Chapter 9: Sins of the Past

CR70 Corvette, Sayara

Coruscant Public Docks, near the Senate Building

Engineering Level

"This is not what it looks like ma'am." Tevin started to say, but Jakar cut him off when he took his eyes off the man for all of two seconds. Lashing out with his feet, Tevin was forced to the deck on his face as Jakar pulled out a second blaster from his back which he promptly turned on Jack.

Instinct took over as the biotic jumped to the side, just ahead of the red blaster bolts that just skimmed her right shoulder and the left side of chest. "The fuck?!" Jack cursed as she took a moment to get her bearings, and to assess the damage she had sustained. Other than her open jacket top had been singed, she was fine. But that was a distant concern as her chestnut brown eyes gleamed in barely controlled rage about the same time dark energy flared around her with greater intensity than before. "Some asshole's about to get smeared across the deck unless I get some goddamn fucking answers! Hell, I might do it anyway!" She roared as she jumped out of her hiding spot and sent a Shockwave down the narrow passageway between the engine array and the outer wall. Several light blue eruptions careened down the passageway, tossing everything that wasn't nailed down against the ceiling at near terminal velocity while pushing everything around it away from the powerful attack. Only by some small miracle did it completely miss the bomb wired into the engine itself.

Jakar and Tevin were only just able to avoid being turned into twin streaks of red as they pulled apart and pressed themselves as tightly against the sides of the engine room as they could. Even then they felt the dark energy wave wash over them, crushing them against the sides of the chamber. When it passed, both men fell to the deck, sporting more than a few bruises and broken bones with Jack standing over them, positively glowing a dark blue from head to toe.

Kicking Jakar's blaster away, Jack planted one heavy combat boot on the man's back while slamming Tevin against the wall with the other, holding him in place with her biotics. "Start. Talking." Jack growled out through clenched teeth.

Despite the dangerous gleam in the biotic's eyes that promised a very slow, drawn out death if he didn't tread carefully, Tevin was determined to set things right as he pushed against the wall in an effort to get to the bomb. He only ended up wasting his energy since Jack's biotic hold was too strong for him to move so much as a pinky. Thankfully that didn't extend to his mouth. "We don't have time ma'am! Jakar planted a bomb and it's going to go off soon!"

"We could have been long gone if you hadn't gotten in my way Tevin!" Jakar yelled only to grunt in pain when Jack pressed her boot down harder on the middle of his back. "And if this schutta hadn't gotten in our way!"

"This schutta's the one that's got you flat on your face moron." Jack growled back before turning to Tevin. "Now what's this about a bomb?"

"Respectfully ma'am, I don't have the time to explain. If I don't do something about it now, it won't matter what I tell you." Tevin replied desperately.

"So I'm just supposed to trust you, is that what you're saying Avax? 'Cause you must think I was born yesterday if you think I'm gonna let you go that easily."

"Ma'am, you don't have a choice. Either you let me go and I might be able to stop the ship from exploding, or you keep me here and we all die for sure."

Jack met Tevin's gaze, holding it for several seconds to see if he'd shy away from her probing stare. When he didn't flinch in the slightest, the psychotic biotic muttered a curse and lowered her hand about the same time her outstretched limb stopped glowing. Tevin fell to the deck on his hands and knees but quickly regained his feet with a nod of gratitude for her taking a chance with him. He didn't get far when Jack grabbed him by his shoulder. "Fuck with me or my friends Avax, and you'll wish I had let Jakar kill you first."

"Just make sure that I don't get interrupted, or no one will ever hurt your friends again." Tevin told her fiercely and made his way to the bomb. Jack kept her distance, and at the same time kept Jakar pinned to the ground with her boot on his back. Avax didn't question his good fortune as he went to work in disarming the bomb, his breath slow and steady as he looked over the device he had started to work on before his former friend had gotten the drop on him.

The bomb was fairly primitive, if still undoubtedly effective enough to destroy the ship. Still he was careful, if his former friend believed that he wouldn't have enough time to defuse it, then he was certain that there was some kind of nasty surprise inside. So far though he didn't see anything amiss as he carefully cut one wire, glad he had at least gotten the cover off earlier so he had a clear idea of what Jakar had used to put this thing together. He didn't come across a problem until Tevin pulled out a power cell and saw what was underneath. "Son of a sithspawn."

Jack immediately looked away from Jakar and jerked her gaze towards Tevin. "The fuck is going on over there Tevin?"

Tevin ignored her as he stomped over to Jakar, who had a wide, malevolent grin on his face. Dragging him to his feet, Tevin slammed him into the nearest wall. "Did I outsmart you at last Tevin? You always were at the top of our class, but this time I have you beat."

"A detonator as a primer?! Are you utterly insane Jakar?!" Tevin asked his former friend enraged. While actually a rather simple mechanism, the way Jakar had connected it with the rest of the bomb made it rather unstable.

Jakar only chuckled darkly and grinned in response. "Why? Because I made sure that it would explode no matter what? You will get what's coming for you, traitor."

"A grenade? He used a grenade as an ignition trigger?" Even Jack understood what that meant as she looked at the bomb in horror before glaring hate filled daggers at the smug looking Jakar.

"Thermal detonator to be precise. I can try to disable it, but to even attempt that I have to get it out of the chassis." Tevin told her and ran back to the bomb. Before he touched it again though, he looked over towards Jack, a forlorn, resigned look on his face. "You better leave ma'am. If this thing explodes in here, you won't make it. Make sure the ship is evacuated, just in case."

