Chapter 7: Handshake Protocol
Life aboard the Dreikruz was interesting to say the least for Deckerd. Between stopping crime, fighting giant kaiju and multi-dimensional beings, his super AI had quite the fulfilling life. And now here he was with his partners, in a completely different universe. So far they'd been attacked by pirates, multiple times. And approached for diplomacy from one Commander Shepard. There is a human phrase Deckerd felt applied to this situation: "Seeing is believing."
As he was currently idling away his patrol and his chess partner was unresponsive on the 'extranet', Deckerd threw himself into his patrol near the entry mass relay. His other partners, Fire Duke and J-roader were also helping him by giving him thrust in space.
"I don't like the looks of that so-called 'relay'." Fire Duke huffed. The super AI was frustrated at not being able to go out and see the galaxy.
"They certainly don't share the same architectural designs as with that vessel…The Normandy? You'd think if they shared technology, that at least something would look similar." Deckerd nodded.
Ultraman soon chimed in.
"I mean we still have a job to do and that's guarding this relay-" Shinjiro put forward before his head snapped towards the now activating relay. "Incoming ship!" No sooner than Ultraman had said that then a single vessel appeared, resembling a praying mantis. A transmission soon came out after a brief scan raced across the robots. A simple binary request was issued which made Fire J-Decker pause.
"Commander Mitsuba. We have someone requesting a handshake protocol to facilitate communications." Deckerd reported via his internal communications systems. The massive robot observed the still ship while keeping that request pending.
"Accept it for now but be wary of any cyberware attacks." Mitsuba ordered.
"Understood commander." Deckerd responded as he accepted the request, utilizing the data files he had stored away. "Unknown craft please issue a designation for your vessel." The police bot requested as he held up his police badge.
"Designation: AU-047582. Requesting identification of the hailing unit." Came the response from the Geth ship.
"I am Officer Deckerd of the Brave police corp…currently a part of the autonomous Dreikruz combat unit." Deckerd explained. After a bit of delay he got a response back.
"That badge ID is falsified. No such unit exists anywhere in this Galaxy." The Geth observed.
"I assure you it is very much real. Just not one of this dimension's galaxy. Where we are from, Dimensional distortions involving quantum mechanics are quite common." Deckerd explained while his internal logic circuits 'experienced a sweatdrop'. After a small amount of time passed by, the Geth unit responded.
"This is an acceptable theory. Quantum mechanics is theorized to be temperamental and often conflicts with established scientific discoveries. This unit wishes to issue a Query. Has one Shepard commander arrived in this area?"
"Please stand by." Deckerd announced before hitting Mitsuba up on his internal comlink. "Commander Mitsuba, This geth platform is requesting for Commander Shepard…"
"Commander Shepard isn't here, she's already left for her own mission and to deliver our chosen delegates to the Citadel." Mitsuba responded while a sigh could be heard on the comms.
"I'm sorry to say that Commander Shepard has already left this sector. If you would like to pass on a message-"
"That is unnecessary. This unit shall leave and continue tracking Shepard commander's next logical steps." The vessel turned back around and started preparing for its jump out before it flew to a halt. "Query. The unit addressing me is a Virtual intelligence or an Artificial intelligence?"
"I and a number of others onboard the Dreisstrager are Super AI." Deckerd responded while giving the tiny scout ship a thumbs up.
"Soooooo…am I the only one who's lost here?" Ultraman asked curiously over the comms as he glanced between the super robot and the scout ship.
"Imagine someone who's Japanese meeting a Britannian for the first time. But they both work in the same field." Captain Noa explained. "There are similarities in how they'd speak but not in how they act."
"An apt observation. This unit does not disagree -" The geth chimed in.
` "Whoops. Comms line was left open. My apologies." Deckerd hastily spoke. Ultraman sighed and facepalmed through his helmet as he could just see the sweatdrop. "Geth unit do you have an official designation?"
"AU-047582. But indeed. This unit will continue tracking Shepard Commander's whereabouts."
"Sorry to butt in here but Shepard is heading towards the Citadel. Isn't that a no go zone for the Geth? How about staying here for the time being?" A new voice, Guy Shishi-o spoke up.
