Аннотация: Transfer from Normandy to Kratos. A conversation in the control room with Naylus and Garrus.
Chapter 31.1 The rendezvous point with Normandy.
"Kratos calling Normandy." Nihlus's calm, vibrant voice rang out in the silence of the control room. "Normandy, please respond."
Silence and complete disregard. The most interesting thing was that our ship was in low orbit exactly above the Normandy we were looking for and wasn't going anywhere. But the frigate stubbornly refused to respond and defiantly pretended to be part of the landscape. The Joker followed my orders and remained completely silent. However, it wasn't quite appropriate right now.
"Kratos is calling in Normandy."
There was silence in response. Nihlus cursed and screamed:
"Joker, damn you! Did you fall asleep in there?"
A short pause and a cautious question:
"Nihlus?"
"Are you waiting for someone else in this hole?" The Turian asked venomously. "We will land near you. A Turian corvette. Warn the first officer."
Ten minutes later, the Kratos landed smoothly near the Normandy on a rocky plateau.
The planet on which the meeting was scheduled had a breathable atmosphere, but, like Vermaer, it was not colonized. While waiting for the disinfection procedure to finish, I once again thanked my paranoia for abandoning the original collection point: the frozen satellite of the gas giant. How would we get to the Normandy then-a mystery shrouded in darkness! Due to his injuries, Saren simply did not keep the standard armor on the ship, as he could not use it. At least we found the usual clothes, otherwise we would have to show up in front of the crew in a completely obscene form. However, I'm already in an obscene state. Saren's clothes looked presentable on me... But flaunting chitinous armor is asking for unnecessary questions and problems.
The XO himself met us in the hold, and the only reaction to our appearance was wide eyes and surprise.
"Captain?" Pressley asked cautiously.
"Were you expecting someone else?" I grinned at him.
"You..." the XO stammered, not knowing how to ask the question that tormented him more tactfully, but his eloquent gaze, running over our figures, spoke more clearly than words.
"Saren is a paranoid man with a sick fantasy." I grimaced. "The orbital surveys don't show even a fraction of what we've discovered. The laboratory has such protection that it is impossible even to carry an active thermoclip, let alone a weapon!"
"Have you abandoned everything?" Rex asked with interest.
I turned around, gesturing to a bored Krogan.
"Had to."
Nihlus snorted.
"And what are you waiting for?" I looked at the grinning Turians in disbelief. "You can start looting the arsenal. And bring something for our victim."
Rex shook his head in surprise.
"Did you manage to capture Saren?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"What do you think?" I met the Krogan's gaze. "With a bare ass and a knife in your hands, storm a perfectly defended fortress full of enemies, capture and steal its owner on his own ship... What are you talking about, Rex?" When I saw the fading light in his eyes, I added:
"That's the order of the day!"
Pressley choked, and Rex grunted and boomed:
"Shepard, you're crazy."
"I know!"
"I feel sorry for Krayz." Garrus muttered.
"Who's talking about what, and Vakarian's talking about guns." Nihlus from the arsenal neighed. "Don't forget to take your armor! Rin, should I take yours?"
"Yes, take two and take them to Kratos."
"Captain, will you not be returning to the Normandy?" The XO asked.
"No, I'm staying on the corvette. We'll take two ships to the Citadel." I met the attentive gaze of gray eyes. "While I'm away, you're the acting captain."
Leaving him to digest the news, I rushed to my cabin and changed my clothes. After grabbing a couple of changes of clothes and my drone, I looked into the infirmary. It's time to finish messing with Benezia. We can get to the Citadel in time. Then it won't be up to her.
We swept through the Normandy like a tsunami wave, collecting everything we needed for the flight. In principle, we don't have long to fly - two days if we hurry, or three if we go at a standard cruising speed without violence to the engines. The frigate will lag behind for at least a day, maybe two, but experimental equipment is experimental equipment, and there are more than enough problems from it. But there's no reason for me to hurry: I have Benezia and a barely alive Saren in my arms, whom I shouldn't show Sparatus in this form. And he has nothing to do on the "Norm" until the treatment is over, otherwise how will I explain my tricks? Damn, there are so many problems out of nowhere!
