Chapter 16
Furry Paws – Kithoi Ward – Citadel
"So, you've been here already?" asked Tali curiously, getting a vigorous nod from the younger quarian.
"The stories you told to the Migrant Fleet fascinated many apparently. A few of my old friends who went other places on their pilgrimage or have yet to go asked me to take pictures for them. So, I started coming here and I fell in love with the little creatures," she said as she reached up stroked one of their tiny heads with her main finger.
The small critter purred loudly for a kitten his size. Tali smiled at the scene. "Perhaps one day you can have one of your own," she said confidently, getting a surprised look from the young woman.
"I don't know. The cost of them alone is a deterrent. Then there's the upkeep. I'd have to keep food and an evacuation box, not to mention toys…" she said as she gave a sigh of disappointment.
"Never count your chickens before they hatch," said Tali, getting a puzzled look from her peer. "Oh, sorry. I guess I was around humans a lot longer than I realized," she said with a chuckle. "What I meant to say was, don't assume it's a lost cause before you've had the chance to try."
"I'll try. But I feel like the Citadel has beaten a lot of the optimism out of me. I can't even imagine myself getting a proper pilgrimage gift to return to the fleet, let alone something for myself personally," said Lia as she shook her head.
"Trust me, Lia. I see good things in your future. I see good things for the entire fleet," she said positively as she balled her hands up in front of her in her excitement. She didn't know how much of her own optimism she believed, but she knew that she wasn't about to play the cynic in front of a girl who had already been beaten down by society. "Besides, your situation has already improved a lot. You're now working on a ship again with… mostly people who like you and help you. And you're learning to be a pilot!"
Lia giggled to herself and nodded. "The human crew are really kind to me. It's strange how they can be so nice when it was their organization that infiltrated the fleet."
Nodding knowingly, Tali let out a sigh as the pair of them strode down the aisles of the shop. "I've learned something about the people outside the fleet. You would probably learn this as well if you stayed with Shepard as long as I did. But I can at least teach you since I'm here."
Lia looked up at her curiously. "What is it?"
"You've no doubt experienced all the people who won't help you. Those with prejudices and those looking to exploit you. C-Sec stalking you, people just trying to get into your suit because you're exotic, or people trying to get you to sign shady contracts," she said as she tapped her face shield. "Those are the easy threats because you can see them coming. But what's not as easy to see are threats that try to help you."
Lia looked at her in confusion. "How can they be a threat to you if they're trying to help?"
"Because there are two people who say they're trying to help you. There are those like Shepard, Garrus, Liara… and sometimes Wrex when he's in a good mood. And then there are people that we've both no doubt met before. They are friends who don't understand your struggle. They assume your struggle is the same as theirs, so they don't have any issue speaking for you or dragging you into situations you don't want to be in."
Lia looked down at the ground. "I don't entirely understand."
Nodding gently, Tali stopped walking and faced her. "It's hard to explain without you having experienced it yourself. There are those who have you around as some kind of trophy. They like to show you off to everyone to show how considerate and altruistic they are for having a quarian friend. Then there are the ones who expect you to return their effort one to one. They'll divulge everything about themselves, and when you don't return the favor, they get upset and offended." She shrugged and shook her head. "The galaxy isn't just divided into good people and bad people. There are a lot of bad people who do good things, and good people who do bad things."
"But what does that have to do with the crew on the Normandy?" asked Lia in bewilderment.
"I don't know them, so I can't say for sure. But I get the feeling that's who they are. They're the people who joined a rogue terrorist organization because they were angry at the Alliance. They're unintentionally feeding into a system that harms not just aliens, but also other humans all because they feel like the Alliance offended them. But from what I could tell, they were mostly angry at how Shepard was treated. They aren't a direct danger to you, but their outrage feeds Cerberus, and could end up backfiring in the end." Tali saw the awestruck look on the younger quarians face and just patted her shoulder gently. "I'm not saying you can't be friends with them. Just make sure they understand that their association is harmful towards you."
"I… I see," said Lia as she looked forward, likely processing the information.
Tali nodded before she turned and jumped slightly as a tall turian stood in front of her. "Keelah! Garrus!" she snapped as she slapped his shoulder. "Don't just stand there like a spirit! Say something when you walk up!"
Chuckling, he put his hands up defensively. "Sorry."
