"Alright, test number two of the Arc-net project; note to self, find better name." I mutter into my omni-tool, looking up and seeing Tali standing in the cleared-out gym, typing on her own device. "Are you sure you don't want me to test it out? There's a chance, a small one, mind, that you'll be shocked or disintegrated."

Tali sighs, peering at me over her shoulder. "Yes Saul, I'm sure, just as I was the last three times you asked." She closes her omni-tool and adjusts her tactical cloaking unit, checking that the battery is full. "How am I supposed to grow if I don't take risks?"

"Again, disintegration." I add, shaking my head. "Let's get started. How's the charge looking?"

"I am fully charged." She replies, shaking her limbs out in preparation. "Deploying inactive cloak in three…two…one."

A brief shimmer covers her form, but nothing else happens. "Channeling Arc Energy." Blue lightning crackles quietly around her, making her twitch. "30 percent…50 percent…70 percent…" The energy intensifies and Tali begins to jerk erratically. "Approaching critical levels."

"Jade, do you see that?" I ask quietly, my cybernetic eye filtering out most of the image with the exception of EM readings.

"The channeled energy isn't harming her, besides an elevated heart-rate, but it isn't being used for anything. It's directionless." She replies seriously.

"It needs an outlet." Glancing around the room, I fix on the knife Tali keeps strapped to her boot, which is set on the ground. It's a bit of a stretch, but it might just work…actually, I'll pass her my knife, because if the Arc Energy disintegrates her mother's knife, she might just kill me. Reaching down, I scoop it up and call out. "Tali, catch!"

Her head whips around to look at me, before fixating on the knife floating towards her. Faster than I can see, her hand flits out, slim fingers gripping the hilt tightly. Arc Energy crackles along the blade before it flashes brightly, as if the knife has extended about six inches, and it sort resembles my lightsaber.

"The Arc Energy is leveling out." Jade notes. It as if the lightning around Tali has smoothed out, as well as fucking lightning can, anyway. "The knife is working as an outlet, the power level is falling smoothly."

"Tali, how do you feel?" I ask cautiously.

"Energetic!" She practically shouts back, the twitching having faded somewhat. "Like I could run around the room twenty times!"

Huh. Arc Energy combined with tactical cloak equals energy. Alrighty then. I guess that could make sense on some levels, given that every action originates from electrical impulses in the brain, and adding more (but not too much) would end up with the person having more energy.

Still, it could end up being dangerous. Better keep an eye on it. "Why don't you run around the room a bit, then?" She darts off, lapping the room in a few seconds. To be fair, it's not that big of a room. Her running speed is only slightly faster than I've seen her go, and that could be accounted for by the lack of weapons on her person. We dropped them off in case the Arc Energy fries the onboard computers and such.

"Energy levels getting low…" My AI companion states. Seconds later, Tali slows to a stop in front of me, looking perky and completely fine.

"That was terrifying for the first part, but it was kind of fun after I got the knife." She reports, bouncing on her feet. "I want to do that again!"

"Let's wait a bit," I caution, "take a jog around the room and give the kinetic actuators a test while I set up some simulated enemies."

Tali nods and sets off at an easy jog around the gym as I set down a holographic projector, similar to the one I used a long time ago, in the back-when times on Bekestein. It's not even close to real combat, but it should give us an idea of how it'll play out in real life.

The first set are three humanoid enemies in a triangular formation, like the common arrowhead tactic. Tali jogs to a stop next to me, panting lightly. "I'm fully charged again," She says, checking her omni-tool. "Ready for the next test."

She clicks a button on her tactical cloak, her form shimmering before being covered in blue electricity. Unlike the few other times, the cloak isn't jagged, flowing smoothly over her body and spilling out of her knife. Well, my knife that she's using right now.

Tali darts forward, her arm flashing out and the first hologram barely has time to fade away before she flashes to the next and the next. Three enemies down in two seconds…good.

Four more pop up and are downed in three more seconds. Five more materialize and are fading within four seconds. As the projector cycles through the next set, the energy around Tali fades and she stumbles to a stop, hands on her knees as she breathes heavily. Deactivating the projector, I review the new data on my omni-tool. A dozen enemies down nine seconds. Again, they're just a static projection and real combat is not, but it's very promising.

"So, actively using up the energy tires you out, then?" I wonder aloud as Tali attaches the nozzle of a water bottle to a port and guzzles it down. Switching the app on, I give her a quick medical scan. "Your body is stressed, but not dangerously, from the high-speed movement and sudden changes in direction. It should get easier to handle the more you practice."