A sneaky thought flashed by. Maybe it's true to return Normandy to the Alliance? Reality is already flexible enough to accept such blatant violations of history. The situation with Saren alone significantly shook the Branch, even though he ended his life in full accordance with the demands of the World: he regained his sight and, after realizing the situation, put a bullet in his head. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't die. It's not his fault that he never made it to the Citadel-it's not his thread of fate, but Nazara's. He finished his own as expected and jumped off the hook of events.
With such thoughts, I stood and considered the matriarch, deciding the question of universal importance: should I take Liara and Rex to Kratos or not? I don't really need a Krogan there, but I don't need to leave it on the "Norm" either. And you can be happy with the news... Liara can look after her mother, since she practically does not leave her anyway. At the same time, it will occupy the matriarch with something useful, so that she does not interfere with us.
"Liara, pack everything you need for a five-day flight for yourself and your mother." And switch to Kratos.
The girl nodded and ran off to get ready, and I took the unresponsive Benezia by the hand and led her. As I was getting off the ramp, Rex called out to me:
"Shepard."
"Urdnot?" I stopped, looking at the bored Krogan with interest. Rex took my hint and chuckled.
"I'm flying with you."
"Boring?"
"I don't like your carriage." The Krogan replied honestly.
"He's not mine. It was attached to this ship."
Rex nodded understandingly.
"Is the past not ready to let you go, Irene?"
"It will never voluntarily let go." I grinned at him. "You have five minutes, Rex. Don't forget to bring provisions for a decade."
The Krogan was surprised.
"It's a maximum of three days to the Citadel on such a ship."
"But we're not in a hurry." I grinned at him. "There are only dextro products on Kratos. I don't really care, but we can't feed you with neutral rations."
Rex grinned knowingly and left to get ready, and I took Benezia to the corvette's infirmary and left her sitting on a chair.
Packing and moving were completed quickly, and only Krogan had to wait while Sebastian collected his grub. Rex turned out to be no fool to devour, and on the basis of food he found a common language with Sebastian. They have a complete idyll and understanding: the cook cooks deliciously and a lot, and Rex eats it all with pleasure, not forgetting to please the master with a kind word. However, food warehouses were going bankrupt at a cosmic rate. Oh well, the Alliance won't be impoverished by feeding one voracious Krogan.
While waiting for the loading to finish, I sat in the copilot's seat, and Garrus, standing behind me, ran his hands through his hair and slowly rolled the strands between his fingers. I didn't stop him from enjoying such a small thing, idly watching the milling crowd. Liara resumed her post in the infirmary, though now her attention was more focused on the only patient. The sight of Saren made an indelible impression on the girl! That's how she froze and stared at the bloody body. Tali ignored the arrival and departure from the planet, enjoying the opportunity to live without a completely worn-out spacesuit. We gave the Quarian one entire cabin. Let him be happy. The girl appreciated this gesture and quickly adapted the room to her needs. Saren's own cabin was occupied by me and the Turians, giving the rest to Liara and Benezia when the matriarch finishes her treatment and remains sane and sober. It remains to decide where to settle the Krogan.
Nihlus came into the control room, appreciated the blissful physiognomy of his kinsman.
"Taking advantage of the opportunity?"
I tilted my head back, peering into crystal-light blue, slightly unfocused eyes. Garrus just twitched his mandibles, squinted at the Nihlus pilot who sat down in the seat.
"And why not?" A vibrant voice purred in my ear. "You won't fit in the Normandy again." A heavy head leaned against my shoulder, hot breath blowing over me. "You know, Rin, I'm starting to hate this frigate."
"I know." I closed my eyes, enjoying his emotions. "Me too."
The engines started up, reverberating slightly through the hull. On the viewing screen, the mountain range dropped sharply down, giving way to an azure sky.
"The Kratos of Normandy." Nihlus has switched communication protocols. "Joker, don't wait for us."
"Got it."
