Ok so, I'm pretty sure Jebest and I weren't the only ones that noticed how unusually difficult it has been in reading a brand new chapter and leaving a review here. Something is up with the site, the algorithm or something cause shit ain't working properly.
I know we're not the only one's that had to go through that crap.
Annoying as all hell really. Servers are acting all wonky and shit.
Apparently, the app is where it's working properly
But regardless of that, it eventually comes around kinda. Hope this doesn't become a trend.
Other than that annoyance, let's get back to it.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
I'm Nobody Chapter 19: Back into the Fire
Within one of the wards of the Citadel, a small Shadow Heartless was flung down on the ground.
It attempted to get back up when a heavy foot grounded it, a modified gun being pressed up against its head.
The gun owner pulled the trigger, the Heartless dispersing into small wisps of darkness.
"And that's the last of them." Urdnot Wrex declared, resting his weapon on his shoulder.
"Well that was fun." Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams said aloud in a bored tone. "I guess."
"Goddess, I never thought we'd reach the day where fighting Heartless became the norm for us." Liara T'soni commented, taking a moment to make sure the area was clear.
"Yeah, well, figured it would be inever- inevitabre- GAH- Inevitable." Ash managed out after several attempts. "Jeez, my words just aren't coming out right today."
"What's the matter, Williams? Not getting enough shut eye?" Wrex murmured, the trio beginning to walk away from the area, ignoring the civilians and C-Sec that were now coming in with all of them openly staring at them.
They didn't care at this point really.
Liara was self-conscious about it at first with Ashley being bugged by it but thanks to some simple but effective words from Wrex, they dropped their concerns.
"Fuck 'em. They ain't fighting them and they never will. Just focus on that and let's just get back and eat."
With that being said, Liara and Ashley were able to conduct themselves in their usual manner when dealing with the Heartless.
This had been their daily routine for the past few days, already going past a week now.
Shepard and the others were still missing with them having no iota of an idea as to where they were.
All they really "knew" was what happened to them.
Something to do with Gummi Blocks.
They barely understood but that's what Della told them so honestly, they just went along with it.
"Now what do we do?" Ashley asked in a dejected manner.
"What can we do?" Liara inquired, sharing the human's mood. "With Shepard still missing and Anderson having placed us under his care, there's not much leeway we can do."
"For you guys at least." Wrex said, inspecting his gun momentarily. "I'm still a merc for all intents and purposes. I can leave whenever I want."
"And miss the chance to tear Saren's head off?" Ashley asked in a rhetorical fashion with a small smirk.
"Well, can't miss that opportunity now, can I?" Wrex said with a feral grin appearing on his scarred face.
"I find it unnerving at how unusually quiet Saren has been." Liara pointed out abruptly. "With Shepard out of the picture for the time being, I'm surprised he hasn't done anything to capitalize on this moment."
"Maybe he's biding his time." Ash commented. "He's having no luck in finding whatever he needs and is still searching for it."
"Or maybe something happened to him on Virmire we didn't see." Wrex stated. "We were separate from the others, remember?"
Ash hummed aloud in thought. "You know, maybe. He was facing most of our team down there by himself. Even with the Heartless and all that Geth he had, no way he would have gotten away from that unscathed."
"So do you figure he is truly injured or…?"
"Only way I see it." Wrex said with a shrug. "But don't discount that he isn't planning something. Knowing that psychotic bastard, whatever happens next is gonna be his endgame."
"That's a bold statement there, Wrex."
"Call it a gut feeling, Ash."
As they continued to walk back towards their momentary place of residence, they collectively received a ping from their Omni-tools.
Sharing a sense of confusion, they brought up their Omni-Tools and froze on the spot.
"Is that-?"
"Goddess!"
"God damn Pyjaks." Wrex' grin threatened to split his face in half.
They immediately broke into a run towards the nearest docking station, practically sprinting really.
The trio rushed past multiple civilians, having inadvertently ran into a few of them along the way. Or in the case of being in Wrex's path; those unfortunate enough to be in his way were simply barreled right through by the Krogan.
Arriving at the edge of the dock, the three Normandy teammates held expressions of relief, joy and elation at the sight of a familiar ship flying towards the Citadel.
"Damned bastards." Wrex said with a wide grin. "Took their sweet ass time in coming back."
"Goddess, they're ok." Liara said aloud, hand over her beating heart.
"What the fuck took them so long?" Ash asked, a relieved smile on her face.
"Let's ask them." Wrex plainly stated, watching as the returning Normandy sailed into the Citadel, settling for several docks over to their right.
Rushing over to that dock, the three of them waited in bated anticipation as a ramp extended out and connected itself to the Normandy.
A moment later, the doors opened to reveal the lost team of the SR1, at long last returned to their home galaxy.
"Ashley?" Commander Shepard, standing at the front of the group said immediately in recognition. "Liara? Wrex? Guys! You're alright!"
"That's what we should be saying." Ashley said aloud, beaming grin in place as at long last, the entire Normandy crew was reunited together once more.
"What the hell happened to you Pyjaks?" Wrex asked straight away.
"Another galaxy." Axel answered bluntly. "Travelled on an old fashioned ship. Found some treasure. Saw a planet blow up. And you guys?"
Wrex only roared in laughter, with Ashley simply shaking her head, grin still in place and Liara smiling happily at seeing her friends were alive and well.
"We'll want the full story on that one, Axel." Wrex said, pointing to the fiery redhead who only matched the Krogan with a grin of his own.
"I'm just glad we made it back in one piece." Kaidan said in complete relief with Ashley throwing a comforting arm around her fellow marines shoulder.
"Chin up, Kaidan." Ash stated. "Least you guys made it out alright."
"You should be saying that to them." Kaidan said, thumbing at the others who were chattering merrily with Liara and Wrex. "What I went through doesn't even come close to what they survived."
"So what exactly happened?" Liara asked curiously. "We saw the Normandy enter into something Della called a Lane."
"Yeah, it was something like that." Jane admitted. "But it's a bit of a long story."
"No, it's a really long story." Garrus said. "One that involves dashing heroics and calibrations by yours truly."
"Har-har, Gary." Ash deadpanned, turning to Roxas. "Hey you."
Roxas looked up in time to see Ash wrap her arms around his head and pull him in for a hug. As usual, she gave a small noogie to his head yet it only lasted a few seconds with her simply holding him.
"Good to see ya, Roxas." Ash said softly.
Roxas blinked before he smiled, wrapping his arms around Williams to reciprocate her hug.
"Good to see you too, Ashley." Roxas said.
Once everyone got their proper reunions in, Kaidan asked what they should do now.
"First of all, where's Della? Where's Kirrahe and his team?" Shepard asked.
"Alive." Ash answered straight away. "We came back here as soon as you guys disappeared and well…"
"Those political dipshits know about Della now." Wrex grumbled out.
"And where is she now?" Tali asked.
"She is with Captain Anderson at his apartment." Liara said. "Do you wish to go there, Commander?"
"Yeah, better there than anywhere else right now." Shepard said. "Could go for a comfortable couch to sit on for a bit."
"What about the Council?" Garrus asked, though he already had an idea as to what the response will be.
"They could wait. Already sent them a report the moment we first came back." Jane waved off, making the Turian and several others chuckle. "Right now, I just want a moment to sit after all that bull crap we went through."
"No arguments from us, Commander." Tali stated, the Normandy crew walking away from the ship.
-Scene Cut-
Cooking himself something to eat, Anderson was briefly entertained upon hearing Della speaking aloud as she was playing some video game on her Omni-tool in the living room. And sure enough, she was more or less rooted in the same spot for a couple of hours now.
"Okay, up you go you little chickadee." Della muttered, tossing a chicken up a ledge. She then moved her character to climb up it to repeat the same process again. "Dang, that was almost too close."
Anderson didn't want to disturb her as she would probably put out her frustrations on him for a momentary time.
"C'mon you stupid camera, work for me!" She hissed. "No! No, you stupid prancer, why'd you push me off?! Now I gotta do it again!"
Della growled, controlling her little avatar. "Get back here you clucking little idiot!"
Catching the damn bird, Della maneuvered her character to get back to the ledge to toss the chicken up to the higher level.
*Tap sound*
"Okay."
*Tap sound*
"Okay."
Having her virtual character climb on up, she accidentally walked too far and knocked the chicken over.
"...NOOOOOO!" She yelled. "Iwazjusfuk- This is bloody torture!"
