Another new chapter within a week. I'm on a roll. This one is more of an interlude. It sets up a lot of the main plot points in later chapters. Still, after the first 3 chapters blazing by, a little time to catch our breath and regroup is not a bad thing.

Once again the chapter title is from somewhere in pop culture. While the phrase may refer to a number of things, if you've noticed the theme from the other 3, you should be able to at least look it up. Congrats to Hartha and Pax-Draconix for their excellent taste in music as they were able to determine Chapter 2 and 3's titles. Meet me in Outer Space is a line from the song Stellar by Incubus. Intoxicated with the Madness is a line from the song Zero by Smashing Pumpkins. Noticing a trend here yet? Should give you a hint for chapter 4's title anyway.

And with that said, on with the show.

I still don't own Naruto or Mass Effect. I mean I own them. I have all the copies of the Mass Effect games along with all the DLC. I even bought a digital copy of ME1 just recently since my disc has been having disc read errors the last few times I've played. I've also downloaded pretty much every Naruto episode and comic there is (glutton for punishment I know). I even own a couple of the video games. But as far as commercial licensing rights, yea I'm fucked there.

Future Foe Scenarios

The steady growl of the engines drowned out all other noise as the Mako rumbled across the terrain. It was a violent, hostile planet this Edolus. Atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen made colonization impossible for humans. The nearby gas giant, Ontamalca, had a gravity well that flung objects towards its surface at sub light speeds causing constant bombardments. Overall, it was completely uninhabitable.

Shepard monitored the sensors as they were getting closer to the distress beacon that they picked up.

"So Shep, why are we here again? This seems to be a bit of a side track." Naruto spoke up.

Inside the Mako sat Naruto, Ashley and Garrus. Kaidan was up front driving. Shepard had decided to leave Wrex and Tali back on the ship as he felt they wouldn't be needed.

"Admiral Hackett said that there was a group of missing marines in the Sparta system. I think they were Admiral Kahoku's men. I figured we were already here and with the Geth activity in the cluster, we might as well check it out. Could have some more clues leading to Saren." Shepard explained.

"I guess. This place seems pretty desolate though." Naruto grumbled.

"Well there's a distress beacon ahead. Somebody was down here." Shepard stated.

"I wonder how long ago though?" Ashley added. "Those distress beacons can usually last for months. We might be finding a corpse on a planet like this."

"Still, it's a lead and we're already here. Stay ready for anything."

"Coming up on the beacon, sir." Kaidan announced.

"Take us in slow, Lieutenant." Shepard ordered.

Shepard continued to watch the monitors for anything they could see. As they made their approach, he could make out a vehicle of some kind. "Looks like we found something. Park her here, Alenko. Keep the engines running though. We may need to get out of here quick. Williams, Naruto, Garrus helmets on, we're checking it out."

Ashley popped her helmet into place and made sure her avenger was ready to roll. Garrus already had his armor ready as he wore it most of the time. Naruto had to borrow one of the enviro-suits. It wasn't really his style but he also couldn't breathe carbon dioxide despite his amazing healing factor. He was wearing a skin tight, blue suit that wasn't leaving very much to the imagination.

"You guys have this stuff just lying around or did you find the most ridiculous looking one just to f' with me?" Naruto questioned.

Shepard and Ashley just grinned. "All standard issue gear, Uzumaki."

"I thought you were just trying to show off your figure, Naruto. Maybe catch the attention of the locals." Garrus added.

"Right. Looks like I'll be shopping for some light armor next chance we get. I won't be caught dead in this thing anymore." Naruto knew a good prank when he saw one. "By the way, you don't know what you just started pranking the all time prank king."

The gleam in his eye caused Ashley and Shepard to pause for a moment before they got back to the business at hand.

Kaidan opened up the rear hatch and the four of them filed out. All of them were on guard with their weapons at the ready as they approached the damaged tank. They could see bodies lying on the ground.

"Shepard. Looks like we found the marines." Ashley stated as she walked over to them.

"Yea but what killed them?" Garrus asked.

"Something doesn't feel right here. I'm sensing something... OH SHIT! RUN!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

Shepard and the others were about to ask when the whole area shook. Bursting through the ground only 100 meters away was a Thresher Maw. Its roar created a shockwave that nearly knocked them over.

They were all moving steadily away from it when Shepard caught up to Naruto. "Any special skills you have to deal with Thresher Maws?"

"Yea, run like hell!" Naruto bravely stated.

"Back to the Mako!" Shouted Shepard. "Alenko?"

"On it, Commander. I'm coming in hot. Back door will be open." Kaidan answered.

"Phrasing, Kaidan." Naruto managed to add despite running for his life.

The Mako pulled up in time to grab all four of them. Kaidan sped out of range for the moment as the maw disappeared underground. Ashley quickly made her way up to the cannon with Garrus manning the turret again.

