~John~
We finally landed at the Citadel and were going to try and talk with the Council about Saren. Ashley, Kaidan, Anderson, and I left the Normandy and went to Ambassador Udina's office. Udina then talked with the Council.
"This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" Udina snapped.
"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador," the Salarian Councilor retorted.
"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the Asari Councilor agreed.
"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!" Udina told them.
"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador," the Turian Councilor stated.
"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before," the Asari Councilor added. They then logged off and Udina turned to us.
"Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew with you," Udina said.
"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions," Anderson explained.
"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina asked.
"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience," Anderson said.
"They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason," Udina stated.
"Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us!" I told him.
"Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!" Udina said to me.
"Get the pole out of your ass, Udina," I heard a male British voice say. I looked at the door and saw a man with short shaggy hair and green eyes. He must have been in his late thirties.
"Captain Cameron, I invited you here to help us. So watch what you say!" Udina snapped at him. Captain Cameron rolled his eyes. Kaidan and Ashely hid their snickers at what Captain Cameron said next. Even I had to stop myself from smiling. Anderson smirked though.
"I'd like to see you try and make me, Ambassador. Of course, that would involve you having to grow a pair first. I saw the vids. That was Saren's fault, not his," Captain Cameron stated. Udina glared at him before turning to me.
"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres," he told me. He then looked at Anderson and Captain Cameron. "Come with me, Captains. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard-you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in," Udina told me before leaving. Anderson chuckle with Captain Cameron.
"And that's why I hate politicians," Ashley muttered.
"Shepard, this is my old friend Marcus Cameron. He and I have worked together for many years," Anderson told me.
"Captain," I greeted shaking hands with him.
"Please, just call me Cameron or Marcus. I'm not much for formalities," he chuckled. I nodded with a small smile. "Well, I wish you good luck when talking with the Council, Shepard," he told me before he and Anderson left. The rest of us soon left to go to the Citadel Tower. Once there we walked up and saw two turians talking.
"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them," A turian dressed in blue and black armor said.
"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus," the other turian said before walking away. The turian named Garrus looked at me before walking up.
"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren," Garrus told me.
"Who were you just talking to?" I asked curious.
"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council," Garrus answered.
"Sounds like you really want to bring him down," I said meaning Saren. Garrus crossed his arms.
"I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence," Garrus stated.
"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander," Kaidan told me.
"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you," Garrus told me before I left. We made it to where Anderson was then.
"The hearings already started. Come on," he led me up to where we were meeting the Council.
"The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way," the Asari Councilor said as I saw a hologram of Saren standing by.
"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the Turian Councilor added.
"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina stated.
"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof," the Salarian Councilor said.
"Did you not think perhaps he was traumatized from witnessing Nihlus' death?" Cameron pointed out with narrowed green eyes.
"I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend," Saren said.
"Yeah, I bet," Cameron glared.
"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson glared as well.
"Captain Cameron. Captain Anderson. You two always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me. And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed," Saren said looking at me. I narrowed my eyes at his lie.
"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret. The only way you could know about the beacon was if you were there!" I stated.
"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me. I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human?" Saren asked. Why am I not surprised at that insult?
"Saren despises humanity. That's why he attacked Eden Prime!" I stated.
"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Saren told me.
"Last I checked, that wasn't your decision to make, now was it?" Cameron asked glaring.
"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," the Asari Councilor piped up.
"This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine," Saren told her.
"Saren's hiding behind his position as a Spectre. You need to open your eyes!" I told the Council.
"What we need is evidence. So far, we have seen nothing," the Salarian Councilor stated.
"There is still one outstanding issue: Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon," Anderson said.
"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren asked the Council.
"I agree. Our evidence must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation," the Turian Councilor said.
"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" The Salarian Councilor asked me. They won't see the truth.
"You've made your decision. I won't waste my breath," I replied. The Asari and Turian Councilors shared a look before looking back at us.
"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," the Asari Councilor said.
"I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren said before disappearing.
"And I'd be glad to shove my foot up your bloody ass," Cameron mumbled. I smirked a little hearing that.
"This meeting is adjourned," the Asari Councilor said before the Council left, as did we. Udina followed behind us and looked at the Captains.
"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captains. You two and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives," Udina said to Anderson and Cameron.
"Marcus and I know Saren. He's working for the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe," Anderson told me. If we're going to get to Saren, I'll have to learn about him.
"Tell me about this history between you and Saren," I said to him.
