I don't own mass effect
Sorry for how long this chapter taking, had a bit of a writer's block. Also if anyone has a better description of writing a volus's weese let me know.
I also want to thank anyone reading my stories.
And done, took at least two weeks more than I'd like, honestly a bit more but have had so little time to write and I don't want the quality of the chapters to go down. I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner but I want to get one of Shepards Return out first. Please enjoy my story and have a good day.
Story Start
All too soon, Shepard was woken by Joker's voice over the comms. "Hey Commander, Anderson wanted me to wake you when we got close to the Citadel."
"How close are we?" asked Shepard, pushing herself up. Her head felt marginally better, but compared to how it felt before, that wasn't saying much. She was also feeling quite irritable, which made things so much better.
"You have enough time to get dressed but you'll have to skip the makeup." answered Joker
"Very funny, I'll be out in a minute." replied Shepard grumpily, not exactly in the mood for his usual antics . Quickly getting changed into her regular uniform she left her room just as the Normandy hit the Relay. By the time she reached the cockpit, Joker had entered a vector to take them to the Citadel.
"Hello Commander, here to see how the better part live?"
"Something like that, how long before we land?"
"Not long, just got assigned a dock. One of the good ones too, so..." started Joker only to be interrupted by the arrival of both Kaiden and Ashley.
"Did we miss the approach?" asked Ash
"You're just in time to see those tax dollars at work." replied Joker
As they got closer to the Citadel they got a good look at the asari's prised dreadnought.
"Look at the size of that thing." said Kaiden in amazement
"Size isn't everything." dismissed Joker
"Why so touchy Joker?" teased Ash
"I'm just saying you need more than just size to make a good ship." replied Joker. "Sure, the Normandy is smaller but I'd take it over the Destiny Ascension any day."
"Every pilot always thinks they've got the best ship." said Kaiden dryly
"What about you skipper?" asked Ash looking at Shepard
"I think it looks more like a design piece or luxury cruiser than an actual military ship," answered Shepard dismissively. "It might have a large gun and a dozen other features to improve its combat ability like its the drive, but it still presents too much of a target. There's a reason most ships are longer than they are wide. It might be a powerful ship but if it ever encounters a force that can push back, it's literally going to be like shooting the side of a barn. A for design C- for practicality."
As they continued to watch the approaching Citadel, Shepard's omni-tool went off.
"Shepard, you up?" asked Anderson
"I'm in the cockpit with Ash and Kaiden." answered Shepard
"Good, tell both of them to suit up, full loadout. I'm heading straight to the human Ambassador's office and I want you with me." said Anderson before hanging up.
"You heard him, go gear up. I'll meet you back here." said Shepard
Heading back to the ship's rear, they split up near the elevator. Shepard going back to her room while Ash and Kaiden took the elevator down.
It didn't take her long to get ready and do an armour and weapon check. When she was finished she left her room to find Anderson talking to Pressley.
"Are you ready?" asked Anderson turning to face her
"As ready as I can be...sir is there a reason why you want us armoured?" asked Shepard. They were about to enter the Citadel, the centre of galactic power and yet she was geared up for a fight. Bringing a pistol was being safe or cautious. Being fully armoured and armed said they expected a fight.
"The Citadel isn't as safe as everyone likes to think. There's crime there just like anywhere else, and Saren knows all the shady spots like the back of his hand. I wouldn't put it past him to organise him for something to 'happen' while we were there. I'd rather we be safe and come across as being aggressive or overprepared than running afoul of a gang carrying only a pistol." said Anderson, taping the pistol he had holstered. A sidestar like Kaiden's.
Shepard could also make out a slight bulge of a secondary weapon on his back. Likely a Citadel design. While the stopping power of Citadel weapons might be less than Alliance's, their ability to fold made them easier to hide and their near-limitless ammo made them a great option as a concealed weapon.
"Understood, we'll be ready for anything." answered Shepard
"Good to hear; now, how's your head?" asked Anderson. "I would like give you more time to recover but we just don't have that luxury."
"It's better than it was before. The headache's not completely gone but I'm fine for now. If it hasn't gotten better in the next eight hours I'll ask the healer for extra meds."
"Good and if it..." started Anderson before he was interrupted by the elevator opening and Kaiden and Ash stepping out."Reporting for duty as ordered." saluted Ash as soon as she spotted Anderson
"At ease Williams." ordered Anderson "Have you ever been to the Citadel before?"
"Never sir." answered Ash
"Keep alert. There's going to be a lot to distract you, especially since its your first time there. But that can wait until after you're off duty. When you're down there I want to act like your on a patrol during a festival or parade."
"Understood sir, no sightseeing on company time." replied Ash
"Correct, now let's get going. I just got off the phone with Udina and suffice to say he isn't happy." said Anderson before heading back to the cockpit.
After decontamination, they took their first steps onto the Citadel before walking the short distance to the elevator. As the elevator started to descend, Shepard had to swallow her annoyance a minute later because of how long it was taking.
Annoyance that wasn't helped by her headache or the awful music playing from the speakers. She could swear it was the same few notes being repeated over and over again. While she knew that the elevator had to be descending hundreds of levels every few seconds, it still felt like they were going at a snails pace.
Thankfully, it soon came to a stop. Exiting the elevator they stepped into a large room with multiple staircases and a couple more elevators. However what immediately drew her attention was a krogan who was having a standoff with five C-sec officers who were attempting to intimidate him, rather unsuccessfully at that.
Noticing her gaze, the krogan raised his head and looked right at her. Then pushing past the C-sec guards like they were nothing more than pushy volus traders, he headed right towards her. Automatically Ash and Kaiden closed ranks around Anderson.
"Can I help you asari?" growled the krogan
"It's Priestess, not asari." replied Shepard with more than a bit of annoyance
"Eh, don't really see the difference. Both of you look the same to me." said the krogan dismissively "All shine but no bite to the blade."
"And you look like you got face fucked by a thresser maw. So how about you fuck off and suck a dick before I put you on your ass." shot back Shepard before she could stop herself...not that she really tried. Comparing asari and Priestesses with each other was almost always guaranteed to get a rise out of at least one of them and she was already in a bad mood. And unlike talking with someone else, here she could speak her mind without worrying about it creating a problem later...like the time she called an asari envoy a bitch.
When she had finished speaking everyone nearby went silent. The C-sec officer who had followed after the krogan, a turian had stopped dead. His mandibles had spread out so much they looked like they were about to fall off.
Near her Ash and Kaiden were looking at her like she had dumped a crate of lit fireworks at their feet. They all had a number of emotions and thoughts flashing over their face but the prevalent one was 'wtf?' or 'are you trying to get us killed?'
The only one not thrown for a loop was Anderson who she swore hid a smirk...while placing his hands behind his back that just so happened to be close to a certain buldge.
The krogan on the other hand hadn't moved but stood there looking at her. Just when she started to think that it might have been a mistake to speak her thoughts (seeing the ambassador after coming from a fight probably wasn't a good idea) the krogan began to chuckle before breaking out in a full-blown laugh.