Anderson released a sigh, finally asking a passing question across his mind. "What's bloody torture this time, Della?"
"This stupid side quest and early item pick up, that's what." She growled out as she went back to start the damn thing all over again.
The Captain couldn't help but snort aloud. Adventurous and mature as Della may be, she has her moments of being a complete and utter child.
"You could do something else; you know."
"I could, but there's so much I can do in your apartment, Anderson. And as much as I would've joined the others in the Heartless hunt, I'm stuck here being stir crazy." Della informed him. "Cree, gid-gidthh. Get up there!"
Della breathed a little bit of relief, getting her character to get to the appropriate spot once more.
"You are a horrible little creature, you know that?" She cursed. "Don't know if it's the stupid game designers who made you that way, but I utterly hate you."
Della readied herself as she stared intently on her Omni-tool. "Okay, you can do this, Della. You can do this."
She made her character run forward with the chicken in the air, the bird carried her forward and just when she was about to make the one ledge on the other side… her character suddenly dropped the bird and struck the stupid bird with her sword.
"NOOOOOOOO! I ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE CHICKEEEEEEN!"
It was there did Della see all of these chickens start appearing on the screen and attacking her character.
"Run away! Run away! Runawayrunawayrunawayrunaway!" She yelled. "NOT THE BIRDS! NOT THE BIRDS! ANYTHING BUT THESE BLASTED BIRDS!"
"...Isn't that a little derogatory, given you being a bird person?"
"Shut up Anderson!" Della then grew wide eyed as she kept tapping on the controls. "NO! My health bar! I need to get out of the village! They're killing meeeeee!"
Anderson had to stop cooking his meal as he blandly looked at his guest.
"I'msorry!I'msorry!I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!Pleaseforgivemepleaseforgivemepleaseforgiveme!"
She then stopped as she saw her character getting killed before her eyes. She then smashed her head on the coffee table.
"I've got clucked…" Della wheeped a little. "My first death and it's because of some stupid birds…"
Sighing, Anderson could do the only logical thing that he can do right now to alleviate both his and her stress right now. Momentarily abandoning his meal that he was making; he walked over to the still comically weeping duck and instantly removed her Omni-tool from her hand.
Her head shot up, tears all but disappearing in an instant.
"HEY!" She quacked out.
"You can have this back when you're done crying." Anderson said, holding up her Omni-tool and pocketing it.
"But-"
"No buts." Anderson stated, walking away from the duck who was now frowning and placed her forehead back on the coffee table.
"Phooey."
Anderson smirked slightly, returning to his meal, flipping his steak onto its uncooked side. Beginning to whistle to himself as he was finishing up the final touches.
Della remained rooted in her seat; mood deeply depressed though it was mostly in a comedic manner.
She would be having nightmares about those blasted chickens for weeks.
Before she could dwell on the matter any further, the front door to Anderson's place opened up to reveal…
"Guess who's baaaack~" Said a sing-song voice that belonged to one Chief Ashley Williams.
Della lifted her head up and her expression brightened in an instant.
"Shepard! Roxas! Tali! EVERYONE! You're back!" Della exclaimed, overjoyed at the sight of the whole Normandy ground team entering the apartment.
"Hey Della." Tali said cheerfully.
"Good to see you're doing well." Shepard said.
"Glad to see you're alive." Della stated, jumping out from her seat and rushing over to them. "What happened? Actually, where'd you guys go off to?"
Axel sighed dramatically. "Long story, better we give it in one go for you and-"
"Shepard."
Everyone looked over to the Alliance Captain walking straight up to the Spectre and leader of their team.
"Anderson." Shepard said with a salute.
"At ease, Shepard." Anderson said, lip twitching upwards. "I take it you didn't go through much trouble, wherever you went."
"Wish that were true, but with our string of luck…"
"Thought as much." Anderson said, a full blown smirk now on display. "It's good to see you again, Jane. You had me worried there for a second."
"Didn't mean to make ya worry, Anderson." Jane said with a lighthearted smile. "But these things just happen."
"Clearly." Anderson snorted. "Since we're all here, I take it you'd want to tell us where you lot have been these past few days."
The portion of the Normandy team that had been gone could only collectively blink at the Alliance captain.
"...I'm sorry, did you say days?" Xion muttered in confusion.
Anderson arched a brow at them "I did, why?"
"We've been gone for nearly two weeks, sir." Kaidan said. "Close to three almost."
The Captain could only stare in bewilderment. "How's that possible?"
Della pondered for a moment. "I think I have an idea."
"We're all ears, Della." Shepard said, turning to the anthropomorphic duck.
"Now all what I'm about to tell ya is rather rough as not even I have all the details right." She admitted. "If we want better information on this, we'll need to see Master Yen Sid at some point."
"Who?" Several of those present said.
"Yen Sid." Roxas muttered to himself. "The teacher to King Mickey, right?'
"Yeah." Della said with a smile directed at him. "King Mickey always spoke highly of his master's wisdom."
"So what's special about this Sid fella?" Kaidan asked.
"Master Yen Sid is supposed to have far more knowledge on the 'Worlds' than I could. I, along with several others, asked him for some consultation on how to work out Gummi-tech with how things go on in traversing the Worlds and even galaxies. It was from him did we learn some interesting details." Della explained
"Well, get on with it Della." Ash egged on.
"From what I can remember, most Worlds have their own… displaced time management or something. Days could turn out to be weeks one way and vice versa once going through a Lane."
"Different time zones then?" Kaidan guessed.
"Yeah, something like that. Essentially, time flows differently in each World."
"That doesn't exactly make much sense." Garrus remarked.
Della chuckled. "Trust me, even in our galaxy we're still trying to figure out that anomaly. Time sort of flows consistently for the most part but there are several variations naturally."
"So we'll just need to see this Yen Sid fella to get more clarified information. Got it." Ashley muttered.
"Any ideas where he is?" Xion asked.
"Er…" Della rubbed the back of her head. "I actually never learned from my brother… should've asked him all those times I had the chance."
"You didn't meet this Yen Sid person, then?"
"Nope." Della shook her head. "Only my brother Donald and Captain of the guard Goofy and King Mickey have always met with him."
"Then how'd you learn all this from him in the first place?"
"Uncle Scrooge."
"Alright." Anderson spoke up. "There's a lot, and I mean a lot that we have to discuss right now. But let's just focus on Shepard and the rest of you that went missing. What happened? Where'd you all go off to?"
Shepard and the others complied and began their long tale of a series of events that went on since Virmire after they split up on Saren's base. Informing the others on what they exactly learned from the Indoctrination experiments, the cloning facility…
"Should've known it was too good to be true." Wrex grumbled out. "Almost fell for that ploy of his."
"You didn't." Shepard said.
"Almost did though." Wrex shot back with a sigh of self-disappointment. "Shows how desperate I was."
"At least one good thing came out from it. Asides from showing that Saren had no real hold on your people, there was some data on a cure. Granted it was only a little base work as the scientists made little to no progress on it." Shepard brought up
"Some is better than nothing." Wrex said with a grateful nod.
Resuming their verbal report, they went into detail on Shepard finding another Prothean Beacon before their encounter with Sovereign as they learned more on the essential Reaper threat. After the chilling revelation towards the rest, the group gave a basic rundown on combating Saren before their sudden traverse into a Lane that took them to a different galaxy.
Anderson, Ash, Liara and Wrex had their eyes widen in complete shock at hearing this.
Multiple questions were flung out but they had to be held off for later as they still had to finish their report.
After initiating first contact with most of the locals, especially with the government and military under the reigning queen, they were conscripted into taking part in a voyage to retrieve legit space pirate treasure. It was the only way for the Normandy to get proper materials for essential repairs, among several other things.
"You should see the technology they have over there." Tali gushed. "It was astonishing!:
"And did you perhaps bring back 'samples'?" Anderson inquired hopefully.
"We sure did, from schematics to legitimate solar sails." Shepard said.
"We did have to share some of our own tech as well." Kaidan informed the others. "I do bet they'll improve some of their own sometime in the future because of the exchange."
"Was there anything else?"
"Uh, kinda." Axel said with a so-so hand motion. "Helping them find a literal planet of treasure was enough of a square deal for them."
"Pardon?"
"Not exactly, more like a giant mechanized planet with the core of it housing the actual treasure." Tali clarified.
"Loot pilfered from a thousand worlds." Garrus said with a serious expression.
"That sounds rather exaggerated."
Roxas snorted. "With the amount we saw, the name would do it justice."
