Chapter Four: Meet the Organization
Several Days later
Shepard decided going to the Citadel would be very beneficial to the team. For the past, several weeks it has been them going to the far reaches of the Terminus systems finding a recruit, get shot at, return to the Normandy, then repeat. They all needed a break and Anderson had asked to see him anyways.
The descent towards the Citadel was quick, fast, and smooth nothing indicated any problems with the station. As soon as the Normandy had landed he decided to take Garrus and Grunt with him to explore the station he helped save two years ago.
The skycar immediately took them to the "check-in" area. It was crowded and bustling with life. A customs officer ordered for certain things to be turned in and asked for papers from those visiting. As a former Spectre and the fact he went through customs by contacting the Citadel directly, he could just go past her.
"C-Sec is definitely tightening security in a lot of ways." Garrus said as they walked past the officer.
"Anything different you can see?" Shepard asked his Turian friend who looked around his immediate vicinity.
"Not much, but there is a certain…air. It feels like everyone is on edge." Shepard and the team were stopped thanks to the fact Shepard was registered as dead. They were told to meet with a Captain Achilles.
The name sounded familiar to Shepard. If he recalled correctly, Achilles was a friend of Zane's and even knew about his secret identity. The doors opened and if checking in was packed then this place was overflowing with activity. People moved all around them. The whole Citadel population seemed to be packed into this one area just outside C-Sec.
"Woah." Shepard spoke in shock he didn't expect so many people.
"Strange." Garrus said curiously.
"What?"
"The Council was trying to limit weapons on the Citadel…I see a lot of civilians with firearms strapped to their back. And some are wearing armor." Shepard looked out and saw the same thing. Some carried pistols and submachine guns. All legal of course but others had white and blue armor and carried assault rifles, sniper rifles, and even shotguns.
"Yea we had some pushback when it came to the anti-gun laws." A young looking Turian said. This must've been the Captain they were told to speak to. Achilles hadn't seemingly changed a bit. He looked older for sure but all the parts were there more or less. Or from what Shepard could remember.
"From who?" Garrus asked.
"One moment… Commander Shepard yea I see the issue the scanner thinks you're dead."
"I was told you could fix that."
"Usually the process is long, boring, dumb, and just all around unnecessary so let me press this little button and you can be on your way." Achilles said and pressed the button.
"That seems…unorthodox. Couldn't you, me or both of us get into trouble?"
"Look you are you. No doubt about it the scanning equipment is the best in the galaxy. And when you are dealing with possibly the biggest powder keg in Citadel history that is about to blow. You begin to realize that the very regulations that keep people safe also stops good people from getting the job done. And I'm sure Zane would hate it if I became an obstacle in your path. He never really was a patient man." The captain said with a smile.
"C-Sec has changed." Garrus mentioned and a private called for the captain. Achilles held up his hand towards the Commander and turned to the private.
"Yes?"
"Sir, sorry to disturb you but Organization is moving."
"Shit." He sighed "Where?"
"Presidium not a lot of them but enough to be noticed. Move to intercept?" Achilles shook his head.
"No, let Captain William know and tell him I advise not engaging. Anything else?"
"No Sir." Achilles sighed in frustration when the private returned to work.
"Sorry Commander that powder keg I was talking about."
"The Organization is the keg? What are they doing?" Shepard asked
"They are fighting on behalf of the Citadel. They are a Private Military Corporation officially." Achilles said with a heavy sigh.
"Who are they fighting?" Garrus asked.
"Everyone, Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack, and some smaller gangs. They know how to clean house I will give them that. But they are very in-your-face about it. Big guns and bigger explosions the works."
"Got any intel on them?"
"Not a lot but I will tell you what I know. They are new to the PMC field. They were small two years ago, and about a year ago, they skyrocketed. Major changes were made in their ranks and now they are prominent. And only about a month ago, did we realize there were three subsections of them. The Militia, the Factory, and the Government each one with their pros and cons. Each having their own "official" duty to the Citadel. The Militia is the PMC. We at first thought the subsections were three separate gangs. They are led by a mysterious figure named THOS. We have determined that name is an acronym for The Harbinger of Salvation. He is ruthless to his enemies and kind to his subordinates but he rarely rears his head in personal affairs. We don't even have a species for him. Some say he is Turian, other say he is human, Krogan, I was even told he is the only male Asari in existence. We know nothing about him. other than he is male."
