An Outsider — Roleplayer Guild

U N D E R W O R L D
K A T A B A S I S: E P I L O G U EInteracting with:@Silver Fox, @Dervish, @MechonRaptor, @PrivateVentures, @SgtEasy, @Arcarius, @Rithy, @POOHEAD189, @Mega birb, @The Spectre, @Leos Klien, @MrDidact, @Deos Morran, @Rivaan, @Vulkan

Aegon Partinax & Staff Lieutenant Jake Anderson

	Aegon holstered his rifle, content to let the Alliance Marines secure the area. They worked quickly, getting rid of the last of the husks and setting up fields of fire on the collapsed tunnel entryway in the extremely unlikely event of the husks somehow managing to break through the compacted debris. Their leader approached with a grin and Aegon inclined his head in greeting. 

	"Well well, who would have thought a Council Spectre would have needed rescue?" 

"It wasn't a rescue, more of a clean-up job, hence why we called for you." Aegon allowed the barest ghost of a smile	to appear on his lips. 

	Vega laughed, "Good to see you haven't changed at all Snow." 

"Likewise, Vega." Aegon had met the Lieutenant Commander after the Battle of London at a bar that special forces operators frequented. They even ran a few joint-operations together after Vega was promoted and made N7. The human was a bit boisterous for his taste, but he was an excellent operator and a steadfast comrade. As such, Aegon didn't even mind Vega's insistence on calling him by a nickname, so chosen for Aegon's appearance and icy demeanor according to Vega. It was a shame that Vega couldn't have joined the task force. He was one of the Alliance's top special forces assets and they wouldn't have allowed it, he would definitely be a more reliable ally than a significant portion of Aegon's own team. 

	Aegon gestured to the collapsed tunnel,"I need to get topside with these prisoners ASAP. The Council will want a debrief. But I'll have our techs transfer our door exploits to you. Your unit can lock everything down and sweep through with more reinforcements. We can't allow a single one into the city."

	Vega shook his head in disbelief, "I knew Cerberus was batshit insane. But experimenting on Husks underneath London? That's way beyond loco. What's this all about? Between you and me? Is this part of something bigger?" 

	Aegon shrugged, "All I can say is that you should be on alert. Beyond that, it's classified. If you want to know more, you have to be read into the program. Ask Hackett if he'll let you coordinate with us any further, we might have use of you and your unit again. Happy hunting Vega." 

	With a nod of farewell he walked off, and caught sight of Sartiel. Aegon grimaced and gripped the short human by the collar of his armor, getting into his face and growling lowly at him, "I gave you an order Sartiel. A simple order and you disobeyed. This kind of contempt for command is exactly why I assigned you to backup in the first place. This will be the last time you flaunt a direct order. Do it again and I'll have you transferred to back to the Ascension Project to scrub toilets for the rest of your military career. In the meantime, you're on ammunition modification duty for a month once we embark on our ship. Dismissed."  Aegon let him go and walked off, following Jake up top. 

	He was glad to be in natural sunlight again after their underground fiasco. Aegon was already mentally composing his after action report to the Council and Primarch Victus, waving off the medics who came to check on him. The prisoners were being loaded into a military police transport bound for the Citadel to be handed off to C-Sec and eventually transferred into Spectre custody. It was too risky to keep them here in London and they needed to be interrogated as soon as possible. A few of his men, two former hastatim, accompanied the transport to make sure everything went smoothly. 

	Aegon followed Anderson to Coats' command center, shaking hands with the Alliance officer. They had fought side by side in the Hammer Assault and a damn fine marksman. For a human, at any rate. He listened to the debriefing with a stony face and nodded after he concluded and Jake walked off. He didn't like Jake saluting to the man though, however much he appreciated the Marine's abilities. Jake was his superior, not the other way around. Aegon decided to make some calls to the Alliance and see about getting Anderson bumped up to Staff Commander. 

	He turned to Coats, "I'll call the local Turian Engineer Corps detachment and the crisis response unit, I'll have some men transferred here to help with rescue and rebuilding. They'll be here soon. Help you get everything sorted quickly. And some of my guys can come with nathaks to help sniff out survivors. I'll have my yeoman contact the next of kin and inform them that they can apply to the Council for reparations. I'll put in a good word for them, but it's up to your guys to make the visits and talk to the press."

	Coats nodded gruffly, "I'll leave the PR to Hackett, he's much better at this than me. But thanks for the assistance, Partinax." 

"The least I could do. Till next time."

	He turned to leave when Coats called out, "I have a feeling that will be soon, won't it?" 

	Aegon didn't turn around and walked away, saying, "It very well could be. Keep on the lookout Coats."

	The Spectre let Jake handle the speech, deciding to keep his peace. He was liable to tear the team a collective new one for the outcome of the mission but he knew it would be counter-productive at this point. It wouldn't do any good to chide them all when they had actually done a decent job of it, well some of them had. He decided that he would dictate his tactical review of every team member's actions to his omni-tool and forward an individual report to every team-member. Make it more constructive rather than criticizing. It wouldn't take long, they'd each have a new notification by tomorrow. And ultimately, he thought it would achieve better results than dressing them all down like they were in boot camp. Especially to fighters like Rykarn and Skarr who had several decades if not centuries on him in terms of combat experience. 

