Chapter 13 – The Wall Has 'Ears'
Terra loved Normandy, but right now it was the last place she wanted to be. Nevertheless, she did her rounds with the crew.
She approached Knox, who had been glancing over his shoulder at her throughout her conversation with Cortez, apparently anxious to speak to her. He noticed her, dropped the gun pieces to the worktable and spun to snap off a salute.
"At ease, Knox."
"Thank you, Admiral. Permission to speak freely, Ma'am?"
"You have it."
Knox took a deep breath first, in an attempt to get a handle on his discomfort. "Admiral Shepard. I apologise for my earlier behaviour. It was disrespectful and ignorant. I had no right to blame you for all that."
"I'm sorry, too, Knox. That I wasn't there for your family. I truly am. I wasn't there for some of mine, either. Maybe you could tell me about them, sometime." She placed her hand gently on Knox's arm, about to turn away.
"You were right about me," he said before she could leave. "I shot those people despite your orders. … I destroyed families. Families just like I once had. I'm a disgrace," he uttered, hanging his head. When he raised it again, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "This is not who I wanted to be."
Terra felt for the soldier still tortured over the past, replacing her hand on his arm. "You made a terrible mistake, but I see a man who won't make it again. You're not a disgrace if there's something to redeem you."
"You can't know that."
"Yes, I do. You saw the consequences of your actions and it haunts you. Now you'll do better. Now you'll fight for them, because now you care. Please use the chances you have to unwind, too. Surround yourself with the good in your life - this ship is full of wonderful, talented people. Without that, you just have the heavy stuff, and it will weigh you down to your knees if you let it. That's no way to live. And it's not the life those you lost, those who loved you, would ever want for you. Surviving is not a punishment. It's a gift. Grab it and make the best you can of it."
Knox wondered how the hell he'd let himself get so detached, and why on Earth Shepard hadn't busted him down to bathroom attendant. Was she right? Was there something inside him that could rise up from the hollowness and self-loathing that had encompassed his soul? Shepard seemed so sure… Knox stared back at her for a bit then his eyes dropped as he pulled something from his pocket, handing it out to Shepard. "Your daughter lost this."
"Her cap." Shepard smiled at the Alliance emblem Joker had commissioned for Rorie. "She was so upset she'd dropped it. She'll be over-joyed to have it back. Thank you." But she didn't take it from Knox. "Hold on to it. You can give it to her yourself when we return to the Citadel."
"Ma'am?"
"Whoever hands her that cap will be hero of the day," she laughed softly. "That glory belongs to you, Knox."
He peered down at the small cap he'd collected with no real idea why. The kid had probably saved him. Knox gave Shepard a single nod. "Aye, aye, Ma'am."
Satisfied this soldier could be saved from himself, Shepard headed up to the medbay.
O
"Hey, thanks for this, Shepard," Joker greeted her from his bed.
"I made a promise," she shrugged off. "But be under no illusion: that cockpit is off-limits until the Doc gives you the official okay."
"Which won't be anytime soon," Chakwas chimed in.
"Ah, come on! This is like the ultimate tease!" whined Joker. "It's just up there," he pointed awkwardly in the direction of the cockpit. "I can virtually see it, it's so close." He grimaced at the place he was looking. "Altair is in my seat, and she's totally messing up my view."
"Doc, I think he needs a psych eval," Shepard joked at Chakwas as the doctor sat at her terminal typing away.
"Normally I'd agree, but I have it listed here that he's been functioning this way for years," Chakwas played along.
"Oh, funny. I'd laugh but it hurts too much," Joker said, dryly. "There's a new recruit flying the Normandy, and I'm the one who's crazy?"
"Her scores speak for themselves," defended Shepard, "and her run with you, however short it may have been, proved she could handle your girl."
"That was mean," he pouted.
"Besides, this is a straight-forward run into ally space. It's low risk."
"There's no such thing as straight-forward with you, Shepard. And low risk? Hello? I read the de-brief – this could go to hell in a big way."
"Not for the Normandy."
"Okay. Whatever. I'll be here, waiting to save your asses when we're free-falling into the Dalatrass' lap."
