QuickNote: As promised, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy, and I'll try to make uploads a little less sparse.
Chapter 13:
Relay Ambush
Only now did Shepard feel nervous about his actions. At the time, it seemed like the best solution. Kill two birds with one stone; lure Hollister into the opening while removing quite possibly the most inept leader the Reds had ever had. Of course, they were all Cerberus now, he supposed. But it was a very risky move. Not only had Shepard put his own neck on the line, but Alenko and Riley had been caught in the crossfire. Anderson entered first, and while he looked displeased with Shepard's actions, he seemed to be trying his best to stay out of it. Less than a minute later, Foster was next, and he looked less pleased than Anderson. He sat down, almost glaring at Shepard.
"So let me get this straight," he began. "I, knowing you have a personal stake in this mission, allow you to stay on. And your first reaction is to shoot a member of the gang you ran in? Am I getting this right?"
Shepard hesitated. "I was trying to draw Hollister out."
"And yet, we still have no idea where to find him. Whatever was running through your head that made this seem like a good idea, it sure as hell didn't work. We're still no closer to finding the son of a bitch, and your theatrics aren't doing a damn thing to help."
Shepard looked down, trying not to meet his eyes. "I understand," he muttered. He was defeated and he knew it.
Foster shook his head. "You know, I've got half a mind to pull you off this mission and court-martial your ass." This hit Shepard hard. He knew he screwed up, but a court-martialing seemed harsh, or maybe it was just him. "But, Commander Anderson has recommended that I confine you to the ship for the remainder of the mission." Shepard looked up at Anderson, who continued looking away. "After the mission, I am submitting a recommendation that your N7 training be started over. You obviously need it."
With that, he stood and left the room, leaving Shepard and Anderson alone. Shepard looked at the commander for a moment, dumbfounded at his luck in the matter. "You're trying to help me?" he asked.
Anderson looked away. "Something like that," he replied.
"Look, so far as we know, Admiral Harel had nothing to do with the events of Akuze," Captain Hackett said quietly.
"Lieutenant Shepard said that it was an Alliance distress beacon that drew the unit to Akuze," Anderson replied in an equally hushed tone. "Harel was the one who discovered it."
Hackett nodded. "And that implicates him how?"
"Why would a distress beacon be launched on a planet almost no one in the Alliance has heard of until now? I'm telling you, Harel's story doesn't match up with the survivor's."
"Right. Because a traumatized soldier who barely survived a thresher maw attack is a very reliable source of evidence. The courts will side with Harel over this, whether what you claim is true or not."
"So we should just give up?"
Hackett sighed. Anderson was a friend of his, but he was being very reckless with his entire investigation into the matter. It wasn't even his place to be looking into the events at all. Surely Captain Foster could talk him out of this insanity, or order him down if he couldn't. On the other hand, if the admiral was crooked, the Alliance needed to know about it. "Just be careful, Anderson. Don't get yourself killed over this mess."
Callus waited patiently in the mess hall. Joker sat at the table, holding a glass in his hand. As Shepard entered, Joker's head darted to the lieutenant. "So, how'd it go?" he asked. "You court-martialed?"
Callus gave him a look before turning to Shepard. "Ignore him, Shepard. You did what you had to."
Shepard looked down slightly. "Maybe," he muttered. "But I wouldn't go saying that around the captain. He looked like he was about ready to chew my head off and swallow it whole."
Callus cringed. "Don't joke about that, Lieutenant. I saw a krogan do that to a vorcha once."
Joker snapped his head in Callus' direction. "No shit?! What'd it look like?!"
A grimace plastered itself on Callus' face, surprising Shepard by how clear it was. "Bloody," he replied simply. He returned his attention to Shepard. "Look, whatever your reason for killing that human, he had it coming. He was a gang-banger. A criminal. And you got out of it alright."
Just then, Riley passed by the group, muttering "Barely" under his breath.
Hollister's voice always sent a chill down her spine. It had the authority of a British accent, with the informality of an Australian accent. She tried to keep an impassive face, but the creepily smooth voice of Hollister shook her to her core. "And you're sure if who it was?" He demanded.
"Yes sir," she said, keeping her eyes away from the vid screen.
"Hmm. Very disappointing." He motioned to someone to his side. "Not to worry. It will be straightened out soon enough."
The call disconnected immediately, and relief surged through the runner. She stepped out of the small building and took a deep breath. A Red to her left gave her a worried look. "That bad?" he asked.
She only nodded. "But, it's over now. Let's just get back to work and forget it ever happened." A low whistling noise interrupted them. She looked up into the sky to see what was going on. It looked as though something was moving toward them. She frowned. "What the fu-?" A large explosion and a blinding light interrupted her last sentence.
Shepard moved quickly to the CIC, answering the captain's summons. He was already on probation with Foster, and he didn't want to put a nail in his coffin by being tardy. As he reached the CIC, he noticed Foster and Anderson conferring by the galaxy map. Anderson noticed Shepard first and quietly motioned for him to join them. Foster turned to look at the lieutenant, his stone-hard features giving nothing away. "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, your goddamn bravado actually worked."
Shepard was floored. "Sir?"
"The compound you fought your way out of was just destroyed by an orbital strike. We believe it was from Hollister. We're following his ship to the Charon Relay as we speak." As soon as these words left the captain's mouth, the Kennedy was rocked by an explosion.
"What the hell was that?" Callus asked.
A crew member at a heat load monitor spoke up. "We've got a contact!"
"No shit!" Foster yelled. "Battle stations, everyone!" The Kennedy was instantly buzzing with action, the crew running to their stations. "Joker!" the captain barked. "Get your ass to the bridge and get us to the relay!"
"Going as fast as I can, sir!" Joker replied as he hobbled to the bridge.
In the void of space, a single ship stood in between the Kennedy and the Charon Relay. It continued to fire as the smaller ship wet closer, each hit more impactful on the Kennedy's shields than the last. One shot finally broke through and slammed into the port engine, bringing it down.
"Fuck," Foster muttered. Thinking quickly, he shouted, "Get us through the relay! Now!"
It was a risky maneuver. With one engine gone and the kinetic barriers badly damaged, the mass relay could very possibly tear the ship apart. But it was either that or be destroyed by the enemy ship. Joker began to push the Kennedy to the relay. "What's our destination, Captain?"
"Anywhere that's not here, dammit!"
Moments later, the Kennedy pushed itself through the relay, going to an unknown destination. The enemy ship followed, firing as it came. Then it suddenly stopped. It still moved toward them menacingly, however.
"Shit," Foster said as it came closer. The angle, the deceleration, the airlocks opening... "Those fucker's are going to board us."