I don't own Mass Effect. Bioware does.
Saren hadn't worn one of his better suits in a while, but felt it was necessary for the occasion.
Few days have passed since Jane's graduation and they're both eager to go through with meeting with officials from the Alliance. While Jane anticipated they would expect her to appear professional, she also made sure her outfit was also practical.
"Did they tell you what they wanted in particular?" Saren asked.
Jane just finished slipping on a pair of penny loafers.
"They didn't really tell me what I should wear, to be honest," Jane admitted.
"That's not…" Saren started, "never mind. How do I look?"
Jane took a moment to examine Saren as he stood before her. She couldn't help but smile at him.
"I'll take the look as 'sufficient'. Now, shall we?"
The Alliance detachment present on the Citadel largely resided within the human-owned district, policing the area. Jane and Saren left their apartment and quickly rode a taxi to the district administration office within the sector. It may have been a short while, but they soon arrived at the entrance to the building. They disembarked the skycar and made their way inside the office. Quickly being directed into the offices, they entered a small office where a few well dressed personnel were already waiting for them. An officer with dark skin tones and graying hair rose to greet them.
"Spectre Arterius," he said, "you probably don't remember me, but I'm Captain Anderson."
"David? Of course I remember you," Saren replied, his snarky tone apparent in his subvocals, "by your rank, I assume you've been making your way up in this galaxy?"
Anderson nodded at Saren while they gave each other stink eyes in a moment of silence. Moments later, they reluctantly shook hands.
"Gentlemen, please. We can get past this if we come to an agreement that bit of history is simply regarded as a mistake on both sides," an elder officer with gray hair and short beard pinched the bridge of his nose with annoyance, "anyways, I'm Admiral Hackett of the Alliance Navy. This is Ambassador Udina of the Human Embassy here on the Citadel, and you've already met David Anderson. We were hoping we could discuss the terms of Ms. Shepard's upbringing as a Spectre."
Jane nodded and extended her hand.
"Pleased to meet you, sirs," Jane greeted.
Udina furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head away without saying anything. Taking lead on the discussion, the admiral was the first to speak after introductions.
"As you no doubt well know, Arterius," Anderson explained, "the Alliance has been the most held-back in terms of technological progression and galactic expansions. I know you are well spoken against human expansionism, and we can understand where the likes of these fears stem from. However, I'd like to propose that we as an Alliance can still show her some support."
Saren raised a brow.
"I don't exactly follow. What are you trying to achieve?"
"Your opinion on humans is one example," Captain Anderson explained, "humans don't exactly bear a high public opinion in the present, and we'd like to change that. Having a human Spectre could help with the public image that we want to contribute to intergalactic society as to better find our place within the community."
Saren folded his arms while he thought over Anderson's feedback for a moment.
"You're right when you say I disagree with the idea of human expansionism," Saren stated, "however, I can understand what you hope to achieve in the long run in context with what is happening on your homeworld of Earth. Do what you feel is necessary. Just be aware that some won't change their views as rapidly as others."
Anderson nodded to Saren while Udina groaned in irritation.
"I still don't think the likes of her would be suitable for such high honor," Udina objected in what Saren thought to be the most obnoxious accent he'd ever heard from the range of sounds a set of human vocal cords were capable of producing, "especially one of her background."
Saren was clearly annoyed by the ambassador. Whatever trouble Jane may give him as a mentor, he'd still have the pleasure of annoying Udina for all it was worth.
"It appears you just don't want a human Spectre badly enough, ambassador," Saren made a sarcastic comment, "perhaps you could mention a more capable candidate?"
"W-well, what about Lieutenant Alenko?" Udina stumbled, glancing at Anderson, "Earthborn and a proven soldier, is he not?"
"He's sharp, but young," the captain reminded, "and with that L2 implant of his, he's just not ready for such a role, ambassador. Give him several more years before he'd be ready."
Udina shook his head in disbelief.
"Fine, she'll do. I just hope you don't flaunt her profile so openly, Arterius," Udina spat.
"In case you were unaware, Spectre profiles are classified. No one will know a fucking difference," Saren fired back.
Anderson shook his head as he pressed his forehead against his palm.
