Chapter 19: Virtual Meeting
Back on the Normandy, Shepard was with the ground team entering the comm room. "Connecting you to the council." Joker said.
"Thank you, Joker." Shepard said as the council appeared via hologram.
"Shepard good work on the mission you gained the information, stopped a hostage crisis, and saved a colony from an unknown yet powerful entity." Valern congratulated.
"Of course, she would stick her neck out for a human colony." Sparatus snapped.
"A colony was in trouble; I would have intervened regardless of the race." Shepard said calmly.
"Regardless the mission was a major success, and we are asking you to report back to the Citadel as soon as possible." Tevos said.
"We'll be there." Shepard said the meeting ending with the holograms shutting off.
After a few days of travel, the Normandy docked on the Citadel and the ground team made the Citadel and the ground team made their way to a private meeting room the Council uses for 'sensitive' matters. The Council was there waiting for them with Udina and Anderson. "Everyone is here!" Sparatus said as all the window and doors shut.
Two hologram panels activatd the holograms of two human males appeared. One was immediately recognized as Admiral Hackett, the other was a light skinned clean shaven Indian male in a business suit. "Admiral Hackett, Prime Minister Lodi, thank you for appearing."
"Thank you for having us councelors." Hackett said.
"Prime Minister, I'm surprised to see you instead of Secretary Scholtz." Udina said.
"Given the situation, I thought it important to attend personally." The Prime minister said.
"Regardless, the situation could spill into a galactic panic when news that the Rachni are not extinct and that a sentient plant had control of a colony." Anderson said getting the meeting to focus.
"The rachni would not have been an issue if someone had not let the Queen go." Sparatus sniped glaring a Shepard.
"As much as I am warry of this rachni, I will say that killing of a race by human is not good, and the news of a Council Spectre involved in the death of a race will be worse." Lodi said trying to get the focus away from the commander.
Sparatus grumbled but made no other comment about Shepard's results. "Regardless, with the evidence gathered Exogeni is now persona-nongrata." Udina said.
"That's all well in good, but what I am worried about is this Cerberous group." Anderson said with a small amount concern seeping through his voice.
"I am in agreement with Anderson, our experts went through the data found on Feros and found black sites on planets with little colonial presence or none at all." Hackett explained. "I sent teams of Special forces and they encountered more Cerberus personnel experimenting on different rachni and those creepers from Feros."
"So, this Cerberous group has it's hands in Exogeni's illegal experiments." Tevos said. "The only question is how have they stayed under the radar for so long?"
"Most likely through shell companies that exist on paper but have no real purpose." Lodi said. "It's mostly used as a tax evasion scheme mostly by the rich and wealthy."
"So, you have no clue on anyone who could be in this Cerberus." Valern said.
"Aside from those that died in our encounters, the one that was on Noveria has been identified." Hackett announced. "Miranda Lawson wanted for the attempted murder of her father Henry Lawson and the kidnapping of her sister Orianna Lawson."
"How does someone wanted for murder work for an organization that eluded you for who knows how long." Sparatus said agitatedly.
"My guess is that Cerberous must have connections to the rich and powerful of the Alliance." Lodi said.
"Something that Miranda said is stuck in my head." Shepard interjected. "She that what she and her men were doing was for humanity."
This caused much of the humans to widen their eyes. "They could be trouble." Hackett said. "What we maybe dealing with is a human supremacy group."
"Like Terra Firma?" Tevos asked.
"Not exactly, Terra Firma are isolationists that believe that humanity should be separate from the galaxy at large." Lodi said. "Human Supremacists believe that humanity should be the dominating force within the galaxy."
"Has there been any such groups." Valern asked.
"Mostly in the fringes." Lodi said. "Most don't believe that we can be the dominant force in the glaxy, hence Terra Firma being the main voice of the anti-alien movement."
"I think the only thing we can do is to keep diging until we find some more leads." Nihlus said. "Send a copy of the evidence to C-sec it should go a little faster."
"I will have it sent to the Executor's office."
"Alright then, I will then adjourn this meeting." Tevos said as the holograms dissipated, and everyone went their separate ways.
In the Cerberus Base
Miranda and the Illusive Man were looking out the window to the Giant Sun the station orbits. Miranda checks her omni-tool and clicks on a message. "Exogeni's CEO is here to visit you sir."
"Let him in." He ordered taking a puff of his cigarette.
Miranda presses a button and the door to the room opened and a male door to the room opened and a male in a fancy red suit marched towards the two. "What is the meaning of this?" He shouted at them.
"We needed someone to take the fall for the rachni and your company was in charge of it on paper." The Illusive man explained.
"But you would only invest if…"
"Yes, but you had the choice not to take the money, but you did."
The CEO enraged pulled out a gun ready to shoot the Illusive Man. Before he could pull the trigger, a singularity field surrounded. A puff of smoke came out of the Illusive Man's mouth.
"I understand that you're upse about what happened with your company, but are prepared to give access to an account wih substantial funds and a new identity for you to live a new life and avoid the forces of the council and Alliance." He offered the disgraced CEO.
Miranda walked behind the CEO, before releasing the singularity around him. The arm with the gun fell to his side. "You can take that offer and…" He yelled before being shot in the back of the head by Miranda.
"I have no interest in hearing the rest." She said.
The Illusive man went over to his console and to look over reports. He reads one that catches his eye. "Miranda, I will be pulling you from your assignments for now." He told her. "You were identified by the Alliance and we can' one of our best operatives taken down."
"Speaking of which what are we going to do about Shepard?" She asked.
"Nothing, her candidacy, and potential membership to the Council Spectre's will be more beneficial than it will be a hinderance." He answered. "We will have to deal with the investigators looking into us."
"Who do you have?"
"For C-sec, I will send Lang while I will send Maya for those working on the Alliances end." He said.
C-sec headquarters
Garrus Vakarian received his next case. He looked over the file and widened his eyes. He is considered one of C-secs best officers being promoted to a lieutenant on the presidium. That hasn't stopped him from hating the red tape that seems to have increased with every promotion as well as appease the political class. Reading the file he knows that he is going to have to bend the rules and step on toes of those above him.
Finally, after 20 chapters Garrus made his first appearance. I will be taking some time off this story to focus on a new story and another fic that I have been working on before the Garrus chapter is released. Hope you all are having a great day and thank you for.