Chapter 10: I'm a Krogan, not a Scientist

You ever hear of a krogan scientist?

Yeah, I didn't think so. But after wandering around random systems and mining them for minerals, it was time to continue to the recruiting drive. The next guy was a krogan warlord named Okeer who made a name for himself fighting and slaughtering during the Krogan Rebellions. Since then, he'd become obsessed with an entirely different fight—the fight against the genophage that had doomed his people. Okeer would do anything, apparently. Even strike a deal with the Collectors for tech that could help him.

So naturally we had to recruit him, because in the twisted galaxy I'd woken up in, the one-time client of my enemy was my new best friend. Even if he was holed up on some rock called Korlus, infamous for earning the number one top spot for civvie murders in the Terminus Systems and the number two spot for most murders per capita. Even if his new home also doubled as a garbage-dump-slash-graveyard for ships that had been stripped of everything worthwhile.

And did I mention that he was smack in the middle of a bunch of Blue Suns?

You'd think that after spending two years on the operating table, with the best minds that money could buy, that someone would think to have my head checked out. Guess even Cerberus had to cut costs somewhere.

Anyways, the shuttle dropped us off in the middle of an artificial wasteland. Nothing but rock, half-built (or half-destroyed) buildings and the skeletal remains of ships and vehicles as far as the eye can see. First thing I did was take cover. The others quickly followed suit.

"Last I checked, the dossier didn't say if Okeer is here by choice," I said.

"There haven't been any updates that would suggest otherwise," Miranda concurred.

"Then we should assume hostiles," I concluded. "Move out."

Oddly enough, the first attack didn't come in the form of bullets. It came via loudspeakers.

"There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed!" a woman announced, "Perfection is your goal."

Good to know.

"Being hired is merely the beginning," she said after a minute. "You must earn your place in the mighty army that we are building."

Join the army, they said. See the galaxy, they said.

"Before, you were nothing. Now, you have taken the first step to glory!"

Okay, this was starting to get ridiculous. I wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Canned orders over loudspeaker?" Jacob scratched his head in disbelief. "Who does that?"

"Someone who really likes the sound of their voice," Garrus murmured.

"Charming," Miranda said sarcastically.

"Good thing we're here to find a krogan warlord," I snorted. "I'd hate to think we went all this way to listen to her all day."

We moved into what used to be a starship. Now it was just a bunch of decks exposed to the elements, hull plating and girders and stairs going every random direction. We went around a corner and trotted through the remnants of a corridor, ignoring the woman who was still going on. After twenty metres, it opened up into a small courtyard with stairs leading up to a small room surrounded by barricades. Good high ground for guards.

"Observation post," Garrus observed, echoing my initial impressions.

"Lookout point. Six men; equipped for combat," Mordin assessed, drawing on his STG training.

"They look tense," Jacob added.

"Good," Zaeed said, activating the disruptor mod on his assault rifle. "Jittery nerves make for piss-poor shooting."

I had been a bit worried earlier about whether Zaeed would be able to focus on the mission, given that his nemesis had given him the slip. Guess he decided to vent his frustrations on our enemies. The fact that they were also Blue Suns probably helped. "Team One, follow me over here; Team Two will go there," I said, designating the spots with my HUD. "Miranda, Garrus, Kasumi; once you're in position, start overloading their shields at staggered intervals. Mordin, we'll light 'em up with plasma fire as soon as their shields are down. Hopefully, it'll be a short fight after that."

For once, things worked out exactly as planned. We took out most of the guards—except for one who rabbitted out of there—went up the stairs to the post and grabbed some loot. Then we went down some stairs to another ersatz ship corridor with the ceiling ripped off. There was a Blue Suns merc on the ground, admiring the nice clear skies. I recognized him as the guard who had run away earlier. Looked like he didn't get very far.

"Shit. Shit! Shit!" The merc was too busy cursing to notice our approach. "It won't stop bleeding... I'm gonna... son of a bitch!"

"What's he talking about?" Kasumi whispered. "It looks like we barely scratched him."

Garrus took one look and agreed. "Doesn't look that bad."

"He doesn't need to know that," I grinned.

The merc got to his feet, moaning about how life wasn't fair, the universe was against him, blah-blah-blah. His face was all scratched up and his nose was bleeding—wounds more consistent with tripping and falling on your face then eating a bullet. Eventually, he noticed that he had company.

"I knew it wasn't berserkers," he spat. (1) "Not at range. You're mercs. Or Alliance. I'm not... I'm not telling you anything."

"You're not in the best bargaining position," I pointed out. "But maybe we can work something out. I'm looking for a krogan named Okeer."

He looked at me in confusion. "Who?"

"Okeer. Krogan. So-called scientist," Mordin explained helpfully.

"You already know more than I do," the merc said. "I just kill krogan. The old one in the lab dumps crazy ones down here all the time."

"Okeer is in a lab and sending krogan out to fight?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live ammo training."

I didn't need three guesses to realize this Jedore was the one who had been spouting all those cheesy lines.

"It's crap," he continued. "It's all crap. I don't get paid enough to goddamn bleed out!"

Unless he never got any genetic therapy and had been born with haemophilia, I don't think he had to worry about that. (2)

We were interrupted by a voice that abruptly called out over the merc's comm. "Outpost Four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."

Before the merc had a chance to do anything that could get me—and everyone else—killed, I took a step towards him. "I want your friends gone. Understand?"

He let out a whimper before opening a comm channel. "Uh, patrol? The last group... dispersed. Yeah, dispersed. Lost sight of them about five minutes ago. Or six."

"Dispersed?" Whoever was on the other end didn't like what he was hearing. "Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."

"She's always pissed," the merc replied. "Look, you asked for a report and now you've got it: dispersed."

"Understood," the other guy sighed. "Returning to the labs."

"There," our new friend said. I moved my hand away from my omni-tool before he could see what I was doing during his chat. "You see? I'm helping."

"Yep," I nodded. "Now you can help us some more. Why is Jedore so intent on creating this army? What does she plan to do with all these krogan?"

"Replace us, probably," he snorted. "I sure wouldn't want to see an army of them coming at me. Only she can't control them. They aren't supposed to be crazy, but they're krogan. How smart are they to start?"

Somehow, that said more about him than the krogan. Even the crazy ones.

"Have you seen Okeer?" I tried. "Does he know about all of this?"

"We can't go into the labs," he shook his head, "but everyone sees what happens when the krogan come out. I've shot hundreds. They're crazy. Mindless. Anyone up there knows damn well what's going on."

This lab was pumping out krogan by the hundreds? Aw, crap. "Is the lab heavily guarded?" I asked.

"There are big guns to keep ships away," he shrugged. "We're not outfitted to fight goddamn commandoes."

I was quickly coming to the conclusion that I wouldn't get any more intel out of this guy. Not anything useful, anyways. Time to get rid of him. "Then why don't you get outta here?" I suggested. "If you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out."

The merc took the hint and lurched off, cursing with every step. We took a minute to watch him limp away.

"The scare was a nice touch," Miranda smirked.

