"Too close, Commander. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."

"Jeff…"

"We almost die out there and you Pilot is making jokes."

"Joker pulled our asses out of there. He has earned the right to make a few bad jokes. It is just how he is. He worries."

"That doesn't sound like worry to me Commander."

"Kaidan enough."

"Sorry Commander."

"Dr T'soni do you know anything about the Conduit?"

"Only that is was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. This is my real area of expertise. I have spent the last fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them. "

"Well you maybe in luck there. We found a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime and in downloaded something into my head. Right now it is just a bunch of images jumbled together."

"Commander if you would allow me I could see what you saw and maybe together with my knowledge of the Protheans we could figure it out.

"How would we do this?"

"I would connect our minds to share the vision."

"So like some Vulcan mind meld thing?"

"I am sorry Commander but I do not understand the question."

"Never mind. Lets try it."

Liara came to stand in front of Shepard, as Garrus watched, her eyes turn black and she spoke "Relax Commander and Embrace Eternity." They were frozen for a minute and the look on Shepard's face was one of pain and terror. Liara came out the trance first and took a step back.

"Fuck, my head feels like it just got head butted by a Krogan."

"He, he , he. How would you know that Shepard?" Wrex stated with amusement on his face.

"I am sorry Commander but that was incredible. All this time. All my research. Yes. I… I never dreamed… I am sorry. The images were so vivid I never imagined the experience would be so … intense. You are remarkable strong willed Commander. What you have been through and what you have seen would have destroyed a lesser mind."

"Thank you Liara," as Shepard was speaking Liara began to waver on her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yes Commander. I think I need to lay down that took a lot out of me I am sorry."

"No problem. Kaidan, could you escort Liara to her quarters. Joker set a course to Pinacle Station. Everyone else your dismissed."

"Thank you for saving me Commander. I will help you as best as I can."

"You're welcome Liara."

Garrus had been working on the Mako for about an hour when he heard Shepard come off the lift. She made her rounds talking to Ashley, who was a little xenophobic. He could tell that Shepard was slowly getting her to come away from her prejudices. Then she was talking to the mountain of a Krogan Wrex who was still trying to get her to tell the story of where she got her daggers from. He was fixing the axel when he felt a kick to the bottom of his foot.

"Are you going to come out of there or are you going to avoid me like you have been doing most of this cruise so far."

In truth he had not been avoiding her, he just didn't know what to make of the feelings that she brought up in him, and so he would always be busy when she came around either polishing his armor or cleaning his guns. After thinking about it he realized she would talk to all of the crew members and had tried to get him to join the conversations more than once so it would seem like he was avoiding her. He crawled out from under the Mako to see her staring him down. Her hair was down and she was in her usual N7 hoodie and black cargo pants that she seemed to prefer wearing against her Alliance uniform.

"I am sorry Commander, but you seemed to have melted part of the axel on Therum I was just trying to be useful and replace it before it goes out again."

"Is that a comment on my driving?"

"No Commander. Joker already warned the crew not to make any comments about your ability to drive the Mako."

"Did he now… I guess I will have to have a talk with him about that. Since you can't get away from me now I think I am going to order you to talk to me."

"Yes Commander. What would you like to know?"

"Garrus it Elika and if that is too informal for you, you can call me Shepard but no more Commander. Alright?" He still hadn't looked into her eyes since he stood up. She had never realized just how tall he really was. She liked having this Turian to watch her six. He was the best shot that she had seen in ages and she wasn't going to tell him that anytime soon. He was cocky around the others and also on the battlefield, keeping up easily with the banter between her and Kaidan. When she would try to include him in the mess or try to talk to her in the cargo bay he would become almost shy it was through her for a loop.

"Okay Shepard."

"Brilliant, so… do you have family anywhere and why did you decide to join up with me?"

"My family is on Palaven. My sister Solana lives with my mother and father in a large estate outside of the capital. Solana is a medic in the military. My father joined C-sec when he retired and my mother stays at home mainly she likes to teach still, when the opportunity arises."

"What does she teach?"

"Mostly hand to hand combat, she was the highest ranking hand to hand combatant in her platoon. She taught me everything I know, except my grandfather taught me my sniper skills."

"I am glad for that since I have been putting them to good use."

"You have. You seem to like to rush into the middle of the field and then spirits you go all biotic goddess on them."

