Disclaimer: I do no own Mass Effect, I do not claim to own Mass Effect, I am only doing this for fun.
Author Notes: Yikes. What else can I say about March? I sincerely hope everyone is hale and hearty on these dark days. My beloved readers, please take care of yourselves, wherever you may be.
Episode 50: Skyfall [Part I]
If anyone had asked Shepard that morning what would be the most unlikely thing to happen, getting arrested would have been pretty high up on her list. Yet there she was, in the back of a C-Sec cruiser, with two armed officers at the front, and they were on their way to the station. Fortunately, it seemed like they took her lack of resistance on good faith and forgone the cuffs. It was a small mercy for her dignity, but she would take whatever she could get. Really though, she would not have resisted. There was nothing to win with that. If she had put one foot out of line, the officers would have had the right to use physical force. She would have just dug herself into an even deeper mess.
Still, she would be lying through her teeth if she said she was entirely calm. She kept her hands on the seat on either side of her, and it took everything she had not to twitch and fidget. Maintaining a grip on the seat was focusing on something. The tension in the car was too thick. The silence too heavy. The officers did not talk to each other, and they definitely would not talk with her. Not that she would blame them.
They likely saw her as a persona non-grata right then. The courtesy was little more than professional. As far as they knew, she had tried to kill their boss. They may even know enough to see her as the killer of the admiral and the former secretary too. If the roles had been reversed, Shepard would not have talked to the perp in the back either. This was not some very twisted, sick joke, nor some exaggeration. This was the real damn thing.
She would to prove to everyone that she had not actually done any of that. She had an almost completely air-tight alibi for at least two of the three killings. Nihlus, Garrus, and the rest of her crew would pull through for her. What could C-Sec have that would withstand that? Too bad that while she could repeat that as a mantra, the task still resembled a very treacherous mountain. Sure she had entertained the thought of C-Sec coming after her, but it was not until that moment that it finally slammed home. It was happening. Some part of her was still afraid of the possibility of failing. She had a reason to be afraid right now, and it was only human to be afraid of something like this. She bit down on the tip of her tongue, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough for it to sting. She had to ditch that sort of thinking, she could not allow her fear to take over.
Shepard forced her thought train to shift tracks. She had to assess the situation. What was happening right now? To start with, the wakeup call Kaidan must have gotten would officially suck for him. Someone had to notify Admiral Hackett of this, and Kaidan was the senior-most officer after her, so it was his job. The Admiral would not be pleased, but he would not condemn her. She would not be surprised if he would immediately comm to her mother, and then maybe even Captain Anderson. The whole triumvirate would be in her corner.
But her thought train kept rolling. There would still be political blowback from this. This would get back to the big-wigs, and they would see her as a complete and utter embarrassment. The deeply pessimistic part of her insisted that unless she dug herself out of this mess quickly, and with a satisfying conclusion akin to finding the real perpetrator, this could very well spell the end of her career. She needed a complete, clean victory. The brass would not let her live down embarrassing them otherwise.
She might even be doomed either way. Would the Council allow someone who had been charged with assassination to become one of their top agents? This was an issue of trust. These charges could very well remain hanging over her head for life. If she lost her status as a trainee Spectre the brass would have her head on a pike, they would still think her an embarrassment. She might even make Captain Anderson look bad as well by effectively repeating his failed candidacy.
She hated the silence in the car right then. It allowed her thoughts to swirl faster and faster with each passing second. The pain in her head intensified, her vision began to fade around the edges, the temperature in the car had seemingly jumped five degrees, and her stomach roiled like a stormy sea. Shepard dug her nails into the car seat with enough force that her fingertips began to tingle. There was a mounting tightness in her chest, as if she was suddenly at the top of some mountain without breathing apparatus.
Shepard screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to inhale deeply. She knew she had to breathe, or else she would make everything she felt right then many times worse. She needed to get a hold of herself. Now was not the time to lose control or have a meltdown. She needed to be at the top of her game, not be on the verge of falling apart at the seams. This was not her fault, none of this was her fault. This was someone else trying to get the better of her. She would not give them that victory! She would not go down for something she had not done!
Shepard inhaled deeply again and started a silent count. Inhale -one, two, three- exhale -four, five, six- inhate –one, two, three- and so on as she concentrated on the details, the feeling of the car seat under her hands and the quiet hum of the car's eezo core. It was a low-pitched rumble that occasionally pitched a little higher before settling back down.
By the third inhale the air no longer felt as heavy, her diaphragm no longer seemed half-paralyzed, she could inhale smoothly and silently. By the fourth cycle the roiling in her stomach faded a little. She had an alibi, the dread was unfounded. On her fifth cycle, she began to uncoil her fingers, one hand at a time. During her sixth cycle she told herself that it was a very good sign that the detective who was sent to arrest her was Marcelus Bellacus. He worked under Castis Vakarian, which confirmed that the senior detective was still in charge. Garrus said she could trust his father. She would trust Garrus to know best and cling to that single positive thing.
The cruiser's eezo core changed pitch again, and the whole vehicle seemed to shift with it. Shepard looked up. They were on the Presidium now, and there was the C-sec station she had visited previously. The cruiser had dropped out of the traffic lanes and was descending toward the station. Mercifully it did not seem to be angling toward the front door. Instead it turned toward an unmarked vehicle entryway. As soon as it slipped its nose past the gate, Shepard realized that it was the parking lot for other cruisers as well as intake, and it was guarded by armed officers. She idly hoped they were not rolling out the bristling red carpet for her.
Shepard took another deep breath, feeling much calmer now. The next couple of hours would be crucial. She had to tell herself that she had seen and done worse than this. What was defeating one positively ridiculous set of charges after besting the likes of Balak? What was this over the hours of terror on Elysium?