"I'm sore," The quarian complains quietly, stretching her arms out above her head, drawing my attention to a certain something. "But it's a good kind of sore. The kind you get from working hard. Not to mention that this is a brand new thing. No one else has access to Arc Energy or a working tactical camouflage."

"True enough," I nod. "I won't ask you to not share it with your people; I know you need every advantage that you can get, but I do ask that you act with discretion when you're handing it out."

The blank look I get through the mask makes me think I've said something stupid. "We don't just hand out tech willy-nilly, Saul." She says as if talking to someone who is slow in the head. "Especially not new tech, no matter how handy. If I went back to the Flotilla today, it would take the Admiralty Board months, if not a year, to decide on how to use it. And even then, I doubt everyone in the Flotilla would get a copy."

"Well, I know that, but I also know politicians. One of them is going to want to use the tech to assassinate someone they don't like." Like me. Which is also why almost all of the blueprints I've sold contain deactivation codes hard-wired into the required on-board computer. No one is using the shit I've made against me…ever. And if they try, they'll find it doesn't work anymore. And it will explode. "But I trust you, Tali."

Even through her murky facemask, I can see the way her cheeks dimple as she smiles. "I trust you too, Saul. You and the Commander have given me so much since we met back on the Citadel. The Geth Data from those outposts, Geth weaponry and tech, even the combat data I've gained by fighting with you is so valuable. And now I have this energy-cloak-thing that changes the way I can fight and be helpful in combat."

She steps forward and wraps her arms around me. It's a little surprising, given that Tali's not the most 'physical' of people, for understandable reasons, but it's a pleasant surprise. And it's a hug; hugs are awesome.

"I hope you can come see the Flotilla one day." Tali says wistfully, stepping away. "I could make you an honorary Quarian?" Her statement fades into a question at the end.

"I appreciate the thought," I say with a chuckle. "Not sure I'd qualify, though. I'm terrible with accents."

She shrugs. "I could still try." Twirling my knife, she hands it back to me hilt-first. "Are you going to use this tech?"

"Probably not." I reply with a shake of the head. "All that Arc Energy flowing around would wreak havoc on my armor systems. Maybe as a last-resort attack."

Tali hums in thought, tapping her tactical cloak, which reminds me of something I'd seen earlier.

"You know, you look pretty good like that." I remark, pointing at the thing that had caught my attention before. Her cloth wrap had been pulled loose by the sudden movements with the exception of the fasteners around her neck, leaving her in what looks like an artfully ragged cape.

Tali reaches behind her, grasping the fabric and pulling it in front of her in confusion. "My wraps came loose," She notices, letting it fall back in place. "If I'm going to be using this a lot, then it would be futile to try and put them back."

Checking my omni-tool, I find that it's been at least four hours since we ate breakfast. "Well, whatever you decide, it's lunchtime. Let's go get something to eat." We hop in the elevator and head up after cleaning the gym, feeling a sense of satisfaction that comes with making something new. That feeling persists as I slap together a meat and cheese sandwich and Tali breaks out a food tube, though in a lesser sense.

Kaidan, Nihlus and Tara are sitting at the table with their own lunches, as Zaira, Ash and Garrus are out doing some sort of mission, so we join them for the meal. As I take a bite out of my sandwich, I notice Kaidan reaching for his glass of drink. Instead of letting him drink, I snag it before he can. "Yoink."

"Seriously." He says with lidded eyes. Reaching out, he tries to grab it back, but I lean back out of the way. "Seriously? I would expect this in high school, not on a military ship."

I shrug and take another bite out of my sandwich. "You can have it back, if you can pull it out of my hands without using your own." I haven't heard of him making any progress on Tethering things, so why not test him now, while he's thirsty and I have his drink?

Kadian sighs with a shake of his head, but reaches out nonetheless; a light blue glow engulfing his hand. A band of similar color forms around the middle of the glass, looking very solid with the exception of some wobbling. It jerks in my hand, but I pull it back and dispel the ring.

"Okay, that was pretty good, but I see your problem." I say, taking another bite of my sandwich, chewing slowly and letting the silence build.

"Which is…?" He asks leadingly.

"You're trying too hard." I reply. "See, you're focusing on controlling everything about the technique and not letting it work by itself. You've been practicing this for a while, yes? So your biotic muscles already know the motions of creating and maintaining the technique. In the end, it's a lot like Lift or Pull, where you simply have to wave your hand and use it, because you know you can do it." To illustrate my point, I flick my hand and tether my glass of juice, pulling it into my hand all casual-like.

