A/N: Two chapters within 24 hours? Guess I still have the mojo after all? But regardless I really wanted to kick-start things into the ME1 timeline. And what better way than to AU my way into it? So here we go!
I own nothing
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Medical Clinic - Lower Wards
July 19, 2183 - 14:25 hours
Alex kept the shadows as he drew closer to the medical clinic. Parking his skycar farther down the block in an empty alley deciding to go in on foot to meet up with Garrus.
Checking his surroundings for the last time, the Post-Human headed toward the entrance to the clinic where the Turian detective was waiting. "Took your sweet time getting here Maverick." said Garrus from his spot against the wall by the door.
"I can't really just walk through public detective. I had to take the long route." replied the vigilante as they approached the door.
The place was empty save for the lone woman sitting at a desk in the back. Dr. Chloe Michel looked up from the reports she was working on at the two men that entered her clinic. "Hello, is there something I can do for the two of you?" she asked standing.
"Dr. Michel, Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec." said Garrus shaking her hand lightly.
Michel looked from the Turian investigator to the large Human in black and silver armor. Her eyes traveled up to the crimson red visor as he looked down at her. "If seen you around. Your Maverick aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am. We're here to talk about a Quarian woman that came to visit your clinic recently. She would have sustained a gunshot wound during a firefight in the Presidium Commons." said Alex.
The doctor nodded as she picked up a datapad from her desk, "Yes, I remember her. She came in the other day with a wound in her shoulder. She'd been running a fever due to the type of round used and the suit rupture." she said reading it over.
"What kind of round was used?" asked Garrus.
Michel handed him the datapad, "Polonium. The radioactive chemicals contained in the bullet in combination with her weakened immune system made her very ill. I had to work quickly within a sterile room to remove the round and administer enough antibiotics to help fight the infection."
"Can you tell us if she mentioned about why she was targeted?" asked Alex.
"She said something about having vital information and was looking for a way to trade it for safety. She passed out from the fever shortly after that before I could get anything more. I was about to call C-Sec about the incident when you two walked in." said the doctor.
"Is she still here?" asked Garrus. Michel nodded as she lead them toward the back of the clinic.
"Her fever broke hours ago, and medi-gel helped heal her wounds. But I wanted to keep her here for a day or two to ensure that she was healthy again." said the woman as she opened the door.
The three froze seeing the room vacant. "She's gone." said Michel going around the room to look things over. Alex's visor scanned the room, having Prophet check for any abnormalities.
His HUD zoomed in on an open air vent on the floor in the corner of the room. "This is how she got out." he said walking over to the vent and inspecting it. "She must have slipped away once she had her strength back."
"If she's running we can assume that she might not be so innocent." said Garrus.
The vigilante shoot him a look, "Can you blame her Vakarian? Quarians aren't really held in such high regard here on the Citadel. The discrimination coupled with being shot probably gave her a very low view of who can help her." he turned to Michel, "Doctor, can you think of anywhere she could have gone to pawn off her data?"
She thought hard for several moments, "There is a crime lord that goes by the name of Fist. It is rumored that he is an agent of the Shadow Broker. If she has vital information that is of any value the Shadow Broker would buy it. Fist runs Chora's Den, a gentleman's club that's farther up the ward, he'd be the closest contact."
Garrus' mandibles flared slightly, "Fist is well known at C-Sec. The bastard always finds a way around the law and avoids prosecution. If he has connections with the Shadow Broker it's no surprise how he avoids law enforcement."
Alex brought up his omni-tool and brought up all the information Prophet could locate on Fist. "Then we better get to her before she contacts Fist. According to this Fist has a hit out on him courtesy of the Shadow Broker, a Krogan bounty hunter is currently after him."
"If that's the case, than our witness could be in serious trouble if Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore." said Garrus.
Bidding Dr. Michel goodbye, the duo quickly left the clinic and made their way through the ward toward Chora's Den. "We got a plan?" asked Alex as they went through a couple back alleys.
"We can't just storm the club guns blazing, too many innocent bystanders could be hurt in the crossfire. We just need to find the Quarian before Fist gets ahold of her." said Garrus as they exited the last alley and approached the gentlemen's club.