	The civilian deaths were unfortunate, but Aegon didn't let it bother him too much, more than a passing regret. Perhaps those people would be alive if the team had held out longer, but the collateral damage was within acceptable limits as far as the Turian was concerned. If the husks had broken through, the losses would have been catastrophic. They had saved far more lives than they hadn't and Aegon wholeheartedly believed the deaths could be firmly laid on Cerberus' door. 

	He could tell however that the loss was hard on Anderson. Aegon understood. Humans weren't used to casualties the way Turians were, and even Aegon had a few sleepless nights. He spoke up suddenly and commed Jake in a private direct channel, "I was a Lieutenant right out of officer's school, my first command and I was in charge of a Havoc Shock Platoon." Aegon didn't look at Jake, staring off into the distance as they walked. 

"Separatists staged an uprising on Aspho. Mutiny at the local garrison. Got their hands on armor and heavy ordinance and geared up to storm the Capitol. They sent us in to take the fight to them before that happened. AA was too hot to do a direct drop so we had to link up with the army, land at the spaceport while some civilians were being evacuated, lots of kids and older folks. I barely stepped out onto the platform when I saw this boy. No more than seven, he had a toy mexta strapped to his back while he was holding onto an older woman's hand. Grandmother, I learned later." 

	Aegon continued as they drew close to the shuttle, "As soon as he saw us in our shiny silver armor with our jetpacks, he just lit up. His eyes got wide as a star, and he had the biggest, goofiest smile I've ever seen. He waved at us, shouting in excitement. Then he got serious, stood straight up and saluted me as crisp as any officer I've ever seen. I saluted him back and I knew I was looking at a future Havoc trooper. He smiled again but he didn't see me smile back, because I had my helmet on."  He remembered everything. The heat of the sun, the roars of ships taking off and landing, the clattering of boots on the tarmac, the cheerful bullshitting of his men over the team com channel. 

"One minute I was looking at him, the next he was just gone. I saw the fire take him. Separatist Sympathizer. Rigged fuel tanker. Thirty soldiers armed to the teeth and we couldn't do anything to stop almost a hundred civilians and twenty soldiers dying."  Aegon turned to face Jake just as they stood in front of the shuttle door, "People die Jake, even when we do our best. All we can do is keep trying. And making sure we stop the ones responsible before they do it again." With that he entered the shuttle and took a seat by the window. 

	Aegon was fairly sure Jake would get over it soon, the man was an experienced soldier. He hoped the talk helped at least a bit. One day Jake would realize these kinds of things happened. Innocents were hurt, killed. Even children. But he also knew it wouldn't have helped to tell the whole story. Aegon remembered how horrified he had been, after when he saw the body. The screams of the dying and the crackling of flames while he looked down in shock. The smell creeping in past his filters. How he had thrown up inside his helmet. The look on the parents faces when they came by to identify it. That was the first time he had seen a child die, but it was far from the last. Spirits willing, Jake would learn the lesson. And hopefully he wouldn't have to learn others. 

	At first Jake was only dimly aware of Aegon speaking to him as they made their way to the shuttle. He assumed the Turian was saying something about the mission, or perhaps mentioning something for the report they were to make to the Council. It was a moment before he realized that his colleague was regaling him with some tale of his past, which went some way to confusing the N7, as up until now Aegon hadn’t actually spoken to him about anything that wasn’t related to their mission. He had gotten the impression that the Turian didn’t actually like him, or having him around, but as long as he was willing to work together, Jake had chosen not to press him. The fact that the other Spectre was opening to him was unique enough to rouse Anderson from his fugue somewhat.

	He realised part way through the sentimental tale that this was Aegon’s attempt to try and make him feel better about what had happened. He glanced sideways at the Turian, surprise evident on his face. He really hadn’t thought the man cared at all about him, never mind enough to try and assuage his guilt at failing the families who had lived in that tenement block. Had he really misjudged the Turian so badly? The story itself did little to help Jake – he’d fought through the Reaper wars, so he was long used to people dying on him, no matter what he did – but the fact that Aegon was trying to help him, that meant something. The N7 didn’t say anything, but nodded his thanks before boarding the shuttle.

	Aegon stayed quiet on the ride, trading a greeting with the shuttle pilot before he started to check his equipment; breaking down his guns and cleaning them and using his omni-tool to repairs dents and scratches in his armor. He moved quickly, efficiently. He didn't even have to look, focusing on the view as the shuttle flew through the sky. He thought about his wife Visenya, about his children Maegor and Rhaena, about unborn Daemon. He resolved to visit them immediately after debriefing with the Council. Father was on-station too, acting as the Primarch's liaison. They could go to dinner, have a night as a family. Aegon knew he would have to leave the system soon, and he didn't know how long he would be away. He had to make the best of it. 

	Although. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. It was time he got to know the real Anderson a bit more. After finishing his maintenance, Aegon turned to Jake, "I'll talk to Alliance Brass for you. I think it's time for you to get a promotion. Alenko and Shepard are both Commanders. I'm an Imperator. It's time for you to get ranked up as well."

	Jake’s silence continued as the shuttle carried them towards the Citadel. He didn’t trust himself too. His stomach roiled violently, his stomach burning with a noxious cocktail of bile, regret and inhaled dust, topped off with just a splash of Husk gore that had gotten in his mouth during his terrified run through the Cerberus compound, and he feared that if he opened his mouth to say anything, his body would use that as an excuse to empty his belly’s contents. At least that’s the reason he was trying to convince himself was the cause of his silence. Better that than have to deal with feelings. 

