The Legacy of Wrath

Chapter: 19

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Somewhere in the Amun System:

The spacecraft cruised through the cold vacuum of space as it trundled ever onward towards its intended destination. The last few days had been dragging by as Jack gazed out of the viewport at the passing stars. For someone who found herself traveling with a self-declared demi-god there was a surprising lack of action most of the time, not that she was missing being chased by bloody council Spectres, eldritch horrors and everything else in-between, but right now the human biotic would be happy with anything which diminished the boredom. They'd dropped out of FTL about a day out from the edge of the system and at the instruction of the big guy she'd piloted a course towards Anhur, the third planet in the system.

"You know this whole system is pretty much a lawless free for all, the local government is trashed after their civil war and the planet isn't much better," declared Jack tiredly as she glanced away from the display screen towards the imposing form of Asura, who was focusing on a codex entry in the ship's database. "Just thought you'd like to know, since you're the most wanted person in the known galaxy at the moment."

"As you have already told me several times," replied the imposing figure as he closed the codex entry and gave her his full attention. "But I need to go to this planet, it is important for all of our sakes." The Shinkoku's tone permitted no argument and he took a massive bite out of a ration bar. "How far out are we?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"I don't know, a few more hours I guess, we've already passed the outermost planet in the system, Bast, and no one seems to be giving a fuck but hey the day is still young." Her language earned her a disapproving glare from her pseudo-parent, who had the audacity to send the hardened convict a look that only a caring parent could. "Oh come on, I kill people on a regular basis but I can't swear?!" Asura's face was granite. "Fine I'll try not to swear so much, happy?" The giant allowed a small smile to grace his features before turning his gaze back towards the viewing screen.

"As long as we don't attract too much attention, we should be able to reach the planet's surface without causing an issue," rumbled Asura evenly, as he stared out at the vastness of space. "From there it shouldn't be too hard to reach the facility."

Jack let out a dismissive huff as she heard the first half of the statement. "Yeah, how well did that work out the last time we tried to sneak onto a planet unnoticed? I have memories of free falling through said planet's atmosphere."

"This time it will be different," muttered the Shinkoku.

Some time later:

The planet of Anhur hove into view. The garden world's green hue hid the two years of nearly constant warfare that had both ravaged the surface of the planet and the surrounding planetary system. The two warring factions had squared off over the contentious issue of indentured servitude, not that the two newest arrivals really cared about such things. Their small craft cut through its earth like atmosphere while the on-board navigation computer guided them towards landfall.

"OK big guy, so now that we're here on one of the most depressing places in all of existence what's the game plan," demanded Jack aggressively, as the duo briskly descended from the rear access hatch onto the waiting landing pad. "Because as I've been telling you for the last few days, this lump of junk is crawling with bounty hunters and anyone else willing to risk their life to earn a quick credit."

The Shinkoku let out a quiet sigh as he pulled his hood and face mask into place around his features, not that it would really help as Bēṭī was quick to remind him. In all honesty the giant didn't really care. In his opinion anyone who was foolish or brave enough to challenge them in open combat was deserving of everything they would get; but as it stood right now discretion was the better part of valour as he needed to reach his destination without drawing unwanted attention. Even if this was impossible, he was going to damn well try, too much was at stake not to.

"First of all, what is this place called little one?" he rumbled, as the pair slowly made their way across the decking. They were approaching what looked like an improvised customs check point, judging from the hastily constructed nature of the kiosk standing at the entrance to the township.

"The computer said it's called New Tanis, but then again it also said that it was the centre of industrial development on the planet, which judging from all the ruins is rather outdated information," replied Jack as she took a swig of her beer. "Not surprising, since these guys have been killing each other for the last couple of years now." The Shinkoku let out a soft hmm, he'd read up on the conflict and in all honesty he'd found the so called rebellion to be rather underwhelming. It was a fact that the pro-abolitionist faction had been so poorly organised that they had been forced to resort to mercenaries to get them out of the hole their morals had led them into, not that he was one to brood about such things.

The only thing that greeted the pair as they arrived at the check point was a scratched and banged up data terminal, set into the far wall, with a single speaker that hung from one corner of the ceiling.

