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 am happy to say that this episode wrote itself, and the murky schemes are getting murkier! Please enjoy.

Episode 54: Crossing Rubicon [Part II]

Hashing out a scheme worthy of Machiavelli changed the mood in that office entirely. Shepard was acutely aware of Hackett's unease with the whole thing, and she would be lying if she said she not uneasy herself. The inquest and the Hierarchy put her back against the wall, but in a manner unlike anything she had ever faced before. Dealing with a hundred batarians worried her less than meeting Admiral Lindholm or Primarch Fedorian. Shepard had never fancied herself a diplomat or a politician. If she was honest, she rather loathed them as a rule. To get that far up, it seemed like one had to be a duplicitous, self-righteous, hypocrite. Shepard absolutely refused to stoop that low.

She went on to explain what happened on the Citadel with the clone and the mysterious greasy-haired killer. Admiral Hackett hummed in a few places, and Leif listened without making a sound. It was not a long report, as she had nothing very concrete. She promised to have the written report done as soon as possible, and after that to follow up on the leads that she had. That seemed to satisfy the Admiral well enough, though probably only because it was not really a priority right then.

The final topic of discussion was what had happened on Feros, up to and including the connection she made with Liara. It was the least pressing issue at hand, but it had to be mentioned, simply because she wanted the Admiral to know that she had a full dance card. "… If everything works out, I would like to pursue these Ark Colonies. I think I can trust Doctor T'Soni, and I need an academic like her to make heads or tails of things. Furthermore, she would have connections with other specialists in the field. Having proficiency in long-dead languages is well and good, but my team and I are all out of our depths when it comes to archeology, anthropology, and whatever else this falls under."

"Yes, I can see that." Hackett said. "I have no reason to refuse you. Nevertheless, it is not a priority. Focus on the immediate task at hand. If you cannot convince the Hierarchy officials that there was no breach of the Armistice, none of us will be in position to pursue the Arks."

"Understood," Shepard replied calmly. There was nothing else to be said. "That is pretty much everything covered now."

"Then I believe we can adjourn this meeting. You will need all the time you can get." Hackett smiled ruefully.

Shepard nodded. She would consider that a dismissal. With that she snapped to attention and saluted, even as she heard the door open behind her. Just before she turned around to exit the room, she noted a deeply harried look cross the Admiral's features. In that single brief moment Hackett looked like he had aged twenty years. Then the door closed, and the picture vanished. Shepard looking down at the floor, she felt rotten for being this much trouble. The sound of a man's huff caused her to look up. Claudia and Theresa were still there, and Rear Admiral Mikhailovich was present as well.

"Commander Shepard, I would say this was a surprise, but it is not."

Shepard had to bite back her immediate reaction, instead she chose to snap to attention and salute, as if she was oblivious to the man's words and tone. "Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, sir."

His eyes narrowed, and for all of a split second he looked like he had bitten down on the bitterest thing in existence. Nevertheless, as decorum demanded, he returned her gesture. However, the gesture was pro-forma, and brief. "I should have known that coming here to notify Hackett of the Normandy's arrival would be pointless. As usual, you are here first, with bells on."

Shepard lowered her arm as slowly and as languidly as she could muster. She would play the clueless as long as possible, but that was all. Her memory was not flawed enough to forget their previous meeting. Mikhailovich had been in charge of the Normandy during her test runs, and he wanted the ship for himself. He probably did not like Hannah, Captain Anderson, and anyone associated with them. Her mother had never mentioned working with, or even talking to Mikhailovich at any length. There was the patently obvious fact that despite being a rear admiral, Hackett did not keep Mikhailovich within his inner circle of confidants. It was not within her rank privilege to know why, but Shepard would assume there was a reason, and proceed with caution from there. "Just dropping off my reports, Sir." It was not a total lie either.

Mikhailovich hummed, he looked less than impressed. Then, without saying another word he turned and exited the office.

Shepard watched him go without moving a muscle. She had just ruined something, but what? It could be as simple as an attempt at convincing Hackett to see things his way, or it could be something much more sinister. The line about telling Hackett that the Normandy had arrived was as bogus as her own about dropping off reports. There was no need for those things to be done in person. She could only wonder then, was Mikhailovich another piece on the board? On whose side? Should she tell Hackett about this?

Then the office's outer door swung open admitting two more figures into the room, carrying transport trays laden with coffee cups. Just like that the clouds dissipated from sight. Shepard could not help but break into a grin from ear to ear at seeing two more of her former teammates.

They stopped cold in their tracks on seeing her.

"Geez, where did you two go to buy that coffee? The Citadel?" Shepard asked.

The taller of the two grinned sheepishly even as his brown eyes lit up with joy. At two meters tall, clad in dark colored fatigues, and built like an American Football linebacker, Ethan Bailey well resembled a wall meant to keep an enemy at bay. His dark brown hair was buzzed almost to non-existence, with fading sides and brush-bristle short at the top.

The shorter of the two looked up at his companion, "Twitching like a schoolboy sent to the principal's office already, Big Guy?" Then he turned to face her, "To answer your question, Cara, we went off-base. The swill they sell on-base is not fit for anyone's consumption."

"Figures," Shepard murmured. She really should have known that any time Gino Marconi went with anyone who was going for coffee, he would insist on it being what he deemed actual coffee. Nothing instant, he still had his sense of taste, or so he said. Standing at a respectable meter eighty, the Italian was built like a swimmer, and dressed in dark fatigues with a light carbon-fiber exo-frame strapped over his left calf, vanishing into his loose-tied boot. His black hair had once been as short as Ethan's, but now it was due for a trim, as the top was long enough to sweep back. The disparity between the mop and the shorter sides did not flatter him, but Shepard knew that he would not care. Point it out, and he would say he had not noticed, too busy tinkering. It would not even be a lie. Gino was prone to being absent-minded when engrossed in doing something he loved.

"Well, allow me to make the introductions. This is Spectre Nihlus Kryik, my current mentor. And Nihlus, these are my other teammates from my ICT days, Ethan Bailey, call name Bulwark, and Gino Marconi, call name Pazzo. And in case your translator glitches, that's Italian for crazy."

