A/N: Well, here it is, chapter 8! I realize this chapter is perhaps a tad on the slower side, but it still sets up some plot stuff (I'm not one to just put in filler because I can't think of anything else, something's going to happen in every chapter, I promise), but the next couple of chapters are going to pick back up again, please don't give up on me! And as always, please read and review! And please, enjoy.

Chapter 8

Temporary Lodgings

The return flight to the Citadel was made in almost complete silence, the atmosphere heavy. None of them had known the Drell particularly well; he had always been very reserved and withdrawn, preferring to pass the days alone in the life support room reflecting on his past and preparing for the future. The other members of the Normandy had been perfectly content leaving the assassin to his own devices. The Drell had had a certain aura about him, a sort of brooding isolation that discouraged any attempts to socialize with him. Garrus began to wonder if Thane's remoteness had been by conscious effort, or whether he had been ostracized by the rest of the crew. No, he had wanted it that way, Garrus assured himself. He shook his head quickly, trying to erase the thoughts. Thane was dead, but they had barely known each other, the only occasion they had had to speak was for the purpose of discussing plans and strategy in the comm room on the Normandy. He rubbed his temples, gently massaging the headache that had been forming, steadily worsening on the flight back to the Citadel. He sighed and leaned back against the stiff wooden bench, closing his eyes. He needed some sleep, desperately. He hadn't closed his eyes for almost two full days, now, and this shuttle was better than the dingy apartment he had rented on the Citadel.

Tali and Miranda sat on the bench across from the Turain. A painful silence hung in the air, yet neither wanted to be the one to break the tension. Tali stood up, quietly, trying to keep from waking Garrus. She stepped over to the porthole, watching as the stars glided smoothly past, sentinels keeping watch in the eternal night. They would always be there. They had passively watched the destruction of the Protheans and every race that had existed before. When everything she had ever known had long since turned to dust and been forgotten, they would still hang in the sky, watching over a new generation.

But one day even the stars would be gone, the planets would crumble into dust, and everything that had seemed immovable and permanent would pass away. She remembered thinking of Shepard as permanent, as much a part of the universe as the stars that shone outside. Even two years ago, after he had been resurrected, these feeling returned, possible more powerful than ever. Everyone died once, and he had already paid those dues. Why couldn't he have just lasted forever?

"We will be arriving at the Citadel in approximately ten minutes. Please prepare for exit from the vessel," said the voice, interrupting Tali's train of thought. Garrus stirred at the announcement, blinking quickly while looking blearily about the cabin.

"Why is it that you're always more tired after you wake up?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"Well, you heard Mr. Rowe, pack your suitcases," Miranda said, standing up to speak, looking around at the distinct lack of baggage within the small shuttle.

"Why can't we just discuss our business here?" asked Tali. "It's more private than Garrus's apartment on the Citadel, or really any place there for that matter."

"Remember, Anderson gave us the special councilor suite. I don't think we have to worry about our privacy. Not to mention, it'll look suspicious if we land in the dock and then stay shut up inside. If we wanted to talk on the shuttle, we could've done it on the flight over. Mr. Rowe also needs to run some systems checks and refuel. It's best if we stay out of his way."

Garrus stood up, stretching, and yawned. He did his best not to think of Thane, how the color had drained from his face as he died, the years of pain washed away in the blink of an eye. Five. Now five of Shepard's old team was dead. Would there be a sixth? He looked around the small cabin, seeing Tali's limp form strewn across the floor, her mask cracked, blood, scarlet red and glistening in the artificial light of the cabin, beginning to pool on the ground her. Miranda, lying facedown, bullet holes riddling her figure as her breathing slowly began to fade, growing softer and softer. He saw the blood smatter the window behind him, as a clip shattered his eyepiece, ripping through his frail, insignificant body like a knife through warm butter. He shook his head trying to rid himself of macabre imagery. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his headache began to burn, pounding against the inside of his skull like an enraged beast.

