Since this was reasonably well received, here's the start of something terrible.
Mass Panic
By Lord Raa
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Disclaim-me-do: Self praise is no praise at all.
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Dateline 2183
Eden Prime Mission
Much to the chagrin of the Turian Hierarchy, the first Spectre candidate put forward by the humans was not Sousuke Shepard, but instead Kaiden Alenko. While there was no issue with Kaiden Alenko as a soldier, he just wasn't in the same league as Sousuke.
A few discrete inquiries to the Shadow Broker had uncovered some resistance to Sousuke being recruited as a Spectre. It was puzzling, as Sousuke had an exemplary discipline record, and his reputation amongst his fellow soldiers was peerless. Eventually, the source of this resistance was pinpointed to two major factors: Sousuke's deployments always had something explode, regardless of what the operation was. Even when on garrison duty on a quiet, backwater planet, things got destroyed.
There were jokes that Sousuke could make something explode by looking at it, but it was never inappropriate use of high explosives that caused these explosions. It always turned out that it was beneficial for the mission that the things that were blown up were blown up.
Even when Sousuke was off duty or on leave, he had a knack for being in the right place at the right time to set off an explosion to save the lives of his comrades or civilians. Countless inquiries from a number of investigators had always cleared Sousuke of any wrong doing, and several of them had led to commendations for the young man.
The thought of someone like Sousuke Shepard being allowed to run around the galaxy leaving a trail of explosions was a sobering one, so it wasn't entirely unreasonable for those in charge to want to keep him under control.
The other reason for Sousuke to be passed over in favour of Kaiden Alenko was a political one. Looking back, it was clear that Nihlus' regular requests for Sousuke and whatever unit he was with at the time had raised a few flags and now enough of the Alliance command structure were worried about his loyalties to prevent Sousuke moving up the ranks as fast as someone of his skills would normally have dictated.
Not that Sousuke cared about rank. Fame, glory, money, were all immaterial to him.
The military covenant always came first. As he said, “Soldiers fight so civilians didn't have to.”
On the Normandy bridge, Jeff “Joker” Moreau was not happy with Nihlus' attitude.
“What's your problem, Joker? He paid you a compliment,” Kaiden said.
“He's impossible to please,” the pilot answered. “'Good' is remembering to zip up your jumpsuit after going to the bathroom. I just flew us half way across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. The word to use is 'incredible.'”
“He's a Spectre, of course he's going to have high standards.”
“Why is he on board, anyway?”
“I don't know, the Captain didn't say. Still, it's weird to have a Spectre on a shakedown cruise.” Alenko grimaced.
“You alright, sir?”
“Slight headache. I'll be fine once I stretch my legs and get a drink of water,” the Biotic replied as he stood up. He blinked when he saw a figure casually strolling up the command deck. Alenko snapped to attention when he saw who it was approaching. “Can I help you, sir?”
“I was looking for Nihlus, have you seen him?”
“He's just left for the comm room to see Captain Anderson.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” the man smiled before turning on his heel to meet up with the Turian.
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In the comm room, Captain Anderson was surprised to see the Turian visibly relax when Commander Shepard walked in.
“Sousuke! How are you?” the Spectre asked as he shook his friend's hand.
“Can't complain, Nihlus,” Sousuke smiled. “So, what brings you here?”
“Good news is that I'm assessing a human candidate for the Spectres.” The Turian's expression became more sombre. “The bad news is that it's not you, Sousuke.”
“The Alliance feels that Kaiden Alenko is a better candidate at this time, Commander,” the Captain explained.
“Alenko will make for a good Spectre, sir,” Sousuke replied. “He's resourceful, brave and his biotics give him an edge in combat I'll never be able to match.”
Anderson's lips tightened. “At least, that's what they told me. I've seen your record, Commander, and you're almost overqualified to be a Spectre.”
“The Alliance knows what it's doing, sir.”
The Captain and the Turian shook their heads. Sousuke always seemed to put too much faith in the higher ups. There were times when their estimates of the required equipment were woefully short.
Even the Turians and their doctrine of overwhelming firepower occasionally sent troops into combat unprepared. Nihlus had seen the effects of that first hand when a scout squad had encountered a thresher maw.
That same incident had highlighted just how brave and resourceful Sousuke could be. Everyone managed to get back to base alive, with Sousuke himself suffering the worst injury, a cracked rib.
Kaiden walked into the comm room. “Captain Anderson, you wanted to speak to me?”
“I'll leave you to brief the Lieutenant,” Sousuke said, preparing to depart.
“Stay with us, Commander,” Nihlus said. “I've always valued your input on mission briefings.”
“If it's alright with Captain Anderson,” Sousuke replied turning to the commanding officer for guidance.
“This mission comes direct from the Citadel Council and is under Nihlus' authority,” the veteran officer replied. Truth be told, he was curious as to what Sousuke would bring to the briefing.
Nihlus started his briefing by mentioning that Alenko was a candidate for the Spectres and that this mission was the first of a series of tests.
Alenko looked surprised, but didn't comment that he thought it should be Shepard that was the one who should be a Spectre.