	At the end of the Reaper war he had thought he was done with a lot of things. Done with the cold, sweaty terror of being hunted in the dark places of the world by a pack of raving Husks. Done with matching himself against lunatics from Cerberus, who seen that the whole universe was circling the drain, and decided that they wanted to stand alone regardless, and damn everyone else in the process. Done with hearing how good people had died all because he wasn’t fast enough, strong enough, smart enough, hell just good enough. 

	A year ago he’d woken up in a hospital bed, where he’d been told that somehow, against all the odds, they’d won the war. He remembered crying at that news, bawled his eyes out in fact, and those tears had only come heavier when he heard that dad had died during the fighting. Seemed the combination of intense jubilation at their victory, grief at the passing of his father, and head trauma had made an idiot him. How could he ever have thought he was done with all the bad things in life? The universe had been a shitty place long before the Reaper’s had reared their ugly heads. It was still gonna be a shitty place now that they were gone. Monsters were still going to hide in the dark placed. People like Cerberus were still going to keep on hurting everyone else around them. Kids where still gonna die.

	The realisation, coupled with Aegon’s story, woke him up to the realities of his position somewhat. Just because the Reapers were gone didn’t mean that the worst was over. Jake was a Spectre now. Like it or not, this was the life he’d signed on for. Maybe he wasn’t good enough this time, but wasn’t that just incentive for him to be better next time? Isn’t that what dad would have said? Maybe, he though with a sigh. He didn’t really know if that was what the famed David Anderson would have said or not. Maybe he was always happy with his performance, always feeling that he’d given any task his all, whether he succeeded or failed. Maybe he would have stopped those Husks without collapsing the tunnels. Could be there was a way to stop them that Jake had missed, a way which David might have spotted. With all the awards and commendations, the old man had picked up over the course of his career, it wasn’t without the realms of possibility. The man was a war hero, used to doing the impossible. Jake was just a pale imitation at best.

	Truth was, he’d never really known the old man all that well. His father had always been too married to the Systems Alliance to have time for his family, his mother even citing that as reason for their divorce. Jake was slowly coming to terms with the fact that one of the driving factors for him joining the SA, for pushing himself so hard, to applying for N7 training, was all to grab the attention of his father, to make him proud of him. It was probably ironic in some way, that all that time he spent emulating dad’s life in hopes that the old man would take real notice of him n led to Jake becoming a Spectre, the one accomplishment he had to his name that dad never did, and that now he had it, the old man was gone.

	Still, even if dad would have said it or not, it was advice to live your life by. Do better next time. It was time to stop trying to be David Anderson MK2, and to start being Jake Anderson. It might be the millionth time he’d made that promise to himself, and he doubted it was going to stick now, but what was the hurt in trying?

	He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly missed Aegon speaking to him again. He’d have to watch that, otherwise he could risk offending the Turian. Seemed his counterpart wanted to get him a promotion. For the second time he was surprised by his fellow Spectre’s behaviour. And more than a bit flattered. For a moment he was speechless. When he did manage to speak up, his voice was hoarse and croaky from all the dust and debris he’d no doubt inhaled back in those tunnels. Time for him to invest in a proper helmet, maybe.

“Thank you Aegon, the thought means a lot, but I can’t take you up on that. If the Alliance thought I deserved to be a Commander, I’d be a Commander. I would hate to have you waste favours on the likes of me. I’ll earn the role if I deserve it, or I’ll remain a Lieutenant. That’s how it is. That’s how it should be.” Not that he needed to tell a Turian that. The Hierachy was a perfect example of a Meritocracy in action, and Partinax seemed like the epitome of that, on paper at least. He was good at his job, so he had advanced in the ranks until he held a position of incredible power, a position where his skills could have the greatest effect. Anderson would be lying if he said that he said he didn’t feel he deserved the position of Commander already, at least on some small level, or that he wasn’t tempted by Aegon’s offer, but he knew that if he didn’t earn the position himself, then he would never feel comfortable in it.

“Of course, a simple commendation to the top brass from a seasoned, respected Spectre wouldn’t go amiss. Only if my performance deserved it, mind you, though between everything that went down back in those tunnels, I’d be more than surprised if you got time to watch me on top of everything else.” He added with a slight grin, before leaning back into his chair with a long groan, stretching his legs out in front of him, trying to ease some of the physical strain in his muscles. Look at me. One year out from active field duty, and I can barely go the pace. The guys at the Villa would have me for breakfast right about now. Reyes, his old instructor from back in his trainee days, would have forced him up to go for a five mile run if he had seen him in this state, screaming obscenities at him the whole way. He missed Reyes. He wondered were the old man was now. Hopefully still alive, still kicking new N7 hopefuls lives hell. The instructor had seemed bulletproof back when Anderson knew him, so he doubted that anything, even the end of the world, could have put him down. 

	Aegon slightly grinned back though Anderson may not have noticed it, humans often found Turian facial expressions hard to decipher, "I understand. It'll come when it will, but I expect you won't have to wait much longer. You did a good job of leading your fireteam through that chaos. I was a little busy to note everything, but you managed to lead them and a bunch of prisoners through that mess with no fatalities and with good intel. Impressive. It'll definitely be in my report."  Aegon felt himself reevaluate Jake. Either he was the best spy he'd ever seen or he was what he looked like, a forthright and honest sort. Jake did not seem like an informant. But he still had to keep a close eye on him. Just because he likely wasn't spying on him didn't mean he could trust him completely yet. Regardless, most would have jumped on Aegon's offer, turning it down demonstrated character. He wondered how Jake's idealism would be affected by his Spectre status. Would he hold onto that honor? Time would tell. 

