Chapter 52 -Cade's 18th Birthday Bash - Part Four
April 1st, 2204, 0805 hours – The Planet of Bellara in Rebellare System, Apien Crest
(Specialist Cade Kitiarian – Team One, Blackwatch)
Shalaran Hotel, 77th floor, suite 3721
Sunlight charged through the windows and into the room, heralding the coming of the morning sun with unbridled enthusiasm. Sunbeams frolicked and danced as the curtains rippled under the cool, morning breeze, and the glow that they cast across the room felt pleasant and warm against Cade's scales.
The turian looked out the window. It was beautiful outside. The sky above was a brilliant shade of blue and the clouds making their home up there today looked as if they had formed an unspoken agreement amongst one another to stay out of the sun's way. Instead of jealously guarding those illuminating rays, they spread them. Shared them.
Cade found the warmth infectious and smiled. He clipped his pauldrons onto his freshly-cleaned armor and then bent over to fasten his combat boots. His Black Widow lay where he had tossed it on the bed beside him, also having recently been treated. It had been a fantastic night's sleep and a productive morning. He had woken up just as the sun had begun to rise. He had used the unit's luxurious refresher and then he had reapplied his light-blue clan markings, as was custom for turians to do on their birthdays. Cade wasn't usually a morning person, but something about today just really perked him up. Maybe it was because of his birthday. Maybe it was because last night, Cade felt like he had finally found his calling. His purpose. A reason for doing that he could keep close to his heart as he navigated the unwanted mess that they called life.
Combat boots similar to his own entered into his field of vision. Cade looked up.
"Here," Janus said. The sniper held a ration bar up to his face.
Cade finished fastening his boots and took the bar, unwrapping it with an even wider grin. "What, this place doesn't serve breakfast?"
"Let me get my maid costume and I'll see what I can do," Janus scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Don't get used to this, kid. We usually spend most of our nights in a combat zone back-to-back, weapons on our lap. Not spooning them with our talons between our mandibles," he jerked his head at the Black Widow lying beside the younger turian.
"Oh I know," Cade teased, taking a bite out of the fruit-flavored bar. "I'm looking forward it. With you at least. It will probably be a cold, stormy night…"
Janus gave a half-amused grunt. "You're getting bold there, kid. Guess your scales really did come in last night."
"…and I'd ask myself whether that was your Widow or your …"
A loud giggle echoed from the room next door. Janus placed a boot against Cade's shoulder and gently pushed him backwards onto the bed, Cade laughing as he did so. "That's it. You're going to be bunking with one of the girls," he growled.
"What happens in the Blackwatch stays in the Blackwatch!" Dessia called out from the room over.
Janus shook his head and turned to depart Cade's room. Cade laughed again, grabbed his rifle and followed suit.
The rest of the team was already in the lounge, fully-armored and ready to go. The accommodations seemed to have worked their magic on them as well, because all of them looked well-rested and cheerful. Dessia came out a moment later with a grin as wide as Cade's. Cade wondered if that had more to do with the gloriousness of the morning as it had been in his case or the six new explosive charges hanging from her belt.
The explosives expert looked around. "Where's the commander?" Dessia asked.
"He's with the Primarch downstairs. They're going over the final preparations now," Lucius replied. Even Lucius sounded less dire and serious than he usually did. The veteran Blackwatch jerked a talon over his shoulder towards the door. "Come on, we should get going."
The team filed out of the room and got into the elevator. They whispered amongst themselves as they descended down towards the lobby.
"What do you think is going to happen today?" Cade asked Lucius.
His teammate cracked his neck. "The summit at the Perdellion is going to be attended only by the delegation from both sides and their bodyguards – that'll be the Primarch, the secessionist leaders and their personal bodyguards. Our orders are to guard its lobby and defend it against a possible attack. All other forces are to keep their distance and focus on keeping the remaining Vindicator forces occupied. Just because it's a peace summit doesn't mean that either side completely trusts the other. The secessionists were only agreeable to our close presence because we got them out of that bank yesterday."
"And with any luck, that'll be a wrap on the Palaven Rebellions," Septina quipped from beside Lucius.
"Indeed, and we'll hopefully get a few weeks off before we get back into it."
"Any idea where we might be headed next?" Cade asked curiously.
Lucius shrugged. "There are no more serious internal issues within the Hierarchy as far as I know. Likely the next most important theatre of conflict would be in the Terminus Systems. There are dozens if not hundreds of gangs and warlords out there, and more than a few are bold enough to encroach on Turian interests. The Blackwatch routinely cut their teeth dealing with external threats such as those, where a standard turian legion might be ill-suited."
"I hear the quarians are dealing with a dispute with the Yahg right now. It's internal so far but I wouldn't put it past Vakarian to loan us out for something like that," Septina added.
Cade nodded. Terminus pirates and maybe the odd external threat. That was something Cade could get behind. As a Ghost Infiltrator most of his fighting had been against the remnants of a batarian slaver coalition. They had seriously pissed off the Systems Alliance a few years ago and in 2201 the slavers had their backs broken on the planet of Bahak. The Turian Hierarchy had assisted in moping up what was left.
The elevator opened and out walked the team. Cade's father and Garrus were already in the atrium, surrounded by Garrus' guards.
The Primarch appeared haggard. Garrus looked as if he hadn't slept at all last night. His scales looked dull and dry and his eyes were more of a muted blue today. Nonetheless, he smiled at the team and waved at them.
"Good to see you all. Hope you had a good time last night," Garrus greeted them.
"We're well-rested, Primarch. Thank you for your generosity, it is highly appreciated" Lucius replied on their behalf.
Garrus nodded. "No worries my friend. It is the least I could do after everything you have accomplished for this summit."
"Yes, your rest was well-deserved. Your courage and your dedication will be remembered for centuries to come. That I promise," Koltira rumbled in agreement.
