MASS EFFECT: INTERCEPTOR 2

*Episode Thirty-Four*

Arlen knelt by the fake Titus-Seven for some time, staring into the case's contents. Zwei had stuffed it so tightly with scrap metal and computer parts that nothing could move inside, but it also made the case much heavier. It was a trick almost identical to the one Arlen had seen pulled with a different bomb just over a year ago, and it was all the more galling to him because of it.

The outside world was dulled to the point of non-existence as he retraced his steps over the past week, coming to his conclusion quickly.

'Of course Zwei's krogan didn't pick up the bomb,' he muttered harshly, closing his eyes. 'JSTF had all comms locked down as soon as Zwei left the casino. He couldn't call anybody to come and get it, same goes for his time in Purgatory. There's no way Grond could've gotten the T-Seven off the Citadel in the short time we were on Omega, damn it. I should've known that!'

He emphasised the point with an angry slam of his fist on the case's edge. Vasir wandered to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder but he didn't seem to notice.

'He knew something was up since he was shipped out to the Terminus Systems. I was wrong all along. I thought I knew the son of a bitch.' Arlen snorted bitterly. 'Turns out I didn't know a damn thing.'

'Easy to say that now,' Vasir told him softly. 'We don't usually get the advantage of hindsight. You made the best call you could at the time, that's all you can do.'

His eyes still shut, Arlen exhaled wearily. 'I know, I just…I underestimated him and now we're all gonna pay.'

'Not yet. The bomb's still on the Citadel, we still have time.'

'If it's still on the Citadel. C-Sec called off the search after we reached Omega, somebody could have found it in the meantime. It could be anywhere.'

'Then we'll look everywhere.' Vasir said resolutely.

Her conviction made Arlen look up at last. The curves of the asari's head and armour were stark against the sky as she offered him a hand and helped him up when it was taken. They held each other's gaze, Vasir's strength giving Arlen some measure of confidence. She was right; it wasn't over, not yet.

A wet, gurgling cough brought their eyes to the ground nearby, where Prax still lay bleeding from the neck.

Urgency gripped Arlen as he realised Prax was still alive and he rushed over to apply medigel, only to be stopped by a turian hand around his wrist.

'Don't bother,' Prax spluttered weakly. 'I ain't walking away from this one.'

Vasir looked in wonder at her fellow Spectre. Almost half of Prax's lower jaw had been taken off by Inamorda's shotgun, blackened slightly by the discharge of phasic rounds that had passed right through his shields. The collar of his armour was coated in blue, along with his once-white mouth while his green paint was completely obscured by blood on that side of his face.

Vasir joined them but did not interrupt as Prax continued to speak directly to Arlen.

'You're good, kid, beating that krogan,' he spluttered. 'I didn't even hear him coming.'

Arlen stowed his medigel, seeing what Prax knew after just a momentary glance. The blood loss was too great. The Spectre had mere seconds left to live.

Prax coughed again, spattering his collar with fresh blood. His voice was barely more than a coarse bubbling from what remained of his throat. 'We all got played. Not just by that…human. You, Kryik. He's after you.'

'Me?' Arlen was loath to interrupt but he had to ask. 'Who's after me, Prax?'

'Kaion. Aetius Kaion. Admiral of the turian fleet. Captain of the…Kanderax.'

The last word appeared to hiss from Prax's torn lips. Arlen blinked, trying to understand.

'I was arrested and taken to the Kanderax. Was it Kaion who framed me for stealing the T-Seven?'

No answer came and Arlen grew desperate, gripping the dying turian's collar.

'I…don't know. Just know he was watching you. Wanted the T-Seven back…at any cost. Ordered me to kill Ferrata.'

'He was behind it all?' Arlen asked, wide-eyed with shock. 'What for? Was he working with Crimson Fist from the start?'

'All…I know,' Prax whispered. His eyes were shut and his breathing light. 'You were right…kid. Wish…I had you looking out for me…like Vasir.'

