Chapter 16 – The Darkest Hour...
Kaidan made it as far as the central console of the war room before he felt the need to brace himself on it. His talk with Wrex had been everything it had promised to be: galaxy shaking.
Linron had plans to strike at the krogan. It was like the quarian and geth issue all over again, only he doubted that this conflict would end as genially. Relations were unravelling.
The intel on just how Linron would accomplish this wasn't detailed. The leaked files were sketchy at best, much of it removed. The krogan had judged it to be a destroyed file that had been recovered and sent on to them, but Kaidan thought it far more likely that the missing data had been deliberately removed in order to give just enough fuel to enrage the fiery race without its benefactors tipping their own hand as to what they had. The krogan receiving this information from an unknown source seemed far too coincidental to Kaidan; having the united races warring with each other again would work in the Leviathans favour. After requesting Wrex send him the files, he'd had Edi confirm that the data originated from the facility.
Wrex had wanted Terra's assistance. With the Saviour of the Galaxy and official defeater of Reapers standing beside him before the clan chiefs as a united front, it might just give them enough pause to listen to reason. When Kaidan had told him just what Terra was doing – attempting to obtain the research data that could quite possibly fill in all the blanks of what Wrex was now privy to, and that it was likely connected with the Leviathans - it had fired Wrex up. The old krogan had recognised the precarious position Terra had placed herself in, regardless that she didn't know about the latest embroilment, and he'd ended the call stating he now had something else to use in convincing the other chiefs not to rush into war.
Straightening, Kaidan's thoughts remained on Terra, and he walked back to the CIC, running his hands through already tousled hair, hoping there was some news from her.
When he emerged, Traynor was talking with Cortez over the comm, Kirrahe closing the distance. Spinning to face Kaidan, there was concern in the Specialist's eyes.
"Sir. Flight Lieutenant Cortez is requesting your counsel."
Without a word, Kaidan took her place, vaguely aware of Edi approaching. "Cortez? What's happening?"
"General. I'm picking up a lot of comm chatter from the salarians down here. They're amassing a search party across the city area for anyone associated with the Normandy."
"That's troubling," commented Kirrahe.
Concern flooded through Kaidan. Terra had been discovered, but had she gotten out? She'd have checked in if she had... "How secure is your position?"
"Secure for now, Sir- Hold on. I've got an incoming call from Ms Goto; patching it in. You're through to the General, Ms Goto."
"Kasumi. Talk to me," demanded Kaidan, desperately, because if Kasumi was the one calling in then Terra wasn't able to, and he needed to know why.
"The Dalatrass is one sharp salarian. Or extremely paranoid."
Kaidan could hear her breath hitch, then expel in a rush that told him she'd just leapt off something and landed.
"The boss lady was in her office, so I set off a fire alarm to get her out. Only it made her suspicious. We still needed time to get the files when Linron returned, which meant I had to create a distraction. ...I'm sorry. I messed up, Kaidan. Routing a call to an unmanned desk, when anyone working there would know there was no-one staffing it, gave the game away. She locked down her office with Shep inside, and alerted security."
"You left her there?" blurted out Cortez. "Sorry."
Kaidan didn't admonish him – the same pre-judgement had crossed his mind.
"Honestly? I was going to give myself up with the hope they'd think I was alone. But Shep sent me a message before they closed in. So I did what she told me to."
"It's okay, Kasumi." His own instinct was to storm down there and do whatever it took to free his wife, but she'd made him promise that, if things went bad, he'd retreat back to the Citadel and do what he could to help her father rescue the critical situation it would lead to. He was already wondering whether there was anything the Council would do on his word alone. The krogan held some semblance of proof that Linron was creating trouble, but Kaidan doubted the Council would accept such incomplete data. With their hand tipped, Linron would already be limiting any potential damage, readying answers to any questions the Council might send her way, and attempting to prove that Terra was acting without just cause. He detested the image in his head of her locked in a cell for doing what she had to. Again. Now it was his turn to do the unpalatable: leaving her behind. "Can you get back to the shuttle?"
