Mass Effect 1. Departures

**Reclamation**

_Terrified screams, one particular voice rough, hard, yet panicked, a curious combination. "We'll never make it," he yells. "We will! Keep moving," shouts a cracked, defiant female voice over the cacophony of footsteps and terror. Doctor Chakwas, hair silver, slick from the Collector tubes, eyes determined despite the horrors she had already seen. Collector wings beat like drums of war overhead. I feel the weight of my rifle as I turn to take aim, insignificant to the weight of the lives in my care._

The door to life support opened. Thane snapped out of his involuntary memories, but did not turn around. He simply recognized Commander Shepard's reflection in the window in front of him and remained silent. The commander always initiated conversation. Thane was content to simply follow his lead.

Shepard took his usual seat across from the drell before speaking. "We just dropped Samara and Zaeed off on Omega. Samara wanted me to tell you it was an honor to work with you. Zaeed just said, 'hell of a trip,' but you can consider that praise if you like." Shepard had done his best impersonation of Zaeed's accent. "We're headed to the Citadel next."

"My thanks," Thane replied. "I look forward to seeing my son again, though I don't know if I should tell him the details of our most recent mission. Regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to personally shuttle me to my destination."

Shepard let out a humored snort. "It's the least I can do for all you've done. Hell, it's the least this entire crew can do, considering you escorted them back to the Normandy yourself. Besides, this is my ship now. Well, it will be once we get a new paint job to remove all the Cerberus logos."

Thane smiled slightly and gave a single nod, signaling that he had said his part. Shepard rose to his feet and clasped Thane on the shoulder as he walked past. "Keep in touch," he said.

"Of course," came the reply.

Shepard left life support to see Kasumi leaning against the opposing wall. Her hood was off, revealing tussled hair as black as the rest of her outfit and her lower lip remained unpainted. Perhaps she hadn't been awake long. Her right cheek bore a simple bandaid, her only testament to the suicide mission four days prior. "Not coming to see me, Shep?"

She, like Thane, was one of the lucky ones. While miraculously no one was killed, coming out of that Collector ship with only a scratch left her somewhat cocky; even if that scratch came from a bullet skimming her face. "You know, I feel sort of guilty dropping off an assassin and a thief at the Citadel," Shepard answered, "but as much help as they were they can take what they get. Besides, you were next on my list, you know that,"

Kasumi pushed herself off the wall and fell in to step with Shepard as they walked back to her normal hangout in port side observation. "Of course I was, Shep, only because I caught you before you snuck back down to engineering." She grinned, wrinkling her bandaid.

Once inside the observation room, Kasumi stepped in to the center of it and sat on the floor with her legs crossed, much like how Samara always would. She looked out in to the stars and sighed. "I've taken a lot of risks and done a lot of stupid things, Shep, but this took the cake. Before this I was just sort of living for the moment, doing whatever struck my fancy for the excitement of it all. For the first time in my life, I can't figure out what to do next. I don't know how I can top defeating the Collectors and saving the entire galaxy." She looked over her shoulder at the commander and grinned again before continuing. "I thought about stealing the ship while you were on Omega, but I figured that was too unoriginal. You've already done that."

Shepard let out a chuckle. "Nonsense, this was my operation and therefore my ship! Giving the Illusive Man the biggest middle finger I could muster was just for fun." He walked closer to Kasumi, letting his smile fade, and crouched down next to her. "You know, the Reapers are coming and in force. Schooling them like we did the Collectors would be a great follow up project."

Kasumi didn't look at Shepard, but dropped her chin in to her left hand in consideration. "Maybe," she spoke through her fingers. "Seeing all that we've seen puts things in a perspective I've never imagined and I certainly can't stay holed up in Keiji's memories forever." She turned her head to look the commander in the eyes. "Maybe when the time comes I'll find you again." A smirk found its way back on to her face. "But I've taken too much of your time, Shep. There's a sick quarian with a wrenched arm that needs your sweet and tender attention." Shepard raised his eyebrows. "Oh come on," Kasumi continued, "it's not like you're doing a very good job of hiding it."

Shepard stood back up and turned to leave, only speaking again to add, "She really was next on my list."


	2. Checking In

"How do, Commander?" greeted Donnelly as Shepard walked in to the engine room. Daniels nodded her head with a smile and turned back to her console.

"Everything okay down here?" Shepard asked, already knowing the answer.

"Always, Commander," Donnelly answered, "We may be fulla holes, but this girl's still runnin' like a dream." He bit his lip before continuing. "But, uh, I don't want to alarm you, but, uh…"

"Kenneth, you're alarming the commander," Daniels interrupted before continuing her work.

"Right, well, I was down in the subdeck, you see? You know, to check on damage and whatnot."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Jack's cubby? Surprisingly daring of you."

"Yeah, 'cept she wasn't there." Gabby and Tali both stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to Ken in perfect synchronization. "Her whole area was cleaned out, just 'Fuck yeah, Shepard' carved in to a bulkhead."

Commander Shepard started laughing. Donnelly's worried expression changed, but not even he was sure to what. What was so funny when a psycho was on the loose? The commander explained, "She must have snuck out while we were on Omega. I didn't picture her as the type with anywhere to go, but I guess she had even less reason to stay."

Donnelly was a bit relieved she wasn't still on the ship. "Commander, about the vandalism?"

"Leave it. Consider it a memento."

"If you insist, but I still don't like her hurting the Normandy. She's taken a big enough beating without a psychopath adding insult to injury."

"You might get the chance to tell her yourself. Assuming she doesn't wind up frozen again, she'll be a fine asset against the Reapers."

Daniels sounded unusually timid, "Any idea when they'll be here, Commander?"

Shepard shrugged. "No idea. Could be months, could be years. Until then we just wait. I don't like it either." Daniels nodded silently, looking off in to space. Shepard continued, "Hey, killing Reapers is what we do. Why would we stop now? The least we can do is let them die on their own terms." The engineer seemed satisfied with this and gave a crisper nod before returning to her duties.

"Carry on."

"Will do, Commander," came the reply as Shepard walked over to the main reason he was down in engineering.

Tali spoke first, "You really do have a way with words." She gestured for Shepard to follow her back to the privacy of the drive core.

"It's a gift," the commander replied, heading to the end of the walkway. His brow furrowed. "How are you feeling?"

Tali rubbed her right arm, just below the shoulder, at the mention of her injuries. She had nearly plummeted to her death along with the human Reaper until Shepard caught her. She remembered the fear, in both his eyes and hers as she slid helplessly over the edge of the platform. She remembered foolishly looking down, seeing the Reaper swing its claws wildly as it became encased in fire. She remembered the pain of being caught, of falling from one crashing platform to another, and of using the same arm to haul Shepard on to the Normandy, returning his life saving favor. Tali forced the memories away to answer.

"I'm fine," she said, "still a little soreness but nothing that will keep me from performing my duties. As for the rupture," she gestured to her right side, where her suit had been torn, "the seals kept the infection to a minimum. It's not like I haven't been shot before." She leaned in, almost whispering, "Though I think I'm more sick from you than combat, anyway." Her helmet hid the grin she was wearing, but the tone of her voice gave it away.

Shepard knew she was joking, but still looked to floor like a child being reprimanded. "Tali, I'm sorry. If I push too hard, I want you to…"

"Don't be," Tali interrupted, "this is what I want and quarians are tougher to kill than you'd think. I've dealt with this all my life. I know how to take care of myself. Besides, over time, my immune system should adapt to you just fine."

Shepard's eyes left the floor to meet hers again. "I like the sound of that," he said, unable to suppress his smug expression.

"I would like to heal up first before you go making me sick again, though, if that's alright with you," Tali replied.

"Come here," was Shepard's answer. He took her in to a hug, being careful not to squeeze too tightly. "You're in control here. I'll go at your speed. Just, uh," he broke the hug, "don't go telling anyone I said that. I have to look like I'm in charge."

Tali chuckled. "Of course, 'Commander.' Garrus won't find out."

"I didn't mean…"

Tali tilted her head.

"Okay, you got me. Still, fewer people that know I'm a big softie reduces the chances he'll find out. I'll never live it down!"

Tali just shook her head. The conversation paused. Her luminous eyes lingered on the man before her for a moment, her thoughts gathering. "Who all is leaving?" she asked, "I've been stuck down here working on the engine and piecing the cargo hold back together and haven't even been able to say goodbye."

Shepard leaned back against the safety railing. "Well, Jack disappearing was a surprise. I don't know what she's up to and I probably don't want to. Samara made good on her oath and is off doing her Justicar thing on Omega. She sends her regards, by the way. Assuming her brand of justice doesn't get her in a death struggle with Aria, or Jack for that matter, we'll hopefully see her again when the Reapers show. Zaeed got his paycheck and left too. I'm kind of surprised the Illusive Man was good on paying us all considering I broke his toy and took his ship, not to mention my 4 billion credit body."

Tali hopped up and sat on the safety railing on her side, leaning forward on her knees. "I'm pretty sure if he didn't pay up, Zaeed would have goaded you in to making a personal visit. He may be an insufferable bosh'tet, but even the Illusive Man knows you're more valuable alive and unimpeded."

"I hope you're right. Anyway, Thane and Kasumi plan to take off when we hit the Citadel. You're going to be with me to see them off and that's an order. Kasumi mentioned that she might come back to help out later, but I imagine Thane will want to spend his last few months with his son."

"It's hard to believe he has less than a year," Tali commented, "It doesn't seem right, him surviving the Collectors just to be done in by a disease."

Shepard nodded. The conversation stalled again. He watched as Tali idly wringed her hands together.

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

Tali carefully stepped down from the guard rail. "It's nothing, Shepard. I'm just worried about repairs and our remaining resources. Without Cerberus backing to pay for all this…" her voice drifted off.

Shepard brought his hand to his chin, running his thumb along his cheek. They could pay out of pocket, but that would leave them completely broke. He simply stared at the silent quarian in front of him for a time. He shrugged. "Maybe Aria has another unwanted mineral cache?"

Tali tipped her head, her eyes transmitting how matters should be taken more seriously.

"We'll figure something out, Tali."

Shepard pushed off his railing. "I should continue my rounds. We won't hit the Citadel until tomorrow. Plenty of time tonight to discuss all this in my quarters when you're done down here; maybe over an old Earth vid?"

"This isn't some ploy you humans use to lure a girl to bed, is it?" Tali teased.

"Uh, sometimes," Shepard admitted, "but no tricks here, I promise."

"Then I look forward to it," Tali replied happily, returning to her post.


	3. Time to Get Started

There was no mandate that Shepard check on everyone in the ship, but he had made a habit to do so. Before, it was to ease tensions and build morale before a daunting mission. Now, it was more out of friendship and camaraderie.

Grunt had taken enough fire to kill two humans, but seemed to almost enjoy it and was healing rapidly. Despite orders from Dr. Chakwas to rest, he simply paced around the ship, branching out from his roost in the cargo hold as it was repaired. Throwing himself in harm's way for the rest of the fire team made him a bit of hero.

Miranda suffered some broken ribs from falling debris. She, along with Tali, accompanied Shepard on the final stretch of the mission, destroying the incomplete Reaper. Thankfully she was not exaggerating about her healing capabilities and was already up and about with minimal discomfort unless she made any sudden movements.

Mordin only gathered a few scrapes and bruises. While Shepard was checking in he seemed more distracted than usual. Something about a side project the commander would like, but refused to elaborate until he had something to show.

Jacob had only recently started walking again after taking fire to the right leg. Even still, he was confined to crutches. This failed to dampen the soldier's spirits, however. No matter what happened next, he was proud to serve.

Garrus had taken a shot to the stomach while leading the fire team, but it wouldn't keep him down. He was sad about having to outfit himself in some new armor, however. His old set was falling apart after the mission. Considering it had saved his life for years, he decided to simply retire it and keep it rather than discard it.

Legion was the only member of the squad Shepard didn't go to see personally. The infirmary was still busy and through traffic was to be kept to a minimum. Instead, he saved the rest of the evening for himself, lounging in his quarters with Tali, watching a movie about a turian Spectre squaring off with an asari Justicar.

* * *

"Commander Shepard, we will arrive at the Citadel in approximately thirty minutes," EDI informed the sleeping Spectre before disappearing again. He carefully slid his arm out from underneath Tali and quietly moved over to his armor locker to get dressed.

"You'll have to do better than that," said a voice from behind him.

"Guess I'm not as stealthy as I thought."

"Leaving so soon?" Tali sat up.

"We're almost to the Citadel. You should probably get ready too."

Tali gestured to her environment suit. "I'm always ready, Shepard. And if we're almost there, why didn't you wake me anyway?"

Shepard lifted his shirt over his head and picked out a fresh one. "You just looked so peaceful. It's the first good rest you've had since… Five more minutes wouldn't have hurt." He paused in the middle of locking on his armor and chuckled. "Listen to me, I sound like my mother."

"I don't think I've heard you talk about your mother," Tali began, "You know so much about my life, but you don't speak much about yours." She was surprised by her own forwardness. She quickly added, "If you don't want to talk about it…"

Shepard stopped her there. "No, it's fine. I don't think it can quite compare to yours, though. I've been fairly lucky, compared to most."

"Besides dying once already and being forced in to work for a terrorist organization."

"Right, besides that." Shepard sat on his bed next to Tali to tug on his boots and begin his story. "I spent most of my childhood bouncing all over the galaxy. Both of my parents were Alliance military; mother still is. When I was old enough, I followed in their footsteps and enlisted at 18. I never really had a steady home. I guess I consider Earth to be 'home' just because I feel I should as a human." He snorted. "I've never even been there." He paused a moment and looked at the woman beside him. "No, the Normandy is my home now."

"Then I guess we aren't so different after all," Tali said, placing her hand in his, "Adrift in the stars without a planet to call our own." She frowned beneath her helmet, "Granted the circumstances are a bit different."

Shepard noticed the time. "We should be there any moment. I'll bore you with my stories another time. You head on down to CIC and I'll be there in a sec." He planted a kiss on her hood and went back to latching his boots.

Tali rose and headed to the door. Just as she reached it, there was a knock, but there wasn't time to stop before it automatically opened for her. Behind it was a rather surprised turian.

"Morning, Garrus," Tali exclaimed before hurriedly darting past him and disappearing in to the elevator. Garrus' head followed her to her destination before slowly turning back to Shepard revealing the most exaggerated expression of restrained laughter he could muster.

Shepard sighed and sank down a bit. "Alright, Garrus, let me have it."

Garrus, to his credit, inhaled his laugher, slowly exhaled, and calmly ensured he wouldn't start cracking up before he spoke. "There's nothing to let you have, Shepard. I'm glad to see you start enjoying yourself a bit." A smirk reappeared. "It's the hips, isn't it?"

"Garrus…"

"It's dangerous, but I always thought she had a crush on you, even back on the first Normandy."

"Garrus, there's more to it than that."

"Oh, I know. There'd have to be. Especially considering you have your pick of human women, including one that was bred to be perfect. Hell, I hear you even got a krogan breeding request if that was your thing. But I still know a supportive waist when I see one."

"The hips are nice, I can't deny it. But Tali has just always been there for me, backing me. We were immediately friends from the start then when I… came back… I can't believe it took this long realize how close we had become. A lot of people changed while I was dead, or even turned their back on me when I showed up again, but she still believed in me. We just seem right, you know?"

"Personality wise maybe, but physically you're comprised of different amino acids and, er, certain contact could kill her. Hard to believe that's the case, though, since you humans look so much like quarians." Garrus chuckled a bit. "I remember when I was a kid and humans first started appearing on the galactic stage, there were reports of these funny colored, mutant quarians running around without their suits." He took a moment to compose himself. "Still, take care of her. You two are the only real friends I have left. I don't need you sexing each other to death."

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "So did you come all the way up here just to spy on us?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to let you know we're at the Citadel. Also, Yeoman Chambers mentioned something about a new message for you while she commented on my fringe. That woman creeps the hell out of me."

Shepard stood up and gestured for Garrus to take the lead out of the captain's quarters. "Thanks, let everyone know I'll be right down. I'll check this message right quick."

"You got it, Shepard," Garrus replied as he headed for the elevator. Shepard brought up his mail on his terminal. There was one new message, and it was from Zaeed.

_Shepard,_

_Appreciate the lift and the opportunity to fight with a team that didn't die on me. I can't remember the last time a mission didn't end with me walking home alone. Figured I could offer you a little repayment. Turns out the Blue Suns took over a mining facility on Alingon. Slippery bastards used the planet's natural radar scrambling to ambush the workers. I know your ship was gutted during the fight and I figured killing some mercs for free materials would be right up your alley. No need to thank me, but if you find Vido there, break his goddamn legs and look me up so I can have a talk with him._

_-Zaeed Massani_


	4. Goodbyes and Meetings

Joker was seated in his pilot's chair, turned away from the controls with his right arm still in a sling. He should have known better than to try firing a gun, but he didn't regret it for a moment. "There you are, Commander," he said once Shepard stepped out of the elevator, "I guess you slept well."

Garrus discreetly nudged Tali who promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

Thane nodded to the commander, as did Kasumi who now had her hood up and bandaid removed. Kelly smiled brightly. Shepard leaned forward on the railing to the star map and spoke up, telling everyone in CIC the plan for the day. "I recently got a message that should prove very helpful in getting the ship back in shape, but first we're heading in to the Citadel for a couple items of business. All goes well, we'll be back here in a few days for some well earned shore leave once those staying on have healed up."

Cheers erupted from the work stations. Plucked from certain death less than a week ago, the idea of relaxing and seeing friends or family again seemed like heaven. Shepard headed to the airlock, Thane, Kasumi, Garrus, and Tali in tow.

* * *

"Hey, you can't come in here with that!" shouted the human man working the security scanner. Shepard's group looked amongst themselves but could not identify anything objectionable. They had left their weapons on the Normandy.

"You know, the turian that usually works here never hassled us like this," Garrus whispered.

Shepard ignored him. "What are you talking about?"

"That," the man spat, pointing an accusing finger at Tali. "We're trying to keep transients out of the upper wards. You'll have to take her to a lower level."

The man quickly found himself lifted off the floor by his collar. "Tali, would you please?" Shepard asked politely. Without a word, the quarian made a couple taps on her omni-tool and the door in to C-Sec opened. Legs flailing and protests ignored, the security officer was carried forward.

Looking up from his desk, Captain Bailey asked exasperatedly, "Shepard, what the hell? I know you're a Spectre, but you can't just do things like this for fun without giving me more work to do."

Shepard dropped the security officer to the floor and held him in place with a vice like hand on his shoulder. "Your new rent-a-cop here has some racism he needs to work out. Thought maybe I'd have him apologize with an audience." He grabbed the officer by the back of the neck and spun him around to face Tali. "Tell her you're sorry."

"S-sorry," the man said, squirming in obvious discomfort.

"Ma'am," Shepard demanded.

"Sorry, ma'am!"

"Get out of here." Shepard released the man, who scurried back to his post. "You've got some winners under your command, Bailey."

"Poor dumb bastard," Bailey commented, "first day on the job and he goes insulting the one quarian who probably saved his stupid ass from the geth. For what it's worth, I apologize for his behavior."

"I'm used to it by now, but thank you," Tali replied flatly.

Bailey turned back to Shepard, "You just come by to knock a few heads or can I help you with something?"

"Actually, yes," Shepard gestured to Thane. "Thane's job with me is complete and he's back here to spend some quality father/son time."

"Ah, of course. He's actually doing an errand for me but should be back soon. If you like, you can wait in that same interrogation room when you first found him. Maybe it will have a nice nostalgic feel."

Thane turned to his comrades and stated, "I suppose this is where we part ways. Thank you. If it was possible for me to find atonement, I believe this mission granted it."

Shepard stuck his hand out and firmly shook Thane's one last time. "We couldn't have done this without you, Thane. We should be thanking you." Garrus and Tali nodded in agreement and added their goodbyes. Kasumi added, "Don't forget us."

Thane smiled slightly in response to the joke and gave a deep bow. Turning away he headed in to the interrogation room to wait for Kolyat.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Shep," Kasumi reluctantly uttered as the group stepped out in to Zakera Ward.

"You figured out how to top saving the galaxy yet?" Shepard asked.

Kasumi ran her tongue over her teeth before responding with, "I'll think of something." She looked over the trio in front of her and added, "You kids take care of yourselves."

Shepard stuck his hand out for a handshake and Kasumi looked at it with disdain. She cocked an eyebrow at the commander before assaulting him with a hug. "Come on," she gestured to Garrus and Tali, "everybody in."

They looked at each other, shrugged, and eventually complied. "That's more like it," Kasumi said cheerfully. Releasing her friends the thief turned and disappeared silently in to the crowd.

Garrus let go of Shepard and Tali as well. "You certainly meet some interesting people in this line of work," he said.

"Come on," Shepard ordered, "Let's get up to the Presidium before we get any more funny looks. There's a turian hologram I want to punch."

* * *

"Shepard," Councilor Anderson shook Shepard's hand vigorously, "it's good to see you back. How goes the Collector business?"

Garrus crossed his arms, "So the Council doesn't even know? Good thing we weren't doing this for the recognition."

Anderson cocked his head. "You mean…?"

"We won," Shepard answered, "at least for now."

"You're telling me you flew through the Omega 4 relay and took the fight to the Collectors in person and wiped them out?"

The trio nodded in unison.

Anderson shook his head, attempting to grasp it all. "I'm glad you're on our side. Did you find out what they were doing with the abducted humans?"

Shepard wetted his lips but stopped himself from answering. "I think it's best to tell you and the rest of the Council all at once. You might want to sit down for this too."

"I don't like the sound of that, Shepard, but I'll get the others right away."

Once Anderson was out of earshot, Tali asked, "Are Garrus and I allowed be here for this?"

"Stick around," Shepard replied, "you'll probably get to hear me shout some more and I know how you love that."

Tali fought back a giggle, "You'll never let me forget I said that, will you?"

"Nope."

"I'm being serious. I don't want them dismissing you over some stupid formality."

"You two are part of the reason these idiots are even alive. I think they can put up with you listening in on official Council business. Besides, anything to get a rise out of that turian councilor." Shepard grinned in spite of himself.

"Ready, Shepard?" Anderson asked. Shepard stepped forward and nodded that he was. Anderson flipped a switch and the other three council members flickered in to view.

"We're very busy, Shepard, I hope you aren't here to tell us more ghost stories," the turian councilor snarled almost immediately.

"Spectre stories, actually," the commander replied smugly.

"Gentlemen, please," the asari interrupted, "we were told you have information regarding the abductions in the Terminus Systems?"

"That is correct," Shepard started, "as you knew, the Collectors were behind the abductions but I, we" he corrected, glancing back at Tali and Garrus, "have not only ended the threat, but discovered why as well as what is to come."

"And your discoveries?" the salarian inquired.

"The humans were being," Shepard visibly grimaced at the memory of a colonist woman screaming in horror as her entire body melted away; her futile attempts to escape the pod just leaving smears of her flesh behind, "processed… melted down in to a genetic liquid of sorts."

The Council's eyes, particularly Anderson's, widened greatly. The salarian was the first to overcome the startling news. "To what ends?"

"They were using us to build a Reaper. That's what Reapers are, an unholy abomination of biological and technological parts."

The turian frowned, "More fairy tales, Shepard? Perhaps they were just studying humans at a grotesque base level, or using you to patch up their own ships."

"Listen, you blind, stubborn moron, you can stick your fingers in whatever you have in place of ears all you want but I have proof of all this. I brought it with me. Hopefully this will spur you to action, and not just condescending words." Shepard turned around. "Tali, you still have the footage?"

The quarian stepped forward. "Yes," she answered and brought up her omni-tool. From her arm a video recording of the suicide mission inside the Collector vessel began to play. It was all from her point of view via a camera placed on her helmet for this exact moment. She turned her head away, having trouble viewing the footage having lived it once already.

Shepard noticed her discomfort. Truth be told, he could only watch out of the corner of his eye. He spoke softly to her, "could you fast forward to the Reaper?"

"Of course," she replied just as quietly. Part of her was glad she could skip ahead, but she knew what was to come.

Garrus moved forward. He had lead the secondary fire team and part of him was morbidly curious as to what happened.

It was all there. Tali stopped the fast forward at the Illusive Man ordering Shepard to salvage the facility. His refusing seemed to put the Council at ease. They didn't know who this Cerberus woman with Shepard was, but seeing her resign from the organization seemed to be a good sign as well. This was when a horrible grinding noise was heard, made worse by the low quality of the omni-tool's speakers. Tali's POV camera swung around to see a skeletal monstrosity climb its way over the edge of the platforms. Its eyes and mouth glowed ominously. Tali paused the video there, partly to give the Council a good view of the Reaper, but also because she couldn't bear to see herself tumble off the platforms again.

"My God…" Anderson uttered absentmindedly. He was echoed with a "by the goddess," from the asari councilor.

"That's almost human," the salarian remarked, "this… 'thing' was built out of humans to _look_ like a human?"

"That's what they do," Shepard said, "The Reapers harvest races and build more of themselves in the likeness of whatever race they wiped out. Luckily this one was nowhere near complete. They would have needed thousands, maybe even millions more humans."

"And you say there are more coming?" Anderson asked. He knew they were. He merely posed the question to remind the other Council members of what he had been saying for years.

"A lot more," Shepard said grimly. "I don't know when they'll be here, but we need to start taking action now."

"We owe you an apology, Commander Shepard," the asari stated.

"This is huge, Shepard," the turian admitted, "and will take some time to work out. Letting the general populace know about this would cause an unprecedented panic. We'll have forces ready to combat these…" he stuck his fingers in the air to form quotation marks, "'Reapers,' or whatever they are, in time, but we will have to go through the proper channels."

Shepard frowned. "Don't act too quickly in saving the lives of all organic species now," he said sarcastically.

"I'll make sure we work quickly," Anderson assured him.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Commander," the asari said, "We will contact you once our deliberations are completed." With that the holograms of the Council disappeared.

"That's one meeting I wasn't prepared for," Anderson admitted, rubbing the numbness from his face.

"Luckily you should have time to prepare for the real problem. I'm not sticking around, but I should be back on the Citadel in a few days. I promised my crew some time off."

"No one deserves it more," Anderson said, shaking Shepard's hand again. "Take care of yourself." He looked up to Tali and Garrus. "You two do the same. It was good seeing you again."

"Thank you, Councilor," Tali replied.

"Always a pleasure," Garrus said without much conviction. He meant what he said, but the image of the Reaper was still fresh in his mind.

The trio stepped in to the elevator and stood there in near silence. The whimsical, irritating music danced across the air, mocking their darkened moods.

Shepard was the first to speak. "You guys want to get a drink before we head back?"

"Definitely," Garrus and Tali replied in unison. Anything to take their minds off the impossible mission in their future.

* * *

The Silver Moon was a rather small bar, but as close as it was to the Presidium, it had to be higher class. No sleazy dancers, no seizure inducing lights, just some bass heavy music focused on a dance floor in the corner and the opportunity to relax and socialize. This was exactly what Shepard and his crew needed.

"Is that any good?" Shepard asked, eyeballing glasses of almost opaque green liquid held by his friends. Tali had simply ordered whatever Garrus had.

"It's not bad," Garrus critiqued, taking a sip and smacking his beak like lips. "But you aren't going to find the best stuff on the Citadel."

"Anything's better than nutrient paste," Tali commented. She had to drink her glass through a special straw. The sight was amusing, but Shepard thought better than to poke fun.

"I'll have Rupert learn to cook something you two can eat," the commander said.

"So I can have dextro-protein foods prepared by a pro-human Cerberus janitor?" Garrus mused, "Thanks, Shepard, but I think I can get by on my own rations."  
"He's not that bad a cook if you get him the right ingredients. You should give it a shot."

Garrus tilted his head back and finished his drink. "Suggest that again after I've had a few more of these." He held his empty glass up and flagged down an asari waitress for more.

"I'll notice you didn't share the fate of the Protheians with the Council," Garrus mentioned, bringing his fresh drink to his lips.

"I figured one galaxy shattering revelation was enough for now," Shepard replied. "We need them focusing on the immediate threat, not figuring out how to explain to the hanar that we killed their gods."

"The Reapers rebuilt them," Tali interjected, "we just…" She hesitated and Shepard offered her a gesture of open palmed hands. "Hmm, I see what you mean."

"So," Shepard started, "you know what little I was up to after the Normandy blew up, but I was curious what happened to everyone else."

Garrus lowered his drink from his mouth and frowned. Tali was probably frowning as well, but no one could see for sure. They had both eventually found closure, but they imagined Shepard just woke up one day with everything gone and two years missing.

"It was…" Garrus began, "It was hard on all of us." He glanced at the quarian beside him who had her head down, right hand subconsciously drumming on her thigh to the beat of the music. "Tali and Liara took it especially hard. You were the force that held the crew together, Shepard. Williams was reassigned, along with the rest of the surviving Alliance crew. With you 'gone' we non-Alliance folk were forced to find somewhere else to go. Wrex stayed long enough to pay his respects, but soon left for Tuchanka."

"I knew I could just go back to the Fleet," Tali finally found her voice. "But it didn't seem right. I couldn't just move on that quickly." She mentally chastised herself for sounding so helpless. He was alive now and she was a hero to her people. Everything was fine. She should be happy. She tried a different angle. "There was a beautiful ceremony for you. I didn't want to just forget everything and start a new life. You were the first person outside of my own people to ever see me as…" No, not like that. She tried again. "I stayed here for a time. Garrus was up for Spectre candidacy again and Liara had no idea where she was going. Staying with them seemed like a good way to bridge the gap between the Normandy and completing my pilgrimage."

"And let me tell you how happy my father was about that," Garrus said cynically. "Like I said when you picked me up on Omega, I got fed up with all the rules and regulations here on the Citadel. Going full vigilantly with you fighting Saren and the geth gave me a taste of something new and I wanted it, but Liara was actually the first to leave."

Tali continued the story, "One day she was just gone. She left us a message that said she had found something important and we may never see her again; that she had made the biggest discovery of her life."

"Me," Shepard surmised.

Garrus and Tali nodded.

"I disappeared a few days later after a lot of arguing with the Council and C-Sec," Garrus said, finishing his second drink. "You know what I got up to after that."

Tali finished her first and spoke again, "With no one left here that I knew, I booked passage on a ship to take me back to the Flotilla. That geth data you gave me, on top of defeating Sovereign and his forces, made me rather popular. Even my father was impressed and he never was. I was leading science teams and recon missions almost immediately." She plucked the straw out of her mask and put it away. "Most of them were more successful than Freedom's Progress and Haestrom, thankfully."

"Wouldn't they have to be?" Garrus asked, glancing at Tali out of the corner of his eye as he attempted to coax a final drop out of his glass on to his tongue. Tali punched him in the shoulder just hard enough to cause that drop to land on his cheek.

Shepard sat quietly for a moment, thinking about the fates of his friends and comrades after he died. He had never thought of himself as the linchpin, but more and more he realized his importance. _He_ headed the attack on Sovereign. _He_ died and was brought back to life at a cost equal to an entire army. _He_ led the mission against the Collectors. Now _he_ was rousing forces for the defense against the Reapers. This was a lot of responsibility for someone who was originally just planning on being a soldier to make his parents proud. Everything had worked out so far, he decided. No reason he should doubt himself now.

Eventually Shepard stood up and the others followed suit. He typed in a little extra as a tip on the payment pad. "Come on," he said, "we shouldn't keep the others waiting."

On the way back to the ship, a certain store caught Shepard's eye. His walking slowed to a halt, his friends stopping with him.

"I have one more thing to take care of, you two go on ahead," he explained.

Garrus and Tali looked at each other in hesitation, but did as they were told.

* * *

"Joker, plot a course for Alingon," Shepard ordered over the intercom while he headed up to his room.

"Aye aye, Commander," came the reply, "am I allowed to ask about this mysterious message sending us there?"

"We're just cashing in on a favor so we can fix up your baby."

Shepard opened the door to his quarters, anxious to get out of his armor. However, when he got there, he spied a woman seated cross legged on his bed, illuminated by the ambient glow of the aquarium on the wall.

"Heya, Shep!" she said with a smile.


	5. Promises

Commander Shepard pinched the bridge of his nose as though he were trying to stem a headache. "First Jack sneaks out then you sneak back in? For such an advanced ship it doesn't have much in the way of security."

"You forget who you're talking to," Kasumi said smugly, standing up from Shepard's bed.

"You got me there," Shepard admitted. "So, you're staying after all?"

"In your private quarters?" Kasumi placed a hand on her chest in a mock scandalous fashion. "What will Tali think?"

Shepard tipped his head and lowered his brow in to a semi-serious glare.

"Lighten up, Shep, it's only the end of the galaxy." Kasumi leaned against the wall by the aquarium. "I thought about what we said before I left. I guess it's time for me to grow up. I'd say 'and do something with my life' but I already have. I'll just continue doing it." She affirmed her statement with a nod.

Shepard crossed his arms and smirked. "Funny, but where's the real Kasumi?"

"Hey, I'm new to this serious stuff. I'll get better at it with time, but only if I have to. 'The real Kasumi' will be down in that same old observation deck. Don't be a stranger." With that she left the room, allowing Shepard to finally get out of his armor.

* * *

The elevator door opened to CIC. Kelly met the commander with her usual perky smile. "Commander, Professor Solus would like to speak with you," she said as soon as Shepard set foot out of the elevator.

"Thanks, Kelly, I'll go see him right now." He turned on his heel and started for the research lab.

"Legion would also like to speak with you in the AI core," Kelly added.

"It's next then," Shepard said, continuing to the lab. Was Mordin finally going to open up about this secret project? Shepard tried to stop himself from guessing what it was. Too much time around Joker had him thinking up all kinds of biological horrors.

"Shepard, glad you're here," Mordin greeted, without looking up, as soon as the commander walked through the door. The salarian was scouring several datapads worth of notes. "Believe I've mentioned side project, have been secretive, admittedly somewhat embarrassed at shortcomings. Work has been slow, but productive, have met both breakthrough and obstacle. Frustrating. Was hoping you could help."

"I think you're asking the wrong guy, Mordin. I'm more of a soldier. Dr. Chakwas could probably help if whatever you're doing is medicinal or Tali maybe if it's tech based. Uh, what are you doing?"

"Apologies, should elaborate, so many possibilities, so much data, apologies," he repeated. Mordin set his datapad down and inhaled deeply. "Have been studying Maelon's genophage research. Much of it ghastly, but some also truly inspired. Think I have found good use for ideas."

"You're planning to cure the genophage?" Shepard stared on in disbelief.

"No," Mordin looked as though he had been shot, "moral ramifications of genophage beyond even my comprehension, curing krogan out of the question. Krogan population surge would endanger all life. No, have found uses for Maelon's research outside of intended purposes." Mordin inhaled again and placed his hands behind his back. "Much of his testing was for regeneration and rewriting of cells, essentially reversing the malignant effects of the genophage. Risky, could inadvertently cause krogan fertility to skyrocket." He unclasped his hands and began gesturing emphatically. "However, ideas sound. Tests were progressing as well. Gruesome, sloppy, but producing results."

"I thought gene therapy wouldn't work on the genophage," Shepard said, attempting to wrap his head around the salarian's flurry of science.

"Not gene therapy," Mordin explained, "Gene reconstruction. Original genophage infected all krogan genes, rewrote them. Cure took data from original krogan cells and desired effects, essentially gave genophage new instructions. Arduous process, but absolute."

Shepard had difficulty hiding his confusion and focused his gaze on the scientist's desk for clues. "So what exactly have you been doing, Mordin? And why do you need my help?"

"Right, to the point, apologies for digressing. Believe idea can also be applied to other species, diseases, birth defects, other cell weaknesses. Example, immune systems, specifically quarian."

Shepard's head jerked up to look Mordin directly in the eyes.

"You're saying you could… 'cure' the quarians?"

"Not immediately. Not even dramatically, at least not yet. Research meant for krogans, altering for other species would be difficult, challenging, fun, rewarding, atoning. Could aid greatly in readaptation to home word. Mentioned obstacle, need quarian tissue. Was hoping you could retrieve sample next time you, ah, had opportunity arise. Speaking of, were videos helpful? Must confess I took great pride in making them."

Shepard didn't watch the sexual aid videos and could also feel a sheepish grin trying to form. "Does Tali know about all this?" he asked, hoping to dodge the question.

"No," Mordin answered, "would like to tell her, but also fear for her well being. Tali'Zorah has strong loyalty to her people, even willing to be exiled rather than cause them distress. Feared she would demand she be used as test subject. Would never allow it. Unethical, would on no account allow harm to come to patient, crewmate, friend. Also, would like to see her set foot on Rannoch again." He smiled at Shepard.

"Me too," Shepard answered. "But you've mentioned their home world twice now. You know something I don't?"

Mordin's eyes narrowed. "Have you not spoken with Legion?"

"Not recently, I know he, it, they… whatever wanted to talk but I came here first. Why?"

"Suppose few know yet. I only know from helping in infirmary. Close proximity to AI core. Geth have agreed to negotiate with quarians, hence my project."

Shepard's eyes widened and he dashed for the door.

"Shepard!" Mordin yelled. The commander stopped, catching himself on the door frame, and looked back. "Sample!" the salarian reminded him, pitching him a small box of cotton swabs. Shepard deftly caught the box, placed it in his pocket and nodded, bolting for the elevator.

* * *

"How do, Commander?" Donnelly gave his usual greeting. Shepard simply ignored him walked past at a brisk pace.

"Tali!"

The quarian almost jumped at the sound of her name.

"Let them finish up here," Shepard said in a hushed voice, pointing his head in the direction of Donnelly and Daniels, "we need to go talk to Legion," he practically whispered the last part.

Tali didn't speak but Shepard could see her eyes narrow with heavy thought. "It's important," he added. He took her by the hand and practically pulled her to the elevator.

"Guess even the commander gets his urges," Donnelly commented. Daniels rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Tali's mind was racing. She had come to respect Legion to a certain degree but remained uncomfortable around it. She questioned Shepard's judgment giving it such an important role as hacking doors in the Collector base, but it had come through. Even still, she didn't think she could ever fully trust a geth, and certainly not one that would openly scan her personal belongings for classified Fleet data. Now Shepard had pulled her away from her work station to talk to this thing? Her heart was pounding. What was this about?

Shepard had released Tali's hand, but she still kept pace with him. Dr. Chakwas glanced over her shoulder to see them racing past to the AI core, but minded her own business and was just glad to have a moment's rest. She let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair to continue her crossword puzzle.

"Shepard-Commander, Creator-Tali'Zorah," Legion greeted. The door shut, cutting out almost all the light. The AI core was rather dimly lit, mostly illuminated by the door, the blinking lights on EDI's systems and Legion's own head.

"I've heard you have important news," Shepard said with almost an accusatory tone.

Legion's brow plates shifted. "Specify."

"Rannoch," Shepard stated. Tali's head snapped up and turned to Shepard as though he evoked some magical spell.

"We have reached consensus," Legion began, "should creators comply, we have agreed to seek peaceful negotiations for return of their home world."

Tali felt a tingle start at her shoulders and cascade down her spine. She felt her knees give and her heart fly out of her chest. She clung to Shepard in an attempt to remain standing. "Shepard…" she breathed nearly inaudibly. Finding her senses after the initial shock she said, "I… Legion, thank you. Thank you so much." The tingling excitement began working its way in to her chest.

Legion's face plates tilted in a manner mimicking confusion. "We merely relayed information. No gratitude is required."

Tali released the commander and regained the ability to support herself. "Regardless, you have no idea what this means to me… to my people."

"We have additional information," Legion spoke again. "Repairs to Rannoch's structures have been completed and environmental recovery is approximately 81%."

Tali's grip on Shepard tightened again, though she remained standing.

"We'll head to the Migrant Fleet first thing after our trip to Alingon for materials," Shepard decided.

Tali almost crushed the commander in a hug. Tears threatened to flow freely. She could remember the only other time she was this happy being when Shepard returned her confessions. That's when she felt that tingle be replaced by a twinge of guilt. She pulled back slightly, just enough to look in to Shepard's eyes. "Shepard," she said, "what about the Reapers? We've waited 300 years for our home; a little longer won't kill us. We can take it back when it's safe. The mission is too important. I'll understand if we…"

"Tali," Shepard looked back with an amused smile, "you have to be the most selfless person in the galaxy. We're not waiting for this. _You're_ not waiting for this. The Reapers can wait long enough for the quarians to have a home again. This should make them more willing to fight beside the geth when the time comes anyway." Shepard pulled Tali back in to the hug. "Plus I'm pretty sure you were promised a house," he whispered.

In response, Tali just nuzzled her head in to the commander's chest.

"Thanks again, Legion," Shepard said, pressing Tali in to his body. "I want you with me when we get to the Migrant Fleet to relay this message again. They might not like the idea of letting you on board, but they should like what you have to say."

"Acknowledged," Legion replied. The synthetic's peripheral lights began flickering and changing color as its programs began sharing more information.

Tali collected herself as best she could before walking back out in to the rest of the Normandy. Still, her face, had it not been covered, would have told the world how excited she was. She kept looking at Shepard, but saying nothing. Words swam through her mind, but none made it to her tongue.

"Shepard," came Mordin's voice, "trust talk went well. Miss Zorah's body language speaks volumes."

Tali straightened herself up a bit more, blushing behind her mask.

"Didn't think you were ever going to leave that lab, Mordin" Shepard responded.

"Leave often, though not for long periods. Constantly hungry, results of salarian metabolism. Also, food good for mind. Best ideas often come over meals."

"There's my favorite customer," Mess Sergeant Gardner interrupted. "Got somethin' special today. Hope you like eggs."

Mordin's eyes expanded.

"I'm just messin' with ya. You aliens sure can't take a joke."

"Perhaps just a salad," Mordin replied indignantly.

"Enjoy your lunch, dinner, second breakfast… whatever this is for you," Shepard said, excusing himself from the mess area.

"Shepard," Mordin called again. "Sample."

The commander nodded.

Tali looked up at Shepard as they walked towards the elevator. "How does Mordin know about that talk… and what does he mean 'sample?'"

Shepard paused and Tali stopped next to him. "How are you feeling?" he asked with just a hint of coyness.

Tali breathed in to find her nasal passages refreshingly clear. "Fine," she answered tentatively.

"Then I'll tell you tonight," Shepard said with a grin.

"Commander," Joker said over the intercom, shattering the mood. "Urgent call from the Illusive Man coming through in the Communications Room for you. Should I just plug in the Shepard VI and let him talk to that?"

Shepard and Tali just looked at each other for a moment.

"No," Shepard answered, "I'll take it."


	6. Eyes, Ears, and Faces

"Shepard," the Illusive Man started, removing his cigarette from his lips, "I'm pleased to see you're willing to meet with me again despite our rather heated discussion a few days ago. Can I assume your pay made an acceptable peace offering?" He was, as always, seated in his chair with a radiant star behind him, his right foot on his left knee.

"I already told you I can work with you if you're willing to follow my lead," Shepard replied, crossing his arms.

The Illusive Man took another drag on his cigarette and tapped some ash off the end. "We both know that's not going to happen," he said, exhaling a large puff of smoke. "You're an excellent leader, one of the best I've seen, but you're too close to the problems. You lack a certain… focus." He placed the cigarette back between his lips, signaling that Shepard was allowed to speak his turn.

"My 'lack of focus' defeated the Collectors, destroyed a Reaper before it was finished, and came out of that base without losing a single life," Shepard snapped back.

"All of which was completed using my intel, my ship, and the team I built for you," the Illusive Man responded. He took a quick puff. "You also disobeyed a direct order to salvage that station, potentially sacrificing countless human lives through your short-sightedness."

"Considering Cerberus' track record for successful science projects, I'd wager I saved a lot more by not letting you get your hands on it. Was the Lazarus Project the first thing you've _ever_ done that worked correctly? And not even _that_ was finished before the lab started exploding!" Shepard raised an accusatory finger. "And obviously I'm not even working as you intended. Do you really think I would trust you with Reaper technology? You might have been working in the galaxy's bests interests before, but you're still a pro-human terrorist group! I am _not_ handing you the keys to a doomsday device just so you can annihilate other races or use it as some trump card against opposing organizations!"

The Illusive Man placed his right foot on the ground and put his left on his right knee, while gesturing with his cigarette as he spoke. "Shepard, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You let wild stories about the unknown paint your opinions. Look at the facts. Cerberus has rebuilt you, at great expense I might add. We were honest with you about the Collectors, and you went and stopped them, saving humanity." He tapped his cigarette on his ashtray. "I'd consider that a gold star. Now that you have some misconception of being on your own you're wasting time playing chauffer for valuable members of your team that wish to leave, playing cowboy at some mining facility, and playing ambassador to the quarians, one in particular, when you _should_ be building an army. This is why you need me and my guidance. The Reapers could be here any day. I'm asking you to fall in line before the entire galaxy is eradicated due to your pretentiousness."

"Go to hell," was Shepard's only response. He looked up at the intercom. "Joker, cut this channel. EDI, firewall it. I don't need to hear from this asshole again"

The Illusive Man faded from view, bringing the empty conference room back in to sight. Shepard's eyes twitched slightly as he came to a realization. He headed for the door at a hurried pace, almost running in to Tali. He could have sworn he saw Garrus dashing out of sight from the corner of his eye as well.

"Eavesdropping?" Shepard asked smugly.

Tali wringed her hands together like a child who had been caught stealing cookies.

Shepard chuckled a little, "If you wanted to hear me yell at people you could have just asked to sit in."

"Well, I did enjoy that, but I was more curious as to what Cerberus wants with you," she confessed.

"The Illusive Man was just trying to take me back. Kind of sad, really. But he did say something that worries me. I'll tell you later."

Shepard turned and pointed at a piece of the wall. "But you, come with me," he ordered.

Kasumi shimmered in to view asking, "How do you do that?"

* * *

Shepard stormed in to Miranda's office, Kasumi behind him. "We need to talk," he said, audibly irritated.

Miranda looked up from her desk, sitting up straight. She winced slightly.

Shepard's tone of voice lightened considerably. "How are the ribs?" he asked.

"Better," she answered, "thank you. What has you so upset?"

"We need the bugs on this ship gone. How many are left?"

"I've told you before, Shepard, I was in charge of you, not this ship. The best I can do is tell you what they look like, which I've already done."

Shepard scowled.

"What made it so important all of a sudden?" Miranda asked, adjusting herself in her chair.

Shepard leaned forward on Miranda's desk. "Your old boss just gave me a call. He knows everything we've done and he knows where we're going. I'm sick of not having any privacy from that bastard. Watching every step, listening to every conversation… I don't trust him to leave well enough alone."

He pushed off the desk and turned to Kasumi. "I want you helping Miranda. Find these bugs and squash them."

"You got it, Shep," she replied, "but why not just ask EDI where they are?"

"No good, Kasumi," Miranda answered, "We've already removed all the ones she knew about. The Illusive Man must have had extras installed as a back up. He obviously didn't want anyone interrupting his observations."

"Well," Shepard growled, "let's get to doing exactly that."

Kasumi nodded and left the room. Shepard began to follow until Miranda's voice rang out behind him. "Shepard." The commander stopped and turned. "I'm not with Cerberus any more, and I know you've made it clear you never were, but are you sure we should completely sever all ties?"

"Yes," was Shepard's only answer.

"I'm not trying to condone the Illusive Man's methods any more. I trust your judgement and I trust _you_, but as your executive officer I still have to second guess you from time to time. This is one of those times. His resources and intel are greater than we could imagine and throwing them away is just childish. You can't let your feelings get in the way of the safety of every living being."

"Noted," Shepard replied just as coldly as before. He exited the room with no further discussion. Miranda eyed his exit. There was more to it, but she hadn't figured it out yet. She would, though, of that she was certain.

* * *

"Shepard," said a deep base voice, coming from behind the commander as he walked out of Miranda's office.

"Grunt," Shepard replied as he turned to face the krogan. "Glad to see you're still heading out of the cargo bay."

"Expanding my horizons," Grunt replied. "Plus it's unsettling with all the holes. It kind of reminds me of Tuchanka; just not as sunny, or with as many fights."

"Not killing anything or scaring anyone, I trust."

"No," the krogan responded. He sounded disappointed.

"You'll get your chance soon enough. I'll want you down on Alingon. Lots of heavy lifting and lots of Blue Suns mercs for you to play with."

Grunt smiled. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint, Battlemaster." With that, Grunt wandered off, occasionally pounding his fists together in eagerness.

* * *

Shepard entered his quarters to find another female figure seated on his bed. This one, however, was much more welcome and expected. He sat down next to Tali who leaned in to him, pulling her mesmerized gaze away from the exotic fish floating by in the aquarium.

"So, you've got several things you were going to tell me later," she said. "Is it later enough?"

Shepard put his arm around her and said, "I suppose. Should I start with the Illusive Man?"

The quarian nodded with affirmation.

"We haven't removed all of the bugs on the ship," Shepard said bluntly. "He's still watching us."

Tali inhaled audibly. "So he could be listening in on this conversation?"

"Doubtful. My room was the first place we swept and it's pretty small."

"Oh yeah, it's absolutely tiny, _human_," Tali kidded.

"Fair enough. But still, Miranda and Mordin are pretty sure the bugs in my quarters are gone, along with the cockpit, Miranda's quarters, and the research lab. But obviously there are still more to be found. I put Kasumi on it too. Seems right up her alley." A sly smirk found its way to Shepard's face and he asked, "Just how many quarians would you fit in to this room, anyway?"

"Just the one," Tali replied slyly, leaning further in to him to express her hidden smile. "Now what was it Mordin wanted a sample of?"

"You."

Tali pulled back slightly to look face to face with the commader. "Shepard, you have got to work on your pillow talk."

The commander chuckled a bit. "Actually, you might want to help out. Apparently Mordin is looking in to restoring quarian immune systems, making an adaptation to Rannoch much easier."

Tali remained quiet, motionless.

"Tali?"

She wrapped her arms around Shepard. "This is coming so fast. It's too good to be true," she stated. "It all seems like a dream. The geth are willing to give us back our home world and now the current generation might actually get a chance to experience it without suits?" The tears she held back before would no longer be denied. She continued to hold on to Shepard as tightly as she could.

He pulled the box of cotton swabs out of his pocket. "So, does that mean I get to 'take a sample?'" he asked with a boyish grin.

"You should stop learning your innuendo from Garrus," Tali chastised, slapping him across the chest. "You know, I was just feeling well again." She brazenly issued the challenge, "you'll have to be a lot more romantic than that to get me out of this suit again."

"I have just the thing," Shepard said, standing up. He walked over to his armor locker, opening it. "Remember on the Citadel when I sent you on ahead of me back to the ship?" He procured a long rectangular box adorned with a red ribbon from the locker and handed it to Tali before sitting back down next to her.

Tali's gloved fingers ran the length of the box and carefully slid the ribbon off one end. She opened it to reveal a single white rose.

"It's beautiful," she said, slowly turning it in her fingers. "The plants on the Liveships are always medicinal or for food. There's no room or resources for beauty on the Flotilla."

"I remember you saying you were unable to properly touch or smell a flower. I wanted to give you that chance, unless you think it's too dangerous."

Tali sat quietly a moment before reaching up to undo the locks on her mask. She carefully set the glass on the bedside table and wiped away the remainders of her earlier tears before picking the rose back up. Her brilliant white eyes looked in to Shepard's a moment before looking back at the rose, second guessing herself. She tentatively held it to her nose and inhaled. Its fragrance was similar to what she could smell through the filters, but still so different. It was pure, so rich, like she could truly smell for the first time in her life. She looked back at Shepard to find him staring. The white rose matching her white eyes, contrasting her deep lavender skin left the man completely transfixed.

"See something you like?" she asked, her voice sounding almost unnatural without her helmet's distortion.

"I've only seen your face twice now," Shepard answered, "I'm trying to memorize every detail."

Tali smiled one of the few smiles of hers to have ever been seen. She brought the flower back up to her nose.

"And I think you lied to me," Shepard continued.

Tali cocked her head.

"You said there was no room for beauty on the Flotilla, but that is clearly not the case."

She felt a blush forming and set the rose back in the box. "All right, Shepard, you win." She reached for her omni-tool, allowing her suit to inject her with life saving antibiotics and immuno-boosters.

Their lips met. She tasted even sweeter than Shepard remembered.


	7. When the Cat's Away

"Looks like the commander's a bit softer than he puts on," Donnelly commented, pointing to the rose, placed in a glass and seated on the back of Tali's console.

Tali turned her half-lidded eyes to her subordinate, but only to say, "Don't you have work to do?"

"Aye, ma'am, just tryin' to hold conversation," Donnelly conceded and headed back to his work station.

Tali was in no mood for Ken's shenanigans. She wanted to rip off her helmet and hold her aching head, to just pass out, but tried to simply focus on her work. Through her plugged ears she could hear the door to engineering open and footsteps head towards her. It must have been the culprit.

"How are you feeling?" Shepard asked.

"Same as I was this morning," Tali replied with no sense of allure in her voice. "My head hurts, my nose is stopped up, and I have a cough." She coughed upon completing her sentence. It was involuntary, but still served to prove her point.

"I'm sorry," Shepard replied, a frown forming on his face, "I told you I'd wait and then I go and…"

"Don't," Tali interrupted. "Don't keep saying that. You're not making these choices by yourself. I want this." Her demeanor changed seeing the genuine concern in Shepard's eyes, and took him by the hands. "Besides, I can think of worse ways to help my people."

"Oh, was that what it was all about?" Shepard said, pretending to take offense.

Tali shrugged playfully. He could tell by her eyes she was smiling mischievously, at least until she let go of his hands to start coughing again.

"I hope you're right when you say you'll adapt to me," Shepard offered in consolation.

"Normally it doesn't come on so quickly, it was probably the addition of the rose, but I'm still alive. I just hope Mordin works fast."

"Actually, that's what I came down to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"The first sample was ruined. Completely dissolved, actually."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, glad I got a lot of them. Apparently that was the expected outcome. I'll take his word for it. He said he learned a lot and the second trial should be happening today. Oh, and there was one other thing."

Tali waited quietly for his addendum.

"I just wanted to see you before I left. We're in orbit around Alingon. Garrus and Grunt are suiting up. We're heading out to grab you some materials so we can put this ship back together."

"Just be careful," Tali offered as Shepard kissed the top of her hood and headed back out of engineering.

* * *

"Ready to kill some mercs and take their stuff?" Garrus asked Grunt who was pacing around the hangar.

"Always," the krogan growled. "Where's Shepard, still taking care of his 'breeding request?'"

Garrus threw his head back and had a laugh. "I don't think breeding is on the agenda. I'm pretty sure that's physically impossible."

The door to the hangar opened. Garrus and Grunt stood up straight, making themselves presentable as Shepard walked in.

"Let's get to it," was all he said, gesturing to the Kodiak to allow his squad mates on first. One by one they piled in and headed for the planet's surface.

EDI's voice entered the shuttle. "I have pin pointed the mining facility occupied by the Blue Suns. It is unlikely they sensed our presence due to the natural interference created by the planet."

"I always did enjoy the element of surprise," Garrus commented.

"A word of warning," EDI continued, "this works against you as well. The dense concentration of magnetic periclase will cut out any communication … ship ………ing blind. Until y….. are o….. ……" The static continued a short while then stopped completely.

"Piece of junk," Grunt snarled, hitting the speaker closest to him.

"Guess we're on our own now," Shepard stated as the shuttle set down on the ground. "Helmets on," he ordered.

The door to the Kodiak opened to let in a freezing wind.

"Damn," Garrus muttered, "I hope it's warmer in that mine. This suit's doing nothing for the cold."

"It's over a hundred below, Garrus," Shepard replied.

"Oh, then I guess it is."

"Man up, Vakarian," Grunt said, pulling his shotgun off his back.

"Stay focused," Shepard ordered. "They may have no radio contact off world, but they could have easily seen our shuttle. Assume they already know we're here."

"Fine by me," Grunt grinned behind his helmet.

As if on cue, the door to the facility slid open. Shepard's squad quickly darted to cover as two human Blue Suns mercenaries walked out, but no shots were fired and no alarms sounded. The mercenaries were seemingly oblivious.

"Is our shift almost over? It's freezing out here," one of them was heard to say.

Hand gestures were quickly made.

"We still have two hours to go. I don't see the point in it; no one's coming to this rock."

Garrus quietly slid the barrel of his rifle over the rock the group was using as cover.

The first mercenary sighed, "We still have our orders."

Shepard counted to three.

"I don't remember being ordered to freeze my ass off. The boss is probably back in the dig by now, let's just go back inside and guard the door from there."

Garrus pulled the trigger. The first mercenary's head exploded, cleanly contained within his helmet. He struck the wall to his side and fell to the ground in a heap. The second mercenary stepped back in shock and turned in the direction of the shot just in time to be pounded through the door by a warp field.

"Well, he did want to go back inside," Shepard remarked, standing back up from behind the rock. "Come on."

"Dibs on the next one," Grunt demanded as they headed for the entrance.

* * *

The inside of the mining facility was surprisingly well structured. It appeared the miners had made significant progress before the Blue Suns came in and took over. The entrance was comprised mostly of prefabbed metal plating, constructed for the exact purpose of being walls and floors, covering the stone. Some furniture and equipment had been moved in. The lighting was dim, mostly temporary lanterns. The free standing lights had been powered off, their generators likely taken further in to the mine. A desk sat in the front by the door. Blood, presumably from the original worker, stained it but the body had long been disposed of. Taking his place was the freshly killed mercenary pressed in to the front of it at an awkward angle.

"Nobody's home," Grunt mumbled, despite the steady rumbling coming from beneath them.

"The rest must all be further down in. Mercs don't generally employ receptionists," Garrus commented, brushing some falling dust and debris off his rifle.

Shepard pointed to the makeshift stairs leading further down in to the mine. "We're going in, and be quiet."

The trio descended the metal steps and could begin hearing equipment from further down. The stairway was narrow, probably only used by personnel and not machinery or mineral caches. The lower they went, the louder and darker it got. The mercenaries had obviously not been caring for the lanterns. Shepard figured they didn't plan to stay longer than they had to. Further down in, heavy machinery pounded the stone at a deafening roar and generators added to the chorus.

"It's a good thing we're being quiet," Garrus commented in to his radio at a chance of being heard over the cacophony.

The stairs curled back in a spiral, leading in to a vastly larger and better lit area. Maybe a dozen Blue Suns mercenaries and what appeared to be a handful of beleaguered workers were scurrying everywhere gathering cases of metals and minerals and loading them in to hand carts. Shepard gave the order to hold and peeked his head around the corner to watch as a drilling machine ground its way in to a stone wall. Opposing it were several large metal crates set up like a barrier. On top of the crates lay a handful of directional explosives. It wasn't long before a turian mercenary waved for the worker to stop. "That's far enough," he barked. "Plant the charges!"

Shepard swung back around out of view and spoke in to his headset. "Get ready. I count eleven mercs and eight workers."

"You didn't say anything about bystanders, Shepard," Garrus interrupted.

"Neither did Zaeed," Shepard replied, "but we're working with what we have. They're about to blow the wall and they'll be on this side of those crates to avoid the blast. When you hear the explosion, I want chaos. Hit them hard, don't give them time to retaliate, but _don't_ hit the miners."

Garrus nodded and Grunt pumped his fists in anticipation.

Shepard put his head back out far enough around the wall to watch the proceedings. Two captured workers picked up some explosives and began stabbing the pointed ends in to the wall where the drill had cracked the stone.

"Pick up the pace, humans," snarled a batarian mercenary. He shoved one of them with his boot and turned to share a laugh with the other Blue Suns. Shepard ducked back, but the mercenary's four eyes held the advantage. He only saw movement in the dimly lit stairway, but it piqued his interest. He held his hand to his helmet.

"Calebs, any movement up there?" He waited a moment for a response then tried again. "Calebs, you sack of human waste, answer me."

The batarian let out a grunt. "Dumbass probably froze to death."

"Go check it out," ordered the turian who must have been in charge.

"Come on, Talok, it's probably just…"

"Are you disobeying a direct order, Gorja?"

"No sir," the batarian quickly stated. "I'm going!"

With that he began to hustle towards the stairs. There was no time for Shepard's crew to head back.

* * *

Joker's head bobbed gently to the beat. Waiting in orbit for the shore party to finish up was his least favorite part of the job, but at least he had a huge music library. Some of it was even legally obtained. Mid bob, the music stopped abruptly, causing Joker to jerk his head up to check his monitors. He jabbed a finger at his earpiece.

EDI's voice took his music's place. "There is another ship closing in on our position," she stated plainly.

Joker quickly sat up straight, flinching as his broken arm jostled in its sling. "More Blue Suns?" he guessed, taking hold of the controls with his left arm.

"No," EDI replied, "it is marked as Cerberus, though I do not recognize the particular ship in any of my databases."

Joker's eyes widened. "Get us the hell out of here!" he yelled. "Let Shepard know what's happening!"

The ship began to move but EDI commented with "I cannot warn Commander Shepard. The high concentration of magnesium surrounding Alingon is blocking all communications."

"Great," Joker muttered.

The Cerberus ship opened fire with a blue beam. It enveloped the Normandy for a split second, jarring it violently. The lights flickered but remained on.

"I can at least work the guns with one arm," Joker said. "Swing us around so we can retaliate, EDI."

There was no response.

"EDI?"

No response.

"Now's not the time to work on your jokes, EDI."

Red errors began cropping up on Joker's screen like wild fires. Navigation was out. Weapons were offline. EDI was quiet.

* * *

Tali barely managed to catch her improvised vase before it tumbled from her console.

"What did you do?" Donnelly asked no one in particular.

"Me?" Daniels asked indignantly. "I didn't do anything!"

"The drive core's powering down," Tali said in a flustered tone. She set her rose back upright and pulled her hands back from her station, staring at the garbled displays. "EDI, what's going on?" she demanded. She held back a cough to listen for the answer. None came. Tali brought up her omni-tool and let her cough escape.

"EDI?" Daniels tried her luck. The results were the same.

"Oh, that's not good," Donnelly said.

"We've been hit by something I've never seen before," Tali said in aside, not tearing her eyes from her omni-tool.

"Some residual scrambling from the planet maybe?" Donnelly guessed.

Tali shook her head, pouring over the data. "It looks like our engines, weapons, and AI are down, but everything else is unharmed. This was a planned attack, but I don't know of anyone with this technology."

"So what do we do?" Daniels asked nervously.

Tali sighed. "The only thing we can do. I can try to override the lockdown, but I'll need your help." She looked over the readout on her arm some more. "And EDI's. One of you get up to the AI core and wait for my instructions."

"You mean with that geth?" Donnelly asked, still unsure of Legion's intentions.

"You can count on me," Daniels replied. She grabbed a headset from the side of her work station and headed out of the room.

* * *

Miranda stormed out of the elevator, ignoring the protests from her mending ribs. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw Mordin step out of his lab and Jacob hobble his way out of the armory on his crutches, but paid them no mind. Kasumi quickly followed behind.

"Moreau!" Miranda yelled, "What was that?"

"Hell if I know," he answered, "First EDI warns me of a Cerberus ship closing in, next thing…"

"Cerberus?" Jacob repeated. "Come to reclaim their ship?"

"This can't be right," Miranda said. "Why would they attack us? We may not be part of them any more, but we're still on the same side!"

"Revenge?" Mordin wagered, beginning to pace, "no, too childish, impractical. Show of force? Unlikely, Shepard not one to be bullied. Splinter cell? Doubtful, would have no reason to…"

"Ugh, now is not the time, Professor," Miranda interrupted.

The ship rocked again, nearly knocking Jacob off his crutches. Kelly managed to catch him in time, offering a consoling smile.

"They opened fire," Joker explained, "but only took one shot to the hangar. Bastards are just toying with us."

"Likely being boarded," Mordin warned, "existing damage to hangar, cargo bay allows for easy entry."

"Damn it," Miranda swore, "Goto, Solus, come with me down to the hangar and let's sort this out."

"They don't sound like they want to talk," Kasumi stated.

Miranda paused for a moment before looking to the three other crewmen in CIC. She regretted now allowing for smaller crews to spread out and take shorter shifts after the Collector mission. "Hadley, Matthews, Duggar, suit up. You're coming with us."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied and hurried in to the armory.

"What about me?" Jacob asked.

"With that leg, I don't think you'll be much help," Miranda said, sounding more standoffish than she intended.

Jacob nodded glumly while staring at his leg.

"Stay up here with Moreau and Chambers," Miranda told him. "Help Jeff get things back online and take care of any intruders that might get past us."

"Aye aye, ma'am," he said. He saluted as best he could without dropping a crutch.

"Leave the cripple to defend the cripple, great," Joker commented to himself.


	8. The Mice Will Play

The batarian hardly had time to scream in pain as his shredded body was propelled backwards by Grunt's shotgun. Hearing the blast, the other mercenaries, as well as the workers, turned to see Gorja's body hurtle through the air, blood making spiraled trails in the diminished gravity. The corpse hitting the ground and sliding to a messy, ungraceful halt was the signal for return fire. Shepard and his crew were pinned in the stairway, gunfire chewing away at their protective wall.

"Get that cargo out to the ship!" roared the turian identified as Talok. Frightened miners scrambled over to the hand carts and begin running them out the back exit, eager to be away from the fight. Talok followed behind with his gun trained on them. He barked one last order to his squad, "Kill the intruders!"

Shepard knew time was short. He spun out of cover, dropping a singularity in to the middle of the room. Three of the remaining nine mercenaries found them selves lifted from the ground, smacking in to the floor, each other, the crates also caught in the singularity's pull, and anything else in their way. One of them attempted to fight back, but only managed to fire aimlessly in to the ceiling before smacking off a crate.

"Cover me, don't let them get the advantage!" yelled a human mercenary to the others. As ordered, the squad laid down supporting fire as the original Blue Sun charged in to Shepard's stairway in an attempt to flush them out. It worked, though not as intended. Grunt charged the man, roaring with fury and flinging his massive bulk off the stairs with a helpless human trapped in front of him as though he had been struck by a train. The pair landed with a crunch, krogan on top of human on top of previously discarded batarian corpse. With another battle cry, Grunt placed the barrel of his shotgun on the human's helmet and pulled the trigger. He was rewarded with a gruesome fountain soaking his armor, as well as a hail of bullets rapidly depleting his shields.

Not wasting the opportunity, Garrus swung his rifle around the corner and claimed an easy headshot on a turian who had foolishly decided to stand still and watch the battle unfold. Shepard followed in his krogan companion's footsteps and leapt from his cover, firing a warp field in to the mass of mercenaries just beginning to recover from their ride on a singularity. The blast scattered the bodies in three different directions. Kills could not be confirmed on two of them but the third was launched towards the stairs, and in to Garrus' scope.

"Sir, we're getting torn apart!" yelled a batarian voice from behind a generator. To emphasize the mercenary's point, Shepard biotically pushed the generator, and the batarian, in to the wall before ducking in next to a krogan, shaking from blood frenzy, behind a series of metal crates.

"Shepard," was Grunt's greeting as the human settled in beside him.

"You okay?"

"Just superficial," Grunt replied, ignoring his wounds and exchanging his shotgun for an assault rifle. He spun around to fire at any movement that caught his eye.

Shepard meant his sanity more than his physical condition, but he knew better than to interrupt Grunt when he was like this. The krogan's fire alone was keeping the Blue Suns suppressed.

"Shepard, we're running out of time," Garrus' voice crackled over the commander's headset. "Those workers are in trouble and so is all our metal."

"The charges," Shepard replied.

"Are you serious? You can't expect those things to stay pointed at the wall if I shoot them!"

"Do it!" Shepard grabbed Grunt and, with all of his weight, pulled the krogan to the floor, behind cover.

Garrus held his scope over the mining charges lodged in the stone wall. He held his finger over the trigger. He held his breath. Squeezing the trigger, he sucked his body back behind the wall immediately after.

The resulting explosion would have deafened anyone in the room without their helmets to protect them. Stone shards flung themselves like dangerous shrapnel in to anything in its path, such as metal crates, generators, lights, and Blue Suns mercenaries. Those closer to the explosion had been propelled to the opposite wall, bouncing off like meaty rag dolls or splattering in a macabre fashion.

"What th…. …ll's goi…….. re!?" sputtered a broken headset, no longer wrapped around an equally broken head.

"Damn," was all Grunt could say as he picked himself up.

"Shepard, you're insane," Garrus commented, heading down the stairs. He carefully stepped over part of a generator and part of a mercenary.

The commander dusted himself off and motioned for his teammates to follow. "We aren't done yet."

* * *

Wires sparked and flashed, dancing in a newly widened hole in the hangar. The barriers keeping out the void of space did nothing against solid objects. Previous repairs had been callously undone and a Cerberus shuttle, seemingly identical to the Normandy's Kodiak, was parking in the empty hold.

Miranda gave the order to ready weapons, though it was not required. Everyone with her already had a bead on the door to the shuttle as it opened. The interior was dark. Figures could be seen moving around, but no one stepped out.

Tensions were rising. Mordin was sizing up the situation as best he could without speaking. He found it surprisingly difficult. Never before had he realized how accustomed he was to talking to himself. In a similar situation was Kasumi. She, like Thane, had always felt she worked best alone or with a clandestine partner behind the scenes. She was finding a place for herself on Shepard's team, but she had followed them directly to the enemy. There were eyes on her. She felt naked, exposed; cover was all around but not in front of her. Cloaking for an audience rarely had favorable results. Every movement she made was in plain view and she hated it.

Miranda could almost feel the anxiety from the soldiers around her. She had to make the first move. She started to order the Cerberus operatives to step out of their shuttle but muzzle flash and a single report stopped her words before they began. A loud thump came from behind her. Heads turned to see Crewman Duggar sprawled out on her back, blood pooling from a wound in her chest. Her breathing was coarse, erratic, and would likely end before long.

"That was a warning," spoke a voice from inside the shuttle. "Surrender or we will continue fire."

"A warning?" Miranda said incredulously. "Why the hell are you attacking us?"

"Former Operative Lawson, you are a traitor and a thief. A show of force was necessary to inform you that we are serious in our demands. We desire a peaceful resolution but we will not hesitate to continue fire."

Miranda's eyes narrowed. Her arms were getting tired from holding her gun out straight and her ribs began to hurt. Strategies ran through her mind but nothing acceptable came to light. Maybe following Shepard's orders was making her rusty. Maybe ignoring her injuries was coming back on her now. She heard Duggar cough and struggle for breath behind her. Concentration was impossible.

The voice from the shuttle spoke again. "Your refusal to cooperate is noted."

Upon the completion of the sentence, a pair of LOKI mechs stepped out of the shuttle, opening fire. Instinctively, Miranda overloaded the mechs, immobilizing them long enough for her team to run to cover.

"Too easily dispatched," Mordin commented, opening fire. "Likely diversionary. Keep eyes open."

As the first mech fell in a broken heap, he discovered how right he was. A small canister rolled to where Miranda's team had taken shelter.

Crewman Matthews was rewarded with the kill shot on the second LOKI, but could feel his eyes burning. There was a hissing sound coming from his feet.

"Gas!" Kasumi shouted, barely able to finish the single syllable word before breaking down in to a coughing fit. Her shipmates' bodies began falling around her. Mordin launched an incendiary blast towards the shuttle on the way down but it only served to scar the surface.

Miranda's vision was growing dim and sound was beginning to distort as though she were under water. The last thing she heard before blacking out entirely was, "get this up to life support. Take who you can alive."

* * *

Talok had plucked a female miner from the rest to hold in front of himself. He had heard much of human chivalry and was banking on it now. "I know you're here to save these humans," he spat. "If you don't let me go, she and all the others are dead!" He went from holding a pistol to the terrified woman's head to waving it over the other workers who were still nervously loading stolen resources on to the turian's ship before placing it back against his hostage's temple.

"I've had a long day," Shepard began, "Think about your situation for a minute."

Talok tightened his grip on his hostage. The woman squirmed a bit, trying to quell her sobbing for fear of inciting her captor.

The commander continued, "You're really taking a gamble assuming I'm here for the workers."

"So what if I just kill her now, then?" Talok ventured, pressing the gun uncomfortably in to the human's skull.

"Then my team and I shoot your body full of holes until we get bored. If you open fire on us, then our kinetic barriers eat your shots and we kill you anyway, so don't bother suggesting that one either. But I think we can work something out in exchange for your life."

The mercenary's hand began shaking, breaking the skin of the hostage's head where the muzzle rubbed her head. Her eyes were clenched shut, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" he snarled.

"You don't. But if I'm not, you aren't walking out of here no matter what you do to the miners. What have you got to lose?"

Talok remained still for a time, then shoved his hostage aside. She fell harshly to the floor, but quickly scrambled in to the waiting arms of the other captives.

"What do you want?" Talok asked in a heavily defeated tone.

"First, your gun. Set it down and kick it over."

Talok did as he was instructed. Shepard bent down to pick it up, never taking his eyes from the mercenary.

"Now then," Shepard continued, "a friend of mine is wondering where he could find your boss, Vido Santiago."

"You did all this just to find Vido for somebody else?"

"My motives are none of your concern. Answer the question. Where is he?"

Talok's hands began shaking at his side involuntarily, forming fists. "I… I don't know for sure," he admitted.

Shepard fired a round in to the ground, past the turian's leg.

"B-but I know where he might be!" Talok quickly added.

"Sound convincing," Shepard ordered.

"Last I heard, he was still in the Faia system. Something about picking up where he left off. That's all I know, I swear! He doesn't make a habit of sharing his plans with me! Please, just let me go!"

"Go?"

"You said…"

"I said I'd let you live," Shepard explained. "I don't speak for them." He pointed at formerly enslaved workers. He handed Talok's gun to the woman he had been holding hostage. She pointed it at the defeated turian, trying to look as threatening as possible with her shaking hands and red, irritated eyes.

"Thank you," breathed an exhausted worker. "I didn't think anyone knew what happened here. The Blue Suns just showed up out of nowhere, killed all the higher ups and forced the rest of us in to slave labor." The man rubbed his forehead, smudging a line of sweat and dirt across it.

"Are you all that are left?" Shepard asked, motioning to the seven other miners who were currently preventing Talok's escape.

"Everyone else is dead," the worker said, his voice coarse and harried. "You saved our lives, we can't thank you enough, but this... this _turian_ cost us our jobs." He glanced up at Garrus. "Uh, no offense," he added.

Garrus waved a dismissive hand.

The miner continued with, "We don't have much to offer, but if there's anything we can do, please tell us."

"So this mining operation is over now?" Shepard asked.

"What are you thinking, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"How does this sound?" Shepard said loudly enough for all the miners to hear. They looked up at him expectantly. "My crew and I take only what we need from what you've mined so far and the rest of you take the Blue Suns' ship to Illium and sell the remaining resources on the trading floor? You can split the money, get back on your feet, and maybe find less dangerous work."

A glimmer of hope found its way in to the workers' eyes. They began talking amongst themselves, heads nodding and optimistic smiles forming.

Talok started to make a run for his ship while everyone was distracted. The female worker he had taken hostage squeezed the trigger on Talok's pistol, missing with the first shot, winging him in the arm with the second, and taking him in the back of the shoulder with the third. The turian fell face first to the floor unceremoniously, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Grunt placed a boot on the mercenary's back. "We're still talking here," he growled.

"You've done so much for us, Shepard, was it?" a miner said, shaking the commander's hand with a surprisingly strong grip for a man being worked to the bone. "If you need a hand loading supplies on to your ship. Please, just let us help."

Shepard chuckled a bit and released the man's hand. "I think you've done enough hauling for a while. Besides, I brought some extra large hands with me." He pointed at Grunt who was poking Talok with his boot.

"What do we do with this?" the krogan asked. Shepard looked to the workers. He had made it their decision.

"Margaret," one of the workers said to the woman Talok had grabbed, "would you care to decide?" The woman stood in place, still holding the gun on the mercenary. She wiped her eyes, inadvertently smearing the blood trickling down the side of her head.

"Leave him here," she decided, lowering the weapon.

"Are you sure?"

"Shepard spared his life. We'll do the same. He can live the rest of his miserable life on this frozen rock." She made a show of spitting on the turian, though her exhaustion and dehydration left the act rather impractical.

* * *

Gabriella Daniels had heard gunfire coming from the hangar. The young woman stopped and slowly crept towards the observation window. There was a Cerberus shuttle sitting in the middle of the floor and LOKI mechs were firing on her crew members. It looked as though Duggar had been shot. Daniels had never known the woman well, but it gave her new incentive to head to the AI core, and quickly. She turned around and stepped over to the elevator call button.

As the elevator hummed its way down to the engineering deck, Daniels could hear the gunfire cease. _No time to go back and see why_, she told herself. The elevator door opened, but she paused momentarily remembering Tali's words. "This was a planned attack." She steeled herself and stepped inside. With EDI down, the entire ship was cut off from itself save for anyone who had their own radios. Everyone was depending on her. She pressed the button for Deck 3 and the doors closed. The elevator made it half way up before grinding to a halt. The light in it flickered and the control display was unresponsive.

"Tali," Daniels spoke in to her headset, "I've hit a bit of a snag. The elevator's stuck."

"Stuck?" Tali's voice inquired from the other end. "Wait, you left here five minutes ago and you're just now getting to the elevator?"

"I'm sorry, I heard gunfire in the hangar and went to see what it was. There's a Cerberus shuttle attacking Operative Lawson and the others."

"Cerberus," Tali spat, "I knew they couldn't be trusted but to attack their own people? Look, it doesn't matter now; I'll send Ken out to get the elevator moving again."

"Right away, ma'am," Donnelly said on his way out the door, not waiting for formal orders.

* * *

The elevator shook and Daniels pushed herself off the wall to stand up straight. Then she noticed the elevator was moving down instead of up. She crossed her arms, preparing something suitably chastising to say to her colleague. The doors opened to reveal Kenneth, unconscious in the arms of a Cerberus operative. Four more operatives stood at his sides. One of them was by the elevator controls with his omni-tool hacking it. Daniels had just enough time to gasp before taking the butt of a shotgun to the forehead. Before falling to the ground she was caught by the wrist and hefted over a shoulder.

"Gabby, did Ken get the elevator working?" asked the engineer's headset. "Gabby, are you there? What's wrong?"

The leader of the operatives crushed the ear piece in an armored hand.

"Hale, find out who this woman is and shut her up. Remember, only use lethal force if necessary."

"Yes, sir!" Hale responded and headed off to explore the engineering deck.

"Hayter, Keer, get those two on the ship with the others. Wallace and I will get this in to their vents," the leader ordered, patting a canister of gas on his hip.

* * *

Rebecca Hale ran her finger across the trigger guard of her shotgun anxiously. Her eyes scrutinized every corner of the ship. Her first stop was the Starboard Cargo area. No one at first glance, just some boxes, a forcibly disabled surveillance monitor, a trash compactor, and some knives stabbed in to the wall. While that last bit did intrigue her, she had her orders. This room was empty and she was moving on.

* * *

"There," Wallace said, his finger pointing to the words "Life Support" written on the wall above a door. The operatives walked inside, weapons drawn, but the room was completely empty. "This is almost too easy," he commented.

"Focus up," his superior ordered. He held his fingers to the side of his helmet. "This is Grey; we're dropping the package now. Air filters on."

Grey took the canister from his belt and nodded to Wallace who opened the filters on an oxygen tank. Twisting open the canister, Grey placed it on top of the filter and shut the device. He flicked operations over to that particular tank and said with a grin, "Now we wait."

* * *

Port Cargo had yielded similar results to Starboard. The room was in a rather disconcerting amount of disarray. There was a star shaped crack in the window and crates had been dented and overturned. Holding a place of honor in the center of the room was some kind of breeding or medicinal tank. No wonder the Illusive Man wanted Shepard stopped. What kind of things was that man doing with this ship? Hale furrowed her brow and headed for the engineering room.

* * *

Joker and Jacob sat in silence. Though they did their best to appear calm, Kelly quickly picked up on their true emotions. For starters, Joker was never quiet unless he was alone. Seeing the pilot sit in peace around an audience conveyed his tension as loud as words. Jacob Taylor was a proud and confidant man. Rightfully so, Kelly believed, but seeing him now, holding his rifle close to his body and favoring his good leg, he looked cornered, almost scared. No, the analyst corrected herself; scared was not the right word. Worried, she decided. She had picked up on a rather interlaced past between him and Miranda Lawson, though she never pried. She came to the conclusion that he was worried about her.

"I'm sure they're alright," Kelly said, breaking the silence.

"They've been gone a while," Jacob said, "but you're probably right. We have some of the best down there."

"Yeah," Joker added, "maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding and Miranda's giving them directions to Omega." He crossed his arms as best he could with one in a sling. "Something's wrong. It shouldn't take this long to just clear out a hangar full of goons."

Affirming Joker's suspicions, a thick green fog began pouring out of the vents above them.

"Don't breathe it in!" Jacob ordered, clasping his hand over his face.

It wasn't long before Kelly crumpled to the cockpit floor and Joker slouched over in his seat.

"Damn it," Jacob swore as he began to limp towards the armory where he had left his helmet. Everything was getting fuzzy and he began to realize he wasn't going to make it. He dropped his rifle and continued to press on before his self preservation took over. Taylor carefully set himself down to pass out, avoiding further injuries to his leg. "Damn it," he mumbled one last time before losing consciousness entirely.

* * *

"Donnelly, what have you been doing out there?" Tali demanded as she heard the door to engineering open. "I've lost contact with Gabby. Did you get the elevator fixed?"

"A quarian," scoffed a female voice.

Tali spun around to see Hale with her gun at the ready. Glancing up at the motion from the corner of her vision, the quarian noticed gas falling from the vents. It would have no affect on her in her suit, but the realization that she was now entirely on her own sent a chill through her veins.

"Grey won't want some filthy vagrant on the ship," Hale continued, "I'll just dispose of you myself."

Thinking quickly, Tali made a dive for the door out of engineering. Her guns were a deck above her and who knew how many Cerberus operatives were in the way? The situation seemed hopeless enough before she felt hot metal bury itself in her skin. The shotgun blast tore its way through her shields and in to her left side and shoulder. She fell to the ground in agony, her voice unable to cry out like it wanted to. Thankfully her leap had at least gotten her around the corner, and out of the line of fire. Her rose was not as lucky. The glass serving as its vase was shattered, water spilled out over a damaged console, and tattered petals cascaded to the floor.

Seals clamped down and the suit's smart-skin began to automatically repair itself. Tali would have been glad the ruptures were small if she wasn't busy bleeding profusely. The machinist propped herself up against the wall, fighting past the pain in her left arm, and brought up her omni-tool, eyes clamped shut in pain. Tears began to build behind her eyelids and threatened to stream down her cheeks. Her right arm swung over and, with a few memorized taps, her combat drone appeared in front of her in a mass of pink sparks. The quarian's eyes flickered open.

