MrDidact — 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 ECollab with:@MrDidact and @BlackSam3091

Aegon Partinax & Staff Lieutenant Jake Anderson

Tiberius Towers - Aegon's Apartment

Jake pulled at his dress shirts collar, trying to work some slack into the garment, then realised how that was just defeating the purpose of wearing one of these monkey suits. He was really more of a hoodie and trackies man, but he got the impression that a pair of classic Adidas weren’t gonna cut it for a no doubt classy dinner at Aegon’s. Showing that iron soldiers will he managed to stop himself from fidgeting – though couldn’t resist the sudden impulse of undoing the top button on his breast coat, just for the devilment of it – and rang the doorbell.

	Aegon answered the door and nodded at Jake. It was the first-time Jake had seen the Turian out of his armor and in civilian clothing. He nodded at Jake and stepped back to let him enter the apartment, "Thank you for coming, the family is excited to meet you." The large penthouse apartment was tastefully furnished. The wood panelled walls glistened with a golden shine under the recessed lighting. Most of the walls bore holos of family memories or paintings that ranged from scenic vistas to famous battle scenes. One wall was covered in intricate calligraphy that was inscribed by different hands. A large player piano was automatically playing a soft Cipritine melody. The furniture was genuine leather and the wooden floor was covered by a shatha-skin rug. The animal had been at least the size of a siberian tiger, Aegon gestured to the rug as he walked Jake into the apartment, "Dad and I stalked it for nearly a week. Killed four people before we tracked it down. I took the shot."

Jake didn’t know what he had expected from Aegon’s home, but this wasn’t it. He’d heard that the Spectre was actually quite a committed family man, but before now he hadn’t been able to picture the hardened veteran as anything other than that:  A top level black-ops agent, with a cool as ice demeanour and a renegade’s familiarity with hyper-violence. Here, amongst all these family photos and portraits, it almost seemed like Aegon might just be two different men. One the soldier, the other the husband and father. Jake wondered how the Turian made the duality work. The two roles didn’t exactly go hand in hand. Dad had certainly never gotten the hang of it. His eyes lingered a moment upon the shatha-skin, thinking to himself that it was probably the most likely thing he had expected to find here. Impressive trophies from hunts long concluded. That seemed more Aegon’s speed.

"He's barely in the door and you're already talking about shooting things? You've got a one-track mind Egg." Visenya appeared in a dress and wrapped her arm around her husband. She had the same dark grey carapace and amber eyes as her father, with swirling white face paint. Her form was lithe and tall, but the dress didn't conceal the fact that she was halfway through her pregnancy. Aegon chuckled while Visenya moved to shake Jake's hand, "Good to see you Jake, I hope my husband hasn't been too much of a bore." 

Jake beamed a smile at Aegon’s wife. He’d only met her a few times before, and never for long, but he liked her. She was much easier to get along with than her more highly strung husband, and her sense of humour was far more developed – read: existent. He accepted her hand, and gave it a gentle shake, before pulling her in for a hug. It might have surprised her, he wasn’t sure, but he was willing to bet that it surprised Aegon. After a moment he let go, jerking his head towards his partner. “Who, Egg? Boring? One thing I’ve found out these last couple months since I’ve met him, it’s that my life will probably never be boring again.” After all today’s excitement, he’d gladly pay for boring.

Visenya had returned the hug as genuinely as she could with her condition, and if Jake was quick and attentive enough he would have noticed Aegon quirking a brow plate in surprise before quickly playing it off and calling over his shoulder. 

"Kids, come say hi to Daddy's friend." There was movement from the second floor and two small Turian children, both of them silver-grey with bright blue eyes came running down, a big furry nathak loping down the stairs after them. The wolf-like creature might have been intimidating if not for its rapidly wagging tail. 

Both children introduced themselves, the boy was Maegor and the girl was Rhaena, and shook Jake's hand firmly and energetically. The Nathak sniffed Jake and panted. The beast was nearly the size of a pony. Jake eyed it suspiciously, before Visenya said, "Don't worry about Kolo, he's a complete goofball. Runt of the litter, totally failed training before I convinced Egg to take him in. Scratch his ears and he's your best friend." With only the merest hint of trepidation, the N7 dutifully complied. Within moments the big hound-thing had rolled over onto its back, begging for tummy tickles. Jake roughhoused with Kolo for a few moments, rubbing it’s belly and cooing nonsense at him, grinning like a dumb kid, then remembered where he was and who he was with, and leapt back to his feet as quick as a flash, coughing in embarrassment and doing his damndest to pretended that nothing out of the ordinary had happened while Aegon spoke up.

 Aegon for his part, preserved Jake's dignity by ignoring the incident, though the children had picked up the slack where Jake left off,
"My niece and nephew would have shown up, but they had a big match in the Armax Arena, you'll meet them on the ship." Another set of footsteps could be heard approaching from near the balcony and the famous General Partinax appeared. He was middle-aged but his face paint was bright and his mandibles and fringe were immaculately buffed. The old soldier was still tall, and was even more solidly-built than his son. He walked with his head held high, his posture perfect, walking as if he was a commander inspecting his unit's formations. Aegon gestured to his father and turned to Jake, "My father, General Aerion Partinax. Father, Lieutenant Jake Anderson."