"What is it? What did you need?" asked the commander curiously. Then her eyes narrowed at him. "Finally come to get a cat of your own?"
"Spirits no. At this point I'm convinced they hate me," he said with a dry chuckle. Finally, he put his hands down at his sides again. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you. Privately."
Sensing the seriousness in his tone, she nodded and looked down at what she had come for. "Alright. Help me buy this and we can go."
Café Alps – Presidium – Citadel
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" asked Tali as she sat in their private booth.
The turian sat across from her with his hot cup of apha and stared at the table broodingly. "I have a question I want to ask you first."
"Erm, okay…" she said as she tilted her head curiously.
"Imagine you and Ash decided to work together to help the Migrant Fleet. You two work great together, you have history, you were like sisters. Then suddenly, she sells you out to the geth who end up killing a lot of other quarians. Then, before you even realize what happened, she flees and goes into hiding," he said before turning his eyes up to her. "What do you do?"
"This is a very specific scenario," she said as she puzzled through his question. "Well, I know Ash. I know she wouldn't do that… at least not intentionally."
"But she ran. She didn't stay to help clean up her mess, she didn't try to explain herself! She ran and hid like a coward," he snapped angrily.
"Did Ashley do something to you?" asked Tali incredulously.
He calmed, realizing he had gotten a bit heated at her response before sitting up straight in his seat. "Sorry. No," he said with a sigh. "I used Williams as a point of reference. You know her, you have history together. You were friends and fought side by side before. How would you handle her betrayal?"
"If I went through all of that with Ash, then the last thing that would be on my mind was that she betrayed me. Knowing Ashley the way I do, I know she wouldn't intentionally hurt me or my people. Of course I would try to find her… wherever it was she went. But I would hold my anger until I found out what happened," she said as she sipped at her own contained drink.
He let out a heavy sigh through his nostrils as he reached up and gripped his head. "How is a quarian five years younger than me more mature?"
Tali chuckled and shrugged. "We both had lots of unchecked issues back on the original Normandy. I was a young naïve quarian ready to kill myself to prove I was useful to my people, to Shepard, to whoever. Back then, Shepard taught me the value of my life, and taught me to confront those things in myself that told me I was a failure to my people for working with Val'eda. And then Val'eda saved the galaxy and taught me to forever change my perspective. I learned to deconstruct my biases and stop using emotions to make all of my decisions."
"I see," he said as he recalled his own example of that with Shepard. "I guess she tried to do the same with me, but it didn't stick."
"We're different people, Garrus. We have entirely different experiences that prepare us for different things. Every crew member on the Normandy new or old would probably have a different answer to your question," she said as she began swirling her drink around slowly. "So, this happened on Omega?"
He growled gently. "In a manner of speaking. We had a strategy that worked, we had a good team, we had those mercenary bastards looking over their shoulder every time they left their beds. But then it all went sideways. At first, I thought he died too, but then I found out from an informant that he had sold us out and went dark. I tried to get back to the base to warn the team, but I was too late. It was about two days after that when Shepard showed up."
"I couldn't begin to understand what it's like to lose your entire group, Garrus. I'm sorry for your loss," said Tali as she reached forward and gripped his hand. "I'll try to stop teasing you about going to Omega from now on." He looked up at her with appreciation in his eyes. "I'm still going to roast you for getting your face blown off though. That was totally your fault."
Garrus chuckled to himself. "Fair," he said gripping her hand tightly. "Thank you for the talk, Tali," he said as he looked at the present she had gotten Shepard. "I have to talk to Shepard in a bit. Perhaps I should buy a gift too. It might make things go smoother."
"I got my idea from Liara," said the quarian as he thrummed her fingers on the table. "She's the one to ask if you need advice."
"Thanks. I'll just take a shot in the dark," he said before finally standing up. He looked down at her again, the weight in his cowl feeling less heavy than it usually felt. "I'm really glad your back with us, Tali."
He could see her smile through the face shield. "I'm glad you're here as well, Garrus. The Normandy's weapons wouldn't be the same without you calibrating them."
"Right… the calibrations…" he said giving her a playful glare, knowing she was teasing him again.
Orthopedic Therapy Chamber – Council Medical Services – Citadel
The accommodations were impressive even inside the tank. With her fingers, she could reach up to the glass of the tank and access the internet, watch movies, and play video games if she so chose. Were she a normal person, she might consider this somewhat of a vacation given the access to entertainment she had. Unfortunately, she wasn't normal, and very little on the hospital's movie watch list interested her.