"I'm thinking any human on the streets here is going to be subject to close examination. That alone gives me a reason to try.
"I can hold tight," assured Cortez. "I just hate that we're bugging out on Shepard."
"I get that, believe me I do, but we have no choice. Our only avenue to getting Shepard freed is with the Council's pressure." Fearing Hackett's support would count for nought now, they did at least have Victus. Terra and Hackett's decision to bring the turian in now seemed prophetic.
"Aye, aye, Sir," came Cortez's despondent reply.
"Kaidan," said Edi. "You should be aware that the salarian fleets have been authorised to search out and seize the Normandy. We may need to move position in order to remain undetected."
He swore in his head. With a rookie at the helm, the possibility of getting into a situation out here didn't sit well with Kaidan, but at least they had Edi. "We'll do our best to be ready to receive you, Lieutenant," he finished into the com.
"Understood. Cortez out."
Disconnecting, Kaidan looked at the faces that matched his own dejected one, trying to find the words that would give them the hope he was struggling to find himself. "We'll get her released. She's Admiral Shepard. If we make enough noise about it, the galaxy will stand up for her. They owe her one."
"A really big one," sighed Traynor.
oOo
Jack was torn from her sleep at the sound of Rorie's cry. Grabbing up the sheet and wrapping it around her, she raced out of the guest room and up the stairs, entering Rorie's room to see her sitting upright, a soulful face staring back at her in the warm muted hue of the nightlight, the soft toy clutched tightly in her little hands. Jack had seen the claw-machine after wandering the Silversun Strip and had immediately thought of Rorie. She'd gotten the toy on the first go, and had laughed when she saw it was a varren. When it had come to offering it to Ror, she'd found herself ridiculously nervous about it, like she'd put herself into the position of being rejected. Only Rorie had lit up, bounced and clapped at the sight of the toy, had taken it reverently to be hugged against her chest, and threw herself at Jack to give her the same love. Ror had treasured it ever since, and it always made Jack feel lighter inside to see it. But tonight that feeling was over-shadowed by her concern, and she approached the youngster.
"What's wrong, Ror?"
"I had a bad dream," Rorie said, tears welling in her eyes.
Jack relaxed. Then she wondered what she was supposed to say. She tried to think back to when she was young. Not a time she liked to return to, but she remembered having a lot of nightmares until she'd realised that her dreams couldn't hurt her – not like the things that happened in the daytime. However, Jack tried to look past that, to what she might've wanted afterwards, if only there'd been anyone who'd remotely cared. Her hand already on Rorie's arm, she sat on the edge of the bed to give her a hug, but Rorie already knew what she wanted, and was climbing onto her lap for that cuddle, burrowing into Jack's side with complete trust that she would keep her safe. It took Jack's breath away. She'd done nothing to earn it.
"Something naughty chased me, and it was dark and cold and scary," whispered Rorie.
Jack thought of the Leviathans and it made her feel angry. "Don't ever let anything frighten you. You fight back. Change it, Ror, because it's just a dream. You've got everything you need inside you."
"I do?"
"Yeah. A light in the darkness, a shield to protect you, and a great big shove to send it away."
"My botics make light," Rorie looked up at her excitedly in understanding, then calling up her inner-energy and lighting up her bedroom further with a gentle blue. "And I can do bah-rer."
Jack had no idea what that meant, until Rorie demonstrated that one too, with a barrier that encompassed the whole bed.
"And I can throw-"
"That's great, Ror," intervened Jack, quickly, before Rorie could show her that too. "In your dreams you only have to think about doing it and it'll happen. So now you can go back to sleep." She laid Rorie back, but a tiny hand grasped her arm.
"Antie Jack? Can you come with me?"
