"This is Tuchanka's most recent scar," The Shaman told them as they entered an arena. "The last surface city to fall in the rebellions, the keystone is at the heart. It has survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures… like the Krogan. If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials." Grunt rolled his shoulders to loosen up a little and growled in anticipation. Nothing would keep him from becoming a true Krogan. The Master Chief was characteristically silent. Grunt didn't understand that about the overgrown human. Why would such a fierce warrior not revel in the glory of their battles? "Press the button when you are ready to begin," the Shaman told him as he left the arena. That drove all thoughts of humans and their strange ways from Grunt's mind.
Grunt got his Eviscerator ready and pressed the button on the console. "First the Krogan conquered Tuchanka," the Shaman's voice said over a loudspeaker, "and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold." The two of them watched the keystone move up and slam into the ground. Grunt heard roars and growls coming from the tunnels and let out a psychotic laugh. A pack of Varren came running out of the tunnels and straight for the warriors. Grunt made a disgusted noise as he charged at them, ignoring the Master Chief's calls to stay back. The Master Chief had his way of killing things, Grunt had his own.
The Master Chief sighed and stood on a platform to shoot at the Varren who were focusing on the Krogan with his Battle Rifle. He kept it on semiautomatic to conserve ammo as he killed the few overgrown canines that got around Grunt in their attempts to surround and overwhelm the Krogan. Grunt was a whirlwind of teeth, fists, and anger that the Varren were powerless against. He grabbed the last one by the throat and devoured it.
The Master Chief was reminded of Brutes eating their enemies and subconsciously clenched his fists before reminding himself that Grunt was not a Jiralhanae. Grunt made his way back up the podium and pressed the button again. "Then the Krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair," the Shaman said as the keystone raised higher and fell.
A dragon-like creature flew by and roared at the two, the Master Chief shot it a few times but the thick hide protected it as it flew off. The creature left behind several smaller creatures that vaguely resembled lobsters. "I believe they're called Klixen, Chief. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT CONDESCENDING BITCH SAID TO ME AFTER OUR CHESS GAME?"
"Cortana!" the Master Chief yelled.
"Sorry! They shoot fire from their mouths and are resistant to fire themselves and have a thick exoskeleton," she said before retreating into herself again.
The Master Chief yelled at Grunt not to charge at them but the young Krogan refused to listen to him and was quickly engulfed in flames. The Master Chief sprinted towards him and knocked two of the Klixen out of the way before pulling Grunt to safety while firing at the Klixen one handed with his battle rifle. From what little he knew about Krogan biology, fire kept them from regenerating as effectively but Grunt would be okay given time. Time they didn't have so the Master Chief gave him some of that Medi-gel Grunt was carrying and watched as his tissue repaired itself faster than anything he'd ever seen before. In seconds, the Krogan was back on his feet and grabbed his shotgun off his back. Both super soldiers made short work of the overgrown bugs. Before Grunt went back up the stairs to press the button, the Master Chief stopped him.
"You need to listen to orders," he told the Krogan.
For a moment, Grunt considered attacking the human who dared try to command him but then he thought about it. The Master Chief and Shepard had been through countless battles before and were consistently trying to give him advice which he ignored and usually that got him into trouble. "You're right, I've been foolish," he responded. He could feel a small weight being lifted off of his shoulders. Maybe this is what it means to be a Krogan: not beating everything with brute force, but to be smart about it. The Master Chief nodded at Grunt and followed him up the stairs to press the button.
"Now all Krogan bear the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!" The Keystone rose even higher than before and came down with an earth-shaking thud.
"Do you feel that?" Grunt asked, "Everything is shaking. I'm ready." The ground kept vibrating until a giant worm-like creature came crashing out of the ground. "A Thresher Maw!" Grunt yelled in excitement. The thing was huge; it rivaled a Scarab in size but luckily lacked the mining cannon.
The Thresher Maw tilted its head back and spit something at the Master Chief. He quickly side stepped and watched as the spit dissolved the rock. So it was going to be like that. The Master Chief shot the body with his battle rifle, only to find that the hide was strong enough to deflect most of his bullets so he shot at the face and saw the worm flinch back. The explosive rounds must be working on it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grunt filling the air with bullets from his Revenant. The overgrown worm shot another splash of acid at them before retreating underground.