"Can we go home now?" Naruto whined.

"No. We have to get the data from that beacon. This was a trap and we need to know who set it." Shepard ordered.

"Alright fine." Naruto sighed. "Let me back out there."

"What? Are you nuts? We just got away from that thing!" Ashley exclaimed.

"If we're going to get that data, we need to kill it. Having two targets will give us a better shot. I'm faster and can distract it while the Mako nails it with the cannon. So don't miss, Ms. Gunny." Naruto explained.

"Crazy plan but sound strategy." Garrus offered.

"I prefer eccentric." Naruto replied.

"Alright. Make your move but don't do anything stupid out there." Shepard ordered.

"No promises." Naruto said as he exited the vehicle again.

He began a slow jog back towards the downed tank. He kept his senses open to feel where the Thresher Maw went. "Here threshy, threshy, threshy." He unsealed Kurama to get ready for the stupid idea he had. "No guts no glory, right?"

"Just make sure we aren't carrying your guts home, Uzumaki." Shepard said over the comm.

Naruto cut his retort short as he felt the incoming worm. He dodged quickly to the left as it burst through the ground.

"Hello, ugly."

He began a wind jutsu just as the maw spit acid at him. Naruto fired Atsugi, a strong wall of wind, back at the acid to return it from where it came. The blast of air also knocked the maw over.

"Now would be a good time, Ash." Naruto said over his comm.

The Mako cannon fired off a shot directly in the Thresher Maw's face. It roared in pain. Garrus continued the pressure from the mini-gun as it began to chip away at the tenacious armor that was its skin. Another blast came from the cannon again a few moments later that took a chunk out of the giant worm but it still wasn't down. It dove back under the ground to regroup.

"Stay alert. I can feel it moving towards your position. Don't stop, Kaidan." Naruto shouted.

The Mako made evasive maneuvers as Kaidan used the thrusters to burst out of the way. Just in the nick of time too as the worm burst through the ground right where they were.

Naruto was on top of it in a second though firing another Atsugi to stagger it back. "Hit it again, Ash."

Another cannon blast landed square in its head causing it to explode. Guts and bits of carcass began raining down on the landscape. Some of it covered Naruto. He just stood there dripping entrails off of him.

"Did I mention how much I hate this planet?" Naruto stated thoroughly disgusted.

"Well you better get back inside. That acid will eat through the suit pretty quickly." Shepard said while holding in a laugh at the situation. "Now that it's dead, Williams, Garrus and I will check out the data."

"Yea. I get first dibs on the shower when we get back. I will literally beat you with your own arms if you say otherwise." Naruto threatened.

Shepard just chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

The data from the distress beacon wasn't as helpful as Shepard would have liked. He had Tali take a look at it and it was definitely tampered with but no idea on whom or what could have done it.

Shepard sighed. He now had to tell Admiral Kahoku about his men with no explanation as to whom or what did this. He typed in the number Hackett gave him on the terminal in his quarters. The vid screen rang a few times before someone picked up.

"This is Admiral Kahoku."

"Admiral, this is Commander Shepard."

"Ah Commander. I heard about your acceptance as a Spectre. You're doing humanity proud." Kahoku cordially greeted.

"Thank you, sir." Shepard uncomfortably replied.

"So what can I do for you today, Commander?"

Shepard didn't mince words. "It's about your missing men, Admiral. I found them. They're dead."

"What?! How could this be? What happened?" Kahoku was visibly upset.

"They were answering a distress beacon on the planet Edolus. It was right next to a thresher maw nest." Shepard explained.

"Thresher Maw? There's no way they would have fallen to something like that?"

"I believe it was a trap sir. Someone placed the beacon so that they would land right on top of it. Whoever it was lured them in."

"Bastards! I didn't think they'd go this far." Kahoku muttered to himself.

Shepard raised his eyebrow. "Who, sir?"

"Nothing, no one. Thank you, Commander. I at least know what happened to them. Now I have something to tell their families." Kahoku despondently replied.

"If you're caught up in something, Admiral, I may be able to help you. Being a Spectre now, I don't always have to follow Alliance protocols." Shepard offered trying to get more out of him.

"I appreciate the offer, Commander. I'll let you know if there's anything you can do. Right now I have to take care of this on my own though. Thank you again. Kahoku out." The connection ended.

Shepard pondered what that was all about. 'He's definitely hiding something. I don't think it has anything to do with Saren but I wish I knew more. I need to start building more contacts for information. Being in the dark as a Spectre isn't going to cut it.'

He cleared his mind of the situation and made his way out of his quarters into the mess hall. He decided lunch was in order. As he moved over to the small kitchen area, he noticed Kaiden diligently cooking away at something.