"Like a Fox! Really though, pleasure to meet you. I knew who you were though… who else would bring a sidearm here?" Gino said, beaming like a xenon lightbulb.

"Hello." Ethan said.

"Now that the small-talk is out of the way, what's going on?" Gino cut in, not letting anyone say anything more.

"You'd have known if you hadn't gone for coffee," Leif replied blandly.

Gino flicked his fingertips under his chin rather forcefully, but said nothing.

Shepard knew what that gesture meant, and what more, Leif knew it too. It was time to step in before they began to argue. "It's a good thing they went for coffee. We're going to need it. Right after we find a nice quiet place to have a nice long conversation. I'm interested in some quid pro quo. What have you three been up to in the past couple months?"

"Alright then," Gino replied.

"Spectre, I will apologize, we do not have any kava." Ethan said.

"It is fine," Nihlus replied.

Shepard grinned.

Ethan pulled one of the cups off his tray, "Here, Shepard. Just how you like it. No milk, no sugar."

Shepard took the cup before the other three could counterbalance the big man's grip and end up on the floor. He nodded and stepped around her, first giving another of the cups to Claudia, and then a third to Theresa. Both thanked him. Then he carried the last cup right into Admiral Hackett's office. By the time he stepped out, Shepard already had a good idea of where they should go to get some privacy.

Finding somewhere to talk was easier thought of than necessarily done. In the end, Shepard led the group into the large gardens on the base. In the middle of the day there were fewer people just strolling the paths. Everyone seemed to be in a bit of a rush, which worked for her. Nevertheless to prevent being overheard she insisted they would sit on the thick lip of a fountain, using its water jets as a screen of white noise. Her in the middle, Gino on her right, with Leif and Ethan on her left. She also positioned Nihlus some meters apart behind Gino, knowing that he could still hear everything. The idea was that those who passed by might focus on the seemingly lone turian, and not pay attention to the four humans. A few smiles and their group might just look like they were discussing a new Hollywood release, and not a conspiracy. Nevertheless, she still kept an eye on their surroundings. If anyone got too close she instantly shifted the conversation onto something benign.

Catching Ethan and Gino on the plan they had hashed out with Admiral Hackett was a relatively brief affair. It helped their neither of them were the sort to interrupt when she was on a roll.

"I can't believe it has come to that." Ethan said about ten seconds after Shepard finally fell silent. Being as big as he was, his voice matched, a deep baritone that tended to resemble a jungle cat's rumble.

Shepard snorted, "Yea. Things have gotten… complicated."

"The plan is sound though," Gino declared. "With a few… caveats."

"Sure. Talking to a foreign leader… that's just a caveat." Shepard argued as she rubbed her left ear as if she had a really bad itch. It was a pre-arranged signal telling Nihlus that he could approach them now.

"Cara, we know you. You're saying that now, but when you're staring that politician in the face, you'll do your usual thing, all charisma and charming smile, and no one will be able to tell you no, or stop you," Gino explained.

"Spirits, I just realized that… she does exactly that," Nihlus chuckled.

Shepard spared Nihlus a half-hearted glare. He was seated about three meters away now, on Gino's other side.

"See? The Spectre agrees with me." Gino beamed. "You just need someone to let you know when the Hierarchy delegation arrives. The sooner the better. No offense, Spectre Kryik, but if I am right, you will not be notified."

"You are probably right," Nihlus replied.

"You will need to move quickly. Lindholm will know when they arrive," Ethan added.

"Yes, but she'd never tell us." Shepard said.

"No need." Leif chuckled. "Aisha will know as well."

"Who now?" Shepard asked. That was not a name she recognized.

"Lieutenant Aisha Morgan. Bumped into her unit about two months into your desk duty stint. She's an L3 Adept, an N6, and did a year in the Valkyrie Program. You'll be impressed. I saw her shatter the ceramics on a slaver and then rip his weave, in the void, by putting her hand to his chest." Leif explained. "She's kind of our unofficial fifth now. We gave her the call sign Fairy."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. Fairy? That was a suspiciously adorable name for someone who could peel a slaver like a banana with one touch. Unless, Fairy was just a translation, and they actually named Lieutenant Morgan after Morgan le Fay. She could reasonably expect something like that from Leif. "So… how will she know?"

Leif smirked, "Because Aisha's name somehow ended up on the list of guards they normally post as security for foreign diplomatic attachés visiting Arcturus Station."

Shepard grinned. That could not be a mere coincidence, it was too convenient. It was a very clever trick on Admiral Hackett's part. Which made her think that he might have even anticipated her to want to meet with the Hierarchy delegation and positioned a peripheral asset accordingly. The second those guards were called they would know that foreign dignitaries were coming. Aisha was perfectly positioned to tip them off. "And do you trust her?" Shepard asked. What she really wanted to know was whether the woman knew why she was posted there.

"Aisha knows that this is for our grey-eyed goddess." Leif bowed his head, though his gaze never dropped to the floor and his grin was positively impish.

"Cheeseball," Shepard muttered as she rolled her eyes. Leif was being himself again. Still, that was not the answer she wanted. Sure Aisha may know about her, but did she know everything? Shepard would make the safe assumption that the answer was no. Either way, it did not matter, this still covered the one detail she had forgotten to ask Admiral Hackett about.

"Shepard, we really should return to the Normandy. You need to prepare for your meeting with the Hierarchy officials," Nihlus said as he got his feet.

Shepard sighed and got up, "He's right. Sorry guys. Duty calls."

"Yea, no biggie." Leif nodded.

"Do you want us to talk you to the gates?" Ethan asked as he shot up to his feet.

"No. It's fine." Shepard smiled. She would have rather preferred if they were not seen together very often, or a lot.

"Ethan, we're not supposed to advertise ourselves." Gino said.

The tall man nodded and sat back down, but Shepard saw him deflate. Ethan was a giant cuddly teddy bear most of the time, and had some very old-fashioned manners. His likeness to Ares only emerged when he was given a target.

