2 The Citadel

--> The Council has officially ordered investigation into Saren and the Geth and just as officially and quickly cleared him of charges. True, we didn’t have much preliminary evidence, only Pallete’s testimony, but they didn’t give the investigation anything like a reasonable time. Saren wasn’t even brought in for questioning, no attempt made to find him or ascertain his doings and whereabouts. He merely attended the hearing in holoform, scoffed at humans in general and Captain Anderson in particular, received his dismissal, and left. The Turian C-Sec officer assigned to his case, Garrus Vakarian, is furious. I’m going to try to find him and see what if we can dig up anything together. His superiors won’t tell me where he is, so it's time to get snoopy.

--> We've done it. We have the evidence we need against Saren. A Quarian pilgrim, Tali-Zorah nar Raiya, had heard of the Geth attack, and succeeded in stalking and disabling a lone unit. Amazingly, she also managed to salvage portions of its data core. In the data is audio recording of Saren speaking: “Eden Prime was a major victory; the Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the ‘Conduit’.” A second, mature, female, voice adds “And one step closer to the return of the ‘Reapers’.”

  

According to the Geth memory logs, the “Reapers” were a race of highly advanced machines that hunted the Protheans to extinction and then vanished. We have no clue what the “Conduit” is supposed to be.

At first, I was inclined to suspect the “Reapers” a clever and convenient fabrication used by Saren to sway the Geth to his cause, whatever that may be (given his attempt to detonate explosives on the colony at Eden Prime, we can make a good guess). But the vision suggests otherwise. The name “Reapers” seems to fit with uncanny ease into the blurred glimpses of death and horror. I am convinced that these “Reapers” were indeed responsible for the death of the Prothean race, and that the Beacon held the story of their ghastly doom.

Captain Anderson again insists we disclose all of our findings to the Council. But there is no way they will believe this story about the Reapers. Hopefully, when the audio log passes survey for fabrication, they will finally admit Saren’s guilt. Then we can arrest him, interrogate him, and determine the truth of the matter.

--> Well, it's happened. I didn’t think it would actually come about, but the Earth Systems Alliance now has a Spectre. Me. When Saren’s guilt was officially established, the Council dubbed me a Spectre and tasked me with apprehending him. “All efforts will be made to bring him to justice.” In other words, send the human after him with a fancy title as compensation. I know I should be grateful, and I suppose I am. The Spectres are a highly respected and prestigious organization, and the honour has never been granted to a human before. Also, being a Spectre, I now hold nearly unlimited power to operate beyond the scope of the law, using any means I deem necessary to bring the guilty to justice. Answering only to the Council, I essentially have the power of judge, jury, and executioner. 

 

What a paradox. I’ve been given precisely the tools I need to hunt down and bring to justice possibly the most dangerous fugitive in the galaxy, and at the same time oppose and detest the power I now hold. I’m a soldier. I serve the Alliance, reporting up the chain of command to my superiors, bound by established law and regulation. But I am now also a shadow operative, answerable only to a small circle of interstellar politicians, and then only if I make an unavoidable nuisance of myself. So be it. I’ll take this boon and use it as best I may.

Predictably, the Council dismisses the Reapers entirely. An inconvenient truth if true, therefore it must be false.
 

Another stark change I must with regret set down; Captain Anderson has ceded command of the Normandy to me. Apparently the Alliance military is taking a back seat to politics and social signalling. Captain Anderson is taking this with supreme graciousness and self-control. Losing command of the Alliance’s finest vessel so soon and through no fault of his own is unwarranted. The Captain deserves better than to be shoved behind a desk. I owe it to him to ensure this is not wasted.

We have three leads on Saren. Aside from the attack on Eden Prime, we have reports of Geth activity on Feros and Noveria. There is also the possibility of tracking Benezia, the second voice in the recording. Benezia is an old and powerful Asari Matriarch. Our best link to her at this time is her daughter, Dr. Liara T’Soni. Dr. T’Soni may or may not be involved, but she’s an expert on Protheans, and may have knowledge relevant to this investigation. We still have no idea what the Conduit is or what it has to do with the return of the Reapers. Captain Anderson will try to dig up what he can in the Citadel archives, but it is highly unlikely he’ll find anything of use. This business of sentient machines wiping out the Protheans and vanishing without a trace is not substantiated by any official information. Dr. T’Soni has been out in the field for nearly fifty years, with little contact with official channels. If any recently discovered and unreported findings are in existence, they are likely in her possession.

