Shepard was inside the Mako, together with his Spectre entourage, on the way back to the Normandy from their mission on Presrop - a mission where they had learned of a hostage situation in the making. Thus, Shepard hurried as much as he could. He relayed the location provided by Tisiphone, the biotic who had told him all about the planned hostage taking, straight to the Normandy. And as soon as the Mako was back inside the ship, he headed straight for the CIC, still in full combat gear. The ship's three officers, Pressly, Adams and Alenko, awaited him there.
"We need to hurry," he told them. "We have an emergency at our hands. A hostage situation in the making."
"Understood, Commander," Pressly replied. "The course is already set, and the ship is on the move at top speed. But if I may ask: What happened down there? Were you not supposed to bring Major Kyle along?"
"I told Admiral Hackett that I would acquire information about what happens at the compound," Shepard corrected his XO. "That's exactly what I've done, so I've fulfilled my mission. And the most important information I have gathered is this hostage case. It's about Chairman Burns. He heads the Alliance Parliament's Subcommittee on Transhuman Studies. If my information is correct, his ship is currently getting boarded. We'ill come too late to prevent that, but we can deal with the hostage situation afterward."
"I'm not looking forward to that," Kaidan commented, "Hostage situations are always ugly. However it needs to be done"
Shepard shook his head. "I think I might be able to establish a contact to the hostage takers." Tisiphone had said she would tell them about what he had done on Presrop. "That's why we should deal with this. We might just be able to end this peacefully."
The three officers looked at each other surprised and puzzled. "Ah, understood, Commander," Pressly finally said. "I just hope we won't come too late."
"That's my worry as well," Shepard agreed. "I'll be in my room, changing." And with that he turned and went.
However, Kaidan went after him, and caught him at the stairs leading up the second deck. "Jon, what happened down there?" he asked.
"Lots," Shepard simply answered. Lots to do with you. Truth be told, he had no idea how to explain this all to the Lieutenant. He sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to block you like that. But it has been a lot, indeed, and I need to think about it first myself. Maybe once we've cleared the hostage situation."
A rescue mission for the arsehole who now added insult to injury and denied any reparations to the L2s. The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Transhuman Studies. I wonder why we should... But then a thought stroke him. An influential person. A knowledgeable person.
Kaidan looked surprised to see the Commander grin. However, Shepard simply went on his way to his cabin.
…...
Even at highest acceleration, the Normandy would take over a day to reach their destination, as the ship had to traverse several clusters to reach Hades Gamma. And even that speed could only be reached at a certain risk to the ship's systems. The Normandy was built for high acceleration, but Shepard was pushing her limits.
It was for that reason that he had paid a visit to Engineer Adams. The ranking officer in Engineering had assured him that so far, everything was still in order, and since they would reach their target in merely some few hours it was unlikely that in that time anything would break. Shepard had thus left Engineering relieved and reassured.
Just before he could step into the elevator leading from the cargo bay to the CIC, though, he was stopped by Ashley, who came walking hurriedly from her station.
"Hey, Skipper!" she called out.
"Ashley. Something on your mind?" Shepard asked.
"I just heard the news," she answered. "So we're on the next wild chase again?"
Shepard doubted she had left her station in a rush to get to him just so she could ask that, but he played along. If Ashley had any worries, he would listen to them. "Yeah. You're gonna like that one, we're about to rescue a high-ranking politician."
"Just what I signed up for then, saving slimeballs," Ashley joked. "But I suppose you can't choose which parts of the job you do."
"Not unless you're a Spectre, no," Shepard agreed.
"You seem to have really grown into the role," Ashley commented.
"It's convenient," Shepard confirmed, " I can't deny that."
"Ah - we've been wondering, Skipper," Ashley said. And here it comes. "Kaidan and I that is. Since you didn't take us down to Presrop, and none of your aliens wants to talk - I mean, your Spectre entourage..."
"That again? Kaidan already asked me," Shepard pointed out.
"Sorry if we appear nosy," Ashley apologized, "But we're worried. Something happened down there, and nobody wants to talk about it!"
"It's... it isn't easy, Ashley," Shepard said evasively. And because it was not easy, Shepard did not want to explain any more details.
"What is on our journey?" Ashley countered. "Nothing has been easy so far. But we... I am concerned about you. About what happened to you."
"I see. I appreciate the thought. I guess it must seem odd and worrying from the outside," Shepard conceded. Maybe I should have thought about that more. How it will look to others. I guess I'm just too used to not caring about that.
"No kidding," Ashley confirmed.
"Well, it's nice to see you care," Shepard said sincerely.
"Ah crap. Boom goes my feminine mystique." Ashley joked.
Shepard chuckled that, but he sobered up quickly again. The issue at the core of it all was no laughing matter. "Right. If you want to know. If you really want to know..."
"I do, skipper," Ashley confirmed.
"Then I'm transmitting to your omni-tool right now just what has happened on Presrop," Shepard said, sending his records of the biotics' testimonies over "Or rather, not on Presrop, but way earlier. Take a look at it. Or... maybe don't." It's not easy to watch. However, maybe that were just his personal feelings, so he did not say it. Instead, he ignored Ashley's puzzled look and just stepped into the elevator without further comment.
...
The MSV Ontario did not respond to any further contacts. Shepard had communicated with the boarded ship a while ago, but now was the time for actions, not words. The mission to the ship would start soon, and Shepard was equipping himself. Practically needless to say his Spectre entourage would accompany him. My personal retinue. He had a plan what to do on the Ontario, but for that he needed people loyal to him and only him. And this time Wrex and Garrus would come along. A bit fear in the minds of his opponents would not be misplaced.
Once his armour fit and he had his weapons selected he walked down towards the cargo bay. Passing the first deck to enter the elevator down, he glanced Kaidan in the CIC and stopped. I should at least talk about one thing. As soon as Kaidan saw him, he waved the Lieutenant to him.
"Jon," Kaidan opened the conversation, "Ashley told me what you heard on Presrop."
"What you went through, too," Shepard stated.
"Yes," Kaidan agreed. "I guess I'm lucky I've been able to deal with it that well. Other people have not."
"And you never tried looking for them?" Shepard asked. It was the first thing that had come to his mind, and he tried to keep his voice as free as of accusation as possible. It had not been his responsibility, after all.
"After BAaT I disappeared for a while," Kaidan explained, "During that time I thought long about how to best use my talents. The Navy seemed to be the best place for that. Most human biotic talent is still very combat-focused. I thought the social facilities of the Alliance had no need of biotic talents, and they would surely be much better suited to take care of those people. Maybe I was wrong."
Shepard mentally scoffed. Of course they wouldn't go to the institution which made them that way in the first place. Besides, nobody believed them anyway. However, he wanted no further argument with Kaidan, and besides, he was not responsible for that, but rather even one of the victims.
So instead, he came to what he wanted to talk about: "There's one thing, though. At BAaT - do you remember a girl, probably already high grown back then, with thick black hair?"