Kaidan hums in thought, before exhaling quietly and fixing his eyes on the glass I hold. His hand is covered in biotic energy, and a much more solid ring wraps around the container, tugging it out of my hand, through the air, and lands in his palm. "Ha!" He crows triumphantly, taking a victorious chug.

"Good job, K-K," I reply teasingly, enjoying the way his look of victory changes to mixed embarrassment and despair at bringing up his hated nickname. Especially when Tara forcefully buries a snicker with her hand. "Now the next step is create a Tether around an object, then throw it across the room and pull it back before it hits the floor…and also dodge it before it hits you in the face. I wouldn't recommend using a glass for that."

"Obviously," Kaidan mutters. "Why, what did you use?"

"My knife." The deadpan looks I receive always make my day. "You have no idea how many times I nearly stabbed myself in the face practicing that move, or the amount of times I accidentally cut my ears. Just goes to show, it doesn't get easier. It just gets harder."

"That's what she said," Tela interjects cheerfully, flumping into the chair next to mine. "And I'm glad to see you've taken my teaching methods to heart."

"What, the one where he says 'good job', waits until you start to feel good about yourself, then breaks it all down by telling you how far you have to go?" Tara asks. At Tela's nod, she snorts. "You suck."

Tela shrugs."But it works, and that's all that matters." My former mentor replies, bumping her arm against mine. "You know, I had an interesting conversation with your girlfriend this morning."

"Oh yeah? Did she threaten you with dismemberment, disembowelment, defenestration and death?" I ask, finishing off my sammich.

She rolls her eyes up in thought, as if trying to remember the details of that conversation. "Basically, yeah."

I can feel a warm smile on my face. Zaira can be so protective sometimes. "Yeah, she's sweet like that."

Clearing his throat, Nihlus speaks up. "So, Tela Vasir," He said curiously, "Saul is the student you described in those reports. I'm surprised I didn't make the connection sooner; though, given the timeframe between reading those reports and meeting the man himself, it's understandable."

Wait, what? "Reports? What reports?" I ask incredulously. I wasn't told about any reports on me!

Tela shrugs a little guiltily. "Well, I am a Spectre, I can't just take an eight-month sabbatical for no reason. I told my superiors that I found a possible candidate that I was mentoring and had to make regular progress reports, that's it."

Something in my chest sinks. "You didn't report…everything, right? Please tell me you didn't." If they knew that...I may just have to purge the Citadel's databanks.

"Huh?" She looks confused for a second, before she shakes her head. "Oh, no. No, not everything. It was just basic information, don't worry."

Oh, good. That could've been bad. "Good." I sigh, taking my plate up. "I'm going to go see how the various doctors are doing. Tali, good work today." Having said my bit, I drop my dishes in the sink and step over to the Med Bay. It's not any different than usual, with the exception of the sleeping Benezia on one table. There's a subtle difference between people sleeping and in a coma, and I'm glad to see she's not in another one.

"Afternoon, Saul." Chloe greets with a smile. "Here to check up on our sleeping Matriarch?"

"Yeah, but also you." I answer, leaning against the table. "How is she?"

She pulls up a chart and reads off of it. "Her reflexes are a little slow and there are quite a few spikes in her delta brainwaves, but that's all acclimation. At least, that's what we think. Transferring a mind between two bodies has never been done before, so we don't know exactly. But all in all, she's recovering very well; she just needs to sleep for a bit longer." Chloe finishes, before swiveling her chair around to look at me, leaning back into the cushions and folding her hands over her stomach. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, we haven't talked in a bit, what with all the galaxy-saving crap we do and you and Chakwas having to fix us up after we get injured doing aforementioned crap. We haven't just sat down and drank espresso and ate biscotti while we bitch about boys in a long time." Which is no exaggeration, just saying.

Chloe shrugs helplessly. "I can't exactly bitch about boys because the one we usually talked about actually asked me out. And I don't think there's any espresso on this ship." She narrows her eyes in thought and peers into the common area. "Unless there is and you're holding out on me? Making it when I'm not around and drinking it with the Commander?"

I wave my hand dismissively. "Nah, I wouldn't replace you like that, Chloe. Plus, I can't bitch about boys to Zaira because she'd wonder why I'm talking about Garrus and not trying to play footsie with her, or talk about her. And we definitely don't have any, I checked. And it wouldn't be the same without the biscotti from Primus'." A thought occurs to me. "You know, Zaira's like you from an opposite dimension."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks incredulously.

