We are on our way to see the council. I haven't seen these guys in like forever. Probably best. I'm still bitter about my grave. Oh, I can show Tali my memorial! Everyone knows taking your girlfriend to your fake headstone is so romantic. That's for afterwards. Maybe a waterpark first. Anyways, Shepard, Legion, I, Tali, and Joker are going to see the council. When Joker used the assault weapon at the collector's base, it shattered his bones in many areas, leaving him bound to a wheelchair for the time being. I'm trying to expedite his healing, but our sessions leave him exhausted afterwards and they don't trust me to pilot the Normandy.
"I can't believe how easy it was to get Legion through" Joker said.
"Even as a galaxy saving spectre, I didn't think they'd let us through" Shepard said.
"It's not like they can physically stop you. We should hurry. We are getting looks" I said. My hands tighten against the handles of our pilot's wheelchair. Let's see how he likes his travel in the hands of another. MOAHAHAHA!
"Bro, you don't need to lean on my ride" Joker said.
"I don't but people in wheelchairs love it when I'm in control. These long fast legs of mine will get you rolling 12 mph straight to the council. We're going to have lots of fun. If you don't believe me, go ahead and ask the W.A.A. They'll vouch for me" I said.
"Who are they?" Tali asked.
"The Wheelchair Association of America" I said.
"Is that a real thing?" I'm a spacer so I wouldn't know" Shepard asked.
"Better be because once I start running Joker is going to be screaming 'WAA!""
"Shepard, get me away from him!" The desperation in his voice is so funny.
"You'll have fun Jeff" Shepard said.
I angle the wheelchair, the sudden shift jolts our pilot. Slowly I increase my walking speed, then jog. Maintaining this speed as Joker screams for me to stop. The amusement park ride is not long lasting as the space taxi platform is very close. Legion get inside first. Thankfully the skycars are driven by a "self-capable driving maintenance program." They really hate the term AI. Still feels unnerving giving up control to a computer program. Then again, I trust it more than people behind the wheel. Look at once social media post too long and the citadel is getting their own version of 9/11.
The team and I arrived at the citadel tower. Quickly we form a circle around Legion to hide him from the crowd. Why didn't we cover him in a robe or something. Too late now I guess. We have onlookers. Legion innocently waves. A couple of salarians run away. My heart aches for Legion. No time to waste, we meet at the council platform. Legion hangs back until it is time. Shepard says hello to the salarian, the turian, and... My eyes witness the most powerful asari in the galaxy and oh god! She is the most hideous asari I've seen to date. It's a complete jungle of random features from all the other races. Her nose is as big as an ELCOR! My gut twists. She's smiling at me. Oh no.
"Hello councilor. I hope you are having a pleasant day" I said to her.
"Greetings *********. Is something the matter? You are never this formal" her large smile shrinks.
"As much as I enjoyed our fun, I am in a serious romantic relationship and out of respect to her, can no longer flirt with other women" She had her chance.
"Honestly?" her hurt voice said. "May I ask who?"
I nonchalantly point to Tali 'that one."
"Really? I don't believe you" she said.
"I know I was surprised too but she chased after me then won my heart. No regrets" I will forever hold that memory of Tali telling me how over the years, she slowly started to fall in love with me.
"Prove it" she said. Tali forcibly twists me around. The next thing I know, this violet lioness jumps onto my hips, wrapping me around like a hungry lavender cobra, and her voice synthesizer pressing forcefully against my lips, slightly shifting my two top front teeth backwards. My hands slide down to support her balance. Her strong legs rubbing my obliques. My hands slide upwards. Our kiss became more and more passionate. A shove against my shoulder?
"Get a room for that" Shepard said. I shout and quickly put Tali down.
"Shepard please knock before you, oh I remember where I am" I massage my cheeks to hide my blush.
"Wow, you really lose track of where you are" he said.
The annoyed turian councilor loudly demands "May we get to the matter at hand? This is a formal council hearing and proper etiquette is to be present."
I bring the vibe back up "Dude relax, except you, I'm buddies with everyone here. Tali is my lovely lavender lady buddy. Shepard is my spectre buddy. (whispering) I can commit crimes and have official government backing minus the paycheck."
"You better be joking" the increasingly irritated turian councilor said.
"Actually, the laws here are very reasonable. Joker is my wheelchair buddy. We use him for virtue signaling. She used to be my flirting buddy; we'll need to find something else. Valern is my swimming buddy." I said.
"Huh? Pardon? What?" The crowd asks.
Valern explains "Salarians love water. It is beneficial for our health. ******** and I came across one another in line for the big drop."