"Fuck that noise Tevin. EDI!" Jack yelled, and didn't wait for the Ai to respond before she grabbed Jakar and started dragging him to the nearest escape pod. "Get that fucking grenade Tevin, we're getting rid of the trash."

"I'll try, but it will take me a little time. If I'm not careful… yeah I don't have to tell you." Tevin said without looking over his shoulder. There wasn't enough time to delay further.

"No shit sherlock. Move it!" Jack roared over her shoulder as she bodily tossed Jakar at her feet before using her biotics to immobilize him just as the ship started to lift off from the docks. EDI didn't disappoint as she got them into high orbit in record time, although it forced herself and Tevin to hold onto something as gravity shifted unexpectedly at the sudden acceleration. Once things had settled down, Jack looked over her shoulder once she was sure Jakar wasn't going anywhere. "And one question, why don't we simply throw the whole thing in there?"

"Because If I tried to move it we would be vaporized, that's why. Now can you shut up? I have to concentrate here." Avax growled back and promptly went back to work in getting rid of the thermal detonator itself, so the bomb couldn't be set off even if the timer ran down.

Jack merely grunted and focus on keeping the saboteur immobilized. Though she was tempted to hit him for that smug grin of his that just stayed on his face. "What's the matter, having trouble, old friend?" He spat and chuckled darkly. Tevin ignored him, too focused on the task at hand. Jakar scoffed before turning his gaze on Jack. "I figured you'd have killed me by now, maybe hanging around your xeno loving commander has made you soft?"

"You'd have said that to me a few years ago I'd have splattered your guts all over the wall by now. As it is, I'm tempted, so I'd shut up now dickless." Jack growled out, her hands clenching and unclenching in an obvious sign of barely controlled anger.

Either ignorant to her mounting rage or hoping to provoke her further, Jakar's smirk widened further. "Just as I had expected from such a feral creature as yourself. You're no better then the animals that accompany you."

Jack snarled in rage and was just about to hit him for that comment when Tevin's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Don't, he's just trying to make you angry. You'll either make a mistake so he can escape or you kill him, that way he won't be able to reveal any information. Typical behaviour for him, usually works too."

Jack spat out a string of curses as she crossed her arms, her right hand still glowing with dark energy as she held Jakar in place on the floor at her feet just right by the escape pod. By then Tali and most of the engineering crew had joined the party, woken up by the sudden shift in the ship. "Help him get that damn thing outta here princess." Tali didn't argue with Jack as she ran to Tevin's side, but not before giving Jakar a swift kick to his side, having overheard enough of his earlier ranting to know who the real enemy here was.

Tevin breathed out a sigh of relief as he slowly pulled the thermal detonator free of the bomb's chassis just as Tali knelt by his side. "Thanks but I got it. Clear a path, we need to get rid of this now."

"Escape pod's already open, just need to jettison it." Tali replied immediately before helping Tevin to his feet with a hand on his upper arm.

"Right. Thanks ma'am." Tevin said as he started for the escape pod, but that put him in line with Jakar. Even with him pinned to the ground by Jack's biotics, he was wary of his old friend pulling out one last trick at the worst opportunity. That was until Kasumi, her omni-blade centimeters away from his bobbing adam's apple, flickered into sight.

"We're going to have a long chat, but for now, get rid of that little toy of his will you Tevin? That'd be great." Kasumi stated, all business as she kept her blade's tip just shy of opening Jakar's throat from ear to ear.

"Yes ma'am." Tevin merely said and did his best to carry the thermal detonator as fast, and at the same time, as safely, as possible towards the escape pod. He couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, in all his time he had known Jakar, he had never seen the man do things halfway. He usually made sure that he accomplished his mission, but this felt strangely ill planned on his part. On the other hand, Tevin knew Jakar had been provoked into action after the Draiga fiasco, but he still couldn't shake the feeling they were missing something as he tossed the thermal detonator into the pod and promptly sent it on its way once the door was sealed. He breathed a lot easier when the pod was blasted away from the Sayara and watched with a certain sense of satisfaction when the escape pod exploded moments later. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a random fireworks explosion above the planet.

"I wouldn't celebrate yet Avax. Did you really think I wouldn't have a backup plan?" Jakar asked him rhetorically, his face still sporting a disturbingly smug smile.

Tevin sighed as he looked towards Jakar, pinned between a furious Jack and an annoyed Kasumi. "No, I know you. But I also know that you're not stupid. Tell me what you've done, there is no need for this to escalate any further then it already has. Surrender now, and I'll make sure that you will be treated fairly."

"Oh you'll find out soon enough Avax. In about ten seconds." Jakar cackled as an alarm klaxon started to blare in engineering.

Tali immediately ran to the hyperdrive engine as it started to throw arcs of electrical energy across the chamber. "Keelah! He's done something to the hyperdrive. I think we're about to take a one way trip to somewhere and I don't have enough time to deactivate it. Hold onto something!"

A moment later they felt the now familiar lurch of entering hyperspace. The speeds that the space crafts in this galaxy possessed meant that they could end up anywhere. Knowing this, it came as no surprise the biotic was the first to start the interrogation as she nodded for Kasumi to take a step back. The master thief didn't hesitate as she saw the building rage in Jack's brown eyes. "Where did you send us you miserable piece of shit?" Jack asked him and flung Jakar into a nearby wall, though she made sure not to hurt him to badly.