It was probably a good hour from when Shepard climbed out of the cruiser to the next time she could finally sit down, and it did not give her much time to think. C-Sec's intake processing area was one part organized bedlam, which fortunately meant no one had the time to stop and gawp at the Alliance officer in their midst. The officers were tense as bowstrings, and she did not blame them, their senior boss had been attacked. However, from the lack of glares, stares, and hate she had expected, she quickly realized that few of them seemed to know exactly what she had been hauled in for. She chose to take it as another small mercy to be thankful for.
The intake process proved to be a bit of a mad rush, first came the bureaucratic basics. The officers wanted her to know what she was entitled to. After that they wanted to make sure she was who she said she was. Shepard had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from quipping that no one would want to claim to be her right then. The salarians doing the processing probably would not have appreciated that dry bit of humor. It took them some time to run her fingerprints, voiceprint, and likeness across their databases, first to verify her identity against the Alliance's active service rolls, and then internal databases to check for other outstanding warrants. It inevitably came up that she was a trainee Spectre, and then what she allegedly did. Shepard had never seen a salarian's eyes widen that much before. From there she was hustled through a weapon-detecting scanner, which confirmed the obvious, she had no firearms or sharp things on her. They also locked out her omni-tool, disabling its ability to contact anyone outside the station.
After that, she was handed over to another turian officer who took her to a secure, monitored waiting area near the station's holding pens, showed her a seat, warned her not to try anything, offered her water, and then mentioned he would down the hall at the security station before he left.
In the midst of it all Shepard's nerves settled, replaced by the sort of calm she normally got when she was up to her elbows in combat plans. This situation began to resemble a mission, something to get through, one step at a time. She tucked the red-colored RFID wristband, which identified her, what she was charged with, and worked as a tracker, out of sight up her sleeve. Let the officers think whatever they would. It allowed her to observe and measure the mood. With the dead giveaway concealed, it seemed like few officers knew what her charges were, so everyone she encountered was very polite.
After half an hour without being told to pull the wristband out into view, she chalked up their leniency to her non-resistance. No one had to raise their voice at her, or use force, and she was not firing insults with every other breath. She did get to see how the officers treated someone who was being difficult. Two turian officers passed by, dragging a human male between them. He wore an eye-gouging combination of neon colors and displaying his extensive vocabulary of obscenities. The officers were taking him to be tested for drugs, and he called them ten different things before they were out of earshot. Shepard almost wanted to laugh, the idiot was really making his plight worse, as all those foul things he said were grounds for extra charges.
After that bit of excitement, Shepard could only sit there, watch, listen, think, and hope the pain in her head would go away on its own. Though, given what was causing it, the odds of that were slim to none. The panic attack in the cruiser probably did not help her either. It was only then that she realized that she did experience what could be called a panic attack. It was a bit of a first for her, as she had not even panicked on Elysium. What was different this time? Her mind could only explain it as the loss of control. She had never truly lost control on Elysium. That night she knew they would need to keep the batarians away from the civilians, it was a plan. Then, when Arthur was shot, there was no loss of control, just a mind-numbing haze of pure rage and loathing. If anyone asked, she would chalk her moment of weakness to the loss of control. With that thought Shepard closed her eyes and lapsed into her breathing exercises. Maybe increasingly her blood oxygen saturation might help with the pain. At the very least, getting her breathing and heartrate under control would not make it worse.
"Commander Shepard," a rumbling voice stated, announcing their presence.
Shepard opened her eyes and looked up. Standing there, calm as can be, was Senior Detective Castis Vakarian, clad in a dark blue office suit.
"Senior detective Vakarian." She would not dare to display any undue familiarity.
"You seem awfully calm for someone who is looking at charges of murder," The detective noted.
"I'm calm because I did not attack Executor Pallin, and I have the alibi to prove it," Shepard replied. "And for all that's worth right now… I sincerely wish the Executor a swift recovery." She would not say it, but she definitely thought it. Whoever did kill the secretary, the admiral, and attacked Pallin was officially living on borrowed time. Enough was enough, this had become personal. Shepard would hunt that woman down and drag her in front of C-sec kicking and screaming if that was what it took.
"I see. I sincerely wish it is as you say, Commander. Now, is there anything you need before we sit down and talk?" Castis asked. "You are, of course, entitled to a defense attorney present during our conversation. We already arranged for one to be present."
"Thank you, Detective. Is it possible to request to have Spectre Kryik present as well?" She needed his assistance more than she needed any lawyer. Shepard trusted lawyers, at best, only as far as she could throw them. Still, she would not say no to having one.
The detective's mandibles tightened against his jaw, "Spectre Kryik has already arrived. With Garrus. We showed them to the meeting room."
Shepard nodded. With her omni-tool locked out she needed a go-between. The detective must have realized that much as well. Still, he could not argue against it. Nihlus would just pull rank, even if it would not endear him to anyone. She could also picture the nasty looks the two of them had to be giving everyone right about now. Nihlus normally lorded his superiority over C-sec, but with this? He would become insufferable. Garrus would likely end up thinking his former colleagues had stabbed him in the back. He was the type to hold a grudge when something rankled his sensibilities on such a fundamental level.
"On the topic of Spectres, I feel like I should notify you that as this case is of utmost interest to the Council, an unaffiliated Spectre was assigned to observe the proceedings." Castis added.
"I see… I suppose that makes sense." Shepard replied. She was not surprised by any of that. She was a Spectre in training, the Council would not want a crazy murderer in that position. It also made sense that Nihlus would be sidelined, the Council would not see him as an objective source. What more, this was a prime opportunity for Saren. One comment recommending that the Council keep someone with a badly tainted reputation out of the Spectre corps, and she would be done, regardless of what happened. So she had to be on guard, and it was probably a good idea to remind him where they stood and that she could taint his reputation in turn. And just to offer the carrot with the stick, she also had information he might be interested in.
"You do not wish to know whom it is?" Castis asked, surprised.
