They had to come up with that just now, hadn't they? Shepard was both amused and annoyed at the Admiral Hackett's call. The Normandy crew had spent nearly two weeks filling time, and now when they were ready to depart for Noveria, the Alliance came calling with another job.
Joker had informed Shepard about Admiral Hackett's call, just as the Commander had been returning from a mission on Amarinthe, where he had tried to arrest the crime boss Helena Blake. This had not gone well, and now Helena and all her followers who had been present were dead. Rather than go to prison, they had all opted to fight to the death. It was not exactly an ideal outcome, but with both Blake and her two former partners in crime dead, at least the syndicate was broken up now, or so Shepard assumed.
As soon as he had jumped the Mako back into the Normandy, Shepard had made for his cabin. There, he now accepted Admiral Hackett's call.
"I'm here, Admiral," he announced.
"Good," Hackett responded. "We've got a mission for you."
"How can I help, sir?" Shepard asked. Hackett had been chief among the conspirators who helped to bring Cerberus down, the others being Admiral Kahoku and Shepard himself. Thus, the Spectre was well disposed towards the commander of the Fifth Fleet.
"Alliance Command is a bit worried, Shepard, and we would like you to look into the matter," Hackett began to explain.
"I heard it has something to do with a cult of biotics?" Shepard inquired.
"Yes," Hackett confirmed. "An Alliance officer named Major Kyle has set up a small compound in the Hawking Eta cluster. He's attracted a number of followers, and most are indeed biotics. He's become an outspoken critic of the Alliance, and we believe he's mentally unstable. This could be trouble Shepard."
Shepard lightly laughed at that. ": I can be an outspoken critic of the Alliance at times, Admiral. That's no crime."
Hackett's voice remained deadly serious. "No. But three days ago we sent two Alliance representatives to meet with him at his compound. They have disappeared. We believe Kyle and his followers killed them. That compound is a cult Shepard. They call him Father Kyle now. He sees himself as some sort of religious leader."
That sobered Shepard up. "Well, that's no crime, either," he said unsurely, "Freedom of religion and all that..." And more decisively: "But killing two people would be. I understand, that needs to be investigated. What were they doing at Kyle's compound, though?
"Major Kyle is mentally unstable," Hackett explained, "He was at Torfan, and he could not cope with what had happened there. Too many soldiers died under his command and he couldn't deal with the guilt. His psych evaluations showed he couldn't handle the stress of command anymore. He was given a honourable discharge and an early retirement. We hoped he would get better in time, but we underestimated how far gone he was. So, these two representatives wanted to bring Major Kyle back for treatment. He has served us faithfully for many years, and we weren't going to abandon him now. Given his state of mind, however, he probably saw them as a threat. We're almost certain he had his followers kill them."
That made Shepard suspicious. It did admittedly not take much any longer to make him suspicious of Alliance actions, but somehow what Hackett had said did not seem right. " I hope you forgive me for saying so, Admiral: But you, the Navy that is, left Kyle alone for nearly a decade - and now you happen to decide you want to help him, now that he has gathered followers around him and started to criticize the Alliance? That's... awfully convenient timing."
"We had no indication of how hard hit psychologically Kyle was, not until we received his radio transmissions calling for biotics to join him in his compound," Hackett defended himself, "I know you're always suspicious about Alliance Command's motives, but there's nothing sinister about this case, Shepard. We just didn't know about Kyle's state of mind before. We made a mistake, but a honest one."
"And did those two really, honestly believe Major Kyle would just so come with them?" Shepard asked.
"That was the hope," Hackett said. "Maybe it was too idealistic. Maybe the entire affair was too rushed, and we should have been more careful and gradual in building up contact with him. But neither of those mistakes warrants getting killed, especially as those representatives were just the messengers."
"Yeah, that's true," Shepard conceded. "That's a case that needs to be cleared up. I'll look into that matter at least. But if Kyle is innocent, I'll have no part in bringing him to any place he doesn't want to be."
"That's fair enough, Shepard," Hackett reassured him. "Getting any kind of information out from Kyle's compound would already be greatly appreciated anyway. And we're very sure he did order those murders - but I think he might be innocent either way. If he ordered the murders, then that's just another urgent reason to bring him in for treatment. The problem is that you may not be able to do this peacefully. Kyle's cult is dangerous."
"Biotics mostly, you said?" Shepard inquired.
