Chapter 17 - Extradition

Amelia
June 28th, 2188

I woke with a start, squinting at the light pouring through the windows. Next to me, Garrus's side of the bed was empty and cold. Blinking the confusion from my eyes, I looked at the time, seeing that it was late morning, several hours past when I usually woke up. Dazed, I got up, grabbed my robe from the hanger, and slipped it on.

As I descended the stairs, the smell of scrambled eggs with cheese hit my nostrils. As I made my way into the kitchen, I saw Garrus sitting at the dining table feeding tiny bits of egg to Gaius and Octavia.

"Good morning." Garrus said, turning his attention from the children, "How did you sleep?" Without looking, he grabbed another piece of egg and lowered it to Gaius. "Ow!" Garrus exclaimed as Gaius bit the tip of his thumb, causing me to crack a wide smile.

"I slept great. Did you turn off my alarm?" I asked, planting a kiss on the side of his mandible. Turning my attention to Gaius, I leaned over the small carrier he was lying in and tickled his stomach, causing him to flail his arms and legs wildly, giggling. I repeated it with Octavia, getting a similar reaction.

"Good," Garrus said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and nipping my ear from behind, "You deserved it."

Aeova T'karos
June 29th, 2188

I sat in an interrogation room inside the Nos Astra police station, chained to the table. I sighed, resting my forehead on my arms, resigning myself to my fate. I was told that I was being extradited to Palaven to be prosecuted for the assassination attempt, but I knew the score. I'd be interrogated until I gave up the identity of my employer, something I had yet to do while imprisoned on Illium.

The door across the room opened, making me raise my head to see Detective Anaya escorting Tevos into the room. "Ma'am," The detective said to Tevos before moving to stand at attention at the door.

"Thank you, Detective Anaya. If you would please excuse us. Oh, and please turn off any cameras or audio recording equipment."

"But…" Anaya began to protest but was cut off by Tevos.

"That will be all, Detective, thank you," Tevos said firmly while still keeping a sickly sweet note in her voice and a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Anaya said, turning and leaving the room without another word. Soon after, the small red light under the camera in the room blinked out, signaling that her order was complied with.

Tevos turned towards me, pulling out the metal chair opposite her, sitting down with an air of agelessness, grace, and superiority. "I trust you were told what is happening?" Tevos questioned.

"Yes,"

"I trust that you haven't told anyone about our arrangement?"

"Of course not!"

"Then how did the turians find out!?" Tevos nearly yelled, keeping her anger on the razor's edge.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, tears threatening to escape my eyes, sitting just on the verge.

"You must never speak a word! The Hierarchy finding out would mean war, and they could crush us. It would be the end of the Asari Republics, the end of our entire race! Do you understand me?"

I put her head back down onto my arms, shoulders shaking with a sob as I muffledly replied, "I understand…. "

"Oh, child, I am so sorry it came to this." Tevos's sickly sweet voice returned before I heard the Matriarch stand and leave the room without another word. When I lifted my head, a small, blue pill was sitting on the table in front of me. I went gaunt, knowing exactly what it was.

Garrus

"Hey, Li," I answered, flicking up my wrist to answer the comm call, "What's up?" I switched Gaius to my opposite shoulder, making it easier to hold the screen up to my face. Not perturbed by the move, Gaius began gnawing on that shoulder instead.

Liara cracked a small smile at the infant boy, but her face returned to a neutral expression soon after. "Garrus, do you have a team on Illium to escort the assassins back to Palaven?"

"Yes," I had learned long ago not to question where Liara got her information but just to accept it as fact. Regardless, my mandibles involuntarily pulled in as she told me.

"Warn them that something might happen at the pickup,"

"Why… what… Liara, what happened?"

"One of my informants told me that Tevos visited the prisoners earlier and that she requested all video and audio recordings to be turned off. Be careful, Garrus. Something doesn't feel right to me."

I sighed, taking a moment to gather himself before replying, "Thanks, Li. I'll let them know."

The asari's warm smile returned to her face now, "Of course. Give my love to Ame and the kids." Liara's smile brightened considerably as she focused on the child resting on my shoulder, "Bye, Gaius!" She said, waving a little.

I smirked, closing the comm channel as Amelia walked into the room. She smiled over at me, "Was that Liara? What did she want?" She reached her hands out, taking Gaius from me and rocking the flailing baby in her arms, trying to calm him down for nap time.

My somber face sapped the smile from Amelia, "What's wrong?"

"Liara told me Tevos visited the assassins this morning and requested to speak with them with no audio or video recording."

Amelia dawned a puzzled look, her eyebrows knitting together in a way I always found endearing, "I need to call the team, warn them that something might happen."

Amelia gave me an affectionate smile, "Ok, tell me if you need anything."

Tribune Sertius Malnion

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir. We'll keep our eyes open. Thank you, Primarch." I said into my comm, "Look alive; there may be a complication."

I looked at the two asari being led out to us, heads down and shuffling across the landing pad. Each wore a set of biotic dampeners on their chained wrists, preventing any possibility of escape. As we waited, I scanned the surrounding buildings, looking for any sign of trouble, but I did not see anything.

A few moments later, the two asari officers led Aeova and Kaora up to the waiting shuttle, ushering them inside without issue. I stepped inside behind them, sitting the prisoners down and securing them in place, taking a moment to glare at Aeova. I looked deep into her eyes, seeing no defiance in the globes, only acceptance, and sadness.