Cade's team members all murmured their thanks. Dessia leaned towards Cade. "That means we're probably getting a whole chapter in this year's edition of Small Team Tactics and Maneuvers. Names redacted, unfortunately," she whispered. Cade smiled.
"Your mission for today will be to guard the lobby of the Perdellion while the summit occurs. Based on the reports coming in from the legions, it doesn't look like the Vindicators will manage to penetrate our lines and assault the tower. If all goes well, it should be gravy, as the humans call it," Garrus finished.
That was it then. The tone shifted a bit as the team began to prepare for their final mission on this planet. Their final mission in the war against their own kin. That relaxed air was still hanging around them like a cloud, but underneath it determination ran like an electric current between the members, causing each of them to stand just a little bit taller.
Koltira gave each member of his team a look. "My friends, I know this has been a difficult fight, for we have been fighting our own kin. Our own brothers and sisters. But remember why we fight. We fight for the Hierarchy, for we are her blades and we are her shields. It is our hearts that light the way and our lives that bring the dawn. We have one last mission to complete on this planet my friends… just one. We will do our duty."
The team saluted Koltira. His father looked more determined than Cade had ever seen him. The cold, passionless gaze that routinely made its home on Koltira's face was now nowhere to be seen. In its stead was a roaring fire, bright and hot. Cade now knew how important the Hierarchy and its safety was to his father. Cade just hoped that his father understood that he could rely on his friends, that he didn't have to shoulder his burden alone.
The turians made their way out the hotel and towards the tower. Garrus' guards remained silent but the team continued to joke amongst themselves, carrying on the lighthearted air that they had started the morning with. Relaxed as they were, Cade knew that they nonetheless remained watchful for any threats to the Primarch's safety. Not that they were expecting to be ambushed on their way to the summit. Perdellion Tower was just down the street.
Janus and Dessia where whispering one another while Septina was engaging Lucius in conversation about the likelihood of being attacked. Koltira marched at the head of the column, silent as always, and leaving Cade with no one to talk. Bored, Cade fell into step beside Garrus.
Garrus reacted slowly to his presence and glanced over. "How are you doing, kid?"
"Fine," Cade replied. He noted the dulled sheen in the plates beneath Garrus' eyes. "Pardon the impudence but you look like shit, sir."
Garrus growled and narrowed his eyes, but Cade could see the laughter behind them. "Spirits, you didn't even hesitate there, huh? Your observation has been noted, specialist."
Cade grinned. "Seeing as I've been shot at for you and had the spirits-living shit kicked out of me by a krogan for you, I think I'm entitled to voicing a few well-meaning observations now and then, particularly when they pertain to your health."
The Primarch chuckled and shook his head, amazed at the audacity being displayed here. "Your sacrifice has been noted as well, Cade. And for your information I've… had a rough night. A lot to think about."
Cade had a feeling he knew exactly what had been plaguing Garrus. He'd been around long enough and had screwed up enough times to know what guilt looked like. "What, were the beds too soft for you?" he tried to joke in a vain attempt to pull Garrus out of his funk.
"More like the bedfellows. Not like that of course. I… I was just thinking about the Talos impersonator. About what he said," Garrus admitted.
Cade was right. He'd heard the impersonator's story, and he'd seen how it had hurt Garrus. "You didn't know, did you? About the turians trapped in the mines?"
Garrus shook his head. "No… not personally. After the war, turian High Command was getting tens of thousands of help requests a day. Requests for aid and evac from turians on dozens of colonies. And that was just from the turians. We were getting three times that number from the other species. It was sheer pandemonium after the Crucible fired. The relays were inoperable and no one cared who they were asking for help, just that help was provided. I did what I could, you have to believe me."
Explanations flowed out of Garrus' mouth as the Primarch made a subconscious attempt to soothe the guilt inside of him. Cade's mandibles twitched as he thought about what he could say right now to make things okay for Garrus. What do you say to someone who felt responsible for the deaths of hundreds?
"I do believe you," Cade replied firmly. "I've heard stories from my uncles and from other veterans. I don't think you had personal knowledge of what happened on Altakril, Garrus, and I don't think you were personally responsible for their deaths."
"I did my best, I really did," Garrus sighed. "He is right though. When I was named Primarch after the former Primarch joined the Council I pushed hard for sending aid to the other species."
Garrus turned his gaze upwards into the sky. "I… I felt that it was the right thing to do. My friends… the ones I saved the galaxy with, they weren't all turians. They were individuals from many different species. Spirits… I was the only turian on the Normandy. It was only through our collective effort that we managed to stop the Reapers, not the effort of any one species."
The Primarch sighed and shook his head. "But my decision wasn't about the superiority of a coalition of different species versus a single species either. It wasn't really about that."
"What was it about then?" Cade asked.
Garrus turned to Cade. "It was about fostering cooperation for the good of the galaxy. It would have been so easy to reserve resources for turian interests only. So easy. But where would that have led us? The other species would have suffered from turian inaction. They each would have probably turned inwards as well, looking to take care of themselves first. Everyone would have been hurt by such behaviour, and that would likely have eventually bred resentment between the species as each species felt abandoned by the others. Should we ever need to come together again to handle another crisis, it would have made it harder. Someone had to make the first move. Someone had to be the first to say 'here, let me help you'."
Cade thought about that. He felt that Garrus raised a valid point. Being selfish couldn't have been the right thing to do. It hadn't been the right thing to do during the War, when the stakes were at its highest. What if Commander Shepard had stayed in the Sol system to fight the Reapers at Earth instead of going to help the krogans or the quarians or the geth? What if the Dalatrass had succeeded in keeping the salarians out of the conflict? How many more people would have died without krogan troops or Geth technology?
"It was also about supporting my friends. It was about being there for those who had been there for me," Garrus admitted. "I know it sounds selfish, and I wish that my own people hadn't suffered for it."
