"That is the situation as it stands, Councillors. I suggest putting all Spectres on alert should they run into her," I said, fighting to keep my tone alive. The four holograms before me stood as silent statues, anxiety rustling through them like wind through a wheat field. Tevos seemed twitchy. Her hands rubbed together, agitation rising with each word from my mouth.
"I have known Alea for hundreds of years-" Tevos said, her expression wrought and distressed.
"Just as Commander Delern knew Rolidin for a good decade. And that is in salarian years, Councillor. Alea is a Saboteur, she is working hard to help my Reaper gain control of me," I said, regretting cutting the woman off as her brows upturned. "I do not know how long the Saboteurs have been in circulation. We have asari who have been in place for hundreds of years, humans who have only been here a year. I don't have the answers, Councillors. I'm not sure I ever will,"
"We will work to locate Alea Shea'kal, Captain. We will send any whispers and reports we have when we receive them," Valern responded, giving the asari Councillor a hard look. Tevos returned a look, although the mixture of grief and anger melded too well to know what dominated. "We await your next report," My hand rose to salute, waiting for the holograms to vanish before every muscle slumped. My feet dragged themselves up to the stairs to my sofa, dropping face first onto it.
The images from Thessia refused to leave. The shadows in my vision, the robotic tones grinding in my mind, those blue eyes staring at me with such hunger… they burned into my soul. My hand dragged down my face, my mind a crumpled mess. Even basic thoughts like memory recall or planning drained me. Even speaking to the Council, forming coherent sentences was harder than fighting Saria. Common sense would have me report to the Council in a few days' time… but dammit, sitting around did nothing but frustrate me. Alea was right about one thing, I didn't have long left now. Which brought me onto my new problem. My eyes. Nyryntha had been a breath away from winning, a mere breath to defeating me in this ongoing war. My eyes glowed electronic blue. Scans verified that the circuitry in my irises lit up like Christmas lights. The light faded now, but it would rear its ugly head the next time my fear overwhelmed me, the next time Nyryntha fought for control. My guess at the cause of the glow was just that; an assumption. For all I knew, it could be some far, far worse, despite how hard that was to imagine.
Oh stop thinking about it, Dell! My head shook hard, burrowing my face into the cushion on the sofa. Come on. Alea. Think about Alea! Where would she go? She vanished from Thessia after we retreated from the planet to get me treated, no one had tracked her down after the Starquake left Thessia for safer space. At least that was what we assumed. She may still be on Thessia but there was no way anyone would let me chase after her. My mind was not in a sane state to deal with her and her 'pulse'. What to do…
"Captain Shaik?" a voice called. My head lifted from the cushion, dreary and tired. The brown horns of a salarian poked above the upper tier's floor. My head flopped down again.
"Yes, Spectre?" I asked, not bothering to lift myself to speak. An amused chuckle escaped the salarian as he mounted the upper tier. Sitoln grinned as he crouched before me.
"My apologies for interrupting your rest, Captain, but I have received some interesting news that may interest you," Sitoln said. A grunt escaped. That was why he disturbed me?
"Send it to my omni-tool. I'll read it when I can," I said. Sitoln blinked as he studied me. After a moment of silence, he sighed.
"I suppose this is as good a time as any, Shaik," he said. An eyelid raised, brow dropping as annoyance settled. "To thank you,"
"Thank me? For what?" I asked, the second brow dropping, concern bubbling in my chest.
"Sparing the life of myself and my crew," Sitoln said. He noticed my bland expression. He smiled. "Ah, it was a while ago. While you were fleeing from the Council, you battled with my ship. You destroyed our engines and power. Instead of finishing the job, you dropped an SOS beacon and left. You saved 103 people that day. I doubt any of us would still be here had you not put that down. I dread to think what would happen had pirates happened upon us," he said. Destroyed engines, fleeing Council… oh!
