"How's my favourite corporate goddess doing?"
Trish blinked at the strange greeting as she answered the vid call.
"Wow, ok. That's a new one. What do you need?" Her eyes narrowed as her customary visual check of her fiance discovered the bruises around her neck.
Old looking bruises, that she hadn't seen before.
She didn't have the time or energy right now for the argument that mentioning it would provoke, but she made a mental note of it for later. That idiot told me she was fine when I called her after hearing about Terra Nova on the news!
"Who said I needed anything?" The soldier protested.
"The corporate goddess, that's who. Either you need something or you've overdosed on medigel, which is it?"
"Hey! I'll have you know I've not even been shot at this week."
"It's only Tuesday Nick, it's not that big of an achievement. Especially when you spent the last two days on Arcturus." That had rankled slightly. The first time in months that Nikki was within a shuttle ride of home and Trish had still been on the citadel and unable to see her.
Then, later, when she found out why her partner was visiting the Alliance HQ in the first place, she'd had to feel guilty about that being her first response.
'Williams and Alenko got knocked up pretty bad and Fredricks had to have his leg chopped off, we're dropping them all off for further treatment.' You missed out the bit where you were nearly strangled to death by a fucking krogan!
Ok, so maybe it wasn't a krogan. Trish was just speculating at this point. She didn't actually know the details. Mainly because my idiot fiance hasn't told me about it!
Said idiot was still happily making small talk, blissfully unaware of her partner's ire.
"Actually you might be surprised how many fights break out on Arcturus. Lots of off duty service personnel with a limited choice of drinking holes. Inter-ship and regimental rivalries sometimes flare up."
"Good point, you only said you hadn't been shot this week, does that mean you've been stabbed, knocked out or blown up?"
"Not yet."
"Hmm, 'yet', very reassuring. Do try and keep that streak going as long as possible, I'll have you know that the corporate goddess is a vengeful goddess... and also very busy." You have no idea how lucky you are about that second point right now. "Was there a reason for this call?"
"Do I need a reason to call my beautiful and amazing future wife?" Nikki attempted to turn on the charm but wilted under Trish's less than impressed look. "Alright, alright. Geez... try and give someone a compliment these days... You're a businesswoman right? You walk in corporate circles."
The civilian raised a solitary eyebrow, sometimes she wondered if Nikki even knew what her job was.
"And I'm a soldier, I... don't..."
"The point Nick? Much as I love you, I'm supposed to be working and I've got a meeting in twenty minutes." Loathe as she was to admit it, the charm had slightly cooled her wrath.
"Right, right, sorry. Didn't you have a business trip on Noveria a few years back? What can you tell me about the place?"
"It's bloody cold! Umm... The entire planet is owned by the Noveria Development Corporation, a consortium of about two dozen private companies. The main investors all have their own large, independent research facilities out in the Skadi Mountains, but there's also smaller research labs they rent out to anyone who can afford them. It's outside of citadel space which means outside citadel laws, and they really don't like anyone or anything that could interfere with either science or profits."
"Are you sure you're not a spy? You literally just summarised the entirety of Alliance Intelligence's report on the place." Shepard joked, desperately trying to not think about the last time she'd had to interact with corporate scientists operating without Citadel oversight. It had taken hours for the squad to finish wiping creeper pus off their weapons and armour.
"No, but I am a corporate goddess, goddesses are omniscient you know." Trish deadpanned, causing the soldier to chuckle.
"Hmm of course, how could I forget? Anything else the folks at intel don't know that you can give me?"
"I don't know, I don't know what your folks at intel know."
"What! I thought you were omniscient?" Shepard smirked as her partner raised a solitary finger at the camera.
"Well, I'm sure even the guys at intel know that you'll have to fly into Port Hanshan, and the board doesn't let anyone carry weapons except their private security force."
"What if I play the spectre card?"
"Honestly? I have no idea. There weren't any spectres visiting while I was there. Outside Council space technically mean it's outside your jurisdiction but since most the companies' headquarters are inside council space you might be granted an exemption. If they do then I'm willing to bet it will only apply to you, not your crew."
Nick nodded her understanding.
"Worst case scenario I'll send you a code that sabotages ERCS weapons since that's who provides the security, and I assume you'll still have that knife you N7s love so much on you?"
"Hey, it's not our fault it doesn't set off weapon sensors!"
"Of course not dear, and it's complete coincidence you always forget you have it on you. Just be careful."
