It was several days before they met up with her ship. Natalie was the first one off the ship, and she quickly scanned the area. She was a special class of soldier. The first and only of her kind. When the Facility tested her, they found she had acuity for going over massive amounts of data in seconds and being able to apply that to a combat situation. So being the monster they were, the Fac took that aspect and twisted it into something they could use. Natalie was a long and lean woman who had pale skin and black hair. The most noticeable thing about her besides her beauty and grace was the fact that she always had a visor attached to her face, and her eyes were a pale grey. They were so pale that it made her look blind. And sometimes, Ali thought that she might be. Nat seemed only focused on facts and figures. While she owed the woman her life more than once over, she was a little afraid that Natalie didn't actually care about the people around her. She only lived for the job, and maybe when she got bored of it, Ali's team would be on the wrong end of a barrel.

Pushing aside those dark thoughts, Ali put on a smile and welcomed everyone individually as they stepped into her shuttle bay. "Matt, Baker, how are you two doing?"

"Quite all right, boss. I'm looking forward to killing some Phoenix scum," Baker said wrapping an arm around her shoulder even as she sighed at the title.

"Yeah, I could use some action. It's been a little quiet since you slaughtered Tom in front of everyone. I didn't get the chance to tell you how totally brilliant that was," Matt added with a huge smile on his face. "It was, by the way, brilliant. Our fearless leader back in the boots."

"I'm wearing flats," she commented wiggling her toes to emphasize her point. He glowered darkly for a second before his usual easy smile returned.

"You know what I mean, Al. Come on, don't ruin my fun. I left Sharon and the kid back on the Citadel to get in on this action. You could at least make it worth my time by humoring me," he joked pushing gently on her shoulder.

"Fine, whatever, I am back in the boots, Matty. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

"Now, you two get out of here before I am forced to kick both your asses out an airlock." They both laughed picking up their bags and heading towards the elevators up to the crew barracks which had been prepared for the influx of people.

"Alisa, where is the communications room? I would like to get my equipment set up and make sure that everything is in order before we arrive at the planet tomorrow," Natalie inquired from where she had been lingering a few feet away.

"You don't have to do that now, Nat. Why don't you get settled first? We have food all ready for you guys. I promise it is better than whatever you have been eating on the team ship," Ali replied trying for a gentle smile. Natalie smiled back but it didn't really reach her eyes.

"Don't be silly. I have to make sure I can monitor everything before I can do such a thing as eat," she insisted.

"The communications array is located on the CIC behind the elevators. You will find that it will be quite above your standards," Guardian piped up from one of its hubs nearby.

"Thank you. I will join you on the crew deck shortly, Alisa." The woman grabbed one of her larger bags and left the other on the floor. Without even looking back, she went to the elevator pushing in front of everyone else with a few murmured apologies. Her team knew Natalie well enough to move out of her way without a complaint, and a few of the men asked if she wanted a hand with her obviously heavy bag. She waved them all off though she was obviously aloof as ever. The door slid closed behind her and the team standing outside it contented themselves with waiting for the next one.

Gerry ran out of the door from where he had been securing everything on the ship and wrapped his arms around Ali. With a whoop, he spun her around before kissing her sloppily on the cheek. Kolyat followed behind him but stopped and stared when he saw the scene. "Let me see you, Ali," Gerry said grabbing her face. "You look much better than back on the Citadel. Have you been getting more sleep?"

"I could say the same about you, Ger." He scoffed and threw an arm around her shoulder.

"That? That was nothing. You've seen me take harder hits than that. Can't think of anything right now, but there is something in my rather colorful past." Ali had to laugh.

"I think we all have."

"Damn straight, sweetie. Don't think that I have forgotten that you didn't answer my question. But getting on with things, I see you have not changed your hair. I would have thought that it would be long again or really short like back at the Fac."

"Yes, it is driving me absolutely insane. You haven't met her yet, but Jack's hair is starting to look good to me." This made him look over at her.

"Who? What? Jesus, you've been gone way too long. Come on, we have much to discuss. Mostly about how weird Natalie had become in your absence."

"Yeah, I did notice that she was a little more 'off' than usual."

