Chapter 53 – So How Did You Meet Dad?

October 27th, 2205, 0911 hours - The Citadel, Zakera Ward – Zakera Apartments, Unit 1109

Eighteen Months after the End of the Palaven Rebellions

More than Five Years Prior to the Events on the SSV Hippocrates

(Second Lieutenant Cade Kitiarian, formerly of Blackwatch Team 1)

A lilting melody slowly wound its way through Cade's sleep-addled brain. There it tugged and pulled at his consciousness, working tirelessly to draw it out into the waking world. As his omni-tool continued to play its morning alarm it let out another soft chime. Another message.

Finally, Cade gave in. The turian opened his eyes and spent the first few seconds of wakefulness staring up at the ceiling while he waited for his body to catch up with his mind. When it finally did, Cade put both his arms over his head and stretched, a satisfying sigh slipping past his mandibles.

He sat up onto the bed, shook his head to clear the last vestiges of sleep and then tapped open his messages. Twelve messages. All of them sent in the last hour.

Cade stifled a groan and looked at the time. He wasn't late, not yet at least. Tons of time.

He scratched the base of his neck. He'd gotten a tattoo last week that extended from his neck down to his shoulders to commemorate the completion of his third and final tour with the Blackwatch. It was healing up nicely, but it itched something fierce from time to time. The artist had assured Cade that it wouldn't last more than another week at most.

The turian then looked over at the shape lying beside him. He couldn't help but smile, marveling at how someone could look so beautiful even while they were asleep. It had been a fun night.

His gaze managed to do what his omni-tool alarm couldn't and slowly the woman beside him began to stir as well. She rolled over, blinking bleary, but bright, eyes up at Cade.

He pitched his voice as low as possible, bringing the flanging to a rolling purr. "Good morning," Cade said with a rumble.

The woman smiled and stretched. "Good morning to you too."

She yawned and scratched the back of her head. Cade's eyes never left her.

His gaze was distracting, and eventually she stopped with a blush. "Are you just going to stare at me all morning?" she said with a smile, embarrassed.

Cade shook his head with a smile. "No, not all morning. Just while I still can."

Her own smile slipped and a hint of sadness began to creep into her eyes. "Do you have to go?"

Cade leaned over her and gently tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. "You know I have to."

"I know," she said with a sad little sigh. "Will I ever see you again?"

Cade tilted her face towards him gently with one talon and gave her a long, lingering kiss, then pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But I hope so. It was a wonderful night. Truly."

Cade pushed himself away and began to search for his clothes. A slim hand encircled his wrist, pulling him gently back down towards his bed. He turned back towards her.

"Can't you be a little late?" she asked innocently.

Cade looked down at his omni-tool. He didn't have the time, did he?

He then looked back at the woman. She was young – a human approximately Cade's age, and like most humans her skin was soft, warm and unblemished. He found their vulnerability both fascinating and intoxicating. Soft curls ringed her heart-shaped face and her eyes were like pools of honeyed amber. They looked up at him, pleading silently.

Spirits be damned.

"I have time," Cade said as he slowly slid his way back into the bed and into the soft, welcoming arms of his lovely companion.

October 27th, 2205, 1006 hours - The Citadel, Lower Wards

Eighteen Months after the End of the Palaven Rebellions

More than Five Years Prior to the Events on the SSV Hippocrates

(Second Lieutenant Cade Kitiarian, formerly of Blackwatch Team 1)

Cade was running just a bit late now. He wouldn't have the time to sit down for a nice breakfast, but it had most certainly been worth it.

His morning romp had cost him valuable time and had necessitated a shortcut through the Lower Wards – Bachjret to be specific. It was one of the Citadel's most diverse wards, inhabited by members of every single species. It's multi-special characteristic however made it less attractive to the more affluent members of each species – those typically congregated in their own little enclaves up around the presidium – and more attractive to those with diminished means.

As a result, things around here were a little more worn down, but in Cade's opinion the people were friendlier. Those who had less often shared more, and that created bonds between individuals within the communities in Bachjret that Cade never saw back when he was a child and living in turian high society. Being a Kitiarian, he had been wooed and schmoozed by the brats of more turian socialites than he could count. High ranking turians looking to get in good with his family and his late father would schedule playdates between Cade and their children. When Cade would meet them, they would always just talk would be about the lineage, wealth and nobility of their families or the fancy new summer homes their parents had just bought or their plans for military service.

