Chapter Text
QEC – SSV Normandy SR2
Shepard entered the comm room calmly as she recalled the number of close calls she’d had recently. It was bad enough having to fight the collectors in front of her, but having to also watch her back around the Illusive Man when fighting the abominations of the galaxy? That was too much, and it was time to call it quits to her alleged partnership with the criminal enterprise.
She stared at the comm center and was amused to see that she already had a call waiting for her. Not wanting to keep the inevitable waiting, she answered the call. The room darkened, and the QEC began to build. As it did, she held a confident smirk on her face. No more was she held by their razor thin treaty to beat the collectors. No longer was she worried about the Illusive Man holding all the cards. Her crew had looked out for her, and that was all she needed going forward.
Finally, the room was constructed and the man in front of her gazed at her sourly. She wanted to chuckle at the look on his face. “What’s the matter, expecting someone else?” she asked, getting a look of cold silence. “You don’t look thrilled to see me.”
“It looks like you’re not the only asset that needs correction,” said the Illusive Man as he sat up in his seat. “You’re making a bad habit of costing me more than time and money, Shepard.”
“Sorry, it’s hard to hear you through all the bullshit,” she said as she wiggled a finger in her ear.
“Do not try my patience, Shepard. The technology from that base could have secured a future of human dominance in the galaxy, against the reapers and beyond,” he spat bitterly from his seat.
“Just say what you mean,” commanded Shepard as she pointed directly at him. “You don’t want human dominance. You want Cerberus dominance. If you gave as much of a damn about humans as you claim you do, you wouldn’t be sacrificing humans to the collectors. And you sure as hell wouldn’t be trying to leave the first human Spectre for dead aboard the collector station.”
“Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human. Cerberus is humanity,” he said as he got out of his seat and stepped up to Shepard. “I should have known you’d choke on the hard decisions. You were too idealistic from the start. Too proud, too smug.”
“That’s the difference between us. You didn’t know what you were getting into when you partnered with me. But I knew exactly what you were when I accepted your help in the first place. I knew the price of dealing with you, and I almost paid that price if it weren’t for my crew watching my back,” she said with a deathly glare.
“Your crew,” said the Illusive Man as he blew holographic smoke into her face. “Don’t think for a second that somehow Miranda and Jacob are free from reprisal. They will pay for their betrayal, just as you will.”
“Keep their names out of your mouth. They’re no longer your lackeys. They’re members of my crew from now on and threatening them means you become a target for me. The reapers are coming. We may have stopped them from building their relay, but that’s only delaying the inevitable. Which is why we’re doing things my way from now on,” she said as she crossed her arms and tilted her head. “You can get in line behind me or step aside. But I promise you if you get in my way, if you try to come after me or my crew, you will regret it for the rest of your short life, Mr. Harper.”
The Illusive Man’s glare deepened far more than Shepard even thought possible. “That’s the way you want to play this, Shepard?”
“I’m done playing. I’m dead serious now,” she said before ending the call. She shook her head and sighed to herself as she turned to leave the room. As soon as she left the comm room she entered the CIC which was busy once again. With the human crew back, the place was now bustling with life. “Kelly, gather all non-ground team crew in the CIC with exception to Doctor Chakwas.”
“On it, Shepard,” said the young woman as she stepped away from her console. Shepard stood on her elevated platform and just watched them all milling about the CIC until Kelly wrangled them into a group before her. She was certainly happy that they were alive, but she also didn’t know how they would take what she was about to tell them next.
When Kelly finally roped every last one of the crew into the CIC, Shepard crossed her arms and looked over them all. “You all have had it pretty rough,” she started, getting a sigh and a nod from most of the crowd. “First you get me as your boss, then you get kidnapped by the collectors. I’m still figuring out which one is worse.” The crowd chuckled at the small joke. She smirked at them before leaning against the railing. “Alright, time to be real with you. Beyond getting yanked out of your pods and sent back to the ship, you don’t know what happened in the collector base.”
“You blew it the fuck up,” said Hadley from the front, getting a cheer from the crowd.
“Yeah, you know that much. But what you don’t know is that when I was on the collector base, the Illusive Man tried to assassinate me,” she said, watching as their faces changed to shock. “Twice.”
