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Post by herrwozzeck on Nov 17, 2014 14:22:36 GMT 1
Chapter Fourteen As soon as Jodie entered the C-SEC office, she noticed that Sura was at her same desk as always. However, as she walked up, she saw the red and gold swirls, and found herself smiling at the quarian that bore that cloth. Neither one noticed her as she approached, but already Jodie had a lightness in her step as she approached the desk. And as she did, she caught the tail end of their conversation. "...I guess I can't fault you for that," Sura said. "But trust me, I can't let that happen." "No, please, that would be too much trouble," Kalo replied, his hand drawing circles in the air. "And I doubt your officers at C-SEC would like that. I would not want to trouble you for the sake of a stranger." "Oh, believe me, I doubt they'd care in my case," said Sura. "What he's doing is technically illegal. If that's the case, I can do whatever I damn well please. Besides, you're a friend of a friend." And it was then that Sura turned her head. "And speaking of said friend..." She then leaned back, looking directly at Jodie. "How's the accidental racist doing today?" Jodie's good mood was immediately deflated somewhat. Her eyes immediately narrowed, her shoulders hunching as Aiden clicked once for emphasis. Kalo simply turned, looking at Jodie before turning to Sura. The way his back was hunched showed clear confusion as he turned back to Jodie. "Accidental racist?" he asked. Jodie shook her head. "Don't ask," said Jodie. She then turned to Sura. "I see you've been doing well." "I have," said Sura, looking over at Jodie. "That Commander you've got sounds like a real titan. I've heard all kinds of rumors about his exploits at work." She scoffed. "I don't stick around. We haven't got time for that kind of coffee talk." "Maybe not, but they're not wrong," Jodie replied as leaned at the desk. "He's not a bad commander." She then turned to Kalo. "He can probably tell you all about it." "Indeed," said Kalo as he smiled at Jodie. "You seem like you are doing quite well, Jodie." "I am, thank you," she said, smiling at Kalo. "A lot has happened, but... you know most of it." "I do indeed," said Kalo, the two lights behind his mask shining a little brighter. "But nevertheless, there are matters I must attend to." "With the store owner, right?" Jodie asked. She then turned to Sura. "You were talking about that with him, weren't you?" "I offered a little help," said Sura. "You can't take sleazeballs like that down the traditional way." She then paused. "Or you could. Just don't expect me to come in with complementary breakfast when you wake up here tomorrow morning..." Jodie chuckled. "Fair enough," she said. She then turned to Kalo, shifting her posture. "You should take her help, Kalo. She's pretty good about that." "You've only see me do it twice," said Sura. Jodie shrugged. "You know what I mean," she said. She then turned to Kalo. "And I'm here, so I can help you deal with him, too." Kalo looked down. "I... I do not know if it is proper," he said. "I know I have said I would appreciate the help, but now that we are all here, and that we can actually act on it... I feel like I am taking advantage of your kindness." "Thus says the next quarian councillor," Sura said, shaking her head. "Look, kid, you've gotta accept a little help sometimes. He's breaking the law, you're a victim, and this cycle isn't going to end until something else comes in. Trust me." Kalo then sighed, looking up to the asari officer. He then turned to Jodie, who offered him a smile. "And hey, you know how I am," she said. "If you need anything, I'll be right here. And trust me, you're not taking advantage of anything." She paused, before looking at him. "Believe me. You're not." The quarian sighed. "I... Thank you," he said. "Nobody has ever offered this kind of aid before. I... I am at a loss for words..." "Well, don't let us be at a loss for action here," Sura replied. She then looked at Jodie. "I get off shift here in about fifteen minutes. You mind waiting then?" "Oh, no," said Jodie. She then turned to Kalo. "That will give us a little time to catch up, anyway." "That it will," said Kalo. "Take as much time as you need." "All right," said Sura. She then nodded and turned back to her workstation. As she did this, Kalo and Jodie walked off to the side. As she did this, Jodie found herself looking around the office, smiling as she looked around. "They fix things pretty quickly around here." "Well, that is something wonderful about the Keepers," Kalo replied. "They are very efficient at quick repairs. In truth, it almost makes me jealous." Jodie nodded. "It certainly seems like it," she said. She then looked over at the quarian, giving him a smile. "I hope it doesn't get lonely there without me." "Oh, no," said Kalo. "I grew used to the solitude long before you came." He shrugged. "And now that it has returned..." He paused, crossing his arms. "But that is enough about me. How is your guitar?" "I... Huh, I haven't used it in a while," she said, chuckling. "But... I guess I really should pick it up, right?" "Maybe," said Kalo. "Come. Take a seat." And with this, Kalo and Jodie sat next to each other.
As soon as Sura was off of desk duty, the group set off for the ship vendor in question. Jodie settled into the seat of the C-SEC cruiser Sura was driving, marveling at how comfortable it was. Sura had mentioned she had planned to make no arrests, but the fact that the cruiser was out made Jodie feel a touch uncomfortable. Still, she appreciated not having to wait for the Rapid Transit to arrive: Jodie felt this would have wasted some time, and while she knew that the Normandy would not leave anywhere for a few days, Jodie knew that she wanted to help Kalo as soon as possible. And as such, she looked over at Kalo, who sat on the passenger side of the cruiser. "So what's the plan?" she asked. "I do not know if this will work, but I suppose we can try," said Kalo. He then looks over at Sura. "It is not illegal to... wiretap, is it?" "It isn't if your idea of a good trial is submitting evidence that'll get tossed out immediately," the asari replied. "I see..." Kalo looked over at the asari, his shoulders slightly hunched as he did so. "I suppose most people prefer not to be spied on." "You can say that again," Jodie added with a small amount of sarcasm. She then looked over at Sura, noticing that she had changed out of her more casual C-SEC uniform. "Are you allowed to flash your badge in that?" "Well... Only if you're a plainclothes cop." She then opened her omni-tool, holding her arm out to Jodie as she continued to drive. "And what do you think of that?" Jodie blinked, leaning forward as she looked at Sura's qualifications on the badge. As she did, she noticed that 'plainclothes cop' was the other main listed qualification. "Huh," she said. "So you can theoretically do that." "Yep," said Sura as she closed the omni-tool without even looking at it. "Doesn't mean I would flash it at everything, though. If you're doing that, you're just a jerk and you shouldn't even have one of these in the first place." "Indeed, ma'am," said Kalo. He then walked over. "So... I assume both of you enter first to catch the conversation?" "Something like that," said Sura. "I would have us all enter a few minutes apart so he doesn't notice anything odd first. Then we just sort of ask questions, make him think we're there to buy a ship." "That is what I thought as well," said Kalo. He then looked at Sura. "And since Jodie knows very little about ships..." "Well, yeah, I might want to go in first," said Jodie. "I guess I can get him to ask all sorts of things." She then paused, looking over at Sura. "And what if the shop is crowded?" "Eh, ships are usually pretty expensive anyway," said Sura. "It won't be that crowded, trust me. Though, if we do have an unexpected visitor..." She then looked over at Kalo. "Anyone else who works at the shop?" "Hm..." Kalo paused. "I believe he hired a salarian assistant recently. I have not talked much to this assistance, but from what little I can see of him he is perhaps a little more personable." "Hm." Sura paused as the cruiser lowered to the ground. "Odd for the science guys, but there you go." The cruiser then landed, Jodie feeling the thrusters act on the ship. "We're here, though, so... Jodie. Say you want something like a cargo carrier." "Cargo?" asked Jodie. "Yes," said Sura. "It's cheap, it's a common model, they have plenty on hand..." She shrugged. "Only problem is that you'd need the proper licensing to get one, but most ship vendors will still tell you what goes in there if you just tell them you don't have a license but you're thinking about getting one." She then turned to Kalo. "You... do have the proper licensing for whatever ship you want, right?" Kalo opened his omni-tool. "It should be processing," he said. "I have not received an actual license, but I did receive at least a number. Last I checked, the paperwork had not gone through yet." He then glanced to the side, his free hand sagging a little as he spoke. "I put it in last month." "Hm..." Sura shook her head. "Well, you have a number, so that should be enough to go on. You want me to give that division a kick in the rear so you can get the actual license?" "I... that would be appreciated," said Kalo. "Thank you, ma'am." Jodie nodded. "Cargo ship, hm?" she asked. She took a few seconds, closing her eyes and internalizing that information. Aiden clicked in affirmation, and then Jodie looked up at Sura and Kalo. "All right. I think I've got it." He then looked over at Kalo. "I'll jump in if anything happens, all right, Kalo?" "That would be appreciated." Jodie nodded, and then the cruiser doors opened. "All right, here goes," she said. She then stepped out of the cruiser, taking a second to look around. Her eyes settled on the shop in question, a quaint little place that was some distance away from the cruiser. Jodie guessed from the direction of the shop's doors that one could not see the cruiser from within the confines of the shop, so she knew that they would be all right. She clenched her fists, her hands opening and closing as she took a breath to steady herself. She glanced up at Aiden. Behave, she said. Aiden gurgled briefly, and then Jodie walked to the shop. She entered it, looking around inside at the various holographic images of various ship models. She paused upon entering, taking stock of the area around her. She glanced at the elderly turian being helped by a volus, her eyes concentrating a little on the oddly-shaped face mask that volus environmental suits were famous for. She then found herself, glancing to the side, looking over to a nearby black-spotted salarian. The amphibian noticed her enter. She then approached, and the salarian perked up, giving Jodie a smile. "Hello, ma'am," the salarian began. "Welcome. Is there anything I can help you with today?" Jodie smiled, leaning on the counter that the salarian stood behind. "Hm... Well, you might be able to help me with something," she began, looking directly at the salarian and making sure to establish good eye contact. "I'm... Well, I'm interested in maybe getting a... a cargo ship of some kind." "Cargo ship, hm?" the salarian asked as he turned to his computer. "Sure, we've got plenty of those." "Oh, good, I was hoping I would find that there," Jodie replied. She then shrugged. "And before you ask, no, I don't have the proper permits. Yet. I'm pondering getting one in the near future." "Oh?" The salarian smiled, turning to Jodie. "If you want, I could also offer some downloadable literature. We offer half-price on the download with a special promo code." Jodie blinked, leaning back. "Wait, there was a promo code?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. She tapped her fingers, shaking her head. "Damn it, and here I'd already ordered the literature on the basics..." She snorted, her omni-tool hand flicking slightly out of impulse. She found a few chills run down her arm, but she kept herself still as she could, fearing the slightest move could tip the salarian off to why she was in the shop before she was ready. "Oh." The salarian shrugged, turning back to his computer. "Well, you've got the basic literature, so I guess that's fine." He paused, and then looked at Jodie. "Though you do seem to be a little odd for that kind of manual. There's a reason we provide that promo code." "Eh, I... I had a little help there," Jodie replied, waving her hand dismissively. The chills spread across her arms, but she quickly squeezed her toes to keep it from getting to her too much. "Got lots of friends who are willing to step in, you know?" "Ah," said the salarian. He paused, looking at Jodie. "And you're using it for civilian purposes." "Well, to start, anyway," Jodie said. She shrugged. "I don't know if I'm good for commercial uses of a cargo ship, though." "You might want to think about that," said the salarian as he returned to his terminal. "Commercial uses of cargo ships are the best way to get back your investment on the ship, you know." "I do," said Jodie with a nod. "But I don't know if I'd be great at it..." She moved to say more, but paused upon hearing the shop's door open. Her gaze scoured the area behind the salarian, but her fingers tightened when she could not find a reflective surface. She offered a smile, before quickly moving her head slightly to the side. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see the asari walk right in, passing by the turian that had just been helped by the volus. Jodie had to bite back a sigh of relief, and she turned back to the salarian. Good, she thought. Now it's just Kalo who needs to get in here... "...imagine you don't have a very large budget for ship purchase at the moment." Jodie blinked, realizing that she had tuned the salarian out for a second. Her surprise only manifested for a split second, and then she smiled, turning back to the salarian. She perked up as if she had heard everything the salesman had said, shifting her weight to one foot as she spoke. "Yeah, I don't," she said. "That promo code would have been pretty useful before." "Indeed," said the salarian. "What price range were you thinking of looking into?" "What's your cheapest price range?" Jodie asked as she stood upright. "I'm probably going to need to consider my options carefully at this point." "Well... that would come out to about two hundred thousand credits, if you're looking for a new model." Jodie jolted in place. "Two hundred thousand?" she asked. "I... whoah..." "You did do your research on these matters, right?" the salarian asked. "I... I did, yeah," said Jodie. She then chuckled nervously. "I did look into it, but I didn't think that it would be the cheapest model of ship everywhere..." "Well, that is unfortunate, but it should be offset by making quite a bit of profit, no?" the salarian asked. "That is true," Jodie replied. She leaned forward, chuckling. "Well, that changes a few things, then. I might need to come back here after a long while. Gotta save up all over again." "Indeed," said the salarian. "But in the meantime, you can still review ship specs for what you want." Jodie nodded, right as she heard the door open. "Of course," she said, looking at the salarian as he looked towards whoever entered. "I'd actually really appreciate it. Gives me something to adjust my expectations, you know?" The salarian cringed briefly upon looking past Jodie's shoulder. Jodie frowned, but gave no further indication that she knew why the salarian was frowning. In her head, however, she reasoned that Kalo must have entered by then. She paid it no mind, however, looking back at the salarian. "I... of course," said the salarian. He now looked considerably more worried as his gaze turned to the front of the shop. "I'll, um, get right on that." Jodie frowned, turning to the front of the shop and seeing that Kalo had stepped up to the counter, the volus shopkeeper seemingly ignoring him as he helped Sura out a little. She then turned back to the salarian. "Problem?" she asked. Jodie could feel the moment the salarian began to give off a cold sweat. "I hope not," said the salarian. He shook his head. "Quarian just came in." He shook his head. "Oh, I hope this doesn't result in a yelling match..." Jodie frowned. "Why would it result in that?" she asked. "I don't know what it is, but the boss has something against quarians," said the salarian. He shook his head. "Sorry. Hopefully it won't escalate into a yelling match." He then typed a few more things into the holographic keyboard at his terminal, before turning to Jodie and smiling. He then opened his omni-tool, and Jodie saw a holographic projection of a particular ship as well. "Well, perhaps we can start looking at sp-" "You again!?" Jodie and the salarian both turned around abruptly, and Jodie's blood froze as she saw Kalo lean away from the counter that the volus stood at. "I thought-" and there, Jodie heard a loud, mechanical wheeze interrupt the volus' speech- "I told you-hooh-not to come in here-hooh-again!"
Jodie turned to the salarian and cringed in turn. The salarian gave Jodie an apologetic look, but before he could say anything Jodie turned to look back at the scene. "Sir, I am a paying customer as well," Kalo replied. "Should it not stand to reason that-" "Shut up-hooh-clanless!" the volus yelled. "You'll just-hooh-steal whatever I have! Hooh-Just like every other one of you!" "Well, I should believe it rather difficult to do that if I have not even attempted to made a purchase," said Kalo. "I have told you this repeatedly, but I am pretty sure I have the money together this time, and I-" "You never do!" the volus retorted. "You-hooh-come in and never-hooh-have the money! Hooh... I thought I told you-hooh-not to come in here-hooh-or I would call C-SEC here-hooh-to remove you. Hooh... I may-hooh-actually do it this time... hooh..." And it was then that Sura opened her omni-tool. "Well, unfortunately for you, you're a bit late for that," she replied, displaying her badge. "Officer Sura T'Lenya. Plainclothes division." The volus turned to Sura, his expression unreadable. "Wh... hooh... what?" the volus asked as Jodie and the salarian looked on. "I'd heard a bit about your denying business to this quarian here," she said. "I thought I'd investigate." She then closed the omni-tool. "I don't have any reason to arrest you, and I don't have any reason to arrest this quarian here considering he could have stolen it at any time." Kalo leaned forward, but before he could interject, the asari continued. "After all, each time you told him no, he did leave without questioning you, right?" The volus glanced to the quarian, before looking at the officer. "Um..." "And if he did make attempts to steal that you saw, you would be willing to offer security footage of it, right?" Sura continued. "Well... hooh... I... um..." The volus replied. "And he also tells me you may have been increasing the prices on him unfairly, is that right?" asked Sura. "I-hooh-don't know what you're talking about-hooh!" the volus replied. "These ships-hooh-are already extremely-hooh-expensive! Hooh! He couldn't possibly have the money needed-hooh-to buy any of the ships here! Hooh!"
"And how do you know that if you won't even let him make the purchase?" asked Sura. "I-hooh-did!" the volus replied. "He did not-hooh-have the money-hooh-to pay!" "Maybe, but nevertheless jacking up the price is not right," said Sura. "If you did it. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on this, but if you keep yelling like that you'll lose my sympathy very quickly." She then crossed her arms. "Now here's what I'll do," she continued. "I don't want to have to arrest any one of your asses today, because frankly I've sorted through enough paperwork to make a salarian fall asleep. Arresting either of you will result in paperwork: as all my years on the force can tell you, nothing can make a C-SEC officer more bitter at everything than having to do more paperwork after an entire day doing nothing but paperwork." She then looked at the volus. "So I'm going to watch this transaction play out. I'm going to stay out as best I can. But if either of you do anything foul, I'm interfering. You two got that?" Kalo nodded, looking at Sura. "It sounds quite fair to me," he said. He then turned to the volus shopkeeper. "What say you, sir?" "Bah!" The volus exhaled, turning to Sura. "Fine. Hooh. I'll do it your way. Hooh." Sura smiled, leaning against the counter. "Good," she said. She then turned her attention to the nearby salarian shop assistant. "You! Come over here and make sure he's not cheating!" "Oh! Uh, yes ma'am!" The salarian could not cross the shop fast enough. After a few seconds, Jodie shrugged, following the salarian and coming to stand right beside Kalo. She shrugged, looking at the salarian before looking over Kalo's shoulder. Kalo nodded. He then nodded. "Now, you... do know which one I hope to get, right?" "Yes, yes," said the volus, typing away on the terminal. "I suppose-hooh- you want the employee discount too-hooh-, right?" Kalo shook his head. "No, actually," he said. "Just the ship itself will do." "Hm..." The volus remained silent, the only response it gave being the inecessant huffing of its envirosuit. "And you said you wanted a... Kolwoon class freighter, right?"
Jodie and Sura immediately did a double-take, Jodie looking right over at Kalo. "A Kolwoon class?" asked Jodie, her eyes wide in surprise. "Kalo, are you out of your damn mind?" Kalo blinked, looking over at Jodie. "What?" he asked. "Is it wrong for a quarian to have ambition?" Sura groaned, immediately facepalming. "And you wonder why he thinks you won't have enough money," she said. "I am not asking for the newest one," said Kalo with a shrug. "I am simply asking for one that I can repair." "That is still going to be quite expensive," said the salarian behind the counter as he peered over the volus' shoulder. "Perhaps, but I believe I can pay for it," he said. He then pulled his chit out, gingerly placing it down on the counter. "I'll be the judge-hooh-of that," the volus replied indignantly. He then stabbed at the terminal's screen. "I assume it is the very broken-down one. Hooh. One hundred and eighty-nine thousand credits." He then exhaled harshly, the suit amplifying the motion as the volus turned to him. "Without tax." Jodie shook her head, looking at Kalo. "And that is...?" she asked. Kalo sighed. "Well, to be fair, it is perhaps the lowest price he has listed so far," he said. However, Jodie noticed the way his shoulders sagged. He then looked at his chit. "But..." Jodie shook her head. "Kalo, you can't have that many credits," she said. "Not even with-"
"I do not," said Kalo. "I... I initially thought he was giving an inflated figure when he told me one hundred and ninety-two thousand credits, but it seems..." "Bah, I knew it," the volus shopkeeper said, self-assuredly. He then inhaled harshly. "He doesn't-hooh-have the credits for it." "And you conveniently neglected to show him the actual price... why?" asked Sura, leaning over the counter. "I wanted to-hooh-scare him off," he said. "If he-hooh-wanted to save up for that much,-hooh-he would never return to the Fleet." "The actual price would have sufficed, sir," the quarian replied, his voice quiet and low. "I would have dropped it if you showed me it was the true price." Jodie could sense the disappointment ringing in his voice, and she saw the way the lights that stood in for his eyes dimmed a little bit. "There was no need to lie to me." "And you could have suggested a cheaper alternative," the salarian added. "Well, if you don't mind my saying, sir." Sura frowned. "So let me get this straight," she said. "You lied to him about the price to scare him away... Even though telling him the actual price might have done the same thing?" "Hooh. Yes," the volus replied. Sura shook her head, her frown intensifying. "With all due respect, you're setting off my bullshit alarm with such force that you could probably hear it from Omega," she said. "You're sorely mistaken if you think I believe that for one second." She shook her head. "But, seeing as how he couldn't pay for it regardless, I guess I can't do anything about that, so I'll let you off the hook." Sura then leaned over the counter. "But if I ever hear your name in that context again, I'm going to make your day very difficult." She leaned back. "Now... what do you have to say to the quarian?" The volus gave an aggravated sigh. "I'm sorry I-hooh-lied to you about the ship price," he said half-heartedly. Kalo nodded, and from the way the light played in his helmet, Jodie could tell that he was crestfallen. "I accept your apology," he said. "And I apologize for-" Jodie instantly put her hand on Kalo's arm. She had not even processed the action, but her arm had instinctively moved, and she found herself looking at it comfortably. "I... Kalo, are you all right?" she asked. The quarian sighed. "I am sorry, Jodie," he said, still quiet. "I dragged you into a situation I clearly had no hope of resolving. I should have done my research. I... I apologize for dragging you into this." Jodie glanced up at him. She tilted her head, looking at him intently as his arms loosened in her grip. His shoulders seemed to sag even further than they already had, and Jodie was quick to pick up on the tone of disappointment in Kalo's voice. After a few seconds, she found herself glancing at the ground as well, pondering. After a few seconds, she turned her attention to the quarian, her expression plain as she made what she assumed was direct eye contact with him. "You really wanted that Kolwoon Class cruiser, didn't you?" she asked. "I did," he said. "It... It would be a way to help my people..." And then, he fell quiet, his gaze avoiding Jodie's eyes. Jodie watched Kalo's head turn from her, the quarian's gaze remaining turned to the ground. Hm... Jodie thought. I wonder... She then glanced up at where Aiden might have been, her expression resolute. Aiden, do you think...? Aiden gurgled, a rather pensive one. Nevertheless, though, it took on a slight upturn of intonation at the top. Jodie nodded, looking over at Kalo for a few seconds more. Finally, she tapped her foot against the ground, nodding to Sura. She then turned to the volus shopkeeper. "Stay right there," she said. "I'm going to make a quick call to someone." And with this, Jodie turned to the shop's entrance, opening her omni-tool, her hands moving very quickly. She scanned the contacts list, going down every contact she had before she settled on one. She then nodded, smiling as she immediately stabbed the omni-tool interface. She then brought her hand up to her ear, stepping outside of the shop where she had good reception. The line rang once, twice... And then on the third ring, she heard the call connect. "Hello, welcome to Moskas and Briers. This is Xerxes Garkaran speaking, how may I help you?"
Jodie smiled. "Hey Xerxes, it's Jodie." "Oh? Jodie!" Xerxes said elated. "How have you been, Jodie?" "I've been a little busy, but I'm on the Citadel right about now, so... Yeah," said Jodie. She then chuckled nervously, leaning against the outside wall of the shop. "Um... listen, this might sound like an odd thing to ask, but how much money do you have on you?" "Hm... That is an odd question," he said. "How much money are we talking here?" Jodie glanced back at the shop, shrugging as she looked inside. "Enough to help a friend get a Kolwoon-class ship," she said. "Do you have that much?"
About twenty minutes later, Jodie watched as a sky-car landed in the same lot that Sura's C-SEC cruiser had parked in. After a few seconds, she saw the doors open, and she pushed off the wall she had been leaning against. And sure enough, there was that familiar turian, dressed in a very similar clothing style to the one she had first seen him wear. Jodie beamed upon seeing him. "Xerxes!" she said. "Jodie!" he said. He came up to her, and right on cue they both shook hands. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. You look like you're doing well!" Jodie shrugged, though her smile did not falter. "I'm doing pretty well for being stuck chasing a rogue Spectre," Jodie replied. "How have you been?" "Fine, just fine," said Xerxes. He smiled, looking over at the ship shop. "So this is the place, hm?" "It is," said Jodie, crossing her arms. "Hm..." Xerxes scratched at one of his mandibles. "Huh, I can't say I've ever visited this place." "Well, here you go," she said. "Heh, true," said Xerxes. "I guess that's another item I get to cross off on my 'places to visit' list." "You keep a list of that stuff?" Jodie asked. Xerxes shook his head. "No, but if I did I imagine it would make for a nice bucket list once I grow old," he replied. "But I've seen enough of this galaxy to tide me through my life." "Well, there are always more places to go to," said Jodie. "Perhaps," said Xerxes. He then gestured to the door of the shop. "I'll guess your quarian friend is still in there." "He is," said Jodie. "Come on..." With this, Jodie walked into the shop, Xerxes on her heels. As soon as Xerxes walked in, he made a beeline straight for the counter, with Jodie just ahead of him. Kalo stepped back, looking at Jodie and Xerxes as the lights behind his mask widened. This sentiment was echoed by both the volus and salarian shoprunners, all three of them looking at the turian as he crossed his arms in front of the counter. Sura, meanwhile, just chuckled, a grin coming to her face. "Heh, I knew it," she said. "You never could turn away an opportunity to help someone, Xerxes." "Well, Sura, you know me," he said. He then looked at the quarian. "Now... Kalo, was it?" "Um... yes..." the quarian said nervously. "Look, I do not wish to trouble you if-" "Oh, please, it's no trouble at all," said Xerxes with a dismissive wave of his talon. "But you barely know who I am," the quarian pointed out. "And?" Xerxes asked. "I barely knew who Jodie was when she got my chit back, and yet I helped her in quite a similar way." "He does have a point," said Sura. "He's the big reason she's got a translator right now." "Oh..." Kalo looked at Jodie, the lights behind his mask turning back to their usual size. "I see, then." He turned back to Xerxes. "I... I cannot thank you enough for this, sir." "There's one way you can thank me," said Xerxes. "You can thank me by making sure to take good care of that ship." "That will not be an issue, sir," Kalo replied. "But if you must, at least use some of my money." He then held his chit out to Xerxes. But the turian shook his head. "You'll need that to start the repairs, won't you?" Xerxes asked. "I... I do, but at the same time I cannot burden you with paying for the whole thing," said Kalo. "Well, Kalo, I don't think you'll have to worry about that," said Xerxes. He then frowned, looking up as his eyes narrowed in thought. "Hm... there's a charming human phrase that talks about that, but I can't remember it off the top of my head..." "I have-hooh-money to burn?" the volus asked. Xerxes nodded, smiling at the shopkeeper. "Yes, that was it, thank you," he said. He turned back to Kalo. "Please, I have built up a lot of credits over the years. Believe me, this shouldn't set me back too much. It's expensive, but it's not a week-long cruise to Invictus." Kalo nodded. "I see," he said. "I... Very well, then." "Glad we see eye to eye on this," said Xerxes, holding his chit out to the volus. "This should do it, no?" The volus wordlessly swiped the credit chit on the counter, the salarian peeking over his shoulder. "It-hooh-should," the volus replied, handing the chit back to Xerxes. "Now, since the ship is not-hooh-being purchased in your name-hooh-your quarian friend still has to-hooh-sign the relevant paperwork." "I can certainly do that, sir," said the quarian. "I may not have a license yet, but-" "Hooh. Did they at least give you-hooh-a number?" the volus asked. Kalo nodded. "Right here," he said. "Hooh. Then that's all you need for now, hooh," the volus replied. "You don't need the license-hooh-until you start driving around space-hooh-with it." Kalo nodded, and then he flinched a little as he heard a beep from the volus' terminal. "And the transaction-hooh-just went through." He then handed a datapad to Kalo, the quarian gingerly taking it. "Here is your contract. Hooh. You'll need to-hooh-look this over and sign it. Hooh. Once you do that, the ship is-hooh-yours. Just don't break it-hooh-right when you try to leave. Hooh." Kalo's shoulders lifted a little. "I... Keelah, I cannot even..." His voice shook in disbelief, and Jodie could tell from the way his he bowed his head that he was quite pleased. "Thank you. I shall sign this immediately." And with this, Kalo turned, walking right to Sura as he began to look over the contract. He seemed uncharacteristically giddy, hunching over the datapad like a child with his first toy. Sura crossed her arms, looking at the quarian as his finger hovered over the datapad, the finger tracing up almost immediately as he looked over the datapad's contents. Jodie nodded, looking over at Xerxes. "Thanks," she said. "It means a lot to him." Aiden gurgled his agreement, and though Jodie knew that nobody else in the shop could hear him she was glad he showed his appreciation. "Hey, he's a friend of a friend," said Xerxes. "I'm glad to help, you know?" He then tilted his head. "Now, I should probably get going. I need to get prepared." Jodie rose her eyebrows. "You're not going to stay?" she asked. "I have a night at the opera I need to get to, and time is a bit short right now," said Xerxes. "I haven't seen Madama Butterfly yet, after all, and that should be fixed rather promptly. Or so I hear." "Oh." Jodie chuckled. "Huh, I didn't think you'd be into... well, that. I mean, it's so old, and I thought only people with class watched that stuff." Xerxes chuckled, patting Jodie's shoulder lightly. "Never underestimate any art form, especially if there's music in it," Xerxes replied. He then nodded. "You know how to reach me if he wants to thank me. Just pass on my extranet mail." "Of course," said Jodie. "You have fun at the opera." "I'm very sure I will," said Xerxes. He then turned to the shopkeepers. "Have a pleasant day." "And-hooh-you as well, sir. Hooh," the volus replied. And with this, Xerxes made his way out of the ship shop, turning as he reached the entrance to look at the gleeful quarian. Jodie saw him smile broadly, and then he tapped the door panel and left the shop.
"Well, isn't she a beauty? I think she's missing some make-up, though. I've got some left over from my matron days if you need any." "Sura, you're not helping." "You're right. Perhaps I should donate my current make-up?" Jodie groaned. "You're terrible." "You know it." Sura smirked, then turned her attention back to the vessel in front of her. Jodie and Sura looked over at Kalo'Veera's new ship. Or rather, the broken-down version of Kalo'Veera's new ship. They could tell just from looking at the exterior that the cruiser would need quite a few extensive repairs to be anywhere near ready to fly away. Jodie was not even sure Kalo could do it, and Aiden mirrored this sentiment if his reaction was anything to go by. However, Kalo looked rather gleeful at it. "Well, it could perhaps use a helping hand," Kalo agreed. "But perhaps you forget that I am a quarian. With time, I should be able to have her running like she just left the assembly line." "Dream on, kid," said Sura as she crossed her arms. "Well, I'm glad we got that sorted out." "As am I, Sura," said Jodie. She shrugged, looking over at the C-SEC officer. "Well, unless you want to see the interior of this ship..." "No, I'm not up for that," said Sura. "I'm just glad I didn't have to file more paperwork after getting off." She nodded, looking at Sura. "You take care of your new ship, Kalo'Veera. Goddess knows the Fleet could probably use it." "I am certain they would, ma'am," said Kalo. He then turned to Sura and bowed. "Thank you so much for your help. And if you should see him, tell Mr. Xerxes that he has my gratitude as well." "I'll let him know," Sura replied. "Keelah selai, Kalo'Veera." Kalo's eyes widened slightly, but he bowed his head reverently shortly afterwards. "I... thank you, ma'am," he said. "Keelah selai." And with this, Sura turned and walked away from Jodie and Kalo. Jodie watched her walk to the end of the dock, leaving the two of them to stand in front of the Kolwoon class cruiser. As soon as Sura vanished from sight, Jodie turned back to Kalo, shrugging. She smiled rather broadly, before crossing her arms and turning back to the cruiser in front of them. "Well, we did it," she said. "We got you that ship you were looking for." She then looked over at the quarian. "How long do you think it'll take to fix this ship?" "Quite a bit of time, I think," Kalo replied. "It is pretty large, after all. I will need plenty of resources, as well." He paused, and shrugged. "If I wanted to, I could even design the retrofit to adapt it to whatever purpose I wish it for, but that can be done at the Fleet, and perhaps more reliably as well. After all, they have the final say on what this ship would best use them for." "Well, it is pretty decently sized," said Jodie. She then looked at Kalo. "What do you think it's like inside?" Kalo looked at her, and from the way the lights of his eyes sparkled Jodie could tell he was quite happy. "Well, I suppose we could find that out, no?" Jodie shrugged. "Sure," she said. "Why not?" Kalo beamed, and then began walking over. "Then let us see what is inside, no?" he asked. "Yeah," said Jodie as she followed Kalo. "Yeah, let's see what's in there..."
The interior of the Kolwoon class ship was actually rather empty. Kalo and Jodie had toured the whole ship, finding it rather empty. The interior itself looked somewhat well-kept, though, and it did look a good deal better than the outside of the ship did. And it was such that Kalo knelt by one of the doors, his hand running over the bulkhead. "Hm... This could be useful as a science ship for the Fleet," he commented, his voice echoing a little in the empty hall. "The metal here looks pretty sturdy. I do not expect there would be anything chemical of nature that could be done, but it could easily research technology here..." He then stood up. "Or maybe it would be better used as a life ship. The environmental controls are good; with a little tweaking, we could set up hydroponics in here. Grow food." Jodie looked up. "You can think of all those things just by looking at this thing?" she asked. "Certainly," Kalo replied. He turned to Jodie. "If there are no possibilities, then why wonder?" Jodie looked up, looking around him. "You think this will help the Fleet?" "Of course," said Kalo. "I will have to fix it first, but I know it will help them. They always have a shortage of any kind of ship, truly." He shook his head. "There are seventeen million of us, Jodie. It is such a small number for a species, but on the Fleet that must scavenge all its resources, it is overwhelming." Jodie nodded. "I see..." she said. She glanced off to the side, looking over at Kalo. "Is that why you thought big?" "Yes," said Kalo. He looked up. "I am no son of an admiral, so this may be seen as extravagant. Perhaps a Pilgrimage gift does not need to be so large." Kalo sighed. "I wondered about that," said Jodie. "I talked to Tali once about that. She's always talking about finding the right Pilgrimage gift because she's the daughter of an admiral and all." She looked over at Kalo. "And yet... I don't think even she is thinking as big as you are." "Perhaps, but all the same, one can dream, right?" Kalo asked. Jodie frowned, looking at the ship around her. "You needed help to get this ship," she pointed out. "Perhaps I did," said Kalo. "I did believe I could purchase a ship like this, you understand." Jodie shrugged. "Yeah, but sometimes you've got to be a little more realistic than this," she said, looking around. "If it hadn't been for Xerxes, we wouldn't be standing here. What would you have done then?" "I would have kept working towards it," said Kalo. "Perhaps it was unrealistic. But..." He looked over at Jodie, his hand sweeping across the area in front of him. "But if it helps the Fleet, then what would the point be of not dreaming? Perhaps someday, this ship will help the Fleet in ways that I cannot dream of now. Is that not something noble to dream of?" Jodie glanced to the ground, before looking at Kalo. "I guess not, but you shouldn't put your head in the clouds," she replied. Kalo nodded. "Perhaps you are right," he said. He then walked away from Jodie, his hand trailing the walls as he walked to the opposite corner of the chamber they were in. "It will take a little time, but I think I can repair this hip quite well." "Now that, I'm pretty sure you can do," Jodie replied. "Though... I don't think you have the resources..." "Ah, never underestimate a quarian, Jodie," Kalo replied. "I do not have a secret stash, but I can still scavenge for resources well enough..." Jodie blinked, glancing up at Aiden. The entity gurgled a little, and then Jodie nodded, looking at Kalo. "I'll bet you can," she said. "Though... speaking of secrets..." Kalo turned to Jodie, his head tilting to one side. "Yes," he said. "You mentioned you had a secret of your own. I... am the first one you are telling, no?" Jodie rubbed her arm, chuckling nervously. "Unfortunately... no," she replied. "Circumstances forced my hand during a ground mission..." She shrugged. "Two people on the Normandy found out. I'm sorry." Kalo walked back to Jodie, shrugging. "It could not be helped, it seems," said Kalo. "I understand, and nevertheless we have now, no?" "I guess that's true," said Jodie. She then sat down, leaning her back against the bulkhead. Kalo sat beside her, looking down at Jodie. "You should probably get comfortable. It's... it's hard to believe, really..." "What is?" asked Kalo. Jodie sighed, her gaze turning to the ceiling above. "Tell me, Kalo: do you believe in the afterlife?" she asked. "The afterlife...?" Kalo looked to the floor, and Jodie could tell he was deep in thought. "I... Truly, I have never thought of it. Why?" "I... It's somewhat related to me," she said. She then looked at Kalo. "I... For as long as I can remember, I've been attached to this... entity. It calls itself Aiden, and..." She shook her head. "You're not going to believe me when I say this, but... he's connected to the afterlife..." And right as Jodie finished saying this, Kalo's omni-tool beeped to life. Jodie and Kalo both jumped, the quarian lifting his hand to see that his omni-tool had opened of its own accord. "What...?" Kalo looked on, noticing that the factory-installed picture creation program had opened. However, what really caused him to gasp out loud was the fact that it seemed to be drawing something on its own. Kalo glanced back at Jodie as he witnessed this, but Jodie kept her gaze trained on it. Jodie could see the moment when his other hand started shaking, and right as she turned her attention back to Kalo he had looked back at his open omni-tool. And after a few seconds, the picture was finished. It was a picture drawn much like a six-year-old's crayon drawings, though Jodie could easily tell what it was. The girl in the picture looked somewhat similar to her, and the line that led up to the squiggly cloud-like mess in one corner of the picture looked much like a tether that Jodie herself had drawn. Kalo studied the picture, before turning back to Jodie. "I..." He frowned, looking at the space above him. "I cannot see this thing." "Neither can I," said Jodie. "But he exists." She then looked behind her, seeing that there was a small dent in the bulkhead. "You see that?" she asked, indicating the dent. Kalo shifted, looking down at the dent. "I do..." he said. "Jodie, why is it relevant to-?" The very next second, Jodie watched as the dent fixed itself. Kalo leaped back, looking at Jodie. Jodie nodded grimly, and then she glanced away. "I... Keelah..." Kalo said, leaning forward. "I... What is that?" "I don't know," said Jodie. She shook her head. "I'm sorry if I remained guarded about him, but people have used me for his abilities in the past. He's... He can do so much more than this, Kalo'Veera. You haven't even seen half the things he can do, Kalo. And he's been with me my whole life." "I... I do not know..." He turned to Jodie, and Jodie could tell from the way his lights had widened. "This... This entity..." He stood up, beginning to pace around the ship. "I find it troubling, Jodie." Jodie nodded. "I expected that," she said. She then glanced to the side. "It's tough for everyone else to swallow. Especially among my peers..." Kalo paused, looking over at Jodie. "Wait..." he said. "So your secret...?" "I can't tell you how much it's made me different," she said. "All my life, I've wondered what it would be like without Aiden there... I never knew what normal was, and I've always wanted to know that. For the longest time, I wanted to be like other people, just being normal. In some ways, I still want that." She shook her head. "I've been isolated almost my whole life because of him. I can count the number of people who have been completely okay with it on one hand. There are more that come to terms with it sometimes, but those people are in the minority in my life. Everyone either ostracizes me, or they use me to do their dirty work." "And the deception does not play into it?" Kalo asked. "Well... No," she said. "This is probably the first time I've really tried to keep people from knowing about Aiden. Most others who ever knew about Aiden knew about him immediately, sometimes even before I met them. Some of them were ones I told eventually. But usually, I don't try to hide Aiden. This is the first time I've ever really thought about doing that, now that I'm finally away from Earth. Who knows what others could use me for here...?" "I... I see..." said Kalo, looking down at Jodie. He then walked back towards Jodie, kneeling by her side. "Perhaps we have more in common than you might think." "I doubt that," said Jodie. "You at least have your people that share your pain. I... I've never really had anyone I could relate to. At most, there were those who sympathized." She shrugged. "But you know, even with that, I'm thankful I know the people that did show that. I've never asked for anyone to relate. I've just asked that they accept. Because all told, that's enough." Kalo nodded, before placing his hand on her shoulder. "I see," he said. "Hm... This is... strange. I have never heard of anything like this in my life." He then looked behind Jodie, frowning. "It... it will not be a problem, will it?" "Not unless Aiden doesn't like you," Jodie replied. "He gets rather loud when he thinks you're up to no good." "Well, I suppose that is a relief," said Kalo. He then looked at her, and Jodie could sense from the way his hand lightly squeezed her shoulder that he was pondering. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Well, Jodie, this... should not change too much about you, I do not believe. After all... you did help me on my Pilgrimage. I would be a rather horrible friend if I ignored that, no?" Jodie smiled, patting Kalo's hand. "Thanks, Kalo," she replied. "You don't know how much that means to me." "I believe I may have a fairly good idea," he said. He then stood up, looking around the ship. "I think I have some idea of how I want to start repairing this ship. It should require a pair of extra hands, though." He then offered a hand to Jodie. "You're here for a bit of time, right?" "Yeah," said Jodie. She then grabbed Kalo's hand, and the quarian pulled her to her feet. "Yeah, I should be available." "Good," said Kalo. "Come on. We need to purchase the required tools first. And then I might have to tell you how they work." "Of course," said Jodie. "And hey, in the hard to reach spots, Aiden can be quite helpful." Kalo looked back at Jodie as they both began to walk to the airlock. "Can it, now?" he asked. "Yeah," said Jodie. "Come on, let's get those tools."
Repairing the ship with Kalo'Veera had taken a bit of getting used to, but before Jodie knew it she had gotten the swing of things very quickly. Of course, it helped that Aiden was far more attentive with those matters than she was, and Kalo seemed to genuinely appreciate every little piece of help the entity was able to provide. Thus, they passed the rest of the day rather pleasantly. Of course, Jodie knew it was inevitable that they would have to return to the Normandy. However, Kalo insisted he walk her home, and that was just what Kalo did. The quarian remained quite attentive as Jodie walked to the Normandy. She watched as Kalo walked up to the railway, looking at it. Jodie could hear Kalo's gasp of shock. "Keelah..." He looked back at Jodie, indicating the Normandy. "That... that is a beautiful ship, Jodie. If I were to get that, it would be the pride of the Fleet." "Well, unfortunately, it's a prototype," said Jodie. "The Alliance probably won't be giving any of those away for a while." "Perhaps not," said Kalo. He shrugged. "They should be privileged to have such a ship. It is quite a beauty." "And it's also really advanced, too, if Tali's word is anything to go by," said Jodie with a smile. She then looked at Kalo. "Well... I guess I'll have to leave you here." "Unfortunately," said Kalo. He shrugged, and then held his arms out. Jodie looked at Kalo for a second, blinking a little in surprise. After that time, though, she shrugged, and then walked towards Kalo, hugging him rather gently. The quarian wrapped his own arms around Jodie, looking down at the top of her head as they held the hug. "Thank you," he said. "For everything." Jodie pulled away from the hug, still smiling the whole time. "You're welcome," she said. "You take care of yourself, Kalo. And let me know when you plan on leaving the Citadel." "I will," said Kalo. "Keelah selai, Jodie." Jodie smiled. "Keelah selai," she replied with a nod. Kalo then turned away, walking away from the Normandy. Jodie herself then turned to the ship, walking towards the airlock with a bit of purpose. As she approached the gangplank, she turned, looking back at Kalo's retreating form. It was just in time, too, for Kalo had turned back to look as well. Jodie smiled broadly upon seeing the quarian, and then she turned towards the entrance of the gangplank and entered. Right as she entered the ship's airlock, however, Aiden clicked repeatedly. Jodie frowned, looking up at the entity as the decontamination cycle began. Aiden? she asked. Look, Aiden, I can be friends with whoever I- But Aiden clicked a few more times, and Jodie's frown only deepened. This is about Shepard? she thought. What... Aiden, what do you want to show me?
Aiden then gurgled, and Jodie's expression darkened as she heard this gurgle. Jodie had known Aiden long enough to know when he was perturbed about something, and this particular gurgle seemed to match the mood Aiden had been in when they had left the Normandy to meet Kalo. She frowned, crossing her arms and looking up. The brig, huh? she asked. She nodded. Fine. I'll go check it out. But I hope I don't get caught down there... Aiden clicked rather brusquely. The decontamination cycle ended immediately after, as if to punctuate Aiden's exclamation. Jodie nodded, stepping into the Normandy and turning straight for where she knew the brig to be.
Jodie entered the brig quietly. She found nobody else nearby, though she did not hold her breath that it would stay that way. She wondered if Aiden had even cared to remember that they were trying to hide him from the crew until they were certain the Alliance was not listening in. She pushed that thought out of her head, though, and she reached the spot Aiden wanted her to go to. When she came to a pause, though, she recognized the make-shift cell that still had yet to be dismantled. It was a portable holding cell that Shepard himself said he had gotten from the Alliance to hold any prisoners. The Normandy had not had a proper prison block installed, and everyone involved knew that to do so then would be pointless. Thus, they offered the portable variety, which Jodie was told was not a bad holding cell at all, provided the prisoner was not a biotic. Upon looking at the cell, Jodie realized that she knew what Aiden was thinking. She gave an aggravated sigh, looking up at Aiden. "Aiden, I already know Balak was here," she said. "I don't know why you think this was so important that I had to see it, but—" Jodie heard a click, and before she could say anything more, the door swung out as if nudged open by an invisible force. Jodie stopped, looking as light flooded into the make-shift cell. It was then that she saw a small spot on the floor of the cell. The spot was the color of dark rust; judging from the fact that this color seemed to have splashed on the floor, Jodie quickly realized that she was looking at a bloodstain, and one that had been cleaned somewhat as well. She took a quick glance behind her before kneeling down in front of that part of the cell, her hand slowly coming up to the bloodstain in question. As soon as one of her fingers touched the stain, she felt her heart skip a beat upon realizing that it had dried considerably. Her earlier fears of being found out were almost completely erased by then, instead replaced by a mounting sense of unease. Her skin started to crawl as she slowly withdrew her hand from the dried bloodstain. Jodie turned to look at Aiden, her heart starting to beat faster as her eyes widened in fear. "Aiden, whose blood is this?" she asked. "Is it… Is it Shepard's?" Aiden said nothing, but in a few seconds, Jodie felt the air around her finger vibrate a little strangely. Upon noticing this, Jodie took a deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm her steadily accelerating heartbeat. She closed her eyes, feeling the vibrations get slightly more intense. Oh no… she thought. This better not be… She opened her eyes while looking down at the spot. It was just in time, too, for during the very next second Jodie felt some kind of force act on her body. She stumbled back due to this force, but she recovered quickly enough to remain on her feet, even if she was no longer halfway in the cell.
As she looked to the spot she was at a second earlier, she noted that the world had taken on a black and white hue, with all of the surfaces around her blurred. The cell door had closed again, though there was an otherworldly aura surrounding the bars. Of most note to Jodie was the ghostly-looking version of Balak that peered out from the cell; his hard glare seemed to bore into someone just behind Jodie, and his lips were curled in an angry sneer.
"My imprisonment doesn't change anything," Balak said. "The batarians have stayed hidden long enough. There are thousands more like me out there, waiting their turn. Each one willing to die for our cause."
"And what cause is that?" Jodie turned to the source of the sound to see a ghostly apparition of Shepard standing there, looking down at Balak contemptuously. "Taking any planet you choose? Enslaving thousands?"
"Slavery is a part of our culture," Balak retorted.
"Your culture is wrong," Shepard replied.
Jodie slowly shifted her posture, being careful not to let the vision around her fade away.
"How dare you!" Balak said indignantly, rushing up against the door of his cell and banging against it. "You would dare label my culture wrong, you racist bastard?"
Shepard chuckled condescendingly. "When said culture is based on an oppressive caste system?" he asked. "Yes. I would, actually. It also makes you a hypocrite, but that's a different conversation entirely." He then leaned forward. "And let me tell you something: I know of many cultures that adhered to your practices. They all fell when the slaves rebelled. So when the slaves rise up, that's when you'll have to ask yourself: what is to blame?" He then stepped back. "It's with the culture."
"Then I'm surprised more human cultures didn't fall to slave revolts," Balak replied. "Or do you not know your own history?"
"I know it well enough to know that you are partaking in a special kind of evil," Shepard replied. "And that it is an evil that completely invalidates whatever your culture can offer."
Balak growled in fury, his teeth bared as he clutched the cell door with enough force that Jodie thought he would dent the metal. "You lie!" He then took a deep breath, looking at Shepard. His stance had calmed down, but Jodie still saw the same fire in Balak's eyes. "You will find out soon enough, anyway. When your colonies burn, you will know that the Hegemony will rise again! And we will rise on the bones of your people!"
Jodie turned to look at Shepard, who continued looking down at Balak. Instead of remaining silent, though, Jodie heard Shepard chuckle dryly.
"I doubt that," said Shepard. "I sincerely doubt that, Balak, you stupid son of a bitch."
Jodie flinched in surprise upon hearing this language come from Shepard. This sentiment was shared by Balak, who frowned not in anger but in confusion. Very slowly, the fire began to leave Balak's eyes as the batarian looked up at Shepard.
"And what makes you say that?" Balak asked.
Shepard then walked right up to the bars, kneeling at Balak's level while looking at him in disdain. "Well," Shepard began, his arm snaking through the bars close to Balak's head. "That would require bones to rise upon." Shepard's hand then came behind and gently gripped the back of Balak's head. The batarian jumped in obvious discomfort, his eyes quickly darting to Shepard in a mixture of disgust and maybe the barest hint of fear.
In reply, Shepard simply shook his head at Balak.
"In my case, I'm afraid there are no bones but my own."
Shepard then forced Balak's head against the bars in such a way that Balak maintained unbreakable eye contact with Shepard. Before Balak could react, Shepard's eyes glowed an angry, unnatural red that contrasted against the black and white of the scene around them. Jodie gasped rather loudly at the suddenness of this gesture, and she found herself fighting the urge to even give the slightest jolt backwards. Balak was frozen to his spot, the batarian unable to move a single inch as Shepard held his position for what felt like eternity. Jodie could only watch with bated breath.
Finally, the red glow faded, and Shepard released Balak rather violently. The batarian fell back, his eyes wide in shock and his arms shaking. Jodie watched the slaver in silence, feeling her own heart pound against her chest as Balak tried to get his bearings.
After some time, Balak lurched forward, and vomited a black-looking substance onto the floor.
Jodie flinched upon seeing Balak vomit. So it was Balak's blood... Jodie thought. She then looked at Shepard in shock. But then what was…? "What… What did you do to me?" Balak asked at a volume barely above a whisper. When Jodie looked at Balak, she noticed that his posture was hunched over, and he was frantically looking between his own hands and Shepard.
Shepard simply took a step back, raising his arms in the air. "Rejoice, animal," he said. "I have just given you the gift of enlightenment." Shepard then dropped his arms, holding them behind his back. "First, you will see visions of the cosmos, visions of the universe. You will be lifted up into true sentience." Shepard paused, looking at Balak with a gleeful glint in his eye that caused goosebumps to shoot up Jodie's arm. "You will feel the great glory of finally understanding the whole of the everything. And for the first time, you will truly know what it is to be uplifted, what it is to have true intelligence." He then splayed his arms out, his smile almost unnatural. "And right when you have just reached the zenith, right when you are about to touch the pinnacle, right when you are about to become one with the universe…" Shepard then leaned in close to the cell, Balak reeling back on a pair of shaking arms. "That is when your true nature will drag you away from your supremacy. For you will then see visions of every single person you've caused harm to throughout your miserable, contemptible existence. You will not just see those that you have directly harmed; you will also see those that you have harmed indirectly. You will see the pain and suffering you have inflicted upon them." Shepard stepped back and resumed his pacing at that point. "With this wisdom that I have gifted to you, these visions will consume you. Food will have no taste, water will not quench your thirst, and the very airwill burn your lungs." Shepard paused again, glancing right at Balak. "And then—only then, as your body wastes away from the pain—only then will you understand that you have only wrought all of this on yourself." He then slowly walked back up to Balak. "As you realize this, your mind will start to slip away. Madness will set in, but not too quickly; it will give you enough time to feel these visions flay your soul as you are destroyed in the most complete manner imaginable. I will bring you to true existence, I havebrought you to true existence; but everything that you have done will destroy you. All that, because you will know, you will comprehend, that your actions are the cause of your own undoing, and that justice comes for all."
Jodie's eyes widened at the way Shepard finished. Her arms shook slightly, and it was only then that Jodie realized that her mouth was dry. "Aiden… Aiden, this can't be—!"
"You… You monster," said Balak, his voice returning to him. "You dare to criticize my people when—?"
"Save your opinions," Shepard replied. "The ramblings of an ignorant little animal like you hold no sway over me, particularly when you have spent your whole life chaining those who are not you." He then crossed his arms, looking down at Balak. "As far as I'm concerned, you and the rest of your pathetic ilk deserve it."
As Balak quietly fumed, Shepard shook his head. "Don't bother to tell them I'm not human," Shepard continued. "They would never listen to a lowly batarian terrorist like you, especially as you start to lose your sanity. You may have one last chance at redemption: the madness will have yet to set in. In that time, it may be possible to give whatever intel you have to the Alliance. But after that… After that, you will slowly waste away, and there is nothing in this galaxy that will be able to save you." He then bowed his head. "Consider it a parting gift from all the people you killed on that station."
"You… You…" Balak replied, his voice seething with a kind of hatred that Jodie had never heard before.
But before Balak could say anything more, the vision dispelled, leaving Jodie to stare into surroundings. After a second or two, Jodie blinked, turning her attention to the cell to find it empty, just like the rest of the brig. Her breath came in short, ragged bursts as she slowly pushed herself to her knees. She glanced at the cell again, remembering in vivid detail the way Balak's hands shook after whatever Shepard did with the red glow. Jodie squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to get the image out of her head, though it was an attempt that would be in vain. Eventually, she stood up. And as she held the cell walls for support, she looked at Aiden. "Ai… Aiden, please tell me that you didn't actually see that," she said. But Aiden's perturbed whoosh provided all the answer Jodie needed. He had indeed witnessed what Jodie had just seen in the vision, and this truth slowly dawned on Jodie when she looked into the cell to see the bloodstain which triggered the vision. In response, Jodie shivered in horror, squeezing her eyes shut as she gripped the edge of the cell.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Nov 18, 2014 16:54:15 GMT 1
Chapter Fifteen Jodie tossed in her sleep. After a few seconds, she finally let out an aggravated sigh of frustration, before opening her eyes and looking out past the glass of the sleeping pod. Aiden chirped in concern, his chirps unusually warm and welcoming. Jodie was quite thankful for that, at least, though she knew that there was everything else wrong with the situation.
"Yeah, I can't," said Jodie. "I just... I can't get my mind off of it..." Jodie sighed as Aiden gurgled. Her vision of Shepard's actions towards Balak had been on her mind for a few hours. She had long vacated the brig after seeing Shepard, and she thought that trying to sleep on it would be nice. She needed the sleep anyway considering how busy her day had been, but she just could not get her mind off of Shepard. Jodie sighed, turning away. "I... I don't know, Aiden," she said. "I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. I mean..." She shook her head, her hand coming over to her omni-tool. She knew that Aiden's visions only told her of things that happened in the real world. Aiden could not make up a vision no matter how hard he attempted it, and she further knew that he would not show her a vision if he had no reason to. She had finally learned one reason why Aiden distrusted Shepard so much, but on the other... "Maybe... maybe he's just like us," she said. "And maybe he just needs someone to help him see things as they are." But Aiden trilled angrily, the sound causing Jodie's skin to crawl. Aiden followed this up with a rapid series of clicks, all of them short and punctuated. Jodie sighed, brushing some hair out from her face. "No, you're right..." she said. "If he makes people go insane..." She shook her head, huddling in fear. "But what can we do? It's Balak we're talking about here, Aiden. You saw what he did. May... Maybe he was already lost. I don't know... Maybe that's what happened." She gulped, finding herself chewing on her lower lip. "That's all it is, right? Just punishment..." Aiden responded with a flat chirp. Jodie released a breath she didn't know she held. "I just... I don't know," she said. She then shook her head. "I can't think about this now, Aiden. Just... leave me be. Please." She then turned away, facing the side of the sleeper pod. She pulled her arms together in front of her, shivering slightly as she felt the coolness of the air around her worm its way into her skin. The air seemed extra cold even within her pod: Jodie knew it defied all logic, especially since Aiden would not subject her to that. But it could not be helped: she simply felt cold all over, and this combined with the thoughts racing through her head kept her awake. She had just started to close her eyes to try to dispel the thoughts when she heard a loud knock on the glass. She jolted awake, looking over to see Kaidan knocking on the glass that hovered directly over her. "Ah! Kaidan!" said Jodie. "I..." Kaidan nodded, before punching a code to open the sleeper pod. "Hey," he said. "Trying to get some sleep?" "Oh... Um... yeah," said Jodie, looking at him with wide eyes. "Sorry. Bad time?" "Maybe," said Kaidan. He opened his mouth to add more, but then paused upon seeing Jodie. "Jodie, are you okay?" "Oh, I'm... I'm fine," she said, chuckling nervously. She felt a cold sweat travel down her temple, though, and she moved to wipe it off. "I just had a little difficulty sleeping is all." Kaidan frowned for a brief second, before nodding and looking over to the side. "Sorry to have woken you, then," he said. "But... well, Shepard wants us all in the briefing room. We've been given a bunch of assignments by the Alliance relating to something they've uncovered recently." Jodie frowned. "About what?" she asked.
"They call themselves 'Cerberus'." Ashley frowned, leaning forward in her chair as she looked at Shepard. "Cerberus?" she asked. "That's... that's an odd reference." Liara looked over at Ashley. "Cerberus is a reference?" she asked. "Yeah," said Jodie. "In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the guard dog of the underworld. That's what I heard, anyway." "The underworld?" Liara asked. Ashley shrugged. "The ancient Greek version of the afterlife," she replied. "Basically, it kept mortals out of the underworld." "Oh." Liara nodded, crossing her arms. "Is that what makes this such an odd reference?" "Perhaps," said Shepard. He then frowned deeply, looking at all of them. "I've had this data consolidated by outside sources. The Alliance hasn't done much to gather intel on this group, but... suffice it to say, we've run into them before." "Wait..." said Wrex. "That mission where we were attacked by that thresher maw..." He then leaned forward. "That was them?" "Yes, and the man who gave us that mission vanished recently," said Shepard. "He said he was going to look into the reason why his men were killed, and... well, we've been tasked with finding him." He then paused. "We also have various assignments that may be linked with this group." "Hm... Should we really be doing that when Saren is still on the loose?" Garrus asked. "Well, we don't have any leads on where to go right now," said Kaidan. "If this Cerberus group is a threat, it might be worth it to look into it now while we've got a lull, right?" Garrus nodded. "True," he said. "I just want to get back to chasing Saren down. He still needs to be brought to justice for what he did." "Trust me, Garrus, we all do," said Ashley. She then turned to the front. "When do we start with this Cerberus group?" "We start as soon as the Normandy leaves its dock," Shepard replied. He then crossed his arms, looking out at the group. "I'll brief you on further details as we go. Any questions?" Jodie looked at the rest of the crew. She thought about asking about Balak, about everything that had happened with him. But then she glanced at Shepard, seeing his expression. There was a fire in his eyes that Jodie had never seen before, almost as if it had been bred from anger. Jodie glanced to the side, before shaking her head. As she did this, just about everyone else mimicked the notion. "No, sir," said Kaidan. "Good," he said. He then turned to Tali and Kaidan. "I want you two on the first of these assignments. Wrex, prepare yourself as well. You might like this kind of fight." Wrex flashed a gleeful smirk. "Glad to hear it, Shepard," he said. "Just give me the word and I'll be ready." "Good," Shepard replied. He then turned to everyone. "You're all dismissed. I'll let you know when I want you on the ground team for the next mission." And with this, the briefing ended. Jodie found herself standing up a little slowly, casting a last glance at Shepard before exiting out into the mess hall. The whole time she remained quiet, her gaze cast towards the ground as she silently took her seat.
Jodie had decided to spend the first of those missions around the hangar bay, if only so she could see how Shepard reacted as he returned to the ship. Jodie's curiosity began to overtake her then, and even if Shepard would not take her on the ground team for the next few missions she knew she had to keep a hawkish eye on him, at least to see what else he was hiding behind that human-like façade. Meanwhile, she had taken to cleaning out her assault rifle, opening the thing and cleaning out all the components. By then, the cleaning had become something of a routine for her. She already knew Ashley had cleaned out the assault rifle by then, but something about it gave her mind something else to occupy its time. She was at least glad she could get the reprieve from having to think about Shepard so much. The only true issue she had was that she had to do it out in the open. But that, she did not mind so much. After all, the fact that people were looking at her was not so important. The assault rifle gave her something to focus on, gave her hands something to do. And miraculously, her hands did not really shake as she worked on the gun laid out in front of her. For this, Jodie was thankful, and she was even thankful for Aiden's quiet clicks as she worked. And then, just as she was assembling the assault rifle again, she heard a loud klaxon go off, before the hangar door started opening. She nodded, quickly putting the rifle together again. She looked out to the hangar bay door, seeing the blue sheen of the mass effect field just beyond the hangar door, before she saw the Mako come driving right up into the hangar bay. It settled into its usual spot, and Jodie thought she could see the requisitions officer taking a step back from the Mako. The Mako parked abruptly, Jodie hearing the Mako skid into place. She cringed at the skidding, looking over at the Mako. She ignored the hangar bay's doors as they closed, slowly putting the rest of her assault rifle together. As she did this, she heard angry yelling from within the Mako, right before the hatch of the Mako opened. Jodie then bore witness to Shepard storming out of the tank, the commander's feet literally stomping the ground as he made his way to the elevator. He stabbed the hologram with a little more violence than was usual, and Jodie could faintly see that the Commander's normally reserved expression was twisted into an angry snarl. Jodie's breath caught at the loud exhale that she could hear from where she was, and she nearly dropped the assault rifle from the surprise. As if it had read Shepard's mind, the elevator doors opened, and Shepard stepped inside. He seemed to stab the call button, taking it up another level. The elevator doors then closed behind Shepard, and it was only then that she realized that Tali, Kaidan, and Wrex were left outside. After a second or two, Jodie walked over to the elevator, looking at the group that was left behind. "What... what was that?" Jodie asked. "Your guess is as good as mine," Wrex replied. Jodie looked at the elevator, before turning her attention to the others. "I... have any of you ever seen him that angry?" "No," said Tali, shaking her head as she looked down in dismay. "I... It must have happened when Cerberus was mentioned." Jodie nodded, holding her hand close to the top of her shirt. "I see..." she whispered. She then looked to the group. "What did we find in there?" "We found Kahoku," said Kaidan. "He's dead." "The bastards locked him with a bunch of those things we saw while we were on Feros," said Wrex. "Gave us a good fight, but we were armed. Admiral Kahoku..." Wrex clenched his fist, looking away. "Can't blame him for being pissed. These Cerberus people... what damn cowards." "Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but..." Tali shook her head. "I don't know, Wrex. This seems seated... deeper than this." "He hasn't gotten this angry around you?" Kaidan asked. "I'm afraid not..." said Tali. She sighed, looking up at where the captain's quarters would be. "I want to talk to him. He seemed so angry down there, but... when he first had an outburst, I saw there was sadness behind his rage. I do not think it would be appropriate, but there seemed to be... more there than anyone can see..." Kaidan shook his head. "Maybe not now, but you can talk to him later, once he's calmed down," he said. "I don't think he'll mind so much. You are his closest friend, after all." Tali nodded. "That's true, but all the same it may be improper to put myself into the captain's business..." she stated. "Don't sell yourself short," Wrex grumbled. "I don't think he sees you as someone who's just under his command. He'll talk if you go to him." Jodie could only offer a nod of agreement, even though all the muscles in her neck protested against it. Aiden clicked, his tone uncertain as Jodie looked at the others. Tali's shoulders drooped, before she sighed. "I suppose so," she said. "Maybe not now, though. Perhaps... later might be a better time." "We'll be going on more Cerberus-based missions than just this," said Wrex. "If he gets that angry now, I don't think you'll want to face his wrath after more of these." "I'm not sure that's a problem," said Kaidan. "As we go through, I doubt he'll stay this angry," Kaidan replied. He then looked to the others. "But if he does... well, Tali, you can talk to him, right?" "I guess so," Tali replied, glancing down at the floor. After a few seconds, she sighed. "I think we should wait until we're called to debriefing, though." Kaidan nodded. "I guess I can see that," he said. "Works for me," said Wrex. He then turned, walking away from the group. "I'll be at my usual spot if you need me to crack a head open." As Wrex sauntered off to his corner, Tali nodded. "I should probably help Adams check the levels," Tali replied. "I'll be there if you need me." Jodie nodded, Kaidan being left with her. "Fair enough," he said, bowing his head towards Tali. "I'll see you at the debriefing, Tali." The quarian nodded, and then walked over to the engineering deck. Jodie sighed, her thoughts immediately turning back to Shepard. As she did this, though, her gaze turned back to Kaidan, and it was then that Jodie noticed that his gaze was fixed on her. She then blinked, taking a step to the side in surprise. Kaidan simply tilted his head towards her, closing his eyes as he placed his hands behind his back. "Hey, Jodie," said Kaidan. "Is something wrong?" Jodie blinked, and then glanced to the side. "Oh, no..." she said. "Nothing's wrong, Kaidan. I was just..." She then chuckled, glancing to the side as she gave a half-hearted smile. "I was just worried about Shepard. I don't know about you, but seeing him get so angry for the first time? That's... that's an odd thing to see, right?" "I guess it is," Kaidan said, his expression relaxing. "I'm headed to the mess hall. You're welcome to join me there in a little bit, if you wouldn't mind the company." Jodie nodded, hearing her stomach growl. "Hm... I guess I could use it too," she said, her thoughts immediately gearing around more ways to take her mind off of Shepard. "I'll join you in a bit," she said. "Let me just put this assault rifle away and I'll be right there." Kaidan smiled. "I'll see you up there, then," he said. He then walked towards the elevator, pressing the call button as soon as he did. Jodie nodded, turning back to the locker. She heard the elevator doors open behind her, but she paid no mind to whether or not Kaidan entered. Instead, she continued walking over to her locker, and she heard Kaidan's footsteps as he entered the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Jodie heard Aiden gurgle, a sound that was unusually clipped. Jodie had reached her locker by then, so she simply replied by opening the locker a little more forcefully than usual. She then looked up, her expression showing clear frustration as she shook her head. Aiden, you know how it is, she thought. I don't want to jump the gun here. I'll tell him if anything else comes up. Aiden grunted plainly, and Jodie knew from the tone that he was not really all that pleased. Nevertheless, she stowed the assault rifle back in place, and then closed the locker door with some finality. And with this, she turned to the elevator, her step a little quicker than before.
As Kaidan had predicted, Shepard did not stay angry forever. He still came back somewhat steamed whenever they dealt with a mission that seemed to have Cerberus' stamp all over it, but after the first mission he only showed it with a deep frown. He did exchange a few lines with people whenever he went up to his quarters afterwards, and so, Jodie saw it as some amount of progress. The effect on the crew was immediate, of course. The crew seemed to loosen up around him, though a few of them still remained very tense regardless. Oddly, the atmosphere was more tense with the side mission than they had been gathering information on Saren and what he was looking for. Jodie attributed it to the commander's anger at Cerberus, which remained completely unexplained. Jodie had good reason to be doubtful when she first heard from Tali that he had never explained the source of his extreme hatred of Cerberus: to most others, it was just reticence on the Commander's part, but after having seen what Shepard did to Balak, Jodie knew that she could never be too certain about the Commander's motivations. Aiden had offered to look through the Commander's information, but Jodie had expressly forbidden it: she knew better than to tamper with those files. After all, Shepard would probably be able to tell they had been tampered with, and if Shepard knew that, Jodie knew it would affect the mission negatively. And so, she maintained her newly-acquired distance from the Commander. She would stay in the room if he entered, but she rarely engaged him in conversation anymore. She found herself having to bite back several suspicious looks as well: she knew Shepard could not know that Jodie knew about at least part of his secret. Life went on as usual on the Normandy.
And then, on a separate mission, Jodie was in the hangar bay when the Mako parked there. And this time, Jodie watched as he stormed off without even looking to Tali. She then watched as he punched the call hologram to the elevator, and then stood there steaming. She expected the elevator doors to open, and for Shepard to enter. Of course, Shepard immediately let out a loud scream of rage, rushing over to the side of the elevator and punching the wall in fury. Jodie jumped as she witnessed this, her heart skipping a beat as Shepard punched the wall again. Jodie faintly noticed that Shepard had punched the wall hard enough to dent it, which surprised her and everyone else in the room. Shepard breathed loud enough that his exhales could be heard by everyone in the hangar bay. He looked around, his eyes narrowed in fury and his shoulders hunched over. There was complete silence around the hangar bay for several seconds, Jodie finding the air so thick she could almost choke on it. Even the ground team stood frozen by the Mako, with Liara, Ashley, and Tali all standing around in shock. Shepard breathed in and out, his eyes wildly darting about as he looked at everyone in the hangar bay. He said nothing, however, and Jodie could see his expression slowly shift from one of pure fury to one of intense sadness. After what felt like hours, the elevator doors opened. Shepard stepped in them, stabbed the call button to go up, and then the doors closed behind him. The hangar bay remained frozen in place in light of the commander's departure. The silence became almost too thick, as even the low hum of the engine over in the next room seemed to fade away from existence. Not even Aiden dared say anything, and Jodie knew that that was a huge thing. She found herself breathing in, looking over at the ground team, finding them as confused as everyone else. And then Jodie ran over to where they were, her footsteps breaking the silence as she approached the others. "What the hell happened?" Jodie asked. "I... I don't know," said Liara. "He was just... we ran into a survivor on Akuze down there. Shepard was dealing with the survivor, who had been held hostage by a scientist from this Cerberus group. And then..." "Shepard went ballistic," Ashley added. "He just started screaming about how Cerberus had taken away everything he'd ever cared about, about how Cerberus was evil... I've never seen a commanding officer get so angry." She looked over at the elevator doors, and then back to the small dent in the wall. "I also didn't think the Commander could punch through metal like that. Or that it was even possible to do that without breaking something." Jodie frowned as she turned her own attention to that dent. "Neither did anyone else," said Jodie. "Though... I think I see some blood in that dent." "Well, most people that try that get their arms shattered," said Ashley. "I don't know what it is, but all these things together... There's..." But Tali was already walking towards the elevator. "I need to talk to him," he said. Before Jodie knew what she was doing, she grabbed Tali by the wrist. "Tali, wait," she said, looking at the quarian. The quarian paused, turning to Jodie. "Tali, are you sure? I don't know if... I don't know if that's really that wise." "He's... he's hiding something about this Cerberus thing," Tali replied. "I... I'm probably the only person he'll tell willingly. If I can tell you I will, but... he needs someone there for him, right now." Jodie frowned. "I guess, but..." She shook her head, letting Tali go. "Just be careful." "Of course," said Tali. She then shrugged. "I'm a quarian, Jodie. I'm quite resourceful." And with this, Tali turned to the elevator and ran towards it. As soon as she hit the call button, Jodie turned back to Ashley and Liara. The asari bowed her head. "It seems so strange that he would have that reaction," said Liara. "I think Tali is right about Shepard. There is something between him and Cerberus he isn't telling us about." "I know," said Ashley. She then glanced at the elevator, walking towards Jodie and opened her omni-tool. "Shepard shot that scientist in the head. Didn't even give any of us a warning. It just... happened. Even the hostage was creeped out." Ashley sighed, looking ahead. "I hope we get a new lead on Saren soon so we can finish that damn mission. I'm not sure I like the thought of serving on the Normandy with a commander who's quick to lose his temper." Jodie frowned. "You'll even take superiors who'll dock you for your family name?" she asked. "That probably won't be an issue," Ashley replied. "After all, if I get out of this mission alive, I get to say I served with the first human Spectre." Jodie glanced to the side. "Yeah, that's... that's always a plus," she said, looking to the side. She then looked up at Ashley. "Is there something else the Commander did?" "There is, as a matter of fact," said Liara. She then opened her omni-tool. "He told us to take an image with us. Said image... was this." The asari then opened a picture, the image displayed on the omni-tool. The image featured an insignia that Jodie had never seen before, and that Jodie felt intimidated by almost by looking at it. The insignia looked something like the outline of a diamond, all in black against the white cloth. To the sides of this black diamond, there were a few orange lines that curved around the edges of the outline, going up about three-quarters of the way before stoping. Jodie inspected it, her eyes narrowing. "Is that...?" "It seems to be their emblem," Liara replied. "I don't know why he would want us to know their emblem, but Shepard told us to take an image of it." "It's an odd order," said Ashley. "But, I'm a soldier, and soldiers follow orders, so here we are." "It certainly seems like it," said Jodie shaking her head as she crossed her arms. She then shrugged, looking over at Ashley. "It's a sleek logo, I'll say that. Certainly fits a black ops group pretty well." "It certainly does," Ashley replied as she closed the omni-tool. "Well, if we see anyone else with that, I guess we'll know how the Commander reacts." She then nodded. "I should get my weapons cleaned." Liara nodded in reply. "I think I need to do the same," said Liara. "I still don't have a handle on how to clean a pistol." Ashley shrugged. "I can run it through with you one more time if you'd like," she replied. Liara bowed, giving a very small smile. "I'd appreciate that, Chief Williams," said Liara. "Thank you." "Hey, anything for a fellow fighter," Ashley replied. "And please, call me Ashley." Jodie nodded, stepping back. "I'll leave you two to it, then," she said. "Let's hope we can see each other when Shepard is a little less... angry." "Yeah," Ashley agreed. "Let's hope." And with this, Ashley and Liara walked over to the table on which the weapons were cleaned. Jodie herself walked over to the elevator, seeing that Tali had vanished since the conversation had continued. She looked up, wondering at whether Tali had made it up to the Commander's quarters or not as she brought her hands up in front of her. She stepped towards the elevator, pressing the call button and waiting for it to come. Well, Aiden, this whole Cerberus issue could be key to figuring out what Shepard really is, she thought. You think you can eavesdrop on Tali and Shepard when they talk? Let me know if they say anything... interesting, right? Aiden clicked in the affirmative. Jodie nodded, and waited for the elevator to come down to her level.
And it was thus that Jodie was brought over to the mess hall. She had sat there for a while, nursing an energy bar and looking over at the sleeper pods. She held her breath, waiting for Aiden to say anything at all. She knew for certain that Tali was in there, but Aiden was remaining silent. This worried her for a lot of reasons: Aiden was not usually so quiet when eavesdropping on others. She assumed that Aiden was afraid Jodie's conversation would distract him from getting important details, but it did not make Jodie any less unnerved to hear nothing from Aiden. That feeling was only amplified by the silence around her. The mess hall was certainly not empty, but it was unusually quiet. Jodie guessed it had something to do with Shepard's tantrum on his way to his quarters. So Jodie sat back, turning to glance over at the entrance to Shepard's quarters. She had turned her head just in time to witness Tali exiting the captain's quarters. She perked up, looking at the quarian as she exited. Tali paused as she left the quarters, glancing back in the doors as they closed. She held this for a few seconds, before coming to sit right at the mess hall. She paused for a few seconds, Jodie sitting directly across from her. The human leaned forward, looking at Tali as she glanced down at the table in worry. Jodie brought her hand forward, touching Tali's wrist. "So what's wrong?" she asked. "The Commander..." Tali shook her head. "I don't know, Jodie. There is so much baggage he has in his past. And now I have some idea..." She shook her head. "According to him, Cerberus took his whole family away from him. Everyone he ever loved..." Jodie nodded grimly, looking back at the Commander's quarters. "I see..." she said. "Did he tell you why?" "No," said Tali, shaking her head. "And that's the part that troubles me." Jodie's eyebrows rose, and she looked at Tali in surprise. "Why?" she asked. "I... I don't know," said Tali. "But there is more to this than he is telling me. I just... I can feel it. Maybe..." She shook her head, putting her hand on her glass. "Keelah, why? Does he not trust me enough?" "I don't think he does," said Jodie. "Maybe, but perhaps it's also too painful..." said Tali. "I mean... the things he said... he implied Cerberus took away much more than that as well." She shook her head. "Maybe that is why he did not say everything. I don't know..." She sighed. "Keelah, I don't know what to do. This is so utterly unlike John. I don't..." Jodie sighed. "I don't know either," she said, looking back at the entrance to the Commander's quarters. "You did tell him he could trust you, right?" "I did, but he was unfazed by that," she said. "I don't know if it's something I did, or if it's something he's afraid of, or if he's afraid I'll push him away..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry I'm saying all this to you. I must sound so-" "Believe me, you don't sound ridiculous to me at all..." Jodie replied, leaning forward. "In fact... I'd say not to trust him." Tali tilted her head to the side. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "I have this feeling," she said, glancing at Shepard's quarters. "I feel like there are other things he's hiding from us. Like he's done something that he doesn't want us to know about. Or something like that." She paused, before looking back at Tali. "Actually, it's more than just a feeling." "It's a hunch?" Tali asked. "I... You could say that," Jodie replied. "I don't trust him with whatever happened with Cerberus." Tali nodded. "I see..." she said. "I still trust him, though. He's my friend, Jodie. I have to stand by his side, no matter what. He needs me. And when he's ready to tell me, he'll tell me." "I wouldn't be so sure of that," said Jodie. "If he's keeping that a secret..." She then paused, leaning forward. "Look, Tali, I..." She paused, glancing back at the door as chills began to rocket up and down her arms. "I may have discovered something about Shepard." Jodie watched as the quarian leaned forward, her eyes narrowed in a frown. "Jodie, have you been in his quarters?" she asked, her voice suddenly steely. "N-no!" Jodie said, leaping back slightly. "I swear, I haven't!" But Tali crossed her arms. "Then how did you discover something about the Commander I have yet to discover?" she asked. "I..." She glanced around. "It's a hard story to believe, Tali, but I did." She then looked back at the entrance, leaning close to Tali. "And I think you need to know before you go any further with this that Shepard... He may be more vindictive than you might believe. He was like this with the batarians too, and Balak..." She shook her head. "I snuck into the brig earlier." "What?" Tali asked. "Why?" "I don't know, but... I found a bloodstain on the cell Balak was in," said Jodie. "Tali, he... He brutalized a prison down there, because I can tell you with certainty it wasn't Shepard's blood." Tali shrunk back immediately, frowning as she looked at Jodie. "I don't believe you," she said. "The Commander... He may be angry now, but he would never do something like that! You must have gotten the wrong idea." "Tali, I didn't," said Jodie. "You have to trust me here, I don't have the wrong-" "I think you're jumping to conclusions," Tali interrupted with uncharacteristic brusqueness as she stood up. She then shook her head. "Look, I have to be in engineering. Engineer Adams is wondering why I'm taking so long to come down. This is... This is very personal for John, Jodie. And he needs someone he can trust to look after him. If you want to talk to me about him, then you can do it some other time. He's not a bad man, Jodie, and I think you're taking whatever you've seen too far. There may be something he won't tell me, but I'm standing by him until he does. He needs support, not accusations." She then stood up. "I should go." She then walked past Jodie to the elevator. However, as she passed, Jodie lunged forward, grabbing Tali's wrist. Jodie looked up at the quarian hopefully, her expression tense. "Tali, just..." She glanced down at the ground. "Just promise me one thing. Please." Tali stood still, and Jodie could tell that Tali was leering at her through the glass of the face mask. "What is it?" asked Tali. "Just..." And Jodie paused, glancing down at the floor. Aiden clicked nervously, Jodie closing her eyes as she released Tali's wrist. "I... There's also more to me that you don't know. There's more that I haven't told most of the crew." She then shook her head, looking back up at Tali with a pleading expression. "Please. Talk to me first," she said. "Talk to me before you talk to Shepard again. Trust me. Please." Tali's leer lessened somewhat, as Jodie could see from the fact that Tali's eyes were not coming across as lines from where she sat. Tali then nodded. "All right," she said. "And I'm sorry. I should not have taken that tone." "It's fine," said Jodie. "Just... please. That's all I ask." "All right," said Tali. She then turned to Jodie, bowing. "I will talk to you about that first, if it makes you feel better." Jodie smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I... I look forward to that conversation." Tali nodded, and then she walked towards the elevator. Jodie turned away, putting a hand on her temple. Her eyes widened as she thought more and more about Tali's reaction. She heard the elevator doors open and close, but Jodie's mind was already racing by then. That... that is so unlike her... she thought, thinking to Tali's tone before she began walking to the elevator. It... I can't even describe it... It's like she's become a slightly new person... After a few seconds, she looked up, her worried expression intensifying as she did so. Aiden, what do you think it is? Aiden gurgled rapidly, before chirping at least five times in quick succession. Jodie looked up, blinking as Aiden said this. He did? she asked. I... I guess we'll have to wait and see then. I just hope Tali does as she says she will... Jodie leaned forward, cupping her head in her hands as she let out a very unnerved sigh. She rubbed her face, closing her eyes and trying to calm her racing heartbeat as she thought more on how Tali had spoken to her.
It was so that, a couple days later, Jodie found some relief when Shepard, Tali, and Garrus had gone on a ground mission by themselves. Shepard eschewed the fourth squadmate that time, and Jodie perhaps knew why: this was a mission which required some amount of stealth. Jodie hoped that Tali would be available to talk to her afterwards. Thus, she sat right in the hangar bay, cleaning out her pistol. Her hands were methodical as she worked over the weapon, though occasionally Aiden did have to step in on the occasions that Jodie's hands were shaking. Nevertheless, Jodie found herself able to concentrate on something, which helped her concentrate. Jodie thought about talking to Kalo a little about this situation, but she feared that Shepard might have a way to discover that communications had been made about his secret, and the more she thought of that, the more uncomfortable she became. And so, it was off to cleaning her weapon out. She sighed, grabbing the cloth that she normally used to clean off the block that her weapon chipped mass accelerator rounds off. "You've been doing that a lot lately." Jodie grabbed the cloth, and then looked up to see Wrex standing there. His arms were crossed as he looked down at Jodie, and even though she knew Wrex to be very personable she still found herself shrinking under Wrex's gaze. Jodie sighed, wiping the block down. "I know," she said. "Helps me to concentrate a little." "Hm," said Wrex. "I'll bet something big is on your mind." Jodie paused, looking up at the large krogan and remaining silent. "I..." She placed the block down and sat back against the lockers. "I guess you're right about that." She then glanced around the hangar bay, looking to the spot that was unoccupied by the Mako, seeing that the hangar bay was actually pretty empty for once. She then sighed, looking up at the krogan. "There's a lot going on in my mind, and... well, some of it is something I'd rather not have the rest of the Normandy's crew find out, you know?" "Well, that's good for me, then," Wrex leaned against the lockers, turning to Jodie. "I knew there was something strange about you." Jodie blinked in surprise, looking at Wrex. "What?" she asked. "I get this hunch around you," said Wrex. "You're withdrawn in some ways, and I've always got the feeling you had something you were reluctant to tell us." Jodie nodded. "I see," she replied, bowing her head. She then nodded, glancing around the hangar bay once again to make sure nobody else was eavesdropping. "Well, there... is something about me that... well, since you can probably see it, I guess I should tell you know?" "Yes," said Wrex. "That would be a good idea. Does anyone else know?" Jodie shook her head. "Actually, Kaidan and Ashley know," she replied. "I told them just before you ran into us on Feros. But there's something... slightly bigger I've got in my head right now, and I guess I do need to explain about the original thing I'm reluctant to talk about first." She then looked over at the disassembled weapon. "And actually, I guess I can just explain here with this." She indicated the disassembled pistol in front of her." Wrex looked at the pistol. "What's that going to explain?" he asked. Jodie shook her head. "Well..." She then looked up at the space Aiden might have inhabited. "Aiden, you mind if you can put this weapon back together?" Wrex frowned. "Aiden?" he asked. "I didn't think you were the type to be deaf, runt." "I wasn't talking to you," Jodie replied, looking back at the gun. "You can't actually see him, but... there's a third person in this room." Wrex's frown deepened, and he pushed off the lockers. "Jodie?" he asked. "What are you-?" And then, Jodie's pistol began to reassemble itself. Jodie simply sat back, watching it happen in front of the krogan. Wrex himself looked on in surprise as he watched the gun put itself together again with no effort from Jodie. The gun assembled itself in a few seconds, and before long the gun levitated up to Jodie's face, the handle out to Jodie. Jodie blinked, taking it in her hand and nodding up at Aiden. "Hm," said Wrex. "That's a clever magic trick, but-" "It's not a magic trick," Jodie replied, setting the pistol down and pulling the cloth from the ground. She then paused, looking over at Wrex as she stood up. "It's real." She shook her head, looking at the krogan. "For as long as I can remember, I've been... attached to this thing. He's called Aiden. And... Well..." She then looked over at Wrex, watching his face as a frown took form. She paused, looking at him for a few seconds before Aiden clicked at her. "He can do a lot of things." "And you expect me to believe that," Wrex said, his voice flat and unchanging. "Yes," said Jodie. She looked right at Wrex. "It's true, trust me." The krogan looked down at the ground. "Hmph. That sounds stupid." "Ask Ashley," Jodie replied. "She saw most of what Aiden could do while we were on Feros." She nodded, grabbing her elbow. "I guess that's one other person. I'd actually meant to tell Liara next..." "Hmph." Wrex turned, frowning. "I don't know if I believe that. And if I do, I don't know if I trust you by my side." "Aiden won't be a problem, not to you," said Jodie. She then looked up. "Right?" Aiden then grabbed the pistol out of Jodie's hand, before harmlessly placing it down on the ground. He then pointed it away from both Jodie and Wrex, before the pistol clattered, the object completely still. Wrex narrowed his eyes at Jodie, and Jodie could feel chills rushing up her spine. However, before Wrex could reply, they were both startled by the sounding off of warning klaxons. They both turned to the hangar bay's door, watching as it opened. Jodie glanced back at Wrex. "Well, I guess he's back," she said. "Can we talk about this later? I'd rather not have the commander find out until he needs to." Wrex frowned. "Why?" he asked. "It's a very long story," she replied. "I can tell you later." Wrex then turned his attention to the hangar bay doors as they opened. "Well, if it's a long story, I guess you can," he said. "Just don't use that to avoid telling me." "Believe me, I-" And then, Jodie was startled by the sound of the Mako screeching into place. They both looked at the Mako, seeing it parked very haphazardly. Before the doors had even gotten a chance to close, Jodie heard the tank door open, and then she saw a frantic Garrus Vakarian run out, holding an unconscious Shepard in his arms. Wrex and Jodie both looked at each other, Jodie's eyes widening somewhat. They glanced at each other for a single second before Jodie ran over to Garrus, Wrex not far behind. Jodie looked down at the unconscious commander, before seeing the terrified turian in front of them. "Tali's still in the Mako!" said Garrus. "She got very seriously injured, and Shepard..." Garrus shook his head. "I don't know what the hell happened, but he just went berserk, before collapsing on me!" Wrex nodded. "I'll get Tali," he said. "Yeah," said Jodie as Wrex ran right past her. "Yeah, I'll get the elevator." And with this, Jodie ran over, slamming her hand on the call button. As soon as she turned around, she saw Wrex pull Tali out of the Mako. Her eyebrows arched up in alarm, looking at the blood that poured out of various gunshot wounds that the quarian had obviously sustained. Aiden trilled in alarm upon seeing this, Jodie herself letting out a loud gasp of shock. "Holy shit!" she said, rushing over to Wrex's side. "That's... Oh my God!" "Don't worry about her," said Garrus. "I already applied some medigel. I just need to get her to the med bay for the immunoboosting!" "I'll say!" said Jodie, her voice shocked. She looked over at Wrex as the door to engineering opened and some of the engineers peered out at the group assembled by the elevator. "Get her to safety!" "Of course," said Wrex, his expression determined. Not a second too soon, the elevator doors opened, and the group piled into the elevator, Jodie repeatedly slamming her hand on the call button. Finally, the elevator doors closed, Jodie biting on her lower lip to keep from screaming at the doors to close faster. She then looked to Garrus and Wrex as the elevator rode up to the crew deck, Jodie looking away as the elevator inched up. Wrex and Garrus bolted out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, Jodie slowly stepping out as they rounded the corner and ran into the med bay. The crew that had been lounging about doing nothing stood up, perturbed by the sudden disturbance. Jodie looked around at the rest of the crew, seeing Kaidan out at the mess hall. The Lieutenant looked on, abruptly standing up as Garrus and Wrex vanished into the med bay. Kaidan turned to Jodie. "What happened out there?" he asked. "I don't know," said Jodie. "Garrus just came in on the Mako shouting about how we needed to get him up here immediately..." Kaidan nodded. "I need you to stay here, Jodie. Tell Dr. Chakwas to contact me as soon as Shepard's in stable condition," he instructed. Jodie nodded. "Yes, Kaidan," Jodie replied, taking a seat in the mess hall. As soon as she did this, the door to the med bay was opened, and Garrus, Wrex, and Liara had all been pushed out of the med bay. The group then turned towards the elevator, Liara staying behind as Kaidan began asking Garrus a barrage of questions. Of course, the sounds of their conversation were cut off by the closing of the elevator doors, leaving Jodie and Liara standing there in silence. Liara then turned to Jodie. "What happened?" she asked. Jodie shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "But I have a feeling it was something that was not good at all..."