"I thought so," I shrugged.

"Hey, Shepard?" Kasumi piped up. "What were you doing earlier while the merc was chatting with his buddy?"

"Scanning the comm channels he was using and recording the encryption codes," I replied. I started calling up programs on my omni-tool to decrypt the codes. "Now, let me see..."

Zaeed craned his head to see my omni-tool display. "Huh. Looks like one of the old encrypt sub-routines I used to see when I was running the Blue Suns."

"Don't suppose you remember anything that could help," I asked.

Zaeed closed his eyes in concentration. "Yeah, there was a hole in the sub-routine. Something about scanning cycles lagging whenever the comm protocols did a systems check on the network."

That was enough to refine my search. Within minutes, I managed to hack into their comm channels. Now we'd be able to listen in on their troop movements. "Come on," I said, pulling out my sniper rifle. "Our warlord is waiting for us."

"Training is part of your contract. Failure to perform means liquidation, legal and otherwise."

I was starting to dislike this Jedore. Partly because she kept yapping away over the Blue Suns comm channels. Partly because she had a bad tendency to shoot her mouth off seconds before we ran into trouble. Like the latest pair of Blue Suns trying to end our lives prematurely.

We were about ten steps away from a set of stairs leading down to a path that cut between two buildings. The Blue Suns were on a balcony jutting out from the building across from us. Apparently they were tired of killing krogan and wanted a change of pace.

Ducking a shot that would have otherwise hit my shields—or my head—I waited for Miranda to disable that guy's shields before setting him on fire. I would've sniped the guy, but I hadn't seen any thermal clips lately, so I wanted to conserve every shot possible.

'My guy' finally expired, about a half second before Zaeed blew his partner's brains out. We were about halfway down the stairs when reinforcements arrived, spilling out onto a catwalk that connected the two buildings I'd noticed earlier.

"Team Two, stay at the top of the stairs," Garrus barked out.

"Team One, we're heading down," I ordered, spotting a large metal panel half-buried in the ground. Any port in a storm, right?

We took refuge behind the panel and started firing back. Miranda tried to launch an EMP pulse at the Blue Suns, which exploded harmlessly about two thirds of the way. Apparently it had a limited range. Garrus and Kasumi had better luck, as their position was a bit closer. Zaeed started to run towards a thick girder lying prone in front of us, but a hail of fire drove him back.

"This sucks," he spat.

I started to agree with him when I spotted something shiny. "Cover me," I said.

Miranda barely managed to let out a startled "What?" before I cloaked and bolted out. I managed to take cover behind the girder just before my cloak gave out. Grabbing the thermal clip that attracted my attention in the first place, I slotted it into my sniper rifle and started directing the squad from my new vantage point. "Team One, lay down covering fire. "Team Two; focus on the leftmost group of hostiles. Drive them to the right so Team One can get a clean shot."

The squad quickly adjusted their tactics, sending EMPs and plasma over to the designated area. Judging by the startled cries and yelps, the mercs didn't exactly appreciate that. Too bad.

I cloaked, lined up a shot and fired. Two burst of blood exploded from the merc.

"Scratch one," Garrus crowed.

"No keeping score, Garrus," I called out.

"You're just jealous because I make it look so easy," he retorted, sniping another merc.

Not to be outdone, I activated my cloak, stood up and started tracking my next target. He was running along the catwalk, trying to get to another spot of cover. I panned my sniper rifle in his direction, mentally factoring in his speed and the surrounding winds. Letting out a breath, I squeezed the trigger...

...and his head popped like a ripe melon.

According to my sensors—and my eyes—there were no more hostiles in the area. I signalled the squad to converge, and we continued on our way. Left, right, left, right...

"Team Four, do you read?" someone called out. "Team Four!"

We immediately halted.

"Comm, tell Jedore we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the krogan are pushing or we're being raided!"

Consulting my HUD, it looked like there was trouble ahead. We moved up a ramp and into some kind of courtyard. Almost reminded me of a brig in its layout—metal two-story structure with walkways and rails on the second floor overlooking the poor suckers on the ground level.

Yeah, those poor suckers would be us, scrambling for cover as the Blue Suns on the second floor opened fire. I was a bit slow finding shelter, so my shields were shredded as I took a rocket straight to the chest. The hit knocked me back a bit, but I recovered in time to dive for shelter before I could get hit again.

"Ow," I winced.

Zaeed joined me, with Miranda hot on his heels. He took one look at me and sniffed. "Suck it up, Shepard. I've seen worse."

"Me too," I admitted. "Shields took the brunt of it. Still stings, though."

Miranda was paying more attention to the distribution of mercs in the area. Having made her assessment, she opened the squad comm channel. "Team Two, tackle the mercs in front of us. There are more of them heading our way from the left—Team One will deal with them."

A quick glance verified the tactical wisdom behind her orders. I gave her a quick nod, then we got to work. EMP to take out the shields, followed by plasma, concussive rounds or good old-fashioned gunfire. One, two, three.

"The krogan are your example and your warning!" Jedore declared. "As ferocious as they are, failures are expendable!"

Was this a bunch of pre-recorded messages going out at standard intervals, I wondered as I sniped another merc. Or was she actually stupid or narcissistic enough to churn out her orders-slash-slogans in the middle of a fight?

Noticing that two of the mercs were pretty close, I sent some plasma fire their way. One of them cried out, slapped himself frantically and actually fell over the edge. A lesser man might have enjoyed that. Mind you, a lesser man would have gotten blown to smithereens by the rocket that was launched his way.

Cloaking, I focused on the rocket trooper through my scope. For once, the target was obliging enough to stay still. Easiest headshot I'd ever taken in... well, the last five minutes.

"Shepard," Garrus contacted me. "We're almost done here. Why don't you take your team and scout ahead. Put some pressure on the mercs."

Might as well, I decided. Press the advantage; keep the mercs reacting to us instead of the other way around. Motioning for Miranda and Zaeed to follow, we crept forward.

We'd barely taken a few steps forward when our sensors picked up more hostiles. Naturally.

"Code Six!" one of the mercs hollered frantically as we found cover—again—against hostiles who had the high ground—again. "Offworld presence! Shift fire from the krogan! Hostiles in the area!"

Jedore spoke again, confirming once and for all that she had been running her mouth off herself all this time. "We have guests in the compound! If they're not killed immediately, all bonuses will be denied!"

Right. Because that's what you worry about when you're under attack. In my experience, the only ones whose sense of priorities were that screwed up were the REMFs up in command. Or politicians. Jedore was quickly striking me as one of those REMFs. (3) I almost felt sorry for the Blue Suns.

As I poked my head out to launch some plasma, I saw the krogan the mercs were talking about. He was sporting a dull red hardsuit with yellow markings, complete with helmet. There were two more krogan lying on the ground—dead from the look of things. That left this guy to fight five mercs.

Four Blue Suns, I corrected myself, as my plasma barbequed one of them.

With Team One lending a hand, it wasn't long before the tables were turned and the mercs were slaughtered. Team Two showed up just in time to help us take down the last one.

