Interesting Times - Chapter 45

October 26th, 2173

13:28

Illium, Tesale-System

Nos Astra

Ad Astra HQ - Illium Branch

A frown found its way onto my face as I observed the destruction of the IFC building displayed on the screen. A dozen or more disaster teams were currently busy with rescue operations or trying to stabilize the debris before parts of it could fall to the ground, potentially hitting someone. 

Thankfully, Sheryll and Donut, who had been in the center of the disaster, had already been evacuated, and apart from Donut's crushed arm and a light concussion on Sheryll's part, nothing serious had happened to them. 

The doctors were currently trying to make sure that Donut's new stump after his crushed arm got amputated since it was beyond saving, was clean, not prone to infection, and prepared for the time when the robotic replacement arrived so that it could be attached immediately. 

The rest of the team I had sent to the IFC building was unhurt due to the fact that they had been flying in a small circle around the surrounding buildings, close enough to be able to react but far enough to be not caught in the explosions. 

All of that should have helped to improve my mood, yet it was undeniable that this mission had been a disaster. 

I didn't get the information on the Arbiter and her dealings, no idea about the bank accounts used to finance my enemies, and the one member of the Circle I could count on to support me was dead. 

Nisco Ron's body had been found alongside the body of his secretary, buried under the rubble of what had previously been his office. The body of the Volus was unrecognizable as the epicenter of the first explosion had been directly under his office, and the shockwave had done a number on his body. Only through comparing the body's DNA with the one saved by his personal doctor was identification possible. 

I got the confirmation that it had indeed been Nisco Ron only a few minutes ago, causing my mood to plummet. The glimmer of hope that Nisco wanted to use a decoy or double during the meeting with my representatives and that it had been that person who got killed died when I got the news. 

The only thing stopping me from declaring this mission and all possible information lost as the officials at the scene prevented my people from searching the area was that I knew how crafty the late Volus could be. It wouldn't surprise me if he had taken this scenario into account and prepared a last fuck-you toward the Arbiter and anyone who wanted him dead. 

Yet, I didn't know which form that would take, and I could only wait until this possible fallback plan started to kick into gear. There wasn't even a single clue to begin my search, so at the moment, my opportunities were limited to keeping Eclipse contained and hoping my own investigations into the identity of the Arbiter would bear fruit. 

I hated it. 

It was like I could only stay passive for the moment, a situation I disliked immensely. 

Eclipse was staying under the radar, preparing who-knows-what with the reinforcements they smuggled onto the planet, and my scouts were having no luck finding their location after they seemingly abandoned their previous main base. 

It was concerning, to say the least. Without any new information about Eclipse's movements, any action taken would only be a response to theirs. The reactionary way wasn't something I was sure we could or should allow. If anything, it was possibly the worst we could do. Reports about the things Jona Sederis and those she counted among her most trusted commanders were the things of nightmares for anyone with a halfway decent moral compass. Hostages, blackmail, executions, if any enemy ever became enough of a headache or incurred their disdain or anger, were the means Eclipse responded with to break them. 

I had already issued a warning to my employees about it and to be more careful and report anything they found unusual or out of place. Already, some of my higher-placed employees noticed people following them after their working hours. A few security officers followed them discreetly but couldn't follow them back to their base. 

Afterward, the stalkers seemingly disappeared, yet the unease in my chest remained. 

Eclipse was planning something, something that would hit me hard and force me to act, and I didn't know what. 

That the situation was frustrating was the least I could say. 

While I watched the news feed, I heard someone approaching me from behind. The fact that none of the guards placed around the room reacted was enough to tell me that it was someone I could trust without reservation. Well, without reservation in certain matters. 

"A disaster, isn't it?" I sighed when the person was close enough. "And I'm not speaking about the mission failure." 

"The senseless loss of life is always a disaster," replied Commander Abebe, the calm expression on her face not covering the emotions held in her eyes. 

"I wouldn't call it senseless," I countered. "Their deaths had meaning. A meaning they didn't choose to or would have ever agreed to, but a meaning nonetheless." 

"Sir?" responded Commander Abebe, and I could hear the question in that single word as if she had formulated a whole sentence. 

"It's a warning to us. A single precision strike to kill Nisco Ron would have been enough if the only objective had been to deny us information. Even a smaller bomb that would have taken out the retrieval team, too, would have been better. Yet, they chose to do something like this. Now, what do you think does that tell us?" 

"That they are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals."