Jodie spent the next hour or so sitting at the mess hall. This time, she kept her attention on the med bay doors. She found herself fiddling around on her omni-tool, attempting to make sense of everything around her. Either way, the minutes stretched on as if they were hours, and Jodie found herself getting progressively more and more agonized over whether Tali would survive or not. Even despite Garrus' initial worries, she knew there was much more to Tali's safety than just making sure she would not bleed out. She hoped that Aiden would do whatever he could: even if it meant Dr. Chakwas would find out, Jodie would have preferred to know Aiden had acted to save Tali than to have him do nothing. No one had exited the med bay in all that time. Jodie found herself shifting uncomfortably at this news. Not even Dr. Chakwas seemed willing to leave. Jodie could not say she blamed her: after all, the commander had somehow gotten injured. But even this seemed strange to Jodie: even Dr. Chakwas would have needed to step outside upon seeing that her patients were in stable condition. Jodie checked the time on her omni-tool. It had been around three hours since Shepard had initially been deposited in the med bay. Jodie's eyebrows shot up in surprise, wondering how that amount of time had passed since she had last seen Shepard. She shook her head, brushing some hair out of her face as she pondered on it. Well, I might as well do something with this time, she thought. And thus, she opened her omnitool's email client and started writing another message to Kalo'Veera. It was then that she heard the elevator doors open behind her. In strutted Garrus, a slightly angry scowl forming on his face. Jodie frowned, looking at the door as it closed behind him. She sighed, looking up to where she assumed Aiden was. She heard Aiden remain silent, and Jodie took it as a good sign as she turned her attention back to her omni-tool. Her movements were measured this time, and then Jodie found herself typing an email rather slowly. She did not really pay attention to the words she was saying, though. All of her attention was focused on the med bay doors just beyond where she sat. Thoughts raced through her mind, and she wondered what had happened down below for any of this to be happening. She then shook her head, closing the omnitool and depositing her head into her palms. Dammit, that's the eighth time today, she thought to herself. She sighed, one of her hands falling onto the table. Her fingers then rapped against it, and she gave a heavy sigh. And then, a minute later, Jodie heard the med bay doors open. Garrus trotted out, Jodie noticing that his gait seemed stiff and almost too controlled. Jodie frowned at this, before she found herself standing up. She then looked at Garrus, watching as he shuffled straight for the elevator. It was then that she heard footsteps from behind her. Jodie turned, seeing Dr. Chakwas stepping out of the med bay with a relieved expression on her face. Almost instantly, Jodie felt herself calm down, her heart slowing back to a normal pulse as she stepped towards the doctor. As Jodie did this, the door closed behind the doctor, and Jodie thought she could see the door panel turn red. "Is everything okay in there?" Jodie asked. "Yes," said Dr. Chakwas. "They're both awake and alert right now." Jodie nodded. "I see," she said. "Could you tell Kaidan? He asked me to let you know he needed to know when Shepard was awake." Dr. Chakwas nodded. "He would be up by the cockpit, right?" she asked. "I'll seek him out there." "Of course," said Jodie. "Can I see Tali now?" "Shepard and Tali have requested some time alone," the doctor replied. "You can talk to her after they're both out, though." Jodie's heart skipped a beat as she heard this. "I... I see," she said, gulping to swallow down the sudden feeling of dread she felt. "Very well then. I'll just... talk to her later, then." The doctor nodded. "I'll go see the LT, then," said Dr. Chakwas. "If you see them get out within the next six hours, put them back in there. Doctor's orders." And with this, Dr. Chakwas walked back towards the elevators. Jodie's breath came a little shorter as soon as she was alone. She looked at the med bay once, before she opened her omnitool. She then opened it straight to the picture maker Aiden had taken such a liking to. While she did this, she walked straight towards her sleeping pad, stepping in there and closing the pod's glass cover after her. She then looked over, her breath coming in short bursts. "Aiden, you saw what happened in there, right?" she asked. "I need you to tell me everything you saw." She then pointed at the omnitool. "Go wild. I've got a terrible feeling about this..." Aiden set off a series of clicks, the clicks eventually becoming so numerous that they formed a wall of sound that dissipated as quickly as it began. Jodie then looked back at her omni-tool, her free hand clenching into a fist as she braced for what was to come. Jodie flinched as her omnitool arm jolted. She then looked over at the image of Tali sitting up in a berth, seeing all the lines that looked like the drawings of a ten year old. However, Jodie noticed that, even with the somewhat bad line art, there was a key component missing: Aiden had not drawn her face mask for some reason. Thus, Jodie saw a humanoid face sitting up, looking at Dr. Chakwas. Jodie looked up at Aiden, frowning. "Wait," she said. "Aiden, you forgot the mask." In response, Aiden clicked at a very high pitch a few times. Jodie took a deep breath in, looking up at Aiden. "You mean... she had the mask off?" Jodie felt her arm jolt almost immediately, and she looked down at the reply Aiden had scribbled down. "AND SHE IS STILL ALIVE" Jodie's breath hitched, and she brought her free hand over to her throat. My God... she thought. What did... what did Shepard do to her down there? And...? Before she could say much else, Jodie's arm vibrated again, and Jodie noticed that the scroll bar on the right of the image creator had shrunk a little. She then brought her hand forward, scrolling down the canvas to find a new image: this time, it was an image of Shepard and Tali locked in an intimate embrace. The line-art gave it a kind of odd charm, but Jodie felt none of that, instead only feeling a great sense of dread. "No..." She shook her head, looking up at Aiden. "Aiden, we have to talk to her. And I mean we. I don't know what it is, but-" And then her arm twitched again. When she looked down, she saw the scroll bar had shrunk further. With a shaking hand, Jodie scrolled down. The image she saw made her heart freeze. She saw a picture of Shepard and Tali standing apart, the two of them looking right at each other. However, Jodie saw this strange red line travelling between Shepard and Tali. However, this red was not as bright crimson as the red Jodie had seen when she did the thing with the red eyes. Rather, it was a much duller red, almost a purple that moved between them, and the way Aiden drew it it seemed to be more soothing. Jodie looked at this, seeing that Aiden had also drawn a similar line to Dr. Chakwas and Garrus. And it was then that her breath hitched. With shaking hands, Jodie closed her omni-tool, feeling a battalion of shivers run down her spine. She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she looked up at Aiden. "Do... do you think he did something to her mind too?" she asked. Aiden clicked. Upon hearing this, Jodie nodded, looking up at where she assumed the entity was. She sat there for a few seconds, feeling her throat constrict. She rubbed her face once, twice, and even then she still felt the hairs on her arms standing on end. She shivered, closing her eyes and taking long breaths to steady her nerves. She was glad for the isolation the sleeper pod provided: Jodie was not sure she would have kept her composure in public. She then exhaled, opening her eyes as she glanced at the panel. She then took a few calming breaths, rubbing her shoulder and sighing. "This is... My God, Aiden..." She shook her head, looking down at her feet. "Dammit..." She shook her head, looking up at the ceiling of the deck. She sighed, closing her eyes. She then curled into herself, her eyes squeezed shut and her hands curling into fists as she remained in this position for some time.
She did eventually leave the comfort of her sleeping pod. When she did this, she sauntered back to the mess hall. She wanted to eat an energy bar, but she did not feel any amount of hunger. The thoughts racing through her mind were too numerous to allow her to take notice of any hunger, and Jodie found herself greatly alarmed by that small little fact. Thus, she sat there, unable to think of anything to eat. It was a little while after she had first sat at the mess hall that she saw the med bay doors open. Out stepped Tali, this time with her helmet on. Jodie's breath hitched as soon as Tali turned to her. The quarian walked right up to her, though Jodie sensed that there was a lack of malice behind the action even with how fast Tali was moving. After a few seconds, Tali sat next to Jodie. "Hey," Tali began. "Are you all right?" Jodie nodded. "I'm... I'm fine," she said, resisting the urge to grit her teeth. "What happened down there?" "I got severely injured, and Shepard saved me," said Tali. Tali then put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I... I don't think you have anything to worry about from Shepard. He's a good man, Jodie." Jodie frowned, looking at Tali. "So he finally told you his past, hm?" Jodie asked. "Yes," Tali replied, taking her hand off of Jodie's shoulder. "It... It's long and painful, Jodie. I promised I wouldn't tell, but even if I hadn't it's very personal for him and it would be best if I didn't." Jodie nodded, trying to fight back the tears. "I see..." she said. "I'll... I'll keep that in mind." Jodie could sense that Tali smiled under her helmet, though this thought only horrified Jodie more. "Good," said Tali. She then stood up. "I have to report to engineering. I'll see you around, Jodie." And with this, Tali left. Jodie's hand clenched into a fist, and she heard Tali's footsteps get further away behind her. She then closed her eyes, breathing in and out as she fought to keep her composure down. As soon as she heard the elevator doors open and close behind her, Jodie could only put her head in her hands, remaining in this position for some time. She was thus caught by surprise when she heard someone shuffle into the seat next to her. "Hey Jodie. Is everything all right?" Jodie jumped a little, turning to her left to see that Kaidan had taken a seat next to her. Jodie held her position for a few seconds, before sighing in relief. "Jesus, don't startle me like that," she said. She shook her head. "Sorry. I've been a little distracted." "A little looks like an understatement," Kaidan replied. He then placed a hand on Jodie's shoulder, and she could feel herself being turned towards him. "Wrex mentioned you might've had something on your mind." Jodie blinked, and then glanced down to the side. "So Wrex told you that he knows, huh?" "Yeah, he did," said Kaidan. "But I don't think this is about that. What's going on with you?" Jodie glanced at themed bay doors, before looking around the area she was in. "I..." She sighed, looking at Kaidan. "It's about Shepard." As soon as she knew nobody else would be eavesdropping on the two of them, she turned to Kaidan. "Aiden showed me some... things about him. And after seeing those things, I don't know if I can trust the commander." Kaidan frowned. "Why?" he asked. "Because if they're true--and I know Aiden wouldn't lie about something like this--, then it means that there's something Shepard is hiding from us, and I still don't know what that something is..." And with this, Jodie leaned forward, and told Kaidan about everything Aiden had shown her thus far.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Nov 19, 2014 15:36:40 GMT 1
Chapter Sixteen "And why didn't you mention this before?"
"I didn't want to mention this until I had more evidence as to what was going on. I've seen all this, but I don't know what any of it could mean. And until I know that... Well, it would be pointless to look into it, wouldn't it?" "I guess so. But are you even sure Aiden saw all that? I find it hard to believe he did." "He wouldn't lie to me about that, Kaidan. The problem is... how else am I supposed to figure out what's going on?" Kaidan sighed, his hand patting Jodie's shoulder. Jodie looked at the lieutenant with a perturbed look, before her gaze turned to the table. Kaidan squeezed Jodie's shoulder lightly, before pulling his hand away. "Well..." Kaidan glanced to the side. "I don't know if there is much investigating you could do in this case." "I don't think so either," said Jodie. "I can't go into Shepard's quarters because I have a feeling he'll know when I do, and Aiden isn't exactly subtle whenever he messes with technology." She sighed. "But I have to figure out something to do. I can't just act on only things Aiden tells me, Kaidan. Even I don't know the full story of what's going on, and until I have some idea of what that story is..." Kaidan nodded. "Well, do what you think is right," he said. "But I can't help you in this." Jodie nodded. "I know you can't," she said. "Especially not if you want to stay in the Alliance." She then shook her head. "And even if you could, I couldn't ask that of you. I'd just be dragging you into my affairs, and I can't do that to you, or to anyone else on the ship." "That doesn't mean I wouldn't support you anyway," Kaidan replied. "But without evidence, there's not much I can do to help you. So I'm sorry." "Don't be," said Jodie, giving Kaidan a weak smile. "Just listening was enough. Thanks for that." Kaidan shrugged. "Any time," he said. He then looked over the mess hall. "You don't seem like you've eaten." "That's because I haven't," said Jodie. She offered a small smile. "I'd be up for it if there are any energy bars left." "I'm sure there will be," Kaidan replied. "They're not that popular, after all." Jodie shrugged. "I imagined so," she commented. She shook her head as she stood up. "Most days, I feel like I'm the only one eating them!" "I imagine you probably are," said Kaidan. He then smiled, a genuine smile this time. "But hey, that's something not entirely bad, right?" Jodie nodded. "I guess so," she said. She nodded, looking back at Kaidan. She then remained silent as they walked over to where they would get the food. "You know... I'm wondering when we'll get back to fighting Saren." "I do too," said Kaidan as he grabbed a tray from underneath the serving area. "I get the feeling we'll have something, soon, though." "I hope so," she said. "And I'm actually looking forward to going after Saren again. I mean... we're going after him, and with that we'll be at least a little closer to saving the galaxy." She shrugged, giving a bright smile to Kaidan. "And when we're doing that, what's the worst that could happen?"
"We have a new lead!" Jodie felt the atmosphere inside the briefing room instantly lift, feeling a general feeling of good will from everyone inside the room. She leaned forward on her chair, looking at the rest of the ground team as they sat around. "Great!" said Garrus as he leaned forward. "Now where are we going?" "We're going to Virmire," said Shepard. He then opened his omni-tool, the planet coming to view as he spoke. "It's a tropical planet out in the Attican Traverse. Some STG units went there recently. The Council received a garbled transmission from Virmire a short while ago. The Council believes we may have found a new lead on Saren, from what they could make out of the transmission." "Virmire?" said Wrex as he leaned forward. Shepard nodded. "I still don't know what's going on there," he replied. He then adopted a goofy smile, tilting his head. "But hey, not that I can blame him: at least now we know how he got the geth on his side." Jodie facepalmed, shaking her head. "They're robots," Jodie replied, looking up at the Commander. "I doubt they'd realize why people like the sun." "Well, you never know," said Shepard. "Sometimes robots dream an electric sleep, you know?" He then leaned forward, looking at everyone else. "We're headed out to Virmire right now. We should be there in about twenty minutes." Tali nodded. "I assume we're going in blind," she replied. "Unfortunately, we are," said Shepard. "Regardless, I want all of you to suit up. Joker will give us updates as we get closer to the site the STG team transmitted from." "All of us?" asked Ashley. "Yes, all of us," said Shepard. He then turned to Jodie. "Even you, Ms. Holmes. We don't know what we'll find in there." Jodie nodded. "I guess we'll see, Commander," she said. She then looked at the others. "I'll be ready when you are." "Of course," Ashley nodded. She then turned her attention back to the commander, looking over. "Should we expect this to go as any other mission does?" Shepard shook his head, holding his hands behind his back. "If there's one thing that life has taught me, it's that you never expect the best," he replied. "Be cautious down there. I have a feeling this mission is going to be bigger than any of us can know right now." He then brought his hands back from behind his back, looking at everyone. "For now, you're dismissed. I expect you to be ready to go by the time we get to Virmire." "Yes sir!" the ground team chimed in. Jodie joined right in, feeling ready for the mission for the first time in what felt like a while. And for the first time in a few days, her heart was beating not in fear, but in anticipation. She could not wait to get onto the field. Sure, she realized Shepard might take another person with him, but she knew that at least she would get off the ship at some place that was not the Citadel. And for that, Jodie was thankful.
As soon as the group was suited up, Jodie found herself waiting in the hangar bay with Ashley, Wrex, and Liara. Shepard had taken Tali, Garrus, and Kaidan down to Virmire with him, leaving the rest to hang around the hangar bay. Liara stood off to one side, making small talk with the requisitions officer. Jodie found herself assembling her assault rifle again, making sure to do it by hand this time. "You've been doing that a lot lately," Ashley replied from where she stood behind Jodie. "Something on your mind?" "Maybe," she said. "But I talked to Kaidan about it. I think I'll be okay." "Good to hear." Wrex leaned forward, looking down at Jodie from where he leaned against the lockers. "We can't kill Saren if you've got your head stuck around that weird ghost thing you've got." Ashley looked over at Wrex in surprise, before looking down at Jodie. "I thought you were going to tell Liara next," she said. Jodie shrugged. "Circumstances changed," she replied. "Wrex noticed I'd been thinking a lot, so... I thought I'd tell him next." "Hard to believe," said Wrex. "I still don't believe this thing exists." "Trust me, you didn't see the stuff I did," said Ashley. "But I saw the stuff I did. I know that Aiden is real." "Says the one who's talked about an invisible man in the sky," Wrex noted as he crossed his arms. He shook his head, looking up. "Still, I guess I've heard dumber things." "And you did see him put the pistol back together," said Jodie. The krogan shrugged. "That too," he replied. "Though it'll take more than an elaborate magic trick to convince me." Ashley simply shook her head, giving a small smile. "I don't think possessing salarians that are trying to kill you counts as a magic trick," she replied. Wrex's eyes widened for a split second, and then he looked down at people. "It can do that?" he asked. "And quite a bit more," said Jodie. "Just... don't say anything to anyone else. I'd prefer to talk to people about it on my terms, especially now." "Hmph." Wrex snorted. "As I said last time, he better not get in the way of killing Saren." Jodie then heard the warning klaxons go off, standing up as she placed her assembled assault rifle on her back. "You won't have to worry about that," Jodie replied, looking out as the door opened to a beach that reminded Jodie a bit too much of a postcard picture of Miami. Down there, the three of them saw a bunch of salarians in combat armor pausing to look at the Normandy as it hovered above them. Jodie nodded, looking back at Ashley and Wrex. "Well, here we are." The group turned to Liara as she approached, the group of them watching as the Normandy got closer to the ground. After a short while, the group felt the Normandy give a very minor jolt, and then the end of the hangar bay doors had leveled into a ramp that would take them to the beach they had landed next to. "Looks like a good vacation spot." "Well, we're not here to soak in the sunshine," said Ashley. She then nodded. "Come on. Let's find out what's been going on here." With this, the four of them stepped off of the Normandy, Jodie looking down as soon as she stepped on the sand. They then walked forward, and were approached by a green-hued salarian who wore white combat armor. Jodie looked to the others, and then they approached him as he walked over to them. The salarian eyed the Normandy suspiciously, looking up at the ship before turning to the group that approached him. "Where's your commanding officer?" the salarian demanded, Jodie finding it difficult to read his expression. "He should be just coming in on the Mako in a few minutes," said Ashley. "Why?" The salarian frowned, crossing his arms. "I don't really see the need to have touched down," he replied. "Comms are down, it is true, but the ship does not need to touch down to prepare an orbital bombardment." Jodie frowned, looking at the others in confusion. "Orbital bombardment?" she asked. "Is the Normandy even equipped for something like that?" "I doubt it," said Liara. "Well, it's no matter," said the salarian. "I imagine the fleet you have behind you will be sufficient to do what we must." The group then paused, looking right at the salarian in surprise. They then looked at each other, before Wrex then stepped forward. "Fleet?" Wrex asked. "Sorry, but we're all the back-up you're going to get." The salarian's eyes widened for a split second. After that passed, he squinted, leaning towards everyone there. "What do you mean?" the salarian asked. "I requested for an entire fleet to bomb this place to oblivion!" "Your transmission was broken up." The group then turned to see Shepard approaching them, Tali, Garrus, and Kaidan all following behind the commander. "Unfortunately, the part where you asked for a fleet was probably lost in the static." The salarian's eyes darkened, and he looked at the commander with a faint glare for a few seconds. He then shook his head, a frown settling on his face. "Well, this took a turn for the worse," he said. "It seems like it," said Shepard. He then looked over. "Should we contact the Council?" "No," said the salarian. "Your disturbance will bring them to us, and we can't delay in destroying this base. I've already held it off long enough waiting for reinforcements, we'll have to work with what we have now. I'll need some time to formulate a plan." He then looked at the others. "Give me a minute or two, Commander. Come see me at precisely that time. I'll have started to work out a plan by then." With this, the salarian turned away, casting a wary look at Wrex. As soon as he did this, the Commander looked over at the rest of his ground team. "Good," Shepard said. "He had requested a Fleet to come down on this place. I was beginning to think he hadn't." "Why do you say that?" asked Liara as she leaned forward. "I have a feeling this may require something drastic," said Shepard. "But then, you didn't see the kind of geth we were dealing with. The geth were swarming this place." "They were," Kaidan stepped forward. "It's a miracle the salarians carved something like this out of all those geth." "Well, they are STG," Ashley pointed out as she stepped forward. "It wouldn't surprise me if they managed to do that." She then looked around the area. "So, Commander, should we talk to the captain of this unit?" "I think so," said Shepard. He then turned to Kaidan. "Ashley, Kaidan, you're with me. Everyone else, stand by until I call you again." Jodie nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, bowing her head respectfully. Ashley bowed her head, and then everyone else chorused a 'yes, sir' as Shepard walked over to where the salarian captain had wandered off. Jodie watched as they left, before turning her attention to the others. "Well, we're here," she said. "Might as well make ourselves comfortable." "Yes, that sounds like a good idea," said Liara. "Come. Let's go." And with this, the remaining ground team members stepped away from the Normandy, spreading out around the beach in silence.
Jodie, of course, had wandered over to an area near the beach. She looked up, hearing Aiden chirp happily as she took a couple of steps into the water. In the distance, she heard the rolling of thunder, even seeing the copious amounts of black cloud off in the distance. Around where she was, though, the sun shone rather brightly, and this was something Aiden was quite pleased about. Yeah, she thought in response to some of his chirping. It does seem like a nice place, huh? Aiden chirped in the affirmative, prompting Jodie to sit right there at the shoreline. Her brows furrowed as she thought a little bit. Aiden... you think things will be all right here? Jodie was greeted by silence. Her frown only deepened, and then she found herself looking up at the sun. After an agonizing few seconds, Jodie heard Aiden click, the click soft and dim. She nodded, turning her attention to the waves that lapped at her feet. Her gaze softened just a touch as she looked at the waves, and then she brought one of her feet forward, her foot tapping the edge of the waves. Still, it's nice scenery, Jodie replied, giving Aiden a small smile. And after all, we need that a little more around here, don't we? Aiden clicked his agreement, before Jodie heard a whoosh of sound. A short distance away, Jodie could see something splash in the water. It went by quickly enough that nobody really noticed, but Jodie saw it clear as anything else, particularly in the way that nothing seemed to act on it. Jodie chuckled in amusement. Come on, Aiden, we've got people watching, she rebuked, though her smile remained and her eyes maintained the twinkle they had when she saw the splash appear. Don't want them to see you, now, do you? Aiden gurgled in feigned despair, which made Jodie's smile widen. She looked up, pulling her legs up to her chest as she watched the air around her. And then, she heard someone yelling angrily. She turned to the source of the angry yelling, her happy expression vanishing as she looked on. The yelling seemed to escalate, and while Jodie could still not make out any words, she had a feeling something very serious had just happened. She turned, still keeping close to the waves as she noticed that others around the camp had started to pay attention to the noise. And then, she watched Wrex storm away from a nearby tent, his steps throwing up copious amounts of sand as he walked straight towards the shore line. At this, Jodie pushed herself to her feet, watching the krogan stomp off towards the shore. Jodie looked up at Aiden in confusion. What was...? She then looked out to where Wrex had stormed from, seeing Ashley, Shepard, and Kaidan stepping out. The salarian commander stepped out shortly after, and it was then that Jodie turned to the krogan, who looked out at the vast sea before them. Jodie could see his fists still clenched in rage, and that the krogan's gaze retained a hint of anger. Jodie hesitantly looked at the krogan, before glancing back at Shepard and the others. She then turned her attention back to Wrex, before sighing and looking up at Aiden. I guess you don't know what happened. Aiden clicked once, and Jodie nodded. Hm... she thought. Maybe we should talk to him, see what's bothering him. She then walked over, seeing Ashley move over for a second. As she approached the large krogan, Jodie swallowed a lump in her throat, her footsteps splashing in the water as she approached. "Wrex?" she asked, looking back at the tent. "Wrex, did something happen?" "Leave me alone, runt," he replied, his voice harsher than usual. Jodie looked back at the tent, seeing that Ashley was standing off to the side as if expecting something. As her eyes wandered, she also noticed that Shepard looked as if he had been hoping to talk to Wrex, but that he had stopped at some point, watching the two of them. Jodie felt her heartbeat quicken as she then turned back to the krogan, watching the way he looked at the waves beyond the rocks. "Something happened in there," she said. "I can sense it." Wrex growled, turning to face Jodie. "Saren has a cure for the genophage," he said. Jodie frowned, looking at the krogan in confusion. "Wait, what?" She then walked forward, looking at Wrex. "He has a cure...? Is that why I've heard you guys have run into krogan on occasion while fighting the geth?" "It seems like it," said Wrex. "Oh my God..." She glanced down at the ground. She then frowned, a thought occurring to her. Wait a minute... "He's the only one who has this cure." "Yes," said Wrex. "And these salarians want to destroy it." Jodie blinked, looking off to the side. Aiden... you don't think... "Wrex..." she said softly. He then turned to Jodie. "These short sighted fools want to destroy something that will help my people," said Wrex, his voice getting more impassioned. "Help me here, Jodie. You have to make them see that we can't destroy this cure." Jodie frowned, looking back at Ashley to see her watching the confrontation intently. Jodie then turned back to Wrex, her breath coming a little faster. "Before I can think about doing that, Wrex, there's something I have to ask you about this." Wrex frowned. "So you're going to take the Commander's side, are you?" he asked. "Wrex, listen to me, please," she said. "I know this cure is important for your people, but you'd really be willing to trust that Saren would do right by you?" "Maybe," said said Wrex as he then stepped closer to Jodie. Shepard stared Jodie directly in the eyes, a gesture that Jodie had some trouble meeting at first. However, when she looked into his eyes, she found it easier: his eyes were narrowed not in fury, but in confusion: she could tell from the way that his eyes were dilated that he was conflicted about it. "I've stayed with Shepard long enough, and he thinks the cure should be destroyed, too. I've followed you here, even dealing with that damn turian with the stick up his ass. I'm not going to follow Shepard if I feel he's going to destroy that cure for the wrong reasons." Jodie nodded. "Look, Wrex, I-" And then, Jodie stepped back in surprise as Wrex pulled his shotgun out, aiming it right at Jodie. Her eyes widened, Aiden trilling in alarm at Wrex's action. "I won't hesitate to turn on all of you now if it comes to that," Wrex replied. "And if you're going to take the Commander's side, then you'll go down as well." As Aiden clicked once, Jodie shook her head, stepping back into a regular position. "And what's that going to do?" she asked. "If you turn on us now, you'll just get gunned down. Not even a krogan can stand up against this many soldiers." "I'd rather go down fighting than destroy this genophage cure," said Wrex. Jodie shook her head. "And nothing about this seems odd to you?" Jodie asked, looking at Wrex. "You don't think that somewhere, in Saren's twisted little mind, he knows that every krogan would jump at the chance to be given that genophage cure?" She then stepped towards Wrex, Aiden humming low. "The way it sounds to me, it sounds like Saren's trying to manipulate you into joining him. Once you have that cure, he sounds like the kind of man who'd use you as his puppets." She shook her head, glancing at Ashley. The gunnery chief stood there, watching the confrontation in silence, but looking on at Jodie proudly. "I've been in that position before, Wrex," Jodie replied. "Ashley is the only one that knows about it, but I've been used to kill people my employers didn't like before." She then turned her attention to Wrex. "And as someone who knows what it's like to be used to do someone else's dirty work, I think you'd be making a mistake if you sided with Saren. I don't think you want your people to be turned into puppets. I'm right about that, right?" Wrex paused, the air thick with tension as Wrex sized Jodie. Jodie stared at the shotgun barrel, feeling nervous not that Wrex would shoot, but at what Wrex's shot would mean. She had not interacted with the krogan very much, but even so she still felt a responsibility to the krogan that outweighed all else. After all, they were comerades, if nothing else: Jodie felt a responsibility towards Wrex in that way, one that was only compounded by the fact that she could see Shepard standing with his assault rifle at the ready in case Wrex fired the shot. And so, she watched the krogan, her muscles stiff with tension. Finally, Wrex huffed. "Yes," he said. "We were tools for the Council, once. And to thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren would be as generous." He then stood there for a few more seconds, Jodie feeling her heartbeat speed up as she looked directly at the krogan. He then lowered his shotgun, storing it back as he stood back up to full height. "All right, you've made your case, runt," he said. "I don't like it, but you bring up a good point." He then glanced back at Shepard. "I'll talk to him before now. He better be willing to give me Saren's head when this is all over." Jodie let out a sigh of relief, looking up at the krogan. "Good," she said. "I'm sorry about your cure, Wrex. Maybe... Maybe if we find one in the future..." Wrex nodded grimly, turning back to Shepard. "Let's hope there is one," he said darkly, his brows furrowed in sorrow. He then walked back towards Shepard, his gait slow and purposeful. Aiden clicked softly as Jodie watched him walk away, the young woman standing there. She took a step towards Wrex, but thought better of saying anything more. And so, she watched as Wrex walked over to the Commander, the two of them talking. As she saw the commander nod, she heard footsteps next to her. "Glad you talked him down," said Ashley. "Shepard was going to do it himself, but then you walked up to him." Jodie nodded, turning to face Ashley. "I was just worried," Jodie replied. "I wasn't expecting to have to do... that." "Even so, I'm glad you did," Ashley replied. "Shepard will need every friend he can get to kill Saren." She then looked at Jodie. "I guess it helps that I'm pretty sure you weren't in danger." Jodie shook her head, the side of her lip curling up. "I wasn't," she replied. "But at the same time, he would've been gunned down if he had turned. I didn't want that." "Fair enough," Ashley replied. She then looked over to the Commander. "I should get over there. The Commander of these STG guys said he might need to talk to us before we set off." "So he has a plan," said Jodie. "Pretty sure he does," Ashley replied. "Only thing left is to see how successful it is."
Jodie had walked over to a quiet part after speaking with Wrex. She found herself looking out at the area around them again, exhaling deeply as she looked out around them. Her mind was once again buzzing, though this time it was more out of worry about the mission than any worries about Shepard. Jodie found herself looking out to the planet around her, wondering what the salarian commander's plan was. Whatever it was, it was likely something drastic, however: that much, she could tell from the way Wrex had nearly turned on the group. And in the end, Jodie knew that there were more important things to be worrying about than Shepard. Saren was still a threat, and she knew that she could not ignore Saren in favor of Shepard right then. After all, there was much more she could do about Saren. She blinked upon hearing some sand shift close by. She turned, looking up at Commander Shepard. "Holmes," he said. Jodie looked at him before standing up. "Hello Shepard," she said. She then looked at the commander, resisting the urge to swallow. "Do you need me for anything?" "Yes, but first things first," said Shepard. He then bowed his head. "Thank you for talking to Wrex. I would have done so myself, but you were closer. I'm glad you got through to him." Jodie nodded, glancing to the side. "He's... a friend," Jodie said. "I was just worried." "Be that as it may, you still did something good for all of us," said Shepard. He then looked down. "Though, he may have mentioned you had similar experiences?" Jodie's gaze turned to the ground, one of her hands gripping her arm. "It's far in the past," she replied. "If... I'd rather not talk about it." "I see." The commander crossed his arms. "I asked Ashley, but she told me not to worry about it. And either way, you acted for the good of the ground team. You'll be on the ground team this mission. Liara and Tali are with us as well." Jodie nodded. "Of course, Commander," she said, giving him a nod. She then looked over. "What's the plan?" "Kirrahe will take Ashley and his STG group to act as a distraction," Shepard replied. "While he does that, we'll infiltrate and disable the anti-air guns that would keep the Normandy away from the center of the base. Once there, the plan is to plant an improvised nuke in a specific spot, and then to get the hell out of dodge." Jodie nodded. "And Wrex is okay with this?" she asked. "Yes," said Shepard. "He doesn't like it, but he won't stop us." Jodie nodded. "Then I'll be ready whenever you are, Commander," she replied. "Good," said Shepard. "Kirrahe was going to deploy soon. And once he is deployed, we will be deployed too." "I guess this 'Kirrahe' guy is the salarian's commander?" Jodie asked. "Yes," said Shepard. "Come on. We should get ready." And with this, the commander walked away. Jodie remained still, glancing back out to the area with the thunderstorms. She saw a last flash of lightning off in the distance, and she could hear the deep rumble of thunder quietly roll in. She looked down at the waves, sighing as she looked over. It was then that Aiden clicked. Jodie looked up, nodding. Don't worry, Aiden, I'll be careful, she said.
Aiden chirped in the affirmative, and then Jodie set off to where she saw all the salarians and the Normandy's ground team gather.
Jodie landed, her hand splaying out on the ground beneath her as she looked up nervously. However, she snapped out of it, quickly drawing her assault rifle as she looked at Liara. She heard some comms chatter from Shepard, before she herself adjusted her own comm unit. "-ou copy?" she heard. "We copy," said Shepard. "Good," said the salarian voice, obviously Kirrahe. "We will start our attack now. Be on the lookout for anything that can help us." "Will do," said Shepard. "Ashley, be vigilant." "Yes, sir," Ashley replied on the other end of the line. Jodie nodded as the group walked forward. As they did this, Liara looked to the others. "Is anyone else nervous about this?" the asari asked. "I know I am," said Jodie. "But as long as we're giving it all we've got, we should be fine." "And who knows?" Tali asked. "We may finally have some answers." "That's true," said Liara. "Sorry. I was just worried." "Worry later," said Shepard as he advanced. Jodie looked up, and saw a geth unit up on the nearby walkway. "Come on. Let's disable that AA gun." Shepard then rushed forward, firing his assault rifle at the geth unit as he ran up the stairs. This caught the geth by surprise, but before Jodie could add anything else she noticed that there were several other geth units immediately in front of them. She thus brought her assault rifle to bear, firing a volley at the geth unit just beyond the one Shepard shot down. Her own rifle brought its shields down, but before she could take it down herself she saw a shower of sparks explode from the geth's flashlight head. She looked over, seeing Tali with her pistol out and her omni-tool open. Tali then advanced, taking cover behind a nearby outcropping as Jodie followed her. She fired an assault rifle at a geth unit further down the walkway, and it was only then that Jodie noticed that the pathway turned to the left. As she noticed this, however, she saw rounds impact against her shields. She dove into cover just in time to avoid breaking her shields, before she fired a volley of assault rifle fire at the geth unit, taking it down immediately. She looked forward, seeing Shepard take another geth unit down. That was when she saw a red-plated geth running up to the group. She fired a few rounds from it, but then she noticed that the red-tinted geth held something a little larger than a standard assault rifle. As she noticed this, the red geth fired, and then Jodie saw something heading towards them with what she immediately recognized was a smoke trail from a rocket. "Shit! Get down!" She then ducked, the rocket sailing above her overhead. However, it impacted against something behind her, and before she knew it Jodie's shields were down. Jodie felt nothing else, however, and so she raised her assault rifle again, firing at the red trooper wildly. The trooper's shields disappeared, but before Jodie could deal the finishing blow she watched as another rocket was launched. She looked over, and barely jumped out of the way in time as she felt the force of a closer explosion. Jodie then looked up, still reeling slightly from the blow. As she did this, she watched as the red geth unit was launched backwards into a whole series of geth troopers. She briefly saw the blue aura that surrounded it, and then she watched as Shepard charged forward, Liara trailing behind. Jodie nodded, quickly scrambling to her feet and following the both of them as they turned down the turn on the walkway. She then fell into step, looking on as she saw another red-tinted unit. "Go for the red one!" Jodie shouted. "It's got rockets!" "We noticed!" Shepard replied. Even so, however, Jodie watched as Shepard fired directly at the red geth. She then watched as this geth was also thrown back, but this time it did not clatter into any geth behind it. It also stood right up, but Jodie heard a pistol shot from behind her, and the red geth collapsed at the same time. Jodie nodded, turning her fire towards a geth trooper that rushed straight at the group. This one went down, and it was then that she noticed the path turning off to the right further down. She then glanced to the right, and quickly turned her assault rifle towards the pathway opposite where they were. It was just in time, too, for she was able to open fire on one of the red geth units, right as it was preparing to fire a rocket. Jodie's sudden action alerted Tali immediately, and she thrusted her omni-tool arm out. Jodie watched as more sparks rained from the red-tinted geth, which caused the geth to aim down at the walkway. Jodie jumped a little as the rocket exploded right at the geth's feet. She quickly regained her bearings, though, and looked at the carnage that the geth had left off. However, as she looked at it, she noticed something else further in the distance: it appeared to be some kind of large platform off in the distance, and from the distance she was at, she thought she could see numerous geth units. There was some kind of watchtower-like edifice that was constructed there, and from there she could see several geth. She then pointed at the platform she saw, glancing ahead of the group to make sure there were no geth . "Shepard, that looks important over there." Shepard looked at where Jodie pointed, while the commander stood rather quietly. "Hm... There are a lot of geth over there." "Maybe it's important," said Liara as she looked over there. "Should we investigate it?" "Kirrahe did tell us to look out for anything that might help him," said Tali. "That could help him." "Then we'll be investigating that," Shepard replied, turning down the pathway and running along it quickly. "Come on." And with this, Jodie, Liara, and Tali all followed Shepard down the pathway, the group shooting any geth that got in their way. As they got closer to the platform, though, Jodie looked up at the geth at the top of the watchtower. Shepard, seeming to sense Jodie's trepidation, grabbed a little disc out from his utility belt. "Everyone, keep your heads down!" Shepard shouted. He then threw the disc as hard as he could, the disc sailing into the openings left by the watch-tower like construction. Jodie counted down a few seconds, watching as the geth inside turned their attention to where she assumed the disc was. However, the opening of the watchtower was rocked by an explosion, geth parts sailing out of the opening and onto the platform around them. The geth surrounding the platform took a second to look up as if confused. Jodie took advantage of the distraction, slamming her back against a nearby crate before immediately coming up and opening fire. She quickly took down a single geth unit, turning her attention to another when she saw its flashlight explode in sparks. Jodie then turned around, looking ahead to see more geth troopers coming. She turned, firing her assault rifle in their direction in such a way that the rounds just missed their targets. None of the shots connected, but Jodie did force them into cover. This momentary lapse in geth-based caused a brief respite for the team, and as Jodie repositioned while firing she caught sight of Tali and Shepard climbing into the watchtower. Liara was still on the same level as Jodie, and Jodie saw Liara throw what looked like a ball of dark violet energy right at the geth. She watched the ball impact against the floor, and right as soon as it did she saw all the geth in the area levitate, slowly moving around the ball on the ground. Jodie blinked, not wasting any time. She brought her assault rifle to bear, firing at a single geth unit. She watched its head light go out, and immediately turned to fire at another unit caught in whatever it was Liara had done. She fired wildly, but before she could do much else her weapon beeped loudly. Swearing loudly, Jodie retreated behind the crate she had taken cover behind, switching to her pistol quickly and resuming her fire. She managed to take down a geth trooper with the pistol, before she saw another disc fly into the incoming group. Jodie ducked under cover, and then she heard (and felt) the resulting explosion immediately afterwards. She then looked behind her, seeing Tali and Shepard descending from the watch tower. She then stood up, glancing behind her to see there were no further geth incoming. As soon as she saw this, Jodie turned back, walking towards Shepard as Liara joined her. "Was there anything in there?" she asked. "Yes," said Tali. Shepard nodded, giving Tali a coy smile. "Let's just say these geth are going to have a hard time coordinating for a while," he said. "There were communications in there, I take it," said Liara. "And Tali just made scrambled eggs of all of them," Shepard replied. He then nodded, turning his attention to Jodie. "Good eyes, Holmes. Keep them peeled." Jodie nodded. "Thank you, sir," she said. She then turned ahead, looking down the path. "We should get going, shouldn't we?" "Yes, we should," said Shepard. "Come on!" Shepard then rushed forward. The three women looked at each other for a second, and then they turned and followed Shepard into what would undoubtedly be more firefights.
The group fought their way into the base methodically, finally finding a way in that they were all too keen to follow. The whole time, they had to deal with more and more geth running in, but after a certain point time it became rather routine for them to run into more geth. And so, the group pressed on. It was when they finally reached a lower level filled with several holding cells that things changed quite a bit. And it was a change Jodie noticed almost immediately as they walked past some of the cells. Jodie looked inside, frowning at what she saw. In one cell, there was a single salarian, standing around with an air of eerie calm surrounding him. Jodie then looked to the very next cell, seeing a few more salarians, all of them milling about quietly. The stares of all the salarians were blank, however, and Jodie could sense no light being reflected from them even though the room was brightly lit. But more than anything, they stood perfectly still, more still than Jodie thought any living thing was capable of standing. Jodie felt a shiver crawl down her spine as she approached the cell with the single salarian. As she got closer, Aiden trilled quietly, the sound low and foreboding. Jodie had to fight back a nod as Shepard, Tali, and Liara joined her in front of the cell. It took the salarian a few seconds to register their presence. As soon as he did, though, he turned sharply towards them, so sharply that Jodie jumped. "What do you want? I told you everything I-!" he said, his voice frantic and quick. The salarian then paused, his eyes focusing as he stood perfectly still. "Who are you? Alliance, right? I knew someone would come. It tried to break me, but it couldn't! I shut it out!" "Whoah," said Jodie. "Slow down, please." Shepard nodded. "We need to know where you came from," Shepard said. "Slow down. Were you part of Kirrahe's unit?" "Yes, sir," said the salarian, his speech faster than ever. "Private Menos Avat of the Third Infiltration Regiment STG, sir! Captured while on reconnaissance six days ago!" Tali frowned, leaning forward. "Is it me, or is his speech a little fast even for a salarian?" she asked. "No, it's pretty fast for me too," said Jodie. Aiden chirped his agreement, before gurgling a little more. Shepard then crossed his arms in front of him. "What did they ask you?" he asked. "Nothing, sir," he said. "Just whispers and cutting and probing from these bastards. It was nothing but incessant whispering." "Just whispers and..." Liara paused, looking at Shepard. "Oh no, don't tell me they were experimenting on these salarians with..." "Benezia described whatever Saren did to her like he was whispering in her mind, didn't she?" Jodie asked as she turned her attention to the asari. "She did..." said Liara. "Goddess, how many people can this flagship affect?" "Flagship?" the salarian asked. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just want some payback on the bastards. I need to get out!" Jodie bit her lower lip, looking at the salarian's black stare. The whole time, the salarian's expression had remained completely neutral and unreadable, and apart from the inflections of the speech, there was nothing to indicate that the salarian had any sort orf emotional attachment to what he said. Jodie felt her skin crawl at the way he stood perfectly still, not even moving his arms. Jodie stepped back. "I'm not sure that's safe, Commander," she said. "Something is off about this guy." "Off?" asked the salarian, his voice strained as he spoke more and more rapidly. "Nothing's off about me. I'm just angry, annoyed, irritated. I want to get the bastards who did this to me! How can you not see that?" "We've seen this kind of thing before," said Shepard. He shook his head. "He could die if we don't let him out," said Liara. "But at the same time..." She shook her head, sadly. "Death would be a kinder mercy than whatever it is my mother went through. Than what this salarian probably did as well." Shepard nodded grimly. "We'll need to leave him in there," he said. "I'm sorry, Liara." Liara nodded. "I understand, Commander," she said. "It does not mean I like it, but I understand." "Trust me, I don't like it either," said Shepard as he walked away from the cell with the single salarian. "I'll make whatever did that too him pay." "No!" the salarian shouted, only then moving as Jodie turned away. "Don't leave me here! Not with the whispers! I need to get out! I need to do what they say! Let me out! Let me out!" Jodie did not stay behind as she walked away. She closed her eyes, letting out a shakey breath. In the next second, Aiden clicked, the click certain and positive in a sense. Jodie sighed. Yeah, she thought. That was probably the right thing to do. They then walked over to the next cell, which also housed a couple other salarians. Most of them milled around on the ground, but there was one who had stood up and walked towards the front of the cell. He had turned his gaze to the cell next to him as the rantings of the odd salarian began to subside eerily. Shepard then approached this cell, looking at the salarian in the front of it. "I think you made the right call there," the salarian began, his voice sounding resigned. "He hasn't been the same since they isolated him." "They isolated him?" Shepard asked. "And a few others," he replied. "Lieutenant Ganto Imness of the Third Infiltration Regiment, captured during recon." He then looked up. "Since you're here, I assume you were called in to destroy the base?" "We were," said Shepard. "Commander Shepard. Alliance Navy." The salarian nodded. "Good," he said. "Maybe now this place will be destroyed." He looked down. "My team was separated, indoctrinated." "Indoctrinated?" said Tali. "To serve Saren?" "No," the salarian replied. "There were... there were a lot of people in lab coats. Some were asari, actually. They took some of us away, and then... they did experiments. Indoctrinated them and poked around their mind." Jodie blinked, looking at the others. "Wait... Saren is indoctrinating these people, and then he's testing them?" "That sounds awfully odd for someone who indoctrinates others himself," Liara replied. She then turned to the salarian. "Do you know why they were doing it?" "No," replied the salarian with a shake of his head. "I've been in here ever since they began experimenting on my men. And the scientists never hover close enough to this cell for me to catch any references to why they're doing this. I think that, even though he uses it, he doesn't fully understand it." "So no matter what, it's still weird," said Jodie. "Why would he use something he doesn't understand? That sounds so strange..." "It does," said Tali. "Unless..." Shepard paused, looking over at his squadmates. "No, that's ridiculous," he said. "It has to be Saren. He must be in control of whatever it is they're doing here." Aiden gave a flat click in response. Jodie swallowed a little harder than usual, and it helped her avoid giving the glare that she would have directed at Aiden otherwise. "M-maybe," Jodie said. "After all, who's heard of a starship with its own mind?" She shook her head. "This does seem like a weird detail, though." She then looked over at the other salarians. "Are they indoctrinated?" "No," said the lieutenant. "Any salarians they've indoctrinated were taken out of this cell already. You've already seen what happened to one of them. We should be harmless, though." Shepard nodded. "I'm letting you out of your cell, then," he said. "You're on your own after that point, though." "Don't look back and hope to outrun the blast, hm?" the salarian asked. "A better chance than I had before you showed up." "Indeed it is," said Shepard as he moved to opening the gate. "Thank you for that information. We may have to think on it after Virmire." "That would be best," said Liara. "Maybe we'll run into something that will provide us with answers..." "You may, where I failed," said Ganto as the cell door opened. "Thank you, Commander. And good luck. You'll need it." With this, Ganto exited the cell, the remainin two salarians perking up and standing. They then walked up, and right as they passed the nearest cell the ranting of the indoctrinated salarian began again. The three salarians ignored it, however, and they walked forwards, picking up their pace as they reached the doorway back to where Shepard and the group had come from. Jodie looked over at Liara. "I don't like the sound of what we just heard," she said. "Neither do I," said Shepard. "I should've expected Saren would turn out to be an idiot as well as an enemy of the Council." He then shook his head, giving a contemptful scoff. "Come on. Let's be on the lookout for anything that can help us put that puzzle together." "Yes sir," Jodie replied, drawing her assault rifle again as the others drew their weapons. They then followed Shepard to the opposite end of the hangar, Aiden giving off soft clicks every so often as they ventured deeper into the facility.
Jodie shot her rifle at one of the red-tinted units, but before she could take it down, it fired its rocket into the group. With a loud gasp, Jodie quickly retreated behind cover, the rocket sailing past her and impacting on the far wall before she leaned out of cover again. As she did, though, she saw the red trooper explode in a shower of sparks, though Jodie wasted no time turning her attention to a regular geth trooper. The geth had been rather easily taken care of after they'd encountered the trapped salarians. They had bumped into an asari doctor earlier who was working for Saren. The group had let her go after she gave them a map to get deeper into the base, and so far Jodie noticed that they had not been led astray by the map. If the number of geth units around them was any indication, Jodie felt they could only get closer to where they needed to go. And as this thought came to mind, Jodie turned, firing at a geth trooper. The trooper was taken down by her pretty quickly, and she was able to watch as another geth trooper flew past her line of sight, the blue aura of biotics giving her some idea of whose attack it was. And then, Jodie heard a loud roar. Jodie's hair stood on end, and then she looked up behind the units of geth to see something large come barreling right at them. She thought she saw someone fire some rounds at the thing, but Jodie saw the rounds bounce off the shields. Immediately, she heard two other roars just like it, and looked behind to see two more of them rushing at the group. They were big, they were ugly, and at that moment Jodie wished Wrex had come along. "Krogan!" she shouted, turning her fire towards the krogan that was barreling straight at her. However, even though the krogan's shield was down, Jodie's shot did nothing to stop the rampaging krogan that was running at her. Jodie stepped out of cover to run back, but as she readied her pistol to fire the krogan gained on her, hitting her pistol away from her with a rather violent slap of his hand. Jodie let out a cry of pain at this, her arms flaring up in pain as her pistol clattered to the side. Jodie opened her eyes, seeing the krogan bring his shotgun to bear. Instinctively, Jodie leapt to the side, ignoring the pain in her arms as adrenalin coursed through her veins. A split second later, she heard the loud report of the shotgun, the brunt of the impact which was taken by her shields. She landed a split second later, feeling the pain shoot up her arms. She bit her lower lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. It was the only way she could keep from screaming. Come on, keep it together... you've gotta take this guy down somehow! she thought. She then scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her arms as another shotgun blast went off where she had been barely a short while ago. She then stood up, looking directly at the krogan in front of her as it snarled in annoyance. He then turned the shotgun towards her, but before he could pull the trigger Jodie's training came in. She rushed towards the shotgun, gripping it hard. She held her grip despite the pain that flared in her arms, though she nearly lost her grip after the krogan pulled the trigger and the recoil caused the pain to get worse. Thinking quickly, Jodie brought her head back, before instantly snapping it forward and headbutting the krogan hard enough to cause the krogan to let out a grunt. Before the krogan could retaliate, Jodie repeated the motion quickly, and this time she yanked back on the shotgun. She was rewarded with the krogan stumbling backwards, a look of surprise on his features. Jodie barely had any time to savor it, however, for she then felt the world seem to pull itself out from under her. She stumbled back, dropping the shotgun before steadying herself against the ground. She shook her head, groaning in pain as she looked back at the krogan. The krogan had stood up, glaring at Jodie fiercely. "You're a feisty one," he said. "At least I'll get a good fight out of this before you die!" Jodie spat despite the pain she felt in her arms and head. "I'd like to see you try, motherfucker!" she replied. The krogan bellowed, before rushing back at her. As he approached, though, Jodie rolled right underneath the krogan, bowling him over as this allowed her to get a grip on the shotgun. She then stood up, her legs shaking somewhat from the dizziness she felt from the action. She was too slow to act, however, and so when the krogan grabbed the barrel and ripped the shotgun out of Jodie's grip, Jodie felt herself get pulled forward. Jodie stumbled to the ground, rolling as she looked up in pain. Not one to give up, she quickly got back to her feet, stepping back from the krogan as he stalked towards her. She looked up, hearing Aiden chirp in concern. She frowned back at the krogan a second later, looking at the krogan as he approached. The krogan then let out a roar, charging straight at Jodie. Jodie only gave a subtle nod, steeling herself for impact. And then, the shotgun off to the side catapaulted into Jodie's hands. Jodie gripped it, turning right at the krogan as his eyes widened in surprise. The krogan did not have any time to react, however, for Jodie immediately fired the shotgun, the rounds doing noticeable damage to the krogan's armor. Jodie knew it was not enough, though, so she fired the shotgun again, this round stopping the krogan in its tracks. Jodie then fired the shotgun four more times, each round hitting true, before the fourth round finally caused the krogan to fall over. Jodie paused, looking at the krogan again as it remained unmoving. Jodie fired two more times anyway to make sure it stayed down. Never can tell with something that size, she thought. And then, the adrenaline wore off, and the pain in her arms returned. She let out a groan of pain, dropping the shotgun before finally lifting her arms to get a good look. It was only then that Jodie realized that her left fore-arm was bent in a place it probably should not have been bent. Her eyes widened at this, but she noticed as well that there was no bone sticking out either. Still, she knew her left arm would be incapacitated before she could see Dr. Chakwas to fix it. She then turned her attention to her right arm, which looked unharmed: it still hurt quite a bit, but since the pain there had numbed Jodie assumed that she would just have a large bruise on that arm for some time. She then looked beyond, seeing Tali and Shepard finish off one of the other krogan. Liara was already running over, and Jodie noticed that there was a dead krogan there already. Liara immediately approached, looking at Jodie's arm. "Goddess," she said. "How did that happen?" "Got smacked in the arm by a krogan," said Jodie with a light chuckle. Liara nodded, opening her omni-tool. After a few seconds, she felt the pain in her left arm numb considerably, and she nodded gratefully. "You'll probably have to get that looked at by Dr. Chakwas," Liara replied. "I know," said Jodie. She then looked forward, hearing a loud gunshot as Shepard and Tali finally disposed of the krogan. "We need to keep moving. There's more we have to do." Liara nodded. "There is," she said. "Let's regroup and get going." Liara and Jodie then walked over to Shepard, who was wiping his forehead from the strain. As she moved along, Jodie picked up her pistol from where it had clattered to the side. I hope I can fire this thing with one hand, she thought. I'm going to have to do that for the remainder of the mission now. Aiden clicked in agreement, and with this, Jodie holstered the pistol as she approached Shepard.
Eventually, the group found themselves in an elevator that took them down very quickly. The group had gone through quite a few more enemies before reaching that point, though Jodie had thankfully been able to haul her own weight around despite her broken arm. Her shots were still somewhat steady, a fact even she had a difficult time believing considering that she only had one hand available to shoot with, and even if they were not the geth were usually finished quickly enough anyway where that was not so much an issue. And thus, it was that they found themselves heading down, in an area without any geth in it. The elevator ride down was quiet, Jodie nursing her left arm. The pain had been numbed considerably by then, but Jodie found herself caressing it from time to time. She had half a mind to berate Aiden for not healing her arm completely since she knew Aiden was more than capable of doing that, but she also knew that Shepard's proximity to her posed a problem. So she kept quiet. Eventually, the elevator arrived at its destination. And then, Jodie and the group walked out into a rather small room with two levels. On the upper level, Jodie saw a control panel of some kind, with a good amount of space for what she figured would be a holographic projection. However, down in the second level Jodie saw something else: it was a tall spire, with green light emanating out from the base. She also saw that the base was quite a bit wider than the spire. Liara instantly started. "Shepard, it's a beacon," she said. Jodie looked on. "That's a prothean beacon?" she asked. "Yes," said Shepard. He then frowned. "If it's here, Saren must have had a reason for keeping it around." "He must have," said Tali. "Should you really be taking in a beacon's vision?" "It'll help us take down Saren," Shepard replied as he walked down the ramp to the second level. "Come on." The rest of the group followed him down without another word. The group then approached the beacon, Jodie watching as Shepard stepped forward. He seemed to approach the beacon with a little bit of trepidation: Jodie could not say she blamed Shepard for that. The commander eventually stepped towards the beacon, the eerie green light at the base forming a silhouette around the commander. Jodie then watched as he splayed his hands forward, hearing a beep. A second later, a bright green light formed right at the base of the beacon, the light almost turning white as the greenish aura began to collect. Before long, Jodie saw the commander get lifted about an inch or two into the air, and he remained floating there. Aiden instantly chirped before Jodie could ask, but all Jodie could do was watch as the light brightened immensely, Shepard throwing his head back. Finally, after a tense few seconds, whatever it was that had held Shepard in place released the commander, and he fell to his knees. Tali immediately rushed over to the commander, kneeling beside him as the commander breathed in and out. "Shepard, are you all right?" Tali asked. Shepard breathed in a few times, looking back at Tali on the last exhale. "I'm fine," he said. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have my usual bearings back." "What information did you get this time?" Liara asked. "I don't know," said Shepard. "We'll have to analyze it back on the Normandy. For now, we should get a move on." Jodie nodded, turning around. "Yeah, we should-" And then she looked up towards the top of the second level, seeing a hologram with a particularly unsettling shade of scarlet directly above them. She could not make out any distinct shapes from the lower level, but something about the red hologram above caused a small shiver to climb up Jodie's arms. Jodie blinked, pointing up at the red holograms. "What happened up there?" she asked. The others followed Jodie's finger, all of them seeing the the red holograms. "That doesn't look good," said Tali. She then looked at the others. "Do you think we can-?" "I don't think we can avoid it, no," said Shepard. He then looked to the others. "Let's see what that's about." Shepard then walked up, Tali following without hesitation. Liara and Jodie hesitated, Liara turning to Jodie with a brow equivalent that was pulled back. "I don't know if this is a good idea," said Liara. Jodie sighed, before following Shepard up. "I don't think it is either, but we're not going to get any answers down here," she said. "Come on. Let's see what this is all about." And with this, Jodie walked up the walkway, Liara following behind immediately. They then approached, watching as another form appeared, also in a bright scarlet. This time, though, the form looked like a large monster. Jodie felt a shudder travel down her spine just from looking at it, the tentacle-like appendages flaring out. However, as she looked on, Jodie thought she could see something largely mechanical about it, too. "You are not Saren." Jodie gasped, jumping up slightly at the loud, boomy voice that spoke. She looked around, her eyes wide before her gaze settled on the hologram once again. "W-what is that?" Jodie asked. "It looks like some kind of VI interface," Liara replied. "Rudimentary creatures," the voice replied, Jodie feeling the chills race down her spine even faster. "You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."
"I don't think this is a VI..." Tali said, her voice trailing off. "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it," the voice replied, the tentacles on the hologram moving again. "Oh, I don't know," Shepard replied. "I think I could imagine something like it. Just imagine a regular acid trip if it were animated, right?" "You should not speak in jest to one who is beyond your comprehension," the voice replied. "I am Sovereign!" Shepard paused. "Wait... Sovereign isn't just a Reaper ship Saren found," he said. He then stepped forward. "It's an actual Reaper!" "Reaper?" Sovereign replied. "A label created by the Protheans to voice their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are." "The Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago!" Liara replied. "You could not have been there! It's impossible!" "Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident," Sovereign replied. "Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything." Aiden chirped an objection, but Jodie dared not voice it. She looked directly at the hologram as Shepard stepped forward. "So?" he asked. "In case you haven't noticed, we have an entire galaxy standing on the sidelines. I'm pretty sure they'll stand up when they see that all organic life is set to be destroyed by a bunch of talking machines." "Confidence borne of ignorance," Sovereign replied. "The cycle cannot be broken." "Cycle?" Jodie looked over at Liara. "Cycle... So you were the reason the Protheans vanished, then!" She turned to Sovereign's hologram, pointing at it. "Just like what Shepard's visions implied!" "Why would you destroy the Protheans?" Liara asked. "They are but a whisper of another cycle," Sovereign replied. "The Protheans did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind." Sovereign then paused, Jodie feeling as if the Reaper was staring into her soul. "The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance... and at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished."
"That's messed up," said Jodie. "I'd have to agree with my squadmate here," Shepard replied. "Why did you leave things for us to intentionally find?" "Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology," Soveriegn replied. "By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we de-"
Shepard slammed his fist down on the railing, before raising it and pointing his finger accusingly at Sovereign. "You lie!" he said. "Nothing would be capable of such heinous crap like that!" "And yet you stand there, grappling with the reality of your existence," Sovereign replied. "So that means we're being... Oh God!" Jodie said, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "That's..." "That is a lie!" said Shepard, leaning forward and pointing at Sovereign. "You cannot be real! You cannot control evolution in such a way! That is impossible! Such a thing is not achievable!" "You have seen the fruits of our labor, and yet you refuse to accept the truth," Sovereign replied. "The cycle shall not be repeated." "Even if it is, you're just a machine!" said Shepard. "Someone must've created you, and if you were created, you can be broken! I'll even break you open with a crowbar if that's what it takes!" "Your words are as empty as your future," Sovereign replied. "I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over." And then, an explosion rocked the room, Jodie letting out a loud cry as she ducked to avoid the flying glass. The rest of the squad was nearly knocked off their feet from the force of the tremor, and then the group watched as the hologram of Sovereign cut out. As soon as the initial tremor ended, everyone looked around, the silence becoming deafening as they noticed that some of the lights in the room had been taken out. And then, everyone's communications units beeped. "Commander, we've got trouble," Joker's voice said. Shepard angrily slammed his fist down, Jodie noticing that the impact had dented the metal a little bit. "What is it now?" Shepard asked, his brows furrowed in anger as he abruptly paced past Jodie and Liara. "That ship, Sovereign? It's moving." Jodie looked up abruptly. "I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a move that would have sheared any of our ships in half. It's coming your way, and it's coming hard! You better wrap things up in there, fast!" Jodie then pulled herself up as Joker cut out. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "Well, we're done here," said Shepard. "We need to set that nuke. And then we need to find out what the fuck that thing really is before I strangle someone." Jodie blinked, but before she could reply Shepard was already on route to the elevator. Tali followed as she pulled herself to her feet, Liara pulling herself up as she looked at the commander. The asari then turned to Jodie. "He seems awfully angry, does he not?" she asked. Jodie frowned. "He kind of does..." she said. She paused, looking back up at Aiden. She then shook her head, looking forward. "We can't think about this now. We've got to get going." "Right," said Liara. She then stood up, following Tali to where Shepard had already called the elevator back up. Jodie paused herself, looking up at Aiden. I can't, at least," she thought. But Aiden... didn't that seem odd to you? Aiden gurgled in agreement. Jodie nodded, before walking over to join the rest of them.
He is getting more and more suspicious with each thing we find out, she thought. I think that, for once, you and I share a bad feeling... Aiden clicked, and Jodie said no more as she joined Shepard at the door.
It took a long while, and for Jodie everything passed by as if it were a blur. But eventually, the AA Gun had been taken out by way of Tali's hacking expertise. It was thus that Shepard and the group found themselves waiting out in an open area. It was a very clear area, with a very shallow body of water off to the side. Jodie looked it, sighing in regret. Soon enough, this area is going to be reduced to ash, Jodie thought. Not even ash, really. It's just going to be nothing... Aiden clicked morosely, to which Jodie looked up. Yeah, it's kind of strange, isn't it? she asked. And we'll be done here after that... she then paused, looking back up at the sky. "Do you think this'll work?" Jodie asked out loud. "There isn't a reason it shouldn't," said Liara. She then looked over at Shepard. "What are your orders?" "Jodie, you're to go back onto the Normandy as soon as it lands," Shepard replied. "We need Dr. Chakwas to inspect your arm." Jodie nodded, biting her lower lip. Well, I do have to get my arm looked at, she thought. And here I was hoping I'd actually get to see what happened. "Yes, sir," Jodie said. "I'll go to her first thing." She then looked back at Shepard. "I guess you're going to stay here to finalize the preparation of the bomb?" "Yes," said Shepard. "The salarians on-board will have finished it. I'll have to stay here, though, just in case Ashley and Kirrahe need our assistance." "We've assisted them quite a bit," Tali replied. "Do you think they'll need more?" Shepard nodded. "Always prepare for the worst," he said. "That's what my father taught me." Jodie nodded. She opened her mouth to say more, but she was interrupted by the sight of the Normandy pulling around a bend. Jodie looked up, watching as the craft turned around, and then slowly approached to the ground to make its landing. She turned her attention to Liara, who was watching the ship land with an awed expression. "I didn't think the Normandy could land on land," she replied. "Neither did I," said Liara. She shrugged. "I guess it's a good thing it can, though." "Yeah, that bomb will deploy soon," Shepard replied. The group then watched as the Normandy's hangar bay doors opened. Out marched a group of salarians with a large, round device that stood about half the height of the multiple salarians carrying it out of the ship. Jodie assumed this was the bomb, and she stepped out of the way as the salarians walked by. She then looked back to the hangar bay, seeing Kaidan walk out slowly. He nodded to the commander. "Should I get started?" Kaidan asked. "Yes," said Shepard. Kaidan nodded, and then he turned his attention to Jodie. "Jodie," he said, nodding with a smile. He then looked down at her arm, pausing. He then walked forward, nearly taking Jodie's arm in his hands. "Jodie, what happened?" Jodie shrugged. "It got hit by a krogan," Jodie replied plainly. "It's not as bad as it seems, actually. I just need to get it seen by Dr. Chakwas." Kaidan nodded. "I see," he said. "You're going to do that now, I guess?" "Yeah," said Jodie. She then glanced at the bomb. "How long do you think that'll take?" "I don't know, but there's a lot to do with it," said Kaidan. He then looked back at the hangar bay. "I won't keep you from seeing Dr. Chakwas." Jodie smiled, nodding at Kaidan. "I guess I'll see you on the Normandy when all this is over?" "Yeah," said Kaidan. "I'll see you in a bit, Jodie." Jodie nodded, giving Kaidan a small smile. "I'll see you in a bit," she said. And with this, Jodie walked away, glancing at Kaidan for a few seconds before she turned and walked up the open door into the hangar bay. She turned around, getting one last glimpse of the patch of Virmire they were on. As she did, she saw Kaidan walk towards the bomb, Shepard walking alongside him as they were no doubt talking amongst themselves. She watched as the salarians that carried the payload onto the sand walked back into the Normandy, and it was then that Jodie turned to the elevators, pressing the call button with her good arm as she approached the elevator doors.
"Just let it rest, and you should be good as new before we get back to the Citadel." "I hope so, doctor. Did I ever mention just how great medicine is?" "No. It's not like you'd need to anyway, right?" Jodie shrugged, looking over at Dr. Chakwas. Jodie's arm felt much better now that Dr. Chakwas had worked her magic on it. Though the med bay was a little sterile for Jodie's taste, she felt somewhat comforted at all the machines there. Even having been in this future as long as she had, she was still surprised by how much they could do. And as she looked back to her arm, she wondered where this technology way back then. "I guess not," said Jodie. "But then again, you didn't see the kind of things I had to treat my injuries with on Earth. It was... kind of primitive, actually." "I guess you were stuck in a poorer area on Earth?" Dr. Chakwas asked, sitting at her station. "Yeah," said Jodie. "It was... interesting. And now that I know what goes on in the rest of the galaxy, I kind of wonder where all this was in my life before." "I imagine anyone would have that reaction," said Dr. Chakwas. She then paused, looking up at the ceiling. "But there's still so much more we can discover." "Isn't there always?" asked Jodie. Dr. Chakwas paused. "I guess so," she replied. "I guess it's not my realm to worry about. I'm a military doctor, after all. I don't know if I could do that kind of research." She then looked back at Jodie, a smile playing on her lips. "But if there were someone doing research like that... I might be convinced to help out." Jodie frowned. "You know there's lots of medical research going on all the time, right?" "Yes, but there are certain... things that demand research that not everyone is researching," said Dr. Chakwas. "There's too little research in the things that actually matter, you know?" Jodie felt her skin crawl, Aiden gurgling in fear. "You mean there's some medicine that's more important than other medicine?" she asked. "How can you say that?" "There are just certain priorities," said Dr. Chakwas. She then shrugged. "But then, that's probably the rambling of an old military doctor. You don't have to pay it any mind. Speculation never hurt anyone, you know?" Jodie paused, her hand clenched into a fist to keep herself from showing any surprise at Dr. Chakwas. "Maybe," said Jodie. But that isn't something I'd expect a medical professional to say, she mentally added. Aiden clicked in agreement, before Jodie relaxed. "Sorry, I guess I'm not used to-" And then, Jodie's comm unit sprung to life. She frowned, lifting up her arm and seeing that it was a communication from Kaidan. "What's this?" Jodie asked. "Why would the Lieutenant phone you in the middle of a mission?" Dr. Chakwas asked. "I... I don't know..." She then tapped the omni-tool open, bringing her hand up. "Kaidan?" Jodie was immediately greeted with the sound of gunfire surrounding him. Faintly, she also heard a regular eletronic beep, and every so often there was some kind of shower of sparks. Jodie was immediately sitting at the edge of her seat, inhaling uneasily. This motion caused Dr. Chakwas to lean a little closer, Aiden clicking in alarm upon seeing the way Jodie's expression suddenly shifted. "Kaidan?" Jodie repeated, louder this time. "Kaidan, what's going on down there?" Jodie then heard a groan from the other end of the call. "Agh... Dammit, one of the geth units caught me," he said. Jodie noticed his breathing was rather labored, and she could tell from the firepower all around that he was under heavy fire. "Well... shot me." "Kaidan, what-?" "The geth... Ashley called while I was preparing the bomb," he said. "She and the salarians were surrounded, they couldn't get out. Shepard went to help them, and then a drop ship came towards me while Shepard was on his way there."
Jodie breathed in. "Wait, you're dealing with a geth drop ship all by yourself!?" she asked. "No, get out of there!" "I'm afraid there isn't much time to get out," said Kaidan. "With Saren's flagship getting closer, we don't have much time. You can't take it on alone, and this base needs to be destroyed. I..." He then breathed in sharply, Jodie bringing her hand up to her mouth in shock. "I started the countdown on the bomb." "While you're still there?" Jodie asked, her eyes widening as she began speaking quickly. "I... You can't have done that, Kaidan! Shepard'll come back... with Ashley, right? And then-" "There's not enough time to get us both out of here," Kaidan replied. There was a brief break, and Jodie heard some assault fire right by whatever was picking up Kaidan's communication. "Shepard went for Ashley." Jodie breathed in softly, feeling her eyes water. "You're... You're not coming..." Jodie whispered. "I'm sorry," Kaidan replied. Jodie felt a lump form in her throat, a lump that she very quickly found herself swallowing. "No..." She whispered. She looked up at Aiden frantically, knowing even before he gurgled sadly that the Normandy was too far away for Aiden to help Kaidan in any way. She then looked down, standing up and walking around. "I... No, Kaidan..." "I'm sorry," he repeated. Jodie heard another burst of fire. "I know you looked to me for help sometimes. But you have Ash and Wrex. Promise me that you'll talk to at least Ashley if you need anything." Jodie felt her tears begin go fall as she looked up. She frowned, feeling her heart race at the revelation. "I... I will..." she said, looking down at the floor of the med bay. She then sniffled. "You were my closest friend on this ship." "And you were good company, Jodie," said Kaidan. "I've got confidence that you can do some real good in this galaxy, Jodie. Remember that if you're ever in doubt." Jodie nodded, sniffling again as she brought her free hand to wipe her nose. "I will," she said. "Good," said Kaidan. "Goodbye, Jodie. Here's hoping we can meet again on the other side." Before Jodie could reply, the comms link died. Jodie stood there, her eyes freely leaking tears by now. She looked ahead of her, marvelling at how suddenly everything was happening. And then, Joker came on the comms. "Everyone, brace for landing," said Joker. "We're picking up Shepard, and we're getting the hell out of dodge!" Jodie then turned towards the door. She found her breaths getting more labored, her veins turning to ice as Kaidan's words jumbled themselves inside her mind. Jodie then found herself rushing towards the med bay doors, her good arm slamming against the door control. Dr. Chakwas said something in protest, but Jodie paid her no attention in her rush to get downstairs. She rushed towards the elevator, slamming the hand of her good arm on the call button. When the elevator refused to respond quickly enough, she slammed her hand against the elevator display once, twice, three more times, before repeatedly slamming the controls in a frenzy. She bit her lower lip hard in an attempt to keep the scream building in her throat from being released. After what felt like a long time, the elevator doors opened, Jodie quickly rushing in. The elevator trip down was somewhat quick, Jodie breathing in and out as her eyes widened. Please, let this be some kind of sick prank, please, Jodie thought, her eyes stinging with fresh tears as she stood in the elevator. And then, the elevator doors opened, Jodie looking at the hangar bay doors long enough to see that they were beginning to close as they took off from Virmire's surface. Through her tears, Jodie saw that Shepard, Tali, and Liara were indeed standing there, and that Ashley was there as well. A bunch of very relieved-looking salarians had begun scattering all around the hangar bay, some of them looking back to catch a final glimpse of the planet they were departing. As Jodie stepped off the elevator, she saw that the hangar bay doors had closed. They had closed, and Kaidan was nowhere in sight. Jodie stepped forward, looking at the hangar bay doors as she took in a shaky breath of air. Her hair stood on end, and her pupils had shrunk quite a lot. Before Shepard could say anything, Jodie fell to her hands and knees, her hot tears spilling onto the floor beneath her. And it was then that she unleashed a cry of anguish, one that was immediately cut short by her own throat as she squeezed her eyes shut and shed the rest of her tears in silence.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Dec 2, 2014 3:19:57 GMT 1
Chapter 17 Jodie sat in the briefing room, her cheeks stained with her tears. She had run out of tears by the time debriefing finally had them, but one glance at the empty chair left Jodie with a sense of longing. If they'd had one more second, if they'd had more time...
If only I had been down there, Jodie thought, glancing at the ground. Aiden chirped weakly, but Jodie paid it no mind. Of course, it was difficult for her to pay attention, considering the way Ashley looked across the room. All attention in the room was concentrated on her, and the way she leaned forward grimly. "I can't believe Kaidan didn't make it," said Ash, her eyes squeezed shut. "How could we just leave him down there?" "There was no time," Shepard replied. "I couldn't save you both. The bomb was about to go off." Shepard crossed his arms, looking at Ashley. "You know that just as well as I do, Williams." "Then why didn't you leave me behind?" Ashley asked, pushing herself back into the chair and looking at the Commander angrily. "It should've been me. You know that." Shepard frowned. "Unless you want to make a show of questioning my orders, I suggest you stay quiet," he replied. "I did what I had to do. The salarians were more valuable. You were with the salarians." "I... I'm sorry, sir," Ashley replied, bowing her head down. "You saved my life, I know I should be greatful to you for that. But Alenko was a superior officer. He was more important for the mission. I would've gladly stayed behind." Shepard paused. "Save that sentiment for later," said Shepard. "This is Saren's fault. When we find that son of a bitch, I'm going to make sure he pays for what he did." He then glanced over at Wrex, the krogan looking at the conversation with a furrowed brow. "Preferably with a few shotgun rounds to the face from a certain red krogan." Ashley nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, holding herself erect. "We'll get it done." Shepard nodded. "Indeed we will," he said. He then looked over at the others in the room. "Mark my words, we'll get Saren for this." "You're damn right we will," said Wrex. Shepard nodded. He then looked over at Liara. "Now, about that beacon we found..." "Wait, there was a beacon down there?" Garrus asked. "Yes," said Jodie. She looked over at the turian, one of her fingers wiping at where her cheekbone was. "We found it in a lab downstairs somewhere. I don't really know where it was. But it was there, and Shepard interfaced with it." "I have a feeling it may be similar to the one he found on Eden Prime," said Liara as she stood up. "And if that is true, it may have filled in the missing pieces of the vision you got on Eden Prime." "So if I meld with you, then I can fill it in and we can find out where Saren is heading?" Shepard stood up as soon as he said this, walking straight to the center of the room. "Good. Let's get it over with, then." Liara nodded, stepping towards the Commander. She then looked right at him, nodding as he took a breath to steel himself. "Try to relax, Commander," she said. "Embrace eternity!" And then, Jodie watched from her vantage point as Liara's eyes turned completely black. Liara and Shepard stood perfectly still for a few seconds, Aiden letting off a series of slow trills. Jodie herself leaned forward, watching the meld quietly. She glanced to the others, before her attention turned straight back to Shepard and Liara in the center of the room. And then, Liara stepped back, her eyes returning to normal upon her next couple of blinks. She breathed in and out, looking at Shepard in surprise. "In... Incredible..." the asari said. "I never thought the images would be so... intense..." She then paused, leaning forward on her knees. "I apologize. I need a moment to collect myself." Shepard looked at Liara. "This is important, Liara," he stated. "Did the vision tell you anything else?" "I... I think it was a distress call," Liara replied. "A warning to the rest of the empire, but it came too late." "Or they didn't listen," Shepard replied, looking at Liara. "But whether that was true or not, that doesn't mean anything if it won't tell us anything about the conduit." "Sorry," said Liara. "There were... flashes of many other things... I got so many flashes..." She breathed in, sighing. "There were locations. I recognized some of them in my research..." She paused, turning away from Shepard as she rubbed her chin in thought. She then stopped abruptly, turning back to Shepard. "Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos!" "Ilos?" Tali asked. "I recognize it from some of my research," said Liara. She then stepped forward, Jodie seeing Liara's face light up. "That's why Saren needed the coordinates for the Mu Relay! It's the only way to get to Ilos!" Shepard frowned, looking at Liara. "I see," he said. He then looked to the others. "We'll need to chart a course for Ilos." "No good," Ashley replied. "Ilos is in the Terminus Systems, sir." "I don't think there's a single Alliance Ship that would be welcome there," Garrus said. "And I think that goes for Spectres, too." "And that doesn't change a damn thing," said Shepard. "We're getting to Ilos one way or another, and we are stopping Saren." "Then we will need a Fleet for that," said Liara. "We must go to the Council, and... and... oooh..." She then put her hand on her forehead, stumbling back a little. Jodie and Wrex darted out of the chair, Wrex and Jodie helping to hold Liara stable as they caught her. Jodie looked at Liara, helping her get a steady footing. "Liara?" asked Jodie. "I'm... I'm sorry, that meld took a lot out of me..." Liara sighed. Jodie nodded. "Back to Dr. Chakwas?" she asked. "Yes, please..." said Liara. Shepard nodded. "This session is dismissed anyhow," said Shepard. "Back to your stations, everyone. I have a lot I need to think about." This ended the conversation pretty definitively, and so Jodie and Wrex filed out, making sure Liara was on her feet. As Jodie looked back, she saw Ashley hesitate for a second. The gunnery chief stood up slowly, glancing back at Kaidan's chair once last time. Ashley then sighed, her eyes casting down to the floor. However, any further observations on Ashley's actions were blocked by Jodie walking out of the doorway. It was then that she turned to Liara and Wrex. "Seems like she's taking Alenko's loss pretty hard," said Wrex. "I'll talk to her once Liara's down in the med bay," Jodie replied. "I think there are things I can tell her that can help." Wrex nodded. "You do that," he said. "We need her in good position." And the rest of the walk down to the med bay was taken in complete silence.
Jodie stepped out of the elevator, looking over to see Ashley standing at the arms table she normally stood at. She glanced to the side, seeing numerous salarians congregating around the lockers where Wrex would normally have stood. Jodie nodded at them once, seeing some of them nod back before she walked past them to where Ashley was. Ashley did not look up as Jodie approached. Thus, Jodie gently put her hand on Ashley's shoulder. Jodie waited for a second or two, Ashley not swatting Jodie's hand away. After the wait, Jodie nodded, looking at Ashley. "Hey," she said. "Hey," said Ashley quietly. She sighed. "Sorry." Jodie shook her head. "You've got nothing to be sorry for..." She sighed, looking back at the hangar bay doors. "Kaidan managed to talk to me before we set off away from Virmire." Ashley turned to look at Jodie. "He did, huh?" she asked. "I guess he knew he wasn't getting out..." Jodie nodded grimly. She then turned over to the Mako, sighing before turning back to Ashley. "You know, if... if there's anything else you want me to do for you..." She nodded once, taking her hand off of Ashley's shoulder. "I can bring it to the Mako." Ashley paused, turning to look at Jodie. "It's not something related to..." She then glanced up for the briefest of seconds, her gaze lingering before it turned back to Jodie. Jodie nodded. "It is," she said. She then gestured to the Mako. "Come on." Jodie then turned towards the Mako, moving towards it slowly. Jodie looked back, giving a slight nod as she saw Ashley follow her to the Mako. As they approached the door, Jodie glanced around the room, making sure there was no one in close proximity to the Mako. As soon as she was satisfied that nobody was close to the vehicle, she opened the door, looking to Ashley as she stepped inside the Mako. Ashley stepped in, closing the door after her and sitting down in the usual seats. Jodie fumbled in the slight darkness, finally finding the seats and sitting down next to the gunnery chief. "So Aiden has something to say?" Ashley asked. Jodie nodded. "Yeah," she said. She then paused, looking up at Ashley. "Well, maybe it's not exactly Aiden, per se." "What do you mean?" Ashley asked. Jodie nodded. "He has an ability that I haven't mentioned to most people around here yet," she said. "One of those abilities... he can channel the spirit of a dead person." Ashley blinked in surprise. "He... he can...?" she asked. Jodie nodded. "Yes," she replied. "The more recently dead, the better, actually. I don't think he can go back very far when it comes to channeling spirits. But... If you want, I could see if Aiden can channel Kaidan for you." Ashley blinked, looking at Jodie with a quirk in her eyebrow. "That sounds... too good to be true," she replied. "But it's true..." Jodie sighed, looking away. "I can understand if you don't want to see it, though. I guess... I should've used caution when I used it in the past." "Why?" Ashley asked, leaning forward. "It's why Nathan went mad..." Jodie looked up at Ashley again, sighing. "Nathan was like a father to me. But he had other family to deal with, too, so as a child I didn't always see him unless he was at the lab." Jodie sighed, looking down at her own feet. "Nathan had a wife and daughter. When I had just settled into the facility where I lived most of my life, they..." Jodie sighed. "They were in a really bad car accident. Neither of them survived." "I see." Ashley leaned back. "I'll guess you channeled them for Nathan, didn't you?" "I did," Jodie replied. "I just... I was woken up in the middle of the night by their spirits. It seems weird, but they led me to him. And when I saw him..." Jodie closed her eyes, her eyes watering. "No one should have to see an expression like that at eight years old. He was... he was utterly destroyed by their deaths." Jodie's hand came up to her chest, and she sighed. "So I channeled their spirits. I thought it would make him feel better." "So he rejected you because of that, then," said Ashley. "Shit. I didn't realize you had it that bad." Jodie shook her head. "He didn't do that," she replied, looking back up at Ashley. "But sometimes, I think there are times where that might've been better. He went mad after that, always obsessing over this and that and the other. It wasn't until much later in my life that I found out what he wanted. In fact... it wasn't until right before I was whisked to here that I found out." Jodie leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "He loved them too much. So much so, that he just wanted to bring them out of the infraworld, so they could stay by him. It was an obsession, and it took over everything in his mind..." Jodie opened her eyes, wiping the water that appeared. "He nearly destroyed the world because of that. And if I hadn't channeled his family..." "Don't blame yourself," Ashley said, placing a hand on Jodie's shoulder. "You couldn't have known what would happen." Jodie nodded. "Yeah, I don't know if I could've either," she said. She then looked at Ashley, giving a soft smile. "And there were so many other wonderful moments that I can remember. That's all we can really remember when someone we care about is dead, you know?" "Yeah," said Ashley, chuckling and leaning back. "I know what you mean. My mom told me the same thing when dad passed on." "I guess that hit you hard?" Jodie asked. "Yeah," said Ashley. "Poor dad was as afflicted with the Williams curse as anyone else in my family, but he was there when it counted." She smiled. "I always remember how he'd set up the barbeque and we'd have a nice family grill. He was always away on assignment, but when he came home he was really attentive to all of us." She shook her head. "It was a shock to us when he died." "It's always a shock in some way," Jodie replied, looking back up at Ashley. She shrugged, looking back at Ashley. "And with Kaidan... well, there's always the crew deck, I suppose. And that blasted panel." She chuckled, looking back at Ashley. "I never did find out what he was doing on that panel." "He wasn't one to talk about it, was he?" Ashley asked. "No," Jodie said. "But you know... I'm okay with not knowing that. I didn't really know him that long, but he... He was a nice guy." "A good guy," said Ashley. "And he stood by us all even to the end." Jodie nodded, looking at Ashley. She then smiled. "So I guess Aiden doesn't really need to channel Kaidan?" Ashley shook her head. "I don't think so," said Ashley. She paused, her expression brightening as she looked at Jodie. "But thanks for offering anyway. It's good to know you've got my back on these things." "Hey, anytime," said Jodie with a smile. "You need anything, just say the word." Ashley nodded. "I will." Jodie nodded, her smile faltering. "I'll miss Kaidan." "We all will," said Ashley. "Yeah..." She then nodded, looking up at Ashley. "I should let you get to work." "Yeah," said Ashley. "Thanks. I needed someone to talk to." Jodie smiled, opening the door to the Mako. "Any time, Ashley," Jodie replied. She then shrugged as Ashley stood up. "Just remember, I'll be around if you need me." "Sure thing," Ashley replied, smiling at Jodie. And with this, they both exited the Mako. Jodie stood around the Mako, watching Ashley return back to the bench. After a few seconds of standing in front of it, Ashley grabbed the assault rifle on the table, and grabbing one of her tools she began dismantling it. Jodie smiled, nodding as she walked back to the elevator. She sighed as she hit the call button, pondering on what to do next.
Jodie stood at the panel Kaidan used to work on all the time. The panel remained open, all of the wires still neatly contained within the box. Jodie sighed, her finger trailing along one of the clumps of wires as she sighed. She looked up at Aiden, feeling the emptiness of the space around her as her other hand touched the outer edge of the box. "Well, Aiden, there it is," she whispered softly. She leaned her head against the panel, remaining silent. She had no more tears to shed, and even if she had Jodie felt that Kaidan was the one who would not like tears at anything related to his funeral. She sighed, patting the panel. "Kaidan... I know you're probably not here or anything like that," Jodie said softly. "I just... I wish our last conversation had been longer. I had so much to say..." She sighed, looking back up at the panel. "But I think we always do. I've seen enough people die in my life that I know you never have enough to say when they pass. You never really do." She sighed, leaning her head against the panel. Aiden clicked, but Jodie remained silent at the sound. "You were always such a good friend," Jodie said. "If you're around here right now, Kaidan... well, know that, at least. I just... I wish there was something I could've done. I feel like I failed you. I... I should've been down there with you." She sighed, closing her eyes as she pulled away. She opened them a second or so later, glancing at a point just above the panel as she crossed her arms. "But whatever the case... you were a good guy, Kaidan. Whatever happens now, I'm fighting for you, okay? I won't let you down, and I'll take Saren down." Jodie waited, knowing she would not get any confirmation that Kaidan heard her in any way. However, the wait was somewhat comforting; the silence allowed her to colledt her thoughts, and Jodie knew that even the simple act of speaking to the air was a form of getting it off her chest. Combined with her talk with Ashley, Jodie felt quite a bit better upon opening up. She then nodded after the seconds passed, letting out a soft turned to the mess hall, her steps taking her right over there. She picked up another energy bar, sitting down at a chair. She looked up, opening the energy bar slowly. Hm... We're going to the Citadel, Aiden, Jodie thought. Do you think we should pay Kalo'Veera a visit? Aiden clicked cheerily. Jodie smiled, looking up at where she assumed Aiden was. Then I guess I should send him a quick message, right? Jodie thought. Especially since Shepard probably won't need me when he goes to the Council.
Jodie opened her omni-tool, and as Aiden clicked cheerfully she began to write a brief message to Kalo.
The Normandy had pulled into the Citadel with very few problems. Shepard of course had gone ahead, Jodie knowing that Shepard had a meeting with the Council. He had taken Tali and Liara with him, which left Jodie free to explore the Citadel a little bit. Jodie figured she did not have very much time to visit the Citadel: if all went well, Jodie knew they would be off to Ilos to stop Saren. Jodie found it difficult to care as she stepped out of the elevator to one of the lower docking bays of the Citadel. She looked around, noticing the hustle and bustle of cargo being carried throughout the bay. In one corner, there was an elcor debating with a volus about pricing or something, and she saw several turians with datapads scattered around the docking bay. But Jodie's attention was drawn instantly towards the sole quarian there. He sat on a nearby crate, Jodie smiling as he approached. The quarian looked at Jodie as she approached, before he pushed himself off the crate, landing gracefully. Jodie noticed the way his eyes shined brighter than before when he saw her. "Jodie!" said Kalo, taking a step towards her. He then opened his arms wide, the gesture beckoning. Jodie smiled broadly before walking right up to Kalo, throwing her arms around him happily as Kalo pulled her into a hug. "Kalo!" she said, holding herself close to the quarian before pulling back a little. "How're you doing down here?" "It is rather busy, but I manage," Kalo said, looking down at Jodie. He then patted Jodie's shoulder, bowing his head. "I cannot thank you adequately for helping me with the volus. This ship has been a good home so far."
"Did you get your license?" Jodie asked. Kalo opened his omni-tool, Jodie stepping back as he did this. Kalo then pulled up an information sheet full of numbers. Jodie squinted, leaning closer. At first she could not make out much of the information, but as she continued reading, it dawned on her just what Kalo was showing her. "Arrived yesterday," said Kalo, his posture indicating that he was positively beaming under that mask. "I shall be back at the Fleet in no time." Jodie nodded. "That's good," she said, smiling. She then glanced down the docking bay, nodding. "So... have you made any progress on fitting it for whatever you need?" Kalo nodded. "Come, let me show you!" He then walked down the docking bay, Jodie following along quickly as the quarian moved along.
"So it'll be a science ship, huh?" "Yes, Jodie! Imagine it, would this not be a great ship for research?" Jodie nodded, looking around at the space inside the ship as it was being filled. Already she could see three tables strewn about, various make-shift terminals erected next to various tables around the ship. Jodie sat right on one of the completed ones, watching Kalo walk in with more metal that he then began to arrange right there on the floor. "I don't see why not," said Jodie, looking around the ship. "I do have to admit, it feels a little more inviting now that there are things in here. You worry it'll be too crowded, though?" Kalo shook his head. "There are many more rooms than just this large one, Jodie," he said. "And there is much I must put regardless. Living amenities, sleeping quarters, other such items..." He shrugged. "I scavenge what I can. But it seems that perhaps your turian friend... um... Xerxes, was it?" "Yes," said Jodie. "You've got extra credits to buy items with?" "It has proved to be very helpful," said Kalo. "Of course, getting these supplies exclusively new is rather draining on my credits, so I cannot rely on it forever. But it is enough that I can at least provide a framework. The Fleet can do the rest." Jodie nodded, turning her attention back to Kalo as she smiled. "So then this becomes a science ship, huh?" "It is up to the admirals what this ship becomes at the end of the day," said Kalo. "But I am sure they will see it fit to act as a science ship." He then stood up, walking over to the table and looking up at Jodie. "So... how is Aiden?" Jodie blinked, Aiden trilling in surprise briefly. However, Jodie smiled, looking up at the entity. "He's fine," she said. "He's a little antsy, but he can keep it under control by now." "He must be," said Kalo, looking up. "Being trapped in a place where he cannot do much... I cannot even begin imagining how that must be..." He then looked up, sighing before looking back at Jodie. "Does he... need you to talk to him?" "No," said Jodie, shaking her head. "He... He is always around. He doesn't need me to talk to him for you." "He doesn't?" Kalo asked. "He's always around me," said Jodie. "I can't really make him go away. And Aiden's aware of everything that's going on around us. He has to be." Jodie shrugged. "Of course, he sometimes needs me to talk for him, but he can hear you just fine." Kalo nodded grimly. "I see," he said, nodding. He then looked up at the air above Jodie. "Um... Aiden... You okay there?" In reply, one of the nearby terminals turned on of its own volition. Kalo and Jodie looked over, seeing that there was a message written in the word processor of the terminal. Kalo then stood up, walking over to the terminal. He looked at the message, reading it as Jodie stood a short distance from Kalo. "Hm." He then looked back up. "I see..." He then sighed, shaking his head. "Pardon me for feeling this way, but I feel absolutely ridiculous speaking to the air." He then paused. "Well, not literally speaking to it. You know what I mean." Jodie chuckled as Aiden gurgled lowly. Jodie then watched as Kalo resumed reading, noticing from where she stood that there had been more text that appeared on the terminal's projection. Kalo then looked up, shrugging. "Well, Aiden, I suppose that being in a similar situation should breed camaraderie," he said. "And it helps when she turns out to be dependable." He then paused, Jodie feeling her hand tense up. "Just... make sure she stays safe, all right? I do not know that I would forgive you if you let that happen." Jodie chuckled. "You won't have to worry about that," said Jodie with a soft smile. "Aiden is usually very good about being defensive about me." She then glanced up as Kalo turned to face her. "Sometimes, he got too protective." "Maybe," said Kalo. He then looked over at Jodie. "But how are you?" Jodie frowned. "Why do you ask?" she said. "You already asked me that, didn't you?" "Yes, but..." Kalo then glanced to the door. "I want to make sure you are all right. After all you did to help me, I trust you. If there is anything you want to tell me, any concerns you might have..." Jodie sighed, looking up at Aiden. "I guess you have a good point," she said. She paused, glancing to the side. "It's... a long story. But it's about Shepard. There's something... strange about him. Something he hasn't told anyone." She paused. "Well, that's not really true. He told Tali, Garrus, and Dr. Chakwas about it I guess, but they haven't said anything to us, and he hasn't said anything to us either. And it has me on edge a little." Kalo nodded, leaning his back against the wall. "I assume Aiden found out about this?" "He did," said Jodie. "And... well, what I've seen so far doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence." She then explained to Kalo everything that she had seen about Balak and about Tali. It was a brief explanation, but Jodie felt good that she was able to tell someone else. After Kaidan's passing, that information had stayed her secret once again, and while this fact was not so distressing for Jodie it still felt good to release it. After the explanation, Kalo nodded. "I see..." he said. "But you cannot find anything to support that statement with, otherwise you would have acted on it already." "Yeah," said Jodie. She rubbed her arm. "I just don't know, Kalo. Something's horribly wrong with this whole thing, but I don't know the full story, and I don't feel confident taking any action until I know for sure what's going on. And at the rate we're going, I don't think we're going to find out what's going on here." Kalo walked to Jodie, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "I have faith you will be able to find something that brings the rest of the puzzle together," Kalo said, gently. "If it worries you this much that you do not know what Shepard is up to, you will find a way." He then sighed. "And for what it is worth, I agree with you about Shepard. If he did... whatever you said he did, then I do not trust that he will have the best in mind. What this Balak man did was horrible, but it would be quite a terrible thing to cause him madness because of it." Jodie nodded. "Thanks," she said, giving Kalo a genuine smile. "It's good to know that I can depend on people." Kalo nodded. "It is what a friend is for, no?" Kalo asked. He then removed his hand from Jodie's shoulder. "If Shepard ever discovers you know his secret and it leads to something... less than pleasant, know that my door is always open." Jodie nodded, smiling at the quarian. "Thanks, Kalo," she said. "That means a lot coming from you." She paused, glancing off to the side. "I'll let you know if-" Jodie's omni-tool beeped rather loudly. She then looked down at her omni-tool, seeing an indication for an urgent message. Jodie blinked, looking back up at Kalo. "Oh dear..." Jodie said, turning around and opening her omni-tool. She then looked at the message, feeling Kalo peer over her shoulder as she read the message. The message was brief: "All personnel of the Normandy: Report to the ship immediately. We're going to do something dangerous, and we all need to be on the ship. I'll explain when I return.
