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The Citadel

It had been three days since Tali was discharged from the Citadel hospital; she was now back in her suit and on her feet. Tali and the rest of the surviving members of the Normandy crew, minus Joker, were leaving the formal Shepard memorial service. It had been a very large affair, filled with admirals, captains, ambassadors, and diplomats. It had greatly amused Tali and the rest of the crew to hear the diplomats that had constantly second guessed and undermined Shepard during the mission to take down Saren, singing her praises now that she was deceased. It was very much the kind of event that Shepard herself would have skipped if she were still alive. There were promises of statues and memorials from Elysium to Eden Prime. And worst of all, everyone at the service treated the survivors like they were so special just for having known her. Out of respect for Shepard's true wishes the crew departed for Flux's as soon as possible.

The crew of the Normandy was now in a place that was much more suited to commemorate Commander Amanda Shepard, Flux.

"Everyone! Lets all raise our glasses to Commander Shepard, the best fucking marine the Systems Alliance has ever seen!" Shouted Kaidan

"Cheers!"

After the brief interruption the sounds of Flux returned too normal as the dozens of patrons went about dancing and drinking and having a good time. Tali looked around at her fellow shipmates drinking and sharing stories about Shepard, it was the kind of memorial that Tali knew that Shepard would appreciate.

"So, what's everyone's plans moving forward?" Asked Kaidan to the crew of the late SSV Normandy.

"Well I assume I will be reassigned shortly." Said Doctor Chakwas.

"Same goes for me," added Engineer Adams.

"Well, I told Shepard that I was going to rejoin C-Sec and reapply for the Spectres; and that's just what I plan to do." Said Garrus.

"I have a few more personal things to do, then, it's returning to the Flotilla for me." Said Tali.

At this point most of the table turned to look at Liara, trying to gauge the young Asari's emotional state.

"Well I suppose I should return to Thessia and take charge of house T'Soni and work to clear my mother's name. After that I think I will stay on Thessia and grieve for a while." Answered the young doctor; everyone nodded his or her heads in understanding.

"Well I'm sure I'll be reassigned shortly as well." Said Kaidan.

After everyone had said their piece, Wrex stood up from the table looked at the rest of the crew and said. "I'm leaving for Tuchanka tonight."

"I thought you were exiled from Tuchanka." Said Garrus.

"Oh there are some people that won't be happy to see me that's for sure. But after hanging around you guys and Shepard for so long, I find myself wanting to return home." Wrex stated, then continued. "Shepard was the most Krogan-like human I've ever met, I think I owe it to her to go home and crack some skulls."

The sharing of stories and drinking continued for quite a while into the night. Initially, Tali was confused about the way the human crew had decided to mourn they're departed Captain. Adams then told her that this was what was called an Irish wake, and that the whole purpose was to honor the dead by recounting stories about the deceased, eating, laughing, drinking, and crying. The idea being, was that you allowed your emotions to flow in the most healthy and natural way as possible and not keep them bottled up to yourself. At some point during the wake Liara slipped away and no one had seen where she'd gone. Then the rest of the crew began to filter out of Flux. Tali found herself wandering the Wards on her way back to her hotel; the sadness and sense of loss could be felt all over the station. The citizens of the Citadel had been through so much in the last two months. What with the attack by Sovereign and the Geth, and to lose the Hero of the Citadel so soon after the victory, the general population of all races was just numb. Posters and paintings and memorials to the commander could be found all over the Citadel, and many of the shops and stands were decorated in black as a symbol of mourning.

"She touched so many people. If only she knew how many looked up to her." Tali thought to herself.

As Tali continued wandering, she began to hear the sounds of music being played. As she moved closer to the sounds she saw a crowd of people listening to a street band. The band was a mix of species but featured an Asari and a female Turian as the main performers. Tali had never been much of a music fan, but she found herself drawn to the sounds of the street performers. It almost seemed as if the band was mourning along with the rest of the station; at least the tone of the song indicated that to Tali.

