"Nearing corrientes. We're invisible," Joker called. "Also, did we have to have the whole of the squad here. We're already being weighted down by the geth."

"Legion," Shepard said.

"It has a name?"

"The commander thought it would make it easier to identify as a singular platform," Javik explained. "In my cycle, it was not uncommon."

"You worked with synthetics?" Liara crossed her arms, her voice not fooled.

"Most were in equal standing with organic races for many generations. Before the Metacon war; where all the organic races joined to face the machines."

"What happened?" Tali asked.

"Much like your own war, quarian. We could attack or let those more powerful fester, with weapons that could destroy the empire."

"Specify," Legion spoke. "There is no given reason why a machine race would attack. Machines do not seek to dominate like organics."

Javik stepped up to the machine, till they were inches apart. His carapace lowered to make his doubled pupils fine. "We called them reapers."

Legion's panels expanded. Then its head tilted. "The protheans tried to understand synthetic life more than any organic in this cycle."

"We were not free of our mistakes," Javik huffed. His accent thick. He walked away from the machine, still glaring at the light at the centre of its head.

"Picking up something on the long range scanner," a crew member spoke up. "It's an outpost. Looks large."

"Lot of heat, lot of people." Joker frowned.

Shepard moved to stand beside Javik, her presence temporarily not taken in consideration by the distracted team members. She wanted to offer comfort but she doubted it would make him feel better. She hated pity, more so in public. She imagined he was the same.

"I half expected you to tear him in two," she spoke quietly.

Javik's breathing stilled. Before he sighed.

Shepard choose not to ask. The prothean was entitled to his thoughts.

"I'm glad we spoke last night."

"You are uncomfortable."

Shepard's rocked to side to side. "Yeah. A little."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure."

"Lying is a genetic is marker."

Shepard laughed. "I'm not entirely sure."

Javik hummed. Then he stilled, taking a deep breath.

"The Alenko-human has an attraction towards you. I can smell the pheromones."

"You've never wanted to sleep with someone you work with?"

"It is more than that. Affection."

Shepard glanced to the prothean. "I know. Calling him out on it would be uncomfortable."

"You worry too much of what others think."

She smiled to her friend. "Don't get too friendly. People might start to think you're a nice guy."

"We have the thermal imaging," Joker called.

"If you're done flirting, commander?" Kaidan smirked. His comment seemed well timed, but Javik could sense the slight peak of jealousy.

Shepard stepped forward, taking her spot behind Joker.

"Prothean females could engage in foreplay using only their eyes. Males could not resist," Javik said.

"Okay. Wink and you'll pop a boner," Shepard nodded, turning her attention to the screen. "Got it."

"I am never sure how much or what you said is true or just to get everyone riled up," Liara said.

Garrus tilted his head. "Still annoyed that you believed him when he said prothean said invented electricity?"

"I was caught off guard!" The asari folded her arms.

"Alright," Shepard stood before her crew. "Tail, Garrus and myself with take the Mako," her eyes squinted at the way the pair cringed, the turian placing a hand on his team mate's shoulder. "We'll attack from the front. Meanwhile, Javik, Nihlus and Wrex will sneak in the back. Nihlus will lead, Wrex will be Wre. And, Javik, I need you to sense Mordin. If our enemy is geth, their should be no other organics."

"Yes, commander," Javik spoke.

Sometimes, Nihlus would get feelings. A nudging in his gut, telling him something was not right. Something he had seen, heard, smelt, that his mind had yet to catch up to. But no one can be right all the time, so he assessed his surroundings, his mission. But the last time he had pushed away his suspicions was when he saw Saren, and his concerns as to why his mentor- a turian who hated humans, would come to a human colony, subsided.

He had been a fool to turn away, to ignore his own logical mind. Had Shepard not arrived when she had, he would have been dead. Spirits, any sooner and Saren could have lead them all right into a trap, to the geth.

Nihlus had always done right by the soldiers he worked with, both in the army and after, even if that meant disobeying orders, breaking regulations, something a good turian would never do. It was what made him a good spectre, protection for others above law. Garrus was a lot like him. When this was all over, he would see to making Vakarian a spectre, and with his first chosen being Shepard, he was willing bet that his reference would be held at a high regard.

But, saving the Cididel from annihilation did not sound like an easy feat. And something told him that the reapers were not the kind to just give up if they did not get their way.

"Those are new," Wrex eyed the strange creatures from the balcony they were making their way across.

Nihlus looked over over his team mates as he approached. The prothean had been disconcerted as they neared the facility, which had him pausing at the door as they entered. Now his eyes were wide, constantly scanning, and yet they were dull, the eyes of familiar torment, and a deep unrelenting anger.

He flinched at every sound that came across his path, his body tensing in preparation for battle. His feelings of macabre were clear, and rather disconcerting from a squad mate that never expressed any emotion other than disgust

"Collectors," Nihlus genuinely gasped. He had never expected this. They were ruthless by batarian standards, completely cold hearted. And their weaponry was incredibly advanced. Their very existence was considered myth due to how terrifying and unpredictable they were. And yet they never attack. Just traded resources.

