new chapter at last, let me know what you guys thing? also: note I will be working on avatar now.

Sha'ira looked at her omni tool. Shepard had said a couple hours, but what kind of hours? Human? Council standard? Or did he mean some other measure of time?

Well by this point three human hours, and two point eight, zero, six council hours had passed. That had to be enough time. She tapped the call button on the omni tool, it 'rung' a few times before the call made it's way though. A small hologram of a women formed on the screen. "Hello this is Shepard and I am the EDI AI Dedra and despite the hologram this is a strictly audio message, please state you identity."

"This is Sha'ira and I wish to speak to Shepard." "One moment please." the hologram. Odd Sha'ira thought sounds like a VI then the hologram shifted to a 3d model of Shepard.

"This is Shepard how can I help you Miss Sha'ira? O and do forgive if me. This link is a neural based so you may get some interference from my thoughts." "Of course: well Shepard as you may or may not know as the Consort a lot of very, very important people come to me with problems, a great many of those problems are want can being called: classified. So you can imagine the problem when people begin to doubt my credibility."

"I can, but I'm a marine, we put holes in the enemy, and leave the political fallout to, well you." before Sha'ira could reply to that, her Omni tool started screaming. "CONTACT! Hostile light armor: low shields, three round: fire for effect: AS rounds followed by HE. Round out:Impact, shields down, firing HE! Warning! Cluster of enemy's detected! Grenade out!"
"Shepard are, are you fighting some one."

"They started it, they always start things I don't, you were saying though? Something I could do?" "I, maybe I should call back." Sha'ira said shaking her head.
"Your already called, you may as well tell me."

"Ok, I need you to talk to General Septimus, appeal to him as fellow solider."

"Well that makes sense: hold a moment. Contact! Left arc! Krogan, Pivoting, no shields, high armor, firing HEIAP, Mono-Molecular, five round rapid: discharging: target down. Pivoting to right, contact right, low shields, AS round followed by HE, fireing, taget down..." "you were saying?" Shepard finished to Sha'ira.

"How can you fight and still hold a conversation?" Sha'ira said shaking her head.

"Unlike most races, thanks to our hyper efficient Masari origins, we don't use all of are brain in every day life. So we have some IQ points left over that we don't use. Augments merely boost that bonus to a useable level." a moment of uncomfortable silence passed then Shepard spoke. "Where does this, general hang out?"

"Hes often found at Chora's den,"

",,, any were else?"
"What do you mean?"

"I mean, any where he would go when he's not drinking in the den? "Why would he not be there?"

"There,,, remodeling." "Why would they be remodeling?"Sha'ira asked. "everything I heard told me the den was popular, sleazy but popular." "no reason." Shepard said a bit quick.
Sha'ira shock her head. "Shepard, are you, are you shooting up Chora's den?"

"me? No, it was a Kroger bounty hunter,, and three humans,, they just left the den and are now going to some back ally."

"Right, and you did not help,, why?"

"I don't like Chora's den. I think they needed to remodel personally"

"There were three of you when you left my chambers." Sha'ira said accusingly.

"so? I had nothing to do with the mess in Chora's Den. Like I said, three humans and a Krogan did it, I think the humans were marines. Blue suns."

a chocked back laugh drew Sha'ira's attention for a moment before she turned back to her omni tool. "I think you did it." "Me? Of course not. Why would you think I would destroy such a wretched hive of scum and villainy? In public no less?" Sha'ira fought back her urge to face palm. "I mean, do you know what the sentence is for destroying private property? I would never do such a irresponsible thing. Never." The chocked back chuckles grew louder. Sha'ira glared at the person who lounged on her sofa. He just shrugged.

"Now, excuse me Sha'ira I do have to see a Qurian about a flash drive."

Shepard hung up. The man on Sha'iras sofa laughed outrageously. "ah Humans," he said at last working his way up right with a smile. "They never, grow old." "Your one to talk Zessus." Sha'ira said "your half human."

"True, but I grew up in Masari culture."

"Is this the reason you requested this hour?" Sha'ira said irately. "To brag about half your genome." as soon as she said Sha'ira regretted it. "Forgive me, I seem to have, lost my temper a little." "That is no problem Sha'ira, but I do have to talk to you, it has come to my attention you have a small Masari device of some kind, may I examine it?"

SHIFT
"Are you the Shadow Broker." Tali said glaring at the Turian in front of her. He was all wrong for that roll and the mercs around her were giving her the wrong vibe, for lack of a better word.