"You're that salarian Spectre who attacked us?" I asked, my mind kicking itself into a normal gear. Sitoln grinned.
"I am. Surprised?" he asked, tone amused. Fire first in my gut, rage stewing from the disastrous race for freedom flooding back after 10 months locked away.
"Thanks for wrecking my ship, you son of bitch. That bloody hole was the fucking bane of my engineers' lives ever since that day," I snapped. Sitoln coughed, taken aback, even went so much as to take several steps back. "And fuck you for ruining my day. I had just been out the med bay 5 minutes before you showed up. 5 fucking minutes. Do you know what it's like to park your arse in the captain's chair and then have alarms blaring around you?!"
"I uh…" he stammered.
"And for making my crew question me, and injuring my crew, and terrifying the shit out of me… oh and let me guess, you had something to do with my fucking bounty, yes?" I continued, anger spilling into each word. Sitoln shuffled under my sudden surge of rage.
"I spoke with the Council, yes," he answered. "I convinced them you weren't a heartless killer, a machine, and they took to risk. They decided capturing you alive was far more valuable than receiving a corpse…"
"So yeah, thanks for throwing us on the radar of every single mercenary in the galaxy. Ah, the euphoria! You forced me to push my crew to the brink of exhaustion, you bastard!" I finished with a fiery snap. Sitoln remained couched if quiet, expression empty.
I… see. My apologies, although in my defence, you were on the run from the Council, we were just doing our job," Sitoln said, deadpan. An angry snort escaped me.
"As was I," I seethed. "Not my fault no one tried to instigate dialogue but hey, the Spectres and politics are full of fucking idiots," A grumble soured my mood as my arms shoved me into a sitting position, glare frozen on my face. "Are we finished?" I asked. Sitoln exhaled, pushing himself up on his feet before dropping beside me, leaning his arms on his thighs. He leaned away when my glare heated.
"I know the situation as it stands is not ideal, what with the Spectres hanging over your every move and the Council monitoring everything you do, and I apologise. Apologising is something I appear to be doing that a lot these days. When I had heard the Council were pulling Spectres together to ensure that you behaved-," Sitoln said, interrupted by my sharp laugh. "I volunteered. First, to repay the debt I incurred by you sparing the life of myself and my crew and second to help deal with these machines. We've all read Shepard's reports. I will not stand back and wait for them to come. But there is a bright side to all of this,"
"Like?" I grumbled, eyes drifting to the doors, desperate for him to leave.
"What the Council have not told you," Sitoln said with a smile. My lips twitched further down, suspicion staining my already deteriorating mood. "The Spectres onboard are not only here to ensure you have a key to gain access wherever you go and eyes to ensure you are doing what you agreed upon with the Council. We're only here temporarily. There are few of us in the galaxy, Shaik, the Council do not wish to have 4 of us on the same ship. Prove your worth to the Council and you won't need to have a single Spectre on your ship, unless you wish to, of course…" he drawled.
"So what you are saying is that they are testing me. Why tell me? I doubt the Council want this little detail to get out and about with me around in case I do 'good behaviour' until you leave and then go rogue," I asked.
"I don't see that happening. You are an honest creature, you proved that when you told the Council where to 'stick it', as the humans say. But why tell you? I believe in a strong sense of trust between Captain and their crew. With my crew, it proved invaluable under intense fire. They crew do not question you, they know you are working hard to ensure that they stayed safe. It is comforting if nothing else. I understand I am new to your crew, as are a large number of people here, so I wish to build those bridges. Not all Spectres see you as a weapon or an annoyance. I hope that one day you will trust me as you do your older allies," Sitoln said, giving me a light shrug. "Besides, humans fascinate me. Your species is so stubborn it's incredible you made it into space at all beyond banging rocks together while expecting different results,"
"Oh please!" I said with a sour snort. "If we wanted to go to space, you bet your damn ass we'd do it. The resourcefulness of humans is boundless, we're determined and we love nothing more than a competition. Thank the space race we got people up here to begin with," My eyebrows twitched, watching the salarian smile. "Besides, I doubt early salarians did much better than we backed in our infancy," Sitoln snorted, a smile on his face.
