A/N - Focused a lot on Shepard / Tali in the previous couple of chapters so wrote this one focusing on two other characters. phil, you should be happy with the last third!

The ground crew of the Normandy were sat together in the mess enjoying lunch. Unfortunately for Tali, she was having to make do with her usual tube of food paste. She didn't mind so much at the moment, as the tubes provided by Shepard appeared to never run out.

I swear that man is somehow managing to keep my food supply constant without me knowing.

While Tali sat quietly, thoughts about Shepard crossing her mind like usual, particularly regarding recent events after Agebinium, the rest of the squad were busy arguing over… well, nothing in particular it seemed, at least from what Tali was taking in. But everyone appeared to be stressed as the main mission, the capture of Saren, had completely stalled. Everyone was giving their opinion on what they should do next. Wrex, and even Liara, were of the opinion that Shepard could confront the Council to demand answers and information. Alenko and Ashley thought the Alliance should be providing more help, considering the number of missions Shepard had undertaken to help them in return. Even Garrus was so concerned that he even considered calling in a favour from, of all people, his father.

"What do you think, Tali?" asked Ashley.

"Sorry, what?" replied Tali, her own train of thought completely broken.

"The mission, Tali, to catch Saren. What do you think Shepard should do?"

Tali thought for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea, Ash."

Ash appeared surprised. "Oh… That's not like you, Tali. You're usually full of ideas."

Tali sighed. "Got a lot on my mind at the moment."

The table went quiet as Ashley leaned in. "Anything you would like to talk about, you know, woman to woman?" she asked quietly.

Tali would have giggled if the situation was different. "It's not anything like that, Ash. Nothing regarding what Alenko likes to joke about, if that's what you mean." Alenko pulled a face but then grinned, knowing to what she was referring. "It's just… I don't know how much I can share about…" Tali trailed off.

"Is it about the Commander?"

Of course it is. I'm always thinking about him.

Tali nodded, wringing her hands again. "How well do any of you really know him? I mean really know him?"

Most of the team shrugged their shoulders. "He doesn't really share much, Tali. You, of all people, should know what he's like. Always plenty of questions about us, opinions he likes to give about matters in the galaxy, asking our opinions on the team or mission. But as for his own personal stuff? Seems like that is off-limits to the rest of us. All we've learned is what has been revealed by others, such as that man we ran into the Citadel, and the other day on Agebinium. But, other than that, Shepard won't say or reveal anything, at least to us," replied Ashley, "Why do you ask?"

Tali thought for a moment. She'd shared quite a bit with Chakwas a couple of nights before. The doctor had listened in silence for most of it. She didn't write anything down or record what Tali said, she merely listened to Tali explain what she felt, what she had seen, what she thought. Chakwas knew Tali cared greatly for the Commander and was there simply out of concern. There wasn't much Chakwas could do except give her opinion and say she'd keep an eye on things. Tali simply felt better having let most of what she knew off her chest.

"I think he's struggling," Tali finally said quietly.

The table was quiet again, mostly in surprise. The one word they wouldn't think of when talking about Shepard is struggle. The Commander seemed completely unfazed in most situations. At most he had the occasional outburst of anger and generally showed compassion towards Tali. Other than that, he was relatively calm.

Or so they thought.

"How do you mean?" asked Alenko, leaning forward with elbows on the table, the rest of the squad following suit so Tali didn't have to talk too loudly.

"You were all there on the Citadel when some of his past was revealed. And then just the other day on Agebinium, when we dealt with the man behind Elysium. You've all learned at least a little bit about him, I guess." The team nodded. Tali took a deep breath. "He's shared a lot with me recently about it." The team now grinned slightly. "There's a lot in his past you don't know about, that I can only guess he doesn't want people to know. But… he told me."

"Why?" asked Ashley.

"He said he trusts me."

Everyone shared looks across the table, knowing glances and smiles exchanged. Tali noticed these but ignored them as there was no point arguing anymore.

"If you think he is struggling then, Tali, what he needs is a friend like yourself. A confidant. He probably won't come to Alenko or myself, as we're his subordinates. And, no disrespect to Wrex, Garrus or Liara, but it's clear who he considers his closest friend on here. It's clear that if he trusts you, then all you can do is continue to be there for him," stated Ashley.

"I guess so, Ashley. But he just seems so troubled at times. There's just so much on his plate. There's the mission regarding Saren, and the fact we're completely out of ideas and the Council don't appear to be of any help at all. Then all these events coming out of the past. Then the Alliance continually leaning on him for help. It's something you guys don't see. Or he doesn't want you to see. I guess he has to project an image as 'the Commander'."

