Notes:

AI - Artificial Intelligence

FTL - Faster than light

QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator. Instantaneous point-to-point secure communications device; cannot be intercepted between source and destination

Sod it - "I give up." An expression of frustration

Dreams and Expectations

Utukku, Mulla Xul System, Ninmah Cluster

Hope blossomed in Shepard's mind as she rounded the corner; she glanced up the passageway and saw the remaining eight Krogan from Alpha Platoon who had departed with Wrex returning to help Grunt... and they were carrying heavy weapons and explosives. Every member of the Normandy team nodded in admiration as the two teams passed and Shepard and her crew continued toward the exit. As soon as they cleared the tunnels and emerged into the open air, she heard Wrex bellow, "Stage 1... Go!"

A ground shaking explosion ensued and a huge pillar of dust billowed up from the pit as the side walls crumbled away, caving in to block the lower entrance and partially fill the cavity. Heavy weapons' fire drew her attention and Shepard spun back around to study the two upper entrances, one of which they had just emerged from. Relief spread through her entire being as she watched Grunt backing out of the tunnel along with a dozen of the fifteen Krogan who had been in the tunnel with him. Most of what remained of Bravo Platoon guarded the second entrance, ensuring nothing emerged from that tunnel alive, and the entirety of Aralakh Company continued to fire into the passageways as Wrex bellowed yet again. "Finish it!"

All of Aralakh Company suddenly vanished in a cloud of dust as additional explosions ripped the remaining two tunnels apart, bringing a large portion of the mountain down within them. Even through the chaos and the roar of the nearest explosion, Shepard could hear and feel a cascade of detonations working their way deeper into the mountain. From within the cloud of dust, a huge roar echoed off the mountainside as Krogan voices united in a rousing cheer celebrating their victory.

Shepard was so focused on the tunnel entrances, her heart rate jumped with a surge of adrenalin when Liara's hand landed unexpectedly on her forearm. "Shepard. I'm so sorry... You didn't hear me; you were focused so intently on the Krogan." The Asari's forehead crinkled in concern, "I did not intend to startle you."

Shepard pursed her lips and blew out a gust of air to release her surprise. "It's fine, Blue. That's what I get for not paying attention. At least it was you and not some Brute surprising me." She smiled lightly and her eyes softened as she looked upon the Asari who owned her heart.

Even though speaking with her lover calmed her, Shepard's concern for the Rachni queen was still evident through the link as Liara continued. "I just spoke with Wrex and he said to not worry. The queen emerged a few minutes before we did and thundered off to the East. It is likely she has another nest somewhere nearby and was caught out in the open when the Reapers arrived. She was not buried in the mountain; he swears to it."

"Thank you, Liara." Liara was grateful for the effect of Wrex's news as she watched the residual tension visibly leave Shepard's frame; the commander's shoulders relaxed and the stiffness in her movements disappeared with the confirmation the queen survived. Shepard ran her hand back through her hair over the top of her head as she spoke. "That's precisely what I needed to hear."

SSV Normandy

Hackett seemed tense as he spoke to Shepard over the vid comm, "I'm reviewing your report on the Rachni situation, Commander. This could have gotten complicated, fast."

Shepard frowned, "It was no different than any other mission we've done, Sir."

"I hope you know what you're doing, cutting a deal with the Rachni queen. We got burned last time." Hackett's tone told Shepard he was not pleased with her decision.

"Respectfully, the Rachni queen isn't the one who burned us, Sir. It was the Reapers." Shepard crossed her arms as she continued. "Saying this was the fault of the Rachni would be like the Turians blaming us for Husks and us blaming them for Marauders. The queen had no say in the matter... no more than we did when the Reapers came to Earth."

Hackett paused for only a moment before continuing. "You're right, Shepard. I'll trust your instincts on this. You've not steered us wrong yet."

Shepard dropped her defensive posture and nodded slowly, acknowledging Hackett's acceptance of her decision. "I know we can count on her support, Admiral."

