Chapter 16: A Song of Ice and Fire

"I need everyone to report to the briefing room" said Shepard, activating his com unit. A chorus of acknowledgements rang out in his ears, and he began taking his own advice, walking from the airlock towards the rear of the ship. Just as he arrived, the elevator door opened and disgorged the majority of his team, who followed him into the small room. As they took their seats, he began.

"We've just received word from the Council that they've got a lead on Saren. While they were digging through ExoGeni's records, they found evidence that FutureTech had knowledge of the Thorian, and didn't report it."

"Oh, crap." said Kaidan. "Even for a company as big as FT, there's gonna be hell to pay."

"I don't really understand how you Humans run your corporations." said Nihlus. "How exactly are ExoGeni and FutureTech connected?"

"FT owns ExoGeni, more or less." replied Shepard. "Admittedly, that's not entirely accurate, but it's the best way to describe the situation. The way the two companies interact is fairly limited, though. Normally, when a subsidiary company like ExoGeni does something, it doesn't need to tell its' parent company about it, unless it could seriously affect the bottom line. It means that normally, FT could just deny they had knowledge of the existence of the Thorian, and let ExoGeni take the heat. Since they didn't…"

"FT's gonna get ripped a new one." finished Ashley. "And when it comes out that the second biggest corporation in the Alliance, hell, the second biggest in the galaxy, had a hand in uncontained MC experiments, it'll cause their stocks to crash. We could be looking at a major economic recession, here."

"I doubt that." said Shepard, shaking his head. When they looked at him, confused, he explained. "Do you honestly expect for FT to just own up to something like that? They'll bury the problem in paperwork, media spin, and bullshit, and then try to throw ExoGeni under a bus. And chances are, the Alliance will let them."

"Why?" asked Liara, looking concerned. "That would be incredibly irresponsible."

"Liara, which would be more damaging: the Alliance lying through its' teeth and covering up the truth about Feros, or the complete and sudden implosion of the largest military contractor in the galaxy? A contractor, which, by the way, currently builds and maintains the orbital defense grids of the entire Alliance, as well as two thirds of its' navy."

"… oh."

"Exactly. It's not right, but then again, politics is bullshit in every species, not just Human. If you needed any evidence of that, just look to the Council. And I'm getting off subject. The point is, the Alliance investigation team found out that another of FT's subsidiaries has a connection with Saren. A company called Binary Helix controls a small colony on the planet of Noveria. As it turns out, the largest stock holder of Binary Helix on that colony is someone we all know and hate."

"Saren." said most of the room in near perfect unison.

"Yep. Unlike ExoGeni, though, Binary Helix actually has an excuse for not reporting the connection. Apparently, Saren did his business through a Volus banking consortium, and if there's one thing that's harder to trace than him, it's Volus paper trails."

"How'd the Alliance get the info, then?" asked Garrus.

"By paying through the nose for it. The Shadow Broker has anything you could want for sale, if you've got the credits, which the Alliance does."

"No kidding." said Wrex. "I thought the Broker paid well until the Alliance hired me. Wish I'd have known sooner."

Shepard continued. "The Alliance has had the planet under surveillance for the past week or so, and something finally shook loose. A small freighter landed on Noveria about two hours ago, and our sources say Benezia was on board, along with a number of her followers. They unloaded some shipping containers and headed into the port."

Liara went slightly stiff at the revelation, and Shepard felt the turmoil in her mind. "Shepard, when we get there, I want to be on the strike team." she said firmly.

He sighed. "Liara, I'll let you be on the team if you can answer one question for me."

"Yes?"

"Kill Benezia or Pluribus dies, what do you do?" he asked in a rush. She hesitated and glanced at the Geth. She hung her head guiltily. After a moment, he spoke again. "That's a problem, Liara. I can't afford to have hesitation down there. I get the feeling that if it was one of the organic crew members, you wouldn't have hesitated, would you?"

"… no. I'm sorry, Pluribus. I just…"

"Liara, I promise that we'll do everything we can to save Benezia. That's why… damnit. Yuri, I'm letting you off your leash for this one. If Benezia's being controlled, we need to try and free her. She might be able to give us intel on Saren's plans. And to do that, I… fuck everything forever, I need you." He managed to choke out the words at the end with some difficulty.

