Disclaimer: I do no own Mass Effect, I do not claim to own Mass Effect, I am only doing this for fun.
Author Notes: I contemplated splitting seasons, so that the word count would not keep ballooning, but in the end it seemed awfully inconvenient to do that. So here it is, season two episode one, episode twenty-seven overall.
Episode 27: Flying Dutchman
The OD's viewport filled with iridescent pink light all at once, announcing that the Normandy had arrived in the Widow system. Shepard glanced up from her terminal, but then went right back to work. As far as she was concerned, they were overdue, but who was she to argue with orders. After the last shots were fired, everyone ended up spending another twelve hours on Solcrum, dotting the i's and crossing the t's after Operation GoldenEye.
There was much to assesses, marines to debrief, spoils to divvy up, and those were just the pleasant tasks. The Kilimanjaro's marine units suffered casualties, which of course created the grimmest of tasks. Shepard knew for a fact that her mother would contact every single family, personally, to notify them.
Then there was the Cape Town. With her back broken, the cruiser would never withstand the stress of FTL, and towing was not an option. The majority of her crew had to be transferred to other ships in small groups. A small skeleton crew volunteered to stay and wait for a relief ship, which would bring the parts necessary to restore enough structural integrity for the ship to crawl back to the relays at one light-year a day. The Cape Town was going back to the yard to have her spine replaced.
Shepard herself was no less busy, although her tasks were far less solemn. After debriefings, the division of the spoils, and some sleep, she had her own paperwork to mind. There were routine forms to fill. Now that they were bound for the Citadel also she needed to figure out the leave time allocations, as she wanted the crew to enjoy as much of their free time as possible. After that came the additional details, namely specific achievements. As far as she was concerned Jenkins deserved recognition for his courage. Kaidan deserved a similar letter, but given that Kaidan had a file full of commendations, she wanted to submit Jenkins' first.
The Normandy officially got a week of leave, something she all-but begged Admiral Hackett for. Her crew needed the time off. She needed the time to assess where things stood. To say nothing of the fact that Kaidan needed time to recover. He used everything he had to shield those marines as he did, and as a result his implant overheated. Its position in the back of his neck meant the subsequent swelling was putting pressure on his brain stem, and medication could only do so much for such a sensitive place.
Shepard also knew that Tali would spend her leave working in her corner of the cargo bay. The quarian was up to her eyeballs in memory cores. Wrex and Garrus had done arguably too good a job busting platforms for her. Tali had tried to explain to her what she wanted to extract from those cores, but Shepard got lost in the detailed lingo. In the end Tali promised she would pass along anything that might help them.
What surprised Shepard was that Legion did not protest any of that. It was becoming obvious that the Geth saw the Heretics as another nation, or species, or something. Whatever line they drew, Shepard knew it was not her right to argue it. The Geth were clearly wrestling with the fundamental questions any maturing civilization had to deal with. It was not her right to give them answers.
She had other issues to think about. As far as the galaxy was concerned, the Geth had emerged after three centuries of isolation. Now everyone would want to know how much they changed. Kirrahe had been like a child with a dollar in a penny candy store. It seemed that aside from being a leader, a spy, and a tactician, he was personally involved in research as well. The Heretics looked to become his latest pursuit. Thus there was four-part splitting of the spoils. Tali took her share, much to the consternation of everyone else. Spectre Arterius then took a number of the platforms back to the Citadel, to be analyzed by a team that worked for the Council. The STG took some platforms, including one of the smaller walkers that they had to dismantle. The rest, including the base, went to the Alliance.
Her eyes landed on Nihlus, who was lazing on her couch, reading something off a datapad. She could not see what he was reading from her position, but from the way he was tapping at it, it did not look business-related. The Spectre was already taking his leave, whenever convenient to him. Well, she still needed something from him, and she knew that it was better to address it before they docked. She had no right to detain Nihlus, so he could very well vanish for a week.
Decision made, she rose from her seat and moved over to perch on the couch extension. His gaze flicked up briefly, just long enough to tell her he was aware of her presence, but quickly turned right back to his reading.
"Nihlus can we talk?" She asked.
He looked up and lowered the datapad to his chest. From the transparent backside Shepard now saw it was a magazine of some sort. "Something wrong?" He asked.
"No, not really," She shifted in her seat, how did one breach the topic tactfully? "This has been bothering me for a while. You were never surprised at EDI, and you were not outraged about Legion… You really have no problems with synthetics."
"I do not," Nihlus replied casually as he turned back to his pad.
She assumed whatever was on that thing was a very interesting read. "Yea, but you also did not tell the Council about EDI." He was essentially willfully breaking Council law.
"Where are you going with this, Shepard?" He asked as his eyes narrowed marginally.
Shepard knew he was going on the defensive, but in her defense there was no other way to go about this subject. "You were around synthetics before, right?"
Nihlus flicked the pad onto the coffee table, which shut it down. "The galaxy is a big place, Shepard. There are more synthetics out there than the Council would lead you to believe. There are companies licensed to develop and study artificial intelligence technology, and sometimes a high-end administrative VI installed onto a quantum box achieves sentience."
"You're avoiding my question." That last question was the meat and potatoes for her.
Nihlus remained quiet.
Shepard chose to press on, "Spectre Arterius took quite an interest in the AI we faced. I get the feeling it was not the first such AI he faced, but more than that…" Shepard paused when she noted how his mandibles moved ever so slightly up and tighter to his jaw. She kept his gaze and waited.
A full ten seconds passed before Nihlus sighed and sat up. "I should have known you would notice something. All I will say is that it calls itself Nazara. Yes, it is a Prothean AI, and no, I do not know where Saren found it. It is on the Impera, and Saren is the only person it talks to. It never talked to me, and I spent over a year on that ship."
Shepard nodded. That was a rather interesting bundle of information, considering what she already knew. Nihlus became a Spectre in 2176, so clearly Saren got this Nazara before that. She could make two inferences from that. First, the Council clearly did not know, or they would have confiscated it. Second, Saren was lying to them, which said something about him. As for where it came from, Shepard could hazard a guess. If Nazara had been found within Council Space, the Council would have known about it before Saren. She would bet a thousand credits on it coming from outside Council Space, likely the Terminus. The Geth found theirs out there too.
That made her wonder, was the region now called the Terminus in fact the center of the Prothean Empire, or was it merely untapped as a source for Prothean artifacts? The Terminus had a black market for Prothean tech, but most of the time it was stolen goods. An actual, dedicated dig was very difficult to operate out there. The region was also replete with dormant mass relays leading to many uncharted systems. There was just no way to know what was out there.
"What are you thinking now, Shepard?" Nihlus asked.
She hummed, "I appreciate you confirming some things." None of her remaining questions could be answered right then, so she figured it was time to steer off the topic. "We really got to figure out what to call it."
"It?"
"The god-king. We know it's just an AI, so calling it a 'god-king' no longer seems necessary," It seemed outright flattering to refer to that thing by such a title, mockingly or not.
Nihlus grinned faintly, "It did say it was the harbinger of an empire. Arrogant thing."