On hearing her own name, Vasir stepped forward. Her expression was grim but she forced respect into her voice. 'So long, Prax. I'd say a prayer to Goddess for you, but you know she and I ain't on the best of terms.'

What passed for a smile crossed the tattered remnants of Prax's face. He convulsed as he did so, and used the last of his strength to remark, 'I almost made it. Almost.'

He became still, his eyes turned up to the sky.

Arlen let out a breath he'd been holding, for how long he wasn't sure, and shook his head. He lowered Prax to the ground and said a word or two for the man's spirit. That essence would join this wretched planet - perhaps a fitting fate, but it felt wrong all the same. It made Arlen all the more desperate to get away.

'You okay?' Vasir queried.

Arlen straightened, his eyes still locked on the corpse at his feet.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' he answered, doubting he sounded any more convincing to Vasir as he did himself.

Prax had given them a name with his dying breath. Arlen didn't know what Admiral Kaion wanted with him, or how deep his involvement in this affair really was. All he knew was that Kaion was a man who possessed a great deal of power. Enough to make a lot of the impossible things Arlen had witnessed over the past week entirely possible.

'Let's get back to the Citadel,' Vasir announced, bringing out her omni-tool. 'We'll get C-Sec on the trail of that bomb again. As for us, it's time we paid Admiral Kaion a visit.'

Arlen bobbed his head, pulling his gaze away from Prax. He tried to focus on the task to come, but a sickening unease gripped him after hearing what the dead Spectre had told him. Whatever Kaion had to do with all this, he'd made it personal.