Yuri said nothing, but he grinned slightly and nodded his acquiescence.

"With that in mind, we can't afford to hold much back on this one. Nihlus, Chakwas tells me you're still recovering from your injury, so you're gonna have to stay home and keep Liara company. Everyone else, get suited up and ready to go. We'll be dividing into two teams. Tali, Yuri, Pluribus, you're with me. Garrus, Ash, Wrex, you follow Kaidan. Yuri, you'll be wearing an opaque visor, and you sure as hell won't be armed. I might need your powers, but not so much that I trust you with a gun."

"Shepard, I'm fine." said Nihlus, slightly indignant. "I'll admit, I'm a bit sore, but it won't affect me in combat."

Kaidan nodded, and spoke as well. "Actually, Commander, if someone has to sit this one out, it should be me. I've been having flare-ups recently, and Chakwas has been asking to run some scans."

"Alright. Ashley, you lead the second team, and Nihlus, you join her." When Nihlus opened his mouth to protest, Shepard cut him off. "Having a Spectre in charge might help smooth any potential problems if Noveria were a Turian colony, but it isn't. This is an Alliance world, and your Spectre status doesn't mean jack. In fact, it might be more of a hindrance than anything else. With that in mind, the Alliance brass pulled some strings and got Geist status restored for me and Tali. Geists don't have the same extrajudicial powers as Spectres, but they're still less encumbered by red tape than most law enforcement."

"How long do we have to prep, Skipper?" asked Ashley.

"About a day: I'm having Joker push the engines a bit. We've waited two weeks for a break, and we can't allow Benezia to slip through our fingers." He paused, and then a small smirk came to his face. "After all, many Bothans died to bring us this information."

When the Normandy came towards the planet of Noveria on final approach, the voice of an air traffic controller came in over the cockpit's coms.

"Unidentified vessel, this is Noveria Control. Your arrival is unscheduled. Our PRISM defense grid is armed and tracking you; state your business."

"This is the ASV Normandy, on Ranger business." replied Shepard. "I'm transmitting Geist credentials now."

The voice hesitated a moment. "Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised: we'll be confirming your identification on arrival."

The ship pulled into a large hangar, and docked at the station. A few minutes later, Shepard and his team exited the airlock. As they headed down the docking ramp, they were met by nearly a dozen armed security personnel.

"That's far enough." said one of the rent-a-cops. "This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials."

Shepard transferred his Geist identification to the woman's omnitool, and Tali did the same. Looking them over, she grunted in mild frustration. "Your credentials are valid, so you two are authorized to carry firearms on the base. The rest of your team will have to surrender theirs. Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons." she ordered, looking at one of the other thugs, this one a Human female with blonde hair.

That order didn't go over well with the rest of his team. Weapons were hoisted, and the security personnel responded in kind, admittedly with less confidence, despite their greater numbers. "I'd advise against that." said Shepard coolly, his weapon still holstered. "Have you ever tried to take a PRISM Gatling away from a Krogan Battlemaster before? He really likes that thing, let me tell you."

"We're authorized to use lethal force." said their leader firmly. "You have until the count of three to surrend-" She cut off suddenly as Yuri viscously ripped into her mind, and she holstered her pistol. "You may proceed." she said blankly.

"Captain Matsuo?" asked Stirling. "What are you doing?"

"Let them pass, Kaira."

"Ma'am we can't-" She too cut off, but this time, it was Shepard that did the convincing. "Yes ma'am." She had mental defenses, but they weren't up, and Shepard purged her mind of all evidence of his intrusion before he left.

The rest of the guards stood down, albeit with some hesitation. As the team entered the port proper, they were intercepted by a Human woman wearing a hot-pink leather outfit that left little to the imagination.

"I'm Gianna Parasini." she said. "Assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the dock. Captain Matsuo is… zealous in her duties."

"There's a difference between zeal and stupidity." replied Shepard dryly. "Hopefully she learns that before we end up butting heads again."

"Indeed. Is there anything I can do for you, officer?"