Hackett nodded in return. "Good to hear. If nothing else, at least we cut the Reaper supply of Rachni troops and picked up some additional Krogan support. I call that a victory. Is Wrex back aboard?"

"Yes, Sir. He's back in the War Room and Grunt is headed back to Tuchanka to reorganize the troops; he lost nearly two-thirds of Aralakh Company." Shepard grimaced. "Not sure when they'll get back to the fight. He's got some rebuilding to do."

"Thanks for the update, Commander. I've got to get back to it but, before I go, your mother asked me to tell you to be careful out there. Hackett out."

Hackett's image faded away before she could ask any questions but, even though she didn't have the slightest inkling where her mom was, Shepard smirked; leave it to her mother to use the Admiral of the Fleet as a message boy. Chuckling as she turned away and walked out of the communications room, she almost ran into Mordin Solus, who was walking quickly toward her with his head down as he studied his omnitool. Stopping abruptly, his head snapped up and he rattled off, "Shepard! Tests verified. Results promising. Can synthesize for universal Krogan immunity."

From across the War Room, Wrex growled out, "Good. Then you can put your knife away."

"Scalpel, actually." Mordin looked at Wrex and blinked as if he were puzzled. "Never realized Krogan could be so squeamish."

As Wrex huffed, Shepard opened her eyes wide in surprise. "The cure's ready?"

"No. Still need transmission vector." Mordin busied himself poking away at his omnitool as he continued, "Cure useless unless given to entire species."

Shepard frowned, "You're usually full of ideas, Mordin. The Turians infected the whole species and you altered the Genophage at least once... How'd you do it before?"

Mordin quit playing with his omnitool and focused, one hand coming up to his chin as he thought. "Old methods inefficient. No time to create new infection strain. Groundwater dispersal too slow. Lack of trust for voluntary inoculation and population too scattered for airborne... unless..." He suddenly stopped his rapid-fire speech, his head popped up and he focused on Shepard. "Wait! Yes! The Shroud!"

He moved quickly to the central display table and linked his omnitool to the input. A three dimensional image of a massive needle tower appeared above the table as Mordin continued. "Constant global dispersion of air particles. Built by Salarians to repair atmosphere of Tuchanka." He paused, briefly by Human standards but nearly an eternity by his own and his voice was extremely quiet when he finally continued. "Also used by Turians."

Primarch Victus had been following the discussion and he suddenly sighed heavily, deciding on no more secrets. He looked at Wrex as he continued Mordin's thought. "We used it to secretly spread the Genophage, ending the Krogan Rebellions."

Wrex took the news remarkably calmly, leaning against the display table as he answered, "I'd be careful who you tell that to."

Shepard raised her eyebrows. "You surprise me, Wrex. Even I understand why the Krogan sometimes want to shoot everyone in sight."

"Those were desperate times." Victus stared at the table, unable to make eye contact any longer. "The circumstances that drove our decisions were... regrettable... but it is too late to change the past."

"Yes, yes, but useful now. Original Genophage strain still in storage at Shroud facility." Mordin was not to be distracted. "Can use it as transmission vector, then use Shroud to blanket Tuchanka with cure!"

Wrex leaned over the table; his posture would have been threatening but for his tone of voice being so hopeful. "You clever little Pyjak. That's our best shot, right there."

Shepard's face erupted into a broad grin. "Then finish your preparations and be ready to go, Mordin. Tuchanka will be our next stop after Eden Prime."

"Of course." Mordin started moving before he finished speaking. "Ready when you need me. Will be in med bay with Eve until then."

Shepard turned to speak to Wrex, but was interrupted by Specialist Traynor's voice coming in over the comms. "Commander, Admiral Anderson is available on vid comm."

Shepard acknowledged the message and immediately returned to the communications room. Before she had time to do much of anything, Anderson's image appeared and he called her name. "So, I imagine by now, you've wiped the galaxy clean of Reapers and we can come up for air?"