"Yes," Hackett confirmed. "Major Kyle never showed any biotic tendencies himself, though. I think he's just latched onto a group he can identify with. Many biotics feel marginalized or ostracized by society. Kyle probably sees them as victims who need his protections. And they see him as someone who will fight for them. Unfortunately, he's convinced them that the Alliance is somehow responsible for all of their problems. We can't let him go on like this.
What? "Oh?" Shepard replied, "The Alliance can't let him go on? Careful, Admiral, that sounds dangerously like wanting to silence a critic. And I won't have any part in such kinds of operations." He paused. "Besides, I know for a fact that in the case of... many biotics, the Alliance is in fact responsible for all their problems. Just look at what the L2 implants do! I've been lucky, but... others not so much."
"I understand what you mean, Shepard," Hackett said, "But the Navy has to look at it from the perspective of security concerns. Kyle is religiously indoctrinating a group of people with immense personal powers against the Alliance. That's a danger."
"That's freedom of speech and religion!" Shepard argued, probably less respectful towards a superior office then he should be, "His followers are biotics, so? Do you want to give biotics less rights than ordinary people? You know you're talking to a biotic at the moment, don't you?"
"I do," Hackett answered, "Hopefully this will have weight with Kyle and his followers as well, though I doubt that. We can sit around here and discuss the issue all day, you know that, Shepard. I understand you disagree with Alliance Command's reasoning, but there is still the issue of the two presumably murdered Alliance representatives."
"There is," Shepard agreed. He was annoyed at Hackett simply waving his arguments away like that, but there still was that issue. "The representatives who wanted to disband the cult, but... yeah, who didn't deserve death. I'll look into that matter then. And only into that matter. I won't do a job of silencing a critic for the Alliance."
"Understood, Shepard," Hackett said, "Fifth Fleet out."
This will be again one of those missions...
Shepard did not like the thought of it. He just knew that it would not be as easy to simply check the situation.
…...
Presrop, a moon of Klendragon, a planet in the Century System in the Hawking Eta cluster. A lifeless rock without any significance and importance whatsoever, but easily reachable since Hawking Eta had a veritable nexus of primary relays leading to and from it. The perfect place for a commune that wanted to be both covered, yet easily reachable for potential newcomers.
The compound was easily found. It seemed Major Kyle's followers had not even made an attempt to hide it. Already from space it could be determined that it was actually fairly large, as far as such installations on lifeless planets went, and included several buildings.
Shepard had decided to take his Spectre entourage with him - as always when he thought something suspicious about a mission. He would try to clear up the matter of the two missing Alliance representatives, but there was more to that mission than just that. The Alliance wanted Kyle silenced; Hackett had nearly all-out admitted so. And Shepard would not stand for that.
Thus, instead of relying on Alliance troops, Shepard used his 'collection of aliens', as Wrex had dubbed them. They were always the group which he kept under his direct command, and which he used in delicate matters. People who were not loyal to the Alliance but to him personally. My household cavalry, champions, retainers, huscarls... all those terms would fit. There was certainly something medieval about that. The thought of him as some sort of medieval lord ruling from his castle amused Shepard on the remaining way to the compound.
In fact, he was not even wearing any Alliance uniform or insignia at the moment. He had removed any such symbols from his hardsuit before. The purpose of that was twofold: A message to the biotics that he was not fully with the Alliance, and a message to the Alliance that as a Spectre he did not need to fully follow them.
No movement or other activity could be seen as the Mako drove into the compound grounds. However, as most installations would be primarily subterranean, due to the hostile conditions of Preslop, that was not saying much. The entrances of such facilities always only represented the tip of the iceberg. Shepard drove his vehicle right next to what looked like the entrance to the compound's main installation, and built up a communication channel to it.
Immediately, a voice came through that channel: "This is a private sanctuary. Outsiders are not welcome here."
"I want no trouble," Shepard replied, "but I need to talk with the person in charge here. It's important."
"Father Kyle wants nothing more to do with the Alliance," the man on the other side of the communication channel insisted.
"I can understand that," Shepard assured him, "But I only want to talk. I want not bloodshed, I don't want to take Kyle away from here, I just want to clear some matters up. If you do not let me, though, then the next Alliance investigation team might be more forceful. People could get hurt."
"We will not allow anybody to take Father Kyle away from us!" the man shouted, "We need him! He protects us!"
"I don't want him to take away," Shepard repeated himself, "I just need to talk to him. The issue of the two dead Alliance investigators isn't going to go away, and we need to find a peaceful way out of this. Without anybody getting killed."