"No, I suppose we didn't… well, we thank your species now. Despite what the galaxy thinks, we need more species who are not afraid to delve where no one dares," Sitoln chuckled. "Many species have succumb to the monotony of today, too afraid to push the envelope and venture where no other creature has gone before. Alas, we are in a peaceful time. Perhaps in another war, we'll return to those sentiments of advancement whatever the cost,"
"Yeah, activating mass relays without knowing what's on the other side is not a good idea. Look at what happened with the rachni. What if something else is waiting for us behind another one, even worse than the rachni?" I asked, shaking my head. "Curiosity is a good thing, but as with everything in life; only in moderation. We can't get our asses roasted again. I've learned that the hard way,"
"Everyone learns the hard way, it is the only way to learn these days. But that doesn't give you an excuse to not ask for help," he said. "The galaxy would be quieter without you," he lifted a hand, twirling a stray stand of my hair around one of his long fingers. My head jerked away in an automatic reaction, the hair yanking from his grip.
"Without humans or me?" I asked, combing my hair out of his reach. Sitoln smothered the rising frown, but it remained in his eyes.
"Both," he said, voice dropping. "You are an incredible creature, Shaik. I don't think you appreciate that,"
"Flattery doesn't get you anywhere with me, sweetheart," I said, tone hardening, my defences rising. Sitoln leaned closer, a smile on his face. My hand twitched for the invisible gun at my side. The omni-blade on the other hand… My eyes narrowed.
"Not even a little?" he asked, tone low, his eyes tracing my lips. My muscles twitched as a tremor shook my body from the shoulders down.
A surprised squeak jolted me off the sofa and onto my feet as a spanner crashed into his head. Sitoln recoiled, cursing in salarian as he shambled to his feet, stumbling away from me with a hand to his head. Releasing my frozen breath, my gaze spun to the door, the direction the thrown spanner flew. God bless him, Gideon stood on the lower tier of my room with a second spanner raised in his hand above his head and oil smeared on his cheek. The look in his eyes would cut diamond, no emotion flickered in them. His jaw clenched so tight his teeth would break if sustained too long. Behind him, Indira slipped into her room, eyes trailing over the captain's quarters. Her door remained open. A slow breathe chased away the tension in my shoulders, mind returning to the old balance. Musky vegetation lingered in my lungs, much to my disappointment. Dammit, even Mat'al didn't stink like that!
"Out," Gideon hissed. Sitoln eyed the boy, a cold expression that set my teeth on edge. My instincts rattled, demanding to protect him. Green blood trickled out from his temple.
"I believe I do not need your permission to wander the ship, boy. I can go where I wish, I am a Spectre," Sitoln said, voice frozen and dead. Gideon's eyebrows knotted even tighter, spanner trembling in his hand. He mustered the strength to open his jaw enough to speak, but every word hissed through his teeth.
"No you can't. I don't know what the hell you were doing to my mum but you can fuck off anyway!" he snapped.
"Gideon, language," I scolded, although it held no force. My throat cleared, voice returning to normal. My usual heat quenched, but Sitoln's presence annoyed me. "Spectre, you are dismissed. I'll read your news later,"
"But Shaik-" Stilton said. My eyebrows snapped back down, the temper rising once more.
"Dismissed, Spectre," I repeated, slow and deliberate words designed to intimidate. He didn't seem fazed, but he understood that with Gideon around, he wouldn't get any closer. Sitoln breathed, settling his frustrations. He saluted, but his lips pressed into a thin line. His sharp gait marched towards the door, Gideon shuffled out the way, but he followed him, spanner still raised. Sitoln spared him a fiery stare. "Oh and for future reference," Sitoln paused, gazing towards me over his shoulder. "Keep your hands to yourself. You are not welcome in the touching zone," His frown only deepened.