Shepard was not happy to cut the talk just yet either. She had not gotten everything out of them. There was the odd months of radio silence, which now seemed imposed. Admiral Hackett had clearly been following the Cerberus trail for a while. Still, Nihlus was right, now was not the time for catching up. She would have to lay aside her curiosities until a better time. Well, as a stop-gap she could ask Kaidan whether he recognized Leif's name, but it was not a sure-fire thing, the quiet lieutenant tended to be evasive about his past.

Nihlus turned and began the walk toward the security gates.

"When all of this is behind us… we're tossing you a party," Leif said in all seriousness, as if he was announcing that they would have to operate.

Shepard nodded, there was no point in arguing with Leif. He would not take no for an answer on that sort of thing. She turned, and followed Nihlus.

"And do not think you're getting away from it!" Leif shouted after her.

"Yea, yea!" Shepard called back. Her not getting away with something? Who was Leif kidding? If she could get away with political intrigue, she could avoid an unwanted party. Then again, if Leif put his mind to it, he could potentially make that impossible by coopting the right people. Heaven help her if he went to her mother. Then again, if Shepard was honest, she did not have it in her to avoid it. She did not want to be on the receiving end of Leif's practiced kicked puppy look. It would take someone considerably colder than her to ignore that, and the cretin knew it.

On returning to the Normandy, Shepard only changed into a comfortable set of fatigues before she descended to the OD. She was a little bit hungry, but with everything going on, eating was not at all appealing. She wanted to get started on the documents, to feel like she had started on things, before she could relax enough to eat.

Once past the doors, she made a beeline toward her terminal and sat down. A few keystrokes brought up her messages. True to his word, Admiral Hackett had sent her a large package of documents. The detour at the fountain meant EDI had enough time to route it through her protocols.

The material inside was basically everything the admiral had. It included what would have gone into the pre-design sales pitch, to ensure that the people in charge of finances were on board with the construction. There were also the reports from Alliance Skunkworks, detailing how, where, and when the Thanix system was reverse-engineered. Then, underneath that were reports from the salvage crews that explored the Hierarchy vessel with what they had called 'unique weaponry'. Finally, there was also a report from a survey ship that had initially spotted the wreck. It formed the complete paper trail. Shepard made a mental note to thank Claudia later for what was clearly her contribution.

"Commander, would you like my assistance?" EDI asked.

"Maybe a little, EDI. First though, I need to go over this material, so I can figure out where I could use your help. I never thought I would be doing what is… basically a glorified high school presentation again." Shepard murmured. She needed to figure out how she wanted to present this information. What was important, what less so, what was necessary to diffuse the situation, and what could be held back. She knew full well that if she could get the Hierarchy to back down with the barest of minimums, she could claim a second victory.

"Understood." EDI replied.

Shepard smiled up into what she hoped was the line of view of EDI's internal cameras before turning back to her terminal. She transferred the entire data package onto a blank datapad, for convenience. She figured it was best to start at the beginning, the surveyor's reports which told the Alliance that there was a Hierarchy ship they could take apart within Alliance space. After that, she would turn to the reports from the salvage team whose boots had touched the ship's deck plates first.

Shepard got to her feet, picked up the documents, and a second, blank datapad for notes, and moved over to the couch, where she would be more comfortable reading. Soon enough, she was completely lost to the world, too focused on the material at hand.

She was so engrossed by it all that the next time the world registered at all she actually jumped when the OD door swished open. One glance at the corner of her note pad told her that an hour had elapsed. By the time she looked at her visitor, Nihlus was already a few steps into the room. Her gaze landed on the datapad in his hands.

"Already reading the information Hackett gave you?" Nihlus asked as he sat down next to her.

"Yes. And realizing just how much of a tall order this scheme is… if I fail, my career is done. I will give Lindholm actual reasons to put me away via general court martial." The funny thing about schemes of this sort was that the difference between the traitor and the hero depended on who was the winner that got to write the history.

"You were nervous before Terra Nova. You got us through that. You will get us through this. I know it."

Shepard took a deep breath, letting the air expand her ribcage. Nihlus was right. Besides, what other option did she have? The die had been cast, there was no taking it back. She exhaled slowly through her mouth, expelling the air from her lungs, wishing that her anxieties would follow. "Thank you, Nihlus. I think I needed to hear that. Now what is that?" She pointed at the datapad in his hands.

"This?" Nihlus grinned as he waves the pad. "Is something you will want to see. It will make your day."

Shepard froze in place. His tone was perfectly smug, but he had never played around like this for nothing, even in better times. At the end of the day, Nihlus was still a turian. That could only mean that the pad did contain something he thought she would like to see "So will I get to see it?" She asked.

Nihlus duly extended the pad for her to take as he grinned, flashing her all his needle-sharp teeth.

Shepard snatched it from his fingers before he could think to pull it away and quickly glanced down. The contents were already set to display in English, and by line three her eyebrows hit her hairline. It was a dossier on Primarch Fedorian, and judging by the headers, top secret, and Spectre eyes only. The contents included the primarch's full service history as well as list of professional accomplishments and feats of note. This would allow her to understand the primarch better and tailor her approach to avoid stepping on his toes. Her gaze snapped up, and she knew that right then she must look gob-smacked. "I officially owe you case of expensive brandy."

"I will not say no to that," Nihlus replied. "But I think I deserve a proper thank you."

Shepard stared at him for a long moment. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He was yanking her chain. "You're my hero. Thank you." She said blandly.

"I suppose that will do. You are welcome."

"And you are insufferable." She added, just as blandly.

The Spectre inclined his head in a mock bow. "Sure. But when you are a Spectre… I will toast you with expensive brandy, and we can laugh about this. Maybe at that party your friend wants to organize. You know… I think I will help him with that." The Spectre added, his grin turning positively cat that ate the canary.

Shepard groaned. Nihlus in kahoots with Leif? She almost shuddered at the thought. Would Arcturus Station survive that? Well, it might, if she admitted defeat now, but only because she had no other choice. "Alright, fine, you have yourself a deal."