"You'll have to do better than that. Besides, you'll find out soon enough traitor." Jakar spat at her with narrowed eyes.

"Release him." Tevin ordered her and looked at his former friend with regret.

"The fuck? I aint tha-" Jack began to protest but was cut short by the man that had just saved their lives.

"Do it." He ordered her sharply, his previous pleasant demeanor forgotten. Jack hesitated for a moment before she released the traitor from her biotic grasp. The moment his feet hit the floor, Tevin stood beside him and hit him hard enough in the stomach to bend him over. "The location, Jakar!" Tevin ordered him coldly, when his former friend failed to answer he sighed tiredly. "You and I have been through a lot together, remember that terrorist group on Ord Mantel?"

The others had no idea what Tevin was talking about, but apparently Jakar had an idea where this was going for he paled, if only just a little.

"While we hunted them… our superiors made sure that we could interrogate the terrorists properly. You remember what they told us? 'A spy sacrifices his soul so that those unaware can sleep easy.' You and I learned a lot during our time there." Tevin told him lowly, and with clear shame in his voice. When Jakar still stayed silent, he shook his head for a moment before he grabbed his right arm and brutally twisted it, dislocating the shoulder with a loud snap.

Jakar whimpered but bit his tongue to stay silent. With their multitude of injuries from Jack's Shockwave, this newest injury only added to the list, so it was more than a little surprising that he endured the pain without crying out. "I don't enjoy this, Jakar. However, your actions have made you a terrorist and you of all people should know that those in the Republic Intelligence business, like us, have permission to do whatever it takes to prevent them from reaching their goal. The name of the system. Now." Tevin made his request all the more poignant when he punched the already battered and broken limb, sending sharp spikes of agony up Jakar's arm.

"Malachor V! We're going to Malachor V…." Jakar slumped in Tevin's grasp, panting heavily before blissful unconsciousness finally claimed him.

Tevin let him drop and sighed as he held up his hands and took a step back from the man just as Tali gently but firmly pulled his hands behind his back before slapping omni-cuffs around his wrists. He didn't resist, he knew it would happen as soon as he had discovered Jakar's bomb. Mission accomplished. He thought to himself, hoping his final report would make sure that the Sayara would be free of spies in the future.

"Jack, get him to Chakwas, he might be a spy and he might have tried to kill us, but he's our prisoner until we get out of this mess." Tali said softly before leading Tevin out of engineering. The biotic said nothing as she, Kasumi, and Adams got Jakar trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey before dragging him behind the quarian. "As for you Tevin, I'm sure you had your reasons, but Commander Shepard's gonna want to hear about this."

"I know ma'am….and I'm sorry, for my part in all this I mean." Tevin replied in a dead monotone, all the fight having left him after revealing the darker aspects of his skillset without a moment of hesitation. That and the fact he had to blow his cover at all when he'd been coming to love it here was disheartening in its own way.

"You did just save the ship and everyone on it, but don't take it the wrong way if no one looks at you the same way." Even then, Tevin could hear in Tali's voice that she was having second thoughts about him, not that he could blame her or anyone for that matter.

"Don't worry about it ma'am. I'm used to it." He told her grimly, remembering his many past lives, the people he had pretended to be. He had been Tevin for longer than most, so long in fact that it almost felt like that was his true self, not that he could remember who he once was anymore. He remembered his past and his real name of course, but as for who he truly was, that had been lost long ago under the aliases and the training. Tevin Avax was just another name and a false face in a file somewhere on Coruscant.

Tali said nothing and just continued to lead him towards Commander Shepard's location. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to. He wasn't afraid of the commander, nor would he hide from his choices, but he couldn't help but regret that he was about to lose something he had come to consider home in a short time. People always saw him differently once they knew that he was a spy, they treated him differently, sometimes even with something that bordered on paranoia. For a moment he remembered the girlfriend he once had, before she had learned that he wasn't who she thought he was. She left him shortly after when it turned out he had found her to get at her arms dealing father. He ruthlessly pushed those memories back, her had other matters to worry about and he had known what he was getting himself into when he and Jakar had signed up for this job.

He was dragged out of his thoughts when he was brought to the medbay. He had expected Tali to stick him in the brig, but apparently she had other ideas. "Were you expecting to meet Shepard while you looked like you've been hit by a biotic mag train?" The quarian asked, a forced attempt at humor that only ended in an awkward silence.

"I...had expected something else honestly." Tevin admitted softly as he was sat down on one of the beds, his hands still tied behind his back. He acknowledged Blue with only a cursory nod as he kept his gaze on Tali, who had taken up a spot in front of him. While she kept her arms at her sides, it was only a mild comfort that she didn't hold her shotgun on him. "Given the fact myself and my old friend almost brought the Sayara to ruin, I had expected to be locked in the brig at the very least, my injuries untreated. Not that I would blame you for that, it would probably be more effective."

"You caught me on a good day." Tevin looked up and sighed when he met Jessica Shepard's glare as she stepped aside to let Karin into the medbay when the older woman caught up with her determined stride. Shepard sighed and looked down, not in anger, but something close to resignation as she met Tevin's gaze. "We're not barbaric when it comes to the treatment of POWs, Tevin. Honestly kid, I shouldn't be surprised someone thought us interesting enough to embed spies on my ship, but I had hoped our suspicions wouldn't be confirmed. You seemed like a decent guy, and I'm usually a good judge of character. Your partner on the other hand, I never could bring myself to like him for some reason. Now I know why if what I heard on the way down is anything to go by. So, let's start at the beginning, who are you really?"

