The night lights danced through the window, a sea of blue, purple, red and white tickling the buildings in colour. A faint hum echoed through the glass, but the muffled whiz of activity didn't interest me. The colours held my distant gaze, looking at nothing in particular as the horror of the last 2 months settled in. Julian's fleet discovered the Behemoth had it finished another tiny town, but the weaponry carried by that monster overwhelmed the ships. The AA gun on its mouth punched holes clean through the frigates, shuttles and fighters dare not get too close. All they could do was deploy teams to save what towns remained on the planet before the Behemoth reached them. We even tried to help, but that damn beast planted a nice hole that destroyed half the bridge and nearly me with it. The Starquake limped back to the Constellation for rough repairs, deciding to use this opportunity to upgrade the armour in the Citadel. Julian said he would take care of the rescue.
But that wasn't even the worst of it. My heart fluttered, the words of the report burned into my mind. Julian ran every civilian through RIT, to be sure. More than half of them were indoctrinated. He had to put down 2 and a half thousand drell. Men, women and children, 200 of which were infants. The remaining 2 thousand weren't in much better condition, but the RIT saved their lives. The Hanar took these forsaken souls to Kahje, the drell held by the compact giving what space they could to these early refugees. We could only pray the Hanar weren't indoctrinated, Julian didn't have time, space, facilities or the authority to do thorough checks and house these thousands of people while they waited. Rakhana was dead. And still the resounding explosion of that one town, of people running for their lives while bullets gunned them down, of sitting there helpless… it flashed by in quick shots, haunting my dreams worse than any Reaper nightmare. They didn't know what happened to the Behemoth, but the rejected one in the facility had also vanished by the time they got there. Destroyed by the Saboteur while we fought free, no doubt.
Val stroked my hair, mind and eyes on the datapad before him, propped up on the arm of the sofa, long legs stretched over the cushions. All the while, his eyes drifted down, fighting to stop his mandibles clicking against his cheeks. He knew it annoyed me to no end. After Rakhana, he suspected this could happen, the shock of war without laws. Reapers wouldn't follow the Law of War, this was just a baby test experiment of what they could do. Or maybe it was a wake-up call for me, to show me how horrific war was. Val had to give Julian the updates, seeing me like this would send him into a fury. Julian understood, although his taut expression gave away his underlying emotions. But he calmed himself for now, we were on the Citadel. Julian had made a few investments to bring money in, property was one of them. He accepted my forced insistence to pay rent on it after an hour debate about it, since it was his. He needed money to keep his fleet and operations going, I wasn't sure how much he made on this little number, but with the war edging closer he needed every credit he could get his hands on. Besides, the money was the Council's, he was happy to use them. That and the Council agreed to help pay for accommodation for the crew since we couldn't go anywhere for a time. My heart leapt as the door clicked open, Val's hand dropping to my waist as my arms pushed me up from my lying position on the sofa to stare over the back. Gideon's frame silhouetted in the doorframe, Kala's mech paused beside him as he turned to someone.
"Uh huh, yeah, ok. See you later," he said, ducking inside with Kala in tow. He paused steps inside the door, frowning at the scene. "Am I… interrupting?" he asked, hand itching towards the light switch.
"No, no, just… couldn't be arsed turning the light on," I said, scrubbing my face. "How was school?"
"Alright. Feels weird sitting in a classroom in person though," he said. A tired smile lifted my lips. "How long are we staying here?"
"Not enjoying going to school?" I asked, forcing my tone light. My legs unfurled, straining under my weight as I stood. Gideon flipped the lights on, moving to the kitchen. Gideon stuck his tongue out.