Arlen had to know why.

~~~ME-I2~~~

It had only been a day since Lina was locked up in the holding cells deep in the Joint Security Task Force compound, but to her it felt like months. Shame and uncertainty, defiance and indignation, depression and acceptance; she'd felt all of them at one time or another. It left her feeling more drained than she could remember ever having felt, in all her myriad - and mostly negative - experiences in life.

Her exosuit couldn't hide her surprise as she emerged from the interrogation room escorted by an armed human officer, who mumbled some words of appreciation at having her released before leaving. Lina barely had time to process it before she noticed Lorica standing before her, arms folded as she leaned against the corridor bulkhead.

'Hey there,' the asari greeted with a small grin. 'Figured you could use a stretch of those legs.'

Lina looked about slowly, as if the whole thing was a trap, but seeing nobody else in the corridor she replied cautiously. 'I don't know whether I should smack you for getting me locked up to begin with, or hug you for getting me out. I didn't believe that guard when he told me.'

'I'm not going to pretend that it evens out,' Lorica responded sadly, her smile lessening, 'but we both know that finding the T-Seven and stopping whoever's trying to get their hands on it is the real goal here. I know you, you're a practical girl, and you'd rather dance with the ardat-yakshi and save the lives of others than leave innocents to her embrace.'

Lina had heard the asari proverb a few times before from her former friend, enough to bring a bitter tang of nostalgia to her emotions. 'True enough. I just wish I knew you as well as you know me.'

The remark made Lorica look away briefly, her brow furrowed. 'I'm sorry, for what it's worth. I could give you my reasons but what difference would it make now?'

'Probably not too much,' Lina admitted. Her mouth lamp glowed brightly as she let out a sigh. 'I guess the important thing is that you're here now and the task force is back up and running, for the time being at least. Come on, let's get moving.'

Lorica had to run a few paces as Lina set off into a brisk walk, settling alongside the quarian and handing over a datapad that had been concealed against her chest.

'All the latest developments,' she explained. 'A few surprises in there, the main one being Eris Saverra's survival. Looks like the asari embassy bombing was staged to allow her to go underground. Given that Ferrata was simply killed - and these people went to great lengths to kill him - that makes me think Eris was somebody they didn't want or couldn't afford to terminate. Could be that she's some kind of high-ranking operative within this third party.'

As Lina's eyes picked up words like "cloaking technology" in amongst the jargon on the datapad screen, she nodded.

'Anyone who could pull this off is more than a professional. They're right on the bleeding edge of galactic tradecraft, every bit as well-equipped and funded as the Council.' A thought made Lina miss a step. 'I wonder…'

'What is it?' Lorica asked curiously.

As she picked up the pace again, Lina gestured dismissively. This wasn't the time, and certainly wasn't the audience, for her wild suspicions. She needed a different pair of ears and that desire led to her next question.

'Where's Arlen?'

'On his way back to the Citadel. We thought he had the T-Seven secure but there was an…unexpected complication.'

Lina almost groaned. 'Isn't that always the case? What happened?'

'It wasn't there. Jaeger never had it to begin with.'

That was enough to bring Lina to a halt. Her suit creaked as she spun to face Lorica, her eyes wide and pale beneath her visor.

'What?' she hissed. 'Then what the hell were we chasing all this time?'

Lorica stared back grimly. 'A fake. A regular old briefcase from the Omega markets. Zwei fooled us into stopping our search on the Citadel, which means-'

'The T-Seven is still here.' Lina raised a hand and laid it on the dome of her visor. 'Keelah, that's all we need.'

'We can't rely on the other divisions either. If Pallin gets wind of what I've done, he'll do more than shut this place down. At least I can disappear back to Thessia before that happens.'

Lina dipped her head as she digested everything that she'd been confronted with, setting off again at an even quicker pace than before. She tried to get back into the mechanical frame of mind that served her best, that system of mental triage that always helped her manage any situation. It was difficult to know which crisis was more urgent, however; the missing nuclear weapon or the enemy agent who could give them everything they needed if only they could find her.

'I need to know who and what we've got at our disposal,' the quarian stated plainly. 'Command centre staff and field agents, updates on every lead we have.'

'Should be easy enough. Kim's already recalled all available agents and she's been coordinating what's left of the sections since we've been gone.'

'Good. I don't expect she's had the time to get a dossier together on what's happened so I'll have to piece it together as I go. For now, let's get our priorities straight. Eris Saverra and the T-Seven are our main objectives.'

'There's something else,' Lorica began. She paused to allow a pair of salarian techs to pass by. 'The asari ambassador, Siya Novari, is missing. So is her partner, Antus Kuril, the turian ambassador's aide. Ambassador Tessarius was found murdered in his home not long ago, shot dead. I think his killer wanted to pin the blame on Kuril and Novari.'

'What makes you say that?'

'Kuril was providing turian state secrets to the asari through Novari and he was sure Tessarius was onto him. He was even en route to Tessarius' apartment and would've been caught at the scene of the crime if I hadn't been there.'

'Which means whoever killed Tessarius knew Kuril was going there, but how?'

'The pin.' Lorica murmured. As they began to climb a shallow incline in the corridor, she pursed her lips together angrily. 'Eris tried to give a gold pin to Tessarius, some kind of surveillance bug. Kuril intercepted it and brought it to Novari. Eris was probably listening to everything they were saying, at least while they were in Novari's office. Even if she didn't know what Kuril was planning, she must've heard enough to know he was desperate.'

'Another reason we need to find her as soon as possible. Right now we have an asari spy, a turian traitor and a batarian terrorist group, all trying to get hold of or use that T-Seven.'

They emerged into the command centre and as one, everyone looked to their returning commander. Their faces were filled with gratitude, smiles on most of their lips. Lina was touched as her gaze swept over them, and she almost wanted to weep at the sudden and unexpected joy at seeing her team again. It was tinged with bitterness at seeing the number of empty seats, people she'd known since joining the task force unceremoniously dismissed, people she would likely never see again.

This wasn't the time for such sentiment, however. Lina made for Kim's section, around which had gathered more than a dozen officers of all species clad in C-Sec armour. As she drew closer, Lina could hear Kim giving orders to dismiss the Enforcement guards now prevalent throughout the facility, as well as assign the JSTF agents in small teams to various high priority tasks.

On seeing Lina, Kimberley shot up to her feet.

'Commander,' she announced formally, with a smile of very real pleasure. 'It's good to have you back.' Kim offered Lina a datapad, which was taken without question. 'You'll find a brief report on the status of the investigation. Mike and Ash have compiled a list of available assets, a short one but we can get back most of our personnel at short notice.'

Lina quickly scanned the datapad, picking out a few key details. 'I want your team to track down Eris Saverra. Get Troyas, Sanderson and Oppina on searching Zakera for the T-Seven. We can't involve the other divisions but we don't have to do it directly. Get the word out through phoney emergency calls, then have a few teams observe from the ground. Go through the informant network too. If the bomb's been found already, somebody will know. If not, we help without making it too obvious.'

The clear, confident orders seemed to energise the place in an instant. Kim went back to dishing out instructions as Lina marched back down the central ramp and up onto the command dais, and the armed officers behind her peeled off in pairs to embark on their own missions.

It was like a rush of wind blowing across a stagnant plain. With Lina back in charge, the command centre assumed a new identity, the malaise of the past day evaporating with a speed that surprised everyone there.

As the main screen began to fill with information once more, Lorica joined Lina on the dais. The quarian spoke to her over her shoulder.

'Take charge of an unassigned team and start looking for Kuril and Novari. They can't have disappeared into thin air, there has to be a trail.'

She didn't need to tell Lorica how to do the job. The asari nodded, but was compelled to say something before she left.

'Thank you, Lina. For everything.'

Lina said nothing. Her mind was now fully committed to the job, to the relentless flow of intelligence, the dissection of information and the formulation of actions. She didn't know what connected the Titus-Seven, Eris Saverra and the missing turian-asari couple, but the link was there somewhere. All they had to do was find one of them and Lina was more than certain that the others would turn up in time.

Whether the task force had that time at their disposal, she wasn't so sure.