"That's what I love about you Priestesses! You actually have a quad! Most asari yelp like a varren pup when things don't go their way, you Priestesses though you bite down twice as hard. I wonder what things would look like if you had up ended on Turchanka instead of that blue marble of yours. Remind me to buy you a drink sometime; now if you don't mind I'm off to kill someone." then, as if he just didn't say he was planning on murdering someone, the krogan started to walk off. Quickly followed by the C-sec officers when they regained their senses.
"Did he just say he was going to kill someone?" asked Ash
"I'm sure C-sec can handle it. Now if the Commanders done threatening krogans can we get going?" asked Anderson
"Sorry sir." apologised Shepard
"Apologise to my heart, I swear it nearly stopped. Seriously commander, what made you think it was a good idea to insult a krogan?" asked Kaiden
"Just try to be civil when we're with the ambassador and the councillors." asked Anderson as he moved forward
"Yes Captain." said Shepard as she followed him
Thankfully, while the Citadel was a large and confusing place, Anderson had been there dozens of times, and Shepard had been here a few times herself, as had Kaiden, though neither had been to the Presidium.
There were also a number of consoles where they could stop to ask for help from an asari shaped VI that could answer most questions. As long as it wasn't important or required an opinion that was. In which case it would just repeat some rhetoric about not being able to answer the question.
After a few elevators, a stairway and more than one good-looking view they made it to the embassies. Home to dozens of species, hundreds of individuals from just as many worlds, all trying to improve the lives of their people...the ones that weren't looking out for their own interests that was. Running the front desk was an asari that seemed to be on the edge of her matron stage. So probably about 400, give or take a decade or two.
"Captain Anderson here to see Ambassador Udina." informed Anderson when they got to the desk
"Second level to the right, please go straight in." greeted the asari warmly.
Climbing into yet another elevator Aderson selected the second floor.
"There's certainly a lot of elevators on the Citadel." remarked Ash idly
"From what I understand there used to be more stairs but ever since the elcor joined the Citadel they've been phased out where needed. They're not exactly easy or safe for them to use, not when their feet and hands are bigger than the steps themselves." remarked Anderson
After the elevator, it was only a few metres to the Ambassador's office. When they entered they immediately encountered raised voices.
"This is preposterous. The Council would intervene if one of their colonies had been attacked!" said a man Shepard assumed to be the Ambassador. Facing him were the holographic projections of the three Councilors, while a Priestess in her four to five hundreds sat at a desk off to the side.
"None of the Council species would have colonies near the Terminus." remarked the Salarian Councilor
"Where else would we put our colonies? Eden Prime was well within our area of space, and as one of the few golden worlds out there it would have been foolish to let it go to waste; or worse be used as a pirate base that could have been used to attack us just like Torfan!"
"And yet despite being given various defences you still couldn't defend yourself." said the asari Councilor Tevos in a voice that was both full of pity and superiority...fuck how she hated that bitch.
"You mean allowed to have defences, I certainly don't remember the Council footing the bill. But what's the point of defences if they're sabotaged by one of the Council's own?"
"There's no proof of any such 'sabotage', don't blame us if you can't maintain your own weapons." shot the turian Councilor
"If you gave us the findings of the investigation we could prove that Saren was on Eden Prime at the time of the attack!" exclaimed the Ambassador angrily
"All findings will be discussed during the proceedings...not before." advised Tevos before hanging up, followed by the other two Councilors
After staring at where the Councilors were for a moment, the ambassador turned to face them.
"Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you." remarked the ambassador.
"Just the ground crew, in case you had any questions." remarked Anderson
"I have your reports, I assume they're accurate?" asked the Ambassador
"They are, I see you got us an audience with the Council." said Anderson
"Yes, we'll be meeting them in an hour. The fact that the audience is happening so soon tells me that the Council is either taking the matter seriously or they just want it over as quickly as possible and this just a charade so they can say that they looked into it." replied the Ambassador
"They can't do that!" exclaimed Shepard "If Saren..."
"You've already done enough Commander to jeopardise your chances of becoming a Spectre! I suggest you not to do anything else that will make things worse then they already are."
Shepard barely held back a very cutting remark and it looked like Anderson was about make his own when the Priestess at the desk spoke up.
"Donald, you know it's not her fault, " the Priestess admonished softly. Standing up, she went over to him, her eyes turning black as she took his hands in hers. "Take a deep breath...and relax. Let the stress flow away."
It was only then that Shepard noticed just how tired the Ambassador and the Priestess both looked.
When the bond had finished, the Ambassador turned back to her. While he still looked tired, he seemed calmer. "My apologies, Commander. Ever since the attack, I have been dealing with a flood of calls. It seems anyone who has a reason to talk to me, is. That said, my wife is correct. While your team was on Eden Prime, you're not to blame for our current...predicament."
"I'm sure the Commander knows how volatile emotions can get when you don't get enough rest." answered Anderson "Cassandra it's good to see you again, I only wish it were under better circumstances."
"As do I." replied the Priestess
"I see both of you have been hard at work, but what about your staff?" asked Anderson "Shouldn't they be here with the two of you?"
"I sent them home an hour ago." started the Ambassador
"Two hours." corrected the Priestess looking worried "You need to take a break dear and soon."
"The meeting with the Councilors is in an hour, I'll rest when it's over." answered the Ambassador
The look the Priestess gave the Ambassador said she didn't believe him, but wasn't going to push it.
"Is it normal for a wife and husband to work together?" asked Ash "It's none of my business but couldn't that cause problems?"
"I don't work here, I've just been helping to sort emails. Working out which ones are important, which ones can wait and which are just a demand for attention or worse an attempt to take advantage of our situation. Since my husband is the Ambassador, I have the security clearance needed and while I might not be able to do what Donald does, I can still help where I can."
"Hold on, some bastards taking advantage of what happened on Eden Prime?" asked Ash angrily "It hasn't even been a 24 hours since the attack!"
"Everyone is always taking advantage of something." replied the ambassador "It's just a question of who and by how much. I know at least one person made a killing on temporary housing, but those aren't who I'm worried about. The real problem are those who want to make long-lasting changes that will make life in the colonies more difficult and pocket all the credits they can. Thankfully our friends at the volus embassy are helping put a stop to that, in return for some concessions and a discount on defence contracts of course. While it'll cost us it won't be nearly as much as what they'll save us in the long run, no one knows fine print or banking better than the volus. Meanwhile, the elcor are giving us a temporary discount on some materials that we urgently need."
"That's all well and good but what happens now?" asked Kaiden
"I've organised to give you the clearance needed to get inside the Citadel Tower, meet us there in forty minutes. Until then feel free to explore the Presidium, meanwhile I need to go over some details with the captain." said the Ambassador.
Taking the polite dismissal, Shepard left with Kaiden and Ash the room and then the Embassy itself.
"You know, any new species would have trouble telling the animals from the aliens. I know I am." said Ash out of nowhere
Before Shepard could say anything Kaiden beat her to it.
"I'm not too sure that's the thing you should say out loud Gunney." admonished Kaiden
"I didn't mean it that way." protested Ash "Every home planet is different right so's the life that on it. The hana look like jellyfish, the elcor walk on all fours. Turians and krogans are walking dinosaurs, and I bet you ten credits that if someone shaved a chimpanzee and released it on the Presidium, within ten minutes there would be dozens of calls to C-Sec about a deformed human kid running around naked. I'm just saying everything is completely different to what everyone's used to...I mean have you ever tried to use an asari toilet?"