"We worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad. Real bad. We shouldn't talk about this here. But we know what he's like. And he has to be stopped," Anderson said to me.
"What's our next step?" I asked him.
"As a Specter, he's virtually unstoppable. We need to find a way to expose him. If you want to get to Saren, then you'll need more people to help you," Cameron said to us.
"What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor," Kaidan said.
"That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren," Ashely added. I looked at Cameron and Anderson.
"Any idea where we can find them?" I asked.
"I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin," Udina said.
"Not that drunkard bastard," Cameron said irritated.
"Forget it," Anderson agreed. "They suspended Harkin last month. Drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser," Anderson denied. Udina crossed his arms.
"You won't have to. I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this," Udina said to him. He can't just do that.
"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation," I told him.
"The Ambassador's right. I need to step aside," Anderson said.
"I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later…both of you," Udina said to Cameron and Anderson before he leaves. Cameron sighs.
"Am I the only one that wants to strangle that bastard?" He asked. Anderson chuckled.
"No, you're not alone, my friend," Anderson said to him. He then looked at me. "Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards," he told me.
"I thought you said he was a drunken loser," I said to him.
"Couldn't hurt to go talk to him. Just be careful. I wouldn't call him reliable," he said to me. I looked at them.
"You two and Saren have a history. What happened?" I asked them. Cameron looked at Anderson who nodded, then at me before sighing.
"About twenty years ago, David and I were a part of a mission in the Skyllian Verge. We were working with Saren to find and remove a known terrorist threat. Saren eliminated his target. But a lot of people died along the way. Innocent people. And the official records just covered it all up," Cameron told me.
"But we saw how he operates. No conscience. No hesitation. He'd kill a thousand innocent civilians to end a war without a second thought," Anderson finished for him.
"Killing innocents doesn't end wars. It causes them," I disagreed.
"I know how the world works, Commander. Sometimes you're forced to make unpleasant decisions. But only if there's no other way. Saren doesn't even look for another option. He's twisted, broken. He likes the violence, the killing. And he knows how to cover his tracks," Anderson told me. Cameron nodded.
"Anyways, we should get going to Udina's office. Commander, before you go, I know someone else who can help you. She's never really liked Saren much anyway. Her name is Paige, Lieutenant Commander Paige Cameron," he told me. I raised an eyebrow.
"Sister or something?" I asked him. He nodded.
"She's my little sister and like me, she loves a good fight. She also loves a good adventure. Find her and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. She's in the Presidium if you want to find her," Cameron told me before he and Anderson left. Paige Cameron, an LC. I looked at Kaidan and Ashely.
"Do you think we should?" I asked them.
"Well, she is a Lieutenant Commander. But she must be young as well considering Cameron said she was his little sister. What could it hurt?" Kaidan asked. Ashely shrugged.
"It would be worth the shot. The more people we have helping us, the faster this can end," she agreed. I nodded and we set off. It was then we made our way to the Presidium. When we got close to the Emporium, I heard talking.
"Come on, girlie. Just one night," I heard a man say. There was a scoff.
"I'd have to be blind and stupid to go with an asshole like you," I heard a female Australian voice say. Must be Paige. I walked over and saw five men surrounding her.
"Why you little bitch!" Another guy said. They started to attack her until I saw her smirk. She grabbed one of the hands that was about to punch her and twisted it before throwing him into another guy. She did a side kick to another before back handing the fourth guy. Four guys were down and she looked at the fifth with a smirk.
"Boo," she said to him. He then scampered away making her chuckle. I couldn't help but watch in amusement. "Loser," she mumbled before looking at the other men. "All of you, get up and get out of here before I kick our asses again and turn you in," she threatened. They all got up and ran off. I looked her over. She was a few inches shorter than me, long black hair that wasn't tied up or anything, and lastly, her vibrant green eyes. She was beautiful.
"Paige Cameron?" I asked. She looked at me and smiled.
"That would be me. Pleasure to meet you, Commander Shepard," she said to me as we shook hands.
"Pleasure is all mine. Your brother told me that you aren't a fan of Saren. How would you like to help us take him down?" I asked her. She raised an eyebrow, interested.
"Are you being serious? No joke?" She asked me hoping. I gave her a small smile.
"I'm not kidding. You can even ask your brother and Captain Anderson if you still think I'm joking," I said to her. She gave me a small grin.
"Well, Commander, I would be honored to join you in the fight against Saren," she said to me. I nodded and Ashely looked at me.