"Of course I am." the 'broker' responded "now, the information, my sweet thing." he lifted a clawed hand to run along the side of her helmet.

"Forget,," before she could say, it the deal's off a canister bounced of, something bounced between them, landing on the floor between there feet. Some primordial part of Tali's brain, the part that had for so long been reserved to keeping Qurians safe from Trlagirs* screamed at her. Grenade: kick! She did her foot impacted the tube sending it flying into a wall seconds later it, and the two other unseen grenade detonated in flashes of light and a roar of sound. Her helmet automatically darkened to keep from blinding her. Meanwhile: a few feet away.

"DID WE GET THEM THIS TIME?" Wrex yelled. Near deafened by the bangs. "I hope so we've flashed banged three hobos already!" Shepard said. Tali ducked behind a box as the three man, (and one krogan) assault team tore into the mercs. While if one looked into the mind of Shepard they would see it as a highly organized procession (five targets, moderate shielding: lightly armored: Three round burst, pattern AS,AS,HE fire for effect.) from Tali's point of view it was chaos, maddening chaos. A blinding and deafening, chorus of muzzle flash and muzzle retorts.

Though she had drawn her shot gun, she had no idea what to shoot at! Everything was happening so fast! I mean, sure she was one sentence away from breaking the deal with those 'broker' agents but still! A Turian was blown onto the ground just inches from her, before she could do anything about him, before she could even think of Med-geling him a Krogan foot stomped down onto his spine, and blew his skull apart with a shot gun.

Turning a blood shot eye onto to Tali he yelled at the top of his lungs back over his shoulder. "I FOUND THE QURIAN!" "Wrex," before the human could say anything Tali acted. A overload, followed by a carnage blew his shields apart. The Carnage, robbed of most of it's force by the last of his shields blew him back ward into a wall. Before Tali could think of running a blue tracer blared across her field of vision. "put, the gun, down." Shepard commanded. "We don't mean you any harm, but I won't have you shoot at us again!"

"I have no idea what the keelah is going on! First I have a deal with the broker, only I don't think they were the broker, then grenades start raining from above! Then a bosh'tet team of Cal'dok's show up form no where and start shooting! I have no idea what's going on." Tali mid speech had stood up from behind her box, still brandishing her shot gun. "what's, a Cal'dok?" Kaidan asked coming out from behind Shepard shadow. "We had to invent a new world to describe are disgust of 'Synergy'" Tali said.

"Ah,, they hate AI's, and were just about half AI," Dedra commented to Shepard "Makes sense, give me a moment,,, root words: Caldan: which is to say Machine,, and Dokofen which means the complex emotion of hating something, but also be impressed at how it can do the thing you hate. Like a fox that eats you chickens no matter how tightly you lock them in, yet theirs no sign of entrance. Seems there a bit split on are view of us."

"Yes your very clever." Shepard deadpanned. AI's and human tended to think fast, part of having so many computers in there head. The whole conversation (ok, monolog) had happened in the span of a couple seconds. "Well Tali," Shepard said getting his thoughts back in gear. "Fist set you up. It was a plot by Seren to get what ever data you have."

"I thought so." Tali said, not lowering the shot gun. Wrex gave a groan. "Is he going to be all right?" Tali asked suddenly concerned.

"Not to sound slightly racist, he's a Krogan. You can do open heart surgery on them with a bone saw and have there ribs grow back from where you snapped them off. Plus,, I hacked his armor I have a life reading scan on my headset, hes fine."

"WHAT HIT ME!"

"though he seems to have burst his ear drums, I told him wear the foam ear buds but no, he ignored me." Shepard shook his head.

"Ashley get Wrex back to the Normandy, we can patch his eardrums up there. Tali, we need you information to really stick it to Seren."

"Fine by me, this thing has caused me nothing but trouble, let me just upload."

"No," she looked up form her omni-tool for a second. "We got in enough trouble the first time with dang council AI issues, we need that data to go straight form your tool, to councils. So sorry, you stuck with us." "Fine by me." Tali said after a moment. "My name is Tali'Zorha nar Rayya."

SHIFT

the door to the human embassy opened, Shepard Kaidan and Tali walked into, to find a mad house. Working two different communication lines Udian was a panic. "Yes ambassador, I understand,, captain Walsen,, No Ambassador the alliance will pay for any and all damages,, yes captain I have a firm grasp of the kind of paper work you have to fill out,, Look, I need, no Ambassador I,, Errg." with a fist shake the holograms went off "Shepard! Do you have any idea of the depth of you foolishness is going to cost the Alliance!"

