27/5/2059
Reich Embassy Bar, Citadel.
Two drinks were placed in front of John and Otto. It didn't take a second before Otto was already halfway through his. John looked over at his Captain.
"So?" John asked curiously.
"So what?"
"Have they improved their beer?"
"Nope, it still tastes like ass. But it's better than nothing."
John chuckled slightly as he took a sip of his and pondered on what had happened at the meeting. Saren was smart, and that meant it would be hard to dig up anything on him. He looked around the bar, which was sparsely populated. Most personnel and officials were probably busy trying to keep calm as the situation was deteriorating around them. The sounds of war on the horizon, approaching rapidly.
"Ay, Andreas. You got any nuts?" Otto then suddenly asked the bartender.
"What?" The Bartender asked back.
"A bowl of nuts or something like that."
"Why would we have that?"
"Most fucking bars have a bowl of peanuts or some shit to munch on while you drink. This is a bar, no?"
"When will Major Wiedel be here?" John asked to stop the uncomfortable tension that was building between the bartender and Otto.
"Whenever he fucking cares to I guess." Otto replied, and then turned right back to the bartender. "Why the fuck doesn't the Embassy bar have fucking peanuts? Aren't you guys supposed to be high class or something. Jesus fucking Christ."
"Well excuse me, Captain. But you're the first person to waltz in here and demand peanuts."
And just in the nick of time, Major Wiedel walked in. John was relieved he wasn't about to see Otto make a bigger deal of this than it was. This certainly wouldn't be the first time his captain had made an incident over some trivial matter like this. Only a couple of years ago Otto had beat the shit out of a Turian sergeant at a bar in the lower wards over a simple dispute regarding who was entitled to the last seat at the counter.
"Gentlemen. Sorry to keep you waiting." Wiedel walked up to the bar. "Give me a glass of water." He requested.
"Fuck off Wiedel. At least buy yourself a drink while you're in a bar. Have you no dignity?" Otto commented.
Wiedel sighed. "It may shock you, but there are other liquids and refreshments besides alcohol." the Captain stopped paying attention to him halfway through the sentence, going back to his glass. "Fine, I'll have a whiskey then, on the rocks." The bartender nodded and quickly went about pouring the major a glass. It was placed on the table. Wiedel took a sip of it and turned his attention to Otto. "So, you guys fucked up, didn't you?" He asked.
"Fuck you. We didn't fuck shit up. The whole thing is a set up." Otto quickly fired back.
"Welcome to the Citadel." Wiedel took another sip of his whiskey. "And now this whole shitshow is spinning out of control. The Führer is scheduled to make a speech in the Volkshalle in about 4 hours. My guess? The declaration of war against the Geth is on its way."
"What's our move?" John asked as he leaned against the bar counter.
"The council talked about a C-sec investigation, correct?" Wiedel asked, and they both nodded. "Then your best option is to talk to our man on the inside. His name is Sergeant Rafael Keller. You'll find him at the C-sec headquarters. I just spoke with him, and he thinks he might have a lead we can look into." Wiedel said.
"Who is he?" John asked curiously.
"He was the first human to be accepted into C-sec. Now we have around two dozen. A disciplined and by the book type, just like an officer should be. Tell him I sent you." Wiedel replied, and John nodded to showcase he understood. "Oh, and by the way. Don't cause too much trouble while you are here. This is C-sec territory. At least try to respect the law." Wiedel ordered.
"Yes sir." John saluted. "You coming, Captain?" John then turned and asked Otto.
"Afraid I can't do that, Shepard. The Ambassador nailed my ass to this barseat. This is on you." Otto answered while downing the last of his drink, and then ordering a new one.
"Alright… I'll come back with evidence."
"I know you will."
John finally made it to the C-sec HQ, it wasn't too far from the embassy.
The C-sec HQ was filled with officers going about their daily business. People being led into lockup, booking them and taking in evidence, Officers busy taking statements. John had no idea how big C-sec really was, and this was just one of many stations. He hardly saw any humans, but Wiedel did mention they only had about two dozen men on the inside. John began to wonder just how much of a welcome sight he was at this station, and decided to not push his luck any further, instead, he went looking for Keller.
John knocked on the door to the office that read 'Sgt. Keller'. The man behind the desk looked up from his computer and narrowed his eyes. Then he gestured for John to enter, which he promptly did. The office wasn't that big, and the fact that it was filled with datapads and a big board with information didn't make it seem any bigger. Clearly Keller kept himself too busy to clean up the office.