"You are not adverse to offering safe harbor to Geth?" The unit queried.
"Geth unit, this is Commander Mitsuba Greyvalley. We're not of this universe so in all reality this combat group is against council law in more than one form."
"I don't mind getting to see one of these geth up close. It could do wonders for technological breakthroughs!" A more enthusiastic voice chimed in.
"Please, Lord Asplund, don't come onto the bridge when we aren't even sure when our next engagement will be!" Mitsuba ordered.
"Oh please. We have four combat ready battleships with enough accompanying mecha to completely wipe out any adversaries that happen to ignore our warnings. Especially once we take the white gloves off."
"As much as I don't want to, the Earl of Pudding makes a fair point. With Kallen and Suzaku both on standby, just those two alone are worth a small fleet of ships." A female voice said in an amused tone.
"Hey Commander. Requesting permission to take the Dragon out for a spin. I need to smash something. I'm feeling on edge."
"Permission granted. Any asteroids within these designated coordinates don't contain any resources that we need." Mitsuba indicated to a rather irate sounding male.
—-
Mordin Solus and Doctor Chakwas both looked over the scans of Mikazuki's implants. They were still days away from the Citadel.
"Alayja Vijana. Such an abhorrent system to force onto such a young man. It's honestly a miracle he's even alive." Chakwas sighed as she glanced at her bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy. There would be time to drink later.
"Concept intriguing though. Can understand why it was pursued. Speaking as former special forces of course. As a doctor, Atrocious. No concern towards patient's health." Mordin nodded before he frowned. "Facilities present can't perform the job needed. How vexing. No offense, Doctor Chakwas."
"None taken." The female doctor laughed lightly.
"So you two can't fix me? That's fine. I wasn't expecting much anyways." Mika said before he attempted to shift his body into a sitting position.
"Son. My facility can't. But we're already taking you to the Citadel. It just may result in a longer stay. They have access to technology that isn't available on The Normandy. We can treat Shepards surgery scars just fine, if that infectious positive attitude doesn't get rid of them through sheer will power first." The old doctor huffed before resting a firm hand on Mika's good shoulder. "Don't be so quick to write us doctors off. We're quite stubborn."
"Sorry Doctor Chakwas, he's a bit rough around the edges." Orga apologized before rushing to get that wheelchair ready for his friend. "He's just bein' honest."
"I'm aware. And don't think I haven't caught you doing laps around The Normandy either, Mister Orga." Chakwas jabbed at him verbally. The Yakuza branch head laughed lightly as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"That's just the PMC in me. Gotta stay in shape. Never know when or how we could be attacked." Orga smirked while closing one of his eyes.
"Ah, very relaxed. Good to see." Mordin smiled before nodding his approval. "Must go check on algae. See how they are acclimatizing to foreign environment. Talk later Chakwas?"
Orga helped Mikazuki into his wheelchair as the Salarian doctor left ahead of them. Once the doors closed behind the doctor Mika spoke up.
"He's a good person, but a horrible doctor." Mika stated flatly. Doctor chakwas turned to face the young pair.
"What do you mean by that Mika?" The Normandy's medic asked.
"He cares too much for a stranger. If Orga told me to, I'd kill anyone aboard this ship. Shepard included. That goes double if they're a threat to Kudelia or Atra." The Gundam pilot said while pawing at his cheek idly. His tone was cordial but the message was bone chilling. Orga tsk'd audibly before lightly swatting Mika on the back of his head.
meanwhile at the observation deck
Kelly chambers had one hell of a task on her hands with the most recent yet temporary additions to The Normandy's crew. Two Yakuza members, two men that can wield katanas, A prince mired in noble court tendencies with a flair for the theatric, an immortal witch. She looked at her notes.
"At least both Missus Augus were amenable and open to talk about their problems." Kelly sighed. She'd tried to talk to Chirico but all she got was stared at while she talked about her pet varren. "Let's see, next on my list to interview is…" Seven. Odd name. From what she'd seen he was a very serious individual. And just as she was reviewing what notes she had on him the observation deck door slid open. In walked Seven, briefly glancing towards her and bowing politely before resuming his walk. His steps, very methodical, always from the heel to toe and precisely the same pace each time.