For once, there were no more reinforcements. We could finally stop and catch our breath. I took a deep breath. Might have had something to do with the krogan marching towards us.

Behind me, I glimpsed Garrus turn his weapon on the krogan. I motioned for him to hold his fire, at least for now. The krogan leaned towards me. If it weren't for the helmet, I'd swear he was sniffing me.

"You... are different," the krogan said at last. "New. You don't smell like this world."

I guess he was sniffing me. I knew I should've taken a bath before the mission.

"Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you... something makes me speak."

Yeah, I get that a lot. My sunny personality makes everyone loosen their lips and... wait a sec. Did he just say—

"Seven night cycles," Jacob repeated.

"Seven days," Garrus realized. "But that means—"

"He's only seven days old?" Despite the incredulity behind her words, Miranda merely raised an eyebrow. That was the only concession she'd make to the shock we were all feeling.

"They must breed them full-size, ready to kill," I said. "They wouldn't be much improvement over regular mercs if they needed training."

"Bred... to kill?" the krogan said. "No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it is not why I was flushed from Glass Mother."

Glass Mother. Guess we know what the krogan grew up in.

"Survival is what I hear in my head," he explained. "Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."

"You're supposed to be part of a mercenary army run by Jedore," I told him. "Do you remember her?"

"I know that name," he nodded. "It causes anger. But also laughter. It is not a name that will be sung when we march."

"March?" Miranda asked. "March to what?"

"I do not know," the krogan replied, "but I have heard that phrase many times."

"How can you speak if you're only a week old?" I asked.

"There was a scratching sound in my head, and it became the voice," the krogan said. "It taught things I would need: walking, talking, hitting, shooting. Then the voice said I was not perfect and the teaching stopped. And now I am here."

"Interesting," Mordin mused. "Raised, then rejected. Control group? Failed test?"

The krogan didn't take any offense to Mordin's comments. "I do not know, but I am not perfect."

"You mentioned a voice earlier," I reminded him. "Was that Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"

"I heard the voice," the krogan confirmed. "Not like now, with ears, but inside. I called it 'Father.' It liked that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs me to be.

"A breeding program," Mordin deduced. "Trying to escape genophage effects?"

"Escape?" The krogan sounded confused. "Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."

"How did you disappoint the voice?" It seemed weird to refer to Okeer in such an impersonal way, but I guess it made sense to this guy, given the... interaction between them.

"I do not know. It was decided before I left Glass Mother. I was not perfect."

I looked over at Mordin. "I destroyed Saren's cure. How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing it?"

"Uncertain," Mordin admitted. "Likely irrelevant. Appears Okeer has had no success."

"In any case, Saren's 'cure' was just a way to mass-clone krogan, not defeat the genophage," Miranda added. "So the research at his base on Virmire may not have helped Okeer even if it wasn't destroyed." (4)

"Can you show me the laboratory?" I asked the krogan. "I need to speak with Okeer."

"The... the Glass Mother? She is up," he said, gesturing behind him. "Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you."

He walked towards the wall, with the rest of us 'fleshy things' in tow. He brushed his hands together as if shaking off some dirt, stretched his neck muscles then grabbed a section of the wall. With a loud shriek of protest, the panel lifted up. The krogan paused to adjust his grip, grunted and tossed the panel to the ground.

"Not exactly subtle, but I like it," Kasumi grinned.

I took a peek through the hole in the wall. The path seemed to go down a dirt path and into a tunnel. Aside from that, I couldn't see much. "Thanks," I said.

"You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way," the krogan replied.

"Can you show us the way?" I asked. "Help us fight to the labs?"

"No."

"A krogan refusing to fight?" Garrus marvelled.

"I am waiting," the krogan corrected. "The voice told me. If they come, I fight. But I will not run, and I will not follow. I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released."

With that, the krogan marched back to where we first saw him. To wait until he was called. So the rest of us fleshy things sallied forth.

"Don't like the look of that," Miranda frowned.

She was referring to a Blue Sun, lying in a pool of her own blood. I quickly frisked her, and was rewarded with a nice sum of credits. "What're the chances that whoever or whatever did this is long gone?"

"Fat chance," Zaeed snorted.

"We should stay alert," Miranda agreed.

On that cheerful note, we started down the dirt path. There was a small structure at the bottom, like a bunch of metal counters lined up in an "L" formation, before the path curved to the right.

We were about halfway down when someone screamed out "They're loose! Run for your damn life! They're all free!"

Aw, crap.

Two Blue Suns popped out, running flat-out until they saw us. Then they stopped, lifted their weapons and opened fire. Naturally I was in front and got the worst of it.

Miranda and Garrus managed to knock out their shields, but not before my shields were drained as well. Sensing that retreat was the better part of valour, I quickly sent some plasma their way and stumbled back. Now that I was out of the way, the squad was free to mow them down.

Before we continued, I took the opportunity to activate the warp ammo mods on all of my weapons. Judging by the panicked cries we heard earlier, there were krogan on the loose, so it was time to customize my ammo accordingly.

I had just finished the switch when a krogan came lumbering out. Luckily we had tons of cover, so the guy went down pretty quickly.

"Something tells me this krogan is just the..." Garrus paused. "What is that human phrase? About the top of frozen water formations?"

"'Tip of the iceberg,'" I replied. "You're thinking there are more up ahead. I agree. Let's move out, people. Eyes and ears sharp."

The next chamber we entered had a huge gaping hole in front of us. Luckily, a series of ramps and platforms, all held up by various columns, provided two routes to the other side. I used hand-signals to order Garrus to lead Team Two down the lower route, while Team One and I started across the upper route. About halfway up the first ramp, Jedore opened her mouth again.

"Who authorized that krogan release?" she wanted to know. "Okeer? I will have order in my compound!"

If it was Okeer, I could see why he'd want to ignore her.

Another krogan showed up off in the distance, shotgun blazing away. Bugger managed to wing me, even at this range. Miranda and I quickly took out his armour with a combined assault of biotics and plasma fire, then Zaeed knocked the guy on his ass with a concussive round. A good round of bullets was all that was needed to take him down for good.

Oddly enough, I could hear weapons fire even though the krogan had been killed. I looked around, consulting my HUD.

There was another krogan who was busy tangling with Team Two.

And another krogan on the way.

Bunkering down behind a pillar, I sent off another round of plasma. Miranda followed with another display of biotics and... well, you know the drill.

Then another krogan came. We did the same routine.

And again.

And again.

Miranda was starting to breathe heavily by the time the sixth or seventh krogan went down for the count. That's the number of krogan we faced—Team Two were racking up an equally impressive count.

"Miranda?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? Channelling that much biotic energy over such a prolonged period—"

"I'm fine, Shepard," she snapped. Taking a deep breath, she continued in a calmer voice "We can't stay here. It's clear the krogan will keep coming and coming."

"Gotta go on the offensive," Zaeed agreed. "Maybe every krogan Okeer rejected is comin' after us. Maybe not. But they'll flank us if we keep sittin' on our asses."