"Please, have a seat. I take it you're Shepard?" Keller asked.
"I am." John took a seat in front of Keller's desk, noticing that the desk was just as messy as the rest of the office.
"Pardon the mess. I would have cleaned up more, but time isn't on our side. I heard from Wiedel that the council shut you down?" Keller leaned back in his seat.
"Yes… That is true. They said C-sec had started an investigation or something, but they didn't turn up any evidence."
"Considering they only gave us 24 hours to turn up evidence, it was clear that they weren't looking for evidence. It was just a formal thing to cover their asses." Keller sighed as he rubbed his temples. There was a few seconds of silence while John soaked it in.
"Major Wiedel said you had some sort of lead I could follow?"
Keller leaned forward. "The way I see it, there are two options you can follow. Option number one, is to contact the Shadow Broker. He deals through a slimy little Volus named Barla Von. He has an office on the presidium. I would advise against it. The Shadow Broker's prices are usually steep." Keller explained.
"And option number two?"
"You go and find a young Turian named Garrus Vakarian. The lead investigator for the case. Last time I saw him, he was talking about being close to getting a lead in the case, he just needed more time. I'm not sure what he had, but Saren's files are all entombed in red tape, classified beyond all means. Still, he's a crafty guy, but doesn't understand the procedures."
"And where can I find this… Garrus?"
"The Executor and the chief agreed to suspend Garrus for two weeks, following his outburst over not being able to investigate it. I think he is probably down by Chora's den, it's a low class bar. Watch your ass if you get down there. Humans usually aren't welcomed guests on the lower wards." Keller warned Shepard.
"I'll be careful."
"Bring a gun… Just in case, you know."
3 hours to war…
John had to admit, he didn't like the lower wards. It was clear that the underbelly of the Citadel didn't house its finest citizens. Still, people kept their distance for the most part. Rarely any humans ventured down here, and perhaps the uniform made them stay away. It was probably wishful thinking to hope for an outcome without violence, but he had a mission to complete. His first lead was a c-sec officer named Garrus, and so he needed to find Chora's den.
If looks could kill, John would have been dead a dozen times by now. He could feel the cold stares that they offered him. He kept his wits about him as he passed a group of not-very-friendly-looking Turians and a mean looking Krogan. The only thoughts playing in his head were about how much he wished he had gotten backup.
The bar was no different. Even by the lower wards standards, this seemed to be a shady place, filled with undesirables. It was impossible to blend in, so John decided to simply find this Garrus character as soon as possible. There were plenty of Turians in there, but only now did John realize he had no idea how this Garrus even looked. Asking around didn't seem like the smart choice, so he stepped outside for a moment.
He called up Keller on his omni-tool. Didn't take but a moment before Keller accepted the call. "Yes Oberleutnant. How can I help you?"
"What does this Garrus look like?" John asked.
"Like a Turian."
"There are two dozen Turians in that bar, you gotta be more specific."
"Well, Garrus hardly ever takes off his C-sec armor, and he has some blue face markings. Is that enough?"
Before John could respond, some pulled a gun and pointed it to the back of his head. John tried to remain calm.
"Are you here to kill me?" The voice was Turian, and if John had to take a guess, it was probably Garrus.
"I'll call you back later, Keller." John ended the call. "Didn't plan on it." John replied cheekily. "Are you Garrus?"
"What is it to you?"
"I need your help. I heard you had some leads on where to find evidence against Saren. We need that evidence if we are going to nail his sorry ass to the floorboards." John explained. He waited for what felt like an eternity for some sort of response.
"How can I trust you?" Garrus asked.
"My name is Oberleutnant John Shepard of the Kriegsmarine. I was at Lion's gate when it was attacked. If anyone wants to get Saren, it's me." John kept his cool about him, never once showing any weakness. This type of stuff had been in his training for a long time. Finally, after a few more seconds, Garrus lowered his gun. John turned around and finally got a look at him, and Keller's description of the Turian matched pretty well. "Let me buy you a drink, then we can talk about what to do from there."
"Sure…" Garrus replied as he followed John inside the bar. "Though I'm not sure this is the place to be for someone like you. Plenty of unfriendly faces."
"Never been one to shy away from a drink, no matter the circumstances." John smiled as they walked up to the counter. They ordered two drinks, John made sure to get an Asari drink, one safe for consumption. Or at least as safe as it could be. You never know if the bartender is handling a bit of poison in the drink for those he'd… dislike. "Alright… Tell me what you know." John requested, then taking a sip of his drink. Garrus followed suit.