"Not even a background?" Garrus asked sometimes learning where one came from could lead to greater details.
"Especially a background. Our phycologists have tried to get into his head and come up with varied results every time. Some say he was a soldier for years, others say he lost a lot during the Geth Assault and wishes to fight against it. Some think he is an anarchist. But whatever he is, he is a firm believer in your theories Commander."
"My theories?"
"About the Reapers. He and the Organization's Government have been spilling out footage of Sovereign and some of your exploits against Saren. Showing the facts of the Reapers. So much so the Council actually said they knew of the possibility of Reapers." This was a small relief to Shepard he had hoped the Council would finally accept the truth.
"Did the Organization stop?"
"No, they only pushed harder they want action from the Council but who knows what they are after. Now I am sorry Commander but I do have reports to fill out come see me again sometime." The team turned and left and joined the fray of people.
"Any ideas about this Organization?" Shepard asked.
"They are well organized and we can summarize they are widespread to have people on Omega and the Citadel. Plus, enough people to fight against the three largest gangs in the region." Garrus deduced.
"And Freedom's Progress I ran into a squad of them there. They are well trained from the look of it."
"Only a few of them Commander Shepard." A voice broke through the crowd. From the cluster of people came a small man with kind face and a huge smile. He wore a white and blue suit and had short well-kept hair. His dark and comforting brown eyes peered through the crowd as he approached.
"Sorry, who are you?"
"Oh sorry, I am Duncan Greet. Named the Greeter in the Organization I was assigned to meet you here on the Citadel."
"The Organization knew I would be here?"
"Oh yes! Or rather the Harbinger would know. We have been watching you for quite some time. Omega, Freedom's Progress, Purgatory, and even that Junkyard planet all of them had our people. We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival here on the Citadel." The man said with excitement.
"Right…what do you want?" Shepard asked shaking the man's hand.
"Please follow me. And rather I am supposed to ask you that question. I am at your disposal after all. Think of me as a liaison between yourself and the Organization while on the Citadel." He walked fast but slow enough for the team to keep up.
"So, are you taking us to meet THOS?" Garrus asked and Duncan laughed.
"Oh, no I doubt you will meet the Harbinger for some time yet. I am simply leading you to a place a little quieter to your liking."
"So, tell me some things about your corporation."
"We are not a corporation per se. C-Sec may classify us as such but we are much different. We don't occupy an area, sell ourselves to the highest bidder, nor do we invoke such things like protection payments or anything like that. And if someone does they are immediately taken care of." The man led them to a bar which was just as loud as the outside. The sign said "Dark Star" and it was filled with people. Some gave nods to the group but otherwise, they were ignored. Duncan continued moving and pressed a button on a wall and it revealed a hidden door.
"Right, and how do you take care of them?" Shepard asked as they entered a lit hallway. The hallway seemed to go on forever.
"Where are we?" Garrus asked.
"A network of tunnels we call the Indoctrinated Network. And as for your question Commander. Well, it depends on the rank of the criminal and how severe the crime was." Greet said nonchalantly.
"Tell me about the ranks?" Shepard questioned and Duncan was quick with answers.
"For the Militia there are several. In order of importance, you have the Rook which oversees all Militia forces in an area. They have their own personal squad which is usually the best-of-the-best of the Militia in that area. Then there is their second-in-command and personal bodyguard which is a Knight. Followed by the Pawns. The Pawns have ranks of their own and we have ranks and titles for every type of person you can imagine. For example, someone who works with the Organization but isn't in the Organization officially is called a Watcher."
"Heavy chess focus, what about the King and Queen?" Shepard said as a joke realizing the trend.
"That is the Government branch. Kings and Queens are the spokespeople of their race or level of society. They handle the day-to-day affairs of the Organization. As well as recruitment on a large scale. They are not more or less powerful than the Militia or the Factory. Only the Harbinger has total power in the Organization. The other branches have a checks and balance system."
"So you have a King and a Queen for each race huh?" Garrus asked as they continued to walk.
"Yes, well, kind of. There is no difference in Kings and Queens other than the gender of the individual. The current Queen of Palaven is a woman by the name of Vila Usius. And the King of the Quarians is a man by the name of Egos'Sumat Vas Alarei nar Minz. These men and women are the leaders of their people in the Organization. And the colonies of races are led by Bishops which answer to their respective King or Queen. Ah, we are here!" Duncan said as the team drank in the information. The way of power in the Organization was both elaborate in practice but also simple in design.