~~~ME-I2~~~

The room was large and empty, just a bare chamber of cold metal. The air was bitterly cold, cold enough for Antus' breath to curl in faint wisps of steam before his eyes. He tried to blink away the blood that streamed from an open cut on his brow plate but it was a futile effort. He'd sustained the wound after his captors bludgeoned him with a pistol, his reward for struggling against their attempts to bundle him into a shuttle.

He barely recalled those terrified moments. He had been waiting in front of the Silken Star lounge until two armoured figures - asari by the look of their suits and helmets - forced a concealed weapon into his back and ordered him into an adjoining alley. It only took a few seconds, and he judged the Huntress hadn't seen it by the fact they weren't followed. Before he knew it, he was being led to a dark blue sky car with open doors and when he objected to getting inside, the armed asari struck him in the face.

Perhaps he'd been slipping in and out of consciousness since, because he had no memory of the journey. There was only the dark mouth of the sky car's interior and this place, whatever it was.

Antus tried to focus. He was tightly bound into a chair, his hands tied behind his back. He couldn't move. It hurt just to breathe. Still, he tried to make sense of where he was.

Heavy clanks and rhythmic mechanical pounding reverberated through the chamber, speaking of some kind of activity elsewhere. They were the sounds of industry, of assembly lines or something similar. Thick lines and numbers were painted in dark orange on some of the walls but had long since faded and peeled, showing only marked areas that looked like storage bays.

A warehouse? A factory? Antus had no knowledge of any such places on the Citadel, but he would've been the first to admit that meant little beyond the fact that he simply didn't know of them. Most of his time was spent on the Presidium, and a few select areas of the Wards. Most of the station was a complete mystery to him.

The faint murmur of voices caught his ear, then the sound of an opening door far to his left. He could just about turn his head to see who had arrived and the sight of Novari filled him with both joy and grief. Whoever captured him had the one he loved and he thrashed against his restraints as Novari called out to him.

