Spectre Bk 01 Ch 02

A/N - Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

Shepard becomes the first human Spectre.

*****

My compatriots learned quickly that I didn't take any shit from scumbags. Three heavily armed Alliance soldiers approaching the doors of Chora's Den attracted some attention. There was a pair of krogan bouncers on the door. They looked the three of us up and down and almost started to laugh.

"You're not going to shoot up the place, are you?" one of them asked, their voice a deep rumble.

"Don't plan on it. We're just looking for someone. Ask him a few questions," I replied, "We free to enter?"

It was just my sort of place. Low light. Gorgeous women dancing on stage, some of them using poles, cavorting to some music. I'd had little to do with asari though I was more than aware of their reputation, and I certainly appreciated what I could see up on stage. Other asari were entertaining men who were sitting around the room. If I guessed correctly, there would be rooms out the back where they would entertain men in a more private setting. I wasn't surprised to see a few human women among the asari.

Walking towards the bar, I ordered a beer, my companions rather surprised before I asked what they wanted. "Look, we're on the job but we're mingling, fitting in, trying not to look out of place," I suggested.

"Despite being armoured and heavily armed," Ashely retorted, "But I won't say no to beer."

"LT?" I asked.

"Beer, please," Kaidan replied.

I was passed three bottles of beer by a rather cute young woman behind the bar. After paying, I leaned closer and gestured for her to get closer. "I'm looking for someone. C-Sec officer by the name of Harkin. Told he was a frequent visitor here." Her eyes darted to somewhere behind me and I nodded my head. "Don't worry, you didn't actually tell me anything. Go about your day."

I drained my beer quickly and walked towards where the young woman had looked. It was easy to pick out Harkin. He might have been suspended by C-Sec, but he was still wearing the uniform for some reason. Probably thought it would get him cheaper drinks and maybe a free dance or two. He looked up when we approached him, and I knew immediately that he was on his way to getting drunk even at this time in the morning.

"Got some questions for you, Harkin," I stated without bothering to introduce myself.

"Oh yeah? And just who are you?"

"Alliance Navy. Alliance Marine. Spectre candidate. Take your pick."

He snorted and took a sip of his drink. Looked like hard liquor. "Well, I don't answer to the likes of you. I'm suspended..."

"Where's Garrus Vakarian?"

The smirk suggested that I might not like the answer. "Tell you what... You do a little favour for me..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence as I leaned down and grabbed his hair. He tried to resist as I dragged him up off his chair and dragged him towards the rear of the place. I burst through a set of double doors into what looked like a kitchen. No one was in there, hearing Kaidan and Ashley behind me. I threw Harkin into a wall and as he stumbled towards me, I put a fist into his gut. I heard the air rush out of him as he gasped for breath.

"I'll tell you exactly who I fucking am," I growled as I leaned down to his ear, "Commander Shepard. Butcher of fucking Torfan. You think a punk like you is going to get in my way? Wrong. I step over shit like you as I move onto bigger problems. Now you're going to tell me where Garrus Vakarian is."

"Fuck you..."

I hit him again and that had him down on his knees. I was about to put a knee into his face when I figured that knocking him unconscious wouldn't actually help. I gave him a couple of seconds before I grabbed his hair again, lifted him to his feet and threw him back against the wall, placing my hand at his throat without squeezing. He tried the defiant look though he failed miserably.

"Harkin, I'll tell you right now. It won't take me very long to make sure that not only will you be run out of C-Sec, but you also won't be living on this station any longer. I have friends who will make your life a living hell. You don't want to fuck with me right now. Actually, you won't want to fuck with me ever. Now you tell me where Garrus Vakarian is, I will even escort you back to your seat and you can go about your day. You don't, and I get medieval."

His eyes widened as he knew I was serious. "Who sent you?"

"No one sent me. I was told you were a man in the know. Vakarian has gone to ground since I last saw him. I need to know where he is. I'll find out why from him."

"Fine... Fine... Look, I'll tell you. Just don't hit me again."

"Tell me what I want to know, and I won't."