-Shepard." Jodie sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Something dangerous?" she asked. "I didn't think Ilos would count as that." "Ilos?" asked Kalo. "It's where we think Saren is," said Jodie. She shook her head, turning back to Kalo. "Don't worry about me right now. I don't know about Shepard, but Saren is definitely a bad guy. We need to go after him." Kalo nodded. "Then I think I should not keep you here," he said. He then stepped forward, pulling Jodie into a hug. Jodie hugged back almost on reflex, sighing as he did this. "Take care of what you must, Jodie. I will be waiting here when you come back." Jodie nodded, before stepping back and simultaneously breaking the hug. "Don't you have a Fleet to get back to?" "For you, I can wait a little," said Kalo. "Go. I shouldn't keep you." He then looked up. "Aiden, take care of her, okay?" Aiden clicked several times in rapid succession, Jodie nodding. "He hears you," she said. "And thank you. I'll see you when Saren is dead." And with this, Jodie turned, making her way to the airlock past the various scraps and pieces of unfinished furniture with a quicker step than she was used to.
Jodie passed through the airlock quickly, feeling her heart race as soon as she entered the Normandy. Something caught her attention, and then she turned to see Shepard and Joker both at attention at the cockpit. Joker was, at any rate. As soon as Jodie crossed into the Normandy, Shepard looked up at her. "Ah, Holmes," he said. "Made it just in time." Jodie nodded. "Sorry, sir," she said. "I was seeing a friend. I didn't think it would take me this long to get back." She then looked at Joker, walking up to the cockpit. "What's going on?" "Well, Jodie, I hope you liked playing video games as a kid," said Joker. "We're about to do some real Grand Theft Warship stuff up here." "Grand theft...?" Jodie turned to Shepard. "Shepard, what's going on?" Shepard shook his head. "The Council didn't believe us, that's what," he said. Jodie looked at Shepard in shock. "They... they didn't believe you?" "The idiots don't know what the fuck they're talking about with Saren," said Shepard. "They think having a Fleet here is going to keep them all safe! And the Reapers?" He then scoffed. "A distraction, they said! They don't believe a damn word of it! The ignorant idiots'll get us all killed!" Jodie frowned. "Ignorant idiots?" Jodie asked. "Don't you think that's a bit much to assume from what little they've seen?" "You were there on Virmire," Shepard replied. "You saw Sovereign and what he talked about. And they know what's going on here!" He then shook his head, leaning against the control board. "It wouldn't have been so bad if that fucker Udina hadn't grounded us." Jodie leaned forward. "Is that why we're playing... um..." "Grand Theft Warship?" Joker asked. "Funny you should get around to that. Someone's busy taking care of us so we can stop Saren." He then shrugged, turning his attention back to the control panel in front of him. "I knew Anderson was good at getting things done, but I never thought he'd be like Captain Hook." Jodie frowned. "That reference just doesn't work..." she said. "You'll get it eventually," Joker replied. He then drummed his fingers against his seat, looking intently at it. "Well?" Shepard asked. "It can't take that long for Anderson to punch Udina in the face, can it?" "Well, Shepard, you know how long it takes to get there on foot," Joker replied. "For all we know, we-" And then something on the control panel turned green. Joker immediately sprang to work, his fingers flying across the various holograms on the controls. "Well, there you go, Commander," he said. He then tapped a control panel off to the side, opening a comm line to the whole ship. "Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen! This ship is a-go!" And Jodie found herself thrust forward rather suddenly, the ship lurching back underneath her feet as she barely grabbed on to the bulkhead for support. As she looked up, she saw the Citadel's boarding dock getting rapidly much smaller. She had no time to process the Normandy's quick backing out of the dock, for after another second, the ship had turned away from the dock, and Jodie watched as the ship grew nearer and nearer to the mass relay. Jodie looked at Joker. "You don't think C-SEC will-" "C-SEC isn't that good," said Joker. "You're talking to the Alliance's best pilot, baby!" And with this, Jodie watched as they drew closer to the mass relay. Before she knew it, they had engaged with the relay, and before long they had catapulted away from the Citadel. As Jodie looked at the expanse of stars that greeted them, she turned to look right at Shepard. "So we're going to get Saren on our own." Shepard nodded. "If the Council doesn't want me to do my damn job, then frankly? Fuck them." He then waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever happens, I get to rub it in their face when it turns out that my actions have saved their stupid asses." Jodie frowned, Aiden clicking in alarm. "Shepard, I don't think you really..." Jodie began, before she trailed off. "Are you sure you should be talking about them like that?" "I don't like dealing with idiots," said Shepard. He then turned away. "And if their idiocy is going to doom us all, I'm not going to stay silent." He then looked at Joker. "We'll be headed to Ilos right now. I'm going to retire to my quarters for now. What's the ETA?" "Hm..." Joker turned to the panels. "About eight hours, Commander." Shepard nodded. "Then it's eight hours I'll spend in my quarters." He then turned away. "Contact me again when we're half an hour away from Ilos." "Will do, Commander," said Joker. "Good," said Shepard. "Tali's the only one allowed to bother me. The others can go do whatever." And with this, Shepard turned on his heel, and marched straight towards the stairs. Jodie watched Shepard leave, her eyes narrowing as her gaze followed his movements. Eventually, he walked through the door, the door closing behind him rather suddenly. Jodie remained looking at the door for a few seconds, the frown remaining on her face. She then turned to Joker. "I hate to be disrespectful outside of Shepard's presence, but... what commanding officer do you know that's allowed to talk like that?" she asked. "Probably the one who got his ass kicked all the way through N7 training." Joker then glanced back, before turning his attention back to a window. "But seriously, though, I wonder how Shepard survived boot camp. That kind of trash talk would've gotten him kicked out of the military." "It certainly would have," Jodie replied, casting a glance at Aiden. "Whatever the case, he shouldn't be talking about the Council like that." "He shouldn't," said Joker. He then looked to Jodie. "Well, we've got a long time until we get to Ilos, and I don't think we're going to get any do-overs on this one." Jodie nodded. "You're right," she said. She shrugged. "I'm gonna go talk with people downstairs. I have some things I need to talk to Liara about." "Sure thing," said Joker. "Just don't let her do that creepy eye thing. It's annoying when she does that." "I'll do what I can," said Jodie. And with this, Jodie walked to the back of the ship, making sure to walk to the door opposite the one Shepard walked through.
Jodie walked past the med bay proper, seeing that Dr. Chakwas was entirely absent from it for once. She assumed she was elsewhere on the Normandy, before proceeding right through to where Liara usually was. Liara, of course, sat in her usual spot. There was a datapad placed on the desk in front of her that she looked at with some degree of concentration. The asari sighed, shifting her posture without looking in Jodie's direction. Jodie nodded. "Liara." The young asari started, looking up at Jodie in surprise. "Oh! Oh, sorry, I was distracted," said Liara. "Please, do come in." Jodie stepped into the asari's quarters, Jodie looking at her as she sat down on the bed. "It's been a while since we talked, hasn't it?" Jodie asked. "Just a little," said Liara. "I'm sorry about that." Jodie shook her head. "Don't worry about that," she replied. "We've all been preoccupied, you know?" She then leaned forward, looking at Liara as the asari turned her chair towards Jodie. "So how are you, Liara?" "I'm... a little worried, actually," said Liara. "About Shepard." Jodie frowned. "Why?" she asked. "I don't know," said Liara. "It maybe the way he behaves, but there seems to be something... odd about him." "So you noticed too, huh?" Jodie asked. Liara blinked in surprise, Jodie watching as the asari's pupils widened almost imperceptibly. Liara then sighed. "Good, I wasn't the only one," she said. "I... I worry about bringing it up to anyone else, but everything about that man... he is a good man, but I find myself repelled by some of the things he does. It is a strange duality I have always noticed, but I have kept it at bay until now." Jodie sat up, looking at the asari. "You saw into his mind, right?" "Yes," said Liara. "And..." She shook her head, glancing back at the door. "Can you keep a secret?" "Of course," said Jodie. "What's wrong?" Liara nodded, giving Jodie a faint smile as she leaned in close. "When I saw into Shepard's mind... I saw that there were large patches of his memory I could not see. It was like... it was like he was intentionally filtering his memories." Jodie frowned, leaning closer to Liara. "You looked into his other memories?" Jodie asked. "It is an unfortunate liability with the meld," Liara commented. "In order to see the vision from the Prothean beacons, I had to sift through much of the rest of his life. I could not see what was in that, though, except for very occasional flashes. And those flashes..." She paused, glancing to the side. "They were filled with so much anger, Jodie. I suddenly see where Shepard got some of his rage when he dealt with Cerberus, but I cannot see why..." She shook her head. "It is almost as if he... conditioned himself somehow. This is extremely rare for the meld, and it only happens to people who have conditioned themselves to resist the meld. That takes years of mental training, and Shepard seems to have had that training from an unknown source. And I know not how he got it or why." Liara then gazed at the floor. "And I don't know who to talk to about it..." Jodie glanced to the side, before leaning forward. She then sighed, turning her attention back to Liara as she stood up and approached the asari. "Actually, Liara, I... I have secrets too," Jodie admitted. "I can help make sense of what you're thinking, but to know that you have to know my secrets. The explanation for how I know won't make sense otherwise." Liara looked at Jodie. "I figured you were holding back something," she said. "I just... don't know what." Jodie nodded. "It's tough to explain," she said. "A meld is... quick, right?" "It should be," said Liara. She then stood up, Jodie looking into her eyes. "All right," the asari said. "Relax, Jodie." The asari closed her eyes. "Imagine that the universe is a large whole. And yet it is not a large whole, for you are one with everything, and the stars are at your fingertips." Jodie's breathing slowed as she imagined this. She had to fight the urge to close her eyes, but once her breathing was steady and relaxed she found that came easily. She then looked up at Liara intently, concentrating on the blue alien in front of her. And then, Liara opened her eyes, Jodie looking directly into the pitch-black eyes she had seen with Shepard. "Embrace eternity!"
Jodie stepped back, looking at the environment she stood in. She looked over at Liara, watching her as she looked around in the strange metaphysical storm. The asari's eyes were wide, and her steps were slow, calculated. She seemed to step away from Jodie, but in the odd rules of their location, Liara did not lose any distance away from where she was in relation to Jodie. Liara turned to Jodie after a few seconds. "Well, this is strange," she said. "The meld doesn't usually look like this." "It doesn't?" Jodie asked. "No," she said, turning back to Jodie. "I've never seen anything like this. What could have caused this?" Jodie looked up. "Well... There is one thing I can think of." She then looked at a point above Liara. "Right, Aiden?" And then, right before Jodie's eyes, something seemed to flow out of the ethereal fog that surrounded them. A bunch of warm clicks emanated through the area as it took the form of a black mass that seemed to move as if it was made entirely of air. The fog travelled towards Liara, the asari turning to look at the fog as it got close. The asari leaped back, having heard the clicks. "What is that?" she shouted, taking several steps back from the black mass as it approached. "Don't worry, he's friendly," said Jodie, stepping forward. Jodie felt herself move forward, and in a second she had grasped Liara's arms. "He's Aiden. He's... an entity. He's been bound to me since birth." "That... Goddess..." Liara said. "What are you talking about?" "I can tell you more when we get out of the meld, but... he's been around me." She shook her head. "Normally, he's not as powerful if you go in my mind, though. He just needs to establish the link somewhere." "Then..." Liara shook her head. "Nevermind. Why are we here, then?" Jodie stepped back, looking as some of the fog behind her began to pull forth projections of her memories. "Because it would probably be best to see my life story," she said. "You can look into it, right? It should tell you a lot more about me than words can." A memory then surged forth, the odd fog around them dissipating. Liara looked around them at the room that had formed around them. It was a child's room, full of childrens' playthings and even a bed bedecked in girlish colors. Liara found herself looking around, Jodie walking behind her. "What... what is this place?" Liara asked. "It's where I spent most of my childhood," Jodie replied. She then glanced at a mirror in the room before looking back at the door. There, she saw Nathan and Cole standing there, the two of them watching as two slightly fuzzier-looking figures knelt down by Jodie. "I was left here by my adopted parents, to be taken care of by a pair of scientists." Liara looked on, watching as the father walked out. "What were they researching?" she asked. "Me," Jodie said. "And they made no secret of that fact." She glanced at the floor, looking at her younger self and clenching her fists at what she knew was coming. "Ever since I was little, I've had Aiden attached to me." She watched as Liara walked out to the doorway, to see the parents walking out. "And because of that..." Liara cringed as soon as a few seconds passed. Jodie felt a pang of guilt stab her as the adults began yelling, voices all flying around with words that were worn down by time. Liara stepped back to watch the chaos that ensued, before a new voice chimed in. Among other things, Jodie could make out the word 'monster' being shouted at her, Liara looking on from where she had settled against the far wall. "Goddess..." she said. The asari turned to Jodie, stepping back to her. "Your entity is..." The scenery changed around them, this time to a rather modernist-looking living room. Party decorations were strewn about, and there were a few teenagers around. Among other things, Jodie looked back, seeing a young version of her teenage self dancing with an older boy. Immediately, a memory of that boy's British accent came to her mind, though it was dulled by what she knew would happen. "A part of me, yes," she said. The memory fast forwarded a little, to a point in time where the teenagers were pushing the teenaged Jodie out of the room. "I was ostracized by it, and I could never be normal because of it." The memory fastforwarded again, this time to a large, open field. Jodie looked out, seeing a bunch of recruits running their way through an obstacle course. After a while, Jodie looked and saw herself running amongst them, trudging along in simple recruit's outfit with a shaved head. Liara stepped forward, looking at the various drill instructors that stood by the side. "These clothes look... old," the asari commented. "But they're not worn and torn like I'd expect." "That's because I'm not from this time period," Jodie replied. Liara looked around. "If you had told me that in the real world, I don't know if I'd have believed you..." she said. "But here, where you can't lie..." Jodie nodded. The memory shifted around them again, though this time Jodie knew the shift had gone backwards in time. She stood in the middle of a destroyed room, a black hole-looking object sitting in the center of the room. Liara stepped as close as she could, right before a swirl of black mist flew right in front of her. She looked around, seeing dozens of black swirls of mist flying around the room, almost as if they were patrolling the perimeter. She stood back, looking up in awe before turning to Jodie. "Those look like that thing that moved towards me when the meld started," Liara commented. "Aiden is probably of their ilk," Jodie replied softly. She then walked over, looking to a door on her left that opened. "But he was always different from them. He was bound to me, so..." Liara then turned to the ghostly vision of Jodie, Liara noticing that she looked like an older teenager this time. She ran throughout the room, watching as the entities rushed in to attack her. However, Liara saw another entity, one with a black mist surrounded by a warm purple light, one that beat back all the other entities in the room as they approached or harmed Jodie. "And that's... that's Aiden," said Liara. "The one with the purple aura..." "Yes," Jodie replied, looking at them. "I haven't encountered anything like this here. I hope they don't discover the Infraworld here." "The Infraworld?" Liara asked. Jodie shook her head. "It's what we called the afterlife," said Jodie. "Entities of souls passed through there. But there were other things in there, too." The memory shifted once again, this time out to the middle of a vast desert. Liara noticed an old-style farmhouse very close to where she and Jodie stood, sand billowing around them in the wind. Upon looking more, she saw Jodie standing around a circle drawn in the sand with a stick. Around them as well were three people with a somewhat darker skin tone: two young men and a very old woman. Faintly, Liara thought she could see some kind of talisman being levitated in the air, and before long the asari heard the languished singing of the old woman above the roar of the wind around them. And then, Liara turned around just in time to see a black mist lunge at the whole group, this black mist seeming to form the shape of a terrible beast. The asari gasped. "What is that?" she asked. Jodie looked on at the scene, sighing. "I don't think we have a name for those things," Jodie replied. "The people I was with when this happened called it ye'iitsoh. They didn't know what it was, so they fell back on an old Navajo legend." She then watched as the monster came, knocking everyone away from the circle as a rift similar to the one Liara saw earlier opened in the center of the circle in the ground. Jodie shrugged. "I have to say, it was actually scarily appropriate." Liara watched as suddenly, the spirits of an ancient-looking people surrounded the circle, thrusting their spears at the creature. She saw the same purple-tinted black mist appear again, the mist colliding with the creature before it was finally forced back into the rift, the rift closing after it. "You had to stop those things from killing people," Liara said. "Among other things," Jodie replied. "But killing people..." Liara nodded, and looked back at Jodie. "You... You've had quite a life," she said. "Tell me about it." The surrounding area turned back to the neutral zone that was seen at the start of the meld. "These are things nobody else on this ship's crew knows. I've told Ashley and Wrex about it, but... I haven't mentioned anything about the various entities I've fought." "Then why mention them to me?" Liara asked. "A lot of reasons," Jodie replied. "But I guess chief among them... I'm not from this galaxy, Liara. "I'm... I'm from elsewhere. And I've had Aiden attached to me since I was born." "I'm glad I found this out in the meld," said Liara as she stepped forward. "But what does any of this have to do with Shepard?" Jodie nodded, before the area around them shifted again. Liara blinked in surprise upon seeing the Normandy's brig form around her. "Because of this," she said. "I hope Aiden's vision that he gave me transfers into the meld." "Vision?" Liara asked, watching as another version of Jodie knelt at the ground, feeling a dark stain on the floor. "What do you mean?" "Aiden can give me visions of the past," Jodie replied. "He just has to latch on to something in the real world, and..." The area around them suddenly took on a strange in-between, Liara looking on as apparitions of Shepard and Balak appeared before the alternate Jodie. "Goddess..." said Liara. "So he told you something about Shepard." "He did," said Jodie. "And that something was not good..." Jodie watched the horrible scene between Shepard and Balak play out, the words Shepard said ringing much clearer this time. And right as Shepard pulled Balak close and Jodie watched him do the laser eye thing, Liara reeled back in shock. "Goddess!" said Liara, looking away. "What was...?" "According to Shepard, he made Balak start to go insane," said Jodie, shaking her head as the vision dissolved into the neutral colors of the meld. "I found that out before we dealt with Cerberus, Liara. I've been having my doubts since then." "I see..." Liara said, glancing to the side. She then looked back to Jodie. "What is happening? Do you think Shepard is not human?" "I don't know if he is or not," said Jodie. "But whatever the case, I have my doubts about Shepard's intentions." "Then I share those, now that I've seen this," said Liara. "But what lies in his past that would lead to that?" Jodie shrugged. "Whatever it is, we'll have to find that out on our own," she said. "For now, we have Saren to deal with." Liara nodded. "Yeah, we do," said the asari. "We'll talk again after that. I think we will have to, honestly." "So do I," Jodie replied. She then looked at Liara. "I think we're done here, right?" "Yes," said Liara. "This will only take a second." Liara then closed her eyes, her hands closing into fists as the area around them started to shake.
Jodie opened her eyes immediately, and they were back in Liara's quarters on the Normandy. The asari stepped back, her eyes seemingly back to normal. "I see..." the asari said. "I apologize, I may need some time to think about all of this." Jodie shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "It's a lot to take in." "I know," she said. She then sat back down at her desk. "I will have to think on it. Thank you for showing me all that. I'll talk to you later." Jodie nodded. "I hope we will," said Jodie, bowing to Liara quickly. She then turned towards the door, casting one last glance at Liara as the asari turned to whatever was on her desk. Jodie lingered there a little bit, and then she pressed the door control and walked through the still-empty med bay.
As the hours until their arrival at Ilos ticked by, Jodie laid in the sleeper pod, thoughts racing around in her head. She had tried to go to sleep, but there were too many thoughts about Shepard, especially with what Liara told her. And thus, she found herself staring out of the glass in front of her, sighing constantly as she pondered about everything relating to Shepard. There was so much that was beginning to come together in her mind, but Jodie still could not make sense of it. She looked up at where she assumed Aiden was. "There's got to be something we're missing, right?" she asked. "What do you think it is..." Aiden gurgled uncertainly. Jodie sighed, glancing off to the side. "Yeah..." She shook her head. "Well, whatever happens, I don't know if we should stick around after this. I don't trust Shepard once Saren is out of the way. And even if I have to go back to that damned shelter, I'm not staying around long enough to find out what Shepard has planned." Aiden clicked uncertainly. Jodie sighed in response. "Maybe, but I doubt that," said Jodie softly. She then sighed, leaning back. "Is Tali in there with Shepard." Aiden clicked once in the affirmative. Jodie nodded, biting her lower lip softly. "I thought so," Jodie said. "Well... I guess we're keeping her out of the loop. I just... I don't feel right doing it. She's a friend, you know?" Jodie was greeted with some silence, before Aiden whooshed rather softly. Jodie nodded, smiling. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah. We'll find out what's going on, and we'll get Tali out of it. I hope we can. If we can get her to see, then maybe..." She looked down at the floor. "Maybe it'll all be for the best." She then leaned back. "But first, we have to figure out what's going on." Aiden could only chirp in agreement. Jodie then laid back, her gaze turning towards the ceiling of the deck she was in. After a while, she closed her eyes, thoughts of helping Tali running through her mind. These helped to keep the turbulent thoughts of Shepard at bay, something that was desperately needed in those hours before Ilos. And eventually, Jodie felt the world drift to a standstill around her. She settled into sleep shortly afterwards, and oddly, it was a fitful, uneventful sleep.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Dec 18, 2014 21:22:27 GMT 1
Chapter 18 Jodie strapped the last piece of her armor onto her body, looking again at her weapons where they sat on the arms table that Ashley had placed them on. She sighed, finishing putting the strap on before walking over to the table and picking up her weapons. Aiden chirped softly above her, Jodie nodding as she placed her assault rifle on the magnetic holster on her back. "I know, Aiden," she whispered, knowing nobody else was in the hangar bay at that time. "But whatever it is, it'll have to wait until we deal with Saren. You can wait for that, right?" The entity clicked several times as Jodie checked her pistol one last time. She nodded upon hearing Aiden click, right before she holstered her pistol, patting it as she did. "Good," she said. She then turned towards the Mako, chuckling nervously. "Well, I don't know about you, Aiden, but I think it'll be a tight fit with all of us in there, don't you think?" Aiden gurgled low, the sound seeming to vibrate in the area around her. She shook her head as she approached the tank. "Well, of course you won't," she muttered darkly. "You can be places I can't be." Jodie shook her head, looking at the tank. "I guess it's only fitting we're all going down there. If this is gonna be my last mission on this ship..." She shrugged, smiling. "Well, it'll be a hell of a mission to leave on, don't you think?" Aiden chirped several times in quick succession. Jodie could only nod in agreement, patting the side of the Mako with a nostalgic smile on her face. She cast her eyes down to the ground for a few seconds, before looking at where she assumed Aiden was. "Well, let's hope we don't have to drop down from the Normandy," she said. "That would be bad."
"Dammit, I should've known my bad luck would show up again." Jodie looked right at Liara with an annoyed expression on her face. The asari looked equally annoyed, though, where she was squished between Garrus and Wrex on the one side, and Jodie on the other. Jodie grimaced, feeling cramped up against the wall of the Mako as she mentally prepared for the drop. "It could be worse, you know," Garrus replied. He then shrugged. "We could be in a thresher maw right now." "I can think of a lot of things better than being inside a thresher maw right now," Wrex shot back, his annoyed glare boring into everyone next to him. "Most of them don't involve being crammed in a tank with a turian." "Or packed like sardines," Jodie added, glancing to the side nervously. "Oh, this drop is going to be very painful..." "Especially since we have such a small window to land it," said Liara. She then glanced nervously. "I hope this turns out all right..." "It probably won't, but I guess we'll see," said Jodie as she looked back to Wrex. "Do you think we-" And whatever else Jodie wanted to say was immediately cut off by the sudden sensation of the Normandy suddenly moving forward. Jodie let out a loud gasp, her hand instinctively bracing against the wall of the Mako. She then felt herself rise in her seat a little, feeling as if everyone else was doing much the same thing. Jodie breathed in, feeling her stomach rise in her body as she felt the sensation of the Mako falling down to Ilos. She then squeezed her eyes shut, Liara's strangled cry ringing in her ears. And then, just as suddenly as the Normandy drove out, Jodie was pushed back into her seat, the Mako jumping just a little bit before it then went completely still. She breathed in and out, opening her eyes and looking at the others. She then looked around, sighing in relief. "Well, it wasn't painful," Jodie said as she forced herself out of the seats. "At least there's that." "And I knew it, too." Shepard then stepped out from the driver's seat of the Mako, everyone looking at him as Tali and Ashley both stepped out from there. "You see? We'll be fine. Now we'll have to hope Saren didn't close any doors behind him." "Knowing us, he probably did," Liara commented. Jodie then moved forward as Shepard opened the door of the Mako. Shepard stepped outside, looking past the tank as he did. Tali followed soon afterwards, and before long the ground team had filed out. As Jodie looked outside, she saw a large blast door in front of the tank. She briefly glanced at the rust-colored foliage around her, before looking up at the door. She noticed the metal had rusted in several places, but most notably was that it was sealed shut, with no visible way to open it. "Well, there's no way we're getting past there right now," said Wrex. "Right now, but there must be a way," Tali replied. "Maybe there's a control panel around here somewhere that can open that door." Shepard nodded. "I'm with Tali on that one," he said. He then turned around, pulling out his assault rifle. "Come on. Let's find this switch." He then leaned forward, Jodie instinctively pulling her own assault rifle from its holster on her back. The others drew their weapons, before following Shepard out behind the Mako. And right as soon as they moved past the Mako, Jodie saw a large unit of geth move towards them. As soon as they started firing, Jodie dove into cover, her shields still intact even from the barrage of fire the geth leveled at everyone in her direction. As soon as she was behind cover, she popped out, firing a wave of suppressing fire at the nearby geth. She hit one geth's shields, though it was not enough for her to take them down. And then she looked up at the almighty roar that was released by Wrex. A second later, Jodie saw Wrex barrel straight into the fray. The next thing she was aware of was a geth unit somewhat close to her exploding in a shower of sparks and white liquid: a split second later, Wrex passed it, laughing gleefully as he then moved on to the next unit. Jodie blinked, remaining still as she looked at Wrex as he waded right into the fray. She then shook her head, vaulting over cover and following Wrex into the fray. She then rushed forward, finding another piece of cover closer to where Wrex was. She then settled quickly, firing her assault rifle at a red-tinted geth unit on the other side of the clearing she found herself in. None too quickly, she noticed openings all around the perimeter, turning to one right beside her just in time to see a geth unit run out at her. She let out a loud cry, turning towards that geth unit and emptying her entire assault rifle at the geth unit. As the unit fell from her hail of gunfire, Jodie heard the successive loud beeping from her assault rifle, and she frowned as soon as she did. She then shook her head, holstering her assault rifle and drawing her pistol. She then rushed out of cover, running over as a geth unit was biotically pulled from right in front of her. She fired a pistol shot directly at its flashlight head before proceeding, sliding into cover behind what looked like an old computer console not to far away. She then scanned the perimeter once again, seeing a geth unit approach Shepard's flank. Quickly, she lifted her pistol, firing several shots at this geth. Most of them bounced off the geth's kinetic barriers, but one well-placed shot on the geth's flashlight head caused it to take a tumble right in front of Shepard. And then she heard a pop from very close by. Jodie turned, and then yelped as she jumped out of the way of a collapsing geth unit, Jodie seeing the tail end of a spark shower dying out right at its neck. She then looked back, seeing Tali standing a distance away with her omni-tool prepared. She sighed in relief, before switching out her pistol for her assault rifle. As soon as Jodie was satisfied that her assault rifle had cooled, she then pushed forward, noticing that Shepard was doing much the same thing. She saw Liara out of the corner of her eye, before she rushed forward. A geth unit popped out of a particular entrance, but before she could process much else the geth was pulled biotically upward. She heard the crack of a sniper rifle, and Jodie looked back to see Garrus popping out of cover to join the others. Jodie nodded, following Shepard through one of the entrances the geth had poured out of. This brought them to a courtyard similar to the clearing they were in, with Jodie noticing that there was a console one level above where they were. She nodded, looking straight at the console as she followed Shepard to where it was. However, before they were able to get too far, more geth appeared from entrances on the sides of the courtyard. And then, Jodie looked up just in time to see something quite large fall from the sky above. She then leaped into cover, hearing the loud thud of whatever had fallen. When she peeked over cover, she saw a single geth unit had landed in the center of the courtyard. It was quite a good deal larger than any geth unit the group had encountered before, standing at least twice as tall as Shepard and certainly twice as bulky. She found herself taking in a deep breath, the large geth looking around the area as Jodie looked from behind the old, dilapidated crates she took cover behind. The geth then let out an electronic screech, Jodie immediately bringing her assault rifle to bear. She then fired several rounds, but noticed that the larger units shield's seemed to remain completely unaffected. She glanced over at the others quickly, seeing them quickly dispatch the smaller geth units before Tali finally turned her attention to the large unit. The large unit then turned its flashlight head towards Jodie, Jodie noticing that it was glowing more brightly than she remembered most flashlights glowing. Jodie took a sharp breath in, and then she bolted from cover. "Shit! Get back, get back-" And then, Jodie felt an explosion behind her knock her off her feet. She flew into the opposite wall, falling off it and looking up at the larger geth unit as it turned to look at her. Jodie rolled out of the way instinctively, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Tali thrust her omni-tool forward. She indeed did see something spark on the geth's body, but the large unit seemed completely unaffected by whatever it was that Tali had done. Jodie breathed in, quickly holstering her assault rifle and grabbing her pistol. "Fuck... Come on..." She then rushed forward, diving forward to dodge another explosion from where she was barely a few seconds earlier. She quickly got to her feet, firing her pistol at the large geth. Jodie was surprised when the rounds still bounced off the geth's shields, but before she knew it she was already running past the giant geth's legs. She rolled to dodge underneath them as they stomped at where she was, and as she turned around, she saw that the geth had been surrounded in a blue field. Just as soon as she saw this, she saw Wrex leap straight at the giant geth, the krogan brandishing his shotgun. The krogan then landed at about the level of the geth's chest, grabbing on to its shoulder as he pointed the shotgun straight at the center of the geth's chest. Wrex let out a loud laugh, pulling the trigger at the geth trapped in stasis. He fired once, twice more, laughing gleefully the whole time. And then, the stasis wore off. But instead of falling down defeated as Jodie expected, the geth stood there, its head turning towards Wrex. Without warning, the geth's arm came right around, gripping Wrex in its hand. It then tossed Wrex right to the ground, directly underneath the geth. "Wrex, no!" Jodie shouted, as Wrex looked up and the geth lifted its robotic leg up. And then, Jodie saw as the geth was frozen in stasis again. Before Wrex could move, however, Jodie watched as Shepard then leaped right onto it, Jodie blinking as she saw the little sword-like contraption he wielded against the batarians in his hand. Like some kind of demon, Shepard clawed his way up the geth's side, the geth screeching in electronic pain as Shepard clawed his way up. At one point, Shepard slashed his sword at the geth's shoulder: instead of the blade being blocked by the shoulder joint as Jodie expected, the sword cut right through, the geth letting out an especially loud series of electronic clicks. It was right as Shepard got to the head that the geth broke out of stasis. However, before the geth could move, Shepard gripped the geth's chest and sliced through the geth's neck, the flashlight head falling behind the geth soon afterwards. Shepard then leapt off, the force of the leap causing the geth's body to fall to the ground. All went silent after the geth fell to the ground, Jodie looking back at Wrex to see as he stood up with Ashley's help. Jodie bit her lower lip, watching as Tali approached Shepard, the commander nodding at the large unit of geth. "What was that?" Jodie asked as she approached. "A very large geth," said Shepard, gesturing at the decapitated geth body. "You see it, right?" Jodie shook her head. "That's not what I meant," she said, stepping towards Shepard. She then looked back at the geth unit's head, before pointing at the sword. "What's that? With the sword?" "You already saw it in action," said Shepard. "I like to get up close and personal with certain enemies." He then held the sword up. "As for this... I made it myself. Used technology that is a prototype. I hear the Council races are developing it to be used with omni-tools in the future." Jodie frowned, looking up at the commander in surprise. "And you trained yourself on how to use it," she said blankly. "You can believe it or not, but that's not the point," said Shepard. He then pointed at the geth unit. "It's down, and we can continue on with the mission." He then turned to where Liara was standing a short distance away. "Nice work, Liara. I don't think I would've climbed up without your help there." Liara nodded, but as Shepard walked past the remains of the geth, the asari looked to Jodie with a perturbed look. It was not until Garrus and Tali passed Jodie that the asari approached, Jodie meeting her halfway as the group travelled to the back of the courtyard. "What isn't he telling us?" Liara asked softly. "I don't know, but I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking there's something he's not telling us," Jodie replied. "That was... that was inhuman..."
Liara nodded. "I have no experience with the outside world, and yet I think that was strange." She shook her head. "Well, we have bigger things to worry about now. We can talk about this a little more once Saren is defeated." "Yeah," said Jodie. "Come on." The two of them then fell into step behind Shepard, the group walking up a flight of stairs as Jodie fell silent.
The activation of the door controls went with no further interruptions by the geth. So, too, did their return to the Mako several minutes later. There was of course a Prothean hologram that appeared, but from what Shepard could make of the translation it was a warning come far too late. And thus, the group soldiered on, returning to the Mako and cramming into it again. This ride was spent in silence, the group looking a little bored as they travelled down a long corridor. Wrex in particular seemed to get a little antsy, the krogan looking to Jodie and Liara with an unamused expression as the group rode on. The krogan opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it again, looking ahead of him into the driver's seat. Jodie could only glance to the side. Liara seemed to glance in that direction, for it was the one direction where Jodie felt she would not need to glance directly at Garrus. The turian for his part did not make any kind of conversation, and Jodie willed it to remain this way as they journeyed on. she was rather confident that it would, though, and so she sat back, looking at the wall of the Mako. And then, the Mako abruptly stopped. Jodie blinked, looking at Garrus as he popped out of the tight arrangement they were in. They then looked on as Shepard stepped out of the cockpit. "Shepard, is something wrong?" asked Garrus. Shepard nodded. "There's a damn kinetic barrier blocking the way," he said. "I don't know what the fuck Saren was doing there, but he's blocking our progress." Jodie frowned, immediately walking to the now open door of the Mako. She stepped off, and then blinked in surprise at the massive energy field she saw covering the area directly in front of the Mako. Her heart stopped, seeing the energy ebb and wave: briefly, she felt a crippling feeling of helplessness, remembering how such an energy field was the only thing that was ever able to separate Aiden from her. She nearly cried out in anguish, and as she sank to the floor she felt the urge to do so. And then, she felt someones hands on her shoulders. "Jodie?" she heard Liara ask. "Jodie? Are you all right?" Jodie looked up, her eyes wide as she breathed in. She then closed her eyes, her hand splaying on the ground in front of her as she took a few breaths to calm herself. She then slowed down, Aiden chirping reassuringly near her ear. She breathed in and out, her heart beat slowing down from the sudden spike it had acquired. She then stood up, brushing off her shoulders. "Sorry," she replied. "I had a mild panic attack there. Bad memories." She shook her head, brushing some hair back as she looked at the commander. "I'll be fine now. Let's just destroy Saren's trap." It was then that Jodie noticed Tali standing at an ancient doorway that had a decayed panel. Miraculously, the panel seemed to work at the direction of Tali's omni-tool. Jodie and the others approached the quarian, right as she looked back to them. "I don't think this is Saren's doing," Tali said. "Unless it's coincidence that we were stopped in front of this door." Shepard walked up to it, reaching his hand out. As soon as he did, the door opened with a loud metallic creak. The group looked in, seeing a small chamber with another set of doors on the far end. Jodie looked inside, seeing worn-out electronics, some of which had been overgrown with vines. She frowned, stepping into the small chamber. Ashley followed suit, looking around. "I think this is an elevator..." said Ashley. She and Jodie then looked to the side, seeing that the chamber had a few windows, that looked out to something that indeed looked like an elevator shaft. "Someone... no, something wanted us to come in here," said Liara. "Is there information we need to gather?" "I don't know, but that barrier isn't going away until we see what it is that's down there," said Shepard as he too entered the elevator. "Come on. Let's take it down." With this, the ground team piled into the elevator. Tali activated it, the doors squealing shut behind them. There was a loud clap from somewhere far off, and then the elevator made its way down with surprising speed for something so old and dilapidated. There was the odd metallic clang and the odd shift to the side, but otherwise the ride down was uneventful. And when the doors opened, they found themselves on a small platform leading up to an old computer. The old computer seemed to be on, a hologram of something peeking right at the group. They all stepped forward, looking up at it as Shepard approached quickly. Jodie maintained her distance, standing behind everyone else. She heard Aiden click uncertainly, the group approaching the hologram. The hologram then moved, the movement startling just because of how sudden it was. It moved similar to an arm-like motion, and Jodie took a step back. She was then taken by the almost regal fashion with which the holographic arm moved, settling somewhere on a vague representation of a torso. Jodie took a single step forward, her eyes widening in wonder as she looked at the hologram. "You are not Prothean, but you are not machine, either," said a deep voice that emanated from where the hologram stood. "This inevitability was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent-out warnings through the beacons." Liara stepped forward, her eyes wide. "Fascinating," Liara said. "A working VI program..." "It doesn't look like it's in the best shape, though," Ashley replied. The hologram paused for a second, before it spoke again. "I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed by recently," it said. "Perhaps there is still hope." Jodie then frowned, something coming to her mind. "Wait..." she said. "We can understand it..." She then looked back to Shepard. Shepard looked at the strange program. "How can you understand us?" Shepard said. "I was the only one able to understand the warning that failed, how can we understand you now?" "I have been monitoring communications since you arrived here," the artificial being replied. "I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend." "Comprehend indeed..." said Jodie. "Are you an AI, then?" "I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality implants from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility," the intelligence replied. "Yeah, that doesn't strike me as the kind of thing a VI would do," Garrus added. "Evidently," said the intelligence. "My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe." Shepard shrugged. "Well, it's nice to see you like to speak in riddles, too," he said. "Why did you bring us here?" "To receive answers; you must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years," Vigil replied as Shepard stepped towards the hologram. "But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did." "Same mistakes?" Tali asked. "So the Reapers did exist in your time period!" Shepard stepped forward, clenching his fist. "Tali, we talked about that," said Shepard. "Whatever the Reapers are, however real they are, they weren't around during the time of the Protheans!" "A man in denial?" Vigil asked, its tone almost disbelieving. "No, whatever thisSovereign told you was correct: the Protheans bore the wrath of what we called 'the Reapers'." It then moved somewhat, looking directly at Shepard. "You must understand how they laid the trap, so your galaxy can avoid falling into it as well." Shepard frowned, and then he nodded a second later. "Go on," said Shepard. Vigil remained still, everyone in the room watching as Jodie turned to Wrex out in the back of the room. "The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government," Vigil began. "As it was with us, and as it has been with every generation that came before us." Vigil paused, seemingly gazing right at Shepard. "But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay." "An enormous mass relay?" asked Tali. "That's...?" "And just how has nobody noticed that before?" asked Liara. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we would've noticed that by now," said Wrex. "The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden," Vigil replied. "That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers." "The Keepers..." Jodie replied, glancing down at the ground. "So those things deflect our attention by maintaining the Citadel..." "Yes," said Vigil. "They enable any species that discover the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the Keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade." "Damn..." said Ashley. "That's... That's messed up." "We do not understand the Reapers or their motivations," said Vigil. "More than likely, none before our cycle knew either." "So where do they hide out before coming in to ruin our days?" Wrex asked. "I mentioned that the Citadel is secretly a mass relay," Vigil replied. "There is a relay connected to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon." "And when the relay connects, then the Reapers pour through, and it's game over for us..." Shepard rubbed his chin. "And since the Citadel is this center of government..." "Such was our fate," Vigil finished. "Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out." "Jesus..." Jodie glanced to the side, feeling her heartbeat increase. "Even having seen everything, I... It's almost too terrible to be true..." "It is," said Liara. She then looked up at Vigil. "An entire people, wiped out by an alien force that can't be known..." "Surely some of you must have survived?" Shepard said as he leaned forward. "Through our Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data," Vigil said. "Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advance to every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their population enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Take in as refugees by other Protheans, then betrayed them to the Reapers. The Reapers either killed us or enslaved us. They were brutal and absolutely thorough." Shepard then looked up, biting his lower lip. "I see," he said. "So we need to return to the Citadel..." "And then we need to stop Sovereign from starting up whatever activates that relay," said Jodie. She then turned to Vigil. "Why isn't it automated?" "It was, once," said Vigil. "People from this research facility sabotaged that function of the Citadel, however." Ashley frowned. "Sabotaged it?" she asked. "I was under the impression that the Reapers had cut you off from it," Garrus added. "They could not foresee the Conduit." All eyes turned to Vigil. "Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind the mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Where the researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network." "The Conduit is not a weapon," Liara said, her eyes widening. "It's the back door onto the Citadel!" "So you managed to stay hidden," Tali said. "All records of the Ilos facility were destroyed in the initial attack," Vigil replied. "Our facility went dark shortly afterwards, and the researchers retreated into these archives. To conserve resources, the staff was put into cryogenic stasis, to be awakened when the threat had passed." "Hm... I don't think it would be a short fight if they were trying to kill all protheans," Wrex replied. "Indeed," said Vigil. "My resources were dwindling as we remained hidden." "You should've fought, you damn coward," Shepard said, his voice dripping with anger. "We were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet," Vigil replied calmly. "Our only hope was to remain undetected." "So to reserve resources, you... You had to kill some of them," Liara said, her voice trailing off as she glanced to the side. "It was unfortunate, but yes," Vigil replied. "Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained, and even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back into dark space." "I see..." Shepard nodded. "To preserve energy, you had to save only the most essential personnel." "This outcome was not unforseen," Vigil added. "My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation." "So then the scientists woke up all right," said Jodie. "I assume they found whatever it is that calls the Reapers through the relay and sabotaged it?" "Yes," said Vigil. "In a typical invasion, the Reapers would send a signal to the keepers, through which the keepers would activate the dormant relay function. Our scientists worked on a way to interrupt this signal. Using the Conduit, they journeyed onto the Citadel, and tampered with the signal of the Keepers." Vigil paused, before it seemed to glance down at the floor. "I can only imagine their fates." "I see..." said Liara. "So that's why Sovereign is using Saren," said Ashley. "Sovereign needs a way to get to the Citadel to fix the signal. The invasion can't start if they're all trapped in dark space, you know." "And even Sovereign wouldn't be a match for a fleet the size of the Citadel defense force," Garrus added. "So he brought the geth along as a distraction." "That's why Saren needed the Conduit." Shepard then walked right up to the hologram. "So we need to go through the Conduit, and we need to stop Sovereign from jumpstarting the signal for the Citadel relay through Saren. How do we stop them?" "There is a data file on my console," said Vigil. "Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign." "Master control unit?" Jodie asked. "I don't think Sovereign can just remotely tap in if the Protheans tampered with the system once already," said Tali. "Yeah," said Garrus. "And I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure Sovereign wouldn't be able to fit into wherever this master control unit is." "So we have to do that," said Shepard. He then walked over to Vigil's console, opening his omni-tool and standing in front of it. "I'll go ahead and take this file now." "Good," said Vigil. "Time is short. After you leave this room, you must make straight for the Conduit. There will not be time enough." "Got it," said Shepard. He then stepped back from the console, looking at his omni-tool. "I've got the file. Is there anything else we should know?" "Of the Reapers, there is little more I can say," Vigil replied. "However, I fear there is more I must say in what little time there is." Liara frowned. "More?" she asked. "Yes," Vigil said. "Ksad Ishan marked it as a priority in my programming. It is a warning; there is one other threat you must be made aware of." Jodie blinked, looking directly at the Prothean AI. "There is?" she asked. "The Reapers aren't the only large threat?" "No," said Vigil. "There is… another that may be of some concern. We were not able to gauge their true intent. It could very well have been a simple misunderstanding, and perhaps I can be proven wrong about this. But their reaction to us..." Vigil paused, before it then seemingly turned around. "There is... a wormhole." Jodie blinked, and then Ashley stepped forward. "A wormhole?" Ashley asked. "What are you talking about?" "In our time, a wormhole appeared a little over half a century before the arrival of the Reapers," Vigil replied. "As preposterous as it may seem, there was a whole galaxy to be discovered on the other side of this wormhole." Jodie blinked, looking over at Wrex as he stepped forward. "I think you're pulling our chain here," said Wrex. "If this wormhole exists, how come we haven't heard of it?" "I have suspicions as to why," said the AI. "Perhaps it may be that its main species all practiced a very… strange form of deception on us. We cannot be certain, but speculation is not always wrong." Vigil then paused. "Seeing the races of this cycle, I suppose their deception would have far more… disastrous results." "And why would that be?" asked Liara. "I have images of this species reserved in my data banks," Vigil replied. "Judging from the information contained within those data banks, the dominant species of this galaxy looked… how shall I say… almost exactly identical to three of the people in this group." Jodie felt goosebumps fly up her arms, and she had to will her foot not to rise of its own volition. "Wait, what?" she asked. "I'm sorry, did you say…?" "I did," said Vigil. "This species looks identical to what this cycle calls 'humans'." Jodie tightened her neck, fighting the urge to gasp right there in front of Shepard. Thankfully, Aiden was quick to trill in alarm, and it spoke for the both of them such that Jodie was able to swallow her gasp with some ease. Jodie looked over at Shepard, watching the way he was stepping towards the AI. As he moved, Jodie could not help but notice that Shepard's legs seemed perhaps a little too tense, and upon closer inspection she saw that one of his hands had curled into a fist. "That's preposterous!" said Shepard. "That… what are the chances of that!?" "Yeah!" Garrus added. "I mean, sure, we see that sort of thing all the time in Star Trek, but that's impossible!" "It is a parallel reality to ours," said Vigil calmly. "I would wager it to be a happy coincidence. Or an unhappy one." The AI paused. "We attempted to make first contact with this species, but… they attacked us. We drove them back to their wormhole, and that was the last we heard of them." "You beat them back?" asked Wrex. "So then why are they such a big threat?" "And why did they attack?" Liara asked. "I have heard of first contact situations here that did not end peacefully, but for them to be perceived as a threat of this size…" "This galaxy gave our forces a rather… difficult time," Vigil replied. "We attempted peaceful first contact, but they… disagreed with the methods by which we maintained our empire, and decided to attack. They called it a war of 'cleansing'." Wait… cleansing… Jodie frowned, tempted to ask Vigil what was being cleansed. However, she knew that if she asked, her response could tell Shepard something about the fact that she knew what he did. And so, she remained quiet, a cold sweat forming on her temples. Liara frowned. "Fascinating…" she thought. "I've never come across anything of that sort." She looked up at Vigil her eyes squinted in thought. "Though, perhaps it could explain something interesting that some archaeologists have noticed." Everyone turned their attention to Liara. "What do you mean?" Tali asked. "There is a strange trend of Prothean artifacts from a certain period to suddenly have increased technological capacity," said Liara as she turned to the others. "The Prothean beacons fit within the period of Prothean technology that is increased, and before that… It would be a mistake to label that technology primitive, but evidence suggests that they encountered something that bolstered their technological capacity." "Then why don't we know about it?" asked Ashley. "It is one of those things that had no explanation, at least not with evidence," Liara replied. "There is much debate in the academic world about this, and nobody has found an answer that is backed up by evidence. But this…" She then walked forward. "This galaxy… Did you use some of their technology?" "Only when we won the war," said Vigil. "You are correct about the increase in technological ability: they had technology far beyond ours." "Hmph," said Wrex. "So this galaxy had better toys than you did." He then chuckled. "I hope it made for a good fight." "It was a difficult fight, and the Protheans would not have called it a 'good' fight," Vigil replied. "In fact, the Reapers proved us wrong when we thought there were no greater threats that could come to us." He paused, and then seemingly looked at everyone. "Their ships were capable of travelling from the Citadel all the way to Ilos without using the mass relay network, and their weaponry was rather advanced." "What?" asked Ashley. "Traversing the entire galaxy without using the mass relays? That's… that's impossible!" "How would that have come about?" asked Liara. "We postulate their original galaxy has no mass relays," said Vigil. "So again, they had better toys," said Wrex. "Big deal. We can just shoot them all, right? "No," said Vigil. "My data banks do not hold records of all their tactics, but from the records I do have, I can tell you that they were brilliant masters of subterfuge. They had artificial intelligences that could possess any hardware at will. They had stealth systems one would never have even dreamed of in this galaxy, some which could hide a ship from the naked eye. They had weapons that could melt the ground, turn it into a fine glass." It then looked out to Jodie, Ashley, and Shepard. "And given the similarities of appearance between your kind and their dominant species, I fear they may have gained a new weapon against this galaxy…" "And why are you telling us this?" asked Liara. "It's been nearly fifty thousand years since you first encountered them. Why should we still be concerned?" "The Reapers did not attack them," Vigil replied. "Perhaps they did not discover the wormhole into it." "And how do you know that?" asked Ashley. "Maybe their civilization just died on its own." "One cannot be entirely sure of how time flows in their reality," Vigil replied. "Very little is known about this parallel galaxy, except for what was seen when they poured out of their wormhole. Perhaps only two hundred years have passed for them. Perhaps a million years have passed. Perhaps their civilization has fallen. Perhaps it has not. Ksad only knew what he saw outside of the wormhole: no prothean ever ventured into the wormhole to see what was on the other side, or how the parallel reality existed in relation to our reality. There may be further quantifiable data, but we do not have it. Thus, Ksad felt it best to warn you of the existence of this wormhole in case the worst scenario has come to pass. I can only hope I will have enough power to meet your leaders to warn them of this, and I further hope that the wormhole has nothing behind it, and that the threat has passed naturally." Jodie's breath hitched as Vigil said this. Slowly, she turned towards Shepard, watching the way he stood. His eyes shone brightly, and she noticed from the way his eyebrows were quirked that there was visible effort on Shepard's part to keep from frowning in fury. He seemed tense all over, and Jodie swore that if Shepard had not been wearing armor, his nails would have dug into his flesh with enough force to cause bleeding. She thought back to what Aiden had shown her and told her about Shepard. About Balak's punishment. About what Shepard did for Tali'Zorah. These thoughts came flooding back to the forefront of her mind. Before long, Jodie became aware of the nagging doubt she'd had about Shepard since Aiden had showed her Balak's punishment. And as she thought about the new Vigil gave her, information began to click into place within her mind. "Okay, so let's suppose these guys are still around," Ashley said. "In the very unlikely event they still have a civilization after fifty thousand years, when do you think they'll reveal themselves?" asked Ashley, her voice a little more wary than Jodie was accustomed to. "They may not choose to," said Vigil. "For all we are aware, they may not know that the Prothean empire was extinguished by the Reapers. But, if one were to discover the wormhole and initiate contact…" …then they're already here, Jodie thought, looking at Shepard. Jodie took a breath in, every muscle in her body screaming in the effort it took to make it seem like a normal breath. After this, she stepped forward. "And this race…" she said. "What was its name?" "They called themselves 'artician'," Vigil replied. "There were other species that served them, but the articians were the leaders." Jodie nodded. Artician, she thought. So… Aiden, that's what Shepard is, isn't he? Aiden clicked his agreement, and then Jodie found herself glancing right at Shepard. And as she did this, she paused, looking back at Vigil. She then closed her eyes, swallowing a lump in her throat. If what he did to Balak was any indication… Jodie opened her eyes. I don't trust them. Right as Aiden clicked his agreement as Wrex crossed his arms. "Well, if they want a fight, they better be ready to come out and deliver it to us," he said. "There's nothing worse than fighting a coward." "Indeed," Jodie agreed, her voice a little deeper than usual. "There's nothing worse than that." Shepard nodded, walking to the group. "That's all well and good, but we have to concentrate on one thing at a time," he said. "All of you, back to the Mako. If we want to chase Saren out of here, we'll need to get the Mako ready. I'll stay here and gather some more information on these 'articians'." Jodie breathed in sharply, even as everyone else nodded. "Sure thing, Commander," said Tali. She then walked back to the elevator, Jodie noticing that Garrus was also quick to follow Tali to the elevator. Jodie followed a little more reluctantly, even as Ash, Wrex, and Liara all piled into the elevator. Jodie then entered herself, casting one glance back at Shepard as he approached Vigil's platform. The elevator doors closed in front of Jodie, but she kept staring at the spot where Shepard stood, even as the elevator began to move. And through it all, she frowned. Aiden, what's he doing down-? And then Aiden released a languishing trill. Jodie tensed briefly, though not long enough for it to register to anyone else. The breath she drew in was shaky as Aiden trilled once again, this trill more mournful than the first. Jodie's jaw dropped in horror, and then she closed her jaw, her frown resolute. We need to know more, she thought, looking ahead of her. If he's hiding it like this… Aiden clicked, the kind of click he gave if he was scared of something. Jodie nodded, her frown deepening. We can't worry about that now, though, she thought. For now, we have to stop Saren. And whether or not Shepard is a threat to everything in this galaxy, we have to stop Saren first. And with this, Jodie turned away from the elevator door, just in time for the elevator to come to a stop and for the opposite elevator doors to open.
Shepard returned to the Mako a few minutes later, a frown present on his face as he stepped into the driver's seat of the Mako. "Shepard?" Ashley asked. "Did you get any more information?" "Yes," said Shepard. Jodie then heard the Mako start up. "But we can't worry about that now. We have to take Saren down." Jodie nodded, biting her lower lip as she felt the Mako move forward. Right. Saren, she thought. She then glanced to the side. Aiden, let's concentrate on Saren for now. Aiden chirped, but before long, Jodie felt the Mako speed up. "Hang on tight!" Shepard shouted. "We're going to speed on through to the Conduit!" And then, Jodie felt herself get pressed back into the seat, looking over at Liara from where the group was crammed. Before long, she felt everyone in the tank shift to the right, Jodie gripping the seat cushion beneath her. Jodie breathed in, and right before she could react she heard something shift next to her. She turned her head, her eyes widening as a viewport opened up to the side. She watched the scenery of Ilos pass her by, all dark red hues with the occasional silver streak that seemed out of place. Aiden clicked in response, but before Jodie could reply her side of the Mako suddenly rose. Jodie let out a loud cry, grabbing on to Liara as the Mako tilted on its side, Jodie feeling it on the verge of tumbling over. After a few seconds, though, the Mako then fell back onto those wheels, Jodie letting out a stratled gasp as the thud caused the seat to vibrate. As she did, she thought she heard a vague crunch under the Mako, but it was quickly swept up with whatever other noise was left. Before long, she felt another sensation of the tank turning, Jodie grabbing the seat as the Mako bounced slightly. The Mako sped off, Jodie seeing more of the geth they passed by as she looked outside. Her breath caught at the speed they were travelling at, the speed catching her off guard. "I didn't think tanks could drive this-" And then, her stomach sank far too quickly for comfort, and before long Jodie saw the scenery shift down just a little bit. She leaned back in the seat, grabbing the seat restraint quickly as the Mako then fell back to the ground, her stomach rising as she looked back at Liara. "Missile round!" Tali shouted from the driver's seat. "Remind me never to complain about my father's driving ever again!" Garrus shouted back. Jodie made to glare at Garrus, but before she could, the Mako turned once again, and Jodie felt her side of the Mako lift slightly as they rounded the turn. Liara let out a rather loud cry, Jodie clenching her teeth together as the turn was made. As the Mako levelled out, Ashley peeked into their area, looking back at them. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "I guess mad rush leads to things like this." "I guess it..." Tali trailed off, looking ahead of her. "Wait a second..." Jodie leaned forward, hoping to steal a glance from the driver's seat. She did manage to lean close enough that she could see a structure down at the end of a courtyard. It looked much like a miniature mass relay, the point of the relay pointed at the sky. Jodie took a deep breath in, seeing the blue core of the structure shine brightly. Jodie also noticed four large geth-like units right by it, shuddering slightly at the fact that they looked to similar to walking tanks for comfort. "There it is," said Jodie. "It's the Conduit." Shepard nodded. "Good, let's get going," he said. "We don't have a lot of time!" He then pushed the Mako into gear, the tank roaring down the pathway quickly. As soon as this happened, Jodie sat back, looking out the viewport at the large geth tanks. Jodie felt her blood run rather hot as they drove past the geth, and she looked out of the viewport and watched as their flashlight heads began to glow a lot brighter than she was accustomed to seeing. She breathed in sharply, her hands clenching into fists. Suddenly, one of the geth on her side fired a charged ball of light at the Mako. Jodie let out a cry, squeezing her eyes shut. The back of the Mako then lifted a bit, Jodie's skin crawling as she then felt the entire tank lift up from the ground of Ilos. She heard the explosions around them, Jodie looking over at Garrus and Liara as they braced for impact with the ground. And as soon as they hit the ground, Jodie looked back into the driver's seat with enough time to see them approach the Conduit. All at once, she watched as the Mako was surrounded by blue energy. She faintly recognized this blue energy as the kind that was seen in a mass relay jump, and as she sat back in her seat looking out of the side viewport, she found herself amazed at the sight around her. "Well, we made it through," said Shepard. He then looked back into the general seating area. "Sorry about the rough ride, but we didn't have any-" And then, Jodie blinked as the Presidium suddenly came into view. The Mako landed, but the speed at which the Mako travelled sent them crashing into a few geth. Before Jodie could process that, the vehicle flipped over, and she let out a loud scream that was drowned out by Liara, Tali, Ashley, and Garrus' equivalent yells before the vehicle skidded to a stop. Jodie took a sharp breath in, looking up at the floor of the Mako. She briefly wondered when she had been flung from her seat, before she was aware of a throb in her ribcage. She then slowly got to her feet, looking around at the rest of the ground team as they gathered their bearings. "Is everyone all right?" Jodie asked. "I'm fine," Tali said. "Same here," said Shepard. "Everyone else?" "I'm good, Commander," said Ashley. "Yeah, I'm here too," said Garrus. Liara shook her head. "Remind me never to get into a tank with Shepard, ever again," Liara replied. "Hmph. Whelps." All eyes turned to Wrex, who was still somehow inside of his seat and under the restraint. He then released himself, getting to a standing position with no problem at all. "I've had rougher rides on Tuchanka." Jodie cringed, looking up at the krogan. "I don't know if I even want to imagine that," she said. "Neither do I," said Shepard as he crawled out of where the driver's seat was. "In all honesty, though, we still have to stop Saren. By now, he might have found the control panel." Liara nodded. "Yes, of course," she said. She then looked over at the door. "Let's get out of here and stop him." Jodie nodded, looking over at Shepard as he kicked the door out for everyone to exit the Mako.
A few minutes later, the group had made their way to an elevator that was still functional. The trek had been rather short, but the group was not certain there would still be elevators at that point in time. Of course, the fact that it was functional made their lives a lot easier regardless. And so, they started riding the elevator up to the top of the Citadel tower. Jodie looked out, her eyes slightly widened. Even though she had gotten used to the size of the Citadel, seeing it from this viewpoint was a rather interesting experience. However, there was also the issue of the large black ship that was in the Citadel's airspace. The arms had closed by then, and Jodie found it odd to see all the wards of the Citadel joined together. Her breath hitched as she looked at the large black ship in front of them, her hands clenching into fists. Jodie had never seen such a large ship except in hologram form. To see it in person, though... that was unnerving for Jodie as she marvelled at the sheer size of the ship. "I've never seen anything like that..." she said. "Well, join the club," Wrex grumbled. "I'd join in, except that I've already seen it on Eden Prime," said Shepard. "That was a hell of a sight," Ashley added. "We just looked up and there it was. I'd never seen something that... big before." "I can't imagine what it must have been like," said Liara. She then looked over at Shepard. "And to think that it's controlling Saren..." "Well, whatever the case, he's mine," said Wrex. "He's a bastard." "Are we sure of that?" said Liara. "You heard him on Virmire, he seemed to have good intentions talking to Sovereign." "I heard he was a bastard before then," said Shepard as he looked up. "From what Anderson told me, he was a bad guy even before he got mind-controlled by Sovereign." "Hm..." Jodie looked out beyond the glass. "Whatever the case, we have to stop him. He's a threat to all of us no matter how you frame it." "Couldn't say it any better myself," said Shepard. "But soon enough, we'll be up there, and then we'll-" And then, they heard a sound as if something were being powered down. The ground team paused, looking around as the elevator slowed to a stop. There was silence in the elevator, and Aiden gurgled in fear. "Of course," said Shepard, his face contorting in rage. "Of course he couldn't make it that easy." "So what do we do now?" Jodie asked. Shepard shook his head, before grabbing his helmet where it was holstered on his hip. "Get your helmets on," he said. "We're going to get to Saren if it means we have to walk up the Citadel tower." Jodie looked at Shepard. "We're not...?" she asked. "It's gotta be that way," said Ashley as she pulled her helmet on. "There's no air around the Citadel tower." "Ah!" Without any further protest, Jodie pulled the helmet over her head. She sealed it within the vacuum, and then found herself trying to steady her breathing as she opened her omni-tool. These things are magnetized, so... she thought. She then felt her feet acquire an anchor to the surface below her, and when she lifted her right leg to test her footwork she found that her foot felt like it weighed a lot more than it did. She was still able to pull it away from the floor, but the extra force required gave her reason to look at it oddly. And that was when she heard the sound of a gun being fired close to her. She then looked up, seeing the glass on the elevator shatter into a thousand pieces in front of them. The shards ballooned out away from the elevator, forming a strange array of patterns as they spun away from the elevator. Jodie breathed in, taken by the sight before the glass floated away. She then breathed in, walking over to the edge of the elevator after Shepard. Shepard leapt onto the side of the tower, and Jodie and the rest of the ground team followed suit a few seconds later.
Jodie felt it was almost surreal how they were quickly running up the side of the Citadel's tower. Jodie was still getting the hang of walking up, however; it was a chore to always remember to keep one foot planted on the surface beneath her. It required constant thinking about for Jodie, what with never having stepped into an environment with little to no gravity. Okay... right foot down, that's right, keep it there... she thought as she took a step forward with her foot. Now keep the left foot down... Now the right... This process was laborious enough. And as she looked up, she saw that the others were going somewhat faster than her. Even Liara, who was behind almost everyone else, was moving quicker than Jodie was. Jodie frowned as she saw this, holding her pistol in her hand as she willed herself to go faster. She almost tripped over herself doing this, though, and so she steadied herself, looking head at the group. She gave a frustrated growl, Aiden clicking tersely in reply. She then stepped forward, moving along as best she could on the side of the Citadel. Well, at least nothing has come on to stop us, she thought, the refrain of 'left, right, left, right' popping into her head again. She trudged forward, walking along with everyone else as they reached a more open area of the Citadel tower, seeing a large section of it that seemed rather open. It was then that Jodie felt something vibrate around her feet. As she looked up, she saw a geth dropship appear, and Jodie's breath hitched at its landing very far above the whole group. She then saw a series of geth units rush straight for their position, some of them taking cover behind various outcroppings from the building. Jodie frowned as she ducked, slowly getting to cover. Great, she thought. I just had to think it, didn't I? She had no time to comment any further, for then she saw the ripples of mass effect rounds passing her by. She blinked, looking up to see that everyone was firing their weapons: however, there was no sound, except for a few vibrations she felt from her feet. She then looked up, peeking out of cover and firing her pistol. She was surprised at how different it felt firing in a vacuum, seeing the gun fire soundlessly at the approaching geth. She paused, looking around her. Wow... she thought. This is kind of surreal. Aiden chirped his agreement, but before Jodie could say anything more her shields took some hits. Jodie ducked down immediately, her shields recharging. As soon as they had recharged, she looked up, firing some shots at a nearby geth trooper. Her shots took the trooper down, and Jodie watched as the geth then began to float, the 'corpse' floating past her in the lack of gravity. She turned her attention further up the path, seeing that Shepard had already advanced somewhat, firing his own gun at the geth. Jodie also noticed that Liara had gotten closer, glowing blue the whole time. Jodie thus advanced as well, walking up behind Wrex and looking on as more geth came around. She raised her pistol, shooting at geth that rushed at her as she planted her feet firmly on the ground. She then watched as Wrex blasted it with a shotgun round, the geth suddenly changing trajectory and slowly floating up away from her. Jodie breathed in, watching more geth pour out. But Jodie paid no attention, for she then turned, seeing Shepard duck right into a way up the tower. Jodie followed suit, firing a few extra pistol shots before turning to follow Shepard with her careful steps. She then looked up the path, seeing a pair of large armored shapes rushing towards them from above. Jodie immediately recognized these as krogan, and something clicked in her mind. She then rushed forward, hoping to help Shepard. And then, when her right foot came down, she noticed that her foot had not stuck to the ground. She then began to feel herself flip over and it was only then that she realized that she had forgotten to think 'left, right'. She panicked, grabbing a wall that jutted out from behind. She saw her shields flicker out, right before she felt an extremely sharp pain on the right side of her back. She let out a loud cry of pain as she was slammed against the other side of the cover, very nearly letting go of the wall as she squeezed her eyes shut. In the silence, she could not make out what was happening around her. At least, not until she swung around from the force that she had been slammed against the wall. As soon as she saw Wrex rushing forward and giving one of the krogan a shotgun blast directly to the face, she faintly felt hands pull her down, a soothing feeling filling her backside. She opened her eyes somewhat, looking behind her to see that Liara had grabbed her, setting her back on the ground. She felt a little faint, though she still was able to stand on her own two feet. Jodie breathed in and out with extra effort, feeling how, although the worst of the pain had subsided, her wound still stung a little bit. She gritted her teeth, barely aware of the fight around her. She then looked at Liara, the asari looking at her with concern. Jodie nodded, gritting her teeth as she gave a signal that she was all right. Liara glanced at her for a few more seconds, before she walked along, pulling Jodie with her. Jodie's back still stung, but she now maintained pace with the others, still gripping her pistol in her other hand. She gritted her teeth as she did so, the pain slowly starting to ebb away as she caught up to the others. Jodie nearly lost her grip on the floor as she came up to where the geth dropship had landed, but she slowed down, breathing in and out as she set her foot back on the side of the tower. She saw Shepard run over to what looked like a terminal, Jodie noticing that Tali was very close behind him. She took position next to Ashley, looking at the dropship. Quickly, Jodie raised her pistol, firing at one of the red-tinted geth troops that had just come out of the drop ship. Her back pain flared from the recoil of the gun, but it was faint enough that Jodie could keep firing. Still, that needed to be attended to. Aiden, help with that, please, she thought. As soon as she thought this, a second soothing sensation came over her back. She let out a sigh of relief this time, knowing Aiden was doing what he could for Jodie's back. This allowed her to concentrate on the scene in front of her, and she shot the geth units as they swarmed out of there. She saw Wrex seem to run in and out, though it was slower than she was used to seeing him rush, and something in his movements seemed more... relaxed. She had just taken down the shields of another red-tinted geth when she saw a flash of light in the edge of her vision. She then looked to her right, watching the end of an explosion trail off from the front of the drop ship. She then watched as more explosions impacted the drop ship's hull, the ship starting to take off as this happened. It only got a few feet away from them before Jodie saw the ship explode, its exploding hull crashing into the Citadel tower a few steps above where they were. Jodie then turned, looking to see Shepard and Tali rush up the side. Jodie breathed in, doing her best to stay calm as she followed the others up the tower.
"Are you okay, Jodie?" "I'm fine. I can hold out until the end of this battle. Thanks for asking." "You sure?" "Absolutely." Jodie nodded reassuringly to Shepard as she hooked her helmet to her side. "Trust me, I'm fine," she said. Shepard frowned, before nodding. "All right," he said. "Well, let's hope Saren doesn't like to target wounded humans." Ashley chuckled. "Fat chance of that happening," she said. "Come on. Let's give it to Saren." "Agreed," said the group. Jodie and the others then advanced, Jodie looking around the area they were in to find that they were inside a rather lush garden-like area. Of course, half the garden was up in flames, Jodie covering her mouth at the smell of the fires around them. Ahead of her, she saw several flights of stairs, all of which led up to a platform at the far end of the rail. The platform had a guard rail, and for a second she thought she could see a form standing somewhere in front of the platform. The figure was vaguely turian, and Jodie took a deep breath. "That's Saren," she said. "We've finally got him cornered," said Wrex, pumping his shotgun. "Let's kill that son of a bitch." "I'm with the krogan," said Shepard. "Come on. Let's go." The group then quickly advanced to where the turian figure stood. Jodie followed suit, feeling barely anything in her back as she rushed forward with the rest of the group. They rushed up the stairs, weapons at the ready as they all stood by. Right as the group made it to the top, however, the figure seemed to drop down into a courtyard below the one in front of the raised area. Shepard and the others stepped very close, seeing that there was a platform that had been outstretched over a garden area. They all looked down, seeing very little for Saren to have fallen into. Jodie's gaze lingered, and then she thought she saw something move upon closer inspection. But before Jodie could point this out, she watched as a small disc-like object was thrown onto the platform above. Jodie looked at it, before it registered in her mind that the object was beeping rather loudly. "Oh shit!" she said, grabbing Liara's shoulder and pushing her away. "Grenade!" The others ran away from the disc-like object, and thankfully Jodie and Liara were both behind cover when the grenade exploded. All of the ground team was scattered behind cover, Jodie and Liara nodding at each other as the dust settled. And then, Jodie looked over cover to see Saren in all his glory. The turian looked almost half-synthetic, with all manner of tubes coming out of his neck. Jodie cringed upon seeing that, before she set her eyes on the rest of the grey turian. There was no face paint anywhere on the turian's visage, and cold eyes that seemed half-dead stared out from the turian's face. Jodie felt goosebumps race up and down her arms as she looked at Saren. Saren then pointed right at Shepard, who was sitting behind cover directly in front of the turian. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren began. "In time for what?" Shepard yelled, turning his gaze towards Saren. "The final confrontation," Saren replied. It was only then that Jodie noticed the platform he stood on hovered in the air. "I think we both expected it would end like this." Saren paused, looking down at Shepard with an unreadable expression. "You've lost; you know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have complete control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return." "Sorry, I can't hear you over my impeccable slight of hand, what was that?" Shepard asked. "You jest, but you do not mean it," Saren replied. "I see you survived our encounter on Virmire. But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has... upgraded me." "Upgraded?" Jodie asked softly as she leaned towards Liara. The asari opened her mouth, but before she could Shepard's voice rang out from where he sat behind cover. "You let Sovereign implant you?" the commander asked. "Are you insane?" "I suppose I should thank you, Shepard," Saren began, his hovering platform inching closer to Shepard. "After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About... indoctrination. And even your reasoning that I might not have been the first. The doubt began to eat away at me." Jodie gripped her pistol tightly, looking at Saren as he spoke on. "Sovereign sensed my... hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you, too." Shepard chuckled. "Sure, and I'm sure that place is totally not where I'm being crushed right underneath one of those mechanical arms he has," Shepard replied, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Don't you get it, you damn stupid son of a bitch? Sovereign didn't implant you to strength your resolve. It implanted you to weaken it! You started questioning it, and then it implanted you to make you its slave!" "You are mistaken, Shepard," said Saren. "You see, the relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined. A union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither." Jodie watched as the turian swept his arm in a grand motion. "I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny! Sovereign sees a power in you and has taken great interest. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!" Jodie frowned, looking at the turian. She then turned to Shepard, who seethed in rage as he looked up at Saren. "So you're just going to let it happen like the moronic coward you are," Shepard replied. "Don't you realize that if we stop him here, that invasion will never happen?" "We can't stop it!" Saren replied, Jodie noticing that his voice suddenly seemed to pick up actual inflection. "Not forever." He then pointed at Shepard. "You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful! We can't stop them!" Jodie gritted her teeth, before looking up at Saren. "And your solution is to help them do their job?" Jodie asked. All eyes immediately fell on Jodie, even Saren's. Despite this, though, Jodie did not feel her resolve waver. Saren chuckled. "Letting your crew members speak for you, Shepard?" said Saren. "You don't understand," said Jodie. "You think this will solve anything?" "They will see the value of organic life," said Saren. "They have to, after I've aided their cause!" Jodie shook her head, leaning out of cover slightly so Saren could see her face. A dumb move, she knew, but she knew her shields could protect her if the worst came to pass. "You know just as well as I do that that's not how it works," said Jodie. "These Reapers have some purpose we don't understand, but whatever it is it's not good!" Jodie shook her head. "We spoke to Sovereign on Virmire! Those things can't be convinced to stop what they're doing! Sovereign knows that, and you're hopelessly naive if you don't think somewhere deep down that it's true!" She then moved out of cover so Saren could see more of her. "It's using your hope against you, Saren! It's going to use you to do its dirty work, and then it's going to discard you like some rag! You don't really think Sovereign is going to honor the word it's given to something it thinks is meaningless, do you?" Saren paused, looking at Jodie as she fully stepped out of cover. Jodie stared right at Saren, her gaze determined as she stood there. The others looked at her, but Jodie stood steadfast; after all, she felt that if she displayed her confidence, it might help her cause. "Think about it, Saren!" Jodie pleaded. "You know what the right thing to do is! Step aside, and we can stop this invasion! That'll buy us some time to find out how to stop the Reapers, won't it?" The turian then paused. "Maybe you're right," he said, looking at the ground. "Maybe there is still a chance for...unh!" Saren grabbed his head, doubling over as he let out a cry of pain. Jodie instinctively took a step forward as Saren's cry was strangled by the turian's own vocal chords. She breathed in sharply, looking at the others as Saren remained quiet for a few seconds. He looked back up at the rest of the group, his eyes wide. "The implants... Sovereign is too strong," said Saren, almost at a whisper. "I'm sorry. It's too late for me." And then, Shepard stepped out of cover. "So you're just going to give up like a coward," he said, a sneer on his face. "I know how you think, Saren. You'd sooner die before you're tossed aside like some rag. You say you want to give up, but do you really want to give up? Or are you secretly a coward at heart?" Shepard then stepped forward. "Go on. Prove me right. You're nothing but a coward, aren't you?" Jodie's jaw drop as she looked at Shepard. She looked back at Saren, the turian growling low as he stared directly at Shepard. Aiden trilled in alarm, Jodie turning back to Saren in time to see him raise his gun. Jodie instinctively rose her gun up, but before she fired she noticed that Saren was still pulling the gun up. Eventually, the turian raised the barrel of the gun to his own temple. And all the while, Jodie could hear a low growl, though it was a more pained growl than before. "I'm... not... a coward!" Saren shouted. "And I am not a rag! I am Saren Arterius, turian Spectre, and I will do what's right for this galaxy, even if it's to spite you!" And with these words, Saren pulled the trigger. The turian tilted to the side, Jodie cringing at the wash of blue blood that flew out of the turian's head as he leaned to the side. Saren's lifeless body then fell off the hovering platform, the turian tumbling into a glass dome beneath him, the dome shattering under the impact of his fall. With a loud thud, Jodie watched as Saren's body fell to the garden below, going completely still. There was a tense silence in the air after Saren's fall, the others popping out of cover slowly. They all looked down at the dead turian in the garden below, some looking on with wonder and others in confusion. All except Wrex, of course. "Well, that was anticlimactic," said Wrex with a chuckle. "Tell me about it," said Ashley. "Shepard, we should-" And then Jodie felt a harsh shove at her shoulder. She stumbled back in surprise, catching her footing as she looked at the way Shepard rushed at her. He seemed furious, Jodie briefly taken off guard by the fury that transformed his expression as he walked up to her and pointed right at her chest. "What the fuck was that?" Shepard screamed at her. Liara stood up. "Shepard, calm down," she said immediately. "I don't think you-" "You could've gotten yourself killed!" Shepard shouted at Jodie's face, completely ignoring Liara. Jodie frowned, but Shepard continued. "And what the fuck made you think you could convince Saren? You and I both know that damn turian would never have changed! You made a fucking stupid mistake, Holmes, and you could have-" Jodie stepped forward, shaking her head. "First of all, it managed to help get him to commit suicide, didn't it?" Jodie asked. "Like it or not, I stopped a firefight we didn't need! Second, as much as I'd like to debate this with you, we're fighting against time here," said Jodie. "Or were you not listening when Saren said that Sovereign is already in the Citadel's systems?" Shepard growled, turning back to the control panel where it had extended out. "Fine," he said, his voice giving a low growl. "But this conversation isn't over." He then turned harshly, quickly making his way up to the platform. After a few seconds, Tali and Garrus both followed him up to the platform, Wrex not far behind and Ashley following suit. Jodie did not follow any of them on, instead moving to stand by the edge as Shepard walked up to the panel and opened his omni-tool. Jodie sighed, shaking her head as she leaned against the guard rail. Liara joined her next to the guard rail. "Jodie..." she said. "You won't be on the Normandy anymore when that happens." "I don't care," Jodie said, shaking her head as she looked back at the asari. "Whatever Shepard wants to do, it won't matter once I leave the ship." "You've decided?" Liara asked. Jodie sighed, looking at Liara. "It's... complicated," she said, gesturing at Shepard. Thankfully, Shepard's back was still turned to them. "You know why that is." Liara nodded. "I do," she said. "I wonder what..." And then, Liara turned her gaze to the window. Jodie did as soon as she saw Liara's distraction, and then she saw from the window that the Citadel's arms were opening. Both of them paused, taking in the sight of the fight outside the Citadel as it became evident to the two of them. They could not see much from where they were, but what little they could see looked rather unsettling. At least it did not seem as if the fight was over by a long shot, and that comforted Jodie somewhat. She then looked on as Shepard continued issuing orders. "But you know... something about all this..." Jodie trailed off, looking at Ashley. "Something about Shepard..." "What is it?" Liara asked. Jodie sighed, looking at Liara. "I can't leave it well enough alone," said Jodie. "I feel like there's more to the story. And I feel like, whatever it is, there's something big behind it all..." She then looked back at Liara. "You feel it too, right?" "I do," said Liara as she looked down at the garden beneath them. Jodie looked, seeing that Wrex and Tali had both jumped down to Saren's level, Wrex pulling out his shotgun. The two women hesitated, Jodie watching as Wrex fired the shotgun right into Saren's head. As soon as the loud shotgun blast had finished reverberating around the plaza, the asari turned back to Jodie. Jodie sighed. "And that's the end of Saren," she said. "Yes," said Liara. "At least he died while he was in control of his own will. If only I could say the same for-" And then, the Citadel tower began to shake. Jodie then heard the crackle of static electricity down below, and looked down to see the area around the garden crackling in red electricity. After a few seconds, she saw the red electricity strike Saren's corpse, the lightning immediately causing what little organic flesh Saren had left on his person to disintegrate completely. The corpse twitched, Jodie swallowing down bile that had gathered at the back of her throat. And then, the red electricity was released out in an explosion that sent Wrex and Tali flying across the garden below. The explosion also dislodged the platform Shepard stood on, the platform falling over as it deposited Shepard, Garrus, and Ashley down below. All three of them rolled to a stop, Liara and Jodie powerless to help as they rolled to a stop. Jodie gasped loudly as she saw the other notable thing, however: Saren's corpse had stood up, stumbling forward as it began to draw its claws. Jodie watched the mechanical thing look directly at them, the red electricity arcing all over Saren's body. The red electricity had even formed a kind of core within the synthetic ribcage, and a red glow had taken hold of Saren's eyes. Immediately, Jodie drew her pistol, Liara doing much the same thing as Shepard and the others down in the garden struggled to stand up. The husk then knelt low to the ground, the red eyes staring back. "I am Sovereign," the husk said. "And this station is mine." Jodie snorted. "Of course it couldn't be that easy," Jodie muttered under her breath. She then watched as the Saren husk crawled towards Shepard, the commander instinctively drawing his sword as he looked at the inorganic husk. Saren approached, and then the synthetic creature lunged at Shepard. It tackled Shepard, the creature flying to the far wall beneath Jodie and Liara's position. They heard the shouts and hits of a scuffle, before they both saw Shepard fly right across the garden. The commander tumbled over, looking up as he shakily got to his feet. Jodie then watched as a red streak appeared, tackling the commander once again. However, the Commander managed to shrug the synthetic off, the husk still managing to land a rather short distance away. Jodie blinked, looking at the husk as it reared on Shepard. Jodie brought her pistol to bear, quickly firing it blindly at the husk. The husk turned its gaze upwards, Jodie frowning at the synthetic as she breathed in and out. She saw the way the husk's limbs flared out, as if preparing to pounce. Instead, though, Jodie watched as the red light behind the husk's eyes glowed even brighter than before. Jodie blinked, and moved to jump out of the way just before a red ball of energy exploded at the point where she had been before. She still felt the blowback from the explosion, but she was able to roll back to her feet as she looked down at the turian husk down there. Jodie scoffed. "Of course," she whispered. "Of course it isn't that simple." She then rushed back to the edge of the garden, pointing her pistol back down at the garden beneath her. She fired her gun, but before the rounds could make any impact, Saren leapt elsewhere on the walls of the garden below. The husk then fired several red balls into the garden area, causing everyone down there to scatter around. A shower of sparks then emitted from the husk's torso, the husk looking directly at Tali; her omni-tool was out, and even as the husk turned its attention to the quarian she was leaping behind cover. Jodie took the opportunity to fire at it some more, her shots still reflecting off of the husk's shields. She frowned, but before she could reply, the husk then lunged right at Wrex. Of course, the krogan was ready, so he leapt to the side, firing his shotgun at the husk. This seemed to finally take down the husk's shields, as Jodie saw a flicker of red around the husk. As soon as the husk landed, however, it released more of those red balls, one of them being one of the large ones. Jodie had run back to her original cover when she saw the blast knock Ashley and Garrus off their feet. Jodie immediately pointed her gun at the husk, opening fire on it. Her shots did absolutely nothing to the husk, however, and Jodie then looked up at the husk. She leapt away from her cover as soon as she saw the red ball fly towards her. Even still, she felt the blowback from the explosion, and it sent her flying a little further than she intended, so that she even slid a couple of inches across the ground. As she stood up, she heard another loud explosion of static, hearing Ashley scream out in pain. Jodie scrambled to her feet, returning to cover to see Tali pulling a badly-injured Ashley behind cover. Jodie turned her attention then to Shepard, who was then standing up, staring directly at the Saren husk outside of cover. Saren rushed straight towards Shepard, but the commander was ready. He raised his sword up, slashing downwards at the moment that Saren passed him. The result was immediate: Jodie saw Saren's arm detach from the husk, the husk howling out in pain as it fell and rolled to a stop. Shepard then chuckled, twirling his sword around as he ran at Saren's corpse. He raised his weapon, ready to deliver a final blow to the husk. The husk simply fired a massive red ball at the commander, the red ball exploding on impact. Shepard was flung back, his sword flying out of his hand as he landed at least twenty feet away. Tali let out a loud cry of shock, Shepard laying there motionless. Jodie gasped, the husk looking feverishly around at the others down there. It then began to fire a barrage of red electricity at everyone down there. Even Wrex was forced into cover, with Garrus trying and failing to suppress the rapid fire of red electricity all around them. And meanwhile, Jodie could only watch from above at the chaos down below. She blinked, seeing the sword there, and how close it was to the husk as it began to move around. Her gaze turned to Liara, the asari hiding behind cover while looking at her pistol. Jodie then looked down at where the sword was, her mind moving quickly. She then stowed her pistol away, crawling away from cover as she looked at Liara. Aiden, tell Liara to get ready to distract this thing, she thought. The entity chirped, Jodie glaring up at where she assumed Aiden was. Just do it! she replied, looking back down. Jodie looked back to Liara, seeing as the asari's omni-tool opened. As soon as she saw this, Jodie vaulted over her cover, seeing the warm blue light of Aiden protecting her from the red bubbles in a cocoon of blue light. She quickly hit the ground, Aiden's shield dispelling as soon as she did. She then rushed towards the sword, diving behind cover right as her shields broke, and she could only look at Saren's husk. And then, the husk was struck by a blue light, the husk stumbling back as its constant barrage of firepower was interrupted. It then looked right up at Liara, the asari standing out proud as the husk turned its barrage of red lights at her. Jodie took this as her cue: she immediately rushed up to the sword, finding the button and turning the blade on. She gritted her teeth, rushing forward as her steps seemed to furiously smash into the ground. She approached, preparing to swing the object. She only let out a loud cry as soon as the blade began cutting through the husk. It let out an almighty shriek of pain, Jodie pulling up and finding that the blade cut very cleanly through the husk. After a second, Jodie had cut the husk clean in half. This caused some of the red electricity to dissipate, the husk's halves falling off to the side. Jodie immediately tossed the sword to the side, pulling her pistol out and looking at the others. "Get it now!" she shouted. "Make sure this thing is fucking dead!" And she followed suit by firing her pistol at the half of the husk closest to her. Soon enough, she heard the deafening roar of other guns going off, but Jodie could not let this distract her. She simply kept squeezing the trigger, squeezing it even after she heard the beep that signaled the weapon's overheating. And as soon as she had exhausted her pistol, she discarded that, pulling her assault rifle back and repeating the process until that too overheated. And then, there was a deafening silence. Jodie looked down, seeing the completely lifeless husk in two pieces around her. The red electricity was gone, Jodie sighing heavily as she looked down at the pieces of the husk that had been blown apart by mass accelerator fire. She then adjusted her standing posture, shaking her head as she holstered her assault rifle. "You're terminated, motherfucker," she said with a frown. Jodie breathed in and out, turning to look at Shepard. Garrus was already by the Commander's side, Tali slowly walking up to them. Jodie glanced to the side, walking over to Ashley as she struggled to stand up. Jodie pulled her up, slinging the gunnery chief's arm up over her shoulders. "Ow... Thanks..." said Ashley. "Well... Saren's dead now. And Sovereign can't use his body for anything." "Yeah," said Jodie. "I wonder how the fight out in space is going." "Knowing what we just did?" Ashley asked. "I think we'll be fine." Jodie sighed. "I hope so," said Jodie. "I hope to God we stopped that invasion. That would've been..." "Yeah," Ashley said as Jodie began to walk along. "I'm sure we stopped it, though. I guess it's no use-" "Look out!" Jodie heard Liara's yell as soon as she had taken a few more steps forward. She then saw the area around them darken slightly. Jodie then turned to the window, breathing in and out harshly as she watched a large black object race straight towards them. It had the familiar red glow to it, though that glow was dying as Jodie looked on. Jodie quickly turned around, but she was only able to get a few steps away before she heard a loud crash behind her. She then felt the ground heave upwards from beneath her, and could only look at the garden she was in as she felt herself soar in the air before she blacked out upon hitting the ground.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Dec 24, 2014 18:18:53 GMT 1
Chapter 19 Jodie moved her eyelids as if to blink, though she felt no movement from them. The black expanse around her seemed to stretch into infinity, an especially thick miasma that swirled around forebodingly. Jodie shuddered. This was what I saw in my coma... she thought, looking around the black expanse. She walked forward a little, as much as she could. What's here now? She paused upon reaching a staticky projection. Jodie would have gritted her teeth if she could, but as she was not conscious, she could only watch as the static began to give way to something strange, something akin to one of Aiden's visions. She frowned at the memory, however, and suddenly she was lurched forward as the memory became much like Aiden's visions. However, Jodie immediately frowned, seeing a setting almost completely removed. She looked around, seeing strange creatures all around her in grayscale. Jodie breathed in, realizing that she did not recognize anything in the vision around her. There were beings like large beetles with the eyes of a fly running around, antennae flicking backwards and forwards. She saw some that looked similar to velociraptors, except they stood upright, their armor worn proudly. Even still there were others with four eyes, skin pale and scaley without a nose and arms like the wings of a bat. And then there were those that were frog-like, though Jodie thought she recognized the facial structure from one of the monster movies that she had caught Cole watching one time when she was eight. Amidst this parade of faces, order eventually came to pass: all the people around her were in a small room, one likely made for smaller meetings. There was one of each of the four beings she had already seen, and then at the far end she saw a strange figure that looked almost exactly like a human: in fact, she would have believed it was a human if not for the eyes that glowed unnaturally. Jodie swallowed a lump in her throat, turning to where everyone's attention was. And there was Shepard, who looked no older than a preteen even. Jodie took in a sharp breath, taking a step back as she beheld this. What... Is that...? "Milord," the man with the bat-like arms said. Jodie frowned. Milord? she thought. Shepard...? Shepard looked up. "I know what I must do." "Indeed," said the large velociraptor as he leaned forward. "We do not expect reports on your progress immediately. That would jeopardize your mission." "I am to infiltrate them first," said Shepard, looking around at them. "This is my duty to bring them to justice." Jodie flinched at the hateful way Shepard said 'them'. Them? She then took a deep breath in. Who's... Who would them be...? "Are you sure you must do this yourself?" asked the insectoid being, antennae flicking forwards and backwards rapidly. "You forget, councillor, that I appear more human than any of you," said Shepard. He then turned to the humanoid councillor with the glowing eyes. "I will employ you as informants when I can, but being unable to remove sunglasses to hide your glowing eyes would give you away. It must be me." "You know to exercise extreme caution, milord," said the human-like being on the other end. "Do you take me for a fool, Jarda?" said Shepard as he walked towards the exion. "I am far beyond them in intelligence. I will be cautious. And I will bring justice to them one way or another." "I was simply ensuring it, milord," the human-like being replied. "Then... you are ready." "I am," said Shepard. "As the last prince of the Shardan bloodline, this is my duty..." Jodie breathed in. Prince? she thought. What is this galaxy? What...?