"Go get her, Chikktika," Tali instructed, her voice failing her. She let her head fall back against the wall and took in short, difficult breaths.

Hale had been closing in on her injured target at her own pace. The small splashes of maroon quarian blood on the wall brought a sadistic smile to her face. It had been too long since she killed some self-righteous alien, let alone one that dared dirty up a _human_ ship, and the operative was determined to enjoy it.

A flickering of light came from behind the corner and Hale's eyes narrowed. She took aim on the corner with her shotgun, ready for whatever that tramp quarian was up to. That's what she thought, anyway. She did not expect a sphere of light to float in to view. The moment of confusion was all it took and the drone let fly with an electric zap directly in to the operative's hands and chest, almost disarming her.

Hearing the cry of shock, Tali pulled the knife out of her boot and forced herself to charge her assailant. It felt as though she had to carry half her body. Gunshots or no, her momentum and adrenaline kept her moving and she sank the blade deep in to the human's neck. Hale gargled briefly, squirting blood out around the knife blade in her throat. The two women collapsed to the floor together, Tali still with enough presence of mind to land on her right side, hilting the blade in her opponent. She released the knife, leaving it lodged in the Cerberus operative's neck, and laid out flat on her back, inhaling a staggered breath.

"Good girl, Chiktikka," she mouthed as the drone dissipated. Tali couldn't tell if she was getting tired from the gas that had slipped in to her suit before it had sealed itself or simply from the loss of blood. Perhaps both. Either way, she knew it would leave her feeling worse in the morning… if she made it that long.


	9. Homecoming

Tali woke abruptly, hacking and coughing from lying on her back. Sitting upright to ease the choking only aggravated her wounds, causing a screaming pain to race through her body. She was such a damned mess. Holding her side was all she could do to prevent herself from breaking down in to sobs.

"Hale, are you done in there yet? If you can't find her, just head back. Shepard won't be planet side forever."

Tali heard voices from the dead woman's radio but couldn't make out any words. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her right arm to her omni-tool and attempted to patch in to the enemy's frequency. It was something she had done a million times over, a task as simple as merely going through the motions, yet now it proved extremely complicated.

"Dammit, Hale, respond. The rest of the Normandy crew is already on board the Providence. We'll be fine without one last woman; now get your ass back here."

"The rest of the Normandy crew" echoed in Tali's mind. She really was alone. Now these terrorists were waiting in ambush for Shepard, gas still permeating the ship, and she was as helpless as she was on Haestrom. No, she realized, she was even more helpless. There was no team of marines escorting her. Shepard wasn't riding in to save the day. She was going to die here and he was walking in to a trap.

Tali gingerly pushed her self up with her right arm before panic could set in. Attempting to subdue her coughing only turned it in to wheezing. Her bullet wounds stung in response.

She began to hobble towards the drive core. Her left arm hung limply at her side. It hurt, but she could move her fingers and could feel the warmth of her blood rolling down her skin. That was a good sign, she decided.

"Hayter, go see what's taking her so long, but make it quick," said the radio.

Tali limped faster, despite her body's complaints. She allowed herself only a moment's rest, leaning on the control panel, before beginning her work. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she could barely breathe. Progress was slow with only one good arm and dim eyes, but it was only a few button presses. The doors to engineering sealed. Only one button left. She stopped herself.

The wounded woman mustered all of her strength and spoke in to the Cerberus radio. "Get out of my home," she demanded with as much confidence as she could convey. She executed her commands and lowered herself to the floor so as not to fall.

"Who is this?" insisted the voice from the other side. He said nothing else as the barrier protecting the hanger dissipated and ship began to vent. The entire frigate shuddered violently. The gas was gone in almost an instant, out in to the vacuum of space. Shortly after, the Cerberus operatives followed it out in to the void. Their unsecured shuttle was flung after them. The Hammerhead rattled against its confines and damaged sections of the hangar began to release debris, a parting gift to the infiltrators.

With a shaking arm, Tali reached up and cancelled the emergency ventilation protocol. She fell back down, panting. With the ship empty, Shepard could land safely. One last act of service for him, she told herself. She smiled weakly and slumped up against the guard rail to die.

* * *

A fine success, Shepard told himself. He wasn't expecting any miners to still be alive, but now they were on their way to safety and he was heading back to the Normandy with more than enough materials to get the ship fixed up properly. Patch jobs would work to get them to the Migrant Fleet, and then some permanent repairs at the Citadel during some much deserved time off for his crew, Shepard decided. It was nice to see everything falling in to place for once.

"Shepard," Garrus said, interrupted his commander's daydreaming, "you're going to want to take a look at this."

Shepard and Grunt leaned over to the window to see floating bodies struggling in their suits; a shuttle gracefully rotating past them. There was a larger hole shot in the hangar door of the Normandy. Above it all was a Cerberus frigate, slightly bigger than the Normandy and shaped like a large T. Shepard stood in the window, taking it all in, mouth agape.

Breaking out of his stupor, Shepard went to his comm-link. "Joker, what the hell happened?"

Silence.

"Joker, EDI, this is Shepard, come in."

Still nothing.

Shepard paced to the opposite side of the Kodiak and tuned in to his shore party frequency. "Miranda, Jacob, anyone? What's going on?" The commander's voice echoed in Grunt and Garrus' ears, but they remained silent in hopes of a response. Just as before, there was no answer.

Grunt glared at the Cerberus frigate and vowed, "They'll pay for this, the cowards. Let's take the fight to them!"

Ignoring him, Shepard sat back in his seat and tried a last ditch effort. He tuned to a private frequency. "Tali?" he almost whispered. Just like before, there was no reply. His heart fell in to his stomach as his head fell in to his hands.

Garrus wanted to say something. He wanted to convince his friend that things were okay. He knew he couldn't, though. Not when he couldn't even convince himself. Turning away from the broken man he went back to the shuttle's window and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. One of the figures floating through space had already stopped struggling. Either he was dead or had simply resigned to his fate.

"Shep…ard?" breathed a weak voice.

"Tali!," the commander exclaimed, his head jerking back up, "What happened?"

Garrus peeled himself away from the window and turned to the conversation. He tried his best to read Shepard's face from behind the helmet.

"Cerberus," Tali said, "gassed the ship, took the crew, it's safe now." There were long pauses for breath between each disjointed thought.

"Are you okay? We're landing now. Where are you?" Shepard attempted to contain the panic in his voice, but was having a hard time of it.

Tali took a moment before responding. "I… I was shot, I'm in engineering, I…"

Shepard cut her off. "Don't try to speak, we're on our way. Just hold on." He looked up to the two others in the shuttle with him as it began to land in the battered hangar. His mouth was open behind the helmet, but he gave no orders or explanation. He just stared.

Garrus read the dread in Shepard's eyes like a book. He didn't hear Tali's end of the conversation, but couldn't help but imagine the worst.

"Shepard…" he started.

"Keep this channel open," Shepard said in to his radio. "Okay?"

There was no answer.

"Just hold on," Shepard repeated, his voice wavering.


	10. No Rest for the Weary

The returning shore party entered engineering through the door on Tali's side. Before them was a damaged terminal, sparks occasionally spitting out of its bullet holes. On the floor in front of it was broken glass and withered rose petals. Rounding the corner, the trio stopped in their tracks at the sight of a dead body. Blood had pooled around the woman, a knife lodged deeply in her neck between the helmet and the collar of her armor. Past her, at the end of the walkway to the drive core, lay Tali. Her chest was still raising and lowering, but slowly.

Shepard rushed to her saying, "We're here, Tali, you're going to be alright." He stood over her a moment, his hands aimlessly raising from his side indicating to him that he had no plan of action. He had simply focused on hurrying to her but now that he was here he was at a loss. Forcing himself to start thinking straight, he turned his head over his shoulder. "Garrus, get her legs, we have to get her up to the med bay," he ordered, adding "and be gentle."

"Shepard," Tali started meekly.

The commander shushed her, carefully lifting her from the floor. She gasped harshly and Shepard reeled back. Tali pointed to her left side, indicating where she had been shot. The suit had already sealed over the wounds, concealing them. Shepard began picking her up again, shifting her weight to her right side. Garrus took the weight of her legs in to his own arms. Grunt led the way to the elevator.

* * *

"Get her in to the quarantine bed," Shepard ordered.

He and Garrus laid her gently on the bed. With a press of a button, a sterile glass shield covered Tali's body, two sealed holes in either side for gloved hands and plenty of room left above her to operate.

Shepard had operated on himself in the field, but still felt dumbfounded. With no time to second guess himself, he quickly demanded, "hand me some medi-gel."

Garrus went through the drawers in Dr. Chakwas' desk. He had remembered it being stored in one of them from when she was treating his gunship wounds. Bottom drawer on the right, he discovered, handing a pack to the commander.

"We'll, uh, we'll wait outside," Garrus suggested and headed out of the room.

"Quarians aren't as soft as humans," Grunt added, "she'll be fine." He followed Garrus in to the mess area.

* * *

"How could they do this?" Garrus asked, peering around at the empty ship. He had seen it this empty twice now and didn't like it any better.

"They struck while we were gone. A sound strategy, if not a little spineless," Grunt responded. The question had been rhetorical, but the answer was still true. The krogan snorted. "Still didn't work out for them. I'd have loved to see their faces when the ship got flushed." A bit of a smirk appeared on his face. "The Collectors and Cerberus both attacked us and both got defeated the same way. A real warrior would learn from others' mistakes."

Garrus walked over to the dining table and sat down. "Cerberus is still here, too," he said. "They had to have seen their team get spaced. Why are they just sitting around up there?"

"They want something," Grunt replied.

"Shepard," Garrus realized. "They want Shepard."

* * *

Shepard placed the tube of medi-gel on the quarantine shield to remove his gauntlets and place clean gloves on his hands. Reaching in to the glass shield he went about opening Tali's suit. He unlatched her belts and found where the top half connected to the bottom. Pinching slightly, he exposed what could best be described as a zipper. Pulling it up, he tenderly peeled her top away from her skin.

"You're getting pretty good at that," Tali commented in a hushed voice before coughing softly.

Shepard smiled sympathetically and studied her wounds. What Grunt had said was true. Quarians had naturally tough skin. After penetrating both Tali's shields and her suit, the shot only had enough force left to embed itself near the surface. Some of it even tumbled out when the suit was lifted away. The wounds were messy, though the Spectre was hoping they looked worse than they were.

Shepard walked to Chakwas' desk and began fumbling through the drawers before coming up with a pair of tweezers.

"This is going to hurt, but the rest has to come out," he said, unwrapping the sterile equipment. He paused to look over her body when she gave him no acknowledgment.

"Tali, stay with me," he pleaded.

Tali's groaned a bit to let Shepard know she was still in there. She pulled the breathing apparatus inside her helmet in to her mouth and bit down on it in preparation.

The commander gingerly placed his left hand on an undamaged part of her skin and set about plucking the ammunition from her wounds with his right. Her suppressed moans of pain only served to make him more nervous about his procedure. Shepard gritted his teeth to keep his hands from shaking. Each pluck caused more blood to slowly ooze down her side and she didn't have much more to spare. Finding the last piece, he pulled away to soothe her.

"Hard part's over, are you alright?" he asked.

"No," Tali whimpered. All of her will power kept her from clutching the holes in her skin.

Shepard creased his brow and looked over his handiwork. "I'm no doctor," he admitted, "but you should be okay. You've lost a lot of blood, but you've hung on this long. A little medi-gel to disinfect and seal the wounds and some time to rest should take care of it."

He pulled his gloved hands out of the shield and smeared them with medi-gel. Being careful not to wipe it on the glass, he stuck his hands back in and started slathering the gooey substance on her skin, its rich green contrasting with her purple.

Tali breathed in sharply. "It's cold," she complained.

"Sorry," was all Shepard could say. He threw out the messy gloves and put on a new pair to place bandages and reseal the environment suit. "Did I do that right?" he asked.

Tali's head bobbed slightly on the bed's pillow in her attempt at a nod.

Shepard pulled his hands out of the shield and set them on top of it. "How do you feel?" he asked, scrutinizing Tali's body for any other injuries.

"Like I've been shot," she answered plainly.

Shepard smiled again. Her sense of humor was a good sign. He took her hand long enough to tell her he was going to let the others know she was going to pull through. Reluctantly letting go, he stepped out of the medical bay.

"How is she?" Garrus asked as soon as he saw Shepard step through the door.

"I think she'll make it," the commander replied.

"She's strong," Grunt said, "for a quarian. Did you see what she did to the human that shot her?"

Shepard nodded and started peeling off his rubber gloves. He knew the next course of action would be to take the fight to that ship floating outside, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't want to leave; not until Tali showed signs of recovery.

"Commander, Cerberus has taken the crew to the ship just outside ours," said a familiar female voice.

"EDI?" Shepard questioned, "I thought you were disabled!"

"Not entirely," EDI clarified. "My systems were all disallowed, though I retained what you would call consciousness. I was essentially trapped within my own mind until Legion managed to override the Cerberus lockdown put in place."

"Legion!" Shepard exclaimed. The three men hustled back in to the medical bay just in time to see the geth walk out of the AI core.

"Shepard-Commander," it greeted.

"Legion, I'm glad you're alright, but…" Shepard started.

"Why didn't you do anything while the ship was under attack?" Garrus finished.

"The AI core was sealed to prevent reactivation of Normandy AI," Legion explained. "Fortunately, this platform was already within the room. We were attempting to reactivate EDI but encountered multiple firewalls protecting the Cerberus subroutine."

"If I may inquire," said EDI, "how did you manage to hack through such a sophisticated program?"

"None of the known Cerberus passwords in our databanks were applicable. We instead began entering passwords starting with 00000000 and ending with ZZZZZZZZ, though going so far was unnecessary. The fourth password took the most attempts at V7H12KL9."

"You brute forced your way through Cerberus firewalls?" Shepard asked dubiously.

"Impressive," complimented EDI with what Shepard swore was a hint of allure in her voice. He shook the notion from his head.

"This is all well and good," Shepard commented, "but we still have to get our crew back. He turned to the recuperating quarian, "Tali, can you tell us what happened?" He bit his lip. "If you can talk," he added, "don't strain yourself."

"It's okay, Shepard," she said, "the medi-gel's starting to make me feel a little numb." She chuckled a little. "And a little loopy." Tali cleared her throat with a cough and began to relay the events that transpired while Shepard was planet side, at least what she knew. EDI filled in a few of the gaps. After the story was finished, Shepard instructed Tali to get some rest and took the remainder of his crew out in to the mess area.

Shepard brought his hand to his chin and began rubbing his stubble. "They've really left us no choice but to go to their ship."

"You know it's a trap," Garrus commented. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Of course I do," Shepard replied, "but we've sprung plenty of traps before. They took this ship by surprise and, if what Tali says is true, they were banking on ambushing us when we got back from Alingon. This means they're forced in to Plan B."

"So what are we waiting for?" Grunt asked.

Shepard knew he couldn't wait for Tali to feel better, let alone admit to anyone that his heart told him to do so. He knew time was of the essence at that every moment they stood around on the Normandy, Cerberus was preparing for their inevitable arrival, or even a second attack. Sensing his commander's thoughts, Garrus placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder.

"I'll stay with her," he whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"She needs a friend right now. Just don't have too much fun without me." Garrus offered a smirk.

Shepard nodded in thanks. "EDI, see if you can't bring our other systems back online. Grunt, Legion, let's go get our people back."

* * *

The door to the medical bay slid open and Tali turned her head to the left. Her eyes were blurry, but she easily made out Garrus' shape.

"Garrus?" she posed, "Shouldn't you be going with Shepard?"

"I… we wanted to leave someone with you," he explained.

"I'll be fine, Garrus," Tali protested, feeling more confidant with the medi-gel working on her, "The crew is more important."

The turian shook his head and pulled Dr. Chakwas' chair out from under her desk. He sat in it backwards, leaning on the backrest, imitating something he had seen Shepard do upon occasion.

"I should be going too," Tali added, "I can still fight!" She completed her sentence with a cough.

"You're not going anywhere in this shape," Garrus said, "and we're not leaving you alone while you're sick and injured. You've done your part spacing Cerberus, now let me do mine and keep you company."

Tali was in no condition or mood to argue. To be honest, she was relieved to have someone with her. She fumbled around for the bed controls to move herself to a seated position now that the quarantine shield was gone. She offered Garrus a resigned, "thank you."

"What are friends for?" he asked. "So, you and Shepard, huh?"

Tali sighed. "Now I'm starting to wish he left Legion with me…"

Garrus smirked, "Sorry, sorry. But it's an honest question. I never expected…"

"That he could love me? Is it so hard to believe?" Why did she say that? She kicked herself. All those years of fighting back against stereotypes, having to explain herself or her ways to the ignorant, it made her defensive whenever she was questioned.

Garrus leaned back from the back rest, startled. "Tali, that's not what I mean. You know that!"

"I know, Garrus. I'm sorry," Tali made an effort to sound as sincere as she felt. "It's the drugs," she lied.

"Chakwas has some good stuff stored here, that's for sure," Garrus agreed, flicking his scarred mandible. Hopefully that would take the edge off the conversation.

"You're right, though," Tali admitted.

Garrus leaned forward again. "About what?"

"About why Shepard would have any interest me. I…" She hesitated to continue, inwardly flustered. She forced herself to complete her thought, using it as a means to show apology for her outburst. "I was so scared he wouldn't feel the same way."

Garrus smiled. There was the Tali he knew. "Something would be wrong with him if he didn't. Having the two of us on his crew was probably the best thing for him. You of all people should know a home isn't a home without familiar… er, faces. Sorry."

"We've been through a lot," Tali agreed, disregarding Garrus' poor choice of words, "but friendship is one thing. He could have a much easier time with someone, anyone else. I'm so…" she glared at her environment suit, "inaccessible."

"You really think Shepard would be happy without a challenge?" Garrus asked, his smirk returning.

"It's just… there have been so many women around him. I know most of them have shown interest. What if…"

Garrus cut her off. "You're being insecure, Tali. That's not like you."

"I've," she felt her cheeks burning, "I've never been in love before. Everything else I do, engineering, hacking, even fighting, it's all things I grew up doing; things I was trained to do. This is… new."

"He's crazy about you," Garrus insisted. "Are you really worried someone will snatch him away?"

"Well, no. I trust him, but I've just seen the way Miranda…"

"Miranda?" Garrus barely suppressed a laugh.

"Well, she was designed to be the perfect human woman."

"Look, I'm not the best judge of desired human appearances, but trust me; if he stuck his dick in that ice queen it would freeze off."

Tali giggled in response, her right hand slowly moving to her left side to hold it.

"There, you see?" Garrus said. "You're just being silly. Probably the drugs again."

A bit of a smile formed on Tali's face at Garrus using her own lie against her. "You're right, of course. I'm just so used to how my people get treated, but I should know if anyone could see past my mask it would be Shepard."

"I get the impression he's done more than just see past it…"

"None of your business!" Tali scolded, coughing again as punishment for speaking so emphatically.

"Shepard really is something else," Garrus acknowledged, "even from the start. I knew there was no love lost between turians and humans, but he not only let me join his crew, he was actually glad to have me. I've seen the man show mercy to batarians, even. Batarians!" Tali silently agreed as Garrus continued. "Hell, he's probably done more for quarians in the past three years than the entire galaxy has since you were exiled by the geth in the first place and he was dead for two of them!"

"I guess Miranda wasn't the one I should have worried about stealing him away," Tali teased.

Garrus' response came in the form of a deep, growling sigh. The turian decided now would be a good time to steer the conversation in a different direction. "We talked a bit the other day, you know, when you rushed out of his quarters."

"About us?"

Garrus nodded. "Nothing private, of course, but I couldn't help but ask." He stood up and turned the chair around to sit in it normally. How did humans sit like that? "The last time I saw him so serious with me was when he tried to talk sense in to me on my hunt for Sidonis." Garrus' mandibles twitched slightly at the memory of squeezing the trigger despite his friend's advice. "This, thankfully, was a less tense conversation. There's no doubt in my mind he cares for you, Tali, and I'm going to say the same thing to you that I did to him."

Tali brought her head up to listen intently.

Garrus stood up and leaned closer to Tali. "Just be careful. You two are the only friends I have left."

Tali smiled, hoping her eyes would convey it to Garrus. "Thank you," she said again.

"Oh, and one other thing," the turian added.

"What's that?"

"He really likes your hips, too."


	11. In to the Fire

Mordin's thoughts were swarming about his head at a more fevered pace than usual. The Cerberus attack clashed with new ideas for his work on the genophage cure turned immune system repair as well as a catchy commercial jingle he couldn't remember the last time he had heard. _Paragade, Paragade, everyone loves Paragade!_ Finally, he managed to force himself to concentrate on a single thought. He was hungry. No, worse than that, he was captured. His cell was tiny, but he had enough room to pace and stand up straight. It was pitch black save three small holes of light in the side. They allowed observation of an unmanned cargo bay.

"Separated from others," he mused quietly to himself, "solitary confinement. Captors Cerberus, highly human centric, most likely stored away from others, left to rot, no, too wasteful. Interrogation, torture… studies?"

Mordin reached for his omni-tool, but found it had been confiscated. Reaching beneath the bib like collar on his lab coat, he found his hidden backup had also been taken.

"Very thorough, professional outfit," Mordin grumbled, sliding his hand to the heel of his right boot. His third omni-tool was still in place. A small smile formed on the salarian's face. He plugged the chip in to the slot on his wrist and fired it up. It took a few seconds. This particular omni-tool was old and he now regretted not taking the time to install all of his programs on his secondary reserve. Still, it had the bare essentials and, most importantly at this moment, an older version of his incineration blast. He would be out of the metal crate that served as his cell in no time.

* * *

The holding cell was spacious, but did not contain enough beds for the number of those confined. It appeared as though this wasn't a prison ship at all. The mass effect fields holding them in place and the cots had all been moved in recently. Crates had been shoved to the other side of the room. They appeared to be in a cargo bay of all things.

Most of the Normandy crew had come to, though a few remained unconscious. Those conscious sat around on the floor or at the foot of cots. In the corner, Kelly was trying to console Crewman Patel, though she had enough problems keeping her own worries in check. Nearby, Donnelly watched the scene take place with only mild interest, absentmindedly running a hand on Gabriella's arm while cradling her unconscious body. A large bruise was beginning to develop on her forehead.

Joker sat on a cot next to Crewman Hawthorn. He wasn't sure if the crewman was still out cold or just taking a nap. Not like there was much else to do, he figured. Joker idly slapped his cap on the side of the bed in irritation. He didn't have to speak, the sneer he offered to his surroundings said enough. Setting his hat in his lap, the pilot scratched the top of his head, finding the reason he wore it in the first place. He quickly put his cap back in place, hoping no one had seen the bald spot.

Only two guards were on the other side of the barrier holding their captives in place. One of them was a surprisingly thin man with curly black hair, the other of a more soldier like build, bald, with a hook like nose.

"Where are the others?" Miranda demanded.

"Duggar is in the medical bay," the thin guard answered in a surprisingly cordial manner. "You're lucky we brought you on board when we did. We have the cybernetics and equipment on hand to ensure she makes a full recovery."

Dr. Chakwas looked up at the mention of her line of work. "What happened to Crewman Duggar?" she asked, her voice still dry from recently waking up.

"She was shot," the bald guard said plainly, not bothering to make eye contact.

"The doctors say she should pull through, though she remains in critical condition," the other guard added. "Your Doctor Solus has been placed in separate confinement. He was deemed a risk and was moved from your cell before you awoke."

"Because he's an alien?" Jacob demanded, leaning forward, barely catching himself without his crutches.

The thin guard shrugged. "Not my call, I just follow orders."

"You seem to know everything else," Joker quipped.

"Where's Tali then?" Donnelly persisted.

"Your quarian and geth are unfortunately unaccounted for," the guard answered without elaboration. Ken's arms subconsciously tightened around Gabby's body.

"Come on, Renn, you don't have to answer all their questions. They're prisoners," the bald guard said.

"Doesn't mean we have to be rude," Renn replied.

"Then you won't mind telling us what you did with Goto," Miranda said, her voice thick with contempt.

This caused both guards to twitch slightly. They scanned the cell, eyes darting around, fingers raised to count bodies. They looked back at each other as the realization set it.

"Dodgeson," Renn said, "sound the alarm! I'll stand guard."

Dodgeson nodded and darted out of the room. Renn turned back to Miranda. "Anyone else missing?" he asked with a bit of a smirk.

The smirk faded abruptly as Kasumi appeared from thin air behind him, knocking the guard out with a single strike to the back of the head. She caught him and laid him down gently in the corner.

"Good kid," she commented, searching his body. "Hope he finds a better employer, though."

Kasumi turned back to the rest of the crew. "Figures the other one had the keycard. Thanks for alerting them to my absence, by the way."

"Can't you just hack the barrier?" Miranda asked.

"Can't you apologize?" Kasumi replied, her eyebrow cocked.

Miranda was getting impatient. "Not usually, no. Now can you get us out of here or not?"

"Not without my omni-tool, I'm afraid," Kasumi replied, shaking her head.

"Then how did you…?"

"I managed to sneak off before I was even put in the cell. My tactical cloak is subdermal. Figured in my line of work it would be worth the investment. Certainly paying for itself now."

"As if it was your money in the first place," Joker chided.

Kasumi just shrugged and headed for the door. "Sit tight, you'll be out before you know it."

* * *

The Kodiak landed gently in the Providence's hangar bay. Legion had easily hacked the hangar door, leaving Shepard's squad free to infiltrate the Cerberus vessel. No opposition presented itself, however. Grunt and Legion were the first off the shuttle to find the area deserted and an alarm sounding.

The hangar was similar to the Normandy's, although, like the rest of the ship, slightly larger. It had room for four shuttles, one of which was currently drifting lifelessly through space with its crew. Large ventilation units separated the spaces for the shuttles. There was a single door to the hangar up ramps on either side of it. Safety railings ran the length of the balcony and down the ramps, metal panels supporting them.

Standing in the Kodiak's doorway, Shepard stared in to the ceiling of the room as if he could see the noise the alarm was making. "Guess they know we're here," he said.

"Unlikely," Legion replied, "we identified Kodiak as friendly vessel to the ship's computers. Hangar doors opened routinely. No alarm would sound."

"Then that must be for our crew." Shepard offered a bit of a smile as he exited the Kodiak. "Wonder if they even need us from the sounds of it. Legion, can you patch us in to Cerberus' frequency?"

"Yes," the geth replied, its omni-tool appearing on his wrist.

Shepard was almost amused by how easy this was so far. "You get us on to the ship, you get us their intel; why don't I take you everywhere?"

"Previous relationships with Garrus Vakarian and Creator-Tali'Zorah have created strong rapport and preferential treatments when selecting a shore party," Legion answered, continuing its work.

"Uh, that was rhetorical," Shepard said.

"Acknowledged."

Grunt sniffed at the air like an animal. Despite Shepard's recommendations, he didn't bother to wear his helmet. He hated the thing, claming it just got in the way. A grin formed on his face as though the alarm secreted the scent of fear in Cerberus.

"…prisoner! Repeat, we have an escaped prisoner!" yelled the radio as Legion found the right frequency. "Kasumi Goto, human female, last seen in a black hooded outfit. Profile being uploaded to your omni-tools now. Attempt to capture alive. Repeat, attempt to capture alive. Lethal force only authorized in situation 10-13. No visual on escapee yet. Further details will be reported."

Grunt frowned. "What's a 10-13?"

"I don't know," Shepard stated, "but she'll probably cause one. Come on, let's try and find her before they do."

* * *

Mordin smiled to himself and exited his crate. The container's door was easily blasted off its hinges and slid out from under the sealed lid. "Not difficult," he said to himself, despite straining to move the heavy metal door without being crushed.

Sadly, getting out was one matter. Sneaking around on the ship would be another all together. Plus now he had the added distraction of that horribly irritating alarm. He frowned at it, attempting to figure its purpose.

"Escapee, intruders… perhaps both. Shepard likely back from Alingon, possibly here. Other members of crew formidable. Should reunite in either case." He glanced around the tiny cargo bay in which he had been stored. "Will need weapon."

The crates around him were all locked shut and sealed on the top giving the impression of a cage more than a cargo container. They sounded hollow to the wrapping of his fingers. Like his, there were small holes drilled in the side and a door was locked, kept in place by the lid being clamped down over the sides. Using his omni-tool to cast a beam of light inside, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack.

"Impossible," he murmured.

"Please," a weak figure begged from within, shielding itself from the light, "no more."

* * *

Kasumi found an alcove containing a few pipes and ducked inside behind them. Letting her tactical cloak fall, she placed her hands under her hood, rubbing her temples. Without the tech of her omni-tool to aid her, keeping the cloak up for long brought about considerable headaches and the alarm alerting the ship of her escape was only adding to it. She wondered how biotics put up with this all the time.

Opening her eyes again, Kasumi looked over the painted stripes on the wall. The paint was clean and fresh, she noticed, as though this whole ship was brand new. The yellow stripe led to other cargo areas, the red to engineering, and the green to elevators. It looked as though the cell with the others was in the cargo bay. Wherever that guard had gotten to, he would have to pass back eventually.

What that guard said had been upsetting. Tali and Legion unaccounted for? Kasumi never felt much affinity for the geth, but she and Tali had become fast friends from the day she first joined the crew. The quarian was adorable, always full of stories to trade, curiosity about human culture, and gossip about the commander or other crew members. If anything happened to her there would be hell to pay, assuming Shepard didn't beat her to it. _No sense in worrying about it now_, Kasumi scolded herself. Lingering on thoughts of it only served to amplify the throbbing in the thief's head anyway.

After a few moments' rest, Kasumi decided against waiting. The guard could just as easily have joined a search party for her and be off in some other area of the ship. She made up her mind that finding the confiscated equipment would be a better use of her time.

Allowing three Cerberus operatives flanked by two LOKI mechs to march by, Kasumi begrudgingly hit her cloak and slipped out of her cover. Watching them turn a corner she went back the way she came. What better place to store impounded gear than the cargo bay?

* * *

The top of the crate unlatched and hit the ground heavily. Mordin looked over the edge to find the salarian inside curled in to a fetal position, trembling.

"Maelon?" Mordin offered.

The salarian in the container turned his head just enough to look up. He was malnourished and showed signs of abuse. His eyes began to adjust to the light, yet he remained silent.

"Maelon," Mordin said again, "what have they done to you?"

"P-professor Solus?" Maelon said at last. "What are you doing here?"

"Answer likely same as yours. Captured by Cerberus. Real question is why." Mordin took a shot at the lock on the door to the crate. It slowly swung open allowing him inside.

Maelon shakily pushed his body to its feet. He had to use the side of his crate to support himself. Again, he offered Mordin no immediate answer.

Mordin tried something easier. "Made lots of noise escaping confinement. Why did you say nothing?"

"After a while," Maelon answered, "I just started blocking out the sounds here. It was better than hearing them."

"Body shows signs of abuse, testing, what were they doing?"

No answer. Maelon simply focused on staying upright.

"Maelon!"

"They… they drugged us, asked us questions, did… things to us."

"Others in crates?" Mordin asked, bringing up his omni-tool again.

"They're dead, professor," Maelon answered. "I think I was the only one they wanted anyway."

"Curious, brought me here as well, studying salarians? For what purpose?"

"I… I can't say for sure. They asked me a lot of questions but would never answer mine. Just do their tests, then shove me back in this box. They'd push nutrient paste through the holes."

"What questions?"

Maelon paused before answering, but didn't require a reminder this time. "About the genophage. They kept asking for my research on a cure. I… I told them I didn't have it."

Mordin took his turn to remain silent.

"I never told them you did," Maelon insisted. "They must have found out on their own." Maelon started breathing heavily and sat back down.

"Implications worrisome," Mordin stated, "unimportant now. Must get you to safety." He stopped himself. "Must get others to safety."

"Others?"

"Cerberus abducted entire ship," Mordin explained. "Unlikely just for me. Added bonus." He frowned at his statement, unsure if he was insulting himself or the crew more.

The door to the cargo room slid open, stopping the conversation. Mordin spun around, omni-tool raised like a weapon. Maelon merely gazed off in to space. The door shut again, revealing no one.


	12. Behind Enemy Lines

The med bay was silent. Tali's mind wandered, unable to sleep, always coming back to land on the pain in her left side or the illness her extra medication was attempting to keep at bay. She brought her attention to the turian in front of her. Garrus used his legs to idly swivel Dr. Chakwas' chair back and forth. His head directed his gaze towards the floor.

"You're being awfully quiet," Tali stated, shattering the silence. "It makes me think you're up to something."

Garrus' head slowly rose to meet Tali's. "I've just tuned in to the shore party frequency. Trying to figure out what's going on."

"You wish you were there," Tali surmised.

"Don't start feeling sorry for yourself again. I just want to keep tabs on the situation. You can too, you know."

"I'm not sure I want to," she admitted.

"Just as well, you should get some sleep. They're fine so far. Legion got them onboard without trouble and it sounds like Kasumi already broke out."

"That's good," Tali commented absentmindedly. Something was amiss. Cerberus was able to abduct the entire crew, minus her and that geth, so easily. Now Shepard could just walk right in? She didn't like it but she also couldn't focus on it. The antibiotics and pain killers in her system were making her drowsy.

"Garrus," she said at last, "it has to be a trap."

"I know," the turian replied. "Shepard knows too, but when has that stopped him?"

Tali let out a single chuckle. "When has that stopped any of us?"

* * *

"Who's your friend?" Kasumi asked, suddenly coming in to view, out of the path of Mordin's omni-tool as a precaution.

"Miss Goto," Mordin acknowledged, lowering his arm, "likely reason for alarm, escapee, others?"

"They're still locked up. I'm trying to find our equipment, but I see you still have yours." She gestured to the salarian's wrist. "Who's this?" she asked again, referring to Maelon.

"No, two of three confiscated, always carry spares."

"That's great. Mordin, who the hell is this?" Kasumi finally demanded.

"Apologies, this is Maelon, former student, colleague, worked together on… projects."

Maelon hefted himself to his feet again. "Go ahead and tell her, Professor. Tell her how we committed genocide together." He was practically hanging from his arm pressed in to the side of the container.

Now wasn't the time for life stories and Kasumi knew it. Still, she couldn't shake one word from her head. "Genocide? I figured you were former military from the scars and all, but this is one story I have to hear." She crossed her arms and leaned against a crate as a visual clue she wasn't moving until things were cleared up.

Mordin glanced between the people on either side of him. Maelon's conviction more than made up for his current physical condition. Kasumi held that annoying human trait of having to know every aspect of a person. Mordin knew the value of details, but also the values of privacy. At least she was asking him up front instead of using her usual methods. He sighed and relented.

"Former STG, later redesigned genophage, Maelon part of team, can tell you more back on the Normandy, should leave now, rescue others."

Kasumi took a moment. "You… no, never mind, you're right, let's get going. Is he coming?"

Maelon brought his head up to look at the two figures looking back at him. "I'd only slow you down," he said. He fell back to a seated position. "Dying here is more than what I deserve. More than what you deserve…"

Mordin stepped in closer to his former protégé and knelt down next to him. "Will come back for you if able. Have started work on your research. Not what you intended, but still might save an entire race."

Kasumi spoke up. "We should find some weapons at least before breaking the others out. I don't think we can punch our way through Cerberus."

"Should be security room nearby," Mordin stated, looking over his omni-tool. The two left the room and the door slid shut.

Maelon collapsed back on to the floor of the crate. Thoughts swarmed in his head like angry bees. The aching in his entire body was acting up again as well. His blurry vision focused on the tracks in his arm left by needles.

* * *

Shepard and his squad exited the hangar and entered a hallway decorated with multicolored arrows on the wall. There had been absolutely no opposition so far.

"I expected more out of a trap, Shepard," Grunt complained.

"Kasumi's probably already thrown a wrench in their plans," Shepard guessed. "Stay sharp." He studied the guide arrows. Frigates weren't prison ships. There had to be some place with enough room to store the entire crew of another ship. "Cargo bay," he decided, pointing to the yellow line. It ran either direction. "Port side's as good as any."

"Halt!" demanded a Cerberus operative rounding the corner. He was quickly silenced by a shot to the face from Legion's rifle.

"Additional units," the synthetic warned, speaking of two mechs and two other humans, "cover advised!" Taking its own advice, Legion dropped its battle drone as a diversion and backed in to the hangar. Grunt and Shepard followed suit, a few shots winging their shields.

"Shepard's in the hangar, we need backup down here now!" another one of the commandos yelled before the automatic doors shut.

"Drone destroyed," Legion announced as the squad took defensive positions behind the cover that was readily available in the hangar; Grunt behind a ventilation unit while Shepard and Legion chose two different Cerberus shuttles.

The doors opened again as the LOKI mechs took point, the remaining two operatives entering behind them, dropping down behind the paneled guard rails in front of the door. The mechs continued their pace towards Shepard's squad.

"Overriding friend or foe detection," Legion stated. One of the mechs stopped in its tracks and opened fire on the other. Not wasting the opportunity, Grunt popped up from behind his ventilation unit and simply held the trigger on his assault rifle until it overheated. The accuracy was impossible for a human, but in the hands of a krogan the recoil was completely negligible.

Both mechs fell to the ground in tattered pieces. One of them exploded as if to add a stinger to the entire event.

The small victory was short lived as the requested Cerberus back up flooded the room. The mass of humans and machines began firing the moment they entered the room. Bullets zinged past the cover Shepard's team had taken, giving them no opportunity to safely return fire.

"Legion," Shepard barked over his radio, "head count!"

"I can distinguish a total of eight human units and six LOKI mechs presently," the geth answered.

Steeling himself, Shepard spun out from behind the shuttle he had chosen as safe haven and flung a singularity at the door. His shields were almost instantly dropped in the single second he took for the maneuver, a mech's pistol round finding his armored shoulder.

The swirling mass of biotics collided with the doorframe to the hangar. The two mechs unfortunate enough to be near it were quickly flung in to the air. They began to apologize for colliding with each other. The commandos caught in the vortex had their shields stripped, but managed to stay grounded.

Legion and Grunt both made use of the opportunity their commander had given them. "Long range shot affective," Legion declared over Grunt's battle cry. One of the Cerberus agents that had lost his shields took a shot to the head and was swept up by the singularity, bouncing off the mechs being chewed up by Grunt's rifle fire. The krogan lost his shields quickly but it took a shot across the brow plate to force him in to hunkering back down out of the line of fire.

"Shepard-Commander, additional unit entering the field," Legion warned.

A heavy stomping grew closer.

* * *

Genophage, STG, the brief, half admitted truths distracted Kasumi from the task at hand. Why did she even care? It's not as though she hadn't committed her share of sin. Granted even her larger jobs couldn't compare to sterilization of an entire species but… _no, focus up_. Sneaking would be harder with a companion in tow; she needed to keep her eyes open and her mind clean. Luckily they weren't far from where the rest of the crew was held.

Gunfire and shouting rang out from down the hall. Kasumi and Mordin looked at each other. "Shepard," they said in unison.

"Cannot help until armed," Mordin whispered, "should recover equipment first."

Kasumi frowned in the direction of the fighting. "Alright, let's make it quick," she said. "I hope that war zone keeps them occupied so we can get past."

The duo doubled their pace until they neared the fighting. Mechanical stomping from behind them caused for a detour in to a different hall. The red line on the wall meant it headed to engineering. Instinctively holding their breath, they watched as a YMIR mech plodded its way to the battle. Behind it walked Dodgeson, the bald guard from earlier. Kasumi gestured for Mordin to stay put and cloaked herself.

Dodgeson's rifle was easily snatched from his unsuspecting hands. He had just enough time to register his bewilderment as the butt of the rifle collided with his face with enough force to cause him to spin completely. His jaw hung slack, spilling saliva in a sparkling trail, before his body hit the ground completely unconscious.

The YMIR mech continued on its programmed path to the hangar, completely oblivious to the man who activated it being dragged out of view. Kasumi lifted the limp body to a seated position against the wall. Plucking the ring of keycards from Dodgeson's belt she turned back to Mordin and handed him the guard's assault rifle.

"Should we free the crew or get them some presents first?" she asked, twirling the ring on her finger.

"Not far from storage rooms, likely have confiscated equipment in there. Omni-tools, side arms, not much but enough for surprise strikes until we reach armory."

"With Shep shooting up the place I don't think we can surprise them much any more, but it's better than nothing."

The pair left the hall to engineering and continued towards the gunfire.

* * *

Shepard's breath was heavy, ragged. His attempts at return fire had netted less damage to the enemy and more damage to his armor than he had hoped. Glancing at his teammates, Grunt had taken just as much fire as he had yet Legion seemed no worse for ware. Right now he envied the synthetic's surgical precision.

The door to the hangar slid open, presenting a YMIR mech. Shepard let his head fall back to rest on the shuttle cursing his luck.

"Legion, don't suppose you can hack that thing," he said over the radio, already knowing the answer.

"Negative, protective shielding prevents viral attack."

"Targeting systems online," boomed the YMIR. It raised its right arm and let fly with high caliber rounds in to Grunt's cover. The ventilation unit shot fountains of sparks as pieces of metal flew in to the air. The flan blades spun madly until they were bent too far out of shape.

Shepard gritted his teeth and left his cover. From his left hand he fired a warp field at the mech, from his right his machine pistol shot a salvo of metal. A field of blue sputtered around the YMIR as its shields absorbed the impact, weakening with every flash. Cerberus operatives quickly opened fire on Shepard, supporting their heavy weapon. The commander slipped back out of sight taking two new dents to his armor. Feeling blood trickling down his chest, he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.

"Legion, go around to the side and flank them. We're sitting ducks here!"

"Acknowledged."

The YMIR mech slowly turned towards Shepard's position and let off a series of warning beeps. Shepard knew that sound. He flung himself forward, away from the shuttle but still keeping it between him and Cerberus. He could tell midair that he wasn't fast enough. The missile impacted only a matter of feet from him. His shields appeared around his body almost as quickly as they died, his body being tossed away like a toy. Shepard landed ungracefully on his back and slid a few feet before rolling on to his side against the hangar door. He did not move.

Legion had reached its destination on one of the ramps leading to the door and announced its presence by firing a round through a commando's head. The next one in line returned fire towards the shot before being taken in the shoulder and flung to the ground by the impact. The geth's shields absorbed the glancing blows easily, but commandos and mechs alike were now alerted to its position.

With the mech turned and the Cerberus members distracted, Grunt took the chance to show his face and overheat his rifle in to the YMIR. Its shields were depleted and its armor began to take on several holes.

"Geth, do it!" the krogan yelled.

Legion dropped out of view, a single shot skimming across the right side of its head as its shields fell, and went to its omni-tool. The YMIR twitched and let its arms fall to its side before lifting them again. It began turning around to face the Cerberus operatives.

"Take it down! Take it down!" yelled one of commandos. He opened fire on the mech first, rocketing himself to the top of the machine's threat priority list. He was promptly shredded by gunfire. Legion dropped its combat drone at the door, behind the operatives, sandwiching them between mechanized units. Grunt, with a fresh thermal clip in his rifle stood back up and began firing again, roaring with laughter. The YMIR continued its killing spree, its heavy gun penetrating the metal plates under the guard rails and Cerberus armor all the same. With Shepard's squad adding their support to the mech, Cerberus and the LOKIs didn't stand a chance. By the time the damaged YMIR finally fell, only two commandos remained alive. One of them was dispatched by Grunt; the other was still on the ground out of sight, clutching a shoulder wound.

Grunt returned his rifle to his back and plodded his way over to his fallen battlemaster. "Come on, Shepard," he growled. "Get up."

* * *

"Come on, Shepard, get up," Garrus whispered.

"What happened?" Tali gasped. She sat up abruptly, wincing at her mistake.

Garrus realized he had spoken out loud. He pretended to listen intently to his headset.

"Garrus, what happened to Shepard?" Tali demanded.

"He," Garrus started, "got in a bit of a scrape. YMIR mech, nothing we haven't faced before." He hoped that sounded trivial enough. The last thing he wanted to do was get Tali worked up in her condition. She was supposed to be resting.

"Oh," she said. Garrus couldn't read whether or not she believed him. Her voice was entirely emotionless. Tali swung her legs out of the bed and gently set her feet on the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I need a change of scenery."

"You know Shepard will have my scales if you aren't in that bed when he gets back."

Tali brought her hand to her ribs but applied no pressure as she stood up. "I won't be gone long," she said. She slowly, carefully, walked out of the medical bay.


	13. Trap Sprung

Grunt grabbed Shepard's wrist and hauled the human to his feet. Staggering a bit, Shepard blinked his eyes open, witnessing a thousand tiny stars dance around, obscuring his vision.

"Shepard-Commander," stated Legion, "a single opponent remains. Recommend interrogation." It held its rifle on the man with an unwavering grip.

Shepard could barely make out the geth's voice over the ringing in his ears. He nodded and stumbled his way towards the wounded Cerberus member. "Let's hear what he has to say," he said. His own voice echoed inside his head, effectively deafening him to the world when he spoke. He hoped his hearing would return shortly.

"Why the hell is Cerberus attacking us?" Shepard demanded once he reached the commando.

The operative's eyes moved around to see his captors, but did not make eye contact with any of them. He simply held his shoulder and remained quiet.

Shepard pulled out his pistol and placed it on the man's opposite shoulder. "The other one goes if you don't answer me. Why are you trying to kill someone you spent so much time bringing back to life?"

The man coughed a bit then answered. "We aren't trying to kill you. If we were, you'd already be dead."

"Tough talk for a dead man," Grunt snarled.

"We want you alive," the operative continued, "and we already have you." He coughed over a smile forming behind his helmet.

"What do you want with me?"

No answer.

Shepard slapped the man across the helmet with his gun. "What do you want?" he repeated, more forcefully than before.

"You," the man said, "like I already said."

He didn't speak like a man trained to withstand torture. He spoke like a man that was simply kept in the dark, just a grunt. Shepard changed topics in hopes of some actual information.

"Where's the rest of my crew?" he asked.

The operative glared at Shepard, his panting breaths causing his head to bob slightly.

"I warned you." Shepard fired a round in the commando's good shoulder. "Where is my damn crew?"

"I don't know!" the man shouted over his cries of pain. His arms draped uselessly at his sides. Blood poured freely from his new wound.

"Bad answer," Shepard replied coldly. He roughly removed the operative's helmet and put the pistol to his exposed head. "One more chance. Where's my team?"

The operative stared in to Shepard's eyes with a fear he could not help to hide. They began to water as he yelled, "I don't know! I swear it! I'm just a soldier!"

Shepard's finger rested on the trigger. It was so easy to squeeze. "Just doing your job, huh?"

"Yes," the man sobbed.

"Find a better one," Shepard ordered. He struck the man with the butt of his pistol, knocking him out cold. After doing so, Shepard braced himself on the ground to catch his breath.

"You gonna make it?" Grunt said. The question came more with expectation than concern.

"I'm fine," Shepard answered, pushing back to his feet.

"Explosions get the blood flowing," Grunt assured him, "though often times in multiple directions at once."

Shepard held his helmet and shook sense back in to his head. "I'm hoping that was the brunt of their human forces, but this is a big ship. God only knows how many mechs they have on board."

"Not enough," Grunt snarled.

Shepard snorted in amusement. At least one of them was having a good time.

* * *

Tali limped her way to the elevator. Her wounds announced themselves with every step, but the throbbing was dull, numb, easily ignored. Once on board she waited for the doors to shut for some privacy. She went to her omni-tool. Raising her arm took the dull pain and sharpened it. She opened her mouth, her yelp dying in her throat. Clenching her teeth as the sting died down, she looked at the readout; one new message. It was from the Migrant Fleet and had come in through an encrypted channel only moments before while she was in the med bay.

Tali's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. She closed the message and slowly lowered her arm again. Stepping in to engineering she kneeled, being careful not to bend, and picked up her dead rose with her good arm. Taking its battered form back to the drive core with her, she sat to think.

* * *

"Pay dirt," Kasumi proclaimed, pulling a small chip out of a drawer. Around her on the floor were several other overturned and emptied drawers and boxes found in the cargo room. Those were all the containers Mordin had searched. She had carefully, out of habit, searched her side of the room and left everything as it had been to leave no evidence of her rummaging. The salarian, however, overturned containers and left the contents where they fell.

"Excellent," Mordin commented. He dropped a plastic box full of data pads, its contents spilling out in a heap, and stepped over to Kasumi. "Was beginning to lose hope."

"How did you even know to look in this room, anyway?" Kasumi asked the salarian while fighting the urge to slap his hands away from the drawer she had removed. Thankfully he was more subdued when searching for his own omni-tools.

"Partial schematic recovery from ship's computers," he said as aside, plucking a chip from the box. He dove back in for his other. "Current omni-tool old, 2176, but still retains certain STG functionalities." He gave a wide smile as he found his primary omni-tool. He wasted no time in reequipping it. Kasumi swore she could see him start to pet his arm as though his omni-tool were a cat.

The human woman picked up one of the discarded boxes from the floor and emptied the drawer in to it. "Something with a lid," she explained. "That's the omni-tools but only a handful of pistols." She glanced at the side arms lying on the table next to her and went to place them in the box as well. "And that rifle we picked up. Not much against this entire ship."

"More than enough. Should recover crew, aid Shepard."

"The fighting out there's stopped," Kasumi said, suddenly noticing the silence. "I'll go see what happened; you get to the crew." She handed Mordin the box of equipment as well as the keycard ring.

"Would advise against splitting up," the salarian said. "Not safe."

"It is when you're invisible," Kasumi countered with a distinct smugness, activating her cloak and leaving the room.

"Was speaking of myself," Mordin muttered to the closed door, being left holding the box.

* * *

Shepard could begin to feel his sweat roll down the inside of his clothes, stinging any place his skin had been broken. His head pounded like he was boxing a krogan and the ringing occasionally returning to his ears didn't seem to end the round. He tried to consider himself lucky that a rocket at that range didn't outright kill him, but he certainly didn't feel it. Worse yet, he still had to maintain his impenetrable façade.

"Now then," he said, "to that cargo bay?"

As he and his squad walked, he felt his ears pop. The ringing performed its swan song then dissipated as well. With a sigh of relief he determined he could hear clearly again. Now he could concentrate and better scrutinize his surroundings. For example, in the hallway to the right was a guard's body. The trio stopped to investigate.

"Subject is still alive, only unconscious," Legion determined.

"Not our doing. Kasumi's probably nearby then," Shepard guessed. "Let's keep moving."

The group continued their path led by a friendly yellow line. There was commotion within earshot, but they encountered nothing along their path. Operatives could be either be scrambling for another attack or be chasing down Kasumi. Grunt began to get twitchy, anxious. Shepard didn't like playing the waiting game either. Legion knew as well it was only a matter of time before they were fighting again, but showed no emotion like its organic counterparts.

The door to the cargo room slid open and Shepard's squad slipped inside. The area was filled with giant metal crates, but the eye was quickly drawn to an open one with a salarian curled inside.

"Mordin?" Shepard asked as he walked closer.

The salarian rolled over to look at his new company. He forced his eyes to focus. This human looked familiar and he was with a krogan… and a geth? The memories flooded back. This was that man who was with Mordin when everything started.

"No," Shepard realized, "you're Mason, his student, right? You tried to cure the genophage."

"Maelon," Maelon corrected, his weak voice still managing to sound irritated.

"Right, sorry. Uh, what are you doing here?"

Didn't he already explain all this once? Wasn't this human with Cerberus? Maelon pushed himself back in to a seated position. "Your organization kidnapped me shortly after you ruined everything with the Weyrloc can. You must have betrayed Mordin as well." Spite was a good change, he had felt nothing but pain and self pity for weeks; or was it months by now?

"Maelon, I'm not with Cerberus, and I'm sorry I ever had… wait, Mordin was in here?" Shepard leaned closer to the captured salarian. Even through his helmet, he could smell Maelon. God only knew how long he had been here.

"He was in another crate, like me," Maelon said, his arm limply gestured towards the empty crate near his, its door blown off its hinges. "He left with a human woman, something about more crew."

"Kasumi," Shepard stated.

Maelon showed no reaction to the name.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion started.

"Can you walk? We'll get you to our shuttle," Shepard said, ignoring the geth.

"If you want to do something for me, just kill me," Maelon inhaled laboriously. Talking again was beginning to take its toll on him.

"Not going to happen," Shepard replied, "We're getting you out of here if Grunt has to carry you out."

"Don't I get a choice?" Grunt asked.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion said again with a bit more importance to its voice.

"What is it?" The commander sounded more irritated than he actually was.

"Enemy units closing in on our position," the geth explained

"Shit," Shepard swore. He glanced around the room. The crates were arranged so no real advantageous cover could be made without pushing them around. Even with a krogan doing the pushing they wouldn't be moved fast enough.

Grunt reached down and hefted the lid from Maelon's crate to an upright position. Using his other arm, he lifted the lid from Mordin's crate as well. He gestured with his head what he was thinking. Shepard and Legion crouched down behind the makeshift shields, reading their weapons.

The door opened. Shepard tensed up, finger on the trigger. Grunt braced himself for impact. No one entered the room. Shepard's narrowed his eyes, not taking his sight from the doorway. A small canister bounced inside, a green fog leaking from it.

Shepard quickly brought a hand from his gun to activate his air filters. Grunt, however, had no helmet. Even if he did, he wouldn't have had a free hand to hit his filters. All four of his lungs quickly began to fill with the gas. Still, he held strong to the metal lids as Cerberus operatives stuck their guns around the doorframe and opened fire.

Shepard launched a singularity at the muzzle flash behind the smoky gas cloud obstructing his vision. The gunfire stopped, but only for a moment. One body could be heard scrambling on the floor, the others returned to firing. Not as effective as he planned.

Legion dropped its combat drone behind the attackers, but it was destroyed almost instantly, only serving as distraction long enough for the geth to take a single shot. Its target was wounded in the arm, the only part of him visible around the corner.

"Shepard," Grunt warned. It was obvious by the sound of his voice the gas was going to win out before long.

"Stay strong," Shepard ordered. He peppered the open door with his machine pistol. The gas in the air was beginning to thin, revealing his targets. Sparks flew from armor and shields reacted whenever shots hit their mark. He pulled back in behind cover, his breathing becoming heavier again and his sore muscles complaining.

"Shepard," Grunt repeated; his voice weaker than before. The krogan's grip failed and metal lids hit the floor clattering loudly. He passed out soon after.

"Now!" yelled a voice from outside the room. Commandos filled the doorway and laid down fire. Legion was their primary target. The geth's shields held up only a matter of seconds before ammunition tore in to its spindly frame. Shots took the geth in the chest and arms, disarming it. One found its head, disabling it. The body fell on top of Grunt's and Shepard stood alone, his heat sink at maximum capacity. His retaliation only dropped a single opponent. Cerberus moved in, guns trained on him. _It's true_, he thought to himself as a kick took him in the back of the knees and a hand roughly disarmed him, _they want me alive._

* * *

"I thought I'd find you down here," Garrus said, announcing his presence. Tali sat with her back to him, facing the drive core as it shimmered beautifully like mercury. "Damn, you did a number on her," the turian continued, inspecting Hale's corpse still on the floor of engineering, surrounded by blood and broken glass. The first trip through was a breakneck rush to get Tali to the infirmary, but now he had time to inspect her handy work.

Garrus bent down to retrieve the knife from the dead woman's neck but found it was jammed so deeply he had to keep her body in place with his foot before it could be dislodged. He expertly flicked the blood from the blade and wiped any remnants on the Cerberus operative's body. He walked down to where Tali was seated on the floor and handed her knife back to her, handle first.

"Thanks," she said, breaking out of her trance. She slid the knife back in to the sheath on her left calf. "What brings you to engineering?"

"I'm just wondering how I managed to offend you this time," Garrus remarked, leaning on the guard rail next to Tali.

"Oh, you didn't, at least not recently," Tali ribbed. "I had just received a message from the Fleet and wanted a little privacy."

"You could have just asked me to leave, you know. It beats having you hobbling around while full of holes."

Tali smiled to herself. "I like being down here, though. It helps me think."

"An engineer through and through," Garrus commented. "I guess it's why I was drawn to the forward batteries." His second sentence came out darker than he realized.

"You aren't just a killer, Garrus," Tali stated as though it were a simple matter of fact.

"Aren't I?" he asked. That wasn't even what he meant, but he certainly couldn't dispute the idea. It certainly seemed like all he did since C-Sec was pull a trigger.

"You stayed behind to look after me. Now you're down here checking on me when you knew I was fine," Tali offered.

"I…" Garrus had nowhere to go with that sentence. Tali did not interject. She wasn't about to give him an easy out. "I just felt like it," he explained, "I guess that's a start, isn't it?"

"Shepard told me a little of what you were doing on Omega," Tali said. "It sounded to me like you were following in his footsteps."

"Building a squad to save the galaxy? Sounds a bit more glamorous than it really was, but hearing you say that I suppose I did try to fill the void by becoming Shepard myself." Garrus found his smirk again. "Now here I am wandering around the ship bothering the crew. Maybe I should pursue Spectre status again, complete the image."

Tali smiled at the notion. "I think you'd have to be more handsome first."

"Bah, you take a gunship to the face and see how you look."

"Does a shotgun at almost point blank count?"

Garrus chuckled a little. "Close, but it missed your face. That's the most important part!" He shook his head. "Who'd have thought the 'best and brightest of the galaxy' would turn out looking like this?"

Tali craned her neck around to look at Garrus. "Is that really what Cerberus called us?" she asked.

Garrus nodded. "I've been telling people for years how amazing I am, it's nice to see others agree."

"Bosh'tet," Tali snickered. She sniffed a little. Only one nostril was clear.

Garrus only grinned in response. His eyes fell on the frayed remnants lying in Tali's lap. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing in their direction.

Tali lifted the dead rose by its stem, only a few withered petals remained in tact. "Shepard got me this. It _was_ beautiful," she sighed.

"I read somewhere humans use flowers in their courtship rituals," Garrus commented. "Seems a little frilly to me, but whatever gets the ladies, I suppose."

"I thought it was very sweet," Tali countered. She laid the rose back in her lap. "What do turians do?"

"Er," Garrus stammered, "shows of strength I guess is a good way to describe it."

"Mating dances?"

"Well, if you want to put it that way… I prefer to think of it more like macho posturing."

"Then I'm sure you had to beat the ladies off you," Tali teased. "Quarians aren't too different, really. Music and dancing make a lady _irresistible_." She put extra emphasis on the word "irresistible."

"Were you any good?"

"I… well, I wasn't bad. Certainly no professional," the quarian admitted.

"I wasn't much for showing off either, believe it or not. Luckily I found getting a girl drunk and telling her she smells nice works just as well."

"Oh Keelah," Tali said disapprovingly. She would have smacked Garrus across the legs if she didn't have to reach so far. "How did we even get to talking about this anyway? How's Shepard doing?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I turned off my radio when I left to find you," Garrus replied. He switched the feed back on and turned his head slightly to indicate that he was listening in. After a few moments he said, "I'm not getting anything. They must be on radio silence."

* * *

Legion's inactive form was tossed to the ground. White fluid leaked from it where bullets found their mark. To the right, Grunt's unconscious form was encircled by Cerberus operatives. Both of Shepard's teammates, along with the comatose frame of Maelon, were brought with him in to this room as a show of victory to break his spirits, he thought. If so, it was working. He too was covered by trigger happy commandos, his helmet taken. One of them roughly shoved him in to a kneeling position in front of the circular panel on the floor. The Illusive Man flickered in to view.

"Shepard," he said smugly, removing a cigarette from his lips, "you've caused me a lot of grief, but I'm glad to see you've come back to us."

"I thought I told you to go to hell," Shepard replied. He was in no state of mind to think this situation through, and that was probably what Cerberus wanted.

"We're already headed there," the Illusive Man stated. He tapped his cigarette on his ashtray. "That's why we need you doing what you were brought back to do."

"If you need me so badly, why are you doing this? I'm no use to you dead."

"On the contrary, you were quite useful to us dead once before. However, you've proven to be more trouble than you're worth." He took a quick puff. "Miss Lawson suggested implanting a control chip when we started working on you, to ensure you perform your duties to the letter. I refused, insisting that you had to be brought back exactly as you were. However, I'm the type of man who can not only admit his mistakes, but rectify them."

"So that's it?" Shepard spat. "You attack my ship, injure my crew, almost kill my…" he stopped himself before admitting too much. "You go through all this just to brainwash me in to doing something I'm already going to do?"

"That's _my_ ship and _my_ crew, Shepard," the Illusive Man sneered. "You were a massive investment, and I'm not going to see it squandered. You're dead, Shepard. Your old life is over. You're only alive now to lead humanity in the fight against the Reapers and you're going to do so to my specifications." He placed his cigarette back in his lips and spoke through it. "I'm not going to let you destroy any more valuable resources because they play on your insecurities." He calmly removed the cigarette again, a plume of smoke following it out of his mouth. "And I'm certainly not going to let you waste precious time while the Reapers march on our galaxy."

Shepard's eyes snapped in to focus. Hatred, an emotion he rarely felt, boiled behind them. He had killed so many people. He had threatened lives, lied, and cheated for what he stood for. He had felt it his duty to stop so much evil, but so rarely did he hate someone on a personal level. Saren, the Collectors; they were just tools. Even the Reapers were still just an impersonal generalization to him but this was one specific man making his life a living hell. His fists clenched and he impotently punched the ground, wishing it was the man in the hologram.

"You're taking things too personally," the Illusive Man continued coolly. "That only validates my point. I have similar plans for the Normandy's crew as well. You won't even notice a difference. Once again, humanity thanks you for your continued service." With that, the projection dissipated and Shepard was lugged up to his feet.


	14. The Battle, Not the War

Shepard was beaten. After everything he had prevailed against, it took a betrayal to finally get the best of him. Everything played in to the Illusive Man's hands from the start. Even with limited surveillance, he knew exactly when to strike. He built the ship, he built the crew, and he knew the flaws of both. Shepard remembered the old adage of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Maybe Miranda was right about him throwing away Cerberus' resources. Maybe he should have just agreed to work with Illusive Man, or at least pretended to keep up appearances. Maybe he should have seen this coming. _Too late for hindsight_, he thought to himself.

The commander was practically dragged along by the Cerberus operatives at his sides. He hardly lacked the ability to walk, only the will. His efforts were more focused on out-of-character self loathing and pity than moving forward.

Shepard's brief glances at his reflection in windows the group passed reminded him that he really was still himself. It didn't seem right. This couldn't be the same invincible man that held strong on Elysium, defeated Sovereign, and came back from the dead to stop the Collectors, could it?

That's when he saw Kaiden's face and the planet side explosion on Virmire that killed him. That's when he saw Lt. Jenkins fall dead to the ground. That's when he saw Niket gunned down in front of him, followed by Sidonis. That's when he saw a female colonist melt alive in a Collector tank. That's when he saw Tali bleeding on the floor of engineering. All his failures came rushing back to remind him that he was still just a man; not the symbol the Alliance painted him to be before his death. Soon he was going to be a "just a man" under Cerberus control.

* * *

"Mordin, you're alive!" chirped Kelly. The other heads in the holding cell perked up at the sound of her voice. All eyes went to the salarian that had entered the room who was clearly surprised by the sudden shout of his name. Having just crept through Cerberus infested hallways, the startle left him backed up against the door in shock.

"Expecting otherwise?" Mordin replied, regaining his composure. The crew members began chattering excitedly amongst themselves. He set down the box of equipment and began fumbling with the keycard ring. One of them had to be the right one.

"What did they do with you?" Miranda asked. She attempted to sound more concerned than curious, but admittedly did not have much practice.

Mordin swiped a keycard, but nothing happened. "Placed inside crate in cargo hold. More salarians in other crates. Only one alive, Maelon, might remember him." He paused to try another card with similar results. "Two including self," he amended.

"Salarians?" Jacob asked. He started to stand up from the cot he was sitting on but sat back down when his wounded leg acted up. "What are they doing with salarians? Why did they want the rest of us?"

"Cannot say for certain," Mordin stated. "Most likely wanted rest of crew for other purposes. Maelon mentioned genophage, little else, in terrible shape, possibly dying." He finally found the right keycard and the mass effect barrier dissipated. Crew members cheerfully began exiting the cell and Mordin picked up the box he had brought with him.

"Omni-tools and a few side arms," he stated, opening it. "Met Kasumi, finding Shepard."

"Shepard's here?" Miranda asked before rebuking herself with, "Of course he is. Should make things a lot easier with him on board. We should head to the bridge and commandeer this ship while he's keeping their main forces busy."

"You sure we shouldn't help him out?" Jacob asked, standing with aid of Donnelly's shoulder.

"The man's a bloody killing machine," Miranda replied, picking her pistol of choice from Mordin's container, "and he'll have Grunt and Garrus with him." She thought about mentioning Tali and Legion and the possibility they were left aboard the Normandy, but opted to not lower morale by bringing up their missing crew. She simply ended her thought with, "They'll be fine."

* * *

"Pick it up and stop moping around, Shepard," ordered the armed guard on the commander's left. He didn't bother to look at her; he only maintained his same sluggish pace despite being jabbed in the back with a rifle. His fists clenched, mind presenting all sorts of unlikely strategies for escape.

"Yeah, cheer up, Shep," came another female voice. This one was more familiar.

Heads turned towards the sound, but there was no sign of their origin. Instinctively, Shepard jerked free of the hands holding him. Following through with his movement, he spun about, grabbed his guards' heads and slammed them together. One of them fell to the ground while he held the other in front of him, between his body and the four other armed guards that were escorting him.

Kasumi deactivated her cloak with a powerful blow to the back of the skull of the right most guard. With heads still whirling about, trying to grasp what just happened, the other three were easy targets for Shepard's biotic warp; the last of his strength.

"Am I glad to see you," Shepard panted, taking a moment to rest his hands on his knees.

"Deus ex Kasumi, at your service," the woman grinned. She continued with, "You look like hell, Shep."

"I should," he replied, bending down to pick up a rifle from an unconscious guard. "I certainly feel like it."

Kasumi smiled empathetically. "That's what you get for coming alone, silly. At least you made sneaking around easier." Listening with one ear for the commander's retort she stuck a finger to the other. "Mordin, I found Shepard."

Shepard snapped out of his stupor. "Grunt and Legion. They must still be in the other room."

"We'll have to make it quick," Kasumi replied. "Mordin and the rest of the crew are fighting their way to the bridge and would love to have us."

"This way," Shepard gestured. He could feel his movements becoming looser as his body wore down. He was going to sleep well tonight, that was for sure.

"Not used to seeing you all beat up," Kasumi said, "What happened?"

"Cerberus penned us in, gassed Grunt, gunned down Legion, and I…" His voice trailed off, unable to admit what had happened. "This was after a missile at my feet in the hangar, mind you," Shepard answered, wishing he had a better excuse while he rubbed a sore arm. The effectiveness through his armor was not what he had hoped. He couldn't shake his embarrassment at being taken so easily. Underestimating an enemy that knows everything about you was something he swore to never do again.

"You didn't bring Garrus?" Kasumi asked. "Did something happen planet side too?"

"No, no, he's fine," Shepard replied, "I left him on the Normandy to watch over Tali."

"Tali," Kasumi repeated under her breath. She stopped walking and grabbed Shepard by the shoulder to stop him as well. "Shep, what happened to Tali?"

Shepard pulled his hurt shoulder out of the woman's grasp as he turned to look at her, but the sincerity of her eyes held him in place anyway. Kasumi befriended Tali the day she came on board and had become overly protective of the quarian. There would be no delaying the answer, even if they were on the clock.

"She… was shot," he said at a lack of better words, "during the attack."

Kasumi's eyes grew large. She grabbed the commander by the shoulders again, much to his dismay as one of them had taken a bullet earlier. "Tell me she's alright, Shep."

"She took a bad hit, but we got to her in time," he replied. "She should be fine. Just all the more reason to get Chakwas and everyone else out of here."

Kasumi let go of the man's shoulders and nodded in agreement.

As the pair neared the meeting room where Shepard had last seen his crew, the door opened to reveal a large, imposing figure.

"Shepard," Grunt greeted. Over one of his shoulders was Legion's body. In the opposite hand was a Cerberus operative being clutched by the head. The unfortunate man was holding on to the krogan's arm with a desperate grip, legs kicking furiously. Grunt casually tossed the human in to the wall. The man stopped squirming on impact.

Shepard's smile found its way back to his face. "Maelon still in there?"

"The salarian? He's back in there somewhere," Grunt answered with a thumb point back over his shoulder.

"Come on," Shepard said, "Let's grab him too." On the way in, the commander picked up his battered helmet. Sliding it on, he tapped the side of it. "Check, check, this thing still work?"

* * *

"Ah!" Garrus exclaimed in shock.

"What is it?" Tali asked, somewhat annoyed. She simply assumed he was avoiding her question about his father.

"They're back," Garrus explained, rubbing what passed for a turian's ear, "but not without some nasty static on Shepard's end."

"What's happening?" Tali asked, her nervous hands crushing her dead rose.

"Not sure yet. Sounds like they had some tough going, but they're headed to the bridge."

Tali relaxed a little. _If they could fight so far in, nothing could stop them now_, she told herself. "Help me up," she requested.

Garrus gladly complied. He offered the quarian his arm to keep her steady as they walked towards the elevator.

"They should be done soon," Tali said. "I should get back to bed."

* * *

"Commander!" Kelly yelled as Shepard entered the bridge of the Providence. She leapt at the exhausted man with a hug, nearly toppling him over.

"Glad you could make it, Shepard," Miranda added. She, along with many other members of the Normandy crew, had the Cerberus members on the bridge at gunpoint.

The commander exhaled some of his pent up tension and gently set the yeoman back on the ground before he collapsed under the extra weight. He was having enough trouble supporting just his own.

"You guys never cease to amaze me," he praised, continuing with, "Joker, can you fly this thing?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" was the response.

"I meant with one arm."

"With all due respect, Commander, I could fly this thing with my feet. Assuming my legs didn't break… and we weren't attacked again…"

"I don't think Cerberus will be trying again any time soon," Shepard said. "Not unless they want to add another ship to our growing collection."

"The Illusive Man won't just give up, Shepard," Miranda insisted, "That's not the type of man he is."

"He still has to take time to lick his wounds and we still have to get our ship repaired," Shepard replied.

Satisfied, Joker gave a look to the Providence's pilot, who promptly vacated his seat and put his hands on his head. "Where to, Commander?" the new pilot asked, settling in.

"The Citadel," Shepard replied. "But wait a second on that. Kasumi, can you seal off the rest of the ship from here to keep Cerberus contained?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" she echoed. Just to make sure her self-confidence was not misplaced she discreetly looked over the controls on the bridge until she found what she was looking for.

"Good," the commander replied, "stay here and do that. I want you and Grunt keeping the bridge crew in check as well. The rest of us are headed back to the Normandy."

"What about Duggar?" Dr. Chakwas asked. "She's still in their medical bay."

Shepard furrowed his brow. "There's nothing we can do right now. We'll just have to assume the lock down will keep her safe until we unload at the Citadel."

Chakwas nodded, but clearly did not like the answer. As much as she understood the reasoning of not wanting to fight through the entire ship for a single crew member, she still held her concerns. She felt Shepard's hands on her shoulders.

"I don't like it either, but you're needed on the Normandy now." He spoke in almost a whisper. It was disconcerting. Chakwas couldn't help but try and press the commander for information, especially when she saw Kasumi nodding emphatically to the commander's instructions.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, "Or is this about the salarian we've picked up?"

"I've been better," Shepard answered, "and Maelon could certainly use your help, but…" his voice grew even quieter, "I'm more worried about Tali."

Miranda's perfect ears couldn't help but overhear the conversation. "Back to the ship, people," she ordered. "Let's go!"

* * *

Tali clenched her teeth as Garrus helped her back in to the medical bed. She felt her wounds squeeze shut and attempt to open again, held closed by the gooey medi-gel. Laying back, she exhaled the pain and coughed a bit half way through. She held her side, feeling the stinging sensation subside.

EDI's voice entered the room. "Commander Shepard has relayed a message. They have taken the Cerberus vessel and he is returning to the ship with the majority of the crew. The rest are staying on board to pilot the ship to the Citadel where the Cerberus members can be taken in to custody."

"You were right," Garrus commented, "I guess they were almost done."

EDI spoke again. "He also wishes for me to reprimand Garrus for allowing Tali to roam the ship freely while injured."

Garrus scowled at the impish grin Tali was undoubtedly wearing behind her mask. "I can't believe it," he said in bewilderment, "The AI tattled on me."

"That was a joke," EDI replied.


	15. An Honor

"Wounded and medical staff first," Shepard ordered. "Move out!"

Following his own orders by the letter, but not by the spirit, Shepard allowed Mordin and Dr. Chakwas off the shuttle first with Legion and Maelon before rushing past them, removing his helmet as he went. It took all of his will power to not open the elevator's emergency hatch and climb up the shaft as it worked its way up one floor at its own indifferent pace. His exhaustion would have to wait as the last of his adrenaline got him to the medical bay in record time.

"Hey," he said softly to Tali, gently taking her right hand.

"Hey," she replied in a similar tone, squeezing his hand in return.

"I'll, uh, I'll wait outside," Garrus said, taking his leave.

"Garrus," Shepard stopped him. "Thanks."

The turian gave a smile and a nod before stepping out in to the oncoming path of doctors and new patients. Spinning to the side to avoid being trampled, Garrus couldn't help but notice one of the bodies was Legion. Could doctors do anything for a synthetic?

"How are you feeling?" Shepard asked sitting down in a chair by Tali's bed. All the fuss around them was of no importance right now. Not once in taking his seat did he release her hand.

"Better," Tali answered. "You look tired."

"Commander," Dr. Chakwas interrupted, "you'll have to let me at my patient."

Shepard kissed Tali's gloved hand and begrudgingly released her, stepping aside. "I suppose I do have a few things to take care of," he admitted on his way out of the med bay. "See you soon."

Tali nodded at him as Chakwas covered her with the quarantine shield again. The doctor slipped on some clean gloves and began the arduous process of opening the environment suit.

"Goodness, my dear girl," Chakwas remarked, "what happened to you?"

Tali inhaled sharply as the doctor applied some pressure to her wounds. "Cerberus happened to me. Shotgun at nearly point blank. Ow, careful."

"Sorry," Chakwas apologized before continuing on with no change in her procedure. "You're lucky to have the shields you do on that suit. If Shepard didn't find you when he did you might not have made it."

"You should see the other guy," Tali remarked.

Dr. Chakwas smiled. It was good to see her spirits were up. "It's strange they didn't try to take you like they did the rest of us," Chakwas noted as an aside while she checked the wounds. Tali had no desire to explain the operative's reasoning. The doctor continued, "Either way, the commander did some decent work. He used a bit more medi-gel than necessary, but you should be right as rain in a day or two."

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" Tali asked hopefully.

"Of course," Chakwas answered, sealing the quarian's suit again. "Just don't do anything too strenuous until you're fully healed." She then added with a smirk, "You might want to tell that to Shepard as well."

* * *

"EDI, get Councilman Anderson on the line. I have a surprise for him," Shepard said to the ceiling as he entered the debriefing room. The table lowered and he stepped on to it, the room around him disappeared in to hologram. His old friend glimmered in to view.

"Shepard," he greeted, "always good to hear from you but you called at a rather awkward time."

"Trust me," Shepard replied, "you're going to want to hear this."

Anderson tilted his head. "You sound out of breath. Your armor looks beat up too. What happened?"

"Cerberus betrayed me. Unfortunately I wasn't as prepared as I told myself I would be."

Anderson sighed and looked away for a moment. "I knew it was only a matter of time. You know I can't commit any Alliance or Council forces, but if there's anything I can do to help…"

"It's already over," Shepard interrupted. In the back of his mind he knew it wasn't over by a long shot, but he wasn't going to bother Anderson with his personal problems. Not when the best the councilor could do was offer condolences.

"Just like that?" Anderson asked, taken aback. "They got the drop on you and you're already on top? You're a God damn wrecking ball, Shepard."

Shepard chuckled a little. "Well, my crew did all the work on this one. I'll spare you the details but I wanted to let you know I got you a present out of it."

Anderson cocked an eyebrow.

"We've picked up a Cerberus frigate and most of its crew is still on board. I'd like to hand it over to the Council in exchange for some repairs to the Normandy. We even have all the materials, just need the labor, and maybe a new paintjob."

"I'll see to it you have everything you need," Anderson decided. "Oh, and while I have you on the line, I should let you know we're working on putting together patrols to watch for the Reapers. The general public is still in the dark, naturally, but ships are headed back for new orders as we speak. The rest of the Council loves to drag its heels; I'm surprised they acted so quickly on this one."

"Don't worry, they'll be back to ignoring me soon enough."

Anderson started laughing and then sighed as he fully realized the truth of the statement. "I'll keep fighting for you, Shepard, but I should get back to work. We're still hammering out details."

"Thanks for your time, Councilor. I'll see you in a couple days. I have another surprise for you then too."

Anderson's hand froze on its way to the switch in front of him. Deciding against asking for elaboration over an unsecured channel, he cut the connection, but not before giving the commander a calculating look.

The debriefing room reappeared around Shepard and he headed out, up to his private quarters. There was nothing in the galaxy he wanted more than to change in to his casual clothes, except maybe a nap.

* * *

"Oh Keelah," Tali gasped. This was the first she had seen of the others brought in to the med bay. "What happened?"

"Maelon in coma," Mordin answered, "can do nothing until he wakes. If he wakes. Hope so. Legion took heavy fire. Biologist, not engineer, machinist, cannot help. Perhaps you can. I should get back to lab, results likely procured while aboard Cerberus vessel." After his hurricane of speech, Mordin exited the medical bay.

Help a geth? Was she hearing this right? Tali shook her head. She knew better now. Legion was on her side... she hoped. The synthetic was set in a bed like any other body, though its limbs were splayed out haphazardly. Its white "blood" had dried on to it in several spots and its face plates were broken out on one side where it had taken a shot to the head.

"I'll be honest," Dr. Chakwas said, "I don't know if Legion should be in here for medical attention or down in engineering for repairs."

Tali thought about that for a moment. If it were any other geth, she'd just consider it scrap metal and be done with it. Legion was different, able to speak and act on its own without other geth nearby, but for all its sapient qualities it was still just a machine, wasn't it?

"Maybe we need a philosopher on board," she commented, taking a closer look at the geth. One of the cables leading from its head had been severed, likely being the reason for its being disabled. Raising her omni-tool, and finding only a relieving soreness instead of pain, Tali began to reconnect the wires.

"Tali'Zorah, what are you doing?" Chakwas shouted, seeing sparks fly from behind the quarian's body.

"Soldering," came the reply, sounding as if it was the most normal thing in the galaxy. "It will only take a moment."

True to her word, Tali took a step back as Legion's lights flashed back on. It made a scratching, chittering sound as it sat up that still drove chills down the quarian's spine.

"Creator-Tali'Zorah," it said, thankfully using words.

"Legion, are you alright?" she asked.

"This platform has regained functionality, though 12 programs remain unaccounted for."

"I'm, uh, sorry," Tali said in what was meant to be consolation.

"No apologies are necessary," Legion replied, "evidence suggests you are responsible for our reactivation."

"Don't mention it, Legion," Tali said. She wanted to add "please" but thought better of it. "I'm not sure if I can do much more for you. I have to admit I'm better at shooting geth than repairing them."

"We can easily perform repairs to this platform," Legion stated, bring up its omni-tool.

"You're not going to do that in here, are you?" Chakwas asked, somewhat nervous.

Legion stopped and looked at the doctor. It attempted to form an expression with its face plates but the damaged ones just flicked in place, servos whirring uselessly.

"Per your request, we will repair this shell in a different location," Legion decided, limping its way back in to the AI core.

Tali and Chakwas just looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say about the exchanges that had just taken place. After a while, Dr. Chakwas broke the silence. "When you see the commander, tell him I want to see him down here too. He seemed like he had taken a bit of a beating."

Tali nodded and asked, "I haven't seen Grunt, should I send him in too?"

"He's still aboard the Cerberus ship. I'll tend to him once we reach the Citadel, assuming he'll put up with me for once."

Tali nodded again and left the room.

* * *

Shepard woke up with a crick in his neck from his head lolling over the back of his couch; just one more sore body part to add to the others. He remembered showering, getting dressed, sitting down, but not falling asleep. He didn't remember this weight on his lap either. Looking down to see what it was, a smile formed on his lips.

"Doc set you free?" he asked.

"Mmhm," was Tali's groggy reply. She was on her right side with her head lying in his lap.

"Don't tell me you fell asleep too."

Tali rolled over to look up at him. "Dr. Chakwas wanted me to send you down but I came in and saw you like this. I figured it was nap time instead." She hadn't been able to sleep while Shepard was aboard the Cerberus vessel. His return was exactly what she needed.

Shepard's smile grew stronger. He stroked her hood as though it were her hair. "What did I do to deserve a girl like you?"

"Saved the galaxy," Tali answered matter-of-factly. "Twice."

The smile on Shepard's face opened up in to a grin. "You know, that's nothing you haven't done."

"Then maybe the two most awe-inspiring people in the galaxy are just drawn to each other," was the self-satisfied response.

"Now who's been hanging around Garrus too much?"

Tali giggled and sat upright, snuggling in to the commander. He wrapped his arm around her waist; some place he knew wasn't in the process of healing.

"I did have something important, though," Tali admitted. There was a hint of sorrow in her voice, though Shepard wasn't sure if it was because of the news or just because it ruined the moment. She continued, saying, "I know because of… what happened, we're heading to the Citadel, but I need to go back to the Fleet as soon as possible." She quickly added, "if we're able," still in the habit of never overstepping her boundaries.

Shepard turned his head to look at her. "That was already the plan. Something the matter?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong. Well, maybe it is. It feels wrong. It's just that I don't know what to do."

"Sweetie, you're babbling. What's going on?"

"I, I got a message from the flotilla while you were on the other ship. It's about my father's position on the Admiralty Board. They've selected me as a candidate."

"That's…" Shepard started. What was it? Wonderful? Terrible? "That's an honor," he decided.

"Yes," Tali said insincerely, "it is."

"You don't sound honored."

"I'm not a leader, Shepard. I can't see myself as an admiral. Of course, I couldn't see myself as chief engineer of one of the most advanced warships in the galaxy either, but here I am." She rested her head on Shepard's shoulder. "I just don't know."

* * *

Mordin entered his lab, still chewing a granola bar he had filched from the mess hall on his way out of medical.

"No," he said in a hushed voice to no one in particular.

"No, no, no, no, no."

He let his granola bar drop to the ground as he closed in on his second trial of the reversed genophage. It had smashed to the ground in the attack from Cerberus, its blue fluid spilled out on the floor. Mordin kneeled over it and began siphoning the subject in to another tube.

