Chapter 21
Outside Lirelia Police Department – Nos Astra – Illium
"Thank god we weren't in there for long," said Jack as they exited the police station and headed towards the pouting volus.
"Not a fan of police, Jack? I'm shocked…" said Garrus playfully.
"Nah. Fuck 'em," growled the young biotic.
"What's your problem with law enforcement?" asked Ralixia with a stern glare.
Jack snorted at the turian woman. "In my entire life I've seen every kind of abuse there is from every kind of person. And the police are just legal abusers," snapped the biotic with a glare of her own. Then she shoved Garrus playfully. "'Cept this guy. He's cool cuz he quit."
"You're a wanted criminal in half of the Terminus Systems and ALL of Citadel Space. It doesn't surprise me you'd be mad at the law for not letting you do what you want," griped the legate disdainfully.
"I do what I want anyway, the cops don't have any say in it," said Jack with a shrug. "Wasn't even the cops who caught me last time. Some sniper mercenary took me down with a tranquilizer that knocked me senseless," she said as she flexed her neck. She then smirked. "What's the matter? Getting all pouty because I insulted the family business?"
Ralixia turned to her threateningly before Shepard stopped in place. Garrus wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but her stopping walking was more threatening than most people could hope to be. And it looked like the woman took the meaning and turned away from Jack.
"Shepard is an officer of the Citadel branch of government. You don't have a problem with her?" asked Ralixia, no doubt biting her tongue on what she really wanted to say.
"Shepard?" asked Jack as she looked up towards the spectre. "Shepard isn't a cop. She's… she's just Shepard."
"What?" asked Ralixia incredulously.
"Look, snowcone, you won't get it until you're on the team for a while. I haven't even been on that long but even I'm sold," said the convict with a shrug. "The more time you spend around her, the more you respect her. And the more you respect her, the more you like her. It's like some unwritten law of physics."
Garrus chuckled. "Actually, sounds like indoctrination. Shepard, let me check and make sure you aren't Sovereign in a mask."
Shepard let out a half-amused sigh as they finally reached the bench where the volus was sitting. Immediately, the krogan guards stepped up to them. "The hells you four want?"
"I'm a spectre here to get answers. I'm not here to hurt or arrest anyone so do me a favor and just step aside," growled Shepard as she eyed the pair.
Ralixia was slowly reaching for her weapon, but Garrus reached over and grabbed her wrist before she could. The guards turned to the volus curiously. "Let her through…" ordered the short figure as he looked up at them."
Shepard stepped up to the volus. "You're Pitne For?"
"That'd be me, yes," said the volus as he looked between them all. "So, what's the issue? If Wasea sent you to take me out, you'd do a better job from afar."
"I'm here to find out where the justicar is and get her out of here," said Shepard as she sat down on the bench next to him. "And I think it'd probably be in your best interest to tell me where I can find her."
"How do you… figure that?" asked the volus curiously as he looked over at her.
"Well, you have a dead partner in that vehicle over there from what I've been told," she said as she thoroughly inspected her armored gloves as if being nonchalant. "That means someone wants you dead. If it's the justicar that did it, you would really benefit from me getting her out of Nos Astra and off your tail. And if it's the Eclipse bosses who want you dead, then the justicar is going after them. And she'll stand a much better chance of taking them out with us at her back."
Pitne sat staring at her for a long moment before letting out a heavy breath. "I suppose you're right…" he said before finally waving to one of the krogan. The lumbering bodyguard handed over a datapad to the volus, allowing him to skim through the data. "It wasn't the justicar who killed Dakni Kur. The detective doesn't know this, but the justicar arrived after Dakni had… already been killed. Before Anaya got involved, the asari asked me for the locations of both of the Eclipse leaders."
Shepard got a ping on her omni-tool. She looked at it for a moment before turning back to him. "Continue."
"She went after the Yara earlier this morning… and I haven't seen her since," said the volus as he forwarded some information to her. "Here's the passcode to the Eclipse's building. It'll get you inside without setting off any alarms. But I don't imagine you'll be able to get far without… someone trying to stop you."
"Appreciated. And you're sure the justicar will be at this building?" asked Shepard curiously.
"I can't say for… certain. But you'll know if she is," he said shaking his head.
"So, one last question. Why did the Eclipse kill your partner?" asked Shepard with a hardened glare.
"I cannot say. They're not usually prone to hostility," he said as he looked straight ahead.
Shepard smirked at him knowingly. "Don't worry, I'll find out," she said before standing up.
"If you do… it would be profitable to come to me before… talking to the detective," said the volus solemnly.
Shepard just eyed him and walked off.
