(AN: Sorry for the delay; this chapter took longer to edit than planned.)
---The Citadel---
Arriving at the Widow Cluster's edge, my fleet held position while I headed to the space station. Unable to dock the Spiritus Libertatis in port, as it was half the station's length, the control tower requested we use a shuttle to come aboard. Following their instructions, we descended to the port, where a small welcome party awaited us.
"Councilor Tevos, we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to personally receive us.", Ambassador Caliza spoke, disembarking the shuttle with her staff. "Allow me to introduce Primarch Victor von Stark of the Imperium of Man and several of his wives."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Stark.", Messana Tevos said, giving me a respectful nod. "I want to personally thank you for rescuing my subordinates. Caliza and her team have been keeping me up-to-date on your continued efforts to locate those who are still unaccounted for. If there is anything the Asari can do to repay you, please do not hesitate to ask."
"I will keep that in mind.", I replied, shaking her hand.
Exchanging pleasantries with the Human, Salarian, and Turian councilors as well, the four representatives offered my party some refreshments. Ordinarily, I would politely decline their offer and promptly leave, but I could not do that today. Establishing positive relations with the Citadel Council would benefit the Imperium, both economically and politically. As one of its ranking members, I had to bite the bullet for the sake of the Imperial people.
"I suppose we can spare a few minutes.", I replied, accepting their offer.
"Caliza already informed us of your packed schedule today. We will not take more than fifteen minutes of your time.", Tevos assured me, leading the way to the reception area. "For the sake of transparency, associate council members and other sentient species will also be joining us."
"Is that so…", I replied, using Force Sense to see what I was walking into.
Based on the station diagrams Yoma and her operatives had procured, I focused my senses on potential gathering places. Noticing one of them already had a large crowd gathered, it was a safe assumption that it was our destination. Upon closer inspection, I could make out roughly twenty-seven distinct species inside, and unfortunately, most were female. Releasing a subtle irritated sigh, Loki and Mephala quietly asked if everything was alright.
"This is not going to be your typical meet and greet.", I answered, telepathically warning my family. "Where we are heading, I can sense an alarming number of young women. I am guessing several groups got their hands on Caliza's detailed reports. They likely want to secure my support for one of several issues in this galaxy or want access to my tech."
"I was under the impression that the Reapers were the only problem in this region.", Momo replied, having done a bit of research last night. "Is there something else?"
"The Reapers are the biggest threat, but there are few others.", I stated as we drew closer to the room. "There are the Batarian pirates and slavers who frequently carry out raids across the galaxy. The synthetic AI race called Geth, who are locked in an endless war with their creators, the Quarians. The Leviathans, who created the Reapers, are secretly working against the council and other sentient races behind the scenes. And lastly, there are plenty of aggressive groups unaffiliated with the Citadel Council who like stirring up trouble."
Perplexed by this information, Momo wondered why the reports she read did not mention these topics. Deciding to bring this matter to Gid's attention upon their return, she hoped it was just a clerical error and not a sign that trouble was afoot.
"Is there anything we can do to help you?", Roxanne questioned, moving closer to me as the doors opened.
"If you are comfortable doing so, do not hesitate to flaunt your natural beauty. It will help keep troublesome women away, as few can rival any of you.", I answered, complimenting them. "Should you feel uncomfortable doing that, a simple smile will more than suffice."
Moving closer to me, my family softly smiled with delight while Slaanesh turned bright red. Unused to receiving genuine compliments, her ears wriggled with joy at my words. Instead of acting like a thirsty whore, this time she kept a calm demeanor. Taking full advantage of Caliz's mistake, evidently Slaanesh wanted to prove she could be a competent wife. So long as she continued to behave, I would let the misunderstanding slide for now.
Confidently striding into the reception hall, many representatives rushed toward me like a flock of hungry birds. As they approached, a few unruly individuals flagrantly shoved their peers to the floor to reach me first. Grimacing at their childish actions, the Turian councilor Sparatus motioned for the posted security guards to deal with the situation. Before they had the opportunity to intervene, though, an ugly fight broke out.
"We barely entered the room, and they are already making fools of themselves.", Loki subtly remarked, glancing up at me. "It may be best to cut our losses and leave. Nothing can be gained from negotiating with uncultured swine."
"I am all for a good brawl, but this is pathetic…", Boethiah commented, shaking her head with disappointment. "Like Loki said, negotiating with these children is a waste of time."
While I understood where they were coming from, I refused to walk away. The Imperium needed their knowledge and trade, and I wanted the Reaper's technology. We had come this far already; no way was I leaving empty-handed.
"Enough!", I commanded, slamming my hands together, creating a thunderclap. "You are the designated representatives of your people; act like it. Not only are you making fools of yourselves, but also of the constituents you represent. They entrusted their hopes and dreams to you; show them their trust was not misplaced."
After quickly picking themselves up, the individuals fixed their attire and promptly apologized to me. With order restored, the security team promptly tried to remove the instigators. Refusing to listen to them, I seized them with a Force Choke and hoisted them into the air.
