Shepard walked the corridors with bare feet, cup of tea in hand. The ship was quiet. Nearby her crew slept, but still she prowled past closed doors and empty seats. She found herself at the cockpit and considered sitting for a while.
The stars swirled outside. They were getting closer to the relay.
Her room was filled with echoes of messages for the beacon they were leaving behind.
Kaidan, I'm sorry, I know what you think of me, but if I don't come back you need to know I did this for the right reasons. You need to stop thinking I'm wrong, and pick up where I left off. The galaxy is depending on you, soldier. I know you can do it.
He had to do it.
If they didn't come back then the job fell to him, and although there was the slightest trace of relief at the thought, it was coupled with dread. A war played out without her. Her crew all dead.
This wasn't the place to dwell on these things. Shepard walked away, back down the corridor where memories of her death had faded and been replaced. Her ship had been rebuilt. Some friends had returned, other were lost to her forever.
She considered passing Life Support, her thoughts drifting to Thane asleep on his narrow cot, the covers warm against his skin.
Shepard let her feet take her to the only thing left on the list. The geth wearing her armour.
Legion spoke without preamble the moment the door opened. "We have completed our analysis of the Reaper's data core."
"Oh." Shepard looked around for somewhere to sit, and contented herself with perching on a shelf at the side of the room. She took a sip of her tea. "What did you find?"
"We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the geth's future. We are prepared to reveal how." Legion walked across the room and took up station in front of her. "The heretics have developed a weapon to use against the geth. You would call it a "virus". It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign."
The name made Shepard wince. Her opinions were tainted by it. "What does this virus do?"
"Over time, the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct."
"You'd become like them," Shepard said. "You'd attack us."
Legion's head plates moved in an approximation of a human nod. "Yes. Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determinate. The heretics no longer share this belief."
If they came back, this would be a new problem to deal with.
"Can we do something?" Shepard asked, getting up from her perch.
"Yes. The storage device is located at the heretic's headquarters station, on the edge of the Terminus," Legion replied. "The Normandy could reach it undetected. We will provide coordinates."
Shepard frowned at him. "Supposing we do go there, what then?"
"The geth will disrupt their network. Prevent that station's defences from focussing on—"
"I don't mean that," Shepard interrupted. She put her cup down and stood toe to toe with the geth. "I mean, we go in and we get rid of the virus, and that's it. The heretics become like the rest of you, is that right?"
Legion didn't move. "Yes."
"We interfere with them the way they have tried to interfere with you?"
"Yes."
She'd always considered the geth as the enemy. This was a decision she would have made lightly before Legion changed her perception of them. There was only one way of looking at it now, with the relay in sight.
"Then we go in. Give the coordinates to EDI."
"We will begin preparations." Legion turned away. The scarred N7 armour caught the dull light of the room. Scarred and pitted as it was, Shepard knew her armour. She grabbed his arm, and withdrew quickly as the geth turned at speed.
"Where did you get that?" she asked. Her heart was hammering. Legion was silent for a moment.
"It was yours. When you disappeared we were sent to find you. We began where you first encountered the heretics."
Shepard felt numb. "Eden Prime?"
"After the Old Machine's attack, it was heavily defended." Legion drew back, though the distance between them was still too small for comfort. Old instincts were hard to quell. "We were discovered. This is the impact of a rifle shot." He touched his fingers to the open hole in his chest.
They had been sent to find her. Everyone but the Alliance had been looking for her, and in the end it had been the Blue Suns that had dug her up. She'd never liked them.
"Where else did you look?" Shepard wrapped her arms around herself, the chill of the floor creeping up through her feet.
"We visited Therum. Feros. Noveria. Virmire. Ilos. A dozen unsettled worlds. The trail ended at Normandy's wreckage," Legion told her. "You were not there. Organic transmissions claimed your death. We recovered this debris from your hard suit."
She remembered the clunk of her old helmet against her foot as she waded through the snow. The impact of her fall would have scattered what there was of her. The geth had come looking and found only her shell. "Why were you searching for me?"
"We required confirmation of your death."
That made sense. The armour was a piece of a puzzle that still eluded her. There was too much information, with no answers at the end of it. All that remained was to do the best with what she had.
"I should go. I'll have EDI contact you when we're close." She was cold, but she passed the doors to Life Support, and the promise of warm arms. There were no answers to be found in them.
-0-0-0-0-
Garrus leaned against the bed, ignoring the irritated cluck he received from Chakwas. "What am I here exactly?"
Shepard waited until she heard the med-bay door open, then got to her feet. She wanted Thane beside them for this.
The door to the AI core opened, and for the first time since his arrival, Legion left his room. He looked odd in the pristine surroundings. His chest hole gaped, lights blinking within them, and the battered armour only made him look worse. His height gave him menace.
"Shepard-Commander."
She glanced at Garrus and registered his expression. "Legion. Come on, we can speak in the shuttle."
The geth stalked through the ship, and Shepard stayed close. Some of the crew members regarded him with outright hostility. Others were merely curious. At the briefing she had done her best to explain the factions within the geth, but it rang hollow coming from her.
