The simulated sun hung on the Presidium's horizon like a lover reluctant to leave as orange, yellow, pink, and blue bled into the artificial sky above. The early morning sunlight, emitted from the sky, shone through the large windows of the Citadel-Security Headquarters. The air was cool and comfortable as turian, salarian, human, and asari members of C-Sec milled about. Some were in small groups, whispering amongst themselves, some moved to and from their offices, while others still escorted people to and from cells. C-Sec Officer Garrus Vakarian carried a steaming cup of turian coffee in hand as he walked to his desk.
Yet another day of processing paperwork, Garrus thought glumly.
Halfway to his office, he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Vakarian, do you have a minute?"
Reluctantly, Garrus turned to find Executor Pallin behind him. The conversation around the space ceased, as everyone's ears perked up to listen.
No doubt looking for idle gossip to share later, thought Garrus.
"Of course, sir," he replied.
Garrus followed Executor Pallin to his office, and the Executor nodded at the door.
"Could you close that, please?" he said.
"Of course, sir," said Garrus, who closed the door.
"Officer Vakarian, you're one of our most senior members," the Executor said. "Which is why I need you to investigate a Spectre."
Spirits, I'm fucked, Garrus thought.
Spectres, also known as Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, were the Citadel Council's right hand. They answered to no one save the Council, and for all intents and purposes, were considered above the law.
If Garrus could've raised his brows, he would have. His eyes widened in shock. "A Spectre, sir?"
"Yes, that's correct," Executor Pallin replied. "Apparently, there was an incident on a Spectre who was apparently present: Saren Arterius – he's one of ours."
Spirits, a turian Spectre, thought Garrus. Who did I piss off this time?
"But sir, Spectres are-" he began.
Pallin held up a hand and Garrus stopped speaking.
"I know," Executor Pallin said with a sigh. "And if I had anyone else I trusted with this assignment, I would give it to them."
Garrus nodded. "Understood, sir. How soon do I need to finalize this report?"
"The council is meeting with Saren, along with some Alliance soldiers who were present at the colony, the day after tomorrow," Executor Pallin replied. "Which means I'll need the report at the latest, by the end of the day, tomorrow afternoon."
"Sir, that's not enough time to conduct a thorough investigation," Garrus replied.
What exactly does the Council expect me to find, he thought, his mind turning like so many gears in a machine.
"Just get it done, Vakarian," the Executor replied. Garrus could tell by his tone that he was done discussing it. "The sooner you finish this report, the sooner you can resume your usual duties and we can all wash our hands of this." Shaking his head, he let out a dejected sigh. "It's not our job to investigate the actions of a Spectre."
Then why am I supposedly scrutinizing this one, thought Garrus. What has he done to make the Council question his status?
"I'll get it done, sir."
"Good to hear," said Executor Pallin. "And when you're done, forward the report directly to me. The Council will want to read it before they meet with Spectre Aurterius."
Garrus nodded. "Understood."
"Good. If there are no other questions, you're dismissed," said the Executor.
Garrus turned and left the Executor's office. As he walked to his office, he felt the eyes of his colleagues from all across the room focused squarely on him, but he soon ignored them.
Spirits, this is going to be a long day, he thought.
Lieutenant Commander Jean Eliza Shepard walked through the Presidium with Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams the following afternoon. The Presidium's simulated sunlight shone brightly and there was a light breeze that rustled through Jean's low bun. Species from across the Milky Way, minus batarians, roamed the clean and spacious area.
This place is beautiful, thought Jean. I wouldn't mind spending more time here, provided it wasn't a work-related visit.
"This place is so massive," Kaidan remarked.
"For a place built by aliens, it sure is impressive," Ashley agreed.
I never know how I should interpret those kinds of comments, Jean thought.
However, she kept silent as the trio approached a nearby skycar. A purple salarian leaned against the vehicle.
"Are you the driver?" Jean inquired.
"That depends on who's asking," the salarian replied, his expression one of disinterest.
"I'm Lieutenant Commander Shepard, this is Lieutenant Alenko" – she indicated to Kaidan, and then to Ashley – "and this is Gunnery Chief Williams. We're with the Systems Alliance and we're looking to reach the Citadel Tower."
"We have a meeting with the Council," Kaidan supplied.
The salarian's dark eyes widened. "Oh, of course. In that case, hop in and I'll get you a ride. But first, you'll have to interact with that kiosk. To initiate payment, you see. Let me know if you have any questions."