"I don't think it sounds selfish at all," Cade replied earnestly. "I think… I think it would have been the easy way out to just say 'screw it, my people first'. I think you did the right thing."
"I thought so too," Garrus sighed in relief. "But that doesn't make it any more palatable. I can't use that as an excuse for the rest of my life. When I made that decision to help the other species, I knew that I'd somehow be hurting my own people. I knew that some day there would be a reckoning."
Cade gently rested a hand on Garrus' shoulder. "Well you're here now trying to make things right. You're taking full responsibility for the fallout of your choices, both good and bad, and you're here trying to make it up to the people you wronged."
The Primarch sighed and nodded. "Something everyone who wants to lead has to do, no matter what the bad is. Something Shepard used to tell me. I just… I just wished I could have done so earlier. For some, it's too late. I've failed them. and everything I am doing now just feels like… an empty gesture before countless, filled graves. I wish it hadn't taken a civil spirits-damned war for me to understand just how deeply I'd hurt the turians who had trusted me to lead them," Garrus finished.
"You failed some of your people, but not all of them," Cade assured him. "Because of what you did, countless other turians received aid from other species that they may not have otherwise had. You can't ignore that either."
Garrus smiled sadly. "Maybe. Hopefully… Thank you for listening, Cade. Truly. I know people tend to go on and on and on about stuff that happened to them as they get older. Never really understood why until I started doing it. It's the weight of all our damn memories – both good and bad. Sometimes it all just gets to be a bit too damn heavy. Having a friend to share it with lifts the burden just a bit."
Cade grinned back reassuringly. "My pleasure. For what it's worth…it's also good to know that the person in charge has a conscience."
"I too shudder to think what the galaxy might have been like if I'd ended up turning into a huge piece of scalerot," Garrus chuckled. "Came close though, back when they called me Archangel."
They finished speaking just as they reached the doors of Perdellion tower. The doors were made of glass and ornately decorated with an etching depicting the Miracle at Palaven. The sight of it gave Koltira pause, and for a brief moment Cade felt a dark aura coming off of his father.
Garrus looked down at his omnitool. "Senator Polantis just sent word. They have already arrived and are waiting on the top floor."
Dessia took the steps up three at a time, laughing, with Janus right behind her. Septina and Lucius opted for a more dignified approach. Garrus and his bodyguards followed them inside. Cade was about cross the threshold as well when his father suddenly stuck out an arm.
"Wait, my son," Koltira rumbled.
"Ooh, someone's in trouble!" Dessia called out from within. The Blackwatch operative turned to watch, her mandible spread out with a grin. Janus jabbed her with an elbow and shook his head disapprovingly, causing Dessia to cackle. Thankfully Septina decided to come to Cade's rescue, dragging the nosy turian deeper into the lobby after giving a slight wave to Cade. Lucius was already scouting around within, examining all the ingress points and searching for booby traps.
Cade stopped in his tracks. "Yes, Commander?"
Koltira looked back out onto the street behind them. Cade turned to look as well. He couldn't see anything, but nonetheless his father had a troubled look on his face.
"I do not think the Vindicators will let this summit go unchallenged. I do not want all of us defending this lobby," Koltira explained softly to his son. He then pointed to a tall building further down the street. "There, that is a prime spot. Take up position in that building and keep an eye out on the streets below for us. Use your tactical cloak so that no one sees you, and keep off the channels in case anyone is listening. I will tell our team to do the same. If an attack comes, they may not expect us waiting for them. In any event, I want you to be our element of surprise. Radio me only if you see anything."
Cade looked at the building and then looked back at his father. Koltira did look somewhat apprehensive. His scales were somewhat raised and his mandibles were a bit flared. He wondered if perhaps his dad had a feeling that something bad was going to happen during the summit.
"Sure Commander, give me maybe ten minutes. Hopefully there isn't a krogan waiting for me."
Koltira gave his son a rare smile. "And if there is, hopefully he has a better… collection…" he said knowingly.
Cade blushed and coughed. "I… I also hope that he has a better weapons collection."
His father laughed and Cade jumped up in surprise. He had never heard his father laugh before. Koltira gave his son a gentle push out the door. "Go my son. By day's end, the future and safety of the Hierarchy will be assured. That I promise you," he said solemnly.
Cade gave his father a wave and then activated his tactical cloak. He slipped out onto the street and made his way towards the building.
He made it there without incident, slipped in through a side entrance, and decided to take the elevator up to the second highest floor. It turned out to be a regular old office building. Once Cade got out, he made his way over to the nearest office, used his omni-tool to break open the lock, and then posted up near a window.
Once he was in position with a clear vantage of the streets below, Cade began to scan for any movement. After a whole lot of nothing, Cade let out a sigh. This wasn't how he imagined closing out his first-ever mission with the Blackwatch. He hadn't expected it to be this boring, particularly after the harrowing start they'd had. If things all went to plan and the legions managed to keep the Vindicators occupied for the entirety of the summit, then he'd be stuck in this office until peace was achieved and the Palaven Rebellions were officially over.
Cade passed the time by imagining what he'd do to celebrate his birthday once he got back to Palaven. He knew the team wanted to go out – Lucius and Janus probably would drag him out if they had to. Cade didn't mind that, but what Cade really wanted to do was log on to Galaxy of Fantasy and play the newest expansion, surrounded by boxes of donuts.
Cade was busy scanning the windows on the building across the street from him when he saw what looked like a small flash in the corner of his eye. It had happened so quickly that at first, he thought it had just been a trick of the light.
He turned to look in the direction that he thought the flash had occurred. It looked like it had come from the main floor of the Perdellion. Was it an attack? Could it have been an explosive device going off? The windows and doors still looked intact.
Cade clenched his mandibles. He was about to open up a channel when he remembered what his father had told him. He thought better of it. Instead, he raised his Black Widow and began to scan the area right around the entrance of the Perdellion. If something had gone wrong and the Vindicators were here, then there had to be a follow-up to what he had just seen. The best thing he could do for the team is keep a watch out for a potential follow-up attack.
