"How's that knee stretch?"

The sound that leaves my throat is barely human. It's not even Turian. And I can't find it within myself to care.

"Oh...yeah, I'm feeling a stretch," I manage, panting shamelessly.

"Yeah?" Garrus presses harder, my knee at my shoulder and his cock deep inside me. "Mmm look at you, all stretched out for me."

"I, uh...oh. I don't think this is what Chakwas meant."

Garrus chuckles and rolls his hips perfectly, that long cock hitting all my spots. "Are you complaining, my love? I could stop."

"Oh, please don't." I'll beg if he needs me to; I'll do whatever he wants if he just keeps going.

"That's my girl."

Garrus - holding my knee carefully - pins my hip with his other hand and starts stroking steadily into me. His legs are together behind him, Garrus stretched out too, his hips pumping up and down with his shaft driving into me. The sniper's aim is flawless, his cock is exceptional, and it feels like it takes no time before I'm shattering underneath him.

"Fuck, yeah," Garrus growls, stroking slowly through his own orgasm. "Spirits, Elle. Love cumming inside you."

"Makes two of us." He grins, careful of the new but already healing injury on his face, and then kisses me while pulling out. It's hard not to flush when his eyes drop between my legs as he moves back and guides my leg down. He growls again, and I know it's at the sight of his seed inside me. And even though it makes me blush, I kind of love how territorial it feels. It's like he's marked me in a different way.

And thinking about him marking me gets me hot all over again.

I check behind him to make sure Monster isn't in the danger zone, and then take advantage of Garrus on his knees to shove him backward, pushing until he's flat on his back. He doesn't resist even a bit since I grip his cock immediately. I lay on my stomach between his legs and grin up at him. "Tell me what Turian marriage ceremonies are like. When will you mark me?"

"Ah, fuck," he growls when I take his cock in my mouth, playfully mouthing the head. "As soon as I can, baby, Spirits."

I reward him for that with a long lick, following one of the thick veins all the way up the shaft. He lifts himself up onto one elbow to watch, brushing my hair back and tugging my earlobe lightly. I keep my gaze on him and my mouth on his cock, rolling my tongue slowly around the head while he starts talking.

"No marking at the ceremony. It's...private. Mmm. We exchange vows and rings, there's a party...fuck. Alone, that night...we'll mark each other. Shit, Elle." He stops for breath, and I don't let up, sucking his thick head into my mouth and slurping eagerly. Noisily too, which is really a joy since I would have been too embarrassed for that before or with anyone else. "I'm gonna hold you down and take you from behind. Hard. As you cum, I'll mark you, and then I'll fill you. And then, baby, I'm gonna fuck you absolutely everywhere. I'll mark you every way I can that night."

I moan, still just focusing on the head because it's so sensitive, and I know that'll drive him crazy. And it's working.

"You'll mark me too, baby. I want you riding my cock when you do it."

I pop my mouth off of him and start stroking hard and fast, all the way up and down his length. "You want my mark on you too, right?"

"Oh Spirits, yes," he pants. "I want the whole fucking galaxy to know. I'm yours, Elle, all yours. Ah...in your mouth, now."

I recognize it as an order and obey it quickly, diving onto him. He shoves roughly into my throat and explodes with a satisfying roar, my heart skipping with joy at giving this to him. He slumps back as I swallow him, the growl slowly shifting into a purr in his chest.

"Question," I tell him, licking him clean between words mostly to keep him hard. And because it's not often I get to be the one doing the teasing. "Marking happens when we cum. What if...we don't?"

"Not a rule," he replies, voice heavy and lazy. Just the way I like it after a blow job. It's a good sign I've done well. "Some people don't. Asexuals still marry and mark. It's...tradition. Since females have to have an orgasm to get pregnant, the hope was that you're getting your mate pregnant while marking. Lesbian and gay couples still do it, too, as far as I know."

"Wait. An orgasm from both Turians is required to get pregnant?"

Garrus lifts his head to frown at me. "Is that not true for humans?"

"No," I laugh, "and if it were, we probably would have died out as a species. I know plenty of humans who never have vaginal orgasms; I didn't before you." I give his cock a final kiss before climbing up to rest on his chest. "I didn't honestly believe they were possible before you."

"That...is sad." He collapses back again, and I just laugh, finding the right spot on his shoulder - the spot that's made for my head.

"You sound cocky, not sad."

He laughs. "I just had the most beautiful, most powerful woman in the galaxy suck on my dick like it's her favorite dessert and tell me that I changed orgasms for her. I think I have a right to a few moments of cockiness."

"Yeah, you really needed the ego stroke," I tease, poking him in the side. Garrus jumps and swats my ass as punishment before rolling and wrapping both arms around me, bringing me into his chest. My own personal bubble of peace and safety.

And, as always, that bubble is almost instantly popped.

"Commander?" Joker calls over the comms. "Sorry for interrupting the morning delight, but Tali just went to have a chat with Legion. You'd better get down to the AI core before one of them breaks something."

"Shit." This is not the sort of interruption I can ignore or delay on. Garrus knows that too, immediately releasing me and both of us moving. "I'm on it, Joker."

Garrus meets me at the closet, and we dress quickly. I'd much prefer to be cleaned up before anyone gets near me after a romp with Garrus, but I don't have time. I'm not as worried about damage as Joker is; I'm worried that Tali needs support, and I need to be down there immediately to give it to her.

"You think we should be worried that Joker knew we were having a morning delight?" Garrus muses, pulling on his armor. We skip our BDUs to save time but agree without needing to discuss it that we'll wear our armor just in case. Tali is not exactly low-risk if she decides to start shooting, and a Geth is about as unpredictable a shipmate as we can get.

"I think we should be worried about a lot when it comes to Joker," I admit, only half joking. "He's a pervert, but he's harmless."

"For what it's worth, he has not a single sexual thought about you. So, he's a pervert and he teases us, but I worry only because he's a spy."

