Disclaimer: I do no own Mass Effect, I do not claim to own Mass Effect, I am only doing this for fun.
Author Notes: Happy New Year everyone. I really did try to get this episode out in a timely manner. It was half done in three weeks, then drama happened. Anyhoo, please try to enjoy!
Episode 68: Dance with the Devil
The Normandy remained on Eden Prime for another day, bringing their total stay to just short of two weeks. When it was time to depart, even at one fifth the size of a dreadnought, getting the Normandy off the ground against any meaningful gravity required a complex procedure on the part of the engineers and specific set of skills from its pilot. The initial activation of their thrusters created a massive eruption of steam all around the rear of the ship, and the roar scared every living creature within hundreds of meters.
Still, Joker got the Normandy flying, and after stabilizing it, set a course and heading for a gradual, easy climb into orbit. Eden Prime did not have enough air traffic that the pilot needed to mind not to stray into the airspace of a spaceport. Shepard's input was minimal, mostly just telling Joker to go ahead. It was the chief engineer's job to supervise the technical aspects of the whole thing.
When the Normandy rose into Eden Prime's thermosphere, Adams directed Joker to maintain altitude and flight course. Adams requested the delay to allow the engineers to purge the trapped water from the Normandy's rear thermal conduits. These directed the stored heat within the ship's internal emission sinks to the hull for exchange with an atmosphere during routine IES vent procedures. Due to the partial submersion of the Normandy's rear, some of the half open channels had become water-logged.
Due to the fact that the channels snaked in between their outer armor and the inner pressure hull, Adams was not sure the water would fully boil away when the Normandy returned into the void. Then, because the Normandy's active stealth systems actually cooled the outer hull in order to achieve infrared sensor-invisibility, any trapped water would turn to ice. The chief engineer was concerned about potential damage to the channels caused by the ice itself, or it sublimating to steam when they next vented the internal emission sinks at capacity. He wanted to perform a controlled "cold vent" to boil the trapped moisture away while the IES were at a relatively low three hundred to five hundred Kelvin.
As the procedure got underway, Shepard retreated to the OD to get started on her own routines. She needed to tap into the information Nabu passed on to her and finally pin down where the other arks happened to be.
Once ensconced in her office and seated on the couch, Shepard brought up the necessary application on her omni-tool, and then closed her eyes to focus on the map Nabu had showed her. She would have expected the image to grow dim or fuzzy as it degraded in her memory, but much to her surprise, it was still there and readily accessible.
Once she had orientated herself relative to Eden Prime's current location, it was only a matter of moments to confirm that both other arks appeared to be in the Terminus. One was near the galactic rim, and the other on the side closer to the galactic core, close to the boundary of the Five Kiloparsec Ring. Seeing that, Shepard decided that, for the sake of ease, their first destination ought to be the ark near the rim. Then, as soon her mind was set, additional information about that ark began to seep into her consciousness. Within thirty seconds she knew that she was looking for a system with its own relay, five planets, and a G-type star larger than Sol. Furthermore, their target planet was Earth-like in size, the third in order, orbiting at around four astronomical units from its parent star.
Shepard opened her eyes and turned to her omni-tool application to do her search. Almost as soon as she started the query, the application pinged, showing that it had finished, and what more, it returned only one result. The fact that a garden world orbited a G-type star at four astronomic units was somewhat unusual, and thus enough to whittle down the list of possibilities. The planet they were looking for was called Virmire. However, before she could take a detailed look, the OD's doors swished open. Shepard looked up just in time to see Nihlus swagger in, though he stopped as the half-wall that separated the office space from the seating area.
"Shepard." He greeted warmly, "Are you busy?"
"Kind of," Shepard replied. "I was looking at my options for what's next."
Nihlus stood there for a long moment. His mandibles gave a tick against his jaw, but then the moment passed. He drew closer, eased himself onto the couch extension, and relaxed against the back, as casual as can be. "I am on time then. I came to ask you exactly that."
Shepard had not missed that momentary pause. There was definitely something on his mind, but he was shunting it aside without telling her for the time being. "I… may know where the next ark is."
Nihlus' mandibles ticked against his jaw again, but he said nothing.
Now Shepard knew there was something on his mind. Nevertheless she leaned forward and tapped at the holo-projector set into the center of her coffee table. "Here, let me bring it up," she turned to her omni-tool and typed in a command to synchronize its output with the projector. A moment later the blown up image of the star chart on her tool appeared over the coffee table. Shepard keyed the command to turn off her omni-tool.
"Spirits-" Nihlus breathed, "It is on Virmire."
Shepard looked up sharply, stunned. There was no label on the map, yet, but Nihlus still recognized the location. How was that possible?
He turned to face her, the look of a kicked puppy in his eyes. "Shepard, before you ask… Sparatus told me about Virmire a couple days back, and it was about the arks. He ordered me to- well, if it ended up that there was an ark on Virmire, I was to relay his orders. He wants you to report to him in person before we go there."
Shepard blinked as she watched her partner. His mandibles were twitching like a metronome now, so this was the something he had on his mind. Truly Nihlus was a rotten liar. As for the orders, there was only one conclusion to reach from their mere existence. "The Council knew about that ark even before I mentioned them." No wonder they never questioned her claims about the existence of such facilities.
"Yes, and I was only told recently myself," Nihlus' voice dipped lower, as if whispering.
To Shepard it sounded like he asking her not to shoot the messenger. "Sparatus better not be thinking he can extract the information from me, and then use this to make me quit."
"If he is, I will bet my entire fortune on you, and easily double my bank account," Nihlus replied.
Shepard smiled, she had always suspected that Nihlus was guilty of insider trading. How else does one explain him being able to afford a private vessel and the twenty-five million credit insurance policy on it? Furthermore, his status would ensure that no one would ever dig up any hard evidence of it. Come to think of it, his mentor was probably guilty of that as well, and likely on a grander scale.