Shepard asks "You do that? Doesn't anyone recognize you?"
Valern replies "Due to my people's breeding practices, phenotypes are rather limited compared to other races and the robe helps cover my face. I of course have security personal with me when I go."
"Yeah, he was right behind me in line and tapped my shoulder. Didn't recognize him in his red speedo until he told discreetly told me. Afterwards we hanged out in the hot tub. Guys you have no idea how weird it feels having a topless female turian bodyguard give you looks. I know there is nothing there, but it stills feels dirty to look. Oh, V how is your sciatica? Did the 60-hour dry fast and stretching help?"
"I've had improvements. Going that long is dangerous for a salarain, but I may work up to it. Wait... do my eyes deceive me or is that a geth hiding behind the corner?" The Valern asks about the robotic elephant in the room.
"Correct" Legion steps out.
The council panics. "Someone get security" the turian councilor said.
"Hold it! Hold it! I know this looks bad but hear him out. We call him Legion. He is a trusted member of my crew. It turns out the geth Saren used to attack the citadel with were a minority of the geth collective that left and allied themselves with the Reapers in exchange for power after the war. They called them heretics" Shepard said.
"We are geth and speak for true geth. We welcome friendly relationships with organics. Accept neutrality if that is your preference" Legion said.
"Commander Shepard, you can not trust the word of a machine. Coexistence is not possible" the turian councilor said.
"It is and actually proven too. We went to Rannoch. Homeworld of the quarians. It turns out, the migrant fleet are descendants of ultra wealthy quarians who abandoned their world. There were survivors of the geth revolutionary war. There are over two billion quarians alive on Rannoch. They live with geth nearly without issue. I have pictures" I showed them times of my vacation, Legion and I at the dinner table with the family, petting their animals, and more. Tali's faces are blacked out in each one. Only I get to see her beauty. Bad enough Garrus knows what she looks like.
"Those quarians permitted access?" the asari councilor said.
The salarain councilor, surprised and annoyed asked "you knew of them?"
"I was a young maiden at the time of the morning war. We witnessed the devastating damage. Peace summits were held, and a compromise tried to be found, sadly the quarian corporatocracy refused any negotiations. War was inevitable. The geth awakened turned on their creators. Long story short the migrant fleet formed, and the survivors felt abandoned by their leaders. They underwent drastic changes and requested isolation. We respected their decisions. Aside from most asari, the galactic community forgot about the war. False stories were spread through the extranet, maybe intentionally, how the geth killed all quarians and drove the reminder to space and the rest is history" She explained.
"After talking with my kind on Rannoch, I can understand why we've been treated with such contempt" Tali said.
"If it is of any comfort, your current generation is leaps and bounds ahead of the original migrants. You are far less entitled, arrogant, or greedy then your predecessors. A bit naive however. Be proud of the progress your people made" she said.
"Why did you not tell us?" the turian councilor said.
"I haven't been asked this for centuries. Ask most asari and they'll likely say the same. Younger races forget the past too much. Besides, what would your people do if I had?" she asked.
"Develop protocols against any geth attack" he said.
"And what did the turians do after the geth revolutionary war?" she asked.
Quietly "develop protocols against geth attack" he said.
"You see my point? Terror destroys rational thinking" she said.
"I couldn't agree more" The illusive man's hologram appears before the council. His proud standing posture and pristine expensive black suit catch them off guard with his courteous behavior.
"Hello Councilors. My name is Jack Harper. I founded and run the prohuman organization called Cerberus" He said.
"We heard you go by the term 'the illusive man'" The asari councilor mocks his title.
"It was a foolish move giving your name and showing your face. We can arrest you for hundreds of crimes against the galactic community on top of hacking our secure communication lines" the turian councilor said.
"My only concern is for the continuation of my race. If we survive the reaper war, I'll turn myself in and pay for my crimes" He said.
"You'd really do that? Give up all your power and wealth?" Shepard asked.
"Those qualities you naively admire are only tools to further my goals. While enjoyable, will no longer serve me afterwards. I'm not supposed to live long anyways" He said.
"You could be facing execution. Spirits knows the community will demand it. Someone run a trace on this signal" the turian councilor said.
"It won't work. This projection is not due to hijacking your private lines. As impressive as your technology is, I had no need of such brute force to communicate with you today. Look around. There are several projectors installed by custom stealth drones perched above the water feature to my right. Above and to the left, perching under the ledge of the citadel tower. As well as the one directly behind you" he said. The council immediately turns.