	Anderson grinned back at his colleague before closing his eyes, wondering if he’d get enough time for a nap before they arrived at the Citadel, though was interrupted when Aegon spoke up again.

"Also, after this business with the Council is done, we still have almost a whole day before we meet the team again. My family's on station, I was going to have dinner with them. Why don't you join us? They just rebuilt that seafood bar, that Shepard trashed last year. Good food, drinks, I'm fairly sure there will be quite a few single women. And you'll get to meet the famous General Partinax. We can get our mind off of Cerberus and relax a bit before we have to dive back into things. What do you think?"  Visenya had already met Jake before when they were formulating the dossiers and intel packages for the first mission but as far as Aegon knew, Jake hadn't yet met one of the most decorated officers in the Hierarchy. The two of them hadn't interacted outside of the Task Force much, Aegon thought it'd be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other a bit better. And for Aegon to determine if Jake was keeping an eye on him for the Council.

	This time Jake was really rocked. If anyone had ever struck him as being the type to keep his home and work lives separate, it was Aegon. He sat up a bit straighter to look the Turian in the eye, wondering if this was some kind of joke. The other Spectre seemed to be serious. Surprises, it seemed, never ceased. 

	Anderson’s first thought was to politely turn down the offer. He doubted he’d be very good company tonight – in fact he was planning on having some alone time with a bottle of the hard stuff to try and drown the day’s unpleasant memories – and the thought of having to play nice with Aegon’s wife, kids and father wasn’t all that enticing. More importantly, this could be the Turian’s last chance to spend some time alone with his family for a while. Jake really didn’t want to encroach on that.

	Conversely, this felt like Partinax was really reaching out to him. Could he just throw that back in the other man’s face? Maybe they could stand to develop a more cordial working relationship. The Task Force could only benefit from it, right? Against his better judgement, he decided to take Aegon up, though only if the man was certain.

“You sure? This might be your last chance to get some alone time you’re your family for who knows how long. Certain you want me there, making the place look untidy?”

	Aegon nodded firmly, "I have a feeling we'll be hanging around the Citadel for at least a few more days, my family and I will still have a chance for quiet evening. Besides, Visenya has been asking me to set something up for months now, ever since the Council assigned you and I as partners. I figured it was time."  Aegon deliberated a bit before speaking, "I think I can tell Visenya we should have a home-cooked meal instead. It'll be quieter than a restaurant, let us recharge our batteries. And don't worry about the food. My wife cooks Dextro and Levo. She's liaised with the Salarians, the Hanar, the Asari, even humans. She picked up some tricks. I'll let you go back to your place and get cleaned up a bit and I'll forward you the address to our apartment. It's on the Silversun Strip, so if the mood strikes us, we can always grab some drinks after the kids are put to bed. Sound like a plan?"  Aegon wasn't what you'd call the overly social type, but he recognized the value of forming camaraderie. He was going to be working with Anderson for quite a while. It would only be a benefit to get a read off of him. 

	Anderson grinned back. Dinner at a Turian’s place? He was fairly certain that dad had never done that either. Always good to get another leg up on the old man. “Sounds like a plan to me partner.” The ‘date’ set, he settled back into his chair and closed his eyes once more. 

	Finally, the Citadel filled up the viewport. Aegon didn't like the fact that the seat of galactic government was deeply entrenched in human territory now. Before it had been in neutral ground. Now the humans had yet another political edge. They were becoming more and more powerful by the month, as the Alliance continued to rebuild its military and annex devastated Terminus colonies. It was too unfeasible to do so now with repairs still underway, but Aegon hoped the Council would move the station back to the Serpent Nebula as soon as possible. As the shuttle entered the station arms Aegon observed the orbiting ships. The space traffic was as dense as ever, though the proportion of military vessels was still very high. The Turians still had the most ships in the Citadel fleet but the humans were fast catching up. The station had barely started recovering from the first Reaper attack. After the attempted Cerberus Coup and the last Reaper invasion, it was back to square one for most of the station. Thanks to C-Sec, CDF, the military garrisons, and personnel on shore leave, the Citadel population had mostly survived the attack but thousands had still died and everything outside of the Presidium had varying levels of damage. Most of the station barely had power. And it was still overcrowded by refugees of all races who were waiting for their homes to be rebuilt to return. The squalor was just as bad as any planestide port city now. The criminal underground and black market had returned in a big way as well. Aegon vowed to help the station recover its past glory, and soon. He would not let the seat of the galaxy turn into Omega. 

	The shuttle was quickly cleared by control and it docked in the private hangar reserved for Spectres. Aegon saw the towers and high-rises with crumbled roofs and shattered facades. He had to make sure this never happened again. Aegon exited the shuttle and waited for Jake before quickly passing through the security scanners. Aegon found an empty reserved skycar and hopped in the driver's seat, ready to take off for the Presidium and then the Citadel tower, "Time to face the powers that be Anderson." Some Spectres were somewhat standoffish to the Council but Aegon had always had a cordial relationship with them. Though he wondered what new crisis they would go to him for a solution. 