"In that condition?" She gestured to his trussed body.
He wiggled his fingers in return. "I still got it, don't you worry."
"And so do I," came a voice from the doorway that had recently only sounded from above.
"Edi!" grinned Joker. "No one told me you were back."
"It was a surprise. And I've been here all the time, Jeff."
"Yeah but… well, you know what I mean."
"I do. It feels good to have full mobility again."
"Everything as it should be?" checked Shepard.
"Yes. Dr Cole restored this unit's primary functions. From there I was able to self-repair the remaining damage."
"That's good to hear. Ship status?"
"Serviceman Altair has almost completed pre-flight checks. I estimate we will be ready to leave within fifteen minutes."
"Excellent. Excuse me." Shepard headed out and up to her cabin. There was enough time for Gabby and Ken to have the chat they had requested when she'd stepped back aboard. She called them up and wondered what it could be about as she waited.
When they walked in they both looked uncomfortable.
"Hey, you two. Everything okay?"
"Aye. Well, not completely, but it's nothing to worry about," assured Donnelly with more blasé than his face was saying.
Daniels sighed. "What Ken's trying very poorly to say is that we have something to tell you."
"This sounds serious. Come take a seat." Shepard gestured for them to follow her down to the small lounge area.
"Oh! Thanks, Shepard." Ken went eagerly. "Always wanted to try out the sofa."
"Ken!" Gabby slapped his shoulder.
"What? It's true."
"Not the time." Once they were all settled on the seats, Gabby grabbed Ken's hand and took a breath before launching into the reason they were here. "Shepard, we're having a baby."
Terra immediately broke into a smile. "Gabby! Ken! Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Gabby grinned proudly. "We're really excited about it." She nudged Ken.
"Right. Absolutely. Sleepless nights and poop. Can't wait."
"But it's made us think about what we might be heading into." Gabby subconsciously placed a hand up to the healing gunshot wound she sustained on the Citadel.
Shepard already knew where this was going. "You'd like a transfer. Both of you."
"We really do love it here, Shepard," rushed Donnelly. "Fact is, nothing else compares to working on the Normandy."
Gabby nodded in agreement. "But we also know that being on a warship heightens the chances of something happening."
"Not that we don't believe you wouldn't pull our butts out of the fire, but-" Ken continued.
"Guys," interrupted Shepard. "You don't need to explain yourselves. I understand. That instinct to protect your child kicks in from the moment you know he or she exists. Given the choice, I would have done the same thing. Have you given any thought to where you'd like to go?"
"Uh, well, not exactly." Ken looked at Gabby.
"Just something on the ground. Safe."
"Then I'll have a word with Hackett. I'm sure he'll have something worthy of your talents."
"That would be great, Shepard. Thanks," breathed out a relieved Donnelly.
"But we're totally dedicated for as long as it takes you to get replacements," Gabby added quickly.
"Never doubted that," Shepard said. "Why didn't you come to see me during shore-leave? I could've sorted something out and you wouldn't have had to join us for this run to Sur'Kesh."
"Not a chance, Shepard," stated Ken. "You had enough going on."
"Right. We weren't going to interrupt your time with Rorie," carried on Gabby. "Besides, we're leaving with heavy hearts. We're going to miss all this. And you."
"Neither of us are complaining about getting to do one last run with you."
"I'm going to miss you guys, too. And I'm pleased to have you both with me one last time," smiled Shepard.
After hugging them both, she watched them leave her cabin with a mixture of melancholy and happiness. They deserved this. A new family was being created. Her thoughts turned to the decision she and Kaidan had made to make another child, and she wanted it even more. She needed to speak to her husband; to have that calming voice of his encircling her in its warmth and comfort. When her omnitool chimed its alert of an incoming call, she smiled. It was like her wish had beckoned him.
oOo
Once he'd submitted his reports to the Council and Hackett, Kaidan had spent the remainder of his time orbiting around Rannoch, monitoring the situation. He'd chosen to remain apart from the goings-on; this was principally a matter for the quarians to resolve with the geth, and he was resistant to inserting himself any further into their business.