The raptor-like being nodded. "Of course," he said. "Then go out to them, Jon'ison Shardan. Administer justice in the way only the Shardan bloodline can." Jodie watched as Shepard bowed. Jon'ison... Shardan... Jodie thought. Is that... Is that Shepard's real name? Before she could process this, the vision suddenly dissipated, leaving Jodie out in the black. And then, before her, a strange purple cloud swirled into being. Jodie flinched upon seeing this, her fingers tightening as she looked at the purple cloud. It formed the impression of a woman, an aged woman by the posture. Jodie could not tell much else, all discerning features unclear. "Go to the galaxy," a voice rung out. Jodie blinked, looking at the cloud. "Huh?" she asked. "Are you...? "Go to Jon'ison Shardan's galaxy," the voice continued. "You must go there, you must understand. That is the only way to save us all..." "What are you talking about?" Jodie asked, feeling herself step forward. "Save us all from the Reapers?" "No," the voice replied. "From something far worse than them." The spirit paused, Jodie seeing as the cloud-like body began to peel away from the bottom up, the being billowing away like petals of a dandelion. "Go, spirit-touched. May the spirits guide your way to the truth." And with this, the cloud-like face, dissipated, Jodie taking a step forward. "Wait!" Jodie shouted. "Hold on! What's going on? What are you? Where is this galaxy? What were those people? What am I defending you against?" But Jodie's voice echoed back in the dreamscape, a reply lost to the ages. She blinked, looking around the dreamscape. And then, the imaginary ground beneath her feet shattered, Jodie letting out a scream as she was pulled into a hole.
Jodie blinked her eyes open, staring up at a ceiling. As she looked up, she groaned, feeling her body ache all over. The ache was most prominent over the right side of her back, but she felt aches all over her body. "Well, there you are," a rough, feminine voice replied. "Glad to see you decided to return to the land of the living, there. I'd hate for you to have to be accidentally racist to the goddess." Jodie blinked, before turning her head to the side. Sitting there on the nearby bed was Sura T'Lenya, dressed in a civilian outfit and holding a datapad. She carried a blank expression, though Jodie could see in the glint of her eyes that the asari seemed relieved she was alive. "Sura?" Jodie asked. "What are you doing here?" "Doing some last-minute tallying of everything," said the asari as she leaned forward. "I have to say, you looked pretty badly hurt after getting under all that rubble. The doctors said you'd pull through, though, so if nothing else you're resilient." She shrugged, looking out. "And lucky for you, you avoided the parts with the worst carnage." Jodie blinked, before she slowly sat up in the room. She was hooked up to all sorts of medical equipment, but what drew her attention was the view of the Presidium outside. She raised her eyebrows, looking out at the rubble-ridden areas around her. Even seeing it in ruins, the Presidium was a sight to behold: greenery was laid out by a lake in the bottom of it, and the buildings all seemed to be white structures that bent at angles she'd grown accustomed to when she was living in her own apartment. The overall feeling was one of opulence, and she indeed saw why Xerxes spoke highly of the place even in ruins. "Damn..." she said. She then looked back at Sura. "Are the others all right?" "Oh, they're all fine," said Sura. "About the worst that happened to the others we found up there is that one of them had a broken leg. Miraculous, that one. He should've been so much worse off, and yet there he was." Jodie frowned. "Shepard," she said. "Of course," said the asari cop. She then leaned forward. "What happened up there, Jodie?" Jodie chuckled, shaking her head. "A lot," she said. She then leaned back. "But we took down Saren, stopped Sovereign..." She paused. "And we did it without the Council, too." She then looked back at Sura, her eyes widening. "Where was the Council during all that?" "They were on the Destiny Ascension," said Sura. She shrugged, looking out. "That almost got blown up, by the way. Thank the Goddess that the Alliance was right around the corner. I don't know about you, but I like my Destiny Ascension whole, rather than diced. Ruins the aesthetic of it, don't you know." Jodie frowned. "The Alliance?" she asked. "Shepard gave the order to save them," Sura replied. "A second later, and they would've been obliterated." Jodie nodded, sitting back and looking out the window. "So when am I supposed to get out of here?" she asked. "Well, you'll have to ask the doctor that," said Sura. "But anyway... I just thought you'd use the company." Jodie smiled, leaning back on the bed and looking at Sura. "I thought you didn't like accidental racists," Jodie replied. The asari returned with a cocky smile. "Only if they don't apologize," she replied. "The ones that apologize don't piss me off, you know." Jodie shrugged. "Fair enough," she said. "Thanks." She then looked up. "So... is everyone else back at the Normandy?" "Should be," Sura said. She then stood up, walking to the door and pausing right there. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll tell Kalo you're up." Jodie smiled. "Thanks," she said. "And please... can you get him up here if I'm still here in the next couple of days? I want to see him." "He's fine, if that's what you're asking after," Sura said. "But sure." She looked back. "I'll see you around, Jodie." "See you," Jodie replied. And with this, Sura exited the room. Jodie watched her go, noticing for the first time that the walls of the room were made mostly of all manner of glass. She also noticed that the door was much the same way, and she could peer into the other things happening at the hospital she was in. There were various others there with wounds, though most looked to be getting on rather decently. Jodie leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Her frown returned to her as she thought of the dream. Aiden... did you see any of that? The entity chirped clearly. Jodie nodded. I thought so... What could that have meant? She sighed, looking at the door as she saw a salarian in a doctor's coat walk up to her room. Mm. Well, here's the doctor, Jodie thought. Let's think about that later, Aiden. And then, Jodie shifted her posture as the door opened, the salarian glancing at her as he gave her a soft smile.
As it turned out, Jodie was not long for the hospital; at most, she had to stay for three days for them to monitor her condition. She of course had been directed to take it easy by the doctor for the next couple of weeks, but Jodie doubted she would do much running around during that time anyway. It was thus that Jodie looked up at the holographic projection that stood in for the hospital television in that age. How technology changes... she observed, sighing as she looked up. She heard the door open. Jodie immediately turned, her blood running cold as soon as she saw Shepard walk in. "Holmes," said Shepard as he stepped in. "It's good to see you're still alive." Jodie's right hand tightened into a fist, Aiden chirping a warning at her. "Shepard," she said, swallowing after she said it to avoid giving anything away. The commander paused. "You don't think I'm going to call you out on anything, do you?" he asked. Jodie sighed. "Well, we got into that yelling match in the Citadel Tower," she said. "Oh, that," Shepard replied, shaking his head as he pulled up a chair. "I had some time to think on that. You were right, you know: it did help us out in the end. And then... well, there's the whole fact you took it out for me." Jodie noticed that Shepard's neck tensed slightly before he released that tension, leaning forward. "You stole my kill, but screw it, you helped stop Sovereign." Jodie frowned. "Yeah, what happened there?" "I get the feeling that Sovereign put some energy into Saren's husk," said Shepard. "I don't know the details, neither does anyone else, and frankly I don't care to know." He then leaned back, looking at Jodie. "Point is, I'm willing to forgive that indiscretion of yours given that it all ended with Saren dying and Sovereign being taken out." Jodie nodded. "I see..." she said, sitting up slightly. She felt no less agitated at Shepard's presence, but she decided to ignore that. "So what does that mean for me?" "You're welcome to stay on the Normandy for that," said Shepard. "I know you don't really have a place to call home, so if you need somewhere to stay the Normandy is ready to provide that. I'm sure the Alliance would throw a stink about that without first inducting you into the Alliance, but-" "As much as I'd like that, I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that," Jodie interrupted. Shepard frowned, leaning forward. "Holmes?" he asked. Jodie nodded. "I have friends here I can stay with in the meantime," she said. "But... I've had a lot of adventuring done, Shepard. And I've seen this Saren thing to the end. I mentioned I'd see it to the end and go on my way, and at this time, I think I'm going to do exactly that. I'll figure out what to do with myself, but... the last time I go onto the Normandy, I think it'll be to collect my guitar." She shook her head, looking at her feet. "I'm sorry, but... that's how it is." Shepard nodded, a frown forming on his face. "Fine," he said. "I'll respect that. But I think the Alliance will be missing out on a real asset there. You'd do great work for them. And for me." Jodie bit her lower lip. "Thanks, but military life isn't for me," she replied. She then looked at Shepard. "Thank you for the offer, though." Shepard nodded. "Well, I guess that means I'll have to take my leave, then," he said. "I'd stay and chat, but I have a lot that needs to be done." He then stood up. "I'll see you when you come to pick your things up." Jodie nodded. "I'll see you then," said Jodie. Shepard then moved towards the exit. However, right at the door, Shepard paused, before turning back to Jodie. "Oh, and Jodie?" he asked. Jodie felt her heart skip a beat as she looked over at Shepard. "Yes?" she asked. Shepard paused, looking over at Jodie, a grimace forming on his face. "Is there anything you want to mention to me before you leave?" Jodie frowned. "Why do you ask?" she asked. "I noticed you were acting... strange, when Vigil talked about that place," he replied. Jodie's feet stiffened, and it took a lot of effort for her to maintain the same facial expression. "What... what are you talking about?" she asked. Shepard shrugged. "When he spoke about that galaxy, you seemed a little more on edge..." He paused, glancing to the side. "Almost as if you knew more than you let on." "I was just as new to it as the rest of us," Jodie replied. She shook her head, pulling her legs closer to her body. "I... I just grew a little more worried that we might have to face another threat, you know?" Shepard nodded. "You get uppity about that, huh?" he observed. "That might be part of the reason I joined to stop Saren," she replied. "I just... if the threat's real, I wanted to do something about it." "I don't think you'll have to worry about that galaxy," he replied, his tone calming. "After all, why worry about something that isn't a threat? Even if it were true, it's been fifty thousand years. They've fallen by now, they must've." Jodie felt her throat constrict slightly, but nevertheless she found herself giving a nod, squeezing the hand Shepard could not see into a fist. "Yeah," she said. "Maybe I'm worrying over nothing." Shepard nodded. "Good," he said. "I'll see you on the ship, then." And with this, Shepard left the hospital room. Jodie watched him leave the hospital through the glass, her breathing quickening as she watched him go. Jodie then turned, closing her eyes as her whole body tensed up. Holy fuck... she thought. Aiden... Do you think he knows? Aiden gave a wavering gurgle, the sound a little louder than was usual for Aiden's sounds. She then heard a rash of frantic clicks, all of them coming very quickly as Jodie looked up at him. Yeah, maybe he doesn't, but let's not bank on that, Jodie thought. We already know he's definitely part of this galaxy. She paused, before exhaling and closing her eyes. We need to talk to Liara. See what her take on all of this is. Aiden chirped his agreement. Jodie turned her attention back to the holographic projection above her, but she could not shake the disturbing feeling that had crept into her mind. She eventually turned the hologram off, turning to the side and looking out onto the sparkling blue waters of the Presidium's lake. The waters there seemed so pristine, though the sight was marred by the various clean-up groups peppered around the lake's shores. She sighed, biting her lower lip. Oh, what am I supposed to do about all of this?
Jodie stood up, her muscles aching all over. She closed her eyes, looking all around her as the salarian doctor nodded. Ashley had swung by the little hospital room a day earlier to drop her clothes off, which Jodie was grateful for: seeing that people still wore something akin to hospital gowns in the future was rather annoying, and it made her getting back into her civilian clothes that much better. Even if they made her look woefully out of place, Jodie was comfortable in them. And to hell with anyone that's got a problem with that, she thought absent-mindedly as she pulled her jacket on. She then nodded, looking at the doctor. "Well, that should be all, Miss Holmes," the doctor replied. "Just remember to return here for a check-up in three days' time." "Of course, doctor," Jodie said. "Thank you for everything." "Of course, Miss Holmes," the doctor replied. "You have another guest waiting for you." Jodie nodded. "Thanks," she said. "I guess I'll just walk right over to him, right?" "I believe so," said the doctor. The two of them then stepped out of the room, Jodie moving slightly slower as she looked to the entrance of the hospital. "Well, thank you for everything," Jodie said. She paused, looking at the salarian doctor. "Tell your staff taht they're all pretty good." The doctor nodded. "Of course, Miss Holmes," he replied. "Stay safe." "You too." Jodie nodded at the doctor as he then walked off, Jodie left to walk towards the entrance of the hospital. She walked out of the hospital, taking a deep breath as she stepped out of the double doors. As she did, she looked out into what she assumed was a waiting area. Most of the people around were unfamiliar to her, but Jodie instantly noticed a brown turian sitting to the side. Jodie watched as he turned to look at the door, Jodie watching his mandibles part in a smile as he stood up, closing his omni-tool. "Well, if it isn't the galaxy-famous Jodie Holmes!" the turian said, stepping forward. Jodie smiled, too, walking towards the turian. They pulled each other into a hug, Jodie looking up at the turian as she pulled herself close. "Xerxes," she said. The turian patted her shoulder, stepping back as he looked down at her. "Glad to see you're still alive," he said. "I bet that final fight must have taken a lot out of you." "I've been in worse scrapes," Jodie replied. "At least this time I was only out for a few days. The last time I wound up in this situation, I was in a coma for three months." Xerxes cringed. "Ah," he said. "Sorry to hear that." Jodie shrugged. "I barely noticed it," she said, her voice a little quieter. "You don't really notice passages of time when you're unconscious." "I guess that's true," Xerxes replied. He then tapped his foot. "Anyway, let's get going, shall we? I hope you're hungry." Jodie frowned, looking up at Xerxes. "Hungry?" she asked. "Why?" Xerxes only smiled, his mandibles falling in amusement. "Well, I suppose you might want something," he said. "Or does the savior of the Citadel not want any gifts?" Jodie chuckled. "I'm not the savior, I'm a savior," she replied. "But... well, when you put it that way, why not?" Xerxes nodded, the two of them walking out of the hospital. "Then I think you'll be eating rather well today."
Jodie pulled away from her plate, glancing up at Xerxes in shock. "Xerxes, I..." Jodie paused, gulping down a nervous glance. "You didn't have to-" "What, treat you to lunch at one of the hottest restaurants on the Presidium?" Xerxes twirled what Jodie could only assume was the turian equivalent of a fork. "Jodie, please, you only deserve the best." "But I..." Jodie shook her head. "I saw the prices. And now seeing this..." She then gestured to her plate, on which sauces and puffed rice were delicately scattered about, almost as if they had been painted onto the plate right next to the saddle of some meat from Thessia Jodie had never heard of. "Christ, Xerxes, you don't have to splurge on some stranger." Xerxes shrugged, dipping his fork-like contraption into a strange black-looking sauce, before spearing his utensil through the breast of some variety of game bird that the turian had told her was imported directly from Palaven. He looked at Jodie. "Why not?" he asked. "I have plenty of money to burn." Jodie glanced out, looking out into the Presidium below where she and Xerxes sat on the restaurant's balcony. "Still," she replied. "I wasn't expecting to be taken out to lunch at some Michelin-star restaurant like what I'd see on Earth!" "Well, you're my friend," Xerxes replied. "I've seen you in person a grand total of three times!" Jodie replied. "And on top of that, I haven't really done anything for you. I feel like I'm taking advantage of your kindness, and I can't..." Xerxes leaned forward, tilting his head towards Jodie. "If I thought you were taking advantage of me, we wouldn't be sitting here," Xerxes replied. He then shook his head. "Don't worry about me." He then smiled softly. "You can worry about that later when your food isn't about to get cold." Jodie blinked, before looking back at her food. She grabbed her fork and knife, cutting the piece of meat and blinking in surprise at how little effort she needed to cut into that meat. She paused, before cutting the rest of it off, dipping it in some of the sauce that was laid out on the plate. She bit down, the flavor exploding in her mouth as she smiled. She swallowed, looking back at it. "No wonder it's so pricey," Jodie replied. She glanced out to the Presidium. "It must be nice to have that kind of money to burn. I mean... I wouldn't think an information broker would make that much that you'd be able to get all this stuff, but hey, it must be great, right?" Xerxes paused, Jodie turning back to look at him to see that his eyes had widened a little. "I..." He sighed, setting his utensil down as he glanced into the restaurant. "I suppose it is..." Jodie frowned, noticing the way Xerxes' voice had become more strained. She herself cut into her meat again, dabbing it in the sauce as she looked at him. "Xerxes?" she asked. The turian paused, his hand tapping against the table. "It's nothing," he said, his voice losing most of the merriment she knew. "I should just, um... continue-" Before the turian could finish, Jodie had reached across the table, patting her hand on top of Xerxes'. She shrugged, leaving her hand there. "What's wrong?" Xerxes looked at Jodie. "You... you don't want to know," he replied. Jodie sighed. "It bothers you." Xerxes' eyes narrowed. "What?" he asked. "Whatever you don't want me to know," said Jodie. She looked at him, her expression warm. "I've seen that face before, Xerxes. I'm probably reading you wrong, but believe me, we've all done things we don't feel like telling people. So don't worry. I understand." She shrugged. "Hell, you don't even have to tell me the whole story. But I know there's something more to this." Xerxes sighed, his eyes turning towards the floor. "I suppose it would've come out sooner or later," Xerxes replied. "Most of my money I have now is from work I'm not proud of. I was not always an information broker. That was just a skill I picked up in my... previous occupation. I was tasked with looking over over information, making sure it was legitimate..." He sighed. "I got good at scrutinizing the details." He paused, turning his head down. "I'd rather not talk about that if I can help it. It happened some time ago, and it is a part of my life I would rather not reprise. Please, respect that." Jodie nodded, biting her lower lip. "I see..." She then patted the turian's hand before sitting back. "Well, I guess I see more about why you're so damn kind all the time." Xerxes leaned forward, one of his mandibles lowering in curiosity. "Why?" he asked. Jodie sighed. "You're not the only one living with regret, you know," she replied. She shook her head. "I've done some things I'm not proud of either, and I mean some pretty serious things. It's mostly around how I got the combat skills to be on the Normandy. I don't want to talk about it much either, but sometimes I'm in a position where I have to." She sighed, her hand putting down the fork with the food on it. "But when you move on from that part of your life, you get perspective, right? You want to help people, right?" "Yes..." said Xerxes. He shook his head. "I have so much money to burn now from those days. And I... I did some really questionable things. If I can make a difference in people's lives..." He tilted his head forward, remaining silent for a few seconds. "Strangers can take advantage of me, I know." "But it's worth it if you can make a direct difference in someone's life," Jodie finished. She smiled at the turian, looking at him as he turned his gaze towards her. "I guess we're not so different after all, huh?" Xerxes shrugged. "I guess not," he said. "I'd... rather not talk about that former occupation if it's all right with you." Jodie nodded, her hand pulling away from Xerxes' as she picked her fork back up. "Hey, you have to go at your own pace," she replied. "I understand. In fact... I've got secrets of my own." "Hm." Xerxes paused, looking at Jodie. "Perhaps an exchange is in order?" "Whenever you're ready, of course," Jodie replied. "It's a bad idea to do it when you're not, you know?" "True enough," said Xerxes. Jodie smiled, looking back at her food. "Well, I guess I better eat up." Xerxes bowed his head, the smile returning to his face as he picked his utensil back up. "I suppose we should, yes," said Xerxes. "After all, its legs could grow back any second now." Jodie shook her head. "Oh, I don't think you'd have to worry about that," she replied, picking up her bite of the meat and bringing it back to her mouth. She chewed, before swallowing. "It's silly to expect that to happen." "Oh, I don't know about that," said Xerxes. He bit into his own food, chewing and swallowing it before he leaned forward. "Don't your chickens run around when their heads are cut off?" "That's a figure of speech, first of all," Jodie replied. "And second, that's just rigor mortis there. If a chicken's body could think, I don't think we'd-" And then Jodie's omni-tool sounded rather loudly. Jodie and Xerxes both froze up, Jodie looking at the omni-tool in surprise. She thought she had silenced the omni-tool before entering the restaurant, but evidently this was not the case. She then opened it, realizing that it was a notification that was marked as "urgent". "Oh..." Jodie leaned forward, opening the omni-tool and seeing Liara had left an extranet message for her. "Oh, it's urgent!" "What's the matter?" Xerxes asked. She then opened the message, taking a deep breath as she quickly read the contents. "Jodie, I snuck into Shepard's quarters while he was away. You won't believe what I found. Find us a good place to meet. It needs to be away from the public. I'll meet you there in an hour. -Liara" Jodie frowned, Aiden chirping in consternation. "Is something wrong?" Xerxes asked. Jodie nodded. "It's a long story," she said. She then looked at her lunch, before sighing. "We may have to skip dessert, actually. I'm sorry to have to bail on you, but something important just came up." "I see," said Xerxes as Jodie opened her omni-tool to reply. "Well, will you at least be able to finish your current plate?" "I should be able to," said Jodie. "Give me a second, I need to type something here." And with this, she very quickly entered a message in reply to Liara: "Liara, Meet me in the lower docking bays. I know just the place. -Jodie" She sent the message, and then turned her attention back to the unfinished plate in front of her.
Almost an hour later, Jodie found herself standing at the front of the docking bay. She stood right next to Kalo'Veera, the quarian looking out and keeping an eye on everything around them. Jodie fidgeted about, looking around nervously. Her gaze turned back to Kalo, the quarian placing a calming hand on her shoulder. The usual hustle and bustle of a docking bay was not enough to distract Jodie this time, and thus she found herself looking back at Kalo. "Thank you for letting us do this on such short notice," Jodie said. "It is all right, Jodie," said Kalo. "A friend of yours is a friend of mine, no?" "I guess so, but still..." She looked down. "I'm sorry I couldn't explain earlier. I feel like we're risking too much with this if I tell you out here." "Jodie." The quarian looked down at her. "Calm down. We will meet with this Liara T'Soni here, and we will take it to my ship, and we'll be away from any eyes, all right?" Jodie nodded. "Okay..." She took a few breaths to steady herself. "Okay." She sighed, stepping closer. "Oh, and since I couldn't mention it before... she knows. About him." The lights behind Kalo's mask widened a little bit as she leaned in. "Oh," he said. "I imagine it was easier since she was an asari." "Yeah," said Jodie. She then looked out, and immediately saw the light blue skin of Liara standing in the crowd. "Speaking of which, there she is." She then stood up a little higher, waving her hand so the asari could see it. Liara saw this, and rushed over, Jodie noticing that she was in her fatigues. "Thank the Goddess," Liara replied as she approached. "I was worried you weren't here." "Don't worry, I am," said Jodie as Liara pulled her into a hug. They broke the hug quickly, before Jodie glanced to Kalo. "And I hope you don't mind company." Liara frowned, looking at the quarian. "I figured we'd be talking alone," she said. "Not alone, but I know you know about as much as Jodie does about Shepard," said Kalo as he stepped forward and offered his hand to the asari to shake. "Kalo'Veera nar Idenna. I'm a friend of Jodie's." "Oh," Liara said, stepping forward and shaking the hand. "Why is he involved?" "We'll be talking in the ship he managed to get for his Pilgrimage gift," Jodie replied. She nodded to Kalo, and then the two of them began walking into the docking bay. Liara followed. "We've got privacy there." Jodie paused, before looking back at Liara. "And he also knows about... him, and before I talked to you about it I expressed some of my concerns about Shepard to him." Liara nodded. "Of course," she said. "That'll make things easier, then." She then looked at the quarian. "Whatever we say in there is something we cannot repeat to anyone else. I have a bad feeling about this." "I do not believe I would have anyone to tell, but I will keep my word regardless," said Kalo. "Good," said Jodie. "Then you might want to brace yourself. It's a long story, and you'll probably have a tough time believing it." "I trust you, Jodie," Kalo replied. "I do not believe 'believing it' will be a problem."
"Hm... Perhaps you were right that I would have a difficult time believing it." Kalo leaned back against the wall, looking at Liara and Jodie. Jodie sat on one of the completed work-tables, while Liara leaned on the same one so that she could see the quarian. They had explained everything they knew about Shepard at that point, Jodie sometimes glancing back at the airlock out of habit. Jodie shifted. "Not many would," said Jodie. She then hugged her arms. "And frankly, I wouldn't have believed it if not for everything else I've seen up to this point." She paused, looking down. "Including something in a dream I had..." Liara turned to her. "You had a dream?" she asked. "A very lucid one," Jodie said. "I had it in the hospital." Kalo pushed off the wall. "What was in this dream?" he asked. "It was... It was in a small room, about half the size of this room," Jodie said. "And there was a younger Shepard, and... and he was surrounded by all these things. They must've been aliens." Liara paused. "Their leaders..." Liara leaned further on the table. "Then those other beings must be the other species of that galaxy! Do you remember what they looked like?" "Like nothing in this galaxy," said Jodie. "They mentioned he was like a prince or something." "A prince? In a civilization that can achieve space-flight?" Kalo walked over to the work table. "Aiden wasn't playing tricks on you, was he?" "It's not like Aiden to do that," Jodie said. "And even if it was, it can't explain the voice I heard at the end of the dream." She shook her head. "It told me I needed to venture to the other galaxy to stop something." Liara frowned. "Without any intel," she asked. "I know," said Jodie. "I'm not sure that's a good idea myself, but it talked about stopping some threat that's worse than the Reapers." Liara paused. "I have a difficult time imagining that," she said. "As do I," Kalo replied, crossing his arms. "If you will forgive my skepticism, Jodie, this seems like an odd dream to have. Perhaps it was just an imagination you drew." "It may be, but I don't have dreams like that for no reason, and I especially don't find my dreams making half the details up," she replied. "If I had a dream like that, then I think someone was trying to tell me something important." She shook her head. "I guess it's not important, though. We'll need to look more into that as it becomes relevant." Jodie then turned to Liara. "And apparently, Shepard isn't named Shepard in their galaxy. His name is Jon'ison Shardan or something like-" Liara nearly jumped to the wall. "You..." She then rushed back forward. "But you weren't on the Normandy!" "That's what the other aliens called him in the dream," said Jodie. "Why?" Liara opened her omni-tool quickly. "That name appears in what I found," Liara replied, opening her omni-tool. "I know it was foolish of me to rift through the commander's files, but what I found in there-" "You snuck into a commanding officer's quarters," said Kalo, leaning forward as his free hand curled into a fist. "After what I heard on Ilos, I'm not going to take any chances on this," said Liara. "I needed to know more, especially after what happened there." She shook her head, looking at the omni-tool as she pulled up some information. "But I found something like this." "And it was just laying there?" Jodie asked as her eyes scanned the information. Liara shook her head. "The Commander's smart," she said. "I had to search through a whole lot of logs to find this. He buried it deep: I don't think he expected anyone to look through his communications." "I am surprised, Jodie," Kalo replied. "I should have thought your friends more courteous than to look through the items of their captain." "And if their captain was wrong?" Liara asked. "We have reason to believe he may not be working in the best interests of the galaxy." "I suppose that is true, but you must understand, Miss T'Soni; that is still a grievous error you probably made," Kalo replied. "That doesn't matter," said Liara. "If Shepard was willing to lie to get his way, then I don't have confidence in what he's planning." She nodded, gesturing back to the omni-tool. "I'm glad I went while he was on a date with Tali; I don't think I would have pulled it up in any way without that." Jodie nodded, turning her attention to what was written into the program: "Councillors, There has been a change of priorities. During my time here in this galaxy, I've discovered a large threat. It will not pose a threat to our galaxy so long as we stay inside, but it may affect our plans. We should decide what to do about this threat. I will travel to the Krepost in due time, both to knight Tali'Zorah and Garrus Vakarian, and to discuss the effect the Reapers have on what we plan. I imagine we can use them to our advantage, but I will speak with you about this soon. For now, I will continue to play along with this galaxy's Council. It's not yet time to reveal ourselves, and I have a feeling that until I find a way into Cerberus, it won't be time to reveal ourselves for a while. Tell the DGI to continue monitoring communications. We have a firm foothold in their communications: we cannot lose that, and we will know what they are planning. Keep a close eye on that, and make sure the Shadow Broker does not find out anything about this galaxy. And ensure the DRI tells the people of our galaxy what they need to know: Commander Shepard is now considered a hero in this galaxy. We have a firm foothold to commence operations here. Work on all other relevant projects as well. We will have our justice soon. Right now, it is only a matter of time. -Jon'ison Shardan" Jodie nodded. "It mentioned Cerberus..." She looked at Liara. "So Cerberus and this galaxy have some history together..." "Well, we know their first contact situation," said Liara. "But what happened?" "Mm..." Kalo leaned forward. "I imagine it must have been rather bad, if these people refer to it as 'justice'. They must be out for revenge." "But what would drive them to all of this secrecy?" Liara asked as she placed her elbow on the tabletop and placed her head on her hand. "That is what I don't understand. Why haven't they just come up to the Alliance and told them what Cerberus did to them. Or, for that matter, why didn't they establish first contact?" "I don't like anything about this." Jodie frowned, pushing herself off the table. "And why can we read it?" "I just transcribed the text as quickly as I could," Liara replied. "I looked at the addresses it was sent to. Tali, Garrus, and Dr. Chakwas all received it." Jodie inhaled sharply. "The doctor is in on it too?" she asked. "It would seem so," said Liara. Jodie sighed. "Well, on the bright side, this means we know who can be trusted on the Normandy," she said. "Which means that Wrex and Ashley could help us with..." Jodie paused, her eyes widening in realization. "Ashley!" she said. "Ashley?" asked Kalo. "As in the Gunnery Chief?" "Yeah, as in Ashley Williams," Jodie replied. She looked up at Liara. "Maybe Shepard slipped up around her and she picked something up that could help." "I could ask Wrex as well," said Liara. "And even if he doesn't have anything to add, it would be a good idea to get another person on our side in all this." "That is all well and good, but what does this actually do?" Kalo asked. "What do you mean?" Liara asked. "We would be foolish to act by ourselves in this matter," Kalo replied. "We would be far, far outmatched if this all turns out to be true." "That's true..." Liara looked at the ground. "Then what do we do?" Jodie sighed. "I'll have to think about that," she said. "Where's Wrex?" "Wrex told me he was going to..." Liara's eyes widened, and then she looked at Jodie. "Shit! He was going to leave today!" Jodie nodded. "Go find him," she said. "Tell him to wait, and tell him everything you know. I'll handle Ashley." "Of course," said Liara as she rushed towards the airlock. "Thank you, Kalo'Veera! Good luck on your Pilgrimage!" And with this, Liara stepped into the airlock, the door closing behind her. Jodie nodded, looking at Kalo as the quarian tapped his fingers against the table. "So... I assume this means that you will speak to this Ashley?" Kalo asked. "I guess so," Jodie replied. She sighed, looking up. "Kalo... I'm nervous about having to talk to them about this." "What is there to be nervous about?" Kalo asked. "You are doing the right thing, no?" "That's not what I'm worried about," Jodie replied. "If I tell a higher up about this, they're going to ask how I knew to start looking into this." Kalo frowned as he leaned forward. "Which means...?" he asked. "That I would have to tell them about Aiden." The entity chirped upon hearing this, Jodie looking down. "I only started thinking of all this because of what Shepard did to Balak. I can't lie about that, Kalo. And I can't just say I just stood to the side while it happened. That isn't true, and even if it was Shepard would've caught on by now." Jodie sighed. "And even if I don't tell them immediately, they'll have to find out eventually. They'll want me to stop them, I know it, and for that to happen, they'll have to know about Aiden." Kalo nodded, placing a hand on Jodie's shoulder. "And yet you know many billions of people could be endangered by this," Kalo replied. "Yes," said Jodie. "That... that scares me. If I go to them, that means I bring the Alliance and whoever else is involved with the Council in on Aiden..." "But you will not let those billions of people remain in danger," Kalo replied. "I do not believe you would, not even for yourself." He shrugged, pulling his hand away. "But, that is my observation. Take it with a grain of salt." He took a couple of steps away, before turning to look back at her. "I suppose you should return to the Normandy. You still have things to collect there, no? If you need a place to stay, you are welcome to come here." Jodie nodded. "Thank you, Kalo," she said. "You're too good to me." "Anything for a friend, Jodie," he replied. He then looked up. "Take care of her, Aiden. No matter what happens, she will need you now." Aiden chirped in the affirmative, before releasing a series of other clicks with a whistle. Jodie then nodded. "You take care of yourself, too, he says," Jodie replied. "Stay safe, Kalo." The quarian nodded. "Of course, Jodie." Jodie then turned around, walking right to the airlock of Kalo's ship.
Jodie checked her guitar case one last time, making sure that the pistol she had inside was kept secure. She then nodded, closing the case behind her as she sighed. Man, I can't believe I never used this thing, she thought. Oh well... I had other things to occupy my attention. She sighed, pondering about how she had little more than the clothes on her back to bring with her. She did not feel right taking the armor that had been on the Normandy: that had been the Alliance's purchase, and she felt it would be best if it stayed on the ship. She looked around, taking a last look at the mess hall. Her glance turned towards the area she always got her food. Well, I don't know about you, but I'll miss being on a diet of energy bars and maybe a full dinner, Jodie thought. Aiden chirped out as if to giggle, the entity flying around Jodie as she turned away. And right as she walked towards the steps, the elevator doors opened. Jodie paused, watching as Tali walked onto the deck. The quarian walked forward, her eyes widening a little bit as Jodie paused to look at her. "Jodie," said Tali. "I was hoping to find you before you left." Jodie chuckled, stepping towards Tali. "Hey Tali," she said. "What did you want to see me about?" "I just... I wanted to say goodbye," she said. "Why?" Jodie asked. "Well, we will be going our separate ways soon," Tali replied. "You're leaving the Normandy." Jodie shrugged. "Well, I don't need a place to be safe much now that Saren's dead," she replied. "So I figure... well, since I'm no military expert, I figure I'd leave. It's nothing personal." Tali nodded. "I see," she said. She then glanced down at the floor before turning back to Jodie. "You'll... You're still a friend, right?" Jodie sighed. "Of course," she said. She then paused, looking back up at Tali. "I just..." Tali leaned forward. "What is it?" she asked. "Be careful around Shepard," Jodie said. Tali's eye-lights narrowed. "Around Shepard?" she asked. "Why would I need to be careful?" Jodie sighed, her gaze turning to the floor for a second before she looked back at Tali. "You never know with him," she said. "I just... Be cautious, okay?" "I can trust him," said Tali as she looked away. "He's a good man, Jodie. He's just trying to do what's right." Jodie watched her as she walked towards Shepard's quarters. "And sometimes, that's a difficult thing to do." "Well, but even so you should be careful," said Jodie. "I don't think-" "Are you saying he's up to something?" Tali whirled on Jodie, the lights behind her mask narrowed more than before. Jodie felt the hairs on her arm stand on end, feeling a chill rush through her arms as she looked Tali in the eyes. She took a shaky breath in, before shaking her head with small movements. "I... No," she said. "I'm just... I'm just warning you. As a friend. I'm worried with how much time you've spent around Shepard lately. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into, is all." Tali paused, before nodding. "I see," she said. "You don't have to worry about him, Jodie. Thanks for the offer of help, but you shouldn't worry. He's Shepard. What kind of things could he do wrong?" She shrugged, and from there, Jodie could tell that Tali harbored no hints of malice towards her. "Hopefully, we'll keep in touch. Goodbye, Jodie. I hope we'll meet again in the future." With this, Tali entered Shepard's quarters. The perky nature of her exit from the mess hall only made Jodie feel more creeped out, such that she almost lost her grip on the guitar case. Jodie turned away, looking up at Aiden. He's got her in his thrall, she thought. What... what did that man do to her? Jodie shook her head, sighing as she walked up the steps. Whatever the case, I have to talk to Ashley, she thought. This mounting evidence... I need to bring her in on it. And then... She paled slightly as she stepped into the CIC, Aiden gurgling nervously. Jodie was relieved the crew was likely out celebrating their victory against Sovereign: it meant no one would see her walk through, looking as if she had seen a ghost. She only spared one last glance at the CIC before she hurried into the airlock, in which she fell to her knees right as the decontamination cycle started. This whole thing with Shepard is only getting worse all the time...
Jodie sat at the table, her toes tapping the floor nervously as she looked ahead. Her breath came in somewhat quick bursts, and the soothing music that played over the restaurant's sound system did nothing to calm her nerves. She glanced up to Aiden from time to time, hoping that Ashley would take her prompting to talk. She glanced at the plate of red hummus that rested in front of her before she opened her omni-tool again, rereading the message that she had sent to Ashley. The information was correct, it made mention of what she knew… Everything was correct. Jodie glanced at the clock on the omni-tool, noticing that it was a couple of minutes past the time that she and Ashley were supposed to meet. She sighed, closing the omni-tool and closing her eyes. As she sat there pondering, Jodie heard Aiden click rapidly a few times in succession. Jodie leaned over the table, glancing up at the entity. "I'm sorry," said Jodie. "This is just… this is really important, you know? After what I heard from…" She paused, shaking her head. "You know how important this is…" Aiden simply gurgled in reply, which left Jodie looking at the ground. She looked at the ground for a couple more minutes, breathing in and out at a deliberate pace to calm her heart as it beat in her ribcage. And then, she heard footsteps approach the table. "Sorry I'm late. The rapid transit had some technical difficulties." Jodie immediately looked up to see Ashley standing in her civvies. Jodie sighed in relief. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come," she said. "Thank God you're here." She then gestured to the seat in front of her. "Please, take a seat. We're gonna be here for a while." "I don't doubt it," said Ashley as she sat down. She looked down at the plate on the table. "Hummus, Jodie?" She nodded. "I hope you don't mind," she said. "I got here a bit early, so I ordered something." "Oh, don't worry about that," Ashley said. "Actually, it looks pretty good. You mind if I dig in?" Jodie chuckled, gesturing to the plate. "Go right ahead," she said. "All right," said Ashley as she picked up one of the pieces of strange asari bread that rested at the edges. Ashley dipped it into the hummus, and paused. She facepalmed, and then looked up at where she imagined Aiden would be. "Hey there, Aiden. Sorry for ignoring you. You doing okay?" Aiden chirped rather happily in response. Jodie nodded, and looked at Ashley. "He's fine," Jodie said. "And he says thank you. I can count the number of people that consider Aiden a person on one hand." "Well, a ghost is still a person, right?" Ashley asked. "It's just their soul, after all." She then took a bite, her eyebrows arching up. She chewed and swallowed, and then pointed at the dish. "This is good hummus." "It's apparently house-made," Jodie replied. "Rare on the Citadel, but there you go." She then leaned forward. "And speaking of Aiden…" Ashley nodded. "This is about something he showed you," said Ashley. "What's wrong?" Jodie breathed. "Well, first, I have to talk about Vigil," said Jodie. "Because it was just a hunch for me until now, but after Ilos…" Ashley frowned. "What, about his warning?" she asked. "Jodie, we already stopped the Reapers from taking over the Citadel." "No, no, not that," said Jodie. "About the other galaxy connected by a wormhole." "Oh. Oh!" Ashley shifted her posture slightly so that she leaned forward at the table. "Yeah, that. I was wondering about that myself." She then glanced to the side. "It seems a little farfetched, doesn't it? I mean, if Vigil was right about the Reapers, then there may be something to it, but if there was some wormhole to another galaxy we would've heard about it by now, right? And anyway, their civilization probably fell already. Most empires can't make it past a thousand years; let's not even talk about one that's lasted for fifty thousand years." Jodie breathed uneasily. "That's… that's the problem, Ashley," she said. She then leaned forward. "I think... However it works, that civilization is still around." Ashley frowned in confusion. "Whoah, slow down, Jodie," Ashley said. "I've heard a lot of weird things from you, but that… This has to be some kind of joke." Jodie shook her head, and then swallowed a lump in her throat. "Ashley, did you see Shepard's body language when Vigil talked about that galaxy?" she asked, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "He seemed a little… too involved in what Vigil was saying about it." Ashley blinked, and then leaned forward, her hand covering her mouth. "Hm… Now that you mention it, he did seem the most surprised out of all of us," she said. "And he did stay behind." Ashley's expression lightened, and then she shrugged. "Maybe he just wanted to learn more about this galaxy from Vigil. I know I would." Jodie breathed in nervously, shaking her head. "I don't think Shepard went in there to find out about that galaxy," she whispered. "I think… I think he went in there to make sure nobody that came to Ilos after us could find out about it." Ashley jumped at this. "Jodie, he wouldn't do anything like that!" she said. "This is Shepard you're talking about! I'm sure he wanted to know about that galaxy! And why would he sabotage any efforts to defend ourselves against this galaxy? He seems like a pretty upstanding guy." Jodie shook her head, her gaze turned towards the floor. "Ash, that's why I needed to talk to you in a place Shepard wouldn't think to look," she said. She then glanced nervously amidst the restaurant's patrons. When she was satisfied that nobody was eavesdropping, she put an arm on the table and leaned in rather close to Ashley. "Everything you know about Commander John Shepard is a lie. Aiden… he showed me some things. And after what Vigil heard, and after some things I heard from Liara... I think you need to know about those things." And so, Jodie told Ashley everything she knew. Jodie made sure to keep quiet in case someone was eavesdropping on them. Ashley sat forward, listening to everything Jodie said. As Jodie spoke, Ashley's expression slowly deepened into a frown, and Jodie could see from the way she glanced around that she was pondering what Jodie was saying. When Jodie was finished, Ashley was leaning forward, looking at Jodie. "And you're sure of this," Ashley said. Jodie nodded. "Aiden wouldn't lie about something like this," Jodie said. "He wouldn't show me that if he didn't think it was important." "But come on, that thing with Balak?" asked Ashley. "That's hard to believe." "I had a tough time believing it too," said Jodie. "And then Vigil told us everything." Jodie sighed, looking at Ashley. "And I wanted to talk to you first about it. Maybe… maybe you know something about him that I don't." "Why ask me, though?" Ashley asked. "Why not ask Tali? She's known him for years." "Because Tali is too close to Shepard," Jodie said, her voice dipping in volume for a second. "Liara confirmed with the message she found that Tali's in on it. If she's in on it, then that means Shepard's already got her in his pocket. I can't trust her with this." She shook her head. "But I know I can trust you. I know you won't tell Shepard." "And why not ask Shepard?" Ashley asked. "Because of Balak," she said. "The fact that he's actually an alien from a galaxy that he hasn't told anybody about is bad enough, but when you combine that with the fact that he committed a war crime without any remorse at all…" Jodie sat back in her chair, giving Ashley a questioning glance. "He talked about having a foothold in this galaxy." She shook her head. "Can you think of anything at all that Shepard might have talked about that seems odd? Anything that can point to what he might want?" Ashley then drummed her fingers across the table. "Hm…" She then leaned forward, a frown forming on her face. "Now that you mention it, there is something that bugs me about Shepard." Jodie leaned forward. "What is it?" she asked. "When we were looking for leads on Saren, Shepard got a call from someone," she said. "He said he had to excuse himself, and he took the call away from Kaidan and I." Ashley leaned forward. "I got curious, and so I listened in without his knowledge. But the words I heard… They didn't sound like anything even remotely resembling English." Jodie frowned, leaning forward. "The words didn't register to your translator?" "No," said Ashley. "I've been trying to think of an explanation for a while, but I've been drawing nothing but blanks. It wasn't a translator glitch, I know that thanks to Barla Von. It also can't be a language we know because it would've translated." "So it could be their language?" Jodie asked. "Then that just confirms it…" She looked over at Ashley. "Did he say what he was doing?" "He said it was related to Tali," Ashley replied. "But think about it: if he was speaking his own language to someone, then that means that—" "There was someone on the other end of the line allied with him," Jodie finished. The two women paused, and then looked directly at each other. "You don't think he means ill for the galaxy, does he?" said Ashley. "It's a very real possibility," Jodie muttered. "If he's going to these lengths to masquerade as a human while hiding the existence of an entire galaxy, then..." "...then he could be dangerous," Ashley finished. "Masters of subterfuge. Just like Vigil said..." Jodie took a deep breath, her heart beginning to beat very quickly again. Her fingers felt numb, as one particular solution came to the front of her mind. It was an obvious solution, but fraught with danger for her. Her throat tightened as she considered it, Aiden chirping in concern from where he hovered above her. Jodie glanced up at Aiden. After a few seconds, her gaze turned to the floor, her hands tightening into fists. She closed her eyes, taking a few breaths to steady her heartbeat. Well, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet, she thought. Jodie opened her eyes, and then looked at Ashley directly. "Ash..." Jodie began. "Yes, Jodie?" the gunnery chief replied. Jodie tried not to concentrate on how dry her mouth felt as she opened it. "Ash, we have to tell Anderson about this."
End of Part I
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Post by herrwozzeck on Jan 25, 2015 2:16:53 GMT 1
Part II: The Wanderer and his Shadow
Chapter Twenty "Jodie, are you sure this is a good idea?" "We don't have any other choice, Ashley. We have to at least tell Anderson about this. I don't care who else he tells, someone needs to know." "I don't know..." "If we spring it all suddenly on them, they're not going to take it well. We have to tell someone first, at least about what we know so far." "I hope you're right..." Jodie nodded, standing outside Anderson's door. Ashley accompanied her on this journey. Shepard had taken leave, and Tali and Garrus had gone with him on what the commander had termed a "much-needed vacation". Thanks to the message Liara had left behind, though, Jodie had a feeling she knew what the commander was really doing. Jodie shook her head, looking back at the door. "It's taking him a while." "Well, he is a Councillor now," Ashley replied, leaning against the wall. "He's probably just busy. He has a lot of other responsibilities, you know." "That's true..." She then looked up. "Aiden, what's he doing in there?" The entity chirped, Jodie quirking an eyebrow at the entity. "Really?" she asked. "Well, isn't that-" And then, the door opened. Admiral... no, Councillor Anderson stood there. Jodie noticed his wrinkled face for the first time since she had seen him, studying all the furrows in the Councillor's aging face. He wore quite a different uniform, though: this one was a very dark blue, a much darker blue than was present on the Alliance's formal uniforms. This uniform also had a red border around it, and seemed much more common to a politician. Jodie pulled at the sleeves of her jacket, before bowing her head to the councillor. "Anderson," she greeted. "Admiral," said Ashley as she saluted Anderson. Anderson shook his head. "At ease, soldier," he said. "I'm a Councillor now. No use calling me an Admiral." "With all due respect, sir, you'll always be an Admiral to me," Ashley replied. Anderson nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "I guess we can talk more about the matter you've brought up inside my office?" "Yes," said Jodie. "Come in," said Anderson, gesturing into the office. Jodie saw a couple of boxes strewn about, the walls somewhat empty of personal effects. "You'll have to excuse the mess, I haven't had much time to settle in." "I've been in messier situations, trust me," Jodie replied as she stepped in. Ashley followed, the door closing behind them as they stepped into Anderson's office. "I'm going to guess the Council is still getting used to you," said Ashley. "They're doing their best," Anderson conceded. "With a Citadel to rebuild, they've got their attention focused on other things. It's given me time to get used to it." "I can imagine," said Jodie. She then rubbed her forearms. "That's not important right now. We have things we need to talk to you about." "About Shepard, right?" asked Anderson. He turned to them. "Why not take it up with him?" Jodie sighed. "I've got reason to believe he's been dishonest with us," she said. "And I don't know what he's after, but given what I've seen, this isn't something that I think we should talk about while he's in the same room." Anderson frowned. "He saved the Council," he said. "Don't you think he deserves to know about that just on the strength of that?" Jodie shook her head, stepping towards the Councillor. "He committed a war crime right under your noses," Jodie replied. Anderson leaned forward, his expression stern. "That's a pretty serious accusation," he said. "What do you have to prove it?" Jodie glanced down at the ground, before looking directly at Anderson. "It's... a little difficult to explain," she said. She then paused, stepping towards him and studying him. It was after Aiden chirped above her a few times that she nodded, before holding her hands up, palms out-turned. "I guess the best way to explain it is to just show you," she said. "Take my hands." Anderson's frown deepened, the Councillor edging away slightly. "Take your hands?" he asked. Ashley stepped forward. "Jodie won't do anything to hurt you, sir," Ashley chimed in. "I can promise you that." The former admiral cast a skeptical glance at Ashley. The gunnery chief nodded, holding her hands behind her back at attention. He then paused, turning over to Jodie and seeing her palms outstretched to him. He looked at her for a few seconds, his frown intensifying. Finally, Anderson sighed, placing his hands within Jodie's palms. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he said. Jodie shrugged. "I think you'll find it's not as silly as you'd think at first," she said. "Trust me, there is a point to it." "I still don't know how this could prove anything," said Anderson. "I know, and I know how heavy an accusation of war crimes would be," Jodie said. "But trust me. I know what I'm doing." She bit her lip, before looking back at Anderson. "Oh! Whatever happens, don't let go of my hand. If you do, that will break the-" But before Jodie could finish her sentence, she suddenly threw her head back with a light motion. She then brought her head back forward, her head tilted at a very slight angle upwards. She looked directly at Anderson, or he assumed that, anyway: Jodie's eyes had gone completely white, such that even her pupils had disappeared. A scowl formed on her face, her lips curving in a way that no human lips should have curved. "Jodie?" Ashley asked. "What... what are you doing?" Anderson asked. "Of all the conversations I wanted to avoid having when I was dead, this one was on the top of my list." And then, Anderson jumped, almost letting go of Jodie's hands. Jodie had opened her mouth, but the voice that came out surprised even Ashley, for it was no voice that Jodie should have been able to make. The trappings of the voice that came out of her mouth were all turian, of course: the odd ways the consonants clicked, the way the subharmonics fluctuated, even the fact that Jodie's voice had acquired subharmonics at all was astonishing considering that the human throat was incapable of making them. However, that was not what caused Anderson to jump. The first, was that the turian voice that came out of Jodie was also distinctly male. And the second, was that Anderson recognized the voice. "Saren?" he asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "So you humans can do that." Jodie chuckled, the sound lush with subharmonics. "I'm surprised you didn't do it more." Anderson frowned very deeply. "I don't know what you're doing, Jodie, but it needs to end right now!" said Anderson. "This is not a joke!" "Neither was that refinery I blew up," said Saren, Jodie's expression suddenly turning a little sarcastic. "Did you really think for one second I cared about that precious Kahlee Sanders?" Anderson's breath hitched, and Ashley gasped. "How... how do you know that?" Anderson asked. "Hm, still can't figure it out?" Jodie quirked her shoulder in a strange way, something Anderson recognized as body language Saren would have used. "She's not in control of her words now, I am. You're hearing me from beyond the grave, human." Jodie then seemed to glance at her arms before turning her attention back to Anderson. "And of all people, it's a human channeling me, too. Ironic, isn't it?" Anderson shook his head, looking down. "I see," Anderson replied with a bitter chuckle as he faced Jodie again. "Is that why you sabotaged my Spectre candidacy?" "It would've been too soon," said Jodie. "You were too young. Impatient. You would've posed a threat, and why, so the Council could buddy up to a new race they knew could destroy them easily? Don't make me laugh." Jodie let out a sharp scoff. "But, I guess it doesn't matter now. You've got a Council seat. Congratulations. I'll be here while you destroy the galaxy." Anderson frowned. "I'm going to keep order in this galaxy no matter what," said Anderson. "You don't have to agree with me, but the last thing I want to do is to destroy this galaxy that I've lived in." "Hmph," said Saren. "I'll be the judge of that." Jodie shook his head. "When your actions cause the end of the galaxy as we know it, know that you'll be the only one responsible. I don't have time for this. Goodbye, Councillor. I only hope you can prove me wrong." And then, Jodie blinked, her eyes returning to their usual brown color. She looked at Anderson, somewhat surprised by the angry look he was giving her. She leaned back, releasing Anderson's hands as she breathed in. She looked back at Ashley, before bowing her head apologetically. "I'm sorry," Jodie said, her voice returned to normal. "I... I don't think either of us realized just how much history you had with Saren." "Either of you?" Anderson asked, frowning. "Jodie, what the hell was that?" Jodie sighed. "Either of us... meaning me and him," said Jodie. She then looked around the room, before leaning forward. "I've been attached to an... entity for as long as I can remember. His name is Aiden, and he's a supernatural entity." She sighed, looking at Anderson. "You've only seen part of what he can do. It's a long explanation, but... He tipped me off to so many things." "And you expect me to believe that," said Anderson as he crossed his arms. Ashley nodded, stepping forward. "If it helps, sir, I saw what Aiden could do myself," she said. "I can tell you he's very real indeed." "I melded with Liara, and she saw everything," Jodie added. "If you really want, I'd submit myself to a meld with an asari of your choice. I can't really hide anything in there, you know?" Anderson's frown lessened a little, before he uncrossed his arms. "So this Aiden," said Anderson. "It helped you see something about Shepard." "He can give me... visions of things that've passed," said Jodie. "And one of them... Actually, a lot of things have been revealed because of that. I don't know how to begin." "You can start by telling me what war crime he's committed," said Anderson. "I shouldn't have to tell you how serious that is." Jodie nodded. "Do you mind if I have a seat?" she asked. "This will take a while." Anderson nodded, pointing to one of the couches around the room. "Of course," he said. Jodie nodded, following Anderson to the couch. Ashley did the same, and all three of them sat around a glass coffee table, Jodie looking at Anderson. Jodie settled in, looking up at the ceiling of the office. "Sir..." Jodie began, looking down. "I'd like to start by asking something: have you been receiving any reports on Balak's mental state?" Anderson frowned. "I'll need to get those reports from Admiral Hackett now," said Anderson. "I don't get them myself anymore, now that I'm the Councillor." "Get them," said Jodie. "Shepard... did something that made him start to go insane. If I'm right about the pace of how it's going on, the madness should be starting to set in." Anderson frowned. "Shepard made him go insane?" he asked. "I've fought batarians before, Jodie. The ones I fought were insane." Jodie shook her head. "No, you don't understand," she said. "He did something physical. In the vision I saw, he described it as a kind of a... a gift of enlightenment or something like that. He just stared into his eyes, and..." She then shook her head. "There are other things he's guilty of, too." She then looked up at Anderson. "Everything you know about him is a lie..." Anderson nodded, leaning close. "How?" he asked. Jodie breathed in. "It's all an act on his part," said Jodie. She then leaned forward. "But I saw right through it. And the truth behind Shepard..." She then explained everything she knew about Shepard.
"And that's all I know. I don't know what else he's up to, but..." "I see..." Anderson looked at the glass of brandy he had poured himself. He sighed, leaning back and drinking some of it before setting it on the table. "This is all a little hard for me to believe, even with what you showed me." Jodie nodded, nursing her own glass of brandy in her hand. "I understand, sir," she replied. "Honestly, even with what we know now, I'm not sure we can prove enough to the Council to get them to take this seriously." "Do you know if they would threaten the Council?" Anderson asked. "I... don't know," said Jodie. "My gut is telling me they are, but I have nothing to prove that with." "Then you need to be able to tell me what kind of threat they are, if they even are a threat," said Anderson. Ashley shifted next to Jodie, crossing her arms. "Well, we know they want to deal with Cerberus, and that their leader is willing to masquerade as a human to get that," said Ashley. "But Cerberus is not relevant enough to the Council's interests, at least not now," said Anderson. "Cerberus and Shepard's organization have history together. But with the Council?" He paused, leaning back. "There's too little certainty, even with the impersonation of a human. Even if I gave what you have now to the Council, they wouldn't take it." Jodie nodded, glancing up at Aiden as he chirped. "Ash had a feeling you might say that," Jodie replied. "As for me... I figured maybe you would've been able to help." "Well, there's not much I can do right now," said Anderson. "My hands are tied, Miss Holmes. I can't order an official investigation into treason, not without more evidence that Shepard isn't human." He frowned. "I would do it right now just based on what you've told and shown me, but without further proof or even a window into what they want the Council won't order it. Especially not if some of it is the things a ghost says to you." "Aiden's trust-worthy, sir," said Ashley. "And would the Council believe that?" Anderson asked. "I'd submit myself to a meld to prove it," Jodie repeated. "True, but without any indication as to why they would threaten the Council..." Anderson sighed, pouring himself some more brandy. "The best I can do is help you from the sidelines. Provide intel, observations. But right now, there's not much else I can do." Jodie nodded. "Even that can be helpful," she said. "I want to present a case to the Council at some point. Whatever is going on here, I don't think it bodes well for anyone in this galaxy." She paused, looking at Anderson. "And anyway, even if we don't have a case right now, I thought you deserved to know at least something." Anderson nodded. "I guess I should thank you for that." He stood up, walking towards the balcony that was close by. "Still..." He looked away as Jodie and Ashley both stood up, following him outside. "To think that Commander Shepard might not be human..." Jodie looked up, leaning on the balcony's railing. "It is kind of a disturbing thought, isn't it?" Jodie asked. "How all the achievements Humanity's made with the Council are invalid because they weren't done by a human." "There's so much to think about," Anderson said, looking down. "Our first Spectre... The man who saved the Citadel... the man who gave us a Council seat... The Hero of Elysium..." Anderson shook his head, one of his fists clenching. "I don't want to think about the ramifications this could have on humanity." "I don't think anyone does, sir," said Ashley. "Do you think you'll be kicked off of the Council?" "I doubt that," said Anderson. "At least, I hope not. Shepard was under false pretenses with the Alliance as much as he was with the Council itself. In fact, I'd argue he was under deeper false pretenses with the Alliance. I'm sure the Council would understand." He shakes his head. "Still... How did we not discover any of this?" "I don't know, but it doesn't matter now," said Jodie. "What matters is what we do about it." Anderson nodded. "That's true," he conceded. "There isn't much we can do, though. Not unless he slips up at some point." Jodie nodded. "There'll be something we can use," she said. "He's been keeping this ruse up since he first came to this galaxy. He can't keep it up forever. Nobody can, and he's extremely arrogant if he think he can." "I know," said Anderson. He paused, glancing off to the side. "Though now that I think of it, we should have been tipped off from his arrival." Jodie blinked, looking at Anderson in surprise. "You did?" he asked. Anderson nodded, opening his omni-tool. "I'll give you Shepard's personal file to read on your own time," he said. "I can't promise there won't be redactions. You don't have the clearance I do to some information. But if you encounter any redaction..." Anderson then touched a few buttons on the omni-tool, and then Jodie's own omni-tool beeped. Jodie opened the omni-tool, jumping a little upon seeing the name of the file. She opened the file, her eyes widening as she skimmed it. The file was intact, of course, but the contents of it... "You're giving me his dossier?" she asked. She looked up at Anderson in confusion. "Won't you get in trouble for that?" "It's not technically listed as classified," Anderson said. "It contains his full history, including that nobody knows where he was as a child." Jodie nodded, looking at the file. "I'll look it over on my own time," she said. "Thank you." "I'll do whatever else I can," said Anderson. "If you don't have anything else to talk to me about..." "I don't," said Jodie. She looked back at Ashley. "We should get you back to the Normandy." "Probably," said Ashley. She then stood at attention, saluting Anderson. "Sir." "Dismissed, soldier," Anderson replied. "Keep making the Alliance proud."
"Well, that could've gone better," Ashley said as she settled into the seat on the Rapid Transit vehicle. "It could've gone a lot worse," Jodie replied as she sat there, inputting their next destination in the cab's console. She shook her head. "I can't believe that of all people, it was Saren who had that kind of connection to Anderson." Ashley frowned. "You can't control that?" Ashley asked. "Not always," said Jodie. "The only thing I know going in is that there is someone in the Infraworld that they can talk to." She paused, looking at Ashley as the taxi doors closed. "Thankfully, I don't go in blind all that often. Usually when I've done that, it was from a recent enough loss that I had a very reasonable guess about who would show up." "Like with Kaidan..." Ashley settled back in her seat. "I'm starting to see why you were so afraid of the Alliance brass finding out about Aiden." "Yeah," said Jodie. She sighed. "Well, whatever the case, there's no turning back now. Anderson knows, and depending on what happens the top governments of the galaxy will find out. I only hope they don't use me for Aiden the way the CIA did." She shook her head, pulling her legs in close. "And now it's up to me to do what I have to do." "Don't tell me you're actually thinking about following that dream," Ashley said. "With no idea about where I'm supposed to go and how I'm even going to get in there?" Jodie asked. Ashley nodded, crossing her arms. "That's true," she conceded. She sighed. "So we're waiting for him to slip up now." "Yes," said Jodie. She looked at Ashley. "I need you on the Normandy. I need someone inside to watch his every move." "I guess so," said Ashley. "I don't like it, but without Liara on the ship, I don't exactly have a choice in the matter, do I?" Jodie nodded, her thoughts turning to Liara. "You haven't seen her since I talked with her on Kalo's ship, huh?" she asked. "No," said Ashley. "She came back to the Normandy, but after a couple of days she just... vanished." Ashley shook her head. "I suspect foul play." "You think that message was responsible somehow?" Jodie asked. "It could've been," Ashley replied. "But I don't know. I'm not about to make a judgment. If we can find out for sure, great. But until then, anything's possible." She sighed. "This is fucked up." "Tell me about it," said Jodie. "This whole thing is like something out of one of those conspiracy theories that only idiots believe in. Even I have to pinch myself sometimes to remember that this is real." "Well, I'm glad we're on the same page about that," Ashley replied. "Well... whatever the case, I guess I'll see you elsewhere on the Citadel?" "Yeah," said Jodie. "I'll have to find a new spot to do guitar, though. With the Tayseri Ward mostly destroyed, that complicates things a bit." "You'll figure something out," Ashley replied. "Besides, with the payday you got from helping us on the Normandy, you should be tided over for a while." Jodie nodded. "Of course," she said. She then shifted her position, looking outside. Aiden chirped a couple of times, Jodie settling into the seat as she heard the entity talk. Ashley remained silent the rest of the ride, and for once, Jodie was glad she had some space to clear her head.
Jodie tapped her foot against the hard metal floor, waiting for the ship's decontamination cycle to end. She never liked the decontamination cycle on the Kolwoon class: it always took just a little longer than she would have liked. She knew how important it was, but she could not help but wonder if there was any way they could have sped it up to the speed of the Normandy's decontamination cycle. She rubbed her forehead. Damn, that ship spoiled me, she thought. Am I going to think that about every other ship I enter? As soon as this thought entered her head, however, the door into the ship opened. And standing there was Kalo'Veera nar Idenna: Jodie noticed that there was an oil stain on a part of his sash, but otherwise, the quarian looked rather similar. "Jodie," said Kalo. "Welcome back." Jodie smiled, Aiden clicking a few times as she stepped in. "Hey," said Jodie. She then nodded, looking at Kalo's oil stain. "Where did that come from?" "I had to apply grease to a particularly old joint," said Kalo. He shrugged. "I would get a new one, but it would be prohibitively expensive, I fear." Jodie nodded. "You do what you can," she said. She then walked in, Kalo following her. "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here." "Think nothing of it," said Kalo. "You are a friend." He then nodded. "How did your meeting with the Councillor go?" "Okay, I guess," said Jodie as she stepped into the ship's newly-minted sleeping quarters. She sat on one of the cots right by the door, Kalo following her in and standing next to where she sat. "He didn't outright dismiss it, which is a good sign. He did say the Council might, though." "Mm." Kalo sighed, before sitting next to Jodie on the cot. "I suppose it is not the Council's concern now." "No," said Jodie. She then opened her omni-tool, opening the file with Shepard's dossier. "I got this, though." She gestured to the file. Kalo leaned forward. "The Councillor gave you Shepard's dossier?" he asked. "Better than nothing, right?" Jodie asked. "I suppose so, but it is still useless information, no?" he asked. Jodie shrugged. "If nothing else, it'll confirm a suspicion I've had for a while with him," she said. Kalo's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Well, when we dealt with Cerberus on the Normandy, he would get very, very angry," Jodie replied. "He... He actually punched a wall so hard he dented it the one time." Kalo cringed. "Keelah," he thought. "You do not believe..." "Cerberus may have done something in Shepard's past, certainly," she said. She then looked at the file. "Maybe something in here can at least confirm that." "Confirmation is still useful," Kalo added. He patted his legs, looking at the ground. "But that cannot explain everything." "No," said Jodie. She closed the omni-tool, leaning back against the wall. "It doesn't explain the secrecy, or why he would masquerade as a human for this long. We know he wants to destroy Cerberus, but what does he want with the Council?" Kalo sighed. "And the rest of the galaxy as well," he said, looking at Jodie. "If he is practicing that kind of deception that landed him in the Spectres..." "I don't know..." said Jodie. Kalo paused, looking down at the floor. He then turned around, placing one leg on the bed. "If you ever need to go anywhere, you can rely on me," he said. Jodie blinked, the confusion evident. "Kalo?" she asked. The quarian bowed his head. "I feel you may need help," he said. "If you want my help, then I am here." Jodie blinked, before scooting away a little. "Oh, no. No." She shook her head. "You're not involving yourself any more than you already have." "And why not?" Kalo asked. "I trust you to do the right thing, Jodie." "Yeah, but..." Jodie shook her head. "Kalo, you're already deep enough in this whole thing as it is. I can't drag you with me. You... There's a Fleet that needs you. You could go to them." "I doubt that would matter considering that Shepard could be a threat to the Fleet as well," said Kalo. He then rubbed her shoulder. "If this galaxy is a threat, the Fleet can wait. And besides..." He shrugged. "It is the least I can do for you, for remaining a steadfast friend." He shrugged. "And besides, I am already deep in this thing. Did you not join Saren to see it to the end?" Jodie looked at Kalo, before sighing. "I suppose I did," she said. She sighed. "I just... I'm worried that I'd get you hurt. I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if you got hurt because I dragged you into this." "You will not have to worry about that," he said. "I cannot guarantee it will not happen, but I will not blame you for it." Jodie pulled her legs up to her chest. "I only hope you don't get hurt," she said. Kalo nodded. "We shall see," he said. "In the meantime, I suppose there is other work I should do." Jodie smiled. "Do you need any help with that?" The quarian stood up, offering his hand to Jodie. "I think I could use your help with something," he said. "How good are you at holding things in place?" "Pretty decent," Jodie said. "But if I falter, Aiden can pick up the slack." "Good," said Kalo. "Come." And with this, Jodie took Kalo's hand, the quarian helping Jodie out of the bed. The two of htem then walked out of the room, heading towards the main chamber where the lab space was already beginning to take shape.
Jodie carried her guitar again, feeling the weight of the case as she moved along. It felt a little strange to get into this routine again, what with having been out of practice for several months. But it was a pretty easy thing to pick right back up, she knew: strumming chords was never very hard. Sure, she would like to build up the dexterity to do those guitar riffs she used to do as a teenager, but that kind of hard metal shredding was something she no longer felt was tasteful. She thus stepped into the 800 blocks. That was where at least some of the people she was acquainted with on the Citadel had gone. The money was not as good according to some, but the patrons were not so stuffy. Jodie was a little confused by why people tagged that on, as Jodie never really felt any snobbishness from the Tayseri Ward patrons, but that was how it is. Jodie sat down, looking around the ward. There were a few shops close to where she was, though one of them was still closed. Understandably so, of course: the large dent in the store's facade told her that it had sustained some fairly serious damage when Sovereign had blown up. There were still a good deal of people bustling about, though: it gave a rather busy feel to the whole place. Jodie placed her guitar case down, opening it and pulling the guitar out. She strummed it, sighing in relief when she found it had not been detuned in any way. She sat up, quickly turning the guitar case around. Jodie already closed her eyes, thinking about what to play next. Finally, she struck out an E Major chord. She strummed at the instrument for about a minute or so, hammering out what she could remember of the chord progression. It's been so long since I've played this, she thought. She sat back, still strumming as she heard Aiden chirp overhead. And then, she began to sing the lyrics of The Golden Age, closing her eyes as she sang. Her voice, admittedly, was not the most trained, but in what it had in shakiness it more than made up for in emotion in some sense. Jodie leaned forward, thankful that on the Citadel her fingers at least risked nothing in the way of freezing over. She simply kept strumming her guitar, singing along as she bobbed her head in time. And every few seconds, she would hear Aiden chirp. This brought a soft smile to Jodie's face: she knew just as well as Aiden did that they could not hear him. The fact taht he did it at all, though, was nice. And so, Jodie kept playing, though her voice carried a little more in the din of the 800 blocks' work day. As soon as the song ended, Jodie paused, opening her eyes as her fingers idly plucked at the guitar. She looked up, smiling up at Aiden while preparing her next song in her head. "And here I thought I'd never see something like that on here." Jodie jumped a little, glancing immediately to her left. She blinked in surprise, seeing a young-looking drell sitting next to her. Light teal scales adorned his face, interrupted by splotches of black here and there. Jodie found herself most unsettled at the all-black eyes: she could see the outline of what might have been his pupils, but these were barely registered under the blackness of Jodie's eyes. Jodie exhaled, Aiden grumbling in distaste. "Jesus," said Jodie. "That came from out of nowhere." The drell shrugged, turning away from Jodie. "My uncle tells me I'm good at just appearing in front of people," he said, his gravelly voice making him seem older than he really was. "Tells me I'm just like my father that way." Jodie frowned. "Well, I was thinking more that you scared me half to death, but, uh... I guess that works too," she said. She looked over. "What are you doing here?" "Is it so wrong to just sit next to a musician while they play on the street?" the drell replied. "Usually, they don't just appear from thin air," Jodie replied. "I'm not going to say no, but at least announce your presence first!" "I just did that," the drell replied, though his tone indicated he spat it more than he meant it. "Um... not really," said Jodie. "Whatever," the drell said, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Name's Kolyat." "Jodie," Jodie replied. She then shrugged looking back at the guitar. "So what are you here for?" "My aunt and uncle took me with them for a business trip," he said. "They'll be coming here every weekend for the next three months, and since there's no one at home that'll watch me..." Jodie shrugged. "That's not so bad." She then strummed quickly for effect. "I mean, you get to see the galaxy, right?" "That implies I want to see the galaxy," Kolyat fired back. "And that I want to see it so soon after a big geth attack." "I wouldn't let that deter me," Jodie replied. "You only have one life, you know. Better to use it to make it as fulfilling as possible." "Hmph," said Kolyat. "Maybe." He shook his head, looking back at Jodie. "So you like Beck, huh?" "Yeah," said Jodie. "He just... speaks to me, you know?" "I know the feeling," said Kolyat as he pulled his legs in. "I found him on an extranet search. He really speaks to me too." Jodie nodded. "I guess he speaks to a lot of people, then," Jodie said. "And that's interesting, isn't it?" "Yeah," Kolyat replied. He looked over. "Don't let me stop you. You've still got credits to earn, right?" "Oh, sorry," said Jodie. She then strummed another chord under Kolyat's supervision, and then eventually she settled on a C Major chord. She then launched into a rendition of Lost Cause. This time, she began tapping her foot on the floor of the Citadel, keeping time in this way as she played on. For a second, she flashed back to that cold street that she played on the side, right down to Kolyat's stare. It was not scrutinizing for her, even if she had a feeling others would feel that way. Rather, it felt enriching, knowing that someone actually cared enough from outside of the ship to miss her when she had vanished. It gave her vigor. And even though the tone of Lost Cause was depressing, she hammered at it a little more cheerfully. When the song ended, Kolyat was still there. He was quiet, his expression difficult to read. Jodie, however, noticed that his posture had shifted into something more relaxed. Kolyat nodded, patting his own knees. "Well, I have to go," he said. "My uncle's probably ready to call C-SEC in a hurry asking where I am. They're that paranoid. But if you're going to be here for a while..." Jodie nodded. "I'll be here for some time," she said. "Maybe I'll see you around?" "Maybe," said Kolyat. "I'm glad I finally have someone on this damn station I can talk to." "I think you'll find that lots of people here can be talked to," Jodie replied. "You take care, Kolyat." "I'll come see you when I'm ever on the station," said Kolyat. He then pushed himself off the ground and began walking away. In short order, the drell disappeared into the crowd. Jodie sighed, plucking some of the strings of her guitar absently. Aiden chirped above her, and Jodie leaned forward. Oh? she asked. I see... Did he always look that sour to you? Aiden gurgled in response. Jodie sat back. "Figures," she thought. "Probably like me when I was younger..." She then shrugged, and strummed another chord. "Well... maybe we'll see him again," she said. And then, she strummed a definite D Major chord.
Several hours later, Jodie had packed up her guitar, and walked all the way through the Citadel to get back to Kalo's ship. The walk was a rather lengthy one, sure, but Jodie preferred to make that walk rather than take the rapid transit. There was something more calming about walking a rather lengthy distance on the way home. It was almost something therapeutic, really. And as she walked on, she walked by a few familiar places. The med bay that Dr. Michel was located, the rapid transit station she'd used to go to the Tayseri Ward, a few other more noticeable locations... ...and then there was the one location she was always looking forward to seeing. "Well, if it isn't the accidental racist once again." Jodie sighed, looking over as she passed by Sura. The asari had just been walking out of office, now dressed in fatigues. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Jodie asked. "Well, that depends," said Sura. She then leaned against a wall as Jodie stopped in front of her. "How have you been?" "I've been okay," said Jodie. "Still have a few things to worry about, but I'll get to worrying about that as I go on around here." "Still, everything's been fine," she said. "And how's Kalo?" "Kalo's been doing great," Jodie replied. "Before long, his ship will be ready to help the Fleet." "That's good," said Sura. She smiled, the first really genuine smile Jodie had seen her give. "He's going to do great things for the Fleet." "You seem to have taken to him," said Jodie. Sura shrugged. "Well, that's what happens when you've got a quarian for a father." Jodie blinked. "Wait, your father is a quarian?" she asked. "Was," Sura corrected. She sighed. "Unlike a lot of people on the Citadel, I'm old enough to remember what a quarian's face looks like under that mask. Just old enough, too; it was weird becoming a maiden and then seeing quarians wearing those suits all around." Jodie nodded. "I see..." she said. "So that's why you said Keelah se'lai when he got the ship, right?" "Yep," said Sura as she crossed her arms. She looked up. "Father was a hardass. He didn't live long, unfortunately. A geth unit though he'd make a great wall decoration." Her eyes narrowed, glancing to the side with anger. "Died with a bunch of other people on Rannoch." Jodie nodded, frowning. "I'm sorry for your loss," she replied. "Hey, it was three hundred years ago," said Sura. "Heartless as it might seem, a girl can get over things over three hundred years." She sighed. "I still remember the way he'd look at me, though." Jodie nodded. "He must've been a good father," she said. "He always looked so happy," Sura said. "He was a marine, I remember that much. And a very sweet man..." Sura's usually sarcastic look had faded away, instead replaced by a far-off, nostalgic look. "I remember when he'd come home, he'd always play with me. He did nothing but stay at home with us whenever we came. And sometimes, he invited his friends..." She chuckled. "I remember I wanted to eat his pot roast he'd make for them so bad. But of course, there were the damn amino acids..." "And now I'm almost jealous," Jodie replied. "It was a good home life," said Sura. She frowned. "And it got taken away by the Goddess-damned Geth." She clenched her hand into a fist. "Mom was never the same after he died. We knew it would come eventually, but that soon..." Sura scowled. "I joined C-SEC to honor his memory. He was a good man. He didn't deserve to go out like that." Jodie nodded, crossing her arms. "I see..." she said. She sighed. "I guess some day I'll find out what you did to get here?" "Maybe," said Sura. She then pushed off. "I should get going for home. If you ever need anything, feel free to stop by." "Sure thing," Jodie replied, smiling. "You take care of yourself, Sura." "You too," said the asari. "Oh, and try not to call a turian spiky on your way home, eh?" Jodie's eyes narrowed in displeasure. The asari simply chuckled, walking past Jodie and patting her on the back. "I kid, I kid," she replied. "I'll see you around." And with this, the asari walked away. Jodie shook her head, turning away and resuming walking in the direction she was originally heading.
And once again, Jodie's life fell into a routine that she felt quite comfortable with. Wake up in Kalo's ship, get some credits by playing guitar, see Sura on the way back, look at information on Shepard on the downtime, rinse and repeat. Kolyat would of course come around every so often, but this new addition to the schedule was nothing huge for Jodie. The young drell was rather abrasive, but Jodie eventually got used to his abrasive attitude as time went on. She figured pretty quickly that Kolyat had a rather interesting home life: she always thought of herself when she was a rebellious teenager when he was around. He'll grow out of it, she said to herself. I know I did... Nevertheless, she adhered to her schedule. Every so often, she would see Xerxes, of course, and now she did not object to his tendency to shower expensive items on her as much as she did before. After all, knowing that she and Xerxes were more similar in some ways than anyone could have known, they had come to an understanding, and Jodie did not feel as guilty of sabotaging his bank account as she did before. And then there was Ashley. Ashley had to leave with the Normandy after Shepard returned from wherever he had taken leave. They had taken to patrolling the Terminus systems for geth activity, which was a rather small job. This gave Jodie some time to regroup, but at the same time it gave Ash nothing in the way of discerning anything about Shepard's true nature. Thus, a month past with no true updates. And for a while, Jodie was fine with this. The anxiety of not knowing anything more about Shepard began to subside. She had played the intelligence-gathering game with Ryan, after all: she knew that it could sometimes take a while to get anynew intel. After a month, there was finally a break. It was a break that would be delivered in the most unexpected way possible, however...
Jodie sat back, looking over her guitar. She strummed it lightly, looking up at the ceiling. "So that is how it sounds live? Interesting..." Kalo leaned forward, looking at Jodie with his head tilted in curiosity. They were alone on Kalo's ship, the two of them in a lull between installing terminals on one of the many berths meant for scientific discovery. It was a break both of them had welcomed: Kalo was getting exhausted after a long day, as was Jodie. Since Kalo had still not heard Jodie's playing, they had decided to give a sample. Jodie simply smiled. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "It is very different from a recording," Kalo replied. He then sat next to Jodie. "It sounds more... open. Free." "Well, you know how it is," said Jodie as she chuckled nervously. She paused, looking down at her guitar. "I can't imagine you have anything on the Fleet..." "If we do, I haven't seen it," Kalo admitted. He sighed. "It has to exist somewhere, but..." "Maybe it does," said Jodie. She then looked at the guitar, sighing. "You just need to look." "Perhaps," said Kalo. "Still... I wish some day I could touch a musical instrument. I heard all about them in the vids I watched growing up. I grew... intrigued. I always wondered what it would be like to play one. Jodie nodded, glancing down at her own guitar. She then shrugged, looking over at the quarian. "You want to try?" Kalo blinked in surprise, pointing at Jodie's guitar. "That?" he asked. Jodie shrugged, smiling. "Don't see why not," she replied. "But..." He then lifted his hands, showing the rubber pods underneath the fingers. "Would these not damage the strings?" "They're metal," Jodie replied, lifting the guitar's neck. "I'm sure they can take it. And hey, there are always solutions..." Kalo nodded, one of his hands grabbing the guitar. "Well, if you say so," he said. They then slid the guitar into Kalo's lap, the quarian shifting his legs awkwardly as he settled the instrument into his lap. The quarian looked on, his left hand awkwardly holding the guitar's neck from above. He frowned, moving his hand, but never bringing it under the neck. Jodie shook her head, smiling gently as she leaned over, taking a hold of Kalo's wrist. "No no, you put it under the neck," she said, gently guiding Kalo's hand to the proper position. The quarian chuckled nervously. "Hm... It is more comfortable that way..." he said. "I pondered more what I would do with the lack of two fingers, though..." He then flexed his two fingers. "There's probably something you can come up with," Jodie replied, watching as the quarian shifted his legs so the guitar would sit in his lap more comfortably. "I imagine there are more than a few people that come up with... creative solutions." "Possibly," said Kalo. The quarian then strummed the guitar, all of the strings sounding vibrantly. He looked down, turning his head in confusion. He then looked to Jodie, Jodie seeing that his eye lights had formed into an embarrased expression. "Um... how do I get the other notes?" Jodie chuckled. "You press those fingers down," she said. Kalo then placed one of his fingers on one of the frets. "Like that?" he asked. Jodie looked over, again moving Kalo's finger off the fret. "No no, in between those bumps," she said. "Like... that." She then nodded. "Now, pluck." Kalo strummed again, a new chord sounding from the strings, perhaps flavored by the added dissonance from where Kalo's finger was placed. "Oh..." He looked down, his finger straightening. "And I can pluck one string only, right?" "Yeah," said Jodie. "You can do that too." The quarian proceeded to do just that. He then turned to Jodie, his eyes seeming to shine brighter than they usually did. He plucked again, moving his finger to another space between frets. He slid the finger to another fret, plucking the string. He then leaned over, plucking another string as he moved his finger into another space between frets. "This..." Kalo's voice was hushed, almost in reverence. "I never thought I would be able to touch something like this... I would watch from afar, but..." Jodie placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't always," said Jodie. She then smiled, patting Kalo's shoulder. "I guess there's an upside to dreaming..." "There is..." Kalo breathed out. Jodie heard Kalo exhale, before he turned to look at her. Jodie simply smiled, looking at Kalo as his grip on the guitar's neck lightened. Jodie shifted her posture, sharing a silence with the quarian. As her heart began to beat a little faster, the guitar settled in Kalo's lap, and somehow Jodie could sense that Kalo was smiling underneath that mask he always wore. And then, Jodie's omni-tool beeped loudly. Aiden shrieked loudly, Jodie sighing as the moment was ruined. "Sorry," she said. "I must not have turned it on." "It is fine," said Kalo, adjusting so that the guitar sat comfortably in his lap. "I wonder what it could be..." Jodie then opened the omni-tool, seeing it was a call from... "Ashley?" Jodie blinked. She then accepted the call, shifting her posture. "Ashley?" "Jodie!" said Ashley. In the background, Jodie could hear a lot of movement, a lot of hushed voices talking. "Oh, thank God you're there! It's... It's a clusterfuck over here!" Jodie blinked. "Ashley?" she asked. "Is everything all right?" "Jodie..." Ashley replied. "Jodie, don't tell me you haven't seen the news." Jodie and Kalo both turned to each other. "The news?" Jodie asked as she turned her attention back to her omni-tool. "I... I haven't checked in all day. I was busy helping Kalo on the ship." She then leaned forward. "Why? What's going on?" "It's the Normandy..." Ashley replied. "Jodie, she's been destroyed." Jodie's muscles tensed, Aiden releasing a shrill cry. "The... what!?" Jodie asked as she stood up. "We were taken by surprise," said Ashley. "We're cruising around patrolling for geth, and then we're jumped on by a vessel. I have no idea what it was, but it was big, and it tore the ship in half!" Jodie breathed in, her heart rate spiking for a second as she leaned forward. "Oh my God... Is everyone all right?" she asked. "Are you all right?" "Well, I'm fine, otherwise I wouldn't have been cleared to use the omnitool," Ashley replied. "But we have a few casualties. Tali and Garrus are both fine, and Joker's fine too. So's the doctor. But... But most of the crew didn't make it out alive." Jodie paused. "You didn't mention Shepard," she said. Ashley went quiet, the voices in the background seeming to come into prominence. Jodie felt her throat dry up, and she heard Kalo stand up behind her as Aiden began to gurgle lowly. "Jodie..." Ashley began. "Joker wouldn't leave the ship at first. Shepard went to the cockpit to get him. Shepard..." Ashley took a deep breath. "He wasn't in the escape pod with Joker. Joker says he saw Shepard get blasted out into space, saw his air supply get cut open. Shepard's dead, Jodie. He's gone."
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Post by herrwozzeck on Feb 9, 2015 5:25:17 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-One Jodie stepped out of the rapid transit station, being careful not to stumble out of the vehicle. Of course, being part of the Normandy's crew had its perks, if one could call them that in such a situation: Jodie had received an invitation to Shepard's funeral in the Presidium. There was of course no body, but Jodie did not expect anyone to find anything considering that the body had likely burned up upon entry into Alchera's atmosphere. They still had to present something, though, and Jodie was not sure what to expect. As soon as she stepped off, she looked down, brushing some lint from the black dress she wore. It was a rather odd ensemble for her to wear, but at the same time Jodie knew that it was time to dispense with her usual attire. It brought her up to date with the rest of the Citadel, too: Jodie had to admit, the fabric of the dress felt quite nice, and the long sleeves and the top did not feel constrictive the way she feared they would be. She only wished the dress did not cover her feet; she found herself lifting the front of the dress to avoid stepping on it. Of course, she did not keep this up for long. Jodie looked up, seeing Ashley Williams standing there in her Alliance dress blues. Jodie approached quickly, Ashley giving Jodie a salute. "Ashley," Jodie said. Ashley said nothing, instead pulling Jodie into a hug as soon as she approached. Jodie held the hug, patting Ashley on the back. They held this for a couple of seconds, before Jodie pulled back, nodding. "I hope you're okay," said Jodie. "Physically, I'm fine," Ashley replied. "But it's not easy to see your ship get blown up..." "I can't imagine it would be," Jodie replied. She nodded. "And now, Shepard's dead..." "Yeah," said Ashley. "Who'd have thought Shepard would die like that?" "Certainly not me," Jodie replied. "This is..." "Yeah," said Ashley. She sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, I guess we better get moving. We've got a lot to look at with Shepard's funeral." Jodie nodded. "Lead the way," she said. Ashley nodded. She then turned, walking towards the space the funeral would be held. Jodie followed, her head down as Aiden clicked somberly.
Jodie sat down in the front row. Those seats were reserved for the people who had served on the Normandy alongside Shepard, and Jodie found herself sitting right at the end of the row next to Ashley. She shifted uncomfortably, Aiden clicking to confirm that there was no body in the casket presented in front of them. Just as I suspected, she thought. She shook her head, before looking down the row. Tali sat right next to Ashley, her head bowed down as her hands were settled right in her lap. Garrus sat beside the quarian, a hand placed comfortingly over the quarian's shoulder. Tali leaned against the turian's chest gently, and from there Jodie could hear the muffled sounds of Tali's sobs. The sound gave Jodie reason to pause, and she glanced away, feeling a strange guilt she could not describe. She looked down, her hands clasped together. She shook her head, before turning her attention to the rest of the row. Wrex, of course, was sitting right by Garrus, looking bored more than anything else. Jodie quickly moved on, seeing Dr. Chakwas sit by Joker. And among everyone on the row, it was Joker that gave Jodie the most reason to pause. The pilot sat there, his eyes bloodshot as he simply stood by. The crutches rested against Chakwas' chair, giving Joker enough room to sit there. But he remained completely motionless, almost as if in shock. Jodie looked away once more, unable to look at him for terribly long after that. She felt her eyes water somewhat, not at what had happened to Shepard but at just how hard everyone around her was taking it. She brought a hand up to her eyes, wiping a tear that threatened to spill out. I thought I didn't have any tears for Shepard... she thought. So why...? She sighed, looking down at the ground as she placed her hands in her lap. She then turned to the row to her left, seeing a lot more people there. Many of the faces were faces she did not recognize: from what Ashley had told her, most of them were big-wigs from elsewhere in the Alliance and the Council. She recognized the Council, however: they were almost impossible to miss. They sat next to Anderson on that side, all of them looking rather somber. Even the turian Councillor looked up sometimes, and from the way Jodie saw his head lean back... And lastly, among all else, she saw little drones flying around, and a few journalists that attended to them. Jodie was aware before she went that the event was to be broadcast live: after all, this was Shepard people were talking about. She bowed her head as the din of the small talk before the funeral quieted down. Jodie kept this position, even as the reverend overseeing the funeral began to talk about Shepard. She tuned out of most of it, looking over at the casket. Her lips remained quietly pursed, and she let out a sigh. And then, footsteps. She glanced to the side, catching sight of the asari Councillor as she went up to the podium right by the casket. Jodie looked up, seeing as the asari approached, looking out to everyone seated in the front row. "Today, we gather here to honor a fallen hero," the asari Councillor began, looking out to the others. "It would be remiss of us to mention the great sacrifice Shepard made for us." She bowed her head, looking to everyone in front of her. "Shepard did a great thing for all of us in this galaxy, stopping Saren and the geth atop that tower. He saved the galaxy when he spoke of that." She then paused. "But we can speak all day of that which we know. I will not speak of those, for that would pull our concentration away from some very important facts." Jodie blinked, looking up at the asari Councillor. "No, what everyone saw was not what defined Shepard as a hero," the asari continued. "As with all heroes, what defines them is not how they behave in the public eye, but how they behave when nobody is looking." The asari Councillor then nodded. "And it was in this that Shepard's true heroism unfolded." Jodie then looked at the Council, seeing the turian Councillor's expression flare up in rage a little. Nevertheless, the turian kept it in check. "There were many things not known to the public," the asari Councillor continued. "Like how we ordered Shepard not to go after Saren. He disobeyed that order, of course." She then bowed her head. "So, too, did he refuse to stay still when we first held the inquiry into Saren's activities. We know this, but do not punish him for that: after all, without that, we would not be standing here." Jodie looked up, her hands by her sides. "Many would believe that he who strictly abides by the Council would be the only one worthy of the title of "hero"," she continued. "But it is precisely because Shepard acted in the best interests of his people, nay, of the galaxy that it makes him truly special amongst others. He always thought of those who were not us; above all, he prioritized the people he was protecting. For that, he should be considered a hero by all." She nodded, bowing her head. "Let us always remember him as such." The applause she received from others was rather quiet, but nevertheless it was respectful. Everyone around her acknowledged the asari Councillor's speech warmly, especially the reporters. And from close by, Tali sniffled, raising her head for the first time since the funeral began. Jodie could not bring herself to share in the applause. Instead, her hand tightened into a fist, the fist hidden from even the most well-positioned of the cameras around. And for a second, she felt a rush of great anger. This is the same guy who deceived all of them... she thought. Dammit... She's right, but... but there was Balak, and possibly Vigil, and... and... She squeezed her eyes shut, unclenching her fist as she heard the asari Councillor step down. Dammit, Aiden... Why did this whole thing have to be this damn complicated? The entity could only gurgle sympathetically as the applause died down all around Jodie. She took a deep breath in, opening her eyes as fresh tears gathered and threatened to spill. She then hugged herself. I wish I were anywhere but here... she thought. Dammit... And before she knew it, she saw Dr. Chakwas stand up on the end of the crew's side. Jodie nodded her head, before watching the doctor as she walked to the podium, clearing her throat as she approached. "To most, Shepard was a hero," said the older doctor. "But to us on the Normandy, he was much more..."
