepard noted the turian's hand had gone surreptitiously to someplace under the counter. The commander clunked his way slowly over to the turian, his cane impacting dully on the floor as he did so.
"We're looking for a set of krogan armor. Urdnot clan, would have been pre-uplift." Shepard said casually, leaning on the counter.
"Interesting." The shopkeeper said, moving away from the counter towards the entry that would let him out into the store proper. "You're the second human to ask about armor from that period. A Miss Solheim just came by to ask about the matching set of asari commando armor. Artifacts from the Rachni wars or just before are quite rare, as a result of the acid scarring that inevitably destroyed the equipment. The three specimens I have are all in magnificent shape, if I do say so myself." The turian said smoothly, sliding into the role of salesman easily. The name of the woman struck Shepard though, and he narrowed his eyes, memories of his second run-in with a thorian running through his mind. Solheim was not a common name.
As they rounded a corner into a small, softly-lit room. Three display cases were lit with prominence, displaying the ancient war memorabilia. Wrex's grandfather's armor shone dully in the light, clean lines and layered plates buffed and polished to display the intricate designs on the hump and torso. The shapes were both angular and flowing, a script unlike anything Shepard had seen before. Shepard heard Wrex rumble, a low, almost yearning sound.
Moreover, a tall, raven-haired woman stood contemplating the asari commando leathers opposite the Urdnot armor. She was dressed impeccably, her dark suit commanding both attention and allure. Her dark blue eyes flashed as she coolly regarded the newcomers. Shepard noted her sizing up their entrance, noting exits, and judging their relative threat. Shepard grinned slightly to himself, then did what every spy had fears of.
He blew her cover.
"Alexis!" he said, raising his cane and other hand wide. "How good to see you!" He sized her up and down, "It's been what, 6 years?"
The woman was good. The shock registered on her face for only a fleeting instant, before the icy features morphed into a pleasant, but not terribly interested smile.
"It's been too long indeed." She said warmly, then turned to the shopkeeper, "I was about to..."
"Oh, you can give us a few minutes to catch up, can't you?" Shepard put his hands out towards the shopkeeper "You're not terribly busy?" The turian opened his mandibles, somewhat bewildered, "-Oh thank you!" Shepard said, before the turian could get a word in edge-wise.
Somewhat bemused, the turian turned and left, just as Alexis spoke up to say, "Actually –"
but the shopkeeper had already left.
"I don't know who you are." The woman said, "But I do not appreciate you getting in my way."
"You don't remember me?" Shepard said, looking hurt.
The woman crossed her arms and tapped her fingers. "Obviously. Now why have you interrupted my business?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shepard said, appearing to fall over himself. "What business was that?"
The woman just glared at him, forcing him to drop the act. Shepard leaned heavily on his cane.
"Because I hear from my sources your organization is looking for an edge. I might have a prothean expert in my pocket if you're searching for inspiration from the past." He said slyly.
"What I'm looking for is frankly beyond you, were it even remotely your business." Her words were sharp and cold, as her body tensed.
Shepard had hit a nerve. He smiled blandly. "Arrogance ill-becomes you, Ms. Solheim. I made an offer in good faith. My employer" He motioned to Wrex, who appeared aloof. " and I have an interest in seeing more of what your organization can do. And unaffiliated prothean experts are so very hard to find." Shepard paused deliberately, looking at the armor in the room, then back at the woman. "And as for the Rachni – well, I might know a few things."
"How could you possibly –"
"So there are Rachni involved." Shepard tapped his way over to the Urdnot armor, exaggerating his reliance on the cane. "Is this it, Master Urdnot?"
"Useless and outdated. Looks like it." Wrex's tone was bored, but he moved in such a way that one of his red eyes never left Alexis. The woman was looking between Shepard and the krogan, trying to figure out their relationship, how it had evolved.
"The shopkeeper is going to come back any minute." Shepard said quietly to Alexis. "Get us the armor, and we can talk about that expert of mine, hmm?" Shepard leaned back, and stepped out of the soft pool of light above the viewing space, just as the shopkeeper came back in.
"Have you decided, Ms. Solheim?"
The dark-haired woman looked between the shopkeeper and where Shepard stood, placidly gazing at the Urdnot armor, appearing to hang back.
