'John Del Pilar,' the Solar replied, shaking the Infernal's hand. 'First Lieutenant, Solar. 103rd Marines. I take it you were responsible for turning this ship into the set of an action film?'<br/><br/>John rotated a shoulder experimentally, wincing slightly at the pins and needles. 'Admiral Hackett never was one for overt displays of emotion, really. And knowing Shepard's usual modus operandi, it probably involves a suicide mission.' He stepped over to the command console and retrieved his VI chip.<br/><br/>With the flash of burning engines, a blue Alliance Kodiak shuttle pulled up alongside the Collector vessel, its hatch lifting. John removed his helmet as the hatch closed, the scent of blood and stale air replaced by those of not-blood and slightly less stale air. Leaning back in his seat, he slept the trip off, to be woken seemingly seconds later with a jerking halt.<br/><br/>'Whoops, sorry,' the pilot said. 'Still getting used to this thing's controls.'<br/><br/>John ignored him as he stepped off, saluting the two figures greeting the shuttle.<br/><br/>Humanity's greatest hero gave him a sardonic smirk and saluted back. With long legs, brilliantly red hair, youthful freckles, well-kept olive-green armor, and an air of command rivaled only by Admirals Hackett and Anderson, Commander Jane Shepard was every bit the photogenic heroine portrayed in the holovids of the Skyllian Blitz.  'Looking good, John. Liking the bloodstains and broken nose. You do something with your hair, too?'<br/><br/>'Yub yub, Commander,' John said, following her and Hackett as they turned and walked deeper into the ship. 'Any news on survivors?'<br/><br/>Hackett spoke in his characteristic rasp. 'Pretty good so far. Sixty percent of the crew recovered and combat capable, with a further ten sitting in sick bay. Nothing concrete on how many are seriously injured, but you two did well, all told.'<br/><br/>Shepard entered the conversation then. 'Which is exactly why I and my crew are here. We're in need of your particular sets of skills, gents. Especially since the salvage teams just found...' As they entered the aft chamber of the<span style="font-style: italic">Normandy's</span>main level, she hit a button on a holo-projector. '..this on the ship's navigation files.'<br/><br/>On the hololith materialized the image of an insectoid, cylindrical structure, similar to but much larger than the Collector vessel lying dead in the void outside. Surrounded by debris and black holes, the Collector station seemed all but impregnable. He saw where this was going.<br/><br/>'Well?' Shepard said, raising a finely trimmed eyebrow.<br/><br/>John scratched calmly at his jaw. 'Pretty. What do we blow up first?'<br/><br/>'Still the same man from the Blitz, eh, El-Tee? Always so calm and...<span style="font-style: italic">Collected</span>.'<br/><br/>Hackett sighed in exasperation.