Chapter 9: Off the Rails

The first sensation to return was pain. In his experience, that was usually a good thing. Pain meant you were alive, even if you wished you weren't.

"Ow." he groaned.

Speech and sound were next, followed shortly by sight.

'Damn that's bright.'

"Ah. I see you've finally come back to us, Commander."

'Doctor Chakwas?' "Karin? What the hell happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, Commander." said a male voice.

"That you, Kaidan?"

"Yes, sir. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember… ow." A fresh wave of pain hit him as he tried to recall the minutes before he had… "ow."

Chakwas hurried over to his side and put a hand on his head like a fussy mother. "Are you all right, John? I gave you something for the pain already."

"I'm fine. It just… hurts to remember. Give me a sec."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up. As he rose, his head began to spin and he swayed in place for a moment before steadying himself. Chakwas tried to protest, put he waved her off

"OK. Kaidan, give me a refresher on what happened down there. It might jog my memories."

"You'd just called for transport up to the Normandy. Ashley got too close to the beacon and something… I don't know, grabbed her I guess. It was like she was in a trance. You rushed in and threw her out of the way, but got caught yourself. It picked you up in the air and held you for a few seconds. Then it exploded."

The pain was back, but he fought through it. "Yeah, I remember some of that. When the beacon got me, I remember seeing… damn this hurts… images. Like a… a vision. Or a nightmare"

"Vision of what?" asked Chakwas. "I detected some unusual brain activity when I ran a scan on you. If that beacon did something to put images in your mind, it might explain why."

"It… I think it was the Protheans. I saw… bad things. Like every negative emotion and experience possible rolled up into one. War, pain, death, fear, all of it."

Just then, the door to the infirmary slid open. Shepard looked over and saw Anderson walk in, a look of concern painted on his face.

"How're you feeling, John."

"Like I went twenty rounds with Ali. Except instead of fists, it was my head."

"I need to talk with you in private." He spoke while casting glances at the others present, and they took the hint. After Chakwas and Kaidan had excused themselves, he continued. "What happened down there? I've debriefed Nihlus, Williams, and Alenko, but I want your perspective as well."

"Saren and the Geth got to the beacon before we did. I don't know if he did something to it, sabotage maybe, but it… showed me something before it blew."

"Showed you what?"

"A vision. Like a dream. Or a nightmare. I saw something… destroying the Protheans. They called it… them… Reapers."

"That sounds an awful lot like what Einstein theorized might have happened to the Protheans. If this beacon was the first solid evidence of their fate, then we lost an incredibly valuable resource when it was destroyed."

"Damnit. I failed to get the beacon. I take responsibility for blowing the mission, sir"

Anderson shook his head ruefully. "No, Shepard. You did everything you could, and what happened isn't your fault. But we still have problems. The Geth have launched an invasion of Human space, and Saren's working with them. The Council wants answers, and the Alliance brass is out for blood. The Quarians are using this to push for a war with the Geth, and they might just get it."

"Then we should give them one. We tried diplomacy once, and the Geth turned us down. If they've become hostile, then I've got no problem with bombing them back to the synthetic Stone Age."

Anderson sighed. "It's not that simple, Shepard. For all we know, this is a splinter group. When we fought the Rising, there were plenty of AIs that fought with the Alliance out of loyalty. We need to figure out what's going on before we move."

Shepard hesitated for a moment, and then nodded reluctantly. "Fair enough. But even discounting the Geth, there's still Saren to worry about. He's gone rogue, and the Council needs to be informed."

"They have been, Shepard, and we're on our way to the Citadel right now. C-Sec has been doing some digging, and they say they've found something we can use against Saren. The head detective on the case, Garrus Vakarian, should be waiting for us when we arrive."

After the decontamination cycle on the Normandy's airlock finished, four Humans and a single Turian walked out. The dock between the ship itself and the elevator to the rest of the Citadel was fairly short, and at the end of it stood two Turians in C-Sec uniforms. Seeing the small party leave the ship, they walked over to greet them.

"Captain Anderson?" asked one, extending his hand. "Citadel Security Executor Pallin. This is Garrus Vakarian, the lead detective on the investigation of Spectre Arterius."