Reports so far indicated that the quarian population were up in arms over Gerrel and Xen's actions, small pockets of trouble had flared up with some so enraged with the risk they'd been placed in that they had formed what was tantamount to lynching mobs. These were now under control, thanks primarily to the geth, who had simply prevented the mobs from reaching the admirals. With Raan and Koris urging for calm, and the geth setting the example of pacifism, the tense atmosphere on the ground was waning rapidly.
Kaidan was hoping that he'd be cleared to return to the Citadel sooner rather than later, but understood the Council's caution. He was their eyes, and they wanted assurances that this wasn't going to degrade into something that would affect them all. Tensions were already taut with the Leviathans.
As he passed through the ship towards the Mess, Kaidan thought of Rorie. She'd be asleep now, James and Jack watching over her. He just hoped Jack hadn't maimed James yet; Vega could be over-exuberant, and Jack was far from tolerant. He had no reservations about them taking care of Rorie, though. His daughter had a way of capturing hearts – just like her mother.
Terra's guilt over leaving Rorie was evident when she had updated him on the events on Sur'Kesh. It was intriguing, to be sure, and more than a little disquieting. She needed to be the one to investigate, but for the first time he saw the hesitation she was battling in performing her duty. She was a mother beyond all else, even her lifelong, almost ingrained sense of duty to protect the galaxy and everyone in it. Except that duty went hand in hand with protecting their daughter, and Kaidan was certain it was the only reason she had re-boarded her ship.
Rounding the corner, Kaidan entered the Mess, spotting the young quarian he'd been searching for. Clay was slumped in his seat, fingers fiddling with one of the seals on his suit, his helmet and mask back in place.
"Clay?"
The boy sat up in his seat, immediately removing his mask to make eye contact - something Kaidan had noticed that Clay only did with him.
"Kaidan. I know I should go get some sleep, but-"
Kaidan had raised his hands to stop him. "It's not my place to dictate when you rest. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about a job opportunity."
"Yeah?"
"It's not without risk," he warned. "But if your father agrees to allow it, how would you be interested in working as an engineer aboard an Alliance warship?"
"Are you kidding?" Clay leapt to his feet, a hope and light in his eyes.
It was the first time Kaidan had seen him happy, and he grinned back. "Absolutely not. I was just speaking with Shepard, and it turns out she's in need of a good engineer and is willing to give you a trial."
"On the Normandy!?" gaped Clay, to which Kaidan merely nodded. Clay seemed overwhelmed, filled with an energy that he couldn't expel other than fidgeting restlessly on his feet. He looked like he was about to burst.
"Calm down," smiled Kaidan. "You'll have to impress Engineer Adams – he'll have the final say – and like I said, you need to be aware of the dangers. You could head into some dicey situations."
"Like the fight for Rannoch?" Clay answered, wryly.
"Hh. I forget just what you've been through already. Guess you're a veteran. This should be an easy transition then," Kaidan teased.
"Well, there'll be Alliance protocols to learn, and a new ship to understand," Clay said, seriously, before breaking out in a huge grin as he bobbed on his heels, his hands rubbing together like he was itching to get started. "But I'm totally up for this!"
Kaidan clamped his hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's great to hear, Clay."
Clay's mouth suddenly trembled. "Thank you, Kaidan. For everything. I haven't felt like this in a long time. … Worth something."
That hit Kaidan deep in the heart. Someone as young as Clay should have had that sense of value instilled in him. Gerrel had a lot to answer for. Taking both Clay's shoulders in hand, Kaidan looked him square in the eye. "I meant what I said, earlier. You're an amazing young man, and you're going to fit perfectly in Shepard's crew."
Clay was fighting for composure, so Kaidan saved him from embarrassment by giving his shoulders one last supportive pat before releasing him and leaving. He hadn't been comfortable with the idea of abandoning the teenager on the Citadel. Knowing that Clay would be under Terra's care put him at ease. Clay would heal.
oOo
"Woo Hoo! Go Usaru Maestros!"