"Not quite." Shepard chuckled as she continued, "There have been a few complications."

"Aren't there always?" Anderson shrugged and smiled at the young commander. "Hackett filled me in on the Rachni and the Crucible project. Sounds like you've got some knots to untangle."

It was Shepard's turn to shrug. "I'm just glad I got to Kahlee in time... and I don't mean to be a parrot, but aren't there always? Besides, that's what you hired me for."

At the mention of Kahlee, Anderson's expression turned solemn. "I owe you for keeping Kahlee out of Cerberus' hands, Shepard. That's twice now they've almost gotten to her."

Shepard smiled softly. "She misses you. I'll be happy to pass on any messages you have for her. In case Hackett didn't tell you, she's been moved to the Crucible Project."

"He did... and thanks." Anderson shrugged. "Just tell her I love her... and that I miss her... even if it is something she already knows. I wouldn't know what else to say... conditions here change by the minute and she's well aware of how dangerous this war is. End of the world has a way of reminding you of what's important in your life."

"You'll see her soon." Shepard gave him a half-hearted smile, fearing she had just lied to the man. "But I'll pass your message on, just the same."

"I can hope, but you've got bigger things to worry about right now." Anderson pointed at her and his volume increased. "I hope all the politics haven't sidetracked you from the real reason I pulled your ass out of confinement... killing Reapers."

"It's nothing I can't handle, Anderson." Shepard's voice picked up an edge. "No need to worry. We've been killing plenty of Reapers. What about you? What's happening on Earth?"

Anderson shook his head and gave her a brief rundown on the situation; none of it surprised her, but it still hurt to have her worst fears confirmed; Earth was taking a serious beating and by the time the war was done, Humans might not have a livable homeworld to return to. Anderson's personal situation was also tenuous at best and all Shepard could promise was that she'd return as quickly as she possibly could. Her only hope was that he would still be alive and well when she finally got there.

Once her post-mission responsibilities were complete, Traynor shut down her workstation to take a break. She had monitored the mission, collated the data and transmitted the report, and then coordinated and completed the two QEC vid comms for Shepard with the two Admirals. As she scanned the logs prior to their transmission, she had noticed Riana's name on the med bay list and her heart rate jumped significantly as she contemplated what could have happened to the Asari. Only the combination of her military training and Shepard's calm demeanor had kept her at her station. Surely, if Riana, or anyone for that matter, had been hurt, the commander would not be so relaxed. You're overreacting, Sammi. Shepard and Liara would be hovering outside the med bay door until they were certain Riana would be alright. Besides, if it had been anything really serious, they would have called for an emergency medivac. She's fine.

As illogical as her reaction was, as soon as her terminal light went red, indicating it was secured, Traynor had to concentrate on not bolting to the elevator. She proceeded as best she could at a normal pace and didn't breathe a sigh of relief until she had descended a deck and rounded the corner from the elevator, only to see Dr Chakwas sitting at her desk in an otherwise empty med bay. Traynor stopped in her tracks and glanced through the mess; no Riana in sight. Shepard and Liara had gone off duty and Traynor had watched them board the elevator together, going to the loft to sleep. That meant Riana was most likely on duty... and Traynor wasn't sure how Riana would react if interrupted at work.

Frustrated with her own indecision, Traynor admitted to herself she was stalling and pointed herself across the deck, moving quickly to the Information Operations office door. She fidgeted after she rang the entry chime; the twenty-second delay before the door opened seemed like an eternity. She quickly stepped through to find a smiling Riana standing before her. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Specialist?"

Taken aback by the use of her title, Traynor stuttered, "Oh! I... uh... I just came by to see you. To see how you were after the mission, that is." Traynor blushed as she spoke. "I... um... heard that a number of Krogan were killed, so I knew the mission was dangerous... and then I saw your name on the med bay list..." Her voice tapered off when she realized how silly it all seemed; now that Riana was standing before her, in perfectly good health, she felt like an overprotective, doting idiot. "Oh, sod it. I was worried about you and you probably think me a complete ass for thinking you unable to take care of yourself."