Moving towards krogan never struck me as a smart idea. I always preferred keeping them at a nice safe distance. But it wasn't looking like we had much of a choice. "Team Two, start advancing. Don't be afraid to retreat a bit if you have to, but press the attack."

"Understood, Commander."

Slowly, we advanced. Step by nerve-wracking step. I quickly lost track of the number of times krogan came this close to me, not to mention the number of times my shields were drained. But we eventually made it across the bridges.

Just as we were setting foot on terra firma again, one more krogan came around the corner. And with Miranda and Zaeed right behind me, there was nowhere for me to retreat.

"Guys?" I asked nervously.

"Ready," Miranda reassured me.

With a roar, the krogan charged at us, shotgun booming away.

A ball of plasma fire lanced from my omni-tool, melting his armour.

My shields went to 33%.

Miranda's biotics ripped a hole in the weakened armour, exposing his scaly skin.

My shields went out.

Zaeed's concussive round exploded against the krogan, sending him stumbling to the ground. Not before he fired another shot at me.

My vision started to blur. I started feeling dizzy. The only good thing about it was that it numbed the burning pain I was feeling.

Somehow, I managed to focus long enough to fire my pistol. I drained the entire clip, but that managed to put the krogan down for good.

My hardsuit automatically administered a dose of medi-gel, which quickly went to work. The pain I was feeling went away and my vision cleared up. By the time Team Two caught up to us, I was back to normal. Even my shields had regenerated.

"Krogan took down the grid!" a Blue Sun called out frantically. "We're blind and getting hit on all sides! Where are the heavies?"

Guess we weren't the only ones with krogan problems.

Feeling much better, I led the squad forward and up a several flights of stairs, pausing long enough to snatch some palladium. There was a door at the top, which was locked. Thankfully, the lock was electronic. I swiftly bypassed the mechanism, thanking the inexorable force of progress for electronic locks instead of the physical ones we used to have.

Surprise, surprise: more stairs. This time, there was an open door leading out. We were about to pass through when another Blue Sun called out over the comm again.

"Krogan on our six! Copy, goddamnit!" he barked furiously. "Where the hell are Jedore and her personal guard?"

I checked to see that everyone was ready before heading through the door and into some kind of storage room. One of the walls was missing, offering a clear view of how far you had to fall. The other walls held crates and computer consoles. Beyond the walls, we could hear weapons fire. Not being in any hurry to charge into the firefight, I took the opportunity to do some looting. Got a few goodies, including what looked like a set of schematics for a sniper rifle upgrade. I made a mental note to hit the tech lab as soon as we got back.

Now that I had satisfied my kleptomania, it was time to head out. We emerged onto another walkway, with nothing but a few crates and metal plating keeping us from the gaping abyss below. In front of us was a lone Blue Suns and a lot of corpses—merc and krogan. Guess it wasn't their day. On the other side of the chasm loomed another ship with an exterior walkway. That one had more Blue Suns.

Before any of them could react, Miranda zapped the shields of the Blue Suns on our side of the gulf, while Garrus sent a concussive round into his midsection. The velocity of that round sent him flying clear over the edge.

As his buddies belatedly fired back at us, I directed the squad to take cover. Behind the metal plates, mind you, not the crates. The readings from my sensors indicated that the crates weren't the sturdiest of containers, so they probably wouldn't hold up long against an onslaught of weapons fire. Especially if that weapons fire included rockets.

Keeping that in mind, I activated my cloak before raising my sniper rifle and drilling a nice neat hole in the closest rocket trooper. I signalled for Miranda to destroy one of the crates on the other side. Waving her hand, she abruptly increased the gravity around that crate. The entire thing collapsed, exposing the Blue Suns who were taking cover behind it.

I didn't have time to see the look on their faces or my squad's merciless assault on them, as I was a bit preoccupied with the sensor readings popping up on my HUD. The ones indicating that more Blue Suns were close by, and on our side of the chasm.

"Company incoming," I announced. "Team One will head them off."

My timing, unfortunately, was perfect. We had just started to round the corner when the reinforcements arrived. We quickly blew through the first pair on our way to a nice set of crates, which were sturdier than the last ones we saw. A third one peeked out, and took a hail of bullets for his trouble. As he dropped to the ground, several more rushed out through a door in the distance.

"Jedore does not pay for failure!" Jedore chose that moment to make another announcement over the comm. And the PA system, judging by the echoes. "Do your jobs, I want them dead!"

So Jedore was spamming the Blue Suns comm channels as well as the PA system? Yeesh, her ego must know no bounds.

Peering up, I saw a bunch of Blue Suns enthusiastically launching rockets at us, plus a few troopers who were trying to sneak up on us. While Miranda and Zaeed kept the troopers at bay, I pulled out my sniper rifle. As I started sniping away, I idly wondered whether we should be expecting more of them.

"Concentrate on the krogan charge or we're all dead!" someone yelled. "Who was the genius who gave them arms?"

Sending another ball of plasma off, I idly speculated that the genius was the one who issued them pay checks and had a finger permanently attached to the comm panel. The heavy trooper I'd set on fire started running around, waving her arms frantically and blocking the view of her colleagues. Miranda took advantage of their distraction to send another EMP. "This should scramble their circuits," she said with satisfaction.

"Good job!" While we were occupied, Garrus and Team Two had arrived. "Jacob, biotics; Mordin, plasma; Kasumi, more EMPs. Let's keep the pressure on!" The Blue Suns must have been seeing spots after a while, what with EMP detonations, biotic blasts and fireballs exploding everywhere.

We soon finished them off and continued on our way. More stairs to climb, more mercs to run into...

"I paid for competence! Kill the trespassers! I will deal with the traitorous Okeer!"

...and more narcissistic merc commanders having a temper tantrum.

"Berserkers are going down, but the outsider commandoes are still incoming. Repeat: still incoming!"

Another pair of Blue Suns came around the corner. Legionnaires, judging by the quality of their shields. They were still susceptible to my sniper rifle, though. It just took a couple shots to take them down.

"That's the last of them," Miranda sighed as the last one collapsed.

Another trooper picked that moment to pop out and start firing before he realized the odds weren't exactly in his favour. He didn't last long enough to regret his decision.

"You were saying?" I asked sarcastically.

"I need everyone out of the lab to fight this!" a voice from the Blue Suns comm channel called out before Miranda could respond. "Every floor, every outpost! Move!"

We hurried along the walkway to find shelter before more company showed up. Our caution was quickly justified, much to my sorrow.

"No more! I command that they be killed! What is so hard to understand?"

Yeah, Jedore actually said "I command that they be killed!" Guess she bought the 'Cheesy Evildoer Lines for Dummies' book.

"Take cover!" one of the Blue Suns yelled as we responded with our usual trick: send everything our omni-tools or biotics could throw at them, then mop up with big guns. For once, the number of mercs facing us was relatively equal to the number of bodies in my squad. We could afford to stagger things so a constant stream of EMPs, plasma fire and other fancy tricks was being sent their way. One by one, the mercs started to drop. I glimpsed one of them lifting a hand to his ear. Surprisingly enough, I couldn't hear the conversation. Guess he was using a different channel. I did hear his response, though.