“Why…” asked Kelly as she looked around for answers. “Why would he do that? He sent you on this mission!”
“Because I blew the collector base up instead of handing it to him,” she said as she looked over them all once more. “See, your boss has a bad habit of throwing tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. That’s why he has deep cell operatives install kill switches in case they get caught. It’s why he has assassins designated for handling people internally. I almost didn’t make it off the station because of one of his assassins.”
“Son of a bitch…” growled Jacob from the back. He decided to join the crew even though he was designated ground squad. Shepard knew where his loyalties lie without needing him at this meeting.
“As you can imagine, these assassination attempts didn’t sit well with me. So, I have now severed all ties with Cerberus and its people,” she said firmly. It was clear that the crew now knew exactly where this conversation was going. “And that’s why I need to know where your loyalties actually lie. Are you with me? Or are you with Cerberus?”
“W-What are our options?” asked Sergeant Gardner with his shaky hand raised.
“If you’re sticking with Cerberus, no hard feelings. You can leave in one piece without any reprisal from me. You can bet if you stick with me, you won’t get the same courtesy from the Illusive Man. But I promise you, if you think you’re going to stick with me and try to report to the Illusive Man, you will get caught, and I will not be merciful. So, take your pick,” she said as she planted her hands on her hips.
“Great,” grumbled Gardner as he looked at the ground. “So, it’s either go back to working for a terrorist organization that tried to kill you twice or be hunted for the rest of our lives.”
“Fuck Cerberus!” shouted Kenneth from the back.
“Ken!” snapped Gabby from right next to him.
Shepard and the rest of the crew looked at him curiously as he continued. “It wasn’t Cerberus that stopped the collector attacks! It wasn’t Cerberus who stopped the reapers from coming, AGAIN! And it sure as fuck wasn’t Cerberus who pulled our arses out of those bloody collector pods! It was you!” he shouted as he pointed at her. “As far as I’m concerned, Cerberus can kiss the palest part of my arse!”
“What I think Ken means to say, Shepard, is that we’re both with you,” said Gabby as she tried to calm her workmate down.
“He’s right though,” said Kelly as she held her datapad to her chest. “Cerberus would have written us off as lost assets if we had gotten kidnapped under their watch. You came and saved our lives, Shepard. We owe you a debt we could never repay.”
“You don’t owe me anything for saving you. You’re my crew and I’d dive back into hell to save you again any time as long as you are. But it’s your choice whether you want to stay on the crew that keeps diving back into hell,” she said as she looked down at her yeoman.
Jacob spoke up again as he stepped into the crowd. “In all my time in the Alliance… which, don’t get me wrong it wasn’t as long as some of you all,” he said raising his hands defensively. “I’ve never had a group I can rely on like this one. I’ve never been part of a crew that saved the galaxy in the Alliance. I’ve never had people who would die for me in Cerberus.”
“He’s right,” said Hadley from the front. “We’re the crew of the goddamn Normandy!”
Most of the crowd cheered at the claim, but a few still stayed silent. Shepard figured the speech was enough to get the point across. “We’re going to limp ourselves back to the Citadel for repairs. Those of you who wish to stay aboard the Normandy with me, do so. If you want to go back to Cerberus, then feel free to not come back. Either way, it’s been a pleasure working with you.”
Shepard stepped down from her stand as Miranda approached her. “EDI has compiled the data you asked for,” she said as she held up a datapad.
Shepard grabbed the datapad and headed for the comm room once again. “Get the ground team and meet in the comm room,” she ordered as she made her way there.
Human Embassy – Presidium – Citadel
It had been a hell of a job getting the Normandy back to the Citadel without one of its engines. But Joker and Lia managed to pull it off with EDI’s help, and now here she stood. She wanted nothing more than to go out and do something relaxing. Take her wife and daughter out to the movies, go out to eat, buy a few hours in a zero-gravity chamber and just take a long nap. But she knew that she still had work to do.
She stood in the embassy with Councilor Udina and Captain Anderson. Off to the side was the holographic communicator with all three of the other councilors on call. “So, Shepard, you’ve made it back from your trip through the Omega 4 Relay,” said Udina as he scratched the scruff on his chin.
“We assume things went according to plan,” said the holographic asari.