"Wait..." the man answered. And then, after a while: "Father Kyle will speak with you. Head to the building at the far end of the compound. He will meet you there."
"Thanks," Shepard said an accelerated the Mako again, stopping it shortly afterward in front of the mentioned building. It looked like a civilian version of the bunker types Shepard had already seen so often on his journey.
He left the vehicle, followed by his entourage. Slightly nervous he opened the door to the building. He had no doubt he could defeat everybody here; that was not what he was anxious about. The point was that he did not want to let it come so far, and he was worried if he could manage to avoid it.
Just like the outside, the interior of the facility looked no different then that of over a dozen such installations Shepard had already seen - bleak, technical, utilitarian, filled with crates and terminals. The only difference were the people walking among those objects: Kyle's biotic followers. Angry stares followed Shepard, and some people even quite openly stated their anger and disgust at his presence.
Shepard ignored them. He had not come to start violence. He saw others, though, who fearfully retreated from him, or were even outright shocked when they saw him. One even began to stammer. Then Shepard realized: No, not me.
It wasn't him. It was Garrus. The biotics here were of the desperate sort, and that meant that L2s would be statistically overrepresented. L2s... and BAaT 'graduates'. Or BAaT survivors, really. People with bad experiences with turians, to put it lightly.
He turned towards his entourage and whispered forcefully: "Garrus, Wrex, return to the vehicle."
"Ah, all right, Commander" Garrus confirmed, "Is something the matter?"
"I can't explain it here," Shepard said, "it's not your fault. Not mine either, and not those of the people here, either, but the mission might go much smoother if you two are out of sight. Sorry. I'll explain later."
"But that leaves you with just Tali and Liara, and you are surrounded by potential hostiles," Garrus pointed out.
"I know," Shepard said, "We just have to hope they don't actually turn hostile. And if they do, well, I'm sure we can bunker in and wait for you to come in again. Now, please go."
"As you wish, Commander," Garrus said. By then Wrex had already turned to go, and now Garrus followed him.
Shepard shook his head sadly and sighed. Tali and Liara looked puzzled at him (or at least he assumed so in Tali's case), but he did not offer an explanation to them. Rather, he walked on, making his way through angry and hostile looking biotics.
The facility was a maze of corridors and rooms, but eventually Shepard arrived at the central control room. There, he found a black man with well trimmed moustache and goatee. The facial hair must have been a recent addition, but the man was still recognizable from the pictures Hackett had sent to Shepard: Major Kyle. Father Kyle to his followers.
He was the only person in the room, or at least Shepard assumed so at first. But then he noticed movements in some corners, behind some crates. They're hiding in position. But they're not actually trained to do so. There were further biotics in the room, probably ready to strike at any notice.
"I am Major Kyle," the man introduced himself. "I know why you've come. We have no quarrel with you. Why can't you just leave us alone?"
"And I have no quarrel with you," Shepard reassured him. "I'm an Alliance officer, yes, but I do disagree with the Alliance's meddling into your group. However, we assume to murders happened here. This needs to be cleared up."
"Yes. The two who came before you," Kyle confirmed. "They wanted to take me away from here! They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy! I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe."
That was a clear admission of the crime, but it was just the bare bones of information, wrapped into religious speech patterns. However, Shepard knew inquiring further ran the risk of provoking Kyle, who obviously was emotionally rather volatile. Careful to voice his sympathy to the group, Shepard answered: "And in doing so you provided the Alliance just the reason it looked for to disband your group. I have no problem with you people gathering here and listening to you. That's all within your rights. But - " Careful with formulations now, Jon. "Sorry, but was it really necessary to kill two people who were just doing their job? Please, Major, help me to understand. I want no further blood shed. So tell me exactly what happened here, please."
"They came under a banner of peace, so we let them in," Kyle explained, "We let them enter as our honoured guests. But they thanked it to us with blasphemy. They would not accept a no as an answer. They had only one aim: To leave my children without their father."
"Yes, but..." Shepard began, but then trailed off. This will be difficult. Kyle could apparently only speak as preacher, and not present him more precise facts.
Before the Commander could speak again, a third voice spoke up. It sounded forceful and determined: "Father, let me handle that."