"You two going after Fist?" asked a deep rumble of a voice.
The two turned and saw a large Krogan in blood-red armor with a scarred face approaching them. Red slitted eyes looked them both over for a brief moment before settling on Alex. "Maverick, heard a lot about you around this place. You leave a good amount of death and destruction in your wake."
Alex crossed his arms over his chest, "Urdnot Wrex. Krogan bounty hunter known for excessive bloodshed and getting the job done. Was wondering when I'd run into you. I take it you're the one hired by the Shadow Broker to take out Fist?" he said standing tall before the large Krogan.
"I am. Fist made the grave error of crossing the worst person in the galaxy." said Wrex. "The Shadow Broker wants him dead. And I don't leave a job unfinished."
"I can't let you do that." said Garrus reminding the two that he was there as well. "And you won't get away with killing a man in cold blood, no matter who he's crossed."
Wrex took an intimidating step forward, "And whose going to stop me Turian? You?" he growled making to reach for the Claymore shotgun folded up on his back. Garrus didn't back down an inch as he flipped the safety off on his sidearm.
"Enough!" Alex shouted catching the attention of the two aliens. "Look, no matter how you slice it we're both after the same thing." he looked at Garrus, "Fist is a shifty crime lord who steps on whoever he wants for his own needs. If he winds up dead not a whole lot of people will shed a tear over it. Christ, how many criminal scumbags have I put six feet under in the last two and a half years?"
The vigilante looked at Wrex next, "If you want Fist dead that's one thing. But we're not going to put innocent people in the crosshairs just so you can complete your job. So if you want to help us take him down and save our witness then fine, but your following our lead until we get to who we're looking for. Deal?"
The Krogan warlord narrowed his eyes at the vigilante, "You expect me to just follow your orders?"
"You want Fist, you help us. Everybody wins. You got a problem with that your on your own. You try to shoot us in the back, I'll rip your damn head plate off and use it as an ashtray." the Post-Human said evenly not breaking eye contact.
Wrex kept glaring for several moments before he started chuckling, "Heh, you got a quad on you Maverick. You definitely live up to the reputation." the Krogan squared his shoulders, "Alright, I'll follow your lead. But Fist is mine at the end of this."
Alex nodded as they began to head toward the club again. "Are you crazy?" whispered Garrus. "You just made a deal with a bounty hunter. A Krogan bounty hunter at that."
"Just covering all of our bases." replied the vigilante. "Best case scenario we have a heavy hitter on our side if shit goes bad. Worst case scenario he'll turn on us and I'll have to put him down, and I'd rather do that right off when he does it instead of later where he might have help."
Garrus nodded and let the matter drop. Alex knew damn well that Wrex was trustworthy despite being deadly around the edges he knew honor and would hold true to it even in the face of death.
And with Wrex and Garrus covering his six, successfully getting to Tali was looking better and better.
X
Chora's Den was nothing more than a watered down version of Afterlife. Deep red lighting, loud beating music, scantily clad strippers and waitresses moving about all around the club with drunken patrons drooling after them.
The biggest difference is that Aria atleast knew how to show her customers a good time.
Alex looked around the large room with his visor activated. Over a dozen guards and bouncers were tagged and highlighted on his HUD as he, Garrus and Wrex walked through the semi-crowded club toward the back where Fist's office was located.
"Seems no matter where you go in the galaxy, you always end up finding a bunch of Asari shaking their asses." commented Wrex looking around the club for threats.
Garrus shook his head as they entered the back area and approached a Krogan that was standing guard at the only door. "Back off, private area." grunted the Krogan bouncer as they stood in front of him.
"Here to see Fist. Got a few questions for him." said Alex.
"Too bad. The boss is with someone right now and can't afford to be disturbed." said the bouncer not moving.
"That someone wouldn't happen to be a Quarian now would it?" asked Garrus preparing for a possible fight.
The bouncer's eyes widened a slight fraction. That was more than enough for Alex. "I suggest you stand aside, or things will become unpleasant for you very quickly." he said. Garrus and Wrex drawing their weapons behind him.