"Are you are done squabbling with Arterius, Ambassador?" Hackett reminded, "arguing aside, we are aware of your position on the Systems Alliance from your friends Jeff Moreau and Kelly Chambers, which is why we wanted to offer indirect support, whether it be resources, finances, or intelligence. Your success is valuable to us."
"I appreciate your offer, Admiral Hackett," Jane smiled.
"I take it we agree upon this?" Anderson asked.
"If it means showing signs of friendliness, we do," Saren nodded.
With that, Anderson and Shepard shook hands. With further confirmation upon agreed terms, Jane and Saren left satisfied about the meeting.
"That went better than I had expected," Saren admitted as they left the administration building.
"I can agree with you on that," Jane replied.
"Excuse me if I seemed particularly rude towards the ambassador or the captain," Saren blurted.
Once they hailed a taxi and climbed aboard, Jane placed her hand on Saren's in an attempt to reassure him.
"It's history I'd like to save for later," Jane said.
Saren flicked his mandibles, his soft smile becoming apparent.
A few days had passed since their brief discussion with Hackett, Anderson, and Udina. The two were back at the gun range with the Spectre-designated weapons Saren had gotten for Jane.
"Remember, unless you can manage the recoil, reserve your firing to taps and bursts," Saren instructed.
"Understood," Jane nodded.
She leaned in and kept her grip firm around the rifle as she continued to resist the kick of the automatic fire. Saren had since stopped holding her hands, allowing her to learn to counter the recoil on her own. The results shown she was increasingly learning to use her weapon more efficiently. This was especially went she took out several targets in a couple split seconds. He smiled as she continued to successfully hit her mark. He gave her time to practice on a few more targets before having her switch out for the shotgun.
"Now, general rule about how to hold a weapon applies similarly to a shotgun. However, shotguns have greater stopping power at close range and have a greater kick per shot. Due to the nature of shotgun pellets, the rate at which they spread and lose energy over range makes them useless against far away targets."
"Understood," Jane replied.
"Now, nice and easy. You don't want to break your collarbone," Saren helped to position her body before giving her the go-ahead to start firing.
Jane wasted no time as she squeezed the trigger, firing a round at one of the targets. She did stumble lightly, but Saren was there to make sure she didn't fall onto her back. After she nodded at him in appreciation, she positioned her stance with the intent to shield herself from recoil before she aimed her shotgun at another target. More prepared this time, she was able to withstand the recoil, even if it did take her some time to properly line up the shot again. When she did fire another round at another target, she didn't stumble as much.
"The kick is nasty, but it's admittedly fun to use," she chuckled.
Chuckling, Saren nodded in agreement. The two continued practice for another fifteen minutes before packing their gear and heading back to the apartment.
A couple days later, Saren had contacted and arranged a visit to her grandparents, informing them he wanted them to visit a special 'someone'.
{A…special someone?} a male voice paused over the com-link.
"I'm not sure if you'll want to see her, but I figured it's for your best interest," Saren replied.
{Well, could you tell us more about her?} a grandmotherly voice requested over the com-link.
"I figured that this would be a surprise for both parties. Anyways, I must go. We'll arrive in several hours," Saren replied hastily.
With that, Saren hung up before he started thinking whether he and Jane should pack some outfits for the visit.
"Did your mother ever tell you about her parents?" Saren asked as he carefully lay various articles of clothing into his piece of luggage.
"Not much," Jane shook her head while she folded her select articles of garments.
Saren closed his case before putting it on the ground while Jane stashed her clothes into her duffle bag.
"I guess we'll find out more when we get there," Saren replied.
By the time Jane finished packing her essentials and her garments in her duffle bag, she lifted its strap over her shoulder before she followed her mentor to the front door.
Opting to travel using civilian transportation, Saren and Jane had booked a ride to Eden Prime where her grandparents lived. Choosing an isolated yet safe location, Eden Prime was an agricultural and shipping colony. Travel between the Citadel and human colonies was relatively light, so the transport they entered was small, and for the most part empty save for a few over a dozen humans on board. It reminded Jane of one of the buses back at Jackson that she would occasionally sneak onto to get a ride across the city.
Four hours later, they had touched down on Eden Prime in the small, well kept spaceport. Making their way out of the somewhat disorganized shipping area, they found themselves at a road that snaked through the city of small prefabs. Over the hills were plenty of crops both native and from Earth. The locals mostly ignored Saren, but there were a few who would give the Spectre an uncomfortable glance every now and then. Jane scanned the area around her, mesmerized by the landscape.