He looked past me at my colleagues, and he swallowed. "I heard word he was looking into Saren. You know, that turian Spectre. There was no way that Saren would ever be caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. I know Vakarian has been after Fist. He's a local crime lord. The last I heard; he was looking into something for Doctor Michelle. She works on the Ward. Helps out the locals who can't get any treatment elsewhere."

I could have feigned hitting him again. I could have hit him again if I really wanted to. But I was right about one thing. People like Harkin were not worth my time dealing with. Without another word, I strode out of the kitchen and through the bar. The pair of krogan bouncers noted our departure and one of them quipped their disappointment at not hearing any gunfire from inside.

We had to consult a directory for Doctor Michelle's clinic. It wasn't too far away, the three of us breaking into a jog to get there quickly. Just as I was about to burst in, I heard shouting from inside. I immediately took my assault rifle out, Ashley carrying the same weapon, Kaidan with a pistol though I'd read his file and knew he had tremendous biotic abilities.

Although we stepped in carefully, I recognised Garrus in cover demanding the surrender of the turian and they were going to take the doctor. Doctor Michelle noticed our arrival, elbowed the man holding her and she dropped to the ground as gunfire erupted. We had thick armour and shields. They didn't.

"Thanks for the assist, Commander," Garrus stated before he walked towards the doctor, "Are you okay?"

I heard Ashley chuckle as it was obvious to anyone that the pair were nursing crushes on each other. The doctor couldn't stop blushing while the turian was just awkward. "What was all that about?" I asked after clearing my throat.

"They were sent by Fist," Doctor Michelle replied, "He's a local thug that most of us have the displeasure of dealing with from time to time. He's always asking me to help his thugs whenever they're injured and he never pays."

"Okay, but why were they sent here?"

"They wanted to know about this injured quarian girl that I treated recently."

"Quarian girl? Why would Fist be after someone like her?"

"I'm not sure except that when I was helping her, there was no missing that she was terrified... She mentioned something about the geth. Information that she wanted to get to someone."

"Shit," Garrus muttered, "If Fist wants her, then that's the link. Fist works for the Shadow Broker. The Shadow Broker is a known associate of Saren. The Broker has influence across the galaxy. No one knows who what he, she or they are." The turian turned towards me. "Commander, I've been looking to take Fist down for years, but I was always told that he was untouchable. He threw just enough information our way that I was told to look the other way when it came to his crimes. As for Saren, I know he's a traitor to the Council and the Hierarchy. I want to take that bastard down as much as anyone."

"Where's Fist located?" I asked.

"Chora's Den."

"What? We were just there!"

"He probably saw us on camera," Ashley suggested, "I reckon we won't be walking in there with ease this time, sir."

"If I call in reinforcements from C-Sec, the whole Ward could descend into anarchy. I think we do this alone, Commander," Garrus added.

"Alright. Fist will know we're coming now."

We were on our way to Chora's Den when Garrus received a call, stating that a krogan was also on his way. Apparently, a big fucker by the name of Urdnot Wrex. Garrus wasn't told to stop him but warned that we would be walking into a gunfight should the krogan get his way.

"Sounds like my type of guy," I muttered as we closed on Chora's Dan. The alleys on the approach were already being guarded and gunfire erupted quickly. The four of us made a good team, relying on hand gestures to move forward. And in an alley before we made it to Chora's Dan, we ran into a krogan who I assumed was Urdnot Wrex.

"You after Fist?" he asked without preamble.

"We just want to question him."

The krogan looked me up and down. "Alliance soldier. You'll do." He stepped forward and I had to crane my neck to meet his dark eyes. "He's mine. I'm going to kill Fist."

"I'm sure you'll be doing the Citadel a favour. But don't kill him until he's answered my questions."

He snorted but I think he grinned at me. "Wrex."

"Shepard."

"Good. Let's go kill some thugs."

I learned in the next few minutes that a krogan in a battle was definitely an advantage. And Wrex was, putting it bluntly, fucking nuts and lethal as hell. We fought our way towards Chora's Den and then inside. Thankfully, all the bar girls and dancers had fled along with the patrons. Only idiots with guns were slowing us down. While the three humans and turian remained careful, Wrex... Well, he didn't seem to give a shit about bullets.