She swiped through dozens of odd tales of asari romances, turian military dramas, human horror movies, and many more. But as she scrolled, she suddenly stopped as she saw a familiar sight. It was the movie poster for her movie. She growled as she recalled contacting the Alliance about licensing her story. But according to Citadel law, she had been dead long enough that she could only stop future projects, not ones already in the making. So, the movie came out and she had been avoiding it. But now she was here with nothing to do. Letting out a sigh that shot bubbles from the sides of her breathing mask, she hit the button to play it.
She stayed silent for most of the film. If she were honest, it was shot really well. The action scenes were intense, the actors were extremely skilled, and she didn't hate the entire thing. The actress that played her portrayed more of a no-nonsense, toe the line, military sycophant than she actually was. She wanted to vomit when a scene showed her positioned artistically in front of a Systems' Alliance flag, but she also didn't want to drown.
She had also noticed that any mention of the Citadel relay, the prothean key, or Ilos had been redacted and erased from the narrative as well as any mention of the reapers. Instead, she had miraculously discovered Saren's plan on Virmire and went to warn the Council about the attack. But instead of showing the Alliance and Udina locking down the Normandy, it was the Council shown locking it down. She could absolutely see the Alliance's fingerprints all over the movie. From the ham-fisted recruitment segments meant to draw more people to the Alliance, to the erasure of their own actions, all the way down to not putting in any sign of Shepard's admonishment of the Alliance. It was a load of propagandist garbage only saved by the incredible acting and action scenes.
She stopped the movie before she got to the eventual eulogy that they liked to exploit at the ends of movies like this and closed the player in annoyance. She'd have to get her own review of the movie out to the public before they started eating this nonsense up.
Her eyes snapped upwards as she saw a beeping on the glass in front of her. Someone was sending her a message. The chamber she was in wasn't actually on the main floor of the hospital. They were mechanically raised and opened for the patient to enter, then filled and lowered back into the floor, each of them monitored by the doctors and nurses walking above to make sure nothing went wrong. They'd never had an occurrence of someone's breathing apparatus ceasing to work, but the thought horrified her, and she was grateful they kept people around with a constant eye on things.
The unfortunate thing about that system was that it meant that nobody could see or talk to her face to face. Instead, there were little cubicles on the outside that people could video call from. Reaching up, she hit the button, willing to do anything to take her mind off her leg. The process was slow and painful and she was only allowed to have minor painkillers as the advanced medigel literally stitched her bone back together.
The screen widened and grew to the size of a doorway, showing Tali and Lia waving at her. "Shepard!" came Tali's chirpy voice.
"Hello Captain," said the more demure of the quarians.
Shepard simply waved back, unable to give them a smile they would be able to see. "Hey, how are you two?" she asked, her voice being projected from her sealed mask to the booth electronically.
"We're good! I wanted to show her around the Citadel, but it turns out she knows more about it than I do," said the engineer as she waved her arms around animatedly.
"Yeah, she spent most of her pilgrimage here instead of in space like you did," said the spectre, her eye twitching as the mostly dull pain in her leg ramped up to lancing hot in seconds before dying down again.
"Indeed. But I did show her some new places I thought she would like. Any guesses where?" asked Tali playfully.
Shepard shrugged in confusion. "A new restaurant or something?"
Spinning around without an answer, Tali nodded to Lia. Shepard hadn't noticed until now, but the young quarian had her arms behind her back the entire time. Stepping forward, the nervous young woman spoke. "As a tradition of our people, Commander Tali'Zorah and I decided to get you a gift in your time of healing."
"A gift?" asked the spectre as she eyed Tali, noticing the smile behind her luminescent eyes. Finally, Lia pulled her arms in front of her, showing that she was holding a small glass case. Or it looked like glass. Inside were a small colorful box with several round holes in it as well as what looked like a bed of wood shavings. When her brain finally registered what it was, she looked back up at Tali with a sullen stare. "Unless you've gotten me a small cage as a gift, then you've committed treason against my people."
Lia gasped while Tali giggled to herself. "Oh don't be so sour, Shepard. I know giving a pet as a gift is typically improper. But to that, I have to say… look how cute it is!"