Jake had snapped out a crisp and respectful salute almost before Aegon had even finished introducing his father. The General waited on Jake before returning the gesture and shaking his hand. The old soldiers grip was like a vice. "I knew your father. Good man. Good soldier. My unit almost pinned down his back at Relay 314, but they slipped the net. After that was all over, we had the opportunity to cross-train and and run some joint operations. If he had been a Turian, he might have been a Primarch. The galaxy lost one of its finest soldiers. But any son of Anderson's is welcome here." 

“Thank you sir. It’s a real honour to meet you.” Jake replied. And it was. No soldier worth his salt, whether he was Turian, human, Krogan, anyone, didn’t know who General Aerion Partinax was. The man was a living legend. Stories of his duel with Kihilix Tanus had reached almost Homeric proportions, and the accounts of his extended campaign against the Turian separatists upon Taetrus had become compulsive reading for all N7 candidates, if only to familiarize themselves with Turian Hierarchy tactics. There was also that sandwich that Gonzo’s had named after him, but Jake wasn’t sure if that achievement would rank quite as highly for the career military man. Truth was, the ‘Partinax’ was actually quite dry, and would really have benefited from the addition of some honey mustard. Jake didn’t think now was the time to mention that. “Dad would have been real flattered to hear that sir, though he never mentioned facing you. I’d love to hear about it sometime.”

Partinax smiled slightly and his eyes gained a nostalgic gleam, "He didn't? Well it was near Shanxi, after-"

Visenya gently nudged her father-in-law with a laugh, "Dad, we invited him for dinner. We don't want the food to get cold, right?" 

The General laughed as well and nodded in acquiescence, "You're right of course dear. In fact, the tale would be even better after some drinks." 

Aegon gestured to the table, which displayed a wide variety of home-cooked dishes. Jake would have recognized a filet mignon accompanied by lobster macaroni and decadently buttered mashed potatoes, on a place setting next to Aegon and Visenya. Visenya took Jake's arm and escorted him to his place, "I looked all over for a good levo-cut of meat. Had to deal with that jackass at the Zakera Ward Cafe to get this, but I hope you like it." The family sat down at the table, with General Partinax at the head and a serving mech came to Jake's shoulder, "Would you like something to drink sir? Mrs. Partinax purchased a variety of levo-amino beverages for this occasion." The N7 pulled the mech closer and whispered into its auditory receiver that he was typically a ‘half and half’ type of guy, so he’d be more than willing to accept a recommendation. Within moments the mech had filled a glass with a dark-plumb coloured liquid. Jake took an experimental sip, and failed to recognise the drink. It didn’t taste like a wine, but he wasn’t sure what else it could be. It was quite delicious though, so it would do.  

Aegon poured some Valluvian Gold into his glass before nodding to his children and telling them it was alright to begin eating. Maegor after taking a bite of fish asked Jake a rapid-fire barrage of questions, "Is it true you're N7, like Commander Shepard? And that your dad was a Councillor? Did you ever meet the Commander? What's the training to be an N7 like?" 

Visenya laughed, "Maegor let Jake answer one question before you ask him a whole quiz's worth. It's not polite." Jake joined Maegor’s mother in laughing at the boy’s enthusiasm. This was Aegon’s kid? No way. He was way too cute. He obviously took after his mother in that regard.

[color=bluesteel]“Don’t worry about offending me Maegor, I got thick skin. You ask all the questions you want, and I’ll do my best to answer.”[/color] He offered the boy a smile, both pronging some of the lobster macaroni, and popping it into his mouth. The taste was amazing. So much better than the nutrient pastes that he was used to that it didn’t even bear mentioning.

[color=bluesteel]“Now let’s see … Yes, I am an N7, just like Commander Shepard, though I’ve never met him. He graduated from the Villa, the place where N7’s go to do their initial training, a few years before I did. I did listen to him give a speech once though, from a distance. That was pretty damn cool. My dad knew him though. In fact, they were really close.” [/color] Closer than dad and I ever were to each other anyway, he thought with only the merest hint of resentment, though he was quick to bottle that up, before it put a damper on the night.

[color=bluesteel]“And yeah, the old man was a Councillor, for a little while at least. The politicians’ life was never for him though, and he gave it up quick. He was a soldier, through and through. Some men just aren’t built for a quiet life. Your dad and grandpa are proof of that.”

“Now, N7 training? Well, you gotta be tough to do it. Real tough. Like the toughest in school tough. But I hear from your daddy that you’re that tough, so who knows, maybe you’ll be finding out what it’s like someday yourself?”[/color] Jake grinned while cutting himself off a piece of filet mignon. Jesus, it was heavenly. How did a Turian learn to cook earth dishes so well? She can’t even taste them! He chewed in silent contentment for a moment.

Maegor and Rhaena had hung on to every word and Maegor smiled after Jake finished, "That's so COOL! Mom took us to the Armax Arena one time when the Commander was competing. He was AWESOME! And if you're N7 too, you have to be great too! You should fight in the arena sometime. You and Dad would be invincible." Maegor beamed with pride after the compliment, "Thanks! Dad teaches us how to shoot and he's been giving us martial arts lessons. I can't be an N7 but as soon as I get into boot camp, I'm going to be in Blackwatch and then I'm going to be a Spectre, just like him." 