"I'll take both the Commando armor and the Urdnot." 'Alexis' finally said. Shepard saw the shopkeeper's mandibles twitch in surprise.
"Are you sure? That is quite a lot of credits."
"I am certain." Her eyes met Shepard's, the dual meaning not lost.
As the pair of them walked out of the room, Shepard felt Wrex's large three-fingered hand clamp down on his shoulder.
"Why are we letting our enemy leave with my grandfather's armor?"
"You have my word Wrex. One way or another we're leaving the Citadel with that armor." Wrex's hand tightened on his shoulder, and Shepard said quietly, "I was prepared to pay for it myself. Spending terrorist's money to retrieve what was taken by scum is more efficient. And will avoid questions from C-Sec about why I need old krogan armor."
Wrex's hand left his shoulder, and Shepard turned to fully face the mercenary. "Lead on, master Urdnot." Shepard motioned towards the doors, swearing he caught a flicker of amusement in the krogan's scarred features.
They found Ms. Solheim waiting outside of the shop, tucking away her omni-tool, having read something that looked like a receipt.
"That better have been worth it." She said forcefully to Shepard.
Wrex let out a dangerous chuckle. "I'm asking the same question."
Shepard put a hand to his neck, feigning discomfort at being put between his boss and his mark. "Let's talk." He said. "You tell me what it is you need a Prothean expert for, and I'll make the arrangements, pending your approval of our services. If not," Shepard shrugged, "Well, the shopkeeper seems like he'd be delighted to have his krogan armor back, and we can purchase it through our own methods. My employer was there for that purpose anyway."
The woman's lips thinned. "Not here." She thought for a minute. "Meet me at Ryuusei's Sushi Bar – on the Silversun strip, tonight at 19:00. We can discuss arrangements there." 'Alexis' gave them both an appraising look, before raising her omnitool and holding it out, the sign for a data packet clear on the hard-light interface. Shepard wordlessly held out his own, quarantining protocols already running on his SpecTRe-upgraded tech. He received the information.
"That number will work once. Just once. Use it if you need to contact me. We'll arrange a drop for the armor when we meet again." She closed her omni tool and turned to leave, but paused, her hair and the flashing neon lights of the advertisements casting curious shadows along the perfectly-smooth contours of her face. "You've frustrated me, and neatly maneuvered me into negotiating. The sheer rarity of that is all that bought you an audience." She smiled a lazy, hungry smile. "Consider me intrigued."
And she walked off, disappearing quickly into the crowd.
After a brief second of silence, Wrex snorted. "And I thought salarian mating rituals were complicated."
The Ryuusei sushi bar was exorbitantly priced, and impeccably decorated. Somehow maintaining an open-air feel while sheltering their guests from sound and light from the frenetic Silversun strip, the place was a balance between luxury and the utility – the ambient noise, the aquariums in the floor, the carefully arranged nooks made for an atmosphere where one could be seen, but not noted. Ambient conversation was heard, but not marked. It was a near-perfect place for a recruitment pitch. Shepard idly wondered how many of the patrons were here on covert business of their own – espionage or crime.
Liara sat beside him. It had been her idea, in fact, when he'd explained the scheme to the crewmembers who'd come by the apartment bloc the Council had placed him in while he was recovering. She fidgeted with her hands underneath the table, glancing at Shepard in his disguise, seeming both unsettled and comforted by his presence.
"Play up the nervousness." Shepard suggested quietly. "It will be more natural than pretending you're in control. And from what I've heard, it's very hard to be an unaffiliated prothean expert."
Liara gave him a look, blazing determination peeking out from shy eyes, then nodded, and began impatiently tapping her fingers on the table. Shepard took a sip of his oolong tea, using the motion to disguise his activating the discrete comm system in his ear.
"are we in place?" He asked quietly.
"The security in this place is surprisingly sophisticated." Tali commented. She and Ashley were parked in an aircar a level up, with sight lines on the entrance and exit of the sushi place. Tali had remotely accessed the cameras and feeds from Ryuusei's security and administrative systems. They'd discovered 10 reservations for 19:00, but only two had the clout to have been made in the past 10 days. One was for a rich Matriarch and an influential Dalatrass. The other was for one Erin Praeclarus. Further snooping had revealed bank accounts with lots of credits, no discernible means of support, and only occasional withdrawals.
