Jason Hough - Mass Effect - Nexus Uprising

Nobody had anything to say as she stormed for the door, the rebels—no, the exiles —following without hesitation. Enough was enough. She’d take her chances with the ones who believed in this new galaxy. Believed enough to shed blood for it.

When she met Calix in hell one day, she’d be damned if she’d tell him she’d abandoned them all.

Talini and her security flanked them on the way out.

Things had barely settled when trouble sought Tann out in hydroponics. The salarian wanted someplace warm and isolated to sit and nurse his wounded pride without something requiring his attention. Watching the determined seeds, struggling to grow, was soothing in a way.

Four krogan, led by the clan leader, thundered their way into the chamber. Tann stood, unwilling to be caught sitting by the much taller grunt force. Morda’s stare fixed on him with such intensity that Tann knew something was brewing. It didn’t help when his omni-tool flashed, porting Spender’s image.

“Sir, the Nakmor leader is searching for you.”

“She found me,” Tann said, keeping his gaze on the oncoming storm. “Send Kesh to hydroponics. Do it quickly.”

The comm went dark. Tann’s head tilted when the crusty-hided brutes came to a wedge standstill in front of him. He decided diplomacy wouldn’t hurt.

Or at least it will hurt less than another punch.

“Clan leader. If you wish to discuss something we can convene in—”

Morda glared down at him. “Now that you have laid judgment on the exiles, are things proceeding to whatever passes for normal on this station?” Her thick, heavily muscled arms folded across her chest.

Blinking, he managed a surprised, “Why, yes. Yes, they are. The shuttles are being outfitted as we speak, and the exiles and sympathizers are gathered for departure. We expect them to leave in a few hours.”

“And Kesh?”

Tann hesitated. “And Kesh what?”

“Is she serving her function as expected of her experience?”

This seemed oddly formal for a krogan. Doubly so coming from Morda. Tann felt a queer sense of unbalance. Something wasn’t right here.

“Yes,” he said carefully. “She and her crew have been serving capably, save the recent betrayal by one of her teams.”

Morda’s eyes narrowed. “That’s between you and her. I have no sway in the discipline of your officers. But,” she added dourly, “Kesh should have not been so trusting.”

“I agree,” Tann said, surprised again. Still. Where was this going? “However, what is done is done, and—” He glanced beyond the formation of krogan as Kesh strode through the same doors. An ancient krogan followed behind her. Nakmor Drack, Tann recalled. Kesh’s grandfather, woken with Morda. The old one seemed entirely unimpressed with the state of things, but as of yet had spoken little.

Relieved to have backup, he continued more confidently, “—and we are looking forward to putting this behind us. Forging the Nexus into a brilliant symbol of cross-species friendship and cooperation.”

“Good to hear,” Morda grunted. “Kesh.” A greeting. “Stand witness as the Nakmor Clan’s Nexus representative.”

Kesh shot Tann a quizzical glance, but nodded once. “As you say.”

Wherever this was leading, it was starting to churn acid in the back of Tann’s throat. Before he could say anything more, however, Morda took a step forward and bent.

She bent. At the waist.

Like a bow.

Tann’s eyes widened so far, the secondary eyelids strained.

“Then the Nakmor Clan has acted as agreed, and now officially accepts the offer of a seat on the leadership council of the Nexus.”

For a long moment, not a sound filled the hydroponics chamber. Morda, perhaps uncomfortable in so uncharacteristic a position, looked up.

“What is she doing?” Tann demanded.

Kesh’s frown deepened. “I don’t know.” She looked at Morda. “What are you doing?”

The clan leader growled, rolling her shoulders. Humility didn’t sit well on her. “I’m claiming the council seat offered in return for our service in putting down the rebellion.”

Kesh’s eyes turned to Tann.

He blinked again. “The… what?”

Morda’s frustration mounted, evident in her toothy sneer. “The council seat!” she repeated loudly, as if he were dimwitted. “Your sand-rat ambassador offered us—on your behalf—a seat at the official Nexus leadership council, in exchange for our loyalty and service and for ending the uprising.”

“Spender.” It was the only word Tann could form through the chaos of his thoughts. William Spender had gone to the krogan, and Tann had assumed the terms were clear. Taken aback, he shook his head and moved closer—hoping it wasn’t too close. “This is impossible,” he managed. “I did not authorize him to offer that. It was never even mentioned.”

Behind her, one of the meaty-faced brutes slammed his fist into a hand.

“Wrong,” he roared.

Kesh looked back and forth between them. “Spender said you’d get a seat at the council if you put down the rebellion?”

“Did I not just say that?” Morda growled. “There were witnesses.” She jerked a gesture toward the krogan behind her. “And some humans, as well. I made certain of it.”

Tann continued to shake his head. “I’m afraid there’s been some sort of mistake,” he said firmly. “No one species should be arbitrarily guaranteed a place on the council, much less by an unauthorized individual. It’s ridiculous, and goes against everything the Initiative set out to achieve.”

Morda became as still as a statue, glaring at him. Utterly intimidating. All the more reason the krogan would never occupy a council seat. Too much of a penchant for conflict. Despite the fear in his gut, Tann had to break the silence. He raised his hands slightly, appealing for calm.

“That offer should never have been made,” he said. “I’m sorry, Morda, but there is nothing we can do. Spender will be reprimanded for this error.” Error, his hydrodynamic head. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll speak with my aides and see if we can’t draft plans for a more appropriate reward for your service.”

Before the clan leader could reply Kesh stepped between them, and Tann made good his escape. Slipping through the door, he could still hear Morda shouting, her followers echoing her fury, and Kesh’s loud efforts to get them to settle down. The sounds followed him all the way to the lift.

A fury unlike any Tann had harbored before roiled within him, aimed at William Spender and made all the more intense by his fear of Nakmor Morda. The intensity of the emotion left him barely able to think, his rationalizations spinning.

He paced in a tight square as the lift descended. Spender… how to deal with Spender. The man got results, but his methods were unscrupulous and, honestly, quite insane. Offering a council seat to Nakmor Morda, what the hell had he been thinking?

Tann supposed a little of the blame for that fell on him. He’d sent the human to handle that task, after all, and instructed him to win the clan’s support at all costs. Tann should have chosen his words more carefully, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

He could not honor Spender’s offer. That, above all else, was clear. The question was, how to avoid Morda’s wrath at a faithless deal broken. Security certainly wasn’t up to the task if the krogan became… uncooperative.

“Hmm,” Tann muttered, still pacing his tight squares as the lift hummed along.

Morda was entirely unfit to sit on the Nexus leadership council. Kesh, perhaps, after an extensive trial period and a majority vote, but Morda? Impossible. She couldn’t handle the troubles, the tough decisions, even—yes, even the boredom. Rulings upon rulings, the mind-numbing maze of regulations.