Della chuckled aloud. "Sounds like my Uncle Scrooge's dream world."
"Sure… if it meant that there was a set booby trap in destroying the entire planet, all because of one greedy pirate not wanting anyone else to have his loot." Shepard dryly said.
"...Did that actually happen?" Ash asked.
"I did disarm the bomb, but it went off anyway because of a Heartless encounter in the planet's core."
"Ah." Was all that was needed to be said by those listening.
The group went on to explain their daring escape through a literal portal that would take them from one side of the galaxy to the other. It was a winding down of the excitement on their end with them simply speaking of restocking and eventually utilizing the upgraded Normandy with Gummi blocks to at last return home.
"Sounds like you had a lot of fun." Liara pointed out.
"Not as much as you would like to believe." Tali said in the driest voice they had ever heard.
"Was there anything else exciting that went on in your voyage?" Wrex inquired.
"If you count surviving a star going supernova and experiencing what a Black Hole is like up close, then yeah that was exciting." Garrus casually threw out.
"What now?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Ok… I cannot stress this enough when I tell you all," Jane said in an eerily calm voice. "We literally saw and survived a supernova become a black hole."
"..."
"..."
"How in the- I-I don't-"
"Ash, it's better you don't ask how it happened." Garrus cut her off. "Just be glad we're alive."
"Goddess, I would've liked to witness it personally."
"Sure go ahead, try your luck when you get over there." Tali snipped, surprising the Asari with her tone. "Because quite frankly, I'd rather have a fever than go through that heart attack again."
Wrex bellowed aloud in laughter.
"Now I really want to know what happened."
"We'll tell you about it later." Shepard assured. "Captain, all you need to know is that we're back."
"And you have a lot of explaining to do for the Council." Anderson said wryly.
Shepard only groaned aloud. "Please Captain, respectfully, don't remind me."
"You do know that being a Spectre makes you outrank basically everyone." David pointed out.
"I know, Captain, just a force of habit." Shepard said off handedly.
"You guys are so lucky." Della whined. "You guys went on an adventure to a literal Treasure Planet."
"Huh, go figure, she got the name right." Roxas said.
"Della, it wasn't as fun as you'd think." Xion said.
"Yeah, that supernova killed a lot of the excitement after." Tali said.
"Are you kidding me?" Della declared. "That's what adventures are made of!"
"... It seems we found someone that craves as much craziness as Wrexy." Axel commented/
"Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?" Della asked, faux insulted. "I've been getting my thrills since I was a hatchling!"
"Whatever you say, bird-brain."
"Bird-brain?!" Della squawked aloud, clamping her mouth shut at the literal bird sound that escaped from her.
"You were saying?" Axel said with a cheeky grin.
"Shut up." Della said with her cheeks puffed and head turned away.
With everything all said and done, Liara soon wanted to speak about the matter at hand.
"Shepard, excuse me for interrupting, but I was pondering about something."
"What is it?"
"I think the beacon you found in Saren's base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime." Liara compared. "It may have filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help put all those pieces together."
"I see no problem with that now." Jane said, rising out of her seat and walking over to the asari doctor.
Liara mirrored the same action as they stood close to each other. Focusing on her gaze, she saw the N7 marine taking some deep breaths to calm herself.
"Try to relax, Commander," she said. "Embrace Eternity."
The others watched as the meld took place with Liara's eyes going completely black as the two women stood completely still.
"Huh, so that's what a mind meld looks like from the outside." Della commented, signifying that she either knows about the asari trait or experienced it firsthand.
"At least it's better than what happened last time." Garrus dryly said.
"What happened last time?"
Wrex jabbed a thumb over to Roxas. "Got knocked off our asses because of the runt."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" No. XIII complained.
Della was about to ask more on what the Krogan meant by that when she heard Liara release a small gasp.
"In… Incredible. I… I never thought the images would be so… intense." Liara said, soon sitting down on the nearby couch. "I need a moment to collect myself."
"Did the vision make any sense to you this time?" Shepard asked.
A moment or two passed as the asari had her eyes closed. Once opening them, she gave a response. "It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but the warning came too late."
"I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound all that helpful now." Axel commented.
"More likely they just didn't listen." Wrex added in.
"Whether that was true or not, that doesn't mean anything if it won't tell us about the Conduit." Jane responded.
"Sorry. There were… flashes of many other things." Liara exhaled a tired breath. "There were other images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research…" She continued to rub her head before she stopped abruptly. "Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That's why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay! It's the only way to get to Ilos."
"Ilos?" Xion asked. "Where's that?"
"Are you sure you're making that connection now?" Della pointed out, having heard of some of these past bits of details while aboard the Normandy.
"How come you never told us about Ilos before?" Came Shepard's inquiry, backing up Della's question.
"The Mu Relay links to dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds. How was I to know Ilos was the one we wanted?" Liara defended. "Without the Cipher, the images in your visions were never clear. Only now, with them completed, do I recognize them as landmarks on Ilos through my research."
"Then it seems we now know where to head off to next." Tali declared.
"We need to get to Ilos, stat." Jane declared.
"You might as well forget it, Shepard." Garrus spoke out. "The Mu Relay's inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres."
"As much I hate to say it, your friend's right." Anderson said firmly. "It'll be hard to get your ship through those systems without drawing too much attention.
"The Conduit's on Ilos. That's where Saren is heading. I'll be waiting for him when he gets there!" Shepard said firmly, receiving nods from others in the room.
"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council on our findings. We need a fleet to-" Liara placed a hand on her head as it started to throb.
"You okay there?" Kaidan asked out of worry.
"I'm sorry. The joining this time was… exhausting." Liara admitted, being helped to be sat down by Kaidan and Tali since they were by her side. "I'll need to lie down and rest for a moment or two."
"Well there's plenty of places where you can rest at, Liara." Della said. "Gotta say, some of the beds are pretty fine~"
Axel then brought up something that came across his mind. "So what's up with this Terminus place or whatever? Why can't anybody go there?"
"I can probably answer that." Anderson spoke out. "You see, we have a rather thin peace policy with those systems. We don't mess with them and they don't mess with us."
"I doubt it's as simple as that, sir." Ash remarked.
"It's not." Anderson shook his head.
"How so?"
"Oh! Oh! Oh! I know this one." Della joined in. "It's that Eezo trade thing there, right?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
Anderson explained the details. "The Terminus Systems are rich in Eezo, among other commodities, Axel. A trade negotiation has been made between them and Citadel Space."
"Heh, more like towards the one person who basically rules that territory." Della chuckled out.
"I don't follow."
"The deeper knowledge ain't really known to the general populous. But to others who actually know their way around, the Terminus Systems are more or less governed by an Asari by the name Aria T'loak." Anderson elaborated.
"Okay, and?" Axel said with his arms crossed.
"And she's more or less a Pirate Queen." Della said.
Those who had just returned home from the Etherium…
"Oh god."
"Keelah, another one?"
"...You're kidding us, right?" Shepard said.
"Wish I were." Della snorted out. "When I learned this, I couldn't help but laugh and wanted to see her personally to see if it were true."
"Then what's so bad with this Aria person?" Xion innocently asked. "Asides from being a pirate queen and all?"
Anderson picked it up from there. "One wrong move and Aria can put out a suspension order on any and all outbound shipments to Citadel Space. If that were to happen, especially on Eezo alone, then the markets would go into chaos. Stocks would drastically rise and many places in 'civilized space' would suffer from devastating effects."
Ashley couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "You think this Aria person could afford it?"
Della chuckled. "With someone properly named 'The Pirate Queen of Omega' I think she probably can. Just something to properly show off that no one gets to screw with her and get away with it. I should know, given a number of instances Uncle Scrooge was crossed with certain businesses in my galaxy as that more or less happened."
"Huh, wonder how that would turn out." Liara thought aloud. "I mean it's usually the governments who enact sanctions on criminals, not the other way around…"
It was at that moment did Shepard's Omni-tool go off.
Checking on who it was from, she saw an obvious message.
"Seems the Council will want to speak with us now." Jane said with a frown.
"Hopefully, things will go in our favor, now that Saren and Sovereign's plans are brought to light."
"Not all of them in case you forget. We still don't know what the Conduit is for." Shepard reminded them.
The others nodded as they made their way out of Anderson's apartment, not before each of them thanked the Alliance Captain for their stay.
"Well for once, I'm glad that I'll be staying here." Della said, jumping up onto the couch with her laying down with her legs kicked up.
