A/N: As promised, this chapter was already in the works when I uploaded the previous one, hence the quicker upload. And as I've mentioned in the previous chapter, next comes a CODEX-style chapter about Carvin Empire's military. I hope that I won't have to go for a year long hiatus again to upload the next chapter, but who knows? I'm starting university in october so anything is possible. That being said,
Enjoy!
Interstellar space, Normandy
Deck 4, Engineering bay
1622 Local Time, May 27th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Tali had a lot of mixed feelings after arriving at the Normandy. For her inner engineer, it was almost uncanny that a state-of-the-art Alliance design that was SSV Normandy could be so closely replicated and even improved by Cerberus. She would never have imagined this organization to have technology and engineering capabilities to build such a vessel.
Of course this new Normandy was much different than the old one. She could recognize many of the changes and alterations to the design, some of them even subconsciously. The larger drive core meant that it was a bit easier to make it go off balance. The sound was also different. The original SSV Normandy was very quiet (at least by quarian standards), always letting out a silent "shuuuuuuuuuuuummmmm" sound, whereas the Sr-2, with its larger drive core was more of a "wuhwuhwuhwuhwuh". Just another reminder that this was not the original Normandy, with its old crew and Alliance complement.
Ah yes, the crew. Cerberus staff really did make Tali uneasy when on the ship. The organization's recent subversive operations against the Migrant Fleet have all but solidified them as enemies in the eyes of quarians, herself included. Two Cerberus engineers that were to be her co-workers in the Engineering Bay may have looked friendly and approachable, but Tali was not going to take any chances, at least for now. It did help that at least some of the crew was not Cerberus, and that there were a couple friendly faces that kept her nerves in check.
Seeing Shepard, Garrus and Joker again was something of a breath of fresh air. She had lost a lot of good friends during those two years since the break-up of the original team. First Freedom's Progress and now Haestrom. Writing obituaries and letters to families of her fallen comrades was much more painful than she ever imagined. But now things would be different. She was in capable hands, and even when surrounded by Cerberus, there were still friends she could fight alongside.
"Tali'Zorah, Doctor Solus is requesting your presence in the lab." A synthetic voice of Normandy's AI, EDI, echoed in the Engineering bay, causing her to jump slightly.
"I'll be there in just a moment." She replied and stepped away from the main Engineering console. Her tweaks and fixes that she planned for today had to wait.
Tali did not truly meet Mordin before, only passing by the lab once when she first toured the new Normandy. Then again almost all of the crew, whether Cerberus or not, was strange to her. Of the non-terrorist squadmates, she accidentally bumped into Kasumi once (which wasn't exactly her fault, since the human was invisible, and clearly intended for the accident to happen), and had seen glimpses of Grunt's and Zaeed's rooms which were also located on Deck 4. There was also Jack that resided below where she usually worked, and finally Virox, whom Tali only seen once - after she was broken out of the besieged observatory on Haestrom.
They were a varied bunch, but the original team wasn't homogenous either.
After making her way to Deck 2, Tali walked by the CIC, receiving a few curious glances from the human crew, then into the lab. Inside she found a peculiar sight. At the main table in the middle stood Virox, with his right arm detached from his arm socket lying wide open and partially disassembled on the table, he was checking something on his omni-tool with the left hand. Meanwhile Mordin was looking at one of the lab's consoles that from what Tali could discern at first glance was displaying the internal servos of Virox's hand.
"Ah, Tali'Zorah, our engineering expert. Perfect." Mordin noticed her fairly quickly, and gestured at her to follow him to the table. "Virox's cybernetic arm damaged during Haestrom mission. He asked for assistance. Was ready to provide, but carvin machinery complex, sophisticated... alien. Also mechanical engineering not my field of expertise. Prefer xenobiology."
"So... you want me to help you fix his arm?" Tali asked, not really sure if she understood everything the doctor said.
"Yes. Already made preliminary scans and identified several small fractures. Will send those to your omni-tool. Recommend you still make your own observations. Can never be too careful." Mordin jovially replied, then walked away from the table. "Will return shortly. Must fabricate replacements for damaged components."
Taking his leave to the 3D printer, he then left Tali stuck in the awkward silence with the carvin.
Virox did not say anything during this exchange. In fact, if it wasn't for the slight movement of his body when he breathed, or the fact that his fingers moved slightly while controlling his omni-tool, he might've as well been a statue. Just now Tali noticed that it wasn't just his arms that were augmented, but his legs too.
"You have all your limbs replaced with cybernetics?" She asked while looking for any damage that Mordin hadn't detected before.
"Yes. Every regular soldier of the Imperial Army has all of his limbs replaced. They improve our effectiveness and reduce need for food, so there's no reason not to use them." Virox replied. He did not even look at her, still staring at his omni-tool.
"Does it hurt? I mean to have your limbs augmented like this." Tali asked.
"Not really. Everyone's on anesthetic during the procedure. Most civilians get their first implants at the age of 6, though there are some enthusiasts that do it at 4 years old." He shrugged, then turned off his omni-tool. "What's the state of my arm? If there's some irrepairable damage, I'll have to request a supply drop."
"From what I can see right now... most of the critical components are intact. Anything that had suffered damage we can either fix or fabricate using Normandy's 3D printer." Tali answered.
While Virox's massive statue and less than approachable physical demeanor made her nervous, the inner workings of his cybernetics completely captivated Tali's mind. She studied geth platforms and the improvements the synthetics have implemented over the course of their 300-year rebellion against her people. But this was something else. Whereas the geth were purely mechanical and had little reason to evolve anything apart from maximum performance and efficiency, this arm was a strange yet beautiful merger of carvins' organic and synthetic parts.