"I'm going to head back to the ship. See you all in a little bit," she said to us. I gave a curt nod and she left. Paige then looked at Kaidan.
"Well, I know Shepard and you both know me. But I don't know you," she said to him. He chuckled.
"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Lieutenant Commander," he said formally to her. She shook her head.
"I can't stand formalities, just call me Paige or Cameron," she said to us. Kaidan and I looked at each other.
"Definitely his sister," we both said. Paige shrugged.
"Runs in the family I guess. Now, what are you up to?" She asked us.
"We're looking for Garrus Vakarian. Udina thinks we should try Harkin," Kaidan told her. Her face twisted to irritation.
"Not that perverted drunken bastard," she grumbled. I chuckled at that. She is definitely her brother's sister. "I hate to say it, but we don't really have a choice," she told us. We nodded and got moving down to Chora's Den. Along the way, we told her everything that happened to catch her up. Once we got there, two turian assassins attacked us. Paige took out a rifle and shot them down with no problem.
"Those were Saren's men," Kaidan stated. Paige nodded in agreement.
"He must know that we're not going to stop until we take him down," she said. We then walked into the club and looked for Harkin. When we did, we saw two krogan.
"Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up," the krogan bouncer told the other krogan.
"What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here," Wrex countered. I saw Paige smirk obviously enjoying this. "This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it," he finished.
"He's not coming out, Wrex. End of story," the bouncer told him.
"This story is just beginning," Wrex said. He then walked passed us. "Out of my way, humans. I have no quarrel with you," he said to us.
"What was that all about?" Kaidan asked after Wrex left.
"There's been a problem with Fist for a while. Obviously he has made an enemy with Wrex," Paige stated. We made our way over to Harkin who looked at me.
"Alliance military. Hmph. I coulda been a Marine you know. Instead I joined the goddamned Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life," Harkin said to us. Paige rolled her eyes and he smiled sickly at her. "Hey, sweetheart. Finally decided to come to me, huh?" He asked her. She glared at him.
"Not even in your dreams, Harkin. Tell me where Garrus Vakarian is and I won't have to shove my boot up your ass," she crossed her arms. She really doesn't like him…even though it's obvious why.
"Still trying to bring down Saren for your big brother, huh? I know where Garrus is. But you guys gotta tell me something first. Did the Captains let you in on their big secret?" Harkin asked me and Paige.
"Is there something I should know about the Captains?" I asked him.
"The Captains used to be Spectres. Didn't know that, did you? It was all very hush-hush. The first two humans to ever be given that honor. And they blew it. Screwed up their mission so bad they kicked them out. Of course, the two blame Saren. Says the turian set them up," Harkin told us. Paige glared at him harder. If looks could kill, he would be down in hell right about now.
"Why'd they kick them out?" I asked. Harkin shrugged.
"Have to ask them. I never heard any of the details. Bet it's a good story, though. The hero's fall. Classic tragedy. Ha!" Harkin laughed. Paige growled.
"Just tell us where Garrus is and I might not punch you," she said to him. He flinch at her.
"Alright, alright! Sheesh, calm down, babe. Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs a med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was going back there," he told us. We then walked out of Chora's Den.
"You really don't like Harkin, do you?" Kaidan asked Paige.
"Not since he groped me a year back," she answered. I now had the strong urge to walk back and punch Harkin.
"What did you do?" I asked her.
"What any sane girl would do…I kicked his ass," she smirked. I chuckled. We made it to the Med Clinic and walked in. There we saw Garrus with a gun out.
"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" I heard a woman cry.
"That was smart, Doc. Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll-!" the thug then saw me and grabbed the doctor while holding a gun. "Who are you?!" He shouted.
"Let her go!" I held my gun up with Kaidan and Paige. It was then the thug that was holding the doctor was shot down by Garrus.
"Garrus, you twit!" Paige shouted. She then grabbed the doctor and hid her while we shot down the thugs who were shooting at us. Paige looked the doctor over. "Are you okay, Dr. Michel?" She asked her. Dr. Michel nodded at her.
"Yes, thank you," the doctor answered. Garrus looked at me.
"Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard," he commented.
"What were you thinking? You could have hit the hostage," I scowled.
"There wasn't time to think! I just reacted. I didn't mean to—Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?" Garrus asked.
"No. I'm okay. Thanks to you. All of you," the doctor told us.
"I know those men threatened you. But if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you," I said to her.
