A sharp coffee taste soothed any agitation that the report before me started. The Council gave me a lot of information, a lot of contacts and too many resources to deal with in one sitting. The intel team worked hard, under my order, to squeeze as much information from the data given to us. We had to find any leads for potential Saboteurs, a month on and we were still shifting through the noise of nonsense behaviour. At least we caught 12 spies for several different species! A sigh escaped. But they released me just in time to celebrate my 27th birthday last month. How they celebrated birthdays in a maximum security prison, well, I wouldn't know now. Although my mood sobered when my attention returned to the fact they made me captain of an anti-Reaper strike team. God help us all, my head shook with a grumble. The datapad clattered on a nearby console, my fingers linking as my eyes studied the crew. Everyone played nice for now; Lanster, Mari, Marta – a short, blonde haired Polish lass with blue-grey eyes – and Connor – a chocolate mop-haired man with dark blue eyes from Oklahoma – all kept the cockpit busy. The engineering tunnels bustled with the rest of the engineers, although my relief drowned me when the daily ship report listed minor issues such as terrible microwave rather than a fuel leak. A ship that wasn't breaking down made me a thrilled captain.
Gideon took only a few hours to settle back down in the ship and return to his troublesome self, but the new faces kept him quiet when he ran across them, although Marruns kept a wide berth from him. My mind couldn't fathom why though, Gideon was just a kid! Gideon's behaviour towards everyone else is easier to explain, his anxiety with people and his lack of trust sat top of the list as the root cause. When we rescued him, we assumed his severe anxiety issues were part of the trauma caused from escaping a slave ship on fire. My eye fell to my omni-tool, a grumble escaping. Gid was a kettle of fish I had been reluctant to sort out. Oh, I settled everything now, the little bugger was now an official Shaik, much to his delight. He even took a picture on Lanster's chair with his 'procured' stripes in celebration. Gideon's smug levels had soared ever since those adoption forms came in, despite my best attempts to curb it. 'I'm the son of the captain, I can do what I want!' he would cry. On a ship this size with this many people, if I failed to knock him down a few pegs, Mat'al and Raisha would remind him who was in charge here. The cries of surprise or swearing were most prominent in the engineering tunnels, informing me of his presence down there-
"Dellion! Dellion!" Indira cred, tearing into the bridge. My eyes remained ahead as she bounced around my chair.
"Yes, Indira?" I asked. Indira bent down, meeting me at eye level with a grin on her face.
"I think we found a Saboteur," she sang. My head lifted from my hands in a second, spine straightening in my chair.
"Where?" I breathed.
"Thessia. Some Matriarch with a good amount of influence in the political sphere. They sent word to the Council that many people have gotten… crazy. It matches what happened in C-Sec; headaches, weird dreams, sudden fascination with someone, rapid accent up the old career ladder. We're aren't too far from Thessia but we need to move," Indira said with her tone sobering near the end. My head nodded.
"Good work. C'mon, let's go kick some Saboteur ass!" I grinned. Indira smirked before bounding away. "Lanster!" I summoned. The turian glanced over his shoulder. "Set a course for Thessia. We've got a whiff of a Saboteur's trail!"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Lanster cheered. The cockpit rumbled with activity. "ETA, 26 hours,"
"Get on it, Trouble, or you can babysit Gideon for the whole trip," I smirked. Lanster sulked.
"Am I the only one who doesn't mind babysitting him? Spirits," he grumbled. My laugh bounced free, letting the tension run from my shoulders. It was time to get to work.
"Yes, Lanster, yes you are!" I said as my knees took my weight once more.
With Lanster grumbling in the cockpit, my mind switched to the job at hand. There were people to speak to, plans to make. My first port of call was the labs. After traversing the bulkhead halls, my feet crossed into the Lab Department.
A corridor like the previous ones greeted me, although the brilliant light of the drive core blinded me. Labs took up every room apart from the port side room beside me. The main lab held the lab experiment organisation and whatnot. Mat'al ran everything and his explanations went over my head. Saria's spine was in one isolation room, behind a shimmering blue field that seemed to disrupt the effects of the indoctrination waves. With luck, the scientists knew what they were doing and nothing would happen. Though digging through the labs wouldn't be necessary as my quarry lingered near the end, by the window that overlooked the upper half of the drive core. My eyes remained fixed on the target, weaving around the bustle of the people at work. Mat'al glanced over as my arms leaned on the banister beside him by the window. His eyes turned back to the drive core.
"You have that look in your eye," he said. My brow furrowed. "You had that same look when we were on course to the Citadel to deal with Saria. I presume this means one thing?" he asked.