The servos, gyroscopes and the sensor network of various parts of the arm were all blendes seamlessly with the hybrid power supply. The implant could actually draw upon the nutriens and oxygen from the blood and use them for energy production alongside internal batteries and tiny emergency hydrogen power cells. For all this being stuffed into a single limb, one would think that it would be quite brittle, yet Tali's keen engineering eye knew that once put together, this thing could take some serious beating. Which actually reminded her of something.
"How exactly did you get your arm damaged? I'm assuming it wasn't the sun, since most damage is physical, likely from some sort of trauma. Did one of the geth troopers land a grenade hit on you?" She asked as she identified the last damaged part of the arm's internal machinery.
"A large geth tried to crush me. I believe that Commander called them geth Primes." Virox said in a tone that for him almost sounded casual.
"A Prime did this... just this..." Tali actually stopped working on the arm to process it. "How is this the only thing that's damaged!? Without barriers, these geth platforms could break a krogan's spine!"
"It's dead now, I don't see why bother with it." He shrugged as if it was obvious.
"...Nevermind, let's just finish this." Tali decided not to pursue the topic any further.
Mordin came back shortly, and thankfully among the fabricated parts was everything Tali needed to repair the arm completely. It took a couple minutes, but with two of them working together, the arm was almost as good as new. Or at least she wanted to think that way. It was the first time she ever repaired a carvin arm... or any carvin machinery for that matter.
Virox lifted his arm and inserted it into the socket in his shoulder. A couple of beeps before his fingers started moving again. He performed what Tali could only suspect was a short calibration, then stood up.
"It's working fine. I can't feel anything on the interior. Your help is appreciated." He said. The overly-formal language was a bit off-putting, but at least he was grateful.
"Where are you going now?" Tali asked as both of them left the lab.
"The main battery. I like it there. Not many people, and Vakarian is... alright. Pretty fixated on calibrations from what I've seen though." Virox replied.
"Oh, so Garrus spends his time there now?" Tali raised an eyebrow (not that anyone could see due to the mask). "Mind if I tag along? I haven't seen him for a while, and we used to serve together on the... first Normandy."
"No problem for me."
They made their way to the elevator and once again Tali felt the sneaky stares of the crew on herself. Or perhaps this time on Virox. After arriving at Deck 3, they walked towards the hallway leading to the main battery. Through the glass, Tali noticed Doctor Chakwas waving at her. It was good to see that the human doctor also made it onto the new Normandy, so Tali waved right back.
At the entrance to the main battery Virox pressed the door button and both of them walked inside.
"Back already?" Came a familiar deep voice of Garrus, who was standing at the main battery console, performing some sort of diagnostics. "How's your arm?"
"Works alright. I'll still request some spare parts from logistics just in case. But your friend turned to be as good as you said." Virox said, then glanced at Tali. "Speaking of whom..."
Garrus turned around and his eyes widened in surprise. They only saw a glimpse of each other, since she arrived on the Normandy on a separate shuttle after transmitting the data from Haestrom to Reegar. This was really their first true meeting after these two years.
"Oh... Tali. I did not expect your visit." He said, clearly struggling to find words. "Er... not that it's a bad thing."
"I missed you too, Garrus." Tali chuckled. As the only dextros in the crew, they always stuck together before. "You look... different."
"Oh, you mean the scars? Heh, I had an unfortunate accident on Omega." He laughed, though when his fingers touched the wounds, he winced slightly. "Although between the two of us, I heard that at least some women like them. Mostly krogan women, buuuuut I can dream. So it's not all bad."
Both of them laughed, and it was truly the first time since the break-up of the original crew that Tali let out a genuine laugh of happiness. For a moment it felt like they were back in 2183.
"I see you've also changed. This new suit. It makes you look... more dignified." Garrus pointed out, while Virox walked past both of them and leaned on a wall at the far side of the room.
"It's not that big of a deal honestly. Every quarian gets a new suit when they finish their Pilgrimage." She said, trying not to sound too embarrassed.
"I know, but what other quarian can say that their Pilgrimage involved stopping a rogue Spectre and foiling a geth attack on the Citadel, eh?" He said, then looked at Virox who by this time walked to the far side of the main battery room. "About that... Virox, have you heard of the Battle of Citadel 2 years ago?"
Virox did not reply. In fact he was now standing completely still, staring at the wall he was just leaning on a few seconds ago.
"Uh, does he do that often?" Tali asked. From what she had seen of him, Virox's behaviour was not unusual, though that could just be due to her lack of contact with him.
Virox meanwhile reached for the wall... no, something on the wall, hidden between the bolts of the wall panels. He grabbed it and his outer jaws twitched. At first Tali could not get a good look of what it was, but after Virox stepped back from the wall, she could see a small device, emitting a dim, yellow light. It wasn't hard to guess what it was, given where they were.
With a suddennes that caught both Tali and Garrus off guard, Virox activated his omni-tool, and after a moment the face of Doctor Mordin Solus was displayed in front of him.
"Virox, what do you need? Any problems with the arm? No, everything was put back in order. Or perhaps-" He started, but the carvin cut him off with a low, gutteral voice.
"I found something in the Main Battery, doctor, something that has a faint smell of a salarian. It wasn't here before, I checked." He said, then lifted the device to the camera. "Care to explain yourself?"
"Hmm..." Mordin briefly squinted to look at the device, then his body relaxed. "Ah, a Cerberus bug. Was originally placed in the lab among several other ones. An expensive one, so gave this one back to Miranda. She must have reused it. Understandable, Cerberus not keen on wasting resources."
Virox let out a growl so deep, it actually gave Tali chills. The noise was something between a bark of a varren and rattling of rachni warriors, and this combination made it all the more unnerving. His jaws were twitching visibly, while his eyes dashed between the bug and his omni-tool.