We made our way into a back office that also had living quarters attached. And it was there we found Fist cowering behind a desk. Wrex grabbed him by his collar and dragged him out, the fear in Fist's eyes visible as he looked up into the eyes of five heavily armed people.

"Don't kill me," he pleaded.

"I won't kill you as long as you tell me what I want to know. I'm looking for a quarian. She approached you about information that she wanted to get to the Shadow Broker. Where is she?"

Wrex seemed to chuckle to himself. "Whatever he tells you is bullshit, Shepard. The Shadow Broker isn't on the Citadel. Fist here would have sent this quarian to one of the Shadow Broker's agents."

Fist looked around again and probably figured that lying wasn't a good option. "He's right. I did put her in touch with someone representing the Shadow Broker. But... Well... The orders were to kill her and retrieve the information she has."

"Where? I demanded.

"An alleyway. Not far from here. Perfect spot to kill her and get away without any hassle."

Knowing that I had the information I wanted, Wrex stepped forward and put a shotgun blast into Fist. It was a grisly scene as the shotgun made mincemeat of him. Without another word, we headed back into the alleyways where more of Fist's thugs were waiting for us. I tried telling them that Fist was dead, but it didn't help so we just mowed them down as we searched for the quarian.

We made it just in time, the quarian in cover as she was fending off half a dozen thugs. We made short work of them before we checked that the quarian was okay. She had a rather feisty attitude that impressed Wrex. Naturally cautious after what just happened, I introduced myself, surprised to learn that she'd heard my name.

The group made introductions as we made our way back to the Presidium. It required squeezing into a couple of taxis, made more difficult considering that Wrex was the passenger in the other. Udina was waiting for our return with Anderson and he wasn't a happy bunny.

"Why the hell am I receiving all of these reports, Commander?" he asked, "The Citadel isn't the place to take part in battles that you seem to thrive on."

Anderson gave me a pointed look that suggested I rein in my temper. To be honest, I would have just hit Udina and been happy about it. I took a deep breath and heard Ashley chuckle behind me. I think she would have liked to hit him as well.

"Ambassador, we rescued a quarian..."

"A quarian? A krogan? Are you going on a recruiting spree, Commander?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and took another breath. "Ambassador, maybe if you allowed the Commander to explain the situation..." Anderson interjected.

"Very well. Commander, what the hell is going on?"

"As I was saying, we rescued this... What's your name, miss?"

"Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"Anyway, we were told that Tali has information that might implicate Saren. Would that be correct, Tali?"

"It is correct, Commander. I can play for you what I have if you'd like."

"How did you manage to get this?" Anderson asked.

"I managed to get it from a geth memory core before the machine wiped it. I was fortunate to get it, but once I heard the recording and had an idea of what I had, I knew that I would need to get this information to someone."

"Impressive," Anderson stated

She played a recording that was definitely Saren's voice as he spoke about the attack on Eden Prime. Udina's mood changed immediately as he knew we had the turian over a barrel and that the Council would now have to dismiss Saren and have him brought in. Tali then added that there was more, the voice of a woman talking about the return of the Reapers. No one recognised the voice, but everyone turned to me when I made a noise.

"That explains what I was seeing," I said, glancing around at everyone around me, "I told Doctor Chakwas that I was having a real nightmare while I was unconscious after my interaction with the beacon. These Reapers, whatever they are... Considering that it was a Prothean beacon, I can only surmise that it was the Reapers that perhaps contributed to their disappearance?"

"An interesting hypothesis, Shepard," Anderson noted, "Ambassador, should we approach the Council with this evidence?"

"Absolutely."

He looked me up and down. "Go and change into your dress blues. I think we now have a chance to make you a Spectre. Need to look your part. Your colleagues too. This is going to be a big day for the Alliance and humanity."

We hurried back to the

Normandy

and we three humans changed quickly into our dress blues. We left most of our weapons behind, only carrying our service pistols at our hips. I rifled through my belongings and found my Star of Terra, pinning that to my chest. I also pinned the various other medals that I'd received from my actions.

