Mass Effect Andromeda Series II
Chapter 34
Ilium…he didn't think he would be back there again, but Shepard received some intel that had to do with the Shadow Broker. The topic would greatly interest Liara. Also, Miranda had to meet a contact at the Eternity Bar so after they docked, he and Jacob met up with Miranda at Eternity to see what this person wanted. Garrus didn't know too much other than it had to do something with her sister.
"Nos Astra is a very compelling port to stay at from time to time," Thane commented as he walked up to the starboard window beside Garrus. "Nassana's contract kept me here for several months."
"Months?"
"I had to have time to prepare. Her network security to infiltrate was no easy task. I had to be sure that I made no mistakes. I had to get information from those inside."
"Never thought I would be working with an assassin. You ever regret the occupation?"
Without hesitation, Thane answered, "No. I owe my life to the Hanar and my body was trained by them. It is a good life."
Garrus blinked by the image of a Hanar training lethal assassins. "Killer Hanar? That's a first."
Thane chuckled, "They are stronger than they appear. I was talking to Shepard the other day and he spoke of this woman named, Ashley, the name pained him. He would not say more on the matter."
"I believe they were lovers. I…um...am not sure, but I was there on Horizon when we ran into her," Garrus cleared his throat, feeling uneasy talking about his Commander's business behind his back.
"Oh I see…battle can cause disharmony among those who love each other. I still miss my Siha." Thane paused and closed his eyes and then looked up as if he was reliving an image. "Her body in the scope, looking at me in defiance. 'How dare you,' she says."
Stunned, Garrus looked at him. "What was that?"
"Sorry, Drell can recall perfect memory. Most of the times it is a burden." Thane shifted a bit in his place in embarrassment. "I overheard, I think her name was Kelly, say that you are to meet someone here as well."
Garrus sighed hard as the task at hand came back to him. "I have to meet Andromeda here."
"You seemed troubled by this."
"I'm sure this is not a personal visit." Garrus gave up on waiting any longer. He had to get this over with. "Speaking of which, I need to be going."
The encounter with Andromeda at the Eternity Bar did play out well and Garrus pretty much knew the outcome when he met up with her. She was there on C-Sec business despite being out of their jurisdiction. There was fire in her eyes and determination to solve whatever mystery she was investigating and he gave her props to that. It reminded him of his younger days at the academy. The only difference was that her perpetrator was him for the murder of Sidonis. He knew she would put two and two together, and judging by her discussion with him, she did not disclose this with anyone else. She was there to confront him to admit his guilt before stating the obvious. Even if he was convicted of the crime, Shepard's Spectre status could buy him time to complete their current mission before returning to the Citadel to face judgment. He just didn't know if Andromeda would be that determined. Technically, she couldn't do anything about it but report his location to C-Sec and wait for the proper officers on Ilium to locate him. By that time, they would be off the planet. Despite avenging his team, the hatred he had for his former friend did not leave him. The name rolled off her tongue and it infuriated him. After showing him photos of the crime scene, she called him out on it. However, he wouldn't come out and admit it. Something was holding him back as if a part of him was trying to hide the monster he was becoming. He felt so cold towards Andromeda, feelings against her like he never felt. It was as if he associated her with the pain with Sidonis.
Then something happened, Andromeda called him a coward like the mercs and stated that Sidonis was more honorable than him. How could she do that? She didn't know what happened on Omega, so what right did she have to judge him for his action? Rage burned inside him as he reached out and gripped her neck tightly with his hand like a vice. He could feel the fire within him as he glared at her.
Luckily, and unfortunately, Tali and Shepard showed up at the scene. Time must have passed and whatever business the commander had with Miranda was over. John and Andromeda exchanged heated words, but Garrus didn't hear them. His mind was swirling about all the emotions he was feeling. The adrenaline was pumping.
"Garrus? You okay?" John asked as he shook him lightly. The dark haired man then waived Tali to go on her own way. Now they were in the markets with just him, Shepard and Grunt.
Shaking his head, Garrus sighed hard, "I'm fine. Sorry, Shepard."
"Is this matter over with?" Shepard questioned sternly. "I need you to have a clear head. We need to go to Liara's apartment. She wanted to discuss this business with the Shadow Broker further. I don't want you thinking about Andromeda anymore. Understood?"
"I'm fit for duty," Garrus squared his shoulders back. He fought the urge to look back at the entrance to the space port in hopes of seeing Andromeda looming there. What just happened? The event that transpired a few moments ago seemed like a nightmare. What was he becoming?
