Clearing the office was a relatively simple task. By the time they reached Zymandis, John, 042, Bau, and Kasumi had effectively incapacitated the mercenaries guarding the rogue hanar. Many groaned at the loss of their kneecaps. While John kept the hanar at gunpoint, the other three got to work on Zymandis' files.<br/><br/>Bau was the first to find results. 'Son of a--he's sending Reaper code to Kahje to sabotage its automated defenses!'<br/><br/>Somehow, Zymandis snickered. Was that even possible with hanar biology? 'This one is no republic serial villain, fool. This one already did it thirty-five minutes ago.<br/><br/>John sighted the center of the hanar's body. 'Zymandis, soul name "Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair", you've been deemed guilty of collusion with the Reapers, uploading hostile AIs to the Citadel computer network, and attempting to kill Citadel Spectres. Consider yourself under arrest.'<br/><br/>The hanar<span style="font-style: italic">laughed</span>. 'This one cares not for the laws of Citadel space, Spectre. We serve the Enkindlers, and as the Enkindlers became the Collectors, so too must we serve the Reapers.'<br/><br/>Kasumi gave Zymandis an arch look. 'Okay, I'm all for religious freedom, but that's just crazy.'<br/><br/>042 tilted its head in confusion. 'Statement: We believe this meatbag must be terminated. We recommend high-explosive rounds to ensure maximum effect.'<br/><br/>'You would not understand the workings of an enlightened mind. With this code, we shall bring about the hanar homeworld's ascension.'<br/><br/>Bau tapped frantically at the hanar's desktop computer, trying to isolate and cut off the Reaper signal. Private channels would have been too obvious, the signal too easily detected by any tech worth his salt. The only way to properly hide the data transfer was through slower public channels. That meant they still had a chance, but only if they worked fast.<br/><br/>'There, I've isolated it,' Bau said. 'Give me some time to cut off the datafeed and we should be goo--hrk!'<br/><br/>A tentacle darted out, wrapping around Bau's throat and lifting the Spectre up, hefting him in front of John's gunsight with speed that belied the hanar's clumsiness out of water.<br/><br/>'Zymandis, put the salarian down,' John warned. 'Put him down now.'<br/><br/>'Statement: We recommend terminating the meatbag to expedite this mission.'<br/><br/>'Negative,' John replied. 'If Zymandis has a source of Reaper code, we need him alive if at all possible. Zymandis, untentacle the salarian now.'<br/><br/>Zymandis shook his 'head', reaching out with a tentacle for a desk drawer. 'Oh, I believe I do not need to do that. I have already won, Spectre.'<br/><br/>John saw the grip of a pistol in the drawer. His perception of time slowed and, with a small burst of Essence, he activated Accuracy Without Distance, a Solar ranged charm. Golden runes danced across his irises as he twitched his pistol ever so slightly up and to the left. Body shot--enough to wound and cripple, but not enough to kill. Before Zymandis even wrapped his tentacle around the grip, John pulled the trigger, automatically compensating for the recoil and spread with the charm's aid. Three rounds impacted Zymandis' flank with muffled, meaty thumps and, with a cry of pain, the diplomat's grip on Bau loosened. Each round fired was perfectly on the spot, missing all of the hanar's vitals but maximizing the pain he would feel. Gasping for breath, the salarian ambled back to the computer to continue his work. Kasumi and 042 did likewise.<br/><br/>John began cuffing the hanar. He sent a call out for paramedics and thumbed the comm, switching back to Chakobsa. 'Three, mark is neutralized. Bau, 042, and Goto are jacked in and decking as we speak. What's the situation on your end?'