Jack grumbled at the loud shout that reverberated around the apartment and finished dressing after her shower to go tell Vega to keep it down.
"Hey," Jack barked, but Vega didn't look up from the large screen displaying the latest biotiball game. Jack exhaled in irritation, walked right up to him and nudged him with the toe of her boot, fighting temptation to give him a dead leg in the process for being so involved with a stupid match.
He fixed her with a cheesy grin. "Bella. Changed your mind? Wanna join me, now? I've got popcorn," he said enticingly, like that might actually sway her.
"What are you, a kid? Popcorn?" she sneered.
James shrugged. "I forgot to buy nachos and this was all Shepard had."
"I haven't changed my mind. It's still dumb…but I'm bored so… scoot over."
"That's the ticket, Bella," he grinned, sliding over on the couch to make room for her. "It's always better with two, no?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her, mischievously.
Her body's reaction to his flirting irritated her. "Stop being a pathetic pervert and pass me a beer."
After a few more minutes watching the game, James was hollering again, and this time Jack elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow," he half-laughed, rubbing the offended area.
"Then quit it. You want to wake Ror? Anyhow, I'd have thought you'd be off asari after your latest episode."
The fading smile had her swearing in her head. She was so used to letting loose after having to filter everything when around her students, that she'd spoken without thinking. What bothered her even more was that she felt genuinely bad that she'd stuck the knife in. Since when did she care? When his omnitool chimed, she was relieved with the distraction. However, his face as he read the message was heavy. "Something wrong?"
"No. Niree wants to talk."
Jack noticed the lifeless tone that was so alien to Vega. He faced the screen again but his head was obviously elsewhere. "Are you going to?" A strange feeling surfaced within her. An inexplicable hatred for someone she'd never even met.
"Not tonight. I'm happy watching the game and having a beer, with you."
"Good." To her surprise, she meant it. She reasoned it was because she'd be totally bored if he left – she'd have no one to insult. "Pass me another beer."
"Better make this the last one." James handed her a bottle. "We've got a kid to look after."
Jack faltered at the way his words sounded, a squirming in her insides. What the hell was wrong with her? "Look at you, Mr Responsible."
"Gotta be. Lola's entrusted me with her daughter. There's nothing more precious to her." An old memory resurfaced, pulling him to a dark place. "I can't mess this up. Not again."
"Again?"
"I lost a kid once. A colony kid where I was posted. April. The Collectors came… well… let's just say I let her down, and she died."
Jack was silent, her mind back on Earth, amid the ruins, staring at the lifeless bodies of three of her students. She'd walked slowly over to them, everything in the periphery fading out, sounds muted, the head of the brute who had rammed them into the wall of a building still clutched in her hand. Five seconds later the call came that the Reapers were down, and all she could hear was the crying from the other kids. It had cut through to her heart and she'd screamed in rage, flinging the decapitated head as hard as she could. It had hit a krogan some distance away in the back of the head but he was wise enough not to start something. She'd never felt such pain, not even during her worst days as a child on Pragia.
"I lost three students in the war," she found herself admitting. "So I know..." She couldn't quite say the words - that she understood that loss; that she empathised. "I was going to return to being by myself. Shepard butted her nose in, of course. Didn't let me give up. Everything I have is because of Shepard, and I'll do anything to protect her baby. ... They're all the family I have."
"Having people who care about you in your life is important." James couldn't help the smile when he thought about Rorie Alenko. "Nugget… a little piece of gold. Love that kid."
Jack stared back at him until James turned to her, then she blinked rapidly and stared at the screen she had no interest in. "Soppy idiot," she murmured, lightly.
James just chuckled in response, settling back to absorb himself back in the game once more. When his knee touched hers as he relaxed, Jack didn't even consider decking him for encroaching on her space, or move her leg away. The big buffoon was growing on her.
oOo
oOo
Cortez flew the shuttle through the dark sky of Sur'Kesh, towards the facility. The Normandy had gotten them under the radar with no problem, Altair doing a fine job, much to Joker's dissatisfaction. Edi had detected one security measure still in place: ground to air sensors lining the perimeter. Edi easily hacked into them so they remained undetected. That minimal security also meant that Linron didn't consider there anything left worth protecting.