"Kolyat, you might want to grab your father. He'll want to sit in on this meeting to make sure that I don't step out of bounds with his fiancé. Ali, why don't you get the rest of your team in a conference room? I'll get Jason and Selena. Meri will be on the comm as well."

"Sounds good, I'll get things set up. Guardian, get the crew including Joker and EDI into the port cargo bay. I think we have some chairs in there."

"Of course."

Jack and Gerry had hit it off just as Ali assumed they would. They were cut from the same cloth as she saw it. Jason stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his massive chest, and Garrus stood beside him in unspoken camaraderie. Selena was her usual bubbly self as she talked to EDI and Joker. Thane and Kolyat were talking quietly in the corner leaving Ali to sit and contemplate the people in the room. "So how do you want to play this, boss? It's going to be a tough one especially with those prisoners in there. We don't know what kind of shape they will be in. We don't even know if they are still alive," Gerry finally broke the ice after a few minutes of small talk. While Jack wasn't looking, he made his eyes wide and gestured towards her before acting like he was fanning himself off.

"I saw that," Jack muttered though she didn't look too offended. Ali leaned back in her chair.

"Yeah, it's going to be more than just tough, Ger. That's why I had you bring so many people. I can't with the people I have with me now. Not that we aren't a great group. I just need more people. Jack, do you have a problem with leading my team of biotics. I need a powerhouse to cover us with barriers as we make our way across this open area."

"Hell yeah, I can do that. Just make sure I get my fair share of kills and we're good, Daniels," the biotic exclaimed in her usual matter with a huge grin on her face. Ali nodded subtly.

"EDI, you and Gerry are going to go in together. We don't know what kind of tech they have on this place. And I need you covering each other's backs."

"Of course, Ali. I will be happy to accompany Mr. Stein."

Gerry looked ready to argue but sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Yeah, okay, I guess I can work with that," he muttered.

"I will be going in with Thane, Garrus, and Kolyat. Gerry, from there, I want you to split up the rest of the team how you see fit. And Natalie will be directing them across the field as she compiles the data. Meri-"

"Yes, ma'am," the disembodied voice answered immediately.

"We still have the second ship correct?"

"Of course."

"Start getting families off the Citadel." Gerry stared at her with his mouth open, and the comm line was silent for several seconds.

"Ma'am? I don't quite understand the purpose-"

"Meri, just do as I ask. How many times has the Citadel been the center of this shit for the past several years? I want the rest of my team and their families safe." Ali paused looking over at Garrus who was her only ally at this point. Even Thane looked a little skeptical. "I have several safe houses scattered across the galaxy. Start getting the families to them and get the rest of the team to one location away from the families. I may need you in the future."

"Yes, ma'am, consider it done."

"Thank you." Garrus nodded subtly and left the room probably to talk to Tali. "Garrus-" she called before he could leave the room. She jerked her head towards a datapad near the door. "For you, I believe."

"You have my gratitude, Ali."

"Don't mention it."

After they had all eaten a good meal, the team began to disperse especially after Gerry left in a huff when Ali mentioned his mistake involving an asari and a krogan. He had started it by telling the story about when she stumbled into a pygak nest, and they followed her halfway across the surface of Tuchanka throwing rocks at her. The only way she got them to leave her alone was by sicking a varren on them. Who knew varren like pygak meat so much? And who knew the little buggers just wanted to be scratched behind the ears instead of being kicked by their masters?

It was at that point that Ali reminded them of that time when Gerry was on Illium several years before. He had been chatting up this beautiful purple asari at the bar. She was just eating everything he said up like it was manna from heaven. When Ali had had enough of watching the sickening scene, the Asari gave him a room key to a place called Azure. Gerry gave her a self satisfied smile as he left the bar before the Asari. He hadn't been there when she met up with a female krogan. Ali had never seen one before that, and she hadn't even realized they were allowed off Tuchanka. Finding her curiosity piqued, she got closer. "This will work, Belina. You may not be able to become pregnant, but I can. We can have a child together whether he can help us or not is yet to be decided."

"I don't know about this," the krogan said shuffling her feet.

"Come on, what do we have to lose?" the asari asked before handing the krogan a second key card and leaving the bar.

"I didn't sleep with the krogan," Gerry interrupted.

"I know, but you were played by an Asari. Plus, I think you are the only human who had ever seen a krogan female naked."