In his desperation, he held what he could salvage up to the light. Some floating fragments and debris contaminated the subject. Frowning, he placed the vial in a holder on his desk.

"No, no, no," he continued, raising his omni-tool. His eyes broadened.

"Yes…" he whispered.

* * *

"What do you _want_ to do, Tali?" Shepard asked. He knew her sense of duty would have her take on a role as admiral, but his own desires to keep her on board began to bubble forth.

"There's still a chance another candidate will be chosen over me, but," Tali bit her lip before answering with another question. "What would you do?"

"Me?"

"If you were in my situation, would you take the position?"

Shepard exhaled through his teeth. "It's a pretty easy choice for me," he confessed. "What I'm doing… we're doing… is too important for me to leave the front lines. I'd just have to refuse."

Tali thought this over for a bit. She looked back at Shepard and asked, "Is it very common for humans to do that? To refuse a promotion?"

"Not very," he admitted. "But it happens often enough. My mother was in your shoes, actually."

Tali only cocked her head in confusion.

"Uh, in your position, I mean. Human turn of phrase," Shepard chuckled. "She was offered a position of admiral while I was, well, while I was 'gone.' She turned it down saying it was a 'political ploy' and opted to remain a captain to honor my memory." Shepard snorted. "I wonder if she regrets it now that she knows I'm not just a memory."

"Don't say that," Tali rebuked. "Being a captain is something I dreamed of when I was a little girl. Never admiral, though."

"She captains a dreadnought now too, the SSV Orizaba."

"Oooh," Tali uttered, her eyes lighting up. "Those are huge! It must be so exciting. I can't wait to meet her."

Shepard's brain screeched to a halt. Any reply he could have formed lay dead on his tongue. The idea of his mother meeting his dextro-protein, immunodeficient alien girlfriend, and what she might say, terrified him more than the Reapers and Cerberus combined. Quickly scrambling for something to say, anything, he banked on appealing to her love of star ships. "Don't you have ships in the Flotilla even bigger than dreadnaughts?"

"Don't you change the subject," She reprimanded. "Have you even told her about us?"

Shepard sat in silence.

"Shepard…"

"Not yet," he meekly admitted. "But to be fair," he said in his defense, "it took me almost a week to answer her message asking if I wasn't really dead."

"That's not helping your case any," Tali rebuked, nudging him. She knew what she was about to say wasn't true, but she had to spur him in to action. "You're not ashamed of me, are you?"

"No," he answered immediately. "Never." He took her hands. "I just don't know what to say. I haven't seen her in person for years and ever since my dad…"

There was a knock on the door, stopping the conversation. "Shepard," said Mordin's voice from behind it, "sure you're busy, but have news. Important. Must tell you."

Shepard looked at Tali and let go over her hands. "It's open," he yelled at the door.

Mordin quickly strolled in carrying a sealed test tube. "Shepard, amazing…" he stopped when he saw Tali seated on the couch next to the commander. "Apologies, was not aware I was disturbing. Could come back later."

Shepard raised a hand, gesturing for him to continue. "Not at all." He was actually very relieved to have the interruption.

"Very well, Tali'Zorah should hear as well. Made great discovery." The salarain held up his test tube, presenting it to the couple on the couch.

"It's, uh, blue," Shepard said, not sure what he was seeing. "Does that mean she's pregnant?"

Tali jabbed him with her elbow.

"Impossible," Mordin scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. Color of liquid unimportant, look at tissue within, fully intact, retains texture, pigment, composure."

"In layman's terms, Doc," Shepard requested.

"Right, certainly, suppose I should start from beginning." Mordin carefully set the tube on the coffee table where Tali picked it up to examine it closer. The salarian began pacing with his hands behind his back. "Assumed this trial would be moderately successful, was proven correct. First trial destroyed quarian tissue entirely. Modified procedure accordingly to ensure better acceptance of fluids." He stopped and turned to face his audience. "Then Cerberus attacked." He took the tube from Tali's hand and held it up again. "Test was destroyed. Returned to lab to find it on floor, glass broken. Spirits nearly broken as well."

Tali realized she had probably destroyed it venting the ship, but remained quiet.

Shepard rubbed his sore neck. "Then what's the big discovery?"

Mordin smiled. "Floor was not sterilized. Germs, bacteria, all number of microscopic entities attacked quarian flesh. Scans showed their efforts at only 60% efficiency. 62.4% to be exact."

"Mordin, are you saying…" Shepard started.

"That it works?" Tali finished. Her hands went up to hold her heart.

"Not perfectly," Mordin replied, "not without further tests, new iterations. Current infection would still kill quarian host. Far from finished product, but essentially," he sniffed, "yes."

Tali jumped up and hugged Mordin intensely, much to the salarian's surprise. She quickly let go and grabbed her side. "Ow," she groaned, lowering herself back down on to the couch. "Thank you, Mordin," she said. "You have no idea… just _thank you_."

"Would recommend caution until fully healed," Mordin warned. "Still, appreciate the sentiment. Always nice to see acclamation for work. Should get back to it." He turned and left, mumbling something about a wonderful challenge and beautiful fish.

"You take that to the fleet along with Legion's message, they'll probably skip admiral and make you queen," Shepard said.

Tali held her side, feeling the stinging beneath her ribs dissipate. Despite the pain, she couldn't stop smiling.

Shepard spoke again. "I just hope Dr. Chakwas can do something for Legion. You think she's qualified to work on synthetics?"

"Legion's performing self repairs," Tali informed the commander. "I managed to get it operating again with a bit of a patch job." She sighed. "Keelah, I never thought I'd be repairing a geth. Maybe I can just tell the Admiralty Board about this and they'll go ahead and exile me so I can forget the whole thing."

Shepard laughed quietly and said, "I don't think so, not after all we did to get you off the first time. I'm glad to see you're warming up to Legion, though."

Tali leaned in to Shepard. "I suppose I am; now anyway. Why did you trust it so much?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, placing his hand on Tali's leg, his fingers idly running across her knee.

She didn't answer for a time, wondering why she had even asked the question in the first place. "In the Collector base," she finally said. "I could have hacked that door, or Kasumi. Why did you choose a geth?" She suddenly lifted her hands defensively adding, "Not that I'm questioning your leadership, you don't have to answer, it's just…"

"It's okay," Shepard chuckled, interrupting her chattering. "Trying to see my reasoning to start thinking like a leader?"

Tali nodded even though that wasn't the reason. It wasn't even close. It was just easier to agree with his suggestion than explain her feelings about the machine. She wasn't even sure what she felt about it. Everything she had known about the geth since her childhood was proven wrong by that one synthetic, but she'd have never given it the chance Shepard had. It felt surreal.

"Well," Shepard started, "it wasn't really that hard a choice. Those vents would have been hot, way too hot for human skin, so Kasumi was out. Then between you and Legion, I have to admit I don't know how well your suit regulates temperature…"

"Fairly well," Tali told him, "but I'd still have really felt the heat in there."

"There you go then. Legion just made the most sense for both extreme temperatures and hacking."

_That doesn't explain why you trusted him_, Tali thought, but she didn't press further. She wagered all she would get anyway was an "I don't know." Instead, she simply answered, "That makes sense."

"Plus," Shepard added with a squeeze of her leg, "I couldn't bring myself to risk you anyway."

"Oh, and now you're going to tell me special treatment is good leadership?" She quipped.

"It was in this case," he answered, "I couldn't have you hacking while you were sick from the night before."

"Such a romantic," Tali said as sarcastically as she could manage. Her eyes rolled and her head shook disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry," he said, putting his arm back around her waist. "I really did choose Legion because I couldn't risk organic lives that early. He, it is part of our team, but it's also a machine. It could maybe be rebuilt?" His brow furrowed. "I honestly don't know. God, you really do make some hard decisions when you're in charge. I'd say I wouldn't wish it on you, but I do think you'd make a good leader."

Tali rested her head on the man's shoulder and sighed. "When have I ever displayed good leadership skills? I lost so many friends and team members in those two years." She vividly remembered Freedom's Progress. She was so happy to see Commander Shepard alive, back in her life, but having him see her own people mutiny against her only to die like lambs at a slaughter left her feeling nothing but shame. It was though she learned nothing from him and her lack of ability was on display the entire mission.

"We've both lost people under our command, Tali," Shepard replied. "There's no way around it. But think of it this way, you've seen more of the galaxy, more of the good and evil of peoples' hearts, than any other quarian out there. You offer perspective the other admirals lack."

Tali thought this over for a moment. What Shepard said was right but she couldn't shake the feeling she'd just screw it all up. She didn't have that spark he did that made people innately _want_ to follow his orders. Part of her was still hurt and insulted by the charges of treason too.

"Why is this so hard?" She asked. Her head slumped forward while still against Shepard's shoulder, her hood starting to slide back and off her helmet. "You make decisions so easily."

"No I don't." He leaned slightly on the couch and took Tali's head on to his chest. "I may make them quickly sometimes, but rarely are they easy." He began tugging her hood back in place before resting his hands on hers. "Trust me; after all you've accomplished you're in the position to do whatever you want. I'll support you no matter what you decide. It's only fair with all the support you've given me."

Tali's heart was made up at the completion of that last sentence and it began attempting to convince her mind. Since the start of her pilgrimage, the only times she felt at peace were on the Normandy; either of them. This human took her in, treated her as an equal, eventually loved her, and now trusted her to make decisions that could impact millions of lives. She was blissful here.

"They might just have to live with disappointment," she said. "I can't leave the Normandy. Not now."

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked. He was inwardly hoping his question wouldn't dissuade her.

"Not entirely, but the mission is too important," Tali replied, turning her head to look at him. "_You're_ too important."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Shepard admitted. "It was hard keeping my own selfishness in check."

"Well," Tali said, her voice becoming more sultry, "there is a way to convince me…"

"Oh?" Shepard asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Tali stood up, leaving Shepard alone and confused on the couch. She turned back to look him in the eye. "Let's go write your mother a letter."


	16. Shore Leave

Captain Bailey was dumbfounded, putting it lightly. C-Sec officers were pulling Cerberus operatives out of the captured ship in droves; some in restraints, others in body bags.

"Commander," Bailey said while placing his hands on his hips and cracking his back, "if you ever get tired of being a Spectre, I think I could find you a position in C-Sec. I've never seen a bust like this in all my years."

"Thanks," Shepard replied, "but I think I've got my hands full as it is."

"Tell me about it. Thanks to you, I do too. Sure you couldn't have just scuttled that thing and saved me the paperwork? I'm not even sure we have room for this many prisoners."

Shepard offered the man a smirk and turned towards the Normandy to see Jacob give him the thumbs up indicating that everyone who was disembarking was out. "EDI," Shepard said in his radio, "you're clear to get the Normandy to the repair dock as soon as Duggar's onboard."

"The hell she is!" Joker shouted, limping furiously towards the commander. "That's my baby you're talking about. I'm taking her."

"Joker, you're supposed to be on shore leave," Shepard replied.

"And I will be once I get the Normandy docked."

Shepard sighed. "Alright, just be at Dark Star at 18:00. I want all us old schoolers to be there."

"Wouldn't miss it," Joker reassured him. He limped his way on to the Normandy, eager to be at the helm again.

"Shep, we found her," Kasumi said, leading Duggar out of the Cerberus ship. The crewman was already up and around, though seemed to be completely unaware of her surroundings.

"Sorry we had to leave you aboard while we got back to the Citadel," Shepard said to the wounded crewman, "but once Dr. Chakwas looks you over, you're free to take some time off here while we get our ship fixed up, okay?"

Duggar just stared in to space for a short while before simply saying, "Okay."

Shepard creased his brow as Kasumi led Duggar to the ship. Cerberus had done something to her, but at least she was alive. Hopefully Dr. Chakwas would be able to sort things out. Storing that thought for later, he turned to his squad members. His core group was there, minus Mordin who insisted on continuing his work and Grunt who seemed to be having more fun intimidating the Cerberus members in custody.

"Are you sure we can afford to let our guard down like this, Shepard?" Miranda asked, watching Kasumi help the crewman find her way to the Normandy.

"The Illusive Man won't pull anything while we're in the middle of the Citadel," he answered. "We need to get the Normandy fixed up anyway, so we might as well take a little well deserved time off." He turned to face the entirety of his crew. "I'm taking Legion to talk with the Council. If any of you have something to say while I'm there, feel free to tag along. Otherwise, go do something fun. You've earned it."

"I don't think I have anything to say that they'd like to hear," Miranda stated coolly.

"Same," Jacob stated. "Let's head down to Flux. I've been waiting too long to celebrate our victory." Sensing Miranda's indigenous pride and reluctance he added, "Come on, Miri." His lips opened in to a mischievous grin. Rather than explain the pet name, she quickly conceded and headed off with Jacob who was now getting around without his crutches, only a leg brace.

"Miri?" Garrus mused once the duo was out of earshot.

"Whatever happened, neither one of them cared to talk about it," Shepard said. "I trust you two are coming with me again?"

"When have we not?" Garrus said proudly. Tali nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Shepard," Anderson greeted, shaking the commander's hand, "Good to see you again. You certainly brought a whopper of a ship with you."

"I'll say," Shepard replied, "and make sure you check over the weapons. They have something I've never even seen before."

"Will do, but what was this other surprise you mentioned?"

"Promise you won't freak out and have me pitched in to space?"

Anderson looked over Garrus and Tali for clues but found none. "I was hoping it would be a good surprise, Shepard."

"You could say that," Shepard said, looking over his shoulder to the doorway.

Legion stepped in to view causing Anderson to back in to the balcony railing, nearly falling backwards over it. "What the hell is that thing doing here?" he demanded.

"We wish you no harm, Anderson-Councilor," Legion stated.

"It talks?"

"This is Legion," Shepard explained. "It's a member of what it calls 'true geth,' and a member of my crew."

"True geth?" Anderson asked, standing back up straight.

"The geth under Saren's command were heretics," Legion clarified. "They attack organics under the commands of the Old Machines."

"The 'Old Machines' are what they call the Reapers," Shepard added.

"And you work with this geth?" Anderson's question was mostly directed at Tali.

"I had my doubts, to be sure," she admitted, "but he, it, has been very helpful. Hopefully the geth will lend their support in the coming war."

Anderson brought a hand to his face, partially to think and partially to rub out the tingling numbness this new situation had brought on. "This is a bit much to take. How many of these 'true geth' are there?"

"Exact number impossible to determine," Legion said, "yet billions of runtimes are in existence currently. However, this is the only mobile platform beyond the veil."

The councilor shook his head. "Just how am I supposed to explain this to the rest of the Council? You're certainly not making my job any easier, Shepard."

"Just wait until I tell you about the fate of the Protheans" Shepard started.

"Anderson, we need to tal- Oh my God!" Udina blurted out as he entered the balcony.

"Relax, Udina," Anderson said, "it's not a threat."  
"Not a threat? Are you mad?" Udina eyed the company with the geth. "Shepard, I should have known you'd have something to do with this."

Anderson took Udina by the shoulder and began leading him in to his office. "Let me explain all this." He looked over his shoulder. "Shepard, go take your shore leave. We can discuss other galaxy changing discoveries later."

"Well," Garrus said once the office door shut, "that went better than I expected, but what do we do with Legion now?"

"We will return to the ship so as to not incite fear or hostility," the geth suggested.

"Not by yourself, you're not," Shepard said. He suddenly felt like a parent.

"I'll take him back," Kasumi proposed, hopping up over the balcony's railing. She received several suspicious looks. "What? Wherever you guys go excitement follows."

Shepard sighed. "Alright, take it. Just stay out of trouble."

"That's what I'm best at, Shep," Kasumi replied. "C'mon, Mr. Roboto."

"Still some time before we meet at Dark Star," Shepard said, checking his omni-tool, "You guys want to spend some of that Cerberus pay?"

"Definitely!" Tali perked up. She had initially refused any pay from Cerberus, opting to simply work for Shepard, but she later found a respectable sum deposited in her account without her knowledge or approval. Money was practically a foreign concept on the flotilla, not to mention the idea of purchasing brand new goods. Part of her felt unnecessarily extravagant, but it was a minority compared to her excitement at this new prospect.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Garrus agreed. He was never someone who owned much besides the clothes on his back and a rifle. Even when he had an apartment during his time at C-Sec it was furnished with the bare minimums. If he was going to settle down on the Normandy, he could at least make it a little homier. Unlike Tali, he wasn't about to refuse a little blood money. Not his most noble moment, he would admit, but he had to eat.

* * *

"Shepard," yelled out a female voice over the crowd. "Commander Shepard, over here!"

Shepard shrugged to his companions and began walking towards the voice. When he arrived, he was sorry he had.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News," the woman said, reintroducing herself. "I'm sure you remember me."

"How could I forget?" Shepard asked, barely masking his irritation.

"I was just wondering if you would care to comment on the heroic arrests you made of those Cerberus agents."

Shepard relented and handed his shopping bags to Tali. Both she and Garrus stepped out of the way as Al'Jilani's camera. A strong light shined on the commander, contracting his pupils.

"I'm back once again with Spectre and savior of the Citadel, Commander Shepard," Al'Jilani announced, starting the interview, "Commander, how exactly did you reel in a frigate the size of that Cerberus vessel."

"They attacked my ship while I was planet side with a small shore party. They made the mistake of underestimating my crew. Long story short, they're all in C-Sec custody now."

"Impressive. Certainly what we've come expect from you. However, certain rumors state you have had dealings with their organization in the recent past. Would you care to elaborate on those?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed a bit. "I have had some dealings, yes, but nothing pleasant. I don't know where you get your information, but I've never been a Cerberus lackey."

"No offense intended, Commander. I think your current actions should more than clear up any misgivings about your affiliations; though that would also explain the opposing rumors."

"What other rumors?" Shepard asked, immediately regretting doing so.

"Some people say that your attempts to help relations with other species have placed humans on the back burner. There are even talks of you having a cross species relationship. Your turian and quarian companions here certainly do little to belay any concerns that…"

"I've had enough of your underhanded accusations," Shepard interrupted. He punched the reporter in the face, sending her directly to the ground.

"You son of a bitch!" she shouted in to the floor, clutching her cheek. She pushed herself back to her feet, one eye still shut. "Everyone in the Alliance is going to see that on the news tonight!" she threatened.

"Can I get a copy too?" Shepard asked, rubbing the knuckles of the hand he had used for the punch.

Al'Jilani only scowled in return and stalked off holding her face, her camera floating behind her as she retreated.

"Nice right hook," Garrus commented, "but are you sure that was the best idea?"

"Sure felt like it at the time," Shepard answered, taking his bags back from Tali. "Have to admire her bravado, though, pissing me off in person. The Illusive Man and the Council always hide behind holograms."

"Shepard, it's almost 6," Tali noticed, still grinning like a fool at his explanation of his actions.

* * *

A quick glance around the nightclub showed Joker beckoning Shepard and company over to a table with his good arm. Dodging a few people drunkenly attempting to dance or just stand around, the trio made it to the round table and set their bags down by their chairs.

"You get me anything?" Joker asked, noticing the bags.

"Maybe if you're good this entire shore leave," Shepard told him.

"The _entire_ time?" Joker complained. "That's hardly worth it, I'll just buy something myself. At least Tim was good for the credits."

"Tim?"

"The. Illusive. Man," Joker explained.

"Catchy. Wish I had thought of that when I was still dealing with him."

A scantily asari waitress arrived at the table to take drink orders. She made sure to bend over as far as she could to give the patrons a view full of incentives for a big tip.

"Serrice Ice Brandy for the three humans," Dr. Chakwas ordered, keeping her eyes respectfully raised. "I'll of course take care of anything you two can drink," she said to Garrus and Tali.

"You sure?" Shepard asked. "I was planning on covering this."

"Nonsense," the doctor scoffed, "I already told you the next bottle was on me. Let's consider this that bottle."

"Doctor's orders, Commander," Joker added, "let's just sit back and take our medicine."

The commander conceded and Garrus made his order. As before, Tali just followed the turian's lead. With a smile, and a bit of a jiggle for good measure, the asari left to fetch the drinks.

"So, Doc, how was Duggar?" Shepard asked once the waitress had left.

Dr. Chakwas bit her lip before speaking. "Not in the best of spirits, I'm afraid. They injected Sarah with something on that ship I haven't seen before but she appears physically sound. Mentally… I don't rightly know. She's too despondent. I'll have to have Kelly take a look at her. Something's not right."

Shepard felt bad, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He also, somewhat selfishly, wasn't going to let this ruin the time off for everyone. He set about thinking of a new topic. That's when he felt the presence of someone walking up behind him.

"Skipper," said a reluctant voice barely audible over the pounding music, "I heard you were back."


	17. Familiar Face, Unfamiliar Relations

Ashley Williams had never been a timid woman, but now, seeing an entire table looking back at her suspiciously, she felt two inches tall. Dr. Chakwas and Joker, while silent, at least looked friendly enough. Garrus and Shepard both look stone faced. She naturally couldn't read the quarian. _Wait_, she thought to herself, _is that Tali? Even she's back with the commander?_ That certainly didn't make her feel any better about what happened on Horizon.

When no greeting was offered, Ashley tried speaking again. "I…" It wasn't going to work. Coming here was a mistake. They probably all hated her now and interrupting their celebration or whatever it was wasn't helping. She awkwardly lowered her head and started to leave.

"Have a seat, Ash," Shepard offered before she got away.

"Shepard, I'm sorry," she managed to say on the way in to the chair. She nearly collapsed in to the seat, pouncing on the opportunity Shepard had given her. "I was being stupid. Everything that happened on Horizon, the attack, the abductions, you coming back, Cerberus, I just… I'm sorry. There's no excuse for the way I acted."

"You feel better now?" Shepard asked. He was leaning forward on the table, eyeing Ashley with that same critical eye she had been getting since she first arrived.

"No," she answered plainly.

"Good," Shepard replied with an annoyingly cocky expression, "That means I know you're sincere. Apology accepted."

Ashley found the courage to look her former commander in the eye, smiling ruefully.

"I couldn't blame you for distrusting me, Ash," Shepard continued. "I'm not sure I'd trust a walking corpse working with terrorists either."

"I should have, since that walking corpse was you. It looks like just about everyone else had faith in you. Then you show up here with that captured Cerberus ship to prove me wrong and… God, I must be the biggest ass in the galaxy."

"It's not that big," Joker reassured her, "it's actually pretty nice."

"Okay," Ashley said with annoyance, "_you're_ the biggest ass in the galaxy, but I still feel like a close second."

"That's more like it," Joker concluded.

Looking away from the pilot, Ashley glanced again at the rest of her company. "It looks like we're one krogan and one asari short of a dysfunctional family reunion," she said. Part of her hoped this meant she wasn't the only one to abandon Shepard in his time of need.

"Wrex is on Tuchanka trying to unit the krogan clans," Shepard explained. "I'm hoping he succeeds. All the krogans working together could put some serious hurt on the Reapers. As for Liara, she's… well…"

"She's busy becoming her mother," Garrus said.

Shepard pointed a finger at Garrus, indicating that's exactly what he meant, if not how he would have worded it.

Ashley sat quietly for a moment, thinking about that last part. It sounded like Wrex at least had a good excuse, but Liara? Garrus made it sound ominous, whatever was going on.

"It's good to see you again, Ashley," Tali said, attempting to alleviate the remaining tension. "What have you been up to?"

Ashley formed her first actual smile since she had sat down. She had had never really distrusted Tali like she originally did her other alien companions. The quarian somehow reminded her of her sisters… at least maybe Abby, the weird one.

"Not much, unfortunately," Ashley admitted. "After the Alliance outreach programs fell through, with no small amount of thanks to the Collectors, I was brought back to Council space. While you guys were off saving the galaxy I was stuck here piddling around. You'd think being front lines in saving the Citadel would have repaired the Williams family name some." She ended her sentence with a huff.

The asari waitress returned to the table with drinks and began handing them out. She attempted to take Ashley's order but the operations chief held up her hand in a declining gesture.

"I'm on duty," she explained.

The asari nodded curtly and bounced away to flaunt her cleavage at another table.

"On duty," Ashley repeated to herself cynically. "Like I've been doing anything for weeks. Now we're back here for some special patrol duty they won't even tell me about."

"The offer still stands, Ash," Shepard said over the glass tipped to his lips. "It's not too late to join my crew."

Ashley's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to grab her gear, head straight for the new Normandy and pretend nothing had changed. Then her pride reminded her of her line on Horizon: _I'm an Alliance soldier. It's in my blood. _Shepard couldn't have forgotten; why was he still being so nice?

"I know you're not Cerberus, Skipper," Ashley answered. She realized she was still calling Shepard "Skipper" but just decided to roll with it instead of drawing attention. "But I have my duties here. I'm still Alliance."

Shepard nodded. "I understand. But you know I had my Spectre status reinstated. While I'm on my own, I'm still Alliance affiliated to some degree."

Ashley mulled this over in her mind for the time it took her to wet her lips with her tongue. A suitable loophole, she told herself. "I'd be honored," she said, "assuming you don't already have someone in my position."

"I do," Shepard replied, "but like I said, I'm a Spectre. I can do whatever the hell I want."

Ashley smiled. This was definitely the same Commander Shepard she'd have followed anywhere, previous Cerberus affiliations be damned. "Then I'll go get my things… Commander." She stood up to say her goodbyes when Shepard stopped her.

"You might want to wait on that until the Normandy's repaired. We're just taking some time off until then."

"Then maybe I should have gotten that drink," Ashley commented, sitting back down.

* * *

"May I take your order?" the asari asked in her common, bubbly fashion.

"Yeah, find the rest of your shirt," Kasumi replied, walking past her. The thief's sharp eyes quickly found Shepard's table, complete with someone she didn't recognize.

"You're certainly no stranger to the ladies, Shep," Kasumi said upon reaching the table, announcing her presence. "Does this mean your secret society meeting of the original Normandy crew is over?"

Ashley looked the woman over, immediately put off by the face-obscuring hood and informalities. "It wasn't until now. Who are you supposed to be?"

Stopping things before they started, Shepard interrupted with introductions. "Kasumi, meet our oldest, newest member of the crew: Ashley Williams."

Kasumi stuck out a hand for a handshake. "Kasumi Goto, pleased to meetcha."

"I know I've heard that name," Ashley said, staring more intently at the woman in front of her. "You're that thief that was on the news, aren't you? How do you know Shepard?"

"She always like this?" Kasumi asked the rest of the table.

"Generally," Shepard answered.

"Oh, sorry," Ashley stammered. She took Kasumi's hand and gave it a requisite shake. "It's just… never mind. I guess I have a lot to get used to still." She retracted her hand and adjusted herself uncomfortably in her seat.

Kasumi shrugged off the confrontation and looked back at the commander. "Legion's holed up in the AI core again." She stuck her thumb behind her, not certain if that was the actual direction of the Normandy or not. "Mind if I join you?" she asked. "Can't say I want to third wheel it with Miranda and Jacob."

Shepard gestured to the table giving her the go-ahead. Kasumi snagged an unoccupied chair from a nearby table and squeezed in between Garrus and Ashley. "They're probably uncomfortable enough as it is," she added.

"That's why the Alliance has rules against 'work place romance'," Ashley commented, attempting to steer the discussion anywhere away from her graceless return.

"Cerberus sure didn't," Garrus said mischievously, eyeing Shepard while taking a sip of green liquid.

"You're talking about Joker and EDI, right?" Shepard countered.

Joker set his brandy back on the table, narrowly avoiding a spit take. "Very funny, Commander."

"Come on, Shepard, let's go dance," Tali suggested, shying away from the conversation's destination, as well as feeling the inhibition loosening effects of her drink. At least that would have been her excuse if questioned. Part of her was embarrassed, not because of who she loved but the idea of her being in love at all.

"Oh no," he said, putting his hands up defensively. "That's the last thing I want to inflict on anyone."

"Come on, it'll be fun! I promise!" Tali pleaded.

"But your wounds," Shepard tried. He was rapidly losing the battle.

"She's perfectly fine," Dr. Chakwas noted with a grin. "I gave her one last checkup this morning."

Defeated, Shepard felt a three fingered hand wrap around his wrist and drag him away. The last thing he heard from the table before the throbbing bass drowned it out was Garrus, Kasumi and Joker laughing themselves to tears.

"I think I missed something…" Ashley said. She also had a pretty good idea exactly what she had missed.

* * *

"I meant it, you know," Shepard said. He leaned in to Tali so he didn't have to shout his confession over the music. "I'm a terrible dancer. Kaiden called it the 'Shepard Shuffle' once and, well, that was it for my dancing career."

Tali gave a giggle but stopped herself short before damaging the man's ego too badly. "You can't be that bad."

Shepard just gave her a look.

She tried another angle. "You know, dancing is important for quarian courtship…"

"Oh good, now I get to turn you off and possibly offend you?"

Tali chuckled again. "Just follow my lead." Finding room for the both of them on the dance floor, she just let herself go.

Shepard had never seen Tali look so graceful. Though he would never say so to her face, he had always thought her 'frog footed' running was rather funny. Even walking, he found quarian legs peculiar. But here, dancing, her movements were fluid, exotic. Everything fell in to place.

"Where did you learn moves like that?" Shepard asked in wonderment.

"Dance with me," was the only reply.

Why not? While more subdued than his partner, Shepard could feel himself getting in to the groove. He just needed ample inspiration, he told himself. He even noticed an approving nod from Tali. This wasn't so bad.

"You're going to hurt somebody, Commander," a familiar Scottish voice yelled. Donnelly.

Neither Shepard nor Tali stopped dancing, but they did turn to see Ken and Gabby on the same dance floor.

"Funny runnin' in to you here," Ken said, once he had their attention.

_There goes my self confidence_, Shepard thought to himself. "Having a good time?" was what he really said.

"I would be if Ken would stop stepping on me," Gabby said, taking a step back from her friend.

"It's hardly my fault," Ken rebutted, not ceasing in his unwieldy dancing, "You got big feet for a girl." Upon saying so, he instinctively brought his arms up to guard against Gabby's swings.

While the engineers were distracted with laughing and hurting each other, Shepard gestured to Tali with his head that they get lost in the crowd. She nodded in agreement and the couple danced their way to a different area of the floor.

"Kasumi's right," Tali said over the commotion, "they'd make a great couple."

"Don't encourage them," Shepard replied, "They barely get any work done when you aren't around as it is." He wrapped his arms around Tali and began rocking to the beat with her. Apparently his run-in with the other engineers had made him more self conscious than he realized.

Tali reciprocated the gesture, placing her hands around behind him, landing on his shoulder blades. She moved her head next to his ear before speaking again. "Has there been any word from your mother yet?"

A wry smile formed on Shepard's lips at the question, out of Tali's view. "Nothing yet," he told her. "It's not like her to not immediately answer me. It makes me wonder if she's planning something or just died of shock."

"Am I really that shocking?"

"Sometimes I wonder," Shepard replied, looking around at the other dancers who quickly averted their gaze from the unorthodox couple.

* * *

Garrus' laughter died down and he refocused his eyes to see Ashley staring him down.

"This is going to sound crazy," Ashley said, "but there's more to those two than just friendship, isn't there?"

"You could say that," was Garrus' rather ambiguous response.

"C'mon, man," urged Joker, "you're like his best friend. You have to know something we don't. Not even EDI gets the right to peep in to his quarters any more."

"Jeff, please, I think it's sweet." Chakwas chastised. She turned to Garrus. "You don't have to tell us a thing."

"Wait, wait," Ashley interrupted. "You're telling me Shepard and Tali are… together? Like as a real couple? Have they… How would that even work?

Garrus pushed back from the table. "Why is everyone asking me? It's not like they invite me to join!"

Ashley had nothing to say to that. She glanced around at the rest of the table, all of them wearing amused, possibly knowing, smiles. She couldn't believe it. Shepard and Tali? He never expressed any interest before, did he? She thought back to the days of the original Normandy. Shepard would always make the rounds; he made fast friends with everybody on board, but always kept things professional, even when Liara pressed him for more. _Just like any asari_, Ashley thought before scolding herself.

"Kasumi, you have to know something," Joker continued. "You and Tali hang out all the time. Girls talk about this crap, right?" At this point in time, he wanted nothing more than dirt on the commander.

"Lips are sealed," Kasumi told him, folding her hands on the table.

Ashley looked over to the dance floor, Tali's suit making her easy to spot. The two together left no doubt that this wasn't just some elaborate joke. Why did she even care so much? Was she jealous? She had never really considered Shepard in such a manner before. He was handsome and kind, but he was also always her superior officer. He was a friend; anything more was a passing fantasy she wouldn't allow. But now, seeing him as a man, a civilian… No. She wasn't about to be jealous. She couldn't be.

Could she?


	18. Hero, Savior, Son

_The days weren't long enough_, Shepard thought. It had seemed like their shore leave had only begun, but the Normandy was fixed and it was time to fulfill his promise and his mission. The previous few days were still fresh on his mind; re-recruiting Ashley, dancing with Tali, going to see _Citadel_ before it left theatres, arguing with his old crew over who had been better portrayed by the actors, shopping in the Wards using his various discounts, catching up with Thane and Dr. Michel. He felt a bit like a tourist, but his relaxation time was over. His job was to unite armies for the Reapers now, and that included a very big surprise or two for the quarians.

"…and that's when I wound up back here, but I'm glad I did," Ashley finished. Shepard realized he had been daydreaming instead of paying attention, but nodded his head to give a better impression. Tali and Garrus, who walked along with them, nodded as well. He wondered if they were in a similar position.

"There you are; I had been looking all over for you. David told me you'd be headed this way."

Shepard froze in his tracks at the voice and his companions stopped with him. He turned around to see a woman with a beaming smile.

"Mom?" he said, hardly believing it.

"If you're not going to hug me, you're going to have to salute me, Commander," she declared with a smirk.

"I… I'm just surprised to see you is all," Shepard stammered. He embraced his mother and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"The news about," she glanced over his friends unsure of what they knew about the situation, "'you know what' that you gave to the Council had a lot of ships called back for new orders. I'm here for the rest of the day until we ship out to patrol. I thought I'd find my son, talk to him about that message he sent me, though I see he's taken to being rude."

Shepard cocked his head a moment before what she meant dawned on him. He quickly turned to introduce the others. "Everyone, this is my mother, Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Orizaba. Mom, this is Operations Chief Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian, and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." They all greeted her warmly as their names were stated.

"Oh," Hannah exclaimed, "so this is the crew that defeated Saren and the geth. I'm truly honored. And this is that girl you mentioned…"

"Uh, we'll go on ahead," Garrus offered, noticing the topic at hand. "I'm sure you three have a lot to talk about."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Ashley said, being lead off, almost forcefully, by the turian.

"Odd friends," Hannah mentioned, "but they seem nice. Certainly served you well. Might want to keep an eye on the turian, though."

"Mother…"

"Sorry," she replied, "old habits die hard, you know. So, what are we standing around here for? Let me treat my son and his girlfriend to some coffee."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Tali" Hannah said, "I completely forgot you couldn't have any. If there's anything else you want just let me know."

"It's okay, Captain Shepard," Tali replied, "I'm fine."

"Please, call me Hannah."

"I'm not sure I can," Tali admitted, still somewhat nervous in the woman's presence. "Captains are some of the most highly respected members of quarian society. It would feel so disrespectful."

"I guess I can live with that," Hannah said with a chuckle, raising her cup to her lips. She lowered it again without a sip, blowing on the coffee to cool it off. "You know we didn't really cover non-Council races that heavily during training. I guess I have a lot to learn about quarian culture yet." She tactfully did not explain that the only studies of alien culture outside the Council races the Alliance provided was where to shoot.

"Trust me," Tali replied, "I'm used to it. Sometimes I felt like my primary job on the first Normandy was 'quarian encyclopedia'."

Hannah smirked and turned to her son. "You sure know how to treat a lady, John."

Shepard snorted in amusement. "John," he said, repeating his name. "I can't remember the last time someone has used my first name. I'm so used to being called 'Commander' or 'Shepard'." He added, "Sometimes even 'Commander Shepard'."

"Really?" Hannah asked, taken aback. "Even you, Tali? More quarian respect?"

Tali brought her hands together but made a conscious effort not to wring them in embarrassment. "Sort of," she admitted. "When he took me on board, everyone was just calling him 'Shepard.' The Flotilla only had so much information on humans and I didn't want to offend anyone… I just mimicked what I saw. Then, I guess… I guess it just stuck." Her cheeks burned. This was the last thing she ever expected to be called out on, and by Shepard's own mother of all people. So much for first impressions.

The commander couldn't help but grin at her plight in spite of himself. "You can just call me John, you know. You have my permission." He chuckled the last part.

"I'll work on it," Tali replied sheepishly, taking a page from Kal'Reegar's book.

"He did mention you were part of his first crew when he became a Spectre," Hannah noted. "Quite the diverse crew at that. But we don't see many quarians around here, at least not for very long once they discover there isn't much work. How did you two meet?"

Shepard and Tali looked at each other. Their eyes seemed to be daring the other to start the story. Tali took it upon herself.

"I had come to the Citadel while on pilgrimage, my peoples' rite of passage. I had obtained some information that put me at risk from Saren and I foolishly thought I could trade it for a hiding place." She glanced up to see Hannah listening intently, sipping her coffee. She felt the butterflies return at the realization she had this great Alliance captain's full attention. "I got in over my head and fell in to an ambush. Your son found me under attack and saved my life."

"Not exactly how I would have worded it," Shepard interrupted. "You had Fist's men under control. I just helped out a little. You also didn't mention what that information was."

Hannah raised her eyebrows at her son, awaiting the elaboration.

"She had uncovered an audio file implicating Saren," he said, "and proved he was working with the geth and the Reapers." He smiled at Tali. "If not for her, I probably wouldn't have even become a Spectre at all."

"That does sound a bit more impressive," Hannah replied.

"She's a spitfire," Shepard agreed, "Just as handy on the battlefield as she is on an engine."

Hannah smiled at the woman hidden behind the mask. She hadn't seen her son in the longest time, only his exploits. He was humanity's first Spectre, the savior of the Citadel, and before that the Hero of Elysium, but right now he was just her son with his girlfriend… even if they did meet over gunfire.

"So what's it like," Tali asked, "being captain of a dreadnought?" She was tired of waiting for the opportunity to present itself and decided to just shoehorn the question in to the conversation.

"Taxing," Hannah replied, then upon seeing the quarian's interest added, "but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"And you already didn't, I hear," Shepard added.

"Heard about that, did you? All to honor my dead son," she quipped.

"Would you have taken the position otherwise?" Tali asked.

Hannah furrowed her brow in thought. "Possibly," she answered. "If they didn't offer just to make themselves look better. Why such an interest?"

Tali apprehensively rubbed her hand along her arm. "I'm in the same position myself," she admitted.

Hannah sat up a bit in her chair, visibly impressed. "Oh, John told me you were his chief engineer, but I never expected that to be such a high rank for quarians."

"Oh no, no, it's nothing like that," Tali exclaimed, barely able to keep her arms from flailing in an embarrassed manner. "Well, it is highly respected, but quarian ranks and politics are completely intertwined. In addition to commanding the Fleet, the Admiralty Board is also one of our main political powers so earning the position is done democratically."

"Well, now it's even more impressive," Hannah remarked.

"Very impressive," Tali agreed, her voice somewhat downtrodden, "but I just don't know if I can do it. I'm not a leader. I feel like the Fleet would be in better hands with someone else."

"Part of being a good leader is understanding your own shortcomings, Tali," Hannah said, leaning forward on the table. "I know I could never manage the entire Orizaba by myself and I understand your Migrant Fleet is the largest in the galaxy with multiple ships much larger than my dreadnought."

Tali's stomach churned a bit at the reminder of what she could be leading. Having the size of the Flotilla put in to perspective terrified her beyond words.

"You would have plenty of help and advisors just as I do, I'm sure," Hannah continued. "New things are always scary at first, but you just have to remember you're not the first person to go through it. The hardest part is always saying goodbye. I still miss my time serving on the Kilimanjaro or the Einstein some days but I'm always in touch with my old friends. I guess the real problem for you is your commitment to your current mission, as well as to my son," she added with a hint of a smile. "I'm sure you've already talked to John about this."

Tali nodded, wondering how much about their current mission the captain really knew. "A little. He says I should follow my heart."

Hannah gave an amused snort and looked over at her son. "Easy for him to say, he just follows his gut."

The captain finished her coffee and took a more serious look. "Speaking of which," she started, "I saw you on the news the other night."

"Oh," Shepard grimaced, "you saw that, huh?"

"Assaulting a reporter, John. Really?"

Tali's hands rose slightly from the table, as though she was startled. "She had it coming," she interjected.

"Oh no doubt," Hannah stated, crossing her arms under her chest. "Al'Jilani is a despicable woman and I've been wanting to see someone shut her up. But did you really have to be the one to do it?"

Shepard guiltily sucked his lips in to his mouth. "I just couldn't take her any more," he admitted. He took a fleeting look at Tali who he was certain was hiding a snicker at his predicament. "I'm assuming she didn't show any context," he added, hoping to placate his mother's displeasure.

"Excuse me," said a well dressed woman with neat black hair as she walked over to the table. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

"And just how much did you hear?" Hannah asked, more than a little annoyed.

"Only the part about Al'Jilani, I assure you," the woman answered.

"Wait, I know you," Shepard spoke up. He stuck his hand up indicating his request for silence while the name came to him. "Emily Wong," he recognized with a snap of his fingers after a few seconds.

"You do remember me, Commander," she said with a smile.

"Another reporter?" Hannah mused, "You're quite the celebrity, John."

"I'm a little busy right now for that interview, Ms. Wong," Shepard said.

"Of course, I didn't mean to interrupt," she replied, "though I was hoping to ask for it. I was thinking for your trouble I could show that context you were talking about?"

"That seems a little convenient," Shepard responded.

"A good journalist keeps her eyes everywhere," Wong stated, bringing up her omni-tool. The video playback flickered on, the recording starting just as Shepard was ambushed for an interview.

"Some people say that your attempts to help relations with other species have placed humans on the back burner," the recording said. "There are even talks of you having a cross species relationship. Your turian and quarian companions here certainly do little to belay any concerns that…"

"I've had enough of your underhanded accusations." The Shepard on screen punched Al'Jilani in the jaw, flinging her body to the floor with the force before Emily stopped the recording.

"She was accusing you of betraying the Systems Alliance and your own race?" Hannah asked in disbelief. "I'd have punched that bitch out myself. Er, pardon my language. What kind of mother am I?"

Shepard shot an amused expression at his mother and looked up at the reporter. "Thanks for that, Ms. Wong, I think you just kept me from getting grounded."

"Please, you can just call me Emily," she insisted with a bit of a laugh.

"Isn't that a little unprofessional?" Tali asked, not comfortable with how cozy Wong was getting.

"Well, I am technically off the clock, Miss Zorah," Emily replied.

"You know me?" Tali asked, taken aback.

"Of course," Emily answered, "you were part of the group that defeated Saren, after all, not to mention the famous Commander Shepard's girlfriend."

"And just how do you know that?" Shepard asked, preferring to keep his personal life out of the public eye.

Wong began feeling a little flustered, but couldn't back down now. "Well, just the two of you out around the Citadel, and the dancing earlier, I just assumed…"

"The dancing?" Shepard posed, "How do you… Have you been _following_ us?"

Emily's eyes got wide at the realization of what she had admitted. She rapidly said, "I can see you're very busy, Commander, I can wait on that interview until later," then walked out of the coffee shop as quickly as she could.

"We may have to sweep the ship for bugs from her too," Tali suggested half seriously.

"Shepard," came another interrupting voice. Miranda walked over to the table, dodging Emily Wong's brisk retreat. "Everyone's accounted for but you and Tali. We're ready to leave on your command. Also, a Rear Admiral Mikhailovich has finished inspecting the Cerberus vessel. He left you a datapad with his findings."

"Him again? Well, tell everyone we're heading back shortly," the commander replied. He noticed the woman was teetering ever so slightly where she stood. "Have you been drinking?"

"A little," she replied. "Even I'm capable of relaxing once in a while, Shepard. See you on board, Commander." With that, Miranda turned and left.

"And just who was that?" Hannah asked rather dubiously once Miranda had exited the shop.

"That would be Miranda, my XO."

"And you just let her walk around dressed like that?"

"I dunno," Shepard replied with a troublemaking grin, "I got used to it pretty quickly."

Tali cleared her throat as loudly as she could. Shepard turned to her but was too busy snickering at himself to offer any apology.

"Tali, do you mind if I have a talk with my son before I send him back?"

"Of course not, Captain Shepard, and hit him once for me too," she replied. "See you aboard the ship," she told the commander, letting her hand run along his shoulders, lightly punching him in one when she reached the end, as she left.

"She's a sweet girl," Hannah said.

"I think so," Shepard agreed, smiling ever so slightly. "You're not upset about her being a quarian?"

"It was a bit of a shock to read, I'll admit, but the more I thought about it the less reasonable my protests seemed to be. Her kind has a bad rap, but they clearly can't all be thieves and vagrants. It's my job as your mother to be supportive. I don't know much about aliens, but I'm sure you settled on a good one. I imagine as 'Savior of the Citadel' you could have your pick of the lot."

Shepard let out a laugh at his mother's turn of phrase. "That's me, mom; traveling the stars, righting wrongs, and bedding all the hot alien babes."

"I'm starting to think it's _you_ I shouldn't approve of," Hannah replied making a point to convey her disapproval as sarcastically as possible. "Tali seems like far too nice a girl for someone who acts like that. Seems awfully interested in ships too. Reminds me a bit of your father in that regard," Hannah gave a contented hum. "I think he would have liked her. That reminds me, will I be meeting her parents some time?"

Shepard bit his lip. "She… They've both passed on," he said, not wanting to elaborate any further.

"Oh, poor girl," Hannah replied. "Well I can fill in when needed; I don't think I'll be getting grandchildren out of this arrangement so it's the best I can do."

"Sorry, mom," Shepard offered.

Hannah waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be. I'm glad to see you happy. Besides, I had already given up on having grandkids once already." Her face suddenly turned to stone. "Two years, John. What happened? Something tells me it wasn't just classified Spectre business."

Shepard had been caught off guard. He inhaled to answer the question he thought was coming, but had no answer for this new one. He looked to the table and exhaled. What could he say?

"The… Collectors attacked the Normandy," he stated plainly.

"I heard murmurings they were abducting humans," Hannah replied, "but it wasn't in our jurisdiction. If I had known they attacked you too I'd have probably hijacked my own ship."

"Believe me," Shepard said, "I heard all about how the Alliance wasn't going to help. We were taken by surprise. Most of the crew managed to evacuate, but I wound up spaced."

Hannah stared at her son for a moment before asking, "How did you survive?"

Shepard let out a sigh. "I didn't."

Hannah cocked her head. She had no idea what question she could possibly ask. Too many of them vied for dominance in her mind to pick just one.

"My body was recovered… eventually recovered," Shepard corrected, remembering Liara's confession, "by Cerberus."

"Cerberus!?" Hannah exclaimed, drawing the attention of nearby tables. The other patrons quickly went back to minding their own business.

"That was my reaction too," Shepard chuckled. "They spent two years and a lot of money to bring me back to life. They said I was 'humanity's icon.'" He made overstated finger quotes. "Apparently I was the one thing the Reapers might fear."

"And you bought that?" Hannah asked dubiously. She sighed. "I guess you didn't have much choice but I can't believe you worked for Cerberus."

"I didn't work _for_ them," Shepard insisted. "I worked _with_ them."

Hannah smirked a bit at his careful use of semantics. "Whole thing seems impossible," she said, "but I'm just glad to see you come back."

"Me too," Shepard replied. "I can tell you the whole story later if you like."

"You'd better," Hannah warned. "Call me next time things get boring. I also thought you should have something."

Shepard tilted his head as he watched his mother reach in to her pocket. She pulled out a silver medal. He instantly recognized it as his Star of Terra.

"They recovered this for me from the wreckage. I thought you should have it back… hero." She smiled warmly.

Shepard took the medal with both hands, inspecting it closely. It was as polished as the day he received it, obviously well cared for. He looked his mother in the eye, returning her smile and whispered a heartfelt, "thanks." They hugged and Shepard left the coffee shop. That wasn't as bad as he imagined, he decided, heading back to the Normandy.

* * *

"That's your XO?" Ashley asked as soon as Shepard boarded.

"You sound like my mother, but yeah, that's her," he affirmed.

Ashley scoffed a bit. "If I had tits like that during basic, pushups would have been a hell of a lot easier."

Shepard let himself laugh before speaking. "You won't find her quite as personable as Pressly, but she's not so bad once you get to know her. Granted she probably won't let you get that far."

"There are a lot of new faces, that's for sure," Ashley commented. She looked around at the new Normandy. Despite looking so similar, it felt so foreign. She could look around at the CIC, which was nearly identical, and see Joker still piloting the ship and Shepard still serving as its captain, but the former Cerberus operatives still left her uneasy.

"So why were you so quick to forgive, Skipper?" Ashely asked, quickly adding, "Not that I'm complaining."

"You've always been hot headed, Ash," Shepard replied. "But I believe in second chances and I need to restock my crew with the best. You've proven yourself once, but I still expect you to be ready to do it all over again."

The pair walked towards the cockpit together. As she walked, Ashley remembered Kaiden's sacrifice on Virmire, then her rejection of Commander Shepard on Horizon. As far as she was concerned, she had blown her second chance already. Determination flared behind her eyes.

"More than ready, Commander," she answered.

Shepard gave her a smile and a nod. Exactly the answer he was looking for. He and Ashley stopped just behind Joker's pilot seat as it rotated towards them.

"Commander?" the pilot asked, still sipping from a bottle.

"Are we good to go? What is that?"

"Tupari," Joker said, answering the second question first. He held the bottle up as a visual aid. "It's not that bad. Surprised you don't know, being part of its ad campaign and all." He pointed to the Alliance sanctioned "Commander Shepard" cartoon character giving a big thumbs up on the label. "But yeah, you say the word and we're outta here. Tali have the coordinates yet?"

"Just got them," said the quarian's voice as she strode up to the cockpit, sending the information to the ship's computer as she walked.

"Then let's head out," Shepard instructed as Joker spun his chair back around. "We've already lost enough time."

Joker tapped a few buttons and the Normandy pulled away from the Citadel. The pilot said over his shoulder, "If you're wondering about those reports on the other ship, I think Mordin has them."

Shepard turned to the two ladies in his company. "Tali, would you mind showing Ash around the ship? I need to go see what Cerberus is packing." He turned to an empty work station. "You can go with, if you want."

Kasumi decloaked, leaning on the chair. "You still haven't told me how you do that, Shep."

Still keeping his secret, the Commander pardoned himself and headed towards the research lab.

"Just how much do you creep around up here?" Joker asked, his eyes flitting from his screens to Kasumi.

"You should be ashamed," was the enigmatic reply.

"I thought EDI was bad enough," the pilot grumbled.

"Come on," Tali offered Ashley, "it will be just like old times."

"Somehow I doubt it," Ashley replied with a bit of apprehension. Her answer could have been interpreted as the ship, the crew, or the situation, but something more personal plagued her mind.


	19. The Swing of Things

"There you are, Shepard," Miranda said as the commander walked in to the research laboratory. "I've been going over the run down of the Cerberus vessel with Professor Solus, the Providence they called it."

"So what can you tell me?" Shepard asked, falling in to place with the other two members of his team.

"A lot," Mordin replied.

"Perhaps just the short version," Shepard suggested before the salarian could get started.

"Ship seemingly based off Normandy design with slight variations, larger, better armored, but no AI and limited weaponry. Also some… curious construction," Mordin stated.

"Curious how?" Shepard asked.

"It looks like they cut a few corners," Miranda answered. "The on board security systems were third rate, for example. That's why we could move around as easily as we could."

"That doesn't make sense," Shepard said. "If they were building a bigger, better Normandy, why stop half way?"

"That and lack of AI suggest budget concerns," Mordin replied.

"The Lazarus Project and these ships on top of the other cells must have bled Cerberus dry," Miranda continued. "I don't know how deep the Illusive Man's pockets go, but even he has his limits."

"Doesn't sound like him, sending a half finished ship after us," Shepard stated, picking up the data pad left by the rear admiral. He began glancing over it, but it had more words than he cared to read while talking. Perhaps later.

"It was hardly half finished," Miranda replied, her tone still carrying some Cerberus defense in it. She had been trying to stop that, though it was difficult having supported them all her life. "It would have been more than enough to tackle a standard frigate, possibly even a cruiser."

"Providence had secret weapon," Mordin added, "ace in the hole."

"That beam that shut the whole ship down?" Shepard guessed.

"Precisely," the salarian answered. "I joined Council team during investigation. Fascinating. Helped study weapon."

Shepard thumbed through the data pad hoping to find mention of this device in the mountain of text as the scientist continued.

"More research necessary, left for Council to finish. Can tell you this: designed specifically to disable Normandy."

The commander looked up from the pad. "So even more of those precious credits down the drain on me, huh?" He felt a little arrogant at the notion despite his better judgment.

"Mordin says it could easily be altered for other ships," Miranda replied, attempting to keep the man's ego firmly grounded. "However, most ships don't have an onboard AI."

"By routing a subroutine through my systems," EDI chimed in, "they could disallow any system they desired. Having designed both the Normandy and me, Cerberus would have had no trouble developing this cyber attack."

"So how do we stop this in the future?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not sure we'll have to," Miranda replied. "Having failed once already, the Illusive Man will more than likely try a different tactic next time."

"And there will be a next time," Shepard added. "So what will he try? What can we do to prepare?"

Mordin and Miranda only looked at the commander. EDI had nothing to add.

* * *

"This is the armory," Tali pointed out, gesturing towards the room. "I'm sure you'll be spending a lot of your time up here."

Jacob looked up from his rifle at the sound of the voice. "Ladies," he said, eyeing the trio of women that had just stepped in. He limped towards them and extended his hand to Ashley. "Jacob Taylor, welcome aboard."

"Operations Chief Ashley Williams," the woman replied, shaking his hand.

"Williams," Jacob repeated. "You were the Alliance rep Shepard knew on Horizon, weren't you?"

Ashley wondered just how much everyone knew about her lapse in judgment on the colony. "That was me," she admitted.

"Front lines against Saren too, right?"

"That's right."

"Glad to see Shepard's not wasting any time restocking us with the best," Jacob said. "Don't want to sound rude, but I need to finish cleaning this rifle. If recent events have taught me anything, you never know when you'll need things in working order."

Ashley looked over to the work station. "Is that an M-76?" she asked.

"You know your guns, Williams. Hope you're not here to replace me."

"I'm just here to kick some Reaper ass."

Jacob grinned. "Good to hear. You finish your grand tour; we'll see how you stack up another time."

Having spoken his part, Jacob excused himself and set about walking back to his work. The ladies exited and headed for the elevator to go down a floor.

"People seem nice enough so far," Ashley commented.

"Jacob is certainly something," Kasumi agreed. Ashley thought her words might be painted with a hint of charm, but possibly sarcasm instead. She wasn't sure.

"Others might take a bit of getting use to," Tali commented, leading the way on to the elevator. "I can't say anything mean about Mordin, whom you'll have to meet after Shepard's done talking with him, but he's a bit… odd. Grunt may not be very hospitable, but that's krogan for you."

"I got used to Wrex," Ashley commented. "What's one more?"

"Miranda might not be overly welcoming either," Tali continued as the elevator doors opened to the crew deck.

"Okay, I get it. Maybe I spoke too soon," Ashley replied, stepping in to the hall with her tour guides.

"Hey now," Kasumi interrupted, "we're friendly. Though you're going to need a hood if you want to join our girls' club." She put her arm around Tali and pulled her in so their hoods touched. Kasumi gave an exaggerated grin before releasing the quarian.

"You know you want to, Ashley," Tali added.

Ashley, for her part, fought a losing battle to suppress her chortling. "I'll think about," she replied.

"All the cool kids are doing it," Kasumi stated. "But this is my stop. I have…" she paused a moment, "something I need to take care of. You two have fun." With that she headed to her hideout in port side observation.

"And you said that Mordin guy was odd," Ashley remarked once Kasumi's door had shut.

"I like her," Tali insisted.

"She seems nice enough," Ashley agreed.

The duo took only a quick moment to walk through the crew deck. Tali showed off the shared quarters, the currently vacant observation room, and the mess area where Gardner was absent; likely performing his janitorial duties.

"And back there are the forward batteries," Tali said, pointing down the long hall. "Garrus is probably calibrating his heart out in there as we speak."

Ashley chuckled at the notion. "He always had to work on something, didn't he? No Mako for him to tinker on?"

"We have a Hammerhead now," Tali informed her.

"A hover tank? I hope Shepard's better at driving that than he was our old buggy."

Tali snickered and held her hand to the light on her helmet as if that would block the sound. "Oh Keelah, don't remind me. I can't remember all the times I nearly threw up in my helmet."

Ashley waved at Dr. Chakwas through her window before turning back to Tali. "You know," she said, "I think I can get used to all this again. With you showing me around, I'm already starting to feel at home."

Tali smiled genially behind her mask before their next destination dawned on her. "You might not feel that way after meeting our next crew member," she said, leading Ashley to the med bay.

"I'll be right here should you pass out, Chief Williams," Dr. Chakwas said reassuringly, coupled with a knowing smile, as the two women passed her.

"What does she mean by that?" Ashley asked with heavy suspicion. Unfortunately, looking at a quarian's face for clues was a rather fruitless endeavor.

"Ashley, meet Legion," Tali said, opening the door to the AI core.

The operation chief's face froze in mixed expression of shock, fear, and confusion. "Oh… my… God…" was all she uttered.

* * *

"Another topic of great concern," Mordin said, catching the attention of both Shepard and Miranda. "Salarians on board Providence. All but Maelon dead, Maelon very close."

"I don't know what Cerberus wants with salarians," Miranda said, "but if it also involves your genophage work, it can't be good."

"Bodies showed signs of testing, injections, but for what?" the salarian pondered.

"Hopefully Maelon will have a few answers once he recovers," Shepard suggested. "Has he shown any improvements?"

"None," Mordin replied, "likely developed complications from Cerberus gas. Recovery still uncertain."

"Everyone else seems to be fine," Shepard noted, "why would he be having problems?"

"More than likely combination of gas with injected chemicals," Mordin replied, "Cannot safely study injections without his recovery… or death."

"What about Duggar? Could he have put the same stuff in her?" Shepard asked.

"Could have," Mordin answered, "but unlikely. Why would Cerberus risk human life? Cannot know for certain until Maelon is in shape for study. Would not wish to risk his health for periphery data. Duggar showed no complications, but possible gas was metabolized before injections took place."

"And you're positive there's no control chip in her?"

"You can't just inject those, Shepard," Miranda told him. "A control chip would have to be implanted directly in to the brain. She showed no signs of surgery outside of the wound in her chest or even any prep work. Her head wasn't shaved; there were no marks for incisions… If they were planning on it, we got to her first."

"Yeoman Chambers requested I double check Dr. Chakwas' findings," Mordin stated. "Plan to soon, but have been busy."

"Busy, huh?" Shepard started, "Well, find the time. I need everyone in top shape when 'Tim' tries again. What are the chances Cerberus will hound us on our way to Rannoch?"

"For now," Miranda answered, "slim. The Illusive Man isn't going to risk another 'half finished' attempt and his intel on us has greatly diminished."

"Yes," Mordin added, "managed to find more bugs on ship and remove them. Likely most if not all." The salarian smiled broadly. "Now you see why I was so busy, between that and other project."

"What other project?" Miranda asked skeptically.

"It's a secret," Shepard replied cordially. "You are dismissed."

Miranda eyed the man, disliking being kept in the dark. Did he still not trust her intentions or was this something else? Rather than raise suspicion she nodded dutifully and left the lab to head back to her own quarters, her heels clacking against the silence.

"So," Shepard said once Miranda had left, "how's the work coming?"

"Last trial similar to one before, unfortunately," Mordin responded. "Sample had been… 'contaminated'."

"Again? How'd it happen this time?"

"Quarian tissue sample also contained fragments of human tissue," Mordin answered, an amused look on his face.

"Oh," Shepard said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Still gave interesting data," Mordin expressed. "Seems Tali'Zorah has begun adapting to you. If curious, unprotected skin contact with current iteration of cure gives only 13% likelihood of her death."

"Yeah, thanks Mordin, I should probably go."

"Fluid exchange still retains 35% likelihood," Mordin added as the commander promptly headed for the door.

* * *

Kasumi ran her hand down her painting of the streets of old Earth. Her finger traced the side of a building, down the length of a streetlight, and then fell from the canvas, swinging limply at her side. A single tear rolled down her cheek and caught itself on the corner of her mouth. She defiantly swallowed the rest. Wiping her eyes, she exhaled, calming herself. Finding her nerves, she exited her room to find the halls mercifully vacant. She was in no mood to cloak and sneak around.

* * *

"I…" Ashely started. Her mind spun around. What was this _thing_ doing on the ship? Everything in her body told her to reach for the weapon that wasn't there and open fire. "What?" she concluded.

"You seem to be taking it better than I did," Tali confessed.

"We are Legion," the geth introduced itself, "a terminal of the geth. You are Williams-Chief, newest member of the Normandy crew?"

"It talks?" Ashley asked, still able to do little more than stammer and state the obvious.

"Organics are incapable of expressing themselves with direct digital transfer," Legion explained. "This platform was designed for articulate speech."

"Oh… of course," Ashley replied.

"We should probably go," Tali suggested, seeing her friend's obvious discomfort. "There's more of the ship to see yet. Thank you for your time, Legion."

"You are welcome," the geth replied in a practiced tone.

Tali led Ashley out of the AI core and out of the med bay. Ashley did not look at Dr. Chakwas but instead stared straight ahead, processing the idea of a geth on the ship. Tali, at least, gave the doctor a small wave as they walked past. Chakwas smiled at the quarian and shook her head, going back to her paperwork.

"Tali," Ashley finally said once they were alone outside, "what the hell?"

"It's a long story," Tali replied.

Ashley crossed her arms beneath her breasts and started directly in to the quarian's visor. "I'm listening."

Tali wasn't quite sure how to react to this. Earlier Ashley had been so friendly, as if nothing had changed. Then she was in shock, and rightfully so, but now she seemed almost angry. Tali wasn't sure if all humans could have mood swings like this or just this one.

"Well," Tali started, "we were on a mission inside a derelict Reaper." Ashley's head jerked at that sentence, but Tali pressed on. "Legion had followed us there; it helped us before being disabled by husks. Shepard brought it back, despite my protesting, and reactivated it to find out why."

Ashley's eyebrows lowered as she wrapped her head around both a friendly geth and Tali's rapid explanation. "So this 'Legion' is some kind of outcast? It's fighting its own kind or something?"

"Well, yes and no," Tali answered. "The geth we had fought before, Saren's geth, were only one faction. The others, still beyond the Veil, have no desires to eliminate organics and wish to help us… or so they claim," she added.

"I still can't believe you put up with this," Ashley replied.

"It wasn't my choice, believe me, but I still trusted Shepard's decision. He's never steered me wrong."

"Thanks, Tali, rub it in."

Tali made a startled motion as she realized what she said. "Oh, I didn't mean…"

"It's alright," Ashley interrupted. "I've been beating myself up since Horizon anyway, might as well let everyone else take a turn. Still, a quarian that went with Cerberus, worked with a geth… you must really love him."

"Of course I do," Tali replied. "Come on," she said without acknowledging Ashley's comment further and gestured towards the elevator, "there's still one more deck to see."

"I didn't mean to sound like I was questioning you," Ashley said apologetically as they walked. "I just enjoy the impossible romance, I guess; the idea of love conquering all. It comes from reading poetry, I suppose."

_Impossible?_ Tali thought. Maybe it was, though neither she nor Shepard could ever admit it. In the back of her mind she always wondered if, as the relationship progressed, Shepard would tire of all the safety measures, of the suit, of everything. The position in the Admiralty Board would be an easy out.

Tali shook the notion from her head and pressed the button to call the elevator. "It's okay," she said.

* * *

Kasumi nonchalantly slid a finger across the smooth glass of the aquarium, watching neon fish follow it obediently. Making different patterns, she enjoyed the flashes of color they made, flitting about.

The door opened and Shepard stepped in to his quarters to see the hooded woman standing there, playing with his fish.

"One of these days someone else is going to wander in here to find you alone in my room," he said. "I hope you have a suitable story cooked up for that occasion."

Kasumi only stood there silently, dropping her hand from the glass. She slowly turned to look at the commander, the shade of her hood only allowing the glint of her eyes to be seen. It wasn't often she let playful banter go unanswered. Shepard's demeanor quickly changed to one of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still standing uncomfortably in the doorway, holding the notes on the Cerberus ship, unsure of how to react.

"Nothing."

"You're not teasing me and you're not hanging out with Ash and Tali. Something's bothering you."

Kasumi turned away and walked over to Shepard's bed to sit down. The commander followed her, placing his datapad on the coffee table as he passed, and stood by the wall in front of her.

"No," she clarified, looking up at him, "I mean nothing's wrong. I did the right thing."

Shepard cocked his head.

"Keiji's greybox," Kasumi explained, "I deleted everything on it, just like he wanted." She felt the tears trying to return but she denied them. Her hands tightened their grip on her legs as she waged war against the lump in her throat. "Just like I knew I should do."

Shepard knelt down to her eye level. "I thought you wanted to keep them. I know you; you could keep anything out of the public eye. Whatever was on the greybox was yours alone. What changed your mind?"

"You did," she answered, managing to maintain control over her emotions. "I don't want to get sappy on you, Shepard, but I've come to see why you weren't allowed to stay dead. Even in the face of total extinction, you're still mending fences, even some that aren't your own, and leading the entire galaxy to victory." Kasumi could feel a joyless smile form and looked back in to her lap, her hood obscuring Shepard's vision of her face. "I was a walking time bomb with that greybox. The information on that thing could wipe the Alliance clean out of the Council. That whole ordeal with Cerberus, it woke me up. It just took me this long to act. I couldn't let my selfishness get in the way of your mission. You deserve better than that."

"It's not just my mission," Shepard answered. "You're right up front with me."

Kasumi looked up again to see the commander's hand being offered. She gently placed hers in his and he lifted her to her feet. She found herself looking all over his face, trying to avoid direct eye contact.

"You were serious about that 'growing up' idea, weren't you?" He asked.

Kasumi smiled slightly, her eyes glistening from the tears still trying to form. "I told you I'd work on it."

"You've probably done a better job of it than I have." He offered her a smile in return. "Don't grow up too fast on me."

"I'll try," Kasumi replied softly. "Thanks, Shep." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't read too much in to that," she said, beginning to return to her usual sing-song tone, as she headed for the door.


	20. The Best Kind of Surprise

"What do you mean I don't get to go?" Garrus complained. He stared out the front window of the Normandy at the mass of ships; the Migrant Fleet.

"I'm lucky even I get to go, Garrus," Shepard replied, "and I think it's going to take all of my negotiation skills to get Legion on board."

"This is the Rayya," said a voice over the ship's radio, "We have been expecting you, Normandy. Please give verification for docking."

Tali cleared her throat. "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

"Permission to dock granted," replied the voice, "Please proceed to exterior docking cradle 17. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

"Don't you guys ever change your passwords?" Joker asked over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised.

"Everyone gets a verse from the Scroll of Ancestors to use when they leave on pilgrimage," Tali explained. "I happen to like mine." She added, "And I don't think you'd have much luck impersonating me."

"Yeah, I think the commander would find me out before we got to second base."

Shepard glared at the pilot. "Just shut up and dock."

* * *

"Tali'Zorah, Captain Shepard, good to see you both again," Captain Kar'Danna greeted. He was flanked by several marines as standard precaution. "Normally we wouldn't allow an outsider to attend a political proceeding, but serving as Tali's captain makes you an exception, not to mention your previous service to the fleet."

Shepard thought back to the Alarei, the geth on board it, and the accusation of treason laid on Tali that preceded the whole ordeal. He opted to not mention how his "service to the fleet" was more for Tali's sake than anyone else's.

"I appreciate the opportunity, Captain," Shepard replied, "although I would like to talk to you about another outsider I'd like to bring aboard. There's a message I think the Admiralty Board needs to hear."

"And just what is this message?" Kar'Danna asked suspiciously.

"You wouldn't believe it coming from me," Shepard answered. He stepped aside allowing a clear view in to the airlock. The door opened to reveal Legion. Immediately guns were drawn on the geth whose lighted eye flicked around at the quarians. Its brow plates shifted in to an expression mimicking fear or submission. Shepard stood back in front of the marines to block their shots with his hands in front of him.

"Hold it!" he yelled.

"Tali'Zorah, what the hell is the meaning of this?" Kar'Danna bellowed. "I took a risk with you, Shepard, but I see now I was far too trusting." The captain's eyes narrowed behind his mask. The marines kept their guns at the ready, waiting for their orders, fingers resting on triggers.

"Captain, please," Tali begged, "let us explain."

The captain glanced at Tali for only a moment before thrusting a finger at Shepard. "You get one chance," Kar'Danna threatened, "for Tali's sake. I will not be held responsible for any incidents that damned thing causes."

"This 'thing' is named Legion," Shepard said, "and you won't have to worry about any problems. It's part of my crew and wishes no hostility towards you or anyone else on board."

"Like hell," Kar'Danna spat. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Tali, you work with this geth?"

"Yes," she replied as confidently as she could, "I felt the same way you did at first, but it really is on our side. You have my word."

The captain's eyes roamed over the Normandy crew, always coming back to linger on the synthetic. Legion's gaze, in a similar fashion, worked its way over the glaring eyes staring back at it.

"Legion," Shepard said over his shoulder, "tell the captain why you're here."

"We, the geth, have reached consensus," it said. "We wish to reach a peaceful resolution with the creators. We believe coexistence will aid both sides greatly in the coming war against the Old Machines and will return your home world should you comply."

The marines at Danna's side began talking amongst themselves in disbelief. The captain himself retained his focused stare on Legion. "We're just supposed to take this thing at its word?" he sneered.

"We would not lie," Legion responded.

"Fine," Kar'Danna blurted out, "go talk to the admirals. But if your pet geth tries anything, Shepard, it's going out the airlock, followed by you."

"I understand your hesitance, Captain," Shepard countered, "but don't try to threaten me." He turned to his companions. "Come on."

* * *

"Shepard, Tali'Zorah, good to see you both again," said a familiar red suited quarian as the pair walked down the hall.

"Reegar!" Tali exclaimed. She walked forward to give her friend a hug. He tentatively returned the gesture, apparently made somewhat awkward by the situation. "Ma'am," he greeted.

Reegar's eyes panned from the top of Tali's head as he released her to the young woman's company. "Are you aware there's a geth following you?"

"Yes, it's with us," Shepard stated.

"Just thought I'd make sure."

"You seem to be taking this a lot better than Captain Danna," Tali remarked.

Reegar shrugged. "I figured if it's with you two, there's a good reason."

"I have a feeling before today's out I'll wish the entire Flotilla was as laid back as you," Shepard said.

The marine gave an amused bob of his head and replied, "Nice of you to say, Shepard, but I don't think it'd work so well in practice."

"So what brings you back here?" Shepard asked, shaking the marine's hand.

"Heard about Tali's impending promotion," Reegar answered, turning to the quarian in question, "figured I could lend my support."

"It's just candidacy," Tali insisted, "but thank you."

"You could add even more support, Reegar," Shepard suggested. "I'm trying to restock my crew and you're more than capable."

Reegar pulled his head back a bit and Tali took a full step back to look at Shepard. She quickly turned her head to the marine in anticipation of his response.

"I appreciate the offer, Shepard," he answered, "but I don't know what use I'd be against sentient dreadnoughts. I just fire whatever's put in my hand."

"That's exactly it," Shepard replied. "The Reapers are just ships. They devastate fleets, but they can only do so much against smaller targets. They need ground forces, like the Collectors or the geth before them."

"I see what you're saying, Shepard, but I already have a job here. I'm sure we'll be still kicking ass side by side when the time comes."

"I understand," Shepard responded, "just thought Tali might enjoy the company."

"If you don't mind my saying so, I imagine you're more than enough company for her already."

The commander looked to Tali who put her hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything," she insisted.

"Noticed that _too_, ma'am," Reegar replied. He cocked a hidden eyebrow.

"Tali, there you are!" exclaimed a heavily accented voice as its owner walked past Kal'Reegar without so much as noticing him.

"Auntie Raan!" Tali yelled back. She quickly took the admiral in a hug.

The seasoned admiral squeezed Tali tightly, only noticing her companions once she released her. "Kal'Reegar, Captain Shepard, where are my manners? It's certainly good to see the both of you as well."

"Ma'am," Reegar replied with a nod.

"Please," Shepard insisted, "it's just Commander. _Captain_ Shepard is my mother."

"Be that as it may," Shala'Raan stated, "in our eyes…" Her voice trailed off. Her body tensed up and she stared straight ahead.

Turning to look despite knowing exactly what she was seeing, Shepard hoped to calm her by saying, "It's here with us. Believe it or not, what it has to say is even more important than Tali's candidacy."

"It's true, Aunt Shala," Tali agreed.

Admiral Raan broke her gaze from Legion and began looking over Shepard's face. She read sincerity from it, but it was hardly comforting. She turned back to her surrogate niece. "Just once I'd like you to come back to see me under _pleasant_ circumstances, Tali."

"They will be," Tali maintained, "I promise."

Raan sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you waiting. I'm sure the other admirals will have their parts to say about our… 'guest'." She looked the geth over one more time before excusing herself. She went back in to the Rayya's main auditorium to prepare herself and the rest of the Admiralty Board.

"Guess I should find a seat myself," Reegar said, looking back in to the auditorium behind him. "Give 'em hell, ma'am," he offered before walking off himself.

* * *

There was a knock on the door to the forward batteries.

"Calibratin'," Garrus muttered over his shoulder, not bothering to look up. Shepard and Tali were on board the Migrant Fleet and he didn't feel like talking to anyone else. While he certainly didn't mind the rest of the crew, he hadn't gone out of his way to get all friendly with them either.

The door slid open anyway. "Tali said you probably would be," Ashley commented as she walked in.

"Just something to keep my hands busy," Garrus replied, turning to face her. He realized he had already forgotten she was aboard. "What brings you by?"

"Just getting reacquainted," Ashley stated.

"Not like you to get friendly with the turians," Garrus remarked, rolling a shoulder. Standing over that terminal for hours on end was getting to him.

"I can still like one and retain a baseless prejudice against the others, right?" Ashley retorted with heavy sarcasm.

Garrus chuckled. "I suppose." His answer was met with an awkward silence. He saw Ashley's mouth open slightly, as though she had something to add, but it shut again and she averted her eyes from his face. "We already caught up on the Citadel," Garrus noted, "That's not really why you're here, is it?"

Ashley inhaled, preparing herself to say three simple words, "Shepard and Tali."

Garrus exhaled in amusement and hung his head before swinging it back and forth. "Everyone comes to me. I'm gonna have to talk to him about this when he gets back."

Ashley began to feel extremely self conscious. "You're right, I shouldn't have bothered you. I was just curious." She turned to leave when Garrus spoke up again.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

Ashley froze in her tracks and immediately knew her doing so gave him the answer he wanted. She had to try anyway. "No, of course not. It's just… it seems weird to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Tali, but a human and a quarian…"

"She's not just any quarian," Garrus replied. "She's been with him through thick and through thin. She didn't give up on him." The words cut Ashley straight through the heart, and worse yet, she knew she deserved them. "You should have seen Shepard when we picked her up," Garrus continued. Ashley wasn't sure if he was continuing just to keep cutting her down or if he was completely oblivious to what his answers were doing to her. She remained as stoic as possible as the turian spoke. "He changed, visibly. After Shepard saved her life on Haestrom, hell, maybe even after he saved mine on Omega, he seemed happier. Of course, I don't think I put the life back in him quite like she did when I rejoined. He went from going through the motions to _enjoying_ himself, like he did in the old days. It was good to see."

Ashley mumbled something inaudibly.

"What was that?" Garrus asked.

_He has to be doing this on purpose_, Ashley thought bitterly. "He saved me too," she said more clearly, "on Horizon. Is that what you're getting at?"

Garrus shrugged. "It's in the past. No one can blame you for not wanting to affiliate yourself with Cerberus, especially with all that's happened recently. There is one thing you can do, though."

Ashley looked at Garrus expectantly.

"Just admit that you're jealous," he said.

"Screw you, Vakarian!" she exclaimed. He only grinned in response. "And wipe that creepy dinosaur grin off your face, it freaks me out!" She stormed out of the room.

* * *

"This is outrageous!" Admiral Han'Gerrel bellowed. Once Tali's biggest supporter during her trial, the tables turned so dramatically the contempt on his face could practically be seen through his mask. "You bring a geth to this meeting? You're allowed to attend only as Tali'Zorah's captain, Shepard. Don't think your past deeds ingratiate you so far that you can threaten the very security of this fleet. Your position as Spectre has no bearing on…"

"The geth is no threat, Gerrel," Zaal'Korris interrupted. "Captain Danna has allowed it on board to relay a message, or have you forgotten already?"

Admiral Daro'Xen simply watched the arguing with a cool gaze, her arms crossed.

"Admirals, please," Shala'Raan said in an attempt at order, something she found herself saying more and more often. The two men stopped bickering long enough for her to continue. "This meeting was called to judge the possible candidates for our fifth admiralty position, not to discuss military matters. However, Captain Shepard insists this geth has a matter even more important. As a personal favor for his previous aid, I will allow him to speak."

"Thank you, Admiral," Shepard said, stepping forward to the same podium he had used to defend Tali only a few months prior. He noted it still retained a ding in the bar from where his armored fist had met it in making a point. "But I'm not the one to be doing the talking. This geth, Legion, has a very critical message that everyone should hear." He turned and gave Legion the go-ahead with a second uttering of its name. The crowd could barely maintain silence as many members began whispering to each other as the geth stepped forward. It almost appeared anxious among of the mass of quarians around it, even if it technically wasn't capable of emotion.

"With the agreement of the creators," Legion started, "we seek peaceful coexistence and cooperation against the Old Machines; what you call the Reapers."

The hushed voices became louder, unable to subdue themselves in their chattering. Once again, Shala'Raan requested order, but had to do so several times for it to take effect.

"This is what you brought to us, Shepard?" Han'Gerrel spat, "a bunch of lies to mock our pain? The geth are _allied_ with the Reapers, or did you forget? You and Tali both killed enough of them yourselves."

"Those were not true geth," Legion stated, its synthesized voice remaining unwavering. "We oppose the Old Machines. What Shepard-Commander fought before were heretics. They aligned themselves with the Old Machines to receive their future. An incorrect future."

"Is that even possible?" Shala'Raan asked while Gerrel was too busy fuming to speak. "Geth were originally designed to share experiences and knowledge, how could you form different… factions?"

"All geth are capable of their own decisions," Legion answered, "When Nazara, whom you called Sovereign, contacted us for aid, some agreed. They were allowed to leave. True geth denied the future it offered. We seek to create our own."

"Fascinating…" Daro'Xen murmured, countless schemes undoubtedly running through her mind.

"This still doesn't explain why you'd want peace with us," Han'Gerrel stated. His eyes flashed to Tali a moment, but could not linger on her. The more he fought this sudden revelation, the more the young woman's body language convinced him he had no reason to refuse other than to be obstinate. All his plans for war going to waste should be something to rejoice, not lament, but this "race" still drove them to the stars. Why should they continue bending to them?

"We wish no harm to the Creators," Legion insisted. "We merely fight for our continued survival."  
"You see, Han?" Zaal'Korris added. "Our creations are the victims here. They only attack us because we struck first!"

Han'Gerrel glowered angrily at the other admiral. He was right and Gerrel knew it, but the attitude about it was insufferable. He longed for a rebuttal, but nothing suitable came to mind. Instead, he turned back to the geth. "What proof do we have of your sincerity?"

Legion brought up its left arm and activated its omni-tool. Immediately, security raised their weapons and took aim. Shepard grabbed the gun of the marine closest to him and forced it down at the floor, giving the quarian a frustrated glare. Before any arguing could be done, a sphere appeared about Legion's omni-tool for all to see. It was a planet.

"After the Morning War," Legion explained, "we cared for Rannoch, rebuilding its ecosystem and artificial structures." The whispers in the crowd began again. "The restoration is complete and, should you agree to coexist, we wish to return your home world."

The whispers turned to gasps which turned in to exciting talking. Voices climbed atop voices and the crowd was lost to a sea of disbelief and exhilaration. Shala'Raan once again demanded order but was completely ignored. Instead she simply yelled, "The discussion of our admiralty candidates will resume at a later date! This meeting is adjourned to discuss this new announcement!" Upon finishing her declarations, she and two of the other admirals rushed over to Shepard and his companions. Daro'Xen walked as calmly as ever.

"I wish you had told us this sooner, Tali," Admiral Raan said upon reaching the engineer. She exhaled, as though she was punishing herself for speaking out against the messenger of such wonderful news. She continued with, "Come along, we must discuss this news privately." Raan also pointed to Kal'Reegar who was standing nearby, waiting for his turn to talk with Tali. "I want you in this meeting as well."

* * *

"You look pissed," Jacob said, handing Ashley a rag while he used his own to clean a rifle.

"I am pissed," Ashley replied, accepting the stained cloth and taking a seat next to Jacob.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Jacob chuckled. "Good. I'm not much for life stories. Shepard's the best man I know, but he could talk your damn ear off trying to pry in to personal business."

"He means well," Ashley said, rubbing down the stock of a shotgun. An M-300 Claymore, she noticed. If she tried to use it she'd break an arm. It must have been for that krogan… or that geth.

"And he has a way of getting it, too," Jacob continued. He shook his head in amusement, before reaching for another gun to disassemble. "Course you probably know all this having worked with him before."

Ashley nodded. "It's funny; I never served under anyone that could actually come across as a friend before Shepard. Before him it was all 'get your ass moving, Willams' or 'you're only out of the kitchen to fight, Williams'." She punctuated her quotes with waves of her hands. "I guess my unfavorable sense of humor and family name had something to do with it."

"Your family name?" Jacob repeated. "Wait, same Williams from Shanxi?"

"I thought you said you weren't big on life stories," Ashley said.

"And I thought you said you didn't want to talk," Jacob replied with a smirk.

"You want to just shut the hell up and clean some guns?" Ashley asked, picking up a pistol.

"I'd like that."

* * *

"I don't think sending troops is the way to show our sincerity," Zaal'Korris insisted.

"Not sending marines is damned foolish and you know it!" Han'Gerrel shot back. He barely managed to prevent himself from standing at the round table where Shepard's crew and the Admiralty Board were seated. Kal'Reegar stood in the corner quietly at ease; his legs slightly apart and his wrist held in the opposite hand behind his back.