Traynor closed her eyes and awaited Riana's laughter, sure she had just made an utter fool of herself in the Asari's eyes. Instead, she felt a soft hand on her cheek, accompanied by an even softer voice. "Sammi, I would never think poorly of you for being concerned for my welfare. I find it sweet."

Traynor's eyes crept slowly open in disbelief. "Honestly? You're not mad that I assumed the worst?"

"Of course not. I know our imaginations are often our own worst enemy." Riana grinned. "None are immune to such a thing and I am... pleased... you thought to check up on me."

Traynor couldn't believe her luck, but had quickly shifted from embarrassed to confused. "I know it's really not my business, but I can't help it... If you're fine, why was your name on the mandatory med bay visit list?"

Riana smiled softly. "Because of Liara's eezo imbalance. Dr Chakwas wants to check both of us after every mission to make sure we aren't depleting our eezo reserves... particularly after long, difficult missions with heavy biotics usage. This mission certainly qualified in that regard."

"So you're not sick or injured..." Traynor hesitated and, when she resumed, her voice was etched with compassion. "... but how are you? Really?"

"I'm tired." Riana's eyes pinched and her joviality faded. "And concerned about Mistress Liara and Commander Shepard. They have been going on every mission and do not get enough rest."

"Come on." Traynor reached out and took Riana's hand, pulling her back to her bed. Riana started to protest, but Traynor wouldn't hear it. "If they are wearing themselves down, it's going to be up to you to keep them safe... which you can't do if you are as tired as they are. So..." Traynor spun Riana until she was facing the bed and gave her a gentle push down onto the bed. She climbed up behind her and when she heard no additional protests, promptly started to massage Riana's shoulders.

When she moved to the Asari's neck, Traynor stopped when she heard a sharp inhale. "Is your neck tender?"

"No. You don't know much about Asari physiology, do you?" Riana blushed and laughed nervously.

Upon Traynor's negative reply, Riana explained about the sensitivity of the Asari crest and neck ridges, the numerous locations on her body that were reactive to contact, and the multitude of erogenous zones. After being extremely apologetic for her ignorance, Traynor was ready to leave but Riana stopped her with a simple sentence. "Do not apologize; I find your touch... pleasurable... and would very much like you to stay."

"You..." Traynor was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. Really. We did say we wanted to get to know one another better." Riana's eyes drifted closed as she stretched out again on the bed. "I believe this is part of that process... and I would really appreciate it if you would proceed with your massage." Riana paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "You were correct when you told me eight years is a long time, Sammi. Our last encounter taught me that I have missed a gentle touch much more than I realized. I can offer no promises, but believe I would like to experience such once again... with you. Only time will tell if we can become more than good friends."

Eden Prime, Utopia, Exodus Cluster

Shepard and Liara stood quietly together on the shuttle as they approached Eden Prime. The trip had been almost painfully short; the beginning of the FTL travel from Mulla Xul back to the Relay had been eaten up with mission reports and vid comms with Hackett and Anderson. By the time Shepard had gotten done with those things, made her crew rounds and completed her post-mission physical with Dr Chakwas, there had barely been time enough for a five-hour nap... which had been unfortunately interrupted by another of Shepard's nightmares. To have any chance of falling back to sleep, she had gotten up and taken a quick shower to wash off the sweat and sooth her rattled nerves; a worried Liara had joined her, troubled because her physical presence was apparently no longer enough to keep the commander's disturbing dreams at bay as it had done in the past.

Liara wondered how long they could endure nights of disturbed sleep before it began to seriously impact their ability to perform their duties. Her and Shepard's fears were traveling along the same lines and when Samantha sensed the Asari's thoughts through the link, she tipped her head and whispered, barely loud enough for Liara to hear above the noise inside the shuttle. "Hey. We'll be fine. We'll figure it out. We always do."