Shepard looked up, meeting his gaze. "I will find out shortly, won't I? Seems redundant to ask." She would not let the senior detective know that she could make an educated, if possibly paranoid guess. That sort of thing would not flatter. Besides, she had to admit that the odds of it not being Saren were not zero.
"You are right." Castis replied, a note of amusement coloring his voice. "Now, shall we?" he motioned with his arm.
Shepard sighed and got to her feet to follow the senior detective down the hall.
Meanwhile…
Nihlus watched Saren step into what would be the meeting room and the door close behind him, and he could not restrain his second larynx from broadcasting his anger. Though his was nothing compared to Vakarian's fury. The younger male's second larynx was emitting a rattling, low-pitched growl which promised swift vengeance. Nihlus reached over, put his hand on the younger male's shoulder, and braced for the inevitable.
Vakarian rounded on him as if the contact had been a trigger pull. "That barefaced bastard! Where does he get the audacity to tell us we do not know what we are talking about? Or accuse us of not being objective? He would not be interested in overseeing this if it did not involve the Commander!" His subvocals thrummed with rage and his mandibles almost clicked against his jaw.
Nihlus bit back his own subvocals and let his arm drop away. Vakarian was clearly ready to do something he would regret, but Nihlus knew better than to tell him to calm down. It would lead to the exact opposite reaction, and Shepard would not benefit if they were to start growling at each-other right then.
"To think, the Commander thinks he has honor! He does not! The moment we are done here, you should go directly to Sparatus and tell him all about how objective Saren is. And the truth while you are at it!"
"What are you talking about?" Nihlus asked slowly. Had Shepard finally told Vakarian about the Impera?
"Do not pretend you are ignorant. Nazara! Who do you think I am talking about?" Garrus snapped, flashing his teeth.
Shepard had told Vakarian everything, and likely very recently. Vakarian had probably asked the right question at just the wrong moment. Spirits damn Shepard's inability to tell someone no when they happened to be close to her. It armed Vakarian with dangerous knowledge he was only too eager to use. But, Nihlus could not deny that Vakarian was right. Saren would have never taken this job unless it was for his own benefit. However, going to Sparatus would not make the charges go away. Worse, it would draw the sort of attention that Shepard would not want. "Doing that will get us nowhere."
"So you intend to let Saren have his way?" Garrus demanded.
"He will not have his way! Stop reacting and think for one minute!" Nihlus replied sharply, but then stopped. One part to give Vakarian the time, another to calm himself. It would not do for him to lose his temper. He looked around to check whether anyone was in hearing range, but after seeing no one within sight he turned back to Vakarian. "Saren can only recommend the Council terminate Shepard's training if the charges against her are formalized. You and I both know they are preposterous. But, if you try to get Saren removed and tell Sparatus anything, he will sooner investigate Shepard even more thoroughly!"
Vakarian's subvocals quieted down as he turned to look through the one-way reflective window into the meeting room.
Nihlus followed his gaze. Saren had found a place in the corner and was occupied with something on his omni-tool.
"Fine, maybe you are right."
Nihlus wanted to comment, but chose not to. Vakarian was still volatile. One wrong word and there would be an argument between them. Now was not the time for that. Shepard had to be priority number one. If that meant swallowing his pride and letting Vakarian have one over him, it was a small price to pay.
"Alright, what is your plan?" Vakarian asked.
"Shepard got an alibi. I have it right here," Nihlus patted the compartment where he carried her pain medication. "But, I do want to know what led the detectives to arrest her to begin with. I would not plan anything before we know more about what is going on."
Vakarian nodded, "So we wait until we know more."
"Yes."
"Fine. But we will need a plan for the worst case scenario. What if the charges are formalized?"
"That is easy." Nihlus replied. He already knew what he would do. "Shepard will not see the inside of a courtroom." Then and there those words became a promise. As a matter of principle he refused to sit back and let Citadel Security proceed with that farce.
Vakarian turned and stared at him long and hard, pale eyes boring into his being.
Nihlus knew what he was asking, but he would not talk of it here, not where they might be caught on some recording device. He was almost tempted to say that there was no need to explain the plan anyway. If Shepard's charges were formalized, he would show Citadel Security exactly what a determined Spectre could do, and that they could not hope to stop him. He would help Shepard escape, and then they would hunt down the perpetrator to clear her name on their own terms.
"You would risk your career?" Garrus asked.
"Yes," Nihlus replied. Was that even in doubt? "And if it would help, I would surrender it too. I will stand by Shepard. To the end."
Garrus hummed, "Good. We are in full agreement."
"I thought we would be." Nihlus replied blandly.
"Whatever it is you are planning, you will need someone who… knows their way around," Garrus went on.
Nihlus did not say anything, instead, he let out a quizzing note with his second larynx.
The younger male replied with an affirmative rumble, followed by a second, different tone that reprimanded him for even asking.
Nihlus inclined his head in a wordless thanks. That was as good as sealing a pact. Garrus had volunteered to do something highly dangerous and reputation-destroying, despite the fact that he did not have the protection of an extra-legal status. There could be no mistaking why either. If the situation was different, Nihlus would have even felt jealous, but jealousy would get him nowhere.
When Garrus' subvocals suddenly went silent, Nihlus turned and saw that Castis Vakarian and Shepard had appeared down the hall, trailed by a human male in a suit. When Shepard saw them, her whole posture relaxed. Nihlus felt something inside him twist, an irrational urge to wrap his arms around her. A note of concern slipped from his second larynx before he could stop himself.
"You…" Garrus started, but stopped, and instead let out a single, quiet, low-pitched note that would not carry far.
Nihlus stiffened and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. That single sound was normally reserved for someone with whom one was intimately acquainted. Garrus did not emit it for his benefit, not while looking at Shepard. No, the context was entirely different, and could not be misinterpreted. "Do not pretend you feel any different," he replied.
Garrus sighed, "We will discuss that later."
"Yes, we will. Later." Nihlus agreed.