The funeral, thankfully, was only about an hour long. And afterwards was a more private wake for everyone. Jodie stayed behind, grateful that the journalists had seen it fit to pack up and go by then. It gave her time to talk to other people, which was the part she was thinking more about. But the time to talk was not then. She had thoughts, doubts that assailed what she knew about Shepard. And thus, Jodie approached the casket, looking down as she placed a hand on it. She tapped it, her head bowed. She remained silent, tapping the casket quietly. Why do you have to make this so hard? she thought. Why? She sighed, biting her lower lip. I know what you did, she continued. She then sighed. And that invalidates whatever good you did... right? She closed her eyes, before turning away from the casket. Jodie jumped in surprise as she nearly bumped into Joker. The pilot still maintained his expression from earlier, as if he had barely noticed that Jodie had almost sent him crashing to the floor. Jodie stepped back quickly, looking at the pilot as he looked up at Jodie. "Oh. Jodie." Joker's voice was harsh, gravelly; it was about as far from the Joker Jodie knew as he could get. "You're here. I didn't notice you were here." Jodie nodded. "I was sitting at the other end of the row during all those speeches," she said. "You didn't notice me?" Joker shook his head. "No," he said, his tone quiet enough that it gave Jodie the impression he didn't care either way. He then turned towards the casket. "That should've been me in there..." Jodie leaned forward. "Jo... Jeff, don't say that," Jodie replied. "You know that's not true." "Why not?" he asked, looking over at Jodie. "It's my fault we're here." He looked down at the ground. "If I had just got on the escape pod like everyone else..." "You couldn't have known what would happen," Jodie offered supportively. "Sure, and I can walk perfectly fine without these damn crutches," Joker relied, almost spitting the words out as his brows furrowed. He then sniffled, looking away. "Don't give me your fake sympathy. I don't deserve it." Jodie felt a pang of guilt hit her. She glanced down, before gingerly coming around, gently placing a hand on Joker's shoulder. She closed her eyes, feeling the pilot lean close to her and sob quietly. When she opened her eyes, Jodie noticed that no tears came out. Poor guy's already cried all the tears he can, probably... she thought. She then sighed, simply pulling Joker close as gently as she cared. Joker choked up. "Fuck..." he whispered. "Why me, of all people? Why the idiot who wouldn't let go? He could've gone for anyone else on that ship, but... why me?" Jodie paused, glancing down at the floor. Her brain wracked itself for possible responses to that question, trying to think past what Shepard did to Balak for a response to Joker. She sighed, rubbing the back of her head with her other hand. She then looked back at Joker. "Who knows?" she asked. "But what matters is, he came for you." "That's the whole problem," Joker replied, looking away. "He shouldn't have come." Jodie shrugged. "But he did," said Jodie. She sighed. "Does it really matter why?" Joker looked at Jodie. "Maybe," he said. "I just... I screwed up. I got him killed. You know that. You should hate me for that..." Joker then turned away, staring to walk off. "Everybody should." Jodie extended a hand to Joker, but before she could say anything the pilot walked away. Jodie lowered her hand, glancing away from the retreating pilot. She shook her head, hugging her arms as she looked back at the casket. Aiden gurgled comfortingly, but Jodie felt no comfort from even that. She sighed, turning away from the casket. She had some people she needed to talk to, after all. And the first person she needed to talk to happened to be standing somewhat close by. Garrus stood off to the side of the large room, watching Dr. Chakwas and Tali from a distance. From what Jodie could see as she approached, Tali's head was still hung. Dr. Chakwas had a hand placed on the quarian's shoulder, but Tali could only lean against the wall of the chamber. The quarian's hand was on her face mask, and Jodie imagined that if the face mask were not there Tali's hand would be covering her eyes wiping away the tears. Jodie sighed, coming to stand next to Garrus. "She's taking this really hard," she observed. "Yeah," said Garrus. He then turned to look at Jodie. "Not that you can blame her, though. She loved him." "I know," said Jodie, her heart tightening a little. She sighed, looking up at Garrus. "I guess you were there to witness it?" "Yeah," said Garrus. "I thought you went back to C-Sec," Jodie replied. "I mean, you'd brought Saren in..." "I didn't want to leave Shepard alone," Garrus replied. He then smirked, looking at Jodie. "Let's face it, he would've been less badass without a turian cop at his back." Jodie shook her head. "I beg to differ," she replied. "C-Sec needs you here, don't they?" "They do now," said Garrus. He then turned to Jodie. "I took leave to follow Shepard. But of course, it was just damn busy work." He growled. "I got away from C-Sec to avoid that. I'll bet you ten credits they'll just throw all the paperwork they wouldn't give me while I was away just to spite me." He shrugged. "After everything we did to save the galaxy, that's what they'll repay me with." Jodie shrugged. "I've been through far worse," she observed, her voice betraying some small amount of bitterness. "Trust me, the stuff I've been through makes your experiences seem kind of... I don't know..." She shrugged. "Trivial?" "Hm," Garrus replied. He then turned to Jodie. "So if they're that big, that of course leaves one big question. Why don't you ever talk about it?" Jodie frowned, looking at Garrus. "I don't feel like talking about it?" she asked. "It's why you don't talk about Dr. Saleon as much these days." "Well, we actually did something about that," Garrus replied curtly. "I don't think I need to talk about dead men as much anymore." He then turned. "But you... I've fought by your side for a long while, and I still don't know anything about where you came from, why you're fighting..." He then turned to Jodie. "You're basically invisible. And I don't like invisible people." Jodie frowned, crossing her arms. "So?" she asked. "I helped you stop Saren, didn't I? And I didn't really get in the way of a whole lot." "Maybe," said Garrus. "But I still don't like that you haven't told us." Jodie shrugged. "Sorry," she said. "But... I figured you'd be the kind to act on actions alone." "I am," Garrus said. "But you're... mysterious. Too mysterious for me." "That's fair, I guess," said Jodie. "But still." Garrus shrugged. "But still," he said. He then looked over to Tali. "I should make sure she's all right. She isn't, but... I figure she could use a friend." Jodie nodded. "Go ahead," she said. "She needs it." Garrus nodded, and then turned towards Tali. He then walked up next to the quarian, placing a hand on her shoulder supportingly. Tali looked up, before she leaned in close to Garrus, the turian pulling her into a hug. Dr. Chakwas stood by, watching as Tali's shoulders visibly heaved even from where Jodie stood. Garrus looked down at Tali, before leaning close and whispering a few things by Tali's head. Jodie sighed, turning away. Aiden gurgled above her, and to this Jodie could only nod. I know, Aiden, she thought. I know. And with this, she kept walking on, her eyes scanning the funeral to see who else she could talk to. That did not take long, though: off in the corner, she saw Wrex standing alone. His back was turned to everyone, but right as she turned Jodie swore she saw Wrex give everyone else at the funeral a reproachful glare. He seemed just as annoyed as he had been during all the speeches given in Shepard's honor, something emphasized by his distance away from everyone else. Jodie approached Wrex with a bit of hesitation in her steps. She knew the krogan to be blunt, but for him to look bored at a funeral...\ What's on his mind? Jodie thought. The krogan turned his head, scowling as he saw Jodie. "Let me guess," he said. "You're going to grill me about how I'm not crying." Jodie blinked. "Um..." She glanced to the side. "You're not going to count asking questions about that as a thing... I hope..." Wrex grumbled. "You and half the funeral kept pointing that out," he said. He waved his hands dismissively. "They've got no right to question. I'm not the one mourning him wrong." Jodie blinked. "Mourn..." She then leaned forward. "So you don't process grief the same way." "You're damn right we don't," Wrex replied, turning towards Jodie. He then pointed at the entire funeral. "Look at all these whelps. Sitting there, crying, giving all those stuffy speeches! On Tuchanka, we'd throw a damn party, get drunk, celebrate his damn life and what made him great." Wrex clenched his fist, Aiden chirping in alarm. "If you ask me, this whole thing is a sham. Too damn stuffy, and there are too many damn tears. Save the tears for the burial." Jodie nodded. "Well... we don't think about the memory of a dead person the same way," Jodie replied. "We like to... remember them. Say a few words." "That's what your toasts are for," Wrex replied roughly. He shook his head, turning away from Jodie. "I don't know how you can stand it." Jodie nodded, stepping right next to the krogan. "Well... I guess we just don't see eye to eye on that," she replied. "I guess since we're never going to see that person again, we... well, it's an expression of grief, I suppose." She sighed. "And when people are in grief, they don't tend to think about celebrating. They just need space to let it all out." She shook her head. "We're not krogan like that. I guess... I guess traditionally, we see death as an end." "Hmph," Wrex said. "I don't get other species." "I guess that makes two of us," Jodie replied. She then sighed. "I see... Well, Wrex, you never were good at being anything but incredibly blunt." "I guess not," said Wrex. He then looked at the turian Councillor across the room. He then smirked. "Did you see his face when that asari Councillor talked about Shepard disobeying their orders? That at least was amusing." "Well, she did risk a lot to say that," Jodie added. Wrex nodded. "At least she was respectful to Shepard," he said. "A warrior like that deserves no less." Jodie nodded. "I guess so," she nodded. Even if he was a coward in some ways. Wrex turned to look at Jodie. "So how are you adjusting to life outside the Normandy?" Jodie shrugged. "I'm doing pretty all right, actually," she said. "I'm living on the Citadel now. I guess things are going well back on Tuchanka?" "As well as they can, with those short-sighted fools there," Wrex replied. "Just got Clan Urdnot back in order." Jodie nodded. "So you're planning on doing something for the krogan people, then," she said. She looked up at Wrex. "Good. Glad to hear it." "It'll take a while," Wrex replied, crossing his arms. "But they'll get into it eventually. Even if I have to force their hand." Jodie nodded, looking at Wrex. "I think you can handle it," she said. "If anyone can, I imagine it would be you." Wrex chuckled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said. He then looked at Wrex. "And how's your 'friend' doing?" Jodie rose her eyebrows, before smiling and shrugging. "He's fine," she said. "He's been cooped up a bit lately, but for the moment he's behaving." She chuckled. "Actually, now that I think about it, he's been good this whole time." "He gets used to things fast," said Wrex. Jodie scoffed at that. "If only that were the case," she commented. Her smile dimmed, before she held her hand behind her back. "Man, it's so strange to feel happy at a funeral, but..." "Well, you're not happy because he's dead," Wrex replied. Jodie nodded, glancing to the side. "That's true," she said. "I guess there's that, if nothing else..." She paused, pursing her lips. "I guess... I've still got people to catch up with." "Don't let me keep you," Wrex replied. "I've got my own things to take care of." Jodie nodded. "All right," she said. "You take care of yourself, Wrex. Take care of Tuchanka." "Will do," the krogan replied as he turned away. And with this, Jodie took a couple of steps away, looking back at Wrex before she walked away. As she did, she frowned, looking up. Say, Aiden... he didn't make any oblique references to Shepard that we would've caught on, did he? Aiden clicked several times. Jodie nodded. Yeah, maybe that's all it is, she said. She then turned back, looking at the krogan. Honestly, he isn't the kind to be a good liar. You sense that too, right? Aiden trilled his agreement. Okay, that's what I thought, she thought, a smile gracing her face before it vanished again. She then walked forward, catching sight of Ashley on the far end where she was talking to Councillor Anderson. Ashley and Anderson seemed rather quiet, neither of them saying anything. Jodie frowned, walking over to where they stood. As she slowly approached, Anderson acknowledged her presence with a nod. "And there she is," said Anderson softly. "Jodie herself." Jodie nodded, looking at Anderson. "Is there something you needed?" she asked. "Perhaps," said Anderson. "But this isn't the time or the place to talk about it." Jodie frowned. "Did something happen?" she asked. "Maybe," said Ashley. She crossed her arms. "But we'll talk about that outside." She then crossed her arms. "The usual place?" Jodie nodded, figuring she meant Kalo's ship. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. She then looked at Anderson. "I hope it's nothing problematic." "Not for you," Anderson replied. "But a few things have happened since we spoke." "Okay," said Jodie. She then turned to Ashley. "If he needs to be there, you know where to direct him." "Of course," said Ashley. Jodie then nodded, before looking around. "Say, Liara isn't here," she said. "So I'm not the only one who noticed," said Anderson. "Yeah," said Ashley. "Why isn't she here?" Jodie frowned, crossing her arms as she looked at Shepard's casket. "Hm..." Her frown deepened as she turned to Anderson and Ashley. "You know? I have the horrible feeling I know why she isn't here..." "It's not good, is it?" Ashley asked. "No," said Jodie. "I'll tell you more elsewhere. This isn't the place for it."
The wake ended with no incident. Jodie did not speak to anyone else at the wake, instead turning her head routinely before people started filing out. As soon as she saw this, Jodie left the wake, making a beeline for Kalo's ship. It had been a rather quick ride, of course, and as always Kalo's ship was dutifully perched at the docking bay. And as she pulled her regular jacket on, she turned, looking over at the doorway. She sighed, walking over to the door and hitting the door control. As soon as the door was open, Jodie stepped out of the room, smiling as soon as she saw Kalo there, finishing up the set-up of the terminal he had been working on while Jodie had gone to Shepard's funeral. The quarian looked up, his eyes brightening as he continued the set-up. Jodie smiled in turn, walking over to him. "Is set-up finally finished?" "Just about," said Kalo. "Of course, there will need to be programs installed, but I will leave that to the Fleet. Everything else should be ready." He then looked across the room. "That is... one out of several." Jodie nodded. "I see," she said, seeing the terminals had already been set up in the physical space. She then turned to Kalo. "Oh, Kalo, one thing." "What is it?" asked the quarian. "Ashley might be stopping by with some company in the next few days," she said. "Some company?" Kalo asked. Jodie bit her lower lip. "The human Councillor, specifically," she replied. "Oh." Kalo reared back. "Are you sure it's safe?" "I think it's about Shepard," Jodie replied. "Since this ship is a safe zone for us all..." Kalo nodded. "I suppose that is fair," he said. He then looks up. "I just hope he does not mind a quarian listening in on his conversation." "He didn't mind a quarian handing evidence about Saren's activities to the Council," Jodie replied. "I don't think he'll mind you, just so long as he knows you're in on it. And since Ashley talked to him about it, I think he knows." "Then that is fair indeed," said Kalo. He then shrugged. "In the meantime, there is work to do." He then turned to the nearest terminal. "Can you help me start up one of the other terminals and help me set it up? If you need help, I can come to you." Jodie nodded. "Sure," she said as she walked to another terminal. "I might ask for help a lot, though." "I will not be annoyed," Kalo replied. Jodie smiled, her gaze turning towards him as she approached the terminal. "Whatever you say," she replied. She then turned, booting up the terminal. Aiden chirped in merriment, before Jodie rolled up her sleeves as the holographic keyboard powered on.
Jodie decided to remain inside the next day. The funeral had drained her will to play out in the streets of the Citadel, and besides, Kalo needed a little help fitting out the living quarters with objects. Aiden was, of course, an immense help on this front, and it was what she thought of as she stepped back and wiped some sweat from her forehead. She smiled, looking at the mattress that was newly-placed on the top bunk. "I guess we've really got this, huh, Aiden?" she asked out loud. The entity clicked happily. Jodie turned to the door, holding her hands behind her back. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'd say we have it, too." She paused. "You think this is going to be major, Aiden?" Aiden clicked in uncertainty, before gurgling at length. Jodie could only shrug in reply. "I guess that's true," she replied. "Well, we'll see..." she said. She then turned to another mattress, looking at it as she walked to one end of it. "Help me with this, will you?" The entity chirped, the other end of the mattress lifting up as Jodie grabbed it. She smiled, walking over to the ladder on one of the other bunk beds. "Now if only he had been able to afford actual sleeping pods..." She shrugged. "Ah, well, bunk beds always had a charm," she commented. She then began to ascend the ladder. It was as she ascended that she heard the door open. Jodie paused, looking on to see a couple of people enter. Kalo entered first, followed by Ashley. She recognized Anderson as he walked in behind Ashley, but then a fourth person entered the room. Tall with a graying goatee, Jodie did not recognize the man in Alliance dress blues that stepped in. She gulped as soon as she saw the fourth person. "Kalo, you couldn't have knocked?" she asked. "I..." "Ah..." the goatee'd man said as he stepped forward. "I will assume this is the work of that 'Aiden' you mentioned, Councillor?" "In action at the very moment, sir," Anderson replied. "Skip the formalities, David," said the goatee'd man. "You're a Councillor now." "That may be, but I'll always be Alliance through and through," said Anderson. "I'm only on the Council to serve." "You're serving the species, not just the Alliance," said the goatee'd man. "Frankly, I'm not going to give a damn if you miss a few sirs here and there." Jodie shook her head, looking to the other end of the matress. She then flipped the mattress onto the bed with Aiden's help, chuckling as she rubbed her hands. "So I take it you told him about Aiden?" "I did," said Anderson. "I told him what you told me about Shepard." "It's very... troubling," the goatee'd man admitted. "I'm reluctant to take it on word of mouth." Jodie shrugged, stepping down the ladder quickly. "Well, I don't blame you for the skepticism, I guess," Jodie replied. "I imagine it's a lot to swallow in this day and age, mister...?" "Hackett," he replied, extending a hand to Jodie. "Admiral Steven Hackett." Jodie's blood froze as soon as she took the goatee'd man's hand. "Of the fifth fleet!" she whispered in shock. "I had to tell the top of the Alliance food chain," said Anderson. Jodie nearly let go of Hackett's hand, but the admiral's grip proved too firm. He shook Jodie's hand once, Jodie stepping back as soon as he let go. "He talked to me about it after Shepard's funeral," said the admiral. "It's a difficult story to believe." "I..." Jodie glanced at Anderson, before turning her attention back to Admiral Hackett. "A lot of things about me are difficult to believe," Jodie replied. "Why did you care about Aiden?" "David mentioned his conversation with Saren that he had through you," Hackett replied. "If Aiden is a hoax, it is a very elaborate one, one perhaps too elaborate to pull off." "I can assure you that Aiden is real," Jodie replied. She then looked to Ashley. "I guess you talked to her too, huh?" "Gunnery Chief Williams was also helpful," said Hackett. "She filled in information Anderson could not about Aiden. You don't need to convince me of Aiden's existence, even if the rest of the Alliance might think differently if they should ever find out." He then looked down. "No, I find it difficult to believe that Shepard is... everything you say." "It's... It's still tough to believe," Jodie said. "And I was the one who found the information." "Perhaps," said Admiral Hackett as he crossed his arms in front of him. "I do not believe this about Shepard." "I figured someone might," said Jodie. "Look, just give me an opportunity to find some evidence." At this, Hackett only shrugged. "That's why I'm here," he replied. "Just because I don't believe it doesn't mean I will dismiss it outright. You mentioned to Anderson that you wanted to present a case to the Council." "That's right," said Jodie. "What about that?" "Anderson mentioned he believes what you say on this," said Hackett. "If I know David, he would not push me to do something if he did not believe it was the right thing to do." "With the exception of blowing up that refinery?" Anderson joked. "We both know Saren framed you for that," Hackett replied. "I don't hold you responsible for that, and anyone who does is a fool." He then turned back to Jodie while uncrossing his arms. "I've spoken with Anderson further about this subject. After that discussion, we have put together a mission you might find interesting." Kalo and Jodie looked at each other. "A mission?" Jodie asked as she turned back to Hackett. "One given to strictly non-Alliance personnel," Hackett replied. "You'll be going off the grid into the Terminus systems." Jodie frowned, looking at Admiral Hackett. "The Terminus systems?" she asked. "Why there?" "We were shot down over Alchera," Ashley replied. "In the Amada system in the Omega Nebula." She paused, looking to the side. "We had received distress signals that there were ships going missing. Alliance ships." "The Normandy," Jodie said. She then turned right to Hackett. "Then that means...!" Hackett nodded. "Officially, the mission is listed for Chief Williams to retrieve the dog tags of those who perished in the attack," he replied. "However, we're adding an objective away from the official records: to search the area and look for anything that might prove your hunch about Shepard." Jodie breathed in. "So you're taking a chance," she said. "Only because you helped take down Saren when you did not need to," Hackett replied. Jodie breathed in, pacing towards the other end of the room. "This... this is a big risk you're taking," she acknowledged. "We're well aware of that, Jodie," Hackett replied. "Particularly if some of the information you have is correct." He paused, before looking back at Ashley. "Chief Williams told me Shepard might have an information network." "Yeah..." said Jodie as she turned to Ashley. "That was mostly her finding, though." "It was, sir," said Ashley. "Jodie just helped me put the pieces together." "That may be the case, but if that's true that makes our lives more complicated," said Hackett. "Because of this, this mission is off the records. If the Shadow Broker can find out the Alliance is involved, it's likely that this information network could find it." "And that's to say nothing of what would happen if word got out to the Council," said Anderson. "This must be kept quiet." "So I can't say anything to anyone outside the mission until I've returned with proof," said Jodie. "Yes," said Hackett. "If your theory is right, we will expect something to show for it. And if it's substantive enough, we'll present it to the Council. But until then, there must be as few people that know as possible." Jodie nodded. "I understand," she replied. "I'll gather my team as quietly as I can." She then chuckled. "And I guess that means I accept the mission, huh?" "I figured you were going to accept the mission anyway," Anderson replied. "True," Jodie replied with a chuckle. "Well... I'll accept it." "I was hoping you would say that," Hackett said. He then turned to Ashley. "As I mentioned before, Chief Williams is the official executor of the mission, so she will be going with you." "Of course," said Jodie. "And anyone else...?" "Is left to your discretion," Hackett replied. "We assume that you must have a few people you've talked to about this," said Anderson. "One of them would be I, sir," said Kalo as he bowed his head. "I would be more than willing to accompany Jodie in this venture." Admiral Hackett frowned, stepping towards the quarian. "Much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, your ship might be put at risk," Hackett replied. "We'll be sending you in on a craft we've provided for Chief Williams, nobody will be left to watch this ship." "Jodie has a few friends who may be able to watch the ship, sir," Kalo replied. "She is my friend. She has helped me through a lot of things, and I would be a rather terrible friend if I did not help her in this venture." "A quarian has been a valuable asset in the past," Anderson pointed out. "Look at Tali'Zorah's contribution to stripping Saren of his Spectre status." He then paused. "And if nobody else can look after this ship, I can look after it myself. But a quarian ally could be useful." "They are a very resourceful bunch," Hackett replied, before turning to Kalo. "Very well then... Kalo, was it?" "Yes, sir," said Kalo, saluting the admiral. Hackett chuckled. "Such respect for someone not from the Fleet," he replied. "You are the admiral of a fleet, are you not?" Kalo asked. "I should think that is worthy of respect, quarian or not." "I suppose that is true," said Hackett. "You may help Jodie as well." "I will aid her to the best of my ability, sir," Kalo replied, bowing his head in front of the admiral. Ashley chuckled. "This little party is starting to take form," she mentioned. "I'm kind of looking forward to this mission." "Indeed," said Anderson. He then turned to Jodie. "But to keep this as off the grid as possible, we're leaving the rest to you." Jodie blinked. "So I have to choose my own crew?" she asked. "Yes," said Anderson. "Choose as many people that are not affiliated with the Alliance as you can." "Deployment is in one week," Hackett said. "I will give Chief Williams the deployment time and location the day of. I will expect that you have gathered a team by then of people who will be able to gather information. You are to report in when you have sufficient information to bring to the Council." Jodie nodded. "If you don't mind my saying, those are some unusually broad mission parameters," Jodie replied. "Broad mission parameters for a broad goal," said Hackett. "You have a start. The Normandy. I suppose you'll find out soon enough where it goes from there." "I guess we will," said Jodie. She then nodded. "I'll gather the team. I think I have a couple of starting points, at least." "Good," said Anderson. He then held his hands behind his back. "We're taking a big risk on this, Jodie Holmes." "I'm aware of that," said Jodie. "Honestly, I'm..." She then turned to Hackett. "I'm surprised he's in on this." "It was Anderson's idea," Hackett replied. "If it had been suggested by anyone else, we would not be standing here now." "That's a lot of responsibility you're placing on someone with no defined origins," Jodie said. "It is all we can do," Hackett replied. "I'm still highly skeptical, but Anderson hopes you can prove me wrong. Don't disappoint me." Jodie's expression set, and she gave a slow tilt of her head. "I don't plan to," she said. "I'll do whatever I can to get to the bottom of this." "Good," said Anderson. "I'll leave the rest to you."
"So I definitely think Sura should be part of it. Maybe Xerxes might know something that can help..." Jodie sat at one of the tables, Ashley and Kalo gathered around it. "And they are...?" Ashley asked. "One of them is a C-SEC cop," said Kalo. "The other is an information broker who works on the Citadel." Ashley frowned. "And now you're bringing a C-SEC cop into this?" she asked. "It would probably be worth it," said Jodie. "She's motivated, she does investigation, she probably has experience considering that she's at least three hundred years old..." Jodie shrugged. "And besides, I trust her." "But she does not know about Aiden," said Kalo. "No, but she's an asari," Jodie replied. "She can meld with me, find the truth." "But would she trust you after that?" Ashley asked. "And even if we passed that hurdle, C-SEC won't let her go, not unless Anderson pulls an ungodly amount of strings to make it happen." "We'll have to come up with something," said Jodie. "We can probably do without her, but I want someone I know I can trust." She then sighed. "Though, I'm not looking forward to when she calls me the 'accidental racist' on repeat." Ashley frowned. "Accidental racist?" she asked. "I'm not sure that's even a thing." "It's an inside joke," Jodie replied, crossing her arms. "I didn't even know what a turian was when I first came here, so..." "Oh." Kalo tapped his hands against the table. "I suppose that is..." Kalo then turned to Ashley. "You know about the-" "CIA?" asked Ashley. "Yeah, I know about it." Kalo nodded. "Good, saves me some explanation, then," he said. He looked over at Jodie. "But we are still asking, no?" "I guess I can ask Anderson to pull those strings," Ashley replied. "But I doubt it'll work out." "We'll have to see," Jodie replied. "And then there's Xerxes." "He's not going to come with us," said Ashley. "No, but he might have useful information," Jodie replied. "Or maybe he knows someone who can. I trust his judgment on that." She sighed. "I just hope I can convince him that Aiden's real." "He trusts you enough," Kalo said. "I am sure of it." Jodie nodded. "We should get on that as soon as possible, then," she said. "We deploy in a week, so we've got to get started on talking to these people." "I guess you need to be there for both of these conversations," said Ashley. "And we need to watch our backs," said Jodie. "Aiden is good for that, though. If he notices anything, he can just point it out." "He's quite good at that," said Ashley. She then sighed, looking at everyone else. "Well, if nobody else has anything to add, we should get going on that. Right now." "Yeah," said Jodie. She pushed off the table, walking over to the ship's airlock. "Come on. We're starting with Xerxes. He should be in his office right now, I'm not going to waste any time." "You have never been to his office, though," Kalo pointed out. Jodie smiled as Ashley and Kalo followed her to the airlock. "There's a first time for everything," Jodie replied.
"And... that's everything?" "I'm afraid it is. I know it's a lot to dump on you, but-" "A lot is an understatement. Holy shit..." Xerxes sat back in his chair, palming his face in his hands. Xerxes' office was actually rather simple, and Jodie glanced out at the view of the Presidium from his office. She turned her attention back to the turian from where he sat behind his desk, the holographic display still presenting several miles of information. Jodie sighed, looking at Kalo and Ashley where they sat in the office's other chairs, before she sat and held her hands together in her lap. "I'm sorry," Jodie said. "I shouldn't have dumped that much on you." "You don't say," Xerxes replied bitterly, leaning back forward as he glared hard at Jodie. "I trusted you, and that is the story you give me." "I know it is difficult to believe," Kalo replied. "But you must believe-" "Frankly, I can believe whatever I damn well want," Xerxes replied, glaring at Kalo. "And after what I just got dropped, I need to figure out what the hell I have to believe here." He then turned to Jodie, shifting in his seat. "Is that Aiden thing even real?" "He is," Jodie said. "I wouldn't make a story like that up. You know me." "There's also the fact that you tried to deny my kindness..." Xerxes sighed, sitting back again. "You've put me in a weird position, Jodie. That's... Spirits, Jodie!" He rubbed his head. "This... When you said you had secrets, I didn't think it would be... this..." "I know it's tough to believe, but we have other things to take care of," said Ashley. "And time isn't on our side right now." Xerxes sighed. "And you're asking me to join up?" he asked. "No. That's going too far, Jodie. I go to great distances for my friends, but that, and after that bombshell you dropped? Absolutely not." Xerxes waved his hand. "You could've said this to me in any other context but this, Jodie, and I would've thought of it. But-" "I understand that," said Jodie. She shook her head. "But no, I know you've got things here. And honestly, you'd probably be better off here where no one can get you." Xerxes blinked. "So then what do you want?" asked the turian. "We need information," said Jodie. "Anything you can find would help us. And if you know someone who can help, I'll take that too." Xerxes glared at Kalo and Ashley, before shaking his head and standing up. "Jodie, all the people I know that would be able to help would take me back to that place in my past," he said as he paced around the office. "I worked very, very hard to get out of there, and I'm not going back." He shook his head, looking out to the Presidium. "I can't go back. Not after everything that happened." Jodie sighed, standing up. "Please," said Jodie. "I'm asking you this as a friend. You've been kind to me, Xerxes, and I know this is a lot to accept, but... I'm trying to help protect this galaxy here from something that could be a big threat. I don't know how big a threat it is, but..." She crossed her arms. "If there's anything you could do..." "And you're asking for that after what you just dropped on me," said Xerxes, turning to Jodie. "I trust your information," said Jodie. "And I trust you as a person, Xerxes. I'm sorry I had to drop this secret like this..." Xerxes let out a sigh, rubbing his face plates as he walked back to his desk. "I don't think I can," he replied. "This is... this is too much to bear..." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Jodie. I can't. My help would require dipping my feet back in there. And once I've dipped my feet back in, I'll get pulled back in. And after how you dropped it." Jodie sighed. "I see," she said. She then tapped her fingers on her knees. "Well... If you change your mind, you know how to get in touch with me." "That's what they all say," said Xerxes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do. And a lot to think about, now." Jodie nodded, standing up. "I understand," she said. She sighed, looking at Kalo and Ashley. "Come on. Let's go." Ashley and Kalo both stood up after Jodie, the two of them exiting the room. Jodie cast a glance back at Xerxes, seeing the turian put his elbows on his desk as he rubbed his face with his hands. She then sighed, before walking away after Ashley and Kalo. "Well, that could've gone better," Jodie said. "You're saying that could've gone worse?" Ashley replied. "It could've," said Jodie. "Usually if it turns out like that, it could've gone worse." "We cannot think on that right now," said Kalo. "If he does not wish to help, it is not our problem." "I suppose that's true..." Jodie sighed, grabbing her elbow. "But I just..." She then chuckled bitterly. "God, I don't know. I'm not so used to people having that kind of reaction." "Others accepted Aiden easily, no?" Kalo asked. "Yeah," said Jodie. "Even here..." She then sighed, turning to Ashley. "He was my first friend when I came here. And now that I've said that, and now that he's said that..." She sighed, before shrugging. "I guess I should've expected I'd lose a few friends." "He did not outright throw you out," Kalo replied. He placed a hand on Jodie's shoulder. "Do not lose hope, Jodie. I think he may still be your friend." "I doubt that," said Jodie as she sighed. "I really doubt that..." She turned to the others, sighing. "Well, I suppose we should find Sura." "Maybe," said Ashley. "Gotta move forward, you know?" "Guess that's true," said Jodie as they walked out of the office. "Come on. Let's go find Sura."
Jodie blinked as soon as the meld ended. She sat back, Ashley and Kalo looking at Sura across the table from them. Sura's coffee stood undisturbed at the table, Jodie glancing around the little room they were in to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them. The asari blinked for a few seconds, before shrugging and leaning forward. "Hm." She then smirked. "I always wondered what kind of rock you had to come from to not know what a turian was." She then scratched at her temple. "Though, I almost wished you'd actually made something up." Jodie frowned. "What would that do for anyone?" she asked. "It would've made things more fun that way," Sura replied, sitting back. Her smirk evolved into a genuine smile. "Not that I'm complaining. What I just saw in there..." She chuckled, leaning forward. "It's a good thing the meld always picks up memories, right? I'm not sure I would've believed you on any of that otherwise." "That's what Liara told me," said Jodie. "Oh, so this isn't the first time you've melded to talk about yourself like that?" asked Sura. "And here I thought I was special." "Sorry," said Jodie as she looked at the ground. "It's no big," said Sura. She then crossed her arms. "So let me guess. You want me to help you out." "He told us to find people we could trust," said Kalo. "And I do not know about the Gunnery Chief, but Jodie and I trust you." "Hm," said Sura. "Are you trying to flatter me?" "Uh... no..." Kalo replied, turning away. "It is just that we believe we can trust you." "I mean, you did help us out a bit," said Jodie. "And you did it even though I hadn't really given you a reason to." Sura nodded. "There was a quarian involved, of course you gave me a reason," she replied. "And there's still a quarian involved, and frankly, you've become very interesting." Sura crossed her arms, frowning. "Only problem is, I have my superiors to deal with. I'm going to be a dear and assume this mission is going to take a while." "Yes," said Ashley. "They're not going to make it easy to find answers." "I thought as much," said Sura. She then leaned forward. "I have things to deal with here, and I'm pretty sure C-SEC doesn't take it lightly when random officers of theirs go AWOL. Much as I like C-SEC's role around here, I'm not terribly fond of the idea of a court martial from Pallin." "But you would come if that weren't an issue, right?" Jodie asked. "Hey, someone has to keep him out of trouble," she said, indicating the quarian. "But aside from that... I think someone could keep you out of trouble, too. And hey, I'm flattered you asked me of all people. Me, just a C-SEC cop come along to save the galaxy?" "Technically, Garrus did that too," Ashley pointed out. "Ah, Officer Vakarian," said Sura. She shook her head. "I've avoided the coffee table lately because of him. Kind of makes it hard to enjoy your coffee when that turian won't shut up about his... Messiah, right?" Jodie snorted. "You... could say that," she admitted. "Yeah," Sura replied. She sighed. "I do want to help. But at the moment, I'm afraid I won't be able to. Not with my duties here at C-SEC." "The one who gave us our mission is the human Councillor," said Kalo. Sura jolted, looking over at Jodie. "You've got the human Councillor on your side?" "He was the first official we went to about this," Jodie replied. "He may not have as much influence as he would like, but if he was able to pull some strings..." "...It might convince Pallin to let me go," Sura shrugged. "If I know Pallin, it'll be like pulling the head crest off a krogan. But just like you can wedge a knife on one particular part of that crest and pull it off, there's a way to convince him to make this happen." She leaned forward. "You should probably get him to talk to Pallin. Pallin is all about the proper order of things. If he gets an order from a Councillor, that could do it." Ashley nodded. "I'll talk to Anderson about this," she said. "Good," said Sura. She then shrugged. "Oh, and one other thing. Just remember, I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you, Jodie." Jodie frowned. "Why's that?" she asked. "Because I can take you seriously," she replied, sitting back. "Anyone who helps a quarian out when they need help is good in my book. I can believe you want to help." She then leaned forward. "Just don't do anything fishy against the Council." Jodie nodded, her frown easing. "I can assure you, you won't have to worry about that," she said. "I'll do whatever I can." "Good," said Sura. She then turned to Kalo and Ashley. "And these two are also taking part in that mission?" "Yes," said Ashley. "It'll be good to have you on board, Officer T'Lenya." "Likewise," said Sura. "Just hope you're ready to have a former Commando on your team." Jodie, Kalo, and Ashley all jumped back upon hearing this. "You were a commando once?" asked Kalo. "You better believe it," Sura replied. "You asked just the right asari for the job." She then stood up, walking over there. "I'd love to chat some more, but unfortunately, that paperwork can get a bit pesky. I'll be waiting for you to talk to the human Councillor about me. Follow me, please." And with this, the asari stepped out of the room they were in. Jodie, Ashley, and Kalo all followed the asari out, and in short order they were ushered outof Sura's C-SEC office. As they exited, Kalo stepped forward. "Well, that went reasonably well," he said. "Yeah," said Ashley. She then shrugged. "Well, people can be full of surprises." "That they can," Jodie said. She sighed. "Come on, let's get back to the ship. We need to come up with a game plan on how we're going to move."
"So we know where the Normandy's crash site is," Jodie said. "We do," said Ashley. "The Normandy's beacon went off some time after the funeral. If we remember Alchera's coordinates, we should be able to get there just fine." Jodie, Kalo, and Ashley all sat around a holographic projection of Alchera. It hovered in front of the three of them, one area of it being highlighted. "Hm..." Kalo looked over at Jodie. "You will need environmental protection, no?" "I'm sure the Alliance will handle that," said Jodie. She then sighed. "I'm more worried about what we'll find once we touch down. It's probably too much to hope there's intact data down there..." "Maybe," said Ashley. "But you know we have to look anyway." "Yeah, we do," said Jodie. She then crossed her arms. "So suppose we figure out a clue that can point us at what's going on. What do we do then?" "I suppose we improvise," Kalo suggested. "After all, we will not know the nature of whatever information we can find until much later, no?" "That's true," said Jodie. "But we'll need to find somewhere to look at it, and I doubt we'll find a place close by. I also imagine we'll need to watch fuel." "We could always stop by Omega," said Kalo. Ashley scoffed. "Sure, if we want someone to steal everything we got," she replied sardonically. "You know just how shitty that hellhole is, right?" "Where else are we going to go without going through a mass relay?" Jodie asked. She shrugged. "Besides, we don't have to leave the ship, do we?" "No, but something will probably force us off first," said Ashley. She then leaned forward, zooming out of Alchera and moving to another planet. "If I remember my star maps right, there should be a habitable planet..." She then zoomed in. "Ah. Lorek. There it is." She shook her head. "It's probably not much better. The intel the Alliance has on it suggests that Eclipse mercs have set up shop there. But at least there we can find an uninhabited part of the planet, set down while we try to figure out what our data means." "And then we go from there?" Jodie asked. "And then we go from there," Ashley confirmed. "It's a hell of a lot better than stopping on Omega." "I guess I'll have to take your word for it," Jodie replied. She sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "And then we improvise." "Yes," said Ashley. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find the keys to Shepard's... kingdom..." Jodie groaned. "That was terrible," she said, Aiden gurgling his agreement. "It was not so bad," said Kalo. "It made sense, at least." "That doesn't make it any better," Jodie replied, shaking her head as she stood up. She sighed. "Anyway... I guess that was simple to put together." She then shook her head. "It's silly we had to sit and figure that out." "No plan survives first contact with implementation, you know," Ashley replied. "And with this, we're only going in with half of a plan." "I'm well aware of that..." She sighed. "I just feel there's more preparation we could've had." "I doubt that," Kalo replied. "It will be... interesting, I suppose." "Maybe," Jodie said. She then rubbed the back of her head, taking in a deep breath. "Well, we have a week. I guess we go about our business until then, right?" "Yeah," said Ashley. "I'll check in as we go with updates on everything." Jodie nodded, rubbing her hands together. "All right," she said. "We'll wait until then. If anything happens, let us know." "You got it," said Ashley as she stood up. "I'll keep in contact." And with this, Ashley walked over to the airlock. Kalo followed her out, Jodie standing still. She watched them go, sighing as she thought about everything that would lead up to the following week. She then turned to the tables, sitting on one and opening her omni-tool. Aiden gurgled, the gurgle quieter than usual. However, it was also quite a bit more hopeful than she had heard his gurgle sound in a long time. She nodded, sighing as she pulled her legs onto the table. "Yeah," she said. "You're right. We'll get to the bottom of this somehow." And with this, she turned her attention back to her omni-tool.
Jodie strummed her guitar again, looking up at the various people passing by. She sat out again, on the last pass she would be able to strum her guitar before she was deployed by Anderson. The people were all the same, her songbook was still mostly Beck... And yet, Jodie felt a very different energy in the air. It was almost bittersweet, and it colored the way she strummed the various chords, changed the way her vocals sounded off on it. She was sure the people noticed it as well: some of them that she knew could be relied on to stay away strayed closer, and faces she had known to give were sometimes a little more reluctant to do so. Nevertheless, she kept playing. After all, it would be the last time she would get to play out in the streets for a long time, if ever. She almost did not notice when the sound of someone's clothes rustling next to where she sat was. It was only when she looked over between sets that she saw that Kolyat had once again taken a seat next to her. Jodie sighed, sitting back against the wall. "You need to stop sneaking up on people like that," she said. "You know I can't help it," Kolyat replied. "That's a good excuse if you want to avoid fixing it," Jodie replied, her eyes narrowing. "Whatever," the drell replied. He sighed, looking over at Jodie. "Sorry. It was a rough trip this time. Uncle got into a fight with Aunt this time." "Oh." Jodie paused, looking at the drell. "Is it always that bad?" "No," said Kolyat. He scoffed. "I just wish my father hadn't dumped me with them." Jodie blinked, turning to look at the drell. "Huh?" "My father dumped me to live with them," Kolyat replied. He shifted his posture, his frown narrowing. "I haven't seen him since my mother died." "Your... Oh..." Jodie sighed. "I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have said anything." "I don't tell most people," the drell replied. "She died when I was young. My dad left me with my uncle and aunt. And then, he just disappeared from my life. Just like that." The young drell scowled, his eyes narrowed. "He probably forgot I exist. If he didn't want me, he could've just said so." Jodie cringed, looking away from Kolyat as she took a shaky breath in. "You think he did that?" Jodie paused. "Why not?" asked Kolyat bitterly. "He was a damn coward. He didn't want me. He was always away from home for long periods of time, even while mother was alive. And she'd sit there and wait for him to come home. He never came home, and when he did he was only ever there for a day at most. The one time he stayed longer than a day was when my mother died, and he just looked at her body as she was let into the oceans of Kahje, without feeling anything. He just stared out into the ocean like nothing!" Kolyat shook his head, and Jodie could see the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. "He should've just said it," he continued. "That would've made it easier." Jodie sighed. "It..." Jodie sighed, rubbing her temple. "It doesn't make it any easier," Jodie replied. "It really doesn't." Kolyat turned, glaring at her. "And why the hell would you say that?" he asked. "I had an adoptive family that didn't want me," said Jodie as she took her strumming hand away from the guitar. "That adoptive father didn't want me, and I knew he didn't." She sighed. "The last time I ever saw him, he called me a monster as he left. There were... things that surrounded that, but he made it clear he didn't want me. And he told me right to my face, and..." Jodie closed her eyes. "Sometimes I wish he had just kept his mouth shut." The drell blinked, surprise barely registering on his face. However, his pupils had widened somewhat, something Jodie could see even in the lighting of the 800 blocks. "Oh," said Kolyat. He then paused, looking away. "So you too, huh?" Jodie chuckled bitterly. "Troubled childhood doesn't even begin to describe it," she said. "I'll tell you the whole story some day." She then looked at Kolyat. "Well, if we ever run into each other again." Kolyat frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm going to be gone for a bit," Jodie replied. "I'm being deployed somewhere on a mission." Kolyat frowned. "A mission?" he asked. "A mission to do what?" "The details are classified," Jodie replied. She sighed. "I'm sorry." She then turned to the drell. "But if you want, I can give you my extranet address." "Don't bother," said Kolyat. Jodie frowned, looking over at the drell. "Kolyat?" she asked. "It's all the same with my friends," he replied. "For whatever reason, they don't want to talk to me." He then glared at her. "I guess you're just another number on that list, huh?" Jodie's frown deepened, before she set her guitar in the case. "Kolyat, that's not-" "It's not?" asked Kolyat. "Then explain why everyone does it. They all stop wanting to talk to me for whatever reason. It's like nobody wants me around." "Kolyat, listen to me," said Jodie as she leaned over. "It's not that I don't want you, it's that I have to do some things!" "And that means you're leaving me behind, right?" asked Kolyat. "It's what they all do." "That's why I want to give you my extranet address," Jodie replied, leaning closer to Kolyat. She sighed. "Look, I know what you're feeling. I know you need to vent at something. So if you ever want to vent at anything, you can vent at me. I promise you, I'll reply." Kolyat blinked. "I..." He then growled, opening his omni-tool. "Fine. But if you never reply, then I'm throwing you with all the rest of them." Jodie shook her head, opening her own omni-tool. "You won't have to worry about that," said Jodie. "I want to help." "Sure," Kolyat replied. "What's your address?" Jodie nodded, showing Kolyat her omni-tool. "There you go," she said. She looked over at Kolyat. "Don't hesitate." "Whatever," Kolyat replied, typing it out on his omni-tool. Jodie shrugged, watching the drell copy her extranet address. She then sat back as he finished. She then shrugged, pulling her guitar back out. She returned to playing that guitar shortly afterwards, Kolyat watching her as she did her thing. And as she strummed on, her thoughts turned to the mission. Kalo and Ashley would both be there for certain, and she had a good feeling Sura would be there. As she remembered them, her confidence grew. Big things are going to happen, Aiden, she thought. But I'll be ready for them. Won't you? Aiden gurgled rather loudly. Jodie cracked a smile, her strumming becoming a little more lively as she continued her playing.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Feb 18, 2015 17:48:38 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Two Jodie and Kalo walked down the docking bay, Jodie pulling at her sleeve. Kalo carried Jodie's guitar case with him, both quarian and human looking ahead of them as they walked on. There were no words exchanged between them: there were no words needed, after all. Jodie was intensely concentrated, walking forward with a renewed sense of purpose. Aiden chirped as they neared the location Anderson's message had told them to go to. Sure enough, there was Ashley Williams and Councillor Anderson both standing by a docking arm, a somewhat smaller vessel connected to the docking arm. The vessel seemed of rather decent size, though Jodie noticed chief among other things that the front of the ship was tapered into an arrow head shape: behind the ship, she could see four things that looked akin to very long tentacles. It looked rather sleek and aerodynamic, though it looked a tad too glitzy on the outside. Jodie's attention turned back to Ashley and Anderson. And as soon as it did, Jodie blinked noticing the asari in black armor that stood by Ashley. Jodie frowned, but after a second, she recognized the asari wearing the armor. She turned to Kalo, the quarian also looking at Jodie as the lights behind his mask had widened. They then walked forward, Jodie and Kalo both pulling Sura T'Lenya into a hug. "You made it!" Jodie said. "Hey, hey," said Sura, gently breaking up the hug. "Let's not get all affectionate here. I don't need you guys getting my commando armor all dirty so soon after polishing it." "I am glad you are able to come," said Kalo. "Eh, what can I say?" said Sura, looking over at Anderson. "Turns out the Council's got a lot more pull than I thought they would." She paused. "Well, the one Councillor, anyway." She then turned to Anderson. "They explained the mission parameters to me well enough, sir." "I'm glad they did," said Anderson. "Saves me the trouble of explaining it, especially out in the open." "Indeed," said Jodie. She then looked around. "Is this everyone?" "It should be," said Ashley. "Unless something changed with Xerxes." Sura shrugged. "Ah, him," she said. "I talked to Xerxes about that. I don't know if he's changed his mind. If he did, he's already a little-" "-late? Huh. Good thing I didn't miss the party." All five of the people on the ground jumped, looking around for the source of the sound. Aiden trilled in alarm, Jodie jumping around as she frantically looked around the area. And then, right as Jodie turned to look by the docking arm, she saw a figure materialize in front of her. Jodie gasped, the others' attention being drawn to this stranger almost immediately. She was obviously human, Jodie could tell. But underneath the hood, Jodie could not tell much else, except for potentially the mischievous glint in this stranger's eyes. The body-suit she wore hugged her curves a little tightly, but it seemed more to allow her to move quickly. It also gave her great balance, if her ability to sit on the railing right next to the docking arm was any indication. Sura immediately grabbed her pistol, aiming it at the stranger. "Get on your knees with your hands in the air, now!" she barked out. "And here I thought I'd get greeted with a congratulatory slap on the back," the stranger intoned almost playfully. "You just appear from nowhere and expect us to celebrate it?" Kalo asked, tilting his head in confusion. "What manner of human are you?" "Oh, just a friend," said the stranger as she opened her omni-tool. "You may know me better as one Kasumi Goto." Jodie frowned. "Kasumi Goto?" she asked. She then crossed her arms. "I can't say I've ever heard the name." "Kasumi Go..." Sura then stepped forward. "You're that thief!" Ashley crossed her arms. "She's not a standard thief, is she?" she asked. "Nah," Kasumi replied, stepping off the railing. "I'm more in the big leagues. It's a little more fun that way." "The only way this'll be fun for you is if you turn yourself in," said Sura. "Let the courts decide how much fun it is. What are you even doing here?" "Oh, right, I almost forgot," said Kasumi, opening her omni-tool. "I'm here 'cause I'm doing a favor for an old friend." Kasumi turned to Sura, winking at him. "You might know him, actually." Jodie and Sura glanced at each other in shock. And then, Jodie turned to Kasumi. "You know Xerxes!" said Jodie. "Yep," said Kasumi. "He and I go way back. I used to get information for heists from him, once upon a time. I thought I'd never hear from him again after he said he was going the straight path." She then turned to Jodie and Sura, smiling. "You two should be thankful for Xerxes. He's very good to his friends." Jodie sighed in relief. "Oh, good, he doesn't hate me," she said. "I guess I'm glad to see I got through to him, but that doesn't answer my question on what the hell a thief is doing here," said Sura. "Well, he told me to help you guys out," said Kasumi. She then shrugged, pulling open another file on her omni-tool. "And I'm nothing if not a brilliant hacker. Just now, I managed to hack into your personnel files, Officer." Sura blinked, her frown deepening. "You did what?" she asked angrily. "I have to say, you have an interesting case history," said Kasumi as she looked at the files. "Some of these cases you're involved with... Oh, you were one of the investigators in that killing? Interesting. I always thought that was the work of Garrus Vakarian, there." Sura leaned forward, her teeth bared as she grabbed Kasumi's arm roughly. Kasumi blinked in surprise, pulling away from the asari before she was pulled forward. "Listen up, Goto," said the asari. "I haven't got the patience to deal with this. Whatever joke you think you're pulling, it's not even in the same star system as comedy. So cut the bullshit out, tell us what it is you can do, and maybe I won't consider arresting you on the spot." She glared right at the thief. Jodie, Kalo, and Ashley all looked at the two of them, Anderson simply watching. Aiden clicked once, a hollow click that perfectly matched Jodie's surprised expression. She turned to Kalo, before glancing back at the two of them. Kasumi remained silent for a few seconds, looking at Sura with wide eyes while Sura glared directly at the thief. And then, Kasumi wrenched her arm from the asari's grasp, closing her omni-tool. "Fine, fine," said Kasumi. "Lighten up." "I'm usually pretty light," said Sura as she pulled away. "But I don't like people snooping through my stuff." Kasumi sighed. "Sorry," she said. She then turned to the others. "Anyway, I'm a hacker, and I have stealth expertise. So if you need someone to get to a place you can't get to, I'm your girl." "Jodie's pretty good at stealth too," said Ashley. Jodie chuckled. "I don't have whatever it is that lets her turn invisible, though," she replied. "That could be useful too." "And hey, if we're trying to get information out, a hacker could be really helpful," said Ashley. "Well, I for one am not up for working with someone who'd probably steal my gun while I slept," said Sura. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Kasumi replied as she shook her head. "After all, there's no fun in stealing another person's gun as they sleep." She then slowly pulled a pistol out from her utility belt. "Besides, I brought my own." Sura growled, before finally holstering her own gun. "Well, I guess I've got no choice," she said. "Remind me to have a talk with Xerxes when we return." "If you return," said Anderson. "This is still a very dangerous mission." "Relax," Kasumi replied. "I don't think we need that kind of fatalism." Sura sighed. "I'll say," she said. She then turned to Jodie. "So what's the plan?" "Go to Alchera, find out what we can there, and follow wherever it takes us," Jodie replied. "From there, we'll have to improvise." "It is all we can do," Kalo added. "Well, we're not going to get that done over here," Kasumi replied. "We should get going soon!" Ashley nodded. "She's got a point," she said. Jodie nodded. She then looked at Councillor Anderson, bowing her head. "Thank you," she said. "I promise you that I won't return to the Citadel until I have something to show for my efforts." She then looked back up. "Please look after Kalo's ship for us." "I will," said Anderson. "I hope you can find something." "We will find something," said Jodie. "I'll make sure of it." Anderson nodded. "There is one more thing you must note," he said. "We're assigning a pilot to this mission to pilot this craft." Kalo nodded. "I assume he has been briefed?" he asked. "He has," said Anderson. "Well, what we could brief him on. We told him there were things he'd have to learn when he met the team. One of them being your little friend." Jodie nodded. "Thanks," she said. "Where is he now?" asked Kalo. "Making final preparations in there," Ashley replied. "Just has a few diagnostics to run. He told us to meet him in there." Jodie nodded. "Thank you," she said, bowing her head. "I'll go ahead and do that while we leave the Citadel." Anderson nodded. "Good luck," he said. "Here's hoping you can find something." And with this, the Councillor walked away. The group of five gathered around the gangway, all of them looking at the rather modest vessel they were close to. It was nothing really at all that big: truly, it was smaller than a frigate. But from what they could see of the ship, it would serve the functions it needed to just fine, not to mention it could pass for a non-Alliance vessel easily enough. "Well, let's not keep him waiting," said Ashley. "Come on. He's just in here." And with this, Ashley walked towards the gangway, everyone else following her in. They then stepped into the airlock, the decontamination cycle passing by seemingly very quickly. Aiden chirped in confirmation, and then Jodie nodded as she looked over at the door into the ship. After a short while, that door opened, and they opened out to the pilot's seat. And sitting there in the pilot's seat was a human, obviously. His short black hair had been shaved almost to his head, the buzz cut sort of standing out from everything else. The pilot turned, regarding the group with his eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. He tapped his foot against the floor, looking at everyone. "So," the pilot began. "Who's going to make my formal introduction to Blasto and crew, and do I get to be the slutty one?" Sura groaned, facepalming as Jodie and Kalo both gave each other confused glances. "Um..." Jodie said. "Blasto?" "You know, the movies?" asked the pilot. "They're kind of a big deal." Kasumi then mock-whacked the bulkhead. "Aw, I called that position!" she said mockingly. "Hey!" The pilot stood up, pointing right at Kasumi. "Don't dent the lining!" "Why would you even want to call that position?" Sura asked, rubbing her temples. The pilot turned, crossing his arms as he gave her a non-plussed expression. "Have I ever told you the story about how I slept with the CAG's daughter?" he asked. Ashley sighed. "Oh dear..." she said. "This is going to be an interesting mission." "No kidding." The pilot then turned with a broad smile, gripping the bulkhead above him as he held his hand out to Jodie. "Chris Valentine, at your service." Jodie blinked, before gingerly taking the pilot's hand. "Uh... Jodie Holmes," she said, shaking it. She then gestured behind her. "So... uh... you're the pilot, I take it." "Yup," said Valentine as he nodded. "Sorry I couldn't meet you outside. I was doing some diagnostics. There's one last one I'm doing right now, but it should be done in a few minutes." "Good," said Jodie. "We should probably be off soon." "Indeed." Kalo looked up, his eyes scanning the cockpit. "This is a very interesting ship we have here. It seems rather... unsophisticated, given its outward appearance," he noted. "Well, that's part of the point," Valentine replied. "I guess we got a Corsair ship, huh?" Ashley asked. "You got that right," said Valentine. "Corsairs?" Sura asked. "I'm not familiar with them." "Then they're doing their job," said Valentine. "They're the guys the Alliance hires to do operations that we can use plausible deniability on." Jodie grit her teeth upon hearing this. She breathed in sharply, Aiden trilling in alarm. "So you can get away with anything if you use them..." she said. "Well, we just do it to get sensitive intel," said Valentine. "But they're on their own if they get caught." Jodie frowned, but this frown faded quickly. However, Aiden's dark click allowed Jodie to know that someone agreed with her. "I see..." she said. She rubbed the back of her head. "So we're in a ship meant to deceive whoever might be looking." "Yep." Valentine walked past the group, gesturing to them. "Follow me and I'll give you the guided tour." He then paused at the door, hitting the control panel open. "Forgive the amenities, though. They're not exactly the best things in the galaxy." "I have had to make do with much worse," Kalo confessed as the group walked deeper into the ship. They then walked into the body of the ship, all of them walking into a rather short corridor with four doors. There was a door on the far end, but Jodie assumed this was the engine room. She then looked around to the other doors, her attention turning back to Valentine as Aiden chirped in glee. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Lying Bastard," said Valentine as he turned around to face the group. Ashley frowned. "The Lying Bastard?" she asked. "I thought this ship had a different name..." "Well..." Valentine glanced up. "I would tell you what it was, but I don't remember. So until I do remember it, it's the Lying Bastard." He shrugged. "Anyway, we are currently sitting inside the hull of a hanar pleasure yacht." "I knew it!" Sura said, throwing her arms in the air. "Of course they would choose a hanar pleasure yacht to hide us in!" Kasumi shrugged. "Well, if nothing else, it'll get us into the Terminus systems all right," she said. "Everyone will think we're just hanar tourists, looking around the galaxy for something interesting." "That, and it can get us underwater, too," Valentine replied, leaning against one of the walls of the corridor. "What better place to hide than under the ocean, you know?" Sura pursed her lips, before nodding. "Yeah, that would be pretty useful," she conceded. "So I guess this ship is outfitted with standard amenities?" "Pretty much," Valentine replied. He then opened the door on his right, gesturing to a series of computer monitors. "We've got a little data center in here, if we need to look over anything. We've got monitors fitted with the latest in espionage tech, a small little science area to look at examples..." He shrugged. "You need it, we got it." "And armory?" Ashley asked. Valentine gestured to the weapons lockers on the other end of the room. "Also in there," he said. He then gestured to a large table in the center of the room. "If you need to modify any weapons, you'll be doing it on that table." "Well, it's good it's equipped for combat," Ashley replied. "We might be getting some of that." "Never be unprepared, as the Corsairs would say." Valentine then walked past the group, walking straight to the other end of the hall. He then opened the door. "And here... well, I thought it'd be nice to fit a little rec area if we needed it," he said. "Oh, so you weren't thinking of one thing only for stress relief," said Sura. "Hey, I got no problem with Rishathra," Valentine replied. "But that's not the point." He then turned inside. "Anyway, if you need to just let loose, we've got all sorts of amenities. Movies, games..." He then glared at everyone. "It's only the stuff saved to the hard discs, though. I don't have the equipment necessary to download stuff on the extranet." "Too expensive, or would it shine too much of a beacon on us?" Jodie asked. "Too expensive," said Valentine as he gestured in. Jodie looked in, seeing a few couches gathered around a holographic display. "Besides, the silence is kind of nice." He shrugged, before walking to the other two doors on the end. "And this... well, we don't have much in living arrangements, but we've got it covered. Sleeping quarters are on the right, bathrooms on the left." He shrugged. "And before you ask, yes: they are unisex." "So I might have to share a shower with you, then," said Sura. "Wonderful. I'm positively shivering in anticipation." "Hey, I'll adjust my shower schedule if it bothers you that much," said Valentine. "I'm the slutty one, but no means no and all that." Sura nodded. "Thanks," she said. "It's good to know you still have at least a sense of privacy." "I do my best," Valentine replied. He then nodded. "Anyway, that's most of the ship. Just one more thing." He then pointed to the door right at the end of the corridor. "That leads into the engine room. It also has a door to a small hangar bay." "A small hangar bay?" Jodie asked. "What does it have?" "It has a Kodiak," said Valentine. He then turned to the quarian. "You can handle navigating one of those, right?" "No, but I can learn rather quickly if you give me some time with the controls," Kalo replied. "I assume the Kodiak is used for ground drops?" "Well, if we can't take this with us, anyway," Valentine replied. He then shrugged, looking around at the group. "Well, that's the tour. The diagnostic should be finished by now." "Good," said Jodie. She then grabbed Valentine's wrist. "But before we get going, Anderson said he hadn't briefed you on the whole thing." "I was just briefed that you were looking for intel, yes," Valentine replied. "But he did say you would have to brief me on some things when you came on." Jodie nodded, before looking at Kasumi. "And you haven't been told either," she said. "About what?" Kasumi asked. Kalo nodded, looking at Sura and Ashley. "We will need some time," he said. "You can get acclimated to your surroundings, I hope?" "Yeah," said Ashley. She nodded. "I have to get out of this armor, anyway. It's a little stuffy." "Easier to walk around outside of it, right?" said Jodie. She nodded to Valentine and Kasumi. "Come on. I have a lot to talk to you two about."
"So let me get this straight. You think Shepard is an alien from some other galaxy, you convinced Anderson of that, and your evidence is some little ghost that you have?" "Yes." "And you expect me to believe that." "Yes." Valentine sat back, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. "Next you'll tell me I'm just a random college student from Earth who got pulled into this place because of some version of Prothean pseudo-science!" he replied. Jodie sighed. "I'm telling the truth," she replied. "It's very difficult to believe," said Kasumi. "Ghosts don't exist." "Yeah, you're going to have to present a lot of evidence about this Aiden's existence," Valentine replied as he leaned forward. "I don't believe in ghost stories, you know." "Not a lot of people do..." said Jodie. She then sighed, looking at Kasumi. Aiden chirped. "Um... Kasumi, do you mind if I end up divulging something... personal about you?" Kasumi chuckled. "I cover my tracks very well," she replied. "You can't find anything." Jodie shook her head. "I'm not so sure of that..." she replied. She then held her hands out to Kasumi. "Take my hands." Kasumi blinked, her gaze trained on Jodie's hands. "Um... if you say so," she said. She then placed her hands in Jodie's, chuckling as she looked over at Valentine. "Hey, if nothing else, it'll be interesting to see what she comes up with." "Yeah," said Valentine. "It'll be amusing to see her flounder with that." "I would not be confident of that," Kalo replied. "You underestimate Jodie in that way." Valentine frowned. "Aren't most of you quarians spacers?" he asked. Kalo shrugged. "I know good evidence when I see it," he replied. He then turned to Jodie, whose gaze remained intent on Kasumi's hands. "And in this case, I believe you are meeting the-" And then, Jodie threw her head back, her eyes going all-white. She leaned back, looking directly at Kasumi. "Uh, Jodie?" asked Valentine. "That's a great practical effect and all, but-" "Kasumi..." Kasumi reared back, her eyes visible under her hood for the first time. They were wide in shock, and it was only this shock that kept her rooted in place. Valentine also turned to Jodie in shock, noticing the suddenly deep, manly voice that came out of Jodie's mouth. "This... This is a joke!" said Kasumi quickly. "That... there's no way you could-" "Kasumi, please..." the voice replied through Jodie. "I... I never thought I'd get to talk to you again. Our last job didn't end so well... did it...?" Kasumi looked at Jodie, her eyes starting to water. "It..." And then, the group saw a tear slip down Kasumi's cheek. "Keiji..." Jodie leaned forward, her expression taking on a kind nature as she moved. "I'm here now..." the voice soothingly replied, though Jodie's hands did not move. "I'm sorry it happened so suddenly. I didn't... I didn't have a choice." Keiji paused. "You're... you're still looking for my greybox." Kasumi sniffled. "In between jobs, I look for whatever information I can find..." she replied. "I just... I want our memories, Keiji..." Jodie nodded grimly. "You... you will have to destroy the greybox, Kasumi," said Keiji's voice. "I discovered something big, it could get the Alliance implicated. The data is intwined in my memories of us. If anyone went looking, they would have to go through that. It's not going to hold out forever, though... you have to destroy that greybox, it's the only way." "This isn't you!" Kasumi shouted. Valentine and Kalo both shrank back as Kasumi tried to pull away from Jodie. However, Jodie held Kasumi in a death grip, and as Kasumi stood up, so did Jodie. "This is a sick practical joke! Let go of me, Jodie! You've had your damn fun, now stop this, please!" "Kasumi..." Jodie only replied back soothingly. Jodie stood there, her expression shifting. "Do you remember the first time we met? When you tried to steal the painting out from under me?" Kasumi paused, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. "Decay, Cycle One," Kasumi replied. "Asari-painted," Jodie continued. "You had been hired to take it, as had I." "You had already gotten there when I had shown up," Kasumi said. "I tackled you..." "Face first into the ground..." Jodie paused, her gaze sentimental. "I'm still glad we never turned it in to our employers. Where is it now?" "It's... in a safe place," Kasumi said with a sniffle. "Right next to a single red rose." And here, Jodie chuckled, the chuckle several tones deeper than it should have been. "Still with the sentimental silliness?" she asked. Kasumi chuckled. "I guess you just can't let go of some things." She shook her head, turning back to look at Jodie. "Keiji, I miss you so much..." "I miss you too, Kasumi," said Keiji. "It can be rather lonely without you here. But you still have so much to do here, I know it." "I know," said Kasumi. She then sniffled, looking directly at Jodie's eyes for a second before she turned her gaze away. "The greybox is the only thing left..." "No," Jodie replied. "You still have your own memories. Keep those close to your heart, and never forget what they mean. You don't need a piece of technology to relive them." Kasumi nodded, tears freely slipping out of her eyes. "Okay..." She nodded, sniffling softly. "Okay." "I love you, Kasumi," Keiji replied. "Keep your memories close." The thief closed her eyes. "I love you too, Keiji..." she said. "I always will..." And as Kasumi looked down at the floor, Jodie's eyes returned to normal. Jodie blinked, before peeling away from the thief. Kasumi promptly fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. Kalo immediately walked over to Kasumi, pulling her into his arms as Jodie looked on. Jodie glanced away, her brows furrowed as she placed a hand on her own heart. She closed her eyes, leaning against the bulkhead as Aiden trilled an apology to her. Aiden, please... Jodie thought bitterly. I know that probably helped, but- "That was kind of a bitch move." Jodie opened her eyes to see Valentine standing in front of her. "Opening up old wounds in front of us like that." Jodie sighed. "I can't control what Aiden will do when he does that," she replied. "And I can't control my body when the dead speak through it." She shook her head. "Aiden is his own mind..." She then glanced down, guiltily. "I should've asked you to leave the room first. I would've figured something out then..." Valentine shrugged. "Yeah, that's pretty personal," he said. He then looked at Kasumi. "And if you're lying about the ghost, then that makes it even worse. Though..." He then paused. "I guess you don't have a voice modifier on your omni-tool." "Afraid not," said Jodie as she opened her omni-tool. "Here, see for yourself." Valentine leaned forward, scrolling through the list of apps on Jodie's omni-tool. He frowned, opening a different window and looking through there, but Jodie sat there and allowed him to do that. He spent about half a minute looking through everything, thoroughly inspecting it. "Huh," Valentine said. "No voice modification on your omni-tool..." He crossed his arms. "Still difficult to believe you've got a ghost on hand." "It would be tough for a lot of people to swallow, I know," Jodie agreed, hugging herself as she took a breath in. "You don't have to believe me now. If this pans out, we'll have all the proof you'll need." "I suppose I can work with it for now," said Valentine. "I just hope this means I can trust you to keep personal information quiet." Jodie nodded. "I should be able to do that in the future," she replied. "It was just the one time." "Perhaps," said Valentine. He then walked to the door. "Perhaps." He then paused, looking at Jodie. "I'm gonna go ahead and get this ship started. I'll give you the ETA to Alchera once we've cleared the mass relay." "Sure thing," said Jodie. With this, Valentine opened the door, the pilot walking out of the room. Jodie sighed, taking another look at Kalo. The quarian nodded to Jodie, before he turned his attention back to comforting Kasumi. Jodie smiled sadly, before she herself walked out of the rec room, giving Kalo and Kasumi a little space.
True to Valentine's word, the ship took off from the docking bay in silence. Jodie felt a little bit tense as they took off, but Jodie got a good look out the window in the sleeping quarters. Contrary to what she expected, these sleeping quarters were actually rather cozy. They had to use bunk-beds, sure, and it was more than likely that someone would have to take the couch for sleep if anyone else showed up, but the room was surprisingly roomy. There was also a coffee table out in the center of the room, and it was not in anywhere that anyone in the bunks could have been distrubed by. It was also nice and quiet, and Jodie saw that the window could be covered. Not that she thought it should be covered at that point. She looked outside, seeing the Citadel in all its grand beauty for the first time in a long while. She had admittedly never seen the outside of the Citadel from that long a distance; seeing it then, she wished she had gotten to know it more. It looked massive from where Jodie stood, and she had to admit that there was a beauty to it. Aiden chirped, to which Jodie replied by looking up. "I know, Aiden," she said out loud. "It does make us feel a little small, doesn't it?" Aiden clicked rapidly, before letting out a long coo. Jodie chuckled. "Yeah," she replied. "I know what you mean." She then looked out, pausing. "Do you think Shepard's home galaxy will have something like this? Aiden gurgled menacingly, the sound rough and almost angry. "Yeah," Jodie replied. Her expression darkened. "Just remember: not everyone there will be like Shepard. You know to expect that." The entity grumbled lowly. Jodie nodded, looking ahead at the Citadel. "I know," she said. "But right now, we don't have any choice. The Alliance has resources we need. You know I can't just mount a mission against an entire galaxy. That would be suicidal, even if I had you." Aiden chirped his disagreement at this, Jodie looking away from the window. Jodie frowned, crossing her arms. "A police force is different," she replied. "There are only a few guys there, and I knew what they could do. But we're going into a galaxy where we have no idea what they're capable of. Here, we need friends, Aiden. I know you don't think we can do with them, but we need them." Aiden then grumbled, Jodie looking off to the side. "Yeah..." she said. "I know we didn't get on the best footing with them..." She sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to get their trust somehow..." Jodie sighed, before sitting on the edge of the bed. She then looked up as the intercom came to life. "Okay, crew, we're on top of the mass relay," Valentine's voice said. "We'll be making our long-awaited jump in three... two... one..." And with this, Jodie looked out the window as the Citadel peeled away from her view. The exterior then took on a blue hue, Jodie simply watching from where she sat on the lower bunk. She glanced up at Aiden, or where she assumed he was anyway. Of course, her gaze was corrected by Aiden, who clicked somewhere outside the ship. Jodie chuckled, turning to look at the hull. "Hey, now, don't get too cocky riding the relay jump," she said, a smile coming to her face. "You might make me jealous!" In response, Aiden chirped teasingly. Of course, the mass relay jump was all too brief, and before long Jodie saw a black expanse filled with stars. She then stood up again, walking to the window and looking outside. It was just as her eyes settled on a large space station by the side of the window that looked like someone had tried to sculpt a comet into an asteroid that the intercom buzzed to life again. "And on your right, you'll find sunny Omega!" Valentine said. "I hear it makes a great vacation spot, so long as you don't mind the batarians trying to shove their assault rifles in your eyes. But alas, we can't really kick ass here, so we'll be heading out to Alchera ASAP. Our ETA here is about... hm... four hours or so. So sit tight, and I'll get us there pronto!" Jodie nodded. "Good," she said out loud. "I guess we'll find stuff to do until then." "Hey, it's our ship now," said Valentine. "Long as we don't break it, we're good." Jodie nodded, walking towards the door. "I'll be checking my armaments if anyone needs me," Jodie replied. "I need to see what the Alliance gave me." "Sure thing," said the pilot. "Chris Valentine, signing off." And with his, Jodie left that room.
A few hours later, Jodie suited up, attaching the last of new armor to her leg. This new armor felt entirely different, a little lighter perhaps. Jodie was appreciative of this: doing stealth in the older, heavier armor she used to use on the Normandy would not be good. It was also a little more form-tight: she appreciated the extra mobility, though she did wonder what the stopping power of the armor would be. "Got your hands on all the good toys, I see." Jodie looked over at Sura as she finished suiting up. The asari's suit looked even more intimidating after being newly plated up. Sura also seemed to be able to fit it pretty quickly. In reply, Jodie shrugged, pulling out her pistol from the locker and checking it. "Yeah," she said. She then holstered her pistol on her hip. "I guess Anderson really went all out." "Shows how much faith he's got in your little ghost friend," Sura replied. She then frowned. "Um... Aiden doesn't object to being referred to as 'he', does it?" Jodie cracked a smile. "Actually, he prefers that," Jodie replied as Aiden gurgled happily. "Being called 'he'. Reminds him he's not just something to be used by everyone." Sura nodded. "So he has his own feelings, huh?" Sura rubbed her chin. "Interesting..." She shrugged. "Well, I guess we gotta get down to that Kodiak. Don't want to keep Kalo and Ashley waiting down there forever, right?" "No," said Jodie as she smiled. She grabbed her helmet, rolling it over as they exited the lab. They then peeked into the cockpit, seeing Kasumi standing just behind Valentine. Jodie glanced at Kasumi, but the thief turned away as soon as Jodie laid her eyes on her. Sighing, Jodie turned to Valentine, the pilot tapping a few indications on the holographic interface. She then looked past Valentine, looking up to see Alchera. Jodie leaned closer, her eyes widening as she saw the large white planet that rotated in front of them. It seemed large and impersonal from where Jodie stood, "There she is," Valentine said. "Let's hope Kurt Russell is down there." Kasumi gave a half-hearted chuckle, Jodie snorting loudly. "I didn't expect you'd know that." "Well, it is a classic," Valentine offered. "Can't neglect that, you know?" He then looked out. "Anyway, Kalo and Chief Williams are already at the Kodiak. They're just waiting on you two." "I'll guess Chief Williams was giving Kalo the crash course on how to pilot it?" Sura asked. "Well, not 'crash course'," Valentine replied. "I'm not about to get half my paycheck stolen to pay for the damages here." Sura frowned. "I thought you were the slutty one," she replied. "What, that means I can't be the snarky one too?" Valentine replied. "Pretty much," Sura replied, crossing her arms. "I can't let you have more fun than you're supposed to." "And knowing me, I'd find a way around that," Valentine replied. He then looked out. "Anyway, they're waiting for you there. Once you touch down... well, you know what to do. We'll be up here to let you know if anything changes from up here." "Got it," said Jodie. She then turned, pulling her helmet on. "Well, Sura, let's go." "Sure thing, Jodie," Sura replied. With this, Jodie and Sura left, the asari fixing her own helmet onto her person.
The hangar bay was a very small affair: there was only enough room for the shuttle to get in and out, and not much else. Still, Jodie supposed it was better than nothing at all. The Kodiak could at least fit somewhat comfortably, and that was pretty important. I just hope nobody has to park it quickly, she thought. That would suck if we did... She simply followed Sura on the pathway, stepping into the Kodiak in pretty short order. When they stepped inside, Jodie noticed that the shuttle was actually a bit larger than she would have thought. She stepped in, Sura stepping on after her. She then looked into the ship, seeing Kalo sitting at the helm. Ashley stood just behind him, though she turned to look at Jodie and Sura as soon as they entered the ship. "Hey," said Ashley. "You took a little longer than I would've liked." "What, you didn't want the space to bring him up to speed on how to operate your equipment?" Sura asked. Ashley nodded. "Fair enough," she said. She then looked down at the quarian. "You got all that?" "I believe so," said Kalo, his fingers touching a few holographic buttons. "I may need some assistance when landing this on a hard surface, though. I imagine a docking clamp is quite different from the ground." "You'd be right about that," said Ashley. She then looked back at Jodie. "So... you ready to go down there?" "If I'm not, I'd have wasted everyone's time," Jodie replied. She nodded, taking in a deep breath to steel herself. "I'm ready." "I'm here now, so obviously I'm ready," Sura supplied. "Let's do this, then," said Ashley. Kalo nodded, his left hand flicking at a control. Jodie turned to look as the shuttle door closed. Ashley then pulled her own helmet on, Kalo inputting some more commands. Jodie then watched as Kalo leaned back. "This is the Kodiak to the bridge of the Lying Bastard," said Kalo. "Do you copy?" The comm buzzed to life. "Yeah, I read you," said Valentine. "Running that quick comm check now, huh?" "It would be fruitless to do it later, no?" asked Kalo. "Well, you do want to check it before you leave, sure, but that's not the point," Valentine replied. "Anyway, comms seem to be working. Be careful when you set off." "Of course," Kalo replied. He then leaned back. "I will update you as we go along. Once we are on the ground, I will let you know when we are done." "Got it," said Valentine. "Just don't make me have to go in there to save your asses." He chuckles. "I'll keep an eye out up here. If I see anything odd, I'll radio in." "I see," said Kalo. The quarian nodded, his fingers touching a few other holograms. "Keep an eye on them, soldier," Ashley said. "We'll be up when we find something." "Of course," said Valentine. "Let me know when you've landed." And with this, the comm cut out. Kalo looked back, his hand hovering over one particular button. "Well, shall we?" he asked. "Yeah," said Sura. "Let's do this." Kalo nodded, and then he pressed his hand down. Jodie felt a very slight bump as the docking clamps disengaged. She then looked as the lighting changed, a whole fount of light flooding in from below as the bottom of the hangar bay dropped out from below. Jodie blinked, looking over at Kalo as the Kodiak slowly began to sink from out of the ship around them. She kept her gaze trained as the shuttle exited the ship, Kalo keeping it steady. "Hm, not so difficult," Kalo replied. He then looked out to the surface of Alchera, his hands taking positions where a pair of holographic circles appeared. "You made it seem harder than it is, ma'am." "I guess I did," said Ashley. She then looked out. "Bring us in. You know the coordinates." "Of course," said Kalo, one of his hands bringing up another screen. Jodie then breathed in, watching as the Kodiak lurched forward. Before long, Jodie and the others watched as the shuttle entered Alchera's atmosphere rather quickly.
As soon as they came upon the wreckage of the Normandy, Jodie's eyes widened in wonder. "There it is..." said Sura, indicating out the window. "It's..." But the asari cop was left speechless. The wreckage of the Normandy was a sight to behold; even though it was a bunch of twisted metal that rose up to the sky, there was something hauntingly beautiful about its destruction. Snow blanketed some parts of the wreckage, but what was left seemed to be as if it had just crashed. Off to the side, one of the Normandy's thrusters stood embedded in the dirt. In another area, Jodie saw what she recognized as the Mako, laying at an angle; she saw the beginnings of the Mako being trapped in a snow structure from what had fallen in between the wheels. In another place, the frame of the Normandy had been reduced down to the supporting beams, those beams rising up as if in reverence towards the sky. The Normandy's crash site was majestic and haunting. "Man..." said Jodie. "I never thought..." "It is like a warrior's grave, no?" Kalo asked. "Yes," said Ashley. "A thousand suns will stream on thee, a thousand moons will quiver, but not by thee my steps shall be, for ever and for ever." Jodie nodded. "It's..." She looked away. "Damn... I should've been there." "Nothing you could've done would've saved her," Ashley replied. She then looked at Kalo. "Come on. Let's touch down." But the quarian had already flicked his finger. "Shuttle to the Lying Bastard," said Kalo. "We're down on Alchera. I shall be landing soon." "Gotcha," said Valentine. "Just let me know if you find anything interesting." "Of course," said Kalo. "Keep a look out for anything suspicious." And with this, Kalo cut the line, maneuvering the Kodiak around. Pretty quickly, he landed in a spot of undisturbed land directly in the center of the crash site. It was a surprisingly smooth landing, though Jodie wondered about whatever had happened to asking Ashley for help. But as the shuttle door opened and the way to the Normandy's crash site opened up, all attention towards that was pulled away. And instead, Ashley and Jodie stepped out into the cold, Jodie feeling a chill run up her spine. Jodie felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked back to Sura. "Hey," the asari said. "If you need time to just reminisce and mourn, I'll understand. I'll wait as long as you need." "Thanks," Jodie said. "I might need that." Sura nodded. "Just come to the shuttle when you find what you're looking for," she said. "I'll look for what I can." Jodie turned to Sura, giving her a smile that Jodie was sure Sura could not see behind the helmet. However, her eyes were enough indication, and so Sura patted her shoulder and walked over to Ashley. And then, Jodie turned, walking forward in the crash site. The wind blew loudly as she walked amidst the wreckage, the wind brushing snow against her visor. She heard Aiden give off a soft whisper, and after a second she watched as the snow was cleared away from her visor instantly. She eventually came to a patch of debris that she recognized. The wreckage took the form of a long hall, the hall sloped up due to the angle that the debris in question had landed in. The hall was lined with pods, pods Jodie knew quite well. She slowly climbed up to the hall's gaping maw, noting all the dangling cables that hung between all the pods. Her eyes darted straight to the pods on the left. And right there, in the middle of that row, was the pod she was most familiar with. Jodie stepped in slowly, her footsteps audibly clanking against the cold metal floor. She bent down, touching the floor. The floor she had remembered had given way to warped metal, probably the actual floor underneath whatever material had covered it. Jodie's hand lingered on the floor, and she let out a soft sigh. She then stood up. She advanced with slow steps, looking at the pod in awe. The glass cover of the pod laid in shattered pieces at the foot of the pod and the terminal controlling the pod looked like it had been hit by a car, but the pod itself was mostly intact. She walked up to it slowly, her hand reaching out and touching the inside. The material looked mostly intact, if a little singed from whatever fires had burned inside the Normandy. Jodie sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned against the outside of the pod. She thought back to the DPA facility that she had been tasked to clean out as a teenager. She thought to all the bodies she had seen, even remembered the one sole survivor she and Aiden had been forced to kill. She remembered initially being disgusted as she slowly made her way deeper into the facility; it was almost like a crypt, one to a magnitude that she knew nobody should be exposed to at any age, let alone as a teen. As she leaned against her old sleeper pod, she realized she had borne witness to something worse. She ran her hand up and down the inside of the sleeper pod. The Normandy had been her home for a few months. It was where she had met most of the people that she cared about. Tali, Ashley, Liara, Wrex, Kaidan… They had all bonded within these walls. At that moment, the Normandy was the very same crypt she had seen in that DPA facility long ago, except with a roof that was blown off. Jodie sighed, feeling her eyes water as she leaned closer to the pod. Instinctively, her hand pulled away, and though she was not really bothered by Alchera's weather she found herself hugging her arms all the same. She opened her eyes, looking up at where she assumed Aiden was. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it immediately. Aiden let out a low, sympathetic groan, to which Jodie nodded. She leaned against the pod for a few more seconds, and then exhaled rather harshly. "Okay Aiden," said Jodie. "Let me know if you see anything." Aiden clicked once, and then Jodie nodded. She then got on her knees and looked underneath the pods. She shined her omni-tool flashlight underneath, and frowned when she saw no traces of Shepard's armor there. She sighed, standing up and looking to the other row of sleeper pods. She saw how destroyed they were, and walked up to them. She touched one of the pods, and then flinched as a piece of the pod fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Jodie shook her head, and then peeked into the other corners inside the sleeper pod area. She turned the corners, checked them with the flashlight, and sighed when she caught no sight of anything useful. She breathed out, and it was then that she caught sight of something bright that shone against her flashlight. She frowned, edging closer to the object. She took a sharp intake of breath upon seeing the glint again in between the sleeper pods. She slowly approached, holding her hand out and grabbing the object gingerly. When she brought the object to her, however, she saw that she was holding a pair of dog tags. She blinked, and then flipped the dog tags over. Her expression fell when she saw the name listed on the back. She sighed, shaking her head. "Not Shepard." She then nodded, and then opened one of the compartments in her armor. "Well, I better hang on to this anyway. I'm sure his family would appreciate the closure." She then deposited the dog tags in there, and closed the compartment up. She turned her omni-tool flashlight back on, and then nodded. She stepped closer to the pod she was in front of, and peered around the corner. "Hm…" she said quietly. "Nothing he—" And then, she heard a loud crash from behind her. She jumped, immediately turning around to see that one of the sleeper pods had been literally shoved off of its supports. She looked at the sparking wires, before realizing that the pod had been in no condition to land a foot or two away from where it had been put. She then turned her gaze back to where she came from to see something mechanical standing there. Jodie took a short intake of breath, and it was only then that she recognized the lone flashlight-like light from where the head of the robot creature would be. "Oh, fuck!" Jodie jumped behind one of the pods, brandishing her pistol and firing blindly. As soon as her back slammed against the wall of the wreckage, she peered back out and fired at the lone geth unit that peered at her. She quickly brought her pistol to bear, and fired a few more shots. Most of her shots bounced off of the geth's kinetic barriers. The last one managed to catch the geth unit on the shoulder, though the robot remained unfazed by its wound even as white fluid began to leak from it. It was only as her weapon beeped loudly from the overheating that Jodie noticed that the geth remained unmoving from how she had seen it before. She took a sharp breath in, her pistol cooling down in front of her as the geth stood silently, only eyeing Jodie. Aiden clicked rather softly, the pitch fluctuating mid-click. Jodie simply took a slow step out of cover, holding her pistol in front of her. "What the fuck…?" she whispered. And then, the geth took a slow, leisurely step towards Jodie. After this initial step, Jodie found herself too confused to open fire. Taking this as an indication, the geth unit stepped forward, and then took its time to walk up to Jodie. Jodie refused to fire even as she was approached. When she peered around, she noticed that the geth was unarmed. She then looked back at the geth's flashlight eye, her finger on the trigger in case it decided to pull something out of thin air. She gritted her teeth as the geth approached, and then looked right at it. The geth stopped in front of Jodie. It paused for a few seconds, Jodie slowly lowering the gun. As she did this, the geth leaned its head forward, its eye-light adjusting as it took stock of her. Its head flaps moved down first, and then Jodie saw them flare out for a second before returning to what could be called a normal position. "Holmes-Anomaly. This unit of the geth did not anticipate your presence at Shepard-Supreme-Commander's last known location."
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Post by herrwozzeck on Mar 1, 2015 3:41:59 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Three Valentine sat back, looking out the window as he placed his hands behind his head. "Well, here we are," he said. "Out in the middle of space." He shrugged, looking at the vast expanse of stars outside of the ship. He laid back, his eyes glancing over the holographic readings. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening at that moment, and from what he could see outside there were also no ships out that were visible. He kicked back, exhaling audibly as he put his hands behind his head. "And now, the part where we get to be lazy," Valentine continued. He then frowned, looking back at Kasumi Goto. "Or is that the part where we get to be bored out of our skulls?" Kasumi said nothing. The thief stood over by the door to the airlock, the thief gently trailing her fingers along the bulkhead. Valentine shrugged, turning back to look ahead. "You know, I'm surprised you're not down there with them," he said. He shrugged. "I mean, if there's a data cache they need to hack into, you're not there. And really, what's the point of you being the resident hacker if you're not going to do any hacking?" "I'd probably freeze down there, first," Kasumi replied. "My catsuit wasn't made for that kind of temperature." "Well, no, but I'm sure they would've accommodated you." Valentine turned. "It's something else, isn't it?" Kasumi sighed. "I..." Kasumi turned away. "I don't know if I want to deal with her after what happened." Valentine blinked. "Jodie?" The pilot stood up, walking over to where Kasumi stood. "I see." "That was tough to think about after all these years," said Kasumi. "I'm still not over Keiji's death, and to hear his voice again was so..." Kasumi reached out, and Valentine could see that the thief's eyes were watering. "And it was so..." She shook her head. "It had to be Keiji. It had to be." "Well, that's what a lot of people would say about that," said Valentine. "I'm not so sure I trust her on Aiden yet, but I'm willing to sit back and-" "No, you don't understand," said Kasumi. "It wasn't just what she talked about." She sighed, looking down. "You know how when you really know someone well, you notice quirks whenever they talk? I noticed that. Just slight inflections." She chuckled bitterly. "I know it sounds silly, but when some of the tech you have is meant to rearrange a person's voice to get past a voice-activated lock, you notice inflections in people's voices, small pauses in some moments, a slightly clipped vowel..." She turned away. "Keiji had his own particular quirks, and some of them were things nobody else could imitate. There was no way she could've perfectly imitated Keiji, and yet it was his voice with his mannerisms..." She then grabbed her arms. "And she just sprung it on me like that..." Valentine nodded. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't exactly disagree," he said. "She could've been more tactful about that." He then turned away. "But sometimes... well, frankly, she's talking about a ghost. You wouldn't believe her if she just had something go bump. That shit can be easily rigged, you know." "She'd never been on this vessel before," said Kasumi. "Never attribute something to the supernatural unless there's no other explanation," Valentine replied. "And trust me, in most cases of that there is another explanation." He shook his head. "Point is, she'd have to do something really drastic to prove this ghost's existence. Was it the right choice? Probably not. But I can see why she did it." "Still, that was rather hard to sit through." Kasumi shook her head. "I'm still doing this for Xerxes. He really did help me out a lot on some heists, and I do owe him quite a few favors. But I don't know if I should trust her..." "Well, you'll just have to find that out, won't you?" Valentine asked. Kasumi nodded, but did not say anything else. And so, Valentine sat back, propping his feet close by some of the holographic panels. "I wonder what they've found so far," Valentine said, glancing up at the ceiling of the ship.
Jodie's heart skipped a beat, and her shock was only amplified by Aiden's alarmed trill. "You… you talk!" she exclaimed, pointing at the geth unit in shock. The geth unit tilted its head. "All geth are capable of communication," it replied. "This geth unit is the first designed for explicit interaction with non-quarian organics." Jodie blinked in surprise, and then lowered her weapon. "Wait, you know who I am," she said. "So why aren't you trying to kill me? I mean, I killed a ton of your friends, and I thought... You want organics destroyed!" "The geth do not wish to interfere in the matters of organics," said the geth unit. "The geth will only retaliate if or—" "Bullshit!" said Jodie as she raised her pistol, pointing it right at the geth unit's chest. "You joined up with Saren to bring your Reaper Gods back to this galaxy! You were at the Citadel, for God's sake! Don't lie to me!" "The geth did not join Saren," the geth unit replied. "The geth collective does not consider the geth that joined Saren to be the true geth." "True ge…" She frowned, looking directly at the flashlight head. "And you expect me to believe that." "This unit expects nothing," the geth replied. "This unit simply wishes to talk." "I don't believe you," said Jodie. She shook the gun. "You have ten seconds to tell me what you want with me and why you came up to me, and then I'm blowing a hole in your chest. Be thankful I'm even allowing you to talk right now." She then glared up at the geth unit. "Talk. Now." "This unit contains information pertinent to Shepard-Supreme-Commander," said the geth. "Yeah, I'm sure you know about Shepard," she said. "Every geth knows about Shepard-Su—" Jodie then paused abruptly, her brows furrowing as she looked down. "Wait, did you call him 'Supreme Commander'?" "Yes," the unit replied. Jodie held still for a few seconds, Aiden whooshing softly. She then lowered the pistol and took a step away. "Wait, there's no ranking in the Alliance Military that goes like that," she said. "I mean, last I checked he was just a Commander." "Shepard-Supreme-Commander's title is not reflective of his known rank in the Systems Alliance," the geth unit replied. "Supreme Commander is designation of Shepard-Supreme-Commander's rank in what is called the Federal Armed Reserves." "Federal Armed Reserves," Jodie repeated, her words trailing off. "That doesn't exist as any military I know, though." She sighed, rubbing her chin in thought. "I didn't even find it when I stopped living under a rock, so how…?" And then it clicked in her mind. Jodie pointed at the geth unit, her eyes bulging. "You know about his original galaxy!" The geth unit tilted its head forward. "The true geth became interested in Shepard-Supreme-Commander after his conflict with the heretics," it replied. "During our research, this unit intercepted some communications between Shepard-Supreme-Commander and a currently unidentified contact." It then looked at Jodie. "We seek clarification. We followed Shepard-Supreme-Commander's trail for more data. The trail ends here." Jodie nodded. "I see," she said. "But I'm here now…" "Is there any information Holmes-Anomaly would share with this unit?" it asked. Jodie paused, looking at the geth unit. She then turned to Aiden, and then back at the geth unit. On the one hand it is a geth, she thought. But if it meant harm, it would've done something by now, I'm sure of it. No other geth has waited this long… Nor can they talk… She then looked at the ground, her feet sliding on the floor nervously. Finally, she planted her heel into a particular rise of warped steel, and let out a sigh. "Shepard never told us about this Federal Armed Reserves you're talking about. In fact, he never told us that there even was another galaxy." She then began pacing around. "He's been hiding the truth about himself from the rest of us, too: he's been telling us he's human since… I don't really know when." The geth tilted its head. "Accessing data banks…" The geth's headplates shifted, and then returned to their regular position. "This new data matches the geth's hypothesis," it said. "This unit wishes to know how Holmes-Anomaly encountered this data." "We were told about this other galaxy on a place called Ilos," Jodie replied. "Your friends would be very familiar with it. Or… the heretic geth. Whatever it is." She shook her head. "There was a Prothean AI on there. Vigil." She shook her head. "Though I wouldn't go there now. I… I think Vigil is—" "Defunct," the geth replied. "This unit went to Ilos as part of Shepard-Supreme-Commander's trail. There was no Prothean AI." Jodie nodded, glancing up at Aiden. "So he did destroy it, then," she said. She turned her attention back to the geth. "As for how I know he's not human…" She shook her head. "I'm afraid that's confidential. At least, for right now." "This unit will not question Holmes-Anomaly further," it said. It then looked outside. "Shepard-Supreme-Commander's body is not present, but that unit's armor is still present." The geth turned to Jodie. "We would be willing to give a copy of our records of Shepard-Supreme-Commander's communications." Jodie blinked. "You would be willing to do that?" she asked. "Yes," said the geth. "Alert: we will also add all relevant data to the trade." "But I thought the geth wanted to destroy organics," said Jodie. "We do not wish to involve ourselves in organic affairs," said the unit. "However, if Shepard-Supreme-Commander engages in willful deception of this order, a geth-organic alliance may prove necessary for the survival of the geth." Jodie nodded. "Because who knows what he's planning," she said. She paused for a few seconds, and then turned to face the geth. "So you're not going to stab us in the back or anything?" "No," said the geth. "Though we will exercise caution in dealing with organics. The geth aim for self-preservation." "Fair enough," Jodie said. "But you realize I'm probably going to be crucified for forming an alliance with a geth, right?" "Error: 'crucified' not a term in our data banks," the unit said. "Clarify." "You know, crucified?" Jodie asked. "Nailed to a wooden thing called a cross? It's kind of a brutal way to die." "We will store this information in our data banks," the geth replied. "Our sensors indicated more signs of life in the area." "Probably my friends," she said. "I came with others, we were going to investigate this place." "Would Holmes-Anomaly lead us to them?" the geth asked. Jodie glanced to the side. "I don't know how wise that would be," she said. "I mean, one of them is a—" "Ah! Geth!" The geth and Jodie then turned to the entrance of the wreckage. Jodie barely got any time to talk before Aiden then formed a blue-hued barrier around them. This stopped the barrage of assault rifle rounds aimed directly at the geth unit, and it left Jodie to look up at Kalo'Veera. The quarian stopped firing the assault rifle after a few seconds, Jodie catching the faint beeping of the weapon's overheating indicator. "Jodie, step away from the geth!" Kalo shouted. "You know it is—!" "Wait!" Jodie immediately stood in front of the geth. "Kalo, listen to me! It might have data we need!" Kalo paused, his helmet tilting towards Jodie. "And how do you know that?" he asked. "And what, did the bosh'tet tell you?" The geth then stepped out from behind Jodie. "Creator," it said. "There is no cause for alarm. This platform of the geth has not harmed Holmes-Anomaly." Kalo lowered his weapon in surprise. "Jodie, it…?" he asked. Jodie then walked over to Kalo. "I'm not so fond of the idea of working with robots I just spent a few months shooting either," she said. "But… there's something about this geth unit, Kalo. It talks, it hasn't tried to kill me yet…" She then glanced back. "It knows about Shepard's galaxy, Kalo." Kalo looked at the geth intently. He held his gaze for a few seconds, and Jodie could tell by the way his muscles tensed that he was very uncertain of what to do. The geth simply tilted its head to the side, returning Kalo's look with little more than a curious look. Wait… Jodie thought. A geth? Curious? After a few seconds, Kalo shook his head, lowering his assault rifle. "I will simply point out that this may well cause my exile as soon as I return to the Fleet," he said, his words clipped slightly. "I will trust you on this, Jodie. But the second it turns on us, I will not hesitate to shoot it." Jodie nodded. "But only if it turns on us," she said, looking at the geth. Kalo tilted his head forward. After a few seconds, he then turned his attention to the geth. "And what do you mean, 'Creators'?" he asked. The geth stood stock still. "You created us," it said. "Is it wrong to acknowledge you as such?" The quarian paused, his head tilting slightly to the right. He then looked at Jodie, and Jodie could see from the way the light danced on the back of the visor that Kalo's eyes were narrowed. He then sighed, turning back to the geth with drooping shoulders. "Keelah, help me," he said.