“Yes and no,” she said with a snort. “The mission was accomplished, but I had no less than two assassination attempts on my life by the Illusive Man because I destroyed the base rather than give it to him.”
“You destroyed the collector base!?” asked Valern in surprise.
“I know you don’t like that kind of thing, Councilor. But unfortunately, scorched earth was the only appropriate response,” she said as she activated her omni-tool and hooked it into the terminal. A large video screen appeared and began playing the body camera footage that had been taken from the suicide run. She fast-forwarded past the constant fighting and instead paused the video on the appropriate image.
“That can’t be…” started Sparatus as he stared in awe at the video screen. “They were building a relay?”
“Not that it was really needed, but it’s only further proof that the collectors were working with the reapers,” she said as she looked back to Valern. “I’m no engineer, so I don’t know how far along they were in the building process. But I don’t intend to take any chances with the reapers.”
“Yes yes, you’ve made your point,” the salarian said with the wave of his hand. “What data did you manage to salvage from the base?”
“We salvaged technological data on the reapers. We understand what they’re made of and how they’re made,” she said with a grimace, not wanting to relive the nightmare but knowing she had to. Fast forwarding again, she showed them the footage of the pods. “In order to create a reaper core, a species is stripped to its most basic genetic material and fashioned into a living computer.”
“Spirits…” said Sparatus as he saw the dissolving bodies of the humans kept in the pods. “So, each reaper represents one species?”
“This is true. During each harvest, the reapers select certain species and break them down into their most basic genetic materials, turning them into a reaper brain. This brain is then loaded inside of one of the many reaper shells created at the collector base. There’s a good chance they had plans for the asari, turians, and salarians to join humans as a reaper if we had let them through. Perhaps more species.”
“But… why do this? Do we have any kind of motive?” asked Tevos as she folded her hands in front of her.
“Unfortunately, no. We have no idea why they do what they do. As much as I’d have liked to ask Harbinger a few questions, it was kill or be killed at Omega,” she said as she shook her head.
“How about weaknesses? There has to be some way of stopping them,” said Valern as he folded his hands into his billowing sleeves.
“We have weaknesses for individual ships. We know how to take down a reaper capital ship in ship-to-ship combat, but according to the data there are thousands of them waiting out there.”
“But there are billions of us!” said Sparatus, almost proudly.
“Yeah, and if one person could take down an entire capital ship by themselves, then those numbers might mean something. But even with all of our ships, dreadnaughts included, we don’t stand a chance,” she said with a shrug. “These aren’t ships that just sit in space and fire back and forth at one another like we’re used to with space combat. They move, they dodge, they have ungodly strong shields and armor that even the strongest guns have trouble piercing.”
“But you defeated one at Omega…” said Tevos as she stared Shepard down, hoping for some good news.
“With a lot of luck,” said Shepard as she highlighted the data. “If I’d had less personal experience aboard reaper ships, then I’d probably be dead in space; and all of Omega with me.”
“There has to be something in the data you took. Some kind of killswitch or something we can exploit,” said Sparatus, who sighed as Shepard shook her head.
“If there is a killswitch, we don’t know where it is. It could be anywhere in the galaxy or even beyond it,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I know this doesn’t look good…”
“Of course it doesn’t. How do we beat an enemy like this?” asked Valern as he threw his arms up in frustration.
Captain Anderson had been staring at Shepard for a long moment before he finally spoke. “You have a plan, don’t you?”
“I do,” said Shepard, getting the Councilor’s attention. “But it’s going to take some… open-mindedness.”
Sparatus let out a heavy sigh before waving his hand to her. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
“Our best best for beating the reapers requires the cooperation of every species in galactic space,” she said, getting a chuckle from the councilors.
Udina cleared his throat before responding. “Attempting to get everyone in galactic space to cooperate would require a miracle the caliber of which has never been seen.”
“We don’t need every individual to cooperate. We just need every species to organize and cooperate with one another,” she corrected him.
“Imagine if you will, a galaxy where the krogan cooperated with another species,” said Sparatus sarcastically before chuckling at his own joke. “You’re mad if you think the krogan would take orders from anyone. Even with that Urdnot Wrex in charge, they wouldn’t listen to a word they’re told.”