Transit Aircar – Nos Astra – Illium
"So, find anything interesting?" asked Shepard as she looked over at Garrus. He was currently examining the vids and photos from the crime scene that Detective Anaya had given her during their talk with the volus.
"Looks like Pitne For wasn't lying. The justicar are known for minimalism, whether with weapons, armor and even clothing. What did this to Dakni Kur was a modded shotgun, well out of what a justicar would be carrying," said the turian as he eyed the pictures. "The shred pattern of his suit suggests a tight burst, used more for punching power than crowd control."
"Well, she hasn't murdered anyone yet," said Jack as she leaned back in her seat. "At least… that we know of." Finally, the car began to land in front of the building, and they all stared in shock at it.
The car landed and they all got out to see the building. It wasn't huge, but it had multiple stories. All of the glass on the front side of the building was shattered, littering the street with shards that crunched beneath their feet. Shepard pulled her weapon off her back. "We don't know if everyone is dead. Keep your eyes peeled and don't get shot in the back."
As they entered the building, Garrus was surprised to see that most of the Eclipse inside weren't actually dead. They were all alive and breathing, but most of them wouldn't be happy when they gained consciousness. "She seems to focus on incapacitating them."
"Makes sense. The Justicar Code, Book of Death, The Law of Death makes killing an absolute last resort and only for those who are known to be endangering the lives of others," said Shepard as she looked at the gruesome scene.
Ralixia eyed her curiously. "Couldn't you interpret that as self-defense being a good excuse for killing?"
"Anyone who thinks philosophically might," said the spectre as she stepped over the twisted form of a salarian that had both of his arms broken. "But the Code is black and white and allows no room for interpretation. The Justicar is a dealer in justice. The Code makes their own life meaningless."
"Meaningless?" asked Jack in bewilderment.
"If your life holds value outside of being a justicar, then you might consider not dealing justice. A justicar will kill anyone, from a homeless wretch to a Citadel councilor. If you value your own life, then you might not deal justice to a tyrannical councilor because of the consequences. That's why the justicar are so few, because very few are willing to accept the consequences," said Shepard as she waved towards the stairs.
They all moved up with their weapons held high. But their guns refocused when they heard a whimper. "H-Help…"
A young asari wearing an Eclipse uniform reached up her hand towards them. Shepard looked up and noticed the asari's leg was crushed beneath a section of the concrete wall that had collapsed. They all stared at her momentarily. Garrus moved forward to aid the young woman, his knees bending to help with the concrete. It was then that the weapon she had lying next to her drew his eye.
Releasing the concrete slab, he grabbed the weapon and eyed it curiously. Shepard stepped up to him. "What is it?" asked the spectre curiously.
"This shotgun is modded. Same kind of mod that killed the volus," said the turian as he inspected the weapon. Opening his omni-tool, he scanned it. "Has her DNA all over it too. It's definitely hers."
Shepard looked down at the young woman who now had a look of anger on her previously pained face. "She isn't going to die for a few hours. We'll call Detective Anaya and get her up here with a medical bus."
"Human slime!" snapped the asari as she reached out with her biotics. But before she could even get a shot off, a round from Ralixia's weapon drilled directly between her eyes. Shepard turned to the turian woman as she raised her weapon. They looked at each other for a long moment before Shepard smirked and nodded.
"Let's keep moving. We'll leave the weapon here for Anaya to test later," said the spectre as she approached another set of stairs.
Garrus eyed the asari before following. "Why didn't she use her biotics to lift the concrete off of her?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow at him. "When you're in a crazy amount of pain like she was, you can't control your biotics. They just do all kinds of crazy shit. If she tried, she'd likely have collapsed the entire roof on her head instead of lifting the concrete."
"Well, didn't do her any good trying to attack with it either," he said as he shook his head. Suddenly, all of their heads spun as they heard gunfire from above.
Eclipse Compound – Nos Astra – Illium
When she finally reached the top floor, Shepard kicked the door open. Surprising herself, the door came completely off the wall and slammed to the floor. Looking up, she noticed two asari women standing amid a scattering of groaning bodies.
Both of the asari, one wearing a bright yellow Eclipse uniform and the other wearing what looked like red ceremonial armor and a crown, seemingly ignored the newcomers and focused on each other. "I'll give you one more chance to tell me where she went. Give me her location and I will be gone from here."
Shepard identified the asari in yellow as Yara, the second boss and sister of big boss Wasea. Waving to the others, she stepped inside. "Weapons down." The others filtered in after her, all of them watching curiously as the two woman spoke.
Yara looked over to Shepard and the others frantically. "And who the hell are you?"