"I understand," he said, words sharp and curt. He strutted out the door a heartbeat later. Gideon walked up the stairs backwards, eyes fixated on the door. After realising he wasn't coming back, he lowered the spanner. He sprinted to my side.
"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" he cried, the tiny warrior fracturing into a panicked boy. My arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a firm hug as my knees dropped us onto the sofa. He yelped.
"I'm alright, Gideon. Thank you," I said, voice on the verge of breaking. I sulked in two deep breaths as the swarm of emotions calmed. Dammit, female emotions, settle down for one day!
"I can get Diri to kick his ass for you," he offered. He words dragged laughter from me.
"I think I can get her to do that myself, little man. Now, what are you doing up here?" I asked. Gideon frowned, a determination lighting his eyes.
"Lani said you were alone with a Spectre, he wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything funny so he asked me to check it out," Gideon said. A small smile broke free.
"Thank you, Lanster, much appreciated," I called. A chuckle sounded over the intercom.
"Not a problem. Indira told me to make sure you were rested before annoyance found you again. Thought I'd send the pygmy maw up. Nice throw, by the way," Lanster laughed. Gideon puffed out his chest, breaking free from my grip before putting his fists on his hips.
"Well, only the best could have done it," he said, smugness dripping from every word. A smirk rose to my lips.
"Not bad for a pygmy maw," I said. Gideon frowned.
"What does 'pygmy' mean anyway? Everyone keeps calling me it but no one tells me what it is," he asked. My expression lit up.
"It means a tiny creature. Like a pygmy varren would be a tiny varren compared to normal varren," I said. Gideon stared at me, jaw slack and eyes popping free from his skull. Horror drained blood from his face. Bless him. "See, this is why you need your education, to tell when people are making fun of you,"
"Everyone's been making fun of me?! I'm not small, dammit!" he snapped. My laughed sounded as my arms pulled him back into for another hug, brushing his hair as he grumbled.
"Well, you are a little bit," I said. Gideon frowned up at me, pouting. Then the little bastard tackled me off the sofa. My squeal cut short when my shoulders hit the ground, realising about 3 seconds later that he the little bastard wanted to tickle me into submission. "Help! I'm being attacked by the pygmy maw!"
"I'm not a pygmy!" he thundered.
His words turned me into a helpless heap as laughter bounced from my throat. My hands flailed, a weak attempt to bat the boy away, laughter threatening to asphyxiate me. It only infuriated Gideon and thus the vicious circle continued of tickling and laughter continued. Despite my best attempts, Gideon couldn't get anything out of me other than laughter. He wanted me to call him a big thresher maw, but my lungs couldn't muster words. Bless his little heart. My splitting sides eased, his frantic scrambles to find a ticklish spot slowing as his stamina ran out. Gideon found himself sprawled over the top of me, panting for air. Small bursts of laughter continued to surface from me as my breath recovered. My hand ruffled his hair.
"I've missed you buddy," I panted. Gideon lifted his head to give me a cheeky grin.
"Yeah, I know. It's boring without me," he smirked. A weak scowl formed.
"A cocky little bandit is what you are," I said. Gideon grinned as he flopped back down on top of me.
"I've missed being home," he said. "I didn't like it with the other crazy woman, or any of the others. She was off her nutter," Laughter gagged me.
"She was," I said.
"Mum?" Gideon pushed himself up and off my chest, allowing me to breathe. "Can I ask something?" A smirk rose.
"You just did," I said. Gideon opened his mouth before he pouted and stuck his tongue out.
"Ha, ha, you're such a comedian," he snorted. "Well, while were thinking about home and stuff… Cops told me about what happened on Thessia. What was Alea trying to do to you? It seemed weird," he asked. The heel of my hands rubbed my eye as my arms heaved me onto my side, sitting up. A sigh slipped as the memories returned.