"Once." said Shepard, admitting she had a point "I was busting to go and couldn't work out which was toilet and which was the sink. To this day I'm not sure I pissed in the right place."
"Exactly, if you dropped a hanar or elcor back on Earth a few centuries ago their first thought would be to try to talk to whatever looked the most similar to them, assumptions and mistakes would have been made. It's not being racist, not really."
"I get your point Ash, but next time try to phase it a bit better. Especially when we're still near the embassies." warned Shepard
"Yes commander, sorry commander."
For the next twenty minutes, they explored the Presidium. Or what they could in the brief time they had. The large lake was a nice touch as were the occasional garden bed. There were also a number of sculptures and artworks, the former were either about important events or people of note in the history of the Citadel while the latter just looked like odd shapes that looked nice.
One of the statues that got their attention was of a krogan warlord, standing proud in a place of note.
"I thought most species hate the krogans almost as much as they do the quarians? Why's there a statue of one in the Presidium?" asked Ash
"The statue's there to commemorate what the krogan did during the Rachni Wars. Removing it could cause an incident." remarked Kaiden
"Yet the Krogan Rebellions sounded just as bad from what I know. Commander, what do you think?"
Instead of immediately answering, Shepard took a moment to think.
The Rachni Wars that most certainly would not have been won without them. Back then the turians hadn't arrived on the scene yet and the krogan were the only real 'muscle' around, asari huntresses and salarian STG might be threats in their own way but they weren't suited for extended frontline combat, not like krogan are.
Sadly, less than four hundred years later the krogans started their own galactic war, which sort of undid saving the galaxy part. While most put the fault at the feet of either the krogan or salarians, to Shepard the real problem was culture...or rather a lack of it. Because when the salarians had uplifted the krogan they (as far as she knew) hadn't brought their culture with them.
"The salarians uplifted the krogan to act as attack dogs, you can't treat someone like that and not expect consequences. I remember from a class in biology that most species have a hierachy of sorts and disrupting that hierachy causes problems. The example my teacher gave was elephants; in the early years of conservation people would move young elephants to a reserve in order to protect their species. Problem was elephants are quite big and as they got older they began to act out and throw their weight around, the solution it turned out was to bring the older elephants in as well to keep the younger ones in line.
The krogan fought for hundreds of years, during which their population boomed. They went from salvaging for food on a nuclear devestated planet to being given everything they wanted or needed so they could match the numbers the rachni had. Then the war was over, leaving millions of krogan that had known only generations of fighting and nothing else. With nothing to do; is it any surprise they went back to doing something that most of them had probably been doing their entire lives? Any krogan that were alive when they salarians first uplifted them and survived to see the end of the war were probably few and far between. And instead of helping the krogan rebuild their society and culture, or create a new one, the Council just gives them a few planets and expects them to be able to work it out."
"What do you think they should have done Commander?" asked Kaiden
"Helped them, made sure that the krogan fighting knew more than just how to kill and gave them a future to look forward to and knowledge needed to maintain it without said fighting. The krogan could have become the protectors just like the turians did if things were done properly. For all their nosiness and superiority, the one time the asari should have been sending in teachers and spreading their peace-loving ways they didn't." said Shepard before checking her omni-tool "We should probably head to the Citadel Tower the meetings in twenty minutes and I don't want to be late."
"I saw a terminal for an aircar that way." said Kaiden pointing behind him "Should be a lot quicker than walking."
"Good idea." remarked Shepard
Heading to the terminal, Shepard called in an aircar that arrived a lot sooner than she expected. When it arrived at the Citadel Tower they headed straight up to the top floor with just over 10 minutes to spare.
Walking towards a large waterfall that dominated the centre of the room, Shepard noticed what seemed to be a heated discussion between two turian. Since that was the way they needed to go she headed in that direction. Before they got close enough to over hear the conversation it came to an end, with one walking away and the other looking quite upset. It was the second turian who noticed her and headed her way.
"Commander Shepard." greated the turian
"Do I know you?" asked Shepard
"No, but I know you. I'm the officer who was in charge of the C-sec investigation, Garrus Vakarian."
"Well Garrus, did your investigation turn up anything good?" asked Shepard
"Unfortunately no, as a Spectre most of what Saren does is classified. Everything I was able to get was heavily redacted so I don't have any hard evidence. But I know he's guilty I...how do your people say it? Feel it in my gut, I tried to buy more time to look into things further but you saw how that went." said Garrus
"Commander we might want to keep going, the meeting's due to start in 8 minutes." interrupted Kaiden, ending the conversation.
"This might be a long shot, but if you hear anything can you let me know?" asked Shepard forwarding her details
"I can do that, not promising that I'll hear anything though. My superiors don't exactly want me looking into things any further than I already have." replied Garrus saving her contact details
"Hopefully that will change, see you around Garrus." said Shepard.
"Likewise Commander." nodded Garrus before walking away
Continuing on, they spotted Anderson waiting for them at the bottom of the third lot of stairs.
"The meetings ready started." said Anderson as soon as they got close.
"I thought we still had eight minutes?" asked Kaiden "From what I heard about I expected to wait at least ten minutes when we got here."
"There was a cancellation, so they brought it forward. Udina's buying time but we need to be in there now." answered Anderson as he hurried up the stairs.
"Can they do that? Asked Ash as they followed behind him.
"They're the Council, there's not much they can't do." replied Anderson
As they climbed the last set of stairs they saw the Councillors as a large projection of turian standing to their left, presumedly Saren.
"There is no proof that Saren was involved with the geth attack." protested the asari Councilor
"He was recorded near defensive guns before the attack!" all but shouted the ambassador "How can you explain that?"
"As I've already told the Council. When I learned of the Beacon's existence I knew how important it was. I immediately went to Eden Prime to ensure it was secure enough until someone trustworthy retrieved it. That's why I was spotted on the planet, not because of some conspiracy theory.
When I noted the various planetary guns and the local defence force, I assumed things were secure enough so I left soon after to attend to my own matters... it's clear I was wrong. The sheer level of ineptitude required to allow the destruction of a Protheran Beacon is mind-boggling.
Just imagine all the knowledge lost because the Alliance failed to protect such an important discovery. Speaking of which I see your 'witnesses' have finally arrived." said the large holographic turian condescendingly.
"Commander Shepard and the others were told to be here on time for a meeting that was due to start six minutes from now." defended Anderson "Not one that had already started eight minutes ago."
"Oh, and that makes it better does it?" asked the turian before looking at Shepard "In my experience, one either provides results or excuses, not both."
"Saren is right, while not common, cancellations are not unheard of. There is a reason people are advised to arrive 30 standard minutes before their time. I trust that in the future you will be here when required." agreed the salarian Councilor
"Saren isn't even here!" protested Anderson "He's off who knows where doing who knows what!"
"Unlike some of us I have the full trust of the Council." remarked Saren arrogantly
"And a Spectre status to hide behind." commented Shepard, none too quietly.
