Weak men cannot handle power. It will either crush them, or they will use it to crush others – Jocelyn Murray, The English Pirate
Ài – [愛 – love] (whether spoken by Xiùlán or Samantha, the meaning is 'Luv')]
Arc – Alliance military slang for Arcturus Station
ȼ – Written shorthand for 'credit' – former 20th & 21st century shorthand for 'cent', as in 'dollars and cents'.
Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)
Kaffe – equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same
· · · · · · name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate. (Thessian/Source: CDN)
Ø7 – An allegedly discontinued vocational code in the Systems Alliance military.
· · · · The Ø designates covert operations; the 7 refers to the highest level of proficiency.
OMPF – Official Military Personnel File. Administrative record, containing information about the subject's service
· · · · · · ·history, such as: date/type of enlistment/appointment; duty stations and assignments; training, etc.
Qíngfū or Qíngrén – [情夫 – lover]
Qīzi – [妻子 – wife]
• INSIDE IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR, AT LARGE • WIDOW SYSTEM, SERPENT NEBULA •
⸰ Tuesday Morning, 16 May 2220-CE ··· 12 years after Xiùlán's promotion ⸰
"Tā cāo women, Xiùlán! Āng zāng de gāisi de fubài laoshu zázhong cāole women liang gè! … Hái you milán dá! [他操我們,秀蘭! 骯髒的該死的腐敗老鼠雜種操了我們兩個! 還有米蘭達!– He fucked us, Xiùlán! That dirty fucking corrupt rat bastard fucked both of us! … Miranda as well!] I was so infuriated, I was actually shaking, a reaction I felt sure my qīn'ài de qīzi [親愛的妻子 – dear wife] would be able to see, even on the relatively small screen of a comms terminal. Closing my eyes, I took a couple of deep, calming breaths to center myself, then continued in Galactic. "I just finished speaking with Buchanan, who only learned of it because his team continuously monitors all the routine communications from the Galactic Councilors on the Citadel."
"Shuí cāole women, Sà mi? [誰操了我們,薩米? – Who fucked us, Sà mi?] To whom are you referring?" Xiùlán's expression was a mixture of concern and unhappiness regarding my early morning call. I was fully aware she was serving her final few months as commander of New Arcturus Station, before an upcoming move to Vancouver BC in early October, where she would be assuming command of the System Alliance's North American Joint Base and Headquarters.
"Dominic Osoba!" I hissed. "It wasn't enough he convinced Lieutenant Colonel Elliot Chapman to reduce Joesiar's death sentence to life in prison. Buchanan just informed me that rancid blister on humanity's ass arranged for Joesiar's so-called …" I lapsed into a sing-song voice for, "life-sentence-with-no-chance-of-parole", then resumed my angry tone to finish, "… to be commuted, Xiùlán!" I shouted, "Commuted!? Shénme gui!? [什麼鬼!? – What the hell!?] That vile little whoreson was released from the Arc's prison yesterday evening, your time. As far as Griff can determine, he was moved over to the bloody station … your goddamned bloody station!"
Xiùlán sat back in stunned silence for several moments, unfocused eyes staring into the distance. Upon hearing me yell 'Xiùlán!', she returned her gaze to my image on her monitor, tilted her head and frowned, "I'll get back in touch with you, Sà mi. I'm going to find out for certain if he's still aboard. If so, he won't be here for long; I'll arrange to have him deported as an undesirable."
"I wish you luck on that. I seriously doubt his uncle general will allow you to …"
"Uncle General Bastard is the one who'll need luck, Sà mi. He doesn't have any say in how I run this station—Alliance Navy sets the rules for this place, not some goddamned pí jing ní lüdài chē." [皮頸泥履帶車 – leatherneck mud crawler]
Having loudly vented some of my ire, I sighed heavily and quietly replied, "Tread carefully, Xiùlán. Doesn't matter he's some paper-pushing jarhead. He's still a goddamn Marine general, with way more seniority; you're bound by more rules and regs than you know. Getting in people's faces when they've done something asinine is a thing I've always been good at doing … you, not so much; don't hesitate to give RaeLee Park a call if he tries to throw his weight around."