"Why's that?" Roxas asked Donald's sister.
"Honestly can't stand those guys." The adventurer sighed out before looking right at Jane. "Just so you know, the Council are still in disbelief on the Reapers."
"Hopefully with what I'll tell them could change their minds." Shepard said.
"No promises, Shepard."
"What are you gonna do until we come back?"
"...Gonna be sure the damn chickens don't kill me again when I'm getting this darn heart piece from a stupid cow."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Okay, we'll leave you to it." Jane said, unsure of what the hell she was talking about but rather not question it.
"Speaking of which… Anderson, give me back my Omni-tool this instant!"
"No." David said simply, turning to walk away with Della running after him while the Normandy crew left.
"Give it!"
"Read a book or do something else."
"NEVER!"
-Scene Cut-
It took a bit of time for the entire ground team to reach the Citadel Tower, the team going inside.
When they appeared in the Council Chamber, Tevos was the first to spot and greet the Commander.
"Commander Shepard, it's good to finally see that you and your crew are alright." Said the Asari Councilor.
"Very much appreciated, Councilor Tevos."
"Shepard," Udina greeted her next. "Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren!"
"The ambassador is correct," the Salarian councilor asserted. "After going over your reports you sent to us recently, we are taking measures against him."
Sparatus picked up from there. "Saren is formidable enough without an army of Krogan serving under him."
"The Krogan would've served Sovereign, a Reaper." Jane quickly said.
Valern spoke next. "Yes… we saw the mention of that in your report. Sovereign, a sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming… if it turns out to be accurate."
"Sovereign's a Reaper, Saren admitted it." Jane emphasized.
"He's playing you, Shepard." Said the Turian Councilor. "Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your visions. And the Reapers."
"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information." Valern added in.
"I tried to warn you about Saren. You didn't believe me then, and look how that turned out." Shepard countered.
"I believe you humans have a saying: even a broken clock is right twice a day." Sparatus added in rather dryly.
Tevos then spoke in before arguments get out of hand and get back to the matter at hand. "Putting all that aside… If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel -as you believe- we will be ready for him." She said firmly.
"Patrols are stationed at every Mass Relay linking Citadel Space to the Terminus Systems." The Turian Councilor said with a note of cocky finality.
The Normandy team all shared a worried look, having seen Saren's power firsthand or heard from the rest who witnessed his actions back at the Virmire Base. More so with him now being able to control Heartless.
Shepard shook her head and said what they were all thinking. "Councilors, I've seen firsthand what Saren's capable of, and trust me when I say that a blockade is definitely not going to be enough to stop him. In fact, he's on Ilos right now looking for the Conduit! What are we gonna do about that?!"
"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander." Valern explained with a tone of long-suffering. "If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war."
"No, it's more like you guys will have a harder time to pay for your Eezo." Axel commented.
"Who is this?" Sparatus asked sharply, glaring at the uncaring Nobody.
"A teammate of mine." Shepard quickly defended.
"Councilors." Roxas then abruptly stepped forward. "Saren has control of the Heartless. He has the Geth, a small Krogan army and the Heartless. Heartless that can appear at any place in the galaxy with a wave of Saren's hand. You need to go after him."
The three Councilors and ambassador to humanity only balked at the boy's bold proclamation.
Tevos regained her composure, clearing her throat.
"We have made our decision." Tevos said in finality.
"And?"
"We will add further security into our present forces."
"Now is the time for discretion, Commander," Udina asserted. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."
Practically everyone turned a sideways glance towards the ambassador. Was he being serious right now?
With a growl, Shepard turned back to the Council. "Have you listened to nothing I said?! Saren's strength isn't secrecy, it's the Reapers. He's already stronger than anything I've ever seen."
"And what do you think he'll be like with the Conduit?!" Ash cried out.
Valern calmly spoke to the red haired Nobody. "Saren is a master manipulator. The Conduit is just a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel."
Sparatus picked up from there as he angrily shot back at Shepard. "And you keep talking about the Reapers too, but for all we know, they are simply figments of your imagination that Saren is using to play you like an instrument."
Tevos motioned for her colleague to cool his head. "Commander," the asari addressed with a more civil tone. "The Reapers may have only been in your visions and dreams. We won't invade the Terminus Systems on those alone."
"If you won't send a fleet, one ship going into the Terminus Systems won't cause any problems like before. My team and I can be discreet."
"Yet you detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet." Sparatus shot out.
"We had no choice. We had to take Captain Kirrahe's approach to be sure Saren's base would no longer be operable." Shepard argued.
"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that." Said Tevos. "But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control."
Roxas soon shouted out in frustration. "If Saren finds the Conduit, then everyone will suffer because you guys won't bother to act properly to this whole mess!"
All three Council members turned to him, staring with inscrutable expressions.
Shepard quickly stepped in, though reiterating. "He's right. We have to go to Ilos, now!"
It was Sparatus who replied condescendingly. "Ambassador Udina, I get the sense that Shepard and her crew is unwilling to let this matter go."
Jane turned her head to Udina, wondering if the ambassador is actually gonna comply with this.
Udina then spoke. "There are serious implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you, but now, you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."
Garrus, Axel and Wrex only scoffed. Tali, Liara, and Roxas held back the urge to shout. Xion was quiet as she didn't know what to do while trying to hold back Stitch from going in and rip the Council a new one. Kaidan and Ashely, however, were clearly shocked at how easily Udina would backstab another human in the name of political gain.
And it was the Gunnery Chief who beat the Lieutenant to the punch. "You bastard!" Ashley hissed at Udina. "You're selling us out!"
Shepard couldn't have said it better herself, clearly unhappy with the ambassador's move, but nonetheless was expecting it one way or another.
"It's just politics, Commander." Udina said airily before stepping up to the Council. "The Alliance is in agreement, Counselors. We've locked out the Normandy's primary systems, and for the time being, Shepard and her crew are grounded on the Citadel."
Jane shook her head in frustration as she addressed the Council. "Are you all insane? After everything I've done for this mission, after all I've done for humanity." She directed the last bit to Udina. "You still don't believe me?"
Axel leaned over and whispered to Roxas. "I think your thoughts on DiZ are up for debate now. The Council could probably be worse than DiZ."
"Without question." Roxas growled out, whirling to leave.
"And where are you going?" Sparatus spoke aloud. "This debriefing is still-"
"I don't answer to you." Roxas said firmly. "I'm not a part of your system of bullcrap. In the general notion of things, I'm just a bystander who's trying to do the right thing."
"My thoughts exactly." Axel said with a grin of his own, turning to leave with Xion choosing to follow after, Tali and Wrex going after the trio a moment later with Stitch letting out an angry growl before following them as well.
With the Normandy ground team leaving, Tevos couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh.
Things could've honestly gone better.
She had read further into Shepard's reports with where she and her ship went off to after Virmire. And she, along with her fellow counselors, was very surprised to learn of them arriving in another galaxy of all places, much like Della Duck informed them prior.
The Asari councilor wanted to hopefully bring up this matter after discussing the present issue with Saren. But after what just occurred within this room made things rather difficult to bring up at the present time.
Hopefully after the threat with Saren resolved, the discussions with First Contact with this Etherium Galaxy could commence.
Until then, Citadel forces needed to be ready for what's to come.
-Scene Cut-
"This is fucking bullshit!" Ashley exclaimed, throwing her helmet against the wall.
The crew was back aboard the Normandy, meeting within the war room with a shared mood of anger and frustration.
"After all that, after everything we did and still." Kaidan said in his seat in frustration.
"Either they're too ignorant in seeing the bigger picture or their heads are indeed shoved high up their asses." Garrus dryly said with Axel and Wrex nodding in agreement.
"I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry, Shepard." Tali apologized.
"I was doing my best to show them the truth and they still won't believe it." Shepard gritted out.
"It's not right." Kaidan added in. "You did everything they asked and more. Nobody else could've done what you did!"
"The Council owes you everything, Skipper! Instead they practically strip you of command and ground us." Said Ashley.
Garrus then gave his opinion. "In my opinion, the grounding wouldn't have been that bad if they took the real threat more seriously."
"I don't care if they ground me, but they refuse to go after Saren." Shepard informed them. "If they don't stop him from finding the Conduit, we're all dead!"
"Perhaps we could appeal and get them to reverse their decision." Liara said hopefully.
Axel soon voiced his thoughts. "While I'm not an expert on politics, I doubt what we saw could be easily appealed."
"I pushed them as hard as I could! They wouldn't budge." Jane stressed out.