"While the timing is suspicious, Saren has given us no reason to trust him. After all his dedicated years of service, we owe him the benefit of the doubt." remarked Tevos, obviously hearing her.
"And the investigation by Citadel Security turned up any evidence to support your claims." added the turian Councilor "And not for the first time."
"Exactly, baseless claims... as always. It's strange that you're always involved when someone's making false claims about me. Your people are no more ready to join the Council or the Spectres than they were all those years ago. After eighteen years one would think you would have made more progress."
"He can't say that! He doesn't have the right!" protested Udina
"This meeting is about the events on Eden Prime, nothing more or less." replied Tevos, though her tone wasn't exactly admonishing. "He might however have a point, while she might be a fine Commander, she is incredibly young for her position, not to mention the Spectres. I can't help but feel that it would be for the best that she pursue... alternative employment." remarked Tevos
"Right and becoming a stripper or a whore is a much better career choice." said a voice ironically, taking everyone by surprise. "By the way, how are your granddaughters?"
Behind them approached a Priestess, somewhere between the eighth and ninth century and judging from the numerous scars, she had spent most of them fighting.
"Shira." started Tevos with so much fake politeness that you could have poked it with a fork "What brings you here? I wasn't even aware you were on the Citadel?"
"I heard about what happened on Eden Prime and I was in the area, tell me are you actually doing anything about that or are you hoping to engage the geth in peace talks over a cup of tea?"
"As I said before Eden Prime was an unfortunat..." started Tevos only to be interrupted
"Unfortunate?" interrupted Shira "That's an odd way to put an in invasion with possible Spectre ties? Tell me do you do all investigations this half-assed or is it just this one?"
"A proper investigation has already been conducted and turned up nothing." advised Valern
"That usually happens when you don't actually look into things, " Shira remarked. "Tell me how long C-Sec were allowed to look into things before someone pulled the plug?"
"Priestess Shira is right, the investigation was far too short. Unless C-Sec was given everything they needed from the get-go they wouldn't have had the time to look into any leads." agreed Udina
"I spoke with a turian outside. He didn't give me any details but it sounded like he wasn't given anything." said Shepard quietly. She didn't want to get someone who might be giving her information later into trouble now.
"Really? asked Udina before speaking up "I insist that the investigation continue. This investigation was closed before anything could have been found. More so I want to see if any of the investigators had any leads before the investigation ended."
"You insist?" growled Spartacus
"You were the one that wanted a meeting as soon as possible." remarked Valern
"But not at the expense of a proper investigation. A few hours is not enough!" argued Udina
Looking at each other, the Councilors apparently come to a decision.
"Very well, the investigation will continue...for now. I hope for your sake something turns up." warned Valern
"Continue? This is a waste of my time and yours Councilors." continued Saren
"Maybe so, but the investigation does seem like it was rushed. I'd rather deal with this now than worry about it later." replied Valern
"I agree; we both know you're innocent, Saren. If the Alliance wants to waste everyone's time then that's on them. It won't change anything in the long run." said Spartacus
"Now that's done, I think we should talk more on Commander becoming a Spectre." started Tevos, only to be cut off by an unexpected source.
"As you said yourself before, Commander Shepard's introduction into the Spectres wasn't the purpose of this meeting, and while there will be a few delays, I don't see why she won't one day become a Spectre." said Spartacus. "Likely within this year, if not the next."
"You can't be serious." protested Tevos
"I have the Eden Prime reports and examined her career myself. Although the Alliance failed to secure the Beacon, I do not see why Commander Shepard should be the one to be held responsible. And must I remind you that most turians enlist in the military earlier than humans, yet our lifespans are nearly identical. I do not want to stop what could be a successful career as a Spectre due to someone else's incompetence."
"But to let the Alliance have a Spectre so soon after the loss of a Beacon." disagreed Tevos.
"The Spectres work for us, not the organisation or planet they came from." remarked Valern. "Spectres are chosen because they are the best there are, not because they worked for the best." added Valern. "We will not ignore the Alliance's failures; we are just saying that some among them are ready for something more. Even in a clutch of mediocer individuals, one might find a prodigy."
Seeing she was outvoted, Tevos had no choice but to reluctantly concede.
"Very well, after the investigation has concluded we will look into getting a new agent to access Commander Shepard's capabilities. Now is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" asked Tevos
"There's also the matter of Commander Shepard's vision." started Anderson "It might..."
"Are we including 'visions' as testimony now?" cut off Saren condescendingly "How can I defend myself against dreams?" asked Saren
"Melds or memories are not admissible as evidence as you should know." dismissed Tevos "If that is all I call this meeting to a close."
Shepard was tempted to mention the Reapers but thought better of it. The Council, Tevos in particular, had a history of dismissing any evidence of their existence. As her sister once said, 'Sometimes you have to let a shot go to have a better one later.' Once her memories were verified, they could be used when needed by the Alliance.
As the meeting came to a close and Saren signed off, everyone made their way back down the stairs.
"It was a mistake to go after Saren, we needed more evidence if we wanted anything to stick Anderson." said Udina as soon as they climbed down the steps "And Shira...was antagonising the asari Councilor really necessary?"
"She's too used to getting away with her subtle insults, all I'm doing is giving them back to her without the subtility." replied Shira
"She could make life difficult." warned Udina,
"I'm a Priestess in her last century, what can she do? Haunt me when I die? Dance at my funeral? None of my daughters are in politics or in a field where Tevos or the other matriarchs can cause them problems. I'm one of the few who can give her a piece of my mind without the subtle blowback they like to use to keep everyone in line." replied Shira
"If you're sure, you know how spiteful a matriarch can be," responded Udina, not quite convinced. It was well known that matriarchs had a lot of sway, a word from the wrong (or right) one could make, break or just plain ruin a company or someone's career. Thankfully in Alliance space the matriachs didn't have the power, either directly or indirectly that they would have normally liked to use. That wasn't to say though that they wouldn't try something however. "Now, back to what I said before. We need more evidence, we can't trust the investigation to turn up anything."
Shepard had to stop herself from looking at Anderson when Udina brought up evidence again. Either Udina was in the know and was acting, or he wasn't and had no idea. Either way, it was probably a bad idea to bring it up.
"What do you want us to do?" asked Ash
"I have a contact in C-Sec who might have some information, goes by the name Harkin." suggested Udina
"Harkin? That lowlife? I won't waste my time on him." dismissed Anderson "There's an agent of the Shadow Broker on the Presidium, Barla Von. I'm willing to bet he might have some information we can use."
"And how will you pay for it? The Shadow Broker is many things but cheap isn't one of them." responded Udina
"I'm sure there's a way to cover the cost." argued Anderson "I'll pay what I can myself if necessary."
"And I'm sure that if the evidence does end up putting Saren away the Alliance will be willing to pay." added Priestess Shira
"Now if you don't mind me I have a wife who's expecting me. One more thing, Anderson I want to limit your involvement as much as possible, Shepard will be the one looking into this." remarked Udina
"If you insist." replied Anderson
"I do. You and Saren have too much history, and I don't want to give the Council any excuse to dismiss any evidence that turns up." Udina finished before leaving.
