"Look, fellas. This is just a big mix-up. Ok, so maybe my friend here isn't registered in Citadel Systems, but that doesn't mean we're going to cause any trouble." Garrus and Noble Six both had their hands raised in the air. The sight of half a dozen Citadel Special Response agents in full combat gear and Scimitar assault shotguns can make even the meanest Krogan have doubts in their mind.
"You always were trouble, weren't you Garrus? No wonder you were always buckin' heads with the Executor." The sergeant leading the fire team seemed to know Garrus. And he remembered Garrus couldn't follow the rules. "You aren't a problem Garrus, just an annoyance. But your…friend here is another matter. An unidentified civilian is one thing. Having a seven-foot tall human in military-grade combat armor is another. Give me one reason we don't shoot you both right now!"
"I'd like to see you try, Turian. I don't need a gun to deal with you." Six answered quickly, but he did so with a hint of amusement in his voice. Was he mocking the armed guards in front of him?
"Six, I told you to let me do the talking! Tullius, are you really going to shoot me? You may not like me, but you're smart enough to know I hate criminals far too much to try and pull something illegal off, especially on the Citadel. Let us talk to Bailey, and we will sort ourselves out. And you won't have any paperwork."
Tullius stared down the barrel of his shotgun, aiming straight at the human who just insulted him. He contemplated Garrus' suggestion, and while he already knew he was going to allow it, it still annoyed him more than Garrus himself. "Fine Garrus, but you better be ready to explain everything to Bailey. I'll be asking him about it later, and if he isn't convinced your intentions are good, I'll have you and your oversized friend thrown out an airlock. You have my word on that."
.
"Garrus, you aren't making my job very easy. First, both you and Shepard show up after no one hears from you in two years. Shepard at least had a good excuse; he was dead! But you were off 'saving the galaxy', and just didn't bother paying your taxes. Getting you two reinstated in the system was easy, but I got a few looks from the Executor. Luckily, Pallin doesn't hate you as much as you think, and he still respects you, even if you are a reckless idealist. But this is just too much. Now you want me to completely fabricate a Citizen ID for a guy that won't even bother telling me his real name!" Captain Armando Bailey wasn't usually a man to let regulations slow people down, but this was a very unique situation. Even he was reluctant to help the former C-Sec agent this time.
"Look, Captain. I know this isn't exactly legal, but I can assure you Noble Six isn't going to be causing any kind of trouble. He may be new to Shepard's team, but I already can tell he's going to be very useful. Hell, he might even help you hunt down some local thugs on his next shore leave." Garrus gave a subtle twitch to Six to encourage him to play along with the last part. "We won't be spending very much time on the Citadel with the mission we have, so you don't have to worry about us for too much at a time. Come on, Bailey. Can't you do this as a favor to me?"
"I never said I wouldn't help, Garrus. But this is bizarre, for me even. You know I don't like when regulations hold people back from their jobs, but this is asking a lot. By the way, Noble Six, if you want me to help you with this at least tell me your name."
"I'd rather keep my real name to myself, Captain. With all due respect, Spartans don't usually use their real names unless with other Spartans, or certain superiors." The thought of Doctor Halsey always calling her SPARTAN-IIs by their first name made him laugh a little inside his helmet; luckily, she had always avoided calling him and the other IIIs by their names. Maybe she just knew how much he liked the sound of Noble Six…
"Fine, if that's how you want to play it, I'm not your daddy. But don't think it isn't bothering me. If I even do make this happen, and that's a big if you two, what will I even put in the system? Spartan B312 is not the most inconspicuous name." Bailey was still agitated but he was finally loosening up with the stonewalling from Six.
"If I remember right, Captain, the Citadel ID departments are run almost completely by Salarians. While they may be smart, Salarians have a notoriously difficult time understanding human names; I guess there are just too many cultures for them to keep track of. Chances are, they wouldn't even think twice about reading Noble Six. Besides, I've met a few eccentric humans with some really weird names. That one guy, I think his name was McLovin? Even I knew that was fake, but he got through."
Bailey just sighed, both at the realization he was going to help these two trouble makers, and that someone would actually change their name to that… "Fine Garrus, you and you're over-armored friend here win. But I better find a very expensive bottle of whiskey in my desk before you two leave the station. I will need you to take that helmet off for a retinal scan before you leave though, Six"
Six was a little reluctant to remove something that had almost become a part of him over his life. It had become a part of him in some way. But he knew that Bailey was already doing him some big favors, so he stepped up to the desk and removed his helmet. Lucky for him, Garrus had gone over to talk with an old friend at another desk, and Bailey was so worked up already he didn't even bother to look at him more than to line up the scanning equipment. Six was always a little nervous around new people without his helmet. But just a few blue-light scans across his face were all the advanced identifiers used on the Citadel needed to add him into the system.
