One Soul Too Many

Chapter 31

The Warlord

Shepard made her way to Mordin's Lab. It was time for another of her secret meetings with Mordin and Legion. "What have you got for me, boys?"

Mordin glanced at Legion. "Scientific team has made small breakthrough, Shepard."

She couldn't stop the hopeful thrill that raced through her. "On which front?"

"With blood and tissue samples taken from Thane before and after Keprel syndrome, vaccine has been created. It halts advancement of disease. Cannot mitigate damage done. Positive results in drell test group. No side effects reported," Mordin said cautiously.

"But?"

"Long term effects unknown. Should be studied prior to exposure to healthy population."

"What do the simulations show?"

"Simulation prognosis good. Scientific team needs further funding to extrapolate genetic mutation virus. Immunity long term goal."

"Do it. I will make the funds available." She pulled the old salarian in for a hug and kissed his rubbery lips. "Thank you, Mordin, for making this all possible."

Mordin bobbed his head. "Happy to help, Shepard. Salarians like challenge."

"What about the encryption? Has the other team had any luck with it?"

Mordin frowned. "Yes, partial decryption successful. Remarkably complex, for krogan. Suspect Sovereign behind encryption of data. Genophage needed to keep krogan in check. Cure not responsible, Shepard." Mordin said, giving her a hard look.

"I want a viable cure. It does not mean I wish to use it at this time. I don't. We have enough problems on our plate without the krogan rampaging the galaxy in revenge. I have hopes that Wrex will be able to stabilize the krogan. If the krogan can become productive members of society, we will see then. I would rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it," she said, trying to make her friend understand.

Mordin shook his head. "Your funds. Your data. Trust you, Shepard, so I helped. But against finding cure. No good can come of it."

"Duly noted," Shepard said solemnly. "What do the geth think about decrypting the data?"

"86.8% agree decryption needed, Shepard Commander. Geth consensus against species extermination. That is why we agreed to work with salarians on decryption."

"Yes, I imagine you would be. For the record, I am sorry for what happened to your people. It never should have happened. Fear of the unknown can make organics irrational at times," she said, running a hand down the side of his faceplates.

"Your continued support of the geth is noted." Shepard Commander's support meant a lot to Legion. It did not know why, but it did.

Unable to resist the cocked head and flapping flaceplates, Shepard pulled him in for a brief kiss to his faceplate. She smiled when he bowed his head. He looked adorable and shy…and utterly irresistible.

"What of our other projects?"

"Shep 1 is stable and on schedule. Suspect six months to a year for initial completion. Geth assistance has been invaluable. Preliminary work up has begun on Shep 2. Promising data for intended use."

Shepard took the data pad that Mordin held out to her. The information displayed was indeed very promising…on all fronts. There had initially been a lot of ups and downs on the Shep 1 project. One step forward, two steps back. But it was starting to look like everything was finally falling into place. She wished like mad she could share this with her husbands, but with so much still up in the air, she didn't want any false hope.

She turned to Legion. "See if you can get any more geth aid for Shep 1. I'd like faster results, if possible."

"Acknowledged."

"Thank you, Legion."

Her final goal would not be realized for some time. But it would at least be easier than Shep 1, though longer to implement than either Shep 1 or Shep 2. Unfortunately, the work could not even be started until Shep 1 was complete. She handed back the data pad and thanked them both profusely for their help.

She might not be able to share everything yet, but there was one thing she could share. It was about to make the news anyway. They had entered the Eagle Nebula en route to the Imir System. They were here to enlist Dr. Okeer to join the fight against the Collectors. Fortunately, they had a few days of down time before arriving.

Garrus ran into her as she was exiting the lab. He peaked in the door and saw Mordin and Legion with their heads together, deep in discussion. He raised his browplates at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "EDI see if Thane can meet us at the mess."

"He can," Thane said as he walked up to them. "I was just coming to find you for dinner." He held his arms out and she walked into them.

"Thane, Shepard would like for you to meet her at the mess," EDI stated.

"Very funny, EDI," Shepard said sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at the camera.

"I've already told you that's mine. Quit offering it to everyone else," Thane said as he put a hand to her chin, turned her head and captured her tongue, sucking it into his mouth for a heated kiss.

As their mouths parted, Garrus grabbed her chin gently and turned it towards him. "Unless it's to me. It is mine as well.

" He dipped his tongue into her mouth to claim the treasure.

"Okay, you two, let's eat before I forget how hungry I am and decide I want to feast on something else," Shepard said seductively as she sashayed towards the mess. She smiled when she heard their very audible groans.

She piled her plate with a medium steak, shrimp and greens and settled in at the table. Her husbands pulled their chairs in next to her, their plates heaped with drell and turian cuisine. They fed each other as they discussed the day's events.

Garrus dropped their plates off for cleaning and returned to the table. Shepard was rubbing her ever increasing girth when he returned. The men each placed a hand on her belly and she covered their hands with hers.

"There is something I wanted to tell you. Something I think will be worthy of a celebration," Shepard began.

"Commander, I think you will want to see this," Joker said as he turned on the vidscreen.

"Damn, I wasn't fast enough. Watch," she told them.

When the broadcast ended cheers could be heard all over the ship. Booze began to flow. They had all come to love Thane and were thrilled at the creation of a vaccine that would halt the progression of his illness. Only a handful of people knew he no longer suffered from Keprel's Syndrome.

Thane dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around his wife, and rested his head against her belly. He couldn't stop the tears and didn't care who saw them. She had surprised him again. He hadn't even known she was funding research into his disease. She had saved him…saved his son…but to save his species? The enormity of what he felt was so…overwhelming.

Shepard felt the heat crawling up her cheeks. "I was supposed to remain anonymous."

"The galaxy should know what you have done for my people. Nobody else has cared enough to do what you have done. You have saved so many lives. It's so…so – I don't even have the words to adequately express what I am feeling right now."

Her cheeks flamed. "I didn't need them to know. I wasn't doing it for recognition."

"I know, siha. That's what makes what you have accomplished all the more beautiful."

"There is more they didn't say, Thane," she said, giving him a soft smile.

"More?" His voice cracked with emotion as he gazed up into her eyes.

"Now that they have halted the advancement of the disease they will be focusing on creating a genetic mutation virus to establish immunity for all drell, they won't even need the vaccine in the future. But for now, Mordin is having two of the vaccines sent. One to Chakwas and one to Dr. Michel for Kolyat," she told him as she caressed his head. She watched his eyes close. His deep, rich cadence wrapped around her, setting fire to her nerve endings. Her breathing became ragged as raw need tore through her.

Thane's eyes popped open. Her desire and pheromones set his blood on fire, blood that pooled hot and heavy in his groin. He and Garrus stood at the same time. They each took her hand and all but ran to the elevator.

They joined back up with the crew later; the celebration lasted long into the early morning. It didn't seem like very long at all before Joker's voice boomed into her their cabin.

"I feel like shit, Commander, but ETA to Korlus in 20 minutes."

"Maybe you should leave the flying to Diaz, Joker."

"Said I feel like shit, Commander. I'm not dead."

She swatted her husbands on their asses and darted off the foot of the bed before reaching hands could grab her. "Get up sleeping beauties if you want to come with me."

"A supply ship caught up with us a few hours ago, Shepard. Your special order arrived, Legion has been upgrading it for some time, you may wish to check in with him before you suit up."

"Yes! No more sardine Shepard! Thank you, EDI. Have Legion meet us in the shuttle bay in 15." She was all but dancing with joy. She threw on her bra, panties and undersuit and dashed out the door.

"I do believe that made her morning," Thane said as he putting on his armored suit.

"Yeah, but we made her night," Garrus replied, snapping on his armor.

"It is unfortunate we hit Korlus so soon. I had other plans for this morning." Thane snapped on his guns.

"Tell me about it. This damned armor isn't playing nice," he said with a wince.

She all but ran to the AI core where Legion had taken up residence.

"Shepard Commander, I have completed your armor modifications." He paused for a moment, face plates flapping. "Further modifications can be made once we ascertain the armor's functionality."

"Thank you, my friend." She took the armor from him. It was much lighter than expected and unlike anything she'd ever seen. The material was black and stretchy. It was one-piece that snapped up the middle. It had light, reinforced plating along the shins, forearms, above and just below the breasts, down to mid back, with a panel of separated red plating outlined in white that extending down her spine, narrowing as it went, except for the lower back region that expanded a band of plating out to the sides of her hips to accommodate weapons. The panel plates were light, flexible, and magnetic where they needed to be. It had reinforced material bands below her breasts and belly; it looked like they would act as a sling as she grew into them. There were pockets along her thighs and upper arms. There was a red stripe outlined by white running down her right arm, another one starting at her neck, spreading out to encompass her breasts and narrowing down to her groin, as well as a N7 logo on her chest and her rank at her neck. Her gloves had the same separated, light plating with a slightly tacky grip. Her shoes were built into the suit, made of soft reinforced material along the top, light, separated plating on top and a soft, pliable sole, with a slightly tacky texture. Folded into the neck band was an expandable breathing mask, reminding her a lot of Thane's. Not exactly pee friendly, but would still be easier than getting in and out of her hard armor.

She slipped out of her undersuit. There was simply no room to wear it under the light armor. The armor itself was scarcely thicker than her undersuit. She stepped into it, stretched it up and snapped the front closed. It felt wonderful. She bent forward, touched the ground and arched over into a back bend and pulled herself back up. Her range of motion was vastly superior.

Legion explained how her suit self regulated, in correlation with her OT, regarding shielding, temp control, atmospheric pressure. Her breather mask was self expanding and tucked away based according to atmospheric conditions, but he also showed her how to work functions manually. She couldn't wait to test it in the field.

She thanked him again and booked it to the armory. One more thing should have come in. She found what she was looking for and made a fast dash down to the shuttle bay. When she arrived she tossed the item to her husband.

Garrus caught it and his mandibles spread. Finally, a codpiece that wasn't going to crack him in half. "I'll be right back." Then he stopped and looked at his wife. Spirits! Okay, that suit could end up being a little too distracting, time to put that turian fortitude into play. It looked like he got the upgrade just in time. He peeled his eyes from her and left to change out his armor.

Thane pulled his wife into his arms. It was nice to be able to feel her body against his, but he was concerned about her protection. "Is that…light armor going to protect you and the babies well enough?"

"We have optimally modified Shepard Commander's armor. We expect it to exceed her prior armor's capabilities," Legion informed him.

Thane nodded. But he wasn't going to be satisfied until he saw it in action. Garrus rejoined them and they boarded the shuttle. She kissed both her husbands for good luck. Thane bowed his head and prayed to Amonkira. The shuttle dropped them off and they ducked behind cover. "The dossier didn't specify if Okeer is on this planet by choice, so assume hostiles." Almost before she could finish speaking, a voice boomed over a loudspeaker.

"There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal."

"Prerecorded messages are a dubious training method," Legion remarked.

"Stay focused, we're looking for a krogan warlord." She slipped around the low wall and moved into the…good god, what was this place? It looked like a junk yard or sorts. There were boxes, crates of all sizes and discarded pieces of junk everywhere. Plenty of cover for both them and any unseen enemies.

They were rounding a bend when the voice came over the loudspeaker again. "Being hired is merely the beginning. You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building."

They moved up a small stair ramp and noticed some strategically placed cover walls.

"Enemy observation post," Thane said quietly.

Blue Suns mercs could be seen up ahead. A portion of a wall had been knocked down and the fallen portion was being used as a ramp, which lead down to the level her team was at. Four mercs were well entrenched and ready for them.

"Take out their shields!" she yelled. "Thane, Garrus energy drain and overload the man on the left, then work your way right. Two hits should bring down their shields and leave them open for me. Shoot the shit out of anything you can."

"We are familiar with working as a team, siha."

"Oh just let her talk, it makes her feel better."

"Bite me, you two!"

"Later, wife."

"Now is not the best time, vela." Garrus fired an overload charge and barely dodged a bullet. "Stop distracting me with all that sex talk."

Men. With the first man's shields down, she hit him with Reave. Apparently her husbands had cleared the shields on the second man, because the Reave wave took him down too. Legion's drone zapped a third man out of cover and one of the three on her team took him out.

With the last man down they took the ramp up to the next level, rounded the cover barricade and saw a wounded merc on the ground.

"Shit! Shit! It won't stop bleeding. I'm gonna…son of a bitch," he said staggering to his feet.

"His wounds appear superficial," Legion stated.

"Yeah, but he doesn't need to know that," she said with a wink.

"I knew it wasn't berserkers. Not at range. Your merc's. Or Alliance. I'm not…I'm not telling you anything."

"Oh, but you will. Are you familiar with the asari mind meld? Turns out you don't have to be an asari to become good at it. And I'm very good indeed. I can make all your nightmares come to life. Or I can see all your dirty little secrets. Which to do…hmmm."

Garrus caught on and jumped in. "Shepard, no! He could become insane or end up a vegetable for the rest of his life. You don't want to mess with his brain like that."

"Don't I? Perhaps you are right. But want and need are two very different things. I will do it if he leaves me no choice." She reached out her hand to the merc's face and he stumbled backwards a look of horror on his face.

She flung out a stasis barrier, trapping him inside. "There, that's better." She waved her hand over his face, lowering the stasis field to his neck and over his chest so she could touch him and so that he could talk.

"You should consider having him live out his worst nightmares. I do not believe his secrets would hold much value," Thane interjected.

Shepard nodded. "I think you are right." She reached her hand towards the man's cheek.

"Wait! I'll talk! Son-of-a-bitch…I just, I don't know anything; I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he's really been cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live ammo training. It's all crap," he said shaking his head. "I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out."

The merc's OT lit up. "Outpost four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."

"I think that's your cue to disperse them." She released the man's arm from stasis.

"Ah, patrol? The last group…dispersed. Lost sight of them five minutes ago."

"Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."

"You asked for a report, you got it. Dispersed."

"Understood, returning to the labs."

"There, you see? I'm helping," the merc told her. You don't have to touch me."

Garrus turned to Thane. "I wish more people felt that way."

Thane gave a brief nod. "I concur."

Shepard bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "Have you seen Okeer? Does he know about all of this?"

"We can't go in the labs, but everyone sees what happens when the krogan come out. I've shot hundreds. They're crazy. Mindless. Anyone up there, they know what's going on."

"What's Jedore planning to do with these krogan?"

"Replace us, probably. I sure wouldn't want to see an army of them coming at me. Only she can't control them. They aren't supposed to be crazy, but they're krogan. How smart are they to start?"

"Is Jedore's lab heavily guarded?"

"There are big guns to keep ships away. We're not outfitted to fight goddamned commandos."

She pulled the stasis barrier back into herself. "Go lay down somewhere. Stay out of this fight if you want to survive it."

The merc turned and stumbled away. "Shit! Ow…shit…," his voice faded the further he got.

Garrus' mandibles spread. "Vastly entertaining, wife."

"I thought so," she said with a smile. "And thanks for helping out you two. Come on. Our warlord is somewhere in Jedore's lab."

Jedore's voice came out over the loudspeaker again. "Training is part of your contract. Failure to perform means liquidation, legal and otherwise."

"Guess they're screwed then," Garrus said with a laugh.

They rounded a corner to the left and two mercs across the way began firing down at them from the next level up. She threw out a reave wave followed by a warp bomb as her team peppered them with bullets. She lowered herself to the floor below. Thane followed her while Legion and Garrus ran down the stairs. More mercs fired at them from a bridge above.

Before she could even duck into cover her team had the men down. Well, damn. She ran forward towards the next cover. Two more mercs were on a bridge overhead. She threw out a Reave wave and her team took the immobile men down. At least she helped that time. But she had little doubt they were keeping her out of as much action as possible.

The rounded a corner to the right. It felt like they were damned rats running through a maze. As soon as they crossed a short ramp down more mercs fired down at them. It bites hard that the mercs always seemed to have the height vantage on them.

"Team Four, do you read? Team Four! Comm, tell Jedore we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the krogan are pushing or we're being raided!"

This time they were outnumbered, mercs were raining fire down on them from near and far. Rockets detonated against her cover wall. She ordered her team to spread out and find cover. As usual, Thane stayed by her side. She assumed it was because he'd never served in the military, so wasn't conditioned to follow orders. Though, she knew without a doubt if Thane wasn't there then Garrus would ignore her orders and stay with her. It was a system the men had worked out some time ago. But with her growing larger by the day, it didn't bother her as much as it used to. She imagined it wouldn't be too long and she would actually welcome it.

She amped her power, grabbed two of the men and flung them down to the ground below. The wet crunch was rather satisfying. She threw out a singularity, drawing two men into it and Thane tossed out a warp bomb. The corpses flew in different directions. She pulled Thane down with her as she ducked an incoming rocket. Garrus and Legion took him out.

Jedore's voice was heard once more. "The krogan are your example and your warning! As ferocious as they are, failures are expendable."

They skirted some piles of junk and made their way down a muddy slope.

"We've got hostiles! Code Six! Offworld presence! Shift fire from the krogan! Hostiles in the compound!"

Great they were even lower. Just how far down in this pit were they going to descend? More mercs began firing down at them. But this time her team wasn't alone. A lone krogan was firing up at the mercs. Between the five of them, the mercs went down quickly.

The armored krogan turned to face them. Shepard held up her hands to signify her non-hostility.

The krogan approached her, invading her personal space. He began to sniff her. She held up her hand when her husbands bristled.

The krogan had a deep voice and spoke slowly. "You…are different. New. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you…something makes me speak."

"This krogan is a week old," Legion stated.

"Pretty damn big for a baby," Garrus acknowledged.

"They must breed them full size, ready to kill. Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training."

"Bred…to kill. No, I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it's not why I was flushed from the glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."

"You're supposed to be a part of a mercenary army. Do you remember Jedore?"

"I know that name. It causes anger. But also laughter. It is not a name that will be sung when we march. I don't know what that means, but I have heard it many times."

"How can you speak if you are only a week old?"

"There was a scratching sound in my head, and it became the voice. It taught things I would need: walking, talking, hitting, shooting. Then the voice said I was not perfect and the teaching stopped. And now I am here.

"The subject was taught enough to be judged. The criterion is unclear," legion said

"I don't know, but I am not perfect."

"Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"

"I heard the voice. Not like now, with ears, Inside. I called it father.It liked that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs me to be."

"We judge this lab was trying to repair the krogan's genophage."

"Repair?" the krogan asked and shook his head. "Repair was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."

"How did you disappoint the voice?"

"I don't know. It was decided before I left the tank mother. I was not perfect."

"Perhaps he's prone to the insanity the merc mentioned," Thane replied.

"I don't know of that. But I'm not perfect."

"How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing it?"

"Not sure that it matters. Okeer has apparently not succeeded," Garrus pointed out.

"Can you show me the laboratory? I need to speak with Okeer."

"The…glass mother. She is up," he said pointing. "Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things, I will show you." He turned away, strode over to a wall, stretched and then grunted as he pried a portion of the wall away. He heaved the heavy, metal slab and it hit the ground with a loud clunk.

"This is a heavy labor model," Legion stated.

"I'll say…he lifted that like it was nothing. Impressive!" Garrus said with a nod.

"You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way."

"Why not leave? Why did you stay here?"

"I am waiting. The voice told me to. If they come, I fight. I will not run. I must wait to be called. Released."

She sent calming waves to the krogan. She peeled off her glove and then removed his, gently touching his hand, sending more calming, reassuring thoughts to him. She pushed him gently with her mind. "Come with us. There is much I can teach you. I will become your voice. You are needed and we will give you purpose."

"I do not know why your voice reaches me. It drowns out the other voice. Just as something made me speak to you, something tells me to follow."

Shepard smiled at the krogan and returned his gauntlet to him. "Do you have a name?"

The krogan shook his head. "No name."

"Then I will call you Tank, if that is okay with you."

"Tank? It is a fitting name."

"Welcome to my team, Tank. I am Commander Shepard. This is Thane and Garrus. They are my lifemates, my husbands. And this is Legion, a good friend. Now, let's find Okeer."

The krogan fell into step beside them.

"This is getting interesting, vela. You're picking up strays all along the way."

"He does not appear to be unstable as the mercenary implied."

"I agree, Thane. Perhaps, he had more training than the other krogan that were released."

They headed down another incline.

"Close quarters engagement probable," Legion warned.

They were making too much noise for a silent advancement, so she sprinted down the slope and darted behind the first cover she came to. She ordered her team to spread out.

A merc's voice screamed out of nowhere. "They're loose! Run for your damned life! They're all free!"

Unfortunately for the mercs, they chose to run up the same path she and her team was running down. But there were only two of them and they went down fast. She turned a corner at the bottom of the ramp and faced a charging krogan. Two warp bombs and she was able to amp her power and throw him off the ramp.

More krogan began coming down the ramp towards them, one or two at a time. She had Thane focus on warp bombs, Garrus on overloading their weapons and Legion on sniping. She tossed Tank her rocket launcher, because his shotgun wasn't going to cut it at range and she reaved them and tossed them off the ramp. It was a system that worked, and it was a good thing, because the damned beasties just didn't stop coming.

"Damned snipers!" a krogan growled out, before being taken down.

Damned skippy! Everyone but Tank was a top of the line sniper. When her scan showed clear of life signs, they proceeded across the ramp.

An unidentified voice came over a radio. "Krogan took down the grid. We're blind and getting hit on all sides! Where the fuck are the heavies?"

The headed up a flight of stairs and came to a locked door. She hacked it open, ran up another flight of steps. Half way up another voice came over a radio. "Krogan on our six! Copy, god damn it! Where's Jedore and her personal guard?"

The steps rounded around to another flight up. At the top was a room, where she found some heavy weapon ammo for Tank and some research data she'd have Mordin look over later. She opened the door, amped her power and tossed a merc that had his back to them over the side of the landing. A merc on the landing across the way shot a rocket off. She ducked behind the wall as the rocket flew into the room and detonated against the far wall.

She flung out a singularity, sucking both mercs into it. Thane hit it with a warp bomb and the bodies surged out from the explosion. They moved up the ramp and darted into the next room. She tossed a singularity at two close mercs and warped them into oblivion. She jumped her cover and darted to the railing. She hit the first merc across the way from her and tossed him over the edge of the landing. A rocket flew by her head and she ducked behind the railing. She and Thane hit the rocket launcher with warp bombs and then she noticed two mercs creeping up alongside her position. Shit! She popped up and hit them with a singularity. Tank sent a rocket into the rocket launching merc, which blasted her right off the landing. Garrus and Legion took down the mercs suspended in the mass effect field.

Three more mercs came through the far door. "Energy drain and overload – right man!" She tossed out a singularity as soon as her husbands tagged the man. Two men were sucked into its vortex. Damn, she missed the raw suck power of her old singularities. Suck power…no, damn it, can't go there right now. Thane set it off while her team took down the last man.

Through the door there was another two flights of stairs. A sharp jab to her belly caused her to pull up. Thane's arm was around her in a flash.

"What's the matter, siha?" Concern laced every word.

"One of the babies kicked the hell out of something painful."

"They kicked you? Are you hurt? The team is large enough to split off. We can stay here and let them finish the mission. Garrus would be a strong leader, wife." He gripped her waist tighter, worried about her.

"I know he is, but I can do this. Just give me a moment," she said taking deep breaths to calm her body.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but what just happened?" Garrus asked as he approached the pair.

"The babies decided to pick now to go ninja on my insides," she explained before Thane could make it out to be worse than it was. "I'm fine."

"Go ninja…" he said slowly. "Spirits, vela. What the hell does that mean?"

"They kicked her and she was hurt, Garrus. I suggested you take the rest of the team and complete the mission, but she is being stubborn," Thane said in exasperation.

"He's right, vela. It is no weakness on your part to sit the rest of this out. I can handle it." Garrus took her hand and fluttered his mandibles against her palm. His sub-vocals filled with worry.

"I know you can, Garrus. I don't doubt that for a moment. But, I'm fine. As far as kicks go, they're going to get a lot worse. This was nothing, don't worry about it."

"Siha -"

"Vela - "

"If it gets worse I'll cry off and you can finish without me, okay? Stop worrying, I'm fine."

"You're no longer on point, vela. Don't even think to argue. I'm taking point. You and Thane can bring up the rear. For the remainder of the mission consider yourself promoted to General. You can call the shots from a safer vantage point." His tone left no room for argument.

She grabbed the cowl of his armor and pulled him down so that she could stare him in the face. "This General prefers to lead the charge. Are you implying I'm unfit to lead this mission?" she asked dangerously soft.

"No. But as a worried husband I ask that you do this for my peace of mind. If I'm worried about you, my mind will not be in the game."

Thane put a hand on her arm. "I am of the same mind, wife. It would please me if you do as he asks."

"He didn't ask he demanded."

Garrus sighed. "Vela, please…"

She really didn't want two of her team with their heads up their asses. "Fine…for now."

Garrus nodded in relief and motioned Legion and Tank to fall in. She and Thane brought up the rear, and she didn't like it one bit. It felt wrong down to the marrow in her bones.

They continued up the stairs and were being fired on as soon as they entered a doorway. She ducked down behind cover. "Energy drain and overload the rocket launcher!" She tossed out a singularity as soon as the merc's shielding was down. She and a neighboring merc were drawn into it. Thane warp bombed it while she concentrated on the three new mercs that had just entered the fray. "Enemies on the left, drain them boys." She fired a drain charge and then smacked them with a reave wave. Tank fired a rocket at the one that dodged the reave radius.

When the last merc fell she jumped up and grabbed some medigel and then laughed at the latest radio announcement. "Berserkers are going down, but the outsider commandos are still incoming! Repeat, still incoming!"

They rounded a corner and came under attack again. She peeked from behind a metal girder and saw three mercs. She fired a shield drain followed by a reave wave. Garrus, Legion and Tank took them down while she and Thane stayed back, firing biotic blasts. When a fourth man appeared, a rocket sent him to his maker.

Another radio transmission could be heard. "I need everyone out of the labs to fight this! Every floor, every outpost! Move!"

Her lootdar sent her to one of the downed mercs. She pilfered a credit chit containing a couple of thousand credits. They followed the ramp around an S bend and ducked into cover as more mercs fired at them. They were being bombarded with rockets while the mercs used the distraction to move in closer to her team. She'd give anything to charge the rocket launchers. It irked her that they'd tied her hands.

Between the five of them the mercs went down fast. She sniped the last rocket launcher from two rooms away.

"Excellent shot, Shepard Commander."

"I have to admit I'm impressed again, vela. Almost as good as I am."

"Eat me, Garrus!"

"I intend to."

Shepard flushed and shook her head. She'd apparently been hanging around Jack too much.

Tank looked from one to the other. "Why would you eat your wife?"

Garrus cocked his head. "I'll let Jack explain that to you when we're back on the Normandy, our ship."

"What do you mean Jadore's holding the mechs? She'll lose all her toys if we don't get backup!"

Garrus moved out and the team fell in behind him. When they reached the far room she picked up some more heavy weapon ammo for Tank and some credits.

"Concentrate fire on my position. Concentrate on – Argh!" The merc voice had been silenced.

They entered a door ran up two flights of stairs, through another door and another two flights of stairs. When they exited they faced off with more mercs, who, again, held the high ground.

Jedore blasted her men. "There are only five of them! Five! Anything can be killed if you do your damned jobs!"

"Legion, Tank move up to the next cover on the left, Garrus to the right. Thane and I will cover your sixes." She fired a reave wave that incapacitated two men, giving her team time to move up into position. When the mercs were down she ordered them back down the ramp and to the left, where her scanner had picked up another group of mercs.

"Jedore! Damn it! Someone get her off the speakers and out here!" one of the mercs yelled.

The mercs were entrenched and heavily shielded. A rocket shot out towards Garrus and she amped her power, tossing him behind some cover. "Damn it, Garrus…your ass better duck better than that!"

"Quit looking at my ass, vela, and focus on the mercs!" His voice was stern, but his mandibles were spread wide.

With only a couple of mercs left in front of them, she spun to the left to confront the ones advancing from the landing above. They were right on her, she amped her power and charged. She slammed into the merc and realized there were more than she had expected, an itch crawled through her body, she slammed down her fist and unleashed a massive wave of power, mercs flew backwards. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Thane, caught by the blast, hurtling backwards. She amped, yanked her arm back, and pulled him to her.

He crouched down beside her and gave her a quick kiss. "That was new. We were to stay back, siha."

"They didn't exactly leave me choice. My cover was exposed at that angle and they caught me by surprise. I reacted on instinct."

"Shepard!" He'd seen Thane thrown back and a knot of terror settled in his belly.

"Well, shit." Garrus never called her that unless he was pissed.

The rest of her team clamored up the stairs. Garrus looked around in surprise. It looked like ground zero of a bomb detonation. His eyes fell on his wife, who looked like she was ready to vent on him. Before she could say a word Thane stepped up.

"The situation was out of our hands. We were exposed and caught off guard. It was handled in the most efficient manner possible," he said, straightening his shoulders and folding his hands behind his back.

"So, I see. What in the name of the Spirits happened up here?"

Shepard flushed. "I felt an itch building up and I let it loose. It was a little more than I expected," she admitted.

"A little more? It looks like ground zero, vela!" Garrus said shaking his head in wonder at the amount of power she had unleashed. He wished he'd have been able to see it.

Tank fell to one knee. "Battlemaster, I am honored to serve you."

"And I am honored that you chose to join us, Tank."

Rockets began flying at them, they crouched, down, ran to the railing and hid behind it. When the four mercs were down she followed the men down the stairs, they were confronted by another four mercs. It really just wasn't fair to the mercs.

A lone woman was in the next room along with the corpse of a krogan and some skeletal remains.

"Shepard, don't shoot! You know me! Rana…Rana Thanoptis. You let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire. Had to outrun a nuke in a utility pod, but it's still a second chance. I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it was you. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place.

"I hope you have a good reason for being here in this lab."

"Don't worry; I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here – strictly beneficial. Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good, I can tell. Even if his methods are a little…extreme," she said glancing at a skeleton on a nearby table. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

"What's Okeer trying to do here?"

"It's complicated. Jedore wants a private army, but Okeer mostly ignores her. He's running the project for his own reasons. I created a mental imprint to educate his tank-bred, but most don't get through it," she said looking over at the dead krogan. "He dumps them for some reason. He wants to help his people, but he's not looking for a genophage cure, and he's not going for numbers. That's all I know."

"I think it's best for you to avoid working in labs in the future, Rana. It's not good for your health."

"We agree on that. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell before you blow the place or something. I barely made it out alive last time," she said as she walked towards the door.

When the door closed behind her, Thane turned to his wife. "You'd think a scientist would be able to learn from her mistakes."

"I'm starting to believe that very few are capable of doing so."

In the next room they found who she could only assume to be Okeer.

"Here you are! I've watched your progress. It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs."

"it doesn't appear that you are in need of rescuing, Okeer."

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change."

"Do not presume you know me."

"All Krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

"And you wish to tell me all about it?"
"Such a tale! Saren, the Spectre traitor, threatens the return of the Krogan horde by curing the genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the turians and salarians," he said as he approached her.

Her team stepped up beside her and she held up her hand to stop them.

Okeer turned away; he wasn't trying to start something. "But before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire. I like that part. It has weight."

"Those krogan were indoctrinated slaves. If there had been another solution, I'd have considered it."

Okeer shook his head and held out his hands. "But I approve. Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made." He peered out of the window in his lab, looking out over the tank room. "I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

"Irrelevant. Specify your dealings with the Collectors," Legion cut in.

"I see. Yes. Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere," He said pointing at a tank residing in his lab. "I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored."

"You do not care about all the failures you rejected trying to create this perfect soldier?"

"I failed no one. My rejects are exactly what Jedore asked for. She simply lacks the ability to command. They are strong, healthy and useless to me. I need perfection. If a few thousand are rejected, so be it. My work will purify the krogan. We will not be restored, we will be renewed."

"Most krogan want a population explosion so that they can take revenge."

"We will not need numbers. My soldier is a template. It is a greater threat than all the phantom siblings that would have been at its flank. The galaxy still bears the scars of the horde. But it will learn to fear the lance."

"You are just as cruel and manipulative as those who released the genophage on your people."

"Perhaps. But I will restore the krogan, and my soldier will not provoke a nuclear response as a 'cure' or 'horde' would. My legacy is perfection. With each pure krogan reaching higher by standing on our dead. They will exceed, but not forget. I say let us carry the genophage! Let a thousand die in a clutch," he said reaching his arms out dramatically. "We will defeat it by climbing atop our dead. That is the krogan way."

The man was certifiable. He too wanted nothing more than revenge. He just sought to go about it in a more subtle manner. "What did you get from the Collectors? I need whatever you know about them."

"They are strange. So isolated, yet very available when your sacrifice is big enough. I gave them many krogan. I may have information for you, but the tech was consumed in my prototype. After I determined how to use it without killing the subjects. Their deaths were unfortunate, but I only need one success to start the process." His eyes focused on Tank. "Why are you with Shepard?"

"Shepard is my battlemaster, father. I hear her voice and obey. She gives me purpose."

"You have no purpose. You are not perfect," Okeer dismissed with a wave of his hand.

She moved to confront him, standing toe to toe. "He is a living being, he is not expendable; he is not to be thrown away. I am honored he has chosen to join me. He is perfect enough for me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I meant him no disrespect, but he is not what I needed. He is nothing compared to my prototype. As I am nothing compared to him," he said pointing to the krogan in the tank.

Shepard eyed the suspended krogan. She didn't like Okeer and certainly didn't trust him, but he was knowledgeable. "Your methods are too extreme, but you do know how to deconstruct a threat. Will you join us?"

"Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage. But my prototype is not negotiable. It is key to my legacy."

Jedore's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Attention! I have traced the krogan release. Okeer, of course."

Okeer strolled over to the window and peered down, sighting Jedore on the floor of the tank room.

"I'm calling 'blank slate' on this project," Jedore said. "Gas these commandos and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks."

Gas began to poor into Okeer's lab. "She's that weak willed? She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve?" He spun around. "Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay. I need it to survive," he said pointing back at the krogan in the tank. " The krogan in this tank is pure. Starting over will not duplicate it. It must survive! Jedore will be with the rejected tanks. Kill her. I will…stay and do what must be done."

Back into the fray. Always the fray…endless fray. She followed the others out the door, Thane at her back. They hurried down two flights of stairs to enter the tank room. "Take cover behind the tanks! Shoot anything that moves and stay at range!"

"A woman after my heart…is it any wonder I love you so much?" Garrus asked with a hand over his heart and a dramatic sigh, before darting behind a tank.

Shepard smiled at Garrus and then caught Thane's prayer to Arashu to protect his heart and keep her safe. She knew she was his heart. She gave him a brief kiss and thanked him for his thoughtfulness, before slipping in behind another tank.

"I don't care who they are!" Jedore yelled. "I want them dead! This is my world! I'll poison them all!"

"Jedore's going down," Tank growled out.

Before she'd even made it to cover she was hit by a rocket, it spun her around, she lost her footing and tumbled off the side of the platform, she slammed into the metal flooring below and rolled right through a large hole punched in the flooring. As she fell she heard her husbands screaming her name and saw Thane dive through the hole after her.

Thane lowered himself to the flooring and charged to the hole. He flung out a pull wave, but she was already out of reach. He amped his power and took a diving charge after her. God love him, what was he doing? She had to die first.

She saw Thane reaching out to her, getting closer…..

She came to as the tank room door slid open. "Rockets will be flying fast and furious. Keep low and keep moving! Take cover behind the tanks! Shoot anything that moves and stay at range!"

"How does she - " Tank said.

"She is Shepard," Thane replied quietly. He knew something was wrong. He glanced at Garrus and they shared a worried look.

'That tells me nothing."

"You will come to find, as we all have, that it tells you everything," Thane said, nodding to Tank.

Garrus forced a smile. He felt a deep need to tell her he loved her. "A woman after my heart…is it any wonder I love you so much?" Garrus asked with a hand over his heart and a dramatic sigh, before darting behind a tank.

Shepard smiled at Garrus and then caught Thane's prayer to Arashu to protect his heart and keep her safe. She knew she was his heart. She gave him a brief kiss and thanked him for his thoughtfulness, not daring to look him in the eye, before slipping in behind another tank. There was no time for explanations right now.

"I don't care who they are!" Jedore yelled. "I want them dead! This is my world! I'll poison them all!"

"Jedore's going down," Tank growled out.

Krogan began spilling out of the tanks, guns blazing. "Garrus focus on the YMIR, Tank and Thane focus on the krogan, Legion hack the YMIR to buy us some time and then focus on the krogan, Jedore's mine. Stay in cover!"

Jedore was opening tanks; the sooner she could take her out, the less krogan they would have to fight. She fired an energy drain bolt, zapping Jedore's shields. Jedore spun around and fired a rocket. Shepard darted behind the tank, which shook with the impact of the rocket. She palmed her Viper and tagged her with three bullets, followed up by another energy drain zap. Legion's drone distracted her, with Jedore's back to her she hit her with a reave followed by a warp bomb, nailed her with two more bullets and dodged a rocket. She slammed her with another reave, another warp bomb, the raised her arm, lifting the woman in the air and jerked her arm down fast. Jadore smashed into the ground with a grisly crunch. She spun to the right, threw a krogan getting too close to Legion and then focused on helping Garrus take down the YMIR. When it blew it took a nearby krogan with it.

She was scanning for life signs when an alarm went off.

"Now what?" Garrus asked in exasperation.

EDI's voice came over her OT. "Shepard, the lab alarms coincide with a systems failure. The remaining lab systems are unprotected, and I have gained limited access. According to the lab scanners, the room is flooded with toxins, and Okeer's personal life signs are failing rapidly. I recommend haste."

Shepard took the lead and dashed up the stairs. She was the only one capable of healing Okeer.

A mechanical voice spoke over the loud speakers. "Contamination detected. Emergency vent in progress. Contamination detected. Emergency vent in progress."

As the door slid open, she heard Okeer speaking to her. "You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you."

As she ran further into the room she saw Okeer's body lying on the floor, his eyes open and sightless. She had arrived too late to heal him.

When she heard him speak again her eyes rose to the holovid he'd recorded. "But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure. This…one soldier, this grunt. Perfect."

She turned her attention to the krogan in the tank.

"This specimen must be valuable. Okeer sacrificed everything to preserve it," Legion stated.

"I concur. We don't know what sort of knowledge Okeer planted in him, beneficial or detrimental."

"I agree, Thane." Shepard opened the line to her ship. "Normandy? Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs retrieval…and he's a big one. EDI, have another storage compartment cleaned out immediately. We have a new guest that needs a room. And put the tank-krogan in the Port Cargo hold." Good stars, if they kept acquiring people, they'd have no room left for their supplies without bunking them up together.

"Right away, Shepard."

On the shuttle ride back, neither of her husbands would leave her side, each held her hand, each stared at her, but neither asked her what was on their minds. When the shuttle docked, she told them she had to go to the debriefing room, but would meet up with them in the medbay as soon as the meeting was over. She gave them each a heated kiss, before heading out to the debriefing room.

As she walked through the door, she heard Miranda complaining."

"Bringing the krogan for study makes sense, but I have concerns about waking it. We already have one new tank krogan, and I have to tell you that concerns me too."

"Yeah," Jacob said in frustration. "You've said that a few times now."

"A normal krogan is dangerous, but these two were created and likely educated by a madman."

"Tank seems fine, so far, though he had not completed the imprinting before he was released. The tanked krogan is sealed. He is safe enough for now," Shepard pointed out.

"Unless Okeer installed some sort of failsafe. Or a malfunction causes the tank to shut down."

"Look, Miranda, I'm not saying we release him right now, I think Tank needs more time to settle in before we consider anything. But I'm not giving up a potential resource."

Miranda placed her hands on her hips. "It's your decision, Commander. Just be careful."

"Noted. I've had him placed in the Port Cargo hold for now. I'll let you know when I decide what I'm going to do with him."

Miranda walked off without looking at her. Jacob just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as he followed Miranda out the door.

Shepard received a clean bill of health from Chakwas, much to her husbands' relief. It was bad enough having one protective husband, but two could be nerve wracking at times.

Her husbands cornered her in her cabin that night. She knew it was only a matter of time before they confronted her about what happened.

"What happened down there on Korlus, vela?"

"I imagine what you think happened." She explained to them about the rocket, her ignoble tumble and subsequent fall through a hole in the floor below and about how Thane had charged after her...then coming to behind the door again." They just held her close. Horrified that they had lost her, but happy that she'd come back to them.

She visited Grunt several times a day just to talk to him. She was sure he couldn't hear her, but she talked with him nonetheless. She told him of her crew and the missions they'd been on thus far as well as anything that was on her mind at the time. She also spent time with her newest crew member, Tank. Tank seemed to have adopted her. She actually felt more like his mother at times. Since she had become his voice, he took just about everything she said as gospel, so she was careful what she said around him. She'd had her husbands both with her and on their own visit with him too. She thought it essential that Tank discovered that turians were not necessarily what his people painted them to be. Thane was patient and understanding. Garrus was easy going, by nature, unless she was threatened, and he had a sense of humor that Tank seemed to enjoy. She'd also instructed EDI to tutor Tank on krogan, their past, what they were like as a species, as well as the other species and anything else pertinent to his growth and education, in addition to what she was able to tell him.

"I hear these words, I understand their meaning, but I do not feel them. They are just empty words," Tank said without any real emotion.

So she explained to him in her own words about what she knew of the krogan, how they reacted both during the rachni wars and after. How, perhaps, they should have reacted, as well as how the other races countered the krogan rebellions. She tried not to display a biased view. "What would you have done if another race had a population explosion and decided they had the right to take over?"

"I wouldn't have messed with the genophage; I'd have done what the krogan did to the rachni. I'd have wiped them out," he said matter of fact.

"I've no doubt that very solution crossed many minds. But in the end they did not wish to commit genocide against another species."

"They may regret that decision some day. If the krogan threatened the galaxy once, they will do so again. It is in their nature, from what I have learned, and they will seek retribution."

"If the genophage is cured, then you are most likely correct. But, I have a friend, a former crew member, Urdnot Wrex, who has assumed control of the Urdnot clan and is trying to unite the krogan under his leadership and that of the fertile females. I think he will lead them towards a different path. I would like to see the krogan as well as the drell rejoin the galactic community someday. Just between you and I," she said placing a hand on Tank's cheek. "I have top salarian scientists along with the geth trying to decipher the sovereign's encryption on Saren's genophage cure. If they are successful, and Wrex is able to keep control of the krogan, then I'd like to be able to offer them the cure some day."

"I'm not sure that is a wise choice. Wrex is one man, not sure he will be able to maintain control after the cure is effective."

"That is a concern, Tank," she said lowering her hand. "But I'm hoping with the backing of the fertile females, the other men will be more likely to listen to them. Of course, the krogan will have to control their population growth, use birth control as other species do, to ensure they do not reach numbers that threaten resources and the galaxy."

"I realize things have to change or my people will have no future, but I don't think they are ready for it. Nothing I've been told, nothing I saw on Korlus, has led me to believe that change is possible. I'm not sure I'm ready for it." He paused a moment in thought. "Your voice has calmed my need to kill, but it is still under the surface, like an itch I can't reach."

She placed her hand on his arm. "Trust me when I tell you I understand that feeling. I know that itch. Baby steps right now. And perhaps the krogan and you will be ready by the time the cure is created. I know krogan can be naturally more aggressive, but I think there are ways to use that aggression in more positive ways. Perhaps something like krogan Olympics can be created. They can channel their energy into sports and events that challenge themselves rather than each other. Or maybe old earth type Knight Tournaments, where respect not death is earned. Even better, they focus that pent up energy into rebuilding. Not only their own planet and colonies, but those of other needy races, like the drell. That would go a long way in improving their galactic standing. If they can be seen as helpers rather than war mongers, they could earn back their embassy at the citadel, or maybe even a seat on the council. I know," she said with a chuckle, "it seems like my head is in the clouds, but I want to see the krogan succeed and I would like to see Wrex, you and hopefully Grunt lead them to that success."

"Maybe, with your voice, they will," he said thoughtfully. "You have given me a lot to think on, Shepard. Now, how about we get Thane, Garrus, Jack and that Zaeed guy and go blow up stuff in the simulator I'm going – what do you call it…stir crazy."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

"Heh, heh…not recommended."

Tank loved the simulator. When he first came aboard the Normandy, it was a godsend. He had been overwhelmed by all the people and new discoveries. The simulator surely saved a bulkhead from being torn open. But as the days went by, he settled in. He began to grow both cognitively and emotionally. They also discovered he was biotic. Since none of the other krogan they'd fought on Korlus had been biotic, she assumed Okeer had experimented with Tank; perhaps that is why his training went on longer than the mindless krogan they'd fought. Every biotic member of the crew spent time with him, working with him on the talent they specialized in.

Chapter 32

Normandy Crash Site

"Shepard, you have a comm coming in from Admiral Hackett."

"Thank you, EDI. Tell him I'll be right with him."

She hopped the elevator to her cabin and sat down at her desk.

"Commander Shepard, as the last captain of the downed Normandy, you have been assigned the task of exploring the Normandy crash site on Alchera. You are to recover the remains of your former missing crew members so that their families can have closure and we would like for you to place a monument on the site to honor the Normandy and the heroes that fell with her."

A hard knot formed in her throat. "I'll see that it is done, Admiral"

The Admiral nodded. "Hackett out."

She was glad she was already sitting. She had no desire to visit the crash site. There were too many memories, too many nightmares…nightmares that she and Garrus both still had. She may be forced to do this, but she wasn't going to do it alone. She couldn't do it alone. "EDI, have my squad and Joker meet me at the Conference Room in 10. Also forward the news to Wrex and Liara, their attendance is voluntary as well."

"Right away, Shepard."

She slowly put on her Alliance dress blues. She preferred to use her formal Spectre blues, but this mission was being done on behalf of the Alliance and she would give them due deference. The Conference Room door slid open, a few of her squad were already there talking quietly amongst themselves. Her husbands watched her enter. She gave them what she hoped was a bright smile, but she could tell by the look on their faces that she'd failed miserably.

Garrus and Thane looked at each other and then moved to their wife's side. They had a brief group hug. They knew she wouldn't say what was wrong until everyone had assembled, when the last of her squad arrived, she said, "We'll get this meeting started as soon as Joker arrives."

"He's arrived. Sorry I wasn't moving any faster, didn't want to snap a femur," Joker quipped as he came through the door. "But, hey – thanks for not…you know…starting without me."

"We'd never start without the man of the hour," Shepard said with a smile.

"Ok, who shit in your cornflakes?" Joker asked.

"Nice, Joker. Anyway, I've called you all here to explain a little detour that we will be taking. Alliance brass has ordered us to the Amada system in the Omega Nebula cluster." Garrus, Thane, Tali and Legion looked at her intently, Garrus look horrified and Thane looked worried. "To many of you this means nothing, but the Normandy SR1 was attacked and destroyed over the planet Alchera. Alchera has been scanned and her wreckage found. We have been asked to recover the bodies of the fallen men and women and place a monument to honor the Normandy and its heroes. The monument is scheduled to be delivered any day. This is strictly a volunteer mission, though Legion, I'd like for you to come along, since you have been to the crash site. Let me know by the time the monument arrives if you choose to volunteer for this mission. Dismissed, everyone."

When her team cleared out only Garrus and Thane remained. Garrus looked like he was ready to break. She moved to his side and wrapped her arms around him. His embrace nearly cracked her in two, but she needed that and she knew he did too. He nuzzled the top of her head with his mandibles, but his sub-vocals keened out his anguish. She knew this was going to be harder on him than it was on her. He'd lived with it for almost two years, while she had been held in suspended animation.

Thane wasn't quite sure what to do. This had all happened before he knew them. Though they'd both told him about the Collector attack and their nightmares had told him even more. He knew this was going to be difficult and the only thing he had to offer was his support. He put an arm around each of them. "I volunteer for the mission," he said softly.

"I do too," Garrus said past the painful lump in his throat.

"Garrus…I wasn't - "

Garrus backed away in agitation, his mandibles moving up and down in quick jerks. "You weren't what? Going to ask me to volunteer? Spirits, Shepard! I watched the woman I love die and I had no way to save her or even die with her, because you took that choice from me. I lost everything the day you died! Including myself. I hid from life, I ran from life, I fought life…but for those two years, Shepard…I did not live life. I couldn't bear to live in a world without you in it. So, yes, the idea of returning to that…place turns my blood to ice. But maybe I need this. Maybe facing it will give me closure…maybe…" He spun around and headed towards the door.

"Garrus…don't go. Not like this."

"Leave it be, Shepard. I need some space."

Thane grabbed hold of her hand before she could follow after him. "Maybe you should give him the time that he needs."

"He doesn't need time, at least not when it comes to this. He'll only stew…make things worse and take it out on whoever crosses his path. He needs me right now, even if he doesn't know it. I love you. I'll see you…soon."

When she stepped out into the hall she saw Garrus stepping into the elevator. She amped her power and charged him, she pulled up enough that she only knocked him deeper into the elevator. "Don't you walk away from me, Vakarian!"

He gave her a gentle push with an icy glare. "I told you I need space. Back off, Shepard!"

She grabbed his mandibles pulled down on them forcing his head down to her eye level. "Damned if I will, Vakarian! You need me right now and I will never walk away from that!"

He took her wrists in his hands and pulled them from his mandibles. "I don't need you!" His mouth fell open and his head fell. "I'm sorry, vela. I'll always need you. I don't know why I said that. I just need…I have to work through…I - "

She slipped her hand past the band of his pants and wrapped it around his hard shaft. As her hand worked him he hissed and his chest began to rumble. "This belies your need to be alone right now, husband." She dropped to her knees and freed him. She ran her tongue along the seam of his sheath pouch, slipping into it as far as she could to caress the interior lining. She had discovered just how sensitive the lining was and the extreme pleasure it gave him. He growled and his talons bit into his shoulders. His mandibles vibrated against his plates fast and furious. She ran the flat of her tongue up the main vein of his shaft and along the underside of the rim of his head before licking off the moisture that was leaking from the small slit. His pants echoed in the elevator. She slid him into her mouth as deep as she comfortably could and began to suckle him while her tongue curled around him. He gave a strangled cry and thrust violently into her; he slammed into the back of her throat and slipped down further. She stumbled backwards, eyes watering, stomach heaving. She took short, quick breaths, trying desperately to settle her gag reflex. She did not have a long mouth and with her strong gag response, she was always careful…apparently, until today. Her throat felt raw, like it had been flayed.

Garrus dropped down, gave her a dose of medigel and picked her up gently. "I'm so sorry, vela." When the elevator opened on their deck, he moved slowly and carefully to their cabin. "I never meant to hurt you. Spirits, I would never intentionally hurt you." He sat down on the sofa, cradling her in his lap. "I'm so - "

She placed her fingers against his mouth plates and straddled his lap. "I know that, Garrus. The fault was mine, not yours. I knew how agitated you were. I just made a…bad judgment call. You, my love, need something a lot more durable right now…and I am a very accommodating wife. Strike that…I'm a very eager wife." She unsnapped her shirt and let it fall to the floor. She slid off his lap, stepped up onto the coffee table, turned away from him, hooked her fingers under the bands of her pants and panties and slowly lowered them down her legs, bending over as she did so. She slipped them off her legs, looked at him upside down from between her legs and tossed them at his face. She began to dance, slowly, sensually on top of the table, her hands caressing her body.

Garrus wanted to watch her dance; he loved it when she danced for them…for him. She was becoming more beautiful, more alluring every day, her belly rounding out with their babies. He watched her hand slide down her leg to her ankle; she slowly pulled her leg straight up, exposing herself to his hungry eyes. He couldn't take any more. He jumped off the sofa, lowered his head and took what she offered. She wobbled for a moment before her leg fell and hooked over his shoulder.

"Garrus…oh god…" His tongue darted in and out of her furiously fast, like a hummingbird sipping nectar. She rotated her body. Garrus gripped her tighter, growling a warning. "I'm not trying to get away…sweet god!" she shuddered. She placed both hands on the table and looped her other leg over his shoulder. Garrus' talons bit into her hips, pulling her closer. His pliable upper mouthplate rubbed against her clitoris and his mandibles fluttered against her sensitive skin as his tongue continued its furious pace. Her legs gripped him tighter and her body stiffened as the pleasure built up. Oh sweet mother, what he was doing to her. "Garruuuss…" Her body exploded.

Garrus gripped her hips tighter; he'd been waiting for her to come. He needed to taste more of her. Her fluids bathed his tongue even as her muscles were gripping it tightly. He stretched his tongue as far as he could, searching out every last drop. He explored every fold and muscle seeking more, her cries of pleasure all but unnoticed. When he felt her tighten around him again, he sought out the spot that would make her come. He was rewarded with a new wave of fluid washing over his tongue. Oh Spirits. As much as he wanted to take the time to get every last drop, he felt her trembling and knew she couldn't keep the position up. He withdrew his tongue reluctantly, twirled it around her nub and then considered how to get her up. He shrugged one shoulder and her leg fell. He moved his hands to her back and pulled up as he dropped his other shoulder. Her leg slid down his arm and her body slid down his. He looked into her red face and she gave him a sated smile.

"That was a first for me, lover. I've never come upside down before. And twice big guy?"

"Once I started eating you, vela…I couldn't get enough. I only stopped because you were tired."

She blushed at his crude use of a word he would never let her live down, pulled the visor off his head and laid it on the table. "I don't know what made you think to use your tongue like that," she grabbed his mandibles and pulled him closer, "but I am eternally grateful. That was the most amazing experience I've ever had. Now take me to bed and pound me into next week."

Garrus picked her up and carried her to their bed. "That I can do."

Grunts, growls and moans echoed in the cabin; his powerful thrusts rocking the bed.

"Take my neck, Garrus…oh sweet god, take it!"

Garrus growled and closed his jaws around her throat, his tongue slowly moving along her artery. The act was a complete act of dominance; the mere act of doing it kicked buried instincts into overdrive and drew out aggression. His talons raked down her body and bit into her hips as he slammed into her furiously. Her every move elicited warning growls, his teeth tightening against her throat. The taste of her blood in his mouth drove him harder.

This was an act she'd only recently discovered; she reveled in the aggression and dominance. She dominated all day long and for the most part even her husbands submitted, but during sex she preferred to turn that domination over to them. Thane could get rough when she pushed him enough, but when she wanted real aggression, Garrus was much more eager to comply. And even if he wasn't, it was much easier to goad him into it. She purposely tried to get away or push against him to increase the aggression. He would never really hurt her, he couldn't. She was his mate, his wife, his lifemate, his everything, but the violence was an aphrodisiac, a fire that raged between them, burning hot and bright. She raked her fingernails down his neck, drawing small trails of blood.

Garrus let out a harsh growl, bit down and shook her neck lightly, his talons scoring her hips as he dug deeper to control her. He drove into her harder and faster, his testicles slapping hard against her, sending tingles up his shaft.

His breath feathered hot against her neck with each pant; his tongue's continued travel up and down her artery sent shivers down her spine. It felt like he was making slow, passionate love to her neck. His subvocals had a threatening undertone; they vibrated against her neck as his growls grew closer together. She could feel the pressure building within her and wrapped her legs around him, imprisoning him. She arched against him, stiffening as her orgasm built upon itself. He growled harshly, his thrusts becoming punishing, letting her know she could not dominate him. Her body ripened to the pain and she screamed as the orgasm tore through her, she rode him hard to prolong the pleasure. His teeth and talons slipped deeper into her skin, a feral snarl was followed by hot jets bathing her womb, she moaned in pleasure, her core clenching him, milking him for more. She felt the prongs come out, anchoring them together…stimulating her as they always did.

When his shaft locked them tight Garrus released her throat, threw his head back and bellowed his victory. He fell forward and sank his teeth into her shoulder; he shuddered when he felt her bite. He felt lighter inside, his demons banished for the time being. His wife had been right, he had needed her. He felt her connect them, her muscles continued to squeeze and caress him. He nuzzled her ear, her neck and her breasts. His tongue flicking the tight peaks before wrapping around them and squeezing. He fluttered his mandibles against her, his chest rumbling and his subvocals encouraging, seducing her. He felt her tongue licking the small wounds on his neck that were already starting to heal and then felt it slide slowly along his artery, which sent bolts of fire shooting through him. Her soft cries of pleasure and gripping muscles caused his shaft to grow heavy once more. Her muscles clenched him hard as her body stiffened. His testicles tightened and he cried out as he released into her again, her orgasm followed his and he rolled them over so that she was astride him, relieving the pressure of the stimulating prongs, so that the tie could end. When the prongs released them, he stayed inside of her until his shaft pulled back into its sheath.

He noticed a few remaining blood trails, stark against her light skin. His mandibles flared when he felt her shiver as his tongue ran over the healed skin of her neck and shoulder, removing the signs of their play. He hugged her tight. "You were right, vela. I did need you."

Shepard sighed as she pulled on the slacks of her Alliance blues. Thane held her jacket; she slipped her arms into it. He looked deeply into her eyes as he snapped it up slowly. She gave him a soft, somber smile. "I'll be okay."

Yes, she would. He would make sure of it. His gaze fell on Garrus. He could see the strain he was under, but he no longer looked like he was about to crack. Whatever his wife had done or said to the man, it seemed to have taken much of the edge off.

She helped Garrus put on his armor, she was very familiar with the buckles and snaps by now. The act of doing something so mundane and familiar helped give her a moment of peace. Then she looked at her own armor, it was not meant to go on over clothing, but at least it would stretch. Her husbands helped her get into it bit by bit. She folded the lower pants across her ankle and held it in place while Thane smoothed the material of armor up and over her fold. Garrus did the same for the other side. It was an even greater chore putting it on over the jacket, but it was important to her to wear her Alliance dress blues even if no one could see them.

There were no lifesigns on the frozen planet below. They were going to remain in orbit over Alchera for a couple of days after completing the gruesome work Hackett had ordered them to do. The monument and 20 stasis pods had been delivered to the ship a few days ago and were sitting down in the cargo bay.

Wrex and Liara had opted to come. Each seeking a closure of their own. Since there were no rooms left available on the Normandy, they chose to remain aboard their respective ships to sleep, but would shuttle over during the day. Liara had been hugging her and crying nonstop when she caught sight of Shepard's growing girth. The last time Liara had seen her on Palaven, the pregnancy had not been noticeable. Wrex, being Wrex hugged her and spun her around. Then he ribbed Garrus mercilessly about having the quad to impregnate Shepard and how he hoped, for the baby's sake, that it took after Shepard. Wrex, you big shit.

Shepard had been pleasantly surprised when she realized every member of her crew had been willing to volunteer. Between the Normandy's two shuttles and Wrex and Liara's shuttles, they had enough room to get everyone down to planetside in one trip. But, it would take another trip to hall down all the stasis pods and the monument.

Shepard was the first to step out onto the snow covered planet. She wanted nothing more than to cling to her husbands for strength, but she would not do it. She had to show the crew a strength she just didn't feel. She stood tall and straightened her shoulders. A look at Garrus showed that he was doing the same thing. Sometimes, strength could be found in just the act of pretending to be strong.

She turned to her friends, new and old. "Here's what I want to see happen. Wrex and Tank will handle the monument placing." It was several hundred pounds and she welcomed their assistance. "It's already been decided the monument will be placed near where the largest piece of the Normandy rests. Those of you who did not serve on the previous Normandy, form a grid, begin searching for bodies and place a marker next to each one you find. We are looking for twenty bodies."

"Shepard Commander. We would like to inform you that several human platforms were discovered upon this unit's previous landing on Alchera. We located several undamaged cargo boxes, emptied the contents and stored platforms within."

"Thank you, Legion. That is good to know, and will certainly help in our search. I appreciate you doing that. But why did you do it?"

Legion remained silent. "No data found."

Shepard tilted her head. Alrighty then. There was definitely more to that particular story. "Okay, previous Normandy crew, I need you to help me search what is left of the Normandy for personal affects and viable ship or personal log entries…anything of that nature. If we have something besides a body that we can return to the families, all the better. Otherwise, we'll return anything we find belonging to those that survived. I honestly don't expect to find much, but we're here and it's the only chance we'll have to do a thorough search. Thank you for your assistance. I can't even imagine having to do this alone. Dismissed."

Tali bumped helmets with Kal and watched him as he walked away to join the search party.

Her team remained together. They would search each piece of the Normandy's wreckage together, so that they could support each other and reminisce about their thoughts and memories. In this way, she hoped it would prove therapeutic as well as having more eyes and hands to ensure nothing was overlooked.

Thane took her hand and pulled her to him. He touched is breather mask to hers, before turning to join the team searching for bodies.

"Thane, wait. Stay with us." It was the closest she could come to saying she needed him right now.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

"I know you weren't here and won't be able to share our memories. I don't want you to feel like an outsider and I'm sorry if you end up feeling that way, but I'd like for you to share this with us. Hear our thoughts, our memories…be a part of that time in my life, even if only in a small way."

He nodded in relief. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but he would have given the survivors that respect.

Progress was slow and thorough, as it needed to be. It was hard to see her ship a twisted, warped, skeletal shell. Each piece of wreckage brought memories to the surface. Each of them took time to share a memory they had, whether it was happy or sad.

When they reached the CIC, Thane found a datapad and handed it to his wife. She flipped it on. It was a personal log of CO Pressly. She read aloud the parts that could still be pulled up. It was a touching account of his growth. "He changed so much in the months that we were together. I remember how much he disliked having aliens aboard the ship. He wasn't openly hostile, but it was clear he didn't trust you all and felt you shouldn't be on an Alliance vessel. But each of you showed him more about aliens than he ever knew. You showed him your loyalty, your devotion, your acceptance. How we were all more than our race, our skin."

"The acceptance was for everyone, Shepard," Liara said. "But the loyalty, the devotion…that was for you. We loved you. It didn't matter to us how soft and white you were or that you had hair. To us…at least to me, you weren't a human, you were a dear friend. Still are."

"Liara's right, vela. You were the one that brought us together, the glue that held us together, no matter what happened. We weren't there for the Alliance, we were there for you." He paused for a moment and chuckled. "You can't believe how many times I stood by the door and watched you work in the CIC, wishing I had the nerve to tell you how I felt about you." He cleared his throat and tugged at the collar of his armor.

It was endearing that he could still get flustered like that. "You were my own personal stalker? I'm flattered. I often felt eyes on me, but when I turned around all I saw was a closing door. I thought it was all in my head."

"Not in your head. I wasn't the only stalker you had." He glanced at Liara who put a finger over the mouth of her breather. "It seemed Kaidan had the same idea. He'd be at one door and I at the other. We did our best to look nonchalant, like we had a reason to be there, but I think we both knew the truth. I had to fight down the need to march over to him and slam his pretty boy face into the wall for watching my woman like that. Well, er…you weren't mine then, but that didn't stop the desire to break him in two."

Tali gave a nervous laugh. She'd had to stop herself from doing the same thing more times than she cared to admit, even to herself. "Still, Shepard's right. When Pressly wasn't on the bridge, he spent his time down in engineering. At first he was cold and distant, but eventually he began to open up and even seemed happy to talk to me. I think out of all of us that he was the one that grew the most as a person. But you, Shepard, you never change."

Ouch. That hurt. "You don't think I've grown as a person?"

Tali shook her head. "I don't think you can change the fabric of who you are. But that's not a bad thing! We need that. You stand alone and face a galaxy, letting them all know that you are going to be who you are and nothing they can do will ever change you. You are like this insurmountable force…this unchanging, unbreakable force that we all gravitate towards. You shelter us, nourish us, and give us strength. You are the one thing we can always depend on." Tali cleared her throat and played with an invisible piece of debris on her suit.

Still, she didn't like hearing that about herself. "But to not grow as a person…that seems…wrong. I will stagnate."

Liara put a hand on her arm. "No, Shepard. You stand fast to your beliefs, your morals…you are incorruptible. I know you suffer doubts, everyone does, but you don't let them change who you are. You don't need to change, because you are already at the pinnacle…most of the rest of us will strive for a lifetime and still never reach that peak."

None of this was making her feel any better. "But to be so unbendable, so unchanging…that's not normal…not right." She shook her head and turned away from her team.

Thane stepped up to her and took her shoulders between his hands. "You are the most bendable person I've ever known. It is that bendability that gives you strength. You can flow around obstacles most of us find daunting to overcome. You find solutions most of us wouldn't think of. Your doubts and fears only bolster you, even when you think they are weighing you down. Everyone's life you have touched you have changed. We grow because of your strength."

Shepard couldn't help but be embarrassed. She was disheartened by the revelation and flattered at the same time. To put it straight, she was confused as hell. "I will think on everything you've all said later. For now, let's finish this." She put the data pad into the bag and moved on to the next pile of wreckage.

The cockpit. The beginning of the end for Shepard. They all shared their thoughts and feelings about what happened that morning. Their fear, their anger…how their lives were irrevocably changed. Even Garrus finally opened up and told the rest of them what he'd gone through. It was the most difficult conversation they'd ever had together, but it needed to be aired to find closure. It ended in tears and hugs. Though, for Wrex it was only hugs.

When they located what was left of the cargo hold and saw the twisted armory table, they each shared their favorite Ashley stories. "For me it would have to be one of the first conversations I'd had with her. She didn't have much trust in aliens. But, eventually, I was able to talk her around some. She told me she'd kiss a turian if I asked her too. I remember laughing at that one, though my inner me was shouting…' I don't think so!' I'd told her if there was any turian kissing going on that I'd be the one to be doing it. The look of relief on her face was priceless."

Garrus stood up straighter, his hips falling into a cocky stance. He hadn't known about that. "You wanted to kiss a turian back then?"

"Well, Nilus had gotten me curious." She smiled as she watched her husband deflate some. "But then I met you. Despite being frustrated by your need to jump the gun, I found I was incredibly attracted to you. But it was some time before your aura was bright enough for me to have a legitimate reason to kiss you."

"You know, you didn't need a legitimate reason. I'm a guy, Shepard. I'd have been willing to kiss you for curiosity's sake. Spirits, I was curious too. You should have just said, 'Vakarain! I'm curious about what it would be like to kiss a turian, you game?' Of course, all I'd have been capable of was a nod, because nervousness would have impaired my ability to speak coherently." He gave his collar another unneeded adjustment.

"Can you imagine how much would have been changed if I'd done that? We'd have discovered we were lifemates right away. When I got sucked into space, you'd have realized I was still alive because you were. Then you probably would have begun a search for me instead of going to Omega…"

"Yes," Garrus said thoughtfully. "So much would have been different. I would have been the one to take your - "

Thane coughed and cleared his throat. He had an itch to slap Garrus upside the head.

"More than I cared to know," Wrex grumbled. Then he shared his Ashley story about how she'd drank ryncol on a dare, got horribly sick and he had to carry her back to the ship while she promised to never touch another drop of alcohol…only to turn around the next evening and get so drunk she couldn't get up off the floor. He'd had to carry her back again, completely disregarding her promises to never drink again. Liara recited Ashley's favorite poem, Tali told of how they both hid in the bathroom to escape Garrus' rampage when he'd been left behind on a mission. They'd draw hologram pictures of a ranting Garrus all over the bathroom walls. Garrus spoke of how he'd constantly tried to sneak information out of her about Shepard and how she'd always caught on to him and then made up something outlandish, that he'd originally believed.

Shepard laughed her ass off. "Is that why you salted my wine? I thought my mouth was going to crumble and fall off."

"Yeah," Garrus said rubbing the back of his neck. "She said you liked it best that way, but that you rarely allowed yourself the luxury. I had wanted to impress you with my thoughtfulness, but when I saw the look on your face, I knew I'd been had. I felt so horrible. And then I nearly drowned you in water, trying to help you drink it. That was the first time I noticed…"

She remembered that all too well. "How hard nipples get in a cold, wet shirt?"

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck again and adjusted his collar."Yeah, they were rather…hmmm…er, fascinating." All the women burst out laughing, while the men just fidgeted uncomfortably.

It took nearly four hours, but by the time they were finished, they had five large bags stuffed with logs, pictures and other personal items. She'd hand them over to the Alliance and leave it to them to get the items to the families or soldiers they belonged to. They met up with the other team at the shuttles. All the bodies had been found and put into the stasis pods. They loaded the shuttles and watched them take off, before turning their attention to the monument.

She directed Wrex and Tank to place the monument in front of the bulk of the Normandy. Most of the ship's name could still be seen on the side of it, with only a small portion sheared off in the crash. When it was placed, they all gave a moment of silence, before those that wanted to came forward to speak words for those departed soldiers. Samara wished them well in the arms of her Goddess. Thane said a prayer to Kalahira for the lost. She made a small speech about each of the fallen, reciting their names, rank, and a brief comment about who they were.

The mission was complete; they only had to wait for the shuttles to return. While everyone started talking quietly amongst themselves, Shepard made her way over to the mako and climbed into it. Garrus and Thane followed her in.

"I almost miss her, Garrus. She drove like bound beast, but almost nothing could stop her."

"I always thought you just lacked driving ability until you let me take her out. She really was tough to steer. Sorry for always ribbing you about your driving."

A memory smacked her out of the blue. "Oh my god, you told me you loved me!"

Garrus cocked his head in confusion. "Of course I have, many times."

"No! When I died."

"What are you talking about, vela? I was in an escape pod when you died."

"Not that time. When we were going after Saren, on the exhaust plain of the Citadel Tower; the geth were entrenched and the turrets were firing at us."

"You didn't die then! Did you?" If she had, she'd never told him about it.

"Yes, I charged a geth making a bead on Wrex and I was hit by a rocket. It would have spaced me, but Wrex grabbed me with his biotics. Unfortunately, I slammed face first into a large column. I was dying, I knew it. I told you I loved you and you told me the same. I began to siphon from you. But my body was too far gone, it would have killed you. You refused to release me. I had to use my biotics to shatter my faceplate so that you would be forced to let me go. You removed your helmet and detached your air hose, trying to force me to breath. Then everything went black."

Garrus let out a ragged breath and pulled her to him. He held her tight and rested his chin on the top of her helmet. He hadn't known he'd lost her then. He wondered how long his other self had suffered before time reset. "So that is why you knew about the geth, the turrets and the side entry that we ended up using."

"Yes, and that is why my charge was off and I crashed into you. My brain was still a bit foggy from dying. I knew there was something I was forgetting. Something important, but I just couldn't remember it…until now. I'm not sure what caused the memory to trigger…maybe all this rehashing of the past, or maybe sitting here again in a mako. I hadn't been in one since we crashed ours on the Citadel. It was the day I first learned that you loved me."

"And if you had remembered, we'd have been together sooner. I'd have taken your..."

"Garrus!" Thane warned. The gift she had given him was his. He had never forgotten what it cost her to give it to him, and it was a gift he cherished above all others. There was nothing more precious to him than that gift.

What is it with guys and virginity? "Garrus…I think I've more than made up for it."

"That you have, vela. I just like giving Thane a hard time."

"Should I be jealous? I prefer for you to give me a hard time."

"Wait a minute! That's not what I meant!" he said, giving the woman in his arms a light shake.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived," Thane said when he heard the shuttles landing. Thane hopped out of the mako and raised his hand to help his wife down. Garrus followed, patting the hull of the mako farewell.

When they arrived back on the Normandy, she told everyone she was breaking open the booze and that the cooks had been working since morning preparing food. They were going to spend the rest of the day celebrating life.

Wrex and Tank spent most of their time together. Wrex was telling him about the krogan, his experiences and even offered Tank a place in Clan Urdnot.

"Wow, Wrex. Trying to steal my krogan?"

Wrex laughed. "He already told me he had a clan. I would have been surprised if he had accepted. I remember what it was like with you. If you hadn't of died on me, I'd probably still be with you." Wrex admitted with a grumble, before letting out another bark of laughter. "I think he considers you his parents."

"They are my family, Wrex." Tank growled at him.

"You're a krogan, pup!" Wrex admonished.

"I don't even know what that means. Nothing I've seen so far encourages me to want to embrace that lifestyle. I fought on Korlus because I knew nothing else. I will fight for my clan, because we are family. But I do not care to fight just to fight. I can be more than that."

Wrex looked at the pup thoughtfully. He wished more of the krogan felt that way. He had a dream for the krogan future and it did not focus on fighting, but rebuilding…becoming a part of the galactic community again and earning its respect. "I think you have the right of it, pup. So long as I remain leader of Clan Urdnot, the offer will always remain open, but I respect your decision."

"Tank? Would you be willing to formally join my clan? Would you be willing to let us adopt you?" Shepard held her breath.

Tank smiled and put his arms around her. He knew she was a hugger and had come to like it. "I would be honored, mother."

Shepard hugged him back, ignoring the tears that fell from her eyes. He was to be their first child. A big child, but their child nonetheless.

Wrex shook his head, but couldn't keep from smiling. Maybe there was hope for the krogan race after all.

Shepard took her son's hand. "EDI…."

"Already done, Shepard, I just need you four to come to the AI Core so I can get your iris scans. Then I will file the records."

"Thank you, EDI. I'll go inform my husbands and we'll be right there."

"I've already informed them, they are on their way now."

Shepard frowned. She had wanted to be the one to tell them. "Efficient as always, EDI."

"I reasoned along those same lines."

She smiled up at Tank. "Come on, son. Let's make it official." She met up with her husbands at the AI Core. She was a little nervous. She hoped they wouldn't be too upset with her for not discussing it with them first. It just kind of slipped out. She gave them an uncertain smile.

"We knew things were moving along this path, siha. Garrus and I were going to discuss it with you after the memorial. Seems you beat us to the punch." He turned to Tank and held out his arms. It felt strange hugging such a large krogan, but despite his size, he was very young. "Welcome to the family, son."

Garrus stepped forward next for his hug. "I'm glad you chose to join us, Tank…son."

"Thank you for giving me a place in your clan, fathers."

"Please step up to the scanner, one at a time," EDI informed them. Their irises were scanned and the documents sent out. "Tank Shepard-Vakarian-Krios, you are formally adopted. Congratulations."

"Let's go tell everyone and then celebrate," Shepard said with a smile.

"Try not to drink too much, son. We'd like to keep our bulkheads intact," Garrus said patting his new son on his back as Tank raced ahead of them out the door.

"Shepard? I've already informed the crew. When I announced his adoption it was on loudspeaker."

Shepard sighed. Blabbermouth. "Thank you, EDI." Her thoughts were already on the new wardrobe of clothing she was going to buy for Tank. She didn't want him to have to run around in uncomfortable armor all the time. "EDI scan Tank and order a plethora of clothing for him, enough to cover any occasion." Her baby was going to be dressed in style.

"Right away, Shepard."

The crew was surprised, but supportive. They had been leery of Tank originally, but the krogan had been making his rounds with all of them, learning everything he could about the ship. He was like a sponge, soaking everything up. And he'd made them wonder if the krogan could be more than they were.

The celebration lasted the whole day. Zaeed, Jack, Wrex and Tank took off to the Combat Sim Room. Others watched vids, played cards or just hung out with each other. Liara, Chakwas and Mordin were deep into some sort of discussion and Legion was over near EDI's hologram talking AI shop. Food and booze continued to flow. She tried some of just about everything, but her stomach and brain rebelled at the thought of eating dog and monkey. Nope, not going to happen. Wrex and Tank could have it all. She was going to try a krogan vegetable dish, but Wrex warned her…that like ryncol, it could hit a human hard. While she was not technically a human, she was pregnant, so took his advice to heart. Avoid krogan food. Got it.

Come around 8pm she began to lag. The babies were kicking up a storm…she could swear they were doing a gymnastics routine in her belly. She imagined it wouldn't be long before her husbands could feel them too. She made her goodnights to her friends and hugged and kissed her new son, before heading off to her cabin. She told her husbands to stay and enjoy themselves, but they opted to turn in with her.

They made love that night like they were saying goodbye. Perhaps, in a way, they were….goodbye to the past. Goodbye to her death. The closure had been needed, even if it was painful. Shepard jolted when she felt a biotic field clash against her. "Thane!" she gasped.

"It wasn't me, siha," he said softly looking at Garrus in wonder.

Shepard looked down at the arms around her waist. What the hell? His arms were encased in a sparkling blue glow. "Garrus, you're glowing."

"Of course I am," he purred. "I just had great sex," he said nuzzling her hair.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Open your eyes, you're really glowing."

Garrus looked down at himself and nearly got a freak on. He froze. He knew movement while his prongs were out would hurt her, so he remained still. But Spirits! What the hell was happening to him? He had thought the buzz was from his wife or Thane.

Shepard amped her power and merged their biotic fields. Her hair frizzed out and her aftershocks intensified.

Thane amped his power and joined it to theirs. Parts of Shepard's hair were standing on end, but the increased intensity of the aftershocks took all focus off what would have been extremely funny in any other context.

"Spirits, Thane!" was all Garrus allowed himself to say. The vibrations from Thane's er…yeah sent wave after wave of pleasure shooting through him. He couldn't even imagine what it was doing to their wife. He felt himself grow heavy and his testicles tightened so tight he thought they'd implode. His wife's muscles gripped him hard repeatedly before clenching him tightly. He flung back his head and bellowed as a fierce orgasm ripped through him. Followed by the pleasurable waves of their orgasms. It was too much to bear, he was going to die…and he was okay with that.

Shepard felt like she would detonate at any moment. She couldn't take it; it was too much pleasure to survive. She broke the connection and fell forward against Thane. She hissed at their bites, Garrus' teeth sinking in deeper than usual. She bit into Thane's shoulder, taking in his blood and then turned her head far enough that she could reach Garrus' neck. It may not have been her bondmark, but it was still bonding connection.

They fell to their sides, legs entwined, riding out the aftershocks of an orgasm that shouldn't have been possible. When she was released from the tie, she rolled over onto her back between them. "Garrus, we need to get you in to see Karin and Mordin in the morning…or whenever the hell we wake up. We need to find out what is happening to you. In the mean time, try not to amp up."

Garrus couldn't agree more. Biotics generated at puberty, not to someone in their thirties. Garrus was out of his league. He rested his talons on her belly just above Thane's hand. When he heard his wife's soft snore, he smiled and closed his eyes. There were no nightmares that night.

Come late morning they made love, showered, took a shot of their wife's blood and commed Mordin and Karin. The doctor's wanted to see him before he ate breakfast. They hopped the elevator down to Mordin's lab.

They were quick to scan him and draw blood. A lot of blood. Mordin and Karin looked at each other in confusion.

"The scans and preliminary bloodwork show no physiological differences. There are no element zero nodules embedded in your body tissues. Are you sure about what you saw?" Chakwas asked.

"We all saw it, Karin." She turned to Garrus. "Show them."

Garrus blinked. "I don't know how to show them, vela. I don't know how I did it last night." He couldn't keep the frustration out of his subvocals, though he knew only Thane and his wife could hear them.

"It's okay. Close your eyes. Focus on yourself internally. Try to locate what feels like a hum or a buzz. When you locate it, give it all your focus; reach out to it, grabbing it with your hand. Imagine yourself pulling it closer to you, pouring energy into it, making it bigger, to where it overflows your hand. But don't let it go, just hold tight to it." She knew she wasn't explaining it right, but it was hard to explain a feeling...an instinct. Just as it would be hard to explain color to someone who was born blind.

She could feel and hear his frustration growing. She put a hand against his shoulder and sent calming waves of energy to him, allowing him to focus better.

Garrus gasped as his hand began to glow a sparkling blue. He dropped his focus and a wave of energy buffeted the doctors sending them stumbling backwards. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do that."

"Fine…fine, Garrus. Intriguing. Biotic ability without eezo nodules. Just like Shepard." He looked at Thane. "Has your biotic glow changed?"

Thane amped his power, a blue and gold glow encased him. He didn't have the amount of gold in him that Shepard had, but it was vastly more than the sparkle he'd started getting a few months ago.

"Fascinating! Still ingesting…ah…Shepard's blood?"

"Daily," Garrus said.

"How much?" Mordin inquired.

"We have a shot in the morning, then normally after, um…relations," Garrus said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right. Right. How often are those relations? For scientific study, of course."

The trio looked at each other and flushed.

"On average approximately four sessions a day, though sometimes multiple times in one…umm session..," Shepard replied, her face heating up even more. She'd never really thought about it in counting terms before. Good stars they had a lot of sex.

Mordin and Karin looked at each other. Karin put her hand over her mouth trying to stifle a laugh.

"Other subjects haven't experienced this side effect. Ingesting blood at much lower rate though."

"They're not subjects, Mordin. They are people. Kasumi and Tali have not become a biotics either, but we shall be keeping a closer eye on them now that we know it could be a possibility. Garrus, we will need to get you outfitted with an implant. Do you want one like Thane's or would you rather have one that focuses more on dark energy, that would allow you to produce singularities?"

Garrus didn't even have to think about it. "I want one like Thane's. Being able to keep up with them is far more important than tossing orbs of power."

Chakwas laughed. "I hear you. I will let you know when it comes in. Until then, avoid using your biotics unless under supervision from an experienced biotic. Now, why don't we all head down to the medbay and get a peek at those babies."

She was eighteen weeks along now and the babies were growing like weeds. The levo baby was seven and a half and a half inches and the dextro baby was five inches. The size difference wasn't because the levo baby received more nutrition, but because it was gestating faster. They watched the babies' antics while the doctors attended to the amniotic flush and gene therapy treatment. The samples were collected for study and they began taking measurements of the babies.

"I'm assuming you would like to know the sex of the dextro baby as well?"

Absolutely, they did.

"She is a girl as well. You are having two very healthy baby girls."

Garrus' mandibles dropped, before spreading wide. He was having a daughter…two daughters. His heart felt like it would explode into mushiness. He would make sure these girls never doubted themselves or his love for them. He would not be his father. His eyes feasted on the holoscan of his children. He couldn't wait to meet them.

"Everything is as it should be. We'll talk more about delivery and what is going to happen when it gets closer for the levo baby to be born."

"They can be born together," Garrus said, his voice chalked full of emotion. He cleared his throat. "I discussed the issue with my mother. Turian babies are fully developed by their sixth month, all they gain in the womb after that is size. Parents often choose to birth their children at six months, so she can be born with the levo baby without worry."

"Would explain the advanced development of her lungs. Intended to discuss the readings. Was unaware of flexibility of turian gestation. Intriguing concept." Mordin's face was wreathed in a smile.

"I'll make sure everything is ready in within the next ten weeks. It looks like we will be having two new crew members very soon."

Ten weeks? Oh my god. Would they even be able to defeat the Collectors in that time frame? She needed to step up the pace. She wanted to take a few months off to spend time with her new babies.

The doctors took the samples they'd collected and left for the lab. Thane licked the blood from her belly, placed a tender kiss on it and helped her up. She got dressed in a daze. This was all happening so fast. "We need to name these girls, husbands, so be thinking about that." She kissed them both and told them she'd catch up to them later.

With time running short, she decided she'd awaken the krogan. Shepard looked intently at the large krogan in the tank. She hadn't told her husbands what she was going to do. If she had, they'd have wanted to be with her. She did not want the krogan to feel threatened when he came to. If he did, things could go downhill fast. She didn't want anyone hurt. Could the krogan hurt her? He wasn't armed. And while krogan were immensely strong, unless he was also a biotic and already well trained, she didn't fear that strength. She really didn't fear him as a biotic either; she'd yet to meet anyone who could equal her. Overall, he could only hurt her if she allowed him to or if she was stupid and let her guard down. "How's he doing, EDI?"

"The subject is stable, Shepard. Integration with onboard systems seamless."

"Can he see anything in there? Does he know where he is?"

"Unlikely. Current neural patterns indicate minimal cognition. Barring ship wide power loss, the nutrients in the tank could sustain him for over a year."

"Can you extrapolate how he might react, given the information we received about Okeer's imprinting?"

"Okeer's technology could imprint data, not methods of thinking. The subject may know of his views, but would not necessarily share them."

"Were there any unusual signs when you scanned him?"

"The subject is an exceptional example of the krogan species, with fully formed primary, secondary, and tertiary organs, where applicable. No defects of any kind, aside from the genetic markers of the genophage present in all krogan. I cannot judge mental functioning."

"Thank you, EDI. Stand by. I'm going to release him."

"Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology."

"Cerberus can bite my ass. He's either a powerful addition to the crew or a time bomb. I'd rather deal with it now."

"Very well, Shepard. The controls are online. The switch – and consequences – are yours."

"Duly noted, EDI…and, rather cryptic." Her fingers fly over the keypad and then she took a step back. A hiss could be heard as the locks disengaged. The door opened and water began to leak down into a reservoir built into the bottom of the tank. The krogan fell forward onto his hands and knees, coughing up the life sustaining nutrients. Shepard waits patiently, her eyes never leaving the krogan. She would let him make the first move.

His lungs were on fire as they fought to expel the fluid that had sustained him. Words filled his head, words that were not his own. They weighed down on him, buzzing around in an almost dizzying fashion. All he could see was blur, he closed his eyes tight, to remove the excess liquid from them. Strange sounds and scents bombarded him. When he expelled the last of the water, he opened his eyes, blinked and his vision began to clear. He was not alone, but he would not go down easily. He charged. "Human. Female. Before you die, I need a name."

"I'm Commander Shepard and I don't take threats lightly, I suggest you rethink your options."

"Not your name. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank…Okeer couldn't implant connection, His words are hollow. Warlord, legacy, grunt…grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last, it has no meaning. It'll do. I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

"Why Grunt?"

"It's short. Matches the training in my blood. The other words Okeer imprinted are big things I don't feel. Maybe they fit your mouth better. I feel nothing for Okeer or his enemies. I will do what I am bred to do – fight and determine the strongest – but his imprint has failed. Without a reason that's mine, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you."

"Destroying you would not prove my strength of command, it would show my weakness, for you would be a strong addition and it would be foolish of me to destroy that which can make my team stronger."

"If you are weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."

"You could try. But I think," she said as amped her power, pushed him back gently and began to spin him slowly, "you will come to find that I am not weak." She put him down right in front of her as though she'd never moved him away. "As far as my enemies go, they have the ability to destroy a universe, is that worthy enough for you?"

"Heh, heh. Hmph! That's acceptable. I'll fight for you."

"I'm glad you saw reason," she said tapping her gun against his chest.

Grunt looks down at the gun. "Hmm? Ha! Offer one hand, but arm the other. Wise, Shepard. If I find a clan, if I find what I…I want, I will be honored to eventually pit them against you," he said with a small head bow.

"The gun? That was just for show. I think you will come to find that I'm more lethal without it."

Grunt grunted. "So I saw. Tell me about our enemies."

She explained to him about the Reapers, what they intended to do and the Collectors who chose to work with them. She told him of her crew, and of the organization she was using to fight the Collectors. After she laid everything bare for him, she gave him a moment to take it all in. "What are your thoughts about our mission?"

"I fight, doesn't matter who for," he said with a shrug.

"Did Okeer give you any imprints about the Collectors?"

"I see blurry ships, guesswork about strength." He raised a hand briefly to his brow in concentration. "Nothing to help pick a weak spot and tear. Okeer spent all his time on old hatreds. Whatever technology they gave to him, it was used up when he made me."

Yes. Okeer had said as much. "Understood. You should know there is another tank-bred krogan on board. His name is Tank. I'll introduce you once you've had time to settle in. Please activate your OT." She sent the information she needed him to have. "I've updated your OT with the ship's schematics, though you can always ask EDI, the ship's AI, if you can't find something. There's a Rec Room, but I have a feeling you'd enjoy the Combat Sims Room a lot more. Check it out when you get the chance. You may use this room for your quarters. I'll have a bed, desk and terminal installed shortly. There's food for about every species in the mess, so feel free to eat what you want. We're not on rations at this time. Let me know if you need anything." At his nod she took her leave. She was relieved she hadn't had to kill him.

Chapter 33

Tali: Treason

Flat up – there's a hell of a lot of dialogue in this chapter. I've added some things to account for my lore changes, but much of it is intact because Shepard will need the info learned for the trial to come.

As Shepard approached Tali, she noticed her friend was fidgety, or at least more so than usual. It was evident something was bothering her. Not to mention, that she could feel the anxiety coming off her in waves. "Tali, what's the matter?"

"I've got a problem, and I may need your help. But I need to tell you something first. Some of this might involve Fleet security, I've cleared out surveillance in here, but I don't want to talk around the Cerberus staff."

"That's understandable, let's go to my cabin."

They found Thane hard at work on her reports; bless him, when they entered the cabin.

Thane jumped up from his desk and kissed his wife soundly. His eyes fell on Tali and noticed something off with the young quarian. "Do you two need time alone?"

"No…no, Thane. You can stay, that won't be necessary. I just wanted to speak to Shepard without Cerberus ears listening." Thane nodded and resumed work on the reports his wife hated to do.

"Come sit on the sofa and tell me what's on your mind." Shepard sat down and patted the spot next to her.

Tali sat down, jumped up, paced and sat down again. "I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet. The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason."

Shepard's mouth dropped open dumbfounded. "What? That's insane. Nobody who knows you could believe you'd betray your people, Tali."

Tali dropped her head and then looked at Shepard, she was thankful her mask hid her blush. "I don't know. I might, for the right reasons. But I didn't. And they wouldn't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute. But, thanks. I appreciate your faith in me."

"I don't believe that for a minute, Tali. And you don't have to thank me for that. You're one of my best friends, with me from the start. I'd never doubt you."

Tali took Shepard's hand. "I'm scared."

Shepard squeezed her hand. "Is it my fault? Because you are on a Cerberus vessel?"

"No," Tali said shaking her head. "I got leave to serve on the Normandy again. I have no idea what they're accusing me of. You'd think I would remember if I betrayed the Fleet."

"What's going to happen?" Shepard asked quietly.

"There's a hearing, with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges. My father will have to recuse himself from judgment. I can't even imagine what he's thinking of me right now. The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me, I can never go back."

"He'd never think you were capable of treason, Tali."

"I don't know, Shepard. I'd like to think that, but I just don't know. You know we were never all that close. I loved him, but he loved his work. I just…I won't know more until I get back to the flotilla."

"What would happen if you were exiled?"

"If it's deemed only a tragic mistake in judgment, I might receive a small ship and supplies. Not that it really matters. Either way, if I'm convicted, I'll never see the Migrant Fleet again."

"You know, if that were to ever happen, you still have a home with me."

"Thanks, Shepard. That means a lot to me. I just…" Tali balled her other hand in a fist, wishing she could wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I know, Tali. I don't want to see that happen to you. I just wanted to…I don't know…let you know that you weren't alone. That I'm here for you."

Tali patted Shepard's hand. "You've always been there for me."

"How often does something like this happen in the flotilla?"

"It's very rare. It must be something that affects the entire flotilla, not just a single ship. The most recent one was Anora'Vanya vas Selani, an engineer who handed over Fleet defense schematics to the batarians. She had good intentions, The batarians were contracted to upgrade our systems, But they passed the schematics to a pirate gang. She made a suicide run on the pirates and destroyed them before they could attack the fleet. She was pardoned…posthumously. Let's hope I don't have to prove my innocence that way."

"I, and the Normandy, would help you in any way that you needed. Would they hold the trial before you were able to get there?"

"If I take too long, they'll try me in absentia. That pretty much guarantees my conviction."

"That won't happen. Let's find the flotilla."

"I was going to book passage on another ship next time we docked. I didn't think there would be time for you to help. Thank you."

"Again with the thanks. It's not needed, Tali. I'd never let you face this alone."

Tali nodded and stood up. "I'll program the Normandy with the flotilla's current location. The Admirals will be waiting for us."

Shepard hugged her friend and watched her as she left the cabin. She fell heavily back onto the sofa and lowered her head to her hands. How was she going to get Tali out of this.

Thane sat down beside his wife and pulled her into his arms. "You'll figure this out and see it through. It will all work out, siha."

She held him tightly, wishing she had as much faith in herself as he did. Thane began to peel off her clothes. He worshiped every inch of her body before making slow, sweet love to her. Damn, he knew how to make a girl feel cherished. When she left the cabin she headed for the CIC. She needed to find out where the flotilla was located. When she arrived Kelly gave her a worried look.

"Hit me with it, Kelly."

"It's Grunt. He's not like Tank. I'm not sure that Grunt is mentally stable. I get the feeling he just doesn't care about anything, including who lives or dies."

"Yeah, I've been talking with him too, trying to give him a reason to care. Leave him to me for the time being. Just know that I wouldn't let him hurt you."

"I do know that…Shepard. I know you would always protect me…umm, all of us," Kelly said with a blush. "And don't worry. I intend to stay as far away from him as possible…until you've worked your magic on him."

Magic. That would be nice. She stepped up to the Galaxy map and plotted a course to the Migrant Fleet. She hit the bridge next to check on Joker.

Joker turned his head as she approached. "I swear we got some lateral drift. The old Normandy never had that."

"Nothing you can't handle, Joker."

"What can I say? I'm the hottest pilot alive."

"Of course you are, Joker. Scruffy beard and all."

"Hey! You got a thing against beards? What am I saying…look who you married. You prefer scales."

Shepard sighed. "Neither one actually have scales…just skin patterns."

Joker scoffed. "Whatever you say, Commander. Glad to be out of those Alliance standard issue starch shorts. Took a year to lose my callus."

Joker with a callus on his ass. Nice picture. Thanks, Joker. "I'm sure Chakwas could have given you something for that."

"What kind of man do you think I am? That's private."

"But you had to share it with me, I'm touched."

"Of course, you were on a slab for two years, I'm sure you had plenty of calluses. Two years," he sighed. "Two years and everything hits the crapper. That'll teach you to die on me."

"Yep. Consider it a lesson learned."

"I'll hold you to that, Commander," Joker said earnestly. "If mom could see me now, we'd have zombies on top of everything else."

Okay, that was out of left field. What the hell did he mean by that? Never mind. She really didn't want to know.

Joker spun around in his chair. "You collect stray cats as a kid? First Tank and now a mega-krogan. Thanks for dragging him home."

"As a matter of fact, I did. At least one…he was a little larger than normal," she said remembering Boo, the white jaguar she'd adopted as a kitten back on Mindoir. "Don't worry; I'll keep him in line."

"Didn't expect anything less. Just…no bulkheads ripped out of my baby, okay?"

Shepard shook her head. "Everything going alright up here?"

"It was, until the thing started questioning my every move. It won't let anything slide," he said casting his gaze sideways at the ever present EDI holo.

"You were deliberately falsifying maintenance reports, Mr. Moreau," EDI stated.

"Not falsifying. Tweaking. I always round up my task times. Makes us look good when we come in under."

"A little self-promotion, Joker?" she asked with a chuckle. "As long as nothing is affected, let it slide, EDI."

"Yeah, go pout. I win," Joker said, rubbing it in.

"That was childish, Mr. Moreau," EDI admonished.

"Right, right. No hard feelings. Good game." He turned his attention to Shepard. "So, we're hooking up with the Migrant Fleet? Care to tell me why?"

"Tali has been charged with treason by the Admiralty Board. She needs to return home to answer the charges."

Joker's mouth fell open. "Shit, that sucks. After everything she's done for them," he said with a shake of the head. "No matter, you'll fly in on your broomstick and pull her ass out of the fire."

"Are you calling me a witch, Joker?"

"Should I have said 'wave your magic wand'?"

Again with the magic. Perhaps she's instilled a little too much confidence in her crew. "I should go."

Joker spun back around, his hands flying over the holocontrols. "See ya, Commander."

And so she was dismissed. Her next stop was to Jacob. "What's your take on the crew so far?"

"Grunt, I don't know about that one. As far as the others go, unless all distractions are removed, loyalty to the mission will suffer. Run this team through hell, and all we're going to get is burned."

"Yeah, I get that. I've been trying to work on it. Just wish everyone wasn't carrying so much baggage. It seems like it's never ending."

"You got that right. Thanks again for helping me out with mine. Maybe not the best way to learn about the relatives, but I'm glad it's done and over with."

"What's your sense regarding the mission?"

"If Mordin's modifications hold up, we've got a shot. If they don't, we're dead. Seems like that was always a strong possibility, though."

"I'll see us through this, Jacob."

"If anyone can, you can…ma'am."

"From everything I've read, you made quite an impact after you left the Alliance," she said appreciatively. She noticed Jacob's flush and wondered about it.

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. Praise coming from her always left him a little flustered. "Miranda and I stopped a batarian plan to release a biological agent on the Citadel. That's when I first met her. It took us out to the Nemean Abyss and back," he said, shaking his head. He leaned his hip back against the table. "Saved the Citadel, like you, but what's the saying – a good deed's like pissing yourself in dark pants? Warm feeling, but no one notices. The whole thing was hushed, like they're good at doing, but I know what I did and I'm proud of it."

That was certainly something she could relate to. Well, perhaps not the pissing part…she preferred to use the toilet. "Yeah, I get that."

Jacob cocked his head and scoffed. "Do you, Shepard? You're a hero. Everyone notices everything you do."

"Perhaps," she said thoughtfully. "But they don't listen, and most of what I do is swept under the rug as well."

Jacob nodded. "Okay, you have me there."

The days it took to get to the Migrant Fleet were rather interesting. Things were strained between Grunt and Tank right from the start. Grunt was more fly by the seat and Tank was more pragmatic. Shepard had to restrain them during their first meeting, putting them both in stasis and uncovering their heads and chests so they could talk things out. Talk is usually not the first plan of krogan action, but she refused to release them until they did. They stood there, stubbornly quiet, for a couple of hours until she called in Kasumi and got into an intimate girl talk with her. It seemed things were heating up between her and Jacob. Apparently, that's all it took. Who knew? They were more than eager to talk things out.

She couldn't call them fast friends now, but they did tolerate each other well and when she took them on a small side mission with Thane and Garrus, they had each other's backs. She'd had to know if she could count on them under fire. She could and that was what mattered most.

Overall, Grunt preferred the company of herself, Zaeed and Jack. Though, she had to wonder how she fit into that group at all. In the end, she hoped that he'd learn more from her than them. A Jackified Grunt was more than she wanted to contemplate. Tank preferred to be with her, Garrus and Thane, though that was to be expected, since they'd nurtured him right from the start.

While she was thinking about Grunt she made a quick stop by to check on him.

"I can't believe you adopted a tank-bred or that he let you."

"Ah, Grunt…I'd adopt you too if you'd let me," she said with a smile.

"Heh, heh, heh. I prefer you more as my battlemaster than my mother."

"Fair enough," she sighed. "Anything in your tank imprints that can make use of the resources we've found?"

"Hmmm. Might have something I could put together, Don't know how useful it will be."

He showed her schematics on how to improve the Claymore shotgun. Well, it was something that could come in handy. "What do you think about the crew?"

"Good bunch if they stay out of my way. Dead bunch if they don't. Train them good if you want to take on the Collectors, Some of these aliens are…too smooth."

"Training has been a top priority for me. So make sure you log plenty of time in the Combat Sim Room."

"It's not the same as grappling with your enemy, but it's fun to blow them up at least. Tank, Zaeed and Jack are hitting the Sims with me later. I'll get my time in, don't you worry."

Shepard nodded. "That's all for now."

Tali was in the cockpit with her as they emerged from the mass relay and entered Migrant Fleet space. Joker hailed the Rayya.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema requesting permission to dock with the Rayya."

"Our system has your shipped flagged as Cerberus. Verify," came the terse reply.

"After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

"Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

Tali nodded to Shepard. "We'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean."

"Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle 17."

She had Garrus, Thane and Legion meet them at the airlock. She wasn't sure what they were going to face, but she felt better having her husbands' support. And Legion, well he was an in your eye poke at the quarians. She hated what they had done to his people.

The airlock hissed and opened. Tali gave a worried look at Legion. "I don't think it's a good idea to bring – ah"

The quarian guards whipped out their guns and trained them on Legion.

"Get that damn thing off my ship before you start an incident that makes the Ascension Project fiasco with Cerberus look like a slow day on garbage detail!" Captain Kar'Danna ordered.

"The geth is with me. I'll take full responsibility for it." The diplomatic approach was always the better option…at least to start out with.

"The hell you will! This is my ship. If it goes hostile, it's my responsibility. I want no part of it!" Captain Kar'Danna seethed. "I'm letting you aboard as a courtesy to Tali; the geth will not be tolerated."

"This is your ship and I'm a guest. But Legion is part of my team. Unless you want to shoot me, we're both coming aboard."

"I don't have to shoot you. I could kick you both off. No one here likes geth or Cerberus. I can't guarantee your safety."

"You don't have to….and I'm NOT Cerberus."

"Shepard Commander, perhaps I should remain aboard the Normandy. I do not wish to place you in danger."

"No, Legion. I don't know why, but I need you here. We stay or we leave together."

Tali jumped in to try to sooth ruffled feathers. "I can guide them away from to more militant elements of the crew."

"There's a lot more militants these days, Tali"Zorah. And given the charges against you, it's only getting worse."

Tali straightened up. "What do you mean?"

"They're charging you with bringing active geth into the Fleet as part of a secret project."

"That's insane!" Tali scoffed. "I never brought active geth aboard. I only sent parts and pieces for a project my father was working on. I checked every piece I sent. I was careful in my selections."

Kar'Danna was in a bit of a bind. He had to let Shepard aboard and she refused to board without the damned geth. Bosh'tet. "I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So, Tali…you're confined to this ship until the trial is over."

Ship confinement was preferable to a holding cell. "Thank you, Captain."

"Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived. The hearing's being held in the garden plaza. Good luck. You should speak with Admiral Raan. She's waiting up ahead."

As they walked past various quarians, they heard several remarks.

"I can't believe they're charging Tali'Zorah with such a thing."

"The captain let a geth onto the ship! I'm lodging a complaint."

An older quarian turned to greet them. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I am glad you came. I could delay them only so long."

"Auntie Raan! Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She's a friend of my father's." Tali paused a brief moment and then looked at her Aunt oddly. "Raan, you called me 'vas Normandy'."

"I'm afraid so, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema."

"Are you one of the judges?" Shepard asked.

"I'm afraid not. My history with Tali and her father forced me to recuse myself."

"I imagine father had to do the same," Tali said, nodding.

"You'll see inside, Tali. For my part, I moderate and ensure that the rules of protocol are followed, but I have no vote in the judgment."

Shepard turned to Tali and took her hand. "I take it being associated with a human ship is a bad sign?"

Tali nodded. "They stripped me of my ship name. That's as good as declaring me exiled already."

"It's not over yet, Tali," Raan cut in. "You have friends who still know you as Tali'Zorah vas Neema…whatever we must call you legally."

"Does Tali have a defense counselor? Someone who speaks for her side?"

"Indeed she does…Captain Shepard. She is part of your crew, now, recognized by quarian law. An accused is always represented by his or her ship's captain, which is why Captain Kar'Danna was forced to allow the geth to board. As Tali's captain, you had to be allowed entry."

"You are willing to speak out in my defense?" Tali asked Shepard.

"Of course I am. I'll do everything in my power to help you, Tali."

"Thank you, I could not ask for a better counselor."

"Our legal rules are simple. There are no legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Just present the truth as best you can. It will have to be enough. Now come, I promised that I would not delay you."

Legion and her husbands moved off to the side as Shepard and Tali approached the three judges. Raan took her place on top of a pedestal. The room was filled with whispering quarians. The quarians quieted and rose when they heard Raan's voice. "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai." Raan paused for a moment. "The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with her captain to defend herself against the charge of treason."

Admiral Koris noticed Legion and bellowed out a complaint. "Security! A geth is present in the courtroom! Does Tali'Zorah think to affect this hearing with threats?"

Shala'Raan interrupted. "Captain Danna allowed the geth aboard. Do you intend to second-guess the Rayya's captain, Admiral Koris?"

"Objection withdrawn," Koris reluctantly said.

Raan turned her attention to Shepard. "Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"

"Of course I will. But to Tali and myself, she will always be Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand at her side today."

Koris was irritated. "Nobody has been forbidden from anything! It is simple - "

Admiral Gerrel turned on Koris. "Lie to them if you must, Zaal'Koris, but don't lie to me and expect me to stay silent! The human is right!"

Raan stepped in. "Admirals, please. Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated. Tali you are accused of bringing active geth to the Migrant Fleet. What say you?"

"Tali would never endanger the Migrant Fleet. She pleads not guilty." Shepard's voice rang out.

Tali refused to remain silent. "I left parts and technology for teams to pick up. My father ordered me to do so. But I would never send active geth to the Fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!"

"Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!" Koris bit out angrily.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" Tali said, looking around in confusion and fear.

"As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei…your father included."

"What?...Oh, keelah…"

"I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

"Thank you," said Raan. "Quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship, so far without success."

"Then we will retake the Alarei, Admirals."

"The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship," Koris said. "But if you are looking for an honorable death instead of exile…"

Tali was pissed at his audacity. "I am looking for my father, you bosh'tet!" she said, stabbing a finger in his direction.

"You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth?" Raan asked. "This proposal is extremely dangerous."

"With your permission, Admirals, yes. The good of the Fleet must come first…and Tali needs to find her father."

"Agreed," said Gerrel. "And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."

"We can discuss that later," Koris replied bitterly.

"Then it is decided. You will attempt to retake the Alerei," Raan stated. "You are hearby given leave to depart the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the secondary docking hangar. Be safe, Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return, or upon determination that you have been killed in action."

"Thank you for your support, Shepard. The admirals sound sure that my father is already dead, but…"

"We'll do our best to find him, Tali. How are you holding up? They threw a lot of fire at you, even before telling you about your father."

"I wasn't prepared for it, that's for sure. I just want to find my father. I'll worry about the rest of it later."

Many quarians were out in the commons. When Shepard noticed Veetor, she made her way to his side.

"Shepard, how did you get onto the Rayya?"

"Shepard is here to help me with my trial." Tali told him.

"Oh, yes. I heard about that," Veetor said bouncing up and down with anxiety. "I hope you didn't really do what they said you did."

"No, Veetor. I would never endanger the fleet."

"Oh. Well, good. So, can I help you with anything?" he bounced on his feet again. "I mean, probably not but – you helped me."

"Would you be willing to tell the admirals how she helped you?" Shepard asked gently.

"No! I mean, yes, but I already did! They came to see me. I didn't want to talk in a crowd."

Dr. Elan'Shiya spoke up. "Veetor is doing well, but he's isn't' ready for a public speech just yet."

"I talked to them. So did that soldier, Kal'Reegar," Veetor said. "We both told them about how you helped us. I hope it helped."

"I'm sure it did, Veetor. Thank you. I appreciate you talking to them on my behalf."

"Veetor, I promise you we will find these things that did this to you and we will destroy them. I won't allow them to hurt anyone else."

"Good. Thank you, Shepard."

"Take care of yourself, Veetor. Not many could have gone through what you did and come out sane."

"I know," Veetor said bouncing. "I didn't. But thank you, Commander. It's only because of your help that I've come this far."

"You are far stronger than you realize, Veetor." She said, touching his arm and giving him a slight mental push. "You'll pull through this."

Veetor watched them leave. For some reason he felt better now, and wondered if Shepard might be right.

Shepard caught sight of Xen and decided to have a word with her.

"Tali'Zorah. Given the circumstances, are you certain that speaking to me is appropriate?"

Tali sighed. "I'm looking for information on the Alerei. I don't intend to bribe you in the middle of the plaza, Admiral."

Xen's eyes roamed appreciatively over Legion. "And what a wonderful specimen this is…how did you convince a geth to work with you?"

"Legion is working with me voluntarily. In fact he searched for me for years seeking to join me. He is a valued part of my team."

"It, Commander. And it has a name. Fascinating," Xen said. "The things I could learn under slightly different circumstances."

"This platform is not available for experimentation," Legion stated.

"Charming. I'm pleased to see that humans, at least, have not abandoned synthetics. This whole trial is a farce borne of fear," Xen said, folding her arms across her chest.

"If you're not interested in this trial, why not recuse yourself?" Thane asked.

"And let that aging warmonger Han'Gerrel and the cowardly Zaal'Koris be the ones to chart this course? I think not. The broader purpose underlying the trial is too important. Tali'Zorah is only peripherally related. No offense intended."

"And what is the true purpose of this trial, Admiral?" Tali asked, more than a little miffed.

"To determine whether guardians should fear their past mistakes, or reclaim their glory using our natural affinity for artificial intelligence."

"So the only reason you care about this is because Rael might have learned something valuable from the geth?" Shepard asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Xen nodded. "Indeed. If he has, then even in this accident, we may find something worthwhile."

Tali stared at Xen. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want to create new AIs?"

"No, Tali'Zorah. I wish to return the geth to the control of their rightful masters, the quarian race."

"The geth have no masters. Geth behavioral changes from 'hacking' only last until programs are restored from archival copy. We judge this plan unsound, Creator Admiral."

Tali turned to Legion and gave a slight bow of her head. "For once, Legion, we agree."

"We shall see, marvelous machine. We shall see."

"It sounds like your ideas about synthetics are in the minority," Shepard pointed out.

"Yes. At least on the Admiralty Board. Han'Gerrel sees an enemy that must be crushed. Zaal'Koris would run away and hide on some new colony world. Shala'Raan is still undecided. I had thought Rael to be firmly on Han's camp, but if his experiments were on active geth, perhaps we have ideas in common."

"You experiment on sentient beings?" Shepard couldn't help but be outraged at the notion.

"Rael should have felt no more guilt experimenting on geth than I did while performing surgery on a childhood toy."

"The fact that you performed surgery on your childhood toys explains a great deal, Admiral." Tali quipped.

"A ship travels faster than I can. With the right programming, it can choose locations, even defend itself. But it is still just a machine. It was built for the sole purpose of serving its master. And it can be dismantled whenever its master desires."

She'd had enough of Xen. She needed to change the subject before she blew a gasket. "Can you tell me anything about the Alarei?"

"Little. We detected several communication signatures before the geth jammed the comm systems. Given the likely networked intelligence requirements for taking over a ship, expect between ten and fifty units."

"Then this can't have anything to do with me. I only sent parts, and not enough to make that many geth."

"Thank you for the information."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Commander." Xen said, crossing her arms over her chest again.

Shepard shook her head. That one was as loony as they come. When they turned around Shepard noticed another familiar face. Kal'Reegar. She shot a look at Tali, who seemed to have frozen in place. She looped her arm through Tali's and pulled her over to Reegar.

"Shepard, Tali…good to see you both." Kal said - his eyes locked on Tali. "I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Kal…I…" She wasn't certain what he thought of her now that all of this had happened.

Kal held out his hand, letting Tali decide if she wanted to take the next step.

Tali moved quickly, enfolding him in her arms. Kal grunted with the impact and then held her tightly.

"I was worried you might not…that this…" Tali stammered.

"Tali, I love you. This farce changes nothing."

Thane and Garrus each put an arm around their wife. They knew their wife was instrumental at getting the two of them together.

"You did good with them, vela."

"I love you too, Kal. Maybe, we'll have some time later…if I don't…"

"Shepard will see you through this, Tali."

Tali pulled back and took his hand. "I have to believe that, Kal. Can you tell me what they got from the readings on Haestrom."

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "It was the damndest thing. It's just like they said. No way the sun on Haestrom should have been acting that way."

"So, the dark energy theory is right? That's troubling."

Kal squeezed her hand. "I don't know, Tali. I'm better at shooting than theorizing."

"Did you hear anything else about the dark energy?" Garrus asked.

"The sun had way too much radiation. It was getting old…only it's not. The dark energy is reducing the mass of the star's interior. Techs are worried."

"Hopefully, it's isolated…some rare phenomenon. If dark energy can destabilize solar material…" Tali sighed and shook her head. "Probably not something to worry about now, but resources in this galaxy are scarce enough without stars suddenly going dead."

"Sometimes I think flying around in the Fleet without a planet of our own is the right idea. But the possibility of war with the geth is insane. If the admirals throw the fleet at the geth, all they'll get back is scrap metal. Unfortunately, I'm just a soldier, my opinion doesn't matter. I fight when they tell me to fight and I'll die doing it if I have to."

"You're not allowed to die, Kal."

"I'll keep that in mind, Tali."

"What happened when you talked to the Admiralty Board, Reegar?" Shepard asked.

"Admiral Raan asked my opinion about the geth, since I'd fought them on Haestrom. She and Admiral Gerrel are hoping you'll kill a bunch of geth to get the crowd on your side, then find evidence to clear your name. They were hesitant, but, well, you didn't have many other options, Tali. I recommended getting you onto the Alarei; I hope you are okay with that."

"You did the right thing, Kal. Thank you," she said touching her helmet to his.

Reegar pulled back. "You better get going. I'll see you after the trial, Tali. I love you. Stay safe out there."

"I love you too, Kal," Tali said looking back at him one last time before following the rest of her team.

Unknown quarians were heard discussing the trial. "Tali'Zorah arrived with a geth! What more proof do the admirals need?"

"No…even during the trial, Tali'Zorah's first thought is to protect the fleet."

Their voices faded as they moved out of earshot. Shepard had learned some interesting information talking with Xen. She hoped the rest of the admirals would be just as forthcoming. She nodded at the Admiral.

"Judging by your ability to play a crowd, human, I have done Tali a favor by stripping 'vas Neema' from her name."

Sanctimonious prig. Shepard had to bite her cheek to keep from saying that out loud.

"Commander Shepard, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Quib-Quib…don't ask about the name," Tali said as she introduced them.

"I take no pleasure in this, Tali. But you have gravely endangered and dishonored our fleet."

Shepard forced herself to ignore his brash comment. Burning a bridge right now would not be a smart move on her part. "Can you tell us anything about the Alarei?"

Koris shook his head. "Only that you should have let us destroy it. When we find evidence of what Tali and her father did there, any hope of convincing the other admirals will die."

Tali bristled. "For the last time, I did not bring active geth to the Alarei! I know how dangerous that would be! I only brought pieces, per my father's orders!"

"The captured ship, with its crew slaughtered, belies your argument."

She'd had enough. "Why the hostility towards Tali?

"I respect Tali immensely. Her actions against Saren are to be lauded. But like her father, she wants nothing but the destruction of the geth…the people we created…the people we wronged."

"Your support is noted, Creator Admiral," Legion stated.

"I'm sorry for what my people did to yours, Legion. It - "

"The geth drove us from our homeworld!" Tali interrupted.

Koris turned to Tali and sighed. "Of course they did. We tried to kill them."

"You and the other admirals appear to have some disagreements beyond Tali's trials."

"You are correct, Commander. Tali, I apologize for it being brought into your proceedings. The other admirals are pushing for war Rael'Zorah was researching on weapons to use against the geth. They would see our fleet destroyed in the skies over our homeworld rather than find a new colony and adapt."

"Can the quarians coexist with the geth after your history?"

"I don't know. We all deserve to find out. They are our children, Shepard. We have all done horrible things to each other, but it has to end. For both our sakes. That is why I cannot sanction whatever experiments you helped enable, Tali. I believe this message needs to be sent."

"I understand, Admiral," Tali said. "I don't agree, but I understand."

"Legion, do you think the geth would be willing to accept a truce with the quarians?"

"We did not seek hostilities with the creators. We fought for continued existence."

"So your people would be open to peace?" Koris asked hopefully.

"Not without additional data that suggested coexistence is possible or desirable for creators. When the creators have believed victory is possible, they have attacked us 100 percent of the time," Legion pointed out.

Koris sighed wearily. "I understand, Legion. It would be difficult to argue for peace when faced with odds like those. However, that does not mean the argument should not be made."

"Thank you, Admiral."

"Goodbye, Tali'Zorah. Be well."

Tale blinked. "I'm surprised to hear you say that."

"Why?" asked Koris. "I don't wish you ill, Tali. I just think your father's plans for war were wrong."

"Tali!" Admiral Gerrel said as they approached him. "I'm glad to see Raan got you leave to hit the Alarei. Hopefully, you'll find something that clears your name."

"I'm more concerned about finding my father, Admiral."

"I wish you luck, Tali. Blow up some geth on the way. And you're Captain Shepard? Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema." He shook her hand and chuckled. "You got Admiral Koris backing up worse than a krogan toilet. Glad to see Tali's captain knows how to handle a courtroom."

"Sounds like you're inclined to believe the defense. I'm glad one of the judges is."

"If Tali was only giving Rael inactive equipment for weapons tests, I've got no problem. We need to test weapons against geth material." Gerrel faced Tali. "I know you and your father. You've put too much of yourselves into this fleet to do anything to jeopardize our safety. And you're both smart enough not to make mistakes like the ones they're saying you made."

"Can you tell me anything about the Alarei?"

"Nothing good. We sent some of our best marines into that hellhole. Damn few made it back. Whatever Rael was doing, blew up in his face. The ship is crawling with geth. Don't go in expecting survivors."

"Admiral! My father – your friend – is on that ship!"

Gerrel sighed. "I know that, Tali. But if Shala hadn't suggested you might volunteer, we'd have already destroyed the Alarei. That's where we stand."

"What can you tell me about the other admirals?"

"Admiral Xen is on the fence. She takes fleet safety seriously, but she's always been in favor of studying the geth. I hope she sees the benefits of Rael's research. Admiral Koris is the same whining suit-wetter he always was."

"You disagree with Admiral Koris' policies or is it personal?"

"The man is a damn geth apologist. Thinks we were wrong to try to destroy them centuries ago. He wants us to settle a new colony instead of taking back the homeworld. Research on the geth makes him angry. You won't have much of a chance with him, I'm afraid."

"We are dealing with more politics than just Tali bringing back equipment," Shepard stated.

"You noticed that, did you? Tali's father wasn't just running weapons tests on the geth for fun. He was looking for something to give us an edge when we attack the geth in full-scale war."

"I know father wanted to retake the homeworld someday, but this…it just seems too soon."

"I don't know kid. We almost had the votes. We just need to give people hope for victory."

"The geth on your homeworld are not the same ones who worked with Saren. They have different factions."

"Good. Maybe some of them will kill each other. Fewer for us to deal with," Gerrel said with satisfaction.

"That's not what I meant, Admiral."

"The only geth that matter to me are the ones keeping us from our homeworld."

"I want your people to find someplace to live. But a war right now would be too costly for both the quarian and the geth. It would not be a sound move."

"We're too comfortable now, Shepard. We've got the largest fleet in the galaxy, and we just ride around doing nothing."

"We will need the fleet to help fight the Reapers, Admiral," Tali interjected.

"Then we need a world to shelter our noncombatants while we do it," he pointed out.

"Then scout out new worlds to colonize for now. I know it's not what you want and I know it's not a perfect solution. But with the Reapers on the horizon, we need every race in top shape."

"I'm sorry, Shepard. There's just not enough proof concerning the Reapers."

"That is the story of my life. Thank you for the information, Admiral."

"Find that evidence to clear your name, kid."

Tali spotted her aunt and stormed up to her. "You set me up, Shala! You told Captain Danna not to say anything. I don't hear that my father may be dead until I'm in the trial! Why?" Tali barely noticed Shala's friend backing away, she was just too furious to give a damn.

"The admirals needed to hear the shock in your voice, Tali. Otherwise, they might not have let you try to retake the Alarei. That is your best chance at recovering evidence that can exonerate you. I'm sorry. We cannot afford sensitivity, Tali."

Shepard and her team filed in beside Tali. "Are the judges that set on finding her guilty?"

"Anything involving the geth is a live wire. But there is still hope. Gerrel greatly respects both you and Tali for stopping Saren. Koris sees the whole thing as a war crime and wants to convict. I have no idea what Xen wants."

"Can you tell us anything concerning the Alarei?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Rael only said that he was researching new defense technology."

"He told me he needed any geth parts I found. I assumed he was testing weapons on the components."

"We knew nothing until the Alarei sent a distress signal, then went dead. We didn't know about the geth until a boarding team was attacked. The marines who survived and escaped saw bodies in the halls. We must assume the worst."

"No. We don't," Tali countered.

"What kind of evidence would bring closure to this case?" Thane asked.

"Tali, you admitted to sending geth parts to your father for his project. Find records of those shipments and the experiments. Something that proves you were careful. Something that proves that this is all just a terrible accident that nobody could have foreseen."

"What of all the infighting among the admirals?"

"Yes, Shepard. The geth presence makes this a touchy subject. The Admiralty Board is trying to determine whether to focus on colonial development…or attempt to retake the homeworld. I am not wishing to see a war. But others are."

"The geth situation isn't as simple as you think. Not all of them worship the Reapers or followed Saren. The just want peace and to be left alone."

"I don't think the other admirals would care about that. Koris, sure. But the others want the homeworld back, and the geth destroyed."

"Shala," Tali said in surprise, "don't you want to see us retake the homeworld?"

Raan shook her head sadly. "I don't think we can, Tali. But it may not be about what I think."

"A war with the geth will destroy both your people."

"I know, Shepard…I know."

Garrus put a hand on his wife's arm. "We need to go, vela."

"Right. Let's get this done."

"Good luck on the Alarei. Be safe."

The shuttle guard was stunned when they arrived. "That really is a geth. I mean, the guards at the docking bay said – but I didn't believe…"

"Don't worry about it, it's with us. It intends to help us take back the Alarei," Tali said gently, trying to ease the man's fear.

"If you say so," doubt heavy in his voice. "Per Admiral Raan's orders, the shuttle's prepared for you and Captain Shepard vas Normandy. I'll unlock the shuttle now. Good luck with those geth. Keelah se'lai."

They slipped aboard the Alarei and into the first room they found. It was one of the living quarters, with bunk beds lining one wall and stasis chambers lining another. Geth started firing upon them immediately. The ducked down behind the stove counter, though Tali jumped it and dashed for the opposite counter. Her shotgun required her to get closer. Legion and Tali released their drones and each hacked a synthetic.

With the geth distracted they pulled their snipers and made quick work of the geth in the room. Focus then went to the door on the left that more geth were coming in through. Once down, her lootdar led her to a data package and a couple of personal terminals that she hacked into for credits. She made a quick note on who the credits belonged to, as she would be returning the money to their families. She was uncomfortable stealing from the dead…unless they were enemies. The final terminal she hacked into was a vid log from one of the scientists aboard.

"Something's slowing down the systems. We're taking down the firewalls to rebalance load distribution. Rael'Zorah ordered us to bypass standard safeties. Following security protocols will take too long."

Interesting turn of events, but nothing that could help Tali. The continued through the far door, hung a right and into the first door on the left. She grabbed some more credits, and some medigel before noticing a geth drone lying on a table.

Tali walked over to it to examine it more closely. "This is one of the storage units I sent to father. Looks like parts from a disabled repair drone, plus a reflex algorithm that I didn't recognize. I got this on Haestrom."

"Yeah, I remember fighting a crap load of those things. What made a part worth sending back to your father?"

"It had to be in working order. Something that could be analyzed and integrated into other technology. Anything new had priority. Technology the geth had developed themselves. Signs of modification, clues to their thinking."

"Does whatever your father did to this drone give you any clues as to what might have happened here?"

"No. I don't know. I checked everything I sent back, Shepard. I passed up great finds because they might be too dangerous, prone to uncontrolled reactivation or self-repair. I don't know which possibility is worse: the fact that I got sloppy and sent back something dangerous or that father actually did all this."

"Okay, let's hit the next room and see if we can learn anymore." The next room was no larger than a closet. She hacked into the terminal within and discovered another data package for Mordin to analyze. The next hall they took led to another terminal with a bit more incite on what had happened.

"Who's running the system diagnostic? I didn't authorize…oh, Keelah. How many geth are networked?"

"All of them. Rael'Zorah - "

"Shut it down! Shut everything down! They're in the system!"

They took the door at the end of the hall. Everything appeared to be in the clear until they reached the far end of the room. A geth hunter activated and bullets bounced off her shielding. Shit! It was right on top of her. She jumped up and aimed a kick at its head, another bullet bounced off her shielding. She'd just been crotch shot. Great. She wondered what Garrus would have to say about that as she flipped backwards and rolled out of the way. "Shields!" She, Thane and Tali hit it with shield drain charges. It ignored the others and focused on her until Garrus overloaded it. She flung out a stasis field just as her shields dropped. She was surprised by the green barrier that encased her. "Take it down!" Bullets tore into the incapacitated geth until its lights went off. She drew the stasis field back into herself.

"That's an impressive backup, Legion. Thanks for the modification."

Legion flapped his browplates and tilted his head. "Acknowledged. Warning. Boost will not last long."

Garrus had reached her side by then and tilted her chin up. "That was cutting things a bit close, vela. Not only is that a direct route to the babies, it's also something I enjoy immensely."

"What he means is 'have a care,' wife." Thane cocked his head. "No, he meant what he said and I concur with his…tactlessness."

Garrus' browplates rose. "Tactlessness? I thought I was being rather romantic."

"Not by a long shot, Garrus." Tali said, rubbing it in.

Thane shook his head. "My apologies, Garrus. Perhaps a less…offensive word would have been 'sentiments'."

"No," Tali replied. "You got it right the first time."

"Alrighty then," Shepard interrupted. "Let's check out this room." She hacked two terminals for credits and a wallsafe. The third terminal she hacked provided further intel about the Alarei.

"We locked down navigation. Weapons are offline. Our mistakes won't endanger the Fleet. They're burning through the door. I don't have much time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Jona, if you get this, be strong for daddy. Mommy loves you very much!"

Shepard hoped the woman's son never saw her vid. No child should have to see their parents gunned down. They ran up the stairs and into another storage type room. This one filled with rows of counters and storage cabinets. Geth started pouring in through two entryways. Drones were released and geth were hacked. Despite his reception among the quarians, she was glad she'd brought Legion along. She sent a reave wave out towards the doorway on the left. Unlike organics, the geth kept coming, despite the attack that was slowly eating away at them. Her hands flew as she began yanking guns from the geth's hands. The geth froze for a moment and then began to charge her team. It became a game of cat and mouse, until she tired of it. She charged an on oncoming geth, put one hand on its arm, the other on its shoulder, flung her body up, twisted it and landed on the geth's shoulders. Before she could twist its head off, Tali hacked it.

That worked. Shepard unsnapped her Mattock and rode her steed as it began to charge the other geth. She turned its head so it could see an armed geth that had just entered the room. Her steed charged it, as bullets flew at them. When it got close enough she leapt onto the shoulders of the new geth. "Hack it!" When it came under control they became a force to be reckoned with, until one of the drones began zapping them. Damn! She shot the drone. "Sorry! Not a fan of getting fried." When the team had brought the last unit down, she patted the top of her steed's head. "Thank you for your assistance. Goodbye." She amped power into her hands and twisted his neck, sparks flew, its lights flickered out and she flipped off the back of it as it was going down.

"Can I tell you how hot that was?" Garrus asked. "Well, it became hot after I got over my initial shock of terror."

"As far as rides go," she said suggestively as she cocked her hip, "there are other things I prefer riding."

Garrus' browplates rose. "My shoulders are not what I'd have in mind…unless…you were facing the other direction. I could definitely like that." His tongue darted out to lick his mouthplates.

"Garrus!" she said, flushing.

"What? You know you were thinking it. I'm sure Thane was thinking the same thing."

"It may have crossed my mind," Thane admitted with a slight nod in Garrus' direction.

Tali began it fan herself. "Is it getting hot in here? I really think it's getting hot in here."

Shepard shook her head. She knew she was the guilty party, she'd started that one. "Let's not overheat Tali. We can discuss what I ride and how I ride it in our cabin."

"I'll hold you to me…er, to that." Garrus moved uncomfortably. All that banter had brought some pretty steamy pictures to mind. Despite the larger armor, it was still a bit smothering. His eyes lowered to Thane, who was also having a hard time of it. His bulge was evident, but it never seemed to bother him. Damned drell. His eyes raised to Thane's, the drell quirked a browridge at him and gave him a jaunty smile. Damned drell caught him looking.

Shepard had found two more terminals. There was little else in the room except for a wall safe next to a dead female quarian on a large crate and a vidscreen near the exit door. Let's see what other dirt we can dig up.

Tali reached the vidscreen console first. She'd needed to get away from all that banter. Made her miss Kal too much. "This console might have something. Most of the data is corrupt, but a few bits are left." She turned her head just enough to catch Shepard's eye. "They were performing experiments on geth systems, looking for new ways to overcome geth resistance to reprogramming." She could see Shepard's look of concern. She knew her friend had an affinity for Legion. "I only sent father parts. Even if he assembled them, they wouldn't be sapient. You saw what Saren and Sovereign did with the geth. Any research that gives us an advantage is important."

"Perhaps, but working together with the other geth could lead to far greater results."

Tali shook her head and chuckled. "You're a stubborn woman."

"But you love me anyway." Shepard regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth. When Tali began to fidget uncomfortably, Shepard changed the subject. "Can any of that data be used to help clear your name?"

Tali sighed, thankful for the reprieve. "Doubtful," she said turning back to the console, her fingers flying over the holo keyboard to give herself something to do. "This is mostly results data. Effects of different disruptive hacking techniques." She looked at her friend again. "I don't understand all of it. But…they might have been activating the geth deliberately. I don't know. Nothing here says specifically. But if they were…then father was doing something terrible." Tali's gaze returned to the console, staring at it intently, wishing it had the answers she needed. "What were you thinking, father? You promised you'd build me a house on the homeworld. How was all of this supposed to bring us back home?"

"We'll find something, Tali. Let's keep looking."

"Right," Tali said somberly.

As they exited the door they found themselves on an upper landing. Geth were spilling out through the doorway below. If they weren't careful they would be outnumber and flanked in minutes. "Legion man the left, Garrus man the right, the rest of us – blast the hell out of the middle!"

Shield drain and overload charges arched across the geth like a blue lightening storm. She tossed down a singularity and then hit it with a warp bomb. Thane must have been thinking along the same lines, because he loosed one at the same time. A concussive shockwave hit Garrus' side. Geth became scrap fast. The two drones darted through the far door zapping geth before they could enter, until the drones disintegrated. Tali lobbed out another drone, though Legion had to wait a few minutes for his to recharge.

Another round of drain and overload charges danced across the geth. She smacked them with a reave wave and then threw out a singularity. More warp bombs followed. Concussive detonations continued to rain down upon the geth.

No matter how many they took out they kept coming like a plague of locusts. Definitely more than ten. They must have taken down ten alone in the very first room they hit. When no more geth appeared on the landing to the left, Legion turned his Widow to the geth harassing Garrus on the far right. When this wave was cleared out, Shepard lowered herself to the floor below. Thane followed her down. She held up her hand to keep everyone else in position. They ran to the door. She stood to one side while Thane hit the switch and darted to the opposite side. She peeked out into the hall. No more geth were coming, only another dead quarian. She waved the others down and scoped out the room.

She hacked credits out of two personal terminals, grabbed some medigel and located another log journal.

"First entry: Our hacking attempts have failed. The geth have an adaptive consciousness. Hack one process, and the other autocorrect. Still, we're making progress. Rael'Zorah is convinced we'll have a viable system in less than a year. This weapon will put our people back on the homeworld. And it's all because of Rael'Zorah."

She opened the door and moved out into the hall. She froze near the dead body. The rank on his envirosuit was evident. Oh, Tali.

Tali came up behind Shepard. "Father!" She bent over her father's body. This couldn't be happening! "No, no, no! You always had a plan. Masked life signs, or, or an onboard medical stasis program, maybe. You! You wouldn't…They're wrong! You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't leave me to clean up your mess! You can't!"

"Tali…" she said, reaching out to touch her friend's shoulder. "Come here…" She pulled her friend up into a hug. "I've got you and I'm not letting go until you're ready."

Tali's world was torn apart. She couldn't hold back the sobs of her broken heart. "Damn it! Damn it," she cried. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Tali." She sent calming, soothing waves to her friend. There were surely more active geth and she couldn't let her fall apart right now. "Garrus…"

Garrus shook his head sadly. "No, vela." He knew what she was asking. She wanted him to help her calm Tali. He liked Tali; he wanted to help her, but he couldn't. What she wanted him to do was very intimate. There were several sub-vocal tones that were done only between mates or parents to their children. It wasn't something he could just call up for anyone.

She continued to sooth Tali until the young woman's sobs abated and she pulled back.

Tali felt better. Like a weight had been lifted from her. "Thank you, Shepard. I guess I just needed to get that out." She stood straighter, her shoulders back. "Maybe…He would have known I'd come. Maybe he left a message for me."

"That's my girl! Go see what your father had to say."

Tali knelt down beside her father's body and flipped on his OT and opened up his last recording.

"Tali. If you are listening, then I am dead. The geth have gone active. I don't have much time. Their main hub will be on the bridge. You'll need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen see the data. They must - " Tali stood up and looked down at her father. She couldn't help but be disappointed. She wasn't sure why she had expected more from him. Even faced with death he couldn't tell her he loved her…that he was proud of her.

"I'm sorry, Tali. I know it's not what you'd hoped to hear. I'm sure if the geth hadn't interrupted him - "

"It's not what I'd hoped to hear, but it's what I should have expected. It was a foolish hope to wish for anything else."

Shepard put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Not foolish, Tali. Never foolish."

Tali shook her head and rubbed her arms, before letting them fall limply to her sides. "I don't know what's worse: thinking he never really cared, or thinking that he did, and that this was the only way he could show it. But it doesn't matter. One way or the other, I cared. And we're ending this." Tali bent down and erased the information on her father's OT.

"Then, let's move out." Shepard entered the door next to Tali's father. It was a small storage area. She hacked two wall safes, grabbed some more medigel and some heavy weapon ammo she discovered in a crate.

They left the room and moved up the flight of stairs. The door slid open. She could see geth standing behind a huge window protecting a console center. The room had two entryways into the center. The geth hadn't spotted them yet. She tossed a model flotilla ship to Garrus. It would join the others hanging in the Rec Room. She hacked a personal terminal and found more credits. She motioned for Garrus, and Legion to head right, the others to come to the left with her. They'd hit the geth in a pincer. Tali and Legion released their drones and they rushed the halls to meet in the middle. She unsnapped her Mattock.

She, Thane and Garrus drained and overloaded the geth trooper and Tali hacked it. The two primes were too protected to be hacked at this stage. They peppered the primes with bullets. As soon as her shield drain recharged, she hit one of the primes with it. By this time the trooper had been taken down. The first prime whose shields went down, she smacked him with a reave wave, followed by warp bombs that she and Thane had tossed together. Now, Tali. Tali hacked the prime and it turned on the other prime.

They all focused fire on the prime being attacked until it went down. The last prime stood there a moment in confusion. She hit it with another reave wave, followed by two warp bombs. It threw a shield drain on her and her geth boost kicked in. She picked it up and threw it against the wall. As it was trying to get back to its feet, they rained death down on its head.

"Nice work!" Tali said when it was over.

There were three consoles at the end of the room. "This console is linked to the main hub father mentioned. Disabling it will shut down any geth we missed." She examined the middle console more closely. "It looks like some of the recordings remained intact. Hopefully, they will tell us how this happened, what…father did."

Shepard was concerned. Tali was hedging. "You sound like you don't really want to hear it."

"I don't, but we have to. I know. I just…this is terrible, Shepard. I don't want to know that he was part of this. Maybe the whole reason for it." She activated her OT and brought up the information contained in the console.

"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" Rael'Zorah asked.

"Yes. The new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more geth to the network," a male quarian told him.

"We're nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks. Perhaps we should inform the Admiralty Board, just to be safe," replied a female quarian.

"No," Rael said. "We're too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue."

"We'd have an easier time of it if Tai'Zorah could send back more working material," the man told him.

"Absolutely not! I don't want Tali exposed to any political blowback. Leave Tali out of this. Assemble new geth with what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be." Rael'Zorah ordered.

Shepard was stunned. The truth was very horrific, but at least it would clear Tali. "Oh my god, your father was deliberately networking the geth to sapience to do weapon's tests."

Tali couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "That breaks our most sacred laws. Laws that predate our flight from the homeworld! Everything is his fault! I tried to pretend it didn't point to him, but this…When this comes up in the trial, they'll…We can't tell them, not the admirals…not anyone.

"Without this evidence, you'll be exiled!"

"Do you think I don't know that? You think I want to live knowing I can never see the Fleet again? But I can't go back into that room and say my father was the worst war criminal in our people's history. I cannot."

"Your own father said he didn't want you caught in any political blowback."

"You don't understand, Shepard. They would strike his name from the manifest of every ship he ever served on. He would be worse than an exile. He'd be a traitor to our people, held up for children as a monster in a cautionary tale! I can't let all the good he did be destroyed for this, Shepard."

"Let me think on this, Tali. Maybe we'll get a better read on the admirals once we get back."

"You're my captain, my counselor, Shepard. It's your decision. But please. Don't destroy what my father was." Tali walked away. "Come on. If we wait too long, they'll decide we're already dead, and none of this will matter."

The flight back to the Rayya in the shuttle was silent. Her husbands sat on either side of her holding her hands, but said nothing. Everyone was deep in their own thoughts over what they'd seen, what they'd heard. Shepard did not have a clue how she was going to pull Tali's ass out of the fire without using the only evidence they'd found. If she used that evidence to save her friend she'd lose her. If she didn't use it and Tali was exiled, Tali would be happier, but she would lose who she was. Dear god, what the hell was she supposed to do?

Her husbands felt her distress and squeezed her hands. Thane's gentle cadence wrapped around her like an embrace. Garrus laid his helmet against the side of hers, his sub-vocals calmed her, bolstered her. His bondmark on her shoulder began to warm.

By the time she entered the Rayya she felt better, but she still didn't know what to do. They could hear the admirals speaking and picked up their pace.

"We need to face facts. There has been no word. There is no reason to think Tali'Zorah survived," Koris said in an agitated voice.

"We must trust Shepard's offer of assistance! It has only been a few hours!" Raan interjected.

"No," Gerrel cut in. "The quarian marines lasted less than five minutes, Admiral. Call it."

Koris shook his head. "It is a pity Shepard vas Normandy is a better speaker than a soldier. I recommend posthumously exiling Tali'Zorah."

Raan was pissed. "Absolutely not! It was agreed that Tali'Zorah would not be convicted if she was killed in action!"

"Ha!" Koris replied. "It was suggested, Admiral. I recall no such agreement. To that end, I call for an immediate vote."

Raan sighed; she could only delay so long. "Very well. Is the Admiralty Board prepared to render judgment?"

The quarians were shocked to see them walk into the court room.

"Sorry we're late," Tali said sarcastically.

To declare them dead without knowing it as fact royally pissed her off. "You didn't waste much time declaring us dead. Go get your ship."

"We apologize, Shepard," Gerrel said in earnest. "Your success in taking back the Alarei is…very unexpected."

"But also very welcome," Raan cut in.

Gerrel got right to the point. "Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?"

Tali looked at Shepard and held her breath.

Shepard moved forward towards the railing.

"Shepard, please…." Tali said in a small voice.

"Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?" Raan asked, hoping like mad the answer would be yes.

Damn it all. Here goes. "Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth at the Citadel." Her voice began to rise. "That should prove her loyalty…that should be all the evidence you need!"

Koris tilted his head in confusion. The trial wasn't about that at all. "Her loyalty was never in doubt, only her judgment…and I fail to see what relevance - "

"You're not really interested in Tali, are you? This trial isn't about her. It's about the geth!"

"That's incorrect," Koris said agitated. "This hearing has nothing to do with the geth."

"Isn't it? You want people to sympathize with them! Han'Gerrel wants to go to war! None of you care about Tali! She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial!" Shepard held held her hand out towards Tali. "Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel! She saved the Alarei! She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people." She slammed her hand down on the railing. "I can't think of stronger evidence than that!"

Raan looked at Shepard and gave a slight nod. It wasn't what they'd wanted to hear, but it was a strong enough argument to give the admirals pause. "Are the admirals prepared to render judgment?"

The admirals looked at each other. One by one they raised their arms and activated their OT, casting their votes on Tali's crimes.

When the results came in, Raan gave a sigh of relief. "Tali'Zorah, in light of your history of service, we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges. Commander Shepard, please accept these gifts in appreciation for you taking the time to represent one of our people."

Shepard had two last battles she wanted to put before the admirals. "More important than any gift you could give me, there are two boons I would ask of you. The first being, if he is willing, I would like Kal'Reegar assigned to the Normandy."

"You already have Tali'Zorah, why should we release another quarian to serve you?" Gerrel demanded.

"Tali is a great engineer and a close friend. I am grateful to have her aboard the Normandy. Kal'Reegar is a soldier. I worked with him on Haestrom. I could use his expertise on my crew. We are preparing for the Reapers. The Reapers are a threat to us all. To you he is but one man, to us he could mean the difference between success and failure. He has valuable tactical knowledge of both small-scale skirmishes and large scale wars. We need him aboard the Normandy. And having two quarians prove themselves to the galaxy can only benefit your people even further. If he is willing, I humbly ask that you allow him to join my team to protect the galaxy."

Kal'Reegar was stunned that Shepard had asked for him. He'd give anything to serve with her, to be with Tali.

Raan looked over the assembled quarians and found Kal'Reegar. "Kal'Reegar, would you consent to being reassigned to the Normandy to serve under Commander Shepard?"

Kal'Reegar stood up. "I would be honored to join such a worthy cause, if the admirals agree to the reassignment."

The admirals looked at each other and nodded. "Very well, Kal'Reegar, you will be reassigned to the Normandy under Commander Shepard. Take care of our people, Shepard."

"Of course, Admiral. I always do."

"What of this second boon?" Raan asked.

Shepard placed her hands on the railing and leaned forward. "I need you to listen. The Reapers are coming. I'm going to need both you and the geth to stop them. Please don't throw away your lives against the geth. If such a war were to occur, both sides would be decimated, and that will hinder the battle that is to come. We need you both at full strength. Please," she said in earnest. "Don't do this."

Koris nodded. "Thank you, Commander Shepard. I hope this board carefully considers your advice."

Raan held up her hand. "This hearing is concluded. Go in peace. Keelah se'lai."

Tali took Shepard's arm. "I can't believe you pulled that off. What you said…what you did for me. I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf. Thank you for being there for my father and me, even when…Thank you… And what you did for Kal and me… I - "

All the thanks was a little awkward for Shepard. "Say no more…We can always go back in and get you exiled, if you want."

"Hah!" Tali couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, but I'm fine with things like this. It was fun watching you shout," she said bumping Shepard's shoulder.

"Tali…about what your father said, what he did…You deserved better."

"I got better, Shepard. I got you."

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, let's go get your man and head back to our ship."

"Thank you…Captain."

Back out in the plaza commons, she decided to say goodbye to the admirals.

"Very impressive speech, Commander Shepard. But tell me truly, did you recover any of Rael'Zorah's research on the Alarei?" Xen asked.

"Nothing that will help you, Admiral," Tali responded quickly.

"Pity," Xen said. "Ah, well. Whatever is created can be recreated."

Shepard shook her head. "You should abandon your plans, Admiral. They're only going to make the situation worse."

"We shall see, Commander. Many things are impossible until they are done."

Damn, the woman was like talking to a brick wall.

Tali made a beeline for Kal when she saw him. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but didn't want to admirals to see it and rescind his reassignment.

Shepard smiled at Kal. "Well, Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, ready to join your new ship?"

"More than ready. Thank you, Commander Shepard, for giving me this opportunity. You will not regret your decision."

"I know I won't, Kal. I meant what I said you are a welcomed addition to my crew," Shepard assured him.

"I'll go gather my things and meet you at the airlock. See you soon, Tali."

Tali watched him go and sighed. "Thank you, Shepard."

Shepard laughed. "Quit thanking me already."

She made her way to Koris.

"Very impressive, Shepard. Thank you for your help on the Alarei. And thank you for helping Rael'Zorah's daughter. You stood for her when we failed. We were wrong to let our own concerns about the war overshadow Tali's trial."

"The galaxy needs more people saying what you're saying, Admiral. Don't let them shut you down. Good luck."

"Thank you, Shepard. I won't."

As she approached Gerrel, she wasn't sure what she felt about the man.

"You called us on the carpet out there, Shepard. And you were right. Thank you. Tali shouldn't have been involved in that argument. Tell me, though, honestly. What did you find over there? You spoke well, but I know a feint when I see it."

"Admiral, whatever is on that ship is dead and should remain so. As humans are wont to say, let sleeping dogs lie," Shepard said, her voice more gentle than she had intended it to be.

"Understood, Commander. Can't believe you're leaving with two of our finest."

"I'll take good care of them, Admiral. Their safety comes before my own."

"Much to her husbands constant dismay," Tali said with a chuckle.

Garrel turned his attention to Tali. "Fight well and fly safe, kid. Your father would be proud of you."

"Come on, Tali…let's go see your aunt so we can get off this berg." Shepard put her arm through Tali's and led her over to her aunt. "I wanted to thank you for stalling the trial as long as you did."

"Since my voice was silenced, it was the only way I could help Tali. Congratulations on your win, Shepard. The admirals thought they were hobbling you by forcing you to represent her. I'm glad they were wrong. You a…didn't mention survivors. Did you find Rael? I'm sure he would have left Tali a message if he'd had time."

"Yes, Admiral, we found his body and you are correct, he did leave Tali a message."

Raan rubbed Tali's arm. "I can only imagine how horrible this is for you, child. But at least you got to hear your father tell you he loved you."

"Yes. Thank you, Shala."

Raan nodded, relieved for Tali. Rael could be so driven and focused at times. "Good luck with your mission, child," she said pulling Tali in for a brief hug. "No matter how dark it gets, the Fleet is always with you. Keelah se'lai."

By the time they reached the docking hangar, they were all eager to depart.

"The Alarei was a good start. But there are lots more geth out there that need killing."

"Yeah, I'm surprised that geth with Shepard was willing to kill its own kind."

"I know -"

The voices faded as they passed them.

Captain Kar'Danna held his hand up. "Congratulations, Tali. I was skeptical about your choice in captains, but I see now that I was wrong."

"Thank you, Captain. Shepard is a force to be reckoned with, there is none better."

"Just so you know…you'll always have a place on the Rayya, whenever you decide to come home. Good luck out there."

"Thank you, Captain. Keelah se'lai."

By the time the airlock opened onto the Normandy Tali and Kal were nearly bouncing out of their boots. Shepard laughed. "Get out of here, you two, I know you have better things to do."

"Catch you later, Shepard!" Tali took Kal's hand, nearly yanking him off his feet, as she made a mad dash to the elevator.

"It would seem that Tali has the right idea," Thane said looking at her intently.

"Yes," Garrus replied, licking his mouth plates. "I seem to recall something about…riding."

They grabbed Shepard's hands and ran towards the elevator.

Chapter 34

Miranda

After dinner, Miranda had contacted her letting her know the meeting with her contact was a go.

"I'm sorry, Garrus. This is strictly stealth. We are simply watching a transfer and are not expecting any trouble. I'll take Thane so you don't have to worry about me being unprotected," she said rolling her eyes. "And I need you to make sure the suppliers make good on our orders."

"That's not good enough, vela." Garrus clenched his fists and began to pace. "We agreed that Thane and I would both go on the missions. There is too much at stake. It's not just you we are protecting."

"This isn't a mission, Garrus. We are simply going to covertly watch the hand-off and then we will return."

"And you know things rarely go as planned," Garrus pointed out in agitation.

"I know that. That is why I decided Thane could accompany me and Miranda. I considered Kasumi first, but I knew that wouldn't fly with either of you. Compromise made."

"Vela, I'm coming."

His tone did not leave her much choice. "Garrus, you're not. Despite being my husband, you are still a part of my crew. Plus, you agreed to be my XO; Miranda is only a figurehead for TIM. So help me, I will play the Captain card if I have to…don't make me do it," she said folding her hands across her chest.

Garrus gnashed his teeth. He was a part of her crew, he was the XO…he had to follow chain of command, regardless of how he felt about it. He'd spent too many years in the turian military to openly buck command. Sneak around it, yes…go under it…yes, but not openly buck it. "Fine. Just remember when the house of cards falls…I told you so."

Shepard saw his nose twitching and his clenched mandibles making quick dips. His subvocals left no doubt just how pissed he was. She approached him slowly, uncertain if he would refuse her out of hand. She grasped his mandibles and pulled him down. Her lips skimmed his; her tongue ran along his upper mouthplate. When he didn't immediately open, she gave his mandibles a sharp tug. His mouth opened and she slipped her tongue inside, teasing his with light flicks. She released her hold on his mandibles and slid her arms around his neck, her fingers playing over his sensitive skin.

As mad as he was, he could not stop his body from responding to her…he never had been able to stop it and the lifemate bond exacerbated it to nearly explosive proportions. He drew her body to his and deepened the kiss. His chest began to rumble as she rubbed up against him. His subvocals were a disharmonious cacophony of his anger, desire, and need interwoven with seduction.

"We need to hurry if we're to make it on time, siha…," Thane said as he was walking through the door.

Shepard sighed and backed away. "We'll be back soon."

"I'll make sure she's safe," Thane told Garrus as he ushered their wife out the door.

Garrus flipped on his OT, put a call into the suppliers, who were loading up their supplies and running on time. He commed Samara and left her in charge of receiving the supplies. He knew she would not allow the sellers to be dishonorable. He then commed Kasumi. "Meet me at the airlock in five. We're shadowing Shepard's team."

"Garrus, she's my best friend, I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"That is why I chose you to accompany me. I have a bad feeling about this and I think she's going to need us."

"Fine, but if she's pissed…you're taking the fall."

"I think it's safe to say that is a foregone conclusion," Garrus replied, hoping he wasn't making a colossal mistake. He had known he was going after her, that's why he had to give in before she actually ordered him to stay behind.

He snapped his guns to his back, met up with Kasumi and hurried onto Illium. He flipped open his OT and pulled up his wife's signal. They began to follow.

Shepard's team arrived at the Eternity Bar on Illium, passed by a turian all but begging a quarian woman to notice him and slipped into a room on the left to meet up with Miranda's asari contact, Lanteia.

"Ms. Lawson, I'm glad you made it. We've had a complication," Lanteia informed them.

That was not something Miranda wanted to hear. "What happened? Is Oriana all right?"

"She's fine. But…you listed a man named Niket as your trusted source? He contacted me, warning that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally. He's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

Shepard was concerned. She didn't like last minutes changes, they rarely boded well. "Who's Niket?"

"He's a friend. He and I go back a long way," Miranda reassured her.

"Do you want to bring in any of your other Illium contacts, Ms. Lawson?" Lanteia asked.

"No," Miranda said with a shake of her head. "You and Niket are the two I trust on this. We'll handle this ourselves. We'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle. Give him full access to the family's itinerary just to be safe."

"Understood, Ms. Lawson." Lanteia looked at Shepard doubtfully. "You are taking a pregnant woman to fight mercs?"

"Commander Shepard is a talented woman. Her pregnancy will not hinder her abilities. There's not a biotic alive stronger than she is," Miranda stated proudly.

Lanteia's eyes moved to Shepard, her glow just starting to appear.

Shepard amped her power, spread her arms brought them together and tossed a stasis field.

Lanteia looked down at her hands bound together in a blue and gold stasis field. "Okay, how did you move that fast? Why does your biotic glow have gold in it? And how did you manipulate your stasis field that way?"

Shepard lifted an eyebrow. "I don't know, I don't know, and because I'm that damned good."

"Lanteia, really? I told you she was good," Miranda said shaking her head, biting back a grin that really wanted to come out and play. "You are lucky that is all she did to you."

"She's harmless, Miri, I wouldn't have hurt her."

"Harmless?" Lateia said, affronted by her quick dismissal. Then she looked back down at her bound hands. "I suppose I am."

Shepard held out her hand and pulled the stasis field back into her.

Lanteia watched the glow leap from her hands and flow back into the woman. She cocked her head. "How did you…never mind. You're that damned good."

Shepard winked at the asari who flushed. Then she gave her attention back to Miranda. "So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?"

"No. Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive. They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"If you say so. Then let's take this show on the road."

Thane pulled her to stop. "Wife, this has gotten far more dangerous than anticipated."

"No it hasn't. I expected trouble. This is…I guess you could say a test for Garrus, one I'm pretty sure he'll fail. Besides, did you think I brought you along just so I could drool over your sexy body?" she asked, allowing her eyes to drift over his hard muscles…and even harder…oh stars.

Thane gravitated towards her, unable to stop himself. Her hot look of desire and appreciation sent his libido into overdrive. "Stop looking at me that way. You know what it does to me." He couldn't stop the cadence from flowing out of him.

Shepard closed her eyes. His rich notes had sexual undertones, which sent fire straight to her core. Her breath hitched and she began to pant when his pheromones bathed her. "Stop scenting!"

Thane grunted. "I'm not the only one scenting," he said thickly. His eyes devoured her, his hand skimmed up her arm and settled at the back of her neck, pulling her in for a heated kiss.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Don't you two ever get enough?" She took hold of Shepard's arm and pulled her away.

Shepard caught sight of Thane's wrathful expression as he amped his powers. Reality slammed back into her. "Thane! No! We need to get to Miri's sister."

Miranda heard Shepard's words and turned to look at Thane. She wished she hadn't. A shiver went down her spine. She would never forget that feral look. It reminded her that he was one of the best assassins in the galaxy. It was easy to forget that watching him with Shepard.

Thane stopped cold and let his power die. He stood straight and put his hands behind his back as he fought to control the need to reclaim his wife from her. "For your future safety, I do not recommend separating lifemates in such a manner. A loud noise, a touch on the shoulder, something to draw our attention…that would be a healthier alternative."

Miranda let go of Shepard. "Duly noted and understood. Won't happen again."

Shepard flew into her husband's arms and held him tight for a moment. Their hearts slamming fast and hard. She used her touch to calm and sooth him, gave him a gentle kiss and pulled back. "Ok, we're ready. Let's go."

"I …uh…thank you, Shepard, Thane. I appreciate this. I hadn't planned on the Eclipse…but then they never planned on you."

The boarded the skycar and Miranda flew them to where her sister was supposed to be. She peered out the window at the ships flying by them. "Damn it! Eclipse mercenary gunships. They'll be dropping troops in the cargo areas."

Shepard scanned the area. "Put us down in that cover behind them."

Miranda gave a small, quirky smile. "Let's hope they really do want to take us alive."

"I'll put a barrier bubble around the skycar if I have to." She'd never done such a thing before, but she didn't really doubt that she could do it.

Miranda dipped the car down towards the mercs. One of them unloaded his gun on them. Miranda noticed a blue and gold haze that sprung up around the unshielded skycar. Way to go, Shepard!

The merc leader in sentinel armor grabbed the arm of the firing underling. "Hold fire!" A few of his men continued to fire. "I said hold fire, damn it!"

Miranda had a hard time seeing clearly through the blue and gold haze, the car hit the landing a little harder than anticipated and slid to a stop. The blue and gold haze disappeared.

The merc leader watched the people step out of the car. "I'll handle this," he said to the woman next to him with her gun trained on the new arrivals.

Miranda watched another gunship drop off more men, before it flew away. She turned her attention to the merc in charge. "Since you're not firing yet, I assume you know who I am."

The merc leader moved in closer. "Yeah. They said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss' little girl."

"Kidnapped? I didn't kidnap her, I saved her. This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go."

"Think you've got it all lined up, huh?" he scoffed. "Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket. He won't be helping you."

"The kid? What's going on, Miranda? You said she was your twin sister."

"That what she told you?" the merc asked. "No, this crazy bitch kidnapped our boss' baby daughter. He's been looking for her for more than a decade."

"It's complicated, Shepard. We share the same exact DNA, just not the same birthday," Miranda explained. This wasn't how she wanted this to play out. She hoped like hell Shepard would continue to back her.

"You took a baby from the richest man in the galaxy, lady. I don't know what your damage is, but you're not getting away with it."

Garrus looked at Kasumi and frowned. Shepard's ping was moving much faster now. "Crap! They've taken a skycar." He dashed over to the rental lot. He flipped on his OT, synced his chit, scanned his eye and waited impatiently for the door to open. They hopped into the car and he took off after his wife.

"Perhaps we should be talking to Captain Enyala about this," she told Miranda.

"Ha," he said with a shake of his head. "You don't want to talk to the captain." He strolled a few steps away from the bitch and then turned back to face her. "She's not as polite as I am. She's the best commando I've ever seen. I've seen her tear people in half with her biotics. And she's getting paid a lot to stop you."

"Is that so? You need to get out and meet new people. Because she can't match me. I'm not saying this to brag. I'm stating a simple fact. If you do not walk away from this, I will be the best biotic you've ever seen and the last."

The merc leader's eyes fell to the woman's expanding belly. "Lady, if you care a bit about that baby in your belly, you will turn back now."

Thane laid a hand on her arm. "Wife,maybe there is another way."

"I'm not concerned about her, Thane."

The merc leader looked from the woman to the drell. "You brought your pregnant wife to a gun fight?"

"My wife's name is Commander Shepard, and if you've heard anything about her, then you know there is not a force that can stop her if she's set her mind to something," Thane said, his voice dangerously soft.

A small niggle of fear swept through the merc leader. Everyone knew of Commander Shepard. He had not known she would come with the bitch. He swallowed hard. It didn't matter. He might not like having to kill a pregnant woman and an icon to boot, but he had a job to do.

"What do you mean Niket won't be helping us?" Shepard asked.

The merc leader held up a hand. "Nothing you need to worry about. Nobody's going to get killed unless you do something stupid. You walk away now, your baby is safe, your wife is safe, the girl goes back to her father and everybody's happy."

"Everybody but my sister and me," Miranda cut in.

You're not getting Miranda's sister. If you push this…it won't end well for you."

The merc leader folded his arms across his chest. "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots." He walked up to Shepard to make himself clear. He caught sight of the drell's sparkling glow, but a hand from his wife seemed to calm him. Why did the drell sparkle? He shook his head. It didn't matter. "When I say the word, we unleash hell on your squad. So, I reiterate…walk away nicely, unless you want things to get ugly."

Shepard noticed a flammable tank of fuel on the move overhead. She whipped out her gun and shot it down over the head of several mercs. When the merc leader turned his head at the sound of the explosion, she stepped up behind him and snapped his neck. He fell limply at her feet. "Cover!" she yelled.

Thane cocked a browridge as he settled next to her in cover. "Impressive, wife."

"What can I say, I learned from the best," she said, flashing her husband a smile as she tossed a stasis bubble at an oncoming merc. The merc was ever so obliging as to step into it. She let her team mow him down as she unsnapped her Viper. She took down one merc in the distance; her husband took down the other. Four more mercs came in behind them. They were too far for her biotics, so her Viper with cryoammo would have to do for now. She shot one merc and as he began to freeze a rocket flew between her and Thane, detonating against a large crate behind them. Another rocket was headed their way. Thane tried to pull her down and she waved him off. She held out her hand, grabbed the rocket with her power and spun around in a circle, the rocket's momentum causing it to turn with her. When she'd come full circle she released the rocket and it sped back in the direction it had come from, detonating against the merc who'd sent it. Yes! Yes! Damn I'm good. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she ducked back down behind cover. "I've been practicing that in the simulator, I had to try it."

"Next time, don't. You exposed yourself for too long, siha. Now, my pants are in need of changing."

"Funny, husband." Two more mercs had snuck in closer. "Drain their shields! Miranda, left. Thane, right!" Since Miranda's tech charge was more powerful than hers and Thane's she hit the man on the right as well. Then she lobbed a singularity, sucking the two men into it. Miranda and Thane threw warp bombs and the mercs were blasted to hell. Nothing like well-oiled teamwork. Well-oiled…perhaps she should try that with her husbands. She shook the thought from her head. Focus, Shepard!

She advanced slowly into the cargo center. There was a locked door to her left. She felt no pull, so decided not to bother to attempt a hack. There seemed to be a pathway past a large storage crate up ahead.

"Come on, we need to get to Niket!" Miranda said with irritation.

"If we rush in blindly we're likely to get our asses blown off. I, for one, like my husband's ass way too much to risk such fine…architecture."

Thane flushed. She'd once told him he had the body of a god. He shook his head…his mind was straying where it didn't need to go right now. And that was one memory he didn't need resurfacing in the middle of a battle.

As she rounded the large storage crate, bullets flew at her and she rolled out of the way, her shields only getting singed. "Cover!" She quickly scanned the area. One merc was behind a small crate, the other further back on the bed of a truck. "Take down crate-boy!" She stood, amped out a reave wave and aimed her Viper at bed-man. She moved forward cautiously, a pull leading her to a downed merc. She rifled his pockets and moved on to the elevator.

Garrus caught site of the car his wife must have used. He landed next to it. He looked around at the downed mercs. He noted the snapped neck of a sentinel and wondered if Thane or his wife took him down. There was debris and mangled bodies from an explosion, he was pretty sure his wife was responsible for that, despite how much she hated explosions being linked to her name…explosions were par for the course around her. He signaled Kasumi and they picked up the pace. He just knew this mission wasn't going to go as planned…they never do. He couldn't wait to tell her, 'I told you so.'

As the elevator opened, a radio behind them activated. "Team three…Team four…report in!"

Miranda bent down and retrieved the radio. "Hang on. I'll patch us in, so I can get an idea what we're up against….Shepard, I think I owe you an explanation. Oriana is my twin, genetically. But my father…grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me. So I rescued her. She's a young woman now, 19 this year. There are people who'd use her against me. I'm very protective when it comes to Oriana. I'm sorry I didn't trust you sooner. You deserved to know.

"What would your father have done that made you decide to take her?"

"If you knew my father you'd understand." Miranda began to pace in agitation. "I wasn't the first one he made. I was the first he kept. I was brought up with no friends, pushed to meet impossible demands. I wasn't a daughter to him. I was…" Miranda bowed her head and shook it. "I don't know what I was. Oriana had a normal life. I made the right decision."

"I'll take your word for it, Miranda. What did the merc mean about Niket?"

"I don't know. I'm a bit worried about what he said. If they've gotten to Niket somehow, this is going to be harder than I planned. According to the specs I reviewed, we'll need t cut through the cargo processing yard to get to Oriana. We'll be moving through conveyor systems. They'll be a lot of movement. Finding targets won't be easy. We'll need to stay sharp. And these cargo transports carry hazardous materials, watch what you shoot at."

"Do you think they got to Niket? Do you trust him?"

"Absolutely. Niket is one of my oldest friends. I guess you could say he was my only real friend. He's the only person I didn't cut ties with when I left my father."

"If your father knew about him, is there a chance your father could be using that relationship against you?"

"I'm sure he's tried, but Niket's one of the few people who understands what my father is really like. I trusted him with my life when I ran from father, Shepard. He won't betray me now."

"I hope you're right, Miri. People will often do things they never thought they would if enough credits are pushed their way," Shepard said as she stepped into the elevator.

"He's not like that, Shepard," Miranda assured her.

When the elevator opened they took the entryway to the right. They moved up the loading stairs through a large cargo container, she hacked a datapad within for credits.

"Miranda peeked out the open door. "They are on the far side of the conveyor system, time your shots."

She bent her knees as low as she could and ran around some cargo crates straight to the railing surrounding a conveyor belt and ducked down behind it. The mercs were entrenched behind the opposite railing and they were heavily armed.

One of the babies gave her a painful kick and she let out a sharp breath. Not now sweeties. She placed a hand over her belly and sent calming waves to her babies. Thane slipped in beside her.

"Are you okay, siha?"

"Yes. Just a kick. I think I've calmed them for the time being. I don't think they like all the loud noises."

Thane placed a warm hand against her belly and rubbed it, his concern coming out in notes he couldn't suppress.

"I'll be fine, honey. Your daughter was just a bit agitated." She peeked over the railing and saw a group of three mercs huddled close together. She lobbed a singularity. Thane nodded and fired a warp bomb.

"Rocket man on the right…shields." Thane gave a brief nod and they both fired a shield drain charge at him. She tossed out a stasis bubble that he backed into after his shields went down. Another merc stepped into it to check on his friend. Two for the price of one…not bad.

And incineration blast, shot between her and Thane. "Miri! Focus on the men in stasis…Thane – the engineer!" She lent her focus on the two mercs firing bullets straight across from them. She amped and blasted them against the far wall. She stood, Viper in hand, and nabbed them as they struggled to get up.

"This is Enyala. Keep the bitch back! The kid is nearing the transport terminal."

When the engineer went down they circled the conveyor belt and through another large cargo hold container. She grabbed some medigel from a medical kit and then hacked a terminal, finding data she would let Mordin look over.

As they exited the container she glanced down at her OT. "Get ready, more signatures ahead." There were only two and they were not behind cover, they went down fast. She had time to follow her pull to a locker for more credits before more shots were fired. Mechs were coming in from the end of the room. She sighted down her rifle scope. They were too far away to take down their shields, so she filled them full of holes instead.

"I don't care what you have to do. Just stall them, damn it!" Enyala demanded.

Shots came out from their right side. She darted in next to a truck and hopped up on the bed, ducking down behind a couple convenient crates that were still on the truck bed. She glanced down at her OT. "Focus on shields! Miranda cover the flank, mechs are closing in on us!" She and Thane, on the bed of the truck, kept the enemies across the way focused on them, so Miranda only had to worry about the mechs. "I'll take the engineer, keep the others off me."

She took out the drone and zapped the engineer's shields. While she waited for her shield drain to recharge, she hit her with a reave wave, which also hit the merc standing next to her. She zapped the engineers shields again and hit her with another reave wave, this time the reave took hold. She fired two bullets into her head and the engineer went down.

She heard Thane grunt and cast a worried look his way.

"I'm fine, siha."

She nodded, jumped down from the truck and moved further into the room. She moved around another truck, amped and charged to a stack of crates and ducked down behind them. She threw a reave wave towards the salarian and human mercs and let her team take them down. They made their way around the far end of the conveyor system; she looted one body and discovered more data. She followed her lootdar into another large storage container and hacked a terminal for more credits. With nothing else of interest in there she moved out and continued deeper into the room.

"Heads up!" Miranda yelled. More mercs were heading their way.

Shepard ducked behind some crates as a rocket flew by her head. She zapped the rocket launcher with a shield drain.

Thane saw a merc jump some crates to the left of his wife and take bead on her. He threw the merc against a large, metal storage container and poured bullets into him before he could even hit the ground.

Shepard saw the bullets fly by her and turned in time to see a merc at her back, that she hadn't been aware of, go down. She shot a grateful smile at her husband and sent another shield drain charge at the rocket-man. She followed up with a reave wave. Miranda and Thane took him down.

"Divert everyone except my guard to Niket. I'll handle him and the kid personally," Enyala stated.

"Damn it! I'm not letting them get Ariana."

"That won't happen, Miri. I won't let it."

They worked their way through a maze of containers. She scanned the room. "More signatures up ahead, keep your eyes peeled."

Mercs and mechs were headed their way. Her team began working on their shields before she could tell them to. Thane raised himself atop a high stack of crates next to her and began firing down at the mercs, he flung one and dropped to his belly to avoid return fire. She took advantage of the merc distraction, amped and tossed a singularity.

Miranda darted behind a nearby crate and overloaded a mech, who was then sucked into the singularity. When bullets took the helplessly rotating mercs down, she absorbed the singularity back into herself and Thane jumped back down to her side. He kissed her soundly.

"More mercs on the far side of the next conveyor belt," Miranda stated.

She winked at her husband, bent low and charged to the railing, ducking in behind it. She noticed another engineer. "I'll take down the engineer, focus on the others!" She shot a drain charge at the engineer and ducked the incineration blast. She was too close for her Viper, so she snapped it to her back and grabbed her Mattock. She took down the drone and fired another drain charge at the engineer. She tossed a reave wave at her, which hit two mercs standing next to her as well. While she was cocooned in the protective blowback, she stood and fired continuous rounds into the contorting mercs and then slapped them with another reave wave. She paid them no more mind, they were dead and just didn't know it yet.

She amped a shockwave, tossing two mercs from behind cover. She threw one into the other and reaved them. She saw Miranda go down. "Thane take down the ones I just dropped!" She darted to Miranda's side and gave her a dose of medigel. She spun around and fired a stasis field at another merc, when a bullet bounced off her shields and then helped Miranda to her feet. She darted back into cover, scanned the area, but there were no more signatures.

"Thanks, Shepard. We can cut down the middle between the conveyor systems."

As they cut through her lootdar led her into another large storage unit. She hacked the datapad of a downed merc, raping his bank account. She was then led to a terminal on a far wall and hacked it as well. She needed all the credits she could get for her projects.

"Eclipse operatives have attempted to delay you by disabling the elevators. I'm overriding their lockdown."

"Thanks, EDI!"

The elevators opened and mercs began pouring out. "Cover!" They focused on taking down the merc's shields and then tore into them. They knew time was running short and they didn't have time to play around. "Thane…rocket-man, I'll cover the engineer, Miri…the others." When the engineer and rocket-man were down they joined Miri in taking down the rest of the mercs.

Enyala's voice came over the radio. "Niket has reached the terminal. He'll switch the family over to our transport."

"No," Miri said shaking her head. "Not Niket…that can't be right."

Shepard scavenged some heavy weapon ammo and some more medigel, before opening the elevator door.

"Maybe the captain knows we're listening in and she's feeding misinformation about Niket making the switch."

"Miri…you may just have to face facts. I'm sorry. It doesn't look good." Shepard said as she punched in the floor they needed to reach.

Miranda ignored her. "Or maybe it means something else. Niket wouldn't do that….Damn it! Why won't this thing go any faster?"

"Miri…what makes you so sure Niket won't turn on you?"

"He could have turned on me when I ran away. I'm sure my father tried to buy him off then. If he didn't do it then, why would he do it now?"

"Needs change…circumstances change…people change. Another thing to consider - did Niket know that you took Oriana away from your father?"

"No, he just found out about that recently. It was too personal to involve someone else. I ever really thought about it," she said wringing her hands together. "Maybe…no. He'd have understood why I did it. He knows what I went through."

Shepard shot a look to her husband who gave her a slight nod. "Miranda, sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. Don't discount it."

"I don't know, damn it. But I guess we'll find out soon enough. And then I'll have a word with this Captain Enyala."

Shepard looked at Thane. "I wonder what's taking Garrus so long? Thought he'd show up by now."

"Perhaps he elected to follow your orders," Thane answered.

She sent him a droll look. "Would you if you were left behind?"

He gave her a steady stare. "No, but I am not him. I was not trained to obey orders as he was."

"Do you really think he stayed behind?"

"No…Why did you choose to test him in this manner?"

Shepard sighed. "It wasn't really a test per se; I really had hoped he would follow my orders. With both Miranda and myself off the ship, I needed someone to ensure the orders came in without a hitch. Someone who wouldn't let us be swindled or cheated."

The elevator finally came to a stop.

Garrus and Kasumi followed the trail of bodies. "Damn it, vela. You should have listened to me."

"She'll be okay, Garrus. Thane won't let anything happen to her." Kasumi said putting a hand on his arm.

"More like, she won't let anything happen to him."

"Garrus.."

"I know…I know he'll protect her. But this was a lot more than they expected. She didn't even bring a heavy weapon with her. We might not even make it there in time."

"Stop thinking the worst, Garrus. She's fine and we'll get there in time. She may not even end up needing us."

"I know…I know." He still couldn't help but worry.

"No," Niket said. "Listen to me. I've got authorization to change their booking!"

"I'm sorry, sir. We're under lockdown. Until the situation in the cargo terminal is resolved, no passengers can be rebooked," the transport officer replied.

"This isn't worth my time, Niket," Enyala retorted. "I get paid regardless of how the girl gets there."

"No!" Niket said adamantly. "I was told I could handle this my way. We're not traumatizing the family any more than we - "

When the door opened up Miranda saw Niket and two asari.

Niket was surprised to see Miranda. "Miri."

"Oh," Enyala said sarcastically and hopped down from the crate she had been sitting on. "This should be fun." She pulled her shotgun on the newcomers.

Her team's guns were out faster than a blink. Niket raised his arms and the officer darted away for cover. Enyala turned her shotgun on the officer.

Shepard tossed the fleeing woman behind a crate, barely missing the shot that had been aimed at her. If she'd been a fraction of a second later, the woman would have been killed. She put a protective barrier around her. If the woman was smart, she'd stay put.

"Looks like you were right, Shepard…Niket, you sold me out. Why, Niket? You were my friend. You helped me get away from my father."

"Yes! Because you wanted to leave. That was your choice! But if I'd have known that you'd stolen a baby - "

"I didn't steal her! I rescued her! I couldn't let the same thing happen to her that happened to me. She deserved a better life!"

"Rescued her? From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father!"

"Wealth and happiness? Do you think I'd have wanted to get away if I had such a life? There was no happiness in my life, Niket. You know that!"

"How did Miranda's father turn you?" Shepard asked.

"They told me you kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago. They said I could help get her back peacefully. No trauma to the family. I told them you'd never do that. That they could go to hell. Then you finally told me what you'd done," he said crossing his arms over his chest. "I called them back that night."

"Why didn't you call me? We've been through a lot. You could have at least let me explain before you chose to do anything."

"I deserved to know that you'd stolen your sister, Miri. I deserved to know you were with Cerberus. But I had to hear it from your father first."

"How much were you paid for your cooperation?" Thane asked.

"A great deal."

"Damn it, Niket! You were the only one I trusted from that life."

"He knew you felt that way. That's why he bought me."

"So you just took his money."

"Don't get holy with me, Miri. You took his money for years."

Miranda shook her head. "And I paid the price for years, Niket."

Enyala was getting extremely bored with all the useless talking. "Come on, Niket. Let's finish this bitch and get out of here."

"Take your best shot," Miranda said snidely.

"I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed. Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

Okay. She had to agree with Enyala on that point. She'd always hated Miranda's painted on catsuit. It wasn't easy taking her serious in it. And seeing her ass jiggle like jello was just an eye irritant.

"Regardless of what Miranda has done, Oriana has been with her family for years now. It is heartless to tear her away from them," Shepard said, trying to reason with him.

"Her father can still give her a better life," Niket replied earnestly.

"You don't know what my father wants for her!"

"I know that I've been poor, Miri. I didn't much care for it."

"He wants to take a girl away from the only family she's ever known. Doesn't that tell you what he really is?"

He looked at the pregnant woman beside his old friend. "You're pregnant. If someone stole that baby from you, would you just give up and let her live her life with someone else? Or would you do anything in your power to get her back?"

Thane took an aggressive step forward, putting himself between the man and his wife. "If anyone dared to steal our children, they would face a long, slow and very painful death." There was no mistaking the threat in his voice.

"Your - " Niket blinked. He hadn't expected that. "Then you see my point. Just because your child is stolen, it doesn't mean you stop caring or stop looking for her. Getting her back is all that matters, regardless of the cost."

Miranda bristled. "And if he was a normal father, I'd help him find his child. But that man is no one's father. His children…his specimen are nothing more than lab rats to be studied…to be warped and used in any way he sees fit. No child should be forced to live that kind of life."

Shepard placed a hand on Thane's hip and pushed him gently, just far enough so that she could see Niket and the commando. "If you're working for Miranda's father, that means he knows about Oriana. We need to find another solution, Miranda."

Niket looked down for a moment. "Miranda's father had no information about Oriana. I knew you had spy programs in your father's system. So I kept it quiet. I'm the only one who knows."

"Which means that you're the only loose end. This isn't how I wanted it to end, Niket. I'm going to miss you…"

Shepard placed a hand on Miranda's arm, using her touch to calm her. "You will regret killing him, Miranda."

"Of course I will, but this has to end here, Shepard. My father will keep trying to find Oriana."

"You're right, he will, and Niket's death won't change that. Maybe he can help…talk to your father and tell him you got to her first."

Niket sighed. "I'll…I'll tell him you hid her. That I don't know where she is."

"I never want to see you again, Nik - "

Enyala smiled. Finally, something she could work with. She shot Niket in the back. "Done. Now, if you don't mind, I have a shipment to deliver."

Miranda was furious. She amped her power and lifted the woman into the air. "You'll die for that, bitch!" She threw her as far and as hard as she could.

Enyala laughed and got to her feet, shotgun in hand. Let the games begin.

Garrus scanned the elevator, retrieving the information from its last stop and programmed the floor in. Did it have to be so damned high up? It was taking too much time.

"Enyala's mine…spread out…we don't want to be a group target. Take out any engineers first!"

When the elevator opened Garrus could feel the tension in the air. He looked around until he spotted his wife. He debated on whether he should make his presence known or just sneak in, even the odds and sneak out again, but in the end, he did not want secrets between them.

Shepard felt his presence as soon as he got off the elevator. She didn't even turn to look at him, her focus solely Enyala who was attempting to flank her on the left. "Garrus take down the engineer!"

He should have realized she'd have felt him; it was rare that he was able to sneak up on her. He darted behind cover. He scanned the mercs until he'd found the one she'd wanted him to take down. He fired a concussion grenade followed by a mine, while the merc stumbled backwards, Garrus sighted down his scope.

"Going dark!" Kasumi said as she faded into the background, she hopped a crate and silently crept up behind the closest man to her and drove her dual knives hard into the back of the oblivious merc.

It took four shield drain charges to bring down Enyala's shields. She had peppered her with bullets to keep her at bay while her OT recharged between the rounds. She threw reave after reave waves. One blast from Enyala's shot gun stripped Shepard's shields. A green glow of protection surrounded her. Enough game playing, she was too exhausted to keep it up. She drew her arm back, ripping the shotgun from Enyala's hands and held out her hand towards the merc…she began to drain her.

Enyala froze. Pain like she'd never known ripped through her. Her eyes locked on to Shepard's, before a vice squeezed her. Her body lifted into the air. It felt like she was being melted from the inside out. The agony was more than she could bear. Raw screams tore at her auditory senses. She wanted to yell at whoever was screaming to shut the fuck up. As her body ripped itself asunder she realized she was the one screaming, but she couldn't stop…the pain was too deep…too consuming. Her cells and then her organs began to burst, her veins and arteries shredding…and still the pain went on. Her vision began to dim, the sounds faded, she could feel blood rolling off of her. Then blessedly…there was nothing.

Thane noticed what his wife was doing and covered her as she drained the woman. When she stumbled back, momentarily overcome with the life she'd absorbed, he pulled her into his arms and behind cover. Her power hummed through him live a live wire, but he held onto her tightly. Absorbing a life was always overwhelming both physically and mentally for her. Physically, it was both an extreme boost and a shock to her system. Mentally, it was an anguish for the manner in which she'd stolen a life. But like anything her body was subjected to, medication, booze…she processed it quickly.

She placed a soft kiss upon his lips and backed away, slipping back into soldier mode. She charged a merc, snapped his neck and darted behind cover. She saw Kasumi plunge her knives into a merc's back and fade away again. She scanned the room, only one merc left. She amped her power and then let it die when the man's head exploded like a melon.

"There could be more Eclipse mercs near the shuttle. I want to make sure Oriana and her family get on safely."

Shepard followed her lootdar to some medigel, some credits and a pretty locket she found sitting on a crate. She hoped she'd be able to find its owner. The pictures inside seemed well worn from touching by a loved one.

Garrus approached his wife uncertainly. He wasn't sure if she was going to tear his head off or welcome him. He had disobeyed her command, though technically he hadn't disobeyed a direct order.

Shepard looked at her husband sharply. She welcomed the additional guns, but she was disappointed as well. She gave him a brief nod and walked into the elevator. She would discuss this later in private.

Garrus ran his hand down his face and sighed. Well crap, he was in the doghouse again. He expected no less and he did not regret coming. He would do it again, no matter how mad she was. He watched her hug Kasaumi and laugh about something. It would have been nice if she had greeted him that way.

As they entered the elevator Garrus maneuvered his way to his wife's side. He put his arm around her and pulled her back flush against his front. She was stiff, but did not pull away. He nuzzled the top of her head. His subvocals crooned his love, his sorrow, blended into a soothing pitch. The scent of her stirred him, brought his mind back to the kiss they'd shared before she left. His chest began to rumble lightly, his subvocals dipping down into the deeper tones of seduction. He felt her shiver, before she relaxed against him. He knew he would still catch an earful later, but right now…just having her leaning into him was enough.

Miranda bowed her head. "I can't believe Niket sold me out. I didn't even see it coming."

"Even with all your upgrades, Miri, you're fallible just like the rest of us."

"That's just it, Shepard. You saw it coming. I didn't."

"I wasn't close to him. I had no reason to trust him."

"But I let it get personal…and I screwed up. Why didn't you let me kill him? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch…"

"Miranda, he was a friend. The guilt would have slowly eaten away at you. You didn't really want him dead…you could have still shot him after I stopped you. But you didn't. Despite everything, you still cared about him."

"You're right. And my father knew it. He used that against me. It's always been like this. My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I left." She shrugged. "Except Niket. Weakness on my part."

"No, Miri. You can't toss aside everything you care about just to be safe. What you care about…what you love, that is tangible. Safety is only an illusion."

"It's okay, Shepard. My father hurt me, but he didn't break me. As much as he tried to turn me into exactly what he wanted...I'm my own person."

"At least you still have your sister."

"You're right. I still have something. Thank you."

When the elevator opened up onto the main transportation hum, nothing jumped out as out of the ordinary.

"No sign of Eclipse," Miranda said in relief. "It looks like we're in the clear." Miranda pointed towards a group of people. "There she is. She's safe…with her family." Miranda felt envy creeping over her and she didn't much like the taste of it. She wished she could have had a family like Oriana's. She sighed. "Come on, we'd better go."

Shepard touched Miranda's arm. "I think you should meet her."

"No, Shepard. For her own safety…the less she knows about me the better. She's got a family…a life. I'd just complicate that for her."

"Don't tell her everything, if you don't want to, but I think she would welcome meeting the sister who'd looked out for her all these years….who loves her. Go to her, Miri. You both deserve this chance, don't throw it away."

"Maybe you're right…"

She watched Miri walk towards her sister, a tear in her eye. She quickly wiped it away before anyone could notice. She felt arms go around her and she turned into her husbands and hugged them back.

Kasumi looked at the trio and smiled. She couldn't help but wish that Jacob were here. But he had recently moved into her quarters…she knew just where to find him.

When Miranda returned to the group she was wreathed in smiles.

"I take it things worked out well between you?"

"Yes, Shepard. Thank you for talking me into meeting her. Oriana is a remarkable young woman."

"Now, just make sure you stay in touch."

"Don't you worry, I will."

Shepard smiled as they stepped into the elevator. She absently rubbed her belly; the babies were being active again. But at least they weren't kicking her. Especially since her bladder was fit to explode.

When they stepped onto the Normady Garrus took off. "Vakarian. Cabin in 20." He raised his hand and kept walking. She entered their cabin with a sigh and shimmied out of her suit armor. She made a quick trip to the bathroom and then she pulled off her undersuit, and tossed it down the laundry chute.

Thane slipped his arms around his wife's waist, his hands caressing her belly. "You aren't really mad at him are you?"

She sighed and leaned back into him. "That depends – EDI, did our supplies arrive in good order with no problems?"

"Yes, Shepard. Samara handled the delivery, no issues to report."

"Thank you, EDI. No, I'm not mad. He chose a good stand in…though Samara is a part of my team, not a member of my crew. It was not her responsibility to see to the supplies. But, he doesn't have to know I'm not mad."

Thane's hand slipped down the curve of her belly and slid beneath the band of her panties. Her curls tickled his fingers as they dipped lower. He groaned. Oh gods, she was already wet. She cried out and arched back against him. He kept his strokes slow and steady. He felt her hand caress the back of his neck, she turned her head towards him and her tongue slid along the underside of his jaw. He lowered his head and claimed her lips as his fingers slipped inside of her. He unsnapped her bra and cupped her breast with his other hand, his thumb brushed across her nipple, before he rolled it between his fingers. He swallowed her moans as he continued to strum her body.

Hs need for her began to consume him and his body began to shake. He spun her around. Her hands went directly to the buckles and snaps on his armored jacket, unfastening them in record time. He shrugged his shoulders, taking his hands from her body only long enough for the jacket to fall to the floor and to unsnap his pants. He maneuvered them far enough down that they fell to his feet; he kicked them away, picked his wife up, cradled her in his arms and carried her to the bed.

He licked and nibbled his way down her body, making love to it with his mouth. He rubbed the bottom of his chin against her soft curls, before taking her in his mouth.

Garrus walked in, the smell of their musk, their pheromones going straight to his groin. His fingers flew down the stays of his armor. It fell in clanks on the floor; a trail of pieces followed his progress towards the bed. He all but ripped the undersuit from his body. Thane slipped over his wife's thigh, his tongue never breaking contact. Garrus grabbed a pillow, placed it under her hips and took his place between her legs. He canted his head just a bit and slid his tongue deep inside of her, before darting it in and out of her at the maddening pace she enjoyed so much. Pleasure rolled through him when she connected them together.

Thane began a sensual cadence; one he knew drove her wild. Her hips bucked against them and her cries were incoherent. Thane's hand gently stroked her breasts, rolling and flicking the nipples to stimulate her further. He felt her hand caressing his head and the fringe he didn't have. The pleasure was intense and he felt himself grow heavy as she approached her climax. He pinched himself hard and felt a brief pain from Garrus, before his wife's hips rose and her body stiffened. He increased the pressure and quickened the rhythm of his mouth and tongue against her swollen flesh. He deepened his cadence. Her body began to tremble, the buildup was almost agonizing. Her hand grasped his head and she let out a hoarse shout. Her fluids rushed over his tongue. He suckled her, coaxing out more, needing more.

Garrus' tongue continued its furious pace as he sought out every drop he could reach. He growled when Thane bumped him and grasped her tighter to him, reaching as far into her as he could. He rose up quickly and plunged into her, coating himself in her fluids and then moved aside and sat down opposite from Thane. Thane's legs crossed over his as they moved closer together. He brought his wife down on him and thrust into her a couple of more times, before allowing her to straddle them both. She sank slowing down on them, her body quivering with anticipation.

Thane guided her hips while Garrus' talons caressed her breasts. He slid one hand down through her silky curls; his talon stroking her as Thane brought her down on them harder and faster. His mouth found her breast and drew a tight bud into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue and suckling it.

Shepard arched back, giving Thane easier access to her breast. Her head rested against Garrus who continued to stimulate her other breast with the rough pads of his talons. She could feel them filling her up as their shafts grew heavy, bringing on her own release. She stiffened, her muscles clamping down on them as her orgasm built. They cried out and Thane worked her hips faster; warm bursts heated her insides and pushed her over the edge. She cried out when she came, riding them hard until they locked tight inside of her. They bit into her shoulders and she grabbed the back of their necks to hold them tight to her, encouraging them to take in more of her blood. Thane continued to suckle his bondmark until she came again. Her head fell forward and she bit into Thane's shoulder, taking in his blood. She leaned her head back; Garrus moved in closer, offering his neck to her. She ran her tongue slowly along his artery, before biting next to it. She suckled the wound, his chest rumbled and his talons clasped her tighter in response.

They held each other, content and fulfilled, as they rode out the pleasure of the aftershocks. Shepard amped her biotic field. Thane and Garrus amped theirs. The fields clashed and then merged. The pleasure intensified to nearly a painful level and another orgasm ripped through them, before they released the charge. They panted and their bodies quaked from the intense rush of adrenaline and unbearable pleasure. When they were released from the tie, they tumbled bonelessly to the bed.

Thane and Garrus placed a hand against her belly and she merged with the babies, they laid their heads next to their hands, each releasing notes of love and contentment to the babies. Shepard felt the babies moving inside of her, in response to their fathers' contact. Their vocals increased as each felt, for the first time, the movement of the larger baby. She stroked their heads, filling her touch with love. After a few more minutes she released the connection and they settled in beside her, their hands gently rubbed her belly until sleep overtook her.

As soon as she was asleep, the babies became more active. Thane and Garrus smiled at each other as they felt the small nudges of the baby pushing against their palms.

Come morning, Garrus tried to roll out of the bed quietly, he thought he'd succeeded until a hand snagged his wrist and pulled him back down. He looked over at his wife, who was sitting up in bed a stern look on her face. Garrus sighed and situated himself on the bed. He waited patiently for her to begin.

"Why did you disobey my command?"

"Because I knew things would not go as planned."

"So did I. That's why I brought Thane along."

"If you knew something would go wrong, why didn't you take me too?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Because I needed someone high in command to be here for the supply shipment. They always try to skim us and you were the only person onboard with a high enough command to see to it."

"I contacted the shippers, made sure the supplies were going to arrive on time and then I asked Samara if she would be willing to see the shipment in. I knew she wouldn't let the shippers act dishonorably. I don't think they would dare…not to a justicar. I felt confident enough in her abilities to leave the ship."

"You're right. Samara is more than capable of handling the chore. But Samara is a part of my team, not a part of my crew. It is not her responsibility to see to the ship's…to the crew's needs. That's our responsibility. Normally, Miranda handles such mundane tasks, but Miranda was with me. I relied on you to see it get done," she said, jabbing a finger at his carapace.

Garrus' mouth opened then closed. What could he say to that? What she said was true. "I'm sorry if you feel I was out of line. But you are my wife, my lifemate…carrying my children. There's no way in hell I'm going to let you walk into danger without me at your side. I can't. That protective instinct is hardwired into my brain. I can't turn it on an off. I can no more stop it than I can stop my heart from beating, the way my body responds to your scent and touch or the chemical reaction inside of me when you go into heat. So, before you go assigning me tasks while you leave the ship, you need to take that into consideration. Because I will not stay behind, even if it means I'm court marshaled or thrown in the brig!"

All that? "What the hell took you so long? We thought you'd show up much sooner," she said with a smile.

Garrus was stunned. She wasn't angry? It was all just an act? "You little minx!" he pounced on her, careful to avoid her belly. He had intended to tickle her mercilessly. But having her body under his, her breasts brushing his carapace…his body decided on a different course of action. His mouth sought hers, his kiss full of hunger.

She rolled him over on his back. Before she could straddle him, Thane grabbed her ankles and pulled her towards him. Her front half was draped over Garrus as she kissed and nibbled his neck. Thane slipped between her knees and brought her to his mouth. Her moans vibrated against Garrus' sensitive skin. She slowly progressed down his body, licking and nipping between his chest plates. Garrus was damn near ready to scream. His shaft was straining towards her, leaking in its excitement. She nipped his belly harder then she'd meant to when an orgasm crashed over her.

Garrus felt the warm pants of her breath feather across him and it was the sweetest torture. He felt the pleasure of her aftershocks when she connected them. Thane slid into her tight sheath as her tongue slid across his belly, licking up the precious drops of his excitement. She gently licked and suckled the tip of him, getting the last of moisture from him. She ran her tongue along the crease of his leg and rolled it around each testicle, before slipping it deep inside the slit of his sheath pouch. Garrus pulled himself up on his elbows to watch her make love to him. The sight of her lapping at his pouch was a powerful aphrodisiac His pants and small growls were interlaced with subvocals that sounded out his excitement, his encouragement and deeper notes of seduction.

Thane could feel her mouth and tongue moving on him, even as he was plunging into the heat of her. His eyes feasted on where they were joined, watching her pink fringe stretch and rub against him as he moved within her. Then he felt her soft mouth close over the tip of him, felt himself sinking into her mouth while he was sinking into her sheath. Her tongue moved against him as her muscles clung to him. It was the headiest sensation. He grabbed her hips tightly and thrust into her with powerful strokes. Sweat trailed down his body as he fought to keep from coming, but he wouldn't slow down, he couldn't. It felt too good. "Gods! Aah…" he panted. "Have mercy and come!"

Garrus ran his talons through her hair, pulling it back so he could see her better. His chest was rumbling hard and his growls were coming one on top of each other. He was so thick and heavy that he thought he would explode. "Vela!" he growled out and then his hips bucked into her as wave after wave of pleasure ripped through him. He watched as her delicate throat swallowed all he had to give her. It was one of the most intoxicating sights he'd ever seen. He watched her pink tongue as it swirled around his prongs, nibbling them, flicking them with her tongue, before gently sucking the last of his essence from him. Her tongue went back to the slit in his pouch, licking and teasing it. He reached out his talons, slid them through her curls and worked her swollen flesh.

Thane was slamming into her hard and fast, almost in tears from having held back so long, when he felt her body stiffen and her muscles latch onto him, he gave a hoarse shout, drenching her womb with his seed. He continued to thrust, releasing more and more of himself into her. When she came her muscles milked him for more and gods help him, he gave it to her. He collapsed on her back, cadence pouring out of him, when his shaft locked them tight.

Shepard gently nudged the sheath pouch open further, she ran a finger along the inside of it, caressing it small flicks and swirls, before replacing her finger with her tongue, lapping at the moisture inside his pouch. His soft growls and subvocals let her know just how much he liked what she was doing. She licked her way back up his body and gave him a heated kiss.

Garrus sat up, pushing her upright on her knees. He sandwiched her between Thane and him, her breasts flattened against his carapace. He fluttered his mandibles against her cheek before biting down into the top of her shoulder.

She hissed as she felt the dual bites. Her hands automatically going to their heads. They gasped when they felt the pleasure of her orgasm. She wrapped her arms around Garrus and bit into her bondmark. His blue blood hot on her tongue. He growled as she suckled the wound, his talons gripping tightly into her back. She arched backwards, nipping Thane's red throat patch, taking in his blood and a few oily drops of the secretions produced within the red, soft tissue. She grew a bit lightheaded from the concentrated, thick oils, a silly smile plastered to her face.

Thane laid them down on their sides so they could finish riding out the aftershocks until they were released. Garrus stretched out and faced her, his talons stroking her hair and face. She was truly the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Chapter 35

Horizon

Chakwas had informed them that Garrus' implant had been picked up when they were on Illium and was ready to go in whenever he was ready to hit the medbay. It would be about a week before he'd be ready for duty again. He was on the table the moment he received the news, before they'd even cleared the Illium docks. It would take about a week to get anywhere else, so timing couldn't be better.

Garrus was on his belly, so Shepard leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the mandible as the anesthesia began to take hold of him. She nodded to Karin and told her to let her know as soon as the implant was in…or if there was any problem whatsoever. Thane patted Garrus' shoulder, before they left the medbay.

"I'm thinking about hitting up the Citadel. I know we just received a huge supply shipment, but I miss, David, Kolyat and Solana. It would be nice to stop in and see them, maybe top off the tank."

Thane gave his wife a worried look. "I don't know if that's a good idea, siha. As much as I might love to see the kids, Kolyat…" Thane shook his head. "I do not think it wise for him to see you right now. Give the kids more time together. I am hoping that distance and the love of his lifemate will diminish his feelings where you are concerned."

"Well, that is certainly better than absence makes the heart grow fonder."

Thane shuddered. "Gods! I don't even wish to contemplate that particular scenario."

"I'm sorry, Thane," she said with a frown. "That was thoughtless and insensitive of me."

Thane shook his head. "No, you are right to voice it. A part of me fears that is indeed what is occurring. It is something I think about all too often, even if I don't wish to. If his memory were not as it is, his feelings towards you would fade with the passage of time, but as it is...he can relive every moment with you in perfect clarity, keeping those feelings very much alive, if not nurturing them. So, I ask you…delay a visit to the Citadel, especially as it is only wanted and not needed."

She took his hand as she walked up the ramp to the Galaxy Map. "Then I will schedule a trip to Omega. Samara wished me to help her find her daughter, Morinth, anyway."

Thane let out a ragged breath. "Thank you."

Before she could activate the Galaxy map, Joker came over the speaker system. "Change of plans, Commander. Urgent message coming from the Illusive Man. Patching it though to the comm room."

"He can wait."

"The illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the debriefing room, Commander…and he's not a patient man," Kelly informed her in a worried tone.

"Neither am I."

"Patient? Or a man?" Kelly inquired.

Shepard let out an unladylike snort and quickly covered her mouth, biting her cheek to keep from laughing.

Thane straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. "Neither of those terms are applicable to my wife. While I could wish she had more patience, I am immeasurably pleased that she is not a man."

The sincerity in which he said that pushed her over the edge and laughter bubbled out.

Kelly gave a soft laugh and flushed. Shepard always seemed to discombobulate her. She cleared her throat, "The Illusive Man…"

"I know." Shepard sighed, wishing she stamp her foot like a child. She hated talking to him. He was way too smooth and something about him just rubbed her the wrong way. Damn and blast. Well, maybe he would cough up something useful she could send back to the Council and Alliance.

She gave Thane's hand a tug. "Come on, husband. Enjoy the fun with me."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" he asked concerned.

"No, but it doesn't matter. I'm just going to tell you anything he says anyway. Besides, maybe you will catch something I miss."

She moved through the lab and checked the console for any updates that would need integrated into their systems. Finding nothing new, she continued on through the side door and into the debriefing hall. The Debriefing Room door slid open. She activated the holopad and watched the conference table slide into the floor. They moved forward onto the pad, but were seemingly alone. She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her husband flush to her; her hand went to the back of his neck, as she pulled him down for a kiss that quickly ran the gamut from 'hello' to 'fuck me' in record time.

"Glad to see your putting your time to good use. Pray tell, continue…don't me interrupt you." The ice clinked in his glass as he swirled the amber liquid. He took a long draw from his cigarette, nearly choking when he caught sight of her expanding belly. "Shepard…pregnant at a time like this? EDI neglected to inform me of your current…situation. For that matter, so did Miranda. I will discuss their oversight with them shortly. We need you in the game, Shepard. This," he said pointing at her belly," better not interfere with my plans."

She cocked her eyebrow at his hard look and then returned it with equal measure. "I will do the job I was brought back to do. Nothing will stop me from destroying the Collectors. What I do with my personal life is my business, NOT yours," she said stabbing a finger at him.

"It becomes my business if you can't do your job." He took another drag from his cigarette.

Shepard kept expecting the long line of ash to fall to the floor, but it never did.

"My wife is as strong as she ever was. She will do what she needs to do. I suggest you move on to a topic that concern us," Thane said coldly.

Wife? He eyed the drell, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and opted to keep his mouth shut. He knew what the drell was capable of. He was deadly in a fight, the enemy never saw him coming. He was the best assassin the galaxy had to offer, which is why he was chosen for the mission. He took a slow drag off his cigarette. "I think we have them! Horizon – one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems – just went silent. If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Morden delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?"

"Not yet."

"Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know." He took another drag off his cigarette. "One of your former crew, Kaidan Alenko, is stationed on Horizon."

David had told he was out on a classified mission, but Horizon? It was out in the ass-end of nowhere. "Has your intel picked up why he's out there?"

"Yes. Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies. But they're up to something. And if they sent Commander Alenko, it must be big. I suggest you take it up with him."

"The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with one of my former crew? I don't buy it."

He took another drag and cocked his head. "It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers." He rolled the ashes off in the ash-bin in the handle of his chair. "They might be going after him to get to you."

"Would your Alliance provide us reinforcements?" Thane asked.

"Not until you investigate. I don't want the Alliance getting in our way. Once you have the situation under control, I'll send the message personally," he said with a nod.

"Then send the coordinates, we'll head straight there."

"This is the most warning we've ever had, Shepard. Good luck." He cut the feed.

"Joker, set a course for Horizon. See if we can make it in a week."

" . Commnader, I'll open her up. It'll be tight, though. Not gonna lie. We have to hit the Omega relay before we can even reach the Shadow Sea. Might be able to swing seven or eight days. "

"Seven, Joker." She could just imagine the faces he was making at her right now.

"If our core vents, it's on you, Commander."

"Duly noted, Joker. Let's go talk to Mordin."

When they walked into the lab, Mordin was staring intently as a small seeker drone. It smashed against the side of the enclosure and he jumped back, turning to face them when he heard them enter.

"Tell me you have something."

Mordin squinted and then gave a big, rubbery smile. "Yes." He ambled over to his terminal and began to pull up data. A holo of a revolving human torso popped up above his terminal. "Shielding should work. No way to know for sure. Field testing required."

"Is that drone viable? Can it be used for testing purposes?"

"Viable. Yes. But would lead to skewed test. Variable parameters offset. Will face swarm, not one in field."

"But testing on one will let you know if the shielding has a chance of working."

"Extracted toxin…ran simulations. Best I can do under circumstances. Physical testing always better, but not recommended."

"Well I would rather find out here, safe on the Normandy, if the shields will hold out. So, fix me up Mordin, I'm your lab rat."

"No, wife. I understand your need to not risk anyone, but there is more to consider than just yourself. More than just me, Garrus and our children. Subjecting yourself to risk puts the mission in jeopardy, the colonies. If someone must volunteer, then I shall."

"No. If something were to happen to you…this toxin has not been administered to any drell before, it would have a snowball effect on everything you just mentioned. I will ask for volunteers…someone preferably without family and not critical to the maintenance of the ship."

"EDI we are in need of a volunteer, put the word out under the parameters I just mentioned."

"Right away, Shepard."

Within minutes an older gentleman entered the lab. "Hello, I'm - "

"Corporal Stevens."

He blinked in surprise and smiled. "Yes. I work down in laundry. I heard of your need and wished to volunteer myself."

"Do you have family?"

"No," he said, his voice somber.

"Do you have any allergies that you are aware of?"

"No."

"Is there anything you need to set right before the experiment?"

Again he shook his head. "No."

"Is there a reason you have chosen to volunteer yourself for this?"

"Isn't it enough that I have, ma'am?" Her steady look unnerved him.

"I just wanted to be sure you were of sound mind."

He looked down and rubbed his face. "Look, I was court-martialed and demoted many years back for assaulting a superior officer that raped my wife. The officer had friends in high places. My wife fell into a depression and when she miscarried…it was more than she could take. I've been unable to rise in rank since; the officer I assaulted is high up in the brass now. I've no family, my job is unimportant. I was cleared for duty years ago and have regular psych evals. I am as sound of mind as I can be." He stood erect, shoulders squared, hands behind his back at military rest, awaiting her response to his admission.

Shepard was stunned. She'd evaluated the records off all her crew. His had been sealed. She hadn't expected him to tell her anything private and she was horrified at what he and his wife had gone through. "I am sorry. That should never have been allowed to happen. Can you tell who he was? I have friends in high places too."

"Sorry, ma'am. That information is considered classified. I was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement to stay out of the brig."

"Understood, Corporal. Please check in with Professor Mordin," she said pointing to the salarian. He will get you set up."

With the shielding module in place, Corporal Stevens placed his arm through a slot in the enclosure. The drone set to its duty immediately. She could hear the Corporal's hiss every time the drone scored a hit. It stung him several times before it ran out of toxin and just fluttered about, banging into the sides of its enclosure in an attempt to flee. He withdrew his arm and turned to face Mordin.

Mordin scanned the man, no anomalies were picked up. "Report to medbay if you develop any unusual symptoms."

"Thank you for your assistance. Your record will note your willingness to sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty. You're dismissed." It was the least she could do for the man.

"Thank you, Ma'am. Glad I could be of service." The Corporal saluted and left the lab.

"Shielding worked as simulated, Shepard. Minor adjustments needed. Not a problem. Will not know if it can hold up under numbers until field tested." Mordin paused and then gave Shepard a pointed look. "Making advances on all fronts, Shepard."

She knew he was referring to her special 'projects' rather than their current assignments. "Understood, Mordin. And thank you."

"The cures?"

Mordin frowned. He knew that she knew what he felt about curing the genophage. No good could come of it. "Decrypting final data collected. Should have viable cure in three months. If data sound."

"And Keprels?"

Mordin smiled. This news he was happy to relay. "Genetic mutation virus near completion. Will begin testing trials on volunteers in a few weeks."

"I thought you didn't like testing on sentient subjects?"

Mordin shook his head. "Don't. Tests not harmful. Need to verify genetic marker destroyed. Deactivation means failure, must be destroyed," Mordin said, slicing his hand through the air. "Future children produced from exposed parents need testing to verify marker is absent. Only then success certain."

Thane couldn't help but smile. A true cure for his people was within reach. "I wish to volunteer. I do not want my children to carry the genetic marker."

Mordin bobbed his head with excitement. "Acceptable. Glad. It would allow me to be in on the testing phase. Will let you know when virus is ready."

Shepard bit back a laugh. Mordin was so light on his toes he was all but dancing.

"Let's go peek in on Garrus and then find something more productive to do."

"That sounds appealing, wife." Thane gave her a slow double blink and smiled when she moaned.

Garrus was still in the middle of surgery when they arrived. The implant was going in between the plating on the back of his neck. There wasn't a lot of room to work, so implantation was going slower than normal. They left when Karin gave them a thumbs up. They didn't want to be a distraction to her.

They circled around to the elevator and went straight to their cabin. Thane lit some candles and drew them a bath. They made love in the tub, before adjourning to the bed. When they finally rolled out of bed, Thane hopped on his terminal to work on wife's last mission report, while she made her rounds with the crew. She saved Kasumi for last; she wanted to be able to spend some extra time with her friend. They sat next to each other on the sofa and spoke of their childhoods.

Kasumi's hand flew to her mouth. "You're a Queen? Oh my god, Shep. You sure know how to keep a secret! My best friend is a damned Queen. How about that. That would make Thane and Garrus King consorts! Why have you kept all this secret? How do you run Mindoir from way out here?"

"Kasumi, I'm still just me. That's not who I am anymore. Can you imagine the reporters if they knew who I really was? They are bad enough now. And the military? I don't even want to think how they would treat me. Anderson is the only one in the Alliance who knows, but he is basically my father. No, some things need to stay buried. At least while I am still in the military. When all this is finished…if the galaxy can keep its ass out of the frying pan, I will probably return home and resume my place. But for now, I receive weekly reports from trusted advisors. I also use an outside source for reports on my advisors, just to make sure everyone is playing nice. I hold court once a month over a secure channel to settle disputes and such. It's not perfect, but it has worked for years. And my husbands are not my consorts. I've relegated their status to King. We rule side by side by side," she said with a laugh. "They even join me to hold court. We make important decisions together. If I can't make it for some reason then one or both of them hold court without me."

"Wow…three secret Royals on one ship. I think I've fulfilled my information gathering quota for the day…hell, maybe the week." She noted Shepard's cocked eyebrow. "Oh…no need to worry, I'm just having a bit of fun at your expense. Your secret is safe with me…Sweetie."

Shepard bumped her shoulder. "Oh, just stop. I've not been called that in years."

Kasumi smirked. "Good. Then nobody will think anything of it when I call you Sweetie."

"If they don't know us, they might think we're a couple," Shepard warned.

"Then let them. I don't care what they think anyway. But I do have to wonder if being your lover would give me too much attention. Nah, you're worth it, Sweetie. Come here…you. Give me a kiss…" She said making kissy lips at her friend."

"Whoa," Jacob said as he walked through the door. "Am I interrupting something? Should I be jealous?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

"Most definitely, Jake. You should be very jealous…now get your sweet ass over here." Kasumi held out her hand to him.

"I'm not Shepard, Kasumi. I'm not into threesomes…at least not when I know her husbands would kill me very slowly." Jacob took her hand and slid in behind Kasumi, pulling her back against him.

Shepard grimaced and rubbed her chin. "And probably enjoy every minute of it."

Jacob shivered. "No doubt."

Shepard touched their laced hands. "I'm glad you two got together. You're perfect for each other." A glow flashed around her. Damn…there I go again. With Samara's training, she thought she'd nipped that particular irritation in the bud. Guess not.

"Wow, Sweetie…are you shorting out?"

"Something like that."

"We're very different, but I think that's what makes us work so well," Jacob said squeezing Kasumi's hand.

"You're such a dear. You know how much I love you, Jake."

"Yeah, but you called her sweetie," Jacob said with a pout.

"She is my Sweetie, but you are my…" she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Shepard saw the flush creep up Jacob's neck. "Okay," she said standing up. "I know when I've worn out my welcome. I'll catch you two later…don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Kasumi laughed… "Guess that leaves the field wide open."

Shepard gave her a raspberry and slipped out the door.

"Shepard, I've been asked to inform you that Garrus is out of surgery."

"Thank you, EDI."

She made a beeline straight to the medbay. Garrus was groggy, but coherent, sitting up on the exam table. "Good to see you up. How are you feeling, lover?" She walked between his thighs, wrapped her arms around him and kissed his adorably sleepy face.

"Actually, I'm not feeling much of anything…at least not until you showed up. Now I'm probably feeling things I shouldn't be feeling just yet."

"None of that yet, Garrus. You should at least wait until your headache goes away," Chakwas admonished.

"I don't have a headache."

"You will when the meds wear off."

"Keep your biotics offline for the next two days…after that light to moderate use is okay, but no heavy use for a week." Chakwas gave him a stern look. "Now, go on…get out of here you two…you're cluttering up my medbay," she said, shooing them with her hands.

Garrus leaned on his wife as they left the medbay. "I feel like I've spent a hard night drinking."

Shepard laughed and squeezed his waist. "That's okay, you look like it too."

"Thanks, vela. I feel the love."

"No, you don't…or won't. At least not until your headache's gone," she said, winking at him.

Garrus groaned. "You are such a minx."

Garrus had to work in his calibrations around his new training schedule. He and his son, Tank, were in biotic boot camp, so to speak. Most of the time it was Shepard and Thane as their primary instructors, but the other biotics took their turns with the pair as well, some of them only to watch them stumble and fall on their faces. After all, they had spent plenty of time looking the fools when they went through Shepard's boot camp.

"ETA to Horizon 47 minutes, Commander."

"Roger that, Joker. EDI have the team meet in the CIC in 20."

"It will be done, Commander."

With the team assembled, she opened her sight to evaluate them. She nodded and closed it. I gathered you all here, because we've a very important mission ahead of us and I wanted to make sure there were no doubts as to who would be coming with me. Zaeed, Tank, Garrus, Thane and Legion, armor up and be at the lab in no later than 10. The rest of you are on standby, dismissed."

"Six? I'm impressed, vela. Just a family outing with a crazy uncle and a geth."

"It does seem like that. I just don't know what to expect down there. I nearly said all hands on deck…though, that would probably just be overkill. But I'll call the others down if it looks like we're in over our heads."

Some of her squad had already made it to the lab by the time she arrived."Did you make enough for the whole team, Mordin?"

"Of course, Shepard. Finished those adjustments as well. Should render you invisible to swarm drones…at least in theory."

Shepard nodded. "Okay, then get us outfitted and then hook up the rest of the team in case I have to call them in to assist.

When her current team had the armor upgrades in she was surprised when she saw him applying it to Legion.

"Can't know affects of Toxin on it. Likely no effect. But would prefer to err on side of caution."

"Good call, Mordin."

Kaidan looked around the small settlement on Horizon. It was rather pretty if you didn't mind the modular prefab homes. He'd been sent here to find out if Cerberus was behind the colony abductions, the defense system was his cover story. One that had only intensified his headaches. Installation should have been simple. But nothing seemed to be going right. He fell in beside the woman he'd been working with closely to get the canons set up. "Lilith, we have a problem."

Lilith shook her head. "Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?" It had been an ongoing issue from the start; and now they were in the dark, the comm system had gone offline two days ago and they were no closer to figuring out why or how to correct the matter. She was about ready to pull her hair out in frustration.

"Not even a little. Those defense towers are useless if we don't figure it out."

"Sorry, Commander. Getting our comm systems back online takes priority."

Kaidan came to a stop and faced her. "Yeah. Okay. Surprised people haven't tried to blame that on me too," he said rolling his eyes.

Lilith gave him an apologetic look. "You have to understand, people out here don't trust the Alliance. It's nothing personal."

"Yeah, I get that - " A shadow fell over them.

"What is that?" Lilith asked.

More people left their homes and joined them, everyone's eyes on the large ship that darkened their sky.

Kaidan unsnapped his assault rifle and raised the scope of his gun to his eye to better see the strange ship as it slowly made its way through the thick clouds. From a distance it looked like several massive sized turds being held together by a metal construct. Lightning danced around it. That was no Cerberus vessel. "Get everyone to the safehouse, now!"

Another bolt of lightning and a dense, black cloud was released from the ship. "I'll cover you – go!" Kaidan began firing at the advancing dark cloud. The bullets seemed to have little effect. The cloud dispersed and then reformed. 'HURRY!"

When the cloud reached them he realized it was made up of a lot of small, flying insect type things. He saw Lilith fall out of the corner of his eye and turned to help her to her feet. He felt a sharp jab to the back of his neck. He grabbed the insect, looked at it, frowned, squeezed it and tossed it to the ground. The insects were everywhere. He flared his biotics and felt an odd, deadening sensation creep over him. He couldn't move. He could see, he could hear, but he was powerless to move…to protect the people of Horizon. The inability to do his job tore at him.

Lilith took one look at the frozen Commander and took off running; people were pushing at her, shoving…in a panic, trying to get away from the swarm. She had no doubt they would crush her beneath their shoes if she fell. One by one she heard their yells, saw them freeze as Kaidan had. She half turned and stumbled to the ground. She felt the sting and then nothing. All she could do was watch the people fall around her as more of the bugs encircled her head.

Harbinger forced its mind into the Collector General, using it to assume control over one of the field soldiers planetside that the general was linked to. Harbinger looked around through the soldier's eyes. Everything was going as planned. "We are the harbinger of their perfection. Prepare these humans for ascension," it said, raising its hands. The soldiers began to collect the frozen bodies, storing them in stasis pods to be taken back to the ship.

They stepped out of the shuttle on Horizon. Nothing looked out of place except for the giant ugly ship in the distance. It looked like it had mountains of mud…or perhaps crap coating it. Ugh. "We are groundside, Mordin. Guess we'll know real quick if those armor upgrades can withstand the swarm."

"Sorry, Shepard. Impossible to predict. But in limited numbers, should confuse detection; make you invisible to the swarm. In theory. Capable of protecting against a few injections.

"In theory? You don't say," Zaeed grumbled.

"Well, that sounds promising," Garrus said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Experimental technology. Drone impossible to test with since drained of toxin. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive!"

"Thanks, Mordin. I feel the love," Shepard said sarcastically.

"Anytime, Shepard."

She kissed her husbands for luck and hugged her son. "Let's move out."

They made their way into settlement and found themselves at some sort of loading area. Trucks and crates strewn about. Collectors with wings flew down to intercept them. She motioned for her team to spread out. Only one member of her team remained by her side. She didn't even have to look to know who. "Warp those barriers!"

She saw an overload charge it one of the Collectors that had landed in the bed of a nearby truck. It fizzled without a whole lot of effect. Shepard raised her voice over the gunfire so it could be heard. "Need to switch you to shield drain, Garrus! Won't short out their weapons, but it's better than nothing. Seems you now suffer from my inability to use heavy tech."

"Wished you'd told me sooner, vela."

"Some biotics can use heavy tech."

"But I got my biotics from you!"

"Touché….point taken. Chalk it up to an 'oops' on my part. Okay, then use warp…and Garrus, pull out your big gun."

"Not until we're back at the cabin, vela!" he said as he nailed a Collector between the eyes.

"Get a goddamned room you two!" Zaeed yelled when he threw a fire grenade.

Shepard raised her arm, lifting the Collector into the air, and then brought it down fast, a wet crunch could be heard when the Collector impacted the ground. Done and done.

"You three," Thane corrected.

"Of all the parents I could have, I get stuck with sex addicts," Tank said with a grunt.

"Ahh…does my big boy need a hug?"

"No! No, I'm fine, mother." He loved her hugs; though, that was something he would never admit…at least not around others.

He was so adorable when he was flustered. Shepard gave him a wink and followed her lootdar. She found some heavy weapon ammo and hacked into a datapad, discovering credits that she would put into an account for any surviving family members. She didn't trust the cleanup crew enough to let them handle it.

They moved in the direction of the Collector ship. It was a massive construct; ugly, dark clouds swirled around it. A seeker swarm took off over their heads. So far so good; they were definitely off the seeker radar.

Joker commed her. "Commander we're…. – tting all kinds… - ference. We can't maintain… - ignal."

"The Collectors are disrupting communications," Thane said in a worried voice.

Damn it all. "So much for calling in backup. Looks like it's up to us to end this."

"Isn't it always?" Garrus asked.

"Sure seems like it."

They continued along the passageway and took a small stair ramp down into a communal area between prefab homes. More Collectors flew down to intercept them. She ducked down behind a prefab half-wall. "Throw your warp bombs…if you got them…take down those barriers!" She lobbed a warp bomb at a Collector. New guests began to join the party. "Watch out…husks! Biotics! Get them airborne!" She amped and sent a shockwave at the husks, sending them flying.

"Tank! Husk on your right!" Zaeed yelled.

By the time he turned, the husk was on top of him. He grabbed it by the throat, slammed it to the ground and stomped its head into a pulpy mess. "Now that was fun!"

She threw another warp bomb and charged the Collector, slamming into him. He stumbled backwards. She amped and blasted out her power, blew her shields in the process, but the husks and Collector went flying. A green glow enveloped her as she darted behind cover.

"Damn it, vela! Stay in cover. Our squad is large enough that risks aren't needed."

She had to fight the urge to stick her tongue out at him. He was right, of course…but damn if it hadn't felt good just to cut loose. What you can't rebuttal…ignore. "Those things reminded me of the husks the geth used on Eden Prime."

"But the geth received their technology from Sovereign," Garrus pointed out.

"Correct."

"Then your Illusive Man was right. The Collectors are working for the Reapers," Zaeed said.

"He's not my Illusive Man. I don't need another man."

"No. You don't," Thane interjected.

"You know what I meant, Shepard," Zaeed said in a gruff voice.

She followed her lootdar into one of the prefab homes, hacking a datapad for credits. She exited the home and made her way past the downed Collectors. She was pulled towards one…he didn't have any pockets to rifle through, so she scanned him and discovered some data she'd have Mordin look over. They cautiously rounded the corner of a high prefab wall and found the body of a husk.

"This thing sort of looks human. Think it's one of the colonists?" Zaeed asked.

"No, victims were turned into husks by impaling them on spikes. And we saw a lot of those spikes on several missions."

"Correct, Garrus. And there are no spikes here…at least none that we've seen thus far. The Collectors must have brought the husks. If that's the case, then they're taking the colonists alive for some other reason."

"Guess we'll have to beat the truth out of them," Zaeed cut in.

"These aren't even the same husks I fought on Eden Prime. These are more advanced…Evolved."

"At least they're easier to kill than those Collector bugs," Tank said with a grin. "Squishy."

"We need to put a stop to this. Let's move out."

"I'll cover your ass, vela."

"You always do, honey." She laughed when she saw Garrus' mouth fall open and his mandibles jerk repeatedly.

Garrus couldn't help but squirm, his armor was getting tight. "You'll pay for that."

"Promises, promises."

"Ugh. Too much information!" Zaeed said in disgust.

"What? He is always covering my…"

"Siha!" Thane said in alarm.

"six…What did you…man, you all are dirty. Get your minds out of the gutter."

They rounded the end of the prefab wall and darted into cover. "Legion, Tank…take those two out. The rest of you through the home, we'll try to flank the others." She darted into the home. Half way through another couple of Collectors popped up. "Garrus, Zaeed…take them." She moved to the last window of the house, where more Collectors lay in wait. "These are ours, Thane." She threw a warp bomb and ducked down in front of the open window.

By this time Tank and Legion were making their way through the home. Tank stopped at Garrus' window to lend a hand and Legion continued on to Shepard's. He sent his drone out to distract the Collectors, while her team sent a volley of bullets at them. With so many in her squad the battle ended rather quickly. She nodded her head and then hacked into a safe she had spotted earlier.

They moved across the lawn to the next set of prefab homes. As expected, more Collectors were there. Those ugly man-bugs were everywhere. She motioned her team into cover and raised her hands, lifting herself on top of the home. Thane followed her up. They tossed warp bombs down on the two Collectors. Garrus and Tank fired warp bombs from the front. Legion and Zaeed peppered them with bullets. The Collectors were caught in the crossfire and went down fast.

Another Collector began firing at them from the top floor of the next set of modular homes. She ducked behind a cooling unit and pulled her Viper. She winked at Thane, before taking aim at the Collector. When it fell, they lowered themselves back down to the walkway between two homes. Nearby were two frozen people. She waved her team over.

Shepard pointed at the face of the man standing over the woman. "Look – you can see their eyes move. It's like they are in some kind of stasis field, keeps them conscious but immobile."

"It looks like they've been like this for some time, siha."

"I know."She laid her hand on the man's shoulder. "We're going to do our best to get you out of this." She turned to her team. "At least the Collectors haven't gotten to these people yet. And we're going to make sure they don't."

"Our probability of success is..."

"Legion, unless you intend to give me a high percentage, then I don't want to know."

"Understood, Shepard…Shepard Commander," he corrected.

"Just 'Shepard' is more than fine, Legion." His silence was cryptic. It meant he wasn't giving them very good odds. She would prove him wrong. She had to.

She skirted around the frozen couple and followed the pull up the stairs. Another man was frozen on the landing. "Hang tight," she told him. There was a frozen man at the top of the stairs just outside the door. "We're doing what we can," she told him. She wasn't sure he could hear her, but she knew he could see her…she could see the terror in his eyes.

She hacked a terminal on the bed and found more credits for the account she'd set up. TIM always equaled the credits she found, she'd add that to the account too. These people would need all the help they could get rebuilding after this. She jogged back down the stairs, across the lawn and came to a stop. There was a large gun laying against one of the Collector's stasis pods. She picked it up…"Hey, Tank…catch!" She tossed the gun to her son. He was the only one lacking a range weapon.

"Heh, heh." He aimed away from them and pulled the trigger. A long beam shot out from it, melting a hole in the side of a wall. "Sweet! Thanks, mother…you always give me such wonderful gifts."

And she did…new armor, new clothes, top of the line weapons. They spoiled him rotten. "Anything for our son…Now let's go kill some more walking bugs."

She led the way down the stairs of the modular home out into another open area. Several Collectors began dropping in. One was lifted off the ground and began to glow. That's new.

"Direct intervention is necessary," the glowing Collector said.

He shot a ball of fire at her, stripping her shields. She ducked behind a small dividing wall as her green boost kicked in. Crap on toast! He was a tough SOB.

The Collectors were moving in on them fast."Spread out! Stick to cover! Keep on the move!" She discovered quickly that she couldn't rip the guns from their hands with her bioitcs. A most frustrating turn of events.

"I am Harbinger! My attacks will tear you apart! Feel the pain, Shepard."

"You're not coming anywhere near my wife!" Garrus growled, getting ahead shot on the glowing bug-man. The Collector merely shook it off.

"I will destroy your wife. She will scream in agony."

"Cocky bastard, isn't he?" Shepard wondered if he had a reason for such an ego.

Thane moved in next to Shepard, putting himself between her and the glowing Collector. "My wife is well protected. You shall not take her."

"Your harem is not big enough to save you, Shepard."

My harem? "Stand down, both of you. I can take his hits…I cannot risk either of you. Focus on the underlings. Glow-bug is mine."

"You don't know the power I wield. You will burn."

"You are as arrogant as Sovereign was. That arrogance won't save you either."

"I am the first. Sovereign was only a copy. I am vastly superior. You will not survive my power."

"We'll just see about that, won't we bug-boy?" She shot off another warp bomb at him and put two bullets into his head.

"You are arrogant, Shepard, you will learn."

"No! I will teach. It is you who will learn to fear me!" She amped and blasted a shockwave that knocked him back.

"You are insignificant. You cannot stop us. I will break you…bend you to my will."

A wave of power blasted her, knocking her away from her cover. She had to shake her head to clear it. That hurt…now she was pissed. "I'm fine…focus on the others!" She told her husbands, not taking her eyes off Harbinger. She nailed him with a reave wave and tossed another warp bomb on it. Glow-bug disintegrated into what looked like black charcoal dust that floated away on the breeze.

Two more Collectors flew down in the distance. "Snipe them before glow-bug regenerates! I'm tired of listening to his big mouth…Tank, hold off on that weapon for now." She heard his grumble, but he complied. With five snipers trained on them, the Collectors went down hard and fast.

She followed the pull to some heavy weapon ammo, which she tossed to Tank and then into another home, where she hacked into a terminal and found more credits. She spotted another door to the south. "Let's check it out."

She hacked open the door and stepped inside, the door closing behind them. She grabbed some medigel and pilfered the contents from a safe. She heard a slight noise and held up her hand. "We are not alone." She pulled her gun, "Get out here, now!"

The man peeked around the edge of his cover, before he took hesitant steps towards them. "You're…you're human. What are you doing out here? You'll lead them straight to us!"

"They were already here. You had to hear them trying to get in. It's hard to hide from the Collectors."

"Those things are Collectors?" he asked. He turned his back to them and walked a short distance, trying to wrap his head around what he'd just learned. "You mean…they're real? I thought they were just made up. You know – propaganda. To keep us in Alliance Space. No!" he said shaking his head. "They got Lilith. I saw her go down," he turned back around and approached them. "Sten, too. They got damn near everybody!"

"Were hoping to stop them from taking any more people. What is your name and position?"

"Name is Delan. Mechanic. I came down her to have another go at the main grid. Our comms have been cut for two days and no one has been able to get it up again. Shortly after I arrived I heard screaming. I looked outside and there was…swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I…I…I sealed the doors." He began to pace in agitation. "Damn it! It's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Commander Alenko here and built those damn defense towers. It…it made us a target!"

She hacked the lock on the door, there were a few goodies she pilfered the safe and picked up some more medigel, before – they were not alone. "Company." Guns pointed towards the back of the room. "Get out here…now."

A lone man took hesitant steps away from where he'd taken cover. "You're…you're human. What are you doing out here? You'll lead them straight to us!"

Shepard shook her head. "You had to hear them trying to get in. They already knew you were here. It's hard to hide from the Collectors."

"Those things are Collectors? You mean…they're real?" he turned his back to them and walked a few feet. "I though they were just made up. You know – propaganda. To keep us in Alliance Space….No! No…The got Lilith. I saw her go dow," he said turning back to face them. Sten too. They got damn near everybody!"

"Who are you and what is your position here?"

"Name is Delan. Mechanic. I came down to check on the main grid after we lost our comm signals. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there was…swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I – I – I sealed the doors. Damn it – it's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Commander Alenko here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!"

"Tell me more about this Alliance rep."

"Commander Alenko? Heard he was some kind of hero or something. Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather he stayed back in Council Space."

"What can you tell me about the colony defense towers?"

"A gift from the Alliance. High powered GARDIAN lasers. Supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony. Had to build a massive underground generator just to give it enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online. So the Alliance gave us a giant gun that couldn't shoot straight. Stupid sons-of-bitches," he said swiping his arm through the air in agitation. "I left Council Space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed up with them."

"The Collectors are targeting remote Colonies. Chances are you were already on their radar. The Alliance was trying to help." Though she wasn't sure she bought her own words, something else was going on.

"I don't need their help…too many strings attached. That rep said he was just here to get the towers online, but mark my words – there's more to it."

"We need to use those defenses against the Collector ship."

"You'd need to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right…"

Shepard chuckled. "Just so happens one of my husbands is a calibration specialist. Story of my life."

Garrus shot her a sour look. "I'll get it calibrated; we just need the location."

One of her husbands? Surely he heard wrong. "Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."

"Thanks. You hang tight here; don't need another colonist freezing up."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. But, ma'am, should you be out here in your condition? Perhaps you should remain here with me."

Shepard felt her hackles rise. She hated it when someone thought less of her abilities because she was a woman, a biotic or because she was pregnant. Her husbands stepped up, standing slightly in front of her.

"We will protect our wife, even if she doesn't need it."

The man blinked at the stereo declaration. He looked from the drell to the turian and then down to her round belly. "But how…" he shook his head. "Never mind. I don't really want to know. I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck," he said glancing back down at her belly. "I think you're going to need it." He unlocked the rear door for them.

With the door locked behind them they proceeded to the right where they came under immediate fire. She ducked in behind a low divider wall. There were two Collectors right in front of them near some stasis pods and two more dropped down on the platform to the right. A large, gangly, ugly thing hobbled along behind them. Two husks came charging out of the modular home on the left. "Look lively, folks, it's a party!"

"Taking control of this form...I know you'll feel this...Leave the dead where they fall."

"Watch out, glow-bug's here! On the right and coming on strong!" The two Collectors in the middle fell fast. She fired at a warp bomb at the ugly, plodding thing was making slow but steady progress towards them. Followed by a reave wave at glow-bug. "Warp the hell out of Glow-bug and Big-Ugly!"

"This is what you face," Harbinger said when he hit Tank with a fire ball.

"Not my son, you asshole!" She threw another warp bomb, trying to draw him away from Tank.

"This hurts you." Harbinger fired another fire ball at Tank.

Damn it! She amped and forced out a heavy reave wave, causing glow-bug to stumble. He turned to face her. Bingo.

He fired a wave of power at her, but she ducked down behind the low, reinforced wall in time to avoid a direct hit. She felt the hum of the power as it went over her head. She heard a shout when Big-ugly fell. Everyone turned their attention to glow-bug. "Garrus, Legion take out the Collector that just showed up in the back!"

Glow-bug slammed Garrus with a fire-ball. He spun around with the force of the impact and fell to the ground.

No! "Garrus!" She jumped up, ready to vault the wall to get to his side.

"No, siha. Stay here. Keep in cover. I'll get to him and give him some medigel."

"No…he might need me."

"I'm not asking, wife. Stay here." Thane held up a hand in warning. "Don't disregard my words." He slipped over the wall and disappeared.

She was desperate to get the bastard's attention. She amped her power until her hair stood on it, it exploded out of her as she sent another reave wave at the glowing son-of-a-bitch that took down her husband. Bullets tore into it from all around and he exploded into nothing more but dust in the wind.

Thane was leading Garrus to her. She ran up to him, her hands touching his face. She touched her aura to his, little black spots racing up her arms. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away.

"Stop it, vela. I'm fine. You don't need to heal me." He used his subvocals to try to sooth her.

She withdrew her hands from his, grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. His chest rumbled lightly and she sighed in relief.

"Now that I will always need."

She smiled at him and gave his right mandible a quick tug. She grabbed Thane's hand and pulled him in for a kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his auditory hole.

Her lootdar led her around the side of one of the buildings. She picked up some more heavy weapon ammo and topped off her Cain.

"I figured we'd see more of those frozen colonists by now," Zaeed said.

"Probably already loaded onto the Collector ship, we should hurry," Garrus replied.

They passed a down Collector on the way up the stairs to the next level. She stopped long enough to scan him and scored another data packet. She ran up another flight of steps and turned right into another prefab unit. She took the stairs up and hacked another terminal for credits. Her lootdar was silent. Time to get to that transmitter. She ran back down the stairs, exited the modular unit and made her way to the door. She hacked it open and stepped out on to the top of a downward staircase. She held her hand up to stay her team. She moved to the far right of the staircase and focused her sniper scope on something that caught her eye. Another of the Big-Uglies was hiding behind the transmitter. "Warp…Big-Ugly behind the transmitter, on the right side. It hasn't noticed us, so fire from here," she whispered. Four warp bombs hit the big-ugly. She tossed out two more before Thane and Garrus could fire another one. Three more before Tank could fire one off. It took close to ten warp bombs to bring it down.

She moved to the far left at the top of the staircase, and pulled up her scope. Another big-ugly. She signaled her team to look to the left of the transmitter, and they began another round of warp bomb the big-ugly. When it went down, she scanned the area. No other signatures could be found. They made their way to the transmitter. "Legion, hack it." The team surrounded him, guns ready for anything that might show up.

Once the transmitter was running, Shepard phoned home. "Normandy? Do you copy?"

"Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you."

"Sorry, Garrus, we need your gun. EDI – can you get the colony's defense towers online?"

"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power. I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."

"Understood, EDI. Joker – All hands on deck. Have Team B head to the shuttle now, send them to our coordinates."

"Roger that, Commander."

"Team B, you're up. Time to shuttle up and ship out."

They must have been waiting the whole time at the docking bay, because the shuttle arrived within ten minutes.

"About time you called us in, my ass was getting sore sitting in that shuttle…who we going to kill?"

"I can always count on your need for blood, Grunt. I imagine a lot of very ugly things are about to drop in on us. As soon as EDI starts up the generator, as many of you with range weapons that can fit, head over to that building," she said and pointed to the modular unit to the left of her; it was covered on all but two sides and had railing they could take cover behind, while giving them a good place to shoot from. "The rest of you fan out, stick to cover, but keep on the move. "Tali and Kal, I want both of you at that prefab, you will be better protected there. Stand on either side of the rest of us and blow away anything that tries to flank us. Most of these enemies have biotic barriers, so warp the hell out of them, if you don't have warp or reave, then blast them to hell with bullets. Ready?" At their affirmation she nodded. "Okay, go get into cover." She sighed and looked at her husbands. "We'll join you as soon as we get the go-ahead from EDI. Move out."

The team members who lacked range weapons opted to find cover among the crates and trucks.

"We're ready, EDI. Let's show these things we can give as good as we get. Time to kick some Collector ass!"

"Generators are up. I suggest you ready your weapons. Enemy signatures coming in."

She looked at her husbands, took their hands and charged to the prefab. They ducked behind the railing before the first enemy dropped in.

"Assuming control."

"Glow-Bug's back…and he packs a punch!" Shepard warned.

"They don't have a fucking prayer. I will destroy you!" Jack yelled out.

Biotics were shooting off like firecrackers. Wave after wave of bullets tore into Collectors and husks. Her team was thirteen strong and heavily armed.

"You cannot resist. Our power is unmatched. Your form is fragile."

"Fragile or not, we're kicking your ass!"

"I know your fears. Irrelevant. We are the beginning. You are the end."

"Bypassing fail safes and attempting emergency power up. Please hold defensive tower."

"We're right on that, EDI."

"Face your annihilation. This is what you fear. My attacks will tear you apart. Nothing stands against us."

"Wake up, little glow-bug. My team is wiping out your forces!"

"If I must tear you apart, Shepard. I will."

"You wouldn't be the first that tried…and failed. Goodbye asshole." She hit him with another reave wave and blew his head off. His body poofed into a cloud of dust.

"Sequential power-up initiated. GARDIAN anti-ship batteries at 40%."

"Roger that, EDI."

"More coming. Heh, heh, heh. Seems we got their attention!" Grunt said with much pleasure.

"Yes! Eat this, you ugly fuckers!"

Ah, Jack…you are so eloquent.

"Tank wants to play!"

"Okay, Wrex jr. I'm sure they're more than willing."

"Mother…I resemble that."

"Yes, son…you actually do." He did look a lot like Wrex…and if he were going to take after any krogan, Wrex would be her choice. She was glad they'd gotten to spend some time together. He needed a good krogan role model. She sent a shockwave at a group of husks running towards them. Apparently Jack had thought of the same thing, she hit them from the opposite side of the tower square. The waves clashed at the same time, a powerful blast, much like a sonic boom; the husks were shredded in the resulting explosion, severed chunks rained down upon them.

Shepard shook off a twitching hand that slid down her face, much like a lover's caress. The dead, black fingers spasmed against her breast before falling to the ground. Her belly heaved and she fought to hold back the gorge.

"Yeah! Fucking awesome! We need to do that again sometime, Shepard!"

"You weren't fondled by a severed hand!"

"No," Jack said blasting a Collector with her shotgun, "but a toe slid down my shirt. I felt the damn thing wiggling between my breasts. Felt kind of cool."

Her belly heaved again. Not now…not now…not now…when the baby kicked her stomach, she knew it was over. She fell to the ground, her belly disgorging its contents. Thane dropped to her side, holding her hair back, his Locust never ceasing its chatter as he covered them.

When she was finished, he pulled her against him until her trembling subsided.

"Sorry about that."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Are you okay, wife?" His worry evident in the tone of his voice and the notes he emitted.

"Except for the wretched taste in my mouth and the humiliation, yes."

"There is no humiliation in being pregnant, siha."

"Oh yes there is. Just wait until one of the babies kicks my bladder and I wet the bed."

Thane laughed. He tossed his pistol up, sent a Collector flying, caught his pistol and continued to fire. "I would clean it up, bathe us off and love you deeply. No humiliation in being pregnant."

Shepard bit back a moan. His prowess in action and tongue never ceased to impress her. "Damn, you're good."

The smell of her desire rocked him. He stood up, helping her to her feet, his hand bit into her hip as he fought the effect she was having on him. A breeze caught her hair, whipping it out of her face and carrying her scent away from him. He gave a sigh of relief, his attention returning to the battle at hand.

"Sorry," she said, retrieving her gun from the ground and kicking some dirt over her tossed cookies. "Seems I get turned on too easily."

"Quit apologizing for things that are beyond your control. Your reaction to me is immensely pleasing." He handed her a nutri-bac bar. "I know you do not like them, but it will settle your stomach and give you strength."

She frowned and gagged down the nasty morsel. When he handed her a second, she nearly refused it out of hand. But common sense won out. This battle was not over and she did need her strength. Thane put the wrappers in his pocket.

Garrus charged over and shot past them a few feet before coming to a stop. Crap! He needed to work on his charge more. He returned to them, his arm going around his wife. "I got here as soon as I could. Are you okay, vela?"

She could hear the worry in his subvocals. "I'm fine, Garrus. I really am. Just a momentary hiccup. Get ready; I'm sure they're not done with us."

GARDIAN anti-ship batteries at 60%. Syncing targeting protocols to Normandy's systems. Continue to protect the tower.

"60% folks, Keep it up!" Shepard informed her team.

"Commander, we've got incoming!" Jacob shouted.

"Assuming control of this form."

"Watch out for glow-bug!" she warned.

"The forces of the universe bend to me. You cannot stop us."

Shepard drew her hand up, picked up two husks and threw them at a Collector. There was another fantastical display of biotic fireworks. She was so proud of how well her team was working together…a massive well-oiled wheel of destruction.

"You do not yet comprehend your place in things. We are the Harbinger of your ascendance."

She threw a warp bomb at glowing bug-man. He spun on her. "Come on, glow-bug, this dance is ours."

"Your team cannot save you. Quarian; weakened immune system too debilitating. Drell; useless, insufficient numbers. Human; viable possibility for assimilation, aggression factor useful if controlled. Salarian; insufficient lifespan, fragile genetic ; an annoyance, limited utility. Krogan; sterilized race, potential wasted. Asari; reliance upon alien species for reproduction shows genetic weakness. Turian; you are considered...too primitive."

She heard the angry expletives of her team. "Way to go, glow-bug. Now you've just pissed them off. Welcome to hell." And indeed, as she had predicted, hell opened up and swallowed what was left of the Collectors."

"Hang on – Let's see what else they decide to throw at us!"

"Look at the ship!" Miranda yelled.

Lightning flashed. A huge, robotic flying spider-like thing landed hard before them, its gaping maw filled with husks.

"EDI. We need the systems online!"

"GARDIAN anti-ship batteries at 100%. I have control. Firing anti-ship batteries at the Collector vessel."

The massive guns swung around and began firing upon the Collector ship. Explosions could be seen buffeting the ship. Her eyes returned to the new threat.

"What the fuck is that?" Jack asked.

"Another toy to play with!" Grunt answered with a laugh.

"Don't get too close to it! We don't know what it's capable of. Try to hit it from range!"

"Trying to spoil my fun, Shepard?"

"Trying to keep us all alive, Grunt!"

"I would suggest switching to warp or incineration rounds, ma'am."

"Good thinking, Kal. You heard the man…incineration or warp rounds!" She glanced down, verifying her rounds. Warp. Good. Cain! She'd nearly forgotten she'd brought it along. "Listen up everyone. Head to the furthest parts of the area, keep as far from husk-mouth as you can. I'm going to nuke him. Then you can move in and finish him off. Move out now." She watched her team scatter and nodded in satisfaction. She turned to her husbands. "You two go now, I'll be right behind you. Don't even argue with me! Not up for debate." They gave her a hard look and nodded. She watched them go. "Tank use the gun I gave you, draw its attention from me, this beast takes a bit to charge. But keep away from husk-mouth!"

"Multiple impacts. Collector vessel is taking damage," EDI informed them.

Husk-mouth rose in the air, shooting a beam of destruction at anything that moved. She pulled her Cain and began charging the weapon. Husk-mouth was heading straight for her. Come on…come on… A white beam cut through from the far right of the tower. Husk-mouth stopped and turned to face what appeared to be the greater threat. It floated towards her son. "Keep on the move, Tank! Charge up almost complete. Someone else fire, distract it from Tank!"

Husk-mouth was at the far right corner, when bullets tore into it. It turned again, facing the new threat, which seemed to come from everywhere. It was momentarily stunned, trying to figure out who to take on first.

"Cover now…firing!" She depressed the trigger. A glowing ball shot out of the weapon and detonated on the husk-mouth, the ground shook beneath her feat and a huge mushroom cloud momentarily blocked out the view. "Direct hit! Everyone ok?" She heard a chorus of voices and sighed in relief.

The husk-mouth slammed to the ground to recharge its barrier, but it was clear it wasn't going to last long. Three of its legs had been blown off, its shell was cracked, one of its laser eyes was dangling uselessly and a couple of husks had fallen from its maw, another dangled half out.

"Give the bastard everything you've got! Warp that barrier!" She yelled.

As soon as it rose from the ground, jerking spasmodically as it moved towards her. It methodically stalked her. No one else seemed to matter. She fired an amped warp bomb at the husk-mouth. A volley of warp bombs accompanied hers. She darted behind a row of tires, barely missing the laser beam that shot by her head. She unsnapped her Mattock. As it circled around the tires, she amped and charged away. She felt a searing pain in her back; the force of the blast knocked her out of her charge and flung her to the ground. She could hear her husbands shouting her name. She drew up her arms and legs to protect her belly as she landed and rolled. She could feel the blood dripping down her back. She removed her glove and carefully felt her back. Her fingers played over the burned edges of the suit. When she pulled her hand back it was covered by blood. The damage wasn't serious, she would heal. But she'd have a hard time living this down. The team would surely rib her about it. She dragged herself to her feet and amped her power, drawing it from her tissues, her cells, she could feel power coming up through the soles of her feet, power stripped from the planet's own energy. The ground beneath her began to quake. Her glow became so intense it nearly blinded her. Her eyes went to the husk-mouth; she raised her arms and unleashed the wave of power at it. She ripped her arms apart from each other, the husk mouth shuddered, a metallic scream grated against her eardrums, before the top of its carapace was ripped off. Husks spilled to the ground, dead and lifeless. It shuddered again; fell to the ground, exploding on contact.

Shepard dropped to her knees and fell to her side. She rolled up into a ball to protect her babies, exhaustion and pain had taken its toll. She could hear the muted cheers from her team.

Thane and Garrus watched in horror as their wife was struck by the laser and sent flying. They yelled out her name, and amped to charge to her side. But the creature turned on them and they were forced to dart behind cover. Emotions boiled inside; equal parts fury and worry.

"Distract it from us, whatever it takes, we'll get to Shepard!" Garrus ordered. As soon as its attention was diverted they darted out of cover at a full run, their power amping for a charge. A blinding light blotted out everything. They threw an arm over their eyes and turned their heads away from it, ducking behind the closest cover. The crates they had taken cover behind rattled as the ground quaked. A shriek blasted their eardrums, their hands giving little protection against the onslaught. The shriek cut off with the sound of an explosion. The light dimmed and went out. They amped and charged to where they had last seen their wife. Thane jumped the crates she was behind and Garrus skirted around them. Her suit was torn and she was covered in blood and debris.

They didn't even notice the when Collector ship powered up, lightning flashing, clouds swirling, or the powerful wave released when its propulsion system ignited as it left Horizon behind.

Garrus keened out a cry as he fell to his knees next to her.

"She's not dead, Garrus. You haven't lost her. We're still alive…she's not dead." Thane put a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me. She'll be fine. She's not dead. She's just exhausted. She expended too much energy. I need you to find her some food, something to drink. Get some from the team…from the homes, it doesn't matter where… just get some. I'll heal her. But she needs you to do this for her."

The words slowly sank into his brain. He had been reliving losing her over Alchera. Food. Water. He could do that. She needed him to be strong. "Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can." He touched his forehead to his wife's, kissed her gently and rose to his feet. He was thankful Thane had recognized that he needed something to do before he lost it completely.

Thane let out a ragged breath. Garrus had needed him to be strong, but he felt anything but. Tears rained down his cheeks as he gently rolled her onto her back. He gave her a dose of medigel, before he unsnapped her armored suit, gently raised her up and pulled the suit down her arms, letting it fall to her waist. He laid her tenderly back down on the ground and removed his jacket. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms, leaning her back against his exposed chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist. One arm covered her breasts; the other gently rubbed her belly. "Come on…siha…" Cadence began to pour out of him. Rich with love and worry, laced with raw pain. He gave her a small shake. "Come on…take it, my love. Take it." She began to glow faintly, thready, but there. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt the familiar hum of her siphon. Her glow slowly intensified as the strength of her siphon grew. Pleasure rocked him as she drew from him.

Kasumi, followed by Jacob darted around crates and dropped down next to her friend. Jacob took one look at the couple and turned his back, blushing furiously.

"Is she okay? Can I do anything to help?"

"Remove your gloves and place your hands on her skin. She needs to heal." Thane slid his hand down to the underside of his wife's belly to make room.

Kasumi nodded and stripped off her gloves. She placed her hands against Shepard's belly above Thane's. She gasped as she felt a hum of pleasure flow through her along with a slight pulling sensation. She saw her friend's glow brighten. "Oh, my…this is…" She felt her core clench and had to bite back a moan.

"I know," Thane said simply. He turned his head into his wife, breathing in her scent to try to avoid smelling the pheromones Kasumi had begun to let off. They were irritating to his senses. His wife's hands rose and gripped him tightly as she arched against him, pulling in more healing energy. Thane felt the sweat roll off of him. He was fighting the need to rub himself against her.

Kasumi turned bright red when a small moan escaped her lips. She hoped Sweetie healed soon, before things got uncomfortably embarrassing for all of them.

Shepard opened her eyes as her glow dimmed and winked out. "Thank you both."

Garrus darted around Jacob. Kasumi moved over to give him room. He knelt down beside Thane and his wife. Relief slammed into him when he saw her smile. His gaze fell to her full breasts and rounding belly before returning to her face. His subvocals filled with relief, love and need.

"Garrus, control it." Thane said as he glanced at Jacob's back before releasing her breasts to help her back into her suit.

"It is not something I can control, Thane."

"I know," Thane said quietly, as he battled his own need.

Tank came barreling over just as Thane finished snapping up her suit. "Is mother okay?" He watched anxiously as Garrus helped them both to their feet. She hugged them both and then turned to him, holding her arms open. Giving him the option to accept or refuse the public contact. He was too relieved to see her alive to care what anyone thought right now. He moved into her arms and hugged her tightly. He loosened his hold when she hissed in pain. "Sorry, mother."

"It's okay, son. My back's still a bit tender."

"Don't get hurt like that again," he whispered to her. "I'm too manly to be seen crying."

Shepard laughed and kissed his jutting lower lip.

"Well, I'm not. That woman's had me in tears more times than I can count. And turians aren't supposed to cry…then again, I've never been a very good turian."

Thane just smiled, unashamed of the tears that were still wet on his cheeks.

"Ha – but neither of you are krogan!" Then he cocked his head and gave a small self-mocking laugh. "I don't think I'd make a very good krogan, not enough imprinting. So I think I'll leave that to Grunt."

Thane pulled her out of Tank's arms when he saw her body begin to tremble. He helped her over to a crate to sit. "Garrus -"

"Oh – nearly forgot." He handed the four bars over to Thane and set the water down next to his wife. "Samara had two, got one from Jack and one from our son. Zaeed gave me the water."

"Are you sure it's water?" Kasumi asked playfully.

Garrus frowned. No. He hadn't checked. Well, spirits...he hoped it was water.

"What do you goddamn take me for? I wouldn't give a pregnant lady booze!" Zaeed remarked in an offended tone when he overheard Kasumi's words.

The rest of her team gathered around her.

"That fucking rocked, Shepard! The way you shredded that bastard!"

"I must admit you impressed me, Shepard. But then you've always impressed me…it is why I accepted your code as my own."

"I used to think I was the strongest human biotic..." Miranda stated.

"Yeah, right… you wish," Jack interrupted.

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, I do not think I've ever seen a stronger biotic than you. I'm still researching your birthparents, by the way. It would be interesting to find out why it is you are so strong."

"Just accept her for who she is and leave it alone, some doors are best left sealed," Samara told Miranda.

Miranda shook her head. "It's not that simple. It's a part of me. I won't be able to stop until the answers are found."

Tali reached out to her friend and hugged her. Then she gave her a light shake. "Keelah, Shepard…don't you ever do that to me again. I couldn't take it…not again. Bosh'tet. I can't even wipe my eyes." She turned around and buried herself in Kal's chest. Comforted by the feel of his arms wrapping protectively around her.

Shepard saw Garrus' mandibles jerk up and down swiftly, his only physical sign of anxiety. But his subvocals told her how deep it really went. She held out a hand to him as she finished choking down the last of the nasty bars. She pulled him closer and put her hand on the side of his neck. She used her touch to calm him and send her love, not taking her eyes off his as she drank the entire water bottle to wash the wretched taste from her mouth.

Garrus took her hand and rubbed it against his cheekplates. He fluttered his mandibles against her palm before releasing it. He looked around at the rest of the team, stood tall and took his place as their second in command. "No need for us to stay. They got what they wanted. Most of the colonists were onboard."

Delan, the garage mechanic came racing out."No! You let them get away! Half the colony's in there! They took Egan, and Sam…and Lilith! Do something!"

Shepard stood up and faced the man. "We did what we could, Delan. We saved some, but we couldn't save them all. I'm sorry." That truth weighed heavy on her heart.

"It was a good fight, Shepard." Grunt assured her.

"If it wasn't for Shepard, the whole colony would have been lost," Garrus said in defense of his mate.

Delan stopped in his tracks. "Shepard? Wait. I know that name. Sure, I remember you. You're some type of big Alliance hero."

Kaidan couldn't believe it when he'd heard her voice. He had to see if it was really her. He saw her as he came out from around a large storage container. "Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human SPECTRE. Savior of the Citadel." He turned to the mechanic. "You're in the presence of a legend, Delan…and a ghost."

Delan shook his head. "All the good people we lost, and you get left behind. Figures. Screw this. I'm done with all you Alliance types."

"Delan, focus on helping those that we were able to save rather than lamenting about those we lost. These people need you right now."

"Yeah, right," he said. "Easy for you to say."

"No, Delan…it's not," Shepard admitted as he walked away.

Kaidan walked up to her; drinking her in. He never thought he'd see her again. He went through so much pain when he lost her. To have her here now, before him…it was overwhelming. He pulled her in for a hug. Did she have to feel so good in his arms? "I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did."

"I'm sorry, Kaidan. Some things were beyond my control. I just wish I could have saved everyone. We lost twenty good men and women in the Collector attack. I'm glad you were not one of them."

Thane and Garrus stepped up next to her when Shepard pulled back from the hug. Tali, followed by Kal also stepped forward, the rest of her team fanned out at her back.

"I know, Shepard. It's just that…" He shook his head and looked around at the people surrounding her. "I see that you found Tali, and Liara…no, sorry. You aren't Liara."

"I'm Samara, a justicar."

"A justicar…" His voice faded and his eyes shot to Garrus. "I should have known you'd be with her Garrus. You've been sniffing around Shepard from the start."

"That's enough, Kaidan. I wasn't the only one sniffing around her from the start."

Kaidan gripped her arms. "When you died it tore me apart. How could you put me through that? You should have told me you were alive."

Garrus and Thane stood up straighter and moved in closer to their wife.

"I was in a coma for two years, Kaidan. I wasn't able to contact anyone. I just came out of it a few months ago. I talked with David…I mean Anderson, but he wouldn't tell me where you were, it was classified. I had no way of contacting you. I thought D-Anderson might have told you that I had asked about you, but I guess he didn't."

"No, he didn't. If you were in a coma, how come the Alliance didn't know about it?" A movement caught Kaidan's eye and he whipped out his gun. "You have a geth behind you." He tried to pull her behind his back, but she stood firm and placed a hand on his gun, lowering it.

"Legion is with me, Kaidan."

"With you? A geth? It has a name?"

"I felt the same way when I first met Legion, Kaidan. But he's not like the others," Tali said. "He's helping us bring down the Collectors…he also wants to help us fight the Reapers. There are different factions among the geth. We fought the heretics, the rest of the geth don't want to fight us. I know…it's hard to believe, but it's true."

"I am not the enemy, Alenko Commander."

"It talks." He shook his head. This was starting to become surreal. He snapped his gun to his back, but kept a wary eye on the geth. "Why didn't the Alliance know, Shepard?"

Shepard sighed. She really didn't want to tell him this. But she knew he wouldn't let up until she did. "Liara and Legion, along with a drell named Feron - "

"Is that Feron," he asked nodding to the drell standing next to her.

"No," Thane said softly.

"Anyway, they found my…body. Legion had come to take my body back to the geth for reactivation against the Reapers, but Liara had another plan. You see, another group of people promised to …uh…make sure I survived. She turned my…body over to Cerberus. It took them two years, but here I am."

Kaidan backed away slowly in shock. "You're with Cerberus, now? Garris, Tali…a justicar…all of you aliens…with Cerberus too? A geth?" he shook his head.

Jack bristled. "Not in my worst nightmare, pretty man. I am with Shepard. I will never be with Cerberus!"

Kaidan was lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't even heard Jack's declaration. "I can't believe the reports were right."

"Reports?" Garrus asked."You mean you already knew?"

"The Alliance thought Cerberus was behind the disappearance of the colonists. I got a tip that this one might be the next one hit. Anderson stonewalled me. There were rumors that you weren't dead, that you were working for Cerberus. But I didn't believe it. You wouldn't do such a thing. At least I thought you wouldn't."

"I'm not working with Cerberus. The only two on my team working for Cerberus are Jacob and Miranda, the rest of us are using Cerberus resources to defeat the Collectors, because the Alliance is doing next to nothing about their abductions."

"Do you really believe that? Or is that just what Cerberus wants you to think? I never would have thought you'd do such a thing. You turned your back on everything you believed in. You betrayed the Alliance and you betrayed me." Why is this happening?

"Kaidan, you know me better than that. There is more to this than you know." She lowered her voice to no more than a whisper. "More than I can speak openly about. What I'm doing is classified. You need to speak with Hackett or Anderson."

Kaidan was in shock. Her words hollow."I want to believe you, Shepard. But I don't trust Cerberus. They could be using the threat of a Reaper to manipulate you."

"Much like we talked with Sovereign in the past, I've talked with Harbinger recently. I'm sure Cerberus is trying to manipulate me. I'm not stupid, Kaidan. I don't trust them either. But the Reaper threat is very real. Harbinger is even more arrogant than Sovereign was, if you can believe that. Bringing down the Collectors, by any means necessary, to save our people is the only thing I care about right now. If we hadn't arrived when we did today, the whole colony would be lost…you would have been lost. What I'm doing right now matters, Kaidan. My team and I are saving lives."

"But what if Cerberus is the real threat? What if they're working for the Collectors?"

"Really, Kaidan? You are so hung up on Cerberus that you can't even see the whole picture," Garrus said in exasperation.

"Maybe. But maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe you're the one that's not thinking straight. I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier, always will be. I don't know what you are anymore."

Thane could feel the tension coming in waves off his wife. "I think you've said quite enough," Thane said in a dangerously soft voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Kaidan asked the drell in irritation.

"Thane Krios…her husband."

"She is my wife too," Garrus cut in.

Kaidan felt the floor drop out from beneath him and took a step backwards. His eyes flew from the drell to the turian and then landed on Shepard. "You…married…to a drell? To Garrus? No…That's not possible. It's against galactic policy. Why are you lying to me?" he asked as he backed away slowly.

Tank stepped forward. "Watch who you are calling a liar, human. My parents are good people."

Kaidan's jaw dropped open as he took in the large krogan. "Your parents?" His eyes caught her rubbing her belly and he took another stumbling step backwards. "You're pregnant? With…with…" No! This wasn't real. None of this was. It was a nightmare…he just had to wake up and his world would be set right again.

"With our children." Thane and Garrus said at the same time, their voices icy cold.

Kaidan shook his head, unwilling to believe what he was seeing and hearing. "I loved you. I thought we had something, Shepard. Something real," he let out a ragged breath, his heart felt like it was roasting over an open flame.

"You don't," Thane said with finality.

"I don't know what's going on here. I don't know what the truth is anymore. I don't believe anything I'm hearing. I've got to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they will believe your story or not." He turned and walked away.

"Kaidan! Talk to Anderson or Hackett."

He raised an arm in acknowledgment and turned his head only slightly. "Goodbye, Shepard. Be careful…I couldn't bear to lose you again."

She watched him walk until he was out of sight. She hadn't meant to hurt him like that. She straightened her shoulders and turned to face her crew. "Let's get out of here; I've had enough of this colony." She commed the Normandy. "Joker, send two shuttles to pick us up."

When the shuttles arrived, she laid down, her head in Thane's lap, her legs over Garrus'. And fell asleep to the steady hum of the engine, the feel of Garrus rubbing her thigh, Thane's fingers running through her hair and their other hand caressing her belly. Tali, Kasumi, and Tank sat opposite of them, deep in their own thoughts about how things could so easily have ended with the loss of Shepard, Garrus and Thane down there on Horizon.

After the shuttle set down in the belly of the Normandy, Thane picked up his wife and carried her to their cabin, while Garrus attended to his XO duties.