"The colony isn't that big, so your grandparents should be within walking distance," Saren said, reading a colony map.
The two began their walk down the road. For the duration of their trek, Jane would occasionally make a glance at some of the remarkable buildings they passed by. The prefabs themselves almost grew a life of their own as bits and pieces were torn off, replaced, or modified to better suit the needs and culture of the locals. With help from the provided coordinates, Saren and Jane navigated along the road closer to their destination.
The address led them nine minutes down the road before they had arrived. Out of all the present prefabs, it was the building that was the most untouched. The paint color had slightly faded due to UV exposure, but the building was clean and functional otherwise. Jane took a few steps closer to the front door and pressed her finger against the doorbell. Shortly after, an elderly man with no facial hair and a woman with strands of red through her silver hair exited to greet them.
"Saren Arterius?" the man asked.
"Yes sir. Just to be sure, you are the parents of Hannah Shepard, correct?" Saren returned.
The elderly couple nodded in unison.
"Good. I'd like to introduce you to your granddaughter, Jane Shepard," Saren announced, gesturing to Jane.
The instant they laid their eyes on Jane, the elderly couple stared in disbelief. Jane couldn't help but look back. She didn't know what to say. Should she embrace them? Should she simply act like this was any other first-time introductions? She stepped forward.
"Hello…it's a pleasure to meet you…" Jane greeted.
Jane extended her hand, compelling her grandfather to shake it.
"She died when I was about eight," Jane described, "I don't know how, but I assume that she was beaten to death. I just ran away after that, and I lived on the streets for the next eleven years. It was just a game of constant survival with no hope of ever getting off the planet, building myself up, and no one I could turn to."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," her grandfather replied, "why don't you two come in and we can talk about this further?"
Jane and Saren followed the elderly couple into the house and sat down in the living room.
"I was on my own for eleven years. It was mid-December in Mississippi when Saren found me. He administered me to a hospital on the Citadel and found me a good academy to attend and I just finished my degree," Jane explained.
To further prove her point, Jane pulled out her GED and presented it to her grandparents.
"I…we don't know…thank you, Arterius. We know Hannah was too far gone, but we're grateful that you could help her," Jane's grandmother said, trembling as she held the GED.
"Thank you, ma'am," Saren smiled.
"I'm sure you don't know of anything that happened to her after her…disappearance, but do you know if she was married to anyone?" Jane asked.
"She wasn't married," Jane's grandfather admitted, "we didn't get the chance to see her graduate high school."
"So it could've been anyone by now?" Saren reiterated.
"Probably," Jane's grandmother nodded.
Saren took a moment to open up Jane's profile in his omni-tool and read into her parental heritage. He reminded himself to scope out potential locations of her father later.
A couple hours later, the four had sat down for dinner. Saren accepted the offer due to his lack of levo allergies, and hence didn't necessarily need dextro rations. The elderly couple provided options for drinks such as tea, fruit juice and ice water.
"We worked as technicians for the early colonization stages when we had Hannah," her grandfather explained. "we just did ship repairs, equipment maintenance, and prefab setups."
"I mostly sat out when I had your mother," her grandmother added.
Jane raised her eyebrow after she took a bite out of her serving of mashed potato.
"Vehicles, huh? I have a friend who has a knack for ships from my days at the academy back at the Citadel."
"Fascinating," Jane's grandfather mused.
"He's enlisted with the Alliance as a pilot. Not sure how that'll end up, but he seemed very passionate about it," Saren added.
Saren took a sip of his ice water.
"That's always nice to see, kids being so enthusiastic going in," her grandmother hummed.
Saren put down his glass.
"Also, I was thinking of taking Jane in as my protege as a Spectre candidate," Saren added, "I'm not sure how you'll make of her with such a role, but I think she'll do well."
The elderly couple blinked twice and exchanged glances.
"Oh, so she's going to be the first human Spectre?" the elderly man clarified.
"Yes, she is. She's proven herself to be very capable, attentive, good on her feet, flexible, and dedicated," Saren answered. "she'll go far under my watch."
Jane exchanged soft smiles with both of her grandparents in the midst of the conversation.
