"Eden Prime was a major victory; the beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."
"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."
The voices played for the third time as Udina and Anderson listened, the former with a look of absolute glee and the latter with furrowed brows. The first voice belonged to Saren, the vocal readings were authentic, so it was utterly undeniable. The second voice was unfamiliar, but it belonged to a woman. The quarian, Tali, had been made to play the recording multiple times so that Shepard could run the vocal readings through her omni-tool and verify them against a Citadel file with Saren's voice on it.
"This is definitely the evidence we need to convict Saren," Anderson said. "But what exactly are they planning? Reapers are just an old myth, something to scare children."
Shepard wasn't so sure. She'd seen something vivid and horrible in the Prothean beacon. Something she couldn't quite piece apart, but it had definitely involved the Reapers. And mass destruction left in their wake. The first time Tali had played the recording, it had given her goosebumps. If the council would accept the evidence, which they should, she wanted to lead the charge on the hunt for Saren. Even playing at the return of what she saw in the beacon was too big of a risk.
"It doesn't matter what they're saying," Udina waved a dismissive hand at the captain. "What matters is we have proof of Saren's guilt. We need to take this to the council immediately. Come on. And bring that motley crew of yours with," he eyed the aliens with distaste.
They were an unusual bunch. Quarians and turians might be seen together frequently; Shepard had even heard of some quarians who'd left their fleet to marry a turian lover. Still, the sight of Quarians on the citadel was rare. Krogan were almost as rare a sight as quarians, and usually stuck to their own kind. Since the turians had inflicted the genophage on their species, greatly limiting their ability to procreate and decimating their numbers, there had been bad blood between the two races. The humans and the krogan had a common enemy, both having fallen victim to military assault by the turian, but it certainly didn't bring the two species together. A human was much more likely to befriend a turian than a krogan, despite tense relations. To see all four of these alien races working toward the same goal…well, it was a sight Shepard never expected, much less of her own doing.
The three humans and the three aliens followed Udina out of his office, through the embassies, and out into the main Presidium. Anderson brought up the rear, a distracted look on his face. He was clearly lost deep in troublesome thoughts. Shepard shared his confusion and concern, but she also understood Udina's zeal to get the evidence to the council as soon as possible. Saren knew he was being investigated; the longer they waited to convict him, the further away he could get using his Spectre status.
The walk across the Presidium seemed to take forever. Shuttles and taxis hovered by overhead, the passengers completely oblivious to the magnitude of events unfolding right below them. Eden Prime had been a sad news piece to discuss at the water cooler for most of the people on the Citadel; their interest in the topic would fade quickly without a direct tie to the colony.
When they finally reached the elevator leading up to the Citadel tower, there were far too many of them to fit in one trip, so Udina boarded with Anderson, Shepard, and Tali, while the rest were left to wait for another elevator.
The elevator rose slowly, it would take a while to reach the council chambers from this far down on the Presidium. Tali shifted uncomfortably next to Shepard, wringing her hands and fidgeting.
"It'll be okay," Shepard reassured her. "All you have to do is play the evidence."
"The Citadel has never exactly been welcoming to quarians," Tali spoke softly. "They treat us as 'undesirable'. But we all have to leave the flotilla at some point for our pilgrimage. If they bothered learning anything about us…" She shrugged. "And now that the geth have attacked Eden Prime…"
"You're worried that the council will blame the quarians," Shepard guessed.
Tali nodded. "We're the reason the geth exist."
"Surely the council can't blame your people for something their ancestors created."
"What have the quarians done to stop the geth in the interim?" Udina piped in.
Shepard glared at him. "They've survived. I doubt anyone is more concerned or upset by the geth than people who've been forced to live off of their home world in a flotilla for the past three centuries!"
"I'm sorry," Tali said. "I didn't mean to cause a fight. I shouldn't have…"
"You have nothing to apologize for," Shepard said firmly.
The remainder of the ride up was spent in stony silence. Shepard was annoyed that Udina had felt the need to intervene on the conversation. Tali was the reason they had evidence against Saren at all, and he was going to complain about her people? As if humans were perfect. He never had anything constructive to add to a conversation unless it might help to lead humanity to a council seat.
When they reached the top, it was another long wait for the rest of the group to arrive. Udina would have rushed the council chambers right then and there, but Anderson reminded him that it would be important for all of the group to be present; Ashley and Kaidan could help answer any additional questions the council might have about Eden Prime and all of them would be able to explain how the evidence had been obtained.
Udina made a crude comment about turians and krogan, but agreed to wait.
When the entire group was reformed, they made their way into the council chambers to present the evidence.