Life is bigger

It's bigger than you

And you are not me

The lengths that I will go to

The distance in your eyes

Oh no, I've said too much

I set it up

That's me in the corner

That's me in the spotlight

Losing my religion

Trying to keep up with you

And I don't know if I can do it

Oh no I've said too much

I haven't said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing

I thought that I heard you sing

I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper

Of every waking hour

I'm choosing my confessions

Trying to keep an eye on you

Like a hurt lost and blinded fool

Oh no, I've said too much

I set it up

Consider this

The hint of the century

Consider this

The slip that brought me

To my knees failed

What if all these fantasies

Come flailing around

Now I've said too much

I thought that I heard you laughing

I thought that I heard you sing

I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream

That was just a dream

That's me in the corner

That's me in the spotlight

Losing my religion

Trying to keep up with you

And I don't know if I can do it

Oh no I've said too much

I haven't said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing

I thought that I heard you sing

I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream, try, cry, why, try

That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream

Dream

Near the front of the band Tali spotted Liara. As Tali moved close to her she could notice the dampness on her cheeks.

"Liara?"

"Oh Tali, I didn't notice you."

"It's ok, I didn't see you at first." Tali replied.

Liara turned to the band and then back to Tali.

"Shepard and I listened to this band once, did I ever tell you that?" Liara asked.

"No you didn't," Tali responded.

"Yes it was on our date, just before…before…" Liara then began to stutter and cry.

Tali knew that there was no more need of words and simply wrapped her arm around the young Asari and gave her a shoulder to cry on as the band continued to play for the audience

Starship Ulysses Somewhere in the Attican Traverse

While the Geth crew had no problems operating on a deep space mission, Ashley Williams was beginning to get restless. It had been a week since the encounter with the Alliance on Eden Prime and her system link with Voice. Since that occurred Ashley had to admit that she felt far more serene now than she had when the programs where disjointed. But the last week would try the patience of almost any organic. She and the Geth had continued retracing the steps of the Normandy's missions. And throughout it they had found nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Ash turned in her seat to face Voice.

"Listen we have spent the last week looking for Shepard. We have been everywhere from Eden Prime to Feros and we are not one step closer to finding Shepard." Said Ashley

"What other course of action would you suggest?" Replied Voice.

"I don't know. If only we knew what system the Normandy went down in." Ash responded.

"Unfortunately we do not. We have been in constant contact with the Consensus and no new information has been relayed. At this point we believe that the only way to determine what occurred to Normandy would be to integrate into the Alliance military network." Stated Voice.

"Which they have undoubtedly spent the whole year upgrading their systems since the Heretics left the Veil." Said Ash.

"Undoubtedly."

"Great," said Ashley looking dejected. She then raised her head and continued, "What if we found someone that already had access to the Alliance military network?"

"Explain."

"Well there are plenty of civilians and contractors and non-military personal that have access to Alliance Intel. We just need to find one that does." Ashley stated.

"A fair observation, however, we would still need direct access to a terminal in order to access the information." Voice replied.

"Wait, you told me that Captain Anderson was given a seat on the Council. As a Captain and a Councilor he would have access to tremendous amounts of information." Stated Ashley.

"A valid observation, however it would require us to infiltrate the Citadel itself, and protection of the Citadel has increased dramatically since the attack by Saren." Observed the Geth platform.

"Yes, but this ship was built using the same stealth system as the Normandy correct?" Ash inquired.

"Correct."

"So all we need to do is jump just outside of the nebula's FTL detection grid. Then we could just use conventional engines to glide into the nebula." Stated Ashley.

"True, however following our detection at Eden Prime a description of this vessel has most likely been spread throughout the Citadel systems." Voice responded.

"Ok, what if we entered the nebula, then powered down the ships systems keeping only stealth systems and propulsion online so we could make minor course corrections to avoid coming into visual contact with the CDF." Stated Ashley.

"Processing… we do believe that we could remain in the nebula and avoid detection, it is difficult but certainly not impossible for us." Stated the Geth platform, it then paused before continuing. "However this still would not solve the issue of entering the Citadel itself."

"Ok, ok once we are in the nebula I will exit the ship with a full oxygen supply and a booster pack. Then I will move towards the Citadel and will attempt to find an outer airlock to hack." Said the young chief.