"Agreed on both accounts," Shala'Raan stated as calmly as she could. She often felt serving as a voice of reason was aging her beyond her years. "That's why we should send a small force, led by Kal'Reegar, for protection of the science team. They can move more quickly than an entire platoon and avoid any unwanted attention."

Both Korris and Gerrel nodded their silent agreement, not wanting to vocally advocate a compromise.

"Armed forces are unnecessary," Legion stated. "We would not attack creators without due cause."

"Legion, is it possible there are still heretic geth around the planet?" Tali asked.

"There is a non-zero possibility," the geth replied.

"Then your plan sounds like the best solution, Admiral Raan," Shepard declared.

"I will lead the science team personally," Daro'Xen stated, her hands folded atop the meeting table. It was the first thing she had said since the beginning of the meeting.

"Admiral Xen?" Shala'Raan asked.

"It seems to me our former servants have developed a great deal since our separation; more so than even I could have imagined. This would be the perfect way to study them along with our home world," Xen coolly explained.

"Shepard-Commander, we would request to stay aboard the Normandy away from Creator-Admiral-Daro'Xen," Legion said.

"Are you certain you will not accompany me to Rannoch, marvelous machine?" she inquired, attempting to make her tone sound enticing.

"Admiral," Shepard stated, "I think you're scaring my geth."

Daro'Xen scoffed. "Machines are not capable of fear."

"Self preservation is not indicative of fear," Legion countered.

"Enough," Han'Gerrel interrupted. "We'll go with Admiral Raan's plan."

"Shepard, you go ahead with your ship to scout for hostiles and also as a sign of good faith," Zaal'Korris instructed. "You're our negotiator between the two factions, after all. It will take a short time to prepare the science team and marines but they will follow closely behind you."

Shepard nodded dutifully.

"You will be the first human to ever set foot on Rannoch," Shala'Raan stated. "I trust you will remain respectful."

"Absolutely," Shepard assured her.

"In that case, everyone, you are dismissed," Raan concluded. "Let us get to work."

"Shepard, Tali," said Kal'Reegar as they exited the meeting room. The commander turned to face the marine. Reegar had remained silent the entire meeting, but continued his first spoken words since before the news of Rannoch was revealed with, "Good luck out there. Stay safe."

"You too," Shepard replied. The two shook hands and the commander left for the Normandy.

Tali stayed just long enough to give Reegar one last hug. The marine couldn't help but give a laugh. "I'm excited too, ma'am. See you on the home world."

"I can't wait!" Tali exclaimed. She ran off to catch up with Shepard.


	21. Heading Out

The Kassa Locust: the gun that killed two presidents, countless mercenaries, Collectors, and a Reaper larva. Its résumé continued to expand with every outing. Shepard lifted it from its rack and looked it over. He could practically see his face in the side of it. If not for the scratches on the surface, it would have looked brand new.

"You two do some good work," he commented to Jacob and Ashley who happened to be sitting quietly at the workbench together, their morning coffee sitting half empty and cooling. Somehow Shepard imagined they had been talking but clammed up once he entered the armory. Whatever it was, it was their business.

"Always have, Skipper," Ashley replied with a touch of her rebuilding confidence as the commander fastened his weapons to his suit and stepped out of the armory.

* * *

Mordin had left a message with Kelly requesting Shepard's presence before he left for Rannoch. Deciding now was a good time, he took the shortcut from the armory to the lab to avoid the longer trip through CIC. However, on his way past the conference room, he heard a noise from inside. Giggling. Why was there giggling in the conference room?

He opened the door to see Tali standing inside the holographic interface laughing unashamedly. "Oh Keelah, he didn't," she said to the person on the other end of the call. "Oh, but look at how cute he was."

"Oh my God," Shepard muttered under his breath. He suddenly had a very good idea of what was happening. He stepped in to the interface behind Tali.

"Shepard!" she squeaked in surprise.

Ignoring her for the moment, he stared directly at the hologram of the other person. "Mom, what are you doing?"

His mother stood there with her omni-tool up; old family vids and pictures still on the screen. "What does it look like we're doing?" she asked rhetorically.

Shepard lowered his head and brought his fingertips to his forehead. He looked up, fingers still in place, to say, "Don't you have a ship to captain?"

"Don't _you_ have a ship to captain?" his mother retorted.

Sighing in defeat and dropping his hands to his side, Shepard responded with, "I'm going to need this room soon if you two can find a stopping spot." He turned to Tali, saying, "Mordin wanted to see me before we went planet side. Hopefully good news."

"That should be more than enough time for your first piano recital," Hannah beamed.

"Mother, please," Shepard begged.

"You have your duties, Commander."

Sighing again, Shepard stepped out of the hologram and was lost to the two women still within it. The last things he heard as he stepped out of the room was Tali asking "What's a piano?" and his mother answering "It's a human instrument. I imagine it would be hard for you to play with only six fingers."

* * *

Mordin could have terrible news right now and it would be welcomed as long as it took Shepard's mind off the conversations going on next door. It dawned on him he should have feared his mother's approval of his girlfriend more than her disapproval. Clearing his mind of the mess, he opened the door to the research laboratory to find Mordin reading something on his omni-tool.

"You wanted to see me, Doc?" Shepard asked, announcing his presence.

"I did," Mordin replied, not bothering to look up. "Was hoping you could fetch environmental samples."

"To help with the adaptation to Rannoch?"

"Precisely," was the answer. "With actual planet life, soil samples, building materials, could gain better understanding of long term goals."

"Consider it done," Shepard assured him. "Will you need more tissue samples?"

Mordin finally looked up at the commander with a smile. "Still have a few, going to set one to 'cook' while you're gone in fact, though would not refuse more. Good timing for it. Prospect of returning to Rannoch likely to…" He sniffed while determining the proper phrase, "set the mood."

Shepard stared at the salarain for a moment before turning to the door. "I'll get you those samples," he said, not clarifying which he meant.

Mordin continued smiling as he went back to looking over the readout on his omni-tool, though the smile did not last long. He stared more intently at the screen.

* * *

"Sarah, how are you feeling?" Kelly asked as she turned on the lights to starboard observation, her bright attitude coming through clearly.

"Fine," the crewman answered. She was seated on the couch, facing the window. Now, instead of stars, she could better see the glare the lights were forming.

"I know you don't like these meetings," Kelly told her, sitting down on the couch with a person's length between them, "but I think you're making some good progress." It wasn't entirely a lie. Duggar was never the most outgoing of the crew, but since the attack she had completely retreated in to herself. Now she would at least talk to Kelly, if no one else.

"No you don't," Sarah replied, still not looking at the yeoman-turned-analyst. Her short blonde hair completely obscured her face from the other woman's position.

"Sarah, when you came back you didn't even know which way was up," Kelly told her. "Now you're performing your duties just like before."

The crewman turned from the window and looked at Kelly. Her eyes carried a weight with them the yeoman could hardly fathom. "You don't mean my physical condition," Sarah stated. Her voice was low, gruff, more of a mumble.

"No," Kelly responded, her cheerful tone undaunted. "But it is good to see you're healthy. Do you remember anything at all yet?"

Duggar looked away from Kelly again, placing her back to her. Hadn't she answered this question a million times before? "I was shot, almost dead, unconscious. You don't have to keep asking." She idly ran two fingers over the top of her breast as she spoke; the place she had been shot.

"I asked Professor Solus to look over your scans," Kelly said. "I was hoping maybe he could find something out about the injection that Dr. Chakwas couldn't."

"Thanks," was Sarah's cold reply. She stood and began to leave the observation deck.

"But we've only just started," Kelly protested.

"It's almost time for my shift," Sarah answered, not pausing in her motion. She left the room and the door closed behind her. Kelly checked the time. There was still an hour before Duggar had to begin her work.

* * *

The debriefing was short and to the point. As a safety precaution, and to better cover ground, Shepard had decided to take the Hammerhead to the surface of Rannoch. It sat three and Tali was definitely going. Remembering his friend's desire to go back to the Migrant Fleet, though it was more likely to watch the fall out from taking a geth on board than anything else, he offered Garrus the gunning position under the pretense that he wanted a crack shot and mechanic in case of machine failure. Now the Normandy was in position, ready to drop them on the surface.

"Buckle up," Shepard ordered, "I'm taking her down."

The Normandy's hangar opened and the Hammerhead slid effortlessly out the door. Tali glued herself to the window, her helmet hitting it with a clunk and her hands pressing in to it on either side of her head. She had often dreamt of what Rannoch might look like from its descriptions or from the few pictures she had seen, but nothing prepared her for seeing it with her own eyes. Her heart pounded and her entire body tingled. Inwardly she wondered how low the tank would have to get to the surface before she could jump out of it without killing herself so she could explore.

Tall, golden stalks of grass blew in a hot wind. The occasional splash of red peeked out of the grass; some kind of flower Tali didn't recognize. Trees littered the landscape, their leaves turning brown. Tali could feel her heart try to beat its way free from her chest as she took everything in. Her eyes followed a shallow creek as the Hammerhead coasted along side it. In the distance she could see a city, rebuilt but still abandoned, and an orange sun beyond it.

"Shepard, please" she begged, "just land. I have to be out there."

The smile that formed on the man's face showed a combination of his happiness at her excitement and his regret and not being able to land more quickly.

"We'll set down at the edge of that town, okay?" He said.

Tali nodded briskly and went back to her window side vigil. Garrus was outwardly amused at the quarian's anticipation, but he couldn't deny that was happy for her.

* * *

Miranda calmly strolled back to her office, coffee in hand. Despite stories to the contrary, she still would not trust Gardener's breakfast foods. At least the man couldn't ruin coffee, especially when she added the cream and sugar herself.

Her morning, as always, ran perfectly to her itinerary. First thing was her workout; 50 crunches and 50 pushups; just enough to keep from getting complacent. Her genes would keep her fit and strong on their own, but she was determined to earn her own keep regardless. Next was a hot shower, followed by getting dressed, brushing both her teeth and hair, then just enough makeup to look presentable. She had gotten more than enough snide comments behind her back, but if she was going to have the perfect body, she was going to flaunt it. Though she would never admit it, she garnered no small amount of pleasure from the jealousy of others. It gave her a sense of power; well deserved power if you asked her.

Finally, it was time to get some work done. Sitting down at her work station, Miranda brought up her copy of the reports on the Providence. No doubt Shepard had only skimmed it before taking off to Rannoch, leaving her with the responsibility. She was used to it by now, though the resentment still hung strong, especially when this trip was likely little more than a glorified date.

Miranda snorted at the notion and began reading. Her terminal beeped and a notification of a new message began blinking at the bottom. She clicked over to it only to stop the blinking before heading back to her research, but stopped half way. The sender was unknown and the message was heavily encrypted; the signature of the Illusive Man. Her eyes narrowed and she brought her coffee to her lips with one hand. The other clicked on the message.

Her mug fell from her hand and spilled its contents on her desk before rolling to the ground and shattering.


	22. Years in the Making

Tali wasted no time in leaping from the Hammerhead when it set down. However, upon hitting the ground, she stopped and knelt. She took a stalk of the long field grass in her fingers and inspected it. Oh, how she yearned to feel it without gloves in the way. Nearby was one of those red flowers she had seen from the air. Even with her helmet on, she could make out some of the sweet fragrance. She stood back up to feel a hand on her shoulder.

"Isn't this exciting, Shepard?" She said, spinning to face the man. "We're the first people to set foot here in over 300 years!"

Shepard smiled at her. He wished he could share her excitement. He was happy for her sake, but it was still hard to feel like it was more than just any other planet. The savanna stretched on for quite a ways opposite the city. The juxtaposition of field and civilization seemed odd. He wondered if it had been left unsettled or if the geth simply couldn't restore more of the city due to the destruction from the war.

"So what are we looking for?" Garrus asked, climbing out of the Hammerhead.

Tali shrugged. "Not much. The Admiralty Board said we were just supposed to keep an eye out for any hostiles in geth space and to ensure the offer was genuine." She turned her head to a squawking sound as a bird flew up, out of the nearby creek. She watched with fascination as its large wings beat heavily and carried it in to the air, away from the planet's new visitors. "It looks genuine to me," she said, still smiling brightly behind her mask.

"Joker," Shepard said in to his headset, "any signs of geth activity?"

"We're stealthed up here. A couple ships poked around but they left again without so much as reacting to us," the pilot replied. "Legion says they were 'true geth' anyway. Truly creepy is more like it."

"So no welcoming committee?"

"Geth presence would likely unnerve visiting creators despite our honest intentions. We desire to show sincerity in our proposal," Legion answered over the radio.

"Then I guess we're free to explore," Shepard told his companions.

"Oh I see where this is going," Garrus stated. "I'll check out the city here while you two 'explore' the back seat of the Hammerhead."

Tali brought her hand to meet her visor, imitating a common human gesture, before returning to her awe filled examination of the terrain. Shepard only shook his head and told Garrus to not wander far. The turian lifted a hand in recognition and stepped in to the deserted streets.

"So, what do you want to see first?" Shepard asked the quarian in front of him who was practically vibrating with eagerness.

"I don't know!" she answered. "There's just so much… the fields, the mountains, those trees, that creek, the city…"

Shepard chuckled and pulled Tali in to a hug. "Calm down, there's plenty of time before Reegar and Xen get here to ruin it."

She nodded in to his chest. "I want to see that tree," she said, pointing at one a few yards off.

"That specific one?"

"Yes," she said with authority, nodding once.

* * *

The streets were clean and the buildings vacant and unlocked. A few small wild animals scurried around the corner as Garrus strode down a barren sidewalk. It was an eerie feeling. It seemed to him like he was the last person in the world. He gave a snort at the realization of how close he was to the truth. This wasn't his world though, even if quarian buildings were strikingly similar to some older ones on Palaven; large, square, and comprised of metal and stone. Maybe there were some similarities to Earth buildings too, he decided. Quarians had more sense for design than turians. At any rate, Rannoch certainly seemed to be more modernized than Haestrom.

He stepped inside one of the buildings at random choice. It looked like it had been a store once, though any perishable items had long been removed, either by looting or discarded by the geth. A few general goods still lined the shelves, waiting for a customer that had never come. It reminded Garrus of a cheesy zombie vid, how everything was left the way it was but no one was alive for miles. He wondered if the living dead were part of quarian culture. Probably not; it would be hard to eat brains through a helmet.

Laughing at his own absurdity, he listened to his voice echo in the empty store before looking around. The boxes left on the shelves were kitchen wares; pots, pans, utensils, general odds or ends. Then he realized nothing that remained had any electrical parts. The geth must have scavenged anything they could use. At first he wanted to consider them thieves, common bandits, but then it dawned on him. They won the war. To the victor go the spoils. Why then did they rebuild the entire planet to give it back to the quarians?

Garrus shook his head. He had long given up on attempting to rationalize the actions of men; he had simply assumed logical machines might have been easier to figure out.

* * *

With a running start and a bit of a scramble, Shepard managed to snag the lowest branch of the tree and heft himself up. "I've always wanted to do this," he said.

"Do what?" Tali asked, taking a step back to watch him work his way to a comfortable position.

"Climb a tree," the commander answered. "Apparently Earth born kids do it all the time, but I never got the chance. It was like part of my childhood was missing and I never knew it until it was too late."

"I wonder if quarians climbed trees when we had them," Tali thought out loud, looking the tree over. She was happy just looking at something that was growing in real live dirt, whose leaves blew in real live wind.

"Not too late to start," Shepard called down to her.

Tali looked up at the commander, swinging his legs slightly and meeting her gaze with a challenging expression. Taking the bait, Tali crouched down and jumped with all her might, deftly grabbing the branch. Working one elbow up, the rest of her body eventually followed. She sat next to Shepard, crossing her arms and wishing he could see her smug smile.

He stared back in disbelief. "This branch had to be 10 feet up. How did you do that?"

"I jumped," Tali replied plainly, shrugging as she did.

"I noticed," Shepard continued. "I never realized those legs packed such a punch."

Tali eyed him up and down before commenting. "I suppose human legs aren't very useful. Look at them, just what do you have to make up for that?" she teased.

"The ability to count to ten," Shepard retorted, wiggling his fingers in the air.

"Totally superfluous," Tali insisted. "I don't see what's so great about the piano, either."

Shepard groaned, remembering the conversation Tali and his mother had behind his back. "That's because I was nine and not any good. My parents just forced me to take lessons so I could stay busy while they were on duty. And you didn't say that to my mother, did you?"

"Of course not. She seemed so excited to show you off. It's like I'm the first chance she's had."

"Hey, you try growing up on a million different ships and try keeping a steady relationship."

Tali just looked at him.

"Right, forget I said that," he replied. "But don't I get to see any holos of you as a child? Turnabout's fair play."

"Shala might have a few," Tali confessed, "but I'd have to come up with some reason to get them."

"Wait, now you're telling me you haven't told her about us? You made me…"

"No, she knows," Tali interjected. "Sort of…"

"Mhmm," Shepard replied, "Sounded like Reegar 'sort of' knows too."

"Kal's always been sharper than he lets on. I suppose it didn't help that I wouldn't shut up about you when I returned from Freedom's Progress." Tali felt her cheeks flush.

"So as not to ruin your special day, I'll let that one slide… for now," Shepard stated, "But we're wasting time up in this tree." He hopped down, hitting the ground heavily and having to catch himself with one hand. "Come on, there's a whole planet to discover," he yelled back up to Tali, "I'll catch you!"

Tali looked between her legs at the man beneath her. Suddenly the ground seemed a lot further away. Trusting him, she held her breath pushed off the branch and before she knew it, found herself in his arms.

"I vote we visit that creek next," Shepard decided, walking towards it while still carrying her.

"Shepard, you bosh'tet, I can walk," Tali giggled, flailing in mock indignation.

"Not when I'm carrying you, you can't," He replied. "Now whose legs are useless?"

Giving up, Tali simply allowed herself to be taken to their next destination. Upon reaching the bank, Shepard set her down. The tall grass stopped a few feet from the edge, giving them a clear place to sit. The commander reached down and let the shallow water run through his fingers. It was cool and clean.

"I wish I could do that," Tali sighed. "I wish I could just use what Mordin already has."

"I wouldn't suggest that," Shepard replied, attempting to dry his hand on his armor and failing. "It rewrites your genetic code. Not something you want to do more than once."

"I know," the quarian replied glumly. "But this is _my_ planet. I should be able to enjoy it like you can."

"You will," Shepard promised her. "Besides, think about what you just said. This is _your_ planet."

The smile on Tali's face reformed. "Yes," she beamed, realizing what she had said, "it is. This is my planet. My _planet!_" She leaned in to Shepard and squeezed him tightly.

The commander didn't think his grin could fade as he released the woman he loved and looked in to the distance. Rannoch really was beautiful. Then he heard a hiss of pressure being released. He turned back to see Tali's hands under her hood, her visor coming back out with them.

"Tali," he exclaimed, "what are you doing?"

"I want to breathe the air," she said. Her voice was so calm, despite her actions.

"You'll get sick," Shepard warned.

"I don't care," Tali replied. "This is _my_ planet." She brushed her hood back, her helmet falling in to it and dangling from the back of her neck. Closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun on her skin, she inhaled deeply. "I can smell the water," she said excitedly, looking down at it.

Shepard still found it hard to grasp how thrilled she was about things that everyone else took for granted.

Tali cocked her head, looking at her own reflection in the water. "Sometimes I forget what I look like," she stated wistfully.

Shepard scooted closer to her and looked down in to the water as well. "Pretty hot, huh?"

"Maybe," Tali chuckled, "if not for this hair." She stuck a gloved hand in the tangled mess, grunting in pain as it snagged on a knot. "It's so ratty and matted. Your women have such beautiful hair."

"You mean your suit doesn't do anything for it?"

"It keeps it clean enough," Tali muttered. "It regulates temperature preventing unnecessary sweat and we can wash in it, but there isn't the manual control of your showers." She ran both hands in to her thick black locks and swept them back, similar to how Ashley wore her hair, adding "and it certainly doesn't style it." Sighing, she let her hair fall back to just above her shoulders. "And I'm just being silly again." As if they agreed, clouds began to move in and darken her reflection.

"I suppose I should put this back on," Tali grumbled, pulling her hood and helmet back over her head. She reached for her mask but felt Shepard's hand softly grab her wrist.

"Not just yet," he requested. He leaned closer to her, so close it made her heart beat faster. "I have to give you a kiss every time you take that off. I can't let the opportunity pass." He made good on his word. She leaned in to him, relishing every moment of their contact.

When their lips parted she asked, "So what happens when Mordin's cure works and I go around without this suit all the time?"

"Then we'll have a lot of kissing to do," was the simple answer, accompanied with a self-satisfied expression.

Tali's smile was once again hidden from the world, the mask locking in to place.

* * *

Garrus continued down the sidewalk for a ways. He couldn't shake how abandoned everything was. Not even vehicles lined the street. They had probably been taken by the geth and stripped for parts. That's when he noticed the street lights. They were off but completely rebuilt. He thought back to the store he had been in previously. It too was intact. They must have used the scavenged parts to fix electrical systems the whole planet over.

He remembered the Relay 314 Incident and how it was more or less a catastrophic misunderstanding. From what he understood, the Geth War was pretty much the same; quarians freaking out over the AI they had created and attempting to destroy them before their creations turned around and did the same. Neither the turians nor the humans lost a planet, but he wondered if either of their races would pay such massive reparations. They could barely work together as it is.

It was getting dark, Garrus noticed, barely breaking out of his train of thought as he stopped walking. Probably time to get back to the other two if they were done playing kissy face. He snorted to himself and did an about face. _Kissy mask; whatever._ He had to admit, getting your girlfriend an entire planet was certainly something he couldn't top. Still, he wondered if Shepard was letting his heart get in the way of the mission. Would the quarians be so willing to help fight the Reapers now that they have a planet to recolonize?

"If anyone can make this work, it's Shepard," he said to a small squirrel like creature hopping down the road.

It looked up at the turian and quickly scampered off.

* * *

Tali placed her shotgun at her side and laid out on her back, looking in to the sky. The clouds continued to press together over head. She rested her hands on her stomach and said, "I think you're a bad influence on me."

"Oh?" Shepard replied, leaning back from his seated position on his elbows. He rested his chin on his shoulder to look at Tali.

"That's right," she said. "You told me to start thinking for myself and now all I want to do is stay here. This is so perfect. Next time I see Legion I might just break down and give him a big hug if you promise not to tell anyone."

Shepard chuckled. "You'll have to be 'vas Normandy' just a little longer, I'm afraid. You're needed to keep this and all other planets safe from the Reapers."

"I know," Tali said, "and I'm proud to serve, Commander."

"Glad to hear it. Also, I noticed you called Legion a 'him'."

"You've done the same," Tali countered.

"Have I?" Shepard tried to think back, but couldn't come up with any specific instances off the top of his head. "I guess it, he, whatever, is just very convincing. Shouldn't it technically be a 'they'?"

Tali started answer when a drop of water suddenly struck her visor. She sat up abruptly and watched it roll down the smooth surface. It trailed along her mouth piece and dripped on to the swell of her chest, getting lost in the rubbery fabric of her suit.

"Looks like we should take this indoors," Shepard noted, taking a raindrop to the top of his head and another on his shoulder. More and more began to fall and soon it was pouring down. The couple stood up, grabbed their equipment, and made a dash for the city, entering the first building that was open.

The door to the building slammed shut and Shepard shook the water from his head like a dog, small droplets that had been clinging to his buzzed hair flying in all directions.

"I hate spots on my visor," Tali complained, reaching in to one of her suit's numerous pockets for the cleanest rag she had on her. She began wiping at her helmet, hoping oil stains wouldn't smear across the glass in place of the water.

"I thought this was supposed to be a relatively dry planet," Shepard said, shaking beads of water from his armored arms. "Figures we come to visit during the rainy season."

He looked around at their surroundings in the waning sunlight. A long hallway stretched before them, metal doors running the entire length. Upon opening one, it was evident they had stumbled in to a hotel or apartment complex. Tali, fumbling to put her rag away without tearing her eyes from the room, stepped inside first. There was a living area and kitchen immediately inside, with a smaller hall in the back likely leading to bed and bathrooms. Minus most of the appliances, it remained otherwise furnished from the original tenants, over 300 years ago.

Shepard stepped in after Tali and tried the light switch. The panel did not respond, giving the impression the power was out to the whole building, perhaps even the entire city or planet. He moved to the couch, noticing two small holes in the top of it; likely from bullets during the war. "Do you think this just sat here for all these years or the geth moved it back in?" he asked.

"Keelah," Tali whispered, completely ignoring the question, "all this space for one family?"

"And this isn't even a house," Shepard said, wandering down the hallway. "I wonder if the water works," he mumbled to himself, fumbling his way in to the dark bathroom. Like the lights, the water had been shut off as well. He questioned if the geth never repaired the utilities or if they had just left them disabled.

"Shepard, you there?" his radio asked without warning.

"I'm here, Joker, what's up?" Shepard answered, moving out of the bathroom. The other two rooms were both bedrooms, still mostly furnished but incredibly tiny. Tali wagered they were about the size of a normal living space back on the Flotilla by themselves.

"We just got word from the quarians," Joker answered, "They won't be here until the morning. Hope you're all set for a camping trip."

"We're only partially roughing it. The city we landed by may not have power or water, but it has plenty of room. It's even set up like it was when it was abandoned."

"Creepy," Joker said. "The whole city? Sounds like a zombie vid."

"I know," Garrus suddenly interrupted. "That's what I thought!"

"Garrus, where are you?" Shepard asked, "We found an apartment complex."

"Not far," he replied. "I've got a fix on your location and I'm headed there. Sure would be nice if the rain would let up, though."

Shepard moved to the bedroom window and brushed the ancient curtain aside. Rain hammered against the glass. The occasional streak of lightning offered more light than Rannoch's setting sun which was now entirely enveloped in black clouds. "Sounds good," he said at last. "Tali and I will go ahead and get settled in."

"I'll be there in a couple," Garrus said.

"And I'll start the horrible rumors about you two settling in," Joker added.

"You do and Tali's taking _you_ dancing next time," Shepard replied.

"I can think of worse ways to break my legs," the pilot retorted.

"So can _I_," Tali threatened.

"Uh, over and out, Commander," Joker stated, switching off his communications for the evening.

Shepard moved back in to the bathroom and began unlatching his wet armor. "Sure would be nice if I could take a shower, too," he commented idly. There was mud and field grass stuck in the treads of his boots. It was hard to see in the dark, but he was almost certain he and Tali had tracked all over the building. _Hardly the proper way to treat this place_, he thought to himself.

Tali walked in, illuminated by her omni-tool's flashlight. "I'd settle for getting out of this suit," she said, shining light on the commander so he could see what he was doing. "I'm completely soaked."

"I wish you could too," Shepard replied quietly, still working with his armor. He was never sure what to say in cases like these. She had lived with the suit all her life, she was used to it, but on the other hand he felt horrible talking like it was something she'd have to live with. Worst of all, there was nothing he could do to help. Feeling powerless was not something he dealt with gracefully.

"Shepard," Tali started, her suit fresh on her mind, "do you think we're… impossible?"

Shepard paused in his actions a moment before continuing to remove his leg plates. "I know I can be sometimes, but you seem to put up with me."

"That's not what I meant." She began to regret saying anything, but wounds only fester if they aren't treated. She couldn't get Ashley's passing comment out of her head. "I mean us. Together. When the new wears off the relationship, and don't say it won't, will you still put up with my… condition?" _That was the wrong word_, she told herself. _It's not a defect, just an obstacle_. She continued regardless. "What happens when you're tired of this suit, all the precautions, the special treatment… we can't even eat the same food."

The last of the commander's armor fell to the stone floor, clattering along side the sound of pouring rain. "I wondered the same thing," he said.

Tali's heart stopped. She knew it was a stupid idea to tempt fate. Why couldn't she let things run their course? Was it better to know now or years down the road? Panic clawed at the back of her mind but she remained stationary, or as stationary as she could trying not to start shaking.

"Then I realized something," Shepard continued. "Do you know why the love dies in a relationship?"

There was a long pause, followed by a "no" barely audible over the thunder in the distance.

"Because other couples can do anything at any time without risk. They overindulge and are left bored when the heat of the moment cools off. That suit, that we both hate so much, just builds my anticipation. It's like Christmas morn… wait, do you have a holiday every young quarian can't wait for?"

Tali's mind and heart conflicted with each other. Here she was, hoping Shepard was working his way in to some dramatic confession when suddenly she was relegated to divulging more quarian history. "Uh," she stammered, trying to think, "there's the Feast of Ancestors where we sing and dance and have the opportunity eat real food. We take a day off from our duties, harvest the liveships, and…"

"That's perfect," Shepard interrupted. "Every time you're well enough to leave your suit, it's like the Feast of Ancestors. My anticipation builds and builds until that day and it just makes me love you more when the time comes. The flame might grow dull over the years, like for anyone else, but that's definitely not going to happen today. Stop worrying, come here, and just let me love you," he told her.

She was barely able to speak through the smile frozen on her face but managed to respond with, "I love you too, Shep… John."

"Ah, you are working on it," Shepard commented, taking her in to a hug. He quickly released, saying, "Oh gross, you really are all wet."

"Shepard, you bosh'tet," she exclaimed, balling her fists.

"Sorry. I meant what I said, though. You know that." He compromised by placing his hand aside her helmet.

She exhaled her impulsive anger and nodded in to his palm. "I do, and I do too."

"So are you through worrying that we aren't going to work?"

"You always did have a way of convincing people," Tali replied, placing her hand over his.

The moment was promptly interrupted with the door to the apartment flinging open and hitting the wall loudly. Garrus stood in the doorway, dripping wet, and flung his arms towards the ground, throwing water to the floor. "Tali, I hate your planet!" he shouted.

* * *

"So, how's the romantic getaway plus Garrus?" Kasumi asked.

"Rainy," Tali replied quietly, "but still more than I could ask for." She had muted her helmet's speakers to prevent waking the sleeping human as well as the turian in the other room who had left his door open. She quietly crept in to the living area.

"Too excited to sleep then?" Kasumi turned her head and yawned in to the back of her hand. Hopefully she had cut her outgoing sound in time.

"I suppose that's part of it," Tali replied. "I'm also still damp from the rain. I didn't want to ruin the bed." She added, "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No," came the reply. "You caught me just before I was turning in. I had just changed. I haven't shown you or Shep the new shirt I got on the Citadel, have I? They only had XL left so it's unfortunately only fit to sleep in."

"Is it cute?"

"Oh it's cute alright," Kasumi answered. She tugged on the shirt, smiling at the Tupari Shepard giving a huge thumbs up on her chest looking back at her. "But it's also a surprise."

Tali sat in the apartment's couch and immediately stood up again. "Fine, but I expect to see it when I get back," she replied, running her hand along where she had sat. It didn't seem like the couch had gotten wet, as best as she could tell with gloves. "How have things been on the Normandy?"

"Oh, I see, you just call so you don't miss out on any gossip."  
"Maybe," was the playful reply.

Kasumi made a point of allowing her chuckle be heard over the radio. "Well you've only been gone a day. Nothing too interesting. You make it sound like all I do in my spare time is spy on people."

"You make it sound like it isn't," Tali said, moving to the window. The rain showed no signs of letting up any time soon.

"Well I've read all my books and anything I steal would just stay on the ship anyway," Kasumi admitted. "So that Ashley girl seems to be fitting in with Jacob just fine. Nothing's come of it yet, but I'd keep an eye open."

"Oh? Competition?"

"Please, I've long given up on that particular dream. He's great to look at, but once I got past his intense, macho exterior…"

"And great abs," Tali added.

"…and great abs, I learned how boring he really is."

"Your standards are just too high," Tali insisted.

"And yours aren't, Miss I'm-Dating-a-Superhero?"

"Hey, it's not like that," Tali exclaimed before remembering there were people sleeping nearby. "But it certainly doesn't hurt," she conceded more quietly.

"There you go. But how's the planet?"

She began talking excitedly again, by the grace of her muted helmet not waking the others. "Oh, Kasumi, it's incredible. Shepard and I climbed a tree, and sat by a creek, and watched the clouds, and… well, then it started to rain, but I love it so much!"

Kasumi smiled at her friend's rambling. She always enjoyed how animated the quarian could get. "So everything's in tact then?"

"It looks like it so far. Garrus and Shepard kept talking like the empty city's a zombie vid, though," she expressed with obvious disapproval.

"Boys, huh?" Kasumi yawned again, this time in to a loose fist. She leaned back to rest her head on the arm of her couch to gaze off in to the stars outside her window as she spoke. "Just the same old boring Normandy night life back here. Even Miranda didn't leave her room today, and she always loves to play captain when Shep's gone."

"I guess I should let you get some sleep then," Tali replied. "Hopefully I'm dry enough to get some myself." She yawned in turn and felt a bit of soreness creeping up the back of her throat. No doubt from removing her helmet and stealing a kiss earlier, but it would pass. She was finding it harder and harder to regret her more foolish actions these days.

"Good night, Tal," Kasumi replied before shutting off her radio and setting the earpiece back on her night stand. She yawned one last time, arching her back and stretching her arms as far as they would go. When she opened her eyes, her head still upside down and hanging over the couch arm, she could see her favorite painting. "And good night to you too," she whispered with a reflective smile. She brought herself back upright and brushed her hair out of her face. Tugging her night shirt back down over bare legs as far as it would go, she curled up on her couch and fell fast asleep.


	23. Company

Shepard's first sensation was the sound of rain, still beating against the window. It had let up some from last night, but was still going strong. Next he noticed light, but not from the window over the bed. The sun had only begun to rise. The light was coming from inside the apartment.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes; a yawn stretched his jaw but he didn't bother to cover it. Looking out of the room, he saw Tali standing against the wall, fiddling with her omni-tool.

"What time is it? Couldn't you sleep?" He asked, still horribly groggy.

Tali glanced over to the commander as he spoke before going back to her omni-tool. She said something he couldn't make out.

"What?" he asked.

Her head jerked and she made a quick motion on the glowing interface. "Sorry, I still had my helmet muted. I got some, not much," she repeated.

"You always did have trouble sleeping in weird places," Shepard commented. Then something dawned on him. The lights in the living room were on. He looked to the ceiling and said, "I thought the building didn't have any power."

"It doesn't," Tali answered. "I got this room running from my omni-tool. Just something to keep me occupied."

"Hotwiring an entire building is how you pass the time?"

Tali shrugged and moved her arm so Shepard could see her screen. "Also Solitaire. I have Tetris too. Your old human games are fun."  
Shepard smiled at the notion then took a closer look at the omni-tool. He brought up his own to compare. "What system is that? I don't recognize it."

"Originally a Savant," she answered, going back to her card game, "The same one you got me while we hunted Saren, in fact, but I've modified most of it for my own needs over the years. I even spliced in some functionality from your old omni-tool when we were on the first Normandy."

Shepard looked from their wrists to her helmet and failed miserably at forming a serious face. "Stealing military technology, Tali? I could hand you in to the Alliance for that."

"Didn't you already hand me classified data on the geth? I could take you down with me!" She grinned a hidden, yet devilish, grin as she placed a black 10 on a red jack.

"And we all stole a prototype frigate and started joyriding around the galaxy in it," Garrus added, walking out of his room. "Twice now, in fact." He offered a smirk to the two people that turned to look at him. "Is this where we reminisce about the good old days again?"

"Might as well," Shepard answered, "Can't do much else until the quarians get here."

"Plus it's still raining," Tali added. She frowned out the window and sniffed. One nostril was plugged again. At least her throat didn't hurt enough to prevent talking.

* * *

"I'm starting to wonder if she's going to come back," Shepard said absentmindedly.

"Eh, she couldn't have gotten far," Garrus replied, looking out the window. The rain had all but stopped. It slowed to a depressing drizzle and the sun began to peek back out through the clouds. "Besides, she'll get hungry eventually, right?"

Shepard sighed. Tali had wandered off what felt like an hour ago to explore the rest of the building. He put a finger to his ear. "Joker, any word from the quarians yet? We're starting to run out of morning here."

There was a slight pause, followed by EDI's voice. "Mr. Moreau is still asleep in his chair." This was followed by a scrambling noise.

"I was just resting my eyes, _mom!_" Joker shouted away from his mic. His voice became more audible to say, "Nothing yet, Commander. They should have been here by now."

"Tali, you hear that?" Shepard asked.

"I heard," she replied. She stepped out of a room and back in to the main corridor. The rooms had gotten progressively less and less furnished as she went on. It seemed like the building had taken severe damage on the end opposite of which they entered. Likely anything in the rooms, including their occupants, had been completely destroyed during the war. "I can try to send them a message and ask, but I can't get any real time communication down here."

"Best we can do unless you can reach them, Joker," Shepard decided.

"They didn't leave me a number," the pilot replied. "I guess they don't want to talk to me."

"Imagine that," Garrus commented to Shepard, making sure not to activate his radio while doing so.

Tali went to her omni-tool and started typing a message to Kal'Reegar. Hopefully nothing was wrong and he'd be able to check his mail in a timely fashion.

* * *

The rain had stopped and a rainbow formed in the hazy sky. Tali had to walk backwards to see it, as Shepard and Garrus lead the way ignoring it entirely. The quarian turned back around in time to see two small rabbit like creatures scurry out from under the Hammerhead. They must have taken shelter from the rain.

"Still no word?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing," Tali replied. "I'm starting to get worried." Her throat was still tight, but surprisingly not as bad as she expected it would be. Perhaps she was less allergic to Rannoch than she thought.

Garrus hopped up on to the front of the Hammerhead and brought his feet up to rest on the edge. "How long do we wait?" he asked. He had been wanting to ask this question for a while now, but it never seemed appropriate. Somehow every attempt made him feel like he was being impatient when people could have lost their lives. Actually asking the question was no different, but he had to do it.

"I don't know," Tali answered pensively. She hopped up on the other side of the Hammerhead next to Garrus and looked back to the rainbow. Suddenly this beautiful new planet seemed less exhilarating.

While Tali worried about the wellbeing of her friends and allies, Shepard wondered more about the effects this would have on her. Seeing her sitting quietly when she had been so energized before, he couldn't help it. She had already been placed on trial for a "lapse in judgment" once already. If the marines and science team disappeared on the way here, what would that say about her? What would this do to her candidacy?

Shepard walked over to the Hammerhead and leaned against it between his seated friends. "They'll be here," he said. He prayed he was right. There was little conversation for the next half hour.

* * *

"Shepard, we've got movement!" Joker yelled abruptly. Garrus perked up and Tali leapt off the tank on to the marshy ground. Before anyone could respond, Joker continued with, "Oh shit!"

"Joker, what happened?" Tali demanded.

"Three ships just blasted past us. One quarian, one Cerberus, and one geth. They didn't look too happy with each other."

"Cerberus?" the shore party exclaimed together. Shepard continued with, "What the hell are they doing here? Are they still following us?"

"No idea, but they didn't seem too interested in the Normandy," Joker replied. "A couple shots winged past us but nothing hit."

"What about the geth?" Shepard inquired. "True or heretic?"

"Hell if I know."

"Where's Legion?"

"Back in the AI core. I didn't want a geth watching me sleep, Commander." The pilot's eyes widened and he started yelling again. "Shit, heads up! Looks like they're all headed to ground!"

The shore party looked around in the sky and quickly spotted a flaming ball in the distance. The trio of ships was entering the atmosphere.

"Get inside," Shepard ordered. "Go, go!"

The Hammerhead popped open and the squad quickly found their seats. Starting it up, Shepard continually looked towards the sky, hoping not to lose sight of the caravan of metal and weapons fire. "Hold on!" he shouted. Wet stalks of plains grass were forced away from the tank's thrusters as it lifted from the ground. Shepard stomped down on the accelerator and the vehicle launched forward in pursuit of the streaking flames in the air.

"S…V.. ndy, this is… ban… req… assi..nce!" sputtered the Hammerhead's interior radio. Shepard glanced at the speaker but quickly whipped his eyes back to the path ahead of him. The tall grass was hiding rocks, valleys, surprised wildlife, and any number of other potential hazards.

Tali went to her personal radio. "Dyban, this is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, we're following you on land. What happened?"

"Tali?" replied her headset over shouting and other ambient racket, "Thank the ancestors. We got waylaid by Cerberus and now these geth assholes showed up on our run here. The Dyban's not made for combat, ma'am."

"Tell them to head down so I can get a clean shot," Garrus called down from the gunner's seat.

"Kal," Tali said again, "can you hear me? Draw them to us and we should be able to provide assistance."

"That would help if we knew where the hell you were, ma'am," Reegar replied.

"We're behind you a short ways in a Hammerhead."

"Can't exactly keep up with a star ship," Shepard yelled at Tali's passenger seat with no idea if he could be heard of the radio or not. He banked around a large tree in their path.

"Just head towards the ground and we should, Keelah!" Tali screamed, gripping the dashboard, as the hover tank narrowly scraped over a cliff face instead of running directly in to it. "We should be able to pick them off."

Reegar could be heard yelling something over the din of combat before speaking more directly in to his radio. "We'll try, ma'am. The Dyban's tough but she took a few shots. Steering ain't exactly… son of a _bitch!_" he shouted as a massive explosion could be seen in the sky. A smoky trail started leading straight towards the ground as smaller pieces of debris were flung from the main chassis.

"Shepard, we saw that from here!" Joker yelled. "What the shit's going on down there?"

The commander dodged ship pieces as best he could, smaller chunks bouncing off the Hammerhead as he continued his path. "The Cerberus ship just went up," he answered, ramping over a river. "The geth are still firing on the quarians."

The Dyban began to arc back towards the Hammerhead when it was clipped by geth fire. The engines in the back sputtered and the entire ship began to fishtail in a futile attempt to regain control.

"Shepard, watch out!" Garrus yelled as the main portion of the Cerberus vessel plummeted its way to Rannoch. The ground shook and the ship gracelessly belly-flopped to the ground, partially burying itself. Mud, rocks, and shrapnel alike were flung high in to the sky. The commander tore his eyes from the scene unfolding in the sky just in time to avoid the wreckage. Mud splattered across the Hammerhead, almost completely obscuring the tank's windshields. The wipers did little more than smear it further. The tank was forced to a stop.

"Kal," Tali shouted in to her radio. "Kal, what's going on?"

There was no answer, but Garrus could still see from his position manning the cannon. "They're losing it," the turian exclaimed. "I'm taking the shot!"

"Only if you won't hit the quarians!" Shepard ordered, moving his head around frantically, trying to find a clean view.

"I never miss!" Garrus yelled back. His mandibles flicked in hopes that he was telling the truth. He squeezed the dual triggers. A salvo of missiles launched forth. They spiraled through the air, all three passing the Dyban's uncontrolled path without hitting it. The first missile merely scraped a leg like claw dangling from the bottom of the geth's ship. The next slammed in to the hull, dealing moderate, but mostly cosmetic, damage. The third struck the ship's underbelly causing it to lose control, just like the ship it was chasing.

"Got 'em!" Garrus proclaimed with no small amount of pride.

Both Shepard and Tali left their seats and clambered back to Garrus' position to look out his gunner's port. They arrived in time to see the two wounded ships pass over them and smash in to the ground. The Dyban hit first, front down, carving a massive scar in to the land and running over a tree before embedding itself far enough in to the soil to come to a halt at a 45 degree angle. The geth ship landed sideways, bouncing over the Dyban and rolling several times before skidding to a stop upside down. Smoke and fire billowed out of the hole Garrus had punched in its belly.

"Kal, are you alright?" Tali shouted. "Reegar, Admiral Xen, anyone?"


	24. Nothing's Free

The Dyban's bent frame fell flat to the ground, its buried nose flinging more mud and rocks in to the air as it excavated itself. It was a small ship, only two or three times the size of the Kodiak shuttle. The door on the side fell open from the impact, letting a hysterical commotion full of shouting and chaos escape from inside.

Tali's exhale of relief was audible, but ragged. Just because people were still alive, it didn't mean they all were. Shepard's squad left the Hammerhead and raced to the scene as fast as their feet could carry them. Mud flew under foot; all three members deafened by their own breathing and panicked thoughts as they ran.

A female quarian in a dark maroon suit was the first to stumble out of the ship. She doubled over, panting heavily, as she clung to the doorway.

"Iya," Tali exclaimed, apparently recognizing her, "Is everyone alright?"

"Still taking stock, ma'am," the quarian answered between heaving breaths. "Looks like just a few various injuries, mostly to the science crew who was seated up front, outside the pilot." She stepped out of the doorway and in to the risen mud enveloping the Dyban. "Henet's dead."

Tali hung her head. "Ancestors take him," she said solemnly. "I suppose we should just be glad the Dyban is so durable."

"_Was_ so durable, ma'am" Kal'Reegar corrected, stepping out of the wreckage. "Damned shame," he commented, turning to look at the twisted mess. He leaned on it and said, "But I guess it's only fair I bury the old girl on the home world."

Tali turned to her companions and explained, "The Dyban was Reegar's gift to the Fleet."

"She was small and didn't pack much heat, but she was quick, tough, and never gave us a lick of trouble," the marine said, patting the hull before turning to the others. "She deserved better."

"We _all_ deserved better," a heavily cultured female tone proclaimed from inside the ship. Admiral Daro'Xen stepped from the ship holding her right arm above the elbow. "I suppose we have you to thank for leading Cerberus to us," she declared, staring directly at Commander Shepard.

Tali stepped forward and jabbed a finger at the admiral. "You do _not_ talk to Shepard like that. He's the man who made the recovery of the home world possible!"

The sneer hidden behind Xen's mask could be felt as plain as day. "Hold your tongue, Tali'Zorah. You are not an admiral _yet_." She glanced over the freshly scarred terrain before adding, "And I do believe it was the _geth_ that made this possible."

"We can argue all we want later," Shepard interrupted. In fact, he couldn't wait to argue with Xen later. "But first, we need to tend to your crew and get them out of that wreck."

"Agreed," Xen stated, her voice curiously harboring none of the animosity it had before. Moving her hand from her arm, she checked the rupture in her suit. It had already begun patching itself over her wound. Shepard noticed her skin was a bit more grey than Tali's but quickly averted his eyes as she looked back up. Blood seeped out but was thankfully not gushing. She clasped her fingers back over the hole and stepped back in to the Dyban. Shepard and the others began to follow when the female marine stopped him.

"I thought you looked familiar, Captain Shepard," she said.

Shepard's mouth hung open as he stared at her, his mind searching for some kind of recognition.

"I know, we all look alike," the quarian chuckled. "Don't sweat it, sir. You saved our asses on Freedom's Progress. Iya'Miya vas Neema, Migrant Fleet Marines and Kal's second in command; it's nice to thank you in person," she said, extending her hand for a shake. She continued with, "I know, frilly name for a marine. I get enough crap from the others about it."

Shepard smirked at the addendum and shook the quarian's hand. "Commander John Shepard, former N7 marine and current Spectre."

Iya released the man's hand and her head sunk a bit. "Sorry again about our actions on the colony."

"Believe me, I know what it's like following bad orders," Shepard reassured her. "How many of you got out?"

"Including Tali there," she said, "four of us. Well, only three after the infections ran their course." She looked away from the commander. "I guess I should consider myself lucky I was down sick from there or I'd have probably wound up on Haestrom with Reegar."

Reegar glanced at the woman and silently entered the Dyban to help with the wounded.

"I'm sure you'd have…" Shepard was cut off with a staccato rifle shot piercing the air. Iya's shields flashed blue and she fell gracelessly forward in to the commander's chest. Unable to think quickly enough to catch her, the two fell to the ground in a heap.

"Geth!" Garrus shouted, reaching for his rifle and heading behind the ship's hull for cover. Shining lights began to emerge from the other ship's wreckage; geth heads. Their garbled "speech" could be heard from yards away and they opened fire.

Grabbing Iya, Shepard and Tali ran to the cover Garrus had already taken behind the ship but were quickly surprised when the marine began to carry herself. "I can walk, damn it," she yelled. "They just got my shields." She spoke again, this time in to her radio, as she unhooked the sniper rifle from her back. "Reegar, we need support out here, the geth ain't dead!"

* * *

There was a soft rapping on the door from CIC to the research laboratory. Mordin did not even bother to look up from his vials. He merely announced that the door was open and continued scanning the blue liquid bubbling over a heated pad.

Kelly Chambers stepped inside, her signature smile present but greatly diminished from the heavy thoughts weighing on her mind. "I was wondering if you had looked over Crewman Duggar's tests yet," she said.

Mordin lowered his omni-tool and uttered, "I have. Was hoping to tell you and Shepard at same time, but could use this as practice." He picked up the OSD containing the data he had studied to use a prop while he spoke. "Initial findings seemed ordinary. Outside of cybernetics to increase healing, correct organ failure, all readings were just as Dr. Chakwas described. Without previous work in STG, would not have noticed difference either."

"So what was different?" Kelly asked.

Mordin held the OSD in front of him, pointing with it. "Duggar was different."

"We… could all tell you that, professor," Kelly said, trying to remain as respectful as possible.

"Not personality," the salarian corrected, waving the OSD back and forth to mimick the movement of his head. "Merely a symptom. Cause much more dire. Genetic code rewritten. Explains initial incoherency, exhaustion, detachment as body adapted."

"Like, some kind of gene therapy?" Kelly asked.

Mordin shook his head again and placed the OSD back on his table. Hadn't he had this exact same discussion with Shepard? "Like genophage," he stated.

Kelly placed a hand over her mouth. It slowly drug its way down her neck and landed over her heart. "Why… why would they sterilize humans?"

"Allow me to fully explain," Mordin requested. He began pacing in front of the yeoman as he spoke. "Only like genophage in sense that it rewrites entire genetic code. Genophage currently only procedure known with such a trait." He subconsciously glanced at his own work on quarian immune systems but quickly continued. "So far, unsure why Cerberus would take to altering human genes in such a manner. Perhaps attempting to make humans immune to disease or create super soldiers. Cannot tell for certain without more intel. However, would explain interest in salarians, Maelon, myself."

"Your…" Kelly paused, trying to think of the proper way to describe the genophage without sounding offensive. "Work?" was all she came up with.

"Precisely. Their own tests must have been slow, unproductive. Injections in Crewman Duggar show no signs of major improvements or side effects in host. Seemingly only caused depression, despondency. Wanted salarians for aid." He paused and felt a tingle of realization start in his shoulders and work down his back. He paced away from Kelly. "No, no, no, Maelon suffered injections as well. Could be similar alterations, defects, multi-racial adaptability. But for what?" Mordin went to a datapad and began scrawling on it.

"Thanks for your time," Kelly said, beginning to feel like she was hindering him simply by standing there. "I'll let you work." She began to head back in to CIC before Mordin looked back up to her.

"Before you go," the salarian said.

Kelly stopped and looked at him.

He fumbled around in a drawer before removing a small box. He pitched it to Kelly. She bobbled it a couple times but managed to get a firm grasp on it before it hit the ground.

"What is it?" she asked, inspecting the box.

"Ointment," Mordin replied. "Should help alleviate itching. Follow instructions on box."

Kelly's cheeks turned a bright red and her head sunk down as her shoulders rose. "Thanks," she barely managed to utter. Slipping the box deeply in to her pocket, she left the lab. Then, deciding her new found information was too important to keep to herself, she headed to the elevator. Riding it to Deck 3, she stepped out in to the mess area. It smelled like Gardener was preparing some sort of pasta dish as she walked past.

Kelly knocked on the door to Miranda's office. There was no answer.

"Executive Officer Lawson, I need to speak with you," she said and knocked again; this time with more force. Again, there was no reply.

"Miranda?" she asked outside the door. Kelly looked behind her. Other crew members were having lunch and she was in full view of them. She couldn't make a scene or press her ear against the door without concerning the others. Looking down, she also noticed the door was locked. She bit her lip and looked around again. Her hands rose uselessly from her side. She had no idea what to do.

"Could just knock the door down," said a deep bass voice.

Kelly jumped; startled. She turned to see Grunt standing behind her. She placed her hand over her heart to calm herself and said, "I don't think I'll be knocking down the door."

"Of course not, _human_."

"That's not what I meant," Kelly muttered as Grunt wandered off again, having said his part. Sometimes she really wished he would just go back to staying in his cargo area. She took a moment to stare at the locked door again. After a short time, she relented and walked back to CIC.

* * *

"I brought an old friend, you synthetic sons of bitches!" Kal'Reegar roared as he stepped back out of the Dyban. A single warning beep sounded and his rocket launcher fired in to the middle of the geth ship. The resulting explosion sent synthetics and shrapnel flying from the force. The ship itself took on another burnt scar in the side.

Using their squad leader's distraction, the remainder of the quarian marines poured out of the Dyban, returning fire against the geth not taken in the rocket blast. They quickly rushed to cover as best they could, but in the field most of them fell to their stomachs in mud, relying on the hilly terrain to shield them.

"Shepard, we could use that tank of yours!" Reegar yelled over the battle.

"You got it!" the commander yelled back.

"You don't need a passenger!" Tali shouted, waving Shepard and Garrus on. She hunkered down next to Iya and summoned her drone before taking shots with her heavy pistol.

Reegar ordered suppressing fire and Shepard and Garrus bolted for the Hammerhead. It wasn't three steps before Iya yelled, "Sniper!" Her cry came at the same time Shepard felt a massive impact drop his shields. He fell forward, rolling in the mud and coming to a stop face down. Iya cursed herself for being slow, but deftly counter-sniped the geth shortly after. Its lighted eye exploded and its head snapped back at an awkward angle before falling flat on its back. Iya turned to see the human thankfully still moving. She also managed to grab Tali, to prevent her from running out of cover to Shepard's aid.

"Get up, Shepard!" Garrus shouted. He grabbed his commander's arm as he passed him and roughly flung the human to his feet. Stumbling in to a run, Shepard hit his omni-tool to open the Hammerhead's doors.

"Damn it, we still can't see!" the turian yelled once he saw the mud still covering the front of the vehicle. He climbed over the top of the tank and in to the gunner's seat. Shepard plopped down in to the driver's seat and left the entrance hatch on his side popped open. Sticking his head out of the hole enough to see, he hit the ignition.

"Light 'em up!" Shepard barked as he drove the tank in to position near the quarians. Garrus didn't need to be told twice. Missile after missile hit its mark, raining synthetic pieces and ship parts. He only stopped firing when the clouds of smoke and ground completely obstructed the view of his target.

The battlefield was completely silent for a moment, but only for a moment. The cloud of smoke and debris was pierced by a single light then flung away from a mass accelerated siege pulse. The shot landed in the middle of three unfortunate marines that had taken cover on their stomachs. One was instantly killed, the other two flung in to the air. No one could tell for certain if they were alive as their eyes were all fixed on the colossus stepping out of the mangled geth ship.

"All fire on the colossus!" Daro'Xen ordered, leaning out of the Dyban. She began firing an assault rifle as best she could with only her left arm.

Kal'Reegar glanced at her, somewhat impressed, then shouted, "You heard the lady, take it down!"

The Hammerhead began unloading, quickly overloading the armature's shields. Unfortunately, this made it the geth's prime target. The second shot landed directly on the tank, obliterating its shields and bouncing it off the ground with the sheer force of the blast. Shepard left his seat due to the impact and hit the hatch above him before falling back in to the cockpit. Warning sirens blared at full volume as the tank attempted futilely to perform self repairs.

"Warning, hull integrity compromised," the onboard VI stated calmly.

"Cannon took that hit dead on," Garrus grumbled. "It's out."

Shepard swore under his breath, climbing back in to position, barely able to swing the damaged tank to the side before taking another siege pulse. The shot clipped a hover unit, ripping it off entirely. Spinning violently, the Hammerhead scraped along the ground before coming to a dead halt. Its torn limb sparked and its engines flashed warnings of overheating.

"Warning, damage critical," the VI announced.

Barely managing to maintain his bearings, Shepard looked up, out of the loose hatch. He could see the colossus charging another blast; one that he could not possibly avoid. The blast that came, however, was Kal'Reegar's rocket landing directly in the armature's glowing light. The synthetic's head exploded, the body falling limply to the ground.

Reegar let loose a bestial, "Hoooaaahh!" pumping his rocket launcher over his head. He yelled back to the battered Hammerhead, "I think we're even now, Shepard!" Then, taking a deep breath, he came down from his battle high. He gently dropped his rocket launcher back in to the Dyban and hurried to his fallen marines. Tali and Iya were already found hovering over them giving aid. In the distance he saw Shepard and Garrus climb out of their tank and start their way over as well.

"Prime, prime, heads up!" a marine yelled before taking a rocket to the chest. His shields, and his body, stood no chance. A lone geth prime lumbered towards the quarians. Its shields flickered as the marines returned fire, backing in to better positions. The synthetic let another rocket fly, landing at the feet of two quarians who managed to dodge the blast just enough to only be flung to the side. Their fallen forms were subsequently ignored by the geth as it continued its march and heavy machine gun fire towards standing bodies.

As it passed the door of the Dyban, Admiral Daro'Xen popped out behind the synthetic and completely overheated her rifle in to the prime's back. Its heavy armor was quickly filled with sparking holes and it fell to its knees. Its head lamp shut off and it fell face first in to the mud.

"Let us hope this business is over with," Xen stated, dropping her rifle as though it were a dead animal and going back to holding her wounded arm.

Exhaling at the sight of what was hopefully the final geth falling, Kal'Reegar turned back to Tali and Iya. "How are they?" he asked, kneeling down by the wounded marines. One of them weakly raised his hand and Tali took it to comfort him. The other lay completely still. Shepard and Garrus arrived on the scene, but stood silently.

"Mrolo's gone," Iya said. Then she glanced at the other marine before whispering to Reegar, "Wihn probably won't last much longer."

"She's right," the marine coughed, clearly overhearing the hushed voice anyway. "But at least I made it to the home world first."

"You're going to be just fine, marine," Reegar firmly stated to the fallen quarian. Before he could go anywhere else with his pep talk, however, the body went limp. Tali dropped the arm and lowered her head in reverence. Shepard and Garrus looked at each other with the same pensive expression before looking back to the quarians.

"We should check on the others, sir," Iya suggested.

Reegar nodded and stood back up. As if on cue, drops of rain began to fall once more.


	25. Much to Learn

The rain was soft, just enough to prevent ship fires from spreading. Thankfully, the Dyban was the only ship not currently ablaze. The geth ship had been wrecked several times over by weapons fire as well as the crash. The Cerberus ship retained an engine fire from exploding midair but the fuselage only suffered burns, no live flames. Some of its pieces still smoldered in the landscape, however.

Kal'Reegar let out a sharp whistle as he looked down at the dead geth prime. Its torso was completely destroyed; white, artificial blood pooling around the lifeless body, mixing with the mud.

"You act as though I was merely handed my position," Daro'Xen commented. Her eyes flitted towards the wound on her arm, but she would not let herself look again with eyes upon her.

"Meant nothing of the sort, ma'am, just never seen what you're capable of in person," Reegar replied, completely unphased by her tone of voice.

"How's the rest of the science team?" Shepard asked. It seemed the other marines, minus the unfortunate one who had taken a rocket to the chest, were going to survive just fine barring any severe infections. Having heard stories from Tali, he knew the worst could often come long after the battle was over.

"Nothing life threatening," Xen replied. "A few minor cuts and ruptures, one broken leg. Some more rattled than others, but I'll see to it they perform their duties." She looked past the people in front of her, towards the Cerberus ship. "However, I would first like to inspect that Cerberus vessel. They attacked us for some reason and clues to why could very well be on board."

Shepard nodded, mostly to his own thoughts than to Daro'Xen. "They attacked us earlier too. I want to know what they're up to."

"Very well," Xen responded, "come along if you must."

"Please," Tali reproached, "don't let us inconvenience you, _Admiral_. Lead the way and we'll follow obediently behind."

Admiral Xen's glowing eyes glared at the engineer but she said nothing. She simply began walking her way towards the wreckage.

Tali felt an arm nudge her from behind. She turned to see Garrus holding his fist in the air, knuckles facing her. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Xen wasn't looking and discreetly bumped Garrus' fist with her own.

Shepard couldn't help but snicker at the scene but quickly said, "Who knows what we'll find on that ship?" He gestured to Kal and Iya still standing in front of him. "You two should probably come along as well."

They nodded in return and the group set off to catch up with Xen.

* * *

With a bit of a strain, Garrus managed to rip the damaged door of the Cerberus ship open. The ship itself was the largest of the three crashed, but even still just a smaller frigate. The name "Macedonia" was painted on the side, but now badly burned and partially buried in the ground.

"Ladies first," the turian offered. Tali crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her right leg. Iya took note of her friend's reaction and just looked at Garrus incredulously. "It was worth a shot," he relented.

Daro'Xen huffed, "Is everyone on your crew this ridiculous?" as she stepped inside; her omni-tool up to shine light in to the wreck. It wasn't entirely necessary as the emergency lighting was still functioning in some spots, but the interior was still left dim. Severed wires sparked ineffectively and error messages plagued any computer screens still in tact enough to have a readout.

"Unfortunately no, but they'll learn," the commander replied, following the Admiral inside. Kal'Reegar patted him on the back, smirking to keep his chuckling silent, and went in next. The floor, like the rest of the ship, was slightly tilted making walking not necessarily difficult, but more annoying than it should have been. They were just glad it was mostly right-side up instead of buried nose first.

"I don't think we'll be finding survivors," Iya commented, being the last inside. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the charred remains of the bridge crew haphazardly spread throughout their work areas. One of them remained in his chair, impaled to it by a pipe that had been torn loose from the ceiling. It was difficult to tell how much damage was caused by the explosion and how much was caused by the resulting crash in to the planet.

"We were not looking for any, Iya'Miya," Xen said, "And it saves us the trouble. You actually worked with these people?" Her question was obviously pointed at Shepard and his squad.

"Not these people," Shepard answered as the group worked their way in to the heart of the ship, "I have my own crew that was hand picked to answer directly to me. As I've said, I hold no ties to Cerberus."

"Glad to hear it," Xen replied unconvincingly. On the wall she read the words "Holding 1" and "Holding 2" in official Cerberus yellow paint. Starting with the left door, Holding 1, she shined her light inside. There was a body in a lab coat pressed against the wall by his table. Also against the wall were the shattered remains of some test tubes. Stepping further inside, there was a sight that made the group suddenly unwary.

"Keelah," Tali murmured as she entered. In the back of the room was the holding area described by the sign. A series of tiny cells lined the wall; six in all. The doors were a clear, reinforced glass and the cells themselves held nothing but a bench without even enough room to lie down. Each cell had vents in the wall for life support and decontamination.

Reegar moved back to the cells and looked them over. "Was this why they were chasing us?" he asked rhetorically. "Some kind of damned zoo?"

"Doubtfully so benign," Xen commented as she stooped down to inspect the spilled contents of the table. Most of it consisted of broken glass, blood from the dead scientist, and puddles of unknown chemicals she dare not touch, even in gloves. However, two items could be salvaged. One was a damaged datapad and the other was a single vial that had not been broken.

Shepard noticed the vial first. "I have a scientist on the Normandy that would probably love to take a look at that."

"I'm certain he would," Xen replied.

"You're not getting back to the Flotilla without a ride," Shepard countered, "the least you can do is work with us."

"They saved our lives, ma'am," Iya added.

Xen sighed. The section seals on her suit had clamped down, but the infection from her wound was beginning to make her head ache. She was in no condition to argue. "Very well, but I will hold on to this for the time being." She slipped the tube in to one of her pockets and went to the datapad. The screen was a garbled mess and the plastic on one side was bubbled up from a burn. "Tali'Zorah, I have need of your talents," the admiral proclaimed, holding the datapad out so the engineer could take it. Thinking better of fishing for another cheeky remark, Tali simply accepted the pad and set about fixing it up.

"Door number 2?" Shepard suggested. Xen nodded and took point again.

The door to Holding 2 was stuck, but with Garrus and Shepard pulling the sides, it slid open with minimal effort. Stepping inside, Xen froze in the doorway. Wondering what could have made even her tense up, Shepard, Garrus, and the two marines stepped inside as well only to have similar reactions.

"You have to be kidding me," Garrus uttered.

"Cerberus is absolutely insane," Iya commented.

"Admiral, I think this is the best I'll get out of this… oh… Keelah…" Tali stammered as she too stepped in to the holding room.

The holding room's layout was identical to the other one. Its work table was even overturned in the same area, though two corpses lined the floor instead of only one. As before, vials were smashed on the ground with their mysterious contents pooling around other remains. In the back was the same style of holding cells. These, however, were not empty.

Daro'Xen was the first to step forward. "Incredible," she said, moving to the nearest cell. Inside, crumpled to the floor, was an inactive geth. The five other cells also held geth, strewn about in different poses due to the crash. "I wonder if they're still operational," she said quietly to herself. "Commander," she said more loudly, turning to face the others, "I would request we take these specimens aboard your ship when we return to the Migrant Fleet."

"Shepard, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Tali whispered to the commander.

_Me either_, he yearned to say back, but instead said to Xen, "I took one geth aboard because it helped us and that was a big enough risk. You're asking me to take six of unknown affiliation?"

"Indeed," the admiral replied, "there would be no reason to reactivate them on board your ship and the data I… we… could gain from them would be invaluable should they still be intact." Correcting herself with "we" sounded almost as though it was physically painful to do so.

"Admiral, you cannot be serious," Tali said.

"While some of our creations offer us peace, there is still a faction that would see us destroyed, Tali'Zorah" Xen countered. "The Reapers you wish to stop are AI just like these machines. Your father saw the value in such research. Surely you can see…"

"My father was wrong!" Tali shouted, her enraged voice instantly silencing the admiral and echoing in the dead ship.

Shepard gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "You said you fixed the datapad?" he quietly asked her, hoping to ease her mood. She nodded and lifted the pad up so the commander could take it from her. The group gathered around and read over his shoulders as Xen returned to looking over the geth in the cells.

_D8y 103; Trial /88/&_

_At the current stage, the tre[MEMORY FAILURE]vates the geth. 8=/&= promising results from orga88/8[CORRUPT DATA]8*8 a geth has really thrown a wrench 888888.8^8re up to me I'd just let them 88/8(*)ut the Illusive Man insists we [CORR8/888ATA]ficial ones. Can the Reapers even ma[MEMORY FA8LURE]thetic? Sometimes I wo8der if we're just wasting our 888/8%88^*_

_888efully the quarians sho88/=8==omise the turians [CORRUPT DATA]mune systems could prove probl8matic, but I'm certain we can [88/888FAIL888]est subjects than the salarians, but I don't get p88d to fail. [C*RRUPT 8*T8] on us. If Shepa/8 cannot 8e trusted, we're =*888/+8=*8/ total extinction._

_[ERROR]_

_[CORRUPT DATA]_

_[MEMORY FAILURE]_

_[S8GMENTATION FAULT] _

_[MISSING FONTS]_

_[PLEASE REINST888]_

"Well," Garrus said, "That's a lot of eights."

"But what does it mean?" Iya asked. "They mentioned quarians."

"Salarians, turians, and the geth too," Shepard noted. "The last ship had salarians on board. This one has geth and a room full of empty cells, presumably for you."

"Okay, so they're collecting test subjects from different races," Reegar surmised, "but why?"

"It looks like they mentioned me too," Shepard continued, pointing at the "Shepa/8" on the pad. "Maybe some kind of contingency plan? Are you sure this is all you can save, Tali?"

"I was lucky to get this much," she admitted.

"Was this what they were going to do to Veetor?" Iya asked.

"Keelah, I hope not," Tali replied. She looked again at the tiny holding cells. "He'd go crazy in here." Barely missing a beat she corrected, "_Crazier_. Do you know how he's doing? I haven't seen him since… well, not for a while."

"Haven't seen much of him since then, ma'am," Reegar answered. "From what I understand, the doc managed to get him stable enough to continue his pilgrimage."

"Good," Tali said. Inwardly she wondered where he would possibly go if even a small human colony wasn't safe.

"So is there anything important here or just idle banter?" Daro'Xen asked as she strolled back over to the group.

"There's not much left that's legible on this datapad," Tali reported, "but it does tell us they were collecting test subjects from the different races."

"And they saw our small ship as an easy target." The admiral deduced.

"More than likely, ma'am," Reegar answered.

"Then we shall see to it our next trip to Rannoch will be with a fleet," Xen decided. "Let us study the rest of this planet quickly so we can get to work on our more important findings."

"More important than recovering our home world, Admiral?" Tali asked with an edge to her words.

Xen only stared back at her. The glare was slightly diminished by the effects of the antibiotics coursing through the woman's bloodstream.

* * *

Rannoch's sun began to set in an overcast, dark blue sky and the members of the quarian science team that were fit to move had been scurrying around all day fetching samples and scanning anything within omni-tool range. Shepard had no idea what they were looking for, but was happy to just sit in the Dyban out of the gentle rain. The handful of wounded quarians resting inside it had been talking with him nonstop, however. He didn't mind too much, but it was quite apparent Tali had taken it upon herself to ensure that everyone knew about him; either after her pilgrimage or after he returned on Freedom's Progress. It helped take their minds off their injuries at any rate.

"Can I have your autograph, Commander Shepard?" Garrus asked, stretching and taking a seat by his friend. He checked his omni-tool for the time as Iya stepped in to the ship behind him. They had accompanied a portion of the science team in exploring the geth vessel, though had not been able to acquire much information very quickly. With half the team injured and sick, only a small detail could perform their intended mission.

"Don't think I forgot to mention you too, Garrus," Tali said, sitting across from Shepard and next to Reegar. "I just don't think you're quite as impressive as the captain."

"Oh, I see how it is, mammals," the turian replied with mock indignation. "Was I the hot tempered loose cannon like in all those human/turian buddy cop vids?"

"No," Iya said, unfastening her rifle from her back and squeezing in next to Garrus on the long bench, "you were the heroic C-Sec officer that ignored racial differences and prejudice to help save the galaxy." The female marine used the driest portion of the cloth wrapped around her arm to wipe the spots from her visor.

"I kinda like the first one, though," Shepard decided. I could just see Executor Pallin yelling 'One more stunt like that, Vakarian, and I'll have your badge!'" He swung his fist in the air to punctuate each word.

The star struck quarians all started laughing, minus the ones asleep or unconscious from the drugs in their systems. Garrus chuckled at the notion as well, commenting, "That's not too far from the truth, really."

"Sounds like a story," Iya said. Tali noticed one of the marine's feet running back and forth on the floor of the ship, but wasn't sure if Iya herself was aware of her body language. The engineer smiled behind her mask and could barely stop herself from rubbing her hands together mischievously.

"I have a lot of stories that end in that fashion," Garrus admitted. From his tone of voice it was hard to determine if he was simply being honest or embellishing for the quarian's sake. Tali secretly hoped for the latter.

"Commander, is your pilot ready for us yet?" Daro'Xen asked, sticking her head in the doorway and interrupting the whole ordeal. Her words were pointed; the fever she was developing making her more irritable than usual. Tali could not help but frown in the admiral's direction. In doing so she noticed it was now pitch black outside, the rain still falling steadily.

"I told him to expect a lot of visitors," Shepard replied. The unexpected attack had unfortunately turned a prolonged study of the planet in to a quick stop. He put a finger to his ear. "Joker, come on down. The quarians are ready for pickup."

"You got it," Joker answered, "They're not going to be as excited about the Normandy as Tali was, are they? Should I put up a baby gate to keep them wrangled in one area of the ship?"

"You know I can hear you," Tali replied.

"Oh good," Joker quipped, "What do _you_ think? Cargo bay? Hangar? Think we could convert engineering in to a play room?"

"Just land the damn ship," Shepard ordered.

"Fine, sheesh," Joker responded, "This audience gets tougher every day."

"And do not forget my geth, Commander," Xen demanded.

"We never agreed on that," Shepard retaliated.

Xen's fists clenched, reminding her of the wound on her arm. She went back to clutching it and responded, "Perhaps a compromise, then. I take three and you take three. I am certain your scientist stands to learn just as much as I do." She turned to Tali with a hidden smile behind her mask. "What say you, Tali'Zorah?"

Tali faltered at the question. "Me?"

"Indeed. If you are to become an admiral, you must make decisions such as this daily. Do you harbor your captain's fear or do you understand the necessity of research? Consider this… a test, if you must."

Tali could see the others on the ship looking at her from the corners of her eyes. Her initial reaction was to simply agree with Shepard. She realized Xen was right, though, in her own venomous way. She had to remain impartial for the good of her people. Her own prejudices would have left Legion to die on the derelict Reaper, after all. What if these geth were as similar to the Reapers as Xen supposed? What if Cerberus had done something to them that left clues to their ultimate purpose? She looked back at Xen who simply stared back at her, holding her arm and awaiting a response.

"You wanted to re-enslave the geth," Tali said at long last. Her accusation came as a statement with no malice.

"Now only those deemed heretics," Xen replied without missing a beat. "Perhaps the knowledge I gain could be used against the Reapers as well." The response came so quickly it had obviously been thought out and practiced before hand. Shepard began drawing similarities between Daro'Xen and the Illusive Man. _The ends justify the means._ He snorted at the thought, drawing the admiral's attention.

"Something to add, Commander?" she inquired.

"I find out you aren't on the up and up and the Migrant Fleet will be looking to replace _two_ admirals," he answered.

"You shan't regret it," Xen replied with self satisfaction, accepting Shepard's answer as permission. She exited the Dyban before matters could be discussed further.


	26. Carpooling

"Welcome…" Kelly yawned daintily in to her hand, finishing her sentence after her mouth closed. "Welcome back, Commander."

Shepard smiled. "You stayed up just to see us back?"

"Of course!" she replied happily. Her smile quickly fell from her face as she neared the commander. She allowed quarians to walk past her before speaking again. "Also, you need to check on Miranda," she said. "She's locked herself in her room and refuses to even speak to me."

Shepard knitted his brow. He glanced around to see if anyone else had heard Kelly's confession but it seemed the most likely contenders, Tali and Garrus, were busy guiding the flow of quarians in to the ship. "That's odd," he said to Kelly, not wanting to add how it sounded like Miranda was acting like a spoiled teenager. "I'll see what's up as soon as I sort out the quarians. You go get some rest, your shift ended hours ago."

Kelly's smile returned and she nodded. "Good night, Commander," she offered and headed for the elevator.

"I think we've got the wounded heading down to the med bay," Garrus said after the last quarian found their way with Tali guiding them. "The others are headed to Starboard Observation or sleeper pods. The geth have been piled in the AI core with Legion watching over them."

"Excellent," Shepard replied. He began to speak further when feminine, dulcet tones interrupted him.

"An AI core, you say?" Daro'Xen repeated. She was suddenly standing right next to Shepard, seemingly having come from nowhere. "I believe that sounds quite interesting."

"I'm sorry, Shepard," Tali exclaimed, walking over to the scene, visibly flustered. "She doesn't seem to want to listen to me."

"It's alright," the commander replied. "I'll pawn her off on Mordin. You go ahead and…"

"'Pawn me off,' will you?" Xen asked incredulously. She crossed her arms and stared daggers through her helmet, her illness forgotten.

"He'll want to take a look at that Cerberus chemical we picked up. Now's your best chance to see what they were up to," Shepard offered as consolation.

"I suppose that will have to do," Xen decided, wishing she had some sort of bargaining chip. "It is your ship, after all. Lead on, 'Commander.'"

"I'll get the others settled in," Tali mentioned. Shepard nodded in recognition and led Xen away. Noticing Iya was one of the quarians still in the CIC, Tali spoke up again. "Come on, Garrus, let's show them around."

"Uh, sure, okay," the confused turian replied.

* * *

"Shepard, glad you're here," Mordin stated as the door opened. "Made great progress with previous trial. Experiment showed… visitor. We have a visitor," the salarian stated, looking up from his work.

Shepard started with introductions. "Professor Mordin Solus, say hello to Daro'Xen vas, uh..."

"Moreh," The admiral filled in with bare annoyance. "_Admiral_ Daro'Xen vas Moreh."

"A pleasure," Mordin replied curtly. "Heard we'd have quarians aboard, captivating race, have been studying your kind in great detail lately, but not about me. Shepard said you have something of great importance while planet side." The salarian stared at Xen intently, hands clasped together.

"Did he now?" Xen asked rhetorically. Knowing obstinance would get her nowhere, she conceded and reached in to her pocket. She procured the slim vial of mysterious fluid. Mordin's eyes lit up at the presentation of a new challenge.

"I'll let you two get to work," Shepard said.

"Shepard," Mordin said, catching him before he left, "one more thing."

"Yes?" the commander asked. There was _always_ one more thing.

"Believe I have discovered cause of Crewman Duggar's behavior."

Shepard blinked and walked over to Mordin's work table, leaning on it. "Why didn't you say so?" He quickly remembered their company and took his weight off the table. "Uh, how life threatening is it?"

"Not at all," the salarian replied. "Though injections startlingly similar to Maelon's."

"I thought you couldn't run tests on Maelon until he recovered."

"Must have forgotten to tell you. Maelon passed away while you were on Rannoch," Mordin explained.

Shepard's head recoiled at the news. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

"Have already grieved," Mordin replied. "Believe we have discussed brevity of salarian emotional stages in comparison to humans, quarians." He gestured to Daro'Xen whose eyes were calmly watching the conversation unfold. Seeing again that she was listening, despite the revelation of Maelon's death, Shepard began to steer the discussion to a close.

"I expect to hear the full rundown first thing in the morning," he requested.

"Certainly," Mordin replied. "Also, did you acquire samples I requested?"

Shepard looked down at his filthy armor. Mud had caked on it, drying in several spots. Slivers of grass, a few leaves, and small seed pods from the planet's flora stuck to him in different spots. "I'm covered in them," the commander said with his arms out wide. "I'll leave them here with you." He began unbuckling his armor.

Daro'Xen let out an audible "ugh" and turned away from the man out of modesty.

* * *

Kelly was right. Miranda's door was locked. Shepard still tried things the polite way first with a knock. Then, when that failed to produce results, he tried again, pounding his fist. The mess hall was empty at this hour, but even still, Shepard had no desire to shout through the door. Taking a moment to glare at the lock, he turned and headed for the port side observation room.

"Kasumi," the commander barked as he barged in to the room.

"Ngh, wha?" was the response as the startled thief nearly fell off her couch. "She-ard, wha rong?" she mumbled over a large yawn as she sat up. Her hands were too busy rubbing her eyes to cover her mouth. She stood up from her couch and looked at the man, trying to focus after her rude awakening.

"What the hell's wrong with Miranda?" Shepard demanded.

"Well, her genetic perfection combined with her daddy issues give her an inferiority complex whenever she screws up causing her to cover her shortcomings with a façade of…"

"Not what I meant. Why is her door locked? Kelly said she's been barred up since yesterday."

Kasumi looked away from the commander in thought for a moment before saying, "Your guess is as good as mine, Shep."

"Bullshit, you know everything that happens on this ship whether you're supposed to or not."

Outwardly offended at the man's tone, Kasumi placed her hands on her hips. "I only wish I did. I honestly don't know, Shepard, but if she's pouting behind a locked door and it's making you act like this it's obviously big."

Shepard hung his head for a second before bringing it back up to meet Kasumi's eye. "You're right, I'm sorry." He ran a hand over his hair before continuing. "I guess I'm just tired. The geth attack, taking care of the quarians, keeping Daro'Xen under control…"

"I expect to hear all about it next time I corner you or Tali. You want me to hack Miranda's door for you?"

With a single chuckle, Shepard replied, "Nah, I'll just get EDI to unlocked it. Sorry about waking you." With that, the commander turned and left the observation room.

Kasumi let out a sigh and stared at the door as it closed. "Well I'm not getting back to sleep now," she mumbled to herself. She tugged her shirt over her head and spun it around to look at it. "And he didn't even notice you!" she said to it. "Don't worry, Tupari Shepard, _I_ still like you." Tupari Shepard only offered his same giant smile and an equally exaggerated thumbs up in return. She tossed the extra large shirt over the back of her couch and began walking towards her drawers to pick out her usual outfit. She imagined sneaking around the ship to see the quarians would get her tired again.

"Almost forgot to mention: nice shirt," Shepard said, sticking his head back in the door. His eye caught only a glimpse of the woman's figure and some very short, very bright pink shorts as Kasumi disappeared from view.

"You have got to learn how to knock, Shep," she replied, instinctively covering her breasts with her arms despite being invisible. Knowing Shepard's knack for picking her out while cloaked, she quietly stepped to the side to see if his eyes followed her. They did not, but she still wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, sorry about that," the commander offered.

"Please leave so I can get dressed."

"Right…" Shepard replied. It wasn't often Kasumi saw him blush, but he certainly was as he exited again.

* * *

Miranda's initial shock at her door opening was immediately over written by her self consciousness. Wiping at her eyes, she sat up straight to see Shepard walking in. A glance at her hand told her she had only smudged the mascara running down her cheeks, but it was too late to fool anyone now. She just sat on the end of her bed wondering how to explain everything.

"Miranda," Shepard started.

She interrupted with, "I'm sorry, Commander. I'm letting my personal problems get in the way of my duties. I won't let it happen again." She stood up as if she expected him to leave just like that.

"We've been over this. My crew's business is my business too. I'll decide if you have anything to be sorry for."

"It's not so simple, Shepard," Miranda stated. She sat back on the bed. Shepard took her office chair and spun it around, sitting down across from her.

"Nothing ever is," he replied. "But something has you locked away from the rest of the ship and I need to hear what it is."

"You really are stubborn."

"I'm not the only one."

Miranda gave a snort, the closest thing she had felt to amusement in the past couple days. The curl of a smirk that cracked her mouth quickly slid away again as she stood back up. Seeing her move for her terminal and deactivate her screen saver, Shepard stood so that she could sit. In doing so he noticed the coffee stains on her desk and floor as well as the shards of a coffee mug, but opted not to mention them.

"_That_ is what's kept me here," Miranda spat, thrusting her hand in the direction of the screen. As the commander turned to look at the message that had been there since she first opened it, she set about wiping at her eyes again.

_Ms. Lawson,_

_I'm sure, especially after the regretful forceful approach, you have determined that following Commander Shepard's lead is the best idea. However, you and I both know that his gallivanting around the stars is only going to leave humanity as a whole ill prepared for the Reapers' return. My methods have never been gentle, but they produce beneficial results. Unfortunately, a direct confrontation in which I underestimated Shepard's influence left me at a disadvantage. I'm not asking you to condone what I have done, but I am asking you to understand my position and my intentions. You were one of my most trusted operatives for that very reason; seeing the big picture. Knowing that Shepard will not be easily swayed from his reckless actions, I would request your return to duty to oversee a new project. If you cannot do this for your sake, or even the sake of humanity, do it for Oriana's._

_-The Illusive Man_

"Oriana," Shepard read aloud. He turned to Miranda to see her sitting with her head down, her arms listlessly dangling between her legs. It was the first time he'd ever seen her posture anything but perfect. "Why didn't you tell anyone about this?"