"Good. In all seriousness though, keep that out of sight."

Shepard nodded but said nothing. It did not surprise her that despite his extra-legal status, giving others dossiers on high ranking officials was still compromising. Nihlus was going the whole nine yards for her, and she had to respect that. She would treat the contents of that pad as top secret Alliance intelligence.

"Well then, I will leave you to go over things." He announced at he got to his feet. "I want to get started on that video, see if I can clean it up a little, before we give it to EDI." He was already half way to the door.

"Alright, thanks Nihlus."

"No offence meant, EDI, but I need something to do." Nihlus added as the door opened.

"I understand, and I did not take any offense, Spectre Kryik," EDI replied calmly as the door closed behind him.

Shepard turned to the dossier. She could not believe that Nihlus went this far to stack the deck in her favor. First Garrus willfully disregarding Hierarchy protocol to work on the Thanix, now Nihlus was tossing the Council's rules out to window to leak highly classified information. Shepard did not know what to make of it all. Why would they do something like this? There was no benefit to it for them. For the first time she actually wondered, what was driving their actions, and did she want to find out? Shepard sighed, set the dossier on the coffee table and went back to reading the material Admiral Hackett had sent.

Meanwhile at the Alliance Naval Base, Arcturus Station…

Seeing Hannah's brat and the Spectre outside Hackett's office told Mikhailovich enough about what was going on. Hackett was once again letting the Shepards do as they pleased, if not outright aiding and abetting them. This was pushing it. Mikhailovich knew that something would eventually give, and when it did, both Hackett and the Shepards would find themselves in trouble. He was not going to stand idly by and watch that happen. He was also not going to be caught up with them either.

The door opened without resistance, admitting him into the waiting area of a large, luxurious office. He stopped just on the inside when he saw his query conversing with her secretary. As decorum demanded he came to attention and gave the woman a salute. "Admiral Lindholm, ma'am. May I have a word with you?" he asked.

"Perhaps," she replied. "Only if Hackett hadn't sent you to plead for one of his favorites. If he had… I will not let him waste my time. You can also go tell him that."

At seventy-five, Ines Lindholm looked over a decade, if not two, younger, and wore her uniform starched. Her flax-colored hair was fading to salt and pepper, but it was still long enough to be fashionably loose-plaited and draped over her shoulder. However if her appearance created the illusion of softness, a single glacial stare from her light blue eyes dissipated it in an instant.

"I have not come to defend anyone," Mikhailovich said.

Lindholm straightened, "Very well. Come into my office." She turned to the door, "Andrea, if anyone else shows up, tell them to wait."

"Yes, ma'am." The secretary replied quickly, but rather meekly.

The door opened. "Oh and Andrea… I will want my usual ready by the time we are finished."

"Yes, ma'am!" The secretary replied, even faster, though only a little bit louder.

Mikhailovich followed her into her office, knowing that if he dithered even a second too long she would order him to hurry up. Just before the door closed behind him, he saw the secretary touch her earpiece, already getting started on calling for whatever the 'usual' happened to be.

"Well, what is it?" Ines asked as she rounded her desk and sat down in her chair.

"I do not care for the Shepards. Hannah and her daughter have gotten away with too much. Now, the younger is selling our secrets to the enemy, and Hackett will not do anything that might upset Hannah. I do believe it is time that something is done about it. I am here to offer my services." Mikhailovich opened.

"Your services?" Ines repeated, her tone level, but her lips quirked. She was interested.

"And some intelligence. Hackett met with Shepard Junior earlier. Her Spectre mentor was with her."

"Oh I knew he met with her." Ines replied, as her expression flattened out.

He should have known, well, there was more to what he could offer. "They are planning something. When I saw her, Shepard did not appear to be particularly worried. As bothersome as she is, she is also intelligent and cunning. That Spectre… I don't think he's loyal to the Council anymore. He has to know about the stealth systems and the AI, but he hasn't reported them. He's a walking, talking, legal loophole that eats out of Shepard's hand. He can complicate things for you."

"That is a fair point," Lindholm replied. "But, there is little I can do about him, and I already assigned someone to keep an eye on Shepard. If she leaves the Normandy to meet with anyone again, I will know. None of what you said is really… a service to me. I do wonder though, why have you come to tell me these things?"

Lindholm was more than a few steps ahead of him. He needed to think of something she did not already know, or else she could as easily turn on him. "I have no desire to be caught up with Hackett and his favorites when they go down in flames." He knew where the wind was blowing. Shepard would not weasel out of this one. Once the court martial was under way, Hackett's actions and decisions would come into question. He had warned Hackett that giving the Normandy to Shepard was a colossal mistake, and Hackett had ignored him. Now that the inevitable had happened, Mikhailovich had no intention of losing everything over a decision he most definitely did not agree with. "I have no intention to sit back and watch as Hackett makes a mockery of the Alliance either."

"I see." Ines replied. "I do intend to correct the oversights to the full extent of the law. I suppose it is good that you've told me that you are not involved. However, there is just one little problem, I need a little more than a few sweet words."

"I will do whatever it takes." He replied.

The woman hummed. "Alright. You said that they are planning something. Sounds like conspiracy to me." Ines smiled as only a shark must, right before it attacked. "If you can find out what it is, and if you are willing to testify, then… well, I think I can make it worth your while."

"I want the Normandy." Mikhailovich replied automatically.

A frown crossed the woman's face. "Are you sure you want it? I can't imagine the Hierarchy or the Council will let us keep her in service. I wouldn't be surprised if they demand its immediate decommissioning. For now they've only discovered the guns. I can't imagine what they would do if they discovered the AI," Ines said. "No. I'm of the opinion that that thing has to go."

"Perhaps you're right," Mikhailovich replied. When put like that, the Normandy did sound like more of a liability than it was worth. He did not want to end up in Shepard's position some time down the line. It would not do to be hoisted by his own petard.

Ines hummed as her frigid eyes lit up. "Here's what you'll do for me. Help me purge the Fifth Fleet, and there will be a new opening for an admiral."