Rhaena retorted, "They won't let you get into Blackwatch. You'll be too young then. Even Dad didn't get in till he was older." 

Maegor and Rhaena were on the verge of a petty sibling argument when Aegon intervened, "That's enough of that kids. No arguing over dinner. Now Maegor, it'll be hard but if you apply yourself, you can do it. I tried for Havoc training in boot and I served there before Blackwatch selected me later. But you can try for a special training track for enlistment to Blackwatch in boot camp too. And you can get special training for the Spectres at the same time. If that's what you want, it's completely within reach. As long as you put in the effort."

The General raised his glass in acknowledgement, his pride evident, "Of course he will. He's a Partinax. He's a warrior down to his DNA. Anything either of you kids try for, you can do it." 

Maegor asked another question to Jake, "Who do you think's better N7s or Blackwatch? It's a huge argument at school." 

Aegon chuckled as he dug into his own steak, "Well, you can certainly guess my thoughts on the matter. Though those Asari Huntresses are no joke either."

After some fun debate on who produced the best Special Forces operators, Visenya noted Jake's obvious pleasure with the food, smiling with evident satisfaction, "Surprised a Turian can cook good levo huh? I had some great teachers, lots of Asari and Human spies who were surprisingly talented." Visenya proceeded to tell some stories about the agents she had met during her clandestine career, though she of course avoided any sensitive details and focused on amusing vignettes. Eventually she began talking about how she and Aegon had met during his days at Blackwatch as she had been his units' intelligence liaison. Aegon for his part refrained from speaking much, but the Spectre had a smile on his face and kept reaching over to grasp Visenya's hand as his wife recounted their stories. 

The children were particularly delighted whenever Visenya revealed a rare moment of comedy for their father, such as the time Aegon had completely forgot their anniversary. Visenya had been particularly peeved and Aegon frantically made up for it by paying the company pilots to skywrite a message while the unit ran a exercise. He had even thrown the exercise and gotten himself caught by the mock search team because he had gathered a bouquet of local flowers for her. Finally Aegon purloined a mining laser and carved a diamond from a local deposit before proposing to Visenya, who of course accepted. 

Aegon laughed, "The Captain had dressed me down in front of the whole company for those incidents, and I got my first write-up. But it was completely worth it."

The memory made both of them smile and Aegon leaned in to kiss Visenya while the kids screwed their faces in mock disgust. 

Rhaena piped up, "I want to be a secret agent like Mom, and then I want to be a politician like our other grandfather. I think it's so cool that your dad was a Councillor too Jake. I want to help people like he did and how my grandfather does." 

Visenya smiled at that, "It's not all fast cars and exotic beaches being a spy, Rhaena but you certainly can do it. As for government, well I'm not sure Grandpa Adrien even likes his own job that much." 

The General shook his head with a smile, "A Partinax politician? That would be something. But I reckon you'll do a better job than most of those barefaces at the top tiers. Adrien excluded. Which reminds me, Adrien was with me back at 314. We were both junior officers fresh out of training when the whole thing blew up. If you had told me that the dumb kid I knew back then would become the Primarch, I would have laughed in your face. But anyway, we were flown into Shanxi after the beginning of the occupation and a few weeks later, your father led one of the advance units. I remember it all." The General launched into a long, bombastic story of the encounter with Anderson's unit in a pitched battle. The General got more and more animated, the more he drank, gesticulating and almost shouting as he recalled the battle sans the gory details. David Anderson and Aerion Partinax had even clashed on the battlefield, catching each other alone while the fight raged. They had soon both disarmed each other and were down to knives and soon it was down to fists and talons. They had fought until they were both ready to collapse, until Anderson finally managed to kick Partinax away and grab his rifle and force Partinax into cover before bolting and falling back with his own squad before Turian reinforcements boxed them in. The General recalled the whole ordeal with a smile and the children were enthralled.  

At the end the General laughed and composed himself for a moment before raising his glass, "A toast. To Admiral David Anderson. A fine man, an even finer soldier. The best our galaxy has to offer." Aegon raised his wine in agreement while Visenya raised a glass of juice and the kids raised glasses of milk. They all clinked their glasses together, the Turians uttering a Cipritine proclamation of respect and drank to the memory of David Anderson. 

Eventually, after the main course, came desert which was pie a la mode for the Partinax family, while Anderson got a levo version to himself. Visenya after finishing her pie, patted her stomach, "Mm. It might have been a bad idea to eat so much. Now it feels like there's two of them in there. I'm going to sit on the patio and get some air. Kids, you're excused but remember it's a school night, bed in two hours." 

Maegor and Rhaena both begged their mother to let them stay up longer to talk to Jake but Visenya was firm and the children both withdrew from the dinner table and hopped on the couch to boot up a holo game, Kolo following dutifully. The General stepped from his seat and said, "It's time for me to get some rack time. I'm not as young as I used to be and I have a full agenda tomorrow. Thank you for coming Anderson, I hope we get to do this again soon." The General and Jake traded another round of salutes and hand shakes before the old soldier went back up the stairs, practically marching up the steps. 