Cade's nerves began the fray and he found himself repeatedly tapping the trigger of his Black Widow. He waited anxiously for a communication from his team – from anyone, but none came. A lump began to form in the pit of his stomach. With each passing second the lump grew. Soon, every fibre of his being was now starting to scream to him that something wasn't right.
He was about to open the channel when he suddenly got a communication request on his omni-tool. It was a live video link, sent from Garrus' single-piece visor that he always wore. Cade immediately tapped it open.
The channel opened just in time for Cade to see a large, black-armored figure standing over the broken bodies of what looked like Garrus' guards. It was a turian. His armor was covered in blue gore and he wore a Talos mask on his face.
Cade tried to say something but the video link was video-only. Garrus hadn't managed to establish an audio link. The turian turned to face Garrus, and then there was a pause. Then, a gun came up on the video feed. It was a Mantis sniper rifle, just like the one Garrus used.
Before Garrus could fire, the turian lunged with frightening, almost supernatural speed. Talons lashed out and the video link cut off abruptly. Cade froze for a moment, slack-jawed. How had the Vindicators breached the Perdellion without him noticing? Had they come in through the roof?
He opened up the channel to his team. "Lucius! Septina! The Primarch is under attack, I repeat, the Primarch is under attack! They've made it upstairs!"
No reply. Cade cursed and began to sprint back towards the elevator. Cursing again, he got in and began to ride it down. As he did he opened up a communication channel to his father.
The channel was established, and Cade let out a sigh of relief. "Dad? Dad! Are you okay? The Vindicators, they've attacked the Primarch!"
Garrus could hear shouting and grunting on the other end. His father was still alive and still fighting the attackers. "Cade? Cade!" Koltira replied. "We're under attack, yes! Hold your position, don't let any more come in through the entrance!"
Cade groaned inwardly upon hearing his father's orders and wished he hadn't abandoned his post. "Dad, I can't reach the team. What's going on? Are they okay? Are you okay? What's the situation over there!"
More sounds of fighting and grunting. Then his father spoke again. "Hold your position Cade, I can handle this!"
Cade cursed and slammed his fist against the door of the elevator just as it opened, lamenting at his own impulsive naiveness. He should have held his position. Still, it was too late to go back up. He resolved to hold the entrance of the Perdellion even if cost him his life. He could do no less – after all, he was a Kitiarian.
Cade sprinted back down the street towards the Perdellion without activating his cloak. Cade didn't care who saw him now. Let them come. If they wanted a fight then Cade would give them one. He was a Kitiarian, and he would do his duty.
Cade launched himself up the stairs to the front entrance five steps at a time. When he reached the top, what he saw lying just beyond those glass doors and the motif engraved upon them stopped Cade in his tracks.
His mandibles fluttered weakly and his legs suddenly felt as if they were made of jelly. Slowly, he stepped towards the automatic glass doors. They slid open once Cade got close enough.
There was Lucius, seated with his back against a pillar and clutching his Phaeston with one hand. The other lay limply in his lap, his palm covered in blood. His black armor was riddled with bullet holes, too many for Cade to count.
Further in, Janus lay face down in a pool of his own blood, one arm stretched forward. Cade could see nearly a dozen exit wounds coming from the back of the sniper's armor. He hadn't even had a chance to unholster his weapon. His fingers stretched out towards a dark spot further into the lobby.
Cade walked numbly over to the spot that Janus had been reaching towards. At first his mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. Eventually, he realized that this was where Dessia was – or more accurately, where he thought Dessia might have been. Except Dessia wasn't there any more. All that was left were cracked, sooty tiles. Bits of armor and flesh were scattered further back
Cade was speechless. His team was the best of the best. They were the most skilled soldiers that the Hierarchy had to offer. How could this have happened? How could the Vindicators have taken them by surprise?
A weak cough from another part of the lobby and the sight of a bloody trail caught Cade's attention. He immediately followed it. There, laying behind the concierge's desk was Septina. Like Lucius and Janus, the Ghostwalker was covered in bullet holes and leaking copious amounts of bright-blue blood.
Cade dropped to his knees and immediately began to apply pressure with one hand while calling for backup with the other. "Septina? Septina! Stay with me!" he pleaded.
Septina's eyes fluttered open and she looked around, confused at first, before she turned to look at Cade. The look of confusion was still there, but slowly she began to recognize him. "Cade…" she said weakly. "Your father…"
Cade finished sending in a request for an emergency medical evacuation on his omnitool and then grabbed her hand. "My dad is still fighting upstairs! He won't let the Vindicators win. I won't let them win," he promised her. Cade wouldn't let them destroy their only chance for peace, not when such a terrible cost had been paid.
Tears began to form at the corner of Septina's eyes. She gave his hand a weak squeeze and appeared to shake her head. Before she could say another word however, she fainted.
Cade dipped his head. Tears streamed down his plates and marred his freshly-applied face paint, causing it to run down his face and fall onto the floor where it started to mix with Septina's blood. He focused on her hand in his hand. A pulse was still there. Weak, but still there. Cade prayed to the spirits that the medevac would come in time to save her.
Cade placed Septina's hand gently on her chest and picked up his Black Widow. He rushed over to the elevator and slammed his hand on the call button. The doors had barely opened before Cade hurled himself inside and began to mash the button for the top floor. After what felt like an eternity, the elevator slowly began to rise. Cade tapped his foot nervously as it ascended. His stomach was roiling and he felt as if he could be sick at any moment. His father had to still be alive. He had to be.
His thoughts were interrupted and his anxiety was put on hold when Cade saw a video request popped up on his omni-tool. It was from Garrus. Cade immediately tapped it open.