"Hear Miranda talking with Shepard in the CIC. Started conversation just a moment ago. If you would like to clear things out that is." Mordin added, and Virox promptly ended the call, before quickly dashing out of the room. The floor echoed under the steps of his mechanical feet.
"Is... is he going to be alright?" Tali asked. While she wasn't fond of the Cerberus crew, she didn't really want to start a fight from the get-go, and Virox looked like he was about to do just that.
"Virox? Oh definitely. I've seen him fight on Haestrom." Garrus shrugged, then returned to work at his control panel. "I'm more worried about Miranda. And Shepard, since she'll probably be the one having to resolve it."
Tali did not respond.
Interstellar space, Normandy
Deck 2, CIC
1636 Local Time, May 27th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Shepard explicitly ordered Joker to head for Illium to let the crew, and herself, get a little break. She hoped for everyone to get some rest and for the new crew members to get used to the Normandy, while the ship took its time cruising back to the Council space. They had to plan out their next objectives, and Miranda volunteered to help in this matter. Privately there was also some personal matters that she wanted to deal with (including a message from her mother, who only found out about her resurrection a few days after their Horizon escapade).
That's why, when Virox barged into the CIC, with the same cold stare that she saw him with on Haestrom during combat, her gut was screaming at her that the time for relaxing was over.
"Virox? What's wrong?" Shepard asked, as it was clear that things were not okay if he bothered to come here in this mood.
He did not reply. His eyes were dead focused on Miranda. The agent must have also noticed that, since she tensed up as well. Shepard could see that, under her perfect physical appearance, there was uneasiness. It seemed that even she was not immune to Virox's unnerving presence.
Virox stopped in front of them, his fists clenched and eyes still on Miranda. "It seems you've lost something."
His hand then quickly darted forward, and both Shepard and Miranda braced for a blow. But instead, a small metal object shot out from the carvin's hand, bounced off Miranda's chest and tumbled on the ground with a metallic bang. She looked at it, and understood why Virox was so angry.
"I don't like giving idle threats." Virox took a step closer to Miranda. "So if you don't want to piss off your boss by wrecking this agreement that Commander brokered, THINK TWICE before trying to bug me again."
Miranda seemed to have regained composure, but Shepard could still see she was tense. "So what? You're gonna be the man of your word and try to kill me in the middle of the CIC?"
"Oh I would absolutely love to. To feast on your heart and watch your horrified face as life leaves your body." He spoke slowly and calmly. Shepard now noticed the carvin's tongue licking off saliva from his inner jaws. "But we do not always get what we want. Sometimes we're forced to be pawns in someone else's grand plan. You of all people should know that."
Shepard reckoned it was time to cut this short. "Alright now, both of you cal-"
"I'm my own person, and you don't know a thing about me, carvin." Miranda retorted, her fingers slowly turning into fists.
"You're a tool. A domesticated animal with delusions of independent thought. You wouldn't dare to go against your boss' wishes, even if you'd like to." Virox's mouth twisted into something that vaguely resembled a vicious smirk. It was clear that this was exactly what he wanted her to say.
"And what does that make you?" Miranda snapped. "All we ever hear from you is silence, silence, and classified. You'd kill yourself if your superiors ordered you to for all we know. If I'm a tool, then what are you?"
"Oh I've never denied that. The difference between you and me is that I'm upfront with all of it. Meanwhile you lie and twist the truth, when in reality you don't give a damn about anyone of us. We're just tools for your objective, just as you are to Illusive Man." The carvin growled, then looked at Shepard. "Say Commander, who do you think she's truly loyal to? You or her boss? What do you think she'll do when your actions are not in alignment with what Cerberus wants? Will it be a Collector's gun you'll find pointed at the back of your head? Or hers?"
While she wouldn't admit it, his question stung Shepard. She saw what Cerberus did to their enemies. The caged rachni, the 'tamed' Thorian creeps, the corpses of Alliance servicemen mangled by a Thresher Maw, all still haunted her in some of her dreams. And while this new Cerberus flew right in the face of her previous picture of the organization, she could not shake off the feeling that it was all an elaborate ruse to make her work with them. But she had to remain neutral or risk a fight in the CIC.
"Your people butcher their way through the Terminus Systems at this very moment. How many independent settlements were destroyed by your fleets? How many innocents killed in the name of your 'Empire'?" Miranda bit back, now visibly angry. She walked up to Virox and pointed her finger at him accusingly. "Your people are no better than your own depictions of Cerberus."
Virox's hand immediately shot up and grabbed the woman's wrist, locking it in place. Miranda, clearly surprised, tried to biotically pull her hand out of carvin's grip, but he did not budge, which was surprising, considering just how strong biotics could be.
He must have attached himself magnetically to the floor to withstand something like this. Shepard thought. Now the eyes of the entire CIC crew were on the duo. This included Kelly Chambers who was silently observing the entire scene with a mix of shock and fear.
"Careful now, Princess. Don't go pointing your finger at everything you don't like. One day you may lose it." Virox's voice was now almost a whisper. Her translator barely caught onto his words.
Miranda's body was now strongly glowing purple, and another biotic sphere was forming in her left hand. Shepard's thoughts raced through her mind. She did not want a fight between her crew, but she could not allow the bad blood to fester between the squadmates. Then again there was no guarrantee that they'd stop once the fight started.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" In what seemed to be the last second before the brawl, Shepard used her own biotics and created a shockwave blast right between both of them.
The effect was immediate. Virox let go of Miranda, and his body bent backwards in an unnatural shape. His legs remained attached to the floor, confirming her suspicions of magnetic lock. Miranda on the other hand stumbled backwards, and managed to not fall down only thanks to grabbing the railing of the galaxy map.
