Tevos R’haria
Councillor Tevos was the last of the group to exit the hearing, and as she entered the private meeting chambers of the Citadel Council the door closed behind her. The group was silent as they gathered at the small table in the center of the room. It was round, and featured three chairs spaced evenly apart so the group could all discuss with one another on equal footing.
Tevos was the eldest Councillor of the group. As Asari lived the longest lives it was almost a certainty that their Councillor would be the eldest member of the group nearly every generation. Salarians living the shortest lives meant their Councillor was usually the youngest, although for this current group that wasn’t the case. Valern was given his position as Councillor 15 years ago, after an outstanding career in the Salarian STG*. This made Sparatus the least experienced of the group, and his previous outburst against Shepard joining the Spectres was a consequence of that inexperience.
Sparatus was a military man, although that on its own wouldn't mean much given most of the Turian Hierarchy spent some amount of time in the military. Sparatus however, was a renowned general in that Hierarchy, and was well known for his commanding presence and ability to lead disparate soldiers. He earned part of that renown fighting against the Humans during the Relay 314 incident, or the first contact war as they called it.
This history coloured his perception of their race, and when he was chosen as Councillor for the Turians he carried that prejudice with him. It was hard not too, the Humans were an unpredictable race. The Citadel kept track of many species within the galaxy, both advanced and developing. Humanity had only discovered a Prothean archive and mass effect technology 4 decades ago, and in that time had grown at a startling pace.
It was so quick that when the Turians encountered their species attempting to open an inactive relay the entire Council had been surprised by how quickly they developed. Tevos was actually a Councillor at the time and had the same shock as the rest of her fellow Councillors when she heard the news. The Humans fought back against the Turians that prevented them for activating the relay, and won the battle.
They had only discovered mass effect technology less than a decade prior to the conflict, while the Turians had been part of the Citadel for over a thousand years. Yet according to nearly all battle reports when fighting with equal numbers, Humans and the Turians were practically evenly matched. Of course the Turians blamed these defeats as a lack of preparation, and having underestimated their enemy, but the Council stepped in and ended the conflict quickly. There was no need for further bloodshed, Humanity had proved they were a combat capable species and were given an embassy aboard the Citadel.
They were newcomers, and most races considered them as second class due to their short duration as part of the galactic community, but Humanity did not seem to care. They expanded at a startling rate, one that raised small flashbacks to the early Krogan days, but thankfully proved to be open to actual discussion. They never settled in colonized or previously owned space, and were in fact reckless enough to expand into uncontrolled areas of space to avoid settling in places of conflict with the rest of the Citadel. Perhaps it was this lack of fear, this recklessness that led to the speed of their growth and the surprising effectiveness of their combat prowess.
As they continued to prove amicable to deal with and their strength only continued to grow they quickly grew in reputation and standing. While there were some Turians who stood against this, as they believed that the conflict the two species had engaged in wasn’t yet settled, overall their growth was encouraged by the Council.
Councillor Tevos in particular was a strong advocate for growing Human authority. The Turians were powerful of course, but she had consulted with the Matriarchs of her people and it was confirmed. There had never been a case of a species growing this quickly, with this level of combat effectiveness, that remained peaceful and open to negotiation with the Citadel. Tevos knew without a doubt that the Humans would either be powerful allies, or dangerous enemies, and she chose allies. And despite her Turian colleague’s protests she would continue to make that choice as long as it was possible.
“I am still not convinced that accepting the human commander into the Spectre’s was a wise decision, Tevos.” Sparatus spoke as he took a seat at the table, he wasn’t angry, at least not any longer.
It took some convincing while they were discussing it in private during the hearing, but in the end she convinced him the Human deserved the opportunity. It doesn’t mean he had to like it, and he was making sure she knew that. If Shepard turned out to be a failure, he would hold that over her for more authority in future sessions.