We certainly attracted plenty of attention as we made our way to the Citadel Tower. I could understand why. A group of humans with a turian, a krogan and a quarian in tow. I could understand the reaction to the krogan. Even though humanity was relatively new on the galactic scene, reading up on the history of the galaxy before our arrival made sense. I knew a little about the krogan and what happened between them and the rest of the galaxy thousands of years ago. As for the quarians, I only knew a bit about their war with the geth.

Udina and Anderson were waiting for us near the Citadel Tower, surprised they were waiting for us. I thought he would have entered to get in a few punches before I walked in. Before entering the tower, he stopped our group and looked at me. "Your words may carry weight in there, Commander, though I would rather you let me talk."

"Fair enough."

"Tevos is the asari councillor. She's a diplomat and skilled negotiator though I've learned that she's willing to compromise. Decades of experience, she's the figurehead. Sparatus is the turian councillor. A true politician, as slippery as any salarian. Valern is the one that I've never really been able to pick out except to say he's a typical salarian. He wants problems sorted before they become one."

"So, if we win over Tevos?" I wondered.

"The other two will fall in line."

Udina had obviously sent word as we were allowed into the Council Chamber without delay, the three councillors waiting for us. Udina presented the evidence without needing to say a word. I'm sure he had a rather smug look on his face. I found turians inscrutable in the few times that I'd met one, but the body language of the turian councillor told me everything that I needed to know.

Saren was immediately stripped of his Spectre status and was now considered a fugitive from the law. Fellow Spectres would now be informed that he was to be arrested on sight. The surprise was that Tevos admitted the feminine voice was that of an asari matriarch. Her tone suggested that this asari matriarch was someone she knew well.

"That is not enough!" Udina demanded, "As long as Saren is at large, with his hatred of humanity, all of our worlds are in danger. You know he now has an army of geth at his disposal. We must have a Citadel Fleet available to lock down the area and prevent Saren and his geth from attacking more human worlds."

"Impossible," Sparatus retorted, "A Citadel Fleet operating in the area will start an unnecessary war with the Terminus Systems. Humanity was warned about the dangers of establishing colonies in the area, Ambassador."

"This is outrageous!" Udina practically exploded, "You would send in a fleet if one of your worlds..."

Tevos held up a hand. "We do have options, Ambassador," she stated kindly, the sort of tone that would placate anyone on the verge of blowing up in anger.

"No! It's too soon. They are not ready," Sparatus replied before he practically glared at me, "He is not ready."

"I'm ready," I stated, "You say that you can't send in a fleet. I agree. What we don't need right now is a galactic war. But what you can do is send in a ship to track Saren down though that's only if I have everything that I need at my disposal. The best thing is that humanity gets its Spectre, and the Council won't have to get its hands dirty."

"Hard to argue with that logic," Valern suggested.

I looked at Sparatus and he returned my gaze. I have no doubt he had my file and knew about every dark, dirty little secret about my life. Anderson had told me what he could about Saren. The fact that he would do whatever was necessary, innocent lives be damned. I was the same except that I would try to avoid the deaths of innocents. On Elysium, I saved who I could. On Torfan, there were no innocent batarians. Not from what I saw.

He eventually turned to look at Tevos. "We have his record. There is probably no one better to go and catch him. I don't think they're ready, but if this is our only viable option, then it's up to him to get the job done."

"I agree," Valern added.

Tevos asked me to step forward. It was a rather simple induction ceremony as I was aware that Spectres operated in anonymity. But when she said that I was now a Spectre, I had to hold in the smile of satisfaction that I had been made one so quickly. I'd been taken by surprise when Anderson and Nihlus had told me about my candidacy. But I was also realistic. I knew that I was being fast-tracked into the position. Many would probably expect me to fail.

"Commander, after you speak to your colleagues, would you please join me in my personal chambers please?" Tevos asked.

I was a little surprised at the request though agreed to meet with her. I was surprised further when Udina shook my hand and seemed overjoyed at the fact that I was now a Spectre. Of course, he then walked off, suggesting that things would need to be organised. Anderson shook my hand, his other on my shoulder, and he had the look of what I would have assumed was of a proud father. We'd never really had that relationship. I was more his protégé than anything, but I could understand why he was proud. Hell, I knew that I was now a beacon of hope for humanity.