"Another Saboteur, this time within the asari. We're on course to Thessia now," I said.
"Thought as much," he said. He passed me a datapad. My eyes drifted down, hand easing the pad out of his grip. "Satrino has sent us a lovely package. The omni-tools they confiscated from us since the crash," he smiled. "We've recovered 98.2% of our original data. The other 1.8% we can wrangle free from the other damaged omni-tools,"
"Bloody hell, Satrino thought of everything…" I said, reading the report. "I don't know how he hid them but kudos to him. I owe the man now, don't I?"
"You do, although I doubt it will help us much against this new Saboteur. Let us hope we can protect you a little better this time. We do not need you in ICU," Mat'al said.
"Back to caring about me now?" I asked. Mat'al snorted, a cold amusement lighting his eyes.
"I stopped?" he asked, feigning surprise. My lips pouted out at his tone. A sharp squeal snapped free when a painful sting radiated from my thigh. Mat'al's expression warmed with triumph. "Ah, so I have. My apologies,"
"What the hell was that for?!" I snapped, hobbling. Mat'al chuckled as he reloaded the Predator.
"Pouting. The last thing we need is two pouters on board. Marruns is painful enough," Mat'al smirked. "And I haven't shot you in a while,"
"Fuck you," I snarled. Mat'al raised a brow, the Predator whipped back up. Instinct kicked in, jumping to the side as a hand shoved his arm away, although his other hand grabbed my other wrist, pulling it straight behind me, keeping me in my half-crouched and precarious position. Blood ran to my toes as Mat'al smiled. "Please don't do this here…" I pleaded. Mat'al tipped his head.
My scream echoed down the halls when he dragged me to him, sweeping my feet from under me and hurling me over his shoulder. Pan radiated up from the back of my shoulders when they crashed to the ground, swearing until the Predator sat a few centimetres from my nose. My eyes drifted up to Mat'al with my best puppy dog eyes as he kept a secure hold on one of my wrists.
"I love you?" I whimpered. Mat'al's grin took a cruel spin. The air stuck in my throat. "SECURITY!" I screeched. Mat'al frowned until Mar crashed into him, sending him flying off me. My body twisted back onto my feet, sprinting for the door. "Thank you, Marshal!" I cried as my legs tore up the ground beneath me, Mat'al swearing as he struggled with the drone. My legs refused to stop until the bridge surrounded me, crashing into Raisha. The Spectres, mulling around the bridge, gaped at me, dumfounded as to seeing this 'Murderous Saboteur' squealing in terror. Raisha frowned as my eyes glanced around her, towards the lab.
"Is there a problem?" Raisha asked.
"Mat'al will eat me," I whimpered. Raisha fell silent before sighting.
"I do not even wish to know," Raisha said. A whimper escaped, paranoid the dark skinned salarian would assassinate me from behind. Sleep didn't come easy that night, as you could imagine.
The following morning, we began our approach to Thessia. Mat'al hadn't tried to kill me, which was a plus, but it was… it was a hectic morning. My fault however. So busy getting everything sorted, my mind forgot about getting my own weapons sorted. My guns – my beloved Locust and Carnifex – had been victims of the RSS-1 crash. Mat'al forbad me from using any other SMG other than a Locust, he did not trust my ability to hold the gun steady after 10 months out of action. He, of all people, knew what my gun ability was. Smacking myself in the face with my gun in a mission wasn't a good idea, especially when facing off against a Saboteur. The Carnifex wasn't as much of an issue, we had a few spares but the additions weren't the same. That left me to deal with Ultralight Materials and the extended clip rather than my older configuration. Mat'al promised me a new Locust. Val vowed to get me a new pistol, determined not to let Mat'al outdo him.
And then the Council reports. Tevos wasn't happy since we were dealing with her own planet here. After informing her of our possible Saboteur, a woman named Alea Shea'kal, the asari Councillor trembled. Tevos herself knew the accused well, a soft spoken and quiet woman. 'Impossible' she cried, 'I've known the woman for over 530 years' she exclaimed. That sparked the next hour of discussion, me attempting to a) ease her fears since we weren't confirming she was a Saboteur yet, just that we suspected she was and b) trying to convince Tevos that if she was a Saboteur, we would have to kill her ASAP. Tevos, distressed by that outcome, wanted us to capture her alive but trying to capture a Saboteur was no easy feat, that and the thought of another Saboteur on board didn't sit with me. My presence was bad enough.