"You will?"

"Yes, do you think that you or any of the other platforms would be able to blend in on the Citadel as well as I could?" Ashley inquired.

"A valid observation." Replied Voice.

"So then, are we in agreement?" Asked Ashley.

"We wish to inquire, once on the station, will you attempt to reestablish contact with the Systems Alliance?" Inquired Voice.

"I haven't decided yet. I've thought about returning to the Alliance for a long time now, but more and more I find myself thinking that the first thing that would happen to me would be interrogation followed by dissection. And I really don't want that to happen." Said Ashley.

"That would be our analysis as well. We also do not want to see this happen." Replied the Geth.

"So then, has a consensus been reached?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. Preparing new course."

Species Fertility Research Clinic, Presidium

As Tali'Zorah waited patiently for the results of her fertility tests, she could not help but notice all of the couples that were sitting in the waiting room waiting for their results. Human couples, Turian couples, and a few species with Asari spouses, but Tali was the only Quarian in the room. She was also one of the few women there alone.

"Miss Zorah?" Called out the waiting room receptionist.

Tali stood up and proceeded to walk out of the waiting room and into the doctors office, this was Tali's follow up visit she was anxious to hear the doctors opinion on the question that Tali had asked him when she first came to this clinic.

"Hello again doctor Taris." Said Tali.

"Good to see you again Miss Zorah." Responded the middle aged Turian doctor.

"So doctor you've reviewed my tests?" Asked Tali.

"I have, and I can say that given your species immunodeficiency, you are a very healthy young lady." Responded the doctor, glancing up from his datapad.

"Thank you doctor, and what about the embryos?" Asked the young Quarian.

"Yes they have been very well maintained. I would say that they are suitable for fertilization at this point." Replied doctor Taris.

"Does this mean that we can go forward?" Said Tali.

"Miss Zorah, you have to understand that there are so few instances of viable species crossbreeding. The few examples that we have did not survive long after birth. So, what you are proposing is risky at best." Replied Taris.

"If the problem is money, I have enough…" replied Tali before being cut off by the doctor.

"It's not a question of money Miss Zorah, it's a question of my own abilities. I am highly trained in the field medicine and species gynecology, but I am no geneticist. Listen, if you and your deceased partner were both Human, or both Quarian for that matter, it would be a relatively simple matter to take a nucleus from one of your partners eggs and use some of the remaining genetic material to create an artificial sperm and then implant it into one of your eggs. I've performed the operation hundreds of times. I could do it, but the level of genetic modification that would be required to make a viable infant is way above my ability." Said the doctor.

"I see… I suppose I understand what you're saying, so then my only option is to find a human woman who would be willing to carry Ashley's child?" Asked a very disappointed Tali.

"Well, perhaps not. I did say that it was beyond my ability, but I might know of someone who could help you." The doctor replied.

"Really? Who?" Tali inquired.

"A few years ago I attended a medical conference on Illium. While I was there I met an absolutely brilliant genetic scientist. Even for a Salarian he is quite clever." Said the doctor before continuing, "He and I have kept in contact via the extranet for the last few years. I will forward your information and my diagnosis to him. His name is Professor Mordin Solus. You'll find him on Sur'Kesh."

"Thank you so much doctor!" Exclaimed Tali.

"I'm glad I could help you ma'am. I will forward some information about Professor Solus to your omni tool." Responded the doctor.

Citadel Apartments

As the artificial sunlight of the Citadel crept into the apartment of Liara T'soni, she ordered the apartment computer to draw the shade. Liara had not left the apartment since the funeral, she had barely eaten or slept and had not bathed since then. Many members of the crew had stopped to try and get the young Asari active again, but it had been to no avail.

"Asari live for hundreds of years. We outlive our partners, we are supposed to be able to move on."

Liara had told herself this several times, but it had not helped at all. She mourned for Amanda, and deep down she knew that she always would. But she also knew that she had to break herself out of this depression. She did still have a long life ahead of her and she did have a piece of Shepard to hold onto. Liara reached down and caressed her belly. She had been in her mind till the very end. It might not have been ethical to enter a reproductive meld while her partner was dieing, but she just couldn't let go of Shepard. If she couldn't save her, she could ensure that she continued on with their daughter. She hadn't told the rest of the crew yet she was certain she would at some point, but for the moment she would keep it to herself.