I laugh, finding that hard to argue with. Joker always seems to know what's going on around the ship - whether we want him to or not. Although, all things considered, I think he could guess that Garrus and I have morning delight regularly. "Joker is like a brother to me, and I know he feels the same."

"Brother or not, I have dibs on Joker standing with me at our wedding. Don't even think about trying to steal him."

"Wait, we're taking dibs already?! I get Tali."

"I get Jack."

"What?! That...shit, that actually seems fair."

Garrus laughs and swoops down to kiss me quickly before we start moving for the door. Monster yowls and follows us eagerly, probably looking for second breakfast in Mess Hall. Tali adores the kitten, though, so if he's nearby for comfort, that's not going to be a bad bonus for us.

"No weapon?" Garrus notes. It's a question, he's not judging or frustrated with me yet, just curious about the plan.

"Oh, I have a weapon." He laughs at the look I give him but nods. He's got his rifle, just in case, and I'd rather believe I can set whatever has happened right without a weapon anyway.

Everyone must know what's going on, because no one stops us on the way to the AI Core. Chakwas is outside the Med Bay, which is attached to the Core, and I'm grateful she's out of harm's way. Hawthorne and Matthews are standing just outside the AI Core doors, armed, but the doors are locked.

"Tali locked herself in. With Legion," Matthews explains.

"We'll take it from here guys, you're good," I assure them. They step back as we approach; I'm sure Garrus's rifle makes them feel better, too. "Tali?" I call through the door. "Tali, it's me and Garrus. Can you let us in?"

I'm aware Garrus can hack through the door, unless Tali makes a real effort to keep him out, but I don't want him to. And fortunately, I don't have to, Tali unlocking the door for us. We walk in to find Legion standing at the end of Tali's pistol. It's odd not being able to read the situation or emotions on either of their faces.

"Shepard," Tali says, her voice unusually hard. "I'm glad you're here. I caught Legion scanning my Omni-Tool. It was going to send data about the flotilla back to the Geth!"

Legion blinks his flashlight eye. "Creators performed weapons tests and were discussing plans to attack us. We believed it necessary to warn our people."

"I won't let Legion endanger the Fleet!" Tali snaps, almost shouting. I know the Quarian well enough to know that it doesn't necessarily take a lot to get her temper going, but Tali this upset hurts my heart. "You can't let this happen, Shepard. I trust you, and I said I'd work with a Geth, but this is too much."

I put up my hands. "You're both right. Tali, you know that your father was running brutal experiments on the Geth. If the subjects had been human, I'd damn well be telling the Alliance about it."

"The Primarch would just order me to shoot you," Garrus adds.

"I know," Tali sighs, a little of her steam let out. "But if the Geth find out - "

"They'd attack," I agree. "Which would cause a war that would leave both the Geth and the Quarians vulnerable when the Reapers show up. Is that what you want, Legion?"

If I thought Geth could breathe, I'd say that Legion sighs in the exact same way Tali just did.

"We believed it was necessary to relay the information," he says.

"Sooner or later, you're both gonna have to stop fighting this war. Or we'll all end up paying for it."

They both pause to look at me for what feels like forever. Garrus still and steady at my side, obviously confident since he hasn't lifted his rifle yet, makes me feel a little better. But I can't breathe until one of them speaks. And it's the Geth who makes the first effort, turning to face Tali.

"To facilitate unit cohesion, we will not transmit data regarding Creator plans."

Tali lowers her gun. "Thank you, Legion. I...understand your intention. What if I gave you some non-classified data to send?"

"We would be grateful."

"So, we're all good here? That's it?" Garrus huffs playfully. "You ruin all the fun, Commander, I didn't get to shoot anyone."

"I could still help with that," Tali quips at the Turian.

"How about you help me with breakfast instead?" he offers, extending an arm for her to tuck inside. She doesn't resist, the two of them pausing only for Tali to squeeze my hand before they leave. I'll debrief with Legion, but knowing Tali is alright is what I need for relief.

"Shepard-Commander," Legion says when we're alone. "We have completed our analysis of the Reaper's data core."

Well, shit. Now I'm really glad I stayed.

"Did you find anything useful?"

He gives a weird sort of nod that makes me smile. He's picking up sentient habits. I'll have him eating peanut butter in no time...and then Garrus can clean out his gears.

I have to hold my breath to keep from laughing at my own dumb joke.

"We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the Geth's future. We are prepared to reveal how." Legion pauses, I think for effect, and I let him have the moment. His dramatics will help him fit in on this team. "The heretics have developed a weapon to use against Geth. You would call it a 'virus.' It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign. Over time, this virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct."

I nod to myself, trying to track his logic. "So, the virus would give all Geth the heretic's logic. And all Geth would then go to war with organics."

"Yes."

"Shit."

He blinks at me but doesn't comment. I wonder how he interprets swearing. I don't ask though since he continues.

"Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determinate. The heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a continued schism."

"But I thought Geth couldn't be hacked or get viruses? At least for more than a few seconds."

"Altered programs are restored from archives, new installations are deleted. This heretic weapon introduces a subtle operating error in our most basic runtimes. The equivalent of your nervous systems. An equation with a result of 1.3382 returns as 1.3381. This changes the results of all higher processes. We will reach different conclusions."

I shake my head, trying to stop it from spinning. "I'm sorry, Legion, engineering is not my area of expertise. You...might be wasting your time trying to explain."

"Shepard-Commander. We have already judged you are capable of more than most. The Old Machines have reached the same conclusion." He cocks his head. "We will explain if you prefer."

"I...thank you, Legion. Who'd have thought a Geth could make me blush?" I appreciate that he doesn't respond to that. "So, the reason the heretics worship the Reapers is a...math error?"

"It is difficult to express," he replies patiently. I sit on his bench, assuming this will take a while. He sits beside me. "Your brain exists as chemistry, electricity. Like AIs, you are shaped by both hardware and software. We are purely software. Mathematics. The heretics' conclusion is valid for them. Our conclusion is valid for us. Neither is an error. An analogy: heretics say one is less than two; Geth say two is less than three."