Shepard stood stoically as the council listened to Tali's evidence against Saren, while Garrus and the others watched with bated breath. After viewing Shepard's data indicating the vocal files were authentic, the turian councilor spoke first.
"This evidence is irrefutable. We must move to strip Saren of his Spectre privileges at once."
The asari councilor nodded and tapped something on the screen in front of her. "I am also concerned about the second voice on the recording."
"You know who it is?" Shepard asked.
"Matriarch Benezia. A powerful asari. If she's working with Saren…well, she has many connections and her biotic prowess is well known. She'll be a formidable ally for him," The asari councilor explained.
A small crowd had gathered in the rafters overlooking the chambers. After all the commotion they had made down in the wards, Garrus wasn't surprised that word had gotten around.
"That is troubling," the salarian councilor agreed. "And what of Saren's mention of the reapers?"
"A ploy, surely. Something to distract from his larger purpose, perhaps a code word. The reapers are just an old myth. Something to explain away what historians can't solve regarding the Protheans," the asari councilor said dismissively. "We needn't concern ourselves with such nonsense."
"I saw a vision of the reapers in the Prothean beacon. It doesn't seem like something we should take lightly," Shepard growled.
Garrus had heard her speak about her vision of the reapers before he'd slipped out of her last meeting with the council. He had to admit that he was skeptical as well. What evidence was there that anything like the reapers had ever existed? Still, in the few hours he'd known Shepard, he could already sense it was worth listening to what she had to say. No one had ever come in contact with a functioning Prothean beacon. Who were they to say Shepard was wrong? If two people as powerful as Saren and this asari matriarch were discussing the reapers, he had to agree it wasn't something to be dismissed without second thought.
"Who knows what the Prothean beacon might have done to you," the turian councilor said. "You admitted yourself that it affected you physically. A vision is not proof of anything."
"I warned you about Saren before and you didn't want to listen. Are you really going to ignore me a second time?" Shepard demanded.
Humans, of all the species on the Citadel, were known for ardent displays of emotion. Garrus could see the frustration bubbling beneath Shepard's surface, but he was impressed at how composed she still remained while questioning the councilors. Her speech was impassioned, certainly, but not at the risk of making her sound angry or unstable. She was well fit for the role she held.
"You have tangible evidence of Saren's guilt. There is no tangible evidence that the reapers exist, much less that they caused some sort of mass destruction or extinction," the salarian councilor spoke.
"Regardless," Udina spoke up. "Saren and the geth could be gathering to attack other colonies. We know he's hiding somewhere in the traverse. You need to send a fleet after him!"
"Even a fleet could not find one man in the entire expanse of the galaxy," the salarian councilor said.
"A fleet could at least ensure the protection of the colonies Saren hasn't attacked yet," Udina growled. He was not as skilled at hiding his emotions as Shepard was.
"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus system. I hardly think a galactic war is worth protecting a few dozen human colonies that may or may not be under attack in the future," the turian councilor said. "Saren is being stripped of his Spectre status and all rights therein. That should be enough."
"If you won't send a fleet, then send me," Shepard stepped forward. "The council can avoid a war, and the ambassador will be placated, and in the meantime I might actually find Saren."
The councilors exchanged a meaningful glance. Garrus leaned forward in anticipation of what would come next. The crowd on the balcony was growing larger as well.
"There is a way to grant Commander Shepard this ability," the asari councilor said.
The turian councilor clenched his fist. "It's far too soon to grant humanity the benefits of Spectre status."
"Too soon?" Shepard said. "It was a Spectre who started this mess. A turian Spectre gone rogue. And I brought you the evidence. If he'd been allowed to keep his status, who knows how many more innocent lives might have been lost?" Her voice was rising in volume, but she seemed to catch herself. She stood up straight and spoke with cool composure. "If the council would grant me this honor, I promise, I will find Saren and bring him to justice. No matter what."
The councilors spoke in hushed whispers for a moment, then the asari stepped forward.
"Very well. Commander Shepard, we grant you here today the rights and privileges associated with the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel," she said. "There is no training for this role; those worthy of Spectre status have a resumé already proving their worth. From here on out you will have Spectre status. Use this status wisely. You represent not only humanity, but all those who fall under purview of the council."
"Spectres bear a great burden," the turian councilor spoke. "You are our first and often last lines of defense. Protectors of the galaxy."
"It's an honor, councilors," Shepard said. She kept the same stoic face she'd been wearing for most of the conversation, betraying no hint of her true feelings. Garrus felt emotional just from watching the induction, he could only imagine how Shepard felt. This was history in the making: the first human Spectre. He never thought it would happen within his lifetime, much less within his view.