	Jake followed Aegon into the skycar and settled himself into the passenger’s seat. Trying to quell the butterflies in his stomach. How could the Turian be so blaise about all this. Didn’t he realise they were going to a meeting with four of the most powerful, most important people in the galaxy? Didn’t that phase him at all? It phased Anderson. Phased him a lot. To the point that he was actually silently hoping for another horde of Husks to come careening through the Citadel and give him an excuse not to go see the Council. He looked at Aegon and gave him a queasy smile. 

“Let’s hit it.”

Presidium Council Chambers

	Anderson trudged up the Citadel Tower anteroom stairs behind Aegon, uncaring of the less than heroic figure he was cutting. He hurt too bad, and was far too nervous by half, to concern himself with the thoughts of others, or how they may be viewing him. 

	He’d heard that the Tower had needed extensive repairs after debris from the Reaper ship, Sovereign, had crashed into it during the battle of the Citadel. Integrating milky way technology with the advanced construction methods involved in the Tower’s build had been a slow, laborious process, so slow that repairs had still been ongoing when the full Reaper force had struck. Of course the war had put a halt to the proceedings, and for the duration the Tower had remained in its unfinished state. Only after the hostilities had ceased had the repairs been resumed. Fast tracked in fact. Several high-ranking officials had felt that providing an illusion of stability to the galaxy was preferred to actually supplying it with the actuality of stability, and to that end they restored the seat of galactic power to something resembling it’s one time glory. Half of the galaxy was still cut off thanks to the destruction of the Relays, and countless worlds still suffered the effects of almost complete devastation, but at least the Council had somewhere pretty to hold their meetings.

	It was actually the first-time Anderson had been present in the Tower. He’d been instigated as a Spectre over vid-com in the hospital he’d woken up in after he’d woken up out of his coma, and so had never actually met the Council in person. Well, all except Councillor Dominic Osoba of course, the human representative. He’d made a point of coming to earth to introduce himself personally after Anderson’s appointment. Jake liked the man, seeing him as an earnest man who was working himself to the bone for the betterment of his people. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Osoba, who occasionally seemed like he was well out of his depth, had been promoted beyond his abilities due to the dearth of real political experience in the post Reaper galaxy.  

	Come to think of it, thought Jake, maybe that’s what Osoba thought about him.

	Aegon led the way into the Council audience chamber and stopped. For a moment Jake took in the surroundings, letting his eyes roam along the Terran and alien vegetation that made up the impressive gardens, combining plants and flowers from each of the Council race planets to make a one-of-a-kind horticulture statement about the role of the Council itself. ‘We take the best parts of all our worlds and cultures to create something that transcends the sum of our parts.’ It was breathtakingly stunning, even for a man as uninterested in all things gardening as Jake, the exotic scents and colours combing in a sense-tingling medley. He wished he had more time to admire the scene, but he couldn’t put off the Council for ever. 

	More’s the pity.

	He raised his gaze to the Councillors. He first met the gaze of Osoba, who gave him an almost imperceptible smile. Anderson smiled back, though was more than a touch concerned to see the rash of unattended dark stubble, and the impressive bags that had formed under the Councillors eyes. Seemed the new job, which was originally only supposed to be temporary, was a bigger drain on the man than it had first seemed.

	Among the other Councillors, only Tevos, the Asari was looking at him, though he was getting the uncomfortable feeling that he was being studied, rather than observed, her storm-grey eyes seeming to be moving across his frame, measuring his dimensions and plumbing his depths. Valern, the Salarian’s, features were shadowed by the depths of his voluminous hood, while Sparatus, the Turian, stood with his arms crossed, appearing to share a look with Aegon, though what the significance of it was, Anderson couldn’t say.

	After a few moments silence, Tevos stepped forwards, the task of opening the meeting obviously falling to her.

	“Specte Partinax. Spectre Anderson. Please, make your report.” Her voice was smooth, measured, almost melodious. If Anderson had to describe it, he would have said it sounded like velvet and honey, equal parts rich and luxurious. He doubted his words would be quite so steady. He took a deep breath, hoping it would calm him. It didn’t. He stepped forwards, opened his mouth and –

	“We’ll hear it from Partinax.” The Turian Councillor barked, cutting him off. Anderson stood with his mouth half-open for a heartbeat, before stepping back and falling silent, like a good soldier. He and Aegon may be the same rank, technically, but his partner was his senior, he reminded himself. Of course the Council would rather hear their reports from the veteran. Still, looking Spartax’s face, the hardness of his gaze when their eyes met, something told him that this was less about his experience in the job, and more about his race. Councilor Osoba’s slightly flushed cheeks only reinforced that belief.

	Aegon's face was stone as he was called forward. Spartarus may be his superior and a family friend, but Aegon didn't appreciate the lack of respect towards Anderson. Jake was a Spectre, he should be treated as such. Though Aegon supposed he couldn't expect anything more from the gruff Turian Councillor. Spartarus had been a veteran of the Relay 314 Incident and had little love for humans. And even less for David Anderson, who had also been a veteran of the battle and who had butted heads with Spartarus frequently when Anderson had been a member of the Council. Even Commander Shepard had been held in distaste by Spartarus until he saved the Primarch. Meanwhile Jake was already starting off in Spartarus' bad graces. Aegon said nothing however. It wouldn't do to get into an argument with the Council so early in proceedings and the older Turian had been a comrade of his father's. Spartarus and Aegon had mutual respect. Aegon would not jeopardize that by calling him out in front of the whole Tower. Instead he traded a respectful nod with the Turian Councillor.  