"How did I get chosen to be the one who missed out on the fancy sushi?" Ashely drawled.
"It'd be too suspicious for you to be the restaurant. Marines don't look at home in the eateries of the rich and influential." Garrus said. He was walking up and down the street, looking for all the world like one of the unlucky beat cops put on the Silversun Strip's crowd control assignments.
"It's in your blood Ash." Shepard said, smirking at Liara - who, surprisingly quick on the uptake, smiled and laughed gently, as if responding to a joke.
"yeah yeah, then why is only you and the LT who get to play dress-up?"
"Perks of being an officer." Kaidan said dryly. He was working in the kitchen, washing the dishes, and keeping an eye on the employees' entrances and exits.
"Head's up Shepard, I'm not alone in here." Kaidan said quietly. "Burly one with too many scars in a staff uniform just took up the sink opposite me."
"Affirmative." Shepard said quietly, behind his mug of tea. Only Wrex hadn't chimed in. He was seated at another booth, happily devouring sushi he'd billed to Shepard's tab. He was to play the role of the mysterious backer and would disappear once the armor had been released into their custody.
"I've got a bead on her." Garrus murmured into the comms. "She's approaching down the thoroughfare, not trying to blend in. Watch yourselves, I think she's trying to draw out surveillance."
"Copy that." Ashley said.
Tali spoke quickly and was working fast enough that the quiet hum of an over-tasked omni-tool was audible through the link. "Trying to pinpoint her omni-tool. I will attempt intrusion on your command." There was a brief pause. "Her security is… impressive."
Shepard pursed his lips. "Hold off for now, and monitor the situation. See if you can find anything on Kaidan's counterpart."
"Understood Commander." Tali said.
"She's approaching the entryway." Garrus said. Apparently he'd aimed a sound amplification device at said entryway, because their mark's voice filtered through the comms:
"Ms. Praeclarus? Your guest is waiting at your reserved table."
"Thank you Aysri," the woman said in an impeccably posh British accent to the attendant asari.
Shepard caught sight of his mark, and only his upbringing on Thessia kept him from being caught off guard. She looked flawless, with what was likely a fantastically expensive dress and impeccably done make-up accentuating the fine curves of her face. Shepard glanced at Liara, smirked, and winked. The shy asari blushed, and remembered to close her mouth and stop staring at the woman.
Shepard stood, leaning heavily on his cane to do so, and held out a hand to shake. The Cerberus woman took it firmly, the strength in the shake something of a reminder not to underestimate her physical prowess.
"You seem to have a good many names, Ma'am." Shepard said slyly.
The woman tilted her head, her intense gaze running up and down Shepard's figure, and then Liara's, as if grappling with an unexpected familiarity.
"I'm somewhat mollified to see you do your homework." Was all she said, her accent back to the broader Australian. She gave her attention more fully to Liara. "I assume this is your –"
"Sit down, Ms. Praeclarus, and don't say what I think you are planning to." Liara said, unexpectedly sharp. She was tapping her fingers on the table, and not looking at the human woman, but at the diners around them. "It's rather difficult to be unaffiliated, and the academic publishing required for one to be a significant name in the field makes it alarmingly easy to be tracked."
Shepard silently applauded Liara's performance in his head.
The woman looked taken aback for a split second, before she nodded silently and sat down in the booth.
"I understand you need someone with my particular expertise for a project. Tell me the generalities, send me the details, and I'll tell you if it's feasible." Liara said, more languidly, leaning back slightly in the booth. Shepard thought he heard the barest hint of Benezia's poised tone of command in her voice, and repressed a shiver.
The Cereberus woman looked between the two of them for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at Shepard.
"If she refuses to help, I can wire you the requisite credits for the armor." He said simply. "And hope that you remember me the next time you find something of note." Shepard allowed a slow, dangerous smile of his own to curve his lips. "Governments have such a way of squandering their finds, after all. You'd be doing the public a good."
'Alexis' nodded tersely, and opened her omni tool, holding it out for Liara, who responded in kind. As the files were transferring, the woman spoke.
