Chapter 19: The hands we're given

The Presidium,

Executor Chellick's office:

Chellick was made Executor of C-sec after the death of, Executor Palin during the battle of the Citadel. During his time he's been rocky at best, the reforms he's proposed have made him unpopular with senior C-sec officers, who see him as more of a politician than an Executor. His coming down on supposed "renegade" officers is often seen as an interference to to the duties of other C-sec officers.

Chellick sat at his desk reading reports and reviewing complaints sent by the diplomats on the presidium. "Garrus, come on in." He says, as the turian walked in.

"I got your message, Chellick." Garrus said, standing in front of the desk.

"Oh, good. So that means I'll have some time before you go flying off to save the galaxy with, Shepard." Chellick said, his tone indicating a sense of bitterness.

"Chellick I don't have time for this."

"None of us do, it seems." Chellick got up from his desk and walked to the balcony, over looking the Presidium. "Tell me, Garrus. Is this going to be like last time? Should I expect the crew of the Normandy to save us all again."

Garrus looked at Chellick. He was tense, he looked worn out and one could even argue scared. Garrus answered as best he could. "I don't know, Chellick. I'm not certain of anything any more."

"Damn." Chellick sighed.

"How are things going here Chellick?" Garrus asked.

"Like the last time, only now we know it's coming. " He answered.

"I've got a station in full panic, C-sec is over whelmed. We've started evacuating, diplomats, ambassadors, putting as many civilians we can into emergency shuttles."

"That's not enough." Garrus interjected.

"It isn't. I could manage the situation if I had more men... I'm stretched out as far as I can go."

"It sounds rough, but what does this have to do with me?"

Chellick turned to Garrus. "I made a mistake when I let you go, Garrus."

"When you fired me?" Garrus corrected.

"We don't agree on how things should be done, Garrus. I've always thought you were too brash, stubborn and even dangerous." The Executor looked at Garrus with tired eyes and spoke humbly. "But you were a good detective once. And I could use you now."

"I'm not coming back to C-sec." Garrus said, sharply.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that. This is a different project."

Garrus looked at Chellick suspiciously. "Garrus when you left you made a point. I wouldn't listen."

"You told me it wouldn't matter how hard I crack down, what rules I make the criminal element wouldn't be deterred. That they'd only find a way around my rules and make their own."

"And?"

Chellick exhaled. "And you were right. The situation with Harkin and other events have shown me how right."

Garrus couldn't help but get some satisfaction out of Chellick's admission, but now was not the time for gloating. "What are you saying?"

"The criminals in this galaxy aren't going to wait for us to make the first move. Assuming there is a galaxy left after this mess we'll need to lay down a stronger hand."

"To hit them before they hit us." Garrus added. Garrus was surprised to see this kind of talk from Chellick. He was known as a hard advocate duty above all else. But this was something different. Not like the new Executor that he knew when he left C-sec.

"I'm building a team. A strike force if you want to call it that."

"And you want me to be apart of it?"

"I don't want you to be apart of it. I want Archangel to lead it." Chellick said, his mandibles flared out to show a bit of a wry smile. "The same, Archangel who led a band of soldiers on Omega to fight their criminals."

"How did you know find out?" Garrus questioned.

"I heard about some vigilante on, Omega. Taking the fight to the gangs, I knew some C-sec who left to join up. Even stayed in contact with a few. They told me a turian was Archangel and he was former C-sec."

Chellick circled around his desk, to face Garrus. "And I knew it had to be you, Garrus."

"Look, you don't have to decide anything now. Not the way things are." Chellick's voice was full of conviction. This surprised, Garrus. He never would have thought, Chellick had this in him. "But when it's all over I'm going to need you, Garrus."

Normandy,

Med bay:

"Let me guess nothing you can do right?" Jack says , laying on the operating table.

"You're burning through your implants too quickly. Neural decay shouldn't work like this, your getting too powerful." Miranda said in a mix of astonishment and genuine worry. "Soon your biotics will become harder to control. But before that can happen your brain will hemorrhage."

"I can't help you." Miranda said sympathetically.

"Bullshit!" Jack yelled. She got off the table and flung her arm backward, shattering the glass behind her. "You did this to me! Cerberus did this to me! Damn it you can fix me!"

"The Normandy doesn't have the equipment for the procedure you need. And then we're talking extending your life expectancy by a few months."