The feed came on. Cade found himself looking up at the ceiling of the Perdellion. The camera rattled and shook. Garrus must have been on his back, breathing heavily.
The audio was on this time. In the background, Cade could hear a set of heavy, muted footsteps growing louder and louder. Eventually, a figure appeared over the camera, standing over Garrus. It was a massive, black-armored turian. On his face was a Talos mask.
"Koltira…" Garrus breathed weakly. Cade's grip tightened over the barrel of his Widow as his eyes scanned the feed desperately for his father. Where was he?
The black figure knelt over Garrus. A dark, murderous aura seemed to surround him, palpable even to Cade. Now that the figure had moved in close, Cade could see that he was wearing armor identical to his own. The figure was wearing the armor of the Blackwatch.
The figure removed his mask, revealing a familiar face. A face much like Cade's own, with matching clan markings and the same blue eyes.
Cade suddenly felt himself grow weak. He dropped to his knees. His rifle rolled out of his limp fingers and fell onto the floor beside him.
"Koltira… why?" Garrus wheezed.
The aura grew stronger, more miasmic. It reached its shadowy tendrils out through Cade's omni-tool and curled them around his throat. All of a sudden Cade found that he could not breathe.
"You know why, Garrus… You know why…"Koltira replied.
No
The truth suddenly dawned on Cade and he began to scream. It felt as if a hand had suddenly reached into Cade's chest and had begun to claw, tear, and gouge every square inch that it could reach. Cade squeezed his eyes shut and screamed even louder, but there was no one there to hear him. The channel was muted by Garrus on his end.
"Why Koltira?"Garrus repeated."Why do this? You've destroyed our only chance for peace!"
Koltira shook his head. "No, old friend. I have not. On the contrary, this is our only chance for peace. You were just to blind to see it."
"I'm blind? Help me then, Koltira! Help me see! Help me see how murdering your own people is a better road to peace!"
Koltira flew into a furious rage. He suddenly grabbed Garrus by the collar and picked him up as if he were a child. The camera shook as Koltira slammed Garrus against an object out of Cade's view.
Koltira pressed closer, his face now coming within inches of Garrus'. Etched on it was malice, anger, hate, and hurt, but it wasn't that ghastly palette of emotions that was now breaking Cade's heart. It was the eyes. Those eyes… there they sat on his father's face, a face that he had seen a million times. They had the same color as his father's eyes… the same shape…but Cade could not recognize them. It was as if a stranger had stolen his father's eyes. Cade could not recognize the ugliness he was seeing in them now.
"Yes, Garrus, you are blind!" Koltira hissed. "Open your eyes! Look at what you've done to the Hierarchy with all the pandering that you've done to the other species. You've left her weakened! Defenseless! You traded our lives for theirs! You have failed to protect the Hierarchy. You are not fit to lead us!"
Garrus coughed. "And you are?"
Koltira's gaze hardened. "I will do my duty, as I always have and I always will. You think I relish this? You think I want this? I don't Garrus. Make no mistake about that. I do not want to hurt you. I do not want to hurt my people. I will, however, do whatever it takes to protect the Hierarchy. To ensure that she is strong."
Koltira shifted and Garrus began to wheeze and struggle for breath. "That's why I started this war. That is why when Polanthis and the others seemed like they might abandon the cause, I formed the Vindicators. I was the first to put on the mask. You cannot be allowed to stay in power, Garrus. Not if the Hierarchy is to remain strong – strong enough to defend the galaxy against whatever threats that the future may hold. When you die, leadership will pass to me as the second-in-command of our armed forces."
The camera shook again as Koltira pressed closer. "I have failed you my friend," Garrus gasped.
The feed suddenly closed. Whether Koltira had finally noticed that Garrus' visor was recording or Garrus had shut it off himself, Cade did not know, for he could not see past the tears that now flowed unabatedly down his face. Some time during the video Cade had stopped screaming. He still lay upon the ground where he had fallen. His arms and legs felt weak and he trembled as if he were a child waking up from a nightmare.
Lucius. Dessia. Janus. Septina. All gone. All dead at the hands of their commander. At the hands of their friend. At the hands of Cade's own father. And for what?
The elevator was approaching the topmost floor. Cade knew what he had to do. He knew in his heart. He just didn't know if he had the strength to do it.
Slowly, he reached over. His fingers wrapped around the barrel of his rifle. Cade drew strength from the feel of the cold metal beneath his fingers. He took that cold inside of himself, using it to temper the emotions burning within him.
He pushed himself to his feet. The doors slid open.
The elevator deposited Cade into a silent hallway littered with dead turians. It was a massacre. Guards from both sides lay tossed around and blood painted the walls. Above him the bullet-ridden lights flickered and sputtered, fighting against the inevitable end and trying desperately to stay alight.
A pair of doors sat at the end of the hallway. Cade could hear people speaking beyond it. The guards looked as if they had been caught by total surprise. Weapons were unholstered and they looked as if they had been shot at point-blank range.
As he passed them Cade glanced over at the blood-splattered walls. Upon the walls was painted a mural depicting the rise of the first Primarch of Palaven, Ciprit Indominus and the unification of the thirteen major clans during the Age of Silver into the original Turian Hierarchy.
One of the twelve figures kneeling before the first Primarch was actually a forefather of Cade's – a turian whose name Cade could not remember. He knelt closest to Ciprit, sword in hand and clad in ancient armor.
The figure was covered in blood – real blood – likely from the guard lying dead at Cade's feet. Cade gently wiped it aside. He stared at the blood, rubbing it between his fingers. How much of it had his father spilled? How much more would he spill if Cade did not have the strength to stop him?
The voices from beyond the door were growing louder now. Cade looked back one last time at the picture of his forefather kneeling there with his sword. He then shouldered his Black Widow. The dead turian's blood was still on his hands, causing Cade to leave a bloody hand-print on the barrel of his weapon.