“There’s a way to make them listen,” said Shepard with a sly grin.
Tevos’s eyes narrowed at her. “Shepard, you can’t mean what I think you mean.”
“Would someone like to clue the rest of us in?” asked Udina as he looked between Shepard and the Council. “I could see the volus, the hanar, even the elcor cooperating with this organized fight. But how do we get the krogan to cooperate with us. That’s not even counting the quarians and… god help me, the batarians.”
“The batarians are their own unique problem. But putting them aside, the krogan and quarians would be easy to organize. All you’d have to do is have the orders coming from one of their own,” she said with a smile.
Immediately, everyone in the group understood her point. Captain Anderson laughed heartily as the councilors erupted. “You can’t be serious!” snapped Sparatus as he practically slammed his hand into the projector.
“You want us to offer them seats on the Council!?” asked an almost equally outraged Valern.
“I don’t see how that would work, Shepard,” said Tevos, being the only one that was still speaking calmly.
“Of course it wouldn’t work!” growled Sparatus from his side of the holographic comm. “A krogan councilor, could you imagine?”
“I imagine you had some feelings about humans being on the Council at some point, Councilor,” said Shepard as she crossed her arms and stared him down. “But you changed your mind, didn’t you?”
“That’s different! The humans, through you especially fought to protect this Council and the Citadel. Name one thing the krogan have done to earn a seat on the Council!” snapped the turian.
“They exist, Councilor,” said Shepard with a heated glare. “I know this Council has had its share of big-headedness, but you need to look beyond your own station and look to the future now. We’re no longer in the galaxy that can turn away allies anymore. We don’t live in a galaxy where our enemies are troublesome pirates and evil slavers anymore. The days where this Council and everyone in Citadel Space don’t have to fight for their lives are gone.”
“And how do you propose we solve this problem?” asked Valern, his mood matching Sparatus’s own.
“Like I said, Councilor. Open-mindedness,” she said tapping her temple. “You want to live beyond the coming reaper war, yes?” she asked, getting a nod from each of them. “Then you need to drop this idea that the other species aren’t worthy of having a say in galactic stability.”
“This… this isn’t something we’re going to decide overnight,” said Udina as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. “We’re going to need to discuss this thoroughly before we even come close to a conclusion.”
“That’s perfectly fine. Just remember,” she said as she held up a finger to the Councilors. “We don’t get second chances with the reapers. Once they’re here, they’re here to stay. Unless we work together to destroy them, there won’t be a Council, there won’t be a Citadel, there won’t be any home worlds. They’ll harvest us, fix their broken relay, and then wait for the next species to come along. That silence will be your legacy if we don’t work together.”
The other councilors looked at one another before each one closed the call. Shepard sighed heavily as Captain Anderson patted her on the back. “You always know how to liven up a party, Shepard,” said the man jovially.
“Livening up the party this time could cause a diplomatic rift unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Udina as he stepped out from behind the desk and headed for the door. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office drinking.”
Anderson chuckled again as Shepard smirked. “Well, that went as well as I’d hoped.”
“Really? You hoped they would lose their minds at the idea of a krogan councilor?” asked the man in amusement.
“I’m an optimist, but not an idiot,” she said with a shrug. “Just wait until you find out what other kinds of councilors I’ll be asking for.”
Anderson shook his head and held up a hand. “Don’t spoil the surprise. I wanna be there to see the looks on their faces.”
“So, how’s Kaidan doing?” she asked curiously as she leaned up against the ambassador’s desk.
“He’s doing alright considering all he’s been through. His mother about had a heart attack when he showed up at their door. That was even after I had forewarned them,” he said as he crossed his arms and stared out over the balcony. Shepard joined him and the pair looked across the Presidium. “Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t suit right back up and join you like Williams did.”
“He has his own battles to fight,” she said with a light shrug.
“Indeed, and he’s fighting them. He’s practically taken over the Subcommittee for Transhuman Studies. Damn near bullied the current representative out their position and took over. Who knows what he’ll be doing in a few months?”
“Kaidan was always more of a diplomat than a fighter,” said Shepard with a smirk.
