|Chapter: 11|
|Date: 6/20/2184|
Cerberus was the talk of the flotilla and it was for very obvious reasons.
The Migrant Fleet was attacked and it was Cerberus' doing.
Not even an hour could pass until everyone was muttering about their being a possible terrorist attack on quarian sovereignty. Only now did the quarians find out it was Cerberus who was responsible for it. Whatever info that was being passed along wasn't very forthcoming, but everyone got the gist of it: Cerberus attacked humans seeking asylum. It got civilians killed.
It made her feel absolutely disgusted. Outraged even. It was a daily reminder that there were people in this galaxy capable of evil of the highest order. And that these psychopaths existed here in their galaxy with no real understanding of the value of lives other than their own. Moral dilemmas didn't exist to them. Lines could be crossed simply because they could. She considered Cerberus to be one of the lowest forms of evil out there. But they really hit a new low with her. Never had they killed civilians in cold blood just to get what they wanted. Even they had limits, despite their extreme angles on things. Apparently not.
She had almost forgotten about them, honestly. Now they were at the forefront of every political debate on the flotilla. Even the geth themselves were on the backburner for now.
When news came out with the conclave disclosing the attack on the Idenna, Tali was rushed to the Rayya to meet her father for a briefing of the attack for reasons Tali didn't really know.
She guessed it was probably because her dad knew she'd experienced firsthand Cerberus' constant bullshit.
"What's taking so long, Suvai?" Tali asked as she looked up to see what was going on.
"The docking cradle just malfunctioned. They're working on it now."
"Which cradle?"
"Four."
"Tell them it's the after shaft piston. It likes to stick to the static attenuator sometimes."
"Don't worry, Tali. They know." Suvai reassured.
"Well, what don't you know about your birthship, you know?"
"I've worked on that after shaft piston myself when you were just a kid."
"You're Rayya'n?"
He nodded. "Yup and they're on it." He careened his head to see the quarians out in their EVA suits repairing the problem, "But it seems they have fresh pilgrims working on it."
They both share a small laugh.
"There we go, Tanis, we got it working. You're free to approach." A controller called through his radio.
Suvai took the receiver into his hand and replied. "Copy, control. Preparing to approach."
Tali immediately sat down.
"Good." Suvai said approvingly, "You remember the nasty bump we get when we dock in four."
"Yeah." Tali muttered as she prepared herself, "I do."
Tali closed the door behind her and saw her father already waiting.
"Hi." She greeted simply.
"Tali," He turned around from his little window and sat down. "I'm sorry we didn't get to meet sooner. We've been scrambling to find a time to bring the conclave and board together since the attack. We won't have long to talk."
She sat down. "What's going to happen now after all this?"
"New measures to keep this from happening again. I'm not going to lie to you Tali. It's waking people up. Making them realize how fragile we are as a people."
"We're too comfortable with where we're at."
"The uncertainty of tomorrow is the catalyst for every decision every living soul in this galaxy makes." Rael murmured, "We are not an exception to that rule. Passionate ideas are being proposed, Tali. And they startle me."
"And your stake in all of this?"
Rael leaned back in his chair, but he didn't look comfortable. "We're at war. We've been at war for nearly three centuries now. But now we're at war with ideas that stray from the path our ancestors dedicated their lives to: retaking Rannoch."
"Their proposals are well-intentioned." Tali offered to her dad, "I may not agree with them, but they're not wrong either."
He put a hand over his face and closed his eyes. "All this politicking. All this fighting. It is draining on the mind, Tali. It ages you in ways you can't fathom."
"Then let's focus on why I'm here."
"Very well." Rael relented, closing his binder and setting it aside for no other reason to keep his desk tidy, "Cerberus. You've dealt with them during your campaign against the geth and Saren."
"What would you like to know?"
"Everything."
Tali wanted to shrug, but didn't. "If you're searching for a way to understand Cerberus' motivations, you're going to be disappointed. I can't offer much other than pictures of their lab equipment. All I did was help set explosives to atomize their projects and fight their security details."
"Anything else?"
Tali chewed on her thoughts and tongue for a moment. "They're thorough. Thorough in everything they do."
He stared at his personal library of books and swallowed. "So are we. They made an enemy of seventeen million men and women; I will see to it that they pay in blood for what they've done."