Liara's eyes came up off the deck and she looked at her commander to see sparkling green eyes filled with mischief and a tantalizing smile creeping onto her lips. She observed the Human's expression only briefly before asking, "How can you be so certain?"

Shepard laughed softly, "Because it's you and I and we've never failed yet. I don't plan on starting now... Do you?"

Despite her concerns, the edges of Liara's lips started to curl in answer as she spoke, unable to keep Shepard's infectious optimism from beginning to worm its way into her thoughts. "No. I do not. But there is always a first time."

Shepard nodded. "There certainly is... and I'm planning lots of firsts in our future. The first time I get bonded and then maybe married. The first time we have a child and make our folks grandparents." Shepard's smile faded, suddenly realizing her mother would most likely never see her grandbabies, with Liara being so young. Her spirits lifted quickly again as she continued, "And... the first time the galaxy can look forward to a future free of the Reapers, when we can finally live in peace."

"Those are definitely firsts I can look forward to." Liara smiled shyly and gave Shepard a quick peck on the cheek. "So let's take the next step and find whatever Cerberus is so interested in before they take it off-world."

Vega glanced at the couple. "Commander. This is where you went up against Saren and the Geth for the first time, no?"

Shepard only nodded, so Liara answered, "Yes. And now with Cerberus here, Eden Prime's colonists are under attack again."

Shepard snorted in disgust. "It seems like more than three years ago... and they deserve better than to be attacked by their own damn people."

Vega frowned, "First Saren and now Cerberus. I wonder if they're doing to Eden Prime what they were trying on Benning... collecting civilians to put through their indoctrination process."

Shepard's snort quickly turned into a growl. "Not on my watch."

"Damn straight!" Vega punctuated his statement by pulling his assault rifle and punching the door pad. It slid open to reveal a beautiful green planet and a colony that looked very much deserted.

Liara's voice rose above the wind howling in the door as Cortez brought the shuttle around on final approach. "Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard. Whatever they found here was worth a major offensive. They killed everyone near the dig site, but there are survivors elsewhere on the colony. They have formed a resistance; perhaps while we are here, we can find information that could be useful to them."

Shepard grimaced. "With Earth under attack and Arcturus Station gone, the Alliance couldn't get enough forces here to help..."

Liara was glum as she finished Shepard's thought, "I know. They did what they could, but Cerberus came in too quickly... and in force."

James growled, "Then we'll do a repeat of Benning. Kill the bastards and give the Alliance a chance to reestablish a foothold."

"Roger that, LT. We'll do what we can, but our first priority has to be finding the artifact before Cerberus has a chance to move it." Shepard's glance shifted back to Liara. "And nothing new came through that gave you any hints as to what it is?"

"No. I'm sorry, Shepard." Liara's demeanor turned to one of disappointment. "The Alliance didn't get any specifics before communications were cut and we just found the resistance movement, so have not yet made contact." She glanced back and forth between Shepard and James. "Whatever it is, it's better off with us than with Cerberus."

"No argument here, that's for sure." If Shepard was going to say anything else, it didn't happen; she was cut off by Cortez.

"No signs of Cerberus, but the shuttle just got pinged, so they know we're here." He glanced back over his shoulder and continued, "You'll probably only have a few minutes."

Shepard turned to her team of six; Wrex, Edi and Bethany Westmoreland were also along for the ride, but had been silent on the quick trip down, absorbed in their own thoughts. Shepard knew Wrex was thinking about the Genophage cure and heading to Tuchanka next, assumed Bethany was concerned about Sarah Campbell, who was grounded while she recovered from her shoulder injury, and had absolutely no idea what could possibly be weighty enough to distract Edi. She made a mental note to question the AI about it later as she addressed the group. "You heard the man. Won't be long before we have company, so heads-up and be ready."

She turned her focus to Vega. "James... Your squad is Wrex and Edi; I've got Liara and Bethany, but we'll move together unless Cerberus backs off."