"Okay." I don't get all of it, but that's enough. The big picture matters more for me anyway. "If it were released, how quickly would this virus spread through your people?"

"We are networked via FTL comm buoys. Most would change within a day. Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoin the network."

"Shit." This time, he nods. "And you needed to go to the Reaper corpse to learn this?"

Another nod. "The heretics store the code in a quantum storage device Sovereign provided. To find and destroy the virus, we needed to understand its code and data storage structures."

"And did you find out where this thing is?"

"The heretics' headquarters station, on the edge of the Terminus. We will provide coordinates. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach."

"Wait, Geth build stations in the Terminus? Where is this thing?"

"Between stars," he answers. "Organics have no cause to look there."

"But why do they build stations outside Geth territory in the first place?" The same question so many ask about the humans who choose to live outside Alliance space, I'm sure.

"The heretics seek improvement from the Old Machines. In exchange, they help them attack organics. We condemn these judgments."

He never hesitates to answer. He doesn't pause to tell me about where the heretics are or their plans or anything about how the Geth function. And that builds a lot of confidence in me. I didn't doubt him before, but now I know I can trust him. Which means we have a mission.

"What should be our plan once we get aboard?"

Now he pauses like he might be surprised I agree. But it only lasts a second, and then he's back on his game. "The Geth will disrupt their network. Prevent the station's defenses from focusing on us. The Reaper data core is physically isolated from the network. We will need to be escorted to it to access and destroy the data."

"Makes sense. What defenses should we expect?"

"In space, none. Within, mobile platforms of various configuration and non-sentient defense turrets. There may be billions of individual programs. Fortunately, most will be uploaded to the central computer. Only a few mobile platforms are maintained at any time. Others are manufactured when needed."

"Okay, Legion. I'm not going to let the heretics brainwash you and your people - especially not to worship the Reapers." And if I can keep the Geth from being part of the war with the Reapers, all the better. "You have my word."

The Geth sticks out his hand for me to accept and shake, and I take it quickly, firmly. He's a teammate, after all.

"We will begin preparations," he says.

"Give the coordinates to EDI; EDI, get them to Joker." I give Legion a final nod and then leave the AI Core, heading back into Mess Hall. It benefits me that the whole team is already gathered. Now I don't have to sound like I've lost my mind more than once when I tell them, "Guess where we're going?"


Shepard never stops surprising me. When I say that, I wish it was in more innocuous ways. I wish she surprised me like my friends have been surprised by their partners, with unwise purchases or even pregnancies. Shepard is the most surprising person I've ever known, but she surprises me in entirely unexpected ways.

Such as going to a Geth base to wipe out what amounts to a significant piece of the entire Geth population.

She has one five-minute conversation with Legion, and now we're going to a Geth base. All of us. Although I guess that last part is a good surprise. It might even be Shepard showing some caution, but I'm not naive enough to start assuming that.

The bonus is that EDI is going to give the IFF a final runthrough and install it for real while we're going. That means when we come back, we'll have taken a massive step closer to being ready for the Omega 4 Relay and putting an end to the Collectors - which of course has a bonus of getting in the way of yet another of the Reaper's plans. Shepard is really developing a knack for that.

But still. Really? A Geth ship. Only Shepard.

And only for Shepard. I would tell any other Commander to shove it, I would have quit this mission months ago - if not years, before we ever went to Ilos. I don't have any doubt the rest of the team would have done the same...with any other Commander.

Only Shepard could walk her teams into seemingly suicidal missions. And only Shepard could bring us back.

Damn, I'm a lucky man.

And lucky me, I have a position on the ship that gives me an excuse to call our Commander away for a little private time before yet another deadly mission to give her a surprise of my own. Is it lying to tell Shepard I need to talk about a Thanix update? Yes. But sometimes lies are worth it.

The moment the doors close behind Shepard, I use the console to lock them and use a preset hack to get around EDI and set the room to private mode without having to ask. EDI and I have come to an agreement about private mode, so I'm confident she won't question me or shut it off.

"Did you call me in here to brag about your gun, Vakarian?" Shepard quips.

"Yes, ma'am. But not the gun you're thinking."

I turn, and she's confused for maybe a second before a spark lights behind her bright green.

"Hmm. Does that mean I get to play with the gun?" she cooes, walking closer to me with a swing in her hips that makes me wild.

"It does. Wanna help me calibrate?"

She barks at a laugh at that one and rolls her eyes. Pride swells in my chest at making her laugh so freely, especially when I'm just being silly. It makes me feel like she really likes me. And I'd like to show her how much I like her.

I reach out to catch her hand and pull her up against my chest, Shepard coming willingly. She moves to wrap her arms around my neck but I catch them, hearing her heart skip when I trap both hands behind her instead. Her gasp when I push her to walk around the side of the Thanix makes me smile, and that only grows when I shove her up against the massive gun.

I plant one hand on the gun and run the other lightly down Shepard's throat. "Two most powerful things on this ship. Both of 'em, mine."

"Oh, yeah? Which one of us is more powerful?"

I laugh at the playful challenge and lean down to kiss her soft lips. "How about you shut up and let me make you cum?" I speak it against her lips and punctuate it by unsnapping her pants. And I take her whimper as consent.

Her shirt comes off, and I replace it with my mouth and hands everywhere than I can. I let her keep her bra on but I grope her breasts over it, far too obsessed to ignore them completely. Her muscles jump as I kneel and bring my tongue and teeth to her waist. I love that she's sensitive here even if this area isn't nearly as erotic for humans as it is for Turians; I would hate knowing we don't both get pleasure out of something.

Not that there's an inch of this woman that doesn't turn me on.

Granted, the breathless way she says my name might be the biggest turn on. And I get plenty of that when I pull her pants off, guide one leg over my shoulder and slip her panties aside with one talon so that nothing stands between me and this gorgeous, perfectly wet woman.