"We received some tips that a council SpecTRe was chasing some technology here on the Citadel. A later and more intact artifact than has been located in the galaxy yet."
"You do realize the entire station is an artifact?" Shepard said sardonically.
"Obviously." The woman said, flashing him an irritated look. "This is something the keepers have been protecting. We've reason to believe there's something like a city within the station, hidden by the keepers and the blind nonchalance of the council races."
"Interesting. Where's your proof?" Shepard leaned forward.
"Tax fraud." Liara said slowly, looking through the data on the omni-tool.
"Come again?"
'Alexis' leaned back, seeming pleased by Liara's deduction. "It attracted our attention when our analysts noticed strange fluctuations in the housing market, brought on by a sharp rise in workers refusing to pay rent. A significant number of the families of lower-income workers simply vanished."
"But they kept showing up for their jobs." Liara said shifting through graphs and charts on her omni-tool. She looked up. "You do not need me to examine an artifact. You wish me to find one." Excitement colored her voice, bringing back just a tinge of her youth in the tone.
"Precisely." The woman nodded. "presumably you would have knowledge of the history, architecture, and context that we would otherwise lack."
Liara just nodded, still poring over the data.
"Is our arrangement amenable, Ms. Praeclarus?" Shepard asked, glancing pointedly over to where Wrex was stretched out alone in his booth, one eye scanning their own table.
The look wasn't missed. She opened her omni tool, and sent a message. "Where should I have the armor delivered?"
"C-Sec academy." Shepard smiled lazily. "Friends of my employer will make sure it gets to the proper place."
The woman raised her eyebrows, but said nothing, sending a message on her omni-tool.
Wrex stretched and got up, leaving the waitress her credits. He lumbered out of the store, his steps far more deliberate and careful than they appeared.
"I admit I'm still curious about what you wanted the armor for." Shepard took another sip of his tea.
"And you'll remain so." The woman said curtly.
Shepard brushed brusqueness off and shifted tacks. "So now that we've a deal, what do I call you?" He tilted his head slightly, the gesture challenging. "'Alexis' is legally dead, and Erin 'Excellent' - "
He grinned at her baleful look. "- Latin's only obscure to aliens, ma'am. But 'Erin Excellent' is just too on the nose for me."
The raven-haired looked at him, weighing him up and down for some time.
"Call me Miranda" she said at last. Then she leaned forward and gestured, giving the floor to Shepard. "Since we're sharing names, enlighten me."
Shepard caught the look and was somewhat surprised by the implications. If he was reading her right, her respect for his maneuvering had earned him her real first name. On a gamble, he nodded his head,
"Alexander."
Miranda looked Liara's way. The asari gave her brief glance up at her, "I am afraid I am far more exposed by that sort of disclosure."
Miranda nodded, disappointed. She seemed to take a moment to collect herself, then steepled her fingers and pinned Shepard with a look.
"Can I count on your support throughout this operation?"
"That depends on how you're planning on splitting the finds." Shepard held up a hand, forestalling Miranda's rejoinder. "I don't have the means to develop the technology, but what I do have are the means to access and understand it." He leaned forward. "So I propose that we share. My associates and I will decrypt and pass along the schematics, diagrams, and resources to your research teams. You develop the tech, we keep the patents."
There was a peculiar gleam in Miranda's eye when she tilted her head and nodded. "I believe that would be amenable."
Kaidan's voice crackled quietly over Shepard's earpiece. "My friend just left the kitchen. I think he's headed your way."
"Shepard!" The sound of Tali's frantic work on her omni tool bleeding through the line. "He's not with Cerberus! Saren sent him!"
Meanwhile, Miranda had extended her hand. Shepard paused, calming his heart from Tali's revelation. Liara had stiffened for a fraction of a second. Shepard shook Miranda's hand, saying quietly, "We're about to have an unwelcome visitor. Be prepared."
"Aircar is ready when you are." Ashley's voice was taut with expectation.
Miranda froze, but didn't look. Definitely a professional, Shepard thought. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how to best use his assets without exposing how well supported he was.
"Burly man, shaven head, bushy brown moustache. Scars on his face and hands." Shepard repeated the description Kaidan fed to him to Miranda.