Vega frowned. "I doubt that'll happen if we're anywhere close to that artifact."

"Agreed. So, in the meantime, standard 3-man supporting fire-teams." Shepard made eye contact and got an acknowledging nod from everyone as the shuttle came to a static hover. Shepard shouted, "Let's do it!" and leapt out the door onto a rock road leading into the colony.

They saw no survivors as they worked their way into the small settlement. Liara provided directions from information gathered by Riana; the colony had reported the location of the find before Cerberus arrived on site, took down the communications buoy, and killed the researchers. The Normandy team's entire plan was predicated on Cerberus not yet having moved the artifact.

As they moved into the first group of buildings, Edi found a Cerberus processing update, indicating they were indeed taking civilians against their will. James muttered a curse under his breath and Liara glanced at the angry lieutenant as she spoke, "Shepard. This data could help the colonists still alive on other parts of the planet... verifying that Cerberus is up to no good and solidifying support for the resistance!"

Shepard kept moving as she answered, "Edi. Collect what you can and bring it back to the Normandy. Liara... We don't have time to work it now, but once we get back and you establish contact with them, you can send them everything we get. I'm sorry, but it's the best we can do right now."

"No apologies, Shepard. I understand our primary mission and agree with you."

Liara's thoughts were derailed when James suddenly queried, "Hey, Liara? You ever find any dinosaurs while you're digging around?"

"No. Dinosaurs were an Earth phenomena and I never did any digs there. Besides, looking at fossils is paleontology. I'm an archeologist... I study artifacts left by sapient species. The two fields are completely different and..." She stopped talking for a moment when Shepard started to laugh, realizing what had happened. Liara's face carried a light blush as she rolled her eyes and continued, "... and you were joking."

James chuckled at Liara's expense, "Hey, I just like dinosaurs."

They stepped around a corner and Liara gasped, "There! That's the elevator that leads down into the dig site."

"On your toes, people!" Shepard looked around carefully before stepping into the open to approach the elevator control console. "I imagine Cerberus can't be too far away."

When they arrived, Shepard looked to the researcher. "Liara, you're up." As Liara holstered her pistol and stepped up to the controls, the commander's glance went to the remaining crew as she continued, "Defensive perimeter. Shout out if you see anything."

The team deployed relatively quickly to the available cover while Shepard continued to stand at Liara's right hip. While Liara faced the console, Shepard was faced outward to ensure nothing surprised them. It didn't work, since the surprise came up on the elevator; Liara's hands slowed, and then came off the interface as she spoke hesitantly, "Goddess... that... doesn't seem possible."

Shepard turned just enough to speak to Liara over her shoulder while still keeping her eyes pointed mostly outward. "What's not possible?"

Liara stepped away from the console and moved quickly forward to the artifact on the elevator floor. "It's not a Prothean artifact... it's... a Prothean."

Heads turned in their direction and Shepard spoke firmly, "Focus, people. Keep us safe." She turned completely to Liara as she continued, "As in a Reaper modified Collector?"

Liara's voice pitched with excitement, "No! An original, unmodified Prothean... who's still alive!"

"You're right. That doesn't seem possible." Shepard's face was clouded with doubt.

Liara moved to examine the pod and answered Shepard at the same time. "You saw the Prothean stasis chambers in the archives on Ilos; they failed due to lack of power. The researchers must have located this in an underground bunker that somehow escaped the Reaper's notice. It's still fully functional!"

"You're saying there's a live Prothean in there... who's been in stasis for 50,000 years?" Shepard stared at the pod in amazement.

"Yes!" Liara was scanning the pod with her omnitool as she spoke. "He's been waiting for someone to discover him... think of what we could learn!" She suddenly looked up at Shepard and blurted out, "Goddess! With the cipher, you may be able to understand him!"