"I got the data I was ordered to get, it's not my fault a few thugs and gangsters got in are way."

"And quite frankly your low body count, and that of the stations criminals is the only thing that is keeping me from court marshaling you! And who is that!?" Shepard pointed a finger at Tali. "This, is are data, un-'contaminated' to present to the council. Her name is Tali."

"If she can do what you say she can, I don't care if shes a Vorcha, what exactly do you have? And how did you get it" Udian grumbled.

"I was on my pilgrimage when I heard about Eden Prime, and I manged to find, and aquire a Geth memory core,,"

"Back up," a holographic port lit up nearby showing Dedra's hologram. "how did you get a geth memory core, intact I may add. Even we can't do that in a combat situation."

"My people invented the Geth, if your smart and lucky you can get some information. It's not intact, but theirs enough information." she tapped a button on her omni tool.

"Eden prime was a great victory," "And, it brings us one step closer to the return of the Reapers,," silence. "That first voice was Seran, had to be. But who was that second?"

"Scanning: match found. Extra-net videos support it was matriarch benezia, but unless we can get some out side verification then were stuck at square one like Saren."

"Joy, but who the reapers."

"Legion told me about them," Shepard said. "Seren approached the geth with such a reaper warship and he got some get to follow him. He told me, they think the Reapers are Civilization Black." silence.

"What's civilization black?" Tali asked.

"A semi mythical race believed to be the cause of the Masair extinction event," Shepard responded. "Were talking a race with enough power to sweep the single most powerful civlization from the galaxy and not leave a trace of it." silence. Tali audably gulped.

"There were some image files of a race I don't recognize as well, maybe there Reapers." she tapped button on her omni tool and a thick set form appeared that every human knew by heart.

"Grunt." the three humans and one AI said at the same moment. Kaidian spoke next. "That's a Hierarchy solider, what the heck would the Geth have to do with them?"

"We need more information." Shepard said with a growl of annoyance. "We need to get Legion and Altea in the same room to figure this out and pin this thing down once and for all."

"I agree Shepard, but your talking about the most powerful being in the galaxy, we can't just give her a phone call and expect her to show up, Masair are heavy on there protocols, this will take time." "Time we don't have." Dedra countered. "We need to take the first step and attack Seren and hard, get the whole Alliance up in arms, the chance of the Heretics and Hierarchy working together s should be sending alarms bells ringing across a thousand planet!"

Udian thumped his fist into his plam "God damn it, Your right Dedra, I'll send the data to the Council, Shepard, get up there now to present it, I'll meet you there."

"Yes sir." Shepard spun on his foot, then spun fully around. "Where is Anderson any way?"

"He's back in the alliance prepping for the Terminus invasion, and let me tell you, when this gets out, it's only going to get worse for them."

"O, ok." Shepard then spun on his foot and left.

SHIFT

on the Normandy Wrex with repaired ear drums stared at Lilnam hologram across a table from him.
"I want 80" she started

"10, you don't have expenses."

"75, yes I do, program upgrades can cost money, lots of money."

"20, Your a AI, you don't have many expenses.

"70, i'm greedy." "I'm the one carrying you around, and making the money, your only doing the helping. 20. "60: the targeting, the hacking, the background checking the contract booking, the on board medical systems, automated weapon useage, the whole thing."

"I am not spliting 50, 50 with a AI, look bad on tax returns. 35, final offer, and you can't make me move a percentage point."

"35.9999 repeating." "Smart ass." Wrex grumbled "I'm greedy." Lilnam chuckled. "Fine, deal, you get 35,,"
"point nine, nine, nine repeating." Linam cut off.
"Of the profit and you travel with me, and do all the electronic shit for me."

"done deal, we just need to talk about my advance payment." she said with a big grin on her holographic face.

"Hay Wrex." the Krogen turned to Ashley who was eating a MRE on a table behind the two."Fun fact, if you lightly tap or bonk a AI memory sticks it like swatting a human." Wrex bashed his omni tool agains the table, the high grade (Wrex only gets the best!) frame took the force with no damage.

Linam hologram stuttered. "Ok, ouch, that was not a swat, and second, what was that for!"

"Greed's good," Wrex replyed "it can really drive you, but only in moderation, now shut up about money, you already have Fists account."