The man in question rounded the corner, smiling affably at a waitress as he twisted himself out of her way. He stopped at their table. Out of the corner of his eye, Shepard marveled that Liara hadn't yet stopped poring over the data.
"Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen." The interloper said, leaning on the table. "I'll need you to come with me, there's been a misunderstanding with your reservation."
This pronouncement caused the waitress who was carrying a tray of their sushi to stop next to him, perplexed. He smiled graciously at her, and before she could so much as react, he had the platter out of her hands and into his own. Shepard caught the lightning fast sleight of hand, but couldn't figure out what the man had pulled from his pocket while he was relieving the waitress of their food.
"I'll handle it from here, Aishia." He said kindly. The asari nodded, and looked between the table and the man, then nodded again, before turning and marching back towards the kitchen. Shepard heard her mutter disgruntledly about employee turnover as she did.
"Why?" Miranda asked, still looking relaxed. Only Liara looked tense, but everyone in the booth was poised for action.
The moustached man smiled blandly. "Because I've got a grenade under this tray. And if I have to ask again my finger might trip on the detonator."
Shepard nodded very slowly and reached for his cane with the same deliberateness. "Well, lead on."
They made an oddly tense procession, as their 'waiter' led them to a table out front, near the front entrance. He set the tray down, and Miranda swiped a sushi roll.
She looked at them, raising an eyebrow. "I might not get the chance later." She said primly, a very small gleam of humor in her eyes. Their unwelcome guest nodded graciously, dumped his apron on the chair, and motioned them out the front door.
"Insurance, you see." He continued affably, as they emerged out onto crowded the Silversun Strip. "Inquisitive types like yourselves have a way of trying such foolish things." He pulled a gun from his pocket, just long enough for Shepard, Miranda, and Liara to see, then hid it in his jacket. He motioned them to walk towards an alleyway and looked pointedly at Shepard. "Come now, quickly. I assure you that I am far older than your sprightly self." He winked and gave Shepard a gentle push.
"Not age." Shepard grunted, Appearing pained and stuttering his cane from the push. His cane tapped a very specific pattern. 3 letters, morse code – a message for Kaidan, whose tech background would've included old morse code. At least, Shepard hoped the alliance still trained its engineers in morse code – his own father had drilled it into him at an early age.
"ECM" Shepard tapped. "ECM"
"Tali! Prepare signals countermeasures!" Kaidan said suddenly, over the comms. Liara's eyes widened a fraction. Just a fraction.
"Please walk down the alleyway and turn left. Saren may not have qualms about civilians, but they shouldn't die for expediency's sake." Their captor said conversationally. "Haste makes waste, after all. And look how that operation with the quarian turned out. They shut down the presidium for hours, and the result of all that mess was the destruction of a perfectly good club, and the elevation of that nosy alliance commander beyond his talents."
The pulsing sounds and light of the Silversun Strip were muted now, the alleyway lengthening into broad, utilitarian back areas.
"Shepard, I have visual, but I can't get a bead on him." Garrus said over the comms.
"Now, I'm going to shoot you, and you're going to cooperate." Their captor motioned to the group with his pistol – a fearsomely large variant - as they lost sight of the Strip altogether. "Before you die though, you're going to tell me how you came to work for Urdnot Wrex, and then where I can find his employer."
"The Shadow Broker doesn't take kindly to assaults on his people." Shepard said, curious now.
The merc rolled his eyes. "No, his new employer. That Alliance fellow – Shepard." Then, looking pleased with himself, he continued. "Saren knew he'd come for that armor eventually. It's why he had it given to that moron Tonn Actus." Their captor leered at them. "Saren and Wrex have some unpaid compensation to discuss, you see." He shrugged. "It was always two birds, one stone. That was originally going to be Actus and the commander." He winked at Liara and Miranda, "Guess you fine ladies will have to serve for now." His fance contorted into a grim scowl. "Now, down on your knees."
"Now!" Shepard shouted. He was already moving when the lights on the entire block went down. Shepard used his cane to knock the pistol aside – it went off with a thunderous report, and then brought across the man's jaw in the backhand. Their assailant gave a grunt, and Shepard caught a look of pained surprise in the darkness as Miranda's biotics slammed him against the wall. He hit it with a nasty crunch, and slumped limply to the ground, his head lolling to one side.
