I don't own Mass Effect. Bioware does.
Stepping out of the cab, Saren and Jane carried their stolen contraband in their arms, glancing nervously around them as they walked in. Jane was awestruck with the view as she walked through the security check. The inside of the academy was like how criminal investigation centers or labs were depicted on television, with people running around, bits of exposed electronics everywhere, and the sounds of beeping and conversation drowned out the room. Saren led Jane through the corridor as they made their way towards the office floor.
"The guys at the lab should be able to start finding who these people were," Saren explained as he set the crate on a table, "we find these people have gone missing, so we could tie them to Saleon."
The scientists in the room took notice of the crate and after Saren gave them a nod of approval, they dug through the crate's contents.
Time passed as a salarian took DNA samples. Jane ran off to the front counter to greet her friends while Saren continued to look over the salarian's shoulder.
"What've we got, Bau?"
"The harvested organs do belong to people who are within the system," Jondum answered, "the problem is that these people are still alive."
"What…care to explain?" Saren exclaimed.
Sure enough, every last organ they managed to find 'belonged' to healthy, living individuals scattered throughout the station, and were recently recorded as still attending their workplaces in recent record.
"That doesn't add up. Start running profile checks and look for links," Saren instructed.
"Maybe the organs were grown in the lab?" Jondum suggested.
"That's the problem: there were no test tubes or growth jars. My accomplice and I scoured that basement and found nothing. I'll start looking over other locations on the OSD I picked through. Report to me when you've found something."
"Right away," Jondum nodded.
Saren got to work looking over contacts, names, locations, and business operations. It was like having half of a painting, not knowing how Saleon did his work, as the clinic was his center of operations and none of his product 'manufacturing' occurred off-site. The other locations were little more than distribution fronts and didn't consist of the necessary equipment either. Looking over his contact and employee names didn't help either, as the employees were all low-income individuals and didn't have the expertise to grow the product in their own homes either. Growling in desperation, he stood up and walked over to where Jondum was stationed again.
"I've been looking over more of the names and identities of the victims these organs were harvested from. Every last one is still alive and at work on the Citadel, and every last one holds multiple jobs," Bau informed, glancing over his shoulder as Saren strutted in.
Saren paused for a moment, choking on his previous question as a new one formed.
"Multiple jobs?"
"As self-destructive as it is, yes. All the victims harvested are relatively low in their social standing. Makes sense that he'd target these—"
"No, that's not what I meant. Start looking at their jobs and find where they work," Saren interrupted.
"Right," Jondum nodded.
Soon enough, the two came to the stark realization that all the genetic samples came from people who worked at Saleon's clinic. Jumping into action, Saren quickly began to call each and every employee, asking the few who picked up if he could speak with them concerning their employment with Saleon. Every last one was either 'away' or didn't pick up at all. Saren hastily rushed out to the front lobby seeing Jane still talking with her friends.
"Jane! We've got to head back to Saleon's clinic now!"
Jane paused in her conversation and turned her head towards Saren.
"Sorry, guys," Jane blurted, "I should go."
Jane wasted no time as she scurried towards Saren.
"So what did you find?" she clamored.
"Those containers were full of harvested organs; organs that are from Saleon's employees, who are still alive and well," Saren explained as he hailed a taxi, "we can find more when we catch him, but we have physical proof that he has ties to the black market."
Saren and Jane hopped inside and the turian Spectre relayed the destination before the cab took off into the air traffic.
"Do you think Saleon would also have wanted to perform the same procedures on my friends?" Jane asked.
"I can only guess. However, I'm getting the sense this case is more complicated than it appears on the surface."
Twenty-five tense minutes passed before the two jumped out of the taxi at the front of Saleon's clinic.
"For now, we catch him and one of his employees. I don't know how, but they're all tied—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Saren and Jane were knocked back by an explosion as the clinic was suddenly and violently consumed in flame. With a high-pitched buzz ringing in her ears, Jane planted her hands on the ground and lifted herself up just enough to try scanning the area in search of Saren. Saren rolled onto his feet, grumbling with annoyance.
"Dammit! He's cleaning house!"
Saren knelt down and reached out his hand. Jane grasped his hand with her own and he assisted her to her feet. The turian Spectre quickly opened up his omni-tool.
"Citadel Com-Control, this is Spectre Arterius. I need the immediate location of an individual known a Dr. Saleon as well as all of his outgoing messages within the last three hours. Spectre code one-one-one-six-two-zero-zero-seven."
{This is Com-Control central, your code has cleared and permission has been granted. Sending you the coordinates and messages now,} the voice at the other end responded.
With the messages and marked location on the station at his finger tips, it didn't take long for him to learn of the twisted doctor's intentions.
"He's heading for the docks, let's go!" Saren instructed.
Saren and Jane sprinted away from the burning clinic and made their way towards the docks.
