Author notes: Sorry for the delay of the chapter, been dealing with moving stuffs. chapters maybe less frequent than before, but don't worry I haven't forgotten about you guys, i just won't have constant access to the internet. Anyways I took some liberties with some of the dialogue in this chapter. anyways, as always reviews are always accepted and wanted. Thank you guys.

Chapter 4

"The Krogan is in no position to make demands!" Shepard heard as she walked to the briefing room. She paused and shook her head in disbelief at this monumental task set before her. Shepard steeled herself for the task before walking around the glass into the briefing room to hear "The 'krogan' has a name: Urdnot Wrex. And I am not some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you are in trouble." To accentuate his point Wrex slammed his fist down on the table, chipping away small bits of wood. Wrex saw Shepard take her position at the table and gave a respectful nod to his old friend that Shepard returned while hoping the next blow the Wrex deals won't be on the Salarian Dalatrass's face.

Wrex continued his statement "I've got my own problems. Reaper scouts have been sighted on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few Turians go extinct?" as he turned to Primarch Victus.

Victus did not seem to be phased in the slightest at Wrex's last statement "Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want."

"I'll tell you what I need…" Wrex stated as he started getting an intimidating smile on his face that he flashed between the Dalatrass and Victus "A cure for the Genophage."

The Dalatrass had a look of shock on her face that was priceless to Wrex as she retorted "Absolutely not! The Genophage is nonnegotiable!"

Shepard was hardly surprised at the Dalatrass's reaction to Wrex's request "Dalatrass, your people are going to die along with everyone else. Your people should have thought the matter through, then. Was really a surprise when the Krogan revolted?"

The Salarian Dalatrass turned her attention to Shepard "That's precisely my point, Commander. We made a rash decision. We turned to the Krogan in desperation. It's the same mistake you are planning to make today."

Now it was Shepard's turn to slam her fist on to the table "Damn it to hell Dalatrass, are you really willing to let your pride doom us to the Reapers? The Krogan have paid for their mistakes. The Genophage has gone on long enough."

"One thousand, four hundred, and seventy-six years, if you're keeping track." Wrex quipped with a very noticeable growl in his voice.

"It was a thousand years of peace free from these… brutes!" the Dalatrass shouted.

Victus growled low enough to make a Krogan proud before he threw up his hands and shouted "Enough! Whether or not they deserve a cure is academic. It would take years to formulate one."

Wrex pushed himself from leaning against the table with a smug grin on his face "My information says otherwise." Wrex walked around the table and pushed Victus out of the way to get to the control panel on the far side of the table before continuing "A salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females."

Shepard narrowed her eyes in remembering the hell of walking through Maelon's lab "I remember. His methods were barbaric."

"Ah, but what you didn't know is that other females survived his experiments. Wrex brought up a video on the view screen that depicted some sort of lab before continuing "So the Dalatrass here sent in a team to clean up the whole mess—and to take them prisoner."

The Dalatrass gasped at the indignation "Where did you get this? It could be a fabrication!"

Wrex growled and pointed a threatening finger at the Dalatrass, shouting "Don't insult me! Those are my people! They're immune to the Genophage, and you're going to give them back!"

Victus could not believe what he is hearing as he turned to face the Salarian "Dalatrass, is this true?"

"How will curing the Genophage benefit my people?"

Shepard sneered at how foolish the Dalatrass is being "How long do you think you'll last against the Reapers? Because if you don't help, that's how it'll end up."

Victus stepped forward "And I'll be the last friendly Turian you ever see."

Shepard glanced at Victus before turning her attention to the Salarian "Well Dalatrass, what is it going to be?"

The Dalatrass resigned herself to defeat and placed her fingers on either side of the ridge between her eyes. "The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh." Shepard started walking out of the briefing room now that she had the information she needed but she heard the Dalatrass continue "But I warn you, Commander! The consequences of this will be felt for centuries to come!"