The lights started flicking back on, one by one.
Shepard put a hand to his ear, saying "Jones, stay back. We've handled the situation. Meet us as C-Sec Academy, they're going after the principal." There was momentary confusion on the line, but then Kaidan said quickly,
"Understood – he's trying to make it seem like there's fewer of us backing him up. Shepard, we'll head off in pursuit."
"Good man."' Shepard said, nodding to Liara.
"Just how big is your operation?" Miranda asked curiously as she walked up to their unconscious assailant and patted him down for weapons, removing the grenade and his hand cannon.
"Not large. Krogan trust very few, and old mercenaries even fewer." He motioned at the once-more fluorescent storm that was the Silversun Strip. "Can you handle him? I've got to clean up whatever mess my employer made of Saren's hit squad."
Miranda nodded, looking coldly at the man at her feet. Then she held out her omni-tool. Shepard did the same.
"Reach me at this number. It doesn't expire, but don't use it frequently." Shepard nodded, and accepted the data packet quickly, before limping off to the street, Liara in tow.
As soon as they were out of eyesight, they began sprinting towards the aircar. Kaidan and Garrus rounding corners and diving in. Both of them winced once the door closed behind them, their still-healing injuries twinging. Ashley took off without a word, ducking and weaving with considerable skill through the snarled traffic.
"That was an impressive EMP, Tali." Shepard said.
He would've sworn she blushed. "I didn't actually mean to bring down the whole strip!"
"Uh huh." Ashley said, grinning.
"I remotely flipped a switch on the breakers to the area, and they must not have been doing proper maintenance because it should've been insulated and –"
"It's okay, Tali." Shepard held up a hand and smiled. "It'll likely be associated with whatever explosion went off around Wrex's ambush."
They found Wrex by following the sound of the gunfire. A three-way battle between Wrex, Saren's mercenaries, and C-Sec had erupted in the wards. Orange blood leaked around the battlefield, but Wrex had become a force of nature. A squad of 10 mercenaries had taken him on. 4 already lay with their lifeblood seeping into the grey floor of the Citadel. The other 6 were holed up behind whatever cover they could find. C-Sec had blocked the area off, and were calling for the cessation of hostilities, with both threats over the loudspeakers and sporadic gunfire at both sides.
"Typical." Garrus muttered angrily. "Citadel regulations require they can't engage on either side, so they have to make it worse and get someone to fire on them before they can use lethal force."
"There." Garrus pointed. "Set me down there." Ashley flew the aircar to a nearby building.
Garrus hopped out, set up his rifle, and gave them an all clear sign. Shepard nodded, wishing him luck.
"Set us down in the middle, Ash." Shepard said calmly.
"Are you sure that's a-"
"Set us down in the middle, Ash." Shepard repeated.
"Yes sir."
"Kaidan, can you hold a barrier dome over us as we land?"
Kaidan's face twisted. "Not for long. My amp's finnicky about anything more than a personal barrier."
"It'll be long enough." Shepard said. "I plan to end this quickly." He looked at Tali. "Can you short everyone's weapons?"
The quarian nodded tersely. "They don't appear to be using high quality gear."
"Go." Shepard said calmly.
And the aircar dropped.
It began attracting fire immediately – from all sides. Kaidan grunted, but kept his hands out, a blue bubble enveloping them as they fell. He winced as bullets began impacting on the outside of the dome, but it held. Just as he began gasping for breath, the aircar skidded to a halt, the doors popping open. Tali and Shepard leaped out of the moving vehicle. Tali threw tech mines even as she landed, frying the mercenary's shields and weapons. Shepard drilled one with his sidearm, catching the man in the throat, before gesturing, and pulling two more from their cover, biotically yanking them towards himself and Tali. He shotgun boomed twice, and they fell, lifeless before they hit the ground. Kaidan and Ashley emerged from the battered aircar, working in tandem.
Shepard spared a moment to be proud of his team. Even without real cover, and still healing from various injuries as they were, they were more than a match for six mercs, dug in and intent on their prize.
Garrus' sniper rifle cracked, and one more merc went down. The last one screamed with incoherent fury, and threw a grenade. Kaidan batted it back at the man biotically with enough force to knock the man off of his feet. It exploded on top of him, fortunately out of view of Shepard's team.
