Disclaimer: I do not own either Star Wars or Mass Effect. They're just two of my favorite franchises and I wanted to play in the sandbox.

Chapter Six: Buried Ledes

Shepard looked at Rex in disbelief. "You're certain. You're absolutely certain you saw a Krogan at the slave market?"

"There's a chance I'm wrong, but my gut tells me I'm right." He replied.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Anger flared in her tone. "That was almost three weeks ago!"

"There wasn't anything we could have done at the time." Anakin answered, trying to diffuse her.

" I could have done something!"

"Shepard, I know you're used to having Alliance resources at your disposal..." Rex began.

"But I don't in the Republic." She took a frustrated but tempering breath. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"I have a contact that might have a lead, but I don't know anything about the Korgan. What should I know before I go?" Anakin asked.

"Nothing, because I'm coming with you." She said plainly.

"I can't let a civilian-"

"I'm hardly a civilian." She interjected with a chuckle.

"Regardless," He continued, "I can't take you with me."

"Can't or won't?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

He tried a different tactic, "The Jedi Council has rules about this sort of thing."

"Then it's a good thing haven't brought this up to your council yet." She smiled mischievously.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because we're meeting in Senator Amidala's office, not the Jedi temple, there are no members of GAR high command or the Council here, you've made no mention of what action you're approved to take, and your padawan is nowhere in sight, which means you don't want her to learn from your bad behavior or you don't want her to be guilty by association."

Anakin's jaw set firmly. "Aren't you insightful."

"My primary training was as an infiltrator. I was one of the best snipers in the Alliance and could rival Asari Commandos and Drell assassins. With the exception of one friendly bottle shooting contest, I'm never off target. It's my job to be insightful. I'm career military. I understand how protocol works and when it's easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission." She smiled with a touch of smugness, knowing she had the upper hand. "With all due respect General, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. I'm going. We can either do this the easy way, take one ship and I will be inclined do things your way, or we can do this the hard way and I'll find a ship, follow you and I'll do things my way."

Rex chuckled abruptly but stifled it into a cough. Padmé gave a demure grin but turned away to the window.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure if I like you or not."

"I can live with that." Her tone leveled, "All that aside, if you want the Korgan to cooperate, you need me."

"Tell me why and we might have a deal." He folded his arms over his chest and waited.

Shepard sighed internally. She hated exposition. "Krogan history isn't a pretty story, but suit yourself. More than two millennia ago, the Rachni War started. To put it simply, Rachni are highly intelligent space bugs and the council races didn't stand a chance of beating them. Enter the Krogan. Their home planet Tuchanka is a harsh, arid, everything exists to kill you kind of planet. Their naturally aggressive nature coupled with redundant organs, resistance to disease, toxins, armor plated skin, and reptilian biology made them perfect to tip the balance of war. The Salarians 'uplifted' the Krogan by giving them technology and a new home planet, as they had destroyed their own with nuclear war.

"After the Krogan eradicated the Rachni however they became a problem. Without the harsh conditions of Tuchanka to balance their mortality rate, a Krogan baby boom put strain on resources, diplomacy, and balance of power. The council species knew they couldn't go to war with the Krogan, so instead the developed the genophage, which is a virus that affected the fertility rate of Korgan females."

"They were sterilized." Anakin concluded.

"Not sterilized. That would be tantamount to genocide and violate dozens of treaties and laws. No, the genophage reduced the number of viable pregnancies that made it to term to 1 or 2 out of every 1,000 conceptions. The hope was that, with their natural tendency toward tribal in fighting, coupled with the plummeting birth rate, the Krogan would drive themselves to their own extinction within several generations.

"During the Reaper War, I needed Krogan support for the Turian home planet Palaven, to get the Turians to then support humanity in building the Crucible to defeat the Reapers, so we could all continue to exist. To gain Krogan support, I ended the genophage with the help of a Salarian Agent that had worked in the genophage previously. All this means they'll be more inclined to trust me than you. Is that explanation enough for you?"

"Yes, thank you." Anakin replied matching her prior smugness. He nodded at Rex who brought her a pack.