With Shepard…
Shepard was not thrilled with the legal counsel that C-sec had found. He was probably only a few years older than her, and while Shepard rarely cared for what people wore, his clothing told her that he was not an established name that earned enough for well-fitting-or-tailored suit or a gold-plated omni-tool band. Then, she could tell he was not at all confident. Sure, he said he chose to take her case, but his assertion was also contradicted by the how his gaze flickered away the second their eyes met. It was a micro-expression, a slight recoil. Sure, the charge around her neck was heinous, but an experienced confident lawyer would still not have showed himself like that. That was not a poker face by any stretch of the imagination.
Shepard suspected that while he might know that she was innocent, his reasons for picking her case had little to do with proving it. His real goal might be to enhance his name as a defending counsel, in what he hoped would be his big professional break. Unfortunately, Shepard had a flagging amount of confidence in him. She would not be surprised if she ended up needing to gather him up, once he went to pieces in front of Spectres. Especially if she was right about who was overseeing the whole thing. If the lawyer could not deal with her stare, how would he deal with anything Saren Arterius could muster? She did not need a lawyer who would wilt like that.
"Here we are," Castis announced, jarring Shepard from her thoughts. "Spectre Kryik, Garrus."
"Senior Detective," Nihlus replied.
Garrus did not say anything at all.
Shepard could see tension in his posture, and by the way his mandibles kept ticking against his jaw she could tell that he was holding something back, likely a whole lot of something. When she glanced casually through the large panel window inside the stark meeting room, her eyes landed on Saren and she had to consciously hold back, lest her face twist up in a grimace. This was one more of those times when she would have loved it if the universe had been spiteful enough to prove her gut instinct wrong.
"Shall we?" The senior detective motioned to the door leading into the room, which opened for him.
Shepard knew better than to be caught sighing right then, she merely nodded and stepped past him. The instant she did, Saren's cold stare was on her. She pretended that she did not see it as she moved deeper into the room. There was a desk at the center, metal and polymer, with three chairs around it. On top was a console for the officer's use during a conversation, and tray set with a carafe full of plain water along with a number of different glasses.
"Shepard," he said, with a tone to match.
"Spectre Arterius," Shepard replied as she sat at the table, taking one of the two chairs that put her with her back to the door. She was tempted to take a dig at him by saying that he was getting the short end of the duty stick being here, but restrained that urge. She wondered, why was he not crowing with accusations? He was not smiling with triumph either. What was he scheming?
"Commander, from this point onward I suggest you do not say more than necessary. Anything you do say can be used against you," the lawyer said as he stepped in the room. A moment later he sat down on the other chair next to her.
Shepard glanced at the lawyer and raised a brow, "How are simple professional pleasantries to be used against me? I've never been so impolite in my life, and I don't plan to start." If the lawyer took that as her chiding him, then even better. "This is after all, Spectre Saren Arterius… a twenty-four-year veteran of the Spectre corps. I would be remiss if I did not show him due respect." That was not even a total lie, she simply omitted that respect would not stop her from playing the cards she had up her sleeves against him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Saren's eyes narrow ever so slightly.
Shepard saw this as a performance, and now was time to make sure Saren knew exactly where they stood. As she heard two sets of footsteps move into the room behind her, she tipped her head to the side, "By the way, Spectre Arterius. I've bumped into Nazara very recently." On their own, the words were innocuous, an outsider would think she was talking about a mutual acquaintance. However, Saren positively stiffened the moment she uttered Nazara's name. "We had a brief conversation, and he asked me to pass his regards." She expected Saren to read between the lines, she had information he might want, and it was also a reminder that she had his reputation under her thumb as well.
"Do not think that that will help you," Saren replied, voice deepening and rumbling even as his brow plates shifted down just enough to make his silver eyes turn storm-grey.
"Really, Commander! I must insist you do not converse with such familiarity," the lawyer jumped in, sounding increasingly exasperated.
Shepard took Saren's warning as a sign that he got the message loud and clear and ignored the lawyer. None of what she had said could really be used against her, not for this.
Then the door closed and a moment later Shepard felt a pair of hands land on the back of her chair, four gloved fingertips just brushed against her shoulders. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw red-plated gloves, Nihlus' armor.
Castis Vakarian moved around the table and sat down, his hand instantly going to the console. He typed in a series of commands, likely a log-in, and maybe beginning the recording on the microphones that had to be in the room. A moment later he looked up, "Commander, shall we get to the matter at hand?"
The lawyer wasted no time bringing up his omni-tool. Inputting in a few strokes, he leaned over the table, "Detective, I wish to clarify the matter at hand. On what grounds are you arresting the Commander?"
"We have good evidence that puts Commander Shepard at the scene of today's attack on Executor Pallin."
Shepard watched the lawyer right then, this was the meat and potatoes of the whole thing. Just what did they have on her? It had to be something strong, establishing probable cause. Without that, they would not have arrested her at all.
"And correct me if I'm wrong, but the charges have not been formally laid?" The lawyer asked.
"Correct. I wish to discuss the matter with Commander Shepard before I formalize the charges." Castis replied calmly.
"And have you discussed anything with my client prior to this meeting?" The lawyer went on, seemingly going down some pre-determined mental list of questions.
"No. Not in detail. The commander only told me she has an alibi for the night of the attack." Castis replied.
"I see." The lawyer typed something into his omni-tool and turned his head to give her a stare.
Shepard blinked. Which part of that had she screwed up? Should she have remained quiet? Given the circumstances, that did not make sense to her. Silence only worked for the guilty, it would keep them from giving the investigators what they did not actually have.
"Commander, would you like to tell us about the alibi?" Castis wondered.
Shepard noted that Saren had focused his gaze on her. She felt Nihlus squeeze her shoulder in an assuring manner. She took a deep breath, "Sure, but before that… I feel I need to explain that what I am about to say is somewhat sensitive, and will be a bit long, but it has everything to do with my alibi, as well as my ability to prove it."