Mikhailovich looked up. A full admiral? That certainly sounded tempting. If Hackett was dishonored, he would be stripped of his command. Ines Lindholm could easily push for an internal promotion, and he was in the right position to benefit. "I will see… what I can find."

"Good. I will leave all of that in your hands."

Mikhailovich nodded, came to attention, snapped the admiral a salute, made an about face, and marched out of the office.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that he had just made a deal with the devil, but he had seen the writing on the wall. There was no way that Hackett or Shepard could evade what was coming to them. He wanted to disassociate himself, and maybe reap some benefits on the side. If that took a deal with the devil, then he would make that deal with the devil.

On the Normandy…

By early evening, Shepard had finished reading the materials Admiral Hackett gave her, and developed a good battle plan for the meeting with the Hierarchy officials, but it was missing the metaphorical keystone. So, she descended to deck three with her notes. Whereas most people gathered there wanted their evening meals, Shepard had something else entirely in mind.

"Hey Commander!" Joker greeted from his seat. "Come join us!"

"Thanks for the offer, but I need to have a word with Nihlus before I can call it a night."

"Sure, I'll keep a seat for you." Joker replied. "Not that anyone would dare take it."

"Appreciate it," Shepard replied as she made her way toward the XO's cabin door.

She got to within a good step and a half away from it when it opened on its own. Shepard stepped in far enough it to close behind her and took in the sight before her.

Nihlus looked up from the datapad he had been reading, seated against the headboard of his bed, clad only in his pants. His shoes, gloves, and tunic lay discarded by or on his couch. "Shepard. Is there something you need?"

Shepard blinked, damn it, she still was not used to seeing a turian so underdressed. "I finished looking over what Admiral Hackett sent me, and I know what I need to show the Hierarchy delegation. However, I'm missing one final piece of the puzzle. I'm hoping your clearances can get me the missing information."

"Sure." Nihlus replied as he flicked his pad aside, it landed precariously close the edge of his bed, instantly forgotten. He was on his feet almost before it settled. "What do you need?" He asked as he approached her.

"I know exactly where the Normandy's Thanix and IES came from. We copied the tech from a ship we found in Skyllian Verge in twenty-one-seventy-one. The Alliance refer to it by its Hierarchy registration numbers, but we don't know much about its history. I want to fix that. I need to know when, how, and why it ended up where it did. Here, I brought you my notes."

"Just let me see the numbers." Nihlus pulled the pad from her grip and glanced down. A moment later he moved around his desk and sat down at his terminal. As the computer booted up, he scrolled through her notes. Then, when the terminal was finished, he turned to the input and quickly accessed what Shepard could not hope to understand, doubly so given that none of it was in English. "I am going to look the ship up directly," he explained as his fingers deftly input the registration number and then he pressed one last key and the terminal began to search.

Shepard waited with bated breath. What was she about to find?

Then the terminal screen manifested something, a long file. Nihlus hummed. "Well, I can tell you the ship's name. It is the Vercinix."

Shepard nodded, and waited. She could see that his eyes continued to scroll down whatever that file happened to be.

"It probably did not translate for you," Nihlus went on.

"No, it didn't." Shepard admitted. It really did not matter much, did it? The Hierarchy did not run unique names, opting for unique registration numbers instead. The name was thought to reflect the ship's spirit instead. Because of that, the pre-existing usage of a name did not preclude other ships from adopting it as well.

"This ship was named for one of the founders of Cipritine." Nihlus finished as he looked up.

"Oh! I should have known it was a proper name," Shepard admitted sheepishly.

"You might want to look up the history. Who knows, you might even impress the Primarch." Nihlus' mandibles flicked as he flashed her a grin. However the expression was gone almost as fast as it appeared. He switched windows and typed in something else, starting a new search. "Shepard, you know that the Hierarchy tries to salvage their downed Thanix frigates, right? The Alliance found one that… was missed."

"Makes sense. Salvaging a wrecks means keeping the guns proprietary," Shepard said, she was not at all surprised that they did something like that. "So why was this one missed?"

"Very good question. Especially given that it was in the Skyllian Verge."

Shepard nodded but remained silent. As far as she was concerned it was a good thing that the ship was found by the Alliance and not the Hegemony, but that reasoning would not win her any brownie points with anyone. In fact, it might just make the Primarch more nervous. The Hierarchy had missed one of its Thanix frigates within cosmic spitting distance of the Hegemony. Then a thought occurred to her, "I wonder… the Alliance laid claims to the Skyllian Verge almost as soon as we could reach it. That's thirty years now. The Vercinix probably did not go down during that time. No offense, but we would have known if any Hierarchy ship crossed our space."

"No offense taken… and here we are-" Nihlus replied never taking his eyes off the monitor. It looked like he had found something and was reading it. "Here is something… and you will not believe this, but the Vercinix was registered to the Citadel fleet, not any Hierarchy fleet."

Shepard's arms dropped to her side, "You're kidding me, right?" she asked. The Citadel fleet had Thanix ships? She supposed it made sense.

"Why would I? No. Says here that it was attacked while escorting a Council diplomatic envoy ship in twenty-one-zero-two, damaged to the point of being unable to make a safe relay jump. It was stricken from the records."

That was something alright. "It must've been scuttled! Nihlus, this is exactly what I needed!"

The Spectre looked up and grinned, "You are welcome."

Suddenly Shepard could see the bigger picture of things, and she liked what she saw. Who other than the Hegemony would attack a Citadel fleet ship in the Skyllian Verge, in twenty-one-oh-two? The Alliance could not have done it at all! "This is brilliant. Absolutely perfect! There is no way to argue that we did it. What more, it explains why we found it in sections, in frozen methane on an ice moon. The Vercinix must've been intentionally submerged in the methane, to hide her."

"I need to read the detailed reports, but that seems likely, yes." Nihlus replied.

Shepard hummed. The moon in question orbited close enough to its parent gas giant that tidal influence generated heating in the methane. With a melting temperature at just ninety point seven kelvin and a boiling point of around one eleven kelvin, it did not take much for a mix of liquid and gaseous methane to form in any number of crevasses within the ice. Eventually the pressure built up to the point that the granite-hard, highly brittle surface cracked, and the pressure release forced the underlying liquid and gaseous methane up as a geyser.