That’s the detail many members of the public fail to realize, while the Council worked together on many issues, they still served as ambassadors for their own species as well. There are times when what's best for the Asari, or for the Turians, isn’t what’s best for the Council as a whole. At times the only way to get what’s needed for their people was to have leverage to convince the other Councillors to vote in your favor.
“You made your perspective perfectly clear Sparatus, however Valern and I agreed that Shepard was deserving of the position.” Tevos took a seat as well, joining Valern and Sparatus at the table.
“Indeed. Shepard fits all of the standard criteria for a Spectre, if she were a Salarian she would already be an STG*. Promotion to Spectre was beneficial to all.” Valern answered, but wasn’t focused on the conversation properly. He was instead inspecting the Geth memory core, which he hadn’t set down since he received it.
“Hmph, so you both say. I’ll respect that I’ve been outvoted on the matter, I simply hope you do not come to regret your decision.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, seemingly done talking about the subject. Tevos didn’t bother continuing to discuss it with him either, instead turning to speak with Valern.
“Have you found anything else interesting on the memory core? I’m aware you’ve had some interest in the Geth since you heard they were outside of the veil.”
“Nothing concrete unfortunately. The core suffered heavy damage. The amount of information that is recoverable is limited. The audio log, some small collections of data and information, but nothing overly useful from a technological or military standpoint. My greatest interest is that this much information was able to be recovered at all.” Valern did not look away from the core as he spoke. He got like this often, more focused on a piece of technology or information than any of the matters of the Council.
“Is it really that impressive Valern? The Quarian that recovered this technology was practically a child, I find it hard to imagine that her skills are that unique or impressive.” Sparatus did not uncross his arms, and was more interested in Valern’s assessment of the girl, as opposed to any actual information.
“It is very impressive, although probably not as unique as first assumed. The Geth have remained in the veil since warring with the Quarians, and as such we have never had a chance to analyze their designs or technology before. The Quarians would be the only ones still in possession of that information, so it’s likely many Quarian engineers would be capable of successfully removing a memory core. That being included, this young one’s success still shows a remarkable talent with technology, given her age . It’s a shame the Quarians are no longer permitted an embassy, their collaboration has the potential to be very beneficial.” Valern actually looked up at his fellow Councillors upon saying this, making it clear this wasn’t just a stray thought, and was actually putting forward the topic for discussion.
“Valern, we’ve spoken of this before. While the Quarians are technologically gifted, their exclusion from the Citadel is a consequence of their crimes in creating the Geth. Revoking that original decision, especially at a time when the Geth are actively attacking Council races, would be an insult to all harmed by their creations.” Tevos spoke politely but was firm. Valern often cared only for what he believed to be the most beneficial path. He would politicize and scheme whatever he liked in order to accomplish what he alone thought was best. The Quarians were a topic he brought up before, as he desired Salarian scientists to work with their people, hoping it would be a massive boon to their technological developments.
“Creations made centuries ago. No Quarians involved in the creation of the original Geth still live. And in a time where the Geth are an enemy of the Citadel, their expertise would be a benefit to our own military endeavours. Their return to the Citadel at such a time, in order to provide aid against the threat their ancestors created, would be a very easy story to spin.” He had set the core down and was looking across the table at Tevos, clearly challenging her in the discussion.
Tevos turned to Sparatus for support. The man, like many Turians, was a traditionalist. He often stood in favor of the status quo, and rarely pushed for choices that would make sweeping changes, unless it was a direct improvement to the military or economic standing of the Citadel. He was often on Tevos’ side when it came to limiting the many sweeping reforms Valern was always trying to push forward.
That’s why she was so surprised to see Sparatus quiet. He actually seemed to be thinking through and considering the idea.
“Sparatus, you can’t be seriously considering the idea of inviting the Quarians back to the Citadel. You stood with me against the idea last time it was mentioned.”