Alas Tevos calmed down enough to give us a grudging go ahead for the mission. We had planned on doing it regardless but now we had Council permission, a little extra on our side. With my new, shiny armour covering me in the familiar protection and standing in the cockpit as Lanster brought us in, my mind turned to the . This wasn't my first visit to Thessia, business as a merc leader brought our adventures here but this… God dammit, there would be so much red tape. These Spectres better come in handy now. The ground team; Val, Rosmeni, Marruns so he couldn't annoy my crew in my absence, Utren, Iona, Phentos – who turned out to be that brass turian who missed having a bullet in his brain, Searte, a dark skinned asari and Andria. Everyone else stayed behind just in case something happened back here or if we needed backup later. No one was taking chances this time.
"Thessia Control, this is RSS-2 Starquake, requesting permission to land in Serrice," Lanster called into the radio.
"Roger, RSS-2 Starquake. We don't have you scheduled to land today… or at all," the controller said, confused and concerned. Lanster shifted his gaze to mine. A small smile flicked up on my lips.
"Tell her we're on a Spectre mission. Short notice," I said. Lanster grinned.
"Aye, aye," he said, cracking his fingers. "RSS-2 Starquake, we're on a Spectre run, we didn't have time to forward a flight plan. We have four of them if you wish to verify," Lanster said, a touch too smug to be neutral. A long pause followed on the other end. My, Lanster loved digging at asari controllers…
"Roger, RSS-2 Starquake. Cleared to land Dock SS-43. We will verify the status of your Spectres on landing, however," the controller warned. She sounded nervous.
"Roger that, cleared to land Dock SS-43. Have a good day," Lanster signed off, releasing a contented sigh. A scowl formed on my face. "Dammit, I needed that," he purred.
"I don't need to know what you jack off to, Lanster," I said. Lanster squawked as he fell out of his chair. Connor and Mari burst into giggles. Marta stared at us. She may not be used to the banter of the crew yet. She'd learn. Lanster's face glowed blue, even under the charcoal skin. A smirk grew on my face
"I'll get you back for this," Lanster vowed.
"Get us in, Lanster," I said, patting his shoulder. He grunted. My wide grin remained even after leaving the cockpit, walking back onto the bridge. My crew waited for me, prepared for the potential battle ahead. Rosmeni finished her checks of her assault rifle. She smirked as she watched me approach.
"Ah Serrice, a shining gem in the asari crown. Home to one of the largest financial centres in the galaxy and a major seat of power with the asari populous. Also the location for one of the commando training centres. Ah, good times," Rosmeni grinned. "Get ready for plenty of resistance, Shaik. The asari love their secrets,"
"Thanks," I said. "Alright team, stay sharp. Also, Raisha," My head turned to the krogan as she held Gideon by his scruff. Gideon flailed in her grip, half dressed in armour. How he found the damn thing surprised me. I bought just in case we had to go onto the Citadel during lockdown. He was not coming on any missions though. "Please keep Gideon on the ship. Shove him in the vents if you think that will keep him here,"
"Fret not, Endellion," Raisha said. "I am sure I shall be able to handle Gideon. He has studies to upkeep,"
"Studies?" Gideon said, falling limp in her grip. "Like… putting things together?"
"Mathematics, history, literature-" Raisha said. Gideon wailed, struggling once more. His struggles brought a grin to my face.
"Have fun, Gideon," I called as the crew followed me out into the hall.
"Don't leave me here! You're my mum now! You gotta protect me!" Gideon cried. My eyes rolled.
"I am. By thinking of your future," I said as my eyes turned down the hall. Val chuckled as we piled into the airlock, Gideon's cries fading behind the doors, the engines powering down.
"Gideon will love you for this," He grinned. My snort made him chuckle. Loud thunks shook the airlock as the Starquake docked. A slow breath escaped as the airlock equalised with the outdoor atmosphere.
"He needs his education, whether he likes it or not. Even with a Reaper invasion coming, we might win. He'll thank me later," I said. "But I just need to concentrate on this asari of ours,"
The airlock doors parted, sliding upwards to reveal Thessia before us. Thessia had always been one of those planets that shook me for how similar it was to Earth. The dock itself had massive openings up and down the massive dock with a perfect view of the city behind us. Towering skyscrapers dominated the skies, towers that fanned at the bottom, reminding me of a plant and its roots. The sky was clear, vivid blue with only the faintest hints of clouds. Below the city, sweeping rivers banked by delicate trees and wild bushes rose to the horizon. The city soared above this on massive stilts. We strode out towards the greeting party, a small group of asari. Rosmani strutted beside me, nose raised. An older asari with wrinkles marring her skin and white markings along her cheeks frowned at the Spectre, recognition lighting her eyes.
"Spectre Fa'Ano. A fine day to you," the asari greeted.