Shepard did not comment on that. She suddenly had a more pressing topic to consider. How did the Council already know about an ark? It was probably safe to assume someone had found one, and reported back to them. That could only be another Spectre, or maybe a small team of them. None of that surprised her in the least, and it definitely was not a reason for her to get angry, Nihlus would know that.
When Shepard emerged from her thoughts, she saw that Nihlus was staring at the OD's door as if it fascinated him. The tick in his mandibles was still there, albeit slower. She wondered, why was he still so obviously on-edge? Something about this situation still proved unsettling for him. "You know something. Something more than you're telling me."
Nihlus' stare did not waver.
Shepard blinked. That was not the reaction she would have expected, as it was not even a reaction at all. "It isn't a fun something." He clearly did not want to discuss it either. That was worrying all on its own, stirring an instinctual sinking feeling in her gut. Never had Nihlus acted this cagey before. This was clearly more than a professional issue. No, this response hinted at personal stakes in the matter. Just how could this be affecting him personally?
She mentally ran down the list of known facts again. The councilors were playing their games, they knew of the arks, and they kept it from Nihlus. None of it was something that would be news to Nihlus, or anything he would take personally. He was not such an egoist who did not understand that his superiors could and would keep things from him. If not that, then what or whose involvement would he take personally? The realization metaphorically slammed into her gut. She had only seen Nihlus turn cagey whenever his mentor was involved. "Spectre Arterius might be involved," she stated blandly.
"Yes," Nihlus replied without a moment of hesitation.
If Shepard was right, and Sparatus indeed wanted Saren involved in this matter, then Sparatus would likely assign his favorite to show her around. While she had no problems with that on its own, she was patient enough to tolerate Saren's attitude, the problem was that Saren no longer had a vessel to his name. As such, there was no way for her to say that they could not use the Normandy, as any hesitation could cause the Council to suspect that there was something else to the Normandy. That could very well play right into Saren's hands. "Sparatus is-" She stopped herself before she could finish that sentence with 'a sadist', as she wanted to. Nihlus would not care, but she did not want to get into the habit of referring to her superiors as such. "Damn it. I can't very well tell him that I don't need assistance, can I?"
"So you figured it out." Nihlus stated.
"Yes, and I'm both impressed and annoyed by your ability to dodge actually saying anything." Shepard grumbled.
"Who am I to rob you of the fun of figuring it out?"
"Convenient excuse," she replied.
"It is true, though," Nihlus replied, giving her a toothy, if wan smile which vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
Shepard rolled her eyes, but went on. "I hope you know that I cannot allow another Spectre to set foot aboard this ship. Doubly so Spectre Arterius." Could she get away with ignoring orders and going to Virmire regardless? Likely not. Sparatus had likely contacted Nihlus with this just so that she would not be able to claim that she misunderstood the conversation. "Well, if the ark had already been found, then it's a bygone conclusion that there were no survivors." The Council would not have been able to cover up the existence of such survivors.
"If you choose not to pursue this one, it will look suspicious," Nihlus stated.
"Obviously. So Sparatus put me between a rock and hard place again," Shepard sighed. Saren would be looking forward to using this to his own ends. But then, any scheme Saren could cook up had a huge flaw in the recipe. She knew enough about his own indiscretions. The thought of that caused her to grin before she could stop herself. "Well, here's a thought… all the arks had a supervising AI. I've already asked Javik about the ones behind the tampering. You know me, I never plan anything without gathering information."
"What did you learn from him?" Nihlus asked. The air of nervousness seemed to lift from him.
Shepard idly wondered whether Nazara would have told Saren about the war. Somehow she did not think it would. If Nazara indeed hated organics, refusing to talk to most people, it stood to reason that its conversations with Saren had not been hour-long chats over tea and crumpets. "It is supremely likely that the AI of the Virmire ark was compromised as well." She turned her head and caught Nihlus' gaze. "But does the Council know anything about all those governing AIs?"
"They do not," Nihlus' mandibles flicked. His eyes were outright alight with mirth.
Shepard knew she was on the right track. Nihlus would not speak ill of his former mentor, a tick of the turian code of honor, or some such. However, that was as far as Nihlus' loyalties went. He was not above steering her to make the right conclusions on her own. She leaned back into her seat and smiled. "That does imply that someone removed the AI and forgot to mention it."
The explanation made few assumptions, and seemed to fit the facts. If possible Sparatus would involve the same Spectre who found the ark, so as to keep the circle of those who know about the arks small. If Saren was that Spectre, then his removing the hardware handily explained Nazara's origins. What Sparatus did not know was that his favorite had been lying to him, but Shepard knew that Saren was a liar. That knowledge gave her leverage. If Sparatus or Saren actually tried to get rid of her like this, she could ruin Saren's career, and Sparatus would lose his favorite. That is, if she did not decide to expose Sparatus' own shadier propensities. She could make serious trouble for him.
"Yes, and it is the sort of thing you love to exploit," Nihlus replied.
"I would not call it exploit… but I do know how to use what I have." Shepard replied.
The fact remained that Saren knew that she knew the truth about what had occurred on the Impera, and that so far she had kept quiet. The question became, would he be petty and vindictive enough to go after her, knowing she could expose him? Personally speaking, she would not have pursued such a pyrrhic victory, and furthermore, Saren did not strike her as the Ahab type. However, the balance would tip if Saren thought that Sparatus would not believe her. This situation was not the end of the universe, but it was not something she could ignore entirely. This would require some serious thought and maybe a little bit of actual scheming.
"Well… I can tell you are already thinking this through. Good, but now I'm curious about the information Javik gave you," Nihlus cut in.
Shepard blinked, jarred from her thoughts. "That is something I want to tell everyone else," she stated.
"Fair enough," Nihlus replied. "When though?"
"Sooner, rather than later."
"No time like the present, I should think."
Shepard nodded and turned her head up, "EDI, please summon the ground team and Javik to the OD."
Nihlus rose from his present seat and moved to sit next to Shepard.
"Right away, Commander," EDI replied.
Shepard leaned back into the couch to wait.