"Welcome visitor….please…please approach the screen and state the purpose of your visit," stuttered the Onboard VI, as the screen flickered ever so slightly.

"God, I wonder where they dug this relic up from?" muttered the female biotic as she started skimming over the extremely brief form. "Must make you feel really at home right big guy?" she teased, and was rewarded by a small huff from the giant as he took in the ramshackle nature of the security station.

Asura tuned out his companion's irritable cursing as she attempted to get the touch screen to work properly. He stared fixedly at the ruined landscape beyond the perimeter wall. He saw the skeleton of a once proud city just beyond its shadow, every once in a while he could see a haggard face looking out in worried confusion.

"Is this what my people have become?" mused the guardian general and his mind drifted back to a different age, an age of towering buildings and imposing vistas, of immortal armies and golden fleets. That time had passed, but its people still endured and therefore his oath stood strong and would continue to do so until the last of his strength was spent and his soul was broken. "Upon my honour I swear it," whispered the giant softly, but this moment of quiet contemplation was not to last as Jack came stomping out of the check point, cursing and swearing all the way.

"Don't you give me that look," she snapped irritably. "No one likes to do forms, no one!" Asura didn't bother to credit that statement with a response and the pair moved on. "So where are we going big guy?" The biotic glanced around as they slowly made their way past the front gate and into the wreckage on the other side. New Tanis seemed to be the subject of massive reconstruction or, more likely, a deconstruction project. Everywhere mounds of rubble had seemingly been pushed off to one side, all over the place. "God this place is a tip."

"Inter planetary warfare tends to leave a high level of devastation," murmured the Shinkoku grimly "And going according to the official records both sides tended to favour such an outcome during their little squabble." There was a clearly dismissive tone in the giant's comment. He strode off down a sidewalk, discussion was clearly on hold for the time being.

"Sounds like you don't approve," countered Jack. She was very much on the alert despite her deceptively casual manner. They were passing a burned-out storefront when she said, "didn't you guys fight in the same way during that big old war of yours?" There was a long silence after that statement and for a brief moment the young biotic worried that she might have gone slightly too far.

"It was a different time Bēṭī" stated Asura, a quiet undertone creeping into his voice. "There was no other choice. There would have been no future if we'd lost, no tomorrow, there would simply have been desolation and death." She experienced again that feeling of creeping cold which she always felt when the big guy alluded to the trials of his distant past.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're depressing," muttered Jack. "Just saying."

The pair continued onwards for a good while longer until they came across what looked to be one of the few remaining intake buildings…plus a few bullet craters, it was also highly likely the only hotel still standing in the city, judging from the surrounding burnt out properties.

"I've slept in worse," said his female companion evenly, as Asura led the way into the establishment.

Somewhere far far away:

Images flashed here and there, to and fro. They painted vivid scenes of blood and battle, of conflict and war; but overriding all of this was the menacing feeling of dread with maybe, just maybe a hint of hope.

"Doctor, Doctor Chakwas? I think she's waking up!" A voice like a jackhammer forced its way through her skull, causing Shepard to let out a loud groan as she dragged her eyelids open, the mellow light of the med. bay greeted the soldier as she swung her legs over the side of the sickbed.

"You had us worried there Shepard," declared the unmistakable outline of the ship's chief medical officer, Surgeon Major Karin Chakwas, as she leant forward to shine a small light into Jane's face. "How are you feeling Lieutenant Commander?" The woman in question had the gall to raise a hand to ward off the intrusion from the expert's torch.

"Like I've just been mugged by an angry Krogen," said Shepard as she let out a shallow breath. "How long was I out?" There was a long pause as the good doctor gave her a once over before answering.

"For about fifteen hours," she stated coolly, her eyes darting over a data pad. "Something happened down there on the planet, something to do with the beacon I think."

There was a slight cough from just behind the pair. "That's my fault Ma'am," declared Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams as she stepped forward. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it, you had to push me out of the way." The sentence brought with it a flash of painful images and drew another groan from the good Commander's lips.

"Yes I remember now," she muttered tiredly. "Piece of advice, next time you come across a priceless Prothean artefact, maybe you should just leave it the hell alone, just a suggestion." The marine grimaced ever so slightly at the comment.

"Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off," countered Chakwas evenly, as she came to the young woman's defence. "Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."

The Gunnery Chief grimaced a second time. "The beacon exploded." She made a hand gesture to back up her descriptions. "A system overload maybe, the blast knocked you out cold. Lieutenant Alenko had to carry you back to the ship." Shepard allowed the information to sink in while her mind attempted to shift itself back into a professional gear.

"What about Jenkins, I remember him getting tagged towards the end of the fight, how bad was it?" She looked at the doctor, who allowed a small smile to spread across her face as she heard the question.

"The Corporal will be fine, just a minor flesh wound, he was lucky, a few more inches to the left and it could have hit an artery." The medical expert looked down at her data pad. "On that note to pre-empt your next question you are physically fine, no external or internal evidence to denote either impact or pressure trauma." The commander didn't miss the implications.

"And mentally?" Jane added uneasily.

Chakwas raised a hand to calm her before she continued explaining the current situation "But mentally I have detected some unusual brain activity, some abnormal beta waves." The specialist again referred to her data pad. "I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement." She glanced back up as she fixed the commander with a long stare. "Classic signs typically associated with intense REM sleep." The commander could almost feel their stares boring into her as the sentence hung in the air, waiting for a response.

It was strange, she hadn't noticed when she'd woken but now, as she attempted to regain full mental control, she found herself struggling through what seemed like a dense haze. "I saw…I'm not sure what I saw," stammered Shepard uneasily. For a moment she held her head in her hands. "I think I saw death, destruction, nothing's really that clear, sorry." Her apology however was waved aside by the doctor as who began typing rapidly onto the holographic displays.

"I had better add this to my report, it may…." But whatever Chakwas was going to add went unheard, interrupted by the familiar hiss of an automatic door opening. On the threshold stood the unmistakable figure of Captain Anderson.

"How's our XO holding up doctor?" he enquired, strolling towards his protegee with a look of clear concern etched upon his features, much to the clear amusement of the medical specialist, who watched from the side-lines as she continued to input information into the medical file.

"All her readings look normal," commented the doctor. "I'd say the Commander's going to be fine."

"The Commander has a name you know," muttered Jane to herself, as Anderson sent a silent glare her way.

"Glad to hear it," he gave her his full attention. "Shepard I need to speak with you….in private." His request was followed by an uneasy silence which every single person in the sickbay was aware of.

"Come along everyone, the Captain and the Commander need their privacy," declared the doctor. She ushered everyone out of the medical area and into the ship's mess. The Captain waited until he was sure that they were alone before again giving Jane his full attention.

"Sounds as if that beacon hit you pretty hard Jane." He adopted a more empathetic tone. "You sure you're okay?" Shepard grimaced ever slightly before responding.

"Besides being pissed off about whatever the hell that was on the planet Sir, I'm just peachy." She ran a hand through her matted hair. "I mean holy shit, Geth, mutated animals and whatever the fuck was done to those poor colonists…I'm….I'm lost for words Sir." Anderson nodded grimly as he listened on. "And with Agent Kryik dead…."

"Presumed dead," interrupted the captain evenly, which earned him a disbelieving snort from his student.

"Right because spectres never die.."

"They just go missing in action," he finished pointedly. "But be that as it may, I'm not going to lie to you Jane, things look bad. Nihlus dead, the beacon destroyed and the Geth rampaging unchecked, the Council will be wanting answers."

The Commander let out long sigh as she heard this, she'd been looking forward to becoming humanity's first Spectre after all. "In my defence all those things were beyond my control Sir." Her argument was met with a single raised hand from her superior officer.

"You're preaching to the converted Jane, I'll stand behind both you and your report. You've earned this chance and I'll be damned if you miss out on it due to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time." There was real heat behind his words and Shepard got the distinct feeling that there was more to this current topic then just her own situation. "But we're getting distracted, the main reason I'm having this conversation with you is because of the supposed culprit for the murder of Agent Kryik."

"The other Turian, you know of him Sir?" questioned the commander in mild surprise. "Is he a known element?" The look upon the older man's face was answer enough in itself but he did do her the courtesy of replying.