"I understand. You are a Spectre candidate after all." Castis replied, even as he keyed some commands into the console next to him.
Saren hummed something inarticulate. Shepard could only think that he would have wanted to argue the definition, but then chose not to.
"Proceed, Commander." Castis prompted.
"Alright. My crew and I have just returned from Feros." She paused for a brief moment to see if anyone needed an explanation on where that was, but was surprised that Castis merely nodded, Saren looked bored already, and the lawyer was fast at work typing every word she said. That was good, right? "Well, I was assigned to handle a… Heretic incursion into Alliance space."
"Heretic?" Castis asked.
"They are a faction of the Geth, and this was not the first time they made a move on Alliance space. Spectre Arterius was present as an observer during their previous attempt on Solcrum." She paused to take in a deep breath, but really it was to observe their reactions. Saren's mandibles drew up against his jaw. He was not happy about being pulled in, but could not say anything about it. For Shepard this was her way of making it abundantly clear that they had history. "Well, this is where things get a little… classified. During the operation on Feros we've encountered an indigenous species, the Thorian. While I am not at liberty to discuss the circumstances around said contact, I will say that the Thorian could hold other species in stasis. Among its captured individuals was a Prothean." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Saren turn to face her fully. He was officially interested, that was good. Part of the reason she was laying out all this information was to bait him.
"Go on, Commander," Castis said calmly.
Shepard duly went on, "Detective, the Protheans were telepaths. Furthermore, this individual had no reservations about using his ability. Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority, I experience… an adverse reaction to telepathic contact. I've discovered my resistance when I encountered a certain asari on Noveria, during a mission I was part of, with Spectre Arterius and Kryik. Nihlus do you remember Elise?"
"I wish I did not. Detective, that job was an ugly mess, much blood and severed limbs," Nihlus replied.
Shepard thought that Nihlus was being melodramatic, yet truthful at the same time. Saren made a sound that might have been a snort, but in a turian way. Shepard really could not tell how he was taking this. Right then, she could not look at him for very long. His armor seemed to glare in the room's light. "Well, what I am getting at here is that any telepathic contact gives me symptoms akin to a concussion, and it takes me a few days to recover. Prothean telepathy is much more powerful, so my symptoms were worse than normal. Quite literally I could not bend down without severe pain shooting right through my entire head. I was put on medical leave, medicated, and asleep last night."
"Speaking of medicine," Nihlus set a small plastic container on the table. Inside were ten round, glossy pills, each around a centimeter in diameter.
"Thanks, Nihlus," Shepard replied.
Castis stared at that bottle for a long hard moment, but then looked up to meet her gaze. "I will need to confirm everything you have just told me."
"No problem. You can ask Doctor Karin Chakwas, the Normandy's medical officer. She can show you records of medical scans. Also, I am on medical leave at the moment, you can confirm that with Doctor Chakwas and my superior officer, Admiral Steven Hackett of the Fifth Fleet." She explained. "Now please excuse me…" she added as she reached for one of the glasses from the stack. Taking her medication was going to be her pretense to look around. There was a sour look on her lawyer's face as he watched her take one of the pills. Saren had crossed his arms and looked displeased. Was he realizing that his fond wish was going up in flames?
Castis was typing things into the console, and he must have been listening for the sound of her setting her glass back down, as he looked up, "Thank you, Commander. If the doctor and your senior officer confirm your story, it does indeed become quite an alibi. Now, I am sure you are aware that we linked the attack on Executor Pallin to the murders of Ternus Erasion and Admiral Titus Bellisario."
Shepard did not even twitch. It was no big surprise that he knew, not after the discussion they had previously. She could not even pretend she was oblivious to the identity of the secretary. Castis Vakarian would have every reason to suspect his own son had told her about him. She would have to talk her way out of those as well, and unfortunately she had a clear alibi for just one of them.
"I have a strong alibi for the night of the admiral's death as well. The week before, Nihlus and I were dispatched to Taetrus on a classified Spectre assignment. Councilor Sparatus himself will confirm that for you. During that assignment, Nihlus and I sustained injuries that required a hospitalization. I was tossed into a wall by a former Cabalist. I had a concussion, two broken ribs, three fractured ribs, a fractured clavicle, and one of the broken ribs gouged a lung. That'll be in Nihlus' full report."
"I will release that report if you request it." Nihlus slipped in, "But the short of it is that the rib injuries and concussion would have prevented Shepard from using a hyper-velocity rifle and firing that shot."
"Yes, on the night of the Admiral's assassination I was still recuperating. Doctor Chakwas received a treatment record from my attending physician at the hospital on Taetrus, and she also conducted verification scans to confirm that I was recovering well. Please ask her to show you those as well."
"I see." The detective made yet even more notes.
Saren looked even less amused than before. But the lawyer was not happy either. One would think a client who had two strong alibis would have made his job easier. Shepard would ponder what was upsetting him later.
"And what of the night of the murder of Ternus Erasion?" Castis wondered.
Shepard took a deep breath, she really wished she had something nicely solid for that one. "I was on board the Normandy, sleeping in my private cabin after a long mission Nihlus and I carried out on… elective basis. It involved terminating an illegal organ cloning operation outside Citadel space." She would keep Garrus' name out of the picture if she could. "The best I can offer you, is that my ship only has one major airlock. You can ask the monitoring officers on duty whether they saw me pass by them that night. My acting XO, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko can tell you who was on duty at the time." She would trust Kaidan and EDI to find a way around the logistical problems.
Castis gave her a scrutinizing stare, which she held and waited. Shepard could see the mental gears grinding. Sure that alibi was a little flimsier than the other two, but at the very least it was there. Hopefully it would protect EDI as well. Then the detective turned back to the console. This allowed Shepard a brief moment to measure the crowd. The lawyer was typing frantically into his omni-tool. Saren was the only one looking in her direction. Right then he was probably trying to spot any tells that she was lying through her teeth. Shepard would not be surprised. She knew better than to think she could ever convince him of her innocence. Saren would love for her to be guilty, it would be a gift to him, a way of getting rid of her without doing anything. Then she saw Castis look up, and she took that as her cue to break eye contact with Saren.