"Matriarch Teilia A'Fian, good afternoon," Rosmani responded. "Good to see you out of the retirement home- I mean, parliament," Teilia frowned.
"Rosmani," I hissed. Rosmani shrugged, smirking. "Apologies, Matriarch A'Fian. I'm afraid Rosmani is about as easy to control as the wind,"
"Indeed. It is no wonder she rose to Spectre with such speed. Even the commandos are… wary of her, and that is before we even mention her biotic strength. She gets the job done," Teilia said, tone flat. "So what brings you to Serrice, human?" My shoulders rolled back, my back straightening.
"I am Captain Endellion Shaik, head of the Council funded RRTF. We are a specialised team seeking saboteurs within various organisations who are working for an establishment that seeks to disrupt and destroy the galaxy as we know it. We have already located one within the STG and in C-Sec. After some research, we have reason to there is one within the asari's political influence sphere. We wish to speak with her to assess her," I explained. Teilia studied me, hundreds of years judging my words.
"You are young to a leader of a specialised force, are you not?" she asked. My will smothered the frown rising to my lips.
"And Rosmani is young to be within the Spectres," I said, mustering the strength to not speak through my teeth. Rosmani laughed. "Age has little to do with this, Matriarch A'Fian. We have orders from Councillor Tevos to speak with this woman. We will not leave until we have done so," The Matriarch frowned at my tone. Her eyes drifted to the crew around me.
"That would depend on who you wish to speak with, Captain," Teilia answered with caution.
"Alea Shea'kal," I said. The three asari before me straightened, shifting glances between each other.
"That… that is not possible-" Teilia began.
"Oh, it's possible," Rosmani smirked. "We are making this possible," Marruns took a few steps forward, taking up my other flank. He raised a brow plate.
"Do we need to collect the other two Spectres or are we enough of a reason?" he asked. My face stayed blank, ignoring how close the smug bastard was beside me. Teilia shifted her eyes between them.
"N-No, that is unnecessary. B-but she is a busy woman-" Teilia said.
"Then clear her schedule," Rosmani warned, a knife underlying her tone. The asari fell stiff before me. After a time, she nodded, almost.
"Very well, I shall see what I can do. Please, follow me," Teilia said, sweeping her arm to the side as she turned. The pair of asari on either side of her spun, moving off to lead the way. My frown grew as we followed behind them. My gut wasn't happy with this. Rosmani walked beside me, nose high as she grinned. Whether I liked it or not, Marruns flanked my other side. Val walked behind me if he tried anything, a small comfort.
Vaulted ceilings swept high above our heads as we entered the building, large banners floating in the light breeze. The wide open spaces we traversed from room to room held more than enough light to highlight the faints joints between the slabs of blue-tinted slabs of granite and metal. The airy room gave too many positions for snipers above, which set my teeth on edge. More small, tall hallways entertained us as they led us into a spacious office. The three tiered office held mementos of asari history; paintings and artefacts lining the walls and edges of the room. The desk at the back sat on the highest point with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the meandering rivers, a sitting area in the middle and just a decorative lower tier with plants and statues of asari and creatures and weird and wonderful shapes. Teilia indicated for us to sit on the corner sofas on the second tier. My smile rose, a stiff smile, but refused to take the offer as my eyes scanned the room. Putting myself in a vulnerable position now would be disastrous, a potential Saboteur in the same room as us. The old asari frowned but said nothing against us.
"I shall inform Matriarch Alea Shea'kal you wish to see her at her earliest convenience-" Teilia said. My head shook, killing her words.
"Now. She comes and sees us now. Or else I will drag the Council into this," I said. Teilia folded her hands behind her back, wrinkles deep as she frowned.
"As you wish, Captain," she said. She abandoned us in the office, her heels clicking as she departed. My mind counted to 15 before opening my mouth.
"Val, get everyone into a good position. If she is a Saboteur and she brings friends, I want to be in as good as a position as I can get," I said, shoulders shuddering.
"Aye, Aye. Iona, Searte, check out the top tier," Val said. A soured breath rushed from my lungs, relieved Val was here to deal with the tactical side of the mission. My combat tactics were questionable.
My mind droned out Val's orders as my feet began a slow pace along the length of the middle tier. The Spectres' presences helped, their combat experience made up for the lack of team building we had done and they had sped up the process of reaching here. Without them, we would still be outside battling with the asari. My eyes narrowed, jaw popping as my attention sought the more immediate danger. If she was a Saboteur, then we knew of 3 Saboteurs. We couldn't plan for Rolidin despite our best attempts. He seemed to have vanished off the face of the galaxy. A word with the salarian Councillor would be needed to get that one rolling. Saria was dead but God that had taken me out of action for a while. My record with Saboteurs was poor, my gut told me this one would be little different.