"Virox, return to your post, immediately!" She yelled, and when the carvin did not move, added "That's an order!"
Yelling at her subordinates was not her favourite means of enforcing discipline, but it worked on Virox. The carvin, visibly taken aback, slowly walked away towards the elevator, his hands shaking lightly. Once he left, she turned towards the Cerberus agent.
"And you, Miranda. I thought we had everything figured out after Virox first came aboard. Was I wrong?" She asked, not even bothering to hide her accusatory tone.
"No, Commander. But we have to take preca-" The woman started but, Shepard cut her off.
"We can't fight the Collectors if the team keeps ripping itself apart from the inside. You will NOT invade any crew member's privacy like this anymore, whether human or not! We have EDI to warn us of any potential dangers before they manifest. If I see anything like this repeat with you again, I WILL take it up with the Illusive Man and demand your immediate replacement. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Miranda replied with as calm of a voice as she could muster given the circumstances.
"Dismissed." Shepard ordered, making a conscious effort to look at the rest of the crew who were watching the spectacle unfold, giving them a clear message that they too were to return to their work.
As everyone went back to their posts and she was left alone, she leaned on the railing of the galaxy map and let out a heavy sigh. This was not the first time two of her squadmates had to be reconciliated. Hell, it was not the first time that Virox went after Miranda. But it was definitely the closest one to an actual, legitimate brawl. If Shepard could not stop future incidents from escalating to this level, the crew confidence and morale would suffer, which was unacceptable.
It also did not help that her threats were mostly idle. Virox could simply refuse to follow orders on the basis of directives from his superiors, and Shepard doubted that the Illusive Man would actually be willing to remove Miranda from her post. A long term solution was needed, and it was needed fast.
"Are you alright, Commander?" A weak voice of Kelly Chambers reached her ears. She turned around to see the yeoman, still visibly shocked, looking at her with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, it's just... I wish I could do something with these two. We can't sustain an environment where every time they meet there is a potential fight." Shepard said, her voice heavy with frustration.
"You did what needed to be done. But it's true, they can't go on like this." Kelly nodded. "I think you should talk to Virox. I can't say I've got him all figured out... in fact, this is the most expressive he's been since he came aboard. But I feel like he also has some internal struggles that he's suffering from. If anyone can get through to him, it's you, Commander."
"Thanks, Kelly." Shepard gave her a grateful look. "I'll get to it in a second. Just... need to calm down a bit."
It took a while, but after the characteristic tingle of biotics fully wore off, Shepard felt ready to go and talk to the carvin.
Now the question was: would he talk to her, or eat her?
Interstellar space, Normandy
Deck 2, Elevator
1645 Local Time, May 27th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
Kill!
Kill the terrorists!
Fight!
Destroy them!
Alien scum!
KILL!
Virox's mind was in flux. Both of his hearts were beating so loud, he was sure others could hear them too. His nostrils became more sensitive, and the overwhelming wave of alien scents further fueled the adrenaline shock he was experiencing. He put all of his conscious willpower he could tap into to making it invisible for outside observers, but he had a feeling that he was doing a very shitty job. By the time he reached Deck 3 again, he managed to stop his hands from shaking, but his eyes were still darting around, unfocused and chaotic, and his jaws were still twitching. He could not think straight.
This was the closest he ever got to losing control since the Grox War. The Normandy was NOT the place to let his instincts go free.
The high he got from combat on Haestrom was long gone, replaced with a brutal reminder that he was still to be a liaison for a human commander working for a xenophobic terrorist organization. He doubted himself even before he arrived on the Normandy, but now he truly feared for his safety. The Empire did not tolerate failure, and while the prospect of death did not scare him as much, the Ravashir and other state institutions were experienced in much more brutal means of punishment. Means he did not really want to test.
He did not even realize that he was already back in Main Battery. The quarian... Tali was her name, was still there, and Garrus probably said something to him. Or was it just his imagination? Virox truly couldn't tell, there was too much going on in his head.
CALM DOWN! He mentally chastised himself, calling upon every ounce of strength to stop what could only be described as a tidal wave of pure primitive anger. After a few minutes which felt like hours, the storm in his mind started to die down, and he began to refocus again.
In hindsight, he really shouldn't have gone after Miranda when he found the bug. There was nothing he could really do, except to further alienate himself from the crew. But when he saw it, an ice cold feeling of fear pierced his chest. All of the Empire was in a total lockdown from the rest of the galaxy, all to prevent uncontrolled technology leaks. Before heading off for this assignment, Virox heard stories of 'opportunistic entrepreneurs' or 'shrewd smugglers' who met an unsightly end in places far worse than in front of a firing squad. Leaking so much valuable intel to Cerberus... it triggered something inside of him that forced him into a confrontation.
"Virox... We need to talk." A familiar voice that just moments ago prevented him from losing control, echoed in his skull once again.
He shifted his head slightly and noticed Shepard's silhouette at the entrance to Main Battery. To think he didn't hear her when she entered spoke volumes of the chaotic state his mind was in.
"Garrus, Tali, if you could step outside for a moment?" Shepard turned towards the two other crewmembers that were still in the room. "It won't be long."
"Sure, sure. I'll leave you to it." The turian nodded and slowly walked outside.
"I-I was just about to leave anyway." Tali added, her voice stuttering slightly as she followed Garrus.
Once they were left all alone, Shepard pressed some buttons at the door, and the green holographic lock turned red. It wasn't long before Virox realized the truth. They were locked inside.
"There we go. Now nobody will bother us." Commander said and looked at Virox with a piercing gaze. "You need to come clean, Virox. What's wrong?"
Virox's outer jaws opened slightly, not from anger but from fear. "That's vague, Commander. You need to be more specific."