"Ah... yes, that sounds like Jeanne," Kaidan answered, "Sorry, I don't remember her family name."
"Well, she doesn't go by either that or her family name any more," Shepard said, "She calls herself Tisiphone now."
"That's not a good sign," Kaidan commented.
"No," Shepard agreed. "And I let your name slip. She wasn't pleased at all about you being in the Alliance Navy now. She called you the hero of her youth." And a traitor, she called you that, too. But Shepard omitted that part. "She claims it was you who shot BAaT down."
"I can see why she thinks so," Kaidan answered, surprisingly surely. I probably wouldn't be in his situation. "Probably a lot of kids thought so back then. But it's not that easy. BAaT was shut down only almost a year after that incident she surely referred to. After I killed a person."
"In utter self-defence!" Shepard protested.
"That's true," Kaidan agreed. "It's still not what I wanted. I got pay-back, but at that time I didn't even want it any more."
"That sounds just like you," Shepard answered with a half-smile on his face.
"And the girl I tried to help..." Kaidan continued.
"Rana," Shepard said softly.
"Rana," Kaidan repeated, "She couldn't look me into the eyes anymore without fear afterward. It's funny. I don't know who got the worst of it, Vyrnnus or me. In any case, this might have been the factor that led to BAaT's and Conatix' downfall. Or not. As said, it took a full further year until something happened."
"But it isn't quite over yet," Shepard said, "Not for many people, at least. So, yes, that's what happened at Presrop."
"I understand, Jon," Kaidan answered. "What are you going to do now?"
"Save a hostage," Shepard replied, deliberately missing Kaidan's point. "I'm taking my Spectre entourage with me. Again. Not that I wouldn't trust you or Ashley, but - well, it's better if I keep my Alliance personal out of it I think."
"Given what we're talking about here I can see your reasoning," Kaidan assured him.
"Good. See you after the mission then, maybe," Shepard said.
"Good luck, Commander," Kaidan said.
Shepard took the elevator down to the cargo bay, where the others already waited at airlock.
000000
The Normandy and the Ontario had completed their docking maneuver. Shepard had explained to his team that the biotic extremists had assured him and them free passage, due to Tisiphone vouching for him. Tali knew that nonetheless they would enter a volatile and potentially dangerous situation. Again. That impression only got strengthened aboard the freighter: As Shepard and his team made their way through it, they were met with lots of hostile stares by heavily armed people. Tali had faced worse, but she still was determined to not slip up in such a situation.
They found Burns in one of the rooms of the freighter - kneeling, hands above his head, a pistol aimed at him. Behind him stood a man holding the pistol. He was black skinned, bald shaved and with a short trimmed, oddly shaved beard. According to Tisiphone's files, which Shepard had relayed to his team, that was the leader of the group, the she only knew him as such, and not his name.
"Tisiphone has told me about what you did on Presrop," the man began the conversation. "Kyle is a preaching lunatic, but many biotics depend on him. So what you did there earned you a chance to be listened to. But you'll only get that one chance. Writing letters has never shown any result. Only this - " he waved the pistol aimed at Burns "- gets people's attention."
And so it begins. Shepard had hinted at some plan he had. Usually, his plans were not bad, but this was the actual test of it now. She just hoped he would choose his words carefully, because that was something he did not always do.
"I know. It does look that way," the Commander agreed. "But what then? You'll get the attention of people. But what will happen then?"
"The people must know what the government has done, and what it has failed to do," the biotic leader answered. "Many L2 are nearly crippled from the side-effects of the implant, yet that man decided we don't get reparations."
"But I've changed my mind!" Burns pleaded. "Seeing you all, it's c-clear that you all d-deserve..."
"You had your change!" the biotic leader interrupted him. "Now, we're doing things our way."
"People must know what the government has done," Shepard agreed. "But you won't achieve that. You'll only be called lunatics and liars. Again. And then eventually they'll catch you; you can't run away from them forever after such an action. So in the end the only thing this will accomplish is to make every L2 out there appear like a terrorist."
"So what do you propose, Commander?" the biotic leader asked. "That we just walk away from here? That's how it usually goes, isn't it? You promise us freedom if we just walk away, and then double-cross us."
"Ask Tisiphone," Shepard answered, "She and Kyle are free. But, no, that's not what I propose. What I'm saying is that you can't do anything. However, I am a Spectre. I officially stand above the law. I can do something. If you let me."
"We had no other choices any more," the biotic leader explained, "They all just ignored us. But I don't wanna die. If you have a better idea, let's hear it."
Shepard tilted his head. "With your permission..." He walked some steps towards Burns. "Martin Burns, under my authority vested into me by the Citadel Council as part of their Special Tactics and Reconnaissance arm, I hereby place you under arrest for grave obscuration of justice."
The whole room exploded in shock.
"What?" the biotic leader blurted.
"You can't do that!" Burns exclaimed.
"Commander!" Garrus said.
"Oh goddess," Liara muttered.
Oh keelah. That's his plan! It was bold, it was even ruthless, but it made sense. It was just as Shepard had said: Unlike the biotics, Shepard could legally capture Burns. But this will have consequences.
"Your subcommittee has handled among other things biotic affairs for over a decade," Shepard explained to Burns.. "That means, you have access to classified information - yet you never acted upon it. You kept it hidden and covered up and so prevented justice from taking place."
That's what it's about! BAaT. Again, one could say, but Tali could not fault Shepard. Not after she had seen him on Presrop. And getting people justice was just what he did. Even if it did mean belabouring the same point over and over again.
"I understand, Commander," the biotic leader commented with respect in his voice. He stepped back form Burns and sheathed his pistol "I agree with your plan. This way, this time, something surely will change."
Shepard motioned Garrus to secure Burns, and the turian did so.
"What happens to us now, though?" the biotic leader asked.
"Let me ask something else first: What happened to the crew of this ship?" Shepard inquired.
"They're alive!" the biotic leader exclaimed surprised. "We had no quarrel with them. All we wanted was that bastard. The crew members are innocent, it's not their fault what their employer did. We locked them into one of the ship rooms." He paused. "Burns had bodyguards, though, two of them. One is with the crew, but the other... he fell in our boarding action."
"I see," Shepard said gravely. And then: "I guess that's a risk of the job. However, had you killed any of the crew you wouldn't have made it out of here alive and free."
"We never wanted to hurt innocents!" the biotic leader exclaimed.
"So I see, actually," Shepard admitted. "A precise strike on the ship carrying the person directly responsible for the continuation of your ills. No bombs, no terror, no harming innocents, even though your enemy is the powerful Alliance." He slightly tilted his head. "That has earned you my respect. You're free to go."
He was about to turn, but the biotic leader stopped him: "Ah, Commander. There's one more thing. Tisiphone led you to here, but what she didn't know is that there has been a split in the meanwhile. Many among the original group thought there was no point in trying to get reparations from the Alliance. They said the Alliance would never do so, never care for us, so we have to take care of ourselves. They wanted instead to find a way to do so, by maxing out their biotic powers. And to that end... well, to that end they have taken over a Sirta Foundations facility in this cluster. And they have absolutely no concerns about hurting innocents."