	He did the same with Tevos, Valern, and Osoba. Tevos was a beautiful woman, and one of the shrewdest politicians he'd ever met. She wasn't always approving of Aegon's aggressive methods but he always got the job done and they had a solid working relationship. It was much better to be in her good graces than not, her political tendrils stretched all across the galaxy. Aegon and Valern were on amiable terms as well, the Salarian had intelligence contacts that rivaled even the Shadow Broker. His help could be costly, but it was well worth the price. Osoba however, Osoba was an unknown quantity. He had only been Councillor for less than a year and most of that time had been spent collaborating with what few surviving human politicians were left as well as the Alliance, to rebuild Earth. He had done an admirable job of managing the chaos but the man was haggard and almost certainly out of his depth. Aegon had only spoken with him on a handful of occasions, their professional relationship was still developing. But Aegon was of the opinion that while Osoba was nominally the most powerful human left alive, that position actually fell to Admiral Hackett. Time would tell how the balance of power in the Alliance evolved. 

	Aegon nodded to all of the Councillors and extended his omni-tool. A shimmering barrier enveloped the speaker's platform and the Council dais. The barrier was sound-proof, and jammed any potential electronic surveillance and scrambled extranet reception. Aegon spoke, "Apologies Councillors. But what follows must remain secret."

	Valern nodded, "We understand the necessity Partinax. Please, proceed."

	Aegon relayed the events of their mission, his posture as straight as a sword, "The mission was a success. We have concluded with absolute certainty that the rogue operatives were members of Cerberus. Their base was pacified and Alliance Special Forces are combing over the facility as we speak. We managed to prevent the escape of several scientists and took them into custody and even managed to retrieve sensitive data. However, complications arose." 

	"Complications?" Osoba cut in, his face reddening as his voice reached a shout, "People died! Civilians! Your team of psychopaths and criminals set off high-explosives under a populated tenement building. Do you know the backlash that we're facing because of this? An explosion in London just a year after the Reaper War? We nearly had a mass panic. Your team was supposed to go in stealthily and discreetly. Instead they got innocents killed. And now Terra Firma is having a field day with this. They're already spinning it as Alliance militarization and alien-fraternization run amok. Sarancino is agitating them and organizing a protest as we speak. What's left of Alliance Parliament and the King of England are both furious. And frankly so am I. What the hell happened down there Partinax?" 

	Aegon showed no visible reaction to Osoba's outburst. He understood the man's frustration and he couldn't blame him. Apparently Tevos couldn't either, "I don't necessarily agree with my colleague's tone but I share some of the sentiment. We're used to your style of operation but this was sloppy by your standards Partinax. And that sloppiness has caused quite a bit of trouble. We want answers." 

"The casualties were unfortunate but also unavoidable on our part. The explosion was necessary, because Cerberus had been experimenting on husks." That drew their attention. All four of the Councillors stared at each other, trading glances at the uneasy news as Aegon continued, "The operation went off without a hitch until a Cerberus scientist deployed the husks in a bid to escape. They had been rounding up every husk left behind in the aftermath of the war. Anderson's fireteam had over two thousand husks on their tail. It was Anderson's quick thinking to lock down the facility and funnel them towards the team. Otherwise they would have spread out all over the underground and made their way to the surface and the casualties would have been staggering." 

	Spartarus interjected, "Two thousand? How did Intelligence miss this? How did we not know?" 

	Aegon replied, "We have no firm conclusions. But the facility was highly advanced. It's likely Cerberus found a way to mask the Reaper signatures from even the most intense scans. And they've been alone down there for almost a year. We wouldn't have noticed the round=up of the husks since our forces were so busy with recovery and repair on the surface. There is also the possibility that elements within our intelligence services helped obscure that information." 
 
	Valern stroked his chin with his hand, "A chilling possibility, but one we cannot rule out. I'll have Spectre Lonar Maerun begin investigating any potential leaks discreetly. Continue Partinax." 

	Aegon nodded, "Anderson's team managed to link up with ours right before the Husks hit us. The corridor was tight and we managed to stem the tide. I ordered the team to stand their ground. But we had to send men after prisoners who escaped and send others to exfil the prisoners and data we did have to ensure the success of the mission. We couldn't hold the firing line any longer without endangering the whole team. The Husks would have run into Vega's unit and done the same, then they would have rampaged through the city, killing spirits know how many before they would be put down. We had to blow that tunnel to stop them. Crisis Response did a good job, but they weren't fast enough for the building right above. That's why those people died Councillors and while I regret those 
losses, I maintain that the mission was a success and that we did everything we could have." 

	Spartarus grumbled, "You could have had your team hold ground until they were in the ground, Partinax. That's what soldiers do. Not that they're all soldiers, but they are expendable, that's why we let you hire a gang of rogues and outcasts. As long as you were left standing to pull the trigger, the rest of them could have fought to the end. And the galaxy might have been better off without those thugs running around now." Aegon noticed that Spartarus didn't even mention Anderson and wondered whether the Councillor considered Jake an expendable element. He didn't get to ask however. 

	Valern spoke up, "True, but the situation was clearly hopeless. There was no way that they would have survived the horde and it is unlikely that any further delay would have significantly altered the casualties, even if the whole team fought to the death. And even then, they would still have needed to seal the tunnel. Partinax and Anderson are decorated soldiers, and the whole of Task Force Katabasis is an operational asset that we will need to combat Cerberus and other threats that arise. Ultimately, they are much more essential to the safety of the galaxy than a few civilians." 

