Chapter 19: Enemy at the Gates

Having just pissed off at least three of the most powerful people in the galaxy, Shepard decided he needed to move, and move quickly, if he wanted to stay ahead of the veritable shit-storm he'd just started. To that end, he made his way to the command deck and resolved to contact an old friend.

"Joker, see if you can get Admiral Hackett on the horn."

A few minutes later, the admiral's hologram appeared above galaxy map in the CIC.

"Commander."

"Admiral. I've got a bit of a problem, and I could use your help."

"What sort of problem are we talking about, here?"

"Would you believe me if I said Saren was studying psychic powers in a lab on Noveria, and he was trying to use them to create and control his own personal army?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Good, because he was. The individual he was using is a member of a species that possesses natural psionic abilities. I was able to recover her from the facility, and have her aboard the Normandy. Unfortunately, the Turian, Salarian, and Asari Councilors disagree with that decision, and ordered me to kill her."

"Wait, slow down here. Natural psionic abilities?"

"Yes sir."

"And you rescued her?" he asked slowly.

"I did."

"Well. I can see why they might object to that, but considering she was being used against her will, I think their reaction is a bit extreme. Still, as a Spectre, you're required to follow their orders, even if it means killing an innocent."

Shepard grinned evilly. "Not exactly, Admiral. As it turns out, she was born in Alliance space, which makes her an Alliance citizen. I'm protecting her under a technicality in the Treaty of Shanxi."

Hackett grinned even wider than Shepard. "Ha! I bet Tevos didn't take that well. What's this got to do with me?"

"I get the feeling the Council may very well revoke my Spectre status for protecting her. Even so, she's the last member of her race, and I won't countenance genocide. I need a safe place to hide her for a while, from both the Council and the Alliance general public. I'd ask my mother for help, but she's gonna have her hands full dealing with the political bullshit."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure we could find somewhere on a military base to keep her for a while."

Shepard shook his head. "I wish it were that simple, Admiral. The reason the Council ordered me to kill her is that she's Rachni."

"WHAT?!"

Shepard sighed loudly. "Yeah, that was their reaction, too. Look, it's a long story, but here're the basics: The Reapers were using some sort of mind control to force the Rachni into attacking the Council and starting the Rachni Wars. In my book, that makes them about as guilty as Yuri's victims, and I won't execute her for something like that, especially when it means condemning an entire race."

Hackett hesitated for a moment, rubbing his chin and looking pensive. "How can you be sure of all this, Shepard?"

Shepard tapped the side of his head. "MC powers, remember? I was able to look inside her mind. She's telling the truth; I'm sure of it. Even so, we need to develop a way for the Rachni to resist further influence from the Reapers. If we do, they could prove to be a valuable ally in the future."

Hackett looked stunned. "Are you actually suggesting a formal alliance with the Rachni?"

"Eventually, yes. She's offered to help fight the Reapers, and I'm inclined to let her. For now, though, the Queen needs somewhere safe to begin rebuilding her civilization. It needs to be somewhere the Council can't find her, preferably somewhere nobody can find her. If possible, I'd like to keep the location within the Alliance High Command. Additionally, we need to keep an eye on her. I might believe her story, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Hackett took a moment to respond. "Shepard, this is… this is incredibly dangerous. You know that, right? Both of us could be shot for doing something like this. Hell, we could start a galaxy sized war because of this. I'm not sure it's worth it."

"Sir, any war we start will pale in comparison to the one the Reapers bring when they arrive. I won't let the Rachni burn out of fear of what the Council might do. Frankly, we need her help."

"Damnit." he sighed. "Alright. I'll see what I can do to convince the rest of the High Command. For now, there's one place I think we can keep her. There's a planet in Alliance space we've been surveying for a while as a possible location for our black book science and research projects. It's got some damn harsh surface conditions, but the Rachni should be resistant to them. We chose it because it's nearly fifty light-years away from any inhabited system, and more than twice that from a Relay. It's damn near on the edge of the galaxy, actually. I'll transmit the coordinates to your personal omnitool."

"What's the name of the planet?"

"No name, Shepard. We've managed to erase all mention of it from our official charts and records, and I expect you to do the same. The only person outside you and the rest of the High Command who might know about it is the Shadow Broker, and even that's doubtful. The code name for it is…"

"Is?"

"Black Mesa."