It had never felt real to Cade, and as a result he'd had no real childhood friends except for maybe his siblings. That trend had continued when he had joined the military even though he had met people Cade felt he could form genuine bonds with. That was no one's fault however. The military dictated what unit you'd serve in and whom you'd serve with. Cade had been the only one in his training unit to skip the general infantry and go into the Ghost Infiltrators, and when he'd joined the Blackwatch he'd left those comrades behind. And then during his time in the Blackwatch… well, Cade didn't like to think about that.

Cade wove his way through the mass of civilians with a smile on his face, brushing shoulders with members from every species. He watched as a quarian family browsed one of the many impromptu vendor kiosks that were a staple here in Bachjret ward. The parents were wearing environmental suits, having likely been born prior to the great re-acclimation that had happened shortly after the Reaper war, but the children were suitless and smiling from ear to ear. They pointed at the knickknacks on display and laughed, begging and pleading with their parents. Some humans wearing uniforms that bore the logo of a nearby restaurant sat nearby on the curb, smoking death sticks and telling jokes.

Cade checked his omni-tool again. Three new messages. With any luck he wouldn't be late at all.

He was just about to step onto an elevator that would take him up to the Presidium when something caught his eye. A holo-screen in the storefront of a nearby video game shop was showing the cinematic trailer for the latest Galaxy of Fantasy expansion.

Cade stopped in his tracks. Spirits, was that already out?

The meeting could wait.

Cade walked over to watch. Another person was already standing in front of the window, watching the screen. He was a human male who looked as if he were about Cade's age – maybe in his early or mid-twenties – and was dressed in clothes that looked like they'd been painstakingly patched back together several times.

The trailer began to play. Cade watched as turian characters dressed in high fantasy armor and robes boarded a ship bound for a swirling tempest out in the middle of a rolling sea. The video cut to a shot of dragons diving towards that same storm, ridden by asari dressed in similar garb. The camera moved through the tempest. An island appeared. Lightning bolts sizzled in the air above the island as the video panned towards a giant, weathered castle sitting upon a lonely cliff. The video went dark, and then another bolt of lightning illuminated the screen. It cut to a large room with a giant, iron throne in the centre of it. Sitting upon it was a massive human wearing an ornate set of plate armor with a large battle hammer placed across his lap. Cold blue eyes stared out from behind a giant helmet and lightning sizzled between his fingers.

The video ended after that and the name of the new expansion rolled across the screen. "Galaxy of Fantasy: Storm's End".

Cade didn't realize it, but sometime during the video he had placed both his hands against the window of the store. He withdrew them sheepishly when he realized how he must have looked.

He turned his head. The other person was still standing beside him, a similar expression of longing on his face. He didn't seem to mind Cade's behavior. "Is the latest expansion out already?" he said conversationally.

The other human turned his head, giving him a tentative look. He took in Cade's unmarked military outfit that could have belonged to any branch in the Hierarchy and the pistol strapped to his waist, but he didn't seem particularly troubled them. His body language was a bit cold and withdrawn, but he wasn't afraid. Perhaps he was used to hanging around military folk.

"It is," he replied. The human's voice was soft and his tone was measured and Cade got the impression that he wasn't a talkative type, but his eyes were alight with passion as he stared at the holo-screen and some of that couldn't help but slip into his voice. "It just came out this past weekend, I hear it's fantastic."

Cade nodded enthusiastically. "There's a new playable class called 'stormcaller' and players are saying the story is top-notch."

"The story has always been the best part," the human agreed with a small smile. There was a bit of an awkward pause from him after that as if he was embarrassed at the fact that he had volunteered that little bit of himself, and he took a small step backwards from the turian.

Cade's mandibles twitched in amusement. Humans could be so uncontrollably emotional, even when they pretended or wished elsewise. "I wholeheartedly agree. You play?"

"Oh yeah," the human nodded. "Human death knight. Dire. You?"

"Human hunter," Cade replied. "Also Dire."

