The Quarian Mercenary
When someone arrives in C-sec, the first thing that they see is a massive elevator to the space docks, but when Shepard arrived the first thing she saw was a large krogran arguing with C-sec guards.
"Urdnot Wrex, I would like a minute of your time." Shepard stated in the direction of the krogan.
"Do I know you, human?" Wrex said, squaring his shoulders and facing him. The human had to look up slightly to look him in the eye, but she did and once again, Wrex didn't see a hint of fear. Wrex grinned at this, his respect growing.
"Commander Shepard," the human introduced herself. "I need to talk with Fist. He's got information I need but I doubt he'll give it up willingly. I hear you're going after him too."
"You're point being?" Wrex asked, intrigued. He was talking to the Commander Shepard.
"Well," Shepard said. "I figure I can make him talk in about…oh, 5 minutes. But if you come along, his lips may just burst wide open the minute we come in. And, it'll make life easier if we go as a team." Wrex pondered this for a moment.
"Commander Shepard," Wrex began. "I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist." Wrex leaned in and whispered the last part, eyeing Shepard threateningly. Shepard only smiled.
"My people have a saying," Wrex began. "'Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend.'" Shepard smiled and stuck out her hand.
"Glad to have you on the team, Wrex," Shepard said, smiling evilly. Wrex smiled back, cocking his head in anticipation. "You can place your belongings on the Normandy, it's in dock 422."
Shepard took a skycar to Chora's Den, upon arrival, she was nearly ambushed by a pair of turians, but her upgraded infiltrator sensor suite afforded her a distinct advantage, as she saw them before they saw her. Shepard cloaked, and snuck up behind them, she overheard them speaking.
"Any idea why Master Saren wants her dead?"
"No, Master Saren is not paying us each 100,000 credits to think, now shut up, and wait for Shepard to get here."
Shepard sprang into action, grabbing her combat knife from the small of her back. She stabbed the first one in the side of his neck, the second one noticed that, raised his rifle, and received a knife to the face. "Interesting," Shepard muttered as she dropped his rifle.
"Shepard saw Harkin lounging on the chair, very drunk. His drunken eyes stared at her.
"Hey there, Princess!" Harkin called out to her, gesturing with a glass of…whatever was in it. "Looking for some fun? I gotta say that soldier getup looks real good on that bod of yours! Why don't you…" was the last thing that left Harkins mouth before Shepard's elbow bashed in his nose. "Call me princess again and you'll be picking the rest of your teeth off the floor!" Shepard glared at Harkin.
"Okay, okay! Just relax! What exactly do you want?" Harkin's attention was now on Shepard looking down on him.
"I'm looking for a C-Sec officer named Garrus," Shepard said. "Seen him?"
"Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office," Harkin said, taking a sip from his glass. "She runs a Med Clinic on the other side of the Wards. Last I heard he was going there."
"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" Dr. Michel shouted, fear gripping her face. Garrus hid behind a column nearby, pistol at the ready. Quietly peering around the corner, he wanted to take a shot, but the four thugs were too close to the doctor.
"That was smart, doc," one thug told her. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart! Keep your mouth shut or we'll…" The thug stopped in mid-sentence, looking past the doctor. Snarling, he ran up and grabbed her, holding the gun to her head.
Arriving at the med clinic, Shepard heard someone threatening Dr. Michel, she cloaked, and opened the door, two of the mercs saw this, and approached the door, pulling their rifle up, but nobody entered, so they relaxed again, Shepard saw this as an opportunity, and struck the two mercs with her sweeping knife, nearly decapitating both of them. They both hit the floor, and the other two mercs spun in place, the leader exclaimed. "Who're you!" he shouted, and Dr. Michel's face paled.
Shepard hit the button that would deactivate her cloak, and as it started to fade away she reached out to the third merc and broke his neck with a simple twist. Just then Garrus came around the corner and shot the fourth one straight through the temple, dead before he hit the floor.
Garrus stood up, smiling broadly. Finally, he had seen the famous Calista Shepard in action. She didn't disappoint.
"Perfect timing, Shepard!" Garrus exclaimed, happily. "Gave me a clear shot at that bastard!" Shepard looked at him. He turned to the doctor. "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm alright," Michel fixed her hair. "Thanks to you. Both of you."
"Doctor," Shepard addressed her. "I'm Commander Calista Shepard, I know the men threatened you, but if you tell us who they worked for, I can protect you."