“Hm yes, but the situation has changed. Valern is right that with the Geth arriving as an actual enemy, the Quarians have expertise that could be very useful militarily.” Tevos was experienced enough to hide her shock at Sparatus’ words.
The man only ever spoke of their military as a flawless example of strength. While he would push for policies that gave them access to even more strength or budget, that was only from a perspective of improving what was already great. His current words were implying that he thought the military would need the Quarians' help.
“Don’t tell me you think our military isn’t capable of dealing with the Geth on their own.” Tevos spoke harshly, trying to provoke a reaction. It seems she had succeeded, given the sudden glare from Sparatus.
“Of course not! Our military would crush Geth forces if they ever dared an attack within Citadel space.” He continued glaring at Tevos, while Valern just sat quietly to the side, allowing the discussion to continue without him.
“Then why would the Quarians be necessary?” Tevos asked softer, genuinely trying to understand what could cause the Turian to consider something so out of character. He looked in silence for a moment before answering the question with another question.
“Valern. What does the Geth memory core say about Reapers?” Tevos was surprised at the sudden change of topic, but realized what he was thinking. She looked to Valern as well, curious to see what he had to say.
“Very little unfortunately. It’s written almost like religious text, which is odd given the synthetic nature of the Geth. They simply claim that the Reapers are the apex of Artificial Intelligence, and responsible for destroying the Protheans. There is no evidence to back up these claims, either within the core, or in any of the histories we recovered from throughout the galaxy. I have to stand by our original assessment that they are simply a construct invented by the Geth to justify synthetic superiority.” He was careful in his choice of words, and spoke without much hesitation. It was exactly as they originally believed, so why was Sparatus questioning it again.
“But what if we are wrong?”
“...”
The silence hung over the room for a moment, as the words rang through their heads. The man that spoke them originally, Corporal Jenkins, was a relative nobody. The Council had looked into him after the first hearing, given the intensity of his outbursts. What they found was remarkably underwhelming. An average soldier, not under performing, but certainly not exceptional like the rest of Shepard’s team. There were only sparse combat logs of a few missions during his career; he had joined the alliance later in life as a way to get off of Eden Prime.
By all rights he was a nobody, and yet spoke with unrivalled confidence. The Councillors had mostly chalked it up to recklessness, or immaturity, and elected to ignore most of what he had said. However his final words, it seemed, had stuck with those in this room. They were all confident that the Reapers were simply a myth, not something to be concerned with. But the question remained.
Could they afford to be wrong?
“Well. If we assume that the Reapers are real, and as the Geth describe them, then they are possibly the greatest threat the galaxy could ever face.” Valern eventually answered the question, speaking with an unusual sombreness.
“Greater than the Rachni?” Tevos asked, concerned exactly how great such a threat would be.
“Far greater. The Rachni, while intelligent, were practically animals. They attacked and devoured through raw numbers, and were countered easily by a physical threat of equal proportions. If the Reapers are real, then they are a synthetic lifeform with the technology and numbers to wipe out the species that built the Citadel we are standing on. I can’t come up with any logical reason for why they would disappear, or how there would be no trace of them if that were true, but the point stands that their military strength would dwarf our own by millennia.”
Silence hung in the air once more after Valern spoke, the weight of those words feeling heavy on the shoulders of the Council.
“How would we combat such a threat?” Sparatus asked, the General in him shining through, searching for his combat options.
“...”
“Valern, how would we fight these Reapers?”
“I don’t have enough information to answer that question. I have no idea of their numbers, capabilities or otherwise. Like I said there isn’t even enough information to conclude that they are real, much less fight them.” Valern looked frustrated, he liked having the answers, and considered his own intelligence his greatest weapon. It wasn’t often he didn’t have an answer.
“It would take all we had, not just the Council but the galaxy as a whole. Prothean technology can be found over every inch of the galaxy, and yet they were defeated. They likely had a military that dwarfed our own, given the size of their empire.” Tevos spoke, she knew of most research into the Protheans, and all of it showed they had controlled most of the galaxy during their apex.