The corvette broke out of the gravity well, made a turn and headed for the distant repeater, however, without reaching full cruising speed. About four minutes later, the Normandy raced past us defiantly, and the Joker's voice said sarcastically:
"Don't fall too far behind there! Over and out, Kratos."
Nihlus smiled predatorily, but did not respond to the Joker's teasing, naively believing that his bird is the fastest ship in the Galaxy.
"How slow should we fly?" Nihlus asked.
"Six days to go?" I asked.
"Even for a month. If necessary, we'll accelerate."
"A month is too much. Sparatus will not forgive us for such malicious neglect of our duties."
"Are you talking about his habit of having fun at our expense?" Garrus asked, biting the skin on my neck.
"Exactly."
The light blue-eyed Turian twitched his mandibles in displeasure, snorting at my neck.
"I can't understand why we attracted him so much. There are quite a lot of spectr on the Citadel."
"A lot." Nihlus agreed. "But we managed to stand out on all fronts."
"Explain it."
Garrus suddenly deftly pulled me out of the chair, suppressing an indignant squeak with a hard kiss, sat down on a heated seat and sat me on his lap.
"The audacity." I muttered, getting comfortable.
"Undoubtedly." Garrus licked my cheek. "But it's more convenient this way.
"To whom?"
"For me."
I glanced sideways at his perfectly satisfied face, but said nothing. Let him have fun if he wants to, especially since it's also comfortable on his lap: Garrus hasn't worn armor on a ship for quite some time.
"So how did the advisor like us?"
"Our company is unusual." Nihlus shrugged his shoulders. "Irene is the first human Spectre, who, as it turns out, is not human at all. And it doesn't behave the way it's supposed to. You're a very famous person.
"What am I famous for?" Garrus was genuinely surprised.
"The entire Spectr's Turian Corps has been watching you for six years, reporting your every escapade on the Citadel to Sparatus. There are not many candidates, and everyone quickly becomes known. You've been throwing a lot of work at us, since you haven't been sitting still and managed to get the entire shadow world of the station in two years. Some Spectr's even had a sweepstake."
"Are they going to get killed or not?"
"Yeah," Nihlus replied serenely. "I was betting that you would live to see the appointment. Some people did not believe that this would ever happen." seeing the uncomprehending look, he explained. Candidates are usually monitored for a year. Well, two at most. In your case, six years."
"What's Sparatus's interest in this?"
"Judge for yourself. I am a student of Saren Arterius, who is widely known for his attitude towards people, and, at the same time, I am the curator of the Human Spectr. But after the first joint mission, they bring me back in the form of a corpse, and even with the news of Saren's betrayal. Then Rin contacts you immediately after the Council meeting. And the two of you do the impossible in a couple of hours - you find dirt on Saren. Not that a simple audio recording was enough to charge such a Spectr. The fact itself is important."
"So Saren hasn't been stripped of his Spectr status?"
"Garrus, the Spectr status only loses in case of death. No one will ever know about our internal problems. A mutinous Spectr is always followed by another Spectr, which either returns it back to the Corps, or destroys it, or helps complete the task if the mutiny is part of the legend of the introduction. And nothing else. The fact that the Council made a demonstrative excommunication of Saren in front of people is, by and large, a show-off that has no force. I was supposed to pass sentence on him." Nihlus said dully.
"And while we were catching him, Saren continued to use all his powers?" Garrus asked in surprise.
"Yes, there have been cases of alleged betrayal more than once, when the Spectr worked for some kind of group or planetary government." Nihlus sighed. "The galaxy must not know that the Spectr can betray. This undermines the very idea of the Special Corps as a loyal arm of the Council. Officially, there have NEVER been any traitors among us and there never will be. It's just that some operatives suddenly die due to their own negligence."
"I didn't know."
"No one knows." Nihlus shrugged his shoulders. "Apart from joining the Special Corps, the three of us work together. Quite independently, without orders. It's not that couples or threesomes are so rare, no, but it's extremely rare for such groups to gather almost immediately after an appointment. We also distinguished ourselves by finding a great mission for ourselves even before the group was fully formed. It's mostly because of us that you, Garrus, suddenly became a Spectr. Sparatus took advantage of the opportunity and swept away a promising candidate without even bothering to inform him. This is the first time I've heard of it, by the way."