The Thresher Maw resurfaced on the other side of the arena and lobbed more acid at them. Again, they dodged and fired at the massive creature, peppering its face with bullets. The Master Chief launched a HEDP grenade, only for it to get hit by yet more acid as the Thresher Maw retreated underground again.
It resurfaced much closer to the Master Chief and Grunt this time and tried to bite the Spartan only to find its jaws closing on empty air and receive a HEDP grenade in its face. The creature roared in agony as the two of them hit it with automatic fire until it retreated beneath the surface yet again.
Again, Grunt and the Master Chief kept alert for any signs of the Thresher Maw resurfacing but only realized too late that it was coming right beneath them. The Master Chief dove to the side as the Thresher Maw grabbed Grunt by the leg and swallowed him whole. The Spartan hit him with yet another HEDP grenade to the face, causing it to shriek in agony. He was about to send another one down its throat, only for it to fall limp on the ground. The Master Chief was about to report that he had failed his mission when the Thresher Maw moved again, opening its mouth only to reveal a very slimy Grunt. "You survived," the Master Chief noted.
Grunt laughed heartily, "That had to be the best scrap I've ever had! When it swallowed me, I thought I was done for so I decided to make it pay and emptied my shotgun into its throat before I started cutting my way out with my Omni-blade." The Master Chief cracked a smile behind his helmet. A small ship flew past their heads and landed on the podium. "We have company," Grunt said, "good. I want more."
Uvenk stepped out of the ship, "you live, and you brought down the Thresher Maw. No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last."
"My Krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good," Grunt boasted. The Master Chief slowly started raising his rifle towards the group of hostile Krogan.
"This will cause discussion. I wonder… you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the Warlord Okeer?" Uvenk asked.
"I am designed to be the perfect Krogan!" Grunt boasted.
"Being designed is the problem. But not made by aliens. And he is truly powerful. That is a tolerable loophole," Uvenk said.
"A what?" Grunt asked incredulously.
"A reason to accept you. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans," Uvenk said smugly.
"You spit on my father's name! On Shepard's name! On the Master Chief and on myself! But now you stop ranting because I am strong?" Grunt asked furiously.
"With restrictions. You could not breed, of course. Or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."
"I think you'll find my answer coming at muzzle velocity," Grunt told him. As soon as those words left his mouth, the Master Chief shot a grenade at one of the Krogan that Uvenk brought as backup. The Krogan in question found his shields and armor were gone, and that his head followed soon after with a three-round burst of the Master Chief's battle rifle. The Master Chief switched to his M90 CAWS and engaged the other Krogan while Grunt went Krogan to Krogan against Uvenk. Grunt stuck behind cover and fired at the arrogant Krogan with his Eviscerator who laughed at him, "Is this what the blood of the great warlords has come to? Cowering behind a rock? You disgrace the Krogan name, whelp!" He paused to reload his own shotgun only for a green and orange mass of fury to charge into him.
"I am Krogan!" Grunt yelled as he pounded at Uvenk's skull. "You are worthless! You spit on what it means to be a Krogan! People like you will be the death of our species!" Grunt didn't notice that the firing had stopped. Or that Uvenk's skull was a bloody pulp. He just kept striking until an armored hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see the bronze visor looking at him emotionlessly.
Over a hundred miles away, Shepard, Garrus, and Mordin had just gotten off of the tank and stepped into a wasteland. Soon they were attacked by Klixen and made short work of the vermin. After rounding a corner, Shepard had to jump back to avoid taking a missile to the face like his friend Garrus. "Contacts!" he yelled at his team before taking another peak. They were Vorcha. Shepard used a biotic charge and killed them both with his shotgun. Up the ramp, more of the Krogan rip-offs were waiting for them and Shepard's team made their way through them. After taking the Vorcha, two Krogan charged at them. Shepard quickly back tracked while Garrus provided cover fire and Mordin tried to hit them with an Incinerate. When their shields were down, Shepard charged at them, making one of them take a step back before he took a swing at the man. Shepard ducked under the swing and fired his shotgun twice at him while Garrus and Mordin focused on the other one. Shepard had to keep diving out of the way as the Krogan continuously tried to get Shepard in his grasp or line up a shot. Finally, the Krogan entered a blood rage and tried to charge at Shepard, who used a biotic charge to get behind the Krogan and fired a full thermal clip of his SMG at the Krogan.