Immediately her body was wrapped in biotics. She went rigid, her gun dropping from her hand as she flew directly in front of the justicar. "Focus, lieutenant. Your life hangs in the balance." Samara reached a hand forward and the woman catapulted against the far wall with agonizing force. She gasped painfully and Shepard even winced, knowing something had broken. "Where is she?"
"You… you think I'd betray her?" asked Yara through blood that began pouring from the corner of her mouth. "Do you know what she would do to me?"
"Do you know what I'm prepared to do to you?" asked Samara, her face as placid as a lake in winter.
"Rot in hell, justicar! I'll never-" started the woman, but she stopped speaking as Samara lifted her again with biotics.
"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess," said the older asari woman as she placed a hand upon the floating woman. The matriarch turned to Shepard as the redhead's eyes widened in horror. Yara, starting with where the justicar had touched her began to dissolve as if she were a sugar cube falling into water. She knew the justicar was powerful, but she had no idea that the woman could effortlessly warp someone at the molecular level and essentially turn them into smoke. Samara eyed Shepard curiously. "My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar Code. My quarrel is with the Eclipse here, but I see a group of well-armed and armored individuals before me," she said as she floated off the ground and hovered directly in front of Shepard. "Are we friend or foe?"
"I was under the impression that justicars don't kill unless other lives are in danger," said Shepard, her brow furrowing at the powerful presence before her.
"The Eclipse sisters here harbored a known threat to the galaxy and helped her get off world. They not only endangered the lives of everyone she came in contact with, but their hands will bear the blood of her future victims as well," said the asari woman as she landed gently before them. "And until I find this threat, I will hold each of them independently responsible for her escape."
"Looks like there's a lot more wiggle room in the Code than we thought," said Ralixia with a snort.
"Do you not kill your enemies?" asked Samara as she eyed the turian woman. "I follow my code to the letter and have rooted out justice in every corner of the galaxy. Those I kill are a danger to many. I doubt you have made the same assessments," snapped the justicar solemnly.
Shepard was still amazed that from the time they entered the room til now, she had yet to change her expression. She was truly dangerous if neither killing someone else nor being confronted bothered her. "Enough about the Code," said Shepard, getting the woman's attention. "My name is Jane Shepard, and I came here to talk to you."
Chills went up Shepard's spine as biotics began to rise off the woman again. "The Spectre known as Jane Shepard has been dead for years," said the asari as her eyes darkened. "I know this because I saw the wreckage of her ship. I saw the despair in the eyes of her crew." She raised a hand and immediately locked Shepard into a vice-like grip.
Garrus and Ralixia raised their weapons and Jack's own biotics flared, but Shepard stopped them. "Weapons down!" she ordered as her vision began to clear again as fear pumped adrenaline into her. The woman's near flawless skin on her face barely moved as she gave a small smile.
"I will search your mind for deception. If you are an imposter, you will die here along with your companions. If you are indeed who you claim to be, then you will come to no harm," she said as she stopped directly in front of the now floating Shepard.
"I don't really have a choice in this, do I?" asked Shepard with a sigh.
"Shepard is a powerful human with the capability of doing severe damage to the galaxy with only her influence. To allow a deceiver wielding that level of influence to live would be reckless to anyone, let alone a justicar," said the asari. "Are you ready?"
"Just get it over with," growled the spectre. Samara placed her hand on Shepard's head, making her flinch after watching the asari woman dissolve into ash from a similar touch. But instead of annihilation, she felt curiosity and intrigue. It took her a moment to realize that she was feeling Samara's own emotions through her touch. Opening her eyes, she looked up into the darkened gaze of the justicar.
"Are you Spectre Jane Shepard?" asked the asari authoritatively, her voice echoing in her mind.
"I am," said Shepard firmly. In moments she was rocketed back into her memories to when she was given spectre status by the Council, and then having her status restored after her death.
"Was your death staged?" came the voice again.
"No," said Shepard as she stopped struggling and allowed herself to float inside her own memories. Once again, she rocketed through her memories, past the static in her mind that still held secrets to her and found herself staring at the burning hull of the Normandy as the collectors sheered through it. Then she woke up on the table at Lazarus station and was told she had been meticulously rebuilt over the span of two years.
"You… are not lying. You are Shepard," said Samara in her otherworldly voice. Shepard's memories sharpened to her phone call to her father. Shepard found herself wondering why she had focused on this particular one. But she watched as she questioned her father about her biotics.
Within moments, she was released from the hold. Waving her arms around, she barely managed to keep from falling on her rear end. She let out a sigh and stared at Samara whose gaze was no longer dark. "Satisfied?"
"Rebuilt by Cerberus? To what end?" asked the justicar curiously.