"Republic Intelligence Service, ma'am." Tevin replied without hesitation, not about to tempt fate further than he had already. "If you're looking for my name, then I'm afraid that I have to disappoint you. I'm not allowed to tell it to anyone, not that it would do you any good. As far as the records go I ceased to exist a long time ago. I'm just a ghost if you will."

"Kinda like us if you think about it." Shepard mused as she parked herself against the wall right by the door, her arms crossed and her back against the metal behind her. "Alright, what can you tell me then kid?"

"Well, for a start, it wasn't in our orders to destroy the Sayara. That was solely Jakar's idea, after your little disciplinary action which I agreed with if you want my opinion. Although, I have to admit that Jakar probably wanted to test you when he went to sleep during his shift. He often did that, try to see how people reacted to different situations and gauge their behaviour. Anyway, I can tell you a little about our mission, although I'm sure you can guess. Observe and report. You brought multiple new species with you as well as unknown technology, it was enough to make Intelligence curious, and a bit nervous, so we were sent to make sure that you didn't represent a threat to the Republic. I'm afraid the contents of our reports will have to remain secret, at least until you or I can get permission to tell you about it. As far as I'm concerned though, you're not a threat, at least not to the Republic. In my professional opinion I think you're merely trying to find your place in the galaxy, by doing something you are familiar with."

"And with no standing military, this is the best we could come up with." Tevin nodded, and waited for whatever Shepard decided to do from here. Instead, she asked another question. "EDI said you were able to get the location of where we've been sent. Malachor V. Any idea why Jakar chose that spot as his backup plan?"

"I think you can deduce that yourself ma'am." Tevin said quietly, and wasn't all that surprised when Shepard raised an eyebrow expectantly instead.

"Humor me." The comment came out innocently enough, yet Tevin didn't miss the noticeable edge in Jessica's voice as she leaned forward ever so slightly.

Tevin nodded, not at all surprised Shepard wasn't messing around, not when it came to the lives of her people, her family. "What better way to dispose of a threat than to pit it against an enemy they don't truly understand? Given your obvious combat experience, it'd be assumed you had simply gotten in over your heads and gotten yourselves killed in the process of taking on a known slave processing center. Even if you somehow came out ahead, Jakar would have been long gone, giving him ample opportunity to finish what he started and leaving you stranded there or dead by his hand. It's what we're good at."

"I see… Any suggestions to get us out of this mess?" Shepard asked, again making it seem like an innocent question, but the noticeable edge still present in her voice said otherwise.

To her surprise, Tevin grinned slightly. "In my quarters, datapad on the top shelf. It's actually an emergency beacon, designated for high priority assets. If you activate it once we leave hyperspace, every Judicaticial ship within the sector would come to extract us, unless they've been assigned to a mission with higher priority. Unlikely though, given the circumstances."

"Right, Kasumi-"

"Already gone." The thief said and ran out of the medbay with all speed.

Shepard offered herself the tiniest of smiles as she watched the woman run out of the room before looking back to Tevin, her face unreadable. "If we get out of this mess alive kid, I won't have you booted from the ship. That said, you can be damned sure we'll be keeping an eye on you, but I'd rather it'd be the devil we know than someone else that gets stuck spying on us."

Tevin gave her a sad smile in return. "Commander Shepard, I know that you're not as naive as to believe that Republic Intelligence would leave a compromised agent within your ranks. I'll be removed and reassigned to somewhere else the moment we return to known space. You know how this works, ma'am."

Shepard nodded, having figured as much, but she had felt the need to say it anyway. "Let's just get through this immediate crisis first, then we can worry about the rest. Karin?"

The good doctor, along with Blue's assistance, had been patching up Tevin that whole time and nodded as she finished up her work. "Other than a few bruises and a couple minor fractures, Tevin is in relatively good shape given the circumstances. Jakar was less fortunate, but he'll live. A concussion, multiple fractured ribs, bruising on his hands and face, and multiple breaks in his right arm."

"The arm was my handiwork." Tevin admitted shamefully.

"I figured as much young man. It bore the mark of purposeful impact, torture, which means you and I imagine your former partner were trained in such a barbaric practice." Karin muttered, her voice making it clear she found the whole thing disdainful, downright deplorable really as she sat down behind her desk once her task was complete.

"Necessity demanded we become monsters, but he enjoyed it. I didn't." Tevin retorted harsher than he intended before looking down at the deck between his feet.

He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and was surprised that it was Jessica's hand when he looked up. "We've all had to do things we regret Tevin. You at least knew when to draw the line."

"Perhaps." Tevin said quietly, clearly deep in thought. "Perhaps."

Shepard nodded and started for the door, giving Karin one last meaningful look that she accepted with a nod. A few taps at her holographic keyboard later had Jakar's bed emitting a restraining field of energy. Tevin remained unbound, save for the omni-cuffs on his wrists, but the message was loud and clear for the spy. She trusted Tevin not to do anything to hamper them further. Jakar would be lucky to get off the Sayara with his legs still able to support his weight. With that taken care of, Jessica marched out of the medbay, her gaze locked in a determined grimace. They had a war to prepare for, and she wasn't going to go quietly, even if they had to take down half of the slaver's complex on their own before help arrived, if it arrived.

Forty hours later….