Shepard stood with her back to Cortez, using the hand-grip set into the roof to steady herself as she addressed her ground team. "Okay, let's go over what we know. Over 24 hours ago, Major Kirrahe entered the facility to find it vacant, and terminals destroyed. This place had over one hundred and sixty scientists on staff, and half as many security personnel. Not one was found, alive or dead. No alert had been sent, but all six vessels kept there for emergency evacuations are missing."
"That's weird," commented Knox. "Either the Dalatrass treated them like shit and they staged a mass walk out, or they had enough bad apples to take control of the others before the alarm could be sounded."
Kirrahe shifted in his seat. "Someone would have attempted to fight back, yet I saw nothing to indicate there was gunfire at anything other than equipment."
"Maybe they weren't very good at their jobs," grumbled Grunt.
"These were highly trained agents."
"And they didn't spill any blood. I rest my case."
Kirrahe looked at Shepard. "I have absolutely nothing to answer that with."
Shepard was too focused to appreciate the levity. "A few well-placed canisters filled with a neural agent would knock them out without bloodshed, but why take them?"
"Scientists of the calibre supposedly employed there would surely be prized," suggested Javik. "That would suggest an outside influence. Perhaps they had another mole."
"The facility's security was upgraded since the Cerberus attack here," informed Kirrahe. "It's no longer possible for any information to be passed beyond these walls. The only external communication line is direct to the Dalatrass' office."
"Your Dalatrass sounds like a control freak," mumbled Knox.
"A fair comment," Kirrahe concurred. "The only people stationed here now are lifers."
"They never leave!?" Knox exclaimed, to which Kirrahe shook his head.
"That's an extreme length to go to keep their secrets," Shepard murmured, wondering just what the hell was being done here that warranted all that.
"Admiral. We're coming up to the facility now," informed Cortez.
"Take us in."
When Grunt jumped out before Steve had touched down, Shepard was temporarily taken back to her last visit here with Wrex. Despite the lack of twitchy salarians pointing guns at the krogan, this time was just as liable to cause a diplomatic situation if it came to light. She had a flash of self-doubt. Was she stepping beyond her remit? She was actually spying on an ally… The fall-out from this would be huge.
Walking down the steps into the top tier, Shepard re-focused and activated the light attached to her gun. With Edi, Knox, Javik, Grunt and Kirrahe doing the same, they illuminated a larger swath of the area. Beyond their footfalls and armour, the only sounds were of the occasional call from the wildlife that surrounded them.
One thing was evident as the team moved through: all the terminals' processing units had been thoroughly destroyed.
Shepard got up close to the nearest one, studying the mess. Components were melted together in an indistinguishable mass. "This isn't down to laser weapon fire. There's no scorch marks on the surviving metal. Edi?"
"I would concur with that analysis."
"But what else could do that sort of damage?" asked Kirrahe.
"A chemical reaction due to an acidic substance," responded Edi.
"Far more efficient than a laser weapon," observed Javik.
Shepard considered there only one reason to take such action - to cover up something. "Edi, is there any way to tell if the hard-drives are present?"
"Negative. All of these units are too badly damaged."
"Then we keep looking. Check every processor. They were destroyed for a reason."
Grunt yawned loudly, and Shepard fixed him with a look.
"Bored?"
"Yeah," he said with the expected honesty. "There's nothing to shoot."
"Tell you what. Why don't you keep watch up here? See if you can spot some pyjaks. You'll have to be on your game, though. I hear these ones are especially smart."
"Figures. Probably messed about with by the salarians. I'm on it."
Kirrahe waited until Grunt had lumbered off, then coughed to catch Shepard's attention. "Sur'Kesh does not have pyjaks."
She started for the ladder they would have to use in lieu of a working elevator. "He doesn't need to know that. His hunt will keep him occupied, and I won't have to put up with his deliberately loud sighs."
"In that case, excellently dealt with, Admiral."