"I'll head out too, see how many credits we have to work with, when you get a price let us know and I'll see what I can." said Shira before following suit
"You okay being taken out of the investigation sir?" asked Shepard
"As much as I don't like it, Udina's got a point, everyone knows there is no love lost between me and Saren and I can trust Shepard to get the job done." replied Anderson
"I won't let you down sir." replied Shepard, she didn't know if they just wanted to use her as a distraction or if they really wanted her to find more evidence but there was no reason she couldn't try to do both. Worse case scenario she wastes her time on a wild goose chase.
"I know you won't. Good luck Commander. Now if you need me I'll be in the ambassador's office." said Anderson before walking away after sending her the details to find the agent
"Where do you want to go first Commander?" asked Kaiden
"...lets head to this Barla Von first. See if we can find out what information they might have and what it might be worth, I doubt the beancounters will be happy with a fortune being spent on useless information. Then we track this Harkin guy down and see what he might know. Between the two we'll hopefully pick up a lead or two."
It didn't take long to make it to were Barla Von apparently worked, according to the sign outside he ran or was part of some financial agency. Heading inside they found the building surprising empty, the only one in the room was a single volus at the other end of the room behind a particularly large desk. Shepard would have thought a finacial agency would have needed a lot more people running it but perhaps she wasn't seeing the whole business, VI's could do a lot these days. Throw in a few of the best volus bankers and you could make quite the profit.
"Ah Commander [fffph] I was wondering when I [fffph] would meet you." stated the volus
"It seems everyone knows who I am." remarked Shepard
"It's my job to [fffph] know things and I doubt you're here for [fffph] financial reasons."
"Then you probably know why I'm here." replied Shepard
"Indeed, your looking into Saren [fffph] I suggest you start looking at a place called Chora's Den, a bar in a less reputable part of the Citadel. [fffph] I'll think you'll find something there you might be able to use against him."
"And how much is this information going to cost us?" asked Shepard
"Normally this would cost a small fortune [fffph]."
"What for that?!" protested Ash, making a point that Shepard completely agreed with. There was a reason why she wanted to know how useful (and how expensive) the information might be before she heard it. Right now it felt they were just conned into paying for a service.
"The Shadow Broker deals with valuable information, the price reflects that [fffph] and for those seeking that information the price is well worth it. [fffph] Besides I said normally, in this case the information is free."
"And why is that?" asked Shepard suspiciously. A volus turning down money was like a marine turning down a free drink, it just didn't happen.
"The owner of the place[fffph] Fist used to work for the Shadow Broker. Unfortunately, it seems he went to work for someone else instead, someone who was a lucrative business partner...up until he betrayed him that is. [fffph] The Shadow Broker isn't against working for more than one person, as long as they know who comes first."
"And this business partner is?" asked Kaiden
"I believe you know of him, a turian Spectre named Saren [fffph] ."
"So you're saying that the owner of Chora's Den works for Saren?" asked Shepard
"Indeed [fffph] the Shadow Broker has hired a krogan mercenary named Wrex to take care of both of these problems. [fffph]."
"Isn't that the krogan we ran into near C-sec?" asked Kaiden
"Yes, [fffph] he was called into C-Sec for making threats. If you find him I imagine he would be willing to help. [fffph] "
"Anything else you can tell us, like what information we might find?" asked Shepard
"There is [fffph] but it comes with a cost." said Barla Von, showing her the amount. It had more zero's than a hana had tenticals.
"For that price I could update my entire arsenal." protested Shepard
"I never said it would be cheap [fffph]."
"Can't you just tell us? From what it sounds like we're both after the same thing." asked Shepard
"The Shadow Broker is not in the habit of giving away free information [fffph]."
"Even if giving us the information helps you just as much as us?" asked Shepard
"You have enough to go on [fffph]. And in doing so will deal with Fist and possibly Saren as well."
"I'm not killing someone." stated Shepard, certainly for no good reason. "And I'm not doing your or this 'Shadow Broker's' dirty work for you. When Saren goes down it will because he's been proved guilty. Not because he pissed your boss off."
"You don't have to [fffph] do anything, either the mercenary will take care of him. [fffph] Or your investigation will uncover some of his criminal activities, either way an example will be made. [fffph] Now is there anything else? Something tells me you're not interested in paying for more information."
"I'll get back to you on that." replied Shepard, she doubted the information was worth it but it wasn't up to her. "I do have a question though, what can tell me about this Shadow Broker?" not expecting an answer
"No one knows anything for sure about the Broker, [fffph] something that I'm sure they take great care to ensure."
"They?" asked Kaiden
"Yes, they [fffph] it is my belief that the Shadow Broker is a group of individuals, more than three, likely less than twelve. [fffph] Just like the infamous League of One once was. [fffph] A league I believed either inspired a group to form the Shadow Broker or a league whose descendants or progenies one day became the Shadow Broker."
"You're awfully calm talking about your boss." remarked Ash
"[fffph] Just idle conjecture [fffph]. If I actually started looking into anything I'd be found out and disposed of with little hassle."
"You said you believe that the Shadow broker was multiple people?" asked Shepard wondering why he thought that.
"No one can deal with the amount of information the Shadow Broker does, even with VI's. [fffph] It's not just the information he has that's impressive either, it's how and when he uses it. He gives out just the right information at just the right time to get the results he wants with nearly no consequences to himself or his organisation. [fffph] There is the occasional individual or group that becomes upset enough to try to put an end to the Shadow Broker but they don't last long [fffph]. For the most part most will either ignore the Shadow Broker's existence or buy his services. Either the Shadow Broker is multiple individuals working together or he trusts a small group to act with his full authority [fffph] a dangerous thing to do and would make it all too easy for one of them to take his place.[fffph] The former has each member keeping another in line, the later has a pyramid structure, with those on the bottom hoping to replace those above them. [fffph] It's a good strategy as long as you're not the one about to be knocked off and if you're at the top the only direction left is down.[fffph]"
"You seem to work on your own well enough." suggested Shepard, pointing at the empty room
"I deal with a fraction of what the Shadow Broker has to, and even then I have help. [fffph] No, no one can juggle information like the Shadow Broker can without dropping the ball and making an enemy powerful or angry enough to do some real damage. [fffph] It has to be multiple people working together." said Barla Von, shaking his head "Now if that's all I have my own clients to deal with. I have a salarian who wants a creative solution to pay for a breeding contract.[fffph]"
"Just one more thing, where can I find this 'Chora's Den'?" asked Shepard
"You'll find it in the Lower Wards." answered Barla Von
Sensing they wouldn't get much more, Shepard and the others left.
"Where do you want to go next Commander ?" asked Kaiden
"We could go and find that mercenary." suggested Ash "Having a krogan on our side would be handy."
"IT would." agreed Shepard "Unfortunately, the last place we saw him was at C-sec and that was over an hour ago. Who knows where he is now? I think the best bet is to see this Harkin and see if he knows anything else."
"In that case we should head for C-Sec anyway. If we're lucking we might run into this krogan on the way." suggested Kaiden
"I agree."
With that, they made their way back to C-sec. Passing a parked car, Shepard noticed a human C-Sec officer inspecting it. Having an idea, Shepard made her way over.