Shepard's patience snapped at this as she turned and walked back to the table to stand across from the Dalatrass "So help me if I shouldn't shoot you where you stand for your ignorance. I couldn't give a damn about what you or any Salarian diplomat thinks, nothing will be compared to what happens if the Reapers win. And if you ever think about trying to stop us or get in our way, the billions of deaths that would happen would be on your hands."

Wrex stepped up to stand next to Shepard "Let's get the females."

"You're not setting foot on Sur'Kesh! This will take time to—"

Victus interrupted the Dalatrass with glee "It happens now. As a Council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange."

"We're going." Shepard spat out before turning and leaving the briefing room.

The Dalatrass gave one last cry of defiance before Shepard, Wrex, and Victus went out of earshot "I won't forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!" Of course those words fell on ears that did not care what the Dalatrass would remember or not

Shepard and her team were all loaded up and on their descent down to the planet of Sur'kesh. Shepard turned to her team all crammed into the shuttle "All right, here's how we are going to do this, I will take Garrus and Liara with me to retrieve the females, Mickey, Cortez and Wrex I need you guys to stay with the shuttle."

Wrex stepped forward "Like hell that is going to happen Shepard, I am going with you to get those females."

Shepard stepped forward getting into Wrex's face "Stow it Wrex, I don't need you starting a war on the Salarians homeworld while we are trying to get their support." Shepard turned away while she addressed the rest of the team "They aren't used to seeing Krogan here so let's keep it simple. We land, get the females, and leave before anyone changes their mind."

Wrex grumbled to himself b speaking aloud "I still don't trust a word they say."

Shepard smirked at his grumblings "Let diplomacy play out, Wrex. You'll get what you want."

Wrex scowled "These females are the best and probably last hope for my people."

Mickey stepped forward "Oi mate, we'll get them and bring them back right quick."

Wrex turned to assess this new Human. "Who is this Shepard, bringing more stays onboard the Normandy?" Wrex asked while laughing.

Shepard was not amused "This is Mickey and he will be covering you on this mission."

Wrex stopped laughing and clapped Mickey on the back almost knocking him over "Bah I was just messing with you squirt." Wrex turned to Shepard and the rest "I am glad it's you here Shepard, I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus coughed loudly from where he was leaning against the side of the shuttle.

Wrex got that malevolent smirk "I suppose I can make room for you, too, Garrus." Wrex followed that with a creepy chuckle.

Garrus was unphased "Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun."

Cortez interrupted the banter "Commander, I have the Salarian base on sensors."

Shepard nodded her head "Set her down."

The shuttle drifted in towards the facility and as the shuttle hovered over the landing zone, Cortex got a warning signal "Commander, Salarian ground control says we don't have clearance to land."

Shepard narrowed her eyes in anger "Tell them the Dalatrass authorized this herself."

From the main compartment they heard Wrex say "I knew they'd never keep their word! Let's see them try to stop a Krogan airdrop." As Wrex moved towards the door and hit the button to open the hatch.

Mickey looked between Shepard and Wrex "What is he doing?" Shepard turned and shouted "WREX!" as Wrex leaped off the shuttle and landed on the ground as a number of Salarians ran forward guns at the ready. Over the roar of the engines they heard "We have an unauthorized landing" coming over the loudspeakers.

Wrex stepped forward towards the Salarians "And who authorized you to hold my race hostage?" Wrex used his biotics to throw the two closest Salarians into a support beam. He then pulled out his shotgun as red lights started to roam over his body to mark his vital organs and his head. Wrex saw the dots and followed them back to a pair of Salarian snipers that were positioned on a rooftop affording them a clear view of the LZ. Shepard and the rest of the team minus Cortez leaped out after Wrex, including Mickey who stumbled a bit before rising to his feet. More Salarians stormed to the LZ with their guns and Omni-tools raised. "Halt!" one of them shouted. Neither side budged and the stuation grew more tense before a frantic voice called out "Stand down! Hold your fire!" A Salarian in black battle armor ran between the two sides "Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague. We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago."