"I dunno, Gideon. She wanted me remember my home, somewhere familiar. Maybe she wanted to remind me of all those happy memories I have are long gone and the place is long dead, that everything from my old life is dead and buried. Some weird way to break me or something," I said with a shrug. "Some people can't handle the thought of their home being destroyed. The nostalgia kills them,"
"But… this is your home right? Does it matter that much?" Gideon asked, tilting his head to the side. A sad smile rose.
"Earth will always have a special place in my heart; you grow attached to places, everything happened there for me; my birth, my childhood, most of my memories. Sure, it's not the same now and there is nothing left there for me other than wistfulness but… I don't know, it's hard to describe. I mean, imagine losing your first home," I babbled, unable to form coherent sentences. Gideon screwed up his face.
"Can't remember that far back, I've always been on the move," he said. My head snapped to him, eyes widening. Gideon shrugged, eyes wandering the room. "That's just how I lived, jump ship to ship, station to station. Y'know, survival. The Starquake, uh, the last Starquake, was the longest I had ever been anywhere ever,"
"You never settled? What about your family?" I asked. Gideon shrugged again.
"Never knew 'em. I ran with some other people but we kept getting separated and… well… stuff happened and here I am now. It's… kinda nice to have a base to go to, y'know," he said, eyes wandering the room.
"I see… well, I'm glad we're getting some root growth on you then," I said, grinning to lighten the atmosphere. "But think back to when you lost the Starquake, lost all of us. That maybe what Alea was trying to do,"
Gideon sat up straighter, frowning. He remained hushed, pondering the words as he chewed his lip. My legs crossed, getting myself comfy. Gideon had never settled, had never stayed in one place too long. Moving from ship to ship, always moving, losing and gaining people as soon as he moved somewhere… God, where had this kid come from? Had his parents abandoned him? Lost him? God forbid, sold him? The parent in me wanted answers, but judging how he shuffled when he spoke about it spoke mountains. It wasn't something he wanted to remember.
"Maybe something's there?" Gideon suggested. My skin jumped, jolted back to reality.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"Maybe there's something at you old home? Why else would the Reapers work so hard to make you remember it? Maybe there's answers like what happened to you, or maybe why people abandoned the place. I dunno, it seems too random for a Reaper to push," Gideon said, rocking on his crossed legs. My mind switched tracks, following his line of thinking. "Maybe they want to send you there because… well, they want you under their control right? So maybe they have a trap there? Like maybe another Saboteur or a Reaper or-" Gideon rambled.
"A cryptograph…" I said. Gideon paused, blinking with wide eyes.
"A what?" he asked.
"Shh, shh. Mama's thinking," I hushed, holding up a finger, eyes lost to the room.
It made so much sense… so much sense! Why had it taken an 11 year old to come to this conclusion? My life teeters on the edge of indoctrination, so close to the Reaper's hands they wanted it over and done with as soon as possible. They were too desperate and couldn't afford to wait much longer, now more than ever with us on track to hunt them down. The Reapers were on course to be here within the next few years and with the Vanguard gone they would need their Advocacy… whatever the hell the Advocacy did anyway. They wanted speed up the process. No one knew what a cryptograph looked like, the one on Virmire never surfaced during my mad run around the facility. And Gideon could be close to the mark. Another Saboteur could wait for me there, waiting for the poor, out of control Advocacy to return home, to weep over the loss of her previous life. Even if there was nothing else there, the chance of discovering another Saboteur was too good to miss. We needed to find as many of those bastards as we could… another opportunity to kill another Saboteur before… Oh, this had trap written all over it. But dammit, it was too good to miss.
"Lanster," I called. My gaze glanced to Gideon, the boy still frowning and confused.
Yes, Captain?" he asked, distracted by something else. My eyes turned up to a camera, making damn sure he saw the determination setting my jaw.
"Set a course for Earth. I'm going home," I said.