"Commander, I will definitely confirm everything you have told me. I am currently waiting for a search warrant for the Normandy. We will be searching for the weapons and gear the assailant used in the attack."
Shepard repressed an outward reaction, but her heartrate skyrocketed. Suddenly she could feel it thudding against her sternum. Nihlus' fingers ghosted against the back of her neck, a reminder that he was still there. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Castis would find the Normandy's main battery. EDI was a second concern, Shepard knew that if push came to shove, EDI could try and pretend to be a VI. C-Sec would need to bring a crew of specialists and get a good, hard look at EDI's hardware to tell the difference.
Then there was also Legion, who shared a space with EDI. Anyone who wanted to search the machinery would have to do so under Legion's unblinking stare. Still, this had the possibility of going south fast. Admiral Hackett would not be pleased, and a whole bunch of people would be outright pissed. But what could she do? Any attempt to keep anyone from seeing the AI Core or the main battery would look like obstruction. C-Sec would pursue those areas of the Normandy even more vehemently.
"I expected you would require access to the Normandy, detective." There was no need to beat around that bush. Outwardly she sounded calm, but it took her sniper's training to keep her breathing under control. "I have nothing to hide," a lie outright, but maybe she could explain her reaction, just in case? "But please be aware that I employ a very diverse crew, including an active Geth." Legion would forgive her for using them like this, right?
"A Geth?" Castis repeated, surprised.
"Her pet synthetic." Saren noted in a derisive manner.
Saren wanted to see her twist in the wind. Tough luck though. Shepard was not ashamed of Legion, and they would not be used against her. "Truly, Spectre Arterius… you've known about Legion for a while. I have never concealed my friendship with this unit." She corrected bluntly, putting just a tint of sweetness into her tone. "And the reason I mention them is that while Legion is friendly, they can appear intimidating, and it's best that the detectives are aware of their presence." While that would prevent an incident between C-Sec and Legion, it was more her way of obfuscating her physical reaction to the search warrant. It worked for her if the detective thought her reaction was actually worry over Legion.
Saren stared at her, his head tipped to the side, as if he was on to her. However, he remained silent. Shepard chose to chalk that one up to him not having anything to argue against that.
"I will notify my team, thank you, Commander." Castis said.
Shepard nodded. There was no way to know whether the little misdirection worked, but she would play the role to the end.
The lawyer cleared his throat as he stopped typing into his omni-tool. "Detective, seeing as my client does have an alibi for all three incidents, I believe that now she would like to hear about why she was arrested to begin with."
Castis looked from one to the other and then turned back to her. "Executor Pallin defended himself, and managed to nick his assailant with his last shot. We were able to locate and retrieve a sample of the attacker's blood, from which we extracted genetic material."
Saren's arms dropped to his sides as he straightened.
Shepard felt Nihlus' fingers ghost across her neck again even as her insides seemed to freeze over all at once. DNA? They had her DNA? "That's… impossible."
"Commander do not say another thing!" The lawyer's voice dropped low, in clear warning.
"The sample was sequenced and matched against the databases with a ninety-nine point nine percent certainty," Castis added.
Shepard took a deep breath, using a sniper's method to minimize the expansion of her ribcage, and then slowly let it out through her nose. This was definitely not something that could be readily explained. DNA was the epitome of strong evidence, but fact remained that she had not been there to deposit it. So what were the other options? She knew that Banes might be out to frame her, and now he appeared to have gone the whole nine yards. A few drops? If the assailant had been wearing armor, her weave would have retained her blood, so did she deposit a prepared sample? Depositing blood required a great deal of preplanning and forethought, and that was definitely there in this whole thing. It was also not beyond the realm of possibility that Banes had manufactured her blood. Modern medicine could manufacture whole organs, and he had cloned himself to fake death! "That blood could not have come from my circulatory system, detective. Furthermore, I am willing to undergo a physical exam to show you that I do not have a gunshot injury. I got nothing to hide."
"Commander you are waiving your rights," the lawyer all but hissed now.
Shepard stuck up her hand to stop his protests. Now was not the time for quibbling rights and remaining silent. "I'm human. On us, even a freshly regenerated wound still sticks out against surrounding skin for about twenty-four Terran hours. I want to put it on record that I am in no way wounded." She needed to press that point.
Castis stared at her long and hard, measuring her response.
"That would imply that the genetic material was planted. Do you have enemies that would go that far?" Saren said, voice dripping with incredulity.
Too much incredulity for Shepard's liking, but the irony was that he hit the truth right on the head. This had to be the work of Armistan Banes. He was the only one who had the motive and means. Indirect action and conspiracy were his preferred modus operandi, and he got away with things precisely because of reactions like Saren's. Still, even if by some chance it was not Banes specifically, but someone else, it did not matter. She just needed for the idea to take root. It would create reasonable doubt, and that would be enough.
"Commander, I do believe that at this time it would not be your best interest to continue this conversation," the lawyer pressed on.
"Oh no, this will have to be discussed. Spectre Arterius may find the supposition preposterous, but there is an individual out there with the motive and means for precisely this sort of thing." Shepard countered, sparing the lawyer a glare. As far as she was concerned he was acting contrary to her interest right then. Still, she would play Scheherazade. If it was at all possible she would prefer if C-Sec finished processing the evidence, as then she would know which gaps she had to fill. She turned and looked at Saren, mustering a rueful smile. "Spectre Arterius, your… opinion that humans can be underhanded proves to have merit."
Saren's expression lost all traces of amusement.
Shepard kept her poker face in place. It would not do to be seen smiling. She would concede that Saren's prejudices were founded upon a kernel of truth, and if it suited her, use them against him. That was a polite reminder to Castis that Saren was a biased git. It was a pre-emptive divide and conquer gambit. If Saren said anything about her being a liar, Castis might just think he was indeed voicing said biases. Castis did not like, or trust Spectres, and she would use that.