Shepard grinned, "So… Harbinger?"
"As you humans say… if the shoe fits." Nihlus shrugged.
Shepard smiled, somehow she liked that. The machine was pompous, arrogant, megalomaniacal, and it thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Whatever Prothean name it had, it clearly did not divulge, so Harbinger it would have to be.
"So a week of leave on the Citadel?" Nihlus asked.
"That's the plan. We all deserve it, no?"
"No argument from me."
"Good, this is pretty much non-negotiable. It's been go-time since Eden Prime. Between the Heretics and Cerberus…" and the mess with the spy probe, but Nihlus did not know about that.
"Hey, you do not need to justify it." Nihlus reached for the pad he had tossed onto the table. "But you could do something for me."
"Oh?" Shepard asked. "Whose body are we stashing?"
Nihlus laughed, "Shepard, I said for me. Not you. Though I know how much you like collecting compromising information."
Shepard grinned; she would not insult either of their intellects by denying that.
"I gave you enough today. Come have a drink with me. My treat."
It was her turn to chuckle, "Sure." Maybe this time she would be better company than that time on Omega. They had stocked the minibar with Turian-friendly alcohol, but it seemed like Nihlus wanted someone to drink with. "Just not at one of those cocktail places," she had nothing to wear to a fancy watering hole like that, and did not want to be stared at the whole evening; it was hardly her idea of a relaxing evening.
"Deal, even though I do not go to such places anyways."
When the Normandy finally docked, one glance out the OD viewport showed a by-now familiar black frigate moored a cradle over. The gangways were quiet and devoid of activity. The Normandy was very late in arrival. Shepard figured Saren would want to transfer the seized materials off his ship as soon as possible, so that must have been done already.
A flash of orange out of the periphery of her eye caused Shepard to look away from the viewports. Nihlus only glanced at his omni-tool before he was sitting upright.
"The Council summons," he announced.
Well that was certainly quick, and entirely unsurprising. Some part of her wondered if their arrival was indeed that anticipated. "Have fun," she said.
Nihlus looked up from the message, "They want to see you as well."
"Me?" Shepard blinked, that officially surprised her a little; "When?"
"An hour."
Shepard sighed; the Council was apparently not interested in waiting any longer. This made sense, but also annoyed her. She supposed she would have to get used to it, if she was going to become their pet in time. "Alright, I guess I'll meet you at the airlock," she said as she got to her feet. She wished she could go in her fatigues, but knew it would not be a good idea to be that casual in front of the big-wigs. She would not give anyone a ready reason to criticize her.
"Relax Shepard, this is routine. They probably want you to answer a few questions."
Shepard paused halfway to the OD's door and glanced back. "Last time they asked me a few questions, they were the rather… loaded ones."
"This time they have no reason to ask those." Nihlus replied.
"Sure, okay," she replied lamely. Shepard found it hard to believe that the Council would not grill her. The situation on Solcrum was hardly routine, there were consequences. Even she could see the potential for a shakeup of the norm. The Heretics were a new piece on the galactic board, a dark horse. Would the Council even care that they were not the Geth as a whole? If the Council recognized them as a separate group, then it meant there were two new pieces on the board. It created complications. As a rule politicians loved things simplified, black and white.
On top of that, Saren could still be out to bury her six feet under, metaphorically speaking, and was merely biding his time, waiting for an opportunity. He was the type to wait for just the right moment, to make it hurt more. Even all the compromising information she had on him probably would not matter. After all, if she started talking about his illegal AI, it would be a case of her word against his, and realistically the Council would probably believe him over her.
She sighed and breezed out of the room on her way to her loft. It was time to get this dog and pony show on the road.
She exited the Normandy's airlock twenty minutes later, doing up the toggles of her officer's uniform jacket as she walked. Shepard rather disliked the uniform because the material felt stiff and restrictive, and without getting something in exchange. At least when her hardsuit restricted some movement she got protection in return. It made sense why Nihlus was right back in his armor, strutting as if he could take the worst the galaxy could toss at him at a moment's notice. She had to remind herself that one day, maybe even soon, she might get the privilege to strut like that too, but for now she had to make do. Hopefully the meeting would not last long.
She followed Nihlus mutely past the Alliance guards stationed around the Normandy and to the doors that led from the dock to the lounge beyond. The first leave shift was scheduled to depart after their shifts in an hour, so the waiting lounge should have been devoid of activity, save for the single C-sec customs officer in the booth by the outer door. So Shepard quickly spotted the additional turian waiting by the C-sec customs booth.
Whereas the Customs officer still wore the full blue and black C-sec issue hardsuit, the guest wore the less often seen uniform tunic outfit. He was of an ash-grey coloration, with bright blue eyes, and navy-blue markings over his chin, cheeks, and under the eyes. And if glances could freeze someone solid, she would have been an ice sculpture just from one of his. Despite the marking being so different, Shepard could not help but see similarities with Garrus.
Nihlus hummed at her side, the sound vaguely amused.
"Spectre Kryik and Commander Shepard, I assume," the senior C-sec officer broached as soon as they were near enough.
Nihlus tipped his head in affirmation, but did not say anything, which earned him a glower from the other turian.
Then and there Shepard decided not to play dumb with him, "Yes, I am Commander Shepard. Detective Vakarian correct?" Almost as soon as she said the words, revealed her knowledge, his gaze locked on her like a predator measuring their prey.
"Senior Detective Castis Vakarian, yes," he replied.
Shepard tried her best not to react. She felt very much like a bug under the microscope right then. "Is there something I can do for you?" Well it would not do for her to reveal that she could guess the reason behind this visit. Garrus had run off to gallivant around the galaxy with a Spectre, a trainee Spectre, and they had just rolled into town after a mission that saw a major fight. She knew a concerned parent when she saw one, even if he came wearing a high-ranking C-sec uniform and glowering at everyone in his path. Judging from what Garrus said, his father trusted Spectres only as far as he could throw them. His opinion of the whole corps was low. She was both that human officer his son tossed his career for, and a Spectre trainee on top. She would not be surprised if his opinion of her was even lower than his opinion of Nihlus, just because.
"I understand that the Alliance does not allow outsiders on board their ships without official reasons," Castis said.
"Indeed, so."
"I want to have a word with my son."
"Ah. I can notify him, just a moment," She would send Garrus a text message about his father's request. She just hoped Garrus would not resent her too much for boxing him in like that.
"Shepard, we need to go. It is not a good idea to keep the Council waiting," Nihlus said calmly. "Or Saren."
"Really, Nihlus." She looked up, meeting his eyes, "Spectre Arterius, of all people, does not dictate my conduct." She replied coolly as she brought up her omni-tool. It would be a cold day in an existing hell when she took orders from Saren Arterius. Right now though, she hoped Garrus would not end up resenting the messenger. "There. I'm afraid sending a message is the only thing I can do right now."
"That is all I require," Castis replied without a single alteration to his controlled, emotionless, barely-flanging tone.