"I'm looking for Matriarch Benezia T'Soni. She passed through here recently, and I need to know where she went."

"Matriarch T'Soni and number of her followers passed through here about a day ago." she answered. "They were headed for one of the off-site research facilities, Peak 15."

"We'll be following her. We have our own transportation; we just need a location to chrono to."

"I'm afraid chrono travel is impossible. The facility is protected by a gap generator, and due to the blizzard, the only way to get there is by ground."

"Figures." said Garrus. "The one time we actually manage to get where we're going the easy way, we get shot at by a rogue AI."

"Could be worse, Garrus." said Ashley smiling. "After all, we did get something out of it." She withered slightly at Shepard's death glare, and swallowed nervously.

"We can arrange ground transport as well." said Shepard, turning to face Parasini. "But we still need a location and directions to the base."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that either." she replied slowly. Shepard could sense that she was being evasive. He'd have to ask her about that. "You'll need to talk to the Administrator to get clearance."

"I doubt that." said Shepard, probing her mind delicately. "You can clear us just the same as him. You just want something in exchange, right?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she gave him a small nod. "Meet me at the bar near the Administrator's office. We'll talk there."

He said nothing and motioned for his team to follow him to the elevator leading upwards to the port. There was only enough room for four of them to fit (comfortably) in the thing, so he took his team and left Ashley's behind. "We've got a bit of time to kill, so feel free to have a look around." he said, just before the elevator doors slid shut.

When they exited the elevator, the quartet were met by nervous glances from the base personnel, both security and not. Apparently, word of their arrival had spread fast. The small group made an immediate beeline for the bar, and had just finished sitting down when Parasini arrived.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"I didn't." When her eyes widened again, he continued. "But now I do. I get the feeling that we can expect a similar reception from everyone here to the one we received at the docks?"

"Yes. Anoleis has most of the facility in his pocket. I'm with Noveria Internal Affairs, and I've been undercover for six months trying to gather evidence of his guilt. The Board has suspected him of corruption for some time, but hasn't been able to prove anything."

"Well, I suppose we might be able to help with that. One cop to another, you understand?"

"Thank you for your assistance. One of Synthetic Insight's officers, a Turian named Lorik Qui'in, has evidence on Anoleis. If you can retrieve it and convince him to testify, I can get you clearance for whatever you need."

"Perhaps we should simply speak to the Administrator directly." interjected Yuri. "I believe we can convince him to cooperate."

"Probably," said Shepard, "but we're doing this the right way, not the easy way."

Parasini cast glances between the two men, but ignored the exchange. "If you wish to speak to Qui'in, I can arrange a meeting. I've already transferred the location to your omnitools."

She walked away into the facility, and Shepard followed the directions she gave them to a different part of the base. He saw a lone Turian sitting at a table, a drink in one hand and a data pad in the other. Shepard approached him and started without preamble. "Lorik Qui'in? I assume you know why I'm here?"

"Yes." he replied curtly. "If you want my help, I require protection. Some of Anoleis' associates can be quite persuasive."

"I can arrange that. After you've testified, I'll have the Geists move you into WitSec. All we need is the evidence."

"That might be a problem. It's on my computer in SI's main office, but Anoleis locked it down, citing 'corruption.' Kind of ironic, isn't it? If I give you access, and you go there yourselves and get the data, I'll take your offer. Deal?"

"Deal." replied Shepard, shaking his hand. Qui'in transferred the access codes to Shepard's 'tool, and the small team made for a nearby elevator. One seemingly interminable ride later, and they stepped out into a rather nondescript office. They were immediately greeted by a pair of Noveria's guards, a Human and a Turian.

"Stop right there!" ordered one. "This office is under lockdown, orders of Administrator Anoleis."

"Anoleis is paying you to shake down this office." replied Shepard calmly. "That makes you a criminal. Worse, it makes you a dirty cop. I like dealing with dirty cops." He drew his sniper rifle, and his squad followed suit. "It means I have to fill out less paperwork when they collect the bodies."

"You're bluffing." She said it with confidence in her voice, but Shepard could sense that her poise was only skin deep.

"If you think that, pull a gun." said Tali dangerously. "I've always wondered how many pieces a Tesla Cannon could blow a person into."