“Our mission today, is the recovery of a Prothean beacon found on your colony of Eden Prime,” the Turian explained. “We'll go in and retrieve it for study at a Council facility.”
“This feels like we're using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, Sir,” Alenko opined. “While I completely understand the need to secure any Prothean technology, Captain, I'm not sure that the Normandy is the best ship for this mission. Surely a transport ship would be sufficient?”
“Not here in the Traverse, Lieutenant,” Sousuke countered. “A transport would be easy pickings and anything larger than the Normandy would attract undue attention. Either we'd be fighting our way back to the Citadel or we'd be pulling too many ships from regular patrols and we'd be risking an attack on another system.”
Anderson nodded at the Commander's assessment. The Alliance and the Citadel Council had come to the same conclusion.
Joker announced an incoming video message from Eden Prime and patched it through.
The quartet watched as a huge ship descended from the sky.
“This mission just got a lot more complicated...” Anderson said in a solemn tone.
Nihlus' mandibles twitched. He turned to look at Sousuke, who simply nodded once. “Captain Anderson, requesting permission to use Commander Sousuke Shepard for this mission.”
“Permission granted. Alenko, Shepard, suit up.”
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Five minutes later, Sousuke, Alenko and Corporal Jenkins stood in the hangar waiting for final orders from Nihlus.
“I'll scout out ahead, meet me at the dig site,” the Turian said as he checked his shotgun.
“Nihlus,” Sousuke said, reaching out to his friend before he departed. “I've got a bad feeling about this mission.”
The Spectre blinked. If it was anyone else, he'd say that the warning was either nerves or cowardice. But experience had taught him to heed Sousuke's instincts when it came to a combat mission.
“Something's not right,” the Commander said, concern visible on his face. “Set your omni-tool to record everything.”
“Only if you set yours to record, too.”
Sousuke's hand darted to his own omni-tool and set it to record. He turned to his teammates. “You heard the mission leader.”
Nihlus nodded at Sousuke before jumping out of the Normandy.
Two minutes later, the humans were on the ground, ready for action.
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It didn't take long for Sousuke's team to encounter an enemy force.
If it hadn't been for their omni-tools scanning the area, three Geth recon drones would have completely taken them by surprise. As such, Corporal Jenkins had managed to throw himself to the ground and avoid the brunt of the hail of fire.
Sousuke's short, controlled bursts managed to take down the drones quickly, enabling Alenko to administer first aid to their injured teammate.
“What's the prognosis, Alenko?” Shepard asked as he scanned the distance for further enemy units.
“His injuries are bad.”
The scarred soldier winced as he weighed up the situation. “We can't evac him right now.”
“I'd rather not leave him here, sir. If I stay, I'll be able to stabilise him.”
“Then I'll go on alone, Lieutenant. Call for evac when it's safe.”
“Roger that.”
Moving on, Sousuke was attacked by more drones. 20 years of combat experience had taught him to keep a cool head, and it was barely another minute before he was able to continue towards the rendezvous point.
Up ahead, there were the unmistakeable sounds of a firefight. Darting from cover to cover, the soldier saw that mechanical figures were performing a clear and sweep operation on the remnants of a marine squad.
Changing to his sniper rifle, Sousuke quickly dispatched the Geth.
The marine jumped to its feet and turned to see the approaching Commander.
“Who are you, Marine?” he asked.
“Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams of the 212, sir,” the female marine introduced herself with a salute.
“Commander Shepard. I'm here to help. What's the sitrep?”
“The Geth came from nowhere and started attacking. I'm the last of my squad.”
“Do you think any of the civilians managed to get away?”
“I don't know, but it's possible, sir,” Ashley answered, saddened by the truth of her statement.
Sousuke grit his teeth. “Right, I have a mission to complete. I need to track down that Prothean beacon and if there's more Geth out there, I'll need someone to cover me. Are you combat ready, Williams?”
“A few burns and scrapes, but I'm ready to go back into action,” the marine said as she snapped to attention.
“Good, take me to the dig site.”
When the duo got to the deserted dig site, Nihlus radioed Sousuke to tell him that he was moving on to the spaceport.
“Who's Nihlus, sir?” asked Williams.
“A Turian Spectre. He's the one leading this mission.”
“A Turian?” the female soldier repeated, unsure of what to make of that news. She'd never worked with an alien before.
“He's also a friend,” Sousuke said reassuringly.
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Shepard was concerned for the well-being of Doctor Warren and her assistant, Manuel.
“Are the two of you going to be all right?”
“We can lock the door to our shack until you've finished clearing the area,” the scientist said. “We just need to wait for Manuel's medication to kick in.”
Sousuke nodded. “We'll leave you here. Williams, let's move on to the spaceport. We need to get the Beacon.”
As the soldiers left the shack, the Normandy passed overhead and dispatched Kaiden Alenko.
“Sorry for the delay, Commander. Doctor Chakwas managed to stabilise Jenkins.”
“Not a problem, Alenko. Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, this is Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams of the 212. She was garrisoned here when the Geth attacked, but she's going to be joining us for the time being.”