"A pair of deecees, a new wrist comm, and a medical kit, for good measure."

She smiled and slung it on her back. "Rex you sure know how to spoil a girl. Keep this up and I'll fall in love with you."

He returned a crooked smile as he blushed slightly, before clearing his throat. "Well, you should probably be setting out soon."

"I'll meet you at the platform." Anakin said, turning to Padmé.

Together Rex and Shepard left the Senator's office. Once they were alone in the lift, Rex kissed her briefly but deeply.

"Make sure you watch your back. This contact of the General's can't be trusted."

"I'd tell you not to worry, but I know you that won't stop you. I've dealt with pirates, syndicates, and warlords before. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do." He squeezed her hand and looked like he was going to say something, but hesitated and looked away.

"So, how long have Skywalker and Padmé been sleeping together?" Shepard casually asked as the lift stopped.

Rex inhaled sharply and momentarily choked on his own saliva. After a coughing spell he caught up with her. They boarded a shuttle to take them to their landing pad.

"You can try to deny it, but I know it when I see it. Isn't that forbidden for a Jedi?"

"How did you figure it out?" He watched her with wide eyes.

She chuckled, "Because I know how dynamics change after two people have sex, especially when they aren't supposed to."

The shuttle landed, but Rex gently took her arm and stopped her. "No one can know."

"I know."

"This isn't a game." His voice was hard.

"Rex, I know." She mirrored his tone.

"They aren't just sleeping together." His eyes held hers intensely.

"That's dangerous." She whispered, understanding his unspoken meaning.

They stepped off the shuttle and waited at a rickety spice freighter. A moment later, Anakin arrived and Artoo chirped from the loading ramp. Rex watched as they lifted off, pushing aside the ball of anxiety that percolated in his stomach.

What's the worst that could happen?

--

Shepard rummaged through her pack after they jumped to hyperspace. Once the holsters were firmly strapped in place on her hips, she checked her weapons and was pleased to find Rex ensured they needed no maintenance. Next, she took out the wrist comm and synched it with the channels from her old one.

"What's that?" Anakin asked, glancing past her shoulder.

"It's called an Omni-Tool." She replied as she modified her comm to hold it. "They can hack, decrypt, communicate or jam signals. Military grade OTs can provide additional resources like improved shield strength and or a tactical cloak. Mine was unfortunately damaged pretty badly on Earth but I've managed to get some function out of it recently."

"Personal shield generators and cloaks?" He was genuinely impressed, "We don't have that kind of tech. I wish we did."

"Well, we've had more war than the Republic. War breeds innovation and advancement. Rather than making a clone army, actively recruiting, training and keeping enlisted soldiers alive is more profitable."

"You don't agree with the Clone Army." He concluded.

"I don't agree with creating life for the singular purpose of dying in the name of a cause without being given a choice. " She countered as she worked.

"They aren't made to die. They're defending the Republic."

"So were the Krogan. And what happened to them after they had fulfilled their purpose?" She gave him a knowing glance. "I'm not against the clones or defending the Republic. I find myself quite fond of the clones and have a great deal of respect for them. But how is it not slavery if they aren't given a choice whether or not they want to fight and die for a government that classifies them as property instead of a person?"

Anakin remained thoughtfully quiet.

"Sorry to get on a soap box." She said after a long moment. "Involuntary servitude touches a nerve for me.

"Me too." He replied. "I don't see the clones as property."

"General Krell did." She replied harshly. "How many had to die because the Jedi didn't see him for what he was?"

His shoulders slumped slightly, "I know."

Shepard wanted to further unload her frustrations and opinions on the how the Jedi participated in the war, but she knew it wouldn't be productive, so she held her tongue.

"Coming from your background, I'm sure Jedi leadership of the Army seems...strange." He broached the subject for her.

"Strange is a word for it, I suppose. The Alliance has existed for almost 40 years. Earth has had standing militaries for centuries. Turians, Salarians, and Asari for millennia. GAR is still in its infancy." She shook her head, "Regulation and oversight is what prevents abuses of power. Accountability. Yes, it slows down the process at times, but it also prevents catastrophic consequences."