There was still an outside chance that one of them could react badly.
Garrus raked his gaze over the bystanders. Thane followed close behind. They reached the cock pit without incident.
"You know it's just our heat emissions that are hidden, right?" Joker said, shifting in his chair and looking round at Shepard. "They can look out a window and see us coming."
"Windows are structural weaknesses," Legion replied, and Shepard noted the swiftly hidden amusement from Garrus as he dipped his chin down into his collar.
"Geth do not use them," Legion continued. "Approach the hull at these coordinates."
The geth touched his hands to one of the control panels, and Joker used the opportunity to mimic Legion.
Shepard walked over to stand by Joker. "I'd hate to see you break something," she said softly.
Joker rolled his eyes. "Alright. Taking us in."
They slid alongside the huge ship and came to a halt. Shepard waited until the umbilical was extended before accompanying Legion to the airlock with Thane and Garrus at her side.
"Pressure has stabilised," EDI informed them.
Shepard nodded at Garrus and put her helmet on before turning to Thane. He stepped back, hands tucked behind him, and gave her a small tilt of his head. It was just Garrus and Legion for this one, though Thane would form part of the back-up team should they need one.
They entered the umbilical, and as the door shut behind them Shepard shivered. There was no air or gravity on board the geth ship. It was a hostile environment, crammed with heretics.
The details of the mission were clear. They were to board the heretic's ship and find the data core. Once found, there was a decision to be made. That was where Garrus came in. She needed his opinion.
None of them spoke as they entered the ship. Garrus kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. He also kept watch on the geth walking beside them.
Legion navigated the corridors with ease, guiding them past sleeping units and alarm systems.
The silence went undisturbed.
-0-0-0-0-
Legion found the data core first. He stopped beside it, the screen glowing in the dim shadows of the room. He touched his hands to the control panel and turned to look at Shepard.
"Shepard-Commander, it is time to choose. Do we rewrite the heretics or delete them?"
She had considered their options as they stole through the silent corridors. Now she looked to Garrus. "We destroy them; we have less geth to deal with. We rewrite them, and Legion has more geth on his side."
Garrus laid his gun on his arm and paced. "How do we know you won't turn on us?" he asked the geth.
"The heretics chose a path that prohibits coexistence. We believe all sapient life should self-determinate. They will wipe you out because their Gods demand it."
"We leave them alive, and they kill us." Garrus stopped and stared across the room. "Nobody ever said we had to fight pretty. This all comes down to numbers. Who do we want left standing when we're gone?"
Shepard thought of the numbers she'd already seen. "I don't think we have a choice," she said.
"Our choices don't amount to much," Garrus replied, and he returned to her side, standing close. "We either kill them, or we brainwash them. I know which one I'd choose."
"You oppose the Old Machines." Shepard said. She knew what to do. "Rewrite them."
"Acknowledged." Legion went to work, hands moving over the control panel. "Releasing virus. Note: Remote access via high gain transmission required."
A message from Garrus flashed up on the small screen inside Shepard's helmet.
We just brainwashed the geth.
She replied. Better than killing them. I hope.
"Hey, you guys, are you paying attention to this?" Joker asked.
Shepard stood to attention. "What is it?"
"The virus will be sent to heretics in nearby star systems," Legion told her. "This station will broadcast a powerful electromagnetic pulse through FTL channels. Alert: EM flux will be hazardous to unshielded organic forms."
"Things were getting dull," Garrus said, already running.
"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Shepard said, her eyes fixed on the form of Legion as he led them back to safety.
-0-0-0-0-
Miranda was waiting. Shepard sent Garrus to escort Legion back, and waited until they'd left the docking bay before speaking.
"What is it?"
"I thought you might want to see this." Miranda handed her a datapad, and Shepard scanned over it with a slowly dawning smile. It showed coordinates, followed by a stream of figures.
"An illegal mining operation," Shepard said. She flicked the screen to stare at the estimated worth of ore. "And on the way to the relay. Nice catch."
"Thank you. I thought we could use the proceeds."
"And the opportunity. A final training mission will be useful." Shepard handed the datapad back and allowed herself a smile. "Give Joker the coordinates. I'll tell the lab they can prepare for the second round of testing."
If they came back from the relay there was a chance the lab could find something in time, a treatment that might give Thane a second chance at life. The idea was something to focus on. A thread of hope in the darkness.
"There's one other thing. EDI has informed me that the IFF is almost ready."
"Almost?"
"Our systems need to be integrated with the device," Miranda explained. "There's no room for mistakes on this one."
Shepard opened the door and looked down the corridor. She could hear voices, and a quickly muffled laugh. "How long is almost, EDI?"
"I predict system integration will be finished in five hours, thirty one minutes and nineteen seconds. This will complete the preliminary phase."
"Preliminary," Shepard repeated, nodding her head at Miranda as she took the opportunity to leave. "What then?"
"All systems will need to be tested for stability. I estimate this will be completed within three hours."
