At the Heart of the Matter

Kamala had to take the lives of four more victims before she was able to regain her wits. Being kicked out of Shepard's mind had turned her completely upside-down, and going back in immediately afterward had very nearly brought her to pieces. But at the end of the day, the one who was in pieces was the commander herself.

Stirring her drink with her pinky finger before taking a sip, Kamala relished the taste of her victory over Shepard. Nothing spoke of power quite like bringing the galaxy's most dangerous human to her knees. And it hadn't been easy. Her prize had been well fortified, protected by a bunker of her most treasured thoughts and armed with memories of fire and destruction that served as artillery. In fact, neither side had come out completely unscathed. Kamala was still fighting the aftermath of Shepard's counterattacks. An image of long-fingered husks suddenly pierced her, followed by an echo of scorched flesh and buzzing seeker swarms. She shuddered, trying to physically shake the flashbacks off. They receded after a moment. Kamala wondered if Shepard, too, experienced the living nightmares. And if so, how she managed to bear them day after day.

But even that side effect was negligible in comparison with the larger accomplishment. Shepard would soon be repurposed and indoctrinated to take orders from the Shadow Broker. Kamala would also be heavily involved with that process. Powerful biotics, especially Ardat-Yakshi, had the ability to influence an individual, to dominate their consciousness and bend them to their wishes. Ordinarily, it would not work on someone like Shepard who was uncommonly strong-willed. But all the pain-staking effort Kamala, Varick, and Tayir had spent enabled them to bypass her shields and barriers to reach the commander's core. In her vulnerable state, she had no way to resist Kamala's influence.

Currently, Shepard was in the prison infirmary. Her torture wounds were being patched up so that she would be able to don the uniform of the Shadow Broker and fight in his army. She was to become a pliant and deadly puppet, and Kamala would be the one to pull her strings. The Ardat-Yakshi could barely wait until the time came to take Shepard into battle and finally prove her strength to the whole galaxy.

The Normandy's armory was alive with activity. Everyone was getting to work prepping for their upcoming mission. Based on the armor that had been available on the stolen Broker gunship, the crew had been divided into two groups: those who would pose as guards, and those who would pretend to be prisoners. The latter group was composed of Jack, Mordin, Thane, Zaeed, Liara, and Kaidan. The Illusive Man had been able to confirm bounties on five of them, which meant that they would arouse less suspicion as prisoners. They'd recovered a wide variety of armor in terms of species; however, there wasn't much of it to go around. Ten sets had been found. Three complete human female sets fitted Samara, Miranda, and Kasumi's figures more closely than Liara and Jack's, so they had been chosen as Broker guards. In addition, there was enough armor to outfit two krogans, four turians, and a single human male. That meant that Grunt, Jacob, and Garrus were also disguised as agents of the Shadow Broker.

Thane noticed Jack skulking around the heavy weapons bench, eyeing the Cain longingly. "I do not believe that this would be an effective weapon, Jack. The Shadow Broker's prison will be close-quarters and the sheer force would -"

"Yeah, yeah," the biotic girl said. She sighed wistfully before snapping back to face the drell. "What's it to you anyway, frog boy? Fuck off." She pushed past Thane, slamming her shoulder into his on her way to the other side of the armory where her Eviscerator was being upgraded.

Garrus had retrieved his Widow from the forward battery and was in the process of outfitting it with the latest rapid-fire barrel that the Viper sported. Once he was finished, the thing would have one hell of a recoil, but Garrus needed that high rate of fire as well as the kick that only the Widow provided. When he was finished, the gun had a little more heft than he was used to, but in combat, it would be the deadliest rifle on the field.

He was admiring his handiwork when he was approached by Daryn. The younger turian opened his mouth to speak, but Garrus beat him to it. "Good work with the shuttle schedule. We'll be able to take them by surprise and hopefully go unnoticed," he said, complimenting the techie's work.

"Yeah. Anything I can do to help." Daryn watched as Garrus deftly loaded switched out the stock in favor of a larger one with a wider base. He cleared his throat. "Speaking of. I think there's another way I can be of assistance."

"Oh, yeah?" Garrus said, only half-listening. The kid had already served his purpose, and at the moment, he had to concentrate on getting everything ready for the mission.

"Well, you're down two specialists. Tali, the quarian, and that geth. I know the salarian used to be STG, but... well, I think you could use me as well." Garrus mm-hmm'd, not paying attention. He was sliding the scope into place, listening for the click as it locked in. Daryn sensed that his message had not gotten through. "What I'm trying to say is that you should take me with you."

The last four words made the older turian's head snap up. He blinked, and after a second or two pause, said, "Absolutely not."