"There we go lieutenant; that should keep you safe. For a while, at least, but don't be surprised if some C-Sec Internal Affairs officers come asking you about some 'guy named Bailey.' If that does happen, I hope you and Garrus have the decency to say you hacked the system yourselves." Bailey couldn't contain a worried laugh while finishing his sentence. He stood up to shake Noble's hand. "If you're with Commander Shepard, I have no doubt in my mind you're doing something good. I don't know what you've heard about him, but the only reason this place is still in one piece is because of him and his original team. And Garrus was on that team too, so despite his sarcasm, he's a good man. Well, Turian."
"I've noticed, sir. And I appreciate all the help you've given us. I was worried for a bit I'd have to go to the treasury. Heh, taxes never were my thing." Six chuckled and offered a crisp salute to the captain, and Bailey was surprisingly quick to offer one in return. "If you'll excuse me, I'll grab that troublesome Turian and we can let you get back to work"
"You need anything else, lieutenant, and you let me know."
He looked around the station for a moment before he found Garrus, sitting on a desk with another officer, both looking out on Zakera Ward with their arms crossed, like they owned the whole place. "Good news, Garrus: Captain Bailey ran me into the system; he thinks I should be good for a while. He did say to 'keep that annoying Turian away from me, though'."
"Heh, and I thought I was the funny one in the squad. Looks like I'll have to work on my jokes to keep up. I wasn't too worried if Bailey would help, but then the thought of having to explain Leliana to him…that was what had me really worried. I'm glad she didn't show up on the scanners. Now that I think of it, why hasn't she complained about something yet?"
"Well, after we saw how jumpy people get around AIs in this galaxy, we both thought it best if she stayed on the ship. She's in the lab with Professor Solus. Said she's working on some ways to integrate some of your technologies with my armor. Something about medi-gel and kinetic barriers. I don't get that stuff, that's why I let her tag along with me. Just don't ever tell her I said that; she'd pick at my brain next time I link with her."
"Link with her? What are you talking about? I thought she was just installed in your armor?"
"Yea, she is. But in the UNSC, all soldiers receive a neural implant; most get it just for IFF indicators and HUD displays to read in their own vision. But Spartans have an advanced implant that allows an AI to actually sync with our brains. It improves our reaction time and helps a number of other things. Being hooked up to Leliana like that allows her to make it feel like I have an itch in my head, if I bug her enough. Heh, luckily we're good friends and that doesn't happen too often."
"Friends with an AI? You're just full of surprises, aren't you Six? Well enough chit chat, let's get down to Saronis Applications quickly, I want to take you around the ward a little before we need to get back on the Normandy. After we get your omni-tool I've got a friend who owns a small liquor store in one of the back alleys. Not the prettiest place, but you'll be able to get whatever you desire, my friend."
Six was both excited and upset that the sound of getting his hands on some liquor was so exciting to him. He silently cursed himself before getting back into conversation with Garrus. "Thanks Garrus. You know, for an alien you aren't so bad."
"Coming from you, I take that as quite the compliment. I heard about that little war you fought in for most of your life. Those Covenant bastards seem like they were pretty mean. I can't believe you could even begin to trust an alien; even one as charming as me."
"Heh, I really hated the Covenant, yea. But it never came down to hating aliens for me. When the Sangheili joined us in the war, it made me realize the different species didn't really matter. To me, it was just bad people killing us. Relations with aliens are still tense, but I can't blame anyone for harboring a grudge, not after what happened. Even having diplomatic relations with aliens for the UNSC is incredible."
"I'm surprised to hear you treat it so calmly. But it's good, don't get me wrong. You'll have to spend a lot of time with aliens, just in case you didn't notice I don't really look like you. You did seem to be getting along with Mordin on the ship too. Did you work with a team during your war? I'm guessing it would have been called Noble Team?"
Six stopped dead in his tracks at the mention of the team. His team. He already knew Garrus would pick up on the shock in his movements. No sense in hiding it now. "Yes, I…worked with the best team I could ever hope for. They were my friends. I'll…tell you about it another time, Garrus. "
Garrus was no stranger to the emotions going through Six's head now. He was all too familiar with what he assumed was bothering the Spartan. "Hey, I'm sorry Six. I didn't know. If it makes you feel better, I think I've gone through the same thing as you. I lost a lot of friends too. My old team got killed, the one I was part of before joining Shepard again, after his resurrection."
'Dammit, I just start to get the guy to warm up and I ruined it in a second!' Garrus felt like hitting his head against a wall.