Quickly she pushed the cage against the camera, showing the small rodent up close. Shepard was startled for a second as she realized that the creature she was staring at was the same one she had been looking at back when… and then it hit her. Tilting her head to the side, she glared at her new team member. "You saw me looking at it two years ago… so you got it for me?"
"Your cabin back then was at least near the crew decks. You could come and see us any time you wanted just by walking outside your door. But now you're up on the top deck in your own space where we need an appointment to even ask you questions. So, I thought you could use some company. Er… besides EDI, that is," said the commander. Shepard chuckled to herself and let out a sigh.
"Fine, but if anyone aboard is allergic to it then I'm feeding it to Grunt," she said seriously.
Tali pulled the cage away and held it against her dramatically. "You wouldn't dare!" she snapped before dropping the playful act. "No worries about that anyway. It's a hermetically sealed cage with air filters. So, no excuses," she snapped back. Finally, the look of good cheer returned to her face. "Garrus also got you some stuff he thought you'd like."
"If he got me another pet I'm going to throw you all out of the airlock!" growled Shepard, causing Tali to cackle before ducking out of the camera.
"Don't know! Good talking Shepard! Get well soon!" she shouted, her voice getting further away as she playfully retreated.
Shepard looked over at Lia who stood in shock as Tali fled, then looked back at her. "Oh… uh, w-what she said. I hope you get well soon," she said nervously before fumbling to close the call.
The window finally vanished and Shepard sighed to herself, reaching up and scratching her head gently as her long red hair fluttered around in the liquid. "Sometimes I feel like I'm running a daycare," she said with a smile as Tali's good cheer affected her immediately.
Council Chambers – Citadel Tower – Presidium – Citadel
She flexed her body sorely as she stepped into the elevator. It had been hours since she was released from the hospital. It took her a few minutes to get oriented on her leg again, feeling the now very dull pain of the process fading away fast. After staying in the tank for three days straight gravity just felt weird to her now, like she weighed a hundred pounds more. But she knew she would just need to get used to being on dry land again.
Stepping out of the elevator as it reached the top floor, she saw Garrus at the top of the stairs waiting for her. She smiled at him, noting that he was standing in the exact same place she had first met him back when Udina was petitioning to get Saren's spectre status revoked. Stepping up the stairs, her leg pain now gone entirely, she reached the top and clasped wrists with him.
"Shepard. Good to see the hospital food and water sleeping didn't do you in," said the turian cheerfully as he turned and began walking with her.
"It'll take a little more than jello cups and nutrient paste to get me to retire," she said with a smirk. "So, you said you had a request for me?"
He looked away as they ascended the stairs up to the final dais where the Council stood in person. "If you can, and if you want," he said quietly.
"I'll do what I can," she said as she stopped, waiting for the few people in front of her to finish speaking to the Council before she took up their time.
He let out a long sigh from his nose before turning to her. "Omega."
"Omega," she repeated back to him.
"I went to Omega after your death and tried to make a difference there. I tried to make life easier for the citizens by making life harder for the criminal elements," he said before finally looking at her again. "You saw the effect of my work."
"Kinda hard to miss," she said with a smirk.
"Well, I wasn't alone there. I had a team. A good one. People from nearly every species and every background with every skillset you could imagine. Kind of like you and what you're doing now," he said with a nod towards her.
She nodded back, recalling Tali's words about him trying to emulate her work on the original Normandy. "Sounds like a good team."
"They are…" he said before looking down. "They were."
"Oh…" she said delicately as she realized she had found him alone in that base on Omega. "I'm sorry."
"Me too," he said sternly before inflating himself to continue. "We worked well together. Turians, asari, salarians, a vorcha mechanic. We even had a batarian on the squad. We did really well considering our task was deemed impossible."
"Doing the impossible is basically our job description nowadays," said Shepard with a grin.
He chuckled at her and nodded. "Indeed. It helped that I had a partner that I knew from before my time on the Normandy. A turian, formerly C-Sec, disappointed our fathers, we could have been brothers. His name was Lantar Sidonis. Seemed like there was nothing we couldn't do when we worked together."
She noticed the shift in his tone when he brought up the name of his former compatriot. "This Lantar Sidonis, what happened?"
He balled his fists before snorting angrily. "I… don't know." He stared her dead in her eyes as his next words shook her. "What I do know is that my team that had done so well staying off the radar got butchered in their sleep, and he went missing."