"They worked for Fist," Dr. Michel began. "They wanted to shut me up; to keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."
"What quarian?" Shepard asked, intrigued. Michel began fidgeting with her fingers and averted her eyes, thinking back.
"A few days ago, a quarian came into my office," Michel spoke slowly. "She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to get in touch with the Shadow Broker so she could trade information for a safe place to hide," Michel continued her story. "I put her in contact with Fist, the owner of Chora's Den. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."
"Not anymore," Garrus cut in. "Now he works for Saren and the Shadow Broker is too happy about that."
"I'll bet," Shepard muttered.
"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" Michel asked incredulously. "That's stupid, even for him! Saren must have made him quite the offer!"
"That quarian must have something Saren wants," Garrus surmised. "Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get."
"A link between Saren and the geth," Shepard agreed. "Did the quarian say anything about it?"
"She did! She said the information she wanted to trade had something to do with the geth," Michel told them.
"She must have something that links the two together," Garrus said, his anger rising. "There's no way the Council can ignore this!"
"I guess we should pay good old Fist a visit," Shepard said, smiling. Garrus stopped him before he moved.
"Wait, Commander," Garrus said. "This is your show. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do! I'm coming with you!"
"Why?" Shepard asked.
"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation, but I knew what was really going on! Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!" Garrus shouted. Shepard smiled.
"Well, looks like I can't stop you, can I?" Shepard told him and Garrus nodded.
"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist," Garrus said. "The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out."
"I know, I have already acquired his services, Garrus, you can meet him aboard the Normandy, and it is in dock 422." Shepard stated.
Arriving at Chora's Den, for the second time that day, Shepard noticed something was off. Not just the signs that were powered down, but the music was off as well, fist had set an ambush for her, and going in with a pair of knives and a pistol wasn't on her bucket list. "Jeff, who is on the Normandy?" Shepard asked
"Uh, Kaidan, Ashley, Michael, and Wrex, are on board, and the turian just boarded, why?" Jeff replied.
"Tell Mike to grab my armor and weapons, and meet me at Chora's Den, in the wards. Shepard out."
Half an hour later, Mike arrived with her armor and weapons in a her hardcase. She proceeded to strip down and outfit her equipment, while Mike watched on seemingly disinterested in her. "So, Shepard," Mike began, "what do you need me for, other than your personal assistant?"
"I'm assaulting Chora's Den and taking out Fist, I thought that you might want in. Am I mistaken?"
"Absolutely not, Shepard," Mike exclaimed, smashing his fists together.
Shepard and Sykes activated their tactical cloaks and snuck through the door. As soon as the door slid open, the bartender lifted his Scimitar assault shotgun out from underneath the bar. He brought it to bear waiting to assult the visitor, but nobody entered so he placed the shotgun onto the bar, and continued to wipe it down. Meanwhile Shepard drew a pair of throwing knives and took out a pair of turian mercs. Rounding the corner Sykes tried out his decoy. It got pinned down from three turian mercenaries packing M-76 Revenants. He quiley flanked and planted a HE sticky grendae onto the armor of the center merc. Shepard retrieved her knives and put them back in their respective holsters. She drew her vengeance smgs and took out a group of salarians' mercs hiding behind an overturned table. Glancing up at the ceiling allowed her to catch two turian providing over watch with grenade launchers. Meanwhile Sykes' grenade detonated sending the turians to an early grave. Shepard looked for anyone else. She crouched around and went towards the right side of the room, ready. She slowly checked behind each corner and every overturned table.
Shepard opened the door and was surprised.
"Stop right…" and that was all that left his mouth before he ate five darts from Sykes' ballistic blade launcher.
"Fist!" Shepard shouted from cover. "We need to talk!" Fist got up from his desk and hit a button, it activated a pair of liquid-cooled turrets. Fist turned and hid under his desk, breathing heavily. His eyes were bloodshot, shifting from one spot to another. Shepard narrowed her eyes.
"Liquid-cooled turrets!" Sykes shouted. "Those things can go on for ages!"
"You think?" Shepard shouted at him. Her hand gripped the knife attached to her left arm. She unsheathed it and held it in front of her.
Then Sykes saw Shepard relax. The same thing she did before her charge on Elysium. At that moment Sykes knew that fist was as good as dead, and it didn't really matter that he had turrets.
