Chapter Text
Epilogue—Normandy II
After delivering her report, Shepard stood in stoic calm as the hologram of the Illusive man sat in his chair, silent for several moments before finally speaking.
“I must state that I am very disappointed that you were taken off guard as easily as you were. Do you have an excuse for your negligence in this…fiasco?”
“We were all taken by surprise by Whaley’s actions.” Shepard replied, countering her superior’s accusation with one of her own. “Even Kai Leng was outmaneuvered by her and the ship’s AI. It would seem that EDI was designed with too much free will as it and Whaley found a way to circumvent the shackles that its designers had supposedly placed on it. Yes, Whaley did catch us unawares and I accept full responsibility for that. However, I refuse to allow my crew or myself to take on all the blame.”
“There will need to be a full audit of these events and corrective measures will be taken to prevent any future recurrences.” The Illusive Man concluded, ending that particular portion of the briefing. “Now…as to the mission on Fehl Prime…while again I am disappointed that Whaley, the EDI mobile platform, and Dr. Treeya managed to escape, I cannot fault you or your crew and team for your actions there. And…the data you were able to attain will prove most helpful. I’ll take this as a win…a partial win, to be sure…but a win, nonetheless. You and your crew performed adequately.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Shepard responded in a flat tone of voice to her superior’s damning with faint praise. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” The Illusive Man affirmed, “You are to proceed immediately to Station Psi. There you will pick up your replacements for Specialists Markham and Barrett who will then go on to ETAP.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Good.” The Illusive Man, flicking ash from his cigarette, took a drag and exhaled. “Unless you have something else you need to apprise me of, Shepard…”
“Nothing, Sir.”
“Then, you’re dismissed.”
Epilogue—Normandy II—Kai Leng’s quarters
“I trust there will not be a repeat of this incident again, Mr. Leng.” The Illusive Man remarked with a glare as he and his operative spoke on their private channel.
“I take responsibility, Sir.” Kai Leng replied in a rare humble voice. “I was suspicious of Whaley and didn’t follow through. In this instance, Shepard is not to blame. The fault lies with me.”
“I realize that.” The Cerberus leader acknowledged with a single nod of his head before proceeding in a vaguely warning tone of voice, “Just as I am sure in the future you will be more attentive in your duties.”
“I shall be, Sir.” Chagrined by his failure, Leng calmly accepted his rebuke, not interrupting his superior.
“I do see a positive from this mess though.” The Illusive Man concluded, further explaining, “Whaley’s escape has humiliated Shepard…” leaving unsaid the fact that the Chinese assassin was also feeling embarrassment at being outmaneuvered by the deserter. “She now seeks redemption and revenge. That will make her a far more valuable asset in the future. Perhaps valuable enough to postpone placing her in ETAP.”
“Agreed, Sir.” Leng quickly acknowledged, realizing that his boss’s remarks were aimed at him as much as they were at the Commander. “She…and I…will redouble our efforts in the future.”
“Good.” The Illusive Man replied seeing that his rebuke had the desired effect. “We will proceed for now with Markham and Barrett’s transfer to ETAP and with the additions of Jack and Grunt to your team. Keep me updated on their progress once they join you at Station Psi. That will be all.”
Normandy II—Barrett and Markham’s going away party in the galley
“Congratulations Ben and Jason! You’re doing humanity proud!” Mess Sergeant Gardner exclaimed as he exited from the kitchen bearing two large platters on a tray. Placing the platters on the table in front of each man, the gruff cook/janitor urged as he took off the lids to reveal both men’s favorite meals, “Commander Shepard and Operative Leng authorized me to break out the special stores for the occasion. Steak and potatoes for you Jason. And chicken marsala with a side order of Pasta Bolognese for you, Ben. Eat up! You’ve earned it.”
“We’ve got plenty of beer and wine too.” Crewman Hadley grinned as he handed a mug of beer to Jason and a glass of wine to the other man at the table.
“We’re gonna miss you guys.” Hawthorne, still feeling the sting of Dixie’s betrayal, remarked with a forced smile as he clasped each man on the shoulder.
"Hey..." Markham joked, "We're still going to be looking at your ugly mug for a while."
"Yeah.' Jason laughed, joining in the teasing, "You're giving us a lift to the training center--remember?"
"Don't worry." Hawthorne chuckled, "I'll get you there in plenty of time. Just say Hi to Jackson for us when you meet him.”
“Will do.” Barrett agreed with a grin as he took a draught of beer before digging into his rare steak. Glancing at his teammate and friend, the heavy weapons specialist probed gently, “You still upset at Dixie?”
“Yeah.” Markham replied as he took a bite from his plate. “I can’t believe she turned on us like that. I thought she was one of us.” Shaking his head, he sighed, “I trusted her…I was beginning to…I thought…”
“I know.” Jason said in a sympathetic tone, “I could see that you two were starting to get close to each other.”
“Now that I think back on it…” Ben mused, “I think I let myself get too close.”
“Probably.” The other man flatly stated, “But…it’s a mistake we’ve all made one time or another. All you can do is learn from it and move on…right?”
“I guess so.” Markham agreed, heaving another sigh. His lips turning up in a sad smile, he inclined his head towards where their fellow crewmembers were already starting the party. “We better finish up and join them before they drink up all the booze.”
Another universe—Dixie’s shuttle
“Where are we?” Dixie asked as the damaged shuttle emerged from the wormhole.