Shepard relaxed her stance "I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident." Shepard stepped forward to meet this newcomer "As would we." He replied.

"But you have something valuable to Wrex." Stated Shepard

"Something worth dying for." Wrex growled from the back near the shuttle.

The Salarian shook his head "This matter can be resolved, but I must insist he remain under guard."

Wrex gave a grunt of disagreement as Shepard turned her head to address her pissed-off Krogan friend "I can handle this, Wrex."

Wrex hated this idea but trusted Shepard "Anything goes wrong, and all bets are off." He replied while putting his shotgun up. The shuttle landed while 3 Salarians tried to get Wrex to give up his shotgun, which wasn't going to happen. Shepard walked with the Salarian as he introduced himself "I'm Padok Wiks, and I appreciate your understanding , Commander. With way on everyone's minds, our people are on edge." He paused as they saw a Yahg being loaded with a heavy duty looking system. Padok continued "As you can see, this base contains sensitive information."

Shepard turned to face Padok "Does that include studying lost Krogan?"

Padok sighed "The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought here to stabilize their condition."

They turned to see Wrex and Mickey being 'escorted' by a group of Salarians when Wrex says "This whole planet smells wrong."

Mickey gave Wrex a baffled look as he sniffed the air "I don't smell anything wrong here."

Wrex turned to Mickey "Can't you smell it, smells like… lizard."

Shepard shook her head as she turned her attention back to Padok "I'd like to see them."

"Of course. I'll need to clear you for the lower levels. Give me a few moments, and meet me near the elevator."

It was nice to see Mordin again though Shepard wished it had been under better circumstances she though as she ran down a corridor, hearing explosions from one of the upper levels. Cerberus had attacked shortly after confirming that there was one female survivor from Maelon's experiments. Mordin was currently in the process of taking her up to the landing area but had these bothersome Quarantine checkpoints that they had to be buzzed through. Shepard heard crashing that was followed by a large beast that looked eerily like the previous Shadow Broker before Liara took over. "Oh look, there goes the next Shadow Broker." Shepard heard Garrus quip from behind her. "That's not funny." Replied Liara, Shepard couldn't tell if she was actually bothered or humored by that thought as they continued down the hall way racing to beat Mordin to the next check point.

"MOVE OVER!" Wrex shouted at Cortez as he literally pulled him out of the seat to take his place at the controls of the shuttle. Mickey was stunned at how Cortez was evicted from the pilots seat "Oi, what do you think you are doing?"

Wrex turned in the seat to look at Mickey as he growled "What does it look like I am doing? I am flying this hunk of junk." Wrex pulled the shuttle off the landing pad and started flying gunning for the Cerberus attack ships that had flown in and bombarded the facility and were setting up for another run. "Besides, this battle needs a Krogan touch and I plan to show these lizards how a KROGAN does battle." Wrex stated with laughter in his voice as he pulled the shuttle to one side, colliding with a Cerberus attack ship that had come up alongside them, sending it colliding into a building. Wrex chuckled before saying "Oops, hope that was insured. Haha."

Mickey was holding on for dear life as the shuttle bounced and pitched as Wrex was performing evasive maneuvers. Cortez was assisting from the Co-Pilots seat. Mickey was almost thrown to the floor when the shuttle jumped up and down "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED?" Mickey shouted at Wrex.

Wrex turned in his seat and growled at Mickey "Boy, I am what is keeping us alive. You want out then you better jump, otherwise shut up or I am going to play hopscotch in your chest cavity."

Mickey grumbled but he didn't voice his opinions out loud as Wrex continued flying like a drunken Krogan taking out gunships while waiting for Shepard to return with the female. Shepard better get her out in one piece or Wrex was going to take it out on her hide, Wrex had to let a cure go once on Virmire and he was not going to let this opportunity go by again.