"Why didn't you read my memory on that too?" asked the spectre as she flexed her limbs to get rid of the soreness that the tight hold had put on her.
"I needed to know I was talking to the real Shepard. Once I verified it was actually you, I dared not intrude further," said the justicar as her biotics vanished as if they never existed.
"Yeah… about that, why did you go to that last memory?" asked the spectre as she planted her hands on her hips.
"It shows that you're really you," said the justicar. "If Cerberus had created a clone, or if you were a brain mapping experiment, then they would not have known about your latent biotic abilities." Shepard's eyes widened at the claim. "Your father, Admiral Hackett, is a powerful man in the Alliance and even Cerberus wouldn't be able to dig up medical files that did not exist. So, if Cerberus had made a fake, you wouldn't have biotic abilities. Your father confirming you had them confirms you are the real Shepard."
She stood stunned for a long moment. It had never occurred to her that Cerberus wouldn't have been able to read her biotic medical status. Her father and mother didn't just file it under top secret where Cerberus could get their sticky fingers on it. They hadn't filed it at all, and instead gave her a bill of health as if she weren't a biotic. So, of course her having biotics, and her father confirming they had covered it up proved her to be real. She felt both a heavy weight lifting from her heart, and an enormous sense of irony. Of course something she never knew she had years ago would end up proving she was the real Shepard.
Sighing in relief, as if she had just shed a hundred kilos of weight from her shoulders, she smiled up at the justicar. "Well, now that the greeting is over, do you mind of I have a word?"
"You may have as many as you like," said the older woman elegantly. Though they just met, Shepard was beginning to see the small expressions on her face. It then hit her that Samara was likely experiencing some of the symptoms of petrification due to her age. Expressions might be more difficult than she realized.
"The collectors are harvesting human colonies. I don't know what they're using them for, but we've already linked them to the reapers," said the spectre as she sat down in one of the chairs that had survived the justicar's attack on the building.
"The reapers?" asked the asari curiously.
Shepard looked up at her, then looked over at Ralixia who was also staring at her quizzically. "Damn…." She groaned, realizing she now had to convince two people. "You remember the Battle for the Citadel two years ago?"
"I assure you, it's something I will never forget," said the justicar almost playfully.
"That ship that attacked the Citadel, Saren's Dreadnaught, Sovereign," she said as she brought up a holographic image of it on her omni-tool. "It wasn't just his ship. It was a lifeform itself, controlling both Saren and the geth in that battle."
"What?!" snapped Ralixia, almost offended at the implication.
"To what end?" asked the justicar as she tilted her head.
Garrus stepped forward this time, making sure to keep his eyes firmly on the turian woman. "Saren was indoctrinated by Sovereign. He was a tool that was used to seek out a prothean key to unlock a hidden relay within the Citadel."
Shepard nodded. "Once the relay opened, thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions… I don't know. But many, many more ships just as powerful as Sovereign would have come through and ended galactic existence as we know it. Me and my squad at the time stopped the relay from opening, and even used a prothean key to permanently disable the relay. But those ships, the reapers, are still out there. And when they find a way into the galaxy, they're going to harvest every single space-faring organic being they can find."
Ralixia stood in stunned silence as Samara nodded. "You believe the collectors are thralls to these reapers, and they are harvesting in their place?"
"I don't know if they're harvesting for the reapers or if they're doing something entirely different. But the fact is that on Horizon, we confirmed that the collectors are using reaper technology. They convert corpses into slaves and soldiers, they harvest entire worlds, and can even manipulate the relay network. Whatever the collectors are doing, I can guarantee they're working to bring the reapers back. And if they do, the fight we put up two years ago will be meaningless," said Shepard as she finally stood. "I need your help to stop the collectors and stop the reapers from returning."
Samara stayed silent for a long moment, staring at Shepard the entire time. "I will join you. But in return, I must ask two things." Shepard nodded. "The dangerous person I'm after must take priority over anything else. You must help me here to find out where she has gone. And when I have her location, you must help me eliminate her."
Shepard's brow arched momentarily. "That's… surprisingly simple."
"Were it simple, I would not have been chasing her for four hundred years," said the justicar solemnly. "She is dangerous, and she knows how to hide. I've never been closer to finding her than I am now. And if we have the chance to strike, then we must strike before she slithers away again and hides for another century."
"As long as there isn't a current and immediate threat to the galaxy that needs taken care of, then you have my word and full cooperation. Help me with the collectors, and I'll help you find your target," said the spectre with a sigh of relief. "So, where do I start?"
Eclipse Docking Compound – Nos Astra – Illium
"Why the hell are we doing this for her?" asked Ralixia in annoyance.
