Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect games. This story is written with no profit in mind. I make no money from it. It isn't for sale or rent.
Chapter 1: Of cops and spectres
=DC=
Part 5
=DC=
22.04.2183 GS
Human Embassy
Presidium
The Citadel
Uneasy silence persisted between Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina all the way back to the Embassy. After entering inside and securing the room, the Ambassador called Arcturus station, the seat of the SA Parliament. Just a minute later, the image of Foreign Minister Juliana Santos flashed into existence above Udina's desk. She was a middle aged woman with bronze skin and piercing, calculating gaze. She wore a sensible burgundy suite and the only jewellery on display were discrete silver earnings.
A moment later, Admiral Hackett's stern face joined her, making Anderson come to attention and salute sharply.
"At ease." The flag officer's scarred visage was thunderous. "I was just speaking with the Minister here about how I watched you two royally fuck up in front of the whole galaxy. She was about to give me an explanation that supposedly made sense." Hackett glared at Anderson, with his eyes saying that their long friendship might not be able to keep him out of the fire this time.
"This debacle wasn't my idea in any way, shape or form!" Udina glared straight back and for a moment there it looked like he might just be able to match Hackett – a respectable achievement in itself.
"Admiral, Captain, how close an eye have you kept on our domestic political situation? This attack couldn't have come at a worse time." Santos spoke in a conciliatory tone.
After coming from seeing and hearing Councillor Tevos in person, Anderson couldn't help but compare them and find his own Minister lacking. He wasn't sure what it was – perhaps not enough charisma compared to the Asari? Certainly Santos lacked the sheer presence the Councillor radiated when actually present but that might just be an artefact from the long distance call.
"Elections are coming in just a few short months. The last I heard, your ruling coalition is expected to do well enough." Anderson answered.
"In the Senate, perhaps. Parliament itself, that's another question." The Minister smiled wryly. "Ever since the Skylian Blitz and the odd pirate and slaver attacks upon our colonies both before and after, parties like Terra Firma, isolationist movements and radicals screaming for war against the Batarians have been steadily on the rise and now this." She shook her head. "What we ordered Ambassador Udina to do today was a calculated risk. We're bleeding support back home and ever since the news about Eden Prime hit the major networks and the extranet, it has been a political firestorm. We'll be facing a vote of no confidence at the end of the week based on failing to protect human space. This one will fail." Santos shrugged. "After what the Geth just did, you two know better than myself how much of a threat they represent. However, if we mishandle the political situation, we might be too busy putting down fire back home to deal with them effectively."
"I see." Hackett rumbled. "I've been too busy kicking Fifth Fleet back into shape – this was supposed to be our rest and refit period, to watch news about the reactions back home. We'll be leaving to shore up the borders with everything safe to fly in less than a day." The Admiral added. "I'm still not seeing how some political troubles are worth alienating the Council when we will need their aid more than ever."
"Because elements within Terra Firma knew about the evidence about Saren almost as soon as the government did. I've been assured Naval Intelligence is looking at how they found so fast. If we didn't participate in this little circus, they would have torn us in Parliament and later in the polls. How do you fancy fighting a two front war while Terra Firma is the ruling party and does its best to tear down our links with the Council? Because, I can assure you, if they win Parliament and form the next government, it is a question of when, not if, we fight the Batarians with everything that entails."
Both Hacket and Anderson blanched at that. David at least hoped that Santos was exaggerating at least somewhat, because otherwise… He knew sentiment outside Sol was steadily turning against further integration with the Council, against the SA as a whole as well. He could understand it. After the First Contact War, the Alliance spread too far, too fast. There were colonies who went far beyond human space to precisely escape government control and oversight, however it was the SA and the Navy who got blamed when one of those got hit or even wiped out. Worse, with the losses Admiral Drescher took evicting the Turians from Shanxi the fleet was stretched beyond the breaking point since day one. Even with the economic and technological boom coming from integration with the Council… neither budget nor construction could keep up with the sheer number of new colonies constantly spawning. It was even worse when all of those needed protection and the consequences of failing in said duty falling on the shoulders of the military and government alike all the while the majority of colonies would take decades or even centuries to reach a development status where they could be a significant contributor to the SA as a whole. Sol and few of the oldest and most developed colonies kept paying an ever increasing share of the budget and were constantly at odds with the majority of newer and more distant colonies. Ironically, it was primary those colonies who screamed the loudest against integration with the Citadel, while many of them enjoyed protection from the Turian navy, which too was being stretched rather thin if intelligence was to be believed.
That was the military reality that guided current navy doctrine and as a direct consequence allowed things like Mindoir and now Eden Prime to happen. The navy couldn't be strong everywhere. To try would invite a defeat in detail by even pirate forces. The only viable alternative was to concentrate the bulk of the striking power at a limited number of nodal systems – all containing important Mass Relays and hope to be able to reach a colony in danger before it was too late.
It worked at Elysium during the Blitz. Needless to say, too many times reinforcements came just in time to help bury the bodies, help clean up the mess and perhaps save a second colony from being hit.