Everything happened very quickly. The bouncer went to charge only to be slammed into the wall with enough force to dent the metal. "Maximum Power."Alex grabbed the Krogan's face in his hand and smashed his head hard against the wall making another dent and knocking the bouncer out cold.
"Now that he's out of the way." said Alex drawing one of his Hammers and opening the door revealing a flight of stairs leading up to Fist's office. "Let's get our Quarian and deal with this asshole."
The trio stepped up the stairs slowly, making sure to make as little noise as possible as they approached the office. Alex held up his fist making Wrex and Garrus freeze. He pressed his head close to the locked door hearing voices from inside. One female with an accent, the other male. "They're inside, get ready."
Firing up his omni-tool, the vigilante quickly hacked the door. The second the door opened the three stormed the room guns up making the two occupants of the room jump.
Alex recognized the man in the red and black suit behind the desk as Fist, Prophet confirming the man's identity after a quick scan. But it was the Quarian woman that he recognized much quicker.
Standing in the center of the room wearing an enviro-suit with various colors of blue, purple and silver with a purple visor was Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.
"Who the fuck are you!" Fist shouted reaching for a switch on his desk. Alex aimed and fired his pistol punching a hole through the crime lord's shoulder, splashing blood across the glass window behind him and causing him to cry out in pain.
"I'd sit down if I were you." said Alex darkly before turning to the still stunned Quarian. "Are you alright miss?"
Tali nodded hesitantly, "Wh-What's going on?" she asked looking at the three heavily armed people aiming their weapons at Fist.
"We just saved your life. Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore, Wrex here was hired to kill the bastard for betraying him." explained the vigilante.
The Quarian's back stiffened as Alex turned back to Fist who was sitting in his chair holding his bleeding shoulder. "Out of curiosity Fist, who were you going to set this poor girl up with for the data she has?"
Fist gnashed his teeth, "I ain't saying a fucking thing."
"Just let me kill him. It'll be quick." said Wrex racking his shotgun. "No Wrex, he might have information that might be useful." said Garrus trying to avoid bloodshed.
Alex walked across the room, holstering his pistol as he stood in front of the desk. He grabbed the edge of the table and gripped hard. "Maximum Power." he ripped the desk from the floor and threw it across the room, slamming loudly against the far wall. "Feel like talking now? Or do I have to tear off a limb or two?"
The crime lord paled at the display. "...Saren...I work for Saren Arterius. He paid me more than the Shadow Broker ever did, in exchange I help him gather intelligence on whatever he needs. When he heard about the Quarian having information on him he paid me to send assassins after her to make sure no one got ahold of it."
Tali's eyes narrowed, "You lying bosht'et! Those where your men that attacked me outside the Presidium!"
"And it would have worked out. How was I suppose to know that a suit rat was that good in com-" Fist was cut off by another gunshot. A wound similar to the one on his right shoulder blew open on his left. The crime lord cried out in agony as his arms both hung limply at his sides with blood dripping down them onto the floor.
Alex lowered his Hammer, barrel still smoking. "One of my closest friends is a Quarian. I suggest you keep those comments to yourself, you might live a little longer. Now then," he stepped forward and looked down at the wounded and weak man. "I want to know everything you know about Saren. If your one of his information brokers than you should know something vital."
Fist groaned, "I don't...know shit. He keeps mostly to himself. Only telling me what I need to know and what to look for. But...he started acting strange a few months ago."
"Strange how?" asked Garrus now curious.
"I'm not sure. He was a real hardass to start with. But everything started to change after he discovered something." said Fist.
"What did he discover?" asked Alex already knowing where things might be going.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it was it had him acting like he had a bigger purpose than being the council's puppet." replied Fist. "Christ, it almost seemed like he was talking to something that only he could hear a lot of the time. That's all I really know."
Alex nodded before taking a step back, "Wrex, collect your bounty." Fist's eyes widened and opened his mouth only to be silenced by the loud 'boom' of a shotgun discharging. The once powerful crime lord fell back in his chair onto the floor with his chest blown open, a large pool of blood already forming around his corpse.
"What that really necessary?" Garrus said loudly as Alex walked past him.