"She wasn't naked," he groaned putting a fist into his eye.

"Not true. When you finally got your ass to Azure, she was waiting for you on the bed completely naked."

"Jesus, Al. Just leave it alone." He got to his feet and stormed off while everyone laughed at his plight.

"Did you really have to push, Mr. Stein that hard, siha?" Thane asked later in the elevator. She shrugged and smiled up at him.

"No, but he brings out the sadistic part of me. I love watching him squirm. Plus I think I saw that Jack went after him, so I can't say tonight will be a total loss for him." He chuckled shaking his head.

"You're absolutely ridiculous, Ali."

"Oh, I know, but you love me anyways."

"I do."

"Alpha, I am detecting alarms coming from the interior of the structure. They know that you're coming," Guardian announced as they made their way across the barren surface of the planet.

"Fantastic, it's not like we thought this would be easy," she muttered. "Jack, when we land, I need you to erect a barrier that will get us to the first line of cover. Guardian, how close can you get us?"

"To be out of range of the AA guns, I would have to land at least seventy-five feet away from the debris field."

"Shit, I can get you there easy. Leave it to me," Jack said getting up from her seat and positioning herself by the shuttle door. The rest of the biotics followed suit looking at each other excitedly.

"Gerry, have the eyes ready?"

"Yep, ready and waiting for the doors to open. Natalie says that everything is working perfectly from where she is."

"Perfect, let's kick some ass and take numbers." His answering chuckle told her all she needed to know. Her team was more than ready to take on this mission. She just needed to trust them to get their jobs done, and they had never failed her again. Moving back towards the door where Garrus, Thane and Kolyat were waiting, she grinned at them. Garrus's mandibles pulled back in answer while Kolyat could only raise a corner of his mouth. "Kolyat, you set to go?" she asked making sure no one else could hear her but Thane and Garrus who had super hearing.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I've been out though. I am afraid that I may be a little rusty. I don't want to disappoint you."

Ali smiled at the young drell and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes softened with ease as she spoke. "Kolyat, I would not have asked for you if I thought you couldn't handle it. And I definitely wouldn't have you on my personal team. Don't worry. Just go with your instincts. You have your father in you." Then she smiled brighter. "Plus, you have two badass snipers covering your back. What could go wrong?" She could feel the tension leave his body and knew she had said the right thing. Being the alpha male in a group was easy, but supporting her betas was a little tougher. But she tried to go with what her gut told her and usually it turned out just fine.

"Yeah, I guess not much could go wrong."

"You're absolutely right."

"Alpha, we are coming in on the landing zone." Ali raised her finger to her ear.

"Okay, Guardian, give me a countdown from ten to when you open the doors and broadcast it through the main speakers. I want everyone ready to move." There was a brief pause as everyone just stared at her waiting for orders. "You all know what to do. We get in, get the prisoners, and get the hell out. I don't want any heroics. You keep to your vectors and listen for Natalie to inform you of the playing field. Work as a team and we'll be sipping booze by three." There was a collective cheer from many of the male squad and a few of the females.

Turning to the door, Ali took a deep breath letting it out slowly as she closed her eyes. Her fingers absently played over her SMG which was already in her hand. The other was tapping out notes to a song. She didn't know which one but sometimes the rhythm would dictate how she went through an obstacle. Thane came up beside her his sniper out as well. Kolyat positioned himself directly behind her as Garrus moved to her other flank. No one needed to speak. It was just one of those things that came from a group who had been fighting together for so long. They knew where weaknesses were and where people needed to be. A hush went over the entire shuttle as Guardian's voice came over the speakers. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2," she said. Ali's eyes opened as soon as the shuttle door came up.

With a shout, Jack put up an enormous barrier around her group and her own biotics. Ali was out the door before the shuttle actually landed, and she sprinted to the first line of cover which presented itself. The others followed and broke off in different directions heading towards their assigned areas to make their way through. Small silver balls whipped past her head as they started taking in the scene for Natalie to direct their efforts. "Nat, tell me the story," she said before anyone else had the chance to get to cover.

"You have dozens of mechs scattered across your line of fire, and a good number of them are Atlases. I would recommend caution with them. You won't start running into the Phoenix troopers until the lower levels of the field, and they are heavily fortified."

