Mina was almost home when a soft, reedy voice spoke beside her.
"Excuse me, human."
Mina froze, her heart giving an involuntary lurch. She turned. A drell stood beside her, his skin a mosaic of muted greens and blues, his eyes a startling, intelligent yellow.
He was dressed in plain, practical clothes, not the opulent silks favored by many of his kind on the Citadel. There was an urgency in his posture, a subtle tension that made her nerves prickle.
"Can I help you?" Mina asked, her tone carefully neutral. She was used to unusual encounters on the Citadel, but something about this Drell felt different.
'SAM, who is this?' she asked.
'A Drell,' SAM stated.
'As is who is the Drell?' Mina growled at him. 'What is his name? And why didn't you pick up on him?'
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper, though it still carried a surprising weight. "Your quarters… they are not safe. Not tonight."
Mina's heart gave a sudden, unpleasant lurch. Her home with Garrus. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"
The Drell's gaze flickered around, as if expecting to be overheard. "My name is Kael. And I'm a friend… or, at least, someone who wishes you no harm. You must be careful, Mrs. Vakarian. Very careful."
He paused, his eyes narrowing, his voice a gravelly murmur now, barely audible above the distant thrum of traffic. "Especially… of the human councilor. Don't trust him. Not with anything. There are… forces at play. Forces that would see good people, important people, removed from the board."
"Who are you?" she demanded, her politeness replaced by a sharp edge.
"A concerned party," he replied, his yellow eyes unwavering. "I can take you somewhere safe. Somewhere they won't think to look. A… temporary relocation, until this matter can be resolved." He extended a slender, four-fingered hand.
"And where exactly is this 'safe place'?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion. "And why should I trust you?"
'SAM, get a message to Garrus,' Mina instructed. 'Warn him.'
The drell offered a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Because, human, the alternative is far less appealing. And because sometimes, the greatest dangers are the ones you don't even know exist within your own four walls."
He gestured again, a silent invitation. "Come. Time is not on your side."
Mina looked down the path the drell indicated, a path that led away from the familiar hum of the Presidium, towards a less-traveled district. Her mind raced, weighing the unknown against the chilling implication that her home was no longer safe. The decision, she knew, had to be made quickly.
"Fine, take me to this safe place," Mina said, her voice steadier than she felt.
Kael melted into the shadowed alley, Mina following close behind, her quiet lunch now a distant memory.
*
The hum of the Citadel felt like a silent thrum of anticipation. Kael, his lean Drell form moving with an almost liquid grace, led the way through the bustling Wards.
His vocal cords produced a low, melodic murmur of "This way, Mrs. Vakarian. Almost there."
It wasn't the usual tourist route, nor the well-trodden paths to her usual haunts.
'This is new,' Mina thought. 'I didn't know the Citadel had a place like this.'
They ascended through several traffic levels, the typical glow of neon giving way to softer, warmer lights. The air grew subtly sweeter, carrying faint hints of damp earth and exotic blossoms, an impossible scent for the metallic arteries of the Citadel.
Finally, they stepped out onto a quiet, residential platform. The apartment door was unassuming, brushed chrome, no different from a thousand others. Kael keyed in a sequence, and the door hissed open, revealing… not a typical apartment.
The main living space was bathed in a verdant glow. A colossal, living wall of shimmering, bioluminescent flora climbed to the ceiling, its roots disappearing into hidden planters. Water trickled gently from unseen sources, creating tiny waterfalls that fed miniature pools stocked with iridescent fish.
The air was thick with the scent of blossoming ka'haira and the earthy aroma of cultivated moss. A small, handcrafted table sat in the center of the room, laden with steaming cups of Drell tea and a plate of vibrant, fruit-like pastries.
"Welcome, Mrs. Vakarian," Kael said, his voice soft. "This is a drell safehouse."
Mina was rendered momentarily speechless by the unexpected beauty. She slowly stepped inside. The hum of the Citadel faded, replaced by the gentle sounds of nature.
The main living area was an open-plan space with several panoramic windows that offered a view of the Citadel. The walls were a subtle light color, matching the low-slung sofa and armchairs. A polished kinetic wood coffee table occupied the center.
To one side, a compact but fully equipped kitchen gleamed with dark-steel appliances. On the other side, a small, multi-species-friendly dining circular table and four ergonomic chairs.
Built-in shelves along one wall were already populated with a selection of classic human literature and a few beautifully bound scrolls.
"Stay here," Kael instructed, getting ready to leave. "Don't leave under any circumstances."