Positioning herself at the top of the ladder and sliding down to the next floor, Shepard hoped this wouldn't be as fruitless a search as Grunt's. She wanted answers.
oOo
Zaeed sat casually reclined in the seat a little way behind the pilot's seat of the tiny freighter, watching as they flew in to the Citadel. Instead of requesting a docking bay, Weasel made a call.
"Mathers. We're here."
The voice that responded was hushed and trembling. "You're in a small vessel, right? You'll need to head to P37. It's the only defunct bay that still has working airlocks. I'll get you up on cameras and manually initiate a seal once you bring in the ship."
"You're certain we won't be detected there?"
"That whole stretch of bays aren't scheduled for repair until way off. It's been like that since the first geth invasion. There's no chance of anyone looking there."
"Good."
"This is it, right? I get you in and out and I've paid my debt?"
"Sure, Mathers. Relax." Weasel cut the connection and aimed the ship for docking sector P.
"Got something over him, then?" Zaeed called out, with a smirk. "Might have known you'd have hostages rather than loyal followers."
Weasel clenched his jaw. "I did him a huge favour when I was in Internal Affairs. He owes me for it and now I'm cashing in. I'm sure you've done the same yourself."
Zaeed didn't answer that, instead listening in again as the weasel called someone else.
"Meet me in P37."
That was it. No opportunity for a response. Zaeed immediately grew suspicious.
"What was that about?"
"I had to find someone to do what you wouldn't. He's already on the Citadel."
Zaeed didn't like that. Though with any luck, whoever this bloke was, he'd fail miserably against a Spectre. He could give Hackett a heads-up… but that would likely involve the turian, and he wanted that location for Vido. He came to the same conclusion he did last time: Alenko wasn't Hackett's flesh and blood – they'd get over it. "You realise with two hits we're going to have to time this together. An AWOL Executor is going to be noticed, as will a Spectre with family."
"I have every faith you'll manage," patronised Weasel.
When this was over Zaeed was going to relish the parting gift he had planned for the weasel.
They entered the enclosed bay, the large airlocks sealing behind them as the ship landed on the hangar floor, preventing anyone seeing the vessel there. Zaeed jumped out, his eyes adjusting to the red, dim lighting from the few back-up fixtures that still functioned, and surveyed the mess around them. The place looked like it had been blown up and subsequently used as a dumping ground. They ought to dump a load of those Keeper things in here. They'd have the place straightened out in no time. He coughed at the dust he disturbed when he turned.
"I'm off," he announced to Weasel.
"What?"
"Unless you know where the turian resides and can get me access to what will be a secure building, I'm going to find a decent bed for the night."
The weasel scowled back at him but said nothing.
"What I thought. I'll recon the Executors office in the morning, then work out the best place to corner him."
"Here. You'll need this." Weasel handed out a stoppered syringe containing a murky liquid. "It will knock him out long enough to get him back to the ship. I'll have your new partner call you."
Shoving the syringe in a pocket, Zaeed grated, "Don't bother. As far as I'm concerned, this is a solo gig. I'll let you know when I've got the turian. You just make sure your lackey is ready to go as soon as I call. Regardless of the outcome with the Spectre, I want my credits and that info ready when I drag Vakarian into this bay. Are we clear?"
"Actually, you'll have to wait for me to let you know when you're good to go. The Spectre's not on the Citadel, though my sources say he's heading back soon. So look, but don't touch – yet. Are we clear?"
Gritting his teeth at the smug little prick, Zaeed walked out to re-join the rest of the Citadel, cursing as he went. Goddamned fucking Weasel.
oOo
So far, every level Shepard and her team searched had revealed nothing new. All of the transparent cells were now empty of their inhabitants, having been removed by Linron's people earlier. Kirrahe confirmed he'd seen a lot of varren and a couple of kakliosaurs, but nothing unusual.
Scrutinising another mess, Shepard caught sight of the remains of a hard-drive, and extracted it carefully. "Looks like this was just a destroy mission. It might be possible to get something off this."
"Shepard. The acid erosion was less severe here," informed Edi, standing in front of another processor a short distance away. "It appears that much of it ran down the face of the unit. There is a missing component."