"He sold you out?" she asked, bewildered at the claim.
"Again… I don't know. All I know is what it looks like. But I'd be doing the team a disservice if I didn't find out exactly what happened," he said as he clamped his hands together. "I found out he was missing before the mercenaries tracked me down. I tried to get to the team on time, but… I didn't make it. That's when they blocked off all access and escape from the compound," he said as he looked down at his hands. "After I got feeling back in my hands on the Normandy, I made calls to Omega and traded what goods I had hidden there to find out where he went. I managed to track him all the way here to the Citadel."
"But?" she asked curiously.
"Unfortunately, when I got here, I hit a brick wall. I used every contact in C-Sec to try and trace where he had gone. But I kept hitting a wall. They managed to track him into the wards, but he walked off camera and never walked onto another. It's like he just disappeared into a cloud of smoke," he said with frustration as he clenched his hands.
She could see this was eating him up inside, and it was clear that this had been weighing on him ever since she had found him. "Weird how he just vanished. That wasn't his skill set, was it?"
"No. He was a weapons specialist. Don't get me wrong, he knew Citadel Law like the back of his talon, so he could probably skirt the law if he wanted to stay hidden. But we'd be able to find him if we were actively looking. Instead, he's just gone. That requires the touch of a specialist," he said as he opened his omni-tool. "Months after you… died, a new name started sliding across C-Sec's doorstep. A relocation specialist by the name of Fade. Drug lords, smugglers, murderers, anyone who wanted to disappear from the public permanently were gone from our radars."
"Fade huh?" asked Shepard as she scratched her chin thoughtfully. "They'd have to have access or intimate knowledge of C-Sec to avoid every detection like they have been. At the very minimum an insider."
"I thought of that too. But without any leads, I couldn't begin to know who to start looking for," he said shaking his head.
She looked back up to him and tilted her head. "So, you need me to help you find Sidonis?"
He sucked in a breath before nodding. "I… know how this looks. And a few days ago, you'd probably be right. I wanted nothing more than to put a tungsten shot between his eyes for what I thought he was guilty of. And…" he said as he looked at her. "If he is truly guilty and unrepentant, then I still want to."
She nodded solemnly. "I understand why. But if he was truly guilty, would he have run?"
"I honestly don't know, Shepard," he said as his body sagged. "I've been so focused on revenge lately that it never crossed my mind. After talking to Liara and Tali, however, I've given it a lot more thought. And if he honestly sold us out for money, I doubt he would have run off like he did. Someone that sadistic would have stayed around to make sure I was dead before running off with his money."
"What if he sold you out for some other reason? If his family was threatened? Or torture?" she asked curiously.
He shook his head firmly. "He was an orphan and never really put much stock into relationships. And he'd hold out under torture even longer than I would."
"Would you be able to hold out if they were holding a gun to a civilian child's head?" she asked seriously as she leaned against the railing.
He looked at her stunned for a moment before looking down. "I... can't say yes to that."
She nodded firmly. "As long as you're actually looking for answers and not looking to satisfy your vengeance, then I'm more than willing to help you, Garrus."
He let out a heavy sigh of relief at her answer. "Everything I've told you was the truth. Up until a few days ago, I intended to try and find him without your help because I knew you'd try something like you did with Dr. Saleon. But after talking to them, I guess it kinda dawned on me that I didn't learn my lesson."
"Your peace of mind is more important to me than the life of some monster, Garrus. If he truly is the traitor you thought he was, then he deserves to go. But understand, if it comes to that, you can't be the one to take the shot," she stated firmly.
"I… I know," he said with a chuckle. "Don't become the monster you're hunting."
She smiled and thumped her fist against his chest again. "Exactly. Vengeance almost never fills the hole in your spirit. It only makes you angrier the next time you run into someone like Saleon. Eventually, you discard the law and everyone's rights to exact your own justice."
He nodded and reached up to rest his hands on his cowl. "Honestly, I could see me going down that path if those two hadn't stopped me. Knowing myself, if you hadn't done what you did two years ago, the next mad organ cloning doctor I came across I could very well have just put him out of everyone's misery."
"You never heal if you don't take care of the wound," she said as she grabbed his cowl and pulled him down. He seemed surprised for a moment before she planted her forehead to his. His predatory eyes widened at the act.