"So Tisiphone led me to here," Shepard said, "and you lead me to - where exactly?"
"Chohe, in the Cacus system," the biotic leader answered. "Be careful. They spoke about using the scientists there as human shields in the inevitable Alliance counterstrike."
"I see," Shepard replied grimly. "They won't get a second chance."
"I know," the biotic leader said. "They've brought that upon themselves. I don't think even Tisiphone's credentials will help you there - but if anybody can save those scientists then I think it's the hero of Elysium and Eden Prime."
"I'll have to try in any case," Shepard stated. "Thanks for the information. As for Burns, your job is done, we'll take over from here. Leave about one hour after we're gone."
The biotic leader nodded, and Shepard left, followed by his team, which held Burns securely in their middle.
000000
Burns was a nuisance the entire way back to the Normandy, complaining about how Shepard ho no right to arrest him, how he had never done anything wrong, how the Commander committed treason, and so on. Shepard just endured it. All he wanted from the chairman was information, so he would not treat him like an ordinary prisoner, or force him to be silent.
As he arrived at the cargo bay, he ordered Garrus and Wrex to lead Burns to the brig. He himself went to the second deck, though he did not go to his cabin. No sense in it. Rumours would soon start about what just had happened on the Ontario, and the crew knew they had set out to save a hostage. They would be able to conclude what had happened. So might as well prepare for the inevitable storm of protests. He seated himself at the mess table, still clad in armour, and waited.
And sure enough the storm came. Even if it was just one person. However, Ashley rushed into the mess like a flaming tornado. Her posture was stiff, her brows furrowed, her steps decisive. She came to a halt right next to Shepard, her hands akimbo.
"Is it true, skipper?" she asked "Is it true?"
As it was clear what the Gunnery Chief was talking about, Shepard merely nodded.
"You've arrested and imprisoned a member of the Alliance Parliament?" Ashley specified, "Instead of saving him from his hostage takers?"
"It's true," Shepard confirmed.
"Why?" Ashley asked. Or pleaded, rather.
"You've seen why," Shepard answered, "What the Alliance has done needs to be uncovered, and as chairman of the Subcommitee on Transhuman Studies, Burns is key to that. And since he himself has never acted on the information he has access to, a brief stay in the brig is not wasted on him. But point is: You've seen why."
"I have," Ashley agreed. "Kaidan said he wanted to think about it all first, before confronting you. I can understand him, he was there, wasn't he? At BAaT, I mean. But I can't sit on my ass while you do that. That's treason, Commander!"
"And what the Alliance did to the early biotics, how would you call that?" Shepard asked.
"Don't try to change the subject!" Ashley hissed. "Have you become so enamoured with your aliens that you now use them to go against the Alliance? Is your blood even still red? On whose side are you anymore?"
"W-What?" Shepard stammered. He had expected some hefty debates, but that accusation stung. He did not greatly care for the Alliance, but Ashley had just accused him of blood treason. He stood up to confront her face to face. "You' cant possibly think..."
"Oh, but I do," Ashley insisted aggressively. "In fact, I know you're quite... enamoured with aliens. Or with one, at least, but you never know. You know that can never work out, do you?"[1]
That was a low blow, Ashley. She was not wrong, though. At least not on that one particular point. "I... do, in fact," he admitted. "You're right, but I do know this."
"That's... then why..." Ashley stammered. Clearly she had not expected such an answer.
This gave Shepard the opportunity to speak up himself now: "Could you now maybe also give me the time to say something? Maybe just a minute?" Ashley waited, demonstratively stemming her hands further into her hips. "I know I've committed treason. Don't worry. I did so in my function as a Spectre, using, as you so rightfully pointed out, my Spectre entourage to do so. I have full responsibility; this won't harm the crew."
"That's not the point!" Ashley exclaimed. "I'm not just trying to get out of this clean. I can't allow others to sell out the Alliance like this! The Alliance needs to be strong and this, this will absolutely diminish the Alliance' standing. By letting people know what they've done, the Alliance will lose a great deal of reputation. Trust in the Alliance will absolutely be shaken. And I can't stand for that! You know I have reasons for wanting a strong Alliance. And you're a Navy officer, so should you!"
"Yeah, trust in the Alliance would be shaken - and rightfully so, wouldn't you say?" Shepard asked.
"That's not the point," Ashley argued, "it still..."
"That's exactly the point," Shepard insisted. "Do you think that's patriotism? To simply hush up every ill deed your country might have done? 'My country right or wrong'? No, that's not patriotism. That's egoism. Trying to ignore everything bad your country has done just so you can feel great about it. Utter emotional egoism. True patriotism isn't 'My country right or wrong', true patriotism is making your country right!"
"You want to tell what is or isn't patriotism?" Ashley asked heatedly, "After you've just committed treason? Just grand! It doesn't matter anyway. You're a Navy officer, and as such..."
"And as such I have to ignore all Alliance crimes? Bullshit," Shepard shouted, now getting agitated himself, "Yes, I could. It's after all so easy to ignore such stuff if it never happened to you, and hey, I was lucky, it never did happen to me. But tell me, Ashley: What if you had been there, at BAaT? Hell, better yet - what if one of your sisters had been there? Lynn, maybe, or Sarah?
"Don't you dare..." Ashley growled.
Unperturbed, Shepard went on, displaying an extra calm voice: "I mean, hey, that was before their time, but just as a thought experiment: What if corporate suits had appeared at the Williams door one day, had simply taken Sarah with them, and you'd never have heard a single word from her for six years, because she's been completely isolated from the rest of the galaxy. And then one day she comes back - as a psychological wreck. Alliance personal returns her without any explanation or even so much as an apology. She's utterly traumatized, afraid of everything, with heavy changes in personalities - let's say uncontrollable aggressions or bipolar disorder, those are common side-effects of the L2."
"Stop it!" Ashley demanded.
"And Sarah doesn't manage to get it together again," Shepard continued calmly. "She's home again, but utterly broken, even though she's not even of age yet. She has been beaten, broken, terrorized, and then simply dumped off, and she has no where else to go but home. And the stories she tells - they're terrible. But nobody believes her. She's a L2 after all, you know how they are! Hallucinations, probably. Nobody believes her, believes the Williams family, what has happened to her. She just has been abused and dumped, and that's the end of it. For the Alliance, anyway, not for her: She continues to have great pains, due to her implant. She's utterly unable to have a normal life hence, there are cases like that. Now imagine that and be honest: Would you in that case still say it should be ignored?"
"That was below the belt, and you know it!" Ashley hissed. She spun around on her feet to walk off.
"The story with Sarah was maybe purely hypothetical, but you know what?" Shepard asked Ashley, or rather her back. "It could have happened to me. If they had discovered my talents earlier. That's a bit less hypothetical." This made Ashley stop, but she still did not turn around again. "You didn't answer my question"
"If I had to choose between the Alliance and my family?" Ashley asked. The question still sounded aggressive, but then her voice became deeper, more serious. "I... I don't know, I hope I never get into such a situation."