The biotic nodded before checking his weapon. “Have you found anything out about why the Geth attacked?”
“Nothing yet, but they might just be after the Prothean technology,” Sousuke reasoned.
The trio continued on their way to the spaceport when they heard a single, loud gunshot.
“Move out, double time,” the veteran ordered. As they approached the installation, the large ship seen in the distress message took off.
Before they could get within 300 metres of the spaceport, Geth snipers started opening fire on the humans.
“Crap,” Williams cursed as she took cover.
Sousuke was calm as he took out a containment cell, its blast radius eliminating some nearby Geth troopers.
Alenko took out an approaching husk as Williams dealt with the last of the hostiles.
“All clear,” Williams said, holstering her weapon.
“Williams, you and Alenko check out the shack for survivors, I need to...” Sousuke trailed off as he noticed a Turian corpse. “Oh shit...”
“Sir?”
“Shack, Alenko, that's an order,” Sousuke said as he ran towards the Turian.
Sousuke rushed over to see that it was his friend Nihlus who'd been shot.
“Nihlus...”
“Sousuke...” the Turian gasped. “It... was... Saren... Omni-tool...”
The Spectre released the last breath in his body, slumping in Sousuke's arms.
“Nihlus... I'll get Saren for this. I promise.”
Fighting back a tear, Sousuke lay the body of his best friend on the ground and closed his eyes.
'Omni-tool... I told him to record everything.'
A few minutes later and Sousuke was listening to the audio recording of the conversation between the two Turians and the fatal gunshot.
“It was Saren? I need to talk to Captain Anderson.”
A few minutes later, Alenko and Williams joined Sousuke.
“Sir, we found out that there's...” Ashley trailed off as she heard a noise. Pulling out her sidearm, she aimed it at the source of the noise. “Move out into the open. Slowly.”
“I... I'm sorry... I'm unarmed,” a man said as he emerged from behind some crates, his hands raised up.
“Who are you? What happened?” asked Alenko.
“My name is Powell. I didn't see it, but I heard that the other Turian shoot this Turian in the back.”
“What can you tell me about the attack?” Sousuke asked, standing up to look Powell in the eye.
“I... I took cover when the mothership came down. I was hiding when the Geth came out.”
“Hiding?”
“Well, I need a nap to get through the day...” Powell trailed off.
“You were slacking off?” Ashley demanded.
“What could he do?” Sousuke interjected. “He's a civilian, not a soldier. We can't expect him to put his life on the line any more than we could a child.”
Williams calmed down a little, but spotted something out of the corner of her eye. “Hey, that's a military crate...”
“I... can explain...”
The marine opened the crate to reveal some high explosive grenades. “You best get started then!” she snarled.
“They were surplus... And we're just a farming colony, who'd want to attack us?”
“So we're risking our lives and you're ripping us off?”
“It's just a little smuggling...” Powell protested. “And it's not like these would have made much difference.”
“We don't have time for this, but you might want to find a new line of work. One that doesn't involve breaking the law,” Sousuke warned.
“I'm outta here,” the dockworker said.
“You're really going that easy on him, Sir?” Williams asked, clearly still angry about the smuggling operation.
“No time, we need to get that beacon before Saren escapes.”
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Having finished off the last of the Geth forces on Eden Prime and defused three large explosive devices, Sousuke called the Normandy to pick up the undamaged beacon.
Williams noted that it was lit up like a Christmas tree and mentioned that it wasn't like that when it was first uncovered.
As she approached it, Sousuke noticed that it was making a weird noise and he tackled the marine to get her out of the way.
A split second later, the veteran was suspended in the air.
Ashley tried to help him, but was kept back by Alenko. “It's too dangerous.”
Countless images flooded Sousuke's brain. A disjointed collage of invading synthetic troops sweeping across planets, destroying alien soldiers. Aliens that Sousuke had never seen before.
After what felt like an eternity, the beacon exploded, throwing Sousuke to the ground.
“Commander! Commander!” Ashley shouted to the unresponsive man.
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A short while later, at the Citadel, Ambassador Donnel Udina was disappointed with the results of what should have been a simple retrieval mission.
“We encountered Geth, Ambassador, we couldn't know that they were in the area,” Alenko countered.
“They haven't been seen outside of the Perseus Veil for nearly 200 years,” Anderson added.
The Ambassador acknowledged that the Geth raid was something that couldn't have been foreseen, but still upset about the destruction of the Prothean beacon and the death of the Spectre, Nihlus.
“The Council will blame us for this. Unless... Where's Commander Shepard?”
“He's still in the Normandy infirmary. He hasn't come round yet,” Captain Anderson replied. “Dr. Chakwas told us that there was plenty of brain activity, but he's just not woken up yet.”
“Convenient for him that he's going to miss the Council meeting,” Udina remarked pointedly. “I bet they'd love to blame him for this mess.”
“The Commander's a good soldier,” Alenko protested. “If it wasn't for him, Jenkins would have died in combat.”
“Yes, I know that the rank and file love Commander Shepard, but things have a habit of exploding around him. That's why you were selected as a Spectre candidate over him.”