'Antus! Thank the Goddess!' Her tall form glided in front of him and she knelt to embrace him, pushing her tear-soaked face into his. 'Who are these people? I don't-'

Rough hands found her arms and dragged her back. She sobbed and fought against them, but they appeared to be the same armoured asari who'd abducted Antus earlier. They wore expensive suits of blue and bronze, with curved panels that swept elegantly over their athletic forms and circular, glowing blue eye pieces that showed only cold malice to their hostages.

'Get off her! Let her go!' Antus yelled.

'Enough.'

Antus recognised the voice. He stared slack-jawed at Eris Saverra as she paced towards them, though this was not the timid young woman he knew from the embassy. Eris held herself with a rigidity, a poise that, along with an odd expressionless facade almost made her seem doll-like. She seemed to float, not walk, in a black dress with deep red trim, and gazed down at Antus with empty eyes as she stopped in front of him, putting herself between him and Novari.

'Greetings once again, Antus Kuril,' she said, shocking Antus with the sheer vacancy of emotion in her tone. Even her eyes were like the void of space, without a single spark of that youthful brightness he saw in them before. They were the same crystal-blue, but this time held the bleakness of a winter sky, not the sparkling of a clear sea. It was like everything else Antus observed about her now - almost every detail the same but changed in some palpably sinister way.

'Y-you…' he stammered in disbelief.

'No,' Eris replied evenly. 'That girl is dead. You see me now as I truly am. You see Furia.'

There was a strange mechanical edge to her voice that Antus couldn't ignore, as subtle as a breath but definitely there. Alongside her eerie movements and cold words, there was no doubt that what she said was true. Eris Saverra was no more.

'Who…' Antus began before involuntarily lowering his voice. 'What are you?'

'Irrelevant. Who or what I am is unimportant at this time. All you need to concern yourself with is the fate of Ambassador Novari.'

Novari had clearly gotten over her own shock some time ago. She fixed Furia with a look of fierce contempt and clearly would have lunged for her if not for the guards who held her in place.

'You bitch! I swear, if you don't let him go right now-'

A curt look from Furia silenced her, despite, or perhaps because of the asari's blank expression. No, there was something there, Antus saw. A very small smile of amusement curled the corner of Furia's mouth. It gave her the dangerous air that put a stop to Novari's threats, whether her former mistress knew it or not.

'As I was saying,' Furia continued, turning back to Antus, 'the safety of Ambassador Novari is in your hands, just as your safety is in hers. I require a service of the ambassador, and if she does not perform that service then I assure you, your death will be the most excruciating and long-lived agony that it is possible to visit on one of your species.'

The ultimatum was delivered in a flat, dispassionate tone, bereft of dramatic embellishment. It left little doubt in Antus' mind that Eris, or Furia, or whatever she called herself was absolutely capable of carrying out her threat. He wished he could offer nothing but defiance in the face of this woman who'd come back from the dead. However, he couldn't risk angering his captor while Novari could be punished for it.

Furia looked at Novari sharply, though her voice did not change. 'I trust that you understand the severity of your situation. If you do not comply, you will be forced to watch as your lover is tortured and slowly dismembered until the moment of his death, long after his torment has begun.'

'Don't listen to her,' Antus offered feebly, fear robbing his words of any real strength.

Novari's eyes shimmered with tears. It didn't take her long to return Furia's hard stare.

'What do you want from me?' she asked.

'I will arrange transport to the turian dreadnought Kanderax,' Furia replied smoothly. 'There you will meet her captain, the turian admiral Aetius Kaion.'

Novari scoffed. 'Are you insane? C-Sec are hunting for us, how the hell am I supposed to-'

'Transport has been arranged, and the admiral will be more than willing to meet you once he learns you are my representative. He is no more willing to involve the Citadel authorities than you are.' Furia gestured to the asari soldiers. 'You will travel with a personal bodyguard. It will not seem all that unusual, given the heightened tensions on the station lately. All you need to do is meet with Kaion in private. My associates will handle the rest.'

There was a heavy tension in the air as Antus shared an apprehensive glance with the woman he loved. His wrists burned and the joints of his arms were horribly twisted in a position his species was not meant to maintain, but it was nothing next to the torment of seeing Novari like this. He silently begged her not to, but he was not surprised when she nodded slowly.