Their search at Liara's apartment led them to Dracon Trade Center where supposedly Liara was supposed to meet her contact at the Baria Frontiers office. Garrus pondered as to why someone would want Liara dead. The first time Shepard encountered Liara on Therum, Saren's troops were trying to find her. That was because of her relation to Matriarch Benezia. What information could she have now? Their contact, Vasir, who was an Asari version of a Spectre, advised that she would meet Shepard and his team at the office. She would approach the office from the top and they would work the bottom. As Tela was giving instructions for a plan, there was a deafening explosion and the ground shook violently. Glass shattered everywhere, raining on casualties below as the explosion threw some of them to the ground hard. Fortunately, they were away from the main blast zone and the only outcome they had was the trouble with their footing. "Liara's in there!" Shepard's face was filled with horror as he looked up at where the office was. The top of the tower was engulfed in flames. Alarms were blaring as the building's inner sprinklers kicked in.
Without an order, John raced in with his rifle clutched tightly in his arms. Garrus exchanged a look with Grunt and the two followed. People could be heard screaming from the upper levels and there were bodies on the ground in the lobby. John knelt down beside a guard's limp from. "He's been shot."
"Shot?" Garrus blinked in confusion.
"Looks like whoever had that bomb is still here," Grunt growled as he moved ahead to check out the rest of the lobby.
"We need to get to Liara. Someone professional is after her and she may be on her own," Shepard moved ahead of them as he climbed up the stairs.
"We got company!" A man yelled out across the office cubicles. Then they heard the familiar sound of a disc being thrown in their direction.
"Flash bang!" Garrus alarmed the team as he ducked for cover. Seconds later, there was a bright flash and he could hear a ringing in his ears.
"Cowards are hiding!" Grunt grumbled in frustration as he lifted up to fire at the incoming opposing force.
"Meet the Shadow's Broker personal army," Vasir's voice came through the comm. Had she been listening in to them?
Darting over his cover, Garrus fired as he rolled to advancing cover. He switched to inferno ammo and then shot again. The rounds hit their mark and it caught one of the men on fire. The man screamed from the burns. With him distracted, Vakarian noticed that Grunt led the charge and head butted the unsuspected soldier, knocking him to the ground. Shepard took out the remaining two soldiers with precise sniper hits.
"There should be more," The tank bred looked around at the dead bodies in front of him.
"I'm hoping. If they are on to us, they may redirect their attention away from Liara. Let's keep going," Shepard switched back to his hand cannon.
Finally after several incursions with the Shadow Broker's army, the trio was able to reach the Baria Frontier's office where Liara was supposed to meet her contact, Sekat. They were too late. Sekat was dead on the floor along with one of the Shadow Broker's men. Vasir stood there with pistol in hand. "Damnit, if I had been a few seconds faster, I could have saved him." She seemed to smirk Garrus noticed while she holstered her gun. Something about her just didn't seem right.
John moved over to the console, "No sign of that data we talked about. This is a dead end."
"Shame. Speaking of which, did you find your friend's body?"
"You mean this body," Liara stepped out of the shadows beside Garrus and gave him a warm friendly smile. She held her pistol aimed at Vasir.
"Good to see that you are still alive," Garrus smiled back at her.
"Liara! This is Vasir. She's on our side. She's a Spectre," John becoming alarmed of the hostility from his old comrade and stepped forward to get in front of the aim.
"She tried to kill me, Shepard," Liara didn't lower her weapon. "I watched her break into my apartment."
"You were using us…" Garrus glared hard at the Asari Spectre. Her position did not phase her. He took aim with Liara. John followed suit.
"You couldn't find Liara so you needed me to track her down," Shepard added.
"I knew she smelled bad," Grunt held up his shotgun. "Let's just kill her now."
"She has the data from Sekat," Liara looked over to her former Commander.
"Good guess," Vasir chuckled. "You won't get it. You pure blood, bitch!" She screamed as she unleashed her biotics by shattering the back glass behind her and using the deadly shards as projectiles.
Within seconds, Liara held up a barrier bubble to protect all of them and once the danger was over, she raced out and tackled Vasir, knocking the two out of the window.
"Liara!" Alarmed, Garrus raced to the window, but to his shock, the two were down on the lower level unharmed. Vasir took off with Liara hot on her heels.
Shepard jumped down to where the Asari went, Garrus and Grunt did the same. They tried their best to catch up but their path was blocked when more of the Broker's men showed up. "Fantastic," John mumbled as he ducked to take cover. "Switch to cryo!"
"Understood," Garrus switched his ammo and took aim. With their rounds, the Broker's men screamed as their bodies froze upon impact. Grunt shot again, shattering their pieces everywhere.