"Okay, let's start this differently then. Your behaviour is actively contributing to the lower morale and overall cohesion of our team." Shepard changed her tune, and Virox cursed her uncanny ability of knowing just the best way to prod him. "I want to know why you act like this, and what can we all do to prevent it."
KILL HER! TERRORISTS NEED TO DIE! Virox's instincts screamed at him.
"It was a lapse in judgment, Commander. It... won't happen again." He replied, though his fingers were tightly clinging to the terminal that he was leaning on, trying his best to hold off the Rage build-up.
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Shepard pressed on, clearly not intent on letting this matter drop.
Backed into a corner, Virox's instincts were resurfacing. Like a wild animal driven into a hole without a way out, he felt an increasing urge to once let go and allow his instincts to take over. It almost felt like fighting the urge to breathe. But he would not fail. He COULD NOT fail.
"We can't go on like this, Virox. I don't want this to get ugly, but I cannot, and I will not jeopardize our mission by keeping you around and risking any more of such incidents." She said and he heard her take a few steps towards him. Every step rang like a bell in his head.
"I will adhere to the directives of my superiors." Virox said, the minimalistic language meant to stop himself from further emotional escalation.
"And how do I fit into this?" Shepard asked, moving to his side, trying to force eye contact. "Half of the time you seem to obey my orders, and the other half you ignore them. Which is it?"
"Directives and instructions from the Imperial Command overrule anything you may order me, Commander." He finally turned around to face her. "Just as a salarian general could not give you an order that would contradict your previous instructions from your superiors in the Alliance... or in this case, Cerberus."
Shepard's expression darkened. It was a subtle change of her facial features, but powerful enough to deliver a clear message. Carvins, being almost identical to each other were extremely sensitive to such miniscule alterations, which is why, for Virox at least, the sudden shift was so pronounced. And while her previous yelling at him on Deck 2 was certainly impressive, this was the first time that he truly felt she was angry.
"I am NOT Cerberus. My primary goal is to defend humanity AS WELL as other species from the Reapers. You should know that." She hissed coldly. It was a stark departure from her usual warm and caring demeanor.
"Is that so?" Virox asked with a hint of mockery. "I read a few things about you. You busted a Cerberus cell before you died, knowing all too well what kind of organization they are. And yet here you are, wearing the orange they provided you as if it was your own."
"Someone has to help the colonists that are being abducted in the tens of thousands. If I can get help from Cerberus to prevent that, I will take it." Shepard retorted. Her voice was not as cold, though there was still a clear hint of hostility.
"The fact that human colonies are being better protected by Cerberus is indicative of the broken and dysfunctional state institutions of your Alliance, not of the good will of the Illusive Man." He retorted. "Do not kid yourself, he is not doing it for charity."
Silence befell the room, as Shepard did not reply. What he said probably struck a nerve, which somewhat surprised Virox. He expected the Commander to defend her position from the get go, a common symptom of denial. Yet she did not. Instead her eyes shifted towards the floor, putting an end to the brief but intense staring contest they had. Perhaps she realized what kind of image she was projecting... which indicated that maybe Virox was not entirely correct about her.
"I will be completely honest with you... Commander. I do not trust you." He started, though he caught himself on the fact that he almost called her by her surname: a disrespectful behaviour that he wouldn't forgive himself. "Part of me wants to trust you, but it can't. Not when you surround yourself with this kind of crew."
"Then what would it take for me to gain your trust?" Shepard finally asked after a moment of silence.
Virox growled in annoyance, looking away and towards the mechanism of the Thanix cannon. "You ask this question as if the answer was as simple as doing a specific thing. And we both know it's not."
"Well, I'm at least trying to figure out how we can better work together. You're not doing anything to help the matter either. It's almost like you don't want to be here." She retorted.
Virox's head snapped back at Shepard, as he took a step towards her. His jaws were almost touching the Commander's face, twitching violently from the barely restrained fury of his Rage.
"You are absolutely right, Commander. I did not want this assignment." He snarled, making it probably the first time he openly admitted to this fact. "I do not understand WHY I was chosen, or WHO was the dumb bastard making this decision. But I follow my orders, because I know the consequences of doing otherwise!"
"So you are just like Miranda? Is your own independent thought a delusion?" Shepard asked accusingly.
This was the final straw. Virox's pupils narrowed and his vision went red. He dashed towards her, pulled out his combat knife and pressed it to her throat before she could react. He was about to jab the blade deep into her exposed neck when suddenly a chill ran down his spine.
FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS! A phrase he had had implanted deep into his mind throughout the centuries of military service echoed in his mind. Only at the last moment did he consciously stop himself from pouncing at her. He wouldn't... no, COULDN'T go against his superiors' will. And their will was that he would assist Shepard. No matter how he felt about it.
"Watch out... Commander. It is a dangerous game you're playing..." He uttered through his barely open jaws. "I've been a soldier for longer than your entire species used FTL travel. Don't test me."
He lowered the blade and took a few steps back, allowing Shepard to move freely again. Commander massaged her throat, as if to make sure it was still in one piece, while Virox sheathed his knife and once again leaned on the terminal, which by this point had visible dents where his hands rested previously. Mentally cursing his temper, he let out a heavy sigh.
"What happened with Miranda won't repeat. I promise." He said, the feeling the Rage finally subsiding. "I advise we do not continue this discussion now. Or... we will both regret it."
He said the last bit completely genuinely, and Shepard must've noticed that, since her expression twisted into a slight frown. But she did not press the issue. Instead she activated her omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. The red lock on the exit changed its colour back to its standard green. With a quiet hiss, the doors have opened and she stepped outside.
"I won't pretend to understand you or your intentions, Virox. But... I hope that in time we will learn to trust each other." She said, stopping right outside right outside of the room. "For starters, you can just call me Shepard."
