Citadel Security had been alerted over the matter of their new arrivals, with C-SEC assets already positioning to keep tabs on their newfound POIs. The warrant to search the items of the Batarian Arms Dealer, however, was taking way too long. Going by the fact the Batarian seemed incredibly relaxed, as per surveillance, something must've been in his favor.
Bailey muttered, "Of course, the bastard has someone with the judges," before looking at Fox, who was checking over his pistols and helmet. He told the man, "Warrant's set to arrive after our Batarian warlord supposedly departs the Citadel with those goods… You know, just so we get screwed out of investigating either him, or Tricia…"
"Standard," Fox sighed as he lifted up a cup of coffee and took a sip. He set it aside, then asked, "So, what then? Do we go dirty cop and break into the shipments? Or do we wait until that second background check we asked for the girl comes back and then go talk to her if something seems like a discrepancy…?"
"Latter," Bailey replied. He stood up from his seat and told him, "Do you ever have to deal with stuff like this back on Coruscant?"
"Smugglers have to jump through so many loop-holes or pay off so many people that only the craziest or most motivated take missions to smuggle stuff to and from Coruscant," The Commander replied, holstering his pistol and setting his helmet aside on his desk. He added, "By 'most motivated', I mean the people who were hired with the funds necessary for it."
Bailey shrugged, "Sounds about right," and he poured himself another cup. He sat down and his gaze swept around the place once more, eyes peeled for any possible incoming or outgoing additional contacts belonging to the Batarian, or Tricia. He said to Fox, "Y'know, usually things don't get this exciting here. Zakera itself has some crime, but not to this degree…"
"You think it's gonna get bigger than just 'two friends meeting'?" Fox asked, making the air quotes necessary to denote his sarcasm toward that little excuse. Bailey didn't know, so he remained silent. All the while, Fox was drinking his coffee, until he noticed a figure staring at them from among the crowds.
He hummed, noting a faint orange glow, then said, "Wait here…" as he stood up. He marched out into the crowds of people moving through Zakera's uppermost area and gently let his hand hover over his pistol grip. The alien, whatever they were, must've noticed him approaching, because they moved away, attempting to hide behind an advertisement.
Marching over past it, he brought his hand up and spoke into the comlink, "Captain Bailey and all assets on Zakera Floor One, in pursuit of suspect scouting out our Precinct… Blue hooded jacket, black pants…" in a whisper. He watched the hooded figure marching away and stowing his hands in his pockets. Build was male, tall, slim. He wrapped his fingers around the grip of his pistol as his boys began to converge.
He walked toward the man and called out, "Excuse me, you, in the hood," which caused the man to pause. He turned back and Fox could faintly make out blue skin and a more feminine chin and lips. He blinked, then said, "Look, I'm not looking to cause you trouble, but-" only to watch the figure bolt forward. He sighed deeply, exasperated, then said, "Of course… Charlie Foxtrot, in pursuit of suspect! Be advised, suspect seems to be Asari…"
He started sprinting after her, drawing his right-hand pistol and switching it to stun mode as he chased her down. The crowds seemed surprised to watch the man in white and red armor booking it after a hooded Asari. He chased her deeper down into the Ward, thankful that his boys were not that far behind, considering he could hear their boots hitting the floor.
He pushed through crowds, chasing the Asari, then drew his second pistol. He called out, "Stop!" before aiming his gun. No dice, he thought. He'd hit a civilian with a stun shot and that wouldn't go so well when it came to court dates. The place wasn't officially at war like the Republic, so police brutality might've been viewed poorly instead of outright ignored.
So, he kept running, quickening his pace as they delved deeper and deeper into the place, past Shin Akiba and into some areas that seemed a little less than good to be within. Seriously, the wealth inequality in some places here matched Coruscant's lower levels. There was grime on the walls, condensation, trash spilled on the ground…
He ducked, however, when the woman threw a biotic blast his way. He aimed and fired, the ring of nerve-short-circuiting electricity from his blaster's maw narrowly missing her and slamming into a wall that sparkled with electricity from the shot. He saw an alleyway was coming up, meaning either she was planning to corner him, or…
As he prepared to round the corner, he moved wide, rolling out of the way of a blast of biotic energy that would have normally either killed him, or knocked him out. He aimed both pistols at the woman next and opened up, stun rounds striking ceramic battle plate and biotic barriers. He scoffed as he saw her rip the baggy clothes off, revealing the yellow and black of the Eclipse Mercenary Sisterhood.