Seven moved across the table from her and sat down. The moment he did, her omnitool beeped that his slated block of time had just come. She felt like the atmosphere around them both was so thick that she'd need an omnitool made blade to cut it.
"It's a pleasure to finally make a proper acquaintance, Yeoman Chambers." Seven said evenly as he placed his hands onto the desk, palms up towards Kelly as he talked.
"The pleasure is mine Seven. Tea?" Kelly offered.
"Matcha Green, if you have it." The man requested in response as she got up to inspect the bar. Thankfully her own stash of tea was still there. There was silence while she walked over to the bar before she broke the ice once more. "So tell me something about yourself."
The man let out a small chuckle. "Unfortunately, I'm much like you Yeoman Chambers. Very focused on saving humanity. However I am equipped with a very potent hardsuit that helps me facilitate that task."
"So you're a man who has a lot riding on his shoulders? I can relate when I think about what The Normandy's mission is." Honestly it was terrifying to her. She grabbed the tea pot and set it to begin boiling on the burner after pouring in water. She made sure to set aside the desired tea for them both.
"I have noticed a particular atmosphere with the crew. Everyone is dedicated to one mission. Meanwhile I have to wonder, is this crew truly ready?" Kelly blinked as she observed his posture, he had turned towards her to talk openly. And he was comfortable.
"Do you have concerns over the crew as a hole? You seem to have seen a great deal of unusual events." Kelly asked as a counter question.
"Not so much the crew, and more the…" He paused and gestured to the ship. "The Benefactor."
"Cerberus put a lot of money into making this ship more of an upgrade to The Original Normandy." Kelly responded assuringly.
"Be wary of those with deep pockets and a hidden face." He immediately called up to mind one example from his own world, The Galactic Council.
"You speak from experience." Kelly observed as she put her tea set away.
"I do, yes. An enigmatic, but highly controlling council. You must understand Yeoman Chambers, that in my world; alien contact was not made on a different planet, but on Earth itself. On my version of Earth, we had to contend with aliens that laughed at the munitions that we could fire at them. Once they were sufficiently pushed, they could be as tall as Mount Fuji, as destructive as eight super volcanoes erupting in a single location." He spoke firmly while interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on them. His glasses managed to give off a menacing glare. "All of that changed though, when a Giant of Light descended."
"You mean god?" Kelly was both shocked and curious to hear the response she got.
—-
Jack Harper frowned as he read the report he had gotten from Miranda. Many of the bugs that had been planted inside The Normandy had been thoroughly squashed. His agents had made sure that the lines couldn't be traced back to Cerberus but it was troubling. He was losing control of Shepard, he could feel it. Now she had taken on board humans from a different dimension? To meet with the council?
He had to try and arrange a meet.
"Computer. Bring up image eight-three-five-four seven." His computer beeped in response before the image he requested appeared. A gargantuan dreadnought stranded near Geth space. He took out a cigarette and lit it before taking a deep drag and holding it as he thought before exhaling.
Unfortunately the council with Anderson at the helm wasn't going to move slowly once Shepard reached the Citadel. If it had been Udina, he could have pulled some strings. But he wanted the Commander exactly as she was. He was beginning to regret that decision. The Illusive Man hummed in thought as he pulled up one of his spare spy drones in that vicinity. Further out but enough magnification to see the small fleet. A flash of green caught his eye so he zoomed in on it.
"Someone's angry." He noted. "What has you so upset?" Jack wondered as he observed the Orange mech smashing asteroids before it paused to glance at the dormant relay. "Oh? And what's so fascinating about that…" Then the mech raised a fist towards somewhere. His spy drone registered a rocket signature. "He couldn't possibly have felt that." The illusive man assured himself. At least until that fist was getting larger and larger in the form of the universal one finger salute. The camera feed cut out to noise as the drone stopped reporting back. "tsk…The hard way it is then."
"Hope Lilium. How's our little insurance policy?" Jack asked curiously.
"Oh…I thought you didn't want her." The woman on the other line spoke, seemingly hurt.
"It's become necessary. Dethaw it." TIM ordered. "Also give it a ship. Steal some codes while you're at it. Turian preferably." He didn't want to lose everything because some maverick showed up and flipped his meticulously planned table.