"Pleasure to meet you Executor, Detective." said Anderson, shaking Pallin's hand. "This is Commander John Shepard and his team, Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams. I believe you already know Nihlus Kyrik."

"Yes, yes I do. As a matter of fact, I have files on all of you, excepting Alenko."

"And why exactly is C-Sec keeping tabs on us, Executor?" asked Shepard, his tone growing firm. "I don't enjoy being spied on."

"No offense, Commander. I merely meant that you are well known on the Citadel due to your… connections. And Sergeant Williams is equally well known in certain circles. Now, I believe you're here for a reason. Garrus, would you mind explaining?"

The second Turian, this one clad in blue armor, held out his hand to Shepard. "Commander. I'll skip the pleasantries for now and get to the point. For the past three months I've been investigating Saren. Most of what he does is classified, but I'm convinced he's dirty. In light of what happened on Eden Prime, I figured you'd want whatever we could dig up on him. Unfortunately, it's not much."

"Do you have anything?"

"A day or so ago, we got word that information on Saren was for sale from the Shadow Broker. One of his agents, a Human named Fist, decided he'd rather pocket the money himself, and is sitting on the data, waiting for a buyer."

"The Shadow Broker? Isn't he that guy who sells all the juicy info to the highest bidder? Pissing of someone like that can be detrimental to your health."

"No kidding." deadpanned Garrus. "Then again, Fist is an idiot. The Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter to deal with him, and we managed to head him off before he could do anything… rash."

"Krogan?" laughed Shepard. "What's the damage?"

"Nothing yet, but he's getting antsy. If Fist has intel you need, we should probably bring him along to help with… persuasion."

Anderson cut in. "In the meantime, Nihlus and I need to talk to the Council. Get the intel if you can, then meet us in the Council chambers."

Shepard nodded, and then motioned for Garrus to follow. "Saren Arterius? Any relations to-"

"Brother." Garrus cut in. "He was made a Spectre less than five years after the Contact War, and he's since become one of the Council's top agents. He's never officially operated around Humans or Quarians, but some of the second- and third-hand reports I've seen… well let's just say they don't paint a pretty picture, even for a Spectre."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." replied Shepard as he entered the elevator, likely the galaxy's slowest, to C-Sec Academy. They rode in silence, excepting a news report being played in the background.

"This just in: news has come from the Vatican on Earth that Johannes Traft, son of former Alliance Prime Minister Ambrose Traft, has been canonized. Saint Traft, perhaps best known for his actions in opening peace negotiations between the Federation and the Alliance during the Synthetic Rising, has been made the patron saint of synthetics. This is Iris Dunnigan, Alliance News Network."

As the elevator doors opened at C-Sec Academy, Shepard saw what was probably their Krogan bounty hunter. He was talking to two Human C-Sec officers, and had a red head plate with a set of gashes running through it and down the right side of his face. The cannon sized shotgun he was holding was a pretty good indicator of his occupation as well.

"…think you can hold me here? I'd like to see you try." he rumbled, in a voice sounding like two boulders being ground together.

"I'm warning you, Krogan. If you try to start something, you'll spend the night in lockup." retorted one of the C-Sec officers in a voice that was likely meant to be authoritative.

"You should warn Fist. Not that it'll help much."

Shepard approached him from the side and moved between him and the C-Sec officer, who was just opening his mouth to reply. "You're going after Fist?" he asked.

The Krogan nodded. "Yeah. I was hired by the Shadow Broker to kill him."

"Good." said Shepard. "Commander John Shepard. Come with us and we'll help you get him, free of charge. Only condition is that you let us pick his brain before you blow it out."

"Hah. I like your style, Human. Urdnot Wrex." he said extending his hand, which Shepard shook.

"Now wait a minute." interjected Garrus. "Fist might be a criminal and an asshole, but he still has rights. I can't just let you just kill him, Shepard."

Shepard rolled his eyes in response. "I'm not gonna kill him, Garrus. Wrex is gonna kill him. And if you and his shotgun would like to discuss the matter, do it on the way." Garrus grumbled a bit under his breath, but said nothing.