It took nearly a full week to get the Rachni Queen to safety on Black Mesa, during which time the crew of the Normandy had almost nothing to do. It grated on their nerves, being cooped up for that long while Saren was gallivanting around the galaxy doing god-knows what. After speaking with Hackett, Shepard had the entire crew surrender their omnitools and QECs, before putting the Normandy under a total communications blackout and having Tali and Pluribus lock the ship's computers out of recording their flight plan. The only person who could make or receive calls was him, and he only did it once, to confirm with Hackett that they'd arrived at the planet and dropped off the Queen.

"The Council wants to speak with you, Shepard."

"I'm sure they do, Admiral. Why do you think I've been sending them to voicemail for the past week? Right now, I don't have any official orders, and until I bug out of the system, I intend to keep it that way."

Hackett chuckled slightly. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a sneaky bastard?"

"Yes, actually. But considering it was my mother, that's the biggest case of the pot calling the kettle black I've ever heard."

Hackett chuckled again, louder. "I suppose it is, isn't it? Regardless, I'm forwarding the details of a new assignment to you. Rear Admiral Kohaku had an S&R team go missing in the Artemis Tau cluster recently, and since you're relatively close, I'd like you to check it out. They were investigating some kind of distress call when they went dark. The disturbing thing is, the team he sent is gone, but the original signal's still there."

That sent a ball of icy fear crashing into Shepard's gut. "That sounds like… that sounds like Akuze." he murmured.

"Yes, it does." Hackett replied solemnly. "Stay on your toes down there, Commander. Hackett out."

Shepard stood at the CIC for a minute, trying to reign in his rampaging emotions. Eventually, he found himself walking around the ship, almost aimlessly. He wasn't sure where he was headed, and he only snapped out of his reverie when he entered the Medbay. As soon as he did, Benezia and Liara turned to face him. The Asari mother and daughter had been nearly inseparable since Benezia regained consciousness two days ago.

"Johnathan. It's good to see you." said Benezia. Her voice took on a mildly annoyed tone. "I've wanted to speak with you for some time, but Dr. Chakwas insists on further bed rest. You'd think I've had enough in the past week."

Shepard laughed slightly. "Benezia, there are only two people in the galaxy who I think could match you in a contest of wills, and I wouldn't want to see Karin and my mother go head to head. It'd be safer to fight a Thresher Maw on foot."

She grinned slightly. "How is Hannah doing?"

"Well enough, I suppose. I have the feeling she's not too happy with me at the moment, though."

"Oh?"

"I talked to the Council shortly after speaking to you last. Besides ignoring their order to kill the Rachni Queen, I may have… insinuated… that Sparatus became a Councilor through rather… inappropriate means."

Benezia arched an eyebrow… thing… at him. "Inappropriate?"

"I asked if he slept his way to the top." admitted Shepard sheepishly.

Benezia let out a short, trilling laugh. "Oh, Goddess. You said that to his face?"

"Kinda."

"Are you crazy? Hannah's going to be very upset with you, Johnathan." she chided, unable to completely hide her mirth.

Liara interrupted the conversation. "Wait, I don't understand. What does it mean to… 'sleep your way to the top?' "

Benezia's eyes popped at her daughter's question, and her crests flushed slightly. Shepard answered, a bit of amusement in his voice.

"It's a Human aphorism meaning that someone attains advancement by giving… favors to those in positions of power. Sexual favors."

Liara's crests immediately turned a brilliant shade of cerulean and she cleared her throat loudly. "I… I see. That's rather… inappropriate to say to a Citadel Councilor."

"It's downright stupid, Johnathan." countered Benezia firmly. "Did you never learn to hold your tongue? They could strip you of your Spectre status for that alone."

"Let them." he said bluntly. "I'm sick of putting up with their bullshit. If they had their way, they'd stick their heads in the sand and wait for the Reapers to arrive in force before doing anything about it. I'll be damned if I let that happen."

Benezia paused for a moment to digest his words before replying. "You are truly your mother's son." A look of determination came to her face. "However, I happen to agree with you about the Reapers. Once we return to the Citadel, I'll see if I can't persuade them to see the truth."

"Do you think you can manage?" he asked.

"Johnathan, when your mother presented her conditions for peace after the Contact War, I was the one to deliver them to the Council. Tevos became rather… agitated, and I had to slap some sense into her."