"I don't know about everyone else," said Liara, "But I have faith in Shepard and it's going to take a lot more than what's been revealed to shake that. Everyone has a past and some of us prefer it to remain there. I can understand why Shepard would be troubled. And everyone is going to have their private moments of doubt. I know I have had my own at times, and it is Shepard who put those doubts to rest, with a kind and comforting word which does nothing but inpsire confidence in yourself and the mission at hand."

Tali grinned behind her mask at that.

Typical Shepard.

"And if Shepard chooses to share his own doubts or troubles with you, Tali," continued Liara, "Then as Ashley said, simply be there for him when he needs it. The rest of his team will always have his back, no matter what." There were a succession of nods around the table.

"I'll always have Shepard's back, and we're going to kick Saren's ass while I'm doing it," stated Garrus firmly.

"If there is a greater human warrior, I have yet to meet him," added Wrex.

Tali could only grin behind her mask. Her own belief in Shepard was unshakable. She trusted him implicitly in return to his own trust in her. To hear his team echo her own sentiments renewed her own confidence.

Shepard has a great team.

"Thanks guys," said Tali, a smile in her voice, feeling a slight sense of relief, though her mind was still troubled by what Shepard was currently experiencing. She knew she hadn't revealed everything she had heard or seen, but just giving the basics made her feel slightly better.

"What is Shepard up to anyway?" asked Alenko.

"He's with Joker in the cockpit," answered Garrus.

"Another mission?"

Garrus nodded. "Yes, I think we're heading into the Kepler Verge."

"What for?"

"Shepard said he'd help me out with a problem I have. We're going to solve it."

Garrus and Shepard waited together as Joker manoeuvred the Normandy into docking alongside the MSV Fedele. Garrus was feeling more focused on the next mission than he'd been on any previous mission, or so he felt. This was a story at least two years in the making finally coming to completion.

"Okay, Garrus, this is your mission and your show. So it's up to you how we handle this," stated Shepard as the pair walked into the decontamination chamber.

"Are you sure, Shepard?"

"Of course, Garrus. This was your case originally, and as far as I'm concerned, it's still your case now. If Doctor Saleon, or Doctor Heart, or whatever he calls himself now, is based on this ship, I'm leaving it up to you as to how we handle all this. I'm merely here as helping you out as a friend."

Garrus just nodded. "Thanks, Shepard."

"Don't mention it."

The pair took the assault rifles off their backs, checking over the weapons and armour before finally the decontamination cycle ended, and the pair stepped onto the Fedele. The room was dark and empty, with no enemy contact. Shepard looked at Garrus and jerked his head, leaving Garrus to take point. Garrus raised his rifle and moved slowly through the room towards the door at the end. Garrus took cover at one side, Shepard at the other. Garrus looked at Shepard and nodded, Shepard pushing the button to open the door, Garrus moving out into the hallway, rifle raised, searching for targets. Left and right he looked, the faint light showing no enemy contacts again.

"All clear, Shepard," announced Garrus.

The pair moved deeper into the craft and another door.

"Cargo hold," whispered Shepard, Garrus nodding in agreement. The same tactic, each taking cover at the side of the door, Shepard pushing the button to open the door, Garrus moving in. At first, there were no contacts, just piles of crates littered all over the room, but echoing around the room was a sound. It sounded like growling.

"Spirits, what is that noise?" wondered Garrus to himself. He felt a tap on his shoulder from Shepard, Garrus moving forward, remaining in cover behind a stack of crate, stopping at the corner and looking around.

If Garrus could have turned deathly white at what he saw, he would have. The creatures he saw were… he couldn't really think of a proper word. Only one word appeared to really describe what he saw.

Monsters.

"Shepard, you have to see this," he whispered. He felt movement from behind him as Shepard joined alongside him, peering around the corner.

"What the fuck?" Shepard almost cried.

Garrus and Shepard both took in what they saw. The monsters were deathly grey, no real skin cover as a number of their internal organs showed, and the skin that they did have was covered in scars. Organs appeared to be growing on the outside of their bodies in various places. Whatever these things were, they were not long human, turian, asari… whatever. They shuffled around the room almost on auto-pilot. They were nothing but victims of a sadistic experiment.

"We have to put them down, Shepard. There's nothing we can do for them otherwise."

