The ruin of Tuchanka raced past the view ports of the shuttle, UT2-007 Woky. Nihlus had never seen a world full of so much destruction. He shook his head.

"It was the right choice to create the genophage, or the rest of the galaxy might look like this." He thought to himself.

The shuttle landing tube was poorly marked in the dusty wind by a tattered flag turned brown with filth. The lack of dirt and rock pelting the shuttle was noticeable as the shuttle slowly lowered down the tube to hover and finally settle on the grim cover landing pad. He noticed a Blood Pack recruiter off to one side as he exited the shuttle. The recruiter glared at him as he descended the stairs. The door guards blocked his path, the Lieutenant in charge stepped toward him. Nihlus didn't even blink.

"The clan leader will see you." He eyed Kryik with venom. "Watch your step, turian. Stray too far and your welcome will be short lived."

"Duly noted." Kryik answered, matching the krogan's venom. "I have business to attend to."

Spectre Kryik pushed passed the angry krogan and through the door way before the steel door was completely removed. He wasn't unaware of the stairs and silent threats he received from the other krogan. He had one question to ask, then he would be on his way. The place stank of rot and filth. The musk of unwashed krogan and varren dung from the fighting pits stung his eyes and burned in his nose. He wondered if the female camp was just as vile.

"Halt!"

A guard stopped him on the staggered slabs of concrete. He could see the 'throne' made of similar debris. A krogan with a ruddy face plate sat on it listening to one at his feet that seemed perturbed about something.

"You must wait until the clan leader summons you. He is... in talks."

Behind the guard the krogan speaking paced in front of the clan leader. The red plated one noticed him. The defining scars down the krogan's face gave away his identity. Wrex was the can leader.

"Guard!" Wrex shouted, "Let him approach."

The guard grumbled under his breath and moved aside, glaring at Kryik as he passed.

"Nihlus," Wrex greeted the turian as he neared the steps to his throne. "What brings you to Tuchanka?"

"Shepard is alive. She's putting a team together. Has she passed through here?" Kryik said, very to the point.

"Hummm... Shepard's resurrection is not a sign of gentle change. I hear little of the galaxy beyond krogan space. My attentions have been occupied with our own issues, but I would know if Shepard had come to Tuchanka. She has not."

"Thank you for your time." Kryik offered a half bow and turned to leave.

"Nihlus," Wrex called to him.

Kryik halted without turning to the clan leader, tilting his head slightly in the krogan's direction.

"If she does come to Tuchanka, I will tell her you are searching for her. Is there anything message you would leave for her?"

Kryik thought a moment. He hadn't considered leaving a bread crumb trail for her. He assumed he would always be on her tail, following her path through the stars. What could he say? What would he say when he found her? The pain that still haunted him clouded the love he'd once felt for her. Now it was tainted with guilt and bitterness.

"Tell her..." He glared down at the pebbles at his feet, then closed his eyes. Whatever her mission, it took precedence over their reunion. "Tell her not to wait for me. I will find her."

"Very well." Wrex nodded.

He watched the turian walk away and disappear from view into the hall leading to the landing pad. He was changed. The fire of life had gone from his eyes. He wondered if the now living Shepard had changed as much from her death as her mate had. It was not his concern, but Shepard had once been one he called 'friend'. The news of her return struck a cord in him. It seemed there remained a looming threat to the galaxy on the horizon.

Shepard paced in the com room waiting for an update on Garrus' condition. In the privacy of it's walls she walked around the console table with her hands clasped behind her back. As much as she was worried about Garrus, she thought about Nihlus.

She'd received a messages from Councillor Anderson. He wanted her to report to the Citadel to speak with the Council. There was also a special mission concerning the Normandy's crash sight. They wanted her to collect any ID tags of crew members she found there as well as place a memorial at the sight. It seemed fitting that the Commander of the ship be the one to have the honor. Convincing the Council to agree to making the monument had taken nearly a year and a half.

The resurfacing memories of Nihlus were almost as bad as remembering the experience of her death. She blinked back the tears. It was possible Nihlus was on the Citadel. Her apprehension of what she may find when she arrived had prevented her from setting course. Her heart felt heavy and ached in her chest. Her shoulders, her back... it all ached as if she were constantly carrying the weight of worlds. In a way, she was.

The door hissed open. Taylor took the side of the table opposite her and leaned over a console. Shepard matched his behavior looking hard at his face for any clue of the news he brought. His somber expression set a knot in her stomach.

line

Garrus opened his eyes, groggy from the anesthesia. His vision was blurry, but come into focus quickly. There was an older, grey haired woman in the room. Her uniform suggested she was the doctor. He groaned when he tried to sit up.

"Don't try to sit up just yet. You took a direct hit from a missile, you should be dead." She sounded impressed.

"Turians make armor to last." He tired to joke. Talking hurt. "So, how bad is it?"

"You'll be fine. You just need some time." Dr. Chakwas said.

Garrus' eyes grew wide when he suddenly recognized Chakwas.

"What are you doing here, with Cerberus I mean?" Garrus asked.

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you what I told the commander. I don't work for Cerberus. I work for Shepard." She replied with a smile.