Aegon and Jake were left alone at the table while the mech cleared the dishes. Aegon poured himself another glass and reached for a bottle of wine, offering some to Jake, "I hope you enjoyed the dinner. And now that it's just us, would you like a tour of the penthouse? Or should we hit the strip, get some stiffer drinks?
Or I can call you a cab home. We do have a long day tomorrow." 

Eventually it was decided that the pair would drink at the house's bar, with one of Aegon's mechs serving them. Jake had enjoyed his time with the Partinax family immensely and the ice had started to break between the two Turians as they drank, trading small talk. Soon Jake stood up to leave, a cab on the way to take him home and the pair parted with a firm handshake.

Rendezvous Point

The two Spectres arrived in full armor and weapons strapped to their hardsuits. Aegon's head was uncovered and the team could see his glare. Jake coughed and said,  "Thank you for getting here on time everybody. The shuttles will take us to the shi-"  Aegon stepped forward, unharnessing his canteen and dumping the ice cold water on the asari's head before dragging the rudely awoken asari up by the lapels, before he jammed a finger into Vella's chest, "You just couldn't resist could you? You and your whole god-damned sorority of absent-minded huntress knockoffs just had to go on a practical rampage. Do you know the shitstorm you just caused? We practically have a fullblown diplomatic incident on our hands!" To underscore his point, several Scotland Yard constables were seen escorting a group of rambunctious asari into the station. One of them saw Vella and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it once he saw Aegon snarling. 

"Do you know how many favors I had to call in to keep you out of lockup for that little stunt you pulled? How many lawsuits the Asari Republic is facing now? Your friends in there are now a point of contention as the Republic and the Alliance have a pissing match over extradition and the possibility of a court martial. The goddamned embassies and courts on the Citadel now have to get involved to sort this mess out and don't even get me started on all the protest material that Terra Firma just received. You also borderline kidnapped Ellis and made him into an accomplice. You fucked up Vella, and if I didn't have any use for your talents I would have given you right over to the authorities so they could drum you out of the military entirely." Aegon got in Vella's face, gripping the asari by the collar of her shirt and growling at her, "This is your last incident. I've given you two chances already. A third time, and I will personally make sure that you are dishonorably discharged. Maybe even thrown in a cell, depending on how big you fuck up again. You're a soldier. Start acting like it." Aegon stomped off in a huff and Jake rubbed the back of his neck,  "Well, let's get on the shuttles then. We're headed to the Citadel." 

Spectre Offices - Private Dock

Aegon led the team to the exclusive docking bay for Spectre-owned spacecraft. Most of the dock was empty, the majority of the Spectres being away on some priority mission or covert assignment. Jondom Bau's Silent Step, an understated Union light frigate with no distinguishing colors or emblems was the closest moored vessel, and the team caught a passing glance of Salarians loading supplies onto the ship as they moved to Katabasis' compartment. At the door to their mooring, Aegon visibly grimaced, his hand tightening next to his holstered pistol for a moment before Aegon restrained himself. Seven figures were standing at the door, all of them save one, in full combat armor with helmets masking their features. 

A female Alliance officer with an Admiral's bars stood in the middle of the group with her hands crossed behind her back, and her men all stood at attention with weapons strapped to their mag-harnesses. Most of them were broad-shouldered males save for one lithe and slender female soldier with a sword strapped on her back while the man at the Admiral's side had a cybernetic arm. All the soldiers had an N7 badge on their chests. 

Aegon subtly gestured to Anderson to follow him as the pair walked up to the Alliance personnel. Aegon stood casually before the group, his hand nonchalantly grasping the sheath of the sword strapped to his as he closed with the officer. Jake refrained from reaching for any of his weapons, though the tension he was feeling was apparent by furrows upon his brow, and the tightness of his clenched fists. The Admiral wore the infamous black uniform of N7-grade officers, complete with light armor and patrol cap. A large scar ran down one cheek and a Phalanx pistol was strapped to her thigh. Her eyes were green but obviously cybernetically enhanced, and her golden blonde hair was tied into a bun, revealing her high, sharp cheekbones. She was of a height with Jake, and solidly built, with a physique borne of a life of combat. Though Aegon looked down on the Admiral she stared back levelly without a hint of being intimidated.  

Aegon spoke up, not deigning to salute the Admiral. Not so Jake, though the jerkiness of his salute displayed his rising anxiety. The Admiral barely nodded in recognition at the human Spectre before returning her attention to the Turian. "Admiral Zander, I wasn't expecting to see you here, especially considering that this docking bay is restricted to Spectres and their support personnel. "

Admiral Elli Zander was the head of the Alliance Navy Special Operations Command, and the former captain of the Normandy SR-1 while it was still in development, before her issues with Turian politicking had seen her removed from the ship, to be replaced by David Anderson. She had been promoted in the wake of valorous action when the Alliance came to the Council's rescue during the Sovereign attack and was promoted even further when she helped organize the N7 Strike Teams during the war. 