"Whatcha making there, Alenko?"

"Well making wouldn't technically be the right term. I was salvaging some eggs that I managed to burn beyond all recognition." Kaiden explained.

"Should we notify next of kin?" Shepard quipped.

"Nah, they'll get there's tomorrow probably. So what's on your mind, Commander." Alenko asked.

"Just informed Kahoku of his men. Something didn't seem right with him though. Like he knew who did it." Shepard said.

Kaidan shrugged. "Well nothing you can do about it now right? We have bigger fish to fry."

"Or eggs to burn but you're probably right. We need to get back on Saren's trail in any case." Shepard then changed the subject. "So has Naruto talked to you at all yet?"

Kaidan seemed to liven up at that. "Yes he has. The things he knows are unbelievable. I've learned more about my biotics, or umm... chakra is what he calls it, in the last few days than I have in my whole life. Plus with the meditation techniques that he's showing me, I hardly have any headaches anymore. It's amazing no one knew how to do this before."

Shepard nodded. "I think he's a special case."

"Yea. He said he's a lot older than us. I can't see how with the way he looks but his knowledge and abilities are astounding. I'm inclined to just believe him at this point."

"So... you think we can trust him?" Shepard was curious how his crew felt about Naruto.

"Well I'm always a bit leery of people in general but there's just something about the guy. I feel like he's a good person. I can't explain it but yea, I would say I can trust him." Kaidan stated.

"Good to note." Shepard then steered things back again. "So any opinions on our missions so far?"

"Well Dr. T'Soni is certainly a fine addition to the team. Not hard on the eyes either but honestly I've never met an ugly Asari." Kaidan joked.

Shepard just chuckled. "Don't let the female members of the crew hear that or you might be in for a dry spell."

Kaidan quickly looked around to make sure. None seemed to be in the vicinity. "Good thinking, Commander. Can't ruin my rep just when I was getting in good with a lot of them."

Shepard just smiled.

"Still, she seems pretty intelligent from our debriefing and I guess Naruto knows her so I'd say she's going to work out ok. How was it when she went through your head?" Kaidan asked.

Kaidan was referring to the debriefing. Liara had melded her mind with Shepard's to see the vision that the Prothean beacon had given him. She was able to offer new insight on what it may have been.

"It was... interesting to say the least. Not entirely unpleasant but... weird would be the word." Shepard tried to explain.

"Well you got an in with her now. Just ask her if she wants to see the beacon again in your quarters and she'll follow you right in." Kaidan grinned.

"I think you're spending a little too much time with Naruto, Alenko." Shepard chuckled.

Kaidan just shrugged. "You gotta admit he's doing something right. All these supposedly tough women on the ship giggle when he smiles at them. Seriously, marine chicks giggling. Maybe I have more to learn from him then just biotic training."

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "I'll talk to you later, Alenko. Stay out of trouble."

With that, Shepard made his way towards the elevator. He still hadn't had a decent conversation with Wrex or Garrus yet. With some time available before they made it to Feros, he figured he'd try to get that in.

Naruto stepped out of the shower and began drying himself off. The Normandy being a smaller vessel compared to most Alliance craft only had two showers to use. They were co-ed and located in the main bunks. He wrapped the towel around his midsection when he heard a knock on the stall door.

"Yea, yea, I'll be done in a minute." He gathered up his things and made his way to the door. He didn't bother to get dressed when he opened it.

Ashley had a shocked looked on her face as she took in the sight of the slightly wet Naruto with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets fell from his messy locks down onto his incredibly fine physique. Rippling pectorals flowed down into washboard abdominals down into...

"Can I help you, gunny?" Naruto said with a grin.

Ashley stuttered as she tried to regain her composure. "I- I was just w-waiting to use the... umm... shower." She had planned to get another shot in on him about the thresher maw but all rational thought escaped her when he opened the door to the stall.

"Well if you need any help washing your back, I'm still ready to go." He winked.

She finally shook herself from her stupor. "Whatever. I can handle myself just fine."

"Yea but it's no fun with just one. Sometimes you need a little push." He insinuated.

"What? No I'm not going to be doing that in there!" She shouted mortified by his implications.

Naruto just deadpanned. "Well where else would you do it? Not a lot of privacy on a boat this size."

"Arrgh! Just go away! Now!" She shoved him out of the way as she quickly entered the stall and closed it behind her.

Naruto knocked on the door to which she quickly opened. "What?!"

"You forgot your loofah." He said while holding out the pink, cleansing sponge.

She snapped it out of his hands and slammed the door in his face.

Naruto just laughed. 'Good enough prank for today. Now I'll have to think of something for Shepard.'