“You’re one to talk,” said the man as he looked at her with a large smile. “I’ve never seen anyone get this Council moving in the right direction like you have. You helped get a human councilor. You helped the quarians back their colonizing rights, not to mention a new ambassador. Now you’re about to get them their own councilor?”
“Look, let’s not let the pipe dreams get crazy,” said Shepard with a chuckle. “As much as I’d love for every species to have their own Councilor, I don’t see it happening very quickly, if at all,” she said as she shook her head.
But the man apparently wasn’t having it. “Jane, stop that,” he snapped, getting her startled attention. “You’ve done what nobody else could do. You saved the Citadel, you went beyond the Omega 4 Relay, and now you’re working to get everyone equal representation on the Council. You deserve to be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished and what you’re hoping to accomplish.”
She grinned at him and nodded. “Thanks, David,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Well, I’ve got a wife and kid to get back to and you’ve got a bunch of politicians to watch after.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” he said facetiously as he reached out his hand to her. She shook it firmly before he turned and left the embassy.
Shepard stayed a few minutes longer as she stared over the Presidium again. “Enjoy the peace while it lasts,” she said before letting out a heavy sigh, then she turned and exited the embassy.
Museum of Fine Arts – Presidium – Citadel
Kasumi had no idea why the hell she was here. She knew something was off, something didn’t feel right about the whole situation. But receiving a message from Keiji’s last email left her with few options but to check out the scene. She opened her omni-tool and read the message again. [Meet me at the Museum of Fine Arts. You know which exhibit.]
Just receiving the message was eerie, but if this was someone screwing with her head, how did they know about the Ancient Egyptian exhibit? It was super popular, as all Earth historical culture was. Every day saw the historical venues for Japan, Egypt, Central America, and Greece packed full of other species fascinated by human culture. Turians were especially drawn to ancient Roman culture while the asari were fascinated by the ancient Egyptian displays.
It was fascinating to see the cultural divide between the species and who was drawn to what display. On a regular day, she’d probably watch them from afar. But today wasn’t a regular day. She felt her heart beating in her throat as she entered the Egyptian display using her cloaking. It was eerie how empty the place was. Not another person was to be seen, which made her skin crawl even more.
She stopped in front of a bronze bust of a pharaoh holding the crook and flail that were common of the era. They were objects that her and Keiji had both gone after. It was the first thing they tried to steal from under the other’s nose after they first met, and it resulted in a hilarious failure. They would have a few more competitive races to see who could steal what first before finally realizing that they worked best when together. But this was always memorable to her. It was so deeply tied to her memories of Keiji that she almost forgot why she had come here in the first place.
And it was that lapse in awareness that got her caught. Glass shattered around her, setting off alarms as some kind of device went off. Immediately her cloaking failed and she fell to one knee as it also shocked her nervous system. She stared up as a man taller than her and wearing a hood approached her, his grizzled grey hair framing his worn face. Then, the situation finally hit her. She understood who this was and what they were after.
Straining against her burning muscles, she got to her feet and sprinted for the exit. As the man got in the way of her escape, she clapped her hands together, triggering an emergency flashbang aimed directly into his face that startled the hooded man for a brief moment. It was a moment she desperately needed and took advantage of. Despite her escaping his grasp, the man still managed to slap a cuff onto her wrist even half blind.
She tried to remove it, but knew it was fruitless while she was running. She’d have to find somewhere safe to get it off, but there was no place safe as long as it was on her revealing her location to the assassin. Instead, she sprinted into the open crowds outside of the museum and ran for her very life.
Presidium Markets – Presidium – Citadel
Shepard sat and waited as she eyed her omni-tool. EDI had said she had an urgent message from Kasumi, and all it said was to meet her at the Presidium Markets. She found herself wondering what the wily theif had gotten herself into. Perhaps she got in trouble trying to steal something else. But then why would she want to meet in such a crowded place as the Presidium Markets?
Shepard sighed and scratched her head as Liara elbowed her gently. “Everything alright?” asked the asari lovingly.
“Wondering what this is all about. Kasumi rarely messages me, and even when she does it’s always very precise and to the point. I’ve never had her send such a vague message before,” said Shepard with a shrug.
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” said Liara as she gently ran a hand down the woman’s back.