I shrug. "I mean, think on it: You have red hair, she has blue hair. You have green eyes, she has yellow eyes. She likes guns and explosions and you most definitely do not. And, finally, she's sleeping with me, and you're sleeping with Garrus, who is like my dimensional opposite." I explain, and I wonder why I haven't picked up on that before. Probably because I wasn't looking at it like that, because who would, honestly?

Me, right now.

"Okay, I can kind of see what you mean." Chloe agrees with a nod, a light blush on her cheeks. "Though, how is Garrus your opposite? I mean, you both enjoy meting out justice, otherwise you wouldn't have been a PI and he wouldn't have been a Detective. You both have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, though you're less deadpan than Garrus, and you both seem to have a fixation on making, upgrading and maintaining weapons."

"Well, yeah, I guess, but he's Lawful Good and I'm Chaotic Good, he prefers fighting at a distance and being precise while I prefer fighting up close…and also being precise, but in a different way. And it's true we like weapons, but…alright, I never said it was a perfect analogy." I admit. "But, I am a human and Garrus is a turian, so there."

The red-haired medic shakes her head. "Think what you like." She leans around me to glance at Benezia as she shifts on the table. When it's clear she's not waking up, Chloe glances at me. "So, how are things with the Commander?"

"Great. Why?"

She shrugs, rocking her chair slightly. "Just wondering, since Liara's been sleeping in the same room with you two. How does that work, anyway?"

I shrug back. "It's complicated."

Chloe gives me a dry look. "Relationships usually are."

Sighing, my eyes roll. "It wasn't. Zaira and I just kinda…clicked, you know? When it's serious, she's all business, but when it isn't, she loves explosions and gadgets and being a badass and we just gravitate towards each other. She's the kind of person I can go out on some random planet and annihilate a square kilometer of shit with; then come back, make her dinner and play footsie with her under the table."

"Sounds like you guys fit together perfectly," Chloe says easily. "So, how is Liara involved?"

"Well, Liara's…I don't think she's as 'involved' as Zaira is in a relationship, but I get the feeling she's lonely. She told me she prefers working by herself, and think that's because Liara was shunned as kid." At her stunned look, I explain. "I'm not kidding. I know it seems weird that such a sweet girl like Liara would be shunned, but hear this: she has two doctorates, Chloe, two. One in Xeno-Archaeology and the other in Xeno-Anthropology, and she's only a hundred and six."

"Oh." Chloe murmurs, running a hand through her short red locks. "That's…impressive. That would be like a human graduating from college with honors at eighteen."

"Yeah, and generally, people like that don't have much of a social life; either others try to take advantage of someone obviously smarter than they are, or shun them for being better. Zaira, Liara and myself, at our core we are lonely people." Zaira moved around her whole life, never settling in one place. I just said what I thought of Liara, and the less said about my childhood, the better. "I think we're just lonely people who got tired of sleeping alone and grouped up so we could have others to care for us and damn what other people think."

She nods in understanding, patting my knee. "What about that woman you told me about? Beth something?" She ask.

"Elizabeth." I correct absently. I haven't seen her in a long time. Maybe I should send her an email and see how she's doing. "She's lonely too and while we fit together well, she's gone for too long. I haven't seen her in months and I never know when she's going to pop up again. I can't spend years waiting for someone who might never show up again."

The door behind me opens, admitting a yawning Liara who adjusts her clothes. "Morning." She greets slowly, trotting over to check on her sleeping mother.

"More like 'afternoon', sleepy-head." I reply. "You didn't go to bed with us last night."

"Oh, well," She stammers slightly, gesturing from her mother to me. "I wanted to talk with mother last night and we got so caught up that I didn't realize what time it was, so I slept on the cot. I didn't want to disturb you or anything."

"It would've been fine, Liara, don't worry about it." She can be so shy sometimes. "How did it go?"

Liara gently strokes her mother's' hand, smiling gently. "I haven't talked to my mother in a long time. A lot have things have changed since then. It'll take some time, but we'll reconnect eventually. I don't know what her plans for the immediate future are, but I hope she'll help us take down Saren."

That would be good, but a little late. I mean, we've already gone to Feros, Noveria and Therum, otherwise Liara wouldn't be here. All we're really waiting on is-

"Saul Dewitt, please come to CIC, you have a call waiting. Saul Dewitt, please come to the CIC."

"Who is it, Joker?" Who's calling me? Is it Tevos, calling to tell me that they've finally heard from the Salarians on Virmire, 'cause that would be quite the usual coincidence.

"Admiral Hackett." Joker replies.