A woman came out of her cover. The first thing Shepard noticed was how high grown she was, probably even a few centimeters larger than he himself, with a strong body build. Her skin was the faintest brown, and her hair dark, thick and curly. Contrary to current fashion, it fell down to her shoulders. She walked to reach Kyle's side. Her steps were wide and angry; her entire bearing spoke of a suppressed fury.
However, Kyle's reply to her appearance was soft: "Child, Tisiphone," he said. He sounded worried - Indeed like a father worried about his daughter. "I don't think you should step out into these people's sight. They're unclean"
"I know, father, you taught us," the woman, Tisiphone, replied. "But that man is not looking for your kind of answers. Maybe my kind of answers can help."
"You were always among my bravest children," Kyle stated. Again it sounded like a true father, like a proud father. "Speak with him then. Bloodshed is never what I had wanted. It was not supposed to go that way."
She nodded sharply and turned to Shepard, whom she gestured to move into a certain direction. "This way, Commander. So we can speak in quiet, and freely." Her sharp voice made it clear that her use of his title had been mere formal politeness, and that under other circumstances she would never have extended such courtesy to him. Or any courtesy at all.
While they walked to one of the far corners of the room, Shepard, not able to contain his curiosity, asked: "Tisiphone?" A bad omen.
"Not my birth name, obviously," the woman replied.
A very bad sign. "Then lead on, daughter of Nyx," he commented.
The faintest of smiles appeared on Tisiphone's lips, but even that looked hard and unpleasant, and it died very quickly.
When they stopped, Tisiphone spoke up: "Our good father Kyle can ramble a bit, I know. You were looking for some more precise answers, I take it?"
"Indeed," Shepard confirmed. "Looking to uncover just what has happened here."
"You won't get that from him," Tisiphone answered, "He preaches. It's what he does."
"Ah, excuse me for saying so, but you don't sound like a very convinced follower," Shepard commented.
"I'm not," Tisiphone admitted. "That whole 'Father' things is pure nonsense. A cult of personality, which is... rarely a healthy thing. I know, very convenient for me to say right now, but nobody else here would; they wouldn't even pretend to."
"Then why are you in this group?" Shepard inquired surprised.
"Unhealthy as a cult of personality may be, it provides us with a community," Tisiphone explained, "Us biotics, that is. We're mistreated at every turn. Many of us are traumatized, and can find no place in regular society. And the Alliance just continues their crimes against us. Father Kyle is a focal point, somebody we can rally and form a community around, to help each other against those outside ills."
It was very clear where Tisiphone tried to lead the conversation. She tried to make him see the value of that community, so that he would not destroy it. However, while it was transparent, Shepard had to admit she had a point. "I... have been lucky concerning my talents, but I know what you mean, and I agree about the mistreatment of biotics," he said. "I know, very convenient for me to say now, but well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. So tell me, just what has happened here?"
"Kyle spoke the truth: The two came to here under promises of peace," Tisiphone answered. "And they did talk peacefully with him at first. Tried the whole understanding-psychological approach, you know what I mean. But that didn't help, Kyle still would not come, would not abandon his community. So the two became... pushy. It's iffy: They never actually threatened anybody, not directly, but they did not leave either, and just continued to try to convince Kyle. And there was some actual pushing in the end. Not really violence, but, well, physical."
"Sounds just like the Alliance," Shepard sighed, "Idiots. They saw this group as an embarrassment, even though you all were within your rights, and hence used the excuse of Kyle's trauma to try to remove that embarrassment. Still, killing them... I guess under some extreme 'My home is my castle' laws in some jurisdictions that would already count as self-defence. I always disagreed with such laws, though. Which leaves the question what to do now. I'd still call it murder."
"And I'd even agree, though I'd never shed a tear for Alliance officials," Tisiphone answered. "They can all burn for all I care. For all I'd want. Present company included." That was very clear. Tisiphone continued as if she had not just wished him death: "Still, it was a blunder on Kyle's part, and now it seems we have to pay for that. If you remove Kyle, the focal point of this group, it... it would just shatter. Everybody would go their own way again. For many people here the community is the only thing they have, and now it might just get taken away from them. Traumatized people, wrecks of people."
"I know," Shepard claimed. "The L2 implants, if nothing else. I have a L2 in my crew, Lieutenant Alenko, who..."
"Alenko?" Tisiphone interrupted him. She was absolutely nonplussed. "Kaidan Alenko?"
"Ah, yes..." Shepard confirmed uncertainly.
"He has joined the Alliance?" Tisiphone asked. "I... I don't know what to say."