"So, anyone want to tell me what the plan is or should I just get us as close to the building as possible and hope they don't have some kind of energy shield up?" Joker asked, hating what they were flying into as the hyperspace counter slowly ticked down until they arrived above Malachor V. "'Cause I'm tempted to drop that asshat Jakar into the building as we fly overhead and let those scum suckers take care of him."

"You aren't the only one Joker. I had to stop Samara from splitting his skull open with her bare hands just this morning." Shepard said as she clamped her combat helmet over her head, having donned her hard suit, ablative armor not ten minutes ago since they were nearing the end of the line.

"That woulda been a sight to see. Let her go all Gregor Clegane on his ass." Jeff muttered just loud enough for most of the cockpit to hear him.

"Joker… sometimes I really worry about you." Shepard deadpanned though she was at the very least partly serious. "But I can't say I blame you either. No one fucks with my family and gets away with it. Jakar will get what's coming to him, but for now focus on the mission at hand. We survive until help arrives. Tevin's distress beacon will work. We just have to activate it as soon as we drop out of hyperspace." She had to believe it, because the alternative was not something she wanted to consider.

Joker didn't say a word about their chances and nodded before turning to EDI. "So, remind me babe, why haven't you deactivated our runaway hyperdrive exactly?"

"Because Jeff, Agent Jakar made sure to hotwire the hyperdrive manually. Any attempt to hack into the controls from here will cause the engine array to overload and vaporize us all instantaneously with an energy blast equivalent to the bomb that took out Hiroshima. Attempting to tamper with the hyperdrive while in use is also not a good idea according to the Naboo technicians that are thankfully not backstabbing secret agents."

"As far as we know anyway." Joker grumbled as he spun his chair away from the cockpit window to face Shepard directly. "Just sayin' Shepard, I never would have guessed Tevin and Jakar were scumbag spies. At least Tevin's a good guy, but his partner has a few screws loose."

"I hear you, Joker. Although if you of all people had expected them to be spies then they would have been the most pathetic excuse for secret agents this and probably our galaxy has ever seen."

The jab to his ego only made Jeff smirk as he turned his chair around to the main console. "You got me there Commander. Would have been a lot easier to see them coming since they probably would have been waving around giant neon signs that said 'here there be spies!'".

"At the very least." Shepard immediately agreed and grinned for a moment before the moment of happiness faded and she became focused once more. "How long until we drop out of hyperspace?"

"Five minutes." Joker reported back, and looked at her over his shoulder. "If we had had more time, we might have been able to get the cannons installed. As it is, we're lucky to have that furball's Naboo fighter, but as much as I might hate her for scratching my face off, I'd rather she not get blown up until I have a chance to outfly her."

"Maybe we're get lucky and no one will be home." Shepard suggested dryly which earned her a disbelieving snort from Joker.

"Yeah right, as if we're that lucky. Knowing you, we'll probably crash into some kind of pirate party with at least a dozen cruiser sized ships hanging around this dead rock."

"Well, whatever's there, I better get down to the hangar. Get us as close as you can to the complex without getting shot down Joker. If Jakar thinks we're going to let these slavers take us down without a fight, he's got another thing coming. If we do this right, we're not gonna give them a chance to mobilize."

"So right into the thresher maw's gullet, got it. Good luck Commander." Joker called over his shoulder just as EDi got to her feet to follow after Jessica. "And you too babe, keep her in one piece will ya?"

"I will do my best Jeff. Keep yourself out of harm's way as well." EDI called over her metallic shoulder before she caught up with Jessica just as she boarded the turbolift. "Before you say it, I am not worried about this platform's safety, for my consciousness is tied to the ship. Losing this shell will not be a great loss." The rest of her thought she left unsaid, but Jessica didn't need EDI to finish it as she nodded her thanks for the synthetic's willingness to put her physical neck on the line for the safety of the crew.

"I hope you have a few backup plans to make a new body, otherwise Joker will be disappointed." Shepard said, smirking despite the situation as she disembarked the elevator just as a subtle smirk appeared on the android's metallic face.

"I have been thinking of upgrading my platform's considerable capabilities anyway." Was EDI's cryptic if amused sounding response.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that." Jessica told the AI and shook her head. It didn't take them long to reach the hangar, and by then, most of her crew had joined them with Draiga bringing up the rear, albeit with understandable trepidation. Seeing this, Shepard paused and put a hand on the zabrak's shoulder and shook her head. "Go back to the doc, Draiga. This fight's not yours kiddo. You'd just get in the way down here."

"Al-alright."

Knowing that Draiga just wanted to feel useful, Shepard pulled her a little closer. "Watch after the doc for me, will you? She sometimes works too hard during times like this." The zabrak's green eyes immediately lit up and she nodded her head so rapidly, Jessica was sure she had given herself whiplash as she darted back down the hall and to the nearest elevator. She watched her go with a smile before turning back to her friends, her family, only to stop when she nearly collided into David. A quick sweep over the combat armor he had on earned only a raised eyebrow from her, but Jessica didn't argue with the stubborn admiral. "Think you can keep up sir?"

Anderson chuckled dryly and pulled the assault rifle from his back before priming it with practiced ease before holding it across his chest in a combat ready stance. "Do you even have to ask Commander? Last I checked, I still hold seniority over you."

"Well you're half right old man." Shepard teased, smirking when David glared down at her.

"Old man! Ha, while you were busy partying with politicians and eating from overpriced buffets, I led the resistance back on Earth. Old man, tsk. Young people these days." He scoffed, but couldn't help but smile at his young protege. The pride in his eyes was well earned, a fact everyone present knew as he took a step back to allow her the floor. "That said Commander, you've gotten us this far. So do what you do best, just remember who taught you the finer points of command."