Aegon had seen her on a few occasions, and they had traded a conversation or two, but this was the first time they had met without there being a gaggle of Hierarchy and Alliance officers around. Their conversations had always been brief and terse, though Aegon had always sensed an underlying hostility in the woman and had to verbally clash with her a few times. Jake on the other hand knew her quite well, as he had worked under her during his time with the N7 Spec-Ops. He couldn’t say he liked her all that much, and was confident that the feeling was mutual. She’d always given him the shittest, most dangerous assignments and missions. Sometimes, when he'd been feeling generous, he fancied that might have been because she trusted him to see them through. Other times he was convinced it was because she was trying to get him killed. The woman was as tough old boot leather, so contrary that she floated up-stream, and hated Turian’s – or most other aliens – with a passion. Her being here didn’t spell good tidings in their future.

Zander ignored Aegon's slight and replied coolly, "It's nice to see you too Partinax. I know, it's against the rules for us to be here, but since when have you Spectres ever cared about rules?" 

Aegon snorted, "Fair enough. What brings you here? You're too early to christen our voyage if that's what you came for."

Zander smirked and crossed her arms, "I'm sorry to say but I didn't bring any champagne. I'm here to talk." 

"If you want to schedule a meeting you can contact my yeoman and she will see if she can pencil you in somewhere. Now if you excuse us, we'll be on our way."

The Admiral didn't budge at all, "It's about your classified task force. I want to be read in." 

“Oh, bloody hell …” Anderson muttered. He did not like how these cards were falling. Both the Aegon and Zander ignored him, though the Admiral might have glanced at him in annoyance.

Aegon scoffed, "It's not only classified Admiral, it's not your concern. This is Spectre business."

Zander scowled and straightened up, "That's a barefaced lie and you know it Partinax. You've been transferring military personnel for your task force, in addition to wanted fugitives. That biotic Sartiel? And Fortia? They're both special ops and they're both under my purview as head of ANSOC. Bad enough I already lost Anderson to you Spectres. Any transfers should have gone through my office. Not to mention the fact that you requisitioned Vega and his unit without my authorization." 

Aegon shrugged, "Normally, I would have gone to you. But I have full leeway from the Citadel Council in acquiring my operatives and utilizing military resources; and my transfer and requisition requests were directly sent to and approved by Hackett. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him. I don't have time to play bureaucratic games and I won't apologize for it."

"The least you could have done was inform me." 

The Turian shook his head, "Not possible. Too much risk for a leak when those requests passed through your office."

Admiral Zander grimaced, "I don't like what you're implying Turian." 

"I'm not implying anything Admiral. I'm telling you that this operation is highly classified and that the circle of those who are knowledgeable about the specifics is being purposefully kept small to prevent breaches of security. Less than a dozen people outside of my task force know anything of import. And if you want to change that, put in a request to your boss. But I am under no obligation to provide any information to you."

Jake groaned audibly. A diplomat, Aegon was not. Zander was difficult to deal with at the best of times, but when she thought her authority was being challenged, she could get downright nasty. The one tiny silver lining to the biblically proportioned stormcloud was that chances where good that Jake was about to discover the answer to that age-old question: What happens when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object. His best, and most immediate, guess was that it was going to end with him having a titanic headache.

Zander almost growled, "I'm not some butter bar you can browbeat into submission Partinax. I can freeze your requests if you're not willing to work with me."  

Aegon crossed his arms and said, "Then I won't be sending requests, I'll be sending orders.” At this moment Jake closed his eyes and began to rub the bridge of his nose, muttering expletives, none too quietly any longer. Death to his partner’s plight, Aegon continued on gamely. "Orders that you will have to follow because I am a duly appointed representative of the Citadel Council and you are not. Don't play games with me Admiral, it won't be fun for you. Now, let us get on our way and I'll forget this whole thing even happened."

Zander got in his face, hands curling into fists as her squad's hands drifted near their weapons. Katabasis reached for theirs as well, but nobody had drawn, each of the groups taking their cues from their leaders. Zander was a head shorter than Aegon but she stared right up at the Turian with no fear, "You think you're hot shit Partinax. You think your Spectre status and the fact that you're buddy-buddy with the Council gives you the right to do whatever you want. Even blow up a tenement building. But I've got friends too. And I will not let some cuttlebone spook and his gang of psychopaths –”

“Hello pot, my names kettle. You’re black.”

“run roughshod over human territory without some goddamn oversight. I will be taking this up with Hackett and I will be seeing you later, Partinax."

"I'm sure I will. But unless you're going to be a colleague, I have no intention of listening. I don't answer to you Admiral,
 I don't even answer to Hackett. Go ahead and waste your time if you want, but you will not be wasting mine. I have work to do."

He was about to move forward, whether the Admiral stepped aside or not, but then Zander spoke up, "Work huh? By that do you mean killing kids?" 

Aegon glowered at her, "Casualties of war, Admiral. I highly doubt you don't have any children on your conscience."

"At least I have one. I bet you had a good night's sleep while that kid's family mourned. You put on a tough face, talking about how losses are inevitable. It's easy to say that when you don't stand to lose anything. I wonder how you'd feel if something happened to those children of yours?" 