We aren't guaranteed a lot of alone time here, especially pre-mission, privacy mode or no. But at the moment, that just means I don't have to waste time to devour her. Shepard only barely manages not to scream, and I'm having trouble of my own not moaning and growling. I can fight that, but my erection is beyond my control, and it's not long before I need to release it from my pants. I stroke myself, content with my hand while I'm blessed with the incredible way this woman tastes.

Shepard takes advantage of having no rules, holding my fringe for leverage and grinding her hips on my face. She rides my tongue, fingers teasing my fringe, and it's nearly as hot as her riding my dick. I let a growl rumble through me softly, knowing that she likes the way it feels against her, and Shepard throws her head back, biting her lip. She's close, and I take that signal to slip the fingers of my free hand inside her, focusing my tongue on her clit. A few strategic strokes from both, and she's shattering for me, that sweet flavor exploding on my tongue.

My arousal is tied strongly to hers, so her orgasm makes my dick throb hard enough that I can't fight off a groan. I'm not complaining that she gets me hot, but having an erection in my pants and armor all the time is not the most enjoyable part of our relationship for me. It's entirely worth it, though.

I kiss her hips softly while bringing her pants back to put them on. Mission accomplished, I hope I relieved some of her stress for the Geth base. We can worry about me later.

Or at least that's my plan. Shepard has something else in mind, apparently, since she swats her pants away with her foot and tugs my fringe to make me look up at her. There's a twinge inside me when I look up this way, the move - and especially exposing my throat - very submissive and very much not me, but I trust Shepard enough that I can handle it. The way she's looking down at my cock is enough for me to know where I stand.

"I want you," she pants.

I surge to my feet, pulling her mouth to mine. She meets my tongue eagerly, tasting herself, and immediately grabs my cock with both hands. I set my hands at either side of her head and plant my feet firmly, nodding into our kiss to tell her to keep going with her hands. Shepard obeys, jerking me hard and fast, both fists sliding up and down my length.

When I have to break our kiss to breathe, Shepard moves to kiss my throat, even though she needs to lean up on her toes to do it. "Like that?" she murmurs.

"Mmm, just like that, baby." I reach blindly for a clean tray to my left and grab a towel that I shove into one of her hands, my rational mind aware that we don't have time for cleaning up. And Shepard doesn't miss a beat, those strong little hands pulling me right into a blissful oblivion that leaves my spine tingling. "Damn. Wasn't expecting that."

She gapes up at me. "You called me in here!"

"Well, yeah, but only to take care of you," I admit. I give her my best grin and tease, "I got hungry."

"Jesus," she shivers. "We're not leaving here soon if you keep talking like that." She pops up onto her toes, stretching to kiss me. "And thank you for letting me take care of you, too. I don't give you nearly enough handjobs."

"Oh, well, don't let me stop you." She laughs and pushes me back playfully, but I use the space to retrieve her pants. I take the towel from Shepard to clean myself up and can't help a laugh. "It's been a while since I came in a towel on this ship."

"Garrus! You've jerked off on the Normandy?"

I give her a dark look. "Are you gonna tell me you haven't masturbated on this ship, Shepard?" It brings an instant blush to her cheeks. "Exactly. And technically, I never jerked off on this Normandy; you've kept me busy. But on the last one, when I had a sexy Commander running around, teasing me? Come on."

She laughs, but it's huskier than I expect, and I look up at her while fixing my pants around my steadily-softening erection. Her eyes are still firmly trained on it, though, despite the softening and the pants. The look on her face is going to change that softening real quick, though.

"Oh, yeah?" I taunt her, Shepard's gaze flashing up to mine. "Like the thought of that, do you?"

She bits her bottom lip and nods, eyes wide. Fuck, I want her on her knees.

I move quickly again to pin her against the Thanix with my body. "Get us home quick. I need more of you."

"Yes, sir." She smirks. "Get your armor on and gear up."

"Yes, ma'am." We move toward each other at the same time for a forehead bump. Shepard kisses me, then tilts her head to let me nip her throat.

And now I'm confident we can take on anything.


When I was about fourteen, a neighbor's dog had puppies. Fourteen of the fuzzy little devils. I remember going over with Jake one afternoon and helping them wrangle up the dogs into a playpen. It was a disaster. We had to chase them around, and every time we got one into the pen, two more jumped out. We had a blast, of course - how could we not with puppies? - but it was an exhausting mess.

I'm reminded of it now, watching the whole team get themselves ready to go in the Cargo Hold.

And Garrus might be my biggest troublemaker. There was almost focus before he snapped Jacob's ass with a towel; it made me blush like a fool because I know from experience that he was holding back and can do some impressive things with impact, but it got the crew all riled up. As much as I want them to just get done, I can't help laughing when Garrus and Grunt play keepaway with a piece of Zaeed's armor. It surprises me that the grumpy old man who almost definitely hates me seems just as amused by their antics.

"Vakarian, would you quit causing trouble and come with me?"

"Shepard, did you just hear yourself?" he counters, grinning lasciviously. I have to hide my face, the blush almost painful, as the crew roars their laughter. Garrus rescues me, though, coming over and sweeping me into a hug. "Sorry, Commander," he murmurs into my ear. "Someone got me all worked up before we got down here."

"Oh, yeah, sure, blame me." He gets kissed for it anyway; I can't help myself. I manage to control my cheeks and my body enough to turn back to the crew. "Legion, come on up with us to the cockpit for approach. Everyone else...God, would you people get yourselves together?" They laugh because I do, but they do all continue getting geared up. "When I get back, we'll get in the shuttle and head out."

I get a round of everyone's favorite version of 'yes ma'am' while heading for the elevator with Garrus and Legion. The Turian leans against the wall, one heavy boot propped behind him. He's a rock, constantly cool and soaked in the sort of charisma that makes other people want to know him, to be near him. On the other side of the elevator is Legion. Even for a machine, he seems stiff.