Daryn restrained a whine from jumping out of his throat. He had to make Garrus think that he was a capable soldier, not some kid who was going to get in the way. "I'm not asking to be on the front line. But once you get to the prisoner warehouse, you'll need someone who knows how to get through any tech defenses that they might have put up. Didn't I get you through there the first time alright?"

The scary part of Daryn's argument was that it made sense. If Mordin was engaged in combat, there would be no specialist to hack through doors or loop around surveillance systems. Chances were that Mordin would be waving his omni-tool around to deliver incineration attacks as opposed to fussing with electronic obstructions. But Daryn was completely without training or combat experience, and Garrus didn't count fleeing his apartment and sprinting down the streets of Nos Astra with Miranda and Liara as experience.

"No. That's my final answer. You could make yourself useful and monitor the mission's progress from here with Joker, if that's what you want." Garrus got to his feet and tried to maneuver around Daryn, but the turian teenager obstinately blocked his path.

"Just let me do this. Give me a chance to show you that I'm an asset."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your asset on this ship and out of danger."

"But I can help! I can really make a difference, and -"

At that point, Liara made her way across the armory and approached the two turians. "Garrus, what's going on?" She'd heard their raised voices from the other side of the room, and she wasn't the only one. Jacob was at her side.

Garrus was going to explain, but Daryn was quicker. "The team's out of balance. You're combat-heavy. You need more tech." Then, he repeated, "I can help. I promise not to get in the way and I'll make sure that there aren't any problems getting through doors or being caught by cams, or anything else we encounter." Without giving Garrus time to intercede, he continued, "Liara. You know how good I am at this. I always come through."

It was true. Liara was Daryn's best friend on Illium. His best friend in the Terminus Systems. She was even the closest thing he still had to family, and she knew him better than anyone. Daryn was reliable and he was great at his job. "Daryn has never failed me before. I have no reason to think he should now," Liara said. The turian's face brightened. "But... I'm sorry. I can't let you risk your life, not when I've already dragged you into this mess." Gently, she put a hand beneath his chin and peered into his face. "When this is all over, you can return to your work in the city. Things will go back to how they were."

He turned his head away from her and for a moment, he looked small and lost. He'd go back to hiding in a city that was not his home, without even Momo, his late pet pyjak, to keep him company. Back to an empty life in an empty apartment with priceless artifacts that held no meaning at all.

"I don't want things the way they were," he said quietly. Despite himself, Garrus tilted his head, intrigued. More firmly, Daryn said, "I'm not going back to that life." Then, he drew himself up to full height and looked Garrus square in the eye. "I can't live like that anymore. I can't go back to being nothing."

"Daryn," Liara said, chiding him for saying such a thing yet still sympathetic. Her eyes softened towards him. As long as she'd known him, she had never noticed the loneliness and homesickness behind those bright eyes of his.

But he had the full attention of Garrus and he wasn't going to relinquish that. "I shouldn't have run away from home. Out here, I'm no one. My life doesn't matter." He snorted in a display of self-deprecation. "Not even to myself." He pressed on. "You have to see that I need this. This is my chance to prove that I'm not a deserter or a coward or any of the other things they call me back home." He cares about what people on Palaven think more than I guessed. Struggling to keep his dual voice-boxes in sync, Daryn said, "I... I want to be able to go back to my clan with my head held high and say that, against all odds, I made something of myself."

Only Garrus was able to fully appreciate the gravity of Daryn's predicament. Only he understood that turians valued duty, honor, and action above everything else. There was no way that Daryn could return to Palaven after abandoning his military commitment and shaming the Forsythe clan, especially since he'd become infamous for his desertion. But if he did somehow prove his worth, through battle or some other noble deed, the prodigal son would be welcomed home with open arms.

Who was Garrus to stand in the way of that? The gaze between the turians remained unbroken for nearly ten seconds before Garrus said, "This mission is going to be extremely dangerous. We're going into enemy territory. Once we leave, there is no going back. No changing your mind, no turning around."

A hard look came over the young turian's eyes. A look that Garrus was only used to seeing in fifth or sixth year military cadets, not a civilian surveillance specialist. A teenaged specialist, at that. "No more running. I'll see this through to the end."

Garrus felt heavy. His heart seemed to hang on him like an enormous weight. "Okay. I expect you to follow every one of my orders, Specialist Forsythe."

"Yes, sir."

"Even if it's to take cover behind Grunt or to run and hide."

"I understand."

"Then you're dismissed. Get your gear together – Mordin will set you up with a combat omni-tool and Jacob will assign you your pistol."

Daryn nodded. He was about to turn away, but hesitated. "Thank you. If... when I make it home, I promise to do better. Not gonna turn into a complete waste of air, right?" His mandibles flared in a slight smile.

Garrus returned the expression but became serious after a moment. "Your life is valuable, Daryn. Remember that."