Naruto finished drying off as he made his way over to the bunk he commandeered for himself. As he was grabbing some clothes from his duffel bag, he noticed the single three-pronged kunai he kept. He pulled out the ancient piece of metal and thumbed over it nostalgically. Naruto knew full well that he couldn't perform the Hiraishin anymore without severely taxing his body.

'Price you pay to keep a demon at bay I guess. I couldn't just let it ravage an unsuspecting Earth. It wouldn't have been like Kurama. There'd have been nothing left if I hadn't done what I did.' Naruto thought about his past choices.

He placed the kunai back into his pack and finished getting dressed. Once he was done, he pondered what to do next. They were on their way to Feros but wouldn't arrive for another day yet.

'Could always get reacquainted with my lovely colleague.' Naruto grinned.

He decided having a chat with Liara would be a good use of his time. He set out to find where she was holed up. Asking a few of the crewmen he was able to learn that she was in a storage room behind the medical bay.

'Still shy as always, eh Liara?' Naruto thought as he made his way there.

He entered the medical bay and was greeted by the doctor.

"Ah, Mr. Uzumaki. What can I do for you?" Dr. Chakwas greeted cordially.

"Nothing today doc. Just need you to keep things sexy in here the way you do." He said with a sly grin.

She had grown used to his flattery in the week or so he had been on board. Despite the fact that she was older, she prided herself on staying fit. It was nice for someone to take notice once in awhile. After all she was still a woman.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Uzumaki." She jested.

"Everywhere you say? Tempting offer. Rain check?"

She couldn't help but blush at his innuendo. "Sigh, if only I were 20 years younger."

"Age ain't nothing but a number, doc." He said with a wink.

"You are the worst." She said with a laugh as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

"I know, but I'm actually here to talk to the stow-away in your closet."

"Ah, well head right in then." Chakwas stated as she head back to her lab station.

Naruto made his way into the storage room and found Liara working diligently at her terminal. She noticed his presence immediately and turned to greet him with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto."

"Likewise. We didn't really get a chance to catch up down on Therum. How've you been?" He started.

"Pretty much the same as last time. Taking on different Prothean digs. Trying to find funding for others. A pretty mundane life until the Geth arrived."

"Yea they have a way of spicing things up don't they."

"So how did you come to be on the Normandy? This doesn't seem like something you'd normally do?" She inquired.

"Pretty similar to you actually. I uncovered that Prothean beacon on Eden Prime when the Geth attacked. I helped fight them off and then tagged along to make sure Saren was caught."

She nodded and wanted to ask him about more personal things but didn't know how to approach the subject. He saved her the trouble.

"So… find a boyfriend yet?" He winked.

She wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought she'd be about it. "Not yet. I haven't really had the time with my work. That hasn't stopped some of the more... ambitious suitors from trying though."

"Well at least I'm not the only one that struck out then." He chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, Naruto. You are charming and brilliant. You're the only one I've met that's ever held a decent conversation about Prothean history." She praised.

"And you're the only one that's given me a decent spar in the last few centuries." He grinned.

"Come now. I'm not that formidable an opponent."

"I don't think you have any idea the kind of punch you pack when you're all riled up."

She just smiled. "But romance isn't exactly in the stars right now for me. My work is too important. That and the idea of dating someone older than my mother at the time was intimidating."

"At the time? So you're saying there's a chance." Naruto joked.

Liara just giggled at his antics. She then remembered some of the details he had told her all those years ago. "Is the… is it still contained?"

Naruto's grin fell. "I'm not sure. This whole business about Reapers might have awoken it. I don't think it likes the idea of something bigger and badder coming along. Right now I've only been having dreams. I still can't tell if they're memories or visions."

"I know you said that was one of the most troublesome experiences you've ever faced." She sympathized.

"That's the understatement of the millennia. Let's just say, I hope I don't have to fight it again anywhere populated like the Citadel. If I feel it coming on, I'll make a b-line for some back water planet out in the Terminus."

"I trust you, Naruto. You would never do anything to endanger those you care about. I hope you are able to trust me the same way. This crew as well. The commander is an honorable man if not sometimes driven in his methods." Liara spoke with heartfelt emotion.

"You got all that from your mind meld with him?" Naruto raised his eyebrow.

"Among other things." Liara blushed. "The Commander is an intense and passionate man it seems. I would like to get to know him better."

"I'll bet you would." Naruto just smirked. "Anyway, I'm working on it, Li. It's been so long since I could accept anyone. These are good people here though. I don't want them bearing any more burdens than what is already on their plate." He sighed.

Liara leaned in and gave him a reassuring hug. "Even if you say you don't accept me, you've already shown enough faith in me to reveal your greatest secret. I will be with you until the end if you need me."

"Thanks, Li. It really does mean a lot to hear you say that." Naruto graciously replied. "So this whole thing with your mom, seems a little unusual don't you think?"