"What do you mean, 'Jedore's holding the mech back?' She's going to lose all her toys if we don't get backup!"

I'm not complaining. Nice to see the idiotic decisions of REMFs help me out for a change. (5)

By this point, there were only two more Blue Suns, each toting a rocket launcher. We didn't bother wasting ammo on them. Instead we knocked out their shields, set them on fire and watched as they succumbed. Once I was sure we were in the clear, we moved on. There were tons of thermal clips lying around, a welcome sight given how much ammo we'd burned through so far, not to mention all the credits I could pick up.

"Concentrate fire on my position!" I heard as I hacked a datapad. "Concentrate on—argh!"

Guess they were having trouble. Shame.

We went through a door and up more stairs, keeping one eye on the terrain and another eye on the HUD. Sure enough, we ran into more trouble.

"There are only seven of them!" Jedore ranted. "Seven! Anything can be killed if you do your damn jobs!"

"Jedore! Damnit, someone get her off the speakers and out here!"

I guess even her underlings were starting to get tired of her. Chuckling to myself, I noticed that Miranda was launching another EMP, and quickly followed suit with a fireball. While I was out setting another merc on fire, I quickly gauged the level of opposition we were facing. Judging it was safe enough, I motioned for Team Two to leapfrog ahead of us while we lay down cover fire. Two minutes and two mercs later, they did the same for us.

And then again. And again.

I marvelled as our two teams instinctively moved to best help each other out. It was like the bizarre combination of Cerberus terrorists, thieves, bounty hunters, independent operatives and Spectres were actually working together.

"Trespassers are topside! Tell Jedore we can't hold them and the krogan. We're getting slaughtered!"

Yeah, they were getting slaughtered all right. While Team Two lay down cover fire, I led Miranda and Zaeed up some stairs to a catwalk, where he had a nice view of all the Blue Suns trying to blow us to bits.

"Squad Four? Outpost? Report! Damn it! I have to do everything myself!"

Boy, when REMFs are out of touch, they are really out of touch. Boss lady didn't even know her own troops were looking for her. Not that I was complaining or anything.

Noticing a pair of mercs who were starting to look like they were going to play hero and do something stupid—trust me, I know all about heroes and the things they do—I pointed them out to Zaeed. He nodded and silently counted down with his fingers. On cue, we popped out and fired our sniper rifles, dropping both of them in their tracks.

"One less to worry about," Garrus laughed as he downed another merc. Judging by the continued weapons fire around the corner and the readings from my HUD, there were plenty more where that came from.

It was Team Two's turn to leapfrog ahead. They moved forward, they found cover, they kicked some ass. After a few minutes, Garrus turned towards me and opened the comm channel.

"Shepard, there's only one more hostile. Heavy with a rocket launcher. We can't get to her. Think you can lend a hand."

"Cover me," I replied. I moved down the stairs, activating my cloak as soon as I was out in the open. The HUD guided me in the right direction. I was almost there when my cloak gave out. The Blue Sun frowned in confusion as I shimmered into sight, then her eyes widened.

Too late. I punched her a couple times, then shot her in the head with my pistol to put her down for good.

And then there were more clips to take and another door to go through.

Story of my life.

The door led into a small medical lab, filled with consoles, a krogan lying on a table...

"Shepard, don't shoot! You know me!"

...and an asari hiding behind a desk. This last part seemed oddly familiar.

I ID'd her after a moment. Rana Thanoptis. I met her back on Virmire, where she was helping Saren pump out more krogan. And now I bumped into her again on Korlus, where she was helping someone else pump out more krogan. Guess it's a niche market.

"I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it was you," she told me helpfully. "Never thought I'd say it, but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place."

"Rana Thanoptis," I greeted her. "I see you survived Virmire after all."

"I did," she nodded. "Had to outrun that nuke you set off in a utility pod, but it's better than nothing."

"I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab," I said, crossing my arms.

"Don't worry, I'm not wasting the chance you gave me," she replied hastily. She probably guessed what I was thinking earlier. "My work here is strictly beneficial."

"Yeah, I can see how it would benefit the Blue Suns," Kasumi laughed. "All those big guys running around, grunting away."

"Not for the mercs," Thanoptis shook her head. "Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good, I can tell. Even if his methods are a little... extreme."

She glanced at another body, which I'd missed during my first sweep. Looked more like a charred skeleton, come to think of it.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, right?" she continued, turning back to me. "And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

"What's Okeer trying to do here?" I asked.

"It's complicated."

Of course it is.

"Jedore wants a private army, but Okeer mostly ignores her. He's running the project for his own reasons." Thanoptis gestured at another door behind her before continuing. "I created a mental imprint routine to educate his tank-bred, but most don't get through it. He dumps them for some reason. He wants to help his people, but he's not looking for a genophage cure and he's not going for numbers. That's all I know."

"You know, finding you in a place like this makes me think letting you go was a mistake," I sighed. "Do you really want that?"

"Absolutely not," Thanoptis nodded. "Don't worry, I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell before you blow the place up or something. I know how you work."

Fair enough. I do have trouble sleeping any night I haven't caused some property damage, after all. (6) I stepped aside and let her leave.

Mordin watched her depart, then turned to me. "Should have killed her," he said. "Too much knowledge without ethical boundaries."

"I'm all for second chances," Garrus frowned. "Not so sure on third ones."

"You've never played baseball, have you?" I asked.

Garrus and Mordin looked at me blankly. Jacob took pity on them. "I'll fill you guys in later," he laughed.

The door Thanoptis pointed out led to another lab, filled with consoles, miscellaneous equipment and a really big tank. There were two krogan in the room. One was in the tank. The other turned around and glanced at me.

"It's about time," he snapped. "I've watched your progress. The batteries on this tank will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs."

"I take it you're Okeer," I replied calmly. "You don't seem particularly caged... or grateful that I'm here."

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change."

Oh for crying out loud. Does my hardsuit have a sign saying "Hello, my name is Shepard" or something?

Okeer must have noticed my reaction, as a sly smile spread over his face. It wasn't a pretty picture. "Surprised? All krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

I managed to stifle a sigh. At least he wasn't talking about Elysium. "I'm sure you're eager to retell the story."

"Such a tale!" Okeer spread out his arms dramatically. "Saren, the Spectre traitor, threatens the return of the krogan horde by curing the genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the turians and salarians. But before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire.

"I like that part," he grinned. "It has weight."

"Really?" Now I really was surprised. "The only reason I blew up Saren's lab was because I didn't have a lot of room for finesse. If there'd been any other solution, I'd have considered it."

"But I approve," Okeer said. "Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made."

He walked towards a large window. Taking a step forward, I saw it oversaw a cargo bay that had been converted to hold...

...aw, crap. That was a lot of tanks down there. Most of them were already open, though. Hopefully, that meant we'd faced the krogan that used to snooze there already.

"I gave their leader my rejects for her army," Okeer continued. "But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."