"Did our mission play a role further?"
"Yes. In itself, the task of getting Saren back is no longer so simple. When information about the Reapers and the likely future invasion began to surface, we instantly became a First-Rank team." Seeing the misunderstanding in our eyes, Nihlus explained: "Our task has an absolute priority. We report EXCLUSIVELY to Sparatus, who took personal control of the mission. We can use any forces, any resources, any means to achieve the task, and no one has the right to refuse us until the priority of the First Rank is removed. At the same time, we are newbies. Even me. But time after time, upon returning to the Citadel, we bring information that then makes the entire Special Corps feverish."
"Even so?" I sat up in surprise, sitting sideways on Garrus' lap so I could see Nihlus.
"Our recent arrival at the Citadel with Queen Rachni has shaken up the entire Hierarchy and the Special Corps. Sparatus gave the Noveria operatives a hard time for missing Rachni's rebirth, and the adviser wasn't impressed with excuses like "Saren also worked there!" Nihlus chuckled. "Now the queen is a vassal of the Hierarchy. In fact, we brought a new, submissive race and presented it in a gift box. You, Rin, provided the preliminary negotiations, actually doing all the preparatory work. The most impressive thing is that this is just a side effect of our visit to Noveria. Each of our reports from Sparatus shakes up the Citadel Space. So is it any wonder that he is so looking forward to our return?"
Meeting the confused gaze of blue eyes, I barely whispered:
"I have never considered our activities from this perspective... But it's true..."
"In addition, Sparatus gets a purely moral pleasure from reading reports about our parties, Pallin's screams in the morning and..."
"Our faces during an inconvenient call." I finished. "Yeah. Now his intense interest is understandable. But I perceive it as a routine routine. Well, we flew to Noveria for the coordinates of the Saren base... Just think, they brought the matriarch and the queen with them... During the flight, you somehow stop perceiving what happened as something extraordinary."
"It looks different from the outside." Nihlus agreed. "Rin, we're the only First-rank team in the last thousand years! We are being watched not only by the Council and the Special Corps, but also by the government. Do you understand the range of interests we find ourselves in?"
I felt sick. Of course you don't understand!
"Benezia and Saren need to be put back on their feet urgently."
Nihlus choked on this change of topic.
"Benezia is a politician with vast experience."
"The Council and Sparatus personally cover for us, don't worry. No one ever touches the First-Rank team during work. This rule is strictly observed by all those in power, without exception. If necessary, we will be shielded from unnecessary attention so that we are not distracted from our immediate work. The essence of our mission has already been communicated to all the rulers, as well as the level of threat hanging over the Galaxy."
"How do you know all this?"
"My colleagues were curious about how we managed to stir up the Galaxy so much. Well, they leaked some information." Nihlus smiled. "As a matter of priority, the Republic and the Hierarchy have shaken up all archives and ANY rumors about the development of alternative methods of interstellar travel. As far as I understand, the Salarians have collected the color of the race's scientific potential and sent it to the Hierarchy."
"Is all the work done in a Hierarchy?"
"Such work has always been carried out in a Hierarchy." Nihlus shrugged his shoulders. "A military state has its advantages."
"And no one is touching or tugging at us?"
"Exactly. So we can work calmly and in a way that is convenient for us."
"At least something good."
The conversation somehow faded away by itself, and I was half-lying on Garrus's lap and thinking about the situation, happily nuzzling his collarbone under the small protrusions of the bone collar. His strong arms felt pleasantly heavy on my back, pressing me against his chest. Nice and comfortable. I don't want to go to the Normandy. You can't just sit there...
The situation described by Nihlus was unexpected, but logical. I didn't expect such nonsense, which was shown in the canon story, nevertheless, real politicians are far from idiots. But the true scope impressed me. It feels like we're in the eye of a hurricane, in a tiny patch of calm, and a vortex of events that we initiated is swirling around us. But there will be even more shocking information later... take only Ilos and the Protean repeater...