He heard Shepard sigh. "I agree, Garrus."

The pair went about the job methodically as they despatched Doctor Saleon's test subjects with relative ease. Once they opened fire, the test subjects did try and defend themselves, but the pair were never really threatened. But Garrus felt slightly guilty about having to kill these creatures, but they were no longer whatever they once were. Garrus was now furious. Doctor Saleon would pay for his crimes. He made sure to take photos and video with his omni-tool of what he saw. He would not escape justice again.

The pair walked through the hold towards the other side, the door already open, the short hallway leading on to the cockpit with a door leading off to either side. They checked the cockpit, which was empty, before returning down the hallway. One of the doors was locked, leaving the other as the only option. The pair stored their assault rifles on their backs before Shepard turned to Garrus.

"How do you want to do this, Garrus? Remember, your choice."

Garrus thought for a moment. "Justice, Shepard. Not revenge."

Shepard grinned slightly at the turian. "Good choice, Garrus. Let's get him."

The pair un-holstered the pistols, ready for whatever lay on the other side of the door. Shepard pushed the button.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me from those things," stated the salarian.

"That's him, Shepard. That's Doctor Saleon," stated Garrus, pistol raised and pointed at the salarians head.

"Wha… What? No, you're wrong. My name is Doctor Heart. It's Doctor Heart," stammered Doctor Saleon, "Please, get me out of here."

"Garrus, this is your call, but are you sure it's him?"

"One hundred percent sure, Shepard. This is the bastard. There's no escape this time, Doctor Saleon. I'd enjoy harvesting your organs for a change, Doctor, but we simply don't have the time to waste."

"You're crazy!" stated Doctor Saleon, his voice edged with fear, "He's crazy! I'm not who you say I am. Please, don't let him do this to me!"

"What do you want to do, Garrus?"

"I'd love nothing more than to put a bullet in him, Shepard, but… Take him in, Spectre. He'll pay for his crimes."

"We'll take him back to C-Sec, but interrogate him on the way. See what he's been up to."

Garrus nodded. "Okay, Shepard." He looked at the salarian. "Thank your lucky stars I've learned a thing or two from Shepard, Saleon. The old Garrus would have simply put a bullet in you and walked off this ship, leaving you here to rot for eternity."

"You're not taking me in!" shouted Saleon defiantly.

The pair realised the situation that was about to erupt, and ran forward to tackle the salarian before he did anything stupid. Shepard flipped the salarian onto his front and cuffed his hands behind him. That done, Shepard lifted the salarian to his feet.

"Shepard, hold a moment while I check some of these terminals. I'm sure there's plenty of information."

Shepard waited patiently, keeping a firm hold of the doctor, as Garrus started checking terminals. There was plenty of incriminating evidence – reports on test subjects, plenty of photo documentation of experiments carried out, receipts for organs bought and sold. Garrus downloaded everything to his omni-tool and walked back to Saleon, grabbing the salarian by the collar.

"As I said, Doctor, be glad Shepard was here, otherwise you'd simply be on the floor with a bullet in your fucking head," he growled into the his face, "Okay, Shepard, we're done here."

Silence.

Not one of the three occupants uttered a word as the elevator descended to C-Sec.

In the middle stood Doctor Saleon. The salarian was finally quiet. His interrogation had been long, but Garrus finally retrieved all the information he wanted out of him. It had been brutal at times, Shepard and Garrus replaying their 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' routine. Unlike Doctor Wayne, the salarian could withstand the pressure a lot longer. Shepard had said it was up to Garrus how far he wanted to take it. Shepard eventually left the interrogation room once he'd seen enough. He didn't think any less of Garrus. He knew the turian wanted to go a whole lot further. He trusted his colleague to do the right thing. In the end, he did. But it didn't stop the sense of satisfaction on the turians face when he exited the interrogation room.

Shepard was to the left out of the salarian, dressed in combat armour as usual. He occasionally looked across at his turian colleague, his face was near inscrutable. He figured, or hoped, that Garrus had calmed down in the time since he completed his interrogation, but the firm hold he kept on the salarian suggested that his temper was still running hot.

"Alright, Garrus?"

The turian looked across at Shepard in some surprise. "Of course, Shepard. Just want to get this bastard off our hands and into custody. If I ever see him again, it'll be too soon."

"Still want to take him to the Executor?"

"Absolutely."

Shepard just nodded in silence and said nothing further. Soon the doors opened and the pair stepped out, maintaining a firm hold on the salarian. C-Sec officers looked at them as they exited the elevator. A turian officer stepped forward.