"Personal issues irrelevant," Mordin interrupted. "Here for the Collectors."

"I see." Okeer turned back to us. "Yes, Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere."

He moved towards the tank in the room. "I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer: to be ignored."

"What did you get from the Collectors?" I asked urgently. "I need whatever you know about them."

"They are strange," he replied. "So isolated, yet very available when your sacrifice is big enough. I gave them many krogan. I may have information for you, but the tech was consumed in my prototype, after I determined how to use it without killing the subjects."

"You sacrificed your own people to get Collector tech and figured out how to use it through trial and error?" I summarized.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "The deaths were unfortunate, but I only need one success to start the process."

"Your search for the perfect soldier created a lot of failures," I observed. "You don't care about them?"

"I failed no one," Okeer snorted, shaking his head. "My rejects are exactly what Jedore asked for. She simply lacks the ability to command. They are strong, healthy and useless to me. I need perfection. If a few thousand are rejected, so be it. My work will purify the krogan. We will not be restored—we will be renewed."

"I thought the krogan ideal was a return to the numbers that threatened the galaxy," I said.

"We will not need numbers," Okeer proclaimed. "My soldier is a template. It is a greater threat than all the phantom siblings that would have been at its flank. The galaxy still bears the scars of the horde. But it will learn to fear the lance."

"So you don't want to cure the genophage?" I concluded.

"Contrary to what survivors claim," Okeer sneered, "the genophage does not produce strong krogan—the only quality it filters is the ability to survive the genophage. For every thousand stillborn, too many weaklings live. Every survivor is branded as precious. That's produced more coddling than your collective human teats. I say let us carry the genophage! Let a thousand die in a clutch. We will defeat it by climbing atop our dead. That is the krogan way."

Two things were becoming clear to me. First, Okeer didn't want to restore his people by eliminating the genophage. Instead, he was trying to work around it. He wanted to use the genophage as another tool to weed out the weak, so that only the strong would have a chance to survive, reproduce and bring the galaxy to its knees. To him, all the lives that had been snuffed out in utero were nothing more than the eggs cracked to make the proverbial omelette.

Which brought me to point number two:Okeer was a really freaky zealot, made all the scarier with who-knows-how-many-pounds-of-krogan-muscle. And this was the guy TIMmy thought would be a nice fit for the squad? Here I was thinking the Council were bad judges of character. "How does that separate you from those who were cruel and manipulative enough to release the genophage on your people in the first place?"

"Maybe it doesn't," Okeer admitted. "But I will restore the krogan, and my soldier will not provoke a nuclear response as a 'cure' or 'horde' would. My legacy is perfection, with each pure krogan reaching higher by standing on our dead. They will excel, but not forget."

I hated to admit it, but there was some method to his madness. One krogan wouldn't cause the galaxy to lose their collective minds. Not at first, at least. "If your 'pure krogan' soldier is as strong as you think, maybe I can use him," I said.

Okeer shook his head. "Perhaps I can strike a deal to secure passage. But my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy."

Our nascent negotiations were abruptly cut off by Jedore, naturally. "Attention!" she announced over the PA system. "I have traced the krogan release. Okeer, of course."

Noticing something, Okeer stormed to the window. Following his gaze, we saw a woman marching back and forth, hand to her ear—Jedore, presumably. We also saw a YMIR heavy mech in shutdown mode. As if a bunch of krogan clones weren't bad enough.

"I'm calling 'blank slate' on this project," Jedore said. "Gas these commandoes and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"

An ominous hissing noise filled the room as nozzles started spewing gas into the lab, one by one.

Okeer looked around, a mixture of rage and disbelief in his eyes. "She's that weak-willed?" he scowled. "She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve!" After a few seconds, he focused on me. "Shepard! You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay to destroy my prototype!"

"First you say you 'may have information,' now you know something?" I asked. "Don't jerk me around, Okeer."

"I will give you everything I can," he said seriously. "My legacy must not suffer this insult. Jedore will be with the rejected tanks. Kill her. I will... stay and do what must be done."

I headed straight out the labs and down the stairs leading down to Jedore, pausing just long enough to swipe some interesting looking tech. As we opened the doors into the cargo bay, the first thing we heard was Jedore's increasingly annoying voice.

"I don't care who they are, I want them dead! This is my world! I'll poison them all!"

"I think she's talked enough," Miranda said.

"Agreed," I nodded. I took one step out...

...and promptly dove for cover as a krogan's shotgun round nearly hit me. "Okeer isn't the only one with toys at his command," Jedore boasted, sending a rocket our way. From the look of things, the cargo bay had walkways on either side, with ramps leading down to the centre, where the krogan tanks opened into. A familiar clanking noise told me that Jedore's other 'toy,' the YMIR, was on-line and moving down the centre as well.

"Team One goes inside to handle the krogan," I ordered. "Team Two stays outside for targets of opportunity. Let's rotate our attacks, people. Weapons free."

At the moment, the krogan were the greatest threat, mostly because of their penchant for coming in close and pounding enemies to pulp. We could whittle down the mech's defences whenever we had a chance. And then we could deal with Jedore.

The first krogan went down pretty quickly, using the tactics we'd refined during this mission. Kasumi even managed to take out a third of the mech's shields. Second one went down too, but it was a bit dicier—the krogan almost got us that time. But we managed to take out the YMIR's shields, even with the mech and Jedore spitting rockets at us.

Krogan number three took a ball of plasma straight to the chest plate but kept going. Mordin added his own pyrotechnics, but the armour was still intact. The krogan climbed the stairs towards us, growling maniacally. At last, Miranda rended its armour open with her biotics. But by that point, it had reached us.

I felt a sudden blow. It was the krogan and his damn shotgun, scoring a direct hit. Felt like a really nasty punch, even through my own armour. And then my shields blinked out, thanks to a glancing hit from a rocket launched from the mech.

"Fall back," I yelled. Team Two kindly cleared a path for Miranda, Zaeed and I to barrel through the doors out of the cargo bay. The doors immediately closed as soon as we were clear.

We heard a thud as a rocket hit the doors, and then another. Oddly enough, the doors didn't open. Either there were no controls on the inside or the krogan weren't smart enough to operate them. I took a breath, and then another, keeping a close eye on my HUD.

Then, as I watched, my shields started regenerating. Within a few seconds, my shields were restored with a flicker and an electronic buzz. Showtime.

We opened the door, and the krogan greeted us with another shotgun blast. Naturally I took the brunt of it. Our returning volley, however, quickly put it down.

And then there was the YMIR. It still had a bit of armour protecting its chassis, which a plasma bolt quickly dealt with. A few sniper rounds to the head, and it went down with a bang. (7)

Jedore started cursing away. Well, she tried to. It sounded more like a bunch of incoherent sputtering. Her aim was a bit more effective, though. Our attempts to move forward were quickly thwarted by several well-placed rockets.

"Okay, let's start by taking out her shields," I called out.

"Um, how are we supposed to hit her?" Kasumi asked. "She's pretty well protected over there."