'If I do this, you'll let Antus go?'

Again, there was no emotion in Furia's response. 'I have no desire or need to kill either of you. Citadel Security may, in time, uncover Eris Saverra's survival. Perhaps they will even hear the name Furia, if not from you then from someone else. Either way, they chase illusions. You can say nothing to harm me, and I gain nothing from your deaths. You will be released - once you have done as I have instructed.'

It was an impossible position. Antus didn't know what game Furia was playing, but he could hardly have devoted much conscious thought to it. Novari's timid, meek assistant now stood in control of their very lives. If it all felt even a little more real, then he would be asking how they came to be in such a situation. As it was, he felt lost, like he was falling into an endlessly deep chasm. Perhaps there would be a moment when he finally hit the bottom, but he doubted it.

Novari held him in her frightened gaze once more, and it seemed to speed her decision.

'All right. Tell me what you want me to do.'

~~~ME-I2~~~

More uniformed personnel began to stream into the JSTF command centre as time went on. They were directed to Kimberley, who continued to organise them into various groups to handle both the T-Seven search and the hunt for Eris Saverra. The entire place had a new energy since Lina's return and the quarian hadn't left the command dais since.

Kim was far too busy to enjoy their revived sense of purpose, but she occasionally stole grateful looks down at the dais, just to assure herself that Lina was indeed there and this wasn't all some sort of bittersweet dream. Less than an hour ago she was preparing for the end of her career and the possibility of prison, and while those things were still there, it was a faraway fear. It was secondary to the burning need to get the job done, to get something out of it all.

As another pair of armed officers departed her section, Kim looked at Ket and Deveraux, both feverishly working at their terminals. Like her, they gave no thought to the future. If they could thwart Crimson Fist, or whoever this mysterious third party was, then it would all be worth it.

'What's the latest?'

It was Lorica, whom Kim didn't notice until she was standing next to her. Kim blinked away her thoughts and handed Lorica a datapad.

'Sitrep from Arlen and Vasir, they're on the way back from Korlus. Shouldn't be more than a few hours, Vasir's ship is fast and she's throwing caution to the wind, making a burn for the local relay.'

'Sounds like they went through hell over there,' Lorica said with a frown as her eyes scanned the small screen. 'At least Arlen managed to take out that krogan who's been shadowing him since Omega. One less thing to worry about.'

'Not the biggest thing, though. The T-Seven is still out there.'

'Is it possible the bomb was taken off-station already, while we were all looking over at the other side of the galaxy?'

Kim shrugged and pursed her lips, unable to sugar-coat her answer. 'Of course it's possible. The thing's undetectable and we don't know how many lackeys Zwei has on the Citadel. He couldn't make contact during the chase after the Silver Coast job, but he had plenty of time while on Omega. Not to mention the fact that his body wasn't among the dead in the First Colonial on Bekenstein. Put those two together and it's likely that he's tried to retrieve it himself.'

'Lina thought the same thing,' Lorica said with a shake of her head. 'After what happened on Bekenstein, a rational being would be thankful to still be alive, then hide away in the darkest corner of Omega.'

'But we're not dealing with a rational being.'

Lorica motioned helplessly with the datapad. 'Exactly. We don't have the agents to send back out to Omega to confirm any of this, but we have eyes and ears on the lookout for Jaeger on every world in Council space.'

Kim snorted, unconvinced. 'That didn't stop him and his gang from getting onto the Citadel before.'

She was right and Lorica knew it. The asari chose not to reply, though a few moments later she murmured, 'Well I'll be damned.'

Kimberley realised she was looking at the entrance ramp, and she too was surprised to see Eddie Lang descending, heading right for them.

'You do realise Enforcement personnel aren't authorised to be here anymore, right?' Kim called out as he approached, her tone only half-serious.

Lang was without his usual cheer but still managed a tired smile. 'The guys out front said I could come back in and make a last report. It was hard enough getting away from Ciro Tessarius' apartment after Investigation got to the scene. They treated us like damn suspects, wouldn't let us radio in or leave the area until they'd swept for evidence.'

Lorica grunted softly. 'Thank Commander T'Rana for that. Did you find anything before you left?'

Lang shrugged his heavy shoulders. 'No sign of a struggle in there, or of forced entry. The ambassador was facing his killer when he went down, shot multiple times at close range. He didn't try to run and primary scans showed heightened dopamine and oxytocin levels in his blood, strong enough to suggest that he was unusually happy to see his killer. That's just my take.'

Kim shared a worried look with Lorica before returning her attention to Lang, motioning down to the command dais. 'Thanks, Eddie. You'd better check in with Lina. We've been ejecting Enforcement from the compound so we can lock this place down, but maybe she'll make an exception for you. It's the commander's call. That is, unless you want to get the hell out of here while you still can?'

Lang's expression eased, his earnest smile widening. 'No, Ma'am. You'll have to drag me away.'

He departed with Kim's eyes on his back, a small grin on her own lips as Lorica shifted uneasily.

'I'd bet a Matriarch's ass that Eris Saverra was the one who killed Tessarius,' the asari said. 'Public security cam footage will put Antus Kuril in the area at the time of the murder, and he has motive. If I hadn't shown up when I did, he'd be in a cell and Saverra would be free and clear.'

Kim's voice grew quiet with realisation. 'That means she was in the area too, we just didn't know it. I'll start looking through the feeds, you tell Lina. Hopefully the trail hasn't gone cold.'

Lorica nodded and set off briskly. If she too was considering the irony of being the one to receive orders now, she didn't show it. Kim went back to her terminal, asking over her shoulder, 'You guys get that?'

Deveraux and Ket murmured their confirmation, leaving Kim to focus. As she typed furiously, the haptic keyboard triggering gentle vibrations in the sensory implants in her fingertips, she couldn't shake the feeling that the clock had been ticking for far too long. Eris Saverra seemed to be the one directing a great many of the shadowy events beyond the obvious facade of this investigation, but Kimberley had a strong suspicion the asari had set the hourglass a long time ago - and the sand was now fast running out.