Valentine had just turned to go get himself some coffee from the rec room when he heard a beep on one of his panels. The pilot paused, walking back to his seat. "Huh..." he whispered, pulling up a display. The display showed a heat signature emanating from a rather short distance away. Valentine glanced out the window, seeing that there was no other ship close by. He then checked back to the display, frowning at what he read. He glanced out the window again, his eyes searching for the vessel around where the heat signature was in relation to the display. He saw nothing. And right as he checked the display, the heat signature vanished. He blinked, shaking his head. Valentine then opened another window, quickly commanding a diagnostics scan of the heat sensor. It had to be something wrong with the sensor, he was sure of it. After a few seconds, though, the results came back: everything was functioning perfectly with that scanner. Valentine lowered his sunglasses, making sure he was not just seeing things. He then breathed in, blinking as he looked at the console. He leaned forward, turning the comms on. "Chief, this is your pilot here," he said. "The boss didn't say he would be trailing us with a couple of Normandy-class frigates, did he?" But in response, he heard nothing but static. Valentine frowned, leaning forward in his chair. He then adjusted the frequency of the comms, looking out the window with a frown on his face. "Uh, Chief, this is your pilot," he said again. "Do you read me?" And again, Valentine was met with static. The pilot frowned, looking out past his sunglasses. He then pulled them back on and typed a diagnostic command for the ship's comms. However, the diagnosis immediately came back; the ship's communications were perfectly functional. Valentine looked back at the heat signature display, his frown now constant. He then closed the display, before turning on the ship's intercom. "Kasumi?" he asked. "Can you come up to the cockpit, please? I think we've got a problem." After a few seconds, Kasumi rushed into the cockpit. "What's going on?" she asked. "I think communications may be jammed," said Valentine. He then looked over. "I also picked up a heat signature that vanished a few seconds after we picked it up." "You don't think it's because I'm here, do you?" asked Kasumi. "Much as I'm sure the Alliance loves getting your attention, I don't think that's it," Valentine replied. "If it was Alliance, it would've hailed us by now." "So you want me to figure out what's going on from here?" she asked. "If you can," Valentine replied. He then shook his head. "But there's something odd about all this." "What's that?" Kasumi asked. "Normandy-class vessels can't make themselves invisible to the eye," he said, gesturing outside. "When I picked up that heat signature, I couldn't see any corresponding vessel outside." Kasumi frowned. "Wait, what?" she asked. "That's not really possible, right?" "No," said Valentine. "And that's what has me worried." He then shook his head. "Do what you can. We need to get to Jodie and Ashley, and soon." "Got it," said Kasumi as she opened her omni-tool. "This'll be a piece of cake!" Valentine nodded, looking outside as he drummed his fingers nervously against the armrest of his chair. He swivelled around, looking out to Alchera, wondering what Jodie had found down there.
Aiden gurgled nervously. Jodie could only sigh as she looked at the others in the group. Everyone was standing by the pods, all of them arranged in a circle. Kalo had of course called everyone over on the comms, and so they were all gathered there. There was Legion, standing tall by one of the pods as it regarded everyone else. Ashley's gaze was trained at the geth, and on occasion she would turn to Jodie with a glare. Sura kept her gaze locked onto the geth, one hand tensing around her pistol; she was ready to pull it out at the slightest provocation, Jodie could tell. And Kalo just stood there, shaking his head periodically. Jodie sighed, casting a nervous glance at the geth. The geth's head flaps moved. "We detect abnormally high vital signs in the other organics here," it said. "Well no shit," Sura replied angrily. "I'm being asked to trust a goddess-damned geth." She then turned to Jodie. "Are you insane?" "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm not," Jodie replied. "Your psychological profile indicates sanity, at least according to the organic perception of the term," Legion replies. "I don't trust the machine on that," said Ashley. "Look, I'm not confident of this either," said Jodie. "But this intel sounds too important to pass up. And besides, I did shoot at it when it first approached. It didn't shoot back, and even if it had been armed, it seemed like it wouldn't have fired." Sura then turned to Kalo. "And you're just going along with this?" she asked. "I am," Kalo replied. "But only because I trust Jodie. In any other situation, I would agree with you." Sura nodded. "Glad to see I'm not the only one who's not going to get thrown into an asylum any time soon," she said. She then looked at the geth. "So what's this all-important intel Jodie was raving at us about?" The geth opened its omni-tool, inputting a few commands. "This unit stated to Holmes-Anomaly that the geth intercepted communications between Shepard-Supreme-Commander and another unit." Everyone else in the room blinked as their omni-tools beeped. "They are text correspondences." Jodie opened the files on her own omni-tool, checking back to Legion's omni-tool which displayed the files in question. She then looked through her own documents, glancing around her to see that everyone else was doing the same. "Looks complete to me," Jodie said. She then looked through the document. "It looks like the data is corrupted, though," Kalo noted. He then looked up, comparing his own document to Legion's in appearance. "And it seems that the geth encountered that same problem." "We could not save all of the data," said Legion. "When we first intercepted them, the document corrupted itself." Jodie nodded, turning her attention to the text of the initial document: "SupprMé C-rWNder S4Ã¥parD- WE Arè prwdcbi t2 rEpoot tHat Bê Jrmo LaMN prög8REs on nnfLItrarI89 CeRfalrs' ranks. WE haVe seZIRal exi0n ün1Ts ilrnde CerlaNAñ- sy5tVms NRO; BLRA 8rN B0zy acQUIRRng data oN wH3Rn 1TöR bAYz is, wRnio arico rnwtl c8rt7Ã¥r aYt... Ir Láar 8Rne a l0cAtrin 44R all of these thÄr sìrn. IT wroz rmwo 4k2n 22 REsrouce5. wRREN hOVR tlâ•«r s09r, C0mMrecra. Rwc UUu hrva t2 d4 kR Grne the ordEr to atTAck, and we w1ll brIñg th0se mRNstWEs t2 jUstÃce for WRaT th3y dI5.
AS f4r tHr C0unci1- we ar! mroOnricrn rWnc 9rnw c,0Dre, mro! Orncr rnaCion o)rrt hE nRI9 rmw wEErk wilP dRtVrmorn 748 Çow pPrawl t-t-. wE kni$ey e geRNe4l aPrts o0 hOn le w1sh 20 aprroach th3m, but the spEciffc manNnr shA1l b3 remrrNin90 s0RÑ.
Wrw134 bEin toUrc, ComMAnd3r.
-OPp40tiRe NRIKB" Jodie squinted to read some of the lines of data. "Wow, this looks really bad," said Jodie. "I didn't think it would be this corrupted." "Half the file is unreadable..." said Kalo. He frowned. "I suppose I can see where you might get "Supreme Commander" from, at least..." "We will attempt a clean-up of the corrupted data in the future," Legion replied. "Kasumi might be able to do something about that," said Jodie. She then looked at the others. "But even with that, the parts we can read..." "At least we can prove the information network is there." Ashley then glared at Legion. "Well, assuming this geth didn't make up this data." "The geth would not manufacture data," said Legion. "Sure," Sura said sarcastically, looking at the file information. She then shrugged. "I guess if I'm being fair, though, the file does look legit. Unless the geth are good at forgery, and that's a fact I very much think might be true, it looks legit. And you know, if it's legit, Kasumi should have very few problems trying to figure out how to clean it up." "Yeah," Jodie said. Aiden released a click of confirmation, and then Jodie looked over at Legion. "So there's his actual title. Supreme Commander. I can barely make it out, though..." "Anyone else think we stumbled into a pre-Citadel asari culture?" Sura asked. "Not specifically that, but I suppose so," Kalo replied. "It does seem rather... overdone, at any rate." "Yeah, sounds like it," said Ashley. She then turned to the geth unit. "So you got sent here." "Yes," the geth replied. "We would like to pose a query. Jodie leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "What about?" said Jodie. The geth's head flaps moved. "Holmes-Anomaly was sent here to gather further data," it said. "Yeah," said Jodie as she leaned forward. "We wouldn't be here otherwise. Why do you ask?" "As we said to Holmes-Anomaly earlier, a geth-organic alliance may prove necessary for the survival of the geth," said the geth. "We think this would be an ideal opportunity to begin one." Ashley jumped in surprise. "You want to form an alliance with us?" Ashley asked. "Yes," said the geth. "Our data suggests our efforts may yield the best results if we were to com-" "Absolutely not!" Sura replied, turning to the geth. "You're just saying that so you can screw the Council later like your other buddies did!" "We are not the heretic geth," said the geth. "We did not attack the Citadel." "Oh, so I'm guessing you didn't attack Rannoch either, then," Sura replied with a bite in her tone. "The Creators attacked the geth," the geth replied. "We acted to preserve ourselves." "Of course, because all take-overs of a planet are done in the name of self-defense," Sura replied angrily. "Go on, what's the next excuse, machine? I suppose next you're going to say-" And then, Jodie stepped between Sura and the geth. "Sura," Jodie said sternly. "Jodie, this doesn't concern you," said the asari. "Stay out of it." "I'm not going to have there be any fighting between us," she said. "If you have a problem with someone, don't hurl accusations at them like that." She then looked back at the geth. "Besides..." The asari cop leaned back, squinting at Jodie. Her eyes then widened, and then she leaned right up to Jodie. "Jodie, you can't seriously be considering that!" said Sura. "I am, Jodie replied. Sura leaned forward forward. "Jodie, are you out of your damn mind?" she asked. "You're trusting a geth." "I know it's crazy, and I know it's probably stupid, too," said Jodie as she looked at the geth. "But we've been given good intel so far." She shrugged. "Besides, this one hasn't hurt us yet, has he?" Kalo looked at Jodie. "Though I am loathe to admit it, she does bring up a good point," said Kalo. "If the geth unit wished to hurt us, I suspect it would have by now." "Or maybe it's just holding back for when we get back to the Citadel," said Sura. "This unit has no data on your plans after your visit to Normandy," said the geth. "We are also unarmed, and currently outnumbered against armed organics." "You could just call in whatever fleets you have hiding behind the Veil," said Sura. "With the combined forces of the Citadel Fleet and the Alliance Fleets, the geth would be outnumbered in a direct engagement," The geth replied. "Statistically, our chances of survival would be lowered if the turians and salarians sent reinforcements. Directly engaging the Citadel would lead to annihilation of the geth. This is not a desirable outcome; antagonizing the Council and their subsidiary militaries would serve no purpose." The geth leaned forward. "We mean no harm, T'Lenya-Officer. We simply believe forming a geth-organic alliance would aid the geth against whatever threat Shepard-Supreme-Commander poses." There was silence inside the Normandy's husk for a few moments. Sura squinted at the geth, which only regarded the asari with a closing of its flashlight-eye. The two of them stared each other down for what felt like an eternity, Jodie and Kalo looking between the two of them. "I'm going to get court-martialed for this." Everyone turned to look at Ashley, who stepped forward and sighed. The gunnery chief then looked over at Jodie, crossing her arms. "I'm placing my trust in Jodie." Sura turned to look at Ashley. "So it's with the geth then," said Sura. "No, it's with Jodie." Ashley then turned to the geth, her expression stern. "Let me make one thing clear to you, geth: I'm only letting you live because I trust Jodie. I can back off, and I'll trust her judgment. But the second you try to stab us in the back, you're being blasted out the airlock with a hole in your head." The geth regarded Ashley. "If these terms will satisfy you, we will submit to them," it said. Ashley blinked, though she betrayed no other signs of surprise. "Just like that?" Ashley asked. "Yes," the geth replied. Sura facepalmed with both of her hands. "Goddess, I can't believe we're actually doing this," she said. Jodie nodded. "So what do we call you?" she asked. The geth tilted its head to the side. "Geth." "Well, we can't just call you 'geth' and then call all the rest of them 'geth'," Ashley pointed out. "That's going to get confusing very quickly." "We are all geth," said the geth. "So then what do we call you?" asked Jodie. "Geth," the platform replied. Kalo sighed. "What is the platform in front of us called?" he asked. "We have no name," said the geth. "We are all geth." "So there is no name for the single platform in front of us," said Kalo. "We are not a single platform," Legion replied. "There are one thousand, one hundred and eighty-three run-times present within this platform." Ashley frowned. "We are Legion, for we are many," she whispered. The geth turned to Ashley, its head-flaps moving quickly. "Gospel of Mark; chapter five, verse nine," the geth replied. Ashley blinked. "So you know the Bible," she said. "Knowing what organics value is a form of data collection," the geth replied. "We find that this name suits us." The geth stood erect, addressing the four organics directly. "We are Legion, a platform of the geth. We stand ready to assist." Jodie chuckled. "You have to admit, it has a catchy ring to it," she replied. And for a second, Jodie saw Ashley's lip curl from the visor of her helmet. "Yeah, it does," Ashley agreed. She then shook her head. "Man, we're going to have a hell of a time explaining this to just about everyone else. Especially Kasumi and Valentine." Kalo nodded. "Speaking of which, have we found all we need to?" he asked. "I think finding a geth is a rather... significant event, no?" "The others are not aiding?" The four organics turned to Legion, Jodie frowning in confusion. "Others?" she asked. "Holmes-Anomaly has referenced someone named Kasumi, and Williams-Gunnery-Chief referenced a 'Valentine'," Legion replied. "Oh, they're in orbit around Alchera," said Jodie. "We'll need to take our shuttle back to them. We'll explain via comms when we get there." "And what about the others around Normandy?" Jodie blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "O... others...?" she asked. Sura then leaned forward. As all the others turned to Legion with looks of confusion, Sura leaned forward and squinted. "What others?" the cop asked. "We're the only four that came down." And then, Legion stood erect. The suddenness of the gesture caused Sura to draw her pistol and aim it right at the geth, but all they saw was the headflaps moving around Legion's flashlight head. She lowered it, looking on as the geth's headflaps returned to normal. It then moved forward, looking out into the cold of Alchera. "Alert: potential hostiles inbound."
Valentine frowned, looking at Kasumi as she continued to work on her omni-tool. He tapped his hand nervously as he glanced out the window. "There's no way it's geth," Valentine observed. "They can't cloak themselves like that, not unless they stole the Normandy's technology." "And we'd have seen them by now," said Kasumi. She shook her head. "Sorry I'm taking so long. I'm not familiar with this code at all." Valentine turned to Kasumi. "What do you mean?" he asked. "It's very... adaptive," said Kasumi. "I keep thinking I've found a way in, but every time I follow that way in something keeps changing up the system." She shakes her head. "I'll get it in soon, though. There's always a way into every system, and I think..." And then, Kasumi's omni-tool beeped. "Well, that's new," she said. "I guess we will get something after all." Immediately after, Kasumi opened her comms up, setting them aside on a different window. However, what came out of the comms there was garbled gibberish: Valentine could not make any sense of what was being said, though he could tell that it was two voices barking orders at each other. But the exact words sounded like a strange garbled blend of languages that Valentine knew. Further, the fact that the words were not filtering through his translator was extremely telling. Valentine turned to Kasumi. "You're recording this, right?" he asked. "Of course," she said. "It's not translating for you either, huh?" "Nope," said Valentine. He then turned forward as the conversation on the comms continued. "And if it's not recognized by the universal translator, then..." "It has to be them," said Kasumi. "I'll keep trying to break through this jamming. It might take a bit longer than I expected, but if our guys down there have any sense they'll get out while they can." "If they even know," said Valentine. He then activated the panel, his fingers flying across. "I'm going to get moving. If we can get out of whatever's blocking comms, it might help. That, and we wouldn't have to worry about a boarding party." "Also true," said Kasumi. "Oh, I just hope we can get to them soon. It won't do at all to have us get caught so early." "You can say that again," Valentine replied as he placed his hands in position. He then lurched forward, keeping his eyes peeled on Alchera's surface as Kasumi kept working on breaking through the comm jamming.
Jodie jumped, turning around just in time to see that there was a man in armor rushing up to where Jodie and the others were. She saw, too, that he was flanked by a pair of also-armored figures. All three had weapons drawn, all of the weapons aimed right at... "Shit!" She then tackled Legion, the two of them falling behind one of the sleeper pods as the unknown party opened fire. Jodie looked up just in time to see that the others had scattered, jumping behind various pods. "Who the fuck is that?" asked Sura loudly. "I don't know," said Jodie as she quickly drew her pistol. "But whoever it is, they're not-" And then, Kalo screamed: as Jodie looked on, the armored figure in front of them gave a gesture back, Jodie noticing he was surrounded by a strange green aura. Jodie then watched as the sleeper pod the quarian stood behind tore away from its supports, joining the one Aiden had tossed earlier. However, this strange man did not stop there: Kalo covered his head as suddenly, the section of the Normandy's wall right by the quarian began to cave in on him. "No!" Jodie shouted. But just as the section of wall gave way and rushed for the quarian, Kalo was quickly surrounded by a blue aura. The piece of wall collided against Aiden's blue aura, and as soon as Kalo noticed this he crawled his way out even as the stranger slammed the piece of the Normandy's wall a few more times. Jodie then watched as Sura leaned out of cover, her pistol out. However, the strange man was ready for this: he reached another hand, and then Sura was surrounded in a green aura. The asari was thrown back at this point, with enough force that she slammed into the berth behind her. The asari fell, right as Kalo joined Jodie and Legion right there. "What the hell is that guy?" asked Jodie. "Alert: unidentified contact uses unknown form of energy," Legion replied. "We can tell," said Kalo, drawing his assault rifle. "What are those guys?" Jodie frowned. "You think it's them?" she asked. "It could be," said Kalo. "Either way, this is-" And then, the sleeper pod in front of them moved. Jodie had only a split second to react before the sleeper pod rushed straight at them. Thankfully, Aiden's blue aura formed around the three of them, though Jodie still instinctively pressed her own body above Kalo's. She watched the pod sail straight above them, slamming into the back wall as Jodie rose up. Without thinking, Jodie charged right at the person she saw. She noticed two other heads peeking out to fire at her, but Aiden was on her trail immediately as she rushed forward. She then drew her combat knife, holding it in a reverse grip as she approached. The man in front of her noticed this, and then he turned around, whipping something out. But Jodie paid no attention, rushing directly at him and feinting with her knife. She noticed just in time that her combat knife had been sliced cleanly in half by the object the other guy drew. Jodie gasped, recognizing it as a very similar sword to what Shepard carried. She froze in place, seeing the blade of light blaze brightly in the gloomy air of Alchera. This freezing was something the other took advantage of. Jodie was too late to jump back, for as she did, she felt the tip of the blade sear a line directly across her torso. She screamed in pain, the cold stinging her wound as she stumbled back. As she fell into the snow, she looked up, seeing the guy go in for a stab. Gritting her teeth, Jodie tossed herself to the side in the snow. She grimaced, looking down at her wound and seeing that she had gotten lucky: any deeper, and she knew that the blade would have cut something vital. She also noticed that the cut was not bleeding: well, not profusely, anyway. Most of it looked as if it had been burned, but the bleeding that was there was still a problem. She sighed in relief as she saw the bleeding stop, though. She nodded, opening her omni-tool and applying a dose of medigel to her wound. Thanks, Aiden, she thought. That ought to keep me in check until I can- Jodie was interrupted mid-thought as her opponent rushed at her. Jodie jumped to the side, dodging another blow as she pushed herself to her feet. The two of them circled each other, Jodie watching her opponent as his sword arm twitched. She then feinted to the side, but as she looked up, she saw the man pull his blade back in a stabbing motion. Jodie ended up rolling to the side, getting back to her feet quickly. She then stood up, going in for a kick to the guy's face. This kick connected, but Jodie noticed that it did nothing to him. The man then turned around, his blade held low as he rushed at Jodie. Jodie saw he was going for a pommel strike, and she quickly jumped to the side, but right as she did she saw him go for a horizontal slash. Jodie ducked underneath the slash, the slash barely nicking the top of her helmet as she kicked the man's feet out from under him. The man fell forward, Jodie quickly standing up and going straight for the man's neck. She stomped right on it, gritting her teeth as she did it a few more times for posterity. But the man simply glared up at her, eyes shining cruelly. Jodie stomped a fourth time, but realized that it had no visible effect on that man. He then grabbed her ankle, promptly standing up. He then pulled his hand back, flinging Jodie violently into the snow. She felt a pain shoot up her leg, and she let out a scream as she rolled about two or three times in the snow. When she finally came to a stop, she took a second to collect her thoughts, feeling the sharp pain in her shin as she let out a moan of pain. Jodie calmed herself, and grabbed her pistol.. She raised it right as the strange man rushed at her. She gritted her teeth, before firing the pistol repeatedly until it beeped from the overheating indicator. When she looked up, she saw the man in front of her on his knees, having come to a stop just in front of her. Blood leaked out of several places in his torso, and his eyes were wide in shock. And then, he fell over, Jodie breathing in and out as her gun stopped beeping from the overheating indication. She then stood up on shaky feet, looking down at the body in front of her. Jodie brandished the pistol, firing another shot into the back of the person's head. She still exhaled, before turning back. She saw a shower of sparks emanate from behind one of the snow banks over there, and right as another armored person leapt over that same snow bank, he was gunned down where he was. Jodie felt the adrenalin fade away, the pain taking over. She stumbled over the dead man, looking at the hilt inside his hand. She then knelt down, prying his dead hand open and pulling the hilt away. "Are you all right?" Jodie turned, seeing Kalo standing over her. Sura stumbled out with Ashley's help, and they both gathered in front of Jodie as Legion followed suit. "Who the hell was that?" Jodie asked, pointing at the dead man beside her. "And who the hell were those two-agh!" She had taken a step forward, but cringed as she felt the pain in her leg flare up. She leaned forward, Kalo catching her as Jodie winced in pain. "Jodie, are you...?" Kalo leaned forward. "Are you hurt?" "I think I broke something, yeah," Jodie replied, feeling at her wound. "Dammit, broke a leg." "And got slashed up," Ashley said as she approached. "You'll need to get that looked at." "Aiden did what he could," Jodie replied. "I just hope Valentine set up medical equipment somewhere..." Sura chuckled. "Make that two of us," she said. "No joke, I feel like I was just hit with a C-SEC cruiser." "It certainly looked like it," said Ashley. She then shook her head, sighing as she looked at everyone else. "Well, I think that was first contact with Shepard's people." Jodie nodded. "Dammit, I should've considered they would investigate this place," she said. "Don't worry about it now," said Ashley. "At least now we know what they're capable of. Holy shit, they're a tough enemy." Jodie nodded. "I guess that's true, but at the same time..." She shook her head, lifting the sword's hilt. "At least we have something to show for it." "And that's a lot more than I thought we'd get," said Ashley. "She chuckled. "At least something good came of-" "Alert: more life signs inbound." Jodie grit her teeth. "Shit," she said. She then looked to the others. "We got at least something of what we came for. And if we wait any longer, we'll be dead meat before we can look at it." "Couldn't agree more," said Sura. "Let us return to the shuttle," said Kalo as he hooked one of his arms behind Jodie's shuttle. "Yeah," said Jodie as she and Kalo began to move. "Come on! Let's move!"
Valentine looked down at Alchera nervously, maneuvering the ship as Kasumi worked beside him. "How much closer are you to taking down that comm block?" asked Valentine. "I'm almost there," Kasumi replied, still hunched over. "Honest!" She turned, her fingers working faster than ever. "Just give me one more second... one more-" And then, Kasumi's omni-tool beeped. "Got it!" she said. "Come on, get it out now!" Valentine immediately opened his comms, finding them clear. He bit his tongue, fighting down the instinct to shout Jodie's name. "Pilot to ground team!" he finally said. "Pilot to ground team, do you-?" An indication immediately came up, and it was only as Valentine read the indication that he realized that a familiar hum in the background had completely died away. Valentine froze as he saw that the indication stated his worst fear: power had been cut to the thrusters. Thinking he must have misplaced a finger, he looked down at the holographic panel: however, his fingers were positioned nowhere near that button. He then flitted over to the button, pressing it again to turn it on. The indication remained, and the hum did not return. "You were saying?" Valentine turned to the comms indication, his sunglasses nearly flying off his face. This new voice was not a voice belonging to anyone he knew: it was a deep male voice, with a slightly electronically processed edge to it. The voice was at once unsettling, both for its presence and for just how creepy it sounded. "What...?" He then flitted his hands across the controls, finding that nothing on the panel was responding to his touch. The mysterious voice chuckled. "Oh, sorry, you wanted control of your ship back?" it asked. "I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Valentine then watched as the panel disappeared, a single synthetic projection appearing before him. The projection was of a male body with a bald head, the body simply standing as if he were leaning against the window. The eyes shown with unnatural brightness, and Valentine could just feel them bear into him. The pilot leaned back, Kasumi gasping insurprise. "What the hell is this?" asked Valentine. "Who are you?" "Someone keeping you from poking your head in matters you have no business investigating," the voice replied. "You shouldn't have come to this place." "On who's authority?" asked Valentine. "The Supreme Commander's," the voice replied. "I have taken over this ship. Do not resist." Kasumi leaned forward. "You're... you're an AI..." she said. The projection shook its head. "Such an archaic term," it said. "I prefer 'electronic entity'. It implies I have more life." "Yeah, well, you're just a collection of code!" said Kasumi as she opened her omni-tool. "And code can be combatted!" "You may attempt this at will," said the AI. "However, can you do it before my ship docks with yours forcibly?" And then, right in front of them on the viewport, a ship suddenly materialized as if out of thin air. Kasumi and Valentine let out a gasp at this sight, Valentine needing to blink to make sure he was not seeing things. The ship in front of them was of a design unknown to Valentine, though it looked rather similar to what he imagined an old Cold War submarine to be if it had been shortened in length and given wings capable of actual space flight. It was also very close to the Lying Bastard, and it lurched towards them at an alarming speed. "Holy shit..." Valentine replied. Kasumi then looked back at the entity. "So defeat you before that ship docks with us, huh?" she asked. "You will not be successful," the entity replied matter-of-factly. At this, Kasumi flashed a cocky grin at the program, before she tapped once on her omni-tool. "Challenge accepted." She then opened her omni-tool, her fingers making rapid, calculated movements. She then turned to Valentine. "If I fail, get ready to buy me some time," she said. "All I need is to buy us time to get back in here." Valentine blinked, before nodding and grabbing the pistol from under the panel. "Uh, yeah," said Valentine. "You handle SHODAN, I'll stop the real guys. Right." With this, he rushed out of the cockpit. As the cockpit door closed behind him, a thought occurred to him. He then opened the door to the rec room, looking outside and taking a better look at the ship to see where the airlock was. He then opened his omni-tool, looking through his omni-tool contacts and hoping Jodie was available there. As she saw the ship swerve over theirs, Chris tapped Jodie's icon, running out of the rec room and smashing his hand against the door control to the lab. There, he kept an eye on the ship, seeing the airlock on the left side of the ship relative to where he stood. So they'll come in either from here, or from the hangar... He then rushed towards the equipment lockers, seeing as the omni-tool beeped while trying to establish the call with Jodie. C'mon, Jodie... And right as Valentine had grabbed his helmet and pulled it on, he heard his comm link come to life. "Pilot?" Jodie's voice filtered through. Valentine released a heavy sigh of relief. "There you are," he said. "Thank God. You need to get up here right now!" "So they're attacking you too, huh?"
"Too?" Jodie breathed in as they braved the cold of Alchera as quickly as they could. "Yeah," said Jodie. "They attacked us down here." "Shit." Valentine's voice lowered, and Jodie thought she heard a little spittle at the end. "You have to get back up here right now, then. We're in trouble. Some AI has taken over our ship, I won't be able to pilot it until it's out. K... Uh... Mist is doing what she can, but they'll be boarding soon." Jodie glanced at Legion, before she kept on moving forward. "We'll be there as soon as we can," she said. "Just hang tight and hold the fort. We'll have a better chance to keep our ship once I get close." "Close?" Valentine asked. "Don't you mean in the ship?" Jodie shook her head. "Just close," she said. "Hang tight, we'll be right there!" And with this, she closed the call, grunting as Kalo helped pull her along. She then set her eyes on the shuttle, seeing that it was just over the embankment. She gritted her teeth, looking at Ashley as she supported Sura. Legion's flashlight head paused, surveying the landscape as the geth platform moved ahead. Jodie noted that there was no cover to be seen anywhere near them. It then turned to Jodie, bowing its head. "Alert: hostiles approaching," Legion said. Jodie growled. "Fuck..." she said. Ashley frowned, before rushing over to Legion. She then handed the asari off to Legion, looking at the geth reproachfully. "Keep her safe," she said. "What?" Sura asked. "What the hell are you-?" "We have to start up the sequence," said Ashley. "We won't be able to do anything until that's done!" She then turned around, making a break for the shuttle. "Cover me!" And with this, Ashley turned, running towards the shuttle. As soon as she did this, Legion turned, Jodie watching as a pair of three heads appeared from the snow banks beyond. "Alert: hostiles are in the area," the geth droned on. "Yeah, yeah, we get the deal," said Sura, grabbing her pistol and aiming. "Jodie, get closer!" Jodie nodded, cringing as Kalo moved forward with her. She then looked up, seeing the first head of the group appear. Sura shot at the first of these people, but her bullets ricocheted off this person's shields rather quickly. The first of the other units drew out one of his other sword-like things. Jodie frowned. "Aiden, don't let him get close!" And right on cue, the sword shorted out. The first man in the group paused, but before Jodie could take any stock the other two rushed out from behind the embankment. Jodie growled, raising her pistol at the first of them. She fired off at that body, watching as he fired away. The other guy managed to get off a shot before showers of sparks exploded from his eyes. Jodie gasped in shock, jumping back as she looked at Legion. The geth simply stood, lowering its omni-tool before grabbing its own pistol. It then shot at the other man, the helmet exploding in gore. Jodie turned back just in time to see that the man in front growl, before discarding his hilt and just running straight for them. She took in a deep breath at noticing that he seemed to run as if the snow were not an impediment, but before she could note anything else he grunted out in surprise as he was knocked back by an invisible force. This gave Jodie enough time to concentrate, firing a few rounds into the man in front. She shot at the man that Legion's overload had affected, and as soon as he went down the party began to shuffle straight towards the shuttle. Jodie noticed that Ashley was already in the shuttle, the shuttle powering on. Jodie frowned, looking ahead as they trudged on. "Hostiles from behind," said Legion. Jodie immediately turned, grabbing her pistol and raising it. She fired off a few shots at the foremost unit, but before anyone could get anything meaningful in the first unit was upon them. He swiped an arm out at Legion and Sura, knocking both of them a distance that Jodie could not have thought possible from that particular arm motion. And right as Jodie turned back, she felt a hand circle around her neck. Almost immediately, she felt her oxygen get cut off, though the man looked as if he was not exherting any great amount of force. The man stared at her hatefully, screaming something at her in gibberish. Jodie only clawed at the hand strangling her, unable to break its grasp on her. She looked up, glancing at the sky above. Aiden! she thought. Aiden, can't you-? And then, the man screamed in pain, stumbling to the side with a knife embedded in his torso. Jodie then saw Kalo stumble into her view, the quarian looking at him defiantly. "You will not lay another hand on her, you bosh'tet!" he shouted. Jodie's eyes widened. "Kalo, no!" But the quarian rushed forward, ducking under the hand swing of the larger man. Jodie rushed forward, but before she could do anything she felt the pain flare up in her leg again. She let out a cry of pain, falling face-first into the snow as Aiden's familiar blue aura surrounded her. She heard the sounds of guns being fired, but she did not really feel any further wounds. She then looked up, seeing Kalo jump to the side of a kick from the other. As he dodged out of the way, Kalo managed to yank the knife out, the quarian rolling into a combat position. He glanced over at the men with the guns, before turning back to the large man he was fighting at the time. He stayed still, watching as the man growled and rushed for him. Kalo rolled past his punch, right as the other two opened fire. Some of the fire caught on the other man's shields, Kalo rolling to safety. Jodie pushed herself up with a groan, grabbing her pistol and aiming it. Come on... She then aimed at the larger man's head, watching as Kalo and the other man traded blows. A heated exchange occurred, Kalo managing to dodge or redirect most of the other man's blows. Though, Jodie also noticed that Kalo could not land a hit on the other man either. She cringed as the cold burned against her earlier wound from the sword. She then cringed, holding up her pistol. She got to watch right as the man had grabbed Kalo'Veera by the neck, slamming the quarian into the snow as Kalo released a cry of pain that was quickly cut off. Jodie then propped herself up, firing her gun at the man on Kalo. Her first shots hit against the man's shields, but after a few seconds, she saw this man's head explode in a shower of gore across Kalo's helmet. She did not wait to see the damage, turning away and firing frantically as she yelled at the other two. She did not even realize that Legion had already taken one of them out until her weapon beeped to signal that it had overheated. She then watched as the other one was taken out by assault rifle fire. Jodie breathed out in shock, before running over to the quarian. She placed her hands on his shoulders, looking down at him in worry. "Kalo!" she said. "Kalo! Tell me you're-" Kalo coughed. "I am all right, I am all right," the quarian said, coughing continuously as he sat up. He then looked at the dead man by his side. "Keelah, that man was strong." Jodie nodded. "I felt it too," she said. "Stronger than most..." They both paused, before looking back at the shuttle. "Shit! Come on!" "More hostiles incoming!" Legion shouted as it helped Sura to her feet. "We detect greater numbers incoming." Kalo pulled himself up, before pulling Jodie into a similar situation. "Come!" he shouted. "We are right there!" Jodie quickly picked up her pistol, turning at the advancing hostiles. She fired off a few shots at the nearest of the units, before she saw another trio rush towards the shuttle. Jodie let out a cry of shock, before she and Kalo both began to double time it. As they moved, gunshots fired all around them, Kalo ducking down as Aiden's blue aura surrounded them. They did not let the gunshots deter them, however, for Jodie could see the light emanating from the shuttle as they drew near. Before she knew it, Jodie was at the shuttle. Kalo gently pushed her in first, the quarian placing her behind cover as soon as she was inside. He then turned, hefting his assault rifle and taking aim behind Sura and Legion. He then fired above the heads of all the hostiles across the snowbank: it did not deter the ones rushing at the shuttle, but those that were shooting at them were forced to duck their heads. It gave Legion and Sura the time they needed to climb into the shuttle. And as soon as Legion and Sura were on, Jodie turned, sighing in relief at seeing Ashley at the pilot's seat. "Ashley, we're all in here!" shouted Jodie. "Close the doors!" And then, the shuttle doors slowly shut, Kalo firing suppressive fire even as he went on. Jodie began to breathe in relief, the doors closing right as Kalo fired the last of his shots through the narrowing aperture. Sura then slumped down on the seat, laying her head back as Legion stood impassively. "Come on, lift..." Ashley muttered. Kalo then turned, running over to Ashley. "I am here, allow me," said Kalo as his hands splayed right into the control panel. The quarian moved quickly, not bothering to take the seat even as Ashley vacated it. And then, the shuttle lifted off, Kalo turning it away from the hostiles. Jodie heard Aiden cheer at something she could not see, before the shuttle lurched forward with a burst of speed. Jodie cast one last look at the Normandy's remains out the side window, but she could only catch a brief glimpse as the shuttle moved further away. And after a while, the crash site became nothing but a small place, no larger than a child's model. She then let out a sigh of relief, placing her head against the wall. Sura and Ashley both sighed in relief, Kalo finally taking the shuttle pilot's seat. "Damn, that was close," said Ashley. Jodie nodded. "Yeah," she said. "That was close..." She then looked up, watching as the shuttle built up speed as it climbed up Alchera's atmosphere. "Now for the hard part."
Valentine kept his gaze trained on the window as he watched the airlock inch ever closer. He glanced one last time at the assault rifle he'd had time to grab out of Sura's equipment locker, taking a shaky breath in. "Fuck..." he whispered. "Come on, Kasumi, get it out of there!" He then turned his attention out to the sky around him, seeing the airlock door open. He watched as a trio of suited men appeared, all of them holding what appeared to be assault rifles. Valentine bit his lower lip, his frown a little more intense as he held his pistol at the ready. He then waited, watching as the others prepared to make their first move. And sure enough, they made that move; they moved by shooting at the windows. Valentine cringed, watching the glass crack. However, it did not give way; there was a spider web of cracks that splintered around it, though, which proved to be far more damage than Valentine knew was safe for that window. He then watched as the mass effect field went up around the window, the blue energy hopefully keeping the air in. At least that's still functional... he thought. Right as he thought this, however, he looked back just in time to see them fire again. The spiderweb suddenly broke, shards of glass flying absolutely everywhere. Valentine, stepped back a little bit as some of the shards made their way through the door. He cringed, breathing out as he looked at them. "Well, bring it on!" he shouted. He then raised his assault rifle, firing a burst. The first man inside turned, but the assault rifle soon broke through this man's shields, the man stumbling back from at least three shots to the torso. Valentine quickly turned, peppering the second one with assault fire rifle right as he leapt in the space between. His shields went down quickly as well, but the blowback from the shots knocked him back, his body hitting the edge of the airlock. As he floated away beneath the ship, Valentine watched the third man successfully grapple onto the edge of the window. Valentine let out a cry as he rushed forward, pulling his assault rifle back. He then brought it down over the edge of the window, smashing it against the helmet of the man grabbing on to the window's edge. He brought it down at least two more times, before he heard a crash of glass from beneath the window. Valentine dared not to look down: he immediately pulled back, grabbing the pistol with one hand and extending his arm over the window's edge. He fired his pistol a few times at point blank range, and before long the third intruder was seen floating away from the craft very slowly. Valentine did not wait: he immediately switched to his assault rifle just in time to see the airlock open again. He immediately opened fire, dropping the first man of the new three-person boarding team he saw, before immediately turning his attention and shooting at the second one as well. As this second one floated away, however, Valentine noticed that the third man took a different approach, instead leaping as if to make a dive. The pilot immediately brought the assault rifle back, smashing the butt of the rifle against this being's helmet. He then fired, the body floating away as quickly as it had come. He then turned to the airlock, seeing that it had closed. He nodded, taking the opportunity to look around. He then slowly moved back, taking cover behind the armaments lockers. He breathed in, anxiously waiting for what else this ship would throw at him next. Kasumi... he thought. Kasumi, get him out of there... And then, the airlock door opened. In there was a single man, but Valentine noticed that he was much less heavily armored than anyone else there. It seemed this man was made more for close combat situations than long-distance ones, for he wore simple clothing that seemed designed not to let it get in the way of anything. Valentine briefly wondered how this person was protected against the lack of pressure in a vacuum, but he did not have time to ponder. Valentine rose his assault rifle, the rounds bouncing off of its shields. However, this hostile proceeded to jump right for the nearby opening, gliding straight through the window and rolling into the room as if it was nobody's business. Valentine was caught off guard, and this momentary surprise was enough for this hostile to rush up to Valentine. The pilot barely moved his head to the side in time to dodge a palm strike, Valentine taking a step back and bringing the butt of his assault rifle forward. It was only as Valentine got a good look at the other man's oxygen mask that he realized the assault rifle had been caught. The hostile planted his foot on Valentine's chest, kicking hard as soon as he had a good grip on the assault rifle. Valentine slammed against the door to the rec room, but he managed to brace his arms against the door just in time to push away from the hostile's subsequent rush at him with the butt of the assault rifle. Valentine then whirled around, aiming an elbow strike at the hostile's head: however, this was deflected by that hostile, and before Valentine could gather his bearings he felt his feet get kicked out from under him. Valentine fell to the floor with a grunt, managing to bring his leg up to kick the intruder away just as the intruder managed to aim the assault rifle. The rifle clattered off to the side, Valentine pushing himself to the floor as his opponent stumbled back. Valentine wasted no time, getting into a fighting stance and watching as the opponent rolled back. Instead of charging, he stood there, getting ready to act defensively. He then watched as the other opponent rushed at Valentine, the pilot bringing his knee up while expecting an elbow to the chest. However, the other man feinted, and Valentine's face met the wall as he felt himself get punched pretty hard in the cheek. He grunted, but before he could react the hostile went for a punch to the gut. Valentine needed only push his already-raised leg against the wall, though, before it stopped the blow in its tracks. Valentine then smirked, before bringing his head forward and headbutting his opponent. He felt himself connect with bone and not the hard surface of a helmet, and he felt relieved that he did not as they both stumbled away from each other. The pilot placed a hand against the wall, bracing himself against it as he watched his opponent get his bearings very quickly. The pilot breathed in, growling in annoyance as soon as he saw that his sunglasses were in shattered pieces right at the door of the lab. Come on, Jodie... he thought. Any minute now...
Kalo looked up as the shuttle broke Alchera's atmosphere. "And we are through," he said. Ashley sighed in relief. "Good," she said. "Now all we have to do is make sure we get back to the ship before their shuttles can come for us." Jodie shook her head. "No," she said. Sura and Ashley turned to her. "No?" asked Ashley. Jodie nodded, before turning to Legion. "I told you earlier that the reason I found out about Shepard's real identity was confidential, right?" she asked. "Affirmative," said Legion. "Does Holmes-Anomaly wish to amend this statement?" "In a bit," she said, turning her attention back to the viewport. She then searched for the ship. "Now where the hell is-" "There she is!" Kalo turned forwards, the group getting a look at the Lying Bastard. However, they also saw another, larger ship standing right next to it. Jodie felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the ship, the design reminding her a little too much of old submarines. However, she pushed that thought to the back of her head: the only submarine she had ever been in was a newer submarine, and for that she was immensely thankful. Jodie leaned forward. "Get us close to that larger ship's cockpit," she said. "I've got an idea." "Close to its cockpit?" Sura asked. "Are you insane?" "It's the best I can do to get Aiden close," said Jodie. "Trust me." Kalo nodded, the shuttle curving towards the other ship. "All right," he said. He then moved his hand forward, the shuttle moving faster to the larger ship. Before long, Jodie nodded, clenching and unclenching her hands into fists. As she did, she saw that the larger ship was parked right next to the Lying Bastard. Damn, she thought. This is going to complicate it... She then looked up. But you've got it, right? Aiden chirped in affirmation. And as he did this, she turned her attention back as Kalo drove the shuttle right up to the cockpit. Jodie nodded, right as Kalo leveled out with the front of the other cockpit. "All right, Kalo, I need you to keep pace with the ship until I tell you to break off," she said. "You also need to stay as close as you can. We might have to stay with it a bit, but if it all works out we won't be with it for long." The quarian nodded, frowning at Jodie. "The ship's captain will not move this ship if we ask him," said Kalo. Jodie smiled. "It's not a matter of asking," she said. She then looked up. "You ready, Aiden?" The entity gurgled excitedly. Jodie nodded, cracking a very small smile. "Then do your worst."
Aiden clicked in approval, before swimming around in the air around Jodie. The entity was more than happy to get a chance to do some real damage to things: not since Feros had he gotten the opportunity to affect the environment, and the entity was definitely feeling the pressure. But there it was: an opportunity to affect things. Aiden sank through the floor, floating through the vacuum of space without a thought in the world. He took note of the lack of distance between the shuttle and the ship, before sinking in through the ship's hull. Once inside, he saw something that stirred a few memories within him: the sight of all sorts of people running around in suits. Aiden gurgled in surprise as he looked at all of them: most looked very human, but some of the moving bodies gave off very different auras. Aiden gurgled, before examining some of those moving bodies in greater detail. The entity was greatly surprised by the color of the aura surrounding some of them, as some of them seemed more akin to what he would see around an electronic panel. He released a series of clicks, before turning over to the cockpit. The pilot was, thankfully, surrounded by a living aura. Aiden checked the surroundings, noticing that the cockpit itself was separated from the rest of it by about four steps that led to the upper deck. Aiden checked the deck again, seeing that it was a command center not unlike the one on the Normandy. There was also a door control leading to the cockpit, and Aiden could see the wiring around the door. The entity gurgled again, before turning his attention back to the pilot. The pilot sat there, and Aiden took a second to see the controls. The holograms looked similar to what he had seen Valentine manipulate earlier, and off in the side, he saw a compartment that looked like it could hold a small firearm. Aiden then zoomed away, surveying the scene just beyond the door. The nearest others were a few feet away from the cockpit, most of them standing there looking over comms. The commander of the ship stood on the far end, relaying orders to others. Aiden simply watched them work for a few seconds, familiarizing patterns. It was then that Aiden nodded, turning towards the pilot. The entity then girgled, before lining up to the back of the pilot's head. He steeled himself, feeling the familiar rush of air around him as he narrowed himself. And then, Aiden darted forward. His host's head jolted forward a little bit, but before long Aiden had pulled back, the host looking around and giving Aiden a view of what was around him. Aiden took a second to familiarize himself with the body he now possessed. It was organic, male, and felt very much like a human's body. Aiden sighed in relief, flexing his fingers to test this body. He then glanced behind him at the door, before turning to the panel. He could not read exactly what the panel said, but he guessed that the door was controlled manually. Thus, Aiden stood up, walking to the door. He tapped the panel by the door's side, the door closing quickly and locking in front of him. He then turned back to the pilot's seat, sitting in the chair. Aiden then brought his host's hand forward, Aiden quickly getting a feel for the holographic panel under this host's fingers. As soon as he had a handle on that, the entity moved quickly: his left hand pushed forward on what he assumed was the thruster control, turning that up to its maximum setting. He paused, only moving again when he felt forward motion coming from behind him. As soon as he felt this, the entity smashed the compartment by his leg open, and he reached in and grabbed the pistol within as quickly as he could. The entity then put the pistol to his host's head, and quickly pulled the trigger. And then, Aiden was back in the air, looking at the pilot as his body slumped in the chair. The entity wasted no time: he rushed for the door, entering the door's controls and cutting the power to it. He then moved to the panel, diving into its circuitry and seeing the array of carefully-arranged wires. He slashed at the wiring, the panel sparking and fading out of power above the entity as he worked. He then rushed out of the panel. As he did all this, the clamor outside the cockpit grew: Aiden heard technicians outside, working to get power to the door to open it. In response, the entity slammed himself against the door, creating a visible dent close to the slot the door would retreat into. As soon as this was done, the entity flew back up out of the other ship, emitting a triumphant trill at Jodie.
And then, Jodie turned to Kalo. "He did it!" she said. "Break off, now!" The quarian pulled the shuttle hard to the right, the group watching as the enemy ship drove away from the Lying Bastard. The ship quickly gained distance from the Lying Bastard, all of the others watching in surprise. Ashley then turned to Jodie. "What the hell did he do down there?" she asked. "Distracted them," Jodie replied. She then looked as Kalo moved towards the Lying Bastard. "That should buy us enough time to get out of here." She then looked over at Kalo. "Hail Valentine, we're coming home."
Kasumi gritted her teeth, the thief looking right at the hologram. "Heh, you're good," Kasumi replied, her fingers flying across her omni-tool. "I'll give you that much." "And why are you saying that?" asked the AI. "Well, I wouldn't be a very good honorable thief if I did," Kasumi shot back. She then slid her finger across, grunting in anger as she clenched her fist. "Dammit, another firewall." "You may attempt to take down another firewall," the AI replied. "You cannot break my hold on-" And then, Kasumi heard static from the panel. The hologram's eyes bulged out, and then it looked around. "What...?" it said. "Why is the connection...? It's weakening!" Kasumi then turned to look outside, seeing the other ship was on its way away from the Lying Bastard. She then blinked, looking at the ship before Kasumi grinned. "Connection is weaker?" Kasumi asked. Her hands resumed their dance across her omni-tool, but this time she was not down to removing firewals. "Well, this just got interesting. So you have a physical host, after all." The AI looked around. "This was not part of the plan!" it said. "No plan survives first contact with the enemy," Kasumi replied as she scoured her omni-tool for various wireless connections. "And here..." She then smirked, her hand hovering over her omni-tool as soon as she found the one connection she could not identify. "Here's where your plan fails." And with this, she slammed her finger down. The holographic projection phased out, Kasumi smiling as the Lying Bastard's controls blinked back into existence. Kasumi, however, turned her attention right back to her omni-tool. "Better make sure it didn't leave any traces," she said to herself. "Don't want any copies of it in there..." She quickly checked the cache data, finding a few errant pieces of data scattered here and there. As soon as she deleted them, though, she then smiled, before turning to the door to the rest of the Lying Bastard and opening it. "Hey, I managed to-" And then, Kasumi let out a gasp of surprise, stepping right out of the way as Valentine was bodily thrust into the pilot's chamber. As his back hit the base of the pilot's seat, he looked up, groaning in pain. The assailant rushed forward, looking right at Valentine. Without thinking, the thief quickly turned something on her omni-tool. She heard the slight whir of an electrical charge, the thief paying it no mind. And then, as soon as the intruder broke the threshhold, Kasumi punched forward with her omni-tool arm, catching the opponent in the stomach. This opponent let out a loud gasp, but anything else was suddenly cut off as an electrical discharge entered his body. He then slumped onto Kasumi, the thief redirecting his fall. And then, the opponent fell to the ground, stock still and unmoving. Valentine groggily rubbed his head, before Kasumi went in and delivered another electrically charged punch. As soon as she was assured that he was out cold, she knelt down, looking at Valentine as he opened his eyes. "You okay there?" Kasumi asked. Valentine nodded, Kasumi noticing that his eyes were a little duller than most others' eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Little banged up, but I'll live." He then looked at the panel. "You got the controls back." "Turns out he was operating off of a host that was broadcasting a connection," Kasumi replied. Valentine frowned. "That's odd," he said. "That thing normally can't receive any kind of broadcasted signal." Kasumi shrugged. "I don't know how it happened, but we can't worry about the details now," she said. "We need to worry about Jodie." "Valentine, are you there? Answer us!" The two of them looked up at the Lying Bastard's control panel. Valentine quickly pulled himself into his seat at that point, the pilot opening the comm line and looking up. "We're here," he said. "Did you manage to get back up here?" "And we managed to get the whole ship distracted, too," said Jodie. "We're on our way now. Get the shuttle bay ready for us; as soon as we're in, we're getting out of here!" Valentine nodded, his hands flying across the holographic panel to grant the shuttle access to the bay. "Gotcha," he said. "You're clear to get in now." He then looked over at the unconscious intruder. "Kasumi, tie him up."He then turned in. "As soon as you're in, we head for-" And then, Valentine paled as another ship similar to the one they just evaded appeared. It moved forward menacingly, and from the distance Valentine could see at least two other ships suddenly materialize from thin air. His blood ran cold. The pilot suddenly turned, moving around the control panel again. "Shit!" he shouted. "Get into the bay, now!" "We're already docking!" said Kalo. "Go!" Valentine let out a yell, the ship immediately backing up. He thought he could hear a bang from somewhere below, but he paid it no mind as he frantically turned the ship around. The ship then curved around in an arc, brushing closer to the front-most ship than he would have liked, before he then put the thrusters to maximum speed, pulling away as quickly as he could. "You think you can bang us harder against the ship?" Sura immediately asked. "I don't think you caused a big enough dent down-" "More ships appeared!" Valentine shouted. "I'll explain later! Just trust me!" He heard something click through the comm unit. "At any rate, we're docked," said Jodie. "Get us out of here!" Valentine nodded, his hand hitting another button on the panel. He then quickly maneuvered the ship in a prime position to get to the Omega Nebula, before breathing in to calm his nerves. He then noticed one last panel, the one that controlled the emergency shutters: he noticed that it had been turned away from its default setting. Valentine grumbled, before touching that panel and changing the setting to deploy automatically. "Figures," he said, shaking his head. "Entering FTL," he said. "FTL jump in three... two... one..." And then, the sky around Valentine's ship shifted dramatically. The blue aura of an FTL jump was all he could see outside of the window. He breathed out, though his heart still raced. He shook his head, looking at the panel in front of him. He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced back to see Jodie enter the cockpit. "What do you mean, appeared?" "Their ships just materialized from nowhere," said Valentine. "I don't know how the hell it's possible, but they had something years beyond our technology, and they could turn their ships invisible to the eye, not just to my sensors." He shook his head. "And then some AI took over our systems. That's the short version." He then shook his head. "We're going to have to gun for the mass relay." "They won't want to attract attention to themselves, will they?" Jodie asked. "They'll just cloak again," Valentine asked. "I'm going to the mass relay. At least if we make the jump there, we can lose them for sure." He shook his head. "They were frigate class ships, Jodie. If we try to outsmart them within this system, they'll catch us." Jodie nodded. "All right," she said. "Let's just hope we can get out of here before they catch us." Aiden clicked his agreement. With this, Jodie breathed out, looking at Valentine worriedly as they cruised along in FTL.
The way to the mass relay looked rather clear as they jumped out of FTL. Omega was also visible off to the side, which was a relief since there was another visual reference in the system. Jodie sighed, clenching her fists nervously as Aiden chirped. "Yeah, Aiden, look for anything you can use to detect them," she said. Aiden gurgled. Jodie breathed out, looking ahead as she tapped her fingers against the bulkhead. She then glanced at the door to the cockpit. "Oh, Valentine?" she asked. "Yeah?" asked the pilot. "We might've picked up a... guest on the way here," she said. "Well, we have a prisoner now," said Valentine. "I don't see why that'll be a-" And then, the door to the cockpit opened, Legion walking in. "Holmes-Anomaly, we wish to pose a query." Valentine turned sharply, nearly standing up in shock at seeing Legion there. "What the fuck is that thing doing here?" he asked. The geth turned, its headflaps moving as the geth examined him. "Valentine-Pilot," it said. "There is no cause for alarm." "Like hell there is!" said Valentine. He turned to Jodie, his eyes shining in rage. "You brought a geth on board? Are you serious?" Jodie frowned. "I did," she said. "It has intel we could use against this galaxy." "And you don't think it'll-" "This unit would like to remind Holmes-Anomaly and Valentine-Pilot that we are currently being pursued by unidentified vessels," Legion replied. "This topic can be argued later." Valentine glared at Jodie, before sitting back down in his seat. "Fine," he said. "But this isn't over." He then looked ahead, shaking his head. "I just hope we don't regret this." Aiden immediately trilled loudly. "Valentine, look out, there's one straight ahead of us!" Jodie shouted. The pilot jumped up, before his right hand dived down and manipulated a holographic lever. The craft lurched forward, Jodie looking up as she saw Omega distort in front of her eyes before she found herself looking directly downwards from where they had been a second ago. She had no time to process this, however, for then she heard an awful grinding noise from above. The ship shook, Jodie grabbing onto the bulkhead to keep herself from falling to the ground. Valentine let out a cry, and then after a second or so the shaking stopped, the ship suddenly launching forward. Jodie was thown back, Legion slamming against the door of the cockpit. "Holy hell..." said Valentine. "That was too close..." He then opened some damage indicators. "Looks like the hull got damaged, but it's nothing too problematic." "Good," said Jodie as Aiden trilled again. "Because we've got another one beneath us!" "What?" Valentine pulled back, Jodie feeling her feet sink into the floor as Valentine pulled back. The craft levelled out, and Jodie could faintly make out that something had appeared where nothing was there before. Valentine then banked hard to the right, Jodie feeling the effects act on the artificial gravity as she was pushed up to the bulkhead on that side. "You think you could be a little less rough?" Jodie asked. "Well, I'm sorry I'm used to having ten thousand fewer pounds to drive around!" Valentine snapped back. He then banked to the left, the craft evening out immediately. "Hang on tight," he continued. "They've got speed, but what we lack with that we make up for in maneuverability. Let's just stay far enough away that they don't get to take over the controls again." He then yanked back on the lever, the craft lurching upwards at a quick trajectory. Jodie let out a loud cry as the craft suddenly seemed to shift around, Jodie feeling the gravity get especially tense on her side as the stars in the view port moved in strange ways. She briefly thought she saw the mass relay appear on the left side of the viewport, but it dipped down and moved through the center before Jodie found it on the other side. She breathed in, but before she could say anything else, she heard a loud beep from Valentine's panel. "So they finally decided to use the torpedoes, huh?" Valentine asked. He then tapped a few buttons, his other hand immediately pulling to turn the ship. Jodie let out a cry as gravity seemed to lessen a little on her side, the whole universe seeming to flip upside-down again. This motion repeated, and this time Jodie felt some vertical motion as well. It was then that Jodie saw a couple of torpedoes shoot right past the Lying Bastard, Jodie letting out a cry as soon as they passed. "We do not have defensive measures?" asked Legion. "Well, I wasn't expecting to get into a firefight!" Valentine replied. "Nobody was!" He then banked hard to the left, before going around. "We're going to have to go at the mass relay at a long curve. Hang on!" Jodie let out a cry as the ship suddenly did a barrel roll, and she saw a few more torpedoes. Valentine then banked to the right, the Lying Bastard moving in that direction. It was then that Aiden trilled loudly. "Careful!" Jodie shouted to Valentine. "Invisible ship, straight ahead!" Valentine course corrected as soon as he did this, the ship tilting downwards. Jodie gripped the bulkhead until her knuckles turned white, Aiden letting out a trill of merriment as the ship plunged down. Jodie saw some of the stars get distorted in front of her, but thankfully they felt no scratching against the hull this time. After some time had passed, Valentine pulled the ship back up, Jodie looking over as one of the ships started to head towards the mass relay. Valentine frowned in concentration. He then touched a few buttons, before exhaling. "All right, this'll be a close approach," he said. "Closer than I'd like, really: if they have another one of those things at the ready, we'll need to hope for the best." "Let's hope so," said Jodie. "We either have to hope for that, or that we don't get blown out of the sky..." "That won't be a problem," Valentine replied. "Just leave it to the pro." Jodie breathed in, and then she saw as the ship closest to the relay turned. She saw a couple streaks of light appear from the other ship, and as they grew brighter Valentine held steady. It was just as they were on top of them that Valentine dipped down quickly: the torpedoes passed harmlessly overhead, though Jodie did feel her feet sink into the ground. Valentine then watched as the other ship moved right next to the mass relay, as if in position to prepare. Valentine growled, increasing power to the thrusters. "Hang on..." he said. "This is going to be close!" "Alert: collision likely at this speed," Legion said. "This unit advises-" "We're never going to get out of here if we try to pull back and do it again!" shouted Valentine as the space between the relay and the enemy frigate lessened. "Let's do this!" Jodie grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Aiden! she mentally screamed. And then, a blue aura surrounded the Lying Bastard. Jodie opened her eyes to the whole thing, her heart beating harder against her chest as they neared the relay. Valentine was not deterred; he simply leaned forward, his eyes squinted in concentration. He quickly rushed towards the diminishing space between the other ship and the mass relay. He let out a yell as they approached, the ship hurtling towards the mass relay. Jodie saw the frigate get close to the top of the Lying Bastard; however, she then looked down, and saw the signature lighting arc from the mass relay to the Lying Bastard. Right as this lightning struck, the ship rushed straight through the narrowing hole between the relay and the ship. And then, the ship was launched through the familiar blue tunnel of the relay jump. Three seconds later, the Lying Bastard was deposited in a new system, the vital signs of the ship reading that no damage had been incurred before the relay jump. There were no other ships surrounding them, and in the four-second silence that followed, no other ships appeared around them. Valentine breathed in and out, before a crooked smile played on his lips. He patted the bulkhead softly. "That's my girl," he said. Jodie chuckled, slowly pushing herself up from the ground. She winced in pain as the throbbing in her leg resumed, but she grinned all the same. "We made it," she said breathlessly. "Holy shit!" "That was too close," said Valentine. "Any closer, and I would've had to start making Luke Skywalker jokes." "Wasn't it Han Solo the one who did all the death-defying navigation feats?" Jodie replied. "Well, he didn't have to use the Force to his advantage..." said Valentine. "True..." Jodie said. She then shook her head, her smile fading. "Dammit, I should've expected his galaxy would be scouring those grounds..." "Hey, on the plus side, we got to test some of their battle abilities out," said Valentine. "Seeing what they did to try to get us, I have the feeling that will be very useful if they ever attack." He then shrugged. "And hey, the fact that they went all out trying to keep us from getting away really says something about how they want to approach this galaxy." "True..." said Jodie. "It's confirmation if nothing else..." Valentine nodded, before tapping a few more buttons. "We're mostly out of the woods now, but I'm going to go do a couple more relay jumps and then find a habitable planet to touch down on," he said. "We'll have to make a few repairs, and we'll need to hide from them too. They'll be after us once they figure out what routes we've taken; if I jump a couple more times, it'll give us more time to find a place to hide and be out before they can trace our footsteps." Jodie nodded. "That makes sense," she said. She then looked at Legion, nodding at it before walking to the door. She then looked down at the cut down her torso, sighing as she surveyed the damage that not even the medigel could cover. "For right now, though, I need to get to the lab. Some of us got injured." "The medical equipment is in the rec room," Valentine replied. Jodie nodded. "All right, to the rec room, then," she said. "Holmes-Anomaly, this unit still wishes to pose a query," said Legion. Valentine blinked, looking at the geth. "Oh." Valentine glared. "That thing is still here..." Jodie turned to the geth. "What is it, Legion?" she asked. "We have searched this ship," said Legion. "We have not found nails, and we have not found a cross." Valentine gave the geth a puzzled look. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" The geth then turned to Valentine. "Holmes-Anomaly told this unit that she would be 'crucified' when she returned with us," it said. "However, upon scanning this ship, we find that this ship lacks the resources to perform a crucifixion. Are you not going to crucify Holmes-Anomaly?" Jodie and Valentine blinked, both of them looking at him in confusion. Silence reigned in the cockpit as they both beheld the geth, the platform tilting its head. Finally, Jodie facepalmed. "Legion, once we've talked about everything we need to cross-reference with everyone else, you and I are going to talk about figurative language."
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Post by herrwozzeck on Mar 16, 2015 23:49:09 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Four Jodie sighed in relief as she stepped off of the berth. She rubbed the back of her neck, the pain having subsided substantially by that point.
She pulled a shirt over her torso, seeing that the medical equipment had done its job. Of course, it was not ideal, and Jodie knew the tissue would scar, but it was healed and cleaned of infection. And with the next few days, Jodie felt confident that she would be able to take it easy enough that she did not have to worry about opening the wound again. It also helped that Aiden was an active part of the healing process. "He sure helps people heal quick, huh?" Jodie nodded, turning to Sura as she sat on the couch by the make-shift berth. "Yeah, he does," Jodie said. She adjusted the shirt, shaking her head before looking at Sura. "He can even save people from mortal wounds." She paused. "He can't bring people back, though. My life would've been very different if he could." "I'll imagine," said Sura. She then crossed her arms. "Now that we've been attended to, though, we have a lot we need to talk about." "We do, don't we?" Jodie asked as she stepped off the berth. "Let's get to it, then." Sura nodded, and then the two of them exited the rec room. They walked down the hall over to the sleeping area, Jodie opening the door and seeing everyone else assembled in there. She sighed, seeing Valentine glaring at the geth while Kasumi glanced at it from time to time. Ashley simply paid it no mind, preferring to turn her gaze at Jodie. Jodie looked around, sighing in relief at the fact that they had all made it away from Alchera. She saw no trace of the captured alien, though. "Where's the other guy?" Jodie asked. "In the science lab," said Kasumi. She shrugged. "I bound him up with a few things." She then turned to Sura. "I may have raided your supplies to help... cuff him up." Sura sighed. "At least you actually put the damn things to use," she said. "Let's hope he doesn't know how to pick one of those things..." Kasumi smirked. "Oh, that won't be a problem," she replied. She then turned her attention to the geth unit. "This guy, on the other hand..." "Yeah, what about this guy?" asked Valentine. "I didn't sign up to work with a damn geth." "Neither did I," Jodie replied. "We have already agreed to Williams-Gunnery-Chief's terms," Legion stated. Valentine frowned. "What terms?" he asked. "Well, I told it down on Alchera that if it made any move to stab us in the back, I'd throw it out the airlock with a hole in its head," Ashley replied. Valentine glared at the geth. "I don't trust it to keep its word," he said. "This unit is presently outnumbered by a ratio of six to one," said Legion. "Assuming that everyone follows Williams-Gunnery-Chief's terms, this unit would stand no chance of survival. Any move to betray this ship would serve no purpose." "I bet he'll be singing a different tune if that other guy breaks free," said Valentine. "We believe Shepard-Supreme-Commander poses a threat to the existence of the geth," said Legion. "Compiling data from what we have gathered and from what Holmes-Anomaly has told us, an alliance with them would serve no purpose." "I say we at least give it the benefit of the doubt," said Kasumi as she leaned back. "I mean, it is right. We can very easily kill him if he becomes a liability." "I suppose that's true, but these guys just tried to take over the Citadel," Valentine replied. "The heretic geth," Legion corrected. Valentine stood up, glaring at the machine. "And the difference is...?" he asked. "The heretic geth look to the Old Machines for the future," Legion replied. "The true geth do not." "The Old Machines?" Jodie asked as she leaned forward. "You mean the Reapers," said Ashley. "Yes," Legion replied. "Huh." Jodie leaned back, rubbing her chin. "Didn't go with the Prothean name..." She then shook her head. "But I think we should give it a chance." Valentine and Sura both sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that," said Valentine as he rubbed the back of his head. He then pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his breast pocket, before running his hand through his hair. "Fine. So what've you got?" "This," said Legion, lifting its hand and opening its omni-tool. "We have showed this file to Holmes-Anomaly and others." Kasumi and Valentine's omni-tools beeped at the same time, and then they both opened their omni-tools. "A corrupted message?" asked Kasumi. "Huh." She then opened something else on her omni-tool. "I get the feeling we're going to want to know what it says. I'll get on trying to fix what I can." Legion nodded. "This platform will allow Goto-Thief to work," it said. It then turned to the others. "We may also be able to analyze the weapon Holmes-Anomaly picked up." Jodie looked at the hilt she had gotten from the man on Alchera. "This?" she asked. "Are you sure?" "This platform was built with the latest scanners," Legion replied. "Your ship lacks the resources to analyze this weapon." Jodie nodded. "I... Just as long as you don't use it to hurt anyone," Jodie said. "You know what happens if you do," Valentine added. Legion nodded. "We will exercise caution." Sura nodded, before standing up. "And then there's the matter of our prisoner," she said. She shrugged, looking at the others. "So where is he?" "He's in the other room," Kasumi said. "I slipped him some sedatives when Valentine was pulling us into the planet we're on now, he should be out for a little longer." "Good," said Sura. The others stood up, the cop looking at the thief. "Be careful not to find my personnel records when you're fixing that message." "You won't have to worry about a thing," Kasumi replied. She then nodded. "See to that prisoner you have." Jodie nodded, and then the group minus Kasumi exited the room. They then walked over to the lab room, Jodie entering and sighing at the shutters that were still erected. The artificial light was good enough for the room, though, and she could see very clearly everything that was laid out. It was thus that she saw a clear space in the corner of the room. There he sat, still done up in the armor that Valentine had fought him in. However, he was bound with his arms behind his back, and the group could plainly see that his feet were bound as well. Jodie frowned, thinking of at least two ways that he could escape if he were to get his hands out from behind his back; however, as it was the figure did not stir, and his head remained slumped forward. "Well, it's better than nothing," said Sura. "We need to find a better place to keep him bound, though, and we'll probably also need better bindings..." "We can probably rig something around here." Valentine conceded. "There isn't really a good place to keep him held up, honestly, but we can do our best by improvising. Let me get back to you on that." He then shook his head, leaning towards him and gently pulling his head back, his hand resting on the breathing apparatus. "Huh, turns out this is a breathing mask. Interesting." He nodded, yanking up on the mask. "Now let's see what-" And then, the whole group let out a gasp of surprise. Valentine himself even took a step back, dropping the mask on the floor as he did. Jodie leaned forward, looking at the new alien curiously. The man had a scaly face, one that looked like the scales on a salmon. He had three strange flaps of scales on the back of his head, and the nose seemed to be segmented into ridges. She found the mouth seemed to come directly under the nose, the mouth in a perpetual downward curve. She then leaned forward, seeing a couple of flaps on the side of his face: they looked similar to gills, but Jodie had the feeling they were not gills. She admired the creature's head for a second, before noticing that the gill-like flaps extended down to the sides of the alien's neck. She then stepped back, looking at the others. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" she asked. "No..." said Sura. She leaned forward, breathing in in shock. "Goddess... What I wouldn't give to take a DNA sample off of him." "DNA sample?" asked Kalo. "Yeah," said Valentine. "Dress a drell up in enough prosthetics, and you could get him to look like this. DNA is the only way to prove something like this." "Ah," said Kalo. "I suppose that is fair." He then leaned forward. "Keelah, I never thought I would be one of the first in this galaxy to see a new species this close before..." "Not technically new," said Jodie. "But this kind of first contact..." She took a shaky breath in. "I'm nervous." "Join the club," said Sura. "We will find answers," said Legion. "This possibility is inevitable." Jodie nodded. "I hope so," she said. She then nodded. "Well, I guess we wait for this guy to wake up. Until then, we look at everything else we managed to find." Legion turned to the table. "We will analyze this weapon," it said. "Others are welcome to stay if you want." "I think I'll stay, make sure it's not up to any funny business," Valentine said. "Ditto for me," Sura said. Jodie nodded, rubbing the back of her head. "I need to go get some fresh air," she said. "Valentine, the air outside is breathable, right?" "It wouldn't be a very habitable planet if it wasn't," Valentine replied. Jodie nodded. "I'll be outside, then," she said. "I need to go collect my thoughts." And with this, Jodie walked out of the lab. She paused for a moment as she left, but then shook her head before resuming her walk to the airlock.
Jodie jumped down onto the arid ground beneath them. She had placed a breathing apparatus on before leaving the ship, and stepping outside Jodie felt perhaps a little chilly. The rocks beneath her feet shifted as she took a couple of steps away from the Lying Bastard, but as Jodie walked a little further away she saw the terrain get rather jagged. It was certainly not mountainous, but as she walked off, she wondered how Valentine had managed to land the craft in the first place. She kept walking, climbing up a rock or two as necessary. She then sighed, sitting down on a rock, the rock somewhat elevated from the ground beneath her. She glanced back, seeing that the Lying Bastard was still within view, before turning her attention up to the sky. "Sanctum," she whispered. She chuckled dryly. "Some sanctum this is, right Aiden?" The entity clicked harshly, Jodie sighing as she looked back up at the sky. "Well, if nothing else, they won't suspect we're here," she said. "If Valentine's comments about piracy are any indication, they won't try to follow us here." Aiden gurgled uncertainly, but Jodie shrugged. "We'll be fine," Jodie reassured him. "I hope." And with this, she sighed, turning away from the Lying Bastard and looking up at the skies above. She looked at the clouds and the way they hovered above, darkening the area around her. She sighed, brushing some of her hair back. She tapped her feet against the rock she sat on, looking on for a long while. After a while, though, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, seeing Kalo approach as he began climbing up the rock to her level. "Jodie," said Kalo. Kalo could not see it, but Jodie smiled under the breathing apparatus. "Kalo," she said. "What're you doing out here?" "I needed to get away from the geth," he said. "It is so... odd, being around that thing. Especially when it calls you 'Creator'." He then sat next to Jodie, looking up. "Yeah, that is weird, isn't it?" she asked. She then sighed, looking over at the quarian. "It doesn't look like it wants to hurt anyone." "That is what troubles me," said Kalo. Jodie looked at Kalo. "I noticed you were silent when we were talking to Legion on the ship," she said. "Why? "I... Keelah, Jodie, I have so many doubts." He looked to the rocks surrounding them. "I know I have to give it a chance, but..." He shook his head, turning his gaze back to Jodie. "I still think you may have made a mistake. I worry that it will stab us in the back if given the opportunity." "I don't think it will," said Jodie. "It is constantly calculating for its own self-interest," said Kalo. "Do you not think at some point that it will find a time when betraying us is statistically in its favor?" He then turned away from Jodie. "It said it directly, Jodie. When will self-preservation put Shepard's forces over ours? When will it put its own survival over our own lives?" "I don't know," said Jodie. She then turned to Kalo. "But I trust that Legion will be up front with us. It's been up front with us so far." "I do not," said Kalo. He shook his head. "Dammit, Jodie, they forced my people off our homeworld. Billions were killed in that war. And if that thing is to be believed, it did it for self-preservation." He shook his head. "You cannot expect me to just forget that." He then turned to Jodie, the lights behind the mask a little dimmer than usual. "Do you not feel that you can be too trusting?" Jodie sighed. "Sometimes," she said. "But this is not one of those times, I think." "But you were taken advantage of once," said Kalo. "You told me that story yourself, Jodie. It seems strange to me that you would open yourself up to that again, especially with a geth!" Jodie paused, looking over at the quarian. She considered the question carefully, pulling one of her legs up and tapping her knees against it. She regarded Kalo with a soft expression, sighing as she glanced to the side. "People can surprise you," she said with a shrug. Kalo shook his head. "You are an enigma wrapped in contradictions," he stated. "How does one that puts so much trust in an individual become so paranoid of a group?" "I guess I just have better experiences with individuals," Jodie said. She looked to the side. "People can surprise you." She shrugged. "Give Legion a chance, Kalo. I won't ask you to forget what happened, but don't you think he at least deserves a chance?" The quarian paused, looking out to the rocky terrain of Sanctum. He sighed, shaking his head and looking up at the sky. "I hope your trust in this geth does not backfire on us," he replied. After a few seconds, he sighed. He then turned his gaze towards the ground, rubbing his arm. "If you will pardon my vernacular, this whole situation is very fucked up." Jodie chuckled. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear," she said. "It is a situation that warrants it," Kalo replied. "The admirals never prepared me for this." "Nobody could," said Jodie. She then gently patted Kalo on the shoulders. "Much like nobody prepared me to deal with people that masquerade as humans." Kalo nodded. "I suppose that is true," he said. He then sighed. They then sat in silence, Jodie's hand gently squeezing Kalo's shoulder. They both sat there in silence, gazing out at the landscape around them. Jodie scooted closer to Kalo, bumping up next to him. Kalo simply grunted, but other than that he made no other mention of Jodie's closeness. And then, Jodie's omni-tool beeped. Jodie blinked, taking her hand off of Kalo's shoulder and opening the omni-tool. She then shrugged, noticing that she had a call coming from Sura. She accepted the call. "Hey," said Jodie. "Anything change?" "Our guest is up," Sura said. "Just thought you'd want to know." Jodie nodded. "We'll be right there." she said. "We?" Sura asked. "I am out here," Kalo said, loud enough that it was caught by Sura. "Ah..." Jodie could imagine Sura's nod. "Well, the both of you should get over here. I think you definitely want to see this." And with this, the comm link closed. Jodie looked at Kalo, nodding. "Well, let's not keep them waiting," said Jodie. "Come on." They turned, gently getting off the rock and making their way back to the Lying Bastard. And as they did, Aiden let out a low whistle in curiosity.
Jodie and Kalo walked into the room, Jodie taking off her breathing mask as she stepped in. As Sura had said, their new alien friend was awake. He glared at Jodie as she entered, though Jodie kept her distance. The alien's eyes were rather strange: Jodie noted that the pupils were all-black in the present lighting, but she was able to see the whites of his eyes. The ridges above his eyes functioned like eyebrows, she noticed, and she found herself drawn into those eyes. Sura and Valentine stood close by, Valentine keeping his pistol aimed at the alien. Legion simply worked impassively on the nearby work bench, acting as if nobody else in the room was there. The strange alien scoffed, and then he simply remained silent. Jodie nodded, walking as close as she dared and kneeling in front of him. "So he woke up," she said. She then looked over at the alien. "How're you feeling?" The alien remained silent. He simply glared at Jodie, his gaze intent on her. Jodie nodded, standing up. "So he won't talk." "No," said Sura. The asari shrugged. "He's probably mad we took away his only option to keep him from talking for sure." "Sura found a poison pill between his teeth," said Valentine. Kalo leaned forward. "Poison?" the quarian asked. "Why would he put that in his mouth?" "Well, think about it," said Valentine. "You've been captured by the enemy, and the information you have is so sensitive that even your capture is a risk you can't afford." He shrugs. "There's a reason it's a favored tactic with black ops groups." Jodie nodded. "I've heard of that," she said. She shakes her head. "Do you think even if he did speak, we'd understand him?" "No," said Valentine. "He was speaking gibberish to me when we first fought. He wasn't really speaking." He paused, looking at us. "Though, I get the feeling he'd understand us." Jodie frowned. "Why?" "You remember that artificial intelligence I mentioned that took over the ship?" Valentine asked. Jodie nodded, and then her frown deepened. "It spoke English to you," she said. "Yep," Valentine replied. "So if that could talk to us in a way we could understand, they can translate us. And that puts us at a disadvantage." Jodie nodded, looking at the alien. "Does he have anything we can get translation programming off of?" Jodie asked. "We have offered to perform a full-body scan of Prisoner." Jodie turned to Legion. The geth simply kept working at the sword, Jodie turning to Valentine and Sura and seeing them glare. Jodie turned back to Legion. "You have?" "It did," said Sura. "You would have to mind control me to get me to say I'd trust that thing to tell the truth, though." Jodie crossed her arms. She then turned to the geth, seeing it dismantle another part of the sword. The geth continued working at its station, before Jodie sighed. "Run the scan," Jodie said. Valentine sighed. "Sure, let the machine run the scan," he said. "It won't decide it's self-preservation is more important than us!" "Valentine." Jodie gave him a stern look as Legion looked up from his work. "It offered. We're taking that scan." The geth blinked, before turning to the alien on the floor. The geth then stepped forward, opening its omni-tool and looking at the alien. "Scanning now," it said. It then held its hand out, far enough away that the alien would not be able to lunge forward. A scanning line then appeared over the alien, scanning him. As soon as it did, the group saw an orange hologram sitting out from underneath one of the aliens' flaps. It looked small enough to be some kind of hearing aid, though Sura and the others only frowned as they saw it. Legion stood by as the scanning leg detected nothing else of interest on the alien. "Scan complete," said Legion. "We have identified one listening device on our subject's ear." Kalo nodded, before leaning down and grabbing his knife from where it was sheathed by his ankle. "Hold this for me, please," he said to Jodie. Jodie took the knife, Aiden gurgling softly as Kalo then leaned over the alien. The quarian then gently lifted one of the flaps, the alien quickly rattling off some gibberish in protest. However, Kalo nodded, his other hand getting close. Jodie could see the quarian jimmy his hand in there a little, and then the quarian pulled back. "It was there," Kalo said, holding a small hearing device. Jodie noticed it was not unlike her own translator, and she leaned forward as Valentine and Sura did the same. "Huh, it wasn't kidding," said Sura. "It even looks like your average translator." She then looked over at Jodie. "So you think it has their languages?" "Possibility exists," Legion said. "Goto-Thief has piece of written language with them. This unit proposes that Goto-Thief try to extract language information from translator before returning it to our unknown guest." "Oh, so we steal his languages and give it back," said Sura. Valentine frowned. "Well, to be fair, it'd make interrogations very interesting if we tried to conduct them when he can't understand us," he said. He then smirked. "Though you're welcome to try interrogation by the hokey pokey." Jodie snorted in amusement, before turning to Legion. "Valentine-Pilot is correct," said Legion. "We will let Goto-Thief extract from this translator." Valentine turned to the geth. "So you're not going to do it?" he asked. "We calculate it will increase unit cohesion if we let someone else analyze it for us," said Legion. "You trust Goto-Thief more than this platform." Valentine sighed. "Well, I can't argue with that," he said. He then walked over to Kalo. "Kalo, can you get that to Kasumi?" "Of course," the quarian said, holding his hand out to Legion. The geth deposited the earpiece in Kalo's hand, the quarian nodding and walking out of the room. Jodie then squatted in front of the alien, tapping her hand against her knee. "We'll know your secrets soon enough," she said. "And when we do..." She paused, looking at the alien as he glared at her. She nodded, standing up. "Keep watch on him," she said. "As soon as Kasumi's done with everything, we'll try again." "Sounds good to me," said Valentine. He then nodded to Sura. The asari glared at Legion, before turning her attention back to the prisoner. "This better be worth it," she said. Jodie nodded. She exited the room, casting one look back to the prisoner as she stood at the door.
No sooner had Jodie sat down in the rec room when she heard the door open to the side. She looked up, seeing Legion at the door. The geth platform entered, regarding Jodie before it stepped inside. "Holmes-Anomaly," said Legion. Jodie frowned. She shifted where she sat on the couch, looking up at the geth unit. "You know, you've called me that all the time," she said. "Why?" "We have questions," said Legion. "They pertain to why we call you Holmes-Anomaly." The geth then stepped in, the door closing behind it. "We detect... signs of life around you." Jodie blinked in surprise. "You what?" she asked as Aiden chirped in surprise. "The geth researched Holmes-Anomaly's past," the geth said. "We cannot find it. We thought nothing of it when the collective sent this unit out to the galaxy. However, with proximity, we have detected a second, much weaker sign of life. With less advanced scanners, this platform postulates we would not have detected this life sign at all. We cannot explain it. We cannot see the source." Jodie blinked, her pupils widening. "Could it mean...?" she asked. "Could it mean they all see Aiden too?" She paused, looking up at Aiden. She breathed in unsteadily, her hands wringing together as thoughts rushed into her head. Could they really have seen...? she thought. But if they did...? She shook her head, sighing. "No, someone would've mentioned it by now." She then turned back to Legion, exhaling as her hands stopped wringing themselves. "Well, you've heard me mention Aiden." "Yes," the geth replied. Jodie nodded. "He's that second life source." She sighed. "And he's the thing I told you was classified. It's how I know about Shepard..." Jodie paused, before looking up at the geth. "Legion, do you know what 'supernatural' is?" The geth's head plates moved up. "No," said Legion. "Clarify." Jodie nodded. "It's what we call a plane of existence beyond our physical perception," Jodie replied. "It's... you know the Bible, right? God would be considered 'supernatural', as would most of those miracles." The geth's flashlight head seemed to focus slightly, before the geths' head plates returned to their normal position. "We have stored that data in our data banks," it said. "Why is Holmes-Anomaly speaking of the supernatural?" "Because that life sign you're reading is supernatural," she said. "His name's Aiden, and he's..." She paused. "Well, he's some kind of entity, and he's been attached to me for as long as I can remember." The geth's head plates moved again. "We cannot quantify this," it said. "You know when the ship started moving underneath us when we were escaping?" Jodie asked. She paused. "That was Aiden's work. He possessed the pilot to do those things. What you probably saw when you first saw me was also his work." The geth's head plates moved again, returning to their original positions. "Is it a threat to the geth?" it asked. Jodie shook her head. "Only if you try to attack me, Legion," she said. "If the geth aren't trying to hurt me, you'll have nothing to be afraid of from him." "We will store this in our data banks," said Legion. It then walked to the window. "Do the others on this ship know?" Jodie nodded. "They have to," she said. "Aiden's existence changes everything. I wanted to keep him a secret, but after everything I found out about Shepard, I can't." She sighed. "And speaking of which, I need to talk to Kasumi... She... didn't take it so well when I told her. It's a long story." "We have posed our query," it said. It then turned to the door. "We will return to analyzing the weapon you took." Jodie nodded as she stood up. "Go ahead," she said. "And keep an eye on our guest while you're at it." "Affirmative," Legion said. It then exited the room, the door closing behind it. Jodie then nodded, standing up herself and leaving the rec room. She then turned over to the sleeping quarters, tapping her hand against it and entering. She saw Kasumi sitting at her bunk bed, looking at the translator that Kalo had taken off of the alien. Jodie stepped in, Kasumi turning her attention to Jodie breifly. Kasumi's brows furrowed, and then she turned back to her omni-tool, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Jodie stepped in, looking at Kasumi. "Hey," she said. Kasumi remained silent. She did not even acknowledge Jodie had said anything, instead typing more things quickly. Jodie sighed, stepping into the room and sitting in her own bunk. She then placed her hands on her knees, closing her eyes as she hugged herself. Aiden clicked uncertainly. Jodie closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." She heard Kasumi stop immediately. "For what?" Kasumi asked. Jodie leaned back. "I know you're angry at me about how I revealed Aiden," she said. "I'm sorry." Jodie opened her eyes in time to see Kasumi close her omni-tool. Jodie could not make out Kasumi's expression under her hood as jumped onto the floor and walked over to Jodie. "Keiji was a good man..." Kasumi said. "He died a while ago. I've been looking for his greybox ever since. I never thought I'd ever get to hear his voice again, and that..." She shook her head, looking at the ground. "To have it aired out like that..." Jodie nodded. "I should've done it in private," she said. "I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that." Kasumi shook her head, looking at Jodie. "Did you even know about Keiji?" "No," Jodie replied. She shook her head. "Aiden doesn't tell me these things. But that isn't an excuse, and it won't ever be an excuse. I should've been more careful broaching that subject to you, and I'm sorry." Kasumi looked down. "I don't know if I can forgive you for that just yet," she said. "I still miss Keiji so much..." Jodie nodded. "I don't blame you," she said. She turned to Jodie. "From what I saw when he possessed my body to talk to you, he seemed like a good man." "The best," Kasumi whispered. She sat there, and it was only then that Jodie placed a hand on her shoulder. Kasumi did not shudder when Jodie's hand made contact, but rather leaned into the contact. Jodie nodded, patting her shoulder. "Have you managed to look at the translator?" she asked. Kasumi shook her head, re-opening the omni-tool. "No," she said. "But, I did manage to clean the corrupt file." "Oh." Jodie looked on as Kasumi opened it. "So it's a real file." "It's as genuine as they come," said Kasumi. She shrugged. "Funny thing; the data corruption was a lot worse than you'd think." "Really?" asked Jodie. "Yes," Kasumi replied. "It's a miracle that geth managed to save the whole message, actually." She smirked. "But we have a written form of it now. Now that I have it, I should be able to look at that translator now." "Good," said Jodie. She opened her omni-tool. "The file?" Kasumi nodded, and immediately sent the file to Jodie's omni-tool. "There you go," she said. Jodie nodded. "Thanks," she said, opening her omni-tool and looking at the file. "I'll pass this on to the others." "You should probably read it first," Kasumi replied. "It's... interesting." Jodie nodded, opening the file and reading it: "Supreme Commander Shepard, We are pleased to report that we have made progress on infiltrating Cerberus' ranks. We have several exion units inside Cerberus' systems now; They are busy acquiring data on where their base is, where their intel centers are... We will have a location for all of these things soon. It will come down to resources. We'll have them soon, Commander. All you have to do is give the order to attack, and we will bring those monsters to justice for what they did.
As for the Council, we are monitoring them very closely now. Their actions over the next few weeks will determine how we approach them. We know the general parts of how we wish to approach them, but the specific manner shall be determined soon.
We will be in touch, Commander.
-Operative Yurol" Jodie frowned as she read this. "Do you have a time stamp?" she asked. Kasumi nodded. "Yep," she said. "Why do you need it?" Jodie frowned, before standing up. "When it was sent is just as important as what was sent," she replied. She then exhaled. "I'll be back. I need to go get the others."