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At Council meeting Saren was easily rebuffing the accusations against him due to a lack of evidence.
“¬I see that Anderson is making up false accusations against me again,¬” the hologram of Saren sneered. “¬You've always blamed me when things go wrong.¬”
The decorated office bristled, but could not respond.
“I wanted to hear from Commander Shepard,” the Salarian Councillor remarked. “Where is he?”
“He's still unconscious,” Alenko replied. “He took the brunt of the explosion when the beacon was destroyed.”
The biotic winced when he saw the glare from the Asari Councillor. Evidently, Asari didn't like hearing about the destruction of priceless Prothean artefacts.
“Who?” the Turian Councillor interjected.
“Commander Sousuke Shepard,” Captain Anderson answered.
“¬Sousuke Shepard was there? It's no wonder that the beacon exploded!¬” Saren mocked. Inwardly though, the rogue Spectre was worried that Shepard was involved with this.
While he'd never served with Sousuke, Saren was more than familiar with his methods and success rate on impossible missions.
The only thing Saren could do was hope that Sousuke's injuries were more severe than they looked and he'd be out of action until he could find the Mu relay.
“This hearing is adjourned,” the Asari Councillor said, clearly fed up with the nonsense brought before her.
The Turian Councillor, Sparatus, was in deep thought as he pondered the name Sousuke Shepard and why it seemed familiar. 'General Septimus is on the Citadel, I'll ask him.'
Udina seethed with an impotent rage for a minute, but was able to calm down enough to formulate a plan of action. “Anderson, we need to prove what happened down on Eden Prime. I think Harkin might be our best lead, start with him.”
“Harkin?” the Captain repeated. “I'd rather not, but if he's all we've got.”
“Who's Harkin, sir?” Alenko asked.
“He's C-Sec officer. Or was. He's a disgrace to the very concept of law enforcement.”
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A short while later, on board the Normandy, Sousuke Shepard woke up. “Ugh....”
“Commander? You're finally awake,” Doctor Chakwas smiled. “You've been out for over a day now.”
“A day? What happened?”
“The Prothean beacon exploded, you were caught in the blast.”
“It exploded?” Sousuke asked with a sigh. “I just wanted one mission to go without something exploding.”
Chakwas smiled. “It's just the way it goes, Commander. Though, while you were out, we detected some abnormal brainwave activity. The kind associated with dreams.”
“Dream? Not quite, Doctor. More like vids on fast forward. Too much too fast for me to really focus on, but I think I saw aliens I'd never seen before,” Sousuke replied. He sat up and immediately regretted it. “Ow...”
“Headache?”
“It feels like someone tried to teach me something by injecting a book into the base of my skull. I'll be alright in a few minutes. Hey, where's the Captain?”
“He was briefing the Council on the mission,” the doctor answered.
“Mission.... I can prove that Saren was there on Eden Prime. I need...” the Commander trailed off as the dizziness came back to him. “Water.... Can I have some water, Doctor?”
As Sousuke sipped his water, Anderson, Alenko and Williams entered the sickbay.
“I see you're up,” Anderson observed. “How are you feeling, Commander?”
“Better than I was a few minutes ago, Sir. I'm sorry I was out for so long. If I'd been with you, I could have helped with the Council.”
“I'm not so sure, Councillor Tevos was rather dismissive of you and your contribution.”
“Our lead didn't pan out, either. We're stuck firmly at square one,” Alenko added.
“And no idea what direction to go in,” Williams said, frustration coating her words.
“I... I've got an idea. Give me a few minutes to get ready and meet me at the airlock. I know some people at C-Sec who might be able to help us.”
“We tried Harkin, he was as much use as chocolate heat-shield,” the marine opined.
“I don't know a Harkin,” Sousuke replied. “But I do know some people higher up in C-Sec who might be able to help.”
“We saw Executor Pallin in person and he didn't want to help us,” Anderson added. “He's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder about humans, just like Saren.”
The Commander frowned. “On second thoughts, perhaps I should do this alone?”
“Take Williams and Alenko with you,” Anderson ordered.
“Wait, where's Jenkins?” asked Sousuke.
“He's at the hospital on the Citadel,” Chakwas explained. “He'll make it thanks to you and the Lieutenant, but he's suffered some severe nerve and muscle damage. It'll be a while before he's ready for a combat mission again.”
“I'll visit him.”
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In the Normandy's airlock, Alenko and Williams were a little put out by Sousuke's instruction to visit Jenkins in the hospital.
“Sir?”
“With respect, Williams, where have you gotten with this investigation?”
“Nowhere, sir.”
“Exactly, the Citadel is a complicated place. Everyone wants something from you, be it credits, a favour or information. What have you got to offer the people you need to talk to? Do you even know who to talk to or how to talk to them?”
“Well, no,” Williams admitted. “Harkin was just an obnoxious drunk in a bar and the Executor stonewalled us.”
“You have no rapport with these people. I know the Executor personally; he will help me and there's an information broker here that I have on retainer.”
“The Volus, Barla Von?” asked Kaiden.