"You saying he didn't deserve it?" the vigilante asked looking in his direction. "How many people do you think he killed, or had killed, simply because he was a greedy bastard only looking out for himself?" he looked back at the corpse before going back to the detective. "It may not be legal justice. But sometimes you have to follow your instincts and do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may seem."
Moving on, he approached Tali who had her back turned to the room. "Ma'am, we never got your name before all of this."
She was silent a moment before turning to him. "Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. I can't believe Fist was setting me up, I knew I shouldn't have trusted him." she said shaking her head.
"You had no idea of knowing how valuable the data you have really was. Or the lengths people would go to get it. But right now we need your help." Alex said calmly. "The data you have, if it really has something on Saren Arterius and could implicate him for what happened to Eden Prime we need to get it to the council before Saren can slip away."
Tali rubbed her hands together, "I was hoping to sell the data for protection. But I guess I owe you my life for saving me from a trap."
"We'll keep you safe from here on out." said Garrus honestly. "But we should get moving. The sooner we get this data to the council the faster charges can be brought up against Saren."
"And we better do it fast.:" said Wrex as he glared out of the office window down into the club below. "Because Fist's thugs must have heard the commotion and are preparing for war down there." Alex came over and looked down, the warlord was right. All of the patrons and dancers were gone. The original 12 thugs he tagged were still highlighted on his HUD, but he quickly tagged over eight more as they all took up places around the club and waited for them.
"Their all armed, small arms mostly. A few shotguns and assault rifles in the mix. No armor or shields." Alex broadcasted. "Tactical Options Available." "When we reach the ground floor we split off into two groups. Covering both sides of the club and making sure no one gets behind us."
"Can the Quarian even hold a gun?" asked the old Krogan.
His answer was the sound of a shotgun racking and Tali stalking past them toward the stairs. "I'm slightly injured and have a cold. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to shoot." she paused at the door before glaring at Wrex with narrowed, glowing eyes. "And my name is Tali." she growled as she went down the stairs.
The three men looked at each other. Wrex shrugged, "Women." Readying weapons, they followed after Tali just in time to see her take down a thug armed with an assault rifle at the base of the stairs.
Alex stared down the sight of this Grendel, switching to single shot before putting a round through a thug's head as he poked up from behind a table.
Garrus scooped up the first thug's discarded rifle and took down two thugs as they tried to regroup into cover. Those he missed were taken out by the loud register of Wrex's Claymore.
Like Alex had planned, the four split into two teams. Alex and Tali went right, Garrus and Wrex went left. Each group gunning down any thugs that came up to shoot at them.
"Maximum Armor."rounds bounced harmlessly off of Alex's suit as he stood in front of Tali as she switched her overheated shotgun for her sidearm. Pulling a grenade from his belt, he primed it before lobbing the device over the bar where three thugs had taken refuge.
The following explosion send the now dead men scattering everywhere.
Wrex's heavy foot connected hard with a thug's chest. Shattering the poor man's ribcage and sending him through a nearby table. Garrus jumped out of cover and took out another that was attempting to shoot at them from the elevated stage in the center of the club.
The whole firefight was over in two minutes. The bodies of close to 20 thugs laid scattered across the club that now looked like a small warzone. "Ha! That was fun." said Wrex shouldering his Claymore.
Garrus looked at all of the destruction and shook his head, "This...is going to cause a lot of paper work." he muttered.
"Come on, we need to get to the council with the data." said Alex as they double timed it.
Along the way, Alex noticed Wrex still following them. "Your contract was completed, why you sticking around Wrex?
The warlord grinned, "If your helping to go after Saren I wouldn't mind being a part of it. Should make for one hell of a good fight. And seeing what you did to Fist and his men back there, you could be someone I could stand to be around longer than a few seconds."
The Post-Human didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. He decided to let it drop regardless.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Enroute to Citadel Tower
July 19, 2183 - 15:01 hours
It was a tight fit, but all four of them managed to fit into Alex's skycar as he flew them at top speed toward the Citadel tower. Tali riding shotgun while Garrus and Wrex sat in the back as he weaved in and around traffic.