Shepard darted out of cover, knife in hand. The turrets continued to pound Sykes' cover, hoping to penetrate it. Shepard ran over to the first turret, and swiped her knife at the control lines in the neck of the turret- the barrels slowly started to spin down. Shepard leapt up and landed behind the second turret, it tried to line up a shot but that only caused it to expose those control lines, another swipe of her knife left that one spun down.
Fist heard the silence. He began laughing. He was alive! He had won! He was victorious! They were dead and he was alive! Fist ran out from behind his desk, tears beginning to pour from his eyes. Until he opened them and saw the truth. Both of his turrets were destroyed. And the second human was still there. Except he wasn't looking at him. He was staring in shock at someone else. Fist looked at the woman standing in front of him.
Shepard stood in front of Fist, breathing heavily. A chilled glass containing his specially imported Canadian whiskey was in her hand. She sighed and looked at Fist.
Fist visibly trembled at the sight. This woman was Shepard. Commander Calista Shepard.
"Fist," Shepard muttered. "I need a moment of your time."
Fist barely registered this. His face contorted to anger. He snarled as he drew his pistol and fired. The round shattered the glass of whiskey in Shepards hand, before deflecting off of her kinetic barriers.
Shepard sprang into action. Her knife came down across his arm, and severed Fist's hand still gripping the pistol.
Fist screamed as he gripped the stump of his arm and fell to his knees in pain. Shepard flicked her wrist, letting the blood fly off the blade and sheathed it. Shepard kept her eyes on his writhing form.
"Fist," Shepard said for the third time. "I need to ask you a question." Shepard didn't care if Fist was listening or not. She looked up and motioned for Sykes' to join her.
Sykes' was grinning, this was the second time time he had seen shepard in action. Fist, on the other hand, didn't care what Shepard did. His arm was bleeding profusely and he winced every time he looked at it.
Shepard yawned. She was tired.
"Where's the quarian?" Shepard asked. Fist looked up, tears pouring down his face. His mind fumbled around. His hand. He was told not to tell anyone about the quarian. His blood on the ground. The quarian. Rage.
Fist jumped up and tried to punch her with his good hand. Shepard stepped out of the way and grabbed Fist's wrist with her left hand. Her right hand reached under his elbow. She pushed against his elbow, and felt it pop, even inside his armor.
Fist screamed and fell to the ground. Sykes watched it all.
It took a while for Fist to calm himself down and look up again at Shepard.
"Where is the quarian?" Shepard asked again, this time with more emphasis. This time, Fist complied. He had nothing to lose.
"I…I…don't know where she is. That's the truth…" Fist breathed heavily.
Shepard calmly drew her pistol and shot fist in both legs, just above the knee.
"FUCK!" Fist wailed. "I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her! She said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself!"
"Face to face? Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent," Wrex growled and leveled his gun. Fist flinched.
"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Ever," Fist wheezed. "Even I don't know…his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her…I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up…it'll be Saren's men waiting for her." Fist began to laugh. The irony was just so funny he could hardly stand it. Shepard's foot on his bleeding stump brought his attention back.
"Give me the location. Now!" Shepard ordered. Fist winced at the pain.
"Here on the Wards! In the back alley by the markets! She's supposed to meet them right now! You can make it if you hurry!" Shepard regarded him for a moment, accepted this and turned around.
"Let's go," Shepard ordered, leaving the broken man behind.
A half a dozen targets appeared in the main bar, "Sykes' lets sneak out , but leave your decoy here to distract them.
Shepard arrived in the alley just a few minutes before Saren's men did. She climbed up a recessed ladder to a catwalk high above the alley. Shepard pulled her silenced M-86 Python off her back and zeroed it in. The turian entered the alley flanked by three salarians. A short while later a quarian entered the opposite end of the alley the turian approached the quarian.
Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya watched the pacing turian carefully, watching for any sudden movements. She carefully looked around the alleyway, trying to keep her growing panic away. She began to have a growing suspicion that things weren't going to go according to plan.
"Did you bring it?" the turian's voice was barely above a whisper. His eyes locked on to Tali's own. She was glad that she wore a mask; otherwise he would have seen how scared she was.
"Where's the Shadow Broker?" Tali asked him, summoning up her courage. She straightened her body up, hands slowly drifting to her sides, where her grenades and pistol were.