It took almost twenty minutes for the entire team to gather in the OD, with Javik being the last to arrive. It took Shepard another couple minutes to bring the meeting to order enough that she could introduce the topic and then launch into the explanation. Then about half way through Javik decided that she was not doing it right, and took over. Shepard had to admit that he was definitely better than her when it came to explaining the Oravores and the war that ended the Prothean Empire. By the time he finished, the OD was deathly silent, and Shepard noted a myriad of reactions.
Ashley had crossed her arms and was looking about the room, as if waiting for someone to say something. Kaidan was staring out through the viewport, his brows drawn down slightly. Tali's hand was covering the lower portion of her mask. Jenkins was looking at Javik as if he could not quite believe what he had just heard. Garrus had leaned on the wall by the refreshments cabinet, and his twitching mandibles betrayed some unrest. Legion, standing by the door leading toward the COMCON, gave away nothing at all.
"Alright, I'll say it…" Ashley broke the silence. "Attacking civilians seeking shelter? That's already plenty fucked up, but doing it like this?"
"It is strategically sound," Javik replied.
"It's wrong!" Ashley rebuffed sharply.
"The Oravores viewed themselves as the sole, truly sapient species." Javik explained. "To them doing that seemed no more wrong than stomping on a pest insect seems wrong to you."
"I can't believe you would say that, after what they did to your people!" Ashley finished.
Javik did not show any outward physical reaction. "I explained their reasoning. Understanding it does not necessarily mean agreeing with it," he stated blandly. "Or was I wrong to deem you capable of understanding that?"
Fury ignited in Ashley's eyes.
"I've observed that humans deny the existence of that which you cannot accept. Your concepts of right and wrong are puerile. Survival is the only thing that should determine what actions are right and wrong." Javik finished blandly.
Ashley stared at him as if he had spouted a second head.
Shepard decided to defuse the situation, lest Ashley's temper truly got the better of her. Javik was being unpleasant, likely on purpose, but she understood what he was getting at. "It might appear like that." Her own willingness to view morality in nihilistic terms, as an artificial and mutable construct, allowed her to see the slant Javik was taking here. "I would argue… if survival is the only determining factor, then does it matter what is accepted or denied?" She smiled. "If survival is the only arbiter, but we survive and thrive, our ways can't be too bad, no?"
Javik turned to look her in the eye, practically boring into her soul with his piercing look.
Shepard held his stare. This was her way of telling him to back down. Five seconds ticked by before Javik's posture changed, he seemed to shift his weight onto his back foot. Shepard decided to take that as him conceding she had a point. "All this philosophical talk is neither here nor there, we are getting off topic."
"Right, at the risk of stating the obvious, Commander, Doctor T'Soni will want to know about this Thessian connection," Garrus stated blandly.
Shepard grinned at Garrus, mentally thanking him for helping her regain control of the conversation. "Yes, I wanted to tell her the next time we talked… but for now, let's focus on the immediate concern. Harbinger and Nazara are no longer our only problems. I suspect the AIs in the other arks will have been tampered as well. That poses a unique set of risks."
"Which makes me wonder," Ashley stepped in, raising one hand without letting her arms drop. "There are three arks, right? One of the AIs is accounted for, but could Harby and Nazzy be from the remaining arks?"
The statement drew everyone's attention to Ashley.
Shepard considered that an affirmation for something that had crossed her mind. If Ashley could see the possibility, then it was indeed a possibility. Now, was Harbinger from the third ark? The Geth found it, and suddenly the where of that discovery mattered. Best of all, she knew exactly whom to ask, and glanced at Legion.
Ashley must have noticed her glance, as she turned to the geth as well. That was a trigger, as everyone else followed.
Legion remained almost perfectly still, with only the slow movements in their sensor suite iris preventing them from appearing utterly frozen up.
They had to know that the question was coming any moment now, Shepard could practically see them crunch the numbers. She knew she would have to ask carefully, because they would give her no more than the absolute minimum answer.
"Where did the Geth find Harbinger?" Tali asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the room.
Legion's emotive plates gave a twitch but they remained silent.
Shepard bit back her reaction and reached for the projector and turned it on. Tali may have beaten her to the punch, now she needed to pin Legion. "I think I know where Harbinger came from," she announced. The projector was still synched to her omni-tool, so when the image stabilized, a few taps to it to display the mass relay network. She got to her feet and quickly scanned over the lines. She was looking for a secondary relay that connected to a hub system with links to the Omega Nebula, Caleston Rift, and the Horse Head Nebula. The relay itself was not displayed, but Shepard readily found the hub system. "Here," she pointed at the map, "Hawking Eta connects to the secondary relay we need. It ought to be somewhere here-" she moved her finger and traced a circle on the very border of the Five Kiloparsec Ring stretch closest to it.
"There's nothing there," Richard stated.
Shepard smiled, "Sure! But it's possible that I have an incomplete chart. This image is coming from my omni." She looked up, "EDI, is there another chart in your databases that shows anything in that region?"
"I will check, Commander," EDI replied.
Shepard turned back to the geth.
Legion tilted their head to the side as they stared at the projection. "Shepard-Commander, we are unable to identify the target relay at the indicated location, it does not appear on any star chart we have access to."
Shepard blinked, momentarily stunned. Was it wrong to assume Harbinger was from the third ark? Or was Legion lying to her face? Somehow, she doubted it was the latter. Legion was the sort who hid the true meaning of their words in plain sight, but never a liar. She needed to consider the nuances of what they had said, and how. When they said the relay did not appear on any of their charts, it did not necessarily mean they did not know of the system itself. Theoretically the Geth did not need the relays, as their vessels could afford to stay in FTL for weeks at a time to explore the old-fashioned way.
"Commander, I consulted all the charts in my databases, and none of them show a relay system within the area you indicated," EDI added.
Javik emitted a huff and crossed his arms over his chest. "Your charts only show what is known now." He stated dismissively. "I know which relay you seek. It appears to have become dormant in the fifty thousand years I was slumbering."
"And it was never re-activated," Kaidan finished.
