Earn a Happy Ending Chapter 31: Pandering, a mass effect fanfic

A/N: Okay, I appreciate the threats decreasing except that one angry guest ... anyway I thought I'd update. Last chapter I have fully written.
And yeah this is basically why you don't piss the most deadly people in the galaxy off.

Pandering

Kaidan had, after only months of being a Spectre, realized just why the Council infuriated Shepard so much so consistently.

His first mission had been shortly after his induction, getting shuttled to a colony under Reaper attack with Jondam Bau to rescue a high-ranking diplomat or something. At his debrief they had pretty much blown aside everything he'd bothered to do on top of rescuing the diplomat and told him he'd taken his time, despite Bau's assertion that he had agreed with Kaidan's decisions. And after that, once he had been back on the Normandy, nearly every report came back with notes of corners cut, something done right, everything done wrong ... And no one should get him started on the comment after Despoina that he was supposed to "keep Shepard from entering into diplomatic relations with an unknown species without the Council's consent."

But this was different. This was a retiring Spectre, a soon to be Councilor, a pregnant hero and Alliance admiral in all but name who had gone missing (not to mention her pilot, widely known and considered the most capable in said Alliance despite certain physical limitations). The Council, he thought, couldn't - or shouldn't, or wouldn't - deny the need to go after them.

Which was possibly why he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Unfortunately we cannot in good faith divert resources at this time," Tevos said.

Kaidan stared at the Council blankly.

"Even with Shepard preparing to take the Council seat she is not a councilor yet," Velarn added. Neither Hackett nor Sparatus looked particularly happy with this turn of events - of course, Shepard had aided the turians most of any council race, while losing Thessia and going against salarian desire to not cure the genophage.

"But Shepard is about to be a Councilor," Hackett added gruffly.

"And as such falls under protection," Sparatus finished.

"Under C-Sec protection. Not under the Council. Besides, she's still a working Spectre."

"On desk duty," Hackett said, cutting Velarn off short. "She hasn't been in the field for over a month. If the Council is not prepared to take action, the Alliance will."

"Rejecting protection for Shepard at the moment is forgetting what she did during the war," Sparatus said, with a sharp look at Hackett. The holographic image shrugged in reply. "Whether either of you like it or not, if she had not stepped in we would have been killed five years ago. Andare we just forgetting the war we just won?"

"No one is forgetting anything," Tevos replied sharply. "Including Shepard's actions. We simply do not have the resources. The Spectres are stretched thin. Our credits are sapping from giving aid to damaged worlds. The galactic economy is projected to collapse. We simply can not."

"And as I said, the Alliance will step in if you do not. Shepard is the only real figurehead we have apart from Spectre Alenko. We need her in the Council seat. Hell, we all do. And Echidna is dangerous. There's no telling what could be happening to her right now."

"The Admiral is correct. The Hierarchy will also not allow for this to happen. Shepard is protected under Council law by the Spectres."

"Tevos," Hackett started, the asari turning to face him. "I'm not sure if you remember this, but Shepard is the most beloved person in the galaxy, and I happen to have contacts inside several media sources. If the Council refuses to help . . ."

"Is that a threat, Admiral?"

"I don't make threats, Councilor."

"Oh I think we can ... what is that phrase, squirrel? ... up enough credits to hunt for a wayward Spectre and her pilot," a distinctly familiar flangeling voice said from behind him. Kaidan turned sharply, drawn out of the combination of shock and figuring out how to politically maneuver half as well as Shepard did by Garrus stepping up to him, flaring his mandibles in what Kaidan now knew was a grin, and holding out a three-taloned hand. "Spectre Garrus Vakarian. You may have heard of me, you know, once or twice."

"Spectre? Since when?"

"Uh, this morning. I was going to drop by the Normandy and see you and Shepard but my attention was distracted by her being herself." The duo turned back to the Council, Kaidan stepping into a parade rest and Garrus tapping a talon on his pistol.

"Spectre Vakarian," Tevos said. "I do not recall-"

"Well, my training was done under someone who isn't a fan of knocking," he replied wryly. "Someone who also conveniently went missing today."

"And," Kaidan started as the idea struck him, jolted out of his shock by Garrus' arrival and announcement and with several thoughts in his head. "Locating Shepard does go along with the order to find and stop Echidna that we were previously given. It falls exactly within the mission parameters."

"You cannot guarantee that Echidna —"

"Let's be honest," Garrus replied. "Who the hell else is going to be after her?"

The Council was quiet for a moment, and finally Tevos seemed to relent. The fracture in the asari councilor meant that a solid majority, while perhaps not seeing the importance of recovering her, supported the notion anyway. "You are correct," Tevos said reluctantly. "However, your mandate is still to locate Cerberus' successor, not to locate Shepard. If the latter falls in line with the former, then that is one thing."

"One last thing," Garrus said, holding up his talon. "Now that Alenko's lost the brains on the Normandy, he could probably use another Spectre. I'm familiar with Cerberus. I'll be able to help speed things along."

"It'd be a good idea," Kaidan added with a nod. They were bold, which meant they had an endgame. And he knew just what Garrus was capable of - and just how far he'd go to find Shepard and bring her back.

"Very well. Spectre Vakarian, you are also tasked with locating and destroying Echidna," Tevos said, though the reluctant tone still sounded in her voice. "This meeting is adjourned."