"Harder to skive," he rumbled. He flinched, twitching his head over his shoulder to quake under my scowl. "I-I mean…"
"Just as well your grades are acceptable, Gideon Shaik," I said, the threat heating my tone. A shaken smile stretched on his lips, a tremor holding him. "We're staying here until the Starquake's overhauls are finished. Shouldn't be more than a day or so now… unless they found something,"
"Shayan has said nothing so far," Val said, standing from the sofa, stretching his stiff limbs. "They're almost finished with the new armour and shield upgrades. Hopefully we'll be able to tank a hit or two,"
Gideon leaned on the blue-glass counter of the kitchen, waiting for the fridge to cough out iced water. It was a simple flat, the kitchen tucked in the right most back corner with parallel facing counters and appliances, a dining area opposite that beside the windows. A half-wall separated the dining kitchen area from the living room, prime in the middle of the apartment. The left side had a narrow corridor with two rooms on either side. It was bigger than most of my flats I had back in Scotland. Gideon grabbed the glass, sipping the water before reaching for squash to flavour. Gideon swirled the drink, eyes watching my expression. He didn't even flinch from the scowl he got. He sighed.
"Just a heads up, think we might get company soon," he said.
"What makes you think that?" I asked.
"A police car followed us from Gideon's school," Kala said. "My sensors picked up the police identification for Commander Satrino Wilcerous inside, but his radio distracted him," My eyes closed, dragging a long breath in. Was he here for work or was he here for me? Did the Council know I was here? The only people who knew this address were the crew and Julian. I suppose it was only a matter of time, the Council had been asking for a face-to-face meeting.
"Thanks, Kala. I'll put the kettle on," I said, shaking my head. Val chuckled, patting my shoulder. It distracted me enough for him to steal the kettle from my reaching hand. He winked at the heated stare pinned on the back of his head. Gid smirked. A hot breath escaped, fingers rubbing my eyes. "Well, if we're entertaining people, I have a job for you Gid,"
"A job?" he asked. My omni-tool lit up, Gideon's firing a second later. He frowned at the interface.
"I get the feeling Satrino wants to talk about work, so I want you to do me a favour and read over this," I said. Gideon opened his mouth, confused. "Please, Gid. I… it's a mother thing. You'll understand when you read it. Just… think about it," Gideon swung his jaw, studying my expression. The buzzer at the door rang. Val swept past, lips rising a little more than they should.
"Fine, I'll take a look. Dunno what the hell this is," he rumbled, picking his drink off the counter.
"Evening, who is calling?" Val said into the intercom, raising his voice a touch to the point my lips pressed together to smother the giggle.
"Autillin, this thing has a camera on it. Are you going to let me in or am I going to abuse my position?" Satrino scowled. Val sighed, an exaggerated sound.
"I suppose," he said, tapping the entry button. Gideon strode down the hall, grumbling as he disappeared with Kala into the smaller bedroom. Val moved away from the door, a smug smile on his face. "I tried,"
"You are so much trouble," I said, shoving him back towards the kitchen. He laughed, hands already reaching for the cupboards. My weight leaned on the back of the sofa, eyes over my shoulder towards the windows once more. My head shook, realising the blinds needed closing, or dimmed or something. The control panel blinked under my hand, dark bands stretching on the glass until thin horizontal slits remained. The door knocked. After a quick check on the camera, the door parted. Satrino took a step in, noting my presence.
"I was expecting Autillin to get cute with his ugly mug," he grumbled.
"Hey now, you're not exactly pretty to look at either," I said, nodding my head to the sofa.
"Oi," Val whined from the kitchen. Weak laughter bubbled free.
"Tea, coffee?" I asked. Satrino swung his jaw, eyeing Val in the kitchen.
"Coffee, unless it's that nasty green shit," he said.
"Find me someone who likes it," Val called back. Satrino lowered himself on an arm chair, leaning back into the cushions.
"You are a damn hard woman to find, Shaik," he said, watching me lower myself onto the sofa. "You've been on the Citadel nearly 2 months now and no one knew where you were. Whose place is this anyway? A 2-bed apartment in Stella Ward is gold dust these days,"
"A friend's. He's letting me rent it until the Starquake's new upgrades and health overhaul finish. Might be the last chance before the Reapers get here," I said.
"Well you have friends in high places if he has a place like this," Satrino said. His hawk eyes snapped over my face. "You look tired,"
"Yeah… well the Rakhana mission was… shit. The rest has helped and given me a chance to get back into shape but still," I said.
"It will only get worse, Shaik. That's nothing compared to what is waiting for us," he said. He took the offered mug from Val, taking a sip as Val joined me on the sofa. The hot coffee in my hands warmed my mood.