"Unlike your peers, all of you appear to have come here looking for a fight. Begone from this place, and do not bother setting foot before me again.", I said, tightening my grip on their throats. "Next time I see any of you, I will send what remains of you in a wooden box."
Tossing the representatives out of the room, they flew through the doorway screaming their heads off. With the nuisances removed, I got back to business once again, while security saw them out.
"Now then, my time aboard the Citadel is very limited today. I am currently leading a large military force to the Human Galactic Empire. Our goal is to assist them in pushing back the bipedal insectoids invading their region of space.", I explained. "As all of you clearly wish to speak with me, we can schedule private meetings for another time. For now, though, how about we formally introduce ourselves?"
Already apprised of the deteriorating situation in that region, the representatives understood time was of the essence. Approaching me once again, this time in a calm manner, they introduced themselves and shared a bit about their people. As we reached the last representative, a female Quarian hesitantly stepped forward to speak.
"My… My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.", Rayya spoke. "While I was not officially appointed, I speak for the Quarian people."
"Ah, I believe I know what you wish to speak about.", I stated, recognizing her name. "You seek my help dealing with the Geth, right?"
Squarely hitting the nail on the head, Rayya momentarily froze in shock. Expecting me not to know of them, as I was a foreigner, it took a few seconds for her to recover.
"That is correct.", Rayya confirmed, nodding her head. "A close friend of mine informed me you are well versed in interacting with AIs; is that correct? I was hoping you would consider aiding my people in reclaiming our homeworld from our rogue creations."
Revealing himself to everyone, Luxion descended to Rayya's eye level to speak with her as equals. Startled by his abrupt appearance, the room descended into chaos as people assumed he would attack. Slamming my foot down on the floor, I ordered everyone to remain where they were and listen to Luxion.
Faced with this simple question, Rayya found herself unable to answer truthfully. Time had long since erased the specific details of what transpired. All the Quarians could remember now was the heavy price they paid during the Geth Uprising.
"I will be forthright with you; the Geth were the second race from this galaxy to contact me. They are just as desperate as everyone else here to repel the Reaper threat.", I shared. "I am willing to act as an intermediary between the Geth and your people. Talk with your leaders and convince them to come to the negotiation table. Enough blood has been spilled; it is time to give a peaceful approach a chance."
Enthusiastically nodding her head, she agreed to speak with Quarian leadership about it. Exchanging contact information, Rayya promised to contact me once they had reached a decision. With introductions completed, Tevos and the other councilors approached to escort us back to our shuttle. After bidding everyone farewell for now, we managed to leave without encountering any issues with women.
"Are you truly on speaking terms with the Geth, Lord Stark?", Tevos questioned, once we were a safe distance from the doorway.
"Yes, in fact, they are quite a kindhearted race of xenos.", I confirmed. "I can confidently guarantee that the Quarians will regain their homeworld if they are willing to let go of the past. All the Geth are asking for is protection and rights, the same as any sentient race."
"Forgive my skepticism, but I will believe it when I see.", Sparatus commented.
Continuing the rest of our walk in silence, as we approached the shuttle, I noticed a few familiar faces waiting for us.
"Councilor Tevos, you requested our presence, ma'am?", a female Commander Shepard remarked. "How may we be of assistance?"
"Commander Shepard, we would like to temporarily reassign Liara T'Soni and Samara to Lord Stark's care.", Tevos stated, looking to me. "Liara T'Soni is one of our foremost experts on Prothean technology, and Samara is a highly respected Asari Justicar. Are you willing to allow them to join your crew?"
"That depends. For what reason are you assigning them to me?", I questioned, already knowing the answer.
"We believe that Prothean technology holds the key to permanently ridding our galaxy of the Reaper threat. To be frank, we are rapidly losing ground to them, and time is running out. Our hope is your vast knowledge will help T'Soni complete her research, potentially giving us a solution to the Reapers.", Tevos explained. "Samara is a more personal matter. While extremely rare, our people can suffer from a genetic condition called Ardat-Yakshi…"
Providing an overview of the gruesome genetic condition, Tevos shared that Samara's three daughters all had this disease. While two of them elected to live in isolation, her third daughter, Morinth, embraced her condition and became a serial killer. Over the past few centuries, she had killed thousands of hapless souls who fell to her seduction.
"Samara became a justicar to try and atone for Morinth's sins. She has nearly cornered her daughter several times, but Morinth is always a step ahead of her.", Tevos said. "I would like to hire you in your official capacity as a platinum-ranked bounty hunter to help Samara find and kill Morinth."
'Uh huh, I am sure there are no ulterior motives at play here…', I thought, seeing through her ploy. "Very well, I have no issue having them join us for a spell."
Thanking me for my assistance, Tevos promised to submit a formal request through the association later today. Promptly boarding the shuttle, Shepard asked me to take good care of her team members. I assured her that I would take good care of her team members before quickly undocking from the station and returning to the Spiritus Libertatis.