~~~ME-I2~~~

Admiral Kaion's cabin had a stale smell about it, a product of his isolation over the past couple of days. He had been giving orders remotely for the most part, emerging only to perform his most vital duties. Now that the Council's blasted public holiday was at an end, the Kanderax would probably be re-deployed back to turian space, though he still remained the representative of his people's element of the Citadel Fleet. It was also a role he could maintain at a distance, and he doubted Admiral Lidanya and Pyat would complain.

As Kaion stared out of his cabin window, his gaze filled with the Citadel and its guardian fleet in all their resplendence, he wondered if his proposals to begin retaliatory strikes on the Terminus Systems were being taken seriously. Systems Alliance ships had been going missing for months in the Attican Traverse, including that of the famous Commander Shepard. Now rumour had it that entire settlements were vanishing in the region, human colonists kidnapped in their dozens, if not hundreds at a time. Kaion would have loved nothing more than to lead a glorious purge of the slavers, geth and pirates infesting the Traverse. After the intrigue of the past few weeks, it would've been like the cleansing of his soul.

He turned as his door chimed. 'Come.'

A young ensign marched through as soon as the door opened, coming to a nervous halt a few feet from Kaion. The ensign's beige plates were still smooth, his fringe short. His white face paint glinted as he spoke quickly.

'Sir, we have an urgent comm for your attention.'

Kaion frowned slightly. 'You came all the way here to tell me that?'

The ensign dipped his head. 'We can't determine the origin of the signal but the caller is…somebody of importance. We thought it best to bring this to you personally?'

'Well,' Kaion hissed impatiently, 'who the hell is it?'

'It's Ambassador Novari, of the asari consulate. She requests a meeting on board to discuss an urgent matter relating to the Silean Nebula negotiations.'