"Let's get him out of there, then... before Cerberus shows up." She didn't have time to bring it up, but Shepard noted Liara's expression and knew that somehow, some day, she would make sure Liara had the opportunity to get back into archaeology. The excitement of the discovery was painted all over the young doctor's face.

"Whoever the Protheans were, finding one alive represents an incredible opportunity." Liara continued to scan the pod as she spoke. "If this single Prothean was sent into stasis, he could be the foremost scientist of his time... or perhaps the wisest councilor..."

Liara's excitement suddenly waned. "Oh no... Cerberus damaged the pod... probably in their haste to remove it. The life signs are unstable." She looked worriedly at Shepard. "We don't have much time and we need to find the appropriate command signals; one that ends the stasis mode and another to actually open the pod."

Shepard was normally optimistic, but that sounded like a tall order. "How the hell are we supposed to find that? What happens if we just pry it open?"

Liara's head snapped up and her voice bordered on panic, "No! Forcing the pod open would kill him." When she realized Shepard had no intention of doing so without her approval she relaxed and continued, "The researchers found some recordings and have two labs set up working on decoding them. Our first step would be to locate those labs."

James shouted out, "Heads up! Game time... we've got inbound!"

The Cerberus shuttle was on a hot approach and it was only moments before it roared over their heads and started dumping out troops. The first load was only two Nemesis snipers and a Centurion. Shepard almost laughed, knowing the Nemesis troops wore minimal armor; she shouted out, "Edi! Overload! Left-hand Nemesis!"

Shepard pulled on her biotics and as soon as she saw the Nemesis' shields spark and go down, she launched herself across the gap and literally crushed her opponent. {Keep the second Nemesis off me if you can, Love.}

{Goddess! I hate when you do that!} Liara's voice came through the link as Shepard turned toward the Centurion and slammed him with a Nova shock wave, obliterating his armor, before finishing him off with a Graal shotgun spike buried in the center of his chest.

Turned out Liara didn't have to do anything; Wrex charged across the courtyard and slapped the other Nemesis with a warp before blasting her with his shotgun. Since she still had shields up, it wasn't enough to kill her, but the warp had stunned her, allowing Wrex to close the gap, and the weapon blast did enough damage to her shields that Wrex didn't even bother to cycle the gun; he simply crushed her skull with the butt of the shotgun.

As the rest of the team moved to catch up to Shepard, she looked around. "We don't have a lot of options... let's get moving and find those labs before more Cerberus arrive."

The team fanned out and quickly worked their way through a number of buildings, finding more information for Liara to pass to the resistance movement and picking up spare thermal clips as they went. They quickly realized the Cerberus troops included at least one Engineer when they ran into their first turret. Edi overloaded it, Vega blew it up and Liara quickly put its Engineer in stasis, leaving him easy pickings for Bethany's assault rifle. Once they lost the cover fire from the turret, the remaining Cerberus forces from the second wave fell quickly and the Normandy team pressed forward.

Edi located the entry to the first lab and quickly called out. When the team rallied at the coordinates she provided, she reported, "The logs indicate this footage contained the key to physically opening the pod, but they were unable to break the code. I understand their difficulty... I perceive no encryption; it is simply impossible to interpret. I fear the recording has been lost during their attempts to decrypt it, Shepard."

Shepard was watching the footage on the screen and didn't understand Edi's comments. Without taking her eyes off the screen, Shepard queried, "What are you talking about, Edi?"

Edi's head tipped in puzzlement, but before she could respond, Liara realized what was happening and held her hand up, stopping the AI from speaking. "I believe the cipher allows Shepard to see the footage. We see nothing but static, but Shepard is watching... and understanding... whatever it contains."

Edi's head returned to its normal upright position. "Fascinating."

Based on Edi's and Liara's comments, Shepard narrated the events for the rest of the team, describing the Reaper attack on an obviously Prothean city; she didn't have enough data to determine yet if it was Eden Prime. As it continued, she spoke of the appearance of the Collectors. "Exactly like what we've experienced. Their own people were changed and turned against them."