"How far?"

"More than halfway across the entire field. They have all mechs before that. And I am getting views of snipers positioned on the towers of the structure."

"Over and out," Ali said before turning onto her private line. "Thane and Garrus, we have some snipers up in the towers. You focus on keeping their fire off us as Kolyat and I start clearing out the mechs." There was no acknowledgement, but they moved immediately into action.

Kolyat followed Ali up and over cover into the labyrinth filled with mechs. They were simple LOKIs and relatively easy to take out, but it gave Thane and Garrus space to move up and get better shots at the towers several hundred meters away. "Haha, headshot, Krios," Garrus triumphed into the comm line. She smiled slightly at the competition knowing Thane wasn't really participating, but it improved Garrus' shooting. So she supported it as much as she could. Glancing to her flank, she saw that Kolyat was keeping up with her rather well. He was moving to her pace though it was hard to keep up with, and he wasn't complaining one bit. Like father like son.

"Incoming Atlas, Alpha," Guardian said quietly. Ali's head whipped around in time to see the Atlas coming around the corner.

"Kolyat, get down," she yelled noticing that the young drell hadn't seen it yet. His response was instantaneous, and it saved his life as he dived behind cover as soon as the mech fired a missile at where he had been standing. Ali grabbed its attention with a few rounds of SMG fire. It turned towards her taking aim. "Thane, any time now." The canopy exploded inwards sending sparks flying before the mech haltingly fell to the ground in a heap. She heard another shot from his rifle which was immediately followed by Garrus' huff.

"That was mine, Krios. Quit stealing my kills."

"Kolyat, are you all right?" Ali asked coming to rest behind the same cover as he.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't see that Atlas though. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. I just don't want to lose my son," she joked casting a quick glance at the battleground. Another Atlas was lumbering into view around the corner. "This one is mine."

Before Kolyat could respond, Ali dove out of cover placing a few well aimed shots to the mech's leg to slow it down before sprinting towards it. Using a strong biotic push, she jumped high above it positioning her arm so that the blade on her armor sleeve cut right through the mech's arm which housed its missiles. Hitting the ground lightly, she spun on the balls of her feet using one hand for balance before launching herself at the back thrusting her glowing fist through its power conduit. As she stumbled laughing over its charred remains, Ali felt at home. Her hair was pasted to her forehead by sweat, and her skin was grimey. But she felt good. Breathing in the smokey air, Ali turned to see what was next in front of her.

"Ali, how many times do I have to tell you not to take on an Atlas with your bare hands?" Thane scolded when he made it into their cleared area. "You know what happened last time." Garrus shook his head as he walked past choosing not to join in and started scoping out his next shooting spot. Kolyat also wisely chose to stay several feet away so as not to be pulled in.

"You have to admit though. That was pretty cool," she retorted not able to keep the huge smile off her face. She wiped off her forehead with her elbow and turned to the next line of cover. "Nat, what do I have in store for me now?" she asked moving to the public comms.

"This is where the Phoenix soldiers have their barricade. The drop to the next level is about fifty feet, and they have motion sensing weapons trained on the surface as a precaution. But they have their men watching the flanks since that's the only way in."

"I think I'll have to drop in and surprise them. What can you tell me about the rest of the team?"

"All are on schedule but behind your own, ma'am."

"Perfect. Over and out." Ali leaned against a piece of the mech and checked her SMG. She thought the trigger had been sticking earlier and wanted to fix it. "Garrus and Thane, you stay up here and pick off as many as the little bastards as you can. I am going to jump down and go from there. That way when it is clear. We can go around the sides and clear out any remaining troopers covering the flanks. Kolyat, I want you to try and take out those guns. I don't really want to get shot up today."

"I'll get started on it now."

"Have Guardian or EDI help you if you need it," she called after him as he made his way farther up. He waved back at her indicating that he had heard.

"Do you think you guys can handle that?"

"Of course, Ali. What else am I here for? I must admit I have missed this. Tali keeps saying that it's a good thing we're not fighting anymore. But all I want to do some weekends is take out the rifle and just squeeze off a few rounds."

"You get to do more than that today, buddy." He smiled and went to his picked perch.

"Thane?"

"Yes, Siha."