She raised her hands slightly and took half a step back. "Anoleis ain't paying me enough to take on Spectres or Geists or whatever. You pretend you didn't see us, we'll pretend we didn't see you?" She waited for a response, but when none came, the pair just edged their way past the group and left the office hurriedly.

"Jeez, Tali. Not that I don't enjoy a good strong-arming, but I wasn't expecting it from you." said Shepard, grinning widely.

"What can I say, John. You've corrupted me."

"Not yet. We'll get to the fun part later."

"Are you two quite finished?" asked Yuri. That killed the mood quickly.

"There's a few more goons here." said Shepard, now thoroughly annoyed. "And I don't think they'll go quietly."

"What makes you-" Tali cut off as a pair of rounds slammed into her shields. As the group ducked behind the nearest wall for cover, Tali jabbed Shepard in the ribs. Hard. "You could've warned me, you know."

"Sure. But where's the fun in that?" he asked with a grin. Before she could slug him again, he popped around the corner and put a well-aimed shot into an approaching guard. The heavy slug tore through his body like paper, and he collapsed to the ground. He was one of the lucky ones. Tali let loose with her Cannon, and Shepard found out that the answer to her question was somewhere in the hundreds. Pluribus did even more damage, his cryo rifle snap freezing the last two guards before they could do more than get off a few shots. As they toppled into each other, they shattered into thousands of pieces, as if their bodies were made of blown glass.

"That's all for now, but I get the feeling that more will show up if we stick around too long. Let's get that evidence." They made their way to the second floor, and they found Qui'in's computer. Tali made short work of the terminal's encryption and security, and they soon had the data. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough to avoid security, and the door to the office soon filled with a half dozen more security guards, Stirling among them.

"Do you know what we do to cop killers where I'm from?" she asked contemptuously.

"Save her for last." ordered Shepard. "I'd like to teach her a lesson."

The firefight was fairly brief, all things considered. Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, Shepard's team had Alliance weapons, not to mention the high ground. When the last of the guards fell to the floor missing his head, Shepard stood to face the crooked cop.

"Consider this my midterm exam." he said to Yuri. He focused on her mind, and was surprised to find her anti-MC defenses spring up around it this time. She fumbled her weapon in shock, obviously never expecting to have needed her training, despite his earlier intrusion. That shock cost her. He found a chink in her armor and pushed, forcing himself into her psyche with ruthless abandon. Physically, he walked over to her slowly, refusing to let her body move, even as she battered helplessly at his mental hijacking.

"It's too bad you decided that having a 'side job' was worth more to you than your actual job." he said. "I'd have preferred to avoid this. Take out your gun." he ordered. She obeyed, her arms trembling as she tried to fight his influence. It was too late for that. "Open your mouth." She did, and a low groan of terror escaped her throat. "Put your gun into your mouth." His stomach began to roil as she slowly complied. Tears began rolling down her face, and he hesitated slightly. 'I can't… Even she doesn't deserve this.'

"John, no." said Tali pleadingly.

"He must do this at least once." replied Yuri calmly. "If he doesn't, his hesitation in the future could cost him his life."

"... then it costs me my life." he replied, still keeping Stirling imprisoned, but relenting slightly.

"And if it costs hers?" he asked, glancing at Tali.

"I… damnit." He focused, and Stirling's finger tightened on the trigger.

"John, if you do this, there's no coming back. You might have to in the future, but not now. Let her go."

He hesitated for a moment more, and then released his hold on Stirling's mind. Her gun dropped from her fingers, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling and weeping. "You're right." he said, facing Tali. "I'm not that far gone yet."

There was a loud bang, and he jerked his head around in time to see Stirling's lifeless body crumple to the ground, the back of her head missing. He rounded on Yuri and drove his fist into the man's gut, causing him to double over. For all his mental power, he was still relatively frail physically. "You murdering bastard!" he yelled, whipping out his pistol and pressing it to the back of Yuri's helmet. "We didn't have to kill her!"

"She wouldn't have kept quiet about your abilities, Commander." he replied, his voice still serene, despite the gun and the punch. "You know this as well as I."