"Uh… Shepard," he said as she released him.
"What?" she asked curiously as she noticed his change in behavior.
"That was… erm…" he said as he looked around. When it looked like nobody had noticed, he leaned forward. "In turian culture that's something only intimate partners do…"
Her eyes widened at the claim. "Oh… shit…" she said as she then looked around to make sure nobody saw.
He chuckled before shaking his head. "Well, I guess we're even from that time I accidentally… you know…" he said as he pointed to her chest.
She snorted in amusement as she recalled how panicked he was at the accidental contact. "Yeah, we're even."
Suddenly, a voice nearby got their attention. Ambassador Korvus-Jamal was waiting for her nearby. "Spectre, the Council will hear you now."
Nodding to the woman, Shepard waved to Garrus. "Let's go."
Within moments they were lifted on the dais to speak to the Council who floated nearby in the background. Their visages were recreated up close, allowing those who spoke to hear and see all four of them clearly. "Spectre Shepard. We had spoken only last week about the Purgatory Prison. Was there something else you needed?" asked Councilor Udina from his spot next to Sparatus.
"Yes actually. This is something that's been weighing on me for a while and I feel it's necessary moving forward. But first, what I need to speak about is highly classified," she said, letting them get the implication themselves.
The councilors all looked from one to the other before finally Udina nodded. "Alright then," he said as he tapped on the arm of his seat. The others did the same and their chairs moved forward, docking with the platform and allowing them to step forward until they were standing in front of her. Almost immediately, a hazy shield protecting them from prying eyes surrounded them. "Alright, what is it Shepard?" asked the human councilor as he eyed Garrus.
"My team knows what I know. We've discussed how they are covered by my secrecy clearance," she said, eyeing the man sternly.
"Yes yes, we understand, Shepard," he said as he turned to her again.
"What is this about, Spectre?" asked Tevos curiously from her place near Valern.
Looking at all four of them, she sucked in her breath and let out a heavy sigh. "We have a lot of work to do," she said as she opened her omni-tool and brought up the image of Vigil. "You all remember the prothean VI on Ilos? The one that Liara T'Soni's own creation translated?"
"Impossible to forget it," said the tall turian man.
"That VI made it clear that the Citadel itself and all of the relays throughout the galaxy are Reaper creations," she said as the holographic image from her omni-tool switched to showing the current topic. "That's something we need to consider going into the future."
Valern and Tevos looked at one another before turning to Shepard. Finally, the salarian spoke. "In what way? Speak plainly, Spectre."
"We know now that they weren't gifts left behind by the protheans. We know that they were designed to lead evolving organics into a trap that the reapers set. So, we need to progress ourselves by learning to uncouple ourselves from their technology," she said, getting a wide-eyed look from Udina.
"Are you suggesting we stop using the Citadel and the relays?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Not immediately," she said holding her finger up to stop him. "But we don't know what else the reapers put into them. There could be a thousand failsafes we don't know about that could end up dooming us all in the end."
"Ah," started Valern as he folded his hands into his sleeves. "You're suggesting we study them and learn to build our own?"
She cocked an eyebrow as she nodded at the man. "You refrained from tinkering with the relays before because of the Rachni War. You didn't want to end up unlocking a relay that led to another hostile species that started another galactic war. But now we know where the relays come from, and I think it's time we learned to build them ourselves."
The councilors all looked from one to the other before looking back at her, and she couldn't figure out what they were keeping from her. Finally, Tevos spoke. "To all of those present, this is of absolute secrecy," she said, looking from human to human to turian. All three of them nodded. "We are already in the process of studying the prothean made relay that stood outside this very tower."
Shepard's brows shot up in surprise. "Color me stunned, Councilor. You all took the initiative?"
"Indeed," came Udina's droll voice. "After Sovereign shut down the Serpent Relay during the Battle for the Citadel, we came to the realization that should another of their kind find a way into the galaxy, they could cripple us by systematically shutting down relay after relay. Or at the very least, prevent anyone but them from using them. So, we decided long before you came back to the Citadel that it would be prudent of us to have a backup plan in place in case they had some contingency that resulted in a shutdown of the relay network."
"A good start. How far have we gotten on that front?" she asked curiously, noticing all of them going alarmingly silent.
Udina cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that's information we're unable to share at the moment, Shepard," he stated plainly.