“Unless of course they didn’t have a standing military. If their empire covered the galaxy and was united, there would be no need for a standing military.” Sparatus spoke, giving his own potential assessment.
“Then that simply means the Reapers wiped them out so quickly they couldn’t muster an army large enough to put up a fight, despite the size of their empire.” Valern cut that hope short. If the Reapers were real they were clearly a threat.
They sat in silence for a while, each thinking through their options, and the potential devastation such an enemy could raze across their civilizations.
“Well, in that case, there is no harm in making preparations.” Tevos broke the silence, making a decision that would cause ripples across the galaxy.
“Indeed, while the Reapers are almost certainly a fictional threat, the exercise in thought reveals a weakness in our own defenses. We are poorly equipped to fight a numerous synthetic threat.” Valern nodded in agreement, while he was normally against wasting budget on statistical impossibilities, he appeared on board in preparing for a possible AI enemy.
“Indeed, as such I would have to agree that we should invite the Quarians back to the Citadel. They are experts in dealing with synthetics, and possess the largest fleet in the galaxy with their Flotilla.” Sparatus spoke, looking over at Valern who couldn’t help but give a small grin. He was getting what he wanted in the end it seems.
“I agree, an inexpensive method to bolster our own strengths. Their expertise in technology would be a great benefit to our forces, and their numbers would be of great benefit.” Valern looked at Tevos, as though demanding she find fault in his logic. She couldn’t, it was an affordable, low risk action that would let them feel as though they were preparing, despite the likelihood of the threat not existing. Still it wasn’t perfect, the Quarians would need to accept the offer after all, and they had lots of reasons to not want to deal with the Council.
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“I can see your logic Valern, but I find it unlikely the Quarians would just accept an invitation to return to the Citadel. Their people feel abandoned by us, and for good reason. They would need more than just the offer to return.” Tevos did not turn away from Valern’s stare, and his smile dropped to be replaced by a more calculating look.
“I agree completely, thankfully we have what the Quarians desire, an opportunity to find a home. While we can’t offer our fleets to retake Rannoch, certainly we can find a suitable world for Quarian adaptation within Citadel space.” Valern spared a glance to Sparatus, who simply sighed before nodding.
“Right. Well it does happen the Hierarchy recently found a moon orbiting a gas giant within the Armstrong Nebula. We had some interest in it since the moon seemed to evolve dextro life*, so its natural resources would actually be suitable for our people. However we held off due to its proximity with Human space. The Quarians would likely feel more comfortable settling a world further from Inner Citadel space, and closer to their home world.” Sparatus looked annoyed that he had to offer up a potentially viable planet for the Turians, but was on board with the plan if it meant bringing back the Quarians.
Tevos gave a nod and the three got to work, drafting up the official decree that would offer the Quarians a new world to settle, an embassy within the Citadel, and the support in forming their own colony. Tevos didn’t like the Valern would be getting the Quarian engineers he so desperately wanted, but she knew deep down that having the Quarians back in Citadel space would be greatly beneficial for everyone. While the Reapers were almost certainly a myth, it never hurt to prepare further for a potential threat, synthetic or otherwise. They quickly pushed away the thoughts of the blonde soldier that spurred their actions, and focused on the job at hand. Bringing back the Quarians wasn’t something she would have considered even possible a year ago, but here they were, preparing for the greatest diplomatic negotiation of a century. How times change.
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David Anderson
Captain Anderson was sitting at the desk in Udina’s office. They were there to discuss the supplies and ship that would be handed over to Jane in order for her to complete her mission, but that was not at the center of attention for their current discussion.
“You will not permit Shepard to liberate Corporal Jenkins. I will not stand for it. Assaulting an ambassador is a grave offence, and one that requires punishment. He cannot be allowed to get away consequence free.” Udina was angry, refusing to sit at his desk while paced side to side behind it. Anderson simply enjoyed watching the frustration on the old man's face.
