Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five

After the battle, the quarians locked Grayson away.For the next week, his fate hung in the balance between the Headquarters, the College of Cardinals, and the Commons of the Edenna, whose opinions would determine what to do about Grayson. He sounded the alarm for the explosion, saving dozens, perhaps hundreds, of lives.But Carly and the others also know that the only reason these people's lives are in danger is what Grayson did.And he has a lot of blood debts to pay in his hands.More than twenty of the Edenna's crew were killed in the attack, along with eleven Cerberus fighters and the quarian traitor Glo.The cost is heavy, but still much smaller than the potential loss.

Marr knew all this, so he took these factors into account when exercising the final judgment under the captain's authority.Callie worries about consequences for herself and Handel, because none of this would have happened if the quarians hadn't accepted them when they arrived.However, she underestimates the importance Quarian culture places on social and personal worth.Mal had explained to them that they had been accepted as honored guests of the Aidena, that they were part of the Aidena family.He wasn't going to chase them away, and he didn't think they were responsible for the Cerberus attack.

In the end, the captain even agreed that Carly would use Grayson's own spaceship to escort the prisoner Grayson back to the Alliance.Rhyme agrees to go with Kali and pilots the spaceship for Kali, freeing her to guard the captives. But Handel and Gillian did not go with them. "Do you know what you're doing?" Carly asked Handel as they stood in the dock saying goodbye. "Gillian needs to be here," he said, "you can see how much she's improved since we got here. I don't know if it's because of the ship, or the environmental suit, or the lack of Jiro's meds... ...all I know is that she was very happy on board the Edenna."

"And soon even the Cerberus can't deal with her." Handel said again after a while. Carly nodded, accepting the fact that she couldn't change Handel's mind. News of the hostile force's incursion into the Rogue Fleet has rocked Quarian society.Realizing how vulnerable they were, even within the fleet, many captains changed their minds and agreed to send expedition ships into deep space. The matter was debated vigorously by the College of Cardinals, but they finally voted in favor of the expedition, and captains like Mal now had a majority.The headquarters could have vetoed the decision of the College of Cardinals, but it seems that their hearts have also changed.They acquiesced to this decision, but strictly limited the number of expedition spacecraft and the departure time through regulations.

Not surprisingly, the Edenna was chosen as one of the first ships to depart.In three weeks' time they were headed to a recently activated Mass Effect relay station in an uninhabited star system, heading for uncharted space.Now the Edenna is being refitted with the latest technology, so that they can survive independently for five years without contact with the outside world or obtaining resources.In order to achieve this goal, the number of crew members must be reduced from the current nearly 700 to the early fifties, and these crew members are all personally selected by Mal. The captain also gave Handel and Gillian permission to set off with the ship.

"Do you think Cerberus will stop tracking Gillian after five years?" Carly asked. Handel shrugged. "I don't know either. But at least it gives Gillian a chance to grow before she faces Cerberus again." He glanced at the spaceship, where Gillian was saying goodbye to Dad for the last time.Handel was against the idea, but Carly talked him into it.At least Grayson deserves his daughter to say goodbye to him. "What do you think he'll say to her in there?" Handel asked. "I do not know either." Carly couldn't even imagine what Grayson had been through.Everything he's experienced as an adult—every action, every decision—serves the Cerberus and their so-called great, honorable, and rightful cause, but in the end he chooses his daughter over these hazy ideals .Unfortunately, this choice means she cannot be with him.

"If Gillian asks about Grayson, what do you tell her?" she asked Handel. "I'm going to tell her the truth," Handel said. "His dad is a complex person and has made some mistakes. But he loves her very much and his only hope is that she is well, and in the end he did the right thing." .” Carly nodded again, pulled Handel to her side, and gave him a hug. "Take care, you two," she said softly. "We will." They heard the familiar footsteps of Lyme's boots and let go of their embrace. "Are we ready to go?" he asked Carly.