"All that dancing looks exhausting, Shepard," Garrus told him.
"Keeps me young," Shepard grinned. They kept moving until they were outside a rundown hospital. Shepard noticed an overturned truck and marked the location on his Omni-tool for the combustion manifold before they entered the hospital.
"Repurposed Krogan hospital. Sturdy. Built to withstand punishment," Mordin said.
"That's unfortunate," Garrus said, "Hospitals aren't fun to fight through."
"What is fun to fight through?" Shepard asked as he lead the way, SMG at the ready.
"Gardens, electronics shops, antique stores, but only if they're classy," Garrus answered.
They all grew silent as they saw a corpse on the floor. "That body. Human. Need to take a look," Mordin said, "Sores, tumors, ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject. Victim of experimentation," Mordin said while reading something off of his Omni-tool.
"I don't suppose there's a way to tell who this poor bastard was?" Shepard asked.
"No tattoos or ID. Maybe slave or prisoner. Maybe merc or pirate. Irrelevant now. Clearly part of Krogan tests to cure genophage. Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables exploration of treatment modules," Mordin reasoned.
"Wouldn't something native to Tuchanka work better? Varren, maybe?" Shepard asked.
"Yes. Human experiments strictly high-level, concept testing. Native Tuchanka fauna likely used later, in development stages. Wise to delay use of Varren until necessary. Powerful bite," Mordin said.
"What can you tell about the experiments from looking at the body?" Shepard asked.
"Position of tumors suggests deliberate mutation of adrenal, pineal glands. Modifying hormone levels. Counterattack on glands hit by genophage. Clever," Mordin said.
"Do you think they're close to curing the genophage?" Shepard asked.
"Can't say. Need more data. Conceptually sound though. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormonal counterattack," Mordin answered.
"How are humans more genetically diverse?" Shepard asked. As far as he knew, humans lacked genetic diversity compared to other species from Earth.
"More variable. Peaks and valleys, mutations, adaptations. Far beyond other life. Makes humans useful test subjects. Larger reactions to smaller stimuli," Mordin answered.
"I know we can look much different from each other, but Asari have a wide range of skin tones," Shepard countered, somewhat confused, somewhat horrified.
"No. Ignore superficial appearance. Down to genetic code," Mordin told him. "Biotic abilities, intelligence levels. Can look at random Asari, Krogan, make reasonable guess. Humans too variable to judge. Outliers in all species, of course. Geniuses, idiots. But human probability curve offers greater overall variety."
"Well now we've got two reasons to shut them down," Shepard said.
"Focus on Maelon," Mordin said, getting up, "too late to help the dead."
They went down a set of stairs and around a corner, coming into a large chamber with a Krogan standing on a railing. "I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders. You have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the Chief of chiefs, has ordered that you be given the chance to flee and spread the message of our coming." This asshole talked too much.
"Krogan don't generally let people go," Shepard said, "What does Clan Weyrloc have planned?"
"If you walk away now, you can tell your children that you saw Clan Weyrloc before our Blood Pack conquered the stars! You think the Urdnot impressive? They are pitiful. Weyrloc Guld will destroy them! The Salarian will cure the genophage and Clan Weyrloc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!" the clan spokesman said.
"Appears they've discovered Maelon's work. Unfortunate," Mordin whispered.
"It doesn't have to happen like this. I can understand wanting to cure the genophage…" Shepard began.
"No, human! You understand nothing! You have not seen the piles of children that never lived! The Krogan were wronged! We will make it right, and then we will have our revenge!" The spokesman replied angrily.
Shepard tried reasoning with him, "Half of the galaxy sees the Krogan as victims! If you start a war, you'll lose their support!"
"We have the Blood Pack and we have the Salarian! When our clan numbers in the millions, we will not need their support. When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all Krogan! The Krogan Rebellions will become the Krogan Empire!" Tired of the conversation, Shepard pulled out his pistol and shot at a pipe near the Krogan's feet. "See? The human cannot hit a simple target!" The Krogan boasted before he noticed the leaking gas. Shepard shot again, sending him and his two buddies up in flames. Several Vorcha and a couple of Krogan came pouring in through the door behind the now dead spokesman, right into Shepard, Garrus, and Mordin's line of fire. It was almost sad to see how easily they threw their lives away.