"Yes, that's the point," Shepard stressed,." It's always so damn easy to ignore such crimes if they happen to others. Because, hey, who cares about others, as long as it's done some somewhere far away and out of sight?"
Ashley turned around and crossed her arms. "Okay, I see your point," she conceded. "But tell me - have you in fact thought about what this could do to the Alliance?"
Not really. "Yes," Shepard answered, "As said, patriotism is trying to make your country, your people better. The Alliance government's crimes have brought pain over how many people, how many families? And that's what humanity is made up of."
"What about the Alliance standing in the galaxy?" Ashley asked, "What about what the other races will think about us? What about the Alliance's reputation? Have you thought about that?"
"The Alliance exists to serve humanity, not the other way round," Shepard argued. "Its standing and reputation and face are, in themselves, unimportant. What matters is protecting people. Your grandfather understood that. He sacrificed standing and reputation and pride, so that he could save people from the turians." Ashley did not respond to that. Shepard hoped that this was because he got her thinking, and not because she had taken offence again. He pressed on: "It will expose the Alliance yes. It might also shake its galactic standing, though I doubt that. But it will also send a message. It will show those in charge that those crimes backfire. It will make such crimes in the future that little bit less likely. And thus, the Alliance will have been improved."
"If you feel that strongly about the Alliance and what it has done," Ashley said, "and I can at least see where you're coming from" Good. "Why are you still an Alliance Navy Commander? Why don't you just quit? You could do so."
"And that would change what exactly?" Shepard asked, "Would that help the L2s to get justice? Will it help all those families to whom a broken youth was returned? I don't think so."
"But what you do is illoyal. It is treason! I'm just saying: Even assuming you'e completely right - you're trying to meddle into politics here. You're trying to achieve power. That's not what a Navy officer should do. There are other venues for that! Venues that don't involve treason."
"Are there?" Shepard asked further, "The Alliance let Conatix abduct and, damn, basically torture those kids, children, and when the 'project' ended simply dumped them to let them live a life of L2-induced pain - and then hushed that up for a decade and a half. For 15 years, the Alliance simply classified everything, denied any reparations, made sure L2 get dismissed as lunatics and liars, and generally did its best not to get confronted with the issue. So - I don't see any other venues. Sometimes you have to fight to keep people safe. Sometimes you have to surrender to keep them safe. And sometimes, you have to get and publish information about what your government has done."
"You've always been one for unorthodox strategies," Ashley conceded, "But this - this goes too far!"
"Why? Don't tell me you just want to spare embarrassment to politicians," Shepard said.
"This argument won't work twice," Ashley stated.
"It still applies," Shepard argued, "The Alliance elites, political and economical, they'll hurt from this - but then, they deserve it. Humanity, though, the great majority of it, they won't see any difference. And the L2s, they'll get justice."
"So what do you want, Jon?" Ashley asked. "Am I to just accept that you have taken an MP prisoner? That you, no matter how well you justify it, have committed treason? Against the Alliance? Hell, Jon, I can understand your justifications, but won't you understand they change nothing about the facts?
"It's a risk," Shepard admitted, "but it's mine. As I've said, I'll take full responsibility." He breathed out, and sat down again Here comes the difficult part. "Now - I... could understand if after this you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore. If you want, I'll even see to it that you get transferred to another ship. Or alternatively, we could keep anything between us strictly official. Just say the word. But... personally, I wouldn't want that. You are a friend, Ashley. And I'd hope that as a friend you understand why I have done it."
"You're asking quite a lot," Ashley stated. Her voice was at the same time aggressive and exhausted. "You're asking a goddamn lot."
"I know," Shepard admitted. "But I had to do that. And there's no turning back now."
"Yes, you made sure of that," Ashley agreed. "There can be no turning back from what you've done. And now you're asking me to understand it. To understand... accept... maybe even support an act of treason. You made a damn fine point about it, but it's still treason against the Alliance. Or against the Alliance higher-ups, hell if I know anymore." She breathed out herself. "Listen: If you fuck this up, I won't just end our friendship. I won't just leave the ship. I'll personally turn you in! Is that clear?"
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you," Shepard answered sincerely.
"I need to think about this," Ashley said. "As justified as you may be, potentially, it might just be you're asking too much." She turned around, but once again stopped, and with her back to Shepard continued: "Oh, and: Skipper - sorry for what I said at the beginning, I didn't...
"You were shocked and had no idea what went on, especially as I hadn't said anything," Shepard concluded the sentence, "Hence you were incensed, and spoke in anger. I understand."
"Yes," Ashley admitted. "I never thought you'd back away from a challenge, though. I mean, you confront the Alliance government heads-on, even, but..."
"What?" Shepard asked. At first he had no idea what she was speaking of, but then he thought back to the beginning of the talk. Her comment about Tali. Where I did just accept that it would never work. He had never seen it from such an angle. "Oh. I, ah... hm," he stammered. Then he stood up and went to - or rather fled into his cabin.
…...
Shepard wondered how long it would take for the Alliance to notice what he had done. Things would surely get unpleasant once they had. Chances were good it would be after cleaning up the Sirta Foundation base, though. As it was in the same cluster, the Normandy would merely take some hours to get there, and most of the estimated travel time had already passed.
During that time, rumours had spread through the ship like a plague. The entire crew was in an uproar. Shepard had no doubt they would still do their duty, but it was an issue of morale. He just hoped it had not become too damaged in the process.
He had not seen Kaidan yet. He did not want to push the issue. The Lieutenant had to come to him when he was ready. As for the rest of his squad, his Spectre entourage: Garrus was aghast by his open defiance of authority. This went pretty much against everything the Hierarchy stood for, everything the he had been raised in. However, Shepard knew that the turian did not always go along with authorities, either. Besides, the C-Sec officer had declared this was a human matter, not a turian one, and that hence it was absolutely not his to judge about it.
That position was similar to but more extreme than Tali's. Tali retained her opinion that she could not never differentiate between quarians and Migrant Fleet - but that for other races things might be entirely different. She recognized injustice had been done to the L2s and BAaT survivors, and that if he, Shepard, thought this injustice had to be corrected, then she would support him.
Wrex was utterly indifferent about the issue. As a warrior he thought that acting like Shepard had was the Commander's prerogative - after all it had been him on the scene, he had mastered it, and if the Alliance wanted Burns back they could come and try to get him. As a mercenary he was concerned about going against one's supplier, and about the Alliance's possible counter actions. However, purely morally he had no opinion whatsoever.
And Liara was entirely on Shepard's side. She had been present on Presrop, had witnessed some of the testimonies personally, and she was utterly of the same opinion as the Commander: Justice had to be done, those people had to be compensated, their sufferings made public - no matter laws and sensibilities. Shepard had been a bit surprised to find such a relatively ruthless streak in her, but since he held the more or less exact same position he could hardly fault her for that. It made him glad to have her full support on the matter. Since she was an asari, that bode well for his future plans.