"Good enough for me." He flashed a toothy smile back

"Okay, well..." He forced himself to sit. "I'd better go see the Commander."

Chakwas tried to ease him back onto the med-bed, but he wasn't going to give up, so she helped him to his feet.

"Take it easy! You should be on bed rest for at least a week." Chakwas shook her head at him.

"I'll be fine." He nodded, "Thanks doc." He tried to smile, but that hurt too, so he nodded again. That hurt less.

Each step felt like he was going to break something as he made his way slowly to the elevator. The new Normandy was an updated version of the original. It seemed a bit roomier to boot. He liked the extra head space. On the Command Deck, a young red haired woman looked at him when he exited the elevator. She seemed very concerned, or scared. Maybe both. He'd seen only humans thus far. It was possible he was the only alien on board. He approached her as professionally as he could manage.

"Can you tell me where Commander Shepard is?" he asked, very aware that the deeper tones of the flanging of his voice were amplified in the quiet of the deck.

"She's in the com room waiting for an up date on your status... are you okay?" She smiled sweetly at him.

"Uh, thanks. I'm fine. Where's the com room?" Garrus took a nervous step back.

"It's just around the corner, you can go through the armory and it's in the hall." Kelly answered.

She was still smiling. Her bright green eyes were eerily similar to Nihlus'. It gave him the creeps, like the turian was watching him through her.

"Okay. Thanks." He nodded and moved as quickly as he dared the doors of the armory.

The armory was much bigger than the old Normandy. A lot of things about this Normandy were bigger and better, updated. He wondered what her guns were like. He took the only other door in the room to the hall. He could vaguely here a male human voice.

"The doc's corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality but..."

He decided not to let the man finish his sentence. He wasn't about to let anyone tell Shepard that Vakarian weak in any form.

"Shepard." Garrus called to her as the doors hissed open. He stood with his body profiled to the room, strong and proud as ever. His eyes locked on her like a target.

Sonya turned toward Garrus and smiled as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her hip. She could see most of his face, what was left of it. The side that had taken the hit was bandaged and badly scared. She felt bad for not being there for him. For not preventing it from happening. But she was glad he would be okay, and he was alive.

"Tough son of a bitch." Taylor chuckled. "Didn't think he'd be up yet."

Seeing Shepard smile made the pain fade enough that he felt himself again. He strode toward her with confidence, then stopped at a professional distance of a meter or two away from her. He didn't trust the other human, the one with the Cerberus logo on his uniform.

"Nobody would give me a mirror," he shrugged. "How bad is it?" He pointed to his face with one talon.

"Ah, hell, Garrus. You were always ugly." She teased him. "Slap some face paint on there and no one will even notice."

Garrus' mandibles spread in a smile as he laughed roughly. He could feel the tendons straining.

"Ah, ha..! Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holdin' together as it is." He regained his composure and tried to look suave. "Some women find facial scars attractive," He paused gesturing to her. "Mind you, most of those women are... krogan." He offered a grin.

Sonya smiled and shook her head. Taylor sensed some tension and decided he should leave. He saluted Shepard and left the room without making further eye contact with anyone. Garrus stepped aside to let him by. He waited until Taylor had left the room to say anything more.

"Frankly, I'm more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember those sick experiments they were doing?" Garrus said, looking at his friend with sincere concern.

"That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus." She uncrossed her arms. "If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side." She looked him in the eye. They seemed bluer than she remembered.

"You realize this plan has me walkin' into hell too." He took a few casual steps toward her and cocked his head and laughed lightly. "Just like old times."

He paused for a moment, regarding her as she stood a few feet away from him. He had so many questions for her, but perhaps now was not the time. He had a feeling they would get a chance to talk latter. Besides, he could tell she was tired. She kept shifting her weight from foot to hip. It was a tell of her exhaustion. Even after two years, he still knew her better than most. She hadn't changed at all while everyone else had evolved with time. He thought again of Nihlus. He would have to warn her. It was his duty to her as a friend to prepare her as best he could for the changes she would find in her mate. But that too would have to wait.

"I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries." Garrus nodded and turned to leave, pushing everything else aside.

That night Shepard coulnd't sleep. She still found it hard to believe that she had actually died, fallen to an alien world, her remains recovered, pieced back together, and re-animated like some revamped Frankenstein vid. And by Cerberus of all things, just so the Illusive Man could have her as his pet. Something wasn't right. The pieces, as it were, didn't fit together.

And Garrus was back on her team. It gave her hope of finding the rest of them, of finding Nihlus. the thought brought back her grudge against the missing scars, but she couldn't very well confront Cerberus about them without revealing sensitive information. They didn't need more power over her than they already had.

Sonya rubbed her forehead and tried to sleep. Her chest felt like it had when the universe was sucking the air from her body. Her heart hurt. It wasn't just an ache or a heaviness. It was damn near unbearable physical pain. She knew it was in her head, her emotional state, but that didn't help the agony subside. She buried her face in her pillow to stifle the sounds of her weeping. Her body shuddered with the weight of her loneliness and a thousand other thoughts and emotions that threatened to cripple her.