Duncan opened a doorway into another bar this one had many of the same themes as the last one. Duncan didn't stop and neither did those that followed him. "We will use this place to find a cab to get you to our headquarters." He said as looked for a console to call for a taxi. The taxi showed up and they quietly went to a very familiar place.
It was the markets from two years ago some of the vendors had changed. Others had not and still, Duncan kept walking until they were in front of Chora's Den except it wasn't under that name.
"Welcome to the Reaper's Den." He motioned to the door and the team could hear loud music. It was so different yet similar.
"I heard something about a 'Factory' who are they?" Shepard asked over the loud music. Duncan raised a finger leading them past the crowd.
"Hey, Duncan!"
"What's going on Greeter?"
"Finally do your job yet?" A Turian asked in front of a door and Duncan laughed.
"Indeed." He said motioning to Shepard.
"The Commander… it is an honor." The Turian said and quickly got out of their way and the door opened and the team walked in. When it closed, the room was much quieter and they could hear themselves think for once.
"Now the Factory is our building branch. They plan, create, and distribute our gear. Our weapons, armor, and various other equipment is done through them. They are some of the smartest engineers in the galaxy. They also can procure already built things like Avenger rifles or Vindicator rifles. But for the most part, THOS wants us to remain independent, not beholden to another government, faction, or even company."
"How many of you are there?" Shepard asked although he didn't expect any real numbers.
"I assume you mean how many Organization members are there? Well, I don't have an exact number. But it changes depending on where you look right now we are in Phase two of three. So, we are relatively small."
"I have seen you people all over the place I wouldn't call yourselves small." Shepard said.
"You have seen single squads, or a single contact maybe both. In Phase two we focus on the training of our people and spread even further. Phase one focused on just getting a population… a foundation. It was the beginning and we officially got out of the first phase only four months ago."
"What is Phase three?" Garrus asked Duncan.
"That is when we use all of our resources and pool them together to create a military, unlike anything this galaxy has seen in the past 50,000 years. But for right now, we are just a small group of elite individuals."
"What about after the Reapers?"
"We will help rebuild and then disband. THOS has said that many times. We are not meant to last for long. After the Reapers are gone and their destruction fixed so will we be gone. Disbanded immediately. Many don't want that. Mainly those that are ex-military which is most of us. THOS has dialed them back and kept them focused on the approaching battles." Shepard still looked around surprised to have seen the changed state this bar was in. It used to be a pure gentlemen's club but now it was more of a base. He saw an armory, communication hubs, and he could hear people training. Yet in the front or main portion of the Den, it hadn't changed much. Women remained scantily clad and drinks were being served aplenty.
"So, you now own Chora's Den?" Duncan smiled at the statement and then laughed.
"Yea figured you would get a kick from that. After Fist's demise, those who were once invested in this place wanted to be as far away from it as possible. And those that didn't and saw a business opportunity didn't last long against our finances. They were quickly beaten and now it is the Reaper's Den."
"And this is your base of operations?" Garrus asked.
"In a sense. It is the brain of the Organization in a lot of ways. This is where THOS meets most of us and is where the Bishop of the Citadel stays for most of his time."
"And who is the Bishop?"
"That would be me, Commander." The team turned and saw a large human man in heavy white and blue armor in a doorway. He held the air of ex-military and both of his hands remained clasped behind his back. He walked towards the group extended his hand out. "Hello, I am Caleb Charles. It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander."
The group shook hands quickly. The man looked like he was in a hurry.
"Are you here to tell us more?" Shepard asked the man that about the same height as him.
"Afraid not Commander I actually wasn't told of your arrival. Another thing the Harbinger keeps hidden from me."
"Trust issues?" Shepard pressed. It was a fair question. Caleb was a high-ranking individual in the Organization. So, he should probably be told of someone important coming to visit. And that wasn't ego talking. Shepard had his own greeter, several squads, and his name was known throughout the Organization.
"No Commander, it was a matter of telling those who would meet you. Caleb Charles here is Bishop of the Citadel and Rook of Arcanii squad. He wasn't debriefed like I was. Therefore, he wasn't told of your arrival. Furthermore, nor was it certain where he would be." Duncan then turned to Caleb. "Also, Sir I was going to inform you the moment my meeting with Commander Shepard was finished. Now Commander if I am not mistaken you have a friend to see yes? I will take you to the Presidium and you can be on your way." Duncan soon led the group away from the area.