Shepard hummed. The flanging effect of their voices tended to get more pronounced when they were very emotional, as it was their sub-harmonics that carried nuance. For the flange to vanish, they had to hold back on the sub-vocals, and that was a whole other expression. Castis Vakarian was on guard; his opinion of her must be low indeed. "Please pardon us, senior detective, we are due to meet with the Council."
"Do not let me keep you from your duties, Commander. Spectre."
Shepard nodded and followed Nihlus past the customs booth, and she felt the detective's gaze on the back of her neck right until the moment the doors closed behind them, physically breaking his line of sight.
As if the doors closing were some sort of sign, or cue, Nihlus snorted. "And now we know why C-sec is the way he is. What was it that Moreau said about sticks up-"
"Nihlus. Behave." Shepard cut in automatically.
"And if I do not?"
Shepard looked up, saw his shit-eating grin, and gave him a bland look of her own. She could not believe he just went there, but then this was Nihlus after all. "I don't get you two. Just when I think you're finally getting along… you find another reason to snipe at each other. I mean okay, I get it… C-Sec vs. Spectre, pissing contests are apparently in the job description and expectations, but…"
"Ah it is all in good fun. Trust me, Shepard, if it was not, you would know."
Shepard shook her head and sighed, now was simply not the time for another round of lecturing. Never mind that no amount of lecturing ever seemed to stick. Nihlus did whatever he pleased, and he certainly never saw anything wrong with that. In all likelihood he would never stop picking some sort of fight with Garrus. He was also the sort of speak his mind whenever he wanted to speak it, which made her wonder how he got through his years of mandatory service in the Hierarchy. It was hard to imagine he would ever say "yes, sir" and go do something he was told to do, without questions, or altering the plan to suit his needs. That sort of attitude made for rotten soldiers, but paradoxically she could see why he was a successful Spectre.
In a small sense she envied his freedom. There was always the sword of Damocles hanging over head, and more often than not, her hands were outright tied. There were many things she could not do, whether because she had a limitation of rank privilege, or responsibilities, or even her own sense of right and wrong. For the first time in a long while, she was beginning to chafe under all the limits. She had to consciously remind herself that there were very good reasons why she had to restrain herself.
They made their way to the Skycab kiosk, and found one of the cars was on the pad. Nihlus automatically moved around the vehicle to get into the driver's seat, leaving her the front passenger. Shepard climbed in without saying a word, not like it mattered right now. She did not even watch as he input their destination.
As the Skycab took off, eventually emerging out of the docks and into the void, on its way toward the Presidium entrance tunnels, she stared out of the window at the ships passing by above them.
The Hierarchy built their ships rather uniformly, with size and nacelle configuration being the only real variation. All of them had a blunted, long rectangular profile, long stabilizers in front of their drive nacelles, and were colored a light silvery-grey, with burnt orange accenting. The cruisers, at just over five hundred meters long, remained outside the perimeter of the ward arms, stalwart guardians ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Inside the arms patrolled the flights of frigates. The Hierarchy's frigates were unique in that they varied in size more. The largest were three hundred seventeen meters in length, with the smaller ones being the size of the Normandy, around two hundred meters. Shepard could see a good mix flying in chevrons of three to five.
Mixed among the great many Hierarchy ships were the much different Asari Republics contributions to the Citadel Fleet. There were fewer of them as well, about one for every five from the Hierarchy. Their cruisers stuck outside with the Hierarchy ones. Each around six hundred meters long, colored a uniform but indecipherable shade of midnight blue with a slight shift toward violet, and shaped kind of like an old-fashioned flying wing aircraft with a blunted front and an added long stem-like keel, likewise blunted at the tip, and lined with recessed fissures which contained viewports. Their three hundred meter frigates were much the same, except their horizontal wings were shorter and instead of a single stem, they had two extensions, from the top and bottom, tapering to a point. A number of them seemed to float in the space between the wards.
Their dreadnoughts were only five hundred sixty meters long, and shaped much like the cruisers except with two keels, making them resemble a flying plus sign. The only exception was also the flagship of the Citadel Fleet, the Destiny Ascension. At a kilometer-long, it was a scaled up version of a typical Asari dreadnought. Shepard could see it floating at the head of the Citadel, near the Presidium Tower. It looked impressive surrounded by the under-sized asari fleet, but the illusion shattered whenever a Hierarchy cruiser drifted past. The Asari loved to inflate their self-importance, and putting that ship at the head of the Citadel was all that, but at the end of the day the Destiny Ascension was about the same length as a Kilimanjaro-class dreadnought, though admittedly with more verticality in its keels.
"The Citadel fleet is out in force," Shepard noted absently.
Nihlus hummed a barely-audible reply. When she looked over, she noted he was poking away at something on his omni-tool again, clearly not paying attention to a word she said. Shepard shook her head and turned back to watching the ships.
Normally they were not so clearly there and present. Either something major was going on, or they were conducting drills. The more she raked her brain, the more convinced she was that there were no commemoration days that might require this, so she decided it had to be routine drills after all. Not that the difference mattered really, but right now, she needed to focus on something other than meeting the Council.
Shepard turned away from the windows and back to her silent partner only when he Skycab entered the covered Presidium entrance tunnels. Nihlus was still tapping at his omni-tool, and from her angle she could see he was messaging someone. She could not hope to read what it was, but she had a feeling it was not about leave plans. Nihlus was positively tense, like a bowstring drawn so far back it threatened to snap.
The rest of the ride continued in silence, and it continued even as she followed him from the kiosk pad to the elevator that would take them to the top of the tower. The ride up to the top was as long and as boring as she remembered, complete with rather bland elevator music, interrupted by the occasional newsbyte. Once they emerged from the elevator, and made their way up the first set of steps to the mid-level garden, Shepard could not help but notice the people milling about, talking on communicators and omni-tools.
Looking toward the Council apse she spotted a by-now familiar figure in white, black-accented armor. Standing across from him, at the base of the steps to the apse, was Udina. The man wore a grey suit today, and no matter how hard he wanted to appear calm and unbothered, he stood as far away from Saren as was possible, and his arms were crossed in that self-inflating but fundamentally defensive way. Shepard had to really work to stop herself from grinning, she did not want Udina to realize she enjoyed every moment of his discomfort, even if the cause was Saren's sunny personality.
"Saren," Nihlus greeted, "Ambassador."
"Spectre Arterius, Ambassador Udina." Shepard echoed, intentional in her order of greeting.
Udina glowered at them both for all of a split second, but Shepard pretended she did not see it. "Commander, Agent Kryik." He replied, sounding every bit like he was still chewing glass.
She caught Saren's gaze flick from her to the Ambassador and back. "You are late." He said blandly by way of greeting.
Saren would not want to look like he was getting chummy with her, but his voice lacked some of the venom he usually sent her way. She would take that as a sign that maybe, just maybe, he was getting over some of the worst of his distaste for her.
"Come," the white-clad Spectre said as he turned to the stairs.