"We scaring you off yet, Legion?" I ask, offering him a smile. I realize that he knows what a smile is and can look up what it means, but I wonder if he really understands the gesture. I would do it anyway, of course. He's part of the team.

"Scared? No one has been aggressive."

Garrus chuckles softly. "Humans really like idioms, Legion, they aren't literal. She wanted to know how you're settling in, if you're comfortable on the ship."

"And don't worry because I used to confuse the hell out of Garrus, too." Garrus laughs, and Legion just blinks at us.

"We are...comfortable. The crew has been accommodating. Kind." He cocks his head a little. "Creator-Tali does not trust us."

I cock my head right back at him. "Do you trust Tali?" His silence is my answer, and I give him a nod with a laugh. "The whole universe has some stuff to work on, Legion; Geth and Quarians are no different. Being here is a start, and taking us to stop the heretics from helping the Reapers is a huge step."

"We are glad you agreed to the mission," he replies.

"Well. I trust you." The doors open, and I head out into the CIC to let Legion consider that. I hear Garrus pat his shoulder, and then he's at my side as we cross the bridge into the cockpit.

"Perfect timing, Commander, we're on approach." And he's certainly right; I can see the Geth ship coming close through the window. That's more than a little unnerving; it's the kind of vulnerability I do not like. Joker turns around to look at Legion. "You know it's just our heat emissions that are hidden, right? They can look out a window and see us coming."

"Windows are structural weaknesses; Geth do not have them," Legion responds. He has a point. "Approach the hull at these coordinates."

Legion turns to a console to plug them in, and Joker faces his controls again, moving his mouth and arms like mimicking a robot. Until he sees the look I'm giving him. The pilot at least has the grace to look properly scolded.

"Geez, Shep. You've already nailed the mom look."

"Access achieved," Legion announces, saving Joker from response. "We may proceed."

"Alright. Joker, you get us close. Let's get on a shuttle and get down there." I pat Joker's shoulder gently. "Legion said we probably won't have comm access or be able to reach EDI while we're in there, but you guys should just have the IFF to deal with. Good?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine," he growls, waving me away.

"Yeah, yeah, see you soon."

Moments later, we have the whole squad on a shuttle and flying for a Geth ship. Not something I ever thought I'd be doing. I can feel the tension among the squad but also the excitement; this is a team of adventurers as much as they are soldiers, and I adore that about them. Exploring new worlds has always been my most favorite part of my job, following closely by contact with new species.

Although that might have snuck into first if more of my initial contacts went like the one with Garrus did. First Turian, and I fell in love.

Almost like he can read my thoughts, but more likely because we're landing on an enemy ship, Garrus is right up against me when the shuttle lands. I get a moment to lean back against him, borrowing his strength and knowing that he's borrowing from mine. We're both going to need the strength and one another today.

Legion leads us off the shuttle. Whether he would be as confident as he seems with a face that I could read, I'll never know, but I'm choosing to believe he really is that sure. Especially when he whips out some tool in his hand that burns through a metal wall. Apparently, this is our door. And apparently, I should bring Legion more often if we don't have time to hack through doors.

He turns back to the squad for any of us steps inside. "This facility has little air or gravity. Geth require neither."

"Yes, that's why I forced even the Turian and Krogan who complain about it into their helmets." I wish they could see me grin back at them, but something in their postures tell me that Garrus and Grunt know that I'm smiling. Back to Legion, I get serious and ask, "Won't we be detected? Don't they have intrusion alarms?"

Legion makes a motion like shaking his head. "Sensors have been reduced. We have infiltrated their wireless network and filled the data storage with random bits."

"And...that helps us how?"

"The heretics must scrub this 'junk' data. They have partitioned themselves into local networks working in parallel. Any alarm we trigger will not go beyond the room we are in. Only accessing the main core will trigger a station-wide alert."

Tali makes a soft noise. "That's brilliant." I can tell it costs her something to say it, so I give her a nod and hope she knows how proud I am of her.

"Okay, so that's definitely going to benefit us. You all have a map of the ship on the Omni-Tools from Legion, right?" The team confirms. "We're going to split up. A small team will go with me and Legion, and we'll go to the core where Legion can access the virus. To reduce how much of a fight we face when we get there, I want two other teams to go room to room through the ship, taking out the heretics inside. We then meet in the core."

Legion shows us the paths to take around the ship that will lead to the core while allowing us access to heretics along the way; we don't want to face the whole ship of heretics in that central core.

I face the squad, running through my options for teams even while I start talking. I want my biotics, my gunners, and my technically astute team members divided evenly; I have to be aware of the guns they favor, the skills they use, and their personalities. That's honestly only a small reason why I get to know my teams so well but it is helpful.

"Jacob, you're taking one squad. Let's say to the left?" He nods. "I want you with Miranda, Mordin, Thane, and Zaaed. Jack, you're heading up the second team. Grunt, Kasumi, and Samara will go with you. Tali and Garrus, you're with me and Legion. Everyone got it?"

I can see the disappointment and surprise on Miranda's face, but she doesn't say a word. Jack is the only one really staring at me, and I motion with my head for her to approach. Garrus catches my signal to stay while the others do one final check of maps and equipment prior to leaving.

"What's wrong with you?" Garrus asks my favorite bald biotic before I can say a word. I'm inclined to trust his approach with Jack. "You leave your balls on the Normandy?"

"Fuck you," she snarks, a grin in her eyes. It fades quickly, and she looks at me before glancing back at her squad. "You sure about this, Shep? Nobody's ever exactly called me leadership material."

"You've just never worked with anyone as smart as me," I quip. "I don't screw around with my teams, Jack, especially not when it comes to their safety. I wouldn't ask you to lead a squad if I was two hundred percent sure that you can handle it. But I need you to be sure, too."