"Exactly," Javik replied, sounding somewhat dourer.
"Great. So we need to re-activate a relay… I bet the Council is going to love that," Ashley stated blandly.
Shepard eased herself back onto the couch as she stared at the gap on the chart. Ashley was right on the money in her assumption. The Council was going to love the idea so much that they would never allow the Normandy anywhere near it. They would not want to be seen allowing humans to activate even more relays.
"So, Legion, was the area Commander Shepard indicated the place where the Geth found the Old Machine?" Tali asked as she turned to the geth.
"Negative, Creator-Zorah." Legion stated without a moment of pause.
"Thanks, Tali," Shepard said, even as her thoughts continued to circle.
"Wasn't that obvious? I mean… Legion said they didn't know about the relay," Richard stated.
Tali shook her head, "Richard, there is a distinction between knowing about the relay versus knowing about the system."
Richard looked rather confused, but after a few seconds a slow realization dawned on him. "Oh, right! They could have gone there the long way."
"Exactly!" Tali replied emphatically.
"It should also be said," Shepard cut in, "that whatever is on the other side of that relay, it can't be the Heretic base. An inactive relay can't be used to relay Harbinger's control signal."
Garrus turned to Javik, "So what should be on the side of that relay?"
Javik sneered, "A Prothean colony. Your… Council has officially designated it as Ilos."
Nihlus straightened in his seat on the couch as if the cushions had electrocuted him. "Ilos?"
"Is your translator malfunctioning?" Javik asked, giving the Spectre an unimpressed look.
Nihlus glared at Javik for a long second, but turned back to Shepard, "We are looking for what is known as the Mu relay. It is not inactive, it is lost. It was moved by the shockwave of a nearby supernova some four thousand years ago."
Javik hummed again, but said nothing.
Shepard looked from the Spectre to the Prothean and back, but did not know what to say.
There was a scratch from overhead, "Commander, I feel this has to be said… supernovas are not firecrackers set off in the toi- well where they shouldn't be set off in. When one of those things goes off, it plays billiards with everything around it, or just rips it apart. We can't jump blindly, as there is a serious risk of flying into debris. Also, we need to know where the relay is and how it's drifting." Joker cut in over the internal comm.
"Moreau is right," Nihlus added, "but long-range observations have not been able to isolate the relay's electromagnetic signature and signals against the background radiation from the supernova remnant nebula and its echo. We cannot be sure it will even respond to the signal to receive mass." Nihlus added.
"Do we even know if it's still there? I mean, it's a relay, but nothing in the universe is indestructible." Joker continued, sounding skeptical.
"If it is still there, it was likely entirely enveloped by the remnant nebula," Garrus said.
"And that would mean the entire system was enveloped," Tali spoke up, raising her hands, "If the supernova was close enough, the sheer quantity of radiation released- what effects would that have on a garden world?"
"You need to find an expert. I am not an astrophysicist or an astronomer." Nihlus replied as he slumped back into the couch cushions.
"Fair enough," Tali conceded.
Shepard glanced at Javik. He was not taking the news well, not that she could blame him. Joker, Garrus, and Tali had raised some obvious and damning concerns. They were looking for a system that experienced a cosmic-scale disaster. Assuming the AI operating the colony had not killed its colonists before that, the odds of anyone surviving such a cataclysm were quite low.
"Shepard, I think our first stop should be the Library of Council. They would have all the records from previous search expeditions. We do not want to waste time looking in directions that had been explored," Nihlus went on.
"That's definitely a sound first step, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The other ark is… more accessible," Shepard replied. "Virmire is closer to the galactic rim, and any trouble there will be more mundane. No high levels of radiation or dangerous debris." She would not breach the topic of certain other complications just yet.
"Back to the regular days at the office, huh?" Kaidan said quietly.
"Indeed," Shepard tipped her head and smiled. "Back to the rat race of solving the galaxy's problems. Virmire might involve dealing with a few irate customers who need a reminder of our strict return policy: any shots fired at us, will be returned accurately."
Kaidan cracked a smile, but Ashley outright chuckled.
"Keelah, I've never heard it worded like that." Tali murmured.
"Humans do have… a unique sense of humor." Garrus murmured.
"And Shepard is more unique than most," Nihlus added.
Shepard rolled her eyes. "It's just how it is. We're basically a company now, with all the regulatory baloney to match. I'm a Spectre, I got orders from the Council to report to them before we go anywhere else." She hated having to use understatements with her crew, but she needed this to sound routine. If she had her way, they would never find out what sort of mess had been narrowly avoided.
"We will be ready for anyone who tries anything," Garrus stated.
"Definitely," Ashley agreed.
"Thank you." Shepard smiled. "Unfortunately, until I get all the details myself, there is very little I can say about Virmire right now." She definitely did not want to mention Saren right then. The odds of his involvement were well above fifty percent likelihood, but still not a hundred percent confirmed certainty. She caught Javik's half-lidded accusatory look and quickly looked away, "Obviously, our next destination is the Citadel."
"I'll get us there as soon as Adams gives me the all-clear," Joker stated.
"Thanks." Shepard glanced at Legion. The geth was watching her, and still the only sign of activity they gave was the minute movement of their sensor suite iris. She was still interested in where the Geth had found Harbinger, but she needed find a Legion-proof hook to pull the information out of them. She suspected that after today they would be extra wary of the question coming. "Well I think now we've covered the most pertinent things, the rest will be discussed after I meet with the Council. But if anyone got any questions, the floor's open."
A silent moment passed over the room as the team exchanged glanced.
"I think we're… good." Ashley stated.
Shepard gave them another couple seconds, but then shifted in her seat. "Alright then. If anyone gets any questions at any time, feel free to ask. For now though, this meeting is adjourned."
Javik moved toward the door even before Shepard had finished speaking, which did not surprise her one bit. It did not take very long for the room to largely empty out, leaving her alone with Nihlus and Garrus. The former had not moved a millimeter from his position with his arms draped over the back of the couch, and Garrus remained standing where he had been the entire time.