His new acquaintance gave a small half-laugh laugh and crossed his arms, opening back up a little to Cade. He was tall but not too tall for a human, maybe the same height as Cade himself. He was probably not Systems Alliance military. His physique was slim. He didn't seem like he'd gotten the gene mods and his black hair was longer than what the Systems Alliance would have allowed. He was also very pale. The most striking thing about the human was his eyes. They seemed to stare a bit too deeply into whatever he happened to be looking at, and his brows seemed permanently furrowed. They were eyes that had seen things, the kind of things that would take up residence in your mind for the rest of your days, emerging at times to laugh and claw at your soul. They looked… sad.

The sound of the human's voice jerked Cade out of his own thoughts. They were weird thoughts to have about someone he'd just met. "It's a good expansion to be playing hunter…" the human said.

Cade grinned at the human. "I hear they're going to be really good against the last boss. There's a lot of ranged movement mechanics."

"Definitely," the man nodded in agreement. "Hunters will be very strong, mages will likely remain strong, Death knights are a wild card right now. I'm hoping for the best."

It was refreshing to meet a fellow galaxy of fantasy player who was vocal about playing the game. Although Galaxy of Fantasy was based on turian mythology and a good chunk of its players were reportedly turian, Cade had never met another individual who had actually admitted to playing.

"So, Cade continued. "You buy the latest expansion yet?"

The man shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "No, I usually wait a few weeks. Credits are kind of tight right now. But my friend and I – we play when we can."

Cade nodded in understanding. Growing up he had never wanted for anything in his life thanks to his parents and his family, but he could always imagine what his life would have been like if he hadn't been blessed with those. Armed with that, Cade understood what the other man was feeling. That explained the sadness, Cade supposed.

He looked inside the store, and then checked his omni-tool. He didn't have the time, did he?

He had the time. "Wait here," he told him.

Cade dashed in. He grabbed two copies of the latest expansion, paid, then returned to the sad-looking guy.

"Here," Cade said. He grabbed the guy's wrist and shoved the games into the guy's hand. "One for you and one for your buddy."

The man looked down with a look of shock. "N-No," he stammered awkwardly. "I can't possibly accept this!"

"You can and you will," Cade said firmly. "Look man, don't make a big deal out of it. It's just one fan helping out another."

The man relented. He looked down at the discs, and then back up at Cade. For a moment, the sadness withdrew.

"Thank you," he said. "Truly."

"Don't mention it," Cade said with a wave of a talon. He was about to turn and leave when he spotted a quaint-looking noodle bar nearby. As if on cue felt his stomach rumble. Damn it, he was hungry.

"Hey," Cade jerked his head over the man's shoulder. "I'm kinda hungry. Is that place good? Do you know if they serve dextro?

The man looked over to where Cade was gesturing at. "Ichiraiku? They do. They serve some really good food."

As Cade pondered whether he had the time for a quick breakfast he heard another rumble. This time it didn't come from his stomach.

Cade looked at the human again, taking in the second-hand clothing, his slim, gaunt physique, and the haunted look in his eyes. Maybe he was a refugee. There were always new people coming into the Citadel from the Terminus Systems – people who had lost their homes and livelihoods to pirates or disease or environmental misfortune. Cade thought about how good he had it growing up. Fortunately, he never had to worry about pirates or going to bed hungry.

The homelessness and vagrancy that the Reaper War had caused had snowballed into an uncontrollable, galactic-wide social issue that governments had had been unable to rectify even though nearly two decades had passed. This one pervasive issue spawned others, like flies born in rotting fruit. Those who would profit or take advantage of the misfortune of others began to crawl out of the woodwork and establish strong footholds in the galaxy in the wake of weakened governments and decimated militaries. The slavers were one such group. Conflicts over philosophical and ideological disagreements had been left to grow unchecked, bubbling into war as it had with the Palaven rebellions.

It was trite, but the scars of war never really heal. The galaxy was a dark place. That line of thinking brought back to Cade's mind what Garrus had said to him on his first ever mission with the Blackwatch. Help other people and protect your friends. It was short, simple, and sweet, and Cade had decided it had been a good-enough creed for him to live his life by.

And what use were words and thoughts without actions. Cade hoped that the human wouldn't think he was some weirdo who was going to drug and kidnap him for his organs or something.

"Hey, why don't you come grab a bite with me man? Sounds like you could use some breakfast as well and I could use the company."

The human hesitated. Maybe he was really hungry, maybe he thought he'd see an abduction attempt coming from a mile off, or maybe Cade's puppy-dog, i-won't-make-this-weird eyes were just on-point today, but eventually he nodded.