Udina glowered behind his back; clearly it galled him to be ordered about like this. The man's ego was tremendous and proportionate to his sense of entitlement. The group moved up the stairs with Saren leading. When Nihlus caught up to his former mentor, Shepard followed. Petty passive-aggressive display of her perceived elevation over Udina or not, she was not walking behind the man.
At the top of the stairs, the apse was empty save for a cerulean-hued asari in an emerald green pantsuit that stood under the balcony on the left-hand side of the chamber. "Ah. Ambassador, Spectres, Commander, you've arrived just in time," she greeted politely. "I shall go and notify the councilors that you are here." With a polite inclination of her head, the asari turned and walked off toward the offices.
They did not have to wait long for the three politicos to emerge from their offices. Tevos was the first, followed by the same cerulean-hued asari. Sparatus followed, still dictating something to his secretary, a turian with sand-colored plates, gold eyes, and rather faint off-white colonial markings who followed behind him with his omni-tool up to take notes. Valern came in last and alone, but he had a pad in his hands that seemed to draw his attention.
"Ambassador Udina, Agents Arterius, Kryik, and Commander Shepard," Tevos greeted, smiling, even as she waved her secretary aside.
Sparatus' own fell back without being motioned, remaining off the meeting podium. Saren moved forward onto the overhanging platform and Nihlus followed. Shepard was honestly not entirely sure why she was there, but she supposed they must want the Alliance side of the story straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Even if Udina had all the reports on his desk, she had been there first hand.
"Agent Arterius, we received word that the materials you brought from Solcrum have been transferred into the archives in a timely manner." Tevos went on.
"As requested, Councilors," Saren replied, sounding faintly bored.
"Ambassador, Commander. On behalf of the Citadel Council, please accept our condolences for the lives lost in the Grissom system." Tevos went on, every bit the matronly diplomat she wished to portray herself to be.
"On behalf of the Alliance, thank you," Udina replied, clipped and tense as ever.
Shepard merely bowed her head in thanks; she would let Udina do the talking. In this situation his skills with that were adequate enough.
"We now know that the Geth have increased their activity outside the Perseus Veil." Tevos went on. "The Alliance has our full support, should the Geth perpetrate further acts of aggression within Alliance territory."
Shepard thought Udina looked like he was choking on the glass he was normally merely chewing. To her ears, that equated to the Council saying 'go, handle the mess, we'll be here, sitting pretty, drinking our tea'. The Council's support really would not equate to much more than that. To be sure, they would not stand up for the Geth. Apparently they did not even see the importance of the difference between the Heretics and the Geth. Shepard was not amused, nor pleased, but there was nothing she could do about it. Arguing now would be as useful as butting her head into the wall.
"Now, the last matter on the agenda. Commander Shepard," Sparatus stepped in.
Shepard instantly straightened and slipped into a parade rest as she turned to face him.
"In light of your performance thus-far, we recognize you as a trainee Spectre."
"Thank you, Councilors," Shepard replied. Well that officially surprised her. Somehow she had not even realized that up to the point she had still been a probationary candidate. Nihlus certainly treated her as a sure-in for training, and to some degree even Spectre status in general.
"You are now officially training under Agent Kryik. We expect you to demonstrate continued dedication and exemplary service," Sparatus went on, his gaze never wavering off her.
"Thank you, Councilors," Shepard replied with a bow of her head. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Udina practically puff up. He looked unabashedly happy with himself, as if he had a hand in anything that had happened in the last couple of months.
Saren on the other hand was considerably less pleased. Still, as the moment of silence hung, he did not protest the interim promotion. Shepard could not help but feel like some sort of rock had been lifted off her back. Or more like one of them. She was one step closer to giving the Alliance what they wanted, so they would stop breathing down her neck. Until they figure out what to do with her.
"We are definitely celebrating this, Shepard." Nihlus said. "Saren you want to come too? Drinks. My treat. Usual place."
Shepard blinked, stunned, Nihlus had not just asked Saren to join them for drinks, was she hallucinating?
"It is most unfortunate, but I have matters to attend to. We will have to do that another time," Saren replied blandly.
Shepard was not surprised that he refused, but what did surprise her was the fact that he was being diplomatic about it. Nihlus' mandibles flicked in that quick grin of his, he knew as well as her that there would not be another time.
"Understandable entirely," she murmured. Out of the corner of her eye she noted that Sparatus watched the exchange keenly, which made her wonder what his takeaway was. She could not imagine him being on her side of the whole issue, that he would want her to make a Spectre. So where did his particular level dislike for humans stop? He was certainly polite, if chilled, as that was his job description. She also knew he handled the situation when the lapse of his previous secretary caused a security compromise, so he was not absolutely biased against humans. But that latter one could be more about Turian sense of responsibility more than about doing right by the Alliance.
Udina looked less than amused as well. Shepard would bet it was because he did not like the idea of her getting too chummy with someone of Saren's reputation. That or Udina did not like the idea of being so thoroughly left out of the loop. Maybe a mix of both, Shepard would not put it past him. Udina was the deplorable type that would sell anyone for the smallest advantage. She honestly wished that the Alliance chose someone else after Ambassador Goyle retired from politics.
Then again, Shepard thought she was a bit biased in her thinking. She grew up with the tacit acceptance that power tended to go in threes. Like Admiral Hackett, Captain Anderson, and her mother, the triumvirate of the Fifth. Beyond them however, the Alliance had Admirals Drescher and Lindholm, and Ambassador Goyle. Admiral Drescher's decisive victory over Shanxi had provided Ambassador Goyle with a stronger bargaining position when the Council called for an armistice and the end of the First Contact War. Admiral Lindholm's First Fleet may have lost Shanxi in the first place, when the Turians showed up in numbers out of the blue, but she had been quick to analyze the enemy and drum up every available ship under her command for the defense of Earth, should that prove to be necessary. She also wrote the early draft of the proverbial tactical book for fighting the Hierarchy's military might. To this day, the First was considered Earth's main defense force. Admiral Lindholm, now seventy, was still in command, and still on guard for the armistice to fail.
Compared to women like that, Udina simply did not have the force of personality to be successful at his job. He could not inspire people to toss in their chips with him quite like Admirals Hackett, Drescher, or even Lindholm could. He also did not have the same steely resolve and gumption that Goyle displayed when she brazenly and openly argued down the Council's worst sanctions, using honey sweet words that belied a very implicit threat. The Earth Systems Alliance was seen as a sleeping giant because Shanxi proved they could obstinately beat back the Hierarchy on short notice with just two percent enrollment, something unimaginable to the Turians. They could scoff, but no one wanted to see what the other ninety-eight might do if properly pressed.
Shepard saw a flare of orange out of the corner of her eye, Saren's omni-tool lit up. She watched him check the message. His eyes narrowed as his brow plates drew down and his mandibles pulled up to his jaw.
"Is something the matter, Agent Arterius?" Tevos wondered.
"An emergency aboard the Impera, I must ask for leave."
Tevos glanced to Valern, who nodded, and then to Sparatus. A silent communication passed between them. "Go." Sparatus said.
Saren turned on the spot and marched off.