"Commander," the former detective stated. "I did not want to say this in front of the others, but… oversight from the Council? Something tells me there is more to things than you are telling us."
Shepard glanced at Nihlus. He was staring at Garrus with a wholly sour look. She suspected he was trying to figure out if he could get away with not explaining the situation fully.
Then, he turned to stare up at the ceiling and sighed. "Alright, I surrender. I know you will tell him everything anyways, Shepard. Get to it."
"Yes, sir," Shepard replied, mockingly, grinning all the same.
"Anything that makes Kryik uncomfortable has to be good, and is of the utmost interest to me." Garrus rumbled, amusement clear in his voice, as he perched on the tip of the couch extension.
Nihlus groaned. Shepard outright smiled. Nihlus was acting like put-upon drama king right then. Still, she was willing to let the joke go only so far. "Well, to be honest… it makes me uncomfortable too." A small bit of mercy on her part, to rein back some of Garrus' amusement. Then, without waiting for much longer, she launched into the explanation of the perhaps-brewing situation with Sparatus and Saren.
It took her about ten minutes, and by then Garrus' expression turned darker. She ended up emphasizing that while the whole thing was undoubtedly unpleasant, it was hardly the end of the world. Fortunately, the warning coming from Nihlus, prevented Garrus from assuming the Spectre was taking his former mentor's side.
When all was said, Nihlus simply left the room, without making a snarky comment, looking sourer than ever. Not that Shepard would blame him. This whole thing had to be stepping all over his pride. Sparatus was using him, Nihlus knew it, and he was the type to hate the mere thought of it. Then, having his powerlessness aired out in front of Garrus? That was just an added pleasure.
Garrus left a few minutes later, after Shepard assured him that she was fine, and that this was just a speed bump. It was more of a lie than what she normally uttered, and he probably knew it, but at the end of the day she was still his superior. Shepard gambled on him being hesitant to commit any more so-called acts of insubordination, which were really him calling her out on her half-truths. However, he was likely to march over to Nihlus right now, and they would probably come up with some plan as backup for her main plan. In recent times they had been a little too quick to join forces for there to have been no foreplaning. One of these days she would tell them that she was not entirely oblivious.
Shepard turned toward the viewport and stared out into the void. Sometime in the midst of that over-long meeting the engineers had completed the vent. So now the Normandy was making its way toward the system's relay. Judging from the way light shifted across the viewport, Joker did not seem to be flooring the accelerator. She made a mental note to thank him later, as there was still something she needed to consider.
One thing was starkly clear, the only way she could come out of this new mess without damage, was if the Council never found out about EDI. If she was right and Sparatus wanted Saren involved on Virmire, then she would have to make a pre-emptive alliance with the Spectre. To that end she could not employ any overt threats, or strong-arm tactics. Saren would see right through that and realize there was something she wanted to keep a secret, which was already dangerous. But she needed that alliance, she could not let him step one foot on the Normandy before they had a square conversation about where they stood and what their priorities ought to be.
The best way to get that was for him to see the logic of such an alliance, or better yet, come up with the idea himself. Perhaps she should start with a benign discussion about a common enemy? It would be the honest truth too. Harbinger was up to something and Nazara was eager to help it. Even if it was nothing more than the echo of a millennia-old war, some remnant of corrupted Oravores tampering that was making them attack organics, they were still a very real hazard. To make matters worse, Nazara had given Harbinger a functional Thanix system on a proverbial platter.
As she thought of it like that, she realized that Saren was in a way guilty of the same breach that she had walked away from. He had essentially given proprietary technology to a potential enemy of the Hierarchy, and a more likely enemy at that. Would any self-respecting Turian just willingly allow that to stand? She could lightly stoke the natural Turian penchant for paranoia by suggesting that the Heretics could mount those guns on every dreadnought, to match the existing kinetic armament, to say nothing of every vessel under that size.
Saren played fast and loose with the definition of honesty, but he probably would not shirk his responsibility in the matter. He was still a self-respecting Turian. Furthermore, Nazara had absconded with his personal ship, killed the majority of his hand-picked crew, and made him look like a fool. Quite frankly, Shepard doubted it was even possible for her to top the depth of the embarrassment and humiliation Nazara had dealt him. If nothing else, such a deeply personal vendetta ought to sweeten the deal.
Furthermore, her knowledge of the facts would act as leverage, as Saren would not want her to air it all out, giving her an opening. If she couched an alliance as his ticket to fix that mistake and prevent the Heretics from mounting a Thanix on every vessel, he ought to consider it. Add to that, she had volunteered her help previously, which had to count for something. Surely he would not think she was even half the danger as an unchecked Harbinger.
The more Shepard turned that amorphous idea in her head, the less amorphous it became. This was really the best way to approach the situation. The only real problem was the delicacy of the negotiations involved. She would need to word things carefully, to avoid tipping Saren off to her vested interests right off the bad, but also to avoid stepping on his already bruised pride. She also had to mind his first initial assumption that she wanted to lord his embarrassment over him. Therein lay the final hurdle, how to convince him that she was doing it because it had to be done, and not just because she wanted to claim victory? This would probably require the best of her diplomatic skills, some help from Nihlus, a gentle touch, and a fair bit of luck, but it should be possible.
The Normandy docked at the Citadel over two hours later. Shepard had idly contemplated stalling longer by insisting that they needed to make a stop-over at Arcturus Station to pick up antimatter, but the idea was discarded almost as soon as it cropped up. It would not do to potentially give Saren the opportunity to work Sparatus up into being extra cross. It was still not be a good idea to test the Council's patience.
She spent the two hours in the OD, figuring out the clerical matters. Adams had sent up his report regarding the Normandy's readiness status. The report announced that the vent procedure had gone off without a hitch. Shepard only needed to give the report a read, sign off on it, and then enter it into the log books.