"Don't worry, Garrus. I need to deal with it like a soldier. And I appreciate that you can understand how I feel. Like I said, I'll tell you another time. But something you just said got my attention: you said Shepard was resurrected?"
"He didn't tell you? Of course he didn't, you had enough to try and take in, let alone find out he's been dead for two years. A few weeks after we saved the Citadel, we were attacked by the Collectors. Just like the ones we're hunting now. Most of the crew of the original Normandy made it out. But Shepard got spaced rescuing Joker. Cerberus spent billions over the past two years putting him back together. He's not a clone or anything, either. He's the same guy as before. Probably why it cost so damn much. They felt he was too important to lose. Sounds like you still have some catching up to do, buddy."
Six barely could comprehend what Garrus told him, but was still sharp enough to realize the Turian had no reason to lie. And that Garrus wasn't quick enough to create such an elaborate story to mess with him. "Yea, it sure does Garrus. And it explains Bailey saying Shepard was dead for two years. I just assumed it was some undercover mission. But enough talk. Let's go get this omni-tool you keep talking about. I'm actually kind of excited. And Leliana will be more than ecstatic to get her, ugh, hands on the codex. She'll read the thing in seconds and can fill me in on all the different aliens and whatnot."
With that, Garrus led the way for the Spartan to follow, and they casually strolled through Zakera Ward on their way down to the next level to Saronis Applications.
.
"Shepard, I'm glad you could make it. I'm anxious to hear about what happened on Horizon." Councilor Anderson offered his hand warmly, Shepard taking it without hesitation and they patted each other on the shoulder as friends. "I'm sure you're going to ask about her anyways, so I might as well come clean first. I authorized Ashley to go to Horizon and keep an eye on things. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but working with Cerberus isn't exactly making the rest of the Council trust you more. And I needed to keep her involvement quiet."
"Don't worry Anderson, I understand. I don't think any more of Cerberus than you. I'm just glad the Council reinstated me last time I was here, even if it was just symbolic. I've already flashed my old Spectre ID a few times to get some things done." He chuckled remembering how he got a discount at the souvenir shop. "I doubt I can tell you any more about Horizon than Ash; what do you want to know?"
"Ashley was frozen up in a stasis field the whole time, she didn't see much other than some of the Collectors walking by her. Mostly she just complained about you working with Cerberus. It sounded like you got the worst of that whole speech."
"Yea…she wasn't too happy with me and Garrus. It didn't help that my XO, Miranda Lawson, was there too and she strongly defended the organization. Ash calmed down a bit when she realized I wasn't thrilled with Cerberus either, but I doubt she's ready to forget it all. I just hope we can finish the mission soon, and I can cut my ties with Cerberus."
"I can't agree more, commander. But even you don't want to piss off someone like the Illusive Man. He may not be my favorite, but he is the only one who is actually getting something done about the abductions. The most I've been able to do is send Ashley solo on one mission. So much for helping you, huh?"
"Just having you try and help my good name is enough, Anderson. That's not why I came by though. I need to tell you about a new crewmember I picked up. We found him on Canalus. He's…unique, to say the least."
"What do you mean, Shepard? I've met some of your past crewmembers. Wrex can really desensitize someone. I doubt this guy is so different."
"Councilor, I'm going to need you to trust me on this. What I'm going to tell you about this guy…it's going to make the Reaper story sound like something made up by a child." Shepard took a long, deep breath, having to prepare himself for the news just as much as Anderson. "This guy we found, he isn't exactly from our galaxy."
"Shepard, you should know I always trust you. Whenever someone doubts you, the Citadel gets attacked or rogue Spectres start running rampant. But you'll have to explain this one… It isn't something I can just accept immediately."
"We intercepted an Alliance patrol's transmission that said they noticed a weird energy spike on the surface of Canalus. We got their quickly, but we still had to deal with some mercs. Blue Suns actually, but they were unorganized and small. I already handed their leader over to C-Sec. When we got to the source of the spike, all we found was a guy in grey armor. But he wasn't just some normal guy in some combat armor. He's almost seven feet tall, the armor weighs 1,000 pounds, and he has his own personal AI, and its entire data core is just a small chip he can store in his helmet. He said he was testing some portal technology in his own universe, and I guess it went wrong. That's how he ended up on Canalus."
Anderson was staring at Shepard, a look of surprise, confusion, and curiosity on his face. "You just have to find all the trouble, don't you Shepard? Are you sure you believe this guy? Even for you, this sounds farfetched. He could just be fooling you."