"In a manner of speaking, his name is Saren Arterius." Anderson ran a hand across the top of his head in mild frustration "And he is a Council Spectre, one of their best, a damn living legend."

Understandably this explanation was not well received by Jane, who could only groan at the perceived implications before sinking back down onto her sickbed with a long sigh. "Are we looking at a black op. Sir?" She enquired, an unmistakable sense of unease slowly making its way up her spine. "Because if that's the case…" the woman didn't finish that sentence as such a suggestion was really far too worrying for casual analysis.

There was a long silence before Anderson let out a short, frustrated sigh before continuing the conversation. "As terrifying as that thought is, it's unlikely, if for no other reason than we have confirmation of Geth involvement, which completely obviates council involvement. It also means that Saren has gone rogue. I don't know what's worse," he snarled. "The geth on the loose or a rogue Turian spectre with a deep-seated hatred for humanity." The Captain just shook his head in disbelief. "I swear the whole galaxy is going to hell these days."

"Well that just means more work for people like us to do then," declared Jane resolutely as that mask of professionalism reformed itself upon her features. The remark earned her a small chuckle from the grizzled veteran In front of her.

"Glad to see that at least one of us can look on the bright side of things," he countered; "But be that as it may we're going to need to tell the council something, they're going to want answers." Shepard rolled her eyes.

"What are we going to tell them, that I'm having bad dreams?" she rolled her eyes as the captain glanced at her in concern "It's nothing it's just something that Docter Chakwas picked up on when I was out," added the women evenly. "The beacon seemingly was giving me nightmares." Anderson ran a hand over his face.

"We don't know what information was stored in that beacon, lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction, whatever it was Saren took it." Jane didn't look convinced, archaeology wasn't her expertise after all but even so she didn't really think that something that contained super dangerous plans would be just left standing in the middle of a Shinkoku settlement, not that Anderson really noticed her cynicism as he was lost momentarily in thoughts of his own and was muttering darkly to no-one in particular. "I know him, I know Saren, his reputation, his politics, he believes humans are a blight on the galaxy at large, this attack was nothing less than an act of war!" He slammed a clenched fist into a nearby bulkhead.

Shepard slowly took a step back, so that the Captain could catch his breath. It didn't take a genius to realise that her mentor had had more than just a passing encounter with the Spectre in question, but she was damned if she was going to be the one that further stirred up that particular hornets' nest.

"My apologies Commander, I didn't mean to lose my temper, it's just…" he broke off in mid-flow. "We're going to need the Council on side for this, we won't be able to touch him otherwise because of his protected status."

Jane ran a hand through her hair as she wracked her brains. "Well if we can prove that this Saren has gone rogue the Council will blacklist him, but we'll likely need to contact the ambassador first so he can get us a priority meeting with them." Her companion nodded grimly.

"I've already done just that, sent a category one telegram to the embassy. They should have received it by now." Even as he spoke they both heard the unmistakable ping of the ship's intercom echoing out over the empty space.

"Captain we've just cleared the citadel relay, drift was well within the safety range, what are your orders?" enquired the disembodied voice of the helmsman.

"Set course for the restricted berths and contact Citadel Control, tell them we will need priority clearance through the traffic flow."

"Roger that," and the line fell silent once again.

"I won't keep you anymore Jane, get something to eat and rest up, Captain's orders, you're going to need all your strength in the coming days." She simply saluted as the grizzled veteran exited the sick bay to return to whatever nightmarish amount of paperwork awaited after a screwup of this magnitude.

She did do what she was told however, grabbed a meal in the mess, and caught up with her ground team. They were all in varying states of emotional agitation following the engagement, with the youngest member seeming the worst effected by events. Not only had he been wounded but he had witnessed the heart-breaking devastation of his home world.

Jane made time to have a talk with the young Corporal for several minutes after her meal. She quietly concluded that it would be wise to recommend the soldier be seen for PTSD treatment, as he was already starting to show mild signs of mental trauma, but that would have to come later as soon enough the ship's speakers crackled back into life.

"Now hear this, now hear this, this is your Captain speaking," declared the unmistakable voice of Anderson over the com-link. "Shore leave will be enforced by work rotation, but all hands should expect rapid redeployment at short notice, that will be all."