"Sure, I could use some food. Thanks."

The two made their way over to the noodle bar, grabbed seats, and ordered. As they ate, Cade talked about how he had felt like he'd lost his way after a particularly bad mission. He told him about how he had made a hard call – a call that he believed had been the right one. People had praised him, and since then he felt like he'd had to live a certain way and do certain things with his life to both live up to that praise and to honor or justify the call he made. He'd felt obligated to do good and yet he felt like nothing he did was doing a lick of actual good for the galaxy. Despite his work in the Hierarchy, he didn't feel like he'd actually achieved anything real. For every bad guy he removed, there were three more looking to take their place. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was piracy, corruption, and general shittiness. It seemed like it would never end. Finally, he told the human that he was actually about to interview for a daunting new job that his mentor had arranged for him. Cade hid the fact that he was in the Blackwatch and instead made it sound like he was from general infantry.

The human listened silently as he ate, volunteering a stray thought or an opinion here or there but generally staying withdrawn.

"What do you think?" Cade asked him. "Am I being stupid? Can a guy like me actually accomplish anything real? This new job… it's tough. Messy. One where a person can easily lose themselves. There's also no guarantee that I'll actually be able to do good. Actually… I'm scared it will change me," Cade admitted, thinking briefly of one certain, infamous individual among his people who had strayed from the path.

The human set down his chopsticks and looked Cade in the eye silently. "You're too hard on yourself, you know?" he finally said.

Cade began to open his mouth to speak but his thoughts tied him up. If he agreed it might make him seem conceited, but if he contradicted him it might make him seem rude.

"I don't know exactly what happened to you," the human continued to say. "I can only roughly guess what exactly it is you do in the Hierarchy, and I don't know what your new job is going to do to you."

The human picked up his spoon and stirred the rapidly-cooling bowl of soup sitting in front of him. Members of all the different species walked by their little table, going about their daily lives, and Cade wondered if any of them ever felt the way he did.

"But… you were kind to me," he said. "You were kind to me when you didn't need to be, and I think that right there? That's all you need to be. All you need to do."

A smile tugged at Cade's mandibles as he mentally lined up a joke, but before he could actually say anything, the human held up a pale hand.

"Look, I know how it sounds, but hear me out. This galaxy is a pretty shitty place— one where good people get hurt for no real reason and where bad people get away with hurting good people. All this bad shit you're worked up over – you're never going to completely erase it. You're just not. That shittiness is a part of each and every one of us, whether we admit it or not, and because of that it'll never completely go away."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His gaze drifted over to a group of turians who had started to push around a human.

"There's only people and the choices they make," he said. "This galaxy is never ever going to be 'fixed' the way you want it to be. It's more important to just try and help people. Accept that you're not going to save the world and instead just take it one step at a time. Scale down your expectations. Maybe just…protect the people you care about and don't make life shittier for other people."

Cade was about to get up and intervene when a turian C-sec officer appeared out of the crowd to break it up.

"Don't underestimate the small stuff, either. You never really know the effect your kindness might have on someone. One small word or act can change their lives, and then they go on to do the same and before you know it your kindness has multiplied by a thousand-fold. Maybe you should stop being so hard on yourself and … I don't know, just scale it back. Simpler things. Like… hold the door open or smile at someone who looks like they need it. I don't know man."

Cade watched as the human thanked the C-sec officer. The C-sec officer said a few words to the human that Cade couldn't hear and the human smiled. The human departed and made his way over to a local medical clinic.

There it was again, the words of the man that Cade had killed his father to save. Cade had done nothing to invoke them. They had come unbidden and unsolicited, from the mouth of a complete stranger. A sign? Maybe. Coincidence? Also maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Spirits damn all of these 'maybes'. For once, Cade wanted to know that he was on the right path.

But Cade wasn't going to get that today. A short alarm sounded on his omni-tool, causing Cade to jump. He checked the time. "Shoot, I've got somewhere to be."

The man nodded. "No problem. I owe you one, next time you're around."

Cade waved a talon dismissively. "You don't owe me anything. Maybe… I don't know, go smile at someone or something," he said teasingly. "Maybe that person will go on to cure Corpalis Syndrome."

The human gave a small, genuine laugh. "Alright, how about I owe you one good deed?" he said warmly.