"Why? What's so special about him?" Shepard wanted to know.
"He... he was my hero!" Tisiphone exclaimed. "For over a decade! And now I learn he has... he has betrayed us! After all that has happened to us! All that has happened to him! You couldn't know, Commander..."
"I do, actually," Shepard interrupted her. "He told me. About BAaT. And I reacted in pretty much the same manner. You were there, too?" His voice softened at the end. After all, he did know what had happened at BAaT.
"I was," Tisiphone confirmed. "I was kidnapped from home as a child. I had that implant shoved into my head, without any agreement on my part. I had the constant pains ever since. And I survived two years of hell when they siced the turians on us. On children!"
"If they had discovered my biotic potential earlier I would have ended up on BAaT," Shepard commented, "I told Kaidan that if I had, I surely would have been part of one of the violent extremist cells by now."
Tisiphone laughed at that, but it was a bitter, sharp laugh. "There's more to that. Didn't Kaidan ever tell you it was him who shot down BAaT?
What? "What?" Shepard asked.
"There was a girl he always was around, Rana," Tisipone explained. "She had a coterie of friends... well, to be fair she was indeed very nice, but those people, including Kaidan, they did everything they could to protect her from the turians. But that didn't always work. None of us was safe, and the turians were brutal. And the Conatix employees on Jump Zero, they simply let it happen, when they beat us down, kicked us, denied us food, forced us to to nearly fry our implants under great pains..." She had become agitated, but calmed her voice down again now. Instead of angry, it was now bitter. Shepard could not blame her for that. "And the Alliance let Conatix do so. In any case - one day, Vyrnnus, the leader of the turians, broke Rana's arm. For the great crime of having reached a drink with her hand, instead of using her biotic powers, for not wanting to get another nosebleed. Kaidan stepped forwards, angry, but... didn't do anything. And Vyrnnus just beat him down. Told us how they, the turians, should have destroyed us humans when they had the chance, that our race would need to learn its proper place, all the while punching and hitting Kaidan." She scoffed. "Nobody intervened. The turians were after all given free reign. That time it was excessive, but the turians beating us was normal." She spat the word out. "However, then Vyrnnus unsheathed a knife. A military grade knife. And Kaidan. I think he reacted purely by instinct - he sent a biotic push against Vyrnnus so hard the turian's neck snapped. He killed him, our tormentor. And afterward, the program just stopped. This death must have caused some trouble to the Alliance and Conatix. And one year later BAaT was disbanded." Again she became agitated: "Were were sent into the wilderness, without any compensation or even only apologies, left to fend for ourselves, traumatized and often crippled by the implants, and the Alliance hushed everything up. But at least the program ended. Thanks to Kaidan. And now I hear, despite everything that has happened to us, despite everything the Alliance did to us, despite how the Alliance merely saw us resources to be exploited, no matter our pain - he has joined them. Hah. The hero of my youth. Fucking traitor."
Shepard reacted with silence. That was quite a tale. It was a detail about Kaidan's life he had not known so far. And it was a brutal story of how BAaT must have been. "I... I... " he stammered after a while "I'm at a loss for words. I don't know what to say."
Tisiphone's eyes fixated him. She seemed to ponder something."Then don't." she replied after a while. "Maybe you should listen instead. And remember that for many of those people the community is all they have."
…...
The first person Tisiphone led to Shepard was a small man with curiously small nose and constantly shifting eyes. His gait and entire posture were cowered. Tisiphone also tried to gather other people, but many seemed to rebuff her, or at least at first.
Thus it was the small man who spoke up first: "I was so scared when they took me from home. I didn't know what was happening. They told me my parents had agreed to that, and I wondered how my parents could ever have abandoned me like that. I felt betrayed and utterly alone. And they did all those tests on us. Tests, school, test, that was life. There was nothing else to where they had taken us. And that was before things got bad."
That was the first testimony he heard. Other followed. And as Tisiphone had suggested, Shepard listened.
Another man, with uncultivated stubbles but an articulate pattern of speech: "I had never seen aliens before the turians arrived. I... I was even curious at first. But they... they were brutal. We soon learned that. They beat us regularly, for even the smallest failures. I was just fourteen back then, forced to be at that place, and under a drill more brutal than anything in the Navy. I did later learned that was to drill us, to break us, to condition us to always be perfect so that any subconscious barriers might be broken, but... they all had us scared and shocked and hurting. Kids, traumatized."