Zander barely got to finish the sentence when Aegon's hand blurred into movement and his sword hovered right on the Admiral's skin, the mono-molecular metal pressing closely to the woman's jugular. A simple twitch and it would be curtains for the Admiral. At the same time, he drew his pistol and aimed it at the augmented soldier, who drew and aimed his assault rifle as soon as the blade came out. Zander had been a bit slower on the draw, and her pistol came in front of Aegon's forehead a second after the sword pressed to her neck. Now both teams drew their weapons, and Aegon heard the clink of weapons being unsheathed as each side lined up shots. One of the N7s glowed with a biotic aura while another brandished an omni-tool and the rest leveled their guns, all of them aiming at Jake and the rest of the team. 

"You can threaten me, Zander. But nobody threatens my family."

Zander sneered, "You wouldn't dare, Partinax." 

"Oh no? I'm the psychopath on a rampage remember?"

"Kill me and you're dead Partinax." 

"You'll be too busy choking on your own blood to fire off a shot. And from this range, my pistol will drill that asshole back there right between the eyes. And your team may be N7s but my team has them outnumbered. No matter what I win."

"You fucking lunatic, you're willing to face a goddamn court over this? They'll strip your status!" 

"I'll tell them a bigoted, renegade Admiral threatened my family and threatened to impede my mission. Hackett might get mad at me but who are they going to believe? The decorated Turian commander or someone with your record? They'll probably pin another damn medal on my chest."

Zander snarled, unwilling to back down and Aegon stared right back at her. Jake stepped in, waving his arms,  "Hey enough of that. Aegon stand down." 

Aegon shook his head, "No can do Anderson. She threatened my family."

 "She didn't mean that as a threat Aegon. She's just frustrated with what's going on and she's been extremely terrible of communicating that sentiment in a constructive way. But that's no goddamn reason to start a fight." 

Seeing Aegon still holding his sword to her neck, Jake said,  "Admiral apologize to Aegon."  Zander glared at Jake
who glared right back at her until Zander sighed and dropped her pistol, "Partinax. I was out of line." 

A long moment passed then Aegon sheathed his sword. The N7 team holstered their weapons and Aegon shoved past Zander, leading the team to the airlock of the ship. The N7s dispersed and regrouped around Zander as Jake looked back,  "You got lucky Admiral. You better hope you don't see Aegon again." 

Zander grimaced, "Oh I will Lieutenant. Count on it." 

Aegon led the team into the ship compartment, gamely trying to suppress an almost homicidal rage. His mind conjured terrifying possibilities and concocted even more terrible retribution. Fear and anger fought to overwhelm him but Aegon did not allow the team to see it outside of clenched fists and a rigid posture. After several moments of deep breathing, he finally felt his heart begin to calm once more. Zander was all talk. She wouldn't try anything, even she wouldn't do anything so insane. But if she tried to interfere again, Aegon was going to take it to the Council. 

Aegon paused by the railing, beyond which the compartment was shrouded in darkness. He turned to the team and said, "For the foreseeable future, this will be home." Aegon gestured to the control booth overlooking the compartment and the lights slowly came on; revealing the HSV Kharon. She was beautiful, of a similar design to the famous Normandy with the same elegantly curved exterior and sleek thrusters. However there were a few differences. She was half again as large as even the Normandy SR-2, placing her in the heavy frigate class; and swirling white paint covered her black superstructure, a Turian clan marking writ for a whole ship. 

The sight made even Aegon smile, "Well, no sense staying here. Let me give you the tour." Aegon walked to the exterior airlock, the door scanning the Spectre before admitting the team. The airlock was just large enough for the team to squeeze in all at once, though not comfortably. Thankfully the decon laser quickly swept over them and the door into the ship's interior opened shortly. 

Aegon assumed a parade march-like posture and walked confidently with his arms behind his back, just like his father might have. The ship had the same general layout as the most famous Normandy-class ship, but with some extra room. Aegon led the team to the cockpit where two crew members where working on consoles. 

The helmsman was tapping away at the controls, all four of his arms working in tandem. He was Nardaki, a simian race who were one of the Turians longtime clients. His body was covered in soft golden hair and when he turned to face the team, they saw sea-foam eyes with pupils similar to an Asari or Humans. 

Aegon introduced the pilot, "Flight Lieutenant Kano Tovuss. One of the best pilots in the Hierarchy." The pilot smiled standing to salute with two of the hands before saying, "You're going to make me blush boss. Looking forward to working with you all." The co-pilot was a Turian who looked the team over and nodded silently. 

Aegon moved on, showing the team around the CIC with it's galaxy map and a contingent of crew, the majority of whom were turian but there were also several volus. The yeoman was a peppy female Turian named Calixta Oraka, who was barely out of boot camp, while the navigator was a more taciturn male lieutenant by the name of Thoros Spartarus. The comms officer was a male specialist named Kasto Coronati who politely greeted the group. All three of them were highly qualified but happened to be related to prominent Turian officials. It was clear that the ship was meant to be the pride of the Hierarchy fleet. 