"We need to keep up with them!" Shepard leaped up and moved ahead.
Once reaching the outside of the Trade Center, Vasir managed to take a sky cab to get away. Liara was already calling one to pursue. The sky cab had enough room for just three people. "Garrus, get back to the Normandy and tell Joker to track my location. I want an immediate pick up once this is over." Shepard sat down in the seat behind Liara while Grunt clamored to the back.
"You got it."
The wind howled as the ship rocked from the violent cumulonimbus clouds that engulfed the Shadow Broker's vessel on Hagalaz. Garrus was in front of the group and he made the bad mistake in looking down. A wave of nausea ran over him. "Ugh, remind me again, why I was chosen on this mission?" He yelled back at his squad mates over the wind through his helmet.
"Because I only trusted you, Garrus. This is nothing compared to what we have faced before!" Liara yelled back through her respirator.
"That's what you think," Vakarian continued ahead and made a mental note to himself to not look down. There were almost near the end of the ship. One step closer to Feron, Liara's friend, who was captured.
"Should I remind you about the trench run on Ilos and facing all those Geth to get to the Conduit?" Shepard teased as he pulled up beside his troubled friend.
"Still not the same," The Turian laughed and shook his head.
"We are close. I'll go ahead since you are too scared," Liara smirked through her face mask as he pushed between them.
The fight outside the ship was nothing compared to what they were up against inside. Outside they came across some troops, assault drones and mechs but they had more room to maneuver. Inside, the hallways were tight and the place crawled with the Broker's agents. Garrus' shields were taking a pounding. He didn't know how much they could last. The attacks were relentless and well organized. The Broker knew how to train his fighters that was for sure. Aggravatingly, they used flash bangs a lot so he spent majority of his fights in cover and shielding his eyes. "Just how many agents does the Shadow Broker have?" Liara asked the same thing Vakarian was thinking as she peered around to try to take a shot.
"Hold your position! No matter the cost!" One of the men yelled to his team.
"Well this was your idea," Shepard joked as he tried to keep the mood light despite the raging firefight. Garrus watched as his commander sidestepped and nailed one agent between the eyes.
Counting the seconds, Garrus waited until Shepard was clear and then took his own shot, hitting the last agent that was resisting them so far. "Scratch one!"
Pulling up her omni tool, Liara scanned the ship's schematics. "We are near the prison block…and Feron." Without saying a word, she darted ahead.
"Liara, wait up!" Shepard called out to her as he raced to catch up to provide any cover fire. They cleared the door and Liara was the first one to enter the cell where Feron was. Ironically, he was a Drell just like Thane and he was strapped to some sort of chair that was hooked up to a series of monitors.
Seeing Liara move closer to Feron, Garrus held her back. "Something about this is not right…." He looked back to Feron and the device. Was this a trap?
"We have to get him out of here." Liara moved away and pulled up a screen on the computer system to see how to unlock him.
"Liara?" Feron seemed to be coming to. Suddenly just as she was trying to access the programming, an electrical current filled the chair, shocking the Drell, but the voltage was not fatal. Feron screamed from the pain.
"This chair is sensitive to tampering," Feron panted as he raised his head up to look at them. "Pull me out now and my brain cooks."
"Do you know where we can cut the power?" Liara pulled up her omni once again to see if she can do a scan.
"The power is with Central Operations. It's down the hall. You know the Shadow Broker is waiting for you, right?"
"I'm counting on it," Shepard motioned Garrus and Liara to move on.
"I want all teams to outpost C." The Shadow Broker's voice boomed over the ship's PA system.
"Well at least we don't have to hunt them down," Garrus fired up his rifle once again and switched to warp ammo.
"I'll kill all of them. We have to rescue Feron," Liara took position with her submachine gun.
"Heavy ammo. Be careful," Shepard noticed a few agents were carrying rocket launchers. The Broker was not fooling around. He then tossed a playful grin over to Garrus. "Easy enough. I can match that." The Commander switched from his rifle to his M-490.
"We'll just stand here and watch," Garrus smiled as he stayed where he was and then noticed that Liara was looking at them in bewilderment, clearly missing the inside joke. "I would probably just stay away from them."
Shepard knelt down and launched the weapon releasing a strong singularity that lifted all the mercs in the air and then slammed them hard against the hall's walls as their bodies burned. Satisfied with the outcome, Shepard holstered the heavy weapon back and took out his pistol. "Don't make me do all the work."
With a look of astonishment, Liara smiled at her former Commander. "Remind me to get the specs on that later."