Oh. Guess not, then. "Why is Admiral Hackett calling me?" I don't mean to say it out loud, but I do.

"I couldn't say, since I didn't ask, but he sounded grumpy. Granted, he usually does, but also: Oooh, Saul, you're in trouble!" Joker taunts over the PA.

"His voice isn't grumpy, Joker, it's called 'sternly weathered', as in, he's seen some shit." A sudden thought occurs to me. "Did you page me right after he called?"

The pilot pauses in thought. "Yeah, why?"

Uh oh. "…Is he still on the line?"

A stunned silence is all the answer I need to hear. But just in case I didn't get it the first time, someone else also confirms it.

"Yes." The sternly weathered voice of Admiral Hackett comes through.

"Oh." Well, I'm embarrassed. "I'm coming up to the CIC."

I stand and start to head out, Chloe mouthing 'Smooth' at me. Silently giving her the finger, I continue on, up the stairs and the ramp to the Galaxy map. "Reporting."

"Mr. Dewitt," Admiral Hackett greets, as if what had just happened hadn't just happened.

"Admiral Hackett," I greet in kind. If that's how he wants it, I don't mind at all. "You needed something?"

"Yes. A situation has developed in the Plutus System, on a planet called Nonuel. The Alliance set up a small mercenary company in the region to drive off Batarian surveyors, as the planet is rich in Element Zero. However, once the area was secured, the leader of the group decided to call off the agreement and attacked the miners. He's styled himself as 'Lord' Darius, and is demanding a negotiator to meet with him and pull together some sort of treaty." He explains in his dry voice.

"So, why do you want me? Zaira is the negotiator among us." I point out, before something occurs to me. "Unless you don't want to negotiate at all."

"Officially, I can make no comment." Hackett replies blandly. "Unofficially…do whatever needs to be done. If you think you can negotiate with Darius, then go ahead. If you can't, that's just how it is."

A target and free reign on how to deal with them. Just how I like it; no need for investigating, clueing for looks or talking to witnesses. Just a straightforward 'go here and do so-and-so to this person'. Nice and simple. Though, I can't help but feel a little iffy on doing the Alliances' dirty work. "Are you going to pay me for this?"

"The same going rate for any Independent Operator." 'Independent Operator'. Just a nice way of saying 'freelancer'.

"Alright then, Admiral. I'll go…negotiate with this guy." I answer.

"Good. Hackett out." And the line dies.

So, I need to go to Nonuel and possibly kill some douche named Darius. Fun. "Joker, you know when Zaira's getting back?"

"Just got the call, I'm going in to pick up the away team now." He replies as the Normandy shudders slightly upon entering the planet's atmosphere. "Why, you want to be in the cargo bay to greet the Commander?"

"Yes, but I'm also setting a course for the Plutus System. Once Zaira's onboard, head there." I order, plotting in the course. Finishing that, I make tracks downstairs and into the lift, hearing an echoing clunk as the Mako lands in the cargo bay. I'm stepping out of the lift as Ash, Garrus and Zaira are coming out of the Mako, looking dusty and disturbed. "Hey beautiful!"

Zaira unseals her helmet and tosses it on to the workbench before turning on her heel and wrapping her arms around me, her cobalt hair resting on my shoulder. "Hey." She says with a sigh. "Hope your morning's been better than mine."

"Well, Tali and I figured out our little project and it's almost combat-viable." Just a few more test runs and it'll be good to go. "How did yours go?"

"Human experimentation." She answers blithely. "Those Cerberus assholes were experimenting on those creepy Thorian zombie things and the whole place ended up being overrun. My flamethrower definitely came in handy, by the way."

"That's why I gave it to you," I admit, kissing the side of her sweaty head. "You sound disturbed, and for a good reason. I have just the thing to make you feel all better."

She pulls back and kisses me gently. "Saul, all I want right now is a sandwich, a shower and some sex, in that order. And possibly a massage. And cuddles."

"Well, it's a good thing I can help with all of the above." I reply, pecking her lips. "Though, I do have to leave in a bit. Hackett's paying me to deal with some sort of pirate in the Plutus system, which is like, a jump away from this one? So that's about four hours."

"Good." Zaira sighs. "Help me get my armor off?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Admittedly, it's not a strip-tease of any sort, though I do like how the tight bodysuit under the armor looks when it's stretched across her frame. After every piece of armor is removed, we take the lift back up and she takes a seat at the table as I throw together her lunch. Zaira groans as she sinks her teeth into her sandwich and I slowly slide my foot under the table to poke hers.