Around the CIC, several grim Turian guards stood with weapons holstered on mag-slings. Most of them were scarred or tattooed, and a large number had the hastatim badge proudly displayed on their chests while others were obviously former C-Sec and some had the look of former Blue Suns or Talons. All of them were hardened fighters and watched the team intently but neutrally. They all stood at attention and saluted smartly as Aegon passed. 

Aegon stood outside a door that read research lab and led the team in. Inside they found a very large laboratory with an enormous amount of equipment for both biochemical testing and technical engineering. A female quarian in a red and white envirosuit tapped away on a terminal while a male salarian tapped away on a terminal. Aegon coughed and both of the scientists looked up, "Dr. Nola'Xen vas Qwib Qwib and Dr. Tenno Kala. Our biochemical and tech experts, respectively. If anyone needs a good upgrade, this is the place to be."  Nola'Xen practically jumped when she see Phalanx and came closer, "My, you are magnificent. Charmed to meet you." Nola shook Phalanx's hands before turning to her colleague, "What do you think doctor?" Tenno nodded vigorously, "Indeed? Remarkable. If you'd consent I'd like to run some tests. And... my word!" Tenno got a good look at Ellis and immediately started scanning him with an omni-tool, "This technology is incredible. A marvel. Somewhat unwieldy and a bit of an eyesore, but conceptually speaking..." Nola sidled up to the Krogan, "Both of you are simply marvelous. I'd absolutely love to study how..." Aegon held up a hand, "We'll leave you to your work doctors, no doubt there will plenty of opportunities to get to know my squad." The doctors seemed a little disappointed but nodded and let Aegon and the team exit. 

Aegon led them through a hall where a conference table stood next to a viewport, obviously a place where dignitaries and luminaries would be received. An asari sat at a desk, shuffling through reports and Aegon said,  "Dessia T'Lorro. Veteran of the Republic Diplomacy corps and the Citadel Embassy staff, as well as the holder of a masters of intergalactic law. She'll be our legal consultant and our political smooth-talker, to make sure you stay out of trouble and avoid stepping on toes. Even though Jake and I have Spectre status, it pays to know what kind of hassle we might be causing."  The asari matron didn't rise and said, "A few of you are already making my job far more difficult than it has to be, I would appreciate it if certain people acted more discreetly." She glared at Vella and Ellis and Aegon chose this moment to say goodbye and withdraw.  

Aegon turned to Vella, "That reminds me. You're on dogsbody duty now Vella. The ship's crew spin a wheel, and whatever it lands on, you'll be helping that person for the day. Maybe you'll start to learn some responsibility."

A few other guards stood in front of a door and a scanner cleared all of the team before admitting them into a large chamber, with several terminals and a holographic display table. An officer with a cybernetic mandible ambled over saluting Aegon, "Dontos Ravarian, my chief of security. In this war room, we'll coordinate our missions. The QECs here also have a direct line to the Citadel and every government capital." The security officer, who was even taller than Aegon nodded at the crew and said, "Pleasure to have your team aboard. As for security, I ask that you all respect common sense regulations. If you keep the peace, then we'll get along just fine. If not, well, you'll answer to me." Aegon nodded and led them to a hooded individual. It was a female salarian who smiled at the team and Aegon said, "Any fans of CNS will recognize Galda Valern."

Galda with her congenial news anchor smile laughed, "News anchor by day, and intelligence broker by night. I'll be your intelligence specialist. I have contacts all over the galaxy both legitimate and less so. If any of you need some intel, come see me." Aegon nodded to Galda took the team out of the war room, back into the CIC and to the elevator, which managed to accommodate the group and lowered the team to the crew deck. 

Aegon turned to the crew quarters and opened the room to reveal a large barracks with enough bunk beds to house both the crew and the squad, "This will be where the majority of you will sleep, while Anderson and myself have private quarters. You Krogan will have your own private rooms, since we know you're the territorial sort; and the quarians will have their  own clean room, all of these on the engineering deck." Aegon led them through the mess hall to the kitchen where a large elcor stood with an apron around his wide torso, "This is Kalozi, former living tank but he's a genius cook, both levo and dextro. He'll keep you all fed."

The Elcor nodded, "Flattered: Thank you, Aegon. Withdrawn, yet welcoming: I look forward to working with all of you. Helpfully: Dinner is in a few hours." Aegon pointed out the XO quarters were Jake would be staying and moved on to the medbay. Inside a hanar stood next to a seated female drell. Aegon spoke up, "Our ship's doctor, Koriandr and his compacted vassal Lyora Hanzos, who is also our CQC instructor."  The drell stood and smiled to the team, "Glad to meet you all. I'm just here for Koriandr, but if anyone wants any hand-to-hand lessons, I am always game. Sometimes the boys like to organize sparring matches, you're always free to put your name in and there might even be some money involved." She winked at the team while Koriandr said, "This one is pleased to make your acquaintance, however it hopes it will not have to see much of you in the future." 

Aegon took the team to the gunnery room where a small group of Turians were calibrating the guns, overseen by a doughty volus, who turned and said, "Ah... these must be the new arrivals... if any of you like to play cards... I am a dabbler myself." Aegon laughed,  "Erod Farn. Former gunnery chief on the Kwunu, now he's come to work with us. Tread carefully if you want to play cards with him though." 

