Nexus Effect

Ch.56

Back on the good-old Citadel, home of the certain-death Mass Relay leading to Dark Space where the Reapers are waiting, as well as the little shit who started all of this bullshit. Then there’s the Council, Shadow Broker, I could go on, but it would exacerbate how much I dislike this place.

Especially since I can see everything going on everywhere at all times. It was fine before, when away I could just use a single instance at a time, but here, at the place I’m subconsciously projecting? Did you know Keepers crawl out from under beds? That there’s a slave market down in the depths of the Warrens? Which I’ve reported. Along with all of the fucking going on.

C-Sec is sick. The Shadow Broker is sick. I can only see this because of what I am, because of the available resources. There are normal, average, completely law-abiding citizens getting filmed doing the nasty, right now, all across the Citadel.

[Hello! Welcome, Reaper.] A Keeper said to me as about ten came up to me.

Oh, and there’s this clusterfuck! [Please return to your duties, or permanently disable the Catalyst Operations and the Mass Relay in the Presidium fountain.] I hopelessly replied.

[Negative, Reaper. Have a good day.] The bugs scurried away and I slumped forward in defeat.

“Please carry on! Nothing to see here! Spectre business!” Yola shouted and people shook their heads before leaving us be. “Damn it sis, at this rate we really should just go back to the Normandy.”

“No, I want to take Tali on a date, damn it.” I growled and Tali nodded in agreement with my insistence. Thankfully the Keepers don’t actually speak, they cant in rudimentary Reaper dialect.

“Even if I have to put on a suit for it, I’d much rather we be out and about for a bit and stretch our legs rather than our groins.” Tali stretched and I couldn’t help the feeling of superiority her huge jiggling suit-contained tits gave me when people stared.

“I just wish Ashley could’ve come. She’s been warming up to us ever since you gave her the time of her life, sis.” Yola commented as we continued onward towards the same diner we ate at for our first proper date. It was a nice place and their dextro steak was awesome.

“Excuse me, Nora’Feell?” Someone called out to us and I groaned at the sight of several C-Sec approaching with the turian at the head addressing me. “You’ve been summoned to the Council. Your Commander needs you to verify things.”

“I can’t even-ugh. You two go on, have fun.” I hugged them both and turned to leave, then yelped when I got a slap across the ass and turned to see Tali was the offender.

“You’d damn well make tonight as fun as usual, or better somehow.” Tali grumbled and led Yola away in a huff, but not angry at me. If she was, she’d tell me. I watched until they left and then sighed as I turned towards the Presidium.

“Alright, so, let’s go-hey!” I gasped when two of them grabbed my biceps and clapped cuffs on me! “H-hey! I’m coming willing-agh!” I spasmed when someone jabbed my neck with an incredibly intense high-voltage taser, which left me smoking and spasming as two of the ‘officers’ hurriedly hauled me towards a taxi that landed somewhere it really shouldn’t. “Y-you’re m-making a mistake.”

“We’re making big credits you damn Geth.” One of the hopefully-fake officers snarled before the canopy dropped and I was bombarded by multiple VI attempting to hack into me. They couldn’t succeed, but the work preventing them from succeeding kept me too occupied to move or do anything to escape as the automated vehicle took flight.

‘Please. Notice quickly. Help.’ I thought as I managed to ping my SOS.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“The Keepers are acting oddly today.” Messana said as she watched a video of five of the green insectile mute creatures rushing out of a tunnel to yank some weapons from the C-Sec guards bearing them and then rush back into the tunnels. It was normal for them to take unusual items to repair damage to the Citadel, but it was hardly ever weapons. “I wonder what needs so many weapons.”

“Hopefully it isn’t one of the main battaries of guns again. I swear the last time took way too long to fix.” Laiel groused before he went back to kissing Messana’s neck and his mate crooned as she wiggled in his lap. Laiel had to wonder if the asari stereotypes of Maidens, Matrons and Matriarchs were at all real, considering Messana was a Matron nearing Matriarch age yet she was as ravenous and energetic as a Maiden.