Shepard activated the his visor, which he recently had acquired at the Citadel. He began to sign all the testimonies up.
A lean woman with reddish-brown skin and very short cut hair: "We had been with the Conatix employees for years by then. And they... they did nothing. We pleaded with them. We cried for their help when the turians... when they started beating us again. And they just stood there and let it happen. They just watched kids getting beat down."
Shepard's face was cast in stone. But he listened. Intensely. Listened and recorded everything.
A large grown blond man with clumsy movements: "The turians... mandibles... no, no, don't hurt me again! Stop beating me! Dr Lacroix, why don't you help me?"
A black woman, small but curvaceous, whose voice made it clear how much she resented Shepard. She was probably only speaking to him at Tisiphone's urging. "That's how they trained us. They forced us to push more and more and more, no matter the pain. And the pain was, was overwhelming. So to force us they had to apply even greater pain. Punishments were harsh if we failed to push on, if we failed to hurt ourselves."
A man with long brown hair and a mane of a beard: "People died in these exercises. They just... keeled over, blood coming out of their mouths. My god, we were just thirteen, fourteen back then. And we watched our friends die. And the turians, they just went on with those exercises, because after all - it could have just been a subconscious barrier to be broken. That's why they were there: To break us in order to get a working biotic. That's how they did it."
The testimonies went on and on and on. Tisiphone seemed to be able to always produce somebody else:
"We were never free of the terror. There was to be no safety for us. We were to be broken, so the turians commanded these pain drills at the oddest hours. We were always in fear it could happen now or next hour or afterward. And people died in these exercises."
"I'm never free. I'm always fearing they come back, and it's the next training session, and it starts all over again..."
"They handed us out to those turians. Let them abuse us. And then they just sent us away and hushed everything up!"
"I didn't know what they wanted to do with us. Medical tests happened often. We were in no position to refuse them. But that time, when they implanted the L2... it was untested tech! And they just shoved it into our heads! Without even asking us!"
"We were led to those surgeries one by one. The latest, they knew the effects, the headaches, the twitches, the personality changes. They... we didn't want to, but they forced us. They anesthetized us, took us to the hospital room, and pushed that... thing in. And ever since then, the world has only been pain, and my arms and legs don't really move as they should."
"I watched as friends withered away, crippled by the implants the Alliance forced on us. They never got their old personality back. The Alliance had stolen those from them."
"I just want it to stop. The pain. I don't to have that implant in me. But they never cared for that."
"That was what 2168 was. Pain at night because of the implant, pain at day due to the turians. And I hadn't even passed my 16th birthday yet!"
"When I try to think... it hurts. The other... the other in me... it hurts!"
"And then... I didn't know what to do when they just closed Hell down. I didn't know. They just dumped us all. Hushed everything up. And I... I couldn't get back. I was twelve when they took me, and now I was eighteen, I couldn't go back, I was no child any more after all..."
"They made us all look like raving lunatics. All the rumours about biotics and especially L2s being unstable, that was deliberately spread by the Alliance. So nobody would trust our words when we said what had happened to us. We were just biotic lunatics."
"They didn't believe me! Nobody did! I could scream my lungs out what happened to me, and nobody believed! They even scolded me for saying such things! My own parents did!"
"So what could I do? I was left all alone with my pain, with what had happened to me, with the strange things I saw because of that thing in my head."
"They got what they wanted. Working biotics. And our suffering, our deaths? Who cares? We were sacrificed so that the Alliance could get working biotics, and they got away with that!"
"We were used. Used and dumped, and now they've got their biotics, and we have a ruined life, and nobody even cares about that except Father!"
"There is no justice in the galaxy. None. The Alliance hushed everything up and we're seen as liars."
Shepard watched and recorded and listened.
000000
Tali watched all those people being led to Shepard. She saw them talking to him. She saw his face getting ever grimmer, saw him listening intensely, saw the suppressed signed of anger inside him. And she saw that woman, Tisiphone, leading ever more people to him. The quarian shot angry glances to her; not that anybody would realize that. What the biotic did to Shepard - it was very clear it was hurting him.
He did not protest, though. Tali knew he never would. After all, injustices had in fact been done to those people, and Shepard always cared about that. Eventually, no further person was led to him. By then point he sat on a small crate, and when nobody else came his posture slumped down. Any muscle tensions seemed to leave his upper body.
Carefully, Tali approached him.