Shepard purred gently at the affection but snapped back to her senses as a crash sounded ahead. Turning, Shepard watched as someone ran around the corner so fast that they crashed into the wall. It was then that Shepard recognized the hooded thief. Her face was red with strain and she was panting heavily as she ran towards her. “Kasumi, what the hell-“
“Shepard! You have to help me!” snapped Kasumi as she crashed to the ground in front of her.
Shepard knelt down and gently patted the woman on the back as Kasumi panted heavily into the ground. “What happened to you?”
“An assassin… chasing me…” groaned the thief as she sat on her hands and knees trying to catch her breath.
As soon as the words escaped her lips, Shepard looked up and noticed the hooded figure standing in the doorway through which Kasumi had just come. Immediately, Shepard activated one of her omni-blades just as Liara lit up with biotics. The man stepped forward into the light of the markets, the people around them already fleeing due to the aggression shown by Shepard.
“Who the hell are you and what do you want with my crewmate?” asked the spectre as she aimed her blade directly at the man.
“Dochka,” said the man simply.
As soon as she heard the phrase, Shepard’s eyes widened and her arm sagged. “Starik?” she responded, causing the man to lower his hood. His hair was long and grey and his face had withered with time. It had been ages since she’d seen the man. “Dukh, what are you doing here?”
“I have not come for you, dochka. Give me the girl and be on about your business,” said the man sternly in his thick Russian accent.
“Kasumi Goto is my crewmate and therefore is under my protection. If you have something you wish to relay to her, you can do so with your words,” said Shepard forcefully. She knew she was currently staring down one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy. He had taught her everything she knew about the art of stealth and assassination. He had shaped her into the spectre she was today.
“Do not do this,” growled the man as he stared her down.
“No, you don’t do this,” said Liara as she stood up next to Shepard.
The man looked between the pair, then back down to Kasumi. It looked like he was about to push his luck, but then he turned away . “Lucky girl. Not so lucky next time,” he grumbled before practically melting back into the shadows of the doorway. Within seconds, he was gone from sight.
Shepard turned to Kasumi and noticed the young woman had the look of a trapped feral animal. She was terrified of the man, and rightly so. The man had one of, if not the highest body count in the entire Alliance. Batarian extremists, human extremists, cult leaders, anyone that the Alliance deemed a ‘problem.’ Shepard had always had issues with the Alliance and who they decided was problematic to the existence of the Alliance, but she’d had bigger problems to worry about once she became a spectre.
“Come on,” said Shepard as she looked up to Liara. “Let’s get her back to the Normandy.”
Comm Room – SSV Normandy SR2
Shepard sat on the opposite end of the table from Kasumi as she stared at the young woman. “So, care to tell me what that was all about?”
“He was trying to kill me,” said the wily thief.
“That was pretty clear, but want to tell me why?” asked Shepard sternly as she leaned onto the table.
Kasumi sighed and shook her head before finally pulling her own hood down, revealing her short dark hair. “I knew it was too much to hope for.”
“What’s that?” asked Shepard curiously.
“That I could just go on living a normal life after what I’ve seen,” said Kasumi as she looked up at the spectre. “You’d think the collectors would have been the most terrifying thing in the galaxy. But after all that,” she said, shuddering at the experience. Finally, she let out a sigh and nodded. “He’s after me for what’s in my head.”
“Your head?” asked Shepard before nodding back. “Ah, Keiji’s greybox?”
“That’s right,” said Kasumi as she folded her hands together on the table. “Before he died, Keiji told me to delete the data on his greybox and go on living my life. But I chose not to do that. Instead, I chose to look at the data, and now I’m being hunted for it.”
“And are you going to share what that data held with me?” asked Shepard as she leaned back in her chair. “I mean, you know I’m married to the Shadow Broker, so I’m not sure if I don’t already know.”
“You don’t,” said Kasumi firmly, getting a raised eyebrow from Shepard. “I know you don’t know because if you did know, you’d be tearing the Alliance apart.”
Shepard stayed silent for a long moment before cracking her knuckles gently. “That doesn’t answer my question. Are you going to share the data with me?”
“I… I don’t really have a choice anymore. As long as the data is private, that assassin won’t stop until I’m dead. Hell, even if I gave the info to the Citadel I can’t guarantee they won’t put a bullet in me,” said the thief as she sighed miserably.