“That's the one,” Sousuke confirmed.
“But how can you afford someone like that on retainer?”
“Long story that I can't go into at this time, Alenko. Trust me, I can get more done on my own than with you two shadowing me. I promise that I will call you if I need you.”
“Alright, Sir, if those are your orders.”
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On the Citadel, Sousuke was surprised to see a vaguely familiar Krogan standing around dealing with a C-Sec officer.
“Fist's accused of making threats against him. What do you have to say for yourself, Wrex?”
“I will kill Fist. That's not a threat, that's a promise,” the scarred Krogan said matter of factly.
“You want me to arrest you?”
“I want you to try,” Wrex laughed dismissively before making his way off to complete his mission.
As he walked towards Sousuke, Wrex cocked his head to one side. There was something about this human that seemed different to the others he'd encountered, and during the course of his work, Wrex had encountered a variety of humans, from the meek civilian types to the C-Sec officers who'd attempted to detain him.
The battlemaster couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that it wasn't bravado or the confidence that came from physical and martial prowess.
“Out of my way, Human, I have no quarrel with you.”
Sousuke stepped aside, noticing the detail of Wrex's scars and determined that they were caused by a some form of dangerous creature. 'Klixen? No, too small... Thresher maw! This Krogan's clearly a force to be reckoned with.'
Turning to face the C-Sec officers, Sousuke asked if Executor Pallin was available.
“I'll check. Who shall I say is asking?”
“Commander Sousuke Shepard.”
The C-Sec officer was surprised to hear that the Executor actually wanted to speak to the Commander. “H-his office is by the Embassies.”
“Thank you, Officer.”
Upon reaching the Executor's office, Sousuke greeted the head of C-Sec.
“Executor, I'm sorry to bother you, but I need your help. There's a Spectre called Saren...”
“A popular topic of investigation amongst you humans,” the Turian commented. “I got a visit from a Lieutenant Alenko earlier.”
“I would have been with him, but I was unconscious at the time, Sir,” Sousuke apologised.
“Wouldn't have mattered, I don't have any evidence to share with you. Even my own investigator hasn't turned anything up yet.”
“We're in luck, Sir, I've found something,” the Commander said as he replayed the conversation between Saren and Nihlus.
“Not bad, Commander, but it might not going to be enough to convince the Council to bring charges against Saren,” Pallin mused. “There's a chance they'd give you a hearing to make your case, but without anything more substantial, there's no guarantee of them taking any action.”
The door to the office opened and in strode General Septimus Oraka.
“General Septimus!” Sousuke said as he snapped to attention.
“Sousuke!” the retired General said as he greeted his old friend with a salute and a handshake. “Your name came up in conversation earlier with Councillor Sparatus.”
“Councillor Sparatus?” Sousuke repeated. “The name doesn't ring any bells, sir.”
Septimus' mandibles twitched in surprise. Sousuke usually remembered most soldiers he served with. “You saved his life when Bonta Kun was active.”
Pallin let out a laugh. “Bonta Kun... In five years, you did more for the Volus military than the last thousand years combined.”
“Bonta Kun hasn't been active for over a decade, sir. And even so, I don't believe that Sparatus was aware of my identity.”
“He isn't,” the General replied. “But he was transferred to Intelligence, so it's possible that he came across your name after a mission. And let's not forget that your status became something of an open secret amongst ranking officers in the Turian military. Either way it doesn't matter how you came to his attention, just that you've caught it.”
“What can I do for the Councillor?” Sousuke asked.
“He wanted to know about your record. It seems you caused the Prothean beacon to explode.”
“That's not my fault, sir. My weapons were holstered and I was calling for pick up at the time.”
Septimus smirked. Sousuke hadn't changed much over the intervening years. A little bit older, wiser and a few more scars, yes, but fundamentally, he was still the same victim of circumstances he always was.
“Relax, Sousuke, no-one could possibly have predicted what would happen.”
Pallin shook his head. “Sousuke's got some evidence, but I don't think the Council will act on it.”
“I owe it to Nihlus to bring Saren to justice, Sir. He was my friend.”
“Can you help out, Venari?”
“My files have nothing, but there is someone who might be able to help. Look for Garrus Vakarian. He was investigating Saren, but couldn't find anything concrete enough to put into a report. He might have some leads that pan out.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Sousuke saluted the Executor. “I know you're not a fan of Spectres and their methods, but I don't see any other way of stopping Saren.”
“Just go and make sure you don't cause trouble here on the Citadel,” Pallin said with a small smile. “Same goes for you, General Septimus Oraka.”
Septimus followed Sousuke out of the Executor's office.
“So what brings you here to the Citadel, General?”
“I live here now. It's safe, clean and I'm close to the one thing that makes life bearable,” the old Turian smiled.
“I'm glad, sir,” Sousuke smiled. Though that smile faltered slightly when Septimus revealed what that one thing was.
“I now know what Lantim saw in Sha'ira. I'm going to ask her to marry me.”
“Sir... I... I don't wish to interfere with your private life but...”
“You don't approve, do you, Sousuke?”