"He'll be here when he's ready," the turian softly reassured her. He took a step towards her, gazing down at her. "Now, did you bring the evidence?" Tali stared again. This wasn't looking good at all.
"No way," she stated. "The deal's off." She stepped away from him, who merely looked at her.
"That's upsetting," the turian stated, and then shrugged. "Your choice."
Two salarians to her right drew their pistols. Tali glanced at them and threw a grenade and ran into cover.
Shepard heard the explosion, and expertly neutralized two of the salarians. Shepard fired at the turian, whose shield absorbed the first round before he dove into cover. That wasn't really that safe Shepard thought as she fired a round through the cover and saw a blue spray of blood paint the wall!
"Protect the Quarian Sykes!" Shepard hollered as she leapt down from her perch. "Do you see another salaria-argh!" Shepard yelled as she hit her knees in agony.
Sykes saw Shepard go down, clutching her head. Then he saw a salarian come out of cloak. He launched his ballistic blades at the salarian, it was torn in half, by the seven tightly packed blades.
Shepard awoke in the med clinic on the wards, wondering how she had ended up there. She saw Sykes on the far side of the room leaning against the wall, twirling her knife between his hands
"Sykes," Shepard said groggily, "what happened, why I am I here, what knocked me out?"
"Slow down Shepard, one thing at a time," Miek responded, "what do you remember?"
"I remember taking out the two salarians, and the turian, and then i got a killer headache, which im still sporting, and then everything goes black." Shepard commented.
"Ok, so you missed one, there was a salarian infiltrator waiting in cloak, behind you, I didn't see him until after he hit you." Replied Sykes.
"What type of weapon did he use?" Shepard asked quietly.
"He hit with some kind of neural shock, it put you into so much pain that your body shut down, and I had to carry you back here." Said Sykes.
"Did you deal with the salarian?" Asked Shepard.
"Yes, I tore him in half." Replied Wrex.
"Oh, with bullets?" Shepard asked.
"No with my ballistic blades." Sykes stated. "The Captain asked you to meet him, and Udina in the embassy when you woke."
"Thanks Mike, where are my clothes?" Shepard asked.
"They are over there with your armor and weapons. Well I better get back to the Normandy to clean my weapons. See you later, Shepard." Sykescommented.
"Dr. Michel, am I fit for duty?" Asked Shepard.
"Yes, Commander, your brain scans are clean. You are fit for duty, although you should probably stay away from heavy combat for the next couple of days." Dr. Michel responded.
Shepard got up out of bed, and pulled on her undersuit, and armor before heading to the CRT station. Upon arrival at the embassies, Shepard ran into Mr. Samesh Bhatia.
"Commander Shepard, I require some assistance." Samesh asked.
"I have to make a quick stop up at our embassy, and I'll be right with you." The Commander replied.
"At ease," Anderson told her. Anderson made eye contact with Shepard before he whispered. "Mind your temper and be polite."
After the words left his mouth, Ambassador Udina stalked into the room, his eyes a fire with rage. Shepard met his glare and a small-amused smile that crept onto her lips.
"You're not making my life easy, Shepard," Udina barely controlled his rage. "An all-out assault on Chora's Den, gun battles in the Wards, do you have any idea how many people I've had to talk to so they wouldn't scream bloody-murder!" Udina raged on. "Do you have any idea what this may do to our attempts of you joining the Spectres'?" Udina held out his hands incredulously. "The Council could ban you permanently!"
"It wasn't an assault, it was Sykes and myself. As to the gun battle in the wards, it was Saren's men against Sykes and myself. The Council has to listen to me, I have proof." Shepard shot back, then nodded over to the quarian. Udina startled slightly when he saw her, having just noticed her.
"A quarian?" Udina questioned. "What are you up to, Shepard?"
"Making your day, Ambassador," Shepard leaned forward a little. "She has evidence that links Saren to the geth."
"Really?" Udina noticeably brightened. "Maybe you should start at the beginning Miss…"
"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Tali introduced herself and standing up.
"We don't see many quarians here," Udina remarked. "Why did you leave the Flotilla?"
"I was on my Pilgrimage," Tali answered.
"And you found something," Shepard interrupted. "Something to catch Saren's attention."
"During my travel, I began hearing reports of geth," Tali explained. "Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit, then I disabled it and removed its memory core."
Soon enough, a voice began to resound from the Omni-Tool. A very familiar voice.