"First geth, now them. Could they be working work the reapers?"

"I can sense the indoctrination," Javik confirmed.

"Pretty creepy looking," Wrex added.

Nihlus pressed his ear piece. "Commander, we have collectors. They're indoctrinated. But our first concern should be finding Mordin. We can see what we can do for them after," he nodded. "Moving forward. Javik, how far are we?"

"Just down the hall," Javik cast out a hand for direction, before placing it on the floor, pushing himself up behind a wall so that he stayed hidden. The path he directed meant that they could completely bypass the collectors. "I suggest you move quickly. Find the salarian, and head to the rendezvous point."

"You're making that sound pretty final Javik," Nihlus moved to stand before him. "I don't know what you have in mind, but stop."

Javik glanced between the railings, the dark figures standing completely still aside from the occasional flinch or twitch. "Their indoctrination is deep, they live by it. But the reapers are too far for the link to be activated, their minds are weak. By the time you are done, I will be finished."

"You don't know that. We don't need to kill what could be innocent-"

"It is too late for that," Javik growled, leaching into jagged purr. He marched several strides back, before illuminate himself in bright green biotics, sparking yellow around his fingertips.

The prothean broke into a sprint, darting around the turian Spectre in order to vault over the railings, pulling his long arms back like a praying mantis ready to strike. He stuck the ground with the full force of his biotics, both sending out a massive wave of green energy, and breaking his fall in the process.

He freed his weapon, ending his downed targets with shots to the neck, the only clear path past the considering external skeleton over the chest and skull. The rest of his foes met their end when their skulls were shattered against the metal walls and floor.

"Impressive," Wrex admitted. He was really starting to see the resemblance of his tuchanun kin. Even long before, he had a feeling Javik would have fit right in.

"Go get the doctor and get him out of here," Nihlus ordered, meeting the blood red irises.

Wrex grunted but complied, watching from the corner of his eye as the turian ran after the prothean, who had already bolted from the large hall.

Javik switched between shooting his targets and using biotics to push them back when they became too close, and when they were grouped. It felt like combat in his cycle. He was unaware of how much time had past. But as he ducked into cover, he felt the burning in his muscle, his bones ached. His breath was deep and staggered as the enemies continued to come thick and fast.

The soft whistle of a Spectre issue pistol quickly became a comfort, settling his mind enough to focus. Aiming his biotic strikes at flammable canisters, setting pockets of his people alight. The bodies were nothing but splattered remnants, damaged beyond recognition.

Within a blink of the eye, Javik returned to his pursuit, flinging another collector into the wall with a series of squelching cracks. Only stopped when no indoctrinated slave was left standing. Just a series of blue blood pools.

He closed his eyes, every fibre of his body sensing for an essence long since tainted within in his memoirs.

Nothing.

"We are finished," Javik spoke, "We must leave," he made his way past the turian once more.

"They were prothean," Nihlus said. His thoughts confirmed when Javik stilled in his tracks. "That sound you made. I heard it before."

"The empire is gone. My people are dead," Javik turned. "What is left must be destroyed."

"I'll explain what happened to Shepard."

Javik flinched as his hands unconsciously rubbed together, the feel of the heavy sticky blood gluing his hands together. "Thank you, Spectre."

Nihlus said nothing, nothing needed to be said. He looked upon the dead, their bodies a dark brown with lines of a soft blue from the reaper tech. It was monstrous.

He paused as the voice of a krogan cut into his earpiece.

"There is something you need to see."

"The body is yet unknown. He is turian, aged in his twenties," Mordin spoke, overlooking the strange assortment the crew. That barely fit in the communications room.

"Clan markings?" Garrus asked.

"None."

"What does that mean?" Kaidan asked.

"Any number of things," Nihlus brushed the matter off.

"What did the collectors want?" Shepard questioned.

"Collectors have always been strange. They made trades for species, in exchange for very advanced teleology. Left-handed salarians, batarian twins, a krogan with parents from feuding clans, human biotics, quarians who never left the Migrant Fleet due to illness, importance or disability."

"What did they want from you?"

"I'm a geneticist. They wanted me to examine the turian, his brain in particular," Mordin stared to pace. "Something took control of one of them. It was lifted into the air, eyes glowing gold. It spoke of transferring me to another facility. I don't know where."

"Reapers can speak through the indoctrinated," Tali said, voice breathless.

Shepard exhaled. This was all so horrible. She had no idea how she was suppose to get used to such a world. "Can you tell us what happened to the protheans, doctor?"

"Protheans lost intelligence over serval cloned generations. Cybernetic augmentation wide spread, tech added for compensation. Metal capacity almost gone, replaced by overworked sensory input. Transmitting data back to master," Mordin theorised as he paced, his words clinical. Unaware of the discomfort in the room.

"Is there anyway they can be saved?"