“My approval is irrelevant, sir, but the Consort Sha'ira feels that it's best that she shares her gift with as many as possible. She might not be able to give you want you want. You might be happy, but I don't think she would.”
Septimus paused. He hadn't considered that.
“I will support you in whatever decision you make for your future, sir, but asking the Consort to settle down with one person... It'd be like hiring Barla Von to exclusively write for a gossip column. Yes, you'd get some kudos and prestige, but it's a bit selfish and wasteful.”
“You may be right, Sousuke. But I have to tell her how I feel.”
“Then tell her. Life's too short for regrets. Just don't be upset if she can't give you what you want.”
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After a brief visit to Corporal Jenkins, Sousuke was able to track down Garrus Vakarian.
“The Executor told you might be able to help me,” the human said as he took a seat next to the Turian.
“The Executor said that?” Garrus replied. “I find that hard to believe. The Executor doesn't think too highly of you humans.”
“I worked with his brother for a number of years,” Sousuke half-explained. Garrus didn't need to know the details of classified operations. “I'm looking for evidence against Saren and he told me you were investigating him.”
“I am, but I can't really find anything substantial enough to go to the Executor with. When everything Saren touches is classified, I can't do much more than look at redacted reports. Why do you care about Saren?”
“Saren killed my friend. Is Barla Von still on the Citadel? He was always a good source of information.”
“If he knows anything, he's not telling us. Not unless we pay him a lot of credits,” the C-Sec investigator sighed.
“Then we should pay him a visit.”
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“Greetings Palaven-clan, how can I help you today?” a portly Volus asked around several breaths.
“I'm here on C-Sec business, Barla Von,” Garrus said. “What do you know about Saren Artemis?”
“Not much that I haven't already shared with your colleagues at C-Sec.”
“Unlike you to be so unhelpful, Barla,” Sousuke said, stepping up to the desk.
“Can I help you, Earth... Shepard? I didn't recognise you. You've grown into a fine soldier. I heard of your feats of bravery on Elysium,” the Volus gushed. “How can I help you? What is it you wanted to know about Saren Artemis?”
“Saren killed my friend, Nihlus. If I don't get going soon, he's going to get away and...” Shepard trailed off as he had a flashback to the images inserted into his mind by the Prothean beacon.
“Shepard?”
“I'm alright, I just... I think Saren is working with the Reapers.”
“Who or what are the Reapers?” Garrus asked.
“The aliens that killed off the Protheans. I'll explain later, but I need to get enough evidence to convince the Council to let me go after Saren. I need to bring him to justice and hopefully stop life as we know it from ending across the galaxy.”
“Not sure I can help you on the second part, but Saren upset the Shadow Broker.”
“The Shadow Broker?” Sousuke repeated, a frown marring his face. “I still owe him for the Verrikan. What did Saren do to upset the Shadow Broker?”
“He caused one of the Shadow Broker's men to betray him. A man called Fist,” Barla Von answered.
“Fist? He runs the nightclub Chora's Den in the Wards,” Garrus added. “I always suspected he was up to something.”
“There is something else to tell you, the Shadow Broker has put out a contract on Fist's life. I believe that there's a Krogan bounty hunter who has accepted the job.”
“Krogan bounty hunters?” the Turian asked rhetorically. “This isn't going to be easy.”
“Wait... Krogan... Fist... I saw the Krogan in question earlier. We need to get to Chora's Den ASAP.”
On the way out of the Volus' office, Sousuke called up Alenko and Williams to get them on their way to Chora's Den to prevent a massacre.
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Garrus and Sousuke arrived at Chora's Den in time to see a Krogan get into an argument with the Turian bouncer.
“Tell Fist I'm coming for him.”
“You and what army?” the bouncer asked, deliberately placing a hand on his sidearm. “Or are you planning to use your breath to kill us all?”
“I don't need an army to deal with you, kid. I've taken bigger shits than you.”
“Back off, Krogan, it ain't happening.”
“What seems to be the problem here?” Garrus asked.
“And you are?” the bouncer asked.
“Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec.”
Sousuke tried to get past the bouncer.
“Where do you think you're going, Human?”
“To talk to Fist before the Krogan kills him.”
“You ain't...” the bouncer's words were cut off thanks to Wrex's well-timed headbutt to the face.
“Thank you for helping C-Sec with its enquiries,” Garrus said as the trio opened the door. “You might want to take a break.”
Inside, Sousuke noted that things were looking tense as Williams and Alenko stood alert, checking for signs of trouble with the security staff.
“Glad you could make it, Commander,” Sergeant Williams said, relaxing visible.
“What are you here for?” a surly looking Krogan demanded.
“We're here to talk to Fist,” Garrus answered. “C-Sec business.”
“C-Sec have no business here,” the Krogan replied, glaring at troublemakers before him.
“We're talking to Fist,” Sousuke stated. “There are two ways to go about this. One is where you step aside while you still can. The other is where we step over you.”
“Let's not be too hasty here,” a human voice spoke up.
“Harkin,” Garrus hissed. “I should have known.”