"So, aside from following my son here, what can I do for you?" I asked. Satrino snorted.
"So he noticed, huh? So he is a sharp little kid or so Zyv said," he said.
"How is Zyverion? I heard he was on Tuchanka when things went to hell," I said.
"Yeah, he needed more ground experience to get up the ranks more to qualify for dreadnaught piloting. He's fine, recovered and back on duty. He's hoping to visit at some point when he is free,"
"We'll see, everything is up in the air at the moment," I said. Satrino hmmed, passing me a datapad. Concern bubbled in my chest, taking the offered device.
"The Council asked me to pass this to you. Just something to consider," he said. The text scrolled under my thumb, words whirling through my head. At the end, my eyes rose to Satrino, expression deadpan.
"This can't be serious," I said.
"I don't know what they've put in there, Shaik. I was just told to track you down and pass it along," Satrino said. Val frowned down at me, arm curling over the back of my shoulders. A hard breath escaping.
"They want to put me in charge of defences and attack strategies for when the Reapers arrive," I said. Val frowned, taking the datapad from my hand and reading through the information.
"Setting data transfer protocols, ship defence layouts, planetary defence configurations, final say on any joined military actions… why would they want you to do all of… oh the cunning bastards," Val said.
"What?" I asked.
"What kind of position would this normally fall to? Think military," Val said. A sigh escaped, too exhausted for this shit.
"I dunno… an Admiral?" I said.
"Yeah. Now, what do you have control over but the Council has none and would really like to have?" Val asked. My face scrunched up.
"What? What are you… the Constellation fleet," I said, eyes growing wider. "But… I don't… why?"
"They might want to get you into a good position within the fleet to take over… should something happen," Val said.
"Should… something happen?" I echoed. "As in… they wouldn't kill him," My breath rushed in large waves, lungs working overtime.
"A possibility. Julian is an unknown factor and the Council have a million and one reasons to get him gone and you in charge. But dammit, this is too soon. You are a damn good captain, an Admiral? Dell, with your experience you shouldn't even be Service Chief, if you're lucky," he said.
"I know that, Val," I said, huffing against the back of the sofa. "I'll talk to Saria about this, when I get a chance,"
"Good shout. Also pencil in Drutus and Mat'al when you can. Drutus is a Spectre, he might get information out the Council about this," Val said.
"They're scared, Shaik," Satrino said. My eyes refocused on him. "You don't know what they've been ordering the past few months. We've got new ships to protect the Citadel, we're being ordered to up staff numbers, all R&D departments are looking for new weapons and defence mechanisms. Hell, they're even wiring the Citadel with beacons to broadcast that RIT stuff you go on about. They're hoping they'll be strong enough to have indoctrinated servants reveal themselves," he took another sip. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg, there's a lot of classified stuff I'm not meant to share with anyone. And then the homeworlds and colonies are working overtime. The population has no idea what's happening, they thing there will be a war with the Terminus Systems,"
"At least they are preparing," I said, eyes back on the datapad. My eyes drifted to the clock. Well, it may be evening, but I'm sure with a polite email, they'd be willing to work a little later. My omni-tool fired up, the email tapped, checked and sent within a minute. This needed sorted out now, before the Council did something they'd regret. Even the coffee didn't pick up my rotting mood. "But how are things on your end?" Satrino snorted, leaning back as he got comfortable. We spoke for about half an hour, catching up on what we could before duty dragged him out the apartment. The Council got back too, noting the wording of my message. They agreed to meet me in the Embassy's at 7pm. Unusual but they were eager to get in touch with me. But there was time before then and now. Enough time to speak to Gideon. Val frowned as he eyed me striding towards his room with a nervous click to my pace. My hand knocked on the door, waiting for Kala to open it before entering the small bedroom. Gideon sat on the chair by his office, legs stretched out as his gaze flicked on the screen in front of him. My shoulders rolled, stepping closer to sit on his bed. Gideon breathed hard.
"What do you think?" I asked, forcing my tone light. Gideon swung his jaw, spinning his chair to face me. He didn't looked amused. What little hope I held waned.