She looked from him to Sparatus, then Tevos, then Valern. Her expression melted into one of annoyance. "Specifically with me?"
"Not just you," said Sparatus as he eyed her sternly. "But we have a special interest in not sharing that information with you at this time."
"By 'at this time' you mean as long as it's still possible that I'm a Cerberus plant?" she asked bluntly, making each of the councilors sigh.
"Shepard, you must understand our point of view," started Tevos.
But much to her surprise, Garrus stepped in. "With all due respect, Councilors, none of you really know Shepard," he said as he stepped up in front of her. "You think you do. You've butted heads with her," he said eyeing Udina and Sparatus. "You've helped her," he continued as he eyed Tevos and Valern. "But none of you know her like we did."
"I don't see what that has to-" started Sparatus in annoyance, but Garrus cut him off.
"We know Shepard," he said as he stepped over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Tali, Liara, Wrex, Ashley, we all flew with her throughout the galaxy for nearly an entire year. We took the original Normandy and flew through the Conduit. We fought together against that reaper menace in this very chamber," he said firmly as he pointed to them. "If anyone knows Shepard, it's us. I'd never serve under some Cerberus clone, and neither would anyone else who knew her."
The council were eerily quiet at the statement. The ambassador stepped up to her side as well. "Councilor, I'm inclined to agree with Mister Vakarian. You yourself melded with her to see if there was anything malicious at work in her mind."
"So what, we're supposed to just trust her implicitly because of your word?" asked Valern in a no-nonsense tone to Garrus.
"You all know that your spectres make shady connections when working outside of Council Space. How many of your agents have used the Shadow Broker for information? How many salarian spectres sympathize with the Lystheni? How many asari spectres have a Sisterhood of Serrice tattoo on them?" asked the turian sniper as he glared at them all. "Cerberus is a garbage organization rampant with bigotry and human supremacy. But they're no worse than some of the people your other spectres associate with. So, let's all quit pretending there's something special about her using Cerberus resources."
Udina frowned but let out a sigh. "As much as I hate it, I'm afraid I agree," said the human councilor, getting a stunned look from both Garrus and Shepard. "We all know Cerberus is terrible. But Shepard was made a spectre. She was trusted with taking down Saren, and even reported Alliance negligence to the Council before, much to my own chagrin at the time." He looked from her to the others. "I think it's past time we accept that Shepard is who she says she is."
The other councilors waited a long moment before finally turning to Shepard again. Tevos was the first to speak. "Their words ring true, Spectre. We have placed undue expectations on you."
Sparatus cleared his throat. "Part of the reason we ignore most associations with other spectres is that they typically keep them secret. I guess we shouldn't punish the one spectre who is being as transparent as possible."
Valern spoke up with a sigh. "Yes yes, Shepard. As nauseating as I find your association, I appreciate you not hiding it."
"I appreciate your faith in me, Councilors. But for now, I'm going to retract my question," she said getting curious looks from the four. "Your work on the relay situation isn't something I need to know about now. And if you still have some doubts about Cerberus, then I won't pry. But just be aware that I don't intend to give Cerberus a free pass just because they've decided to throw resources into a good cause. Like it or not, me and them are going to clash someday. And I will need your help when that time comes."
"Just keep us updated and watch your back, Shepard," said Udina dutifully. "It'll be hard to help you with a knife sticking out of it."
"Understood Councilor," said Shepard with a grin.
"On that note, Shepard, I need to ask something of you when you have time," said the human as he stepped back up and took his seat again. "Let the ambassador know when you have a moment to spare in the next week or so."
They all finally sat again and the privacy barrier vanished. Almost immediately her omni-tool alert went off. She looked down at the notification and her face went grim. "Speak of the devil…"
"Heard you talking about him?" asked Garrus playfully.
She glared at him teasingly before moving with a purpose to leave the tower. "He said he'd only contact me in emergencies. If it wasn't important, he'd go through Miranda or Kelly. Something must be wrong," she said as she entered the elevator and slapped the button for the presidium ground floor. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there," she said nudging him with her elbow.
"Standing next to me has to open up some insecurities. I need to keep you on your feet and make sure being around me too long doesn't depress you," he said confidently, causing her to snort so hard it hurt as the elevator sunk down to the pristine ring below.
QEC – SSV Normandy SR2
She eyed the man as the QEC put him together quickly. Once the room he commonly sat in was finally formed, she crossed her arms. "What is it?"