"Deal. Enjoy the game."

He looked down at the game discs that Cade had bought him, pausing to read the back. When he looked up, Cade was already standing in front of the elevator. "Wait! What's your name?" he called out.

Cade waved his talons again. The elevator arrived and opened its doors. "That doesn't matter, does it?"

"Thank—"

Cade stepped inside and the elevator doors closed, cutting the man off. He'd be a bit late after all, but Cade didn't care. It was worth it.

October 27th, 2205, 1104 hours - The Citadel, Citadel Tower

Eighteen Months after the End of the Palaven Rebellions

More than Five Years Prior to the Events on the SSV Hippocrates

(Second Lieutenant Cade Kitiarian, former Blackwatch Team 1)

Cade walked through the elevator doors and into the atrium of the Citadel with his shoulders thrown back, looking like he'd just bought the deed to the place. The young turian took a deep breath and then exhaled, taking in the pompousness of the Citadel's infamous epicenter. Well-kept trees lined the long chamber and the sound of running water from the atrium's numerous fountains were a constant backdrop of sound. They also helped mask any private conversations that might occur between the tower's occupants as they traversed the atrium. Cade wondered if that had been an intended feature.

"Wait!" a voice behind him called out from the elevator. "Cade – I know you can't stay, but… if you're ever around, shoot me a message sometime, okay?"

Cade turned around. "Nothing would make me happier. It was lovely meeting you, Theresa. I hope I see you again."

The female human officer blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't be a stranger."

He gave her a wave and then walked away. Cade had met Theresa on the long ride up the elevator and she'd started a conversation with him. She was an adventurous individual. Theresa had gone hiking on nearly a dozen different planets and had seen things that Cade had only ever read about. She was currently serving a tour on the SSV Einstein and had came to deliver an in-person report to her commanding officer. Cade wished he had met her under different circumstances. She seemed like a really interesting person and he would have loved to have gotten to know her better.

A familiar figure was standing in the middle of the long pathway that bisected the atrium, clad in a navy-blue suit with gold trim. Like Cade, he too had a pistol strapped to his waist. A battered, single-piece visor was perched defiantly over one eye.

The turian looked at him reproachingly. "You're late," Garrus said pointedly.

"Barely," Cade said with a half-grin. "I met a few interesting people and I lost track of time."

"I'm sure you did," Garrus said with a knowing eye-roll. "Would it have killed you to wear your Blackwatch uniform, or at least your armor? I don't want them to think you're just another mouth-breather I plucked from one of the Hierarchy's spec-ops groups."

Cade clicked his mandibles and looked at Garrus weirdly. "Well firstly, I am another mouth-breather from one of the Heirarchy's spec-ops groups. Secondly, I don't like the attention that a Blackwatch uniform would have brought. I don't really need it… nor do I particularly like it."

Cade's eyes darkened. His actions on Bellara during the climax of the Palaven Rebellions had made him famous. Palaven loyalists had been singing his praises non-stop ever since the rebellion had ended, and every once in a while, a turian that Cade presumed had supported the secessionists would eye him murderously. Cade wanted none of it. No one should be famous for killing their father.

Garrus' hard gaze softened somewhat as he realized what was going on in the young turian's mind. "Fine. I also suppose that how you're dressed has no bearing on your abilities – abilities that anyone who has read your CV cannot deny. Come, we're meeting through there," he pointed to a door off to the side.

They were halfway through the crowd of tower-goers when a small drone suddenly collided with the back of Garrus' head, eliciting an annoyed grunt. A quarian female dressed in a lovely purple environmental suit approached the two, her silver eyes narrowed fiercely at the Primarch. "Garrus, you bosh'tet. You're visiting the tower and you didn't stop to say hi?"

"I'm kind of busy here, Tali. I was going to say hi later, I swear," Garrus said, rubbing the back of his head.

The drone made a few quick laps around Garrus' head and then returned to the quarian. "Cade, allow me to introduce you to Tali'zorah vas Normandy, quarian ambassador and professional pest. Tali, this is Second Lieutenant Cade Kitiarian, formerly of the Blackwatch," Garrus said with a sigh.