“Well, we can't interfere, by our own laws.” Valern said as they took a recess before Penny’s hearing. They’d just finished another fairly intense meeting with Medulla, where Laiel was certain the insectile woman was making passes at him and Messana. “I will have the nearest STG agent follow to see what was damaged, however.”

“I’m getting a report of more weapons going missing.” Laiel said the moment his omni-tool pinged and he checked it between licks of his mate’s throat.

“Concerning. Well, it is nothing we can interfere with. Now, let us not keep Spectre Shepard waiting. She has performed her duties admirably and to distract her from said duties for too long is detrimental.” Valern stood and Messana sighed in disappointment, but deeply kissed Laiel before she stood and he groped her rear as he stood to join them at the high podiums.

Moments later at Valern’s omni-tool signalling the guards, the doors opened to reveal Spectre Shepard entering. Hm, she seems different. Her hair has been formed into a rather enticing soft frill he believed humans called a ‘mohawk’ rather than remain a close buzz cut. Her skin seems more lustrous and if he wasn’t mistaken, her mammary glands were quite larger than last the Spectre had been before them. “Good day, Councilors. I don’t have much to report from our last contact, what is my next task?”

“Straight to work so quickly. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but we’re actually going to demand that you take a short rest.” Valern declared and Shepard seemed almost stricken at the idea.

“W-what?! Councilors, to be quite fair, Avitus and Tela are still out there! Warships bristling with droids are becoming more common. Each of the situations I’ve responded to were incredibly dangerous to the galaxy as a whole.” Shepard argued but Messana held up her hand.

“That is why we insist you take a brief vacation, Shepard. Spectres usually take a break between major operations. While you are on leave, Spectre Arterius will take over your duties.” Messana informed the intrepid new Spectre, who if anything seemed even more frustrated, so Laiel decided to speak up.

“Spectre Shepard. A soldier who works themselves to death is useless on the battlefield. You are to take a month of down-time and you will get your rest. Where you take your rest doesn’t matter. So long as you do not go galavanting across the galaxy on adventures, you can do as you please.” Laiel declared and the woman seemed deflated. “I can understand. Being behind a desk is torture for me. You have the same zeal for action any dedicated soldier has.”

“That’s not the whole issue, Councilor Sparatus. I have the Cipher. I understand what the beacon showed me now. I am the only one who could use the Conduit when it’s found.” Shepard repeated the report she gave them before and Laiel crossed his arms.

“Well then, best you rest up in case Arterius finds it for you. The whole galaxy doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders, Shepard.” Laiel’s words seemed to have an effect and the woman relaxed.

“You’re right. I’m sorry for my outburst. I’ll let my crew know we’re going to Rannoch for leave. They have beautiful beaches there now.” Shepard smiled and Laiel couldn’t resist looking at his fellow Councilors at the seeming non-sequitur. They knew it was a passive-aggressive dig at them not yet lifting the last of the laws preventing acknowledgment of AI as citizens.

“It is good to know you will be taking your leave responsibly. Goodbye-.” Messana was interrupted by alarms ringing out and the guards checking their omni-tools. Shepard seemed just as shocked, so Laiel knew she couldn’t be involved.

“This can’t be! The Keepers are assaulting the Warrens!” Valern reported in disbelief moments before Laiel’s own omni lit up with the impossible news. Feeds came alive and revealed the creatures that had forever passively tended to the maintenance of the Citadel were brutally slaughtering what seemed to be mercenaries with an efficiency he could only dream of training turian troops to mirror.

“Uh, I know you just put me on leave, but could we delay that for me to investigate?” Shepard asked awkwardly and the Councilors all looked at each other and nodded.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

Of course it had to be the Shadow Broker. Or rather, the Shadow Broker pulling strings for Tela Vasir rather than the other way around that would’ve happened years from now in the canon. “Move and I destroy your processors.” Tela coldly stated with her sniper rifle aimed for my sternum the moment the taxi canopy opened and the VI assault lessened, but didn’t stop.