"So you're going to walk away?" Roxas asked her. "You'll just give up and let everyone die?"
Jane exhaled a sigh. "Look, we're benched for now, but I'll find a way to get back in."
"I sure hope so, since time ain't on our side now." Wrex grunted out.
"Well I believe in you, Shepard." Xion said with a small smile. "I'm with you every step of the way."
"Same here." Stitch spoke out.
The others in their group were in agreement, showing they'll be with Shepard no matter what.
The N7 marine chuckled under her breath. "Thanks, guys. I needed to hear that."
Suddenly, Joker's voice was heard over the intercom.
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander. Got a message from Captain Anderson."
"Are you spying on us, Joker?"
"Given what we know about him, he probably did." Axel quipped.
"Hurtful, Flame head, hurtful. But no, I just knew you were on the ship and figured I'd pass the message on." Came Joker's response. "The captain said to meet him at Flux, that club down on the wards."
"Wonder what he's gotta say." Ash questioned.
"We should probably go meet with him."
"Not all of us." Jane pointed out. "If everyone came with me, it would be too suspicious."
"I agree. So who's coming with you?" Liara asked.
"Roxas, Xion, Garrus, Ash." Shepard pointed out. "With me. The rest of you, stand by for anything."
With that said and done, the team left the Normandy, Liara and Tali opting to stay behind for the time being whilst Wrex wandered off, mentioning something about drinking.
Understandable, given their current circumstances. Surprisingly, Stitch and Kaidan opted to join them.
Currently, Shepard, Ash, Garrus, and the Nobody trio were heading over to Flux where Anderson was waiting for them.
Entering an elevator that would take them down to the level where the bar would be located, the group soon heard a news broadcast over the comms.
"In further developments in the Eden Prime investigation, the Council has reportedly revoked the Spectre status of one of its operatives." Said the newscaster. "While the unnamed operative has not yet been apprehended, a Council spokesperson confirmed that corrective actions had been taken."
"Of course that would be broadcasted after how many weeks?" Ashley sarcastically pointed out. "Shouldn't it have happened shortly after he got exposed?"
"Wish I had an answer for that one." Garrus drawled out.
Eventually getting closer to the club, they were soon approached by a man who they thought had a rather outspoken personality.
"Excuse me? You're the Spectre, Commander Shepard, right? It's an honor to speak with you."
Shepard rose a brow before addressing him. "Thanks, I guess. Is there something you wanted to speak to me about?"
The man nodded before introducing himself. "I'm Charles Saracino of the Terra Firma Party. With Armistice Day coming soon, we're making our voices heard by the alien-appeasers on the Presidium. Can I count on your support in the next election?"
Hearing this, Axel was unfamiliar to this but he figured it must be important and all since this guy is sounding like a know-it-all smarmy jackass. And judging by the man before them, it had to involve the political side of things of the incident.
"You're marking the end of the First Contact War with a protest?" Ash asked in confusion.
"As we have every year, for the last twenty-six years. The war taught humanity a lesson that some would forget. If we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else will." The man spoke with a passion.
"I thought the lesson of the First Contact War was that there's other life in the universe, and they have opinions too." Shepard stated with her arms crossed.
Charles took note of the 'universe' bit but figured the human Spectre was just putting more thought into the whole argument.
"Perhaps so, Commander, but if aliens feel free to express their 'opinions' at gunpoint, why shouldn't we?"
"We should." Ashley voiced out. "But you're looking for a reason."
"I disagree. We have a backlog of grievances the aliens have ignored. Starting with Shanxi."
Ashley then snapped. "Were you at Shanxi? If not, shut your piehole."
Her grandfather, General Williams, took part in the First Contact War and she learned how difficult it was for the man on the fallout for his actions. He had his garrison surrender, only so that he could help protect his people. Despite his actions, he and his family were frowned upon as a result. This caused any enlisted member of her family to be stuck in garrison outposts and not gaining any combat experience. Due to her family's discrimination, Ashley asserts that a Williams has to be better than the best, making up for what happened in Shanxi.
"Gunnery Chief Williams, is that the proper way to address a civilian authority?" Jane said evenly to her.
"No sir, sorry sir." Ashley apologized.
"What are you running for?" Shepard asked in a calm fashion.
"I'm seeking one of the five spacer seats in Parliament. They have certain baroque conditions for a citizen to be able to vote for them. You have to spend more than six months a year in space. But you can't have stayed in any one settled system for more than a month." Charles informed them. "You do spend most of your time in space, Commander."
"I do." She responded. "But I don't know Terra Firma's platform. What do you stand for?"
"Our core value is that Earth must 'stand firm' against alien influences. Politically, culturally, and -in the worst case- militarily." Charles said with a small sneer upon his face.
"It's a noble goal. Too bad so many of your supporters are just racists." Ashley commented.
"I agree." Garrus butted in. "Many of your subordinates make this a point of race, not politics."
Charles soon glanced over to Garrus. "Excuse me, I don't believe human politics are any of your business."
"Turian space borders yours, of course we're concerned about your leadership." Garrus commented in his people's defense.
"Enough." Shepard said firmly, wanting this little argument to end before it possibly could get worse.
"Sorry, but I can't deny that some of our supporters have extreme views." Charles defended on his party's behalf. "But our platform is also supported by economics, sociologists and medical professionals."
"Yet I can't help but notice you don't do anything to curtail the racist comments of your members." Jane pointed out.
"Of course not, Commander. Whether I disagree with them or not, they have the right to express their opinions."
"We all live in this galaxy, Mr. Saracino. We can't pretend that what we do affects no one else." Shepard commented.
"Once again, my apologies. I only meant to point out that other species have no right to interfere in Alliance politics."
"Even if said species can actually help the Alliance out through a tough pickle?" Shepard said rhetorically. Before Charles could say anything else, she cut him off. "Sorry. I believe we need to work peacefully with other races."
"We've heard that before in human history. Well-meaning naivete leads to declarations of 'peace in our time'." Charles argued. "We can't allow anything like Shanxi to happen again. I don't suppose I could convince you to issue a public statement of support for my candidacy? The support of the first human Spectre would be invaluable."
"The occupation of Shanxi couldn't happen again. We weren't even sure there were aliens to garrison against back then."
"It's still a powerful symbol, Commander. Shanxi is the only human territory ever occupied by an alien species."
"You have the right to your opinion, Mr. Saracino. But with all due respect, I disagree with it."
"I understand, Commander. I'm glad you support the democratic process, at least." Charles said cordially. "Thank you for your time. Remember Terra Firma on election day. Because Terra Firma remembers you."
When they parted ways, No. VIII couldn't help but ask Shepard the obvious thing right now.
"So… Commander… you plan on voting for-"
"Not in your non-existent life, Axel."
Nearing Flux, the group was approached by someone hanging by the stairs.
"Pardon me, soldier. Could I take a moment of your time?"
Shepard sighed and looked at the man. "What is it?"
"Soldier, I've got a major situation and I need help from somebody with humanity's interests at heart."
Ever since the situation with the Council earlier, Jane has not been in the best of moods right now. And after being confronted by that Terra Firma rep, it was starting to push her a little further.
"It's Commander, actually." She corrected him. "What do you want?"
"My apologies, commander. Right to business. That's why humanity has the best damn fleet in the galaxy." The man then introduced himself. "My name is Elias Keeler, I'm an Alliance negotiator. We've got a big session coming up with the Salarians. You wouldn't believe what's riding on this. I'm fighting for humanity on this one, just like you are!"
Looking at the man, most of them had noticed how fast he was talking. And with the red haired Nobody, he noticed how dilated the man's eyes were. It was a little hard to notice at first with the dark brown coloring, but it was there.
Obviously, there was something this guy wanted from them, so Shepard pressured him to cut to the chase. "Don't try to sell me on this. Just tell me what you want."
The man only nodded rapidly. "I need you to buy me a mental stimulant for me. It's legal, but restricted. I've purchased the monthly limit, and I need more from the med bay."
Shepard was about to say something when Axel cut her off. "What is this stimulant, exactly?"
The Commander blinked at his sudden interjection.
"Axel…"
No. VIII leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. "You go on ahead and talk to Anderson, I'll deal with this guy."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Jane nodded and politely excused herself.
"What was that all about?" The drug addled man asked.
"Sorry about that, she's got prior engagements to deal with right now. Alliance concerns."
"Then what of you?"
"I can help you out, depending on what's exactly going on. Name's Axel. Got it memorized?"