Cade shouldered the doors open, stepping into the room with his rifle up. It was a large room with a high, domed ceiling. The walls and ceiling were ringed with murals similar to the ones in the hallway – murals that depicted significant events from turian history and designed to impress visiting dignitaries as they dined.
More guards lay dead at Cade's feet. Senator Polanthis was leaning against a wall, panting heavily and with one hand pressed against his abdomen. Cade saw blue blood leaking between his fingers. Two other secessionist delegates – older turians both – were kneeling in a corner nearby, hands raised. A fourth lay dead on the ground.
In the middle of the room was Garrus, seated on a chair. His facial plates were covered in bruises and he had a wound on his thigh. Koltira loomed over him like a monstrous, black shadow. Cade's father was holding Garrus' throat with one hand. In another he held a pistol that he had aimed at Garrus' heart. Both of them looked up as soon as Cade walked in.
Koltira turned to look at his son. Cade could hardly recognize the turian staring back at him. Upon seeing Cade, all the malice, anger, and hate evaporated from Koltira's face, leaving only the hurt.
"Dad… what are you doing?" Cade whispered brokenly. Garrus shifted weakly. He tried desperately to pry himself from Koltira's grasp but the larger turian's fingers may as well have been made of iron.
"Cade, no matter what happens to me you need to save the—" Garrus croaked.
"Shut up!" Koltira ordered vehemently, whipping the butt of his pistol across Garrus' face. He then turned back to Cade. "Cade, what are you doing here? I told you to stay away!"
It didn't sound like Koltira. When Cade's father spoke his tone and affect was typically monotone and flat. Now however, Cade could hear a wide range of emotions contained within. He could hear anger and fear and shame. This was not the voice of Cade's father. It just wasn't.
Cade trained his rifle on Koltira – on the stranger wearing Koltira's face and speaking with Koltira voice.
"Dad, please… what are you doing?" Cade repeated quietly.
Koltira's face contracted with guilt. "My duty, Cade… our duty…. The duty that the Kitiarians have held since the dawn of our society…"
The traitorous Blackwatch commander turned to Garrus and thrust the barrel of his pistol deeper into his chest. "To protect the Hierarchy and to defend her against all her enemies by any means necessary… whomever they may be…" he intoned solemnly, full of conviction.
A flash of red slashed suddenly across Cade's vision and ignited a fire in his chest. A reel of memories began to play in the back of Cade's mind. Cade could see Lucius hunched over and covered in blood, the decorated veteran dying neither in battle nor in honourable service of the Hierarchy but at the murdering, seditious hands of his ownfriend. Cade saw visions of Janus and of Dessia, the two star-crossed lovers who had given everything in service to their people. Had each of them known how the other had felt about them or had Cade's father robbed them of the chance to tell each other?
Cade remained an unwilling viewer as the reel continued to play in the back of his mind. With each passing second, rage began to build within him. "Our duty? Our duty?" Cade spat at his father.
Koltira looked back at Cade, confused and taken back. "Yes my son, my duty."
Cade couldn't believe what he was hearing. He just couldn't believe it. Was his father actually going to try and justify what he had done in the name of duty? In the name of service to the Hierarchy?
The anger and fury simmered and bubbled within Cade until he could contain it no longer. "You killed your team!" Cade screamed at his father. "You killed them!"
Koltira recoiled as if he'd been dealt a physical blow. "The Primarch, he was—"
"—They loved you! They adored you! They would have died for you!—" Cade cried.
His father trembled. The pistol in his hand shook and the guilty look on his face morphed into one of sheer agony. "My son, you don't understand! I couldn't let them stop me, there is too much at —"
"—And you murdered them!—"
"—No!"
"—Your own friends!—"
"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!" Koltira screamed back at his son.
Koltira's composure finally buckled and shattered under the weight of his son's indictment. Tears rolled down the commander's faceplates, smearing the elder Kitiarian's clan markings so that they now mirrored his son's. Koltira's icy façade had finally broken, melting away to expose the coiled, writhing mass of raw pain and anger that had been dwelling inside all these years, just waiting to surface.
It was then that Cade realized that the stranger he was now seeing before him was who his father truly was. The rest of it – all of it – had been a mask, a mask that Koltira had donned alongside the Talos mask that now lay at his feet. Cade was now seeing his father for the first time.
Koltira continued to unravel before Cade's eyes. He turned to Garrus and pulled his fringe forward so that his head now hung downwards, and then he moved the barrel of his gun from the Primarch's chest to the back of his head. "You don't understand! The Primarch! Him and those like him! They would have brought about the end of the Hierarchy, Cade! Don't you see that? They have weakened us – corroded us – from the inside! They would have destroyed us!" Koltira spat through clenched mandibles.
Cade scoffed in disbelief. "Destroy? Dad – Garrus wanted peace! He wanted to help others rebuild their homes—"
Koltira shook his head furiously. "At the cost of our strength! Our people! Such an act is anathema to the Hierarchy, Cade!"
His father's voice was growing more and more frantic. "Our strength is what has kept the evils that lurk in the dark at bay! Our might is all that stands between lawlessness and chaos! Garrus put rebuilding krogan, human, and quarian worlds above our own and our people have suffered as a result! Even now, turian planets remain in ruin and our fleets a fraction of their former strength!"
Koltira shook his head again. "No my son, this cannot be allowed to continue. I cannot allow it. We need to be strong. Without that strength we are nothing. Without that strength, the Reapers would have destroyed us! When the next threat comes, the Hierarchy must be ready. This has to be done, Cade, don't you see? I have to save the Hierarchy!"
"Save the Hierarchy?" Cade replied incredulously. "Is that what you think you are doing?"
Cade gestured at the bodies lying around him. "You think this is how you save the Hierarchy? You're destroying it! Look outside, dad, please! Turians are killing turians! You've turned our people against one another? How could you call that saving the Hierarchy?"