“So, I’m your last resort,” said Shepard with a grin. “Look, I can’t guarantee anything, but you’re my crew Kasumi. I’ll fight to the death for you, regardless of your decision.”
Kasumi groaned miserably as she buried her face in her hands. “Alright, just try not to burn down the world when you see it…” she said before grabbing the earpiece and handing it to Shepard.
Shepard planted the device on her ear, then a visor slid over her eyes. Shepard didn’t know what could shake Kasumi more than what they’d already fought. But she prepared herself regardless.
She sat as the video files played before her eyes, showing her the faces of a small Alliance team, some of which she knew of. Some had died; others had retired. Given the youngish appearance of the people, this must have been at least twenty years ago. Then their words began to hit her ears. They spoke about a project called Operation Skinned Knee, supposedly an offensive against the batarians.
She knew the Alliance had many different plans for handling the batarians. She had once been a part of the intel wing of the Alliance and participated in certain plans to keep batarians out of Alliance space. It was no surprise that they would have some top-secret plan to thwart more of the Hegemony’s attempts to take over the Traverse. It wasn’t until Horizon was brought up that she got chills down her spine.
The more she watched, the more she heard, the more her eyes widened. Finally, the video file ended with a view from orbit, a flash hit the screen before a nuclear blast erupted on the surface of Horizon. The video file ended with the words [Operation Successful]. The visor flashed off. As it ended, she realized she was clenching her fists so hard that her hands ached. “How could they?” was all she asked in her shaky voice.
“I… I don’t know,” said Kasumi as she spied Shepard curiously. “What do you plan to do?”
Shepard’s blue eyes rose and met Kasumi’s dark brown eyes. “I’m going to make them pay for every last life they took.”
“See, that’s why I thought was going to happen,” said Kasumi as she let out a heavy sigh. “Is it weird to say it feels better not being the only one who knows?”
“No,” said Shepard with a small chuckle. She knew what it was like to be the only one in the know, and it was stressful even for someone as tight-lipped as her. Either way, she knew what she knew now, and the Alliance had a lot to answer for. She immediately began formulating a plan for how to handle the situation when Kasumi spoke again.
“So, what do we do about it?” asked the theif as she leaned her head into her hand.
“You are going to do nothing. You’re going to stay on this ship until the whole situation has blown over. That’s the only way I can guarantee to keep you safe,” said the spectre as she stood up from her seat. “I need to talk with my father,” she said as she shook her head. “I doubt my mother or Anderson would have been high enough ranked to have a hand in this. But I have to know who else knows.”
“I guess that means I’m about to become even more introverted,” said the young woman with a shrug. “Luckily I’ve got my books.”
“Hopefully it won’t take to long to clear this whole issue up. The first thing I have to do is inform the Council,” she said before slamming her fist into the table. “Bastards!”
“That’ll go over smoothly I’m sure,” said Kasumi as she stood up as well. “I’ll go ahead and gather the crew. It sounds like they’re going to need a degree of separation from you shortly.”
CIC – SSV Normandy SR2
Shepard groaned as she stood at the galaxy map. She knew what she had to do, but she hated having to do it, especially after everything that her and her team had been through. She had Kasumi set up a meeting with everyone of her crew members, each of whom greeted her politely.
Shepard stood over her ground team and looked at each one before letting out a heavy sigh. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you. I need space for at least the next few days. Probably at least a month.” They all looked at each other curiously before she spoke again. “The fact is that I’m about to do something that’s going to tip the galactic scales, and not necessarily in the good way.”
“You always were a troublemaker,” said Garrus playfully.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” asked Tali inquisitively as she tapped her mouthpiece.
Shepard shook her head. “This is something I need to do, and I don’t want it tied to any of you,” she said as she looked to Samara. “So, I want to know what your plans are. Samara, what are you doing now that the collectors are gone?”
“I intend to go and visit my daughters. Aside from wishing to see them again, some… things have come to light that need investigating,” said the asari woman with a bow. “It has been a pleasure and an honor serving your cause, Shepard.”
Shepard turned to Thane, who cleared his throat before speaking. “I intend to spend every day being the best father I can to my son. That is all.”