"I believe him without a doubt. That armor he has, it is way beyond anything the Alliance could even hope to make with an unlimited budget. It's powered by a fusion-plasma cell the size of my palm. And that AI is fully aware and has a complete range of emotions. And they don't seem like simple simulations, she just acts that way because…she is that way. She's even a little snarky, heh. She yelled at Garrus when she first spoke to us because he wasn't being polite. She calls herself Leliana. Even an advanced AI we made wouldn't name itself something so… I don't even know what to say to that. But I got some information out of him. He calls himself Noble Six; says he's something called a SPARTAN-III. According to him it's some special project where he comes from to make super-soldiers. He was recruited at the age of six, Councilor. I haven't seen him in action yet, but if what he told me about his abilities is true…he could honestly take out an entire marine platoon alone. And I'm not joking, Anderson. I believe that. I'll try to get more out of him without making it sound like an interrogation. He's been very cooperative though. He seems to understand he's stuck here, and has no problem following my orders. He and Garrus are here getting some supplies as we speak."
Anderson put his hand to his lip, tapping them with his index finger while contemplating what he just heard. "Shepard, are you sure you can trust this guy? He could just be a spy from Cerberus, or something worse. Maybe even the Shadow Broker. I know you're a good judge of character, but this is some pretty ridiculous stuff you're talking about."
"I know it sounds bizarre, but I just have that gut feeling telling me he's good. His personality reminds me so much of a dedicated soldier, like you or me. As soon as I leave the Citadel again, the Illusive Man said he has a few more dossiers for me. I'll find out what Noble Six can do in combat, and I'll send you a message and any video logs we get with him. I think he'd be happy in the Alliance once the mission is done. He was a navy lieutenant in his own galaxy."
"You really are crazy, you know that, right? Heh, fine. Good luck with the mission. I hope to see you in an Alliance uniform again soon. And make sure you learn all you can about this Noble Six. If he really is from another galaxy or whatever, he might teach us a lot. Especially that AI you mentioned; it sounds like it could be really useful. I know the rest of the galaxy hates AIs, but we're both smart enough to realize how much they can help. I'll see you later commander. I'm always here if you need something."
.
Noble Six was amazed at all the things he saw on the Citadel. The hover cars flying by at hundreds of miles per hour, the views of the huge city spread across the Citadel's arms, and the aliens. All sorts of different aliens. He almost had trouble deciding if some of them were just oversized pets. The ones that caught his attention most were something Garrus had pointed out when they landed. "Hanar" he called them. They reminded him of the Huragok back home. These Hanar didn't exactly float around the way the Huragok did, but their pathetic excuse for legs made them similar enough. He was surprised when one of them seemed to be drifting straight at him.
"Greetings, human. This one wonders if the human would be inclined to hear stories of the Enkindlers. They are responsible for all the wonders you see here."
"This one? Don't you have a name?" Six realized how ironic his question was and laughed loudly, quickly restraining himself when he realized he might mislead the oversized jellyfish.
Before the Hanar had a chance to respond, Garrus quickly interrupted the two. "Not you again! Didn't Shepard and I deal with you once already? We convinced you this was an insult to the Enkindlers…didn't we? I don't remember; I just wanted you to shut up. Come on, Six before you get sucked into this preaching." Garrus sprinted off before either Six or the Hanar could question him, and Six decided to take his advice and ran to catch up.
"As annoying as that thing seemed Garrus, was that really necessary? He seemed harmless enough." Six was scratching his head at the Turian's sudden outburst.
"Yes it was. That stubborn jelly was a pain in the ass for Shepard, Tali and me once already. No need to deal with him again. Trust me, compared to what he hears from most of the locals, that was a compliment."
"Tali? I think Shepard mentioned her once back on the ship, during the time he was telling me about the Collectors and the first colony he found attacked. Sounds like you've both known her for a while."
"Yea, she was part of the original team. She's a Quarian, young but a brilliant tech and hacker. Energetic and curious as hell. She talks almost as much as Mordin, but she isn't nearly as annoying. And she can at least speak in complete sentences. She was such a fun girl, but she's on some secret mission for her fleet's Admiralty Board. Her father is the ranking member. Shepard ran into her on Freedom's Progress, the colony you're thinking of. If she wasn't so damn committed to her people she'd already be with us. She couldn't think of herself unless she thought it would help her people. The three of us were, are, best friends. You'd like her Six; we're getting along well already and she's far more personable than me…Heh heh. I know the Illusive Man is using his information network to find her, so we can get her back on the Normandy. Hopefully it's sooner, rather than later."