He had set Garrus to 'work' on Burns. The turian had professional experience in interrogation, and was emotionally less invested than the Commander, so for now getting information from the chairman was his task. It was the same line of thought as it had been with Dr Wayne. Nonetheless, Shepard was considering going down to the brig to 'help' the turian, or to at least observe progress.
However, just as he was pondering doing so, a call came from Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau - or Joker, as everybody called him. "Ah, Commander? I hope I don't disturb anything you'd like to - ah, never mind." Shepard shook his head. On any other ship the pilot would probably already have been keelhauled. Metaphorically spoken. "We've got a transmission coming in from the Citadel. Top priority clearance, so you might want to take it."
"No, I think I'll let them wait. I'm not unpopular enough there yet" Shepard quipped. "Of course I'll take it! Who is it? The Ambassador"
"It's not his signature," Joker answered, "I think it's from the Council, but what do I know..."
"Well, maybe whether it has a visual feed?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah, you can take it in the comm room," Joker informed the Commander.
"Right, I'll take it there," Shepard decided.
"Right. Oh, and hello Tali!" Joker said.
"She... isn't here, Joker." Shepard responded.
"Oh, well... I thought, maybe - you gotta admit, chances weren't bad." And with that Joker ended the call.
Shepard made a face. It really seems everybody knows on this ship. Or well, "knows" about something that isn't there. Not like that anyway... why do I try to justify myself in my own thoughts anyway? Ah well. Time to face the Council.
He went straight to the communication and conference room and turned on the holographic terminal. Immediately, the images of the three Councillors began to appear.
"Commander Shepard," the asari Councillor began, "We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren."
Finally. There had been a discussion for weeks now already within the squad what to do. So far, they had waited for Matriarch Benezia, Saren's main ally, to return to Noveria and catch her there, but that had not happened yet. Thus, what the Councillor had said was most welcome news for Shepard. "That's good to hear, Councillor. What is it?"
"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse," the salarian Councillor explained.
"Hah," Shepard laughed, "Does the Alliance know?"
"Not the specifics," the asari answered, "but I'm sure they are well aware of the fact that there are such units within their space. Spectres tend to attract attention, but they're only one of the means available to us. We currently have several Special Tasks Groups scattered in the border regions of Citadel space; it's a standard procedure, and the Alliance knows so."
"This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren," the Salarian concluded.
"Why wasn't I told about that?" Shepard asked, "I could've used such leads."
"We can't have you racing around the galaxy chasing false leads, Shepard," the turian Councillor pointed out. "Given your tendency to cause trouble that would be problematic. We only contacted you because we think this may be significant."
"Well, I'm not here to argue the fine points of a well thought out information policy," Shepard shot back. "So, what is this significant information?"
"We cannot fully say," the salarian Councillor answered. "The message we received was little more than static. We suspect the team is currently unable to set up proper interstellar communications. But, it was sent on a channel reserved for mission critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important."
"We know the unit was investigating Saren," the turian Councillor continued, "We know they tried to tell us something important, and we know they were on the planet of Virmire. We can also conclude that they are in trouble, and have found something regarding Saren."
"Given you interest in that case, we thought you might want to know," the asari said.
The Council doesn't order Spectres. It 'informs' them. Still, this was a very important and welcome information. "I understand, Councillors," Shepard stated, "Thank you for your information, it's appreciated."
"We'll keep you advised if we learn anything else," the asari said, "Good luck on your further mission."
After the holographic images had faded, Shepard looked up Virmire on his omni-tool. An unsettled planet in the Terminus Systems, far away from any major shipping route. If he used the Council's call as justification to go there, right after freeing the Sirta Foundation outpost, then maybe he could escape the Alliance's inevitable wrath a while longer.
He was just about to return to his cabin, when he saw Kaidan entering the room.
"Jonathan," the Lieutenant greeted him. "Joker told me you're here."
Shepard was glad Kaidan had finally come, but he also was a bit worried. "I hope you haven't come to bitch me out, too."
"Hardly," Kaidan said with a smile. "So I take it Ashley reacted, well, as we should have expected her to react?"
Shepard laughed. "Yes, though it's understandable. I mean, that was quite a bomb I let explode in her lap. Well, or in yours, in general."
"It was," Kaidan agreed, "But I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. It was a shock for me. I have lived with those events for fifteen years now, and I had basically accepted that nothing would come out of it. Not that this would be a good thing, but I thought it acceptable - nothing positive would come from bemoaning it. That would only have always tied me back to that place." He paused. "You destroyed that certainty, no matter what happens now. I was a bit cross with that fact, I admit. I feared it would let me... well, relapse. I had left everything what had happened at BAaT behind me, and now I feared it would catch up to me."
"But apparently now you no longer think so," Shepard prompted him.
"No. I had come to terms with the fact that there wouldn't be any justice about it," Kaidan explained. "Now I'm not so sure about that anymore, though." He smiled lopsidedly. "After all, now you're on the case. I think you will lead this to success, too. And given the choice - given the choice, I'd rather have justice happening then having come to terms with not getting it."
"That's quite the expectation you put into me," Shepard commented.
"You have captured an important MP," Kaidan answered, "The Alliance cannot do as if nothing has happened now. And before they could reach you, you surely will already have sent the story to dozens of news channels. Regardless of how this turns out, it won't be a return to how it was before." He paused again. "I might not fully agree with your methods, but I can see why you've chosen them. After all, no other method has worked in fifteen years so far. And it is your call."
"So you'll support me?" Shepard asked.
"I am troubled by having a MP in the brig," Kaidan admitted. "After all, I chose to be part of the Alliance, and meant my oath to it honest. However, I'd even rather choose to serve an Alliance which is that little bit better and juster. And I think you might just be able to pull that off."
"I certainly hope so," Shepard answered. "But I have to try at least. I just have to."
"I can imagine," Kaidan commented, "Never let an injustice slip by, huh?"
"Well - at least not if I can help it," Shepard agreed. "I'm glad, really glad, to have you on my side in this."
Kaidan nodded, and the two men left the comm room.
…...
The cargo bay was filled by the nerve killing, insane chatter of about a dozen drugged-up scientists. They all wandered around, muttered, shrieked, kicked against parts of the ship structure or tried to pick up objects that they should really leave be. Fortunately the guns are locked away. Trying to reign them in was worse then trying to shepherd cats.
While Shepard was becoming quickly annoyed with the situation, it also showed what success he had reached on Chohe. The biotic extremists there had left the scientists to walk around drugged, and interspersed themselves among them. That way, they had tried to use the scientists as human shields. However, Shepard had successfully countered that with a squad fully focused on biotic power and precision: Kaidan and Liara for the former, and Ashley for the latter. Plus Tali, in case any technological obstacles would be discovered.
The mission had been a complete success: The biotics had been defeated, the outpost liberated, and the scientists all left alive. Shepard had brought them aboard so that Dr Chakwas could take a look at them. However, as much as they were evidence of his success, he already began to regret that decision. Their behaviour was not their fault, rather the fault of the drugs in their bodies, but still it was annoying.