The answer came with an amount of certainty behind it that was at the same time confident as well as hesitant to commit to it fully. 

"In parts," I agreed with a nod. "Of course, there's the point you have made. Another would be a demonstration of power and influence, the certainty to get away with such a grand display. There are already whispers that this was the work of some extremists who fight against the capitalist oppression of this world. A lie, no doubt. Yet, it is one the masses and most of the people harmed in this attack will believe. It shows us how far the reach of the enemy is and their influence on this planet's government that the investigation into this incident will lead in that direction and end there, too." 

"I would have thought that Illium's Matriarchs wouldn't back down if something like that happened." 

"That would only apply if our enemy was the one to conduct this attack," I responded, a small smile finding its way onto my face. 

"I thought you said it was them who did it?" asked Commander Abebe, and I could see her confused facial expression from the corner of my eye after she positioned herself next to me. 

"You confuse organizing and conducting," I replied. "Our enemy organized the attack, yet, it was a third party who conducted it. I imagine the Arbiter, who I believe is behind the attack, hired the Shadow Broker. He's the only one with enough power and blackmail material to even get Illium's Matriarchs to dance after his music. Anyone else, and they would have a horde of angry, powerful Asari after their asses." 

"And how do we prevent the Arbiter from hiring the Shadow Broker again to do the same to us?" asked Abebe, the worry plain to hear in her voice. 

I could understand her. The Shadow Broker was a formidable enemy, and I was kicking myself a thousand times and more for not writing down the planet's name or even the name of the solar system where he hid when I still remembered it. 

I should have expected it, really, that over the course of my life, I would forget details about the Mass Effect games. 

In my defense... 

No, there was no defense. 

I had been arrogant or perhaps negligent, and now it came back to bite me. 

Thankfully, after recognizing my mistake, I took the time to note down important pieces of information, like the Prothean Beacon on Thessia and hid that information. 

Of course, I also made sure that in the event of my death, this information would find its way toward Andrew, the only person I could trust to use it in a way that would aid the Alliance more than only himself. 

"I have it handled," I said, trying to reduce Commander Abebe's apprehension. It only worked slightly, forcing me to elaborate. "I sent one of our agents to an information broker confirmed to work for the Shadow Broker. The broker is relatively low in the hierarchy yet has the means to contact the Shadow Broker. Our agent will make the offer that we will pay him to do nothing." 

"Is that wise, sir? As much as I dislike the idea, wouldn't it be better to get the Shadow Broker on our side and have him strike against the Arbiter?" she asked, and I could hear the obvious disgust at the idea and herself for even thinking and voicing it. After all, the commander wasn't the kind of person who liked working with what she described as the scum of the galaxy, and she had, on numerous occasions, argued against cooperating with Illium's street gangs in matters of security. That she had even been willing to entertain the idea spoke well of her newly acquired flexibility in such matters. 

Yet, while my following words were probably not the ones she wanted to hear, she looked relieved nonetheless. 

"I would rather that this stays between us and the Arbiter. Involving a third party, especially one as powerful and ambiguous as the Shadow Broker, would only invite a bidding war between us for his services." I avoided the word loyalty because I knew that the Broker's loyalty was only to himself. "Besides, even if we continuously win the bidding war against the Arbiter, we never can be absolutely sure about the Shadow Broker's motives. He will always try to get us under his control. And while the saying goes to keep your enemies closer than your friends, I am loath to do so with an enemy as nebulous as the Shadow Broker," I finished with a sharp smile that reflected my unease at the thought of letting the Shadow Broker's agents close enough to allow them to snoop around unimpeded. 

A single nod from Commander Abebe signaled to me that she understood my reasoning. 

Silence descended between us as the topic got closed with my last words, and the commander stood quietly at my side as we watched the news feed together. 

My right index and middle finger tapped the armrest of my chair in a random rhythm as my focus drifted away from the ongoing events at the IFC building and to what measures could be taken to take away the initiative from Eclipse and the Arbiter. 

I didn't know how often I already mentioned it, but I disliked being on the backfoot with those two, yet without further information, it would be hard to seize the momentum and direct how our "war" would continue. 

As I was thinking about a possible way to draw the Arbiter out into the light and eliminate her, which also would probably end our problems with Eclipse, my thoughts were interrupted by rapidly approaching steps that echoed through the room. 

Commander Abebe tensed next to me and turned toward the approaching person, her hand twitching toward her pistol, ready to draw it if it became necessary. 