Aeova

I looked at Kaora, trying to drink in some of the confidence from my partner. Kaora looked so serene in her decision to take the pill. She was a true patriot, species over self, and not a doubt in the process.

Kaora reached into her pocket, grabbing the pill and concealing it in the palm of her hand. I followed suit, albeit with a far less steady hand. I watched Kaora slip the pill inside her mouth as Sertius looked down at his omnitool, hesitating for a moment.

The poison acted quickly, causing Kaora to shake violently, white foam and saliva billowing from her open mouth, making the chains around her wrists clang enough to attract Sertius's attention.

I steeled myself and slipped the pill into my mouth, attempting to bite down to activate it, but I found a turian hand stuck in my mouth, preventing me from biting. The surprisingly deft hand plucked the small blue pill out of my mouth and threw it to the floor.

A look of horror filled my eyes as I realized what my moment of hesitation had done.

Sertius

As Aeova tried to bite down on the suicide pill, I shoved my hand into the asari's mouth, grabbing the tablet and tossing it to the ground. There was a moment of calm as we processed what happened, and I watched as fear bloomed in her eyes, fear of what was ahead, fear of what we'd do to her. Aeova started to sob, slumping down on herself, seemingly impossibly small in front of me.

I opened my omnitool, sending a voice message to the Primarch. "Sir, whoever gave you your intel was correct. Both of the prisoners attempted suicide by some sort of pill. One is dead, but I was able to stop the other. We'll be back in Cipritine within the day."

-0-

June 30th, 2188

After escorting Aeova to Cipritine General for a checkup to ensure the poison had no effect, I made my way to the Hierarchy Tower. As I arrived at the Primarch's office, I was greeted by an attractive young turian woman sitting behind a desk.

"Good afternoon, Tribune Malnion here to see the Primarch."

"Hello, Tribune. If you could wait a moment, the Primarch is in a meeting. Can I get you anything? Water? Kava?"

I sat down, saying, "I'll have some kava, please." I watched as Sentia smiled at me before turning and walking down the hall. I was so mesmerized watching her hips sway as she retreated that I didn't hear the door to the Primarch's office open.

"Ha!" The laugh pulled me out of my trance. I looked up to see the towering form of Adrien Victus standing next to me, "Good eye, son." Victus laughed again, clapping me on the shoulder.

"General Victus, how have you been?" I asked, offering an enthusiastic wrist clap to the aging general, who accepted the gesture.

"I've been good, I've been good, how about you?"

Attracted by the laughing, the Primarch stuck his head out of the office to see what was happening. "Tribune Sertius? I'm Garrus Vakarian." He offered a wrist clap to me now, who returned it, surprised to be welcomed so warmly by the Primarch. A moment later, Sentia returned, carrying a cup of kava for me. I accepted it with a thank you.

"Would you like anything, General Victus? Primarch?"

"I would like to take you out to dinner," Victus said without hesitation, half-jokingly. Sertius watched as the telltale blue flush along her neck and crest, clearly showing her embarrassment, but she had a smile on her face, "I'm teasing."

"Get out of here, you old flirt," Garrus said, pushing Victus toward the elevator before turning back to his secretary, "Don't mind him, Sentia. I don't need anything right now, thank you." Now Garrus turned his attention back toward Sertius, "Come on, let's go to my office."

Garrus

I sat behind my desk, gesturing at the chair opposite me for Sertius to sit. "So, what happened after the pickup?"

"Someone gave the prisoners suicide pills. Cyanide, the doctors told me," Sertius answered simply. No elaboration, no fluff, just the facts. It was refreshing. I laughed, causing Sertius's blow plates to scrunch together in confusion.

"No, no, it's nothing. It is just really refreshing to have a direct answer. You have no idea how annoying it is to dance around with politicians all day." I answered, responding to the unasked question. "Anyways," I continued, my face becoming somber again, "I know exactly who gave the asari the pills. It's not good."

-0-

"Aeova T'karos," I said, entering the interrogation room. The asari sat up with a jolt, recognizing who I was based on voice alone.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

I smiled, "Oh, you misunderstand. I know everything I need to know. I just want the details. Providing them for me will only make your own life easier. If you don't, your life will become very difficult. You will be tried, and you will spend the rest of your life in a cell."

Aeova scoffed at me, but I continued unphased, "We know Tevos gave you the suicide pill, and for some reason, you hesitated. We know your partner was a true believer, and you were just there to help a friend. Fill in the blanks for us, and save your species from a war."

"How do you know all of this?" Aeova asked, taken entirely off guard by my knowledge.

"The same way we knew who you were and where to find you." I said, walking towards the door, "I'll let you think on it."

-0-

"Primarch Vakarian!" Jason Stone greeted warmly as he answered the comm call. "How are you? How is Ame? How are the kids? Belated congratulations on that, by the way."

"Everyone is doing well, thank you for asking. How are you?" I replied.

"I'm doing fine. No ill effects from the assassination attempt?"

"Just a few aches and pains, nothing new for a soldier, but you know that," I answer, extracting a broad smile from the human. "That is why I am calling, however." Stone raised his eyebrow but didn't speak, so I continued, "I just sent you the file of the confession of one of the assassins. She implicated Tevos as the mastermind. I need to know if I have your support in this. I fear this may become a war."

Jason blinked the shock out of his eyes, "My God…, I believe you, Garrus, but I know my advisors will want the video authenticated. If what you say is true, you have the Alliance's support."