Now, as the docking clamps attached the ship's hull, she got to her feet, turned and breezed out of the OD, tugging on her fatigues jacket as she went. She was calling the elevator in a matter of seconds, but it took what felt like an hour for it to arrive. What was otherwise mundane paperwork had occupied her mind just enough to quiet the unhelpful facets of her overthinking tendencies. Ironically that meant that the precise way to approach contacting Saren had come to her as if by a moment of enlightenment.
The elevator door barely opened on deck three when Shepard breezed out, course locked on the XO's cabin. She was unsurprised by the fact that Nihlus' door had recognized her, and opened without her needing to announce herself. She stopped once she was deep enough into the XO's cabin for it to close behind her.
"I expected you to come sooner," Nihlus announced without looking up from whatever he was doing on his terminal.
Shepard raised an eyebrow, "I'd be more impressed with your deductive skills if you figured out some of what I was going to say too."
Nihlus looked up over the top of his terminal monitor and gave her a toothy grin, "I suspect you want me to contact Saren, to discuss bringing him on as a temporary consultant. Since our next mission will involve an area he is supremely knowledgeable in."
Shepard blinked, after that grin of his did she want to feed his ego by admitting that he had figured her out?
"Amazed yet?" Nihlus asked after a moment.
No, she decided that his ego did not need to get any bigger than it already was. "You got the salient parts of why I'm here," she admitted. "Some credit is due, but we've worked together long enough for you to have learned something of how I operate… so it's just some."
Nihlus chuckled, "Faint praise, but I will take it." Then he leaned forward on his elbows, looking up at her from his seating position. "What do you need me include in the message?"
Shepard drew near his desk, "Tell him that I wish to meet in private. Do not mention Sparatus or anything of what we previously discussed, I want it to appear as if this is business as usual. Instead, remind him that we encountered Nazara on Feros. With all the complications since I mentioned that, then my promotion, then this latest job on Eden Prime, I realized I never followed up with him on that. Oh and please apologize on my behalf as well, as it was an unfortunate slip up on my part."
Nihlus' grin turned into an outright smile as his eyes gained that mischievous twinkle. From that she knew he had read her loud and clear. "Yes, that can definitely work."
Shepard grinned. "Also, I was thinking we should meet somewhere casually. I suggest the Presidium Botanical Gardens. I hear the Sur'Kesh section is lovely year round, and is less frequented than other places on the Presidium."
She saw that environment as one of a few advantages. Sur'Kesh was a jungle planet, where the flora's natural cycles synchronized to seasonal changes in rainfall. The plants also grew thick, eagerly competing for sunlight, and such coverage would limit lines of sight. Then, the artificial warmth and high humidity would filter the visitors. There would be fewer office workers on their breaks and more tourists keen on admiring the park itself. The former were more likely to recognize her after Citadel Security had splashed her name all over the news. Finally, she doubted Saren was a frequent visitor either. The secrecy offered by meeting in a place where neither of them was seen ought to work for the both of them.
Nihlus chuckled, "I will structure the message as you wish, but do not expect a swift reply. He will take his time to consider his options."
"Far be it for me to prevent a veteran from assessing his options," Shepard stated. She wanted Saren to think. It would make him read the writing on the wall. This was her olive branch, an offer to do things the easy way. She did not want Saren thinking that he was pinned between a rock and a hard place, and she would not dare spring anything on him in front of Sparatus. Albeit she would not have gone for that latter one to begin with, as that was a quick way to end up with egg on her face. Ultimately, this was indeed a parlay on neutral ground, she was not making a power play, yet.
"Shepard, maybe I am overstating the obvious, but if Sparatus does intend to involve Saren, he would have given him the relevant information already. Saren will know that I would tell you, and that you would figure out what Sparatus is planning."
"Of course," Shepard replied. "I suspect that Spectre Arterius will make certain assumptions about why I want to meet with him." She did not want to say it out loud, but she thought it, because the most natural assumption Saren could make was that she was going to threaten or blackmail him. Which she could, but not as an opening gambit. Shepard was not interested in needlessly burning down whatever bridge there was between them. "Despite our differences, I do think we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement."
Nihlus chuckled, "Of course. Saren would know that you love those, and prefer to remain civil and friendly with people." Then his voice dipped low into a whisper, "He will also assume that something is making you nervous. I would be careful with how you approach the meeting."
Shepard had reached the conclusion that such an assumption was unfortunately unavoidable. Saren was hardly a born-yesterday fool, even if she told Nihlus to keep the language of his message neutral. That was mostly stage-craft on her part, it would not do to hint anything untoward in writing. Emails were as good as a document, and could be very damning. "That's given, but I plan to emphasize that we have a common professional interest. Nazara and Harbinger are an enemy to the Galaxy. If we are fighting each-other, then those two get a win. I doubt Spectre Arterius is willing to give them that, not after his own unfortunate dealings with Nazara. An accord would be in the best interests of everyone involved."
"He is going to hate you so much for this," Nihlus murmured.
Shepard smiled, "of course, and he would be at liberty to hate me as much as he likes." He would likely prefer to hate her for pulling his arm rather than embarrassing him in front of Sparatus. To be sure she could rain hell on both Sparatus and Saren, if they forced her hand. She still wanted to think that Saren would not sacrifice his whole career over this. However, if he decided to prove her wrong, this meeting would also give her ample advance warning.
"And what if Saren refuses to meet with you? Do you have a backup plan?" Nihlus asked.
"My first plan is to make the decision easy on him. Appeal to his professionalism and dedication to his career. If they mean nothing to him, then… well, he will be giving me what I need to use my backup plan. The Council will hear of his unprofessional conduct. I get the feeling that they would not appreciate having an agent who puts a personal agenda above the common galactic good. To say nothing of a few… glaring omissions from his reports which I am privy to." That would be exactly how she would couch the whole thing. If Saren wanted to be Ahab, she would bring his qualifications into question and then peripherally expose him as a liar to the Council. This way she hoped to convince Tevos and Valern to side with her. Neither of them had a reason to reject solid evidence of unprofessional conduct.
Nihlus froze in his seat and looking her right in the eyes, "You are willing to go that far?"