Since she had locked herself up for the last few days she decided it was time to check her extranet messages. What she found in her mailbox was the usual assortment of real messages and junk mail. Cheer up messages from Kaidan and Tali; there was a goodbye message from Wrex, a lunch request from Garrus. Liara kept going through her messages, till she came across a message that caught her attention. She almost marked it as junk and deleted it, until she noticed it was from the Asari Archeological Institute. It was then that Liara recalled that she had sent the various Matriarch writings that the Normandy had found to them. Liara opened the message.

"Dear Doctor T'Soni

I apologize for deceiving you, however my associates and I decided it was better to approach you with subtlety. This is not a message from the AAI, I represent a group that believes what Commander Shepard and the rest of her crew claimed about the Reapers. We believe that they are coming, and we believe that Commander Shepard is still the best option of defeating the machines. My associates and I have a tremendous amount of resources at our disposal and we believe that it is possible to reanimate Commander Shepard. We have located the planet that the Normandy wreckage landed on, if you are interested we would be willing to allow you to be a part of our mission. If you are interested in my proposal, be outside the Lower Wards Clinic today at noon, I will meet you there.

Sincerely,

M.L.

Serpent Nebula

"Go rescue the rest of the team Shepard, I'll set off the bomb. I'll take a booster pack to find an airlock on the Citadel… why am I just filled with such bright ideas?" Asked Ashley to herself as she made an approach to the Citadel.

To a certain extent she was glad to be off of the ship, drifting into the Serpent Nebula relying on just momentum and the occasional retro rocket burst had been a very slow and drawn out event. As well as a terrifying ordeal the stealth systems were being pushed to their max, and the Geth were taxing their process servers keeping the ship out of the commercial lanes and the path of the patrol ships. But somehow they managed to get close to the Citadel without being detected. Both Ashley and her programs were quite confident that she would not be noticed by the oncoming ships. She had to adjust course on a few occasions to avoid slamming into a starships hull, but so far the mission was progressing well.

"Five hundred kilometers to contact with target."

"Radiation levels nominal."

"Oxygen on the level."

"Fuel cells fully functional."

"Potential entry point identified."

The programs had been a great deal of help in navigating the nebula, using her suits sensors they could give her a greater response time to an incoming object then with an Alliance issue armor suit.

"Voice can you hear me?" Asked Ashley through her Geth connection.

"Affirmative. Have you identified a point of entry yet?" Responded Voice.

"Yes, sending coordinates to you, have you received?" Asked Ashley.

"Confirmed, once you reach the airlock there should be an outer access panel, with direct access to the panel then we can enter the system and trigger the airlock sequencers without alerting security." Responded Voice.

"Understood, 150km to contact." Said Ashley.

"Confirmed, this mission still has a small probability of success." Stated Voice.

"Ye of little faith." Ashley responded.

"We are Geth, we have no concept of faith." Responded Voice.

"Well we'll work on that." Said Ashley.

"Do you have a visual on the outer airlock?" Inquired the Geth drone.

"I do, moving towards it. Now in hacking range." Said the young soldier.

"Confirmed, we are accessing. Lower level security system, we are bombarding it's firewalls. Success we have access, beginning outer airlock sequence now." Responded Voice.

Ashley saw the airlock open up in front of her. She activated her booster pack and sailed into the airlock chamber.

"I'm in."


And there we are, chapter 8 of Drone. Ashley is now on the Citadel, Tali is looking into having a baby, and Liara gets a mysterious message on her computer. Been awhile since I updated, been picking up a lot of shifts at work and it also really took me a long time to come up with the structure of this chapter. I would like to thank all of you who have posted comments and reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I would also like to thank t3HprO for letting me use his artificial sperm concept from his story Reunited and as always I would like to thank my beta-reader Femegade helping so much with this story. I am still interested in seeing an artistic rendering of my Geth modified Ashley if any artists are interested in making it I would appreciate it.