Kaion shook his head. 'What does any of that have to do with me? Tell her to piss off and don't waste my time with this sort of thing again!'

The ensign twitched as the compulsion of his orders was barely held back. 'Yes, Sir, but she also insisted we tell you that the Furia Corporation is deeply invested in holding negotiations as soon as possible.'

Kaion froze at the name. He narrowed his eyes at the ensign, his craggy features twisting as his voice grew quiet. 'Say that again.'

The ensign shifted anxiously. 'She…specifically told us to mention that Furia is highly invested in resolving these disagreements as soon as possible, and that a resolution may be reached that will benefit both parties.'

Kaion took a moment to digest the message. He ambled slowly to his desk, his mind working all the way. Furia had sent an asari government official to do her work - but was it dirty work? He discarded the notion. One did not send a politician to do an assassin's job.

He made the decision quickly, speaking to the ensign without looking over his shoulder. 'Give the ambassador docking clearance. As soon as she arrives, direct her to the briefing room and have her wait there. I will join her in due course.'

The relieved-looking ensign saluted and marched out quickly. Once Kaion was certain he was alone, he activated his terminal and entered several commands. The static-riddled pop of a comm channel was followed by a deep, gravelled voice.

'Speak, Admiral.'

Kaion's mandibles flexed as he considered his words carefully. 'Sir, I have something to report. It looks like Furia wishes to negotiate. She's sending an intermediary to the Kanderax as we speak.' He lowered his voice, and his next words were filled with regret. 'I also want to offer my apologies for losing the Kryik boy. I accept full responsibility for the failure.'

Any emotion in the response was masked by a distinctly synthesised edge, one that went beyond the distortion of the terminal speakers.

'To blame you would be to discount the boy's own skill, which is significant. You cannot be held solely responsible for his escape.'

There was no relief to be found in the assessment. Kaion still burned with shame over the failure, though he still held himself straight with military bearing, long years of discipline doing what his pride could not.

'Do you believe that Furia is really willing to forgive and forget?' he asked. 'The rest of the League won't accept this truce, if it is genuine, not after you derailed their plans.'

'It doesn't matter,' the voice answered. 'My only concern is the boy. Humour Furia if you must, we have few tools left at our disposal and cannot afford to keep opposing her. Buy us the time we need, just make sure Kryik is secured by the time you leave the Citadel.'

Kaion hesitated before asking, 'What do you want me to do with him?'

The seconds stretched out in silence. Kaion waited patiently, knowing that it was not an easy answer to give, not for the one to whom he spoke. When it came, the response rang with certainty.

'Tell him the truth. The boy is ready.'

'Yes, Sir. We may not speak again, so I will say this now. It has been an honour to serve alongside you, and to serve you myself.'

'No, old friend,' the voice replied with subtle pride. 'The honour was mine.'

The connection closed and Kaion took a deep breath. There would be no more communications now between him and his patron. Furia had gotten too close and the risk of exposure was unacceptable. Admiral Kaion was many things but he considered his loyalty to be one of the few truly commendable traits he possessed. Perhaps Furia would negotiate a truce out of sheer necessity now she had the T-Seven once again, if only to ensure there would be no more unpleasant surprises as she carried out her plans.

If Kaion knew anything about the disembodied voices with which he entreatied, it was that Furia alone was the most coldly logical being he had ever encountered. He had no doubt she was capable of putting any anger aside, at least temporarily, to achieve her goals. As mentioned to his patron, however, Kaion knew that the rest of them would not be so forgiving.

Kaion returned to his window, to his view of the Citadel and the various ships of the fleet. He knew the end was coming but there was no avoiding it now. Whether in full view of the great prothean station, or among distant stars as the burning hulks of batarian ships filled his vision, he would meet his end.

He exhaled at last, forcing his mind back to the present. He had one final duty to carry out, and he turned all of his thoughts to the matter of drawing Arlen Kryik onto the Kanderax.