With that, the doors closed, leaving Virox alone.
Shepard, huh... My past bosses would lynch me for ever getting so personal. He thought, when a sudden feeling of dejection started creeping into his mind. Command will have my head now... How the hell am I supposed to report this?
Widow System, Citadel
Citadel Tower
2051 Local Time, May 29th, 2185 Gregorian Calendar
How did we end up like this? David Anderson thought, not even bothering to hide his exhausted expression.
After Carvin Empire withdrew from the negotiations with the Citadel, they became the Council's greatest annoyance. Not that he didn't expect it, he and Udina had somewhat pieced together carvin strategy last year. What was surprising however was the level of commitment and ruthless efficiency with which carvins were executing it.
For starters, they completely abandoned their efforts to settle the Treaty of Farixen issue, infuriating the Turian Hierarchy. The Citadel peacekeeping fleet was still recovering from the fight against Sovereign and the geth, and with inadequate infrastructure to sustain a larger fleet of the Hierarchy on the borders with the Terminus Systems, there was little that could be done to curtail carvin vessels, especially since they could operate outside of the Mass Relay network.
Second, exploiting the obvious desire of the salarians and the STG to acquire their exotic technology, carvins quite shrewdly used pirates and smugglers, who from time to time offered to sell 'authentic pieces of carvin tech' all around the Terminus. Carvins paid them to attract customers into predetermined meeting points, where they could ambush the unsuspecting buyers and return them to their senders, usually in pieces. From what Anderson heard, no STG agents were killed through these schemes, though they did lose several valuable contacts and intermediaries in the region in this way.
Finally, and most severely, Carvin Empire had virtually cut the trade connection between the Council Space and Terminus Systems, causing revenue losses in billions of credits. Corporate entities which depended on the flow of goods from the region, especially those from Illium and other purely corporate worlds, have already filed numerous complaints to the Citadel through back channels, and began intensive lobbying campaigns all around the Council Space, calling for a legal or military intervention against the Carvin Empire, and reopening of the markets. This exact issue was the reason for the meeting that the Council was holding right now.
Overall, this entire situation made Anderson sick. Not just because of the headaches that carvins were causing him and the other councilors, but also because it exposed one of Citadel's dirtier sides. The fact that Council Old Guard (asari, salarians, and turians) were so eager to take action over some lost trade money of their own, while they would not bat an eye to the tens of thousands of human colonists that went missing over the last year and a half (and in both instances the intervention would have to take place in the Terminus and the Traverse), caused his blood to boil. But there was little he could do, especially now.
All four councilors were gathered in the Citadel Tower, awaiting response from the Carvin Empire to their transmission. They were waiting for several minutes now, and Anderson had a sneaking suspicion that carvins were purposefully delaying their response as petty vengeance for Council's aggressive efforts to contain them during the previous year. Finally however, the massive holoprojector in the chamber came to life, displaying a large silhouette of a carvin. At first glance, he was no different than others, but Anderson immediately recognized him as Zayan Te'Kraan, the Empire's envoy to the Citadel. He had an aura of a courtly diplomat similarly to other ambassadors on the Citadel, but completely absent amongst carvins in general.
"This is Zayan Te'Kraan, speaking from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Carvin Empire. State your business." He said in a cold, monotonous tone, with which all other carvins Anderson ever got to talk to spoke.
"This is the Citadel Council. We wish to speak to a diplomatic representative of the Carvin Empire in regards to the recent developments on the border between the Terminus Systems and the Council Space." Councilor Tevos took the initiative, which wasn't surprising since asari were universally regarded as the main diplomatic arm of the Council.
Zayan looked at each and every councilor, then turned to the side and said something to someone on the other side that Anderson's translator did not catch. It was not the first time this happened with the carvin envoy, as he witnessed it several times before Zayan's departure from the Citadel, and he began to suspect that carvins did not provide translation data to ALL of their languages. Another clever security check on their part.
Nonetheless, Zayan turned back towards them, and his posture shifted slightly. A small twist in the shape of his jaws, in what could only be described as the carvin equivalent of a smile, and a more relaxed stance, announced a change from an ordinary state official to a diplomatic delegate. "And what sort of events would compel the Council to contact us at this time?"
He did not bother to hide venom in his voice, and Anderson knew he did not need to. The fact that the Council attempted to initiate dialogue with the Carvin Empire on their terms in the first place was a massive victory for the carvins. Now THEY were in a position of strength, and it was clear that they intended to capitalize on it.
"Since the carvin withdrawal from negotiations over the Citadel Conventions and the Treaty of Farixen, carvin fleets have significantly clamping down on trade flowing between the Terminus Systems and the Council Space." Tevos continued, her expression unchanged. "Business links between importers on our worlds and the producers, traders and entrepreneurs in-"
"Murderers, pirates, smugglers and slavers." Zayan interrupted her. "Call things as they are, councilor, or we have nothing to talk about."
"...have caused significant economic downturn in frontier colonies. Several rumors have also began circulating about your fleets illegally seizing cargo or firing on civilian vessels." The dignified mask of the asari councilor was shattered for a brief moment, as a frown of annoyance appeared on her face for a split second. "In addition, there are reports of Carvin Empire engaged in active genocide campaigns against settlements across the Terminus systems. We would like the Carvin Empire to respond to these allegations and begin negotiations in order to make a satisfactory settlement of these issues."
Zayan stared at her with an unchanged expression. The massive size disparity caused by the holographic projection added to his almost menacing appearance. Tevos' words seemed to not affect the carvin in the slightest, and it was probably safe to assume that they didn't.