"The whole case is a mess. Buried in red tape. I tried to gain access to Saren's files, but the Executor and the good-for-nothing chief of C-sec stopped me. From what I can see, there is plenty of reason to suspect Saren of doing this. This is why justice can't be served, because of rules and regulations." Garrus ranted.
"It's a mixed bag. Those rules and regulations can help those who are innocent. But then again, it also lets the criminal get off the hook more times than I'm comfortable with." John did silently agree with Garrus. Rules seemed to hinder many things. But then again, without rules… What were they?
"I did some snooping around since they suspended me. I heard from a colleague that a Quarian had turned up on the Citadel. Claimed to have something the council needed to see. Something about Saren."
"A Quarian?"
"Yeah. She disappeared after that. So I was thinking maybe some of Saren's hitmen got to her… Only-... Only I heard rumors that she had sought medical help from a free clinic on the upper ward. Half the reason I was in here was to gather clues, and then you turned up. So I say we go and ask that Asari doctor some questions. If you're up for it."
"Sounds like as good an idea as any. But I do have one question." John downed the last of his drink.
"Shoot."
"Why are you so interested in solving this? I mean, I get your a C-sec officer and so on, but most C-sec officers just back down when told. You weren't personally involved in any of it, and you didn't witness it. So why are you so hot for bringing Saren down?"
"I stand for justice, Shepard. Saren is bringing a bad name to the Turians by attacking your people's colonies… And I suppose I fear the possibility of a war. By bringing in Saren to account for his crimes… Maybe it would help cool tensions. I have no beef with humans… And I suppose I'm beginning to become fed up with the C-sec way of doing things as well…"
"Fair points. Finish your drink and we'll be off." John was excited to possibly be on the right track. Perhaps there was light at the end of the tunnel after all. He waited as Garrus finished off his drink, and somewhere, he was also excited about working with a Turian again. Nihlus had been professional, and maybe even enlightening. Perhaps the same was true for Garrus. Though John also realized the Reich didn't really put a premium on this type of stuff. John's thoughts went to Nihlus again, and he really hoped the Turian spectre would pull through and save everyone's ass.
Garrus and John had hardly left the bar, before something caught his eye. A Turian up ahead was pulling out something from under his coat. In a moment of instincts kicking in, John took action. "Get down!" He ordered.
Garrus had served in the military before. When certain phrases were yelled, you simply followed them. Within a second of them both getting down and being behind sturdy cover, a hail of bullets began. "You think this is Saren sending us a little present?" Garrus asked cheekily while they awaited their opportunity to strike.
"That would be my guess." John replied with a smile, despite what was going on. "Okay, you stay here. I'll try to flank him." John said. Garrus simply nodded. The problem with being suspended from C-sec was that they took your gun away from you in doing so. So if Garrus had left that bar without Shepard, well… He could have certainly been dead.
John carefully moved along cover, double checking to make sure he had turned the safety off on his pistol. He could hear the assassin stop firing, presumably to cool the gun down. Didn't seem like Saren had paid top dollar for his outsourcing. Just as John emerged from cover to deal the death blow to the Turian, a Krogan charged in from the side and knocked the would-be assassin out over the railing, and straight down on one of the more busy intercity highways on the Citadel. From the crashing sounds heard, the assassin didn't make it.
But John now had to deal with a new threat. This massive Krogan in red armor. He had killed their attacker, but was this because of sympathy, competition or something else? One could never be sure enough. The Krogan had some mean scars across his face, though John suspected most Krogan had some. "Easy big guy." John tried to suck some tension out of the air.
"Are you Shepard?" He asked.
"Depends who's asking." John was quick to reply.
"I'll take that as a yes." The Krogan replied and began walking slowly towards him. "The Shadow Broker sent me." So the Shadow broker was on their case as well? Why? It didn't make sense to John. "He wants some data, and he suspects that Saren has double crossed him. Now, the best lead I have for that is you, and some Turian named Garrus."
"That would be me!" Garrus raised his hand out of cover.
"Two for one, then. Let's move."
"Woah woah… Hold on a minute." John demanded while stepping in front of the massive Krogan. "What are we doing here? You want to join us or what?"
"You can look at it that way if it makes you feel better. I'm getting paid to find data that some Quarian girl has. The Shadow broker needs to know if Saren fucked him. And if he did, I am to kill Saren. Since you two pyjaks are my best lead, I'll help myself to your findings."