"You slapped the Asari Citadel Councilor?" he asked incredulously.

She grinned devilishly. "Twice. And I threatened to spank her like a child if she didn't compose herself."

Shepard let out a booming belly laugh at the revelation. "And you call me crazy?"

Liara sent a look of pride towards her mother, though it was laced with streaks of mortification and disbelief. "Mother!"

"She needed it." Benezia sniffed. "And from the looks of things, they may all need the same. When do you intend to return to the Citadel?"

"Soon. For now though, I've got an assignment from Admiral Hackett in the Artemis Tau cluster. We should arrive in a few days."

"Wrex, Tali, Ash, I want you three to come down with me to Edolus in the MIAFV. We're looking for an MIA S&R team, and we need to find out what's sending the signal they were investigating."

"John, this sounds-"

"I know, Tali." he said, cutting her off. "That's why I'm bringing you and Wrex. If anything goes wrong down there, I want all the firepower we can muster."

"John… maybe you should stay here for this one. Let me take Garrus instead."

Shepard hesitated a moment, but then shook his head. "No. I need to do this, Tali. Suit up and get ready."

The trip down to the surface of Edolus was relatively routine, and the short drive to the location of the transmitter was equally mundane. As the vehicle topped the last rise before the open plain, the scope on Shepard's Perch allowed him to make out the charred remains of a destroyed MIAFV. When it was close enough for the rest of his crew to see, Shepard felt his stomach bottom out when he saw the bodies.

"Fuck."

"What is it, John?" asked Tali concernedly.

"I think I see the S&R team… what's left of them, anyway."

"Oh, Keelah. John…"

"Just… stop the tank, Ash."

She did as he asked, a little over two hundred meters from the site. Before he could think about it further, Shepard activated his chronosuit and appeared next to the wreck of the vehicle. There were half a dozen Human corpses around and in it, all Marines. Two were charred from the fires that'd gutted their tank, but the others looked like they'd been dissolved by some kind of powerful acid. The instant he saw them, Shepard knew what'd happened, and he quickly found himself on the ground, emptying his stomach.

'Christ.' he thought numbly. In a moment, his brain started working again. 'This is Akuze all over again. Well, if there was a Maw here, it's gone. I need to find whatever it was that brought them here.'

He stood shakily, and made his way to the wreck, taking out his omnitool as he did and scanning for the source of the mysterious broadcast signal. After a few seconds, he located a small, metallic box that'd been dropped near the body of one of the Marines. It lacked any markings, and clearly wasn't Alliance issue.

"What the hell?" he mumbled. 'Whatever this thing is, it lured these guys to their deaths. That's not happening again.' He activated his chronosuit and teleported back to the waiting tank. Almost as soon as he reappeared, everything went black.

Pain.

'This again?'

Thought, then sound.

"-king up. Commander, can you hear me?"

'Well, at least this time I don't need to worry about some damn vision being rammed into my head.'

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Karin." he replied quietly. He expected to feel a monstrous headache, but whatever she gave him this time was proving effective. Still, it felt like he'd been hit by a bus.

"You big bosh'tet." said Tali softly.

"Well, at least I didn't get another vision this time." he said, trying to rise. When he found he couldn't, he looked down, only to find he was surrounded by a skin-tight Mass Effect field, acting as a full body cast. Beneath it were several layers of dermal wrap, which encompassed most of his torso and upper leg on his left side. "What happened?"

"The beacon you found had some sort of proximity trigger." replied Tali. "When you tried to leave with it, it exploded. If it hadn't been for your shields and armor, you…"

"Would've died?" he finished softly.

She didn't answer, but she bowed her head, and a pair of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Tali… I'm glad I went down there." Her head snapped up suddenly, and her eyes locked with his. "I'd rather it be me than you, or anyone else, really." He hesitated for a moment. "At least there wasn't a Thresher Maw this time."

"No, John… there was. After you… the explosion attracted it. Wrex and I managed to kill it before it could do anything, but it's definitely what killed the rescue party. John… that beacon was planted there as a trap. Those men were lured there, intentionally."

That made him angry, and he let out a low growl. "Was there anything left of the beacon for you to analyze?"

"Not much." she replied. "Pluribus and I've been going over what's left of it for the past two days, but we haven't been able to determine anything more than the chemical composition of the alloys it's made of. That helps, but not a lot."