"Yes. It is definitely not like her." Liara said with a downtrodden sigh. "I haven't spoken to her in years but I know her and she would not willingly join up with someone like Saren unless she thought it was for a greater good."

"It doesn't look good though. I hope you're ready for anything if we run into her."

"I would like to think I am but how can one confront their mother and hold her accountable for these types of crimes?" Liara shook her head.

"I have your back and I know Shepard will too." Naruto reassured her.

"Thank you." Liara replied sincerely.

"Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair then… so to speak."

She smiled. "You always had a way with words."

He smirked. "Some might say I'm a cunning..."

"Don't finish that." Liara shook her head.

"It's a blessing and a curse." He shrugged as he walked away.

This was an entirely new experience for Garrus. He finally felt like he was doing something to stop a criminal instead of just documenting what they did after the fact. He was part of a team who was acting instead of filling out paperwork. It was a refreshing feeling. Garrus also enjoyed space flight. He hadn't been a part of a proper crew since his Turian military days. The hum of an engine and the swell of the bulkhead were comforting to him. He can't even remember why he took that C-Sec job all those years ago.

'Doesn't really matter now. I'm finally somewhere that I can make a difference.' He thought.

He had managed to secure himself a nice spot in the cargo hold out of the way from the crew and their daily tasks. It wasn't ideal but he had a comfortable cot and an area to maintain his weapons. There wasn't much more that he could ask for.

As he was busy calibrating his sniper rifle, he noticed the Commander making his way over to him from the elevator.

"Commander." Garrus greeted him.

"Garrus. How's everything going?" Shepard inquired.

"Pretty good actually. I just want to thank you again for bringing me on board. Working with a Spectre is so much more satisfying than life at C-Sec."

"Yea I'll bet. Even before I was a Spectre, the Alliance usually gave me a lot of leeway in how I handled missions but nothing compared to the freedom of being a Spectre. I can't imagine working for some bureaucracy." Shepard offered.

"You have no idea. I can't even remember why I joined now. I thought that I would be doing the most good there. Stopping criminals, bringing people to justice, that sort of thing. Turns out all I did was file paperwork and watch all the people around me find ways to skirt the system for their own gain." Garrus explained.

"So why did you stay so long?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know. Probably my father. He was an old fashioned, hard-ass for following the rules. He was one of the best C-Sec officers ever to join the force. I guess it was just some misguided attempt to make him proud that I stuck to it. But I wasn't accomplishing anything. For every criminal I arrested, two more would go free on technicalities or some higher connection. I'm glad you came along when you did. Not sure what I would have done."

"You could have always tried out for the Spectres." Shepard offered.

"I actually was recruited way back when but my father talked me out of it. He despises the Spectres. Hates the thought of someone having that much power and unaccountability."

"It is an intimidating idea with a lot of room for abuse." Shepard admitted.

"Yes as Saren proved. But the only way to stop Saren is to play by his rules. You can't have your hands tied by red tape if you expect to catch up to someone like him." Garrus stated.

"Trust me, I don't intend to pull any punches in catching him. That comes with being in command. You have to make the hard decisions when they come along. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you're going to have to choose between bad and worse in order to get the job done." Shepard steadfastly reasoned.

"Good to hear, Commander. I knew following you was the right decision. Anyway, let me get back to my calibrations so I'm ready when we reach Feros."

"Talk to you later, Garrus."

Shepard let the Turian get back to his work. He made his way to the other side of the cargo bay to where Wrex was sitting on some crates.

Wrex was catching a nap in between cleaning his armor and modifying his guns. Life as a mercenary had made his transition to a part of the team pretty easy. The Council was paying for him to stay on board at Shepard's request and he was ok with that. Any job will do and the Commander was an easy man to work for compared to some of his past employers. Something about the guy made Wrex stick around. He already had a motley band of misfits that he recruited what with a Quarian, a Turian, an Asari and a crazy-ass human. Wrex couldn't let the Krogan sit out of this party. While he was contemplating this, Wrex sensed someone approaching and peaked his eye open to see.

"Shepard." Greeted Wrex.

"Wrex. Settling in ok?" The Commander began.

"I've been in worse. This ship's actually pretty nice compared to most. So, what can I do for ya?" Wrex asked.

Shepard wondered how best to begin. He figured he'd just be blunt with Wrex since that seemed to be his preferred approach. "So what's your story?"

"There's no "story." Go ask the Quarian if you want stories." Wrex grumbled.

Shepard was undeterred. "Come on, you've lived for centuries. I'm sure you have a few good tales."

"Well there was this one time the Turians and Salarians almost killed my entire race. That was fun." Wrex replied sarcastically.

"Yea, I heard about that. The Genophage right? You know the Turians almost did the same to us." Shepard replied.

"It's not the same."

Shepard shrugged. "Seems pretty much the same to me."