"You want to send me away?" he asked.
"I don't want to," I sighed, resting my elbows on my knees. Gideon blinked, but said nothing. "You're my son, I love you to pieces and I cannot bear the thought of you getting hurt or… dying. I don't want to learn what it's like to bury your child. But you are old enough to make your own choices. I don't want you to go… but parents have our fears and wants. And I want you to have a life and I don't know if I can guarantee it here. We might lose this war, Gid. I want you safe but I want you happy too. Shepard told me about this when you were speaking to Julian. He said he'd get Kala on too if you wish. So I am giving you a choice and I'll respect whatever one you choose," His eyes trailed over the computer, the Andromeda Initiative pamphlet decorating the screen. He dragged a breath in.
"I get why you want me to go," he said. "But this is my home. I…" he paused, eyes drifting to the floor. He sighed, heaving himself to his feet to sit beside me. His arms wrapped around me, head pressed into my shoulder. It wasn't possible for me to hold him any closer. "My real name is Thomas Hunter,"
"Gid?" I asked, heart skipping a beat.
"My mum was a drug addict, dad was a one-night stand gone wrong. My mum wanted to sell me to some Chinese organ farm to fund her addiction, but I ran away when I was 5, snuck on a ship in New Zealand and left. I changed my name to Daniel Martell, after some dude on the dock when the crew found me, They kicked me off at Amaterasu. I had to beg for food and water, but everyone ignored me, one guy tried to shoot me once. So I jumped onto another ship that took me to Illium, but I was down in the slums. I dunno how many times a knife pressed to my throat. I was too scared to sleep, so I found a gang to run with, but they sold me to some merc group in Omega and shipped me off. They changed my name to Alan Carther and worked me hard, crawling through vents with wiring on illegal construction sites. Then I ran from there and found myself on the Citadel, was a Duct Rat but those damn vents killed so many people. I was scared I'd be next so I avoided them. But then someone grabbed me and sold me off a medical company to do medical tests on me. I had a shank from the ducks so I on Fehl Prime, I stabbed a guy in the eye and ran, hid in a crate that took me back to Omega. After that, I changed my name again to Andrew Robertson to stop people tracking me down. People shot me a few times there, nearly got eaten by a hungry Vorcha. I had to work for food and water, ran drugs for a while. Ran from there back to the Citadel, but I was a little too big for the vents.
"So I changed my name again to Phil Randy and someone – a friend – told me about a place that would feed us for work. They wrapped me in chains when they got their hands on me and sent me off to some dead planet to help build a secret facility. People kept disappearing and there was this one place where you would hear faint screams. A few of the adults broke free and hijacked a ship, I joined them with a few others. Then I got a new name of Gideon Tellic but pirates killed the ship and sold us all to the batarians. Then everything went on fire. I was in a tiny cell with 6 others, we could barely breathe, they packed us so tight. Two people sat on top of me just to stop us asphyxiating. The smoke was so thick, I couldn't see, it was like a hand wrapping around my neck and choking me. The fire got so hot, people cooked in their cells. I was far enough away that when the electrical system shorted out and opened the doors, I ran. Grabbed a gun, shot a few batarians and ran into an escape pod with a few others. They died from the smoke hours later though," he said. It took a moment to realise tears were pouring off my cheeks. And Gideon's.
"Then you came. You didn't stab me in the back, didn't lull me into a trap. You helped me, protected me, you didn't complain when I was too scared to sleep on my own. And you came back for me when they brought everyone back. I… I thought for sure you would leave me. But you didn't," he freed a hand to scrub his face, but he didn't drift far from my shoulder. "You want to keep me safe, you've always wanted to keep me safe. You wouldn't do something because you were being nasty, even when you took Kala from me, it was because you were scared an AI would hurt me. But you loved me enough to give her a chance. But after what happened with you and Nyryntha… well, it was my time to repay you. I wanted my home back in full. Maybe… maybe you can understand why I… why I'm staying here," he said. My arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. Gideon clung on.
"I understand," I said, voice weak with bubbled emotions. "Thank you for telling me,"
"I had to. You deserved to know," he said. My eyes squeezed shut, burying my eyes into the top of his head.