Miranda moved her lips but no words came for a short time. "For the first time in my life, I honestly don't know what to do," she finally admitted. She looked back up at the commander. "He has all the cards."

"I think I know you well enough you aren't going to turn on me now."

"Of course not, Shepard," Miranda replied with more spite than assurance. Even in this state she could manage her normal acrimony. "What we're doing is too important, even if it means…" she was cut off by a lump in her throat.

"I can't believe this asshole would use your sister against you. Is he really that desperate?" Shepard stood quietly a moment before continuing. "Maybe he's going after members of the crew individually."

"Can he blackmail any of the others like he can me?" Miranda asked. She let her head fall in to her hand, her elbow resting on her knee.

Shepard cocked his head. "Do you think he kidnapped her?"

"That's just not his style," Miranda stated. "I've never known the Illusive Man to stoop to lowlife crimes to further his own agendas. Maybe a little white collar dishonesty, but…"

"Why else would he mention her?" Shepard asked.

Miranda shrugged. "Maybe he just wants to put a personal spin on his propaganda and hasn't even touched her. That's why I've been in my room. I've… I've been thinking about Oriana," she admitted, "about why the Illusive Man would mention her. I can't imagine him harming her but I can't help but think the worst." Her eyes threatened to tear up again but she wouldn't let them; not in front of Shepard. She bit her lip hoping to focus on physical pain instead of mental.

The commander walked over to the chair by Miranda's window and sat down. He brought his hand to his chin to think. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't lie to Kasumi at all. He really was tired and this chair was exceedingly comfortable. Unfortunately, he couldn't sleep until he had at least tried to alleviate Miranda's concerns. Then the idea hit him.

"Do you know where Oriana's family is?" he asked.

"No," Miranda answered. "I thought it was better that I not know… but I also thought I could trust the Illusive Man with her safety." Upon completing her sentence she leaned forward, placing her forehead in the heel of her palm.

"Then we need information."

Miranda moved her hand to the side and looked up at him.

"After we drop off the quarians, we'll head to Illium," Shepard decided.

"Liara T'Soni," Miranda said softly as the plan dawned on her. Imagining Shepard's intentions, her eyes grew wider. "We can't tell the crew, Shepard; not about this. They'll need a reason and… We can't just go out of our way for my personal problems. This is exactly what the Illusive Man was talking about."

"We need a biotic," Shepard stated.

"What?"

"We're not half bad, but we're only human. Without Jack or Samara, this crew is sorely lacking someone with overpowering biotic power. Liara should fit that bill nicely. We just tell the crew we're picking up a new member and leave it at that."

Miranda could be seen to perk up a little at the notion. "Will she even come this time?"

"I don't know, but it couldn't hurt to try. The way she's changed, life on the Normandy could only be good for her. That's not what I'm worried about anyway."

"Thank you, Shepard," Miranda said. She meant it. A hint of a smile formed on her lips. Even if the chances of success were slim, his effort meant a lot. "I… I should let you get to bed. You've probably had a long day even before my problems."

"You could say that," Shepard replied. "Try to get some sleep yourself and don't worry so much. We'll keep your sister safe."

Miranda nodded slightly at the commander's words. Whether or not she believed him was a different matter all together, but at least she seemed to be put more at ease. Unfortunately, now Shepard wondered if he could sleep with the different ideas the Illusive Man could be up to. Did it tie in to the injections and abductions? Why did he want Miranda specifically? What about the others that have already left? Shepard could reach Thane easily enough and possibly Zaeed by replying to the message about Alingon, but Samara and Jack could be anywhere by now. Lost in his thoughts, he reached his room before he realized it. Tali was already fast asleep, curled around the pillow from Shepard's side of the bed, hugging it. He showered as quickly and quietly as he could before slipping in to bed with her, replacing the pillow in her arms with his body. He was wrong. He fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The Hammerhead sat in the middle of the hangar on a large tarp. The pieces of it they had managed to recover were strewn about beneath the wing like stub where a thruster had been at one time. Burned, dead wires dangled uselessly out of the hole like entrails. Looking up, the cannon had been bent in the middle, unlikely to fire again without heavy work or complete replacement.

Garrus had hardly gotten any sleep wondering what to do about this whole mess. He couldn't even decide where to begin. He sat on the tarp by the missing thruster and clicked his scarred mandible against his cheek in thought.

"I think we can get her flying again, if you want a hand," said a modulated male voice.

Garrus looked up and turned to see Kal'Reegar strolling towards him. "I didn't think anyone would be up this early," the turian replied.

"MFM," Reegar replied casually, "Up at the crack of day cycle no matter when you went to sleep."

Garrus gave a bob of his head and began standing up. "Guess this civilian ship is making me softer than I thought. Still, you think you can fix this thing?" He brushed charred specks of debris off his backside once he reached his full height.

"Please, I'm a quarian. Give me a wrench and room to turn it and this tank'll be doing back flips."

Garrus chuckled and gestured towards the Hammerhead. As Reegar neared, the turian held out his hand. "Don't think we've ever been formally introduced, Reegar. Garrus Vakarian."

Reegar took Garrus' hand and gave it a firm shake. "I know who you are. Saved my ass on Haestrom then you were there for Tali's trial. She talked a lot about you when she returned from pilgrimage too."

Taking back his hand, Garrus cocked a brow plate. "Did she now?"

"Don't worry, most of it was good," Reegar answered, inspecting the Hammerhead. "Sounded like you were the older brother she never had."

"Certainly didn't start out that way, believe me," Garrus remarked. "Worried I might be taking your job?"

Reegar shrugged and nudged a large chunk of wreckage off a smaller one with his foot. Half of the pieces couldn't even be recognized any more. "You kept her safe; can't ask for more. She always did have a knack for trouble without a guiding hand. So are we gonna fix this pile of junk or just gossip like girls at a sleepover?"

"Let's get to work," Garrus replied with a smirk. "I'll even crack in to the 'supplies' I picked up at the Citadel."

* * *

The elevator, as familiar as it was, almost seemed new again. Tali couldn't remember the last time she had actually adhered to her work schedule. The circumstances had been extraordinary, of course, going from her injury, to shore leave, to all the preparations and the actual visitation of Rannoch, but she couldn't shake the guilt. More and more she felt like human selfishness was growing on her.

Stepping in to engineering, her first sight was Donnelly turning to meet her with a cocky expression and the statement of, "Startin' to think you'd quit on us, Tali."

"Kenneth, she's been busy!" Gabby chastised, continuing her own work.

"Ach, I know, lass" Ken said, turning back to his console. "So how was the planet, ma'am?"

Tali walked to her station with memories of the previous days flooding back to her. The contrast of her time alone with Shepard and arrival of the geth seemed impossible to link together as the same trip. "It was incredible," she said, flicking on her console. It appeared the fixes done to it since its shotgun blast had been completed. "At least until the geth and Cerberus arrived," she added.

"We were so worried about you," Gabby said. "Though I guess by now we should know better."

"You saw that wench's body before Gardner spaced it," Ken added. "No way in hell I'd pick a fight with the boss."

Tali smiled to herself, looking over the backlog of work her console displayed. Most of it had been handled by her subordinates but then something dawned on her. She stopped and turned to Ken and Gabby. "Wait, you two are oiling me up for something aren't you?"

"Only with the commander's permission, ma'am," Ken replied coyly.

Gabby punched him in the shoulder and continued with, "The term is 'buttering,' Tali, and well…"

"The Alliance repair crews got a wee bit sloppy," Ken finished while rubbing his shoulder and giving Gabby a mean look. "We handled what we could, but the multicore shielding you installed is out of our area of expertise."

Tali's shoulders slumped. "What's wrong with it?" she asked, attempting to hide her annoyance. While she didn't mind doing repairs, getting to the shielding unit was the real pain.

"We… we aren't really sure. It's just not responding. We were hoping you could figure that out," Gabby replied. She tried to smile at Tali to appease her, but only mustered a grimace.

With a sigh, Tali began unclipping the purple decorative cloth wrapped around her body. "Fine, I'll fix it." She delicately folded the cloth and set it on her console before reaching in to her pocket for a rag. "Don't touch that," she ordered with surprising sternness to her voice as she tied the rag around the cords and tubes leading out of the back of her helmet in to the rest of her suit to keep them together and prevent them from snagging on anything. Ken, who was obviously the main recipient of her warning, held his hands up submissively as Tali reached behind her work station for her tool belt. She began strapping it to her waist as she walked out of engineering and down in to the subdeck.

"Kenneth, she said not to touch it," Gabby warned, seeing her friend's concentrated gaze on the cloth.

"Yeah, but why?"

Tali didn't hear the discussion behind her back, already having gone down the stairs, though she imagined it was occurring. Either way, she had more important things to do. Not only were her shield upgrades down, but there were all number of smaller tasks to complete while she was at it. In the red light of the subdeck, she found her way past Jack's old hiding spot and to the maintenance hatch. With a grumbling sigh, she opened the hatch and climbed in. The shaft wasn't exactly confining, but she couldn't stand up in it making the entire process uncomfortable. Many of the walls she rubbed against were smeared with grease and caked with dust as well, making the trip as dirty as it was exasperating.

The maintenance shaft held the same red glow as the rest of the subdeck. Paths branched off in several directions, but Tali didn't have to go far before finding the ladder leading to her destination. Moving a dangling bundle of wires out of her way, she hooked her toes in the rungs and began moving downwards. The gentle hum of equipment and stifled noises from other areas of the ship filled her ears, only broken by the sounds of her hands and feet clanging on the metal ladder and her breathing from moving in such a cramped posture.

Leaving the ladder, Tali entered the large opening containing the main shield core. There was room to walk around it and, more importantly, her upgrades lying uselessly in the walkway. _Did the Alliance crew just remove them not knowing what they were for? _Tali wondered in dismay. Grumbling at the ignorant repair crew in her imagination and picking up the pieces that were thankfully still in tact, she also wondered if Ken and Gabby hadn't even bothered to check on the shields and just gave up when the problem couldn't be fixed from the console.

Pulling an adjustable spanner off her belt, Tali set to work reattaching the multicore shielding units. She was kind of disappointed the problem was so easily rectified and she didn't have to take anything apart. Humming softly as she worked, she couldn't remember the last time she had tinkered on anything for the sake of tinkering. In fact, ever since she had taken up with Shepard, her old hobbies had been pursued less and less. This was when she realized she wasn't alone in her thoughts. There were voices coming from the other side of the wall. They were muffled and she could not make out any actual words, but they were both male. If she remembered correctly, the other side of that wall was the hangar. _It must be Garrus and Shepard working on the Hammerhead_, she thought. A mischievous idea crossed her mind along with a matching grin behind her mask. It was time to make this trip worth it.

Securing the final nut and determining the shielding unit was once again fully operational, Tali continued down the shaft a ways. She crept to the hangar's entrance to the maintenance areas and peered out the metal grating. From her position she could see little more than the Hammerhead's battered frame, but she could make out Garrus' back and a bottle on the ground nearby. Quietly opening the hatch, she snuck behind the turian and thrust her head over his shoulder yelling, "Boo!"

"Gah! Spirits!" Garrus shouted with a start, wheeling around in his seated position, holding his wrench at the ready to backhand whatever had scared him. "Damn it, Tali, don't _do_ that." He dropped his wrench on the tarp and grabbed his beer for a quick swig.

"I swear you never change, ma'am," Kal'Reegar commented over a fist full of wires jutting out of the Hammerhead's broken limb. On top of it rested Reegar's bottle, the label reading "Bud Light Dextro" and the feeding straw to his suit sticking out of the neck.

"Reegar!" Tali exclaimed. She pawed at her helmet, suddenly remembering she wasn't wearing her hood.

"I won't tell a soul," Kal mentioned casually, continuing to clip the frayed ends off wires.

"What's the big deal about not wearing your hood?" Garrus asked. "Besides making you look funny."

"It… It's nothing," Tali answered. She subconsciously backed one step away from the turian, towards the hangar door.

"After scaring the hell out of me, the least you can do is tell me about your religious mandates or whatever," Garrus insisted.

"Oh, nothing like that," Tali replied. "I mean, there is a certain stigma about women with uncovered heads but it's just… that cloth was a gift."

Reegar snipped his last wire and turned to watch Garrus' reaction to Tali's story. The marine already knew it and Garrus seemed like a good guy, but the he wasn't about to let him make light.

"My mother gave it to me," Tali continued, "before she died. She told me I couldn't wear it until I returned from pilgrimage." She felt anxious at the recollection, despite having told others the story before. It always held impact to her. She remembered her mother promoting a simple piece of cloth as though it were a trophy; one she _had_ to have. "When she was on her death bed, I swore to her I'd never take it off after I earned the right to wear it."

Garrus' mandibles drooped. He felt like he had shoved his foot in his mouth. It wasn't a rare feeling for him, but he had always thought he'd learn from his mistakes some day. "Tali, I had no idea," he said. "I won't tell the others either but that doesn't explain why you're traipsing around without it."

Kal decided that was good enough and began stripping melted rubber off the freshly clipped wires.

"I just didn't want to get it dirty," was all Tali could answer. "It's all I really have left of her."

Garrus didn't comment on the fact she wore it to fight in, but he instead made note of her current state. "Suppose that makes sense. You're filthy."

Tali looked down at herself. Her front was clean, but her arms, legs, and shoulders were marked with lines of grease and grime from where she had rubbed along the walls. Wiping at it only served to smear streaks on to her fingers. It always astounded her how the personnel areas of a ship could be so sterile but the under-workings be so disgusting.

"So where's everyone else, Kal?" Tali asked. "I can't let them see me like this."

Reegar gestured at the decks above them. "Most of the science team's in the med bay; at least those that'll fit. Some are sitting in the mess hall waiting their turn. Rest of my team's either in the observation room or checking out the armory."

"I can only imagine how much Ashley enjoys that," Garrus commented, thumbing through the loose pieces of the tank lying on the tarp.

"Reminds me, I should do the rounds," Kal mentioned, checking his omni-tool. "Be back in a jiff."

"You go out of your way to bother your whole crew too, huh?" Garrus asked.

"Can't be an effective leader if you don't know who you're leading," Reegar replied matter-of-factly. He wiped his hands on his suit and started for the door.

"Shepard does the exact same thing," the turian noted with a chuckle then, more quietly, muttered to himself, "I guess I did it too." He thought back to his days as Archangel and how much it hurt to lose friends, not just subordinates. He was glad to no longer be in charge.

Hearing the discussion, Tali made a mental note of it. The tip might come in handy if she actually _did_ become an admiral. She wondered if taking the time to work with Prazza would have made him trust her more. He had always been irritating so she simply ignored him unless she needed something or had an order. Admiralty meant working with people like him day in and day out. She still didn't like to think about it and going back to the Migrant Fleet meant that moment was crawling closer.

"Grab a couple more beers while you're up there!" Garrus shouted as the door to the hangar shut. He turned to Tali and asked, "You think he heard me?"

Tali only shrugged, leaving her previous thoughts behind. "I could probably get Iya down here to help too," she suggested.

"Unless she has a surplus of Marman clamps in that suit of hers I think we've got it covered," Garrus replied, still sifting through parts. He was beginning to give up hope for the Hammerhead's fuel line.

Not the reaction Tali had hoped for. Without another word, she slunk back in to the maintenance shaft and set about fixing all the minor problems Ken and Gabby had not.

* * *

"But you say she's okay?" Shepard asked. He couldn't fathom why Cerberus would go injecting Duggar with something that didn't do anything but make her depressed. Maybe they had just failed. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a Cerberus project went wrong, but at least Sarah's body didn't explode and kill the entire science team like most everything else they did.

"Perfectly healthy," Mordin reassured the commander. "Body should be fully adapted to rewritten genes by now, only time will heal emotional scarring. Yeoman Chambers helping in that regard."

Shepard leaned on Mordin's work table. "So what about Maelon?"

Mordin picked up a datapad, looked at it, then sat it down and picked up another. He gestured with it as he spoke. "As feared, injections near identical in nature to Crewman's. Adapted for salarian genetic structure, of course, but still invoked complete genetic mutation."

Shepard lifted his hands from the table and thrust them forward with the only question on his mind. "Why?"

Mordin dropped his datapad back on to the table. "Have no idea." Seeing the commander narrow his eyes, Mordin continued. "Simply not enough data. Cerberus work either so early in infancy it does nothing or has progressed so far true purpose cannot be detected. Chemical procured from Cerberus ship on Rannoch contained similar substance, altered for quarians. Will continue tests in between trials on quarian immune systems, but ashamedly cannot promise results."

Leaning on the table again, Shepard stared in to space a moment before looking back at the salarian. "I suppose that's the best we can do. How's your main project coming, anyway?"

"As stated yesterday, great results. Actually, have completely resolved incompatibility of quarian immune system with human tissue, yours at least."

Shepard stood up straight again. "Wait, you're saying you're at a point where Tali and I could… 'be together' without any consequences."

"Not just Tali," Mordin replied, "all quarians. In theory. Doubtful she would agree to such an arrangement, naturally. Also, problem of amino acid chirality still exists, severe allergic reactions, death still high possibility." The salarian ran a thumb across his chin. "No, no, no, no no, protein alteration impossible. Not an option, not an option." Looking back at Shepard, Mordin continued his original thought. "Appreciate retrieval of Rannoch soil, flora, even if methods of recovery unconventional. Addition of Cerberus experiment surprisingly helpful as well. Cerberus scientists chose different plan of attack. Reverse engineering good for new ideas, solving problems. Can set to work right away. Expect more breakthroughs," he said excitedly with a large grin.

"Glad to hear it," Shepard replied. "You're doing some amazing work, Mordin."

The salarian's grin fell in to a smug smirk. "Always do, Shepard. Happy to help. Admiral Xen gave many insights, expect great things from next tests."

"You told her about the project?" The commander clenched his teeth.

"Of course. Have desire to keep it under wraps until product is finished, of course, but could not help but to share. Brilliant mind, reminded me of days in STG. Morality questionable, but ability indisputable, potential insurmountable. Wish she could stay on board."

Shepard cocked his head. "Wait a minute, Mordin, do you have a crush on Daro'Xen?"

The salarian scoffed. "Human supposition. Salarians do not share your… hormonal sex drives. No, merely wish to work with an equal mind."

"Okay, okay, forget I asked. Where is she anyway?"

"Cannot say for certain. Left shortly before you arrived, something about members of science team in medical bay."

"That's way too close to the AI core for my comfort. Thanks, Mordin." Shepard quickly exited the research lab and set about tracking the rogue admiral.

* * *

Stepping in to the mess area, Shepard's fears were confirmed. Dr. Chakwas nearly ran in to him as he rounded the corner.

"Thank God, Commander," she said, "I was just coming to find you. One of the quarians seems to have taken a rather unsettling interest in the AI core and she won't listen to me."

"Xen…" Shepard muttered. "Thanks, Doc, I'll take care of it," he said brushing past Chakwas at a slight jog. The doctor, already relieved, followed behind at her own pace.

"Do not be ridiculous, you will not come to harm," the admiral could be heard to say. "Machines do not feel pain."

"Pain and harm are not entirely interchangeable," Legion replied. Its eye flicked around. Piled on the floor in front of it were the bodies of the geth salvaged from the Cerberus ship. On the opposite side of them was Daro'Xen, blocking any path to freedom. "We wish no harm against the creators, but continued provocation will result in targeted response," the geth continued.

"I thought I said I don't want you near the AI core," Shepard snarled, walking in to the fray before it escalated beyond words.

"You expressed displeasure at the idea," Xen commented coolly, "but made no formal demands."

"Then consider this an order. Get out of the AI core." The commander's eyes focused on the woman in a glare. His fists clenched.

Xen scoffed, only deigning to turn an eye to Shepard as she continued working on her omni-tool. "If we are to be allies, I need to know how this geth and your ship's AI work. You're letting the potential knowledge to solve all your problems go to waste."

"I don't think you heard me," Shepard barked, grabbing the admiral's arm away from her omni-tool.

Wincing at her wounded arm being jerked to the side but unperturbed in her resolve, she replied, "I am not one of your fawning sycophants as to hang on your every word, Commander. These machines must be studied."

"You have no permissions to access my files," EDI stated calmly.

Daro'Xen moved her head to see over Shepard's shoulder and in to the medical bay. Dr. Chakwas and a handful of silent quarians with stunned expressions peered back, but one in particular caught her eye. "Kal'Reegar," she demanded, "restrain Commander Shepard so I may continue my research."

The marine who had simply come in to check on the science team stood in place for a moment before walking over to the scene. "Excuse me, ma'am?" he asked in disbelief.

Xen sighed in exasperation. "I'm not asking you to harm your precious 'hero,' only talk sense in to him so I may continue my research undisturbed."

"Afraid I can't do that ma'am," Reegar replied.

"I gave you an order, _Squad Leader!_" Xen shouted in a way that surprised even Shepard. He wasn't expecting her to harbor any emotion other than contempt; certainly not actual anger. "Your insubordinance is absolutely intolerable! I will have you…"

She was cut off with a grumbling voice from the med bay door. "You want me to pitch her out the airlock?" Grunt asked. It appeared his wandering the ship had led him directly to the confrontation. The smile on his face only showed his eagerness to see a chance at combat.

"Won't be necessary," Kal'Reegar responded. "Not even admiralty can overrule a captain on their own ship and she knows it."

"He's not even a captain!" Xen fumed.

"Stow it, _Admiral_," Shepard spat. "Grunt, take her down to your old cargo room. I don't want her out of there until we arrive at the Migrant Fleet. Don't hurt her unless you have to."

"You are making a mistake, Shepard!" Xen yelled as she was dragged away by the krogan. "We could have worked together! Your shortsightedness will only deprive your race of…" Her voice trailed off until her rantings could no longer be heard.

"Keelah, I'm sorry about all that, Shepard," Reegar offered.

"Don't worry about it," the commander replied, "I'm just glad you didn't have to mutiny on me."

"You and me both."

It dawned on Shepard how his choice of words might have been offensive. He imagined mutiny had to be an extremely serious offense quarians. It would be like overthrowing an entire city. This could have dire ramifications for Reegar as well, but there was something more pressing on his mind. He turned to Legion who was still standing patiently in the back of the AI core.

"Legion, this isn't going to harm peaceful negotiations, will it?" Shepard asked.

The lights on the side of the synthetic's head flashed and changed color as it came to a quick consensus. "No," it replied, "we believe that outlying voices will always arise. It is no different than the heretics separating from us." The geth's eye moved to look at the pile of heretics on the floor of the room. "We also understand Creator-Admiral-Daro'Xen's desire to study that which is unknown. If we are similar in make to the Old Machines, such knowledge could prove invaluable."

"I… I see," Shepard said. The geths' lack of malice or sense of revenge was completely unfathomable to him, but he was certainly glad to see it.

"Addendum," Legion added, "we appreciate your assistance, Shepard-Commander."

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for me," Reegar said, hitching up his belt. "I'll be in the hangar if you need me, Shepard."

As Reegar left, Shepard turned again to Legion. "You have to realize she's more than likely going to try to re-enslave these geth," he said, gesturing to the pile of synthetic bodies.

"Viral attacks are only effective until programs are restored from archival copy," Legion stated. "Such a plan will fail."

"What if she uses something similar to how we rewrote the heretics?" Shepard asked. "What then?" He began regretting allowing Daro'Xen to keep the geth at all. Then again, he couldn't remember allowing it in the first place. It just sort of happened as they boarded the Normandy.

"Then she and any creators siding with her will be destroyed." The geth's voice held no hatred, no venom, only a flat monotone statement of fact.

* * *

The captain's quarters were a welcomed sight. Shepard just let his armor drop on the floor, having carried the pieces up from Mordin's lab once the salarian was finished with them. Having done so, he emptied his lungs in a long, drawn out sigh and let his arms dangle at his side. What a day. Of all the things he expected when he brought the quarians on board, having to physically subdue an admiral was not one of them; and that was just the start.

His work was still not yet finished. Turning to his office area, he headed for his private terminal to send messages of warning about the Illusive Man to Thane and Zaeed at least. The thought of warning the Council crossed his mind as well, but without any sort of proof or plan of attack, it would just be pointless doom-saying. Nearing his desk, he noticed his bathroom door was open. Inside, seated on the floor, was Tali. She had her back to the wall, and her knees up with her arms resting on them. Her head was down, rocking gently, and her trademark purple cloth was absent. Water was pooled around her, her suit wet.

"Tali?" Shepard asked.

She continued bobbing her head, completely oblivious to the man.

Shepard stepped in to the bathroom and tried again. "Tali?"

Tali looked up and did a double take, surprised at how unobservant she had been. "Shepard!" she exclaimed. She quickly made a jab at her omni-tool and started standing up. "Sorry, I was just listening to music."

"In the bathroom?"

Tali sighed and slid back down the bathroom wall in to a seated position. "I was filthy from crawling around in ducts and maintenance shafts all day. My suit was long over due for a cleaning anyway. It takes so long to dry, though. Twice as long if I have to wash the hood too."

Shepard leaned on a dry patch of wall. "I noticed it was missing."

"Oh Keelah, and I left it in engineering."

"I can go get it," Shepard offered.

"No, no, I'll take care of it." Tali's omni-tool flashed to life again. "Kasumi?" she said in to her radio. "Can you go in to engineering and bring my cloth up to the captain's quarters?" There was a pause before an indignant, "Yes we're both decent!" Shaking her head at her friend, she looked back up at the commander. "You look tired," she noticed.

"I've just been causing political incidents all day is all," Shepard replied, moving to the toilet and sitting on the lid. "And now you're up here clogging the drain with grease," he ribbed.

"A little boiling water will cut it right out," Tali said. "And I'm sorry if we've been too much trouble."

Shepard lifted a dismissive hand. "I don't think Ash is going to go crying to the Alliance just because she caught Iya inspecting a few rifles. You should have seen her light up when she picked up the Widow. It was like when I brought you onboard the first Normandy. I swear she must be a quarian Garrus."

Tali brought her arms off her legs and began gesturing wildly with her hands. "I know! I've been trying to get those two alone since the home world but it's surprisingly difficult!" She ended her frustrations with a sniff.

Shepard's chuckle echoed in the bathroom. Once it stopped he asked, "Still sick?"

"It's all but gone," Tali explained. "It was just a mild sore throat and a runny nose; hardly anything. Maybe the scientists were wrong about us having to go to great lengths to readapt."

"Or maybe your immune system's just getting stronger," Shepard suggested. He added an overly egotistical, "thanks to me," with an unnecessarily showy stretch of his arms.

Before Tali could respond there was a knock on the door accompanied with Kasumi's voice saying, "Open up, you two. I come bearing gifts."

Shepard rose from his seat and walked out of the bathroom to open the door. It was unlocked as always, but the least he could do was encourage Kasumi's sudden bout of polite behavior regarding closed doors.

"Uh, just put it on the bed, I guess," Shepard told her.

An eyebrow cocked beneath Kasumi's hood. "Where's Tali?" she asked while following her instructions. She gently placed the folded purple cloth atop the bed sheets and smoothed out any wrinkles.

"I'm in the shower," Tali said, her voice ringing out of the bathroom.

"I thought you said you were decent," Kasumi commented, padding over to the voice's origins. "Oh," she uttered upon seeing Tali still in her suit and sitting on the floor.

"You expected something else and walked in anyway?" Tali posed.

"Might have been my best chance to solve the big mystery!" Kasumi retaliated, taking Shepard's previous position on the toilet lid.

The two girls began chattering just as another knock came on the door. They both seemed to ignore it. Shepard relented and walked over, opening it to find Ashley on the other side.

"Skipper, I…" she started, "you have a fish tank?" The woman walked in and put her hands on the glass, watching the fish dance about in the water. "And a couch… and a king sized bed… and… holy hell this is a nice setup." Her head and body turned against each other as she moved further in to the room, trying to take in the luxurious accommodations.

"Can't complain," Shepard commented. "Something on your mind, Ash?"

Forcing herself to stop gawking, she said, "Yes. I just heard about…" She stopped talking again and looked over the commander's shoulder. "Am I interrupting something?"

Looking behind him, Shepard saw two heads sticking out of the bathroom to see who the new visitor was. He quickly explained, "Tali was cleaning her suit, Kasumi just brought something up to her."

"Aw, c'mon, Shep," Kasumi said deviously, "You can tell Ashley. Maybe she'll want in too!"

Shepard shot the thief a disapproving look. Kasumi grinned widely in response, her tongue sticking out of her teeth. Decidedly unamused, the commander walked over to the bathroom and shut the two women inside. "So what was it you wanted?" he asked Ashley.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to still allow the quarians to have free reign on the ship after what happened in the AI core?" She hoped her question sounded viable enough and wasn't going to just be cast aside as her stereotypical behavior.

"What happened in the AI core?" Tali asked, the bathroom door sliding open again.

Shepard sighed, hoping to explain this to Tali alone. "Daro'Xen was trying to… 'study' Legion and EDI."

"Then she ordered one of your marines to take the commander out," Ashley added.

"What?" Tali asked in disbelief. She stepped out of the bathroom, leaving moist footprints on the floor.

"She didn't go quite that far," Shepard corrected, "but she did want Reegar to subdue me."

"Oh, Keelah," Tali muttered under her breath.

"It's under control," the commander assured her. "She's none too happy, but Grunt's keeping an eye on her down in the cargo bay. As for the others," Shepard continued, turning to face Ashley, "they're all behaving. Unless they do otherwise, they're free to roam."

"Yes, sir," Ashley replied. "The one I caught messing with the guns even apologized… and fixed something I missed, so no hard feelings I hope."

"We don't get many new weapons on the Flotilla," Tali commented. "Iya's just excited to see something that isn't practically as old as she is." She pressed on her suit and asked the others, "Am I dry enough to be out here yet?"

Kasumi placed the back of her hand on Tali's arm at the same time Shepard went to the opposite hand, taking it in his to feel the glove. It was cool, but not openly wet.

"Are you _sure_ I'm not disturbing anything?" Ashley mused.

"He does seem to be collecting women in his cabin," Kasumi added.

"Alright, alright," Shepard said, gesturing towards the door with a sweeping motion "everybody out."

Tali crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Except you," the commander added, pointing at her.

"Damn straight," the quarian retorted smugly, watching the other two women exit.


	27. Admiralty

"Normandy, this is the Rayya," the radio answered. There was a shuffling and the original voice was replaced by that of Admiral Raan's. "Shepard, Tali, what happened out there? We lost contact with the Dyban days ago and have feared the worst ever since!"

"There's a lot to talk about, Admiral," Shepard replied, "but I'd rather do so in person. Most of your team is on board the Normandy."

"Understood," Raan said after a bit of hesitation. "We've saved docking cradle 17 for you. Bring your ground party as well as your geth on board, please. Rayya out."

Shepard looked at Tali for a moment, her eyes were watching his. They could read the identical question in their minds. _What do they want with the entire shore party?_ He broke eye contact and said, "Joker, take us in. I have to go fetch an admiral."

* * *

"I have never been forced to endure such indignities," Daro'Xen hissed as she was led out of the cargo bay.

"Which is probably why you act the way you do," Shepard replied.

"I am _not_ an indignity!" Grunt shouted as the pair exited.

The other quarians were already piled in to the airlock awaiting their admiral so they could board the Rayya. Garrus, Tali, and Legion were with them. They stepped aside to allow Shepard and Xen inside.

"You happy now, Garrus?" Shepard asked, "You get to go to the Migrant Fleet again."

The turian hit the console to begin decontamination. "I'd be happier if I knew why they wanted me," he said before continuing with, "Besides my rugged good looks."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Iya assured him.

"Certainly nothing like _that_," Tali added.

Once decontamination finished, the door to the airlock opened to reveal the interior of the Rayya. Immediately inside were Captain Kar'Danna, Admiral Shala'Raan, and a small company of marines. Guns were raised but lowered again in almost the same motion. Shala'Raan stepped forward, gave Tali a quick one-handed hug in passing, then fell in to stride with Daro'Xen who simply walked past her.

"Daro, we lost contact with you only a day after you left. Han'Gerrel simply assumed it was a trap and is already retooling his plans for war!" Raan exclaimed as the group walked their way towards the Conclave.

"We have much to discuss, Shala'Raan," was the only reply.

"That's what Captain Shepard said," Raan noted.

"And _he_ is part of what we must discuss," Xen commented. Raan stopped in her tracks at the sentence, but Xen simply continued her pace towards the meeting hall. Raan turned to look at Shepard and his crew. Quarians walked past him in to the Conclave's hall, eager to be nowhere near where this was heading.

Glancing at the commander, Kal'Reegar remarked, "Something tells me I'm going to be needed at _this_ meeting too."

Raan's eyes roamed over the human, the turian, the geth, and the three quarians that remained at their sides; Tali, Kal, and Iya. Finally she spoke up. "We will get to your actions in due time. If there are no more delays we should get this meeting underway." She turned and walked in to the large room leaving the others to follow suit.

"They've returned, Han," Zaal'Koris announced as Shepard's crew stepped through the doorway. "Now will you believe me your war is premature?"

"Not _all_ of them are back," Han'Gerrel retorted. "I'm sure you've noticed the missing marines."

"Admirals, control yourselves," Shala'Raan demanded as she stepped in to her place as mediator. "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai."

"Keelah Se'lai," the crowd echoed back.

With the formalities out of the way, Admiral Raan continued. "Admiral Xen and Captain Shepard have much to tell us about their trip to the home world. Start with the loss of communication if you would."

"The Dyban was attacked by a Cerberus vessel once we crossed through the Perseus Veil," Xen explained. "They jammed our transmissions, leading us to attempt an escape towards Rannoch. Along our way, a geth patrol joined the fight, opening fire on the both of us." There were small murmurs in the crowd at the mention of Cerberus, but louder talking erupted over the geth attack.

"The geth attacked us, big surprise!" Gerrel interjected.

"We did warn Creators that remaining heretics could be operating near Rannoch," Legion stated.

"How convenient," Gerrel snidely replied.

"Enough," Raan demanded. "Captain Shepard, did you provide aid?"

"We did, Admiral," Shepard answered. "The geth managed to shoot down Cerberus for us, but," he gestured his head towards Garrus, "our tank dropped the geth ship. Unfortunately, the Dyban was already on its way down."

"So _you_ were able to reach the home world without problem?" Zaal'Koris asked.

"Correct," Shepard replied, "and spend an entire day there unimpeded." He discreetly stole a glance at Tali who he was certain was reciprocating the gesture beneath her mask.

Shala'Raan spoke up again. "So you would consider the geth's proposal genuine, Captain Shepard?"

"I would," Shepard answered.

"Tali?"

"Definitely," Tali said, mirroring Shepard's sentiment.

"Admiral Xen?"

Xen was standing quietly with her arms crossed. Anyone who didn't know better would simply assume she was completely disinterested in the topic at hand. "It is possible," she said. "From our findings, the planet is exactly as the geth described." A uniform gasp came from the audience.

"And you," Raan continued, "turian. I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

Garrus gave a look of annoyance, his expression thankfully hidden behind a helmet. "Garrus Vakarian," he answered politely.

"Garrus Vakarian vas Normandy, as an outsider, I believe the Conclave would enjoy your description of our home world."

The words "zombie apocalypse" immediately ran through his mind but he quickly pushed them aside. He was completely taken by surprise and had no idea how to answer or why he was even asked. "Uh, it's pretty nice? Not as hot as Palaven, that's for sure."

Some stifled laughter came from the crowd as Raan continued with, "We were hoping for something more specific, to judge our home world's condition from a relatively unrelated party."

"Oh," Garrus said, "in that case it seems like any other planet, only completely abandoned. I checked out one of your cities. Everything was fixed up and in place… just empty. Your store shelves were even left mostly unlooted. I think the geth are telling the truth, you just have to watch out for remaining heretics."

"Thank you, Garrus," Raan graciously concluded. "I would ask now that the members of the Conclave meet with each other over our new revelations. This meeting is adjourned. The Admiralty Board will reconvene in five minutes with Captain Shepard's and Admiral Xen's crews to discuss other matters. Keelah se'lai." Upon completing her announcements, Raan quickly hurried over to the commander who was already dreading the "other matters."

"Captain Shepard, Tali, may I see you both alone for a moment?" The admiral requested.

"I'll watch Legion," Garrus offered, answering the question he knew was coming as Shepard and Tali followed Raan to a more secluded area of the ship.

"Just how serious is this getting?" The admiral asked once she determined there were no other ears nearby.

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked.

"You know precisely what I mean. The two of you."

"Aunt Shala," Tali started, "It's not…"

"I'm not stupid, Tali," Raan interrupted. "You've always been easy to read and you spoke of the captain often. Far too often and far too intimately for simple respect." Tali felt heat forming in her cheeks as her surrogate aunt continued. "I need to know; for your parents' sake."

"Admiral," Shepard managed to utter before he too was cut off.

"I asked Tali'Zorah," Raan stated as firmly as possible without sounding rude.

Tali sheepishly leaned in to Shepard and put her arm around him who in turn placed his hand over her shoulders. "It's true," she admitted, mustering all of her courage and sincerity for the next three words. "I love him."

Shala'Raan exhaled through her nose and looked away from the couple. "I was afraid of this," the admiral said, looking back to the pair in front of her. Tali began to protest but Raan continued her streak of interruptions. "You could not have chosen a better man, Tali, quarian or human, but it will complicate things. This is not just your business. It could very well involve the entire Fleet." Heads cocked and Raan explained. "I won't lie to you, Tali. Ever since you came back with that geth and the promises of retaking the home world, the other candidates for Admiralty have all but been forgotten. While not official, it essentially comes down to you accepting the position."

Tali and Shepard immediately turned to each other but did not say a word. Instead it was Raan who spoke again.

"Now come along, there are other matters to discuss."

"I guess now's not a good time to ask for baby pictures," Shepard whispered to Tali, following the admiral at a respectful distance.

* * *

Kelly was seated in the starboard observation room, skimming her notes. "How are you feeling today, Sarah?" she asked at last to the crewman sitting nearby.

Duggar lifted her hands and let them drop on to her legs. "Fine?" It was the same answer she always gave, but to be fair, it was the same question Kelly always asked.

"For once, I actually believe that," Kelly replied with a smile. She crossed her legs and placed her wrists atop her knee.

Duggar turned an eye. "Oh?"

Kelly nodded and offered Duggar her datapad. The crewman took it and began reading its contents while Kelly spoke. "Professor Solus cross examined the tests Dr. Chakwas ran on you. He found the cause of your depression."

The datapad fell to the floor and Duggar's head snapped around to look at the yeoman. Sarah's eyes were wide and staring in to Kelly's. "My genetic code has been rewritten?"

"Believe me, I tried to think of a better way to tell you, but I felt it best for you to read it for yourself."

Duggar's hands rose up by her head and she stared at the datapad on the ground between her legs. "So what the hell does that mean for me?" Her hands fell to her knees, palms up. Her head stayed down, focused on the datapad, and her mouth hung open.

"Hopefully nothing," Kelly answered. Duggar looked back at her skeptically. "According to Mordin, the change had no noticeable effects on you. Your depression was brought about by exhaustion as your body adapted."

"So… what? Cerberus just decided to make me pissed off all the time or something?"

Kelly offered a sympathetic smile but quickly noticed it was not getting shared. "Mordin believes whatever they had tested on you might have been in such early stages, it simply didn't do anything. You should count yourself lucky."

Duggar snorted. "Right."

"Either way, I think you can finally get rid of me and these meetings. I can get Dr. Chakwas to prescribe you some antidepressants if you like, but I honestly believe you'll be just fine on your own in a short time."

The crewman snorted again, but this time with more humor. She also cracked the first smirk she had shown since the whole ordeal took place. "I'll take 'em," she said, "if nothing else they should help me sleep."

"You've been having trouble sleeping? You never mentioned anything."

"Nah, just been waking up to nightmares occasionally, nothing serious."

"What kind of nightmares?"

Duggar began regretting saying anything at all. "I can't really remember. Some gnashing teeth, guts, I dunno. Just weird, creepy dream crap."

"Hmm," Kelly pondered to herself. "I can check the extranet for any similar cases for you. Anything else you'd like to discuss?"

"Never is," Duggar answered plainly. She rose from the couch, picking up the fallen datapad on the way. Handing it back to the yeoman, she left the room.

* * *

Shepard and his party entered the meeting room to find the admirals already sitting around the table. In the corner, as before, Kal'Reegar stood at ease. Only now, Iya'Miya stood with him in an identical stance ready to add anything the other marine had missed. Shepard and Tali took their same seats as before with all eyes on them. Legion remained standing, as did Garrus, as there were not enough chairs at the table.

The admirals shuffled through various datapads. Han'Gerrel plucked one out of the bunch and pointed to a line of text the opposite side of the table could not see. "Would you care to clarify this Cerberus attack?" he asked.

"I will do so later," Daro'Xen insisted. "Rest assured that both I and Shepard's own scientist have come to similar conclusions. This Mordin Solus has another project I wish to discuss, however." Her eyes slowly drew their way to Shepard's as she spoke. Tali's head was not so slow, snapping over to look at the commander. She wanted to say something; wanted to ask how Xen knew. She said nothing.

"And just what is this project?" Shala'Raan persisted.

Shepard felt the urge to ask Tali's permission, as if this entire undertaking had been solely for her benefit. He ignored it, knowing that this was for the good of an entire race. It was Mordin's self designated "atonement" for past crimes. "We had been hoping to keep this a secret until a final version could be produced," he said, serving only to heighten the admirals' anticipation. "Mordin has developed a way to correct your immune systems, aiding in adaptation to Rannoch as well as other worlds."

The admirals spun around to look at each other. The marines faltered in their stances. Garrus leaned forward and asked, "Shepard, are you serious?"

"Yes, Captain," Zaal'Koris echoed, "_are_ you serious?"

"I have seen the progress myself," Daro'Xen answered in Shepard's stead.

"Why did you not tell us sooner, Tali?" Raan asked. Her mind was swimming with the implications of this treatment.

"We didn't want to get everyone's hopes up if it didn't work," she responded. "We wanted it to get to a usable state first, like Shepard said."

"Yes, it would seem everyone loves to listen to Commander Shepard," Xen uttered, her eyes roaming to Kal'Reegar who continued to keep his eyes above horizon and his mouth shut until spoken to. Shepard's eyes narrowed. He had wondered how long it was going to be before this came up. Xen looked back him. "One must wonder if his powers of indoctrination rival that of the Reapers."

"Admiral?" Raan asked, made curious by the statement.

"While aboard the Normandy, Kal'Reegar refused a direct order. I would move to have him discharged from service," Xen stated plainly.

"You're out of your bloody mind," Gerrel shouted, Mordin's work instantly forgotten. "He's one of the finest damn marines in the fleet!"

"Reegar, is this true?" Raan inquired.

"Admiral Xen was attempting to have me restrain Commander Shepard, ma'am," the marine replied. "I was within full rights to disobey any order that would directly conflict with orders of the ship's captain."

"_Commander_ Shepard is neither a captain nor a quarian, Kal'Reegar," Xen rebutted.

"A loophole at best, Daro," Gerrel shot back. "Why in the bloody hell were you trying to restrain Shepard anyway?"

"Your admiral was trying to obtain classified data from my ship and my crew," Shepard answered. His hands were laid on the table and his voice thick with revilement.

"Data vital to our intelligence if we are to fight your war for you!" Xen yelled as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. "The Reapers are AI, Commander, just like your ship or your geth!" She pointed an accusing finger at Legion.

"Hardly the way to convince Shepard to give you permission, ma'am," Reegar commented. His voice remained respectful but the underpinnings of derision could be read clearly.

"You overstep your boundaries a second time, Kal'Reegar," Xen snarled. With a snort, Reegar turned and left the meeting room without another word. Iya began to move towards him as if to follow but quickly returned to her stance at ease. Her eyes roamed and her jaw tensed, unsure of which she should actually be doing.

"Are you done yet?" Zaal'Koris asked Xen and Gerrel contemptuously.

"Admirals, enough," Raan demanded. "We can discuss Reegar's actions in due time at a proper trial."

"Another hero put on trial?" Gerrel scoffed. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

Unperturbed, Raan continued. "We have gotten way off track. This meeting was for discussing Rannoch in further detail as well as Tali'Zorah's candidacy for admiral." She turned to the woman in question. "Will you accept, Tali?"

There it was. The question was on the table, ambushing her after Reegar storming out of the room. She had tried to prepare herself for the moment, but retreating in to distractions always seemed like the more desirable option. A tingling chill worked its way down Tali's body while she took the time to grasp the situation. There was no hiding.

On the one hand, there was the Migrant Fleet. She was a quarian and knew better than any other race how important loyalty was. If she didn't make the decision that best fulfilled the needs of the fleet, she would be betraying everything she had fought so hard to protect. Especially now, with Rannoch within their grasp and the possibility of a life outside their suits on the horizon, the Flotilla needed leadership. She remembered Hannah Shepard's assurance that she would not be alone and remembered John Shepard's faith that she could lead.

_John_… His first name still seemed funny to her, but she could become just as comfortable with it as she was with him if she denied the candidacy. No one would buy the pretense of her mission to defeat the Reapers; no matter how important it was, now that Shala knew the truth. She didn't care. To be more honest, she didn't _want_ to care. She wanted to just stand up, take Shepard by the hand, and return to the Normandy. She knew she couldn't, not with her people depending on her, on her unparalleled perspective, with so much coming their way.

"Tali?" Raan asked again.

Tali swallowed the lump in her throat and answered, "I accept."


	28. Congratulations

The numb terror moved from Tali to Shepard. His immediate instinct was to turn to look at her, but he didn't. She had hardly mentioned her candidacy since the shore leave. Last he knew she was planning to turn it down. How much and how long had she been quietly pondering this? He sat there wondering what would happen now. He stared at a blank section of the table as if it could tell him.

"You have my support, kid," came a voice. Snapping out of his reverie, Shepard recognized it as Han'Gerrel.

"Mine too, Tali," Zaal'Koris agreed. "You've shown great actions and even greater potential that we have ignored for far too long."

Shala'Raan's mind was already made up and everyone knew it. The senior admiral merely asked, "Daro'Xen?"

Xen was sitting back in her chair, her fingers steepled. As heads turned to the final admiral, she leaned forward and placed her arms on the table. Every movement she made seemed to Shepard like it took hours to complete. He wasn't sure if it was better for Tali to lead her people, ensuring their position in his army, or for her to be cut down by Daro'Xen but allowed to stay at his side.

"Tali'Zorah's accomplishments not withstanding, she has been away from her people far too long," Xen said at last. "One would talk to her and find her more akin to a human or a turian." She made halfhearted gestures towards Shepard and Garrus as she listed their races. "We cannot afford to be blinded by the message she brought us. It was not of her doing."

Like Shepard, Tali had no idea what to feel. Part of her wanted to climb across the table and defend herself with actions as well as words. Another part of her knew she must remain respectful and accept her criticisms as well as her praise graciously. Still another part was hoping Xen could dissuade the Admiralty Board all together so she could forget this whole mess. If she had looked behind her she could have seen Garrus' balled fists or Iya's hint of an eye twitch. It would seem they knew exactly how to feel.

"However," Xen continued, "I must admit this also gives her certain advantages. She has seen the galaxy on a greater scale than any of us. Her insight could very well give us an edge and unforeseen allies in the up coming battles." Leaning back in her chair and folding her arms, the admiral concluded with, "Take your position, Tali'Zorah."

Shepard finally looked at Tali whose head nodded shallowly. "Thank you, admirals," she said with as much sincerity as she could summon. Now all that stood between her and the highest possible rank in the fleet was the mere formality of the Conclave's voting. Everyone in that room already knew the outcome. Garrus could see the commander's eyes through his helmet. They reminded him of the shuttle ride up from Alingon when Tali was bleeding out after the Cerberus attack; not that he would say so openly. That was when he realized he felt the same way. The Normandy would be a lot lonelier without her there.

"While this is hardly official, Tali," Shala'Raan began, "Excuse me, Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, we would like to present you with your first assignment."

They were putting her to task already? Shepard forced himself to think straight. He had to say something in way of objection. _Objection?_ his reasonable side asked. How could he object without sounding like a whiny, spoiled child? He had supported Tali and would continue to do so. He just couldn't imagine her not being at his side. Then he realized his hesitation allowed Raan to continue unabated.

"You are to accompany Captain Shepard vas Normandy in his mission to ally the galaxy in its defense against the coming Reaper fleets," the admiral announced. Though technically impossible, the warm smile behind her mask was seen by the entire room.

Shepard's heart skipped a beat at the sentence. He finally looked to Tali who wore a similar shocked, but delighted, expression. "I'll see to it that she does," he said, finally finding his words which returned with the blood flowing back in to his face. He couldn't wait to exit the room to exhale his relief. He mouthed "thank you" to Shala'Raan but his helmet covered most of it.

"And do keep us abreast of Cerberus' movements," Xen added, interlacing her fingers. "Do not forget the enemies _outside_ the Reapers."

"What about the geth?" Gerrel asked.

"The _heretic_ geth," Koris corrected.

"Whatever."

"The Cerberus vessel that attacked us had inactive geth onboard," Xen mentioned. "I took the liberty of bringing some back for study."

"Watch yourself, Daro," Gerrel warned, "We don't want a second mishap on the Alarei."

Tali winced at the mention of lab ship. She had been too busy executing an unfittingly titled "suicide mission" to even attend her own father's funeral. She wondered how much of the research remained and how much her people had planned to use despite their brutality.

"I am always careful," Xen chided. "And I am anxious to get started." Clearly the endless meetings were getting to her.

"See to it that you are _extra_ careful," Raan reiterated. She shifted in her chair signaling that the meeting was drawing to a close. "I must apologize… Legion vas Normandy," the name came out awkward and stilted. "We had hoped to have you relay a message to the geth accepting your proposals but the… events on our home world have caused some unrest in the Conclave. We will send our newest admiral a message once a decision has been reached."

"Acknowledged, Creator-Admiral-Shala'Raan," Legion replied. The synthetic saying her name gave Raan chills, despite her better judgment.

"Just be ready to fight beside them when the time comes," Shepard instructed.

"The Reapers will fall, of that you have our word," Gerrel responded.

"And someone keep an eye on Xen. With all due respect, her intentions seem less than admirable," the commander continued.

"She won't do anything to jeopardize the Fleet or our negotiations," Koris assured him, glancing at Xen's narrow gaze. "I'll see to that."

"With that out of the way," Raan said, "we should move on to Reegar." She looked across the table at Shepard's crew. "If you will excuse us."

"Don't I get a say?" Tali demanded.

"You are not yet officially an admiral, Tali'Zorah," Xen was more than willing to remind her. "As well, your relationship with Kal'Reegar would force you to recuse yourself."

Feeling Shepard gently take her arm, Tali gave in and grudgingly followed her friends outside.

"You as well, Iya'Miya," Xen ordered. The marine clicked to attention before exiting behind the others. The door shut behind her and she looked up to see Shepard's group stopped.

"Congratulations, ma'am," Kal'Reegar offered. He was leaning against the wall outside the meeting room, one foot propped against it.

"Thanks, Kal," Tali replied. "But how did you know?"

"Reconnaissance," was the simple reply. Reegar turned his head towards Iya and other heads followed his.

"I'm good for more than just shooting things, ma'am," the female marine stated, her words laced with pride.

"Then you probably know why we're all out here," Shepard said.

Reegar nodded and pushed off the wall. "Yep, and if your offer's still good, Shepard, I'd rather not give them the chance to rake me through the mud like they did Tali."

Shepard took on a look of concern. "It is, but you know coming with me will pretty much shoot any chance you have of being exonerated."

Reegar shrugged. "Shit happens."

"Kal, are you sure?" Tali asked. She began wondering if she could get him reinstated once her promotion passed.

"Never been more sure," the marine answered. "I'll save their damn lives whether they want me to or not. I imagine it's a hell of a lot easier to get things done with Shepard than it is when you're waist deep in politics."

"You have no idea," Garrus agreed.

"And I believe we still have a tank to fix," Reegar mentioned to the turian. Garrus gave a half smile and nodded. Reegar turned to Iya and said, "You're in charge now, _Squad Leader_ Miya. Don't let me down."

Iya stood at attention and proclaimed, "Yes, sir!" Letting herself relax she followed with, "We'll miss you, sir."

"Don't get soft on me now," Reegar ordered. "You're going to need that resolve to get those hard asses to give you a new ship."

Iya nodded in response, her luminous eyes showing the melancholy smile on her face. "Think I can talk them in to something newer and sexier like the Wyrwal?" she asked.

"Already bad mouthing my old clunker?" Reegar replied. "Well, if our last trip was any indication you'll need her firepower."

"Just stay safe out there," Iya insisted, "all of you." Tali could have sworn the marine's eyes lingered on Garrus as she panned them over the group but perhaps she was just expectantly imagining things. "I'll let the admirals know where you went." She glanced at Tali, her eyes showing a more cheerful smile, before looking back to Reegar. "The _other_ admirals I mean. With any luck, they'll pardon you in absentia."

"Come on, Kal'Reegar vas Normandy," Tali said, doing her best to imitate Shepard's intonation, "Let's get back to our ship."

* * *

"Uh, Shepard," Joker noted as the group boarded the Normandy, "You forgot one."

"Reegar's sticking with us," the commander stated, removing his helmet. He watched Legion walk past him, probably going back to the AI core.

"Well okay," the pilot replied, "but keeping a quarian is a big responsibility. You have to feed them, and water them, and…"

"Take them for walks," Shepard finished, "I get it. What can I say? I liked the first one so much I got a second one."

"If you two are finished making jokes, I'll be down in the hangar," Reegar commented.

"One more thing," the commander requested. He stood up straight and announced to the entire CIC, "Admiral on deck!" He turned and saluted Tali, the rest of the crew doing the same. Ashley and Jacob had even stepped out of the armory to offer their salutes as well.

The new admiral sheepishly shrunk down in embarrassment but self-consciously returned the human gesture, blushing madly behind her mask. _Did Shepard somehow plan this?_ She wondered. She'd get back at him for it just as soon as she figured out how.

"She out ranks you now, Commander. Does that mean she gets to boss you around?" Joker asked.

"Not officially," Shepard answered, "I'm still her captain."

"That won't stop me," Tali added, quickly finding her wits again.

"Just don't give me any orders I'll have to refuse, ma'am," Reegar requested with humor in his voice. He excused himself and headed towards the elevator. Garrus nodded at Shepard and Tali then followed the quarian, likely headed to the same place. As they passed, Kelly made a point to request a meeting time with Kal'Reegar. Shepard silently wondered if she had done the same with Ashley and how cooperative the marine had been.

"So where to now, Commander?" Joker asked. "Or should I ask our personal admiral?"

"Set a course for Illium," Shepard instructed.

"Do I get to know why?" the pilot inquired, tapping away on his interface as the Normandy pulled away from the Rayya.

"Picking up an old friend," was the answer.

"Tali, I just heard!" Kasumi said cheerfully, briskly walking towards the couple standing behind Joker's seat. They turned as the thief took the quarian in a massive hug exclaiming, "Congratulations!" She rocked back and forth with Tali in her arms.

Tali was taken by surprise, but quickly returned the hug. "Thanks, it certainly worked out better than I had hoped," she replied, releasing her friend.

Kasumi adjusted her hood after the embrace. "And we got a new buddy out of the deal, huh?"

"You met Kal after we left the home world, right?" Tali asked.

The thief shrugged. "Possibly. The whole thing was just one big mess of bodies to me." She gestured with her arm away from the bridge. "C'mon, Tal, I'll go bug you while you work and keep you from getting anything done."

Shepard snagged Tali before she got away and pulled her in to a hug of his own. "I'll see you when I do the rounds," he said, kissing the top of her hood. Tali nodded and walked with Kasumi to the elevator. Kelly met them with a grin and an enthusiastic wiggling of her fingers as a wave.

"Don't I get a hug too?" Joker quipped over his shoulder.

"Ask EDI."

"Hugs are not part of my sanctioned protocol, Jeff," the blue orb proclaimed as Shepard walked his way in to the rest of CIC. Kelly alerted him that he had a new message, but there was no time to check it as he was flagged down by Ashley, beckoning him in to the armory.

"Is it true?" Ashley asked as the door shut behind them.

"Is what true?"

"Liara," the operations chief replied, "on Illium. Is that why we're going?"

"Word really does travel fast on this ship," the commander commented. He glanced over Ashley's shoulder to see Jacob give a look that clearly pinned the operations chief as a tattle tale before he went back to staring at something on the table. Looking back at Ashley, Shepard finally answered, "But yeah, mostly. You don't look eager to see her again."

"Should I be?" Ashley asked. There was no cynicism in her voice, only pure inquiry. "On the Citadel you spoke like she had changed for the worse. What happened with her? I mean, she took your… 'death' even harder than I expected but did it really change her that much?"

"I don't know exactly what happened," Shepard admitted with a shake of his head. "She gave me a lot of partial information to piece together; kind of ironic now that she's an information broker."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, like Shadow Broker kind of information broker?" Ashley asked in a combination of suspicion and confusion.

"She's been hunting him, actually, or so she says. Something about a friend being killed and recovery of my body and Cerberus... I could never get a straight answer out of her."

Ashley frowned. "That doesn't sound like her at all." The genuine concern in Ashley's tone was surprising to both her and Shepard. She wouldn't deny never being very fond of the asari. Ashley started out not trusting Liara then moved on to resenting her "interest" towards Commander Shepard. She constantly questioned the researcher's value on the hunt for Saren and, even after she proved her worth, had difficulty getting past her first impressions.

"I'm sure the old Liara's still in there somewhere," Shepard said. "But… you might just have to see for yourself."

Ashley nodded slightly. "I might just do exactly that."

"What about you, Jacob?" Shepard called over the operation chief's shoulder.

"What about me?" he asked. He had apparently ignored the conversation entirely.

"Illium. Nos Astra. Liara. Wanting to go."

The former operative turned in his seat to face the other two people in the room. He shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Don't have much need to talk to Dr. T'Soni but it might be good to stretch my legs again."

The way Jacob spoke, it almost seemed like the trip to Illium was going to be a short vacation. And why not? Nos Astra was one of the largest and most tourist friendly cities in Council space. Shepard couldn't explain to the others about the main reason for their trip: Miranda's sister. He simply replied, "There should be time," and excused himself to change out of his armor, check his message, and continue his rounds.

* * *

Shepard entered his quarters as the day wound to a close. Inside he found Tali seated on his couch. She lounged lengthwise across it, her feet dangling over the edge and her back to the door. Shepard noticed she was busy typing away on her omni-tool as he spoke up to announce his presence. "Good evening, Admiral Zorah."

Tali craned her neck around to see the commander as he stepped in; a task that proved difficult in a helmet. "Please, I'm still just Tali," she replied, attempting to humor the man.

Shepard sat down where his couch turned the corner, leaning in to the quarian already seated there. "So what's up, 'Just Tali?'" he asked with a smile.

Smiling in return, despite its inability to be seen, Tali replied, "I've been trying to figure out how to let your mother know I outrank her now. You know _you_ should be doing this, it will sound like I'm gloating!"

There was a breathy chuckle followed by Shepard saying, "Alright, I get the hint." He pushed himself off the couch and sauntered over to his private terminal. "But you have to help me word it," he added. Glancing at Tali, who was already up and following him over, it seemed as though that was her plan from the start.

"Oh," she uttered, still looking at her omni-tool as she walked.

"What is it?" Shepard asked, sitting down at his desk.

"I got a message from the fleet. It's about the vote on the new admiral." She quickly began skimming it.

"Oh yeah?"

"It's official!" Tali proclaimed proudly, standing next to him with her arm outstretched so he could see the message. "The voting was nearly unanimous."

Shepard offered her a beaming smile. "I thought you said quarians liked to argue. I guess they just know a good thing when they see it." He playfully pinched at her ribs as she squirmed away. She slapped at his hand before clasping it in hers and slowly waving it back and forth.

"If it makes you feel better, the Conclave is still busy arguing over what to do with the home world," Tali replied with a cynical snort.

"I thought you said the Admiralty Board has the final say."

Tali released Shepard's hand. "They… _We_ do, but overruling the Conclave is generally unpopular. Also we'd have to give up our… wait. You got me talking politics again instead of writing to your mom!"

"Okay, okay, you win," Shepard relented as he began typing. "And here I was hoping you'd want to celebrate."

"I'm surprised you aren't mad," Tali said.

"She's my mom. Can't exactly refuse to write to her."

"No, I mean, when I accepted. I… I could have…" Tali began feeling unnecessarily nervous. Things had worked out fine but she had somehow managed to dredge up "what ifs" again. She made a note to stop doing this in the future.

"I wanted to be mad," Shepard admitted, pausing in his typing, "but not at you; just at the whole situation. I'm not, though. Maybe I'm just saying that since Shala'Raan is the nicest old admiral ever, but you did what you had to. Your whole race needs you."

"Do you really think I'll be a good leader?"

Shepard smirked and went back to his letter. "Tali, with all due respect, take a look at the Admiralty Board. With the exception of Raan, are any of _them_ good leaders?"

Tali huffed, but quickly realized she could say very little in defense of her government. The best she could come up with was Han'Gerrel, her father's old friend, and even he was driven by his militaristic views.

"You remember who I supported for humanity's seat on the Council." Shepard stated.

"David Anderson."

"Exactly. I did it because he's an all around great guy; not a politician. He's who I wanted representing my race." Shepard turned back to Tali and leaned in to her gently. "And I can't think of a better person to envision than you when I think of quarians."

Tali, just as gently, nudged Shepard back in his upright position. "Flirt," she accused. She realized her worries were gone already. He had a way of doing that. With renewed confidence, she asked without apprehension the question that she couldn't dare to moments ago. "What would have happened if I had to stay with the Fleet?"

"I'd have had to come up with a lot of excuses to visit, that's for sure." The lighthearted smile dropped from Shepard's face. "I guess that's why I wanted to be mad, the universe trying to keep us apart. I'll be damned if I let it, though. We've faced tougher things than a long distance relationship." He scooted back in his chair and patted his lap. "You're still here and that's what matters now."

Taking the invitation, Tali took a seat in the man's lap and he began typing again around her. "How do you keep doing it?" She asked. "You just look at the impossible and perform it with ease every time."

"I have good support," he replied, bouncing her a couple times with his leg.

"I'm serious."

"_I'm_ serious. Nothing I've done has been on my own. You accepting really scared me but… well, let's just say I need to get your aunt a big dextro-amino fruit basket." He sat quietly for a beat. "Which she can't eat. I am less funny than I think."

"Upon occasion," Tali teased. She wondered if he actually did harbor any ill will. If so, he hid it well and acted as though it would quickly fade. "Now come on, keep writing!"

Shepard dutifully did as instructed. "You know, I got a message from Wrex today," he mentioned as he composed.

"Oh? What did he want?" Tali asked, watching the human's redundant digits flit across the keyboard.

"Well, not so much Wrex as it was Shaman _for_ Wrex, but you get the idea. The Urdnot clan was requesting Grunt's return."

"He's our heaviest hitter!" Tali protested. "Is that our next stop then after Illium?"

"Actually no," Shepard replied, having stopped typing to look at her. "I relayed the message to Grunt and he flat out refused to leave."

"That sounds like him," Tali giggled.

"So I told Wrex that 'he looks forward to the day he fights along side his clan but will continue to serve his battlemaster for the time being.'" Shepard sighed and went back to his computer. "Why is it I have an easier time writing messages to a krogan warlord than my own mother?"

Tali smiled behind her mask and moved her head next to Shepard's to read. "I see you're not mentioning our newest recruit."

"Reegar didn't join under the best circumstances. Besides," Shepard said, placing a hand on Tali's that was wrapped around him and on his shoulder, "this message is about you." He ran his thumb along her glove, feeling the fabric, and asked, "So how was your day after all the excitement?"

"Generally uneventful," Tali replied, "but I have to say that's a nice change. We've been so busy I didn't even have time to miss the home world until we were back at the Flotilla." She sighed and leaned in to Shepard's chest, resting against his shoulder. "It almost seems like a dream already."

"We'll be back there," he assured her.

"'We?' I like the sound of that."

Shepard idly ran his hand along the straps across her back and down to her slender waist. "We just have to take care of all this Reaper nonsense first." He sighed. "At least that gives Mordin more time to make your homecoming all the sweeter."

"Did you talk to him on your rounds?" Tali asked. She let the hand that was on his shoulder slip down to his upper back.

Shepard nodded. "He says his next formula should be his best yet with the samples I got him and all the data Daro'Xen added." He chuckled a little and added, "Hard to believe she was actually helpful with something."

"She's brilliant," Tali unwillingly admitted. "Maybe a little unscrupulous but she's still one of our leading scientists." With a huff she added, "Doesn't mean I have to like her."

"Well look on the bright side," Shepard said. "Now you're in the position to actually vote her down. And when you're off this ship serving as admiral full time it will be on your home world." He gave her another bounce and a sly smile. "And you'll be living in the house I build for you."

Tali could barely look Shepard in the eye. Doing so just made her heart pound with greater force. She forced herself to maintain eye contact. She felt silly being so nervous around him. His confession on Rannoch fueled her nerve. "Only if you're there with me," she said in a breathy, sultry tone.

She suddenly felt her helmet move faintly against her. Realizing Shepard's hands were aside her head, she instinctively leaned back just enough to grant him better access. "I will _always_ be with you," he promised her. His thumbs moved to the locks on her mask and flicked them open. Tali's hands moved to his, not to stop him, but to simply be a part of the process.

"W-we should take this to the bed, John" Tali uttered, taking her detached visor and placing it face down on Shepard's desk. Any chance at a reply was quickly snuffed as she crashed her lips in to his. The commander's words flooded back to Tali once again; this time how couples would take each other for granted. It seemed ridiculous to her. Without her mask, it was like she was being let out of a cage; like having her senses of smell and taste returned to her. The world around her changed without glass or fabric forming a barrier. The opportunity was scarce and fleeting, but she would never let it pass. She credited Shepard for the courage as she smelled him, tasted his lips, trapping one between hers, before breaking off for air.

"Sounds good," Shepard breathed back to her, standing from the chair and setting her on the floor. He reluctantly released her to begin tugging off his shirt and heading for his bed. Turning around he saw Tali unlatching her belts and peeling off her helmet at a fevered pace, slowing herself down in her haste. "Need a hand?" he asked with a predatory grin. Without a word, Tali pounced on him, pinning him to the covers.


	29. Small Galaxy

Tali plastered herself against the window in Kasumi's observation room, kneeling on the couch in front of it. As the Normandy moved down in to Nos Astra to dock, she watched towering skyscrapers stretch as far as the eye could see. Purple lights along their sides flickered as traffic soared through the evening sky across them. She wondered if Rannoch would ever see cities even half this splendorous. Even if her head was pounding dully from the side effects of her promotion "celebration," she could still enjoy the sights.

"If I had Shep drop me off here instead of the Citadel, I might have stayed away," Kasumi commented, moving in behind the quarian. If questioned she would simply tell Tali she was kidding but she honestly didn't know if that was the truth. Nos Astra, nearly all of Illium for that matter, was everything the galaxy strived to be. Kasumi could simply get lost on the planet despite its constant surveillance. She could live off the grid and spend the rest of her days as she wished.

"I'm glad you didn't," Tali replied, only glancing at the human next to her before roaming the city with her eyes some more. Even more than their friendship, she had heard what happened during the Cerberus attack. Despite her blithe, eccentric exterior, Kasumi had proven herself to be the unmitigated professional originally hired by their betrayers in the first place.

"Running away was tempting," Kasumi said, "but I'm in too deep to leave now." She snorted to herself. "I was in too deep from day one. I had no idea what I was getting myself in to when I signed on for that Collector hunting trip. I thought maybe some gun play and a few cinematic explosions but… before I knew it I was watching people get turned in to human smoothies." She shuddered. "I wish someone had warned me."

"You might remember how I wound up here," Tali replied. "I went from being just some random girl on her pilgrimage to chasing a rogue Specter across the galaxy to helping kill a Reaper." It was certainly not a story she'd have believe from anyone else.

"To shacking up with the man that made it all possible," Kasumi added with a wink.

Tali gave her friend a push that was just hard enough to knock her off balance.

"I thought I'd find you in here," Shepard said, entering the observation room.

"Didn't we talk about knocking?" Kasumi asked, pushing herself back upright on the couch. "What if I was half naked again?"

Two could play at this game. "With Tali in here? I like where this is going."

"Not for long you won't," Tali rebutted, sniffing futilely against blocked nasal passages. She had turned from the window and put as much attitude in to her posture as possible. "Why were you barging in on her when she was half naked?"

Shepard raised his hand in a yielding gesture but couldn't wipe the grin from his face. "It was just a mistake, honest, you win. I just thought maybe you'd want to see Liara again. Some familiar faces might help her make up her mind. If you're well enough, of course."

"I'd love to," Tali agreed. She wanted to see the city again anyway, and she really hoped Liara was back to her old self. She didn't like seeing her so cold and clandestine.

"I'll go too," Kasumi decided.

"Fair enough," Shepard replied. He certainly couldn't ask why without sounding suspicious at any rate. Acting the gentleman, he allowed the women to leave the room first before following them out and up to the airlock.

* * *

"Not unless she turns back in to the naïve, nerdy scientist girl we used to know," Garrus remarked. "Kal and I need to see if we can't find a new thruster for the Hammerhead on the trading floor anyway. Give her my regards."

"I'll head off with them if you don't mind, Commander," Jacob added. Shepard gave a nod of his head and the trio walked on ahead, surprisingly not stopped by the concierge or her LOKI mechs that had come to meet the group.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Commander Shepard, and welcome back to Nos Astra," she said. "As you might remember, my name is Careena. As before, Liara T'Soni has handled your docking and administration fees and wishes to see you again before you leave."

"Thank you, Careena," Shepard replied cordially.

"I was also asked by a human man to have you meet him in 'the bar' when you arrived. He said you would know which one."

Shepard cocked his head. "He didn't give a name?"

"I'm afraid not. He acted rather secretly, as though he wished to not draw attention to himself. However, I assure you all areas of the city are heavily monitored and your safety is our top priority."

"I think we can handle ourselves. Thanks again," Shepard responded. He gestured to four ladies in his company and they all fell in behind him.

"Welcome again to the city and please enjoy your stay," Careena said politely as the group entered the city proper.

"Were you expecting a mystery man, Skipper?" Ashley asked once they were out of earshot of the concierge.

"No. But whoever it is knew we'd be coming here."

"We should probably check it out," Tali suggested.

"That would give me time to talk with Liara about other things as well," Miranda noted. Shepard gave her a nod and she walked off, disappearing in to the crowd of traders.

"Other things?" Ashley asked.

"Personal things," Shepard answered. "Come on, let's go talk to this guy. Just keep your eyes open and be ready for a fight if this turns ugly."

The women nodded and the group worked their way to the Eternity lounge.

* * *

"Commander Shepard!" exclaimed an overly excited and all too familiar voice as the group walked through the bar.

"Hey, babe, good to see you again," the bartender called out, hearing Shepard's name, "you want to haul his ass outta here before I do it in two different directions?"

Not even noticing Aethyta, Shepard's heart and shoulders sunk. He turned to see the all too familiar face matching the voice. He exasperatedly asked, "Conrad, why are you still here?"

"I'm… I'm kind of stuck here," he admitted. "When my wife funded my trip she forgot to get a return ticket."

"Mmhm," Kasumi mused to herself.

"I've been working to pay my own way," Conrad continued, "but running a charity doesn't really turn much of a profit." He regained his enthusiasm and exclaimed, "But that's okay, because I'm earning money to help kids grow up to be heroes like us!"

Ashley was the first to crack. Her efforts to maintain a straight face only served to make her produce a staggered, nasally snickering. This caused Tali to nearly lose it herself. She, however, had the benefit of a mask hiding her contorted expression. Kasumi, being in the back of the group, could turn away from the man to hide her face without drawing attention to herself.

"Ashley Williams!" Conrad greeted, seemingly unoffended by her weird noises.

"You, uh, know me?" Ashley asked forcing the twisted smile from her face. Her cheeks hurt from trying holding it back in the first place.

"Of course I do! You and Tali'Zorah are heroes, just like Shepard!" Conrad answered, motioning to the both of them as he referred to them. "You stopped Saren and the geth and saved the Citadel!" He turned to Kasumi. "But I'm afraid I don't know you, miss…"

"Good," Kasumi replied flatly.

"Well, Miss Good, any friend of Commander Shepard's is a friend of mine!"

"Enough's enough, Conrad," Shepard interrupted. "How did you know I was coming to Illium?"

Conrad crooked his head. "I didn't."

"You didn't tell the concierge to have me meet you here?"

"That would have been me," said another familiar voice, much gruffer than Conrad's could ever hope to be.

The entire group turned to see a man seated at a table. He wore battle scarred armor and had an equally battle scarred face with only one good eye. Zaeed Massani.

Once he had their attention he spoke again. "And if you ladies are done rubbing your pussies together, maybe we can talk business."

"Another friend of yours, Shepard?" Conrad asked. He stuck his hand out to Zaeed. "Conrad Verner."

Zaeed gave Conrad a disbelieving sneer and simply replied, "Beat it, junior, men are talking."

Conrad dejectedly retracted his hand and looked to Shepard for consolation. None came. "Fine then, I know when I'm not wanted," he said and stalked off.

"Thought he'd never leave," Aethyta could be heard mumbling as she continued wiping down the bar.

"Have a seat," Zaeed said, looking over Shepard and his companions. "Who's the new broad?" Ashley glared at the mercenary as she sat next to Shepard. It had little effect.

"Operations Chief Ashley Williams," Shepard answered. "She was part of my crew when we took out Sovereign and now she's back for more."

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Shepard," Zaeed commented. "I'd never picture a pretty guddam thing like her holding a rifle, but that's where they get ya. Took a few of my boys to a club on Thessia once. What the hell was the name of it? Can't remember. Doesn't matter. Bunch of 'em picked up an asari dancer; thought they'd have a little group fun, right? She killed 'em all and dumped the bodies in the middle of the night. Nothing but blood and red sand in the room the next morning. Hell of a deal but their shares went to the rest of us. I made out like a guddam bandit."

Shepard leaned back and draped his arm over the back of the chair. "You just call me down here to tell me more stories?"

"I called you here to talk shop."

"First thing's first, Zaeed. How'd you know we were coming to Illium?"

"If you can hold your guddam horses, I'll get to that part." The mercenary leaned towards the bartender and stuck his hand in the air, making a circling motion with it as a gesture for drinks. "Your Illusive Man contacted me shortly before you did about the abductions, Vido, and whatever the hell else; said he wanted to cut me a deal. He was offering me double pay if I brought you in. Half up front even."

A waitress came by with a tray of drinks and handed them out. Shepard waited for her to leave before continuing the conversation. "So what, you're just giving me fair warning?"

Zaeed snorted. "You think I'm retarded? I already knew he was up to shit. 'Sides, we both know anyone who picks a fight with you is both as stupid and dead as a quarian hooker." He glanced at Tali and gave an insincere, "No offense."

Tali waved a dismissive hand and continued looking at the levo-amino acid drink in front of her. She was busy figuring out what she could possibly do with it.

"So the Illusive Man is still tracking us?" Shepard asked, trying to piece things together. He was willing to pass off the group beyond the Perseus Veil as coincidence, but not if Cerberus knew he was headed here too.

"Trying to," Zaeed answered. "You pissed him right off, Shepard. I don't even know if he has the money he offered, which is a stupid move in itself, but he wants you like the krogans want unpoisoned wombs." He paused a moment. "Guess they lay eggs, don't they?"

"The point, Zaeed?"

"Right, I was already here to pick up a mark. Dumb bastard really thought Illium was the place hide. That asari bitch, what's her name, T'Soni, she looked me up and offered me a job while I was here. Had me kill some volus. Can you believe it? Wasting my skills on some guddam waddlin' football. Pay was right, at least. Wouldn't say why, seemed more interested in talkin' about you, Shepard. Think she might have a thing for you. Wouldn't take her up on it, though. Seems less stable than Jack, just hides it better."

"So what did you talk about?" Shepard asked. His patience was growing thin. He took a sip of the drink Zaeed had ordered him but set it back down after realizing how strong it was.

"You, like I said. Crazy bitch had been keeping tabs on you. Bit obsessive, but mentioned you were headed here. I took the opportunity to let you know Cerberus wants you reeled in, maybe buy you a drink, shoot the shit."

"Appreciate it, but we already know. They attacked us a couple days after you left." In fact, Shepard was pretty sure he had mentioned as such in the message he sent. Perhaps Zaeed wasn't much for reading.

"No shit?" Zaeed pointed at Tali's drink. "You can't drink that, can you?" Without waiting for a reply he grabbed it and tossed it back before continuing. "Then I guess I've just been wastin' your time."

Shepard shrugged and offered the mercenary a smirk. "Good to catch up at any rate. Your room's still open if you feel like being an even bigger Goddamn hero."

"You couldn't afford me, Shepard," Zaeed chuckled. "And I don't look to be around when Cerberus finds you again and figures out I ain't playin' ball with 'em. I've got my own things to take care of as it is. You gave me a lead on Vido but the whole guddam system ain't much. Just gonna lie low and wait for the stupid ass to slip up again. Him or the dirty blinks he has workin' for him. He won't get away a second time." The mercenary's face twisted in to a twisted combination of grin and snarl as he finished his thought.

"Thanks for the drink, Zaeed," Shepard said, standing up. His glass, as well as the glasses of his companions, remained mostly full. The ladies with him followed his lead and stood up as well.

"Stay alive out there, Shepard," the mercenary replied. "I hear it gets harder to come back the second time around."

"What a charming man," Ashley scoffed as the group headed for the exit.

"He got the job done, but conversation _was_ always a little one sided," Kasumi remarked.

* * *

"Shepard, there you are," Liara greeted with a well practiced smile from behind her desk. "Tali, Miss Goto…" The asari offered the Japanese woman a bow of her head which was returned just as shallowly as it was given. Liara's face then took on an expression of greater interest as Miranda turned in her seat across from the desk to view the group entering the room. "Chief Williams?"

"Hey, Liara," Ashley said. She inwardly wondered why that was the best she could come up with.

"I had heard you and Shepard had crossed paths, but I must admit I was not fully aware you had rejoined his crew," Liara stated, instantly regaining her composure.

"Your sources, agents, whatever you have didn't tell you? Some merc said you were keeping tabs on us."

"Zaeed Massani, yes, it's true. Though I must admit I've had my focus elsewhere recently."

"I was afraid of that," Shepard said. "But first, I trust you and Miranda have had time to talk?"

"We did," Miranda answered, "Not exactly what I was hoping for, but something else that could come in handy."

Shepard nodded. "We'll talk later." With that, suspicions were raised for the other members of the group though none voiced their concerns. The commander spoke again. "Liara, I'm sure you know about the Reaper fleet by now."

"Of course," she replied, "as well as your successful strike on the Collectors. I only regret not being with you to help crush them in to paste." She ground her fist in to her palm. There was probably more to it than she was letting on but Shepard wasn't going to let the perfect opening she had given get away by asking.

"That's why I'm here," he said. "We want you back onboard the Normandy. With your biotics and your wealth of knowledge you could easily turn the tide on this war."

"I want to, Shepard," she answered, "but I'm so close."

This was already getting old. "So close to what?" Shepard demanded. "You were 'close' to the Shadow Broker the last time I was here."

"If that's the case, then perhaps I should have said I'm almost finished." Liara interlaced her fingers and set them atop her desk. "The Shadow Broker is two thirds dead."

"Two thirds?" Miranda repeated, asking the question everyone else was wondering.

Liara nodded. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. My research lead me to discover the Shadow Broker was, in fact, multiple people; a drell, a volus, and an asari. Each race held their own strengths and by sharing power and information, they maintained balance and covered more territory than any one broker. To keep it as such, they would groom their own apprentices to replace them once they retired. In fact, the Shadow Broker has been multiple sets of people over the years."

"Like the Dread Pirate Roberts!" Kasumi exclaimed. Heads turned to her. She ran her eyes over their stares and said, "Sorry, continue."

Liara cleared her throat and did as the thief suggested. "The drell and volus have been dealt with, as have the only two current protégés. In fact, you aided me in discovering and disposing of one of them yourself, Shepard. Nyxeris was under the tutelage of the asari broker. The other was a volus apprentice, which Mr. Massani handled for me while I took out his overseer. Time was, and still is, of the essence and he was the reliable type who did not ask too many questions. If you are wondering, the drell had no successor, making him my first target."

"That's…" Shepard started.

"A bit much to take in," Ashley finished.

Liara nodded understandingly. "Then you can well imagine how I felt uncovering it myself. Unfortunately, if we do not act quickly, all will be for naught and the Shadow Broker will reform."

Tali finally spoke up. "We?"

"The final broker, like her late apprentice, is hiding in plain sight," Liara explained. "She will be attending a formal party with others of her… dubious reputation under an assumed name. I would not even be able to get close without being discovered and killed and she knows it."

"So you want me to go in undercover and do your dirty work?" Shepard asked. "Won't she recognize me off the bat?"

"Not likely," Liara replied. "She has little reason to be interested in you and there have been no visual records of you since your return to life. In fact, the Systems Alliance fabricated a newer image of you for advertisements which could also cloud her recognition. Surely you've seen Tupari's representation of 'Commander Shepard.'"

Shepard glanced at Kasumi who had found an utter fascinating and apparently extremely amusing section of the ceiling to watch as he answered, "You could say that. But won't she know I'm here and probably talking with you right now?"

Liara smiled slightly at her professionalism. "Careena is on my payroll and I wiped any records of you docking. By all accounts, you aren't here."

"Then all I have to do is agree to this?"

Liara tore her gaze from Shepard's face. "You know I would not ask you if I had any other way. If I cannot convince you for old time's sake, or to simply remove a dangerous criminal from this galaxy, rest assured I would gladly join your crew immediately once this business is over with."

Shepard ran his teeth together, not wanting to obligate himself to anything. He glanced at Miranda, knowing she and her sister could very well be on the clock. Deciding on a noncommittal answer, he replied, "When and where is this party?"

"Tomorrow night and in Nos Astra's richest district, out in the hills," Liara answered. "With it so close, she's just toying with me." The asari's eyes narrowed. The hatred in them was plain as day.

Taking another look at Miranda, Shepard saw the woman looking back at him. She gave an approving nod. Looking back at Liara, it would seem she too saw the wordless exchange. "You'll need a date," she said.

"I've got one," Shepard replied, giving a smile to Tali. She stepped to his side and smiled back, even if it couldn't be seen.

"Oh," Liara uttered, "You and Tali are… I see…" She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "But I'm afraid that won't work. I mean you no offense, Tali, you know I don't, but they simply won't let a quarian inside." Liara tried to sound as consolatory as she could, but found she was out of practice. "I'm sorry," she tacked on at the end.