"So your people were infected with a mutation that causes only 1 in 1000 to survive child birth and is systematically destroying your entire species?" Wrex incredulously asked.

Shepard felt a bit embarrassed having not fully understood the Genophage. "Alright so maybe it's not the same."

"I don't expect you to understand but don't compare humanity's fate with the Krogan." Wrex calmly stated.

"I can respect that. So why don't your people try to find a cure for it?"

"When was the last time you saw a Krogan scientist?" Wrex shook his head. "My people are warriors. When asked if they'd rather have a cure for the Genophage or fight for credits, they'll choose fighting every time. I gave up on them a long time ago."

Shepard could see that this really did bother Wrex despite him trying to play it off. He'd have to ask him about it again some other time. Right now though a change in topics was probably a good idea.

"So what do you think of our mission?" Shepard asked.

"As long as I get paid, I'll go along with whatever you want. Plus a chance to stop a guy like Saren is always a bonus in my book."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. "You've had a run in with him before?"

"Probably about 10 to 12 years ago, a bunch of mercs were bragging about a job out near the edge of the Terminus systems. They said it paid well and the boss was never around to ride them. He was apparently looking for more men so I hired on. Seemed like an easy gig." Wrex explained.

"So what happened?" Shepard was interested in hearing this.

"We'd been raiding ships for months when we took out this massive cargo freighter. Our biggest haul yet. It was a Volus trading vessel, a big one. There were lots of guards but they were no match for us. The cargo seemed pretty basic. Some medical supplies and food. Maybe a couple of guns but nothing major. I was onboard checking bodies for valuables. Looking for some extra credits. That's when I saw him."

"What did Saren want?"

"No idea. He was just moving through the ship. Watching everyone. A couple of the mercs called him by name but he never spoke to any of us. It gave me a really bad feeling. He had a vibe that just screamed scumbag. I got the hell out of there. Didn't even wait to get paid."

"So you never saw him any other time?" Shepard asked.

"Yea, didn't even know who he was at the time. My instincts were right though. Every other merc on that mission, turned up dead within a week. Every damn one."

"Well I hope your instincts are just as sharp on our mission. They saved your life there." Shepard analyzed.

"Hard to pass up the credits being offered there but yea, I usually trust my instincts more than my paycheck. Kept me alive this long." Wrex boasted.

"I guess that's enough for now. Be ready to go once we reach Feros." Shepard stated.

Wrex just nodded. "Shepard."

As the Commander was walking away, he contemplated his two, new team members. 'Both are definitely good in a fight. They seem like they have some personal issues though. As long as it doesn't affect the mission I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just have to keep an eye on them.'

He made his way down the corridor towards engineering. He wanted to have another conversation with Tali to make sure life away from her fleet was going ok for her. 'Poor young thing probably gets lonely out here. I just wouldn't be a good commander if I didn't make her feel comfortable.' He thought about the way that sounded. 'Damn now I'm starting to sound like Naruto.'

Shepard shook his head and continued on into Engineering. He noticed Adams chatting away with the young, female Quarian. As he approached her, he couldn't help but admire her figure. The mystery behind what was under her suit seemed to add to the allure. He shook these thoughts from his mind as they noticed his arrival.

"Commander." Adams greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"How's the ship looking, Adams? All systems go?" Shepard inquired.

"Better than new. Tali here has made some incredible improvements. I'd say we could probably get .6 above red line on the FTL drives now and still maintain safe parameters." Adams praised Tali.

If she wasn't wearing the suit, you would notice the blush that Tali was sporting. "It was nothing really. I just did what I could."

Shepard chimed in. "Don't sell yourself short, Tali. You're a fine asset to have on my team. I'm glad you're here."

If anything, that made her more bashful. "Thank you, Shepard."

"Well I have some work to get back to. Let me know if you need me, Commander." Adams stated as he moved back over to his terminal.

Shepard turned back to Tali. "So is everything still going ok for you on the Normandy?"

Tali recovered from her embarrassment and sighed. "I don't know. Your ship is amazing and your crew has been really great to me, especially your chief engineer. But I just sort of feel out of place."

"Nonsense. You've been a tremendous help both here in engineering and down on the ground. You got more out of that distress beacon's memory core than even my top specialists on board could. Don't think for a moment that you don't deserve to be here." Shepard encouraged her.

"I appreciate that. It's just that... I guess I might be a little homesick. The Normandy's engines run so quiet and smooth that I have trouble sleeping. How do you sleep at night?" She admitted.

Shepard raised his eyebrow. "It's too quiet to sleep?"

"Well back in the flotilla, if things were quiet, it meant something was broken. I guess that's not a concern here. Old habits die hard I suppose." She said as she rubbed her arm.