"Excuse me, I'm wondering if you might be able to help me with something."
"Of cause ma'am. How can I...holy shit your Commander Shepard!" said the man shocked as soon as he turned to face her.
"That's me." replied Shepard
"Officer Eddie Lang at your service, I heard you killed a hundred geth on Eden Prime." said the man excitedly
"It sounds like you have a fan." smirked Ash
"I was just doing my job." said Shepard truthfully "Anyway I wondered if you could help me with something?"
"For a hero like you anything. Damn, I can't believe I'm talking to the Commander Shepard."
"Calm down. I'm a person just like everybody else, " Shepard said calmly. Most of the time, she didn't have a problem with her fans, as long as they acted like decent people that was. It was something she had to get used to after the events on Elysium, and something told her this sort of thing would only start to become more common after Eden Prime. She was definitely going to get some teasing from her sister if she ever heard about this.
"Of course ma'am, now how can I help you?" asked the officer
"I'm looking for a C-Sec officer named Harkin. Any chance you might be able to tell me where I can find him?"
It was odd seeing the officer's face go from excited to nervous.
"I've heard that he's been seen in Chora's Den a lot lately."
"That's convenient, we were already heading there." remarked Kaiden getting an odd reaction from the officer
"What can you tell me about Chora's Den?" asked Shepard looking at the officer, somehow making him even more nervous
"Nothing really, it's not really the kind of place my mother would be happy me knowing anything about if you know what I mean." said the officer pointedly
She didn't, but that didn't matter.
"What about Harkin? What can you tell me about him?" asked Shepard
"I don't know, he is my senior after all." said the officer hesitantly
"Anything you say will stay between us." promised Shepard
"Okay..." responded the officer and for a moment Shepard thought that's all he was going to say.
"I've heard rumours that he's been put on report bunch of times for all kinds of things. From taking bribes to drinking on the job. Last I heard he was suspended so some of it has to be true. Ever since he's been spending a lot of time at Chora' Den."
With that kind of behaviour, it was no wonder Anderson wanted nothing to do with Harkin. However, that made her wonder why the ambassador thought he might know something. Nor why he thought it was a good idea for her to talk to him.
"Thanks for the information." thanked Shepard
"For you ma'am, any time." said the officer before going back to his inspection.
"Is it just me did he seem awfully nervous talking about Chora's Den?" asked Kaiden as they started to walk away.
"Who knows." responded Ash "Probably nervous about his mother knowing he drinks."
However after they took an aircar to Choras Den, the real reason why he was so nervous became quite clear. As was the comment about his mother.
"It's a damn titty bar." swore Ash "I don't know if it's sad or funny that millions of light years away from where humanity began men are still staring at women with their tits hanging out."
"Not just men either." added Shepard looking around.
Around them was a mix of provocatively dressed, half-naked or just plain topless women walking around. Some were literally only wearing bits of string and tape. As one could have expected most of the women walking around were asari with the occasional human female and even one or two turians also working. As for the customers they were mostly human or turian but there were the odd volus, salarian and even a batarian sitting off to the side drinking.
Ignoring the women making poor life choices Shepard started scanning the patrons carefully. They ranged from the young and rowdy to middle-aged and creepy. There was even an old turian in the corner, but that one didn't seem interested in anything but drinking. She herself got some looks from the patrons who lost interest once they realised she wasn't a stripper as well as snide glares from the asari 'dancers'.
Eventually, she spotted someone who might be Harkin, the dirty C-Sec uniform was kind of a big hint, sitting near a door at the back of the 'bar'. His eyes glued to an asari dancing in front of him with a cocky and 'I'm an asshole' smirk on his face
"Harkins?" asked Shepard, walking toward him
"Who's asking?" asked the man not turning around, when he did though, things didn't improve and a smirk spread out over his face.
"Hello sweet checks, that armour sure looks good on that bod of yours. How about you come over here and have a few rounds on me?" asked Harkin, reaching out
"Touch me and I'll break your arm in three places." promised Shepard, being completely serious.
"Fine." huffed Harkin, going back to looking at the stripper. "If you Priestess had been more like the asari I'm not sure I would have ever left Earth."
"And if Priestesses had bred like asari, humanity would have been a minority by the time we got to space." argued Shepard.
"Eh whatever. Now what do you want? " asked Harkin, not sounding like he really cared.
"I heard that you might have information on a turian Spectre called Saren."
"Saren? You must be one of Andersons then."
"And what if I am?" asked Shepard
"Then I have to ask, did Anderson let you into his dark secret? How he-
As Harkin was mid-sentence he stopped, his expression changed and he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her down.
Just as she was thinking where the first break should be, the sound of a Citadel sidearm went off and Harkin's shoulder spurted out blood.
"Harkin!" shouted the stripper before she enveloped herself in a biotic barrier and pulled out a small pistol before putting herself between him and whoever fired the shot. From there it all went a bit crazy. Ash and Kaiden went to cover her as she pushed herself up to see who just tried to shoot her in the back. Her shields might have stopped it but a surprise shot would have drained them significantly.
The group that seemed to take the first shot at her was led by a turian, a few rounds with her Sheriff would normally have been enough to put this situation to rest, failed ambush or not. Unfortunately, it was more complicated than that. When the first shot was fired it seemed everyone had taken it as a sign to pull out their own guns, so not only did she have a bar full of customers, strippers and bartenders screaming and running for the exit but also had customers shooting at each other, the people who shot at her, the staff and herself. It was the definition of a cluster fuck and she was smack dab in the middle of it.
Deciding to go for the turian first she managed to hit him with a round before her line of sight was obstructed by people running for the exit. By the time it was clear, he had found cover, a salarian in his group however wasn't as lucky and fell to someone else's fire. Grabbing a nearby table she upended it to put it between her and whoever might want to have a crack at her. She doubted it would stop any rounds but it should at least damper any fire.
"Mind telling by a stripper has a gun?" asked Ash as she started to give cover fire. It was aimed high to avoid hitting the wrong person, but low enough to keep the right people down
"She's undercover you idiot!" cursed Harkin as he pulled out his own C-Sec issued firearm
"Oh stop your bitching." shot out the stripper, firing a couple of rounds
"I just got shot! If I can't bitch now when can I?" argued Harkin
"You can wait un..." started the woman before suddenly turning and taking a hostile that had come around the bar with a perfect headshot.
"That's one of Fist's, and I'm pretty sure so was that turian. You'd figure he would have done this outside his own bar." said the stripper, but as far as Shepard knew, strippers weren't usually that good of a shot. Then she noticed her eyes...they were pitch black.
"Fist was never the smartest person around." answered Harkin
"What's a Priestess doing pretending to be an asari stripper?" asked Shepard, taking Kaiden and Ash; who hadn't spotted the black eyes, by surprise.
"Just like this ass said." said the woman, nodding at Harkin. "I'm undercover."