As they stepped back down towards the exit from Citadel Tower, neither man spoke. Finally, Garrus made the turian equivalent of clearing his throat. "I came as soon as I'd heard."

"How did you?"

"Liara called me. Knew about the Spectre bit and everything. Thought it might be a good idea for me to join you."

"And just who else has Liara contacted?"

"I'm not sure. But I'd guess you'd have a few messages on your terminal when we get back to the Normandy. Hope you're stocking up some dextro food."

Kaidan half-chuckled. "The cabinet's still full, Garrus. Shepard insisted on it."

The turian shook his head. "Not surprised. Do we have any leads?"

They stepped into the elevator as Kaidan shook his head. "None. C-Sec is going to send over the surveillance footage, if they get any. They used a comm-blocker. I wouldn't be surprised—"

"If they looped the camera feed in order to throw off C-Sec. Yeah. It's what I would do." Garrus' mandibles fluttered slightly as he thought. "They took Joker too?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure if it's for leverage, or because he was there."

"If it was because he was there, he'd be dead."

"Yeah. I know."

"Any idea what they're after? Revenge, extortion . . ."

"I'm not sure."

"Well." Garrus sighed. "It's a shitstorm, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Kaidan agreed tonelessly. "Let's get to the Normandy. We have work to do."

As Garrus and Kaidan made their way across the Presidium, they were silent. Kaidan stared towards the reclamation zone for the brief moment it was in view, a dull ache settling in his chest. He would have to cancel the apartment showing - Shepard wouldn't be there to see it. God, if he hadn't been stupid enough to force her to stay on the ship . . . He was an absolute idiot. After Illium he should have known they were going to lure her out somehow — he should have kept her with him, where he could make sure she was safe . . .

Garrus called a cab, and motioned Kaidan into the passenger seat. At his look, he shrugged. "Don't try and tell me you're in a fit state to drive. I'm surprised you got here in one piece."

Kaidan wordlessly nodded and settled in. "We were going to look at an apartment today," he said quietly. Garrus glanced over at him, then gave a small nod.

"Guess that's getting cancelled." The turian directed the car towards the Normandy's bay, and Kaidan nodded. "We'll find her, Kaidan. We've got the Shadow Broker, we've got Miranda, we've got EDI . . . We'll find her."

"Yeah. I hope so." They'd come through too much to miss the mark now. But it was a big galaxy with a lot of unpatrolled places to hide in the wake of the Reaper War . . .

"Besides. Sounds like the Hierarchy and the Alliance are both out for blood. Huh. Never thought I'd see that day."

"Me either," Kaidan said.

"So. Probably should start with the docking bay. That's where they got grabbed, right?" At Kaidan's nod, Garrus continued. "Comm blockers . . . Blocked EDI too, am I right?"

"The most she could do was call C-Sec and tell them that an altercation was going down in Bay D-24. By the time they got there, they were gone."

"How many?"

"Estimates at twenty."

"Casualties?"

"Fifteen on theirs. One on ours." Kaidan paused. "Joker was hit, at some point. We don't know how bad."

Garrus swore quietly.

"Yeah. Exactly."

"So they used comm blocks, probably looped the cameras, and hit a Spectre and an Alliance marine stationed on the Normandy hard enough to kill the marine and take out the Spectre," Garrus mused. "Professional organization. Any signs that they were ex-Cerberus?"

"A few of them had Reaper cybernetic scarring."

"Hm. And you've seen that before on Echidna grunts?"

"The few bases we've raided, yes."

"Between this and the skycar jacking on Illium, it sounds as if this has been planned for a while."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Someone is manipulating things. Someone with access to Cerberus' records, which means they know exactly how we're going to react. They'll know about Liara and Miranda and EDI, and they'll have to account for it."

"We'll need to go off script."

"Exactly. But if we have no idea who's behind it . . ."

"Then how do we go off script?" Kaidan rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes. He could almost feel the pounding in his head before it started.

The turian glanced over at him, then returned his eyes to the front of the car. "It's not going to be easy."

"When is it ever easy?"

Garrus shrugged. "Exactly. And we've done far more with less. You've still got Traynor?"

"Yeah."

"That might be our token then."

"I'm sure she and EDI are running things as we speak."

Garrus pulled the car into the pad, and they climbed out and started for the Normandy. "We'll need to figure out just who is coming on," Garrus said. "We'll probably have to bring Miranda in. No choice. She knows the most about Cerberus."

They were stopped briefly by the C-Sec crime scene tape, but Chellick spotted them and waved them through. "Some of your crew have been coming back. It appears your AI is calling them off their leave," he explained. "I did let them through for you."

"Thank you, Executor," Kaidan said quietly, before they were both motioned through as well. Garrus and Kaidan rounded the last corner to the airlock, then stopped dead.

"About fucking time you two assholes got here," Jack said, from where she was leaning against the airlock door. Next to her stood Javik, gazing out one of the wide windows overlooking the Citadel, and Zaeed was leaning against the other wall.

"What were you doing, kissing the Council's asses? Ain't like we've got all the time in the goddamn world."

There was another commotion at the C-Sec tape line as Garrus and Kaidan exchanged a look, then turned. Vega hurried up, Miranda close on his heels. "We were on the same shuttle," Vega said, as both drew to a stop. "She filled me in. So. What're we doing?"

Message Log - Major Alenko - 1 April 2189