"I see…" John had to admit. Having a Krogan along would help ease the combat, and he did just save their lives. "Well… Off we go then." John gestured for the way ahead. They all nodded and began to make their way towards the clinic Garrus had spoken about. "So…. What's your name, big guy?"
"Does it matter?" The Krogan asked back.
"If I need to call out to you, it would be nice to shout something other than 'giant meat loaf' or other colorful things." John remarked.
"Udront Wrex, if you must know."
"You a bounty hunter of some kind?" John asked curiously. The blood red armor seemed to spell fear, and since he worked for the Shadow Broker, he was certainly not in this for the ideals.
"Freelancer." Was there any difference? Perhaps it wasn't wise to push it more though. Instead, John turned to Garrus.
"What is this clinic we are going to?" He asked, it might be good to know what they were walking into.
"It's a free clinic. One that offers free healthcare to those who need it. I think it's run by some Asari charity or church thing, don't quote me on it. Dr. V'criara is the one that oversees the day-to-day stuff." Garrus explained as they moved along. "Most Quarians tend to frequent those. They usually don't have much money, and other free clinics might even turn them down."
"I wonder what this Quarian has since we're all going after her."
"If rumors are to be believed, she showed up on the citadel and attempted to hand over some data to C-sec, only to be turned away. She probably just stumbled upon it." Garrus tried to rationalize.
"How does someone just stumble upon data that incriminates a known Spectre?" John asked.
"Same way we stumbled upon Wrex probably." Garrus jokingly theorized."I don't know, ask her when we get there if you are so curious."
2 hours to war…
John wasn't sure what to expect of the clinic, but he had figured it would have been larger. It barely went above the size of a normal store on the citadel. It smelled a lot like a hospital though, clean and sterile. There were several patients lying in beds, and a couple sitting in chairs, waiting their turn to be treated.
He felt out of place, but there were important things to discuss with the doctor. On some level, it also felt wrong to pull her from patients, that may very well require her attention. Wrex had been stationed outside, considering bringing him along might scare her into thinking it was a shakedown for money. At least Garrus' C-sec armor hopefully carried across some sort of reassurance that it was official, or at least they wanted it to be official.
"Dr. V'criara?" John asked as he came a little further into the clinic, where he spotted the doctor looking at a data pad over a patient on the bed.
"Yes?" She looked over at them with a surprised look. Probably thinking they didn't look like her usual clintale. "Can it wait? I'm busy tending to my patients." She politely asked.
"We're sorry to disturb your work, doctor. But this is urgent." John replied, taking a step closer and grabbing her arm. Her eyebrows rose a bit in response, but she could see in John's eyes that it was serious. "A Quarian came through here recently. She may have vital information for a case we are working on." John pleaded.
She thought for a moment, considering if she should give the information out. "Yes, a Quarian did come through here. Female, with a stomach wound. I treated her as best as I could, but she was paranoid that someone was after her. She wanted to sell some information to the shadow broker."
And so the Shadow broker's name was mentioned again. He seemed to be a big player if the Quarian knew about him… Or her for that matter.
"Where is she now?" John asked.
"I think she set up a meeting with a representative of the shadow broker, to meet her in an alley close by… Funny thing though… A Turian and a couple of Salarian came by just before you did, and asked for the same Quarian… Guess she was right, someone was after her."
"Shit… That must be Saren's hitmen. We gotta move." Garrus concluded, and he was right. Those had to be the only other people interested in a Quarian right now.
"Well well well, I guess I underestimated you Wehrmacht guys, you still on this?" John didn't know who it was, but he quickly trained his gun on the voice, only to find three men standing in the entrance. They were wearing civilian clothes, but it didn't take a lot to put two and two together to figure out who they were. Why hadn't Wrex stopped them?
"I'm surprised you SS guys only joined the party now." John responded. "What's with the clothes? I thought you guys loved your colors?"
"Very funny man. Some things are best done in the dark, but I'm guessing you aren't strictly here in an official capacity. Am I right?" He was pretty spot on for what it was worth, but not that John would ever admit it.
"Back the fuck off, right now." John demanded. The SS officer had the audacity to laugh,
"Sure kid, I'm almost interested to see how far you are willing to go." John wanted to take that smile right off his stupid face, but such a feat would not go over well. That last they needed was further tension with the SS. "Ciao." The officer said, and then promptly left.
"Who were they?" Garrus asked curiously.
"The SS."
"Who are the SS?"
"Only one thing you need to know about the SS: Stay the hell away from them." John replied. It was probably the best advice you could give anyone.