"At least someone is going to have a fun time in the next few hours," muttered Shepard unhappily, as she went to get back into her battered battle armour and to tell her newly expanded ground team to do the same.

Sometime later:

"This is an outrage!" snarled the ambassador angrily, glaring at the small group of glowing images in front of him. "The Council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!" The Turian Councillor raised a single brow plate at the comment.

"The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the terminus systems ambassador," stated Sparatus coldly. "Humanity was well aware of the risk when you went into the traverse." Rather understandably his remark wasn't well received by Udina and Shepard thought he was about to have a brain aneurysm judging by the shade of scarlet the man's face was currently in the process of morphing into.

"This wasn't some start up colony in the back of beyond!" he bellowed. "This was one of our largest and most developed locations outside of our home system, with a population nearing four million!" He jabbed a finger at the rather startled council members, who it seemed were not used to the level of passion currently being displayed by their colleague. "In the heart of our territory no less!" Councillor Tevos ran a hand over her strained features.

"We understand that Ambassador and we share your concern," she calmly replied while shooting her Turian co-worker a disapproving glance. "An attack of this kind is not something to be taken lightly and we have already taken steps to start sending aid to the planet, as well as medical experts trained in dealing with biological weapon fallout." Eden Prime was sorely going to need this help judging by the reports that were already filtering in through official channels. Whole sections of the planet's surface were being quarantined and additional alliance forces were being drafted in to deal with the contaminated wildlife, that even now was still running amok over certain areas of the colony.

But there were more pressing matters weighing upon the ambassador's mind however. He suppressed his anger and spoke more calmly, though not without feeling. "And what about the Geth? The fleet that attacked Eden Prime is still at large, our navy is not only stretched thin with our current security commitments but with the developing situation on Eden Prime and then there is the matter of Saren Arterius."

Councillor Valern cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Citadel Security is investigating the charges against Agent Arterius, we will discuss C-Sec's findings at the hearing not before" declared the Salarian representative pointedly. This time however Ambassador Udina would not be totally silenced and he let out a dismissive snort at the declaration, much to the clear disapproval of the assembled bureaucrats. Their flickering images looked on with growing frowns of concern.

"You have something to say Ambassador?" enquired the Turian representative pointedly.

"I do Councillors," replied the man as he pulled a small data pad out of his coat pocket. "I have here a message from Prime Minister Amul Shastri, who, after being informed of what has taken place upon Eden Prime and after seeing the ever lengthening list of casualties, he has asked me to inform you, that as a result of reading the report put forward by Commander Shepard, supported by eyewitness statements from survivors, he has decided to issue a formal warning to the Citadel Council."

The tension was palpable and all those present found themselves holding their collective breaths, it was unheard of for an associate member to deliver such a strongly worded rebuttal to the leaders of galactic power, it was a clear indication of the current stakes in play.

"Your government is in no position to make such threats Ambassador," growled Sparatus, his voice dropping to a deep rumbling tone.

"This is not a threat councillor, simply a declaration of intent, as it stands at the moment Prime Minister Shastri holds the Spectre Saren Arterius squarely responsible for the tragic loss of life on Eden Prime and as a result he is putting together an emergency Act of Parliament, so as to have him labelled as an enemy of mankind with all the legal technicalities associated with such a categorisation." The looks that flashed across the councillors' faces ranged from total disbelief to outright indignation.

"This is unacceptable!" snarled the Turian furiously. "Spectres are immune to all legal prosecutions other than those handed down by the Citadel Council itself!" The two other councillors nodded fervently.

"That was part of the agreement that your government signed to have associate statutes as well as having access to the galactic market," added Councillor Tevos, as she fixed Udina with a disapproving glare. "Which I know your leaders are well aware of." The ambassador nodded evenly.

"That is correct but…" He fixed the three councillors with a dismissive glare. "That document was signed under assurances from all parties that the special status of Spectres was only for the purpose of maintaining galactic peace under the Council's direct approval, so to Prime Minister Shastri and myself that raises the question of this being a potential government sanction operation against our people." There was a sharp intake of breath from several onlookers one of them being Councillor Tevos, who seemed taken aback at the accusation being levelled at them.