At the same time, Sol, and thus Earth, and the oldest colonies resented paying so much for a navy that was more than enough to protect them. They wanted for the newer colonies to pick up the slack, something they simply were unable to do. That led to constant clashes both in Parliament and the Senate.
Anderson just didn't know it was so bad that a party like Terra Firma might be able to form the next government now that they could capitalize on the Eden Prime disaster.
"The Batarians will be overjoyed to give us enough rope to hang ourselves with. At best the Citadel will be neutral in such a conflict… if we have a reasonable people in charge back home." Hackett grimaced. "With the Terra Firma waving the torch of xenophobia and blaming everything wrong in the galaxy on aliens in general and the Council in particular? Worst case scenario, we might end from a major power within the Citadel Associates, one with a realistic chance for a Council seat in the long term into another Turian client."
"Why, Admiral, don't you believe we can take on all comers because we're Humans and thus the galaxy has to bend backwards at our very presence? From hearing the increasingly popular rhetoric, nowadays we can throw it with the Hierarchy pound for pound and that's only because we're being held back by the evil aliens." Santos' wry smile was back in full force.
"I'm perfectly convinced in the capabilities of our ships and crews. However, let's not go pick fights we don't need..." Can't win, was left tactfully unsaid.
"People hadn't really changed over the past couple of centuries, gentlemen. In a few months it won't matter if our evidence of Saren's actions wouldn't survive any scrutiny. If he is indeed behind Eden Prime, I sure either you or the Council would find out eventually. With the Geth back that is likely to happen sooner rather than later. Once that happens all that the electorate would remember is that we knew and did nothing. Terra Firma and all the radicals will accuse us of selling them to the Council for benefits that many of then don't really see on a daily basis. It's would have been very ugly. It still might be depending on what happens and how we all play our cards. I understand that Shepard's induction in the Spectres is still in play?"
"Correct. In fact he got corralled by a Spectre, a certain Tela Vasir on our way back from meeting the Council. Officially, its for debriefing over the events on Eden Prime and the Geth's capabilities. If I'm reading it right, she has been assigned to continue his evaluation and the Council will listen to her recommendation." Udina explained.
"Unless we make even bigger fools of ourselves and kill the Commander's prospects you mean." Santos nodded. "Honestly, that's better than we feared. As far as dealing with the Geth, you are to offer any and all assistance and information the Council, the Citadel Defence Fleet or the Turians ask for or demand. That included any and all data our relief force will be able to gather, samples of Geth or overlooked Prothean tech from the dig side too."
"So I'm to clean up this mess now."
"We really appreciate that you took one for the team. We won't forget it." Santos looked as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
"Unless it becomes politically convenient to throw me to the wolves during the elections you mean."
"We all do what we have to for the Alliance. Admiral, I trust you'll deal with Captain Anderson over his conduct during the Council meeting?"
"I most certainly will." Hackett nodded.
"Good. Keep the good work, Donnel. Have a nice day, gentlemen." Santos cut off the connection from her side.
"What's the humble pie I'll have to eat, Admiral?" Anderson asked.
"As of this moment, you're stripped off command of the Normandy. I'm assigning you to the Embassy staff to be liaison with the Citadel Defence Fleet. While you just burned your political capital, the Turians, especially their military generally do respect you and they will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. We'll be keeping you very busy indeed – busy enough that you won't have time to even think about Saren or appearing at another meeting with politicians."
"At least beats a post on Pluto." Anderson nodded in relief.
"Oh, you act up again, and I have something appropriately nasty, cold and boring for you to do until retirement. Hackett, out."
When the call terminated, Udina felt like picking up his terminal and hurling it out of the terrace. Or perhaps at Anderson for liberally throwing fuel on the fire during the meeting with the Council.
=DC=
Part 6
=DC=
22.04.2183 GS
lower levels
Zakera ward
The Citadel
"At least five assailants inside, one confirmed hostages, standard scanners of little use due to a power conduit passing almost below the clinic and the alloy this section is built of." Vasir summarized Chellick's explanation.
"Correct, Spectre."
"Well, then. As we don't know if our VIP is inside in the first place, once the ERS are here and in position to breach, I'll go negotiate with Fist's goon. Shepard, you're with me. The rest of you – keep the perimeter secure and be ready to provide assistance if necessary." Vasir turned to look at Shepard. "How would you play this if it was your call?"
John took a moment to think before answering. "Under different circumstances I would say wait for the professional negotiator and talk them down. They aren't going anywhere. The floor below us is covered in case they have a way to cut through it, right?" He asked the actual C-SEC agents.
"We've got two patrols below with at least couple more on the way to properly lock down the area." Chellick confirmed.
"Yeah, if we didn't need to secure the Quarian and figure out why certain people want her dead yesterday, waiting this out would be for the best. As it is, either persuade them to surrender along with the hostages or at least use the negotiations as a distraction for a breach. Go to hell plan, if they start shooting, blow the door, throw in drones and flash-bangs to disorient and hopefully soak up any traps then rush them. Ideally, if we have to breach, we do it from multiple directions after we've got locations of both the hostiles and the hostages. If that is not practical, we go in neutralize anyone non-Quarian with as much prejudice as necessary. If the girl is in there, getting her out intact is our highest priority."