"When it comes to the issue of trade... I have no idea what you are talking about, Councilor." He finally replied after a long pause. "While it is true that our fleets have been, or are currently engaged in anti-piracy and anti-smuggling operations around Styx Theta, Sentry Omega, Vallhallan Threshold and Hourglass Nebula, we have not detected a single ship transmitting standard civilian IFFs indicating trading or commercial vessels. Whatever 'traders' you think were attempting to cross over to the Council Space, were clearly doing so illegally."
"And what about the genocide and displacements taking place in these regions, mister Te'Kraan? Are these also not known to you?" This time Sparatus took the initiative.
"I fail to understand your concern with these regions, Councilor Sparatus. Batarians, Vorcha and local warlords have waged genocide across Terminus, Attican Traverse, and Skyllian Verge for decades without the Council batting an eye. " Zayan coldly retorted. "Not a single credit was spent assisting in piracy suppression campaigns conducted by the Systems Alliance, and the eventual relief of Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz. If you did not care then, why do you care now?"
His image then vanished, instead being replaced by a map of the galaxy, which zoomed in on the western Terminus. A moving wall of text also appeared next to it, but it went so fast that Anderson could only make out single words like "displaced", "human", "vorcha", "colonized" and "repatriation".
"Carvin Empire will not tolerate dissenting groups and individuals within its borders. Those who surrender voluntarily are repatriated. Most to Omega, since other Council species do not maintain official settlements in Terminus or the Traverse, however humans can be transported to colonies such as Asteria, Ontarom, and most recently Horizon, from where local authorities can send them elsewhere." Zayan's disembodied voice spoke. "However those who resist are naturally treated as hostiles and are terminated. The vast majority of dissidents are vorcha, batarians and krogan. In that order."
Ah yes, one of the few rare victories that Anderson managed to achieve during his secret negotiations with the Carvin Empire was the repatriation of human colonists from the Terminus Systems. Since humanity was also extensively trying to settle the lawless regions beyond the Council Space, this obviously put them on a potential collision course with the carvins, who themselves began expanding beyond their unreachable regions outside of the Mass Relay network. Through a secret protocol agreed upon between himself and an anonymous carvin contact, carvin fleets would more often send captured human colonists back to Alliance Space. It was clearly not an ideal solution, but probably better than leaving them in carvin hands where their future looked uncertain, if not bleak.
"I must say though, Councilor Sparatus, it's interesting hearing accusations of genocide from a species that is engaging in real, active slaughter of its own population on Taetrus." Carvin ex-envoy reappeared on the holoprojector, his 'smile' unwavering. "Reports estimate daily deaths caused by your hastatim in the thousands."
"The... insurrection on Taetrus is a purely turian matter. Your operations affect the wider galactic community." Sparatus answered, though it was clear that Taetrus was a touchy subject. It shattered the image of a unified Turian Hierarchy and exposed its weaknesses that many turian leaders would probably have preferred to never see light. "Antagonizing the Terminus Systems to such an extent will inevitably have consequences not just for the Carvin Empire, but for everyone. Every race may just be dealing with their own Skyllian Blitz because of your actions unifying the lawless pirate bands of this region."
A moment of silence befell the Council Chamber. While carvin diplomat made a stinging remark about the hypocrisy of the turians, Council's response was nonetheless consistent with their policy and concerns regarding the Terminus Systems. Ever since carvins revealed themselves and began aggressively wiping out lawless groups in the region, many have speculated that this ruthless policy would facilitate the unification of criminal organizations and syndicates to the point that they would pose a real danger to Citadel Space. This was also the main reason why the Council refused to send a military force on Virmire to hunt down Saren two years ago.
"...What exactly are your aims, Councilors?" Zayan asked after a short pause, his smug expression now replaced by one of confusion. "The language of sweet-talking and flattery does not work here in the Terminus. In these parts, what matters is what both sides can offer each other. From where I stand, right now you are only making demands and are yet to offer something else in return."
"The resuming of talks will allow your civilization to deepen relations with the Citadel space, mister Te'Kraan - something that you have explicitly stated many times was one of your main objectives." Anderson finally decided to step into the discussion. "As a representative of humanity, the youngest of Citadel races, our growth and development alongside other species is a testament to the positive change an associate status can bring. Through the cooperation with the wider galactic community, we managed to cure diseases, extend life expectancy, promote previously impossible levels of economic growth, and contributing to the gigantic marketplace of ideas that serves to improve the lives of all."
Carvin ex-envoy looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a noise that only after a moment Anderson recognized as laughter. His expression then twisted in a weird sort of grimace.
"Do not kid yourself, the Council does NOT need humanity. Your inclusion into the ranks of the Council races was a largely diplomatic move, with little bearing on the actual reality of how the galactic community operates. You were granted this position because it's good looks for the Council, as the benevolent rulers of the galaxy rewarding their supposed saviours." Zayan snarled, undeterred or perhaps encouraged by the surprise of his listeners. "Council operates on three pillars. The asari are peacemakers, the salarians gather intel, and the turians are muscle. What DOES humanity actually bring to the Citadel? What do YOU do better than other species that would make you as indispensable as they are? The Volus would be a better candidate for the next Council race, given their economic and mercantile skills, as well as the instrumental role they have in managing the galactic economy. For the Council, it would've been better if you never existed!"
For that Anderson had no answer yet. While his hostility and bias clearly showed, there was some truth in Zayan's words. Everything that humanity did, other races could do better, with the notable exception of their ambition and expansionism. Yet these very aspects of their culture were what often brought them into conflict with the Council in the first place. And it was not just historical debate. He SAW these events play out before his eyes, from the First Contact War, through the exhausting process of obtaining an embassy on the Citadel, and finally the crisis with Saren.