"Is this the public view of your government or a private view?" questioned Councillor Valern as his gaze sharpened slightly.

"At the moment it's purely a private fear that my people's prime minister wishes to have addressed. Were Spectre Saren Arterius' actions sanctioned by your government in any way whatsoever?" The human representative spoke calmly and he folded his arms.

"Of course not!" snapped Sparatus. "The fact that your leader even has to ask is demeaning both to us and to him. The Citadel Council is not in the habit of ordering indiscriminate attacks on undefended civilians by rogue AI!" The remark caused Udina to smirk slightly.

"So what you are saying is that it was an unsanctioned action taken by a rogue element within your peace keeping force, am I correct?" The tension in the air was palpable, Shepard could hear at least one member of her ground team breath in sharply, even Anderson, who was standing off to one side was wearing a look of growing unease.

On the other end of the spectrum were the three council members and none of them looked happy in the slightest with the Ambassador's statement, especially the Asari representative, whose normally serene countenance was almost cracked in half the raw emotion dancing across her features, a fact that didn't go unmissed by her colleagues who quickly stepped in to prevent the situation from getting any further out of control.

"You will not bypass the official processes Ambassador, we have made our position clear on this matter. Both you and your government will know the outcome of the inquiry soon enough," declared Councillor Valern authoritatively and he brought the discussion to an end as their holographic forms flickered out of existence.

Udina let out a tired sigh as he ran a hand over his face before turning his full attention to the other individuals that were currently taking up space in his office. "Captain Anderson it seems that you've invited half your ship's company to this meeting."

"Just the ground team Ambassador," countered Jane's superior. "In case you had any questions." Jane could feel the intensity wash over her and her compatriots before he let out another long sigh.

"I have the reports Captain and I can only trust that the authors were accurate in their reporting." He fixed Shepard with a hard stare. "Isn't that so commander." She returned the stare.

"I told it as it happened Sir," she stated firmly. "You have my word on that." Udina nodded in silent acknowledgment before asking the Captain for a moment alone with her. The Captain, was silent briefly, reluctant to acquiesce to the request but he permitted it none the less before stepping outside with the rest of his crew.

There was a long moment of uneasy silence before the veteran bureaucrat calmly walked over towards his desk and pulled a dusty looking bottle out from a private compartment before pouring himself a glass. "I am not going to lie to you Shepard I was hoping to see you again under better circumstances, or at least circumstances that didn't compel me to clash with the Council head on." He took a long swig before continuing. "So in light of such events I am only going to ask you once Commander, do you fully believe that Agent Arterius has gone rogue?"

"Yes," there was no trace of doubt in the woman's mind or in her voice. The Ambassador only nodded once before finishing his drink and letting out a long sigh. It wasn't hard to see why; after pouring himself another drink the ambassador asked the Captain alone to step inside as it was essential to get down to business without delay.

The next half an hour trickled by as Udina cross questioned the two of them. He needed to make sure that all the potential issues that might arise during the imminent public inquiry, were nailed down. Inevitably there were some stumbling blocks and the underlying tension between Captain Anderson and the bureaucrat didn't seem to dissipate. There were a number of sharp exchanges but eventually the crucial elements of the topic were properly examined.

"I am not going to lie to either of you," stated the sharp nosed official. "The council is not happy that one of their top agents is being accused of treason." He puffed out a cloud of smoke before continuing. "It was one of the reasons I had to go hard during that meeting. If I hadn't there was a real risk that, even with decent evidence, they would have swept our accusations under the rug and tried to placate us with some kind of back room payoff."

Rather understandably the less politicly inclined duo were more than a little displeased with this statement and with good reason, considering that the deaths of thousands of their people from known enemy action was being considered a mere inconvenience by those holding onto power as members of the Citadel Council.

"I can see why the Prime Minister said what he did," muttered Shepard as she quietly attempted to keep her temper under control, something that didn't go unnoticed by her associates, who both gave her warning looks.

"You would do well to keep your emotions under control Commander," advised Udina pointedly as Anderson nodded his head in silent agreement. "The council will be looking for any excuse to kick our requests into the long grass and as it is we're going to be facing an uphill struggle. For the moment we must set aside the "visions" you experienced. He raised a hand to pre-empt any questions. "Yes I know about them, no I don't think you are crazy and no we can't use that information."