"I know you don't like it, so you might as well get your argument out of the way." Ali said looking up at him with a small expectant smile. She loved to make him squirm sometimes especially on the battlefield. He was so protective.

"I think we should meet another part of your team and take on the troopers head on instead of your throwing yourself off a cliff hoping that the guns are disarmed."

"It would take too much time that way. Plus my team has their own places to worry about. I chose the middle for us because I knew they would have this heavy contingent here. It's the most defendable part of this labyrinth even with your rear end totally exposed to this cliff. With the shelf piled up with these rocks, it's almost impossible to shoot from. Then the flanks have little to no cover except when the troopers have set up their own. Tell me you have a better plan, and I'll reconsider." She paused quirking an eyebrow expectantly. When he didn't answer, she pointed up the cliff a little ways to a good sniper's perch and shooed him with her hands. He growled low in his chest but headed that way anyways. "Men," she muttered with a small smile before belly crawling her way closer to the edge of the cliff.

With one quick movement, a serrated blade came out of the forearm of her armor. She looked it over once then took out her SMG in one hand and her pistol in the other. Slowing her breathing, Ali closed her eyes for a few short moments before looking down at the line of automated turrets trained at the surface of the cliff. "Kolyat?" she queried quietly.

"Three of the five are down. But it looks like the troopers are starting to notice. There's a lot of activity down there."

"Fine, I'm going in now." Before there was the collective argument from all three of her team members, she was off the side of the cliff plummeting through thin air. She felt the concussive vibration of rounds hitting the cliff wall around her, but it didn't immediately worry her. Pressing her forearms against the cliff face, she felt herself slowing down enough to be able to withstand the landing before kicking off the wall and landing in a roll. All at once, the shots from the turrets quieted, and Ali moved out of cover walking at a leisurely pace toward the troopers. They were in an uproar. The commanders were shouting at their soldiers to reposition themselves. And soldiers were yelling at each other for getting in the way. The first soldier to appear from behind the barricade was rewarded by a bullet through the helmet. Ali wasn't sure who had killed him, but since there was a fountain of blood, she really didn't care. A trooper was dead. One less to worry about.

Ali let the two boys pick off any soldier who popped his head over the wall. Nothing made her pick up her slow pace towards the group until she was about ten feet away. Then she started a head long sprint hitting the edge of the barricade to help her jump over it. Her first volley of shots hit the soldiers directly behind her before she made a sweep across the expanse of the wall hearing grunts and cries of pain as men fell left and right.

By the time her team caught up with her, most everyone in the barricade was dead. As Thane walked up, he took out his pistol and shot one last one over her shoulder as she walked towards them. "You missed one," he teased lightly. Apparently, he was over his earlier temper about letting her go off the cliff. She smiled at him.

"I left that one specifically for you," she teased back. Garrus leaned over and started collecting spare heat sinks stuffing as much as he could into various pockets. She jerked her head at him making sure Thane saw her, and he immediately went to work collecting heat sinks as well taking Kolyat with him. She switched channels on her comm line and waited for Nat to join her. The channel came to life. "Nat, how are we looking?"

"All the troops that were in front of you have started moving towards the flanks, so you should meet with little resistance on the way up to the compound."

"Great. We're going to head that way and start clearing it out in search for the prisoners. If you could have one of your eyes meet us there, that you be great."

"Of course, ma'am," Nat said before the line went dead. Ali switched it over again and was awash with the faint sounds of battle.

"You picked a hell of a time, boss," Gerry huffed into the comm.

"It's a gift. Nat says that all the troops in the middle are headed towards the flanks to choke you off. My team is going to head into the compound to start looking for the prisoners. I'm taking one of the eyes with me, so you'll know where I have been."

"Roger that." The line faded and little. "Get some, motherfuckers!"

"Over and out, you foulmouthed Philistine."

"Hey-" he protested before she cut the line off.

"No resistance between us and the compound. I have to say that is uncharacteristically lucky," Garrus commented from where he was standing within hearing distance.

"And to think, I was expecting the worst." His mandibles spread in the show of a grin before he set off with a long gait to scope out what was down the path. Kolyat jogged to catch up leaving Ali a few moment alone with Thane. He silently held out several heat sinks which she quickly tucked away in various pockets. "Ammo, what every girl wants out on the battle field."