They moved up to the catwalk and through the door. "The lab is likely through there. Can smell antiseptic, hint of dead flesh," Mordin said. They continued in silence until they found a terminal, "active console. May contain useful data. One moment. Genetic sequences. Hormone mutagens still steady. Protein chains, live tissue, cloned tissue. Very thorough. Standard treatment vectors. Avoiding scorched-earth immunosuppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that."
"Most people wouldn't be so casual about developing a sterility plague, Mordin," Shepard pointed out.
"Not developing. Modifying. Much more difficult. Working within confines of existing genophage. A hundred times the complexity. Errors unacceptable. Could cause total sterility, malignant tumors. Could even reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Had to keep Krogan population stable. One in one thousand. Perfect target, optimal growth. Like gardening," Mordin explained.
"You're saying you were working just as hard to keep their population from falling?" Shepard asked.
"Yes! Could have eradicated Krogan. Not difficult. Increased mutation to degrade genetic structure further. Chose not to. Rachni extinction tragic. Didn't want to repeat. All life precious. Universe demands diversity," Mordin said.
"What was it like working on the genophage modification project?" Shepard asked.
Mordin took a deep breath, "Best years of my life. Wake up with ideas. Talk over breakfast. Experiment all morning. Statistical analysis in afternoon. Run new simulations during dinner, set data runs to cook overnight. Laughter. Ego. Argument. Passion. Galaxy's biggest problem, massive resources thrown at us. Got anything we wanted."
"Sounds like you were pretty important. How'd you go from that to running a clinic on Omega?" Shepard asked.
"Wanted to heal people. Good use of last decade. Something easy. No ethical concerns," he said sadly. "Understand rationale for modified genophage. Right choice. Still hard to sleep some nights."
Shepard knew all about that. He still had nightmares about Torfan. "Do you keep in touch with your old team members?" he asked.
"No. All changed with deployment. Made test drop on isolated Krogan clan. Hit rest of Tuchanka when results were positive. End of project. Separate ways. Watching it end, watching birth rates drop. Personal. Private. Not appropriate for team," Mordin said.
"If the Krogan banded together and formed a united government, would you welcome it?" Shepard asked.
"Yes! United Krogan saved galaxy, destroyed Rachni. Genophage not punishment. Simply alters fertility to correct for removal from hostile environment," Mordin said.
"Let's get moving," Shepard said. In another room, they found the body of a female Krogan.
"Dead Krogan. Female. Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer. Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life," Mordin said, more to himself than to Shepard or Garrus.
"I didn't expect you to be upset over the sight of a dead Krogan," Shepard said.
"What? Why? Because of genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative. Never experimented on live Krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it. Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically… but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it," he said.
"I didn't think you'd had much direct contact with things like this. Did you come to Tuchanka after dropping your plague?" Shepard asked.
"Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. Ensure no mistakes. Superiors offered to carry it on. Refused. Need to see it in person. Need to look. Need to see. Accept it as necessary. See small picture. Remind mself why I run a clinic on Omega," Mordin said before turning back to the dead Krogan woman. "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better."
"I didn't expect spirituality from you, Mordin," Shepard said.
"Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Explored religions after work completed. Different races. No answers. Many questions," Mordin said.
"Guilty conscience, doctor?" Shepard asked sincerely.
"Modified genophage project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult. Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. Still caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses," Mordin admitted.
"How do you deal with the nightmares?" Shepard asked.
"Wheel of life. Popular Salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism in focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn, adapt, improve. Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more," he answered.
"If you need to do this much soul searching to get over it, maybe the genophage was wrong," Shepard offered.
"Had to be done. Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions all pointed to Krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of Krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Genophage or genocide. Save galaxy from Krogan. Save Krogan from galaxy."
"Why not cure the genophage instead? Give the Krogan hope so they can rejoice," Shepard countered.
"Assumes human reaction. Krogan stimulus response different. Harsh environment, take chance to fight, flee. Would have caused chaos on Tuchanka. Victor would have war economy, bloodthirsty army. Galactic expansion only logical outcome. More war. Genophage saved lives war would have ended."