"I would rather not go that far, and I sincerely hope it doesn't go there, but I will not go down without a fight."
"Alright," Nihlus sighed. "Then you only have one last thing to consider. Who, other than me, do you want to come along to the meeting?"
Shepard hummed as she folded her arms under her bust. That was indeed something to consider. Garrus was an obvious choice, he was aware of the situation. At the same time, he was quite impulsive. Asking him to go anywhere near Saren was asking for unintended consequences. It was not that she did not trust Garrus, she did, implicitly, but in this case, she was already fighting up hill.
A second possibility was Javik. He was an advantage that Saren would not be able to work around, he would simply know what Saren was planning. The problem was that Javik was unlikely to tell her, and worse, he would also know exactly why she was inviting him along in the first place. So would he go for it, or would asking cause unintended consequences? She did not have a good read on him as an individual to answer that.
Then she had to consider Saren's own proclivities. In all likelihood if he saw a few too many people milling around, he might just walk away without announcing himself. If she was honest, she would have walked away herself. It would not do to discuss this sort of matter when the other side brought too many of their own partisans. So perhaps it would be best if it was just Nihlus and her. Call it another leaf on the olive branch. After all, they were the first ones to learn of Saren's embarrassing secret. Yes, it would have to be just Nihlus and her. She would read Garrus in on the situation at a later time.
"You are thinking too hard," Nihlus stated.
"Can you blame me?" Shepard asked as she let her hands drop back to her sides. "Dealing with Saren is fraught with complications." An old saying went that the devil dwelled in the details, and this was a delicate dance with said devil.
Nihlus met her gaze. Seated at his desk and looking up, the ceiling-mounted light caught in those green depths, making them look brighter. "I have your back."
"I know," Shepard replied quietly.
"So, it would see you are ready to -how it is that humans love to put it?" Nihlus grinned at her there, flashing all his needle-sharp teeth, "Make Saren an offer he cannot refuse?"
It took a long second but Shepard could not stop herself from laughing. It was quite possibly both the most on-point and completely off usage of the quote at the same time. When she could rein her laughter back she shook her head. "That quote is from a classic two-hundred-year-old movie, and does not mean what you think. The movie is about a family who run a large organized crime syndicate. The so-called offer is actually a threat… either you do as they tell you, or they will have you killed. No one in their right mind will choose to die."
"Well, you are not the type to use violence, but the spirit of it still fits," Nihlus argued back. "Someone will have to do as they are told."
Shepard shook her head again. Nihlus was trying to make her feel better. "I'm no Mafioso." It was a weak protest all considering. After all, Spectres very much walked the gray line between lawful and not, on the sufferance of the Council. They could get away with murder, no bribing required, as long as they could justify it. To those who did not care for the Council's authority, the Spectres were little more than armed enforcers in overly-expensive, custom gear.
"Alright. Now, one last thing. From here on out... I would forgo wearing your blue uniform to any meeting with the Council, and perhaps even your fatigues."
Shepard nodded, "It's a conflict of interests and implies things about the order of seniority there." They would not warm up to her if they thought she was openly putting her allegiance to the Alliance above her duties to the galaxy. Not that anyone honestly believed Spectres were truly impartial, just that most did not flaunt their conflicts of interest freely.
"Exactly," Nihlus nodded. "Now that you are a full status Spectre, you can wear your armor, and come armed. If any Citadel Security officer raises the issue of you carrying weapons on the Presidium, you know whom to refer them to."
Shepard nodded again, but remained quiet. It was probably a good thing then that her armor was black and red, which were not Alliance colors. The patch identifying her as a full N7 was not as problematic. "Well, that's it then?"
"Yes. Get some rest in the meantime. If need be, I will ask EDI to wake you up." Nihlus said as he turned back to his terminal.
"Thanks," Shepard replied. Rest did not sound half bad right now. There was little else she could do while waiting for the inevitable. Doing anything, or worse, meeting with Saren while tired was a recipe for disaster. She would probably wait for the final meal of the day before she actually hit the sack though. "I guess I'll see you later."
Nihlus looked up briefly to give her another of his toothy smiles, but he said nothing more.
Shepard whirled and made her way toward his door.
Shepard was honestly surprised at how quickly she managed to fall asleep when her head had finally hit the pillow. Though maybe the conscious choice of chamomile tea with her dinner had done something to help it. Either way, it seemed like the moment she closed her eyes, she was out like a light. The next thing she knew, EDI was waking her up with the announcement that Nihlus wanted to see her within the hour.
Shepard thanked EDI even before her feet touched the floor. A glance at her clock told her that it was the middle of the night according to Terran Coordinated. She was not sure what time it was according to the Citadel's own time keeping, which prevented her from knowing whom must have replied. The Council would never meet off scheduled hours, unless it was a dire emergency, which this was not. So if it was indeed after hours, then it must have been Saren. It made sense to her that he would operate on his own schedule.
Within half an hour she shook the sleep out, made herself presentable, and then she was out of her quarters and on her way down to deck three. The Normandy was quiet at night, with the majority of the crew asleep and the night shift hardly being the liveliest bunch to begin with. She caught a sleepy Kaidan coming out of the washroom. He offered her a good early morning, but then made his way back toward the bunk room.
When she rounded the elevator block, Nihlus was already waiting for her by the kitchen island. There was a pad in his hands, and she quickly learned that it contained copies of his entire message exchange with Saren. It took her a few minutes to read over everything, but it answered her questions handily.
Saren's final message was as brief as he could get it down to. He agreed to meet with them at the Presidium Botanical Gardens, in the Sur'Kesh section, to discuss Nazara's activities on Feros. Furthermore, he suggested they meet near the section's central gazebo. When she asked, Nihlus explained that he had looked in on the matter. Right then, they were in the months designated as the wet season in the garden, meaning that overnight was the best time of day for the gardeners to schedule an artificial rainstorm on the Sur'Kesh section. Shepard did not need more explanation after that. One glance at the universal clock on the pad confirmed that it was still late evening on the Citadel. The meeting was scheduled for an hour and a half from then, when the Garden would be nearly empty.