Thus, Shepard would normally have been glad when he got a call from Pressly. However, that made things only worse: "Commander, I have Admiral Hackett on the line. He wants to speak with you ASAP, and recommends a private environment to do so. He sounded pretty serious."
That's it then. They've learnt about Burns. The dreaded inevitable had happened, or at least it looked like it. "Thanks, Pressly. I'll take it in my cabin."
On the way to there, Shepard tried to think of arguments. Hackett was an ally, and he would have hated to lose him as that, but he also knew that he was a loyal officer in the Admiral Navy. Or mostly loyal, anyway... The prospect of the Admiral turning against him made Shepard quite nervous.
The Commander had hardly activated the comm system in his cabin, when Hackett's voice already came bellowing through it: "What the hell are you doing, Shepard?"
"Well, right now I've cleared the Sirta Foundation base on Chohe, sir" Shepard reported. "No civilian casualties." He knew that was not what Hackett had meant, but he hoped reporting this success might better his chances.
"How the hell...?" Hackett asked. "I've just received the report on this. And I thought there was no way to avoid at least some civilian casualties."
"Just doing my job," Shepard answered.
"If everybody had you concept of 'just doing my job', then I don't know if the Alliance would already rule the galaxy, or be shattered completely," Hackett commented, "Probably the latter. Shepard, what the hell were you thinking imprisoning Chairman Burns?"
"I told him the charge, sir" Shepard explained. "Obstruction of justice."
"You know that's not what I meant," Hackett stated, "I know you did it as a means to an end - but both means and end can be considered treason."
"Admiral..." Shepard began, "when we worked on Cerberus... when you gathered the data about Akuze, you must have had every reason to believe that in fact it had been the Alliance doing it. An Alliance project, using Alliance scientists and Alliance equipment - everything was pointing that way. And yet you sent me to investigate, even though you knew my personal connection to Akuze."
"So I did," Hackett confirmed flatly. It was impossible to read anything in this statement.
"Even though you must have suspected the Alliance behind it, you were not willing to let past crimes slip by," Shepard continued, "How is that any different to what I do?"
"I never took a MP prisoner," Hackett answered.
I did take it a step further, yes. "A mere means to an end, as you've said yourself," Shepard justified himself, "And seeing how he did participate in the general hush-up - ah, sorry, 'classification of data', I won't shed a tear about him being unable to leave his cell. Bottom line is - I can ask you as well just what the hell you were doing."
"I protected my men." Hacket answered, "Good soldiers, who died on Akuze and Edolus. As navy admiral, this is my duty and responsibility."
"So if the crimes are against soldiers you're willing to upset the Alliance, but not if they were against civilians?" Shepard accused the Admiral.
"My first duty is to the Alliance, just as it should be for every Alliance officer," Hackett explained, "Besides that, though, any officer also has a responsibility for the men and women under his command. Or for high enough ranking officers a responsibility for any navy servicemen and marines."
"And I have a responsibility to my people," Shepard claimed.
"The biotics as 'your people'?" Hackett asked, "Careful, Shepard. You're beginning to sound just like those terrorists who targeted the Sirta Foundation outpost."
"And for their terrorist activities I tried to bring them in, killed them, ultimately," Shepard answered, "But they - well, not they, they were biotic supremacists. But the people who took Burns hostage, they were right: The Alliance committed crimes against them. Those crimes must be uncovered. Justice must be served, no matter the cost."
"Be careful the cost doesn't become too high for you, Shepard," Hackett warned.
"I did what I had to do," Shepard claimed. "I'll see about the consequences now. What are you going to do, sir?"
"This call is purely unofficial," Hackett explained. "You'll soon get an official message ordering you to return to Arcturus Station to justify yourself, though."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm just about to embark on a mission for the Council," Shepard said, "We found... well, this connection might not be hundred percent safe, so I can't say, but I can assure you, I'm not just bullshitting you."
"I believe you," Hackett stated. "That might just be the worst thing about it: Despite everything you still might be our only chance against the geth attacks, and whatever Saren has planned. I don't like it, but bringing you in for your escapades might doom us all, and I can't take that risk. However, some of the political higher-ups just might."
"Understood, Admiral," Shepard confirmed, "Thanks. I'll try to be careful."
"I doubt that, Shepard," Hackett disagreed. "You were right about one thing, though: We'll see where this goes. Fifth Fleet out."
Shepard breathed out. That has gone way better than I had feared. He knew, however, that the issue was not over yet. He had won a small reprieve, mostly due to his mission to Virmire. Which means I have to put things in order before going there. It was well possible that negative consequences were inevitable for him. But if so, he at least wanted them to have been worth it.
He left the comm room, with a clear goal in mind. It's time I take this into my own hands. Passing by the still blubbering scientists in the cargo bay, he made his way to the brig.
Garrus had interrogated Burns so far, but he had reported little progress in that. The problem was that Burns knew all too well that Shepard would not harm him. He had apparently realized pretty quickly that Garrus had strict orders not to do so, and besides he knew that Shepard needed him alive. Thus, the MP had no reason to spill anything, and any threats now would be unbelievable.
Usually, that is. However, Shepard had something in mind. As soon as he entered the brig, Burns shot up from his bench and asked aggressively: "Shepard. Have you come to finally set me free? I'm sick of your turian."
" 'My turian' has only interrogated you according to professional standards," Shepard answered, "He could also have beaten you. That's what 'your turians' did at Jump Zero."
"I had nothing to do with that!" Burns defended himself.
"You participated in hushing it up," Shepard accused him.
"What was I supposed to do?" Burns demanded to know. "Publish classified data?"
"Yes," Shepard simply replied. I had not come to argue. Yet, he could not stop it, either.
"You'd do so, wouldn't you?" Burns asked, incensed, "You commit treason like it's..."
"And what would you call what the Alliance did to the L2s and the kids at BAaT?" Shepard interrupted him, "Wasn't that treason against their mandate to protect humanity? Are the biotics not part of humanity, too?"
"The Alliance tried to help humanity!" Burns claimed, "Humanity's full potential must be reached, ideally with as few bloodshed as possible, and..."
Oh you little shit. Enraged, Shepard grabbed Burns' collar. He had quite enough of speeches about 'humanity's destiny' or other such nonsense to justify atrocities. "And for that it's okay to sacrifice children?" he shouted, "To abuse and dump them? To let them go on lives in pain, shunned by everybody?"
"Y-You have to think of the bigger picture!" Burns stuttered.
Shepard scoffed in response. "Be glad that as a rule I don't harm prisoners." Fuck. My temper again. That had not been planned. He let go of Burns. "However, you're only a secondary concern for me. My primary mission is to stop the geth attacks in the Traverse." And to stop the Reapers, not that anybody believes me on that. "So, I've come to give you a warning."
"Ah... oh?" Burns asked meekly.
"We have just concluded our mission on Chohe," Shepard explained. "Defeated the extremist biotics there, who used drugged scientists as human shields."