"I see." Garrus said, but it was clear he wanted to know more though. He was that type of person, one who couldn't resist a mystery. "Knew we shouldn't have put faith in the Krogan. Seems he bailed." Garrus remarked when he couldn't see the giant Krogan anywhere.
"Figures." John sighed. "Anyway, thanks for the information doctor. We'll be going now." They had to find that alley, and quickly. So they ran like hell until they found it. However, the sight they encountered surprised them. Several dead Salarians laid on the ground, shot to hell by none other than Wrex.
"What happened here?" Garrus asked in disbelief as he inspected the scene.
"Found these pyjaks snooping around, decided to take them out." Wrex explained pretty casually.
"Well… how did you know they were bad guys?" John asked as he lightly tapped one of them with his foot to make sure they were dead.
"Once you work in my field for long enough, you know the types." Wrex said.
"You wouldn't have happened to have killed a Turian as well?" Garrus asked while checking the bodies.
"Killed plenty of Turians, but only one today. To save your ass."
"Yeah, thanks for that."
"You guys think you are so smart, huh?" The Turian came out of hiding, and held the Quarian at gunpoint. They all trained their guns on the Turian, but had to be careful. They couldn't hurt the Quarian.
"Hey, let's think this through. We got you surrounded." John pointed out, keeping a steady aim, he sensed that Garrus was doing the same thing, but he was worried Wrex might do something drastic.
"Fuck you, I'm dead anyway if I don't kill this suitrat. Get out of here, and maybe Saren will forget about you."
"Shoot him!" The Quarian demanded as she tried to break free from the hold the Turian had around her neck.
John couldn't get a clear shot, so he had to stall as much as he could. "Saren will be going down. We can protect you, but you gotta let her go."
"Saren should have killed you when he had the chance." The Turian suddenly trained his gun on John. Garrus took the chance and shot the Turian. It was a dead eye shot, straight through his skull. Probably didn't even hear the shot that killed him.
"Nice work." John praised him, and then quickly went over to the Quarian.
"Thanks. C-sec probably wouldn't look at it that way though."
"Are you alright?" John asked the Quarian as he helped her on her feet.
"I could have handled that…" she remarked.
"Uhuh…" Shepard could hear Garrus mutter under his breath
"But… Thank you for the help… Both of you." She replied as she dusted herself off.
"What's your name?" John asked, a slight hint of curiosity about the Quarian.
"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She answered. "And yours?"
"Oberleutnant John Shepard, of the Kriegsmarine."
"I hadn't expected a human to show up. But you're a welcome sight… At least I know you aren't with Saren." Before Shepard could get another word in, Garrus stepped in.
"We were told you had evidence that incriminated Saren?" he asked, eager to be proven right. To make sense of this whole shit show.
"I had hoped to trade the info for protection, but it seems the shadow broker never showed up." Tali explained.
"And he never would, little girl. No one has ever met the shadow broker. Not even me." Wrex remarked. John noticed the stare she gave Wrex, it was a comment she wasn't happy about.
"The Shadow Broker might not have made good on his deal, but maybe we could. If you come with us, you can get the protection you need." John promised, he figured the Reich would make good on such a promise, considering their lukewarm relationship with the Quarians. And this information was worth everything. A terrorist like Saren would have to be taken, by any necessary. "First and foremost though, we need that info."
The Quarian looked at Shepard with an apprehensive glare. He could see the little dots on her mask squint at him. "Okay… I'll accept." She finally said after a moment of pause.
1 hour to war…
On the way back to the embassy, they made sure to walk in a tight formation. John said he would protect the girl, and he aimed to keep his word. But on the way back, more good news came their way.
Otto called him, and John eagerly accepted the call. "Shepard, what's your status?" He asked.
"I got a witness with vital information, sir. We're heading back now." John replied.
"Good work, I just got word that Nihlus has awoken in the hospital. Between him and your witness, we should have enough information. Get your ass over to the embassy as soon as possible." Hearing that made John really light up. There was a good chance after all.
"Aye aye Sir, be there asap." He promised. The rest of the way was a breeze, but then again, few people wanted to mess with a posse as impressive as theirs. A krogan, A Turian, A human and a Quarian. It seemed like the start of a bad joke, but luckily not… At least John hoped so. Security at the embassy had been tightened again, but it was probably for the better. Saren had been willing to hire assassins, low rent as they may be. There was no shortage of people who had quarreled with the Reich, so they were easy to hire. Though John was more worried about the revelation of the SS sticking their noses in this. How did they know how to find him? How much do they know now? Did they shake down the doctor later? Endless questions, but there was little to no time to answer them.