The engineers likely allowed the ship's hull to heat just enough to melt its surrounding methane without vaporizing it, causing the ship to sink. However, once it went down, it altered the ice's structure and balance. Later, the gas giant caused that same spot to melt, pool, and eventually erupt, raising and ripping the ship apart in the process. "They either miscalculated, or were desperate to hide it."

"Perhaps, but it does not matter. What matters is that this is proof from our own records that the Alliance had not, and could not have attacked anyone. You can prove to them that there was no act of war." Nihlus said as his eyes continued to scan the documents on his terminal.

"Yes. Yes of course!" Shepard mumbled, in her excitement she had put the cart before the horse. "I should have led with that."

"Just as long as you do not make that mistake at the meeting," he finished.

"I won't."

"Oh and just so you know, the Council already addressed that attack. The Hegemony officially blamed rogue agents."

"Rogue agents my rear end! They attacked the ship knowingly and intentionally."

"Of course," Nihlus snorted.

If Shepard squinted the nature of the attack made sense. The batarians disabled their target, but the turians still got the better of them. After that, with metaphorical blood in the equally metaphorical water, they must have realized that every shark within a parsec would come running. If the Vercinix was damaged enough, it would have been unsafe for it make a relay jump. The only solution was then to hide it. The system gave them a very good option for it as well. Once the ship was submerged and the surface froze over, there would be no way to tell where it went in, creating a massive haystack around a tiny needle. They must have also hoped that the ship would be crushed and remain entombed forever. "Thank you, Nihlus. This is more than I could have hoped for."

"You said the Alliance found it in twenty-one-seventy-one?" Nihlus asked.

"Yea, during a survey of the gas giant. Apparently, the survey ship's sensors caught the geysers that partly brought it up. They reported it, and you know… when a moon coughs up a Hierarchy frigate... there's a saying, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." Shepard laughed sheepishly.

Nihlus hummed. "Some might say the spirit of the Vercinix chose to bring it up. Of course, I am not the type to believe such things."

Shepard hummed. It made some weird sense to her. If one ascribed to the idea that there was something of a higher power capable of bringing the Vercinix up. If one was to go entirely spiritual, it could even be argued that her spirit now inhabited the Normandy. Then the fact that it was also commanded by someone who had repeated run-ins with batarians was not a coincidence either. "Well, if the Vercinix wanted vengeance on the batarians… maybe she got it." Shepard was not the sort who got spiritual in any way, she would chalk that up to a bit of harmless old-fashioned romanticism instead. "Though I wouldn't talk about it."

Nihlus chuckled, "Yes. I figured you would not. Now, about these notes-"

"That's a copy I ran through the translator for you. I summarized all the salient points of everything, sanitized of all mentions of our stealth systems, or EDI. For obvious reasons."

"Of course," Nihlus grinned. "Thanks." He set the pad aside and turned back to the console. "I will call up the detailed reports on the Vercinix from the archives and send everything I find up to the OD."

"Appreciate it, but I think I'll have a meal first. Again, thanks a lot, Nihlus. You're a life-saver."

Nihlus gave her a toothy smile, and Shepard chose that moment to step out of the room. Once she was past the door, she noted that the group in the mess area was markedly smaller. The officer's table was almost empty, with just Joker and Kaidan lingering. The pilot had little to do when the Normandy was docked, and Kaidan always ate bigger meals than most of the crew. Right then though, he was finishing his tea.

"Done now?" Joker called.

"You're awfully eager," Shepard replied as she moved to the kitchen counter. "Heya, Matthews. What's on the menu?"

"I made curry," The chef replied.

"Sounds good."

"Coming right up!" Matthews reached over to a bowl from a stack he had next to the pots. It took him maybe a minute at most to plate the curry and rice combination, and then pour her tea. Shepard's nose was not exactly that of a trained cook, but it did not take her much to sniff out that he rice was infused with jasmine. She took her tray and moved over to sit next to Joker, which put her opposite of Kaidan.

"Careful, the curry is a bit… strong." Kaidan noted.

"I like it," Joker declared.

"Thanks," Shepard replied as she took her first bite. The first seconds were okay, but then it started to build up. Joker's grin grew as he watched her. Shepard swallowed and reached for the tea. She was not going to give the pilot the satisfaction, even though as far as she was concerned Matthews may have overdone it a little bit. "It's good," she mumbled.

"Damn it. She did not even flinch!" Joker huffed.

"Told you," Kaidan said, smiling around his teacup.

"Do I want to know?" Shepard asked as she collected her second bite. The curry really was good, but it was just a touch too hot, even for her.

"Joker said that you couldn't keep a straight face eating something that hot." Kaidan added.

Shepard snorted, "You should have bet him out of house and home, Kaidan. A little spicy food doesn't bother me. It might have even taught him a lesson."

"Hey," Joker protested.

Shepard took her second mouthful and chewed. The first time she had not been ready for it, but now, she knew how long she had before the spice level built up close to her tolerance. If she swallowed it before that, and chased it down with tea, it was not bad. She still could not identify the meat in the curry though.

"I don't make bets on my superior officers. I have more discipline than that." Kaidan murmured.

"Sure." Joker grumbled. "Well you two have fun. I think I'll go and see what new movie releases I can download while we're here."

Shepard did not say anything as she watched the pilot get to his feet and then gather his tray. He left the tray on the kitchen counter and then turned to make his way to the back.

"I think that was a tactical retreat if there has ever been one." Kaidan murmured.

Shepard nodded and made to take a third mouthful of curry. Thirty seconds later she chased it down with another measured sip of tea, cleared her throat, and turned to her acting XO, "Kaidan, do you by any chance recognize the name Leif Viggo Thorson."

Kaidan turned to her and his eyes widened ever so slightly, giving her all the reply she needed. "Yea, we trained together, brain camp."