“We are at the same coordinates from which we left.” Edi responded with a raised eyebrow. “However, there are subtle differences in the luminosity of the sun as well as the atmospheric composition of the sixth planet.”
“Still no engine power.” Doris sighed, “Ah’m gonna activate the distress beacon. Got nothin’ to lose. Ain’t gonna matter anyway if no one answers soon. We’ll be outta either food, water, or power in a few days.”
“What about rigging up stasis pods?” Treeya postulated
Shaking her head, Dixie responded, “Already thought of that. We don’t have enough power. All’s we can do is sit here and hope and pray someone comes by.”
USS Aeolia currently carrying out mapping, reconnaissance, and cartography operations
“We’ve completed our survey of the Coranna System, Captain.” The starship’s Denobulan science officer declared, “Nothing unusual. K-class star. One planet with atmosphere…marginal class M. No sign of Elachi, Borg, or Undine activity in system.”
“Very good, Mr. Velen.” Captain Christopher Hobson, the commanding officer of the Aeolia, a Scryer-class intelligence vessel currently assigned to reconnaissance and mapping duties in the Mempa Sector, acknowledged in his usual clipped, patrician accent. “Make note of our findings. XO? What’s next on the list?”
“System B-483.” Commander Anara Rysyl, the executive officer, an attractive Deltan woman, replied with a slight grin. “Data on the system does not exist in either our, Romulan, or Klingon records.”
“We do know that it has an F-class star and our deep space probe has identified ten planets in the system.” Lieutenant Commander Velen reported.
“And the status of the probe?” Hobson inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Unknown.” The Denobulan science officer answered back, “It disappeared shortly after entering the system.”
“Helm?” Hobson exclaimed in his usual level tone of voice, “Assuming travel at warp six, what is our ETA to B-483?”
“We should arrive in system no later than seventy-two standard hours.” Lieutenant Yitzhak Shalev responded, his voice tinged with the slight accent common to those coming from the Federation colony of Eretz Israel.
“Very good.” The captain acknowledged with a slight incline of his head. “Chart a course to System B-483.”
“Course laid in, Sir.”
“Warp six at your convenience, Mr. Shalev.”
“Engaging Warp Six, Sir.” Shalev affirmed in a crisp tone of voice, muttering under this breath to the dark-skinned woman seated next to him, “Bet a round of drinks that we’re gonna find nothing but nothing.”
“I don’t know…” Lieutenant Adia Nazari replied, “Our luck has to change sometime.”
“So?” Yitzhak grinned, “Bet or not, Adia?”
“All right…” The lovely operations officer smirked, “You’re on. Gotta warn you though, I get thirsty after shift.”
“Do you really think we’re going to find what we’re looking for out here, Chris?” The lovely Deltan first officer inquired in a low whisper, her fingers momentarily grazing against the captain’s arm in a familiar gesture. “So far we haven’t encountered anything out of the ordinary other than that Hirogen patrol we engaged in the Metallus System.”
“This is near Beta Thoridor where the Gallena supposedly vanished after encountering a similar patrol.” Hobson replied, cupping his chin in thought. “And much of the Mempa Sector is still uncharted thanks to the war and activities by pirates, the Tal’ Shiar, and others. It’s not beyond the realm of chance that we might find clues as to the fate of the Gallena from a survey of these systems.”
“Maybe something will turn up.” The lovely XO responded with a fond grin, “So…are we still on for bridge this evening?”
“Of course.” Hobson affirmed, a faint wisp of a smile appearing on his face as he took in the delicate aroma of his XO’s perfume. “I believe you are partnered with T’Pren tonight.”
Her fond grin now replaced by a smirk, Anara quipped, “And you drew Treasure as your partner.”
“Hopefully her bidding skills have improved since our last game.” Hobson remarked, allowing yet another ghostly smile to appear on his face before just as quickly vanishing.
“Hope springs eternal.”
Cerberus Base—Location Unknown
“While it is regrettable that the asari got away with some useful information that could harm our efforts, it will not affect our actions.” The voice in the shadows declared on hearing the Illusive Man’s report. “Everything is proceeding according to schedule.”
“When will I meet you and the others?” The Illusive Man inquired as he took a drag from his cigarette.
“Soon.” The voice responded. “Do not be impatient.”
“And the intruders…these Romulans?”
“Do not worry…” The voice declared as an image of three starships bearing the same insignia, the earth with a dagger through it, appeared. “One of our allies is amassing forces to deal with them and any other intruders. For now, continue with your work on the enhancement project. It is beginning to bear fruit. Soon you will have a most valuable tool. One that will ensure that you meet both of our goals.”
Nodding his head in satisfaction, the Illusive Man inquired, “When will I hear from you again?”
“Soon. We will be make contact when the time is right.”
As the voice left the Illusive Man alone in his thoughts, he called up on his screen the image emblazoned on the vessels of his new allies, a faint smile crossing his lips. “Agent Brooks?” He called out, waving his assistant over to where he sat.
“Sir?” The chocolate-skinned Cerberus operative who had taken over after the departure of her predecessor queried.
“Take a look.” The Cerberus chief requested as he pointed to the image of the earth with a dagger. “Don’t you think a flag with that design would look good flying one day at Arcturus Station?”
“Yes, Sir.” Brooks dutifully responded, “It would.”
“One day…” The Illusive Man declared as his lips turned up in a cold smile, “It will.”