—-
"Ok TIM…your move." Lelouch hummed as he examined the hard light chess set in front of him. "We're a thorn in your side because we're not expected. So what is your next move?" The master tactician tapped his chin thoughtfully as he ran through his head what he knew and more importantly what he didn't. On the wall he had a picture of snizschel. A red string attached to it before leading to a picture of the Normandy which spiderwebbed into a cipher of pictures that only held relevance to him.
However, interrupting his thoughts the door slid open to reveal Miranda in the doorway. He looked at her eyes while giving her a suave smile.
"Miss Lawson, How may I help you?" He asked calmly.
"It's Executive Officer Lawson." Miranda corrected him before glancing at the collection of photos. She could spy The Normandy easily enough. But the rest were pictures and places she didn't even recognize. "What's that? Personal project?"
"Something like that, yes, Miss. Lawson." Lelouch nodded before shrugging. "Sorry but you're not military. Going after false glory ill suits a woman of your stature and capabilities." He paused. "Afterall, you remind me of one of my…" He paused on how to describe that relationship. They had been one step away from being an item. "Confidants. A remarkable woman, and a masterful pilot of her chosen unit." He looked her up and down. "If I had to use an equivalent term, if The council had any brains, you'd be very effective in ST&R."
Miranda suppressed a smile. "Does C.C know you talk to girls like that?"
"Oh I'm sure she knows. She's prone to the same things I am." Lelouch laughed before gauging her reactions. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?" He observed the cerberus woman. "Hopefully not intervene with another fight with Jack."
"No perish the thought…I…" Miranda bit her bottom lip as Lelouch spied Garrus peeking from around the corner. Lelouch reached up with no warning, yanking Miranda into his room and closing the door. "W-What the hell was that abou-" She stopped as a finger was held up in front of Lelouch's lips. She blinked as she huffed before listening.
"What in the…Did prince charming just…" Garrus's voice could briefly be heard through the door as Lelouch locked the door from his side. "Oh. OH! I didn't see anything."
"Prince Charming?! Please I was an Emperor." Lelouch sighed quietly while facepalming. "Anyways as you were saying?"
Miranda coughed lightly as she glared silently at the raven haired young man.
"I'll overlook that for now. But I wanted you to get in contact and check in with someone…" She started hesitantly. She was getting nowhere with her contacts.
"And why ask me? I'm not cerberus. Unless that was the point." Lelouch asked while quirking an eyebrow.
"Exactly. You're not affiliated with anyone in this galaxy. So you're the safe bet. Shepard…is the bet when I need imminent violence." Miranda nodded. "The Illusive Man is too busy of a man to be trifled with such little troubles."
"So you came to me in my bunk with C.C. Knowing that it's one of the now…many places without those oh so valued and unasked for monitoring equipment pieces?" Lelouch smiled casually.
"Smart and cunning. Did you know I'd do this?" Miranda teased.
"Not in the slightest. It's just a happy accident that fell into my lap." Lelouch shook his head. "However this will be transactional. I help you, you help me, and Help Shepard. If you can agree to those terms, tell me what I need to know. The rest I'll figure out anyway."
"Deal. I want you to check in on one, Oriana Lawson. She lives on Illium." Miranda said hesitantly.
"Lawson…A sister?" Lelouch guessed while looking into Miranda's eyes.
"Correct. Our father is a very…egotistical man. I hid Oriana from him to help keep her safe." Miranda explained.
"Which, I'm assuming your father is why you joined Cerberus? To protect both yourself and your sister?" He could understand that. "You said she lives on Illum? I can look into it."
"That was rather simple…Just like that you'll help?" Miranda noted. "What's your price?"
"Rather simple. You turn a blind eye to the actions of me and any member of the Dreikruz. As for wanting to protect your sister, I once took all the world's hatred onto me to give my sister a better world." Lelouch said with a gentle smile.
"That's a tall ask. The Illusive man doesn't take rejection well." The operative warned.
"That's not a concern of mine, though he should have figured the risks when he brought back Commander Shepard from everything I've read on the extranet. The SR-1 dismantled quite a few Cerberus Cells. Those dragon teeth experiments, something called the Thorian? And Rachni experiments?" The Emperor pointed out as he counted on his fingers.