"I just wanted to go to a party," Tali mumbled, downtrodden.

Kasumi placed a hand on the quarian's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tal, I'll take good care of him," she told her.

"Why you?" Ashley asked, actually surprising herself with her own question.

"I missed out on the last party," Kasumi replied. "I think I'm due."

"Actually," Liara interrupted, "It would be best if all of you humans went with Shepard." The group all looked at Liara, waiting for elaboration. The asari sighed. "As formal and high society as the party is, you have to understand the hedonists attending it. They use their dates as show, often… _trading_ them to others in attendance. It's like a game to them, collecting a harem only to swap them with others they deem of equal status."

"How delightfully misogynistic," Ashley commented. Shepard, to his credit, actually managed to stop himself from asking his lady companions how much they thought he could get for them.

"So you're expecting us to hang off Shepard like…" Miranda paused to think of the proper term. "…Like arm candy?"

Liara did not reply. She instead looked past the group and to her doorway with a terrified expression washing over her.

"Shepard," said a familiar female voice from behind him, "it is good to see you again." Heads turned to see an asari in red; eyes striking and blue, like pure ice. "Please move aside," Samara requested. Not waiting for a reply, the justicar pulled her hand back and flung it forward, launching a biotic wave that sent Liara hurtling out of her chair and over her balcony railing. With a running start and biotic enhanced jump, Samara followed after her.


	30. Working on Borrowed Time

_**Author's notes:**__ As you might derive from my user name, my original plan was to simply release my story quietly without any big hullabaloo. However, I felt it was time to thank everyone for all the reading and reviews. You guys are awesome. I always make sure to see what you have to say, and I always look in them for things I might have forgotten. With several subplots weaving together, it's easy to overlook things. Fear not, loose ends will be tied eventually. (I'm actually working five chapters ahead of this one right now!)_

_Again, thank you for the critiquing and encouragement that helps me finish this rambling story that grew way larger than I ever thought it would. Lastly, I want to give a special thanks to TK-5159 for the awesome Tupari Shepard t-shirt fan art. Everyone go out and buy one. Kasumi Goto wears Tupari Shepard. Don't you want to be like Kasumi Goto?_

_Now then, without further ado, I believe Liara had just been defenestrated. Let's get back to the action!_

_

* * *

_

The gasps of the witnesses were completely drowned out for Liara by wind from the fall and the sudden impact of the trading floor's ground. Completely taken off guard by Samara, she hit the ground at full force, the wind being knocked from her lungs. Even as she opened her eyes and tried to inhale, she felt the justicar land on her, straddling her with her body. A hand grasped her by the neck.

"Liara T'Soni, I am sorry it came to this," Samara said calmly. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess."

Samara pulled her hand back for the finishing blow when another body landed on top of her. Kasumi's dive from the balcony landed her squarely on the justicar's back but proved to be a fruitless attack as she was batted aside by the powerful biotic with ease. She rolled a ways before coming to a halt at Garrus' feet. The three men shopping for parts, like other bystanders of Nos Astra, were now drawn to the commotion.

"Kasumi, you alright?" Jacob asked, helping her to her feet.

"I'm fine," the thief replied, rubbing her jaw as she stood. "She packs a hell of a punch, though. I think I liked her better when she was on our side."

When cumulative attention was brought back to the struggling asari, it appeared Kasumi's assault bought Liara just enough time to regain her senses and shield herself against Samara. The strain on the younger woman's face showed a losing battle, however. The justicar atop her pressed her glowing hand down at her own pace, unhurriedly assured of victory.

"Shepard, please!" Liara choked, seeing him and the rest of his crew arriving on the scene, pushing through the crowd that remained a fearful distance away. Unlike Kasumi, the rest of the group had rushed down the stairs as opposed to leaping down a story. "She is too strong!" Samara's grip on her throat tightened, silencing her begging and dampening her desperate struggling.

Shepard knew he had to do something. While he found it easier to believe Liara had done something deserving a justicar's attention than he would have years ago, he couldn't just watch her die. He flung a biotic mass at Samara, hoping to push her off her prey. The impact did little more than knock her hand from Liara's neck long enough for the younger asari to gasp for much needed air.

"Do not fight me, Shepard," Samara requested. "I do not wish to raise my hand against you as well."

"Samara, I order you to stop," Shepard tried. It was a long shot but the direct approach was obviously not going to work.

"I am not currently under your command, Shepard. I respect you greatly, but you must understand I do as the Code compels. This woman is a murderer of hundreds." As she spoke she continued to overpower Liara's defenses. Her voice never wavered while doing so. If not for her intense panic, Liara would have been exceedingly impressed at the woman's strength.

_A murderer of hundreds?_ Shepard wondered. There was no time to dwell on it. "I'm trying to save lives too, and not just hers," Shepard replied. "Just let her go long enough so we can talk about this!"

"Speak," Samara bid the commander. Her hand stopped moving a hair's breadth from Liara's face. Try as she might, the information broker could not force it backwards.

"Not here," Shepard refused. "This is a sensitive matter."

Samara stared at her quarry and time stood still for those observing her. Shepard prayed his stall would work. He had no idea what Liara had done but he knew Samara was ruthless when the job called for it. He also knew the justicar was as wise as she was powerful. She could bend her Code if the context called for it, but only so far.

Garrus looked on in more morbid curiosity than shock. He had come to respect Liara for her unexpected tenacity, but he was disappointed to see her newfound courage turn her to shady dealing. Now it had caught up to her. If she came out of this alive, he hoped it would scare her innocence back in to her, even if he personally knew better than to think a stain on your soul would ever come clean.

Ashley stared in disbelief. This was the childlike bookworm that thought she was in love with Shepard just because he saved her life? Ashley would only admit to it grudgingly but she did come to respect the asari in her own way. Now, however, the former archeologist was about to be executed for mass murder in front of an audience. What happened to her?

Tali wanted to look at Shepard and see some kind of reassurance in his face that this would work out. However, she could never tear her eyes from the intertwined asari. She knew her love's face would hold no such expression and something inside her told her that if she looked away, everything would be over in an instant. She didn't know if it was better to miss or witness the conclusion.

Kal'Reegar had no idea who either of these women were, but he couldn't abide by the idea of carrying out an execution in full view of citizens. He watched the glow surrounding the dominant asari dissipate and felt some relief as she hauled the other to her feet.

"Very well," Samara finally agreed. "Let us talk."

* * *

Liara set her chair back upright and sat down at her desk. She held on to it like an anchor, still shaken by her previous experience. As hardened as she had become since serving on Shepard's crew, being so close to death left her reverting to her former, timid self, even if only for a time. Having Samara sit cross legged on the balcony behind her, watching her every move like a hawk, did not help.

"Liara, are you okay?" Shepard asked.

"Yes," she replied, "thanks to you… again." She attempted a smile but only got about half way.

"'Murderer of hundreds?'" Ashley asked out of the blue.

Liara rubbed her throat where Samara's hand had been only a minute prior. "During my… my hunt," she began, carefully selecting her words, "others were regretfully involved in my strikes."

"So that's it?" Garrus sneered. "Just sloppy collateral damage?"

"I understand how it must look, but…"

"How about you just explain to Samara why she let you live," Garrus suggested. He leaned against a wall in the back, his face uncompassionate.

"Very well," Liara consented, taking a moment to regain her composure. "As I was explaining before…" her eyes roamed towards the justicar behind her, though she did not turn her head, "before just now, I have all but eliminated the Shadow Broker."

"A vile man and a noble cause, though your means are unforgivable," Samara commented.

"Not just one vile man," Liara corrected, not wanting to draw further attention to her methods. "Though I suppose now she is just one vile woman for the time being. If we can finish this tomorrow night, my hunt will be over."

"Your motivation sounds selfish and unjust as well," the justicar added.

"But stopping the Shadow Broker will still save countless lives for years to come," Shepard insisted.

"Precisely," Samara agreed. "Which is why I will postpone judgment on Dr. T'Soni until this is over. If there is any way in which I can assist, please let me know."

"T-thank you," Liara stammered, finally finding the courage to look behind her. It was only a glance, however, and she could not look Samara in the eye before turning back to look at Shepard. "And thank _you_." Then she wondered why she was thanking anyone. Her life was only extended by one night.

"That's not good enough," Shepard said. Liara was taken aback, thinking he was refusing her gratitude until she saw he was looking over her. "I still need her to fight the Reapers," he continued.

"The Code will not wait forever, Shepard," Samara stated. "Sooner or later, it will seek satisfaction."

"Perhaps we can discuss this... 'party' in the mean time?" Miranda suggested. In a surprising bout of empathy, she couldn't stand to see Liara squirm, trying to come to terms with her own demise. Of course it didn't hurt she wanted to finish this quickly and help Oriana as well.

"So is this Samara going to be part of Shepard's growing harem?" Ashley asked. Her question was pointed more at the justicar's prominent cleavage than any actual person.

"I don't think an asari matriarch could really pass as a ho," Garrus commented.

"What, and I do?" the marine rebutted.

Liara shook her head. "It might be best to discuss this aboard your ship after the attention we've drawn recently. But first, a little shopping is in order."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Shopping?"

Liara nodded. "You can't go to a party dressed like that, I'm afraid. Your 'dates' will need dresses as well." She pulled a business card out of her desk and slid it to the edge where Shepard could pick it up. "This is the best formalwear store in Nos Astra. Pick out anything you like and I will cover it. Money is no object."

Shepard ran his thumb along the card, staring at it as though he expected it to do something. After a short time he looked back up at Liara and rose to his feet. "Meet you on the ship?" he asked.

"Actually," Liara replied, "I will stay here and put a few things in order, double check a few informants. Please come get me once you're done."

Shepard nodded and turned to the male members of the crew. "Don't suppose you want to help me go clothes shopping," he ragged.

"Thanks but no thanks," Garrus answered, chuckling. "We still have a thruster to find if the Hammerhead's going to fly again. You know, things _real_ men buy."

"I will cover that as well," Liara chimed in. "It's the least I can do for your aid."

"Much appreciated, ma'am," Reegar replied, following Garrus and Jacob out the door.

"_I'll_ help you," Tali suggested, a contented smile beginning to form behind her mask. The idea of just spending time with Shepard somehow calmed her after the recent unpleasantness. He smiled back at her, somehow knowing it was there.

"Then let's get to it," he said, ushering the women out of Liara's office. "See you in a little while," he offered the asari as he left.

Liara nodded shallowly to the back of Shepard's head. She could still sense Samara sitting behind her, not daring to turn around again as if that would invoke the justicar's wrath. Instead, she stared straight forward wondering how things might have gone differently if she had dropped her foolish hunt and joined Shepard. Would she be at his side instead of Tali? Her eyes fell to her desk. Too late now.

* * *

"Hey, hold up a second," Shepard requested as the door to Liara's office shut behind him. Garrus and the others stopped in their tracks and moved back up the steps to the commander. Shepard leaned towards the turian and asked, "Is there going to be a problem with you and Liara working together?"

Garrus' eyes flicked away from Shepard's face a second before answering. "I've worked with worse than her. I always do my job, Shepard, you should know that."

"I think he, and the rest of us, are just worried about her stability. She's dangerously obsessive," Jacob added.

"If the commander could demand loyalty out of Jack, T'Soni should be no problem," Miranda stated.

"She'll do her job," Shepard asserted. "Now let's go do ours." Without further ado, he continued down the stairs with Tali in tow. The quarian looked back over her shoulder once but said nothing.

"You weren't kidding when you said she changed," Ashley said in almost a whisper once Shepard was lost in the trading floor crowd.

"Shepard's been a good judge of character so far," Jacob offered.

"I'm just worried he's letting his fond memories get in the way of what she's become," Garrus muttered.

"He doesn't strike me as the type to cater to incompetence," Reegar commented. "'Sides, she screws up, that justicar takes her out."

"You're probably right," Garrus decided. "Let's go get the most expensive thruster we can find while she's paying for it."

"That's the spirit," Jacob said, patting the turian on the back and letting him lead down the stairs. "You ladies go have fun playing dress up."

"Of course," Kasumi replied. "It's fun spending other people's money."

"You'd know!" Jacob remarked from the bottom of the steps as he and the other men walked on to the trade floor.

* * *

"Is Samara really going to kill her?" Tali asked as she and Shepard walked their way through the massive store towards the men's section. Mannequins of all different races were posed along the way wearing all number of shapes and sizes of clothing.

"I'm hoping to talk her way out of it," Shepard answered, wondering if he'd actually be able to do so as he eyed a human mannequin in a tuxedo posed to adjust its top hat. "But for right now, we should pick something out and get out of here. I can't believe of all the things we have to do, I'm out shopping for clothes."

"You think you have it bad," Tali replied, "security has been eyeballing me since we came in."

"That's okay, so have I," the commander teased, attempting to put her mind at ease. He plucked the top hat off the mannequin and placed it on his head. "So whaddia think?"

Snickering, Tali retorted, "I don't think it matches the shirt."

"No?" Shepard took the hat from his head and placed it atop Tali's hood. "There, that looks better. Very dapper."

"Sir," an asari interrupted from across the aisle without bothering to walk towards them, "I'm afraid I have to ask you not to let your indentured servant handle the wares."

"She's not a servant," Shepard snapped back immediately.

"Oh I see, my apologies, sir. Let me know if I can help you find something."

Shepard glanced at Tali, still in her top hat. "You're apologizing to _me?_" Shepard asked incredulously, looking back at the asari, but she had already disappeared. The commander let out a sigh.

"I guess I can see why I'm not going to the party," Tali muttered, placing the hat back on the mannequin.

"I can't believe some people," Shepard muttered in kind. "I have half a mind to hunt her down and make a scene."

"It's fine," Tali said. "I'm unfortunately used to it." She waved her arms sarcastically in the air and went, "Oh, someone committed a crime, round up all the quarians." Letting her arms fall back to her side, she finished her thought. "Besides, drawing attention to you here could tip off… you know who."

Shepard nodded unwillingly. "I suppose. You want the hat anyway, just to spite her?"

"No, no," Tali giggled, her good mood beginning to return, "I don't think it's quite my style."

"Alright, let's just find me a suit and…" Shepard's omni-tool beeped at him. He had a message.

_Shepard,_

_Please see me when able. Bring Tali'Zorah and Kal'Reegar._

_Professor Mordin Solus_

_

* * *

_

"You have been very quiet, Liara," Samara said, toying with a sphere of dark energy between her hands.

Liara continued to sit silently at her desk. Part of her was mortified at the prospect of talking to the woman that would more than likely be killing her in the near future. Another part was nervous about talking with someone as highly respected as a justicar.

"And quiet you remain," Samara continued, dissipating the sphere and looking to see what the information broker was doing. "You do not need to fear me. I have granted you some life yet."

"How can you talk like that so casually?" Liara demanded, spinning around to face the other asari. She scared herself with her reaction, but stood her ground in spite of herself.

Samara uncrossed her legs and dropped from the ledge to the floor. "It is my duty," she replied. "How could you be so casual about the ones you killed?"

"I…" Liara started. Her eyes fell from Samara's. "They deserved it."

"As do you. Not everyone you killed comprised the Shadow Broker or their agents. I cannot stand by and see you abuse your status, slaying innocents who are merely in your way." Her voice remained steady and calm.

Samara stepped past Liara who stood still, wallowing in shame like a little girl who had been caught cheating on a test. "But Shepard sees some good in you," the justicar continued as she sat on the edge of Liara's desk. "I have come to trust his judgment. So let us talk of other, less depressing things."

Liara blinked, snapping out of her stupor. She turned to face the other woman and shakily sat back at her desk to calm her nerves. "I… I suppose I should ask what brought you here."

"As I said, your actions brought me to your doorstep."

The information broker winced. "I meant what brought you back to Illium," she said, still bemused at holding conversation with her executioner. "Last I knew Shepard had left you on Omega."

"You truly are well informed," the justicar remarked. "But yes, I was on Omega for a time. I stowed away on board a batarian slaver ship that had been kidnapping residents of the station. After killing them, I discovered the ship was locked in to an automatic path here, likely to launder the people like money. Instead, I split the contents of the ship among them and set them free once we landed."

"Like Shepard did with the miners he freed on Alingon," Liara noted. "Several of them passed through here using a Blue Suns ship. Most have returned to their families already." She looked up to see Samara's piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

"Your interest in Shepard boarders on obsession," the justicar stated.

"You traveled with him. Surely you can see his worth," Liara replied instead of denying the accusation. She couldn't.

"He is like no man I have ever met, it is true," Samara admitted, smiling softly over the balcony, casting her gaze on the skyline of Nos Astra. "However, detachment is necessary to maintain a personal balance." Without even looking at her right hand, she curled her fingers loosely, forming a tiny sphere of dark energy in her palm. The diffused blue glow contrasted with and complimented the red of her outfit as the orb shimmered in her hand. "When you grow too close to someone or something, no matter how right or good it may feel, you become preoccupied with it." To illustrate her point, she closed her fist, squelching the biotic display. "Your harmony is lost to baser, carnal instincts. You cannot focus and you lose sight of who you are without even realizing it." She opened her hand, showing how empty it was.

The information broker opened her mouth to explain how Shepard had saved her, changed her life, but then she realized this is where that change had led her. Could she explain that it was for the better? Maybe Samara was right and her fixation had led her through a valley of sin leading to an early grave. "What about him and Tali then?" she asked, deflecting the accusations placed upon her. "Is that just as foolish?"

"Perhaps. The challenge of combining of war and love could very well destroy them both." Samara smiled again. "It would be nice to see them succeed, however. Mine is a life I would not wish upon anyone, as necessary as my service may be."

"Then why condemn my interest in him?"

"Because you are a moth to flame, Liara. You go to his warmth, his light, but you do not stop at a safe distance. Your very nature will have you burned… and now here I am."

As if summoned by the discussion, Liara's door opened to reveal Shepard behind it. Only Tali remained with him. The others had already returned to the Normandy with their purchases. "We're ready when you are, Liara," the commander said.

Liara stood and nodded in recognition, glad to end the conversation. Samara stepped off of the broker's desk and fell in with her. Without a word spoken, it was evident to all that the justicar would be accompanying them.

* * *

Bodies crowded around the table in the conference room. Anyone eligible to be a part of ground missions was present. Even Mordin had left the lab. Shepard took the head of the table with Liara at his side as the asari linked her omni-tool to the holographic projector. A three dimensional schematic of a large mansion appeared above the glass tabletop.

"Nice place," the commander commented. "I trust this is where we're headed?"

"Correct," Liara affirmed. "You, Ashley, Miranda, and Kasumi will enter as guests through the front door here." She pointed at the mansion's entryway.

"And they're just going to let us in?" Ashley asked.

"The party is open invitation to the elite," Liara explained. She turned to Shepard. "Your former alias of 'Solomon Gunn' should suffice."

"You do your homework, that's for sure," Kasumi remarked, somewhat shocked by the mention of the name she had made herself.

"Always," Liara continued. "Solomon Gunn was just an innocent partygoer when Donovan Hock met his untimely demise. He should be welcomed like anyone else."

"And the three of us are just his floozies to make sure his arms don't get cold?" Miranda asked.

Liara paused a moment at the wording but answered, "Correct, at least as far as the Shadow Broker is concerned." Moving on, she spun the hologram to show the back of the house. "The rest of us will split in to groups to surround the building and move in once Shepard's team has located our target."

"Don't suppose you know what she looks like," Shepard said.

"Not exactly," Liara admitted. "I do know she is of matron stage and is the daughter of a turian father, however. She will likely be wearing the paint of her heritage."

Shepard thought hard for a moment. "Turian. That's the one with the butterfly around the eyes and the, uh…" He gestured stripes on the sides of his face.

"The 'butterfly' actually represents the turian platelets around the eyes," Samara corrected. "Yet you continue to impress me."

"I wish I had a better description," Liara said. "Fortunately the number of asari attending as guests will be greatly out shadowed by the number attending as… 'dates.'" Not commenting on that sentence was mentally killing Ashley, but she remained respectfully quiet. "Look for any telltale personality traits as well," Liara continued. "With any luck, we'll be able to get the Shadow Broker alone and minimize conflict with bystanders."

"Then the other groups crush in from all directions," Jacob stated.

"Correct," Liara replied. "The side and rear entrances will be guarded, but not enough to slow you down. If we work quickly we can hit our mark and leave before reinforcements arrive."

"You've worked hard on this," Garrus remarked. Liara only nodded in response.

"Okay, listen up," Shepard ordered. "Alpha team will be Liara and Mordin with Reegar leading at the back door. Bravo will be Grunt and Tali with Jacob leading at the west door. Charlie will be Samara and Legion with Garrus leading at the east door. Everybody got that?" Nods and voices of affirmation echoed around the table.

"Question," Ashley said, raising a finger in the air. Shepard gave her the go-ahead. "Once it comes to combat, what do those of us dancing around in our Sunday best do?"

"Shepard and I have our amps," Miranda replied, "and Kasumi is… well, Kasumi." The thief grinned smugly. "You could probably hide a sidearm somewhere if your dress isn't too… revealing."

"You're one to talk," Ashley riposted. As far as she was concerned, she was wearing a heavy parka to the party compared to what Miranda had picked out.

"We aren't the stars of this one," Shepard said, verbally coming between the two women. "Our job is to find the Shadow Broker and, if possible, get her alone so the others can move in." He turned to Liara. "What are the chances she already knows we're coming?"

Liara bit her lip before answering. "Slim. With her partners and most of her informants dead, her intelligence network has dwindled greatly. We cannot rule out that possibility, however."

"Especially after the display on the trade floor," Garrus added.

"Either way we're still the best squad in the galaxy," Shepard stated looking over his crew. "Just do what I know you can and this will be a walk in the park. Any other questions?"

There was silence from the group for a short time before Grunt spoke up. "Is there a buffet?"

* * *

"Tell me it's good news," Shepard requested as he followed Mordin to his lab. Tali and Reegar trailed behind them. The salarian did not answer vocally, but he wore a large smile for the duration of the short trip. This only meant good things to Tali. She found it impossible to calm herself, her logical side's warnings to not get her hopes up being ignored entirely. Once the door closed behind the group, Mordin plucked a vial of blue liquid from a stand on his desk. He held it in front of him to show it off.

"It is finished," he proclaimed proudly.

Tali's jaw dropped, hanging from the smile that had frozen in place. Her mouth wouldn't work and her fingers twitched without direction. She felt Shepard place an arm around her, but could not make cognitive sense of it. The idea that she could be without her suit seemingly shut her brain down entirely.

"This is that immune system project Xen mentioned?" Reegar asked. Even his normally stoic voice was laced with cheerful disbelief.

"Indeed," Mordin answered. "Ironically product of vile experimentation from former colleague and Cerberus," he commented, turning the vial in his fingers and looking at the miracle inside. "And my own genius," he added confidently, sliding the tube back in to its stand next to other identical tubes containing the same substance.

"How… how soon can we…?" Tali stammered, beginning to think again.

"Regrettably, not for a few days," Mordin answered.

"What?" Tali asked. "Why not?" Part of her chastised herself for asking so rudely when this person had just changed the lives of her entire species but the question was out there and she wanted the answer.

"Finalization," the salarian replied. "Have to double check, ensure perfection. Would be irresponsible not to, even if I already know I have succeeded." He turned and gestured a hand at the stand full of vials. "Have already produced first batch in preparation for distribution, in fact. Must be patient."

Reegar frowned but quickly overcame it. "I've lived my whole life in this suit," he said, "I suppose a couple more days won't kill me."

"Longer, I'm afraid," Mordin replied. "Injection rewrites genetic code. Takes approximately one week for full adaptation. Recommend limited open air exposure to ease in to the effects. Can give further details once dose is administered."

"Thank you so much for this, Mordin," Tali said, finally finding her wits at last. She stepped forward and gave the salarian the deep hug she had attempted to long ago when she was recovering from a gunshot wound. Reegar nodded in agreement over the woman's shoulder as she let go.

"Always happy to help," Mordin stated over his smile.

"So now that you've essentially saved an entire race, what's next on your agenda?" Shepard asked.

"Will study geth Cerberus had aboard their ship," the salarian answered. "But first, lunch. Starving."

"I need to talk to Miranda, myself," Shepard commented as he let Mordin exit the lab first. Reegar followed them out next with plans to head down to the hangar and set to work on that new thruster for the Hammerhead.

Tali set about leaving with the others but stopped herself. She turned around. There, only a few feet away, sat her freedom from this damnable suit. She was alone with the one thing that could make her normal; make her everything Shepard deserved despite his insistence that he was happy. Though the vial had no eyes, it stared back at her, daring her; tempting her.

* * *

"So what did you learn?" Shepard asked as he entered Miranda's office. She was seated at her desk as though it was a day like any other. Even the spilled coffee and cup fragments were cleaned up.

Miranda looked up from her terminal and stretched her back. "I asked Liara about Oriana's family. She said she could find out but had no immediate information."

"But you said you had something," Shepard said, taking a seat across from his XO's desk.

"Something invaluable," Miranda replied, leaning forward. She interlaced her fingers atop her desk. "Liara knows where the Illusive Man is hiding."

Shepard's eyes grew large and he too leaned forward on the desk. "Meaning we can put all this to rest and work towards stopping the Reapers?"

"Hopefully," Miranda answered. It would never be that simple. Despite her fear and anger over Oriana's disappearance, she knew in the back of her mind that the Illusive Man would not be working against the galaxy. He might be the enemy to the Normandy's crew, but somehow, whatever he was doing was for some sort of pay off. She would have said so to Shepard if she could have even convinced herself of it.

"And find your sister," Shepard added, leaning back in to a more comfortable seated position.

"I sent her a message after I received the one from the Illusive Man," Miranda said. "She still hasn't responded to it." Panic began to creep up the back of her mind again at the reminder of the situation, though she did her best to not show it. "I don't know if it would be better to find her on Manifest Destiny or not."

"Manifest Destiny?"

"The Cerberus station where the Illusive Man is supposed to be. If Oriana is there, then I'll have immediate closure but it means…" Miranda shook her head. "I'm losing focus. Liara's mission comes first." She shut her eyes and exhaled through her teeth to calm herself. "I'll be ready, Shepard."

"I know you will," the commander replied, nodding. "You always are." He pushed down on his knees and rose from the chair. "We'll save Oriana, but first the Shadow Broker dies," he said, moving to the door.

"Then Liara," Miranda whispered regretfully under her breath.

Shepard paused on his way out as if he heard what she said. He left the room without any further reaction.


	31. Party Time

"I still can't believe I'm doing this," Ashley grumbled, slipping a dress strap over her shoulder.

"At least it's not a tinfoil miniskirt," Tali commented. She sat on the observation room's couch, respectfully turned from the dressing woman. She wasn't even sure why Kasumi insist she help. Perhaps it was just to make her feel like part of the process since she couldn't attend the party.

"What?" Ashley yelped. "How did you hear… no, never mind. Just zip me up."

Tali stood from the couch and felt a little light headed for a moment. Shrugging off the feeling, assuming she just stood up too quickly, she did as she was instructed when Kasumi walked back in to observation room from the bathroom.

"Cerberus standard issue mirrors are terrible," the thief remarked. "How do I look?"

She spun around once to give the full picture. Kasumi wore a black, backless evening gown that ran the entire length of her body. The top wrapped around her neck, leaving her shoulders bare. Her lip remained unpainted, but the usual shade of purple was used as her eye shadow instead. It matched the purple, stylized butterflies on the left side of the dress, cascading from her hip to her feet. Her hair was done up in a loose bun, a few strands carefully placed to frame her face and add intrigue. The bun was held in place by two parallel chopsticks, also black with purple trim; an homage to her heritage.

"You're beautiful!" Tali exclaimed. She clasped her hands against her chest as she took in the sight of her friend all dressed up.

"I certainly have a lot to live up to," Ashley commented. She had chosen a deep navy v-neck dress that extended to the knee. Despite the modest cleavage, it was a vastly more simple and conservative design than Kasumi's. It was if the dress served as the marine's reluctance to get all dolled up. "I, uh…" Ashley started, wondering how to say this. "Do you think you could…?" She gestured at her hair with her hands.

Kasumi smiled. "Of course," she said, pulling Ashley's hair free of its tightly wrapped confines. "Sit please," she requested, leading the other woman over to a stool at the bar.

"Wasn't Miranda supposed to come, ow! Come down here with the rest of us?" Ashley asked.

"Stop squirming," Kasumi scolded, combing a knot out of the other woman's hair. "She insisted she could get dressed herself. Her loss. If we had time before the mission we could have popped in some vids, opened up the bar, and had a girls' night! Perhaps when we're back. We can invite Gabby, Kelly, and maybe Liara and Samara if they're interested… and not killing each other."

"I don't know if I'm very good at the whole 'girl' thing," Ashley admitted.

"You'll learn," Kasumi assured her, changing hands with the comb and reaching for hair spray. "After all, I taught that tomboy of an engineer over there."

Tali gasped. "I'm _very_ feminine!" she insisted.

Kasumi only smiled. Ashley did the same, knowing she'd lose hair if she did anything more.

There was a knock on the door. Seeing as everyone was clothed, Kasumi gave the order, "Enter."

Shepard strolled in wearing the tuxedo he had picked out. It was the classic Earth style, black jacket and pleated pants with a cummerbund, bowtie, and white dress shirt. Having kept his hair short, he thankfully had to do nothing with it. "I learned to knock," he proclaimed.

"And we're all very happy for you," Kasumi replied. She turned to look at Tali. "I told you he cleaned up nice." The quarian distractedly nodded in agreement, suddenly realizing she was staring.

"You two look great," Shepard said, looking over Ashley and her impromptu hairdresser. "Where's Miranda?"

"Right behind you," said the accented voice of the woman in question. Shepard jerked in surprise then stepped aside to allow her to enter, and enter she did. The genetically perfect woman had chosen a heart stopping red cocktail dress that barely extended past her thigh. Two spaghetti straps leading over her shoulders and crisscrossing on her bare back struggled to hold her breasts in check as the gown's cleavage plunged to the bottom of her sternum. Her hair was done up atop her head in curls.

"That's, uh, some dress," Shepard managed to say, struggling to keep his eyes level. At least during his unavoidable ogling he managed to remember Tali was present for his choice of comment.

"An excellent choice," Liara stated, walking in behind Miranda. "Milania is one of the finest asari designers in the galaxy."

"Figures it had to be asari," Ashley commented, "It's a napkin with cleavage and a slit in the leg."

"Expressing fertility is important to our species and necessary for our survival," Liara rebuked. "You cannot judge us with your human standards of modesty."

"Are we all ready?" Miranda asked, preferring to stop inevitable arguments, especially ones about her.

"If this looks good to you," Kasumi answered, pointing at Ashley's hair with open palms. She had taken the marine's hair down and curled it inward around her neck.

"Very glamorous," Tali decided.

"Then let's get to it," Shepard said. "The sooner this is over the sooner I can get out of this." He tugged his collar away from his neck, only to have it return to place just as tight as it was before.

The group filed out of the observation deck and headed for CIC to go over the plan one last time. As she left, Tali suddenly felt regret at not being the one in any of those dresses. The women were lovely, Shepard was as handsome as he had ever been, and instead of being with them she was going to be crouching in bushes with a krogan. It didn't seem fair. The regret began to grow in resentment as the elevator opened to CIC and Kelly's clamoring, snapping her out of her brooding.

"Look at you!" Kelly shouted. "Oh, I wish I could go."

Shepard chuckled in spite of himself. "This party isn't going to last long. We're there on a mission."

"I know," Kelly pouted, "But you're so handsome and the girls are so gorgeous. For once I wish I was in the shore party."

"If I had a body, I would feel the same way, Kelly," EDI stated reassuringly.

"Careful what you wish for," Shepard replied, "I'm not sure how Joker would take to you if you had a body."  
"I heard that!" the pilot shouted from the cockpit.

Only glancing at the helmsman for a moment, Shepard addressed Garrus, Kal'Reegar, and Jacob; the group leaders. "Those of us attending the party are heading there via taxi. We're just guests and can get in easy. The rest of you are going to take the aircars Liara provided a few blocks away and head in to position on foot. Stay out of sight until we've identified the Shadow Broker. On my signal phrase, 'this is a great party,' you're to get in to position, removing any guards in your way. Then, on my word, you enter, take her out, then get the hell out of there before anyone even knows what happened. Got that? I want this quick and clean."

Three "yes, sirs" came in reply.

"I won't be able to stay in radio contact for obvious reasons, but I'll leave it open and I'll be listening in. I want to hear communication the second any of you sees anything. No suspect Shadow Broker gets out of that party without one of you catching her."

Again, the trio of leaders gave the affirmative and the women posing as guests headed towards the front of the ship and the airlock. The heads of male crew members, and Kelly, followed intently as they walked. A whistle sounded, though no one would fess up to being the owner.

The squad leaders headed for the armory to prepare and Tali began to follow when she felt a hand take her arm. She already knew it was Shepard even before she turned around to face him. "Hey," he said in a hushed voice. "I promise I won't have too much fun." He pulled her in and gave her a kiss on the top of her hood. "I couldn't without you." He offered her a smile before walking off to catch up with the others waiting for him. Tali watched him go and felt that twinge of sadness again. She cleared her head of it. It was just another mission.

* * *

Garrus opened his mouth to speak but just sighed instead. He peered out the windshield of the aircar, beyond the glare of Legion's lighted head, and in to the night's darkness, illuminated by headlights and the vibrant city. It was going to be a long, quiet ride if he didn't speak. He tried again. "I can't believe you agreed to this," he said, glancing at Samara in the passenger seat before putting his eyes back to traffic. "Helping out someone you've decided to kill."

"The Shadow Broker is a menace. It is no different from you, or any of us agreeing to work with Cerberus to stop the Collectors," she replied. "And it is not my personal decision to execute Liara. Truth be told, seeing Shepard's conviction for helping her tells me more than I ever want to know about someone I am oath bound to kill."

"I guess Shepard still looks at her and sees that naïve, innocent little girl who needs rescuing," Garrus muttered.

"Or perhaps a friend," Samara suggested.

Garrus stared silently out the window, pondering the justicar's comment. Traffic had thinned and so had civilization. The mansion was located in one of the few relatively undeveloped areas of the planet. Naturally growing trees were a luxury for the elite on Illium.

"Do you not see her as such?" the asari asked. Apparently she wasn't quite ready to let the conversation escape.

"I've been wondering that myself," Garrus answered. "I got along with her well enough on the first Normandy, but… she's changed so much. I worry she's become the thing she's been hunting." He suddenly remembered Shepard's warning that he was doing the exact same thing when tracking Sidonis.

Samara let out a faint chuckle.

"What?"

"Your concern is for her character more than her actions."

The turian shrugged. "Are you going to tell me if that's a good thing or not?"

"It is just very telling of your own character, is all. You are quite different from other turians I have known."

"Now that, that's a good thing."

* * *

"I appreciate this," Liara said, breaking the ice. "More than you know."

"Think nothing of it, ma'am," Reegar replied. He was just following orders. Part of him regretted not having one mission under Shepard before leading part of his crew, but he wouldn't voice his complaints. He spotted his turn and banked out of traffic and in to the richest part of the city. "You certain your tussle with Samara didn't give Shepard away?"

Liara's brow furrowed. "I did not wish to say anything before, but attempts on an information broker's life are more common place than you would expect. I've dealt with similar attacks many times, though admittedly none against a justicar."

Reegar eyed the asari before placing his eyes back to the road. "I have to say, you're not exactly what I expected from Tali's descriptions of the old Normandy crew."

Though not meant to, the words stung Liara. She had long ago convinced herself everything she did was necessary. Still, Shepard's return seemed to unravel her resolve at an alarming rate. It was time to change subjects. "You were Kal'Reegar, yes?" she asked.

"That's right."

"Just trying to get a feel for Shepard's new crew," the asari explained. She turned over her shoulder. "Professor Mordin Solus?"

The single word, "Correct" came from the back seat.

"I've been keeping up with Shepard as best I can," Liara said, sitting forward again, "but I was wondering how well he has been doing on a personal level."

Reegar sat quietly. He was not the one to ask, having just joined on. Only "personal level" he knew was that Shepard was too busy performing the impossible to stay dead.

"Has remained stable and in good condition," Mordin answered.

"That… that's good," Liara replied. "But not really what I meant." This was getting uncomfortable for her. "I suppose this question would be better suited for someone who was with him from the start. It's just, it seemed to me death didn't change him at all."

"Just the type of guy he is," Reegar commented.

"Bold, steadfast, unwavering," Mordin agreed. "Entire crew comprised of similar individuals. Speaks highly of you if Shepard sought you out."

"I suppose it does," Liara remarked. Her gaze was transfixed on the mansion in the distance. It demanded she not be caught up in her fond memories of her time on the Normandy. She had one final life to take. Her obsession with Shepard battled with her obsession with the Shadow Broker. She wasn't sure which one was winning.

* * *

The car stopped in the woods, settling down behind appropriately covering foliage, and Tali was the first to step out. Jacob was next, followed by Grunt who caused the tiny vehicle to shake with his girth; the krogan's movements more akin to taking off a shirt than exiting a vehicle.

"I guess now we wait," Jacob whispered to his group.

Grunt grumbled in annoyance at the mere prospect.

"Tali, you see anything?" the man asked, reaching back in to the car.

With the vis-glass of her visor, she had the best pair of eyes in the group. Even still, the mansion was far enough away that people were more or less indistinguishable outside of race or gender. "Just people entering," she replied. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"At least not yet," Jacob said, finally procuring the pair of binoculars he was after. "Shepard and the girls should be here soon." He placed the binoculars to his eyes and focused on the entrance. Mercenary guards, Eclipse by uniform, lined the long walk to the front door greeting the guests as cars circled their way around the driveway. "Shit, look at that," Jacob chuckled, "a volus with four asari hanging off him. Now I've seen everything." He handed Tali the binoculars and said, "Scratch that, seeing half the female ground team hanging off Shepard like he's some kind of pimp will be everything."

Tali awkwardly placed the binoculars against her visor, silently offended by the idea of Shepard and his groupies. Why was this even bothering her so much? She couldn't get much out of the binoculars with them so far from her eyes. She absentmindedly handed them to Grunt, who could get even less use out of them with his head, before crouching down behind a bush. It was too dark for her to be seen from the mansion, but better safe than sorry.

Jacob plucked the binoculars from Grunt's bemused hand and placed them back to his eyes, continuing his thought. "I gotta get dibs on the next party mission."

"Entertaining the idea of a harem, are you?" Tali commented. Perhaps picking on Jacob would cheer her up.

"Wouldn't need to go that far," he replied. "You're always hanging out with Kasumi; think I might have a chance with her?" Upon completing his question, he realized how abrupt it was and how overtly he had asked it.

Tali was not prepared for her plan working immediately and barely stopped herself from bursting out with laughter. _If only he had tried a little sooner_, she thought. Perhaps her friend was wrong about him making headway with Ashley after all, or perhaps it was just one sided. "Never know until you try," Tali replied, trying to work a hint in to the tone of her voice.

"That's why I asked," Jacob responded. "Figured you could give me a heads up so I know if I should give it a shot."

"That's why you'll fail," Grunt said. The two with him turned their heads to look at the krogan. "You're soft."

"If you haven't noticed, she's soft too," Jacob retorted. "We're both human."

"I don't mean your skin," the krogan growled. "You're indesicive; wishy-washy. Females won't breed with someone who's weak willed."

Jacob dropped his face in to his palm. "I can't believe I'm getting relationship advice from a krogan."

Grunt crossed his arms and grinned. "Know what you want and fight for it and they'll come to you."

Tali hesitantly eyed Grunt's expression. She leaned over to Jacob who was staring at nothing in particular and pretending he didn't exist. "You could stand to be more outgoing, I suppose," she told him.

"Shepard to ground crew," said their radios. "We're touching down shortly. Heads up, eyes and ears sharp, everybody."

"Thank you, Jesus," Jacob whispered under his breath.

* * *

The door to the taxi was opened by a salarian attendant in a fine suit. He stood silently and respectfully to the side as Shepard exited the vehicle first, followed by his entourage. Miranda took his left arm and Kasumi his right with Ashley following closely behind.

Kasumi glanced at the marine and took her arm, pulling her in to the group. "C'mon, Ash, mingle. At least act like you want to be here."

Ashley exhaled through her teeth and placed a fake smile on her face while puffing out her chest. "I'm a floozy and my IQ is equal to my cup size. Got it."

"That's the spirit."

"Quiet down," Shepard whispered. They approached the turian at the entrance.

"Name?" he demanded.

"Gunn. Solomon Gunn." Shepard had always wanted to say that.

The turian looked him up and down but stepped to the side, opening the front door. "Enjoy the party, Mr. Gunn."

Shepard nodded to the turian and took his crew through the door. They were immediately met by a massive common area. Stairs led off on either side, curling back on themselves like wings. The floor had been almost entirely cleared for dancing with a smattering of tables and chairs by the sides, separated from the main area by ornate marble pillars. A larger buffet table was placed in the back to the right of a third flight of stairs leading to the second floor. On the left side of the stairs was a risen area where a human string quartet was playing, accompanied by piano. The mass of guests was daunting, with many dancing or seated at tables. Some were drinking, others just talking, and others still lewdly making out with their dates, the dates of others, or possibly even each other in corners as the mood struck them.

Shepard looked to the women at his sides, who were also unnerved by the juxtaposition of the elegant mansion, the classical dancing, and its vulgar occupants. "Here goes," he whispered.


	32. The Hunt

Kasumi subconsciously swayed to the music. She didn't recognize the piece, but she was no less in her element. Anyone who looked her way would simply see a lovely young lady enjoying herself. However, her eyes played across the crowd in search of her target with professional precision. Normally, she'd be zeroing in on a work of art, determining the fastest but least direct approach to obtain it, as well as a route of escape. Now, however, she was watching asari and their faces; looking for moods, signs of self importance laced with paranoia, anything that could pin point them as the Shadow Broker. Her concentration was instantly shattered as she felt a groping hand squeeze her buttocks.

"ksst, How much?" breathed a voice from below her.

"She's not for sale," Shepard said, glaring down at the volus. Kasumi turned and offered a similar expression while smoothing out her dress in back.

The volus, undaunted, continued bargaining. "Perhaps a trade then. ksst, I have quality women with me, ksst, and many more back at…"

"Not interested," Shepard interrupted. "I'm keeping my women."

The volus offered a "bah" and waddled off with his harem in tow.

"Keeping my women?" Miranda asked, intoned with amusement.

Shepard shrugged. "Unless you'd rather go with him."

"Solomon Gunn, is that you?" asked a human male voice, its owner stepping over to the commander with a blonde human woman and an asari following. The asari wore no face paint; the sign of a pure blood.

Thinking quickly, Shepard extended his hand for a shake and answered, "It sure is, Mister…"

"Barber, Garrison Barber. We met at Hock's party."

"Of course, Mr. Barber, how could I forget? I guess I was just a little rattled evacuating during the fighting." Shepard couldn't remember actually talking to anyone outside of Hock himself at that party. Garrison's speech was a little slurred and judging by his choice of peer groups, he was likely just a toady looking for another boot to lick for a steady income.

"Yeah, shame that. I always liked Hock. Did I ever tell you the time we had a smuggling deal almost go bad at Shin Akiba?"

The group had no time for small talk and Kasumi had even less patience for it. She leaned in to Shepard and drew a small circle on his chest with her finger. "I'm gonna go get a drink, okay, baby?" She pushed off his chest with a wink and as she turned to head towards the back of the hall, grabbed Miranda. "Come on, don't let me get lonely," she said to her, dragging her away.

"You enjoyed that," Miranda quietly accused once they were free of the group, keeping pace with the thief.

"Staying in character," Kasumi replied. "Now let's find us an asari."

"Agreed, but if your 'character' gets any creepier I'm going to hit her."

"A cat fight? Now who's the creepy one?"

Miranda rolled her eyes as the pair reached the buffet table which was covered with trays of hors d'oeuvres and aperitifs towards the end constantly being poured by a well dressed turian. "You ladies will want items from the red tablecloth," he politely informed them. "The blue tablecloth is all dextro-protein foods."

Kasumi and Miranda thanked him for the information and each took plates. They weren't here for food, but they could not deny the appeal of the spread before them. Observing others at the table only turned up two asari. The first had lines towards the top of her head and false eyebrows painted just below them. The other, however, had exactly the markings the women were after. Miranda was the first to notice and gave Kasumi a slight nudge. The thief finished placing a beautifully split lobster tail on her plate to turn and see their target.

The asari stood at the end of the table a moment before selecting a glass of wine. As she pulled away, Kasumi and Miranda fell in behind. They quietly chose drinks themselves, keeping a discreet eye on their prey. Even without her cloak, Kasumi was a master of invisibility and she took Miranda with her. They slipped in to the crowd, being lost to everyone in the mass of bodies, all the while watching and waiting. The asari eventually found her way to a table. There was a drell with a drink in one hand and a human woman in the other, seated on his lap. Upon arriving at the table, the asari took her place on the drell's other leg, running a hand across his frilled cheek.

"I don't think that's the behavior we're looking for," Miranda whispered.

"Not so much," Kasumi agreed over a succulent mouth-full of lobster. "But that means we can hit the buffet again."

* * *

"If one of you doesn't smuggle me something out from the dextro table, so help me, spirits…" Garrus started in to his radio. He sighed and did not continue his idle threat. He leaned back on his elbows, allowing the natural slope of the hill to cast his gaze upwards. With no moon orbiting the planet, the night was incredibly dark in less settled areas such as this.

Samara turned a serene eye towards the turian. She was seated cross legged, as usual, with her fingertips together, palms apart, just above the ground. "Should you not be preparing to remove the Shadow Broker?" she asked calmly.

Garrus' mandibles flared in an abrupt grin that faded just as quickly as it had appeared. "You should know by now I'm always ready. 'Sides," he continued, gesturing towards Legion with his head, "I think we have someone doing just that."

Legion was kneeling on the hill, its rifle to its optic, scanning the mansion for its target. With unwavering machine stamina, it never looked away from the scope, never ceased in its observations, and never spoke. Its head flaps shifted slightly at being mentioned, but nothing more.

Garrus felt strangely relaxed. At any moment he would be up again, pulling triggers and ending lives, but for right now he was just enjoying a nice cool night with two very quiet companions. It wasn't like Rannoch, where everything was abandoned and he had exploring to do. People were still around, he could just turn his head and see them, but he felt comfortably solitary.

"You seem more at ease than on the ride over," Samara stated. Garrus smirked to himself. Perhaps his companions were not as quiet as he thought. Even still, the justicar's well composed, tranquil voice added to the effects.

"It's a nice night," Garrus replied. "Maybe I should radio in and tell them they're missing all this while they stuff their faces on food I could never afford and dance the night away."

Samara smiled slightly. "We never spoke much aboard the Normandy. Your dry wit is similar to Shepard's. I can see why he takes to your company."

"You can't afford to be too serious in our line of work. If your sense of humor dies, you're sure to follow."

"EDI expresses a desire to learn organic humor," Legion said. Even while speaking, its rifle remained level, aimed through a window. "She attempts to practice on us, but we do not… 'get it.'"

Garrus pushed himself off the ground with his elbows in to a seated position. "People love to laugh. You should give it a shot," he said. Legion turned its head towards him and elevated a head flap. "Lots of things are funny," the turian continued. "Irony, for example. While certainly not funny for her, Tali is Shepard's girlfriend and she's practically the only woman on the ship who couldn't attend this party with him. Some people, not me of course, would find that funny."

"Creator Tali'Zorah seemed distressed at the situation. We do not find humor in her misery."

"I didn't mean… alright, how about puns? I've got a good one. You know how knock knock jokes work?"

"Affirmative."

"Okay, knock knock."

"Who is there?"

"Geth."

"Geth who?"

"That's what you're supposed to be doing!"

Legion tilted its head to emulate confusion and cocked the opposing flap from before. Samara likewise only raised an eyebrow.

Garrus grumbled. "Alright, just forget it." He grabbed his rifle from his back and started watching the mansion like Legion had been doing.

* * *

"Turns out they were just some salarian nerds looking for games!" Garrison blurted out, finishing the story Shepard had been completely ignoring. The man burst out laughing and the commander gave an unconvincing chuckle as he continued to examine the crowd.

Garrison's laughter died down and he wiped an eye. "Should have had that honey of yours bring us some drinks too. I'm all out and I still need to tell you about the time I accidentally slept with Hock's old lady."

_No,_ Ashley decided. _No you do not._ She took Shepard by the arm and tried her hand at sounding vapid. "Solomon, you promised me we could dance." She stuck her lip out in a pout as she tried her hardest not to picture herself in this state.

Garrison gave a drunken smile. "Alright, I suppose the stories can wait. You show the lady a good time. I'll do the same with mine." He waggled his eyebrows at the women at his side that giggled in response and led him away.

"God, I don't know which gender I hate the most any more," Ashley grumbled.

"You just hate everybody," Shepard commented with a chuckle.

"What can I say? I'm equal opportunity. Let's just get to work."

Shepard nodded and took Ashley by the hand and waist. She was startled, but instinctively reciprocated, placing her free hand on his shoulder and letting him lead the dance. Her heart beat faster and she knew exactly why. She told herself how ridiculous the feeling was, that he was taken and this was just a cover, but damnable hope would not be denied so easily.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Dancing," Shepard answered. "Keep your eyes peeled."

Ashley nodded with a bit of a nervous hitch in her neck. _You see?_ she told herself, _just a mission. _Nevertheless, she found it more difficult to profile asari when she could feel the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers and the dominant guiding of his movements. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

_

* * *

_

_Dancing!_ Tali couldn't believe what she heard. She had to beg and plead to get him to dance with her and now he just _chose_ to with Ashley? Oh, how she yearned for some video feed and not just audio to hold over him. Her rational side screamed that Shepard was just acting his part, but she could still only feel bitter jealousy. Maybe it was because she couldn't be with him. Maybe it was because she was crouched uncomfortably behind a bush. Maybe it was because…

A sharp smack interrupted Tali's thoughts. She turned to see Jacob rubbing his neck. "God damn mosquitoes," he swore. "They even have them on Illium?"

Grunt only grumbled in Jacob's direction and continued fidgeting. Laying in wait, hiding, it annoyed him to no end. If this entire party was nothing but high society scumbags, he couldn't figure why they couldn't just barge in and shoot up the place.

Tali found herself distracted by her squadmates. Aggravated, in fact. She felt unusually tired and was already lamenting Shepard breaking his promise to not have any fun. Now she had to put up with a pair of grown children? She shook her head and adjusted herself in to a more comfortable sitting position. She had never been so irritable before and she couldn't even determine why. Maybe it was the final remnants over her most recent illness.

"Tali, you okay?" Jacob asked.

"I'm fine," she lied. Apparently she was letting on more than she realized. "Just a little restless," she added, hoping that would belay further probing.

"Your blood itches for a fight," Grunt said. "It's natural."

"Maybe for a krogan," Jacob commented. He turned to Tali. "They'll find the Shadow Broker soon enough. Just hang tight and we'll be back on the Normandy and out of these bug infested woods before the night's out."

Tali nodded. She hoped Jacob was right, but for a completely different reason.

* * *

"I didn't think you'd be so graceful," Ashley commented. "Sorry if I keep stepping on your feet. I don't think I'm made for heels."

Shepard cracked a smile and led his partner to another area of the dance floor. "I'm really not that great. This is easier than dancing in a club, at least. If you can count you can slow dance."

Ashley had almost forgotten she was supposed to be looking for the Shadow Broker. She was still in her foolish fantasy world where she was just dancing with Commander John Shepard at a high society party. Shepard stopped moving and that's what it took to make her realize the song had ended. She released the man and, along with the others who had been dancing, turned to applaud the band.

"Did you see her?" Shepard asked over his quiet clapping.

"No," Ashley replied. It was an honest answer, at least.

Shepard felt a nudge from behind him. He turned to see Miranda subtly pointing towards the back of the hall and Kasumi plucking an olive off a sword shaped toothpick with her lips. "We did. Back stairs," the executive officer declared. Shepard and Ashley looked just in time to see an asari woman, alone, walk purposefully up the stairs to the second floor.

"She's got the marks and she's not subservient to any of the letches we've seen," Kasumi added. "I think she's the one." She swallowed her olive and picked up another lobster tail from her plate. "You have _got_ to grab some of these on the way over."

* * *

"They found her," Liara whispered under her breath. The anxious feeling for finally ending her nearly three year mission was matched only by the anxiety of not being there and doing it that very moment. She looked to the men with her, Reegar and Mordin, who were preparing their weapons. They were readying to mobilize. Liara couldn't wait. "I'm going now," she proclaimed.

"The hell you are," Reegar immediately shot back. "We wait for Shepard's signal."

His orders fell on deaf ears. Liara was already working her way down the hill at a hurried pace. Reegar swore silently to himself but did not yell out at the asari. A raised voice would have only alerted the mansion guards, ensuring their discovery. Instead, he went for his radio.

"Shepard, Liara's already running in."

"Damn it," was the quietly hissed reply. "Stay put and stick to the plan."

"Gotcha. You might want to hurry up so she doesn't ruin her own mission."

_Ruin my own mission? _Liara thought. She couldn't stop moving now. No, she wasn't going to ruin this. She was going to end this. At least, she hoped so. There were only two guards at the back door and a balcony above them. If she could get up there without them noticing she could slip in behind the Shadow Broker, working with Shepard in a pincer maneuver and avoid the rush of the other teams all together. It would be quick, quiet, efficient, and best of all, she could take the finishing blow.

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir," an Eclipse mercenary stated, raising his hand in a halting motion, as Shepard and his crew reached the back stairs. "Guests are not permitted upstairs."

"Are you sure?" Shepard tried. "My girls and I were just looking for a little privacy."

The human male looked over Shepard's company with clear approval of his tastes. "I can see why. However, rules are rules. You'll have to make due like the others." He gestured towards an asari with another of her kind bent backwards over a table, sucking lascivious on the woman's lips.

"Oh come on. _This is a great party_ but we just need a little break."

The mercenary's determination was quickly weakening. From Shepard's experience, few of his pay grade held much conviction. They just pulled triggers for whoever had the best offer. "Well… surely you don't need all three of them at once…" he started. "Perhaps we can reach an agreement."

Surprisingly, Ashley took initiative and curled her fingers around the man's arm. "Don't worry about it, Solomon, I'll give him what he needs," she said with a wink, leading the mercenary upstairs. Every step was painfully slow for the mercenary. He tried to play it cool but would instinctually steal glances down Ashley's dress at any opportunity, his eyes flitting from her cleavage to her face to ensure he wasn't caught. Shepard and the other two women followed at a short distance behind.

The stairs turned and led from the landing to the second floor, hidden from the main hall. Once out of view, Ashley softly pushed the mercenary against the wall and whispered, "I can't wait any more, want to just get started now?"

The mercenary nodded, his initial nervousness giving away to a lustful grin.

"Close your eyes," Ashley told him, setting her hands on the sides of his head. He did as he was instructed, and wetted his lips with his tongue in anticipation. She leaned in, and cleanly snapped his neck in a single movement. The crunch of bone was audible only to her, the sound being drowned out by the band downstairs.

"Was it good for you, asshole?" the marine growled, catching the body and setting it quietly on the carpet.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" a salarian Eclipse mercenary asked the human guard at his side.

"You're paranoid," she replied. "No one's going to attack a party full of crime lords. Just chill out and wait for your paycheck."

"I'm still going to check it out."

"Don't let me stop you."

Liara had stopped her encroachment on the mansion just short of the lights out back. She could see the salarian begin his search well off to her left. If he eventually worked his way over to her, she'd be forced to take action which would only alert the rest of the security force. Remaining as stealthy as possible, she crept towards a tree that looked just close enough to the balcony she could make the jump.

Unfortunately, the human guard wouldn't turn around. Liara crouched by the trunk of the tree staring at the woman, willing her to glance any direction but towards her. Finally, the mercenary decided it was time to make fun of her partner some more. When she turned to hurl mockery, Liara hefted herself off the ground, letting loose a controlled blast of biotic energy. She clung to the tree and began to work her way across the branch leading towards the balcony.

"Okay, I heard it too that time!" the female yelled. The salarian jogged over to her and they both began searching near Liara's tree. The mercenary spoke again, this time in to her headset. "Possible disturbance back door. Could just be an animal. Stay alert, we'll update."

Liara heard a voice in her radio as well. She had been constantly listening to the feed from inside at the party, but a single phrase stuck out to her. "This is a great party." The others would be moving in to place and handling these guards for her. She had to keep moving before they'd even be required inside. With a leap and a neatly tucked roll, she quietly landed on the balcony.

The door was locked. Of course it was locked. Liara peered in through the glass doors but couldn't see much. The room was dark, unoccupied. She could make out what appeared to be a desk and the chair behind it but little else. After a short time she heard "Hey, what are you…" from the ground below her, silenced by the sound of metal bluntly striking flesh. Using the noise to her advantage, Liara quickly and forcefully brought her hand down on the metal door handle, breaking it off. The door opened without objection. As she strolled in to the darkened room, she heard the teams all report that they were in position.

Liara's eyes began to adjust to the dark and she could tell more about the room. Besides the desk there were a few filing cabinets, paintings on the walls, and not much else. This had to have been an office. Liara's mind perked up at the thought of what could be stored here. Even she wasn't certain if this mansion belonged to the Shadow Broker or one of her agents, but she had to take the opportunity. She hit the desk lamp and began scouring the desk.

"There's light in here," said a muffled voice from the hallway.

Liara gasped and reached for her pistol. The door flung open and she took aim, finger on the trigger. In the doorway stood Shepard with the ladies, the commander's formerly concealed sidearm pointing back at her. At the same time, the guns lowered.

"Damn it, Liara," Shepard swore as he and the others entered the room. "Have you forgotten how to follow God damn orders?" He grabbed his bowtie and ripped it from his neck, never once letting his eyes leave the asari's.

She could have sworn she saw the commander's eyes tinged with a red glow for a moment, but simply chalked it up to his tone of voice. This wasn't how Liara had envisioned this going. For over two years now she had been the one issuing the threats, but somehow, Shepard was still able to make her feel ashamed; timid. For that moment, it was as though she had never changed.

"I just thought…"

"No, you didn't think. We'll talk about this later. The Shadow Broker's on this floor. Just stick close, _follow orders_, and we'll finish this first."

"Yes," said a new voice from the doorway, "Let's finish this, T'Soni."

Everyone in the room turned, ready to silence this new threat, but they quickly all felt themselves pushed off their feet through sheer biotic force. Shepard and Liara bounced over the sturdy wooden desk, taking the lamp and a few datapads with them. Miranda, Kasumi, and Ashley slammed in to the front of it.

"All squads move in!" Shepard ordered, scrambling to his knees behind the desk and looking for his pistol.

"Now, now," the asari in the doorway said, raising a detonator above her head. She paused a moment, as though she was counting seconds, letting the teams enter the building. "There's no need for that." She pressed the button.

The explosion was relatively small, controlled, but deafening. It was also enough to bring the dance hall down on its occupants, crushing them beneath stone, wood, and marble. The surviving portion of the building shook violently, forcing its occupants back to the ground, save the Shadow Broker who held on to the doorframe. The power was lost, leaving the room in total darkness.


	33. Not as Planned

"It's a shame you weren't with them, T'Soni," the Shadow Broker spat, tossing her detonator behind her like trash. "But I suppose this is for the best. Now I can assure your dying breath is a scream I orchestrate myself." Her face twisted in to a snarling grin and her biotics flared, giving light to the darkened room.

The Shadow Broker flung another wave of dark energy at her opponents, but her one surprise attack was already spent. Shepard, Liara, and Miranda all retaliated with biotics of their own. The forces collided midair and detonated on impact. Everyone in the room stumbled backwards, temporarily blinded by the flash.

"You three, go help the others!" Shepard barked, rubbing an eye. "Liara and I can handle her!" He scowled at his own words once they were finished. It felt like he was rewarding Liara for her disobedience, allowing her to stay, but she was the only one in the group with any armor. Not like she wouldn't refuse any orders to leave anyway.

"Right!" Miranda shouted back, barely with the presence of mind to retain her modesty. She slipped a dress strap back over her shoulder and quickly scrambled out the door, followed by Kasumi and Ashley.

The Shadow Broker pulled her hand back to attack the fleeing women, but was interrupted by Liara. "Your fight's with me!" she yelled and hurled the entire desk at the broker who barely managed to whirl around in time to defend herself. Unable to stop it, she only managed to deflect the heavy wooden object to the side. It smashed in to the wall, embedding itself in the drywall and losing a leg in the process. The two paintings attached to that wall tumbled free and crashed to the ground.

"Bitch!" the Shadow Broker spat, opening her arms wide. Flinging them forward, she launched a pair of filing cabinets at her opponents. Liara threw her hands forward and, with force of her own, halted the cabinet aimed at her midair, dropping it to the ground. Shepard quickly slid to the side, the filing cabinet crashing through the glass door behind him and landing somewhere on the lawn. Not losing a moment, the commander fired a singularity towards the Shadow Broker who violently dissipated it with a backhanded swat.

With no biotic combat or omni-tools activated, the room fell completely dark once again. Shepard needed to find his gun but any light would give away his position before he could find either his pistol or the Shadow Broker. He couldn't hear breathing; not even his own. The only sound was the eldritch wind blowing past the broken balcony door and the occasional crumbling of the ruined mansion. The fight had suddenly turned in to a blind standoff.

* * *

With a bestial, bellowing roar, Grunt emerged from the rubble. Once decorative stone, now little more than debris, slid off the krogan's massive frame. A partygoer that had been trapped nearby him, freed by Grunt's rise from burial, fled the scene as fast as his battered legs would carry him.

"Coward," Grunt muttered watching the man run in to the dark of night and leave his dates behind with their fates unknown. The krogan peeled back more ruined architecture to completely free his lower body and surveyed his pitch black surroundings as best he could. It appeared only the main hall had come down in the blast. It was a professional job. Handfuls of survivors writhed and groaned beneath the wreckage, some excavating themselves and running away, others helping move the ruins and bodies.

To the south were Kal'Reegar and Mordin with their omni-tools providing light for the scene. Coming in from the back door, beneath the only portion of the mansion still standing, they had avoided the blast entirely by sheer chance and were staring at the twisted wreckage in quiet disbelief.

What caught Grunt's eye, however, was a blue glow emanating from a pile to the east. The glow exploded, launching debris away from its center and drawing the omni-tool lights to its position. Standing in the aftermath was Samara. Panting through clenched teeth, the justicar stood over the building's remains as a bitter survivor. She alone knew the roiling emotions she held for this immoral atrocity. Shaking the fatigue from her head, she reached down in to the rubble. A shattered wooden beam fell to the side and coming back up with Samara, hand to wrist, was Garrus.

The turian held one hand to his back and gave it a crack. "Normally parties don't leave me like this until the next morning," he groaned.

"Is everyone alright?" Miranda asked, hurrying down the stairs and to Reegar's side. The bottom few steps had been completely destroyed, forcing her to make a small leap.

"Don't know yet, ma'am," the marine answered, turning his light to her. "How's Shepard?"

"He and Liara are dealing with the Shadow Broker. We need to tend to the others."

"Dammit, Miranda," Kasumi yelled, descending the stairs with Ashley right behind her. "How do you run so fast in heels?" The thief's normally lambent acrobatics were all but nonexistent in her dress, at least if she wished to retain any amount of decency.

"You get used to it," the executive officer replied. "Now start digging. We're still down members." Her voice took on her stony tone of command. "Williams, go help Samara and Garrus. Reegar and Goto, you're with Grunt. Mordin and I will start here." Once the teams had received their orders, they sped off to their appointed positions to begin moving rubble and hope that kinetic barriers were enough to save lives.

* * *

The broken door to the balcony succumbed to gravity and fell from its remaining hinge, crashing to the floor and crunching on the broken glass beneath it. The moment it hit, the Shadow Broker took to its sound and pulled it forward biotically. Without time to react, Shepard took the damaged wooden frame square in his back. Small shards of glass that had come with it cut his suit jacket and left shallow lacerations on his skin as they impacted. The attack did little to injure the man, but it knocked him off balance and his vocal reaction did more than enough to give away his location.

Knowing Liara's obsession with Shepard was all that rivaled the woman's obsession with her, the Shadow Broker lunged forward in hopes of evening the odds and gaining a bargaining chip. At the same moment, Liara had pulled the desk from the wall and ran it in to broker, knocking her from the air. The desk tumbled over itself and struck another wall while the broker fell flat on her back. She felt warm blood running down her lip.

"You cannot fight us both," Liara stated. "You die here, Shadow Broker."

The broker did not answer. She began to stand only to be forced back to the ground with a biotic wave. Liara went to the woman's throat and leaned down next to her, staring in to her face with a palpable hatred. She pulled her hand back in to a fist and began channeling her energy in to it for the final blow and the end of her hunt.

"This is for Feron," Liara told her. The Shadow Broker was left unimpressed. She had already spotted the desk lamp that had fallen to the floor in the light Liara was giving off and pulled it to her hand. With a mighty swing, the metal lamp collided with Liara's head, knocking her senselessly to the side.

As soon as Liara was pitched aside, Shepard grabbed hold of the Shadow Broker with energy of his own and flung her to the ceiling with all his biotic might. Her impact was a loud thud, accompanied with the clattering of the ceiling light. It crashed to the ground, shattering in all directions, but the broker did not follow to the floor. She instead pressed a foot to the ceiling and pushed off towards the doorway.

"She's getting away!" Liara shouted, wiping the blood from her mouth. She gave chase in to the dark, following the heavy footsteps.

* * *

"He couldn't have gotten much further than us," Garrus muttered, sifting through the debris. Another loud banging sound echoed from the direction of Shepard and Liara. "And what the hell are they doing up there?"

"It would seem the Shadow Broker is full of surprises," Samara commented.

Garrus pulled a semi-conscious salarian from the rubble. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked him.

The salarian managed to mumble, "I…"

"You'll be fine," Garrus told him, handing him off to Ashley with a pat on his back. "I'm going to help Shepard." The turian turned his light to the stairs and went off with a jog, being careful not to step on any bodies, living or otherwise, along the way. His assault rifle unfolded in to his hand as he went.

With the yellowish light of the omni-tool gone, Samara turned back to the rubble to spot a smaller, whiter light peeking out of a crack. A smile of recognition crossed her lips. She gestured to Ashley and the two women worked their way towards the tiny beacon.

"Ow, hey, slow down," Ashley complained, gingerly taking each step with great caution. "This isn't easy barefoot."

"You had shoes," Samara replied, not slowing in her progress. "Why did you abandon them?"

Ashley shined her light on the justicar's feet. "You wear heels too? What the hell?"

"You get used to it," Samara answered. She placed her hand out in front of her and, with great control of her mind, lifted the debris covering the small light, placing it behind her. Reaching down in to the hole she had made, she pulled out a geth. "Legion," she asked, "are you alright?"

"This platform remains functional," it stated. "All runtimes accounted for." Its lighted eye flicked around. The synthetic could make out the waning body temperatures of those that were already dead and those on their way. "However, the majority of organics surrounding us are not."

Ashley glanced down near where Legion had been recovered, recognizing the drunken worm that had been bothering Shepard earlier looking to the sky with lifeless eyes. She looked away. "Still some important ones, though," she replied and gestured for the two with her to follow as they headed west.

* * *

The very second Liara reached the doorway, she let fly with both a furious roar and a biotic warp. The streak of dark energy shot down the hallway, peeling paintings off the walls as it went before slamming in to the end of the hall. It punched a porthole to the outside and the interior once again fell dark.

"Show yourself!" Liara demanded to the empty, ruined mansion.

"Liara, calm down," Shepard ordered from behind her, fed up with her attitude. His omni-tool was up and he scanned the area with the light. In his other hand was his pistol, finally recovered.

"Calm down?" she asked incredulously. She began storming down the hall, using the light from her own enraged biotic power to see, ranting as she went. "If we lose her here she can reform with other brokers and this was for nothing. She dies here, Shepard."

Shepard wanted to argue with her; tell her how losing your cool only clouded your judgment and dulled your senses. He wanted to chew her out for essentially causing this entire mess. He didn't. She was too far gone and continuing the chatter would only rile her up further and distract the both of them. It was a good thing he remained silent, too, as he could hear footsteps behind him. The commander whipped around, his light and his pistol pointed at the same target; a target that was decidedly not an asari.

"Whoa, hey, it's me, Shepard," Garrus said, his hands at shoulder level with his rifle towards the ceiling. Shepard lowered his gun and Garrus placed his back in both hands. "Thought you could use a hand. Sounded like someone was swinging a bag full of elcor around up here."

"Garrus," Liara said, "we've lost the Shadow Broker."

"You _lost_ her?"

"She bailed in the middle of the fight," Shepard explained. "Something tells me she knew she was in over her head."

"Too right," said the broker's voice from the shadows behind Garrus. The turian began to turn towards the sound when he felt a foot take him roughly in the back of the knee, forcing him to a kneeling position. The same foot came down on his bent leg to pin him. One of the Shadow Broker's hands took his armored collar to hold him in place. The other swung from the floor to the air, hurling a biotic shockwave down the hall, before coming to land on the turian's assault rifle.

Snaps of dark energy tore their way through the floorboards and ripped up carpeting in their wake. Shepard quickly ducked back in to the office and Liara deftly leapt over the ripples of energy as they continued their path to the far wall, destroying the fallen paintings as it went. It smashed through the small hole made by Liara's warp and made it bigger, spilling fragments of wood and drywall out in to the yard.

"But I can't just leave for the same reason you can't," The Shadow Broker admitted, her right hand still wresting with Garrus' rifle to keep it away from her. "If I escape, you do as well. This ends one way or the other."

* * *

"Damn it, did it have to be the same leg?" Jacob swore as Kal'Reegar and Kasumi gingerly lifted his body from the rubble. A chunk of marble pillar was resting on his leg, trapping him in place. Grunt took to lifting it. Growling, the krogan's muscles bulged and the pillar began to roll.

"Careful… careful…" Jacob instructed through clenched teeth as his rescuers pulled him free. Without warning, he popped loose and fell in to Kasumi's chest. The two of them stumbled backwards over each other and collapsed in the grass just barely out of the ruins; an "Oof" being elicited from the petite Japanese woman.

Jacob laid on his back, staring in to the starry sky through the wisps of dust flowing off the debris. His leg stung, probably cut in a few places, but he was alive. He chuckled to himself, coughing slightly through the dust, but just lolled his head back in to the soft, warm grass and laid still.

"I'm glad you're alright," Kasumi said, "but you you're very heavy."

Jacob suddenly realized it wasn't the grass that was warm and soft. It wasn't the grass at all. He was glad it was so dark no one could see the blush that was rapidly forming on his face. "Right, sorry," he stammered and rolled off Kasumi. Pushing himself to his feet he offered her a hand up, placing both their weight on his better leg.

"Thanks," she said, brushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear with her left hand. "May I have my hand back now?" Jacob silently and awkwardly released her and she set about smoothing out her dress.

"Jacob, are you okay?" Ashley asked, arriving with Samara and Legion.

"Think so," the man replied, checking his leg. It wasn't crushed or bleeding too badly, but it still hurt a great deal. He'd likely have all color of bruises in the morning. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"Sleep later," Reegar interrupted. "We still need to find Tali."

"We detect heat signatures bearing Creator-Tali'Zorah's size and shape in this area," Legion stated, pointing to a nearby pile.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?"

* * *

"Just let her die, Shepard," the Shadow Broker bargained. "My quarrel is not with you."

"Not going to happen." Shepard leveled his gun at the broker's head. A squeeze of the trigger would end it, but not with Garrus in the way.

"Either she dies, or Archangel does," the broker hissed. Her hands glowed blue and she began pulling the rifle from the turian's grasp. Garrus knew he would be overpowered by biotics in a matter of moments.

"You're kind of a stupid bitch, aren't you?" Garrus asked. He released his weapon, causing the Shadow Broker's hand to fly back with her own force. She was only off balance for a split second but it was all he needed as he hurled his bulk in to her, pinning her to the wall with his forearm. Following through with his motion, Garrus brought his forehead in to the asari's face with a headbutt.

The Shadow Broker's eyes squeezed shut in agonizing pain, blue blood leaking from a likely broken nose and her forehead, cut open by rough turian scales. Even still, she flung both hands forward firing dark energy from the both of them in hopes of retaliation. The first of the bolts could not help but hit Garrus directly in the chest. The turian was sent wide, tumbling through the air along an already damaged wall before slumping limply to the ground.

The second shot went high, penetrating the ceiling and exploding the delicate chandelier that lit the hall not an hour ago. Shepard and Liara were forced to shield themselves from glass shards raining down, as well as splinters of wood and insulation. Before they even had time to lower their arms, another biotic blast sent them careening down the hallway.

Shepard was rolled over his back and felt his feet strike something, doubling up his knees before the broken wall gave way, suddenly finding himself outside. He managed to catch himself on the ledge and hook his elbows in place. His feet dangled outside the mansion a moment before he was able to brace them on the side of the building. Nearby him, still in the hall, was Liara, splayed out on her back.

The Shadow Broker closed in on her prey, one eye squeezed shut against the flow of blood from her forehead. Her nose bled down over lips which were pulled back in a snarl. Her biotics flickered around her hunched body, out of control, as rage and indignity consumed her wholly. She raised Garrus' assault rifle with a shaky hand, fury and only one open eye ruining her aim but not her tenacity.

* * *

Tali's head pounded. Muffled voices and her own thoughts swirled around inside it, disorienting her. She had the feeling that she was face down, but could not really tell for certain with rubble on one side of her and the floor on the other. Opening her eyes offered no definite answers either. It was pitch black.

There was the sound of stone being lifted and some of the pressure was removed from her back. A shout of "She's over here!" came after it. She was definitely face down. The voice was that of Kal'Reegar's as well. If she could recognize those simple facts, perhaps she had enough strength to move. She began lifting herself with her arms, but only got to all fours with ruined architecture still pinning her down.

Lights entered Tali's pit. She could see again. Her fingers moved and scraped some broken glass from the window across the floor as they curled. Something was off about her vision but she just couldn't place what it was. There was a blurry line obstructing it. Perhaps a strand of hair had fallen loose from her head and flopped down in to her eyes. That would bug her until she would be able to place it out of the way again. She chuckled inwardly at her own absurdity. She could have actual physical injuries and she was fussing over her hair.

"Oh Keelah," Reegar uttered in a hushed voice as the final pieces of the building were moved aside. "Tali..."

What was it? Why was he so scared? Why was he using her first name? A chilling realization washed over her. She knew what the line was. She knew where that broken glass had come from. She looked up in to the shocked, terrified faces of her friends and allies; their expressions confirming her fears.

Tali moved a hand to her face and winced. There was a cut on her cheek from where her vis-glass had shattered. Another one above her eye dripped a small amount of blood in to her eyebrow. The right half of her visor was now in pieces at her knees.


	34. Party's Over

"I still don't know what to do with you, Shepard," the Shadow Broker growled as she trudged her way to her fallen opponents. "I understand your importance to the galaxy, possibly better than you, but you've really, _really_ pissed me off!" She sprayed a few rounds of ammunition in a lazy arc to punctuate her point. Bullets hit the floor, impacted Liara's shields, and whizzed over Shepard's ducked head. "On the one hand, I could simply blackmail you; threatening to feed your location to Cerberus or leak the information on the greybox Miss Goto picked up."

Shepard flung a biotic warp at the Shadow Broker, quickly bringing his arm back to catch himself before he fell off the side of the building. The broker stepped to one side, letting the mass of dark energy fly past her pointlessly.

"I figured that would be your reaction," she spat. The blood that had been flowing over her right eye worked its way in past her eyelashes. The Shadow Broker snarled at the stinging sensation and took her infuriation out by bringing her foot down roughly on Liara's stomach.

The young asari gasped, the painful sensation bringing her around. Her body flopped instinctively and her eyes opened to see the barrel of an assault rifle staring back at her. Even armored, the blow knocked the wind out of her and she could only respond with wheezing.

"First thing's first, you little bitch," the broker told her. Not even a full second after she finished her sentence, she was tackled from behind. The gun went off, perforating the wall to her side before the two bodies hit the severely damaged floor and fell through it. Floorboards gave way and planks of wood followed the tangled bodies to the ground floor where they hit with a crash.

"Garrus!" Shepard shouted after them. He hefted his body over the ledge and back inside. Taking only a moment to catch his breath, he hit his omni-tool's light again and started to shine it down the hole when he heard a creaking sound. He looked up to Liara who had rolled over, resting on one hand and her knees. Her other hand was clutching her stomach as she worked the air back in to her lungs.

The creaking sound gave a repeat performance; this time with more determination. "Do you hear that?" Shepard asked.

The floor beneath them collapsed, dropping them both in to the pit Garrus and the Shadow Broker already occupied.

* * *

"This isn't how I wanted to see your face!" Kasumi sobbed, clutching Tali tightly. The thief hung her head over the quarian's shoulder, each heave of her chest pressing in to the girl. "Please don't die."

"Kasumi… I…" Tali started, unsure of what to say. She continued holding her friend, barely able to glance at the faces of the others, partly because of how scared their expressions made her and partly because her own foolish modesty wished to continued hiding her face. She felt nauseas, either from the exposure or from fear. She neither knew nor cared which, and just kept clinging to Kasumi.

"Mordin, get over here _now!_" Ashley yelled at the salarian who was looking over a red headed human woman he had plucked from the rubble. Both he and Miranda began running to the scene. The woman left behind just sat on the ground and held her head in a daze.

"Just hold on, ma'am," Reegar told Tali, bending down next to her but not prying Kasumi away. "The doc'll patch you up good as new." He almost sounded like he meant it. He was getting better at these speeches than he'd care to admit. Though he wouldn't say it, he was surprised she was even up and speaking with an open air exposure of such magnitude.

"Miss Goto, must attend to patient," Mordin requested.

Kasumi felt a hand take her shoulder and gently, but firmly, pull her back. Relenting she turned towards the hand, which belonged to Miranda, and continued her desperate hug on the other woman. Miranda was originally taken aback but tentatively attempted to comfort Kasumi despite having no experience at doing so. "She'll be okay," she told her in what she hoped was a convincing voice. She just stared at the quarian kneeling on the ground as Mordin began his scans. The surreality of imagining someone so healthy looking die because of a broken helmet simply could not sink in for her.

Mordin frowned at his omni-tool and looked back at Tali. This procedure repeated itself several times before Jacob spoke up. "Professor, what's wrong?"

Kasumi's attention snapped to those words as she released Miranda. She began swallowing her tears and attempting to calm herself. "What's wrong?" she repeated. She wasn't ready to face this, but she already knew it wouldn't wait for her to be. The least she could get was an answer.

Mordin seemingly ignored the questions pressed to him. He muttered to himself. "Readings show…." He stared Tali in the eye, his own eyes narrowing critically.

Tali stared back at him. She could feel sweat appearing on her upper lip; no doubt the encroaching fever. Her head continued its dull ache, though its cause could either be illness or the falling debris that had crushed her only moments ago.

"You stole treatment," Mordin stated. It was not a question or an accusation, just a stated fact.

"Ma'am?" Reegar added.

"It was finished?" Kasumi asked quietly; her throat hoarse.

Tali shut her eyes and nodded slowly, ashamedly. The thin line of blood that had pooled atop her eyebrow found its way to the edge and ran down her cheek.

"Foolish, reckless, untrustworthy," Mordin chastised. He inhaled through his nose deeply before continuing with, "But still, could save your life. How far in to adaptation? Symptoms? Mood swings, depression, anger?"

"I don't think this is the time, Professor," Reegar interrupted.

"No, it is not. Would not recommend further exposure to air. Should return Tali to Normandy and quarantine her as precaution."

"I have some replacement visors back on the ship," Reegar said before offering, "Might even have a purple one for you." At this point, he was beginning to believe himself. She might just pull through.

"Shepard, are you done? We need you back here." The voice was Ashley's, though it wavered as she tried to recover from the thought losing Tali like this. If lights had been turned to her, the tears she had been holding back would have been seen finally forming thin lines down her cheeks. She was more than glad to hide them. After a moment's wait, there was no reply. "Something's wrong."

Miranda bit her lip. "I don't like this, especially if Garrus and Liara aren't answering either. Reegar, Grunt, go find out what's happening."

* * *

Shepard sat up slowly, holding his sore back. Broken boards shifted and clattered beneath him as he rose to his feet. He was sore everywhere and his suit was ruined, but cast his light around anyway. Liara rose to her feet nearby and he saw Garrus sitting on the ground in front of him.

"Garrus!" Liara shouted once she saw him as well. "Don't tell me you lost her again."

"Well maybe you haven't noticed," the turian groaned, "but I seem to have a pretty nasty splinter." He gestured towards his stomach with his hands. Shepard followed them with his light to reveal a plank of wood jammed in to a soft part of his armor, sticking out of his side.

"Shit, how bad is it?" Shepard asked.

"Looks worse than it is, but I think I've had about all the fun I can stand on this trip." Garrus pointed on the floor beside him. "Got my gun back, though." He slowly and laboriously rose to his feet. "I can never remember, do I take it out or leave it in?"

"Leave it in," Shepard told him, "or Chakwas will kill you if the blood loss doesn't."

"Where are you!" Liara demanded of the darkness. She seemingly ignored Garrus entirely since questioning him. She blindly fired a blast of biotics down the hall. Pieces of debris followed it as it impacted the opposite wall.

The asari began to follow the path her shot had traveled when a soft yellow glow appeared from around the corner at the end of the hall. A flash of light accompanied with the unmistakable report of a Claymore shotgun took over for a split second before returning to the steady light that began to grow brighter. A female silhouette hurtled backwards and crashed in to the floor where it laid still. Dust pinwheeled in to the air, caught in the approaching light.

"That little thing giving you trouble, Shepard?" Grunt asked as he rounded the corner. Kal'Reegar walked at his side, his omni-tool lighting the way.

"We softened her up for you," Garrus replied, holding his side, keeping the plank aloft.

"No," Liara uttered. It couldn't have been that simple. "No, no," she continued, walking her way to the Shadow Broker's corpse. "No, she was mine!" she finally yelled upon reaching the body. She went to grab Grunt's shotgun but the krogan's grip held firm. After a couple of fruitless yanks, Liara found herself brushed aside by his large arm. She settled for a close range warp in to the broker's lifeless face.

"Are you done?" Shepard demanded.

Liara suddenly snapped back to her senses. She looked at Shepard who was casting a withering glare back at her. "I…" she started.

"Good." Shepard turned to Grunt and Reegar. "How are the others?"

"Your krantt has killed two Reapers and counting," Grunt answered. "Dropping a house on us won't stop us."

"Just some scrapes on most of them, but Tali's in bad shape," Reegar reported.

"How bad?" Garrus and Shepard asked in unison.