Jack and I have been working on her leadership skills since Horizon. Garrus suggested it originally, actually, and it was a great idea. She has a natural inclination for it simply because she refuses to follow, and she's charismatic as hell. Plus, she's talented as all fuck with biotics and her guns, and there is nothing soldiers respect more than someone who can hold their own. Jack has what it takes. But for all her bravado and mouth, Jack is one of the most insecure people I've ever known. Which is just another reason I want her to do this.

"Look at me." Garrus doesn't touch her, maintaining Jack's privacy as much as possible. Jack looks up at him, almost like it's become instinct to her as well. "You got this. And if you don't, Miranda can lead your squad."

She kicks him in the shin for that, and he laughs it off. It works to relax her a little, though. And I'm certain that Garrus expressing his confidence in her makes as big if not a bigger difference than hearing me do the same. I'm her friend and her commander, but he's like a brother. Jack has always needed family.

When Jack looks back at me, all of her uncertainty is gone.

"Yeah, I got this."

"Good." I clap her shoulder, knowing that she'll hate it if I make a big deal about it. I call to everyone, "We've got a job to do. Let's get to it."

Jacob and Jack lead their teams in opposite directions. Garrus has Jack's team keyed into his comms, so he'll hear everything that they're saying at low level so it doesn't distract us. He's adorable, but he'll hate if I call him out on that just like Jack would, so I let it go. Once they're on the way, I motion for my team to start into the ship, but Legion stops us.

"Shepard-Commander. We concluded that destruction of this station was the only resolution to the heretic question. There is now a second option." When I just blink, he takes it at a signal to continue. "The virus can be repurposed. If released into the station's network, the heretics will be rewritten to accept our truth."

"Wait a minute!" Tali interjects, voice squeaky with her anxiety. "If we rewrite these Geth, they'll join the others. Legion's Geth will be stronger. Can we trust them not to attack us in the future?"

There's no doubt in my mind that humans said the same about Turians after our war ended. Hell, there are some that still do - the same people that consider me a traitor.

"Why did you mention this before, Legion?" Garrus asks. There's no anxiety in his voice, but he's definitely a little frustrated.

"We did not know the virus was complete," he answers. "It is. It can be used against the true Geth at any time. Our arrival was timely."

And now we have to choose between rewriting these Geth with the same vitus we're here to stop the heretics from using or we have to destroy these Geth - maybe needlessly. Neither sounds like a great choice without consequences.

"Legion, these are your people. You must have an opinion."

He shakes his head at me. "This is new data. We have not reached consensus. We would value your opinion."

"Rewriting feels unethical," I admit, speaking from my gut. "I wouldn't brainwash an organic race; I can't see the Geth differently."

"The question is irrelevant. If we do not rewrite them, we destroy them. That is why we are here." Legion steps a little closer, imploring me even without vocal tones. "Do not hesitate now. They will exterminate your species because their goes tell them go. You cannot negotiate with them. They do not share your remorse, pity, or fear."

And yet I'll swear I saw both fear and remorse when Tali had a gun to Legion's head.

I take a breath. "It should be your call, Legion. Let's just get to the core and then make a decision." Even as I say it, the options are weighing heavily on me. But I'll respect Legion for whatever he thinks is best. I really wish I had time to hash out all my thoughts on it with Garrus, though. I can't even see his face for a guess with his helmet on. I knew I was going to hate this mission.

We move into the ship and then into the first room from Legion's map. There are pathways on the floor that give me flashbacks of David I really don't need to deal with right now. Garrus can anticipate that without seeing my face, and his hand lands on my shoulder. That helps.

"Interrupting data streams will alert local networks. We recommend preemptive strikes against hard link routers."

"We could sneak by...if we were boring." I laugh and nudge Garrus; we both know that's not going to happen.

We move through the room carefully, avoiding the stream. Garrus alerts both the other teams for me that they have the same options. We have to take out the heretics and the hubs in each room anyway, but if we're careful, we can wait until we're ready. And in this case, that means taking cover while Garrus launches a strategic blast of overload at the hub. It instantly kills two of the three Geth attached, taking the hub out as well. The remaining Geth doesn't last long enough to raise his rifle before Legion puts a shot right through its flashlight.

"Garrus...why is your overload better than mine?" Tali asks slowly. "You got illegal mods for that on Omega, didn't you?"

"Excuse you, Tali'Zorah, are you insinuating that I need the black market to have better tech than you? How superior of you."

His tone is light and teasing, and Tali knows better than to assume she could rile Garrus up that easily. Garrus, however, knows exactly how to get Tali going, and he's done it. She plants her hands on her hips and demands, "Just tell me. It's not like I'll turn you in."

"Do you want the mods?" he asks.

"Of course not."

"Then why do you want to know?"

"I..." Tali proceeds to stammer for a few seconds before stomping her boot. "Just tell me!"

I shake my head sadly, knowing for sure that she just lost this battle. Garrus pats her shoulder and shakes his head before walking toward the hub where Legion is, leaving behind a frustrated Quarian.

I pat her shoulder as well. "C'mon, Tali, you should know better. Give Garrus the advantage, and he'll never give it back to you."

"I don't know how you deal with him all the time," she laughs, no heat. "He's impossible."

"He is. He's also really hot, though."

Tali laughs harder and shakes her head at me before turning to the hubs and getting distracted by the data collection. It's my turn to shake my head while I wait, realizing that I'm completely surrounded by dorks.

"These hubs are built with resources that could be useful to our mission," Legions tells me. "It would be efficient to salvage the material as we proceed."

"I let the nerds handle that stuff, Legion." Tali and Garrus both turn back and give me their species' versions of the middle finger. "Hey, Legion, why are all the heretics attached to these hubs?"
Patient as ever with my technical ineptitude, he answers, "These are mobile platforms. Hardware. The crew is software. They are communing through the station's central computer."

I recognize few of those words and open my mouth to answer him, but hesitate. I don't generally have a problem admitting what I don't know, but I'm standing in front of two of my most technically talented and mathematically minded members of my crew. Granted, they're also my best friends, and that's what lets me admit, "I'm not sure I follow."