Tali believed him. There wasn't really anything stopping her dad from orchestrating an entire cabinet of people to work for him around the clock to organize an operation order and retaliate without a thing to hold him back. The biggest mistake Cerberus would come to realize is that they attacked a sovereign people unbound by the rules of war as indicated by citadel conventions. They weren't the Systems Alliance looking out to make a name for themselves. Nor were they the Turian Hierarchy bound by strict rules of engagement.
They were quarians. They didn't have rules. And god help you if you got on their shit list.
One day later...
C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-J786[Artcl#=]SNTtd:09:43:34GeST_tcp/ip:198.68.29.****
To: Garrus Vakrian [SB_ScPt:I_d#:454647.9Ob.90]
From: Tali'Zorah [SB_ScPt:I_d#:55640.6Op.89]
Subject: Hey. |C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-| Sent: 09:43:34AMGeST
-Garrus. I've received all of your messages, and I have Shepard's gift.
-Thank you.
C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-J786[Artcl#=]SNTtd:09:43:56GeST_tcp/ip:198.68.29.****
To: Tali'Zorah [SB_ScPt:I_d#:5564.6Op.89]
From: Garrus Vakarian [SB_ScPt:I_d#:454647.9Ob.90]
Subject: RE:Hey |C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-12-| Sent: 09:43:56AMGeST
-Good, Tali.
-Tell me. How are you holding up?
C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-J786[Artcl#=]SNTtd:09:45:09GeST_tcp/ip:198.68.29.****
To: Garrus Vakarian [SB_ScPt:I_d#:454647.9Ob.90]
From: Tali'Zorah [SB_ScPt:I_d#:5564.6Op.89]
Subject: RE:RE:Hey |C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-13-| Sent: 09:45:09AMGeST
-Better than I was six months ago.
-Liara emailed me about a Lazarus Project? She sent it a couple months ago.
-What is that about, exactly?
-Are you involved?
C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-J786[Artcl#=]SNTtd:10:56:53GeST_tcp/ip:198.68.29.****
To: Garrus Vakarian [SB_ScPt:I_d#:454647.9Ob.90]
From: Tali'Zorah [SB_ScPt:I_d#:5564.6Op.89]
Subject: RE:RE:RE:Hey |C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-14-| Sent:10:56:53 AMGeST
-Garrus?
-Answer me, please.
C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-11-J786[Artcl#=]SNTtd:10:56:53GeST_tcp/ip:198.68.29.****
To: Garrus Vakarian [SB_ScPt:I_d#:454647.9Ob.90]
From: Tali'Zorah [SB_ScPt:I_d#:5564.6Op.89]
Subject: RE:RE:RE:RE:Hey |C.M.B-7732:Id/11178-15-| Sent:01:21:01 PMGeST
-Hope to god I don't find the nearest quantum entanglement device to hack your files.
-I'll do the same to Liara if I have to.
The turian's omni-tool prolonged its endless spree of elliptical shimmering that splintered the man's face with muddled colors of orange.
The patterned sets of lights begin to exacerbate the irate Turian.
With a sigh, he reviewed Tali's messages once more before deleting them entirely.
He couldn't tell Tali.
The mooring frown Garrus had only grew as the time passed.
The smell of by-product flared through his nostrils, but he didn't dare move.
The smell was bad enough to singe some hairs off a human head if they lingered long enough.
Yet he waited, unmoving, finger over the trigger, a single eye staring through the scope.
"Contacts." His radio squawked, "Second vector. Third window on the left side. They're walking down the stairs."
"Copy, Ghost-2. Retain disciplined target acquisition. Wait for the other group." Garrus murmured slowly, his pupils narrowing in anticipation.
"Wilco, Ghost-1. Retaining disciplined target acquisition." The batarian answered.
"Ghost-1, we have visual on second bounty." Another voice joined the COM exchange.
"Roger, Ghost-3. Tell Scavenger-1 to prep for retraction."
"Wilco, Ghost-1."
"Fire when they place the cargo on the table."
"Roger."
"Copy."
"Standing-by."
"Solar wind is picking up. Factor our distance. Bear the operation order."
As the seconds crawl by, Garrus could only speculate what Shepard's morality would think of him.
About what Liara would say.
The opinion Ashley would give.
Or the unseen frown Tali would have.
It didn't matter.
None of it mattered.
He pulled the trigger.