She relaxed marginally after she identified the person, and curious as I was, I also turned toward the newcomer. 

The man coming closer to us was relatively young, mid-twenties at maximum, if I had to guess, and wore the simple black suit pants combined with a white dress shirt out of his waistband on one side, probably from running here. That he had been running was easy to infer from his red head, the sweat on his brow, the slightly heavy breathing, and his general disheveled appearance. The standard employee identification hung on a strap around his neck, identifying him as a member of the analyst division.

I raised my eyebrow in curiosity. What happened that was so important that caused this young man to make a mad dash?

As he came closer and was only a few steps away, Commander Abebe calmly ordered: "I think that is far enough. Please identify yourself and tell us the reason for your coming."

Despite the calm tone she used, the unspoken message of "Come any closer, and I don't care who you are. You will regret it," was heard loud and clear, most of all by the young man who froze midstep with an expression that conveyed his thoughts about what possibly could happen to him very well. 

"Ah, I'm sorry, sir, for coming in unannounced," said the young analyst quickly, his voice slightly squeaking in the face of unspoken but promised violence if he did the wrong thing. The light smile I sent him helped calm him down enough that his voice returned to its usual level when he continued, yet he still spoke a little faster. If that was usual for him, I couldn't say without meeting him a second time. 

"I'm Harrison Gober, and I've been working down in Information for a few months," he continued, and it was good to put a name to the young man instead of just calling him that. "We got a data package from an unknown source a few minutes ago -at best half an hour ago- and, well, with most of us busy with going over the incident at IFC with a fine-toothed comb, it fell to me to watch the video, and, well, I don't really know how to say it, but..." Harrison got more and more quiet toward the end until he completely stopped, looking extremely uncomfortable with whatever was displayed in the video. 

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity, yet something in my gut told me I wouldn't like what he had to say about it. 

Nonetheless, I probably needed to know about it, my own and Harrison's sensibilities be damned. 

"Spit it out," I said, my tone harsher than I intended, causing the young analyst to jerk slightly in his place. 

"Of course, sir," he answered, pulling up a datapad I hadn't noticed previously. "It's better if you watch it on here. I think it's better not to use the big screen. The content is disturbing and would probably cause panic if shown too publicly. Mr. Conelly ordered us down in Information to keep a lid on it for the moment until you decide how to proceed." 

Something ugly twisted itself into a knot inside my stomach. Conelly was the head of the Information division, and normally, he wasn't a man prone to exaggerations. Instead, it was more likely he did the opposite. So when he said that the video could cause a panic among the staff, it was almost certain that it would cause one. 

"Show me," I said, projecting more confidence than I felt. 

Harrison tried to hand me the tablet after opening the video, but Commander Abebe intercepted his attempt, taking the datapad for herself and holding it in front of me so we both could watch it. A little paranoid on her part, but I didn't voice any objection after the last few weeks we had, and it was probably better to let her do as she wanted concerning my security. It would be less of a hassle than arguing with her. 

Simple tipping on the tablet started the video, and I immediately had to stop myself from snarling at what I saw. 

There were four humans, three men and one woman, on their knees, their faces bloodied, and their hands and arms pulled backward, probably cuffed, too. 

Yet, what truly raised my hackles were the Eclipse soldiers positioned around them. Their weapons visible, but not trained on their prisoners. 

"Is it on?" asked a female voice from the off-screen, and a moment later, an Asari stepped into the picture with a smile on her face. 

Some would call it a serene smile, one that someone content with their life would wear, but that wasn't what I was seeing. Instead, I saw the smile of someone who enjoyed the casual cruelty they inflicted on people just because they could. It was enough that an inkling of what was to come settled in my mind, and I had to actively fight the anger and disgust that rose up inside of me to continue to watch the video. 

"Hi, there," the Asari said, "I hope that the Big Bad Boss of Ad Astra is seeing this because, well, it's a message to you. My Big Boss is quite cross with you and your doings against our newest employer on Illium. The fact that our Eclipse is getting pushed back by a small-time security force of some company, a human one at that, is not doing us any favors for our reputation. So, Jona wants to make a statement and issue a warning that you should take heed of." 

The Asari pulled a pistol from her side and walked, no, skipped behind the bound hostages who started to beg and plead. 

"And she gave me the choice of how the warning should be issued," the Asari continued, and a cruel smile appeared on her face. "So, I gathered a few of your people, nobody important, I assure you, but perfect for what I intend to do. See, if I'm willing to do this to some random employee of yours, who's to say what I will do to one with actual importance to you?" 