"Two days? That's how long I was out?"

"Yeah. When we got you back up to the ship… you were in rough shape. Karin's been working on you for all that time."

Chakwas continued the sentence. "And I must say, you're lucky you had a chronosuit. Its' emergency systems kicked in right after the explosion, and put your body in stasis. If it hadn't, things could've been much worse. As it stands, I want you here for three more days, minimum."

"It looks like I'll have some company then." said Benezia, turning to face him. He hadn't realized she was there.

"Heh. I guess there's that, at least. Actually, I meant to ask you about this earlier, but-"

"About Saren?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "He sent me to Noveria to acquire the location of the Mu Relay." Seeing his confused look, she explained. "The Mu Relay is a Mass Relay that was lost roughly four thousand years ago. The supernova of a nearby star pushed it into interstellar space and swathed it in hot gas and dust. Since not even Alliance sensors can detect cold objects like that, the only way to locate the Relay was to obtain the information from a being that already had it. The Relay was in Rachni controlled territory, and Saren sent me to acquire its' location from the Queen. I… was not gentle."

"You were being controlled, Benezia. It's not your fault, and you know it." he said. "Why did Saren want the location of the Mu Relay?"

"He never said. All I know is that we mustn't let him succeed. I transmitted the information to him shortly before you arrived, and I fear we may've delayed too long."

Shepard sighed. "Unfortunately, we can't do much about it at the moment. For now, I-"

"Need to rest." said Tali, cutting him off. "You'll stay here for three days, even if I have to sit on you."

He laughed, but then winced in pain. "Fair enough, Tali. Tell Joker to set a course for the Citadel, but to take his time getting there." As he lay his head back down on the bed, he closed his eyes. "In the meantime, I'll get some rest. When I wake up, there are a million things I need to tell you, Benezia."

When the Normandy arrived at the Citadel eighty hours later, Shepard, Tali, Nihlus, and Benezia had barely made it out of the airlock before the C-Sec guards arrived.

"We're here to escort you to the Council, Commander." said their leader, a Turian wearing black armor.

"Lead on." he replied calmly.

After a few minutes of wordless travel, Tali finally broke the silence.

"John, what…?"

"The Council's probably pissed at me. Best guess, they'll strip me of my Spectre status."

Tali gaped at the revelation. "They can't do that!"

"Of course they can." interjected Benezia. "Spectres are agents of the Council. Showing blatant disrespect to one of them and disobeying a direct order they give is grounds for removal."

"But Hannah-"

"Is only one Councilor." said Benezia, cutting her off firmly. "As is Shala'Raan. He's pushed them too far for them to simply ignore his behavior. It's likely that he won't be imprisoned: they can't risk angering the Alliance by doing something that drastic, but they won't stand for something like this."

"It doesn't matter." said Shepard angrily. "When I decided to go after Saren, I said I'd do it alone if necessary, and I meant it. Spectre or not, I intend to find him and kill him."

"You're not alone, John." replied Tali. "I'm with you in this, all the way. Everyone aboard the Normandy is… well, maybe not Yuri, but you get the picture."

"They'll probably give one of us command of the mission, Shepard." said Nihlus. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

A look came to Nihlus' face of what would be described as a sly grin on a Human. "Shepard, I think you're starting to rub off on me. You saved my life back there on Feros, and I may have just found a way to repay that."

"Stop being all mysterious, Nihlus." ordered Shepard. "What is it?"

"Well…"

When they quartet finally arrived at the Citadel tower, they were quickly ushered up to the audience podium, where the Council was waiting. Tevos started in almost immediately.

"Johnathan Shepard. Based on your recent activities, your blatant and utter disrespect for the authority of this Council, and your failure to obey our order to destroy the Rachni Queen, we have decided to strip you of your Spectre status. While there will be no further punishment for your actions," she declared, casting a sidelong glance at Hannah, "you will be removed from the investigation into Saren Arterius' activities, effective immediately. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, we're appointing you to take his place as lead Spectre in the case."

"No." she replied bluntly.

Tevos looked stunned. "Excuse me?"

"No." she repeated firmly. "I won't let you do this to John. I'm officially resigning my position as a Spectre."

It took Tevos a moment to respond from her shock. "Very well, then. Nihlus-"

"Not a chance, Tevos." he said with a smile, interrupting her. "I'm resigning as well."