Cade was momentarily starstruck. Tali'zorah was another figurehead of the legendary Normandy crew. She'd flown and fought beside Shepard during the war in nearly every major engagement, and it was largely thanks to her that the Geth had made peace with the quarians. She'd been instrumental in the formation of the quarian-geth syndicate after the war and had basically a permanent seat on its board of governors. She had used her considerable influence to spearhead numerous restoration projects on dozens of planets.

Tali muttered a few words in Khelish, then looked at Cade. "Pleasure. Is this the same little protégé of yours that you were going on and on and on the last half a dozen times I saw you?"

Cade gave the Primarch a big smile and Garrus' mandibles twitched with embarassment. "Don't call him that, he's not my protégé."

Tali gave an eye-roll and Cade tried his best not to look hurt. "Fine, candidate?" She turned to Cade. "It is nice to meet you. Kitiarian, was it?"

"Yes," Cade replied.

The young turian was taken aback when the much-smaller quarian ambassador suddenly pulled him into a hug. It was a warm and affectionate hug, the kind that Cade had only ever gotten a few times from his mother and never from his late father. She patted him gently on the back and Cade sort of melted into her arms.

"I know how hard it is to lose a father," she said sympathetically. "What you did must have been very hard. You are very brave."

Cade returned the hug, choking back the sadness that had begun to form in the back of his throat. "Thank you. I… I did what I had to. I did what was best."

Tali broke off, but her hands remained on Cade's shoulders. "We like to often tell ourselves that like it's some sort of mantra that will somehow dispel or lessen the pain, but that isn't the case, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Cade admitted.

Her eyes narrowed kindly as she smiled up at Cade. "I hope you find peace. And thank you for saving this bosh'tet, I would have missed him dearly."

Cade felt his soul lighten just a bit at the quarian's words. "Just for you, I'll try a little harder next time his scaly hide needs saving," Cade said with a wide grin. "Can't really say I had my best foot forward when I did it the first time around – not after I had a krogan kick my ass because of him."

Tali laughed, and Cade thought it was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. She let go of him. "You will need to tell me that story sometime, Cade. Garrus, I like this one. Try not to make him too much like you, will you?"

The Primarch crossed his arms. "You know most young turians would kill to be me, right? I am the Primarch after all... and a war hero… Archangel… you get the point," Garrus said teasingly.

"I'm surprised that visor stills fits on that fat head of yours," Tali muttered testily. "Anyways, I've got to run. I know James doesn't like to be kept waiting and I need to go over this new report from Kal. Piracy has increased markedly in our territory in the last six weeks and we have no idea why."

Garrus' browplates furrowed with concern. "Hopefully it's nothing too serious and just a couple of jerks out on a bender. Let me know if you need any help."

She slapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you! Dinner tonight?"

"Oh yes," Garrus said with a wince. "Usual place?"

"Usual place!" Tali nodded in reply. The quarian ambassador departed with one last wave into the sea of bodies going about their business in the tower, her drone chirping happily behind her.

Garrus turned to Cade. "She hasn't changed in more than twenty years…" he said wistfully.

"She seems like a good person. Why is she friends with you again?"

Garrus shrugged. "Well, I met her when she was young—"

Cade gave a fake, exaggerated shudder. "That's creepy," he interjected.

The older turian gave him an annoyed look. "—right after Shepard and I saved her life from a few of Saren's thugs," he finished crossly. "Spirits, what is wrong with you kids nowadays. It isn't what you're thinking at all."

"Sure it isn't, sir," Cade snickered.

Garrus gave a dramatic and exaggerated sigh. "I survived and won a war against a race of genocidal supermachines, making lifelong bonds of friendship along the way, only to get them labelled 'creepy' by some kid who hasn't even finished plating yet."

Garrus approached the door and punched a code into a security terminal embedded in the wall beside it. The doors opened and the two stepped through, coming into a vestibule. There was a quick scan, and then another door at the other end of the vestibule opened. The two turians passed through those as well. Cade could hear the doors close behind them with a series of serious-sounding metallic clicks. Security wasn't in short supply here, Cade observed.

They came into a large, darkened chamber with a single holotable set in the middle of it. Two human males – one of whom was wearing full armor – were standing behind it.

The first was a bear of a man in a systems alliance uniform that looked like he could knock out a krogan with a single punch. He was absolutely massive, built like a mako tank with biceps that threatened to tear out of his uniform. He had a wide grin on his face as well that grew even wider at the sight of Garrus. "How you doin, scars!?" he greeted him happily.