"She sounds like a good friend I used to have." Kat. She sounded a lot like Kat. Maybe not the energy and talking, but the young, curious tech expert. Other soldiers and civilians around the SPARTAN-IIIs never realized how young some of them were. Kat was only 22 when… If Tali is even half the woman Kat was, Six knew they would get along great. "Hopefully I'll get to meet her soon. If this Illusive Man is as good as everyone thinks, sounds like we'll find her fast. Hey, what does a Quarian look like, anyways?"
"Good question, not many besides them know. They have to wear environmental suits all the time, they have terrible immune systems. You won't see many here on the Citadel; a lot of the people here look down on them, they all think they're a bunch of thieves. It isn't true, but labels stick. Plus they keep to themselves, staying out on their Flotilla except for their Pilgrimages. But that's something she can tell you about when you meet her. By the way, how do you like your omni-tool?"
Six looked down at his arm at the mention of the omni-tool. He lifted his arm in front of him as if to read a watch. He was rewarded with an orange glow, wrapping around his entire forearm. "Seems useful. Once we get back on the ship, Leliana can sync with it and the codex. That will make things a lot easier for me. Your Salarian pal back at Saronis Aps was helpful."
"Yea, Marab was always a good shopkeeper. I knew him while I was working with C-Sec. And Shepard managed to get a discount for the whole team by recording an advertisement. Heh, if only Marab knew Shepard has done that at all the stores in this section of Zakera." Garrus laughed when he remembered getting discounts from all the shopkeepers, all so eager to have 'The Hero of the Citadel' in their stores. "Now if I remember right, I owe you a trip to the liquor store… It's right down this next alley. We might as well get Bailey's whiskey. He'll be a real pain in the ass if we just forget about him."
The two turned down their new route, quickly losing the noise and lights of main street Zakera Ward. Six noticed very quickly this wasn't the nicest part of town; some Turian and Human scavengers were holding their hands out to the pair as they walked by, and trash littered the entire area. Garrus kept walking, ignoring them completely. Six figured he might as well follow suit. It may be unpleasant, but that's how the galaxy worked. Around the next corner was something that caught both of them off guard.
"Well, well, look at what we have here boys. A Turian and a Human, and it seems like they aren't from around here. That's some fancy armor you have their, human. I bet it would be worth something on the black market…heh…heh…heh." Garrus and Noble Six were suddenly greeted by three Krogans, armed with metal pipes. And they weren't plumbers… Six wasn't scared of a few overgrown toads; he spent most of his life fighting aliens worse than them. But Garrus, for all his bravado, knew better than to simply start a fight.
"Alright pal, get lost. I've got a lot of friends in C-Sec, and I don't mind dealing with some trash like you. You keep walking, and we pretend we never saw you. How does that sound to you?"
"Hah! You think we're scared of a few C-Sec lackeys coming for us? You and your oversized Human friend here fork over your credit chits, and we won't break you skulls." The lead Krogan casually walked towards Garrus and opened up his palm; clearly, this wasn't the first time these Krogan had greeted strangers. But before Garrus could even reach for his pistol, he was interrupted by a grey blur grabbing the Krogan.
Six grabbed the pipe from the Krogan's hand, bending and warping it with a single movement. Discarding it to the side, he picked the thug up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the nearest wall. "You should've listened to Garrus, you piece of garbage." Before the other two criminals could react, Six dropped his right arm, as if trying to hit the air above the ground. Bursting from the top of his wrist was a blade of blue and white energy, a little less than two feet long. It faintly resonated with energy ripples, making it glow. He raised the blade near the stunned Krogan's eye, letting him get a good look at it. "I bet you've never seen one of these, have you? It's a fascinating piece of equipment…can cut right through metal like it's nothing." To prove his point, he stabbed the blade through the wall the Krogan was pinned against. The metal of the wall slowly heated, creating the smell of boiling metal, more than enough for the sharp nose of a Krogan to notice. "Yea, just like that. Imagine what it could do to a big toad like you…"
The Krogan on the Citadel were nothing like those of merc bands, or even close to those still on Tuchanka. He clearly wasn't used to anyone resisting his requests. "Alright, I get it Human! We'll leave you alone! Just keep that damn thing away from me!" Six dropped the Krogan, and the three thugs ran without looking back for a second glance.
Garrus barely had time to raise his pistol before the Krogans were running away in terror. "Damn, Six. I never thought I'd see someone scare a Krogan, let alone three of them! Thanks for getting them off our backs; I don't think it would've gone too well fighting those dirt bags. What is that thing, anyways?"
With the blade still glowing from his wrist, Six raised it up so Garrus could get a better look at it. "It's a type-2 energy dagger. They were originally designed by the Covenant and used exclusively by the Sangheili. Their species was the military backbone of the Covenant, kind of like what I've heard about the Turians in this galaxy. After they separated from the Covenant, they shared its design with humanity so the Spartans could use it. Made carrying steel combat knives obsolete. A few Spartans refused to forget their combat knives, but we all still have these installed in our armor." Six released his clenched fist and the dagger disappeared with a wisp of white plasma.