"You think the Jedi are abusing their power?" His asked in an accusatory tone.

"No, but the lack of oversight within the Jedi Order has allowed traitors to go undetected until it's too late."

"So you think the Chancellor is abusing his power?" The accusation intensified.

Shepard watched his eyes, knowing the Jedi helping her was close with the leader of the Republic and that her words were not likely safe. "I've not seen evidence of abuse," she began carefully, "But within the history of my planet, there have been countless examples of people seeking power during a crisis, refusing to relenquish once the crisis has passed, and used that power become an oppressor."

"Chancellor Palpatine is different."

"Then, once this war is over, I genuinely hope he'll return the balance of power to the Senate and advocate for clone equality and citizenship in the Republic." She said as she put on her new communicator. Rather than continuing the debate, she chose a diplomatic answer but couldn't ignore the nagging in her stomach.

--

The ship dropped from hyperspace and descended to Florrum without incident. Once they landed, Anakin stood and opened the hatch.

"Stay here, Artoo. Keep the ship locked down but ready to take off in hurry." He then turned to Shepard, "Follow my lead. I've dealt with this guy before a few times. He'd sell out his own mother to turn a profit. Let me do the talking."

Shepard held up her hands deferring to his experience as they descended the ramp.

"Well, well, well how good it is to see you so soon, my friend!" An animated Weequay approached, "My best Jedi friend Anakin Skywalker needs Hondo's help yet again, what am I to do?"

"You said you could help me find a Krogan." Skywalker went straight to business as Shepard descended the ramp.

"Hup-pup-pup-pup! You have not introduced me to your lovely new friend yet. Please don't tell me something unfortunate has happened to your padawan. She was a lovely girl."

"No. Ahsoka is fine. This is an associate, Commander Shepard."

"Oooh, Commander Shepard." He removed his hat and extended his hand to her with a slight bow. "The pleasure is most definitely mine. Hondo Ohnaka, at your service."

Shepard smiled coily and put her hand in his, "I look forward to seeing what services you provide."

He kissed the back of her hand, "I'm sure you will find many things to your liking, my dear." He laughed loudly, placed Shepard's hand on his forearm, then turned and walked toward his base, "Come, come! We shall discuss business once we've gotten to know one another a bit better."

Shepard looked over her shoulder and shrugged lightly. Anakin rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed.

I've got a bad feeling about this.

--

Hondo burst into fits of laughter after finishing the story of how he had captured both Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi along with Count Dooku.

"Aaah, yes yes yes, I never get tired of that story." He pulled from his drink. "So, I can only assume my good Jedi friend Anakin contacted me on your behalf, Shepard. I am very sorry to have to tell you that I have not seen what you are looking for, nor have I heard anything about a...Krogan, was it?"

"If you didn't know anything, why did you have us come out here?" Anakin hated pointless trips to the desert.

"Because, you owe me a favor for helping your little rebellion on Onderon and I need to collect."

"Hondo," Shepard purred leaning across the small table, "Are you sure you haven't seen a Krogan? Your help would put me in your debt."

"Hmmmm, as much as I would enjoy that, I'm afraid I can't help you, my darling." He touched the underside of her chin.

Shepard sat back. "That's...disappointing."

In a move no one anticipated, Shepard stood and used a biotic pull on one of Hondo's men. She threw him onto the table, held him by the collar, drew one of her pistols and buried it into his neck. In response all of Hondo's men drew on them.

"What happened to following my lead?" Anakin griped, raising his hands.

"Hondo, I've had a number of working relationships people of your enterprise. I hoped we could start off on the right foot of mutual trust and respect." Shepard said calmly.

He leaned back in his seat and rested a blaster on his lap, "And how will this help you, now?"

She released the man's collar, gripped the armored crest he wore as a helmet, ripped it off and forcefully set it on the table in front of him. She used a biotic push to toss the nameless pirate back to his prior place. As she sat, she holstered her pistol and adjusted her jacket.

"You're lying to me, Hondo. And I don't appreciate being lied to. This is the head plate of an adolescent Krogan. Tell me, did your man remove this as a trophy before he after he was dead?"

