The first two human Specters were waiting inside Councilor Tevos antechamber. As usual Shepard was pacing, her nose buried in readouts. In less than an hour Shepard had cleaned up and arranged the meeting. As far as Kaidan knew Liara was still working with her father to try to gain support and would not be joining them for this round. But the advisor that Shepard had been waiting on had yet to make herself apparent yet either.
Leaning against the glass, he folds his arms watching Shep pace like a caged animal. By now it was well into the evening and new war reports were coming in that she had to take care of. All the more reason to get these meetings over and done with ASAP.
"You always did clean up nice." Kaidan remarks appreciatively. "Wish you could have gotten the skirt thought."
Shepard had put on her Dress Blues and even managed to press it respectably with the steam from her shower. Hard to believe that suit had traveled halfway across a war-ravaged galaxy crumpled in a gunnysack to make its way back to its forlorn owner. Although Kaidan supposed that it fitted the woman who was wearing it, when you considered everything Shepard had done in the past year. The dark blue brought out the purple in her eyes and the cut certainly did not hurt her form even in pressed pants.
It took her a moment to respond but Kaidan could see that she had heard him by the slightest twitch in the corner of her mouth. She finished up reading whatever she was looking at before turning on her heels to look at him.
"But then I would have had to go shoe hunting. It's bad enough I had to raid Samantha's hair-thingys." She made a grab at the fabric holding back her hair that was still just too short to be tied back.
"Thingy? Seriously? It's called a headband Shep." He was chuckling at her annoyance. "Not exactly regulation either I might add."
"Neither is your perpetual 6oclock shadow but you don't hear me complaining. Besides I don't think the Asari will be giving us the once over for dress." She crossed her arms and gave him that eyebrow quirk that informed him that he was clearly missing the meaning behind what she was saying.
"Regardless, you look great. Take the damn compliment. Commander."
Before Shepard had a chance to reply both their omnitools begin beeping, alerting them that the meeting was cleared to begin. Making a grandiose arm sweep in the direction of the door Shepard bows.
"After you Specter Alenko." He supposed with a show like that he should have known to expect the quick goose to his rear end and the low giggle before they entered the meeting room and Shepard put on her best behavior.
"Major, Commander. Thank you for joining me here. I know it has been a very busy few days for you and your crew." Tevos starts almost immediately as the three of them are seated.
"No more so than for you and Asari High Command. "Shepard replies matching the Councilors gracious demeanor. As much as Shep bitched about hating politics, it being a waste of time he had to admit he was impressed to see her in negotiations. Maybe Bailey had a point when he said she should be the next councilor when all this was over. But he was getting way to ahead of himself; they had a war to win after all.
But unlike the Asari in front of him Shepard had nothing to gain in this endeavor and she had almost single handedly gotten both the Turrian Krogan and the Quarrian Geth alliances which Tevos had brushed off as impossible. The Asari had claimed too much bad blood between the governments had made the alliance impossible but in the face of the Reapers Shepard had pulled it off.
Now there was an interesting thought. Maybe the reason the Asari Councilor was so resistant to accept Shepard's help now when the attempt was obviously genuine was because even with her platitudes and politicking she was annoyed that a young race had managed to do what she herself said was impossible. And a Specter to boot, the lawless council secret police had done it when the Council had been unable to.
Even with Shepard being the first human Specter it was clear that she was not under the councils thumb but acting for the interests of everyone and not just the Council species. Hell the Elcor evacuation that they had just arranged since the fall of Thessia proved that beyond any doubt. Shepard had managed Drell, Volus even Baterian rescues attempts in their journeys. All the more reason the Asari had to see reason in the face of annihilation.
"And I assume you have discussed my offer with the Major, Commander? I will have the ship here within a day to arrange transport and personal. Supplies will be light but I don't think there will be a shortage of recruits."
Tevos was looking at Kaidan as if she was already three steps ahead of the process. He hazarded a glance at Shepard but he was not surprised to see her sitting this one out. Her lips were pressed into a thin line but her expression was unreadable. This was after all his decision, he could change his mind now and she wouldn't stop him.
"While I appreciate your vote of confidence Councilor that will not be happening. One Alliance biotic will not be able to turn Asari maidens into soldiers. We all know that and it would be a waste of lives if we even tried in the limited time we have been given." He waits for Tevos's mouth to close before continuing. She had obviously not expected this part of the so called "negotiations".
"However, I would be more than happy to advise the person who does run the project. The Commander and I have even discussed some of the logistics of running a small covert operation." He gives his best cool demeanor smile (he was nowhere as practiced as Shepard after all).
Tevos looked from one Specter to another as if they were leading her to a thresher maws nest. Sitting back in her seat she gives a slow nod and looks between the two before asking the all-important question.
"I am correct to assume you have a suitable alternative then?"
Shepard finally lets the smallest of smiles peak through as she pecks out a code and the door opens a few seconds later. The sound of heeled boots echoes back to their ears and out of the corner of Kaidan's eye he notices Shepard leaning back just out of range of Tevos and lets him see her satisfied grin before turning her gaze to the woman who now held the Councilor's unbelieving gaze.
"Good Evening Councilor. It is good to see you again." Justicar Samara greeted the other Asari in her normal monotone.