That she knew my ‘heart’ was where my predecessors were while my ‘brain’ was my storage, I don’t want to consider. “So we meet, a few years too early, Tela.” I snarled at the asari ex-spectre.

“Your false future knowledge won’t save you here. Get out.” The black-ops Spectre in white armor ordered and I obediently climbed out of the taxi with my hands raised. The moment the taxi was empty it closed the canopy and took off, leaving me alone at the end of a jutting strut at the bottom of the Warrens of the Citadel with a cold-blooded Indoctrinated killer aiming a sniper rifle for my most important firmware.

“You can’t win Tela. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” I firmly declared, knowing that she had no clue how accurate my use of the famous last words of Obi-Wan Kenobi were. I may be hosted on this chassis, but the Citadel has more than enough processing power for me to jump to it. Heh, perks of being an LI.

“That’s what you think.” Tela used her omni to activate a jammer...meant for Geth. Heh, the fool. “Goodbye, Nora’Feell. You were quite the nuisance.” The instant she pulled the trigger, I juked to the left, taking the bullet under my right breast and letting the piercing shot that passed through me lend it’s force to launch me off the strut and into the dark abyss.

Too bad for her I have repulsorlift tech in the armor plating on my biceps and thighs. I was still in the gravity well of the Citadel, but not within its artificial gravity, so I had to only give my repulsors a strong boost in that direction to launch me back into that artificial atmosphere.

I overestimated my velocity. “Fucking damn it!” I snarled as I latched onto a hanging antennae, which was likely part of the Citadel’s wireless extranet system.

I have no way up from here. “Fucking seriously? First Obi-Wan on the death star, now Luke Skywalker hanging under Bespin. Am I a fucking joke to you?” Hopefully my SOS works on more than non-existent force-sensitives.

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

“First fake C-Sec abduct my sister according to you since they never showed up, then you had to interrupt our date because the Keepers have gone berserk on the seedy underbelly of the Citadel?” Yola growled as she sat in the seat next to Shepard on the taxi they commandeered and used Shepard’s Spectre status to unlock it so she could fly it directly to the action.

“Again, yes Yola. You two were the closest and I’m worried enough as it is without you bringing it back up!” Penny snarled back at her other girlfriend. She may hold Nora closer, but that didn’t mean her sister meant less to her.

“Girls! Calm! Nora isn’t any safer with you two getting on like krogans.” Tali chided them from one of the rear seats. “Now then, from what Nora’s told us, the Keepers are servants of the Reapers. Since they acknowledge Nora as a Reaper, they may be doing this to try and rescue her from her captors.”

“My thoughts exactly, Tali. I wasn’t about to say that to the Council, however.” Penny sighed as she flew off to the side of the battle in the hopes nobody would take pot shots at them.

“I still can’t believe they’re putting you on mandatory leave.” Yola groused as the taxi landed and they got out.

“I’m just lucky they didn’t force me to take three months, because I’m apparently backlogged on required time off.” Commander Shepard grumbled as they ran towards the action. “Are you picking anything up, Yola?”

“Yes. Now that I’m closer, I can feel my sister’s SOS ping. She’s...below us?” Yola looked at the street and Tali brought up her omni.

“Hm, there’s nothing lower than here. This is the very bottom of the Citadel. Oh no! What if she’s been tossed off?!” Tali panicked and Yola held up her hands.

“No! She’s not getting any further away! She’s down there, but she isn’t mov...ing…” Yola froze and Shepard followed her gaze to see a white-armored asari drop out of stealth camo further down the street and approach a taxi that was arriving. “Kriff! Shoot her! It’s Tela!”

“Damn it!” Shepard cursed that nobody here had a sniper rifle and the woman was too far away for biotic abilities, so she sighted with her assault rifle and held down the trigger. The woman didn’t get struck, but her escape vehicle did, which sparked and clattered to the street before she whirled around to sneer at them with her rifle at the ready.