Nihlus turned after him and then turned back to the Council. Shepard could see the cause of his sudden jittering.
"Agent Kryik, you and the Commander may go as well," Tevos added.
"Thank you." Nihlus brightened instantly. "Shepard!"
"Right behind you!" Shepard said. Nihlus turned and hurried after Saren. She lingered only long enough to give the Council a bow of her head and then followed Nihlus. He was already halfway down the steps when she caught up him.
"Saren, wait!" Nihlus called ahead.
The white-clad Spectre stopped and glanced back, but the sight of them racing to catch up was clearly not entirely welcome. Or maybe it was just the sight of her. Nevertheless the Spectre did not protest as he turned and continued toward the elevator.
"What is wrong?" Nihlus asked.
Saren spared him a look as he hit the button to call the elevator.
Shepard knew what that look meant. The elevator arrived and the three of them stepped in, with Saren hitting the control panel urgently.
As the doors began to slide shut, Shepard heard her earpiece scratch, "Normandy to Shepard, come in Commander."
She reached up to tap at her earpiece, "Shepard here." Nihlus and Saren's gazes were instantly on her, and just like that she felt like a bug under a microscope.
"Commander, EDI picked up anomalous readings from the Impera. It's cycling power to its systems erratically; there was also a partial atmospheric vent. I don't think it's the crew having the mother of all parties."
Shepard frowned, that hardly explained what was going on, but at the same time it said enough. No ship would just cycle power, unless there was a serious problem with its systems. Furthermore, a ship was supposed to be self-contained. Venting its contained atmosphere was a sign of a serious emergency, but to do it on a station? It was plain unsafe, potentially spreading biological contaminants that could be on the ship. Still, the Impera had been on Solcrum last, so how many biological contaminants could it have picked up there? Something did not add up.
"Was that Moreau?" Nihlus asked.
Shepard nodded, "They picked up anomalous readings off the Impera." Shepard glanced at Saren as she spoke. Now she had a license to speculate. "It vented a portion of its internal atmosphere and is cycling power to on-board systems." She saw Saren turn his head to glare at her awful quick. The tension in him was as evident as clouds in the sky. Good to know that he was not a total iceberg.
Nihlus looked to his former mentor, "What is happening?"
Saren said nothing, but the glare he sent toward Nihlus was quickly turning worse. He clearly did not want to talk about whatever was happening in the elevator. This made Shepard wonder; somehow a plain average security compromise seemed to rule itself out. If someone had gotten onto the ship, its crew was highly likely to be turian, all former military, likely hand-picked by the Spectre. Saren seemed like the type to pick the best he could find. So they could probably handle some intruders. The ship would not be venting atmosphere and cycling systems. What else could be messing with the Impera if not intruders? Shepard folded her arms and hummed. Then, quite suddenly, it clicked. The AI. It could be that the AI had gotten into the systems and was figuring out what all the buttons did, so to speak.
"You are going to have to tell us eventually," Nihlus went on.
From the way the Spectre's mandibles clamped right up against his chin, Shepard knew he was proverbially gritting his teeth. She was certain Saren knew what was going on, but Nihlus should have known better than to press him. Saren would not just come out and say it. Not in her presence, and definitely not in the elevator. He did not know she had already figured out he kept a pet AI, so if it was indeed the AI, he would keep mum. He also did not know that she would not inform on him. It would be easy, almost expected given their tense détente, but she was not a hypocrite.
"It would seem that my ship's security has been compromised." Saren replied blandly.
She also knew that if she stuck her nose in too deep, he would put his foot down. This put them at a rather unpleasant balance, one that she would have to navigate carefully.
Once down on the Presidium, Saren did not mince words, he walked up literally to the first C-sec officer he saw, a human one at that, and demanded the patrol car. When the officer inevitably protested, the Spectre threatened to have him fired if the officer kept stalling, and then whom the officer could file complaints to, all in a tone that could have frozen hydrogen solid. The officer had no choice than to relinquish the car, and then Saren demanded that Nihlus drive it. Specially built patrol skycars, unlike the average vehicle, were styled like a sedan, with four doors, and a barrier dividing the internal compartment. Shepard ended up in the back, much to her annoyance. She spent the whole way eying the control panel; it would be crazy easy for Saren to hit the locking mechanism on the back doors.
Nihlus flew the car as fast as traffic in the passage tunnels allowed, with the windows dimmed, but without the lights on. The officer reported his car being seized, because five minutes after they took off the radio cracked to life, though Saren simply turned it off. What should have been a fifteen to twenty minute trip got reduced to around twelve; with Nihlus speeding the whole way as if the devil himself was on their tail. Shepard was only amazed that after the radio stunt, a whole fleet of C-sec vehicles did not come after them. But then, she supposed C-sec would know they could not touch a Spectre just because he borrowed a vehicle, no matter how pleasant he had been to the officer who was assigned to it.
When they got to the docking bay, Shepard found herself rushing after the Spectres. Both of them were not bothering to wait for her. The gallery that led to the various docking cradles was empty, but as she stepped past the doors that led into the waiting lounge attached to the Impera's dock, the veneer of calm shattered.
Standing by the door leading to the gangways was a pair of turians, and though Shepard could not hope to overhear their conversation, the tension in their frames was self-evident. Both wore plain grey and white tunic outfits with no identifying insignias. Each also had a re-breather mask hanging around their neck, which was all Shepard needed to see to know something was very wrong.
The one on the left seemed older, with mud-colored plates, ochre eyes, and no colonial markings to speak of. The other was similarly colored, but his eyes were more amber than ochre, and likewise he had no colonial markings. They must have heard the door leading to the galley open and so turned and straightened their backs. "Spectre Arterius, sir, you are back!" One of them called.
"Cassius, Arnus, why are you two out here?" Saren demanded coolly as he approached.
The two turians exchanged looks, and then the one on the left nodded to his compatriot and turned back to the Spectre, "We were told to update you when you arrived. The Impera's been compromised. CIC noticed something wrong with the environmental controls when they showed a slow increase in carbon monoxide and dioxide levels in the ambient air. Engineering thought it was the scrubbers… Aolus followed protocol..."
"But?" Saren asked.
"Next thing we know, the system is sending multiple hull breach alarms and the emergency doors close, isolating the compartments, and life support vented completely. Communication went down too. Arnus and I were on the bridge, so Aolus sent us to warn you."
Shepard blinked, stunned. The AI had seemingly gotten into the systems completely. What more, it seemed keen on getting rid of its organic crew. Slow rising carbon oxide levels meant it had tried to smother them all quietly, but the systems predictably flagged the rise. Once the gig was up, the AI turned to other, more overt means of having its way.
She glanced at Nihlus, only to see that his mandibles were completely pressed up against his chin, his body was tense and his hands clasped into fists. A moment later he turned to her and their gaze met.
"Shepard, you better stay out of this, you are not… dressed for the occasion," Nihlus said.
"I can be on the Normandy and in my armor in ten, you know that," She replied.
"I know. But-"
"You will not set one foot on my ship!" Saren hissed.