"Fist owns a nightclub in Zakera Ward called Chora's Den." supplied the Krogan. "He's probably there. And he probably has some goons to deal with."

"Too bad for them."

The ride to Chora's Den was fairly uneventful. As the small group exited the automated cab and walked towards the club, they were greeted by the sight of a Human body lying in a pool of blood just outside the door.

"Looks like someone beat us here." commented Shepard, walking in the door, his heavy pistol held up in front of him.

"Boy, did they ever." murmured Garrus, who came in right behind Shepard. As he came in, he stopped suddenly, causing Wrex to bump into him and shove him out of the way.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say I've been here already. Though I probably would've broken more stuff." rumbled Wrex.

There were at least a dozen bodies in the club, Fist's gorillas by the look of things. Two were slumped against the walls on either side the door, and were missing sizeable portions of their torsos, with blood splattered dents in the wall behind them. Three more had tried to take cover behind an overturned metal table, but it hadn't been able to stop the shotgun blasts that had killed them. What was left of a Turian was draped over the bar, its' headless corpse on top of a Batarian who was missing an arm. Three more Humans had tried to find cover behind said bar, but a nearby blast crater from a grenade and their charred corpses made it clear how well that had worked.

"Well shit." said Shepard incredulously. "May as well see if there's anything left of Fist."

As they moved through the bar and into the back room, they passed several more bodies. Reaching a door near the back of the warehouse, Shepard heard grunting behind it as it opened. As soon as it did, a large, heavy object was thrown out of it and bowled him over, sending him stumbling into Ashley and knocking her over as well.

"Hello Fist." said Garrus sarcastically. "How're things?"

Fist, who it turns out had been the flying mass, looked up from the pile of bodies at Garrus, his face as mask of terror. "C-Sec! Shit man, you gotta protect me, she's crazy, she's gonna kill me!"

"Get back here, you big bosh'tet." said a distinctly feminine voice. "I'm not done with you yet."

Pushing Fist off his chest and picking himself up from the tangled mass of limbs, Shepard got a good look at the owner of the voice, and was surprised to see that he recognized her. The Quarian in front of him was wearing a helmetless environmental suit, indicative of her status as a Pilgrim. She had an angular lavender face with accented cheek bones, and two thin lines running from her eyes to her forehead, making a V shape in her attractive features. Her almost pure white eyes widened slightly when she saw him.

"Tali? Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh. Hi John, long time no see." she said with a smile. "I'd love to catch up, but I have some business to take care of first." She punctuated her statement with a not-so-gentle kick onto the quivering form of Fist.

"You too? Sorry, Tali, but I gotta talk to him first. I don't know if you heard, but there was a Geth attack on Eden Prime a few days ago. He has intel on a Turian who was working with-"

"Saren?" she finished. "You're after him too? Good. That should make things go quicker."

"Fuck man, I don't know nothin'." protested Fist.

Shepard hauled the frightened crook to his feet and brought their faces close together. "Tell you what, Fist. My Quarian friend over there seems to have the situation well in hand, but I need that information, and I need it now. If you tell me what I want to know, I won't let her kill you."

Fist hesitated for only a moment. "Fuck. Alright. It's a recording the Shadow Broker intercepted between Saren and the Geth. He talks about Eden Prime. I'll transfer it to your omnitool, just keep that crazy bitch away from me."

After he transferred the recording, Shepard let Fist drop. "Tali, we need to get this to the Council right now. Sorry, but I'm a man of my word, and I can't let you kill him." As Fist breathed a sigh of relief, Shepard looked over his shoulder at Wrex. "Wrex, you kill him."

"WHAT! NO, WAIT-"

A sharp bang from Wrex's shotgun cut him off, and Shepard motioned for the others to follow him as the left the bar.

As the now rather sizable party climbed out of the air cab, Shepard observed Anderson and Nihlus standing on the audience podium, with the five member Council on a floating dais above and in front of them. To their left was a large hologram of a Turian who looked very familiar, and very pissed off.

"Councilors, I would hardly call the word of a single frightened dock worker proof." said Saren. "Besides, we have no way of knowing if the image has been tampered with."