"I can't wait to see you in combat, Six. You picked up a Krogan with one arm… Even Shepard could have trouble keeping up with you. Let's grab the drinks, and get back to the Normandy. I don't want to wait around to find out how stubborn those Krogan are…they might have some more friends around here."
They took off at a brisk pace, quickly stopping at the liquor store to grab a variety of items. Six grabbed some boxes of beer for the crew, and a bottle of fine Scotch for himself. Garrus grabbed a box of Turian ale for himself, and then a few random bottles of vodka and tequila for the rest of the ship. Garrus used his Cerberus account to purchase all the items, and his friend behind the counter said he'd ship them to the Normandy immediately.
"Good to see you Garrus. Sorry to see you can't stay and chat for a while. I'll get this stuff sent up to your ship right away, though. And that bottle of whiskey for Captain Bailey will get to him, don't worry." The Turian behind the counter looked at Six next. "And if you're a friend of Garrus, you're always welcome back here. Hopefully you won't have to beat up any more Krogans when you come here next time, heh."
"Yea, me too. He may have been scared this time, but I doubt the big guy will remember his lesson for long." Six nodded to the Turian shopkeeper, while Garrus shook his hand and the two quickly left the store. Before they got far, they were both hailed on the team comm channel.
"Garrus, Six, get back to the Normandy double time. We have a call from the Illusive Man and he wants to speak with you, Six. I guess Cerberus' eyes and ears are more powerful than I expected. Once you're onboard, we can take off and deal with the next set of recruitments we'll have."
"Got it, Shepard. We'll grab a sky car and get on the Normandy in a few minutes." Garrus motioned Six over to one of the same hover cars he had seen earlier. "These automated cabs can take you almost anywhere on the station within minutes. We can get back to the space dock quickly this way. And we don't have to worry about Krogans trying to mug us…"
"Glad to hear it. I doubt Bailey would be happy if I caused any more trouble."
.
"Shepard, good to hear from you again. I hope your time on the Citadel was well spent, because you probably won't be going back for some time. I've got three more dossiers for you to look in to, two of which are on the Asari world of Illium. That should save you some time." The Illusive Man was smoking yet another cigarette, casually sitting in his familiar chair. A chair that never looked comfortable to Shepard.
"That's good to hear, I want to get through these as fast as we can. We need to focus more on the Collectors. What can you tell me about the two on Illium?" Shepard was surprisingly polite to the mysterious benefactor. Maybe he just thought it would speed up the discussion.
That was probably it.
"The one I recommend first locating is the assassin. His name is Thane Krios, and he's a Drell. He's 39 and has spent almost his entire life in the service of the Hanar. He was used by them for tasks they simply aren't physically capable of. He's a relentless killer, and a skilled sniper. His infiltration skills should prove useful during the mission. While I do not have a detailed psych report, he seems to take his contracts extremely seriously; as long as you hire him, he should be dependable. The accounts I have for you should be more than adequate. The second is an Asari Justicar, who goes by the name of Samara. I have been able to find surprisingly little data on her, but I do know her combat abilities are extensive. She's had centuries to develop her biotic skills, and Justicars are known for their commitment to their missions. Once you convince her to join, I wouldn't trust her any less than your Turian friend. Convincing her to join you may be difficult, but you've surprised me already." He took a long drag of his cigarette, subtly signaling Shepard to make the next comment.
"Alright, the two of them sound useful. Now do you mind telling me why Noble Six had to be in our discussion too?" Shepard turned to his right, looking at the tall human, still in his MJOLNIR armor. The two looked at each other shortly, then turned their gazes at the man on the other end of the transmission
"Cerberus' information network is wider than you give us credit, commander. An agent of mine gave me a security camera clip from a back alley on the Citadel. It was taken less than an hour ago. You may not know his abilities yet, Shepard, but your newest crew member can lift a Krogan with a single arm and pin it to a wall. His unique melee weapon is also completely unknown, even to me. Care to explain this, lieutenant?"
Six just looked at the man, almost for a whole minute. He was sizing him up; He wore civilian clothing, much like the ONI spooks he took orders from for much of his life. The unique location and untraceable communication made the similarities feel almost surreal. And the similarities weren't bringing the Spartan any warm memories. "Sorry Illusive Man, but unless the commander thinks you need to know the schematics of my equipment, I don't plan on sharing them." He smirked behind his mask. While he didn't know the Illusive Man, he was smart enough to know that someone usually in control would be more than frustrated at that response.