The soft chuckle she offered gladdened my heart, lifting my mood just a bit. "Don't worry, my love. I will simply point out that his nephew's safety on this station cannot be guaranteed. He's an SA citizen … a píngmín, [平民 – civilian] with no special rights – certainly not deserving of any special treatment. I won't assign any of my people to protect him like he's some damned VIP."
"What about the station's Marine garrison?"
"Under my command as well, Sà mǐ. Trust me, the optics of having a couple of Marines protecting his troglodyte nephew from harm would look undeniably outrageous … a fact I will be certain to point out to General Bastard should he attempt to poke his nose into this station's business … my business!" After a brief pause, she asked, "Can you contact Miranda? She really should be warned."
"I'll contact her next, then follow up with a return call to Buchanan … when he told me what Osoba had done, I was so upset all I could think of was giving you a call; I really didn't take the time to properly thank him, nor did I think to request that he continue monitoring the situation." I expected her to question my plan to involve the Broker, but—somewhat surprisingly—she totally agreed with me.
"That's an excellent idea, Sà mi. Joesiar's movements will need to be continuously monitored once he's forced off the station. Please, pass my gratitude on as well." She smirked as she concluded, "Zhishì … jìnliàng baochí jinshèn." [只是 … 盡量保持謹慎。– Just … try to be cautious.]
Speaking with my qīn'ài de qīzi [親愛的妻子 – dear wife] had calmed me considerably. Joesiar's release from prison was a fait accompli; nothing for it now but to accept it and plan our next moves. "Okay, then. Send me a text when he leaves … with a vid showing him actually boarding a ship ready to depart, if you can manage it. I'll need the ship's name, registration, and first port of call."
"Consider it done, my dear." She grinned at me, cocking her head slightly as she whispered, "Méiyou ni de ài wo de shēnghuó shì bù wánzhěng de." [沒有你的愛我的生活是不完整的 – My life is incomplete without your love.]
I chuckled with my reply. "Wo duì ni de ài tiānchángdìjiu. [我對你的愛天長地久 – my love for you is forever.] Looking forward to your next call, Xiùlán." I waved as I terminated the connection.
Since I didn't need to immediately speak with Buchanan, I composed and transmitted a short text message expressing my sincere thanks, and asked him to contact me again at his earliest convenience. I then placed a call to the one person who had suffered more physical abuse at the hands of the misogynistic little sonuvabitch than anyone else I knew.
Miranda Lawson had requested and been granted a transfer from SSV Hong Kong II, leaving the frigate behind in 2196 for a position at Grissom Academy. That she would be working under the command of former Normandy shipmate Kaidan Alenko—whom she married a few years after her arrival—and alongside Jack, aka Subject Zero, were her primary reasons for taking the job.
Her beautiful violet-blue eyes went wide upon seeing my image on her monitor. "Samantha! It's been quite some time since we've talked. How are you … and Xiùlán?"
"Great! We're both doing well. She's getting set for her relocation to Alliance Base Vancouver in October, when RaeLee Park retires." I cocked my head slightly as I paused; an extremely perceptive Miranda stiffened slightly at seeing my expression.
"What the hell, Traynor. Something really bad has happened … I can see it in your eyes, not to mention your body language!" She leaned back slightly, as if to put some distance between herself and whatever shit storm I was about to share with her. "Come on, Sammy. Let's have it."
With a small, humorless chuckle, I replied, "Remind me to never play poker with you, Miri." I shook my head slightly as I sighed, "He's out, Miranda." I watched her posture stiffen further as understanding dawned, even before I attached a name to what I'd just told her. "I really wanted to believe a no parole life sentence meant just that, Miri, so it pains me to no end to have to tell you the miserable little waste of organic material known as Joesiar had his sentence commuted by humanity's esteemed councilor, Dominic Osoba." I sighed again. "The bastard's already been released and he's loose on the Arc! A friend of ours is employed by the Shadow Broker, and his call to me is the only reason I know about this. Soon as Xiùlán can locate him, she's gonna boot his ass off the station … probably put him on a one-way shuttle flight to the Citadel."
"So, what? He's gonna be Osoba's new BFF? Maybe his roomie?" came the sarcastic response.