"Biotic Goddess."

Garrus was stunned that he just said that out loud he just stood there rubbing his talons across the back of his fringe and shifting his massive weight from foot to foot. When he looked down he couldn't really decipher what the look was in her eyes and all he could stutter out was "well… um… you know what I mean."

"It is okay Garrus I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable but I do have a few requests now. I was hoping once we get to Pinacle Station which should take a few days if you could help out with some training. I want to get everyone combat ready and I think you weapon skills and now that I know you are excellent in hand to hand would help get a certain Assari and Quarian up to speed. Plus I could use some practice as well. I plan on handling the Biotics but I need someone with their head on straight to handle the others. I would have Ashley help out but she still has issues to deal with."

"It would be by pleasure Shepard to help out with the training. Just let me now the schedule."

"Thank you Garrus."

As she turned to head back to the lift he stopped her by saying her name and she looked over her shoulder at him "You now anytime you want to spar Wrex and I have already set up a make shift ring. It helps us in the stress department."

"I might take you up on that." Her hair flipped back over her shoulder when she turned back to the lift and he could smell the scent of a rare flower on Palaven one that his mother use to keep in pots in their home when he was growing up. According to the Assari it smelt like the berry found on earth called strawberries.

Joker was sitting in the mess just after his shift when he got a message ping on his Omni-tool to met El in her quarters. It was short and brief which usually meant he was in trouble. He knew that if he didn't get there soon it would be a lot worse. The door slide open when he touched the lit pad on the outside he had always had access to her quarters since they had become friends. He felt at times that he was her only family and in essence he was for the time being. She was sitting at her desk and if he didn't know any better he would say she was deep in thought about the debriefing paper work, but he knew better and once he heard "Fucking Alistair how did you get killed my a genlock." All bets were on that she was playing Dragon Age one of the few things she still had left of her dad.

"So who are you this time and how much trouble am I in?"

"Shhhhh… almost there… … … … … … yessss now time to raid the bodies then back to camp. Oh yeah sorry about that. First question elven rouge, second question depends…"

"Depends on what El?"

"What exactly was in the mass message about my driving?"

"Oh that," Joker said chuckling "I didn't actually say anything about your driving just sent a few video clips from a few of your more creative attempts to get places and told them to pray for their lives."

"Well that explains why Garrus and Wrex volunteered for the last mission and in the middle of it Garrus was mumbling "Spirits he was right" and Wrex just laughing."

"Well at least I didn't send the one with the Mako verses a Thresher Maw."

"Jeff lets not talk about that. Hey do you mind hanging out in her for awhile?"

"Shouldn't you be well sleeping? It is late by ship standards."

"I know but the dreams are back and last night I found Kaidan outside the door banging on it wondering what happened in here."

"Okay but I am not falling for that whole bed trick again. I maybe a good pillow and all but two cracked ribs are not fun and neither is your biotic wake up. I will take the couch which surprisingly looks more comfortable then the sleeper pods."

"Well about the couch I might have written off that purchase with a little bit of creative help by Chakwas as a therapeutic devise used in physical therapy to my Spectre account."

"You did what."

"Hey it has comfort adjustments settings for all species and a sonic massager. Plus it is bigger than the bed bay cots and the can hold a Krogan." Joker sat down on the couch and fell in love. It was more comfortable then the sleeper pods. He got up and headed towards her door. "Hey I thought you said you would stay?"

"I am but I am going to change and grab my blanket. You might not be able to get rid of me now." When he got back with said blanket in tow she couldn't help but laugh. The blanket was defiantly made by his mom it had spaceships and planes all over it.

"I wouldn't be laughing the last time I talked to my mom she decided to make you one now that you are a Spectre."

It was the first time in weeks that she actually slept through the night. The dreams from her past and the ones from the beacon were held at bay because her best friend was like a personal dream catcher.

Kaidan didn't like the fact that he saw Joker enter Shepard's cabin in his sleep pants and hoodie with a very colorful and loud looking blanket. She had made it clear that she didn't fraternize with subordinates, but there was Joker sleeping in her cabin. A few times when he was walking the ship at night because of his migraines he noticed her asleep with data pads in her lap in the co-pilots chair and Joker putting a blanket over her. He didn't know what it all meant but he wanted to because he couldn't help the way he felt about her. Jealousy was a dangerous thing and Joker was starting to bring it out in him.