It amazed Jack that she didn't feel half as fucked up when this little girl was around. "Sure." She settled in beside Rorie, who snuggled up to her once again. "You won't see me, but I'll be there, keeping you warm so you won't feel the cold." Jack tightened her arms around Rorie to prove it.
…
James waited outside the bedroom, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, until he could hear the slow breathing that would indicate Rorie had returned to sleep. He'd woken at the sound of Rorie's earlier cry, and had been hoisting himself from the sofa where he'd dozed off, when Jack had run up at an impressive pace. At the voices, he'd stopped and listened, not wanting to intrude because Jack - Bella – was doing a great job. With a few words she'd empowered Rorie and sent her back to sleep. He couldn't have done better himself.
He'd seen a whole other side to Bella since they'd been on baby-sitting duty, and he liked what he saw.
oOo
Shepard's arms ached. With her cuffed hands still behind her back, her gaolers had deliberately attached the cuffs high enough to the wall of the cell she'd been dumped into that it put pressure on her contorted muscles and forced her into a submissive bowing posture. As she was already standing she couldn't get any height to alleviate the strain, and eventually her legs would tire. The physical discomfort was to create a psychological effect on her. If they thought it would work on her, they were mistaken. She'd been through a lot worse.
Memories of her days on Elysium surfaced. Her treatment under her then superior officer, Lieutenant Antella, had first conditioned her for more physical and psychological hardship than most took so early in their careers. Now she was far stronger-minded; been through hell and back more than once, and this didn't even register on those scales. So instead of obsessing over her situation and lingering on the increasing ache, she placed herself into the meditative state Samara had once taught her, and became detached.
oOo
"We have the shuttle, Sir."
"Thanks, Altair." Kaidan hesitated before he gave the order. "Get us out of here. To the Citadel."
"Aye, aye."
Unable to make eye contact with his wife's crew for fear of seeing disapproval over his decision, Kaidan went to get a more detailed account of what had happened down there, a persistent despair riding with him down to the cargo bay.
Kasumi was waiting outside the opening elevator doors. Before either of them could say a word, the ship began shuddering violently.
"Altair, what's going on?" Kaidan demanded to know, Cortez rushing over to join him.
"We've got salarian ships closing in! What do I do! Oh my God! I can't crash the Normandy! Should I fire!?"
"No! They're not the enemy, Altair." They couldn't fire on their allies, especially in their own territory – it would be seen as an act of war. With Cortez beside him, Kaidan hit the button that would take them back to the CIC. "Evasive manoeuvres only. Cortez is coming to you." He wondered why he hadn't heard from Edi in the same moment he realised the elevator wasn't functioning. "Edi?"
"I…am currently…experiencing operational…issues."
"Sir, we were hit with several disruptor blasts from four ships," informed Traynor. "It's overloaded a lot of our systems, including Life Support and the AI Core."
It was an extremely debilitating move by the salarians, designed to force them to stop and await boarding, or face a lack of oxygen.
"It is a temporary…setback. I am…repairing and re-routing."
If Joker had been in the cockpit, Kaidan wouldn't have been half as bothered by 'temporary'. Unfortunately, from the way they were being thrown about, he had someone who was clearly freaking out up there, and it was unlikely that Cortez, who had already made his way to the maintenance shafts, would get up there before things were beyond recovery.
"Altair! What the hell are you doing with my ship!?" came Joker's peeved voice.
As Kaidan listened, he hoped there was something Joker could do, one pilot to another, which would rescue this situation.
…
Down in Engineering Clay flung his hand out to catch himself as the ship's movement tried to send him flying. He'd chosen not to wear his helmet and face mask on board, but now he wondered whether it would be prudent to stick it back on.
Even in the short time he'd been here, Clay already felt at home. Asides from the prothean and the krogan they shared the deck with, everyone had welcomed him in. Kaidan often checked on him, and Shepard had surprised him by taking time out to talk with him, actually interested in him. Clay had never felt so included, normally lost amid the mass of inhabitants on a far larger quarian ship.