There came a tense silence to the battlefield.
"You alright, Wrex?" Shepar called into the stillness.
"Hmph." Wrex grunted, hauling himself out from his cover. Orange blood dripped in rivulets from his armor, and his left side seemed to be scorched, but he walked steadily.
"Come out with your hands on your heads." A C-Sec turian yelled from behind his barricade.
"I'm sorry Officer, but this is a SpecTRe matter." Shepard said, holstering his pistol and walking towards the barricade.
"Right, and I'm Councilor Tevos." He said "Hands up."
"Oh give it a rest. Pacchus." Garrus said, hopping off of the fire-slide he'd emerged from. "Give him the challenge."
"Well now everything's just peachy now that you're here, Vakarian." Pacchus rolled his eyes. "Hands up." He pointed his assault rifle at Garrus, too. Garrus' mandibles twitched.
"SpecTRe Authorization Terrarius Alorium infinitus 76KDVMNS." Shepard stared down the officer.
Pacchus huffed, but didn't move.
"Don't make this difficult, Officer." Shepard said, not unkindly. "We're on your side, and you just helped thwart one of Saren's plots."
Wrex snorted in derision, but nobody commented on it.
"I suppose you're supposed to be Shepard." Pacchus said, his eyes hard.
Shepard held his hands wide. "It's a disguise." He said flatly. "being famous makes it really hard to do the Recon part of Special tactics and reconnaissance." He focused in on the recalcitrant turian. "I'll say one more time, Officer. SpecTRe Authorization Terrarius alorium infinitus 76KDVMNS"
"It checks out sir." One of the asari officers said hesitantly.
Pacchus' mandibles twitched. Then he lowered his weapon.
"Thank you." Shepard said.
It was some time before they could extricate themselves from the situation, however. Their aircar was toast, and there were a lot of officials who wanted an explanation for the explosion and the power outage. Waving a SpecTRe badge got old, after awhile.
In the end, though, they were able to walk away, after an unknown benefactor sent them a private driver to escort them from the scene. About that time Shepard's omni-tool chirped – a secure inter-SpecTRe messaging system letting him know he'd received a message.
~~ Report to me tomorrow. Be careful when playing with dogs. -Bau ~~
The Normandy team returned to their respective places, once theyd been 'debriefed' – i.e. given a dressing down by the powers that be for disturbing the peace. The council was intrigued to learn that Saren had sent more mercenaries to eliminate Wrex, though it did nothing to push them to more action. Shepard did not choose to share with them his contact with Cerberus. Not until it developed into something.
Unusually, Wrex hung around after the others had left. He was flexing his hand in the ancient gauntlet of the Urdnot armor.
"Shepard."
"Wrex."
"Thanks." Wrex looked up from the gauntlet. "Krogan culture is all but gone."
"It was sickening how carrion like Actus end up legitimized in places like that antique shop." Shepard said.
Wrex let out a cynical laugh. "That doesn't bother me. You travel around the galaxy you see the same patterns over and over."
"Then what does bother you about it?"
Wrex flexed his hand in the gauntlet again. "We don't care." He said finally. He lifted his massive head to stare more closely at Shepard. "We don't even try to be anything but the pawns or tools of others in the galaxy."
"I thought you didn't do causes." Shepard said mildly.
"Survival isn't a cause." Wrex said. "Fighting Saren isn't a cause."
"Then what makes you care?" Shepard leaned back and crossed his arms. "What makes this relic important?"
"Faith."
"Faith?"
"Tuchanka puts its mark on its own. They know what it is to survive before they know how to crawl. What makes us more than beasts is faith. Seeing beyond the next meal, the next hatchling, the next victory."
"Is that why you wanted the armor? A reminder that the krogan can be more than tools and do more than survive?"
Wrex grunted, then grinned "Watching Tonn Actus get incinerated with his own grenade didn't hurt either."
"That was him?"
Wrex just rumbled a laugh. "Gave me a speech and everything."
Shepard grinned. "Glad I missed that."
Companionable silence dropped between them.
"It has been a long time since I've traveled in the company of warriors." Was all Wrex said before he too, left for the night, looking thoughtful.