Garrus closed down his omni-tool after having a long chat with Executor Pallin. "The Executor says that the council is already in session regarding Saren. The Alliance team that was on Eden Prime is already there trying to get a conviction but things aren't going well." he said grimly.
"Then we better get there fast before they close the case." said Alex shifting gears and making the skycar go even faster.
The tower quickly came into view as they drew closer. Two C-Sec skycars quickly pulled up along both sides of their vehicle. "Unknown vehicle, you are approaching Citadel Tower at exceeding speeds. Pull over immediately." said one of the officers.
Garrus pulled up his omni-tool again. "This is Detective Garrus Vakarian. I am in the black skycar with a witness and evidence to be presented to the council ASAP. Sending authorization and badge number now." he said hitting sa few keys.
"Confirmed Detective Vakarian, we'll escort you in." came the reply as they approached the tower.
Alex touched them down in a vacant spot closest to the council chambers as they all quickly piled out and ran inside. "The meeting sounds like it's coming to an end we need to move fast!" shouted Garrus as they double timed it.
They ran through the atrium causing people to get out of their way. Reaching the stairs as they heard councilor Tevos' voice. "The council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth Ambassador, your petition to have him-"
"COUNCILORS!" Alex shouted making several people jump at his sudden arrival. Everyone looked at him and the group following wide eyed as he slowly approached the podium. Recognizing the faces of Anderson, Udina, and the three man team from Eden Prime.
"What is the meaning of this!" Saren's hologram hissed at the sudden intrusion.
"Maverick, to what do we owe this interruption? This is a very serious matter." said Sparatus wondering what the vigilante was doing here.
"Councilors, we have evidence to prove Saren's involvement with the Geth and the attack on Eden Prime." said Alex making everyone gasp.
"I will not stand for this! This...vigilante has no place here!" Saren roared.
Tevos held up her hands to calm things down before addressing the Post-Human. "What is this evidence you speak of? And how can we be sure that it is genuine?"
Alex motioned for Tali to step forward. "Councilors, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She came across the data and was attempting to get it to the right people when she was attacked outside the Presidium by hired assassins. Detective Vakarian and myself, along with the aid of this Krogan behind us saved her before it was too late."
"As for authentication, several of our techs can run through it to prove that it is genuine if need be." added Garrus.
"How did you come across this evidence Ms. Zorah?" asked Valern.
Tali took a deep breath before bringing up her omni-tool, "I was on my pilgrimage, my path into adulthood for my people when I encountered a squad of Geth on a world not far from this system. I caught one of them alone and managed to disable it, taking out it's memory core before it could wipe it completely clean. As I was going through what data survived I found this:" she hit a button and a recording started playing.
"Eden Prime was a major victory. We are one step closer to finding the Conduit." Saren's voice came out loud and clear. "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."
The silence that filled the chambers was suffocating. One of the best Spectres of the council had just been implicated clear as day before everyone in attendance. Udina was the first to recover, "You all wanted proof? There it is!" he said pointing at Tali's omni-tool.
The council over came their shock and looked up at their top agent. "Saren, what have you to say for this?" asked Tevos strictly.
Saren was silent, his eyes glaring down hatefully at Alex who glared back through his visor. "You will regret this day human." he spat out like poison before swiping with his talons causing the hologram to shut down.
Alex looked at where the hologram had just been. The realization that he had just majorly changed things clear in his mind. A big part of him knowing that this was just the beginning and things would become far more difficult from here on out.
Looking over his shoulder at everyone who was looking at him in various stages of shock, awe and intrigue. Ashley and Kaidan were looking at him as though he were a phantom that appeared out of thin air.
But out of the whole group, a pair of bright jade colored eyes caught his attention the most, the eyes of the future savior of the galaxy and the one who would pull out all the stops to end the Reapers in the future.
Commander Jane Shepard.
A/N: I always thought to myself when I played the first Mass Effect of what it would be like if the evidence against Saren arrived sooner. This was my vision of that only with my OC bringing the evidence forward to help Shepard expose him.
The next chapter will go into a little more detail on the council's final decision about Saren and how to go about apprehending him. But many of my fellow gamers know exactly where this might be headed. Update coming soon!