He had to admit the doctor was smart for setting up his clinic so close to one of the shipping yards. It was only a fifteen minute walk, meaning he had plenty of time to give them the slip, if not leave altogether by the time they had arrived. Without losing Jane in the process, he could at most bring that time down to five minutes at his own running capability. Rushing around the crowds, occasionally pushing a random individual out of the way, he drew out his pistol and detached the suppressor and continued forward, shooting a couple of rounds in the air to get those still ahead to part ways and give him an easier time. Rushing down the steps onto the docks, he could see straight ahead Saleon and what looked to be almost thirty people of various species following close behind, making a beeline for a small civilian transport.
"Dr. Saleon! You're under arrest!"
The doctor shot a look back with wide eyes before picking up his speed. Brushing past the crowd of employees, they simply stumbled about in a zombie-like fashion. Their eyes looked tired, their bodies suggested they felt confused, and they simply stumbled after their employer like cattle. Shooting the engine coolant line still attached to the shuttle, Saren managed to spill some of the flammable liquid onto the docking bridge leading to the shuttle before setting it ablaze. With nowhere else to run, Saren continued to chase Saleon as he sprinted down the docks, looking for an alternative method of escape. Finally closing the distance, the Spectre dived at the salarian, slamming him against the ground before holding him at gunpoint.
"Dr. Saleon, on behalf of my duty as a Spectre, you are under arrest for confirmed connections to illegal markets and distribution of unregulated product in such markets. You have the right to remain silent in the court of law. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Under the circumstances you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided for you."
"Please! This is a big misunderstanding! You have—" Saleon begged painfully before being jerked onto his feet in hand cuffs.
"We'll review your paperwork later."
The various messages Saleon had sent in the hours before were messages to his henchmen to fetch all of his employees and set the stage for his departure from the Citadel, including rigging his clinic with heavy explosives. Finally, he had all of his accounts liquidated and fully withdrawn. It didn't take long before Jane caught up with Saren.
"Shepard, are you all right?" Saren asked as he had Saleon sitting at his feet.
"I'm all right," Jane reassured Saren.
"Good. Let's round up the employees and call in C-Sec," Saren replied, "we'll stay here until they arrive."
With Saleon on his way to a cell in C-Sec HQ, the twenty seven doctors and staff received the medical aid they needed. The two waited patiently in the hospital lobby as they waited for news on what Saleon had done with his own people.
A turian doctor came out to greet the two.
"Spectre, human, this way."
Saren briefly glared at the doctor for what he nicknamed Jane before continuing.
"What did you find?" Saren asked.
"As expected, his employees were heavily drugged. It's commonly found among slavers and muggers, used to lower the inhibitions of their victims," the doctor explained, "however, that's the least of their concerns."
The turian doctor led Saren and Jane out of the lobby and down the corridor before they stepped into a small room not too dissimilar to the room Jane stayed in with three of Saleon's victims in medical beds.
"We scanned each of them and found consistent readings concerning the chemicals they had imbibed and unexplained…well, we put one under and cut them open. Dr. Saleon had been growing additional organs inside of his victims."
Few things scared Saren anymore, but those words send shards of ice rippling down his spine.
"What?!" Saren exclaimed, "I don't understand doctor, could you explain further?"
"With the notes you've provided, we've had better insight to what is happening to them. Along with a series of genetic modifications made to the victims and chemicals used to provoke the changes made, the victims' bodies will begin to grow tertiary organs alongside their own organs. From what I can tell, this is where he's been harvesting his black market organs," the doctor added.
Jane shuddered as she felt a chill down her spine.
"What kind of people would want those kind of organs?" Jane paused, "those who need organ transplants?"
"It's how it works. Whatever good you could normally think of, the criminal underworld has found a way to either make it cheaper, mass produced, or sold in a manner which allows you to skip all the fancy paperwork," Saren answered.
"The drug is easy enough to wait out. However, I'm still concerned about their genetic conditioning," the doctor expressed, "we'll call someone in and keep them for a month or two, see if there's any way we could reverse it."
"Thank you for your input," Saren acknowledged.
The two left Huerta shortly afterwards without another word. Saren looked Jane's way as she sent a message to her friends.
"Trouble sure has its way of finding you," Saren mused.
Jane tilted her head towards Saren.
"Well, I was born in a shitty world," Jane shrugged.
Chuckling, Saren ran his talons through Jane's hair, causing her to lean into the touch.
"The best are hardened by childhood hardships. I'd say you meet all requisites."
Jane's eyes widened in curiosity.
"R-Requisites?" Jane paused.
"For Spectre candidacy," Saren clarified.
Amidst such small confusion, Jane placed her hand behind her head.
"Spectres are chosen from those who have proven themselves as capable. You've fought your own battles and helped wage a war no one asked you to join. I say that's more than enough evidence to suggest you might be worthy."
With those words, Jane gave Saren a soft smile.
"I appreciate your offer," she said, "maybe I'll look into it."