Shepard exchanged a look with her Captain, this was not what she had expected. The few politicians that she'd met during her military career were not people that would put any faith in something as vague sounding as "visions" and in a way humanity's primary representative to the galaxy should be a flag bearer for this kind of thinking, but it didn't seem to be that way.

As if reading her mind Udina let out a dismissive snort before taking a sip from his tumbler. "I would be the first to say that I am not one for leaps of faith Commander, fortunately for you after I was informed of some of the particularities of your last mission I took time to get my assistant to read up on the topic of Prothean beacons, in case the topic was brought up during the hearing." The older man took on an air of tired frustration.

"And what did you discover?" questioned Anderson, a note of clear interest creeping into his tone. "I take it you did find something?" The Ambassador nodded his head before taking another sip.

"Not as much as I'd like but in some of the papers my assistant read through it was suggested that the Protheans used a different form of data communication to that which we use today, so that might have something to do with what you're seeing." He paused so as to let the information sink in before continuing his explanation. "There were references to notes that indicate that some Asari mind specialists have been able to extract information from individuals that have been exposed to the beacons under circumstances similar to yours." This revelation left an uncomfortable question hanging in the air.

The cogs inside Jane's mind started turning as years of military training started kicking into overdrive. The ifs and buts of taking such an action playing out in front of her eyes and she wasn't the only one, as an all too familiar expression had painted itself onto her Captain's face.

"We would need to find someone that Alliance Command would permit to have access to the mind of an N7 operative," stated Anderson as he quickly mulled the topic over in his mind. "Even then the usefulness of such an action would be limited unless we get the right person." The last part of the statement got a reaction out of Udina, who raised a single eyebrow.

"So you picked up on that fact as well huh," he muttered "You're not wrong and yes it is as much of a pain as you suspect." Shepard glanced at the two of them.

"Am I missing something Sir?" she asked. There was a short pause before her superior let out a small chuckle, as he ran a hand over his face.

"How much do you know about the process surrounding Asari mind melding, outside of the publicised sexual angle?" he said without a hint of embarrassment, something that Jane was deeply grateful for as she was somewhat equated with that side of things from back when she was just starting out as a marine. "Because judging from your facial expression I'd say that you have that base covered."

The ambassador grumbled something under his breath before forcing his way into the conversation. "The exact nature of the action is considered by alliance scientists to be a mild form of neural psychic ability, though the Asari themselves have on record individuals with abilities that call into question the word mild." He took another sip of his drink. "Be that as it may it's best to think of the whole process as looking at computer code." The metaphor seemed to sit well with Shepard as she nodded her head in understanding.

"So you're saying that we'd need to find an Asari with a good grounding in Prothean history and culture who would be able to understand the visual information," Shepard said as her brain finally filled in the gaps. "And I take it that someone like that won't be easy to track down."

"And even less so when you consider that the person will need to be cleared by Alliance Command," added Anderson pointedly with the Ambassador nodding in agreement. "But for now we need to focus on getting Saren blacklisted from the Spectres, which will allow us to hunt him down and bring him to justice."

But before the conversation could continue there came a low pinging from Udina's personal terminal that immediately attracted his attention. He strode across to his desk. "Excuse me I need to take this call," he declared, as he rapidly punched in a command code and began reading the message. "Commander why don't you head up to the council room at the top of the main tower, myself and the Captain Anderson will join you shortly." Whatever the Ambassador was reading must have been important as his full focus was turned towards his holographic screen, his eyes darting across the interface as he took in the information.

"We'll see you and your team up there Commander, we won't be long," added Anderson as he escorted Jane to the door. The portal closed behind her and the Captain's professional mask quickly fell away to be replaced by an expression of frustration and disapproval.

"Was it really necessary to make such a scene in front of my people," he snapped. "You don't strike me as someone who is unaware of the nature of his audience. Udina simply grunted and continued to read the communication.