"Does C-Sec go around dressing as strippers now?" asked Ash as she ducked down
"It's better than their other idea. Some idiot wanted to send in a civilian bartender. This was the only other idea." said the Priestess
"Fist is involved in a lot of organised crime. He's even got ties to the Shadow Broker and we found out recently that he's been doing some work for Saren. Don't know any details though. Fuck this hurts." added Harkin
The impromptu shoot-out was starting to calm down. The ones who had taken the first shots had already gone down and the only ones still left in the bar were those who had dived for cover instead of running away. That left only a few armed staff and armed customers. Most of the latter looked like they were more keen to leave than stick around much longer. Either way, the number of people shooting at them had dropped significantly.
"He was connected to the Shadow Broker, it seems he likes working for Saren more." corrected Shepard
"He betrayed the Shadow Broker?" asked Harkin surprised "Shit, he is stupider than I thought."
"Saren must have made quite the offer." suggested the Priestess idly.
As they continued to clear out hostiles in an increasingly empty bar, Shepard's omni-tool went off. Her first instinct was to hang up or ignore it but then she saw who it was from.
"This better be important." said Shepard
"It is," answered Garrus. "You told me to...are you in a fight?" asked Garrus suddenly as one of the few remaining hostiles opened fire, taking a chunk out of her table.
"Yeah, we are! So now's not a good time." shot in Ash as she took out the person that just fired at them.
However, the next voice coming from the omni-tool took her by surprise.
"Ash is that you?" asked a confused, and also worried voice.
"Tali?! What are you doing on the Citadel?" asked Ash shocked.
"She's got evidence against Saren." answered Garrus "I was chasing some leads and one led to another which ended leading me to a quarian on an empty dock."
"My name is Tali."
"Right. Anyway as I was talking to her some people in phony C-Sec uniforms turned up and said she had to go with them, which is how we got into this situation."
"And that situation is?" asked Shepard
"Car chase." answered Garrus bluntly. "We managed to get away from the fake officers thanks to some grenades the quari - Tali somehow smuggled in and made our way to a car but they must have called more help because as soon as we took off we came under fire. They've been chasing us ever since and I'm not sure how much more damage our car can take."
"Why can't you just call C-Sec and get somewhere safe?" asked Ash sounding more concerned about Tali than she was at being shot at.
"Can't. Tali said there should have been a detail waiting for her. Instead, there was just me and several C-Sec imposters. She also told me her coming to the Citadel was supposed to be hush-hush.
Someone in the know leaked details, and made sure she was on her own. Possibly arranged for fake uniforms as well so she could be taken without causing a scene. I don't know every C-Sec officer on the Citadel. If I call in for help there's a good chance the ones showing up could be more imposters ready to take us out.
I need someone who I know won't take a shot at me until we're in a safe location. Now I don't mean to rush you but I don't know how much longer I can keep ahead. As I've said the car's taken some damage."
"Send me your location." ordered Shepard "Make sure it's live, I'm near Chora's Den if you can make it. Everyone else let's finish up here and get to the nearest terminal."
"I've got a better idea," offered the Priestess. "Fist usually has his personal aircar parked out back, just past his office. Even if it's, gone it will still be quicker calling one in from there than trying to light our out. There could be a problem though. Fist has a krogan bodyguard, I haven't seen him leave so best bet is that the krogans still with him."
"Good idea, how do we get there?" asked Shepard
"It's through that door." said the Priestess pointing
"Alright everyone keep low." ordered Shepard.
Thankfully there weren't many people left to shoot them. Certainly not when they were heading towards the back of the bar and away from the fight.
"Can you open the door?" asked Shepard looking at Kaiden
"On it." replied Kaiden getting to work. A few moments later he had the door sliding open, when it did Shepard noticed two things. A couple more staff and a charging krogan heading straight for them.
With no time to think, Shepard could only react. Instead of backing up she charged forward, meeting the krogan head-on. Pulling out her axe as she went. At the last moment, she used her biotics to dive to side, letting the point of her axe blades dig into krogan's throat as he ran past...the krogans own momentum then ripped his own throat out.
Pulling out her pistol she aimed it at the two staff who had their weapons somewhat raised.
"Drop them or I'll drop you."
Whether it was the very large pistol in her hand or the dying gurgles or a krogan without his throat, they dropped their weapons instantly.
"I ain't dying for Fist." said one of them as she kicked their guns away, keeping an ear out for the krogan behind her. Krogan could shrug off most blows, she doubted a missing throat was one but she wasn't going to take the chance that this one was more resistant or wasn't going to try something if he had the chance. Judging how no one else got within arms length of the dying krogan as they entered the room they felt the same.
"Fist where is he?" asked Shepard
"He's in his office, he told us to stop you but like Mark said, I ain't dying for him." said the second worker "Doesn't pay nearly that well."
"In that case hands behind your back." ordered the Priestess as she quickly cuffed them. The workers knowing better than to resist quickly obeyed.
When the workers were secured and off to the side they entered the next room where they spotted someone who seemed to be in the midst of destroying every piece of evidence he could find. A greater concern however were the two turrents currently pointed towards the door. Both of which opened fire moments later.
"Fuckin cunt!" swore Harkin as he dived to the floor, landing on his shoulder as he did so, making him to release even more expletives.
"C-Sec! Drop your weapon!" ordered the Priestess
"Screw you, you aren't taking me in!" said the man, firing off a few badly aimed rounds.
"Kaiden?! If you could?" asked Shepard, nodding at the turrents. The quicker those got taken down the quicker this would be over
"Cover me!"
Keeping most of herself behind cover she fired on the turrents. She wasn't trying to take them out, but she was willing to bet they would focus on active threats first. Which, was a mistake as Kaiden used the opportunity to hack one turrent to take out the other one. Then not knowing how long Kaiden would total control over the remaining turrent, Shepard took that one out too.
With the turrents gone, Fist was quick to lose his former bravo, dropping his weapon within seconds.
"On the ground!" ordered Harkin angrily "I won't ask again!'
"Hand over the access code to your car while you're at it." added Shepard. While she was willing to bet Kaiden could hack the car just like he did with the door and turrent, it would take more time than she'd like.
"Who do you think you are? I ain't giving you my car." shot Fist only to give a yelp as Shepard fired next to his foot.
"I'm a Priestess in a bad mood, you're a guy who thinks calling himself Fist while surrounding himself with strippers makes you sound tough. Do you really want to see where this goes?"
"Fine fine take the car." said Fist hurriedly as he quickly sent something over omni-tool. "Jeeze."
"Hold on, you can't just leave." argued Harkin as she started to turn "We need to secure Fist and any evidence that's left."
"What do you need?" asked Shepard.
"A tech guy would be helpful. And your guy there fits the type."
"Kaiden can you secure the doors?" asked Shepard. With the codes to the car she wouldn't need Kaiden's tech skills and the man did take a bullet for her. Giving him some help was the least she could do but she needed to make sure he was going to be safe if she left him behind.
"I can trigger an emergency lock. It won't hold forever but should last till someone else from C-Sec gets here." offered Kaiden "I can also fry the door if needed."
"Lock it." ordered Shepard before turning to Harkin "...he can stay but she comes with me to even out the numbers." agreed Shepard, pointing at the Priestess.
"Fine Tisha, you're with her. Cuff Fist before you go though, arms killing me."
Waiting until Tisha cuffed a sour-looking Fist only took a few seconds. When that was done it was time to move out.
