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Mass Effect 3 - Premises - Investigation Part 1

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Literature Text

Plot: Ever wondered why Nihlus decided to make Shepard a Spectre? I certainly did!

Featuring: FemShep, Farek (turian OC), Nihlus, Sparatus and Deurax (turian OC)
Timeline: Between ME2 and ME3, Shepard not arrested by the Alliance
Content: flirty romance and Shepard background story

This is the first part of Mass Effect 3 - Premises - Investigation

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"Commander Shepard,

One of my contacts in the Turian Hierarchy was able to recover some documents that may interest you. They are part of an investigation conducted by one of your fellow Spectres a few years ago.

I know the Citadel is a place you are currently trying to avoid due to your complicated dealings with the Alliance, which is why I offer you to meet me at my office in Cipritine, on Palaven.

Please find enclosed the details of the address and docking bay for the Normandy.
Regards

Councilor Sparatus"



Miridian turned off her omni-tool display. She had re-read this message a thousand times for more clues, but she still hit the same brick wall. This mail triggered only questions: What documents? Did they concern the upcoming arrival of the Reapers? Sparatus was he finally willing to help Malira with the war preps? Or was he, on the contrary, helping the Alliance for some political purpose and having a welcoming party ready to arrest her at the moment she would set a foot on the silver planet?
There was also the possibility that the long discussion Garrus and she had had with his father was bearing fruits. The old Turian wasn't exactly fond of her – he still blamed her for turning his son into a vigilante – but he had his head on his shoulders, and in this the two of them respected each other. Had he spoken with Sparatus and convinced him that the threat was real?
Nothing was certain and she hated this. There was no way she was going to let anyone, not even the Alliance, lock her up while the Reapers were on the move. They already had little time enough as it was.
The only good thing was that the Normandy was still being upgraded back on Völund Station, Malira's shipyard, which gave Shepard a good excuse not to risk it in a possible setup. Instead, she had taken a small Mothi fighter, in case she would need to slip through a ship block. These days, she could never be too careful.
Miridian reached the indicated docking bay at 1650, Palaven time, which was still early in the afternoon for the Turians. Sparatus expected her in 10 minutes. The young woman was relieved to see no interception group, either on the ground or in the air, and she relaxed a little, though remaining on her guard. As she gently docked the fighter, her omni-tool beeped.

"Hey Pyjak,

I figured you must be in Cipritine for your meeting by now.
Let me know if you want to hang out when you're done. I could use the distraction.

Garrus"


Shepard snorted before dictating a message to her omni-tool that automatically wrote the words:

"Garrus,

Stop calling me that, you stupid bird.
I can't stay too long but you know I love being a distraction. I'll call you when it's over.

Miridian"