He looked over at Adams, who was also fighting to stay upright. "Is it always like this?"
"Getting into crazy situations? Yes. The flight? No. This is not usual, and nor is the pilot. You've got to be ready to adapt to anything on the Normandy. All we can do is make sure the engines keep running. Just do the best you can."
"Yes, Sir."
Donnelly looked at Gabby. "I'm thinking we should have gone to see Shepard about that transfer back on the Citadel, after all."
"Pointless observation, Ken," griped Gabby. "Too late, now. All we can do is cross our fingers."
"Speaking of pointless, since when did that ever help?"
Gabby huffed out her frustration with her husband. "We just need to have a little faith."
"Without Joker in the hot-seat?"
"He's still on board, isn't he?"
"Aye, you're right! He'll never stand for this sort of treatment of his baby. Okay. Faith restored."
Gabby shook her head in exasperation, her eyes never leaving the console in front of her.
…
Altair was in her own private hell, and she was about to take the Alliance's most famous warship and her crew, with her. 'Going to go be a pilot, Robbie? Ha! Whenthe shit hits the fan, you'll just get everyone killed, stupid girl'. The words reverberated. Words spoken with venom and derision that had struck at her heart and embedded themselves in her head, waiting to remind her at moments like this. Except before, these moments were simulations. This one was terrifyingly real.
"They teach you to fly this shit in flight school?" Joker's voice invaded the cockpit.
"N-No, Sir! But I can't do this!" Altair glanced frantically at the still form of the AI, who it seemed was busy elsewhere. "I'm going to get you all killed!"
"Calm down, Altair. Think. Disrupters? They want us disabled, not in pieces, so no one's dying unless you lose control."
Everything was crazy inside her head; panic rising further with the sight of the planet she was supposed to be leaving behind, now seeming to hurtle towards her. "I am losing control!"
"No you're not. You've got your hands on the console?"
"Yes!"
"The flight console's functioning?"
"Uh, y- yes! I think Edi fixed that first."
"Of course she did - so you could get us out of here. She's also going to be assisting you real soon, so you're only delaying. This is like all that routine stuff – evading space debris and using precision moves to dock. It's just faster paced."
The ship was vibrating as they surged through Sur'Kesh's atmosphere at a bad angle, the salarian vessels hanging back, no doubt confused by the suicidal manoeuvre from the Normandy. Altair's breathing was as fast as the thudding in her chest, all she could hear over her own body was the console's warning alarm wailing at her.
"Robbie."
Joker's more personal use of her name cut through the haze.
"I knowyou have what it takes. Prove all those assholes who doubted you wrong. Remember that you love this. Flying. You just have to fly."
Fly… Though her hands still shook as they ran over the console with apparent wildness, she concentrated on simply flying. She was a pilot. A good one. She could do this. Because Joker believed in her, and he was the best. The ship was levelling out, returning to space, their pursuers circling in front to fire more disruptive bursts. This time she barrelled straight towards two of the ships, imagining them as nothing more than chunks of metal to be avoided, then flipped the ship onto its side at the last minute to nip between them. Another group of ships appeared, firing more disrupters. These she wouldn't be able to dodge.
"All systems online. Counter-measure in place," announced Edi, once again animated beside her.
True to Edi's word, the disruptive blasts merely crackled over their shields harmlessly. Buoyed by the returned and reassuring presence of the AI, Altair out-manoeuvred the last salarian ships and initiated FTL. The pull as the ship was flung at immense speeds, was comforting and welcomed.
Sinking back into the seat, Altair covered her sweaty face with her trembling hands.
"Said you could do it," Joker said, approval tinging his words.
"Thank you," she whispered. The sound of footsteps had her spinning to see Kaidan; Cortez not far behind him. "I'm so sorry, Sir-"
"Well done, Altair," Kaidan cut her off. "You dealt with it, and we're heading to where we need to be."
"Considering your anxiety levels, Serviceman Altair, your ability to re-gain control was admirable," imparted Edi to the pilot.