"This decision was made on the evidence of simulation?" Shepard asked.
"Yes. Millions of data points. Years of arguments. Countless scenarios. All noted Krogan fragmentation as dangerous. No unified culture to support repopulation. Would have been war. Turians and humans destroying Krogan utterly. Genophage was better. Saved lives!" Mordin said.
"You've saved a lot of lives, Shepard," Lieutenant Commander Anderson told the young Gunnery Sergeant as he handed him a silver star. Normally, this would be done by somebody in his own chain of command but expedience dictated otherwise. In most fields, an eight year Gunny would be unheard of. In Special Operations, it was only slightly faster than average among those who stayed in long enough.
"Thank you, sir," Shepard answered. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"
"I'd say you've earned that, Gunnery Sergeant," Commander Anderson told him.
"Did I make the right call? I got my entire team and the platoon we were leading killed," Shepard wondered. This wasn't the first time he'd lost people. He'd lost a lot of good friends over the years. But this was the first time that so many people under his command got killed.
Anderson thought for a moment before answering, "Shepard, you're going to get a lot of hate for what you did here. A lot of good men and women died on your order. But a decision needed to be made and Major Kyle snapped under the pressure, leaving his unit without a leader after Captain Conway's death. I wasn't on the ground so I can't tell you whether I would've made the same decisions but you were there. You got the job done and sometimes that's all we can do. This isn't an old-school vid where doing the right thing means you win. Mission accomplishment comes first; survival second. What I can tell you is that a lot more people are going to be sleeping peacefully without worrying about slavers."
"Thank you, sir," Shepard responded.
"No problem, Gunnery Sergeant. Why don't you join the Navy when your enlistment period is up? A change of pace might do you some good."
"Shepard?" Garrus asked, concerned for his friend.
"Let's get going," Shepard said, snapping out of his memories. They left the Krogan woman's corpse behind and continued on until they found a slumped Krogan.
"You killed the Blood Pack Guards?" He asked.
"Not Blood Pack, not member of Clan Weyrloc. Wrong clan markings," Mordin said.
"I'm an Urdnot Scout. Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here," the Krogan said.
"The Chief scout told us to watch for you. We've taken out the guards. Get back to Urdnot," Shepard told him.
"I can't. They Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs, injections, said I was sacrificing for the good of all Krogan. Experiments to cure the genophage. Everything's blurry. Hard to think. Have to stay," the scout said.
"Mordin, can you get him back on his feet? Stims maybe? Something to bolster his immune system?" Shepard asked.
"You don't understand. I'm not too sick to leave. I have to stay. They're curing the genophage. They're going to make it all better! They have to keep doing the tests," the scout said.
"Caution, Shepard. Patient unstable, susceptible. Brainwashed," Mordin whispered to him.
"Why do you want them to keep doing the tests?" Shepard asked.
"This is my fault. I got caught. Wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is the best I can do. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I help undo the genophage, then I mattered!"
"Millions of children will be born—Weyrloc children. They're going to destroy the other clans," Shepard told the scout.
"But… no. No, they said I was helping Urdnot!"
"If you want to help Urdnot, you need to get back there. But it would take a real badass to make it back to camp while injured," Shepard said.
"I can do it!" the scout told him.
"You? I said a badass, not some scout whining like a Quarian with a tummy ache!" Shepard taunted.
"I can do it! I'm up! And I'm going to the female camp!" the scout declared.
"Damn right you are! Get back there and show them what you're worth! Go, go!" Shepard said. The Krogan roared as he charged past them back to Camp Urdnot.
"There's no pep talk like a military pep talk," Garrus remarked.
"Shepard, I'm detecting crates ahead that are holding unstable materials. A misplaced shot could cause a significant explosion," EDI informed him as they came upon a large room with several levels. Or a well placed shot.
Shepard told Garrus to set up a sniping position and charged at a group of Vorcha when Garrus opened fire. Garrus focused on the handful of Krogan in the room while Shepard focused on taking out the Vorcha and Mordin supported Garrus. Shepard's aggressive style worked well with Garrus' tactical approach which is why they often went on missions together. The problem was that sometimes he got reckless. Like when he found himself too close to an angry Krogan while said Krogan was hidden from Garrus' aim by a pillar. Shepard did the only thing he could do. He jumped off the railing. He used another biotic charge to get onto another catwalk. Now he was completely on his own until Garrus could get three levels down. He heard the staccato of an assault rifle and realized that Garrus and Mordin were probably trying to push downwards to help him out. How sweet of them.