"I'm surprised you'd do that," Burns commented, apparently gathering courage again.
"They've harmed innocents," Shepard said, "Just as the Alliance has. But the point is now we're free to go against the geth again. And that we will. Personally, I won't kill a prisoner - but I hope you're aware that the brig is among the least secured and armoured areas of the ship? After all, it's not essential."
"Wh-What are you saying?" Burns asked.
"What I'm saying is that I won't kill you, hence won't threaten you with that, either - but if we go into battle and you're killed by a stray shot I won't shed a tear, either. It can happen, and that is our primary mission after all."
"You can't take me into battle! I d-demand to be..." Burns stammered.
"You can leave the ship at any time," Shepard offered, "But not before you've given me access to all the classified data about BAaT, the L2s, their development, the planning behind, the people behind - well, you get the idea."
"I can't do so!" Burns protested, "That would ruin - that would be treason!"
"You let people continue to suffer, I think you're hence capable of this, too," Shepard countered, "Of course, if you're unwilling, then I'll have to keep you here. And that means ferrying you into battle."
"Please, can't we work something out?" Burns pleaded.
"I already told you: Give me access to all those files, and you're free to go, I'll drop you on the nearest colony," Shepard repeated, "That is what we can 'work out'."
"But my political career..." Burns began.
"Yes, that's all you care about, isn't it?" Shepard stated.
"Don't mock me!" Burns demanded, "If you want that data you'll have to accept this fact. I can't give access to those files to you without ruining my career!"
"Oh come on, I'm sure you can think of something," Shepard prompted, "Hell, maybe I just convinced you of the error of your ways, and you've hence become a dedicated champion for biotics' right? That'll make it look like you had and have the initiative, and guarantees you a dedicated niche electorate. Just an idea from off top of my head..."
Burns scoffed at that. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
": ...but you don't need to take it, of course." Shepard continued without missing a beat, "In any case there are plenty of ways to salvage your political career. However, there's no such chance if you're dead."
"Damn you, Shepard, this will have consequences!" Burns threatened.
"It will," Shepard agreed, "And I'm willing to take them. As long as the biotics get justice."
"You want access to classified Alliance data?" Burns asked. "Very well. I can give that to you, to spare my life. If only so I can dedicate the rest of it getting revenge against you!"
Let's leave him his threats. As long as Shepard would get the data he was after, he would tolerate such outbursts. There was no point in trying to suppress them. Instead, he took an omni-tool out of his jacket and threw it to Burns. "That's a high-class omni-tool," he explained, "and the ship has access to an extranet relay. Don't bother trying to call for help, the omni-tool's software is heavily rigged. You pretty much can't do more then download the data and transfer it to me."
"The work of your pet quarian?" Burns asked venomously.
Shepard's eyes narrowed. It had indeed been Tali's work. However, the Commander remained silent. "Mock, if you want," he said, "as long as you do as I'm telling you."
And so Burns did.
…...
Feros. Why does it always have to be Feros?
Not that Shepard had anything against the planet per se, but the Normandy had recently docked there for a third time on her travels. The Commander had released Chairman Burns on the planet, and had also set the Sirta Foundation scientists ashore. He also had taken some of the supplies of the temporary depot Fourth Fleet had set up here before their push against the geth incursion in the Armstrong Nebula. Thus rid of any distraction and stocked up, the Normandy was now ready to go to Virmire.
Shepard had already skimmed through the data he had received from Burns. Its level of detail was glorious. Apparently, the Alliance bureaucracy could not bear not to have the smallest detail of even something like this archived, so the files he had now detailed the decision making process behind BAaT, its implementation, its goal, its methods, everything. The cynicism behind those was appalling and depressing. More importantly, the files also included actual records of the events that had happened on Jump Zero, and those were even more depressing - but just the proof Shepard needed.
So now it was time to set everything in motion, so that afterward the Commander could concentrate on Virmire. He had to give the information to the media. But before, he had to warn an acquaintance, a 'co-belligerent' - Anita Goyle, former Alliance ambassador to the Citadel, who was currently watching over the trial against ExoGeni Shepard had helped to start.
Besides, he also had questions for her: It had been her advice as an ambassador which had led to turian mercenaries and their methods of breaking the biotic children being used on Jump Zero, instead of seeking official aid from another government. So Shepard was not surprised to find her name in the files - but he was surprised in just what context. This will be interesting, he thought as he turned the holographic terminal on.
After a while, a flickering, monochrome image of Goyle's upper body appeared. "Commander Shepard, what can I do for you?" she greeted him.
"I've called you to give you an advance warning," Shepard explained. "Things might become a bit tumultuous, politically. Or maybe not, but at least I hope so."
"More political tumult created by you?" Goyle asked. "Even more than your abduction of an MP?"
"It's closely related to that," Shepard answered and paused for a while. "Tell me, Ms Goyle, why didn't you ever tell me it was you who shot BAaT down?"
He had found that in the files, to his great surprise. As courageous of Kaidan Alenko's action back then had been, it alone would of course never have led to BAaT's, and eventually also Conatix', end. Somebody had been needed to make use of that opportunity.
It took some while for Goyle to answer. "So you found out." she just said.
"I did," Shepard confirmed. "You used Vyrnnus' death to cause a ruckus, to warn of diplomatic consequences. That was your role as Citadel ambassador, after all, but at times you even blurred the line between warnings and threats. Conatix wanted to just go on with BAaT, but the Alliance was too afraid due to your warnings. After a year of uncertainty the project was just ended, and Conatix couldn't make up the loss of investment into it, so it eventually faltered. And yet - you didn't use that to your defence when I accused you on Earth."
"It didn't make any difference," Goyle claimed, "What that youth did, who is your now your Lieutenant Alenko, gave me an opportunity to contain my error, but nothing more. The kids lost two years of their life to that, not to mention the trauma they kept. Due to the advice I had originally given."
"Yes, your advice. Not your decision.," Shepard pointed out, "You're too hard on yourself. And maybe so was I. You even risked and ultimately lost your job so you could help those kids."
"Yes," Goyle confirmed, "Many Alliance higher-ups were not happy how I stopped their dirty little experiments, and Conatix of course massively lobbied against me for the time it still existed. That's how I lost my job and Udina became ambassador in my stead. Still, I deserved it. Not for my actions in ending BAaT, but in my role in making it a living hell for those children."
"A minor role," Shepard stated, "There were people with worse ones. However, even so, I think I can offer you a chance at redemption."
Goyle narrowed her eyes in response. "Burns," she said, "That's why you took him prisoner. What exactly are you planning?"
Clever lady. "The plan has already been successfully executed," Shepard explained, "But now I need you to make the most of it. I've obtained the classified files on BAaT - everything: Who initiated the project, who decided the kids must be broken, what happened there, who decided to shove the L2 implants into the kids, what those did, the deaths, the trauma - just everything. And I will go public with that."
" ...that will create political tumult indeed," Goyle commented after a shocked pause. "If you can use the right channels to make it public. But Commander, this could also..."