Anderson knew Udina well, in fact they had attended the same military school in their youth. Udina however, completed just enough of the schooling to be enlisted as a 2nd lieutenant before leaving the military to pursue politics. Anderson was still unsure how Udina managed to get out of his service period, but the man had a talent for weaseling his way out of situations he didn’t like, and into positions of authority. Udina used his ‘military service’ during the first contact war as part of his campaign for Citadel Ambassador. He ran on a platform of defending human interests, first as a soldier, and then as a politician.
Udina never saw combat, and barely served. Hell, Anderson had laughed out loud when he saw some of the vids showing Udina’s campaign. However he admitted that Udina was a damn good politician. Even if he was a snake that would betray his own mother for a winning lotto ticket, he did a damn fine job securing human interests from the Council. He didn’t have to like the man to admit that he was good at his job. That being said he wouldn’t deny he enjoyed watching the smug bastard getting punched in his face.
“Oh I fully agree Ambassador, however as a lowly Captain I simply don’t have the authority to override an order from a Spectre. If Shepard requests Jenkins, I’ll be forced to hand him over.” Anderson kept a straight face as he talked, allowing his expert poker face to make the sarcasm a little more difficult to parse. At least to most.
“Don’t play games with me Anderson. We both know Shepard listens to you. If you told her to leave Jenkins she would.” Udina had a point, Anderson was proud of his relationship with Jane. He knew her mother well and when she enlisted he made it a personal goal to keep an eye on her. It was the least he could do for her family, given everything that had happened during the first contact war.
“That may be true, but with all due respect Ambassador, I won’t be doing that. Jenkins is a good soldier, and has proven himself more than invested in this mission. If you need him punished so badly you can do so after they stop Saren. I’ll support you personally if that’s your decision.” Udina frowned at Anderson’s comment. As far as Udina was concerned he was just making a friendly suggestion, so he had to hide his frustration.
There’s an advantage to being viewed as a jar head. People don’t expect you to understand or to know how to play politics. If Shepard captured or killed Saren successfully, with Jenkins in her crew, then Udina wouldn’t be able to touch them. They would be viewed as heroes, and loyal to the Council. Jenkins would be in line for a promotion, along with any other Alliance soldiers in Shepard's crew. Udina couldn’t pursue punishing him without appearing unprofessional, and he would rather suffer the indignity of being punched once over having his reputation ruined.
Of course Udina didn’t know that Anderson understood all this, so he had to pretend he was thankful for the Captain's suggestion.
“Right. Well I suppose the matter of our first Spectre’s ship and crew are our greater focus. Did you have anything in mind Captain? You’re the expert here.” Udina asked, having calmed down slightly, sinking into his seat.
“Of course, I want to keep things simple, Shepard needs to leave ASAP after all. I think our best option is a familiar ship and crew. The Normandy.” Anderson knew the ship would be best suited for the mission Shepard was going on, and she already knew it well enough to need very little time adjusting to the Ship.
“Hmm, I’m not particularly keen on handing over a state of the art ship to a brand new Spectre. However the Council was likely to take the ship and hand it over to a Spectre at some point anyway. At least by giving it to Shepard we can keep it in Human hands. Very well, I agree. You’ll vacate the ship while I get the paperwork in order for its transfer.” Udina spoke without looking up at Anderson, and cracked a small smile as he spoke.
“Excuse me. What do you mean by ‘vacate the ship’? I am the Normandy's captain.”
“Hm, no you were the Normandy’s captain. A spectre cannot be arguing with a ship's captain on the duration of a mission. As such Shepard will be given charge of the ship and you will enjoy some shore leave until her mission is complete. Consider it a paid holiday.” Udina kept that same shit eating grin, without looking up.