He let out a low growl. He didn't know what was worse: the fact that he hadn't been able to stop Yuri, or the fact he was right. "I don't give a damn. You do something like that again, and I will kill you."

"Are you upset that I killed her, or simply that I didn't wait for your command?" When Shepard didn't respond, he smirked and straightened his posture. "I thought as much. I'll wait for your orders in the future, if it makes you feel better." As Shepard turned to leave, Yuri spoke again. "Your progress is quite extraordinary. I doubt I would've been able to overwhelm her defenses that quickly, even on my best day. You did it without trying. You have unimaginable power, but you lack refinement, and most of your strength still remains untapped. It seems that real-world practice improves your abilities much faster than our little… sessions."

Shepard said nothing, and continued on his way to the elevator.

Walking into Anoleis' office, Shepard saw Parasini sitting at a reception desk just inside. He approached her, and answered her question before she asked. "It took some persuasion, but I convinced Qui'in to testify against Anoleis. I 've got the evidence you'll need to put him away for a long, long time."

She sighed in relief. "That's a world of stress off my back. Honestly. I didn't think you'd help me, being a Spectre and all. I guess some of you can be alright."

"That's some gratitude you've got there. I was a Geist long before I was a Spectre, and I can appreciate the difficulty of working in IA."

"Sorry. I guess I'm just used to having my guard up. Here's your garage pass, and directions to Peak 15. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an arrest to make." she said, walking towards Anoleis' office. "Next time I see you, I'll buy you a beer."

Shepard ordered the rest of his team, and Ashley's, to move towards the garage, and they met him on the way. As they neared the door, they were stopped by Captain Matsuo.

"Commander Shepard. I've been receiving reports of gunfire from the Synthetic Insights office, and I can't seem to locate Sergeant Stirling. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" she asked knowingly.

"I did you a favor by cleaning up your organization." he responded, flashing his pass and heading through the door into the garage. "Let's just leave it at that." She opened her mouth to reply, but didn't have a chance. Shepard caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, and he pulled her down behind a nearby shipping container. The Geth leaper that he had seen fired a red energy bolt towards his squad, which hit Wrex full in the chest, dropping his shields and leaving a scorch mark on his heavy armor. That turned out to be one of the worst decisions of the Geth's soon-to-be-over life.

Letting out a bellowing roar, Wrex leveled his PRISM Gatling and began firing, sweeping the behemoth back and forth across the room repeatedly. After nearly a minute of sustained use, the sound of shooting stopped, only to be replaced by the crescendo of an overload in the massive weapon. A large blue plasma bolt, likely from a Geth Colossus, flew over Shepard's head as Wrex deflected it with his biotics. A second later, an earsplitting boom reverberated through the enclosed room, and the sound of twisted metal soon followed as what little remained of the oversized walker crashed to the floor. Finally daring to peak over his cover, Shepard was greeted with the sight of incalculable destruction. The loading vehicles and cranes scattered about the room were little more than twisted heaps, and every single shipping container was blown to splinters. Hundreds of scorch- and pock-marks marred every visible surface, and there was a large blast crater nearly three feet deep in the far wall where the PRISM weapon had burned a hole straight through the metal plating and into the bedrock beyond.

Shepard took all this in for a moment before turning to Captain Matsuo, who simply gaped in shock at the sight. "I told you he liked that thing."

"What… what the hell happened?" she asked, her voice weak.

"Best guess, those shipping containers Benezia brought with her had deactivated Geth inside. Whatever screening you did obviously wasn't thorough enough."

"I… I need to inform the Board of Directors about this. When word gets out of a Geth attack, there might be an investor panic. Commander… whatever else you do here, please... tell me beforehand, so I can run away screaming."

Shepard let out a deep laugh at her gallows humor. "I suppose it's the least I can do, considering." he said, sweeping his hand across the obliterated room. As she hurried away, making a point not to look back, he chuckled again and contacted the Normandy to have them chrono down the MIAFV. And a replacement power cell for Wrex's weapon. They arrived a few moments later, and his team began to load up.