Koltira looked over at the broken bodies scattered around them and for a brief moment Cade could see doubt creep upon his father's face. "There can be no peace without sacrifice, Cade, remember?" Koltira said quietly. "The blame for Garrus' death will fall upon the Secessionists. Palaven will think they betrayed him. I will then crush them in turn. With both of them gone there will be no one standing in my way. I will become Primarch of Palaven. I will right his wrongs and take us back to our rightful place in the galaxy. I will rebuild our worlds and expand our military strength. I will take us into a new era of peace and stability."
Cade had no reply. It was getting harder and harder to see his father through all the tears.
"Dad, stop this. Please. Look at what you've done… You're destroying the very thing you swore to protect. Can't you see that?"
The Blackwatch commander wavered again. His eyes darted from Cade to Garrus and then back to Cade. "No…I…I started this war to save the Hierarchy, Cade! I swear to you! I won't… this won't destroy the Hierarchy, it'll strengthen it!" he stammered. "Once I am in command, I can rebuild our worlds and replenish our fleets! Can't you see?"
"All I see is a turian who started a war that turned turian against turian. All I see is a murderer," Cade told his father.
Koltira cast his eyes down towards the floor and began to shake. "I can't let us be unprepared – never again. I won't let what happened with the Reapers happen ever again. My family…my friends…everyone who died during the war… I will not let their sacrifices be in vain. I will make us strong. I will protect our people, whatever it takes."
His father raised his head, a hopeful look on his face. "But I need you, son. I need you by my side. I am strong, yes, but even I cannot do this alone and I've been alone for far too long. Join me, and together we can save our people."
Silence then fell like a blanket between father and son. Koltira stared at his son with desperate hope in his eyes, urging, begging him to take his hand. Cade however was staring piteously at his father. Those words… Cade finally understood now. For the first time ever, Cade understood his father.
"You were wrong, Dad" Cade replied quietly. "You were wrong. It wasn't the strength of the Hierarchy that won the war. It wasn't turian might. It was the bonds that everyone formed with one another. It was the bond that had formed between krogan and turian, quarian and geth. It was the bond between Shepard and Garrus and the rest of her crew. It was the bond that you shared with your friends. It was only through the strength of those bonds that we managed to win."
"During the war, you didn't fight the Reapers alone. No one did. Everyone had someone, and you had people too. And they died. You lost those closest to you, and because of that you thought that from now on you had to go at it alone, and that being alone was the only way, but that's wrong don't you see?
Koltira began to shake even more fiercely as Cade continued. "And when the war ended, you were afraid. You were afraid of what might come next— of what fresh, new evils might lay ahead. And you thought that you had to protect the Heirarchy alone. Take on that responsibility alone. Except you didn't. You found others who were willing to share your burden. Others whom you had formed strong bonds with, who cared about you, and were willing to stand by your side no matter what might have came."
Cade then pointed one finger at the floor beneath his feet. Koltira's eyes followed his son's finger. He was confused at first, but slowly, comprehension began to dawn on Koltira's face as he began to realize just who Cade had been referring to.
"The burden of protecting our people was never yours alone to bear, Dad. It was never just the Hierarchy's burden either. That was why Garrus did what he did. That was what he was trying to show everyone. We don't have to fight alone... We never had to…"
Cade struggled to finish saying what he had to say to his father. It took him a few tries to get it. Every time he opened his mouth a sob threatened to break out upon his lips. "Except you severed those bonds."
Finally Koltira understood. Koltira let out a strangled sob. He stumbled away from Garrus and brought both hands to his face, digging his talons into his faceplates. He understood now. Oh, he understood. Koltira let out a loud, heartbroken groan as he began to truly process what he had done.
The sound of his father's crying was another knife in Cade's heart and yet with Koltira's realization came more clarity. Cade felt as if another layer had been stripped from his father yet again, revealing even more of him.
"Drop your weapon, Dad. It's over," Cade said instead.
Koltira dropped to his knees, head still in his hands. The senators were now watching quietly with baited breath, their hearts in their throats as they awaited Koltira's next move. Garrus on the other hand… Garrus simply sat there, gazing at his friend with a look of pity on his face. There was no hate nor anger at the betrayal of his long-time friend – just pity. There was also pain on his face as well, but Cade knew that that pain was not for himself.
"Koltira…" Garrus whispered as Koltira continued to cry.
"What have I done," Koltira moaned.
"Stop this, Dad," Cade pleaded brokenly. "Just come home with me. Let's go home."
His father hung his head low. His body shook as he began to grieve for his friends. The ones that had he had murdered. "I… I see now… I see now…," he murmured.
Koltira glanced up at his son. His blue eyes were shimmering with tears.
He then turned to look at Garrus. "Garrus, I am so, so sorry."
"Kol… it's over," Garrus replied.
"Yes Koltira, your rebellion is over," Senator Polanthis called out. Emboldened by Koltira's repentance, the secessionist senator pulled himself up and hobbled over. "However good your intentions may have been, your actions are inexcusable and unforgiveable. You have brought disgrace and dishonor to your name and your family. Such a shame for a lineage such as yours. For thousands of years, your clan has been lauded as the protectors of Palaven and the Hierarchy. Your clan was honoured for it. You have thrown all of that away."
Koltira flinched at Polanthis' words, and Cade saw a look of determination settle upon his father's face.
Koltira let out a wan smile. He got up suddenly and pointed his gun at Garrus. Cade reacted immediately, bringing his rifle up and aiming squarely at his father.
Cade had an inkling of what his father was trying to do now.
The barrel wavered as Cade found that he could not keep his hands from trembling. "Dad, don't," Cade pleaded.
"Don't do this Koltira!" Garrus echoed.
The tears glistened in Koltira's eyes as he took in the sight of his son. His gaze was filled with love and pride. "You were right. We never had to fight alone. But the Hierarchy will need our clan, Cade. It will need you."