"They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian," she told me.
"What quarian?" I asked her.
"A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. 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 trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide," Dr. Michel informed.
"Where is she now?" I asked her.
"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker," she told me.
"Not anymore. Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it," Garrus said.
"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer," Dr. Michel said surprised. Paige crossed her arms.
"That quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get," she said.
"She must have something that proves he's a traitor," I agreed with her. I looked at the doctor. "Did the quarian mention anything about Saren? Or the geth?" I asked her.
"She did! The information she was going to trade. She said it had something to do with the geth," she answered.
"She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way the Council can ignore this," Garrus said.
"Time we paid Fist a visit," I said. Paige nodded in agreement
"This is your show, Shepard. But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you!" Garrus said to me. This got me curious.
"You're a turian. Why do you want to bring him down?" I asked.
"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation. But I knew what was really going on. Saren's a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people!" He told me. There was a good answered.
"Welcome aboard, Garrus," I said to him.
"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out," Garrus said. Paige nodded.
"Yeah, we saw him in the bar. Big guy was ready for a fight," she smirked.
"A krogan might come in handy," I said to her. She nodded.
"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy," Garrus said.
"What's he doing there?" Paige asked.
"Fist accused him of making threats. We brought Wrex in for a little talk. If you hurry, you can catch him at the Academy before he leaves," Garrus told us. I nodded.
"Let's go," I said to them. Kaidan left back for the ship afterwards. With that we got going. We finally made it to C-Sec and found Wrex with some of the officers.
"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," The C-Sec officer said to him.
"I don't take orders from you," Wrex said to him.
"This is your only warning, Wrex," the officer told him.
"You shoulder warn Fist. I will kill him," Wrex countered.
"You want me to arrest you?" The officer asked.
"I want you to try," Wrex chuckled. He then saw me and started to walk over.
"Go on. Get out of here," the officer said to him. Wrex looked at me.
"Do I know you, human?" He asked me.
"My name's Shepard. I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to come along," I said to him. Wrex sighed.
"Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you a fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist," he said to me.
"Fist knows you're coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together," Garrus told him.
"My people have a saying: Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend," Wrex said to me. We shook hands.
"Glad to have you on the team, Wrex," I said to him. Paige smirked.
"Let's go then. Don't want to keep Fist waiting," she said. Wrex chuckled.
"I like this female," he told me. I nodded.
"Looks like everyone she meets does," I mused. We all left then after Garrus went to the ship. We made it back to the club and once we got in, shots were fired. We all took out our guns and began firing. Once everyone was shot down we made it to Fist's office. Fist then started firing at us, Paige was able to shoot the gun out of his hand. She then used her biotics and held him down.
"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!" He said to us. I pointed my gun at him.
"Where's the quarian?" I asked him.
"She's not here. I don't know where she is. That's the truth!" He answered.
"He's lying," Paige sang.
"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him," Wrex said to me.
"Wait! Wait! I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her. The Quarian isn't here. Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself," he said to us.
"Face to face? Impossible! Even I was hired through an agent," Wrex said. I put my gun down and Fist got up after Paige let him go.
"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Ever. 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 said. Paige glared at him and her body glowed blue.
"Setting her up. Give me the location or give me one good reason I shouldn't bash your head in," she growled. He flinched.
"Here on the wards. The back ally by the markets. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry," he told us. It was then Wrex fired his gun and killed him.
"Are you insane?!" Paige shouted.
"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done," Wrex said.
"We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!" I told him.
"How many people died because of him? He brought this on himself. Besides, we have more pressing concerns," Wrex said.
"That quarian's dead if we don't go now!" Paige said. She was right. We then made our way down to the ally area where the Quarian was supposed to meet Saren's men. Once we got there we saw them.
"Did you bring it?" The turian assassin asked.
"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" The quarian asked.
"They'll be here. Where's the evidence?" He asked touching her shoulder and arm. She slapped his and a way.
"No way. The deal's off," she said to him. I saw two salarians coming up. The quarian threw a smoke bomb and we started shooting the turian and salarians. Once they were down we walked up to the quarian. "Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" She said.
"Where you hurt in the fight?" I asked her.
"I know how to take care of myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?" The quarian asked me.
"My name's Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove that Saren's a traitor," I told her.
"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe," The quarian said. Paige nodded.
"We could take her to the embassy. Udina will want to see this anyway," she said. I nodded in agreement. Wrex left for the ship and the rest of us went to see Udina.