"What's the matter. Afraid to get your hands dirty?" asked Jack playfully as she secured her own helmet on. Shepard was always nervous about the biotic's armor being so thin, but it hadn't failed her yet.
"Because," snapped Shepard before Ralixia could snipe back. "Anaya would much rather a human spectre squad bust up the Eclipse than the justicar. If the justicar kills a human or turian without breaking some kind of Illium law or accord, then the government will slam the hammer down on the police for not apprehending her. But if a spectre does it, then it's annoying, but Illium isn't going to arrest a spectre and go to war with the Council over a few dead mercs." Finally, she turned to Ralixia and eyed her. "Besides, I need to see you in action if I'm going to classify you worthy of being a spectre. Just going off your personality you're already a failure."
The turian woman growled but didn't retort as Shepard turned their vehicle off. Garrus opened his omni-tool and began barking orders. "According to Pitne For the interior of the building is mostly a red sand smuggling operation. So, use your breathers in case the containers get caught in the crossfire."
"Got it," said Jack as she sealed her suits. Suddenly, two more vehicles landed behind them and Shepard turned towards the building.
The pair of them approached the front gate of the Eclipse compound when a turian soldier rushed forward to stop them. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm going to need to see some identi-" he began. But Shepard's knee rose into his stomach and scored a shot directly to his crop. He dropped to the ground immediately as he spasmed in pain.
Some of the soldiers stationed outside went for their weapons, but Jack grabbed them all and threw them over the docks and into the water. "Hope you fuckers can swim!" she shouted with a smirk as she faced the building.
Shepard stared up at the window to the top floor and grinned as her target walked to the window and looked directly at her. Reaching down, Shepard picked up the ear comm that the turian had and held it to her ear. "You hear me up there Wasea?"
"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" she asked furiously over her own comm.
"You all helped smuggle a dangerous criminal off world recently. And we're not talking about a gangster or one of your merc buddies. We're talking about bigger," she said as her helmet zoomed in on the asari woman's expression. She saw her expression darken. "You know who I'm talking about."
"The fuck do you care?" asked Wasea as she crossed her arms.
"You have two options. Give me the information on where you took her," said Shepard with a small grin.
"I have over a hundred men on the premises. What the hell do you think you're gonna do?" asked Wasea, her snort of amusement audible over the comme
"Your second option is…" she said before reaching a hand up and snapping. All three vehicles opened up and allowed the entire ground crew of the Normandy out onto the docks. The turian, who had finally recovered enough to sit up immediately scrambled backwards at the sight of almost a dozen fully armed and armored people in front of him. Jack reached forward and caught him before tossing him over the side with the others. "We break the doors on your base open, kill everyone inside, and take it off your body."
Any amusement in Wasea's voice was gone as she scowled through the window. "You killed my sister! I'm not giving you a goddess-damned thing!" she shouted angrily before stepping away from the window. "All men, prepare to repel them. Bring me that human's head and you replace Yara as my second!"
Shepard shook her head and tossed the communicator aside. "Second option it is," she said as she turned to the others. "Garrus, I need you to keep overwatch. Make sure nobody leaves this compound." Smirking, the turian pulled an anti-material rifle off his back and fled back to one of the vehicles. "Miranda, alert Detective Anaya that the Eclipse in the area are going to go dark for at least a few months."
"Are you kidding? I told her that ahead of time," said the XO with a dour expression.
Chuckling, Shepard turned to Ralixia. "You ready to join the team?"
The turian woman eyed her before looking at all the others. "Let's see what your team's got, then we'll talk," she said as she prepared her assault rifle.
Turning towards the building, Shepard sealed her helmet. "Environmental seals on." Once everyone was sealed and ready to go, she smirked. "Jack, Grunt… go knock on the door."
Eclipse Compound – Nos Astra – Illium
She had seen a lot in her days in the turian military. She saw an orbital satellite survive descent into the atmosphere and nearly destroy a building. She saw a ship ram into a space station at relativistic speeds, causing them both to annihilate into space dust. And she had even seen a rogue moon hit an uninhabited planet faster than the Roche limit could pull it apart, resulting in destruction on the cosmic level. But even after having seen all that, she was still startled by the sheer magnitude of destruction that Shepard's team was capable of.
The short mouthy human with the tattoos used her biotics and punched a hole clean through the entire building as if she had fired a mass accelerator round at it. Then the krogan, a massive specimen by the simplistic name Grunt, slammed headfirst into a group of Eclipse that tried to bottleneck the new hole.
From there, the others moved like a swarm of destruction, each going off in their own directions to annihilate anyone stupid enough to remain in the building after the initial attack. Ralixia followed the quarian and salarian as they moved up to another floor. They all stopped as another wave of biotics shot up through the floor, cannoning one of the Eclipse upward before allowing him to fall full speed back into the hole.