I responded with a chuckle. "If only!" With an unhappy shake of my head, I added, "Knowing Osoba, I'm sure he'll categorically deny any and all responsibility for Joesiar's future actions. It's gonna totally be up to us—me and Xiùlán, maybe even you—along with the Shadow Broker, to keep tabs on his whereabouts and actions."
"He's free and clear? No restrictions of any kind? No monitoring?"
"Other than being prohibited from owning military-grade weapons, and not being able to legally associate with current or former members of the Blue Suns, he's free as a bird. Unfortunately, those restrictions don't include any kind of monitoring—he's not on parole, Miri, so doesn't have to report to anyone, ever." I sat back in my chair, massaged my temples between thumb and fingers of one hand, then looked back at Miranda's image. "Xiùlán sometimes wonders aloud how and why I became so damned cynical these past four decades." Waving a hand around in the air, I continued, "This is a perfect example—a death penalty handed down, immediately reduced to life in prison with no possibility of parole …" I laughed at the absurdity. "… a life sentence that turned out to be about two months shy of thirty-two years. Where's the justice in that?"
Miranda shook her head as she replied, "The question before us now is what in hell are we to do? Him being incarcerated for three decades? Plenty of time to dream up some sort of revenge against those that put him there. I would expect Xiùlán is at the top of his retribution list, with me standing right alongside her."
"That's my fear as well, Miranda. Fortunately, you're relatively out of his reach on Grissom Station, but Xiùlán? Like I said, she'll be transferring to Vancouver in October, and Alliance Brass is planning an outdoor 'transfer-of-command' ceremony on the damned parade grounds. It would not surprise me to learn he plans to somehow target her, and RaeLee, simultaneously." A secure, incoming call activated a violet flashing lamp on my console, accompanied by a repeating electronic chime. "I have to take this call, Miranda. Read Jack into our problem … ask her to keep an ear to the ground. And you: stay vigilant, please! Keep your head down for me?"
"Will do, Sammy. And thank you for contacting me." She nodded and signed off, allowing me to answer my incoming call. Not surprisingly, the image that cross-faded onto my monitor was that of an unidentifiable person, cloaked and hooded, with their entire face hidden in deepest shadow. A voice designed to induce abject fear in the recipient announced, "This … is the Shadow Broker."
I grinned cheekily at the image. I assumed it was Griff, but with the technology I had helped install, it could very well have been Oriana Lawson. "That's a really bitchin' entrance, but I'm here by myself, Ess-Bee. Save your act for someone that doesn't know you."
The fearsome image cross-dissolved to reveal a smirking Griffen Buchanan, seated in what I knew to be the station's secure communication's center. "Hi, Sammy. You left a message for the Shadow Broker to contact you, so … what else can the Broker do for you today?"
"First off, thank you again for informing me of Joesiar's release from prison. I've already alerted Miranda, and Xiùlán is going to find him and boot his ass off the Arc. But, I do need a favor … a really big favor, actually. Back in 2212, you promised to help me if I ever needed your specialized services. Unfortunately, I really need those services now, Griff. You may remember that General RaeLee Park put the boot in Joesiar's ass, kicking 'im outta the Ø7 Spec Ops school and the Alliance Navy in late 2179."
"I remember."
I keyed in a file I had assembled concerning his trial and verdict, then sent it to the Broker's servers on Ahn'Kahar Station. "You probably already have all the data I just sent you. He was sentenced to death, which was immediately reduced to a no-parole-possible life sentence by the presiding judge, Lieutenant Colonel Elliot Chapman. Plenty of whispers Xiùlán and I intercepted at the time pointed to Chapman having his arms literally twisted from their sockets by Counselor Osoba, who was apparently having his own arms twisted by the uncle, General Bradley Joesiar. It's all in the docs I just sent your way."
Griff was silent for a number of seconds as he quickly skimmed through the information he had just received, his face taking on an angry hue as he finished reading. "Dammit, Sammy! Reading about what that little sonuvabitch did back then? People have certainly been executed for less! That general must really be persuasive!"