It took some time until Shepard noticed her standing besides him. He looked up to her and asked: "Ah, Tali, what should I do now?"
Tali had no advice for him. She did not even fully know just what options he pondered, or if he even had any in his mind. So, instead, she sat down beside him, and answered: "What do you want to do?"
He sighed. "I know what I'm supposed to do. Bring Kyle in. Leave the group without focal point. It would disband then. But... these people... they need it. They really do." He looked at her with a melancholic grin: "So the other alternative is to leave them alone. Completely reject Hackett's orders."
Tali did not like that thought at all. The idea of disregarding authority left her with a faint mental disdain. And Shepard knew so.
"Not exactly a nice thought for you, is it?" he asked.
Only three or four weeks earlier, Tali would have reacted for more insecurely, would have felt uncertain in discussing such matters with Shepard. But not any more. She knew she had little else to offer to Shepard than her emotional support, so she was determined to offer that at least. "No," she admitted, "But that isn't the point. I have nothing to do with the whole case. You do, though."
To her surprise Shepard nodded vigorously. "Yes, I do... Tali, these are my people! Had my talents been discovered... I could have ended up one of them! That's what's driving me crazy. This all could have happened to me! I am a biotic, and look what the Alliance has done to my people!"
Tali understood. It was a horrifying thought. "If you consider them your people, you must help them," she stated. That was obvious to her as a quarian. Clan and people were important among quarians. "But they're not your only people, are they? What about humanity in general?"
"Yes, humanity..." Shepard answered. "But humanity is not the Alliance."
Tali slightly hesitated at that. It was just a short stop in her motions, but Shepard noticed.
"I know," he said, "This all goes against your ingrained quarian sense of duty."
"No," Tali protested "That is, yes, but it doesn't matter. My people are never far away from death, or even extinction. We have no alternative to trusting in and always obeying our governments, both the Conclave and the Board of Admirals. They make mistakes, but we cannot risk any divisions inside the Flotilla. So that's why I would not separate between my people and my government. However - that does not mean I begrudge other peoples the ability to do so. This is a human affair, not a quarian affair. Whatever you do will be the right thing."
"Yes, but what can I do?" Shepard pleaded, " If I do nothing then this just delays the issue. And besides, what of those two murders? Am I to ignore them?" He let his head sink between his hands.
Tali touched his upper arm. He looked up, surprised. She looked right back. "So far, you've always found a way."
Shepard grinned lopsidedly, but it still looked sad. "I suppose. But it seems here I have few alternatives. All or nothing..."
Tali was not quite sure what he referred to, but she let him rambling on, while stroking his upper arm comfortingly. He smiled melancholic.
"It seems you're more than just my chaperon" he said quietly and softly.
"I don't think anything more really needs to be said about this," she answered. It was true. That was one reason why she could be so secure now. Nothing really needed to be said. Both sides knew, and both sides knew the other side knew. And so on. However, it just was never discussed.
Shepard nodded again. "All," he muttered distantly. He briefly padded her hand, the one at his arm, and stood up. "Tisiphone!" he called.
It took a while, but eventually the dark-haired woman appeared. Her posture was as aggressive as ever. She crossed her arms and waited for Shepard to say something.
"You were right," Shepard admitted. "I cannot... I just cannot take this community away from its people. Two murders happened here, but..." He spoke quieter "... but it pales compared to what crimes these people have endured."
Tisiphone raised an eyebrow. Tali was unsure if that was to signify surprise or a condescending arrogance about having been right. Maybe both. "Good," she said after a pause.
"However, I need to speak with Kyle," Shepard demanded.
"I don't think that's wise," Tisiphone commented. Signs of insecurity crept into her usually harsh voice.
"Why, fearing his emotional instability might screw this up in the last minute?" Shepard asked rhetorically. "That's a risk you'll have to take."
"Very well," Tisiphone conceded, and led Shepard to the cult leader. Tali followed them.
Kyle was resting on another low crate, rubbing his forehead. He looked tired. Worried, probably. When he saw Tisiphone and Shepard approaching, though, he immediately stood up, and no sign of weariness could be seen on him.
"My daughter Tisiphone has made quite a ruckus in the family," he said. "Was it worthwhile?"
"It was," Shepard confirmed. "I cannot leave these people without their 'father'. So I will go, and I will do nothing."
"It's good that..." Kyle began.