"Of course. Careful is my middle name!"
"No it's not, it's Jane."
"Shh, you're not supposed to tell people. I still don't know why my mother thought you needed to know that..."
"It's not like she actually told me. I just happened to be in range when she was shouting at you..."
"I don't even remember what that was about."
"I do. You were-"
"Hey don't you have a meeting to get to?" The soldier was quick to interrupt what she was certain would be an embarrassing story.
"I've got a few more minutes. Besides, goddesses are omni-present."
"I'm going to regret ever calling you that aren't I?"
"Mmhmm." Trish nodded in agreement. "You're right though, I probably should go. I'll message you if I think of anything that could help."
...
If there's one thing I should know about Trish by now... Shepard mused as she sat on some crates in the Port Hanshan docks, casually playing skyllian five with her crew as if she didn't have a care in the world, all under the watchful eye of a noticeably irritate Sergeant Stirling while the port security team ran the necessary checks on her ID. It's that she's always right.
"Thank you for your patience Spectre. It all checks out." Captain Matsuo informed them as she bustled out of the small security office to join them. "You may keep your weapons, but I'm afraid I can't allow your associates in unless they disarm."
There was vocal protest from Wrex and Garrus but Shepard silenced them with a simple hand gesture.
"Enough grouching, do it or wait on the ship. Your choice guys."
They made a show of begrudgingly handing over the weapons they'd taken out of the Normandy's lockers and individually walking through the weapons scanner while Nikki sauntered through with an entire armoury on her back.
"Captain, surely she doesn't need that much ma'am?" Sergeant Stirling protested. "She even has two shotguns! Why would anybody need two shotguns?"
"You never know when one of them's going to overheat." Shepard stated airily. "Second brigade Mindoirian girl scouts, 'always be prepared'."
She was glad that Liara and Tali were staying on the ship for the moment. THREE shotguns, four pistols, Garrus's sniper rifle, an assault rifle and a submachine gun would probably have been a little much.
Especially when a quick extranet search would reveal there hadn't even been a First brigade of scouts on Mindoir.
As it was Captain Matsuo clearly wasn't fooled by the single assault rifle, sniper, two pistols and two shotties she was toting. Wearing a rather unimpressed 'I don't get paid enough for this' face.
"Spectre's are authorized to carry weapons, Sergeant." She replied tiredly. "It doesn't state anywhere how few or many."
The Normandy team remained straight faced all the way to the elevators.
...
Shepard already hated this planet and she hadn't even left Port Hanshan yet.
Somehow Administrator Anoleis had managed the impossible and made an even worse first impression than Udina. Shepard would have been impressed if she wasn't so frustrated.
In between insulting her background and paraphrasing the old maxim 'time is money', he managed to confirm Benezia's presence at Peak 15, along with about a dozen commandos and a lot of very large crates containing he had no idea what. Somehow Shepard doubted whatever it was was benevolent, even if it had passed weapons screening.
Unfortunately that was the extent of his usefulness. Both his assistant Parasini and the port's chief mechanic were far more forthcoming with information, although neither were willing to simply let her into the garage.
Parasini had at least provided the name of someone who might be able to help, but Shepard wasn't in the mood for a wild pyjak chase (she'd had enough of that on Eletania) and decided to try her own approach first.
"Hey babe, you were right." Nikki had the common sense to check the vicinity for surveillance equipment before calling home. She'd already been approached by an asari trying to convince her to bug a competitor and wasn't stupid enough to think they was the only person in the place willing to stoop to such tactics.
Unfortunately she was only offering money as a reward, not a garage pass, otherwise the spectre might have been tempted.
"I'm always right." Trish was as modest as ever. "What in particular are we talking about?"
"Noveria is cold, corrupt as hell and I can't wait to leave. Oh and uh..." She grinned as she tilted her shoulder so Trish could see the squad's weapons on her back. The civilian rolled her eyes with a sigh.
"So what are you calling me about this time? You don't need directions to the toilets do you, because I'm fairly sure you could ask a local."
"Oh sure," Nikki chuckled. "Apparently they can give me a map for 200 credits or 360 for the deluxe edition. Just how can you have a deluxe edition of a map? Anyway that's not why I'm calling... I don't suppose Kassa has anyone out here who you could contact and convince to lend me a Noverian garage pass?"
