The transmission was different. But if there was any doubt left that Harper remembered everything James did, it vanished when she'd slipped up and called the Reaper a Reaper. Shepard left the meeting overwhelmingly positive. Not just because Harper would be right there with him through the days to come, either.

Ashley Williams. She wasn't dead.

On an intellectual level, Shepard knew that she would still be alive. He hadn't screwed up on Virmire. Kaiden was perfectly intact when he'd seen him earlier. Wrex was out there right now, at this moment, pursuing a bounty on someone's head. Even Kirahe, Mr. Hold The Line himself, was probably giving a speech to a huddled mass of Special Tasks Group operatives as he thought about it. There was no reason why it should be any different for Gunnery Chief Williams.

But when he heard her voice again, it was fucking different. He'd try to figure out why later.

Before, this had been a dream. A fantasy. Do everything right, save the galaxy—easy, right? Now, it was serious business. He would not screw up again. James doubted the universe handed out third chances.

Shepard entered the cargo bay and approached Nihlus, who was checking over a heavily modified shotgun. They were only several minutes out from arriving at the colony. He didn't have much time to work with.

Beside the Spectre and Shepard, the only person in the bay was the quartermaster, and he was sequestered in the corner of the large space checking over their weapons to ensure they were one-hundred percent functional. The area seemed emptier than it should be. The familiar sleek shape of the Mako was right where it should be, but Garrus wasn't on top of the thing screwing around with the main cannon.

Wrex and Williams' absence was even more conspicuous. The two of them argued constantly. They debated. They bickered. And they did so at volume. On the Normandy SR1, the crew kept track of their proceedings with fevered interest. The fascination with argument soon spread to other venues. Officer Vakarian versus Tali'Zorah. Lieutenant Alenko versus Joker. Shepard versus Shepard. Adams versus Pressly. And all possible permutations thereof. Urdnot Wrex versus Chief Williams remained by far the most popular. Their deaths crippled morale.

Even so, time and victory restored the crew to its rowdy, blood-thirsty state. Arguing remained the unofficial official spectator sport of all those serving onboard the Normandy, all the way until it exploded.

Shepard shook the memory from his mind. He needed to focus on making stories happen, not reminiscing about them. As it stood, Shepard and Nihlus were the only people onboard who had been geared for a ground operation when the transmission came in from Eden Prime. Corporal Jenkins and Lieutenant Alenko were suiting up. That gave Shepard a window of opportunity to speak with the Spectre alone.

Nihlus noticed the Commander before he had stepped off the elevator, but he didn't acknowledge his presence until he got closer. "Commander Shepard," said the Turian, turning to get a clear line of sight over his cowl. He already knew what the human planned to ask. "I already told you. In another situation, I would embrace the opportunity to operate in tandem with you, just the two of us. I wouldn't be reviewing your candidacy if you couldn't keep up." He dipped his head. "But you have men to lead, Shepard. The beacon is our number one priority. Time is critical, and I move faster on my own. Watching over less experienced soldiers will only slow me down."

Shepard talked with Nihlus after they'd viewed the transmission. James wanted to operate with everyone as a cohesive unit. Nihlus protested.

No one had fought the Geth in hundreds of years, and husks could be on the ground. The situation was dangerous for anyone who had never seen them in person before, even a Spectre like Nihlus. And then there was Saren Arterius. Though Shepard had already begun to change the course of history, not enough time had passed for major differences to manifest. If he let Nihlus go alone, even with superior intel and a new drop site, the Spectre had an unacceptably high chance of repeating the same deadly run-in with his former mentor.

Shepard spoke with the same conviction that swayed ruthless killers to back down and skeptics to doubt their own opinions. "You chose me for a reason," he stated, watching the Turian's face closely. Nihlus's flowing white facial markings were stark against his rust colored skin. "If you really believe I can ever be your equal, you need to trust me. You're wasting both our times if you can't do that," he said.

The Spectre cocked his head to the side, hesitant. "What are you getting at, Shepard?"

"Did you see that ship?" he asked. "Red lightning was coming off that thing. I can't explain it," he lied, "but I know that's not Geth technology. Nothing we know could have built something that big, let alone make it fly in atmosphere. We can't predict what's going to be down." He shook his head. "You're right. The beacon is our top priority. It's important enough that the Geth came out from behind the Perseus Veil for the first time in hundreds of years to get it. We can't afford to take risks, Nihlus, not even calculated ones. We need to work as a team."

Nihlus examined James, weighting everything he knew about the man against his own knowledge. All of the potential he saw in humanity seemed to radiate out from the human. Driven to excel, but never content with what achievements they made. An endless grasping for more, and the brazen self-assurance to make it happen. "We do it your way," Nihlus conceded. "This time." It was difficult to back down from a decision already made, but part of being a Spectre was seeing through everything. Even yourself. "I expect your men to be quick on their feet," he added.

Shepard smiled. "They're Marines," he said. "It's part of the job."

Thanks for the reviews. I wasn't sure what the reaction would be, but I'm glad someone's enjoying it. The stuff I'm putting up is pretty raw, but I'll make revisions for readability and sensibility as I go along. I noticed I had a habit of assuming things explained themselves, hence the bare feeling the story has in the first few chapters. I'll be going back at some point in the future and fleshing it out to meet my newer standards.