"The hard-drive?"
"Affirmative."
"Then someone was after something researched here." She looked again at the piece in her hand which had apparently offered nothing of interest to whomever orchestrated this.
"And destroyed the rest in order to cover up just what that something was," added Kirrahe. "The Dalatrass may well not know exactly what was retrieved."
"But why take all the scientists and the security staff?" queried Knox.
It was something Shepard was wondering herself. This made little sense.
"Shepard!" Edi's voice rang out in the silence, full of alarm. "I am detecting a familiar energy reading!"
As had they all in the wake of Edi's announcement, Shepard had her gun poised. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, Edi spun slowly, seemingly pinpointing the location, then started walking forwards until she stopped at a wall. Prying away the panelling, she stood aside to reveal the source, and they gathered around it.
"Isn't that one of those artifact things?" asked Knox.
Shepard stared at the glowing orb, thankful for the field that protected her. Events were suddenly far more ominous. "The personnel did walk out, but not of their own volition. They were being controlled by the Leviathans."
"We need to know exactly what research was done here; exactly what information the Leviathans are now privy to," declared Javik.
"Can't you take it to the Council?" Knox shrugged at Shepard. "Tell them what we discovered? Won't the combined might of the Council races be enough to force her to provide the information?"
Kirrahe looked at Shepard. "Your Corporal's new to politics."
Shepard grimaced in answer to the young soldier's questioning look. "If she's got something to hide, the first thing the Dalatrass will do is get rid of anything she doesn't want revealed."
"Without the hard-drives, only the Dalatrass has that information," continued Kirrahe, "and she certainly isn't about to share it, that much was made clear when she tried to have me gagged."
"Even now we know the Leviathans are involved?" questioned Knox.
"I doubt it will make any difference," answered a disillusioned Kirrahe.
Shepard was distracted by Javik crouching in place, his hand reaching out to touch the floor. He started to shiver, his eyes searching but not fixing on anything. She was tempted to touch him, to gain the vision of whatever he was seeing, but her past experience reminded her it was at the risk of falling into another coma. Javik growled, then snatched back his hand, standing slowly, his body still trembling.
"The people here have been under Leviathan influence some time. All I could see was darkness. All I could feel was a deep cold. All I could sense was their will. It overrode everything."
"Thank you for trying, Javik."
"Where does that leave us?" asked Knox, looking clueless as to what the prothean had just done.
The solution was a nerve-wracking one. Unfortunately for Shepard, she never baulked from a heart-pounding situation. Raising her pistol, she destroyed the artifact. The sound was deafening in the quiet, and when the silence returned it was unsettling. Shepard stood for a moment, staring down at the shattered pieces at her feet before finally voicing her next step. "Kirrahe. You said everything goes to the Dalatrass' office."
"Yes." Kirrahe's eyes then widened dramatically. "Are you suggesting…?"
Shepard ran her hands over her face, heaving a huge sigh. "I think I am."
oOo
Six salarian ships dropped out of FTL, their focus just ahead of them. One asari ship patrolled the area.
"This is the Council-sanctioned vessel Kalioni. This area has been deemed a restricted zone by order of the Citadel Council. Identify yourselves or you will be fired upon."
"We require access to the Crucible. Move aside." This came from all six cockpits, one after another, the same single tone emanating from each.
The response was a few seconds coming, due to the unusual reply they'd received. "We've had no notification of your arrival. Stop engines while we get verification."
This time there was nothing. The salarian ships had only needed to travel a little closer. A pulse rang out from the lead ship, instantly plunging the Kalioni into darkness. The asari vessel stood no chance against the six ships cannons. The explosion was spectacular, but the salarian ships carried on to their objective.
The Crucible floated, inactive in the vacuum of space. What was once the galaxy's saving grace, was now redundant. The Leviathans wanted it gone. They had felt the pulse that had flowed from the machine to end the Reapers, and had recognised it.
The ships fanned out, cannons locked, and they fired as one. A short while later, the Crucible was nothing but debris.
As quickly as they had arrived, the vessels moved on to their final destination.
oOo