The other human – the armored one – was taller than anyone else in the room. He had wavy blonde hair and he had the most chiseled face Cade had ever seen on a human. He had this determined expression on his face that made it seem like he was about to do something incredibly heroic. He struck Cade as dutiful, responsible and possibly kind of stupid. He also seemed to Cade like he was the kind of soldier who would yell at you if you left your laces untied or your bed untucked.

The man had a red and white stripe painted on his armored right arm. So he was an N7. Not many of those running around, and especially not many as young as the one in front of him, who looked like he was in his mid-to-late twenties at most. It meant he wasn't stupid.

Cade peered closer. The man also had the insignia of the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance stenciled on his pauldron. Spirits, there were even fewer of those running around, and the number of humans in their ranks numbered less than the talons on Cade's two hands. Spirits…. a young, human N7 spectre. Cade bet his left nut that the man was a textbook overachiever and military poster-child, not that Cade himself was one to talk. Nonetheless, Cade bet that the odds were good that he was likely one of the most uptight, by-the-book soldiers that in the entire systems alliance.

A thought suddenly occurred to Cade – one that honestly should have occurred much sooner. He began to pray to a roster of names that this human wasn't the spectre that Garrus had selected to be his mentor. Damn it, had this been Garrus' plan all along? His revenge for the years of insubordination? This entire time Cade had thought that he was untouchable, that Garrus had no choice but to put up with his shit because of how good he was at his job. Clearly he'd read the old turian wrongly.

Garrus brushed past him with a grin on his face and his arms outstretched. "Every time I see you I am amazed that you're still in uniform. Always thought you were one pullup away from ripping that thing. Good to see you Vega."

The man walked up and embraced Garrus, patting him vigorously on the back. "Likewise scars – and jealousy is not a good color on you. Clashes with your eyes."

Garrus returned the hug with fervor. "My bad. You know how much I want to look my best for you. Cade, this is Rear Admiral James Vega, commander of the Systems Alliance's Third Fleet. James, this is the candidate I was telling you about. Second Lieutenant Cade Kitiarian."

James broke free from Garrus and looked Cade up and down. Cade swallowed nervously. James Vega had also been a crewmember on the Normandy.

The Rear Admiral crossed his arms. "Your name has made its way across a lot of channels, kid. There's also ton of turian brass out there blowing major smoke up your cloaca, with scars over here being the worst of the bunch," he jerked his thumb over at Garrus. "A bit scrawny though. Dios mios, you look like you're sixteen…" he muttered.

"I'm actually almost twenty, sir," Cade replied.

James gave Garrus a look of slight disgust. "Almost twenty… Garrus, what the hell man?"

Garrus sighed and held up a hand. "You know turians start their kids young. Trust me Vega, the kid's good—he's a prodigy. Cade here has three and a half years of live combat experience —all of them in special ops. He's trained under the best, come up against the best and his actions speak for themselves. There's not many I'd trust more to have my back."

The Primarch looked back at Cade. "Besides. He's a good kid with a good heart. Spirits knows we need more spectres like that."

Cade was touched. He wanted to give Garrus a grin but he fought down the urge. Instead he kept his eyes forward and did his best to mirror the human Spectre who was currently watching him intently and silently from behind the holo-table. The Spectre had positioned himself so that half of his face covered in shadow, but from what Cade could see he had an appraising look on his face.

James eyed Cade once more, and then Garrus, and then finally relented. "Okay Garrus. I trust you. Kitiarian… he's his son, isn't he?" James asked.

Garrus nodded. "He is."

James nodded as well. "Alright." He beckoned Cade over to the holo-table. "Candi—Cade, come meet your mentor."

Oh spirits, no. Cade looked at Garrus, who wordlessly tilted his head towards the holo-table.

He approached the holo-table and its sole occupant. The Spectre maneuvered past the table with a fluidity that surprised Cade. He was a few inches taller than Cade but by the looks of it he was much more solidly built. Probably due to his systems alliance gene mods combined with his own genetics. The mask of determination remained perched on the Spectre's face.

The Spectre held out his hand. "Hello Cade, I am Lieutenant Commander Lancelot Percival and I'll be your mentor for the duration of your Spectre candidacy."

At the sound of his ridiculous name Cade let slip a half-bark of laughter that he immediately stifled with the back of his hand. The young turian's eyes widened in fear and embarrassment. He was mortified. "I'm so sorry."