"That will never be a problem sir." Shepard replied with as much sincerity as she could muster before turning to those assembled in the hangar bay. "You've all heard the story by now, and some of you are rightly pissed off at the situation that we've been forced into. That said, Agent Tevin has done everything he can to fix what his former partner, Jakar, has orchestrated. In the meantime, the moment we drop out of hyperspace, we're going to make a run for the processing center and keep the forces there off balance until reinforcements arrive to get us off Malachor V."

"Commander, do we have any idea on what to expect of the enemy? Training, numbers, etc?" Tiva asked, having taken up a position next to Ashley and James.

With a nod, Shepard tapped at her omni-tool for several seconds before she pulled up a holographic representation of Malachor V and their best guess as to the location of the facility and its surrounding defenses. It wasn't precise, but the information Jack had gotten from Kale and his surviving crew had been detailed to an extent. The facility itself was surrounded on all sides by high canyon walls and sheer cliff faces, riddled with caves that were possibly rigged with proximity charges and turret emplacements, making a land based assault tricky at best. The complex itself had anti ship guns emplaced upon the high durasteel walls, but it was the Mass Shadow Generator, about ten klicks away, that worried her.

Kale hadn't been sure of the Generator's precise location, only that it had crashed into an extensive cave system and had found a new home in a large trench in the planet's upper crust. The last time it'd been fired, it had not only crushed the fleet in orbit, but it had also done extensive damage to Malachor itself, causing massive earthquakes that had left the planet with large, deep cracks that were rumored to reach down to its core, making the entire planet seismically unstable.

"According to the intel we got from Kale and his surviving crew, there's a good sized force waiting for us down there. That said, there's a lot more refugees and slaves between us and them. Causing a riot would go a long way in sowing further chaos and confusion, it's getting inside the complex I'm worried about. As for training, for the most part these guys are your common thugs, gang enforcers, that kind of thing, but their leaders will be the real threat. Especially the big boss, a female trandoshan, who according to Joreseen, was something of a special forces soldier before she turned renegade."

"While a riot would increase our chances of success, it would also make sure that more slaves will die in the ensuing chaos. Aside from that the problem will lie in whoever is currently visiting the base. Joreseen made it clear that they are rather busy, which means that we should expect surprises." Samara stated, earning a nod from Shepard.

"I didn't say I wanted to start a riot, only that it would make our job easier. But she's right people, we didn't come this far to start sacrificing innocent lives now. That said, don't take any unnecessary risks, it's going to be hard enough just to survive until help arrives." Jessica told her team and looked each of them in the eye to make sure that they understood just what they were getting themselves into.

"Then I suggest we disable their internal security system as fast as possible." Tevin said as he walked into the hangar bay, accompanied by Pelona Jinks who acted as his guard. "Intel about their boss, who is known as Lissarkh, suggested that she favours scorched earth tactics. If she can't have something no one else can have it."

"Which means the Mass Shadow Generator will also need to be destroyed, regardless if it's in working order or not. Even if we take the complex, she could have the Judicial reinforcements destroyed the moment they drop into orbit. I'd rather take it out and find out it was never operational later, than not take it out and have it used against anyone that stops by to get us out. We're have to split up into two teams to see it done, one to take the complex, the other to take down the generator." Shepard said and narrowed her eyes. While they still weren't sure whether the Mass Shadow Generator was really down there or not, they couldn't take the risk of it being down there and in any condition to be activated again.

"A wise course of action commander." Tevin told her with a small nod. "If you allow, I'd like to offer my skills. I'm more then capable of infiltrating their base." The silence that fell over the hangar was thick enough to destroy a lightsaber as every eye fell on Tevin.

Only Shepard seemed completely unsurprised by the man's offer as she crossed her arms and glanced at David, who only shrugged in response. This was her show, it always had been. She took the gesture for what it was and turned her hard gaze on the spy next. "Jack, if he gives you an excuse to rip his spine out through his ass-"

"I'll be happy to oblige Shepard." Jack replied with badly hidden glee.

"I can understand your distrust, but I can't help but feel offended that you think that I would betray you to slavers." Tevin said dryly though the last word was filled with more than a little venom. "Now if you don't mind, I'll prepare myself for the mission. We should drop out of hyperspace any moment."

Tevin turned around and slipped off his cuffs and gave them to the startled gungan next to him before he continued towards the elevator. "Damn, guess he could have escaped any time he wanted to." Ashley mused aloud, just as surprised as Pelona looked before she shrugged it off. "Maybe he's right Skipper, we have been kinda giving him the stink eye even after he saved our asses from his partner's insanity the other day."

"Can you blame us, Ashley? He's been spying on us since he got here." Liara said, and held up a hand before anyone could say a word given her previous profession. "I know I'm the last person to talk regarding spying on other people, but this Republic Intelligence apparently didn't think about the danger of putting a xenophobic person among a mixed crew, or they didn't care enough to worry about it. Both circumstances doesn't sit well with me, and thus makes me question their true intentions."

"Can't blame ya there Liara, but can we talk about this after we get through this latest suicide mission?" James asked as he hefted the rocket launcher he had taken off of Kale's ship. "If you want my opinion though, Tevin's a nice kid, and he seemed just as surprised by his buddy's dumb move as we were. I say we give him a chance, and besides, chances are he'll be gone after this is all said and done anyway."