"Thanks," Jean replied.
She turned to the metallic kiosk beside the skycar, opened her omni-tool, and typed out a specific amount to pay the salarian. Satisfied, she sent it to the kiosk and the purple salarian opened his omni-tool to double-check that the payment had gone through.
"Thank you very much," he said. He then turned and opened the driver's side door. "Let's go."
Jean turned back to Ashley and Kaidan. "Let's go you two."
"Yes Ma'am," they replied in unison.
Hopefully, we're not late to the hearing, thought Jean.
Garrus Vakarian had spent much of the past two days investigating Saren Arterius. He'd consumed countless cups of coffee since Executor Pallin had first assigned the case yet he hadn't managed to scratch the surface of Saren's activities.
Because he's a Spectre, Garrus thought glumly as he made his way to the Citadel Tower.
He had received a message from Executor Pallin an hour ago, requesting that they meet in the Citadel Tower. According to his message, Pallin was to present Garrus's evidence that he had collected over the past couple of days during the meeting.
Why do I have a feeling this is just going to be, as the humans call it, a circus, he thought.
By the time he reached the area near where the Council met, Executor Pallin was already waiting for him.
Spirits, he's quick, thought Garrus.
"My apologies if I kept you waiting, sir," he said by way of greeting.
"I just arrived myself," Executor Pallin responded. "Do you have the data?"
Garrus raised his left arm, brought up his omni-tool, and sent the data to his boss.
"That's everything I have," he replied. "Such as it is."
The Executor's eyes hungrily scanned the lines of text.
"Good work, Garrus. I'll take this to the Council right away," he said.
Does he really not care about following procedure for this, Garrus thought. That doesn't make sense.
Just as he was about to turn away, Garrus spoke up.
"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time, stall them."
Garrus saw three humans walk toward them out of the corner of his eye. One was a redheaded woman wearing dark armor with an 'N7' on the chest, another was a male who also sported dark armor, and the third was a dark-haired woman with pink and white armor.
"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus," Executor Pallin replied.
The Executor promptly turned and walked away, while Garrus shifted his attention to the trio of humans.
"I was informed there would be a Commander Shepard here, is that correct?" he said.
"That would be me," the redheaded woman replied.
Garrus nodded once. "Commander Shepard, Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."
"Who were you just talking to?" Commander Shepard asked.
"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security and my boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council," Garrus replied.
"Come across anything I should know about?" Shepard inquired.
Straight to the point, Garrus thought. I can appreciate that.
He crossed his arms. "Saren's a Spectre, which means that most of his activities are classified. I couldn't find anything solid. But I know he's up to something. Like you humans say, I can feel it in my gut."
"I think the Council is ready for us, Commander," the dark-haired male human supplied.
"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you," said Garrus.
Although I very much doubt it, he thought as he moved to one side and watched the three humans walk upstairs toward the meeting.
Garrus turned and began to walk down the stairs.
There must be something else I can do, thought Garrus.
He recalled the investigation's notes in his mind. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped, and brought up his omni-tool. He perused through the data he had collected during his investigation over the past couple of days until he found what he was looking for.
"Perfect," he murmured. "If I hurry, I should be able to catch Doctor Michel."
Immediately, he resumed walking, faster this time, as he made his way to the elevator. While he might not have been able to officially continue the investigation, that had never stopped him before.
After her brief conversation with Garrus Vakarian, Commander Shepard and her officers continued on their way to the meeting. When they neared the top step, they found Captain Anderson waiting for them.
Shit, hopefully, we're not late, Jean thought.
"There you are, Shepard. The meeting's already started, come on," said Captain Anderson.
Well, there goes that hope, thought Jean.
Captain Anderson led Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley to the Council meeting where Ambassador Udina stood on a platform facing the asari Councilor Tevos, turian Councilor Sparatus, and salarian Councilor Valern. On a raised platform in the corner to the left of the Council was an orange hologram of Saren Arterius.
You bastard, thought Jean as she moved to stand beside Captain Anderson and behind Ambassador Udina. One way or another, I'll make sure you get what's coming to you.
"The geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way," said Councilor Tevos.
"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," Councilor Sparatus added.
"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood," Ambassador Udina said.
That has to count for something, Jean thought.
"We've read the Eden Prime report, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof," Councilor Valern replied coolly.
Of course, not, thought Jean.
"I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend," came the voice of Saren from the hologram, speaking for the first time since Jean's arrival.