The two arrived home as Jane invited her friends back to her apartment. Hastily returning to the apartment, Jane and Saren stripped off their armor and took to the showers. With Jane standing in the shower of her own bathroom, she thought of the many possibilities she could provide service to the galaxy as a Spectre. Law enforcement was one of them, and she couldn't help but think of other people living in worse situations than herself. With thoughts swimming in her head, she took the time she needed to scrub the grime out of her hair.
It was an exhilarating thought, training her. She was much more patient and much less impulsive than Nihlus could ever hope to be, and she was an opportunity to bring new blood to the Spectres. Humans may have left a bad taste in his mind, but she was the one exception he was willing to accept. Now, training Jane as a Spectre was one thing, but getting others to accept the idea, including Alliance officials and the Council itself, was another. Personal vendettas, social norms, and politics aside, he simply couldn't wait for another year to pass and for Jane to finish her education. He stepped out of the shower to dry himself off and put on a fresh change of civies.
Once Saren emerged from his room, he met up with Jane, Kelly and Joker in the living room.
"Hopefully, you two aren't hurt from your experience?" Saren asked the two.
Joker scratched his head.
"Yeah, we barely made it out unscathed," Joker chuckled.
"I'm glad we found you two when you did. The victims we did find weren't so lucky given their current conditions. Fortunately, that crazed bastard will be going away for a long time," the Spectre said, landing himself in an armchair.
Jane placed her notes on the table, compelling Kelly and Joker to do the same.
"Sorry we got caught," Kelly apologized, "we were going to bring along chocolate covered pretzels when we spotted the doctor shaking down the shop clerk. We decided to follow out of curiosity."
Jane blinked twice.
"I appreciate the thought you had for me," Jane smiled, "if it makes you feel any better, I can bring some snacks from the pantry."
"You guys were at that small convenience store ten minutes from the academy?" Saren asked, "damn, I thought I recognized him. Saw him amongst Saleon's cattle."
Kelly and Joker had yet to come up with a response while Jane stood to her feet and made her way to the kitchen, searching the pantry for their favorite snacks.
"Wait, really? Him?" Jeff was surprised by the revelation.
"One of the victims recovered from the drug faster than the others," Saren explained, "his subjects were usually poor and desperate. Saleon would pay them a small fraction of the profits. If they didn't grow properly, he'd leave them in. To cover his tracks, those who died from the malformed organs would be incinerated."
Kelly couldn't help but shudder.
"And to think he would want to grow organs inside us," she stammered.
Jane arrived shortly after with a couple bags of snacks.
"Here you go," Jane announced.
Jane set down the bags of snacks and sat down at the living room table, much to Kelly and Joker's enthusiasm. The trio began studying for finals while Saren once more retreated to his office. He was expecting a call from the senior investigator at C-Sec who was working on the case he and Jane tore right open in a single afternoon. As soon as he accepted the call, he saw the distinct white plates and blue markings of Castis Vakarian staring back at him.
{Spectre Arterius, it's good to see you got my message,} the officer greeted with no attempt to hide his disappointment.
"And I assume you received word of Dr. Saleon's arrest?" Saren asked.
{Of course I did. This was my case until you rammed in like you always do,} Castis spat, {still, I have to give credit where credit was due. I was at a dead-end with my case against Saleon.}
Saren's expression remained stoic like he usually did.
"You're welcome," Saren said calmly, "do you have any questions?"
{I'd at least like the case details before I call this case closed,} Castis requested, letting his gaze drift away.
Saren let out an enthusiastic hum.
"I assume you'll put this to good use?" he asked.
{Normally, this evidence would've been illegally obtained. Normally, I despise you Spectres for being limitless in your ability to pursue crime how you see fit. Unfortunately, I'm at the steep disadvantage of having to admit you're quite efficient at doing your job.}
Feeling a boost in his confidence, Saren flared his mandibles into a grin.
{Additionally, I'll need to ask you some questions for answers I'll need to bring up during the hearing next week. Unless you plan on fully stealing the investigation from me.}
"I accept. So, what did you have in mind?" Saren returned.
{I'll start off by asking you what first drew you to Dr. Saleon,} Castis began.
"Initially," Saren answered, "it was just a random encounter. I had read up on the files that C-Sec had dug up on him, but I simply intervened initially out of interest in saving two possible victims before they could undergo genetic conditioning. My accomplice was friends with these victims, and she wished to get them to safety."
{Interesting,} Castis commented.
"It was a chance encounter, nothing more."
Saren continued to give the information Castis needed for the hearing. At the end of the interview, Saren plugged his OSD into his terminal and quickly compiled its contents in a message.
"That should contain everything I've collected and everything you'll need for this case. I hope this will come in handy for the proceedings. I'd hate to have to take the time of day to hunt Saleon down if the court decides to let him go."
{Thank you, Spectre,} Castis nodded, {I have what I need.}
Satisfied with a job well done, Saren rose to his feet and exited his office to rejoin Jane.