However, Shepard cut him short: "However, this is essentially a second chance for you. Don't screw it up. If I hear of any further dead people turning up here, I will return. I don't want bloodshed, I don't want this group, this 'family' to end up scattered, but this will happen if you again end somebody's life here." He breathed out. "I hope we're clear on this."
Kyle remained silent, clearly stunned. After a while he said: "I never meant to drag my family into violence. But I had no other choice."
"Nobody says you cannot defend yourself," Shepard reassured him, "but you don't need to do so with lethal means. You have dozens of people about you, most with biotic powers. Surely you could also have overpowered the two representatives and forced them back into their shuttle? Do that the next time such a situation arises."
Tisiphone spoke up: "He has a point, father. The Alliance will always look for a reason to eradicate us. We shouldn't give them that reason."
"Well spoken," Kyle said. "Then it is agreed. We will defend ourselves from the Alliance, but no more deaths."
Shepard nodded and turned. Then he stopped. "Ah, Tisiphone, one more thing." He waved her to another corner again. Neither protested when Tali followed them to listen.
"What is it?" Tisiphone asked. "Haven't you said you want to leave us alone?"
"I do," Shepard said, "but what about the next person the Alliance sends? And you know there will be more. And your show won't work on anybody. Personally, I don't think it'll even work twice."
Tisiphone did not budge. "I know that problem, but it's mine. It's not your concern."
"I don't do things halfway," Shepard stated. "This isn't about keeping my own precious hands clear, I don't care about that. This is about people which I think need help. And so, that's what I intend to do."
"Oh?" Tisiphone inquired.
"I'm transmitting a location to you. A facility on the planet of Amarinthe, recently, ah, cleared from its previous inhabitants. Which were a crime syndicate, so the base doesn't appear on any maps. A good place to lay low for a while, or even a bit longer than a while. The Alliance knows about this compound here after all."
This stunned Tisiphone. "...why?" she asked.
Because he doesn't do things halfway. Tali already knew that. It was part of his unrelenting idealism to always try to make the galaxy a better place. In a way, no matter the cost.
However, that was not what Shepard said. He chuckled softly and said: "It's funny. I always thought I'd be neutral and objective in my duty. That I could never be bought. But that's not true. Every person has their price, it's just that it's not always money. For some it's indeed money, for others fame and glory, and for yet others yet different things. And for me... for me it's justice. Those people here deserve justice. And if that means looking past two cases of murder - then I'm not proud to ignore them, but I will do so."
"So is that how you want to use your records?" Tisiphone asked.
"I wish I could," Shepard answered, "But you know it's not that easy, or you'd already have done so. People will just dismiss the testimonies. They always have so far. Nothing will change about that just because I have bundled them. But... it's a start. And if this community just drifts apart that start will be lost. Nobody believes testimonies by random drifters. However, testimonies by people who have banded together more or less just because of that issue..."
"I understand," Tisiphone said. "You're an odd case, Commander. How did you end up with the Alliance, anyway?"
Shepard shrugged. "Joining them helped me get off the street."
"A means to an end then," Tisiphone commented. "Just as I use a cult of personality to have this community. Very well, I can thus hardly blame you."
"I might still ask you the same, though," Shepard said, "Why are you here? Given your self-chosen name, shouldn't you be in one of the terrorist cells?"
"Never think that I won't have my revenge!" Tisiphone hissed aggressively. Then she collected herself again. "I'll never give up my desire for revenge. I won't forget and I won't forgive. However... I won't sacrifice everything for its sake, either. Especially not other people. The Alliance did that, sacrificing people, because they didn't care about them. I won't. Revenge will come, but for now - there are people, biotics, who have it way worse than me, who are psychological wrecks or whose implants have crippled them. For now, I need to provide a home to them."
"I... that's noble," Shepard said. He sounded very sincere.
"I do have contacts to those cells, though," Tisiphone continued, ignoring the compliment. "And maybe that's a way to repay you. Now and then I know about their future plans. And I know hence that right now one group is boarding the private freighter of Member of Parliament Burns, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Transhuman Studies. The Committee which is refusing any reparations to us L2s. The group seeks to change that. So, maybe you should best hurry, Commander. You might just be the one person who can lead this to an unbloody and yet satisfactory end. I'll transmit the location and all relevant data to you, and I'll call the cell, to vouch for you."
Shepard starred at her, then hastened outside.
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Note: Sorry for introducing an OC to affect the story. I promise it will remain the only one of any significance ;)