Meanwhile, Shepard kept charging at enemies and finishing them off with shotgun blasts. He heard a Krogan coming down the stairs and knew it was time to keep moving. He just didn't have the firepower to take them down while surrounded by pawns. Shepard ran back up the stairs to find Garrus and Mordin taking on the last Krogan on that level so he hit him with a biotic charge and knocked him over the railing and down ten floors where he broke his neck. Garrus opened fire on the Krogan that chased Shepard up the stairs and they were left alone. They opened another door and saw a Salarian hunched over a terminal, busy at work.
"Maelon? Alive. Unharmed," Mordin said in disbelief, "No signs of restraint. No evidence of torture. Don't understand."
"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions. How long will it take you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?" Maelon said.
"Maybe the Weyrloc brainwashed or drugged him to keep him under control," Shepard suggested.
"Unlikely. Pupils normal. Body language consistent with standard metabolic state," Mordin said.
"Please, Professor. You wrote a paper on this. Forced behavior modification always results in mental degradation," Maelon said. That explained what Saren said a few years ago. "Whether from Reaper indoctrination or drugs, test subjects always lose higher cognitive function."
"Hold on, did you say Reaper?" Shepard asked. "So is the Salarian government taking the Reaper threat seriously?"
"Captain Kirrahe was with you on Virmire, Shepard. Of course, we're taking this threat seriously," Mordin answered.
"But Anderson can't seem to find any support on the Council," Shepard said.
"If Councilor Valern were to come out in open support of you, he would lose support of Councilors Sparatus and Tevos in other matters crucial to the Salarians," Mordin explained.
"I hate politics," Shepard said. "He was never kidnapped. He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage." Maelon nodded in agreement.
"Impossible. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!" Mordin exclaimed.
"How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus? I was your student! I looked up to you!"
"Experiments performed here. Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and executions. Your doing?" Mordin asked in disbelief.
"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that," Maelon replied.
"Do you honestly think that the experiments you did here are justified?" Shepard asked.
"We committed cultural genocide! Nothing I do will ever be justified! The experiments are monstrous… because I was taught to be a monster," Maelon said.
"Mordin, did you ever perform experiments like this?" Shepard asked.
"No. Never taught you this, Maelon," Mordin said.
"So your hands are clean! What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions?" Maelon asked. "You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how."
"What happens if the genophage is cured and the Krogan expand again?" Shepard asked, "That will be on your head."
"We justified this atrocity by saying the Krogan would cause havoc and war if their population recovered. But look at the galaxy! Batarian attacks in the Traverse, Geth attack on the Citadel. Is this a more peaceful universe?" Maelon asked. "The assault on your Eden Prime might never have happened if we had let the Krogan recover. We'll never know."
"How would a Krogan population explosion have done anything to stop Saren and the Geth?" Shepard demanded.
"An increased Krogan population would have forced the Council to take steps, likely involving colony rights in the Traverse. The Turian fleets would be vigilant for any military activity in the area. They might have stopped the Geth at Eden Prime."
Shepard exploded with fury, "It took the combined power of the Alliance fifth fleet and the Citadel fleet to bring down Sovereign! The Turians lost twenty cruisers, each with a crew of about three hundred. The Alliance lost eight cruisers. You're out of your god damned mind if you think a Turian patrol fleet would have been anything more than a speed bump for Eden Prime!" Shepard took a deep breath to calm down, "You talked about killing but the genophage isn't lethal. It only affects fertility rates."
"Krogan fight over fertile females. They become mercenaries or pirates because they see no alternative! They would be thriving in a cultural renaissance now had we not decided that this is what they deserved!" Maelon shouted.
"Inaccurate. Krogan population resulted in war. Simulations were clear!" Mordin said.
"Why work with Clan Weyrloc? And how did you access the genophage data?" Shepard asked.
"The data was easy to obtain. We all still had clearance. We were heroes. All I had to do was ask," Maelon said, "as for the Weyrloc, they were the only clan with both the resources and the commitment."