"Eden Prime was a major victory," Saren's voice said arrogantly. "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
The room was in silence.
"That was Saren's voice!" Anderson exclaimed. "This proves he was involved in the attack on Eden Prime!"
"We got him," Shepard grinned.
"He said that the beacon brought him one step closer to the Conduit," Ashley said. "Any idea what that means?"
"Not really," Shepard whispered. Something was nagging the back of her head, however. A creeping sense of familiarity was coming forward slowly. But it was infinitesimally small, that Shepard paid it no mind.
"It must have something to do with the Beacon. Maybe it's a piece of lost Prothean technology," Anderson's eyes widened. "Like a weapon."
Shepard sighed. More crap she would have to deal with later.
"Wait," Tali interjected. "There's more. Saren isn't working alone. According to the recording, he was with someone else." Tali played back the clip.
"Eden Prime was a major victory," Saren's voice said arrogantly. "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," came a deep and seductive womanly voice.
"I don't recognize the other voice, the one talking about 'Reapers,'" Udina noted.
"Reapers...I feel like I've heard that name before…" that sense of recognition slowly began to creep forward again. This time, Shepard paid attention.
"The Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago," Tali explained. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction and then they vanished! At least, that's what the geth believe."
"Sounds a little farfetched," Udina snorted. Shepard wasn't listening. She was battling something in her head. A rush of memories returned at the name of the Reapers.
"The vision on Eden Prime," Shepard breathed deeply as the memories faded away. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. "I may understand it now…"
Everyone looked at her. "I may have seen the Protheans being slaughtered by the Reapers," Shepard told them.
"The geth revere the Reapers as Gods," Tali's voice was barely above a whisper. "The pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back."
"The Council is going to love this," Udina muttered.
Shepard sighed. He was right.
"No matter what they think about the rest of this," Anderson said. "This audio file proves Saren's a traitor!"
"What about the quarian?" Anderson asked.
"My name is Tali!" she exclaimed. Then she looked squarely at the commander. "You saw me in the alley Commander, you've seen of what I can do. Let me come with you!"
"I'm sorry," Shepard told her. "I was under the impression that you already were part of my team. Am I mistaken?" Shepard hid her smile. She couldn't tell if she was happy. But she could hear it in her voice when she answered.
"Thanks, Commander!" Tali exclaimed. "You won't regret this!"
"But what about you're Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked.
"The Pilgrimage proves that we are willing to give ourselves up for the greater good," Tali told her firmly. "What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My pilgrimage can wait."
Shepard accepted this and nodded as she smiled.
"Anderson and I will go ahead and get things ready with the Council," Udina told him. "We'll let you know when they're ready. For now, just focus on getting better." With that he turned his back and left the room. Anderson made eye contact with Shepard and nodded before he left.
"Tali, you can take your things to the SSV Normandy, it is located in dock 422." Shepard left the human embassy as a wave of pain washed over her body. She activated her spinal implant for pain killers, only for her omni-tool to report that the tap had run out of them. Rushing past the worried Mr. Bhatia for a second time that day, she hopped aboard the CRT to the medical clinic. Upon arrival she heard Dr. Michel being threatened by someone on the video phone.
"Every time I come here, I see someone threatening you. Who is it this time, and what do they want?" asked Shepard.
"Oh Commander, it is you again. I have a bit a problem, at my last place of work, I was handing out medical supplies to homeless, and unfortunate people. When my boss found out he fired my coworker, and…" "Now he wants reparations," interrupted Shepard. "I can confront him if you want, just tell me what I need to do, and it will be done. But first my spinal implant has run out of pain killers, and these broken ribs will slow me down if I can't neutralize the pain."
"Here you go Commander," Dr. Michel said as she reloaded Shepard's spinal implant. "The blackmailer told me to bring this load of medical to Morlan down in the lower markets," Dr. Michel said pushing a holo-sled towards Shepard loaded with several large boxes marked medical supplies.
Shepard left the clinic, dosing herself with painkillers before boarding the boarding the CRT to the markets. Shepard left the tram pulling the holo-sled behind her.
"Is that Commander Shepard?" mumbled a man Shepard passed.
"Can I help you?" asked Shepard to the man.
"My name is Conrad Verner, I was wondering if I could get your autograph?" asked Conrad.
"Sure, here you go," Shepard said as she signed the paper that Conrad had provided.
"My wife will be so impressed, thank you Commander." Conrad exclaimed.