The quarian jumped the hole and slid next to the door further in before throwing a handful of something small into the room. Ralixa threw herself on the opposide side of the door as gunfire erupted, but the engineer activated her omni-tool and immediately the firing stopped and screaming began. The legate growled and swing into the door to see multiple Eclipse mercs spasming as random holo drones hit them with quick bolts of electricity. Then the salarian stepped inside, aimed, and fired. Each shot was planted in a non-lethal area, and she quickly figured out that he was hitting them with paralyzing agents.
"Dammit!" she snapped angrily, once again missing her opportunity to do anything. "You all cover this floor. I'll handle the next floor up." She eagerly sprinted up the stairs, both excited and disgusted with herself. On the one hand, she hated that she was competing with these people. They were Shepard's pawns, a group of nobodies that only got their name from being in the right place and time. But on the other hand, her fight with Shepard back on the Normandy and now the building shaking beneath her feet made her blood rush for the first time in ages.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she burned out the circuitry of the door and slammed it open. Three soldiers were inside, and she bolted in ready to fight. Remembering her combat with Shepard and Garrus's training about human weak spots, she threw a kick that would shatter concrete directly between the first human's legs. She was surprised to hear his voice go up in pitch as he screamed. As she was told, he dropped his weapon and clenched his damaged parts as if he had just experienced the most excruciating pain in his life. Even the other two humans flinched as if they shared some kind of telekinetic pain with their partner.
Lashing out again, she kicked another of them hard enough in the helmet that they impacted the wall. Finally, the last one scrambled backwards and tried firing their weapon but Ralixia's own put several rounds in him before he could even aim properly. She watched him drop to the ground and was about to let out a sigh, but then she felt gravity shift. Her feet left the ground and she found herself floating. Standing in the doorway at the far end of the room was an asari woman with two more Eclipse goons running out to take her.
"Thought you could fuck with us?!" snapped an asari woman as she lifted her into the air. "Die!"
But before the asari could get off any kind of move, she dropped her biotics and began gasping, her face a look of sheer panic. Ralixia slammed into the ground and got up, her gun lost in the biotic scuffle. But she looked up to see the woman holding her throat in agony as if someone had just punched her there before dropping to the ground. The two men stopped and turned to look at their comrade before turning back to the turian woman with a look of confusion.
Ralixia prepared herself to dash at them. She didn't know whether she would get to them before they got her shields down, but she wasn't about to let herself die here. But before she could move, she was cut off by one word. "Grunt."
Suddenly, as if from nowhere the wall beside them blasted open and the lumbering form of Grunt slammed full force into the pair of mercenaries. Grabbing them, he jumped into the air with them both screaming before he landed on top of them, crushing them beneath his massive frame and blasting through the weakened floor down to the depths below. The screams of the two mercenaries were quick and faded even quicker as they fell meters only to be impacted beneath the krogan's heavy frame.
She looked around curiously. "Shepard?" She jumped slightly as the wall flickered in front of her. She suddenly realized that the woman had been cloaked the entire time.
Shepard grinned at her. "Not bad on the fighting. You learn well about how to take down other species."
"I do not need you to patronize me…" she growled as she looked around for her weapon.
But Shepard gripped her cowl, shocking her out of her search. "I'm not patronizing you. Too many people fall into believing they know everything and that their way of doing things works. I survive because I adapt. I'm alive because I learn. You showed that same survival instinct. And you showed that despite how stubbornly hateful you are, you can and will learn from others."
Slightly stunned at the praise, the turian woman just spun her hand. "I… thank you, I guess."
"I'd recommend battle cords for biotics," said the spectre as she grabbed the weapon from behind a nearby pile of rubble and tossed it back to the turian. "When you're grabbed with biotics, you have maybe a few seconds before they can end you. You want to act quick."
"Noted," said the turian woman as she looked the spectre up and down. "Why are you here? Why aren't you fighting with your group?"
"Oh, they're done with the floors below. Me and Grunt got here from the other side. Me because I wanted to check on you and him because… well, he likes to impress new crew members. I think it's a teenager thing," said the spectre with a shrug.
Ralixia took her weapon from the woman and checked to make sure it was still functional before looking back up at Shepard. "Was that story you told the asari true? About Saren?"
Shepard's face hardened under her visor. "Every word of it. I tried everything I could to salvage what was left of his spirit. But in the end, he could only fight the reapers long enough to take his own life."
"Wait… you didn't kill him?" asked Ralixia in surprise.