Aegon then led the team to the starboard observation deck which was filled with bookshelves and calming art pieces and plants. Soft tranquil nature sounds played in the background. A few crew-members were reading, talking softly, meditating, playing chess, or staring out into space. An Asari in a shimmering gown leafed through a volume before closing it, and standing with a smile to hug Aegon who returned it with a bemused grin,  "Konare T'Pavi. She's trained with the temple of Athame and every major religious group in the galaxy. University of Armali graduate with a masters in psychology, and she spent some time under the Consort. If you ever need any personal or spiritual consultation, she's who you will see. You have mandatory weekly sessions Ellis. You too Giles."  The Asari smiled radiantly at the team, "No matter what may come up, if you want to talk about it, I will be happy to listen. And everything is completely confidential of course. Not even Egg here will know. And if you ever need some quiet alone time, this is what this room is for." Aegon smiled and led the team to the port observation deck. 

This room was the complete opposite of the other observation deck. A holovision set was propped in one corner playing a clawball game while a VR booth sat in another, and an inactive disco ball looked down over several chairs and couches. A partitioned room had a poker table while a foosball table and a ping-pong table were also nearby. Several off-duty crew-men were lounging around, a few arm-wrestling. A bar was at one wall and a young Turian stood behind the bar with his arms crossed, obviously spacing out while a female of an age with him talking his ear off. Aegon said, "My niece Valanna, she's our unit historian. Any esoteric cultural or historical knowledge you want tracked down, see her. The surly one is my nephew Konan. He'll attend all of your booze-related needs as long as you're off duty." Valanna smiled and nodded at the team, while Konan barely jerked his head in acknowledgement. 

Aegon smiled at Valanna and sighed at Konan as they walked away and into the elevator for a trip to the engineering deck. Aegon pointed out several cargo rooms that would serve as private quarters for crew members with special needs. Aegon marched them to the engineering bay where several turians and volus consulted datapads and terminals while the drive core and fusion plant softly hummed. Aegon introduced the crew to the engineering chief, Octavio Tatum, who was involved in the creation of the IES stealth system. He proceeded to give a moderately lengthy lecture on how their drive core was state of the art and would run without the need for discharging static build-up while still allowing for stealth running but Aegon politely interjected and took the team on their way. 

Another elevator ride took them down to the cargo bay which was abuzz with activity. Several turians were sparring or exercising, and Aegon took the team to see a tall, lanky individual who looked like a Salarian but with a more bulbous cranium that lacked the horns and brighter, lighter eyes, and webbed fingers. He was Lysenthi, part of a Salarian subspecies who scorned Union space out of historical rivalry between the two races. Aegon introduced him,  "Relli Yonn. Former smuggler, current procurement specialist. Anything you want, he can get."  The Lysenthi smirked, "For the right price of course. I take credits, goods, and favors." 

Aegon then took the team to a corner of the cargobay where several minifacturers stood next to racks and racks of guns and a dizzying array of combat equipment. A female turian clasped her hands and bowed to the team as Aegon said,  "Erinna Nero. Our armory officer, come see her if you want anything made, upgraded, or customized."  Erinna nodded, "As long as you have the materials, I will do my best to serve." 

A large rover stood by with a team of turian mechanics lounging in front of it. Aegon explained that the Aegis infantry fighting vehicle could be customized and outfitted for practically every kind of operation, it could even have a large cannon attached for it to be turned into a tank. There were also several hover speeders that would be used for scouting. Finally, Aegon took the team to a row of small spacecraft. They were sleek and new, all with a snarling Vorcha skull painted on the exterior. 

A Vorcha came forward, shaking hands with Aegon and hugging Jake as Aegon said,  "Falka, of the Void Devils. She and her team are all veterans of the Reaper War. Those spacecraft back there are multi-purpose. They can be outfitted for close air support, bombing missions, troop shuttling, they can even be retrofitted into fighter craft. These guys will be some of your best friends in the days to come."  Falka smiled toothily, before screeching, "Greetings. With team and me flying, you'll get where going every time." 

Aegon nodded,  "And there is one last introduction to be made. Talos, say hello." 

"Hello, Task Force Katabasis." A small hovering sphere floated from a compartment in the bulkhead and settled in the air next to Aegon then an ethereal holographic shape manifested over it. Its form was bright and indistinct, like some mythical spirit. 

Aegon continued,  "This is Talos. He's the ship's shackled AI. He'll be running our cyberwarfare suites and the automated drone systems and provide all of the tactical analysis and logistical support of a combat VI. With him, we'll have an edge in our fight. His AI core will be accessible to only myself and Jake but you may all converse with him at your leisure." 

Talos shimmered as he spoke, "It will be my pleasure to work with you all. I hope to get to know you all better in the days to come."

Aegon turned to the team,  "That concludes this tour. If you ever want to speak, talk to Calixta and she'll inform me. If I have time you can drop by my quarters on the top deck. Besides that, you have free reign of the ship. Get settled in, this will be our home and our operating base for quite some time."
MrDidact Member

The Watcher on the Wall

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