"bah, the account was transferred to the broker and all I got was a message saying, "the broker always claims his dues. Hump." she pouted

"That's how the mercenary business goes." Fist sagely said

"No, it goes you do a job, and get payed, looting is a awesome side effect, hump the broker did not even want Fist's files. Hrump,," Linam crossed her arms and glowered slightly, "all well at least I get my share of the money you got from First."

"That was from before I hired you." Wrex countered.

She volleyed back "Ya, but you got paid after you told me to handle you bank account."

"Nice try, but I have yet to give you the password yet." Wrex smiled grimly.

"Hrump." Linam crossed her holographic arms and growled in frustration having been denied again. "That does bring up the question why the heck your still here." Ashley commented, "You've been paid, missions done, enemy killed you can go now."

"I want a word with Shepard first." Wrex replyed. "Thank him so to speak."

"your own fault for not using the ear buds and all." Ashley said.

Wrex's head set lit up in a small burst of static. "So, you want Shepard to hire you?"

"I want to go with him." Wrex softly spoke into a mike in his headset. "Shepard's a marine, he goes where the fighting thickest, and if it's not thick where he is, he makes it thick."

"That's a bit racist don't you think? Humans are a bit tough but there just as squishy as Salarians."

"But they get into fights like Krogan, and I have a gun feeling Shepard is going to get in a lot of fights. I want in."

"and not get paid?" Linam whimpered.

"Of coarse we get paid, you can make a lot of money just picking up used guns and selling them."

"Joy." Linam grumbled. Wrex chuckled before he spoke aloud. "Where is Shepard any way?"

"No idea." Ashely replied, "Should be here by now." she took a bit of her noodles, "likely with Udian doing politicking things." "Let me check," Linam replied, her hologram flickered as she shifted though the extra net, after a moment she whistled and her hologram became solid again.

"They nailed Seren and now there making Shepard a specter to go after him for the council rather then just have the Alliance invading every planet they think will lead to him."

"I suppose having a agent loyal to them working the case is better then just having the Allinace hacking anything that looks interesting." Ashely replayed.

"They've also tasked him to investigate Nihlus death since the death weapon was a Alliance weapon." Linam said as she got more information.

"That makes a lot more sense, Specters are not normally overly welcome in the Alliance, so make a human a specter get best of the treatys on the subject." Ashley said between bites. "The Alliance is likely going to give him the Normandy for his use, that was the plan earlier, and the Normandy's loaded out for bear. I doubt there is a single ship of equal tonnage that can compare."

Codex: Alliance Councilor relations-Specters.

Specters are granted almost limitless legal power with in council, Terminus, and Traverse space. Within worlds the Alliance controls though Specters are not. Early incidents were generally low key as Specters made small over steps of authority while in Alliance space that were quickly cleared up.

The council warned it agents to not go into the Alliance while they legally sorted it out but it was a low priority as compared to many other things. until, a high profile incident catapulted the issue to the forefront when a Specter trying to find information about a possible terror attack ended up in shoot out with a group of Eclipse mercs, a shoot out he started.

In a few minutes Alliance SWAT arrived, and the whole group was arrested (after the firing of a lot of nonlethal ammunition). The Eclipse mercs were found to have been acting in self defense so they were released and the Specter was then given to the Alliance legal system. The council tried to intervened but success was unlikely and the Specter was looking at a grim sentencing, until the terror attack he had been trying to stop, happened.

To the Alliance.

Suddenly, public opinion changed and the Alliance began negotating. The Specter was released and a Treaty was signed giving Specters the same authority they have in the council, as long as a human agent accompanied them to authorize there actions. These agents are bound by Alliance law, and therefore the Specters are as well since they need the Agent to sign off to any actions.

A blind eye is often given to there actions if they only target non Alliance citizens. So a Specter can generally chase a criminal from the Council to the Alliance and deal with them there, but if it involves a Alliance Citizen, within the Alliance, the the Specter must operated within the Alliance Legal laws, (though arrest warrants can some times be waved if the evidence is overwhelming enough, though a mandatory court hearing is held to determine if the evidence was overwhelming) However: specters are generally not liked among the Alliance police force they work with given the waving of the rules for non Alliance's citizens, rules they have to obey.

*A bipedal carnivore with saber teeth, long clawed arms, and a system of camouflaging it self with local plants to make it almost invisible. Driven extinct when Qurians invented muskets.