"I guess we only have one room left," Shepard motioned to the last room at the end of the hallway. "After you, Dr. T'soni.
"This Feron. Is he your-?" Garrus asked Liara as they walked up to the main room. The place seemed to be empty now of any mercs.
"A friend. He helped me locate Shepard's body after the Normandy was destroyed. He was hired by the Broker. In the end, he turned against the Broker. Now because of me, he's paying for it. But not for much longer…" The blue skinned Asari seemed to be determined as she didn't hesitate in opening the door to the Central Operations room. Shepard and Garrus followed behind her. Their weapons poised to any threat ahead of them.
There in the middle of the room at a desk sat the Shadow Broker. A towering species that Garrus never came across before. His massive sharp teeth glistened as he looked at them with no fear. "Here for the Drell? Reckless. Even for you, Commander." His deep voice addressed them. The Shadow Broker took his eyes off Liara and then looked at Shepard and Garrus. "You travel with fascinating companions, Doctor. It's good that you brought Archangel, T'soni, your friend's bounty is still unclaimed."
Hearing him be called out as Archangel made Garrus fill with dread. He knew what the Broker was capable of with information after his talks with Wrex and past experiences. How long did he know about him being Archangel? He was fairly certain that the Broker was aware who was traveling with Commander Shepard. The Commander was pretty popular in a lot of systems for good or bad. What other information did he have on him? His home? His friends? His family? Andromeda…? He gave an uneasy glance over at Liara and then gathered the courage to stay strong as he reloaded a clip in his gun. They had to take this guy down one way or another.
"You're not putting a hand on anyone," Liara stood firm where she was.
"I know you're every secret while you fumble in the dark."
"Is that right? You're a Yahg. You probably were taken off your homeworld for a slave or a pet. How am I doing?" T'Soni proudly smirked.
That was it. She plucked the last nerve. The Yahg stood up slowly revealing just how towering he was. This made Shepard and the others step back to put more distance between them. Garrus tightened his grip on his pistol. "I think that did it, Liara…." He said over to her. The monstrous beast roared as he threw the desk at them as he showed off his sharp incisors. Unfortunately, Garrus was not anticipating the impact and was caught off guard as the desk slammed on top of him, knocking him to the side. His head spun as pain went up his body from the strike. He could hear the Yahg thundering near him and roaring, but he couldn't see for sure where he was. Shepard and Liara were firing at their foe.
"Garrus!" He heard Liara panting for breath as he felt her hand pull him free. In the distance, he could hear Shepard still firing.
Stumbling, the Turian got his bearings and he moved over out of the way. He glanced back to see that the Shadow Broker had put some kind of shield to protect him from melee attacks as Shepard charged at him. Seeing that the Broker was caught off guard, Shepard called over to them, "Liara, now!"
Letting go of Garrus, Liara gathered her dark energy and was able to pull down the plasma from the field that was contained above them. The plasma covered the Yahg as he tried to move to charge at T'Soni. Within seconds, the plasma energy ignited and the explosion knocked them on the ground as the Shadow Broker was completely vaporized.
"Garrus, you okay?" Shepard ran over to check on him after watching Liara stand back up.
"Yeah," Garrus rubbed his head. "Sorry, I missed the fight. Looked like a fun one."
"Don't worry. I'll dock it from your pay," John playfully slapped his back.
"You sure you don't want to come back with us? We need you," Shepard paused near the ship's docking bay where the Normandy's shuttle was hovering outside for pickup.
"There's so much that I need to decipher here. I have to stay, but I'll fill you in on anything I can find regarding the Collectors," Liara stood there with the Shadow Broker's personal sphere VI beside her.
"Shadow Broker, shall I book a meeting with Commander Shepard?" The VI spoke up.
"No…please don't call me that," Liara sighed as she flushed some from
embarrassment. "I'll have to reprogram him later. Maybe I can ask Feron once he gets the strength. Currently, he's resting in one of the rooms."
Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Garrus cleared his throat. "Liara, I know you have a lot going on right now with being the Broker and all…I need to know something."
"I'm not the Broker," She corrected him, but with a smile. "I'll find what information he has on Archangel. A lot of the data was purged or exported once his connection was severed. He must have had an implant that was a failsafe. I don't know what type of data was part of this dump, but I'll see what I can find. I'm sorry that I cannot give more information than that. It will take hours for me to decipher everything and then scrub it. It's all in encryption. It will be quite the challenge."
A lump formed in his throat. That's what he was afraid of. He wasn't too sure what kind of power the implant had. He recognized Archangel. Could he be linked to merc groups? He hoped that he could get a message out to Andromeda and soon.