He switched his blasters to kill and opened fire, bolts of blue striking the empty, trash-filled alley walls behind her. She surged forward, however, pouncing on the man with a roar and the biotic-enhanced strength of a bull. She knocked his pistols out of his hands the moment she pinned him to the floor and primed herself to throw a punch and bust his head wide open.
He dodged the strike, slammed his helmet-covered head against hers and caused her to stagger, before drawing a combat knife from his belt and engaging her. He weaved past another biotic swing from her, slammed her face with an open palm, then ducked under a kick and slashed across her armor's hip, ripping open part of the ceramic coating.
He grabbed her by the collar and cocked his fist back, quickly throwing a heavy punch that caused her to spin around, stopping against a wall. She scoffed, then turned around and powered her biotics, charging Fox again and swinging wildly at him. The man tried to dodge to the best of his abilities while keeping locals out of harm's way and trying to grab one of his guns.
He needed to knock her out. Intel was important here. He dodged another strike, ducked under a third, then, when he saw her start panting, he pushed in, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward, only to deliver an armored elbow to her jaw, causing her to double over as he cracked a couple of her teeth. She spat fluorescent blood out and slammed him with a weaker Biotic push.
He turned about, gave her an open palm strike to the face, staggering her, then started throwing multiple punches aimed at her exposed head. She should've worn a helmet if she wanted to not be knocked around black and blue, he thought as he delivered one hard punch that sent her to her knees. He then grabbed her, threw her onto her stomach, then pinned her down and wrapped both of her arms around her back.
He leaned forward and said in a deadpan, "You could've gotten out of this without extra bruising, just so you know. You don't get away from me," before he put a pair of Mag-cuffs on her. He lifted her off her feet, grabbed his blaster pistols and holstered them, then turned about and watched as his boys and a few C-SEC agents, Bailey included, walked to join him. The woman spat at Fox, then swore under her breath.
"She give you a lot of trouble?" The C-SEC human asked, grinning.
"No," He replied as he pushed her forward, "She did sock me a couple of times with her Biotics, though," then he handed her off to two of his guys. They walked back to the station, the man keeping his pistols ready and barely out of the holster, Bailey looking at the Eclipse woman's tattoos. Fox added, "She's one of Gron's bodyguards."
"Figured," Bailey replied, "So, how're we doing this? Good Cop, Bad Cop?"
"I figure we let someone who's proficient at more rough interrogations get the job done," The Commander replied. He lifted his comlink and switched it to the channel for the diplomatic office of the Waystation, requesting, "Colonel Martez. We're going to need you down here… Interrogation job on one of Gron's party girls."
The Asari snarled at him, but he hit her in the back with a balled fist, causing her to yelp and quiet down. He spoke into the com, "Roger. Thank you. Fox, out," and shut it off. He looked at a confused Bailey and stated, "I and Senator Chuchi made friends with one of the Office of Naval Intelligence members assigned to the Waystation embassy."
"Huh," Bailey blinked, "Noted. Don't screw you out of a wedding gift," and he caused a couple of the Coruscant Guard men ahead to chuckle. Fox cast a glance at the man that sent a chill up his spine, so he chose to shut up. 'Corries', as they'd been fondly nicknamed, were not to be messed with from what little he read.
The two Coruscant Guard troopers took the woman to the interrogation room in the back of the precinct, then decided to stand guard inside. Two C-SEC guards, a Turian and an Asari, followed suite, with the latter being the team biotic meant to help contain her. When the door shut, the two men sat back down at their desks and waited for their new help to arrive.
Fox took his helmet off and sighed, pouring another cup of coffee and mumbling, "Today's gonna be a long day," before taking a sip of the glorious rejuvenating dark liquid. Bailey snorted in approval, already feeling the weight of the fact they were probably dealing with some greater than normal conspiracy. Things were never easy.
It hadn't even been thirty minutes when the two heard the clack of dress shoes. Both of them turned and looked to see the elderly male with graying hair approaching, a bag in hand and a pistol on his belt. Two taller soldiers clad in Power Armor escorted him. He asked, "Alright, gentlemen, where's the patient?" with a terrifyingly calm demeanor. Bailey got a chill up his spine.
Fox, without skipping a beat, tilted his head toward the door. He nodded in thanks, then walked off, to which the man said, "Thanks," before stepping off. He had the rank pins of a colonel on his collar, obviously, plus he had the air of that kind of officer from an intel agency. And he just referred to the girl as a Patient.