When she finished, she leveled the pistol at the back of the head of the rightmost hostage and pulled the trigger without hesitation. 

I reflexively closed my eyes as the shot sounded out of the tablet, and I took a deep breath to calm my rapidly beating heart. Furthermore, I could feel how the blood in my veins turned cold and yet, at the same time, unimaginably hot. 

Commander Abebe let out a snarl next to me.

Right now, she looked and sounded like a wild hound, ready to be let off the leash to hunt down those who had offended her and finish them off in a very bloody way. 

I was tempted to do so. 

I forced myself to keep watching, yet whatever happened in the video didn't want to settle inside my mind. The ringing in my ears got more deafening with every second as I watched how the Eclipse Asari made grand gestures and wild claims about how Eclipse would grind my company to dust, executing the remaining hostages along the way. 

Every time she shot one, the corners of my mouth twitched in anger, and as the video ended, Harrison took the tablet out of Commander Abebe's still hands. 

I continued to stare at the place where I just watched innocent people being executed for the crime of working for me. My eyes turned toward the young analyst, and I didn't know what he was seeing, but he jerked back in fright when my eyes met his. 

"What did you find out?" I asked, my voice thick with anger. 

"The Asari is an Eclipse commander with the name Kalara Ayori. We don't have much about her personal history, but we do know that she is one of Jona Sederis' top commanders. Reports indicate that this," he hesitatingly gestured toward the tablet in his hands, "isn't the first time she employed such a method to intimidate her opponents." 

"It will be the last time she does. I will personally make sure of that," interjected Commander Abebe with a furious expression. 

"Did you identify the hostages?" I asked calmly. "And more importantly, have you found the location in the video? I want their bodies back. They deserve a proper burial." 

The sudden calm that fell over me somehow didn't feel right to me. I wanted to scream, to throw things around, and yet, all I could feel was calmness. 

"We know the names of the hostages, and Mr. Conelly already ordered some of the other analysts to identify the location. I don't know if they made any progress while I was coming here," came Harrison's response.

"Bringing them home is our first priority," I said while closing my eyes. "Also, arrange for their families everything they would need to have a good life. A pension, college funds for the children, and so on. Somewhere deep in Alliance territory. Furthermore, warn everyone that they could be targeted by Eclipse and tell them that if they came with their families to Illium, we will take over the costs for their relocation." 

I kept my eyes closed as Harrison left the room to communicate my orders. 

I kept my eyes closed as Commander Abebe asked me what we should do about Eclipse. 

I kept my eyes closed as my heartbeat slowly calmed down, and a burning cold started to flow through my veins. 

And when my eyes opened, I wouldn't have recognized the look in them if I had looked into a mirror. The look of someone ready to burn down an organization of immense influence and power and happily dance on its ashes. 

"You asked me what we will do about Eclipse?" I asked, a deadly calm seeping into my words that had Commander Abebe standing at attention immediately. "I'll tell you what we will do. I don't care if this Ayori, or however she is called, did this on Sederis' orders, I don't care if Sederis knew about it, and I definitely don't care if this will take years, but it will be done." 

I turned toward the commander and fixated her with a stare that would have lesser people quivering in their boots, and even Commander Abebe took a step back reflexively. 

"Contact every captain, commander, and lieutenant in the Ad Astra Security forces and tell them that every Eclipse member is now on our blacklist. There will be no negotiations with them. There will be no mercy. Eclipse wants power so much that they would stoop to such measures? Then, we will help them realize that actions do have consequences. I wonder if they will still be so quick to use such... such barbarous measures against us if they won't be able to take any step without fearing that we come around the corner to put them down quickly." 

Perhaps I was overreacting, yet I couldn't help but do it anyway. Eclipse had hit me where it hurt the most. And now, I wanted blood. 

And I wouldn't just be satisfied with getting even. 

I would hurt Eclipse so much that their very survival as an entity would hinge upon not getting in my way ever again. 

Commander Abebe looked at me silently, her thoughts unknown to me, but it took only moments before she nodded resolutely. Without any more words, she left my side to contact her fellow commanders to begin to spread the word about my decision. 

With a deep and heavy sigh, I leaned back in my chair. 

The coming weeks would be difficult, yet I had decided to follow that course, and I would follow it to the end. 

And who knows? Perhaps the Alliance would be better served if no Eclipse member ever dared to step foot in its territory.