"Someone's gonna have to act as bait," Zaeed agreed.

Everyone looked at me. My heart sank.

"Fine," I grumbled. "Just be ready."

I went into the middle of the cargo bay and just stood there. Any second now...

...yep! Jedore couldn't resist. She immediately stood up, and three EMPs went off—shorting out her shields in a blink. I dove to the side as she launched two rockets in quick succession. A fireball, and Mordin's triumphant cry, told me that her armour had taken a hit as well.

"You will pay for your insolence!" Jedore cried.

Getting to my feet, I moved back into my original position and pointed my omni-tool in her general direction. As soon as she popped up, I sent some plasma of my own, which melted through her armour. A concussive round from Zaeed sent her flying.

"You dare?" Jedore yelled, stumbling to her feet. "I rule here!"

She lifted her rocket launcher and took a step forward—right into my sights. One squeeze of the trigger and it was all over. I started to savour the satisfaction of shutting Jedore up once and for all, for the sake of my ears if nothing else.

"Do you hear that?" Miranda called out from her position, bringing my joy to a typically abrupt end. I listened closely and heard alarms going off up above. Sounded like they were coming from the lab. "Damn it, what's going on up there?"

"Shepard," EDI's voice came in over the comm. Guess she was monitoring our progress the whole time. "The lab alarms coincided with a systems failure. The remaining lab systems are unprotected, and I have gained limited access."

"Give me a sitrep, EDI," I said.

"According to lab scanners, the room is flooded with toxins, and Okeer's personal life sighs are failing rapidly. I recommend haste."

Must be seriously deadly toxins if they could overwhelm a krogan's systems so quickly. "EDI, see if you can vent the room of the toxins. Squad—double-time it back to the lab. Move!"

We hurried up the stairs, not even bothering to holster our weapons. Our feet pounded the metal steps, a harsh contrast to the pleasantly synthesized voice repeating "Contaminants detected. Emergency vent in progress."

But we were too late. Okeer was slumped by the computer console near the tank. The console automatically started a recording when we entered the lab.

"You gave me time, Shepard," Okeer rasped. "If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you."

As I got closer, I could see Okeer swaying back and forth on the monitor. He was dying, but he was determined to send me a message.

"But everything is in my prototype," he continued. "My legacy is pure. This... one soldier, this grunt. Perfect."

"He sacrificed thousand of his own people..." Zaeed said.

"So why would someone so fanatical sacrifice himself for one krogan?" Garrus finished.

"Delusional," Mordin sniffed. "Unlikely one krogan, however strong, could have impact Okeer wanted. Am... almost certain." He finished that with a noticeable lack of confidence. "Suggest leaving it."

"Afraid he'll make your genophage obsolete?" I asked sarcastically.

"No," Mordin replied. "But krogan genetically dangerous. Socially dangerous as well. Have enough enemies without adding this."

"We'll see," I said, activating the comm. "Shepard to Normandy. Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs retrieval."

I glanced at the tank looming over us before adding "And he's a big one."

We headed back to the Normandy. I was grateful that our squad was only seven people, as we needed the extra room to hold the 'pure krogan' tank. With a hell of a lot of grunting and swearing, we managed to lug it back to the Port Cargo Hold and plug it into the Normandy's internal power grid.

After that, I headed to the tech lab to scan the research upgrade I'd picked up earlier for the sniper rifle. I was just finishing up when Garrus sent me a message on my omni-tool:

Shepard,

Miranda and Jacob having 'discussion' about krogan in comm room. Suggest dropping by.

Garrus

It only took me a minute to wrap things up and hurry over to the tech lab. "Bringing the krogan for study makes sense," Miranda was saying as I entered, "but I have concerns about waking it."

"Yeah, you've said that a few times now," Jacob sighed.

"A normal krogan is dangerous," Miranda insisted. "This one was created, and likely educated, by a madman."

"I see everyone's enjoying the new paperweight," I said, announcing my presence in case anyone missed me. "Let's hear your other concerns."

"All our intel was on Okeer. We don't know anything about this krogan, Commander," Miranda started. "For all we know, it could be just as unstable as the other krogan Okeer rejected."

"Which is why he's still in the tank. There's no way he's getting out unless one of us lets him out," I reassured her.

"There are other possibilities. Perhaps Okeer installed some sort of failsafe. Or a malfunction could cause the tank to shut down," Miranda pointed out.

"EDI, how quickly can the cargo hold be vented to space if there's an issue?" I asked.

"Twenty-eight seconds, Shepard."

"And if anyone else is in the hold at the time?" Miranda prodded.

"I'll figure something out." What that might be, I had no idea. "Jacob, Garrus; what's your take?"

"Your call, Shepard," Jacob replied. "If you're going to wake him, you should bring some backup."

"Going in with backup could antagonize him," Garrus disagreed. "You're going to need something a bit less confrontational."

"Noted," I said. "The cargo hold is safe enough while I decide what to do with him."

With nothing else to discuss, the three of them left. I pulled Garrus aside before he departed.

"Thanks for the heads-up," I started.

"You're welcome," Garrus nodded. "Any thoughts on what you're going to do."

"Not yet," I shook my head. "I'll let you know when I've made a decision."

The two of us separated; Garrus to do his own thing, me to make my usual rounds.

Kelly caught my eye when I emerged onto the command deck. "Is it true we have a pod containing a baby krogan down in the cargo hold?" she whispered.

Don't know why she was whispering, when the scuttlebutt clearly had spread the news to the whole ship. "Not a baby," I corrected. "He's a full-grown super-soldier ready for combat."

Now she looked even more nervous. "Please be careful if you decide to... er... birth him? His personality is completely unknown."

True enough. I put some serious thought into what to do over the next few hours. Finally, I made some preparations and contacted Jacob, Garrus and Zaeed, telling them to suit up and meet me outside the Port Cargo Hold.

"I'm gonna pop the tank," I told them when everyone arrived. "I want you to wait outside. If there's trouble, I'll signal you over the HUD to charge in. The goal is to retrieve me and get everyone out of the cargo hold. After that, we'll vent the atmosphere."

"And if there's trouble but you don't signal?" Garrus asked.

"Then, contrary to what you might hear, I have things under control," I replied.

"And you're sure you want to go in alone?" Jacob asked.

"As Garrus pointed out earlier, if things start going south, the last thing I need is a bunch of armed men charging in and making a tense situation worse," I said. I would have preferred if someone else was doing the talking, but being the CO has a lot of drawbacks. (8)

"Shepard, couldn't you wake him remotely and talk to him over the viewscreen?" Garrus suggested.

"I doubt Okeer's imprints would teach this krogan to respect someone who didn't meet him face to face," I shrugged. Even if that would be the smart thing for me to do.

"Good luck," Jacob said soberly. "You'll need it."

Without any further protests, I strode into the cargo hold and up to the tank.

"The subject is stable, Shepard," EDI informed me. "Integration with onboard systems was seamless."

"Can he see anything in there?" I asked, peering through the glass. "Does he know where he is?"

"Unlikely. Current neural patterns indicate minimal cognition."