She smiles slightly and slips her foot up my leg and into my lap, so I grab it and gently work my fingers into it, making her sigh appreciatively. "Making me lunch and massaging my feet; I might have to keep you if you keep spoiling me like this."

"I don't mind being kept, Zaira." I say with a wink. "So, I heard you had an interesting conversation with Tela earlier today."

"Yeah," Zaira mutters around a mouthful of sammich. "Told her if she tried to stab you in the back, I'd cut her arms off and make her eat them, before ripping her heart out with my bare hands and dropping her from orbit above some random planet. And I'd probably shoot her at some point, too." She cracks open one eye to peer at me. "Was that bad?"

"Nah, not really." I reply with a shake of my head, before leaning down and kissing the top of her foot. "I think it's sweet, actually. Have you ever done that before, though? Ripped someone's heart out with your bare hands?"

She hums negatively. "No, but I think I could figure out how, if I had to."

Ash groans from her seat near Shepard. "I'm trying to eat, here." She complains, poking her quick-made pasta, while also shooting the foot in my lap an annoyed look. "And can you save the massage for when you're alone?"

Zaira sighs, rolling her head on the back of her seat to look at the Gunny. "Ash, if you're going to be jealous, be jealous somewhere else, please."

"I'm not jealous!" Ashley rebukes quickly.

Shepard just gives her a dry, disbelieving look. "Right," She says with a roll of her eyes, stuffing the last of her food in her mouth. "Saul, shower me. No, wait, that came out wrong. Saul, carry me into the shower." She commands with faux regality.

"As M'lady wishes it." I reply with a bow, picking her up in a bridal-style carry. "Wouldn't want you to break a nail or something, my delicate forget-me-not."

Zaira gives me a bland look. "Bitch please, I am anything but 'delicate'. I am simply being lazy right now." I set her down and lock the door behind us. "I am sweaty from killing things with fire. That's pretty much the opposite of delicate."

"Talking about you killing things with fire makes me hot," I say, wiggling my eyebrows.

She smiles widely, stripping the bodysuit off and tossing it aside. "Since I'm being lazy, I'll need your help washing up. Just image your hands, running over every inch of my body, rubbing suds into my wet skin. Does that make you feel hotter?"

"Yup." I reply simply, stripping my shirt off. "Let me clean you up so that we can get dirty together."

…

Naturally, that lead to a bout of shower sex, which then lead to sex on the bed and against the wall. And then another shower. We exited the room three hours later, with a refreshed Zaira stepping out with a smile while I called for Kaidan, Nihlus and Wrex to join me in the cargo bay. With the Normandy getting close to Nonuel, it was time to let them know the game plan.

"So, here's how it's going to go down," I start, "We land on the planet, head to the coordinates and Kaidan will talk to this Darius guy while I turn invisible and sneak up behind him. If he acts like a total jackass, I'll kill him, then we kill whatever other people are there and we steal all of his stuff. Okay?"

Kaidan raises his hand. "What if he doesn't act like a jackass and we can successfully negotiate with him?" He inquires.

"Then…we leave, I guess." Though I doubt it'll end that way. This guy calls himself 'Lord'. If that doesn't say 'self-entitled jackass', I don't know what does. "Alright, we're about to drop. Someone grab the guns because I'm driving this time." Finally! I never get to drive. Sure, I prefer shooting things, but that doesn't mean I don't like driving fast things.

Slipping in the driver's seat, I run the pre-drop tests and get the green lights as the others climb aboard. From the thumping footsteps and the grunts, I'd say Wrex has taken the guns. "Approaching drop zone." Joker announces, rumbling filling the air as the back door slowly slides open.

Hitting the gas, the Mako drives out of the Normandy and enters freefall in the thin atmosphere of the planet. Through the windshield, I can see that the surface of Nonuel is made up of blackened rock in-between streams and rivers of molten earth flowing freely from numerous volcanoes and geysers.

I hit the thrusters for a five second burn, giving us enough lift that we hit the ground relatively softly, the shocks absorbing most of the impact. Entering the coordinates into the onboard computer makes a waypoint pop up on the windshield HUD, and I gun the engine and make tracks towards it.

"What does this Darius guy want, anyway?" Kaidan asks over the radio.

"The report states that he and his syndicate were given weaponry and financial support to keep Batarian surveyors out of the system." Nihlus replies. "Once they secured the system, Darius declared it as his territory and drove off Alliance miners, and is demanding a negotiator to make a deal."

"That seems short-sighted," Kaidan sighs.