She sent the mail then switched off the orange display. She readjusted the collar of her new Malira silvered-blue armor, put on her helmet and exited the fighter. A young female Turian was waiting for her on the platform, her grey facial plates and crestless skull slightly shimmering under the radiating sun of Palaven.
- Commander Shepard, she saluted politely, her feminine flanging voice pleasant to the ear. I'm Lieutenant Taverisk.
The Human saluted as well:
- Lieutenant.
- I got word of your arrival and was instructed to lead you to Councilor Sparatus' office. This way, please.
Miridian complied and followed the soldier inside the hangar, across several corridors and inside an elevator. As the doors closed and a stupid monochord music started, the Turian turned toward Shepard who was removing her helmet now that they were protected from the radiation by the building's walls:
- I have to admit, Commander, I was surprised to see your ship. We expected you to come aboard the Normandy.
The young woman tried not to show her interior tension, instead offering her a polite smile:
- Actually we've quarantined the Normandy since I brought it back to Malira. It's been dismantled completely to get rid of the unknown Cerberus tech and is being rebuilt with a big array of upgrades.
Her interlocutor obviously didn't expect such an outburst of trust in the Commander's reply, for she gaped a second before regaining her composure and nodding:
- I see… I hope I get to see it one day.
Miridian relaxed a little: so that was the reason of her questioning. She was simply curious to see the new version of the famous ship. No longer a mix of turian and human architecture, no longer a result of Cerberus labor… the Normandy was now a jewel of combined alien technology, as many species had worked on its latest design, Geth engineers included. Thanks to Legion.
The Commander had a sweet thought for her synthetic friend, hoping the negotiations between the Quarians and his people were going smoothly. She hadn't heard of Malira's ambassador sent to help defuse the conflict for months, since the Migrant Fleet seemed to have vanished from known space. She wished she had the time to poke her nose into this, but she had more than enough to keep the entire organization busy until the beginning of the invasion… It was still a long shot until they were ready.
The elevator finally reached the 254th floor: they entered a very large and luxurious corridor with several embranchments leading to other spacious aisles. They walked past huge metal doors as Lieutenant Taverisk led the visitor to the very end of the passage, where she called at the biggest door's interface. The familiar voice of Sparatus echoed in the hall:
- What is it?
- Commander Shepard has arrived, Councilor, Taverisk informed him.
The doors opened immediately and the Lieutenant enjoined the Human to walk in. Miridian thanked her with courtesy and entered the vast office with immense windows that cast the day's powerful light inside. As the doors closed in her back, Shepard noticed the presence of not one, but two Turians. The first who walked to her was Sparatus; the other one was facing the windows on the far side of the room and, not being able to see his face, she had idea who he was, though she could tell from the presence of a long crest on his head that he was a man.
- Commander, I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Sparatus said with satisfaction, extending a three-fingered hand.
Miridian was taken aback: the turian Councilor had never been that warm before. Sure, people's behavior toward her had taken quite the U-turn since she'd made known publically that she was Malira's leader, yet she couldn't help feeling that Sparatus wasn't the kind of man to be impressed by a social status, as imposing as it was.
She shook his hand firmly, decided not to let her expression reveal any of her feelings.
"Wait and see." She thought composedly.
- Your message was pretty intriguing, sir, she politely answered.
- Yes, you will have to forgive us for the enigmatic side of this mail, the Councilor apologized, but we thought it better to keep the information we're about to share with you within these four walls.
- We? Shepard inquired, hoping to be introduced to the silent man.
Sparatus had a little nod and turned toward his fellow Turian, who finally decided to let their human visitor see his face.
Miridian had to resort to all her self-control to hide her shock.
The shining silvery armor-like skin, the golden eyes, the traces of white clan markings hardly discernible on the light grey of his facial plating… Her heart raced.
"Farek."
The name of her deceased bond mate resonated inside her skull. It was impossible, it couldn't be him. Farek had died fifteen years ago.
Still keeping an even expression, she quelled her throbbing heart, allowing her head to take full control. Quickly her eyes noticed a detail that had escaped her confused mind: the Turian's mandibles were long and wide, an unmistakable sign of age. She brutally realized that she was standing in front of Farek's father.
This couldn't be a coincidence.
- Commander Shepard, Sparatus said, apparently oblivious of her reaction, this is General Deurax Kryik.
The old Turian had clearly read what his friend had missed. He stared at the young woman with a predator gaze.
- It's an honor, Commander, he stated, his voice deep, husky and very low-pitched, almost like a rumbling.
The Human's mind started rushing so fast she was almost afraid her audience would hear the wheels of her brain turning faster and faster. She'd been wrong: this was not about Malira or the war; it wasn't about the Alliance either. Miridian had only one link with the Kryiks: Farek. She had done her best to hide this connection ever since her mate had died; too many secrets, too many lives impacted. What did he want to know? What did he know?
She was walking on eggshells…
- The feeling is mutual, sir, she replied casually, before turning to Sparatus: you mentioned documents in your message, Councilor.
- Documents that concern you, Commander, General Kryik answered before the other Turian had the time to open his muzzle.
She faced him back, raising an eyebrow:
- How so?
The two Turians exchanged a quick glance. Sparatus nodded, giving the lead to his colleague. The General pursued, smoothing his tone a little:
- Commander, we already plan to show you the whole of their content. I know you have many questions, but you must understand that it is the same for us. Before we share our discovery with you, there are things we need you to tell us.
Miridian exhaled loudly. Rummaging through the past; that wasn't something she had imagined to do before a long time… She softened up:
- You want to know about the Emra.
She saw a shadow pass in the old Turian's gold eyes:
- Precisely.
Damn it… Where could she begin? It was such a long story, full with so many ghosts. She rubbed her left clavicle, lost in remembrance for a short moment before asking, feeling a little tired:
- What do you know?
- The official story, General Kryik explained. That fifteen years ago, a batarian terrorist leader hiding from the Turian Hierarchy on the planet Asteria was arrested thanks to the discretion of a human colony and taken aboard the Emra to escort him back to Palaven, where he was to withstand trial. But the ship was attacked by batarian pirates before it could hit the relay. We would have lost the fight if not for an Alliance carrier on duty on the same colony that joined the fight unexpectedly and helped our men turn the tide.
He paused a moment before adding:
- My son was killed in this attack.
Miridian tensed a little, memories of fire and blood suddenly flashing before her eyes. She held his gaze nonetheless.
- You were aboard this carrier, Commander, he added.
Not a question. A statement.
- You knew Farek.
- Only a little, sir, she answered tranquilly. We merely docked at the same port. Our CO decided to assist the Emra as soon as he heard about the attack.
The General exhaled a loud and frustrated sigh, shaking his long and fine head:
- No, there's more to it, Commander! My son was intimate with you.
The young woman looked away, feeling anger slowly build inside her guts. She clenched a fist to dissipate as much of it as she could, regulated her breathing, counting the times the air entered and exited her lungs. This was so far behind her she could hardly believe it was catching up now…
What had happened between Farek and her had always been her secret garden; she suddenly felt as if those two men were invading her privacy and trampling on her beautiful world.
But Farek was also part of his father's world…
She looked back at the General and searched his face for an answer. What did he want? What could be his interest in this questioning?
- All this happened eons ago, she finally said in a breath. You're asking me to reopen tombs and old wounds. Why?
- Because I discovered fifteen years late that the story of my son dying like a hero was a lie, the old Turian retorted.
The young woman shook her head, snorting:
- Your son was a hero, you have my word on that. If this is the only thing you're interested in then stop this right now. I'm not the only one impacted by what happened on Asteria; it could have serious consequences on other people's lives. I will not take that responsibility.
General Kryik growled but this time he was the one to look away to regain his composure. Both of them were in a delicate situation; they were not used to dealing with so many vivid emotions at a time and had to fight hard against themselves to appease their troubled minds. She saw him regulate his breathing, just as she had…
- I… can't let it go, Commander, he finally blurted out, apologetically. I need to know what happened to my son. I swear on his honor that whatever you will tell me will not leave this room. You can even scan for spying devices, I don't care. But I need to know.
They locked eyes for a long moment, silence settling in the office. Sparatus had willingly remained out of the conversation, sitting on an armchair next to his desk.
Miridian balanced. She had not spoken about Farek to anyone, except her closest friends and the man she loved. She didn't want to go back there, she didn't want to relive this… pain.
- Please, Commander, the old Turian suddenly pleaded, his voice weaker.
She sighed.
"Damn it."
She turned on her omni-tool, activated the scanner and launched the anti-spying analysis. The software, fully upgraded by Malira, soon delivered its conclusion: there was one spying device in the room. Shepard hid her concern and used another program to recognize the receiver and compare its identifier with Malira's database. The device was the Shadow Broker's, but there was another receiver hijacking the signal, whose signature corresponded to a referenced Cerberus identifier. She jammed that second connection but left the Broker's intact, the Councilor's office being a precious source of intel. She mentally crossed her fingers that the device wouldn't be discovered later.
Then she switched off the display and turned toward the General who had patiently waited for her to finish, saying:
- Okay.
She saw a wave of relief paint the old Turian's traits and she knew at that moment that she had made the right choice. She was acquainted with the hole the death of a child carved in the parent's soul, but she could only imagine what it was to discover that what you thought were the circumstances of his death was in fact a sham. She guessed that, in his place, she wouldn't have rested until she knew the bottom of the story either.
Miridian walked to a sofa obviously intended for visitors, where she sat and tried to collect her memories. She felt better without her knees shuddering. General Kryik imitated her and sat in the armchair in front of her. Then the young woman took a deep breath and started narrating the story of the Emra.
Ever wondered why Nihlus decided to make Shepard a Spectre? I certainly did!
So well, I came up with the idea of liking my Shepard's past to our favorite Spectre's choice to put her name forward. :)

Please have a read and let me know if you like it.
Part 2 is here: [link]
Part 3 is here: [link]
Part 4 is here: [link]

Please note that English is not my native language so I apologize for butchering it (or the quotation marks ^^).

Note: Everything belongs to BioWare, universe and characters, except for Farek whom I invented. Preview picture are screenshots of the game Mass Effect.
© 2012 - 2024 Miri1987
Comments9
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Dankia's avatar
Interesting so far. Can't wait to read more.