The newly christened Specialist grinned. "I'll try."

Before Jacob was about to leave to give Daryn the pistol, Garrus stopped him. "I hate to ask this of you, but will you keep an eye on him? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Jacob nodded readily. "Of course, Garrus." He saluted him, then went after Daryn to teach him how to reload. Garrus glanced down at his omni-tool. The kid had half an hour to learn how not to get himself killed. He hoped that those thirty minutes were used wisely.

Liara looked up at Garrus. "I'll make sure to keep close to him as well. I swear to take full responsibility for his actions," she said, bowing her head.

Garrus sucked in a deep breath. "Am I making a mistake here, Liara?"

She put a hand on his shoulder and instead of saying something comforting, she told him, "There is only one way to find out."

Liara left Garrus to calibrate the range on his M-15 Vindicator, then went to change the power source for the laser sight on her Phalanx heavy pistol. At the other end of the armory, Operative Lawson was doing the same. Liara greeted her cordially with a nod. Miranda returned it and was about to continue going about her business when something made her reconsider. "I never had the chance to thank you properly for saving me from the girl I thought was my sister," the Cerberus agent said, testing the weight of her pistol in her palm. She holstered it, then turned to face the asari. Liara looked mildly surprised. And pleased. "So thank you, Dr. T'Soni. I'm extremely grateful for your actions." Her gloved hand was extended. Liara shook it.

"Of course. I'm glad Oriana is okay. And you, as well."

A conflicted look crossed Miranda's face before she said, "Forgive me if I'm blunt, but there's something I need to know."

Liara raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

The agitated expression on her face intensified. Then, she blurted out, "Why did you do it?" Liara blinked at her. "I'm curious. You defended Oriana so... passionately. It was your conviction that kept her alive, and kept me from making the worst mistake of my life. I just wanted to know why you went to such trouble for us when I've been nothing but rotten to you."

Liara was impressed that Miranda, who was genetically designed to be perfect, had actually admitted to her own wrongdoing. But that wasn't what defending Oriana had been about. Misty-eyed, the asari turned away and took a deep breath before looking back at Miranda. "There are enough broken families in this galaxy. I wanted to spare you that."

Twenty minutes later, the whole team was assembled in the briefing room for what would be the last time of their longest, most painful mission. Garrus took stock of them, his sharp blue eyes scanning every last one in a brief sweep. They all wanted this to end as much as he did; he could see it written on their faces. For better or for worse, the campaign against the Shadow Broker to retrieve the commander would finally cease.

"These last couple days have been hell on all of us. Discovering our commander was missing, facing the most deadly private army in the galaxy, knowing all those civilians died..." he trailed off for a moment, his mind drifting back to the image of Officer Laurel Tracit dead on the floor of the penthouse. But then he suddenly became very aware of the rest of the team watching him. Hanging on to his every word. "We've all got our reasons for why we want to take the fight to the Shadow Broker. Maybe it's because he's crossed the line too many times, and killed too many innocents to be allowed to continue breathing." Thane stiffened. Sending the ruthless, tyrannical Shadow Broker across the sea would most surely make the galaxy a brighter place. "Or that Ardat-Yakshi, who's devoured countless victims for the sake of her own strength." At the mention of the asari, Samara's eyes glittered. The justicar had taken it upon herself to eradicate all rogue Ardat-Yakshi. She would not let Kamala Nasar slip her net.

"Or maybe you just want to kill something, and the Broker is the closest thing in your sights." Jack and Grunt grinned at each other. Infiltrating the Shadow Broker's base promised to be one hell of a firefight. Both were looking forward to the violence that would undoubtedly ensue. "Whatever way you look at it, he's taken this attack to a personal level." They all thought about Tali down in the med-bay, Legion in a state of ruin inside the tech lab. Miranda's heart fluttered as she was reminded just how close to losing Oriana for good she had come. Throat clenched, Liara though of Feron. "They took Shepard from us," Garrus continued. "And if he thinks he can keep her, that we won't fight back, then for all his information that bastard doesn't know a damn thing. We are the most elite fighting force that this galaxy has ever seen. We will not sit back and allow this to continue." Garrus rested his hands on the edge of the projection table, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes. "We're going to make him regret ever getting this close to us."

A sense of clarity fell over the room. The moment of undertaking was at hand and their fortitude had heightened to the extreme. The Shadow Broker was going to pay for what he'd done, and they would at long last return their commander to her rightful place.

"But I won't lie to you: this isn't going to be easy. We're going into enemy territory, and we might lose people. If there is anyone here who can't handle that, speak up now, because once we're in, there's no turning back."

Silence. They were all ready and willing to launch the assault on the Broker's prison and end the campaign once and for all. "Good. Everyone get down to the hangar and board the gunship. We're moving out."