The man nodded. "Elias."
"So about this stimulant…"
Elias nodded and complied in answering. "I don't know the medical terms, but it increases mental capacity, short-term recall, that sort of thing. It helps me stay focused, and it keeps me sharp. Nothing gets by me when I'm on it."
Axel briefly nodded. He then thought about why the man wanted to press past this monthly limit and pressed him on the issue.
"If you know the monthly limit, why'd you go over it?" Axel asked.
"The negotiations were supposed to be last week, but the Salarians stalled it, probably deliberately. If I don't get the stimulant, I'll be a wreck. My assistant will take over, and that would be a disaster." Elias stuttered out.
Axel tilted his head at the behavior. "Shouldn't you put trust in your assistant? After all, he's an assistant for a reason. I mean, didn't you train him?"
Elias scoffed. "My assistant wants to bend over backwards for the Citadel races. He wants to show them we're reasonable! No race will respect us until we show them who's in charge! That's what it took with the Turians. Forget my assistant."
"Uh huh, then what's so important with this deal?" Axel asked, crossing his arms with an uninterested expression on his face now.
"The Salarians want to set up long-term trade agreements. There are billions of credits at stake. If I don't get the drug, my assistant will take over and mess up the whole deal. It would be a disaster."
"Is your assistant incompetent or just inexperienced?"
"Worse. He's an alien sympathizer." The negotiator went into an explanation. "My assistant wants to bend over backwards for the Citadel races. He wants to show them we're reasonable!"
Axel soon realized what was going on here. This guy pretty much became a stimulant addict with this whole thing going on. Not to mention a racist to boot.
He didn't voice these thoughts but thought of a way to take care of the issue.
"Okay, I can see how it's gonna be. I'll help you out."
"Really? You will?" Elias' voice was hopeful.
"I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything."
"I understand. I'll pay you back for it. And I can even throw in a little extra."
"Of course."
"Thanks once again for the help. Like I said earlier, you can find the stimulant over in the med bay."
Walking away, Axel went to the nearest med bay he could find as it was the same one he heard about from Roxas and Tali some time ago with how they first met. Maybe it was the same person.
Getting to Doctors clinic, Axel saw her working on something when he approached her.
"Dr. Michel, right?"
The doctor turned her attention to him and spoke up. "Yes, may I help you?"
"Hi, my name's Axel. Do the names Roxas and Tali sound familiar?"
"You know them?" Michel asked.
"Wouldn't ask if I didn't." Axel said with a smirk. "I'm a friend of theirs."
"Oh how are they?"
"They're doing well. Been saving their hides on a number of assignments we've been working on for a while now."
"That's good to hear." Said Dr. Chloe Michel. "But I doubt you're here for pleasantries."
"I'm not." He clarified. "I'm here to purchase something."
"Which would be what, exactly?" Michel inquired.
"A depressant. Do you perhaps some in stock?" Axel questioned.
"I do, actually. Is there a reason why you need it?"
"Taking care of someone who really needs it right now."
The clinic doctor nodded as the purchase was soon made, with a discount due to him being friends with her two little helpers.
"Please tell those two I said my hellos."
"Will do, doc. Will do."
Exiting the clinic, Axel made his way to the entrance of Flux. And sure enough, he saw the negotiator was still there.
He soon spotted him and was seemingly getting a bit more fidgety. "You got what I asked for?" He asked.
Axel merely smirked, pulling out the depressant and handing it over. "Here. This should take care of all your problems."
"Perfect. The Salarians will never see me coming." Elias then pulled out a credit chip to finalize the exchange. "Here you go. For your trouble."
Elias then took the depressant, not really expecting to see if it was the actual stimulant he desired. Once consumed, he walked away from the area to wherever else he needed to go.
It was at this point did Shepard return with the others.
"What was that all about?" Xion asked, seeing the whole exchange going on.
"Taking care of a racist druggie." He surmised. "Giving him what he deserved."
"Which was what exactly?" Shepard inquired.
"Giving him a depressant. I mean did you notice how high he probably was?" Axel said, thumbing in the direction that man walked off in.
"Now that you mentioned it, I probably should have." Said the Commander. "How long do you think the effects will kick in?"
"Who knows. Probably rather soon or sometime later. Or…"
Axel looked over to where the man was walking off to and spotted him. With a small grin forming, he concentrated on his power and flicked a finger up.
A small flame appeared over his finger and a moment later, the man he had given the depressant to screeched out in pain and surprise. Many people looked over to him whilst the rest gazed at him in bewilderment.
"Alright, I've had my fun." Axel declared. "Let's get out of here."
"What did you-"
"No, no, no." Axel waved them off. "Come on."
"Uh… ok?"
The group walked away from Flux, with No. VIII asking…
"So what did Anderson want to talk to you about? Why all the secrecy there of all places?"
"Reason why at Flux was because it was loud and it'll be harder for anyone to really pay attention to our conversation. If we had it back at his place, it would've been harder to plan things out, given some Citadel agents are there to somewhat watch over Della from nearby."
"Ah, right. That makes sense. But still, what were you guys talking about?" Axel went on.
"He was telling me that he'll help get us off this station and hunt Saren down."
"And how's that gonna work out? I doubt he's got clearance to get us ungrounded."
"Told him to do what he felt was right in the situation." Jane revealed.
"If you say so." Axel said, stretching his arm over his head. "Was already liking the guy from what you told me of him and my personal impressions. Hope whatever he's gonna do doesn't bite him in the ass."
"I agree and that's what worries me. All I can do is put my faith in him that he'll take the lesser evil."
"What now?" Roxas asked.
"Now we need to get back to the Normandy stat. Don't know when Anderson will fully enact his part of the plan."
"Right."
"So we're basically stealing the Normandy, then?" Garrus rhetorically asked.
"It's not stealing if it rightfully belonged to me for a good cause." Jane countered.
"Whatever you say, Shepard." Axel said, patting her shoulder before the team began to rush back to the Normandy.
Along the way, Shepard sent out a message for the other wayward teammates to be prepared for departure.
-Scene Cut-
Udina was minding his own business, typing away on his console in the middle of his office.
The human ambassador had to look over several documents and files that came across his desk recently on recent events.
He was soon interrupted when he saw Anderson storming into his office.
"Anderson? What are you doing here?" Udina demanded, seeing the angry Alliance captain coming in rather close for comfort. "I didn't send for-"
Everything else the ambassador was about to say came to an abrupt end when Anderson punched him across the face. It was hard enough to knock him out cold, having him collapse onto his desk.
David was honestly glad the man was in his office. He had less of a chance of getting caught in getting the Normandy free. The only other option was storming Citadel Control and that was a little suicidal as he'll get shot. But he was ready to go above and beyond to help out his surrogate daughter and former protege on this dire task.
Besides, Anderson really wanted to give Udina a piece of his mind after the stunt he pulled in the Council Chambers. And was rather cathartic on how he pulled it off.
Pushing the ambassador aside, the Alliance Captain went through the man's computer and issued an override on the lockdown order.
-Scene Cut-
Upon their return to the Normandy, what came afterwards was one of the tensest moments in Jane's life.
The crew and her team were all aboard as they were now waiting on Anderson fulfilling his part of the plan for their escape.
Shepard stood beside Joker in the cockpit, watching the light flash red again and again on the screen. When it finally turned green and the screen reported the clamps were taken off.
"Get us outta here, Joker. Now!"
Joker didn't have to be told twice as he had the ship off the Citadel quicker than anyone could notice.
With the coordinates to the Mu Relay patched through, all they had to do was follow it and make their eventual arrival to Ilos.
It was then did Joker notice something on their radar.
"Hey, Shepard, we got company."
"Is it Citadel control?" Jane asked worriedly.
She really hoped it wasn't as it would make her wonder how they screwed up on their escape.
"It's not. Signature is… Oh, it's the Spear of Selene." Joker said in surprise.
"Della?"
"Yeah, she's flying in right now, requesting to get into our hangar."
"Right, send a warning to everyone down there to vacate for emergency docking."
"You got it."
Shepard made her way down to the hangar bay and arrived in time to see the Spear of Selene flying into and landing in the Normandy.
The hatch opened up and out jumped the adventurous duck with an excited look to her face.
"Sup party people, Della's in the hizzouse!" She yelled out before slapping her face. "Nope, no. Should've done a better intro-"
"Della? How the hell did you get away?" Shepard asked, pleasantly surprised by her arrival.