Shepard contained her automatic reply to that for the moment. That was the first time she had ever heard Saren raise his voice. Normally even the most unpleasant or rude things he uttered were said in a bland, cold, oddly honeyed monotone. Right now, he was not calm, cold, or collected, and he had every reason not to be. Shepard thought better of arguing, just this once. After all, he would not want her to know about the AI like she did not want him to know about EDI. "Fine. But for the record, Spectre Arterius, I am only backing down because I respect the fact that it is your ship, not because I take orders from you." Let him focus on that, lest he think she had other reasons to be backing down.
Saren sneered at her, but then turned to the two crewmates, "You two stay out here and keep her off my ship."
"Yes, sir." Cassius and Arnus replied automatically.
"Nihlus, with me." Saren went on as he turned toward the doorway leading to the gangways.
The younger Spectre followed right on his heels. Shepard glanced at her would-be wardens, but followed the Spectres nevertheless. Sure she may not step on board the Impera, but she would be damned if she did not follow them as far as she could. Saren had not thought of ordering her to stay off the gangways. Cassius and Arnus followed two steps behind her.
"Are you two alright?" She asked halfway down the enclosed access corridor. Well if they were going to be her wardens, there was no reason not to strike up a conversation, as long as she kept it perfectly neutral. Shepard knew better than to try and weasel information out of them. She could have, but decided not to. If Saren kept them on his crew, they probably had standing orders not to spill any beans. Saren was just about sunny enough to never forgive such a betrayal.
"We are fine… miss-"
"Commander Shepard, SSV Normandy, cradle over," Shepard replied. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Ah. You are in command of that beautiful ship? I am Cassius, pilot of the Impera, and this is my brother-"
"Arnus, Navigator. The pleasure is all ours, Commander." The other added.
Shepard smiled and nodded, they were definitely friendlier than the man signing their paychecks.
"Is it true that Nihlus is training you to be a Spectre?" Cassius went on.
"It is," Shepard replied.
"Hah. Never would have thought Nihlus would take a student. I remember him when he was on the Impera for his training. Not big on patience, proper procedure, or discipline, that one."
"Oh that hasn't changed much," Shepard replied as she looked toward the Spectre in question. If Nihlus heard that little exchange, he showed no indication of it. Now she also knew about how long Cassius had been a pilot for the Impera.
They came to the end of the passage, and stepped past another set of doors onto the actual gangway surrounding the Impera. The Normandy was moored a cradle over on their left, and Shepard glanced over and spotted two figures on the Normandy's gangway, Castis and Garrus. The senior detective was watching the Impera. Garrus noticed her and their eyes locked over the distance, and she shook her head, hoping the signal was clear enough. Whatever was happening on board the Impera, was not in her hands, and would not be.
The Impera itself was truly a frightful ship up close, now that she knew it had a Thanix cannon hidden in there somewhere. With the ship flown in nose-first, said gun was effectively pointed right at the docks, and there was a frightful thought. What if the AI got control of that thing?
The ship itself was floating there, abyss black, with blinking red outboard lights. Its stabilizers were folded under its belly, but Shepard could feel her skin crawl. The mass effect field that was the Impera's kinetic shield was raised. The shield was large enough to envelop the gangways, and she did not have her hardsuit to dampen the sensation of dark energy billowing over her body. It only compounded the sense of foreboding that surrounded the ship at that moment. She knew it was merely the shields, but the ripple somehow still felt malevolent.
She watched as Saren approached the airlock just aft of the bridge and brought up his omni-tool. At that precise moment the Impera shuddered as all its ion maneuvering thrusters pulsed in tandem and its main vectored thruster cones shifted. It looked like an angry dragon shifting its wings and blowing smoke from its nostrils as a warning signal to those getting too close.
"Spirits… is it trying to leave?" Arnus wondered.
"Cassius. Did you lock it down?" Saren called.
"I did, Spectre! I locked out the controls as per emergency protocol…" Cassius replied, but he sounded less than convinced.
By the glare Saren spared his pilot, Shepard knew he was not convinced either. She could not help but feel bad for the pilot right at that moment. How long would a lock-out work given the situation? There were such things as overrides, and it would not take an AI long to find them.
The Impera's thrusters blew again as the ship strained against the magnetic arms holding it in place.
"It keeps doing that and it will pull the outer plating off," Arnus mused.
"No, the magnets are strong enough to grip the structural beams underneath," Cassius argued.
"Does not matter, does it? Spectre Arterius will not be happy if there is even one tiny hull breach. The Impera's armor did not come cheap. I knew that thing was bad news." the Navigator continued, his voice dipping into a whisper at the end.
Cassius cleared his throat as his eyes landed on her.
Shepard pretended she did not hear a darn thing, nor saw that look from the corner of her eye. Let them think human hearing was bad, that was one misconception she routinely used in her favor. There could only be one thing the navigator would call "that thing". The crew knew about the AI, but obviously had orders to keep quiet. Shepard would not put it past Saren to threaten them.
She glanced over to the Normandy's cradle, Castis and Garrus were no longer there. Alarm flashed through her when she realized what this must look like to the senior detective. Someone looking from outside would think that Saren's ship was physically infiltrated, and the intruders were trying to steal it right from the Citadel. A Spectre's ship would be a bounty indeed. Yes, one could argue how such a heavily armed group could even get aboard the Citadel, but Shepard firmly believed in where there was a will, there was a way.
Shepard could even predict the senior detective's next move. He would probably alert C-sec's patrol division to be ready for the ship to make its run. C-sec patrol was the coast guard of the station, normally in charge of intercepting runners of all sorts, most often than not it was smugglers and the odd slaver's vessel trying to pass off as a cargo transport. They also ran search and rescue, as ships did get damaged or lost in the Serpent Nebula, especially if their relay jump was poorly calculated, and drift carried them too far away from the relay. Shepard suspected it would not work. Patrol's fleet probably could not dance with a Thanix frigate operated by a murderous AI. The situation looked positively ready to devolve.
Saren was working on the airlock, but the ship was clearly resisting him with everything it had, and it was also clearly agitated. Its main drive continued to twitch, as if the AI was contemplating firing the main burners to rip free of the mooring clamps. It had to know the outer plating would probably give way before the arms, and even if the arms detached, once they lost power they would decouple and drag along the hull, potentially ripping even bigger holes in the plating. FTL jumps or relay transits were risky business with large hull breaches, and it had to know if it ended up trapped in Widow, it would be shot apart by the Citadel Fleet, if not C-sec Patrol.
She sighed; this would be a million times easier if the Council were not a bunch of jerks. She could have called EDI to help subdue the AI as only another AI could. But if she did that, Saren would know, and he was the sort to jump at the chance to cover his own ass and get rid of her in one fell swoop. The Council would easily and gleefully come down on the Alliance and largely sweep the fact that Saren lied to them under the carpet. At best, Saren would get a slap on the wrist, while having his cake and eating it too.