Anderson was only furious for a moment. In the end, while Udina was an ass about it, he was correct. Shepard would be more effective and get more done if she had the Ship under her authority alone. Still Anderson could see what Udina was doing, the decision to have Anderson remain stationed aboard the Citadel until the missions complete was an insult. Anderson was a captain, and well decorated at that. To have him doing paperwork and waiting for others to complete their mission, was meant to have him appear inactive.
Somehow Udina still viewed Anderson as a threat, despite Anderson’s complete lack of interest in joining politics. He had a mind for it, sure, but he was a soldier first and foremost. Wasting time in meetings and slowly trying to convince other Ambassadors and Councillors to agree to pointless concessions sounded like agony. He preferred the simplicity of the military. Identify an enemy and plan for confrontation. It was where his skills truly were able to shine.
“If there wasn’t anything else Anderson, please go empty your quarters on the Normandy. I’ll meet you there shortly.” Udina waved his hand at Anderson, as though shooing him away. Anderson kept his composure without flaw, he simply remembered how Udina looked with a broken nose, lying on his ass.
Good memories.
Anderson didn’t bother responding, just standing and turning to leave. He walked calmly out of the embassy. He had to admit that the Presidium was gorgeous. The way water and greenery was mixed with the white metal structure that made up the buildings on either side of the ring was truly beautiful. He enjoyed the view as he walked down to the C-Sec headquarters, which had its entrance just below the embassies. The elevator into the building opened into the large chamber bustling with people. Mostly Turians as they made up the bulk of C-Sec, but there were several humans wandering about, as well as the occasional Volus or Salarian.
Anderson ignored the bustle of the room, choosing to head right for another elevator in the center of the space. The elevator led to the many docking bays that covered this area of the Citadel, and stepping on board he pressed the button for dock 7 which was the Alliance private docking yard. Udina had to push hard to get humans their own docking bay, but it was definitely worth it. Guaranteed front row parking.
Anderson took a look at the Normandy, the relatively small ship was state of the art, and it had been a pleasure to pilot for the last month. He would miss the pleasure of being this ship’s Captain, but there was no need to dwell on the idea.
He boarded the vessel, finding it mostly empty, most of the ship's crew seemed to be enjoying their limited time at shore. He took the opportunity to check out the cockpit, and found Joker watching a vid in the pilot's seat. He noticed the sound of Anderson’s footsteps and looked back. Noticing it was Anderson he sat up higher in his seat and gave a salute.
“Captain, welcome back aboard. Are we leaving the dock again soon? I’m eager to fly this girl again. Eden Prime was a good test run and all but I’m itching to really put her through her paces.” Joker spoke with a carefree attitude. He had changed a good deal from the quiet kid in the flight academy, he was without a doubt the best pilot in the alliance.
Unfortunately that status led to him having a touch of arrogance, confidence and arrogance ride the same line after all. That being said he never had an issue following orders, he’ll just gloat the entire time he does it. Never a problem for Anderson, but could be an issue depending who’s ship he ends up piloting one day. At least for now he was with Shepard, and if there was one thing Anderson knew about the Commander, it was that she didn’t care about personality quirks. As long as you could get the job done that’s all that matters.
“Yes you will be departing soon. Feel free to send an alert to the crew to make their way back to the ship. You’ll likely be departing in an hour, we are waiting for Udina to finish the paperwork, and then Shepard is taking command of the Normandy.” Anderson looked out of the ship's cockpit, only able to see the walls of the bay they were parked in. He would miss the view from here, how space looked as a state of the art vessel glided through it. Still it wouldn’t be the last ship he was the Captain of, just temporary grounding while Shepard finds Saren.
“You’re not staying our Captain sir? This is Udina’s idea isn’t it, man I never liked that guy.” Joker shook his head, his support for Anderson brought a smile to the Captain’s face.
“Relax Joker, Shepard needs command of her own ship, this is for the best. Be ready to depart when she arrives, I will be cleaning out my quarters.” Anderson gave Joker a pat on the shoulder before turning and walking off.