"Are you mad!" yelled Sparatus. "What's gotten into you, Kryik?"

"There's an old saying that Humans have: 'We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.' Your actions here are a disgrace. You're letting petty squabbles and old hatreds get in the way of the bigger picture. The Reapers are coming." he said, his words carrying an air of finality. "All of us: Human, Turian, Asari, Salarian, Quarian, Krogan, Geth, even Rachni; all of us have to unite as one if we're to have any hope of defeating them. We need to put politics aside and hang together. If we don't, we die."

The Council simply stared at him for a few moments, though Hannah and Raan wore bemused grins. After a long moment, Tevos turned an angry glare on Shepard.

"YOU! You orchestrated this, didn't you?!" she accused.

"Nope." he said with a laugh. "This was Nihlus' idea. I'm just along for the ride."

Tevos let out a low growl. "If you think for one instant that we're going to let you strong-arm and blackmail us into letting you-"

"Do what, Tevos?" interrupted Benezia coldly. "Save the lives of trillions of people? Stop the pointless genocide of an entire species? Prevent the destruction of every technologically advanced, sapient race in the entire galaxy? Make the choice to do the right thing?"

Tevos winced slightly at the word. "Benezia, we can't-"

"The Reapers are real." she stated, he voice as hard as iron. "If you require further proof, I'll give it to you. I've stood in one of them, Councilor." she said with scorn. The word caused Tevos to wince a second time. "I've felt their power. I was forced to stand idly by and watch as they tore through my mind and enslaved my will. I would be dead if it weren't for Johnathan Shepard; dead, or worse. I would've ended up as a mindless husk like so many of my followers, if not for him. Your actions will lead us all to disaster Tevos, and this time, we won't be able to buy our way out of it, as we did in the Contact War. I may not be able to do anything about Valern and Sparatus' actions, but I won't allow your weakness to compromise our people in this, our most difficult hour. The enemy is at the gates, and they're about to bring them crashing down on our heads." She paused for a few seconds to let her words sink in. "If you wish to test your will against mine, then by all means, continue with what you were saying."

Tevos simply stood there, unable to make a sound. Eventually, Valern spoke.

"Matriarch Benezia, you must understand: we can't allow this type of infraction against the Council to pass unanswered."

"Nor should you." she replied. "If you feel it necessary to strip Johnathan of his Spectre status, then do so. However, you can't be so short-sighted as to believe that the Alliance would accept anyone but a Human or a Quarian to lead the investigation into Saren. If you try, they may very well launch their own, independent investigation, and Shepard would almost certainly lead it, and take his crew and his ship with him. You would change nothing, except to lose what little control over his actions you already have. After all, as a Geist, he has nearly as much authority as a Spectre, and you have no say over how they operate."

"Then what is it you would suggest?" asked Sparatus.

"Simple. Strip him of his status as a Spectre."

"But you just said-"

"What I just said is irrelevant, since you obviously weren't listening closely enough. Let me spell it out for you: strip him of his Spectre status, and nothing else. He and his team will continue the investigation into Saren, as they have been."

"But how can he lead an effective investigation without the power of a Spectre?" questioned Valern.

"He has Tali and Nihlus' authority as Spectres, if needed, as well as his own as a Geist."

"The Spectres report to the Council, and the Council only. He can't lead them." retorted Sparatus in a puzzled and disbelieving voice.

Benezia let out a humorless laugh. "Of course you would think that. Johnathan may not have the rank or the legal authority to order them about, but he doesn't need it. He leads by virtue of his own will and resolve. To put it in perspective, he convinced the Alliance High Command to shelter the Rachni from the Council, and he did it in less than five minutes, based on nothing more than his word."

All of the Councilors, excluding Hannah, could do nothing but gape at the revelation. She simply gave him a look of pride, though it was quickly replaced by a stern mask. It took nearly a full ten seconds, but Tevos finally recovered from Benezia's speech.

"Very well. If you have no objections…?" she asked, turning to Sparatus and Valern, who said nothing. "Johnathan Shepard, you are hereby stripped of your Spectre status. Officially, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya will lead the investigation. Unofficially…"

"Fine." said Shepard, sounding almost bored. "I'm sure Benezia has some things she'd like to discuss with you, in private. In the meantime, I still have a job to do."