"Garrus, I want you in the front this time. Keep an eye out for rocket troopers, and be ready to switch out with Wrex if we meet any Colossi. Tali, you take the middle, and keep an eye on our flanks. Ash, you drive, and this time, go easy on the steering wheel. Last time, I nearly lost my lunch because of your crazy-ass driving." She flipped him off playfully as she made her way to the front of the tank, and he just chuckled. "I'll take up the rear, and this time, we play for all the marbles, Vakarian."

They finished boarding, and took off with a lurch, passing through a pair of sliding doors and into a driving blizzard. For the first few minutes, everything was quiet as they made their way around a winding path that hugged the mountains. Ashley had the good sense to slow down and take the icy curves with ease, which was fortunate considering that one misstep would send them careening off a sheer cliff. Eventually, Shepard could make out a structure in the storm, one that he'd seen before on Therum.

"Rocket turret, dead ahead!" he called out, putting a round into its shields. Garrus fired just after, and the barriers collapsed completely. Just as Shepard moved to take it out, the MIAFV lurched suddenly, and his shot went wide. Garrus' didn't, and the turret exploded a moment later as his Perch ripped it to shreds.

Shepard sent a mental spike towards Ashley, which she deflected easily. "Where'd you learn to drive?" he growled.

"What's the matter, Skipper?" she teased. "Off your game today?"

"Ash…"

She ignored him and sped forward, ramming the vehicle through a makeshift blockade the Geth had set up at the entrance to a nearby tunnel. Tali's flechettes blew several of the platforms apart as they passed, even as Garrus took out one with his Perch. Shepard eliminated three more with a pair of quick shots as they faded in the distance behind the MIAFV, and then spun his turret around looking for targets. They certainly abounded, the Geth having set up two more barricades along the length of the tunnel. Between the mass of the speeding tank, two skilled snipers, and the power of Tali's Cannon, they didn't stand a chance, and wound up as little more than twisted scrap by the time the tank came roaring out of the tunnel.

As the other end, a pair of Geth walkers lobbed bolts of blue plasma from a nearby ridge, and Shepard got lucky as he managed to take one out with a well-placed shot to the optic. As he turned to the second, he was once again thwarted by Ashley, who jerked the steering wheel to the side just as he fired. The powerful round did little more than graze the walker as it passed, and Garrus got yet another notch in his gun as he blew it to pieces.

Shepard let loose a string of curses as he sighted on a nearby Geth platform and obliterated it. When the fighting died down for a moment, he leveled a fierce gaze the back of the soldier's head. "You will rue this day, Ash. I promise you that."

"I don't see what your problem is, Shepard." said Garrus, reaching down to give the backstabbing, traitorous bitch a high five. "I think her driving's just fine." The pair shared a laugh at his expense, and most of his crew joined them. Shepard said nothing, simply grumbling under his breath. The tank made its way through a second tunnel, and once again, there was a surprise waiting at the other end, this time in the form of a rocket turret. Shepard bided his time, and waited until Garrus had eliminated the shields before blowing the thing sky high.

As they traveled the final leg of their trip to Peak 15, they passed two more turrets, of which each sniper got one. They made the final turn, and were surprised by one last turret, which sent a rocket slamming into the tank's kinetic barriers before it could dodge. Shepard and Garrus took one shot each at the thing, and its shields dropped. Before either of them could take it out, Tali shredded it with her Cannon, and that sealed the deal.

"Well, Shepard, it looks like I win. As usual." said Garrus, climbing out of his seat.

"I won't argue the point Vakarian. But then again, you don't have to worry as much as she does."

"Relax, Shepard." said Nihlus, patting him on the shoulder. "It's only your pride that's injured. And as small as it is, you'll recover quickly." he quipped.

A second litany of curses flew from Shepard's mouth, and he finally gave up on the situation. He'd only dig himself in deeper. "Let's just get inside the base. I'll figure out what to do with you three later."

They approached the oversized garage door that led to the research facility, but found it blocked by a heap of twisted wreckage and fire. It looked like someone had tried to escape by ramming a vehicle through the blast door, and it hadn't worked. They found a smaller side entrance, and quickly made their way through and out of the freezing cold. They passed through a larger blast door, and were greeted by the sight of an enormous, seemingly empty garage. It was quiet.

Too quiet.