Hondo held her stern gaze for a moment and waved to his men to lower their weapons. "I under estimated you, Shepard."

"For your mistake, you're going to tell me everything thing you know."

"And why would I do that?" He gave her a shrewd smile.

"How many men did you lose trying to take him down?" She returned his expression.

Hondo's smile slowly faded.

"This was a child. Adolescence had barely begun. An adult is upwards of seven feet tall and weighs over 400 pounds. They also experience blood-rage, where they are impervious to pain and virtually impossible to kill with anything less than an orbital strike. Now, Krogan are especially protective of their young. You're in luck because I happen to have a close, personal relationship with the dominate clan leader, so they'll take my word in the events leading up to this youngster's death.

"With your cooperation, I'd be more than happy to tell them you had no choice but to end this one's life and that he died honorably in battle as all Krogan should. That you had nothing to do with his abduction.

"If you aren't willing to help me, I may be less inclined to color your actions in such a favorable light. And, sooner or later you can anticipate several hundred blood-raging Krogan stampeding over these canyon walls and they will not stop until everything you have worked so hard for has been razed to the ground. You will see all of this burn and you'll watch as they cook and eat your men one by one...after they've killed them, should they be feeling merciful. But then again, Krogan aren't known for their mercy and cooking their meat isn't as necessary as you'd think." She let the gravity of her threat absorb. "You're also going to give me the Krogan you're holding hostage."

"There is no Krogan hostage here." He chuffed.

She left a pregnant pause hanging between them. "Then why are there Krogan tracks in the sand leading to your bunker?"

Hondo looked at the ground around them and shifted his jaw.

"You can't turn a profit if you're dead." She pointed out.

"Is there anything else you want to rob me of?" He asked curtly.

"You're going to consider this favor Anakin owes you as paid."

"That's going too far."

"I don't think so." She countered. "Taking your Krogan hostage is doing you a favor. It's an act of good faith. If it were up to me, I'd come back with my strike team and wipe your little kingdom off the map. Believe me, Hondo. I can do it without breaking much of a sweat. Instead, you'll get to walk away with your life, most of your pride and with any luck you'll never lay eyes on me or another Krogan again."

"And they call me a pirate." He scoffed, but waved to his men. "Bring him out."

Two men ran off to the bunker and returned several moments later dragging a badly injured and exhausted Krogan adolescent. He was dropped to the ground and hardly moved. Shepard was horrified by the sight of missing plates with open, festering wounds, glowing implants, and what looked like cable ports along his back and extremities. She rolled him over and saw a portion of his growing crest had been removed. Whatever he had been through, it was torturous and experimental.

"What did you do to him?" She growled.

"We did nothing." Hondo quickly defended, "My men investigated what they thought was a probe landing and found two of them in such a state wandering desert. The one that attacked my men was killed in self defense. This one collapsed and they brought him back."

"How long ago?" Anakin asked.

"Five rotations."

"Where did it land?"

"I'll send you the coordinates." Hondo transmitted the data to Anakin. "See how helpful I am? You will remember to tell them, right?"

"Yes, I will honor my word." She answered through gritted teeth while feeling her ocular implants flaring red. "If you see another Krogan anywhere you call Skywalker immediately. Understood?"

"Understood. Yes, ma'am. Very, very good. Now please take your Krogan and go. I want no more of this." He waved them away.

She looked at the Krogan, "What is your name?"

"Urdnot..." he gasped deeply, "Chaak..."

"I am Urdnot Shepard. I'm here to take you home." Shepard grabbed the head crest from the table while staring down Hondo. Then she took one of Chaak's arms over her shoulder and Anakin helped on the other side. Together they carried him to the ship.

"We need the origin of that pod." She grunted under the weight.

"It isn't far. Artoo and I will check it out and we'll be out of here."

He guided them into the ship's medbay and got him on the table. Shepard tried the onboard medical database, but as she expected, it was no help. Doffing her jacket, she treated his wounds with the field kit Rex have her until Anakin returned.

"Good news. Artoo was able to pull the origin coordinates from the pod."

"He needs medical treatment now." She strapped him in and took a seat in the cockpit.