"Oh… Um, thank you."
"Edi. Status?" checked Kaidan.
"All primary systems are at optimal efficiency. Only a few secondary systems remain in need of attention, but I am fixing them as we speak."
"Excellent. Altair, go get some rest," ordered Kaidan. "Edi's got this."
"Yes, Sir."
Javik was charging up the aisle. "What was Shepard thinking, allowing an imbecile to pilot the ship?" he demanded angrily. Water dripped off his face and armour, giving them all an idea of why he was particularly incensed. The trays of water he used to clean off the 'residue left behind by you primitives' had obviously ended up being his landing place during the disruption. "Look at me, human. I am wet," he directed at Altair, like she hadn't noticed. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"S-Sorry?" Altair replied meekly, shrinking back.
"In my time, you would have had your hands-"
"Okay. Ease off, Javik," Kaidan intervened before they got a graphic account that would give Altair nightmares. "A bit of water can't harm you."
Javik growled. "That is what your Grunt said. As he laughed." He affixed Altair once more. "Do not let it happen again."
Altair only nodded, looking like a rabbit in headlights.
Cortez patted the young woman's shoulder. "Never mind him. He's a teddy-bear underneath. Come on. I'll fix you a stiff drink."
"And I will go dry myself," Javik eyed the pilot purposefully as she passed, then trailed them to the elevator.
With Joker's seat vacant, Edi moved across and Kaidan took the co-pilot's, sadness firmly rooted in his soul. Traynor joined them, a nervousness accompanying her, along with a troubled Kirrahe.
"The Dalatrass has issued an official complaint with the Council. She's calling for an investigation into the Alliance's involvement over the trespass of salarian interests, and is demanding that Shepard have her Spectre immunity removed with immediate effect so she can be tried in their courts. She also wants all crew aboard the Normandy during the encroachment, to be appropriately charged."
"We knew this was a high-risk operation," said Kirrahe.
Kaidan felt so heavy inside. He'd be lucky if the Council even heard him out. But he couldn't give up. Terra's freedom, and the crew's careers, depended on him convincing the Councillors they were justified in their actions.
"It's so unfair," murmured Traynor. "Shepard's going through that for nothing."
"Who said it was for nothing?"
Whipping round to where Kasumi's voice had originated, Kaidan saw the thief materialise, propped casually against the bulkhead. With a triumphant smile, she removed a disc from her pocket and held it out to him. Taking it, Kaidan stared at her.
"I thought you said Shepard was locked in the office. That she told you to leave."
"She did. Right after I'd obtained the data disk she'd copied and hid right under the boss lady's nose. Shep's one smart woman. She had a second disk in the process of copying the files when Linron entered. It was the perfect distraction. Linron didn't even suspect that Shep already had a complete copy. All I had to do was cloak, slip in with the guards, retrieve the disk while they were focused on Shep, and get out."
Kaidan was still a little stunned at the change in events. What he held in his hand was everything they needed. Answers, and proof; not to mention a gleaming big dose of hope. He should have had more faith when it came to his wife. She always found a way. Now it was up to him to finish what she'd started.
oOo
When the releasing cell door registered in the back of her mind, Shepard was loathe to return to reality. Nevertheless, she did so, her shoulders and arms immediately raging at her over their abuse, her eyes opening to see four armed agents precede Linron herself. The entourage was nothing but posturing, Shepard decided, considering she was well and truly secured. Two of the guards looked uncomfortable, exchanging a glance at one another.
When Linron stood as close as possible, peering down at her with superiority, Shepard didn't strain to meet her eye. She wasn't bothered enough to feel the need to show defiance – she'd already succeeded in her mission – and so was content to stare at the Dalatrass' feet; she wasn't proud. Linron was on borrowed time… provided Kasumi had gotten out.
"Those aiding you managed to evade capture, but no matter. I've already demanded they face charges. Though I'm surprised they would abandon you so easily."