“Aye aye sir.” Joker responded, sparing a glance back before turning away and putting out a call for all crew to return to their posts.
Anderson walked through the halls of the Normandy, crossing paths with Luther, a member of the ship's communications team, climbing the stairs to return to his post. He spares the Captain a salute before carrying on, and Anderson descends the stairs. He crosses along the edge of the room, to the door across the ship from the medbay. Opening it up he could see his private quarters. A private bed, shower, and desk with a terminal. It also had some light furniture and a table just for some basic comfort.
Anderson didn’t have much personal supplies, a photo on the desk next to the terminal, a closet full of his uniforms. He was a career military man, his life revolved around moving from ship to ship, posting to posting. He had hoped the Normandy would be a more permanent fixture, but once again it just wasn’t meant to be.
He looked at the photo on the desk, an image of Anderson in his N7 armor. He was a member of the first graduating class on the Arcturus station, and was the start of his military career in earnest. A telling sign of the kind of man Anderson was that he held this photo as one of importance, and not his family. He didn’t dwell on the idea, he had grown more than experienced at ignoring the regrets that he held.
He sat at the desk, opening the terminal. As Captain he had full access to the ships cameras and information from here. Wanting to check something he logged in, opening the cameras to look into the brig of the ship. There, sitting patiently inside of holding cell was Jenkins.
Anderson leaned back in his chair, chuckling to himself. Jenkins was exactly the type to actually follow through and sit in the brig until Shepard showed up to let him out. He was surprised by the man, he had grown in a lot of ways very quickly over the last few months.
When Anderson was first gathering a team, preparing soldiers for training and to eventually staff the Normandy, a few in the Alliance had questioned his pick of soldiers. Kaidan was a powerful biotic, and a good soldier with good standing, but his history with BAat and being an L2 made him a risky choice in the eyes of certain brass. We were picking soldiers to back up a Spectre Candidate, L2’s had a history of instability.
Jenkins on the other hand had the opposite problem. He was utterly unremarkable. He scored well on physical tests and combat trials. He also had engineering training, but never really excelled in a classroom setting. As far as brass were concerned there were better, more experienced, and more specialized soldiers that could fit the role. In the end though, Anderson wanted Jenkins. The kid had heart, and a drive not to fight, but to see the galaxy and protect its denizens. In Anderson’s mind he was the perfect kind of man to assist a Spectre, having the heart to charge headlong into any fight, and the kind of character to refuse a senseless order. Anderson trusted Shepard not to be the kind of Spectre Saren was, but having comrades that wouldn’t accept that kind of leader wouldn’t hurt.
With Kaidan keeping an eye on him he expected them to perform adequately as Shepard’s support. Instead he was surprised to see Jenkins’ performance take a sudden shift. After being assigned to Anderson’s command he was ill a few days, seeing out of it and rarely leaving his quarters. Anderson had feared the stress was too much for the man and he had made a mistake recruiting him. However after his illness he came back with a renewed passion.
He was engaging in engineering with a passion he never had before, suddenly pushing unique and out of the box ideas into our standard technology. He was suddenly doing research and training as though his next mission would be his last. Boarding the Normandy he moved and acted like a kid in a candy store, utterly enraptured by his surroundings. His increased passion almost had Anderson unsure if being a combat grunt was the right role for Jenkins. With his new breakthroughs and ideas he would have gone far in Alliance R & D, but when Anderson offered him the position he turned it down.
With Shepard's arrival Jenkins only got more strange. Both a mixture of nervous and awestruck, Jenkins became a deer in headlights just by being in the same room as her. Anderson was worried that it might be enough of a problem that he couldn’t perform on mission with her. Yet when the Eden Prime mission finally rolled around Shepard had nothing but glowing praise to give her squad mate. According to her mission summary, as well as Kaidan’s, Jenkins fought brilliantly. He used his abilities tactically, followed orders without hesitation, and identified the enemy quickly and efficiently.