Castis hummed as his pale eyes flicked toward the lawyer, who had gone oddly silent. Then his gaze flicked back to her and he laid his hands on the table. "Commander, I would very much like to hear the full story, after I confirm your alibis."
"Of course," Shepard replied. Really, she needed to think about how to spin that tale. So this worked for her. "Nihlus, ask Kaidan to pull up the relevant files," She trusted Nihlus to realize that he would actually have to ask EDI, as Kaidan would not have her security access code. Though, Kaidan could probably request copies of what she had sent to Admiral Hackett.
"Consider it done," Nihlus murmured.
"There, you will have my full reports on the matter, Detective. All of them can be verified by Admiral Hackett as well," Shepard said.
"Good. Then we will adjourn this meeting for now. I will get you a transcript of our conversation within the hour to sign."
"Thank you," Shepard replied. She knew what that transcript was for, everything that was said during this meeting was going on official record.
"Now, this is what I will do after this. I will wait for the search warrant before I go to meet with Doctor Chakwas. I will also contact Admiral Hackett. Spectre Kryik, I do want that report on your mission to Taetrus." Castis listed off.
"No problem, I will send it to you as soon as I get back to the Normandy." Nihlus replied.
"I will, of course, request a second copy from Councilor Sparatus, just to verify that the facts align." Castis went on. His eyes took on a harder edge as he stared up at Nihlus over Shepard's head.
Shepard had to work not to grin, Castis clearly did not trust Nihlus not to pull a fast one.
"Oh. I guess I have to leave my typographical errors untouched," Nihlus replied blandly.
Shepard almost cringed. Did he really just say that, or was she hearing things? Castis did not look impressed, and she could not blame him.
"Detective Vakarian," the lawyer butted in, drawing the attention. "I have one more question, for the record, is my client free to go?"
"Not yet. It is not our policy to release suspects with charges pending." Castis replied.
"Thank you, I just needed the confirmation." The lawyer glanced at his omni-tool, "You have… thirty-seven Galactic Standard hours left, detective. If my client is not charged or released within that time, you will hear from me."
"I am aware of that," Castis replied blandly. Then he turned back to her. "Commander, do you still wish for our medical expert to confirm that you are indeed uninjured?"
"Of course." Shepard replied automatically.
"Alright, we will do that."
"Thank you." There was no arguing there, Castis was going by the book and to the letter.
"That is all for now, then." Castis got up from his seat, and the chair creaked. Simultaneously Saren pushed off the wall.
Shepard got up and slipped the pill bottle into the pocket on her leg. Then she followed the senior detective out of the room. Once past the door Garrus was at her side almost before she could blink. He had watched, and likely heard the whole meeting through the one-way glass. She smiled at him just to say that everything was alright. She was perfectly aware of his tendencies to worry and overthink.
"Vakarian, I want to be notified of the next meeting," Saren said as he walked past them.
"You will be," Castis replied curtly.
"Good." And with that said, the Spectre walked away.
Shepard watched him go for a few seconds, but then her eyes drifted toward Detective Bellacus. He had arrived sometime during the meeting, and was now learning against the opposite wall. The wait had probably been awkward for him, what with the likelihood of Garrus glaring him down being pretty high.
"Bellacus, I want you to escort the Commander down to see T'Veris. Tell her I want her to give the commander a full exam for recent bullet grazes." Castis ordered.
"Can do," the junior detective replied as he pushed off the wall. "Commander, if you will."
Shepard would have liked to get a moment talk to Nihlus, but she knew that it would look very damning if she did. "Alright," she said. She would have to trust Nihlus' uncanny tendency to think on a parallel track to her.
"Commander!" Garrus called.
"I'm fine, Garrus. This has to be done."
Garrus' mandibles flicked by way of reply, and his eyes looked positively stormy. Yet he said nothing else. Shepard took that as her cue to follow Bellacus down the hall.
With Garrus…
He watched Shepard go until she vanished around the corner. The lawyer followed her like a varren on a leash. Garrus was far from happy with what had occurred in the last hour. Not only was the evidence against Shepard real, and her legal counsel incompetent, but certain other parts of the truth had come up. His first instinct was to go up to Kryik and demand an explanation for what happened on Taetrus. It must have went seriously wrong, and Kryik was the only individual who could be responsible for that. But whoever was framing Shepard, had provided the one piece of evidence that could not be readily explained. Shepard had to be thinking of using Banes as her explanation. Garrus knew he would have to show Kryik where and how he could help Shepard. Now was not the time to start an argument with the Spectre.
Garrus turned and opened his mouth to speak, "Dad…"
Castis raised a hand to forestall him. "Stop right there, Garrus. Anything you may want to tell me right now will not help the Commander. You do not want to tell me one version, only for her to tell me another later." Castis said.
Garrus acceded that there was nothing he could say against that. "Fine, but… I have to know, Dad… do you think she did it?"
"There is no denying that the evidence is there against her." Castis replied bluntly.
Kryik let out a sound that was vaguely growl-like, but then he bit it off.
Garrus would have echoed him, had he not noticed something strange in the way his father said those words. His father's subvocals had remained silent. The words were a constitution of fact, uttered with no real conviction in their veracity. His father had admitted he was not entirely sure in the evidence without outright saying as much. "I can see it too, Dad, but I am willing to swear on my honor that it was not her." Garrus knew he had to say something, because his father would expect it.
"I am sure she would appreciate that, Garrus, but that is not how things work, and you know it."
Six months ago Garrus knew he would have started an argument when his father inevitably said something about procedure. Yet now, he was counting on his father's thoroughness to find the truth of the matter. There was irony in there. "I know. But I had to say it."