Chuckling humorlessly, I replied, "Never could uncover any evidence the lieutenant colonel received payment to rule as he did, especially after finding Joesiar guilty on every count with which he was charged. As far as Xiùlán and I could determine, Chapman's honest and above board … certainly much more so than any private-practice lawyer. Hell, as a JAG lawyer, his integrity has never been called into question. It appears that, in this case, humanity's esteemed councilor bears sole responsibility for the commutation of Joesiar's life sentence."
"What do you need from the Shadow Broker, Ms Traynor?"
"I'm really worried that, come October, Joesiar will make an attempt on Xiùlán's or RaeLee's life, maybe even both of them, during the change of command ceremony at the SA's Western North American Base in Vancouver. Hell, as soon as Xiùlán locates and evicts him from the Arc, something that may work to our disadvantage, he'll have plenty of time to scout locations and obtain a long-range weapon." I grinned at Buchanan's image on my monitor. "We need to keep track of his whereabouts, between his departure from the Arc and the October ceremony, Griff."
"You got it, Sammy. I'll do what I can to help you, and once Ori is made aware of everything in this file, I can guarantee she'll be all over it."
"Ask her to please not say anything to Miranda concerning the contents of that file, Griff. Miri's testimony was redacted from the publicly available transcript, for good reason. Having to testify in open court about all the foul and unspeakable things she suffered during her captivity, with the miserable bastard sitting only a few meters away? Upsetting, to put it mildly. I'm sure she would be dismayed to learn that Ori had become aware of all those details."
Buchanan was grim-faced. "This is some really difficult reading, Sammy. I cannot even begin to imagine the level of anguish Miranda was feeling while testifying."
"She had assistance, before and after the trial … Xiùlán took her to meet with Sha'ira."
"The Consort?" Griff nodded his head while continuing, "That must have really helped."
"Immeasurably. Xiùlán told me she sat in during their initial meeting, as an observer." Thinking back to that time, I added, "It made all the difference in Miranda's ability to calmly relate the horrors she endured as Joesiar's captive."
Griff nodded his head. "We'll do whatever we can to track this guy's movements, Sammy." He paused for several moments before asking, "Any criminality he gets up to – if we have irrefutable proof? Can we use it to get Osoba removed from his cushy job?"
"I'd not thought of that, but he's a politician, Griff. Not nearly as smug or self-serving as Udina was, but damned close. Osoba commuting Joesiar's sentence might just be an angle we could exploit, eventually. Certainly something to keep in mind moving forward, so archive everything."
"Okay, then. We'll begin doing the research. Send me the name, registration number and first destination of whatever ship Xiùlán puts him on. We'll take it from there."
"Thanks, Griff. Your help will make a huge difference, in all our lives. Give my regards to Oriana and Chinami, and stay safe."
• COMMERCIAL DOCKS, NEW ARCTURUS STATION • ARCTURUS STREAM •
⸰ Friday Morning, 28 July 2220-CE ⸰
Ever since being unceremoniously removed from his prison cell and dumped at the detention transfer dock on the main station in the early morning hours of 16 May, Jason Joesiar had been laying low. The Alliance had given him a few articles of civilian clothing and 11,650 credits, which worked out to approximately 360 creds for each year he had been locked up. In his two-and-a-half months of unsupervised freedom on the station, he had half-heartedly looked for a job while living in what had been referred to in 20th century America as a single room walkup. It was a slight improvement on the tiny cell he had occupied for nearly 32 years, but only because he could come and go as he pleased.
Up until now, Joesiar had escaped official notice by staying out of sight while living on the fringes of the civilian sector. Although he really didn't wish to return to—or be returned to—the Citadel, he had reluctantly come to the realization that achieving his ultimate goal could only begin once he had relocated there. On this morning, he had gone to the main transit hub, only to be disappointed to discover that passage to the Citadel—even on a freighter with minimal passenger accommodations—would set him back nearly 6000 creds.
He had started to walk back to his apartment when he spotted a pair of burly Marines moving in his direction. Wishing to have nothing more to do with the Alliance military, he veered to his right in an attempt to keep his distance. Unfortunately for Joesiar, one of the pair spotted him; they both changed their direction and broke into a slow jog to intercept him. Sonuvabitch! came the thought.