It was almost as though Jenkins was born for that mission. Every event since had only compounded that feeling. No matter what happened Jenkins found himself at the center of it, moving with complete confidence and no hesitation. To an outsider the Council meeting would have looked like the outbursts of just an angry grunt, but every comment Jenkins made was not meant to convince the council. He spoke only to cast doubt onto their ideas, and to draw the negative attention from speaking out towards himself. It was a brilliant move, and one perfectly suited to supporting Shepard. But it was also out of character for the man.
Jenkins was a lot of things; he was smart, strong, driven and most importantly kind. He was a good man. But he wasn’t a politician. Despite having served for 6 years Jenkins was never once considered for an officer role. The simple truth of the matter was he didn’t have the skills for leadership. He was a follower, a good one to be sure, but someone best utilized as support. He wasn’t the type to tactfully take control of a hearing of the most powerful politicians in the galaxy and bend the flow of conversation how he wanted.
Anderson saw this behavior as odd, and in hindsight it made his other smaller shifts in personality appear odd as well. Why the sudden shift and interest in technology. He had no history of utilizing his engineering training and yet suddenly in only a few months he revolutionized the most common piece of tech in the military. The strange way he was in total awe of the Normandy and yet seemed to know his way around without difficulty.
As Anderson watched Jenkins sitting in the brig he contemplated what these shifts in personality, in skill, could mean. Was he always this capable, and just suddenly decided to start applying himself? Or was he receiving information and aid from somewhere else? Anderson’s mind jumped to the Shadow Broker. He was known to have his agents infiltrate most organizations in the galaxy, and would explain how Jenkins so succinctly hid his talents with politics. Yet that answer felt wrong to Anderson. It left more questions than answers, and didn’t explain why the change happened when it did.
Looking closely at the video Anderson noticed it looked like Jenkins was talking. He leaned forward, turning on the microphone that was built into the camera and Jenkins' voice came through the speaker.
“Ah, unfortunately I can’t tell you my secret until you trust that I do in fact, know the future.” Jenkins' voice was clear as day, and yet Anderson felt there was no way he heard him speak correctly. Jenkins was silent a moment before continuing to speak. He was talking to an individual, but only half the conversation was being picked up. An earpiece then, but who was he talking to?
Jenkins continued to talk, and Anderson listened, never hearing anything as startling as Jenkins first words, but still learning a great deal. Whoever Jenkins was talking to was travelling with him, which narrowed the available option, but Anderson found nothing in the conversation to point at who it was.
Anderson barely noticed as the time approached the hand off, and was startled by the alert that Udina was headed to the docks to prepare the hand off. Anderson stood, staring at the video feed showing Jenkins talking to someone unknown, and considered what to do. In the end he decided to trust his gut. As unusual as Jenkins was, he didn’t believe he was a bad guy. He trusted he was a good man, and whatever his secret was, whatever this conversation meant, it wasn’t dangerous to Shepard or her team.
However Anderson wasn’t the type to leave a gut instinct unverified. He quickly downloaded the video files in question to his omni-tool, to review in greater detail later. After a moment's hesitation he deleted the video from the terminal. If Jenkins was a threat Anderson would contact Shepard directly, if he wasn’t this video would only distract her if she stumbled across it. He closed down the terminal, and walked to the edge of the room.
Anderson wondered, as he walked out of the ship he had hoped to call home, exactly who Jenkins was, and what his secrets were. Knowing the future was a crazy thing to claim, and yet the way he spoke was without any hint of madness or hesitation. As if it was another fact of the universe. Anderson hoped to uncover more information as soon as possible. Jenkins was either a much more capable ally then anticipated, or a threat that avoided detection from every member of the Alliance. While David Anderson hoped for the first, he knew well enough to prepare for the second. Only time would tell, and whatever else he could dig up from that video file.