"Gave my guards the slip when I wanted to get out of Anderson's apartment." Della informed the commander. "Had to hijack a car to get to the dock where my sweet baby was located. And sure enough was able to get there on time when you guys left."
"But how-?"
"Anderson messaged me to high tail out of there when he was on his way to Flux. Said you guys will need your help with what's to come."
Jane smirked, releasing a chuckle from her throat. "Leave it to the Captain to think of everything for this mission. Welcome aboard for this one, Della. You're not sitting this one out."
Della only whooped aloud with her jumping up in the air, fists raised high in victory.
The Normandy flew away from the Citadel at top speeds as they headed right for the relay outta here.
Look out Saren, Sovereign, they were coming after them and nothing's stopping them now.
AN
Ok so, we're in the endgame of the first Mass Effect game.
Quick review. We started with 358/2 days, at the tail end of KH1, started with ME1 and basically eliminated Chain Of Memories with the path being completely diverted in another direction entirely.
Suffice to say, we got a lot done for this story. And this is just the beginning.
Jebest4781: Glad to see how this has turned out on this progression so far. Now for those struggling with reading chapters as of late, recommend you all download the app as it's the best method of reading and leaving a review for new chapters. Sad to say, only method until further notice.
FMW: Also, to compound upon this issue, I will be creating an Archive Of Our Own account within the coming days once this issue has been taken care of as if it were to happen again, you could go over to that site to read the new chapters. So again fanfiction App and Ao3. Who knows, maybe uploading this chapter will forcibly make the one prior to this one appear.
Now, before we close out the chapter.
-Omake-
The team was seated in the meeting room with everyone in their chairs and a holo screen before them.
"Alright you guys, everyone ready?" Shepard asked, looking around at the team.
"Shepard, I'm still confused. What are we even doing?" Garrus spoke up.
"Team building exercise."
"By playing… a game?" Liara said, unsure as to how to even play the game.
"Wait, how do we even play this?" Axel asked.
"It's simple really." Kaidan said, shrugging his shoulders. "There's ten of us here. Out of the ten, two of us are indoctrinated and have to kill the others whilst the other eight have to win by either getting rid of the indoctrinated or completing the assigned tasks. Nobody is supposed to say who is who and we gotta figure that out for ourselves."
"Right…" Tali muttered. "And how do we do all that?"
"It's a play and learn type of thing." Wrex said, making the others look at him. "What? I've played this before. I do more than just kill you know."
"I'm just surprised, if I'm honest."
"What else do you play, Wrex?" Xion innocently asked.
"Mostly shooting games." Wrex answered. "Humans are really creative with that shit."
"Alright everyone, get ready." Shepard said aloud, the team looking at their respective screens. "Remember, no talking unless a body is found and discussions are done."
As the game loaded up…
"...Wait… why is the ship's map like the Normandy's?" Tali pointed out.
"There are options you can do on private servers." Shepard said. "You just need to download thing the right way and they'll be available."
Wrex gave a grunt of confirmation. "There was this one thing I saw a while back pertaining to 'Fatality Kills'."
"That sounds interesting."
"And what are the objectives?"
"Task bars are in the upper left corner of your screens, people." Jane said. "Now, shush up and get to it."
Round One.
Liara was very much unsure as to how to play this game but she went along with it.
Yet…
For some reason…
There was an unusual nervousness that descended upon her as she made her way down to the core room and found Wrex by his lonesome.
She was unsure as to what task he had there but she didn't have time to dwell on it as Wrex just walked out.
Sighing to herself, Liara went to do her task when-
*Dead body reported*
In an instant, Liara found herself in the virtual meeting room of the Normandy with the others minus-
"Ah no, Roxas died first." Jane said with a pout.
"Ok, so who found him?" Wrex asked.
"He was near the cockpit." Axel revealed. "Found him just there."
"See anyone?" Kaidan asked.
"I heard a vent being used." Axel said, eyeing the remaining players. "Sound off on locations."
"Just saw Liara near the core room." Wrex rattled off straight away. "Couldn't have been her."
"Yes, yes, what Wrex said is true. He was leaving as I arrived."
"I was near electrical." Ashley revealed. "I think I saw Xion close by."
"Yeah, I was there. Tali was traveling with me."
"I was."
"I was in the map room with Shepard." Kaidan said, Shepard voicing her confirmation.
"So what now then?" Tali asked.
"Since there's no suspicions right now, we'll have to skip for now." Jane declared with nobody disagreeing with her.
The game resumed a moment later, the remaining alive crewmates going about their tasks when…
*Dead body reported*
"It was Shepard!" Xion exclaimed upon discovering the body of Kaidan in the hangar bay, dramatically pointing her finger at the Commander. "She killed Kaidan in cold blood in the Hangar!"
"What are you talking about Xion? I was in engineering?" Shepard defended herself smoothly.
"No you weren't." Wrex butted in. "I was at admin looking at the map and I saw one person in electrical go to the hangar bay where there was one other person and that guy vanished. And then another person came in and reported the body."
"It is Shepard!" Tali said in finality.
"Vote her out." Garrus said with a snap of his fingers.
Shepard's avatar was sent sailing out into the abyss of space and a moment later, it was confirmed she was indeed indoctrinated.
The crew resumed their game once more, going on and on and after some time…
*Dead body reported*
"Ok guys I- whoa! What the hell happened?" Ashley spoke up, noticing Liara and Wrex were now dead. "How'd the killer get two in one go?"
"Gee, I wonder." Axel gave her a dry look, one shared by with Tali.
"What?"
"See, we have a bit of a problem with the one reporting this matter." Xion spoke up in a business like fashion. "When you reported the body, I was travelling with Garrus…"
"And Tali was with me." Axel added.
"And originally, Wrex was walking with us until he wandered away." Tali put in her two cents. "So~"
Ash opened her mouth in an attempt to defend herself only for her to see everyone who was still alive had already voted.
She slumped back in her seat in defeat. "Dang it."
"Alright." The survivors cheered as the games declared them the victors.
"Next time." Ash proclaimed.
"Ok, come on, next game.
Round Two.
"How'd you get it twice in a row?" Kaidan grunted out irritably.
"Hey it's randomized." Ashley said, watching her character get shot out into space. "I didn't program this thing."
"And now Roxas is dead."
"I just feel horrible that he just hasn't had the chance to get used to the game, yet you take him out immediately?" Tali said in disappointment.
"Damn, that's fucked up." Axel commented.
"I'm still a ghost." Roxas dryly said.
"Who can't really do anything other than the rest of his stuff." Shepard pointed out, making Roxas huff in annoyance. "Alright, back to it."
Once more, the game resumed when-
*Emergency meeting*
"What?"
"Huh?"
"What happened? Why are we doing this?"
"I dunno…" Axel rubbed his chin. "Garrus, would you like to answer that question?"
"What?"
"Nice vent maneuver there buddy." Axel slyly said. "Why don't you try it against people who aren't as blind as I am."
"What are you talking about?" Garrus said in confusion. "We just started."
"Just as the lights went out and then I see one sly Turian thinking he managed to vent outta here." Axel said.
"You sure Axel?" Wrex asked.
"Trust me on this one."
"I didn't vent."
"That's what an indoctrinated would say." Axel shot back.
"You know, Axel, if you're wrong, that would put the suspicion on you." Tali pointed out.
"I'll take that chance." Axel declared.
…
"HAHA SEE!"
"Spirits dammit." Garrus grumped. "I should have stayed back."
"Good eye, Axel." Shepard complimented.
"Alright, I'm really into this now, next round."
Round Three.
The next round had commenced, the game going on as everyone went about their tasks whilst the two indoctrinated went about there's when several bodies had hit the floor dead. Not long after-
*Emergency meeting*
"Ha!" Garrus laughed out before pointing towards two of the Nobodies. "Axel And Roxas! Axel and Roxas!"
"What?" Axel reeled back in shock.
"Axel killed Kaidan in electrical then vented in front of me and Roxas ran out of the room." Garrus said in an accusing manner. "Axel and Roxas, one hundreeeed percent!"
"WHAT?!" Axel and Roxas yelled out.
"Axel first 'cause I hundred percent saw him vent so it's definitely him. And Roxas is running out of the room. It could be 'cause he's finally playing more now, but I do think he's also indoctrinated. It's definitely him, the second indoctrinated crewmember."
"That's a lie, Garrus!" Roxas yelled, trying to defend himself.
Yet before he could give a chance to do so, Liara spoke up.