“What do you know, you hothead?” the balding man asked rhetorically. “We can still resolve this situation.”
Sousuke took a deep breath before shaking his head. “Your friend on the top of bar best be lining up kill shots if you're not going to step aside. That's the only chance you've got of getting out of here alive.”
Everyone was taken aback by Sousuke's calm, even tone.
The Krogan bouncer laughed. “You're funny, human. But you're going to die he-”
The words died in the bouncer's throat as his face exploded from the hail of bullets from Sousuke's assault rifle.
Centuries of combat had honed Wrex's reflexes and he was next to react, taking down the man on the top of the bar with a shotgun blast.
Williams and Alenko opened fire on the rest of Fist's men and Garrus shot Harkin in the leg.
“He's still C-Sec,” the Turian stated when Wrex gave him a questioning look. “He might be worth interrogating later.”
Sousuke marched up to the corridor to Fist's office and practically kicked in the door. He looked at the two warehouse workers.
“I... I'm not paid enough to deal with this,” one said, putting his pistol on the ground.
“Y-yeah, let's find another job,” the other suggested.
Sousuke kicked in the door to Fist's inner sanctum and glared at the bush league gangster.
“Fist? There's a Krogan out there that's been hired to kill you. I might be able to stop him. IF and only if you answer my questions. Do you understand?”
The criminal hit the panic button and two turrets deployed, thinking that Sousuke was just some jackbooted wannabe Spectre from C-Sec.
He soon reappraised the soldier standing before him when the turrets exploded before they could finish deploying.
“I...”
“Tell me why you betrayed the Shadow Broker.”
“The Quarian.”
“What about the Quarian?”
Wrex and Garrus walked in to see Fist shaking.
“Fist...” Wrex smiled.
“He's still being questioned, Wrex,” Sousuke warned, his gaze remaining on Fist.
“I'm just making sure that he knows not to try anything stupid.”
Garrus started to sweep the room for potential booby traps and hidden entrances for more men to come to their boss's rescue.
“What about the Quarian?” Sousuke repeated. “You want to answer me quickly, or I will leave you alone here with the Krogan. How many pieces do you think they'll find you in?”
“I... the Quarian has something for the Shadow Broker, but wanted to deal directly with him.”
“No-one meets the Shadow Broker, even I was hired through intermediaries,” Wrex explained.
“Where is the Quarian?” Garrus asked, having finished his sweep of the office.
“I don't know. But I know where to find her,” Fist quickly answered, hoping that he'd be able to get out of this situation alive. “She's in the lower markets part of the Wards. You might be able to reach her if you're quick.”
Wrex unloaded his shotgun into the criminal.
“What are you doing?” Garrus demanded.
“I don't leave jobs half done,” the Krogan answered. “I was paid to do a job. I don't need the Shadow Broker sending people after me.”
“But he...”
“No time to argue, we'll deal with this when we've saved the Quarian,” Sousuke barked. “Lead the way, Garrus.”
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“Where's the Shadow Broker?” a female Quarian voice asked. “Where's Fist?”
“They'll be here soon enough,” a Turian in armour answered. He reached out to the Quarian. “So...”
“The deal's off,” she stated, her instincts telling her that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
“Listen up, you're...”
“Leave the Quarian alone,” Sousuke said approaching the meeting. “I'm Commander Shepard and I'm in a bad mood.”
“Commander Shepard?” the Turian asked, turning to face the advancing human. “Like you're Commander ... Oh crap, you really are Commander Shepard.”
“Yes, now are you going to leave the Quarian alone or am I going to have to kill you all?”
“I... Well, perhaps we could take our leave reconsider our options?”
“A smart move, since this would mean that I won't have to arrest you all,” Garrus added. “Assault with a deadly weapon; attempted murder of a C-Sec officer, unauthorised discharge of weapon. All very serious charges, each of which could see you locked away for several years.”
“I don't have to take this crap from you!” another of the armoured men sneered, pulling out a pistol and aiming at Sousuke.
His head exploded in a cloud of crimson, drawing everyone's attention to stairs behind Sousuke, Wrex and Garrus.
Ashley Williams was aiming her sniper rifle at the rest of Saren's men.
“That's Gunnery Sergeant Williams. I can give the order to slaughter you all. Or you can walk away and leave me to deal with more important things.”
The Turian signalled to his cohorts. “We're leaving.”
Sousuke turned to the Quarian. “I'm Commander Shepard and I need your help, Quarian.”
“My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.”
“Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, I believe you have some information that a Spectre called Saren is looking for.”
“Yes, but I don't want to talk about it here,” the Quarian replied, still a little nervous about the situation.
“How about we talk in the Human Embassy?” Sousuke suggested.
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“Commander Shepard, what are you trying to do to me?” Ambassador Udina asked. “Firefights in Chora's Den? Armed stand-offs in the Wards?”
The politician turned around to see a Quarian standing with Shepard and his team.
“A Quarian? What are you doing here, away from the Migrant Fleet?”
“I'm here on my Pilgrimage,” Tali answered.