Shepard ducked behind a pillar as a flurry of bullets whizzed by where she was just a fraction of a second earlier. She looked across the way where Garrus and Liara were stacked up along a similar pillar. Shepard popped around the corner and fired off a volley before ducking back around the corner. Shepard knew that the Female was getting close to the last checkpoint and they needed to be there so Cerberus couldn't get their greasy paws on her last hope for a Krogan/Turian alliance.

Liara leaned over Garrus and she shimmered a hazy blue and purple hue for a brief moment before releasing a biotic blast that threw one of the Cerberus soldiers screaming over the edge and into the valley below. Liara gave Shepard a smirk of amusement before ducking back behind Garrus again as an answering volley of bullets slammed into the pillar.

Shepard was getting tired of this, they had been pinned down here for longer then what she would have liked and every moment that passes without them reaching the checkpoint increased the possibility of failure on their part and Cerberus getting the female. Shepard pulled a grenade off of her, set the timer, peered around the corner and chucked it where the Cerberus soldiers were clustered up at. A few seconds later, Shepard and her team was greeted by screams of shock and alarm as the grenade blew up. Peering around the corner, Shepard saw that the grenade had done its job and cleared out the soldiers. She waved for Garrus and Liara to follow and she hurried down the pathway getting closer and closer to the last checkpoint. "And here I was hoping we could have had enough time to paint a picture, could have sold it on the extranet titled 'Cerberus getting stomped by sexy red head', would have made a fortune." Shepard heard Garrus quipped as they hurried along the corridor. Shepard smiled at his antics, leave it to Garrus to find humor in the middle of a fire fight.

Liara spoke up at this point "We are almost to the last security checkpoint." Shepard rounded the door to find multiple Cerberus soldiers rushing about trying to secure the area and trying to get through the containment field to get the female. Shepard fired a burst of rounds at the closest soldier's head and as it exploded in a burst of red mist, his comrades turned and opened fire on Shepard and her squad. They hid behind the stone railing while a rain of bullets chipped at what little cover they had. After a few minutes of intense fire and well placed Biotics, Shepard and her squad had taken the courtyard. Shepard moved over to the controls and was about to start the process for getting the Krogan female out of the containment field when she heard Wrex over the intercom "Shepard, you've got incoming!" Moments before she saw a large mech slam onto the courtyard and stand up straight, ready for combat.

Shepard quickly ducked behind a barrier as a powerful shot from the mech blasted a nice little crater where Shepard had been standing just a few seconds earlier. She barely heard Garrus over the din of gunfire "How come they get a mech and we have to walk everywhere?" Shepard chuckled before replying "Now I know what to get you for Christmas." Shepard popped around the corner and fired a burst at the mech and ducked back before a rocket shot past her. While the mech was distracted by Shepard, Liara popped up and fired off a burst from her SMG at the same time Garrus stood to get a lock with his Omni-tool to get the shields lowered on the mech. Shepard and Liara traded the mech's attention for a few minutes before Garrus confirmed that the shields were down. All three of them popped up and while Liara and Garrus got the mech's attention, Shepard fired a long burst at the back of it, her bullets puncturing the fuel lines and detonating the power supply of the mech causing it to explode in a mixture of blue and orange flames.

Garrus stood up from where he was crouching and looked around "That'll teach them to cheat."

Shepard just shook her head as she went to the panel that miraculously survived the firefight and punched in the code to lower the containment field. While the female and Mordin stepped out of the lift to join Shepard, Wrex landed the shuttle and bounded out, determined to make sure for himself that the harbinger of his peoples future was alive and well. Mickey stumbled out after him muttering to himself about crazy drivers. As everyone congregated by the shuttle, they heard two Cerberus soldiers running up to them. The Krogan female saw them first and grabbed the shotgun out of Wrex's hands and quickly eliminated the last stragglers. Mickey looked on in awe "Holy shit! Are all Krogans mental?"

Wrex laughed as he took his shotgun back from the female and pushed Mickey and the female on to the shuttle. "No, just a woman after my own hearts."