"While you may think you're being funny, Noble Six, I can assure you that I will find out anyways. I have no intentions of becoming hostile with you; I advise you to do the same." He stared at the Spartan with his blue synthetic eyes, almost glaringly. For all his might and skill, the Spartan didn't scare the Illusive Man for a moment. He just intrigued the man.
"We can argue about this later. You said you had three dossiers. I want to know who your third option is. I haven't heard too many good things about Illium from Garrus, so I hope the next one is somewhere better." Shepard interrupted the two, clearly agitated by the Illusive Man's gall to pretend he controlled his crew. Especially the one man that even Shepard didn't understand yet.
"You'll be happy to hear that I have located your former crewmember, Tali'Zorah. As you know, she is on a classified assignment for the Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board. Obviously, classified has never stopped me before." He smirked during his statement, with a cynical grin. "She and a small team of specialists and Quarian marines are on the planet Haestrom; it's deep within Geth-controlled space."
Shepard's eyes grew to unnatural sizes at the revelation of where Tali was located. "Why the hell would she agree to this mission? We have to get her now! I don't care how careful her team is being, that mission won't result in anything less than disaster if she spends too much time there. Joker, set a course for Haestrom, and get us there on the double!" Shepard stormed out of the hologram's range before either Six or the Illusive Man could say anything to him.
With the Spartan left alone in the hologram, he turned back to the man who was still studying him intently. "Take a picture, Illusive Man, You can look at it after I walk out of here. Or a holo, is that what you guys call it?" Six laughed slightly at himself, not caring if the other man could hear him.
"Despite your seemingly negative perception of me, I have no intentions of doing anything less than help you in this mission, Noble Six. Showing me some courtesy won't kill you. Besides, I can answer more of your questions than anyone else on the Normandy."
"Fine, I'll play your games. While Tali's skills may seem valuable, why bother spending so many resources on locating her? It doesn't sound like it was easy, even for you. Another engineer or tech expert can't be that hard to find. What's so special about her?"
"I see you're very observant, Six. Shepard and Garrus Vakarian are both close friends to Miss Zorah. Emotional stability during a mission like this is extremely important, and having a close friend will help ease both of them. The two are important to the mission, and their stability is valued. Helping the two by providing more team members they can trust is simply a smart strategy; I'm sure you're familiar with the concept. I may not like aliens, but it's in the best interest of the mission. A mission that human lives depend on."
"Alright, I understand the move. But don't try and tell Shepard you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart; I doubt he'd believe it anyways. I've heard a lot about Tali myself, and I'm excited to meet her. But these Geth I've heard so much about; what can you tell me about them?"
"They're a race of machines that reside beyond the Perseus Veil of the galaxy. They were created by the Quarians over 300 years ago and drove them from their own homeworld when they became fully aware. That's one of the main reasons most people in our galaxy fear AIs, like the one you have. While I understand their use, I would advise against making Leliana's existence known to Tali until she is adequately prepared. The Quarians have an unsurprisingly negative attitude towards AIs."
"…Thanks for the help. But don't think a few bits of information are going to get me to hand you schematics for my armor and weapons. And don't even think you're people are going to get a chance to study Leliana. She'll help with your mission, as long as we both are on the Normandy." Six moved his posture slightly forward on one leg to accentuate his point, and then turned to leave the hologram pedestal.
The shadowy benefactor cut the feed to the hologram, and opened a new file with all the information on this new human he had. The list of technological capabilities of his armor astounded even him. The portable fusion-plasma cells, shields that were resistant to more than kinetic attacks, a portable AI… The last piece intrigued him more than anything. EDI had already proven herself to be a valuable asset to the team, but she was stored in a core that took up an entire room. And from what the surveillance bugs in the Normandy's lab had shown, this new AI, Leliana, was even more advanced. Yet she was smaller than a credit chit. And she required no security measures or overrides for turning against an organic.
He knew better than to try and steal it outright; this Spartan had already demonstrated some of his combat abilities. And it was likely the AI had extensive firewalls. But he needed a way to acquire this new technology. The possibilities were endless…and he still had no idea how she was made. How did they give her such emotional behaviors? Did they somehow incorporate actual organic matter in its construction?
The man sat back in his chair, contemplating the information in front of him. The Spartan wouldn't share any of it, no matter how well the Illusive Man justified it. This would take all his effort to understand. But he had time. Shepard and other Cerberus teams were taking care of everything themselves. He could focus on more…beneficial tasks.
He formed a malicious smile while thinking about the possibilities of things to come…
.