"Mister Te'Kraan. This meeting's purpose is not to debate the importance of the Systems Alliance to the Galactic community. It is to reach a mutual agreement on the issue of disrupted trade between the frontier Council worlds and the Terminus Systems." Valern, who up until this point stayed almost completely silent, finally decided to join in. "The Council wishes for your Empire to stop blocking the flow of resources and goods into our entreports, such as Illium, and allow the facilitation of free trade, as it is one of the main principles of liberty that the Council promotes."
Zayan rose his hand with a clear intention to speak, when his body stiffened at the last second. After a moment he reached to his neck and pressed his fingers on an earpiece that Anderson just now noticed was there. Remaining motionless for at least half a minute, he nodded to someone on the other side before cutting communication and turning back towards the councilors.
"I have heard the demands of the Council. Now, to make this a truly 'mutual' agreement, I will present demands from the Carvin Empire." He declared, flawlessly returning to the emotionless demeanor from when he first arrived at the Citadel. "IF the corporate worlds at the edge of the Council space wish to resume trade with the Terminus Systems IN ANY CAPACITY, the Council must first acknowledge the sovereign right of the Carvin Empire to defend itself, and therefore cease all attempts to demilitarize our fleets. As Councilor Sparatus made clear on numerous occasions, Terminus Systems are a highly dangerous and volatile region. Disarming ourselves in that environment would not only be irresponsible but negligent."
His words were not surprising to anyone. Carvins have had a particularly big grievance with the twisted interpretation of the Treaty of Farixen ever since they began negotiations with the Citadel. Also unsurprising, Zayan's demand caused a frown of disapproval to immediately appear on Councilor Sparatus' face. As the main Council peacekeeping force, and up until recently considered to be the largest and most powerful military in the galaxy, Turian Hierarchy was a staunch proponent of carvin demilitarization. Still, Sparatus remained silent, at least for the moment.
"In addition, any trade flowing through the borders of the Carvin Empire will abide by all trade regulations and tariffs of our Empire. Those are of course subject to negotiation and may be altered over time once our civilization is deeper integrated with the wider galactic market." Zayan continued. "And finally, the Carvin Empire will not be obligated or forced in any capacity to involuntarily share its technological advancements with the Citadel races, with the exception of Prothean Artifacts that, if discovered, will be shared and made available to any Citadel race at their discretion."
After a few seconds of silent deliberation between the councilors, Sparatus was the first to speak. "The demands of your government are more akin to a blackmail than proper negotiation, mister Te'Kraan. You threaten our trade and economic prosperity and now you demand concessions from the Council?"
"Perhaps, Councilor. However we are still willing to negotiate the details and finer points of our agreement with the Council. " Zayan calmly replied. "But it will not take place like this. If we are to come to a lasting agreement, an official conference will have to be hosted. And it will NOT happen on the Citadel. The Empire will not agree to it."
"Then humanity would be glad and willing to host such a conference on one of our worlds." Anderson interjected, sensing an opportunity to push the strategy he and Udina have devised towards the carvins.
All other councilors looked at him with a visible surprise, and it wasn't difficult to figure out why. Just as Zayan had said, negotiations were an asari area of expertise. To think that another race would so blatantly encroach on another one's primary focus was inconceivable. And yet Anderson was confident that in this particular situation he would be able to successfully defend his position.
"I understand this to be a quite... unusual suggestion, however I believe that such an arrangement will avoid conflicts of interests." He explained, though a pleasant feeling of satisfaction was already warming his heart. "This dispute had originated from a conflict primarily between asari corporate circles and the Carvin Empire, while one of the main focus points, the Treaty of Farixen, is the primary concern of the Turian Hierarchy as the peacekeeping arm of the Council. By holding the talks on a neutral ground, we will remove any potential advantage for the parties concerned."
He purposefully did not mention a salarian possibility, because nobody would agree on it. The truth was that nobody, not even salarians themselves, fully trusted salarians, especially in matters like these. Now all that remained was the verdict, and Zayan was first to speak.
"Carvin Empire finds your offer acceptable. Please submit a list of potential sites so that we can suggest one with regards to our logistical concerns." He said, then turned his eyes towards other councilors. It was abundantly clear that he was most pleased by this development. To probably everyone's surprise, Tevos spoke next.
"Asari Republics will agree to these terms." She stated, her professional expression not wavering.
"The Salarian Union does not see an issue with such an arrangement." Valern followed suit after a few seconds.
Now all eyes rested on Sparatus. He was arguably the most conservative of all councilors, playing the skeptic whenever a problem was brought up before the Council. Anderson did not envy him his current position though. Turian Hierarchy already stood to lose influence from the conference if it ever took place. Letting a civilization that up until recently was one of its greatest rivals host the talks was just rubbing the salt in the wound. Then again he could not afford to step out of line if both carvins and other councilors approved of this solution.
"Turian Hierarchy will comply with the majority vote." He finally said with a heavy heart.
Zayan nodded then looked the other councilors. "I believe we're done for now. Carvin Empire eagerly awaits the choice of the conference site."
With that, his holographic projection vanished, leaving the Citadel Tower silent.
Anderson felt like a giant weight was just lifted off his shoulders. After what felt like a year of stubborn refusal to cooperate by both sides, they finally achieved some sort of diplomatic breakthrough with the carvins. He and Udina would make sure that the people of the galaxy knew that it was in no small part due to the diplomatic efforts of the Systems Alliance.
A/N: You know, despite having a significant interest in politics, I still find it a bit difficult to write them. Of course this may be due to the fact that I'm not dealing with only humans but other species that may have fundamentally different worldviews. And about that, if you're confused that the carvins come off as crude and blunt when it comes to diplomacy, that's the point. In any case, I decided to go with the 'have another chapter in the works when you upload' strategy, which means that when this goes live, some progress on the next chapter was already made. Carry on!
Bonker out!