"I know," Shepard interrupted me. ""I remember your warning on Earth. That was a bit exaggerated wasn't it?"
"Maybe," Goyle admitted, "But the Council is using every opportunity to harass the Alliance, and that would just be one further item they could use."
"Oh, I certainly hope so!" Shepard stated, "That's what I'm basing this all on. I know the Council doesn't give a damn about the human biotics, but they'll use this to diplomatically harass the Alliance. And the Alliance doesn't care about those biotics, either, but they will care about getting the Council off their necks, so they'll hopefully do their utmost to remove the reason for the harassment."
"So you want to play out the different factions against each other," Goyle summarized, "Again. Careful, Commander, that's a dangerous game."
"The stakes are high enough to warrant a little risk," Shepard justified himself. "I will protect my people."
"I understand." Goyle simply replied.
"However, I cannot watch over the situation," Shepard went on, "My primary mission, hard as that may be to believe." He smiled at that, faintly and self-ironic, " is still to do something about Saren and his pet geth. I'm about to go into battle, Ms Goyle, so I can't keep up with what will happen on Earth."
"And so you want me to watch over it instead," Goyle concluded.
"Indeed," Shepard confirmed. "I'd like to have you as my ally now, not just co-belligerent. That was all based on, well, lacking information. I know you're already busy with the ExoGeni case..."
"That is an understatement," Goyle interrupted him, half aggressive and half humorous, "They're using every little, dirty legal trick in the book, so I have to encounter them on several levels. Fortunately, donations are flowing in for me to fight the good fight, so I can keep up with them - but it is quite time intensive to coordinate a legal multi-front war. In fact, we already have leased an entire office building to house all the staff. And now you want me to take a look at that issue as well. I'm feeling like heading a ministry, the Ministry of Shepard Affairs!"
Shepard had to laugh at that. "Okay, I see what you mean."
"I've looked at creating a foundation for all this," Goyle explained, "This would make getting donations so much easier, and it could then all be done in the foundation's name, instead of mine. I think such a foundation could also include the fight for biotic rights."
"Ah... that would make things easier," Shepard answered, "Thing is - I'm on a dangerous job out here. A job in which I could die. I don't have many worldly possessions, but I have set up a last will that would bequeath you most of those, under the condition they're used in the legal battle against ExoGeni, or in the battle for biotic rights." A large portion was bequeathed to Tali, and the rest were mostly symbolic tokens for several other acquaintances and for far too few friends. He did not think this overy morbid - there was a realistic chance he would die, after all. And that just was no excuse for not continuing his fights. "I think the entire process would be better if you had a foundation."
"I see," Goyle replied, "Yes, yes, it would. So I guess I can then formally found the Ministry of Shepard Affairs."
Shepard laughed again. "I don't think that name would be prudent, PR-wise."
"Probably not," Goyle conceded with a faint smile. "So, you will make the Alliance's little dirty secrets public. What then? You're not the type to not have thought of what will happen then."
"If we're lucky, it will create a moral outrage," Shepard answered, "Even if not, then hopefully Council pressure will lead to the Alliance doing something. Thing is, the Alliance could still just sit the entire issue out. So, somebody has to keep the social debate going, if you know what I mean."
"I see. Yes, it's an opportunity to be used, with a narrow time window. So I can understand why you would want me to take over that job," Goyle commented.
"Exactly," Shepard confirmed. "Otherwise we end up with some meager, meaningless reparations to the L2s and BAaT survivors, and maybe some trials for designated scapegoats, nothing more. But if somebody were to bring up the issue again and again, with ideas what could be done..."
"...then these ideas could become items of public pressure," Goyle concluded, "Or Council pressure. I understand. What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to figure most of it out," Shepard answered. "But, well - the reparations for example. Find ways to raise them as high as possible. Wrongful imprisonment for the whole time BAaT was running, heavy abuse for when the turians were there, the L2, the Alliance's organized campaign of misinformation and slander, interest rates - I'm sure you'll find plenty."
"A challenge," Goyle commented. "I like challenges. And since I already have a legal staff assembled I can get some expertise. I don't know how much can be reached, but the maxim of 'Demand much to gain something' can certainly be applied."
"Yeah, I don't expect total success, either," Shepard agreed, "but as you say, we should try to get as much as possible. In many cases BAaT, L2 or both destroyed those people's lives, so they deserve life changing reparations. Ideally of the 'never need to work again' kind but things would have to really go optimal for that."
"Agreed," Golye stated.
"Now, same for trying everybody involved," Shepard continued, "In my opinion it's always most important to get the higher-ups, the people who gave the orders rather than those who executed them, but that's problematic of course. But you can push on. See how high up you can get with trials."
"Oh this will be fun," Goyle said sarcastically. "Especially since it's not only people in the Alliance, but those formerly in Conatix, too. Well, I always do relish the chance to go against the megacorporate world. Alright, I get the picture. Standard procedure, basically, if difficult standard procedure."
"There is one further thing where I might have an original idea," Shepard spoke up again. "The L2 implants themselves. I understand upgrading to L3 is highly dangerous to one's very life. However - those L2s were introduced while the turians were already on Jump Zero. Before the kids had the old L1 implants. So that upgrade was apparently very unproblematic. Downgrades should be possible, too hence, but nobody is manufacturing L1s anymore."
"Of course not!" Goyle scoffed, "L1s offer only very weak amplification. No side-effects, but no real biotic powers, either. And that's what both the Alliance and Conatix wanted: Working biotics. As many of them as possible."
"Exactly," Shepard agreed, "but this could really help the L2s. Bring up the idea of refitting everybody of them who wants with L1 implants. Free of charge, of course, since it's only necessary due to what the Alliance has done."
"Oh, the Alliance will fume," Goyle commented, "It will de facto mean fewer working biotics. But it's such a logical demand that they will hardly be able to deny it. Very good."
"Yes," Shepard agreed, "The Alliance would rather have that people suffer, because of things they forced on them, then to let the total number of working biotics drop. Fuck'em." He breathed out. "Well, I think you can figure out the rest from here."
If Goyle was fazed by that sudden drop in language level, she at least did not show so. "I do. This will increase my workload even further, but..." She became quieter "I know why it must be done."
"Thank you, Ms Goyle," Shepard said, "This does make it easier to go into battle now."
"Good Luck, Commander," Goyle concluded the conversation and ended the call.
I'll need it.
Next, Shepard called a person from the list of contacts Emily Wong had compiled for him. The image of an asari appeared on the holographic terminal.
"Ah, Commander Shepard," the asari said, "Emily has told me about you." She sounded genuinely said when she spoke of the dead reporter. "You said you have some information for me?"
Shepard grinned and nodded.
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[1] A little homage to Spectre by Precept. Go read it, it's a very good story. And I'm truly sorry for what must seem like copying a lot of it so far: Title, ME 1 Shepard/Tali relationship, 'special' relationship to Cerberus - I swear, that's all been coincidental ;)