"Ah. They're playing that game are they? Sorry Nick, Kassa doesn't bother with a permanent presence out there. We only rent labs when we need them, the rest of the time we conduct our R&D in Alliance space."
"Do I want to know why you'd need to rent a lab out here?" There was a wariness in the spectre's tone but Trish simply shrugged dismissively.
"Last time we wanted to run tests on how the colossus armour would hold up against illegal ammo mods. Couldn't exactly import illegal rounds into Council space without getting in trouble so we took the armour outside instead."
"Fair enough. Look I'd love to chat some more but my mission's not solving itself. I need to figure out how to get a garage pass before Benezia leaves the damn planet."
"Is Opold still there?"
"Who?"
"Hanar merchant slash smuggler, has a shop near the elevator to the docks. I'm sure he'd be able to get you a garage pass but he'd probably insist on a favour in kind rather than credits as payment."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that. Alright, if things don't work out with Lorik I'll give him a go."
"Good luck, sweetie. Oh and when you do get outside be careful, I don't want you losing any more toes."
Nikki huffed at the jab even as it raised a smile.
"Hey, I checked the planetary guide, it's nowhere near as cold as Antibaar out there."
...
It is fucking freezing out here! Shepard thought silently to herself, continuing to try and remain stoic as Garrus made another comment about turians not liking the cold, despite the fact she'd offered him the chance to stay on the ship when they collected the rest of the squad.
Unfortunately the geth must have put anti-freeze in their conductive fluid because they didn't seem to be adversely affected at all.
The journey to Peak 15 was certainly hazardous, whiteout conditions making it almost impossible to see the geth until they were almost on top of them.
Or, more commonly, until a sudden burst of light and heat signified a rocket flying towards them and it was only the commander's quick thinking and even quicker reactions that saved their lives, hitting the thrusters and jumping the mako over the missiles.
Liara and Tali were justifiably concerned but Shepard and the boys seemed determined to turn it into a sport, counting the number of successful jumps out loud.
After an undefeated 21 jump streak, they finally reached the facility. Nikki couldn't help wondering just how large these damn crates of Benezia's were, as there didn't seem to be any end to the number of geth arrayed against them. Still, variety was the spice of life and after mere seconds inside they found themselves under attack from organics.
"Garrus, Tali take the juggernaut. Wrex you've got the krogan on the right. Liara, we've got the one on the left." Shepard ordered as she threw a grenade.
A third krogan was spotted to the side and the spectre silently cursed. They needed to take care of things quickly before he could join the fight.
That problem took care of itself, the juggernaut suddenly turning to face the unengaged krogan as Garrus and Tali switched their attention to the smaller geth swarming the room.
"Nice one Tals!" Shepard enthused as she fired her shotgun at point blank rage and side stepped the charge of her now blood raging opponent.
...
"When did my life become a horror movie?" Nikki lamented as they crept through the metal corridors of Peak 15, the squad understandably on edge at the slightest noise.
One moment they had been making scrap metal out of geth and the next they were under attack by giant bugs.
Well ok, a mix of giant bugs and tiny, suicidal, acid exploding bugs that were so small and fast that they were hard to accurately shoot before they were close enough to do damage.
"Anybody got any ideas what these things are?" She received a series of differently worded negatives in response, and decided it didn't matter what they were as long as they could be killed.
Eventually they reached the VI core. Tali managed to reboot it and they were given a rather dire update on the situation and a long list of problems that needed to be fixed before they could continue.
Shepard bit back a groan, wondering just how long she had left before either Benezia escaped or the Noverian executive board decided to launch the orbital antimatter warheads that made up part of the failsafe responses against a Code Omega containment failure.
We don't have time for this.
"Ok, Wrex and I will take the roof and fix the landlines. Garrus you lead Team two and repair the reactors."
...
"You know, I didn't want to say anything in front of the kids but..." Wrex started once they were alone on the freezing rooftop.
He paused to obliterate a swarm of little horrors with his shotgun before pivoting to punch one of the big bugs in the face. Shepard was too busy peppering their foes with her assault rifle to look at him but hung onto every word as the battlemaster continued:
"This reminds me of the stories my grandfather used to tell me about the rachnhi wars."
"I thought the rachni were extinct?" Now that he mentioned it she could see a resemblance to the grainy vids from that conflict. Of course there were some differences; like they were unarmed and not surrounded by a mushy mountain of krogan and salarian dead, but certainly enough similarities to be worried about.