"Do you think I would put on such a display without it having a purpose? Please Captain, you should really expect more from me," declared Udina dismissively as he tore his attention away from the screen. "Both the Prime Minister and myself thought it would be wise to show the Commander just how galactic politics works on the greater stage, just because we work with the Citadel Council it doesn't mean that they have our best interests at heart." His lecture delivered he looked back at the terminal. "But as of this moment we have more pressing things to consider than our new Spectre's political naivety."

The next few moments seemed to drag by before the older gentleman slowly shut off his screen and swivelled in his chair so that he was looking directly at Anderson. It didn't take a genius to see the look of clear discomfort that was on full display.

The Captain took a single step towards his colleague, who had to take a moment to collect himself. "What is it, what's wrong?" Udina locked eyes with Anderson. "Is it about Eden Prime?"

"No, it's not." He took a deep breath. "Alliance Intelligence just sent word to Alliance Command. An omega priority target has just popped up on their radar." A feeling of dread slowly started to trickle down the veteran's back.

"I take it we're talking about Him." The Him of the conversation didn't need any description, there wasn't anyone else that held the same focus for humanity at that moment than the criminal most wanted by the Citadel Council. In the dusty backrooms of Arcturus Station the scuttlebutt whispered rumours of secret missions to spirit the target away, in order to learn the means used to create this seeming super human. "You would think that they would be seeking justice for their fellow citizens rather than chasing after a ghost." There was a note of frustration in his tone, but Udina let it slide as he poured himself another drink.

"Be that as it may, HQ has just sent me a message stating that they have a location for the target. Right now they want a positive resolution from our end about Saren. After which I am to instruct you to head to the Amun System to try and make contact with the suspect." That got a raised eyebrow out of the special forces' veteran.

"And what do they expect me to do?" countered Anderson. "I can't strongarm someone who openly opposes the entirety of the citadel's armed forces and despite what people say about me, I am nowhere near diplomatic enough to pull this off, so what is it they are after?"

Udina snorted dismissively "Likely they want you to start some kind of dialogue with him, convince him that the alliance isn't a direct threat." He waved a hand. "You know how it goes, they're most likely gunning for some kind of secret partnership with an aim to understand how he does the things he's reported to have done."

"Well be that as it may," muttered the Captain "We need to focus on getting Saren blacklisted as the priority, when that's done, I'll take care of what High Command wants." The ambassador let out a long sigh.

"Do as you wish, I can't stop you, just make sure you don't make any more mess for me to clean up, I'm overworked as it is, retorted the bureaucrat, as he waved the officer away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have reports that need to be finished."

"Have a nice day Ambassador." Anderson's tone carried no hint of respect but Udina paid the officer no further mind. He listened carefully until a dull thud indicated that the door seals had reconnected, before continuing to work on with the next stage of his plan. There was a soft pop as the sealed compartment he was examining depressurised and split open to reveal its contents, a small, black, long range communicator.

"Now to engage the encrypted protocols…..and…we're good to go," muttered Udina as the screen flickered into life with a light blue glow. Text began scrolling downwards as it reached out and began talking with its sister unit as Udna began hastily typing.

U: It's done, have passed on the target's coordinates to the Captain as ordered.

IM: Good, well done, we can progress towards the next stage.

U: The PM has forced the issue of Saren with the Council, this will increase tension amongst the members, should I increase the pressure?

IM: Limited only as long as it is towards the goal of discrediting Saren, excessive infighting within the council will only cause issues for us going into the later phases.

U: Understood, any further orders?

IM: Maintain observation of the unresponsive target, take no action against it unless ordered, as always anonymity must be paramount, failure will result in unnecessary damage to the plan and will lead to your termination.

U: Understood.

Ok I know its been a really long time I fully understand if you the readers are unhappy, life has been really mad for several months and I have not found a good software to replace my old writing software, all I can say is that I hope to be better at uploading work from now on.

On a side note I found out that this story has a page on TVTropes on the Asura's Wrath page under Fanfiction, maybe go check it out,

As always a massive thank you to everyone who left a comment in the last chapter, it means a lot to know that people like my work, If you like this chapter PLEASE READIED & REVIEW if possible, if you have questions I'll be happy to answer without spoiling future plot points.

I'll see you all next on the next chapter.

Gods-own.