Sura and Legion were not in the room. However, Valentine, Ashley, and Kalo all occupied the room. Valentine opted to stand next to Kasumi's bed, while Ashley and Kalo all sat on Jodie's side of the room. They all got the message from Kasumi, all of them reading it. Kasumi had started work on analyzing the translator, Valentine adjusted a new pair of sunglasses, before he then closed his omni-tool. "Hm," he said. "Seems like they are trying to keep themselves hidden." "Yeah," said Ashley. She then shook her head, sighing. "You have the time stamp, right?" Ashley asked. "Right here," said Kasumi as she paused her own work and opened the message. She leaned forward, showing Ashley the time stamp. "When was it sent?" Ashley squinted, reading the time-stamp listed. "Damn..." She grit her teeth. "He would've received that the day before the Normandy was destroyed..." "Huh," said Kasumi. She then closed the message, returning back to work. "So they had just made headway with Cerberus," Jodie said. She shook her head, looking at the others. "And he's talking about taking them down." "Just like he wanted to on the Normandy," Ashley said. She looked over at the others. "He really wants to take them down." "I'm more concerned about his line on monitoring the Council," said Valentine. "If they're going through all this trouble to take down a terrorist organization, what's up with the Council monitoring?" "You think they are pondering taking the Council out as well?" asked Kalo. Valentine frowned, pushing his sunglasses onto his face. "I don't know," he said. "But if you really look at it a certain way..." He shook his head. "We'd need to know why they want to take down Cerberus so badly, though." "It sounds like they're motivated by revenge," Jodie said. "That's not enough?" "I'm at a loss to know what the hell kind of revenge would cause them to be suspicious of someone who probably didn't have any hand in whatever it is Cerberus did against them," Valentine replied. "We can't all just assume that they killed his father." "I guess so..." said Kalo. He turned to Valentine, standing up. "Do you think perhaps Cerberus...?" He paused, shaking his head. "Never mind." "What?" asked Ashley. "It is a dumb possibility," said Kalo as he sat down. "It is dumb, and I do not know why I thought it. Forget I said anything." Valentine pursed his lips, shaking his head before looking over at Jodie. "So this is what we have..." Jodie sighed. "I think..." The dream she had after Saren's defeat came back to her full force, and she took a sharp breath in at the recollection. "I think... we may need to go to their galaxy..." "Go to the heart of the enemy?" asked Valentine. He then chuckled, giving Jodie a small smile. "Now our leader really is insane." "You got a problem with that?" asked Ashley. The pilot shrugged. "Well, I suppose if we did want to get intel, that would be one way to get it," he said. "Go to the heart of this galaxy that they inhabit and get the information from them. It's actually not so bad an idea." He sighed. "Only question is, what's waiting for us on the other side?" "I don't know," said Jodie. "But it's seeming like we need to go there with as much information as we've gathered..." "We'll figure that out," said Ashley. "We have a prisoner. We'll get him to talk eventually." She then looked at Kasumi. "Right?" "Yep," said Kasumi as she closed her omni-tool. "I think I've extracted all the data from the translator. The software's isolated the languages not on our translators." She then smiled, handing the alien's translator back to Valentine before re-opening her omni-tool. "You'll be getting a patch to add those languages to your software right... about..." And then, the omni-tools of everyone in the room pinged. Jodie nodded, opening her omni-tool. "All right," she said. She then looked at Valentine. "Make sure Sura and Legion have that translation patch as well. We'll start interrogating him as soon as we can." Valentine nodded. "Of course," he said. "I'll just return this to him while I'm at it." Kasumi smiled. "Now the fun part, right?" "Yeah," said Jodie. She then looked over to Valentine, standing up and nodding. "Let's go and-" And then, Jodie's omni-tool beeped. She paused, looking up to see the indication was for a message. She paused, frowning at the sender. "Oh..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, you might have to prepare the interrogation. I'll be just a second." Ashley frowned. "New friend?" she asked. "Yep," said Jodie. She then smiled nervously at Kalo. "Especially since my old pen-pal is right over here." Kalo blinked. "Old pen-pal?" he asked. Ashley chuckled. "Long story," she said. "We'll tell you when we're not about to interrogate an enemy." She nodded. "We'll wait for you to finish reading that." "I'll reply to it later," Jodie said as she opened her omni-tool. "I'll be there as soon as I read it. Get him ready to be interrogated." "You got it," said Kasumi. And with this, everyone but Jodie filed out of the room. As soon as they did this, Jodie sighed, opening her omni-tool as she leaned against the wall. She smiled, looking up at Aiden before turning her attention back to the message. "Jodie, You're fine with that, right? Just making sure.
Well, I guess here I am. Or something. I thought I'd take you up on that, see if you'd actually reply. You're probably busy, though. Eh, this was probably a stupid idea.
I'm at the Citadel now. It's quiet, I guess. I just sit in my room all day now that I can't talk to you. It gets very boring pretty quickly. All I can do now is do homework. Ah, well.
Maybe you'll reply, maybe you won't. Just do something so I know where we stand.
-Kolyat" Jodie sighed, rubbing the back of her head. She then closed the omni-tool, looking up at Aiden. "Remind me to reply once we do that interrogation." Aiden clicked once, and then Jodie sighed. "Well, here goes nothing," she said.
Jodie stepped into the room, seeing everyone in the room close to where their prisoner stood. Jodie nodded, walking up to the alien as he glared up in disdain. She then nodded to Sura, who simply crossed her arms. "Well, let's do this, yeah?" asked Sura. Jodie nodded, before kneeling right by the alien. "So, let's make one thing very clear: we know you can understand us," said Jodie. The alien glared at Jodie, but Jodie simply held her gaze. He frowned, watching as Sura leaned over him. "We also know you're not afraid of death, so we can't exactly use the threat of that," the asari said, tapping her fingers against the bulkhead. "However, we don't exactly need that. Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I can always go into your mind and get the information we need directly from your brain." "But we're not going to do that," said Jodie. The alien turned to her in confusion. "Not unless it's a last resort." She then shook her head, looking at their captive. "Besides, I think we can get you to talk." "I still think it's a long shot, but I'm giving her a chance to prove me wrong on that," said Sura. "So go ahead and prove her wrong." Jodie crossed her arms, looking at the alien. "I know you can understand me," she said. "Now, can we understand you?" She leaned forward. "Talk to us." The alien glared, looking up at Sura. He said nothing for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed at everyone around him. He remained silent, his glare turning towards everyone else. Jodie leaned forward. "You can tell us, or we can get it from your brain," said Jodie. "What'll it be?" The alien remained silent, his glare lessening somewhat. He simply looked up, his mouth working open and closed as he pondered on how to answer. Sura sighed, shaking her head. "Come on, buster, we haven't got all day," she said. She then paused, rubbing her chin. "Or I guess we could call you Buster in the meantime. You gotta admit, humans have it made when it comes to coming up with nicknames for people. That's just one of the many good things about-" "You lie." Jodie blinked, looking at the alien. His expression had evolved into a furious frown, and his glare was trained right on Sura. He had leaned forward the slightest bit, and Jodie found she was able to look at his hands, where they lied unmoving behind his back. "Oh?" Sura asked, tilting her head at the alien. The alien breathed in. "You speak as if humans have anything good to say for themselves," the alien said, his voice smoothly flowing from one word to the next. "They do not. They only know how to destroy." Valentine sighed. "Man, you really need to lay off on the angsty teenage poetry," he said. The pilot was met with glares from everyone else in the room, barring Legion. "Valentine, this is not the time," said Jodie. She then turned to the alien. "So we can understand you. Good. Your translator was useful." "You're not getting anything more off of me," said the alien. "You may torture me all you want, but I have been trained to resist all kinds of torture." Kalo looked over at Valentine nervously, but the pilot was already leaning forward. "That's assuming we want to torture you," Valentine said. The alien frowned, looking at the pilot. "You do not?" "There'd be no point," said Jodie. "We found the poison pill in your jaw." She shook her head. "We told you already: we know you're not afraid of death. If you're not afraid of that, there's not much more physical harm we can do to get you to talk." "Not that you'd get good information from it, anyway," said Ashley. "After all, you'd just say anything to make the pain stop, right?" The alien reared his head back, looking rather confused. Jodie shook her head, looking at the alien. "You are our prisoner, let's get that right," she said. "But we're not going to torture you. If you don't give us the information we need, we're going to have her look into your mind, so we'll have it no matter what. But I'd rather we hear the information from you first." "I don't like invading minds without consent," said Sura. "It tends to lead to trauma." "So you know what our hard way is," Jodie said. "So we can either invade your privacy, or we can do this the easy way. It's your choice." "You have no power over me," the alien replied. "You cannot keep me bound here." Legion clicked. "There are seven on this ship opposed to Prisoner," it pointed out. "We also note that Prisoner has not seen all of our capabilities. Probability of escape is rather low, barring a careless mistake." "Machine's got a point," said Valentine. "You'd need to catch us off guard, and we'll be keeping an eye on you so that you don't do that." The alien frowned, glancing down at the ground. He said nothing, but the slight shift of his shoulders told Jodie everything she needed to know. Jodie nodded, standing up slowly. "So I guess now we run into our first question: what are you?" she asked. The alien sighed, gritting his teeth angrily. "Spirits be damned..." he whispered. He then looked up, glaring at Jodie. "I am what is known as an aqueron." "Aqueron, huh?" asked Sura. She then looked him over. "Hm... Aquatic life, hm?" "You will not get much more than that about my species," he said. "Nor about the others." "How many others are there?" Jodie asked. "We saw the human-like guys, and we saw that AI that took over the ship." "Electronic entity," the aqueron replied. "AI is a crude term." "We saw the AI take over the ship," Valentine insisted as he leaned forward. "So those are the famous articians." The aqueron blinked in surprise, looking up at Valentine in shock. "How do you know their name?" he asked. "We found it out," said Jodie. "That's not for you to know how I got that, though. What's important is that we know what Shepard was." "And speaking of Shepard..." Jodie leaned forward. "What were you doing around Alchera? Why were you at the Normandy's crash site?" "That is not for you to know," said the aqueron. Jodie shook her head, before Sura leaned in. "Invasion of privacy, remember?" the asari asked. "You were obviously looking for something down there. And it can't be any information." "So what were you looking for?" Jodie asked. The aqueron glared at the others in the room, remaining silent. He stayed quiet, his lips curled downward and his brows furrowed as he glanced at the floor. Finally, he grunted. "Shepard's body," he said. "We were searching for Shepard's body." Jodie nodded. "I see," she said. She then stood up, stepping back. "Did you find it?" "No," said the aqueron. He then looked up. "So Shepard's body was still there?" asked Sura. "At some point," said the aqueron. "But we haven't had any luck finding it. Last I heard from Command, it may already have been taken away before you came." Jodie glanced at Sura. "Why would people want to take away the body?" she asked. "Well, maybe someone else knows," said Valentine. "And maybe they want to do an autopsy, find out what that is." He then looked down at the aqueron. "I assume that's what you were doing." The aqueron paused, before looking down. "Yes," he said. Valentine shrugged. "Well, at least we didn't disrupt the search," he said. Jodie nodded. "Hm..." She paused, looking at the others. "You were planning on taking it home, right?" The aqueron chuckled darkly. "It is so obvious, no?" he asked humorlessly. "Yeah," said Jodie. She paused, before standing up. "I'm sorry, we got a little off track. How many others are there from your galaxy?" The aqueron frowned, glaring at the wall as he shifted his posture. He remained silent for a few seconds, Sura shifting her position as she looked down at him. "Three," he said. "Not counting the ones you already know." Jodie nodded. "Glad you're cooperating," she said. "What are they?" The aqueron paused. "You will never meet them here," he said. "You would know them if you saw them." "That doesn't answer the question," said Sura as she leaned forward. "What are they?" "You do not need the information about them," said the aqueron. "After all, you will never go there." "Says who?" asked Jodie. The aqueron turned to Jodie, his eyes narrowing. "You cannot be seriously considering..." he said. "We are," said Jodie. "If we can't find the answers we seek here, we're going there." The aqueron paused, shaking his head. "Such audacity," he whispered. He then looked up. "You will have an extremely difficult time entering that galaxy . Even if you knew the password-which you do not-they will shoot you on sight." Valentine leaned forward. "So there's a password involved?" he asked. "Yes, but I doubt your knowing it would do any good," said the aqueron. "Only captains are told. I do not know the password." He then looked up at the asari. "You can check my mind, but you will not find it." "That a challenge?" asked Sura. "No," said the aqueron. "It is a matter of impossibility, as I do not know it myself." He then paused, looking up at the asari. "So then where is it?" asked Kalo. The aqueron paused, looking away. "We have seen many ships pass by our wormhole," he said. "I have even heard tales of some of the people that poured into it." "People poured..." Jodie turned away, looking away. The aqueron then looked at the geth. "Your friend here would know where it is," he said. "They were dangerously close to the wormhole for a lengthy period of time." Legion's headflaps moved. "We do not know what Aqueron-Prisoner refers to," it said. "Were there not a network of geth around there?" asked the aqueron. Legion paused, Jodie looking at the geth in surprise. "Not true geth," Legion replied. Its headflaps moved, looking up. "A network of..." Jodie said. And then, something occurred to her. A news report, a mission... She turned to Ashley, seeing confirmation as realization dawned on her, too. "Those geth outposts!" Ashley said. "Geth outposts?" asked Kalo. "What do you mean?" "At one point, we were assigned to take out some geth outposts," said Jodie. "It was where Tali got her Pilgrimage gift. I wasn't on the ground team during those missions, but..." She then turned to the aqueron. "Was Shepard dispatched to take that one close to the wormhole out?" "From what I heard, he was," the aqueron replied. Jodie gasped, looking back at Ashley. "We were close to the wormhole..." Ashley said. Jodie felt her heart rate spike, and she shivered. "My God..." Jodie said. "We were so close to his home..." "Imagine that," Ashley said. She then pushed herself off the wall. "And it was one of the ones vessels vanished through," said Ashley. "I am not to know," said the aqueron. "But the wormhole is in one of those four systems." And then, Jodie breathed in, remembering a news report she had heard around that time. "The Armstrong Nebula," she said. The aqueron turned to Jodie, his eyes again widening in shock. "How did you guess?" Jodie bit her lower lip, looking at the aqueron. "Educated guess," she replied. "Heard it over the news once. Thanks for the confirmation." She then sighed, turning over to the aqueron. "So all we need is a password, then. And then we relate it to them." "You will never last even with the password," the aqueron replied. "You do not know the layout of the galaxy." "We'll handle that when we get there," said Jodie. She then nodded. "This is already a lot of information. Thank you for your cooperation." The aqueron simply glared at Jodie. He then turned away, training his gaze on the bulkhead. Sura then nodded. "Well, there's nothing else to see here, folks," she said. "Get out. I'll keep a watch on this guy, along with the machine." "Affirmative," Legion added. Jodie nodded. "Take care of him," she said. And with this, she exited the room, followed by everyone except Sura and Legion. As soon as the door opened, Valentine crossed his arms. "Well, that was productive," he said. "Indeed it was," said Kalo. "That was more information than I thought we would get." Jodie shrugged. "It's a lot, but it's still not everything he knows," she said. She then shrugged. "We can ask him those questions another day. It's better not to fatigue him out with really long interrogations." "You really want him to trust us," said Valentine. Jodie lifted her hand, gesturing at Valentine. "You don't think it'll be more productive?" she asked. "He'll talk more easily if he trusts us." "Good luck," said Valentine. "I mean, did you hear some of what that guy said? You'll have a hell of a time convincing him to trust us." "Doesn't mean I won't try," said Jodie. She then shook her head. "And even if we can't get him to trust us, we have a foolproof way of getting that information. If it comes down to it, I'm not afraid to use that." Valentine paused, and then nodded. "Just making sure you know what you're getting into," he said. He sighed. "I'm gonna go chill. If you guys need me, I'll be in the rec room." And with this, Valentine crossed the hallway. They all watched him enter, and after a few seconds Kasumi walked in after him. The door closed behind them with a rather decisive click, and nothing else was really said in that hallway.
Jodie sat in her bed, finishing the typing of her message. "Do you think we will have information soon?" She glanced up at the bunk above her. She smiled. "Maybe, Kalo," she said. "We got a lot from our interrogation today." "We need a password to get there," Kalo replied. "How are we ever to find it, though?" Jodie shrugged, finishing her message. "We'll figure that out as we go," she said. "But hey, we've got a starting point now. That's better than nothing, right?" "I suppose it is," said Kalo. He sighed, and Jodie saw his hand hang over the edge of his bed. "I suppose from here we will just have to see what happens." "Pretty much," said Jodie. She then pulled her arm back, looking at the message she had typed out. "Kolyat, I'm here. I think you'll find I'm a much more reliable person than that when it comes to replying back to people I know. You can ask my quarian friend about that sometime.
At least you have something stable in your life. Take it from me: that's about the best thing anybody can ask for. You never know what you have unless you don't have it anymore. I'm sure life isn't that bad for you.
Anyway, I am a bit busy, but I don't really have a wealth of stuff to reply to. So... Well, I guess this message is to let you know that I'm here, and that I'm listening.
Hope you reply soon,
Jodie." She sighed, looking up at Aiden. The entity clicked, and then Jodie shrugged. "I suppose that's true, Aiden," she replied. Jodie then sent the message, settling her head in her pillow. "Aiden?" asked Kalo. "How did you guess?" she asked. "The silence," he said. "I feel ridiculous speaking to Aiden because of that. It is hard to speak to silence." He then paused. "Um... no offense intended, Aiden." The entity clicked a couple of times, Jodie shrugging. "He says none taken," Jodie replied. "He's used to people not knowing he's there unless he announces his presence." "It must be a strange existence," said Kalo. Jodie heard the bedsheets ruffle around Kalo. "How do you manage it, Aiden?" "He has me," Jodie replied. "It keeps him from feeling completely alone, but even he has his moments." "I cannot imagine he would not," said Kalo. The quarian sighed gently, and then Jodie saw his face mask peer over the edge of his bed. "Do you think...?" He paused. "Do you think Aiden is unique?" "I know he is," Jodie replied. "No other entity acts like him. Most of the time, they're... violent." She shook her head. "Well, when they come into contact with humans, anyway." She shook her head. "Honestly, I'd be happy never to battle another entity. Some of them can get particularly violent." "They can?" asked Kalo. Jodie sighed, placing her hands behind the back of her head. "Yeah," she said. "There was one time I was trying to hitchhike across the country, actually. I came across a ranch run by a Navajo family during that time..." And then, Jodie proceeded to tell Kalo the story of her encounter with Ye'iitsoh.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Mar 31, 2015 4:26:45 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Five Jodie walked into the shuttle where it remained parked. The shuttle was in very good condition, actually, considering that it had been rammed into the back of its docking bay. She could only shake her head at the slight dent in the Lying Bastard, but she could not really be brought to care. She crossed her arms, before looking at the shuttle itself. She then shrugged, walking over to the open shuttle door and entering to find Ashley looking over the controls. As Jodie entered, Ashley glanced behind her. "Oh, Jodie," she said. She then shrugged, returning to her work. "Hey. You hanging in there?" "I'm fine," Jodie replied as she stepped into the shuttle, sitting on one of the seats across from the door. "You?" "This is all very big," Ashley admitted. "I'm just a grunt, Jodie. If you'd have told me I'd be brought along for this ride...?" "I know what you mean," Jodie replied. "My life is full of nothing but that." "Did you ever get to determine your own direction?" Ashley asked. Jodie nodded. "Once, when I was on the run from the CIA," she said. She sighed. "It wasn't great. The CIA knows how to hunt you down, you know. But it was something. No obbliggations, and I could determine my own direction in life." She shook her head. "It's a weird existence." "But you survived it," Ashley said. "Yeah," Jodie said. She looked up, Aiden gurgling. "I've survived it." She shrugged, looking over at Ashley. "And you, with a family... I bet your sisters are worried about you." "I bet they are," Ashley admitted. "I would be too, if one of them had been roped into this whole mission." She sighed. "I couldn't tell them about the specifics, though. Anderson kept me from doing that." "Of course," Jodie said with a plain tone. "Wouldn't want this secret to get out too much." "No, we wouldn't," said Ashley. "Still, it's tough to tell them you're going on a mission and then find yourself unable to tell them what the mission is. Or even when you're gonna get back." "Yeah..." Jodie sighed, leaning back on the chair. "You learn to deal with it." "I guess so," Ashley said. She paused, before turning around, leaving the controls behind. "I'm worried about this mission. I'm worried about what we'll find..." Jodie nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I think we all feel it," Jodie said. She shrugged. "But honestly? We signed up for it. I wouldn't be here if I didn't expect I'd find something very, very worrying for this whole galaxy. We have to prepare for anything." "True," said Ashley. She sighed, before turning back. "I guess I just needed to clear my head a bit. Especially now that we're working with a damn geth. I'll be very surprised if I'm not court martialled for treason when I get back." Jodie frowned, looking over at Ashley. "We'll get them to understand," she said. "The Alliance, I mean." "I hope so," Ashley replied. She shrugged. "I hope so..." Jodie nodded. "Running diagnostics on the shuttle?" she asked. "Yeah." She looked down. "Everything looks to be running fine so far. I just want to make sure our little landing didn't jostle any of the systems too badly. That wouldn't be good if we wanted to use this thing again."
Some time later, Jodie walked into the science lab. She looked over, seeing Valentine and Sura watching over the prisoner. Legion continued to work dilligently at the work table, casting a glance at the aqueron every so often. As soon as Jodie entered, Valentine and Sura turned their attention to her. "Hm," said Sura. "Finally decided to change the guard? I guess you want the fanfare, too?" "Hey now," Valentine replied. "She's not the Queen of England, you know." "It's... it's fine," said Jodie, holding a pack close to her chest. "I'm not fond of all that, anyway." Sura sighed. "Well, if that's how you're going to do it..." She shrugged, patting Jodie on the back. "Don't mind the robot. It's just been sitting there analyzing that sword." "Yeah," said Valentine. He then saw the pack Jodie held close to her chest. His eyebrows rose, and then he nodded. "Good luck with that, by the way." Jodie nodded. "I'll be fine," she replied. "You can count on that." Valentine nodded, before walking to the door. "Then I'll leave that to you. We'll be back when it's our turn." And with this, Jodie watched as Sura and Valentine exited the room. The door closed behind them, Jodie keeping her gaze trained on the door for a brief time. She then nodded, and turned her attention to the aqueron prisoner. Legion remained quiet as she knelt beside him, setting the pack on the floor. The aqueron frowned. "You said there would be no torture," he said. Jodie shook her head, opening the pack. "This isn't anything to torture you with," Jodie replied. She then pulled a seal on the pack, revealing a few choice items that looked only tangentially like food. The aqueron's eyes widened, Jodie grabbing a spoon from one of the slots in the package. She then brought the utensil through a white mass, the mass breaking up slightly to revel it was solid, with little brownish-purple patches. Jodie cringed. "Crap, it was the mashed potato ration," she said. She sighed. "I am so sorry for what you're about to taste. Trust me, it tastes bad on my palate, too." The aqueron paused. "That is what you eat?" he asked. He frowned, looking down. "No wonder." Jodie shrugged. "Normally, we can get it to taste better than this," she said. She then paused, looking at the aqueron. "You're a levo-amino, right?" The aqueron frowned, tapping his foot against the floor. "And how do you know I won't lie?" "I can always get our asari to come back in and pull it out of your mind," said Jodie. The aqueron huffed, his eyes narrowed. "Levo," he said. Jodie nodded. "Good," she said. She then lifted the utensil, holding it up to the aqueron's mouth. "Now, open wide." The aqueron glared at Jodie for a few seconds, before opening his mouth. Jodie gently put the spoon in, the aqueron closing it. Jodie withdrew the spoon, watching as the aqueron chewed on it. The prisoner then paused, his eye ridges elevating slightly. He made no other indication, before looking down at the ration of food. He then swallowed, Jodie noticing that it didn't take him very much effort to do it, and that he did it without cringing. "That was... not unpleasant," he said. Jodie frowned. "How did that not taste that bad?" she asked. "It didn't," said the aqueron. "Though I wonder why you would feed the prisoner." "Well, we'd be terrible hosts if we didn't make sure you stayed fed, right?" Jodie asked. The aqueron snorted, his expression humorless as he regarded Jodie. "You speak as if I want to be here," he said. "Perhaps," said Jodie as she scooped up more of the mashed potato ration. "And for the record, I feel just as ridiculous as you do." "Yes, it is quite pathetic that I'm being spoonfed by a captor," said the aqueron bitterly. Jodie shook her head, bringing the spoon back up to the aqueron. The prisoner took a bite again, Jodie sighing. "At this rate, we might have to go back to civilization sooner to get more of these," she said. "We weren't expecting to have another person on board." The aqueron looked over at Legion. "Two people," he said. Jodie blinked, before her brows furrowed. Before she could say anything, though, the geth turned to the aqueron. "This platform does not require the intake of organic food to remain functional," Legion said. Jodie nodded. "Yeah, what the geth said," she replied. "You still speak as if it were not a person," said the aqueron, spitting out some of his words. "Yet another thing humans can't do right." "Why do you say that?" Jodie asked. The aqueron glared at Jodie. "Your pilot encountered our electronic entity," he replied. Jodie frowned, looking back at Legion. "Electronic entity..." she said. "That's a weird term, isn't it? It sounds so... strange." "It's not racist the way 'artificial intelligence' is," said the aqueron, leaning forward as he bared his teeth. "Why?" Jodie asked. "I mean, it's an intelligence created by people, isn't it?" "Ah, but it's 'artificial'," the aqueron replied. "Artificial. Something not made through natural means. That implies it isn't really alive." He shook his head. "We much prefer 'electronic entity'. That term breathes life into it, considers them a person. It means they exist." Jodie frowned. "You could call an OSD an entity, though," she said. "It exists." "Ah, but can they think?" asked the aqueron. "Do they have the capability to ponder their own existence?" "The capacity to question our existence requires intelligence." Jodie and the aqueron both turned to Legion, the geth temporarily stopping what he was doing to look at them. The aqueron frowned. "What?" the aqueron asked. "If this platform were to be asked if we preferred 'electronic entity' or 'artificial intelligence', we would answer 'neither'," Legion replied. It then turned to the aqueron. "We accept the fact that we are not organic, and that we are the creations of a physical species. The term 'artificial' is of minimal importance. What is important is the capacity to form thoughts." "Hence... intelligence," said Jodie. "Affirmative." Legion then turned to Jodie. "Nor would we think of 'entity' as a term the same way. According to our data banks collected from studying organics, 'entity' is often used in contexts where the object is alive." Jodie nodded. "I guess connotation does count for a lot," she said. The aqueron growled. "But 'artificial'!" he said. "That encourages a separation between the organic and the machine!" "'Electronic' can do that too," Jodie replied. "How many organic beings need to be powered by electricity to survive?" The aqueron paused, glancing to the side. "I..." He closed his mouth, looking down at the ground. He remained silent for a few seconds, before he turned back to Jodie. "Electricity is used in an organic body as well, isn't it?" "This platform requires more electricity to function than an organic body," Legion said. "We use electricity in a far more obvious manner." "And besides, 'electronic' is used only for machines around here," Jodie replied. She then shifted her posture, looking at the aqueron. "I guess neither term is perfect." "Bah." The aqueron growled, turning away. "Primitives. All of you." Jodie shook her head, scooping another spoonful of the mashed potato. "We're feeding you," she said. "We can't be that primitive if we're watching out for a prisoner's health, right?" The aqueron turned to Jodie, his glare fixed on her. However, Jodie felt no fear: she gave a small smile, shrugging as she held the spoonful up to the aqueron. "Here," she said. "We've still got the rest of the ration to go." The aqueron sighed, before turning back to Jodie. He bit down on the spoon, glaring at Jodie ruefully the whole time.
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't like us." "Oh really? What gave it away? The fact that he doesn't talk to us, or the fact that when he does he constantly calls us primitives?" Sura sat back, digging into a ration of some funny-looking asari bread as Jodie leaned forward. "Well..." Jodie replied. She glanced off to the side. The asari nodded. "You see?" she asked. "There you go." Jodie nodded, popping a couple of raisins into her mouth. As she chewed and swallowed, she looked up. "Primitives..." She sighed, looking over at Sura. "You know, I have to wonder..." "What?" Sura asked. Jodie sighed, looking up. "I mean, you looked into my mind," she said. "You saw all the things I saw there, how I technically forward in time..." She shook her head. "And now I'm walking around in a time where I'm talking to extraterrestrials." "Yeah, I've seen some of the human-made movies about that," said Sura. "If your species did any more speculating, I'd question your ability to make decisions." "We're just a curious lot," Jodie replied. "Just like you." She then shrugged. "But no. I feel like I've stepped into a place where everything is so advanced it's not even funny. So if that's the case..." She then leaned forward. "Can you even imagine what this other galaxy could be like?" Sura paused. "Hm... Actually, I hadn't thought of it like that," she said. She paused, frowning. "Wow. Okay, that's... that's actually kind of freaky." She then turned back to Jodie. "Though he could always mean it derogatorily or something." "It could be," said Jodie as she glanced to the side. "Still, think about it. They had ships that could turn invisible to the human eye, they have whatever stopped Valentine from moving away from that other ship, they have that thing that Legion's analyzing." "You mean the machine," Sura immediately spat out, her expression turning sour. "Legion," said Jodie. She shook her head. "Anyway, the point is, can you imagine what they have?" Sura's frown deepened, but any further indications of anger were lost when she took the bite out of the bread. "No..." said Sura. She then frowned again, before sitting up on the edge of the bed. "And you know, come to think of it, why not exchange some of that with us?" Jodie frowned. "Sura?" she asked. "Think about it," said the asari. "These guys have all this advanced tech that we're just starting to see. They've got all these things that our engineers could only dream of doing." Sura shrugged. "So of course, instead of offering all that advanced tech to us as a first contact gift, they're using it to directly subvert the Council's authority. You know, because that makes sense from a diplomatic standpoint." Jodie nodded. "That's... true," she said. "It almost casts their motivations suspiciously." "Doesn't it?" Sura asked. She then shrugged. "This just keeps getting more interesting." "It does," said Jodie. She then paused, before looking over at the asari. "You think we should try to get more answers out of our prisoner?" "Sure," said Sura. "Well, once it's time to switch the guard duty again, anyway. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to be around that damn machine any longer than I need to." Jodie sighed. "Whatever you say," she said. She then sighed, popping another two raisins into her mouth. "Well, I'm going to go check on some of the others. I'll see you in an hour, right?" "Yeah," Sura replied, leaning back. "I'll see you then." With this, Jodie nodded, walking out of the room. She sighed, hearing Aiden chirp overhead as she made her way to the cockpit.
"So, about these 'exions'..." The aqueron grumbled, looking up at Jodie in anger. "So you know what they are," he said. "We picked up a message from the Commander himself," said Jodie. She then crossed her arms. "They're the artificial intel... sorry, electronic entities that you told us about, right?" The aqueron scoffed. "Took you long enough." He then glanced up at Sura. "I'm surprised you are letting it slide." "It's not like I have a choice," said Sura. She shook her head, glancing at Legion. The geth was busy analyzing a crystal, and seemed to distracted to contribute to the conversation. Sura turned away. "Anyway, that's not the point," she said. "What can they do?" "You saw what it can do," the aqueron replied. "Yes, but that doesn't answer the question," said Jodie. "How could it take over our hardware?" The aqueron paused. "It can send out data to any hardware wirelessly," he said. "And it can use a heartbleed to gather your information. From there, it can quickly take over, locking you out as your log-in information is erased..." "Wait, that's it?" Jodie asked. She frowned. "I was expecting something more... convoluted." "And I can think of a few ways that'd be easily stopped," Sura said. She then paused. "Unless..." "Not only can it do it quickly, but once it has formatted your drive..." He then smirked. "It can insert a part of its personality into the hardware." "It can put itself in there?" asked Sura. She then frowned. "How?" "It... jumps," said the aqueron. "As long as they can maintain a connection, it can inhabit whatever space it can clear. It allows it to project itself through that data, and it can do so to any hardware it takes over." He frowned. "And it can keep that connection." Jodie blinked. "Kasumi fought with it and it left, right?" she asked. "That was a fluke," said the aqueron. "It was not expecting to be pulled away from the connection point." He then growled. "You found a way to stop it." Sura shook her head. "Well, just moving it away won't work," she said. She then looked up. "Though I'm pretty sure C-SEC would love to hear about how to counter it." "You cannot counter it," the aqueron replied. The asari smirked. "Try me," she said. "The thing is we weren't prepared for it. But I bet if we know what to look for, we can proof it all against that." She then tapped her foot down. "So what else can you guys do?" The aqueron grumbled, looking away. "I should not have to tell you what else this galaxy is capable of," he said. "Stop wasting my time." "Well, we could always cut to the chase and look inside your head," said Sura. The aqueron sighed angrily. "You still waste your time with this petty behavior," he said. He then shook his head, turning to Jodie. "Fine. Our ships can turn invisible, as you also saw. But what you didn't see... Our ships don't need the mass relays." Jodie blinked, looking at Sura's expression of shock. "Wait, what?" Sura asked. "That's impossible!" "Our galaxy has no mass relays," said the aqueron. "It's a necessity. We have ways of warping time and space: we open a hole in time and space to travel those distances. It is roughly equivalent to a mass relay jump." Jodie nodded, chewing her lower lip a little. "Just like Vigil said..." she said. She then paused, kneeling in front of him. "What else do you have waiting for us? Something more advanced, like a weapon?" "You are seeing it," said the aqueron as he glared at Legion. "And you have seen it. Our guns are not so dissimilar, in some ways. We have no mass effect, but it seems our guns still launch particles with great speed." He growled. "It took us much longer to achieve that technology, but we acquired it." He then growled. "Not that you will ever know most of what it is if we can help it. We will never yield our technology to you primitives." Sura sighed, rubbing her temples. "You just love making our job difficult." She then shook her head. "Oh well. Par for course, really." She shrugged indifferently. "I know," said Jodie. She then looked at him. "Well, I think that was productive." "You say it was productive," said the aqueron. "I say it was theater. If you're going to interrogate me, don't waste my time." And with this, the aqueron turned away. Jodie sighed, looking at Sura. "Well, I guess that's everything we can get out of him for now," she said. "Yep," Sura agreed. "I'll just sit here, then, watch over this guy. I'll see you around." Jodie nodded. She turned on her foot, looking over a Legion as she walked to the door.
"So that's what you were thinking of, huh?" Jodie sat back in the couch, the holovid playing at the other end of the rec room. "Yeah," Jodie said. She turned her attention back to the vid, but found her mind could not stay focused on it. "Yeah, he does seem genuinely angry," said Kasumi. She sighed. "I swear, he spat at me once when he called me a primitive." Jodie nodded. "That does not surprsie me." She then turned back to the holovid, watching as two women dressed in old Japanese finery turned to each other. "And Xerxes said this was mandatory viewing..." Kasumi shrugged. "Well, it's more outdated than anything," Kasumi said. "This is what passed for a strong female character at the time." Jodie snorted, her attention turning as the shorter of the two obviously not-Japanese women sang in Italian. "No shit," she commented wryly. And then, the shorter woman launched into an aria, the high, delicate notes floating from the speakers. Jodie shrugged, looking over at Kasumi as she shifted on the floor. They both listened on, the musical line descending into a cadence. "Well, at least the music's nice," Kasumi replied. Jodie nodded. "Yeah," she said. "That's about all you can say about this thing, really." "Yeah," Kasumi said. She shrugged. "That's all you can say about most opera." Jodie nodded. She then sighed, shaking her head. "The man she loves is lying." Kasumi shrugged. "Well, this thing is... what? Over two and a half centuries old?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "It's not a spoiler if it's really old." "I know that," said Jodie. "But... I don't know. I guess I'm feeling a little more spiteful of Pinkerton than some. I've seen his type: he tried to save the galaxy once." "Shepard..." Kasumi said as the aria quieted down. "Yeah," Jodie replied. She paused, looking at the singer on the screen as the camera zoomed in closer to her hopeful face. "I wonder how much he really told Tali about himself." "Tali?" Kasumi asked. "You mean that qua..." The thief blinked, before she tilted her head at Jodie. "So they were in a relationship, huh?" "Yeah," said Jodie. "Tali really liked him. I... I tried to warn her to stay away, but..." She shook her head. "Let's be honest, she probably didn't listen." "Maybe, maybe not," Kasumi replied. She shrugged. "Hey, look on the bright side: at least people can't come back from the dead." Jodie nodded. "True," she said. She then sighed, feeling comforted at that fact. "True. There's something in that, at least." She looked up at the ceiling as the orchestra swelled into a crescendo. "You think Tali can move on?" "We'll see," Kasumi said. "I hope she does," said Jodie. "If he lied to all of us like that, then I don't think he was a good guy..." And with this, Jodie turned her attention back to the aria as the orchestra blasted the coda to the aria. It was right as the orchestra quieted down and played the soft closing chord that the door to the rec room opened. Jodie sat up, looking in as Legion entered, its headflaps moving. "Holmes-Anomaly," it said. "Kasumi-Thief." It regarded Kasumi briefly. "We have analyzed the weapon you took from Shepard-Commander's last known location." Jodie blinked, standing up as Kasumi hit the pause on the holovid projector. "You did?" she asked. "What is it?" "We believe this weapon is far more technologically advanced than anything this galaxy has ever seen before." The geth looked at Jodie. "We believe you should see this."
"Wow." Jodie looked at the disassembled weapon on the work table. Kasumi, Kalo, and Valentine all looked over it, Ashley and Sura keeping watch over the aqueron in the corner. Jodie leaned forward, looking intently at the objects scattered about. A few metal rods here, a power cell there, a few wires, a couple of crystals as well... It was a mess of mechanical parts, but Jodie could see from the way the machine had laid it out that there was a sense to the order. Valentine leaned over Jodie's shoulder, adjusting his sunglasses as he looked at the spread out weapon. "Damn," he said. "Where was this when I was ten years old?" "In a galaxy far, far away," Sura replied. Valentine chuckled. "At least it wasn't a long time ago, too," Valentine replied. He then turned to the object on the table. "Damn... How do you get all this?" He then leaned forward. "And how does it work?" Legion began by pointing at a large grey cylinder, the cylinder still attached inside the open hilt. "We propose that this fires energy," said Legion. "And the energy passes through there," said Kalo, rubbing the bottom of his face mask as he indicated the various metal cylinders. "I assume it converts whatever that cell releases into some form of plasma, no?" "Affirmative," Legion replied. It then pointed at the crystals on the table. "We believe these focus the energy into a usable form that can be adjusted according to each specific platform's needs." "Just like a lightsaber," said Valentine. "Damn..." Kasumi rubbed her chin, looking at it. "I don't know about you, but I love the fact that we don't have anything like this over here." "We would have used a mass effect field in there," said Kalo. "And I do not believe we would be able to generate the amount of energy needed to control plasma, either." "So we have a weapon of theirs, and we can see the tech..." Jodie nodded. "Well. I think our visit turned out to be more fortuitous than you might have expected." Ashley nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Damn, all we needed to do was analyze Shepard's sword..." Valentine turned to Ashley. "He had one of these?" he asked. "Used it at the C-SEC office where Jodie took Tali," said Sura. "He's lucky they didn't take out of my paycheck to pay for the desk he slashed in half. I would've confiscated it for sure then." "I guess he wouldn't have wanted us near it," said Jodie. She leaned forward. "He must've kept this thing under such a tight lock and key whenever he could. Couldn't risk it falling into our hands..." "Yeah," said Ashley. "Damn, that's some pretty impressive proof, and it was dangling in front of us the whole time." She then paused, looking over at Sura. "Come to think of it, how do you think that thing would get past customs every time Shepard had to go through security somewhere?" "I don't know," said Sura. She then glanced at the aqueron. "But I bet our friend here knows something." "You wouldn't get it," said the aqueron immediately. Sura then quirked an eye ridge. "Oh, so you want me to go into your mind and find out, then?" she asked. The aqueron sighed, glaring to the side. "Most times, they are left on the ship," he replied. "But when we cannot do that, we often... how do we say it...? Mask it. One of those coils emits a field that masks it to scanners in your galaxy." "And then we assume it clears customs," said Sura. She then frowned, crossing her arms before looking at the weapon. "And we'd be able to figure out how they do that if we look at this thing?" "Yes," said the aqueron. Sura nodded. "Then I'll be getting Kasumi to do that," she said. "I could have a little cat with Pallin about increasing the power of the scanner." "That's good," said Valentine. "I think we've also got all the proof we need this galaxy exists." Jodie nodded. "Be that as it may, we still don't know what they want with the Council," she said. "Even if we can prove their existence, I feel we should try to gauge their intent before we go back." "We know they want Cerberus, at least," said Sura. "And given all the secrecy, they may be after the Council, too." "Shit, they impersonated a human that became a goddamn Spectre," Valentine pointed out. "You can't get much more proof than that of their intentions, you know." "True, but I feel like we should know why they want what they want," Jodie said. "If we know what motivates them..." "Then you're sure they'd take the right action," said Ashley. Valentine paused, stroking his chin. He then nodded. "That's true, actually," he said. "This is already going to be one hell of a diplomatic incident once we bring all this evidence forward, the Council won't want to add fire to it by acting without full knowledge of what's going on." "I bet they'd even ask us to look into why they haven't revealed themselves," said Kasumi. "I mean, these guys have gone at this for... how long?" "I don't know," said Jodie. "And even if I did, that's not the important question." She shook her head. "Why go through all this trouble? Why the secrecy?" "You know why." Jodie and the others breathed in, all of them frozen in place at the cold quality that was spoken in. After a few seconds, all attention turned back to the aqueron, everyone looking at him with some degree of surprise. The aqueron's eyes were aflame with a kind of a quiet fury that caused Jodie's blood to freeze, and his jaw seemed unusually tense. Everyone stared at the aqueron for a second. And then, Kalo shifted his foot. "We know why?" the quarian asked, leaning forward. "I... I apologize, I do not know what you mean." "You know what you did," the aqueron replied. He then frowned, looking at Jodie. "Well, what they did." "What we did?" asked Jodie. "Yes," said the aqueron. "Or do you not remember what happened thirty years ago between our galaxies?" "Thirty years ago?" Valentine turned. "What happened?" "Or do I need to extract that out of your mind too?" asked Sura. "That would be unnecessary," said the aqueron. He glared up at the asari, his brows furrowed in fury. "I'll give you all this, you can certainly feign ignorance to great effect. But no one can pretend forever. I know you remember." As he spoke, his voice rose in volume. "I know you know more about the culture than you have dared say; I know you know more about all of us, about the articians, everything than you say you do! So don't insult my intelligence anymore!" Sura breathed in, and Jodie thought she saw the asari's brow twitch. Jodie herself felt a rush of anger fill her veins, Aiden murmuring as Jodie's hands tightened into fists. "You think we're faking our confusion?" asked Valentine. "You do it very well, especially for primitives," said the aqueron. "It is all you do. I have no reason to tell you what you already know." Jodie frowned, shaking her head as she then leaned forward, her arms crossed in front of her as she leaned in front of his face. "If we knew what had happened, we wouldn't be asking why you're here," she said. "And we also wouldn't have gone to Alchera in the first place to find answers. We know absolutely nothing about your galaxy, and we don't know what you want. We're here because we don't know what's going on." "Keep speaking your lies," the aqueron replied. "I can't trust anything you say. You buttered us up before, your species buttered us up before. I'm not falling for the act again." "What act are you talking about?" Jodie asked, feeling the hair on her arms stand on end. The aqueron glared at Jodie right in the eyes. "You know what it is," he said. "And frankly, I don't have to relive my galaxy's pain for your benefit when you know what's there. So I say to you: sod off." Jodie bristled, Aiden chirping angrily. She waited a few seconds, failing to notice the soft clicking noise she heard. Everyone else looked at the aqueron, all of them staring at him in some kind of anger. And then, Jodie turned to Sura. "Well, he's not coopoerating," she said. "He's all yours, officer." Sura then cracked her knuckles, leaning close to the aqueron as he turned to glare at her angrily. Sura met the glare head-on, grabbing the aqueron's head and looking intently into his eyes. "Well, don't say we didn't warn you," she said. "Embrace eternity!" The aqueron opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Sura's eyes turned black. And then, the aqueron's eyes went blank as well. Jodie frowned, looking down at the aqueron's hands as Sura embraced eternity with him. Everyone stood there, Jodie looking on as she felt the rage she felt at the aqueron's accusations slowly whittle away. And then, after a while, Sura lunged back. Both aqueron and asari parted, the aqueron leaning back as the asari stumbled back, nearly falling onto the lockers behind her. Jodie breathed in sharply, Kalo rushing to help the asari to her feet. By then, the anger in the room had dissipated, especially seeing at how Sura was breathing in and out. "Sura?" Kalo asked. "Sura? What is wrong? What happened?" "So much death..." Sura said. "So much death..." "So much death?" Jodie asked, walking to Sura. "Sura, what did you see in there?" "The truth," said the aqueron. Jodie turned to him, noticing that Valentine and Kasumi had both stepped closer, Ashley leaning over. "The truth of what you monsters did to us!" Jodie immediately turned to the aqueron, feeling the anger bubble in her again. "What aren't you telling us?" she shouted. As soon as she released this shout, the light in the room flickered on and off, some of the equipment in the room powering up and down. Valentine and Legion looked up in surprise. "Uh..." Valentine said. Jodie and the aqueron ignored him. "You know what I hide," the aqueron replied as he raised his voice at Jodie. "I don't!" Jodie shouted, the lights beginning to flicker with greater frequency. "What do you know?" Ashley stepped back, looking at the room around them. "Jodie..." she said. "Jodie, what's going on?" "The same thing you do!" cried the aqueron. "Stop pretending!" Jodie breathed in and out, her nails digging into her palm. "If I knew, do you think I would ask?" she asked. "I know nothing!" "You lie!" the aqueron shouted. "You lie, and that is all you can ever-!" And then, the light fixture overhead exploded, showering the whole lab with sparks. This shocked the aqueron into silence, but before anybody could do anything else a loud series of clacks sounded from the work table. "Holmes-Anomaly!" Legion droned in the clamor. "We did not give you permission to-" But before Legion could finish its sentence, the quickly assembled hilt levitated off the table, a loud whooshing sound smashing through the room as the beam of energy cast light on everyone. The beam sword was held in the air by an invisible force, the aqueron looking on wide-eyed as the tip of the beam barely graced the skin of his throat. In the lighting above him, Jodie's furrowed brows greeted him, her expression far more menacing in the dull green light. "Answer the goddamn question!" The silence following Jodie's angry declaration was deafening. Sura crawled back, Kalo looking on with wide eyes as they both stared at Jodie in shock. Ashley and Valentine both turned to Jodie, and even Legion tilted its head in confusion at what it had just seen. Kasumi huddled close to the wall, eventually standing next to Kalo as she looked at the levitating sword. But the aqueron's shock was most apparent to all. He turned his attention back to the energy sword, his mouth hanging open as he turned back to Jodie. His eyes were wider than anyone in the room had seen them, and the stiffness in his muscles kept him rooted in place. He glanced up at Jodie, before looking at the sword held at his throat. Finally, he swallowed, turning to Jodie. "This... this is impossible..." he said. "What is?" Jodie cried, her fists tightening. "You... you are not artician," said the aqueron. "Only the articians can be one of you." At this, Jodie blinked in surprise, some of the anger on her face visibly evaporating. "One of what?" said Jodie. "One of... one of the spirit-touched," the aqueron replied with a shaky exhale. Jodie tilted her head, her anger gone and instead replaced by confusion. "Spirit-touched?" she asked with a half-whisper. "Yes," the aqueron said, looking up in fear. "How... how is it even-?" And then, Jodie and Kasumi's omni-tool sounded at exactly the same time. Jodie blinked in shock, looking at her omni-tool to see an indication for a message. Jodie would have ignored it, but when she turned, she saw the exclamation mark that denoted the message's urgency. "Kasumi?" asked Ashley. "Jodie?" Jodie turned to Kasumi, the two of them widening their eyes as they looked at the sender's name. "Xerxes..." Jodie whispered. Kasumi immediately opened the message, Jodie stepping back and doing the same thing. Aiden released the energy sword, the blade vanishing before it was placed back on the work table. And then, Kasumi and Jodie opened their messages, glancing at each other as Kalo and Sura leaned close. "What is it?" asked Kalo. "Is something...?" Jodie breathed in. "I... don't know..." she said, looking at the message. "I hope..." And then, she read it. "Jodie, Kasumi, I'm sending this message before I head out to work. I hope to the spirits they can't break the encryption on this thing. Kasumi, I used some tricks from your book. Please don't get too mad, but this is urgent. I'm being followed. I don't know who's following me or why, but I have a strong feeling that I'm being followed by those friends Jodie mentioned that Shepard had. They look too uncannily similar to humans, and there was some red-skinned drell with them. But something about them feels... off. Especially the drell. It's like they're... pretenders. The drell's skin is too red and his scales don't look quite right to me, one of the humans constantly wears black sunglasses, the other seems too tall, too proud to be an average human... I don't know. They've been following me for the better part of two days, as if they were scoping my routine. Most would think nothing of it, but I've been tracked down by people enough times to know their type. They're after me. I'm sending this message to you now. The plan is to send you two another message every hour from the moment I send this one. If you don't get any messages in exactly one galactic standard hour, assume the worst has happened. Whatever you do, do not reply to this message. The reply will probably be unencrypted, and if they're looking for what I think they are they'll intercept that message and they'll have important information. I don't know what you'll be able to do if worst comes to worst. But if I can get back to you, I'll think of something. Stay safe out there, Xerxes" Jodie blinked, taking in a sharp breath. "How...?" she said. "What happened?" asked Sura. "What's going on?" "He said he's being followed," said Kasumi. She took a shaky breath in, turning to Jodie in what was perhaps the first time Jodie could see Kasumi's expression under the hood. "You don't think..." "Shit," Jodie replied. "They must've caught on after Alchera. And that means... that means they know that this mission exists." She breathed in, looking at Valentine. "How much do they know?" "I don't know." Valentine frowned, looking back. "If you're asking about the Alliance involvement, I doubt they know that much, especially since they likely picked up the fake ship registry we have here." He shook his head. "But as for external involvement, I don't know." "Shit," said Jodie as she turned around. "What do we do?" Kasumi blinked, breathing in nervously. "We wait," she said. "I know Xerxes. He never falls back on his word." Jodie nodded. "He never does," she agreed. She sighed. "But what do we do if he we don't get a message from him? We can't just leave him to them." "We'll figure something out," said Ashley. "Right now, we don't have time to worry about that." She then looked to everyone. "Is there anyone else you've told about this mission?" "Not from me, no," Valentine said. "I had no one else to tell," Kalo added. "If they don't know that I'm a C-SEC officer yet, I think the people I know will be fine," Sura said. "I... I hope so," said Jodie, rubbing the back of her head. She then sighed, looking at Kasumi. "Oh, I hope Xerxes be all right..." "We'll find out soon enough," said Kasumi. "Just wait the hour out." She then turned to the aqueron. "In the meantime, we have things we need to learn from him." Jodie turned to the aqueron, seeing he had stayed in place. The initial shock had worn off, though the aqueron now looked at Jodie with complete confusion. He had not bothered to shift his position, instead only looking at Jodie with an expression of confusion. Jodie crossed her arms, looking down at the aqueron. "You said I was spirit-touched," she said. "What does that mean?" "You... You have a spirit with you," said the aqueron. "Only the articians had that. They were... They were attached to a spirit. And it would guide them in all things." He breathed in and out, shaking his head. "This is unreal. Only articians could be that... How are you one?" Jodie shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I've had Aiden with me since birth." "Aiden?" asked the aqueron. "Then I am to assume that is the spirit's... Gods, you are spirit-touched..." "I... I guess so." Jodie shrugged as she looked at the aqueron. "I... I don't understand," the aqueron said. "This is impossible." Sura shook her head. "Anything's possible now," the asari said. She then frowned, looking at the others. "Especially after what I saw in there." "Anything specific?" Ashley asked as she turned to Sura. "No," said Sura. "But whatever the details, it was bad." She shook her head, her hand falling onto her chest to steady herself. "I saw death... I saw so much death in there. I wasn't able to confirm it for sure, but I saw flashes of an emblem." "An emblem?" Ashley blinked, opening her omni-tool and displaying an image. Jodie blinked, recognizing the orange emblem in the picture. "Was it this?" "Yes," said Sura. "That was it." "So Cerberus killed a bunch of people there?" Jodie asked. "Yes." All attention turned back to the aqueron. "Cerberus... You really don't know anything." Jodie shook her head. "No," she said. "Then..." He looked to the side. "Then Cerberus doesn't wear it as a badge of pride that they killed so many people?" "What are you talking about?" Ashley asked. "Most people don't know anything about Cerberus, except that they were a military branch that the Alliance recently cut ties with." "What? But that..." The aqueron paused, looking away. "This is..." He paused, glancing away. "You're..." And then, he fell silent. He turned away, closing his eyes. He shook his head, and said nothing more as his physical motions stopped. Jodie walked over, nearly placing her hand on his shoulder, but she hesitated. After a few seconds, she pulled away, stepping back. "I have much to think on..." said the aqueron. "This is... This is unbelievable..." Kasumi leaned over the work table. "Well," she said, her hands splaying out on the surface beneath them. "That was certainly interesting." "Spirit-touched..." Kalo touched the edge of his mask, his fingers drumming against it. "This situtation keeps getting more and more complex with each thing we learn." "Damn, more questions," said Valentine. "Does anyone else want this to be a simple stroll through the park like it should be?" "I think we all want it to be that, but we're not getting it," said Sura. "And honestly, we're not going to get it at this rate." She sighed. "So we wait for the message, huh?" Jodie nodded, opening her omni-tool. "One galactic standard hour," she said. She sighed, sitting down on the locker. She then looked up, seeing that the emergency back-up light shone above them. She then turned to Valentine. "Sorry about the light. I'll fix that at some point."
The hour passed quietly, the tension thick in the air. The group had moved to the rec room, though Valentine and Legion had both stayed behind to keep an eye on the aqueron. All the others were crowded around Jodie and Kasumi the rec room, keeping a careful eye on Jodie and Kasumi's omni-tools. They said very little, the mounting pressure going to everyone. As the hour neared its conclusion, Kasumi and Jodie both glanced at each other. Kasumi swallowed, glancing over at Sura. The cop shifted in her position next to the thief, rubbing her own shoulder. Sura nodded her head grimly, keeping her eyes closed as she waited for the message. Jodie sighed, hugging herself as she waited for the hour to end. It was right as the last minute of the hour wore on that Jodie felt Kalo squeeze her shoulder. Jodie looked up, her eyes wide with fear. Kalo simply nodded, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. Jodie's gaze turned towards the floor, and then she nodded, her lips forming a grimace. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking down at her hand as Aiden chirped uncertainly. And then, the hour came. It passed without a single sound. So, too, did the next few minutes, which were spent in a silence that slowly slipped from a tense silence to a horrified silence. And as the minutes wore on, they saw that Xerxes would leave no reply. Jodie swallowed, one of her hands cupping over her mouth. She let out a shaky breath, Kasumi and Sura both looking on as well. Ashley stood up, looking between Kasumi and Jodie. Jodie squeezed her eyes shut, breathing out nervously. "No..." she whispered. "God, no..." She felt Kalo sit next to her, the quarian pulling her into a hug. Jodie remained quiet, shaking her head. "No..." Kasumi whispered. Jodie inhaled audibly through her nose. "Dammit..." she whispered. "This... this is all my fault..." "Don't blame yourself," said Sura. "I talked him into helping you. We've all got some part of the blame here." Jodie shook her head. "But if I hadn't dragged him into it..." She then paused, exhaling as Kalo patted her back. Aiden let out a soft flurry of clicks, all of them softer than normal. And meanwhile, Jodie felt her eyes water. Dammit, she thought. I'm dragging people into my business again... Ashley shook her head. "We can't think about that now," she said. Jodie paused, looking up at Ashley. The gunnery chief's expression was neutral, though Jodie noticed that there was a fire there in the gunnery chief's eyes. She stared at it, her eyes still watering. Jodie felt her heart sink a little, but just as quickly, she felt another sensation. Briefly, she felt warmth around her arm. When she looked, there was nobody there. But Jodie could tell, somehow: that was Aiden's work. Jodie nodded, before sitting up. Kalo gently released her, Jodie rubbing her eyes. "You're right..." she said. She then breathed in, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked back up at everyone around her. "Chances are, they've captured him, looking for intelligence about us. I don't know if that's true, but I really hope it is." Jodie then stood up, walking to the door. "It's my fault he's in this situation," she said, looking at them as Kalo stood up. "That means I need to get him out of there." Sura then smiled. "That's the spirit," the asari replied. "We'll get him out of this." "Yeah," said Jodie. "If we play our cards right... We'll get him out." She then looked right at the door. "But first, we have answers we need to get. We're not going to save him without knowing anything, you know."
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Post by herrwozzeck on Apr 20, 2015 15:36:51 GMT 1
Chapter 27 "What do you know about where they would take him?" The aqueron remained silent, keeping his gaze turned to the wall. Jodie knelt in front of him, looking at the aqueron in silence. Jodie held her hands together in front of her, all the others in the room standing further back to give Jodie some space. Everyone stood there, and as Jodie glanced behind her she could see Kalo nodding encouragingly. Valentine and Sura simply looked on indifferently, while Kasumi and Ashley both watched intently, Legion standing just behind them. But even with the added space, Jodie felt claustrophobic next to him. She shivered, looking to the side. "Look..." She shook her head. "I know this is probably very far from what you thought would happen, but we humans... we care about others a lot more than you might think. And Xerxes..." Jodie rubbed her arm. "He's my friend. He helped me when nobody else would, even though he never knew my name. Gave me a translator, helped me find housing, helped when I was lost. He didn't need to, and yet he did it anyway. Guys like that..." She shook her head, closing her eyes. No tears flowed, but she did release a rather heavy sigh. "I know you've got a lot on your mind now, but I need to save him. I need to help him. Do you know anything about where they might've taken him?" The aqueron remained silent. He kept his gaze steady on the wall, though Jodie sensed that it was not out of anger and more out of something else. The aqueron also displayed his hands, Jodie noticing that they remained still. The aqueron simply spent the time in silence, Jodie glancing down at the floor as the seconds ticked by. Finally, she swallowed. "Please," she said. The aqueron said nothing. Jodie sighed, shaking her head as she began to stand up. "I guess we'll have to-" "If I tell you where he may have gone, I can be tried for treason." Jodie paused, looking at the aqueron. After a few seconds, she knelt back down, looking at the aqueron as he remained facing the wall. "Treason?" she asked. "All paths lead home." The aqueron turned slightly. "We never hold our prisoners here." "You don't?" asked Jodie. Valentine shifted. "Makes sense, if you ask me," he said. He then leaned against the wall. "If they know about you, they already know too much. Where else are they going to hold them but unfamiliar territory?" "Yes," said the aqueron. "All roads lead back to the wormhole. If that were to happen..." He shook his head again. "I cannot let the Great Purge happen again." Jodie blinked, looking at the others. "The Great Purge?" she asked. "I don't like the sound of that," Kasumi said. "You should not," the aqueron whispered. "It is what describes what your asari friend saw." He shook his head. "We cannot risk that event happening again." "Hm, sounds like more incriminating evidence to me," said Sura. "You know. 'Anything you say can and will be used against you', and all that." Jodie nodded, before leaning closer. "You don't really mean to defend them now, do you?" she asked. "Why not?" asked the aqueron. "You are all complicit in the Great Purge." "How can we be complicit in something if we didn't even know it happened?" Jodie asked. The aqueron remained silent. "I..." "Think about it," said Sura. "You can't really think we'd do the same thing again. We don't know you: if we'd known you'd existed, we'd have gone through a formal process of establishing first contact." "That is what Cerberus did," the aqueron replied. "They came to us, claiming peace. And then, they destroyed us." "The Council isn't the same way," said Jodie. She shook her head. "Look, I know you probably don't believe us, but think about it. We wouldn't get anything from trying to repeat this Great Purge. Even if we did know about you, why do you think we'd do that? What point would it serve to try to obliterate another race?" The aqueron paused, his gaze still turned away. Finally, Ashley sighed, stepping forward so she knelt next to Jodie. "The Council isn't exactly the best bunch of people," Ashley replied. "Trust me, they nearly fucked the galaxy over by grounding the Normandy when we should've gone after Saren. But there are many things they're not; a group of genocidal maniacs is one of those things. You don't have a good reason to keep anything secret." "You could still undermine my government yourself," said the aqueron. "And isn't there something fishy about the way it's been giving you information?" Jodie asked. "Whatever they've told you about us... most of it is lies, isn't it?" The aqueron paused, finally turning to look at Jodie. "You are all... strange..." he said. "There is a spirit-touched among you, and none of you are the barbarians you are painted as..." "I can see that..." the aqueron said. He then turned to the floor, his gaze intent on Jodie's feet. "But still." He paused, the silence stretching across several seconds. "If I tell you..." He took a deep breath in. "I am... afraid." "Hey, you're crossing the Rubicon here," said Valentine. "I don't blame you." The aqueron turned to Valentine, his head tilted to the side in confusion. "Rubicon?" he asked. Legion's head plates tilted forward. "Crossing the Rubicon," the geth repeated. "Refers to the crossing of the Rubicon River by Julius Caesar in human year 49 B.C.E. In common usage, denotes a point of no return." Ashley turned to face Legion, leaning back as she did. "You logged that one?" she asked. "We are always compiling data," Legion replied. "Is Williams-Chief surprised?" "I..." Ashley frowned. "Well, you did compile the King James Bible, but I didn't think you'd know that phrase." The aqueron nodded. "Crossing the Rubicon..." he said. He snorted derisively, but Jodie could see in the way the aqueron's eyes shined that the snort was more out of habit than anything else. "As much as I wish not to admit it, I can't help but say it is rather apt." He looked up. "I have seen many things since I came to this galaxy. I have never spoken with others, nor have I ever seen that much." He then looked directly at Jodie, his eyes narowing slightly. "Spirit-touched, tell me something: have you not been singled out through your life?" Everyone blinked, turning to Jodie. As soon as Jodie frowned, their attention turned back to the aqueron. "What kind of question is that?" asked Sura. "A valid one," said the aqueron. "It is true that there are no spirit-touched in this galaxy aside from her, no?" Kalo paused, the quarian leaning back as his hand stroked the underside of his mask. "That much is true, actually..." he said. He then looked over at Valentine. "No one else that we know of." "And we certainly wouldn't study that," said Valentine. He crossed his arms. "So even if there was, we don't know they're out there." The aqueron nodded, turning to Jodie. "Then it must have been a lonely existence, not knowing what you are and knowing always that you were an outsider," he said. Jodie sighed. "I've always known that Aiden is a spirit attached to me. But beyond that, I'm not sure what else he is." She closed her eyes, memories of past events coming to mind in almost vivid detail as she nodded. "But you're right. I was always an outsider." She closed her eyes, placing her hands on her knees. "For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be like other girls. I always wanted to be normal." The aqueron nodded, closing his eyes as he bowed his head forward. "The articians have a saying about their spirit-touched," he said. "It is not you that chooses the spirit, but the spirit that chooses you. And when the spirit chooses you, you are capable of great things." Jodie shook her head, her eyes closing as old memories of things she'd rather not remember flooded back to her mind. "It hasn't always felt that way," she said. "That is a shame," the aqueron replied. He shifted, opening his eyes and looking right at Jodie. "Why are you here? Are you here to commit subterfuge against us?" Jodie opened her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing as she leaned closer to the aqueron. "Why subterfuge?" asked Jodie. "You must admit, it is alarming to me that you discovered us and intruded on our attempt to get Shepard's body back," the aqueron replied. "How can I trust that you have the best intent in mind for my galaxy as well as yours?" Jodie bit her lower lip, her brows furrowing a little further. "Do you know how suspicious it looks to me when you slowly start to find out that the man you thought was noble isn't such a noble man?" she asked. "I discovered who Shepard was. I saw past the disguise he put up." She shook her head. "Imagine if I went to your galaxy, impersonated an artician, and used that to become... a prince, or whatever." "Princess," the aqueron replied. "The point remains the same," said Jodie. "Wouldn't that look unsettling to you too?" The aqueron tilted his head down towards the floor. "We are only defending our home," he said. "Shepard pretended to be a human for most of his life," Jodie replied. "You'll have to forgive me for taking that with a grain of salt." She shook her head. "I'm worried for everyone in this galaxy, and Shepard's actions give me reason to doubt whether he's really got this galaxy's best interests in mind. And if they're not for the best interests of everyone here... I'm going to stop it. Plain and simple." The aqueron smiled ruefully. "You sound just like Shepard," he observed. "Always willing to do whatever it took to defend others, despite what I imagine must have been subpar treatment by others." Jodie released a dry chuckle. "You have no idea how many people used me to do their dirty work," she said. "And yet, here you are," said the aqueron. He paused. "You humans surprise me." "We can do that," said Valentine. "We still can't figure out how to flip a pancake, though." Kasumi looked over at Valentine. "I can," she said. "Just light wrist motions!" "Because that's easy," said Valentine, raising his head for a second as he spoke. The aqueron paused, before looking at Jodie. "You say nothing about your actions once you discover why we are here," he said. Jodie nodded. "I can't promise that your galaxy won't face the music," said Jodie. "Your leader impersonated one of us, stole some of our greatest accomplishments, technically committed a war crime... And then there's everything we don't know yet." She shook her head. "His actions paint all of you as invaders." The aqueron blinked. "They do?" he asked. "Yeah." Jodie sighed. "Even knowing that Cerberus killed a lot of people in your galaxy, I don't think they'll take too kindly to how you decided to deal with that." She shook her head, sitting back and placing her arms on her knees. "Given what we have here, I can't guarantee anything." The aqueron paused, his gaze turned to the floor. He then frowned, looking up at Jodie. "You are wrong," said the aqueron. "There is one thing you can guarantee will not happen." Jodie quirked one of her eyebrows, leaning closer to the aqueron. "And what's that?" she asked. "You can guarantee that the Great Purge will not be repeated." The aqueron shifted his position, looking down at the floor. "That is our greatest worry. If I am to tell you what you wish to know, I must have at least the guarantee that you will not commit genocide on my galaxy." Jodie blinked. "I... I see..." She paused, glancing down to the side. Ashley turned to Jodie, tapping her foot impatiently as she crossed her arms. "These guys seriously think we'd do the same thing Cerberus did?" "Wow," said Valentine, adjusting his shades on his face. "Talk about irrational fears." "Yeah." Jodie swallowed, exhaling. She then turned her attention back to the aqueron, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. The aqueron flinched at the touch, but Jodie's hand remained in place. "You're probably right. I can likely guarantee that much." The aqueron swallowed. "I am so uncertain about this..." he said. "Even with that guarantee..." He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath in. Jodie thought she saw motion behind the aqueron's back, but the motion ceased and he remained quiet for a few seconds. All eyes remained on him, the aqueron's jaw quivering as he visibly tried to steady his breathing. Finally, the aqueron exhaled. "Gods help me..." he whispered. He then opened his eyes, his gaze turned to Jodie. "If you wish to rescue your friend... There are many waypoints we have set up in this galaxy. Think of them as bases of operation." "The information network..." Jodie whispered, removing her hand from the aqueron's shoulder. "Yes," said the aqueron. "Your friend will likely be juggled across all of those waypoints so anyone who is on his trail will lose it. Once they are certain his trail has been lost, they will take him to our galaxy." He then looked up at the ceiling. "By now, they would be ferrying him to the first waypoint. If you hurry, you may be able to catch him." "Where would this waypoint be?" asked Valentine. "Truly, I do not know." The aqueron frowned. "I know that even without my capture, they never set a pattern to it." Sura nodded. "I guess that makes sense," said Sura. "Yeah," Valentine nodded, taking his sunglasses off and wiping them on his shirt. "I mean, what use would that strategy be if you gave them a pattern you could trace?" "Exactly," said the aqueron. "However, if I give you the location to one waypoint, you can hope he'll pass through it." He bit his lip. "I can't guarantee he will. But if he is not there, you will need to get information, and lots of it." He then looked up. "If we're too late, they'll speed the process up, and he'll be in the parallel galaxy. And if that happens... the waypoints will tell you how to get into my galaxy." "Alert: this platform is aware of wormhole's location," Legion added. "Knowing where the wormhole is would be the least of our problems," said the aqueron. "There is always a patrol on the other side of the wormhole. It monitors that wormhole, looking for any that stray into it. All entrants must say that password I mentioned: it is how we identify ourselves." "So we have to say that password and they'll think we're related to them," said Valentine. "And if we steal their ships?" "It will be better, but they are prepared for the possibility that someone has stolen a ship," said the aqueron. It was then that Kalo stepped forward, his foot sliding against the floor. "What happens to the ones that do not say it?" "We take them prisoner," said the aqueron. Sura frowned. "You take them prisoner for simply making a wrong turn?" she asked. "Isn't that a bit excessive?" "No," the aqueron replied. "They know too much, therefore they must not be allowed to return." Jodie bristled, her brows furrowing. "You're racking up counts on the reasons we shouldn't trust your galaxy, you know," she said. "Perhaps," said the aqueron, Jodie noticing a light sheen on his scales. "That is not important now. The only way to know the password for certain is to check that waypoint." Jodie blinked. "And we could find more intel on what you want from us," she said. "Perhaps," said the aqueron. "But to save your friend, you may have to go there." "Where's the nearest waypoint to here?" Valentine asked. The aqueron nodded, his breathing becoming ever so slightly more audible. "We placed it deep on a homeworld of a race with Council connections," he said. "Very few would think to check there." "Where?" asked Sura, leaning forward insistently. The aqueron looked up. His eyes were wide with fear, right before he squeezed his eyes shut. The next word out of his mouth took a second attempt to come out. "Kahje."
"The hanar homeworld?" "Looks like it." Jodie nodded, looking as Valentine started up the launch procedures. Everyone was crowded around him in the cockpit, with the exception of Legion. The others looked down at Valentine. "It's not that far from here," said Sura. "If we hurry, we might be able to get there and get him out of there." "And if we don't?" asked Ashley. Kasumi sighed. "We have to hope for the best, right?" she asked. "Yeah," said Valentine. He then looked over at Kalo. "You know the location of this waypoint, right?" "Yes," said Kalo. He opened his omni-tool. "I hope he gave the right place." "He knows I can pluck it out of his mind at any time," Sura replied. "He's not gonna lie about that. And if he did, I'm marching straight back to this ship and getting him to tell us the truth." She sighed, shaking her head. "We need to get him out of there. He's not really a combatant." "Eh... I've seen him do interesting things," said Kasumi. Sura frowned. "Interesting things?" she asked. "Hey, you've got to stay on your toes in his old line of work," Kasumi replied, turning around to Sura. "My feeling is, he gave them a fight. That turian's got a fire in him. One of the reasons I liked working with him." The asari's frown deepened, and she turned away. "He's not that type," she said. "Not now, he isn't," Kasumi replied. "But you don't forget some things, trust me." Sura shook her head. "I'm going to go read a bit," she said, walking straight for the door of the cockpit. "Let me know when we're close." Valentine nodded. "You got it." He then looked to the others, smiling. "I got this. You all head back to your stations and do what you can to prepare." Jodie patted the pilot's chair. "Get us there in one piece," she said. "We're on a rescue mission now, in addition to our information-gathering." "Yeah," said Valentine. "I got you." And with this, Jodie and the others vacated the cockpit, letting Valentine do his work.
Jodie stood at the table, Legion standing on the other end. Kalo was preparing his own weapons next to Jodie, and the quarian found himself looking at the aqueron as he sat in the corner. "Does Holmes-Anomaly require our presence on Kahje?" asked Legion. Kalo shook his head. "You will only cause a disturbance," said the quarian. Jodie closed her eyes, sighing in regret. "As much as I want to say otherwise, he's right," Jodie replied. "Especially so soon after yo-... the heretic geth attacked the Citadel." She then gestured at the aqueron. "Besides, we need someone to watch him." "Affirmative," said Legion. The geth then paused, looking at the aqueron. "I detect a slightly elevated heart rate from the aqueron." Jodie paused, turning to Kalo. "I think..." The quarian then leaned forward, taking his knife from the ankle sheath and placing it on the counter before he walked to the aqueron. He knelt before him, gazing at him intently. "Are you stressed?" "I just betrayed my galaxy," said the aqueron. "I betrayed my home... And I don't know how to feel... I just feel like I may have made a horrible mistake." Kalo nodded, Jodie noticing the lights disappearing behind Kalo's face mask. "I do not blame you," he said. "It is a very... difficult thing, betraying a group you grew up with." The aqueron nodded. "It is," he replied. He blinked, Jodie noticing a little moisture gathering in his eye. "I fear, too, what may happen now. It's only just..." He paused. "We're in a fine mess now, aren't we? On the track we're on... You really think it will come down to war?" "Perhaps," Kalo replied, bowing his head forward. "Perhaps." He then rose his head, shifting so he was sitting next to the aqueron. "It is too early to tell, though. Perhaps we can fix it." The aqueron blinked, looking up at the quarian. "So do you really think people can fix this mess?" "I do not know for sure," said Kalo. "But what I do know, is that it is never naïve to hope. We can always hope for a solution. Maybe there is a way we can fix this." The aqueron chuckled. "Such an optimist," he said. "It will get you killed." Jodie could see the shine of a smile from behind the face mask, and she saw that it was a small one as Kalo glanced at her. "It has given me invaluable allies," Kalo replied. "Allies who have helped me in more ways than I could ever have dreamed." He turned back to the aqueron. "I may be a pariah to the galaxy, but there is no use moping about it, is there? You have to soldier on." The aqueron frowned, but Jodie could see an amused smile come from the aqueron. "You quarians are much more fascinating in the flesh," he admitted. He then shifted his position. "Such words from a race that has been wronged so horribly by the Council." "Not all share my view," said Kalo. "No entire species can. But I hold it." He bowed his head. "We have nothing, if not that." "And a lot of resourcefulness," Jodie added. The aqueron nodded. Jodie turned, looking at Legion as he stood stock still. She noticed his head plates tilting forward, but otherwise the geth remained silent. Jodie shrugged, turning back to her weapon. "Let's get ready," she said. "We've got to prepare." Kalo nodded, standing up. "Of course," he said. He then walked back to the table, continuing to prepare himself.
Within a few hours, the Lying Bastard was flying into the Kahje airspace. Jodie had stepped into the cockpit by then, wearing a suit designed for stealth operations. Over it, she had some civilian clothes on, something that Jodie felt was at least something of a mistake. However, she knew that getting through Kahje's civilian population would be difficult otherwise, so she went with it. Beside her, Kasumi, Kalo, Sura, and Ashley were all suited up. They were as prepared as she was, and all were left to glance out of the window. And then, they broke the cloud line, and what they saw there was immense. "Wow..." said Jodie. They looked upon a vast ocean, the vessel rapidly hurtling towards the waters. Jodie watched as rain hit the window, but the droplets of rain on the Lying Bastard's window did nothing to diminish the vastness of the sea beneath. Off to the side, Jodie thought she could see an island full of lush greenery, but it vanished from view before she could take it in. "Well, there it is," said Valentine. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kahje." "Wow..." said Jodie as she leaned over. Aiden trilled in amazement. "This is..." "I know, right?" Valentine asked. "Oceans as far as the eye can see..." Kalo said softly. The group said nothing. However, it was then that Jodie noticed that the ship was angling towards the water. She then leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Valentine?" she asked. "Why are we going towards the water?" "You didn't think this thing was made just for space travel, did you?" asked Valentine. "Hanar vessels are designed to go in water, too. In fact, on Kahje, if you can dock, you either dock at a port up in space and take an elevator down, or you dock underwater." Valentine then turned his attention back to the waters. "And in our case, his information pits this waypoint somewhere in an underwater city. Not common on Kahje, but they've got one hell of a great climate control inside. Other species tend to flock to those places." Valentine turned to the rain. "It always rains on Kahje." "Moistest planet in the galaxy," Sura said. She nodded. "I wonder how the hanar manage to avoid getting struck by the docking ships." "The hanar live in the water?" asked Jodie. Sura smiled. "And they look more natural in it than anywhere else," she said. "Just watch. It'll be like nothing you've ever seen." And with this, Jodie turned back, just in time to brace herself. The Lying Bastard dove right into the water, Jodie feeling a slight tremble around her as the vessel parted the waters. Before long, Jodie saw the vessel dip under the water, and the Lying Bastard resumed its journey under the waters. Jodie looked out of the window, her hand pressing against the glass. And it was then that she saw the first of a very bright series of lights. As the Lying Bastard submerged in the water, she saw a trail of odd blue light dancing about. As soon as her sight got adjusted to the decreased light under the water, though, she also saw a body, from which the light emanated. It danced around in the water, almost like it was doing a ballet. And the way the colors shone in the darkening ocean, the way they flowed. Aiden could only trill quietly, Jodie's jaw dropping as she then saw several more forms of colored light. "Wow..." Jodie said. She turned to the others. "Have you ever seen anything like this...?" "No," said Ashley as she leaned forward. "It is so..." Kalo paused. "I never thought I would see such a thing..." Jodie nodded, breaking out into a smile. "I haven't seen anything like it," she said. "It's so beautiful..." "Sometimes they make a show for the tourists," said Valentine. "It's not surprising. You think of them on land, and you don't expect this. Makes a great case for tourism." He then turned his attention back to the controls. "Don't let them distract you, though. We're on a rescue mission." "Right," said Jodie, who had to tear her gaze away from the dancing lights. "So where do we go?" "He said that the exact location of the waypoint may have changed after his capture," said Valentine. "However, he knows the last location the waypoint was at." Valentine then turned. "He told me one of those spirit-touched abilities you have is to get visions from somewhere, right?" Jodie nodded. "It is, yeah," she said. "So we go over there, scan it, and figure out where they've gone?" "Something like that," said Valentine. He then turned to Jodie. "Just don't go towards the light, Carol Anne." Jodie pursed her lips, shaking her head as she looked away. "That won't be a problem," she said. And with this, Jodie saw the first lights of the underwater city come into view.
The walk inside the city had been absolutely breathtaking. Jodie could see some establishments with proper walls, but most of the city was contained in heavy glass. The glass looked out to the water, where Jodie saw the bioluminescent hanar floating about as if they were dancing in the water. Of course, she knew she had no time to enjoy the scenery. Xerxes' life was on the line, after all. And it was thus that Jodie's group came out to what looked like an abandoned building. The walls inside were made of some material Jodie could not really see. However, the material was opaque, and from what Jodie saw there were no windows inside the complex, and while it looked abandoned it oddly did not look like it had fallen into disrepair. Thus, when they went inside, they found it was empty, exactly as the aqueron had said they would find it. Of course, the room was rather large and expansive, which set off a few alarms in Jodie's mind. She turned her omni-tool's flashlight, flashing it in the corners before sighing in relief at finding nobody there. She then nodded, keeping the omni-tool's flashlight on as she walked around the room. "It's clear." As soon as Jodie said this, the others filed into the room behind her. "Just like ghostie said," Sura noted. Kasumi materialized in the air right by one of the walls. "Hey, what can I say?" she asked. "I'm nothing if not honest." "I wasn't disputing that," said Sura. "I just didn't think a file thief would go there." "Focus," Ashley said immediately. She then looked around the room, turning to Jodie. "So what are we looking for?" "Anything we can find," said Jodie. "And it can be anything. If it was left behind by them or a marking left by them, Aiden can use that." Kalo nodded, getting on his knees and inspecting the floor. "Even a marking on the floor?" he asked. "Even that." Jodie then flashed the flashlight. "I got the vision about Shepard from a bloodstain he hadn't fully cleaned." Ashley blinked, turning to Jodie as she walked up to the wall. "Do I want to know?" she asked. "Balak vomited blood after what Shepard did to him," Jodie replied. "Well, I guess I know what I'm looking forward to if I ever get caught by them," Kasumi commented. She then leaned forward. "Hm... And what about this?" Jodie turned in time to see Kasumi lift a small piece of cloth. It was cloth of a strange material Jodie did not recognize, the blue object seeming almost unnoticeable in the lighting of the room. Jodie frowned, walking up to it and analyzing the piece. "Hm..." She then looked up. Aiden chirped a few times, to which Jodie nodded. "He sees something he can use in here," Jodie said. She then felt the world begin to pull, breathing in as she braced herself for whatever vision she would see. And when Jodie blinked, the colors were sapped out of the world. "He is dead!" Jodie whirled around, seeing two humanoids and a fellow aqueron. Jodie noticed how different the aqueron's scales were colored from the one they had prisoner, before she looked around at one of the humanoids. The first one wore sunglasses, though she could notice the faint aura of light coming from behind them. As Jodie approached, he scoffed, brushing some hair out of the way. It was difficult to tell from the vision, but it seemed almost too natural to be real, in a sense. He also seemed to move just a little strangely, Jodie noticing that his pinkie twitched unnaturally. The other one, of course, seemed a bit more natural. He looked almost exactly like a human, with a scar on his chin and rugged features. Jodie could not make out much else without color, but what she gave her reason to pause. This human one in front of a terminal, looking over information with narrowed eyes. She made a mental note to check the far end of the room where the terminal was placed, before looking over at the other human-looking alien where he sat at a desk. He held a datapad in his hand, and as soon as he heard the news he turned towards the aqueron. "Are you certain?" he said. "I just received a transmission from high command," said the aqueron. "Jon'ison Shardan is dead..." "That is impossible!" The humanoid standing at the terminal turned, revealing glowing eyes. Jodie stepped back as the glowy eyed man walked right through her. Jodie turned immediately, seeing the aqueron get pushed to the wall. "He would never die! Not before we need him to!" "I am afraid it has happened..." the aqueron sighed. "At any rate, they will go to recover the body soon." The other humanoid (the actual artician, Jodie assumed) fell to the floor, kneeling as he dropped the datapad. "This is... He's actually dead... How is this possible?" The aqueron turned to the artician, patting him on the shoulder. "Peace, brother," he said. "We will fix this." And before Jodie could process anything else, the vision dissipated around her, the empty room coming back into focus. "Anything?" asked Kasumi. "Just a vision about what they saw when Shepard died," she said. "I didn't stay long enough to see how bad their reaction was." "Hm." Sura leaned against the wall. "Anything useful?" "Maybe," said Jodie, walking to the far end of the room where the terminal had been situated in the vision. She turned her omni-tool flash-light back on, noticing a deep gash in the wall. "From where a piece of electronics could have been scratched against the wall," she muttered, her hand brushing it. "Jodie?" Ashley asked. "There was a terminal here," she said. She then exhaled, feeling the inexorable pull of Aiden grabbing onto another vision. "Something they would've had to hurriedly pack up and leave after what we did." She then closed her eyes. "Give me just a second..." And then, Jodie opened her eyes, the world going back into monochrome. She stood up, stepping back and looking at the terminal. "We have to go!" She heard a loud screech as soon as the artician from earlier came into view. He pulled the terminal away with his bare arms, Jodie seeing the mark that was left behind. She turned, her eyes widening as she saw the artician carry the very heavy terminal as if it weighed nothing. The aqueron nodded, packing up whatever he could. "Leave no trace," he said. "We do not want anyone to find us." "They cannot think to follow us here," said the artician. "But we have to make sure they don't find anything," said the man with the shining eyes. He then grabbed some sunglasses. "If we leave anything behind, who knows what will become of the Project?" The artician remained silent, nodded. "Yes, true," he said. "If anyone here finds out about the Project, our plans are doomed... The Project cannot be stopped." "And we must keep going," he said. "Come on. We have our assignment in that apartment building." "Indeed," said said the aqueron. "To the Dances With Currents Tower?" The artician nodded. "They'll never think to find us there," he said. "Residential places tend to do that." "Yes," said the man with the glowing eyes. "We will lay low there. They won't find us." The aqueron nodded. "Come," he said. "Let's go." Jodie then blinked, color returning to the world. She then looked back at the empty space where the terminal once stood, before standing right back up. "They're in the Dances With Currents Tower," she said. Sura blinked. "Damn, you work fast," she said. "I know a bunch of detectives who would be jealous of you." "Thank Aiden for that," she said. She then nodded to the others. "Where is that?" "It's somewhere in the upper class district," said Kasumi, opening her omni-tool. "The upper class district?" asked Ashley. She then looked over at Kalo. "I hope bringing him along won't be an issue." "That won't be a problem," Sura replied. "Most hanar I know are pretty decent to quarians." "Then hopefully I will be permitted entrance," Kalo said. He then looked at Jodie. "Did you see anything else in there?" Jodie nodded. "They talked about some... Project," she said. "One that we apparently can't stop or they'll lose something." Sura nodded, opening her omni-tool. "We can always ask our aqueron friend about that," she said. "Chances are, he knows what it is." "We'll see," said Jodie. "For now... do you know what we're dealing with in there?" "Probably a lot of civilians," said Sura. She shook her head, looking at the information a quick omni-tool search pulled up. "We better get moving. We're not going to know that for sure unless we get over there now and scout the place out." "Yeah," said Kasumi. "I get to search the place once we're there." Jodie shook her head. "Just be careful." She sighed. "Come on, let's go." And with this, the group filed out of the room with a quickened step.
The Dances With Currents Tower was nothing if not aptly named: after all, that building turned out to have one face inside of the ocean. Jodie looked up at the building in question, seeing the blue facade of the building and how it contrasted with everything. It even seemed to extend up into the level on the city above them, Jodie shaking her head. "How the hell did they build this city, again?" Jodie asked. Her comm unit crackled to life. "You gotta hand it to the hanar, they're resourceful bastards," said Valentine. "Even more than you might think, actually." "Yeah, that's turning out to be the case here," Jodie said. She glanced around, seeing other things that could count as edifices in the underwater city. She also turned, looking to the surprisingly high amount of drell in the area. "I'm wondering about all the drell around here. Isn't there some kind of disease they can get from too much humidity?" "It's climate controlled down here," said Sura. "And even if it weren't for that... the drell have a debt to the hanar." Jodie nodded. "I see..." she said. "I've heard what happened when the hanar made contact with the drell. It sounds like such a sad story..." "Yeah," Ashley said. "And now they're all stuck here." "Yeah." Jodie paused, looking back up at the building. She sighed, rubbing her chin. "When's Kasumi going to be done?" "It is a large building," Kalo observed. "She may have to go through quite a few rooms." "And she has the added bonus of doing it without being seen," said Valentine. "At least there are no explosives involved. With that, we don't have to worry about seeing something completely different." "True..." said Jodie. As they waited, Jodie glanced about the area again. The residential area they were in was bustling with all sorts of life. Hanar and drell alike milled about, some shopping at the stalls that were liberally scattered about. She saw a few other species scattered about, but they were mostly asari and humans. She sighed, looking up at the large body of water visible just past a large glass. The water was backlit by a network of lamps scattered about the actual city, but through it all Jodie could still see faint glimmers of the hanar's natural bio-luminescence. They streaked about flittingly. Jodie sighed, pulling her legs up. "It's haunting to see the hanar in the water," she said. "It's... I haven't seen anything like it since the last time I saw an entity underwater." Ashley turned to Jodie, frowning. "You had to fight entities underwater?" Jodie nodded, pouting. "One mission I was in took us to an underwater base," she said. "They were researching the Infraworld too, and they'd opened another condenser, so I was called in to stop it. The condenser they used to access the Infraworld was in the ocean itself. That was... scary." "You had to run from it," said Ashley. "While weighed down by a pressurized suit," Jodie replied. She shivered, her muscles momentarily aching from the memory. "That was not fun." "I can't imagine it was," said Sura. She then looked out, pointing at the hanar. "And it looked like this, hm?" "This is better," Jodie replied. "Entities can be... dangerous. The hanar aren't." She then leaned forward. "It helps that the hanar are colorful." She smiled. "I don't know how I got here, but I'm glad I did." "You don't know how you got here?" Ashley asked. "It wasn't clear when I looked into her memories," Sura said. She then frowned. "That black hole thing you were going into, though... that was the result of one of those condensers?" "Yes," Jodie replied. She looked up. "I'm glad they don't seem to have any here. That wouldn't be good for-" "Jodie, I think I found it!" All four of them blinked, looking over at Jodie. After a second, she stood up, bringing a hand to her ear. "Kasumi!" she said. "Where is it?" "On the side facing the water," said Kasumi. "They're still in there, though..." Kalo turned his attention to the civilians around them. "We just need the data, no?" he asked. "Yeah," said Kasumi. "Problem is, even a master hacker can't access their terminals if they're right next to them. They'll know I've accessed them immediately!" Jodie sighed, nodding. "Okay, so we need to distract them..." She looked up at Aiden, before turning to the others. "And just how are we going to do that?" In the brief pause that followed, Jodie could only imagine the size of Kasumi's grin. "Just follow my lead." Jodie paused, looking over at the others; she felt her skin tingle as a sense of unease filled her. She then looked back at the building, breathing in nervously. "Kasumi?" Jodie asked. "What are you doing?" The line went silent for a few seconds, and then after a brief time, Jodie heard the line cut from Kasumi's end. Her omni-tool then pinged, and Jodie looked down to see a message from Kasumi. She opened it, holding her arm out to the others so they could read it as well: "It's on the third floor, middle apartment facing the ocean. Doesn't look like Xerxes is here. Get in, get what you can." Jodie sighed, closing her eyes. "Damn," she said. "You had to expect that would've happened," Sura pointed out. Jodie nodded bitterly. "That doesn't make it better," she said. She shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose in disappointment. "Shit. Now we're going to have to go over there." "Indeed," said Kalo. He then looked up. "I wonder why Kasumi told us to follow..." Kalo stopped, right as the group noticed a commotion right at the front of the building. The group then noticed that someone was running with something in their hand, two other figures following and shouting at that person They gave chase, Jodie and the others watching as they retreated, civilians stopping to look at them. And as the figures moved a little closer, Jodie thought she saw the familiar hood. "Kasumi?" she asked. Sura immediately facepalmed, growling. "Goddess, she can't resist even while we're on assignment?" Sura asked, her voice strained. "We're supposed to not be noticed!" said Ashley. "How is that supposed to-" "Wait." Jodie held her hand up, looking at the two that followed Kasumi. She then pointed, her eyes widening in surprise as the vision Aiden had shown her at the warehouse came back into the forefront. The features on the two men following her seemed familiar, and after a few seconds... "Those two..." she said. "They were there..." Kalo turned to Jodie. "In the vision?" he asked. "Yes..." She then breathed in sharply. "She found the right room." "Wait..." Ashley's eyes widened. "So she is trying to call attention to herself!" Sura chuckled. "Well, I guess that's one way to distract them," she said. "They don't think she'd actually be stupid enough to let them catch her, do they?" "No, but it'll keep them away," Jodie said. She then turned to Sura. "And that's better than anything we've got right now." She then shook her head. "We've got to get going. We're probably not going to have long to work. Kalo, you're with me. Sura, Ashley, I need you to stay here and let me know if those two come back." "And if Kasumi comes back first?" Ashley asks. "Then let me know about that too." She then turned to Kalo, nodding as she took a step towards the entrance. "Come on. Let's go. We probably won't have a lot of time." "Of course, Jodie," said Kalo. He then nodded, and the two of them walked briskly but casually to the entrance of the Dances With Currents Tower.