If a geth presence on Noveria was enough to trigger an investor panic, live rachni was enough to trigger a galactic meltdown if it became public knowledge.
"They were. The old council demanded it and my ancestors made sure of it."
"Well, maybe these things are something new. Rachni and keepers can't be the only giant bug species in the galaxy." Nikki tried to stay optimistic but realistically she knew the chances of this being a first contact scenario were minuscule, and when it came to scientists anything was possible.
"Let's hope so, Shepard. Last time it took three centuries and millions of krogan lives to stop them and that was before the genophage brought us to our knees. Next time round we won't be so much help. If these are rachni and they get loose, the galaxy's in trouble."
...
"Binary Helix plan to clone rachni. Mass-produce them. Create an army."
Why!? Who could possibly think this would be a good idea? Can you even spell stupid? Shepard mentally bemoaned as she shared a look with Wrex. When they left the ship to find Benezia this morning she hadn't expected to have to combat a second galactic extinction level threat.
Speaking of Benezia... Captain Ventralis had assured her the Matriarch was down here but the large room was empty save for the lone scientist sitting in the middle, and he was adamant he hadn't seen her.
"Contact!"
Suddenly the room wasn't quite so empty, rachni popping up seemingly out of nowhere.
Fuckers were fast too.
A claw ripping through Tartakovsky before she could pull him to safety.
They fought their way across to the control room on the other side, Shepard dragging the scientist's body along with them.
"Wrex, Liara secure the door. Tali, Garrus search this room for vents." The commander ordered as she rifled through the dead man's pockets. Please tell me you wrote the activation code down! "Mira, is there an asari in the hot labs?"
"There is an asari I am unable to identify standing behind you."
Wrex chuckled while Liara remained less than impressed beside him.
"I meant, are there any other asari down here? Preferably a matriarch. Lady Benezia."
"None within my sensors"
A shotgun blast to her left signified Tali was securing a vent.
"How many of these things are there?" Garrus asked rhetorically but the VI decided to answer him anyway.
"I'm sorry. The sensor network is too damaged to provide an accurate count."
"Take a guess." Wrex contributed.
"Guessing is outside my programming parameters."
Shepard rolled her eyes.
"Guys stop messing with the VI." She finally found an OSD with the code on it. "Mira, activate the neutron purge!"
...
"What could I say mother?! That you're insane? Evil?" They'd finally found Benezia and Liara was understandably distressed. Nikki felt for the young asari, she really did, but she didn't take her eyes off her target.
They'd always known what the most likely outcome of this encounter would be and she'd given the archaeologist a final chance to back out before descending into the hot labs where they originally thought they'd be facing her. In hindsight it was probably a good thing she hadn't stayed behind with Ventralis.
"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit? Few people have." Benezia tried to psych them out and Garrus and Tali seemed suitably unsettled, fortunately Wrex was looking out for them like always.
"Yeah I have. They die like anything else." The krogan's inspiring words signaled an end to the conversation, the matriarch enveloping the squad in a powerful stasis field.
When Alenko had still been aboard the Normandy the commander had developed a training exercise where the squad split into two teams, the biotics worked on strengthening their stasis on a living target while the non-biotics attempted to break free. Even with that training however, Shepard wasn't sure they would have been able to regain movement before the incoming commandos turned them all to swiss cheese if they hadn't had the skills and experience of a battlemaster on hand.
The battle against the matriarch was arguably harder than the recent duel against Saren and Nikki was glad to have her squad fighting beside her this time.
...
They had the coordinates for the Mu Relay. Apparently so did Saren. Benezia had had a brief moment of clarity when she'd been able to fight off the indoctrination and talk to them. Shepard couldn't decide whether that was better or worse for Liara.
Her mother had got to say goodbye and insist she was proud of her, but at the same time, now the maiden was probably wondering if there had been any way they could have saved her.
Tali and Garrus were keeping watch in case of further hostiles while Liara took a moment to grieve. Normally there wasn't time on a battlefield, a fact Shepard always drummed into her troops, but these weren't soldiers they were civilians and besides, she and Wrex were busy with the rachni queen.
"There's enough acid rigged to that tank to kill anything."
"Nice to see stupidly evil scientists actually take sensible precautions for once." Shepard opined as she studied the controls.
"Watch out!"
The spectre spun round, pistol raised at the warning to find one of the dead commando's lurching drunkenly towards the tank with vacant eyes.