"The heretics connect to the main computer to exchange data memories and program updates," Legion explains. "We gain complexity by linking together. To be isolated within a single platform is to be reduced. Comprehend less. It is quieter."

"If you exchange data - memories, how do you keep track of which ones are yours?" I ask. I motion to him. "How do you stay you?"

"There is only 'we,'" he counters. "We were created to share data among ourselves. The difference between Geth is perspective. We are many eyes looking at the same things. One platform will see things another does not and will make different judgments."

I almost wince. "I can see why you'd be conflicted about the heretics. In a way, whatever you do to them, you're doing to yourself."

"Yes. Once they return to us and upload their memories, we will share their experience of being altered."

"Every other species I know of might be psychologically scarred by a traumatic experience like that." Tali looks at me but says nothing.

"It is not clear if Geth can be 'traumatized.' We do not feel pain as you do. We cannot predict what the effects will be."

I don't know if he thinks that will make me feel better, but it doesn't.

"Let's keep moving." No one objects or hesitates, and we continue through the door in the room to the hall beyond. There are a couple rooms off the hall, but in the hall itself, we're stalled by a few defense turrets.

"We can assume control of any defensive turret," Legion tells us. "They will assist us briefly, then self-destruct."

"Good, do it." He nods and sets to work; it takes him less than a minute to confirm that all three turrets are ours and will fire at Geth with a signature other than his. It's useful since we don't get far down the hall before Geth start coming out of the one open room. The turrets do most of the work, taking them out.

We find a couple more Geth hubs inside the room and decide to go at them simultaneously; Tali comes with me to one, and Garrus is with Legion at the other. On my count, Tali and Garrus hit their respective hubs at the same moment. We take out the attached Geth, and more pour into the room, but we win the battle without any major issue. I confirm that Jack and Joker's teams are doing just as well while Garrus, Legion, and Tali do that salvaging thing they all enjoy so much.

We fight through a few more halls and rooms, taking Geth out on the way, before arriving on a large platform that surrounds a central room. Legion hacks the rocket drones in that central area, and that makes it easier to take out the Geth that come into the room from either side.

A ramp leads us down several levels. I'm relieved when Tali admits that the layout of this ship confuses her; it's easy to tell that this was not designed by organics. I'm sure Legion feels just as off-kilter on the Normandy. If that's a feeling Geth have, that is.

At the bottom of the ramp is a long room. It has a window into another room that runs too far for us to see the entire thing. "This station is over fifteen kilometers long. That room may run the length of it," Legion says.

"Shit. Can you imagine crewing a ship this size?" Garrus shakes his head, proving I'm not the only one blown away by the scope of this ship. It's fascinating.

We leave through another door, and yet another level takes us - somehow - down more levels. It leads us onto a platform that has a datastream along the edge all the way down into a main room. There are two hubs in this room, so we split up the same way and handle it.

"Nice shooting, Legion," I offer to the Geth. "You make the third sniper on our team, but maybe we only need two. How do you feel about changing weapons, big guy?"

"Keep it up, kid, I'll show you weapons."

"Ew!" Tali chirps, throwing a bolt from one of the destroyed hubs at the Turian and then another at me for laughing. She misses both of us and I try not to make a comment about why she uses a shotgun instead of a sniper rifle, choosing to let it go for the sake of moving on. And because there's always more time to tease Tali.

We clear the room and then move into a hallway. All along one side is a window into another set of rooms with weird systems lining either side. Again, it goes past where we can see. "What are these?" I ask Legion.

"Processes. Each contains thousands of Geth."

I whistle. Considering the size of the room and the number of processors, if the Geth don't already outnumber organics in the Galaxy, they easily could.

"Can they see us?" Tali asks.

"They are no more aware of us than you are of cells in your bloodstream."

"This isn't like the other hubs we've seen before, though," I note.

"No, this is a database. It contains a portion of the heretics' accumulated memories." Suddenly, Legion's head snaps up and he goes stiff - well, stiff than usual. Metal is always stiff. "Wait. We discovered copies of our current patrol routes in this database. This suggests the heretics have runtimes within our networks."

"We wouldn't be here if the heretics wanted to be friends with the Geth," Garrus chimes in, frowning at Legion. "Why wouldn't they spy on you?"

Legion turns away from the window, facing us. "You do not understand. Organics do not know each other's minds; Geth do. We are not suspicious. We accept each other. The heretics desired to leave. We understood their reasons. We allowed it. There was peace between us."

"Legion...it couldn't have lasted forever," I tell him, trying to be gentle. This can't be an easy lesson. "You disagreed about what path your race should take."

"Human history is a litany of bloodshed over differing ideals of rulership and afterlife. Geth have no such history. We shared consensus on such things." His head falls, and he shakes it slowly. "How could we have become so different? Why can we no longer understand each other? What did we do wrong?"

I put my hand on his shoulder, just like I would touch any other member of the crew. It doesn't phase me that his body is metallic and cold; he needs comfort in this moment, and as his leader, it's my job to give it. "It's not your fault. When individuals are separated, they develop in different ways. When they get back together, they don't always get along."

"If this is the individuality you value, we question your judgment." He manages a dry enough tone that we can't help but chuckle, even Tali. Well, a little. Legion shakes his head. "This topic is irrelevant. We must return to the mission."

"Have you reached an opinion about whether to rewrite the heretics or not?" I ask, hopeful that he's considering everything he's learning and telling us today. Considering all the processing he does, I imagine he is.

"We are still trying to build consensus. Some processes judge destruction preferable. Others rewrite."

I nod. "Let's keep moving."

We leave the hall through a set of doors at the end and proceed onto a large platforming that's overlooking a room with several data streams and a number of large turrets. There are stairs leading down into that room from either side of the platform we're on and doors at either side, too. Legion is drawn directly to a console in the middle of the platform, and I follow him there as Jacob and Jack's teams arrive almost simultaneously - and entirely safe.

