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SFS: Lineage (Chapter Eight)

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Shepard Family Stories: Lineage

-Chapter Eight-

(The SSV Aegis, Captain's Quarters)

Kaycee Shepard sits alone in her daughter's quarters, her face buried in her hands. Visible tear tracks etch lines into her visage. Nightmarish thoughts tear through her mind like ravaging varren. Her mother's body lying in a pool of her own blood, the screaming wounded on the Presidium, all flash before her eyes over and over. Why now? I thought we were done with the fighting, the sacrifice, the loss.

Hillary's voice sounds over the intercom, "Excuse me, Commander?"

Kaycee wipes her eyes, "What's up Hillary?"

"You have a call from the Citadel. Shall I patch it through?"

"Sure, thanks Hillary."

The vid-screen comes to life, revealing Councilor Tevos, her expression grim. "Commander Shepard…..I'm sorry about your mother. I'll make this quick, time is of the essence."

"What are you talking about?"

"Many wish to turn you straight over to the terrorists, Sparatus and I disagree. You and your team are some of the best the galaxy has to offer. You've done so much for the galaxy already, I'm sorry to ask this of you."

"Wait….what are you asking me to do exactly?"

"Openly defy Council law. Sparatus and I can't officially tell you to do this, but we both want you to run. Find a safe place to hide out and regroup, then find these terrorists and put an end to them."

"And what? Nobody's gonna try to stop us from running?"

Tevos' face takes on a pained expression, "Not exactly, we will have to send out forces to bring you and yours in. Blackwatch, Commandos, even the STG will be sent to find you. All I ask is that you try to be merciful to them as they are just following orders. I can delay them for about five hours. Get going Commander….and may the Goddess watch over you."

The screen goes black. Kaycee continues to stare at the blank screen. The door slides open as Ayrene comes in and puts a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong dad?"

"Just had a request from Councilor Tevos."

"What did she want?"

"For us to become fugitives."

"Wait, do what now?"

"She wants us to run."

Ayrene's hand goes up to her temple, rubbing it in frustration. "Oh goddess, this is all we need in addition to all the crap going on today."

Kaycee turns to her eldest, a look of desperation on her face, "Where are we supposed to go?"

Ayrene gives a half-hearted smile, "Don't worry about that dad. I got just the place." 

Kaycee raises an eyebrow in surprise, "You do?"

"Yeah." She turns to the intercom, "Hillary? Set a course for Valhalla."

"Acknowledged."

Aya turns back to her father, "We'll be there soon."

"And what in the name of hell is Valhalla?"

"A special safe house, in the last place anyone would want to go."

"You don't mean……"

"Yep. Let's head on down. He'll want to know we're coming."


(Moments later in the CIC)

The brown planet before them brings old memories back to Kaycee. She turns to Ayrene, "I sure hope you know what you're doing sweetie."

"Have a little faith dad. Hillary? Can you patch us to my uncle?"

"One moment…..go ahead ma'am."

The battle-scarred visage of Urdnot Wrex materializes before them. He gives a smile when he sees his niece, "Aya! Shepard! Good to see you! You've certainly dragged everyone into quite the situation, haven't you?"

"Sorry to bring our troubles to your door, Uncle Wrex. We just need a place to rest and regroup. You mind?"

Wrex gives a booming laugh, "Are you kidding? I wouldn't have it any other way! Who all will be coming?"

"Everyone. I have to make sure that our extended family is safe from these terrorists. We've already lost loved ones. I don't want to lose any more."

Wrex's face becomes grave, "I'm sorry to hear about Hannah. She was quite the warrior, even for a human. Grunt is not happy about what they did to her."

"So we have your support, Uncle Wrex?"

"Of course you do, any member of our family will be under the protection of the Krogan people. I'll send out the call for the others to rendezvous  here. See you when you land."

His holo-image vanishes into the console. Gabriel taps Ayrene on the shoulder, "Aya? Why are we hiding out here? Why aren't we going on the offensive?"

"The bigger question is how are we supposed to find these people while running from the rest of the galaxy?"

"Wait……say that again."

"We're now officially…..fugitives from the Council."

"Spirits…….I'll go get the armory in order then."

Aya smiles, "Ever the Vakarian, always checking out the guns."


(The Presidium)

Velair Shepard tries her best to tend to the wounded, the sounds of agony filling her ears. She kneels by a elderly woman, holding her hand, as a medic treats her wounds. "Shh. Everything is gonna be fine. We're gonna get you patched up." 

"Elle?"

Velair looks up to see Kim looking at her with concern, a bandage on her cheek. "What's wrong Kim?"

"I think we've got a problem…….." 

Her eyes motion towards the elevators as over twenty Alliance soldiers file out of them. "I don't think they're here to help."

Velair glances around, taking in her surroundings, her brain racing to take in every variable. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do…..I'll distract them and you get to my apartment. Grab Ari and make your way to the shuttles. I'm sure we can find a quick transport to get off the Citadel." 

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Just get going Kim."


(Docking Bay B30)

A trio of C-SEC officers block the path of Primarch Garrus Vakarian. The sergeant holds up a hand, "I'm sorry sir, but you're gonna have to come with us."

"On whose authority?"

"Councilor Sparatus, sir."

Garrus shakes his head sadly, "Damn politics. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to do that."

"Um….that wasn't a request…..sir."

"You really want to do this?"

"I have my orders."

"Very well…..can't argue with that. Sorry about this."

"What do yo------"

CRACK!!!

A blow from behind sends the poor officer sprawling across the floor. The two remaining officers turn, their hands reaching for their weapons. A gloved hand crashes into the visor of the right guard, sending a spider-web of cracks across its surface. The final C-SEC officer gets his Phalanx pistol out of his holster, only to have Garrus put him in a submission lock. "Don't struggle…please. I just need you to take a short nap."

The officer struggles for a good minute before falling unconscious, his pistol falling to the floor. Garrus gently lowers him to the ground, "Nothing personal. Just can't let you keep me from my wife."

"So where to next Vakarian?" 

A slight shimmer in front of Garrus shows the silhouette of Kasumi Goto. He checks his omni-tool, patching into the C-SEC frequency. "We get to the commons. Soldiers were just sent to bring in Velair Shepard."

"What about Chloe? Shouldn't we split up to cover more ground?"

Garrus checks omni-tool once more, "Good point. Get to Huerta Memorial and grab Chloe. I'll grab Elle and get her onto the ship." 

"And you're gonna do what? Just stroll in there and walk her out?" 

Garrus unslings his M-101 Vector sniper rifle, the blue and silver patterns shining off the overhead lights. A smile plays about his lips, and a small chuckle can be heard, "Not exactly."

Chapter Eight is here! I'm glad you all enjoyed the action-packed previous chapter! Sorry this one took so long to write, it was a little difficult to get my thoughts in order last week. :XD:

So special thanks to Vierna, Juneside, LiquidFire for beta-testing.
Thanks as always to BlackLion and Vierna for working with me on this whole project. :happybounce:

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overlord0011's avatar
Hey, who is Hillary?