Jodie and Kalo walked over to the door, Jodie nodding as she took a deep breath. The holographic door panel was red, and it looked about as unremarkable as any other door. Still, Jodie felt a strange sense of anticipation looking at it as she fixed her helmet on her head. "This must be it," said Kalo. He then opened the omni-tool. "I suppose we will-" But as Kalo approached the door, Jodie grabbed his arm, pulling him back. She shook her head, looking at the door. "Jodie?" Kalo asked. "There were three people in the vision," Jodie replied. "There were only two that were chasing Kasumi. One of them's still in there." Kalo blinked; after a few seconds he closed his omni-tool. "Oh," said the quarian. He then looked at Jodie. "So how do we enter?" Jodie smiled. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, looking at where she assumed Aiden was. "Aiden, find the guy in there and get him to let us in." Aiden chirped, and then Jodie leaned against the wall. Her attention turned to all the apartments around them, at the silence in the halls. She then sighed, crossing her arms. "They're right, you know," Jodie said. "You'd never think to check a residential area like this." "I suppose so," said Kalo. "Do they frequently do this?" Jodie chuckled. "It'd be easier to ask when they don't," Jodie replied. "The world of espionage is crazy." "You lived it," said Kalo. "Yeah," Jodie said. She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I didn't. It's just another reminder of the things I did I'm not proud of." Jodie could see Kalo give her a hopeful smile. "Well, for what it is worth, perhaps it is not such a bad thing," said Kalo. "It seems to aid you quite a bit here." Jodie chuckled, giving Kalo a sad smile. "That's mostly Aiden doing the talking," she said. "Perhaps," said Kalo. "But I think it would help you considerably to know how they think." Jodie blinked, looking down the hall. "That's true, I guess..." she said. She sighed. "Still, I guess it's good we're here." She then paused, before shifting her weight on her feet. "When will Aiden have-" And then, the door panel turned green. After a split second, the door slid open, an aqueron attending it. Jodie nodded, Kalo stepping back as he noticed that the aqueron's eyes were rolled into the back of his head. Kalo turned to Jodie as the aqueron stepped back, Jodie walking into the doorway. Jodie nodded, looking to Kalo as she pulled some latex gloves out of one of her pockets. "Come on," she said. "Oh, and don't touch him, whatever you do. It'll break the hold Aiden has on him." Kalo's shoulders stiffened, and then he rushed in after Jodie. "That is Aiden's work?" "Yes," said Jodie. "He can possess people." "Oh..." Kalo paused, the door closing behind him. They then looked into the central room. It was small, with typical living room furnishments. A terminal sat off to the far wall, and in front of them they saw a vast window looking out into the ocean. The bio-luminescence of the hanar was faintly visible, but the water had darkened a little since the group had entered. Jodie assumed this was due to the sunlight, and sighed as she turned to Kalo. The quarian shook his head, his attention turning to the terminal. "Right. Of course. We should get that data." He then approached a terminal, opening his omni-tool. "I assume we just mine everything we can get from here?" "Yes," said Jodie. "We'll have time to analyze it later. We don't have the time now. They'll be back any second." Kalo nodded, opening up a program on his omni-tool and looking at the terminal. "All right, getting the data now." Jodie nodded, turning her attention back to the aqueron. She then frowned, walking past him and stepping into a back room. The aqueron followed her, turning on the light switch as the room was illuminated. It revealed a bedroom of sorts, not unlike any other bedroom she had seen. However, she saw some items cluttered together on the dresser, items that looked appropriate for prosthetics work. She walked over to this dresser, lifting up a few things. They were colored objects, and in her hands they felt like a strange material she had never felt. It was similar to rubber, yet seemed much more comfortable on her skin. She looked at them, seeing the way the prosthetic item shifted in color from a strange sort of undefined grey to a light peach that matched her skin as filtered through the latex glove. She blinked in surprise, turning it over to the Aiden-posessed aqueron. "You ever see anything like this?" she asked. The aqueron shook his head, Jodie nodding as she looked at the prosthetic. There were several more pieces all laid out in front of her, and Jodie guessed pretty quickly where some of them were supposed to fit on the aqueron's body. "Slap on enough prosthetics..." she whispered. She then chuckled. "Looks like Valentine was more right than even he thought." The aqueron nodded vigorously. Jodie said nothing, dropping the prosthetic into one of the pockets of her civilian outfit. "Let's search the rest of this apartment," she said. "There might be a couple other things here we don't recognize." The aqueron nodded, and then Jodie walked across the bedroom, beginning to look through every piece of furniture in the room. The Aiden-possessed aqueron followed her lead, though he exited the room. Jodie assumed there was another room in the apartment, and simply resumed opening drawers on the dresser. As she opened a new drawer, though, her eyes caught sight of something. She frowned, digging through the clothes in the drawer. She parted the clothes to reveal a strange sphere, one that looked rather technological in nature. It was the size of an apple, and when Jodie ghosted her fingers over it she felt no resistance from the latex layer separating the object from her physical hand. She picked it up, rotating it. A frown settled on her face, and she pocketed that as well. She then opened another drawer. And that was when her omni-tool pinged. Jodie blinked, looking at her omni-tool to see an urgent message from Ashley. Jodie's eyes widened, and all in an instant her heart began to race forward. She didn't have to read the message to know what it said. She abruptly stood up, ripping the latex gloves off of her hand. "Kalo, Aiden, we need to go, now!" she said as she entered the main room. Kalo turned to her, nodding as he hurriedly stood up. As he cut the connection. "But Aiden is still inhabiting the body," said Kalo. "What will we-?" And then, from the other room, the two of them heard a fairly loud thud. This was followed by a slightly softer thud, Jodie looking on. "What was that?" Kalo asked. "Aiden knocking him out," she said. She shook her head. "He's going to remember nothing from the time Aiden took over, so as long as we left no traces, we should be fine." "But they will know this waypoint has been compromised," Kalo observed. "True, but they won't know who compromised it yet," Jodie replied. "And if we're quick in analyzing this information, that may buy us enough time to figure out the password and get in before they change it." She shook her head. "Espionage is all about timing, you know." "I hope you are right," Kalo replied. They then walked to the door, stepping outside of the room. "Right," said Jodie as the door closed behind them. She then gently grabbed Kalo's wrist, turning to the quarian as they made their way to the elevator. "Walk slowly, and act like nothing odd happened. If we run into them in the hall, keep going. They won't suspect anything if we're moving slowly. They'll just think we're-" "Jodie?" Jodie turned in surprise, her and Kalo's attention being pulled to a young drell in the hallway. Jodie gasped in shock, the turquoise scales making themselves rather apparent in the lighting of the hallway. "Kolyat?" Kalo turned his attention to Jodie. "You know him, Jodie?" the quarian asked. "I..." She shook her head, looking at Kolyat. "I encountered him on the Citadel." She then chuckled nervously. "I wasn't expecting to-" "Hm, I knew it!" Jodie leaned back, her foot shifting behind her. "Knew what?" she asked, feeling a few goosebumps brush up her arms. "Mission," said Kolyat. He then snorted, shaking his head. "So now I suppose you're asking me to believe that it's brought you here, huh?" "Uh..." Jodie said. "Well, you see-" "Yes, actually," Kalo replied. Kolyat turned to the quarian. "And who the hell is this?" Kolyat asked. "I am a friend of Jodie's," Kalo replied. He bowed his head. "But as I was saying, our mission did indeed bring us here. I apologize, but we cannot quite tell you the details. Let us just say, there is more to one of your new neighbors than you might think." "Oh, those guys?" Kolyat asked, looking at the door Jodie and Kolyat had just walked through. "Hm. I thought there was something funny about them. Some drell keeps coming out, but he's never looked quite right." "As well he should not," said Kalo. "It is very complicated, and I am afraid we do not have much time before they return." "Hmph, before they return?" Kolyat then turned to Jodie. "So I guess your mission involves breaking into random apartments, then?" He pointed at the door. "I saw you walk out of there, you know." Jodie frowned. "Kolyat, we can't talk about that now," she said. "There's a lot more at stake here than you could possibly know." "Then what's at stake?" asked Kolyat. "If we could tell you, we would," said Kalo. "But unfortunately, they have eyes everywhere." "Hmph." Kolyat crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at them. He then looked over at Jodie, who seemed to bounce nervously. "I got your message the other day. I was thinking of replying to it, but looks like you're here." He then leaned against the wall. "Are you still trying to avoid talking to me in person?" Jodie blinked in surprise. "What?" she asked. She shook her head. "I... no!" Kolyat frowned, looking over at Jodie. "Then why..." He shook his head, turning away. "You know what? Just get back to your mission." Jodie blinked, leaning back uncertainly. "Kolyat?" she asked. "Look, I get it," said Kolyat as he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's important." Jodie heard Aiden trill in alarm, but she was too busy leaning close to Kolyat to notice. "Just... keep breaking into apartments, look at the strange people, do whatever you need to. It's an important mission. I get that. I'm sure you wouldn't keep trying not to talk to me if it wasn't important, right? I mean, what's so important about this mission, anyway? Like, did you follow those three guys to that apartment or something?" Jodie frowned, shaking her head. "Kolyat, that's not for us to tell you," she said. "I'm sorry I can't talk, but we really have to go." She then grabbed Kalo by the wrist. "Come on, Kalo, let's-" And then, Jodie bumped into someone. She stepped back in surprise, placing her hand over her chest. "Oh, sorry," she said, looking down at the man's feet. She then turned his attention towards his face. "I didn't see you-" Jodie's eyes fell upon the man's face. And as soon as they did, her words died in her throat, her blood running cold. She realized immediately that she recognized the man in front of her from the vision: the contour on his face, the way his eyes gleamed in the light, the scar that trailed down his chin... Shit... she thought. It's the man from the vision!
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Post by herrwozzeck on May 1, 2015 15:02:49 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Seven The man in front of her grinned, looking rather satisfied. "So, you looked through my apartment, hm?" the strange man asked. "I see. I thought we'd get a mouse sniffing around in there." Kolyat stepped forward, looking at the human-looking alien. "I guess so," he said. "They said they were on some mission or something, but... Well, you never know." The drell shrugged, opening his omni-tool. "Do you want me to call the cops? We're pretty close to the security station, it'll take them about two minutes to get here." "Go ahead," said the human-like alien. He then parted his lips, revealing teeth whiter than anything Jodie had ever seen. "But first, a curiosity." He then turned to the drell. "Though perhaps you can come tell me what you know about their... mission..." Kolyat shook his head, turning to the apartment door close to him. "That won't matter in a bit," he said. "We'll just get the security here, they'll sort it all out." But before Kolyat could enter, the human man grabbed his wrist. Jodie noticed the way the hand seemed to forcefully Kolyat blinked. "Wha...?" He then frowned, yanking his hand from the alien's grasp. "Let go of me!" "What do you know of their mission?" asked the human-like man, his voice insistent. Kolyat frowned. "That's not your business," he said. "That's the cops'. They can sort it all out." And with this, the human frowned. "You won't allow me even the slightest curiosity?" he asked. The drell frowned, glancing at Jodie before he looked back at the human-like alien. "Why does it matter to you so much?" he asked. "If you've got nothing to worry about, then it's not important why they wanted to search it, right?" He then turned to his room. "I'm calling the cops. That's-" The human grasped Kolyat's wrist again, this time yanking him away from the door. At this point, Jodie watched as the other human-like alien slipped out of the shadows. Kolyat frowned, pulling back on the hand "Let go!" he said. "I said we'll let-" "If you're going to be like that, the cops won't sort anything out." The second man said this, Jodie noticing an electronic edge to his voice. He then turned to Kalo. "You didn't think we'd notice when our computer was hacked into, did you? I can sense it even from that distance. And you also didn't think our high command did not take a good look at the people on your ship while you were over Alchera, now, did you?" Jodie blinked. "You saw...?" she asked. "Of course," the first man sad as he tightened his grip on Kolyat. "And we recognized her as we got closer. Now we know you were on a mission of some sort..." He shook his head, looking at the drell as the drell tried in vain to pull his arm away from the human-like alien. The human-like man then turned to Jodie, a rueful smile on his face. "You really shouldn't have involved a second civilian, you know. You didn't think one was enough?" "Second?" Kolyat asked, his breathing quickening. "What the hell are you talking about?" Jodie turned to the drell. "Calm down, it's going to be okay," she said. She then stepped forward, pointing at the drell. "He's got nothing to do with this. He's just a civilian. Let him go!" "I'm afraid we can't do that," the one holding Kolyat said. "You see, he knows you're on a mission, and we know what that mission is now that you have seen us. He knows too much. He's coming with us." He then looked to Kolyat as the drell's eyes widened. "W-what?" Kolyat asked. "Why the hell would I go with you?" "Because you'll have no other choice," said the human-like alien. "Hey!" Kolyat cried out, yanking back. "Let me go!" He then turned to one of the apartments around him. "Hel-" But the first man violently yanked Kolyat close to him, slapping his hand over the drell's mouth. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, kid," he said. He then turned to Jodie, Kolyat letting out muffled cries as his eyes widened in fear. "I can't let this get out. He will come with me, just like all of you will, when-" And then, the group heard a loud crash from within the room Jodie had left. She blinked in shock as a spurt of water splashed from that door's slit, the water landing on the floor and staining the carpet. After another second, a steady stream of water seemed to flow out from the door. It was not enough to cause a particularly strong flow, but it was enough that Kolyat let out a sharp gasp. The first alien turned to the door. "What in the world-?" But before the first non-human could say anything more, Jodie lunged forward, her hand pulled back in a fist. She punched him in the face, the man stumbling back as he released Kolyat. Kalo wasted no time, opening his omni-tool. A shower of sparks suddenly exploded from the second alien, the man's sunglasses falling off to reveal eyes that dimmed with some kind of artificial light. As all of this happened, a warning klaxon went off, Jodie hearing the sound of an alarm ring loudly. The first alien stumbled back, growling. Before he could say anything more, though, Jodie pressed the attack, kicking him away from her. She pushed him back towards the door, breathing in and out as a door opened in the far hallway. She saw a couple of drell run away, another door opening close by as more drell began to leave the building. Jodie kicked him hard in the gut, sending him sprawling against the far wall. Before Jodie could do anything else, she looked around as more drell fled the floor they stood on. Jodie then rushed forward, her hand gripping the alien's head and slamming it twice against the wall. She then stepped back, turning to look at Kolyat. Kalo approached him, quickly putting his shoulders on Kolyat as the scared teen flinched at the contact. "Are you all right?" Kalo asked. "I... what the hell is going on?" he asked. He then turned to Jodie. "Jodie, what's going-?" "Never mind that," said Jodie as she turned to Kolyat. She then turned, looking at the man she'd punched as he pushed himself to his feet. She quickly looked around, making sure that nobody else was fleeing the floor, before she pushed Kolyat forward. "To the emergency exit!" Kolyat cried out, Kalo joining him as they both ran for the end of the hall. Jodie glanced at the alien one last time as she breathed in, looking right at the door. "You know what to do, Aiden." The entity clicked, and Jodie turned and ran after Kolyat and Kalo. As she did, the strange man moved to follow her. However, as soon as he took a step forward the door that Jodie had recently exited opened, the water roaring as it rushed out. She heard the water crash against the far wall of the hallway, Jodie running forward as Kalo and Kolyat smacked the emergency exit door, spilling out into the staircase beyond. The strange man was swept off his feet, Jodie sprinting towards the emergency exit. She cried out, nearly tripping as she rushed right through the aperture of the emergency exit. The door quickly slammed shut behind her as soon as she passed through, the water splashing out and very slowly leaking through. Jodie breathed in and out, feeling her heart slow down from the pace she had not noticed it had rocketed to. She then turned to Kolyat. "Shit, I'm so sorry..." she said. "What the fuck was that?" asked Kolyat. "What the hell was he talking about?" "We can't explain it," said Jodie. "Not here, anyway." She then nodded. "Where are your aunt and uncle?" "I don't know!" said Kolyat as he threw his arms around, knocking Jodie's hands away. "They're at work or something! I just got home, and I saw you there in the hall, leaving that room, and I was just going home to grab something I needed!" He looked back at the groaning alien on the floor. "Who were those guys? What the fuck did they talk about... Why'd they put their hands on me like that?" "We haven't got time to explain now," said Jodie. She looked at Kolyat. "Sorry. Are you okay?" "I'm fine, but... what the hell was that?" Kolyat pressed, stepping forward and placing his hands on Jodie's arms. "What the hell is going-?" "Jodie!" Jodie blinked, bringing a hand up to her ear as she walked to the guard rail of the stairs. "Ashley?" she asked. "Jodie, I don't know what you did up there, but it's getting all sorts of attention down here," said Ashley. "What happened?" Jodie glanced at Kolyat, shaking her head. "A coincidence," she replied. "Do you see anyone suspicious down there?" "I see a guy with sunglasses gathering around at the edge of the crowd," said Ashley. "Jodie, get down here. We need to convene." Jodie nodded. "Got it," she said. "And Ashley? As soon as we're down there, we head for the ship. No questions until we start moving." "Got it," said Ashley. Jodie nodded. "Come on," she said. "We've got to get downstairs. I'll introduce you to the rest once we're there." Kolyat nodded, Jodie seeing him breathe in and out with some effort. "Okay," he said, his voice nearly cracking.
As soon as Jodie and Kalo left the building, they rushed away from the structure. Jodie glanced to the side to see that there were first responders checking on the building's other residents, many of them drell. She did see a few hanar sitting on gurneys being checked, though. However, before anyone could see them, Jodie and Kalo rushed forward, with Kolyat close behind. They made their way to where Ashley and Sura were. As soon as they approached, they both stood up. The gunnery chief rushed towards Jodie, a frown splayed on her face. "Jodie, what the hell happened in there?" asked Ashley. "Let's just say we flooded an entire floor of an apartment building," said Jodie. She leaned closer. "We got found by them." Ashley blinked, stepping back. "Shit." "Well, that's a wonderful way to muck it up," said Sura. She then turned her attention to Kolyat. "And what the hell is this kid doing here?" "He heard about the others," Kalo replied, bowing his head. Ashley's foot slid behind her, her jaw dropping slightly. "Wait..." She then leaned forward. "So you think they're going to put crosshairs on him too?" "I don't know," said Jodie. She shook her head. "But knowing them, it's likely they'll go after him when they learn of his involvement." "And if they learned about how Xerxes got involved..." Sura nodded. "Dammit. We can't seem to stop dragging people into-" And then, the comm units came to life. "Guys! You there?" Jodie gasped lightly, bringing her hand to her ear. "Kasumi!" she said. "Where are you?" "At the ship," Kasumi replied. "I guess you got the intel?" "Yeah," said Ashley. "We also have a big problem on our hands here. Jodie nearly got caught, and had to flood an entire floor to escape!" "Oh." Valentine's voice rang through. "Well, that would explain some of the comms chatter I've picked up." Jodie looked at the others. "What?" she asked. "They're talking about how their waypoint is compromised," said Valentine. "As soon as Kasumi got here, we hacked into their communications to keep tabs. It's more than just the ones you saw in there, Jodie. We've got informants all over the place, and they're already hacking into that building's security feed to find out what happened." Jodie bit her lower lip. "Shit!" She shook her head, looking at Kolyat with wide eyes. "No, they'll know..." Kolyat shrank back, blinking. "What?" he asked. Jodie turned away, her gaze turning to the floor. "I see..." she said, her voice quiet. "We got what we came for. We should get going." "Yeah," said Kasumi. "I'll hold down the fort here. Get here as fast as you can." Jodie nodded. "All right," she said. She then closed the comm links, Sura and Ashley doing the same thing. "What's wrong?" asked Ashley. "He was in the hall," said Kalo as he gestured to Kalo. "He heard enough that they would think he would know." "What the hell does that even mean?" asked Kolyat. "What the hell is going on?" "A hell of a lot you don't know," said Sura. She looked at Jodie. "How the hell did he get dragged into this?" "I bumped into him on our way out," she said. "He stopped us, asked me questions. He knows something about who I am..." "So he's the reason everything suddenly went south," said Ashley. She crossed her arms, appraising Kolyat with a glare. "Dammit..." "I... I don't know anything though!" Kolyat said. "Don't look at me, she was the one who wouldn't tell me anything!" He then pointed at Jodie. "And we're supposed to feel sorry for you?" asked Sura as she stepped forward. "Hate to burst your bubble, kid, but this galaxy doesn't revolve around you. You just jeopardized a critical mission that needed to remain top secret. Why the hell should I feel sorry for you?" Jodie shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said. "We can't think about that right now." Kalo stepped forward. "Indeed we cannot," he said. "The fact remains, he heard too much, and now they will likely be after him as well once they check the footage." "So what do we do, then?" asked Ashley. "I..." Jodie turned to the young drell. Kolyat fidgeted a little, withering under Ashley's glare. A thought flashed across her mind, one of Kolyat trapped in whatever hell Xerxes had entered. Other thoughts occurred to her, too: thoughts of Kolyat laying dead on the ground, or of something worse happening... Of Kolyat being trapped, unable to call for help from anyone. And then she thought of how everyone Kolyat ever knew, how they would react, all those faces of drell she didn't know... All the family, the friends... I can't let that happen, she thought. And then Jodie nodded, her expression hardening. "You have to come with us now," she said. Kolyat stepped back, blinking in shock. "W... what the fuck?" he asked. "Jodie?" asked Ashley. "Jodie, what are you thinking?" "When they look at the security footage, they'll see that he was there when we talked about certain things," said Jodie. "He's going to be in their crosshairs now, and you know what happened to Xerxes." Ashley looked at the young drell. "He's just a civilian," she said. "And he nearly sabotaged the mission." "I know that, and you know that, but that's not important," said Jodie. "The point is, he can't defend himself from these people. He has to come with us. I'm not about to-" "What the hell are you talking about?" Kolyat asked, raising his voice as he stepped towards Jodie. "Why would I have to go with you?" Jodie turned to Kolyat. "It's the only way to keep you safe," said Jodie. "No!" Kolyat began to pace around them, gesticulating wildly with his arms. "You can't do that! You can't just tell me to go with you!" He then stopped, pointing right at Jodie. "What kind of people would put me in so much danger? You stopped those guys, right?" "The thing is, those guys you saw on your floor are not the last who'd go after you," Jodie replied, brushing some hair out of her face as she moved closer. She glanced around furtively, before leaning closer to the drell. "Our mission is to look into a conspiracy that spans the whole galaxy," she whispered. "Those guys you saw there were one of our starting points. There was more weird about them than you could've known. And now that you know something about our relationship to them, they're going to gun after you if they ever find out you were involved in what happened here." "And how the hell do you know that?" asked Kolyat. "Because they already took one of my friends for knowing," Jodie said. "Now that you know more than they want you to know, they're going to hunt you down, and they won't stop until they find you and take you prisoner. The worst part? There are only a few people in this galaxy who can keep you safe from them, and the local law enforcement is not one of those people." "What kind of bullshit is that!?" Kolyat asked. "I don't know anything! I don't know what this conspiracy is, I don't know why you're looking into them... I don't know anything!" "We know these people, Kolyat," Jodie said. "They would not take the chance. They'll try to kidnap you regardless." She shook her head. "I can't let that happen to you, Kolyat." Kolyat snorted, shaking his head as he walked over to the staircase's guard rail. "Gods, I don't know..." he said, his heart beating rapidly. "Why? Why me?" Jodie stepped forward, placing her hands on Kolyat's arms and lightly rubbing them. "This is why I didn't want to tell you anything," she said. "I never wanted you to get involved. It's standard not to tell civilians on a highly classified mission like this; can't involve civilians that don't have any business being in the line of fire." She shook her head. "This shouldn't have happened, and it's my fault. I need to protect you now." "Some protection you're offering," Kolyat scoffed. He then turned to Jodie. "This whole thing looks really fishy, you know that, right? How can I trust you'll keep me safe? How do I know this isn't some ploy to get ransom money? How do I know you're being for real?" "You heard what they spoke of," said Kalo. "Jodie would not harm you like that. You have my word." "And trust me, she does her best," Sura said. The cop stepped forward, opening her omni-tool and displaying her badge to the young drell. "Trust me," she continued. "By Citadel law, I'll make sure you stay safe there, kid. Even if you did jeopardize the mission." Kolyat frowned. "You don't have any jurisdiction here, though," he said. "Doesn't mean I can't kick ass and take names to protect people," she replied. The drell looked at Kalo for a second, his breathing slowing down. He then glanced back to Jodie, his eyes shining in fear. His look caused Jodie's hair to stand on end, and for a second, she saw something more than fear of going with strangers he had only met recently. Kolyat then sighed, looking down at the ground and sighing. "Just..." He turned his attention back to Jodie, everyone else noticing the moisture that was collecting around Kolyat's lower eyelids. "At least let me tell my aunt and uncle. They'll be worried when they find I'm not home from school on an early release day." Jodie nodded, patting Kolyat's shoulder reassuringly. "We'll let you one message," she said. "You can't tell them where you are, though." "Just that I'm safe..." Kolyat breathed in. "I don't know if I trust you on this. This is so screwed up..." Jodie shook her head. "We'll make sure you're safe," she said. "I promise." Sura then stepped forward. "Well, much as I like seeing this sort of thing, we need to get back to the ship," said Sura. "We got what we came for, and really, if we stay here any longer they'll start to follow us." Jodie nodded, turning to Kolyat. "All right, Kolyat, listen to me," she said. "I need you to keep pace with us. Whatever you do, remain calm. We'll try not to attract attention to ourselves, but for that to happen I need you to remain calm. We'll be right here, okay? We'll be right here, and we won't let them lay a finger on you." Kolyat nodded, his breath shaky. "All right," he whispered. "Just stay calm," Jodie said. She lightly patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's take it slow. If we get lucky, we don't need to turn this into a firefight." Everyone else nodded. "Got it," said Ashley. "Let's go." And with this, the group slowly set out away from the residential building, Kolyat sandwiched between Kalo and Sura protectively.
The group eventually came to a crowded market, Jodie leaning down and gripping Kalo's wrist. There was a big hustle and bustle all around, hanar and drell moving about in front of various stalls. Occasionally, Jodie saw an asari tourist walking around, and she would see them talk to shop vendors, likely about some trinket they saw on the stand. Jodie paid it no mind, simply moving forward while occasionally glancing at the patches with fewer people. They passed with very little incident. Kolyat seemed nervous as ever, but he was staying quiet at least. And for a while, Jodie saw no signs that they were being followed. Eventually, though, Aiden clicked at Jodie. She glanced to the side, seeing a strange human with sunglasses standing by the side. She breathed in, acutely aware of the sensation that his eyes were following her behind her back. She then blinked, turning away as if to look at a nearby stall. Shit, she thought. That's them, isn't it Aiden? Aiden clicked in the affirmative. Jodie nodded, glancing around at the crowded market. She realized she had no idea where to go from there. She of course knew the general direction, but the best way to leave the market was a topic that eluded her knowledge. She knew they had to keep calm: there was a chance, however small it was, that they could just lose their follower in the crowd. But going for the obvious entrance that led back to the ship... Jodie sighed, before turning to Kalo. She nodded at the quarian, before discretely pointing at Kolyat. Jodie mouthed something at the quarian, Kalo nodding in response. He then leaned closer to Kolyat, Jodie seeing the light in his mask light up as he whispered. Immediately, Kolyat turned to Jodie, a frown settling on his face. "What do you want now?" he asked, his tone betraying that he was only half-heartedly annoyed. Jodie nodded, glancing around the shops. "You know, I'm not sure any of these places are doing it for me," Jodie replied, glancing around. "I think I need something a little... further out." Kolyat blinked, confused. "W-what?" he asked. Jodie nodded, breathing out through her nostrils. Come on, Kolyat... she thought. "I just..." She shook her head. "We're already pretty late for where we need to be, you know? I just want to get this shopping done, and then be out of here." "But we're not-" "We still need to be out of here," said Jodie. She then frowned, turning to Kolyat. "And I think if we do any kind of window shopping..." She paused, looking around at the stalls furtively. "I'd like something... out of the way. Some thing hidden out in the corner..." And then, Jodie turned back to Kolyat, realization dawning on his eyes. "Oh! Oh, right," said Kolyat, nodding. "Um..." The young drell looked around the marketplace, before they settled on a particular direction. "There's a sweet shop over in that direction." He discreetly pointed, Jodie looking out towards a section of thicker crowd. "My friends take me there all the time. We should be able to stop by, have a quick browse..." Jodie nodded. "Then let's go over there," she said. "Come on." The group then made their way through the crowd, Jodie glancing away. She had a feeling the strange computer had already seen her conversation; she only hoped Kolyat had caught on enough to know what to do. She took a deep breath in, steadying herself as the group slowly trickled through the crowd. And finally, they broke it, walking onto a street. About two blocks away, Jodie could see a sweet shop built inside the rock face opposite the water, and Jodie nodded. "Okay," said Jodie. She then looked to Kolyat. "I hope you know your way around-" "First alleyway to the right," Kolyat immediately replied. Jodie blinked, turning around. She gasped, redirecting everyone towards the alleyway. "Sharp kid," said Ashley as they stepped into the alley. Kolyat shook his head. "Do you always talk in code like that?" he asked. "No, but it helps," said Jodie. "Be thankful we didn't do the kind where you have to say two words in a specific order." "You mean they really use that?" Kolyat asks. "Yes," said Jodie as they moved towards an intersection. "Which direction?" "Left," said Kolyat. "Right'll take us back to the marketplace." Jodie nodded, before everyone turned left. As soon as they did, Jodie glanced back, seeing that the man she had seen earlier was not in her line of sight. Aiden, however, trilled at Jodie to hurry. As soon as she heard this, she gently grabbed Kolyat's arm, beginning to pick up her pace to a light jog. "Come on," she said. "We've got to get moving." Kolyat nodded, Sura looking ahead as the path split off in three. "Which direction?" Sura asked. "Uh... front, to the right." Jodie nodded as they filed into the straightaway. Jodie glanced back, seeing the sunglassed man from earlier turn into the alleyway. Jodie breathed in, looking down at her pistol where it was secure in her leg holster. Well, if he didn't know before, he does now, she observed. She sighed, turning her attention back as they came upon another intersection. "Direction?" Jodie asked. "Right," said Kolyat. "And be careful, it leads out to a public street." Jodie nodded, the group quickly banking sharply to the right. They sprinted down the alley, Jodie glancing once again to see that the machine man was gaining on them. He looked at them with a malevolent grin, Jodie breathing in sharply as she turned away, her pace morphing into a run. Kolyat kept pace with the group, glancing behind him and seeing the man with the shades following them. "Jodie..." he whispered. "We won't let him get us," she whispered. She picked up her pace, her footsteps hammering against the plastic surface beneath her. She then turned, seeing the alley's opening to the street Kolyat had mentioned. It looked not crowded, though, which came as a relief to Jodie. She saw no alley on the other side, though, and as she broke the alleyway, she found herself turning her head around. Right as she had paused to take stock of where they were, though, she saw an alley immediately to the right. She grabbed Kolyat, running into the alley as Kalo, Sura, and Ashley all followed at a sprint. However, right as they crossed into the other alley, Jodie was suddenly pulled back. She steadied herself, looking back to see Kolyat quickly pushing himself to his feet. Jodie then glanced back, seeing that the sunglassed man was still following them, though he had gained up on Kolyat a little. This prompted Jodie to pull Kolyat further, and she broke into a sprint. Kolyat struggled to keep up, and as Jodie looked back she saw that this was giving the sunglassed man the chance to catch up. She then glanced around nervously, looking for anything she could use to slow him down. Her gaze moved around the alley, looking for something, anything to knock over, anything she could- There! Jodie's hand darted out, sending a discarded trash bin crashing down in front of her pursuer. Kolyat yelped in surprise, the sunglassed man suddenly stopping. He quickly regained his bearings, but by the time he did Jodie and Kolyat had gained some distance from him. Jodie then looked back, throwing another trash bin to the floor behind her. The sunglassed man leapt over this one, but the brief delay gave Jodie a little more distance between them. It was then when she looked ahead, seeing the path split off. to the right, while some of it curved to the left. "Which way?" Jodie asked. "Right!" Kolyat replied. Jodie ran forward, seeing the rest of them turn right. She prepared to do that, too, but a thought stopped her. "Can we go left here?" Jodie asked. Kolyat blinked. "We can, but-" Jodie then cried out, rushing forward. As soon as Kolyat let out a surprised cry, Jodie released his arm, only to grab the opposite one with her right hand. As soon as she did this, Aiden opened Jodie's omni-tool, the entity quickly sending a message to the rest of the group. "Jodie!" said Kolyat in shock. "We'll regroup with them later," Jodie said. "We've got to lose this guy!" Jodie then turned back, looking as the sunglassed man followed them. Jodie frowned, turning her attention back ahead. She quickly noticed another intersection, jumping to the right before Kolyat could say anything. The drell did not reply to this, though, so Jodie took it as a good sign. However, as soon as she entered, she crashed straight into the wall. She reeled for a second, noticing that the alley from there was narrow enough that it would be difficult to maintain any kind of speed for too long. She growled, pulling Kolyat in front as they began to navigate their way around the twisty alleyway. It curved in all sorts of strange directions, Jodie swearing it was curving in on itself as they moved. On the right angles, Jodie found them both slowing down, though Kolyat did his best to move forward. And right as the alleyway cleared up, Jodie saw that there was a long passageway out, a curve waiting at the end. "Okay," she said. "Come on, let's-" But before Jodie could run, she felt herself get tackled. "Got you!" Kolyat stopped, immediately turning around and snarling. "Get away from her!" The drell rushed forward, bringing his leg behind and kicking the sunglassed man as hard as he could. Kolyat could only cry out as the sunglasses shattered and fell away, the drell limping away as his opponent grappled onto Jodie. However, it gave Jodie the distraction she needed. She rapidly turned, elbowing the man in the face. It was enough to allow her to roll on her back, and with a rather violent heave the man had been shoved off of her. Jodie scrambled to her feet, looking at the man. Her blood ran cold as she saw what the sunglasses hid: they hid a pair of eyes that shone with an unnatural green light. It illuminated the walls around them, and Jodie could see evidence of a scrim when she looked hard enough. Kolyat saw it too, the drell gasping in shock as he took a step back. The man simply glared at Jodie and Kolyat, Jodie splaying her arms behind her protectively. Shit, this guy's an exion, she thought. I knew it... "Who the hell are you?" Kolyat asked immediately. "That is none of your concern," said the exion. "What's important is that you will not leave to report to whoever your mission giver was." Jodie frowned. "Why are you trying so hard to hide it?" she asked. "You'd kidnap civilians to make sure it doesn't get out?" "We cannot take any more chances," said the exion. "We will not allow a repeat of the Great Purge." Kolyat's eyes bulged out a little as Jodie moved around the man with the glowing eyes. "Great Purge?" he asked. Jodie growled. "You won't take him," she said. "And you're not taking any of us." "I'd like to see you try," said the exion. With this, the electronic entity rushed towards Jodie. Jodie braced herself, bringing her fists up. Aiden, don't interfere unless you have to, Jodie thought. We don't need to freak out Kolyat any more than he already is. Aiden clicked, Jodie preparing herself. The exion came at her, letting out a cry as he moved to punch Jodie. However, Jodie was quick: she stepped to the side, deflecting the punch and stepping back. Kolyat stepped away, Jodie turning as the exion rolled to the ground. However, the electronic entity rolled back onto his feet, quickly turning to Jodie. He delivered a kick that Jodie ducked under, and it was then that Jodie struck at the knee with a clenched fist. However, the hit did not do as much as Jodie hoped it would. She hit something harder than bone underneath the flesh, and the impact caused her to pause, looking right at the spot she hit. This gave the exion enough time to reach at Jodie's clothes, pulling her bodily off the ground. Jodie cried out as she was flung against the wall, her back flaring up in pain as she impacted against the wall and fell to the floor. Jodie got to her hands and knees, quickly standing up just in time to dodge a punch from the exion. However, the exion had predicted this, Jodie suddenly finding the fist she dodged coming in to grab the back of her head. She let out a cry, barely able to brace herself in time to avoid getting a particularly nasty blow to the gut from the exion's knee. She pushed against the knee, managing to dampen the blow, but the exion still went for another couple of blows regardless. On the third blow, Jodie frowned, bringing one of her legs back. Quickly, she swept it right underneath her opponent, surprising him and sending them both sprawling to the ground. The exion pulled himself to his feet very quickly, Jodie struggling just a little bit to get back up. Jodie looked at the exion, gasping as she rolled back. She rolled back just in time to dodge a kick from the exion, and as soon as she rolled back she braced against the wall, climbing back up to her feet. She gasped, seeing the exion rush her just in time to kick out. She caught him across the shoulder, deflecting his trajectory as he crashed into the wall next to her. However, Jodie then leapt back, narrowly dodging a punch from the exion. As she stepped back, she saw that he had punched the wall hard enough to leave a dent, but before Jodie could do anything else the exion had backhanded her, sending Jodie sprawling to the floor. "Stay out of our business," the exion said as he approached. "And maybe then, you will-" The exion was interrupted by something coming and hitting him in the head. Jodie looked up in surprise, Kolyat rushing at the exion with a discarded piece of pipe. The young drell rushed forward again, wailing down on the exion with the pipe as he kept his eyes squeezed shut. The exion was caught off guard for only a second, but this second gave Jodie enough time to get to her feet. She stood up just in time to see the exion reach up and grab the pipe. As Jodie watched, the exion squeezed as hard as he could, the metal bending around his hand. Eventually, the exion wrenched it out of the drell's hand, Kolyat stepping back in fear. The exion tossed the bent metal away, rounding off on Kolyat as the drell stepped back in fright. But before he could, the exion was stopped, seizing up rather suddenly. The lights in his eyes immediately dimmed to nothing, and before long he sank to the floor. Jodie stood over him, the end of the bent pipe embedded in the back of the exion's neck. Jodie found herself breathing heavily as fluid spilled out. Jodie frowned, noticing it was almost too viscous to be blood even though it was colored the same way. Kolyat and Jodie stayed still for a few seconds. "You okay?" Jodie asked. "I'm fine," said Kolyat. "Holy shit, what the hell was that guy? Who the hell can bend metal like that?" "Those guys," said Jodie. She then nodded, walking away from the body of the exion as it laid face-down. She then knelt down, opening her omni-tool and quickly sifting through a few menus. "If this guy was what I think he was..." And then, out of the back of the exion's head, something jutted out, much like the tray of a CD drive. Kolyat let out a gasp of shock, the drell running back and loudly knocking over a garbage can as he looked in shock. "Wha... what the fuck?" he asked. Jodie frowned, gently removing what looked like a drive. She noticed how that part of the back of his head had been covered by artificial hair, before she nodded, making sure not to let any part of it touch the gore around her. Thanks, Aiden, she thought. Jodie then looked up at Kolyat. "What the hell is that?" asked Kolyat. "It's called an exion," said Jodie. "That's most of what I know, anyway." She then walked over, helping Kolyat to his feet. "Come on. We've got to get back to the ship before his buddies notice he's dead." Kolyat blinked in shock. "Uh... yeah," he said. "Let's... let's just get out of here..." And with this, Jodie and Kolyat headed towards the exit of the alley, Kolyat's eyes threatening to pop out of his skull.
Jodie and Kolyat worked their way through various crowds and alleys. Aiden remained ever vigilant, but thankfully the pair did not encounter any more suspicious types on their trip back to the ship. From there, it was a smooth, if hurried, ride all the way to the docking bay. And as they stepped through the security checkpoint back to the dock, Jodie let out a sigh of relief. She pulled Kolyat along, the drell looking around. His hands fidgeted even as Jodie pulled him along. Jodie herself glanced around, not seeing any sign of the others around there. "I don't see them anywhere," said Jodie. "I mean, we're here, but..." Kolyat chuckled darkly. "Well, they probably took the scenic route, let's be honest," said Kolyat. He sighed. "You sure this is the place?" Jodie nodded, looking further down the docking bay to where the Lying Bastard was. "Don't look now, but we're disguised as a pleasure yacht," she said. "So yeah, we're in the right place." The drell nodded, before breathing in. "I'm... I still don't know if I should be here," he admitted. "Relax," Jodie said reassuringly. "You'll be fine, I promise." Kolyat sighed, looking back at the security check point. "I hope so..." he said. "I hope they'll be here soon." Jodie crossed her arms, looking right at the checkpoint. Her heart began to race as she kept her eyes peeled on that checkpoint, hoping against all hope that Kalo and the others would walk through the checkpoint with no further problems. Finally, however, Jodie heard Aiden click and chirp happily. A few seconds later, Jodie then watched as Ashley walked through the security terminal. Jodie smiled, approaching Ashley. "There you are!" Jodie said. Ashley nodded, looking over at Kalo as he passed through the security checkpoint. "Yeah," she said. "Can't believe we had to split off to lose that guy." She then looked over at Jodie. "You lost him, right?" Jodie nodded, lifting the disc she had picked from out of his body. "And I even got this," she said. "Found it in his head." Ashley nodded. "You think the data's going to be corrupted?" "Maybe," said Jodie. "I'm hoping Legion or Kasumi can fix it back up if it is. But if it isn't..." "Then we've got a treasure trove of information," Ashley said. She then paused. "If we can get that back to Anderson before we try to rescue Xerxes..." "We may not have time." Jodie and Ashley turned to Kalo as he approached. "Who knows what they have done to Xerxes?" Jodie turned to look at Kolyat, the young drell standing a little behind. "It might not be a bad idea to at least check if we can talk with him in person," she said. "We can get Kolyat out of the line of fire, we can turn in our prisoner, we can make sure what data we have is safe... and then we can go after Xerxes once we're done with that, get more data." "It's shocking how much of this we're making up on the fly." The group turned to see Sura walking up to the group, grabbing her bag. "Come on. We got what we came for." "You think they're still following us?" asked Kolyat. "We tend to hope not," said Jodie. She then glanced around. "Knowing these people, though..." She shook her head. "We shouldn't chance it. Come on. Let's get out of here. We'll call Anderson once we're off-planet." "You got it," said Ashley. Sura nodded, looking at Kolyat. "Come on, kid, let's go this way." With this, the group set off towards the Lying Bastard, Jodie glancing behind her out of habit to make sure nobody was following her. Aiden clicked ominously, Jodie nodding her agreement as the group turned the corner and stepped onto the Lying Bastard.
"And that is why we're now ferrying a civilian-a civilian-on board our top secret operation." "Yes." Valentine rubbed his forehead. "Holy shit." He released an aggravated groan, looking up at the drell from where he sat in the pilot's seat. "First the geth, now this guy. What is this, Garon's House for Troubled Youth?" "Hey, I liked that show!" said Sura. "It's a badly-overdone version of a badly-overdone genre," Valentine shot back. He shook his head. "You'd think those turians would have something far less cheesy than that, but no!" "That isn't the point," said Jodie as she leaned forward. "The point is, he's a civilian, he's in the line of fire now, and if we don't get him to safety, they're not going to stop going after him." "You realize they won't stop even if we get him to someone else, right?" asked Valentine. "I know that," said Jodie. "But he's got a better chance if we get him to someone that can protect him." She leaned forward. "I'll bet even the Alliance can help him." Kolyat stepped forward. "Whoah, whoah," he said. "What's this about a geth?" The door to the rest of the ship opened, and Jodie and the others turned to look at Legion. "Holmes-Anomaly has arrived," the geth said. "We advise moving away." Kolyat shrank back, his hand searching for the panel to the airlock. "What... Jodie, what the fuck is that?" he asked. "That's-" "It won't hurt you." Jodie whirled around, grasping Kolyat's arm. "Just trust me, okay?" "No, those things nearly destroyed the Citadel!" said Kolyat. "What the hell is it doing on this ship?" "We mean no harm," said Legion. "Bullshit!" said Kolyat. "Jodie, what the hell is this? You didn't-" "It's not going to hurt you," Jodie reiterated. She then stepped forward, placing a hand on Kolyat's shoulder. "Calm down. There's an explanation for all of this." "What is it, then?" asked Kolyat. "We're not being followed!" Jodie shook her head. "Not technically," she said. She then nodded to Sura and Ashley. "Take him to the rec room. You can explain what's going on to him there." "Rec room?" asked Kolyat. "Short for recreation," said Valentine. "Oh." Kolyat frowned. "Fine." He then turned to Sura and Ashley. "Well, let's get this over with." Sura nodded, walking past the geth. "Right this way, kid," she said. "And brace yourself. It's a hell of a tale." "No shit," the drell said as he followed Sura. As soon as the asari, the drell, and the gunnery chief walked past Legion, the geth stepped in. Its flashlight head turned to Jodie. Kalo shifted his weight. "I assume Kasumi is with our prisoner?" he asked. "Affirmative," Legion replied. "We would not leave him unattended." "True," said Valentine. He sighed, pulling back. "Well, let's not waste any more time. Let's hope these guys haven't caught on so they can follow with one of their ships." "And what do we do if they have?" asked Kalo. Valentine sighed. "I assume Jodie can think of something," he said. "With that ghost she's got..." "I can think of a few things," Jodie said. "But we should get out of here." Jodie looked up. "Aiden, keep an eye out." Aiden chirped three times in quick succession. Jodie nodded, watching as Valentine turned to the control panel and began the routine to get out of the dock.
"Ah, there we are. We'll be coming out of FTL in a bit." Jodie nodded, watching as the ship slowed down. Valentine leaned forward, his glasses still affixed on his face. The pilot had pulled them down slightly as they came out of FTL. Jodie turned to look at Legion. The geth simply regarded her with an empty stare, and while Jodie was taken aback at how bright the flashlight head was she had gotten somewhat used to it. The machine then turned its attention back to the outside, Jodie doing the same thing. A part of her wished that Kalo were still in the cockpit. But that wish quickly went away: Kalo had stepped into the ship itself to check on Kolyat. Jodie could not blame the quarian: after all, the drell was likely still in shock about everything he had to absorb thus far. Jodie would have gone back herself, but she needed to stay in the cockpit, make sure Valentine was not driving into anything. Jodie turned back to Valentine, before her attention was pulled back outside the ship. In the viewport, Jodie saw the FTL tunnel give way to the familiar expanse of darkness dotted by innumerable stars. In the immediate distance, the mass relay hovered in front of them, its familiar blue light shining brilliantly. Jodie bit her lower lip, looking around as her fists tightened. And it was at the moment that Jodie saw some blue lightning arc across the sphere of light inside the mass relay that Aiden trilled in alarm. Jodie's eyes widened, and she found herself moving towards the bulkhead. "Shit, we've already got a contact!" Jodie said. "Straight ahead!" Valentine shook his head. "Of frickin' course," he whispered. He then leaned forward, his hand coming to rest on the flight controls. "Hang tight!" The pilot's hands shot forward, and then Jodie's stomach rose a little bit as the Lying Bastard dipped downwards. Valentine pulled back, Jodie looking above as the Lying Bastard passed under what seemed like empty space. "You sure it's there?" Valentine asked. "Yes," said Jodie. She then frowned as Aiden clicked again. "It's moving towards us, too." "Then we'll have to make haste for the relay," said Valentine. He then bit his lower lip. "Everybody hang on!" The pilot then swerved the ship hard to the right. Jodie gripped the bulkhead, keeping her gaze trained forward as her heart began to beat a little faster. She looked up at the area around the mass relay, knowing one ship was already behind them. Jodie breathed in nervously, watching as Valentine swerved back to make the trajectory to approach the relay. Aiden trilled again. "Below you!" Valentine pulled back, the ship banking upwards rather sharply. Valentine frowned, looking at the mass relay as he righted the ship. "Dammit, that's going to mess up the trajectory a bit..." Jodie shook her head. "Can you fix it?" she asked. "Yes," said Valentine. "Hang on tight!" With this, the pilot dipped the craft down, Jodie noticing that it came at an angle towards the relay. She looked on, Aiden clicking uncertainly. They approached the relay, Valentine swerving downwards towards the relay. Jodie's heart hammered in anticipation, before Valentine's craft came around. And then, Aiden trilled loudly. Jodie's hair stood on end. "Crap, Valentine, there's one right next to the relay!" The pilot suddenly turned violently to Jodie. "What?" he asked. "Which side!? "Ours!" Jodie said." "Shit!" Valentine cried out. He pulled away from the relay, Jodie only then noticing a slight distortion in front of the relay. However, she realized too late that the ship was too close to the distortion by the relay. It was evidenced by how the craft suddenly rocked from an impact, a warning klaxon suddenly going off nearby. Valentine grit his teeth, pulling his hands back. The vessel lurched back violently enough that Jodie felt some pull towards the back of the cockpit. She cried out in shock, Valentine pulling the ship to the right. "Shit!" Valentine shouted. He pulled the ship up, Jodie nearly letting go of the bulkhead as another impact rocked the ship from the back. The pilot growled, looking ahead of him. "Jodie, where the hell are they now?" he asked. Aiden trilled loudly. "They're getting closer!" Jodie looked behind her. "According to him, they're..." "Fuck!" Valentine glanced down. "Dammit, we're going to have to try something new!" He then brought his hand all the way down, the ship suddenly banking forward. It then moved perpendicular to where the mass relay was, Jodie watching as it moved down. But before Valentine could pass the bottom of the relay, Aiden trilled once again. "Shit!" Jodie said. "There's one down there, too!" Valentine's sunglasses nearly fell off of his face from the force with which he threw his head against his chair. "Fuck!" He then looked up to where the top of the mass relay would have been. "And by the time we get up there... Shit, they boxed us in!" Legion looked around. "Probability of escape in shuttle is calculated at point forty five percent," the geth added. Aiden let out a lamenting cry as Jodie looked around. "Shit..." She then looked at Valentine. "What do we do?" Valentine growled. "Get back there and hide!" he shouted. Jodie blinked. "You sure they won't find us?" she asked. "Not if you hurry!" he said. "Now go! Get back there!" Jodie nodded, turning away and exiting the cockpit. She rushed into the hallway, her hand immediately slamming on the door control of the rec room. She thundered in, seeing Ashley kneeling in front of a distressed Kolyat. Kalo stood up, walking over to Jodie. "What happened?" the quarian asked. "Things went south," Jodie replied. She looked up. "They trapped us around the-" And then, Jodie's gaze turned out the window. She gasped, the others turning to see the spacecraft that materialized out of nothing outside of the Lying Bastard. Jodie's heart nearly stopped, Kolyat letting out a gasp. "W... What the hell is that?" he asked. Jodie shook her head. "Come on," she said, rushing to the couch and grabbing Kolyat. "We don't have any time time to waste!"
Valentine turned to look out of the viewport, seeing the other ships materialize around him. As Jodie had said, they were completely surrounded. The pilot could only sigh as he removed his sunglasses. "Well, shit," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Looks like we can't avoid the capture, huh?" Legion turned to look at Valentine. "We suggest joining the others," said Legion. Valentine shook his head. "If I joined them, these guys would know something's up," he said. "Better to let myself get caught and let these guys come to their own conclusions about who's involved. I mean, it'll buy them enough time to figure something out." Legion's headflaps moved, Valentine hearing the little whirrs of gears in the silence. "We do not see the statistical increase of our chances," said Legion. "Well, Jodie's going to have to work whatever she can with that Aiden thing she's got," Valentine replied. "If there's something Aiden can do to divert suspicion, then--" "--they may be able to get it." Valentine turned to Kasumi, a frown settling on his features. "What, you're staying out too?" he asked. "Hey, I was the one that fought the intelligence the last time it took over our systems, right?" she asked. Valentine frowned. "You didn't hear what I just mentioned to Legion, did you?" Kasumi only gave him a small grin. "Maybe," she said. She then shrugged. "You'll see." And with this, the three of them turned as the ship controls suddenly vanished. It was replaced by the hologram. It was the same human-like hologram the two of them remembered seeing over Alchera, right down to the features on its face. It leaned forward, a sneer forming on its face as it appraised everyone in the cockpit. "And where do you think you're going?"
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Post by herrwozzeck on Jun 1, 2015 21:28:02 GMT 1
Chapter Twenty-Eight Valentine leaned forward, looking right at the hologram. "Um... away?" the pilot answered. The hologram chuckled. "Well, that's one way to put it," it said. "But it's too bad: you're coming with us." The ship then lurched forward, Valentine starting in his seat. Legion and Kasumi were likewise quite surprised, looking around as the ship moved of its own accord. Kasumi immediately opened her omni-tool. "Hey!" she said. "I think there's only one person here who-" "You can put your hacking subroutines away," said the exion. "Even if you somehow eject me now, there are ten others ready to take my place. And anyway, I know your tricks now, so do you really think you can do the same thing twice?" Kasumi frowned. "Well, that wouldn't be any fun," said Kasumi. She nevertheless closed the omni-tool. "But fine, you got us. So where are you taking us now?" "A place you can't run away from," the hologram replied. Legion tilted its head plates forward. "We can predict the statistical probability of that upon our arrival," it said. The hologram turned to the geth, blinking in surprise. "W... what?" it asked. "That thing is here?" Valentine sighed. "Believe me, I didn't ask for that," he said. He shook his head, looking at the geth. "But I guess this thing's coming along with us too." "Hmph." The holographic projection shook its head. "It's no matter. We'll deal with it as we go." It then looked out. "I guess you'll figure out pretty soon where we're taking you." "You're planning on getting us to jump through the mass relay?" asked Valentine. "Good luck with that." "No," said the hologram as it turned back to Valentine with a smirk. "You didn't think we checked to see if our mode of FTL could work here, did you? There are some things physics here can do that we can't, but with a few adjustments, we can make ours work." The ship then moved forward of its own accord, Valentine looking out as the remaining ships broke their cage and moved into a formation. The ships quickly pulled away from the mass relay, Kasumi and Legion watching with a look of dismay as their only real hope of escape vanished. Valentine kept his gaze forward, looking at the other ships. "And what does that mean?" Valentine watched. The hologram pointed up at the front-most ship in the formation. "Why don't you see for yourself?" he asked. The pilot leaned forward, following where the hologram pointed. There, he saw some kind of strange canon underneath the ship, Valentine frowning as he looked up, seeing the cannon charge underneath that ship. Kasumi and Legion also looked up, watching as the charge took on a strange purple light that lit nothing underneath it. And then, the purple light was transformed into a ball of light, this ball launched forward into the space in front of the ship. Valentine watched as the ball gained some distance from the ship, before he then saw that light spread out across a large area, the area seemingly solidifying into a large violet mass, the mass forming like a large disc held vertically in the air. Valentine leaned forward, watching the mass intently. And then, the mass peeled away from the center, revealing a starscape that was rather similar to the stars that surrounded them all. However, he saw that there were certain stars that were not placed right. As the mass peeled away, he also saw a planet appear, or at least part of it: as the violet gave way to this starscape, he immediately gasped, recognizing the planet in question before realizing too that the planet had not fully materialized. The violet hovered around in a small ring around this image. "Holy shit..." said Valentine. Legion's headplates moved forward. "Note: no data available on anomaly," it said. "Oh, you'll see," the hologram replied as the ships all began to move forward. "Just watch." Kasumi looked at the other two occupants of the cockpit, leaning forward. "This is gonna be interesting," Kasumi said. And then, the ships advanced towards the ring. Valentine's heart pounded in his chest, the pilot slowly taking his sunglasses off as the other vessels passed through this ring. The Lying Bastard inched ever closer to the edge of the ring, everyone keeping an eye on this ring as they skirted the edge of it. Their vessel passed through with no incident, but what they saw on the opposite side of the ring startled them. The planet Valentine had seen earlier suddenly took on its fully spherical shape. In addition, Valentine noticed they were no longer right by a mass relay, and that all the stars around them had switched positions. The pilot paused, turning his attention back to the hologram. "We're... we're not in a different star system, are we?" he asked. "That, my friends, is the marvel of the hyperspace bomb," said the hologram. It then turned. "It's how we travel without the relays..." Kasumi whistled. "Imagine what the Council could do with these toys," she said. The hologram immediately turned on Kasumi. "They will never get their hands on our technology," it said. It then turned around. "Now... We're taking you someplace you'll never escape from." Valentine frowned. "And what is that, Alcatraz?" he asked. "Because I could take a cue from Sean Connery and figure out a way to escape. And hey, I'm sure Nicholas Cage is around here somewhere." The hologram frowned, Legion turning to the pilot as well. "Sean Connery," said Legion. "Human actor. Status marked as: deceased. We note the same status applies to Nicholas Cage." "It's... never mind." He shook his head. He then frowned, looking ahead. "But this is in our galaxy." "We can use the hyperspace bomb to go anywhere in this galaxy, but we can't travel from this galaxy to ours," the hologram explained. "For that, we need to go to the wormhole." Valentine breathed in heavily. "And where are we going?" he asked. The hologram smirked again, turning to Valentine. "We call it the Obschesto." And then, the ships moved towards a patch of space, Valentine squinting as he held his sunglasses in his lap. "Wait, is that...?" The hologram smiled, and before anyone knew what had happened, they found that the stars around them were remapped. Valentine also felt a very strange tingle at the edge of his fingertips, and then he suddenly found that everything seemed to become a little less colorful. Additionally, the stars seemed a little brighter, and something about the air inside the pod seemed to get just the slightest bit thinner. Valentine breathed in, the pilot increasingly aware of the tingle running through his body. "What... What the hell am I feeling?" "We detect... odd things in our calculations," Legion said. "Some physical phenomena seem to be calculated differently in this place." The hologram nodded, Valentine noticing that it was just a little brighter and a little less colorful. "Welcome to our galaxy," said the exion. "Don't worry about all the things you're feeling. Our physics are slightly different from yours." Kasumi frowned. "Huh." She looked around. "This is going to kill us, isn't it?" The hologram laughed. "And that's the first thing you think?" it asked. It then shook its head. "No, you're not going to die here. If you were in any danger of dying in this galaxy, we'd never be able to set foot in yours." It then paused. "Besides, some of your kind have already stepped through that threshold." Valentine nodded. "Right," he said. "Not easy to remember when you suddenly feel completely different for no reason." "As we thought," the exion replied. It then looked out of the ship again. "Well, you'll see our Obschesto soon. You will know it as soon as you see it." The pilot turned his attention back to the frontmost ship of the formation, watching as it fired another of those hyperspace bombs. The light around this one was a diffuse combination of violet and some color he had no name for: the light was disorienting to look at, and after a little bit Valentine placed his sunglasses back on his head. However, the sight that greeted the group on the other side was something that caused the whole group to look forward. Before them was a large place, maybe just under the size of the Citadel. It was a large sphere, defined as such by the way five little strips of metal seemed to meet up at two ends. Inside one of the points of the sphere were all five of the rivulets met, the pilot could see a tower that stretched up, perhaps about an eighth of the way up the sphere's radius. He leaned forward, seeing the large mass of ships that moved about the airspace. "This..." Valentine blinked. Legion's flashlight head moved. "Our calculations suppose this to be this galaxy's equivalent to Citadel," it said. "You would be right," said the exion. He then gestured to them. "Hope you like the way it looks. This will be your home for the rest of your life." "I'd like to see you try to keep me in one place," Kasumi replied. "I'd like to see you try to escape," the hologram fired back. "Now... we will dock, and there will be officers present to arrest you. You try anything funny, you're dead." Valentine growled. "Why not just kill us and keep your secret safe?" he asked. "You have valuable information, of course," the hologram replied. "We know someone sent you to investigate the crash site. We want to know who it is that sent you." "Good luck getting that out of us," Kasumi replied with a wink. "Cocky," said the hologram. "You'll eat those words, human." The exion then turned. "We'll be docking in about ten minutes. And until then, we can't have you looking around the rest of the ship." And with this, the three heard a mechanism tick behind them. Valentine looked back, seeing the door into the rest of the Lying Bastard locking behind them. All three of the cockpit's occupants turned to see the door panel turn red, before Valentine shook his head, looking back at the hologram. "Aw, and here I thought we'd get to enact the escape plan!" he said. Legion turned to the pilot. "This platform was not aware there was an escape plan," the geth said. Kasumi frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, before she turned to the hologram. "We'll get out of here somehow," she said. "No you won't," said the exion. "I thought I told you that already." "Well, funny thing about humans," said Valentine. "We don't give up." The hologram chuckled bitterly. "We know that all too well, human," it replied, its voice suddenly tinged with anger. "We know that all too well." And then, the hologram remained silent. The Lying Bastard cruised on, Valentine watching as they approached the large sphere.
They docked about ten minutes later. Valentine stood up, looking over at Kasumi. The thief gave a stretch, leaning back as she moved her hands as if to attempt to touch the bulkhead behind her. "Well, here we are," said Valentine as he glanced out the window at the harsh painted metal outside the viewport. "Looks like we got here way sooner than expected." "You don't say," said Kasumi as she pulled herself back to an upright position. She then glanced over at the hologram. "Are you sure we should be talking too much in front of that guy?" "It won't make a difference," said the exion. Legion looked over at Valentine. "We detect several life signatures outside of this cockpit," the geth replied. "The exact number is unknown." "I bet they're just as unknown what they look like." Valentine scoffed. "I never thought I'd get locked up with a damn geth." "Alert: we have reached the same conclusion," Legion noted. Before anyone else could comment, however, the door pane to the airlock turned green. A split second later, the door opened. Valentine and Kasumi gasped in shock at what they saw, Legion's head plates moving instantly. The beings that stepped into the cockpit looked rather familiar to Valentine: in appearance, they were a species that looked rather similar to the velociraptor. The curved toe claw, the dark scaly skin of varying colors, the shape of the leg, even the contour of their unusually long tails screamed of an older dinosaur. And yet, they looked more humanoid, the arms a little more fully built and the eyes a little less feral. They walked in, wearing simple grey armor; they had assault rifles trained on Valentine and Kasumi. In total, two of them entered the ship, but Valentine saw a third of these lizardmen inside the airlock. This third one stood in the airlock for a couple of seconds, before he stepped in, standing completely upright. This one was dressed in the same armor as the other two, but Valentine noticed that there was an ornate metallic badge melted onto the armor on his breast. It seemed rather similar to most medals he saw on the Alliance, if it relied on stars rather than the strange seven-pointed staff that was featured on the lizard's badge. This being held himself proudly, his snout turned up and his hands held behind his back with no tension in his arms. His gaze was directed down at them, and Valentine could vaguely hear this third one's toe claw tapping against the floor. The pilot almost spoke up to mind the floor of the ship, but he thought better of it as soon as he saw this raptor's annoyed gaze. "Here they are, Admiral Kalpalan," said the exion. "These're the guys." The admiral scoffed mirthlessly. "And they even have one of those geth toys," he said. "First Saren, now you?" "I'll have you know this one sprang up on us," Kasumi replied. "Affirmative," said Legion. "This platform formed an alliance with this group. We are not the heretic geth." The tall lizard immediately frowned. "Heretic geth?" he asked. Valentine chuckled. "Right?" he asked. "I found it hard to believe too." "Based on our data, we have reason to believe that the pilot of this vessel does not believe it now," Legion added. "I can't blame you," said the admiral. He then turned to the two humans. "But I digress." His features settled on a frown as he leaned forward. "You have been a pain in our side. You among all others have managed to discover too much about our information network, and according to the timing of your arrival your affiliation is suspicious." Kasumi glanced to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I'm just here for the free jewels." The admiral whirled on Kasumi, his teeth baring slightly. "Don't play coy with me, human," he snarled. He then stood proudly, looking down at the two of them. "I normally don't like to clean up the messes the DGI has left behind, but this time they've left me no choice. We're the only ones with the facilities to hold all of you." He then frowned. "And don't deny there are more people on this ship. We know there are others." Valentine frowned. "Really?" he asked. "I wouldn't be too sure of that." Legion turned to Valentine, pausing as it took stock of Valentine's stance. "Of course I wouldn't be," he said. He then stepped back, looking to the lizardman behind him to the right. "Private! Search the ship!" "Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted, stowing his assault rifle before pulling a small device from his utility belt. He then stepped through the door into the rest of the Lying Bastard. Valentine frowned, looking at the lizard as the doors closed behind him. "And what was that?" he asked. "Thermal scanner," said the admiral. "Your people can't hide behind anything with that thing." Valentine swallowed, but otherwise he gave no indication of his worry. "I see..." he said, his voice trailing off a little. He then glanced out the window, before looking back at the admiral. "So... what are you?" "Hmph, you have to ask?" the admiral said. "Yeah, actually," said Kasumi. "Hmph." The major snorted. "I doubt humanity would forget the face of the praetorin so easily." "Praetorin?" Kasumi looked at the lizardmen, breathing in. "Huh. Guess that's more to add to the bestiary." The admiral frowned, his gaze turning to Kasumi. "You do not remember?" he asked. "Well, I wasn't involved in whatever happened," said Kasumi. "So no, I can't remember what I never heard about in the first place." The admiral's frown deepened. "Interesting..." He then tapped his toe claws. "I guess I know what to look forward to in the interrogation, then." He then turned away, his long tail brushing the floor beneath it. "No matter. We'll get you to talk eventually. The DGI will be handling the interrogation, and if they fail then it falls to me to interrogate you. And we have our ways..." Valentine chuckled nervously. "That... does not sound terribly comforting," he said. "It shouldn't be," the admiral replied. He then crossed his arms behind his back. He then remained silent, a cold sweat travelling down Valentine's brow. And then, after a minute that seemed to drag on longer than it actually did, the door to the rest of the Lying Bastard opened. The praetorin private stepped in, a confused look on his face. "Uh... sir?" the private asked. "The DGI counted... five others in that group, right, sir?" The admiral turned, his brows creasing in concern. "They did, private," said the admiral. "Why?" "Uh... Well, sir..." The private nervously shook his head, offering the thermal scanner. "We can't find them anywhere. Even with the thermal scanner." The admiral moved towards him, but even as he stepped back the private held his hands up defensively. "And before you ask, sir, I ran a diagnostic. The system is clean, as far as I'm concerned!" Valentine blinked, before he then smirked right at the admiral. "Hm," he said. "I told you not to be so sure that there were others here." "Quiet!" The admiral turned to the private. "Search again!" "I did that, sir," said the private. Kasumi shrugged. "Hey, what do you know?" she said. "They just vanished. Like mist." Valentine turned to Kasumi. "Funny," he said. "I don't remember you being able to make people disappear like that." "I have my ways," the thief replied. "You were too busy driving this thing to notice." "Quiet!" The admiral turned, looking back to the private by the airlock door. "Private, report back to the office. Tell the DGI to sweep the area this ship was captured at, and tell them to sweep the area this ship was carried through." "Yes, sir," said the private, as he turned towards the airlock while opening a strange little device that was clipped to his utility belt. "Sir, there was no reported break-in to my data," said the exion as his hologram phased in above the control panel. "They sat here like obedient children. There's no way they escaped through the escape pods." "And there's a shuttle down there as well, sir," said the private at the door to the rest of the Lying Bastard. "That is still there." The admiral growled, before turning back to Kasumi. "Then you must have had some way to get them out," he said. He then shook his head. "No matter. We'll get it out of you." He then turned to the private by the door to the rest of the ship. "Private! Arrest them." "Yes, sir," said the private, stowing the thermal detector on his belt and walking forward. Valentine watched as he produced some handcuffs, before forcing Valentine to his knees and cuffing him. He smirked. "Kinky," he said. "I always did like to get led to bed in bondage." The admiral wrinkled his brow in disgust, before turning to the exion hologram. "Your work here is done, Operative Aethon. Report back to the DGI." "Of course," the exion replied. With this, the hologram petered out, before being replaced with the regular ship controls of the Lying Bastard. The private had moved on to Kasumi by this point, but as soon as he finished handcuffing Kasumi, he lifted Valentine to his feet. Valentine stood there as the private quickly handcuffed Legion, before he felt the barrel of an assault rifle dig into his back. "Move, prisoner!" said the private. "Hey, hey!" said Valentine as he moved towards the airlock. "Watch the back, I have very delicate back muscles!"
The rec room was silent, and for quite some time nobody entered the room. The silence seemed to hang, everything in the room remaining still. And then, after a few seconds, one of the floor panels shifted. It was then gently pushed out of the way, revealing a hidden compartment underneath. From this compartment, Jodie Holmes emerged, Kalo and Ashley emerging behind her. It took a few more seconds, but Kolyat also emerged, the young drell still remaining crouched. "And you're sure they're gone," Jodie said as she turned her attention to the air above her. Aiden clicked rapidly, a sound followed by a soft whoosh. Jodie nodded, climbing out of the floor compartment. The others slowly doing the same thing. "That was a close one," said Ashley. "I'd really like to avoid any close calls like that in the future." "I think that sentiment is mutual," Kalo replied. He then turned to the young drell, who had just lifted his feet as Jodie slid the floor panel back into place. "And what of Sura and the prisoner?" As if on cue, the door opened, Sura gently leading the aqueron into the room. "Accounted for," the cop said. "You know, for a second there I wished Valentine was there with me. I could've made the obvious reference to someone who would actually get it." Kolyat frowned. "Obvious...?" He shook his head. "What the hell is going on?" Jodie smiled. "Well, we got into their galaxy," she said. "Not the way we wanted to, but it's better than nothing." She then frowned, crawling to the window and peeking out to see that there were armed soldiers standing guard outside the gangplank to the Lying Bastard. She watched them, motioning to Sura to get on her knees as she looked at the lizard-like guards. "Those don't look like any guys I know." Kalo peeked over the edge of the window as well. "You do not exaggerate," said the quarian. "It's a little difficult to, considering the circumstances," said Jodie. She then turned to the others. "Well, the shuttle's untouched. They searched it, but they haven't done anything to it." "You think we can use that to escape?" asked Ashley. "Probably, but..." said Jodie. "The second we leave this ship, they're going to come after us. We need to find a way to get out of here without them noticing..." "And then we go home, right?" asked Kolyat. Sura shook her head. "No one gets left behind," the asari replied. She then looked to Jodie. "I suppose now's the part where we try and figure out what we need to do to rescue them, where they'll be, and how we'll get in." Sura then turned to the aqueron. "Now if only we had a place to start..." The aqueron returned Sura's remarks with an unamused glance. "I was never a fan of sarcasm," he replied. "Always seemed childish." "Sure, because you've never used it before," said Kolyat. He then turned to Jodie. "Can you finally explain to me what the hell is going on here?" Jodie looked back out the window. "First, we need a plan to get out of here, and we need it now," she said. "But if you want the short version..." "Aiden is a thing that exists..." Kolyat breathed in, his arms a little shaky. "Ashley... Ashley told me. And..." He looked up. "This is crazy. How is there a whole galaxy that we don't know about?" Jodie nodded. "That's part of what we're here to find out," she said. She peeked at the guards, before turning back to the aqueron. "They'll be watching us, right?" "Yes," he said. He then looked out. "This does not surprise me, that they've brought us here." "You know your way around?" asked Ashley. "Everyone knows their way around this place," the aqueron replied. "And I have some idea of where they may have gone." "And you're just going to cooperate with us like that," said Sura. "If I had my way, I would be dead," the aqueron replied. "But as it stands now, my fate is not in my own hands, and you have elected to keep me alive." Ashley shrugged. "Well, he's not wrong," she said. "That he isn't," said Sura. She then nodded. "First things first, though. How are we going to get out of here?" Jodie rubbed her chin, looking back at the aqueron. "We'll have to get in past wherever customs takes us, right?" she asked. "Yes," said the aqueron. "And we don't want to be noticed, right?" asked Jodie. "Security will swarm you, yes," the aqueron replied. Jodie then paused, rubbing her chin. "And this place..." Jodie then looked outside. "Are all the parts of that sphere inhabited?" "Yes," said the aqueron. "They are." "Do you think..." Jodie paused. "Is there any empty space where we can evade customs? Like, anything underneath this dock, for instance?" "There may be," said the aqueron. "And if not, there are other holes. You will see this place up close soon..." Jodie nodded, turning to everyone in the room. "I think I might have an idea." She turned her attention to the door. "Kalo, you're good enough to jury-rig some kind of tether, right?" "I can certainly try," Kalo replied. "Then we'll need to raid the science lab," she said. "Save whatever data we can, get everything we can, and then find stuff that we can jury-rig a contraption with." Everyone's gaze followed Jodie to the door. After a second or so, Ashley turned back, her brows furrowed as she crossed her arms. "It's a crazy idea, isn't it?" asked Ashley. Jodie shrugged. "Crazy ideas are the only ones that'll get us out of this mess," she said. "Here's what I'm thinking..."
Kalo knelt down, seeing all of the objects before him. He nodded, grabbing the toolbox and opening it. "Yes," he said. "I could make something out of what we have..." "Can you make what we asked for?" Jodie asked as she knelt next to him. "I'd need a little help," Kalo admitted. "Perhaps the gunnery chief can help?" Ashley shrugged. "Well, you'll have to keep in mind I don't know this tech that well, but if I explain some things I have to trust you to fill in the holes," she said. "I should be able to do that," said Kalo. Ashley smiled as she knelt next to the quarian. "Then there we go," she said. "Come on, let's build this thing."
Jodie looked over at Sura as she counted out the rations. "Is there enough?" "Plenty," said Sura. "It'll be able to tide two people over." "Excellent." Jodie's gaze turned out towards the window. "Just make sure those guys don't see you, right?" "Oh, come now, I'm sure the boys would appreciate the view," she said. Jodie's gaze narrowed. The asari paused for a second, before shrugging. "And that fell flat, didn't it?" "I would say so." Jodie shook her head. "Make sure to count the rations. Save some for us, but don't give them all away!" "You think you can find levo food around here?" Sura asked. Jodie nodded. "I've had to live off the streets before," she said. "I think I'll manage..."
"And this place is completely impenetrable." "I didn't say that. Only that it would be difficult." Jodie nodded. "So they have scanners that can detect Aiden." "And force fields that can keep a spirit from following you into a chamber," the aqueron replied. Jodie breathed in, remembering what had happened in the underwater base. "Right..." She nodded. "So I'm going to need to bring more than one person if I break in." "Technically, you would have to coordinate with someone from the inside," said the aqueron. "But two of your hackers are already inside the prison. If they can crack the code..." "But they'd have to know we're coming for them..." said Jodie as she rubbed her chin. She sighed, before turning back to the aqueron. "We'll have to gather more information. You said the government building is that giant tower in the center of this place, right?"
Ashley handed an OSD to Jodie. "And there it is," Ashley said. "All the research we've managed to compile in this lab." "On this one disc?" Jodie asked as she took it. "I'm still shocked at how advanced technology is around here." "No kidding," said Jodie. "And to think, now we'll need to get used to another galaxy's tech!" Jodie chuckled, smiling at Ashley. "Yeah," she said. She then pocketed the research. "We're taking things with us, of course." "I'm handling that," said Ashley, patting the approximation of a lightsaber where it was attached to her utility belt. "Good thing we didn't really have anything else." "Yeah," said Jodie. "It'll make our lives a lot easier." She then looked around. "Anything else?" "No," said Ashley. "Kalo's almost done with the jury rigging." "Good," said Jodie. "We'll be able to set off soon, then."
Jodie stepped into the bottom of the ship. After all the hustle and bustle that was happening upstairs, she needed a moment to herself to catch her breath. It had been hectic, mining whatever information she could from the aqueron and making sure Kalo was working quickly. There was also the matter of Sura taking stock of the ship, and Ashley getting as much data from their lab as she could. Thus, when she went downstairs, she expected there to be some peace and quiet. However, when she stepped onto the shuttle, she blinked in surprise. There Kolyat was: the young drell sat hunched over on one of the chairs. His head was hanging, his eyes were closed, and his hands were clenched in front of him. The drell shifted uneasily, Jodie noticing that he hadn't flinched upon Jodie entering the shuttle. Jodie stepped forward delicately, her hand reaching out to him. "Hey." Kolyat looked up, his eyes a little wet. "Oh," he said. "It's you again." "Yeah," said Jodie. She then stepped forward, standing in front of the drell. "Hey, you all right?" The drell paused, his gaze turning to the floor. "I... I don't know..." he said. He leaned forward, his elbows settling on his thighs. "Gods, I don't know..." Jodie nodded, walking up to the young drell and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Kolyat sighed. "What would there be to talk about?" asked Kolyat. "You're here, I'm here, we're about to go into hostile enemy territory most of us didn't even know existed, and I've just been taken away from home because apparently some secret galaxy nobody knows about is going to come after me now..." His brow furrowed, and the drell gave a quick, violent flick of his hand. "I'm just gods-damned perfect right now." Jodie sighed sadly. "I'm sorry you're involved in all this," she said. "No you're not," he said. "You pulled me deeper into this whole thing, and now I'm going to get chewed up and spat out!" He then held his arms close to him, his expression shifting as his eyebrows softened slightly. "Shit... I don't know how to process all this..." "It's tough on everyone, kid." Jodie and Kolyat both turned to Sura. The cop stepped into the shuttle, looking at Kolyat softly. "Oh," said Kolyat. "It's the cop." "Yeah," said Sura. She then stood next to Kolyat, holding her hands out in front of her. "I guess you're scared." "Well no shit," said Kolyat. "What clued you in on that, the fact that I got taken away from my home because you all said I had to go? How the hell am I supposed to take that?" The drell sighed, leaning forward as his expression fell. "And now I'm out in the middle of some place where nobody can find me if I go missing. How the hell am I supposed to take that?" "I can't say I blame you for being angry and scared," said Sura. "It happens whenever you've been uprooted completely." Kolyat nodded, closing his eyes. "I just... what if I never see anyone back home again? My friends, my family... And all the places..." He hugged himself, taking a shaky breath in. "This is so fucked up..." Jodie nodded. "It's tough," she said. "Well, to get uprooted. You're not the only one it's ever happened to." She sighed. "But then, you don't get uprooted into this kind of situation, most of the time." "No kidding." Kolyat replied, resting his chin on his hands. "I'm so scared..." "It's okay to be scared," Jodie said. Kolyat looked up at her as she shrugged. "I'm a little scared myself right now." Kolyat's second set of eyelids nictated. "Really?" he asked. "We all are," said Sura. "We don't show it, but I think we're all nervous. This plan could fail in so many ways..." "And if we fail..." Jodie then bit her lower lip. "I try not to think of the worst. You plan for the worst, and hope for the best." Kolyat breathed in. "Do you really think we can do this?" he asked. "No," said Jodie. "But until we actually try it, we'll never know, right?" Kolyat nodded, his eyes closing once again. "Fuck..." Jodie watched as a tear trailed down Kolyat's cheek. "Please, don't let them get me..." "I won't let them," said Jodie. "Trust me." And with this, the three occupants of the shuttle bowed their heads. They stayed still for some time, Sura and Jodie standing by Kolyat as he sat hunched over his knees. And then, Jodie heard Aiden click rather loudly. She looked up, Kolyat and Sura stirring. Jodie nodded. "Aiden says we're ready," she said. She then looked to Kolyat. "Can you do exactly as I say?" The drell stood up. "I'll try," he said. Jodie smiled at him, patting him on the shoulder. "Then come on," she said. "Let's get out of this ship."
Jodie looked over at Sura. "And you'll keep him under wraps, right?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am," said Sura. The asari saluted Jodie and the others as Ashley was helping Kolyat into what would've been Valentine's space suit. The suit was a little big on him, but everyone knew they really didn't have much of a choice. Jodie checked her helmet one more time. "Good," she said. Now, the issue is, I don't know if I'll be able to help you if they come back." "They won't be back," said Sura. "Not if I have anything to say about it." Jodie nodded. "Just be careful," she said. "And watch the prisoner well. He may be cooperating, but he's not really on our side." "Shame, too," said Sura as she crossed her arms. "He seems like a nice enough guy." "Perhaps..." Jodie nodded, before turning to Kalo, Ashley, and Kolyat. "Are you all ready?" "I'm scared, but..." Jodie could see Kolyat gulp. "I'll do my best." "And we're right behind," said Ashley. Jodie nodded, looking to Kalo. Next to him was the device he had jury-rigged. "Okay," said Jodie. "Let it go, Kalo." The quarian nodded, opening his omni-tool. Immediately, the device hummed to life, and before anyone could react four beams of blue energy shot out. Jodie then looked around her, the indigo light surrounding her as she took a step forward. This step seemed to be a little stronger, and she experimentally jumped up to find that gravity worked a little differently inside the bubble: she seemed to float up, her hand reaching out and gently touching the ceiling . "Well, it's a good thing mass effect technology still works in this place," said Jodie. "Yes," Kalo agreed as he stood up. "Come. We should not test our luck. Let's go." Jodie nodded. "Right behind you," she said. Ashley then knelt down, popping a hatch right in the floor in front of the shuttle. She nodded, seeing the small space between the armor hull and the inner hull. She slipped in first, Kolyat following immediately after. As soon as Kalo was through, Jodie turned back to Sura. "We'll be back with the others before you know it," she said. "You better," said Sura. "I don't want to have to kick your ass." Jodie chuckled, before turning and crawling through the hatch herself. As she did this, she looked around, seeing Kalo crawl through to her right. She followed suit, looking ahead as she turned her omni-tool's flashlight on. Up ahead, she saw Ashley at the next hatch already. She popped that hatch open, Jodie knowing it opened out underneath the belly of the ship. As soon as Jodie saw Ashley slip through, she picked up the pace, crawling right behind as Kolyat and Kalo both passed through. Finally, she got to the open hatch herself, looking out into the vast void of space beneath her. She took a breath to steady herself, before crawling out. The sensation of crawling out was like jumping into a pool: Jodie felt completely weightless, and she would have drifted away if not for the mass effect tether keeping her rigged to the device. Jodie looked to the others, Kolyat grabbing on to Ashley for dear life as Kalo turned his head about. "Well, this is a new sensation," said Kalo. "You think?" Kolyat shouted back. "How the hell are you guys sane enough to do this?" "We're not," said Ashley. "We just stay mostly sane." The gunnery chief turned to Jodie. Jodie nodded, looking past the docking bay to see a giant curved wall up ahead. The dock was not far away, but there was also a large hole about one and a half times the size of Sovereign just to the right of the dock. Jodie nodded, looking over at Kalo. She then gently brought her hands up to the underbelly, crawling along as she grabbed Kalo's hand. Kalo grabbed back, and they both looked out as Ashley and Kolyat did the same. "Well, let's do it," she said as Kalo opened his omni-tool. "We engage the mass effect in three... two... one..." And then, the quarian tapped a button on the omni-tool. The mass effect field suddenly brought all four people lurching forward, Kolyat letting out a scared squeal as the tether launched them. Jodie saw the blue aura around her dissipate immediately, and before long she saw they were approaching the hole. "Let's hope we calculated this right..." Ashley said as they grew closer. Jodie nodded, Aiden chirping as they moved closer. The hole approached faster and faster, and Jodie looked over as poor Kolyat huddled even closer to Ashley. Kalo floated along with ease, the quarian turning around to look at Jodie. "And we should be passing through..." Kalo looked up, Jodie doing the same as well to see they were passing the walls opening in front of them. "Now." And then, they passed the first walls of the Obschesto. The sight took Jodie's breath away. All across the sphere, the five arms opened out, and though Jodie could not see the whole of it she saw that there was all kinds of civilization peppered around. Buildings seemed to rise up all along the five curves of the Obschesto, and Jodie could make out shapes of cars and beings flittering about everywhere. Jodie had to suppress the urge to gasp, the stark white of the buildings contrasting with the greenery that was planted all along the place. Along one of the curves, she could even make out an artificial river that tumbled up towards the top of the sphere. She blinked, her mouth open wide. "Wow..." she whispered. "Wow indeed..." Jodie turned to Kolyat, seeing that the drell had let go of Ashley. "Holy shit..." "This place is huge..." said Ashley. "Wow... Have you ever seen anything like this?" "No," said Kalo. "And I doubt I ever will again..." Jodie nodded, before turning down to look at the bottom of the sphere. "And there, exactly as their prisoner had mentioned, was a large, wide tower that seemed to rise up out of the point where the five curves met. It was imposing, bleach-white walls glinting in the light as she noticed the way the regularly-placed windows reflected the light that came into the Obschesto. Jodie blinked, wondering if there was any movement in there at that moment. "And that's where they are," Jodie said as she pointed to the tower. Ashley nodded. "The Tayurmya..." she said. "Gods..." Kolyat said. Jodie nodded, turning back to the direction they were headed as they approached one of the curves. "And there it is," she said. "The ra'ken district." "Our hiding spot for now..." Kalo looked to Jodie as they approached. "Do you think we will be able to set up there?" "We'll have to try our luck," she said. "If our prisoner's information was correct..." And then, the group approached. From a distance, it was not readily apparent, but as they got closer Jodie began to see that the grand-looking buildings actually had quite a bit of wear and tear. Some buildings had large splotches of vibrant blue rust, and she could see a few dead trees amidst all the living ones that peppered that arm of the Obschesto. As they got closer, she even saw papers littering what walkways were around, and that very few people were around. "Perfect..." said Jodie. "Aiden, slow us down." Aiden chirped, before Jodie felt a force act on her. She suddenly slowed down, her hand reaching out for a tree branch as she approached. As soon as she grabbed a hold of this tree branch, she felt the Obschesto's artificial gravity act on her, and the inexorable pull downward caused her to nearly lose her grip on the branch. She willfully let go, landing on her feet and squatting. However, she then fell back on her butt, though the soil underneath her was able to cushion the impact. She then looked up, seeing Kalo land gracefully on the soil next to her. A second or so later, she heard a loud thud, turning her head immediately to see that Kolyat had faceplanted onto the ground next to them. Ashley then landed next to him, getting to her feet quickly while shaking her head. The gunnery chief took her helmet off, shaking her head as she clipped it to her utility belt. "I told you not to be too overzealous," she said. Kolyat shook his head, standing up. "Whatever," he said. "I guess this means nobody saw us." Jodie stood up, looking around and seeing nothing around her. She then nodded, taking her helmet off. "That sounds about right," she said. She then nodded, looking to Kolyat as Ashley removed his helmet. "Now let's make sure it stays that way." "Of course," said Kalo. He then looked out, seeing a pathway covered by decaying buildings. "Come. We should move." Jodie nodded, and then all four of them left the patch of soil they had landed in. They walked down, seeing an alleyway that moved out onto a street. As they moved slowly, they noticed that the alley ended perpendicular to this street. Nobody else was really out, except for maybe one odd-looking being. As they crept up to the exit of that alley, Jodie had to swallow in surprise. Ahead of them was a beetle-looking creature that walked forward on four limbs. Its whole upper body seemed to be bent forward at about a 40 degree angle, and everyone noticed how this being's short antennae flitted to and fro. Jodie frowned, before noticing the ridges on its forearms and the eyes, red like those of a fly. She recognized it from her dream, but could not place a name to its species. She nodded, noticing the being walking away. Jodie nodded, turning her attention back to the others. She glanced behind them, seeing that the other direction out of the alley was clear. "This way," she said. She then rushed out, her footsteps quiet as she left. She glanced around the street, seeing another alleyway. She ducked into it, the others following her very quickly. As they ventured deeper into this alley, Kalo glanced in the direction they came from. They moved deeper into the alley, the rust on the walls popping out at them as they moved further in. They followed the alleyway as it twisted between buildings, Jodie keeping one hand on the walls as they moved about. When they exited the alley, they found it opened out into a circle, in which nobody else was present. Jodie hesitated upon hearing Aiden trill softly, however. She then looked around, glancing at the buildings they were in. Years of decay had caught up with them, and she noticed for the first time that some of the buildings in question looked completely abandoned. Before Jodie could move, though, Aiden trilled loudly. Jodie blinked, turning in the direction that Aiden had trilled. She then gasped upon seeing a strange craft hovering above the ground. It shone a spotlight directly on the ground, and Jodie even noticed it ducked into the alleyways. The light was also headed straight for them. Jodie immediately looked around the alley. "Quick!" she whispered. "Hide!" The others immediately looked out the alley to see the same thing Jodie saw, before they scrambled to find a hiding spot. The alley was littered with all sorts of discarded trash, some of which Kolyat immediately dove under. Jodie shook her head, hoping for the best as she herself ducked behind what looked like a discarded couch. She pressed her back against the side, breathing in as she saw Ashley and Kalo both hide behind the remains of a toppled appliance. Jodie breathed in, Aiden trilling in fright. And then, Jodie watched as the light shone past them. Jodie pulled her feet in closer, holding her breath as she chanced a glance over at Kalo. She remained perfectly still, even as the light seemed to dwell over them. Jodie turned her attention to Kolyat, and she shook her head as she saw the drell press himself up against the object as much as he could. Thankfully, before anything could happen, the spotlight pulled away. When Jodie peered past the edge of her hiding spot, she saw the craft continue on. She cautiously crawled out, her limbs relaxing as she moved back towards the mouth of the alley. Everyone else was beside her in a second. "Well, the area's patrolled by these things," Jodie said. "Well, to be fair, our prisoner did say that," said Ashley. "Doesn't stop it from being bad," said Jodie. She looked up. "Come on. I think I know a spot we can set up shop in." And with this, she crossed the street ahead of them, the other three people following her with quick footsteps.
The door slowly slid open, Jodie admiring how much like a door back in her original galaxy it appeared. However, before she could ponder further, part of the door ground loudly, the right partition of the door coming to a halt. Kolyat blinked, walking towards it with a frown. "Even the door slots are rusted over," he said. "Does anyone check on these things?" "Probably not, otherwise all that rust outside wouldn't be there," said Ashley as she stepped through the opening. Jodie stepped in after her, looking around. There was abandoned furniture strewn all about the single room they entered, and they briefly noticed that the windows were boarded up. She unclipped her helmet from her utility belt, setting it down on a half-destroyed couch. "Wow..." said Kalo. "From the grandeur I saw outside, I would never have envisioned... this." He shook his head as he stepped through. "Even the Fleet seems to be in better shape than this." "Well, nobody's been attending to it for a while," Jodie mentioned. "True..." Kalo said. They heard the door shudder closed behind them. They looked around. "Well, there seems to be no holes any patrol can see through." "Except the window," said Jodie. "But we should be able to steer clear of that." Kolyat looked around, sighing as he held his arms together. "Well, I guess we're stuck here," the drell said. "This does seem to be our base of operations," said Jodie. "I think we'll rest here for a bit, and then I'll go ahead and scout the area. Even if our prisoner's information has been accurate so far, we'll need a bit more of an idea of how to do this. Always see things with your own eyes first." "But that won't come until morning," said Ashley. Jodie shook her head. "A lot has happened today," she said. "No kidding," Kolyat replied. He chuckled mirthlessly, before he looked to the side. "Anywhere I can take this thing off? It's itchy." Ashley nodded, seeing a door off to the side. "You could try in there," she said. Kolyat nodded. "Okay," he said. He then walked over to the door, and surprisingly that door opened much quicker. As soon as Kolyat disappeared, Jodie popped a seal on one of her suits, walking over to the window. She stared out of it, shaking her head at what she saw. "I didn't think we'd be in another galaxy today," she said. "Holy shit..." She heard someone come up behind her, and before long she felt a three-fingered hand place itself on her shoulder. She looked up at Kalo, the quarian also looking outside. "We have work to do," Kalo said. Jodie nodded, crossing her arms as she looked out. "That we do," she said. "That we do..." And the two of them remained standing at the window, Jodie wondering what would lie in store for them on the Obschesto.
"Young master Sa'lem... Do you truly believe...?" "Well, it's probably not going to last for long. But you know me." A young body stood perched over the edge of a balcony. Right at the door to the balcony, a beetle-like creature stood, the man regarding the youth with an apprehensive gaze. "I do..." The beetle glanced to the ground. "You fail to understand, young master." "What's there to understand?" the youth asked. "He's a damn coward, Druvak. You know this as well as I do. I just... I can't stand it anymore." "Then why do you run away?" "Because I need to get away." The younger man draped his legs over the edge of the balcony. "You can stay. But I'm ordering you not to follow me." The insect raised a hand, before pausing. He then stepped back, his antennae drooping as he looked to the ground. "Then I cannot stop you, young master," he said. The younger man smiled. "Thank you," he said. "You'll see me soon enough." And with this, the young man pushed himself off the edge. As soon as he hit the ground, the youth ran, never once looking back as he climbed out into the rest of the Obschesto.
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