"That just let you catch him off guard," Captain Anderson added.
Jean watched as Saren shifted his attention to the human captain and scrutinized him.
"Captain Anderson; you always seem to be involved whenever humanity makes false charges against me. And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard, the one who let the beacon get destroyed," Saren replied.
Smug bastard, Jean thought.
"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret, which means the only way you could've known about the beacon was if you were there," she pointed out.
"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me. I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human?" Saren answered.
Rage rose up inside Jean and she did her best, albeit not as good as she could have, to tamp it down.
"Saren despises humanity, that's why he attacked Eden Prime!" she shouted, pointing directly at the turian Spectre.
"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Saren added with a pleased smirk.
"He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" Udina said, leaning forward and nearly falling over.
"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," Councilor Tevos said, toward Saren.
"This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And, mine," the turian Spectre shot back, waving away in the direction the humans as if they were pesky flies.
Fuck this shit, thought Jean.
"Saren's hiding behind his position as a Spectre, you need to open your eyes!" she said, speaking directly to the Council.
"What we really need is evidence; and so far, we've seen nothing," Councilor Valern replied dryly.
"There's still one outstanding issue: Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon," Captain Anderson pointed out.
Fuck, now the council definitely thinks we're batshit crazy, Jean thought.
She didn't see any of the councilor's expressions change, but she did feel a sense of incredulity between the three.
"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren asked, once more waving his hand dismissively in the vague direction of the humans.
"I agree. Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation," Councilor Sparatus concurred.
"Do you have anything else to add?" Councilor Valern added, staring toward the human delegation.
"You've made your decision, I won't waste my breath," Jean replied.
She watched as Sparatus and Tevos turned to one another and shared a look. Sparatus shook his head and Tevos nodded.
"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," said Councilor Tevos.
This was all for nothing, thought Jean.
"I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren said, with a satisfied smirk.
You keep smirking, asshole, Jean thought. But I promise you, I will take you down.
Saren's holographic image dissipated and Councilor Tevos turned her focus onto the humans.
"This meeting is adjourned," she said conclusively.
Feeling defeated, Ambassador Udina, Captain Anderson, Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley all turned and walked away. They reconvened a short distance from the raised platform and Jean could practically see the smoke coming from Udina's ears.
"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives," said Ambassador Udina as he turned to focus on Anderson.
"I know Saren. He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk, and every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe," Captain Anderson responded.
While this is painful, the ambassador is right, thought Jean.
"Tell me about this history between you and Saren," she said, shifting her focus to Captain Anderson.
"I worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad, real bad. We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like and he has to be stopped," the captain answered.
"What's our next step?" Jean asked.
"As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him," Ambassador Udina responded as he stroked his chin in thought.
"What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor," Kaidan suggested.
"That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren," Ashley added.
Well, it's a start, Jean thought.
"Any idea where we could find him?" she inquired.
"I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track down Saren. His name is Harkin," Ambassador Udina volunteered.
"Forget it, they suspended Harkin last month, for drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser," Captain Anderson retorted.
"You won't have to," said Ambassador Udina, as he turned to the captain. "I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this."
Ugh, I fucking hate politics, thought Jean.
"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation," she said, her patience running thin.
"As much as I don't like it, the ambassador is right. I need to step aside," Captain Anderson said.
"I need to take care of some business," said Ambassador Udina. He turned away from Jean and looked back toward Captain Anderson. "Captain, meet me in my office later."
"Of course," Captain Anderson replied.
Ambassador Udina nodded before he turned and walked away.
"Harkin's probably getting drunk in Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards," Captain Anderson supplied.
"Maybe there's another way to find evidence against Saren," Jean said.
"You could talk to Barla Von, over in the financial district. Rumor has it he's an agent for the Shadow Broker," Captain Anderson offered.
"The Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked with a raised brow.
"An information dealer who buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder," Anderson replied. "I've heard Barla Von's one of the top representatives. He might know something about Saren. But his information won't come cheap."
Well, it sounds like it's time for me to get to work, thought Jean.
"I should go," she said.
"Good luck, Shepard. I'll be over in the ambassador's office later if you need anything else," Captain Anderson replied.
The Captain turned and walked away while Jean led Kaidan and Ashley downstairs. Jean noticed most of the spectators who had hoped to catch a glimpse of the Council in session had cleared out and wondered where they'd gone.
This place is enormous, she thought. I guess they could be anywhere.
