Authors Note: Hey, everyone! How's it hanging? It's me, your faithful Porygonman, here to relay a special bit of information. Wanna hear it?

Thank you. To everyone that read my story, to everyone that supports me in PMs, reviews, views, follows, favs… you guys are the best. I started out doing this for myself, and for my enjoyment, and even though in part I still do, I've come to realize that it's you guys that drive me forward. It's because of you that I get up Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning and I tell myself: "You know what? I'm gonna make one hell of a great chapter today. I'm going to work twice as hard and make it bigger, better and crazier than any before!"

From the bottom of my heart (or should I say, to my heart's content), I thank you, dear reader. Please, enjoy yourself and know that I am forever grateful for this experience.

That being said, if anyone out there has any suggestions whatsoever about the story, characters or just an opinion about something in particular, go ahead and tell me. I promise not to be angry!

Nah, but now for real. Feedback is key in this sort of thing, and since only one of my acquaintances (my best friend) reads this story, I haven't gotten a lot of it recently. The bright side to this is that I have a 100% reader satisfaction value whenever I ask someone what they think about my story. The down side is, I have no clue if that's true or if they're just biased. So please, if you could spare some time for a review, no matter how small, that would be great. Oh, and if you ever want to check some other cool Mass Effect stories, I have a link to a fanfic list on a bioware forum, just ask and I'll post it on my next author's note.

Again, thank you for your time and support, and let's get to it, shall we? Dive in to the story…

Embrace eternity!

…

"Ladies, gentlemen and creepy aliens, this is your charismatic, awesome pilot speaking, here to tell you that we will be arriving on that big ass station they call the Citadel in about 10 minutes. Please collect any luggage, pets or fully automatic assault rifles before you leave. Have a pleasant trip!"- Joker voiced through the intercom, his sarcastic tone bringing a smile to Shepard's face as he approached the bridge. The Commander tapped him on the shoulder and he quickly turned back.

"So, Joker… Want to explain why I just heard an old twenty first century airline pilot give my crew instructions? One might think I was beginning to go mad…"- he pretended to be upset, but that's sort of hard to do when you've got a grin all over your mug.

"Oh! Shepard, hey! So, here's the thing, there was this bet I had, and I sort of lost it, and they forced me to do this, so… am I off the hook?"-Joker looked straight at the Commander as he crossed his arms. No, he wasn't off the hook, definitely. -" Look, fine, so maybe there was no bet and I just wanted to get a few chuckles. Can you blame me? I was getting shot at just a couple of days ago!"

Shepard just stared, as if the implications of what Joker was saying were just stupidly obvious.

"Fine, you got shot too, and when I was attacked, I had the Normandy to shield me, but so what? You think I'm wrong about this? That the crew doesn't need a laugh?"- Joker was getting angry for no apparent reason, but he didn't care. Shepard was probably just pissing him off because of Vroliks! If he didn't think Joker was good enough a pilot for the Normandy, he could shove it up somewhere for all Jeff cared.

"Hmmm, Joker… I just tried making a joke about old flight pilots and you went all Rambo on me… Is everything ok, or should I just… leave or something?"- that was the last thing Joker expected to hear.

"Wait, you mean… you weren't going to pick on me?"- he asked, a bit of fear mixed with instant regret in his voice.

"No, not really. But I'm kind of considering it right now."- Joker had to bite his lip to prevent him from cursing. The situation was already bad enough without his foul language thrown in there.

"Look, Shepard, I'm sorry. I really am. I'm just not used to… well, whatever it is that we're doing here… and I thought that maybe you were being an ass to me because of my disease…"

"Whoa, wait a minute. You're sick? And when did I become an ass? I'll have you know that the last pilot who called me that doesn't exist anymore."- Joker cringed a bit at the implications, but he cringed even more when he realized it was a joke. –"Well, not that he ever existed in the first place, but still, you get what I'm saying."

"Sir, with all due permission… please don't try to be funny. You're terrible at it. And yes, I'm sick, and I thought you knew."- he heard Shepard sigh, and thought that it was it. He'd mocked the Commander one too may times. Now was the time for payback.

"Well, crap. I thought that was a good one. And by the way, no, I did not know you were sick. Anything I can help with?"- again, Joker was surprised by the Commander's laid back attitude when his pride had just been thrown out of the airlock. He sure was an unusual individual.