"A justicar?! I thought they were all…" Tevos stands and gives a respectful bow as Samara comes to stand beside Shepard. The two both unreadable to Kaidan who was still inwardly smiling at the Asari Councilor's stammering. When Shepard had confided her idea to Kaidan he had known Tevos would be the biggest obstacle but Shep had thought the sight of Samara might make her more pliable.
"Samara headed to Earth while her sisters went to Thessia. She has seen front line combat and how desperate the situation really is. I can think of no one better to train your people. No one I would trust more with such a vital task." Shepard says with a nod to the Justicar.
"With such a blow dealt to your home world I think seeing a Justicar would bolster your cause. Your people need to know that all is not lost. Even in the rubble of a monastery on Lesuss you will be able to preserve your faith. I think it rather poetic don't you?"
" Lesuss makes tactical sense too." Kaidan jumps in. "It had a low population and was secluded. After the temple was destroyed there is no reason for the Reapers to return there. As long as you don't start rebuilding space ports or Illium's market district you will go unnoticed."
"I still have misgivings about the the ardat-yakshi you told me is still there." The Councilor had the tone of someone who knew she was beat. To defy Shepard and Kaidan was one thing. To deny possibly the last surviving member of an honored ancient order was another altogether.
"You said it yourself Madam Councilor. Every life is precious. Falare has remained at the monastery for over 400 years by her own choice. During the attack she displayed courage and honor. She is more than willing to train others to fight against those who took her sister. Even if she herself can't go." Shepard said her voice cool but persistent.
"As a Justicar I am code bound to make sure no harm comes to those in my care. "
"I will have to make some new arrangements. If you all would excuse me." Tevos takes her leave looking both more put together and hopeful than Kaidan had seen her since becoming a Specter.
The door wooshes shut and both women wait a full minuet before dropping appearances. Samara manages a small but very lovely smile and Shepard breaks into the full cheesy grin that makes her nose crinkle up. She turns to the Justicar.
"See? I told you it would work."
"So you did Shepard. I must say you never cease to surprise me, even at my age." A low chuckle and Samara takes Shepard's hand into her own. "I cannot thank you enough for this. I regret leaving Earth but even I alone could do little to help."
"All the more reason you will be great at this. Besides you and Falere need each other now. You should take your own advice."
The Justicar looks pensive for a moment before dipping her head and nodding slowly. She looks at Shepard's hands in her own gloved ones. A woman of few words Kaidan knew but worlds away from his first encounter with her when she had almost taken her own life in front of them. A mother, who had killed one of her daughters, saw the fate of another and refused to act on the last that she now would be spending what might be her final days with.
"Today more than ever I am glad I did not need to fulfill the final command under my third oath." She pauses bringing her eyes up to meet Shepard's. "But there are arrangements to be made and much to do." The Justicar turns and is about to leave back the way she came as Shepard calls to her.
"D24. And I assume you will want your old room back." Shepard says with a chuckle, shaking her head as the Asari exits.
No sooner than the door closes than Shepard throws herself at Kaidan, wrapping her arms around his neck with a laugh.
"Oh my god. I almost can't believe we pulled that off!" Her voice muffled into his neck.
"We? That was all you Shep. I don't even know what the hell just happened. I just had a part to play." He links his hands around her waist and chuckles.
"Better alert Francis Kitt than because you played that flawlessly Major. " She looks up at him, suddenly thoughtful. "You didn't have to decline Kay, not because of me. You are gonna make one hell of a Captain."
Kadian tilts her head up and kisses her quickly. "Together in the beginning. Together until the end Shep. They could offer me a whole armada it wouldn't matter."
Shepard looks startled by his words almost as much as his kiss. "Damn good thing Tali is spoken for than you sap." But she is grinning again.
"Shep? What was that Samara was saying, something about her last oath to you or whatever?" The Justicars words seemed out of place but he knew if she had brought it up they must have had a deeper meaning between the women.
"You're not going to like it." She warns, gesturing to the table and Kaidan shakes his head.
"You drank like a gallon of coffee. Let's walk." He turns and leads them out to the few remaining flowering trees in the Presidium. "So you got a Justicar to swear an oath of loyalty to you." He began.
"Until the battle with the Collectors was over and she would be released. "Shepard admitted.
"And she was with you and Garrus at the final battle." He remembered Thane's account of the events.
"I asked her what her Code could and could not allow. She thought I was trying to ask her to do something "unjust". " Shepard monotoned the last word as he could image the Justicar would have.
"But you weren't?" The idea of Shepard doing something that would blatantly defy a code so ridged was not so difficult to image but why were they talking about it almost a year after the fact? And Samara thanking Shepard for preventing her from doing it.
"The Collectors were targeting human colonies. I had a mostly human crew. I had to get them back to the ship safely." She started her eyes far away, remembering. "The final push I couldn't have a human team. " She explained. "But I knew no matter what the cost I couldn't let the Reapers get their hands on the codex. And neither could Cerberus. I knew Garrus would never go along with it. So I made it part of her honor code to make sure it…I….was not recoverable if I should show signs of indoctrination."
A/N Sorry for the long delay! Hope the length of this chapter kind of makes up for it. In case it is not clear in this chapter I LOVE LOVE Samara and was very happy to see her romance worked on in the new DLC (youtube if you don't know about the "secret romance")
Welcome to all the new readers/followers. I have played through MOST of Citadel DLC but have not decided if it will change much of anything in this story. Maybe work in some Wrex cameo...? Let me know what you guys think.
-Raven