Shepard could empathize with that. "It's hard to let go of routines. Change can be good sometimes though. It offers new ideas. Different paths to take that you may not have thought of before."

"That's true. I suppose I just miss being home a little bit as well. Before, all I could think about was getting away and going on an adventure. Now that I'm here, I kind of miss home."

"Sometimes you don't know what you have til it's gone." Shepard sagely offered.

"You may be right. Perhaps that's what the pilgrimage is all about." Tali pondered.

"Well, if you're ever feeling lonely, my door is always open." Shepard offered with a grin.

Tali was once again glad that her suit hid her complexion. The ideas running in her head from what he might have meant by those words had her fully flushed. "I-I will keep that in mind, Shepard. Thank you."

Up in the cockpit, Naruto was regaling Joker with one of his many stories.

"...and that's when I bought the horse a prostitute." Naruto ended his joke.

Joker was cracking up. "I love this guy."

After they had both calmed down, Naruto continued the conversation. "So how's life on this tub treating you?"

Joker took mock offense. "Hey watch what you call my girl. And life around here ain't too bad. I'm on the most advanced ship in Citadel Space with one of the best Commanders of the Alliance who now happens to be a Spectre. What more could the best pilot in the galaxy ask for?" He boasted.

"You don't lack for confidence. I like that." Naruto smiled.

"Well I kind of had to develop an egotistical personality to make up for my lack of physical prowess. I was born to fly but Vrolik's Syndrome has a way of making you realize how small and insignificant you are in this galaxy. So I had two ways to go. I could use my condition as an excuse and just sit in a wheel chair for the rest of my life or become the cockiest, most bad ass pilot this universe has ever seen. I chose the latter and shoved it in the face of everyone who doubted me along the way."

Naruto chuckled at that. "I like your style, Joker. When I was younger, I liked to make sure people noticed my accomplishments in the flashiest way possible. Something ain't worth doing unless it's done with flare." He said while motioning his hands in dramatic fashion.

Joker had a laugh at that. "So what's your story? They aren't offering archaeologist slash samurai as a career path in universities now are they?"

"I prefer ninja. Samurai are too uptight." Naruto said with a straight face.

Joker just raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind. No I'm not the college type of guy anyway. The co-eds were fun but the sitting in a classroom falling asleep thing was not my fondest way of passing time. I'm just your average bad ass archaeologist extraordinaire looking for adventures throughout the cosmos. Most of the time though, I just dig up some old relics and try to decipher what secrets they hold. It's actually quite entertaining."

"Well either way, I'm glad you're on our side with the moves you pull off. That's some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen anyone try."

"Well much like you and flying, Joker, I too am the best at what I do. I literally am the best human biotic that has ever lived and probably will ever live." Naruto said without a hint of boasting. He was just stating a fact.

"Then why archaeology? Why not join the Alliance and fight to defend humanity?" Joker asked seriously.

"I'm... complicated. Trust me when I say that being a part of any military would do a lot more harm than good for everyone. I try to keep a low profile most of the time because people ask questions when they see someone like me. They like to have things under control and I disrupt that control. When they can't control something, they usually try to make sure no one else can. That's why I stay off the grid for the most part. Let history carry on without me. But this Saren business is different. These Reapers are no joke. I'm not sure what they are fully capable of but they seem like pretty powerful weapons. We can't let Saren get a hold of them."

"Yea, no kidding." Joker somberly replied.

"But enough about that. It was good meeting you, Joker." Naruto waved.

"Take it easy, Naruto. Any time you want to shoot the shit, just drop by. I can't really go anywhere you know with legs as brittle as paper mache and all."

"Will do."

With that Naruto made his way back out to the command area. On his way out of the bridge tunnel, he saw Shepard coming towards him.

"How's it going, Shep?"

"Just making the rounds. We'll reach Feros in about 12 hours. You ready to go?"

"I'll probably catch a nap then." Naruto said as he stretched out his neck. "So who'd you talk to?"

"Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex and Tali. Thanks again for speaking with Kaidan. I can see a drastic change in his demeanor just from the short time you've worked with him."

Naruto shook it off. "It was nothing. So you haven't had a one on one with Liara yet? Too bad, I think she might like that." He smirked at Shepard.

"I thought you two had some history." Shepard asked.

"We're friends but we never did anything together." Naruto shrugged.

"Wait, I thought you said you had sex." Shepard was confused.

"I said I tried. I never said she agreed." Naruto grinned. "She's a good girl and she has a lot of insight that could help our situation. So for whatever reason, it'd be good to talk to her." He said while waggling his eye brows.

"I'll keep that in mind." Shepard said has he rolled his.

"Well I'm just trying to help out. You seem a little stressed. It's not good to be dealing with galaxy threatening peril and not have an outlet once in awhile. What about Tali? You into corrupting naive young damsels?"