The SS were a political unknown, and they were gunning for the Spectre position like hungry lions. Probably hoping they could have claimed the evidence for themselves and gained the favor of the party. But there were few people willing to offer it to the SS. It wouldn't surprise John if he had only been offered this chance because he wasn't in the SS. Time would unveil what they would do next.
The guards at the entrance weren't too happy about an armed Turian, Krogan and Quarian entered inside, but John convinced them… With a little help from Wiedel. John knew the aliens weren't the type to let go of their guns. Neither were the guards, or any human on the citadel, but that's besides the point.
The eyes were glued on them as they walked to the Ambassador's office. The door opened to reveal Jäger, Wiedel and Otto were all there, and from the look on their faces, it wasn't really what they had expected. It wasn't everyday aliens were present in the office.
"Shepard, are these your witnesses?" Otto was the first to ask.
"Technically only Tali." He gestured to her. "But Garrus and Wrex helped me get to her." He then pointed to them respectively. "They're solid, sir."
Alexander sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "Very well." He accepted the circumstances, but he also had to. "Nihlus is alive and awake in the hospital. He'll attend the new hearing that is scheduled. Now, about this… witness. What do you have to tell, young lady?" Alexander put on his best diplomatic face for this.
"I was on the start of my pilgrimage when I encountered a group of Geth on an uncharted planet. This was two days ago." Tali began to explain.
"Pilgrimage? What's that?" John asked. He had to admit, he knew next to nothing about Quarian culture, or anything relating to the Quarians.
"A pilgrimage is something we all must do as Quarians. It's our way to prove our worth. We set out, and must bring back something to the fleet." She explained, and John nodded to signal he understood. He had to shut up now, she had something to explain.
"Anyhow, I managed to disable one of them. I was curious, since they aren't known to venture out this way." Tali went on. "I was able to extract an audio clip from the Geth unit."
"Let's hear it then." Otto requested, probably eager to go back to the bar to finish his drink.
Tali swiped a few times on her omni-tool, and within a few seconds, she found the file she was looking for. The file that Saren had been willing to kill for. It was also unbearing to wait to hear it.
"We got what we needed from Lion's gate. More casualties than suspected, but that base was well fortified, good to see them taken down a notch though." The voice was Saren's, no doubt about it. "At least we are ready for what comes next, and the cleansing of the galaxy."
"We'll find the conduit, Saren. Leave it to me." The second voice belonged to that Matriarch, John couldn't recall her name though. Tali ended the audio call.
"We fucking got him." Otto said excitedly. "Between that and Nihlus, the council has to see reason."
"Then we go now." Alexander ordered, and everyone happily followed him. John wondered what would happen now.
The audio clip was played in front of the council, and it was clear they hadn't expected this outcome. Especially the Turian councilor looked rather displeased, and that was always enough to satisfy John.
"There is your evidence, and I would like to bring the Spectre Nihlus Kryik to the stand."
"We grant this motion." The Asari councilor said with a bowed head. "Nihlus, we are pleased to see that you have recovered well. What can you tell us about the events on Lion's gate?"
John watched as Nihlus walked up to the stand. He was limping slightly, but that was to be expected. He looked no worse for wear though. He hoped that Nihlus would speak the truth to them.
"Councilors… We were betrayed by Saren. He was leading the Geth to the base, and helped in the assault. From what I saw, it was clear he came for the artifact stored in the base. It is my clear belief that Saren is conspiring against the humans, but also against the council." Nihlus said.
The councilors spoke among themselves, quietly enough that no one but themselves could hear it. John could only imagine what they were saying. He almost held his breath as he waited for the news.
"This council finds the evidence to be substantial, and has decided that Saren Arterius is no longer a Spectre, and shall be hunted down and brought to justice." The Asari councilor said.
"Councilors, if I may?" Nihlus requested as he stepped forward.
"Go ahead, Nihlus."
"I recommend that John Shepard should receive the rank of Spectre. He has proven himself, and I believe that he should bring Saren down. Send me along,"
They once again spoke among themselves. The Turian councilor didn't seem thrilled with the idea, but in the end, they came forth with their verdict. "We agree to give Shepard the rank of Spectre. Shepard, your first mission is to bring down Saren. Nihlus will accompany you on this mission."
John's heart skipped. He couldn't believe all that had happened. "Thank you, councilors. It's an honor." He replied, it's all he could think of saying. The big moment had come.
But it was too late to stop the war.