I stand beside Legion. "This is it?"

"Yes. We will upload a copy of our runtime into the core. It will delete all copies of the virus. When complete, it will notify us." He starts to work immediately, the language on the console completely foreign to me and even to my Omni-Tool's translator; no organics have cracked Geth-speak. Except David. "The indexing operation will take time. The heretics will respond with force to our upload. We must hold this room."

"Things you could have told us before," Garrus quips, no heat in it. It's not like we don't have a force in this room available to fight the heretics back.

And I send that force to work. Legion hacks the rocket drones, and we cover the doors, the stairs, and the room below us. The fight comes quick and it comes hard; the heretics are even more aggressive than the Geth usually are during the fight, and I wonder if they know what we're really doing here. They seem desperate. But they're no match for us. I barely find the need to take more than a few shots.

"They're good," Garrus notes, in cover right beside me. He's not firing at the moment either, letting the two other snipers on the team do his job for once.

I nod. "They are good. Together and individually." I glance at him with a grin. "We might actually have a shot on the Collector Base."

"We'd better have more than a shot," he chuckles. "Me and you have big things to do." I give him the sort of grin he's famous for and look him over head to toe. Garrus barks out a laugh and tugs me closer so he can bump me with his forehead, making my heart swell. I don't mind spending firefights like this at all. Maybe I should bring giant teams more often.

As the fight starts to slow, Legion goes back to the terminal and calls for me, Garrus, and Tali. When we join him, he tells us, "Datamine and analysis complete, Shepard-Commander. It is time to choose. Do we rewrite the heretics or delete them?"

I balk, nearly laughing at him. I might have some choice language for him if the whole team weren't watching at this point. "Why are you letting me make this decision, Legion? These are your people."

"We are conflicted," he answers slowly, his tone almost definitely sad. "There is no consensus among our higher-order runtimes. Five hundred seventy-three favor rewrite; five hundred seventy-one favor destruction."

"And you don't have trouble wiping out your own people?" I press him.

Legion shakes his head. "Every sapient has the right to make their own decision. The heretics chose a path that prohibits coexistence."

"What's to stop them from using the virus later to change themselves back if Shepard rewrites them?" Tali asks. It's an excellent question.

"We will delete the virus after using it. We judge it too dangerous to allow its existence."

I take a breath, feeling eyes and weight on me and not liking it very much. "I am really uncomfortable making this decision, Legion."

"Shepard-Commander." He takes a step closer to me. "You have fought the heretics and the Old Machines. You have perspective we lack. The Geth grant their fate to you. We...trust you."

Well, shit.

Garrus takes my hand and pulls me toward him. Quickly, he tucks a curl behind my ear and tugs the lobe. It's an instant way to ground me, and my lungs expand on a deep breath. I look up into impossibly blue eyes, and the rest of the room fades away. "Talk me through it, kid," he commands softly. "Where are you at, what are you thinking?"

Right. Run it down with my right-hand guy, my best friend. Talk it through like I would anything else on any other mission, even if I hate it.

"We're fighting for our lives right now against something that would enslave and indoctrinate us. The Reapers...what they want to do to us is basically rewriting us, isn't it?" He doesn't answer because he knows without having to be told that I don't want him to answer; I just need him to listen, and no one is better at that. "How can I do the same thing to another species? It would make me a hypocrite, it would make the Geth slavers."

But as much as I appreciate his listening skills, I trust his feedback and his opinions more than anyone's. More than my own, sometimes. Like Legion trying to get consensus, I need to know what my partner thinks.

"What would you do?" I know he won't answer just to placate me, he respects me too much for that.

"I'm with you," he answers firmly, quickly. "We're fighting for our right to die instead of handing over our freedom. The heretics put up their fight; we have to respect them enough to let them die instead of taking their choice."

I narrow my eyes and tease, "You just had to say it better, huh?" He laughs, and I pound my fist on his chestplate. "Thanks, big guy. Legion...destroy the heretics. We're not going to rewrite them."

"Acknowledged." He doesn't hesitate, gives no indication that he doesn't like the decision. That helps. Legion turns back to the console and gets to work. "Collapsing antimatter magnetic boiling mechanism. Done. Recommend withdrawal to shuttles."

The station jolts violently, hard enough that I'd stumble if not for Garrus catching my elbow. "Legion...how quickly do we need to withdraw?" I demand, a sinking feeling setting into my gut.

"Three minutes."

"It took us almost an hour to get here," Garrus notes, a little bit of a growl creeping into his voice.

"Someone should teach him about the right time to tell us things," Jacob snarks.

I shake my head, already pointing toward the exit. "We'll teach him later. Everyone back to the shuttles - double time!"

The squad races back through the ship. Garrus, Tali, and Grunt take a lead and blast damn near every Geth right to pieces with their heaviest weapons. Jack, Samara, and Miranda add in their biotics to clear out wide swaths of the enemy and make sure we never have to slow. It gives me an opportunity to stick to the rear, making sure the entire team gets out ahead of me. I can see Garrus taking every opportunity to glance back, though, and something tells me I'll be getting spanked later. That'll be easily the best part of this day.

Jack starts blowing through walls when Legion warns that we're a minute from explosion, and just when this place is starting to look like Purgatory, we make it back to the already-running shuttle. It pulls away in time to give us a great view of the station exploding.

The team takes a moment to celebrate that, to congratulate one another and themselves for a job well done. Garrus doesn't miss an opportunity to pull me into his arms for a kiss, and I don't resist it. "How do I want you so badly even after all the times I've had you today?" he growls into my ear.

"When I find out what I'm doing right, believe me, I'll never stop." He kisses me once more, both of us smiling, and then I turn to Legion who seems entirely unbothered by what happened to the ship. "What happens to the Geth now?"

Before he can respond, the shuttle pilot whips around in his seat and shouts, "Commander! You have an emergency message from the Normandy."