She had thought herself immune to surprise by now, but the rachni queen using the dead as a mouthpiece was certainly unexpected. To the best of her knowledge no rachni had ever attempted to communicate with any of the other species before.
The asari had tried of course. Attempting to negotiate a ceasefire shortly after First Contact, much like they had between humanity and the turians, but received no reply.
The salarians had attempted to surrender after the first few decades of war found them on the back foot and rapidly losing territory, but no response or quarter was given.
The krogan had... Ok, so the krogan HADN'T actually bothered trying to talk to the bugs, but then by the time they'd been uplifted and joined the fight the war had already been waging for nearly a century and the council had declared the rachni an enemy to galactic stability and ordered their extermination.
Whatever way you looked at it, this was undoubtedly one for the history books. Or at least, it would have been if the mission reports weren't going to end up so heavily redacted and classified that even the commander would struggle to get hold of them without resorting to spectre codes.
The queen certainly talked a good game, but then it wouldn't be the first time someone lied to her in an attempt to save their own skin. Vakarian's old foe, Dr Saleon, merely being the most recent example. All sapient life would try it's hardest to survive, and that included saying and promising just about anything to a would be executioner.
Liara seemed convinced by the rachni's pleas. Or maybe she'd just seen too much death today and was desperately grasping at the chance to save someone, anyone, in the hope of there still being some good in the world.
Despite being the second oldest aboard the Normandy in terms of number of years alive, the asari was still the youngest in terms of maturity and naivete.
Garrus actually had a good idea, suggesting they let the council make the decision. Considering she had the feeling they'd criticise her decision no matter which way she went, it was certainly a tempting idea. Unfortunately they were unable to connect to any external communications systems outside Peak 15, even with Mira attempting to boost the signal and Shepard wasn't willing to leave the queen just sitting in the tank while they buggered off to make a call.
Anything could happen. More scientists could claim her or she could escape on her own and feel entirely vindicated in any retribution plans.
No, whatever happened, it would need to be decided before they left this room.
Wrex seemed astonished that she was even allowing the rachni a chance to speak, he was clearly worried about her being swayed. She could hardly blame him. Apart from the salarians his people had suffered more than any other species during the first war and they were the only ones there in the tunnels on Suen at the bitter end.
To him it would seem like both a betrayal of his people's sacrifice and the perversion of the only time in their history the krogan were seen as the 'good guys' on the galactic scale.
She wasn't about to commit murder purely as a result of peer pressure though.
Then again, there was also the matter of her oaths to consider. Shepard had sworn two in fact. One when she joined the Alliance, to protect their people and their planets, and another upon being inducted into the spectres. To promote and maintain galactic peace and stability... no matter the cost.
The genocide happened millennia ago, I'd merely be maintaining the status quo. Shepard sighed, she wondered how many times she'd have to tell herself that before she believed it.
That was the problem with tough decisions, there was no way of knowing the right answer and they were very easy to regret. All you could do was compare possibilities.
What was the best case scenario if she saved the queen? A peaceful cohabitation with a new species.
Worst case scenario? A Second Rachni War. The krogan unable to replenish their numbers fast enough to fight a war of attrition due to the genophage and none of the other species strong enough to hold out.
And if she killed the queen? The opportunity to prevent any possibility of a war breaking out between their species in the future, saving untold millions of human and council races' lives. Versus having the death of one innocent being on her conscience.
Just one more nightmare to join her collection alongside Akuze, Operation Amadeus and all the others.
"Queens can lay eggs in hours and have a colony in days." Shepard remembered the scientist's words.
Even if this queen could be trusted, all it would take was for just one of her offspring to rebel against her teachings and the galaxy would be thrown into turmoil. Could she really afford to take that risk?
"I'm sorry." She actually meant it as well, she reflected as she manipulated the tank's controls. Wrex nodded, pleased with her decision. Tali and Liara turned their backs and even Garrus looked at the ground to avoid the gruesome spectacle, but Nikki couldn't turn away.
She watched the entirety of the last rachni's painful and horrific death. Swallowing down the bile that tried to rise in her throat. Her stomach turning at the sight. Committing every gory detail to memory.
She owed the queen that much at least.
...
Author's note: I'm not dead! Sorry for the delay with this one, was really struggling to write the big decision with the rachni queen. Especially without seeming out of character for a so far practically entirely paragon Shepard. Hopefully I pulled it off and it works, although I imagine a few of you will be surprised by the choice.