"You weren't there for that conversation, but those were rogue elements. What happened to those who were subjected to those experiments was atrocious." Miranda assured him, however Lelouch frowned.
"Ok. So you say. But how long until this Vessel is declared rogue? We're a new arrival so our influence here won't change much of how Shepard acts." Lelouch pointed out while looking Miranda in her eyes.
"Our mission is too important, he wouldn't." She retorted while crossing her arms beneath her chest.
"So do you know him personally? His likes, dislikes. If he has a cat." The raven haired emperor provided while shrugging.
"No. He doesn't have any Personal connections. Very few people ever see him in person. I myself have only seen the Illusive man once. And that was for the purpose of resurrecting Shepard. And even that was because the information was too sensitive for a vid call." MIranda explained. "The SR 2 is an extension of that self same project."
"So you don't understand him, and follow the ideals of his reminds me of two things. V V's OSI and Schnizel's Camelot. Blind extremism. You do as your told without thinking for yourself, believing it to be in line with humanity's goals. In your case, you happened to be lucky in your choice of project." Lelouch gestured towards the picture of the blonde haired human. "That being said. That's a discussion that we don't need to pursue. I'll look into your sister."
"Thank you. And I never thought you'd be the kind to sacrifice everything for your family." Miranda said with a small smile as she moved towards the door before looking back at him. "I won't misjudge you again." She said before opening the door as Lelouch finally advanced lift up a rook to develop White's structure.
—-
Garrus watched from the weapons bay as Miranda exited Lelouche's quarters and zoomed in on her while casually skimming the modifications he had in mind for when Shepard stopped by. He watched as she smoothed out her hair before someone called his station. It was Jack.
He closed the door as he answered.
"Garrus here. What do you want Jack?" He asked as he walked over to tweak the normandy's main gun.
"I just wanted to chat for a bit. Been thinking about some stuff and I wanted to talk about your girlfriend, Commander Shepard." Came the Biotic's voice. Garrus choked as his elbow slammed into the weapon system with a loud thug.
"Wha-OW. Spirits that hurt…" Garrus cursed before collecting himself. "Ahem. There's nothing going on between me and the Commander. Liara would flay me alive with her mind if I made a move on Shepard. That aside. I saw Miranda enter Prince Charming's room." He said conspiratorily as the door to the weapons bay slid open to reveal Shepard.
"Wait. What? Oh come on Garrus give me the details. Did the Cerberus cheerleader get her cherry popped and de-iced in one fell swoop?" Jack asked with a snort of laughter.
"I'm sorry Garrus…what?" Shepard couldn't believe what she heard. "That couldn't possibly have happened."
"Commander! I uh…mmm…I saw the executive officer get pulled into Lelouch's room with my own eyes, before the door shut." Garrus explained quickly.
"Damn. That kid works fast. From what I've seen of him, if anyone could get inside that cheerleader's pants, he could." Jack laughed outloud from over the speaker. "I've got some things to take care of down here. But Garrus you have to tell me more of this once we're on the Citadel." With that the biotic convict broke off her call to leave a stammering Garrus standing straight up.
"What can I do for you Shepard?" Garrus asked as he addressed his friend and Commander seriously.
"Miranda and lelouch aside. I wanted to talk to you about The Normandy. If we're going to stand any chance against the Collectors. We have spare resources from our probing missions." Shepard explained as Garrus thought for a moment.
"Actually I do have an idea on that. Our main battery was insufficient the last time when the SR 1 got destroyed. But since then the Turians have developed some experimental weapons tech. I could pull some strings and get a Thanix cannon for our frigate waiting for us at drydock." The turian said while lightly thumping the guard railing next to him.
"Do it. And give any resources you deem necessary to get it done." Shepard ordered. "And…try not to spread too many rumors regarding our guests."
"Of course Commander, wouldn't dream of it." Garrus responded sharply. "Now is there anything else?" He asked as he turned his attention to the battery of weapons."
"About what happened to your squad. Have you found Sidonis?" Shepard asked with concern.