But to Cade's surprise, instead of kicking in Cade's teeth the Spectre just grinned sheepishly. Just like that the mask slipped off. Percival rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, my dad was a big fan of some old earth stories. You can call me Percival. It's… the lesser of two evils."

Looks were deceiving. Cade was expecting… he was not sure what he was expecting. A model soldier he supposed, someone who followed orders and got the job done. Cade loved it when people didn't take themselves too seriously. People like that tended to be more receptive of criticism, were more self-aware, and overall just tended to grow as individuals more. They made for better people and better teammates in Cade's experience.

James cleared his throat. "Now that you two are acquainted, let me bring you up two up to speed."

The rear admiral tapped a button on the table. A hologram of a planet popped up on the screen, with an icon of a small facility marked on it.

"This is Eris, practically right on the doorstep of the Citadel. It's home to a joint turian-human weapons facility. It's currently the home of Project Gyges, a program tasked with designing and mass-producing stealth composite plating. It's a synthetic alloy that is invisible to every single kind of scanner tech that we have. Salarian… Asari… Human – hell, it even holds up against Geth scanners. Don't ask me how— I would need several doctorate degrees to explain. Three days ago they were attacked by an unknown group."

The officer then pulled up photos of what Cade presumed to be the facility. It was a complete mess. Doors were ripped apart and whole chunks were taken out of the deck plating.

"Must have been a group of biotics then," Cade said, squinting at the pictures. "No charring, no blast residue."

"Correct, second lieutenant," James complimented, impressed with the young turian's quick assessment. "They also launched a successful cyber-attack just prior to attacking the facility. Wiped out most of the cameras they had. One scientist however managed to record this on their omni-tool.

A video began to play. The cameraperson fumbled with the omni-tool for a moment before pointing it at the door. Seconds later, the door came apart at the hinges. Cade watched as three figures – human, two males and one female – in unmarked, black armor stormed through, with weapons in their hands. The one in the lead lifted a hand. A flash of blue light slashed across the screen and the recorder was flung backwards. The recording shut off after that.

"Surprisingly, no one died," James said. "No one suffered anything more serious than a few concussions. Whoever the interlopers were, they deliberately refrained from killing the staff. It does make it harder to pinpoint who this could have been, so this could just as likely be a move to throw us off their trail as it is some moral statement. There aren't many organizations out there with a team of crack human biotics on retainer. Their cyberattack put the place in lockdown, preventing the facility's security force from reacting in time. They were in and out in minutes, before we could even mobilize. Coordinated and efficient. No insignia."

"How much stealth composite did they make off with?" Garrus asked.

"Not a lot, about a dolly's worth," James replied. "We're still trying to figure out what they're going to do with it. You couldn't even coat a shuttle with what they made off with— let alone a fighter or a frigate—but it's possible that with enough time, someone could reverse-engineer and mass produce it. So far, no one's claimed credit for the hit."

"You can do a lot of things with that stealth composite. A lot of people would pay good credits for that technology, and I'm sure word of it will surface sooner or later."

"We had the same thought," James agreed. The officer tightened his fists against the edge of the holo-table. Cade was surprised that they didn't buckle under his gorilla-like hands. "Signals Intelligence has been monitoring chatter across Council space non-stop since the attack happened, and we've already dispatched agents into the Terminus Systems."

He turned to Cade. "We've of course alerted the Council as well. This problem doesn't belong to just the turians and humans. If this technology falls into the wrong hands, it can severely shift the balance of power in the galaxy – and not necessarily for the better."

"That's where you and I come in, Cade," Percival said. "The Council has already dispatched several other Spectre operatives to gather intelligence, but they have assigned the actual investigation to me since I've worked with Project Gyges before while I was a still an N7. This mission will also mark the beginning of the evaluation process for your induction into the Spectres. The Council originally wasn't on board with it, but the Primarch was quite insistent. He seems to believe that you have a lot to offer."

Cade looked to Garrus and then back at the image of the facility on the holo-table. "Understood. So… we have no real leads and the thing that they stole has thousands of dangerous applications and is by its very nature undetectable. Fun."

Percival let out an amused chuckle and gave Cade a wink. "Oh buddy, if you think this is rough, wait until you find out about how you're gonna get paid."