In her peripheral vision, Jean noticed there was an Alliance officer with a silver mustache and goatee talking to the orange omni-tool on his wrist. As Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley grew closer, he stopped and turned to face them.
"Congratulations on becoming the first human Spectre, Commander. I'm certain you'll be up to the challenge," said the Alliance officer.
The admiral extended his hand, and Jean shook it.
"I appreciate that," she replied.
"My name is Admiral Kahoku. It's about time the Alliance got one of our own in with the Spectres. We need people like you to deal with our, problems," Admiral Kahoku said with a heavy sigh.
"Is something wrong, Admiral?" Jean asked.
"I'm getting stonewalled by bureaucratic assholes. Nothing new," Admiral Kahoku replied. "Then again, maybe you can help me. One of my recon teams was investigating some strange activity out in the Traverse. We lost contact yesterday and now I can't get any clearance to check it out – suddenly, it's a restricted area. But that's where you come in, as a Spectre, you can go anywhere and investigate anything – you can find out why my team dropped out of contact."
This does sound odd, thought Jean.
"I'll find them, Admiral," she said.
"I greatly appreciate it, Commander. I was running out of options. I'm going to stay here and see if I can find anything else out through official channels, although I won't hold my breath."
"Do you know where your men last were?" Jean asked.
"Yes, they were Artemis Tau cluster," Admiral Kahoku responded.
"All right, I'll contact you as soon as I know more," Jean said with a nod. "Where can I find you?"
"I'll remain on the Citadel for the time being," Admiral Kahoku answered. "You can find me right here most days."
"We'll make sure your men are found, sir," Kaidan reassured him.
"Thank you again, I appreciate it," said Admiral Kahoku.
Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley turned and walked in the opposite direction.
The three approached the elevators, and the doors opened. All three entered the elevator and Jean pressed the down button. In her peripheral vision, she saw Ashley cross her arms.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about whatever happened to Admiral Kahoku's soldiers?" Ashley asked.
"You and me both, Chief," said Kaidan.
"I agree, there's something fishy about all this," Jean mused. "Either way, we'll get to the bottom of this."
Just then, the doors opened the trio were back in the Presidium. They made their way to the Financial District, with Jean quickly finding Barla Von's office. When they entered the lobby, a human woman was sitting at a large desk. She looked up at the three of them and smiled as they approached her desk.
"Hello, my name is Irina Baye, secretary to Mister Von," said the blonde woman. "How may I help you?"
"I'm Commander Shepard with the Alliance Navy, and I was wondering if I could speak with Barla Von?"
"One moment, please," Ms. Baye replied. She brought up her omni-tool, typed very quickly, and pulled up a holoscreen with a volus. "Sir, there's a Commander Shepard—"
"Let them in," Barla Von replied. As he spoke, it sounded like his suit was sucking in a breath. "I have been wondering when this Earth-Clan would pay me a visit."
He's been expecting me, thought Jean. That's a bit unnerving.
"Understood, sir," Ms. Baye said. She turned off her screen and looked back up at the Alliance soldiers. "Mr. Von says he's ready for you. He's just through the door behind me."
"Thank you," Jean replied as she led Kaidan and Ashley past her desk.
"No problem," Ms. Baye responded.
Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley walked through the door and into Barla Von's office. The interior was decently sized with windows on the far wall and an elongated desk just in front of the windows. The brown and white-suited Volus looked at the trio of humans just as the door closed.
"Commander Shepard, it is a great honor to welcome the Hero of the Blitz," said Barla Von by way of greeting.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you've got me at a disadvantage here," Jean replied with a raised brow. "Have we met?"
"Forgive me, Earth-Clan. My name is Barla Von. My job makes it necessary for me to keep informed. I am a financial advisor to many important clients here on the Citadel. When someone as important as yourself arrives on the station, I take notice," Barla Von responded.
"I heard you work for the Shadow Broker," said Jean. "Do you have any information on Saren?"
"You're very blunt Shepard," Barla Von said, as his suit made a suctioning sound when he took a breath. "But you're right. I am an agent for the Shadow Broker. And I do know something about Saren."
"I hear your information can be expensive," Jean continued.
"Normally, this information would cost a small fortune, but these are exceptional circumstances. So, I'm going to give it to you for free," Barla Von replied.
"What's the catch?" Ashley inquired with a raised brow as she put a hand on her hip.
"There is no catch. The Shadow Broker is quite upset with Saren right now," said Barla Von. "They used to do a lot of business together, until Saren turned on him."