"Garrus Vakarian? What are you doing here?"

"I'm with the Spectre," he replied, gesturing to Shepard, "We're going to see the Executor."

"Who's the salarian?"

"Doctor Saleon."

Shepard swore he saw the turians jaw drop. "You caught him?"

"Of course. I may have had to let him go before, but I never give up on a target."

"The Executor will be pleased."

Garrus bristled slightly at that, still blaming him for letting the doctor go in the first place. With a simple nod, Garrus turned away, dragging the salarian towards the sky-car rank. A few minutes later, the trio were on the Presidium, still dragging the salarian towards the Executor's office. Garrus had to admit he was going to take some pleasure in what was to come.

The Executor looked up in surprise as the three bustled into the room. First he glanced at Shepard, giving him a simple nod of recognition. Then the salarian, though giving him no more than a cursory look, before finally looking at Garrus.

"Vakarian. Didn't expect to see you back here."

"I'm dropping off a present."

"Who's the salarian?"

"Doctor Saleon."

For the second time that day, Shepard swore he saw a turians jaw open wide in shock.

"You caught him?" the Executor asked, almost disbelieving.

"Caught him and have the evidence to prove his crimes," Garrus stepped forward, dropping a bunch of OSDs on his desk. "Recorded confession from the salarian. Thousands of documents in regards to the experiments that Saleon had been conducting. Financial records of all the transactions he made. It's all there, Executor."

The Executor sat in almost stunned silence for a moment before standing and walking around the desk. "Good work, Vakarian. Good work," he said, offering his hand. Garrus thought for a moment, before returning the gesture.

The Executor then turned his attention to Shepard. "I must say, Commander, that Spectre's would usually handle a situation like this completely differently."

"Not my style, Executor."

The turian nodded. "So I've heard, Commander. You both have my thanks for handing him over," with the Executor extending a hand again, Shepard returning the compliment.

"Thanks, Executor. I don't expect this to change your opinion of the Spectres, but some of us do operate with respect to doing the right thing and a sense of justice. And don't just go in guns blazing."

The Executor nodded his head. "If you want to leave the good doctor with me then, gentlemen, I will make sure he is dealt with."

Garrus and Shepard sat the salarian in a chair then turned to leave. The Executor called out just as they were about to leave. "Vakarian, just so you know. C-Sec are always looking for capable officers. Just a thought…"

Garrus turned and looked at the Executor for a moment before silently nodding his head, then turning and walking away.

The Mako landed on the surface of Tuntau with a gentle thud, dust rising and then drifting slowly to the ground as the Mako settled on its wheels. As far as the inhabitants of the vehicle knew, the planet was virtually uninhabited, but for the purpose of their mission. They were after only one man, a turian by the name of Tonn Actus.

"Wrex, before we go get Actus, there's just one thing I want to do," announced Shepard to the team within the Mako. Shepard then turned the Mako right, and soon had the vehicle ascending another mountain range.

"By the spirits, Shepard, can you never find an easier path?" muttered Garrus.

"Got to keep you busy somehow, Garrus," replied Shepard.

Once at the top of the mountain, Shepard and Tali could clearly see out at the front at what Shepard was interested in.

"Is that what you want to see, Shepard?" asked Tali.

Shepard just nodded as he shifted the Mako into drive, and slowly accelerated the vehicle forward carefully down the other side of the mountain. At the bottom, he kept driving until the pyramid loomed before them, bringing the Mako to a halt.

"If anyone wants to get out, by all means," stated Shepard, as he opened the door and exited the vehicle. He walked until he was standing just before the pyramid, and soon bound himself joined by Tali, Wrex, Garrus and Liara.

"What's your interest in these pyramids, Shepard?" asked Liara.

Shepard just shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really, in all honesty. As I've said before, there are a load of them on Earth, yet I've never seen one in real life, just on the vids. Always wanted to climb one. No idea who would have built these though. You reckon their Prothean, Liara?"

"It's probable, Shepard. I can't imagine structures such as these would have survived from any civilisation prior to the Protheans."

Shepard nodded his head, then turned and started to climb the pyramid, looking back every so often to see three others follow him, only Wrex walking back towards the Mako and leaning against it as he observed the other four. The incline of the pyramid was slight and it only took a minute or two's worth of climbing before Shepard was near the top. The view was spectacular, seeing for miles around, though it was somewhat saddening that the planet had absolutely nothing redeeming about it.