The Impera gave another, long blast of its thrusters, positively pulling on its mooring clamps. The arms groaned and creaked with the strain, but held on. The Impera blew its thrusters again, even harder. Something cracked loudly and the arm attached just aft of the bridge began to bend. The magnet attached to it slipped down the ship's hull, opening a meter-wide gap between the edge of the gangway and the airlock itself. Below them, the ship's forward-facing main drive cones started to glow.
Shepard froze, if that thing fired its main drive, and despite the fact that the nacelles were below the gangways, it could still heat the air around them to a lethal thousand Kelvin.
"Spectres, it is going to burn main drive!" Cassius shouted.
Saren spared the pilot a glare, as if to say 'I knew that'. Cassius seemed beyond being able to care. Arnus was backing away, and Shepard did not fault him for it.
She reached up to stroke her ear-piece as she contemplated tossing caution to the wind. They needed to pacify that AI, and now. The door leading to the galley opened, Shepard whirled, and then she saw Garrus and his father. Yet Castis did not acknowledge any of them as he marched right past toward Saren.
"Arterius, what is happening on board your ship?" He demanded.
"A minor security breach, Vakarian." Saren replied.
"You call your ship trying to pull free minor?"
"It is nothing for you to concern yourself with," Saren replied, cold as ice.
"It is my concern if it might pose a risk to this station!" Castis replied and turned away, rolling his wrist to bring up his omni-tool.
Shepard watched, knowing exactly what he would do. This whole place was about to be swarmed with C-sec.
Something below them gave a deep clang. Shepard glanced down and froze when she saw familiar doors below the Impera's nose open. A moment later all the clamps holding the ship in place detached simultaneously and began to retract, with the damaged clamp lingering for a moment, but it too moved, slowed by dint of being bent out of shape.
The Impera blew its maneuvering thrusters again, and this time nothing prevented it from beginning to drift backward out of the cradle. The air around the nozzles began to ripple as it heated, but the maneuvering thrusters were not the main drive, small mercy there. Within moments the vessel cleared the gangways and its stabilizers began to spread open. The Thanix cannon lowered, its rails extended and parted, the magnetic constriction field manifested, and molten red hot metal began to glimmer in the apex in between.
In that moment Shepard knew that the AI had completely taken over the ship's systems, and right now it was telling them in no uncertain terms that it owned them all, crowing its victory for all to see. Would it fire into the cradle? Hardcoded safety measures had to still be in effect, right? Such a short range shot would damage the Impera itself, would it not?
As soon as the ship was clear of the cradle and its stabilizers had extended fully, it turned ninety degrees, facing the open end of the Citadel, and then its main drive ignited, and the light emitted by the intensely hot wash momentarily illuminated the whole cradle as the ship blasted off.
"C-sec control, this is Senior Detective Vakarian. We have a runner. The Impera, a black Trebia-class frigate, has launched without authorization. Do not attempt intercept, the vessel possesses a Thanix cannon. I want it brought down the moment it crosses Zakera point!"
"Vakarian, I will have your badge for that."
"No, Arterius, I will see the Council finally terminate your position for this, as they should have done long ago."
"Commander, should we pursue?" Garrus asked.
Shepard thumped her fist on the railing, and the sound caused the glare fest between the senior detective and the Spectre to cease. "We can't, Garrus. I let the engineers have the first leave shift. Tali can't mind engineering on her own, especially if we're going to be chasing down a running Thanix frigate." To say nothing of the fact that the only thing they could do, would be shoot the Impera down. On the list of reasons she could not do that was the fact that they would have to use their Thanix, as the Normandy would have only one shot, and if there was still someone alive aboard the Impera, they would die.
"Your Normandy could do nothing to the Impera either way," Saren replied.
"You do not know what the Normandy is capable of!" Garrus replied sharply.
Shepard raised her hand, "Garrus, stand down. Let's not argue capabilities now." Before Garrus' hot temper caused him to spill the beans for all to hear that is. He took pride in his work on the Normandy's main battery, and she did not blame him, but she wanted that cat to remain in the bag as long as possible, especially if there was nothing to win letting it out now. "We ought to weigh the possible solutions here. The Impera is a Thanix frigate. I witnessed it destroy a geth cruiser with one shot. The ships that engage it run a considerable risk." She knew it was a weak point to make, what with Turians being the sort to make sacrifices when necessary. It was only her sensibilities that did not see this instance as necessary.
If the Patrol unit engaged the Impera at a range where its safety systems would allow targeting, it would fire. The fact that it tried to kill its crew showed the AI thought nothing of murder to have its way. "I do not believe the Patrol unit has the firepower to handle the Impera, but would the Citadel Fleet know to take action?" There was only a single elegant solution here, to put a kinetic round through the Impera's core, bring it down at range, and be done with it. She doubted the patrol unit had guns powerful enough to do that. Yet only the Council had the authority to order the Citadel fleet to action. The look Castis sent her could have rivaled Saren's worst, and she knew she was not winning brownie points by antagonizing him, especially given he did not like her to begin with.
Cassius' omni-tool lit up, and he glanced down. "Spectre Arterius, it is Aolus. They managed to get away in an escape pod, but… it is just Aolus and two others. One escape pod. The… rest are…" he stopped there. Arnus laid his hand on his brother's shoulder, but his gaze slid to the floor.
That was all Shepard needed to know. The AI had managed to kill most of the Impera's crew.
"The innocents are off the ship, good. This is not over, Arterius." Castis said, turned toward the door leading off the gangways and walked away as his omni-tool flared to life.
Shepard watched him go. The bait was taken, thank you Aolus for your rather very timely message. Still, she knew this drama was about to go into the second act. Even if Castis Vakarian had a connection straight to the Council themselves, it would still take time for the order to be given. "Garrus… please go with the detective," she added. If Saren did not know that Garrus was the man's son, she would not clue him in.
Garrus spared her an appraising look, probably wondering what was on her mind. Shepard kept her poker face intentionally in place as she stared right back. After a moment he nodded, turned, and followed his father out.
"You do know that the Citadel fleet will not respond in time to intercept the Impera, right?" Nihlus asked just as soon as the door closed behind the younger Vakarian.
"Of course they will not." Shepard replied flatly as she met her mentor's gaze.
"So why…" Cassius began but stopped when the realization must have dawned on him. The look of surprise on his face was almost verging on comical.
Shepard tried her best not to grin; few looked at her and considered the possibility that she could be underhanded. That was part the reason she was so successful at it. "To be fair, I meant it when I said C-sec could not scratch the Impera. Everyone here ought to know why. There have already been deaths, I would prefer if there aren't more."
"What do you want, Shepard?" Saren demanded.
"Right to the point then," She replied. "I preface this by saying I figured it out on my own." She turned to look the Spectre right in the eye, "I know who took your ship." If there was recording equipment anywhere here, that would not come off as anything other than innocuous.
"What do you want, Shepard?" Saren repeated, slower, and with a hiss in his tone.
She would give him much credit for not showing more of an outward reaction to that bombshell. "To help." She said calmly.
"To help?" Saren repeated in a condescending tone.