"Ash, Tisha let's go." ordered Shepard as Tisha passed a cuffed Fist off to Harkin "Kaiden, if it even looks like you got trouble I want you to fry the door so badly that the only way it opens is if someone cuts it open."
"Understood Commander."
"Don't look too upset, where you're going I'm sure you'll find a friend who likes fisting just as much as you." joked Harkin coarsely
"By the way thanks for pulling me out the way before." called out Shepard
"Pay my bar tab and you can call us even." offered Harkin
"Don't do that, you'll go broke." said Tisha quietly "Now come on his car's this way."
A few moments later they had entered the garage/loading dock, aside from a large stack of crates and boxes there was also a bright read sports car with the words panty dropper next to an image of an aroused asari face.
"Get in." ordered Shepard as she unlocked the car.
Ash got in the back, Tisha took the passenger seat while Shepard took the wheel and started the ingition. Setting the destination as Garrus's current location she gunned the engine. Tearing through traffic, Shepard took the shortest route, weaving through any obstacles in front of her.s
"So what was it like being an asari striper?" asked Shepard, not noticing how Tisha had started grabbing the seat.
"Well, I wasn't a fan of all the perving, on the plus side I don't need to buy my boyfriend a birthday present this year, if ever. Hey can you ah...slow down a bit?" asked Tisha nervously
"No time, we need to get to Garrus now." replied Shepard keeping her foot down and taking more than one illegal turn, much to the anger of other motorists.
A few more hairpin turns and last-second swerves and they were close to Garrus's location when a damaged aircar went screaming past, followed shortly by another. Giving a quick look at the dash Shepard noticed that Garrus was now behind them.
"That's them." said Shepard, pulling up and pulling off a gut-wrenching turn
"All due respect Commander...but who taught you how to drive?" asked a worried Ash from the back seat
"It's not that bad, I got top marks for defensive driving." frowned Shepard looking back
"CAR!" shouted out Tisha
"I see it." replied Shepard as she literally scrapped under an oncoming car.
As they got closer to Garrus's car they all got a better look at what was going on. The first car which she had to assume Garrus was in was a standard make and model that anyone could call in. The second was definitely privately owned and was openly firing on the first car. Shepard wasn't sure how they weren't both being swarmed by C-Sec vehicles but bad response times could wait until later.
As they got into range, Tisha and Ash opened fire at the second car. Winding down the windows and leaning out in order to get a clean shot.
Unfortunately, while they had shot they couldn't just hold the trigger down and fire full auto, any shot that missed was going to hit something else and at this height that could be anything, Shepard's driving didn't help either.
Seemingly random jerks at the wheel and often coming in arm's length of a wall or another car meant a clear shot often came and went far too quickly for them to use it.
Add in the fact their weapons didn't fire the usual sand-sized shards that standard Citadel arms did then it was doubtful something like a plain glass window would do much to stop or slow it down. Penetrating through a thin wall and hitting someone on the other side was a definite possibility.
That wasn't to that it was safer to spray and pray with Citadel-type weapons either. Just less risky that a round would penetrate something fast enough to take someone out. Not that the ones chasing Garrus seemed to care about bystanders getting hurt, they seemed only interested in putting as much fire downrange as they possibly could. Shepard just had to hope most of their rounds were hitting structures that could take it and not people going about their day-to-day lives.
Soon after Ash and Tisha started firing on the second car though they stopped shooting at Garrus and Tali and instead chose to fire at them instead. Good for Garrus and Tali, bad for Shepard, Ash and Tisha. Not that it was easy to hit them, if Ash and Tisha could barely predict where Shepard was about to turn, how could they?
As the car chase continued Shepard ended up grinding the car up against the wall more than once, sparking a complaint from one of her passengers each time it happened. A complaint Shepard promptly then ignored.
"This is taking too long, is the car armoured or something?" asked Shepard out loud.
While their rate of fire wasn't what it could be, they were still putting a lot of rounds into the car infront of them. Air cars were built to be light and fast, their rounds should have shreaded something important by now. Instead it looked barely damaged.
"Could be, looks customized." offered Tisha
"If you kept the car steadier or used the brakes instead of buildings to slow down we might have been able to shoot it more often." complained Ash from the back seat
"My drivings fine." defended Shepard, completely ignoring all the damage incurred because of said driving "We've barely been after all."
"All due respect commander, but there are drunk rhinos that can drive better than you." commented Ash getting an offended look from Shepard
"We need to hurry up and take the car out, I'm not sure how much longer Garrus can stay airborne." interrupted Tisha, trying to be diplomatic and trying to keep Shepard's focus on her driving.
Indeed Garrus's car had started smoking, it was only a matter of time before it went down.
"Fine. Get ready to take the wheel, I've got an idea." ordered Shepard as she sped up and pulled in front of the car they had been chasing. The gunmen in the car following them as she did. There seemed to be at least four people, one driver, three gunmen leaning out of the window just like Ash and Tisha were.
"What?" asked Tisha confused before diving for the wheel as Shepard let it go and opened the door.
Then, without further warning, she pulled out her axes and jumped.
Using her biotics to protect herself from the wind and slow her momentum at the last second. Hitting the car roof with a thud she used the spikes on her axes to stop herself from sliding off. Taking the gunmen mysurprise, only of the gunmen turned around and tried to take her out.
A quick throw settled that. The turian mercenary would either hit a wall, a car or the floor...either way he was completely fucked. The other three gunman not wanting the same treatment ducked out of sight. Knowing it was only a matter of time until someone else in the car would take a shot at her, Shepard worked her way backwards to the rear of the car using her axes as climbing picks. Thankfully this would also make her harder to hit when the started shooting at her again.
A few axe holes later when she was more or less over the engine she stopped. While bullets didn't seem to be doing much she was willing to bet a liberal application of a few grenades would a bigger impact. Pulling one out after another she had placed all but one when someone in the car got brave enough to lean out far enough to get a look at her.
"I really suggest you land." offered Shepard, she doubted the man could hear her. But he definitely saw her place the last grenade with the others.
Pulling out both of her axes, she pushed off the car as hard as she could and used her biotics to lower her mass.
Basically floating in the air, Shepard watched a damaged aircar quickly approach her, decelerating as it went. Landing on the hood of the car, Shepard swung herself into the passenger seat. The driver's seat now occupied by Tisha. A Tisha that didn't exactly seem happy to see her
"What is wrong with you?! People do not just jump out of cars like that!"
"We needed to take them out, speaking of which." said Shepard, before using her omni-tool to detonate the grenades in a decent-sized blast.
Instead of just dropping like a stone, the aircar lurched, slowed and slowly fell. Within moments they were far behind and that distance only increased with each passing second. It seemed her grenades were enough to seriously damage the engines but not take them out completely. Lucky for them she wasn't carry a lot of grenades at the time, they'd make it a landing pad...probably. They definitely wouldn't be a problem anymore though.
"I can't see them any more." said Tisha, checking the display screens before focusing on what was ahead "It looks like Garrus is landing as well."
Indeed Garrus had slowed down considerably and was headed for a nearby landing pad.
"Probably a good thing, this car didn't look like it could take much more." said Shepard idly, only to get a frosty look from Tish and Ash "What?"