"Urdnot has a larger camp than Weyrloc. Why not use them?" Shepard asked. Though he was glad Wrex hadn't gotten involved in this mess.
"Urdnot Wrex is too soft. He wasn't willing to do the experiments I needed. It's Urdnot's loss and Weyrloc's gain. Their clan will be the first to recover from the crime we committed," Maelon told him.
"Maelon clearly doesn't need rescuing," Shepard said to Mordin, "What do you want to do?"
"Have to end this," Mordin said.
"You can't face the truth, can you?" Maelon asked, raising his pistol and alternated aiming at Shepard and Mordin. "Can't admit that your brilliant mind led you to commit this atrocity!" Mordin punched him in the face.
"Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you," Mordin said.
"Wait! You don't need to do this, Mordin. You're not a murderer," Shepard said.
"No. Not a murderer. Thank you, Shepard. Finished, Maelon. Get out. No Weyrloc left. Project over," Mordin said.
"What if he talks to more Krogan and tells the public about the modified genophage project?" Shepard asked.
"Special Tasks Group good at covering tracks. No proof," Mordin declared, "Weyrloc willingness to work with Salarian unusual. Other Krogan will kill him."
"Aren't you worried that he'll start his research again?" Shepard asked.
"No. Locking this unit. Special Tasks Group can cut access to old data. Cold start from scratch. Decades of work, though. Didn't teach you everything I knew," Mordin told Maelon.
"You heard the professor. Get out before he changes his mind," Shepard told Maelon.
"Where am I supposed to go, Professor?" Maelon pleaded.
"Don't care. Try Omega. Can always use another clinic," Mordin said.
"The Krogan didn't deserve what we did to them, Professor. The genophage needs to end!" Maelon said as he left.
"Not like this," Mordin whispered to himself. "Apologies, Commander. Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you."
"Don't worry about me, Mordin. How are you doing?" Shepard asked.
"Should have killed him. Wanted to. Easier than listening. Easier for him too. Experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from Krogan. Not one of mine," Mordin said.
"Something to think about the next time you're discussing the ethics of the genophage," Shepard said.
"Yes. So many variables. Stress responses. Impossible to truly predict. Something to think about," Mordin said.
"Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure, security. Sill valuable though," Mordin said.
"This is the research that included tests on living victims. It's tainted," Shepard said.
"Right now, victims died for nothing. Keep it, use it, death worth something. Maelon's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on Krogan. Effects on galaxy. Too many variables. Too many variables!"
"Keep it," Shepard said, "At worst, it'll sit in some STG server somewhere forever. At best, maybe it can be used to cure the Krogan someday," Shepard said.
"Point taken, Shepard. Capturing data, wiping local copy," Mordin said. "Still years away from cure. But closer than starting from scratch. Done. Ready to go. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Maybe somewhere sunny."
"I've got to say, that was some impressive work, whelp," Wrex said to Grunt somewhat affectionately. "Not many have been swallowed by a Thresher Maw and lived to tell about it."
"My Krantt gave me strength," Grunt declared.
"That he did but when you were swallowed and thought you were done, you kept fighting. That's the kind of spirit we need in Clan Urdnot," Wrex told him.
"Thank you, Warlord Wrex," Grunt said humbly.
"Come with me," Wrex said and lead him to the Armory of Urdnot. "This is my ancestral armor. It's crap now but it meant a lot to my family at one point. It was taken from my grandfather after the Rebellions by a Turian. It took me years to find it but only Shepard and another Turian were there to help me get it back. That's why Urdnot is willing to work with aliens while advancing the Krogan as a whole. We can accomplish a lot more by working together. I'm sure Shepard could find an even more feminine way to say it." Wrex handed Grunt a shotgun., "This is a M-300 Claymore, the most powerful shotgun in the galaxy. It only has one shot per thermal clip but it will destroy anything it hits. I want you to have it."
"I don't know what to say," Grunt said awed.
"Don't say anything. Use it to kill those damned Collectors," Wrex laughed.
"Yes, sir" Grunt said.
"You may also want to do some reading. We have plenty of strong Krogan in our clan but not enough smart ones," Wrex said.
Author's Note: Please read and review so I can make this story better.