Shepard smiled at him and nodded before she waved to Zaeed. The man seemed surprised to have been called out but didn’t hold back on his answer. “I plan to gut the bastards on top of the Blue Suns and get my group back. By the time you’re done doing what you’re doing, I’ll be back in control,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Glad to hear that… I think,” said Shepard, getting a chuckle from the crowd. Next, she turned to the geth. “Legion, how about you?”
“We wished to continue our partnership with you. However, if you need an intermission, we will return to our people for consensus,” responded Legion as they stood tall in the crowd.
“Jack, do you have anywhere to go?” asked Shepard curiously from her dais.
“I’ll make it on my own. Just make sure my record is clean,” said the convict with a cheeky grin.
“Fine, but don’t use that clean rap sheet to blow a crater into any more moons,” said Shepard as she crossed her arms and smirked back. She then turned to Mordin. “You?”
“Unclear. Planned to return to Sur’Kesh temporarily to check on some unsettling news. Also prepare for reaper invasion,” said the doctor as he folded his arms together politely. “May try and visit Tuchanka on occasion.”
“Speaking of Tuchanka,” said Shepard as she turned to Grunt. “How are you gonna do without me?”
“I’ll do fine, Shepard, Geez,” grumbled the krogan as he waved her off. “Wrex said he wants to train me in the arts of krogan battle, but said it had to do with politics. So, might as well get that out of the way.”
Shepard nodded with a smile, picturing Grunt one day standing at a podium and politicking at the krogan public. She then turned to Miranda and Jacob. “How about you two? You gonna be okay without me for a while?”
“We’ll be fine, Shepard,” said Jacob with a grin.
“The Illusive Man is methodical in his actions. He doesn’t react quickly to anything,” said the XO with a shrug. “We’ll be fine. Just make sure you don’t forget about us while you’re out there causing trouble.”
“Never,” she said as she looked at Javik who was hiding in the back. “Old man. How about you?”
“I plan to stick around and wait until more of my people are freed from their sleep, then I intend to look for more of them,” said Javik with the same sneer he always wore around them. “You would do well not to waste time while the reapers are coming.”
“Hopefully what I have to do won’t last more than a few days,” said Shepard as she turned to the final two. Garrus and Tali both sighed simultaneously as she looked at them. “Out with it.”
Tali was the first to speak. “I plan to go back to my people and prepare for whatever war is to come. Whether with the reapers, the geth, or anything else.”
“Not far off from my plan,” said Garrus as he stepped forward. “Palaven, despite the Councilor’s warning, hasn’t done enough to prepare for the coming war. I want to kick them in the cloaca and get them moving faster.”
“Here’s hoping you all are successful,” said Shepard as she leaned against the railing. “Thank you, all of you for all your help. I want you to know that if I can help any one of you with anything, I’ll be on your side,” she said before narrowing her eyes at Jack. “Don’t abuse that privilege.”
“Why’d you look at me when you said that?” growled the convict, getting a chuckle from everyone present.
Shepard finally stepped down from her spot and met them all with handshakes, hugs, and fist bumps for those who desired it. Javik simply left while the others took their time filing out of the ship. Once it was finally empty, she turned around to see Liara standing behind her. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Shepard shook her head sorrowfully before reaching forward and hugging the asari woman tightly. She then reached down and picked her toddler up off her feet and held her. “No, I’m not sure. But I know it’s the right thing to do. So, it’s what I have to do.”
Liara smiled sweetly before nodding. “Always the good samaritan, Jane,” she said before kissing her forehead gently. “Don’t worry about us, we will be fine.”
“I’m not worried about you, Minerva,” said the spectre playfully. “I’m worried about whether I’m doing what’s best for the galaxy. Will revealing this to the Council and shining light on what they’ve done actually help anyone? Or will I be destroying lives?”
“I think the Council will do what’s best, especially with both of us at their throats,” said the doctor as she flashed her metaphorical fangs. Shepard felt her cheeks warming at the woman’s aggressiveness and nuzzled her gently.
“You’re sexy when you threaten people, you know that?” said Shepard as she finally pulled away from the woman. Letting out a heavy sigh, she reached up and cracked her knuckles, her eyes now lit with inner fire. “Alright. EDI, let’s get this over with.”