"Captain Shaik, I presume?" a soft voice rang. My toes spun me, a hand floating to the Carnifex as my eyes locked on the doorway. Matriarch Alea stood before me, the dark purple toned asari held herself tall, the barest of white marks along her brow. Faint wrinkles waved along her face as she offered a small smile. My back straightened, stepping between her and the crew behind me.
"Indeed. Thank you for seeing me so soon. I understand our visit is sudden and surprising," I said. The asari sighed.
"It is, Captain, however I am not one to ignore the orders from Spectres on a Council approved mission," she said. Teilia stood by her side, still frowning. "To what did you need to see me for on such short notice?"
"I have a few questions, Matriarch Alea, if I may," I said, stepping down from the middle tier to join the pair of asari on the lowest tier. Alea nodded but if she was the Saboteur, my instincts told me to suspect she would lie or blow off my queries. "Have you ever had any strange dreams, surrounding the theme of uncontrolled destruction, the inability to control your body and such like?" The Matriarch frowned.
"What an odd question, Captain. I… I cannot say I have. The strangest dream I have ever countered is… well, for a Matron to be wishing for her childhood home, a place not frequented for centuries with such a powerful draw is unnerving. To see the loving faces of my mother and father, to brush my hands through the course reeds of the hills nearby, the crisp winter breeze weaving through the mountaintops. I suppose I was wishing for a gentler time, a time before everything spiralled to despair," Alea closed her eyes, immersing herself in the memories. My jaw tightened, desperate to stop the needles pricking my heart showing on my face.
"I see, not what I was looking to hear. However, it was very interesting," I said, clearing my throat, shaking my head to clear my mind. "Are you aware of what a Reaper is, Matriarch Alea?" I asked. Alea held her chin, brushing her fingers on her upper lip.
"Was… I seem to recall a human – he was a Spectre, no? – crying out about a 'Reaper'. Nothing beyond that, however. Such things do not bother we asari, as long lived as we are" she answered, her tone curious.
"You are referring to Commander Shepard, but yes you are correct. We have evidence to suggest that sentient, hyper advanced machines are coming to wipe out all advanced life in the galaxy," I said.
"Hyper advanced machines… My apologies, Captain, but this sounds absurd. To what would an AI, as I understand you are referring to, get with such a venture?" Alea furrowed her brows. A half smile spread on my lips, watching expressions. To be honest, I couldn't conjure questions that would push a Reaper to revealing itself if it was one. Start basic and then dig, my logic said.
"We do not know yet, Matriarch. It is something we are trying to unearth," I said. Alea sighed.
"Reaper, such a dark term to you humans, is it not? I believe it has something to do with death, I suppose if such machines were to come to us, it would a fitting name. Forgive me, I am a philosopher. The word seems to… strike something in me," she shrugged. My eyes narrowed, suspicion rising. "I remember there was this large tree near where I lived when I was a child, towering high above the surrounding forest. That was until a fungus came and stole the life from it. Goddess forgive, Reaper would fit such a massacre of nature," My shoulders slumped, mind rattled as memories rose to quell a headache rising.
"It appears our childhood homes are not dissimilar, Matriarch Alea. We had a large elm nearby, one of thousands killed when Dutch elm disease struck," I sighed. Alea offered a sad smile.
"A small town, no bigger than a village, surrounded by towering peaks," she reminisced.
"A valley on each side with forests lining the river banks," I added a smile.
"Spilling out into a loch to the ocean," Alea smiled, eyes close.
"With only two roads ou- …Wait …loch?" I whispered, mind snapping rigid, every muscle taut. Alea tilted her head to the side.
"Is something the matter, Captain?" she questioned. My breath stalled in my lungs, soured as the headache grew.
"I've… I've never heard the term loch outside of Scotland…" I said, the barrage of the thoughts clogging my mind. Alea frowned.
"Oh? Well, to us it is another name for a lake, such as Loch Linnhe, Loch Hourn, Loch Katrine, Loch Leven-"
"Loch… Leven," the words tumbled out of my mouth. My mind made little sense, memories flooded and ebbed, headaches rose ever upwards. Images flashed before my eyes; sunset over the loch, the rustle of leaves through the forests, the smell of rain on the grass, the laughter of my family, the heat from the barbecue. Every emotion engulfed through me; joy on a boat trip, terror during sledging, anger while dancing and sadness during mourning. Everything came back. Everything. By the time my mind put the pieces together, realised what was happening, by the time my hand raised with pistol armed, it was too late. The window behind us smashed.
The Timeline and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.