Tali looked over at Garrus concernedly. Beads of sweat hung suspended by his face as his eyes closed together tightly.

"Are you alright, Garrus," she asked the worry evident in her tone.

"I'm fine, it'll pass, Garrus managed to choke out through his grimace.

Tali took one last glance at the Turian, reassuring herself that he was fine, just a headache. She remembered Kaidan had used to get the same kind of headaches. His pain had died with him on Virmire, his body forever lost, incinerated as the bomb he died to defend ripped his very being apart at the seams.

As she reflected on her fallen companion whom she hadn't seen in four years, she felt the momentum of the ship subtly shift underneath her feet. The other two hadn't seemed to notice, but her senses had been honed by life aboard the flotilla. Ships had almost become a part of her. She could read the subtle shifts in weight, knew the slight weightless feeling that signaled the utilization of an FTL drive. Tali stepped over to the porthole once more, her supposition proving correct. In the distance, drawing rapidly nearer, the Citadel waited, its tentacled maw agape, ready to swallow the shuttle whole. A shadow fall across her, and Tali turned to see Miranda standing behind her, observing their swift approach.

Tali stepped into the airlock, eager to escape the cramped shuttle. Garrus followed, still massaging his splitting head. Miranda still stood at the porthole, looking out at the great space station. Inside, the Citadel was falling apart, but from her vantage point, the great space station still held all its former majesty.

The small shuttle sped into the docking bay, mechanical grips locking onto the sides of the ship, holding it in place. A flight technician filled out a small note in the records up on the control deck, a flight listing of the different ships in each port, and then the small, unobtrusive ship was promptly forgotten about. Just what Miranda had wanted.

They stepped quietly off the ship. Tali looked around the corner wearily. She had been shot at way too many times to take her safety for granted. Instincts had saved her life on more than one occasion. Thankfully, the three were not welcomed by the crack of weapons as they unloaded their contents, and they reached the docking elevator without incident.

Once the elevator reached the C-Sec academy, the three exited, while Garrus hailed a cab at the transit station. A sleek, red shuttle pulled alongside the terminal, its hinged door sliding upwards with a pneumatic hiss. The smell of antiseptic greeted them as they entered the passenger compartment. Tali quickly input the destination on the holo screen inside the door of the shuttle, and they sped down the dark taxi tunnels towards the Citadel Tower.

They left the shuttle unobtrusively, and began to casually walk down a corridor of the tower, some of the C-Sec officers eyeing them suspiciously despite their clearance passes. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at a door, that although small and plain, stood out, if nothing else, because of the lack of dust on its frame. The wood almost seemed to shine underneath the artificial sun. The door opened silently on well-oiled hinges, and upon stepping inside, they were greeted by a rush of cold air. Tali looked around the room in shock. They were in a large room, its arched ceiling reaching upwards in a domed arch to a single point overhead. Portraits of assorted dignitaries representing all the Citadel races hung upon the walls in perfect intervals. They peered down at the new arrivals, disapproving of the new company. A hallway, the floor covered by an exquisite red carpet, an ornate pattern adorning its surface, reached down the length of the apartment, several doors lining the path, leading off into separate rooms. Garrus immediately opened the first door on the left. Inside was a bed, the sheets already made, pillows littering the top end. The head board was elaborately carved, depictions of leaves and vines intertwining within the dark wood. The Turian sighed contentedly as he sprawled across the sheets on the bed. Just as his eyes were closing, Miranda walked in front of the door, clapping her hands loudly. She received an annoyed glare from Garrus as he painstakingly sat up against the headboard. "What do you want? Can't it wait until I've had my nap?" Garrus asked plaintively.

"No. We need a plan of action. Take a nap when we have our business is squared away," Miranda said impatiently.

"Fine, then let's just get it over with. I'm not moving, though, so if you want me in on this plan of action, we'll make it in here."

Miranda sighed. She had a feeling that if she really wanted to, it would not be all that difficult to find a bone to draw the Turian from his reclined position against the headrest, but it really wasn't worth arguing over.