He stopped walking and turned to face them as they approached. "Whatevuurr ya think I done, I'm innocent. Leave me tha hell alone." Upon noticing the black armbands around each of their left arms above their elbows, he belatedly realized these two were military police.
The master sergeant spoke in a glacial tone. "Didn't say you did anything, Mister Joesiar. You must have a guilty conscience."
Jason smirked up at the big Marine. "So, why're y'all a-lookin' fer me?"
"Actually, you saved us a bit of time." Nodding towards the small office building behind him, he said, "Our commander asked us to locate you and facilitate your departure from Arcturus Station, Mister Joesiar. The Alliance Navy is going to provide you with no charge passage to the Citadel."
Having a difficult time in accepting this bit of good fortune, he decided to push things a bit. "How 'bout Earth? Or Omega station?"
" 'Fraid not." The big Marine shook his head in denial. "You were arrested and tried on the Citadel in 2188, that's where you were sentenced for your crimes, so the Citadel is your destination today. Where you go from there is not our concern. Removing you from this station is."
Joesiar took a couple of steps back while saying, "What if Ay ain't ready ter leave here?"
The master sergeant sighed, "Also not our concern, Sir." In a firm, no nonsense tone of voice, he continued with, "You are going to leave this facility today. You can retain a bit of dignity and voluntarily board the vessel under your own power, or you can resist, in which case we will immobilize you with a stun gun, place you in a stasis pod and ship you in the cargo hold." The Marine placed his hands on his weapons belt while concluding, "Your choice."
Anger colored Jason's cheeks; realizing he could not bluff his way out of doing what these meat mountains were going to force him to do, he raised his hands in reluctant surrender and huffed indignantly, "Alright. Ay jus' need ter grab my personal gear from …" He stopped to look at his wrist as his omnitool lit up, apparently in response to a query from the device on the other MP's wrist, who looked at the sergeant and nodded his head.
"A team has just been dispatched to your apartment," said the Master Sergeant. "They'll collect all your possessions, tag 'em with your i.d. number, then bring them to the ship in a sealed container."
The Marine's squadmate slowly moved past Joesiar and began walking towards the commercial docks Jason had just left behind. Saying, "If you wouldn't mind?" the Master Sergeant raised an arm to indicate Joesiar should follow.
Thinking, Dammit! They'll probably confiscate all my blades; it'll just be my miserably bad luck they'll search me as well, before they put me on that ship! Without another word, Joesiar turned and began slowly walking, following the big MP leading the way.
• INSIDE IRINGÙ-EẞIZKUR, AT LARGE, SERPENT NEBULA •
⸰ Friday Afternoon, 29 July 2220-CE ⸰
The comms console announced an incoming call while I was enjoying a mid-day cup of Kaffe in Irin's small dining area, beside the equally compact kitchen. Being careful not to spill, I carried my mug into my research compartment, sat at the desk and, pleased to discover it was from my Qīzi, answered the call. "Zaoshang hao, qīn'ài de. [早上好,親愛的 – Good morning, darling] To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Xiùlán's image grinned back at me from the monitor. "Just wanted to give you a heads up, Sà mi. I know it's been two-and-a-half months since his release, but Alliance Military Police finally found the xiao húndàn [小混蛋 – little bastard] this morning. They put him on a ship—the MSV Tarrus IV—bound for the Citadel. I just sent you a vid-still of him reluctantly boarding the vessel. The MPs that found him escorted him to the docks, then stood by the ship until its departure to insure he didn't sneak off before it cleared its berth."
"I recognize that ship's name," I grinned. "It was our transport in late 2179, from Luna to the joint Navy/Marine base near the Martian south pole. Bit surprising to learn it survived the war."
Her face lit in recognition. "I knew that name sounded familiar!" Her smile gave way to an unhappy grimace as she confessed, "When the Tarrus IV docked at the Citadel, I had a detail shadowing him from the time he left the ship … but only until this morning. He managed to give them the slip in Delta Ward." Shaking her head, she added, "They're pretty sure he's still in that ward, but cannot swear to it – he may have even disappeared into the foundations."