"I would have presented you with a choice souvenir, but figured anything worth taking was too big for your pockets," he teased back smiling faintly at her. Ali giggled before wiping her brow and chasing after Garrus.

When they got to the compound entrance, Ali let Garrus hack the locked door as the rest of them covered their flanks. The sound of battle was still going strong though fewer weapons joined in the cacophony, and there were less loud repeats from snipers on the compound towers. With a hiss, the door opened and a hail of bullets spewed from the darkness. Ali had barely enough time to throw up a barrier, grab the back of the turian's armor, and yank him to cover. Thane sent some bullets down the hall as Ali checked him over quickly. There were no holes in his armor, and he gave her an awkward thumb's up which made her chuckle. "You are going to give me heart attack one of these days, big guy," she scolded. His mandibles spread in a smile which she managed to return before she heard heavy footsteps from inside the compound, and immediately everyone's mood sobered. "Dammit, I hate these guys. I'm going to beat them to death with those stupid shields," she muttered.

Moving into the line of fire so that she was framed by the light streaming in from outside, Ali brought up a barrier before peering into the darkness trying to catch sight of the incoming forces. She could hear them coming, but they weren't firing. Closing her eyes, she felt around with her other senses trying to pinpoint one simple soldier among the multitude coming down the hall. She felt Thane slide behind her barrier as well, so he could reinforce her own. The edge of a shield scraped against the ground, and Ali grabbed hold of it with her biotics tearing it from the soldier's hands and smacking him down with it. Pulling it closer towards her, she smiled as she knocked a couple more soldiers off balance. Without waiting to tell Thane what she was doing, she started walking forwards moving the shield out in front of her in violent arcs. Garrus and Kolyat followed behind covering their flanks and occasionally taking turns shooting around the barrier into the chaotic jumble of soldiers. "Guardian, lights please," she thought. With a flicker, the lights came on illuminating her handy work. She dropped the shield on top of her latest victim who groaned under the weight.

"Right or left?" Ali asked no one in particular a few minutes later after they had climbed over the jumble of bodies both unconscious and dead. Garrus glanced both ways before pointing down right hall. "Good choice." One of Nat's eyes buzzed past her shoulder shooting down the hall in front of them. She turned her comm channel just in case Nat ran into an enemy force on her way through the compound. Thane and Garrus silently took up positions at her flanks while Kolyat followed behind covering their backs.

"The prisoners are on the lower levels. As far as I can tell, they are alive," Guardian said in her head.

"Keep an eye on them."

"Of course, Alpha."

"Thanks." She slowed around a corner making sure to check instead of just running in like usual. "Guardian says that the prisoners may still be alive." Garrus' eyebrows lifted in surprise. "We'll have to double time it down there."

"Are you sure, siha? You said yourself that there are many blind corners down here. It will be easy to overwhelm us."

"I know, but the reason we're here is to rescue some spectres. I'm not backing down now."

"I'm with you, Ali. Let's get some spectres," Kolyat commented smiling at her over his shoulder. She could feel Thane sigh silently, and Garrus chuckled.

"Well, it'll only kill us if we screw up," Garrus finally said.

"Good thing you're with me then."

Thane's eyes silently pleaded, but she whirled around the corner anyway bringing up a strong barrier just in case. Ali felt the force of concussive rounds bouncing off her barrier jarring her teeth just a little before she managed to knuckle down and push against the force. Leaving it to Thane and Garrus to pick off the soldiers, she focused on just moving forward, keeping her barrier strong, and making sure nothing got to her team. It was so easy to be pulled into a battle. To forget that she had people counting on her. Most of the time, she wanted to be in front taking the hits and seeing the carnage.

"Grenade!" Garrus bellowed. Ali moved her barrier with such force that it was hurled back into the enemy ranks, and the small skirmish was over. She let out her held breath and the barrier disappeared.

"Guardian, where's the elevator?" she asked. Thane moved out in front of them and glanced around the corner before indicating that the next hall was clear.

"Not far in front of you. Follow this next hall into an open room and the elevator is on the other side. I will direct Mr. Stein to the other one where he can clear out the second floor while you head to the third."