"Not yet. I've got a few feelers out for him. He can't hide from me for long. And when I do find him…I hope you'll come with me." Garrus said, his eyes hardening as he exhaled.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" The human asked gently. Garrus sighed before shaking his head.
"You're a good friend Shepard. I know you mean well, just, I need some time to think." He requested.
"Alright. I'll leave it be. Just, you've got friends here that will pull for you." Shepard reminded him before taking a step backwards and closing the door to the main battery, leaving the Turian alone with his thoughts.
—-
The Serpent Nebula, The Citadel - Presidium
Jondum Bau walked through the opening doors to the Salarian councilor's room as he noticed Valern analyzing a quintet of images. The Spectre didn't recognize the ship architecture as he walked up slowly.
"You wanted to speak to me, Councilor?" Bau asked politely. Personally he resented that the council was still hiding the existence of the Reapers from the galactic public. But he along with a few others in the Spectre's took that warning seriously. He knew without a doubt that the Reapers were a real and credible threat. Valern speaking up shook him out of his thoughts.
"Yes. I apologize for calling you away from monitoring the Terminus systems, but this couldn't be ignored. What do you make of these vessels." Valern asked, half turning to look to the Spectre agent with one eye before hitting play on his Omnitool.
"Military warships. Where was this taken?" The Salarian soldier asked as he analyzed the images. Seeing those beams of light made him remember the attack on the Citadel years ago. Sovereign, that reaper that the Council covered up. While he understood not wanting to cause a panic. He still thought burying the truth was the wrong call. Better to have an alert and semi prepared galaxy than them getting blindsided.
"At the edge of Geth space in the Terminus systems. Shepard is on her way with a few 5envoys from that fleet. I want you to meet with the envoys separately and find out if they are a threat or an asset to our galaxy. If things go well, we may look into sending a diplomatic envoy of our own. Behind closed doors…I would honestly love to have this be a joint operation with the humans." Valern said while rubbing his forehead. "We're still not sure why Shepard resurfaced now but she's on her way to explain herself now. We expect her within the next few days."
"And you're still set on keeping the existence of the Reapers as a myth?" Bau asked. While what the councilor was asking interfered with his investigation into Kasumi goto and her connection with the heist within the Serpent Nebula.
"We've been over this. We need to avoid a galactic panic. We come clean that the attack on the Citadel was made by Genocidal ancient machines, we'll have riots in the streets." Valern countered before putting his left hand forcefully onto his desk with a thud. "It's more efficient if they remain rumors and hearsay." The Spectre frowned. "Oh don't give me that. Saren, our top agent goes rogue and allies himself with a sentient machine bent on starting a cleansing process on all intelligent life? How are we supposed to spin a positive light on that?"
Bau raised an eyebrow.
"Well if you wanted a positive spin on it. Saren was investigating the reapers when he went off the grid and was replaced with an evil clone. And that's who Shepard stopped and their diabolical plan to commit galactic genocide. That way you could drive up recruitment campaigns. However, might I suggest you avoid slandering Commander Shepard. She did order the humans to save your lives." The Spectre spoke candidly.
"How could I forget? That makes our situation all the more tricky. I owe Shepard my life." The counselor sighed as he looked the Spectre in the eyes. "Do look into what I asked. I'll put your name forward as an envoy. I will go meet with Anderson." Valern nodded before glancing over to his conference area. Bau left the councilor's quarters while tapping away at his omni-tool.
Jondum Bau ran over what he knew of Kasumi goto. The woman was a renowned thief yet so far her activities on the Citadel have mostly been annoyances to Citadel Security. Petty pickpocketing and hacking an ad terminal however she'd not done anything to it. So for the time being he was more than happy to leave well enough alone. Leaving the councilors room he headed out into the presidium and made his way to the financial district where a known shadowbroker agent worked. On his way there he passed by an alliance soldier, Operations Chief Williams. She looked quite perturbed as she made her way towards the human councilor's office.