"Small galaxy then. He's my former ICT teammate, an N7. Today, while meeting with Hackett, your name came up and he recognized it. I didn't have a moment to ask from where though." It really was a small galaxy. That and Kaidan and Leif were both pretty much the first of the mature, trained biotics humanity had produced.

"He's still a pain in the butt?" Kaidan asked.

"Yep."

Kaidan smiled, "I remember when he just arrived at Gagarin. During his first physical he stood on the scale, and just when the doctor noted his weight, it started dropping. It took the doctor way longer than it should have to realize the brat was using his biotics. Mind you, without an amp."

Shepard laughed, "That sounds like something he'd do. Just because he can."

Kaidan's expression flattened then. "He reduced his apparent weight to ten kilograms. But he could never quite do anything else with his output."

"That hasn't changed much," Shepard replied with a smile. Fact was, Leif was utterly useless when it came to projecting his biotic fields at any distance past a few centimeters, but he could break bones with his punches. "Still, no one can lose him on foot, but it amuses us all when they try." Leif had a unique way of using his charge. Where most vanguards relied on a collision to stop, turning themselves into a bullet, Leif had learned to stop. He could still hit something, but the ability to stop on command also gave him a mobility option. Plenty of bastards tried to run, only for him to appear in front of them, shotgun raised.

"I'm glad to hear that others from our group made something of themselves," Kaidan added.

Shepard blinked, there was that odd somber shadow that passed over Kaidan whenever he thought back to the Biotic Acclimation and Training program. Shepard knew of the program's nasty reputation, and that it was shut down after an accident of some sort, but little beyond that. "He still eats enough to feed a small army though," she said, hoping to lighten the mood.

Kaidan looked up, "As hyper as he was then? I'd believe it."

Shepard nodded and smiled. The thought of a gangly, younger Leif being a hyperactive nuisance brought a smile to her face for the rest of the meal.

With Nihlus…

Nihlus spent two hours looking through every database he could think for materials on the Vercinix. Though typically this was not the sort of work he enjoyed doing, this time it was important. Reading through it all convinced him that the Alliance had not done anything necessarily wrong. However, that did not mean that those in power would want to see it that way. If Lindholm was unwilling to cooperate because of her pride, could Nihlus reasonably expect Fedorian's delegation to be free of the opposite? The Hierarchy did have some who still saw the Alliance as the enemy, and the Relay Three-One-Four incident as an insult to their dignity. Shepard's mission might just fail, sabotaged by self-interest from both sides. They needed a contingency, and fortunately contingencies were some of his best plans. He just needed some help from Vakarian.

In the end he gave the materials to EDI with a request that she route everything up to Shepard's terminal in the Officer's Duty Room. Then he slipped on his tunic, gloves, and shoes, grabbed the pad containing Shepard's information along with a second copy of what he found, and padded out of his quarters toward Life Support.

A single stab at the door's haptic panel announced his presence. A moment later the door unlocked and then opened. Nihlus stepped inside. Vakarian was at his table, datapad in hand. The table was strewn with others, distinctly not ready for inspection. "We need to talk," Nihlus announced.

"About?" Garrus replied as he glanced up, his subvocals rumbling with some annoyance.

That told Nihlus enough, he had interrupted something the other male thought important. Well, whatever it was, it would have to wait. Nihlus set the datapad down and flicked it toward the other turian. "Take a look at that."

Garrus picked it up, and his eyes immediately started scanning. A moment later his subvocals begun to thrum with pure incredulity. Then his eyes snapped up. "This is… Alliance intelligence!"

"Yes. Shepard does give me these things," Nihlus replied blandly. "That information reveals the origin of the Normandy's guns."

"The registration number is the right format." Garrus noted as he continued to read.

"I matched the number to a ship registered to the Citadel Fleet, the Vercinix. It was attacked by Hegemony agents, decades before the humans even found their Prothean ruins. It was submerged into the methane of an ice moon, and cryovolcanism brought it back up. An Alliance survey ship just happened to be conducting scans of the gas giant the moon was orbiting at the time." Nihlus summarized, keeping his subvocals perfectly flat.

"That will definitely prove there was no act of war."

"Yes. However-" Nihlus grabbed the back of the chair opposite from the other male and spun it around before he straddled it. The chair's straight back was not ideal for a turian, as their carapace forced them to sit forward a fair bit. He placed his arms on the back edge and stared the other male in the eyes. "I am concerned that there might be some on the Hierarchy's delegation who would choose not to accept it for personal reasons."

Garrus stared right at him, even as his subvocals started thrumming with very forcefully suppressed anger. "If both sets of documents agree on the registration number, as well as the location where the ship was hidden, and later found, they will have to accept it. If anyone chooses to start an incident because the facts do not suit them, they are barefaced liars and should not be in a position of power to begin with!"

Nihlus sincerely wished it was so, but he knew better. No one was above reproach, above corruption. "You should know that Williams overheard your conversation with Alenko, and told Shepard, who told me. How well do you know Fedorian?" He would pretend he did not have the dossier. He wanted to know whether Garrus knew anything that would not have been in there.

Garrus stared at him for a long moment as the silence lingered. Then he set the pad down, "I do not, even for a moment, believe that you do not have access to Fedorian's full service history, Kryik. What do you want to know?"

Nihlus rumbled his amusement, Garrus was learning. "Alright, plainly then. Shepard would not want you involved because of your connection, even if it weakens her case. But, I am not willing to let her harm her own chances. I am asking because your presence might be an asset."

Garrus sighed, "Damn that female," he murmured under his breath, though it was hardly an invective against her, his subvocals rang with resignation. "Dad knows him far better than I do. They served in the same unit until dad left active military service for Citadel Security. I have never seen Fedorian in person, but he sent us the customary gifts when my sister and I entered basic. I think he would be able to recognize me, but that is all."

Nihlus held back any indication of frustration, even though he knew that one of his ideas had just burned. He had to change attack angles.

"Since I am seeing this and you are asking me how well I know Fedorian… I assume Shepard intends to meet with him… or his delegation," Garrus went on.

