Shepard hefted the weights back onto the rack and grunted, a somewhat incongruous sound for her to make, but not totally so considering that she was in the Normandy's small gym. One thing that helped her relieve stress was physical activity, which she engaged in with a passion. Aerobics and strength training was something that the Alliance had encouraged all service members to engage in, since even with the advances simulated gravity, there was still a risk of bone density loss due to extended periods of sub-Terran conditions. It also helped that a well equipped facility could be squeezed in to just about any size ship, and it allowed for a positive manner outlet of the natural aggression that seemed to build up in humans that had cramped living spaces.

As she hefted the weight set back down to complete another set, Joker's voice interrupted her.

"Commander Shepard, we're five minutes from going ell-tee-ell. Do you want to be here when we exit comm silence?"

Grunting again, she replaced the weights on the rack. "Yeah. I'll be there." She wiped the sweat on her brow with a towel. I figured you'd, you know, not let me sweat all over the place.

You seem to think that because I have assumed command of your physiology, that there is something wrong with the natural processes that occur. You are incorrect in your conclusion. Allice sounded miffed, if an AI could be. The human body seems to be quite optimized to handle standard conditions and minor variances thereof. I see no need to make drastic alterations in the process if unnecessary to do so.

Alright, doctor science, I was just asking. Shepard rose from the bench she was sitting at and headed for the command deck. You didn't seem to have a problem rushing my recovery the other night. What about that?

On retrospect, I was overly aggressive in my actions. During your rest cycle, I spent a significant portion of the time filling the blanks in my knowledgebase.

Punching the elevator call button with a bit more force than necessary, Shepard briefly considered asking how Allice had done so. It was tempting, but she had learned long ago that ignorance was bliss.

Your terminal was unlocked, and the ship has an excellent library, replied Allice as soon as the thought crossed Shepard's mind.

Shepard scowled as she stepped into the elevator. You always have an answer, don't you?

No. You ask simple questions.

Cute. I think my sarcasm is rubbing off on you.


Ignoring the sidelong glance that Kaidan made as she entered, Shepard announced her arrival with typical efficiency.

"Joker, what's our status?"

"Uhh," he flipped through a display, "we're about thirty from dropping out of the relay." There was a pause as the ship's VI began preparing for deceleration. "Ell-tee-ell in...three...two...one..."

The shift from whatever speed they had been traveling and whatever space they had been doing it in was nearly seamless, the only telltale was the inevitable shift in gravity as the inertial dampers kicked in as the drive core took over propulsion duty. As the mass effect field dissipated and the external cameras initialized, Shepard gazed at the screens which served as 'windows.' Although interstellar travel was not the great risk it had been a century ago, she still had a respect for the vast dark fabric that blanketed her existence.

"Sensors coming online, Commander. Drift is...just over seventeen hundred. Thrusters green," informed Joker in an unusually serious edge to his voice. Despite the cavalier attitude he displayed at all other times, when doing what he called 'real pilot stuff' he was unflinchingly attentive.

"Commander, we're back on comms; I've got a distress signal on the priority-one Alliance channel," interrupted Kaidan from his post. "It's been repeated from the ..." he paused while his terminal fed information to him, "Artemis Tau cluster, Sparta system. It looks automated, no messages attached."

Shepard crossed her arms and scowled. That system was a backwater, frequented only criminals and foolhardy explorers. Even the Alliance rarely sent vessels there, which made the distress call more unusual.

"How fresh is it?" she asked.

"Within the past couple of hours. There haven't been any Alliance vessels dispatched to the area, we're the closest one," replied Alenko.

"Joker, how long would it take to get there?"

"Computer's telling me six hours, twenty three minutes," he responded as soon as she asked. "Would you like to set course?"

"Give me a moment to think, I still give the orders here," snapped Shepard, breaking from her impassive demeanor. "Alenko, any other priority messages?"

"No, ma'am," was the curt reply.

"Fine. Joker, let's go check this out. Make your course."

"Aye-aye, ma'am," replied Joker, in his 'serious pilot' voice.

Shepard turned to leave the cockpit. "I'm going to catch some rack time, if anything pops up, get Mr. Pressly to handle it."

"Aye-aye," replied the two men in unison, each with a significant glance toward the other.

Her footsteps down the walkway faded and a uncomfortable silence fell between the two. For several minutes, only the quiet hum of the various environmental controls punctuated by soft tones from the VI terminals could be heard in the command deck.

Joker was the first to break the tension. "She's acting weird," commented Joker as he rubbed his scruffy chin thoughtfully. "Well, weirder than usual. You talking to her again?"

Kaidan turned his head and cocked an eyebrow. "I'll have you know that I've taken your advice. I haven't spoken to her since before we jumped yesterday. I don't think I've even seen her since then."

Joker turned toward Kaidan and furtively looked back down the hall, making sure there were no eavesdroppers. "She's been wandering around, totally oblivious to everything. I saw her talking to herself. It's really strange, man."

"I haven't noticed anything like that."

"Well you don't have the sources I have," replied Joker significantly.

"Somehow I don't think the Commander would be thrilled to find out you've been using the interior cameras to spy on her." Kaidan turned back to his terminal. "Aren't those viewing restricted to senior staff? I don't think I even have access."

A Cheshire-like grin appeared on Joker's face. "I'm the pilot. I need to know how my craft is performing."

"Ah-huh," muttered Kaidan skeptically.

"Seriously though," Joker regained the thoughtful tone, "I think she's knocked something loose in here." He poked to his head a few times for emphasis. "After that beacon, and then the Thorian, she's probably all loose screws in there."

"Joker, you better cut that shit before it becomes insubordination," growled Alenko.

"Oh, please, I know you're worried too. She's changed, man." He frowned and punched a few buttons on his terminal. "And not for the better. I like her, I really do, but I worry. We gotta make sure she stays sane, at least until this mission is over."

Kaidan knew it was true, but he was not nearly as outspoken as Joker. It was validation for him, however, since the Samantha he'd met was nothing like the Commander Shepard that had just left the bridge. He only hoped that whatever was getting to her head, be it injury, the visions, or just plain stress, would not be enough to compromise her ability to lead and fight. It did make him nervous.

"Still," Joker interrupted Kaidan's train of thought, "I hear crazy chicks are great in the sack."

Alenko snapped his head to give Joker a piece of his mind and found himself staring straight at Joker's smug, toothy grin. "Ha! You're too easy man."

Kaidan tried to keep a straight face, but the look on the pilot's face was priceless. He allowed a little grin to escape, but said nothing to acknowledge Joker's comment. He was, after all, an officer and a gentleman.


"Once again I find myself out-maneuvered, Miranda, and that is a situation that I do not particularly care for."

Miranda flexed her hands behind her back, bracing herself mentally for the inevitable admonition that was surely to follow on the heels of her report. Although her mission had not succeeded in any way, there was nothing she could have done to change the outcome. The rogue cell had already made its move and was gone before she had even entered the system. Resetting the beacon to transmit a distress call was probably not her wisest choice, but even she had scruples. It was tragic enough that Alliance personnel had died, but it was far worse that they had been left out so carelessly. They had deserved better treatment than to be left to decompose on that forsaken planet.

The Illusive Man exhaled, swirling the acrid smoke as it passed over his tongue. "They seem to think that I am unable to call them to account for their actions. Truly a foolhardy belief. They have forgotten that I control the strings that tie to their lifelines." He tapped the cigarette on the arm of the chair, knocking off the ash. "You did well to confirm my suspicions. I can find no fault in your actions. I can assume any evidence of our activity should have been disposed of?"

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Miranda felt a weight lift from her shoulders. "There was some minor code scrubbing to be done to the decoy beacon, but there was no other evidence of any involvement. The Alliance will find their remains and hopefully chalk it up to a rescue mission gone wrong."

"Good. I have another assignment for you, Miranda." He took a deep pull on the cigarette, "I want to destroy their front and bring the remaining assets back into the fold. You may have heard of this company." He keyed a sequence into the holographic interface on his chair and a logo appeared on the large display behind him. Miranda lifted an eyebrow as she controlled her surprise; this had been unexpected.

"The Sirta Foundation?"

"The very same. Chief technology rivals to your father's corporation."

Miranda nodded thoughtfully. A chill coursed through her blood. It seemed that there was always another layer of intrigue in her life. She would have to investigate the matter further when she had time. For now, she had a task.

"Forgive my ignorance, but couldn't you just exercise the shares we hold and restrict their credit flow?"

The Illusive Man blew another stream of smoke, adding to the haze surrounding him. "I could. However, I feel it best to keep that as an option of last resort." He rose from his chair, turning his back on the holographic camera. "I would like you to bring them to their knees. My research has led me to conclude that this is not the first time they have disobeyed me and used our resources as a means to conduct experiments the likes of which I do not abide by.

"There is group of scientists that are under contract with the Alliance. They are pawns which will be sacrificed. The chessmaster must understand the game that I am playing. I own all the pieces, and I own the board!" His voice quivered with barely-restrained anger. He turned back, his blue eyes flashing in the haze that surrounded him.

"Seek a man named Toombs. You will need to set on the correct path. He has been on the receiving end of their experiments, but he managed to escape from their clutches." He paced in front of her, gesturing stiffly as he spoke. "I will send the dossier to you. It contains the names of his tormentors and where many of them can be found. Their work had been part of a cooperative research effort that the Alliance had wanted performed. You may find some of the participants' names familiar to you." He returned to his chair and keyed commands into the holographic panel.

A soft beep notified her that the data had been received. The Illusive Man stood silent and still in her holographic projector, presumably waiting for her to skim the documents. Quickly she glanced over the list of 'participants' in the experiment.

"Shepard? The Samantha Shepard?" exclaimed Miranda, unable to control her surprise this time.

"My thoughts exactly. For some reason, she seems to find herself the center of a great deal of trouble. There is something about Shepard, something which makes her the locus of great movements in the galaxy." He sat again, stubbing his spent cigarette into the ashtray. "See that Toombs is put in motion. Guide him, give him the tools he needs. His vengeance will handle the rest."

"If Shepard becomes involved?" queried Miranda, her head spinning with the vast machinations in which she was a mere cog.

"A possibility which I have accounted for, Miranda."


Shepard missed her Titan-class armor. It was a silly thing, but when going into a hostile environment, she wanted to be prepared. However, with her favorite armor still battered to pieces, she had to pull out the standard issue Onyx gear and bear with it.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal the cargo bay and a flurry of activity. The Mako was being positioned for surface drop by the Alliance technicians under the watchful eye of Garrus. Her eyes scanned across to the small workbench that was used as an armory.

"Shepard," grunted the krogan standing beside one of the lockers.

"Wrex," she replied tersely as she approached.

"You're a fool if you think I'm getting into that tin can."

"I'm down a soldier, Wrex, and I need a little meat to back us up on this drop. We shouldn't be long on the surface, so don't get your quads in a wad," snarked Shepard. "You'll fit just fine."

"Hmph," growled Wrex. "Too bad there won't be any killing to do. I'm getting bored in here."

Shepard sighed and shook her head. "There's a human saying, Wrex. 'Be careful what you wish for.' I kill because I have to, not because I relish in it."

"Whatever. Let's get this over with."

Nodding in assent, Shepard followed him over to the Mako. Garrus looked up from the datapad he held, flaring his mandibles as they approached. Wrex proceded to the rear of the vehicle, grumbling beneath his breath. Shepard stopped and nodded at Garrus.

"We good?"

"Everything is in acceptable condition, Shepard," replied Garrus in his silky voice. "The rear grav-booster is off by two percent, but it should not hamper routine operation."

"Good enough for me. I don't expect fireworks." She extended her arm toward the Mako. "After you, Garrus."


Edolus was a dry, dusty planet which had little in the way of resources or features to attract visitors. Not so cold or poisonous to prevent human colonization, the lack of water and oxygen seemed to be the biggest problems other than the sheer uselessness of the planet. Great dust-storms rolled across the vast, cratered surface, not unlike Mars. Unlike Mars, there was no great cache of prothean technology to even make the place noteworthy.

Due to the dust storms, the Normandy was forced to release the Mako at a fairly high altitude. The Mako could handle these type of drops on lower gravity planets, but it was not the preferred method. The Mako flew through the thin atmosphere like a slightly melted brick, accelerating gently toward terminal velocity. The onboard VI calculated an optimal altitude to activate the small anti-grav boosters which would guide the vehicle to a relatively gentle crash on the surface.

"Grav boosters engaged, Shepard," called Garrus from his position in the driver's seat. He seemed to be something of a gear-head at heart, which was strange considering his background in law enforcement. "We're slowing down within acceptable flight margins."

"Thank you, Garrus," replied Shepard. "You hanging in there Wrex?"

"Shut. Up. Shepard," was the strained response from the rear compartment.

"We'll be on the ground shortly."

"Inevitably, Shepard. Will we be in one piece? That is what you should ask."

Shepard rolled her eyes. For being a krogan battlemaster, Wrex seemed to have an unusual amount of phobias. Perhaps it was a krogan thing.

Garrus interrupted Wrex's complaints, "Touching down in three...two...one..."

The Mako hit the soft terrain of the planet and stuck, the three passengers absorbing the last amount of energy that the suspension could not.

"Nice landing, Garrus," Shepard complimented the turian.

"I think I'm a triple thanks to you," groaned Wrex. "First the genophage, now your driving. When will the persecution end?"

"Your compliment is appreciated, Shepard," Garrus replied, ignoring the melodramatic groans of the krogan in the back. "I'm picking up the tracking pulse now. We're not far off."

"Let's go."

The powerful motors installed in each of the wheels pulled the Mako out of the soft sand and accelerated them to a decent speed across the terrain. Shepard scanned the horizon for any sort landmarks or signs of disturbance. The dunes shrank in size as the drove, and the terrain grew softer. Garrus was forced to use the anti-grav boosters to counteract the weight of the Mako as they proceded.

"Commander, we're almost..."

"There," finished Shepard, cutting off Garrus as she brought the gun control into focus. "I see some vehicles."

Garrus pushed the Mako a little harder, fighting the soft terrain. As the distance rapidly closed, Shepard surveyed the scene looking for signs of life. All she could see was the scorched remains of three M-29 'Grizzly' infantry fighting vehicles. They appeared to be stuck up to the axles in the soft sand. The emergency transponder stood about ten yards away from the lead vehicle.

"Garrus, park us about fifty meters out, I don't want to get too close in case there's an IED or some kind of trap. Keep the motor running," ordered Shepard as they drew close to the scene.

"Acknowledged, Shepard."

"Wrex, get ready to take a little hike."

The krogan scowled as only a krogan could. "Beats sitting in this fancy coffin, waiting for nothing."

Garrus brought the Mako to a halt and evacuated the atmosphere. Shepard and Wrex jumped from the rear hatch and both of them immediately sank ankle deep in the soft sand. Pulling her assault rifle from its holster, Shepard motioned for Wrex to follow.

"Terrible ground for defense," commented Wrex over the radio. "But there isn't any cover for an ambush either."

"It's too open for a close-in ambush, but there's always the possibility of an aerial assault."

"With this dust? And why here?"

"That's a very good question, Wrex." Shepard moved as quickly as the soft ground would allow, which was a pace not much faster than a walk. As the pair got closer to the IFVs, the damage to the vehicles could be seen. The rearmost IFV looked to be in the best condition, with only a few black scars spread across the sides of the vehicle.

"These burn patterns don't seem to match any weapons I've seen," Wrex grunted as he climbed up onto the top of the vehicle. His vast bulk had him struggling with the sand. "Looks almost like splashes."

"The damage goes straight through the hull," mused Shepard as she ran her fingers on the jagged edge of one hole. "If the crew weren't pressure-suited, they would have asphyxiated when the atmosphere escaped."

Shepard looked down the row of vehicles, not seeing any signs of bullets, flechettes, or explosives on the hulls. Stepping back from the burn-out Grizzly, she puzzled over what kind of weapons would cause this kind of damage.

"You know, I think I was right about that splash pattern thing, Shepard. From here, I can see scars on the sand that look like misses." Wrex surveyed from atop the IFV. "It reminds me of my rite of passage back on Tuchanka. One of the trials..." Wrex began telling the story of his rite.

Allice's soft voice interrupted Wrex's story.

Samantha, I'm detecting a very faint, low frequency vibration source approaching our location.

What? How?

"...we had to go to the ritual grounds..."

Your inner ear fluid is moving unusually. There is something moving, under the ground from the sensations in your feet. The frequency is increasing, and I suspect this is due to a doppler effect. It is accelerating.

A what effect?

"...and you know what it did? It lifted this weight..."

The doppler effect. A sound source that is moving closer to the receiving station and effectively increases the frequency of the sound waves due to the compression of the waves as the source travels. In this case, the source of vibration in the ground is moving toward us, and is gaining speed.

"...that summoned...

The only thing that would be underground in this kind of terrain is...

"... a thresher maw."


A/N: Another chapter for you to enjoy! Action! Adventure! Drama! Plot holes closed! Thank you so much for reading and for the constructive criticisms! I appreciate every comment!