"Do you want to go back to you old name?" I asked.
"Why? It's a stupid name. This is my home, my new life. You'd have to tear my name out of my cold dead hands," he said. A tremble ran down my back.
"I don't have words to describe how proud of you I am," I said.
"Really?" Gid asked.
"Really. I'm so proud I'll take you to the training grounds next time I'm there. We'll see how your arm is with Incinerates," I said.
But your aim sucks," he mumbled. A growl rumbled in my chest, growing louder as he peeked up with a grin on his face.
"You're getting a smacked bottom in a second," I threatened. Gideon laughed, scurrying away. The back of my hand rubbed over my eyes. "And my aim is better than yours,"
"Is not," he said, scrubbing the last of his tears off his face.
"Fine, if you beat me in training, I'll get you that new computer hardware you're eyeing up. Lose and you have to clean all the guns on the Starquake," I said. Gideon frowned, weighing his options.
"Deal," he said.
"Good. Now I need to go have a word with the Council. I'll be home soon," I said.
"Wait, you're going out? You're not calling them?" he asked.
"I need to see them in person about this. Don't worry, I'm only going to the embassy and back," I said. Gideon shuffled.
"is anyone going with you?" he asked.
"Gid, I'll be fine. Anything happens, I'll call. Here, you can even keep an eye on Mat'al's tracker," I said, opening my omni-tool.
"You know about that?" Gideon asked.
"It's Mat'al, of course he's bugged me," I said, scowling at a wall. Gideon's shoulders didn't relax. "I'm a big girl, Gideon," I grumbled.
"Take Kala," he said.
"Gideon-" I said.
"Please," he begged. My eyes closed, dragging a calming breath in.
"Fine. I'll bring Kala," I sighed. Gideon sagged. "No idea why you are being so insistent,"
"I… I just want to make sure. After everything we did to bring you back, I don't want to risk a Saboteur jumping you," he said.
"And here I thought Val was my shadow," I scolded, but Kala trotted to my heel.
"May I intercept your ear piece, Captain? It will be easier to communicate should it be necessary," Kala said.
"You can. I'll be home soon," I said, exiting the room with Kala trotting beside me. Val passed me, shoving something in my pocket. A frown creased my brow, dropping my hand to the weight. My fingers recognised the Paladin. My eyes flew up. "Oh for God sake,"
"You can never be too careful," he said.
"You both are as bad as each other," I rumbled, grabbing the formal Captain's jacket from the cupboard and throwing it over my shoulders. It wasn't in Starquake colours, but I didn't own a formal uniform in purple, so Julian let me have the old jacket I used to wear on the Constellation with Captain stripes on them. It was better than nothing. I didn't have time to change into my normal uniform, so they got the jeans and somewhat formal jacket smothering the t-shirt underneath. What would they do, fire me?
The halls of the apartment block overlooked the Stella Ward, a wealthy, popular spot on Arm 4 with an outstanding safety record. It was the main reason Julian let me rent this one. Gideon's school was 5 minutes away by sky car, a huge shopping area was 10 minutes away by foot and the area boasted a park, rare on a space station. On the 57th floor, we got an unspoilt view from above, although being so high made me queasy. The elevator down was clean and sleek, decorative mirrors on three sides as it dropped me to street level. Once outside, the wave of sound that crashed into me made me long for the thick glass walls again. The evening commute and Friday night combination turned this quiet, safe area into any other quarter of the Citadel. A train wreck of vehicles. One look up and another towards the queue of people at the skycar park drove me towards the Presidium on foot. It wasn't far, a 20 minute walk but it forced me to drop a message to the Council to say there could be a delay due to traffic.