"How bad is it?" He asked in a low voice as the ascended from the planet.

"He's dying. Even if we had gotten to him as soon as he landed on Florrum..." She sighed shortly, "Someone did this to him."

As soon as they were in hyperspace, she returned to Chaak's side. He was delirious and agitated.

"Who did this to you?" Shepard asked. "What did they look like?"

"Black...eyes." He strained, "Pale skin."

"Salarians?"

"Not Salari..." He wheezed and coughed.

"Anakin, is there anything you can do?" She asked desperately.

"Chaak, I need you to allow me into your mind. Try to relax okay?" He placed his hands on either side of face.

Shepard took his hands to help calm him. Anakin took a deep breath and reached out with the Force. At first, the Krogan resisted instinctively, but a moment later he relaxed and he saw pieces of the recent past, but the connection was brief. Suddenly, Chaak roared loudly and repelled the Jedi from his mind. Shepard fought to control his failing arms, but was knocked aside. The dying Krogan pulled at his wounds and implants. Anakin raised his hands to contain the beast with the Force.

"Wait!" Shepard called, jumping to her feet.

She leaned over him and affectionately stroked at a soft spot between two plates, behind his cheeks. Chaak calmed, though he continued to cough. Orange fluid seeped from his mouth and open wounds. She placed her forehead against his.

"You are a son of Tuchanka. Picture the sea of dunes. Return to the desert." She whispered. "You fought valiantly, young one. Your song will be sung at The Hollows for the ancestors. Ride Kalros across the dunes to the Void. Return home. You have made Clan Urdnot proud."

Chaak's breathing grew labored and shallow. Shepard closed her eyes and softly repeated her words to him. Anakin felt calm come over the Krogan as a final breath left his body.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Shepard took a shuddering breath and stood back from the table. She stared at the lifeless body shell shocked. Without speaking, she looked through the compartments for a sheet or blanket. Anything to provide Chaak with a shred of dignity. Unable to find anything, she retrieved her jacket from the floor and carefully draped it over his face.

Thick silence surrounded her. Anger throbbed in her mind. She felt the Jedi's eyes watching her carefully, though he wasn't looking at her. Deep down, she wanted to tear something apart. She felt her own blood-rage. Her implants burned in her bones and muscle. Battle sleep lapped at the fringes of her mind and she did not fight it but welcomed the angry numbness. The darkness of her rage was the cloak she donned when unthinkable tasks needed doing. She closed her eyes let the cold, emptiness spread from her fingers and toes up her arms.

Them...I let them linger.

"Shepard." Anakin called to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Come back, Shepard."

She slowly opened her eyes and saw the burning red reflecting in his. He steadily held her gaze. She felt his mind against hers gently. Not seizing but coaxing her back from the precipice of that dark place. She inhaled a deep breath, stepping back from him.

"You're stronger than the darkness. Don't yield to it."

"I know." She quietly replied, "Thank you for reminding me."

"How did you do that back there? When you grabbed Hondo's man. Are you Force sensitive?"

"Its called biotics. I was exposed to element zero radiation when my ship was scuttled a few years ago and the drive core exploded. I developed some latent biotic abilities afterwards. " She flopped into the copilot seat and rubbed her temples. "Using them gives me a headache and I'm a novice at best, but they come in handy once and a while."

"Are there more like you?"

"There's no one like me." She flashed him a cocky grin, "But they're are quite common where I'm from. Some of my best friends are incredibly powerful biotics."

Anakin had more questions, but didn't press her. "We're almost back to Coruscant. I need to speak with the council."

"Korgan cremated their dead. Can you help make that happen?"

"I'll ask the council. There's a crematorium at the temple. They will likely want to perform an autopsy to understand what happened to him."

"I'm not sending him to be some Republic lab study. He's been through enough." Her tone left little room for negotiation.

"The Jedi temple has their own medical staff. He'll be treated with dignity."

"They can remove and study the implants, take basic tissue samples and determine cause of death. This is not a species dissection and I get to see the final report. Otherwise I'll launch him from an escape pod into the nearest star."

Anakin nodded, knowing full well how serious she was.