"He's just another greedy bastard, thinking himself as more important than everyone else." Wrex interjects grumpily. "Are you sure we can't just shoot him?"

"I wish, but we at least have to make an effort." I reply, driving the Mako off a short jump, using the thrusters to hop over a lava stream, a typical pre-fab building coming into sight. "We're coming up on the compound. See anything, Wrex?"

"No, no sentries or sniper posts. Nothing to shoot at." He says with an annoyed grumble.

Pulling up at the compound, we exit the Mako and before I step out, I engage my tactical cloak, trailing behind Wrex as they enter the building. It's a pretty typical setup, with various crates lying around and a few heavily-armed guards pointing weapons at us. None of them are human, besides the dark-skinned man with a soul patch looking down imperiously from a balcony.

I can already tell we're going to kill him.

As Kaidan opens up a dialogue, I slip around them and make my way up the stairs, ending up behind the self-styled Lord. At the far end of the balcony is a room, and seeing as Darius is monologuing, I have time, so I sneak behind him and into the open room. It's Darius's room, with a bed, a personal terminal and a safe. "Jade, you know what to do."

"That I do." She replies as I place my hand down on the terminal, letting her slip into his systems. It's not like he's going to need whatever money he has in a few minutes. I slip back out and wait for the opportune moment.

"-And another thing: I want the equipment to produce and distribute red sand." Lord Darius demands, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling.

Kaidan has had enough of this guy's shit by this time, I can tell by his body language. "How about, instead, you stop being a dick and you don't die, huh?" He snarks back.

Darius draws himself up, radiating self-righteous anger. "How dare you speak that way to me?! I'll-mmmh!" It takes him a second to realize why he can't speak; namely, the fact that my right hand is covering his mouth.

My left is at the back of his head. With a push and twist of my left, and a pull and jerk of the right, his neck breaks with a meaty snap and he falls limp, my cloak falling. "He was done talking." I say to the people below, before I slap a grenade on the corpse's back and hurl it over the ledge at the armored bad guys. "Head's up!"

Wrex roars briefly as the grenade explodes, knocking half the enemies off their feet, firing his pack as he lunges forward, charging directly into a turian, throwing him against the wall before lunging forward and driving his fist into the turian's head.

Nihlus tosses a flashbang at another pair, these two krogan. As it goes off, he dives over a crate, coming up behind one and taking it hostage while shooting the other with his shotgun. Once the other goes down, the Spectre sticks his fingers up the other krogan's nose and pulls, making it open its mouth, wherein he sticks the barrel and pulls the trigger.

With negotiations becoming agressive, Kaidan opens fire on a pair of turians. Forcing them to take cover. Wrex, having finished with his target, turns and dashes into one, carrying him across the room and into another wall. The other pops out to take a shot, so I shock him from above and let Kaidan pick him off.

I jump off of the balcony and land on the last krogan, driving my lightsaber into his head, before pulling out and cutting it off, just to be sure. The last room has a narrow hallway leading to it, and the very last enemy is hiding just behind the door, firing blindly out of the room. Engaging my cloak, I dive through the door below his assault rifle and come up, smacking it out of his hand before grabbing him around the throat and hurling him into a wall. My sword hums as I impale him through the heart and pin him to the wall.

"Well, there we go." I remark. "Negotiations done. Now, let's tear this place apart and see if we can't find something good."

…

A few hours later, the entire team is sitting in the Comm. Room with the three orange holographic representations of the Council being joined by one of Anderson. I had just finished my report to Hackett when Zaira alerted me to the call, and after confirming my pay (which was enhanced by the Lord formerly known as Darius' bank accounts), I joined them as Zaira reported Benezia's condition.

Speaking of, the…former (?) Matriarch is sitting next to Liara, shifting awkwardly in her chair. It'll take some time for her to get used to a body that hasn't had a kid and isn't as Biotically powerful. Though, from the way she's been patting her hips and looking down at her chest, she may be missing her curvier figure.

"How can you be sure Benezia is no longer 'Indoctrinated', as you claim?" Sparatus asks forcefully. "If it is as dangerous as you have reported, she may be hiding her true allegiance."

"Our doctors have done several deep brain scans to ensure no damage remains," Zaria in answers in a calm voice, though I can tell she's annoyed by the way her fingers are digging into her arms. "Both Doctor Michel and Doctor T'Soni, specializing in Non-human psychology and her daughter, respectively, have also run several psychological tests on her as well. Besides a few gaps in her memory from the earlier years of her life, PTSD and a guilt complex, they both reported a clean bill of health for Benezia T'Soni."