"No," Mordin spoke firmly. As if the very idea was cruel. "Collectors too far gone. No glans, replaced by tech, no digestive system, replaced by tech. No soul. Replaced by tech. What they were, gone forever," he frowned, and for the first time, he seemed distressed. "No art, no culture. Closer to husks than slaves. Collectors just final insult," he took a breath through his nose. "Must be destroyed."

"Our resident prothean certainly agrees," Garrus spoke up.

"Prothean?"

"Long story," Shepard stood, walking over to the vid com, Nihlus falling into step behind her. "We'll sort this out with the council and see if we can get this turian identified. Dismissed."

Javik went stiff as he touched the door release of the wash room. His breathing stopped, his fingers flexing. Even with his amour polished, his suit freshly washed and dried, his body clean the shower he had taken. His skin raw. He still felt the grime, the sickness of indoctrination crawling along his skin.

He tried to think back to his wash, to remember that he was clean. How he had shivered at the hot spray, his outer wings twitching as they adjusted to the heat. He had not turned as he spread his large under set, allowing the water to roll down his green skin instead of directly striking the sensitive extremities. His head tilted up, with closed eyes. His hands before him, vigorously rubbing away the long cleaned blood stains.

He slammed the side of his fist against the red holographic screen, rushing through as the door parted. He did not think about not being covered by his ceremonial amour. His wings out and brushing against his lower back. He darted straight to Shepard's room, vaguely recognising that no one was in the facility.

He sat upon her bed, his breath calming at the familiar smells. He smiled as he caught sight of her socks from last night, dumped on the floor.

"Javik?" Shepard stepped back as she met the two pairs of golden eyes upon entering her own bedroom.

"I hope I am not intruding, commander," Javik said, but did not move from where he stood before her bed bed. His armour shed, the brace that held his wings still also gone. But he seemed more exhausted than relaxed.

"Just unexpected. Are you okay?" Shepard sat down on the end of the fixed cot. Any worries of over stepping personal boundaries were pushed aside as Javik joined her, a heavy breath leaving his chest.

"I was born into this. You are not."

She sighed. Defensive. She guessed he would be.

"How am I suppose to act?"

"The Williams-human believes that I am a 'raging asshole'. Would my advise be of use?"

"I would like to hear it all the same."

"There is no way to be. No promise that those you care for won't die-"

"Not helping."

Javik's paused, growling softly as he thought. "Do not care what others think. You are a strong leader."

"Thank you," Shepard said softly. She looked into the prothean's duelled pupils. Speaking, sitting together, close enough to feel his heat. There was still that wall between them. Of which she had only peeked through the cracks as he touched her skin.

They said nothing for a while. The situation both in their minds.

Killing their own people, people that never had any choice. And things would only get worse for Shepard, more races would become affected. Planets, whole systems would be destroyed. But for Javik, the worse had already been and gone. Everything he had known was gone.

There were no words.

"I've been wondering. Do you enjoy sharing memories?"

Javik turned his head fully. "Yes" he shifted. "When we a share memory, it becomes clearer. The process also improves memories and focus."

She smiled, promptly ignoring collective term. "Would the same happen for me?"

Javik thought on the matter for a few seconds before he nodded. "Memories would become clearer. You would share your memories?"

"Only seems fair," she hummed. "I still think you should keep your wings out," she glanced to the two brown silk wave. Seeming delicate but she had felt the strength first hand. "It can't be comfortable keeping them tied back. Combat, I understand. Husks are grabby."

"It is something I will take into consideration, Lola," Javik smirked.

Shepard leered, which fell away as the prothean chuckled darkly. Her vision took to her hands. "You're a part of my crew, and I'd like to be your friend," she spoke.

"I consider you as much, commander," Javik replied, his carapace pulled down. He had thought he had been clear.

Javik's vision widened, his layer external skeleton shifting as his features relaxed. He had sensed the change in her chemistry but the species of this cycle changed rapidly. It could have been coincidental but...

Shepard's breath caught as Javik slipped his three fingered hand between her hands. She lifted her chin, and met a softness she had never seen before. His doubled pupils were focused on her own single. His lay in a pool butterscotch, surrounded by a rich orange, like that of a sunset at its peek. Hers the dark green shade of leaf, full of life.

He lean forward and she followed.

His lips were thin but soft under hers, the skin of his cheek smooth and firm under her fingertips. She gasped against his mouth, her body flush against his as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his thumb bursting up her lower back, in the grove of her spine.

Javik raised his chest against hers with a rumbling hum that made her want to shiver.

They parted for a breath, from what had only really been a chaste kiss. Shepard found herself laughing softly with a silly grin across her lips.

"So-" she took a breath, having not noticed how much that kiss had took out of her. "That's a yes?"

Javik snaked his large nimble fingers through her maroon hair, rubbing at the base. "Yes, Shepard."

Shepard placed a kiss at the point of the prothean's carapace. "Good," she whispered, her lips feather soft over the area that joined bone to skin.

Javik stiffened at the sensitivity, but met her lips again all the same. "Good," he spoke against them before capturing them once more, sliding his hand around her body to her hips bone, his hand still unconsciously clinging to her own.