"Great. Thanks." She glanced up to see that Thane had his eyes closed. He was listening for activity in the next room. She jerked her head back down the hall making sure Kolyat saw, and he moved several feet back towards the other hall. "What do you hear?" He took a few moments to answer before looking down at her.

"There's quite the force waiting for us in this next room."

"Hm, any heavies?" she asked. Garrus took up a place next to her. She could feel that he was growling lowly even through her armor. "Easy there, big guy, no need to get over excited."

"I can not tell from here."

"Okay," she started before glancing down the hall to check for cover and see how many ways they could be outflanked. "I want Kolyat to stay back covering these halls just in case they're smart enough to have forces laying in wait. Garrus, do you want to be long range behind me or do you want to join me in the move forward?"

"I'll stay long range if you don't mind." She nodded and glanced at Thane. He tipped his head in acknowledgement. "Kolyat."

"Yep, I got it. Cover our backs."

"You okay with that?" He tipped his head in the same way as his father did making her smile at him.

"Perfect, now that we're all in agreement, let's go."

Ali took the lead moving down the hall as quietly as she could. When she got to the entrance of the room, she leaned against the wall waiting for her team to line up behind her. Thane had his eyes closed again. After he glanced up at her, he silently mouthed fifteen, one heavy. With a nod, she started making hand motions to Garrus telling him exactly what she wanted him to do. He nodded after she was done. Glancing around the corner, she saw that broken glass covered most of the floor. Then she looked up and saw that the ceiling was open to the towers where the snipers had been stationed. Apparently the entire roof has been made of glass. Now our entrance is going to be broadcast to the entire room. Checking the room and hall one last time, Ali charged in wincing as the glass cracked and shattered under her feet as she slid to the first line of cover. Immediately, the air was alive with the sound of gunshots and bullets bouncing off objects. Thane pressed his back into a crate across the room from her and waited for a lull in firing before sending his own rounds down the room. She could hear the heavy now. It was making its may towards them filling crates and couches with its high caliber weapon. She could also hear the heavy footsteps of men with more shields. Groaning inwardly, she switched comm channels. "Garrus, can you try and take care of the shield guys, thank you." Without waiting for a reply, she switched back to her one with Nat just in case before rising enough to shoot over the top of her cover. Bullets bounced off her shields, and she took out a couple before her alarm started to whine. Moving below cover, she spotted a few of Nat's eyes hovering across the room dodging stray bullets, and frowned inwardly. What are those doing here?

Pulling up a barrier, Ali moved from cover to cover avoiding the heavy until she had fewer men to deal with. Thane was like a shadow, following her forward and moving in or out of cover at the exact same time she did. The mech still followed her every move though he was a few seconds behind her. Bullets tore through the abandoned cover sending chills up her spine. One of those rounds could tear her arm off if she wasn't careful. "Up above," Thane said into the comm. She glanced up spotting a few men making their way around to get a better shot at her. "I'll cover you." Without a word, she ran out into the open making her way to his cover. Sliding in the style of a baseball player, she ran right into Thane's side causing them both to become tangled for a split second. He pulled her fully behind cover barely escaping the stream of bullets following her.

"I'll take the heavy if you take our little part crashers upstairs," she offered lifting an eyebrow at her lover. A shot rang out from behind them taking out one of the few remaining men on the floor. His head moved in the barest of nods, and she felt a smile spread across her lips which caused Thane to falter ever so slightly.

All at once, Ali flew out of cover waving her arms above her head. "Hey, look at me, I'm a target," she shouted immediately diving back behind a couch before he could turn all the way around.

"That's new," Garrus commented.

"Well, I was getting bored of playing tag with the thing," she drawled. "Garrus, if you please."

"What copy you? Right." The turian ran out into the room after dispatching the last of the men. Just the presence of the man seemed to draw the mech's attention, and it turned. Ali charged out of cover glowing with purple light and jumped onto its back. Yanking at its shoulder joint, its gun arm went flying across the room hitting the far wall. She plunged her hand through the metal casing pulling out its cooling unit. Dropping to the floor, the mech wobbled behind her before overheating and falling to the floor as well.

"Guardian, elevator."

"Opening doors now."

Author's Note: This is the last chapter before my new section. Actually this is part of the new section. I just haven't finished it out. Then after I finally find the inspiration to finish this small little bit. The story is finished from there. Enjoy!