"Strange place to build a pyramid," he wondered.

"It's possible there was some form of Prothean settlement here over 50,000 years ago, Shepard. We would never know, though, unless we started digging."

"Something for the future perhaps, Liara?"

"After everything I've learned so far, Shepard, I don't know if I want to continue digging up the Protheans. It's turned into such a tragic tale," Liara stated sadly.

"Tragic, Liara, but we can still learn so much from them."

Liara grinned slightly. "You're right, Shepard, but it's still sad nonetheless. The complete annihilation of a species. And who knows how many times before that… The sense of the amount of people lost is sometimes overwhelming when I'm conducting my research."

Shepard placed a hand on Liara's shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze, before he looked down at Wrex, who appeared to be growing restless while waiting. "Well, guess we'd better get going. Something to cross of my bucket list at least."

"What's a bucket list?" asked Tali.

"Oh, it's just a personal list of things a person wants to do before they die."

"And climbing a pyramid was part of this bucket list?"

"I didn't say it was the most exciting of lists, Tali."

"What else is on this list, Shepard?"

Shepard could only smirk. "You may find out one day."

The four descended carefully down the pyramid, Shepard the last to start his descent as he took in one last view. He was still grinning slightly as he made his way down the side of the pyramid, Wrex grumbling away about 'wasting time' as the five piled back into the Mako. When all five were settled, Shepard started up the Mako, Tali informing him of where the pirate base was.

"So who is this Tonn Actus, Wrex?" asked Garrus.

"He's a turian, and a pirate. Collector of krogan artefacts. The older, the better as far as he is concerned."

"How long has he had possession of your family armour?"

"No idea how long Actus has had it. But the armour itself has been lost since the Rebellions."

"Oh…"

"Don't sweat it, Garrus. It's not your fault."

"What's your plan, Wrex?" asked Shepard.

"I'm going to get my armour and kill Actus."

Shepard would usually argue about such an execution, but figured there was no point trying to dissuade the krogan. Shepard had already seen Wrex shoot Fist with no qualms whatsoever, and if Shepard was honest, he cared little if the pirate lived or not. He'd leave the decision to Wrex. If he chose to shoot the turian, so be it.

Soon the Mako was sat at the apex of another mountain, a structure below then.

"I have three targets, Shepard," announced Garrus.

"Can you get a shot with the cannon or machine gun?"

"Not at this angle, Shepard. We'll need to go down."

Shepard pressed the accelerator, the Mako slowly descending the mountainside. Soon Garrus was announcing that the three targets were firing at the Mako, Garrus taking his time to make sure the machine gun was correctly lined up before taking the shot. Nearing the bottom, Shepard heard the machine gun finally open up, Tali stating that the shields were taking hits but there was no major damage to report.

"One down, Shepard," announced Garrus as the Mako was finally on level ground. Shepard brought the Mako to a halt near the door of the facility, Garrus keeping his finger busy on the trigger of the machine gun as the other four exited the Mako, taking cover behind either the vehicle or in the doorway of the facility. Shepard took out his sniper rifle, taking his time to line up the opposing sniper in one of the look-out towers a few metres away. Shepard put the sniper down with ease as the machine gun ceased fire and Garrus exited the vehicle, a grin of satisfaction on his features.

"What's the plan, Shepard?" asked Wrex, once all five were together again.

"Keep it simple. Stay in cover when you can, watch your six, and take your shots. Honestly, no idea what so of layout is inside so it's an unknown. Just watch each other's backs and we'll be fine."

The five entered the facility, an empty room greeting them at first, only another door on the opposite wall as the way forward. The team lined up two by two on each side, Shepard in front, rifle raised. He nodded to Garrus, who pushed the button, the door opening.

There were no targets, Shepard moving cautiously in, sweeping side to side, then quickly moving into cover. The enemy hadn't noticed him enter. Yet. He raised a hand and signalled for his team to follow. All five stayed in cover as they slowly manoeuvred their way forward, using crates to stay hidden. Shepard spread his team out behind the cover, taking notice of the pirates milling about on the other side of the warehouse floor. He was startled by the fact they hadn't heard them enter.

"Garrus," said Shepard into his comm, "See the two snipers on the second floor?"

"Yes, Shepard."

"They're all yours. The rest of us will handle the six down here. Wrex, have you noticed Actus?"

"No, Shepard. He may be in another room."

"Okay. Garrus, we'll proceed once your take your first shot."