"Colonists from Horizon have gone missing inside the Terminus systems. The Alliance is looking into the matter as a possible batarian slaver attack. This marks a large increase in attacks on human colonies. As a result, Colonist enrollment has dropped sharply from its high two years ago." Came the news report from Emily Wong. Ever since exposing the now deceased Fist, corruption on the citadel and the lack of safety in The Citadel's ATC she'd been promoted to a news anchor. The Salarian had to be impressed with the reporter's gung ho attitude. Her broadcasts bounced between propaganda to reduce panic and actual news to keep the natural skeptics pleased."In other news rumors abound of an armed altercation between batarian pirates and an unknown mercenary force with few known batarian survivors." That did get Bau to turn his head and slow his pace.
The Salaran Spectre glanced down at his omni tool, listening to the background noise he glanced through his files on Kasumi Goto while he walked. He made a mental note to check in with Bailey regarding the master thief while he saw Barla von's financial advisory in the distance.
"With the help of one Corporal Toombs and Dr Wayne, sanctions have been issued against the rogue corporation, Cerberus. And a criminal investigation has commenced into the terrorist group to bring those responsible for Admiral Kahoukou's death to justice." The saliran blocked out the news as he walked into Barla Von's office.
"Ah. Spectre Bau. What can I do for you?" The Volus agent asked politely. His breathing apparatus punctuated each statement and sentence.
"I heard of an Altercation out near the Perseus veil. I was wondering if you'd heard anything of it." Bau asked while glancing around.
"I do have some information regarding it. I think I can part with those rumors if you give me something of your own." Barla said after checking his information. "The markets around Omega are in considerable flux at the moment. Between a dead spectre being alive and a drastic decrease in mercenary activity after several attacks." The transaction passed along to his suit's internal monitor. "Yes. That should do." The Volus nodded before pulling out an OSD and leaving it on the counter for the Salarian to grab who deftly did so while gesticulating.
"There are no agents operating in the Terminus systems, at least not yet." Bau nodded. "However I have been assigned to greet some new arrivals to the galaxy. They should be arriving within a few days."
"How very interesting. I have several clients that would be interested in this group's agenda. Should you discover anything, the usual finders fee will be procured for you along with extra for any particularly good sources."
—-
Councilor Tevos looked once again at her intelligence reports regarding the unknown mercenary group. Given that the Batarians had attacked them once, if not twice now, any diplomatic ventures with the group was going to be on very thin ice. Combine that with rumors of Shepard's involvement with Cerberus and things got even more stressful for her. She glanced towards her private stash of food and pulled out a parchment wrapped bacon burger. The comfort drawer soon closed after she retrieved that stasis held food and unwrapped it. The sweet, tangy sauce mixed in with the savory flavor of the meat as she processed her thoughts.
The reapers were bad enough given she'd almost died from that attack two years ago. Just the knowledge of those genocidal beings was enough to drive Anderson to drinking alcohol on the bad days. While they had some technological upgrades from Sovereign's wreckage. They were still finding parts of the Reaper around the wards. And now they had a ship of a similar size and multiple ships seemingly with the same destructive power. She took another bite.
While she'd advocated covering up Sovereign's existence, a part of her wondered if that was truly the best decision. Most intelligent people would be able to peek past that thin argument, especially the supporters of Commander Shepard. While she sympathized and understood Anderson's position of wanting to prepare for the inevitable. The scale of mobilization that would require would not go unnoticed by the galaxy as a whole. She wouldn't be able to convince the ambassadors that it was a joint exercise, and the Terminus systems may also take notice and decide that such movements are a provocation, giving them Casus Belli to declare war.
At this point, averting a galactic civil war was more important than an attack by genocidal machines. While she harbored concerns over the Rachni queen being let loose, nothing happened once she'd retreated to a remote planet.
She paused as she thought about Commander Shepard, if Nihlus were around he'd likely have her back and advocating for military measures to safeguard the Citadel from another attack.
AN:
Hiro: Hello and apologies it took so long to get this out and it's shorter then one might expect. Between moving and life hitting me full force I finally got the chapter in a point that I'm happy with it. I will be getting to work immediately on the next chapter and with Nanowrimo around the corner I will be dedicating more time to it. Hope you are all enjoying the story so far.
Dragon: yeah irl has been a bit of a pain in the hump and my head plate hurts from all the salarian speaking. But hey we are back and we are working on the chapters as much as we can as well as making sure to give you quality for reading the story!