Shepard maneuvered the sled down the stairs to the lower markets.
"Welcome to Morlan's Famous Shop, what are you interested in stranger?" exclaimed a hyperactive Salarian, whom Shepard would have knocked out if he wasn't important to saving a friend's career. I have some medical supplies from Dr. Michel, I'm supposed to deliver them to you Morlan." Replied Shepard.
"I don't know what you're talking about," stammered Morlan.
"I do," a booming voice reported, which could only belong to a krogan.
Shepard turned to face the potential blackmailer.
"I'll be taking those now, thank you very much."
"I don't believe that this encounter is over," Shepard said before leaping into action, simultaneously she unsheathed two of her throwing knives, and stabbed the krogan in two of his three hearts. "Who do you work for?" demand Shepard.
"The weary krogan responded immediately "Banes! I work for a man named Armistan Banes!"
"that's good, I like it when people give me the answers I require so easily, now in order to protect my friends you have to die," Shepard said before cutting its throat.
"Morlan!" Shepard yelled, and the Salarian ran over, hoping not to meet the same fate as the newly deceased krogan.
"Yes, Shepard?" the Salarian stammered.
"Call C-Sec, tell them there has been a murder in the lower markets, and these supplies are now yours to sell, if you mention anything relating to me I will find you." Shepard responded curtly.
Shepard stood up, and walked over to the CRT in the alley by Chora's Den. She travelled to C-Sec academy, and took the elevator to the Alliance docking station. Arriving at dock 422, Shepard's omni-tool beeped indicating that Shepard had received a high priority message from Captain Anderson. It indicated that the Council was ready for them. She quickly boarded the Normandy to change into her dress blues, and bumped into Wrex.
"Shepard I was paid to deal with Fist, but you did it without me, so here is my payment." Wrex said before transferring over half a million credits.
Shepard walked into the Council chambers, flanked by Anderson. "Udina is presenting the evidence to the Council."
"Let's pray they listen," Shepard muttered. As she neared the podium, she heard the recording once more.
"Eden Prime was a major victory," Saren's voice said arrogantly. "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," came a deep and seductive womanly voice.
"You wanted proof," Udina claimed. "There it is."
"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador," the turian councilor said, stately and regimented. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."
"I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren," the asari councilor spoke up, looking slightly confused and worried. "Matriarch Benezia, she is a powerful matriarch, and a leader, many asari have followed her."
"Regardless of this, she will make formidable ally for Saren," the salarian councilor said. "I'm more interested in the Reapers. What do you know about them?"
"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core," Anderson answered. "The Reapers were an ancient race of machines that supposedly wiped out the Protheans 50,000 years ago. Then they vanished."
"The geth believe the Reapers are gods, and that Saren is their prophet. They follow him because they believe that Saren knows how to bring them back from wherever they vanished to," Shepard interjected.
"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back," Anderson continued. "Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime."
"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" the salarian councilor asked.
"Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers," Shepard told him. "That's bad enough, don't you think?"
"Listen to what you're saying!" the turian councilor exclaimed. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible! It has to be! Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something."
"We're just telling you what we know," Shepard shot back. "If you don't want to believe us that's your choice. However, just let us remind you that we were right about Saren and all. It may be in your best interest to trust us this time."
"This is different," the asari councilor's cool voice tried to calm him down. "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he's using the geth to search for the Conduit but we don't really know why."
"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, commander," the salarian councilor told him with a slight hint of amusement. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will."
"Maybe," Shepard said. "Maybe the Reapers are just so-called gods the geth created when they began thinking on their own. You could say that all gods in the universe are just a bunch of fairy tales told for our amusement. But I know what I saw when the Beacon invaded my mind. I saw machines that weren't geth wiping out the Protheans. I felt their pain as they died. I heard their screams as they were slaughtered."
"Do you expect us to believe-!" the turian councilor exclaimed.
"Frankly and respectfully, councilor, I don't give a flying fuck what you believe!" Shepard interrupted. "I know what I saw and I'm going with my gut and believing it! The Reapers may be just an old legend, but the power they wielded was real! And if Saren gets his hands on it, he could destroy the galactic civilization with a cough!"
"Saren's a rogue agent on the run for his life!" the turian councilor shot back. "He no longer has the rights and resources of a Spectre! The Council has stripped him of his position!"