Ouch, Jean thought. Then again, not surprising I suppose.
"Saren has turned on a lot of people lately," she said.
"I don't know the details, but the Shadow Broker hired a freelancer to deal with it. A krogan mercenary," Barla Von said.
"That's not much to go on," Jean replied with a raised brow.
"I just told you that the most famous Spectre in the galaxy betrayed the Shadow Broker. Quite a bargain, considering the price," Barla Von retorted. "Speak with the krogan if you want to learn more. I heard he was paying a visit to Citadel Security. If you hurry, you can catch him before he leaves the Academy."
Looks like that's where we're headed, thought Jean.
She nodded. "In that case, I should go."
"Goodbye, Commander, and good luck," said Barla Von.
"Thanks," Jean said.
She turned and led Kaidan and Ashley out of the volus's office.
"Have a good day," Ms. Baye said.
"You too," Jean replied.
After leaving the Citadel Tower and arriving back on the Presidium, Garrus took a skycar to the lower wards and made his way to Dr. Michel's clinic. He quickly drew his sniper rifle as he entered, taking note of the five thugs surrounding Dr. Michel. He lowered himself into a crouching position before one of them could have spotted him.
Hopefully, I can take out these thugs quickly, Garrus thought.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Commander Shepard along with a dark-haired human male and a krogan wearing red armor enter the clinic.
Interesting, Garrus thought. Since when have humans worked with krogan outside of mercenary groups?
He pushed such thoughts aside as he slowly crept around the counter, doing his best to remain silent.
"I didn't tell anyone, I swear," Dr. Michel cried.
"That was smart doc. Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart and keep your mouth shut or we'll-Who are you?" the thug leader asked and Garrus knew he'd spotted Commander Shepard and her crew.
From his vantage point, Garrus saw the two Alliance soldiers and krogan raise their firearms, aiming at the thugs across the counter. He took the opportunity to aim his sniper rifle at the brunet thug leader.
You have four guns pointed you at, thought Garrus. It would be smart to surrender now, but something tells me you're not going to.
"Let her go," Commander Shepard instructed.
Before the thug leader could respond, Garrus fired his rifle and shot the thug leader in the forehead.
As the humans would say, bullseye, he thought.
After their meeting with Barla Von, Jean, Kaidan, and Ashley made their way to Citadel Security Academy in the Lower Wards. They took a skycar, and by the time they arrived, the three found a large krogan wearing red armor speaking with a human C-Sec Officer. The human officer was tense, with his brows furrowed and a frown on his face.
Oh boy, Jean thought. This looks like a fight waiting to happen.
"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," the human C-Sec Officer ordered.
"I don't take orders from you," the krogan replied, close enough to be touching the officer now.
"This is your only warning, Wrex," the C-Sec Officer added.
Is that supposed to deter him, thought Jean as she watched warily. Because if so, I don't think it's working.
"You should warn, Fist," Wrex replied. "I will kill him."
"You want me to arrest you?" the C-Sec Officer asked, his voice tense and gruff.
"I want you to try," Wrex answered with a laugh.
Wrex turned and walked away from the human C-Sec Officer.
"Go on, get out of here," the officer said, waving away the krogan as if he had won this argument.
Jean was going to step back, but Wrex walked right toward the trio. He stopped close to Jean and she drew herself up to her full height.
"Do I know you, human?" Wrex asked. If krogan could've raised a brow, he would have.
Now or never, Jean thought.
"My name's Commander Shepard and I could use your help," she replied.
Wrex's eyes widened in realization. "Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors, Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you a fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist."
"I'm going after Fist myself," Jean said. "Why don't we work together?"
Wrex looked her up and down before he nodded. "All right, I'm in."
"Welcome aboard, Wrex," said Jean, relieved she hadn't had to fight him.
"Commander, what about that C-Sec Officer, Garrus Vakarian?" Kaidan inquired.
He makes a good point, thought Jean. That C-Sec Officer would be a good ally to have with us.
"Last I heard, he was in a nearby clinic here," Wrex said. "If we hurry, we might be able to catch him."
Jean nodded before she turned to look at Kaidan and Ashley. "Chief Williams, go ahead and return to the Normandy. Lieutenant Alenko, Wrex, and I will handle this."
She could see Ashley's brows rise at the order, but she didn't argue like Jean expected. Instead, Ashely nodded and gave Jean a salute.
"Understood, Commander."