She watched the battle unfold and sighed. "There should have been a lot more Protheans who survived, but the Reapers found them and destroyed over 300,000 pods." Shepard suddenly stopped speaking and focused intently on the screen. "That's it. I've got the code to open the pod!"

Liara exclaimed, "Oh, thank the Goddess!"

After the footage ended, Shepard turned to Liara. "I don't know who the main Prothean in the footage is, but he's important... and I'm sorry, Liara, but I think the one in the pod is probably him... and he's no scientist. He's a military commander."

"That would be... disappointing." Liara's face scrunched in dissatisfaction. "But if that's the case, at least he should know about the weapon." The expression on her face suddenly turned to one reflecting humor. "Goddess. What am I thinking? At the moment, that's certainly more critical than me getting insight into Prothean culture!"

"I'm sorry, Li. I know you were hoping for some cultural leader, but given our circumstances, this may be exactly who we need." The commander ran her hand down Liara's arm in a soothing motion. "Come on. Let's find the second lab and get our Prothean out of his pod. You'll still be able to learn some cultural aspects from him..." Shepard smiled at her. "No matter his occupation."

"Of course." Liara shook her head. "And here I thought I had completely acclimated to being a Spectre's right hand. All it takes is an interesting archaeological find and I instantly transform back into the bumbling young researcher!"

Shepard turned to her, prepared to dispute her statement and realized Liara was grinning at her. "Thank you, Shepard, but I was teasing you. From the look on your face, quite successfully at that."

The commander smirked, "You remember that, T'Soni. I'll get even... eventually."

Liara actually laughed. "I do believe I am still way behind, if you are keeping score. I owe you many more before you can even think of claiming any right of revenge."

"You are most likely correct, Dr T'Soni." Shepard laughed lightly and smiled. "Now. Let's go find the second lab with the stasis code."

They moved out and ended up passing through the habitation shelters. Shepard stepped into a living room and froze in her tracks. "Gods, it's like they knew the people who did this to them. They were gunned down while having drinks and watching the game. No sign of panic or defensive wounds."

James was absolutely disgusted and growled, "Son of a bitch, this was somebody's home."

The normally quiet Bethany cussed under her breath, but being directly behind the commander, Shepard heard every word. "That's awful. Fucking Cerberus. I hope they all rot in Hell."

Distracted by Bethany's uncharacteristic outburst, Shepard stepped too close to an automated door and it opened before she expected. She was immediately caught in a barrage of turret fire, which ripped down a sizeable portion of her barriers before she was able to find cover.

{Samantha! Are you injured?} Having felt Shepard's spiking anxiety, Liara's 'voice' was tense, reflecting her concern for Shepard's wellbeing.

Shepard immediately reassured her. {I'm fine, Li. My barrier held... but just barely, so I'll need to stay in cover for a bit to give it time to regenerate.}

Bethany was seriously pissed off and she joined James Vega in tossing a couple of grenades out into the courtyard immediately following Edi's overload of one of the turrets. Wrex was also not pleased, bellowing out, "Don't mess with the Krantt of Urdnot Wrex, you worthless Pyjaks!"

His shout was immediately followed by a thunder of footsteps, an extremely powerful warp, and the bark of his shotgun... all of which, in turn, was followed by the explosion of the second turret and the pained scream of an Engineer. Wrex seemed to have gone berserk, to the point where Shepard actually wondered if he had slipped into a blood rage, thinking her injured. A quick glance from her hiding spot made her realize Wrex was simply being Krogan and she slipped out of cover to rejoin the fight, which didn't last long. The Normandy ground team had fought together frequently enough to know each other's strengths, weaknesses and fighting styles. They proved to be an exceptionally deadly combination that was much more than the raw Cerberus recruits were equipped to handle.

When the field fell quiet, Wrex pointed at the end shelter of a string to his right. His voice boomed through the silence, "That's your second lab, Shepard. Get your code, so we can go kill more of those Cerberus bastards."