	Osoba grimaced, "A few civilians? We're talking about innocent people. Children for God's sake." 

	Valern looked at his human colleague, "I realize that. And you should realize that we're talking about matters of galactic security. Casualties will be inevitable." Osoba looked like he was about to argue further when Tevos stepped in, "Gentlemen, we can argue about this all day long but the fact of the matter is that Partinax and his task force completed their mission successfully. It is regrettable that innocent lives were lost but that is the reality of missions requiring Spectre involvement. A dozen deaths are much preferable to a whole district. I am satisfied with Partinax's explanation of those unfortunate events and I move that we proceed to more urgent matters, specifically the intelligence that was gathered on this mission." 

	Valern and Spartarus nodded and after a moment so did Osoba. Tevos turned to Aegon, "Please, tell us what you found. What were they doing down there?"

	Aegon nodded in thanks, "In the last stages of the war, Shepard discovered that Cerberus had conducted experiments into controlling Reaper troops for their own use. The experiments were stopped and it was thought that all knowledge of the project was lost with Henry Lawson and Jack Harper, also known as the Illusive Man. However it is clear that Cerberus managed to recover at least some data and was restarting the project. They didn't have control of the Husks but their work was still ongoing and we cannot rule out the possibility that other facilities are working on the same experiments. Furthermore, we discovered the project was overseen by an individual only referred to as the Director. This individual is likely the same Director that ran the Barn, that Cerberus research station that Ex-Cerberus operator Randall Ezno and Hierarchy Forces dismantled during the war."

	Spartarus frowned, "The Barn? Is this the same man who killed Aenys?" 

	Aegon grimaced, his first display of emotion since the meeting began, "All evidence indicates it." Aenys Partinax, one of Aegon's brothers, had been captured by Cerberus before the Hierarchy stormed the Barn. Aenys had broken out and had run amok, had killed many of Cerberus' men and almost escaped before they finally pinned him down. Aegon had vowed since then that the Director would die by his hand. 

	Aegon continued his briefing, "In the files, reference was also made to Three Heads. The mythological Cerberus is a three-headed beast, and as the Illusive Man is dead, it is probable that Cerberus is now led by three individuals. It is likely that the Director is one of these heads. A reference was also made to a General. Petrovsky is in custody so this must be another military official. Cerberus has historically been divided into Cells that range from political to military to scientific in function. Since the General and the Director are heavily suggested to be two of the heads, the last head is most likely a spymaster who is in charge of Cerberus' espionage efforts."

	Osoba cut in, "But we don't even know their real names?" 

"No, no reference is made to the true identities of the Three Heads. But intelligence services will immediately begin building profiles and compiling lists of likely subjects. Lawson might have some insight into the matter as well."

	Spartarus shook his head, "I can't believe we're allowing a former terrorist to work with the Alliance. Shepard allying with Cerberus was bad enough. Now we have the Illusive Man's right hand in an influential position with access to sensitive information. What is Hackett thinking?" 

	Osoba replied, "Former right hand. And Ms. Lawson was an incredible asset during the war and now. It is very possible we never would have heard about Cerberus' operations in London without her intelligence." 

	Aegon interrupted, "In any case, she will be useful, and I want to speak with her soon. Additionally, we have confirmed that Terra Firma is involved with Cerberus. We have intel that reveals that Cerberus is funneling credits to the organization. Unfortunately, no names are named and we have no idea how far up the chain this goes and whether or not Saracino is involved. One of our mission priorities will be to infiltrate Terra Firma and identify the Cerberus sympathizers." 

	Osoba pursed his lips, "Saracino was always a bastard, even more so now that he's one of the only MPs left alive in Parliament. But terrorism? I don't know if he's capable of that." 

	Spartarus waved a hand in dismissal, "We didn't think that Udina was capable of that either and we were wrong. It is clear that Cerberus has always been an infectious presence in the Alliance. It would not surprise me to find that even now they have infiltrated the highest levels of human government." 

	Osoba glared at the Turian, "If you are suggesting what I think you are-" 

	Tevos raised a hand, "Gentlemen, enough. Partinax, it is clear that you will have to investigate the matter closely and quietly. We cannot afford a mistake. Find out who the traitors are and bring them into the light. Did you find anything else?" 

	Aegon shook his head, "The only other firm knowledge we have is that this Cell is far from the only one. There are others and the caliber of equipment at this Cell's disposal shows that their resource network is as vast as ever. The Husks are only one piece of the puzzle, Terra Firma is another. It is clear Cerberus is trying to build an army, I believe Husks are simply one component of that army. The files suggest that the Director is overseeing several projects and if past history is any indication, all of them will prove to be threats. In the past they've experimented on AI, on controlling Rachni, on enhancing Biotics, on extreme augmentations. It is very possible they have revived these projects and are conducting other even more dangerous experiments. Other than that however, we have nothing firm. The rest of the data that we recovered must still be examined and the prisoners we captured must still be questioned. I gave my team 24 hours to finalize their affairs. We will begin tomorrow and I will inform you of any new intelligence we receive. But there are some matters which I believe must be discussed." 

	Valern nodded, "Very well, Partinax, continue." 

"Firstly, in light of Cerberus' resurgence and Terra Firma's growing extremism, it is essential that security detail be improved on the Citadel. We found one Cell in London, it is likely there is another. And the Citadel is within striking distance. I recommend that the Tower Honor Guard be doubled and the C-Sec and CDF patrols be increased significantly, particularly in the Presidium and especially around the embassies."

