Chapter 6

"So you didn't get anything coherent?" Liara asked Shepard as they all sat in a circle in the debreifing room.

"No, Dr. T'soni. Just flashes of gore, violence and screaming." Shepard said.

"That's troubling, but we have bigger fish to fry. The council needs to know about Saren's betrayal." Anderson said.

"Agreed, the evidence on that recording cube is pretty damning." Shepard said.

"It's fortunate he used a Turian recording device, the council will be less likely question its authenticity." Harry observed.

"It's a damn shame about Nihlus. I barely talked to him but he seemed like a decent guy." Kaidan Alenko said.

"I reached out to the Turian Embassy and bizarrely the Primarch himself contacted me. He's not pleased with what happened. I suspect one of his representatives will be there, along with a detail to pick up his body." Harry said.

"I have an honor guard on standby at the docking bay for when we arrive. I have no idea how Turians treat their dead but so long as he is in our care, he will be treated with full military honor." Anderson said.

They discussed the particulars of the mission before breaking off to prepare to dock. They all got into their dress blues and when the hatch opened they filed out in line as six members of the crew carried a casket containing Nihlus' body down the gang plank. A group of Turian soldiers stood watching in amazement at the reverence the Alliance showed their fallen soldier. The six carrying the casket laid it down carefully on the transport platform the Turians had brought and saluted before turning on their heels and marching back into the ship.

"Captain Anderson?" An important looking Turian asked, as he walked up to Anderson.

"Yes sir." Anderson said saluting him.

"At ease, Captain. I am Primarch Fedorian, leader of the Turian Hierarchy. I wish to express the appreciation of our people of your respectful treatment of his body." Fedorian said.

"It was the least we could do sir. We didn't get much of a chance to know him, but he was a damn good soldier and was becoming a valued member of our team. We gave him Human military honors, we didn't know what you do in these situations." Anderson explained.

"Nihlus will be returned to Palaven for a sky burial, as is our custom. My men will take him from here. I was hoping to have a conversation with you and your ground team about the incident." Fedorian said.

"Of course. We can speak in the Human Embassy, we need to be there to prepare for our meeting with the Council later." Anderson said. Fedorian frowned but didn't otherwise react, allowing the humans to lead him to their Embassy. They were met there by an over-enthusiastic Donell Udina, Earth's provisional ambassador while a more permanent candidate was being selected.

"That'll be all, Captain, you and your crew may return to the Normandy to prepare for the Council." Udina said.

"If it's all the same, Ambassador, I was hoping to speak to the ground crew about the incident directly." Fedorian said

"Primarch Fedorian, everything will come out during their meeting with the council..." Udina insisted.

"Udina. Leave. Now." Harry said, stepping out from behind Fedorian. Udina paled and made his excuses before leaving the room.

"What was that all about?" Anderson asked.

"I recently released a significant amount of Helium 3 from the reserves of a mining syndicate I own to the Quarian Migrant Fleet, and he... objected." Harry said

-Flashback-

"Potter, what is the meaning of this? You just handed over three million gallons of fuel to the Quarian Migrant Fleet without running it through the official channels!" Udina asked, after having tracked down Harry's extranet address.

"I beg your pardon, to whom am I speaking?" Harry asked. Udina thrust out his chest and adopted an air of superiority.

"I am Donnell Udina, the Alliance ambassador to the Council." Udina said.

"No you're the interim ambassador until they choose someone competent. That fuel was the property of the Dogstar fuel corporation, one of the many companies I own. This was a personal transaction, not a drop was taken from the Alliance reserves. Why are you even asking about that? You are a diplomat." Harry said sternly.

"I make it my business when relations with the other races are affected negatively by Alliance citizens." Udina said

"I doubt the Quarians would receive a gift of three million gallons of fuel to keep their people fed and warm would be viewed under a negative light." Harry said, taking a sip from a steaming mug. He looked over at his passenger, Liara and winked.

"Of course those beggars and thieves wouldn't see it as a negative, they're in exile for a reason, Potter. The Turians, Asari and Salarians might have a thing or two to say about our lending aid to them." Udina said. Harry's expression went blank and he handed his mug to Liara.

"Would you kindly hold that for me, Dr. T'soni?" Harry asked. She nodded and took the cup from his hand. Harry turned his attention back to Udina

"First, it was mine to give. Neither you nor the Alliance government have any legal right to stop me from donating my personal assets to anyone that we are not currently at war with. Secondly, they are not in exile, they are homeless and struggling, but every credit they make is earned through hard work. They may be forced to beg from time to time, much like our own ancestors have, but they are most certainly not thieves. Third, you have no reason to be monitoring my personal transactions, but since you have why don't we take a look at the financial history of one Donell Udina..." Harry said. Udina paled.

"You have no right!" Udina insisted. Harry chuckled and punched in some commands on his omnitool.

"Let's see... $2000 credits to Sha'ira, which was refunded a few weeks later, more than ten thousand credits in dozens of transactions at Chora's Den.. 250 credits towards Dubtech labs, a company known almost exclusively for erectile dysfunction medications..." Harry said

"Enough! How dare you!" Udina said.

"Listen you obnoxious little pissant, I've been fighting against and beating ignorant politicians like you since before your grandparents were born, grandparents whose family descended from Irish Travelers no less, another group people used to assume to be 'thieves and beggars'. If you think for a second I will sit here and let some greasy little shit speak down to me for offering assistance to people in need you most certainly don't know what I'm about. If you even think about trying to obstruct my actions in this matter, I'll have you shoveling shit in a Batarian army barracks before week's end, do you understand me?" Harry said.

"You're bluffing, not even the legendary Harry Potter could do..." Udina said but was cut off when notifications began appearing on his screen. Some were from angry superiors demanding explanations, and one was from his wife. He paled and killed the connection.

-End Flashback-

"So you blackmailed your own ambassador?" Fedorian asked after he stopped laughing.

"It's not really blackmail if you follow through before you finish blackmailing him. Besides that shit I uncovered wasn't even the worst of it." Harry said, bringing up a document on his omnitool. On it showed a number of outbound transactions, most of which Harry had explained during the call with Udina but two of them raised very red flags.

"I don't need to tell you that this doesn't leave this room. In your case, Primarch, I ask for your discretion." Harry said higlighting two large deposits of 25000 credits from one "Harper Cybernetics."

"Oh my god..." Jane said, covering her mouth in shock.

"I don't understand.." Fedorian said.

"Harper Cybernetics is a front for an organization called Cerberus. They're human supremacists who have a history of involuntary biotics experiments on children.