"No…" said Shepard as she looked at the floor. Ralixia had zero skill at reading humans, but it was clear that Shepard was dead serious. "Sovereign had put so much tech inside him that he was barely recognizable from the Saren you knew. In the end… he asked me to kill him. And then he took his own gun and used the last of his willpower to take his own life."
"You must have had footage of this, right?" asked the turian woman, her mandibles twitching in agitation. "Saren was a great man, the strongest! I don't think I can believe he would become some machine slave without evidence."
"It's all in the Spectre Files for the day the Citadel was attacked," said the woman as she crossed her arms. "You need spectre clearance to access it."
"Will you show me?" asked Ralixia, almost desperately.
"No," said Shepard, a small grin curving on her face.
The legate was surprised at her answer before she realized what was left unsaid. "But… if I pass…"
"Then you won't need my permission," said the human with a nod. "Are you up to that challenge? Getting the answers you need? The closure?"
Ralixia sighed heavily. She hated admitting that she had begun to begrudgingly respect the woman before her. But if her words were true, then not only had Saren betrayed the Council and every turian in the galaxy. But he had nearly brought about the annihilation of every species. A fate that had yet to be fully evaded. "I will follow your lead, Spectre. I learned today why your enemies fear you. And despite my attitude towards you, I understand why most respect you." She finally locked eyes with the spectre once more as Grunt chased another mercenary past the hole on the floor they stood next to. "I'll do what it takes to reach the truth, even if it means I end up liking you in the end."
Shepard snorted in amusement before heading towards the stairs again. "Keep challenging me in the ring if you wanna keep hating me. Otherwise, it's like Jack said. Maybe one day we'll be battle sisters," she said sarcastically, getting a headshake from the turian. "Alright, let's get the info from Wasea and get the hell out of here before they bring the building down on our heads.
Final Floor – Eclipse Compound – Nos Astra – Illium
As her team cleared the floors below, Shepard approached the final door on the top floor. The door led into a hallway on the outside of the floor with a window looking out onto the waters of the dock. Several aquatic ships were parked at the docks and waiting to be unloaded, but the small army behind her made sure they had other things to worry about. But Shepard's energetic march started to slow as she noticed a curious figure standing at the end of the hall. Stopping briefly, everyone else prepared their weapons behind her. But she held up her hand for them to cease.
"Hello?" she said curiously.
The volus, obvious from their exosuit, spun around and lit up with biotics. Jack stepped forward and eyed him as well. "He… is he even a biotic? Or is he stoned off red sand?"
"Not sure…" said Shepard as she stepped forward. "Hey, hi, who are you?"
"I… am Niftu Cal, god of biotics, a storm of dark energy so powerful… that lesser beings should be in awe!" he said as he aimed his hands at Shepard. "Kneel before me human!"
"You need help," said Jack, almost amused at the comical figure.
"No you!" snapped the volus as Shepard approached him.
She did get onto one knee to examine him better, ignoring his orders and instead trying to get a reading of him on her omni-tool. "Did you come from Pitne For's group?"
He lowered his arms and sighed. "When I was mortal, I worked for Pitne. I was his everything, his world. I planned everything from his meals, massages, and bed times to his meetings with Eclipse and many more. He's probably terrified that I have not returned."
Jack snorted at the claim. "Yeah, so lost without you that he decided to leave you to the Eclipse and flee the planet."
Niftu Cal looked at her then to Shepard. The spectre nodded. "If Detective Anaya hadn't stopped him from leaving an active crime scene, he'd have left you for dead."
Jacob shook his head as he spoke up as well. "And he didn't report any more of his entourage missing. Probably so he could flee faster."
"Bah!" snapped the volus angrily. "I will crush him into quarks and… dust when I find him! But first…" he said turning to Shepard. "I must take care of Wasea… for what she did to me. The agony she exposed me to…"
Shepard's brows rose at the claim. "Hey… uh, biotic god, sir," she said with a smile.
"Hmm?" he asked as he looked up to her.
"How about you allow us unworthy mortals to take care of Wasea, and you go to the police department and relax. After all, you wouldn't want to dirty your godly hands on the blood of filth like her," she said as she waved towards Mordin.
"You… may be right. Planning overthrow of civilization… tiring work," he started as the salarian approached.
Tali leaned forward as well. "You also look like you haven't eaten in a while."
"Also… hungry. And… head hurts," he said as he looked around. "Where am I?"
Shepard finally stood to her feet again. "Mordin, get him back to the police station and see if you can counteract any of the drugs they pumped into him."
"Will do. Will be interesting to learn effects of red sand on volus. Usually do not partake," said the salarian.
"These…" started Niftu Cal as he stumbled slightly. Mordin caught him and helped him keep his balance. "Drugs… tainted. Pitne For sold them to… Eclipse. Hoped they wouldn't notice."