Tali who had been standing silently just behind Miranda, brushed past her as she entered the room, sitting next to Garrus. She rested her feet on the bed, and looked expectantly towards Miranda to begin the impromptu conference. Miranda leaned against the doorframe, suddenly beginning to speak. "We need money to perform this operation, and we need a place to conduct the procedure. As far as our monetary issues are concerned, none of us have become billionaires in our expeditions. So unless anyone has any better ideas, we're going to have to steal it."

Tali and Garrus were silent; they already knew the plan, they just needed to finalize it. "Yes, and we're going to intercept and Eclipse shipment because they have access to large funds, but relatively little members, so there's less of a chance of retribution," Tali said, urging Miranda to get into the details. She knew Miranda had an idea; she had been silent, calculating for the entire return trip from Kahje.

Miranda looked up, surprised. She wasn't used to being interrupted. Her days with Cerberus had gotten her used to unquestionable obedience, answering only to the Illusive Man. If a low ranking member wanted an intermediary to pass on a message, Miranda was the one to pass on concerns. She commanded respect, if not always loyalty. Still, they obeyed her unquestionably, wary lest they receive the reprisal of the Illusive Man.

"Well, in our many encounters with the Eclipse in the past, I've been able to take IDs from several of the bodies. I have access to certain systems in the Eclipse network, nothing major where any plans are made, but I think Tali may be able to hack into some of the minor systems."

"Wait, hasn't somebody noticed that these mercs are dead?" asked Garrus disbelievingly.

"Yes, but not instantly. It still gave me time to break into the systems, unleash several viruses. In case one was discovered, I put in several different types, but they all accomplish the same purpose. When a mercenary turns up dead, their access to the site is permanently revoked, but this bug works its way into the ever-changing pass codes. So, to put it simply, while I still have one of their systems active, this virus opens up a backdoor that escapes the notice of the security checks. It's almost how real viruses work. They put their own DNA into a cell, and the cell overlooks the change because it is so minor. Well, this little bug, designed by the best technical experts Cerberus had to offer, sends off a false signal that is picked up by the scans, which are fooled into seeing everything as being open. The backdoor that the virus initiates is left perpetually open, so we can access the system even with a dead mercenary's pass code even when his clearance has been revoked. The only problem is that it can only be put into the system level that has already been opened. We haven't found any high enough ranking officers to access higher security sections. If I can get you into the Eclipse private system, would you be able to hack into a more secure location?" she asked Tali.

"That would depend on the complexity of the system, but I think I could manage it. I don't imagine they would pay millions of credits for the highest level security system when they're already confident with their methods."

"Fantastic. But we can't try it here, not on the Citadel. They have security agents checking extranet connections. If we go into the system of an illegal, not to mention powerful, mercenary group, we'll be arrested. Even if Anderson could exonerate us, which I'm not even confident that he would, we wouldn't last very long sitting in a prison cell if somebody is trying to kill us," Garrus said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know our connections are being watched?" asked Miranda

"I was in C-Sec for several years here. They constantly had lower ranking members running security checks over the extranet connections, looking for suspicious activity. Unless they've changed since I left, they'll still be disregarding our privacy now, and C-Sec never really was the type of organization that liked to change. Procedure's too important."

"Damn. Tali, looks like we'll have to put your skills to the test back on our shuttle. Either way, we probably shouldn't come back here. If our known assailants got wind of our lodging here, they could intercept us when we return. I think it's best we stay on our toes. I hope the two of you are used to home sweet shuttle, because I have the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of it in the coming weeks," Miranda said.

"Well, before we get out of here, I thought I was going to at least get a nap while there's still a bed around. I'm not too eager with the prospects of sleeping on a wooden bench for several weeks," Garrus complained agitatedly.

"I'm sorry, but it's time to check out. We need to go tell Councilor Anderson the room is available once again. We can't waste any time getting out of here."

Garrus got the distinct impression that Miranda was enjoying herself.