Tali had spent the past two days fiddling with the equipment the Admiralty Board had provided. While it was better than standard fare, it was still less-than adequate for the current mission. Haestrom's sun was simply too violent for the equipment to work properly. She even considered having her team work at night to help avoid this problem, but they were tired enough as it was.
"Tali'Zorah, we were able to get some readings off of the last batch. It's clear to us now that Haestrom's sun is destabilizing prematurely. We think it had to do with dark energy, but we haven't been able to gather anything further. The radioactivity of the star is far too aggressive. We had to use another three sensor pods on that test, too. At this rate, we'll be out of sensor pods in another two days of study." The researcher was both tired and frustrated. Nothing had been going well on the mission.
"Thank you, Del. I think we'll be fine, though. We have enough data to make a conclusion, and with another day we can ensure the Admiralty Board will also believe us. As interested as I am in the buildings here, I'll be happy to get off a Geth planet." The sarcasm in her voice didn't help ease the tension, but Del had become used to how Tali seemed fearless around anything Geth.
Del hesitated for a moment, thinking about the next question that was lingering in the back of his mind. "Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking… do you think this mission is worth it?"
"What do you mean, Del?" Tali wasn't a marine, and didn't object to a subordinate asking about a mission's value.
"I mean, think about how dangerous this all is. We're in Geth space. Even if their sensors are blocked from orbit, any patrol could come within 5,000 kilometers in the atmosphere and detect us. We aren't prepared for anything more than a few squads of mobile platforms. And if they have air support or any armature units, we could be in big trouble. Is information about a dying star really worth all our lives?"
Tali thought deeply about what she heard the young Quarian say. No doubt she had the same feelings since her father had assigned the mission. Despite having Reegar and his team with, she was more worried than she let the others see. And for what? Information about a star the used to be in Quarian space? Her people didn't have any use for this data; not in the short term, at least. They should have been spending time on Geth research. That's when she remembered something far more important than dying stars. "I understand your concern, Del. And while data about a star may not be immediately valuable, we are also salvaging valuable Geth material here. I've sent several caches back to the fleet already; I assume they will be used in disruptive hacking tests. Tests like that could help us in retaking the homeworld someday. I believe you can understand the value in that."
"…Yes… I understand Tali. I just wish we didn't have to sneak around Haestrom to do it. But I do trust you. You've done a lot since you returned from your Pilgrimage. I know we can count on you to keep us safe." The Quarian nodded to Tali, and returned to his station and continued analyzing the data from the sensor pods.
Tali became sick at the last thing he said to her. '…keep us safe.' She had never been afraid to die for her people. But the thought of someone dying for her, the thought of her making a mistake that could cost lives… that stuck her in the heart more than almost anything she could think of. 'Keelah, I never thought leadership could be so…demanding. Arguing with Praza was a treat next to this. I wish I could ask Shepard for help.' The reminder of the recently-revived commander brought some memories of better times back to her, and she made her way over to her desk and opened the journal.
"This place is amazing. Our ancestors walked through these halls with no masks. No air filters. They could enjoy the smell of the air, the stone, the planet. It must have been wonderful. I wish my friends could see everything here. I wish Garrus and Shepard were with me." She recorded her thoughts on the journal, intending them to be a reminder of the first Quarian planet she had ever visited. While she may be in constant danger, she was honored to have been chosen to lead a team to a former world of her people. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a familiar voice coming in over the comm channels. A voice that sounded far too alarmed…
"Research outpost, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, we've detected a Geth dropship heading straight for the ruins! I repeat, a Geth dropship coming straight for us! Tali, if you hear me, drop whatever you're doing and get to the observatory!"
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Author's Note:
Well here we are, Haestrom at last! I hope everyone was good with the chapter, and I'm excited we finally get to see Six in some real combat. Just as a heads up, I don't plan on retelling the mission to the letter. Having a Spartan alone is enough to throw a wrench in that. I haven't made too much progress on the next chapter, so any requests for its direction or content will be strongly considered if you mention them in your reviews or simply message me directly.
As always, I'm happy to have critical feedback. As long as you aren't simply blasting my story, of course hah. I have a special shout out to a few reviewers too:
Robo Reader 21, since you don't hesitate to call it how you see it. The feedback has made me pay more attention to details. I'll keep them in mind during future chapters.
GodzillaMaster, your mention of the increased security made me revise the intro paragraphs.
Tairis Deamhan, for extra support and the inspiration of Razor's Edge.
WOLF, for constantly adding numerous suggestions. I promise I'll incorporate something of yours during the story.
Regarding Noble Six's appearance: while the Mark VII is never featured in a game, I will eventually describe his appearance with more depth. But I will likely be using the default Reach appearance as my basis; it's still my favorite setup, even with all the unlockable upgrades.