The look that Koltira gave Cade conveyed everything that Koltira had wanted to say to his son for the last eighteen years, but couldn't. Everything that he wished he could have said but did not have the courage to do so was laid bare in that one look, or so Koltira hoped.
But that wasn't good enough for Koltira. No, he wouldn't leave without making it absolutely clear to Cade.
"I am so, so proud of you my son. I love you," Koltira finished.
Koltira pulled the trigger. Cade did the same. Blood flew through the air and Garrus fell back out of his chair and onto the floor.
Koltira fell onto his back. Cade tossed his rifle aside and rushed over to his father.
The round had torn a gaping wound the size of Cade's fist through the Blackwatch commander's chestplate. Blood bubbled beneath the ruin of Koltira's chest as he struggled to draw breath.
"Cade?" Koltira wheezed weakly, his eyes searching the ceiling above. He raised his hand.
Cade immediately grabbed it and squeezed. When he did, his father managed to turn his head to look at him.
"Why, Dad? Why…?" Cade whispered.
Koltira gave a feeble smile. "I could not…let my mistakes…dishonor… the clan."
With his other hand, Koltira reached over and cupped his son's face. "I could not… let my mistakes… dishonor… you…" he said.
Cade buried his head in his father's chest and began to sob quietly. A shadow passed briefly overhead and then another figure came to kneel down beside both father and son. It was Garrus, bleeding from a shallow wound in his upper right arm.
As Cade continued to cry, Garrus placed a hand gently on his old friend's shoulder and then turned to face the wrathful senator. "Senator Polanthis, thanks to Cade, Talos is dead and the two of us are alive. This war can still end today. The sins of the father do not need to be passed down onto the son. Let their clan be."
The grizzled senator, so full of righteous wrath mere moments ago, hesitated at the Primarch's words. He stared empathetically at the dying turian and his grieving son and his visage softened.
Finally, the senator nodded. "Cade, you stopped Talos, saved my life and you may have very well ended this war. I can see that you have had your fill of pain here today – more than anyone should experience in a lifetime. You have faced a pain that few will ever know. I will not add any more to it. You are a hero, and the Spirits knows that the Hierarchy needs heroes right now."
Cade flinched upon hearing that word. It was a moniker that had come at a price that Cade would never have paid willingly in a thousand lifetimes. A title that wouldn't change the fact that he no longer had a father.
Koltira let out a sigh of relief at the Senator's words. "Thank you, Garrus. Thank you for your kindness, though I know I do not deserve it…"
Garrus shook his head and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "You served the Hierarchy loyally for many years my old friend. Without you, the Hierarchy would have fallen before the Reapers. Even now, you did only what you thought was right. Even if you hurt a lot of people I can't hate you for it. We've all made mistakes…"
Koltira nodded in appreciation and gave his old friend one last look before turning back to look at his son – his son who shared his eyes, his face, but not the ghosts that had haunted Koltira his entire life. Those terrible ghosts from the last war. The ghosts that had consumed and destroyed the turian that he knew he should have been. No, he could not see them on his son's face . He saw only pure, clean grief and innocence. He saw the turian his son would grow up to be.
The pain was starting to fade, but drawing breath was getting harden and harder with each passing second and Koltira was starting to grow cold. The ghosts from his past had now started to arrive, one by one, to welcome him among their ranks. Koltira could see the faces of his two best friends, Duren and Varrik, of the other turians that had fought and died under his command during the Reaper War, and of his younger brother, Cato. All clad in the half-charred armor he had last seen them in. All of them watching him. Waiting to receive their former brother in arms.
But Koltira was not looking at their faces now. No, Koltira spent what dwindling time he had left staring at his son's face.
"I must leave you now, my son," Koltira whispered to Cade. "Promise… Promise me you'll protect the Hierarchy. Promise me you'll be the hero I know you can be… the hero that I failed to be…"
Cade nodded earnestly. "I promise, Dad,"
He saw Duren, Varrik and Cato smiling down at him in the corner of his eye. They were now joined by four more familiar faces. "And your friends…" Koltira added. "Garrus was right. Cherish them… Protect them…for they will be your greatest strength."
His son wiped his eyes. "I will…"
Koltira smiled at his son. "I love you, Cade."
"I love you too, Dad. Dad…? Dad?!"
And so Koltira breathed his last while in the arms of his son. When Cade realized his father was no longer there, he broke down and began to cry. Garrus wrapped an arm around the young turian's and just knelt there silently as Cade cried into his shoulder.
Garrus looked down at the body of his old friend. He sighed sadly and wondered if there had been anything he could have done to save him. If only Garrus had known about the darkness that Koltira had carried alone by himself all these years, maybe he could have done something. Garrus knew that the war had changed Koltira but he could never have imagined that it would drive Koltira to such terrible lengths. It had been eighteen years since the Reaper War had ended and somehow it was still claiming the lives of those that Garrus cared about.
Koltira had wrestled alone with his demons for almost two decades and they had quite nearly won, but thanks to his son Koltira had realized the error of his ways towards the very end. Despite the darkness and his crimes, his friend had managed to give his son one last gift. Like Garrus, Koltira had seen and recognized the potential that lay in Cade, and he had refused to let him be dragged down by his mistakes. Koltira's last act had been to make his son a hero.
But as Garrus watched the young turian cry, he couldn't help but wonder if Cade would survive this. Garrus prayed to the spirits that he would. He had to. Cade had to, because the galaxy needed people like Cade. Garrus had always tried his best to do right by the galaxy, and he knew that his time in it would have to end some day. All he wanted to do before he left was to ensure that it was left in good hands. Hands like the young turian kneeling beside him now, crying over the body his own father.
He made one last silent promise to watch over his son and then Garrus ran his fingers over his old friend's eyes, closing them forever.
Garrus looked forward to when he would see Koltira again and telling Koltira about the turian that his son would go on to become.