"And you can trust the word of her daughter?" Sparatus shot back.

Shepard huffs and crosses her arms. "Liara T'Soni's loyalties are not in question. She's more than proved herself as a valuable member of my crew."

Tevos cuts off the Turian Council as he goes to speak again. "Very well, Spectre Shepard, we will trust your judgement on this matter. However, there still remains the topic of what to do with Matriarch Benezia. Though, seeing as she seems to be in the middle of her Maiden years, the title is a little presumptuous." She eyes Benezia carefully. "What should be done with you, Benezia T'Soni?"

"Even though my body was not my own, I am still accountable for the actions I took under Saren's direction," Benezia replies with a rueful sigh. "To that end, I wish to make amends for my crimes. I wish to join Commander Shepard's mission to stop Saren from bringing back the Reapers."

"And what are these 'Reapers', exactly?" The Salarian Councilor, Valern, asks.

Benezia goes pale. "I assume you have seen the ship Saren possesses?" She starts, and upon getting the confirming nods, continues. "That ship is not a Reaper ship. It is a Reaper, who answers to the name 'Sovereign'."

Sparatus narrows his eyes on her suspiciously. "Are you saying that these 'Reapers' are A.I.?"

"I do not know their origins or their numbers, but calling them simple A.I. is a massive understatement." The former Matriarch replies with a shake of her head. "Sovereign is so far advanced it's not even remotely funny. I haven't seen it in any sort of battle, but its combat capabilities are something to be feared."

"Benezia, I want a full report on the Reapers capabilities." Tevos orders. "I want everything you know and whatever you can reasonably infer on all of its systems, its abilities, all of it. And, as of right now, Benezia T'Soni is dead. You cannot use that name given your new appearance and the methods with which you acquired it. You will need to pick a new identity, and it will be handled."

Benezia nods in understanding. "How about Aelida?" I offer. Tevos subtly arches an eyebrow at me, understanding the reference.

"Aelida," The former Matriarch tries, seeing how the name rolls off of her tongue. "Aelida D'Carde, in honor of the woman whose body I now inhabit."

Anderson clears his throat. "Shepard, anything you have on the method by which Benezia switched bodies is to be blackwashed. No one can know about it, Executive Orders."

Valern suddenly stiffens, his omni-tool chiming. Opening it, he rapidly reads through pages of data, before sending it to both Councilors. "Spectre Shepard, something new has come up," He starts, looking alarmed. "An STG cell investigating Saren Arterius has sent a message; however, it is heavily clouded. I fear the cell is in danger."

"Commander, your next mission is to find and secure the STG team investigating Saren." Sparatus orders firmly.

"Where to?" Zaira asks.

"A planet called Virmire."

…

…

…

A/N: Bam, there you go. A new chapter all for you. Some new tech, some new information and such. Things are changing more and more now that Benezia, I mean Aelida, is awake. See, since she spent so much time on a Reaper, she knows the basics about them, but not everything. Naturally, she reports this to the Council since why the fuck wouldn't she? This means the Council, in this case Valern and Sparatus, have no real grounds to be skeptical about the Reapers. Which is not to say they aren't suspicious, but there's an eyewitness. Denying it would be monumentally stupid.

This chapter would've been out probably yesterday, but Deadpool came out on digital release on Wednesday and I had to have it, so I bought it. And I've watched it about four times in the last couple of days.

It's fucking awesome. No bones about it. It kicks so much ass. That's all I'm going to say about it.

So, something special that I want to do: If anyone can figure out what the Projects mentioned a few chapters ago are, they can ask me any question and I will answer it, with the exception of super-personal questions. If you want me to spoil the entire plot of the series for you, I will. If you want to know everything there is to know about Saul's backstory, I'll tell you.

If you can figure out all of the Projects.

They are:

Project ORBIT

Project TITAN

Project S. Legion

Project VERDANCY

And here's a hint for all of them: 1: Not what you think. 2: Not what you think. 3: The 'S' stands for Synthetic and 4: Green.

Good luck.

Also, big thanks to Kurogane7 for editing and shit. Why not check him out? I've worked on a few of his stories, too.

So, until next chapter, enjoy and review. You don't want to make me sad, do you? I'm not saying I would cry or anything…well, maybe just a little.

:'(

Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S.: What do you think Saul was worried about Tela reporting? I bet you won't get it. I seem to be too subtle about things like that. Then again, subtlety seems to be a neon-orange cat in the middle of an empty room to most people.

And Virmire is next chapter. What will happen? Will Kaidan die? Will Ashley die? Well, you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus