Chapter 10

"Where to now, Commander?" Joker asked as Shepard entered through the airlock. He already started to quickly distance the ship from the station overran with bugs.

"Back to Terra Nova. The chief is probably ripping her hair out by now with all the leave we've given her."

It had been a week and a half since they dropped off Williams. During that span of time, the Normandy crew had saved Chairman Burns from biotic extremists, mastered the VR missions on Pinnacle Station, won an apartment, and eliminated a rachni infestation. Really, it had been a very typical week for Shepard.

"What? No more rachni to kill?" Wrex grumbled as he wiped off some of the residual bug goo from his face. The krogan rushed and smashed many of the rachni against the walls and underfoot. He was quite taken with facing his races old enemy again.

"Sorry, Wrex. That depot we just left seemed to be the source of them." He hunched over one of the displays. "And if I'm reading these scans right, it was just blown into space dust."

"After we pick up Ashley, what is next?" Garrus asked. He was no worse for wear except for the remains of the smaller kamikaze bugs around the turian equivalent of ankles.

Shepard started to move to the lower decks so he could remove and clean his armor and guns. He had a new appreciation for Ash. Cleaning the crew's armaments was quite a large job.

"Quite honestly, I don't know," he answered. "We haven't heard anything about Saren or his movements, the Council hasn't been able to give us any new leads, and we've ran out of any other assignments. We'll more than likely head back to the Citadel and see what we can discover."

"C'mon, Shepard!" Wrex interjected. "We don't need the Council or Saren to find a good fight. There are plenty of scraps out in the Terminus that we can get into."

"You telling me any little fight is enough for you, Wrex? I thought you followed me because you knew I would be fighting the best."

Wrex huffed. "Any fight is better than waiting around. Why go back to Citadel space when we could be searching for Saren out here?"

"We would be blind. I don't like being sidelined just as much as you, but we need intel. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find something you can shoot at soon."

"We better," the krogan mumbled.

"Garrus, can you reach out to your friends at C-Sec and see if they have any new information on Saren?"

He nodded. "Hopefully the Council and executor wouldn't hold anything back, but I'll check."

Shepard stopped in front of the elevator. "Thanks. Get cleaned up you two. We reach Terra Nova in a few hours. Depending on the time planetside, we could get some shore leave."


Shepard felt the pull on his stomach as the Normandy decelerated from FTL. He was about to get up and head to the bridge when Joker's voice sprang from the comm.

"Commander, we have a problem."

"What is it, Joker? Don't tell me my pilot overshot the system."

Joker scoffed. "What kind of rookie do you think I am? No, we are receiving a distress signal from Terra Nova."

That is a problem, Shepard thought. "Let's hear it."

"This is a distress call to any available ships in the vicinity of Terra Nova," an unknown man's voice said. "Our scanners have indicated that Asteroid X57 is on a collision course with the planet. We have lost contact with the mining company that was in charge of relocating it. Its position and projected path are uploaded with this signal. We request urgent response."

"It on a loop," Joker added after the man was cut off.

"Are there any other ships nearby?"

"None closer than us."

"Get us to that asteroid. Try to figure out what the hell is going on down there. I'll be up shortly."

"Aye, aye."

Shepard stepped out of his cabin and found Alenko standing at his workstation.

"Lieutenant."

Kaidan straightened and saluted. "Yes, sir?"

"Pick three marines for an impromptu mission. Bring at least one medic." Shepard paused for a moment. "Do you think they would be okay with Tali in their team?"

"They're marines, sir. If those are your orders, they will follow them."

"Good. Get them, Tali, Wrex, and yourself ready for a drop ASAP."

Kaidan saluted again. "Yes, sir," he said and was off to find his marines.

Shepard briskly walked to the cockpit, trying not to appear rushed and cause a panic. Once there, he grabbed the back of Joker's chair and searched his readouts.

"What do you got?"

"Let's just say that asteroid is an understatement." He tapped a few keys and brought up a picture of the asteroid. "The thing is about the size of a small moon. Scans show that there are plasma torches on the surface. They were probably placed there to move it to geosync with Terra Nova. Right now though, they are all burning, accelerating the thing right into the planet's orbit. If they collide, we are talking about being left with about half a planet, Commander."

"How long will it take for us to get there?"

Joker brought up their flight path. "I would say another thirty minutes." He paused. "Commander, the VI is telling me that collision will happen in four and a half hours and will be unavoidable in two."

"Then we better get down there and stop it before that. I'll be in the cargo hold if you get any other info."

"Yes, sir," Joker said, worry evident on his voice.

The commander lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll stop it, Joker. When is the last time we failed a mission?"

"Umm, Eden Prime?"

Shepard winced. "I'd say that was a partial success."

"Yeah, well partial success also means partial failure. And this is starting to feel a lot like that mission."

"Which is why I have two teams ready to go. I'm not taking any chances. After we drop, try to signal any ship that could help with an evacuation, just in case."

Joker merely nodded in response.

Shepard left the pensive pilot to get ready. No matter how he tried, he couldn't shake what Joker had said. The similarities were there: human colony under attack, check; unknown cause, check; milk run becoming rescue mission, check; pulling Ash's butt out of the fire, double check. He just hoped he didn't end up on a gurney this time, although Shepard was more than willing to be if it led to a safe colony below.

The elevator opened into the cargo bay. Seven fully armed and armored people were standing by the Mako, waiting for the commander. Shepard quickly donned his armor, slid his weapons home, and joined them.

"All right, people; listen up. We don't have a lot of info on the situation, but I will go over what we do know. We have received a distress signal from Terra Nova requesting assistance. They were in the process of moving a large asteroid closer to the planet. Something has happened and it is now on a collision course with the planet. They haven't been able to raise the team that was in charge of the relocation." Shepard paused to let the very evident shock wear off.

"Isn't the gunnery chief on Terra Nova, sir?" Cpl. Hicks asked.

"Yes, she is. All the more reason to stop this thing. We found that there are three plasma torches propelling this thing. We need to shut them down. There will be two teams. Wrex and Alenko are with me. Hicks, Tanaka, Dietrich, and Tali are the other team. Lieutnant, who will be leading?"

"Hicks, you're in charge," Kaidan responded.

The corporal nodded.

"You certified to operate the Mako?" Shepard asked the marine.

"It's been awhile."

"It's like riding a bike, Hicks. Here's the plan then. After you drop us off at the first plasma torch, you four take the Mako to the second. Once we are both done, you come back and pick us up, and we will all head to the third. The VI says that we have less than two hours before collision becomes unavoidable, so let's make sure we finish before that. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right. Everyone in the Mako. We should be dropping soon."

As they filed in, Shepard spoke into his omnitool. "Joker, can you send a tightbeam to the longest active terminal, letting them know we are coming? Hopefully, someone is still manning it."

"Will do, Commander. Approaching drop zone in sixty."

He entered the Mako to see that everyone was already in position. "Everyone ready? We drop-"

Joker's voice interrupted him. "Commander, we have a transmission from the asteroid."

"Patch it through," Shepard said. He opened the channel to the entire ground team so all of them could hear.

A woman's voice broke through some static. "Hello? Hello? I heard your transmission. Can you hear me?"

"Yes. What is your status?" Shepard answered.

"They haven't found me yet, but I can't talk long."

"Who hasn't found you yet?"

The Mako roared out of the cargo bay when Joker gave the signal. During their free fall, another transmission came through.

"Please. Shut down the fusion torches, or we are all dead."

"Joker, what's wrong with the signal?"

"I don't know. It appears that her terminal isn't receiving any response. Maybe if you find an access point on the same network, you could link in directly."

Shepard felt the thrusters ignite and then the distinct thud of a landing.

"God, I hope you're hearing this." The transmission ended.

"Joker, can you pinpoint where that came from?" Shepard asked.

"I'll try, but it won't be easy. I think she powered her terminal down."

"Keep at it." He then turned his attention to Hicks. "Let's get going, Corporal. We have a time limit here."

The Mako roared off toward the first torch's control center. It was surrounded by Alliance turrets, but Wrex made quick work of them with the tank's gun. Once they were handled, Hicks brought the vehicle to a stop. Shepard, Wrex, and Kaidan disembarked and watched it drive toward the next objective.

Kaidan went to work on the door. As he hacked through, Shepard looked up at the large engine burning at full power. It was odd, seeing this massive plume of flame and hearing none of the sounds associated with a burn. He could feel the asteroid shake under him, but all he could hear in the vacuum was his own breathing.

A crackling over the radio broke his reverie. "I see that you made it to the first torch. I don't know who you are, but I'm- Damn it! Got to go."

As if on cue, the lieutenant finished his work on the door.

Before they entered, Shepard called to the other team.

"We ran into a problem. Tali says that the second fusion torch is surrounded by mines. We don't know what kind. She did find some other structures around here though. She thinks that they might be some kind of relay station. It might give us a better view of the land."

This mission was already getting off to a rocky start, Shepard thought. "All right. Head there and get what information you can. Then, come back and get us. Don't forget the second part. I don't want to be huffing it to the next torch."

"Aye, aye, sir." Shepard could hear the smile on Hicks' face.

They stormed the control compound to find an empty antechamber that acted like an airlock. Once the air pressure equalized, the next door slid open. Shepard saw ten or so people inside, their four eyes narrowing at the sight of the three newcomers.

The commander sneered. "Batarians."

Some grudges never truly disappear no matter how long it had been.

One started to yell a command that didn't translate. "Harak. Che-"

The batarian was interrupted by a gunshot that resulted in a new hole where one of his eyes were. Shepard aimed at the next man as he crumpled to the ground.

His short command, however, seemed to have been enough. Three large varren started bounding their way to the invaders. Shepard tried to down them, but they moved too fast and took a lot of punishment before falling.

As one of the beasts jumped to tackle and probably impale Shepard with its massive teeth, Wrex's fist caught the varren squarely in its ribs, altering its trajectory. There was a wet, cracking sound, and the animal went limp. He unloaded his shotgun into the next one which caused it to slide to a stop at the krogan's feet. The last one lunged at Wrex and tried to sink its teeth into his crest. Instead, they cracked against his hard forehead. Wrex laughed as he threw the varren to the ground and crushed it under his massive foot. It appeared that Wrex had some experience battling the animals.

"These pups wouldn't last a minute in the pits on Tuchanka," the krogan roared as he turned his attention toward the batarians. "Did you pyjaks get them from the salarians?"

No answer was forthcoming, however, for all of the sentient beings beside Shepard, Kaidan, and Wrex were dead within minutes. They searched the rest of the compound and found the control panel for the torch. Once Shepard disabled it, the terminal sprang to life with an incoming transmission. He quickly linked his omnitool with the network so whoever was on the other end could hear him.

"I'm reading that the torch is offline," the voice whispered. "Was that you? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I am Commander Shepard, System Alliance. Who are you? What's going on?"

A blast of static exploded into his ear implant, causing Shepard to wince.

"Sorry!" the voice exclaimed. She quickly quieted. "I'm sorry. You weren't coming in very clear. Now we should be okay."

He tried again. "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to help. Who are you, and what is going on here?"

"Oh, thank God. My name is Kate Bowman. I'm an engineer that came here with a team assigned to move the asteroid into orbit around Terra Nova. We were attacked yesterday by batarian extremists. I've been hiding in one of the bunkers since the attack started."

"What do they want? Why attack this asteroid?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that we have to stop this asteroid before millions die on Terra Nova. I'll contact you when I learn-"

Shepard heard metallic sounds in the background.

"I have to go," Kate said and quickly closed the channel.

"Damn it," Shepard muttered.

They still didn't have the answers they wanted, and what answers they did have only raised more questions.

He turned and walked toward the exit. "Come on. We have an asteroid to stop."


With the push of one final button, the last torch died, sparing Terra Nova from a horrible fate. The asteroid would miss the planet and, hopefully, be brought under control.

However, the team knew that they were not done yet. In the last control center, Kate had explained that the batarians had taken prisoners and were holding them in the main complex just a few hundred kilometers from the third torch. She had started to say something about getting around the security measures when she was interrupted.

There were a lot of male voices yelling at her to back away. Then a new voice broke through and demanded that she tell him who was turning off the torches. In an inspiring act of bravery, Kate stayed silent. A gunshot ranged, and the terminal went dead.

Shepard didn't know if Kate was still alive, but he wasn't about to leave without finding her.

"Hicks, come in," he called into his comm.

"Hicks here."

"Did you find the missing engineers?"

He paused before he answered. "We found all three. None of them survived."

Shepard swore under his breath. "Come on back. We are going to head to the main compound and finish this."

"Aye, aye, sir."

The squad headed back to the entrance, but, before they made it, they ran into three batarian soldiers and one varren. The aliens did nothing when they noticed the uninvited visitors.

Shepard didn't follow their example. He quickly lifted his pistol and carefully approached.

"This doesn't have to end in bloodshed," one of the batarians said. It seemed he was the leader.

The group closed the distance between them until only a few meters separated the two.

"That's far enough. We can do this the hard way, or we can end this peacefully. We don't want a fight."

The commander didn't lower his weapon, but tilted his head to the right. "Then, why are you here?"

The leader bristled, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth sneered. Shepard spent a lot of time in the academy studying batarian society. He knew a simple, slight tilt of the head was a sign of either respect or superiority depending on the direction. The commander's gesture, which meant the latter, was extremely insulting, especially from a two eye.

"I'm here because I want to get off this rock alive," the batarian growled. "This wasn't part of the plan. I didn't sign up to hijack some damn rock. Balak is going to get us all killed."

"Smartest thing I've ever heard from a batarian," Wrex said.

"Millions of people will die if this Balak's plan happens," Shepard responded.

The batarian shook his head. "Don't you think I know that? But if I go against him, he'll skin me alive just outta spite. Crazy bastard. The whole mission has gone to hell and now I'm going to pay for it. Supposed to be a simple slave ru-"

The next sound that came out of the batarian's mouth was a choked cough. Shepard had him pinned against a crate with his forearm at his throat so quickly that everyone in the room was stunned. In two swift motions, the commander removed the batarian's pistol and shotgun from their holsters.

Wrex and Alenko quickly overcame their astonishment and subdued the other two batarians. The varren attempted to attack, but Wrex kicked it with his large foot. It skidded away, whimpering.

"Stay," the krogan said gruffly.

The varren complied.

Shepard, however, was oblivious to all this. Something had snapped inside him. He pushed his arm against the slaver's neck, eliciting more gaging sounds. His eyes focused their glare squarely on the ridge of flesh between the batarian's two sets of eyes, the batarian's center of vision.

"'A simple slave run'?" he snarled. The hatred in his own voice surprised him, but he quickly pushed that shock aside. "Do you know how many families have been ripped apart by 'a simple slave run'? Do you know how many people have died because of 'a simple slave run'?"

Shepard must have loosened the pressure on the alien's neck. A soft "don't" squeaked out. He fixed that problem.

"HOW MANY LIVES WERE DESTROYED BY 'A SIMPLE SLAVE RUN'?" the commander yelled.

The batarian was no longer looking at him. Instead, his eyes began to roll back in their sockets. He was passing out.

Shepard had no intention of letting him miss what was going to happen next. He let go of the batarian's throat.

The alien collapsed, coughing and wheezing and hold his neck. When his vision stopped swimming, he saw that the commander was coming back with his pistol that he must have drop when Shepard pinned him against the container.

Shepard roughly grabbed the batarian's neck and stood him back up. He shoved his pistol in the lower right quadrant of the alien's abdominal.

"Your customs aren't the only thing I study," Shepard told him. He pushed the gun into the batarian's stomach. "Do you know what organ is right here? It's something like the human liver. It works to take toxins out of your blood. Now, if it was pierced by something, a bullet for instance, all those toxins would be released. Not only that, but you will bleed. A lot. Too much to patch with medi-gel. You will die slowly and in a lot of pain. So tell me, why should I spare you?"

"I can give you Balak," he quickly answered. "I have a card key to the central shelter. That's the only way you can get in."

"Not much is stopping me from just taking it off your corpse."

A myriad of emotions danced over the batarian's face, ending with grim acceptance.

"Do it. If it's not you right now, it will be Balak later. Might as well get it over with."

This was the second time in two weeks that Shepard fought with himself over shooting a man. He wanted to make this batarian pay for all the pain he put people through. He wanted to show him a glimpse. The commander knew Wrex wouldn't have a problem with it, and Kaidan would get over it soon enough.

When the batarian had conceded that he had nothing more to offer, Shepard almost pulled the trigger. The comment about Balak stopped him. All of his anger melted, and he heard his voice from one of his conversations with Garrus.

"The rules are there for a reason," he had said. "'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that, in the process, he does not become a monster himself. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.'"

Shepard kept a mask of anger on his face. "Name."

"What?" the batarian asked. The surprise was evident on his face.

"Your name. I want your name."

"Charn. Charn Kal'shek."

"Okay, Charn Kal'shek, here is what you are going to do. You are going to give me that card key. Then, you are going to run, not walk, out of here. Get in your ship and leave. And if I hear even a rumor that you're slaving again, I will find you, and I will end you. I don't care where you are. You could be on Khar'shan in the Hegemony HQ, and I will still hunt you down. And I'll be sure to rip the eyes from your skull so you will never be able to find your way to the next life. Do I make myself clear?"

"I get it, human," Charn spat back.

"Perfect."

Shepard released him. Charn quickly handed over the key card and pushed his men out the door and away from the squad. Once they were gone, Wrex spoke.

"Ya know, I'm kinda disappointed that I didn't get to see a batarian bleeding to death."

I am too, Shepard thought. "I'm not a monster, Wrex. Some people deserve a second chance, especially those that don't know any better."

"Sure," Kaidan said, "but I don't remember you giving death threats to those junkies we ran into on Illeum. Or that thief we caught on the Citadel. Or the smuggler on No-"

"I get it, Alenko. You want me to say it? Fine, I'll say it: I don't like slavers."

"I don't think 'don't like' is going to cover it."

Wrex nodded. "'Hate' would be a better word."

"I would have gone with 'loath'."

"Oh, I know. He 'despises' slavers."

"Enough with the word games," Shepard finally said. There was an edge in his voice. He didn't enjoy how close he had come to changing into something similar to the monster he fervently fought against. "I despise slavers. Happy? I keep them on a short leash. Now let's get moving. Hicks is probably already here and waiting for us."


"You humans."

Shepard turned to see a batarian at the top of the stairs. He held himself with arrogant pride, and his head tilted to the right. Between the two men was a barrier curtain. If it wasn't for that, the new arrival would have a new orifice.

"You're almost more trouble than you're worth."

"You must be Balak," Shepard said. "Let the hostages go, and you'll live long enough to explain yourself to the Council."

"I don't answer to the Council! Or you! I'm leaving this asteroid. If you try to stop me, I'll detonate these charges, and your helper and her friends are going to paint the wall."

"I'm not just going to let you leave. Not after everything you've done here."

Balak started to pace. "This is nothing! You humans have done far worse to the batarians. We've been forced into exile."

The batarian kept talking, but Shepard stopped listening to quietly talk to the rest of the team over the comms. "Tali, Kaidan, have you disabled those bombs yet?"

"Just finished," Tali answered.

"I'm going to need another minute," Kaidan said. Shepard thought he heard a bit of jealousy.

"Should I try to flank that group?" Tali asked.

"No, stay put. I get the feeling that those two aren't the only bombs here. We don't want him setting any of them off."

"What are you saying?!" Balak yelled, bringing Shepard's attention back to the batarian.

He shrugged and tilted his head to the right. "I said, 'I didn't realize the Batarian Hegemony allowed preachers into their military.' Honestly, I think you're trying to bore me to death."

Balak growled. "You couldn't possibly understand what you humans have put us through."

"What we put you through? You started the conflict. You attacked us. And when we responded, you ran to the Council, asking them to protect you. When they didn't, you threw a hissy fit and ended all official relations with them. So don't blame humanity for your problems. Everything that has happened has been on your head, not ours."

"Enough! I'm done wasting my breath. Decision time. If you want your friends to live, I suggest you step aside."

"You can go, but this isn't over. I'll find you eventually," Shepard said without hesitation.

"Maybe, but I made sure it won't be today. Those charges are still on a timer. I would hurry if you want to save your friends."

Balak calmly walked out, leaving behind a rearguard to make sure they didn't follow him. As soon as he left, the barrier curtain fell and all hell broke loose.

"Take cover!" Shepard yelled. "Alenko, are you done yet?!"

"Finished, Commander, but I'm reading that there is another bomb where the scientists are."

"Can you get to it?"

"I'm bogged down at the moment," Kaidan replied.

"Tali?"

A shotgun blast erupted from the channel before Tali's voice. "I'm a little busy, Shepard."

"Guess I have to pull your butts out of the fire again." He closed the channel. "It looks like we have to take care of the last bomb alone, Wrex."

He huffed. "Of course. Working with a bunch of lazy pyjaks." He popped out of cover nonchalantly and shot an approaching batarian.

"Oh, quit your complaining." A shot from his sniper rifle rang out, and another batarian fell. "Means more targets for you while I disarm the thing. Let's get moving."

They made it to the anteroom remarkably fast, slowing very little as they blasted through batarians, varren, and security drones. It wasn't the first time Shepard wished that he could always have the krogan battlemaster with him on missions.

"No one comes through that door, Wrex."

He nodded, and Shepard got to work on opening the door to the hostages.

Within seconds, he was in. Most of them were cowering as far away from the bomb as possible. One woman was crouched over it.

"Stand back," Shepard told her. "Get away from the door and behind some cover. I'll have this thing disarmed in a minute."

The woman stood up and backed away. Her face showed a combination of surprise and relief.

"You're the soldier on the radio," she said. "Commander Shepard, right?"

He nodded. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Bowman."

After a few seconds, Shepard called to his squad mate. "How you doing, Wrex?"

"You better hurry up, Shepard."

"You getting overrun?"

He laughed. "Of course not! I'm running out of victims. You better finish if you want to get any more target practice in."

Shepard couldn't help, but smile. "I'll be there in a second."

"You people are crazy," Kate said shakily.

Shepard hit one more button, and the timer on the charge faded. He stood and faced the young woman.

"A little. The bomb is dead. You will be safe in a few minutes. Just hang tight."

Shepard joined Wrex at the door. He was right. There were only a few enemies left. The two took down everyone they saw.

After a few moments of quiet, Shepard talked into the comms. "Report."

Kaidan was the first to answer. "Clear here. Tanaka took one in the shoulder, but he'll be okay."

"Clear here too. We are all unhurt," Hicks answered.

"All clear then. Hostages are secure. Gather on my signal."

Shepard turned to see that Kate Bowman had approached him.

"I… I can't believe you let Balak go… to save us. I half expected you to just let us die. Sacrifice the few for the many."

He nodded. "I would have, if I had too. But I didn't have to sacrifice anyone to stop the asteroid. If I did, I would be no better than him. Besides, Balak won't get away with this. I know who he is now. He can't run forever."

She smiled sadly. "You sound like my brother. He was always so stubborn, always willing to do the right thing… no matter what."

Shepard made the connection. "The gunshot on the comms…"

He didn't need to finish. The look on her face told him he was right.

"I'm sorry. He was a very brave man. I wished I could have saved him, too."

Kate shook her head. "It's not your fault. You did what you could. At least Aaron died in a place he loved. He was the one who convinced me to join, said it would be an adventure." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "I… I don't mean to be ungrateful, but I should see to Aaron."

"Of course. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Shepard's omnitool lit up as he sent his contact information to her.

"Thank you, Commander, for everything."

As she left, he connected to the Normandy. "Joker, do you read?"

"We're here, sir."

"Everything is under control. Asteroid X57 is under control. Call off the evacuation. We will stay up here until more help from the planet arrives."

"Good to hear. Glad it didn't turn out into another Prime."

"Me too. Shepard, out."

Shepard turned to find his squad waiting expectantly behind him. He quickly started to give them instructions.

"Alenko, Dietrich, help anyone that needs medical attention, including you, Tanaka. Hicks, take Wrex and sweep here and the other compounds for stragglers. Tali, you and I are going to see what we can do to help get this asteroid back on track. There's a lot of work left to do, people. Let's get it done."


Shepard looked out the window at passing appealing homes, full trees, and parked cars. The only thing that was missing from this idyllic, old-fashion part of Terra Nova was the white picket fences.

He was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Have I said I don't think this is a good idea, yet?" he asked the driver.

"Yes, you have, Skipper," Ash answered without taking her eyes off the road. "Many times, in fact."

"Just want to make sure that it's on the record."

She sighed. "Will you stop being so nervous. My family just wants to meet my commanding officer."

"Oh, so the fact that I've been given almost celebrity status on this planet has nothing to do with it?" Shepard shot back. "You know, I never had to make house calls to any of the other crew members."

"How many opportunities have you had to visit your crew's homes?"

Shepard was about to say something about how he could have with Cpl. Jenkins who was born on Eden Prime, but he stopped himself.

Williams took his silence as her victory. "That's what I thought. And just so you know, you weren't given 'almost celebrity status.' You're a straight up celebrity. I think there are going to be quite a few buildings and kids around Terra Nova named Shepard in the next few months."

His head dropped into his palms, and he groaned. "If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have made you meet us on Asteroid X57. But noooooo. You just had to convince me to land the ship."

"Hey, that wasn't me. The mayor of the capital did that all on his own."

"Fine. But you did drag me off the Normandy. I was happy there."

"You gave the entire ship shore leave for rest of the day. You expect me to believe that you would have been happy on an empty ship?"

"Yes!" Shepard answered enthusiastically. "I have weapon mods I could have worked on, tech specs that could use some tinkering, and an omnitool that needed to be adjusted."

"So, you're telling me that you would rather be surrounded by lifeless tech than five beautiful women?"

He answered without hesitation. "Again, yes! How is this not clear to you?"

"I didn't realize my CO was such a whiny wimp."

"I'll take on an army of rachni, thorian creepers, geth, and krogan in a heartbeat, but five strong women is too much. I know when I'm outmatched."

Ash laughed. "That might be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

The car stopped in front a house. Williams opened her door and stepped out. After a moment of hesitation, Shepard followed suit.

"This is a bad idea," he said. "If I don't make it out, just remember that I leave everything to Talitha Jefferson."

Ash sighed as she made her way up the driveway. "Relax. They aren't going to eat you alive."

Before Shepard could respond, the door to the house opened, and four women walked out. He could instantly tell they were all related.

"Ashley, you're back!" the oldest woman said excitedly.

Ash nodded. "And I brought my CO. Commander Shepard, this is my mom, Abby, Lynn, and Sarah," she said, gesturing to each person as she named them. "Everyone, this is Commander Shepard."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." He turned to Sarah and noticed the ring on her finger. "And I believe congratulations are in order for your graduation and engagement."

She blushed slightly at the sudden attention. "Thank you. How did you know?"

"Your sister likes to talk about you, all of you, during our down time, and there is a lot of down time between missions."

Abby smiled enigmatically. "You've been the topic of many discussions since Ash has been here. We've gotten to know you quite well, Commander."

Shepard glanced at Williams to see her shaking her head. "I hope Ash hasn't divulged too many of my secrets. And, please, call me Troy."

"Well, Troy, would you like to come in?" Mrs. Williams asked. "We should at least get you off the street before our neighbors figures out who you are. They will swarm once they do."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. A mob of people in front of your house is the last thing I want," Shepard said. "After you."


Shepard moved from the airlock to the cockpit. Joker turned to face him and recoiled.

"What happened to you, Commander?" he asked.

"Day with Williams' family," he weakly replied. "You think she is bad; try spending hours with five variations of her."

Joker nodded, understanding Shepard's plight.

"We ready to be underway?" Shepard asked.

"Just waiting to finish restocking. Couldn't we stay here longer, Commander? I mean, one mention of being on the crew of the Normandy has women throwing themselves at me. A guy could really get used to this."

He lightly patted the pilot's shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint, but we really need to get back to it. Saren has been out there with way too much time on his hands."

"Bah, always some maniac terrorists spoiling my shore leave."

Shepard smiled. "I'll make sure to drop you off here after we are done taking care of him."

He started to walk away when Joker called to him.

"Commander! I forgot to tell you. The Council called while you were out. They want you to call back as soon as you can."

"Okay. Let me know when we are taking off."

"Aye, aye."

Shepard entered the comm room. He hit the necessary commands to connect with the Council's private channel. Before him, three holographic images blinked on almost immediately.

The asari councilor was the first to speak. "Commander, we have a new lead for you on Saren."

Finally, he thought. He was tired of running around the Milky Way without any direction. "Any intel will be greatly appreciated."

"We have received a scrambled transmission from a STG group deep in the Attican Traverse," the salarian councilor continued. "While we were unable to understand the entire message, the team definitely stated that they found one of Saren's bases. We ask that you go in and investigate."

"Where is this STG team?"

The turian councilor answered. "Virmire."