"No, Commander, you can't. Well, unless you're a better doctor than all those wacky salarians who didn't get any of their crap together. I have a rare condition called Vroliks syndrome. It makes my bones weak and brittle. They'll just snap if I overstress them."- Shepard was apparently taking the idea that his pilot was pretty much handicapped for life very calmly. Joker didn't know how to feel about that.

"Damn. I'm sorry to hear that, Joker. And for the record, no, I'm not better than those wacky salarians. But if I ever find anyone that is, I'll redirect them to you in a heartbeat. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for when we arrive at the Citadel."- as Shepard walked away, Joker felt like something was wrong. The mood was off.

"Wait!"-he yelled, and Shepard turned back. –"Aren't you worried about my condition affecting my performance?"

Shepard just seemingly laughed it off before replying:

"I trust you. You'll know your limits."

And then he left. Joker sat there for a very long time afterwards. He just couldn't tell what it was about the Commander that managed to bring about so much respect. Then, looking at his legs, he made a decision.

He got up and left for the Citadel.

…

"Hey! Heading out?"-Kaiden asked Garrus as he saw the turian getting into his armor by the docking bay.

Garrus was somewhat surprised by Kaiden's sudden attention. With the exception being Shepard, he'd never talked with any humans informally… well, unless you count cursing with Ashley as groups of geth rained on them.

"Yeah, sure Lieutenant. Why'd you ask?"- Alenko hadn't shown many emotions to the rest of the crew during his stay on the Normandy, the obvious exceptions being his friend Shepard and the new Gunnery Chief. This made his approach to Garrus even weirder, but he tried not to think too much about it.

"I'm going out too. Shepard and I are going to head by C-Sec and get some new weapons while Wrex takes care of some bounty hunting business and well, it seemed polite to ask if you wanted to tag along. So… wanna come? Unless this is some sort of turian insult, in which case, sorry about that."- Garrus found himself staring at Kaiden like he'd grown an extra pair of talons, or whatever it was that humans had at the end of their fingers. Was the alien in front of him… asking if he wanted to hang out?

"Hum, yes, of course, I'd love to! But why would you take me with you?"- he was still regarding this as a very awkward situation, but luckily for Garrus, Alenko seemed to keep his cool.

"Well, we're going to be testing out some new spectre exclusive weaponry…"- Garrus' eyes suddenly widened when he understood what Kaiden was saying.

"You mean… HMSW prototype gear that only Spectres and associates ever get access to? The one's that are literately the best weapons known in Council Space?"- Garrus was now practically drooling over the idea of getting an all new sniper from the requisitions officer.

"Hehe, Shepard said you'd be interested. So, still want to tag along?"

Garrus stared at Kaiden before lifting his faceplates in the closest thing to a human smile a turian would ever pull.

"Spirits, yes!"

…

Wrex had left the Normandy the second it'd docked. He was mean, he was big, and he was back on the Citadel. Which meant it was time to get a fat paycheck.

He headed by the lower Wards markets, near the place they'd found the wimpy female quarian that had almost gotten herself killed on her first mission, and started looking for a volus. When he found him talking with a notorious blackmailing, scumbag of a salarian merchant named Morlan, things got messy.

"Hello there, volus."- he said while he snapped his knuckles and prepared the blood rage inside him. The salarian instantly gave him a stare and reached for something bellow his desk, but Wrex's cold glare froze him on his tracks.

"Excuse me, but I'm in the middle of something with this gentlem… do I know you?"

Wrex grinned in the most sadistic way he could.

"You do. You just didn't expect to see me here because I'm presumably dead."- he couldn't see the volus' face bellow the suit, but his voice carried in it pure terror.

"Ur… Urdnot Wrex… hello! How… is it that you are doing, I…"

"Shut it Jiye. I heard you were back on the Citadel. I thought I wouldn't see you again after that whole deal with the asari back on Omega. Aria something? He, she reminds me of another asari… I do wonder how Aleena is doing. But anyways, now you're here. Which means I'm getting the money you owe me. Clear enough?"

Suddenly, the salarian interrupted the discussion.

"Excuse me, sir, but I would ask you to refrain from trying to get money out of this leech. He owes me first."

'Oh great.'-Wrex thought, his mind reminding him of the shotgun Shepard had given him after Feros for "Exceptional performance in the field of duty and the gruesome maiming of a platoon of geth". –'Guess things are about to get interesting.'