After that, the only thing left to decide was what she wanted to show up in. She would definitely not go in her uniform. It was easily identifiable, it would absorb the ambient moisture in the garden like a sponge, and she did not want to damage it in an artificial downpour. To say nothing of the mere sight of it likely acting like a red cloth in front of a very moody bull. She could not show up on armor either. That would suggest that she was planning something, or that she did not trust Saren not to knife her in the back. Though he was a cunning bastard, she very much doubted he would ever be so rash. So she ought to be more concerned with not coming off as if she was planning to use force herself. The only option left was going in her fatigues. The material would probably still absorb some moisture, but the whole thing was not so overtly Alliance. Best of all, she could still secret a sidearm in the back, and a few spare clips in the cargo pockets, and if anyone asked, she was a Spectre.
Thus in about another hour the two of them departed without a hurry. Joker had caught them heading toward the airlock, but he did not put all too a concerted effort questioning her. Though she could not really tell whether that was due to him being partly sleepy or whatever shred of rank decorum he maintained.
Once they were outside the closed terminal that served as the berth for Spectre vessels, Shepard called a Skycab at the kiosk. Having to wait for the vehicle to arrive meant it took them a full half an hour to get to the Presidium Botanical Gardens. The car let them out at the main gates, as near to the Sur'Kesh section as possible, and from there, they proceeded on foot.
The gardens were open to the public at all times, but at night they were noticeably emptier. Stepping through the wrought metal gate separating the garden from the rest of the Presidium, they also stepped past the atmosphere-retaining mass effect dome that contained the garden's unique environmental settings. The temperature rose ten degrees and the air became much more humid. A multi-lingual sign just past the gates warned that it was the wet period in the Sur'Kesh section, characterized by frequent artificial showers. Shepard almost jumped when a drop of water landed on her nose. Though it was not raining just then, the drops came at a regular interval, hinting that a shower was likely forthcoming.
As she walked deeper in, the air turned cloying with the mixing scents of the flowers all around, and she could hear a slow but steady pitter-patter of droplets hitting the foliage. The overhanging tree canopy closed in nearly completely, and with the dimming of the Presidium's lighting for the night, it cast the artificial forest into a twilight gloom. An artificial breeze stirred the greenery, which caused the green, blue, pink, and purple glows of the bio-luminescent mosses clinging to the trees to twinkle.
The last time Shepard had visited the garden, her clone had just committed her first murder, so there had not been enough time to admire the scenery. Now though, with about half an hour left before she was supposed to meet with Saren, she had the time to take in the natural beauty around her.
The flagstone path meandered through the zone, with stone benches on either side at regular intervals. However right in the center the path opened onto a square with a large ornate wrought metal and wood gazebo surrounded by deep beds of flowering plants. Though the reduction of artificial sunlight had caused many of them to close for the night. An ivy-like crawling plant wound its way around the metal columns, and it too bore patches of bio-luminescence. The only thing that prevented Shepard from forgetting that this was an artificial garden on a space station was the complete absence of reveling insect life.
Shepard was none too surprised to see Nihlus climb the gazebo steps. Its elevated floor offered a vantage from which to watch both paths leading onto the square. She decided to leave him to that and took the time to wander about the square, admiring the flowers. The air was indeed too warm for her, and she could feel the moisture slowly sink into the softer areas of her fatigues, but the plants around her were like nothing she had seen before. Her curiosity quickly trumped over any consideration for personal discomfort.
The scents quickly lulled her into losing track of time. One moment she was admiring the nearly electric purple hue of some yet-to-close chrysanthemum-like flowers, and the next she heard the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps, and Nihlus whispered her name over her concealed ear-piece to draw her attention.
When she turned toward the approaching footsteps, she spotted a figure just entering the square. For a brief moment, Shepard thought it was someone out on a late evening stroll, but that thought evaporated as quickly as it came. Saren materialized from the gloom looking like a malicious entity. Although he had opted to wear an all-black outfit with an elaborate drape of material around the shoulders, which slimmed his bulk and made him look older, there was no mistaking his unique coloration or the zygomatic plate extensions. There was also something uniquely disconcerting about the way his silver eyes brightened as he glared in her direction.
Author Notes: I'll just say this right now, when I re-read the lore on Ilos, some things jumped at me, and inevitably led to me needing to do some additional research. This of course did not help production delays, but I'm a bit OCD when it comes to said research. Mea maxima culpa.
General Notes:
Episode Title – This episode is part one of an "atypical" two-parter, and is also a homage to one of the best episodes of Star Trek Deep Space 9. In that episode we got to see just how far Benjamin Sisko was willing to go to ensure the Federation won the Dominion War. Shepard is willing to go pretty far to ensure Harbinger's demise as well. Feel free to comment if you think you know what episode I'm alluding to!
Chapter Notes:
Captain Ahab – This was one of the main characters from Herman Melville's Moby Dick (1851). In the story, his obsession with revenge on the whale, Moby Dick, dominated him utterly, and eventually led to his self-destruction and death. The name has become short-hand for people with similar monomaniacal behavior.
Supernova - This is the explosive end for massive stars (hundreds of times the mass of Sol). For a brief period, it can outshine a whole galaxy! The star's exposed core will then collapse into a black hole or a neutron star (depending on the star's exact mass). In all cases, the event expels massive quantities of super-hot gasses at relativistic velocities, forming a nebula. The Mu relay is implied to have been caught up in such an event. If true, then it is the residual heat (and gas/dust cloud opacity) within the nebula that obscures the relay.
Consequences of Supernova - We have some records of some 20 Near-Earth supernova events from the past 11 million years in the form of product isotope deposition in the rock layers all over the world. Distance is important for the effects on a system. A supernova's gamma rays can travel 10 parsecs and still deplete the ozone layer that would shield a planet from solar UV. While Earth has avoided such close events, Ilos seems to have lost the lottery. It was devastated by something, the codex lists "cause unknown", but I'm going to say it was the supernova.