The team remained crouched behind cover as Garrus slightly leaned out from his own, sniper rifle in his hands, scope to his eye. He searched the second level for one of the two snipers, just waiting for one of them to appear. Slow, deep breaths. Hands remaining steady. Nothing but a sea of internal calm. Suddenly a head appeared, Garrus immediately locating and firing.

"Now!" shouted Shepard as the four others burst from cover, catching the pirates completely unaware. Two of the pirates went down immediately under constant fire from Shepard and Wrex, while Tali focused a number of tech attacks on the others, taking down shields of two of the others. There was another crack of the sniper rifle, Garrus reporting that the second sniper had been eliminated, meaning that Shepard and his team could now focus on the pirates on the ground level. But still there was no sign of Actus.

Shepard and his team mopped up the rest of the pirates with relative ease, Liara's biotics and Tali's tech attacks leaving Garrus, Shepard and Wrex to handle their resistance with relative ease. When the last pirate fell to the ground dead, the five climbed the stairway to the second floor and the last closed door. Shepard brought the team to a halt.

"He's mine, Shepard," stated Wrex, the angry tone clear to all.

"I know, Wrex," replied Shepard. He turned to the other three. "You don't have to come inside and witness this."

"Are you sure, Shepard?" asked Tali, "What if Wrex… No offence, Wrex, but you're angry. And when krogan get angry…"

Wrex grinned at the little quarian beside him. "Don't be concerned, Tali. Shepard will be fine."

"Okay, if you say so," Tali replied, though she didn't appear convinced. Shepard just laid a hand softly on her shoulder. "I'll be fine, Tali," he said softly, Tali looking up and grinning behind her mask in reply, Shepard able to tell by the way her eyes moved. He turned and looked at the krogan.

"After you, Wrex," he stated, pushing the button for the day. Wrex charged in, Shepard walking in behind him, pushing the button to close the door.

"Urdnot Wrex, I've been expecting this day," stated Tonn Actus. He was standing at the other end of the room. Wrex had his shotgun in hand, aimed directly at the turian. Actus appeared unarmed, to Shepard's amazement.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you where you stand, Actus?" asked Wrex.

"I know why you're here. Perhaps we can negotiate? I give you the armour, you let me live."

Wrex laughed heartily at that comment. "You have got to be joking! This is how it's going to play. I'm going to shoot you. Then I'm going to shoot you again. Pretty much keep shooting you until you're dead. Then I'll take my armour and get the fuck off this nothing planet."

"But…"

"You didn't seriously think you could negotiate with a krogan in your current position, did you, Actus?" asked Shepard. Even he was trying hard to laugh at the comical situation in front of him.

"You'll need the passcodes for the safe!" replied the turian.

"I have friends outside who can help," stated Wrex, "Enough talk." And with that, Wrex fired his shotgun. Shepard turned around as he heard Wrex fire his shotgun again at least twice, then he heard the sounds of shotgun against skin and bone. He heard Wrex growl with rage, hurling abuse at the no doubt dead body of the turian. But it didn't last long. Soon all he heard were the deep, heavy breaths of a krogan, the sound of footsteps approaching him and soon Wrex was at his side.

"It's done," he stated simply.

Shepard turned around. It wasn't a pretty sight, what remaining of Actus barely recognisable as turian, blue blood spreading across the floor and lining some of the wall. He walked over to one of the bunks and grabbed a couple of blankets to at least cover the body. Then he walked back to open the door.

"Tali, we need your help opening the safe."

Tali nodded and followed Shepard into the room, surprised to see he had covered the body, though she could see remnants of blood. But she still smiled at his thoughtfulness as she had heard the shouts and growls from inside the room. The three who had waited outside were left in little doubt as to what had taken place within. She approached the safe, opening her omni-tool to start hacking. With her expertise, it barely took her more than a couple of minutes. Announcing she was done, she moved out of the way as Wrex approached the safe, grabbing the armour within. He looked it over for a moment, Shepard unable to read his face.

"What a piece of crap!" he suddenly exclaimed, Shepard and Tali both chuckling in amazement, "Can you believe our ancestors used to wear this garbage?" Wrex turned to look at Shepard, who despite the outburst, still noticed the krogan had a slight grin on his face, pride in his eyes and an overall look of satisfaction. He could tell the armour truly meant something to to him.

"Thank you, Shepard. I won't forget what you've done for me here. Krogan don't have many friends, but you've proven to be one to me. You have my word, going forward, I'm at your side. Saren doesn't stand a chance."