"And he's fine in there for now?"

"Barring ship-wide power loss, the nutrients in the tank could sustain him for over a year."

"You know why I'm here," I said. "What can you tell me about this guy? Anything unusual?"

"The subject is an exceptional example of the krogan species, with fully formed primary, secondary and tertiary organs where applicable," EDI reported. "No defects of any kind, aside from the genetic markers of the genophage present in all krogan. I cannot judge mental functioning.

"Any idea how dangerous this guy is?"

"He is a krogan, Shepard. If you are asking whether he is actively hostile, I don't have the necessary data to answer. Okeer's technology could impart data, not methods of thinking. The subject may know of his views, but would not necessarily share them."

Then it all comes down to one big gamble. "Stand by. I'm going to open the tank and let him out." Here's hoping the universe was on my side for once, I silently added.

"Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology," EDI promptly stated. "There is a serious risk with your proposed course of action."

Again with the warnings. It was like someone was trying to tell me something.

Maybe I should listen. That would be the smart thing to do.

But when did I start doing that? It's not like I did that the last time.

"He's either a powerful addition to the crew or a time bomb," I finally said. "I'd rather deal with it now."

"Very well, Shepard," EDI replied. "The controls are online. The switch—and consequences—are yours."

The control panel flickered to life, but I ignored it for the time being. Instead, I stared at the krogan floating before me, immersed in some kind of stasis/nutrient solution. I just stood there, staring at the bubbles floating up one by one.

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head, walked to the console and entered the revival sequence.

The first thing I heard was a gurgling sound. The solution quickly drained into the floor compartment of the tank. With a clank, the tank lid popped open. The krogan fell to his knees with a loud thud and coughed out the last of the solution. Even on his knees, the guy was as tall as I was. I must admit, it was a bit intimidating.

After a second, he rose to his feet. His eyes looked unfocused. I took a step towards him. He lifted his head and looked at me.

Then his eyes narrowed.

Aw, crap.

Without warning, he charged forward. He rammed into me, lifting me off my feet, and carried me all the way to the other side of the cargo hold. The next thing I knew, I was being slammed against the wall, with a heavy arm holding me in place.

"Human. Male."

Krogan. Big.

"Before you die, I need a name," he rumbled.

"I'm Commander Shepard," I snapped, "and I don't take threats lightly. I suggest you relax."

The krogan shook his head. "Not your name. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank... Okeer couldn't implant a connection. His words are hollow. Warlord, legacy, grunt... grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last. It has no meaning. It'll do.

"I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

Seriously, most people never get the chance to pick their own names. And this guy picks 'Grunt?' "You wouldn't prefer 'Okeer' or some other krogan name? Or 'Legacy?'"

"It's short," he growled. "Matches the training in my blood. The other words are big things I don't feel. Maybe they fit your mouth better. I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or his enemies. I will do what I am bred to do—fight and determine the strongest—but the imprint has failed. Without a reason that's mine, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you."

Great. A krogan who's basically a blank slate and all he wants to do is fight. "Is it that easy for Okeer's perfect krogan to abandon his mission?" I demanded.

"Okeer is just a voice in the tank," Grunt snorted. "If his imprints are true, then he created something stronger than him. So he's not worthy of me. And if his hatreds aren't strong enough to compel me, they've failed too. I feel nothing. I have no connection."

"Here's a connection for you," I said, "I have a good ship and a strong crew. A strong clan. You'd make it stronger."

"If you're weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you," he threatened.

"I was strong enough to be brought back from the dead and command once more," I replied, staring him straight in the eye. "And everyone on my ship has earned their place and their right to stand by my side." Okay, I wasn't entirely sure about that last part, but he didn't need to know. "We face enemies that threaten entire galaxies. They're worthy adversaries, no doubt about that."

We continued our staring contest for what seemed like hours, with Grunt crushing me into the wall. Finally, he opened his mouth. "Nothing in the tank imprints indicated humans could be so confident or forceful. You speak as though you've earned the right to lead."

"Plus I have an ace up my sleeve," I said, glancing down.

"Hmm?" Grunt took my cue and looked down. For the first time he noticed my pistol, which I'd pulled out as soon as he rammed me into the wall.

"Ha! Offer one hand, but arm the other," he approved, releasing me at last. I resisted the urge to start wheezing and gasping for air. That would really ruin the rep I'd just established with him.

"You are wise, Shepard," he said, a note of respect in his voice for the first time. "If I find a clan, if I find what I... I want, I will be honoured to eventually pit them against you. Until then, I'll fight for you."

"As part of my 'clan,' you'll be helping us fight our enemies: the Collectors," I told him. "Did Okeer give you any imprints about them?"

He frowned, raising a hand to his head in concentration. For the first time I noticed that he didn't have the head plates of most krogan. Instead, it looked like a bunch of rock-like protrusions covering his scaly face. I wasn't sure whether that reflected his age or the unique circumstances behind his creation.

"I see... blurry ships, guesswork about strength," he reported. "Nothing to help pick a weak spot and tear. Okeer spent all his time on old hatreds and old enemies."

"Okeer said he got some tech from the Collectors, which he incorporated into your creation. Any idea what that might be?"

"No. Some way to breed krogan. Whatever he had, it was used up when he made me." He looked at me with annoyance. "You humans talk too much. Like the tank."

"Just one more thing before I go," I said. "Anything I can get for you?"

"No—wait. Yes."

"Go on," I prodded.

"Where's your mess hall? I'm hungry."

(1): Krogan were known to enter a sort of 'blood rage,' which made them even more formidable. The Blue Sun here was probably referring more to the extreme aggression of the krogan created by Okeer, however.

(2): A group of hereditary genetic disorders which adversely affected the coagulation cascade responsible for controlling blood clotting, one that in utero genetic therapy or corrective genetic enhancements had virtually eliminated by the 22nd century.

(3): A term referring to commanders who lead from behind a desk and issue orders based on nostalgia, theory, the letter of the law or some form of self-interest rather than tactical or strategic cunning. The first three letters stand for "Rear Echelon Mother" while the last letter stands for something more profane.

(4): While the Virmire base was destroyed, the salarian STG who were there had gathered a great deal of intelligence beforehand, which corroborated Miss Lawson's statement.

(5): It is always difficult to gauge who was correct in these circumstances. Field units on the front are better able to assess the tactical situation and often issue requests on whatever might be needed to adapt to the present circumstances. Command units, on the other hand, can see the overall strategic picture, and may hold back reserve units if they feel they are needed somewhere else. I must admit, though, that most command units are not as... talkative.

(6): As facetious as his comment might be, his record do support those remarks.

(7): The surprising ease with which Shepard's squad took down such a formidable force is a testament to the effectiveness of carefully choosing your terrain. The krogan and the heavy mech were unable to reach Shepard and his squad without climbing the nearest ramp, which funnelled them into a bottleneck. As Shepard demonstrated, he also had a clear exit path to retreat if he needed more room.

(8): Very true, though the burdens of command I faced as CO weren't as frequently life-threatening.