Of the courses available, Feros should take priority. That planet holds a young and small human colony with no defences worth mentioning. If they’re under threat from the Geth, it's clear where I’m needed most.

I bumped into a salarian on the Citadel scanning the Keepers. Apparently these non-communicative creatures manage and maintain the station’s most basic functions and pre-date the Asari’s discovery of the Citadel. Everyone simply takes them for granted, no one bothers to ask why they tend the Citadel or where they come from. Are they a genetically fabricated maintenance race put in place by the Protheans? It seems the best hypothesis, but I don't like it. The matter strikes me as being too quickly glossed over. Should something happen to the Keepers, or should they suddenly decide to go on strike, it might take months to even years to learn how to fill their vacated role. In the meantime, thousands of lives on the Citadel could be lost for want of life support, and the station would be crippled and helpless. In my first extra-legal action, I’ve not only let the Salarian, Chorban, go free, I’ve even agreed to help him in his study of the Keepers. During my short visit on the Citadel, I’ve seen and scanned quite a few of these innocuous Keepers. Should Chorban’s study of the Keepers turn up anything useful, I’ll see to it that Citadel Administration gets the information. Chorban will of course remain anonymous.

I have other demands upon my attention beyond the mission to find Saren and the Conduit. An Alliance patrol has gone missing in the Strenuus system and the region is now declared restricted, Alliance ships forbidden access. As a Spectre, I’m the only option this side of several weeks negotiation for finding the lost marines. I’ve personally assured Admiral Kahoku on the Citadel that I’ll try to find his missing team. I’ve also promised a civilian merchant whose brother’s ship went missing that I’ll help if I can. I need to be three men with three ships. Maybe four.

We have three non-Alliance personel on board, all of them aliens. Garrus the Turian, Tali the Quarian, and Wrex, a Krogan mercenary who says he knows when something big is brewing and wants to be in the middle of it. If this big hulking fellow wants to make himself useful, I’ll take his help. Garrus has resigned his post in C-Sec for the chance to take down Saren “free from red tape.” Tali wants lend her aid on this important mission, and as she has already provided us with essential intel, I don't feel I can refuse her. I will, however, think twice before taking her directly into the line of fire. She’s earned the right to come aboard for the voyage and a front-seat view of the mission, but capable though she is, she’s still a kid, and shouldn't be thrust into the thick of danger. That business is for the Marines, the Turian agent, and the Krogan battlemaster.

I should analyse and map out my team, their abilities and qualities.

Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Alliance Marine, a resourceful and multi-talented soldier with both technical and biotic training, highly professional and conscientious. 

 

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, Alliance Marine, a tough and sharp straight-up fighter, with deadly aim and canny combat instinct, empathetic and opinionated.

Garrus Vakarian, recently detective of Citadel Security, an efficient and cunning marksman with hacking and technical skills, impatient and enthusiastic while understated. Resents excessive regulation, may require careful coaching.

Urdnot Wrex, Krogan mercenary, large and strong even for his kind, Wrex has an impressive record as an unstoppable killing machine, deadly with both firearms and biotics. For a Krogan he seems uncaricaturistically calm and reflective. Definitely one to keep a judicious eye on.

Tali'Zorah nar Raya, Quarian pilgrim, young and earnest, a brilliant technician with uncommon knowledge of Geth and their function and design, possesses unique combat hacking techniques tailored for targets with artificial intelligence. A bright and promising kid who really shouldn't be anywhere near the sort of danger we’ll be heading into.

This mission may determine the fate of the galaxy. The Reapers are no myth, the Beacon’s vision leaves no doubt of that. Whatever and wherever they are, Saren thinks he can bring them back. Why doesn’t really matter. It's up to the Normandy and her crew to ensure that won’t happen.

This is a race against time. Whatever the “Conduit” is, we have to stop Saren before he can find it. Whatever the Council says, the vision on Eden Prime leaves me in no doubt whatsoever. The Reapers destroyed the Protheans, and will destroy all of us if Saren succeeds.  The rest of the Galaxy won't raise a finger to save themselves.

Time to show them what Humans can do.