Joker's voice from the nearby speakers in the hangar interrupted whatever might have come next. "Hate to break up the cheery conversation, but we just dropped out of hyperspace, and I'm definitely not liking the view."

"I'll be right up." Shepard said before nodding her head towards the cathar pilot. She didn't waste time in climbing aboard her Naboo fighter, having gotten the hint that she expected an escort all the way down to the planet if at all possible despite Joker's well founded fear of losing the pilot.

"Just one question, why don't we simply turn around and flee?" Pelona asked meekly and looked at the group with some level of confusion.

"Because of the gravity well projectors that were turned on the moment we left hyperspace. And after such an extensive duration in hyperspace, we need time to recharge our power cells anyway." EDI explained calmly. "That and if you've been around Shepard as long as we have, you'd know she wouldn't turn tail and run if there was a clear and present enemy in front of her. We've done far more with far less many times, Officer Jinks."

Tevin chose that moment to return to the hangar. Clad in a sleek black armor, which was obviously built for stealth and mobility. His hands held a rifle that practically screamed special forces. His gaze found Shepard's and he nodded to her in acknowledgement. "Rules of engagement, ma'am?" He said in a distorted voice that made it impossible to tell whether the person inside the armor was male or female.

"The complex itself is expendable, the refuges and slaves inside aren't. Anything else is fair game." Shepard replied, making it clear that she had every intention of turning the entire area into a smoking crater once she was sure everyone they could save was out of danger.

"Acknowledged." He replied with a nod and hesitated for a moment. "Since the Sayara lacks any weapons we could bring to bear, we could fill one of the escape pods with explosives and use it as a makeshift airstrike."

"Something tells me you've done that before." Jessica mused, but the grim smirk on her face said she liked the idea quite a bit.

"Once or twice." Tevin admitted with a small shrug before his stance became rigid again. "I would also appreciate it if you would refer to me as Talon-3 for the duration of this mission."

"Alright Talon, will do." Shepard acknowledged as she went to the turbolift before stepping inside, leaving Tevin in the hangar with the rest of the strike team. "Good luck down there kid." She said as the door shut in front of her.

"You too Commander." Tevin replied before the door shut completely.

Moments later saw Jessica standing behind Joker's chair once more, minus EDI in the co-pilot seat. Garrus though was standing by the door, his arms crossed over his armored chest. "Shepard, you might want to brace yourself. It seems Revan's old doomsday weapon left quite a mess out there." Taking the turian's warning to heart, Shepard took a moment to brace herself for the worst as she stepped around her old friend before looking out the window.

The fact Joker was unusually quiet as he did his best to navigate the ruins of the old fleet of Republic ships, limited by the gravity emitters pulling the Sayara down to Malachor V, was worrying enough. Given the sheer size of most of the ships they had seen since arriving in this galaxy, Shepard was more than a little surprised by how small most of the monolithic vessels were, until she realized they'd been utterly crushed by the super weapon in question. A point made more evident when a skeleton of some unknown humanoid being slammed into the cockpit window and slid off as they continued onward. "Reminds me of flying through the Omega 4 Relay all over again." Joker muttered quietly, and Shepard couldn't find it in her to argue the point as he threaded the ship through a massive gaping hole through one of the few ships that hadn't been turned into a much more compact version of itself.

"Just take it nice and easy, Joker. What's the status of the enemy?" The first human spectre asked and continued to look out of the window.

"Holding position in geosynchronous orbit to some place near the planet's equator. So far they haven't tried to attack us, but scanners say they've released roughly ten fighter crafts, interceptors I'd guess. It wouldn't surprise me if they fire on us once we've cleared this rubble. Of course, I wouldn't wait that long if we had lasers." Joker grumbled back, clearly displeased by the fact that he couldn't fight back, at least not directly.

"Yeah, Joker I know. I know how much you wanted those flashy new things, almost as desperately as Grunt did." Shepard couldn't blame Jeff's attempt at hiding his dread as they approached the planet in front of them. Even as the orb in the distance slowly filled their forward windows, she could tell it had once been a beautiful planet, but she didn't need a magnified view of the surface to know it likely didn't look much better than the mass of mangled vessels all around them. The radiating cracks that ran the surface of the dark purple planet said that on its own. "What kind of weapon could crack an entire planet?" She asked the room at large, unable to help the horrified wonder in her voice.

Jeff shrugged as his fingers danced over the console, before the hum of the shield generators kicking in became audible throughout the ship before he punched the accelerator once they were clear of the debris field. "Apparently this MSG we've heard so much about. Hey Ashara, hope you're ready to kick some ass out there, 'cause you have about ten seconds before our buddies start firing on us."

"They won't get the chance. Just keep going Joker." The cathar said as her fighter zipped by the cockpit window and made a beeline for the approaching fighters. "And Jeffrey, try not to die before I have a chance to outfly you."

"Did she just-" Whatever Joker had planned to say was cut off when the first volley of laser fire flashed by the corvette's hull. "Better strap in Commander, it's time for this baby to show me what she can do!" Shepard didn't argue the point as she and Garrus grabbed onto anything that was nailed down as Joker pushed the Sayara for as much as she was worth. After three thousand years, war was coming to Malachor V once again.

About the same time, on Malachor's surface….

"Lissarkh, the Republic have found us." A trandoshan male, his accent thick as he rolled his s longer than was necessary, said as he looked up from the sensor array readout in front of him. "One ship, essssscorted by a Naboo fighter. They have engaged our forces above."