“She's got the evidence we need to prove that Saren was involved in the attack on Eden Prime, sir,” Sousuke explained. “Her evidence corroborates my own.”
“Your evidence? What are you talking about, Shepard?”
“Nihlus' omni-tool recorded his conversation with Saren.”
“Why didn't you mention this earlier?” Udina demanded. “We could have gotten the Council to sanction Saren during our meeting!”
“I was unconscious until after your meeting with the Council, Sir,” Sousuke countered. “And I wanted a better idea of what we're dealing with.”
“What we're dealing with is a rogue Spectre,” the Ambassador stated flatly.
“There's more to it than that, Sir. The recording from the Geth memory core mentions the Reapers.”
“Reapers? What are they?” Captain Anderson asked.
“I think they're what killed off the Protheans, Sir. They were in the visions I saw after I accessed the beacon. I saw an army of machines exterminating the Protheans.”
“I don't think the Council will believe a vision,” Udina opined. “But they will believe your evidence that Saren has gone rogue.”
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The Council agreed that Saren had indeed gone rogue thanks to the evidence supplied by Sousuke and Tali. The next question was in regard to what the best course of action was.
Udina had demanded that the Council send in the Citadel Fleet to stop Saren, but that had been quickly rejected.
The Council was unwilling to risk a war in the Terminus Systems on the small chance that they could stop a single ship.
Sousuke was about to suggest that they assign another Spectre to go after Saren when Councillor Sparatus spoke up.
“Commander Shepard, I believe that you could be the answer to this situation. A single ship could track down Saren, one with a Spectre at the helm would have the necessary authority to stop Saren. I have done some investigating of my own. I spoke with General Septimus Oraka, he had nothing but praise for you.”
“I owe my life to General Septimus, Sir,” Sousuke answered honestly. “Without his actions, I would have died many years ago.”
“He questioned why you weren't submitted for Spectre candidacy, especially since you'd worked with the Special Tasks Group, but said that the sooner you were a Spectre, the safer the galaxy would be. Executor Pallin also spoke highly of you.”
“A safer galaxy? He destroyed the Prothean beacon!” Councillor Tevos protested. “Letting Commander Shepard roam the galaxy unchecked would be like unleashing a thresher maw on the Citadel!”
Councillor Valern was intrigued by the Turians' high opinion of Sousuke Shepard. Executor Pallin, like most Turians, resented humanity and its rise in the galaxy. The prevailing opinion being that the humans hadn't yet earn the privileges of the other, older space-faring races.
Ignoring the angry Asari to his right, the Salarian asked why Executor Pallin and the Turian military might see him as different from other humans.
Sousuke looked a little nervous as he tried to word his answer in a diplomatic, yet honest way. “I have worked with the Turian military on a number of occasions. I was seconded to a unit under the Executor's brother, Lantim Pallin.”
“I see,” the Salarian nodded. He could tell that there was more to this story than Sousuke was telling them and would make some discrete enquiries of his own.
“I motion that Commander Shepard be made a Spectre,” Councillor Sparatus said confidently. “It's the best option for us.”
“I agree,” Councillor Valern nodded.
“I...” Councillor Tevos sighed. “I guess it's the only real option we have. Just don't keep the destruction to a minimum, OK?”
“I will do my best, Ma'am,” Sousuke bowed politely.
“Commander Sousuke Shepard, you are hereby invested as a Spectre, with all the rights and responsibilities that the role entails. You will be the first and last line of defence of the Citadel Council. Your exploits will not be widely known, but your actions will keep us safe,” Sparatus intoned solemnly.
“Thank you, Councillors,” the Spectre bowed again. He turned around to shake the hands of Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson.
“I knew you could do it, Shepard,” the military hero smiled.
“Yes,” the politician nodded. “You'll need a ship of your own. You'll take command of the Normandy.”
“But that's Captain Anderson's ship,” Sousuke protested.
“No, you'll need it more, Shepard,” Anderson replied. “There's something I need to talk to you about, but not here. Meet me at the Normandy.”
Williams and Alenko were the next to shake the Commander's hand.
“Sir, it should have been you as a candidate in the first place,” Alenko said. “I don't know what they were thinking picking me over you.”
“You can't remove a biotic talent, and that means you're never unarmed. I'm not so good in unarmed combat, only marginally better with a bladed weapon.”
“We'll just have to make sure that you've always got a loaded pistol,” Williams joked. “Seriously, sir, I never seen anyone quite so effective in combat. How long have you been shooting?”
“Since I was seven, but that's for another time,” Sousuke answered. He turned to face the aliens he'd gathered with during his brief visit to the Citadel. “I would like you all to join me on this mission. I can't promise you riches, glory or even that you'll make it out alive. I can only promise you a worthy fight and the chance to make the galaxy a better place.”
“Good enough for me,” Garrus smiled. “I'm in.”
“I feel I owe you for helping me out with Fist's men,” said Tali. “My pilgrimage can wait until I repay that debt.”
“A worthy fight, eh?” Wrex chuckled. “Been a while since I had one of those and I'm out of work at the moment, so yeah, I'll join you.”
“Excellent.”
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To be continued...