The walk didn't ease the nerves running through my body, at the thought of the Council preparing to off my brother just to suit their own needs. Few people questioned the FENRIS mech walking by my side, many people here had personal mechs themselves. At the end of Stella Ward, a series of stairs and elevators took you to where you needed to go. Judging by the queues, it was stair time. The stairs curled downwards, holographic advertisements on every wall. None of it interested me. The Presidium burst out in full, darkened as the fake sky above us faded to allow the natural starlight to flood the doughnut. White beams of light poured down from buildings to keep the streets lit, but C-Sec officers wandered this sector. Twice they stopped me, twice they wanted the Paladin and twice they sweated under the Council permit. Word must've gotten around after that. But the embassy was soon upon me. Kala and I weaved through the maze like building to reach the Councillor's Embassy rooms in the back, the butterflies in my stomach twisting harder. My shoulders rolled back outside the door to Councillor Tevos' room, knocking seconds later. The door parted, the four Councillors seated in chairs to the left, a coffee table between them. The four were halfway on their feet when Kala and I crossed the threshold. Kala sat like a good mech while my fingers touched my forehead.
"Councillors. I apologise for the late calling," I said. Tevos looked me up and down, a brow raising. "Problem?"
"Just rolled out of bed?" Udina asked.
"My family required my attention, by the time that finished, I had to run to get here in time," I said, fighting my teeth to stop them grinding.
"We are both pleased and disappointed, Captain," Tevos said. "You look well, which eases any concerns I have for your wellbeing, however you have been on the Citadel for months without contact,"
"I've been getting back into shape, Councillor. Rakhana… left a mark," I said.
"We read the reports. This 'Behemoth' will cause problems. How many do you think they have?" Sparatus asked.
"I don't know. I don't think it would be fair to even guess, I'll understate the number," I said. "But I'm not here about Rakhana," My datapad slipped out of my pocket, tossing the offending machine until it landed on the coffee table between them. The four Councillors stared down at it. "I want an explanation,"
"About this? Was it not clear?" Valern asked.
"I have concerns," I said. "I shouldn't even be a captain with my experience, yet you want to raise me to the mantle of Admiral. And I have sneaking suspicions it has less to do about furthering my training for the future and more about bringing a certain entity under your control that has otherwise caused you problems," I said, tone dropping with every word. The Councillors blinked once, sharing a long look between all of them. "You want him dead,"
"Look at it from our perspective, Shaik," Tevos said.
"Absolutely fucking not. There is no perspective I can look at which will make me agree to this shite," I snarled, teeth bared. "You have no idea what you are doing,"
"What we know is this fleet is becoming more dangerous with each passing week," Udina said. "4 new ships have joined this fleet and we have no way to control it,"
"And you can control the Blue Suns? The Blood Pack?" I asked.
"Mercenary groups are one thing, we can estimate what their intentions are. This fleet, we cannot. The largest ship in the galaxy, an Admiral unafraid of going toe-to-toe with Spectres, we haven't been able to track how he funds himself or how far his net of influence goes. If he turns against us-"
"The fastest way to turn him against you is to fuck with him," I said. "And if you fuck with him, you're fucking with me," The Council fell still, considering my words.
"What do you mean, Captain?" Valern asked.
"I'll put this simply. Kill him and any loyalty I had to you dies with him. I'll fight the goddam Reapers and when we win the war, then you'll have to deal with another rogue entity. Only this one will have a burning hatred for you," I said, brows snapped down over my eyes. Silence stretched, the four people before me weighing my words as either a bluff or a warning. I couldn't threaten to surrender to my Reaper now, but I still had power.
"Shaik, you have to understand-" Sparatus said.
"You are not killing him," I seethed, words forced through grit teeth.
"He could use you against us without you realising. Trying to squirm his way into your bed and manipulate-" Udina snapped.
"You are not murdering my fucking brother!" I thundered, lungs straining. A heavy silence fell, my words crashing down on my shoulders a heartbeat after they tumbled free. The Council twitched, frozen in place.
"…Brother?" Tevos asked.