I didn't have to ask to which xiao húndàn she was referring. Leaning back in my chair, I took a couple of sips of Kaffe as I thought about the problem; leaning forward again, I set the mug on the desk while commenting, "Shouldn't come as a surprise, Ài. There's an old proverb … 'one will stay true to one's nature, even if one pretends or claims otherwise'."
"I believe you just said a zebra cannot change its stripes," she chuckled. "Times like this almost make me wish I had never demanded you change your profession, Sà mi." At my instant smirk, she cocked an eyebrow and clarified, "Almost." I could plainly see her unhappiness, even if the expression on her face was serene. "Is there something I can do to assist you from here? … anything at all?"
I downed the rest of my Kaffe before replying, "I'll give Buchanan a call. When I spoke with him at the reception after your promotion, he promised to help me … help us, if we ever needed his services. He just may be able to place his rapid response team on the Citadel for us … the more eyes and ears we have there, the better."
She heaved a sigh. "I don't know, Sà mǐ … having the Shadow Broker do that sounds as if we're climbing into bed with the devil." She closed her eyes, shook her head slightly and sighed again. "No help for it, I guess. We really do need to locate him in order to monitor his activities."
I allowed the corners of my mouth to tip up slightly. "I'm glad you agree with me, Xiùlán. I don't see us being able to employ strictly legitimate means to keep track of him. I have this terrible sick feeling in my gut. I won't be able to sleep well knowing Joesiar is on the loose." What I didn't tell her was that I planned to eliminate him from the gene pool as soon as an opportunity occurred.
Okay Sà mǐ … keep me advised, and know that méiyou ni de ài wo de shēnghuó shì bù wánzhěng de." [沒有你的愛我的生活是不完整的 – My life is incomplete without your love.]
"I'll do that. Wo duì ni de ài tiānchángdìjiu. [我對你的愛天長地久 – my love for you is forever.]
I called the Shadow Broker immediately after bidding farewell to Xiùlán, grinning at the man I thought of as an older brother as I greeted him with, "I could use your help again, big guy."
Cocking his head slightly, Buchanan grinned back at me with a cheeky, "Bastard disappeared on ya, didn't he?" With a short chuckle, he shook his head slightly while adding, "Xiùlán's MPs really stand out in a crowd, Sammy; they're even harder to ignore than C-Sec." He glanced down at his control panel, out of sight below his camera's field of view, then returned his gaze to my image as my own comms gear chirped in response to his actions. "That's his current location, Sammy. He rented himself a hole in the wall, in the human enclave of Charlie Ward's foundations. I have it on good authority he's actively shopping for a weapon … most likely a heavy rifle."
"What will he use for creds, Griff? I'm pretty sure he was virtually broke when he left the Arc."
"We're monitoring his personal comms, Sammy. First thing he did once he left the Tarrus IV was place a call to Lieutenant General Bradley Joesiar. Couldn't intercept the conversation, but I'd be willing to bet he was hittin' the old man up for creds."
"Sounds like a sucker bet, Griff," I chuckled while asking, "Think he'll get enough to buy a rifle?"
"I'd bet on that as well, Sammy. Uncle General's relentless twisting of Councilor Osoba's arm resulted in Jason's life term being commuted." Griff sighed unhappily. "Of course, it didn't hurt that Osoba was accepting credits for his efforts on behalf of Brad's nephew." He shook his head while adding, "Oriana insisted she needed to work on this project; as you might expect, it has her undivided attention. Learning about everything Jay-Jay did to Miranda in Vancouver has her extremely motivated." With a frown, he concluded, "I'd certainly hate to be on the receiving end of that woman's unhappiness, Sammy."
"Okay," I nodded. "I really appreciate you and Ori taking the time to do this. We have about two-and-a-half months until the ceremony … not a lot of time for him to acquire a weapon, travel to Vancouver and find a place to set up. I'm hoping that lack of prep time will make him sloppy."
"That abandoned building facing the main gate and parade grounds Delarosa was gonna use for her sniper's nest is still standing, Sammy. Might be a good location for an attempt on either woman."
"That's a good point, Griff. I'll definitely check it out." I signed off with, "Thanks for all your assistance, Griff."