"Damn it cheer leader you have no idea what its like!" Jacked shouted. "The last year one doc after another has been saying the same thing! An' I aint gonna sit here and wait to die. That's why I came back to the, Normandy."

Jack let out a feral scream, her biotics flared up shaking the room. She crouched down in a corner away from, Miranda. "I can't stand it! Waiting for something to kill me and I can't kill'em first. Bullshit!"

For as long as Miranda remembered she's been told she could do what ever she put her mind to. But this wasn't as simple. Miranda and Jack aren't friends, but her predicament did puzzle her. During her time as the leader of Cerberus, nothing she found in the files of the Illusive man every suggested, Jack's condition was even a possibility. Another thing he must have kept from her.

She looked down at Jack, who's head was buried in her arms. She was trembling and while faint could hear a sob. "Jack?"

Jack snorted and slowly lifted her head. "What?"

"I do know one procedure. It could save your life." Miranda crouched down to meet the biotic at eye level. "It does have a cost."

"All ears cheer leader." Jack grunted.

"It could kill you, Jack." Miranda said quietly.

Jack grabbed Miranda by the shoulders, the desperate look in Jack's eyes startling her for a moment. "Tell me!"

Miranda gave her a hard look and looked away, then looked back. "You'll never be a biotic again."

Wards District,

Flux:

Normally Flux bar in the Wards would be open to the public. The bar and the dance floor below and gambling up above the patrons. Now it was empty, the manager and his staff abandoning it. The house lights were left on and some one left music playing. Ashley left the, Normandy to come here. She'd gotten a call to meet here. Council business the message said. Only one other person was here.

"Hello, Williams." Said an asari sitting at one of the tables nearest the window. "I'd offer you a drink, but..."

"Where is the council, Raina?" Ashley sat down. "You said they'd be here."

"Gone. They fled to Palaven. I stayed to brief you on the plan."

"Which is?" Ashley asked, growing more impatient.

"They're leaving a fleet here at the, Citadel." Raina said squarely. "Everyone else is regrouping... somewhere. This fleet is all the station gets. No one is coming in or going out. All spectre's are too... "

"So they just left?" Ashley was dumbstruck. The Citadel has been abandoned and millions of civilians were waiting for evacuation that would never come.

"They voted to leave the station, soon after you sent in your report." Raina yawned, glancing toward the window. Looking out to where the ward arm stretched out into the nebula. "That, Udina has being a weasel down to a science."

"Bastard." Ashley grunted. "What do we do now?"

"If you've got friends on the station, get'em off. Your a spectre so if you decided to pack that ship of yours full of civilians, not a single person would question it." Raina was bored and didn't seem at all interested in what was going on. This infuriated, Ashley.

"How the hell can you be so damn calm?" Ashley snapped. "The council just high tailed it out of here and none of these people have any idea what's coming!"

"Because I'm an agent of the special tactics and reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." The asari said sharply to Ashley. "You are as well. We are the first and last line of defense. It's our job to protect the galaxy when everything else goes to shit."

"Yes, but..."

Raina interrupted. "Do you have kids, Williams?"

"No I don't."

"I have a daughter on, Thessia waiting for me to come home. That is not important. Those civilian's are not important." Raina said, speaking more aggressively. "The mission is always first! That's what, Shepard..."

"Don't!" Ashley cut her off.

"He would understand." Raina said quietly.

"Don't you tell me what he..." Ashley was cut off by an explosion outside, the sound of people screaming and the sounds of twisting metal. "would..."

Before Ashley could react, Raina dove over the table. Koncking her on the floor. There was a bright flash of light and a crash. For a moment, Ashley couldn't hear or see anything. When she came to she wished it stayed that way. "Oh my god!"

Geth craft flew in the distance. Above them, a fleet of Reaper ships were doing battled with the Citadel fleet. A reaper had fell from the sky, and promptly began laying waste to the Ward arm. "On your feet super soldier." Raina said, helping a petrified Ashley up.

Geth and Reaper ships leveled buildings, the Reaper that landed took down several with just it's landing. The scene reminded her of Eden Prime. The swift brutality of the geth attack, that acute fear she felt when Sovereign landed. It all surged back to her.

"The second battle for the Citadel has just begun."

AN/ So who's still reading this? Haven't updated in a while I know. Up next we've got the battle for the Citadel and not all the Normandy crew will live through it.

Oh and to answer a reviewer :

Death closes all: but something ere the end
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

Please review.