"You're full of shit, Saren, and that we can prove." said Shepard, walking up the stairs to stand beside Anderson. "We've recovered a recording that proves Saren's guilt beyond any doubt, Councilors."

"Oh have you?" said Sparatus snidely. "And where exactly did you acquire this recording, Commander?"

"We obtained it from a man named Fist, an agent of the Shadow Broker. The information was discovered by C-Sec and the Rangers in two independent investigations."

"The Rangers have no jurisdiction on the Citadel." objected Valern, the Salarian Councilor.

"They do if they're a Geist, which Tali'Zorah is." countered Raan. "I recalled her from her Pilgrimage temporarily so she could conduct an independent investigation into this matter, since the Geists are… unencumbered by C-Sec's miles of red tape. In any case, show us this evidence, Commander."

Shepard typed a short command on his omnitool, and Saren's voice played out for the Council to hear.

"Eden Prime was a major victory, but I'm disappointed that the colony survived. It may lead to my other projects being discovered. Regardless, we're one step closer to finding the Conduit."

Shepard opened his mouth to confront Saren, but before he could say a word, a second voice played from his 'tool, this one female.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

"There's your proof." said Shepard.

"I'll kill you for this, Human." hissed Saren, before his image disappeared.

I took the Council a moment to recover from their shock, but then Hannah spoke, sounding both confused and incredulous. "That second voice… Was that Benezia?"

Tevos nodded. "It was. I've known her for decades. But I can't believe she's in league with Saren. It's not like her."

"Believe it Councilor." said Shepard. "This proves Saren is working with the Geth, and Benezia's helping him. They caused the death of thousands of people on Eden Prime, and I intend to make them pay for it."

"This doesn't concern you, Commander." sneered Sparatus. "The Council is perfectly capable of handling this."

"Like you handled Saren?" asked Shepard bitingly. "Then again, I can't say I'm surprised at his actions, considering his past with the Alliance."

"Indeed." said Hannah tightly, glaring at the Turian Councilor. "There've been several discussions about that particular subject in the past, but my objections were always overruled. Perhaps you're simply too involved in the matter, Sparatus. You may wish to… reconsider your stance in light of new evidence."

Sparatus growled slightly, but Valern interjected before he could respond. "Saren mentioned something called the Conduit. What is it?"

"We're not sure, Councilor." replied Anderson. "But if the beacon helps him to find it, it must have something to do with the Protheans. It may be a piece of technology, possibly a weapon."

"And what of these… Reapers? I've never heard the term before."

"I believe I can answer that, Councilor." said Tali, moving to stand next to Shepard. "I've been on my Pilgrimage for several months now, and I've been trying to gather intelligence on the Geth. I retrieved some data from a hostile Geth platform I destroyed not long ago, and I just recently managed to decode it. The Reapers are some kind of sentient machines, machines that caused the destruction of the Protheans. The Geth view them as some kind of gods, and Saren as their prophet."

"That's ridiculous." said Sparatus. "There's no evidence of these Reapers. Saren must be manipulating the Geth with their name for his own ends."

"So you admit he's working with them, then." said Hannah with a smirk. "Glad you could finally concede the point."

Sparatus glared at her, but Tevos forestalled the encounter by speaking. "Given this new evidence, I move to strip Saren of his Spectre status." said Tevos

"I second the motion." said Raan.

"And I third." finished Hannah. "Saren Arterius is hereby stripped of his Spectre status. We'll do everything in our power to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"Good." said Shepard. "He can't hide from the Alliance navy for long."

"Unfortunately John, it's not that simple." said Raan. "The Alliance and Quarian High Commands have decided to focus on the Geth for the time being. Saren is only one person, and if we can remove his Geth support, he'll be much easier to deal with."

"What about the rest of the Council? The Hierarchy has the second largest fleet in the galaxy. They can spare a few ships."

"The Hierarchy is concerned with Turian worlds, Commander." said Sparatus. "We must ensure our own security before we worry about yours."

That made Shepard angry. "Your security? Saren is a Turian with a well-known and documented animosity towards Humans. You know damn well he's not going to attack you."