	Spartarus nodded, "All reasonable precautions. Tensions are still high, even without these terrorists in the mix. And now we have embassies from the Krogan, the Batarians, the Rachni, even the Quarians and Geth of all things. An attack would be disastrous. It will be done Partinax." 

	Aegon continued, "Furthermore, the position of Warden is still unfilled. As one of the most senior Spectre operatives left, I request the Council consider my candidacy for the office. We are receiving word of old and new threats both emerging. We have to be prepared." 

	Osoba frowned, "Warden? That would give you command of the entire Citadel fleet." 

"The fleet will be needed in the near future, I am sure of it, and someone must lead it."

	"But it doesn't have to be you. Shepard is the logical choice." 

	Aegon replied, "Shepard is not here."

	Valern piped in, "That is because he is on a sensitive mission." 

"Exactly, Shepard's activities take him off the grid on many occasions. He's assigned the most dangerous jobs you can think of. He doesn't have the time to organize the Fleet."

	"You won't exactly be freely available if you're running Katabasis", Valern pointed out. 

"I'm not alone. Anderson is a capable commander as well. With both of us at the helm, assuming the position of Warden will not be an issue."

	Tevos cut off any further discussion, "You're not the only Spectre lobbying for the position Partinax. We have many qualified candidates and there is plenty of time to choose from them. We will discuss this another time. Your priority will be on acquiring intelligence. Is there anything else?" 

	Aegon shook his head, "No, Councillor."

	"Very well. You both have your mission. Good luck, may the Goddess go with you." 

	With that, Tevos disabled the barrier and the debriefing was over. 

	Aegon backed away from the platform, turned on his heel and walked off calmly, trusting Jake to follow. The meeting had gone as well as he'd hoped. He knew the Council probably wouldn't have given him the position without considering the other candidates. But it was a start. And now it was time to more important things, namely dinner with his family. 

	As they moved through the Tower they passed through a long line of other petitioners and a large array of Citadel Honor Guard. The mixed unit of Turian, Asari, Salarian, and Human guardsmen had been mostly ceremonial but after the events of the Reaper War the Council had turned the unit into a serious protection force for the Tower and the Council. The unit was made of C-Sec and military personnel from the Council Races; and many of them had been veterans of the Cerberus Coup and the Reaper Occupation during the war. Aegon knew that there were snipers in the rafters as well. After what had happened the year past, the Council had to beef up security intensely. 

	On the way to the elevator, Aegon spotted a long-time friend and colleague. Jondom Bau was making his way to the audience chamber, bypassing the line by dint of his Spectre status. The Salarian smiled at Aegon, a gesture which he reciprocated as the two shook hands. Aegon introduced Jake to Bau, "Anderson, this is Jondom Bau. He helped spearhead the Spectres' alliance with your military during the war. He's one of the best damned espionage experts in the galaxy." 

	Jondom grinned, "Charmed. You must be the Admiral's son. He was a good man, it was a shame that he stepped down to let that snake Udina take over. I've heard good things about you, it'll be good to have a soldier of your caliber in our company." Jake smiled, nodding his thanks, taking Jondom’s hand in a firm shake of his own.

“Pleasure to meet you sir. One of your Spectre operations actually saved my bacon during war. Owe you a beer for that."

	Aegon spoke up after the introductions, "What brings you to the tower?" 

	Jondom looked around and lead them to a secluded corner and then leaned in for a conspiratorial whisper, "You didn't hear this from me, but I'm bringing a status report on the situation back on Sur'Kesh." 

"That bad?"

	Jondom nodded, "Dalatrass Linron is not pleased with STG and the feeling is mutual. Bad blood over our government's aloofness in the war. All of the Dalatrasses and the Military are up in arms about it as well. The Narras are circling, they smell blood in the water and the chance for a coup. It all depends on who STG will back, but they're not a united front. Kirrahe and his group are squaring off with the isolationists." 

"Courtly intrigue and assassinations in the alleys? Sounds like business as usual on Sur'Kesh." 

	"No, this is something different. The Union is being pulled in a dozen directions. And I've heard rumors." 

"Rumors?"

	"Rumors, but if they're true, I don't know if it's the kind of information I can reveal. Even to you. You understand." 

	Aegon nodded, "I do. Well, we better be on our way. What I have going on now, I might need some assistance in the future Jondom. Even if I don't, my task force might be of some use to you in the future."

	Jondom smiled, "A small army of psychopaths, criminals, and miscreants? I suppose you aren't so different from Shepard after all. But you may be right. I'll let you go. Another time Aegon, and it was nice to meet you Anderson. We'll meet again, maybe sooner rather than later." The Salarian Spectre walked off with a wave. Aegon nodded at Jake and led him to the elevator. Trouble was on the horizon, but for right now Aegon had one thing on his mind. He turned to Jake, "I'll let you get cleaned up, I'll send you the address to my place. Drop by when you're ready. Don't be surprised when the kids ask you war stories, they can't get enough of them."

	The elevator opened on to the Presidium and Aegon left with a nod, headed to the Silversun Strip where his family resided in the same building that had once housed Admiral Anderson. Jake ambled off in the opposite direction, describing a lazy pace towards a fast transit station where he could ‘hitch’ a ride towards the Tayseri Ward, where his own, modest apartment was located. 

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