"I hope she does. The galaxy is a cruel place," her grandfather grumbled, "someone has to fight back."
Saren took a bite of his meal.
"That's our job, sir. That's what Spectres are for."
After dinner, the two took the time to show Jane and Saren around the house, showing the family photos and various antiques from the initial human expansion years. Amidst the tour, Jane took a chance to examine the photos of her mother decorated throughout the house.
"She was bright and cheerful as a child. She wanted to be an artist or archaeologist when she grew up," her grandmother hummed reminiscently.
Jane nodded while she glanced at another photo of her mother. She stood smiling in a small dress in front of a small school within the colony. The young Spectre candidate couldn't help but wonder if her mother's friends were also affected since her disappearance.
"We were worried when she didn't come back one day. We were scared when we heard similar missing reports from around the colony," the grandfather continued, "she was a sophomore in high school when she vanished."
Jane and Saren exchanged glances, not needing to say anything to remind one another of the trafficking rings they raided.
"We did what we could to stop them. Jane and I went to Earth to clear out the brothel Hannah was taken to before following another one to another colony. We gave what we found to the Alliance shortly afterward," Saren told the two.
Jane's grandfather calmly placed his hand on Saren's shoulder.
"And we appreciate it, Spectre," he said.
Saren hummed a bit.
"I do apologize that I haven't asked earlier, but what are your names again?" Saren asked, "I have a harder time remembering human names."
"It's Fred and Alice Shepard."
"Thank you," Saren replied.
A few days had passed, and Jane took her time to better know her grandparents. This included the elderly couple inviting Jane and Saren to their high school reunion. The two gladly accepted the offer to attend as guests. It didn't take much longer than taking a bus ride to the community center. The group saw a great variety of other elders from the same community.
"Didn't think this many from the same school would stay on the same planet," Saren commented.
"With how many planets exit, I'd agree," her grandfather added, "but, we all decided to stay to one group, or try our best to, anyways."
With that, Jane's grandparents led her and Saren towards the entrance to the building. The group entered a small room, which was one of the more refined looking parts of the modified prefabs. The carpets, trim around the walls, and replaced panels suggested significantly more time and resources were put into making the room look good. There was even a display of various board games available for all the guests. The elders mostly took the time to talk with each other, gossiping and the like. Meanwhile, there were a few other younger individuals present, most likely younger relatives to the elders present. They generally looked a bit older than Jane herself was by a couple years at most. While Jane examined the food they provided at a buffet table, she bumped into another woman only a couple years older than her, startling both of them as they jumped back from one another.
"S-Sorry!" Jane blurted.
"It's alright. No harm done. You from around here? I just got here for my grandmother on my mother's side," the stranger replied nervously.
"I was…born on Earth, actually," Jane clarified.
"Oh, okay…" she replied nervously, "well, we got off to a bad start. My name is Ashley, Ashley Williams, but most people call me Ashe."
Ashley stuck out a hand in greeting. Jane took the hint and shook her hand.
"Jane Shepard," Jane smiled, "nice to meet you Ashe."
"Likewise. So who's the turian?" Ashley asked.
Jane tilted her head until she realized Ashley was referring to Saren.
"That's Spectre Arterius," Jane answered, "and he's…my mentor."
Ashley stared back with concern.
"I'm sorry, I just have a hard time trusting aliens. Mentor?" Ashley blurted.
"I'm following in his footsteps as a Spectre," Jane nodded while she grabbed a plate.
"Really? I don't envy you," Ashley chuckled, "not to imply anything, but…I dunno. I guess I just don't have anything that ambitious."
Jane began serving herself some food with Ashley following suit.
"I'm currently serving in the Alliance Marine Corps," Ashley continued, "perhaps it's just 'brand loyalty' if you will."
It didn't take much long before Jane and Ashley obtained the amount of food they were certain they needed before finding a place to sit.
"Yeah, I can understand any skepticism you might have towards Spectres," Jane replied, "they're basically the active hand of the Council, and they've got quite the reach."
"It's mostly family history, that's all," Ashley summed up, "I know the war is long over, but some habits just don't go away like others."
Jane nodded before she pulled up some photos within her omni-tool and showed them to Ashley. This could be the beginning of a new friendship of sorts while she and Ashe proceeded to play a board game after they finished their meal.