Eight hours away from the relay. There was one thing she needed to do first. For now it was easier to pretend.
"Thanks, EDI. Let me know when it's ready," Shepard said, and she headed for her quarters. She wanted to pretend just a little bit longer.
-0-0-0-0-
Garrus dealt the cards, flipping them neatly across the bed into two piles. He let out a small grumble as he picked them up, but Shepard knew better than to fall for that one. She didn't need to understand his sub-harmonics to know when he was playing with her.
"You choose the high card," Shepard prompted. "You won the last hand."
He threw a handful of credit chits onto the bed. "I choose tens."
"Bastard," Shepard muttered. She reached to the floor and grabbed her drink before rearranging her cards. They were even worse than last time.
"So… we're going on a training mission," Garrus said. He laid a card down. "Is this because of Legion?"
"That's right." Shepard frowned at her cards, slapped one down, and hoped Garrus thought this was a ploy of hers.
He laid a high card down, and Shepard scowled at him.
"How about we play for some truth this time? You lose, you tell me why we're going on a half-baked mission when we're supposed to be getting ready for the relay."
"We are ready. The ship isn't."
"Then—"
She laid her best cards down and leant back, admitting defeat. "I lose. The truth is the IFF isn't ready yet."
"So we're waiting. As usual." Garrus scooped up her cards and started to shuffle them. "I guess I'm used to that part by now. You still haven't told me the truth, siha."
It sounded odd coming from Garrus. Shepard kicked the drinks tray, and Garrus' cup fell over, glugging its contents out under the bed.
"Sorry," Shepard said without mustering any sincerity.
Garrus glared at her, reached down, and righted his cup. "That was uncalled for."
She didn't respond.
"I know this has something to do with Thane—"
"How do—"
"Because," Garrus said, getting up to fetch a towel, "I know you, Shepard. You don't do anything without a reason, and right now he is your reason. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I'd like you to tell me. You had all that money just sat around for no reason, and now you want us to go intercept a mining operation?"
He threw a towel under the bed and sat down again.
Shepard looked pointedly at her hands. "I'm funding some research into Kepral's, with Miranda's help."
"Cerberus isn't interested in curing aliens."
"I didn't say Cerberus. I said Miranda."
There was that involuntary flick of the mandibles again. "She is Cerberus."
Shepard leaned closer to Garrus. "For now."
"Ah."
There were no listening devices left on board the Normandy, but there was still the possibility that EDI reported everything they said. There was no way of determining if she ever actually 'logged out'.
"Is this something to discuss when we get back into Alliance territory?" Garrus asked, and Shepard gave him a quick smile. The thought of going home was intoxicating. The pull of the familiar, of the routines and rules that had shaped her was inescapable even after all the Alliance's bullshit.
They could still die out there far from home. There would be no one to retrieve her body this time.
"Garrus, if we don't make it…if we die through there, I want you to know you're my best friend. You're one of my reasons and don't you forget that."
"We're in this to the end, Shepard."
She squeezed his hand and leant into him. He was bony, and uncomfortable, and just the way he had always been from the moment she clapped eyes on him, plus a few scars.
"Good. I'm going to get ready for this training mission of ours."
"Right. Training." Garrus put the cards back into their box and handed them to her. "I'll see you at the shuttle bay, Commander."
She gave him a salute and walked away through the busy corridors of her ship. People saluted as she passed, and Shepard allowed herself a grin as she entered the elevator. They were ready. Maybe they could do this after all.
-0-0-0-0-
She was thinking of the Normandy as they boarded the shuttles, of her room, and the mess hall, and the things yet to do.
They had secured the ore ready for a retrieval team, demonstrating once again their strength as a team. All of them had worked seamlessly together, following orders and allowing the geth to become one of them. It was as she had hoped for.
All that remained now was confirmation of the IFF's readiness.
The shuttle lifted off, and Shepard felt a nudge against her hand. As the lights dimmed Thane twined his fingers with hers. It was enough for now.
"Erm, Commander?" The shuttle pilot's voice was strained.
"What is it, Hendricks?"
"I'm not getting a response from the Normandy."
"Have you asked the other shuttle?" Shepard sat forwards and released Thane's grasp. Garrus copied the motion from his seat opposite.
"Yes, they're having the same problem."
"It's not hardware," Garrus said quietly, his omni-tool lighting up as he scanned the shuttle systems.
Shepard got to her feet and stepped into the cockpit. The screens showed nothing. Outside the sky was clear. "Where the hell are they?" She sat down in the spare seat and patched herself through. Nothing.
"Normandy, do you read? Come in, Normandy."
There was silence. Still the shuttle lifted, out of the atmosphere and out into the stars. A thrill of panic surged through Shepard as she stared at the darkness punctuated by only the smallest glimmers of light. "Joker?"
"There has been a problem."
EDI's response made Shepard freeze. She glanced at one of the screens to see the Normandy closing in fast.
"What kind of problem?"
"The crew have all gone. The Collectors have taken them."