Castis nodded. "I understand. Both of you are very loyal to her. I may even be beginning to understand why…" at that his subvocals gave a note of amusement, "but do not do anything that might do more harm than good." The mirth was gone in an instant, replaced by an unspoken warning. "If she is innocent, the best you can do is let the truth vindicate her. Whatever it is you are planning, do not proceed with it. I can ignore a few unwise words, but I will not overlook anything either of you might do if it overtly obstructs procedure."
Garrus straightened, his father's subvocals had started rumbling again, the conviction. He could not overlook the highly specific warning either. What more, Kryik remained silent as well. They had to be asking themselves the same question right then. Was their earlier conversation overheard? As Garrus glanced past his father's shoulder, he saw Kryik staring at him. The intensity of his stare told him to back down.
"Garrus, Spectre Kryik… I am not saying you two should not want to help her. By all means help her in whatever way you wish. Just, do not do anything foolish. Now, I did promise the Commander a transcript within the hour."
"Thank you for your time, detective." Kryik said.
Castis nodded and walked away.
Garrus could only mutely watch his father's retreating back. He was still fixated on the thought that their father had known what Kryik had been planning. Or maybe he had somehow guessed? It might be possible. Kryik had been in that room with him. His father would have seen and heard every reaction. Kryik might have given himself away somehow.
"Vakarian, come now. We have things to do as well." Kryik said.
Garrus mutely turned to follow the Spectre.
Meanwhile, on Zakera Ward…
"You are watching the Citadel News Network, reliable news on the hour, every hour." The console on the bed next to her chimed with the station's news bulleting jingle.
Jezebel laid there, wearing the spandex shorts and tank top she had worn under her armor. Right then, her upper arm was caked in medi-gel, the best she could do for the bullet graze Pallin had given her with his last-ditch effort. The sting of the wound was nothing on the feeling of having messed up. She had let down her guard after putting two bullets in him.
"Good morning. The top story this hour remains the attack on Citadel Security's Executor Venari Pallin. We were able to confirm that he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and remains so at this hour."
Jezebel frowned, so the turian was still clinging to life? Mister King would not like that. Getting to Pallin a second time would be much harder if not outright impossible. He would anticipate a second attempt, and he would have all of C-Sec's finest lining up for bodyguard duties. Bodyguards were not necessarily an issue, but they could be distractions. She was not an idiot either, the more turians were in the room, the harder sneaking around became.
"We can also confirm that Citadel Security have identified and arrested a suspect in the attack."
Jezebel shot up into a sitting position, and hissed when that jostled her injury. Citadel Security had arrested someone? She knew they had her blood. It would not take longer than a few hours to sequence the DNA and run it against the databases. Whom had they arrested with her DNA?
"However we were not informed of the suspect's identity."
Jezebel practically slammed the key to stop the news recording as a frisson of fear ran down her spine. She was not an idiot, she knew that the targets she had been paid to assassinate were specifically chosen. Then, there was the timing, always highly specific. From that, it was not a major leap of logic to figure out that she had been framing someone. It also did not take her much to figure out what sort of person either, not with her background and the highly specific gear she had been given. The other woman had to be a problematic Alliance specialist, maybe even an N7.
Jezebel did not have any problems with framing someone. She was paid more than enough for her to stop caring. However, Mister King had said nothing about them apparently matching genetically. That was a pretty big detail to omit. It was the sort of detail someone omitted intentionally. So where did that leave her?
The questions came hard and fast. Just what the hell was going on? How was it possible that she matched someone to begin with? She did not have a twin, or even siblings! Where did this put her with her employer? Furthermore, Pallin was still breathing. Would he look at the other woman and know she had not attacked him? Dogs could tell twins apart by smell, maybe turians could too. The questions swirled in her head with enough force to make her dizzy. Every instinct in her body told her that something was going very, very wrong, and she did not want to be there to witness it implode.
Jezebel threw her feet over the edge of the bed. A moment later she was on her feet and pacing the length of the micro-apartment. Her employer was not going to be her only problem. No, there was also the victim of the whole scheme. She turned and paced in the other direction. Then, C-Sec would not conceal the nature of the evidence that led them to arrest someone. The other woman would know to look for someone who matched her DNA. Jezebel turned again, and paced back toward the window. If something happened and the charges were dropped, the other woman would become a problem. No one would turn the other cheek to the person who framed them for triple homicide!
Jezebel stopped dead in her tracks and ran her hand through her hair, ignoring the sting of her wound. Suddenly that pain was the least of her concerns. Her single fixation became what she should do. She had held off confirming success, because lying about that was a quick way to end up dead, but now, Mister King would only need to watch the news to know she had failed. There would be no final paycheck, no bonus. So where did that leave her?
Jezebel glanced at the trunk just peeking out from under her bed. In that moment she knew. It was time to vanish. Her employer would not be happy, and she would not put it past him to send someone to tie up a loose end. She needed to disappear, change her appearance as much as possible, and wait out the situation until C-sec thought they had their killer, at which point she could leave the Citadel and none would be the wiser.
Author Notes: I'm ashamed that it took a pandemic for me to finish a chapter in less than a month. I hope I did not mangle portraying an anxiety attack too badly, and I'm sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable. I needed to make it clear that my Shepard can crack and does have a breaking point. And I should add that I've never gotten so much as a look from a cop, so the arrest scene was a pain to write.
General Notes:
Episode Title – Shamelessly riffed off a James Bond movie. In fact, I had an amorphous idea for this storyline even before I wrote Goldeneye! The season one finale was named to match Skyfall, not the other way around. I was talking to a dear friend of mine, and we ran away with the idea. The idea for the whole thing also came to me after I heard Adele's song. I took some inspirations from the lyrics as well.
Chapter Notes:
Scheherazade – She is the major character of the collection of tales known as the "One Thousand and One Nights". In the narrative frame, Scheherazade tells these tales to stave off being killed by a distrustful husband. She would start a story one night, but leave the ending for the next, and so on. I thought the image was apropos.