"Riiiight…" The good Captain Bailey dragged out, deciding to let that one be for now, only to pause as he heard a ping. Checking his Omni-Tool, he said, "Gron gave a couple of my boys the slip, but it seems as though yours are still chasing him, Commander. I think he knows we got one of his bodyguards."
"We should be ready to receive him, then," Fox replied. He checked his com and said, "All units tailing the Arms Dealer, maintain visual contact to the best of your abilities, but watch out for ambushes. One team is to reinforce the current watch. Everyone else, keep it steady and keep giving us updates on Tricia…"
"This is just getting better," Bailey murmured, pausing as he started hearing screams from the room. Again, he thought, he wasn't getting involved with that. Eclipse Mercs deserved any kind of bad day they were getting, but ignoring a prisoner screaming out like that didn't help his conscience any. Fox, meanwhile, seemed surprisingly relaxed. Scary.
Migrant Fleet
When the Normandy jumped into the Raheel-Leyya System, several thousand pings appeared on their enhanced sensor suite. The two shipboard AI now had to contend with the Handshakes of various vessel systems ranging from those of the three massive Liveships amidst the fleet to the patrol craft protecting the Flotilla itself.
Signatures that did not, however, match the Quarian Fleet, were two very familiar Colonial vessels. Sat beside the Rayya on escort duty, her weapons primed and ready in case of threats, the Galactica hovered, dressed in new, dark clothes and layered with extra weapons and point-defenses meant to counter any possible hostile intrusion.
Meanwhile, attached to the Rayya, the sleek hammerhead form of a civilian transport craft turned into the Colonial One stood, her own engines powered down. Shepard listened to Cortana, EDI and Joker get them a tube to land in, then looked back at just about the entire team coming with them to the Quarian Liveship.
Tali was obvious. She fidgeted, playing with her fingers as concern seemed to finally hit her. Both Shepard and Garrus put hands on her shoulders to reassure her. Meanwhile, there was the pair of Jedi that had requested to tag along and assist in Tali's legal defense. General Skywalker and General Tano, plus their escorting Jester Squad, stood, geared up in environmental suits and with their weapons clipped to their belts. They were exchanging small-talk and in-jokes.
Behind them, as mentioned, was Jester. As an addition to Jester, however, Blue Team had also elected to come along. With them was Helo, who was wearing one of the standard Colonial armored space suits, its systems sealed and all ready for decontamination. Shepard looked around and said, "Be warned, apparently we're gonna smell a bit funny due to the disinfectants the Quarians use."
"Thank the Gods we're wearing sealed helmets, then," Helo quipped awkwardly as he prepared himself mentally. He wanted to help get Sharon out of jail as soon as possible. Giving birth to a child in the Brig was not a stress he wanted on her, not after everything else. He didn't even notice when the others laughed at his quip.
Bold spoke to him, "Relax, Helo. We'll get your girl outta that jail cell," giving him a gentle punch to the shoulder. He then hefted his Z6 and looked at it, making sure it was working while the Spartans prepared their own gear and stowed the weapons back onto their magnetic locks. Helo simply nodded in thanks, though he was visibly worried still.
Shepard couldn't help but smile a little at the reassurance. She only prayed the airlocks would fit them all when they waded through. That would be answered relatively soon, though, as the Normandy docked with one of the main tubes, magnetic systems locking, pressure within the airlocks equalizing. Shepard and Tali walked first, with the Commander stating, "We'll get you out of this, Tali."
"I know, Shepard… Thank you," The girl replied meekly, "I'm just concerned… My father…"
"Yeah," Shepard sighed, well aware that the allegations were levied against her father as well, a man whom Tali loved and deeply respected, seeing as he taught her everything she knows. When the doors ahead opened, revealing the tubular decontamination chamber, the team walked through. Each of the dozen shower-heads activated, washing them in an acrid-scented disinfectant.
They only knew it was acrid because very little of the smell slipped through. It was still useful, though, obviously, to keep the Quarian people healthy. As they exited the tube out through the main door, they were greeted by an occupied Hallway, with Quarians sitting in pairs and groups of three, chatting to one-another. They stopped when they saw a platoon-strength force of people clad in armor just wading down the hall.
Tali felt uneasy, noticing the eyes locked onto the group, shining eyes gazing upon a military force with fear shining through most of all. Though, when some noticed that the woman in the front of the formation and right next to her was Shepard, they relaxed. She paused as she heard the fairly familiar clap of the armored two-toed feet of Quarian troops ahead.