Nihlus nodded. "She does. I went with her to meet with Hackett. They discussed all of this. Some of her admiralty, one Ines Lindholm, is trying to charge Shepard with security violations because she allowed your father to see the Thanix. Lindholm and others like her do not intend to cooperate with the Hierarchy. They would rather cause an incident than reveal anything. Shepard intends to show those documents-" he flicked his fingers at the document datapad in Garrus' hands, "to Fedorian. She wants to show him that the Alliance are innocent. However, I suspect that the Hierarchy is not entirely free of personal interests either."

"I see where our familial connection comes in, and for once I cannot fault you for trying to use me." Garrus murmured. "First though, we cannot be sure that Fedorian will arrive in person, but if he does, he should at the very least listen to her. Your concern is only valid if he sends a delegation in his place," Garrus went on.

The detective's tactical mind was analyzing the possibilities. It was what Nihlus wanted him to do. "I have a contingency plan for that, but I need your help."

"Anything." Garrus replied automatically.

Nihlus looked the other male directly in the eyes, "If that meeting yields nothing, then… I intend to claim full responsibility. To say that I pressed Hackett into giving me those documents, forced Shepard to meet with the delegation, and even influenced her to cooperate with Citadel Security against her loyalties in the first place. I am a Spectre. I can do that. I will make Shepard the victim. Lindholm will want to believe it."

"How do you figure that?" Garrus wondered.

"Lindholm commanded the Alliance ships that were routed over Shanxi by Desolas Arterius' fleet. Once Lindholm finds out about my connection to Saren, and what Saren did to David Anderson, she should be unable to help herself. It is the perfect bait for her ego and xenophobia."

Garrus's subvocals frequencies turned to pure confusion, "The same Anderson who led the ground forces on Solcrum? How does he fit into this?"

Shepard was going to be very angry with him for letting Garrus know, but he had no choice. "He was the first human Spectre candidate, the Council assigned Saren to evaluate him, and you can figure out how that went. By what I understand Anderson and Hannah Shepard are Hackett's most loyal officers. Anderson also apparently wrote the letter that got her accepted into the N-Seven program."

Garrus' hummed, "Well that explains his reaction to seeing Saren again. But… Shepard will not allow you to become the villain to save herself."

"Of course she will not. She is too… spirits damn her… noble for that. That is where I need your help. You will reveal everything, including what you have against me." Garrus' subvocals began to buzz with his chagrin. Nihlus grinned, "Do not pretend you have nothing. Shepard will have a recording of my conversation with Saren where he told me to sabotage her. Use it. I do not care how it makes me look, I will survive. The Alliance will not get anything from that, not with Sparatus defending me, and he will, if he thinks I used Shepard. Anything to get one over the Alliance."

"She will be angry at me," Garrus protested.

"When everything is finalized you will explain everything to her, tell her I made you do it, and she will forgive you in a second."

"And what about her Spectre status?" Garrus wondered.

"Obviously if she succeeds with this meeting, if she manages to keep the peace, I intend to -as humans love to say- sing her praises. Tevos will want her as a peacekeeper and a diplomat. Valern is already interested in her because she is chasing Cerberus. This will be proof that she is willing to look beyond her immediate loyalties." Nihlus was convinced that he could make that part work.

"Is there someone you will not manipulate, Kryik?" Garrus asked.

Nihlus pretended he had not heard that. "Our problem is if the meeting does not work… I honestly do not think her becoming a Spectre will be possible in that case." Nothing would convince Sparatus to approve her if he thought he did not have to. It was the one large hole in the whole arrangement. "Damn her Spectre status, save her from that court martial. Garrus, you are the only one who I trust to help me. You are too good an individual to stab me in the back."

Garrus nodded grimly. "I hate you, but you are right, I would not be able to talk to her if I used this to my advantage."

"Then we have an agreement," Nihlus said.

"Yes." Garrus replied. "Though I still do not like this plan."

"Neither do I, but this is the only way left. Shepard is betting everything on this. We must be willing to bet everything as well," Nihlus replied calmly as he got to his feet. "Read through that material. If you want to convince Shepard to let you help her, you will need to know the facts like you know your guns. You need to anticipate and match whatever she may use to rebuff you. You know how she is."

Garrus hummed his amusement. "That is the other thing you wanted, no?"

"Did I?" Nihlus replied as he moved toward the door.

The former detective snorted.

Nihlus knew that Garrus would not let him be the only one backing Shepard up. Come morning, the former detective would have his own plan. Nihlus was willing to give him that chance, because having multiple contingencies was a good thing. Furthermore, if his contingency was going to work, and fool someone like Shepard, he needed the other male at his best.

As he stepped out of Life Support, Nihlus allowed himself a single smile. He was rather fond of a certain human saying, all was fair in love and war. This was the latter to protect the former. Ultimately though, this way he knew he had tried absolutely everything.

Author Notes: I realize that this chapter is ending up a bit of a talky, but it is that sort of arc. Less guns and shooting, and more consequences of what had been bubbling to the surface for two seasons now.

General Notes:

N6 – Aisha failed the final tests to make full N7. I envision those final exams to be very much like US Navy SEALS "Hell Week", but much worse, a bit longer, and much later! It's a make or break thing. Some do not make it.

The Vercinix' Burial – Cryovolcanism is an observed phenomenon in our solar system. Saturn's moon, Enceladus, emits geysers of various materials. Methane is only one of a number of a possible materials that cryovolcanic geysers can emit. Tidal heating is also a thing, Jupiter does it to Europa. That said, large enough moons might not even need tidal heating to be cryovolcanic, their core heat would be enough.

Chapter Notes:

Valkyrie Program – Those who played Mass Effect Andromeda will recognize this as the same program Cora Harper took part in. It is an exchange training program, sending female biotics to train with squads of Asari commandos. Cora took to the program, Aisha did not.

Morgan le Fay – The suffix translates to "the fairy". In the Arthurian legends, Morgan le Fay is a powerful sorceress, sometimes a villainess and temptress, the embodiment of every female trait that the monks recording the legends found distasteful. But in some versions she less maligned, and takes Arthur's body to Avalon to watch over it.