Shepard smiled to herself. Kasumi had escaped.
"Did you really think you could so blatantly act against me, Admiral?"
"You're making this personal. This is bigger than you. The Leviathans owned your scientists and they took the research done there. You hid it, even though you didn't know they'd been compromised, and that tells me you were doing something the other races wouldn't be happy about. Something the Leviathans want to use."
"I have to make the hard decisions to ensure the protection of my people. I don't have time for the sentimentality that make our allies pause."
"I had to make a hard decision to ensure the protection of every race in this galaxy. It's not sentiment. It's realising that every action has a far-reaching consequence."
"Please," snorted Linron. "What thought did you give to the salarians when you cured the genophage? It was your action that led us to this need for secrecy in the first place."
Shepard didn't bother pointing out the fact that they wouldn't have had krogan aid without that cure, and ultimately wouldn't have survived the Reapers. Linron's last words had her frowning at the ground. What did the krogan have to do with this? "They've done nothing to move against you. Wrex has maintained the peace-"
"Your pet krogan's time will end, and then what?" Linron paced to the left and back again. "You humans have a game of logic. Chess. Two opposing sides, one goal: to destroy the other. To do that you have to plan your moves, sacrificing when necessary in order to get to that king and bring it down. Your delusion of peace will not last, and I have no choice but to look ahead and make my move."
"This isn't a game, no 'move' has to be made at all. You stay on this road and we'll all end up being the pawns - to the Leviathans. You have to stop this subterfuge. No one has to be destroyed here."
"Wrong. The krogan must, or we will pay the price. I won't let that happen."
Increasingly uneasy as to what Linron had been doing, Shepard brought it back to the key question: "What do the Leviathans have?"
There was a short silence, Linron motionless in front of her, like she was pondering how much to reveal.
"I'm still making those decisions to protect the salarian race," Linron ended, finally.
Frustration bloomed within Shepard at Linron's selfish refusal to yield. "Bullshit. You're just protecting yourself. You've made a bad call and you're on the verge of being found out."
Angered, Linron nodded at an agent, who swept Shepard's feet out from under her.
With nothing to keep her weight off her strained shoulders, Shepard cried out in excruciating pain as gravity yanked her down, dislocating the joints. Somewhere in the background she heard a protest from one of the other guards. Quickly regaining her footing, she took deep purposeful breaths, endeavouring to get control of the pain. Her own anger sprang up as she heard Linron's short malicious laugh.
"Dalatrass! I have to object! This is Admiral Shepard!" the same guard was saying.
Linron swung to him. "Object?" Her tone expressed the hidden ire. "You will do what you're ordered to or I'll make sure your career ends here."
"Then I'll save you the trouble."
The guard threw down his gun and walked out, followed by a second guard, and Shepard wasn't so overcome by pain that she didn't find some small delight in that, and in the small silence that ensued as Linron swallowed her affront. Shepard pictured her glaring at the two agents who remained, daring them to do the same.
Then Linron was bending to make sure Shepard heard.
"You'll soon be cut off by the Council, and I will be free to decree a spy's justice on the great Admiral Shepard."
Another salarian rushed in, Shepard's omnitool gripped in her hand.
"What is it?" snapped Linron.
"Apologies, Dalatrass, but I've gained access to the Admiral's tool. She wasn't alone. This was the last message she sent to her associate."
Linron grabbed the omnitool and read the screen.
Shepard recalled every hastily written word with satisfaction that the Dalatrass was reading them and would know.
File is under the black king. Stay safe. Get it back to Kaidan.
She could still vividly recall the moment she'd held her breath as Linron lifted that same chess piece in her office that had perfectly hidden the first data disk, followed quickly by relief that Kasumi had already claimed it.
With Linron's gasp, Shepard couldn't resist one final word: "Checkmate."
The consequence of that particular decision – the sharp sting as Linron back-handed her with her own omnitool, splitting her lower lip and spilling blood - was totally worth it.
oOo