My mind went Chernobyl. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit! My frantic mind fought for a solution, a way out. There was only one. The door was only half open when my body threw itself through, legs powering down hall. The Council cried my name, Sparatus getting as far as getting out the door before realising I was gone. Kala sprinted behind me, four legs faster than two despite my best attempts. The stairs vanished under me, my legs threatening to keel over multiple times. The open air of the Presidium vanished as I aimed for the nearest set of stairs going anywhere. Stairs rushed past two at a time, bursting out into a packed street. A wave of noise smashing my eardrums slammed my anchors on, Kala jumped around me to save us both from her crashing into me. The area didn't look familiar, but the noise and volume of people was enough to blend in. The jacket slid off my shoulders, tying the sleeves around my waist before pressing deeper into crowd. Kala pressed herself against me, her cameras unable to peer through the countless legs as we weaved through lights and sound. About 15 minutes down the long street, my eyes fell on a bar down a side street. Well, it was a good place to hide and drink myself stupid without Mat'al and Val to stop me.
Inside, lights and a bounding base deafened me, weaving around a thong of people huddled in groups. The four tiered room was airy and open, even if the crowds threatened to ruin that. The darkness and neon lights made it hard to see how big the damn place was, but it felt massive. Out of the 3 bars in this place, the one near the back was quieter, most people congregating around the dance floor. An asari behind the bar slid a tall glass to a salarian before noticing me heaving myself onto a stool. She strode over, wiping down the counter as she moved.
"What can I get you?" she asked.
"Vodka and coke if you have any," I said. Kala chirped beside me, leaping up to put her paws on my shoulder. A scowl formed on my face. My ear piece rang.
"XO Autillin said you are not allowed to drink without supervision, Captain," she said. My frown deepened, an angry breath burning my nose.
"Just a coke, no alcohol," I said, rubbing my eyes.
"Sure, just keep the mech under control," she said.
"It's fine. Just an assistance mech… that my boyfriend programmed to stop me drinking," I grumbled.
The asari laughed, cracking open a glass bottle and slid that and a glass into my waiting hands. Kala sat by my heel, already broadcasting my position to Gideon no doubt. It didn't matter. The cold coke failed to cool the sense of failure burning in my stomach. After banging on about keeping Julian's relationship to me a secret from the Council, my mind deemed me an exception to the rule. Maybe it was the passion, the Shaik desire to put family first that drove me to that point. Emotions stole common sense. Who could blame me, I saw it in Julian's eyes. He wouldn't make it out of this war alive. He'd lose his fight to Palalrian long before. And he'd be one of the first targets for the Reapers. He wouldn't be with me when I would need him the most and that single thought… my stomach churned. My hand scrubbed my face, heaving a sigh. People hated Julian, part of me did too, but… how many times had he been stabbed in the back, had I been stabbed in the back just to get to him? He had no more trust left to give, it showed and he was hard to get to open up. He seemed more relaxed now, knowing I was Reaper free. Maybe he could live a little now… before the end. Dammit, now I wanted alcohol.
Well, well, well, what do we have here," I voice drawled. A frown dropped my lips, eyes lifting to an unknown human sauntering over, a beer in hand. My eyes rolled, Kala beeping. The russet brown male leaned on the bar beside me, so full of swagger it rolled my already toiled stomach. "Ladies shouldn't have to drink alone,"
"Show me these ladies and I'll decide that for myself," I said, seeking an escape to enjoy my drink in peace. The man laughed.
"Aw c'mon, girl. You're putting yourself down for no reason. I've got a table over in the corner there. Have a few drinks, talk a little, see where the night takes us?" he said.
"I have a son waiting for me at home. I'm not red lighting on my duties," I said. The man's face fell.
"A son? Oh a… a young thing then?" he said, shuffling as he pondered an escape. A smile lifted my lips.
"A 14 year old son armed with a 60-calibre sniper rifle which liquefies everything it hits. And my biotic boyfriend with the nastiest protective streak in the world," I said. My brows dropped, noting the man sweating. "Now, unless you want to be strung up where my frigate can obliterate you, I suggest you move on," The man blinked, noting the invitation to leave. He grabbed his glass and fled for his life. A snort sounded as the asari smirked, moving off to serve another customer.