"I do trust Garrus on this one because I was following him around."
Shortly after Axel was thrown out of the airlock, confirming he was the first indoctrinated crewmember, Garrus immediately called for an emergency meeting.
"Get Roxas outta here."
"That's quite the fast round." Kaidan commented with a chuckle.
"Quick game. Quick game."
Meanwhile, Tali was having a panic attack as she didn't know what to do, thinking it would be impossible for Roxas to be indoctrinated.
Her vision soon blurred to all of the happy times they spent together. Eating ice cream together, the assignments they fought side by side on against their opposition, and the times when they ended up napping together.
In her mind's eye, she could already see Roxas in the airlock and was ready to be spaced with no way out.
In her bit of fantasy, she reached out to him and he with her. The door flew open and the love of her life died not long after.
...It was then did they get the notice that Roxas was indeed indoctrinated.
"WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAA! He was?!"
Tali snapped her head towards Roxas' direction. "How could you betray me like this Roxas!? I thought you were my friend!"
Roxas reeled back, not expecting her to yell at him. "It's all about the game Tali, and how you play it." He said defensively.
"Give the runt a break." Wrex chuckled out. "Probably a means of getting back at some people in the last few rounds."
Round Four.
"Caveman mode?" Kaidan said. "How do we play that?"
"People back then in prehistoric times didn't really have actual names to call others. So on this round, our general names cannot be used and we can't call out colors as well." Shepard stated.
"So you can't say it's blue, you can't say it was Kaidan." Liara surmised
"Basically, yes." Jane confirmed.
"Then how do we actually call each other out?" Roxas asked.
"...Her, You, Some Dude, That Guy, Myself, Who, Me, Them, Someone and Him."
"...This is gonna be confusing as hell." Axel muttered out.
"Oh yeah." Kaidan muttered.
"Wait, wait. Everyone get their avatars lined up." Garrus said with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Seriously, what are you doing?"
"I'm making a sentence."
"...Why?"
"Just humor him, guys."
The avatars soon lined up with Garrus chuckling in glee.
"Me Myself Some Dude You Her Someone Them Who Him That Guy."
"...You know what, I'm starting this damn thing." Shepard said.
The game began once more, a clear sense of confusion going on as everyone was trying to adjust to this bizarre game mode.
To say that madness was about to ensue...
After a period of time…
*Emergency Meeting*
"Alright, how do we do this?" Roxas muttered. "Ok I… I mean Me, Me is safe, me very safe; but Someone… SOMEONE was following Me. Someone's following Me!"
"Where was the body, Me?" Her asked.
"Cockpit."
"Ok, You was at Electrical with Some Dude." You stated.
"Who was at medbay."
"What?"
"Oh, no, no, yeah, Who was at medbay!"
"Someone was with Them."
"Me head hurts."
"Some Dude agrees."
"Can we just skip?"
"Why did we decide on this again?"
-In the voice of the French announcer from SpongeBob-
-Two minutes later-
"Me and Some Dude are working the drive core. But Someone is very suspicious."
"I was taking care of the trash, you Pyjak!"
"You need to realize you can't exactly use 'I' on this game mode."
"Don't care."
"You is dead unfortunately and Someone was last seen near him."
"Her thinks that it is Someone."
"All in favor of voting out Someone?"
"Aye."
"Pyjaks!"
-Three minutes later-
Emergency meeting is called into effect.
"Me's innocent!"
"Myself can agree with Me's innocence.
Them spoke. "I went through the cafeteria and saw… Her…"
"Well Some Dude is dead. It could be That Guy who did it."
"Who?"
"Who did it."
"No, not Who!" Them said. "Who was in storage!"
"Myself is so confused right now."
"Wait, hold up, hold up. How do You know Who was in storage?"
"Because I was in storage."
"I know for a fact that Me and Myself are innocent."
"Who, where were you?"
"In the medbay."
"It's either Me, Myself, Them, That Guy or Who-who did it!"
"Alright then… Who, you were the last one seen with… Her."
"Oh god my head hurts so much right now."
"Me know no-no more. Me so damn confused."
"WHERE WAS I?! WHO AM I?!"
"...I think we're all in agreement that he's finally snapping."
"I think we're all in agreement we're never doing this again."
"No promises. I like seeing half you guys with a headache."
"Screw you Commander."
Round Five.
"So what's this game mode supposed to be?" Tali asked.
"Colorblind." Shepard said and a moment later, everyone's screens became black and white with their names became nothing more than a few lines.
"Wha-what?" Liara blinked.
"Shepard, what is this?" Ash asked in bewilderment.
"The ultimate mode for guessing." Jane said with a mischievous smiles
"I honestly don't know how we'll be able to properly vote through this now." Garrus stated.
"Does anyone know which avatar they are right now?" Axel asked.
"I'm the darker dark guy." Wrex said.
"Great, now we're touching on racism territory here." Kaidan sarcastically quipped.
"Why's that?" Roxas asked.
"We got a white guy, a grey guy-"
"They're basically black, grey and white." Ash exclaimed.
"Who am I!? WHO AM I!?" Xion cried out dramatically.
"I don't even know who I am." Tali wailed. "This is worse than some people not differentiating other Quarians."
"...I am so sorry you and your people have to deal with that."
"Thanks, Roxas."
"There's like a couple of people who are basically the same color." Axel pointed out.
"Alright guys, forget about that and focus up." Jane said. "Next round starting in 5…"
The next match was underway, everyone splitting off to go about their tasks when Tali had a sudden revelation.
"I just realized something."
"What?"
"How the hell are we gonna be able to complete the wiring tasks?"
"...Fuck." Wrex muttered out, just as he was about to get to electrical.
As the game resumed its pace, Xion was nervous of one of the lighter shades of white guys following her around so she opted for...
*Emergency Meeting*
"Hey, I wanted to, oh no! Someone… wait, who died?"
"I can't tell."
"Okay, I think on this round, those who died should honestly speak up since the color palette is all fucked up and we can't see the names, it's only fair for them to speak up." Kaidan stated.
"Hey, you can't do that." Shepard complained.
"At this point, we can. You already put us through that hell on the last round and this one as well." Ashley rebuked.
"All in favor of overruling her, say aye." Garrus spoke up.
"Aye." Was the resounding response from the crew.
"It's unanimous." Garrus declared.
"I'm a Spectre, I override all of you."
"Yet with how things are presently going, we don't fucking care." Axel shot back.
"Be thankful we ain't taking away your mako privileges." Kaidan added.
"Says who?" Shepard asked in an incredulous manner.
"The Normandy admiralty board." Liara softly said.
"There's no such thing."
"We made it a thing." Ash countered. "Therefore, your complaints have been noted and overruled."
Shepard felt her brow twitch upwards before shaking her head.
"Getting back to the matter at hand, who was where?"
"I was in electrical when I found the body." Wrex said.
Axel, however, got a rather devious idea. "Liar, I found the body in the hangar bay."
"Shut up, I got the microphone so I was the one who reported the body." Wrex argued back.
"You're straight up lying man." Axel rebuked.
"I found the body in electrical, you lying whore."
"It was in admin!" Axel railed on, grinning despite himself at the fuming Krogan.
"This game is ridiculous." Tali remarked.
"This is so dumb." Xion agreed.
"I don't care who I'm voting for." Kaidan said.
"Same here." Garrus said.
"Wait, we never figured out who died." Ash pointed out.
"Shepard." Roxas answered. "She hasn't said a word since."
"Oh."
"Top right corner for me." Kaidan said.
"Don't care if I get voted off on this round." Roxas admitted.
With the votes being punched in, they watched as a slightly light grey avatar flew out into the vacuum of space.
…
…
…
"I honestly don't know if we won or not."
"Urgh, let's just keep going." Tali said, feeling her head hurting again.
Once again, the game resumed, two people now being dead they went about tasks whilst killers went about… killing.
Eventually however, Indoctrination devolved into a series of convoluted calls, ironically hilarious comments due to pallet colors and soon enough…
"I honestly feel no one won this round." Kaidan murmured, slumping into his seat with a tired face.
"No one won this damn game mode." Garrus huffed.
"Honestly… a colorblind person could've won this." Ashley commented.
"Yeah, yeah… I think we've had our fill of this game." Shepard declared.
Shepard heard a multitude of agreements…
"Same time next week?"
"Yeah."
"Oh yeah."
"Next time you Pyjaks."
And there we go folks.
Little fun with J and I in this department.
Thanks again for reading.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.