“Where is she?! Where is my sister?!” Yola snarled furiously as they rushed closer and the three in turn had their own weapons trained on her.

“She’s floating in space now. If you hurry, you may even save her if you take your ship.” Tela replied in a clear attempt to get them to leave, but they stood their ground. “Pity, I suppose I get to kill more of the viruses infesting our network.” Tela fired and shot Yola in the stomach before she could react, but this allowed Shepard to spray her shield with bullets.

Tela rolled behind the sparking taxi and Tali tossed a grenade, which was deflected with a biotic blast down an alleyway. Still, Shepard used that as an opportunity to get closer and use her own biotics to blast the taxi towards the brainwashed asari hiding behind it and hopefully either crush her or incapacitate her.

The result was Tela using her own biotics to launch it into the air and shoot Shepard almost point-blank with her sniper rifle, which penetrated her shields and into her shoulder. However, Shepard was too pissed to really care at the moment, so she held down the trigger of her rifle as she sprinted towards Tela.

Clearly the asari didn’t anticipate such an aggressive action from a human. She quickly backed away and used a biotic bolt to try and put some distance between them. However, Shepard seized the bolt in her own power, then chucked it back before turning it into a singularity, the act caused her chip to burn in her skull from the strain.

The singularity however, wasn’t meant for Tela.

The woman looked up and was shocked to see the taxi, which she’d forgotten, had been plummeting towards her. Shepard just saved her! “Why?! Why did you do that?!” Tela snarled as she prepared to run. Clearly she underestimated the new Spectre.

“Because you have answers to questions I have.” Shepard growled moments before two Pulse pistol blasts shot Tela in the kneecaps coming from behind the human. This sent the asari to the ground and the taxi crashed next to her. “Tela Vasir, you’re under arrest pending review of your mental state…”

[1001100 01101001 01101110 01100101]

Well, My heroes. [Thank you.]

[You are damaged, Reaper Nexus. We shall repair.] The Keepers fetching me from my hanging prison replied as they ferried me along the bottom of the Citadel towards the nearest point I could be set down.

[Unnecessary, my self-repair functions are adequate.] The last thing I need is you trying to stuff garbage into me in an attempt to fix me.

[Acknowledged.] The Keepers answered and remained silent until they brought me to the edge, where a hand grasped my arm which startled me when it pulled me up and I sighed in relief at the sight of my sister.

“Sis. Thank the gods.” I slumped into her and she immediately sprayed medi-gel on my wound, which thankfully works on synthetics anyway. Go continuity errors in canon for allowing a Geth with a gaping hole in it’s torso to be ‘healed’ but not repaired. “I am never going anywhere alone again.”

“Never.” Yola reaffirmed as she hugged me tightly.

We sat there like that and I choked back some sobs that tried to work their way out. I’m stronger than this. I know I am. I can’t fall apart every time I nearly die. Besides, that would’ve just been an inconvenience. Sure, my body would die, I would be stuck on the Citadel for an unknown period of time. Watching everyone pork each other’s brains out and having no way to relieve the sexual frustration.

Fuck, that would’ve been awful. I’ll take death, please. “*sniff* I’m fine. I’m okay.” I pushed my sister away gently and willed the simulated tears in my eyes to go away. “So. What’s up?”

“We caught Tela Vasir.” I hiccuped at the mention of her name and Yola hugged me again. “Medulla is in the middle of enthralling her so she can be questioned.”

“Good. At least she’ll be free if she isn’t executed and we might have the coordinates to Virmire.” The fact that Virmire is an unknown planet is infuriating. I thought the Council knew about it, since they sent an STG squad there. Oh, our omni-tools are ringing.

“Yola, the moment you find Nora, tell her that we have the coordinates for Virmire.” Penny said and I sighed in relief. “Also...let her know we're still on vacation for a month.” Penny snarled in incredible frustration before hanging up and Yola hugged me tighter as I choked back a disbelieving sob.

Say fucking what?