After leaving the Council to their deliberations, Shepard had Tali and Nihlus return to the Normandy. Then, knowing she'd be waiting for him, he decided to make his way to the Alliance embassy to see his mother. On his way there, he was stopped by middle aged Human woman.

"A moment of your time, Spectre? I have a business proposition for you."

Shepard was already annoyed at her for stopping him. "And that would be?"

"I'm acquainted with a pair of powerful crime bosses. They're hiding on remote worlds, and I have the coordinates. You could do the galaxy a favor."

A quick look inside her mind told him everything he needed to know. "Let me get this straight: you want me to hunt down your competition, so you can take over their business?" Her eyes went wide in shock, and he laughed grimly. "Firstly, I'm not a Spectre, not any more. Secondly, I'm a Geist, and if you think I'd willingly work with your crime syndicate just because your competition happens to practice slavery, you've made one hell of a miscalculation." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "Here's my counteroffer: give me the coordinates you were planning to anyways, and disband your organization. If you do, I'll have the Rangers make raids on their bases and I'll forget you exist. If you don't, I'll arrest you right now, get the coordinates the hard way, and then convince your rivals to testify against you… Helena Blake."

She managed to maintain her cool, at least on the surface, but Shepard could sense her anxiety and trepidation skyrocket when he used her name. "I see. Considering you seem to have far more information on me than I originally thought… I accept your terms, Geist."

She gave him the coordinates and turned to leave, but he gave her one final warning that brought her to a halt. "I'm giving you a second chance, Blake, and that's not something I usually do. If I see any evidence of your operation again, you won't live to go to prison. Don't screw this up."

"I'm not so foolish as to break my word to a Geist. Now if you'll excuse me…?"

He let her leave, and continued on his way to the embassy. When he finally got there a few minutes later, Hannah was waiting for him. The moment he arrived, she strode over to him and slapped him soundly on the cheek.

"God damnit, Johnathan! What the hell were you thinking?! It's bad enough that you had to defy the Council and preserve a Rachni Queen, but you just had to run your mouth off to Sparatus, didn't you?!" She brought her hand back and slapped him again, this time on the opposite cheek. "Where in the hell have you been for the last two weeks?! It took everything I had to convince the Council you hadn't gone rogue!"

He stood in place and let her tirade wash over him. When she finished, he explained. "I spent the first week transporting the Rachni Queen to a planet in Alliance space where she can rebuild her civilization. Hackett managed to come up with a location on short notice, and it's far enough out of the way that it won't be accidentally stumbled upon or discovered by the Council. I had to put the ship under a communications blackout and rewire the Normandy's computer so it wouldn't record the location of the Rachni world."

"And after that?" she asked angrily.

He hesitated for a moment. "The admiral asked me to look into the disappearance of a squad of Marines. They were investigating a distress signal when they went dark. When I got there, I found their bodies and equipment, destroyed by a Thresher Maw, just like at Akuze. I was taking the distress beacon back to be analyzed on the Normandy when it exploded and knocked me unconscious. The blast attracted the Maw, and my team managed to kill it without me. I spent the next two days in a coma, recovering from the explosion, and the last three confined to a bed. I still have dermal grafts on under my armor."

As he finished, a look of abject horror and fear came to Hannah's face. She pulled him into a fierce hug and immediately burst into tears. "Oh god! My boy. My beautiful baby boy. I'm-"

"Don't apologize." he interrupted, returning her hug. "I deserved it. All of it. I screwed up big time, and I definitely deserve more punishment than I got. I'm just… I'm just happy to see you."

She stood there for another few minutes, silently sobbing in his arms. Eventually, she pulled back and wiped the tears away from her bloodshot eyes. "I can't believe… I almost lost you, Johnathan. I spent the last two weeks angry at you, and you almost died. And I didn't even know. I swear: I'll never doubt you again."

He laughed slightly. "You should doubt me. A little, at least. Neither of us can do this alone, and I need you at the top of your game. If you're not, I could screw up even bigger." He laughed again, this time louder. "Still, I'm glad Benezia's on our side. Did you see the way she handled Tevos? She reminds me of you."

Hannah smiled slightly. "I guess she does. And I'll admit, seeing Tevos' reaction to being outmaneuvered by you, of all people, was priceless." she giggled. "Besides what you said to Sparatus, I agree with what you did. Even so, the rest of the Council will need some more convincing."

"That's your job. Mine's to find Saren and send him to hell."