Before Mina could press for more, before she could even formulate a coherent question, Kael's form blurred. One moment he was there, a shadow of warning, the next he had melted into the throng of passing commuters, disappearing as effortlessly as he had appeared.
Mina stood there is disbelieve.
'SAM, did you get a hold of Garrus?' Mina asked worriedly.
'No, no answer,' SAM answered. 'Shall I try Solana and Wrex?'
'No, it might not be safe. Kael wouldn't have approached me if the situation wasn't serious,' Mina continued. 'He said that Councillor Sparatus wanted to see him. We were gone for hours, and he didn't send a message that he was on the way home.'
'I'll monitor the situation,' SAM said.
**
Mina waited at the apartment anxiously. SAM hadn't been able to reach Garrus.
"What's going on?" she wondered out loud.
"Your apartment was raided," SAM replied through the speaker of her Omni-tool.
"What?!" Mina exclaimed. "Tell me in detail."
"I'll tell you what I found out," SAM replied.
"Garrus was summoned by Councilor Sparatus for a review of the case, finding Aster and her A.I accomplice. They reviewed the data and his finding. Councilor Sparatus sent the video to Garrus and had him run a program to identify the authenticity of the video. They did verify that the video had been altered.
"However, the program that Garrus used was a troject horse that infiltrated his firewall, accessing his data on his Omni-Tool. All of his data was sent to the Councilor, unknown to him. On his way out, Councilor Valren called him over, and they had a private meeting.
"It was during this time that Councilor Sparatus had the apartment raided. He sent a group of soldiers to Solana's and Nihlus's apartment. They were looking for signs of Aster. There wasn't anything to find, so they ended up leaving."
"What did Garrus say when he found out?" Mina asked.
"He marched over to Councilor Sparatus office and caused a scene. Citadel Security was called, and he was detained. Nihlus also showed up demanding an explanation as to why Citadel Security had raided two Spectre houses.
"Councilor Valren and Tevos had to get involved. They weren't at all happy that Councilor Sparatus had been acting on his own. Garrus was released, and he is at the apartment."
"Have you tried to reach him?" Mina questioned. "Did he get my messages?"
"His Omni-Tool is compromised," SAM explained. "I can eliminate the infected files and restore his system."
"Yes, go ahead."
Mina paced around the open living room, waiting for SAM to complete his task. She needed to reach him. Tell him that she was safe and not to worry about her.
"I've established communication," SAM announced. "The infection has been purged. Should I connect you?"
"Yes."
"Mina?" Garrus voice came through. "Is that you? Are you safe?"
"Garrus," Mina replied.
"Thank the spirits!" Garrus exclaimed. "Are you safe?"
"I'm safe," she said. "A meet a drell on the way home. He took -"
"Wait," Garrus interjected. "Don't say anything else. My Omni-Tool may be compromised."
"I had my friend clear out the infection," Mina said. "Your device isn't infected anymore. Like I was saying, a drell found me and took me to a safe haven on the Citadel. He warned me about the Udina."
"What about him?" Garrus asked. "What does he have to do with anything?"
"I don't know how he fits in," Mina admitted. "But the drell wouldn't have intervened if there wasn't some truth to what he said. Have you spoken to Solana and Nihlus?"
"They are on the way here," Garrus replied. "We'll have to come up with another plan. My program confirmed that the video has been altered. Although I couldn't find who sent the video, it does look like it was sent by someone from within the Citadel network."
"Someone in the Citadel sent it," Mina echoed. "How is that possible? Someone else knows about Juxhi."
"We need to trace the digital fingerprints that the video left behind," Garrus concluded. "I can create a program that can follow the IP address back to the source from where the video was uploaded. That should give us an idea of who sent the video and who might be behind all of this."
'Or I can run the search,' SAM volunteered. 'No need for extra programming.'
"My friend will run the search," Mina said. "I'll reach out once we've learned who's behind the video. In the meantime, be careful. I'll stay hidden. Please let Solana know that I'm safe. Wrex, too, he might go on a rampage."
"I may have a lead as to who is behind it," Garrus said. "Councilor Valern has asked me to investigate Councilor Udina. If that drell said to be cautious of the Councilor, our missions may be connected.
"Mina, I'll go investigate the human councilor. In the meantime, have your friend run the search."
"Be safe," Mina said. "I'll be here unless the Citadel gets attacked."
She laughed at the last part.
"Keep me posted," Garrus said, ending the call.