A trio of Quarian Marines stepped up. The leading man, a Lieutenant by color of uniform and marks, spoke, "Commander Shepard. Welcome aboard the Rayya. And Tali… Good to see you again," with a small smile. The girl nodded in reply, smiling a little, too. The Lieutenant then turned toward Shepard and added, "Additionally, I must thank you for wearing suits… Seems like a lot more people are sensible to our plight nowadays."
"Take it the Colonials came dressed, too?" Helo asked as he joined the leading group.
The Lieutenant nodded, "And you must be Captain Agathon. I think President Roslin expected you to arrive. Commander Adama is also on the Galactica, and he requested to be told when you arrive with Shepard and Tali," all while the Spartans exchanged looks with each-other and the local civilians. A Quarian woman looked Fred's way and seemed to smile, causing Shepard to snort.
"Guess he wants to talk," Helo replied, trying to scratch an itch underneath the suit. The Lieutenant affirmed that with a gentle wave of the hand, then tilted his head down the hallway for Shepard and the others to follow. They did, the entire formation following the trio of Quarian Marines in a relatively relaxed manner.
Within the confines of the central hall of the Rayya, the team found crowds gathered to witness the presumed trial of one of their Citizens and fellow crew members. Within, as well, were members of the UNSC contingent attached to the Galactica and the President and her escort as well, all of them clad in environmental suits that had been disinfected on the way in.
The President was talking to a woman in a fancy Quarian Enviro-Suit, brown and cream-colored with the standard lilac faceplate. Tali gasped, then called out, "Auntie Raan!" while waving at the woman. That caused both the President and the woman who Shepard soon realized was Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay to turn and face them.
Shala seemed happy, going by the body language of lifted shoulders, nearly standing on the tip of her toes and all, while President Roslin and her escorting Marines, one of which was Sergeant-Major Johnson. The old dark-skinned man clad in a UNSC Marine MOPP armor set turned about and the Spartans could visibly see the corners of his eyes crease, denoting the smile he, too, wore now.
As they approached each-other, Tali stepped out from among the crowd and was immediately hugged by Shala, with the woman speaking in a heavy accent, "I'm so happy to see you are well, Tali," before taking a step back. The two held hands, with Shala adding, "I only wish this were under better circumstances…" and turning to Shepard, "And you must be Commander Shepard. Welcome aboard to you and your protectors."
Tali nodded, "Agreed on the better circumstances part, Auntie," then she turned toward the crew and said, "Folks, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, commander of the Patrol Fleet. Admiral, you already met Commander Shepard, but among our ranks we have Garrus Vakarian, an old friend," and she motioned to her fellow Dextro-Amino Acid being, who gave an awkward wave, "Captain Karl Agathon of the Colonial Navy," and Karl waved next, "UNSC Spartan Blue Team and Generals Skywalker and Tano of the Galactic Republic…"
"Admiral Raan," Anakin put his hands together and bowed, "A pleasure to meet one of the Quarians' officers."
Ahsoka smiled, "Indeed," and her breath seemed to fog up her own suit's glass mask. She said, "We'll get Tali off the hook ASAP, don't worry. We have experience in stuff like this," then she looked at the Engineer. Tali's body language and the way she 'felt' through the force seemed to denote her calm demeanor and thankfulness toward all members present.
"An honor to meet both of you and the famous Blue Team," Shala'Raan replied kindly, bowing her head to them in greeting. Tali had been sending information about the Republic and Blue Team back to the Migrant Fleet, too, and had even sent some info that the Normandy got some friendly upgrades, meaning her 'Cerberus' markings mattered little.
"Indeed," Roslin then joined in, her voice filtered through her helmet's speakers. She stated, "Good to see you again, Commander," and offered a kind smile to Shepard. Their first contact with this galaxy had been her and her crew. She deserved to be welcomed with kindness, Roslin thought, partially glad they were meeting here, but disappointed that it was because of one of her crew being put on trial.
"Madam President," Shepard replied jovially, her smile not visible behind her helmet's rebreather. She looked between the two women, then inquired, "How's it going with the talks here?" while Johnson, Chief and Blue Team greeted each-other warmly, but quietly so as not to interrupt the chatter. The Clones had formed a perimeter by now alongside the blues, to keep their Commander, Generals and allies safe.
"Oh, quite well. The Enclave and Admiralty Board have both been very welcoming toward us," Roslin replied courteously, motioning to Admiral Raan. Though their relationship was starting fine, both women quietly prayed in the backs of their minds that they wouldn't be dealing with too much resistance from either side's more entrenched conservatives.