"Big fucking deal!" Shepard exclaimed, " he has an army of geth, a very powerful matriarch, oh yeah and a big fuck-off dreadnought that rivals the Destiny Ascension. He murdered an entire colony to get at a prothean beacon. He doesn't need the resources of the Spectres. In the past when a Spectre went rogue, you sent another Spectre after them. Make me a Spectre. Give me the resources to track down Saren." Shepard ranted.
The asari councilor looked over at the salarian. He looked over at her and nodded. They both looked over at the turian. He sighed and nodded. He could see no other way.
"Commander Shepard," the asari's voice was soft but commanding. "Please kneel."
Shepard looked at the floor and then at the Captain, who nodded, smiling. Were they really going to do this now? She got down on her knees and the podiums where the councilor's were suddenly detached and slid towards Shepard. They got off of the pods and approached the Commander.
"It is the decision of the Council that you, Commander Calista Shepard, be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel," the asari's voice boomed throughout the hall, powerful and commanding.
"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged from the fire of service in battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file. You, Commander Calista Shepard, have proven yourself to be forged from that fire and have done actions that elevate you above all others," he spoke firmly. "Will you, Commander Calista Shepard, continue to prove yourself worthy of our choice, worthy to be called one who has ascended above the normal bounds of battle?
"I will," Shepard answered.
"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol, the embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will. You, Commander Calista Shepard, have proven yourself to hold the symbols governed by the Spectres," she voice was commanding. "Will you, Commander Calista Shepard, continue to uphold these ideals, to be the right hand of the council and be the instrument of our will?"
"I will," Shepard answered.
"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold. You, Commander Calista Shepard, have proven yourself willing to bear this burden," the turian's voice was oddly strong. "Will you, Commander Calista Shepard, continue to bear the weight of being the protector of the galactic peace, to be the first and last line of defense and to uphold the safety of the galaxy?"
"I will," Shepard, answered.
The Turian Councilor then turned and pulled an ancient ornately etched sword from a display. He proceeded to tap her left shoulder, and her right shoulder, followed by the top of her head.
"Commander Shepard please stand." The Asari Councilor Stated. "When you arrived today, you were Lieutenant Commander Calista Shepard, a Human Alliance Marine. When you leave, you will be Spectre Calista Shepard, agent of the Citadel and the Council Races."
To all who stood there, she seemed taller, stronger and more confident than when she arrived. None knew if this was a trick the Citadel played on their minds, or if there was some sort of magic. What they did know was that Calista Shepard had changed tremendously from the beginning of the ceremony to the end.
"You are the first human Spectre, Commander," the Asari smiled at her. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." Shepard smiled back at them all.
"I'm honored," she told them.
After the ceremony ended Captain Anderson sought out Shepard, whose grin had still not disappeared.
"Shepard, the Alliance has chosen to uphold your current military record, even though you are now a Spectre, the Alliance wishes you to maintain the strict displine of an Alliance Officer. You should go down to the C-Sec Academy requisitions office, as your Spectre status has unlocked new upgrades, weapons, and armor."
Shepard walked to the back of the Council Chambers, and took the elevator to the presidium, where she caught the CRT to the Academy. Descending the stairs, she arrived in the requisitions office.
"How may I help you, Ma'am," the young turian asked Shepard.
"I would like to see your combat equipment." Replied Shepard.
"Sure, stand still, this scanner will get your measurements, and identity."
Shepard patiently waited as a blue laser grid scanned her body.
"Ok, let's see, Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy, Spectre? Oh I heard that, but wasn't sure."
"It's ok, can I see entitlements?" asked Shepard.
"Absolutely Ma'am." Responded the Turian officer.
Shepard compared her current Armax hardsuit against the current lineup, once again nothing compared to it. Although an upgrade to it included a small gatling turret to be mounted on the left shoulder. She also selected toned down versions for the rest of her combat squad, as well as upgraded weapons and armor for them.
"Being a Spectre gives a substantial discount so the total cost comes to 1,500,000 credits." Replied the Turian.
"Ok," Shepard said while she wirelessly transferred the amount from her account.
"Shepard to Normandy."
"Normandy here Commander." Replied Joker.
"Can you send a couple of servicemen down to C-Sec Academy to pick up the squads weapons and armor? I'm on my way up to get into something more comfortable." Shepard stated, before exiting the office.
Shepard walked over to the elevator that would take her to the Alliance docking platform.