"Well, chump, you're a merchant. Way I see it, a poor little krogan nobody like me needs the money more than you. So Jiye, hand it over."- he wasn't just going to let a crazy salarian Rockefeller wannabe get his earned, cold hard cash. If the wimp wanted it, he'd have to take it.

"Oh, but please…"- the salarian said, whipping out a fully automatic assault rifle from behind the counter. –" I insist."

Wrex made a mad dash to the side while the salarian started distributing lead throughout the room. Taking cover behind one of the counters, he noticed that one of the bullets had penetrated his armor.

'Shield bypass? Hm, that might be a problem…' Wrex thought, as he extended his shotgun and blitzed out of cover. –'…for someone who's not a Krogan!'

Wrex purposely drew fire on to himself while he ran around the room, the salarian firing nonstop and missing most of his shots. Those that hit only made Wrex madder. Then, after a while, Wrex charged Morlan, sprinting by Jyie, who had hid behind another counter with a turian clerk who just hadn't signed up for this shitty job.

The salarian unloaded a barrage onto Wrex, making him bleed and peeling off armor until… the gun stopped.

"Suck it, asshole!"- Wrex said as he jumped the counter and rammed Morlan onto the wall with such brute force that it cracked. Luckily for the salarian, he was wearing armor at the time, and managed to survive Wrex's blow, even if only momentarily. With Morlan's neck between his hands, Wrex talked again. –"Stupid rookie. Shield bypass means nothing when you sacrifice too much damage. And you need a LOT of damage to kill a krogan. Specially if you're prone to getting your weapon overheated like a dumb pyjak."

Suddenly, with the last of his strengths and amazing speed, Morlan's hand reached the inside of one of his armor's pockets, pulled out a syringe and stabbed Wrex with it, pumping its contents into him.

"What did you just do, salarian?"-Wrex asjked, not fazed in the slightest by the salarian's move. The alien laughed.

"Fool! Now, you are doomed! Your nervous systems will begin to break down, and you will feel pain beyond your worst nightmares! Then, if you beg enough, maybe I'll put you down! IF YOU SCREAM ENOUGH!"- Morlan had now just become a small evil genius. Great. Just what a krogan trying to make a living needed. Without further ado, Wrex began chocking Morlan into submission, disregarding his earlier talk like it was nothing. –"Wa… wait, agh! How… why are… ack! Not… in pain?!"- he managed to let out before passing out.

Wrex looked at his fallen body, still alive. He wasn't worth killing, and C-sec would know how to handle him after his shootout earlier.

He turned back to get Jyie, and then a sudden one liner came up on his mind.

"Redundant nervous systems… bitch."

…

Back at the Specialized Recovery Center for Non Council Species, a krogan bouncer woke up to another krogan entering the room. Confused, he slowly remembered the details that preceded his coma: the raid on Chora's Den, the human spearheading the assault, and Wrex…

The same man that now stood before him.

"Urdnot Wrex… here to finish the job, are you? Well go ahead, I won't plea. Do your worst."- he looked defiantly at the bounty hunter, challenging him to get it over with. Instead, the bullet, blow or poison never came. Instead, only words.

"You fought well. You worked for a putrid human maggot, but you fought for honor. Courage. You were a true krogan."- as he said this, Wrex put a wallet down on a table besides the bouncer's hospital bed.

"What is this? Are you getting soft, old man?"- this seemed to make Wrex chuckle, which lead him to add some detail to why he thought it was funny.

"Maybe I am. I'm travelling with aliens on a mission to save the galaxy, but I grow old. And an old man needs allies. And this old man needs you."

"Me? What could I do to help you? You're the one that put me here in the first place!"- he was pissed that after getting shot at, the man who shot him was asking for help. But, like all krogan, he had respected the feats that Urdnot Wrex was said to have accomplished, and felt honored to be asked to help such an illustrious, true krogan.

"More than you know. I hold your clan in high regard. There's a storm coming. And the krogan must prepare if we are to survive. Take the wallet. Use the credit chit. Go back to Tuchanka and prepare. When I return, we shall do great things together."

"Prepare for what, Wrex?"- the bouncer asked.

A small pause dangled in the air for a second.

"A united krogan. Starting with your clan. You will stand strong with clan Urdnot. And I will make clan Nakmor great again. This I swear, for the life I owe you when you killed my father."