"Your first role as Spectre will be to find Saren and bring him to justice. Use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him," the salarian councilor told Shepard. "We will forward any relevant information we find to ambassador Udina for use at your discretion."
"This meeting of the council is adjourned," said the asari councilor.
There was a great deal of clapping from humans up in the rafters. The councilors retreated from their post and slowly, the crowd above began to dissipate as well.
Udina, true to character, couldn't show a shred of gratitude to Shepard even now that she'd achieved what no human had before.
"Gather anything you need, Shepard," he said. "When you're ready, meet Anderson and me at the docks."
"I'd like to have a few words with the commander if it's…" Anderson started.
"No time. We have important matters to discuss before Shepard leaves."
Anderson sighed. He clapped Shepard on the shoulder. "Congratulations, commander. You've done humanity proud today."
She smiled, "Thank you, captain."
"Now, Anderson," Udina growled.
Anderson hurried off after him, leaving the chamber empty except for Shepard and her unusual squad. Garrus had been so caught up in what was happening, that it took him a moment to realize he needed to speak to the commander. Kaidan and Ashley were congratulating her with handshakes and pats on the back. She thanked them with appropriate modesty and spoke briefly with Ashley, the conversation ending in an excited handshake, then stepped away from the two humans toward Tali, who had remained silent since showing the evidence to the councilors.
"Tali, I wouldn't have been granted this honor without your help," Shepard said as she took the quarian's hand and it shook it. "I don't know or care what the Alliance has to say about it. I could use someone with your tech skill on the Normandy."
"Oh," was all Tali could muster for a moment. "Commander Shepard, I…I don't want you to think…I still feel I owe you a debt for saving my life."
"You don't owe me anything," Shepard assured her. "But if you want to come aboard, I know our engineers would be happy to have you. And you may find something useful to take back to your fleet as part of your pilgrimage."
"If you'd really want me there…"
Kaidan stepped forward then. "Not just the commander. I'd be happy to serve alongside you."
"I suppose I have nothing keeping me here in the Citadel," Tali said. "Yes. Okay. I'll come with you, commander."
"I wasn't invited," Wrex spoke. He had been leaning against the wall watching everything unfold without a word. "But I'm coming too." He stepped forward and brought up his omni-tool. "I'm sending you half the money I was paid for killing Fist. I would say I couldn't have done it without you, but that's not true. Still, it would have taken me longer."
"I'm happy to have as many good soldiers as I can get," Shepard said. "But I have to ask. Why do you want to come aboard a human vessel?"
"I'm eager to see how this plays out," Wrex shrugged. "I'd rather go with you and get my hands dirty fighting geth than stick around here waiting for another bounty."
Shepard's squad mates seemed less sure about the addition of the krogan. Garrus couldn't blame them. A krogan's presence on a ship would make anyone uneasy. Still, Wrex was certainly an invaluable asset to have on the battlefield.
He realized it was his turn to speak up then, and in fact all eyes were on him.
"What about you, Garrus?" Ashley asked. "You said you've been trying to find evidence of Saren's guilt for months. Well, now we have it. What next?"
"As far as C-sec's concerned, my case against Saren is closed. They'd have me back at a desk filing paperwork." He turned his attention to the commander. "Shepard, if you don't mind taking on one more non-human, I'd like to get in on the action as well. I've got a vested interest in bringing Saren to justice now, I'm a damn good shot, and I can keep the weapons and ship systems calibrated to contribute."
Shepard laughed. "You don't have to prove your worth, Garrus. I would have asked you to come anyway."
"Really?" He was surprised.
"Hell, if I'm bringing the krogan…" she shrugged. The others looked unsurely to Wrex, but he just laughed. They smiled hesitantly as well. "That settles it then. All of you, gather what you need and meet us up at dock 422 in an hour. And that's an order!"
"Commander!" The two humans stood at attention and saluted.
"If you expect me to salute you, you've got another thing coming," Wrex waved his hand dismissively and sauntered away to take care of his loose ends on the Citadel.
As the humans and Tali made their way out of the chamber, Garrus trailed behind them. He felt exhilarated at the reality of what was happening, his heart pounding in his chest. He finally had a shot at Saren, and with the unrestricted access of a Spectre. No more C-sec, no more red tape preventing him from carrying out justice. It had been too long since he'd even been off the Citadel.
He was finally in a situation where he could really make a difference, and, as loathe as he was to admit it, he had ambassador Udina to thank.
A/N: Thanks to all who are reading/favoriting/etc. I have about 50k words of this story written, so plenty of updates to come!