"How could we not, after learning how alike we are?" Her seeming counterpart answered kindly, too.
"Yes. Quite… Disheartening…" The president sighed deeply, then added, "To know that our plague is shared by fellow sentients. However, there is hope, obviously. Hope for an alliance, for friendship. We've started looking into expanding our cooperation well beyond just trade deals and talks," and she once again showed a small smile to the allies.
"However, obviously, the matter of Tali's trial has put all that on hold," Raan interjected. She noticed the one in a more bulky set of very light blue armor, Frederic, make ever the slightest motion at that. She looked over at Tali with a quirked brow, only to see the girl had noticed it, too, and seemed to freeze.
"I was meaning to ask about that, Auntie…" Tali inquired, arms crossed as she stared at her, "What happened? All I know is my father is involved somehow, but nobody told me more than that," she then requested. Shepard had read the message. It wasn't cryptic, it was fairly straightforward. 'You are being accused of treason. Come home.'
"That is strange…" Shala'Raan hummed, scratching her hip and looking at Tali and the others. She continued, "I could swear I requested that the full details be included. Yes, your father is linked to this case. His work on board the research ship, Alarei seems to be what caused the concern," before crossing her arms to her chest.
"The Alarei…? Oh…" Tali blanked, staring and seemingly aware.
Garrus asked, "Problem?" concerned more for Tali than anyone else.
"Long story. I'll tell it to you before the trial starts," Tali replied. Shepard noticed just how concerned she was, but she figured it was best not to press the matter, while the others simply looked at her. Fred gave a gentle tap on Tali's shoulder and showed her to stay calm, while the rest of Blue, the Clones and Johnson gave an approving tilt of their heads.
"Okay. Anything we should know in particular, Admiral Raan?" Shepard inquired, crossing her arms as she looked at the woman. She started hearing whispers among the crowds and noticed the other Admirals ahead and around them with the crowds, plus a few other familiar masks for the Commander and her team.
"You'll have to ask the people around," Raan spoke, a bit disappointed she couldn't offer more information. She told Shepard, however, "The other three Admirals are also present for the Trial, so should you have any questions for them, feel free. Speaking of, I'm afraid I have to go prepare. It was a pleasure speaking to you, Tali. I'm certain you will be exonerated," and she waved, walking away.
"Well, this'll be interesting. It already feels like a kangaroo court…" Anakin mumbled, crossing his arms to his chest as he looked around. A military court that already felt prepared to throw Tali out of her home. Yeah, damned if Anakin didn't feel a familiarity in this situation, his gaze turning to Ahsoka, who seemed calm.
"Heh. Agreed," The eighteen-year-old former padawan and Jedi General quipped, smiling a little.
"I should probably get out of your hairs, then. Tali, I hope it all goes in your favor," Roslin sighed, "Be seeing you again soon, all of you," and she turned to walk away. Karl seemed to stare at her for a moment, concerned for Sharon. Shepard noticed and simply nodded at him to reassure him that he was gonna ask.
"Wait, ma'am… About Sharon," And she did.
"I'm afraid that will have to wait until after the trial," Roslin replied and immediately saw Karl deflate, the others patting him on the back. She smiled a little, then told them all, "Captain Agathon shouldn't worry, however… I've been thinking about talking to the Commander about her imprisonment myself," which caused Karl to perk up.
"Oh. Thank you, ma'am…" He replied.
"A baby should be born free, captain," His president told him even as she saw his heart well up. To temper his expectations, she started, "Make no mistake, trust toward Sharon is still…" then breathed through her teeth, "Low… After previous events. But she's been nothing but cooperative. Same as you, in fact," and she shrugged. Her perspective had been changed by their newfound possible allies.
"I know, ma'am," Helo replied firmly, then added, "Thanks for even considering it…" before snapping a salute. Roslin chuckled, happy, then saluted back and dismissed him with a tilt of her head forward before she walked away. The Raptor pilot let out a deep sigh of relief, then looked at Shepard and continued, "Well, guess that leaves talking to Commander Adama after this,"
"Yeah. C'mon. Time to start interrogating the locals," She nodded, the others giving him a few encouraging, but silent words as they turned to face the massive crowds. Still, something felt awry to the Commander. Like, the trial would most likely be fine. There was something else. Something gnawing at the back of her mind.
… Something wicked this way comes…