Miranda sighed and shook her head. "He sold the Eclipse Sisters tainted red sand and tried to flee when they killed his partner. What the hell did he expect would happen?"
"Dunno…" continued the volus. "Eclipse captured me… injected tainted drugs into me while… they smuggled asari away…"
Everyone eyed him in surprise before Shepard crossed her arms. "One last question before I let you go…"
Final Floor – Eclipse Compound – Nos Astra – Illium
The final door opened and there she stood with four other asari. Their guns were drawn, but they didn't have them up. Shepard could tell from the looks on their faces that they knew what was about to go down. Their held back fear turned into actual horror when Grunt, who was too big to use the door, just smashed through the frame and created an even bigger opening.
Two of the asari immediately threw their weapons aside and knelt down on the ground. The others looked from them up to the oncoming army and froze. Wasea just stood behind her desk and glared at Shepard who stood at the head. "I do love how I always give everyone the option to be peaceful and diplomatic and they always choose the hard way." Stepping up to the desk, Shepard pulled a chair back, sat in it, then kicked her feet up on the asari's desk. "So, how about now, Wasea? You wanna give me that information?"
"I'll die first," growled the asari.
"See, that's your pride talking. You're protecting someone that wouldn't die to protect you," said the spectre with a grin. "But the thing is, you've kinda lost your chance. Because I already know where you shipped her."
Wasea's eyes widened at the claim. "How!? I'm the only one who knows!"
"Well, the thing is, you don't really understand how exosuits work," said Shepard as she reached up and tapped her ear. "To make up for their canals being covered, other species who are locked inside exosuits have to have amplified hearing. Many of them have chips in their heads that allow the information to be transferred directly into their brains."
Immediately Wasea punched her desk. "The goddess-damned volus!"
"So, all your soldiers, your sister, and now your life," said the spectre as she stood up again. "I really hope it was worth it."
"Die!" snapped the mercenary as her biotics flared and covered her in a dense biotic shield. But a shot blasted through the window and immediately killed her shield, then another shot from Ralixia opened up her skull. Any courage left in the other asari in the room fled and they too tossed their weapons as their leader slumped onto the desk.
Shepard eyed Ralixa who had fired one of the shots. "Is monologuing a part of being a spectre or is that just your thing?"
"Yeah…" said Jacob thoughtfully. "We do like to talk before we fight."
"Sorry if I interrupted there, Shepard," came Garrus's voice over the comm. "She had hidden containers of that tainted red sand behind her desk that she was about to start throwing."
The spectre chuckled and shook her head. Looking at all the asari who were now counting the minutes to their own deaths, she nodded towards the door. "Join a union and get better bosses before the next one gets you killed," she snapped angrily. "Now get the hell out of here!" They were gone within seconds.
CODEX ENTRIES
The Justicar Code, Book of Death, The Law of Death | Culture | Asari
The Justicar Code is a compilation of rituals and rules for asari justicar to follow. It consists of over five thousand sutras and aphorisms that describe nearly any situation a justicar might find themselves in while dealing out justice. The Code is compiled into one tome and divided into smaller books or acts as they are sometimes known. Sutra 1 of the Book of Death states: "We are all one with the universe. We are manifestations of the universal consciousness, created, able to look upon its vast glory. The life we are given is a gift, and to take a life is to desecrate this gift. But as is the law of the universe, it is the law of life that twisted manifestations are born. Should a malefic agent of the universe endanger the lives of others, spare them the pain of existence."
Petrification | Biology | Asari
Unlike human skin that begins to wrinkle and sag as it gets older, asari skin has the reverse effect. Starting soft and supple, it will continuously harden throughout their life. Near the end of their impressive lifespan, their skin will have smoothed to the texture of glass, causing them immense pain with each movement and making it impossible for them to do anything other than prepare for their inevitable return to galactic dust. Many asari attempt to buy products that will make their skin softer for longer, but none have shown to have any tangible effect.
Crop | Biology | Turian
In turian anatomy, above the stomach and near the end of the esophagus is a small pouch known as a crop. It's known to have multiple uses in the turian digestive system. It contains food, secreting small amounts of acid and beginning the digestive process. Due to the existence of the crop, most turians eat huge meals once per day rather than several meals over the span of a day like most species. The crop allows the food to last longer in their system, and it can also store food for long periods where food may not be available. Due to its location near the stomach, if struck, it causes gut-wrenching pain.
Battle Cord | Technology | Military
A simple and easy retractable cord that you can hook to your weapon in case it's thrown from your reach. A common tool for those who fight in zero gravity where losing your grip on your weapon can mean it's lost for good.