"What?! No!" Shepard quickly denied.

"Come on. You haven't even thought of it? The way her suit hugs her curves in all the right places." Naruto pressed on trying to get a reaction from him.

Shepard fought down the urge to blush because the thoughts had come to his mind once or twice since he's met her. He was a man after all. "Not in the slightest."

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever you say, Shep. I guess I'll get my stuff together. I'll be in the bunks if you need me."

Shepard took a breath now that the conversation was over. Naruto suddenly called back to him. "Oh and don't think you're off the hook for a prank. Since you didn't embarrass as easy as Ash, I'm going to have to pull out some heavy artillery." He said with a sadistic grin.

'Why did I bring him along again?' Shepard asked himself.

Shepard continued on to the galaxy map. He needed to make a few more preparations before the crew landed on Feros.

'Hopefully we find something more to go on there. We still have no trace of where Saren is. I just hope time isn't running out.'

In a room with a large glass window, the red giant star Anadius casts a glow across the floor. Sitting in a singular metal chair was a man smoking a cigarette. He didn't have any distinguishing qualities other than his steely blue prosthetic eyes. He is known only as the Illusive Man. Currently he was speaking to a hologram of one of his subordinates.

"The situation with Admiral Kahoku has become... complicated." The image spoke.

"How so?" The Illusive Man inquired.

Admiral Kahoku had been a helpful pawn in covering up Cerberus' break away from the Alliance. Cerberus was one of the best Alliance black ops running for several decades.

"It appears that the Admiral no longer fears our threats." The image explained.

The Admiral was an unassuming man. He was aware of the Cerberus black op but not of the intricacies involved. The Illusive Man knew that he could be approached and blackmailed with substantial offers of monetary gain or threats of bodily harm to his family. He put Kai Leng on the job because he was ruthlessly effective. The threat would appear very real. Kahoku had done his job in covering up their disappearance but a month ago he began having second thoughts. This hit of conscience caused Leng to carry out his threat on the marines under Kahoku's command. He had staged it in such a way that it would appear accidental but Kahoku would get the message. Unfortunately, Kahoku got the message and instead of cowering back into the corner, he's been on the rampage.

"Yes. I know. I'm receiving reports that one of our old bases has been raided in the last day. It looks to be an unauthorized strike as well. Despite it being scrubbed, he could get dangerously close to finding out where the new ones are." He was not pleased.

Leng did not appear to be concerned in the hologram. "How should I proceed?"

The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette and began speaking. "You're one of my best operatives, Leng. That's why I've allowed you a lot of autonomy when performing your tasks. However, I feel the way you handled this Kahoku situation was a mistake. If you truly knew the man, you would have understood that killing his soldiers was not going to keep him in line. Now we have bigger problems. Kahoku knows too much and he is no longer easily controlled. I trust you to do what must be done."

The hologram of Kai Leng answered. "It will be done sir."

The image then faded out.

The Illusive Man had built Cerberus from the ground up with the sole intent purpose of advancing humanity and defending it against any and all enemies no matter the cost. At the time, it was to fight off foes like the Turians and Batarians. However, in the last year, he had caught wind of something much more terrifying.

'I can't have Kahoku interfering with my research on the Reapers. We know so little and who knows how much time we have until they come.'

With what little he knew about the Reapers, the Illusive Man began making plans to help defend humanity against whatever threat they may pose. In order to do this though, he needed to be free from Alliance oversight.

'It was all a front anyway. We never answered to those idiots. They'd guide humanity into ruin if I let them.'

He managed to devise a plan that allowed his entire division to slip away from the Alliance unnoticed. He had secured independent funding through many sources, both legal and otherwise, in Citadel and Terminus space over the many years of his leadership. He had established many different bases scattered throughout the galaxy to work on separate projects over the last year. Some to improve weaponry, others to research the Reaper threat and still others just to see what crazy advances they could come up with without restrictions from safety protocols. He had everything set to go and perform his disappearing act but he needed at least one high up official to cover his tracks.

'Kahoku is a loose cannon now. It's a shame. He could have been a useful ally but he needs to be removed.' Illusive Man thought.

He stared out at the star and contemplated all the moves he's made to get this far.

'There's no one out there that is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to protect humanity except me. I'm the only hope we have to our salvation.'

As crazy as it sounded, he just may be right.

Some decent setup for much later. I felt Cerberus didn't really get its due in ME1. They were just kind of there and then the writers for ME2 turned them into so much more. I'm hoping to provide a little more insight into their motives and goals. Illusive Man is a damn cool character that got pretty undercut in ME3 I felt. So I'll try to do him a better justice. Will be a long ways to go for that though.

Next time, we're off to see the Thorian. The wonderful Thorian of Feros. Till then, review you bastards. I'm dying over here.