Callie knew Rhyme had been eager to get her and Grayson to the nearest Union colony so they could be dropped off early and rushed back to rejoin the Aidena.Like Handel and Gillian, he too was chosen by Captain Mal for his dangerous and long journey. Carly had said goodbye to Gillian, and as much as she hated separating Grayson and Gillian again, there was always something to say goodbye to. "I'm ready," she said. With only the last few hours to decelerate from FTL, they will soon reach the nearest Alliance colony, Culver.Rhyme had already programmed the destination into the navigation system, and Carly sent a message: Please send a security patrol there when you land, and arrest Grayson as soon as you land.

Now Rhyme was napping in the bedroom, and Carly and Grayson sat facing each other in the passenger cabin, Grayson's hands handcuffed in front and on his lap.Just in case, Carly brought a shock and a pistol, in case Grayson played tricks. Carly could see that Grayson was terrified.His eyes kept darting about the room as if looking for a chance to escape, his fingers fidgeting restlessly on his legs. "You know I'm definitely going to die," Grayson told her. "The alliance will protect you," Carly assured him, "You have very valuable Cerberus information on you, and they will find a way to keep you."

"They can't protect me," Grayson shook his head. "It could be a month, it could be a year, but sooner or later their agents in the league will find me." "So what do you want me to do?" Carly asked him. "I won't let you go." "No," he said softly, "no, I don't think you will." "You knew it was going to happen," she said to Grayson, "but you helped us anyway. You wanted to atone for your past, I suppose." "I hope I can atone for my sins, as long as I don't die." He smiled wryly. "Remember why you did it," Carly said, hoping to put him in a better mood. "For Gillian."

A desperate smile played on Grayson's thin lips at the mention of his daughter. "You're right," he said. "You were right about me before I killed Glo. Gillian is happy now. I guess that's all I really hope for." Carly nodded. "You did the right..." She was cut off, and Grayson rushed towards her.Fast as a snake, he headbutts the defenseless Carly on the nose.At the last moment, Carrie dodges to the side, but Grayson bumps into Carrie's shoulder anyway. Grayson's weight was on top of Carly, and she couldn't move in the chair.Grayson's handcuffed hands tried to grab her, but Callie stabbed his palms flat and slashed hard at his windpipe. Momentarily out of breath, Grayson slumps from his chair and curls up on the floor.Carly jumped out of the chair and stood beside him, tense in case he kicked her again. "If you do this again, I'll kill you," Carly warned, but there was no real malice in the threatening words. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline was racing through her blood, but Grayson didn't really hurt her after all.She had always expected this situation in her heart—he was already desperate.If anyone was to be blamed, it would be Carly, after all she didn't realize he was still dangerous. "Get up," Carly said in a low voice, taking a step back. "I didn't beat you so hard you couldn't get up." Grayson lay on his side, and Carrie noticed that his hands were cuffed, but there was something hidden under his fingers.Carrie thought for a moment before realizing it was the shocker - he must have ripped it from Carrie's ass during the fight! She tried to yell to warn Rhyme, but Grayson fired, and Carly's eyes went black. When Carly woke up, Rhyme was standing over her, looking at her with concern.She realized she was lying on the bed of the spaceship, but the shock force still made her feel dizzy and fuzzy. "Where are we?" Carly asked, trying to sit up. "Dalion," Rhyme replied, "a small Waller colony." "I thought we were supposed to land at Culver," Carly said, trying to put all the pieces back together in a dazed head. "Where's Grayson? What's wrong with Grayson?" "Going away," Rhyme replied. "We can search for him if you like. He may still be in Darion." Carly shook her head, realizing what had happened. "He's gone by now. We'll never find him." "So what do we do now?" Rhyme asked again. "Get on board and go back to the Edenna," she said to Rhyme. "You've prepared a lot for your journey." "how about you?" "Put me at Grism College," she said, "there's an ascension program there, and there are a lot of kids who still need my help." Carly laughed again, "I am very confident that I can convince the school board to let me go back."