"Whatever Saren's intentions, it's not him we must worry about, but the Geth. They could strike anywhere next."

"Fine. If you don't have the balls to do what needs to be done, then I'll do it. Even if it means doing it alone."

"You won't be alone, John." said Hannah. "This is a job for a Spectre. In fact it's a job for two."

"I still believe this is premature." said Sparatus.

"As do I." said Valern.

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you." said Tevos hesitantly. "But these are extraordinary circumstances."

The Councilors exchanged glances, then Hannah, Raan, and Tevos nodded.

"Johnathan Shepard, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, step forward." said Hannah.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." said Tevos.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." said Valern.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." said Raan.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." said Sparatus.

"You are the first Spectres for both your races. This is a great accomplishment for you both." finished Hannah.

"Thank you, Councilors. But we have a job to do."

As Shepard, Ashley, and Tali entered the small office that housed the Human embassy on the Citadel, they were met with the sight of Anderson and Hannah conversing. Shepard had been headed back to the Normandy when he received a message from her to meet here.

"You rang, madam?" he said, getting her attention.

"John." she said, smiling warmly. "I've been wanting to talk to you. I just want to say… I'm so proud of you. You've accomplished so much: first the Geists, then the N7's, then Akuze, and now this." She grabbed his head with both hands and pulled it down gently before kissing him on the forehead. "I'm so proud of you"

"Moo-oom…" he said, nearly in a whine. His cheeks flushed red at being treated like a child, in front of his friends and CO no less.

"What's the matter, John? You can disarm nuclear bombs while being shot at by Geth and tell Sparatus where to shove it, but you can't stand a little motherly affection?" teased Tali.

"I've been meaning to talk about that, young man. You can't run around insulting Citadel Councilors and threatening people, even if you're my son, especially since you're my son."

" 'Burning. Nuclear. Wasteland.' " he replied in a deadpan tone.

Hannah shook her head and sighed. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"He takes after you, Hannah." said Anderson, smiling slightly. "And let's face facts: we can't afford to play nice with Saren and the Geth. Besides, Sparatus always did need knocked down a peg or two."

"Speaking of the Geth, we've got a lead for you." said Hannah, eager to change the subject. "It turns out that Benezia has a daughter, a Doctor Liara T'Soni. She's apparently some sort of expert on the Protheans, so she might be able to help you interpret what the beacon showed you. It might also help you get some information on Benezia."

"If we're after her, you can bet Saren and the Geth are too. Where is she?"

"The last anyone knew, she was at a dig site on Therum, in the Artemis Tau Cluster. We've sent the relevant data to the Normandy, and we'll let you know if we find anything else. Good luck, John."

As they exited the small office and headed into the Presidium, an elderly Human man waved the Commander over. "Commander Shepard, I apologize for taking your time, but I must speak with you." he said, sounding agitated.

"I'm kinda in a hurry, what is it?"

"My name is Samesh Bhatia. My wife, Nirali, was among the soldiers lost during the attack on Eden Prime."

"Serviceman Nirali Bhatia of the 212?" asked Ashley. "I knew her; we were in the same unit. I'm sorry for your loss, Samesh. Nirali was a good soldier and a fine woman."

Samesh bowed slightly to Ashley in response. "Thank you, miss Williams. Nirali often spoke of you in her letters to me. It brings me comfort to know she gave her life for something. That is what I wished to speak about. I wish to put Nirali's spirit to rest, but the Alliance is refusing to return her body to me for cremation. They won't tell me why, and I was hoping you would be willing to help."

"They won't return her body?" asked Shepard, his ire rising. "That's bullshit. Your wife gave her life defending people, and they won't even let you bury her? How can I help?"

"There is a man, an Alliance officer. I pleaded with him to release Nirali to me, but he refused. He's in the bar near the embassies. If you could speak with him and convince him to change his mind, I would be very grateful, Commander."

When Shepard entered the bar a minute later, he saw the officer immediately. Walking up to him, he seized the man by his collar and lifted him up to eye level.

"I wanted to have a chat with you about Serviceman Bhatia." he said without preamble. "I want you to release her body, right now."