"Shepard, we've got a Code Sigma coming from the colony world of Horizon," he said firmly. "I trust you know what this means?"
Her brows furrowed at the claim. "They've gone quiet."
"It was the same thing that happened right before the attack on Freedom's Progress and other colonies that you weren't there for. Absolute silence coming from the colony world. No transmissions, no extranet bursts, no traffic leaving or going to. As quiet as a grave," he said as he reached down and grabbed his golden cigarette case. "How is Mordin doing on that prophylaxis against the collector seeker swarms?"
"He mentioned that he has a cure for it, but I don't know about a preventative," she responded as she brought up her omni-tool and began sending out the alert to everyone.
"If not, I hope he works well under pressure," he said as he set his gaze on her. "This is the earliest warning we've ever gotten, Shepard. You need to go now if you hope to catch them in the act."
"If we're fast enough we may be able to prevent some of the colonists from being taken," she said as she closed her omni-tool down, having sent the alert to all of them.
"More importantly, you need to find out what they're doing. Why they're collecting humans. If you can, we desperately need any information that can help us with the big picture of why they're doing what they're doing," he said stoically.
She gave him a stern glare. "Your priorities are clearly different from mine."
"Saving the colonists is important," he said to her with frost in his voice. "But if we can't figure out what their endgame is, then we won't have a way of preventing these attacks. They will continue and continue until there are no colonists left."
"I'll figure out what they're doing when I'm sure they aren't taking any more colonists. If you want that done faster, then send one of your cronies to do it while I'm killing collectors," she snapped back at him firmly before turning away and exiting the QEC, leaving him to sigh to himself.
Biology and Tech Lab – SSV Normandy SR2
As Shepard entered the lab, her ears were immediately assaulted with the sound of music from the music player she had gotten him from the Citadel. She stepped inside as Mordin worked on his terminal and eyed the player. She quickly recognized the sound of a salarian rapping to a beat, his or her voice many clips faster than any human rapper she'd ever heard before.
The salarian doctor turned to her and grinned. "Ah, Shepard! Glad you've come. Many new updates," he said before turning to silence the music player. "Apologies. Love music. Helps me think."
"That helps you think?" she asked in amusement, knowing that her mind would be scrambled just trying to keep up with the lyrics.
"Fourth cousin. Music a talent in the family. Even wrote a song about you," he said turning to her with his smile growing.
"They wrote a song about me?" she asked incredulously.
"Indeed. Called 'Crown of Fire,' likely reference to your hair," he said with a nod. "Even sang myself when I was younger. Bigger fan of musicals than modern R&B. Gilbert and Sullivan, Producers, Phantom of the Opera. All masterpieces."
"I've rarely met someone so fascinated by human musical culture," she said, slightly impressed with the man before her. "All that aside, I need to know your progress on the counter to the collector toxin."
"All lab work done," he said as he turned towards a small glass case with the now live and buzzing insects inside. "Managed to resuscitate samples. Found method of dispersal injection through stinger. Paralysis near instant," he said as he pulled up a small device and gripped her hand. She eyed him curiously as he slapped the band onto her wrist. "Even created counter to insects themselves."
He pushed the button on the wristband and immediately she heard thumping from the cage. Looking up, she noticed the small buzzing collector insects were now slamming themselves against the wall of the cage to get away from her. "What's happening to them?"
"Scrambles senses. No pain receptors to speak of, but causes distress in creatures, prevents them from getting close to you," he said before stepping back and handing her a dozen of the bands. "Suggest equipping entire crew and getting them to lab for immunity injection. No point taking chances," he said sternly.
She smiled and nodded. "You ever heard of the phrase above and beyond the call of duty?"
"Nonsense. Same as you, Shepard. Put my all into my work," he said proudly.
"True, but even a regular scientist might not have gone outside the original parameters to create these devices," she said dangling the wristbands in front of him.
He smirked lightly. "If knowledge was a library then I'm its king librarian…"
"I am the very model of a scientist salarian," she said in response, her own smile lighting her face.
CODEX ENTRIES
Apha | Food | Palaven
The turian equivalent of coffee made from the leaves and seeds of the Apahtala plant native to Palaven. It provides a minor stimulant to dextro species who sometimes use it as a dessert due to its sweeter flavor.