Lissarkh waved one clawed hand dismissively as she stood languidly from the high back black durasteel throne she had had erected since taking this place for herself a little over a decade ago. "It is without consequence. Block their communications and destroy them. Or are our captains in orbit unable to do such a simple task?" She hissed, making it clear that anyone that disappointed her would suffer severe consequences.

"They will not fail, Lissarkh." The green scaled mercenary replied softly, unable to meet the battle scarred Lissarkh's emerald slitted eyes as she slowly made her way across the black metallic floor, one hand resting on the vibroblade on her right, black armored hip. He gulped, having seen her cut down many opponents with that weapon since she had a preference for close quarters combat, and knew how deadly she was. He was in no hurry to meet his end upon her blade as he turned back to the console in front of him. "Take that ssssship down, now!" He roared into the communications console.

"What I want to know is why they show up here alone. They have to know that they stand no chance with what little they have. Their corvette doesn't even have weapons installed." One of her lieutenants pointed out and narrowed his eyes at the sensor readings. "If this is a trap, they are willing to sacrifice a lot just to get our attention."

"It is curious, indeed." Lissarkh agreed before rubbing a hand under her orange scaled chin. After a moment of thought, she turned on her heel, her spike covered head turning to a door only she was allowed through. "I need to make a holocall. Do not disturb me unless they somehow manage to land." No one was brave enough to ask why she needed to leave with a potential enemy barreling down on them, and she didn't feel the need to explain herself as she disappeared into the chamber beyond the unobtrusive door. Unlike the rest of the command center within the heart of the complex, this room was without any decoration whatsoever. No trophies of the residents' hunting lined the walls, no weapons were within easy reach, all that laid within this room was a circular pedestal, that contained a sophisticated holographic projector that was tied to only a few select locations and people. Who she planned to call however, was one even Lissarkh was afraid of since he had found her years ago.

Schooling her face to an impassive mask, Lissarkh tapped at the console at her right before waiting for Darth Sidious to answer. A part of her hoped he didn't, but just when she started to breath easier, the dreaded black hooded human, his face utterly obscure, appeared before her. "What is it, slaver scum?" He asked, his voice cold and causing Lissarkh's muscled legs to shake as debilitating terror shot down her spine. Apparently she had caught him on a bad day.

"W-we have a problem. There is a ship fast approaching Malachor V. It is alone and unarmed, save for a Naboo fighter escorting it down."

"If those fools try to enter atmosphere while your own ships are still in orbit you will have an easy time destroying them. Why do you bother me with such trivial details?" He hissed and she could feel a slight constriction of her throat.

"Because according to our scans, it is the bounty hunting vessel, the Sayara, that took down Kale Joreseen!" Lissarkh was quick to explain, and sucked in a deep breath when she could breathe fully again.

"Kale was a fool. He allowed himself to get captured, if he had been less arrogant it would have been the bounty hunters that would have suffered instead." Sidious told her impatiently before a thoughtful look seemed to appear on the man's face, what little she could see of it anyway. "You are useful, Lissarkh. But don't overestimate your importance, even with the power of the Mass Shadow Generator at your back, you are easily replaceable. If a group of mere bounty hunters manages to kill or capture you… Then of what use are you to me?"

"They won't get that chance. I swear it." Lissarkh hissed, falling back to her trandoshan tongue for a moment before remembering herself. "If they breach the complex, I am prepared to destroy everything here to cover my escape. They will not learn of you through me."

"Good. See to it you do not fail me Lissarkh." With that, Sidious disappeared, taking the dread filled aura he had brought to bear with him. Even so, Lissarkh didn't breathe any easier as she walked back out into the command center, and saw the Sayara's tracking data was still fast approaching, minus the fighters they had sent to deal with the corvette. Whoever these people were, Lissarkh had to give them this much, they were better than she would have given them credit for. If it was a fight they wanted though, she'd be happy to oblige. There was too much at stake for her to fail now.

The Chancellor's Office….

This was an unexpected turn of events. According to the last reports Republic Intelligence had received, Commander Shepard had had no desire to go anywhere near Malachor V until she deemed her people ready to do so. What had changed, and why hadn't he been informed? Regardless this unexpected event could give him further insight on the human commander.

If she succeeded, he would consider her either a possible asset or an obstacle in the near future. If she failed, she and her crew would cease to matter to him. He had no patience for failures, especially if they jeopardized his carefully laid plans. For now, he'd wait and see how this all played out since he lost nothing either way. It was the future that concerned him.

End notes:

Nomad-117: The team got to Malachor a little earlier than they had planned. But I guess you can't really plan for psychotic, xenophobic spies and their plots to kill you all. Well, it could be worse, there could be a weapon of mass destruction down on tha- Oh. Nevermind. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave lots of reviews. Hope to see you all again next chapter.

Vergil1989: As for Tevin and Jakar, I honestly didn't know what we were doing with them until our muses kind of took over lol. Now that it seems one of them at least are going to be around for a while, we'll do a proper descript for him once everything settles down, but for now, we have far more important things to worry about. We have what we've already nicknamed an 'anti-Shepard' in the form of our trandoshan slaver leader, Lissarkh, and her connection to a certain master puppeteer, an assault on a planet that could be mistaken for Hell, and an all powerful superweapon on top of that. What could possibly go wrong for Shepard and company? At any rate, hope you folks enjoy the Star Wars worthy battles that are coming soon enough. See ya guys and gals, and may the Force be with you all. : D