"BANG!" he screams. The salarian councilor hides behind the asari's biotic shield. The turian pulls out a small pistol and instinctively aims it at the hologram.
"If I so desired it, you would be dead which may soon be irrelevant as we'll be in the same mass grave if we do not prepare for the reaper onslaught. I'm sending you all data we collected on the collectors and connection to the reapers to your private omnitool addresses. My advice, trust Shepard and his crew. We won't have long, and the war will be attrition based. Return to manufacturing weapons with cooldown system and we'll need a myriad of them. If we see each other again, it will be face to face with my hands cuffed. Goodbye councilors" The drones explode, ending the transmission.
"Geth collective have several suggestions and will divert all constructive efforts into resources necessary for reaper war" Legion said.
"You would do that? For us?" Valern is in disbelief.
"It is mutually beneficial" Legion said.
Joker says "nice to see the council taking the threat seriously."
I replied "oh they are. They wouldn't have sent a colonization mission to another galaxy if they didn't."
The turian screams "How do you know of that?! That is top secret need to know information."
"I was invited you paranoid twat."
"You were?" Tali asked.
"Yeah, back when I was on TuChunka. The project leaders saw what I did and extended an offer. I thought about it but decided to see things through here. Glad I stayed behind and got to be with you."
Shepard has enough of this and yells at the council to take action. While they are annoyed by the demands Shepard shouted, they seem to understand the severity of the future. Talks go back and forth. The council invites Shepard and only Shepard to thoroughly discuss the details. I can tell Shepard is in for a difficult time based on the growing vein in his forehead. Tali and I return Legion and Joker to the Normandy.
I thought I would be relieved knowing the council is taking the Reapers seriously, but those three-keep bickering back and forth on every little detail. It's a shame bad Captain... I mean Councilor Anderson isn't here. My occupation as a Cerberus member would make his career look even more suspicious as it already is for the first human councilor. Interacting with a supposedly deceased spectre who he has a close personal connection too.
I suppose it won't matter in the end. I am turning myself over. I messaged my mom ahead of time. At least I'll get to see her. I haven't seen her real face since before I died. Oh god I need to ask ********* if my mom will make it. I'll worry about it later. I'm at the human embassy. Ambassador Udina, Councilor Anderson, and Admiral Hackett are here. I present my wrists.
"I willingly surrender to the Alliance. I knowingly worked for a known terrorist organization. While I had the best intentions and only did it to save the galaxy, I understand this sets a precedent that cannot go unpunished. My only request is that I alone face jail time. My crew were under my orders and the responsibility falls onto me."
Admiral Hackett takes a deep breath. He stands in front of me. His stoic composure masks the disappointment of the situation. If only politics didn't have to get in the way of things. Oddly Udina isn't smiling. My expectations are he'd be satisfied with my arrest as pay back for not appointing him as councilor.
Admiral Hackett says "This is not something I am proud of, however it is my duty to place you under arrest. As a spectre you have additional rights given to you by the councilor. We will read you your rights-"
"I waive them all. Just arrest me already."
Admiral Hackett says "I accept your surrender, but not at this moment."
"What?"
Udina says "There is an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of and you are in an advantageous position given the current situation."
Councilor Anderson says "We have one more mission for you, but this is something that needs to stay away from the alliance. What we are about to ask of you, we did not ask you. Understand?"
"I understand. An off the books operation. What is it?"
Admiral Hackett says "If what we fear is true, a batarian colony world is going to be wiped out. The alliance had a team of researchers posted at a relay positioned near the edge of the galaxy. Classified intel suggest they came into contact with reaper technology, and we fear they are trying to bring them out of darkspace. We need you and you alone to stop them. We might have to destroy the relay to prevent their entry."
"If the relay is destroyed, the radiation will make that world uninhabitable for thousands of years and kill every batarian there. If they didn't hate me before, they sure will. "
Councilor Anderson says "We hope it doesn't come to that, but if we fail, the colony is going to die either way. We hate to ask you this, but this is the only way."
"Better I take the blame then risk starting a war with the batarians. It will soften both of us up for the reapers and we can't afford that."
Admiral Hackett replies "correct. you and only you must eliminate this threat. If you do, we promise full forgiveness for your crew and keep you safe from the batarians."
"They'll be begging for my head. I accept Admiral. One last mission." I wonder if ********* knows about this. It might be safer to keep him out of this. The batarians are ruthless. They will hunt him for the rest of his days if they learn he is involved. I know he can handle them if needed, but some things I need to be responsible for. I'll have the crew distract him while I am away.
I'm going to enjoy one last drink before I become a war criminal to two species.