10 minutes passed, the drink finished and my mood did not improve. It was time to move on. Kala walked by my heel, head scanning the bustling crowds and the night life burst into full swing. I should head home, to stop Gideon from freaking out but my head wasn't in it. My head shook, weaving through the crowds before turning around to return back to Stella Ward. It was a safe area, even at night, so walking there wouldn't be a hassle. And I still had to see this famous park they boasted. It wouldn't beat a real one, somehow, but it was better than nothing. Since I had no idea where I was, I decided the long queue for the skycar was worth it, just in case. 20 minutes of waiting later, we got one, Kala sitting in the passenger seat as the car took over and whisked us away into the sky. The Citadel was glowing with light, the sights from above highlighting the swarms of people going about their night, oblivious to the incoming threat. My hand rubbed my eyes, losing myself in the dancing lights.
Back in Stella Ward, the crowd was thin in this sector, most people congregating towards the bars and clubs. Around one more set of buildings, the park opened. Well, at least it had real trees for once. Although the electronic bird chirping sounded off at night. My head shook, shuffling down the neat, paved paths as leaves rustled overhead. My battered emotions swam and swell, hands shoving themselves into my pockets. What to do… the Council had to know my outburst wasn't a lie, but what would they do with this information? Would they connect my 'friendly Saboteur' and Julian together? They had to, they weren't that stupid. There is no way my brother would survive without being a Saboteur himself, and after he first found us after the Alea mission, he gave us a bunch of data the Council drooled over. No, they'd connect the dots. But would that save him or doom him? With Nyryntha no longer bothering me, the Council relaxed since the risk of me turning without warning now dropped to zero but they wouldn't like someone like Julian around as a Saboteur. He was a loose cannon with far bigger teeth than I did when they pulled me under control. God, what to do?
"Pleasant day for a walk," a voice said. My thoughts snapped awake, spinning to face a dark blue salarian walk beside me. A crease ran across my brow.
"Sure. Sorry, I need to go," I said, pushing on.
"Oh? But I have a message for you," the salarian said. Concern bubbled, head drifting over my shoulder.
"A message? From who?" I asked. The salarian smiled.
"It will be obvious from who," he said. A hot breath rushed over my drying tongue.
"Fine, what's the message?" I asked.
"We hope you enjoyed the fireworks," he said. Fireworks? What was he…? Every muscle froze, expression dropping. "The prelude is complete, it's show time," he drew a Predator, barrel pointed at my head while my head reeled. A robotic snarl jarred me, Kala leaping at the salarian, knocking him over as the bullet skimmed past me. It snapped my mind back into action, the Paladin popping free. Kala leapt back as the salarian snarled, foam leaking around his mouth. A single bullet put it down, the creature falling still on the neat path. My heart thundered in my chest, staggering back. What the fuck?!
"What… the hell just happened?" I asked. Kala beeped, creeping around the fallen body. "Was… was that an indoctrinated servant?"
"Possibly. He mentioned fireworks, was that in reference to the previous Saboteur?" Kala asked. My head nodded. "The prelude is complete…" she said. Before she got much further, my omni-tool burst to life, an incoming call startling my already wrecked nerves. What… Val? God what was going on? My thumb hit answer, Val's face blinking on the screen.
"Val, what's going-" I asked.
"You got to get back, Dell! I've already called the crew," Val snapped, throwing something across the room. Gideon grunted seconds later in the background.
"Val, what's-" I started to snap.
"The Reapers just hit Earth. They're here," he said. My blood turned cold, eyes raising to the fallen salarian. Oh… shit.
"Move, Kala!" I ordered, sprinting over the forgotten corpse. It was time. The war had begun.
The Timeline and Galaxy Map have been update for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.
A/N: And this is the final chapter for Renaissance! Book 4 is now complete, so it is once again time for me to disappear into the void while I get all the editing sorted (finally) and start writing up the next book. Unlike the previous times, there is no ETA for the release of this next (and final-ish) book because of personal problems I'm having. However, as with every new book, my profile has been updated with the title of the new book, the blurb and a link to the poster!
I've also added some new pieces of art to the profile for those who don't drop in on my DeviantART account.
Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for the support, especially now with my... uh... problems in life giving me grief. You've all ben so patient with me when releasing chapters and I really appreciate it.
If you want to be alerted to when Attrition is released, follow this story, I'll be adding it as the next chapter when it's done/started! You can also check out my profile, I'll try to keep it up to date!
I look forward to meeting you all again in Book 5, Starquake: Attrition!