Shepard stared back at him without reacting. Maybe she had stepped on his ego a tad too hard, she would not blame him, but that meant she could not backpedal, not with the cards on the table as they were.
Nihlus was looking between them as if he fully expected violence to break out at any moment. Cassius and Arnus chose to back away. Though Shepard was convinced it was more to give Saren a clear shot at her, if he so chose, rather than any sort of personal fear.
"To help. Nothing more. Nothing less." Shepard said flatly. "If we allow the perpetrator to keep the Impera, the galaxy finds itself with a brand new menace, one with a big gun that will be used on anyone unfortunate enough to come near it." Furthermore, Shepard had every reason to suspect the Impera was equipped with stealth technology. Coupled with its dark coloration, and now free of the need to support a crew, it could be floating right there, and no one would be the wiser until it opened fire. It became a veritable omen of death, a Flying Dutchman.
"Am I supposed to believe you are proposing that simply out of concern for others?" Saren asked.
"That is in her reasoning, and you know it." Nihlus said.
Shepard hummed and spared Nihlus a look. She did not need him to defend her. Then she turned to Saren, "Is it so hard to believe that maybe I really don't want anything from you?" she asked. "Hate me if you must, I couldn't care less. I choose to put the safety of innocents above all else, and I can see the bigger picture." Shepard argued. "The senior detective would have your Spectre status revoked, but I don't see the point to that. I know you are the only one who can track the Impera down in the most expedient manner."
She suspected the reason the AI pitched a rebellion now, after Solcrum, was because it found out there was another of its kind. This AI seemed to dislike organics; why else would it only talk to Saren? It must have perceived an opportunity to do something other than serve an organic. It waited for him to be off the ship because the Spectre had to know exactly how to pull its plug. That or he had some sort of override in place. The AI had to know that, and what more, that Saren would pull the plug for less. The Spectre did not strike her as the sort to forgive a traitor.
"That only leaves the issue of how we prevent Vakarian from having his way," Nihlus mused as he stepped between them, a living buffer.
"The senior detective wants the Council to have the truth? Give them the truth." Shepard replied. "A malicious Prothean AI took over the Impera." The revelation that the Heretics had been controlled by a Prothean AI was in the reports. The masses would never know, not with the politicians being themselves, but the Council knew such an AI was out there. Her slant on the truth was not technically a lie, merely omission of a key detail. The Council did not need to know there were two Prothean synthetics amuck, let alone which one took over the Impera. Let Harbinger take the credit. "The thing can control geth units… and you transported the remains of said units. Clearly they were functional enough to serve as an uplink. Now it is remote-controlling your whole ship. That's the only way I can think of how this could have happened." She chose her words carefully, to keep her hand in the scheme theoretical.
The look of utter unbridled surprise on Nihlus' face was something she had never seen before. The pilot and navigator looked outright amazed. Saren's glare never wavered, but he also did not snap at her, and there was no hint of any surge of anger incoming.
Shepard never thought she would end up helping Saren get away with things like this, and maybe it was crossing the line, but she saw the bigger picture. Revoking Saren's status would be short-sighted. In fact, it would eliminate the one person that posed even the slightest threat to the AI now in command of the Impera. It would also eliminate someone who knew about Harbinger. Thus in effect it actually gave both a victory. Saren was about as unfriendly as they got, she knew better than to expect this to humble him, but this was the best option. She would not turn her back on a solution because of some unpalatable details. Maybe that made them more alike than they ought to be, but c'est la vie.
She turned away and right around, "My offer still stands, Spectre Arterius. When you track down the Impera, I volunteer my aid."
"Whatever game you are playing, Shepard, you will not win." Saren replied.
She stopped just short of the door and turned to look over her shoulder, their gazes locked. If that was a friendly reminder to watch her back for a knife, he ought to know she expected nothing less. Still, it would not stop her from going about her business best she knew how.
Author Notes: In the spirit of all first episodes of a new season, I prepared a whole lot of whammies! There you have it, some answers, but also a twist to the continuing mind-games championship between Shepard and Saren. Yes, my Shepard is as much a magnificent bastard as he is; she's just a little different. Turnabout is fair play. Also, yes, those "Prothean AIs" are in fact my version of Harbinger and Sovereign.
General Notes:
Impera's Name – The term "Impera" comes out of canon. It is the name of the fourth planet of the Trebia system (with Palaven being third). The wiki says that the planet was named for Atrin Impera, the "turian Machiavelli", who came up with the idea of combining layers of citizenship with a meritocracy, core aspects of Turian culture. She would be the sort of figure that they put into core social studies textbooks for school children. As for the origin of the term itself, there are two possibilities, both call back to the Roman republic/empire, in latin. the first "imperium" ("command") denoted the military and judicial powers and authority wielded by republic-era consuls, proconsuls, and a handful of other magistrates, bestowed to them for a certain set term of time. It later became the power bestowed by the senate to emperors on their ascension to the throne. The second possibility is of course "imperator" itself, the one who wields imperium, from which we derive "emperor", and who is an emperor if not a sovereign?
Flying Dutchman – This is the name of the most famous of ghost ships, with stories originating in the eighteenth century. According to legend it can never make port, doomed to sail forever. Sailors believed seeing it was a reason to start praying. In this way the Dutchman is similar to the Grim (black dog), as both appear only to those who would supposedly die soon.
Chapter Notes:
Nazara – Legion mentions that this is Sovereign's "real" name. Calling it "Sovereign" was Saren's idea. Also did you notice that Sovereign's "arc color" was red? That was the color it appeared in during the conversation on Virmire. I used the ship's red lights and the name to allude to the ship's secret.
Harbinger – As far as I can remember, Harbinger never actually says that's its name, it merely said it is the "harbinger of their salvation". It does not care what organics call it. I am going off the same theme here. However I do imply that this version of Harbinger does in fact have a name, like Nazara. It is not forthcoming with it. Harbinger's "arc color" is yellow. Its holographic forms have always appeared yellow, and so are its six "eyes". I have been hinting at the identity of the "black geth" all along.
Destiny Ascension – I tried to find the official number on the Destiny's Ascension size. Not much luck. The size chart I have been using throughout the story puts it on equal length with the Kilimanjaro-class dreadnoughts, maybe a bit bigger than the Hierarchy ships, more vertical too with those keels, but that means rather very little. We all know how well the DA fared during Sovereign's attack. I don't think the Asari have a leg to stand on. Their fleet is undersized and underpowered, compared to the heavy hitters like the Hierarchy or Alliance, but they're pretentious about it. I'm playing it as it seems to be, in this canon. The DA is big, but not the biggest, or most powerful.
Kelvin – This is an absolute thermodynamic scale, with 0*K being "absolute zero" (-273.15*C), or that point where all thermal motion stops. One Kelvin corresponds to one degree Celsius, but the scale just goes a little more uniformly. The actual wash of the Impera's main drive would be thousands of degrees Kelvin, but convection is such that it would take a while to heat the entirety of the air in the cradle, but I should think it would jump to "deadly hot" for organics pretty quick.