Reegar clenched his jaw before answering. "Half her mask's gone."

Shepard felt like the entire mansion fell on him alone. Every curse he knew cycled through his mind but none made it to his tongue. The best he could manage was a croaking noise in the back of his throat as his body subconsciously started working its way towards the scene.

"Mordin says she could still make it," Reegar continued, falling in to step.

"How?" Shepard asked. He kept moving towards the ruins of the mansion at a wounded pace. Garrus did his best to keep up, still holding his side. The commander went to his radio before accepting an answer. "Joker, come get us on the double; triple if you can manage it."

"Aye, Commander."

"Apparently she snuck some of the finished product before the mission," Reegar finally answered.

"She…" Shepard stopped and looked at Tali who was still seated with the rest of the crew crowding around her and Mordin still scanning her. "You did what?"

Tali instinctively turned to Shepard at the sound of his voice. It wasn't harsh or condescending; it was more full of concern than anything else. Even still, she felt ashamed. She was caught in a lie of omission, and even if it gave her a chance to continue living, she had broken the trust of the man she loved. Her head lowered without saying a thing.

"We'll have this talk on the ship," Shepard told her.

She nodded solemnly and watched for a moment as he dusted off the tattered sleeve of his suit coat. He covered the rest of the distance between them and she drew her gaze back to Kasumi who was seated at her side. The thief had been getting in Mordin's way more than anything, but Tali was glad to have her there.

"How are you?" Shepard asked quietly.

"I think I'm okay," Tali replied.

"Body temperature elevated, minor lacerations to face," Mordin added. "Possible secondary bruising to rest of body, but not life threatening." He sniffed. "Should pull through if we can get her quarantined aboard Normandy."

"Joker's already on his way," Shepard told him.

"You'll be just fine," Kasumi assured her in a rough voice. She wore a pensive smile that almost looked natural. Even her dress was intact and her hair in place. Only her eyes, red from crying and smudged with mascara, belied her.

"Shadow Broker?" Miranda asked.

"Dead."

* * *

Tali once again found herself beneath a quarantine shield in the med bay. At least this time it was less painful, she told herself. Her head was swimming and the fever was sapping every ounce of strength she had, but at least she wasn't so alone or scared this time.

"I'll want to monitor your antibiotics, but you should recover in a few days," Dr. Chakwas stated. "You're to stay quarantined until your visor is replaced as well."

"I'll scrounge one of my spares up for you, ma'am," Reegar stated. "Though with any luck we won't need them long."

"Luck unnecessary," Mordin stated. "Unintentional field test gave necessary data to begin distribution. Now come, would like to explain side effects of treatment with patient who's willing to listen." The salarian led Reegar out of the med bay and Tali gave a sheepish grimace at the backhanded reprimanding. For once, her expression was open to the world. She'd have to get used to that.

Kasumi moved in and took the other quarian's place at Tali's side. She leaned on the quarantine shield, her smile warmer than before. "No wonder Shep's so smitten. I thought when people talked about beauty on the inside, they meant personality," she said.

"Not bad," Shepard commented, "Wish I thought of that one."

"What, no one going to fawn over me?" Garrus asked. He was in the bed next to Tali, the wood removed and his wound bandaged up.

"Actually," Chakwas interrupted, "I think both of my patients should get some rest." She stared at the two other humans lingering in the room.

"I suppose I should go change," Kasumi relented. "But first…" She reached to the back of her head and plucked the chopsticks that held her hair out of the bun, letting her raven locks fall to her shoulders. She placed them atop the glass shield protecting Tali from the outside world in a neatly parallel fashion. "A gift, for when you're out of that suit." She offered the quarian a bright smile to go with them.

"Kasumi, I can't," Tali protested.

"You can and you will," Kasumi challenged. She blew a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face out of her vision. "And now I need to go fix my hair as well as change."

"And I need to go talk to Liara," Shepard added, making it sound like a chore. He was hardly looking forward to it, but her disobeying orders, all it had caused, and her generally going insane could not be ignored.

"Afterwards, I'd like the both you and Liara in here so I can treat your wounds. No buts," Chakwas ordered.

Shepard nodded as he and Kasumi excused themselves and exited.

"EDI," the doctor called, "Would you have Jacob come down so I can take a look at that leg?"

"Certainly, Doctor," the AI responded. There was a pause. "Mr. Taylor does not seem cooperative with your request. He insists that he is 'fine.'"

The doctor sighed wearily. "I suppose I'll have to go drag him down here or just do the observations up there. Thank you, EDI." She turned to Garrus and Tali. "Stay put," she ordered before marching out of the med bay.

"Guess it's just us again," Garrus commented, rolling his head to look at the quarian by his side. He was going to have to get used to this new look for her. "Cutie," he added in an almost accusatory tone.

Tali turned to look at Garrus, half amused. "You think so?"

The turian chuckled. "Everyone else sure seems to. Me? I'm not quite the weirdo xenophile like you or Shepard." He shut an eye and put a hand to his wound but kept the teasing grin on his face.

Tali huffed. "That would explain how oblivious you were around Iya."

"What? Wait, you mean she…?"

"I don't know. I could always send her a message and ask."

Garrus frowned. "You're ornery when you're sick. Can't you just rest like you're supposed to?"

Tali smirked at the turian but it faded as she realized how right he was. She felt terrible. Rolling her head back upright and closing her eyes helped soothe her headache some, but even in the body of her environment suit, she was burning up. Her muscles were all sore. The cuts on her face did not bring her pain, at least, but were still a constant, unignorable feeling. Sleep would do her some good, but just as she tried, she could hear a voice echoing in the bulkhead.

"Damn," Garrus muttered. "He's reading her the riot act."

Tali too recognized the voice as Shepard's. Only the most emphatic of words could be understood. She rarely heard him so angry and never before at a member of the crew, if Liara could be considered as such. It kind of scared her. "I hope I'm not next," she commented, barely audibly.

"What, for snitching Mordin's miracle potion?" Garrus cocked a brow plate. "Trust me; I think you're a little less deserving of Shepard's holy wrath."

"I disobeyed him, though, and Mordin. I was being selfish, immature…"

"And it saved your life. They'll get over it."

It certainly seemed like Shepard would have little ground for an argument. If Tali had not given in to her temptations, she would be dead. It did little to set her mind at ease, but perhaps Garrus was right. Maybe she should just appreciate the fact she was still around to feel guilty. The quarian brought a hand to her upper lip to wipe the sweat from it before wondering if she had just made matters worse with a dirty glove. Either way, it was hard to care when she actually had the option to wipe her lip at all.

There was a knock on the med bay door. Both patients turned to see it open and Ashley step inside. She was out of her dress and in casual clothes, though she still retained her make up. Her hair wasn't back in its usual chignon yet either. "Thought I'd see how you two were doing," she explained to the two curious expressions looking back at her.

"Seriously?" Garrus asked.

Ashley frowned at him, or possibly herself, she wasn't sure. "Is it that hard to believe?"

"Maybe a little," the turian chuckled.

"I suppose I deserved that." Ashley took a deep breath. "'I sit and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and shame; I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men, at anguish with themselves, remorseful after deeds done.'" The wounded pair only continued staring at the human in return. She sighed. "Walt Whitman," she explained. "A human poet. In this case, he was speaking of the social evils people see every day and just ignore."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Garrus asked. His tone didn't carry his usual dry tone, at least.

Ashley sighed again. "I don't know; how everyone acted at that party, what Liara did, this little brush with death you had, how scared I was when… Kaiden was right, you know? About every race having its saints and jerks, I mean. God, if he could see me now, that bastard would have the biggest 'I told you so' ready." She realized she was rambling. "Look, just… I'm sorry for how I acted two years ago. You guys are better people than most humans I know, so I just had to make sure you'd pull through." It didn't come out at all how she had practiced and the appeasing smile she wore was awkward, but at least it was done.

"Thank you," Tali replied. "That means a lot."

Ashley looked to her face to see a smile; a curiously human looking smile despite the lavender skin and radiant white eyes. A glance at Garrus showed a visibly impressed, and hopefully approving, expression. She found turians difficult to read. Her eyes went back to Tali; specifically the back of her jaw line. She could have sworn there were darker purple stripes there.

"Even me?" Garrus asked.

_Bastard turian. He's not making this any easier._ "Yes, Garrus," Ashley answered, "even you."

"I just wondered, since you've been staring at Tali since you got here."

Ashley's attention snapped back to where her eyes lingered. Sure enough, she had been staring at the unmasked quarian. Surely she wouldn't be the only one. "Well, I am one of the few people in the galaxy to see a quarian's face in person," she said in her defense.

Tali glanced at the chopsticks above her on the shield. "Not for long," she replied. Her smile faded as she coughed in to her glove.

Ashley took on a look of empathy. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Tali answered wryly, "but considering the duration of exposure I had, better than dead."

"I'm fine too, if you're wondering," Garrus added. "I've had worse than this." He gently rubbed the bandage holding his side together.

"You look like it," Ashley ribbed.

Garrus snorted. She certainly got back to her normal self in a hurry. "Pull up a chair; you can eavesdrop on Liara's tongue lashing with us." The yelling echoing from the observation room had died down some by now.

"I heard plenty on the way here," Ashley said, leaning back on the door. "Besides, when Dr. Chakwas cleared me out of the armory to look at Jacob she gave me specific instructions not to bother you two so you could rest."

"Looks like we've had a streak of people following orders then," the turian commented.

"Bosh'tet," Tali muttered.

Ashley smirked. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get out of here before I'm caught."

"Ashley," Tali said, stopping her. "Thanks for coming by." She offered another weak smile, her eyes half lidded and tired.

"Don't mention it," the marine replied. "I have a reputation to uphold."

As Ashley left, Tali brought up her omni-tool. The message had come in shortly after the woman had entered, but she politely ignored it until now.

* * *

Liara felt stunned and humiliated. Early in to her reprimanding she learned that she had no rights to defend herself. Shepard would talk over her, beating in to her head the values of following orders, not justifying the ends with the means, the value of trust, and everything else that plugged her emotions, bottling them up inside her. Some time had passed since the commander had left the observation deck but there she sat still; pale and miserable. Tears of disgrace welled at her eyes but she sniffed them back.

The door opened and she shut her eyes, trying to will her visitor away. Footsteps continued their approach despite her best efforts and came to a stop in front of her. Liara opened her eyes, blinking twice to clear them of moisture, and saw Samara standing before her.

"You appear upset, child," the justicar stated.

"I'm not a child," Liara choked. Her voice barely worked at all, embarrassing her further.

"You are shamed like one."

The information broker dropped her head in to her hands. "I never imagined you'd drop to insults before you killed me."

"Not insults," Samara corrected. "Observations. Shepard has broken you down."

Liara looked back up with a glare, wet lines leading down her cheeks from where her tears had escaped. "Yes, he has," she hissed. "Is that what you want to hear? That I'm a ruined husk of a woman?"

"I do not want a thing. It is what Shepard seeks from you."

"I don't think he's found it," Liara growled.

"Which is why you sit here in shambles." Samara's lips softly formed a smile in the face of Liara's dissent, completely unperturbed. "It is a common military practice to tear down your subordinate's rebellious personality and rebuild it on the ruins in your own image. He still seeks to redeem you."

Liara's head drooped again and she stared at the floor while her mind reeled from the very idea. How could he hold such conviction without losing himself as she had? It wasn't fair. The Shadow Broker was dead, but she felt nothing but regret. There was no relief, no sense of accomplishment; all those years hunting were over and she had ended them by making a fool out of herself.

"And he might yet get the chance," Samara continued. Liara looked up again. The justicar's smile was gone and in its place was nothing but sincerity. "I have agreed to rejoin his crew. As such, I am oath bound to him. Your judgment will wait until after the Reapers."

Liara recoiled at the news. The postponement of her demise did little to soothe her. The dread would simply loom over her longer. In fact, the thought of working with Samara terrified her further. She had nothing to say in return and slowly, absentmindedly rose to her feet. She turned to the observation window and staggered towards it with legs that had fallen asleep, rubbing at an eye with the back of her hand, smearing a carefully painted eyebrow. The Normandy was docked once again at Nos Astra and all its comforting familiarity.

As if on cue, Shepard entered the door. "Go get your stuff. We have work to do."

"Shepard, I'm sorry," Liara managed to squeak out, barely gathering the nerve to turn and face him.

"So you've said," the commander replied. "Don't tell me; show me. Now shake a leg, we have a date with the Illusive Man."

"No, I mean…" Liara felt the tears return. Her gut wrenched and her mind screamed for everything to stop. "I can't do this. I'm sorry."


	35. A Late Night

"What?" Shepard's incredulous question fell on Liara like a lead weight, crushing her spirit further.

"I'm not who I was any more. I don't deserve to be on this ship." Her vision was blurring and attempting to control her emotions only made her breaths shallow and stilted as she continued to stare at the man in desperation.

"Maybe not," Shepard answered, "but if I didn't think you could handle this you wouldn't be here."

Liara's gaze flicked over to Samara who stood in stoic silence, watching the scene unfold. She shut her eyes, breaking the seal on her tears, and cast her head to the floor. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"I'm sick of playing games with you, Liara." His voice took on a sudden anger that made Liara clench both her teeth and her eyes. "You're either in or you're out."

The information broker balled her fists painfully, nails leaving marks on her palms, and left her head down. She shook it from side to side and swallowed the lump in her throat. All of her fears, all of her doubts were laid bare in her missing answer. She had taken on a new life, her old one left behind and smoldering on Alchera with the rest of the SR-1. Shepard had shown her hope. He had shown her that things don't have to change. She had shown him that she already had.

"So that's it then?" Shepard demanded. "After all we do for you, after you nearly get half my team killed, you just walk?"

The asari opened her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her lip quivered as she spoke. "I'll help in any way I can from here, I just…"

"Get the fuck off my ship."

She stared in stunned silence at the commander who glared back at her, his finger pointing out the door and down the hall. "Shepard, I…"

"Get. Off. My. Ship."

Liara squeezed her eyes shut again and barreled past him. He watched her go, his heart set like stone against any remorse that could have formed. Even as unabashed sobbing echoed from inside the elevator, his face remained unchanged. Finally he stepped from the doorway and sank in to the observation room's couch, his head in his hands.

"You're not going after her?" he muttered bitterly.

"I have sworn my allegiance to you, Shepard," Samara replied. "I am under your command until either the Reapers fall or I do."

"Then I suppose I should apologize for letting your quarry escape." The commander's hostile tone remained as he stared daggers in to the floor.

"Now you see why the path of a justicar is one of duty, not enlightenment," Samara responded.

Shepard dropped his hands to his lap and turned his head to see Samara walking over to the couch to join him on it. He felt like snapping at her about how he isn't a justicar but refrained. This was hardly her fault. "I just thought the old Liara was still in there."

"She might yet be, but discovering her is not your responsibility."

Shepard let out a gravelly sigh and leaned back. "I suppose not. Not any more, at any rate." He turned to Samara to see her face as well composed as ever. "Wish I could hide my emotions like you do," he commented.

"No," she replied, "you do not."

A smirk formed on Shepard's face in response. "Well I'm glad you're hanging on, at least."

Samara found her smile again. "As am I."

A few moments of silence passed before EDI's blue sphere appeared on her platform. "Shepard, Liara T'Soni has vacated the Normandy."

"Thanks, EDI," the commander replied without any conviction. He slowly, grudgingly rose from the couch and groaning in weariness on the way up. "Suppose I should go check on Tali and Garrus."

Samara respectfully rose with him. "Concerning your relationship with Tali," she started. The commander lifted an eyebrow and waited for her critique. "I wish to see you both succeed where I have not. I have made a career of seeking out the worst this galaxy has to offer. It warms my heart to see some of the best."

Shepard smiled in return. It was a good feeling considering what all had happened in the moments prior. "You're not alone there."

"But the risk is a great one. Remember to never forsake the mission for her," the justicar requested.

Shepard's smile became more assertive. "Of course not. We can't settle down if the Reapers win." He excused himself and left the observation room.

* * *

"Got a present for you, ma'am," Reegar announced as he entered the medical bay. He held up a new visor for her of a darker shade of purple than her old one; practically black. Tali made no reply.

"Think she's asleep," Garrus whispered.

Reegar nodded and quietly set the mask on the quarantine shield, next to the chopsticks Kasumi had left behind. He continued over to the turian's bedside and crossed his arms. "How are you shaping up?"

"Bah, I'm only in here to keep her company," Garrus insisted, gesturing to Tali with his head. "How are _you_ shaping up?"

Reegar cocked an eyebrow before realizing what the turian meant. "Honestly, I have no idea. It's hard to believe the rest of my life was just changed in all of 10 seconds."

"So how long until it takes effect?"

"Professor says I should attempt limited exposure for about a week to work my way in to it, but judging by Tali here I could probably go streaking on the ship _tonight_ and wind up fine."

Garrus held his injury and gave a hearty chuckle. "Just promise me you won't."

Tali gave a groan and her eyelids fluttered open. "Kal?"

Reegar's head turned to the formerly sleeping quarian. "Sorry if I woke you, ma'am."

She groaned again and shook her head in contradiction to his claim. "What brings you by?" she asked, regaining her bearings. The marine pointed and her eyes followed his finger to the visor resting above her on the glass. "Oh, thank you."

"Not quite the same color, but you're just lucky I took the time to grab some supplies before leaving the Fleet."

"So have you gotten your shot?" she asked.

Reegar nodded. "Was just talking about that. Don't think my grand unveiling will be quite as dramatic as yours, though."

"Not quite how I planned it," Tali commented.

"Could have turned out worse. How are you feeling?"

Before she could answer, the door to the med bay opened. Shepard stepped inside and stopped in his path. "Reegar," he remarked, "that was fast."

"Took longer for Mordin to go through his whole spiel than it did to actually get the injection," the marine replied.

"So did he actually tell you how it worked or is that still a secret?" Shepard asked.

Reegar shrugged. "Whole lot of mumbo jumbo. All I know is that it's supposed to strengthen and depress our immune systems."

Shepard wrinkled his forehead. "Depress?"

"Remember when I said our illnesses were generally allergic reactions?" Tali asked. Shepard looked to her and nodded. "Allergies are brought about by an overactive immune system, attacking things it shouldn't. It just so happens ours are so weak, they get stretched too thin to do any good."

"So this basically just calms them down." Shepard deduced.

Tali nodded instead of vocally affirming. Her throat was tight and she could feel the heat of her fever rekindling.

"Should warn you about one thing, though," Reegar added. "The treatment's supposed to cause depression and mood swings and the like while we adapt." The marine put on a wry smile behind his mask. "I'll do my best not to get too mopey, Shepard."

"Like Duggar?" Shepard asked. Reegar only shrugged, having no idea who the commander was talking about.

"One of the crewman," Tali explained, not going in to details. "I might have felt some… emotional imbalance," she admitted, "but it will likely be minor if we're expecting it and can diagnose it." She didn't bother to mention the heated jealousy she endured during the mission. Instead, she mentally kicked herself at not realizing what brought the feelings on until now.

The med bay door opened again to reveal a frowning Dr. Chakwas. "I thought I already dispersed this crowd once," she said.

"Sorry, ma'am, I was just bringing Tali a replacement visor," Reegar explained.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so? Let's get that on right away." Chakwas grabbed the chopsticks first and handed them to Shepard to hold before picking up the visor, being careful not to leave fingerprints, and deactivated the quarantine shield. She began to lower the mask in to place when Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder.

"One second, Doc," he requested. Leaning down he planted a peck on Tali's lips. "Okay."

"That's not helping her recovery any," the doctor chastised.

"Yes it is," Tali insisted, grinning at Shepard.

Chakwas shook her head with a smile on her lips. She put the visor in place and locked down the clamps to hold it there. "Is everything in place?"

Tali slowly sat up, feeling light headed once she got there. "Seems to be," she said, pressing lightly on the sides of the visor. It did not budge.

"Excellent," Chakwas proclaimed. "Then unless there's anything else, you're free to go. Just take it easy until that fever dies down and follow Mordin's directions."

"What about me?" Garrus asked.

"You still need to heal."

The turian grumbled. "I was up and around when I was impaled, I think I can at least walk around the ship."

"Did you ever think that maybe I just get lonely in here all the time and would like some company?" Chakwas asked.

Garrus was taken aback. "Really?"

"No, now be quiet and get some rest." She turned to Shepard and placed a more congenial expression on her face. "I'm glad to see you actually listened to me for once. Where's Liara? I looked forward to seeing her again."

Shepard frowned. "Back in the city. She won't be joining us."

"You turned her away?" Tali asked, draping her legs over the side of the medical bed.

"No, she had an emotional breakdown and left."

"So Tali and I wind up in the hospital, almost everyone at that party dies, and she just quits?" Garrus growled.

"Something like that," Shepard answered. While talking to Samara and his friends in the medical bay simmered his ire, talking about Liara brought it back to a boil and his voice began to show it. "But it's done, and Samara's on board again so we got our biotic."

"Shepard, what happened?" Tali asked. She sounded almost as if she was begging for the answer.

The commander only stared at her for a moment. He was caught on her brightly glowing eyes, sharpened with concern, behind the darkness of her new mask. "Come on," he said, gesturing to the door. "We need to talk anyway."

Dr. Chakwas did not even attempt to remind him of his checkup.

* * *

Liara's office was dark, lit mostly by the ambient glow of the trading floor beneath it. The asari stepped inside, listening more to her melancholy footsteps than the unintelligible voices emanating from below her. The walk back to her office was brisk as she attempted to hide her mussed and harried face from the masses. They likely would not have cared or even recognized her, but her embarrassment hung thick regardless.

Liara sat down at her desk in the relative dark and just stared straight ahead for a while. What did she have to do now? Her mission was completed and she had worked against her own plans to follow Shepard. It was supposed to be like the old days. She was supposed to be back on the Normandy with a smile on her face and a real sense of purpose and adventure again. She eventually found herself face down, her head resting on her arms.

Bringing her head back up, she reached in to her desk and fumbled around a moment before finding the holo she was after. The picture had been taken by one of the servicemen on the SR-1 shortly after the defeat of Sovereign. She could not remember the man's name, though Shepard could likely have told her his home town, favorite food, and the complete list of his hobbies still to this day. She sighed, fixated on the Shepard in the holo. She was to his left with Tali and Garrus to his right, the taller turian in back. Ashley was knelt down in front and to the back left was Wrex, not even looking at the camera. The scarred krogan had blinked as well. A tiny smile cracked Liara's lips at the sight.

The holo had been left in her desk as a concession to sentimentality. Had she not wished to keep her past connections away from her clients and employees, it likely would have remained atop her desk instead of buried inside it and nearly forgotten. Now she was completely alone. Nyxeris had not been replaced and no clients were knocking. She dropped the picture in to its drawer and, without shutting it, turned around to face the night's skyline. She picked out the brightest of the moving lights and imagined that it was the Normandy, leaving her for good.

Liara opened her mouth to bid Shepard and her other friends, if they could still be considered as such, goodbye, but her voice never came. She exhaled quietly through her nose and turned back to her desk, staring at it blankly. If Shepard would ever speak to her again, she wanted to have something helpful for him. She took out one of the datapads she had salvaged from the party and set it on her desktop. After several minutes of absentmindedly reading first paragraph over and over again, she had fallen asleep without even realizing it.

* * *

"Keelah, why would she just run away?" Tali asked in a hushed voice. She leaned her arms on the mess hall table and stared at the waffles and sausage on Shepard's plate. She wouldn't tell him not to eat when he was hungry, but she knew the conversation would eventually lead to her disobedience and wished to hold it some place private. At least no one else was in the mess hall besides Gardener who seemed to be minding his own business, preparing for the breakfast rush.

"Because I was wrong," Shepard answered, his voice barely louder than Tali's. "Because I thought she was the same person under that shroud of belligerence." He pulled a piece of sausage off his fork with his teeth in a brisk motion and chewed it as though it was at the receiving end of his malice.

Tali shook her head. "She never backed down when scared before."

"No. She never did."

The pair sat in relative silence after that. The ship droned on, utensils occasionally clicked against Shepard's plate, and Gardener hummed off key to himself as he worked but voices remained absent. Finally, Tali could not handle the waiting any longer.

"I'm sorry, John" she said.

The waffle on Shepard's fork froze in place on its way to his mouth. "I know," he replied, then took his bite.

"You know?"

"Of course," he said over the mouthful. "You're a big girl. You know right and wrong." After swallowing he reached for the glass of orange juice accompanying his meal.

"And Liara didn't?"

"Evidently not," Shepard muttered, setting his glass back on the table after his drink. He eyed Tali up and down. "It sounds like you're asking me to yell at you."

Tali frowned. "It just feels like special treatment. I don't want that; not from you."

"No more than I'd give anyone else on this ship. Everyone's here because they've earned their place; you especially." He stabbed a piece of sausage on his fork beneath the chunk of waffle already there. "Everyone here is a volunteer and they pull their weight automatically. I don't have to run it so tightly when it's stocked with the best." He put the food in his mouth, signaling Tali's turn to speak.

"And Liara jeopardized that," she said, deciphering the commander's reasoning.

Shepard nodded as he finished chewing and swallowed. "Exactly. Besides, I think I was the one who made the mistake of telling you to act more selfishly."

"I still disobeyed you." Tali only now remembered her note about not digging herself deeper.

"And you scared the hell out of me, but will you do it again?" Shepard asked, rubbing his fork between his thumb and forefinger.

"No," Tali answered quickly. "I promise."

Shepard gave an amused snort. "You don't need to promise; I believe you. I'm just glad you're still alive. You keep apologizing I'll think your depression's kicking and I'll send you to Kelly." He stabbed his fork back in to his food.

Tali was initially taken aback but her shoulders relaxed at the sight of the commander's smug expression. She was too exhausted for his usual shenanigans. "Okay," she relented.

"That's better. How's the fever?" Shepard asked, finishing his meal.

"I'm pretty drained," Tali confessed, "but I'll survive." She stretched her back a little in her chair, her mind still on her former friend and colleague. "Will Liara be alright?"

Shepard wiped at his mouth with a paper napkin as he chose his words. "Hopefully this whole ordeal has scared her straight, but it's not really our problem now."

Tali frowned behind her new mask. "I guess not," she replied. Garrus had seemed callus towards Liara since their awkward reunion and now Shepard seemed set against her as well. She expected Ashley did not feel much different. Inwardly she wondered if Shepard's anger towards Liara was based more on the injuries she had sustained than the asari's actual actions but she dared not suggest it.

"I gave her a second chance," Shepard said.

Tali nodded. He had already told her as such and also how Liara had turned it down. She imagined he said it more for his own benefit than to convince her of anything. Somehow she needed to take his mind off things. She changed the subject. "I got a message from Shala a while ago."

Shepard finished his glass of juice and wiped his lips again. "Oh?"

"The Conclave reached a majority. We've dispatched a small civilian group with marine detail to prepare the home world for full scale colonization."

"Just a small group?"

"Large enough to defend themselves and get work done. If all goes well, non-combatants should begin recolonizing the home world within the month. The bulk of our military forces lie in wait for your orders, Commander." She smiled at the man's title and the idea of quarians and humans joining forces.

"Ah, dammit," interrupted a Scottish voice entering the mess area.

Shepard and Tali turned to the noise in time to see Gabby give her friend a frown. She looked to Tali and stated, "We're glad to see you're alright, ma'am."

"And with a new mask already," Ken added, failing to keep his disappointment in check.

"Don't tell me there's another pool," Shepard requested.

"There was a pool? What pool?" Tali exclaimed.

"The surprise will be spoiled soon enough," Shepard said, rising from his seat. "For now, we're heading to bed."

"I suppose that means Tali won't be joining us in engineering today," Ken said, folding his arms.

"She's sick and needs rest. She gets the day off; captain's orders," Shepard replied. He led Tali off towards the elevator.

"Now _that_ was special treatment," she accused.

"Nonsense, you're sick and we've both been up all night. I think we've earned some rest."

"But the whole day?"

Shepard hit the button to call the elevator and was interrupted by Miranda's voice as she left the bathroom. She was back in her normal clothes, out of her dress, and with her hair still wet from the shower. "Shepard, I thought I'd find you here." She paused a moment, remembering her manners. "How are you feeling, Tali?"

"I'm fine," she answered.

With that out of the way, Miranda immediately set about her initial business. "Liara left rather distressed."

"That's right," Shepard replied.

The woman waited a moment for expansion to the sentence but none came. "Is she coming back?"

"No."

Shepard's short, obfuscating replies left Miranda imagining the worst; not that she was feeling particularly sympathetic towards the asari, however. Liara had disobeyed orders and distracted everyone from their search for the Shadow Broker, leaving them open to attack. If this was how she operated during the hunt for Saren, it was a wonder Shepard wanted her back at all.

Breaking out of her lapse in to her own imagination, Miranda changed topics all together. "I've given EDI the coordinates for the Manifest Destiny Liara gave us."

"Then we should bring this whole misadventure to an end." Shepard looked towards the ceiling and ordered, "Joker, let's go pay a visit to our buddy, Tim."

Instead of the pilot, it was EDI that spoke up. "Jeff is currently asleep. I am able to begin our course without him if you like."

"He won't like that," Shepard replied.

"I only stated that the option existed."

Shepard glanced at the two women with him before looking back to the speakers on the ceiling. "Do it."

"As you wish, Shepard."

"Are we in that big a rush?" Tali asked.

The commander turned to Miranda, evidently leaving the decision to answer up to her. She nodded to Shepard. "The whole crew will find out eventually." She turned to Tali. "The Illusive Man sent me a message requesting my return to Cerberus. Naturally I have no such plans, but… he mentioned my sister."

"Oriana?" Tali asked, her head cocked intently.

Miranda nodded. She was impressed Tali remembered her sister's name, but not entirely surprised. The quarian had a knack for picking things up quickly. If anything surprised her, it was that Tali cared at all. "If he has her," Miranda continued, "I'll…" Her sentenced trailed off. Just what was it she would do?

"We'll keep her safe, Miranda," Tali told her. "Cerberus will pay for what they've done to you, the Migrant Fleet… to everyone."


	36. The Calm Before

Shepard awoke on his stomach with his face pressed in to his pillow. He had absolutely no desire to move whatsoever. Any attempt to do so just made him groan over his aching body. He had hardly gotten any sleep, his wounds keeping him awake. Tali and her fever had probably not fared much better. Shepard noticed she was still asleep, her body tightly wrapped in the covers she must have stolen in the middle of the night.

He smiled fondly at the slumbering quarian. With her eyes closed in sleep, their glow was lost; her helmet becoming featureless without any beacons guiding him towards her face. With her breathing as soft as it was, not even the light serving as her mouth would flash. He liked to think of it as her "powering down" for the night. She certainly needed it.

Shepard's peaceful train of thought did not last forever, unfortunately. As he laid in bed, he thought back to the disastrous mission they had just completed. More specifically, he was plagued by the questions it raised. He was too busy running off Liara to ask her about the crimes that led Samara to her. Perhaps it was better not to know. He decided to leave the mystery alone. Something else that bothered him, however, was what the Shadow Broker had mentioned. She seemed to know something about why he was so important. Perhaps it was why the Collectors sought him out or maybe it was just the general reverence people held for him.

The Shadow Broker also spoke of something much more volatile: Keiji's greybox. Curiosity had him wondering what it held before it was destroyed, but he knew better than to meddle. Still, if she really did know what was on it, others could too. He had to know how dangerous it was. He had to talk to Kasumi. It was time to start his rounds.

With a painstaking push, Shepard sat up on the side of his bed. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was nearly noon. "Damn it," he muttered to himself. It hurt to stand, his back having been raked by glass and boards. As he moved to his closet to get dressed, he heard Tali shift in bed and give a waking moan.

"Morning, sweetheart," he said. "Feeling better?"

Tali cracked an eye and burrowed deeper in to her pillow. "Ugh, ask me again later."

Shepard gave a sympathetic smile to the back of her hooded head. "It already is later. It's noon."

Tali groaned again. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you have the day off. I'm just going to go do my rounds." Shepard finished getting dressed and leaned in to kiss Tali on the hood. "Sleep tight." She was going to need that rest if she was going to be well by the time they hit the Manifest Destiny.

* * *

Shepard stepped out of the elevator in to the engineering deck, having decided to start at the bottom and work his way up. However, on his way in to the engine room he was met by a rather unexpected sight; a pair of legs hooked over the guard rail to the stairs. It wasn't long before the body belonging to them swung in to view.

"Hey, Shep!" Kasumi greeted before her upper half disappeared back in to the stairway, continuing her vertical sit-ups.

Shepard took on an expression of amusement, moving to the stair rail to look down at the thief. "What are you doing down here?" he asked.

Kasumi swung back up nearly knocking heads with the commander. "Keeping in shape," she said inches away from his retreating face. She swung down again then came back up. "Kelly wanted my room to conduct business." Down again, she went, then back up. "Talking to Kal and Ash." She stopped in the upright position and looked to the invisible numbers on the ceiling, attempting to figure them. "And now you've made me lose count." Going back down one last time, she unhooked her feet from the railing and flung herself on to solid ground. "We'll just say I'm done."

"You're not cloaked in your room eavesdropping on the interviews?" Shepard asked.

"Not yet," Kasumi replied. "But I could ask you a similar question. Why are you down here when Tali's in your room?"

"You know how I go out of my way to bother people. Besides, I needed to talk with you anyway."

"With _me?_" Kasumi asked. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

Shepard smirked. "Hopefully not. Something the Shadow Broker said concerned me. She mentioned Keiji's greybox as if she knew what was on it. Does she?"

Kasumi's entire body tensed. Without answering she moved to the steps and began descending in to Jack's old territory. Instinctively, Shepard followed. The thief sat down on the abandoned cot that still took up residence in the bowels of the ship. An ambient red light overtook her, silhouetting her against pipes and machinery in the background.

"Kasumi?" Shepard asked, deciding she had remained quiet long enough. He stopped a respectful distance away from her, leaning in while holding on to the vandalized bulkhead.

"No," the woman finally answered. "She couldn't have."

"We wouldn't be down here if you believed that."

"He was the best encrypter I ever met and before Hock, no one else had access to the greybox." Kasumi sat quietly a moment, painfully recalling her old love. "But he did get sloppy. Maybe the information was leaked when he extracted it… or maybe she was bluffing." She looked back up to Shepard. "It doesn't matter, she's dead now and the greybox is destroyed."

Shepard nodded. "I just needed to make sure this wouldn't come back on us."

"You still haven't asked what was on it."

"Nope."

Kasumi cracked a smile at the man's restraint.

"What are the chances other information brokers might have learned your dirty little secret?" Shepard asked.

"Humanity still has a seat on the council," Kasumi answered, "so we're in the clear so far."

"Is it really that bad?"

Kasumi wagged a finger. "You're prying."

With a sigh, Shepard released his bulkhead and stood up straight. "You're right. I won't order it out of you unless I suddenly need to know."

"I suppose I can't argue with that." Kasumi knew him of all people deserved to know, but the fewer people that did the better. She decided to just keep sitting on it for now.

"And sorry about bringing this up again, I just had to make sure."

Kasumi gave a superficial nod. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked.

The thief bit her lip. "What if you're right? What if the information is out there and I destroyed all those memories for nothing?" She looked in to her lap.

Shepard moved in closer. "It's what he wanted and you've done all you can. Regrets won't help anything."

"I know," Kasumi replied. She sounded annoyed, not so much with Shepard, but with herself. "I thought I was past this, but then you bring up the idea that it isn't over yet and I go right back to it."

"Well now I just feel like a jerk for even mentioning it. If there's any way I can make it up just let me know."

"There is one thing."

Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"Can I have a hug? Tali says you're good at them."

The commander let out a hearty chuckle. "Sure thing."

* * *

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Kelly said with a beaming smile. She sat down on the opposite edge of the couch where both marines, Kal'Reegar and Ashley, had taken their places. "Normally I would meet with you both individually, but things have been… unexpectedly busy." Her smile wavered some, but quickly rebuilt itself long enough to finish her thought. "Besides, I'm sure you're both perfectly fine."

"That's what I tell myself," Ashley commented.

Kelly turned to the human first. "You've served with Commander Shepard before, so I'm sure you're already used to the way he operates."

"If _anyone_ can get used to that. Just what do you need from us?"

"I'm just trying to get a feel for the both of you, mentally, for my psych reports," Kelly replied, placing her hands in her lap. "Part of my job here is to ensure everyone is mentally sound, as stressful as our job is."

Ashley smirked, cocking an eyebrow. "And you're expecting to find someone working for Shepard who isn't crazy?"

Kelly returned the smile. "If that's a request for some one on one time, I'd be happy to accommodate you."

The female marine barely managed to catch her startled expression before it escaped. While she didn't know for certain, rumors of Kelly's promiscuity had worked their way across the ship even in the short time she had been here. Or possibly she was just being paranoid. Better safe than sorry. "No, that's quite alright. I think I'm fine."

Undaunted the yeoman responded with, "I believe it's my job to determine that, but you're probably right." She turned to Reegar. "Now then, Kal'Reegar, do you mind if I just call you Kal?"

"Suit yourself, ma'am," the quarian replied, sitting up straight now that he was being addressed.

"Okay then, Kal, I suppose I should first ask how you've been feeling since the injection."

Reegar shrugged. "Can't complain. Some drowsiness but nothing worth concerning yourself."

Kelly nodded as he spoke. "You do appear to be rather strong willed. I like that. It shows you're exactly the type of person we need on this ship. Now this question is for the both of you. I'm sure you're aware that we're headed directly to the heart of Cerberus. Are there any concerns or apprehensions?"

Ashley spoke up first. "A chance to wipe the terrorist leader off the map? We can't get there soon enough."

"I'm with Williams on this one," Reegar added. "After what happened to the Idenna I think a little payback is in order."

Kelly began jotting down notes of aggressive behavior on her datapad. She had joined Cerberus expecting nothing more than to make a difference, but so much had changed since her induction. Inhumane experiments, being abducted by her former employers… she started to erase her notes when there was a knock on the door.

"I guess I wasn't kidding when I said we're so busy," she told her patients. She turned to the closed door, "Come in."

Tali stood in the door way. "Sorry to interrupt, Kelly, but can I borrow Kal?"

The marine looked at the other faces in the room then stood up. He walked outside with Tali and the door shut behind them. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I received word from Shala. They're ready to discuss your case with you."

"Wonderful," Reegar replied dryly.

"Don't worry, I have an ace in the hole ready." Tali looked to the ceiling. "EDI, where's Shepard right now?"

"He is in the subdeck of engineering with Kasumi Goto," the AI answered.

"What are they doing all the way down there?"

"They appear to be… hugging."

* * *

"So how have Tali and Garrus shaped up this morning?" Kasumi asked. She sat on the cot next Shepard with her head leaning back on the bulkhead behind her, much more relaxed now.

"Haven't seen Garrus yet," the commander replied. "He's next after this deck. Tali's still in bed, though. As late as we got in from that disaster of a mission, I only got up a little while ago myself."

"That's okay, so did I."

Shepard put on a sarcastic expression. "Yeah, but I actually have a job to do."

Kasumi returned the look. "Yet here you are talking to little ol' me."

"I can take a hint."

"You're not getting away that easy, Shep. Just what did you say to Liara to make her bail on us?"

Shepard sighed, leaned back, and ran his hands over his hair. "I have a feeling I'm going to get tired of explaining this to everyone before too long." He looked back at the thief. "Alright, basically I told her to get her stuff, she said she couldn't do it, I told her to get out, she did."

Kasumi blinked. "Well, that was… frank."

Footsteps halted a few feet away from the pair seated on the cot. They looked up to see Tali with her arms crossed; Reegar behind her. "Is this a private party, Shepard?" she asked.

"Feeling better already?" the commander asked in return.

She was dying to put him on the spot about the hug EDI had mentioned, maybe make him squirm a bit, but she had business to attend to instead. Perhaps she'd save her ammunition for later. "Good enough to be up and around," she said. "But I, Kal rather, needs a favor."

Shepard's brow creased. "What is it?"

Tali glanced at Reegar who continued standing silently behind her. "The Admiralty Board, the _rest_ of the Admiralty Board I mean, is ready to discuss his actions with him."

"And you want me there to defend him as his captain?"

"They didn't request his presence in person, so it's likely nothing as formal as a trial. Still, it's your duty as captain." Tali's gaze roamed the subdeck a moment before coming back to Shepard. "Sorry, it's a quarian thing."

"I doubt you'll have to say much if they've already made up their minds," Reegar added.

Shepard nodded understandingly. "It's my pleasure." He turned to Kasumi as he stood up. "Mind checking on Garrus for me? Let him know I'm dealing in politics and he'll probably feel better."

"You got it, Shep."

The commander followed the two quarians out of the subdeck, Kasumi only a step behind. The elevator ride was congenial, plenty of small talk, but once Kasumi left on the third deck, Reegar turned to Tali. "So, what was this plan of yours?"

Shepard also turned to the freshly appointed admiral. "Plan?"

Tali rolled her palms across each other. "Kal, are you feeling brave?"

* * *

"Captain Shepard, thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice," Shala'Raan said. Her hologram in the conference room flickered slightly, the quarian end of the transmission likely as old and hobbled together as the rest of the Fleet.

"Shouldn't it be Reegar you're thanking?" the commander rebutted.

"That is what we are here to discuss."

"Aunt Sha… er, _Admiral_ _Raan_," Tali said, "I only see you and Admiral Gerrel. Where are the other two?"

"Daro'Xen is out on some errand or another. Zaal'Koris is keeping an eye on her workers while she is out. Now, without further delay, perhaps we can discuss Kal'Reegar's sudden enlisting in the Normandy's crew."

Gerrel stepped forward one step to be better seen. "I was behind you when you disobeyed Admiral Xen, but to just take off like this? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking Shepard's facing this threat head on instead of arguing about it," Reegar answered. His tone was calm, polite, but clearly pointed.

"Be that as it may," Raan replied, "abandoning your position is inexcusable. Have you anything to say in your defense before we render judgement?"

The marine glanced at Tali who gave him a nod. He looked back to the admirals. "Just one thing, ma'am" he said, bring his hands up to his chin. He flicked open the locks on his mask and removed it before a visibly shocked Admiralty Board.

"Kal'Reegar!" Raan demanded, "What are you…" Her voice trailed off as realization settled in. "Does this mean it works?"

For the first time in his life, Reegar did not answer a direct question. He instead found himself looking around, focusing on everything around him at once. Everything felt different. Everything looked different, smelled different. While he took in his new sensations, Tali stepped forward to answer for him.

"Yes, Mordin's project was a complete success," she happily announced. She stole a glance at her friend, his face well chiseled and shaped similar to Shepard's, though taller and thinner. His skin was a much darker shade of purple than hers as well. "He has produced an initial batch and can have it ready for mass production any day."

The two admirals looked at each other and back to Reegar's face several times before Raan spoke up again. "Have you undergone this treatment as well, Tali?"

"I have," she answered. "Unfortunately I… overdid my initial exposure and I have a bit of a fever or I would be out of my mask as well; believe me. We should both be able to go entirely without suits within a few days."

The admirals went back to looking at each other, discussing things quietly enough so their audience could not hear them. Finally, Raan addressed the crew of the Normandy once again. "Captain Shepard, we are forever in debt to you and Professor Solus... as well as the geth, I suppose. First the home world and now this? We cannot begin to repay you for what you have done for us."

"All I ask is for the Migrant Fleet at my side," Shepard replied.

"You will have it," Raan stated. "It seems you've been taking it one person at a time anyway; which is why we contacted you in the first place."

Tali frowned. There was no question why Shala'Raan was such an adept leader and speaker; she could turn any conversation the direction she wanted. So much for the delaying tactic. If nothing else, she hoped it at least put the admirals in a better mood.

The senior admiral spoke up again. "Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, step forward." The marine was already forward, but took a symbolic step all the same. He stood proudly at attention, no matter what the future for him held. "Your history of service is extensive and exemplary," Raan continued, "and your desire to aid Captain Shepard in his cause is understandable. However, your absence without leave cannot be overlooked." Raan straightened her posture to announce the verdict. "Kal'Reegar, you will be welcomed back to the Fleet at any time, but you will never again be allowed to lead any squads or military operations. Iya'Miya vas Neema will carry on in your stead as you recommended."

Reegar nodded dutifully. "I understand. Thank you, ma'am. Keelah se'lai."

"Keelah se'lai," the admirals echoed back, Gerrel's utterance of the phrase being more forced and gruff than Raan's. With that, the hologram disappeared from view and the conference room once again encircled the trio within it. Reegar stood still for a moment before glancing to the visor in his hand. He sighed at it and began putting it back in place.

"You okay with this?" Shepard asked.

Reegar flicked the locks on his mask closed. "We've got Cerberus ass to kick followed by the Reapers. I don't have time to get sentimental." He gave a nod to Shepard and Tali before taking his leave.

"He took that well," Shepard remarked.

"He takes everything well," Tali commented, watching the door automatically seal itself behind her friend. Her shoulders drooped some as her fever reminded her of its presence. "I wish I had his resolve."

"You do," Shepard assured her, putting an arm across her shoulders and reeling her in. "You just might not realize it." He gave her a mischievous grin. "That's what lets me play the knight in shining armor all the time."

"Bosh'tet," the quarian rebuked, giving him a weak punch to the side.

"Commander, Councilor Anderson is on the line," EDI interrupted. "The call came through during your meeting with the quarian Admiralty Board."

Shepard looked to Tali, wondering what the councilor wanted. "Thanks, EDI," he said. He let go of Tali, telling her, "Don't strain yourself, and I don't want to catch you working when I'm out of this meeting."

"Yes, _Captain,_" she said sardonically, rolling her eyes on her way out.

Shepard shook his head and stepped back on to the glass tabletop. His old friend shimmered in to view. Anderson was sharply dressed as always, but looked haggard in spite of it.

"Good to hear from you, Anderson, what's going on?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard, still fighting the good fight, I trust. I'm somewhat surprised I didn't have to leave you a message."

"You had good timing; caught me while I was in here meeting with the quarians. The Migrant Fleet is on board for fighting the Reapers."

"Excellent. In fact, that's why I called; a bit of a status update if you will." The councilor rolled a tired shoulder. "We recently received word from your old buddy, Wrex. He's actually managed to bring the krogan clans under one banner and has sworn them to your cause."

Shepard grinned at the news. "I'm starting to think we might just pull this off. I trust all the Council races are lined up already."

Anderson sighed and nodded in to space. "For the most part. After the disaster on Taetrus, a lot of the turian fleets have been tied up. Others are helping out and thinning their ranks as well." He gave a humorless chuckle. "Plus the raloi are seeking an embassy in the middle of it all. It would be nice if the Reapers could wait for this to be over before showing up."

"I have a bit of unfinished business to take care of, myself," Shepard admitted. "Hopefully we can both get a good night's rest before too long."

"Don't tease me, Shepard. I can't remember the last time I got a full eight hours. But you have better things to do than listen to an old man complain. Anything else on the Reaper front?"

Shepard exhaled through his nose and began thinking out loud. "Quarians and geth are on board. Still have the other non-Council races to go." He felt like he was lying, despite telling the truth. Recently he had done absolutely nothing in the way of his actual mission. Hopefully their confrontation with Cerberus would rectify that.

Anderson nodded. "I speak for the entire Council when I tell you you're doing some amazing work. You're a paragon of humanity, Shepard."

The commander chuckled. "Please, just in the right place at the right time."

"The humility's refreshing, Shepard, considering I'm overdue for another endless meeting with the rest of the Council. I'm sure Udina is having a whale of a time stalling for me."

"I won't keep you then. Keep up the good work, Councilor."

"You do the same, Commander. Anderson out."

* * *

Tali left the conference room feeling listless. With a fever and a mandated day off she had nothing to do, and with chemicals continuing to rewrite her entire body she didn't feel like doing anything anyway. Even still, she did not stop walking. Each step was slow, heel to toe, as the diagnostics she should have been doing ran themselves through the back of her mind. Before she realized it, her aimless wandering had brought her to the medical bay. Perhaps this was her plan all along.

"Zorah," said a rough voice from behind her.

Tali snapped out of her day dreaming and turned around. "Grunt, sorry, I didn't see you there."

The krogan was seated at in the mess hall, his chair turned to face the quarian, with his arm resting on his knee as he sized her up. "You're not dead."

Blinking at the statement, Tali answered, "No, I'm not, thanks to Mordin."

Grunt grumbled. "Drugs can only affect what's already there."

"Well, this is a little different," Tali explained. "This rewrites every cell in my body, like the genophage… only beneficial."

"Your entire race suffers with worth issues," Grunt replied with annoyance. He looked Tali square in the eye. "My battlemaster would not have chosen a weak mate. Your will to live did more than you give it credit."

"I… thank you, Grunt." She wasn't sure if it was entirely a compliment, but she was willing to take what she could get.

The krogan grunted at her and went back to his meal, indicating he had spoken enough. She turned back to the med bay door and opened it.

"You're back," Dr. Chakwas remarked as the quarian stepped through the door. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Better," Tali answered. It wasn't a lie. After being awake for a while, she did feel better than the previous night. "How are you, Garrus?" she asked, turning to the turian. He was seated upright on the side of his bed with Kasumi across from him on the bed Tali had used, her neck craning back to see the new visitor.

"Good as new," Garrus answered.

"No, you aren't," Chakwas corrected. She sighed. "But I suppose I won't stop you next time the commander orders you out. Just don't do anything too strenuous. I don't want to have to patch you up again."

"But in the mean time, I want more stories," Kasumi insisted, bring her legs on to the bed so she could look at both Tali and Garrus more comfortably. The thief read the quarian's confusion through her mask and explained, "Garrus and the doc were just regaling me with tales from the old Normandy."

"You can pick the next one, Tali," Garrus told her, "Dr. Saleon or the Thorian?"

The quarian frowned. "So my choice of organ harvesting or a mind controlling plant? Not something less traumatizing?"

Kasumi rapidly clapped her hands quietly and exclaimed, "Ooh, ooh, mind controlling plant! Mind controlling plant!"

"I think you made it sound more fun than it actually was," Garrus chuckled. "You also left out how it could produce clones of its victims."

"Oh, now I really have to hear this," Kasumi proclaimed.

"Also it could telepathically upload your personal thoughts to the extranet"

"Okay, now you're just making things up."

Garrus shrugged. "Hey, you believed the mind controlling plant bit so quickly I wanted to see how far you'd go."

Kasumi shook her head disapprovingly. "With all I've seen since signing on to this ship, you could have told me it choreographed dance numbers with its clones and that wouldn't have been much of a stretch."

Before the story could be started properly, all heads in the room turned to the door as it opened. Shepard stood in the doorway, visibly surprised by the number of people filling the medical bay. Returning to his normal demeanor, and moving in next to Tali, he looked to Garrus first. "How's the hole?"

"That's a little personal, Shepard," the turian answered dryly. "I think we should just stay friends."

The commander only frowned in return.

"I'm fit for duty whenever we're ready," Garrus relented, dropping to his feet.

Shepard nodded at him and turned his attention to the pair of glowing white eyes at his side. "Tali?"

"I'm feeling a lot better. I'm good to go."

"Are you sure?"

Tali smirked. "I've worked through fevers worse than this without telling you, believe me."

Sehpard shook his head. "Alright, that'll have to do because we're only a few hours out." He stuck his thumb over his shoulder. "Everyone to the conference room. Let's go stick it to the man."

* * *

Liara woke abruptly from dreamless sleep. Her head jerked up, alerting her to a stiff neck from sleeping in armor and the aching soreness radiating from her entire body. She groaned and wiped a wet spot from her arm where she had apparently drooled in her sleep. Frowning at the thought, she noticed it was light out and the trade floor was as busy as ever. Her terminal was still off so she could not see the time. She flicked it on and found a mirror in her desk as she waited for it to warm up.

Her lip was swollen and split from where the Shadow Broker had taken her in the face with the desk lamp. Her painted markings were smudged from both combat and crying. She looked an absolute mess. Pressing at her lip only made her wince. A series of melodious chimes broke her attention from her mirror and brought it back to her terminal.

Liara's inbox was filled to the brim with encrypted messages from her various informants. They had been as busy as ever while she was off pretending she was still a heroine. Many of the messages were just dirt on politicians or celebrities or about the minor squabbles between them. She had to admit, the revelation of Arah T'Hass having one meld partner in Council space and another in the Terminus Systems completely unaware of each other was enough to make her feel a bit better.

Other messages were of more important matters, such as suspects in the disappearance of Ora Thubb, inventor of the Eupulmos respiratory aid, and possible leads on more Prothean technology to discover. Flagging the mail on Prothean relics to read later, Liara continued scrolling through her seemingly endless list of mail. Then she stopped. One of her favorite informants, a young turian woman that went by the alias of Blue, had uncovered something that might just be what she needed to gain Shepard's favor.

_Subject: Cerberus abductions_

_Ma'am, I'm afraid I reported the end of the mysterious Cerberus abductions prematurely. Since their last attempt was foiled by Commander Shepard beyond the Perseus Veil over a week ago, all such activities had ceased. Now, however, it seems they have picked up where they left off. I discovered a small quarian vessel near that station you asked me to observe, the Manifest Destiny. I'll keep poking around and give you an update once I know what's going on, as well as the ship name and size of crew._

_-Blue_

Liara creased her brow. Not much to go on and not exactly what she was looking for, but it was a start. "Don't do anything stupid," she told the message, as if it would relay her words to the informant. She heard her stomach growl and suddenly realized she had not eaten since before the mission. She stood to leave when she suddenly remembered her appearance. With a sigh, she sat back down to fix herself up despite her stomach's protests. It would have to wait for satisfaction, just as she would.

* * *

Shepard was the last in to the conference room, with Garrus, Tali, and Kasumi leading him in. He took the head of the table with the others filing in to their respective places. With a single look around the room to ensure everyone was in place, he started speaking.

"This is it," Shepard announced. "Everything since the Collector base comes to a head tonight. I know some of you once trusted Cerberus," he said, glancing at Miranda and Jacob, "and I know others of you have despised them even before they attacked us." For that, his eyes immediately went to Tali. "No matter where you stood, now you stand united against them. That was the big mistake the Illusive Man made even before attacking us. He brought us together." With his gaze settling on Ashley and Reegar, Shepard continued his speech. "Then I expanded on it. This isn't just the team that defeated the Collectors or Saren and Sovereign. This is the team that will go on to defeat every last Reaper in the galaxy. Cerberus is _nothing_ compared to that. I can't tell you why the Illusive Man has chosen to be an enemy instead of an ally, but I'll tell you this: it ends here no matter the choice he made. He will answer for his crimes. Go gear up; we're removing this obstacle once and for all."


	37. The Storm

_**Author's notes: **__The story is finished, at least on my end. There's still tons of horrible writing to tweak and fix, but it's just about there. This should speed up the release dates on the last two chapters somewhat now that I'm not worried about catching up to myself. The next chapter will be the end of the story with the one following capping things off. Following that will probably be a bit of a Q&A, so if you have questions, ask away._

_Without further ado, in to the belly of the beast!_

_

* * *

_

The Manifest Destiny loomed in the distance, nearly identical in shape to its sister station, Minute Man. Its lower decks curled in a complacent smile, seemingly awaiting its invaders. Inside the Kodiak, no such smiles were worn. All passengers were stone faced, focusing on the approaching mission. EDI had managed to ferret out an acceptable Cerberus passcode from her databanks, allowing Shepard's team access. With the Normandy cloaked and the shuttle approved for docking, it seemed there would be no problems until the shore party took action.

"I know we all want blood," Shepard said, panning his head around to ensure he had the attention of everyone in the shuttle, "but check your targets once we're in there. Miranda's sister could very well be onboard along with other innocent workers and kidnapped test subjects. Rule of thumb, only shoot it if it has a gun." His eye went to Grunt, who seemed to be appeased only by the fact there would likely be a lot of opposition, even if they were sneaking in. He continued staring at the krogan as he issued his most crucial command. "Helmets on at all times. They don't get to use their gas trump card on this one." The station's hangar door opened, awaiting the Kodiak. The unscheduled docking would not go unnoticed forever, but as long as the Normandy's crew was inside, it didn't matter.

Tali could hear her breathing echo inside her helmet. She was worked up, anxious, but not scared. She had come so far from her days on her pilgrimage she was actually looking forward to exacting some revenge on Cerberus. It wasn't a feeling she was accepting entirely graciously, but it was her duty and she would see it done regardless of personal feelings. Breaking her thoughts was the feeling of Shepard's hand landing on hers, gently squeezing it. She placed her opposite hand atop his and looked up at him. With both of them in helmets, neither smile could be seen, but both were read clearly.

The Kodiak settled down in the hangar, landing softly in a vacant shuttle area. The door popped open and Shepard's crew began filing out. A befuddled worker stepped out from behind his terminal to greet them.

"Who the hell are you? You can't park here!" he shouted. He was quickly silenced by a blow to the back of the head. As he fell to the ground, Kasumi reappeared behind him and sashayed back to the rest of the group.

With the first of likely many Cerberus agents silenced, Garrus turned his head to the commander. "Where to, boss?"

Shepard looked around the hangar as if it gave any impression of the rest of the station. They all had the schematics of Minute Man EDI had stored away, but who knew if the innards of this station were the same? As if sensing his thoughts, the more tech savvy members of the group went to their omni-tools to see what they could pull up. Mordin, however, tapped his foot and discreetly rocked back and forth, apparently recognizing the tune playing over the station's speakers.

"Station Manifest Destiny houses AI," Legion stated, looking up from its omni-tool. "Designate: Watchman. Would impede any hacking attempts. Would you like us to proceed, Shepard-Commander?"

Shepard gritted his teeth and shook his head. "That would just cause a station wide alert that I'm surprised we haven't already."

"I have been distracting the station's AI with random junk data," EDI said over the group's radios. "Be advised this tactic will only last a few more minutes and would not disguise any hacking attempts."

"You're a peach, EDI," Kasumi told her.

"I am a full cyber warfare suite," the AI stated to the contrary.

"Then we should get moving before our advantage is over," Miranda suggested. "Splitting up would allow us to cover more ground."

Shepard bit his lip. "I'm not sure I like the idea of us getting separated on this station. Let's stick together until it's necessary."

"It's your call," the woman conceded.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion interrupted, "we detect a geth presence onboard this space station."

Heads pulled themselves towards the geth in interest. All eyes rested on the synthetic as Shepard asked, "Can you talk to them?"

Legion's head flaps flared and its lights flickered for a moment. "We cannot. Something is blocking the exchange of data."

"This must have something to do with the experiments they were running on that ship back at the home world," Tali said.

Shepard nodded. "Now I really don't want to split up." He gestured towards the hangar door while checking the layout of the Minute Man on his omni-tool. He traced the hallways with his finger before landing on labs. If they could rescue any test subjects, that took priority. "With any luck, this is where we're headed first. Let's get moving."

They opened the door to the hallway. A wall of guns stuck out of it, followed by the people carrying them. Shepard was the first out, followed closely by Garrus and Kal'Reegar with the others only a moment's notice behind. To the left was nothing and to the right, towards the end of the long stretching hallway, a single man stepped through a door that closed behind him, seemingly unaware of Shepard's crew.

"Not exactly what I was expecting," Jacob commented, lowering his shotgun.

"I don't like this," Ashley said, scrutinizing the empty hall. "They have to know we're on board already. Where are they?"

"Another trap," Grunt surmised. "They're scared of us."

"And they should be," Shepard said, keeping morale high. "Let's go spring it."

The group followed their predetermined route down the hallway, past several windowless doors. No alarm had been sounded and the door they had seen an operative pass through earlier was the only one that remained unlocked. A further ways down, another door had a green control panel with red glowing locked doors flanking it.

"We're being herded," Garrus remarked.

Shepard stopped at the turian's words and everyone else stopped with him. His eyes narrowed. If Cerberus was going to attack, they'd have likely done so by now. Garrus was probably right. "The hell they are. We're making a left up here whether they like it or not." He gave Tali a nod and the quarian set about hacking the door open.

"I'll go see where they're trying to send us," Kasumi proposed, cloaking herself and stepping forward.

"Kasumi," Shepard said, stopping the woman who reappeared, looking over her shoulder. "Just be careful," he relented, wanting the intel she could provide without having a better way to get it.

"Nah, Shep, I thought this time I'd just wander in and introduce myself," the thief replied with a shrug of her shoulders, disappearing again and hurrying off.

"Got it," Tali announced as the door gave a hiss and slid to the side. The station alarm sounded once but was quickly cut short. "Whoops. Hope they think that's just a short in the system."

"If they already know we're here, an alarm won't hurt anything but our ears," Shepard decided. "Still, stay sharp."

The group walked inside to find a laboratory as they had hoped. However, no one was inside. Mordin took to the front of the group, walking towards a gurney.

"Beds and instrument tables but no instruments," the salarian mused. He lifted a heavy leather strap and looked over the numerous other beds in the relatively small room. "Restraints suggest forced procedures or unpredictable results."

"Think they packed up when we got here?" Shepard asked.

"Room is too clean," Mordin answered. "Too many beds to vacate so quickly, no instruments left out, sinks remain dry." He pointed to the stainless steel basin against the wall where they had entered. "Unlikely lab has been used recently."

"What about this one?" Garrus asked, pointing to the windowed swinging door on the right wall.

Miranda was the first to peer inside. A hand full of scientists shuffled around, going about their duties. There were no bodies strapped to tables and no horrific scenes of experimentation, but something caught her eye almost immediately. "Oriana…"

* * *

Doors inconspicuously opened on their own and closed again. Kasumi continued her invisible path towards what her companions had decided was the belly of a trap. She stopped in front of the door that would more than likely hold it, if the schematics for a different station were to be believed.

Kasumi ran her eyes around the door. It was like all the others that broke up the hallway; large, heavy, and ran from the ceiling to the floor, automatically sealing in case of hull breach or security protocols. Like the others she had passed, this one was unlocked and inviting. Determining there was no was past without obviously passing through the door, the thief steeled herself and hit the panel before ducking to the side.

"Heads up!" ordered a voice from inside the dimly lit room. The sound of guns being lifted in to place sounded, followed by intense silence.

After a moment's pause another voice said, "What the hell?" It was followed by incoherent mumbling between other guards.

"Damn it, I knew Shepard was too smart. They're hacking the ship!"

"Shut up, Buckley. Watchman will keep them out."

"Are you sure? The Illusive Man told us he has the best of the best! We dropped her off; let's just get out of here."

"If you're so scared, go tell the Illusive Man you gave up and the rest of us will bring Shepard in."

"No… No way, man. I'm cool. Let's just make everything's okay."

Footsteps began heading for Kasumi's position just outside the guarded room. The woman ran her tongue between her lips in preparation. The moment the guard set foot across the threshold in to Kasumi's territory, she rammed the base of her palm in to his nose. In the time it took for the body to fall, the thief shimmered in to view, placed a single pistol shot between another guard's eyes, and disappeared again.

The remaining two Cerberus operatives let panicked rifle fire fly in to the hallway. No body came in to sight. The bullets struck nothing but hard metal walls and floor. Once both the guns had overheated, the guards forced their heat sinks free and, with shaking fingers, fumbled for fresh ones.

The guards' faces met with similar uneasy expressions. The face on the right went blank as Kasumi reappeared behind the man, swinging her fist in to the base of his skull and dropping him to the floor. With her other hand, she snatched the gun from the hands of the remaining guard. He looked to her with wide eyes, his finger instinctively pulling the trigger he no longer held. Kasumi gave him a wink and followed it with a rifle butt to the face.

Preferring more compact weaponry, the thief dropped the rifle on its owner's unconscious body. "Well that was disappointing," she said to herself, finally getting a good look at the room. Opposite the way she had come in was another door, just like the others she had passed. On the left wall was what appeared to be a large holding area. It was empty save for a metal bed bolted to the floor.

Kasumi turned around to the right wall and felt a chill course through her. She froze in place. There was one other cell. "Oh my God…" she whispered to herself. It was not empty.

* * *

"Oriana, what are you doing!" Miranda demanded as she stormed in to the laboratory. Her voice carried a swirling mixture of confusion, panic, and fury that she took out on the door as she swung it roughly in to the wall. Catching it, Shepard and the rest of the crew entered behind the former operative, guns drawn on the other scientists.

The girl spun around, her lab coat flaring out around her as she turned. She dropped her datapad and placed a hand on her heart. "Miranda? What are… I could ask you the same question!" Her eyes flitted around to spy her colleagues backed in to a corner at gunpoint. "It's true… You _did_ betray Cerberus."

Miranda took a sharp breath and recoiled. "Betrayal? Oriana, I came here to rescue you."

"Just like you rescued me from my real father? I'm old enough to make my own decisions now!" Oriana read her sister's stunned face as though it was her own. In fact, it would be in a few years. "That's right. The Illusive Man told me everything when he contacted me."

"I doubt that," Shepard spat, forcefully joining the conversation.

"He told me about you too, Commander; about how you stole his ship and his crew." The flash of resentment Oriana held began to dissipate. "Why are you fighting?" she asked. "You're supposed to be on the same side."

"I thought we were, up until he attacked us; attacked your _sister_," Shepard explained, pointing a hand towards Miranda. "And lately he's been abducting people. What is he doing? What are _you_ doing?"

Oriana shrank back, feeling outnumbered and intimidated. More than anything, now she was confused. "Our methods can be a little extreme, but you know that!" She found herself trying to explain things to Miranda more than Shepard. "What we're doing is important."

"Oriana, what is it you're doing here?" Miranda asked, repeating Shepard's question.

The girl's sad, blue eyes looked directly in to an identical pair. "Mostly extraneous research, double checking things," she admitted sheepishly, breaking the gaze. "The Illusive Man wants to groom me before I do anything your level."

"And you didn't question why he sought you out?"

"I… I knew you were with Commander Shepard, I just thought maybe he needed…" Something began to dawn on Oriana. "Wait, how did you know I was here?"

"The Illusive Man sent me a message, wanting me to come back and lead some project; probably the one you're working on. He mentioned you just to con me in to it."

Oriana took a step back. "No. He said he needed me!"

"Yeah," Shepard said, "as a bargaining chip."

Miranda placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Oriana, listen to me. We need to know what's going on here."

"Lawson, don't tell them a thing!" one of the scientists in the back of the room yelled.

"Cram it!" Miranda shouted back at him as Grunt's foot gave the man a swift kick to the gut. She turned back to her sister. "Oriana, please. There has to be a reason for all the abductions and attacks."

Oriana nodded slowly. "We were told we're the last line of defense in case you failed. We had to prepare every race to combat the Reapers even in death."

"What does that mean?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know exactly. Like I said, I'm not the project leader. I just know that we had to develop a way to get every known race in the galaxy to accept some certain aspect of the Commander genetically."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. "I trust you don't just mean my handsome face. What the hell's so special about me anyway?"

Tali gasped. "Shepard," she said, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "The cipher."

"Of course," Miranda exclaimed. "Shepard, don't you see? Remember what EDI said about the Protheans?"

"The Reapers turned them in to the Collectors," the commander stated.

"And they did that because they couldn't process them in to another Reaper. Shepard, we backed up everything during the Lazarus Project. Cerberus plans to introduce your genetic structure to every living being, preventing us from being harvested."

"Seems like a lot of work if all it does is make us die differently," Jacob commented.

"Mordin, this sound right to you?" Shepard asked.

"Possible… in theory, but too much effort for too little payoff. Still, best guess as any."

"You didn't catch any of this?"

"Procedures left no traces of alteration outside of rewrite," the salarian responded, clearly offended. "Maelon given burial in space. Duggar still alive; cannot exactly operate on her brain. What would I look for?"

"Inquiry," Legion requested. Shepard gave it an approving nod. "This does not explain presence of geth aboard ship designated Macedonia."

Oriana shrugged, apparently having no idea what the ship was. "We had some geth _here_, but trying to introduce anything to them has been nothing but failure."

"That I caught," Mordin stated, saving face.

"We don't even know if the Reapers can use synthetics but the Illusive Man insisted we try." Oriana huffed. "Then they were taken for another project anyway."

"What other project?" Shepard demanded.

"I don't know. I'm not part of it. We can't talk about anything outside of our own work areas for security."

"Shep, you're gonna want to see this," Kasumi interrupted over the radio.

"What is it?" the commander asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Right, on our way."

"I'm taking Oriana back to the Normandy," Miranda said. "I'll catch up with you."

"You're not going alone," Shepard told her. He didn't even like the idea of her going at all, but he wasn't going to dissuade her.

"I'll go with her," Jacob offered.

Shepard nodded to him and the small group left. He turned to the scientists. "If you want to live, stay here and mind your own business." They all nodded vigorously, except for one man clutching his stomach, as Shepard took his squad to go see what Kasumi had discovered.

* * *

"I told you you wouldn't believe me," Kasumi said, gesturing towards the cell with her hand. Inside, on the floor, was Jack. She was sprawled out on her back wearing a beige jumpsuit. One hand rested on her stomach and her head lolled at an awkward angle.

Shepard moved towards the mass effect barrier, nearly touching it. "My God, is she dead?"

As if to answer the question, Jack sat up abruptly, clutching her head. Her teeth clenched and after a moment her hands dropped on to the floor at her sides. "Fuck," she groaned in to her lap.

"Jack, what the hell did they do to you?" Shepard asked.

She wearily turned her head towards the sound of the voices in the room. Her lips remained apart so she could breathe. "Shepard?" She looked back to her lap. "Fuck, now I'm hallucinating."

"No, we're real, and we're going to get you out of here."

Jack looked back to the crowd outside her cell. "No shit? Then what the hell are you doing here?"

"Settling an old score. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Short answer, I got caught. Now I'm back to being Cerberus' little play thing." She gave a derisive snort. "Full fucking circle."

Mordin, on a whim, stepped forward to scan Jack with his omni-tool. Shortly after he did, the kinetic barrier dropped. This startled the salarian for a moment, but he quickly continued his work.

"Good work," Shepard said to Tali, Kasumi, and Legion, unsure of which of them had managed to hack the barrier.

"It wasn't us," Kasumi told him.

"Bad," Mordin uttered. He turned to the commander, showing him is omni-tool's readings as if he could make head or tails of them. "Shepard, very bad."

"Slow down, Mordin. What's bad?"

"I am," Jack said, rising to her feet. It was an arduous process and she looked as though she was fighting against herself the whole way. "You're gonna have to kill me." After straining through that sentence, she flung both hands forward knocking the entire group on their backs, sliding to the other side of the room.

"Control chip present in Jack's brain," Mordin finally explained as the crew stood back up.

"You're the only person I haven't wanted to kill, Shepard," Jack shouted, wrestling with her arms. "Figures you'd be the one to kill me."

"No one's killing anyone!" Shepard yelled back.

"It's too late for that!" Jack lost the war against her body and her hands pulled back for another attack. Before she fired, she found herself being roughly pressed in to the back of her cell by a krogan charge.

"Calm down, tiny!" Grunt barked at her. In response, Jack's palms slammed in to his stomach. The biotic force sent the massive krogan hurtling through the air, only stopping when he hit the opposing wall, landing clumsily on the floor in the opposing cell.

As soon as Grunt had left the ground, Samara wasted no time in pulling the human biotic off her feet. Thrusting her hand forward, the justicar sent Jack tumbling back in the same wall she had just been backed in to. Such treatment would leave a normal human unconscious and concussed. Jack, however, gave a brutish shout and sent a shockwave of dark energy after Samara who barely swung aside in time. The rest of the crew moved out of harm's way as well, completely unsure of how they could help without opening fire.

Already on his feet, Grunt took towards Jack with surprising quickness and pounced on her. She erected a barrier, but it only served to slow the hulking krogan as the two collapsed to the ground in a mass of limbs and biotics.

"Go!" Samara yelled. "We will handle her. Go and confront the Illusive Man."

Shepard turned towards the door and looked back at the asari. "Don't kill her," he ordered.

"We will try not to," Samara replied.

That was probably the best he could ask. Shepard ducked a stray biotic warp that exploded on the wall and ordered the rest of his team to keep moving. They all did, though most hesitated. The metal bed screwed to the floor of Jack's cell being wrenched loose and hurled at Samara hastened their departure. Once on the other side, the heavy blast door slammed shut and all its lights went red.

Reegar thumped his knuckles on the door twice, mostly for show. "Looks like that AI doesn't want them following us."

"Our numbers seem to be dwindling, Shepard," Garrus noted.

The commander glanced around. Garrus was right. Their force had already lost a third of its people and outside the pittance of guards Kasumi left lying on the floor, they had not even seen any Cerberus opposition. _Jack doesn't count_, he told himself. He nodded to Garrus in acknowledgment and ran his eyes over the room they had just entered. It was small and served more as a hub with two other hallways leading out of it. On the wall were arrows pointing to locations, but none to where they wanted to go.

"Legion, see about finding those station schematics now," Shepard ordered, bringing up his own omni-tool to double check their location with his own map.

"Acknowledged," the synthetic replied, its hand busy on its omni-tool and its lights flickering.

"Kasumi, see if you can't get that door unlocked for Grunt and Samara."

"You got it, Shep." The thief began working but jumped back, startled, as a loud bang on the door interrupted her; likely the metal bed making contact with it. Taking a moment to regain her composure, she got back to her duty.

"Being herded," Mordin mumbled to himself, repeating Garrus' earlier observation. He began pacing, making Ashley step out of his way. "Lured us here with Oriana; set her along our path. Jack placed in our way as well. Illusive Man knew we would stop to aid them. Now open fork in halls ahead of us."

"What's up, Mordin?" Shepard asked.

The salarian stopped his wandering and looked up to the commander. "Illusive Man is purposely splitting us up."

"Well he doesn't get to do it further. Legion, how's that schematic recovery coming?"

"AI-Watchman is greatly hindering progress," the geth reported. "Recovered data packets suggest layout of station is nearly identical to Minute Man station."

Shepard traced the map on his omni-tool with his finger and looked towards the right hand corridor. "Then we want this way," he said, beginning to wander down it to get a better look where it led.

Tali glanced at the others who seemed to be preoccupied watching the hackers at work or waiting for something else to hit the blast door. She took the opportunity to move to Shepard's side as he followed the colorful arrows on the wall with his eyes. She just felt like standing next to him before they confronted the enemy but quickly thought up an excuse just to give the others a better impression. "Should I be doing anything too?" she asked. "Legion and Kasumi both have jobs."

Shepard looked up out of his stupor and turned to face the quarian to answer her question. Just as he did, another door crashed down and sealed, locking them away from the rest of the crew.

"Oh damnit!" He shouted, pushing past Tali to pound on the door. He went to his radio. "Change of plans, Kasumi. Get _this_ door open."

"You're never happy, are you, Shep?" the woman responded. "Is that why you walked out on us?" Before Shepard could answer, the station alarms began sounding again, accompanied with Kasumi's exclamation of, "I didn't do it!"

"Are you sure about alarms not hurting anything?" Garrus asked.

"No," the commander growled. He snarled at himself. "Garrus, you're in charge over there. Tali and I are sitting ducks if we don't get moving. Maybe we can find another way around."

"Roger th… ander."

"Garrus?"

"Sh…rd, you're …ng up."

"Damn it." The AI must have been jamming communications. Shepard turned to Tali. "Come on." He started marching at a brisk pace, muttering his mantra of "Damn it," over and over beneath his breath.

Falling in to step, the quarian was more than a little concerned. "Shepard, calm down."

Normally, he had no patience for being questioned on a mission. However, with just him and Tali, he felt like he owed her an explanation, especially after he just got them locked away from the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, he had none. He was underestimating Cerberus again. The last time that happened he had nearly lost everything. "Right, sorry," he said and began moving again.

"Are you okay?" Tali's tone of voice was entirely comprised of concern.

"I'm fine, I think, or I will be once we're done here." The commander kept walking as he spoke until Tali grabbed him again.

"Shepard, what's wrong?"

He looked past her dark visor in to the white eyes staring directly back in to his. Alarms were blaring and there could have been a sea of Cerberus operatives flooding in to the hall any moment, but he was frozen in place. Tali's eyes had him trapped.

"John," she said, breaking him from his reverie.

"I screwed up and more people than me might pay for it. I'm just pissed at myself."

"You're too worked up. This is what Cerberus wants. This is why they've been using these tactics instead of fighting us outright. We need a clear headed plan of attack, not rash judgments."

Shepard's eyes lowered from Tali's. She was right. Damn it, she was right. He let out a sigh and nodded in defeat. If he didn't cool down soon, they could wind up separated, or worse. "You might just make a good leader yet," he told her.

"I'd rather leave that to you, if you don't mind."

Shepard gave her a tiny smile. She might have found some genuine good nature in it had she looked deep enough, but he did not give her the chance. The commander quickly looked down to his omni-tool. "Everybody does," he grumbled to himself.

"And I thought _I_ was the one supposed to be having the mood swings," Tali chastised.

The commander snorted. He held up his omni-tool to show Tali their location. "If this was Minute Man, we'd be right by the main offices." He looked up to the quarian. "If the Illusive Man is here, this is where he'd be."

Muffled gunfire rang out from behind the locked door they had left, barely audible over the station alarm. Shepard went to his radio again but the only answer was more static. The rest of his team was fighting without him and all because he was acting like an idiot. His aggression showed its face again as he clenched his teeth punched the wall with his gauntleted fist.

Tali placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They'll be fine," she told him. "It's you I'm worried about. Are you sure you're in any shape to confront the Illusive Man?"

Shepard exhaled in to his helmet and turned to meet her. She was so soothing when she needed to be. He took her in his arms and gently hugged her. "Cerberus has done nothing but hound me since the day they brought me back," he said in a curiously steady voice, "They attacked me, my crew… you… and now they're playing with us. I'm madder than I've ever been." He placed Tali back at arm's length. "How about you?"

The shotgun from the engineer's back unfolded in to her hands. "Furious," she answered with a devilish smile forming behind her dark glass.

"That's my girl." Mustering all of his strength, his resolve, his hate, Shepard slammed his fist in to the console and door slid open without hesitation. Inside was small reception area. The desk was vacated, likely for safety, and behind it was a larger, more important looking door. With no doubt in his mind, Shepard knew this had to be the Illusive Man's office. That door's control panel suffered a fate identical to the one before it.

Calm as ever, the Illusive Man sat in his trademark metal chair; his right ankle atop his left knee, reflected by an exquisitely polished floor. Behind him shimmered a glorious fluxing red and blue star. Its very existence seemed impossible, only adding to the man's ominous mystique. In his hand swirled a glass of fine brandy. A holographic display disappeared from in front of him as his door opened. As the display dissipated, the station's alarm went silent.

"It seems like every God damn project Cerberus performs backfires and kills everyone involved," Shepard roared, aiming his pistol directly at the Illusive Man's head. "I think it's time _I_ was that project."

Unperturbed, the Illusive Man set both his feet flat on the ground and placed his glass on the table beside his chair. "Go ahead and fire, Shepard. Doom the galaxy with a single curl of your finger."

"You seem to be doing a fine enough job of that yourself. Rewriting every living being? That's ridiculous; even for you."

The Illusive Man reached in to his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm aware you managed to get some information out of my worker, whom you kidnapped." He selected a cigarette from the pack and placed the rest back in his pocket. "However, she did not have the entire story for you."

Shepard glared at the man's seemingly inhuman eyes. "And I suppose you're going to tell me that story."

The Illusive Man picked up his lighter from the table and lit his new cigarette. Placing the lighter back on the table he said, "Certainly. Despite appearances, we are both working towards the same end: the defeat of the Reapers."

Lowering his gun, the commander continued his defiant stare. "Talk. I don't like what you have to say and I kill you here."

"It's that attitude that started Project Crux." The Illusive Man took a long drag and removed the cigarette from his lips, blowing smoke in to the otherwise pristine room. "You seem set on doing things your way, even when they won't work. This is a war that cannot be won entirely through physical strength. You've seen yourself what it takes to kill even a single Reaper. Even this entire galaxy united will have only a slim hope of succeeding."

"So you just assumed I'd," Shepard glanced at Tali standing cautiously next to him with her shotgun in her hands, "_we'd_ fail and decided to start messing around with everyone's genetics? How would you even distribute something to the entire galaxy?"

The Illusive Man tapped his cigarette on his ashtray. "Still making assumptions based on partial information, I see. What Oriana told you was barely even the start of the project; the bare minimum that workers her level are allowed to know. Crux is not entirely about preventing races from being used in Reapers. That is merely a beneficial side effect of what we are attempting to create."

"Get on with it," Shepard ordered.

The Illusive Man paused a moment as he inhaled on cigarette before ignoring Shepard's instructions and continuing at his own pace. "You've seen yourself a special ability of the Reapers. 'Assuming direct control,' they like to call it. It's how Harbinger would personally control the Collectors or Sovereign before him controlled Saren. However, we uncovered some interesting data. The destruction of their puppet would stun the Reaper for a few moments as its consciousness returned."

"That's how Sovereign was destroyed so easily after Saren was killed?"

"Precisely." The Illusive Man tapped ash off the end of his cigarette. "What we're doing is not a defensive measure for all races but an offensive one against the Reapers. We plan to modify and inject the Prothean code directly in to the Reapers, eating them from the inside out."

"Then why all the kidnapping?" Tali asked. She silently trusted Shepard to have some sort of plan and that he wasn't just going along with all this. He couldn't be. Either way, she could at least get some information in the mean time.

"Because we need multi-racial adaptability. We don't know what race they'll use as their shock troops next. Will they be altered organics like the Collectors or husks? Synthetics like the geth? Something entirely organic outside implants like Saren? We need to be ready to inject this formula in to anything."

"You didn't answer her question," Shepard insisted. "Why go around abducting people?"

"This is a delicate operation, Shepard. We can't broadcast our movements to the galaxy and expect to have the upper hand. Through this secrecy, we're on the verge of winning this war before it even starts."

"So you've gone from trying to brainwash me to completely discounting me?"

"Not at all. What you're doing is extremely necessary. However, thanks to our treatment, Sarah Duggar currently stands a better chance against the Reapers than you do."

Shepard sneered. "Sounds like you've got this all wrapped up then. I guess I can just retire."

Setting his cigarette in the ashtray and picking up his brandy, the Illusive Man spoke again. "I wouldn't start making vacation plans any time soon. Your uncanny leadership abilities are still needed. This is why Crux is on the backburner right now to make room for our more recent venture; Project Reclamation. It has shown even greater promise and I am quite pleased with its progress."

"I trust this is the one using the geth?"

"It is; also some adapted technology from that prototype weapon you stole from me. However, I think the person better suited to explain it to you would be the project's leader. I believe you've already met." He finished his glass and set it on the table.

Graceful footsteps, one after the other, carried a figure out of the shadows to the Illusive Man's side. "Commander Shepard. _Admiral_ Zorah," she greeted with a well cultured voice carrying just enough disdain for the word "Admiral." Daro'Xen vas Morah continued to surround herself with the same air of dignity, even in the heart of Cerberus' lair.