"In that case the other hostages would be seen as expendable?" Vasir smirked.
"Unfortunately." Shepard grimaced. He didn't like said conclusion but it wasn't like he has been able to keep his hands clean since becoming an N level operative.
"You might just do then." The Spectre looked at the uncomfortable looking Detectives. "There's more at stake here than a few poor bastards who are at the wrong time and wrong place."
"Spectres tend to say that every time there's collateral damage." Chellick pointed out.
"Sometimes that's even the truth. We seldom have the luxury of taking chances. More often than not the stakes are too high, Detective." Vasir's tone implied she didn't like it any more than the Turian. On the other hand, Shepard had no bloody idea if she did that for show or if it was actually the truth. The woman was like a damn social chameleon!
The Spectre removed a black hood with large googles from a pocket on her belt and put it on. She switched on her omni-tool and the googles glowed with dim blue light.
"This area is made of alloy denser than warship armour. It might take too long to breach in unless we use the damn door. Anything that can cut through fast would likely bake unprotected people on the other side." Vasir calmly explained.
Whatever vision modes that hood had, Shepard wanted them. That would come in damn handy in the future.
"Have the ERS tech specialists sent in drones to check the walls and ceiling for any weak points. We might have to do this the hard way. Damn the Keepers, was this place supposed to be bunker or something?" Vasir shook her head in irritation. "Do we have anything on the goons inside? Names, profiles?"
"The data drive of the survivor got shot up to hell and he's in critical. By the time we get anything from him this will be all over." Chellick frowned at the reminder that one cop was already dead with another being rushed towards the operating table.
"Time until ERS is here?"
"A few minutes at the most."
"Then we wait. Was that the layout?" Vasir asked the rough drawing Chellick and Vakarian were hunched over when they arrived.
"I've been inside before." Garrus said. "Unless the Keepers changed the place in the past week this should be correct. However, there used to be windows on the back. They aren't there today."
"So there's no telling what other surprises the Keepers have for us." Vasir shrugged. "We wait for the ERS to arrive and deploy micro-drones. If they can give us a picture through this interference then we'll have something to work with."
A minute of tense silence followed until they could see the ERS transport approaching. Meanwhile, Shepard thought about the situation. They still had no description of the Quarian girl...
"Vasir, if the Quarian isn't there, then we'll need to get the doctor out in one piece. They should be able to give us a description to work with." Shepard voiced his thoughts.
"You figured that out just now? That's one of the reasons we're waiting for eyes inside." Vasir chided.
The transport landed nearby and disgorged two fire teams – five Turians, an Asari in commando leathers and a pair of Salarians – obviously the tech specialists.
"Lieutenant Falmar, ERS. Who is in charge here? Any new developments."
Chellick pointed a talon at Vasir. "She is. This is now a Spectre show."
If that perturbed the armoured lieutenant, he didn't show it.
"Ma'am, identification and orders, please."
"Tela Vasir." A flash of her omni-tool and she sent the necessary data. "We potentially have a VIP inside we need to recover intact at all costs. A Quarian girl, no description. If she isn't there, we need to keep the doctors alive for at least long enough to give us one. At least five five hostiles, light weapons unknown level of training and experience. Interference from a nearby power conduit and the make up of the walls prevents proper scans. We need eyes inside and for you to figure out if you can to breach fast without killing everyone in. Otherwise, we'll have to kick in the front door."
"Understood, Ma'am. We're on it." The Lieutenant turned to bark to his tech guys. "Jerrod, Q'val, get me eyes inside and see if there are any useful breaching points."
The Salarians ran towards the clinic with a heavy armoured and armed Turian babysitter hot on their heels.
Five minutes later tiny drones crawled through the vents and the tech specialists located a possible weak point in the ceiling at the far right end of the clinic. By that point everyone but the C-SEC agents minding the perimeter had gathered at the ERS transport. Multiple holographic windows displayed pictures from inside the clinic. A young human woman sat at a desk at the left corner.
"That's Dr Michaels." Garrus confirmed.
"Designate her VIP two. Extract intact if practical." Vasir ordered.
There were couple of patients – a sick looking Turian and a Volus sitting on the ground in and empty cubicle. The reason soon became obvious – the beds were pulled out and stacked at the entrance making any assault from that direction more complicated.
A pair of Batarians knelt behind the makeshift reception and if it was made of the same material as the walls, it was more than decent cover. Those two had the entrance covered with their assault rifles. A Turian stood close to the doctor while another kept an eye to the other hostages. More concerning was a heavy armoured Krogan busy pacing throughout the clinic.
"Lieutenant, make sure that you make a successful breach if necessary. Sent a few drones, carefully mind you, to check for explosives in the corridor. Once that is done and you're in place, I'll begin negotiations." Vasir ordered.