The officer grew nervous, and small beads of sweat appeared on his brow. "Commander, I realize that this is a delicate situation, but Mrs. Bhatia's remains are some of the only intact one's we've found that have Geth weapon damage. We need to run tests to learn-"

"She died defending Eden Prime, and you want to experiment on her?" he cut in disgustedly. He glowered at the man as he continued. "I don't give a damn what your reasons are, so I'm only going to say this once: You will release her body to her husband immediately."

The officer's face suddenly went slightly limp, and his eyes glazed over. When he replied, his voice was flat. "I will release her body to her husband immediately."

Slightly puzzled with this turn of events, Shepard set the officer back down. "Good." he said, before walking out. When he reached Samesh in the Presidium where he'd left him, he walked over to him and gave him the good news. "Mr. Bahtia, I've taken care of the Alliance. Your wife's body will be returned to you now."

"Thank you, Commander. I'm very grateful for everything you've done, and I know Nirali would be as well. If there is ever anything I can do to repay you, you need only ask."

Samesh walked away into the crowd, and Shepard made his way to the docks at C-Sec Academy to return to the Normandy. As much as he would've liked to take a few hours to relax, he had places to be. As he approached one of the many elevators in the Presidium, he found in blocked by a C-Sec officer and a Hanar, who were arguing.

"This one does not wish to cause trouble, venerable officer. It only wishes to spread the word of the Enkindlers to those who would listen." said the Hanar.

"Look buddy, you're already causing trouble. Either get a license to preach or move along." replied the Turian officer.

"Is there a problem here, officer?" asked Shepard.

"This Hanar insists on preaching about the Enkindlers on the Presidium. While I don't have a problem with his religion, or with him preaching it, I do have a problem with him refusing to obtain a permit to do it."

"This one only seeks to educate those around it on the teachings and wisdom of the Enkindlers. It believes that requiring a permit to bring enlightenment and truth to others is improper." said the Hanar, its' voice serene.

"Look, pal." said Shepard. "You can preach all day for all I care, but you're breaking the law here. Just get a permit, or get out."

The Hanar hesitated a moment before responding. "I will obtain a permit, Human. This one does not wish to cause further difficulty for the esteemed C-Sec officer."

The Hanar floated off into the crowd, and the C-Sec officer thanked Shepard briefly. As the trio entered the elevator, Tali spoke.

"I see you've inherited your mother's, what is it Humans call it? 'Silver tongue?' " she laughed. "You have such a way with words, John"

"Very funny, Tali. So how've you been? We haven't seen each other since your college graduation."

She laughed again. Her laughter was beautiful. It was light and airy, and it had an almost musical ring to it. "Well enough I suppose. I joined the Rangers before I started my Pilgrimage to get some combat training. It's a good thing too. If I hadn't, things could've gone much worse with Fist."

"I saw the aftermath. I didn't realize you could kick that much ass. The Geists must've really put you through the ringer." he said.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad. After all, you managed to make it just fine." she quipped.

"Bazinga, Skipper." said Ashley, a wide grin on her face.

"Great, I'm being double teamed by two hot soldiers." he complained sardonically. Then, a wide, mischievous grin came to his face. "Great! I'm being double teamed by two hot soldiers!" he repeated roguishly.

Ashley's face flushed red, and she cleared her throat loudly. Tali was a bit more forceful with her response. As the elevator doors opened, she started slapping the shit out of his arm, her face turning a darker shade of violet.

As they approached the end of the docks, Anderson and Hannah were waiting for them. "Just wanted to see you off, John." she said.

"Captain Anderson and I will find Saren, mom. We'll make him pay for what he's done."

"Just you, son." said Anderson. "The Alliance brass needs me to help coordinate the attack on the Geth. The Normandy's yours now." He held out his hand, and Shepard shook it. "Congratulations Commander, and godspeed."

Shepard turned to board the Normandy, but Hannah stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "John, I know this important, and I know you need to do this, but… stay safe, and come back to me."

"I will, mom. I promise"

"One other thing, John. Find Saren. Find him, and rip his head off."