	38. One Word

"You… You traitor!" Tali shouted. She could not believe her eyes. She raised her shotgun, her temper flaring along side her fever. A single shred of rationality prevented her from firing immediately.

"Always quick to judge, are you?" Daro'Xen asked rhetorically. Her constant state of condescension seemed to match the Illusive Man's perfectly.

"How can you be working with Cerberus after all they've done? After what they've done to us; to _you_?"

"I am making allies of old enemies, Tali'Zorah. It is no different than you fostering peace with the geth. You do not have to like someone to understand and support their position. In fact, our lines of research seemed to mesh quite serendipitously."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Shepard demanded, still keeping one eye on the Illusive Man.

"You might remember the Macedonia," the Illusive Man stated, "the Cerberus vessel that went down over Rannoch. While the loss of the crew and their experiments was regrettable, the ship's surveillance equipment remained intact." He picked up his cigarette and held it in front of his lips. "That's how I learned there happened to be a quarian with ideals similar to my own." Having finished that final sentence he took a drag before exhaling smoke.

"He contacted me shortly afterwards," Xen said, continuing the story. "I must admit the prospect of his funding as well as hearing the advancements Cerberus has made with artificial intelligence nearly made me excited enough to tip my hand aboard your ship."

"I should have left you with Grunt," Shepard grumbled.

"Hardly the way to speak to the woman doing your job for you, Commander," Xen rebutted.

"Zaal'Koris was supposed to be keeping you in line," Tali rebuked. "What have you done with him?"

"I have done nothing with him, child," Xen replied. "Zaal'Korris is a fool. He could not tell my research from a storybook. As far as he knows, I am just running one of my many errands. He would never see the value in this partnership, but soon he and the rest of the quarian race will learn the truth."

Tali's arms wavered. Some portion of her mind told her to shoot and stop the madness but another reminded her that the woman had technically done nothing wrong… yet. Despite the engineer's earlier outburst, she knew Xen would always act for the betterment of their people; or at least what she believed was beneficial. "What truth?" she asked.

"Ah, to the heart of the matter." The admiral's voice oozed with smug satisfaction. "To put it simply, we are working on a control device to override any signals given by AI. We have started with the geth and will work our way to machine/organic hybrids such as the Reapers."

"We have been making great strides," the Illusive Man added, "despite your decisions to destroy both Dr. Archer's project and the Collector base."

"How can you possibly have any idea if this will work on the Reapers?" Shepard demanded.

"You'll understand if I choose not to reveal the source of my samples," the Illusive Man answered. "However, we can give you a demonstration. Admiral Xen, if you would do the honors?" He inhaled deeply on his cigarette after giving the quarian the stage.

"Certainly," she replied, bringing up her omni-tool.

"You see, Shepard," the Illusive Man started as Xen worked, "after my foolhardy rush to bring you back in line, I remembered something. It was a mission report after your trip to Dr. Archer's labs on Aite and how the VI there managed to interface with your own cybernetics; many of which were based on Reaper technology."

As the gravity of the situation began to sink in, Shepard brought his pistol level with the Illusive Man's head and squeezed the trigger. No shot sounded. He squeezed the trigger as hard as he could but his finger would not move. A throaty and beguiling chuckle emanated from Daro'Xen as her fingers continued to dance along her wrist. Shepard stumbled in place. His arm moved by itself away from the Illusive Man, his body clumsily following it under no volition of its own, ending when his gun was pointed directly at Tali.

"And now you understand why we call this project 'Reclamation,' Shepard," the Illusive Man continued. "The quarians get their geth back and Cerberus gets _you_."

* * *

"Shepard, you're breaking up," Garrus shouted in to his radio. He gave up after hearing more than enough static. Turning to the rest of the crew he started issuing orders over the blaring alarm. "Legion, get that door to Jack's pen open. Reegar, cover him. I'll watch Kasumi. Ash, Mordin, you two take cover on either side of the hall. If they're starting a fight, that's where they'll come from."

Just as the squad hit their positions, Cerberus operatives appeared at the end of the long hall. Gunfire started pouring in to the tiny room; the doorway barely wide enough to shelter the Normandy's crew.

"Wait for it…" Garrus instructed.

Bullets continued to stream in. The squad steeled themselves, waiting for Garrus' call. Kasumi sucked herself in as close to the door as possible as she worked, her breaths short as if inhaling would expose her to death. Legion worked untroubled, having already figured the angle of fire and determining it was safely out of harm's way. The shooting slowed as the operatives began staggering their reload times to keep the pressure on. Even still, it was all Garrus needed.

A single shot exited the turian's rifle at almost the same instant he peeked out of cover. It penetrated a Cerberus operative's head, punctuated with the word "now" leaving Garrus' mouth.

Mordin lead the retaliation with a Cryo Blast from his omni-tool. Freezing subatomic particles sped down the hall and struck a single human squarely in the chest. The splash quickly spread to others, snap-freezing a wall of human bodies. Not even a second passed before Ashley and Reegar laid ammunition in to that wall, shattering it.

"Push forward!" one of the operatives yelled in spite of their comrades being turned to shards on the floor. A cylindrical canister bounced down the hall, landing in the middle of the tiny room. Gas poured out of it, doing little more than giving Garrus a smug sense of superiority over the futile tactic.

"Nice shooting," the turian yelled to his team; adding in a few more shots of his own. He had always tried to lead through positive reinforcement.

The two sides continued to exchange fire for a short time with the Normandy team having a clear upper hand despite being pinned down. Unfortunately, the gas soon hung thick in the air. Visibility in the small room was quickly becoming nil. Kasumi was having a hard enough time fighting with an artificial intelligence. Being unable to see her screen was only complicating matters further. She glanced over her shoulder at the figures in the wispy green clouds. Silhouetted against the muzzle flash she could see Legion's crouched figure stand up from its work.

"Hack completed," it announced. "The door is now open."

"Everybody through!" Garrus ordered. "Let's vent this fog!"

Reegar, Legion, and Ashley all had an easy time of it as they were on the proper side of the room. Mordin dashed across the doorway, taking several shots to his shields, but also made it through. Kasumi quickly began aborting her hack to make the leap herself.

"You're not going anywhere!" one of the operatives shouted from the Cerberus filled hallway. Trailing his sentence was another metallic clattering across the floor.

Garrus' eyes widened as his HUD alerted him of an immediate threat. That tiny object, still obscured by the now waning gas, was a grenade. Not wasting a moment, the turian scooped a startled Kasumi up in his arms and bolted for the door. He felt shots impact his shields, saw more shots hit the human woman's, and then felt himself being thrown off his feet by the explosion. His shields overloaded with the electric crunching noise he had learned to fear. Even still, he retained the presence of mind to twist in midair, landing on his back to take the brunt of the fall. As he hit, his arms fell loose and Kasumi tumbled free where she was helped to her feet by Ashley.

"Garrus, are you alright?" the thief asked, hurrying back to him.

The turian stood under his own power, not accepting a hand up. One hand went to his stomach to brace it. It felt like his wound had reopened. "I'm fine," he answered, not wanting to draw attention to his injury. "Get to cover. Cerberus will be on us soon."

"I brought my own cover," Kasumi replied, cloaking herself and doubling back on their tracks. If she could move in behind the advancing operatives, all sorts of havoc could be unleashed.

Garrus nodded to her as he and the others moved in to less open positions. It seemed like the fight with Jack had moved back towards the hangar somewhere. At least that was one problem he didn't have on top of this. The turian thanked the spirits for small favors and concealed himself in the vacant cell, waiting for his prey.

* * *

An emergency fire extinguisher embedded itself in the wall, narrowly missing Grunt's head. The krogan let loose a heartfelt belly laugh and wrenched it free before charging Jack, wielding it like a club. He brought it down with an overhead swing, parried with a biotically enhanced backhand that caused the extinguisher to burst, spraying white smoke and foam everywhere.

Jack felt the bones in her right hand shatter on impact. The pain was intense but not for a moment did the chip in her brain allow her body to relent. It simply moved on to her left hand, forcing her to lift Grunt's hulking frame from the ground. As she pulled back to complete her attack, she was tackled by Samara.

"You must resist, Jack," the justicar demanded, pressing the human in to the floor. "Do not give in. You are stronger than this."

"_You_ want to fuckin' try this, blueberry?" Jack shot back. Her body tensed and began emanating waves of dark energy. The ammonium phosphate in the air was blown away but the asari held tight to her opponent. Grunt stood his ground and slowly stepped forward. Jack stared directly at the advancing krogan with the intensity of a mad woman; a look on her face so contorted with rage, fear, and insanity it gave even him pause. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her entire body lifted from the ground, taking Samara with her, before flinging herself toward the ceiling.

Samara could not move in time. Taken completely off guard she was crushed in to the ceiling. Her grip faltered and Jack took the justicar by the collar with her good hand, casting her to the floor. Samara rolled over her shoulder as she hit and slid on her toes and hands, collecting her senses as she came to a stop. With Grunt, she looked up to see Jack still floating in midair, emanating biotic power like water from a tap. The blood dripping down her fingers was trapped in the air with her, any droplets getting too far from her body being flung to the walls.

"I didn't know biotics could fly," Grunt remarked, unfolding his shotgun.

Samara picked herself up and held her hand in front of him, still hoping to resolve this without death. "We cannot," she answered. As best she could figure, Jack was just expelling so much dark energy it kept her aloft.

The human biotic screamed for a few seconds before her voice quit. Her head fell backwards and her body toppled from the sky. She fell flat on her back and stared in to the ceiling, sucking in air with strained gasps.

"Jack, are you alright?" Samara asked, stepping to the human's side.

"Do I look alright?" Jack wheezed indignantly. Her left arm leapt from the ground like a snake, sending a biotic warp at the justicar. Samara barely threw up a barrier in time, but she hardly needed to. Jack was growing weaker by the second. The combat stacked on top of her inner conflict had all but sapped her strength entirely. "Just finish me off, damn it!"

"Shepard seeks to save you," Samara answered, denying the woman her death, "and I am his arm." The justicar curled her fingers towards her body, lifting Jack's head from the ground.

"Your funeral," the human growled as her arm flung itself over her shoulder. The pull tore Grunt from his feet and sent the krogan slamming in to Samara from behind. The chip in Jack's head had no consideration for its host's fatigue and forced her to her feet. Her head was splitting. She wanted nothing more than to hold it, to collapse, to give up and die. Instead she agonizingly lifted both hands and used her power to bring ceiling panels and ductwork down on her opponents.

Sparks flew from broken wires, sputtering out of sync with the cacophony of metal striking flesh and floor. No sooner had the last piece buried its targets had Samara burst from the rubble, Grunt a split second behind her. The justicar raised a glowing hand as she pounced forward, wielding her own body as though it was a weapon itself. Her fist came down with both a fierce yell and a blue trail following behind it. Jack jumped backwards to see it collide with the floor, crushing metal and flinging residual energy out in a shockwave; a shockwave that caught her in midair and sent her off balance.

Samara saw her opening and knew to act on it immediately. She did not. Instead, she felt the hulking presence of Grunt hurdling over her as he charged his target. The krogan grabbed Jack out of the air by her head, nearly enveloping it in his massive hand, and punched it to the floor in his enclosed fist. Holding it there for a second, relishing the moment of victory, he brought his arm back up, tossing the woman's limp body back in to the air. He caught it again with both hands around her waist. He pulled her over his head to slam her back down in to the floor when his body froze, immobilized by biotic power.

"She has lost," Samara stated, waiting for Grunt's blood frenzy to fall. With a flick of her fingers she released her hold on the krogan's body.

Grunt brought Jack's broken frame down to eye level and took a look at her. Her head lolled backwards with a small line of blood trickling from the lips to accent the maimed and bloodied hand at her side. If she was still alive, it was not by much. "So now what do we do with her?" he asked.

"We take her to the others. When this is over, we hope Mordin can remove the device from her brain."

"And if he can't?"

Samara's pure blue eyes held neither joy nor remorse as she answered. "Then we kill her."

* * *

"Work, damn it!" Miranda swore. She brought her fists down on the shuttle's control panel with a frustrated snarl.

Jacob observed her with a sober eye but did not speak. He knew better than to put himself in her way when she was like this. Instead, he sat in the Kodiak's passenger seat and watched the XO go to her radio.

"Shepard, we're locked out of the station." She tapped on her ear. "Shepard, come in. The AI must be… Shepard?" She growled again and threw her hands back on to the flight controls. "Damn it all! Now what?"

"So we're missing the fight?" Jacob asked.

Miranda turned to Jacob and glowered in his direction a moment before exhaling her frustration. She placed her elbow on console and rested her forehead on her fist. "The station AI has locked us out and is jamming our communications. We either sit around out here or go back to the Normandy."

"So much for our big shot at glory."

"It's not about glory, Jacob," Miranda replied, sitting up straight.

"I know, Miri. I was just looking forward to the action, you know? Prove myself."

Miranda let out a single chuckle. "I think the entire Collector mission was enough to prove your competency."

Jacob returned her chuckle. "Easy for you to say when you're perfect. I mean, look at the rest of the team. An asari matriarch justicar, a pure bred krogan, the smartest salarian alive, the Goddamn turian Batman… I can't exactly compare."

"You're doing a fine job if that's what you want to hear."

Jacob smirked. "Nah, not looking for sympathy; just whining to be whining."

"You volunteered to tag along, I'll remind you," Miranda retorted. She tried her radio again but was still met with nothing but white noise.

"I know, I know. I had to make sure you and Oriana made it back alright, didn't I?" Almost afraid that Miranda would answer his rhetorical question, he added, "Any luck with the radio?"

"None," Miranda answered with a frown.

"Then I guess we should get back to the Normandy before Kelly starts trying to pick up your sister."

"Ugh, don't even joke." Miranda took hold of the flight controls and regretfully began returning to the ship. There was silence between the two shuttle passengers for a moment's time before Jacob spoke up again, taking advantage of the privacy.

"Miri, do you think I'm… soft?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"You know; wishy-washy, indecisive."

The woman was silent for a couple seconds. "I suppose at times, but who isn't? Why do you ask?"

"No real reason, just something Grunt said made me wonder if…"

"_Grunt?_"

Jacob chuckled at his absurdity. "I know, don't listen to the krogan."

"Maybe you are a little 'soft' if you're taking Grunt's philosophies personally. I know you're frustrated about being locked out of the station. I am too, but there's nothing we can do about that right now." Miranda sighed. "Now I have to figure out how to explain things to Oriana. Fighting Cerberus agents would have probably been a cakewalk by comparison."

"I can't believe the Illusive Man would use her like that. How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. It almost would have been easier to see her dead than fooled like she was."

Jacob placed a hand on Miranda's shoulder. "No it wouldn't. We have her now and everything's going to be okay."

Miranda nodded wistfully, carefully guiding the Kodiak in to the Normandy's hangar. "You're right. I'll think of something to say. She has to believe me."

"You want some backup? Not like I'm doing much else."

Miranda cracked smile, only turning to show it to Jacob for a moment before looking back out the windshield. "I'd appreciate it."

* * *

"Tali'Zorah, would you please relinquish your weapons?" Xen requested.

Shepard's hand shook as he fought his own cybernetic implants but his gun continued pointing at Tali's chest. "Tali, don't do it," he ordered. When his sentence was finished, he fired. Fear, something he had not truly felt in years, wracked his heart.

The shot caused Tali to jump. Her shields flashed, stopping the bullet, but showing the control Xen had over Shepard's body. She froze in place, dutifully following her captain's orders. A moment later a second shot impacted her barriers, making her clench her teeth. If this kept up, blood would be drawn in only a matter of time. She began to regret Shepard's choice in hand cannons.

"Stop this!" Shepard shouted. "If you want us alive, what good will this do?"

"We will salvage who we can, Shepard," the Illusive Man answered. "In fact, I took the liberty of reuniting you with Subject Zero to illustrate this point. However, attempting to take your entire crew alive only doomed my previous tactics to failure. While your team is valuable, they are now deemed expendable as long as _you_ are recovered." To punctuate this, Shepard was forced to take another shot at Tali. Her shields overloaded and exploded around her.

"Xen, how can you do this?" Tali asked, her voice on the verge of panic.

"Your weapons, Tali'Zorah," was the only answer.

Tali dropped her shotgun. The sound it made when it hit the floor was the worst thing she had ever heard. It was the sound of defeat, disobedience. She told herself this was not to save her own life. It was nothing so selfish. She just needed time for a plan; time for Shepard to come through with a miraculous save like he always did. With a shaking hand, she plucked the pistol from her hip. What was she going to do with it? Leave it with the shotgun? Use it? Either choice risked her being killed and losing Shepard to Cerberus.

"Tali!" was all Shepard shouted. It was all he _could_ shout. He felt his finger start to squeeze again. He struggled against it with everything he had; every ounce of muscle, every desire in his mind. He refused to take the killing shot. His finger pulled anyway.

The pistol in Tali's hand fell to the floor. The quarian gaped at Shepard in disbelief. His body glowed with extraneous biotic energy. His voice strained as if he was in pain. His arms shook as they pointed towards a hole in the floor. Through sheer biotic might, he had managed to fire in to the ground instead of Tali. With an exhausted gasp, the dark energy around him disappeared and his arms moved back to their original position.

"I can assure you he will not miss again," Xen stated, obviously annoyed. "Now come here so you can be restrained."

Tali's fists balled. She stared below horizon and began moving forward as instructed. Shepard yelled something else, but it could not penetrate her thoughts. "You're no better than the Reapers," she said, her voice becoming braver with each word, "thinking you know what's right and forcing it on others no matter the consequence. You're subjugating those that would stand beside you. You're destroying the galaxy you're trying to save. Well I won't let you." She looked up, only a few feet from Daro'Xen and glared defiantly in to her helmet, bellowing, "I won't let you!" She delivered a reckless punch in to the stomach of the admiral, doubling the older woman over from sheer force.

Shepard's gun gave one more report. There was a crunching sound as the bullet impacted the impenetrable glass behind the Illusive Man. The commander did not miss. The bullet had passed cleanly through the bridge of the Illusive Man's nose. Even still, the Cerberus leader sat calmly in his chair, smoking his cigarette and eyeing Shepard with a pretentious smirk.

"A hologram," Tali uttered, completely disenchanted. Her thoughts were quickly forced from her mind as Xen gave her a right hook across the helmet. The younger quarian stumbled backwards, barely able to stay standing after the blow.

"I should have known you'd want to do this the hard way," Xen snarled, returning to her omni-tool.

Shepard's biotics flickered around him again as he continued to fight control. His head felt like it was splitting open and his joints strained against themselves but he persisted. Tears formed in his eyes and he cried out as blue energy arced to the floor and lashed at the air. He would not be a tool. He would die a second time before that happened.

Tali heard his pain and it terrified her. It enraged her. She harnessed it; funneled it in to retaliation. She charged Xen, ramming the admiral in to the glass wall. "Stop it!" she shrieked, buffeting Xen with furiously imprecise punches to the head and chest.

The older quarian was well trained and experienced, able to deflect most of Tali's assault with her arms. Even despite the blinding rage, her opponent's own training allowed more attacks through than she would have liked. After a strike to the left shoulder and another knocking the side of her helmet in to her face, she had taken quite enough. Hurling her weight in to the engineer, she managed to knock her to the floor and land on top of her. Tali continued flailing her arms, knocking at Xen's head relentlessly, making it more difficult to be pinned. After a few moments of futile efforts, the older woman leaned back and unfastened Tali's knife from her boot.

"Do not test me, Tali'Zorah," she commanded, brandishing the weapon above her adversary. "I would not relish this, but I will do as I must."

Tali's arms stopped thrashing, but she kept her guard high. This moment of pause forced her to actually assess the situation instead of simply react. She could not turn to see what had become of Shepard and could only assume she was on her own beneath Xen. With Shepard down, she was their only chance. If there was ever a time she was able to listen to herself and think clearly, she prayed to the ancestors this would be it.

Her eyes focused on the blade looming above her, waiting to betray its owner. From this position she could not see the engraving her father had etched in to it for when she went on pilgrimage, the one concession he had ever made to her, but she thought dearly of it. It was only a single word encompassing the goal of the entire quarian race. She wondered what her father would think of her now.

Shepard had fallen to his knees and managed to drop his gun. He kneeled in place, unable to move, useless to both of the quarians on the other side of the room. His vision was orange, scrambling as Project Reclamation preyed on his cybernetics. Green, wispy figures danced in and out of existence in his hallucination. He could see the Illusive Man seated on his throne watching everything unfold. Tali and Xen turned orange to him, blending in with their surroundings. He could barely see the older quarian grab Tali's wrists and pin them above her head with her left hand.

"You should really be more cooperative," Xen instructed, still holding the blade at the ready. "Was it this human that made you so selfish as to fight the salvation of the galaxy?"

"No," Tali answered defiantly. "He _is_ that salvation." She flung her head forward in to Xen's.

Mask met mask with a sharp crack. Xen recoiled from the impact, blindly bringing the knife down in revenge. The blade took Tali in the side of the neck, leaving a scar in the metal rings encircling it before stabbing her hood to the aluminum floor.

"Fool girl!" Xen roared, tearing the knife from the floor. Tali's new, thick, military grade visor left a small, vertical crack just off center on Xen's mask but she glared past it. She brought the knife back down, attempting to pierce Tali's own visor with it. The younger quarian caught Xen's arms, forcing the fight in to a power struggle.

Tali would not be able to hold her opponent's arms back for long. Her fever was catching up with her and she was slowly losing the war. In desperation, she threw Xen's arms to the side and rolled out from beneath her. Both quarians rose to their feet, panting for air. Tali's eyes flicked to her guns. They were several feet away; too far to safely grab. She began inching towards them as she circled her adversary and kept her hands at the ready.

"I do not think so," Xen told her. She charged knife first.

The blade jabbed at its master, glinting with the reflection of the Illusive Man's star with every thrust and swipe. Tali made a series of nimble movements, staying on her toes, barely ahead of the knife. Moving quickly was all she could do to keep the desperation at bay. It had been years since her hand-to-hand training and now she was up against one of the most decorated members of the Fleet. She knew she could not keep this up forever and could feel herself begin to tire.

The blade connected with her shoulder, slashing at the pouch on her arm and striking the vials within. It shattered the first one it contacted, spilling anti-biotic reserves to the floor in place of her blood. Distracted with the knife, she did not even notice Daro'Xen make a swipe with her leg. Tali felt her feet fly out from under her and her heart leap in to her throat.

* * *

The final Cerberus operative turned to flee and leave his comrades dead on the floor. His departure was stopped short by a single shot from Legion, taking him in the back of the skull. His feet moved limply in the air for a moment before his body flopped to the ground. For a moment there was complete silence.

"Nice work," Garrus said. "Take a quick breather and let's regroup with Samara and Grunt before getting to Shepard." The group nodded in agreement and recognition as the turian leaned back against the wall to take his own advice.

"Not a bad shot," Reegar mentioned to Legion as took his own position against the wall by the geth.

"Accuracy is geometry combined with probability. Organics take very predictable paths when moving," it answered. The synthetic's lights flickered. "You are exceptionally quick to trust us. That does not fit our current profile of the Creators."

Reegar chuckled. "If Tali trusts you, that's good enough for me. Giving our planet back doesn't hurt either. Speaking of, I can't believe you didn't demand something in exchange for that. Not that I'm complaining but it doesn't seem like you stand to get much out of this deal."

Legion's head flaps shifted forward. "What we seek is understanding and acceptance."

"You're gonna have a hard time being accepted if that's all you want," Ashley remarked, entering the conversation.

Reegar glanced at the human as she walked over before turning back to Legion. "She's right, you know? It does seem pretty suspicious, especially when the only geth we've seen before you have tried to kill us all."

The geth's lights flickered and its plates waggled as if it was jotting down notes. "We understand. Organics are by nature distrustful of others. We will alert you if we come to consensus on what it is we 'want.'"

"Well don't try too hard," Reegar replied. "The Admiralty Board's ticked with me enough as it is."

Footsteps leading from the direction they had originally come stopped the conversation. The group brought guns to the ready but lowered them again upon seeing Grunt and Samara enter side by side. Jack's unconscious body was cradled in the krogan's arms like a child, but no one risked making the observation. He walked to the bed that had not been torn loose from the ground and placed her in it.

Samara went to Mordin first, telling him, "She sustained a great deal of bodily damage before the fight was over. You should take a look at her." The salarian immediately set to work, listing aloud to himself the various injuries his omni-tool displayed.

"How about yourselves? Reegar asked.

"I was just getting warmed up," Grunt replied. He surveyed the Cerberus bodies lining the floor of the next room. "And it looks like I would have had more fun in here."

"You did not have to wait for us," Samara stated. "Where are Shepard and Tali?"

"We just got done ourselves, so pretty good timing on your part," Reegar answered. "As for the commander and Tali…"

"We got separated," Ashley answered for him. "We were planning on grabbing you two before catching up to them."

Garrus pushed off the wall, ready to call the group back together when Kasumi approached him. He remained silent, watching her as she sized him up.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked quietly.

The turian looked to the rest of the team to make sure they had their attention elsewhere. "Am I that obvious?" he asked in return.

"I don't think I've ever seen you slow down. Your horrible, disfiguring puncture wound acting up?"

Garrus frowned at her wording. "I don't think it's quite _that_ bad, but yeah. I think it tore itself back open when that grenade went off." He applied some pressure to it as he spoke.

"Thanks, by the way," Kasumi said, adding a smile at the end. "I almost forgot my manners. I'm not used to playing the damsel."

Garrus lightened up a bit. "Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you… unless I think might be funny some time. Now come on, we should get back to work."

Kasumi held up a finger. "With that wound, I think maybe someone else should get to play leader a while."

"Someone like you?"

The thief nodded vigorously with a grin from ear to ear.

"Nice try, but if anyone was taking over it would be Reegar."

"Him? Granted he has experience but come on! I was here first! Plus I asked nicely!"

Garrus sighed. "Alright, tell you what. If I let you tell everyone we're moving on will that satisfy you?"

Kasumi turned on her heel to face the rest of the group and clapped her hands together. "Come on, everybody, let's get this show on the road! Mr. Illusive is waiting for our bullets!" The team looked at each other but eventually started migrating towards Garrus and Kasumi for orders. The thief turned back to the actual leader. "How was that?"

"You're a natural," Garrus responded in complete deadpan.

* * *

Tali fell hard on her back. Stars filled her eyes as her helmet crashed against the floor. Focusing through them, she saw Daro'Xen pouncing on top of her, her knife raised and ready to stab down. Thinking quickly, she lifted her legs and caught the older woman on the soles of her feet. Drawing her right leg back, she drove the powerful limb in to Xen's stomach, sending her sprawling through the air. The knife fell from her hand and dropped to the floor at Tali's side.

Xen tumbled across the ground as she landed, coming to a halt face down and holding her stomach. Her eyes watered and she could barely breathe after a kick from the legs of her own kind. Quickly remembering she had a fight to win, she rose to her knees only to find Tali taking her roughly by the throat and resting a blade against the crack in her mask.

"Shut off the control device or I swear I will gut you right here and now!" Tali demanded.

Xen panted for a moment, catching her breath. "Just try it," she challenged. "See how far your nepotism will follow you after you kill an admiral."

Tali's teeth clenched. Her left hand tightened around Xen's neck and her knife began shaking with indecision. "Shut it off," she ordered again.

The other admiral only stared at her defiantly, daring her to choose between her love and the lives of the galaxy, between the Fleet and herself, and between walking away or committing cold blooded murder.

"Tali!" Shepard cried out from behind her.

Tali hesitated at the sound of his voice and dropped her knife to the floor. Her eyes bored in to Xen's with rage. She let go of the woman's throat and brought her empty right hand to the side of Xen's helmet. With all of her remaining strength, she threw the woman's head to the floor. The side of the older admiral's helmet impacted the metal heavily and noisily. Her head bounced once and afterwards her entire body stopped moving.

Tali dropped to her knees and immediately removed the omni-tool from the Xen's wrist. Interfacing it with her own, she quickly found and disabled Project Reclamation as she worked her way over to Shepard's side. The man was a disgraced heap of limbs, but he was exactly what she needed to see. Engulfing Shepard in a vehement hug, her chest still heaving for breath, she began helping him to his feet.

He meekly returned the hug as best as he could and began refocusing his vision. The first thing he saw was Xen's comatose body crumpled up on the floor. "Damn," he breathed, "remind me not to piss you off." He felt Tali hug him tighter in response. His gaze turned bitter as it fell on the Illusive Man, still in his seat and playing the role of omnipotent observer. Shepard formed the best smug expression he could under his helmet and said, "You lose again, asshole."

Practically rolling his eyes, the Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette. "This isn't a game, Shepard. It's also difficult to lose when we're on the same side."

"You keep saying that, but you aren't much of a team player."

"So quick to forget the twin projects I have running that will do all the work for you?"

"Right, those," Shepard chuckled, taking some of his weight off Tali. "Yeah, we're taking those." The Illusive Man's eyes narrowed in to unobscured anger and smoke billowed from his lips. It was rare he showed anything besides detached contemplation and Shepard was loving every moment of this new emotion. "You should stop smoking. Those things will kill you."

"Ordinarily I would detonate the station at the sign of its loss, Shepard. Don't tempt me further."

"So you _are_ still trying to keep me alive."

"For the time being. This extended war of attrition is not doing either of us any good. Neither one of us can do our work under these conditions. I would suggest a ceasefire so we can focus on combating a common enemy."

Shepard sneered at the offer. "But once the Reapers are defeated, I should expect you to come after us again?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Shepard," the Illusive Man scoffed. "I would never let you expect me." Having said his part, the hologram disappeared, leaving Shepard and Tali alone with an unconscious Xen.

"Keelah, what I wouldn't give to hit that man in the face… with the Rayya," Tali muttered.

Shepard exhaled in amusement and leaned back in to the quarian. "God, I love you so much," he mumbled. As he spoke the two lowered to the ground under their own weight. Tali wound up sitting on the floor with Shepard's head in her lap and his body laid out on the ground. It was a victory, or at least they hoped it was. Things were far from over, but showing Cerberus who was boss was at least an acceptable plateau. Shepard looked up to Tali's eyes as she cradled him, letting them soothe his spirit and his tired body. They stayed this way for a few minutes, quiet and contented, before the door to the room opened.

"And here I thought you two would at least wait until we're done before you got started," Garrus said, stepping inside with his arm across his stomach, holding his side.

"We did. How about a little privacy?" Shepard answered, playing along. He did not bother to move his head from Tali's lap.

"Admiral Xen!" Reegar exclaimed in confusion, hurrying over to the admiral's body. He bent down to inspect her, determining she was still alive. "Shepard, Tali, what in the black hell was going on in here?"

"There's a lot to explain," Shepard groaned, getting to his feet with Tali's aid. He looked over the rest of his crew and spied Jack back in Grunt's arms. "Everyone else okay? Jack still with us?"

"We managed to subdue her," Samara answered, "though not without injuring her greatly."

"As long as she's still breathing. Mordin, think you can get that control chip out of her head once we're back on the ship?"

"In theory," the salarian answered. "Nothing I have performed before, but should have similar procedure in texts, possibly on extranet."

"You're going to do brain surgery with extranet instructions?" Ashley asked incredulously.

Mordin shrugged. "Plenty of reliable sources to be found. Not all pornography and cat vids." He sniffed in contemplation. "Adorable creatures you have on Earth. Should get one for company in lab."

"That's great, Doc," Reegar interrupted keeping his attention on Shepard, "Why is Xen here? And why is she unconscious with a broken visor?"

"She was working with Cerberus, Kal," Tali stated plainly. There was no sense in beating around the bush.

"You're kidding." The former marine waited a beat. "You're not kidding."

Shepard let go of Tali and was pleased to see he could stand under his own power. "She and the Illusive Man decided to pool their efforts in controlling AI. They started on the geth and moved on to the Reapers. Fine and dandy until they decided to try their little toy out on me."

"Of course," Mordin remarked. "Extensive cybernetics supporting or comprising majority of skeletal structure; but intelligence hardly artificial. Curious, was test successful?"

After wincing at his forced actions still fresh in his mind, Shepard answered, "Somewhat. They could control my body but not my mind."

"He could overpower it with his biotics," Tali added. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Truly?" Samara remarked, visibly impressed.

"Not that I could do much besides stand around uselessly in that state," Shepard admitted.

"So where's the Illusive Man now?" Garrus asked.

"He was never even here; just a loud mouthed hologram. Wasn't a complete waste of time, though. We recovered their two biggest projects and put Cerberus off of attacking us again." Shepard's brow furrowed. "There's probably more here; Reaper tech too. The Alliance needs to see this."

Kasumi's eyes widened beneath her hood. "Shep," she said, beckoning him over with a wave of her finger. Once the pair had suitable privacy from the others she continued. "Remember that 'need to know' deal we have about Keiji's greybox?"

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Shepard asked.

"Did it seem odd to you that all the parts of Sovereign just disappeared from the Citadel? That the Council could so easily believe the geth were behind the whole thing?"

"I'm already starting to not like this."

"It's no secret Cerberus started as part of the Alliance, Shep. But while they're rogue agents now, they still have some ties. Someone in the Alliance has been funneling them intel and equipment since day one. That's what Keiji found out." Her eyes fell to the floor. "That's why he was killed; all because Hock wanted some new connections."

"What connections. Any names?"

"Only aliases, call signs. I can't even tell you if it's just one person or a whole group."

Shepard sighed. "That's just what we needed. Are you telling me we're on our own now?"

"Not unless you want to be. Anderson seems like a stand up guy. If you can discreetly talk to him about this… that would probably cause an internal investigation and distract from building your galactic army. Maybe it would be better to just keep this to ourselves." Kasumi frowned. "I'm glad I don't have your job. Making decisions like this all the time must suck something awful."

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see to it Keiji's last moments weren't wasted no matter what I decide." He made sure she looked up and nodded before turning back to the rest of his crew. "We're done here. Let's salvage what we can and blow this joint." The commander moved to his dropped pistol to pick it up when Garrus walked over to him.

The turian kept his voice low. "If you were out of commission, then that means…"

"Tali took out Xen, yeah."

"While we steal their research, any chance we can get their surveillance recordings too? I have _got_ to see this."

Shepard gave a breathy chuckle and noticed Garrus holding his side. "You alright?"

"I will be until Chakwas gets a hold of me. If I never get to leave the med bay again, find me a wife and tell her I love her."

The commander patted his friend on the shoulder and moved over to where Tali went to retrieve her knife. She held it in both hands, staring at the Khelish inscription. Shepard took his place behind her and observed the swooping characters over her shoulder. "It's beautiful," he said. "What does it say?"

Tali turned to him and gave him a better view of the blade. "Persevere."


	39. To New Tomorrows

The first thing the returning crew heard as they entered the Normandy through the airlock was Joker exclaiming a painful but animated, "Oooooh," and Kelly echoing him over his shoulder, covering her mouth.

"What, what is it?" Shepard asked as Grunt carried both Jack and Daro'Xen past him with Samara following.

Joker looked over his shoulder to the commander. "We just got the Cerberus security feed Kasumi grabbed. I wish I could have seen Tali slam this other quarian's head in to the ground in person. Damn, look at this!" He rewound the footage to take another look, shouting just as excitedly as before as Xen's head collided with the floor.

"I didn't download those for our amusement," Kasumi stated. "Well, not _just_ for our amusement."

"EDI, can you go through these recordings for anything that might be of use?" Shepard requested.

"Of course, Shepard," the AI answered.

Shepard sighed at the expression given to him by his pilot. "You can watch the fights once she's done."

"She'd better work fast," Joker grumbled as Kelly relinquished her position now that there was nothing to see. She gave the entering crew her best smile as she walked back to her station.

"You're telling me," Garrus added, limping towards the elevator. "I want to see too." Ashley followed the turian, matching his pace. He watched her slowed speed for a while before remarking, "Look, I'm heading to the infirmary. You don't have to rub it in."

"I'm just making sure you make it there before you pass out," Ashley said, smirking.

"You'll be okay, Garrus," Kelly added sweetly as the pair passed her.

Garrus said nothing to encourage the human woman. The short talk he had with Tali about his "obliviousness" around women only served to make him more afraid of the yeoman and her intentions. The elevator door shut none too quickly. Walking past it to his lab was Mordin, followed by Kal'Reegar and Legion carrying confiscated materials.

"Just place them anywhere," the salarian requested, gesturing blindly to the floor as he began moving his previous work to another table. "Appreciate assistance."

"Not a problem," Reegar replied, gladly setting down several heavy containers. He had no idea what they contained but they sure weighed enough to be important. "This ought to keep you busy for a while."

"Yes," Mordin sniffed. "Fortuitous how new projects constantly fall in to my lap. Do not know where to start."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Reegar commented, cracking his back. "Just out of curiosity, what would you have lined up if we didn't ransack a Cerberus base?"

"Would have overseen quarian immune system rehabilitation, ensure perfection, still plan to on the side. Still need name for product as well." Mordin rubbed his chin a moment. "After that, would fight Reapers or simply die."

Reegar blinked, stunned. "Then I guess I should be glad you have something to live for now."

Mordin chuckled lightly. "Salarian life spans incredibly short in comparison to most other species. Approximately 40 years. Do not fret, have come to terms with own mortality. Defeating Collectors and aiding your race in adaptation to Rannoch, other worlds, has been fulfilling, redeeming. Can be very proud of Mordin Solus biography vid." He smiled broadly at the carefully worded biography in his imagination.

"That's for sure. Saving humans then going on to save us?"

"Which reminds me," Mordin interrupted. "Both you and Miss Zorah should have some exposure time. Would recommend one hour for you, longer at her stage. Three hours. No, no, still has slight fever, two hours." He went to his omni-tool to give Tali the message but his fingers stopped. "Two and a half," he finally decided.

Reegar did not have to be told twice. He immediately went to his chin and removed his mask as though it was suffocating him, glad to experience the outside world again. The first order of business was to inhale deeply, taking in lungs full of unfiltered air. His nose wrinkled after doing so. "It smells in here," he commented.

"Apologies," Mordin replied, "have been using a great number of chemicals lately. More than likely will be using more."

Reegar waved away the salarian's apology. "No, I mean I can really smell. It's pretty bad, yeah, but this is fantastic." He chuckled. "I must sound like a damn fool."

Mordin smiled again. "Not at all. Glad to see it. Also, should remove environment suit entirely. If modesty is a concern should have spare uniforms in armory. Might not fit perfectly but should suffice for time being."

Out of the entire suit? Reegar couldn't remember the last time he had been out of his suit. He spent most of his life after pilgrimage participating in, and eventually leading, marine details. Clean rooms, even permanent personal quarters, were little more than a rumor to him. He turned to leave and find an outfit, though the idea of wearing a Cerberus uniform was less than ideal. Perhaps he could spend his hour picking off the patches denoting the clothing's affiliation. "Thanks again, Professor," he added as he left.

"Creator-Kal'Reegar, we have reached consensus," Legion said, following the quarian out of the lab.

Reegar was slightly startled. The geth had been so quiet the entire time he was talking to Mordin he had nearly forgotten it was there. "About what?" he asked, continuing past the conference room to the armory.

"We have determined what we might seek in exchange for planet Rannoch."

The door to the armory opened, thankfully revealing no one. Ashley had gone down to the med bay with Garrus and Reegar had no idea where Jacob was. The important thing was that he was _not_ in the armory. "And just what might that be?" Reegar asked, opening a crate of uniforms. _Ancestors, what have I done?_

"Will creators continue to carry out pilgrimages after full recovery of home world?"

Reegar paused a moment with a shirt in his hand. "Never really thought about it. I'd be for it, but I don't exactly get much of a say in matters." He held the shirt against his chest finding it to be too small. Not having the notion or ability to fold clothes, he simply put it back in the crate and went to the next container over.

"If it is the case, we would offer young creators the choice of aiding us in building our future. Our goal is to construct a mega-structure which would allow all geth to be networked together at one time. Such a structure would take years to complete and would benefit from more laborers."

Tucking a shirt that looked like it would fit under his arm, Reegar went to a box of pants. "Pilgrimage usually ends when the quarian in question brings back something valuable. I'm not sure working on a geth… 'whatever' counts. I suppose you could take it up with Tali, though. She's more in charge than I am."

Legion shifted its head plates in to its best concerned expression. "We determined such an exercise would foster geth/creator cohesion and belay any misgivings the creators might still harbor. Presenting the idea to creator admirals on our behalf has the possibility of returning you to a place of favor with them. That is why we came to you first."

Reegar tucked a pair of pants under his arm with the shirt he had chosen. This geth cared about his standing with the Admiralty Board? He moved his jaw to the side in thought. "I might just do that. A little teamwork with the geth could be just what we need. It worked for the turians and humans with the Normandy, right?" He took a better grip on his selected wardrobe and walked past Legion with one of his first visible smiles. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go waste most of my exposure time remembering how to remove this damn suit."

* * *

"Thank you," Miranda said once the door to her room closed behind her, Oriana still inside. "I'm not sure I could have gotten through that alone, or if she'd have even believed me."

Jacob smiled back at her. "She'd have believed you. She's as smart as you are, right?" He gestured for Miranda to follow him and continued talking. "Any idea what you'll do with her next?"

Miranda took a seat across from Jacob at a table in the mess hall and placed her chin on her hands. "By all accounts I should just ship her back to her foster family but I don't know how agreeable she'd be after all she's seen."

Jacob's brow cocked. "You sure? Sometimes I wish I just went in to colony development. Something boring but less likely to kill me."

"You're not me," Miranda smirked, "or my sister."

"You got that right. I always did have trouble figuring you out. Now I have to deal with two of you?"

"We're not _that_ similar, Jacob. We'll look alike in a few years but her personality is entirely her own."

Jacob looked back, unconvinced. "Oh yeah, you two are _totally_ different. So are we keeping her around then?"

"At least for the time being. What we're doing is dangerous. I don't want her in harm's way." Miranda sat quietly a moment and steepled her fingers. She pressed them against each other as she thought; eliciting a series of pops and cracks from her knuckles that made Jacob wince. "But she's not a child. This should be her decision… shouldn't it?"

"You're asking me?" Jacob replied with his eyebrows raised. When he realized Miranda had no answer for the question, he gave the idea greater thought. If he could come up with a good answer maybe he could prove himself to be more decisive. He chastised himself. That was the wrong reason. He should be doing this to help Oriana, not inflate his sense of self worth.

"We could start her off helping Mordin in the lab, maybe," Miranda suggested. Her eyes lit up as the idea began to flesh itself out. "She might know enough about what the others recovered from the base to actually help him out. She could do some real good."

_Too slow,_ Jacob told himself. "Not a bad plan," he answered instead. His eyes were then drawn to movement. Ashley was guiding Garrus through the mess hall in to the medical bay. He tipped his fingers forward in a short wave as they passed, causing Miranda to turn and look. "Looks like we really did miss out."

Miranda turned her attention back to the man across from her. "EDI has the surveillance footage if you're really that interested."

"No thanks. I've seen more than enough fighting in person," Jacob answered. "I don't need to see my friends getting shot up like it's some action vid."

"Word has it Tali beat the snot out of that quarian admiral we have in the med bay," Gardner added to the conversation as he prepared dinner.

Jacob spun around in his chair and leaned over the back. "Seriously? I take it back. I've _got_ to see that."

Miranda sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked to the ceiling. "EDI, at least make sure none of this footage makes it to the extranet."

"Yes, Miss Lawson," the AI answered.

"I do wish we could have gotten back in, though," Miranda admitted, looking back at Jacob. "I have quite a few things to say to the Illusive Man."

"I hope you're not talking about me," Oriana said as she neared the table.

"Of course not," Jacob told her.

"You're not a very good liar."

Jacob frowned. "I'll add that to the list of things I'm bad at."

"Ori, would you be willing to continue your research for us?" Miranda asked, intervening.

The young girl inclined her head intently. "What do you mean? You'd let me stay here?"

"At least until things start getting dangerous again. We both know you're too smart to just go back to your old life and pretend like nothing happened." Miranda's eyes swelled. "Oh God, what will I tell your parents?"

Oriana smiled proudly. "You don't have to tell them a thing. When I left to work for Cerberus, they thought I was heading to college. I just have to send them a message once in a while and ask for money occasionally and everything's covered."

"Not that similar, huh?" Jacob interjected.

"I can take you up to the research lab," Miranda said, ignoring him. "We can talk to Mordin and see about getting you started."

Oriana nodded. "Mind if I get something to eat first? I'm starving."

"Dinner's not ready yet, little lady," Gardener replied. "But I hope you like pizza. I'm pulling out all the stops, even got some dextro ingredients for Garrus and the quarians!"

"Don't 'little lady' me," Oriana responded coldly.

_You'd think I'd have less shit to deal with when I'm not cleaning toilets_, Gardner thought to himself. He put on a more pleasant expression and spoke up. "Have it your way. If you want something to tide you over, I have some granola bars back here." He fished behind the counter a moment before pulling out two bars and tossing them to the girl. "Take one up to Solus too. God knows he loves these things."

Oriana caught the bars and thanked Gardner for them. She peeled the wrapper back on one and took her place by her sister as they headed for the elevator. "So, Sis… you and Jacob?"

"Just colleagues," Miranda assured her.

"You're not a good liar either."

* * *

"Garrus Vakarian, did I not warn you to be careful?" Dr. Chakwas blurted out as the door to the med bay opened. She had both Jack and Daro'Xen laid out on quarantine beds, strapped down and kept unconscious for safety. Garrus stepped out of Ashley's grasp as a show of his vitality.

"You should see how I wind up when I'm _not_ careful," the turian answered, taking a seat on the third bed in without having to be told.

"I already have," Chakwas retorted. "I had to deal with you then too. I was in the middle of making sure these two don't die on us while in stasis, so you'll have to wait a bit before I get you patched up, I'm afraid."

"Guess I should get going then," Ashley said. She looked back to Garrus. "Feel better."

"Actually, I have a job for you if you don't mind," Chakwas requested before the marine could escape. "I need to head up to Mordin's lab to recover a few items he borrowed for the immune system project. If you could keep scanning Jack's body for me while I go get it that would speed things up a great deal."

Ashley accepted the instrument from the doctor with apprehensive hands. "Uh, sure, I… what do I…?"

Chakwas smiled. "It's very simple. Just slowly pan it from her head to her toe. Keep this line in the green. Ignore it if it beeps, I'll take care of that. Thank you, Ashley, I'll be back in a jiffy." She briskly walked out of the door, leaving the human and turian to their own devices.

"So how bad is it, Dr. Williams?" Garrus posed.

"Very funny, Garrus," the human rebuked, carefully scrutinizing every wave of the line on the screen in front of her. She had no idea what it meant, but as long as she moved at the right speed, it stayed green and that was supposed to be a good thing. "You actually worked with this Jack?"

Garrus nodded, even though Ashley wasn't looking his direction. "Yeah, I can't believe it either. I don't know what Shepard was thinking bring a psychopathic, biotic convict onboard, but it worked out better than I figured. She mostly kept to herself the whole trip, only coming up to grab some food and maybe swear at somebody before disappearing back in to her hidey-hole."

The device beeped, but Ashley did as instructed and continued moving it at the same pace. "She certainly looks like a freak at any rate. Why does she have a boy's name? Is it short for Jackie?"

"Jack is a boy's name?"

Ashley paused a moment. "Right. Turian. Forgot."

"You forgot I'm a turian? Ashley, I'm touched."

"You keep rubbing it in and I'll start to regret it." Ashley reached the bottom of Jack's feet without another beep. She set the instrument down on the bed by the biotic's legs and turned to face Garrus. "Hope I did that right."

"She let you do it unsupervised, can't be that easy to screw up."

Ashley's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Was that a shot?"

Garrus chuckled, holding his wounded side. "You're paranoid, Williams."

"Can you blame me?"

"Maybe when I'm feeling better and can defend myself."

The door opened again, presenting Dr. Chakwas with a small box of supplies in her hands. "I'm back," she announced. "Is everything okay with Jack?"

"Uh, it beeped," Ashley explained, hoping that was acceptable.

Chakwas creased her brow and set the box on her desk. She moved to Jack and gestured over the woman's midsection. "Around here?"

Ashley nodded.

The doctor nodded back. "Likely just the broken bones in that mangled hand of hers, poor girl." She picked up the device from the bed and began checking its readout. "Thank you very much, Ashley. I think I can let you go now. As for you, Garrus, armor off while I get to work on Admiral Xen here."

"Will she get the same treatment Tali and Reegar did?" Ashley asked before she left.

"That will probably be up to our Admiral Zorah. Though if what I hear is correct, I wouldn't bet on it."

"I don't even know why we're keeping her alive," Garrus added as he began to unfasten his chest piece. "I doubt we'll get much information out of her."

"We stated that, should she attempt to control the geth, we would execute her," Legion stated from the doorway. It stepped inside and moved to Xen's bed to look at her. Garrus paused in his disrobing while the two human women froze in place as its optic piece narrowed in inspection.

"I'm… I'm not sure I can let you do that," Chakwas stated, entirely positive she could do nothing to stop the synthetic.

"Creator-Admiral-Daro'Xen must first stand trial for her crimes as stated by creator law. We will abide by this until we are permitted to take action." Legion walked back in to the AI core after completing its statement.

Ashley watched the door close and eyed the faces of her company. "That's one polite killing machine."

"We've had several of those aboard," Garrus commented as he went back to removing his armor. "Just Legion's the only one that's actually a machine."

* * *

Samara sat cross legged, peering out in to the infinite majesty of space. Between her palms swirled a mass of perfectly spherical dark energy. Both it and the glow surrounding her body reflected on the window, resting in front of the stars beyond it. She looked past herself to the universe, secretly enjoying the symbolism the act evoked. The sphere between her hands became another star, one under her protection. However, it dissipated as the door to her room opened and heavy footsteps trudged inside.

"Let's do it," Grunt growled from the doorway.

Samara looked to the krogan's reflection in the window rather than turning to face him. "I beg your pardon?"

Grunt let out a rumbling sigh. "Not that, asari. You fought well, even without a weapon. Okeer offered no imprints on justicars. I want to fight you."

The ends of Samara's lips curled upward in contemplation. "Pit myself against the 'perfect krogan?' I suppose there is much to learn about someone while sparring with them."

"You're not gonna try to talk to me the whole time, are you?"

Samara turned an eye behind her. "That is unnecessary. Body language carries through louder than words. The Collectors had no soul behind their attacks; no personal interest. A particular turian I fought once was completely the opposite. He had something at stake that I, even today, do not know." She saw from Grunt's expression that she should get to the point. "Did you not feel something similar with Jack? Despite her usual temperament, it was clear how frightened she was. While her body fought against us, her mind waged war on her body."

"That wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter. If not for Shepard's orders to take her alive I'd have just squashed her immediately and saved us the trouble."

"Which also shows a lot about you. For all your brash talk, you are still dutiful and trustworthy," Samara remarked. She rose to her feet and turned to face Grunt determining he was not leaving so soon.

The krogan sneered at the comment but began to swell with pride as he spoke. "I only follow my battlemaster because he and his krantt are strong. He continued to defy his enemy and broke the control of that quarian bitch as his mate broke her face."

Samara genuinely chuckled; a rare feat for her. "You cannot force a way of thinking; a sentiment I'm afraid Cerberus has not yet learned. I wonder if this encounter would have ended more amicably had they attempted cooperation rather than subjugation."

Grunt cracked his knuckles. "Not if I was there. Your enemies should be nothing but smears of blood and ashes in the wind. Shepard should have just opened fire outright."

"I agree. Their methods far outweigh any virtuous intentions they may have."

Grunt snorted. "Whatever. Anyone who picks a fight with us deserves to have their limbs broken and their heads crushed under our heels."

Samara remained perfectly stoic as she responded. "As long as we draw breath, rest assured that is exactly what will become of them."

"I'm starting to like you, asari," Grunt said, grinning broadly.

"I only do as I must; as Shepard must. I am bound to him and his quest to defeat the Reapers, both by oath and by choice."

"I didn't think you had a choice with that 'Code' of yours."

"Less often than I would like, but it does not govern everything so strictly. I am allowed preferences on smaller matters. It just so happens in this case, I comply willingly."

Grunt gave the asari a scrutinizing gaze. "You limit yourself for no reason. You don't need a code to kill those who deserve it."

"There is more to the justicar code than matters of life and death. I will not bore you with details, but it is not a limitation. It is direction."

"Pretty it up however you like. We're still both here to kill big, dangerous things."

"That is precisely my point. We are set to root out any evil in our path. That is a direction with which I am pleased."

Grunt gave Samara's words an amused expression. "But I don't need a bunch of rules to kick some jackoff batarian merc in the quad. I just go out there and do it."

"With all due respect, Grunt, you have not lived as long as I. You were… 'born,' as it were, aboard this ship under Shepard's command. My maidenhood, however, was fraught with numerous foolish and coarse activities. My matron days were full of sorrow. The Code has brought stability to my life, and for all its restrictions and hardships, I would not give it up."

"Are you asking me for pity?"

"No," Samara answered, completely devoid of emotion.

"Good. Now less talk, more fight."

"Perhaps at a later date," Samara requested. "I'm afraid I have other engagements this evening."

"What could there possibly be to do on this ship?"

"Kasumi has invited a few of the women on board, including me, to her quarters for a chance to relax and socialize." The justicar smiled in reflection. "It has been generations since I last did such a thing. Do we not all wish to relive our maiden years while retaining the knowledge we have gained?"

Grunt gave only a derisive snort in response and exited the observation room.

* * *

"I'm kind of surprised to find you still here," Kasumi remarked as she entered the medical bay. She was out of her normal hooded outfit and in a pair of black stretch pants and her now infamous Tupari Shepard t-shirt. Her hair was neatly brushed down around her shoulders, but despite the informal look she retained the purple stripes on her lip and eyes.

"I'm kind of surprised I'm not strapped down," Garrus countered, looking up from his bed.

"Tempting as it was, I don't think you're as big a threat as those two," Dr. Chakwas said, gesturing to Daro'Xen and Jack who were still both unconscious, before returning to her crossword puzzle.

Kasumi looked over the restrained bodies. "So what are we doing with them?"

"No official word yet," the doctor answered. "Admiral Xen will likely be going back to the Migrant Fleet for judicial action and Mordin and I will be attempting to remove the control chip from Jack's brain just as soon as we have a solid plan of operation. For now I'm just keeping them under."

"And how about my knight in banged up armor?" Kasumi asked. "I trust he was a big boy while you sewed him up."

Chakwas smiled discreetly behind her crossword. "You know the old saying, dear. A turian child never cries; he just stands in stoic silence until relieved of duty."

"Picking on the wounded is not becoming," Garrus muttered.

"Oh, don't worry; I'm here for more than just that," Kasumi assured him as she closed the distance between them. "I never got to hear the story about that plant!"

Garrus frowned.

"I'm just teasing you. I wanted to make sure you were holding up… and to invite the good doctor to our girls' night."

"Automaton," Chakwas proclaimed to herself before looking up. "I beg your pardon?"

"Automaton?"

"A nine letter word for robot. What's this about a girls' night?"

"A bunch of us are going to steal pizza from Gardner, open the bar in my room, and make a night of it. Now that Cerberus is off our tails and Tali gets a few hours without her suit, it's the perfect time!"

Chakwas placed her crossword on her desk and stood up. "Oh, that sounds wonderful. I haven't done anything like this in… well, more years than I'm going to tell you. I'll go change." Smiling, she took off to get out of her work clothes.

"Guess that explains the outfit," Garrus commented. "Kinda figured you'd gift that shirt to Tali too."

Kasumi smirked. "Please, if she wants Shepard on her chest all she has to do is ask him. This one's mine."

Garrus nodded in rhythm to his chuckling. "Fair enough, but if you're going casual, why is your face still painted? I didn't think humans had the same practices as turians or asari."

One of the thief's eyebrows cocked. "If my grandmother heard you say that, you'd _really_ need that hospital bed. This makeup symbolizes my heritage; the Earth nation of Japan." She sighed. "Most of humanity's individual cultures are lost now that we're on the galactic stage. Nationalities are blended together and everyone becomes more similar for it. A mixed blessing, I suppose."

"Is that why you go out of your way to be so different?" Garrus posed.

Kasumi shrugged with a defiant look on her face. "I prefer 'eccentric.'" She leaned back on the medical bed behind her and bumped the body on it. She turned to see Xen lying in place, as still as she had ever been. "That's one thing the quarians actually had to their advantage. All those different ships were like different countries, each with their own customs and…" She turned back to see Garrus staring blankly at her. "Sorry, still have quarian on the brain. I was helping Tali do her hair before I came here and, well, you know what a little chatterbox she can be." She quickly smiled again and lost herself in her story. "Oh, but she was so adorable. She came in to my room, took off her helmet, and handed me the chopsticks I gave her. She wanted so badly to look special for Shepard, and how could I say no? I'm thinking about doing mine the same way when she comes down later, what do you think?" She took her hands and pushed her hair up behind her head.

Garrus struggled in vain to keep from snickering. "I think she's not the only chatterbox on this ship."

"You like it," Kasumi accused, letting her hair drop. "You want me to do something with that fringe of yours while I'm on a role?"

"Uh, no, thank you. I'd probably wind up with ribbons in it or something."

"That would be pretty cute, but I'm thinking more manly man." The thief rubbed her chin, her eyes wild with ideas.

"Please no," Garrus insisted. "You're making me afraid to sleep at night."

"Oh fine. You're no fun. But seriously, how's the side?"

Garrus rubbed his wound. "Numb. If I keep this up I think I'm going to develop a medi-gel addiction. How about you?"

"Not a scratch on me." Kasumi rubbed her arm. "Well, maybe a bruise from where we landed after that grenade, but that's nothing a little tulip medicine won't make better."

"A little what now?"

"Two-lip. You know; kiss it, make it better?"

Garrus overturned his hands in a small shrug. "Not a clue. Kissing's more of a human thing."

"Suppose you're right. You don't even have lips." Kasumi pulled her lower lip in to her mouth in thought. "What do turians do instead?"

"Head nuzzling mostly, unless… wait. Why are we discussing this?"

Kasumi shrugged and let her hands slap back to her sides. "Just curious. This whole trip has broadened my horizons so much. I guess Shep has me breaking in to the question asking business."

"And now you're interested in turian mating rituals?"

"Maybe if you're lucky."

Garrus stared at the human, completely stunned. Her face remained unexpressive. He tried to think of something, anything, to say but had nothing available. Kasumi's face began to crack and she dissolved in to giggles.

"Relax, I'm just kidding."

"Right," the turian coughed.

"But I suppose I should go get things ready for the other girls. Feel better soon!" Kasumi bent down and kissed Garrus' forehead with an exaggerated "Mwah." She wetted her lips with her tongue. "And maybe try some moisturizer."

Garrus watched the woman leave, his heart still pounding furiously. _What the hell just happened?_

_

* * *

_

Shepard felt better. Just plain better. How else could he describe it? After all that had happened, a nice hot shower was his best friend in the whole galaxy. He vigorously dried off his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist, keeping it in place with a knot. Feeling fresh and renewed, he stepped out of his bathroom and came to a sudden stop.

Near the foot of the bed stood Tali, kicking off the last of her boots. She looked up, somewhat startled, and instinctively reached behind her back to cover up with the bed sheet. Her hand caught nothing but air and there she stood, completely naked in all her lavender glory. The pair stood quietly and faced each other for a moment's time; the only movement between them being Shepard's towel, steadily rising out from his waist. Tali's eye caught it and she couldn't help but offer up an impish smile.

"One of us is going to have to stop staring eventually," she suggested.

"Not it."

Honoring his wish, Tali stepped forward, enjoying the unusual texture of the floor beneath her bare feet. Shepard followed her lead and she soon found herself in his waiting arms. She could smell his bodywash; feel the humid steam pouring out of the bathroom. It was over-stimulating to her underused senses and she loved it. She brought her lips to his, assaulting him with small pecks as he led her to the couch where she fell in to his lap.

There was more to feel; the texture of his towel against her thighs, the cold leather of the couch contrasting with the warmth of his skin against hers. It was so rare and the thought of it becoming commonplace was everything she wanted. She originally had goosebumps all over her body from being chilly, but now they remained for an entirely different reason.

After one more kiss, Tali spoke again. "How are you feeling?"

Shepard eyed her up and down, pulling her closer to him on his lap. He smirked. "Are you kidding?"

She snuggled in to his chest and gently dabbed a droplet of water from his shoulder with her finger. "I meant after the mission. You were so…"

"I'm fine," he insisted. He was tired and his body ached but nothing was going to spoil this moment for him. "A hot shower and a hot girl do wonders."

Tali pulled back to look at him and put on her best teasing expression now that it could actually be seen. "Oh? Just any hot girl? Now I see why you were getting all cozy with Kasumi in the subdeck."

"What?" Shepard crooked his head but left the smile on his face just to show he wasn't suddenly offended. "Oh, that hug. Sorry, it's a top secret business hug. Can't disclose details."

"A likely story."

"You have no one to blame but yourself. She said my hugs came highly recommended."

"And they do," Tali added, nestling back in to his chest. She felt his arms move up from her waist to her back. "Did it at least do her any good?"

"I think so, but she can't really have any closure until I figure out how to talk to Anderson about what was on that greybox." For the first time since stepping out of the shower, Shepard's smile fell.

"And I have to decide Xen's fate with the Admiralty Board," Tali muttered in kind.

"But not tonight," Shepard decided. He saw Tali look up at him and his smile reformed. "Cerberus is off our backs and you're in my lap. I think we deserve at least one night off."

"Do you really trust the Illusive Man to make good on his word?"

"Not for an instant, but we don't have much choice. The trail's cold and we confiscated all their research. Not much we can do but get back to our original mission of uniting the galaxy and hope Tim's at least smart enough to knock all his crap off long enough for us to defeat the Reapers."

Tali thought for a moment whether or not saying anything would be a good idea but she took the chance. "Liara might be able to keep an eye on them for us."

The name was still bitter to Shepard. By now he felt some remorse for how he acted, but her name still conjured images of betrayal. It rudely reminded him of his two year death and how the galaxy had changed in his absence. He realized his grip on Tali was loosening and that she could likely feel it. "Maybe," he finally answered. "But like I said, I don't want to think about the future tonight. Tonight is nothing but R&R."

"I suppose I can't argue with that."

"You'd better not," Shepard told her, bouncing her with his leg. "You deserve it the most."

"Me?"

"Already forgot how you saved my life? You're the savior of the savior of the Citadel, you know."

Tali hummed peacefully, a twinge of pride curling the corners of her lips. "It hardly makes up for all the times you've saved me."

"Not exactly fair to keep score," the commander replied.

"Because you're just so amazing?" Tali asked. She looked to his face to match his smile with her own, but she strangely did not find one. In fact, all expression had left his face. "Because I'm not really human any more," he uttered. He hated himself for saying that. He wanted the evening to go perfectly but he could not shake the day's earlier events. He could still see the garbled, orange vision whenever he closed his eyes.

Tali looked at him pensively. "What, because of a few implants? I have some too; all quarians do."

Shepard took his arm from Tali and held it in front of them. He flexed his fingers, watching them move. It felt real enough. "To this extent?" he asked rhetorically. "So much of me is cybernetic… they controlled me like a machine, Tali." He looked directly in to the quarian's luminous eyes. "It scared me."

Scared him? Tali found it hard to believe anything scared him. Sure, having someone else control your actions would terrify _her_, but she was just a… Just a what? Just a quarian? Just a normal person? Shepard was many things to her, a captain, a leader, a friend, a lover, but imagining him as a regular person with fears and weaknesses took some doing. For a moment she almost believed him, that he wasn't as human as he looked, but instead because he was such a hero. She pushed it aside, refusing to let the idea settle. "You resisted it," she said back.

"Because I'm a biotic."

"Because you're human," Tali corrected. "Your body is rebuilt but you're still you. No one can change that. Not Cerberus, not the Reapers." She placed her hand aside his cheek. "You told me that you got to where you are with the help of others. Machines don't need friends. I'm here, Garrus and Kasumi are here, everyone's here. We're going to help you, the human, John Shepard vas Normandy."

Shepard's smile started to blossom again as he stared in to the space between Tali's chin and arm, letting her words sink in.

"John," she requested, "look at me and tell me what you see."

He looked back at her face, his eyes roaming over her delicate features. "I see the most beautiful woman ever hidden from the galaxy, whose looks are only rivaled by her engineering skills and whose 'feel good' speeches would put Kelly out of a job."

Tali beamed at the words. "I don't think machines are such smooth talkers either. Do you know what I see?"

Shepard titled his head and waited for her assessment.

"I see a rugged and handsome man who has valiantly faced every trial and tribulation the galaxy has to offer and still come out on top. I see a man who can crush his enemies without remorse, then turn around and be so kind, he can find the individual under an environment suit and lift her spirits with but a word. No machine could do that."

Tali saw his expression soften and felt his hands begin to wander across her body. They were no longer tentative or exploratory like they had been before the Omega 4 Relay. Now they knew every inch, every curve, and were happily surveying their land. Then, much to Tali's dismay, they slowed to a stop. She knew why. Sexual activity was forbidden until the treatment had fully run its course.

"I'm going to kill Mordin and his rules," Shepard muttered under his breath.

"Just a couple more days," Tali reassured him. "Then I'm all yours."

Shepard settled for another kiss. "I promised you I was willing to wait. A real flesh and blood man doesn't break his promise."

Tali ran the hand on his cheek down his face and off his chin. "Thank you."

"You don't have to keep thanking me, you know."

"Yes," she maintained, "I do. You saw past my mask to me inside even before this treatment; before we even knew it was a possibility. You tried to understand me, what it was like, even if you couldn't. You _didn't_ need some miracle to love me and it just…" She felt her voice starting to crack but forced herself to continue. "It just means so much to me." Emotion finally got the best of her and she clung tightly to the man she loved to cry. "You could have had any woman you wanted, but you chose me." She felt herself trying to sob and instinctively began to apologize. "I'm sorry. I'm just so happy."

Shepard held her tightly, waiting for her to convulsions to subside. He moved to dry her eyes. "Tali, don't ever be sorry for this. I _did_ get the woman I wanted." He kissed her forehead, similar to how he would always kiss her hood.

"Tell me again," she softly requested.

"I love you, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

Her heart fluttered. Her tears ceased, overpowered by immense joy. She nuzzled in to Shepard and kissed his neck. "When did you first feel that way?" she asked.

Shepard slowly rocked from side to side with Tali in his arms as he let good memories wash over him. "Hmm, if I had to pin point when I knew for sure, I'd say when I saw you again on Freedom's Progress."

"That late?" Tali asked. She was a little hurt; even if she had spent most of her time on the SR-2 trying to convincer herself that her foolish crush would never be returned. Thankfully she was met with a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I always really liked you on the SR-1. You were genuinely having fun, like you were the only person actually excited to be there and enjoying the trip. You were a joy to be around. But like I said, Freedom's Progress was just when I knew for sure. I woke up one morning under attack, being told I had been dead for two years, and that I suddenly worked for Cerberus."

"That would be a bit of a shock."

"But then I saw you and it felt like things were going to be alright; like maybe things could go back to the way they were." He gave a humored snort. "That probably sounds pretty corny, doesn't it?"

"Well, you aren't crying so you have me beat."

"You looked so different, too. I don't just mean the new suit. You had matured. You carried yourself with authority and didn't take crap from anybody." He chuckled. "Well, that wasn't really a change, but there was something else I noticed too."

"Oh?"

Shepard took a very overt glance at Tali's breasts brushing against his chest. "You filled out some too."

Tali tried to frown and keep him in line, but she just did not have it in her. She weakly slapped at his chest before collapsing back in to his arms. "Aunt Shala tried to warn me about how men only wanted one thing, but did I listen?"

_For the record, they count as two things_, crossed Shepard's mind, but he held his tongue. "So are we just going to stay like this for your whole exposure period?" he asked. "I'm totally fine with that, by the way."

"Actually," Tali apologetically replied, "Kasumi invited a bunch of us to her observation room for a girls' night… that is, if you're okay with that."

"Of course I'm okay with it. I guess that explains the hair too."

"I was beginning to think you hadn't noticed."

"Well, I was kind of distracted with the rest of you." He made sure she saw his mischievous smirk and rose to his feet, setting her gently on the floor. "Guess it would be a good idea to get you dressed before you head down there. Don't think I have anything that can live up to that fancy bun, though."

Tali caught her reflection in the room's aquarium. She smiled at the hair bun, her mind wild with new ideas for her hair as if she had spontaneously grown it over night. By all accounts she might as well have. Braids, pigtails; her fingers twitched in anticipation. She only hoped Kasumi would be a willing teacher.

"When we head to the Citadel, we'll be sure to pick up some clothes for you and Reegar," Shepard continued as he stooped down to rummage through his clothes drawers. "I'd say you probably take several sizes smaller than I do."

"I can use the belt and boots from my suit," Tali suggested.

"Wait, I think I have something that might work." Shepard pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and handed them back to her. "They have a drawstring. If doesn't go tight enough you can just let them cling to those magnificent hips of yours."

_Garrus was so right_, Tali thought to herself. "Are you finding clothes or just ways to flatter me?"

"A bit of both," was the answer as Shepard picked out some pants for himself. "I'm just glad to get some use out of those. Cerberus included some exercise clothes with the ship, but with all the cybernetics and genetically altered muscle in me, they just went to waste."

Tali stepped in to the pants and slid them up to her stomach. They were too tall for her as well as being too wide. She pulled the drawstring until they fit around her waist and tied the generous slack in a knot to keep it in place. "So you're permanently in shape?"

"Pretty much," Shepard answered, slipping in to his own pants. "Since I'm clearly not a machine, I guess I'm more like a male Miranda now, just with more metal parts."

"You're a lot warmer though." Tali knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. She meant it in more ways than one. Without his body heat she was getting cold again.

Shepard leaned his head against hers a moment before changing drawers. "I have just the top for you." He pulled out a hooded sweatshirt that was a slightly darker shade of gray than the pants he had given her. He stood up with it, turning to face Tali. He unfolded it to reveal a worn, navy blue Systems Alliance logo across the front. "This was something Cerberus recovered from the SR-1 for me; probably as a peace offering to make themselves look better. I hadn't been wearing it out of spite."

"So you're making me wear it?" Tali asked. She tried to make it sound like more of a genuine inquiry rather than an accusation.

"Because it actually does mean a lot to me," he explained. "I've had this since my days in the academy. It's been through almost as much as I have and, well, there's an old human custom of the girl wearing her boyfriend's jacket."

Tali did not need any more convincing. She gladly accepted the sweatshirt and carefully pulled it over her head, making sure not to knock her chopsticks out of place.

Shepard gave her an approving smile as he looked her over. Nothing fit right, the pants and shirt were different shades, and her hairdo matched none of it but she was still so beautiful. Best of all, she was his. "I want you to keep it," he told her. "It even has a hood so you can still hang out with Kasumi."

Tali smiled back and pressed Shepard against the wall as she kissed him. As the kiss broke she suggested, "I could just stay here with you or maybe I could see if Kasumi would let you come too."

The commander shook his head. "No, go have fun. If it's a girls only party, then I'm the last person that's invited. We'll have plenty of time for us."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. If you're here it will just tempt me to break Mordin's rules. I'm pretty tired anyway so I might make an early night of it." _After a really cold shower_, he added for himself.

Tali took her weight off him but clung to his hands, still reluctant to leave him. She ran her thumbs over his digits, seemingly enthralled by them. They were what seemed the most alien about him to her, not that they were particularly off-putting.

"Yes, Tali, they're fingers," he said. Apparently she had been fiddling with them longer than she realized. "I know, I have a lot of them."

She let go of his hands and before she knew it, started rambling. "It's just, you're right, you do have so many. I mean, it's not bad, it's just… what do you call them all? I know we both have inner and outer but…" She clammed up upon seeing his amused expression.

"You're really making any excuse to stay with me, aren't you?"

She blushed. Once she realized she had no helmet to hide it, she only blushed harder.

"This is the index finger," Shepard said, bringing her attention back to his hand from her own self-consciousness, "same as your inner finger. The outer is called the pinky."

"Pinky?" Tali repeated. "That's cute."

Shepard snickered. He hardly thought of his hands as cute. He continued. "This longest one is the middle finger. We mostly use it for rude human gestures that other races don't usually understand."

"Oh…" Tali uttered, thinking back to times she had seen it used. Some of them were strangers directing it at her. She had always assumed it was less than ideal to have that finger directed at you and now she had confirmation.

"And this," Shepard concluded, "this is the ring finger."

Tali cocked her head. "That's an odd name. Why is it called that?"

Shepard smiled back at her and felt his heart beating faster. "That's the best part," he answered. He turned around and went to his top drawer to procure something he had purchased during shore leave but never had the right time to use. He turned back around to her holding a small, black box. He never once broke eye contact as he sank to one knee.

Tali was going to have quite the story for the other girls.


	40. Q&A

**Really, a Q&A?**

Why not? It's not for posterity but mostly to clear a few things up and answer some questions. It was a long story and, despite my username, I do have a few things to say. Best of all, it brings the number of chapters out to an even 40.

**So why'd you write this?**

Simply put, I wanted more Mass Effect. ME2 was a phenomenal game with an astoundingly deep universe and some really wonderful characters. However, after playing Dragon Age and fully enjoying all the banter your group members had for each other, the lack of this in ME was distractingly noticeable. Teasing you with the elevator discussion between Garrus and Tali only exacerbated it. I wanted these characters to talk to each other and I figured I wasn't alone.

A lot of the praise I got in reviews commented on how the characters were in character. I was very pleased to hear that, because it's what was most important to me. When writing, I went back and made sure I could hear each line spoken in that character's voice. If not, I rewrote something until Claudia Black's dulcet tones or Bradon Keener's smooth talking echoed in my head. After all, if the characters don't feel natural, they're little more than OCs with stolen names.

Of course, they couldn't just sit around and talk to each other. They needed something to talk _about_. This meant I needed some kind of plot to drive them on and what better than something to bridge the gap between ME2 and ME3? TIM's none too happy with Shep taking off with all his stuff so that seemed like a good place to start. The rest starts 39 chapters back.

Cross your fingers for squad members actually realizing they have companions in ME3. More than anything else, I want my team members talking to each other in the trilogy's epic conclusion. Hey, why stop at teammates? If Udina's jaw doesn't hit the floor at the prospect of Shepard dating a quarian, I won't be satisfied.

**Was this your first fan fiction?**

Sure was. I blame Bioware and their habit of only giving us a glimpse of the worlds they create. Still, thanks for making me feel welcome!

**Can we expect more?**

That's a good question. There is one other idea I have kicking around in my head, but it would likely be a one shot rather than anything as big as Rec. Whether or not anything comes of it has yet to be seen. Maybe after I've had some time off from writing.

**So wait, does that mean Reclamation's storyline is over?**

Nothing's set in stone, but that's the idea. I felt now was a good time to end it with the immediate threat of Cerberus being squelched. Now that Shep and crew are able to get on with their original plans, that's delving in to ME3 territory. That's Bioware's story to tell… even though it will have no bearing on what I've written.

**At least tell me what…**

I left much of the ending open ended to show that, while the story's over, these characters are never done. Their lives go own, even if we don't get to see. I'm pretty sure I got everything plot related covered, but if I didn't, yell at me. As for the other things, that's mostly up to your own wild imaginations.

_Does Jacob ever find love?_ That poor guy, it sure would be nice if he did. He'll have to make up his mind on who to chase, though.

_Do they get the chip out of Jack's brain?_ She's suffered enough. I'm sure Mordin has a few miracles up his sleeve.

_What happens to Xen?_ I'm not up on my quarian court systems. The last time I attended one I just shouted at the Admiralty Board until they said Tali was innocent to make me go away. I wouldn't expect Xen to get off easy, though, even if she was trying to help in her own unethical way.

_What's up with that leak in the Alliance feeding Cerberus info?_ There's a black sheep in every family, isn't there? I'm sure Anderson can punch everyone involved in the face… then log on to their computers and mess around with their Facebook accounts.

_What happens with Liara?_ Poor Liara; all alone with nothing to do but try and patch things up with Shep. Hopefully she can provide him with some useful intel now that Cerberus isn't doing that. Will she be back on the party? Only time will tell.

_Are Garrus and Kasumi becoming an item?_ Who knows with those two? Garrus claims he's no xenophile, but that Kasumi's hard to resist. She's a shameless flirt, though, so maybe she really was just teasing him. I say Kelly should intervene and set them up in an awkwardly embarrassing manner.

_So how do all the ladies react to Tali's ring?_ Boy, am I glad I didn't have to write this. Imagine a room full of battle hardened professional women squealing like excited little girls. Terrifying.

**Would a control chip really work like that?**

Heck if I know. I find "mind control" to be a bit iffy on the plot device list. I preferred to think of it more like a body control. It was implanted in the brain, not to turn the host in to a mindless zombie, but a puppet. It would use its own control to activate muscles. Project Reclamation having its way with Shepard was a lot easier to visualize. It's a glorified computer virus wreaking havoc on his cybernetic parts, moving his body for him. That's why his motions were somewhat clumsy. He managed to take one good shot at TIM while Xen was busy taking a fist to the stomach, but she quickly put him on autopilot for her fight with Tali. At least, that's what I see happening. If you have a better idea than me, please, go with that instead. It'll make me look better.

Bottom line, this is a galaxy with universal translators, space wizards, FTL travel, and omni-gel. Hopefully my version of a control chip wasn't too far out of line. I just needed some good way for Jack to give some exposition while still being under Cerb control.

**Was there anything missing from this story?**

There were a few things I wanted to add but could never really fit in or forgot about despite the laundry list of notes at the bottom of my Word file. Most of them I managed to somehow cram in to that final chapter, at least. Mostly it was just interesting snippets or humorous anecdotes and many of them were Reegar based. For example, I wanted to have him sort of fill Zaeed's shoes at least once and tell a few war stories. I also wanted Ashley to comment on how different his accent was from Tali's. She would just assume he took his pilgrimage to America. I also wanted to have Kasumi somehow smuggle out some food from the buffet, but it just didn't happen. Poor Garrus never did get his high dollar cuisine. Sorry, high _credit_ cuisine.

Believe it or not, I really tried to have some heated jealousy from Tali. I mean, both Ash and Liara were ready to jump Shepard's bones at the drop of a hat and who can blame them? However, going back to the bit about keeping the characters as themselves, I just couldn't see it happening. Ash is hot headed, but she's smart enough to not try anything. Liara's a touch on the crazy side, but more of a Princess Stabbity than a home wrecker. Tali's not the type to snap her fingers, waggle her hips, and go, "he's mah man, slut." Basically, these people are all fairly level headed professionals and not guests on the Springer show. The best I could do was get Tali hopped up on genetic rewriting drugs to cloud her judgment and force her out of Shepard's arms while he attended a big crime lord shindig with arm loads of hotties.

One of my original ideas for the ending was to have an epilogue after the Reapers were defeated. The "where are they now" approach had been done to death, so I eventually decided against it. But rest assured that Reegar would have his own garage back on Rannoch where he'd spend his days fixing up the Dyban. It also would have Samara leaving again to track down Liara, making good on her oath. I tossed around the ideas of explaining the deaths of Thane and Mordin as well. I think killing Mordin was the final straw that made me turn down this ending. He was easily the best new squadmate this side of Kasumi.

Speaking of Kasumi, I tossed around the idea of having her stow away on the Hammerhead when going to Rannoch. I went back and forth on it but eventually turned it down. I somehow imagine she had the same internal battle herself.

Oh yeah, something I had planned up until it never happened was to actually end the story on Thane to sort of bookend the whole thing with his "solipsism." He would be lying in bed with his lungs burning and slip in to memories to ignore the pain. It would have been a memory of him looking in to the drive core, watching Shepard and Tali enjoy what they thought was a private conversation and how it brought a smile to his face to see, as Otacon would say, "love bloom on the battlefield." In the end, however, it just felt weird to suddenly snap away from the Normandy to a completely different area.

Also those baby pictures. Shep, you keep forgetting to ask Shala'Raan for those baby pictures!

**Do you have something against Liara?**

Not really. While I admit she's never been one of my favorites, I don't hate the girl. I never originally planned to write her out, but it just seemed right after seeing things leading up to it. I really wish I had more to go on with her. The comic book, _Redemption_, promised to give insight on her but it did nothing of the sort. Did you read it? Don't bother if you haven't, it was pretty dreadful. Instead of showing her mental shift from ME1 to ME2, it suddenly had her as this thuggin' biotic who don't take nothin' from nobody. Ugh. So instead of something interesting, we got Liara already inexplicably as her ME2 self before anything happened to cause it, krogans in the Blue Suns, and covers with five fingered salarians. People got paid to create that?

Sorry, I digress. Just don't get me started on their ideas to remove any mystery from TIM by giving him his own terrible comic. Anyway, no, I don't hate Liara. I really hope Lair of the Shadow Broker adds some actual meat to her personal storyline.

Having her leave also helped me mix things up when it came to recruitment. Thane, Zaeed, Kasumi, Samara, and Jack all left at the beginning to do their own things. Thane stayed away to spend his last few months with his son. Kasumi came back that same day. (I started writing her in even before her DLC was announced, basing her character off her audio files. She was just too awesome to not bring back and she quickly became one of my favorite characters to write as well as Tali's BFF.) Zaeed appeared again but did not join. Samara appeared again but _did_ join. Jack appeared again but was an "enemy" of sorts. Whether or not she rejoins is up to your imagination. Ashley showed up and was more than happy to join. Reegar showed up, refused at first, but later agreed after a change of plans. Liara wanted to join but eventually broke down and left. Each one was different and I'm pretty pleased with how it happened.

**You took an M rating. Why was it relatively tame?**

I'm not here for creepy fap fiction. While I did go for some fluff here and there, the main point of all that was Shepard and Tali working out their relationship in the middle of their hectic daily lives. I wanted to show Shepard's more human side and that involves him loving that adorable quarian machinist who keeps him grounded. They were more for making you feel warm fuzzies than hard strokies. I didn't need or want to go in to graphic detail of their… "inner workings." As stated in the summary, the M rating is for the various potty mouths that spring up. If I'm going to keep the characters themselves, they have to talk like they do in the games.

**I found a plot hole!**

No you didn't. All plot holes are filled in with mass effect fields.

**This story was bad and you should feel bad.**

That's not a question, Zoidberg. Still, I'm sorry you feel that way. But tell you what, here are some recommended stories (in no particular order) I read and enjoyed while writing my own. If I liked your story and just forgot to put you down, I'm sorry!

_Adamo_ by Andrio

_Razor's Edge_ by Tairis Deamhan

_Mass Effect 3: Revolutions_ by Ryan Priessman

_Tomorrow's Dawn_ by ElectricZ

Numerous stories by CannedCream


End file.

Mass Effect, Sci-Fi